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BOARDWALKTECH REPORTS SECOND QUARTER FISCAL 2025 FINANCIAL RESULTS
COSTCO has promised continued deals through a hidden membership opportunity shoppers might not know about. The exclusive offering was recently highlighted by the warehouse retailer's CEO, Ron Vachris. Vachris explained that the "benefits" would come from Costco Next , a direct-to-consumer (DTC) program with discounts just for members that include only merchandise highly reviewed by previous buyers. To become a member at Costco and take advantage of Costco Next, you must purchase one of two membership options — Gold Star or Executive. Gold Star is the base level membership for a fee of $65 annually, and Executive comes with extra benefits and bonuses for $130 per year. Costco Next was first introduced in 2017 but later expanded in 2021, per Food & Wine . Read More on Costco Costco Next effectively helps members get connected with its suppliers by purchasing products they want directly through their websites. They still get the Costco prices, though. "Costco Next is our marketplace," Vachris noted during a recent earnings call . "This is an exclusive Costco member-only marketplace." Most read in Money "It's fully curated by our buyers, so everything that's on the site has been reviewed by our buyers but is exclusive to Costco members," he added. The CEO said Costco made the move to continue improving the connection between it and its members. "So, we think it's just going to enhance the relationship we have with our members and give more options for their shopping needs," he told investors. While Costco Next remains a smaller portion of the warehouse retailer's operations, it is growing in popularity. OUTLOOK BRIGHT Costco seeks to continue expanding its e-commerce presence along with its in-person shopping experiences, and Costco Next is assisting that goal. CFO Gary Millerchip said on the call that the marketplace even "achieved record sales over the Thanksgiving, Black Friday, and Cyber Monday sales period" this year. Costco has strict rules for membership use that shoppers must follow and they've been cracking down on offenders in recent years. Primary Member Use : Only the primary cardholder can use this Costco membership card. Sharing it for purchases is not allowed as the photo on the card must match the person using it. Household Card : Each primary member can add one free household cardholder who lives at the same address. This person will receive their own membership card and can shop at Costco independently. Guest Policy : Members can bring up to two guests per visit to Costco. However, only the member can make purchases. Guests must be accompanied by the member. Authorized Cardholder : For an additional fee, you can add an authorized cardholder, such as a family member or friend, who doesn't reside at your address. They will receive their own card and can shop independently. Credit: Costco "To use a baseball analogy, we are very much in the early innings with retail media, but we continue to believe this represents a significant growth opportunity in the future," Millerchip said. The CFO also noted that suppliers were happy with the recent results of Costco Next. "Our retail media team is now working with over 25 suppliers who are eager to participate in our next wave of offsite campaigns," he said. VERIFICATION REQUIRED The positive outlook for Costco Next comes after the warehouse retailer faced some significant backlash over its membership-sharing crackdown in recent months. A new policy implemented earlier this summer has members stop at the entrance to scan their cards and have them matched with a photograph and government-issued ID to enter. Some members have claimed the new measure has caused long lines outside the front doors. "A line of 40 people was standing outside in 30-degree weather in East Peoria [Illinois]," someone wrote in a post on X this month. "Unacceptable service. May consider dropping for Sam's Club." Read More on The US Sun Others claimed the policy left them feeling "harassed" and demanded Costco make changes. The membership verification is required at checkout as well, leaving one customer crying that it was "too much." Costco has unveiled membership scanners at its store entrances. In August 2024, the retailer released a statement about the scanners on its website . "Over the coming months, membership scanning devices will be used at the entrance door of your local warehouse," it wrote. "Once deployed, prior to entering, all members must scan their physical or digital membership card by placing the barcode or QR Code against the scanner. "Guests must also be accompanied by a valid member for entry. "If you have any questions or concerns, there will always be an attendant at the door to assist you! "If your membership is inactive, expired, or you would like to sign up for a new membership, the attendant will ask that you stop by the membership counter prior to entering the warehouse to shop. "Additionally, if your membership card does not have a photo, please be prepared to show your valid photo ID. "We encourage you to stop by the membership counter to have a photo taken to have on your card."
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Dometic’s new CFX5 portable fridges have us rethinking our beloved Yeti coolersJerzy Pomianowski is a Polish career diplomat who has been based in Brussels for over a decade, leading the European Endowment for Democracy (EED), an organisation that supports democratic and civil initiatives worldwide, including in Ukraine. Pomianowski has a keen understanding of how Western attitudes toward Ukraine and Russia’s war against Ukraine are evolving. Sergiy Sydorenko, the European Pravda's editor, has spoken with Pomianowski, whose position is very close to realpolitik. It included points about the West's perspective on the war and potential "compromises" that might unsettle or even offend some in the Ukrainian audience. Rather than dismissing these viewpoints, they need to be understood and addressed. Read more in the the full interview – "The West is preparing Ukraine for negotiations rather than victory." Such a clear change of administration will make a difference. The only thing we know about Trump is that he is unpredictable. It is very difficult to guess what his next move will be. This unpredictability means that it will be difficult to make any long-term plans. It does not necessarily have to have negative consequences. Sometimes it is positive because if something is not working, you can quickly change strategy and jump to another deal and another deal. A scenario where Trump hands Ukraine over to Putin, I don't consider a serious one. We need to keep in mind that there is a strong perception among the military community within the US that the war with Russia in Ukraine is extremely important from a strategic point of view , that it cannot simply be given up for some small political deals. But at the same time, the US interest is to make sure that Putin is not going out of this war stronger, because that would be against the US interest. I have this extremely strong voice in my head that is related to 1918. Тhere were two people – French Prime Minister Georges Clemenceau and US General John Pershing – who were saying: we cannot stop now, we have to go to Berlin. Because if we don't do this, we will have a war in 20 years. But the public, in France, in the US and the UK, were so tired of the war that they demanded an immediate ceasefire, immediate peace. What we see today (here I am being absolutely blunt and down to the ground) is that the language of today's political discourse about Ukraine is a preparatory process for some kind of negotiations. Not a preparation for victory. That is the real danger. If you have such feelings that would dominate in the public in Western Europe, in the US, then of course no politician will be able to overrule such pressure. Because that’s how democracy works. Here is where the role of Ukrainian society comes in. We at the EED believe that the whole of society in today's world – through social media, through advocacy campaigns, through different mechanisms – can communicate the will of the Ukrainian people to other societies. But at the moment, if an ordinary Polish or Belgian person talks to their Ukrainian neighbour, they receive mixed messages which are not only about Ukraine’s readiness to defend itself. People hear things like "I don't know what's going on there," or "Corruption is still high, because you can pay and cross the border." This kind of cacophony that comes from ordinary Ukrainians all accumulates to one general message: that Ukrainian society is getting weaker than it was at the beginning of the war. This harms Ukraine. What we see today (here I am being absolutely blunt and down to the ground) is that the language of today's political discourse about Ukraine is a preparatory process for some kind of negotiations. Not a preparation for victory. That’s why NATO membership and EU membership are two elements that cannot be given up in any future negotiation. That will disable Russia’s ability to relaunch the war after 2, 3, 5, 7 years. I hope that pan-European support will be strong enough to give Ukraine the ability to manoeuvre, to strike those short-term deals with the US whenever the situation allows, and to prepare a better negotiating position for the future so-called peace talks.
World News Live: Welcome to our World News live blog, your go-to source for instant updates on major events across the globe. Whether it's political shifts, economic trends, environmental crises, or international conflicts, we deliver real-time reports to keep you informed and engaged with the latest global developments. Disclaimer: This is an AI-generated live blog and has not been edited by Hindustan Times staff. ...Read More US News Live : Donald Trump 'buys' Canada, Greenland, and Panama Canal in Eric Trump's post; Danish leader’s blunt five-word response World News Live : Chinese workers, building one of BYD's largest plants, rescued from ‘slave-like’ conditionsTrump transition says Cabinet picks, appointees were targeted by bomb threats, swatting attacks
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The United States’ Air Force ( USAF ) is pursuing the ambitious Next Generation Air Dominance ( NGAD ) program to fulfill its goal of developing the first sixth generation fighter jet. The NGAD is meant to ensure that the American military can establish air superiority and dominate the skies over any battlefield. The role of air power is more vital than ever in the 21st century and with near-peer adversaries gaining ground in every defense sector, the future can’t wait. 5 Affordability Projected to be one of the most costly fighter jet programs in US history, the NGAD program has raised significant questions regarding both the procurement and sustainment affordability. The program's expenses surpass even the high costs of the F-22 and F-35 platforms, with per-unit costs estimated to exceed $200 million. The Department of Defense (DOD) must balance funding the NGAD with other modernization priorities like unmanned aerial systems and hypersonic weapons. The debate over NGAD has sparked scrutiny as funding the project is feared to squeeze out resources for other initiatives. Finding the money without compromising other areas of the defense strategy can be difficult. The cost pressure may result in a smaller fleet size, similar to how the B-2 Spirit production ended. As the program continues to develop, the Air Force is attempting to wrangle the risk of budget inflation to ensure unanticipated expenses don't bloat program costs. 4 Emerging technologies For NGAD development, like all projects that demand invention, the engineers and craftsmen who construct this revolutionary new aircraft must integrate bleeding-edge technology that has never seen the battlefield. In order for the sixth-generation jet to be safe to fly and lethal in its mission execution, all of that new technology must work together seamlessly. DefenseScoop reported that the Air Force seeks to integrate unmanned collaborative combat aircraft (CCA) with the NGAD to enhance operational flexibility. Air Force Secretary Kendall remarked on this combined strategy, saying, "threat changes; because of financial constraints; because of the development of technology, including the introduction of CCAs [autonomous Collaborative Combat Aircraft]," he said, "it would be imprudent to commit to a single design before reconsidering all available options." The B-21 Raider might be able to fit at least some of NGAD's role as a penetrating command center controlling advanced drones. Producing a real and tangible fighter that can do everything asked of it will be intensely complex and call for a deep investment of intellectual power from the American industrial sector. All of the usual prime contractors are interested, including Collins Aerospace , Raytheon, Lockheed Martin , Boeing and Northrop Grumman . Without exceptional minds and skills, it will be impossible for the NGAD to ever take flight. 3 Industrial constraints The NGAD program's demands on the capacity of the US defense-industrial base has raised the curtain on the complexity of modern weapons manufacturing. Successfully completing this program and realizing the potential of many innovative concepts will demand a vast array of highly specialized components, materials, and production processes. Bottlenecks in the supply chain have recently been further exacerbated by the global pandemic, conflict, and competition, especially for rare earth materials. All of these threaten to slow production timelines and increase costs. The US Air Force is concerned about proceeding with its Next-Generation Air Dominance (NGAD) program unless the fighter jet is cheaper than the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter, which costs between $80 and $100 million each. The US Air Force aims for NGAD to replace the F-22 Raptor. Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall suggested that the F-35 is the cost ceiling for the future fighter program during the Air and Space Forces Association’s Air Space Cyber conference in September.“We are looking at what we need in order to achieve air superiority in a manner consistent with the increased threat, the changing character of war in the most and the most cost and combat effective way,” he said. The estimate for NGAD’s original concept was three times the price of an F-35, which led the US Air Force to reconsider the contract, which should have been awarded this year. Still, Secretary Kendall also stressed the urgency of the 6th Generation Fighter Jet project's deliverables.Some believe the Air F 2 Unmanned vs manned systems The US sixth-generation fighter program will adopt a dual approach to future air power. That means manned and unmanned systems will work together on the battlefield to complement each other. This doctrine represents a significant shift in air combat strategy. Incorporating the CCA unmanned platforms in support of high-risk roles such as electronic warfare, reconnaissance, and targeting will free up manned jets and improve pilot safety. The Washington Times reports that the Air Force wants to start with “200 NGAD fighters and 1,000 unmanned collaborative combat aircraft (CCAs), assuming the use of two CCA platforms for each NGAD fighter and another two for each of the 300 F-35 fifth-generation fighters.” Developing such a dynamic and hazardous human-machine interface introduces unknown challenges. The CCA's and NGAD’s AI algorithms must make split-second decisions while remaining in sync with human commands or actions. Ensuring that unmanned systems effectively complement piloted aircraft and don’t pose any risk will require rigorous testing and development to thoroughly vet and verify. 1 Policy risks Significant political, policy, and programmatic obstacles threaten the NGAD timeline. The schedule and technological goals are in jeopardy of compromise or interference from a multitude of other actors who are vying to draw resources away to their own ends. Delays have called the program's viability into question, raising doubts about the Air Force's ability to deliver the platform on time. The Aviationist reported on the program status after the Air Force paused NGAD reviews to reassess priorities: “From a requirements perspective, what I would say is we’re going back and starting at the beginning with ‘What is the thing we’re trying to do?’” said the Vice Chief of Staff James C. Slife. “‘How do we achieve air superiority in a contested environment?’ would be one way to frame the question. A different way to frame the question would be, ‘How do we build a sixth-gen manned fighter platform?’ I mean, those are not necessarily the same question.” Proposed NGAD Features Stealth capabilities with enhanced radar evasion Modular airframe design to enable adaptability High-speed propulsion with potential hypersonic integration Advanced networking for multi-domain operations Unmanned systems integration with AI-driven autonomy Enhanced electronic warfare capabilities Increased payload capacity for diverse mission types The NGAD program aims to define the future of air dominance by integrating manned and unmanned platforms and a host of sixth-generation technical innovations that would put the US Air Force leaps and bounds ahead of its adversary's capabilities. The resolution of strategic issues that are crippling progress depends on overcoming challenges in procurement areas such as supply chain resilience, affordability, technological integration, and strategic alignment. Whether the NGAD program realizes its transformative potential or encounters compromises that undercut its lofty objectives will depend on how well it navigates these complexities while keeping an eye on the future.The OpenAI Sora protest is just a taste of what’s coming in 2025 – here’s what needs to changeNone