text:
(Image: [[https://cdn.slidesharecdn.com/ss_thumbnails/defcon-22-metacortex-grifter-darkside-of-the-internet-140813162305-phpapp01-thumbnail.jpg|https://cdn.slidesharecdn.com/ss_thumbnails/defcon-22-metacortex-grifter-darkside-of-the-internet-140813162305-phpapp01-thumbnail.jpg)]] was today told it will have to pay a record £183million fine for a data breach that saw card details of more than 380,000 customers stolen from its website and app. The Information Commissioner's Office has imposed the huge cash penalty on the airline - equivalent to 1.5 percent of its turnover in 2017 - after one of the most serious cyber attacks to hit a UK history last year. BA called in the police in September 5, 2018 after a cyber attack was detected by staff - 16 days after it started on August 21.
(Image: [[|]]) British Airways has been handed a huge £183 million fine after card details of more than 380,000 customers were stolen from its website and app
During the data breach tens of thousands of customers had their name, billing address, email address, card payment information - including card number, expiry date and their CVV security code - potentially compromised. Hundreds of thousands more had their personal details taken without their CVV code captured, it was said. British Airways chairman Alex Cruz said today the airline was 'disappointed' by the initial finding - despite initial warnings the fine could be up to £500million. He said: 'British Airways responded quickly to a criminal act to steal customers' data.
We have found no evidence of fraud/fraudulent activity on accounts linked to the theft. We apologise to our customers for any inconvenience this event caused. If you treasured this article and you would like to be given more info pertaining to Buy cvv Fullz generously visit the web-page. ' IAG chief executive Willie Walsh said it would consider appealing the fine as it seeks 'to take all appropriate steps to defend the airline's position vigorously'.
Share this article Share
The data breach affected 380,000 customers who booked flights online or via the BA app between April 21 and July 28, 2018, and who used a payment card. BA has insisted it had told customers about the security breach as soon as it could. But the cyber failure is a massive blow to the airline's once renowned reputation for customer service with some victims vowing never to use them again. The stolen data did not include passport details but did include 'personal information, the airline said. BA said it had received no reports from customers who had had money fraudulently taken out of their account. Following disclosure of the hack, BA promised to compensate affected customers and took out full-page adverts in British newspapers, including the Daily Mail, to apologise to passengers. It had meanwhile described the mass theft as 'a very sophisticated, malicious, criminal attack on our website'.
(Image: [[|]]) BA called in the police in September 5 2018 after a cyber attack was detected by staff - 16 days after it started on August 21
IAG is the owner of five airlines, including also Aer Lingus, Iberia, Level and Vueling, none of which were affected by the hack. GDPR establishes the key principle that individuals must explicitly grant permission for their data to be used. The case for the new rules had been boosted by a scandal over the harvesting of Facebook users' data by Cambridge Analytica, a US-British political research firm, for the 2016 US presidential election. BA's proposed penalty is roughly 367 times the £500,000 imposed on Facebook over the scandal. Rachel Aldighieri, managing director of the Data & Marketing Association (DMA), said: 'This is the first fine the ICO has announced under the new GDPR laws and the level of the proposed fine is unprecedented in the UK, highlighting the importance all businesses should place on the security of customers' data. 'Data is a fundamental part of the digital economy, so maintaining its security must be a business imperative.
Trust in how brands collect, store and use data is essential to the relationship between businesses and their customers. 'The risks to BA go beyond the potential fines regulators can issue too, the long-term effects on customer trust, share price and public perception could have more lasting damage.' <div class=“art-ins mol-factbox news” data-version=“2” id=“mol-ce971050-a16b-11e9-ba21-6f9810802753” website Airways will be fined more than £189m over data breach


text:
By Lillian Sopera Keneqa – EM TV News, Port Moresby
This year (2019) will see more farmers in Central Province joining the Ilimo Dairy Farm maize out-grower program.
As the Ilimo herd grows to meet increasing local demand, the need to source feed locally grows.
On December 23rd 2018, the Daisama community in Doura district began planting their newly ploughed fields of two hectares for this year.
It takes approximately 100 to 120 days until the maize is ready for harvest.
Business Development Manager, Gallit Tamir says if local farmers can grow maize, Ilimo will buy it.
The local dairy is now moving into a wider product line of ice-cream, yogurt and dairy snacks which will be made available this year.

domain: news


text:
Coca-Cola and PepsiCo Post Upbeat Earnings Despite Cost Headwinds
Looking at the Beverage Giants’ Boosted Sales
Both Coca-Cola (KO) and PepsiCo (PEP) reported increased sales for the most recently completed quarter. Looking at organic revenue, Coke’s sales grew by 9% largely in part to a 10% increase in prices. Meanwhile, PepsiCo credits sales of Frito-Lay products, as organic revenue grew by 11.9%, driven by a 7% price hike across the board.
While both companies reported a decline in profits, the figures came in above analyst expectations. Executives say rising costs for raw materials, packaging, and trucking continue to be a drain on the bottom line. On the upside, Coke notes Q4 2021 marked the first time sales at places like restaurants and movie theaters eclipsed pre-pandemic levels since lockdowns first went into effect.
Coke and Pepsi in Demand, Ad Spending Roars On
Higher prices haven’t led to a major drain on demand, according to PepsiCo executives. For the time being, consumers haven’t pivoted to less-known brands. That said, there’s an expectation costs will continue to rise into next year with inflation a major factor, meaning upward pressure on prices will remain. Coke specifically mentioned the supply chain is unlikely to fully snap back into shape by the end of 2022.
With robust demand, both Coke and PepsiCo are leaning into advertising. PepsiCo expanded its marketing budget in and around this weekend’s Super Bowl. Coke is running an Olympics-themed ad campaign in China.
Both Companies Focused on Product Diversification and Logistics
Both beverage giants are part of the business world’s ongoing efforts to overcome supply-chain problems. Executives explain the pandemic uncovered long-standing issues including tight aluminum supply and limited numbers of truckers. PepsiCo says it has observed an improvement in the North American supply chain over the past few months.
Product diversification is another major focus for both PepsiCo and Coke. Coke now owns Smartwater, Minute Maid, Costa Coffee, and Gold Peak Tea. PepsiCo’s product offerings include Quaker Oats, Gatorade, Cheetos, and Mountain Dew. Analysts have long argued it is vital that both companies insulate themselves from the potential decline of sales in the sugary drinks category. The beverage giants hope to build off the strong quarter moving forward.
Please understand that this information provided is general in nature and shouldn’t be construed as a recommendation or solicitation of any products offered by SoFi’s affiliates and subsidiaries. In addition, this information is by no means meant to provide investment or financial advice, nor is it intended to serve as the basis for any investment decision or recommendation to buy or sell any asset. Keep in mind that investing involves risk, and past performance of an asset never guarantees future results or returns. It’s important for investors to consider their specific financial needs, goals, and risk profile before making an investment decision.
The information and analysis provided through hyperlinks to third party websites, while believed to be accurate, cannot be guaranteed by SoFi. These links are provided for informational purposes and should not be viewed as an endorsement. No brands or products mentioned are affiliated with SoFi, nor do they endorse or sponsor this content.
Communication of SoFi Wealth LLC an SEC Registered Investment Adviser
SoFi isn’t recommending and is not affiliated with the brands or companies displayed. Brands displayed neither endorse or sponsor this article. Third party trademarks and service marks referenced are property of their respective owners.


text:
Hasbro’s latest HasLab campaign celebrates Transformers’ 40th anniversary with figures for fans!
The robots in disguise are readying for your collection thanks to a new crowdfunding campaign from Hasbro. The most dedicated Hasbro collectors will already know a thing or two about HasLab, with previous Transformers campaigns including a Deathsaurus figure, a Victory Saber figure, and more. Now, a new campaign has launched featuring two fan favorites.
The Transformers: Legacy Robots in Disguise 2001 Omega Prime campaign includes transforming figures of Optimus Prime and Ultra Magnus and his Battle Master Bluebolts. The Optimus Prime figure stands more than 8 inches tall in robot mode and can transform into a firetruck featuring a command center, an articulated ladder, and four rotating missiles.
The Ultra Magnus figure measures in at more than 11 inches tall in robot mode and converts to a car carrier trailer vehicle with the ability to store three Deluxe Class figures in vehicle mode (sold separately). Bluebolts is along for the ride, transforming into six different weapon accessories or breaking down to sit inside the Ultra Magnus figure.
Fans can re-create the moment Ultra Magnus attempted to get his hands on the Matrix of Leadership by combining the Optimus Prime and Ultra Magnus figures into Omega Prime, with Bluebolts attaching to the larger combined figure as a shoulder-mounted weapons system.
The crowdfunding campaign is open now to collectors who’d like to add the new figures to their shelves. The campaign will be fully funded at 10,000 backers and includes tier goals such as a Matrix Blade Accessory at 13,000 backers and two Combinable Global Space Bridge Display Stands at 16,000 backers.
The Transformers: Legacy Robots in Disguise 2001 Omega Prime campaign will be open to backers until March 14. Assuming it sees success with at least 10,000 backers, the new figures are expected to ship in Fall 2025. More information about the campaign and becoming a backer is available on the Hasbro Pulse website.


text:
With the huge popularity of original content on Netflix and Amazon, Apple wants a piece of the pie. That’s according to a new report from the Wall Street Journal which claims Apple is poised to make a play with all-original shows and movies which would be available via the Apple Music service for a monthly subscription fee of $10.
The report says Apple has been shopping around for original content and has been in talks with producers to purchase the rights to a number of episodic shows. Apple has also reportedly been getting advice from — and could potentially poach — television marketing professionals from various other companies to help jumpstart the efforts. Apple has set a timeline for the new content plan and wants to offer scripted shows by the end of the year.
Apple’s programming efforts will allegedly start rather modestly, with only a handful of shows and/or movies, and as such it would not necessarily strike fear in the hearts of its larger competitors. However, Apple’s plan is apparently to produce shows along the same lines as those offered by Netflix and Amazon — think House of Cards or Transparent.
Apple has been dabbling a bit in original content recently, with documentaries on Apple Music and even a standalone version of The Late Late Show‘s Carpool Karaoke. However, according to the report, the shows Apple is currently eying don’t have any link to music as its current video product does, and would instead be positioned as an added value to the Apple Music service — perhaps in the same way Prime Video is a bonus to Amazon’s Prime membership.


text:
Ripple ODL: Bitso processes highest value of remittances in April
XRP has been the third-largest coin for quite some time now, however, it might be the only major coins whose developments in the space are not reflected in its price. Ripple’s on-demand liquidity [ODL] platform has been contributing highly to the use case of XRP, especially in the USD-MXN corridor.
Bitso has been one of the early exchange partners of Ripple in Mexico and has been noting great use of the remittance platform. According to the co-founder and President of Bitso, Daniel Vogel, the exchange reported the highest ODL value of 4.3 billion pesos being processed just in the month of April.
The platform had been processing ODL transactions since April 2019 and had noticed an immediate demand from the users. However, it took a while for the platform to reflect growth when plotted in a chart. The transactions started to rise by August 2019 and were striding up since. In December 2019, the exchange’s ODL transaction value breached a billion pesos and by February 2020, the total value was close to 2.5 billion pesos but had slowed down in March.
The violent crash of March had an impact on the XRP price, as it fell as low as $0.1105. A panic-stricken market was shying away from not only crypto but the extended economic market until a recovery effort set in. The price of XRP marched up and was trading at $0.2148, at press time. April also saw users coming back to the platforms as the value of remittance transactions doubled to 4.373 billion pesos.
The USD-MXN corridor has been the oldest and most active remittance passage of all time. The volume noted on the corridor has been higher than in other corridors. According to Utility Scan, in the last 24-hour, USD-MXN corridor has reported volume of $7.295
Whereas, AUD-USD noted a volume of $3.004 million followed by USD-PHP with a volume of $1.839 million. Ripple has introduced new corridors between the United States and Soth Korea but hasn’t reached an active status.


text:
You can get virtual live entertainment and Michelin-star restaurant food delivered for Valentine’s weekend
Park N Party is bringing the full Valentine’s Day date night experience to the comfort of your own home.
Valentine’s Day is set to be a little different this year.
While it is very much true that we are somewhat used to adapting our seasonal celebrations for the circumstances nowadays, the loved-up among us will likely remember that Valentine’s Day is new ground for the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, as it was one of the last events to take place ‘normally’ before the stark realities of the crisis set in last March.
This is why one Manchester-based immersive entertainment company is eager to put a unique and lockdown-friendly spin on the national day of love.
Starting on Friday 12th February and running for three nights, Park N Party – the team behind a series of sell-out drive-in cinema and theatre performances in Manchester – is adapting amid the third national lockdown by bringing the full Valentine’s Day date night experience direct to your door.
And they’ve aptly-named it the Lockdown Love-IN.
So yes, while this Valentine’s Day will be a little different, there’s no need to miss out on feeling the love with your special someone – all from the comfort of your own home.
With a variety of packages available, each ticket includes access to the Lockdown Love-IN – an exclusive streaming platform which sees singer and media personality Chrissy Bray provide one hour and 30 minutes of fun and games, entertainment and music, accompanied by your choice of menu package, which has been expertly-crafted by top chefs, including options from the team behind Michelin star restaurant, Simpsons, prepared to simply reheat at home.
It sounds pretty special.
Access to the streaming platform includes dancers, strip hand balance artists, fire, trapeze, electric violin and singers, for a twist on a typical night in.
Drinks packages are available from £50 for two people, and range to £150 for three-coursed meals.
Tickets are available to purchase online via Skiddle here.


text:
Salesforce acquires Slack, Microsoft buys Cloudknoux and more
San-Francisco based CRM tool, Salesforce announced that it has completed the acquisition of the enterprise chat communication platform, Slack.
Speaking about the agreement, Marc Benioff, chair and CEO of Salesforce said- “Together we’ll define the future of enterprise software, creating the digital HQ that enables every organization to deliver customer and employee success from anywhere.”
Bret Taylor, President and COO of Salesforce, said, "Slack and Salesforce Customer 360 will give every company in the world a single source of truth for their business and a single platform for connecting employees, customers, and partners with each other and the apps they use every day."
Microsoft has bought CloudKnox Security, an identity and access management (IAM) firm, making it the tech giant's fourth cybersecurity acquisition in 2021.
With this and its recent acquisition of CyberX and Refirm Labs, Microsoft plans to foster its security portfolio.Microsoft made over $10 billion from security-related businesses in 2020, which is 40% growth over the previous year. Prior to the acquisition, CloudKnox had raised $22.8 million in funding from ClearSky, Sorenson Ventures, Dell Technologies Capital, and Foundation Capital.
Talking about the deal, Balaji Parimi, CloudKnox founder and CEO, said: “By joining Microsoft, we can unlock new synergies and make it easier for our mutual customers to protect their multi-cloud and hybrid environments and strengthen their security posture.”
Razorpay, an online payment gateway firm flushed with new funding secured in April, announced its third acquisition on Monday: risk tech SaaS platform TERA Finlabs, an Indian subsidiary of UK digital lender GAIN Credit.
According to Razorpay, the takeover fits into the company's objective of assisting micro, small, and medium-sized businesses (SMEs).
"There couldn't have been a better time than now for us to join hands with Razorpay and its technological capabilities to support the SME segment," said Pradeep Rathnam, co-founder and CEO, TERA Finlabs. He further adds "our robust end-to-end platform will enable new businesses to build a scalable and profitable credit business".


text:
MIAMI & DALLAS--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Southern Glazer's Wine & Spirits (Southern Glazer's)—the world’s preeminent distributor of beverage alcohol—today announced that it is donating a total of $50,000 to two charities, Maui Strong Fund - Hawaii Community Foundation and Kokua Restaurant & Hospitality Fund for Maui, to support relief efforts in Maui after recent wildfires caused heartbreaking devastation across the island.
Southern Glazer’s is donating $25,000 to the Maui Strong Fund - Hawaii Community Foundation, which is providing financial resources that can be deployed quickly, with a focus on rapid response and recovery in Maui. The Company is also donating $25,000 to the Kokua Restaurant & Hospitality Fund for Maui to help provide immediate assistance to the hardworking restaurant, bar and hospitality workers displaced by the devastating wildfires that have impacted West Maui communities from Lahaina to Kapalua, a cherished home of the Hawaii Food & Wine Festival.
In addition to this corporate donation, grassroots efforts have been led by Southern Glazer’s employees to raise nearly $50,000 for a fellow team member who lost their home during the disaster.
“The outpour of support we’ve received from community members, supplier partners, and our Southern Glazer’s family is so greatly appreciated,” said Warren Shon, Executive Vice President and Hawaii General Manager, Southern Glazer’s. “The road to recovery for Maui will be long, but I know that we’ll continue to work together to support our neighbors and organizations that are working around the clock to rebuild our beautiful and resilient island.”
About Southern Glazer’s Wine & Spirits
Southern Glazer’s Wine & Spirits is the world’s preeminent distributor of beverage alcohol, and proud to be a multi-generational, family-owned company. The Company has operations in 44 U.S. states, the District of Columbia, and Canada, as well as brokerage operations through its WEBB Banks division in the Caribbean, Central and South America. In 2022, Southern Glazer’s was listed as one of Forbes Best Employers for Diversity. In 2021, Southern Glazer’s was selected as a U.S. Best Managed Company by Deloitte Private and The Wall Street Journal, as well as named by Newsweek as a Top 100 Most Loved Workplace. Southern Glazer’s urges all retail customers and adult consumers to market, sell, serve, and enjoy its products responsibly. For more information visit www.southernglazers.com. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram @sgwinespirits.


text:
Einstein Bros. Bagels at 19114 Montgomery Village Ave in the Montgomery Village Shopping Center has permanently closed.
Signage on the front door directs customers to the location at 531 Quince Orchard Rd (Firstfield Shopping Center) in Gaithersburg.
Montgomery Village won’t be without a coffee shop for very long as a Starbucks is currently being built in the same shopping center and is expected to open in the first quarter or 2022. Latest photo of the Starbucks progress below:
Earlier this year La Poteria, which sells Colombian street food and coffee, opened next to the Einstein.
Einstein Bros. has additional Montgomery County locations in Chevy Chase, Gaithersburg, and Silver Spring.


text:
Last mile delivery is one of the major areas that need attention from market players operating in the e-commerce, logistics, and supply chain sectors. Innovative solutions have been developed that address the current issues and enhance customer experience. Startups have been making strides in the space and raising funds to expand into different markets. With technological advancements, they aim to develop apps for last mile deliveries that can improve the overall experience for buyers. Investors have identified the opportunities in the space and pouring in money on startups to let them deploy their solutions and explore untapped opportunities. In addition, the governments have realized the potential of autonomous technologies and granting permissions to test the solutions developed by companies. Novel last mile delivery solutions will be developed, and there will be significant changes in the scenario in coming years.
Raising funding for development of new solutions for delivering goods is one of the major trends across the globe. Recently, Bosta, a Cairo-based last mile delivery startup raised an undisclosed seven-figure amount (USD) in a Series A round. The European parcel delivery player DPDgroup funded the round for Bosta. Fawry, a payment company from Egypt also participated in the round. Bosta, a startup founded in 2017 offers last mile delivery solutions in Egypt and claims that it has nearly 97 percent of success rate in delivery. Mohammed Ezzat, the Co-founder and CEO of Bosta outlined that the company plans to utilize the investment for expanding its business and grow in the Egyptian e-commerce industry. Moreover, the startup intends to expand into some regional markets and DPDgroup would help in realizing its vision. DPDgroup, the European delivery group, has been investing into different companies and Bosta is the first company from Egypt in which it has invested. The investor plans to help Bosta explore domestic as well as international markets. The European delivery group had also invested $85 million in Ninja Van, the startup of last-mile logistics from Southeast Asia.
Another startup operating in the last mile delivery space announced the raising of nearly $15 million in funding for the launch of three last-mile consumer-focused mobile apps. According to a company statement, Lightspeed Venture Partners led the funding round along with TLV Partners and MizMaa Ventures. Offering the post-purchase deliveries of more than 30 retailers across Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens, and New Jersey, the startup plans to open up new distribution centers across New York and other cities. According to Bond, the operational system emerged from an Israeli startup Shookit. The company employed the technology of Shookit and the company grew significantly in 15 months.
Asaf Hachmon, the co-founder and CEO of the firm, highlighted that online brands needs to focus so much on customer experience on the website, however, handing over the delivery experience to courier services and third parties may not be favorable. There may not be same level of attention and care provided by these third-party service providers. Tal Morgenstern, one of the partners at Lightspeed, stated that last mile delivery is one of the crucial issues faced by direct-to-consumer brands. The e-commerce players have been looking forward to employ in-house technologies and systems to carry out deliveries. The launch of new apps would help Bond enhancing customer experience.
Another big step has been taken in the autonomous last mile delivery sector with a permission given to test a delivery vehicle in Texas. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) provided an exemption to autonomous delivery firm Nuro for starting public testing of its low-speed, unmanned electric delivery vehicle, R2. Nuro became the first company to gain an exemption. To gain this exemption, the company submitted safety report to the U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) for gaining approval for R1 testing. In the street testing round, R2 will take roads of Texas with nearly 5,000 vehicles deployed during the two-year exemption.
Along with offering a permission to drive on the roads, the exemption relieved Nuro from including safety equipment such as windshield wipers and mirrors as part of design of the vehicle. These tools will be replaced by cameras and sensors of R2. According to the NHTSA, the vehicles will be monitored closely during the testing phase. NHTSA Acting Administrator James Owens outlined that the NHTSA supports the safe testing and deployment of advanced technologies in vehicles that hold a great potential for the future. Dave Ferguson, the Co-founder of Nuro, stated that this exemption would make vehicles safer for people. Replacing mirrors and windshields with cameras and sensors, the company can round the edges that take less space and make it safer for humans. The firm would deploy a panel in place of windshields that can absorb energy and protect pedestrians. The applications of autonomous technology would rise in coming years. According to the report published by Allied Market Research, the global autonomous last mile delivery market is estimated to reach $75.65 billion by 2030. Technological advancements would be one of the major reasons for such huge deployment and growth.


text:
The new Model Y with BYD batteries is making waves in the EV community for its fast charge performance and longevity. Tesla has made a smart move by partnering with BYD, as the battery supplier is known to make safe, cost-effective LFP cells for EVs. With CATL no longer being the sole provider of these batteries, the Model Y now offers a longer range when it comes to charging speeds and run time.
Not only have Tesla been able to offer an alternative source of quality batteries that will be cheaper than those from CATL, but they also get access to BYD’s state-of-the-art technology when it comes to fast charging capabilities. This means that the new Model Y with BYD battery can go from 0-100% charge in a much shorter time than before, allowing Tesla owners to get back on the road sooner.
The move also shows that Tesla is looking out for its customers by ensuring that their cars are equipped with safe, reliable batteries that will last long even after frequent charging sessions. This makes it easier for people who rely on EVs as their primary mode of transport to have peace of mind when taking long drives or running errands around town.
To top it off, the BYD battery allows Model Y owners to save money in the long run as it provides longer sustainability and faster charging times compared to other LFP cells. This means consumers can spend less on charging fees while still enjoying the same range and performance of the Model Y.
All in all, Tesla’s decision to partner with BYD and switch up their battery supplier has been a smart move that will benefit both consumers and the company alike. It promises drivers increased efficiency, longer sustainability, and more savings on charging fees – making the new Model Y with BYD battery an even more attractive option for those looking to get behind the wheel of an electric vehicle.


text:
A trainer a day?
The fash set has gone all sustainable as of late with old school brands shedding their former skin to reveal vegan alternatives better suited to our lands.
First, we welcomed a mushroom-based leather alternative into our midsts, then a pineapple leather and now Italian footwear brand Womsh has revealed that they use apples to make their vegan leather trainers.
Working with northern Italian company Frumat, the brand has created a range of vegan shoes using apple leather.
The material uses the cores and skins of apples discarded from industrial processes, purées and spreads on a solid sheet to dehydrate them until almost all of the moisture has been removed and then finally combines them with Polyurethane to create vegan leather.
According to the website, Womsh aims to create a line that “respects both the highest aesthetic standards and eco-sustainability.”
The website also states that the shoes are “ecological, insulating whilst guaranteeing a high level of breathability, and are waterproof.”
The shoes aren’t just made from vegan leather — they can also be “recycled and reused to make anti-slip and anti-fall flooring for playgrounds.” Owners can email the company or return worn out shoes to their nearest store to receive a €10 discount voucher.
Company partner Frumat received the Technology and Innovation Award at the Green Carpet Fashion Awards in Milan last year. The company impressed judges with its plant-based leather of “such quality and appeal that it can displace animal leather.”
In just five years, Womsh created and preserved 12,000m² of forest (equal to 46 tennis courts), offset 74 tonnes of carbon dioxide emission and used almost 100% renewable energy.
Slightly pricier than the average trainer, Womsh shoes ring in at around €200 a pair. But when you consider the alternative – overflowing landfills and oceans filled with plastic – it's tempting.
Images by womsh.com


text:
The Tesla Roadster was a car ahead of its time back in 2008. During its four=year lifespan, less than 2,500 units of the peppy electric sports car were sold. But for $101,500, that's not exactly an affordable figure for most people. Costs aside, the Roadster had a lot of nifty little features and set the bar high for what an electric sports car could be. Unfortunately, it wasn't nearly as well-known as Tesla's current flagship car, the Model S. So what did Tesla do to promote its brand new machine? Let the boys from Top Gear drive it, of course.
Here's where things get interesting. After Tesla dropped the car off, CEO Elon Musk claimed that one of his employees who was along for the delivery noticed a script for the episode. Inside was a segment about the Tesla breaking down, but that was only the tip of the iceberg. Top Gear claimed that the Tesla Roadster ran out of power while driving after just 55 miles (much less than the 200 miles quoted by Tesla, albeit it was being driven hard), a claim that Musk said was untrue. According to him, the Roadster's logs showed that the car had never dipped below 20 percent charge during the entirety of the filming. The clip followed with the Roadster's motor overheating (which wasn't addressed by Musk), and finally, a brake failure which Musk claims was instead a blown fuse and not an equipment failure.
"Battery powered electric cars will soon die altogether," former Top Gear host James May said.
Sure, there were likely some quirks. The Roadster was one of the first of its kind to lay rubber to the road. It was the first long-range electric car that you could buy from a company, achieving 200 miles to a charge. Those lithium-ion batteries it used to store power? The Roadster was the first car to utilize them as its sole power source.
Tesla wasn't thrilled, and neither were investors. Musk was pelted with questions from investors about the episode, asking why the car broke down. Eventually, Tesla filed a libel lawsuit against the show, claiming defamation against the brand.
Tesla's lawsuit alleged a loss of $171,000 in sales as a result of the bad press on Top Gear was ultimately thrown out of British courts for failing to prove that the segment actually caused any damages, despite company claims.
Later on, Musk spoke with BBC about the whole debacle, giving his take on the events that transpired. Musk believes that Top Gear is more about entertainment and less than truth, but feels that Tesla fits Jeremy Clarkson's two pet peeves: American and electric cars.
Even though it received flak, the Roadster was still one interesting ride. One might even call it the "world's best fourth car,", that is, if they could find one of the twenty currently for sale in the United States. Or, if you want a new brand new Next Generation Tesla Roadster, you just have to convince about 50 of your friends to buy a new Model S and Tesla will give you one for free. Hopefully they give the next iteration a run for its money on The Grand Tour to stack it up to its older sibling.


text:
Most of the time, when you hear about small businesses taking on Amazon, the results of the conflict end up in favor of a certain retail (and technology, and logistics) giant. But every once in a while there are reminders that the company Jeff Bezos built isn’t necessarily omnipotent. The opposition to Amazon’s planned “HQ2” in New York City is one example of this; another can be seen via the launch and success to date of Bookshop. Yet another comes in a very different form — specifically, one that involves independent bicycle shops around the country. And ironically, the business at the center of it was founded by an Amazon alumnus.
At The Verge, Decca Muldowney reported on the difficult situation faced by Pacific Northwest Components, a company specializing in parts for mountain bikes. PNC’s co-founder Aaron Kerson had previously worked for Amazon, giving him a firsthand look at how the company operates and how it works with vendors.
Earlier this summer, PNC announced that it was pausing its work with Amazon, opting instead to focus on dealing directly with independently owned stores. As The Verge’s article pointed out, this offered advantages and disadvantages for PNC. Twenty to 30 percent of their sales were via Amazon, but losing that would also give PNC more control over other aspects of their business.
As the article points out, the pandemic has made questions of returns and customer service issues even more complicated for companies that work with Amazon. Kerson told The Verge that Amazon’s platform didn’t allow the degree of specificity ideal for companies like PNC, and that return fraud was also an ongoing issue.
All of which made Amazon’s loss the gain of independent bike shops — with the added bonus of raising PNC’s profile in the industry. It’s a welcome reminder that Amazon’s dominance isn’t as inevitable as it might seem.
Thanks for reading InsideHook. Sign up for our daily newsletter and be in the know.


text:
LOS ANGELES - WARNING DISTURBING VIDEO:
A shocking video surfaced online from a local dog adoption shop that claims to be L.A.'s 'first humane pet shop.'
This video is hard to watch:
A Twitch streamer posted this video online Wednesday evening. It shows an employee at a Fairfax District dog rescue 'Bark N' Bitches' 'picking up a dog and throwing it after several dogs appear to start fighting.
The dog can then be seen cowering under a bench as employees gather around concerned about the dog's welfare.
The owner issued the following statement in response to the incident:
'My deepest apologies for this incident. The dog was playing and acting normal after this horrific incident. She is at the vet right now being checked out to assure she is ok.'
Late Wednesday evening the owner of 'Bark N Bitches' posted a video update about the incident on Instagram.
In the video she thanked everyone for reaching out and that the rescue has been in business for 14 years and this incident that took place at their shop is a first for them.
'All action will be taken to make sure this doesn't happen again', the owner said.
In her own words the employee in question, 'is no longer with us and the dog is doing fine after going to the vet.'
If you have any further concerns or questions regarding this incident, please feel free to email the shop at firstname.lastname@example.org.


text:
LOS GATOS, CA – Netflix has recently announced its newest slate of programming, including the hotly anticipated binge-worthy show A Live Feed of Your Friends Having Fun Without You, which will now be available to customers of the video streaming service.
“We just feel like if our customers understand that their friends are doing just fine in their absence, then they’re a lot more likely to finally get started on Season 2 of Daredevil,” explained Netflix CEO Reed Hastings. “We want to make sure there isn’t anyone who thinks they could be doing something better on a Saturday night.”
Research done by the California-based company found that the largest reason people weren’t watching more Netflix was due to having friends or any semblance of a social life. It was discovered that the average viewer spends up to 80% of their viewing time wondering why no one has responded to their texts or calls, and this new program was created as a means to answer that question.
The program is being heralded as the future of social interaction, and watching your friends enjoy themselves is the next logical step beyond the voyeurism of Facebook and Instagram. Thanks to Netflix, instead of having to go to a crowded bar to watch the game with your friends, you can now watch your friends watch the game without you, all without ever having to get out of bed.
“It feels like I’m a fly on the wall,” explained Chelsea Ramsey who had just spent 90 minutes watching her friends enjoy a backyard barbecue while she ate peanut butter directly out of the jar.
Netflix’s CEO has stated that this is just the beginning for them as the company continues to explore the relationship between viewership and loneliness, and by the end of the year hope to be able to broadcast a live video feed of your ex-lover’s wedding.


text:
Hyundai Motor Group, which combines Hyundai, Kia, and Genesis, plans to invest KRW 24 trillion ($18 billion, €16.6 billion, converted) through 2030 to become a global top 3 EV maker.
The announcement came at the groundbreaking ceremony of Kia's new plant for purpose-built vehicles (PBV) in South Korea. The plant will enter mass production in 2025 and will initially produce up to 150,000 cars per year.
The investment will increase production and exports, and towards a lineup of 31 EV models by 2030. The group announced plans to increase local EV production in South Korea to 1.51 million units by 2030 and increase global production to 3.64 million.
Hyundai's investment will also go into developing the eM EV platform, set to debut in 2025. It will be the underpinning of all electric cars - from small to sedans and SUVs. The new platform will allow for an up to 50% greater range against the e-GMP cars - that translates to an up to 750km range for mid-sized models like the Ioniq 5 and Kona, and up to 900km for the larger sedans.


text:
This year the Effective Federal Funds Rate (EFFR) reached its highest levels since 2007, providing an opportunity for individuals and businesses to capitalize on cash that otherwise could sit idle or worse: lose value due to elevated inflation. This draws new attention to how businesses embedding financial services into their workflows can leverage these high interest rates to both acquire new customers and deposits, as well as monetize existing deposits more fully.
For consumers, a standout example from 2023 is Apple. Last month, the company announced that the Apple Card’s high-yield Savings account, made possible by Goldman Sachs, has reached over $10 billion in deposits in the four months since it launched. The combination of the coveted Apple name plus valuable yield consumers could earn helped drive awareness and interest, while the easy-to-use wallet experience converted many. While there’s been plenty of reported cases of upset customers as Apple and Goldman Sachs work through their partnership, it’s hard to deny the early success of customer adoption.
Consumers may not be able to afford the inherent risk and volatility that comes from traditional stock investments due to short-term financial commitments, but earning upwards of 4-5 percent for money that is otherwise “sitting” idle is a historic advantage. Finding the most competitive rates may mean shopping around, as a recent survey from Bankrate reports that the national average yield for savings accounts is only 0.56 percent APY. With research and planning, consumers can use high-yield savings accounts as an alternative to their day-to-day checking account, essentially the equivalent of an operating account.
The other side of the coin is a B2B enterprise that needs to optimize a vast network of supplier payments and financial programs. The treasury management function within many enterprises manages liquidity and will seize the opportunity to earn interest from relatively liquid assets, like operating accounts.
Treasury experts explain that the portfolios that treasuries manage need to be ready to be deployed as soon as the next day, meaning long-term investment options aren’t realistic. That said, investing is important to reach their own capital requirements, noting “the opportunity cost of not investing is 0%, thus any yield (positive) is immediately a success.” (Toptal network)
Four ways to leverage yield in embedded finance
Leveraging embedded financial programs, there are four standout ways enterprises and fintechs could use yield:
- Acquire new customers. Savvy consumers or employees will certainly investigate interest rates when deciding where to store their money. Individual interest-bearing accounts with a competitive rate are table stakes to draw consumers, especially those who are already banked.
- Monetize program vaults. Behind-the-scenes of any embedded account or card product are the treasury vaults that act as operating accounts to maintain a program’s day-to-day operations and keep end users funded in line with expectations. Critical is keeping all funds in FDIC-insured accounts, which Alviere supports on a pass-through basis through bank partners. Simultaneously, the funds held in these accounts can earn interest with the Alviere HIVE platform.
- Enhance reward programs. For brands that want to help consumers save for future purchases, adding yield to consumer accounts set up for Recurring Deposits & Savings will help consumers reach their purchase goal faster. This Save Now, Buy Later (SNBL) concept is a debt-free option that requires no credit check. Brands could earn yield on customer deposits and pass a portion on to the consumer.
- Optimize a financial ecosystem. For enterprises that create their own “B2B Venmo” with a B2B Payments Ecosystem, all account holders can utilize interest-bearing accounts to earn on deposits while continuing to take advantage of the streamlined cash flow operations that come from a fully contained network.
Is it all upside?
Integrating yield products into any embedded financial program helps enhance the core offer for customers, partners, or employees. Whether a business aims to acquire new customers, monetize program treasury vaults, enhance reward programs, or optimize a financial ecosystem, earning interest should be a consideration in the program design. Depending on the goals of the program and the pre-funding model between Alviere and the enterprise, there could be cases where yield doesn’t play a role, but those are few and far between.
As the Federal Reserve continues to hold us with bated breath each quarter, we’ll continue to look at how Alviere clients and their end consumers can leverage interest-bearing accounts to manage their money more effectively.


text:
Statistics suggest that local food markets account for a small, but growing, share of U-S agricultural production. Cathy Isom tells us why you may be seeing a lot more “locally grown and produced” foods these days. That’s coming up on This Land of Ours.
From: Consumer Reports
Quality of Produce is Better when Eating Locally Grown Food
Farmers market shoppers say quality of produce is better
The National Restaurant Association says that menus featuring locally produced fruit, vegetables, meat, seafood, and wine are among the hottest trends this year. And sections just for local food are sprouting up in big-box stores and supermarkets. The growing movement has even inspired a new word: “locavore,” meaning someone who prefers food that hasn’t moved a long distance to market. But does eating this way automatically mean that you’re eating healthier? Here’s a quick look at this trend.
Is it more nutritious?
One thing that’s clear is that fresh food tends to have more nutrients than food that was picked days or weeks ago, says Michael Pollan, author of “Food Rules: An Eater’s Manual” (Penguin, 2009).
Does it taste better?
Surveys conducted at farmers markets have found that people tend to shop there because they think the food is of higher quality and tastes better. For example, a recent survey conducted at a farmers market in Brownsville, Texas, found that more than 80 percent of shoppers said the produce was better than what they found at other places they shopped. More than half said they ate more fruit and vegetables as a result of shopping at the market.
Is local the same as organic?
Bottom line. While the jury is still out on the specific health benefits of eating locally produced food, there’s no question that choosing a bounty of fresh, unprocessed food is better for you than, say, grabbing a prepared meal high in sodium and fat from the freezer aisle of a supermarket. And everyone can benefit from eating more fruit and vegetables, the cornerstone of most farmers markets. If you don’t have one nearby or a local food section at your grocery store, consider joining a community supported agriculture program, or CSA.
Video: Farmers Markets: Fresh, Nutritious, Local (USDA)
Why shop at farmers markets? Fresh, nutritious, locally grown fruits and vegetables are just a few reasons. See what this Nutrition.gov registered dietitian has to say to shoppers and farmers.


text:
At its I/O developer conference, Google today launched Google Wallet, a new Android and Wear OS app that will allow users to store things like credit cards, loyalty cards, digital IDs, transit passes, concert tickets, vaccination cards and more.
That’s pretty straightforward, but from here on out, it gets a bit confusing. Google, after all, has long offered the Google Pay app (and yes — a Google Wallet app, too), where you could store your credit cards for online and contactless payments. Back in 2020, Google made some major changes to Google Pay to refocus it more on tracking your spending and sending and receiving money between friends and family members. At that point, Google even wanted to launch its own bank account, in partnership with financial institutions like Citi, that users would manage in Google Pay. That project, dubbed Plex, never saw the light of day and was quickly shelved after the executive behind the project left Google barely six months after the announcement.
Currently, Google Pay is available in 42 markets, Google says. Because in 39 of those markets, Google Pay is still primarily a wallet, those users will simply see the Google Pay app update to the new Google Wallet app. But in the U.S. and Singapore, Google Pay will remain the payments-focused app while the Wallet app will exist in parallel to focus on storing your digital cards. Meanwhile, in India, Google says that “people will continue to use their Google Pay app they are familiar with today.”
“The Google Pay app will be a companion app to the Wallet,” said Arnold Goldberg, the VP and GM of Payments at Google, who joined the company earlier this year after a long stint at PayPal. “Think of [the Google Pay app] as this higher value app that will be a place for you to make payments and manage money, whereas the wallet will really be this container for you to store your payment assets and your non-payment assets.”
Goldberg noted that Google decided to go this route because of the rapid digitization we’ve been seeing during the last two years of the pandemic. “We talk about 10 years of change in two years from just a behavior perspective and people almost demanding now digitization versus it being a nice-to-have pre-COVID,” he said. “It’s clarified our focus on what we need to do, as a payments organization — what we need to do as a company — to reimagine not just what we’re doing from a payments perspective online and in-store, but also thinking about what we can enable people to do with their digital wallets.”


text:
By Associated Press
U.S. national-security officials have been reviewing the Musical.ly acquisition in recent months, while U.S. armed forces have banned their employees from installing TikTok on government-issued phones. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said this month that the U.S. was considering banning TikTok.
These national-security worries parallel a broader U.S. security crackdown on Chinese companies, including telecom providers Huawei and ZTE. The Trump administration has ordered that the U.S. stop funding equipment from those providers in U.S. networks. It has also tried to steer allies away from Huawei because of worries about the Chinese government’s access to data, which the company has denied it has.
The Trump administration has stepped in before to block or dissolve deals on national-security concerns, including stopping Singapore’s Broadcom /zigman2/quotes/200646538/composite AVGO -0.29% from its $117 billion bid for U.S. chipmaker Qualcomm /zigman2/quotes/206679220/composite QCOM -2.23% in 2018 in an effort to help retain U.S. leadership in the telecom space. It also told China’s Beijing Kunlun Tech Co. to sell off its 2016 purchase of gay dating app Grindr.
Other countries are also taking action against TikTok. India this month banned dozens of Chinese apps, including TikTok, citing privacy concerns, amid tensions between the countries.
The U.S. government’s poor track record in bolstering Americans’ data privacy more broadly lessens its credibility in taking on Chinese-owned companies, according to Susan Ariel Aaronson, a professor at George Washington University and a data governance and national-security expert. The federal government has not passed broad privacy or data-security legislation despite efforts to do so last year, and the Justice Department has tried to undermine encryption - which makes sure only a sender and receiver can see content they exchange - for law-enforcement reasons. Tech companies have pushed back against that.
“I continue to be wary of forcing a sale of TikTok without data protection laws they could try to follow,” Alex Stamos, the former chief security officer at Facebook who now studies internet security at Stanford University, tweeted on Friday. He added that Microsoft “has one of the best child safety teams, which is a larger risk on TikTok right now.”
Microsoft, which owns LinkedIn, is the No. 4 digital ad company in the U.S., after Google /zigman2/quotes/205453964/composite GOOG -1.36% , Facebook and Amazon /zigman2/quotes/210331248/composite AMZN +0.21% . Still, buying TikTok would be a significant change of direction from Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella’s focus on workplace software that makes people more productive, said technology industry analyst Patrick Moorhead of Moor Insights & Strategy.
Unlike Google or Facebook, which dominate the digital advertising industry, Microsoft hasn’t been under the intense scrutiny of U.S. politicians and antitrust regulators lately over its market power. Moorhead said that might make it easier to swoop in and acquire TikTok, which poses a competitive threat to social networks like Facebook, Instagram, Google’s YouTube and Snapchat. It’s an interesting irony that it was Microsoft at the center of the landmark antitrust case 20 years ago.
If the deal goes through, “it would definitely make Microsoft a much more competitive advertising system in years to come,” said eMarketer analyst Ross Benes.


text:
BURNABY, COAST SALISH TERRITORIES – As the second wave of the pandemic intensifies and British Columbians head into the holiday season, B.C. Government and Service Employees' Union (BCGEU) members working for the BC Liquor Distribution Branch (BCLDB) are ramping up their campaign to be recognized and compensated as essential workers. BCLDB workers will be wearing Essential Pay for Essential Work buttons to show their solidarity and raise public awareness of their ongoing fight for fair treatment as essential workers.
"I feel it's important to go to work because we were deemed an essential service – we were told we were needed to keep the B.C. economy going," said BCLDB employee Orson Choy, a union steward. "We want the public and government to know we're still here doing our part – and we want to be treated fairly."
BCLDB workers were among thousands who the B.C. government declared essential during the initial response to the COVID-19 pandemic in the spring. Liquor and cannabis retail stores have remained open to the public throughout the pandemic-with prevention measures like plexiglass barriers and mandatory masks introduced gradually. The warehouse has also remained fully operational to support increased demand from stores as well as pubs, bars and restaurants.
"Working on the frontlines of a pandemic brings increased stress and genuine risks to emotional and physical health for all essential workers," said BCGEU vice president Kusam Doal. "BCGEU members working for the BCLDB deserve to be compensated for their commitment to doing their part to keep our province running during this crisis."
BCGEU members working for BCLDB will wear the buttons throughout the holiday season-traditionally the busiest time of year for retail stores and warehouse-and are calling on BCLDB General Manager and CEO Blain Lawson to achieve fair pay for the essential work of store and warehouse workers.
The BCGEU is one of the largest, most diverse and fastest growing unions in B.C. with more than 80,000 members working in almost every community and economic sector in the province, including about 4,600 members at the B.C. Liquor Distribution Branch.
For more information, contact BCGEU Communications, [email protected]
"We have a young child and four senior parents. We need to be careful for them," said, Cherylene Choy, who is also an BCLDB worker. "Pandemic pay shows we're important to the government, that we are worth something."
"Even with the public health restrictions in place, the crush of the holiday season will be a busy time for liquor and cannabis stores and warehouses," said Stephanie Smith, BCGEU president. "These members have faced financial, emotional and health pressures just to do their jobs during the pandemic and they deserve to be compensated in line with how they are said to be valued and appreciated."
On March 26, the provincial government declared BCLDB workers in retail stores and warehouses to be essential.
Despite their status as essential workers, these workers were not included in the provincial government's Temporary Pandemic Pay program (TPP), which was announced in May.
On May 29, after the TPP was announced, the BCGEU launched a petition and letter-writing campaign calling on the public to tell their MLAs to provide pandemic pay to all frontline workers. The campaign produced 2100 letters.
BCLDB members also wrote to Finance Minister, Carole James, asking to include them. James did not include BCLDB workers in the TPP but publicly encouraged "all businesses who've seen an increase in revenue to ensure that their workers are being properly compensated at this difficult time."
In September, workers then asked their employer, BCLDB General Manager and CEO Blain Lawson, to allocate just 20 per cent of excess revenue generated during Q4 of 2019/2020 to pandemic pay for all BCLDB employees. Lawson ultimately declined, claiming he was an advocate of employees but ultimately didn't have the power to authorize use of BCLDB revenue.
For more information about the workers' campaign, visit http://bcldb.bcgeu.ca/more
Do you like this post?
BCGEU Headquarters is on the unceded and shared traditional territory of the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Skxwú7mesh (Squamish) & Səlí̓ lwətaʔ (Tsleil-Waututh) peoples.


text:
Recently, I read an article that began “We don’t know how many dot-com companies will survive, but we do know which ones they will be.” The author went on to give his views of the critical success factors for e-commerce, many of which I agree with. But if I made my own list it would read simply: security, privacy, security.
Face it. Nobody wants to take unnecessary risks. And people are waking up to the incredible potential for privacy invasion as we bank, trade stocks, read books, and maybe even consult medical experts on-line
As we get more and more reliant on on-line services, we really don’t know what’s going on in the minds of hackers. But here’s a clue: a press photo from the DefCon hacker convention in Las Vegas shows a smiling young fellow wearing a T-shirt that says “My Only Crime is Outsmarting You.” There’s no doubt that he and his friends will be there every step of the way, looking for the holes in every new on-line service and e-commerce site.
Given that there are folks like this running around it’s kind of entertaining to read the “Is Internet Shopping Safe?” blurb on the homepage of www.cduniverse.com. It includes the following reassuring promise: “We use Netscape’s Secure Commerce Server technology, which encrypts your order information, keeping it private and protected…It is actually safer to transmit your credit card info over the Internet than it is to use your credit card around town.”
They also note that the security system used is the same one employed by the Wall Street Journal and other fine companies. Of course, anybody who reads the Wall Street Journal might recall an article last January that began: “NEW HAVEN, Conn. (AP) — A computer hacker stole credit-card numbers from an Internet music retailer and posted them on a Web site after the retailer refused to pay a $100,000 ransom…”
Yes, the very same CDUniverse on-line shopping service fell victim to a 19 year old Russian hacker named “Maxim” (at least that’s who he says he is) and inadvertently compromised the credit card numbers of its customers. Now, I’m not saying that you shouldn’t give your credit card number to CDUniverse, or that they should be eternally penalized for this one security breach. But we do need to do some serious thinking about computer security, and how we’re going to earn and maintain public confidence.
Earlier this year, I had the privilege of chairing the International Summit on Cybercrime, sponsored by the National Institute for Government Innovation (www.nigi.org) in Washington, D.C. It brought together law enforcement experts from the FBI, U.S. Customs Service and many local police agencies. I was tremendously impressed by the progress they’ve made in learning about computers, but also by the wide range of security sophistication. So while the “top guns” are picking apart hard disks bit by bit looking for obscure bits of evidence, some state and city police departments are just “thinking about” establishing a cybercrime unit. They also report that, although they’re spending most of their time now on issues like child pornography and Internet harassment, they fully expect “economic crime” to be the next big challenge in on-line policing.
This growing awareness of information security issues is a very positive development. But I do see a problem looming. Some of the most advanced and creative thinking about security is happening within the walls of academia, while the real world problems are being tackled on an “ad hoc” basis by law enforcement officers, corporate security folks and consultants. If only there was a way to bring these resources and problems together. I’m happy to announce that this is actually happening, through an exciting new venture called the eSecurity Innovation Center. The founding partners are the University of Calgary (my own employer) and Jaws Technologies Inc. The Center is planning a very active program of research, education, training and product testing, all focussed around computer security. And we’re looking for partners who share our interests.
Here’s our vision for the eSecurity Innovation Center, and a brief status report. It will include:
a physical facility for security research and education. We’ve leased 2,400 square feet in the brand new Calgary Innovation Centre, just across the street from the University of Calgary’s soon-to-be-opened Information and Communications Technology building. This strategic location will allow the Center to straddle the worlds of academia and business. We’re outfitting it now with the latest computer and communication security gear and we’re eager to talk to partners who want to see their products represented in the Center. We see it as a high-tech battleground where the best computer security defences are pitted against the nastiest computer invasion techniques. It will be a place to try out the latest security tools, in an environment where you’re not jeopardizing your corporate resources. We’ve designed the facility to be flexible, attractive and “bulletproof.”
The Center’s academic program will provide top-notch courses and seminars as well as security-related certifications that have previously not been available in Canada. This will allow Canadian companies and organizations to carry out this training without expensive out of country travel.
The Center will be home to a world class publication, the International Journal on CyberCrime. We’ve already published our first quarterly issue, and it contains articles ranging from “The Reliability of the MD5 Hash Algorithm” to “Be Aware…Laptop Theft.” It’s a highly readable yet technically accurate journal and free sample copies are available from the Center (see contact information below)
We’ve also designed a virtual presence. We know there are already many excellent security sites, such as www.securityfocus.com and www.sans.org. Rather than compete with them, the eSecurity Innovation Center will create new value especially in the areas of computer forensics, cybercrime prevention and security policies.
Would you or your organization like to be involved on the ground floor? If so, the person to contact is Caroline Baynes at Jaws Technologies Inc. She can be reached at [email protected] or 1-888-301-5297. We’re proud and excited about this venture and sincerely believe it will advance computer security practice in Canada. But we can’t do it alone, so please let us know how to make it a success.
Dr. Keenan, ISP, is Dean of the Faculty of Continuing Education at the University of Calgary and teaches a course called Hot Issues in Computer Security.


text:
December 3, 2020
New study from Entertainment Software Association shows industry’s widespread impact in fueling economic growth and employment
WASHINGTON, D.C. – December 3, 2020 – A new study from the Entertainment Software Association (ESA) shows video games not only provide rich, interactive entertainment experiences—they also power an innovation industry that has a significant impact on U.S. economic growth and jobs.
The U.S. video game industry in 2019 generated $90.3 billion in annual economic output, while supporting nearly 429,000 U.S. jobs. The latter number includes about 143,000 people directly employed by the video game industry, averaging over $121,000 in annual compensation. Additionally, video game industry-related activity generates $12.6 billion in federal, state and local taxes, annually.
These are among several key findings from “Video Games in the 21st Century: The 2020 Economic Impact Report,” a review of the industry and its wide-ranging impacts released today by the ESA.
The report also lists the top 10 U.S. states ranked by total video game industry-related economic effect.
|STATE||Total Economic Output||Total Employment (Jobs, approx.)|
|1. California||$51.8 billion||218,090|
|2. Washington||$11.6 billion||48,808|
|3. Texas||$4.15 billion||24,972|
|4. Florida||$2.7 billion||16,270|
|5. New York||$2.07 billion||11,062|
|6. Nevada||$1.9 billion||10,394|
|7. Minnesota||$1.8 billion||6,610|
|8. Idaho||$1.64 billion||7,189|
|9. Illinois||$1.3 billion||8,112|
|10. North Carolina||$1.25 billion||7,497|
For more details on this data, click here.
“The statistics in this detailed report reinforce the significant impact video games have on the U.S. economy, including jobs creation and providing family-sustaining wages in wide array of careers,” ESA President and CEO Stanley Pierre-Louis said. “As a convergence point for leadership in software, hardware, entertainment and creative arts, the video game ecosystem generates the kind of innovation critical to economic growth and this report helps share that story in a new and comprehensive way.”
Further, the report outlines the industry’s impact contributing to the development of innovative, far-reaching technologies, such as virtual reality, advanced computing and machine learning, as well as the spillover effects into other industries, adding:
“The industry thus represents a rather unique convergence of U.S. global leadership in technology industries (software development, computational systems, advanced graphics systems, etc.) AND its visual arts, creativity, storytelling, and entertainment culture (in the tradition of literature, theater, graphic novels, movies, and television). Video games have emerged as a melding of the two, creating a new form of visual art and entertainment and a new platform for experimentation and innovation in advanced technology development.”
The 2020 economic impact report follows the ESA’s previously-released “2020 Essential Facts About the Video Game Industry,” which shows Americans across age, gender and other demographic measures find many positive benefits to video game play. For instance:
- More than 214 million Americans play video games
- 64% of U.S. adults and 70% percent of those under 18 regularly play video games
- The average age of a video game player is 35-44 years old
“Video Games in the 21st Century: The 2020 Economic Impact Report” was prepared for the ESA by TEConomy Partners, LLC, a global leader in research, analysis and strategy for innovation-driven economic development.
For more information about the ESA, visit www.theesa.com.
About the ESA
The ESA offers a wide range of services to interactive entertainment software companies, including conducting business and consumer research; providing legal and policy analysis and advocacy on First Amendment, intellectual property, and technology/e-commerce issues; managing a global content protection program; owning and operating E3; and representing video game industry interests in federal and state government relations. For more information, visit the ESA’s website or follow the ESA on Twitter @theESA.


text:
Microsoft is reportedly set to lay off 5 per cent of it's workforce on Jan. 19, before it announces its quarterly earnings next week, The Verge reported.
With a workforce of more than 220,000 employees, it is estimated that around 10,000 staff will be given the sack.
Bloomberg reported that the layoffs will be targeting Microsoft's engineering division.
In 2022, Microsoft cut 1 per cent of it's workforce, primarily affecting those in consulting and customer and partner solutions positions.
Bloomberg reported that this year's cuts will be "significantly larger".
Singapore cuts unclear
It is unclear whether Singapore-based positions will be affected.
Mothership reached out to Microsoft for comment.
It declined to comment on the matter.
A statement by Microsoft said: "Microsoft does not comment on rumours or speculation."
Preparing for slump ahead
The Business Times reported that Microsoft is forecast to post a sales gain of 2 per cent in the fiscal third quarter when it reports earnings on Jan. 24, which will be the slowest revenue increase since fiscal 2017.
Microsoft is the latest tech giant to scale back in view of a slump in demand and an expected global recession.
Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella warned of two years of challenges ahead for the tech industry in an interview with CNBC a few weeks ago.
“The next two years are probably going to be the most challenging,” said Nadella.
“We did have a lot of acceleration during the pandemic, and there’s some amount of normalization of that demand. And on top of it, there is a real recession in some parts of the world.”
In 2022, Twitter announced large-scale job cuts amidst Elon Musk's takeover, cutting almost 50 per cent of it's workforce.
Twitter's Singapore office was not spared, with staff laid off from various departments ranging from engineering, sales and marketing teams.
The trend of tech giants scaling back can be attributed to the "unusual and uncertain macroeconomic environment", as characterised in a statement from Amazon, a company that has cut 18,000 staff as of January 2023.
During the pandemic, tech companies underwent rapid hiring to facilitate the boom in demand for remote solutions.
Coupled with rising interest rates as controlled by the U.S. Fed and a predicted slump in demand, companies have resorted to cutting back employment to keep afloat.
Top image via Turag Photography on Unsplash


text:
Nintendo has released another free minigame for LABO VR owners to enjoy.
The new minigame is called “Omikuji” (lit. “Fortune”) and has players participate in a form of Japanese fortune-telling where you shake a box to draw a fortune paper.
Like the previous LABO Minigames, Omikuji is available free for all Nintendo Labo owners, and can be obtained by clicking on “Latest News” under the Nintendo Labo News Channel.
What do you think? Let us know in the comments below.


text:
New innovative Hitch-System from SIWI delivers efficiency and safety for farmers
Newly launched in the UK, Danish company SIWI has developed the hitch system of the future. A hitch system that lets you change your attachments or trailer directly from the tractor or forage harvester cab.
When hitching, all you need to do is reverse the tractor or forage harvester, lift the module up and connect the hydraulic hoses and electrical power – all done from the cab seat.
Farmers can use the system for an array of different tasks – from forage harvesting to muck spreading. The scope of how you can effectively use the SIWI Combi-Hitch system is unlimited!
SIWI Machines, a Danish frontrunner in Combi-Hitch technology has increased its focus and expansion to the UK market with the aim to significantly improve working life for British farmers. The company has already secured its first customers in the UK and has partnered up with Keith Rennie Machinery (KRM) on an agreement to distribute the full range of SIWI products across the UK. Farmers can even try their hand at building their own SIWI tailored to their specific needs.
Steen N. Jensen, Sales and Marketing Director at SIWI says “At SIWI Machines we are very excited about the opportunity to give much more attention and dedication to the UK market, which we believe has great potential. Hooking up a tractor-implement combo can be a bit of a chore, and downright exhausting if it’s a regular occurrence, but SIWI’s technology is taking the job from minutes to seconds and leaving the operator in the tractor seat. SIWI is a lot about safety, because it’s a fully automatic hitch-system where you can reverse back, lift up an implement, and don’t need to leave the tractor at all. We believe SIWI Combi-Hitch can make a real positive change for British farmers, and we are very proud to work together with KRM,”
SIWI’s first customer in the UK, farmer James Shorten from A.J. Shorten Limited in Norfolk, purchased two double systems and during the first year he experienced an increase of efficiency of 25%. In addition to that he was able to remove the extra loader from his cab. The technology allows operators to easily switch between a variety of tractors, trailers, implements and other machinery on the farm. Connecting and disconnecting equipment can be time consuming and unproductive, but SIWI Combi-Hitch enables the operator to do it in under 30 seconds. The system offers a quick connection of tractor and implement — hydraulic couplers, Pneumatic brakes, PTO driveline, and many different electrical systems, such as ISOBUS — at the push of a button.
“SIWI Combi-Hitch is a welcome product in the UK market. We see that due to field size and the variety of different farm operations, a significant amount of time is spent connecting and disconnecting machinery. Farmers not only see cost savings from machinery and labour, but also have a safer working environment,” says Mike Britton, CEO at KRM
“SIWI Combi-Hitch allows you to have several different implements to switch between, and that’s what our customers do. A contractor can now work alone in the field with the highest possible level of working environment. They are able to unhitch for example a Lime spreader within seconds, use the same tractor with a front loader to load the Lime spreader and continue the work out in the field,” says Steen N. Jensen, Sales and Marketing Director at SIWI.
Inventor and owner Rasmus Helms, grew up on one of Denmark’s largest organic dairy farms, spending thousands of hours getting on and off tractors while using a variety of implements to clean yards, load wagons, and feed animals. It was during those years he came up with the idea for SIWI Combi-Hitch.
First educated as a mechanic and later as an engineer, Helms started his own company to build and market SIWI Combi-Hitch System in 2012. His first-generation product was used primarily for pulling trailers behind a forage harvester or tractor. The system gained popularity and customers began asking for a version that could also connect a PTO shaft, which Helms introduced in 2016.
Since then, the company has moved from its home market in Denmark throughout the borders to the following countries: UK, Sweden, Belgium, Holland, France, Spain, Poland, Latvia, Ukraine, Canada, USA, Australia and Japan. The last years SIWI has distributed
more than +250 units into the different markets and see inquiries from all over the world. The interest for SIWI’s product has been massive across the world and one organic posted YouTube video showing SIWI Combi-Hitch in action has gone viral with nearly 21 million views on FaceBook.


text:
Wolfburn Kylver #5: Raidō
Wolfburn announced the fifth whisky in its Kylver series. It is named Raido after the fifth runic letter of the Kylver alphabet which means ‘to ride’ or ‘journey’. The whisky is a combination of first-fill bourbon and Pedro Ximénez casks. Bottled at 50% ABV with only around 900 bottles available.
Benromach 50 Year Old
Benromach is ready to announce a 50 year-old expression, the oldest expression in the distillery’s range at the moment.
It was distilled 11th of June 1969 and has been bottled in June this year at 44.6% ABV from a single ex-sherry hogshead. Just 125 bottles will be sold for around € 9000, from 30 September 2019.
Diageo Special Releases 2019
In case you haven’t seen my news post earlier this week, click for more information about Diageo’s Special Releases 2019 which started to appear in the TTB database.
Things that may not have been widely announced but that grabbed my attention in shops recently…


text:
RJ Corp owned Varun Beverages reported 65% year-on-year decline in net profit to Rs 143 crore in the June quarter due to lockdown restrictions. The company, which follows calendar year as its financial year, reported 42% decline in revenue to Rs 1,640 crore, with total sales volumes down 46% at 10.48 crore unit cases in Q2 20 compared to 19.55 crore unit cases in the corresponding year-ago quarter. "The quarter started amidst an uncertain and unpredictable operating environment with the proliferation of Covid-19 pandemic leading to multiple lockdowns, resulting in significant disruption across domestic and international markets,” Jaipuria, who is also the largest franchisee for Yum Restaurants-owned KFC and Pizza Hut in India, said.
India’s lockdown coincided with the peak April-June quarter which contributes over half of the industry’s annual sales of Rs 20,000 crore-plus. Lockdown curbs began to be eased in May. Jaipuria said wherever the lockdowns are pretty well lifted, VBL is returning to normal volumes and that he expected the overall macro-economic environment to normalise by the end of this calendar year and that VBL is confident of demand revival in the coming fiscal.
“But depending on which state and what the localised lockdowns are or what the conditions are, it's differing and changing every few days. Some days they say weekends are closed, some days they say there is a complete lockdown… so go-to-market gets completely collapsed,” he said during the call, while replying to analyst queries. Last week, chief executives of several global and local companies including Unilever, United Spirits, Parle Products and Asian Paints had said sporadic lockdowns were making demand recovery uncertain, despite sales performance improving sequentially.
“While constraints continue due to restriction in several parts of the country and near-term demand outlook remains uncertain, the decline in out-of-home consumption of beverages was partially offset by increase in in-home demand,” Jaipuria said. He said with the period being key season for soft drinks, the disruption in production levels, supply chain and distribution operations, particularly in April and May had a negative impact on organic volumes and the overall performance throughout the second quarter.
VBL, with operations across six countries and a nearly three-decades strategic association with PepsiCo, accounts for the majority of PepsiCo’s beverage sales volume in India, and the company said it is taking measures to scale up capacity utilisation to pre-Covid levels. States including West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Assam, Maharashtra and Uttar Pradesh are continuing with localised lockdowns to curb the increase in positive coronavirus cases.
- Front Page
- Pure Politics
- Brands & Companies
- Indices End 8-Day Rally Ahead of US Jobs Data
Indian equities reversed their eight-day winning streak Friday, taking a pause on their record-breaking path as traders trimmed bullish bets ahead of key US jobs data and carried lighter positions to next week amid a negative undertone in global markets.Luxe EV Sales on Full Charge, Push up Waiting Period
Luxury carmakers are seeing unprecedented demand for high-end electric vehicles (EVs), with the well-heeled snapping up models such as the Mercedes Benz EQS, BMW iX and Audi e-tron.OpenAI’s Chatbot Thinks Out of the Box, Comes up with Detailed Answers
A new chatbot created by artificial intelligence non-profit OpenAI Inc has taken the internet by storm, as users speculated on its ability to replace everything from playwrights to college essays.
Read More News on
Download The Economic Times News App to get Daily Market Updates & Live Business News.
ETPrime stories of the day
10 mins read
8 mins read
9 mins read


text:
Sep 26, 2019 (LBO) – India has imposed an unrealistic Minimum Import Price (MIP) on Sri Lanka pepper and arecanuts resulting in negligible exports, the Spices & Allied Products Producers’ & Traders’ Association (SAPPTA) said.
Sri Lanka exported around 75 percent of pepper exports and almost 100 percent of its arecanut exports to India. The MIP on pepper is INR 500 whereas the local market is INR 200 (LKR 500).
"In the case of arecanuts, Indian importers are also finding it difficult to clear the cargo at the port of entry," Management Committee of the SAPPTA said in a statement.
SAPPTA further says that recently the Indian Government Authority has instructed their Phytosanitary Department not to issue certificates for the export of clove stems, an absolute requirement for the clearing of cargo in India.
In the meantime, stocks of these commodities remain unsold with farmers who continue to agitate with prices declining.
"What is the use of Free Trade Agreements, if such restrictions prevent exports," SAPPTA asked.
When a MEP was introduced for a short time for some spices in the seventies, it failed and caused major disruption to the export of spices and was wihdrawn.


text:
In the Dark: How the Pentagon’s Limited Supplier Visibility Risks U.S. National Security
If logistics wins or loses wars, what wins or loses logistics? U.S. military doctrine has the answer: “The U.S. military supply chain (to include the defense industrial base) represents a major competitive advantage that underpins deterrence and allows the United States to project power.” Despite being established in doctrine, it took a global pandemic for the Department of Defense to take notice of the fragility of its supply chains and the full impact of China’s global economic expansion. However, acknowledging vulnerability, understanding it, and doing something about it are not mutually inclusive. While awareness in the Department of Defense is rising, the lack of visibility into defense supply chains makes easy targets for adversaries seeking to insert undetected risks into supply chains — silently biding time until they choose to exploit them. It is difficult to fix what you can’t see. It is time for the Department of Defense to take bold steps to gain full visibility into defense supply chains to help mitigate the risk of acquiring U.S. equipment from foreign adversaries and/or shoddy suppliers.
Supply chains underpin the global market. Every product has a network of interconnected companies that must come together at the right time and place to deliver a timely product. The more complex the product, the more nodes the network has. Each node has its own material, logistics, personnel, processes and stakeholder challenges. A disruption in one node will sweep quickly throughout the entire system and upend the supply chain.
The military supply chain is a complex system comprised of a network of suppliers, expanding beyond the known large defense contractors out to thousands of low-tier suppliers. Each tier of the network is critical to the success of the tiers above and below it. Within these networks, there are nexus suppliers critical to the success of the entire system. We argue that it is not too hard and not too expensive to gain full visibility over all of these supply chain nodes. To do so, the Department of Defense should capitalize on proven commercial supply chain software suites, work with Congress to set visibility mandates and reimagine its approach to supply chain management in the 21st century.
The Department of Defense’s Supply Chain Crisis
The Department of Defense has an incentive to map and fully understand its supply chain — and the suppliers that support it. It is currently facing two issues. The first, and most critical, is that the department does not know who provides parts for suppliers below a certain supplier threshold. An example from the private sector is illustrative of the supply chain and its nodes. The Center for Advanced Purchasing Studies mapped the American Honda Motor Company’s supply network. The supply chain included 10,832 suppliers: 245 first tier, 1,643 second tier, 4,605 third tier and 4,330 fourth tier. For Honda, over 97 percent of its suppliers were below tier one. This is the level of supplier visibility the Department of Defense admitted it was unable to attain in a 2022 report to the president.
The second challenge is that the suppliers the Department of Defense depends on may be clustered together in similar geographic regions. This makes them vulnerable to “kill shots,” a metaphor used for military targets that, if attacked, can render an adversary crippled and unable to respond. For example, the Living Supply Chain, a 2017 book on supply chain management written by Robert Handfield and Tom Linton, offers an illustration. Elementum mapped a client’s revenue streams to supplier locations, determining that 86 percent of the company’s revenues were tied to suppliers in one small geographic area. A single major disaster could ultimately impact 86 percent of the company’s revenues. Imagine if a similar geographic risk resides within the U.S. defense supply chain and how the clustering of a vital industry makes the United States vulnerable to attack.
The 2022 National Defense Strategy directs the Department of Defense to “fortify the defense industrial base, logistical systems, and relevant global supply chains” in response to the observed rise in supply chain impacts. For example, COVID-19-related supply chain disruptions caused delays in 48 major defense acquisition programs. Of those, 22 programs continue to experience delays, suggesting that things have not improved even as COVID-19-related concerns have subsided.
The U.S. Air Force’s acquisition chief has said: “Ongoing supply chain issues affecting subcontractors [sic] were largely responsible for the more than year-and-a-half delay” to the KC-46’s remote vision system. And the U.S. Navy’s Columbia-class submarine is already struggling to meet current program demands, highlighting that the “supply chain is the number 1 risk.” Beyond delays, the lack of visibility into all elements of the supply chain prevents the Department of Defense from identifying disruptions early — and planning for them proactively.
The second, and ongoing concern, is about quality control. There is a real risk of inferior or counterfeit components being injected into the Department of Defense’s supply chain. In June 2020, 1st Lt. David Schmitz was killed in an F-16 accident. In a related federal civil lawsuit, it was revealed that the Air Force identified several transistors and microchips that failed. The lawsuit alleges some of these components were counterfeit. Separately, in 2022, the Department of Justice filed criminal charges against an individual for selling approximately $1 billion of Chinese-made counterfeit Cisco components to companies within the United States and an undisclosed list of government agencies, including the Department of Defense.
Supply Chain Risk Management: The Department of Defense’s History of Neglect
Unfortunately, the fragility of the Department of Defense’s supply chain is not a new issue. Over five years ago, a Government Accountability Office report highlighted that the information required to effectively manage supply chain risks within the defense sector was lacking. In response to this report, the Department of Defense “completed a detailed assessment of key sectors … and identified major risks … and included discussion of gaps or vulnerabilities and mitigation strategies.” However, the growing trend of supply chain disruptions suggests the Department of Defense’s mitigation steps were either never fully implemented or that they have failed to mitigate the problems.
The F-35’s supply chain is a good example. The United States is 100 percent import-reliant on 16 minerals deemed “critical” to national security. China accounts for “63 percent of the world’s rare earth mining, 85 percent of rare earth processing, and 92 percent of rare earth magnet production.” Yet, it still took the Department of Defense 12 years to recognize “every one of the more than 825 F-35[s] … delivered contains a component made with a Chinese alloy that is prohibited by both U.S. law and Pentagon regulations.”
To address this lack of visibility, President Biden issued an executive order directing the Department of Defense to “submit a report identifying risks in the supply chain [sic] and policy recommendations to address these risks.” In response, the department admitted it had limited visibility, stating it “[does] not track these vulnerabilities … As supply chains have become more global in scale, prime contractors have lost some visibility into the sub-tiers of their supply chains, especially below third-tier levels.” The Department of Defense is currently reviewing these impacts. If history repeats, the department might see measurable progress in about 10 years.
Supply Chain Risk Management: A Tale of Two Industries
Supply chain risk management is not unique to the defense sector and the need for speed, agility and resilience is just as critical to profit margins as it is to national security. While private industry has evolved, the Department of Defense continues to view it through a very logistics-focused lens. Decades ago, industry began consolidating responsibility for the end-to-end value stream, establishing senior managerial positions for procurement and supply officers. In contrast, the Department of Defense continues to silo its functions of procurement, logistics, and operations. Each functional area assesses its lens of supply chain risk (e.g., cyber, acquisition, logistics, etc.), but no one organization is considering the inherent collective risks to the entire defense industrial base.
Private industry has also embraced the importance of proactive supply chain risk management and integrated it as a critical part of operations. Handfield and Linton offer that global supply chains are living systems “subject to biological rules.” And rule number one is that firms survive by adapting to changes in the ecosystem by “embracing real-time data, velocity, transparency, and rapid response.” Certain firms utilize commercial software solutions using big data, AI and machine learning to map supply chains. Others have implemented flow-down requirements mandating the use of commercial software solutions that rely on data directly from suppliers to create verified supply chain maps. In both cases, many then employ additional software to conduct real-time monitoring of the mapped network using publicly available information. Everstream, Resilinc, Craft, BlueVoyant, Deloitte CentralSight and many more offer software solutions in this space. Becton Dickenson, one of the world’s largest medical technology firms, utilized Everstream to map a product line in three days with over 90 percent accuracy. Previous internal attempts took Becton Dickenson four years to accomplish. Using Resilinc’s software to build a validated supplier map, IBM received real-time supplier updates during the COVID-19 pandemic. This allowed IBM to proactively mitigate issues, resulting in zero missed product deliveries due to pandemic-related disruptions.
Despite the leaps made in the commercial sector, the defense sector has barely taken its first steps toward gaining real visibility into its supply chains. It has been over a year since the Department of Defense said it would apply analytical tools to identify vulnerabilities. To date, nothing of significant value has been fielded. The organic solutions being explored are not only costly but also directly conflict with the department’s own call to action to “act as a fast-follower” with regard to commercial technologies.
Recommendation and Conclusion
U.S. national security relies on the strength and resilience of its defense supply chains, and failing to understand their limits will be catastrophic in conflict with a near-peer adversary. The Russian invasion of Ukraine has already resulted in the United States struggling to meet munition needs for Ukrainian forces for a regionalized conflict. In the Pacific, the United States faces a $19-billion backlog of planned weapon transfers to the Taiwanese military, while delaying 66 new F-16V aircraft deliveries due to supply chain disruptions. In Taiwan Strait conflict wargames, the Center for Strategic and International Studies determined that “the United States would likely run out of some munitions — such as long-range, precision-guided munitions — in less than one week.” The report also stated: “The U.S. defense industrial base is not adequately prepared for the international security environment that now exists.”
This stark performance and assessment of the U.S. industrial base should alarm policymakers in the Department of Defense and Congress. While there is growing awareness of this crisis within the Pentagon, it appears the Department is trending toward historical patterns of organizational change versus accountability. Dr. William LaPlante, the Department of Defense’s top procurement official, issued a memo in March 2023 establishing a Joint Production Accelerator Cell. It will be responsible for “building enduring industrial production capacity, resiliency, and surge capability for key defense weapon systems and supplies.” This initiative calls into question the broader effectiveness of the Department of Defense’s existing Industrial Base Policy office and should be a pause for strategic reflection. Why create a new organization when the Department of Defense has an established office already charged with sustaining “a robust, secure, and resilient industrial base”?
To drive more enduring impacts in fortifying the defense industrial base, the Department of Defense should first understand the scope of the problem it is trying to fix. We recommend the Department of Defense immediately execute an experimentation plan to test widely available commercial supply chain visibility solutions and select a common suite for the department. The Department of Defense should avoid replicating commercial applications, seeing that previous attempts by the department struggled to reach the field or later were scrapped after spending millions of dollars. Custom solutions also fail to leverage proven commercial applications already deployed at scale. Additionally, a common suite ensures the department is able to gain visibility across programs. Allowing each program to address supply chain visibility individually will answer program-specific questions, but it will not answer the broader question of the “kill shots” within the defense industrial base.
The Department of Defense should also work with Congress to implement visibility mandates for industry. This mandate should include a standard of visibility and government data access for all government contractors to give the Department of Defense the authority to hold industry accountable for supply chain risk management. This legislation already exists for rare earth elements for permanent magnets (10 U.S. Code § 857) and sensitive materials from non-allied foreign nations (10 U.S. Code § 4872). To imply the government is not able to gain visibility due to contract or cost constraints neglects to acknowledge the myriad standards the government already levies on industry. National security depends on resilient supply chains and visibility is the first step in fortifying them.
More broadly, the Pentagon should reconsider how it thinks about supply chain management. The majority of the focus on supply chain management and supply chain risk management is through the lens of logistics. This approach completely ignores what is happening in the supply chains as a system is in development or production. Too often, Department of Defense program offices relegate weapon system supply chain monitoring and oversight to logistics or to the contractor, often with little oversight or attention from program leadership until there is a problem. This is a dated approach. Supply chains impact almost every aspect of a system. The risk exposure to the defense ecosystem from horizontal integration and global diversification remains unknown.
Therefore, supply chain accountability must garner proactive attention from the earliest stages of weapon system development. For example, the full network of suppliers should be evaluated by the Department of Defense prior to codifying a weapon system design. The acquisition community must reimagine how “cost, schedule, performance” is defined. Rather than focus on obligation rates and updating baselines to bring programs back on schedule, program leaders must recognize the integrated impacts of the supply chain to all three areas if they are to remain relevant in the 21st century.
It is time for the Department of Defense to act swiftly. The CIA has said they are aware of Chinese intentions: General Secretary Xi Jinping told his army to “be ready by 2027” to invade Taiwan. One thing is certain today: Department of Defense supply chains lack the resiliency for a large-scale protracted conflict and they are not on track to be better positioned in 2027. The Department of Defense’s approach toward strengthening the defense industrial base and securing its supply chains is failing to move at the speed of relevance. As many Department of Defense leaders remain hyper-focused on exquisite technology, they should not forget that “none of this technical overmatch matters if America can’t build enough of it, sustain it, or get it to the fight in the first place.” Defense supply chains are under assault and the United States is losing. It is time for the Department of Defense to stop the studies and take immediate and real action to identify “kill shots” at risk for exploitation. Supply chain visibility across the defense industrial base is foundational for national security, and it requires a united implementation strategy.
Lt. Col. Nicholas Jordan has over 18 years of Air Force program management and acquisition experience. He is a student at the Eisenhower School of National Security and Resource Strategy at the National Defense University in Washington, D.C.
Lt. Col. Jennifer Mapp has over 22 years of Air Force contracting and acquisition experience. She is a national defense fellow at Georgetown University in Washington, D.C.
The views expressed in this article are those of the authors and do not reflect the official policy or position of the United States Air Force, National Defense University, Department of Defense, or U.S. government.
Image: Capt. Travis Mueller