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Bob Echter doesn’t have to look far to see the changing tides of the cut flower industry. As second-generation owner of Dramm & Echter, he’s seen market shifts redefine his family’s flower farm over time. To stay competitive in an industry rife with labor constraints, changing customer demands and low-cost imports, growers like Echter must keep innovating to survive.
Echter’s family has evolved through decades of industry changes since his grandfather emigrated from Germany to run a small flower shop in Iowa. In the ’50s, the second Echter generation moved to Denver, which had become a prominent region for growing carnations. Then in the ’60s, flower growers like the Echters flocked to California as air freight and truck lines enabled nationwide transport from the coast’s ideal growing climates.
Bob’s father partnered with another family of flower growers in 1972 to establish Dramm & Echter. By the time Bob joined the family business in 1982, the regional flower market had begun to shift drastically.
“The carnation and chrysanthemum markets were moving to South America,” Echter says. “They had climatic advantages in addition to labor savings. Suddenly, successful farms were opening up down there, so we saw an erosion of the [U.S.] marketplace on those products.”
In 1991, the U.S. suspended import duties on flowers from South American countries including Colombia and Ecuador, in efforts to reduce drug trafficking. By 2003, the U.S. imported more flowers from Colombia than it produced domestically. Today, roughly 80 percent of flowers sold in the U.S. are imported, according to the California Cut Flower Commission (CCFC).
“It’s the main challenge [U.S. flower] farms must struggle through to compete,” says Kasey Cronquist, CEO and ambassador of CCFC, the state agency that represents California’s 200-plus flower farms. “Having essentially lost all of our carnation, chrysanthemum and rose production to South America, the impact of imports on U.S. production has been dramatic.”
The growers that keep growing are the ones that have evolved. Here’s how they’re staying competitive.
“The best strategy is to differentiate your product line from what importers can bring in,” Cronquist says. So when South American farms began to dominate certain crops, domestic growers diversified into other varieties.
For example, South America’s long crop cycles produce large hybrid tea roses — so it’s no surprise that over 99 percent of roses sold in the U.S. are imported. The shift forced Dramm & Echter to transition away from hybrid tea roses into spray roses and focus on more competitive crops that don’t travel as well, like Gerbera daisies.
At one point, Dramm & Echter grew 30 flower varieties, but today, production is concentrated on just three types of flowers: spray roses, oriental lilies and Gerbera daisies. The other varieties they supply are brokered or consigned from other growers, both domestic and abroad.
Outside of Minneapolis, Len Busch Roses felt the same impact from imports on its namesake crop. “We’re still very strong in roses; we just don’t grow them,” says CEO Patrick Busch, whose father founded the flower farm in 1965. “The import market has forced us to diversify, and that ends up being a good thing over time.”
Len Busch Roses, the only major cut flower grower in the Central U.S., according to its website, produces 7 million cut stems and potted flowers annually. Len Busch Roses grows about 40 percent of what it sells (including alstroemeria, Gerbera daisies, lilies, spray roses, snapdragons and tulips), and imports roses, carnations, poms, orchids and other tropicals.
“We can’t grow a complete line-up,” Busch says. “We’d be missing the opportunity of a lot of great imported flowers and putting more demand on ourselves than we have capacity for.”
American growers may struggle to compete with the price of imports, but they can add value in other ways. For Len Busch Roses, sustainability initiatives generate efficiency and profitability against steep competition.
For example, Busch collects 600 semi-loads of local tree-trimming waste annually, which is burned in environmentally friendly biomass boilers to heat all 15 acres of greenhouses. This system is critical to surviving Minnesota’s cold winters. “If we didn’t mitigate the cost of heat for the greenhouses, we wouldn’t be profitable,” Busch says.
Dramm & Echter is equally keen on sustainability. There, boiler exhaust is collected and injected back into the roses, which improves growth, quality and productivity, Echter says. They also recycle water from their hydroponic growing system using sterilization and reverse osmosis.
In place of chemical pest controls, Dramm & Echter uses beneficial insects. Swirskii mites control harmful cyclamen mites and broad mites, predatory persimilis control spider mites, and parasitic Diglyphus wasps control pesky leafminers.
Dramm & Echter’s sustainability efforts are certified by California’s BloomCheck program, which provides third-party assurance that flowers are grown using best practices to protect the environment.
Both Len Busch Roses and Dramm & Echter also employ “lean” methodology to eliminate waste and increase efficiencies. Echter hired consultants to identify small changes in his growing operation that could streamline production and improve quality. The consultants suggested adjustments — such as to the nutrient balance of the rose fertilizer and the temperature in the Gerbera greenhouse — that helped Echter improve productivity by 25 percent.
“Changing our temperature regimes improved Gerbera production noticeably,” Echter says. “It also lessened our fuel use, so we’re growing cooler and getting higher productivity.”
The biggest trend Busch sees in the cut flower industry is rising demand for locally grown products.
“Florists have always valued local fresh quality, but we’re finding that the mass markets are showing a much stronger interest in it,” says Busch, who supplies retail florists and supermarkets throughout a 200-mile radius around Minneapolis. “Local is meaningful to floral buyers because it’s meaningful to their retail customers.”
To distinguish flowers grown at Len Busch Roses from imported product, the company recently created a new retail brand, Busch Flower Farm. Locally grown flowers will be branded with this name in certain retail applications, while imported flowers will be in plain, non-branded sleeves.
Busch has a license to use Minnesota Grown labeling on its domestic flowers, in addition to Certified American Grown, a national program launched in 2014 to market and promote domestic flowers. Dramm & Echter also adopted American Grown labeling, after marketing its flowers as locally grown for decades.
The catalyst for the Certified American Grown program was a consumer preference study commissioned by the CCFC several years ago. “It showed that 74 percent of people had no idea where flowers come from, yet 58 percent would prefer to buy American-grown flowers if given the choice,” says Cronquist, who administers the program. “My advice to farmers is: Make sure you’ve got an origin-based label on your product that will differentiate you from imports. It helps consumers feel good about where they’re buying from.”
Author Debra Prinzing says consumer interest in local blooms — or “slow flowers,” as she coined the movement — is fueled by an increasing awareness of where food comes from. Once people started raving about local produce and farm-to-table restaurants, it was only a matter of time before they expected the same freshness in flowers.
Prinzing sees opportunity for growers to take advantage of this shift by hosting greenhouse tours and other “floral tourism” events that showcase locally grown flowers — like American Grown Flowers has been doing with its Field to Vase Dinner Tour, featuring farm-to-table meals hosted by flower farms around the country.
“Getting people to sit amongst rows of Gerbera daisies has such an impact on their understanding of flower production,” says Prinzing, founder and creative director of Slow Flowers (slowflowers.com), an online directory of florists, event planners and growers committed to domestic blooms. “The purpose of [these events] is to get people onto farms, create an experience and connect them with people who grow flowers, so they understand how important it is.”
Despite the challenges facing the cut flower industry, American growers are hopeful about the opportunities ahead.
Prinzing is encouraged by the mainstream focus on local, seasonal flowers — from her Instagram feed to the New York Fashion Week runway. But she knows the progress of the “slow flower” movement will be just that: slow.
“It takes a while to move this giant mass market machine, but it’s happening,” she says. “There’s noticeable rebound taking place, but we’re talking fractions of percentage points from 80 percent imports to 20 percent domestic production. If we get to 70/30, I could consider that we won the battle, because imports are not going to go away.”
The last USDA Census of Agriculture report, which was published five years ago, showed 16 percent growth in the number of U.S. cut flower farms between 2007 and 2012. The 2017 census won’t be reported until April 2018, but Prinzing predicts more than 16 percent growth.
Last year — thanks in part to the efforts of Cronquist, Prinzing and other supporters of domestic flower production — Congress declared July as American Grown Flowers month to highlight fresh U.S. blooms in a crowded global marketplace.
“Our challenge will continue to be remaining competitive against imports — whether that’s in terms of meeting price points, finding sales opportunities with mass marketers or maintaining profitability,” Cronquist says. “But the industry has some momentum [surrounding] this consumer-driven interest for supporting American flower farmers, so we see a lot of opportunity.”


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Samsung virtual reality camera goes on sale
Samsung’s Gear 360 virtual reality camera will go on sale shortly in the US.
Announced in conjunction with Samsung’s unveiling of its Note7 smartphone and an updated Gear VR headset, and priced at US $350, the camera is in direct competition with a number of other consumer-focused devices, such as the Ricoh Theta S, 360fly’s 4K camera, Giroptic’s 360cam, and Kodak’s SP360.
Weighing 153 grams, the Samsung Gear 360 is a spherical camera with two F/2.0 fish-eye lenses that capture 195-degree photos and videos and then stitch them together. It allows photos of up to 30 megapixels and supports “90 percent of 4K” for the whole sphere when you’re capturing images at the highest resolution (3840×1920).
The device holds up to 128GB of memory in a microSD card, allowing you to shoot up to 7 hours of video at the highest quality. It also has a 1,350 mAH lithium-ion battery that lasts up to two hours.
Find out more here: http://www.samsung.com/global/galaxy/gear-360/

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If rumors are to be believed, Hisense is gearing up to unveil a new bezel-less smartphone with model number Hisense HLTE300T. The rumor assures significance with the smartphone got the required certification from TENAA.
With model number Hisense HLTE300T, the rumored device will be integrated with a 5.99-inch IPS HD+ display. Unlike standard displays, the resolution of the screen will be 1440×720 pixels.
Even though the rumor mill is floating with a bezel-less display, the image surfaced on TEAA gives a different story. We can see plenty of bezels on all sides. However, it is to be noted that TENAA revelations are not accurate and are subject to changes.
According to rumors, the Hisense smartphone will carry a display with a high screen-to-body ratio. Hence, the device will be made available on the market as a full-screen model. Based on the reports, the Hisense smartphone will be available in Star Gray and Coral Blue color variants.
Likely to be powered by a 3400mAh battery, the Hisense HLTE300T will be pre-loaded with Android 7.1.2 Nougat instead of the recently released Android 8.0 Oreo. While the 3GB RAM variant will be available in 32GB storage, the 4GB RAM model will bear a large 64GB expandable storage capacity.
The TENAA papers reveal the fact that the Hisense HLTE300T will have a thickness of 7.9mm, which is somewhat sim that the competing handsets. With the device appearing on TENAA, the launch of the smartphone is imminent. We will continue to keep track of the developments. Stay tuned.
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How today’s manufacturers are positioned to develop new products and services that meet customers’ needs faster than the competition.
The NGM Study found that four out of five manufacturers recognize the importance of customer-focused innovation. For world class innovation, however, manufacturers need to do more than recognize its importance. One area of focus was the innovation strategies and practices currently implemented by American manufacturers.
Overall, manufacturers reported their progress toward world-class customer-focused innovation has remained largely unchanged from 2009. Most manufacturers are succeeding in identifying talent and implementing talent-development strategies, but other areas of their innovation strategy need improvement.


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Deliveroo has announced what action it is going to take to help protect drivers after it was revealed some are falling to victim to robbery and attack while out on jobs.
The Advertiser has previously revealed how take-away delivery drivers from the company are being targeted for their mopeds in Croydon.
Met Police officers who respond to robberies in the borough have been called to reports of Deliveroo delivery riders having their mopeds stolen, either after being attacked or when their backs are turned while dropping off an order.
A spokeswoman for the online food service has now confirmed measures are being put in place to allow delivery riders to film what is happening while they work, to act as a deterrent against people attacking them.
PC Rob Webb explained to the Advertiser that police are finding the main targets for moped robbery to be schoolchildren, women or men wearing necklaces and delivery/Deliveroo drivers.
While some delivery drivers use push bikes, many opt for a moped and PC Webb said it is becoming big problem in the borough.
He said: "It's how they [young people] are growing up, it's the culture that they're in, which is sad. I think it's a way of life in some areas."
When asked what will be done to keep employees safe from this threat, Deliveroo has announced support staff are being recruited as well as giving delivery riders the chance to have a camera attached to their helmet.
A Deliveroo spokeswoman said: “We will do everything we can to protect our riders and have put in place new measures so that riders can report any concerns they have or even move to work in another area if they feel unsafe.
“We have extended our safety network, and are hiring 50 new staff who will have a focus on rider safety.
“We are trialling the use of helmet-mounted cameras to allow riders to gather evidence and are working closely with the police and local councils to share the information our riders give us in order to help tackle crime.”
Theses cameras, the spokeswoman said, will likely be Go-Pro cameras and will not cost the Deliveroo employees any money and will be paid for by the company.
The 50 new staff members will be named points of contact the riders can approach whenever they have a concern for their safety.
“An attack on one of us at Deliveroo is an attack on all of us and we are determined to do all we can to keep our riders safe and help bring criminals to justice," the spokeswoman added.


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Fossil (UK) Limited sales fell by 7% in 2017, the third year in a row of contraction.
From a peak turnover of £152 million in 2014, the year that Michael Kors watches became a red hot ladies’ fashion accessory, group sales are now 24% lower at £115 million.
Worse could still be to come, as a note in the company’s 2017 accounts from Fossil UK managing director Richard Collins warns about the impact of upcoming House of Fraser store closures where it runs Time Station multi-brand watch concessions.
“An announcement has been made by House of Fraser after the reporting date that they have secured a CVA (Company Voluntary Arrangement) which will result in the closure of 24 stores that hold Fossil concessions from early 2019. The remaining 27 stores that hold Fossil concessions will continue trading,” Mr Collins discloses.
A 7% sales slide in sales is a stronger performance than the wider UK market for watches priced at under £500, which dropped by over 10%, according to retail analysis by GfK.
The company also managed to improve operating profit from £3.2 million to £3.4 million in 2017.
Fossil (UK) Limited is the wholesaler for all Fossil Group watch brands including Michael Kors, Emporios Armani, Skagen, Fossil and Diesel; plus ecommerce sites for the brands, concessions and owned boutiques.


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Weld County Sheriff Warns Residents about Recent Catalytic Converter Thefts
The Weld County Sheriff's Office is warning residents about a recent uptick in catalytic converter thefts in the county.
According to the sheriff's office, agencies nationwide have seen a rise of catalytic converter thefts during the past year, including locally.
Since January 1, 2021, Weld County has responded to total of 15 stolen catalytic converters, taken from vehicles during three different incidents at various locations. In addition, deputies are currently investigating an attempted catalytic converter theft case.
Law enforcement explains the reason they have been seeing an increase of converter thefts is due to the high amount of precious metals found in the devices. In addition, a news release published by the Catalytic Converter Theft Committee of the International Association of Auto Theft Investigators, in cooperation with the Institute of Scrap Recycling Industries, noted that these parts are trading at record prices. Most catalytic converters don't feature a serial number, which makes it difficult to prove when one has been stolen.
In order to deter this specific type of theft, the Weld County Sheriff's Office recommends that residents uniquely identify their catalytic converter. One way of doing this, is to engrave a unique number, such as the vehicle's full or partial VIN or license plate number, directly on the converter. The sheriff's office said that engravers can be purchased at most local hardware stores for around $20, but also warn to use caution so that the converter isn't damaged during the etching process. Another option for deterring thieves, and suggested by the International Association of Auto Theft Investigators and the Institute of Scrap Recycling Industries, is to purchase a brightly-colored, high-temperature automotive exhaust spray paint and apply a generous amount to the catalytic converter. Not only will this route make the device stand out, but law enforcement and metal recyclers would be able to better tell when a converter is likely stolen.
Other suggestions for protecting yourself from catalytic converter theft include parking in a garage, installing an anti-theft device on the vehicle, and installing a bright, motion sensor light near a parking area to discourage thieves.
Anyone with information regarding this or any other crime is asked to call the Weld County Sheriff’s Office at (970) 356-4015 or Northern Colorado Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477). Tips can also be submitted through the Crime Stoppers website at www.crimeshurt.com. Those submitting tips through Crime Stoppers that lead to the arrest and filing of charges on a suspect(s) may be eligible for a cash reward.


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BritBox, the US subscription video-on-demand (SVOD) streaming service from BBC Worldwide, the commercial arm of the. BBC, and ITV, the UK’s biggest commercial broadcaster, has released subscriber numbers for the first time since launching just under a year ago.
The SVOD service now has a subscriber base of 250,000 active users, a third of whom are women age 55 and older. Since launching, the company claims to have added more than 50 hours of content to the service every week, doubling the number of available hours since launch, exceeding 4,600 hours of British programming.
In addition to announcing subscriber numbers, the company, which took its first dive into original programming at the start of the year with “The Bletchley Circle: San Francisco,” has committed to a 50% increase in original and acquired programming investment for the upcoming year.
“It’s been an incredible year. We have listened to our users, been responsive to their suggestions, and opened up a whole new world of British content for U.S. and Canadian viewers to enjoy,” said Soumya Sriraman, President, BritBox. “Building on this positive start, next year we plan to invest even more in both original and acquired British programming and make a step change in our marketing investment to spread the BritBox word. I can’t wait to see what year two brings.”
Many of BritBox’s series are made available within hours of their UK broadcast with the service’s “Now” feature – which offers fans all of the UK’s highest rated soaps – “EastEnders,” “Coronation Street,” “Emmerdale,” “Casualty,” and “Holby City.”
BritBox is available in the U.S. for $6.99 per month after a 7-day free introductory trial on Roku, Apple TV, all iOS and Android devices.


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Wal-Mart Stores (WMT) managed to eke out some growth from its U.S. stores during the holiday quarter, but just barely.
The world’s biggest retailer said on Thursday that comparable sales at its Walmart U.S. stores rose 0.6%, increasing for the sixth straight quarter. But Wall Street was unimpressed, and shares, which had risen 10% in 2016, fell as much as 5% in premarket trading this morning.
Walmart has given its U.S. store workers billions of dollars in higher wages to improve customer satisfaction and motivate them as they do more complicated work as e-commerce integrates more is with stores. The company has also overhauled its supply chain to make sure shelves are full and avoid out-of-stocks, particularly during the key holiday season.
Despite those efforts, comparable sales growth was below the 1.5% clip in the preceding quarter and in the same quarter a year earlier. To be sure, many other retailers such as Kohl’s (KSS) and Macy’s (M) reported dismal holiday seasons as well. But given how much Walmart has invested to turn around its U.S. business, the results were underwhelming.
“Still, we know we have a lot more work to do, and there are areas of the business that are not where they need to be,” Wal-Mart Stores CEO Doug McMillon said on a pre-recorded call.
Walmart’s investments in its U.S. staff and stores dented profit: Operating income fell 5.3%. And in another worrisome sign for the retailer, e-commerce sales rose a mere 8% in the quarter for growth that keeps slowing. By some estimates, Amazon (AMEN) accounted for half of all e-commerce growth in the U.S. during the Christmas period.
As a whole, Wal-Mart Stores, which includes Sam’s Club and Walmart International, reported an adjusted profit of $1.49 per share, above Wall Street estimates, while total revenue was $129.7 billion. Had the U.S. dollar remained at the same level as a year earlier, that would have been $134.4 billion for an increase of 2.2%.


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MasterCard's China joint venture for clearing operations gets PBOC nod
12 February 2020
MasterCard has received in-principle approval from the People’s Bank of China (PBOC) to begin formal preparations to set up a domestic bank card clearing institution in China.
The Chinese central bank approved an application submitted by MasterCard NUCC Information Technology (Beijing) Co, Ltd, a joint venture of MasterCard and NetsUnion Clearing Corporation (NUCC) of China.
The approval comes weeks after China and the United States announced a formal trade deal under which China agreed to further open up its financial services sector for US investments.
“China is a vital market for us and we have reiterated our unwavering commitment to helping drive a safer, more inclusive and seamless payments ecosystem for Chinese consumers and businesses. We remain focused on working with the Chinese government and local partners to grow the overall payments infrastructure,” Ajay Banga, president and CEO, MasterCard, said.
The strategic collaboration between MasterCard and NUCC is founded on mutual synergies, and will drive a simple, safe and smart payments experience in a market well regarded as being one of the global frontrunners in digital payments technology, MasterCard stated in its release.
The approval is another example of “China opening up its financial industry, and deepening supply-side reforms in the sector,” PBOC said in a statement on its website.
A similar application filed in January by a unit of American Express Co regarding starting operations in China and another by American card giant Visa submitted in early 2018 are still awaiting approval.
China is opening up its local currency payments market to foreign companies after a decade of lobbying from foreign players seeking direct access to what is set to be the biggest bank card market by 2020.
MasterCard expects the joint venture to get formal approval from the People's Bank of China and begin domestic bankcard clearing activity within a year.


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The largest jewelry chain that owns Kay Jewelers, Zales and Jared has announced plans to close 150 stores over the next year.
(WTHR) – The largest jewelry chain that owns Kay Jewelers, Zales and Jared has announced plans to close 150 stores over the next year.
Signet Jewelers, owner of the three stores, announced the store’s closure on Wednesday with its latest earnings report.
According to the report, the company has already closed 262 stores in fiscal 2019. The next 150 closings will focus on mall locations.
In a statement provided to Business Insider, a spokesperson for Signet said:
“Signet is too heavily exposed to underperforming malls, so we are very disciplined in evaluating the performance of our stores and decisions on which stores to close will be economical and based on the profitability and potential of each store, including including our ability to renegotiate leases at favorable rates. ”
In the report, Signet says the company’s total sales were $ 2.15 billion, down about $ 138.4 million or 6%. The company also notes that there will be a limited number of new openings “mainly consisting of repositioning to non-mall locations”.
By the end of the fiscal year in February 2020, “the company expects to have reduced its store base by 13% over a period of three years.”
This is just another announcement among many large chain stores that have closed stores in the past year. These include Sears, Payless ShoeSource, Toys ‘R’ Us, Beauty Brands and Charlotte Russe.


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Tesla is reportedly working to address concerns that the giga castings used in its vehicles are far too difficult to repair. Assumed difficulties in the repair of vehicles that utilize giga castings are reportedly pushing up the cost of insurance, as per Autocar.
It could be said that Tesla is a pioneer in a number of things. Electric vehicle production is definitely one of them. Tesla, after all, is one of the few automakers that has been able to produce mass-market EVs like the Model 3 sedan and Model Y crossover profitably. This has been made possible by the company’s quick pace of innovation.
One of the most important of these innovations is the use of giga castings. Thanks to the use of giga casts, which are produced by gigantic contraptions known as giga presses, Tesla has been able to vastly reduce the number of its cars’ components. Fewer components means vehicles are easier, and therefore more cost-effective, to produce.
Other automakers have taken notice. Toyota, Hyundai, and Ford, among others, have expressed their intentions to adopt giga casting techniques for their future vehicles. However, other carmakers such as Volkswagen, have expressed reservations about the technology. These reservations are partly down to the uncertainties surrounding the repairs of vehicles that are equipped with giga castings.
Citing sources within the automaker, the publication noted that Tesla is investing in the research and development of innovative repair solutions for electric cars that are produced with giga castings. Tesla is reportedly looking to develop repair techniques that are efficient and cost-effective, and good enough to maintain the structural integrity of vehicles.
Through this initiative, Tesla is reportedly looking to alleviate the concerns of insurers who are unfamiliar with the works of a giga casted vehicle.
Considering the rise of the use of giga casted parts among the world’s automakers, it would be a good idea for insurers to become more familiar with the technology. Pretty soon, after all, giga castings will be used not just by Tesla, but by other key players in the automotive sector as well, such as Toyota.
Don’t hesitate to contact us with news tips. Just send a message to firstname.lastname@example.org to give us a heads up.


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Back when Google updated Play Services to version 3.0 in February, Google introduced Google+ sign-in. So you could sign in to different sites without creating another account. It was meant to compete with Facebook Connect and Twitter Sign-in. So far it's only used in a few apps like Fancy and Flixster, but it looks great.
In addition to Google+ Sign-in, Google also introduced another feature in that version. That feature allowed developers to offer over-the-air app installs. After about 3 months, Google has released some stats about this feature. It looks like the amount of users that are accepting the OTA app installs is sitting at just 40%. That detail has been released in a statement from Seth Sternberg who is the Google+ product manager. Here's what he said:
"When we launched Google+ Sign-In, we wanted to bridge the gap between desktop and mobile by allowing web users to instantly download a site's Android app with just one click using our over-the-air install feature. Since launch, we're now finding that 40% of people who are offered to install a website's mobile app, accept. This is a significant benefit for consumers, who can now easily access their favorite sites on the go, and developers, who are experiencing greater mobile usage."
During the announcement, Fitbit was used as an example for this new feature. The way this all works is pretty simple. Now assuming that developer sets things up this way, users will be offered the option to download the mobile app while they are creating their account using the desktop website. Now this is rather strange, because not to long ago Google came out and said that apps cannot update outside of the Google Play Store (cough, Facebook, cough).
How many of you are using Google+ sign-in? Let us know in the comments down below.


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Arizent Announces Partnership With Jobbio's Amply Network
Today, Arizent, a leading provider of business information, launched a new initiative providing the financial and professional services community with access to bespoke job boards. Seeking to address a small segment of the war for talent, this enhanced feature offers a practical solution to the vast hiring challenges so business and financial institutions are experiencing.
Speaking about this partnership Josh Rucci, Chief Commercial Officer of Arizent, says: "At Arizent, we are committed to advancing professional communities through powerful content and meaningful connections, which is why we're delighted to partner with Jobbio's Amply network to bring open roles and brands in front of our influential audience."
Powered by Jobbio's Amply network, this new job board is bolstered by thousands of incredible jobs, and offers a practical solution to the vast hiring challenges being experienced across the financial and professional services industries. This feature is now available on Accounting Today, American Banker, Employee Benefit News and Financial Planning.
Meanwhile, CEO of Jobbio, Stephen Quinn says. "Arizent is an ally for helping business leaders drive their companies forward, while Amply specializes in getting the right jobs in front of the right audiences through our immersive job boards. This means our partnership represents real value for readers and business leaders alike."
Arizent is a business information company that advances professional communities by providing insights and analysis and convening industry leaders. The company uses deep industry expertise and a data-driven platform to deliver its services, which include subscriptions, marketing services, live events and access to Leaders, an executive forum. Arizent also connects business communities through leading financial services brands like American Banker, The Bond Buyer, Financial Planning and National Mortgage News, as well as professional services brands like Accounting Today, Employee Benefit News and Digital Insurance.
Jobbio makes it easy to find and apply for jobs by connecting Talent directly to relevant Companies. Jobbio's Amply technology provides publishers with a new way to engage and monetise their audiences. Jobbio's Amply network now features over 50 premium publishers, including the Arizent Group, giving hiring managers a new way to put jobs in front of relevant talent. The result? Better quality talent for hiring managers to choose from, and more people working in jobs they want.


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THUNDER BAY -- Mayor Keith Hobbs says residents leaving town for shopping trips is driving him crazy.
Keeping shoppers and their money in the city was a key message behind a recent Facebook post the mayor made after returning from vacation. In the post he wished that 2013 will be the year for less violence, building the city economy and landing a deal to build a Costco Wholesale.
Hobbs said he’s talked to a few developers, but no one officially from Costco.
Despite that, the mayor remains optimistic that he and the city could finally attract the large retail store to the city.
“We have to promote Thunder Bay better and promote shopping,” Hobbs said. “It’s not just a Costco. To do that we have to get what Duluth has here and make Thunder Bay a regional shopping area.
"I would like to see a Costco, maybe a Kohl's and all those big box stores that are attracting all those shoppers down to Duluth.”
And the mayor isn't buying the theory that big box stores hurt small and local businesses.
The city has three Wal-Marts and will soon have a Toys 'R' Us and a Target. Hobbs argues those big box stores will only compete among themselves and will not have a significant impact on the smaller local businesses.
The Bay and Algoma Street area is a prime example of local businesses doing well despite the city having three Wal-Marts.
If the city did get a Costco, Hobbs would like to see it by the highway close to the Real Canadian Superstore.
“We have a corridor already if you look at where the Thunder Centre is,” he said. “We have Superstore and that whole area seems to be a big box store corridor. Obviously, we aren’t going to put them in the downtown cores.
"You’re always going to have Ontario Municipal Board hearings on competition. I’m not afraid of that. We have to look at progress."


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A Bitcoin Beginner’s Guide To Surviving The Bip 148 Uasf A beginner s guide to cryptocurrency bitcoin part 2 how bitcoin got its value can be a better option than Dogecoin. Super Bitcoin Bip 148 Uasf Explained Accept. BitFury just mined a block with a "BIP 148" (=UASF-SegWit) tag. Post image. Block 458716 also had a BIP 148 ("Mandatory activation of segwit deployment") tag. level
The Magic Keyboard for the iPad Pro takes Apple’s already superb tablet to the next level by adding a brilliant typing.
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This week marked the launch of Binance Pool, a mining platform powered by one of the world’s largest cryptocurrency exchanges.
Interview SpaceX is due to fling another 60 Starlink satellites into orbit tonight. The Register spoke to ESA’s Senior.
Maybe have a cup of coffee ?) In reality, many of the things that you get in a proper office can be recreated at home — all.


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WTF is Ethereum?
Blockchain is eating the world, including media and marketing.
But confusion exists about blockchain’s newfangled terms. We’re breaking things down, starting with Ethereum, a blockchain-enabled platform that lets coin holders create smart contracts with one another.
Ethereum is like bitcoin, right?
Not quite. Both are systems that use blockchain, a kind of decentralized framework for storing information, but bitcoin is a cryptocurrency, and Ethereum is a smart contracts platform.
I’m already confused.
Let’s back up. The internet is built on a system where information and data stored by third parties — think Apple holding your credit card information, or Flickr hosting your photos — is accessible and portable. You can use Apple Pay to pay for things online or share and link to Flickr photos using hyperlinks to specific photos or galleries.
Ethereum takes ownership and control of user data from third parties and returns it to the original users. Everybody’s data and information is held in decentralized nodes, and its owners can decide when and how it can be used, using what Ethereum’s founders call “smart contracts.” These contracts can be automatic, manual or a combination. Ethereum allows computer programmers to write code that uses everybody’s data.
What does this have to do with media again?
Potentially a lot, though several hurdles sit in the way of blockchain taking over things like ad tech. Startups such as Papyrus, for example, want Ethereum to govern the way programmatic advertising is deployed by letting internet users decide what facets of their personal data are available to advertisers. Then, advertisers and publishers can bargain with end users over the value of their personal information.
Civil, a journalism startup that just closed a $5 million funding round, wants to use smart contracts as a mechanism to facilitate direct relationships between publishers and their readers, where readers can do everything from subscribe to paywalled content to fund investigations on a project-specific basis.
Users could even buy ownership in the journalism ventures created using an Ethereum-enabled currency, which it will put on sale in an initial coin offering next year.
Ethereum has a currency?
Yes and no. Ethereum has its own currency, called Ether. But it also enables developers to build their own Ethereum-compatible currencies, which can be used according to whatever rules the developer sets.
But those currencies are different from dollars and cents, right?
Yes, which brings us to an important point: Because Ether and all of its licensed tokens are so new, there is a real cap on the amount of economic activity they can support.
For example, just 90 million Ether coins were created at its 2014 launch, and Ethereum’s market capitalization, according to CoinMarketCap, is just over $28 billion, nearly 25 percent less than the total amount spent on U.S. desktop advertising last year, according to the Interactive Advertising Bureau. Even if every coin in Ethereum’s economic ecosystem went toward digital media, it’s still far from enough to overhaul digital advertising tomorrow.
The number of coins created increases as needed, so if the ideas that Ethereum powers take root, this problem should lessen over time.
This sounds like something Facebook and Google would hate.
It is. Much of the power that Google, Facebook and Amazon wield comes from their huge audiences and the data they’ve collected on them. Any kind of business or paradigm that puts data back in users’ hands could pose a challenge.
Alfresco dining inspiration and virtual cooking classes: Travel publishers look to the other side
Publishers at the end of the chain are forced to calculate a number of survival strategies, editorially and commercially.
Member ExclusiveFacebook Shops present both opportunity and questions to DTC brands
Over the past year, Facebook hasn't been shy about its e-commerce ambitions. So, it didn't come entirely as a surprise on Tuesday when Facebook announced that it would be launching customizable online storefronts called Facebook Shops, as part of its quest to get customers to think of Facebook and Instagram as their go-to places to discover new products.
Member ExclusiveThe needed maturation of the media business
This crisis is affecting all publishers but unequally. Those with more mature businesses -- in the positive sense -- are poised to take disproportionate share.
SponsoredInterview: A media company weighs in on the power of automated publishing tools and cooperative thinking
In a new interview, an owner of seven media brands weighs in on the best strategies and toughest challenges around integrating automation and technology into publishers' workflows.
Dmexco is happening in September, returning to more local roots
More than 2,000 exhibitions have now been postponed or canceled as a result of the virus outbreak. Germany is worse hit becasue attendees are more international.
As the lockdown eases, KFC steps up advertising and shifts messaging
KFC is shifting its messaging to focus on how diners can get its food delivered to their doorstep as it slowly grows its ad spending during the recession.


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As its subscription-based Creative Cloud snares a vast new crowd of publishers and designers - many of them working with tablets and smartphones - design software company Adobe has unveiled no fewer than 14 new versions of its "Creative Cloud" (CC) desktop applications.
SYDNEY - Almost eight in 10 Australians (79 percent) support monitoring publicly available information on social media to detect possible terrorist activity, and 68 percent support such monitoring to identify public issues according to a new Unisys survey.
Ho wever, 68 percent are not comfortable with organisations using social media monitoring to make targeted advertising or offers.
The Australian bitcoin industry is facing demands for more regulation, following recent events, including news that South Australian-based bitcoin exchange Igot may be on the brink of collapse, owing thousands of dollars to customers who sought to buy bitcoins.
Telstra subsidiary Sensis has launched a new Australian online auction site aimed squarely at eBay, amid the furore over eBay Australia's controversial new insistence that most future payments can be made only by eBay's PayPal system.
It's crazy-sale time at Intel as he chipmaker moves to get rid of outdated or redundant stock, while at the same time launching another strike at embattled rival AMD. Intel has cut up to 50 percent off selected quad-core processors. At the same time it has introduced new Celeron and Core 2 Duo processor models.


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Electric vehicle tipping point
Malcolm Gladwell made the term “tipping point” part of popular culture. Tipping Point — How small things can make a big difference. He defines tipping points as “moments, thresholds, boiling points of critical mass,” suggesting that “ideas, products, messages, and actions spread like a virus.”
According to the Kelley Blue Book, electric vehicle sales accounted for 5.6% of new car sales in the US in 2022. ponder the information, CNN business “It may not sound like much, but as recently as 2019, that figure was just 1.4%. Based on experience, a 5% market share appears to be a key tipping point for wider adoption, with similar trends seen in other markets such as China and across Europe.
“It’s unclear exactly why 5% seems to mark the point where EV sales really take off. is about the same as the market share of electric vehicles. cox auto, Buying a Hyundai doesn’t seem strange or unusual. Electric vehicles are becoming the same. It is no longer uncommon to see them on the street, making it easier to consider buying them. “
We’ve had this discussion for years. The more people start driving electric cars, the more common they seem. Even commercial vehicles can contribute to this trend. After all, an Amazon or UPS driver might end up driving an electric delivery vehicle for the day and find that the clatter and squeak of the internal combustion engine they drive to work isn’t very pleasing to their ears. Hmm. They may discover that regenerative braking actually makes driving more enjoyable and less stressful. You may say that you should
Some people describe it a little differently. Instead of talking about tipping points, we’re talking about what’s called an S-curve, a logarithmic graph that reflects change over time. The early stages are largely flat as some intrepid early adopters try something new: microwave ovens, mobile phones, electric cars. In the second stage, growth picks up rapidly as new ideas gain general acceptance.There CNN I think the electric car market is now.
people of auto blog Agree. “Nearly all automakers, whether legacy OEMs or start-ups, have launched a number of impressive EVs for the 2023 market. More affordable new models are expected next year, and the number of new EVs hitting the market is expected to increase as new factories come online. and EV startups will produce up to 400 new models by 2023.”
Software-defined electric cars are coming
“Software-Defined Vehicles” auto blog General Motors will launch Ultifi, an end-to-end vehicle software platform that promises over-the-air software updates, cloud connectivity and vehicle-to-vehicle communication. Ultifi enables drivers to purchase apps, services and features. It’s an example of how automakers are looking to cater to individual needs and increase subscription-based services in the car, said Will White, co-founder of Mapbox, his map provider online. . “We will continue to see strong demand for convenient services such as in-vehicle payments, where consumers register their credit card on the app to make all vehicle-related payments.”
Jaguar Land Rover, Nio, Polestar, Volvo, and XPeng have announced plans to build software-defined vehicles on Nvidia’s Drive Orin system-on-a-chip. In 2023, automakers will also rely on his Nvidia Omniverse platform to revolutionize everything from vehicle design to the automotive product cycle. This will enable automakers to build digital twins of both their vehicles and production facilities to simulate everything from in-vehicle software upgrades to crash tests to factory efficiency.
electric vehicle forecast from forbes
people of forbes This year, we predict that Tesla may actually release a fully self-driving version that actually works as advertised. [Don’t hold your breath, people.] Last year, their prediction of a $25,000 car from Tesla didn’t come true. That won’t happen in 2023, they say now.
But what they are sure of is an electric car model coming from Asia. It says cars from BYD go to Norway where the ground is thick. Chinese car companies like MG see EVs as a way to completely beat the Western car market. BYD Atto 3 is also popular in other countries such as Australia.
Hyundai Motor Group already has some excellent electric vehicles, including the Hyundai Kona EV, Ionic 5, Kia Niro EV, Kia Soul EV and Kia EV6. Then there’s the Genesis GV60, GV70 Electrified, and Electrified G80. But there are many more coming in 2023, including the bold Ioniq 6 and the revolutionary Ioniq 7. forbes.
“The EV revolution is a story of disruption,” says Forbes. “But it’s not just what drives the wheels that has changed. It’s going to be cheaper than an internal combustion engine, an EV, and it’s going to be a great year.”
of clean technica See 2023
look into the crystal ball we are here clean technica We have some predictions of our own. First, with the federal his EV tax credit kicking in, expect electric vehicle sales to surge in the first quarter, especially for cheaper cars like the Chevrolet Volt/EUV twin. Our only hope is that GM has enough production capacity to meet demand. Finally, people will stop worrying about range and start enjoying driving with electronics instead of molecules.
Tipping Point, S-Curve — both send the same message. The era of electric vehicles has finally arrived. When the history books are written, 2023 will be the year they say the EV revolution has triumphed.
Take the 2022 CleanTechnica Reader Survey for a chance to win an electric bike.
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Renown, a century-previous textile company which sells clothing underneath makes such as Arnold Palmer, Hiroko Koshino and D’Urban, confirmed it experienced filed for personal bankruptcy security after a month-lengthy closure of department suppliers brought the already-having difficulties business to its knees.
It joins a list of international vogue organizations, such as stores such as J. Crew and Neiman Marcus, which have collapsed due to the pandemic.
Renown, which at just one place owned British clothier Aquascutum, experienced reported losses for many years. Shandong Ruyi emerged as a major shareholder in Renown a decade ago and has considering the fact that develop into its the greater part stakeholder.
Earlier this year, Renown stated it was having difficulties to gather far more than 5 billion yen ($45.2 million) in money owed from its Chinese parent. Its leading executives were being also not too long ago voted out of its board by the parent agency.
The Chinese group has been dealing with growing refinancing stress after spending billions of bucks to get a range of European luxurious makes and Asian labels, such as French vogue property SMCP and Aquascutum.
Renown’s profits fell noticeably after March as the governing administration inspired buyers to keep home, the company stated in a assertion.
So much far more than a hundred and forty Japanese organizations have gone bankrupt considering the fact that February due to the outbreak of the coronavirus, in accordance to study company Tokyo Shoko Exploration.
Primary Minister Shinzo Abe’s governing administration previous month declared a condition of crisis in response to the coronavirus disaster. Whilst this did not contain a strict lockdown as noticed in other nations around the world, department suppliers and bars have been closed.
The governing administration has rolled out a offer such as hard cash payouts for folks and loans for compact companies, but some economists have stated the stimulus is not being shipped rapid plenty of.


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Is This The F1-Inspired McLaren BP23 Hypercar?
A McLaren BP23 hypercar prototype has possibly been spotted in London.
December 30, 2017
This Bugatti EB110 SS Prototype Is Much Cheaper Than A Chiron
And most Veyrons, for that matter.
December 06, 2017
Jaguar I-Pace Prototype Completes 200-Mile Road Trip On Single Charge
Watch out Tesla – the Jaguar I-Pace is undergoing final testing before its official reveal at next year’s Geneva Motor Show.
November 23, 2017
This Is One Of 14 McLaren P1 Experimental Prototypes Ever Made
Here's your chance to own a very rare McLaren P1 prototype.
November 22, 2017
Rally-Inspired Electric Supercar Arrives With 1,340 HP
The prototype electric supercar can allegedly hit 0-62 mph in 1.8 seconds. Take that, Tesla.
November 15, 2017
You Can Buy The 1966 Shelby GT350 Ford Mustang Prototype
Hope potential buyers like a vinyl roof.
5,000-HP Devel Sixteen Hypercar Looks Production-Ready In Dubai
Devel claims it has 12.3-liter V16 producing 5,000-hp and a top speed of 350 mph.
November 11, 2017
DeltaWing Race Car Up For Sale And It Seems Like A Bargain
$375,000 is a steal for a one-of-a-kind race car.
September 28, 2017
The McLaren BP23 Hyper-GT Will Be The Fastest Ever McLaren
Here's your first look at the McLaren P1's future successor, currently in development using a 720S test mule.
September 18, 2017
Some Sucker Paid $2.54 Million For A LaFerrari That Can Never Be Driven
Or could this turn out to be a wise investment?


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Logistic parks: Subsidy on land for organised warehousing?
The warehousing sector has witnessed a remarkable shift from a concept of four-walled godowns to ultra modern logistic parks with state-of-the-art facilities. With the growth of organised warehousing, does government need to facilitate logistic parks in the country by giving subsidy on land for setting up of these parks? Some argue that the Government must ease the setting up of logistic parks by giving subsidy whereas others claims that it may not give positive result to the economy. Read on to find out which way the debate swings...
Manish Gupta Managing Director, RCPL Logistics
The Indian warehousing sector is progressively getting redefined from the traditional concept of ‘godowns’ to modern large logistic parks with state-of-the art facilities. But, more needs to be done, and the government must facilitate logistics parks by giving subsidy on land for setting up these parks .The total share of organised warehousing space is less than eight per cent of the total warehousing space in India.
‘Make in India’ campaign will lead to an increase in manufacturing which will create opportunity for the logistic parks for adequate storage capacity and strategic location will enable efficient functioning. The Government can further ensure speedy process in land acquisition, bank loan at low interest rate for construction of warehouses, simplification in funding process, Goods and Service Tax (GST) implementation, dedicated freight corridors, better rail network, modernisation of ports, utilisation of PPP model.
Aakanksha Bhargava CEO & President, PM Relocations
Considering the lack/absence of the appropriate scale, quality of warehousing infrastructure, low capital and operating efficiencies; the need to facilitate logistic parks in the country should be strongly addressed. Getting subsidised land from the government would also help in leveraging the current condition of warehousing industry. Apart from giving subsidy on land for setting up logistic parks the Government could also introduce the GST and National Policy on Handling, Storage and Transportation. Thus it offers a boost to the industry and helps it focus its resources on an organised warehousing sector.
The warehousing industry in India was valued in ` 745 billion at FY 2013 and has been constantly growing at 15 per cent for the last three years. Further, with changing business dynamics it is expected to grow at a rate of 18 per cent till 2017. However, still a larger segment of the warehousing industry is dominated by the unorganised nature of the industry, which was close to 90 per cent by the end of 2014.
Srinivas Sattiraju CEO, Delex
Warehousing in India is getting better with the technology, production and process innovation. In my opinion giving subsidy on land for setting up logistic parks in the country, at this juncture, is not required as warehousing requirements are governed by market demand and market concentration, prevailing tax structure, and a subsidy given for warehousing may not give any positive results to the economy. For example in a post GST scenario the distribution models will undergo a change and companies may not use the location where a subsidised warehousing park is set up. Instead it is better to offer such subsidies to individual warehouse infrastructure creators, who would be willing to create required warehousing infrastructure in a large industrial development corridor.
Instead of subsidy, it is better to promote clean warehousing and restrict excessive concentration of warehouses in a particular area. This causes severe traffic conditions on account of concentrated vehicular movement clogging the roads in a given area. It is better that the Government comes with broad guidelines for warehousing setup/business.
• Allot separate areas in all major towns and cities towards construction of warehouses and support with necessary infrastructure. More importantly, split the allocation to disperse the warehousing concentration in one area causing severe impact on the city’s population.
• The existing areas with high density of warehouses can be declared as Notified Logistics Zones (NLZ) and a special NLZ administration unit is needed to address all associated infrastructure and utility needs.
Amit Bajaj Director, Mituj Marketing
Logistic Parks will go a long way in development of warehousing infrastructure. With GST implementation large format warehouses will be needed according to the geographic distribution strategy of the company. At present warehouses are located as per the legal requirements of the Government. This change of strategy would need government support to develop new transportation hubs.
Thus, the industry would need subsidised land, parking facilities, driver facilities and wide roads with bypass and city connectivity. Connectivity to the smaller towns has to be improved as the cargo will be transported directly to the smaller towns or cities.
Vice President, Worlds Window
I would like to raise two points related to logistic parks and warehouses: There are numerous barren land parcels near the highways and are not fit to use for agriculture now. If Government and local authorities will take interest, these lands can be used for development of warehouse and logistic parks. And, if these lands can be used for development of warehouse and logistic parks, it will not only help to utilise the unused land but also give employment opportunity to the community in nearby areas.
Government and local authorities should take the initiative to develop connecting roads to such land or plots and develop these lands for commercial purpose and contribute in economical growth. As this will be the utilisation of non-productive land, Government should ease the norms of acquisition of such land. The Government should consider the tax holiday for promotion of warehouse industry and logistic parks and provide capital at low interest rate.
Executive Director, Shree Shubham Logistics
Warehousing infrastructure is in the developing stage in India. The private sector has put efforts in developing world class storage and other allied infrastructure along with assisting the Government in operating and managing its existing storage infrastructure via Public Private Partnership (PPP) route which has set new standards for the industry.
Land being a critical component for construction of warehouses is not readily available. Also, high land cost near the Agriculture Produce Market Committee (APMC) and market areas and high construction norms like usage of land are also a deterrent factor. The only solution to address the issues is to facilitate and need for quick disposal of the subsidy for setting up the logistic parks.
There are no two opinions on the importance and criticality of agricultural sector to Indian economy. There is a need to encourage and incentivise private sector for making investments in agricultural storage and marketing infrastructure. However, despite continuous and well-meaning efforts of the Government through its various channels, this sector needs support in addressing the issues like facilitating land acquisition, quick approvals, creating awareness, allowing private sector participation via PPP route to modernise its APMCs with the help of commodity exchanges and banks.
Vice President - Marketing, Safexpress
Warehousing in India has been evolving rapidly from being traditional four-walled godowns into ultra-modern setups. Warehousing companies in India are rapidly increasing their capacity, expanding their network and adopting new concepts to match up with the international standards. Infrastructure is a very important piece of the entire supply chain. Some critical issues that the industry is facing are lack of land parcels, hassles to reach the destination and traffic speed. The Indian government should consider providing land at subsidised prices at strategic locations across the country.
The growth and development of warehousing industry in India requires combined efforts from the industry leaders and the Indian Government. The Government should provide a favourable environment by funding facilities, providing tax havens and accelerating the consolidation of the industry. The states too should simplify their licensing policy. The Public Private Partnership (PPP) model can also be developed for building dedicated training institutes for the supply chain and logistics industry. Moreover, increase in IT adoption and knowledge infrastructure can provide a boost to the growth and development of warehousing players in India.
With the introduction of GST the key advantage for logistics companies will be the consolidation of many small warehouses to one productive warehouse.
Managing Director, TCI
Now more than ever before, India’s warehousing sector has gained in significance. On one hand, companies across industries are waking-up to the strategic importance of warehousing functions to their business. On the other, a slew of government initiatives have been started to make the sector more competitive, efficient and cost-effective.
In fact, the very definition of the term ‘warehousing’ is undergoing transformation globally as customers demand increased flexibility, improved inventory control, manageable costs and a restructuring of the supply chain. The result is a gradual expansion in the portfolio of warehouses, and the average warehouse size has gone to over 60,000 sq ft. The Government has been playing the role of facilitator in the growth of this segment. It is changing the regulatory set-up, providing incentives, and commissioning infrastructure development projects besides increasing transparency and relaxing tax structures to encourage the participation of foreign and private players in the sector.
The result is the coming-up of dedicated logistic parks and Free Trade Warehousing Zones (FTWZ). These are fostering the growth of the logistics market in India. Policy reforms from the government including the establishment of logistics parks in the PPP model, the implementation of the Warehousing and Development Act 2007, and rolling out of the Goods and Services Tax (GST) are added reasons for the anticipation of expansion in the warehousing sector.
Despite the government’s support to the warehousing segment, several challenges are yet to be confronted. While the lack of sufficient physical infrastructure is one of the challenges, a time lag between devising and implementing strategies due to the lack of international warehousing standards is another. Procurement of land in a strategic location with clear title and proper approvals is on the sector wish list. This is despite the presence of government agencies to address the issue. The lack of existing clear land classifications in Indian cities and the reclassification of land are other major concerns as far as the development of warehouse zones are concerned.
Samik Chakraborty Zonal Business Head – East, Drive India Enterprise Solutions – A Tata Enterprise
With an average GDP growth of 9-10 per cent in India, it is expected that industries like IT, telecom, textiles, food & beverages, retail etc. would advance year-on-year as well. The survival of these industries lies on adopting a ‘customer centric approach’ - most of the industries have started shifting from stand alone to state-ofthe-art warehouses to achieve optimum operating efficiency, automation, errorless execution, timely stock replenishment and speedier supply to market.
Hence Government’s initiative to subsidise tax towards investment on infrastructure and incentives for setting up logistic parks, would definitely benefit all the industries to operate with a lower cost and stay competitive in market.
However the industry needs support from the Government on various fronts to make the concept of logistic parks in India truly successful. The supply chain map of many industries may change post GST implementation and consolidation of warehouse space and re-evaluating location will be the next step for them.
Logistic parks would be considered an ideal location by Logistics Service Providers (LSPs) to operate multi-client warehouses. But to offer speed to market, LSPs would require superior connectivity of road infrastructure. This is possible only with expansion of national highways, better quality state highways and district roads.


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This week a blockchain researcher named Alex Lebed revealed a code evaluate on the brand new stablecoin, the gemini greenback, created by the Gemini Trust cryptocurrency agency. According to Lebed’s research, gemini greenback accounts may be frozen by the trade, and the tokens may be changed into non-transferable property.
The Custodian Has the Ability to Freeze Gemini Dollar Accounts
The newest tether (USDT) competitor, the gemini dollar (USDG) created by the cryptocurrency trade homeowners the Gemini Trust, has had a code evaluate this week. A put up written by Alex Lebed particulars that trade’s new stablecoin creation has some attention-grabbing centralized options. It’s additionally attention-grabbing to notice that Lebed isn’t solely a blockchain researcher but additionally the founding father of ‘Stableunit,’ one other stablecoin that claims to be decentralized and provide low volatility. According to Lebed’s report, he reviewed the gemini greenback’s codebase that was created with an ethereum-based good contract.
“Gemini USDG is a new centralized stablecoin (similar to tether) implemented as an ERC20 token on the Ethereum blockchain,” explains Lebed’s study.
The present implementation offers Gemini the flexibility to freeze any account or make all tokens non-transferrable. The custodian is ready to fully change the implementation of the token each 48 hours.
After detailing with references on how anybody can confirm his work on their very own, Lebed opinions the code and replicates the outcomes. Lebed claims the custodian of the gemini greenback good contract can generate an “infinite amount of tokens.” Moreover, Lebed emphasizes that the custodian can simply make all of the tokens non-transferable.
“This project has another single point of failure: the company — They can just say one day: ‘you know what, sorry, we don’t want to change your tokens for dollars anymore,’” Lebed states.
You assume that is inconceivable as a result of it’s a giant firm with a fame? History has a precedent when the entire nation with the most important economic system on the earth did this in 1971. And right here we talk about only a non-public firm which has to comply with all of the laws of the US authorities.
‘Then It’s Not a Cryptocurrency’
Since the rise of tether, and the slew of other stablecoins launched over the previous few months, many different cryptocurrency corporations are within the midst of making their very own stablecoin. For occasion, there are a minimum of 6-7 extra stablecoin tasks on the best way just like the Boston-based US cryptocurrency unicorn, Circle Invest, is within the midst of making a stablecoin. And then, in fact, Lebed appears to be making his personal decentralized model of a secure digital asset. In an replace after the editorial evaluate revealed, the creator notes that Gemini Trust isn’t hiding the truth that his claims are attainable within the official white paper.
“Nowadays this is considered a best practice for evolving smart-contracts, especially for the asset-backed token — And Gemini made an excellent job by explicitly mentioning that in their whitepaper,” Lebed concludes.
Of course on social media and Reddit boards, cryptocurrency proponents have been fast to notice that controversial Tether Limited, the corporate that points tethers through the Omni Layer, additionally has the ability to freeze accounts. One Reddit consumer explains what he thinks of the gemini greenback custodian’s freezing capacity saying, “then it’s not a cryptocurrency, just a database.”
What do you concentrate on the stablecoin phenomenon? Let us know within the remark part beneath.
Images through Pixabay, Fandom, and the Gemini greenback emblem.
Want to create your individual safe chilly storage paper pockets? Check our tools part.
Original article first appeared in https://information.bitcoin.com/gemini-dollar-code-review-reveals-accounts-can-be-frozen/


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Pedal Heist has partnered with Lorna Jane, Student Flights and Grilled stores across Australia in a campaign to give away a bike a day.
Media Playground has created an interactive video to launch Pedal, an affordable range of Fixie and Cruiser bikes, and to raise awareness of the Pedal Heist Facebook promotion.
The Pedal heist page recognises your device to present the appropriate version of the video. Until technology catches up, Mobile and Tablet users will only see a non-interactive version.
The interactive version allows each viewer to select their own Pedal journey, as they follow a group of guys and girls on their urban journey.
There is no fairytale ending, as the cast discovers that their bikes have been taken away for the Pedal Heist Facebook promotion. Viewers are then prompted to follow 99 Bikes on Facebook where the location and padlock combination is shared each day at 12:30pm.
To extend the campaign reach “Heist Partners”, Lorna Jane, Student Flights and Grill’d stores across Australia are being used as giveaway locations, with each brand pushing the daily reveals through their own social channels. After only one day, some 2,500+ people have viewed the video, and 1,500 people have engaged with competition on Facebook.
The Pedal Heist campaign launched on 6th August and will give away a Pedal bike each day for 10 days.
Cannes Lions has announced the winners in the second Awards Show of the week during Cannes Lions Live, which runs until June 25th. On day two, winners were celebrated in the Social & Influencer Lions, Media Lions, PR Lions, Direct Lions, Creative Strategy Lions and Creative Data Lions – all within the Reach Track, in […]
Cresta Awards has announced that despite having a few more weeks before entries close, this year’s Cresta Awards has surpassed its entries for the whole 2019 Season. Cresta sees this as evidence, not just of evolution in its own awards but of a wider measure of industry confidence and resilience in many markets. The awards […]
Ashley Madison, the online dating site for married people famous for its shock advertising, is toning down the message, instead creating content aimed at empowering women with the message it’s fine to have an affair. Recently, B&T interviewed GroupM’s chief technology and transformation officer, Ryan Menezes. When asked what was the best brand he’d never […]
Clemenger BBDO Melbourne has announced Charlotte Stevens as group business director, leading the Myer account. Stevens is returning home to Australia following a decade in London, most of which was spent at Portas Agency. During her time in London, Stevens led Sainsbury’s fashion, homeware and beauty portfolios and worked across a range of retail accounts […]
In this piece, Tim Sleath, VP of Product Management at VDX.tv, discusses household targeting’s role alongside other identity solutions and how advertisers can create an effective household strategy for their campaigns. As the advertising industry plans for the removal of third-party cookie support and moves toward adopting more privacy-centric solutions, marketers will need to identify […]
Culture-leading publisher Highsnobiety continues to evolve its local operations with the appointment of Citizens of Culture as its strategic partner across media operations within Australia. Highsnobiety is a premium global brand dedicated to cultural pioneers, with work spanning across digital platforms, print media, documentaries, cutting edge events, a shopping platform and a full service creative […]
Australian fashion brand Witchery has partnered with B Corp GlamCorner as part of GlamCorner’s subscription box offering as the demand for everyday essentials soars. This partnership marks another milestone for the Australian fashion industry towards becoming more circular and introducing more paths to reduce textile waste. Customers nationally will be able to rent more of […]


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Is Costco Wholesale Finally Coming to Fayetteville?
Our long local nightmare may finally be over, as Costco Wholesale appears to have plans to come to Fayetteville.
Cityview Today first reported that plans for the warehouse club had been filed for review with Cumberland County. (See full plans here.) The store would be in the Military Industrial Park off Santa Fe Drive, next to All-American.
Filing plans for review is a required practice for businesses as they seek local approval for site plans. According to the Cumberland County Development Review Finder report, the Costco plans were filed on August 10, 2022.
If the plans are approved, and Costco does follow through with it – which is not a guarantee, even when site plans are filed – the 151,000 square foot building would be within the Military Industrial Park, where currently, Fayetteville Technical Community College has their CollisionU program. There is also a defense contractor in the park, and on the Bragg Blvd. side of the property, an Amazon Warehouse is being constructed.
According to Cityview Today, city officials said the review was essentially a courtesy “practice run” before final approval.
There is currently no timeline for when the store may be built, if officially approved. Costco currently has 10 stores in North Carolina, with locations in Wilmington, Apex, Garner, Raleigh, Durham and others.
It would be a direct competitor with Sam’s Club and BJ’s Wholesale Club, who already have a presence in the Fayetteville market.


text: The UltraViolet digital cloud format most major studios have embraced as a new form of digital media is expanding internationally, that according to a statement from DEG: The Digital Entertainment Group this week. According to the organization, Sony Pictures, Universal Studios Home Entertainment and Warner Home Video will make selected titles available in the UltraViolet format in Canada by the end of this year. At the same time, BBC Worldwide announced “Doctor Who: Series Seven — Part One” and “Attenborough: 60 Years in the Wild” are among the first titles to be offered in UltraViolet in the UK. DEG announced the UltraViolet format will soon hit Australia, France, Germany, Ireland and New Zealand. “We hope UV will empower consumers to build digital entertainment libraries and continue to enjoy BBC Worldwide releases,” said Claude London, digital director for BBC Worldwide consumer products.


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- As more and more consumers choose to curb their environmental input and governments prioritize decarbonization in a bid to fight climate change, the electric vehicle industry is gaining momentum; this achievement owes much to the progress made in critical minerals
- Graphene, a form of graphite that is just one atom thick, emerges as a wonder material with a wide range of potential uses; it is being explored as a potential replacement for traditional Li-ion batteries
- Poised to produce a critical mineral in America for American customers, Reflex aims to re-activate previous supply of graphite and has recently also made a strategic investment into BGS, a graphene cleantech producer, to leverage complimentary fit to its supply chain solution goals
In line with the rapid expansion of the electric vehicle (“EV”) industry, the demand for battery production is experiencing rapid growth, with over five terawatt hours (“TWh”) per year of gigafactory capacity expected globally by 2030 (https://ibn.fm/smgqT). A sector that has paved the way for this success story over the past years is the critical minerals industry. Here, graphite, a key component in lithium-ion batteries that power most of today’s EVs, attracts much attention as consumers adopt electric vehicles and governments design policies to reduce carbon emissions. “With the supply chain that really hasn’t started yet, you think of all these gigafactories, all these big companies that are announcing these big, big plans to have terawatt-sized businesses, which is fantastic. We like shiny things and getting involved with this stuff, but where are these critical elements coming from?” said Paul Gorman, CEO and Director, Reflex Advanced Materials (CSE: RFLX) (OTCQB: RFLXF), a mineral exploration company based in British Columbia, as he explained the main industry challenges in a recent interview during Benchmark Mineral Intelligence’s World Tour Toronto 2023 (https://ibn.fm/BPVpn).
As a form of carbon, graphite makes a perfect anode material and, as such, dominates today’s commercial lithium-ion battery market. Still, as the industry continues to evolve, another material to burst onto the critical minerals scene. Graphene, a one-atom-thick form of graphite, has also emerged as a key material for developing clean technology and a potential replacement for traditional lithium-ion batteries. 200 times stronger than steel and with a weight 1000 times lighter than paper, it is often cited as a wonder material with a wide range of potential uses, spanning from electronics to airplanes.
Due to graphene’s high conductivity, it is believed that batteries made from graphene could have the potential to deliver faster charging times, higher energy density, and longer lifetimes compared to current battery technologies. Adding to their allure, graphene batteries are cheaper and simpler to produce, which could bring the price of EVs down and make them more accessible to consumers. It is not difficult to see why the graphene market is expected to explode in the coming years. Valued at USD 175.9 million in 2022, this market is expected to expand at a CAGR of 46.6% from 2023 to 2030 (https://ibn.fm/m6anE).
Today, most of the world’s graphite and graphene is produced in China. But Reflex appears poised to be a part of the change that intends to shift the tide. With plans of supplying graphite, Reflex has recently also agreed to make a strategic investment in Bio Graphene Solutions Inc., a nanotechnology company that has developed a scalable, cost-efficient, and controllable graphene cleantech production process from 100% organic source materials (https://ibn.fm/BlRKY).
The company intends to collaborate with BGS on potential cross-development projects, including exploring downstream applications that complement graphite sourced from its Ruby Graphite project. “There is currently zero commercial graphite produced in America for American customers. BMI has talked about the fact that they need 97 new graphite mines to actually just cover off their EV requirements to 2035. Reflex just wants to be a little piece of that,” said Gorman. “North American graphite sources are going to be needed to supply all these gigafactories with graphite in the next three or four years. There is support from the DLA, the DoE, and the USGS,” he concluded.
For more information, visit the company’s website at www.ReflexMaterials.com.
NOTE TO INVESTORS: The latest news and updates relating to RFLXF are available in the company’s newsroom at https://ibn.fm/RFLXF
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Louis Ong has been sentenced to the U.S. jail for twenty days for carrying out unauthorized crypto trade activities. It is reported that he has laundered about $290,000 by making three more illegal bitcoin trades through undercover agents. It is found that the accused never intended to know the source through which his clients made money.
Openbazaar has unveiled the peer-to-peer e-commerce platform, 2.20 version trading platform. The platform is fully decentralized and offers fee-free trade service to 44 different cryptocurrencies. Openbazaar spokesperson commented, “The biggest new feature is the ability to buy and sell cryptocurrencies. Vendors are now able to use a special new listing type to sell cryptocurrencies on Openbazaar.”
Germany’s second-largest stock exchange, Börse Stuttgart has declared to offer crypto trade services through Bison application extending support for four cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin, Ethereum, Litecoin, and Ripple. Aiming to go live by in the month of September via Bison crypto trade application, the company announces a contest to win three bitcoins.
A data analysis software developer and vendor, Kx System has begun to support cryptocurrency trading to its white label forex trading platform. At the early stage of the implementation, five major cryptocurrencies are offered on the platform such as bitcoin, Ethereum, Bitcoin Cash, Litecoin, Ripple and more tokens are expected to be available in the future.
The Texas State Securities regulators are protecting the public fraudulent crypto sites promising a high return on investment with no risk. Recently an emergency cease-and-desist order has been issued by the regulators against the local crypto trading platform, Wind Wide Coin for alleged fraud and operating without licenses to sell securities.
Robinhood, a cryptocurrency trading app which allows its users to experience commission-free trading has expanded the services to another U.S state, Utah. Robinhood began to extend its cryptocurrency app services to only five states – California, Massachusetts, Missouri, Montana, New Hampshire and then added new states which are New Mexico and Wisconsin.
Localbitcoins has recently made an announcement to its user regarding their new terms of conditions which only allowed one user to hold one account in their Bitcoin trading platform starting May 26th. The notice release by Localbitcoins mentioned, “If you’ve lost all access to your account we will ask you to complete ID verification as part of the account recovery process.’
The banning towards cryptocurrency related activities with the local bank in Pakistan has turned out to be ineffective as the local cryptocurrency are seeking the alternative ways of purchasing or selling cryptocurrencies in the country. A local trader named Majid Ali commented, “The government of Pakistan can’t stop the trade in an international commodity that is accepted in other countries.”
The Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe (RBZ) has imposed an order over the banks and financial institutions in the country to prohibit dealing in cryptocurrencies. The banks were ordered to curtail their services extended to cryptocurrency exchanges within sixty days. Acceptance of cryptos as collaterals and any services relating to the virtual currencies are also barred.
Robinhood, investment application, has raised $363 million through the Series D funding round. The company has recently unveiled a commission-free crypto trading platform. The raised funds are to be used for recruiting more professionals since the company plans to extend the crypto trading service to other U.S. states. The platform currently supports sixteen cryptocurrencies.


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Seven Group Holdings (SGH) this morning announced that net profit for the last financial year spiked by 16%, up to $398.9 million.
Total revenues increased 6% to $4.752 billion, while underlying earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation lifted 9% to $686m, with final dividend matching the 20 cents paid last year.
The impressive result was helped by robust demand from the energy & resources sector, with SGH's Westrac arm showing significant growth, added to a multi-million dollar gain on the $491 million sale of its share in Consolidated Media Holdings.
WesTrac Australia posted a record result for the year, delivering a total revenue of $4,113.6 million, up 16% on the prior year.
Despite the impressive figures, SGH has warned that earnings could suffer a big drop in the current financial year due to changing trading conditions across its industrial and media divisions.
Seven West Media reported EBIT of $422.0 million for the last financial year, down 10.9% on the previous year, while EBITDA was $480 million, down 10.3% on the 2011-2012.
The Group said in a statement: "Seven West Media is anticipating that overall advertising markets will remain subdued with low single digit growth in television, and a continuation of the current trend experienced in newspapers, but the rate of decline in magazines is expected to lessen."
Commenting on the results, Don Voelte, managing director and CEO of SGH, said: “The group delivered a record result underpinned by an exceptional performance in the WesTrac business in the first half. The second half, however, was very challenging across all our industrial services businesses as a result of the downturn in the mining market.
“This has necessitated a number of initiatives across the portfolio as we respond to competitive market conditions. The general downturn is now bifurcating by commodity type, most acutely impacting our New South Wales coal derived businesses.
“The Seven West Media investment delivered a strong result also in a challenging market and I have great faith in the management team under their new leadership to continue to execute on their strategies. Our broader portfolio of property and other strategic investments also delivered during the year and there will be more focus on these as we move forward. Our balance sheet is very strong with over $1 billion of debt reduction during the year and we are well placed to take advantage of opportunities to broaden and diversify our portfolio,” he added.
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The UnLtd Cup is returning for its tenth consecutive year, marking a decade of soccer shenanigans that’s raised nearly $500,000 for children’s mental health charity, KidsXpress. On July 22-23rd, 28 teams from across the industry will battle it out on the soccer field in the two-day tournament at Sydney University Sports and Fitness Centre, Darlington. […]
Talkwater, a consumer intelligence platform, has released their 2021 Brand love Story report, which analysed 1,200 global brands to find which were most loved during the pandemic. By monitoring conversations on social media, news, and blogs, and by using their proprietary sentiment analysis and speech analytics capabilities, Talkwalker identified the key brand love indicators – […]
The government’s reluctance to introduce a nationwide Covid vaccine advertising campaign has been attributed to concerns around supply shortages. Earlier this year, as both the AstraZeneca and Pfizer shots became available around the nation, the government pledged to support the vaccines with a multi-million-dollar advertising campaign. However, there has seemingly been a limited effort in […]
Australian-bred company Ultra Commerce has acquired New Zealand-based company Vesta eCommerce, a global software business providing leading product data management solutions. The recent acquisition is a significant move for the business, which is Australian born, owned, and headquartered, but has built out a global presence as it pursues rapid growth in the eCommerce market. Connecting […]
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The first day of Cannes Lions Live saw the announcement of winners for Pharma, Health & Wellness, Outdoor, Print & Publishing, and Design Lions. Kicking things off with The Lions Health and United Nations Foundation Grand Prix for Good was AMW BBDO London, who won the Lion for ‘addresspollution.org’. It was created for COPI, the […]
WW (formerly Weight Watchers) has announced that KIIS FM radio host and The Masked Singer panellist, Jackie Henderson, has joined the WW family as a WW Ambassador. Having felt a shift in her health and confidence, Jackie has enlisted the help of WW’s science-backed program and award-winning app to support her in losing 10 to […]
The Media Federation of Australia (MFA) has released the 2021 MFA Transparency Framework, outlining a set of best-practice principles of transparency for agencies and advertisers to follow. First developed by the MFA Board and executive in 2015, the updated Framework reflects progress and changes in the marketplace, and moves to a principles approach to accommodate […]
Matt Cooney has extended his chief growth officer role in the Publicis Groupe to take on national growth and marketing for the Saatchi & Saatchi Australia brand. Cooney, who has led his own Sydney-based consultancy as well as previously running new business at Host, is a seasoned operator having also served on management teams at […]
According to Microsoft’s head of global multicultural & inclusive marketing MJ DePalma, brands must ensure they are building care-centric relationships with their customers. Friendships take work. But most of us would agree that the best of them are not only worth our investment, they’re invaluable. Having friends who empathize with us, consider our needs, have […]
Australia’s growing list of in-house agencies now have access to a connected community with the launch of the In-House Agency Council (IHAC) steered by founder and chairman CEO Chris Maxwell. Established with the objective to help marketers maximise their in-house agencies by attracting the best talent, building capability along with benchmarking and sharing industry best […]
Canteen’s latest campaign features the combined talents of Director Luna Laure and creative agency Crater. The campaign strives to raise awareness for young people affected by cancer. The awareness campaign centres around Harry Barentson, who at 12 years of age found out his pregnant mum had cancer. While his mother fortunately survived, he lost his […]
In partnership with storytelling agency Enthral, AFL star Kevin Sheedy has voiced a video ‘Love Letter to Victoria’ using visuals to showcase the state’s natural beauty and culture. Victoria has been hit with the worst of the coronavirus pandemic compared with any other Aussie state experiencing four lockdowns. Sheedy has partnered with Ethral to share […]
Telstra’s lower-cost telco, Belong, has awarded its strategy and creative account to Howatson + White, and has reappointed OMD to its media buying account, after a competitive pitch process. Howatson + White will handle strategy, planning, creative and CRM, while former agency Clemenger will continue to have a relationship with Belong, managing PR and retail activation. […]
Coca-Cola Australia has rolled out its new campaign ‘Turn Up Your Break’. The campaign will be led by a TVC that encourages people to truly pause with a Coke on their break so they can walk away feeling refreshed and uplifted. The TVC features two busy chefs stepping outside for a break, the bustling kitchen […]
Nova 919’s Ben & Liam breakfast show announced that they’ll be throwing their support behind and raising awareness for a cause very close to their hearts, mental health. On Monday 21 June Ben Harvey and Liam Stapleton will be locked in a purpose-built glass structure, in the middle of Rundle Mall, for an entire week […]
TRENDii has announced TRENDii Ads, a new contextual advertising solution that leverages content and context to promote eCommerce products at scale around the world. TRENDii Ads is user privacy friendly and offers a new way for businesses and brands to target consumers at the moment that they are most inspired to shop. “We believe good […]


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An initiative underway in Italy will look at ways to spread innovation to advance hemp growing and production in Sicily.
“Hemp of Sicily,” an operating group comprising extraction specialist Canapar, the University of Catania, Italy’s National Research Council (CNR) and six local farms are heading up Multicanapa, a rural development project co-financed by the Italian state and the EU’s European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development.
“Multicanapa is the demonstration that to obtain tangible results and develop innovative technologies, the targeted cooperation of different stakeholders is necessary,” said Sergio Martines, CEO of Canapar, the project’s lead company.
Regional supply chains
The initiative will explore innovative solutions to support the development of diversified, integrated regional supply chains “with a view to economic, energy and environmental sustainability,” the groups said in a press release. The project is part of a scenario in which Sicily can become a cutting-edge hemp production center in Europe, said Paolo Guarnaccia, professor at the University of Catania.
“Hemp is a plant of the Sicilian cultural tradition, the product of which was mainly destined for the textile sector,” said Cristina Patanè, Senior Researcher at the CNR. “The diversification of its use in products such as food . . . would allow the introduction of hemp in the agri-food chain, contributing to the relaunch of this crop and representing a possible propulsion tool for small and medium-sized enterprises operating in the agri-food sector in Sicily.”


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OSLO: Norway said on Wednesday (Jun 17) it wanted to resume exports of its salmon to China after Beijing appeared to rule it out as a possible source of COVID-19.
Norwegian salmon came under scrutiny after a recently discovered cluster of new coronavirus cases was reportedly traced to the Xinfadi meat market in Beijing and a chopping board used for cutting up imported salmon.
However, Norwegian and, crucially, Chinese health officials appear to have now given the salmon the all-clear.
“We currently have no evidence that salmon is a carrier or an intermediate carrier of the coronavirus,” the deputy director of the China Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Shi Guoqing, said on Tuesday.
Stressing that no case of contamination by food had been reported, the authorities responsible for food safety in Norway said their salmon was fit for consumption.
“We hope that this will allow Norwegian salmon exports to