Boston Business Journal articles from October 1991

Boston Business Journal archives from October 1991

Fleet mulls $1B bid for RECOLL assets. (Fleet/Norstar Financial Group Inc.; RECOLL Management Corp.)
October 28, 1991... Under fire from borrowers and politicians for its handling of Bank of New England's assets, Fleet/Norstar Financial Group is considering buying as much as $1 billion more in assets from the federal government, according to sources. Terrence...

Westwood cooking up new stock offering. (Westwood Group Inc.)
October 28, 1991... The Westwood Group, which owns a local restaurant chain and Wonderland Park in Revere, is hoping that Wall Street has regained an appetite for the publicly owned restaurant company. If all goes according to plans, Boston-based Westwood could...

Olmsted developer cuts new deal with Flynn, Fenway. (Olmstead Plaza Associates)
October 28, 1991... Pact signals shift of power away from neighborhoods In a move cheered by the city's real estate community and jeered by many neighborhood activists, developers of the Olmsted Plaza biotech research facility last week negotiated a delay in...

Courier races to win high-tech print niche. (electronic integrated publishing services of Courier Connection) (Company Profile)
October 28, 1991... Tucked away in one lonely corner of an enormous, 700,000-square-foot, ivy-covered brick factory in Westford, where Courier Corp. prints and binds best-seller books, textbooks and software manuals, is Courier's high-tech gamble for the company's...

Dubious distinction. (Federal Reserve reports loan discrimination of banks against black applicants) (Brief Article)
October 28, 1991... A report by the Federal Reserve revealed that more than a third of black applicants for mortgage loans in Boston were rejected by local banks, the highest rejection rate of 19 cities surveyed. Fed officials and politicians vowed to investigate...

Purity Supreme. (to be sold by Supermarkets General Holding Corp.) (Brief Article)
October 28, 1991... Purity Supreme owner Supermarkets Holding Corp. of New Jersey agreed to sell 90 percent ownership of the supermarket chain and all but three Purity stores. Los Angeles-based investor Freeman Spogli & Co. has offered $265 million for the...

Jerry Ellis. (teams up with William and Peter O'Connell in buying the Harborlight Mall) (Brief Article)
October 28, 1991... Building 19 owner Jerry Ellis has joined Quincy developers William and Peter O'Connell in purchasing the Harborlight Mall in Quincy for $4.19 million. Ellis said they would like to encourage local entrepreneurs and discount stores to rent space...

Examination Management Services. (cited by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration for violations) (Brief Article)
October 28, 1991... Woburn's Examination Management Services could be fined up to $37,000 by the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration for exposing workers to potentially contaminated blood and bodily fluids. The company, which performs medical tests...

Slow recovery. (economic recovery of Wang Laboratories Inc.) (Brief Article)
October 28, 1991... Although Wang Laboratories reported operating profits of $4 million for the first time in a year, the Lowell-based computer company reported a net loss of $9.8 million after interest and taxes in the third quarter. News of the profits was...

BankWorcester Corp. (earnings) (Brief Article)
October 28, 1991... BankWorcester Corp. reported third-quarter earnings of $2.4 million, up from $73,000 last year. The gain translated to 36 cents a share compared with 1 cent last year. BankWorcester Corp. said income tax benefits from losses over bad loans...

Stratus Computer. (earnings) (Brief Article)
October 28, 1991... Stratus Computer of Marlborough reported a 43 percent rise in earnings in the third quarter compared with the same period last year. Earnings were reported at $13.9 million, versus $9.7 million last year.

Child World. (to match prices and coupon discounts of Toys 'R' US) (Brief Article)
October 28, 1991... Avon-based Child World is responding to the first catalog distributed by Toys 'R' Us by promising to match its rival's prices for new items and to better any coupon discounts in the catalog. The move is a continuation of a fierce battle for...

Analog Devices. (develops new accelerometer) (Brief Article)
October 28, 1991... Analog Devices of Norwood said it has developed an electronic chip that could cut the cost of an air bag to $100 or less from the $600 it now costs many car makers. Analog said a $5 accelerometer it has developed would replace expensive sensors...

Serving the homeless. (Au Bon Pain defines guidelines for dealing with homeless restaurant patrons) (Brief Article)
October 28, 1991... Boston-based Au Bon Pain is the first fast-food restaurant or retail outfit to define guidelines for dealing with homeless patrons. The company signed a pact with the Homeless Civil Rights Project and pledged to serve the homeless and the poor...

Standard and Poor's. (reaffirmed its AAA rating of John Hancock Mutual Life Insurance Co.) (Brief Article)
October 28, 1991... Standard and Poor's has reaffirmed its AAA rating of John Hancock Mutual Life Insurance Co. Standard and Poor's rating of John Hancock's claims-paying ability was based on the company's diversified customers, strong management, stable...

Bachman Information Systems. (stocks goes public) (Brief Article)
October 28, 1991... Morgan Stanley & Co. and Cowen & Co. will underwrite the sale of 1.66 million shares of common stock when Bachman Information Systems goes public. The sale is expected to raise up to $23.3 million. Burlington-based Bachman makes software...

Bolt Beranek & Newman. (contracts) (Brief Article)
October 28, 1991... Bolt Beranek & Newman of Cambridge has won a $33 million contract from the U.S. Defense Information System Agency.

Lotus Development Corp. (develops new word processors and spreadsheets) (Brief Article)
October 28, 1991... Lotus Development Corp. will offer its new Windows-compatible word processor and Windows spreadsheet on a new line of Packard Bell computers.

General Cinema Corp. (to merge with Harcourt Brace Jovanovich) (Brief Article)
October 28, 1991... Demands from General Cinema Corp. of Newton for a merger agreement with Florida publisher Harcourt Brace Jovanovich have been met. General Cinema had asked that 90 percent of HBJ bonds be tendered before a merger could take place. HBJ...

Christy's Markets. (will not need plant and warehouse after merging with Seven-Eleven Food Stores) (Brief Article)
October 28, 1991... Christy's Markets will no longer need its plant and warehouse in Brockton after joining forces with 7-Eleven. All 30 workers there will lose their jobs but will be offered positions at convenience store outlets.

PictureTel cuts prices and sees its stock soar. (prices of videoconferencing units) (Company Profile)
October 28, 1991... For PictureTel Corp., it's one piece of good news after another: a 127 percent increase in revenue for the third quarter and marketing agreements with NYNEX and IBM that could bring low-cost videoconferencing to home phones and desktop...

State moves to meet national insurance standards. (Massachusetts Division of Insurance) (Industry Overview)
October 28, 1991... The state Division of Insurance is planning on filing legislation later this year that would overhaul the state's insurance laws and regulatory practices as part of a national certification program aimed at standardizing state solvency...

Hancock revamps long-term care policy. (John Hancock Mutual Life Insurance Co.)
October 28, 1991... Continuing its quest to become a major force in the senior citizen insurance market, John Hancock Mutual Life Insurance Co. last week unveiled ProtectCare Advantage, the latest manifestation of its long-term care product. It is the fifth...

Edison looking to add power. (Boston Edison seeks bids from private developers for electricity)
October 28, 1991... Boston Edison recently announced it was seeking bids from private developers to supply the utility with an additional 132 megawatts of electricity as part of its annual bidding process. Details on the request's requirements were sent out to...

Dana Ono: charting new waters. (president of Arcturus Pharmaceuticals)
October 28, 1991... Position: President of Arcturus Pharmaceuticals Education: B.S., Johns Hopkins University, 1975; PhD., Harvard University, 1981 Age: 38 Dana Ono has thoroughly analyzed his evolution from fish fanatic to biotech business guru....

GM seeks best offer for Framingham plant. (General Motors Corp.)(Focus: Commercial and Residential Real Estate)
October 28, 1991... General Motors is waging a full-scale marketing war in an effort to find a buyer for its idle auto assembly plant in Framingham, which was built in 1946 and shut down in 1990. While GM executives voice steadfast optimism about lining up...

Kiddie Products. (Proxy Report Excerpts) (Company Profile)
October 28, 1991... THE BUSINESS Headquarters: Avon Stock Symbol: KIDD Market: NASDAQ Annual Revenue: $35,422,620 Net Income: $1,694,165 Employees: 130...

Bronner Slosberg Humphrey. (Advertising/Communications) (Brief Article)
October 28, 1991... Bronner Slosberg Humphrey of Boston will produce an advertising campaign promoting the partnership of AT&T and Disney. The national television and print campaign will celebrate the 20th anniversary of Walt Disney World Attractions and tout AT&T...

Mullen Public Relations. (Advertising/Communications) (Brief Article)
October 28, 1991... Mullen Public Relations in Wenham was awarded an account from Programart, a Cambridge-based developer and marketer of IBM-compatible computer products. The agency will promote the STROBE, an application performance management system.

Bank of Boston. (Banking/Finance) (Brief Article)
October 28, 1991... Bank of Boston announced that it has committed $34 million to Illinois Central Railroad of Chicago. The amount is part of $156 million in financing to be used by the freight railroad to restructure existing debt. Bank of Boston is the lead bank...

Gordon Associates. (Banking/Finance) (Brief Article)
October 28, 1991... Gordon Associates, a new Boston firm specializing in business valuation and corporate financial analysis, was formed by members of the business valuation division of Newbury, Piret & Co. Though Gordon Associates will run as a separate...

Fitchburg Gas and Electric Light Co. (Dividends) (Brief Article)
October 28, 1991... Fitchburg Gas and Electric Light Co. declared a dividend of 53 cents per share on the company's common stock, payable on Nov. 15 to shareholders of record as of Nov. 1.

Boston Edison Co. (Dividends) (Brief Article)
October 28, 1991... Boston Edison Co. declared a quarterly dividend of 39.5 cents per common share, payable on Nov. 1 to shareholders of record as of Oct. 10.

Perini Corp. (Dividends) (Brief Article)
October 28, 1991... Perini Corp. in Framingham declared a regular quarterly dividend of $5.31 per share on the issued and outstanding convertible exchangeable preferred shares of the corporation, payable on Dec. 16 to shareholders of record as of Nov. 24.

Repligen Corp. (Health/Science) (Brief Article)
October 28, 1991... Repligen Corp. of Cambridge entered into an agreement to acquire AMIRA Inc., a Worcester-based chemical research firm. Drug development by both companies is focused on virology, cancer and inflammation research. Under the terms of the...

Biogen. (Health/Science) (Brief Article)
October 28, 1991... Biogen in Cambridge has signed an exclusive joint research-and-development agreement with Commonwealth Serum Laboratories for human therapeutic applications of the drug hirulog. The drug will be tested in Australia, New Zealand and other...

Intex Solution. (High Technology) (Brief Article)
October 28, 1991... Intex Solution, a Needham-based publisher and reseller of Lotus 1-2-3 enhancement, has taken over the publishing of Spellin!, an add-in spelling checker from Symantec Corp. The application checks every label, column and row of a spreadsheet for...

Unitrode Corp. (High Technology) (Brief Article)
October 28, 1991... Unitrode Corp. of Billerica, a manufacturer of electronic components and subsystems, acquired the fixed assets and technology relating to certain hybrid product lines from Dymec Inc., a Winchester manufacturer.

Designs Inc. (Manufacturing/Retail) (Brief Article)
October 28, 1991... Chestnut Hill's Designs Inc., an operator of specialty retail stores that exclusively sells Levi Strauss & Co. clothing and accessories, voted to discontinue efforts to sell the company in the wake of healthy sales during the back-to-school...

Aerovox Inc. (Manufacturing/Retail) (Brief Article)
October 28, 1991... Aerovox Inc. of North Dartmouth reached an agreement in principle with Cornell-Dubilier Electronics Co. to purchase certain assets of the manufacturer's New Bedford operations. The purchase will include the machinery, documentation and...

Stephen S. Walker & Co. (Services/Education) (Brief Article)
October 28, 1991... Stephen S. Walker & Co. in Essex was formed by executives formerly working in the mergers and acquisition industry. The firm designs and carries out organized acquisition search programs in the food and beverage industries, represents selling...

Hoskins Scott Taylor & Partners. (Services/Education) (Brief Article)
October 28, 1991... Boston's Hoskins Scott Taylor & Partners recently completed the architectural design of Cape Cod Hospital's new emergency department and renovated radiology department. Also included in the plans are a new library and conference room....

Calore Freight System. (Services/Education) (Brief Article)
October 28, 1991... Calore Freight System, based in Seekonk, opened a new 10,000-square-foot terminal located at 60 Olympia Ave. in Woburn. Calore Freight Systems operated in the transportation and shipping industry for more than 40 years.

Sterling Office Services. (Services/Education) (Brief Article)
October 28, 1991... Sterling Office Services, a Boston-based personnel firm specializing in the placement of temporary and permanent office and computer support staff, acquired New England Temps and New England Personnel. The firms have operated at the same...

Union makes its stand vs. Peabody. (Laborers International Union; Peabody Construction Company Inc.)
October 21, 1991... Members of Local 223 of the Laborers International Union last week pleaded for help from Mayor Raymond Flynn in resolving a three-week strike they are waging against Peabody Construction. Peabody is the general contractor on approximately...

AIM fights severance-pay ruling. (Associated Industries of Massachusetts)(includes related articles)
October 21, 1991... Associated Industries of Massachusetts (AIM) has joined an appeal to overturn a recent U.S. District Court decision that could force companies which sell divisions of their operations to other businesses to provide severance benefits for...

Digital may have no ACE up its sleeve. (departure of Gary Eichhorn from Digital Equipment Corp. may severe the company's ties with Advanced Computing Environment)
October 21, 1991... In the recent spate of executives leaving Digital Equipment Corp., one went almost unnoticed. But the departure of former vice president Gary Eichhorn, who joined the ranks of rival Hewlett-Packard in September, signals tensions in the...

Going chic to chic with Nordstrom's. (Filene's chain of department stores catches up with its competitors)
October 21, 1991... Filene's is getting gussied up. With the grand opening of its renovated and expanded Natick store on Nov. 1, the New England chain is discarding its frumpier look for a more stylish image. The Natick store, which is roughly 30 percent...

Improving Genetics. (Genetics Institute Inc. reports profits)
October 21, 1991... Genetics Institute of Cambridge reported a profit of 21 cents a share for the third quarter, one year after posting a loss of 48 cents a share. Sales last quarter were triple the level for the same period of 1990, due largely to European...

General Cinema Corp. (sets deadline for Harcourt Brace Jovanovich bondholders to tender their issues)
October 21, 1991... General Cinema Corp. has set Oct. 21 as a final deadline for Harcourt Brace Jovanovich bondholders to tender their issues. This is the third time the deadline has been extended and the last, according to General Cinema president and chief...

J. Atwood Ives. (resigns as chief financial officer of Neiman Marcus Group Inc.)
October 21, 1991... Also, General Cinema vice chairman J. Atwood Ives plans to resign from his position as chief financial officer of the company and of its subsidiary Neiman Marcus Group. Ives will move to Eastern Enterprises of Weston as chairman and chief...

State Street Research & Management Co. (negotiates divestment plans)
October 21, 1991... Managers of State Street Research & Management Co. are again negotiating its sale, according to a report in The Boston Globe. MetLife, parent company of the firm since 1982, is expected to accept any reasonable offer State Street managers...

Digital Equipment Corp. (joins forces with MCBA Inc. and El Camino Resources Ltd. to market new computer)
October 21, 1991... Digital Equipment Corp. of Maynard joined forces with two California companies to market a complete computer product. Digital computers will use MCBA software and sales staff coupled with financing and customer service from El Camino Resources...

Biogen. (company securities statistics)
October 21, 1991... A Japanese study of Biogen's beta interferon produced results that sent the Cambridge-based company's stock climbing. The experiment, which was reported in the British scientific journal Lancet, showed beneficial effects for 10 out of 11...

Reading profits. (Houghton Mifflin Co.'s third quarter earnings)
October 21, 1991... Boston publisher Houghton Mifflin Co. is expected to release third-quarter earnings reflecting a 20 percent gain in net income. This would translate to $2.26 a share, up to 25 cents more than recent predictions. Company chairman Nader Dareshori...

Resources Financial Group. (files for bankruptcy)
October 21, 1991... Resources Financial Group filed for bankruptcy under Chapter 7 in response to substantial losses and a lawsuit filed by state Attorney General Scott Harshbarger. The firm has been charged with victimizing homeowners with misleading information....

DeMoulas. (DeMoulas Supermarkets Inc. charged with mismanagement of profit-sharing plan)
October 21, 1991... A lawsuit charges that managers of the DeMoulas supermarket chain's $65 million profit-sharing plan mismanaged 71 percent of the fund by investing in loans and notes backed by New England real estate. The suit was filed by Evanthea Demoulas and...

Polaroid Corp. (third quarter earnings)
October 21, 1991... Polaroid Corp. of Cambridge reported a 2 percent rise in sales for the third quarter. Polaroid plans to release a new instant film called Holiday Magic that would contain pre-exposed images. Texas inventor Alton Wheeler is trying to get a...

Giving credit. (TRW Credit Data offers free credit reports to regain sagging confidence of consumers)
October 21, 1991... TRW, the nation's largest credit agency, announced it will now offer free credit reports to consumers upon request. TRW wants to regain confidence in its reports by allowing consumers to dispute the information on their record at any time....

Biotech firm Ariad considers landing in Allston. (Ariad Pharmaceuticals Inc.)(Allston, Massachusetts)
October 21, 1991... Continuing his push to transform the city into a biotech Mecca, Boston Redevelopment Authority (BRA) director Stephen Coyle met last week with Ariad Pharmaceuticals founder Dr. Harvey Berger to urge him to site the promising young company at...

Haemonetics: regains rights. (takes over Japanese distribution rights for plasma collection and blood component therapy products from Tokyo-based Labo Science)
October 21, 1991... Haemonetics has taken over the Japanese distribution rights for its plasma collection and blood component therapy products from Tokyo-based Labo Science (see BBJ, June 3). The Braintree-based maker of blood processing systems will now handle...

Serono Laboratories: orphan no more? (production of growth hormone product is stopped in accordance with Orphan Drug Act)
October 21, 1991... Serono Laboratories has not given up on its human growth hormone product, Saizen. Nine members of the Massachusetts congressional delegation signed a letter to Health and Human Services secretary Louis Sullivan on behalf of Serono last...

Oh Yes! Oh no. (Oh Yes! One Price Drycleaning gets lots of customer complaints)
October 21, 1991... Oh Yes! One Price Drycleaning is taking its customers to the cleaners, according to the region's Better Business Bureau (BBB). Customers have filed 44 complaints against the local discount dry-cleaning chain since the first franchise opened...

The Economist takes on 40,000 treasurers. (The Economist Group launches Treasury magazine)
October 21, 1991... Two years after establishing an American beachhead in Boston by buying CFO magazine, the Economist Group, which publishes The Economist, has unveiled the first publication launch in its 148-year history. Treasury magazine was unveiled last...

Salary increases dip in Boston area.
October 21, 1991... Salary increases in the Boston area will be slightly lower next year than in 1991, according to a survey of 39 area companies conducted by The Hay Group, an international consulting firm. Hardest hit are executives and managers, who can...

State's venture capital firm ready to grow. (Massachusetts Technology Development Corp.)
October 21, 1991... The Massachusetts Technology Development Corp. looks like any other venture capital firm in town. It has a State Street address, a board of directors loaded with high-level executives and academics, and a slick portfolio of successful high-tech...

MassMutual unveils managed dental plan. (Massachusetts Mutual Life Insurance Co.)
October 21, 1991... Springfield-based Massachusetts Mutual Life Insurance Company has launched a new managed point-of-service dental plan that it says offers the cost controls of managed care with the freedom of an indemnity plan. MassMutual has begun the program...

AIDS fear prompts CPR mask. (Brunswick Biomedical Technologies develops cardio-pulmonary resuscitation equipment which does away with mouth-to-mouth contact) (Company Profile)
October 21, 1991... A tiny Wareham company is banking on the public fear of AIDS with a device to protect emergency medical technicians (EMTs) during mouth-to-mouth resuscitation. Brunswick Biomedical Technologies' patented "Kiss of Life" is a mask made of...

Drug firms discover the potency of videos. (pharmaceutical companies use video news releases to promote their products)
October 21, 1991... "Bill Smith, 62, is a man who has seen the benefits of early clinical testing. Today, he can walk along the beach with his wife, Irene, near the couple's suburban Boston home. It wasn't long ago that doctors gave him just a few months to live...

Real estate pros sell 24-hour service. (Spaulding & Slye Colliers launches information service)
October 21, 1991... Spaulding & Slye Colliers launched the latest innovation in research services last week with a new telephone/fax line that allows customers to access historical supply, absorption and vacancy information in more than 55 submarkets in Greater...

David Gurgacz: answering the call. (Boston Technology Inc.'s president and chief operating officer)(Personnel File)
October 21, 1991... Position: President and Chief Operating Officer, Boston Technology Education: B.S. Purdue University, 1971; M.B.A., Amos Tuck School of Business Administration, 1972 Age: 42 Early in September, Boston Technology, a small manufacturer of...

Offbeat company hits anti-corrosion target. (ARCOR)(Focus: Manufacturing/Made in Massachusetts) (Company Profile)
October 21, 1991... Samuel Maggio is not your average CEO. Never mind that he is wearing bright green shorts, a black sweat shirt and high-top sneakers. Or that he's just as apt to quote Franz Kafka as any capitalist thinker. Get a load of his pet project at the...

Webster defines the art of recycling plastic. (Webster Industries)(Focus: Manufacturing/Made in Massachusetts) (Company Profile)
October 21, 1991... Since the 1970s, Webster Industries, a Peabody-based manufacturing company that produces plastic trash bags and shopping bags, has been a leader in the use of recycled materials in its products. Each year Webster reclaims more than 50 million...

Capital spending cut by industry. (Focus: Manufacturing/Made in Massachusetts)
October 21, 1991... When it comes to capital spending plans among manufacturers, the agenda reads, "Cut, cut, cut." According to figures provided by the U.S. Department of Commerce, manufacturers in the following industries plan on downsizing their 1991...

Fixing the hole left by manufacturing losses. (Massachusetts' manufacturing industries copes with recession)(Focus: Manufacturing/Made in Massachusetts)
October 21, 1991... Economists generally look to manufacturing industries to bring the economy out of recessions because factories produce goods for local, national and international consumption. Manufacturing represents nearly 75 percent of the Gross National...

DEC, Raytheon make top tech list. (Digital Equipment Corp. ranks among top five U.S. companies while Raytheon Co. ranks no. 14)(Focus: Manufacturing/Made in Massachusetts)
October 21, 1991... Local computer giant Digital Equipment Corp. maintained its position as one of the top five companies in the United States, according to Electronic Business magazine. The ranking of the top 200 public companies in the computer and electronics...

Making it in America pays off for high-tech firm. (IDEAssociates)(Focus: Manufacturing/Made in Massachusetts) (Company Profile)
October 21, 1991... In the 1980s, high-tech firms sent their factories overseas in pursuit of higher quality and lower costs. But a Billerica-based manufacturer of terminals and controllers for computer mainframes claims to have achieved the same results by doing...

L.S. Starrett Co. (Proxy Report Excerpts) (Company Profile)
October 21, 1991... THE BUSINESS Starrett (R) Headquarters: Athol Stock Symbol: SCX Market: NYSE Annual Revenue: $126,446,000 Net...

Roy Anderson. (Advertising/Communications)
October 21, 1991... Roy Anderson was appointed to the newly created post of executive vice president and chief operating officer at Cone Communications in Boston. Anderson has worked for the company for nine years and was previously senior vice president. He was...

Stephen Sullivan. (Advertising/Communications)
October 21, 1991... Stephen Sullivan was promoted to president of the Boston office of Mintz & Hoke, an advertising and public relations firm. He was senior vice president and general manager. Sullivan joined the firm in 1978 and managed many accounts, including...

Timothy Burditt. (Advertising/Communications)
October 21, 1991... Timothy Burditt joined Monitor Television Inc. as vice president and chief financial officer. Previously, Burditt was vice president of investment banking at Fleet Associates, a subsidiary of the Providence-based Fleet/Norstar Financial Group....

David S. Gergacz. (High Technology)
October 21, 1991... David S. Gergacz was named president and chief operating officer of Boston Technology in Wakefield. He previously served as president and chief operating officer of US Sprint's network systems division. Boston Technology develops, manufactures,...

Christopher J. Lindop. (Services/Education)
October 21, 1991... Christopher J. Lindop was admitted as a partner at the Boston office of Arthur Andersen & Co., SC, the coordinating entity of Arthur Andersen Worldwide Organization. Lindop was also admitted to partnership in Arthur Andersen & Co. He joined the...

Barrett Design. (Advertising/Communications)
October 21, 1991... Barrett Design of Cambridge added two companies to its client roster. The marketing firm will design a direct mail piece for Quincy Hospital's health education program, and it will design and produce a corporate brochure for Coastal...