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Banks say Yes to complete outsourcing
The banking sector seems to have finally opened up to the idea of 'complete
outsourcing' if Yes Bank Ltd's seven year outsourcing deal with Wipro Infotech
is anything to go by. This is a good case to evaluate how effective a build,
own, and operate model can be in the Indian banking environment.
According to the deal, the bank's entire technology requirements for its offices,
branches across India and the data centre have been outsourced to Wipro Infotech
on a build, own and operate basis. "This will include implementing core
infrastructure and hardware, branch roll-outs, networking, data centre management,
and back-up support for disaster recovery," says H Srikrishnan, Executive
Director, YES Bank Limited
The `pay-per-use' model under which outsourcing has been done will come into
effect after a 'transition' period of one month and extend over seven years.
The bank expects this approach to address and scale up all technological requirements
as it expands its product rollout in the retail and corporate segments. Legacy
systems will be replaced with the state-of-art technology after the expiry of
a pre-determined 'refresh' period. ATM infrastructure rollout and management
is not part of the deal.
Flexcube is the bank's core banking system for retail and corporate operations.
The application implementation for the first set of branches will be done by
i-flex and implementation for future branches will be done in-house. "Wipro
Infotech shall carry the first level support (L1) of the Flexcube application
for all our users and shall help deploy Flexcube across our branches,"
The bank is colocating at Reliance DAKC, and Wipro will be responsible for the
management of data centre operations, which includes 24x7 online support and
related data centre activities. According to the bank, stringent Service Level
Agreements (SLA) are in place. "This will ensure a minimum uptime of about
99 per cent, depending on the criticality of our requirements. In some cases
it goes up as high as 99.6 percent while in other cases it might be lower,"
Yes Bank Ltd declined to comment on the investments made. However, as per Srikrishnan,
the bank will achieve significant cost savings from this deal. "We see
a definite 30 percent saving over the next seven years as compared to doing
this internally," said Srikrishnan.
While the bank's IT investments are minimal, only time will show how effective
completely outsourcing a bank's IT operations will be. To a great extent, the
deal's success will depend on how soundly the SLAs have been crafted and how
effective Wipro Infotech will be in conforming to them.
- Anil Patrick R


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The recovery for the financial services industry looks optimistic
By ATB Financial 8 April 2021 3 min read
To understand how Alberta’s economy will recover from the pandemic, it’s important to not only watch what businesses are saying, but also what businesses are doing, says Jon Horsman, Senior Executive Vice President, ATB Business and CEO, ATB Capital Markets.
Now, with vaccinations underway in the province, industry leaders are turning their focus to recovery. To support it, ATB and MNP partnered earlier this year to develop a comprehensive content series that evaluates challenges and opportunities towards economic recovery. The series shared local perspectives on how to address challenges across key sectors, including aviation and logistics, energy and cleantech, financial services, technology and data, tourism, petrochemicals and agriculture.
When the pandemic hit, the financial services industry stepped up to quickly support Alberta’s businesses. Now, the industry is focused on how trends like digitization, environmental, social and governance (ESG) principles, and evolving insurance models will impact Alberta’s economic recovery.
How financial services responded to the crisis and recovery
When the pandemic hit in 2020, Horsman recalls acting swiftly to support Alberta businesses in two key ways.
First, ATB worked closely with its customers to identify ways to help them through a period when revenue would be effectively shut off and they may not have enough liquidity to pay their bills. In addition, teams helped companies figure out how to create safe workplaces for employees and customers. Along with the rest of the industry, ATB turned off principal and interest payments for its clients in an effort to help reduce the fixed costs so they could survive lockdown.
Second, we joined a Canada-wide working group of financial institutions brought together by the Federal Government. The purpose of the group was to distribute the government’s economic relief programs, such as the Canada Emergency Business Account (CEBA) and the Business Credit Availability Programs (BCAP).
“I’m really proud of ATB and the industry as a whole. We all came together and found a way to deliver massive financial impact quickly and at scale. ATB built and launched its CEBA program in less than five days and so far, we’ve reached almost 17,000 businesses with it,” Horsman says.
The Alberta Economic Recovery Summit: Digital and ESG are shaping the future
At the Alberta Economic Recovery Summit, two key topics emerged for the future of the financial services industry.
The first is the evolution of the digital economy and the opportunity that presents for financial services and the technology community, such as open banking and payments modernization. Horsman believes a few foundational capabilities are required to unlock this economic potential for Alberta. These include the establishment of personal data rights, data protection, and data privacy as well as revising regulations to ensure they are right sized for the risks of entrepreneurs, retail investors and other capital providers.
The second is how capital is being consumed and deployed based on ESG principles. While Canada has always been a global leader in this arena and will continue to be, says Horsman, the financial services industry is looking more closely at ESG impact by layering in the sustainability risk of a client along with the financial risk.
"As an emerging field, we’re developing quantitative criteria that can help us discern between a business that has practices that are long-term sustainable and a business without such practices. One should have a better access to capital and better costs of capital than the other."
Senior Executive Vice President, ATB Business and CEO, ATB Capital Markets
Industry leaders and business owners should expect capital to continue to become more sophisticated and disciplined when it comes to ESG.
Financial services and the wider economy have reason to be optimistic
When it comes to economic recovery, Horsman prefers to look to indicators of what’s actually happening in the economy instead of listening to speculation.
For example, he is very encouraged by the recent reference in Alberta’s Fiscal 2021 Budget to explore enabling legislation for captive insurance based in Alberta. This is an important development as there is a growing need in Alberta’s core industries and business for effective risk management solutions, he says. The insurance industry is a foundational element of a vibrant financial service industry, so the idea of growing this capability in Alberta presents immense opportunities.
Horsman anticipates the post-pandemic economic recovery will be robust. He points to the liquidity built up in businesses and consumer bank accounts as a source for optimism in respect to the resilience of the Alberta economy.
“The underlying demand is still there. We are emerging from economic stasis caused by the need for pervasive health measures in society. The main catalyst we are watching is the vaccination roll out progress, as this will determine when we expect to move back into a normal economic environment—or more likely—an expansionary economic environment similar to the conditions of the roaring 1920s,” he says.
Alberta Business Recovery
ATB and MNP developed a series evaluating the challenges and opportunities key industries face towards economic recovery.
Our ATB Business Solutions team will be happy to assist.

domain: news


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A former actor who digitised his legacy business and an entrepreneur who built a Rs 470 Cr livestock feed company: the top SMB stories of the week
The second wave of COVID-19 wreaked havoc on India’s MSME sector, bringing challenges such as supply chain disruptions, lack of demand, and mounting expenses.
To address the devastating effects of the second wave on MSMEs and throw light on stories of resilience in the face of new challenges, YourStory organised its third annual India MSME Summit. The 10-day India MSME Summit 2021, presented by Lenovo and Intel, and co-sponsored by AWS and TransUnion CIBIL, saw panel discussions on several themes, including cloud technologies, ecommerce, automation and much more.
This week, SMBStory also covered the inspiring stories of two entrepreneurs - Highphill Mathew and Amit Saraogi –to decode how they are scaling their businesses amid industrial revolution 4.0.
Highphill Mathew, Marco Pest Control Operations
After the successful release of his 2013 movie Sixteen, Highphill Mathew was content to be working at his Bollywood career until 2018 when his father’s health started deteriorating.
Suffering from colorectal cancer for the last couple of years, Highphill’s father, Dr Mathew, had built Marco Pest Control Operations in 1977 in Delhi to provide pest control services.
The Delhi-based company was started with the aim of offering pest management services to control mosquitoes, cockroaches, termites, bed bugs, and rats, but subsequently expanded to offer all-encompassing facility management services to organisations. It has a staggering base of clients like Honda, High Court of Delhi, Muthoot Finance, and many more.
Dr Mathews breathed his last in May 2021. In a conversation with SMBStory, Highphill narrates how he is walking in his father’s footsteps and working towards fulfilling his vision of scaling and strengthening the business. He also talks about his aim to transition to modern ways of working - the need of the hour.
Amit Saraogi, Anmol Feeds
Amit Saraogi, hailing from Bihar, was pursuing his engineering from Ramaiah Institute of Technology, Bangalore, between 1994 and 1998. He would often visit his family members in Bihar, and especially his uncle during his summer holidays.
Apart from running a grocery shop, his uncle also sold poultry feed. While assisting his uncle in his free time, Amit realised the imbalance in the demand and supply of livestock feed.
After completing his graduation, Amit retuned to Bihar, and started working on ideas to bridge the demand and supply gap in the livestock feed space. He soon rented out a factory space to work on his idea.
Amit started his entrepreneurial journey in 2000, after borrowing Rs 5 lakh from his father and working out of his plant in Muzaffarpur. This is how Anmol Feeds Pvt. Ltd. came into existence. Today, the company manufactures and sells different types of animal feeds, mainly for shrimp, fish, cattle, and poultry.
The company clocked Rs470 crore revenue in FY21.
Other top stories of the week:
When brothers Mitkaran Singh and Rajneesh Sharma – B2B manufacturers of packaged drinking water - would meet family members living abroad, they heard them gush about the high quality of juice packs available in the US and Canada.
The visiting relatives’ disparaging remarks about locally-made, Indian juice products - especially those supplied to rural areas - did bother the duo, but it also inspired them to do something about it.
Mitkaran and Rajneesh not only went on to launch their own brand of high quality fruit juice, but also made sure that they were affordably priced for underserved communities, by launching Enhaz Beverages. They also spun a fruit juice brand under it called Groovy Juices.
Established with an initial investment of Rs 10 lakh, Groovy’s production commenced in July 2020 amidst the pandemic in the brothers’ packaged drinking water plant in Rudrapur, Uttarakhand, which was revamped to manufacture fruit juice. The company has clocked sales worth Rs 15 crore since its inception, according to the claims made by the founders.


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Researchers have discovered a vulnerability in Windows 365 that allows others to see your Microsoft Azure password. It was first discovered by cybersecurity researcher, Benjamin Delpy, who is the creator of the Mimikatz project.
Using his own software, Benjamin showcased that anyone accessing your computer can steal your Azure password. This is due to users needing a Microsoft Azure account to access Windows 365.
Windows 365 is basically a cloud PC that you can access through the Remote Desktop Protocol. Unfortunately, you aren’t safe even if you are accessing the PC through a web browser. This is all related to a vulnerability in the Remote Desktop connection used to run Windows 365. The vulnerability was first discovered in May, and now it has made its way to the cloud service.
Anyone using Remote Desktop Protocol to access a PC is also vulnerable to this attack. This is all possible through the use of the Mimikatz software mentioned above. The software was made for research purposes but is now often used by attackers. It can extract plaintext passwords, hash, PIN code, and Kerberos tickets from memory.
The only upside is that the attacker would need administrator privileges on your Windows 365 device to execute this. Unfortunately, attackers can utilize other vulnerabilities such as malware, phishing attacks, Printnightmare, or Hivenightmare to gain remote access to your device. From there, the attacker can infect the whole network system of an entire company.
How to prevent Windows 365 vulnerability attack?
For now, the only way to secure your device is to use two-factor authentication, smart cards, Windows Hello, and Windows Defender Remote Credential Guard. However, Windows 365 still doesn’t have these features at the time of writing. Let’s hope Microsoft is working on fixing this issue as soon as possible.
It’s sad to see that in just 2 weeks since the launch Microsoft’s Windows 365 have seen this many ups and downs. Previously, it was hit with a massive ransomware attack, and servers were also down on some occasions, which stopped many people from doing their work.


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He may be based in New York as a chief technology officer now, but four years ago this startup cofounder was out in Western Australia on a mine site. Elto’s PJ Murray began his journey to tech startup-land, which he describes as the “holy grail of industries”, after his boredom in his mining job drove him online and he discovered coder news site Hacker News. Murray told StartupSmart his increasingly fanatical reading of software news soon morphed into a commitment to retrain and enter the tech startup space. “To start anything in the mining game you’re going to need a huge amount of capital. Plus no one would take you seriously until you have grey hair. It was a no brainer to me,” he says. With negligible coding skills, Murray briefly considered taking the business cofounder approach to getting into the startup game. But after posting a thread to Hacker News, he realised coding skills would be invaluable to getting any startup off the ground. The decision to become a technical cofounder wasn’t an easy one. He quit his job, dropped several salary brackets and began as a junior developer with software consultancy ThoughtWorks. He began to train himself working on small projects and at meetups. While learning a new language is never easy, Murray says his preconception that is was going to be intensely tricky to understand was soon proved wrong. “There are facets of software that are very difficult, and yes learning to code (like learning any new skill or language) can be difficult, but day to day you're mostly solving lots of small problems, and the best solution is almost always the simplest one.” But the most daunting decision was still to come, quitting ThoughtWorks to work full time as the CTO of Elto, which was called Tweaky at the time. “That mentality shift from working a job with a regular salary to having the ultimate responsibility and accountability to your customers, your investors, and the businesses success, that's a little scary,” Murray says. He adds the steepest learning curves of becoming a technical cofounder weren’t coding tricks, but the ancillary soft skills that come with running the coding output of a company: prioritizing features, figuring out what is and isn't part of an MVP, and knowing when to stop writing code and start hustling. “It's really easy to fall in the trap of thinking you can solve all your problems with more code and product. The ‘If only we had this feature’ mentality. In reality you probably just need to ship it, start collecting data and getting customers. You’ll work it out from there,” Murray says. Murray’s company Elto went on to raise several rounds of seed capital, change their brand, broaden their offering and create a team sprawling across much of the world. He and cofounder Ned Dwyer moved to the US recently to pursue their growth goals.
It’s a conversation that regularly occupies the Australian start-up community. Despite several smash hit start-up successes, why do so many of our most successful and innovative start-up leaders take their talents overseas? Mick Liubinskas, mentor at Telstra accelerator Muru-d and Pollenizer, believes the Australian “brain drain” to abroad (predominantly America) is a result of limited resources and small populations. He suggests that while the accessible market in Australia is small in one sense, it ought to be regarded as an invite to lift our eyes to others. “Part of the problem with Australia is our home market isn’t big enough to build a massive company, but it’s not small enough to make start-ups realise they have to be selling globally from the beginning,” Liubinskas says. Limited population mass is never a death sentence. Liubinskas suggests Australia could learn a lot from countries such as New Zealand and Israel, where tiny populations have installed an accepted wisdom that start-ups need to roll-out their services internationally as quickly as possible. It is not difficult to understand then why “global from day one” has become a mantra for the Australian start-up community. But having the capital to establish local sales teams in large markets can be challenging. For many lean start-ups, relocating is the most achievable option. One example of this is online business development marketplace Elto, which launched here in 2011 and followed their customer core, moving to San Francisco early this year. Co-founder and chief executive Ned Dwyer told StartupSmart that despite Melbourne’s impressive track record with similar start-ups, it made sense to run their company from the country (and time zone) where 60% of their customers and all their major partners were. Another key reason behind the move was to avoid regulatory challenges. Dwyer says the regulatory environment in Australia “has made things a little bit complicated for us.” “We registered our company first in the US then created an Australian subsidiary for our local operations. We're meeting more and more companies who are doing this to make it easier to take US-based investment,” he says. There are many other factors behind why start-ups regularly leave Australia. One of them concerns accessibility of funding, and all too often involves investors with business expertise in the right fields. Nitro co-founder and chief executive Sam Chandler told StartupSmart many start-ups who have big ambitions have no choice but to leave Australia because the mid to later stage funding options simply aren’t available. Launched in Melbourne in 2005, Nitro turned over $25 million 2013. Like Elto, the company is now headquartered in San Francisco. “In the intervening period between when we moved in 2008 and today, later stage funding has basically fallen in total capital commitment,” Chandler says. Information released by the Australian Bureau of Statistics revealed this week confirmed this. The total amount of new money committed to venture capital industry has fallen significantly, by 77% in 2013. While Nitro were seeking skilled software marketers rather than capital when they moved, Chandler says the capital ecosystem is the biggest issue for Australia needs to fix, as soon as possible. “As long as there isn’t an effective capital ecosystem that helps start-ups transition from early stage into the larger scaling stages, the talent and the capital will flee the country,” he says. “The lack of government support for start-ups and early stage investors won’t hurt Australia this year, or even next. But over the coming 10, 15, 20 years, the nation will pay the price because it takes years for innovation to return on investment.” Catherine Eibner, lead start-up advisor at venture technology accelerator Blue Chilli, agrees that the exodus of larger tech start-ups to more welcoming markets is a significant concern. Albeit, she says, one Australia can overcome. “I strongly believe you can build a global company anywhere, especially at the beginning -- when you’re refining the idea and testing product market fit. “It’s not just about simpler regulation. The bigger issues are access to capital and resources. We’re seeing a lot of both of the latter at the very early stages now,” she says. Training, attracting and retaining technical talent to Australia are ongoing challenges. Convincing bright people to join emerging companies in a country still finding its start-up feet is another. Dilip Rao, outgoing chair of Asian-focused entrepreneurial network TiE, has been building tech businesses in Australia for 30 years. He is heading to Silicon Valley to launch his next start-up. “All start-ups look for three things in the market: markets, money and muscle,” Rao says. “The biggest challenge here is cultural. My mindset is not to look to the government to do anything, because frankly governments don’t have much to do with the success of start-ups.” Without significant action to bolster all three resources required for a vibrant, self-sustaining ecosystem of fast-growing and lucrative tech companies, Rao says rapid cultural change is unlikely, although he remains hopeful. “Changing attitudes and growing an ecosystem takes time, success and people coming back,” Rao says. “Maybe 2014 will be the year of inflection, and I’ll be very sorry I left at exactly the wrong time. Here’s hoping.” We're keen to keep covering this discussion. If you have ideas and opinions to share on this issue, please get in touch: [email protected]
The Australian start-up scene has spawned several billion dollar online marketplaces. Just think Seek, carsales.com and realestate.com.au. And there’s a fresh crop, such as Freelancer, FlightFox and GoCatch coming through. But what is it about this particular kind of start-up that Australian entrepreneurs and investors find so sexy? Marketplace start-ups, those connecting two distinct groups of customers and managing their transactions, are relatively easy to build with little funding and to scale, providing the founder has identified a genuine pain point for both groups. But it’s finding the right problem and pair of customers that can be challenging for start-ups. Locating your market’s pain point Leni Mayo is an early investor at SitePoint, which launched website marketplace Flippa and world-leading multi-million dollar design crowdsourcing platform 99designs. He told StartupSmart the allure of the marketplace models is sustainability profitability and defensibility. “They’re popular because when you get them right, they make money in a sustainable fashion,” Mayo says. “Once you’ve got the scale and network effects, it becomes difficult for people to compete with. Because of that, you have pricing power and can maintain your prices.” With this in mind, start-up pitching events almost always include a marketplace or two, but Mayo says the key misconception about the model is assuming two sets of customers is all you need. “A marketplace isn’t a marketplace if it’s just two groups of customers. It becomes a marketplace when more of one kind of customer makes it even more valuable for the other, then you get network effects and it just grows.” Co-founder of the RecruitLoop Paul Slezak told StartupSmart the nexus between their two markets, recruiters and companies, was the engine of their growth. “Managing momentum is really important. If you’ve got a two-sided marketplace like we do, there is no point in having 200 recruiters if only five are getting work. And it’s not worth promising solutions to people in 100 countries if your recruiter base is only in one,” Slezak says. Launched in 2011, RecruitLoop connects recruiters and companies. The start-up now offers services in 10 countries, with offices in both Sydney and San Francisco. Ann Parker, coordinator of Telstra-backed Muru-D accelerator, told StartupSmart two-sided marketplaces were popular in Australia due to the legacy of companies like Seek, but also a smart choice because of Australia’s geographic isolation and small population. “Trying to be global first is the right solution for Aussie start-ups as a population of 20-odd million won’t make your start-up a colossal success. If you want to be a truly successful digital start-up, you need to be heading elsewhere pretty quick,” Parker says. Ned Dwyer is the co-founder and chief executive of small business solutions marketplace Elto, which launched as Tweaky in 2011 in Melbourne. They recently moved the company to San Francisco as 60% of their customers are in the US compared to 5% in Australia. “The great thing about most of these marketplaces, like RecruitLoop and Elto, is you get to connect people all over the world with different talent. The geographic restrictions in Australia doesn’t matter at all, provided you can connect those people efficiently and they can have a great transaction and experience,” Dwyer told StartupSmart. Elto’s pivot was to enable Dwyer and his team to add new suppliers to their marketplace, opening up new fields of revenue. “Marketplaces are sexy because it’s winner-takes-all, or at least most,” Dwyer says. “The biggest challenge a lot of new founders face is not picking a market that’s big enough.” Global scale thinking Attacking a problem with sizeable global market is exactly why DesignCrowd founder Alec Lynch and his investors are confident about his start-up despite his key competitor being 99designs, the largest design marketplace worldwide. “Globally the design market is over $44 billion dollars, so it’s very big and it’s also very fragmented. Six years into this and I’m confident if you added up the revenue of all the 30 or 40 crowdsourcing sites globally, we’d only have 1% of this market so there’s space for a few players,” Lynch says. Launched in 2007, Sydney-based DesignCrowd has grown to include 150,000 designers and have processed over $14 million worth of design jobs through their services. “Offering something different and building a brand around that is really important. Word of mouth is a big one because that dynamic is critical for growth. If you’re a newer brand, that can be tough. But once you’ve built both sides, a marketplace is valuable and defensible,” Lynch says. Once a big enough market is located, the make or break factors for marketplaces is building both sides sustainably. DesignCrowd recruited their designers first, by targeting design colleges and running their own competitions. Elto (then Tweaky) built their development capacity and market first, before reaching out to customers. RecruitLoop developed both sides at the same time, carefully and slowly. “There is no right answer about how to build a marketplace. It’s very context specific, so you need to really know your space. It boils down to relative sensitivity,” he says. Mayo says founders need to identify which market will be more excited about the solution they’re building. “If one side responds massively well, then it’s the other side you need to get first so it can take off,” he says. Now a start-up strong suit for Australia, the successful waves of marketplace start-ups have established an ecosystem of mentors and money with a passion for the dynamics involved.
Introducing Elto: Tweaky founder shares about their major pivot, brand change and latest investment round2:33AM | Monday, 3 February
After 18 months of solid growth and several sizeable start-up hurdles, the team at Tweaky, now Elto, have moved to the United States, changed their offering, and closed an investment deal with Blackbird Ventures. Tweaky launched in July 2012 as a marketplace of developers providing a quick way for small business to make small changes to their websites for a set fee. Co-founder and chief executive Ned Dwyer told StartupSmart they’d always knew their offering was unscalable, but chose to pursue the idea to get insight into the challenges facing their target clients. “Tens of thousands of customers later, we realised small tweaks to websites wasn’t the way we could add the most value to small businesses, who really want help to grow. Part of that will always be adding functionality, but we’re now also focusing on connecting them to marketers and growth strategists,” Dwyer says. It was Tweaky’s own growth challenge that informed their decision to pivot to a broader offering. After every two or three months of rapid growth, they’d experience a flat period as they struggled to bring their internal systems up to speed, manage a supply issue or an acquisition. “The biggest reason we’re pivoting is all the options to grow the volume we’re doing in a three-sided marketplace just didn’t make sense,” Dwyer says. The decision to focus on growth by adding new services to their existing marketplace led the 16-person team to face a difficult decision about their brand. They changed the brand to Elto, which stands for ‘every little thing online’, a move Dwyer describes as tough-going. “It’s definitely been challenging and will be for a little while,” Dwyer says. “Tweaky was very relevant to exactly what we were doing when we started, but this time we’ve gone quite broad. We know this is where we want to go, or we wouldn’t have gone through the pain of this change.” Elto’s plans for overcoming their scalability issues were of particular interest to the team at Blackbird Ventures, who made an investment into the company late last year. Dwyer declined to detail the amount contributed but said the investment negotiations encouraged their pivot and rebrand. “They didn’t raise any major issues with what we were doing during discussions but they could see we’d have some issues with scaling the marketplace, so we made sure we were really clear on how we were going overcome them,” Dwyer says. In order to grow their business as efficiently as possible, Dwyer and co-founder PJ Murray recently relocated to San Francisco. Over 60% of Elto’s customers are based in the United States, as are all of their major partners such as blogging platform WordPress. “As the business grows, there is more potential for strategic partnerships here and if we want to raise more capital, Silicon Valley has the smartest money we can find,” he says. Most of their team works remotely, with a marketplace manager in the Dominican Republic, a team of project managers in Portugal and hundreds of developers scattered around the world.
When Yahoo! chief executive Marissa Mayer announced a complete ban on employees working from home in late February, she copped a hefty amount of criticism. But as Mayer wrote in her memo to staff, some of the best decisions and insights come from “hallway and cafeteria discussions, meeting new people and impromptu team meetings”. The international co-working community has thrown its support behind Mayer, insisting workers are more productive when they are together than when they are alone. In fact, Mayer’s decision was one of the hot topics at the annual Global Coworking Conference, held in Texas earlier this month. Nearly 500 shared workspace enthusiasts met to discuss the merits of working alongside others, and the evolution of the way we work. Of course, not everyone is a fan of shared workspaces, however modern they might be. Among the critics is British entrepreneur Sir Richard Branson, who has stated: “In 30 years’ time, as technology moves forward even further, people are going to look back and wonder why offices ever existed.” But for many people, offices – and co-working spaces in particular – offer an opportunity that is simply not available whilst working from home. That is, the opportunity to collaborate. Co-working spaces continue to gain pace throughout the world, and Australia is certainly no stranger to the concept, having welcomed a throng of new venues in recent years – much to the delight of start-ups. However, there comes a time when start-ups need to decide whether they’ve outgrown their co-working space. StartupSmart spoke to a number of industry players to determine whether you’d suit a co-working space, when it’s time to move on, and how co-working spaces could improve. Pros and cons of co-working spaces If you do decide to use a co-working space, you need to think about how it will affect your operation. For example, you and your team could run the risk of being distracted by others. “This can definitely happen. It’s up to the individual. Those who thrive in co-working spaces are able to block out distractions when they need to get down to work,” says Tweaky.com co-founder Ned Dwyer, who used to work out of Inspire9. Dwyer was also a panelist at Australia’s 2013 Coworking Conference, hosted by Inspire9 and Hub Melbourne earlier this month. In addition to distractions, the image you wish to convey to clients can become an issue when you’re operating in a co-working space. “Co-working spaces can affect how clients perceive you,” Dwyer says. “But generally it’s in the positive – in my experience clients found it amusing that we worked in such an unusual environment. If your clients might care, maybe it’s not for you.” Sole trader Linnet Hunter, founder of Wild Sky, lives in the country but uses Hub Melbourne as her city base one day a week. Like Dwyer, she says her clients are intrigued by co-working. “I do a lot of one-to-one coaching, which requires a private and confidential space,” says Hunter. “I have always had the most positive response from clients… They have always been thrilled to meet at the space. “It has quite a corporate feel and some clients are under the impression that everyone in the room works for me, which is a good start! “They are always curious and delighted to find the space, and to know more about it. I am perceived as being quite ahead of my contemporaries by being part of it.” Getting the most bang for your buck David Vandenberg, who heads up Fishburners and EngineRoom in Sydney, admits co-working spaces could, at times, be more flexible and less generalist in their approach. However, he has made a point of developing two very different offerings within his own co-working spaces. “With EngineRoom, they’re the spaces I’ve created for digital businesses, whereas Fishburners is focused on tech product businesses,” he says. “The digital service guys have clients, designers, developers, UX, SEO – that type of thing. “Right from day one, I’ve been tailoring the EngineRoom spaces to be accommodative of that so that they’re presentable. It’s definitely somewhere where people do bring their clients. “It has been [the same] with Fishburners but that’s not the main purpose of Fishburners. A lot of those guys aren’t really dealing with clients so much.” Hunter believes co-working spaces are getting better at catering for the specific needs of start-ups, and are becoming more flexible. “Hub [Melbourne] has created permanent spots for groups who now have a few employees – something they refused to do in the early days,” she says. “The Hub is flexible in that it alters its approach as it grows and tries to involve the members in changes to some extent.” Story continues on page 2. Please click below. Outstaying your welcome Dwyer says while a co-working space can offer start-ups numerous benefits, there are ways of knowing when you’ve outgrown it: You’ve got more employees than will fit into the meeting room for your morning WIP. Your employees are spending more time playing ping pong than shipping product. That big client comes in for a meeting but the meeting room is double-booked so you have to go to the ball pit. They run out of desks to house your employees. Vandenberg is quick to point out size isn’t the only factor, although it is an important one. “The things they’re thinking about are ownership of their culture and ownership of their space and branding,” Vandenberg says. “Obviously once you get up to 20 or 30 people, you shouldn’t be in a co-working space – that doesn’t make sense. I find the transition point is around six to 10 people. “When companies get around that size – say around the 10 mark – that’s when it becomes a lot less valuable to be part of a community like that… There’s less opportunity for engagement.” Moving out “The first thing is to communicate clearly with the space you’re moving out of. They’re a small business themselves relying on your rent for their income so they need to plan,” says Dwyer. “Let them know it’s not working for you (for whatever reason) and give them a roadmap for how and when you’ll be moving out. “Often these spaces are incredibly responsive to feedback so if there is an issue causing you to leave, make sure you let the space know – they might even be able to fix it. “Finally it’s usually easiest to move on the weekends as it’s far less distracting for other members of the space and doesn’t interrupt your own work week.” Another entrepreneur, who wished to remain anonymous, says they are considering moving out of their current co-working space, but doesn’t anticipate it will be a tricky process. “I am thinking of moving to another larger, less crowded, less noisy co-op space. I would need to change my address on about three documents and that would be it,” the entrepreneur says. Keeping in touch Dwyer says it’s definitely worth staying in touch with your co-working space even after you’ve moved out. “We still stay in touch with Inspire9 and go back to work out of there at least once a month. We still feel like we’re part of the community but we also enjoy the benefits of having our own space,” he says. “By being a part of the community, we’re able to find out about upcoming events, find out what other cool start-ups are working on and find new people we can work with.” The changing face of co-working spaces “We’re going to see more specialisation going forward. That’s what should happen,” says Vandenberg. “Personally, I’m not a big fan of just your regular co-working spaces… It can be a bit too social and not really focused on business. But I think there’s a huge space for more specialisation. “We see more spaces opening up around hardware hacking, industrial design, video production and other markets that need different types of shared resources and infrastructure.”
Apprentices are no longer exclusive to big businesses in traditional industries. On the contrary, an apprentice can be a valuable asset to any business, particularly if you’re a start-up.
Despite widespread predictions over the death of email as a marketing tool for businesses, it appears that the upcoming Christmas shopping season is set to be heavily influenced by the contents of consumers’ inboxes.
Australian online start-up Tweaky.com is on the hunt for a “founder apprentice”, who will work closely with the business’ co-founder Ned Dwyer on day-to-day operations.
99designs co-founder Mark Harbottle is among the group of investors that has sunk almost half a million dollars into Tweaky.com, a marketplace dedicated to minor website customisations.
Start-up app developers are set for a boost, with new research predicting that the number of Android downloads in the Asia-Pacific region will overtake Apple’s iPhone for the first time this year.


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Restaurant News: Cabana Finding New Casa, Lush Life in Delray, IKEA Gets Saucy
|Chef Oliver cooks at Ikea tonight.|
• One of Clematis Street's staple eateries, Cabana Las Palmas, is moving a few blocks up the road to expand its space and leave room for owner Glenn Frechter's new Italian restaurant. The new, improved Cabana, at 533 Clematis, will debut "soon," according to its website, while sometime early next year should see the opening of Mangia Bevi in the old Cabana space at 118 Clematis. Look for a New York-style Italian eatery with pizzas from a wood-burning oven and nothing over $20.
• If you just can't face the wreckage of Saturday night without the hair of the dog on Sunday morning, Delray Beach is the place to be. Last week, the City Commission voted to allow restaurants and bars to begin selling happy juice at 7 a.m. on the Sabbath, so now -- you lush -- you don't have to wait until noon to keep your buzz on. Don't get too giddy, though. If you want to crawl into your neighborhood Publix or 7-Eleven and get a six-pack of Bud for breakfast, you're still SOL.


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The much anticipated event is scheduled to take place at the Movenpick Ambassador Hotel on the 1st of March 2017 at 8:30am on the theme: “Leadership Conversations in Management”.
With over 22 years of experience, Mr. Nsarkoh has contributed immensely to the growth of Unilever businesses in various management positions across Africa, Asia and Europe. This include serving as Managing Director, Unilever East and Sothern Africa, Strategic Assistant to Unilever Executive Member and President of Unilever Asia, Africa, Central and Eastern Europe.
At various times, he served as Marketing Director of Unilever Ghana, African Regional Brand Manager, Unilever South Africa etc. Over the years, he has gained a deep consumer insight that has enriched his cultural awareness and understanding of diverse markets.
Mr. Yaw Nsarkoh is the Director of Changing Lives Endowment Fund (CLEF) in Ghana and a member of Ghana Institution of Engineers. He is also a board member of Kenya Association of Manufacturers. Mr. Nsarkoh, a regular speaker on business issues, specifically Marketing and Leadership, has a special interest in economics development, management and leadership philosophy.
Speaking on the upcoming event and choice of the theme and leader, Mr. Asher Khan, Chief Marketing Officer of MTN Ghana said, “Leadership conversations in management is an integral part of our business”. “As leaders in the telecoms industry we are always eager to encourage the sharing of best practice to help grow other businesses. We are excited to feature a great Ghanaian leader who has a lot to of valuable knowledge in this much needed area, he added.
MTN will take the opportunity created by the Breakfast meeting to launch a new service called Mobile Care Insurance. The service is being rolled in partnership with GLICO Insurance.
From Sammy Heywood Okine


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MUMBAI, India — Windows Tech India Pvt. Ltd.
BANGALORE, India —The Indian furnishings fabrics distribution model has changed
Valdese, North Carolina – May 9, 2013 –Valdese Weavers announces the addition of Scott George, Fay McFetridge and Rosemary Harley to the Valdese Weavers Contract division.
ZEELAND, Mich.- Herman Miller (NASDAQ: MLHR
Winchester, Virginia — Hornschuch Group’s shrewd and timely 2010 purchase of O’Sullivan Films, Inc.
NEW YORK—Richloom Fabrics Group has established a third division in India to serve the burgeoning hospitality business there according to John Ringer, vice president, sales and marketing.
FRANKFURT — Due to a reported increased demand, FR Safety Yarns GmbH & Co. KG has expanded the DIOLEN®SAFE portfolio of air spun taslan yarns by adding ten different taslan qualities.
DIOLEN SAFE taslan yarns are produced exclusively by TWD Fibres GmbH and are available in the yarn count range from 167 Dtex to Dtex 3.000 in semi-dull round and bright trilobal as well as in raw white or dyed.
NSW, Australia — Materialised, a specialist jobber and converter of contract, healthcare and hospitality fabrics is growing its business 10 percent annually according to founder Gary Price.
HUDDERSFIELD, United Kingdom — “$150 million in sales is what I am projecting for Camira by 2017,” says Andrew Schofield largest shareholder.
POMPANO BEACH, Florida — Second generation managers Mike and Diana Dobin have been named co-presidents of Valley Forge, Inc., the largest supplier of hospitality fabrics in the world with some 10 million yards of piece goods and finished goods to its credit on an annual basis.


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UK – Findel is pleased to announce the appointment of Francois Coumau, eBay’s General Manager for Continental Europe, as a non-executive director of the Group. Mr Coumau, who has a wealth of retail and wider consumer sector experience, will take up his role on 12 August 2013.
Mr Coumau joined eBay in 2006 and has held a series of senior roles including Director of Search, Europe and Head of Buyer Experience, Search & Loyalty, UK. Prior to this, his career has included senior roles at L’Oreal and Mars.
David Sugden, Chairman of Findel, said: “Francois brings to our Board almost 20 years of international retail, wider consumer and digital experience. His expertise will be invaluable to the Group, complementing the existing skills on the Board as we work to deliver the Findel turnaround plan. We very much look forward to working with him.”
Francois Coumau said: “I am delighted to be joining Findel as a non-executive director and look forward to working with David, the rest of the Board and the wider management team. Findel has real potential and is clearly focused on its turnaround strategy and I look forward to playing my part in achievement of that strategy.”
- Disclaimer - News, data and statement included in this release are intended exclusively for general information purposes. Talent4Boards accepts neither liability for the consequences of the reader’s reliance, nor responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of the information. No data or statement in this release should be considered for decisions about securities referred. Product and brand names used in this release maybe trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective owners.
Comments are closed.


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Buy Missouri trademarks presented to Lt. Governor Mike Kehoe
Accompanying Ms. Binger in making the presentation to Lt. Governor Kehoe was AIM Board Chairman Jerry Jost and AIM President Ray McCarty.
“Buy Missouri is a program that helps showcase the goods and services made right here in Missouri,” said Lt. Governor Kehoe. “We are proud to show off Missouri goods and services to tourists as well as shoppers here in Missouri through this program,” said Lt. Gov. Kehoe.
As a state senator, Lt. Governor Kehoe sponsored legislation creating a “Buy Missouri Week” in Missouri to highlight the program.
For more information, visit the Buy Missouri website at: https://ltgov.mo.gov/tourism-economic-development/buy-mo/


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"Consumers today have a variety of choices when determining how they want to access TV programing. As is the case in the broader retail landscape, growth in direct-to-consumer (DTC) channel subscriptions is particularly notable. Driven by the influx of new services, faster in-home broadband speeds, and TV-connected device adoption, DTC channel adoption rates grew three-fold over the last three years to reach 15% of U.S. households, according to The NPD Group."
"In 2019, NPD expects growing consumer interest and new service launches will push the DTC distribution channel market to continued growth. In fact, nearly nine out of 10 (87%) customers that are currently subscribers indicate that they are likely to add channels in the next year, but why and where will they choose to sign up?"
"While uptake of streaming video services are often linked to cord-cutting, subscribing directly to a channel as a means to replace cable ranks 16th out of the 20 reasons the new Direct-to-Consumer Video Online Study evaluated. Indeed, a majority of current subscribers, 66%, subscribe directly to channels in addition to their cable or satellite TV bundle. Affordability is driving adoption and that is the top reason cited for subscribing to à la carte TV channels, with the ability to subscribe only to the channels desired also among the top five reasons."
According to AudienceSCAN, it's a personal goal of 32.4% of Heavy TV Watchers to reduce debt and increase savings this year. So, it's no surprise that, within the last month, 39.6% have looked online for coupons and discount codes and, within the last six months, 24.4% have used a mobile device to redeem or download a coupon. Additionally, last year, 43% took action after seeing ads on daily deals sites such as Groupon, and 58.5% were driven to action by direct mail ads and coupons.
“'In addition to what is driving adoption, it is imperative for players in this space to understand where consumers prefer to sign up. With the advent of the ‘Channels Model,’ consumers can now subscribe to only the channels they want and get the benefit of a single billing vendor and user interface,' said John Buffone, executive director, industry analyst, NPD Connected Intelligence. 'DTC channel aggregators such as Amazon, Roku, Hulu, Sling TV, and other potential market entrants, stand to gain a lot by garnering subscription revenue for managing DTC channel transactions.'”
"The growth in this market will come from both current subscribers adding channels and new subscribers entering the fold. Looking at the combined group of current and prospective subscribers with a positive likelihood to sign up in the next 12-months, the most likely destination for subscribing to DTC channels is Amazon Prime Channels (31%). The second most popular choice is to subscribe directly from the TV channel’s app (26%). Interestingly, prospective subscribers are even more likely than current subscribers to indicate they would use Amazon Prime Channels to sign-up."
Heavy TV Watchers can have deals on channel options promoted to them in many ways. Last year, according to AudienceSCAN, these consumers took action after seeing TV commercials (66.1%), receiving email ads (48.1%), seeing ads in both print and digital newspapers (47.7%) and in print and digital magazines (44.3%). They're also 10% more likely than other shoppers to find advertising on social media useful and 15% more likely to take action after seeing ads during a directory search, both online and in print.
AudienceSCAN data is available for your applications and dashboards through the SalesFuel API. Media companies and agencies can access AudienceSCAN data through the AudienceSCAN Reports in AdMall.


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The latest? Stone Brewing’s chief operating officer, Pat Tiernan, who left last week, Brewbound has learned.
Reached via email, a spokeswoman with the San Diego-based craft brewery confirmed Tiernan’s exit, but did not offer any explanation for his departure, saying only that he “resigned.”
The company also declined the opportunity to be interviewed for this story.
Calls placed to Tiernan, who had served as Stone’s COO since September 2012 and oversaw the company’s $74 million brewery expansion in Richmond, Va., were not returned. Messages sent via LinkedIn and Facebook also went unanswered.
Tiernan — whose resume also includes stints with TPG Capital and Hewlett-Packard — is the fourth executive to exit the organization since last June, when Mitch Steele, who had served as the company’s brewmaster for a decade, left to launch New Realm Brewing in Atlanta.
Other key personnel who are no longer with the company include CFO Craig Spitz, who joined The Ken Blanchard Companies in February, and Chad Heath, the former director of Stone Distributing, who joined Kegstar last October.
Earlier this year, Peter Wiens, the senior director of brewery operations and brewmaster at Stone’s Richmond facility, left for Diageo USA. Wiens is now serving as a Guinness brewmaster at the company’s recently opened Relay, Maryland, brewery.
“Due to an unforeseen slowdown in our consistent growth and changes in the craft beer landscape, we have had to make the difficult decision to restructure our staff,” he wrote at the time.
Stone produced 346,000 barrels of beer and grew five percent in 2016.
Despite category headwinds plaguing other, similarly sized craft breweries, Stone has posted strong growth figures in 2017. Bolstered in part by expanded production capabilities at its Richmond brewery, which opened last May, as well as wider distribution that now reaches into all 50 states, the company’s off-premise sales grew by more than 22 percent through October 8, according to market research firm IRI Worldwide.
“In a category that seems to be talking more and more about slowdown, we are pleased to be talking about continued double-digit growth,” Engels wrote in May, when the company reported 18 percent first quarter growth.
Messages left for Engels were also unreturned as of press time.


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San Francisco: Known Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo has claimed in his latest research note that Apple may be gearing up to introduce its all-new iPhones design in 2020.Kuo’s note includes his prediction of the biggest selling points for the 2020 iPhone line-up. He lists three key improvements: “All-new form factor design, 5G support, and camera function upgrades,” 9to5Mac reported on Friday.As per the report, Kuo expects these changes with next year’s iPhones would improve YoY growth of the company. Also Read – Swiggy now in 500 Indian cities, targets 100 more this yearThe Cupertino-based company is also planning to incorporate Time of Flight (ToF) 3D sensing rear camera system in 2020 iPhone models.In addition, the iPhone maker would use Vertical-Cavity Surface-Emitting Laser (VCSEL) in the cameras of the 2020 iPhones.VCSEL is a key component of Apple’s TrueDepth camera that also powers features like Face ID, Animoji and Portrait mode selfies.Apple is reportedly mulling to resurrect the cheaper iPhone SE for emerging markets, especially India and China, early next year.The new model would be Apple’s first low-cost smartphone since the launch of the iPhone SE in 2016, which started at $399.
Dallas: Powerful storms that rolled across the South on Saturday spawned at least two suspected tornadoes, damaged homes and killed two children in Texas, authorities said. The Angelina County Sheriff’s Office said an 8-year-old and a 3-year-old died when strong winds toppled a tree onto the back of their family’s car in Lufkin while it was in motion. Capt. Alton Lenderman said the parents, who were in the front seats, were not injured. Lufkin is about 115 miles (185 kilometers) northeast of Houston. Additional information was not immediately available. Also Read – Saudi Crown Prince ‘snubbed’ Pak PM, recalled jet from USIn Central Texas, Robertson County Sheriff Gerald Yezak told The Associated Press a tornado hit the small city of Franklin, overturning mobile homes and damaging other residences. Franklin is located about 125 miles (200 kilometers) south of Dallas. The National Weather Service said preliminary information showed an EF-3 tornado touched down with winds of 140 mph (225.3 kph). Crews will continue to survey the damage over the next few days. Two people were hospitalized for injuries not thought to be life-threatening, while others were treated at the scene for minor injuries, Yezak said. Some people had to be extricated from their homes. Also Read – Record number of 35 candidates in fray for SL Presidential pollsWeather service meteorologist Monique Sellers said they’ve received reports of downed trees, as well as damage to buildings and a transmission tower. The storms are part of a large system moving through the southern United States, knocking out power to thousands and causing some flash flooding. The weather service said the system is expected to shift to the Ohio Valley and the Southeast on Sunday. More than 140,000 customers remained without power in Texas, Mississippi, Louisiana and Arkansas late Saturday. Meteorologist John Moore said a possible twister touched down Saturday in the Vicksburg, Mississippi, area. No injuries have been reported, but officials said several businesses and vehicles were damaged. Trees were down throughout the hilly city on a bluff overlooking the Mississippi. Heavy rains and storms continued to rake the Magnolia State into the night, with Mississippi State University’s 21,000 students huddling in basements and hallways as a tornado came near the school’s campus in Starkville. University spokesman Sid Salter said some debris, possibly carried by the tornado, was found on campus, but no injuries were reported and no buildings were damaged. Trees were down and at least some minor structural damage was reported in residential areas east of the campus. Winds of up to 60 mph (96.56 kph) were reported in Cherokee County, Texas, damaging two homes in Alto but not injuring anyone. Alto is situated about 140 miles (225 kilometers) north of Houston.
Ballia (UP): Union Textiles Minister Smriti Irani Friday accused the Congress of indulging in petty politics and appealed to the electorate to shun the ‘milawati’ (adulterated) SP-BSP-RLD alliance in Uttar Pradesh. Addressing an election meeting here, the BJP leader also took a swipe at Robert Vadra, the brother-in-law of Congress president Rahul Gandhi, saying he would soon land in jail. “Those indulging in petty politics, Rahul Gandhi and Robert Vadra, are upset over the popularity of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Robert Vadra has reached the courts and in time to come he will also reach the jail,” Irani said. The BJP leader who was here to campaign for party candidate from Salempur seat , Ravindra Kushwaha, asked the electorate to shun the politics of ‘milawat’, referring to the grand alliance in Uttar Pradesh- the term often used by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. “Those who were opposed to each other are today together and are enacting a political drama… the lady leader has forgotten her humiliation,” she said. “They have never been together on the issue of bringing the Opposition together nor on the issue of development but through ‘milawat’ in politics they are imagining of gaining some publicity on May 23,” she added. Irani, who is contesting from Amethi Lok Sabha seat presently held by Rahul Gandhi, also attacked him saying, “Those paying a visit to the people once in five years will be off to Italy.” The Union minister, who had unsuccessfully contested the 2014 Lok Sabha poll from Amethi, also criticised Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi for allegedly “making children abuse the prime minister”. Irani was referring to a video of Priyanka Gandhi in which she is seen standing alongwith children who were raising slogans against Modi. Polling for the Salempur seat is slated for May 19 in the seventh and last phase of the ongoing general elections.
By Francesca RactliffeRabat- The United States and Morocco share a robust political alliance that is mutually beneficial to the powers of both countries. US-Morocco diplomatic relations formally began in 1787 when the United States Senate ratified the Treaty of Peace and Friendship between the two nations.Ever since, Morocco has been a valuable partner of the US, as the Kingdom of Morocco is the most reliable power in the North African region. Morocco provides a strategic military and economic foothold for the US in the region. In exchange for geographical and intelligence access, Morocco wins diplomatic influence and preferential treatment from the United States. The attacks of 9/11 woke the United States up from its content position as the leading country in the world with the leading ideology. Liberalism was thought to be the championing ideology.The 9/11 Commission Report concluded that the threat to the United States is not in retaliation for its military involvement abroad, but rather it is due to conflicting ideology. The US was not facing a war on terror, but a war of beliefs. The Commission’s report posits that America must fight on two fronts. First, the US must use military, financial, and diplomatic means to fight external threats. But the bigger fight is with a hostile belief system that cannot be reasoned with but can only be ”destroyed or utterly isolated.’’Since 9/11 the United States has shifted its focus to managing the perceived threats of extremist ideology. The Kingdom of Morocco has been a central focus of the US’s updated foreign policy.Forging strong ties with the Kingdom of Morocco and connecting the two countries through economic deals, such as NAFTA, assures military and intelligence cooperation between the two nations. Indeed, the US provides assistance to the Moroccan government to enhance the capacity of the kingdom to prevent acts of terrorism and threats to stability.In August of 2014 the U.S.-Morocco Framework for Cooperation on Training for Civilian Security Service was signed. The US works with and funds diverse Moroccan law enforcement and investigative agencies to minimize perceived threats emanating from south of the kingdom as well as from countries which the US finds untrustworthy, such as Libya.The US’s active involvement with Morocco in fighting extremism is only motivated by the US wanting to ensure its own national security. Therefore in recent years, under King Mohammed VI, the kingdom has increased its focus on counter-terrorism.In June the Moroccan government announced their decision not to repatriate the Moroccan widows of ISIS fighters. Also in June, a counter-terrorism summit focused on tackling the threat of ‘homegrown terrorism” was hosted in Rabat with members of the US government in attendance. Morocco is the recipient of generous grants from USAID that helps the kingdom fund education, which is part of the US’s strategy for combating hostile extremist ideology. Morocco also benefits from US government loans that guarantee “programs for the purchase of military material.” In 2013 Morocco received $2.7 billion worth of military equipment, making the US its primary provider, over French weapon companies. The Morocco-US relationship benefits both countries. The US has a key ally in the tumultuous regions of North Africa, and Morocco receives funds and connections to advance the prosperity of the kingdom.However, neither Morocco nor the wider the world, should be naive that US funding, which is expected to be $15.9 million by 2019, is given not just in the interest of maintaining peace and security, democracy, human rights, economic development, education, and social services, but is an active strategy for advancing the American agenda of a liberal ideology that assures the authority and safety of the United States.
Rachat d’AdMob par Google : les concurrents sondésÉtats-Unis – Le rachat d’AdMob par Google dérangerait-il l’équilibre du marché de la publicité sur mobile ? L’autorité américaine de régulation du commerce tente de répondre à cette question en sondant les concurrents du géant du Net.La régie publicitaire AdMob sous les couleurs de Google annoncerait-elle des perturbations sur le marché du mobile ? L’autorité américaine de régulation de la publicité (FTC), n’a pas d’avis tranché sur la question. C’est pourquoi elle a pris l’initiative de demander aux concurrents du géant américain et aux annonceurs leur opinion. “Nous n’allons pas discuter des détails de la procédure”, a indiqué Adam Kovacevich, porte-parole de Google. “Nous sommes confiants dans le fait qu’ils en arriveront à la conclusion que le marché de la publicité mobile restera compétitif après avoir finalisé cette transaction”. La firme du web a fait une proposition de 750 millions de dollars pour le rachat d’AdMob. Pour le moment, les avis divergent. Une étude montre ainsi que l’association entre les deux entités ne représenterait que 21% du marché de la publicité sur mobile.Le 12 mars 2010 à 11:18 • Emmanuel Perrin
Sarah Tew/CNET NASA describes galactic cosmic rays as “particles accelerated to near the speed of light that shoot into our solar system from other stars in the Milky Way or even other galaxies.” Scientists are thinking ahead to how we can shield astronauts on Mars from the effects of radiation from cosmic rays. Cosmic rays are fleeting, but they have been spotted before. Apollo astronauts reported seeing “faint spots or flashes of light when the cabin was dark,” a phenomenon NASA attributed to cosmic rays. If the Curiosity rover kept a scrapbook, it could file this bright blip under “Cool Things I Saw on Mars.” $155 at Google Express See at Turo See at Amazon Tidal 3-month family subscription: $5.99 (save $54) Tags Share your voice Rylo HP Laptop 15t Value: $520 (save $780) See It Mars rovers NASA Space,I’m shocked — shocked! — to learn that stores are turning Labor Day into an excuse to sell stuff. Wait — no, I’m not. As much as I respect the original intent of the holiday (which became official back in 1894), to most of us, it’s just a bonus day off — one that’s blissfully tacked onto a weekend. So, yeah, stores; go ahead, run your sales. I’m listening. Perhaps unsurprisingly, Labor Day doesn’t bring out bargains to compete with the likes of Black Friday (which will be here before you know it), but there are definitely some sales worth your time.For example:We’ve rounded up the best Labor Day mattress deals.We’ve also gathered the best Labor Day laptop deals at Best Buy.The 2019 Vizio P Series Quantum is back under $999.Be sure to check out Amazon’s roughly three dozen Labor Day deals on TVs and audio. Google Express is having a big sale as well, one that includes deals on game consoles, AirPods, iPhones, laptops and more.Below I’ve rounded up a handful of individual items I consider to be the cream of the crop, followed by a handy reference guide to other Labor Day sales. Keep in mind, of course, that products may sell out at any time, even if the sale itself is still running. Note that CNET may get a share of revenue from the sale of the products featured on this page. See It Spotify and most other streaming services rely on compressed audio, which robs the listener of full fidelity. Enter Tidal, the only “major” service that delivers lossless audio — meaning at least on par with CD quality, if not better. Want to see (er, hear) the difference for yourself? Grab this excellent extended trial while you can. It’s just $6 for three months, and it’s good for up to six listeners. Best Buy $999 Use promo code 19LABOR10 to get an unusually good deal on JBL’s interesting hybrid product — not quite headphones, and not quite a traditional speaker, but something you wear like neckphones to listen to music on the go. Preview • iPhone XS is the new $1,000 iPhone X Share your voice Angela Lang/CNET DJI’s answer to GoPro’s action cameras is rugged little model that’s shockproof, dustproof and waterproof down to 11 meters. It normally runs $350, but this deal drops it to $261 when you apply promo code 19LABOR10 at checkout. Recently updated to include digital-photo-frame capabilities, the Lenovo Smart Clock brings Google Assistant goodness to your nightstand. It’s a little smaller than the Amazon Echo Show 5, but also a full $30 less (and tied with Prime Day pricing) during this Best Buy Labor Day sale. Mentioned Above Apple iPhone XS (64GB, space gray) Turo Mars mysteries The Cheapskate Formerly known as the Google Home Hub, Google’s Nest Hub packs a wealth of Google Assistant goodness into a 7-inch screen. At $59, this is within a buck of the best price we’ve seen. It lists for $129 and sells elsewhere in the $89-to-$99 range.This is one item of many available as part of eBay’s Labor Day Sale (which, at this writing, doesn’t specifically mention Labor Day, but that’s how it was pitched to us). Sarah Tew/CNET $6 at Tidal DJI Osmo Action camera: $261 (save $89) Tags See It $999 Apple iPhone XS Curiosity rover makes surprising methane discovery on Mars Meteors crashing into Mars give rise to mysterious, smoky clouds Read Lenovo Smart Clock review $59 at eBay Google Nest Hub: $59 (save $70) Lenovo 130-15AST 15.6-inch laptop: $210 (save $90) $90 at Daily Steals via Google Express $210 at Best Buy Apple AirPods with Wireless Charging Case: $155 (save $45) $999 Though not technically a Labor Day sale, it’s happening during Labor Day sale season — and it’s too good not to share. Nationwide Distributors, via Google Express, has just about the best AirPods deal we’ve seen (when you apply promo code ZBEDWZ at checkout). This is for the second-gen AirPods with the wireless charging case. Can’t imagine these will last long at this price, so if you’re interested, act fast. Turo: Save $30 on any car rental NASA Opportunity rover witnessed the wild side of Mars $60 at Best Buy $261 at Daily Steals via Google Express Other Labor Day sales you should check out Best Buy: In addition to some pretty solid MacBook deals that have been running for about a week already, Best Buy is offering up to 40% off major appliances like washers, dryers and stoves. There are also gift cards available with the purchase of select appliances. See it at Best BuyDell: Through Aug. 28, Dell is offering an extra 12% off various laptops, desktops and electronics. And check back starting Aug. 29 for a big batch of Labor Day doorbusters. See it at DellGlassesUSA: Aug. 29 – Sept. 3 only, you can save 65% on all frames with promo code labor65. See it at GlassesUSALenovo: The tech company is offering a large assortment of deals and doorbusters through Labor Day, with the promise of up to 56% off certain items — including, at this writing, the IdeaPad 730S laptop for $700 (save $300).See it at LenovoLensabl: Want to keep the frames you already love and paid for? Lensabl lets you mail them in for new lenses, based on your prescription. From now through Sept. 2 only, you can save 20% on the blue light-blocking lens option with promo code BLOCKBLUE. See it at LensablSears: Between now and Sept. 7, you can save up to 40% on appliances (plus an additional 10% if you shop online), up to 60% on mattresses, up to 50% on Craftsman products and more. The store is also offering some fairly hefty cashback bonuses. See it at SearsNote: This post was published previously and is continuously updated with new information.CNET’s Cheapskate scours the web for great deals on tech products and much more. For the latest deals and updates, follow the Cheapskate on Facebook and Twitter. Questions about the Cheapskate blog? Find the answers on our FAQ page, and find more great buys on the CNET Deals page. Best laptops for college students: We’ve got an affordable laptop for every student. Best live TV streaming services: Ditch your cable company but keep the live channels and DVR. See it Read Google Home Hub review What’s cooler: A snapshot of a firework exploding in front of you, or full 360-degree video of all the fireworks and all the reactions to seeing them? Oooh, ahhh, indeed. At $250, the compact Rylo dual-lens camera is selling for its lowest price yet. And for an extra $50, you can get the bundle that includes the waterproof housing.This deal runs through Sept. 3; it usually costs $500. $299 at Amazon Sarah Tew/CNET Enlarge ImageThis bright light on the Mars horizon is not from aliens. NASA/JPL-Caltech/red circle by Amanda Kooser/CNET We’re all excited about NASA’s Curiosity rover at the moment thanks to its intriguing discovery of a mysterious methane spike. Some of that fervor seems to be spilling over to an image the rover snapped on June 16 showing a bright blip of light on the distant horizon.The rover snapped a series of images, and the bright blip only appears in one. But don’t get your hopes up for signs of alien life on the Red Planet. We’ve seen this sort of light before.There are several good explanations for the glowing spot. “It’s most likely a sun glint or scattered light,” NASA media relations specialist Andrew Good said. “We’ve seen this many times throughout the mission.” Curiosity captured a view of a very similar glow on the horizon in 2014. NASA’s Doug Ellison, who works with the rover camera, took to his personal Twitter account at the time to say that light was likely a cosmic ray hit. Read DJI Osmo Action preview 17 Photos Chris Monroe/CNET JBL Soundgear wearable speaker: $90 (save $160) An Echo Dot makes a fine match for any Fire edition TV, because you can use the latter to say things like, “Alexa, turn on the TV.” Right now, the 24-inch Insignia Fire TV Edition starts at just $100, while the 32-inch Toshiba Fire TV Editions is on sale for $130. Just add any Fire TV Edition to your cart, then add a third-gen Echo Dot, and presto: The latter is free. Read the Rylo camera preview 7 $520 at HP The problem with most entry-level laptops: They come with mechanical hard drives. That makes for a mighty slow Windows experience. This Lenovo model features a 128GB solid-state drive, so it should be pretty quick to boot and load software, even with its basic processor. Plus, it has a DVD-burner! That’s not something you see in many modern laptops, especially at this price. Turo is kind of like Uber meets Airbnb: You borrow someone’s car, but you do all the driving. I’ve used it many times and found it a great alternative to traditional car-rental services — in part because you get to choose exactly the vehicle you want (not just, say, “midsize”) and in part because you can often do pickup and dropoff right outside baggage claim.Between now and Sept. 1, the first 300 people to check out can get $30 off any Turo rental with promo code LDW30. Free Echo Dot with an Insignia or Toshiba TV (save $50) Sci-Tech Post a comment $999 Read the AirPods review Comments CNET may get a commission from retail offers. TVs Speakers Mobile Accessories Cameras Laptops Automobiles Smart Speakers & Displays Review • iPhone XS review, updated: A few luxury upgrades over the XR Sprint Boost Mobile Lenovo Smart Clock: $59.99 (save $20) 0 Rylo 5.8K 360 Video Camera: $250 (save $250) Originally published June 24, 9:45 a.m. PT.Update, 10:33 a.m. PT: Adds statement from NASA. I thought this might be a mistake, but, no, the weirdly named HP Laptop 15t Value is indeed quite the value at this price. Specs include an Intel Core i7 processor, 12GB of RAM, a 256GB solid-state drive and a 15.6-inch display. However, I strongly recommend paying an extra $50 to upgrade that display to FHD (1,920×1,080), because you’re not likely to be happy with the native 1,366×768 resolution. Sarah Tew/CNET Amazon
The Chilkat robe is a Raven design and measures just over five feet wide. (Photo by George Blucker)Sealaska Heritage Institute has acquired a Chilkat robe that was to be auctioned off on eBay on Wednesday. After the seller learned the robe was a sacred item, he allowed SHI to purchase it at the reserve price of $14,500. There were already multiple bids.Typically, these objects can fetch upwards of $30,000.The seller, George Blucker, bought the robe at an Illinois flea market 25 years ago. He thought it was a fake, but that seller told him it was purchased at an estate sale and had been brought back sometime after the Yukon gold rush.The clan of origin is unknown. The robe is a Raven design and appears to be funerary object.In a statement, Blucker said when he learned the robe had “religious significance” and a “spiritual presence,” he knew it needed to return home.SHI expects the robe to arrive in Juneau later next week.
A photo of the Red Hill Fire taken Saturday evening. The fire, estimated at 1 acre, is approximately 100 miles northeast of Glennallen and 1.8 miles northeast of Chisana. (Luke Wassick/National Park Service)Recent warm, dry weather in the interior has resulted in two late season wildfires. State Forestry reports sending fire fighters last night to a one-acre blaze, located about a hundred miles northeast of Glennallen, near Chisana.Listen nowThe department said the fire, burning in Wrangle St. Elias National Park and Preserve, was observed to be creeping and smoldering with light rain falling on it last night. Forestry said the fire is not accessible by road, and weather prevented firefighters from getting to it last night.The other new fire was reported last week by a boater along the Tanana River, on a Native land allotment about 15 miles downstream from Nenana. The Alaska Fire Service said two firefighters went to the site Friday to work the fire, which was estimated at less than an acre, with activity again described as smoldering and creeping.Both fires are suspected to be human-caused. State and federal agencies say Alaska has minimal staff on hand to fight fires in Alaska right now, as most are deployed to the battle major blazes in the western Lower 48.The AFS says nearly 653,000 acres have burned in Alaska so far this year, well below the normal average of one to two million acres.
Alaska-based fighter jets intercepted half a dozen Russian military aircraft Monday. According to NORAD, there were two separate incidents in the international airspace near Alaska, neither of which violated U.S. air sovereignty. In total there were four Russian bombers, as well as two fighter jets involved. One group approached from the south, while at about the same time, the remaining aircraft came from the north. Both groups were intercepted by F-22 Raptors that took off from Alaska. Captain Cameron Hillier says while such incidents have become routine in recent years, it’s rare for two to happen at the same time. “Typically we have about six or seven per year, and that goes back to about 2007 when they re-started long-range aviation patrols,” Hillier said. An F-15C Eagle from the 12th Fighter Squadron at Elmendorf Air Force Base flies next to a Russian Tu-95 Bear Bomber during a Russian exercise. (U.S. Air Force photo) The incident took place as more than 10,000 service members are in Alaska to participate in the Northern Edge training exercises, the largest military event of the year in the state.
New Delhi, Oct 08 (ANI): The Indian Army on Tuesday dismissed the reports of any posts occupied by the infiltrators in Kashmir and said that these were just speculations and nothing else. Between 30 to 40 militants and Pakistan Special Forces’ troops had infiltrated into Keran sector in Kupwara district and the encounter in Shalbhatti village had started on September 24.
Map of BenapoleMembers of Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) arrested two people along with 100,000 US dollars from Raghunathpur border point in Benapole port area in Jashore on Thursday night.The arrestees are Maula Box, 35, son of Musa Mallik of Raghunathpur Purbapara village, and Alamgir Hossain, 40, son of Sabed Ali of Swarbanghuda village, reports UNB.A team of BGB-49 conducted a raid in the area and arrested Maula and Alamgir along with the US dollars while passing by Raghunathpur Swarbanghuda Government Primary School around 11:30pm, said commanding officer of BGB-49 Lt Col Mohammad Ariful.The arrestees were handed over to Bernapole police station.
Stay on target Remember the scene in The Matrix where Neo has to choose between the red pill and the blue pill? One day that may be how you opt to binge on either Kimmy Schmidt or The Walking Dead.At least that’s one future Netflix CEO Reid Hastings sees for the entertainment business. Could you really just pop a pill and be instantly caught up on your favorite shows? Not any time soon, obviously, but maybe “in 20 to 50 years,” Hastings mused.He even went so far as to suggest that you might be able to make a customized playlist. You’ll take “a personalized blue pill,” and “just hallucinate in an entertaining way,” Hastings said. When you’re all caught up, popping “a white pill brings you back to normality.”He wasn’t being totally serious when he made the comment to a Wall Street Journal reporter on stage yesterday, mind you. Instead, he was trying to make a point about how a company like Netflix has to be ready for what’s next. Blockbuster wasn’t prepared when Netflix burst onto the scene and look what happened to them.19 years after its founding, Netflix has 47 million subscribers in the U.S. alone and you’re hard pressed to find a single video rental store that’ still in business. Hastings doesn’t want that to happen to Netflix, so rest assured… if there’s some far-out, sci-fi way to get their library of original content into your brain then he’s going to do everything he can to make sure Netflix is the company that brings it to you.All you’ll have to decide is whether to take the blue pill, wake up in your bed and believe whatever you want to believe… or take the red pill and stay in Wonderland and let Netflix show you how deep the rabbit-hole goes. What to Stream on Netflix This Weekend11 Other Old-School Nick Shows That Should Get Netflix Movies
We are about to enter the month of September, but the mercury is still soaring high. In this weather, the best way to survive the scorching heat is to keep yourself hydrated. Speaking for myself, in stead of gulping sodas and other sweet beverages, I have always been reaching for bottled water. However, the ever-expanding market, offering a variety in the packaged water often confuses me. Aren’t all the same – crystal clear, odourless, sparkling fluids that quenches your thirst better than any other drinks? Also Read – Add new books to your shelf”Obviously yes!” – This is what everybody of you might be thinking right now except the ones who have tasted or at least heard of ‘Black Water’.Introduced by ‘BLK’, it is a premium alkaline water infused with pH of 8+ at the source.But how is it better than my tap water?”This water detoxifies your body by removing all toxins 20times better than the normal water. It’s ultra-hydrating since it gets absorbed at a higher rate than the regular water due to its addition of electrolytes and minerals. Also, it is rich in dissolved oxygen, which is considered to be the fuel for metabolism,” says Tapasya Mundhra, Nutritionist. Also Read – Over 2 hours screen time daily will make your kids impulsiveIrrespective of the uncountable health benefits, I had inhibitions about trying this product initially. It’s black water – won’t it taste and smell like sludge or rotten eggs? But on the contrary, it tasted very much like good, old-fashioned water. (With various additional benefits).Revealing other benefits of alkaline water, experts say that when the body environment becomes acidic, the body is forced into drawing balancing elements from the body itself. By balancing the acidity of the body, alkaline water helps restore bone health, fatigue and aid in osteoporosis. Also, it is a great cure for the hangover as it ensures the restoration of natural body balance quickly after consuming alcohol. Talking about the idea behind bringing this product in the Indian market, Dikshit Jhanb, Director of IRIIS says, “In the last decade or so a number of international beverage brands have entered the Indian market making this sector segmented. I saw a great potential in the non- alcoholic beverage segment, especially in the packaged drinking water sector. The main reason for me to invest and bring international beverage brands to the Indian market was that there is an increased awareness in the country in general about health, wellness and at large about getting fit and leading healthier lifestyles.”He also informs about the positive response this product is receiving which is especially coming from the segment that understands the benefits of drinking alkaline water.Considering the phenomenal feedback from the fitness and wellness industry, Tapasya Mundhara recommends this black water but at the same time feels that alkaline water is not a necessity for the human body. “I think it is not a necessity for humans — if you are taking a proper healthy diet, eating sufficient amount of fruits and vegetables, managing sleep and stress well, you don’t really need any additional supplements,” she informs.
He was dragged out by the currents and drowned. Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window)Click to share on WhatsApp (Opens in new window) The Attorney General of the State of Quintana Roo confirmed the death of 34-year-old Abirán M.I. from the State of Mexico. Isla Mujeres, Q.R. — After a family day of food and beverages, a tourist to Isla Mujeres lost his life due to drowning. According to the police report, the man was vacationing with his wife and daughters when the accident occurred. The family were enjoying the day on a public beach when the man, who apparently had consumed alcoholic beverages, went swimming past the marked safety buoys.
We all need an iPad in our life, and things start to get better when you throw in a discount that really takes the cake.Apple’s Latest 9.7-inch iPad is Down to Just $249 from $330, Pick One up Today!Though the new 2018 iPad Pro is the talk of the town, thanks to its beautiful display and all-new hardware. But of course, we can’t forget the regular iPad in any case since it is an extremely capable piece of hardware at such a low price point of just $330. What if we told you that you don’t have to spend $330 at all and you can just get the tablet for just $249 instead? Today, we have a deal that grants you your life long wish in one fell swoop: the latest iPad for just $249.The models on sale are the 32GB variants that are WiFi-only and come in Space Gray and Silver color options. Despite the lack of cellular connectivity, you’re getting a lot of iPad for very, very less money. Heck, it’s hard to find any flaw at this price point. If you were looking to gift someone the perfect tablet this holiday season then you might want to seriously consider this deal. Or, you can just gift it to yourself if you like.Featuring a beautiful 9.7-inch Retina display, the iPad 6 packs a lot of power under the hood even in 2018. Things are topped off with iOS 12, that truly unleashes the power of the iPad in terms of performance and features. And oh, it even supports the Apple Pencil which makes it great for jotting down notes in class or just, you know, showing off.You can grab the tablet from the links below. Remember, this is a very rare and limited time deal on Apple’s latest iPad model so make up your mind fast before stock runs out.Buy Apple iPad 6 WiFi, Space Gray – Was $330, Now just $249Buy Apple iPad 6 WiFi, Silver – Was $330, Now just $249You may want to check out the following deals too:GoPro HERO7 With Buttery Smooth Stabilization Gets a Massive Discount for Black Friday 2018Anker Kicks off Pre-Black Friday 2018 Deals with Never Before Seen Discounts on AccessoriesAmazon Has Discounted Several Great Android Smartphones for Black Friday 2018 [Limited Time Only]ESR’s Black Friday 2018 Sale Starts Today with Massive Discounts on Accessories for All Major Smartphones, TabletsBlack Friday 2018 Deals on All Amazon Hardware: Mega Discounts on Fire Tablet, Echo, Cloud Cam Bundles, MoreHot Black Friday 2018 Deal: $100 Off All OnePlus 6 Models Straight From the Official StoreBlack Friday 2018 Deal: Get the DJI Osmo Mobile 2 Mobile Gimbal and Stabilizer for Just $124.95 [Usually $199.99]Black Friday 2018 Deal: More Than 50% Off on Samsung 32GB and 64GB microSD CardsBlack Friday 2018 Deal: Get the Belkin Boost Up 7.5W Wireless Charger for iPhone for Just $29.99 [Usually $59.99]Black Friday Deals From Koogeek: HomeKit $15.99 Smart RGB Bulbs and Door/Window SensorsHere are All the Black Friday 2018 Deals from AUKEY – Massive Discounts on Chargers, Batteries, Cables, Hubs, MoreRAVPower Early Black Friday Deals: 6700mAh Portable Chargers, USB-C Docking Stations, USB-C Hub, MoreBlack Friday 2018 Deals on Amazon Echo Devices: Echo Dot for $19.99, Echo Plus Bundle with Philips Hue Bundle for $109, More Share Tweet Submit
Dubai Parks and Resorts (set to open on October 31, 2016) has successfully concluded its first three-city trade roadshow in India. The last leg of the event in Mumbai was also personally attended by the Minister of Tourism of the State of Maharashtra, Jaykumar Jitendrasinh Rawal. Dubai Parks and Resorts organised this roadshow with the objective of officially introducing the destination and highlighting its distinctive offerings.The three-day roadshow targeted the top Indian trade agents in New Delhi, Bangalore, Mumbai and focused on asserting Dubai Parks and Resorts position in the Indian tourist market as the next ultimate family entertainment destination that is only a three to four-hour flight away.Vinit Shah, Chief Destination Management Officer, Dubai Parks and Resorts, said, “We’re extremely pleased to have introduced the region’s largest integrated entertainment destination to India. With the expertise of hundreds of professionals all over the world, Dubai Parks Resorts will be one of the region’s biggest entertainment destinations.”Nevil D’Souza, Head of Sales, Dubai Parks and Resorts, said, “It has been an absolute pleasure to have opened up the world of Dubai Parks and Resorts to our potential partners in India. We look forward to welcoming our guests to the largest multi-themed leisure and entertainment destination in the region.”Dubai Parks and Resorts will feature MOTIONGATE Dubai– a movie based theme park showcasing some of Hollywood’s most beloved characters from DreamWorks Animation, Sony Pictures Studios and Lionsgate as well as the region’s first LEGOLAND Park and a LEGOLAND Water Park. Dubai Parks and Resorts will also feature Bollywood Parks Dubai, the first theme park based on the sights and sounds of Bollywood. The entire destination will be connected by Riverland Dubai– a uniquely themed retail and dining destination at the heart of Dubai Parks and Resorts and guests can stay at the Lapita Hotel, a Polynesian-themed resort catering to families as part of the Autograph Collection of Marriott Hotels.
Share On Wednesday, January 24, at 10 a.m. EST, the National Association of Realtors will release its data on existing home sales for December 2017. The NAR report tallies the number of previously built homes that sold during a given month. Since existing home sales account for a large percentage of overall home sales, the NAR report is an important snapshot of the state of the housing market at any given point.In November 2017, existing home sales were up 5.6 percent month-over-month, spiking for the third month in a row and showing the strongest performance in almost 11 years. The West was the only national region that didn’t see a significant increase in existing home sales during November.Here’s what else is scheduled for The Week Ahead:Chicago Federal Reserve Bank President Charles Evans to speak at Chicago Council of Global Affairs conference on “The Future of Monetary Policy: Embracing the Unconventional” in Chicago, Illinois, Tuesday, 6:30 p.m. ESTMBA Mortgage Applications, Wednesday, 7 a.m. ESTFHFA House Price Index, Wednesday, 9 a.m. ESTJobless Claims, Thursday, 8:30 a.m. ESTBloomberg Consumer Comfort Index, Thursday, 9:45 a.m. ESTNew Home Sales, Thursday, 10 a.m. ESTFed Balance Sheet, Thursday, 4:30 p.m. ESTGross Domestic Product, Friday, 8:30 a.m. EST in Daily Dose, Featured, News The Week Ahead: Checking in on Existing Home Sales January 21, 2018 559 Views Existing-Home Sales NAR National Association of Realtors The week ahead 2018-01-21 David Wharton
Former Cardinals kicker Phil Dawson retires The 5: Takeaways from the Coyotes’ introduction of Alex Meruelo The Cardinals have allowed 28 sacks in 10 games and only the Buffalo Bills have scored less points per game than the Cardinals (14.5 points per game).Related LinksBehind Enemy Lines: Cardinals travel to seven-win ChargersLosing to Oakland is rough, but might be best thing for CardinalsThe 5: Explanations for the Cardinals’ blown opportunities vs. the RaidersRapid Reactions: Cardinals lose in disappointing fashion to OaklandCardinals shine early, fall to Raiders on last-second field goal“If you look at the Cardinals, that’s the one area again — go all the way back to when I was there — that’s always been an area of concern,” Warner said. “And they’ve never really fixed it to the point where you’ve felt really good year in, year out with all five guys across the board.“Until you fix that, I don’t care how innovative you are — you can run some smoke and mirrors — but you’re not going to win with smoke and mirrors week in and week out. Especially when you’re playing teams like we saw last night.”Warner specifically mentioned the Los Angeles Rams, Kansas City Chiefs and New Orleans Saints as offenses that thrive because of strong offensive line play.Those three teams are the only ones that average over 30 points per game and are a combined 28-4 this season.“They all protect their quarterbacks extremely well and allow them to get downfield and change the complexion of games with big plays,” Warner said. “You’ve got to have good players, a good quarterback and you have to be able to protect them if you’re going to throw the ball all over the yard and try to put pressure on defenses like good teams do.”The Cardinals’ offensive line has been decimated by injuries this season, which has further hampered the offense.Most recently, starting offensive tackle D.J. Humphries couldn’t go Sunday against the Raiders because of a knee injury.“It takes five guys to do it as well. It’s not about one guy being really good,” Warner said. “You still have to mesh with five guys so that’s what is so unique with the offensive line.“You can’t just put a couple of guys in there and think it’ll fix whole thing. You have to have a collective unit that plays well together that understands and communicates.”Warner does believe the Cardinals could improve quickly.He noted the Rams’ quick rise, from 4-12 in 2016 to 10-1 so far this season.But for the Cardinals to even scratch the surface of the Rams’ recent success, it’ll start with an improvement on the offensive line.“I think like everything else, what makes great players great or great offensive lines great, is the ability to react in the moment positively,” Warner said. “Whether that’s falling back to proper technique, the ability to see twists of a defensive line and be able to counter those twists or to be able to play against the great pass rushers and hold your technique.” Derrick Hall satisfied with D-backs’ buying and selling Top Stories 12 Comments Share Former Arizona Cardinals quarterback Kurt Warner believes there’s a major difference between the Cardinals’ offense and the best ones in the NFL.It has little to do with the quality of the team’s playmakers.Warner told Bickley and Marotta on 98.7 FM Arizona’s Sports Station on Tuesday that he believes the Cardinals’ inability to field a strong offensive line is holding the offense back from having more success. Arizona Cardinals quarterback Josh Rosen (3) is hit from behind by Denver Broncos linebacker Bradley Chubb as Arizona Cardinals offensive tackle D.J. Humphries (74) blocks during the second half of an NFL football game, Thursday, Oct. 18, 2018, in Glendale, Ariz. The Broncos won 45-10. Rosen was injured on the play. (AP Photo/Rick Scuteri) Grace expects Greinke trade to have emotional impact
Go back to the e-newsletter >After 25 years of high-end fashion Collette Dinnigan has turned her creativity to her love for interior design and hotels.Working with Bannisters by the Sea, a coastal boutique hotel a 5-minute drive from Dinnigan’s NSW South Coast country retreat, penthouse suites 29 and 30 have been completely renovated and reimagined.The first 100 guests will receive a limited edition Collette Dinnigan candle made in France.The uninterrupted ocean views of Penthouse Suite 29 are complemented by comfortable linen sofas, handprinted cushions by textile designers such as Kathryn Ireland, Penny Morrison and Carolina Irving, a wool rug by Vaughan, a gas fireplace with marble mantle, oak wooden floorboards, and wooden shutters and doors.The bedroom features Schumacher fabrics, brass Aerin Lauder wall fittings and a chair Collette bought in the south of France, hand-covered in velvet.The bathroom features handmade vanities with Carrara marble tops, Perrin & Rowe tapware, a sizeable bathtub and shower, and heated floors. There is also a separate powder room.Australian photographers and artists who have an emotional connection to the water are featured throughout, such as Murray Hilton and John Witizg’s 1970s surf nostalgia.Both suites have a collection of botanical and coral sea life sourced from the French markets, as well as charts from Collette’s family’s sailing journeys across the Indian Ocean.The balcony offers customised cane furniture in a relaxed setting for two.Penthouse Suite 30 is now accessed through a private hallway adorned with John Witizg’s nostalgic Australian surf photography from the 1970s.Go back to the e-newsletter >
April 30, 2002 The Arcosanti SkateClub is officially recruiting members with the addition of this miniramp in camp. [Photo & text RL] The half pipeprovides entertainment for both riders and spectators. [Photo: AndyBradshaw & text: RL] Charlie is testingout the new half-pipe. He was visiting his grandmother Sue Anaya forspring break. [Photo & text: SA]