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Foods that could become extinct
HERE'S food for thought ... how would you cope without your morning coffee?
Imagine having a broken heart without chocolate to mend it, or god forbid we see a day where there's no dessicated coconut on lamingtons.
Read on to find out which of our favourite foods are at risk of extinction.
THE demand for vanilla drastically outweighs the orchids that produce it.
The biggest reason for the global shortage is because vanilla, which is predominately grown in Madagascar, is one of the most labour-intensive foods on the market. Everything is done by hand and the process takes months.
Another factor is the spike in desire for all natural foods.
To keep up with the growing interest in natural ingredients, several huge companies including Nestle and Hershey's recently announced they were shifting to natural ingredients, meaning they now want to source vanilla from orchid seeds, not factories.
A bag of vanilla beans in Madagascar, which produces 80 per cent of the world's vanilla, now costs more than 10 times what it did five years ago, and experts predict that number will go up even more with supply getting lower and lower.
THE thought of life without coffee is hard to stomach. And it is a serious possibility with the climate change epidemic, declining crop yields and ever-evolving worldwide demand.
Half of the world's area that is suitable for growing coffee will be gone by 2050 with the way climate change is going, according to a 2016 report from The Climate Institute.
The coffee industry is massive, with estimations that people drink over two billion cups a day.
But the commonly grown type of coffee, Coffea Arabica, can only thrive in very specific conditions in tropical highlands around the globe, including Central America, Brazil, Indonesia, Vietnam, and East Africa.
Extreme weather and a warming world are making it harder to grow coffee in these regions.
It's a crisis that is under control, for now, but if a solution is not discovered soon we could be farewelling our morning saviour sooner than we think.
IT'S no secret Australia has been weathering a mass butter shortage over the past couple of years, with prices in popular supermarkets soaring beyond belief.
The issue has even become a problem in France, the home of the world's best buttery pastries.
Again, this shortage is due to consumer demand when it comes to all natural foods, so more people are welcoming butter back into their diets rather than processed vegetable spreads.
Even McDonald's vendors across the US and Europe have put butter back into their recipes instead of margarine, which adds up to tens of thousands of tonnes of butter for just the one retailer every year.
As such, dairy producers are struggling to keep up because of the shift towards full fat products.
It is anticipated the market will catch up with time, but until further notice we will have to put up with expensive prices for this staple ingredient.
WE'RE all officially nuts for coconuts. It's a scientific fact.
Demand worldwide has exploded by 500 per cent in the past decade, with some of our favourite products made from the tasty seed including coconut water, milk, ice-cream, oil and yoghurt.
But ageing trees are drastically threatening to reduce supply.
While business is at a record high for the industry at the moment, in coconut producing regions including Indonesia, the Philippines and India, it is predicted to rapidly plummet because of ageing trees and production declines.
Coconut farmers have reported that after 60 years most of their trees passed their production peak and entered decline.
Some estimates even suggest the world needs to plant a billion new trees to keep coconut production in line with demand.
The industry is now faced with a predicament of increasing produce at a time when farmers have not been replanting for 20 to 30 years.
TALK about death by chocolate. Our favourite treat could run out in the next 30 years because the crop will be harder to grow in a warming climate, according to experts.
The cacao tree - from which we get cocoa beans - thrives only in humid rainforest-like conditions close to the equator.
But the fragile plant is under threat from diseases and a changing climate that will suck moisture from the soil and make it impossible to produce a good crop in many regions around the world by 2050.
Already demand for chocolate outstrips supply as billions of Asians have found a love of the sweet treat like Europeans and North and South Americans.
Stockpiles of cocoa are running low and the effects of climate change on yields could add up to a serious global shortage.


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Non-fungible tokens (NFTs) are one of the most rapidly growing sectors of the metaverse boom. Trading volume for NFTs hit $10.7 billion (67.9 billion yuan) in the third quarter of 2021, a jump of 704% from the previous quarter, according to analytics platform DappRadar.
NFT games are one of the driving forces behind the skyrocketing trading volume. Although still in its early days, in-game items generated $2.3 billion (14.6 billion yuan) of trading volume in that period, accounting for 22% of the total trading volume for NFTs. Compared to traditional game assets, NFT assets cannot be taken away by closing a game or deleting game features and retain their value through demand.
Today’s hot topic in the NFT gaming space is STEPN, which allows its users to make money just by exercising. STEPN gained a massive 31,000% in profits since its token sale was conducted on March 2.
STEPN is a “Move-to-Earn” app created by Find Satoshi Lab, a fintech company based in Australia, encourages its players to walk, jog or run outdoors using their “NFT Sneakers” to earn reward tokens and NFTs.
In December 2021, Scott Dunlap, vice president of Adidas and CEO of Runtastic, posted on social media saying, “I get the feeling STEPN will become an obsession for many in 2022+”. In January 2022, over 7 venture capital firms invested in STEPN, with Sequoia Capital leading the investment totalling $5 million.
In STEPN, each player must have a pair of NFT sneakers to join the game. Players’ earnings depend on whether they stick to their exercise plan, as well as the grade, attribute and quantity of NFT sneakers. Additionally, players can choose to lease or sell their NFT Sneakers on the in-app Marketplace.
As of April 2, the floor price of NFT sneaker is about 7,500 yuan ($1179). The highest price of NFT sneakers on the market is 10,000 SOL. Solana is now the fourth-most popular blockchain in terms of NFT sales volume, and equivalent to over 8 million yuan ($1.3 million). While these figures are appealing, the payoff period for users can take longer than expected.
Some may be familiar this concept of “Move to Earn” as STEPN’s model is similar to a Chinese blockchain app called Qubu, which was investigated on suspicion of pyramid selling, illegal fund-raising and financial fraud in 2019.
Qubu’s claim of using blockchain technology has been debunked by many Chinese blockchain industry insiders, according to a news released by KrASIA.
While it faced multiple investigations in China, Qubu managed to avoid legal complications by changing its name and is still in operation today. In 2019, Qubu opened a physical store in Malaysia.
As early as 2018, Qubu advertised that “exercise can make money”, enticing users with the slogan “if you take 4,000 steps per day, you can earn at least 200 to 20,000 yuan ($31 to $3145) per month.” In Qubu, only by consistently bringing new players into the game will users who have previously invested make a profit.
Both STEPN and Qubu need a steady stream of new users to keep the business going.
The biggest difference with STEPN is that Qubu’s virtual token “candy” cannot be proved decentralised since virtual currency transactions are completely banned in China, which means that the price of “candy” might be manipulated.
While the market for NFT games continues to boom, many people are less optimistic concerning the finances behind it. The money-raising potential is why some players and even developers argue that NFT games are a scam involving virtual items that have no real-world value.
“Not only is it ethically dubious, but there’s no practical reason to implement NFTs into your game.” Harper Jay MacIntyre, community manager at Psychonauts creator Double Fine, responded to Ubisoft’s NFT debut on Twitter. “It’s a scam. The more people in our industry who are willing to say so publicly, consequences be damned, the better.”
Xbox CEO Phil Spencer had also doubted the near-term viability of NFTs, saying they hold promise only if the industry can find real problems to solve instead of creating speculative markets designed primarily to enrich a small slice of participants.
The People’s Bank of China believes that cryptocurrencies disrupt the financial system and facilitate criminal activities such as money laundering, fraud, pyramid schemes, and gambling. The People’s Daily also commented that China’s regulations on NFTs are unclear and relevant investors should remain cautious.
The development of NFTs in China differs from the business model in other countries. As we can see from the “digital collections”, also known as “China’s NFT collections”, it is more focused on copyright protection and asset right confirmation, with the goal of exploring the possibility of de-financialization.
De-financialization may avoid speculative markets and financial risk, but it will also end the possibility of exploring future markets. As seen with Qubu, which has struggled to operate in China, combing finance and gaming through the regulation of NFT games continues to be a grey area in China. However, the demand is there.

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One thing that COVID has done is divide people. According to a recent poll by CoinStar, one in eight people stated that they will not be buying Christmas presents for family and friend who disagree with their position on COVID.
The disagreements can range from lockdowns, to masks, to the seriousness of COVID to vaccinations.
We can get in arguments over COVID, and sometimes they get heated. The Apostle Paul says, it is not a sin to get angry, but warns that we should not let the sun go down on your anger (Ephesians 4:26).
In other words, we need to forgive, and we need to do it quickly.
And if you are finding it hard to forgive, one way of dealing with that broken relationship may involve the simple act of giving a gift, even at Christmas.
29 If someone slaps you on one cheek, turn to them the other also. If someone takes your coat, do not withhold your shirt from them. (Luke 6:29 NIV)
Study Finds stated the poll also revealed that 39% of people say they will be spending less money on Christmas this year, because money is tight. And if you are struggling with what type of gift to give, the poll found that 68% prefer money.
READ: 1 in 8 say loved ones with opposing COVID views won’t get holiday gifts
RELATED: Families, Communities Divided Over COVID Vaccination In Rural Montana


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The listing of this $35 million mansion — called Champ d'Or (not pretentious or anything) — located only 15 minutes from Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport would make you think it is the most desirable place in the world:
“Champ d'Or, a magnificent work of art that is the product of five years of meticulous planning, construction and craftsmanship, is comprised of over 35,000 square feet in the main house, a pool and tennis house, outdoor swimming pool, tennis court, adjacent lake, and up to 25 acres of beautiful treed property,” it says.
Well, this “magnificent work of art” has never been lived in.
The original owners spent five years building it before finishing it in 2002. They then decided the ginormous house was just much too big, immediately putting it up for sale.
And on sale is where it has stayed.
The mansion cost $46 million to build, and the owners put it up for sale at $45 million. For eight years it jumped prices ranging fro $35 million to $72 million, and is now such a pain in the owners’ necks that they have decided to put it up for auction on March 30 with a reserve price of $10.3 million — though the listing still puts it at worth $35 million.
So why has no one snapped this gem off the market? Same reason as the owners: It’s too dang big!
The house — with absolutely no one living there — currently requires four full time staff members just to keep it up.
In addition to a mortgage that comes to more than $130,000 a month, who can afford to hire a staff to keep up with such luxuries as a veranda with seating for 450 people; three kitchens: Private, staff and catering; an ionized lap pool off the master suite; a soundproof theater with adjacent lobby; a two-story Chanel-styled closet complete with a hair salon; a commercial-sized laundry room with a sheet press; and a giftwrap room?
I mean, honestly. Even the world’s richest and famous-est don’t want to deal with all that upkeep.
Joan Eleazer of Sotheby’s International Realty, who is a veteran of big money sales, is selling the home. As it turns out, she tried to sell this home once before when it first went on the market. Hopefully she’ll have more luck with the auction this time.
Even though this home is uber-luxury and absolutely nothing like anything else in Hickory Creek, Texas, the home is clearly not as appealing as these New York luxury homes that seem to be flying off the shelf.
Evidently ultra-lux is what the wealthy want way up North, but not down in Hickory Creek.
Just for fun, let’s take a gander at the Dallas-area rich and famous that might go for a two-lane bowling alley in their home and a veranda that can seat their entire posse. After all, half of Texas’ billionaires do live in DFW. One of them will want this thing, right?
Alice Walton, heir of the Wal-Mart fortune, currently lives outside of Fort Worth on a ranch in a modest one-story 4,432 square foot home (time to upgrade!). The Champ d’Or would provide plenty of space for her cows and horses on its 36 rolling acres. Plus, she’s worth $23.3 billion, so $35 million is functionally pocket change.
Ross Perot, a Dallas resident, could afford to buy the home without batting an eye. He’s worth a cool $1.4 billion. But there’s little chance he’ll leave his home on coveted Strait Lane in Dallas' Old Preston Hollow neighborhood. His home, worth a measly $18 million, is chump change compared to Champ d’Or.
Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban could also afford the house — he’s worth almost double what Perot is. His home, also in Preston Hollow, is probably enough for him though. With six garages and five wet bars, what more does a sports fan really need?
Or – DUH! – what about Khloe Kardashian and Lamar Odom. Of course that posh celebrity (why, exactly, is she a celebrity?) needs a two-story Chanel-ized closet and her own hair salon! Unfortunately, the two settled on a high-rise condo at the W Dallas Victory Hotel & Residences in January. And given that they're only paying $7,500 a month for their new digs, they would probably bug out at the thought of a mortgage payment that’s more than 17 times that.
All of my guesses have come up short. Hopefully the auction brings out an unexpected millionaire looking for high-class luxury in the Texas countryside, because I’ve got nothin’.
Follow Jessica on Twitter at @JessicaHuseman


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When Procter & Gamble CMO Mark Pritchard said that the CPG brand would focus less on selling products and more on building one-to-one relationships with consumers, he wasn’t kidding. P&G has rolled out its biggest campaign in its 175-year history that follows this mantra. The campaign places a huge emphasis on digital channels, per Pritchard.
The new corporate-image campaign, “Thank You Mom,” is part of P&G’s involvement with this year’s Olympic games. The message centers on the competitors in this year’s games and the journey they went through all throughout their childhood to get to where they are. And as they navigated this tough journey, there was always that one person on the sidelines cheering for them: their moms. At the epicenter of the effort is a short film called “Best Job,” which celebrates the role that moms play in raising Olympic athletes. The campaign runs through display advertising, in social media, mobile, TV and print.
The effort is a departure in more ways than one. P&G rarely runs a consumer ad campaign for its corporate brand, typically staying in the background to highlight its brands like Tide and Pampers. The heavy digital component is noteworthy considering the shift Pritchard signaled — and perhaps a message to brand managers that they need to change their approach.
At the Signal P&G event in Cincinnati in March, Pritchard said, “Today’s heroes are everyday people whose actions inspire others to follow and whose stories generate the most interest, and whose advocacy we trust. People are participating. They’re involved in conversations about our brands and companies like never before. They’re creating content through conversations and creative expressions of how they think and feel about topics. To address these forces, our vision is to build our brands through lifelong, one-to-one relationships in real-time with every person in the world.”
Unlike past P&G efforts, the “Thank You Mom” campaign isn’t pushing products. There are no coupons or offers for Dove deodorant. It is all about sparking conversation with consumers and building that one-to-one relationship that Pritchard preached at the event in March. As promised, P&G is using mobile in this effort to cultivate loyalists. The “Thank You Mom” app was launched as a platform for people to thank their own moms by uploading personalized content in the form of a video, still image with caption or text-based message. Users will then be able to encourage friends and family to do the same, spreading the word to thank and celebrate moms.
Back at the Signal P&G event in March, Pritchard talked about mobile being a force in the marketing industry that changes everything. Mobile gives people 24/7, real-time connections to everyone, including brands. He explained how, he believes, brands can use mobile to transform public opinion on just about anything.
The company has posted the TV commercial on its page, which has already been viewed almost 1.5 million times since the campaign launch April 17. P&G’s Twitter account is also decorated with a picture of a mother and her young child. The company shared its campaign video via Twitter.
P&G hasn’t been very social until this campaign. In fact, the majority of P&G brands have more Facebook followers than the parent company does. But like Pritchard said, in order to achieve this vision of building a community and one-to-one relationships with all of its members, P&G needs to shift the way it operates. He was very adamant on shifting focus from products to people and that is exactly what the company has done with this campaign.
“We want P&G to be the first to create this trusted, indispensable relationship because it will create greater loyalty, more purchases across categories, and more sales at lower costs,” Pritchard said.
See below the short film “Best Job,” which celebrates the role that moms play in raising Olympic athletes.
More in Marketing
“We are not diminishing the importance of AR,” he said. “In fact, we are strategically reallocating resources to strengthen our endeavors in AR advertising and to elevate the fundamental AR experiences provided to Snapchat users.”
Why Activision Blizzard Media is using an Attention Measurement Scorecard to raise marketers’ confidence in gaming
In Q4 of this year, Activision Blizzard Media is launching in beta a new measurement tool dubbed the Attention Measurement Scorecard. The goal: to raise brands’ and marketers’ confidence in in-game advertising.
The concert film will likely help build on cinema advertising’s momentum after Barbenheimer.


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I owe Dell an extra seven minutes of time on the work clock.That’s because while I was working on this blog post I found myself watching a video of an old friend and his daughter playing each other in “Street Fighter” on YouTube. That now makes me one of 500 million viewers who watch online gaming content, according to research firm Newzoo.“The games sector continues to be bigger than consumer spending on cinema box office, DVD and Blu-ray disc sales and rentals, online video services, physical music and streaming music services combined,” said industry analyst Piers Harding-Rolls of HIS Markit.Yes, gaming has gone far beyond the basement, and Dell is ready to support the industry’s growth in many ways. From delivering the hardware needed to create the games, to the PCs on which you play them, to sponsorship of eSports leagues and professional gamers that bring the gameplay to even larger audiences.Most gamers already know about our Alienware line. Twenty years of gaming experience pioneering specialty high-performance gaming PCs unrivaled in their engineering and innovation, has made Alienware a leading gaming brand that caters to gamers wanting a high-performance, premium PC gaming rig.We’ve also just refreshed our entire Alienware notebook lineup and continue to push the limits when it comes to performance.

But, there are many out there who want a box that can hit 1080p, 30-60 frames per second, at a lower price point. Dell leveraged our deep understanding of PC gaming to create a system that retains all the great features of a Dell laptop backed by premium service and support while still being able to easily handle the latest gaming titles all at an affordable price. That’s why we were so excited to launch our new Inspiron 15 Gaming laptop that gives gamers a $799 system ready to play the latest games straight out of the box.“We’ve selected the components [of the new Inspiron 15], so you have a 1050 or a 1050TI, i5 and i7 quad cores. We’ve built the thermal solution so it’s built around the max capacity of those components. It’s what you would expect from a real gaming box,” Bryan de Zayas, director of game strategy at Dell told VentureBeat at #ces2017. “It takes in air from the bottom and expels it out the back. It’s all built around the thermal solution, versus just putting parts into a box with the cheapest thermals and being done with it.”As Trusted Reviews noted, rather than striving to be thin – like many of the laptops recently on display at CES— we’ve chosen to stuff this system with dual fans, oversized pipes and heat exchangers, as well as two speakers and a subwoofer.Since I’m not the target audience for it, I reached out to a couple of gamers I know well — my nephews — to see what their reaction was to the new Insprion 15 Gaming laptop. As a college student and a recent college graduate, their budgets are understandably limited, so they definitely liked the price tag. I sent them the product details via Facebook Messenger and heard back almost immediately.“I’m really impressed with this system. For $800 I think it’s fairly and competitively priced, too,” said Josh Pevehouse, who isn’t a fan of bulky or weirdly shaped systems. “The Inspiron 15 looks like a normal laptop, and since it weighs only 5.5 pounds it’s actually portable.”“My laptop I’m using now weighs 8 – 10 pounds and it couldn’t even compare to the specs on this,” Jake Pevehouse noted. He also likes that it can game without necessarily looking like it. “Esthetically it is nice and plain which will appeal to consumers that don’t necessarily want to broadcast that they carry a gaming laptop for everyday use.”I promise I didn’t coach them on those comments, but they were both quick to volunteer to test drive and review the system. Unfortunately for them, my role here at Dell doesn’t mean I have access to a couple of extra systems I could loan them. But, the one still in college is eligible for our student discount, making this laptop an even better deal![UPDATE 3/2/17: In case you’re interested in hearing more about the Inspiron 15 Gaming laptop’s performance, here’s a review that just came out from Linus Tech Tips.]

Few would argue that organizations are becoming increasingly dependent on data to fuel innovation, drive new revenue streams and provide deep insight into the needs of their customers, partners and stakeholders. Yet despite the increased investments to safeguard data and keep mission-critical application services highly available across multi-cloud environments, we are witnessing a steady uptick in application downtime and data loss across organizations of all sizes. This is resulting in lost revenue, lost employee productivity and lost opportunities.According to the 2020 Global Data Protection Index (GDPI) snapshot survey, 82 percent of the respondents reported experiencing a disruptive event in the past 12 months – meaning they experienced downtime, data loss or both – up from 76 percent in the 2019 GDPI survey. The average annual costs of data loss in this 12-month period exceeded $1M, slightly higher from the year prior, while the costs of downtime surged by 54 percent, $810k in 2019 vs $520k in 2018.What’s behind this trend of persistent digital disruption? Certainly, the ongoing proliferation of data and application services across edge locations, core data center and multi-cloud environments is making it very challenging for IT organizations to ensure data is continuously protected, compliant and secure.Compounding IT complexity is the continued evolution of application services themselves. Organizations are moving toward faster, more agile ways of deploying applications to market – containers, SaaS and cloud-native applications are altering the dynamics of how data is protected.Likewise, distributed edge technologies like IoT are driving unprecedented data volumes as smart cities, autonomous vehicles, medical devices and sensors of virtually every kind imaginable are capturing troves of information across the digital landscape. In the not-so-distant future, there will be more data residing in edge locations than in all of the public clouds combined – placing inordinate strains on data protection infrastructure and IT teams to efficiently manage, protect and secure this information.To illustrate how data protection complexity can have an outsized impact on downtime, data loss and their associated costs, consider the following data points from the GDPI research:Eighty percent of the survey respondents reported they were using solutions from multiple data protection vendors. The irony is that these organizations are likely investing more in time, money and staffing resources to protect their data and applications, yet their annual data loss and downtime costs are significantly higher than organizations working with a single data protection vendor.Moreover, the majority of respondents indicated a lack of confidence in their solutions to help them recover data following a cyber-attack, adhere to compliance regulations, meet application service levels and prepare them for future data protection business requirements. It’s no surprise, then, that two-thirds of organizations are concerned that they will continue to experience disruption over the next 12 months.To combat data protection complexity, minimize disruption and mitigate the risk of data loss and downtime, organizations need simple, reliable, efficient, scalable and more automated solutions for protecting applications and data regardless of the platform (physical, virtual, containers, cloud-native, SaaS) or of the environments that workloads are deployed into (edge, core, multi-cloud).These solutions also need to help organizations ensure compliance and enhance data security across hybrid, multi-cloud . And they need to provide the global scale that organizations need as their application workloads and data volumes exponentially increase in the coming years.By delivering a deep portfolio of data protection solutions that address the need for traditional and modern workloads across edge, core and multi-cloud environments, Dell Technologies provides proven and modern data protection that delivers simplified, efficient, and reliable protection and recovery of applications and data, while ensuring compliance and mitigating the risks of data loss through our integrated cyber resiliency capabilities.Our industry-leading data protection software and integrated data protection appliances are leveraged by our customers to protect critical data assets on-premises and in the cloud. Today, for example, we are protecting over 2.7 exabytes of data for over 1,000 customers in the public cloud.¹And we continue to double down on our investments in data protection to deliver the most innovative data protection solutions available in the market. Recently we announced the support for protecting Kubernetes containers on PowerProtect Data Manager, enabling our customers to accelerate innovation by seamlessly protecting critical data deployed in containers.And this is just the beginning. Our agile development engine is primed to release a steady stream of new data protection capabilities every quarter to enable our customers to protect and safeguard their critical data assets however and wherever they are deployed across edge, core and multi-cloud environments.As the industry leader in data protection software and integrated data protection appliances, Dell Technologies is committed to delivering the end-to-end, innovative data protection solutions our customers need to eliminate data protection complexity and break the cycle of digital disruption to help them transform now and well into the future.¹ Based on Dell analysis, February 2020
CANBERRA, Australia (AP) — Australia’s competition watchdog says a lack of competition for Google and a lack of transparency in the digital advertising supply chain need to be addressed because they are impacting publishers, advertisers and consumers. The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission released an interim report on its inquiry into the Google-dominated digital advertising services industry in Australia. Commission Chair Rod Sims says there’s a real lack of choice in the industry and Google often is acting on behalf of both publishers and advertisers for the same ad sale while selling its own ad inventory. A lawsuit in several U.S. states alleges Google engaged in anti-competitive conduct in online advertising and used its monopolistic power to control the prices and eliminate competition.
NEW YORK (AP) — A changing of the guard is afoot for journalism’s leaders. The announced retirement of editor Marty Baron at The Washington Post and ABC News President James Goldston’s exit add to the vacancy list for top newsroom jobs. The Los Angeles Times and Reuters are also looking for new leaders, CNN’s chief is considering his future and The New York Times is likely to have a new editor within the next two years. The changeover will test the industry’s commitment to diversity in management. The new jobs will also require executives be nimble enough to react to an industry that continues to rapidly change.


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When you think of where your iPods, cell phones, computers and electronic motors come from, consider this: the three to five-fold jump in Chinese rare earth prices threaten to send those gadget prices up astronomically quicker than you thought possible.
Heck, if it gets really bad, electronics would disappear from the shelves, and products that depend on these materials would see prices skyrocket – possibly bankrupting the very companies that depend on these sales.
So how do you play it?
You buy the hell out of rare earth stocks, like the Greenland play we’ve reported on, or Molycorp, Rare Earth Elements, you name it.
It’s so bad, according to The Financial Times that “industrial buyers are in shock after witnessing the price of rare earths such as cerium oxide jumping 475 per cent in just five months, amid falling supplies.”
Fortunately, prices for light rare earths, which include cerium could see downward pricing pressures, as compared to heavy rare earths. That’s because when Molycorp’s mine is up and running, we’ll have a significant source of light rare earths.
Given this and other light rare earth streams likely to come online shortly, additional supply will send light rare earth prices down.
However, heavy rare earth prices are likely to surge even higher. But this could improve, too, which is why I recently conducted an interview with a small, up and coming rare earth company that’s looking to drill for heavy rare earths just miles from Molycorp’s mines…
And if all pans out the way we think it will, this small 30-cent company could explode.
I’ll have more information on the company, the interview, and its prospects in next Thursday’s Wealth Daily. Stay tuned.


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Of the many announcements Apple made last week, the news about iCloud Keychain seemed fairly minor. After all, senior vice president of of software engineering Craig Federighi spent just 1:20 on it at Apple's WWDC keynote.
However, iCloud Keychain could end up having a big impact on consumer habits. We all know we should use different, hard-to-crack passwords for the many services we use every day, yet few people do so. A recent study found that almost two-thirds of consumers re-use passwords across multiple sites, making them much more vulnerable to a phishing attack.
Obviously, having many complex passwords creates a new problem: How do you remember them all? Writing them down is a security risk, not to mention ridiculously low-tech (Apple open mocked it to much laughter in the keynote). You can put them in an online document, but that assumes you'll always be able to access it and whatever service you're using is secure, plus it involves a lot of copying and pasting.
Password Managers vs. Synced Passwords
For many, the answer is a password-management service such as 1Password or LastPass. These services can integrate directly with web browsers, automatically logging you in once you're logged into their service via a master password. And since the passwords are stored in the cloud, they can be accessed on any device.
"Generally we're positive about [iCloud Keychain]," says Joe Siegrist, CEO of LastPass. "If the world ends up with good password hygiene, I think it's a win for everyone, however it comes about. We're glad to see it."
If you've ever used a password manager, you can see how they're a great solution to the multi-password problem. But you also might ask why isn't password management just a feature of a web browser? Well, it is, but until recently they left out a key class of devices: mobile.
A couple of months ago Google brought password syncing to the mobile version of Chrome for Android (but not iOS), and last week Apple said it would be doing the same thing with Safari via iCould Keychain. Once the feature becomes available in the fall with OS X Mavericks and iOS 7, users will be able to access the same set of passwords via mobile and desktop versions of Safari.
That approach has clear advantages over a password manager, since Apple and Google prevent those services from integrating with mobile browsers. Instead, users must either access the password manager site on the browser, log in with their master password, and then copy and paste every password, or instead download an app — which is essentially the same procedure in a mobile-friendly interface.
"They have one advantage over us, and that's being able to plug directly into Safari on the mobile browser, which is an anti-competitive annoyance to all other password managers out there," says Siegrist. "But it is what it is. It's especially frustrating when you continue to lobby them to fix them, and instead of fixing them they roll out a competitive feature."
The Platform Question
Nonetheless, Apple re-introducing password syncing (it was actually a feature of the old MobileMe service that was discontinued in 2011) could have a big impact on the hundreds of millions of iOS users, many of which may not be inclined to use a third-party password manager. In addition, is ability to suggest and save hard-to-crack passwords might finally ensure no one uses "password" or "12345" for any login again.
"I'm glad to see more people are going to be exposed to using different passwords for every site. We want people to use a tool — it doesn't have to be ours. This is one more sign that the market is being educated," says Siegrist.
Then there's the other obvious advantage iCloud Keychain: It costs nothing. Although both LastPass and 1Password don't charge for their basic services, their apps aren't free: 1Password for iOS costs $8.99 and the LastPass app only works with a $1/month subscription.
However, third-party password managers have a trump card: They're cross-platform, meaning you can access your stored passwords from any device with either a web browser on an app. iCloud Keychain offers lower cost and more convenience (especially on mobile), but any Android or Windows devices you own won't have access to your passwords.
"We support every possible platform — Windows, Linux, iOS, Android, Symbian, BlackBerry, Windows Phone — we support them all," Siegrist says. "LastPass also gives you a lot more management capabilities, such as when you want your vault locked up. We also have a lot of enterprise features, such as being able to share passwords."
What About Apps?
Finally, there's the question of apps. So far, no platform or service offers any kind of password manager that can log you into apps, as opposed to webpages. While Apple has shown it's technically possible with its baked-in logins for Facebook and Twitter on the iPhone, this kind of functionality would require integration at the OS level. It may come to iCloud Keychain at some point in the future, but once it arrives users will still be stuck copying and pasting passwords — either from Safari's password list or a password manager — to log into apps.
Do you think Apple's done a good job with iCloud Keychain, and do you think you'll use it instead of a third-party password manager? Let us know your take on the password problem in the comments.


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British Airways (operated by Comair) and kulula.com took first and second place, respectively, in the Domestic Airline: Business category of the 2016 Sunday Times Top Brands survey.
50 minutes ago
International aerodynamics corporation Airbus is at the forefront of the air and space travel industry. While currently focused on setting up a drone delivery system in Singapore, the company is also looking into the development of a self-flying taxi service in a new venture called project Vahana.
Kate Walker 1 hour ago
An Eastern Cape government decision to ask Sanral to improve the province's road network is finally paying off.
3 hours ago
According to the latest independent survey of transport opinion in the country, South Africans have identified transport as one of the three most pressing issues for the fourth year in a row with the other two issues being health and education. Issues like the state of the economy, and infrastructure and employment were also identified but received a lower rating.
19 hours ago
South African businesses of all sizes and across sectors are having a torrid time - faced with global uncertainty, political flux, and ongoing technology-driven disruption, merely staying afloat as become a Herculean task. However, the results of the Barloworld Logistics 13th annual supplychainforesight survey have revealed a stubbornly optimistic streak among local business leaders and decision-makers. Indeed, many are looking to capitalise on key opportunities and trends that have very clearly emerged from a complex and fast-moving business ecosystem.
Kate Stubbs 1 day ago
DPD Laser has rolled out an advanced mobile technology platform in its Dawn Wing and Time Freight businesses, offering customers real-time visibility and control of their deliveries. The rollout is a key part of DPD Laser's strategy to offer market leading delivery services for both business-to-business (B2B) and business-to-consumer (B2C) clients.
1 day ago
In a symbolic ceremony at the Geotechnical and Transportation Division hosted within the University's Department of Civil Engineering, the South African National Roads Agency SOC Ltd (SANRAL) announced a R30-million endowment to Stellenbosch University which will continue to fund the SANRAL Chair in Pavement Engineering at the University.
1 day ago
Two more international speakers, Singapore-based Stanley Lim, Chairman of the Singapore Logistics Association, and Ghanaian serial entrepreneur Fred Swaniker, have joined the line-up of 16 top speakers for the SA Association of Freight Forwarders (SAAFF) annual Congress.
1 day ago
The Supply Chain Management Education Excellence Awards (SCMEEA), held during the recent SAPICS regional conference in Gauteng, recognised Sasol, Imperial Logistics, the Centre for Logistics Excellence (CLX), and Chené Scholtz from the University of Johannesburg for excellence in supply chain skills development. Supply chain management and the improvement of skills in this profession is critical to business success in all industries.
2 days ago
Little encouragement or opportunities have been given to women to infiltrate South Africa's male-dominated trucking industry. Isuzu Trucks South Africa aims to shift misconceptions, negative connotations and stigmas over women being inadequate to take on various roles in the business of trucking.
2 days ago
Transnet Port Terminals' (TPT) Saldanha operations recently celebrated a historic milestone - one billion tonnes of iron ore have passed through the Saldanha Bulk Terminal, South Africa's main iron ore export terminal, and the country's largest mechanized bulk-handling facility.
3 days ago
From hijackings and theft to damage caused by protest action, the trucking industry is fraught with risks. But the cost of a breakdown or accident extends beyond the cost of repairing or replacing the vehicle alone. According to Morné Stoltz, head of business insurance at MiWay, the true costs and complexity of managing the aftermath of a hijacking or accident can come as a shock to the transport company, particularly if the business is new to the market.
3 days ago


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Nintendo did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Call of Duty, a long-running franchise where players compete in historical, contemporary, and futuristic battles, is a crown jewel in Activision’s portfolio. It has earned over $30 billion in revenue. The latest version, Modern Warfare II, made over $1 billion in just 10 days.
For Nintendo, adding a violent first-person shooter game like Call of Duty to the roster of titles available to play on the Switch would be an unusual anomaly. The company has long been protecting the playful, family-friendly branding it’s developed over the decades through iconic franchises like Mario, Pokemon, and The Legend of Zelda, though it does offer some more mature games and other Nintendo devices have hosted Call of Duty.
Sony and Microsoft have often discussed a similar segment of so-called hardcore gamers, who may be more drawn to dark, story-driven games or challenging and violent fighting games.
But Nintendo has built an empire marketing lovable, candy-colored characters like soft pink Kirby and smiling dinosaur Yoshi. At the beginning of the pandemic, Animal Crossing: New Horizons, a low-key game where players build virtual islands, was a huge success.
Nintendo’s latest console, the Switch, is significantly less expensive than Sony’s PlayStation 5 or Microsoft’s Xbox Series X, and differs from the more expensive, boxier consoles in that it’s small and portable so players can game on the go.
The Switch is a huge success, having sold 114 million units by the end of September. But it has less processing power than the latest Microsoft and Sony consoles, raising questions about what kind of experience playing Call of Duty would be on a Nintendo device.
“Nintendo has done a great job creating a family-friendly platform that can be successful for creators of all types,” said Mr. Spencer, adding that there was “definite work” to do to get Call of Duty running properly on the Switch.


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- You are here:
- Auto News >
Ducati has finally put the finishing touches on its newest race bike: the 1199 Panigale RS13. To celebrate, the team took its newest creation down to Mugello for a quick sprint around the track ahead of its date with the World Superbike Championship. Factory riders Carlos Checa and Ayrton ...


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Simi will be spreading the word about Opera
's recently released news and video app, Opera
News, which has been launched as a stand-alone product after the success of the news service in Opera
Mini', the statement read.
And they had never seen an opera
before, but said afterwards that they will go again," said Jenny.
The SDK can also power the Opera
TV Store, Opera
s HTML5 application platform, for Smart TV devices.
is also now the first browser to support HTML5 microdata.
The program of 17th International Aspendos Opera
and Ballet Festival is as follows:
Mobile 10 beta for Windows Mobile is available now as a free download from http://www.
Mobile 10 beta is available for Nokia, Sony Ericsson and Samsung smartphones running Symbian/S60, 3rd and 5th editions.
Singers include Steven Mortier as Figaro, who has sung with the Tri-Cities Opera
, Chautauqua Opera
, Birming- ham Opera
, Pittsburgh Opera
Pacific, Mississippi Opera
, Spoleto Festival USA and Tacoma Opera
Placido Domingo, left, general director of the Los Angeles Opera
, and Jean-Luc Choplin, general manager of the Theatre du Chatelet, revealed the creative team for the new opera
Friday in Paris, where the opera
will debut on July 1, 2008.
When Mark Morris directs a new production of Gluck's Orfeo ed Euridice at the Metropolitan Opera
this May, it will herald a milestone.
Based on Hurwitz's often clever observations, the reader can choose whether to explore these operas
more in depth.
He designed the world premiere of "Inez De Castro," the American premiere of the opera
"A View From The Bridge," the Houston Opera
Company's production of "Treemonisha" and the San Francisco Opera
Production of "Esclarmonde.


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The authors are analysts of Shinhan Investment Corp. They can be reached at firstname.lastname@example.org and email@example.com, respectively. -- Ed.
Demand: Prolonged disruption in Chinese production to have negative impact
Semiconductor demand will likely be affected by disrupted production of IT products and components in China from the COVID-19 outbreak. Prolonged disruption should have negative impact on overall demand. If Chinese production normalizes within March, however, we believe demand will just be deferred from 1Q20 to 2Q20. In contrast, if the outbreak remains uncontained over the longer term, full-year semiconductor demand could fall short of our previous projections.
Supply: DRAM/NAND makers to actively respond with capacity cutbacks
Concerned over the possibility of a prolonged COVID-19 outbreak, DRAM makers are expected to reduce production capacity going forward. Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix could proceed on cutting back their DRAM capacity at 13L and M10, respectively, at a faster pace than initially expected. Even if IT demand plunges to bottom levels, capacity cutbacks should prevent a downturn of semiconductor market conditions.
Meanwhile, an earlier-than-expected resumption of production in China could even have positive impact on semiconductor market conditions in 2H20, with full-year demand to remain mostly intact amid reduced supply from chipmakers.
Investment strategy: Recommend buying during short-term fluctuation
We expect DRAM makers to flexibly adjust supply in an aim to reduce inventory levels, raise product prices, and improve earnings. In our view, the COVID-19 outbreak is unlikely to spark a downturn in semiconductor market conditions.


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The American high-end fashion brand will present quarterly figures the 12th of June. According to trade publications, analysts expect the fashion house to report EPS of 16 cents and sales of $360.62 million. “Estimates for Michael Kors have been
rising of late. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for 2012 for Michael Kors stood at $0.74 as of January 2012. The consensus has since moved higher to $0.99. Over the same time period estimates for 2013 have moved from $0.98 to $1.24. The implied earnings growth rate of more than 24% is just what aggressive growth investors are seeking,” analysis team at Zacks advanced in a note to investors.
Q3 Kors reported earnings of 28 cents per share and sales of $373.6 million. Kors reported sales at stores open more than a year climbed 38% in North America and 34% in Europe. Michael Kors topped the Zacks Consensus Estimate in its only quarter as a public company. On February 24, it reported earnings per share of $0.19, $0.10 or 111% ahead of the Zacks Consensus Estimate.
Revenues also topped expectations for Michael Kors. The Zacks Consensus Estimate was calling for $351 million in sales and the company posted $374 million. The $22 million upside surprise translates into a 6% revenue beat.
Shares rose 6.5% to 38.37 on Friday. They are nearly double the December IPO price of 20 — but well off the March 9 peak of 50.69, stressed ‘Investor´s Business Daily’.


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The Cargo turnover in the Georgian freight corridor continues to decrease. Namely, during the 10 months of this year 33.2 million tons of cargos were transported, which is 0.2 million tons less than the same period last year.
The volume of cargos handled in Georgian seaports and docking areas has also decreased amounting to 12.4 million tons compared to last year’s 13.5 million tons.
The cargo shipment through the vehicle roads has increased reaching 24.8 million tons during the 10 months. However, the cargo shipment by rail has dropped to 8.3 million tons (compared to 8.8 million tons during the same period last year). The volume of cargo shipment by the civil aviation also decreased, amounting to 21.4 million tons (during the same period last year – 28.5 million tons).
The volume of processed cargos decreased in all ports of Georgia: namely, compared to the previous year the volume of processed cargos fell by 0.5 million tons in Poti port amounting to 5.1 million tons, the volume of processed cargos in Batumi Sea Port decreased by 0.4 tons totaling 3.1 million tons, as for Supsa Port the volume decreased by 0.1 million tons totaling 3 million tons, and in Kulevi the volume fell by 0.3 million tons totaling 1.1 million tons.
However, the number of processed containers in Batumi and Poti ports has increased.
The Cargo turnover in the Georgian freight corridor has been on the decline for a number of years. In 2015, it was 44.2 million tons, in 2016 this indicator became 42.3 million tons and in 2017 it came to 41.5 million tons.


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Armorz has announced the Stealth Extreme Lite screen protector for the iPhone 5C and iPhone 5S, plus the Galaxy Note 3. At $35 it's not the cheapest around, but it is made from tempered glass instead of plastic.
While tech and Web companies feature heavily in LinkedIn's 2013 list of in-demand employers, many have slipped down the chart in the past year. Google and Apple, however, remain popular, ranking first and second, respectively.
Microsoft didn't drag its feet with the development of Windows 8.1 and has released the new OS less than a year after Windows 8. But has this unusual speed allowed time to resolve Windows' most pressing issues, or is 8.1 just a minor patch…
Cupertino council members have given final approval to Apple's plans for its 'spaceship' campus, with construction set to begin in the coming months. Apple boss Tim Cook said it would be "our home for innovation and creativity for decades…
Another day, another smartwatch, except that this one is focused on fitness. The standalone $399 Smart Run from Adidas offers a plethora of fitness tracking and training possibilites, and includes a music player too.
Batman: Arkham Origins creative director Eric Holmes sits down at New York Comic-Con to discuss the challenges of re-telling the crimefighter's origin story in a way that effectively captures the evolution of his dual personalities.
Are you sitting on a million dollar fitness tech idea that you'd trade for 25 grand and a chance to hang out with Under Armour executives for an afternoon? Than the purveyors of the Armour 39 workout monitor want to hear from you.
Humanity is one step closer to realizing the dream of underwater Wi-Fi thanks to a team of researchers at the University of Buffalo. Why would you want Wi-Fi underwater? Because it could save your life, that's why.


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As you sit with your microwaved leftovers for lunch, it might surprise you that Italian companies commonly give their employers meal vouchers as a worker perk.
Startup EatsReady has developed a platform that issues digital meal vouchers via a handy app and connects companies, employees and businesses operating in the catering and large-scale distribution sector to create value equally towards the entire ecosystem.
The company was founded in 2017 and has over 50 active corporate clients, including Treatwell, Klarna and Telepass.
It uses an active merchant network of more than 2,000 independent restaurants, restaurant chains, supermarket chains and online delivery services, including Esselunga, Poke House and Deliveroo.
Flexing its muscle in the Italian market
Following a €15 million Series A raise last month, Coverflex is executing its commitment to international expansion. This is Coverflex's fourth acquisition since its launch in 2021 and the first in Italy.
The acquisition of EatsReady's meal voucher licence enables Coverflex to be part of the exclusive group of only ten companies in Italy that can operate in the buoni pasto market.
During 2023, Coverflex will migrate all EatsReady clients to its own welfare platform.
The decision to choose Italy as the first step in the internationalisation path of Coverflex was driven by the country's potential as a fertile market, which currently needs more flexibility and digitalisation in managing employee benefits.
Companies using Coverflex enjoy a 100% digital solution for managing benefits, discounts, and meal vouchers.
The company has already established a strong presence in Portugal, serving over 70,000 employees from over 3,600 companies.
Lead image: Coverflex mobile app.


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Now, Apple CEO Tim Cook joins Twitter bandwagon!
Washington: Apple CEO Tim Cook is the latest to join Twitter, as the latest iPhones continue to sell-out and the launch of new iOS7 has customers all excited.
As soon as the tech giant`s chief marked his Twitter presence with @tim_cook, he gained 65,500 followers and his tweet which talked of his visit to the California retail store, where he met customers lined up to grab their version of the iPhone5S , garned 3,297 retweets.
According to ABC, Cook is known to be a very private person and very little is known about his personal life.
Other than Cook, Apple`s senior vice president of Internet Software and Services Eddy Cue and Senior Vice President Worldwide Marketing Phil Schiller are also on microblogging site but rarely tweet.
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Week Ending: 14th October 2011 (Week 41, Report No: 41/11)
The week ended with the highest level of activity being recorded in the secondhand market, lower levels of newbuilding activity and firmer volume of demolition transactions.
Overall, the secondhand ship purchasing activity is up by 113% in comparison with the ordering momentum, while the demolition activity is 12.5% down from the total number of orders reported and down by 58.8% from the secondhand ship purchasing activity.
The week closed with 48 transactions reported worldwide in the secondhand and demolition market, up by 17% from previous week and up by 26.3% from a similar week in 2010, when 38 transactions had been reported and secondhand ship purchasing activity was 82% higher than the ordering business.
In the demolition market, a firmer volume of scrapping activity came to light from last weeks’ weak levels.
The downward revision of scrap prices for the dry/general cargo continues for a second consecutive week with India and Bangladesh paying $495/ldt, China $430/ldt and Pakistan being one breath from the Indian subcontinent region by offering $490/ldt.
Some deals have been emerged the last days in the Bangladesh market, but there is still no official extension of the last market’s deadline on October 12th.
In the meantime, Bangladesh has announced its plans for the creation of a “Ship Building / Ship Recycling Board” service under the Ministry of Industries that will be responsible for monitoring the import of ships of recycling in Bangladesh.
In the wet market, scrap levels keep their pace with India and Bangladesh paying $525/ldt. Pakistan seems to have regained its power by picking up again wet units, while in China business has slowed down due to the National October holidays underway.
The week ended with 14 vessels reported to have been headed to the scrap yards of total deadweight 874,228 tons.
In terms of the reported number of transactions, the demolition activity has been marked with a 40% week-on-week increase and regarding the total deadweight sent for scrap there has been a 190% increase.
In terms of scrap rates, the highest scrap rate has been achieved this week in the tanker sector by Pakistan for a tanker of 91,717 dwt “NOSTOS” with 13,592/ldt at $540/ldt, while in the dry sector India has paid $540/ldt for a container of 40,379 dwt “MSC AURELIE”.
India and Pakistan have attracted 57% of the total demolition activity.
At a similar week in 2010, demolition activity was down by 50% from the current levels, in terms of the reported number of transactions, 7 vessels had been reported for scrap of total deadweight 36,623 tons with no scrapping activity in the bulk carrier and tanker segment, with India and Pakistan offering $435-410/ldt for dry and $465-%440/ldt for wet cargo.
Source: Hellenic Shipping News (Sourced from Golden Destiny SA)


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Here come retail sales ...
Economists forecast that sales rose by 0.1% in June from May, according to Bloomberg.
Headline sales growth may be weighed down by cheaper gas and lower car sales .Stripping out automobile and gas sales, so-called core retail sales are estimated to rise 0.4%. Both would be faster rates than the previous month.
Consumer expectations for the economy as measured by the University of Michigan's survey have softened this year. That appears to be linked to opinions about economic policy, according to Ellen Zentner, Morgan Stanley's chief US economist.
"Yet as households' optimism around tax reform ebbs and flows, a healthy backdrop for current finances and strong job growth are likely to support consumer spending," she said in a preview.
Consumer spending accounts for more than two-thirds of the US economy, and so retail sales offer a pulse check.


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Cowen, a financial services firm, has opened a digital asset division called Cowen Digital. It wants to lead US banks in the growing crypto segment. The new unit would be led by Drew Forman, who has worked as a managing director and head of equity derivatives for the company will offer financial solutions, derivatives, and futures in the future, as well as institutional DeFi and NFT access.
Cowen Digital will also offer custody solutions through the firm’s partnership with PolySign’s Standard Custody and Trust Company. The firm had collaborated with PolySign in May 2021 to offer clients easier access to crypto. Currently, it is trading 16 cryptocurrencies, including bitcoin, ether, chainlink, uniswap, polygon, and decentraland.
An institutional crypto trading source highlighted that Cowan has a large custody and clearing business. The firm has hundreds if not thousands of institutional clients that trade through them. The source stated this to be a captive audience. A spokesperson for Cowen said the division of the digital assets meant a huge amount of coordination. The company spent more than a year establishing the unit. The spokesperson outlined that Cowen is more nimble when it comes to entering innovative markets like digital assets. The company is currently trading in 35 states and intends to expand globally.
Banks in the United States are now exploring cryptocurrencies, with Goldman Sachs having just days ago added crypto products. It has partnered with Galaxy Digital Holdings for a first-of-its-kind OTC bitcoin.


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Half of the 682 companies questioned expect to spend more on new machinery and premises over the next six months, a 12 per cent rise on the same period last year.
According to the report, a similar appetite exists for adopting new technologies with 40 per cent of firms indicating they will fund more activity in this area.
Just over half (53 per cent) of SME manufacturers reported an increase in sales in the first half of the year, with 67 per cent predicting further growth over the next six months.
In a statement, David Caddle, area director for the Manufacturing Advisory Service, said, ‘Manufacturers tend to be very cautious and traditionally would have needed significant confidence in the long-term future to relax the purse strings.
‘Encouragingly, the latest Barometer provides the clearest indication yet that companies are prepared to invest in new machinery and their premises in a bid to remain competitive and take advantage of significant opportunities both at home and abroad. It is a reassuring finding and appears to meet the EEF’s recent call for the sector to fund more research, innovation and export growth.”
This sense of optimism is also present when it comes to employing new staff with 43 per cent of SMEs planning to hire new staff and a further 50 per cent expecting to keep workforce levels the same. “
The second MAS Barometer of 2013 collected responses from 682 manufacturing SMEs across England, providing an overview of economic conditions and issues faced by the sector from April to June this year.
The regular quarterly special focus concentrated on finding out whether business growth could be linked to innovation.
A total of 82 per cent of respondents reported that new products introduced over the last two years had led to new sales,with 55 per cent reporting an increase in sales and profits. Over a third of respondents said that new sales accounted for 25 per cent or more of their total turnover.
The Barometer also revealed the diverse requirements of the automotive, defence and food and drink sector are being fulfilled by the majority of respondents. Marine, aerospace and oil and gas are also generating strong demand.
· Half of the 682 firms questioned are planning to invest in new machinery and premises
· 67 per cent are predicting future increases in sales turnover – highest recorded since survey began
· 82 per cent of firms have gained new sales as a result of introducing new products or services in the past two years


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Apple has launched the iPhone 5C, a lower-cost device designed to appeal to buyers that want to get in on the iPhone action, but don’t want to shell out for a top-end model.
The 5C was announced today at Apple’s launch event in Cupertino, California.
The device will come with a polycarbonate shell and the option of a green, white, blue, pink, or yellow “soft-feel” silicon rubber surround.
Key hardware specs include a 4-inch Retina display, 8-megapixel camera and the same A6 processor found in the iPhone 5. There’s also an HD forward-facing Facetime camera too.
On contract, prices start from $99 in the US for the 16GB version and $199 for the 32GB model. The colored cases are an additional $29 each. Pre-orders start from September 13 and the handsets are due to go on sale from September 20 in the US, UK, Australia, China, Canada, France, Germany, Japan and Singapore.
While extending the range by adding in lower tier models is not traditionally a territory Apple has been willing to dabble in, the move to include a model with changeable, different colored shells reflects Apple’s desire to make a bigger impression in markets like China, as well as in Europe and domestically.
Apple announces the iPhone 5S
Apple has finally announced the next member of the iPhone family, known simply as the iPhone 5S .
The device was introduced today at a launch event in Cupertino, California. As well as coming in silver, gold and grey, the iPhone 5S comes running iOS 7, which brings a new look and new notifications to the platform, as well as features like AirDrop and a new 3D tabbed UI for Safari.
Under-the-bonnet, the device uses an all new A7 chip which Apple said is the first time a 64-bit chip in a smartphone; the end result is over “twice as fast” as the previous generation, Apple said.
As well as giving the processor a bump in perfomance, Apple has also introduced a “Motion coprocessor” so the device can tell if you’re stationary, walking or driving.
If your mind turns to battery life at this point, Apple claims the 5S has up to 250 hours of standby time and 10 hours of LTE browsing.
The camera on the device has also been overhauled for the new iteration to include an F2.2 aperture lens and a dual LED flash – one white and one amber for better color balance in the images. It also includes auto-image stabilization. As well as this, the camera has slow-motion capability too, thanks to the ability to capture 720p video at 120 frames-per-second (fps).
As well as focusing on beefing up the camera capabilities, Apple has also added a biometric finger print sensor (buried inside the ‘home’ button) called TouchID that is 170 microns thin and scans your sub-epidermal skin layers. All of which is to say, you can unlock your phone without needing a pass code or can even scan your fingerprint to carry out actions in apps, like authenticating iTunes purchases.
Pricing for the device, on a 2 year contract, is set at $199 for the 16GB model, $299 for the 32GB model and $399 for the 64GB option. Pre-orders start from September 13 and the handsets are due to go on sale from September 20 in the US, UK, Australia, China, Canada, France, Germany, Japan and Singapore. By the end of the year, it should be available in more than 100 countries, Apple said.
Apple traditionally releases a more dramatic redesign of the iPhone hardware every other year, and the overall design of the iPhone 5S keeps true to this cadence, with minor tweaks here and there but the same overall look.
iPhoto, iMovie, Pages, Numbers and Keynote apps to be free on all new iOS 7 devices
Apple iPhoto, iMovie and the iWork suite for iOS will be free for “all new iOS 7 devices”. That’s the exact wording Apple used so it’s unclear if existing iDevice users that qualify for an iOS 7 upgrade will be getting the same kind of treatment or if they will still have to pay for those apps.
Once you get a new iOS 7-running iPhone, iPad or iPod Touch, the OS will automatically offer you to download those apps.
So, you will get the five apps (iPhoto, iMovie, Pages, Keynote and Numbers) for free, saving you cool $42, which is what they used to cost so far.
Apple iOS 7 updates kick off September 18
Apple has just announced the iOS 7 update will become available on all compatible iGadgets on September 18. The update will be distributed for free, of course.
The iOS 7 is compatible with iPhone 4 and above, iPad 2 and above, iPad mini and iPod Touch 5th generation.
Apple has also announced it will supply all iOS 7 devices with iPhoto, iMovie, Pages, Numbers and Keynote apps for free.


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It was quite a surprise when Microsoft neglected to launch a Surface Mini device during a recent press event in New York City. Leading up to the event, Microsoft had sent out invites
for "a small gathering," which was seemingly a big hint that a Surface Mini would be on tap. Combined with the rumors and speculation, along with a Surface Mini case
that appeared on Amazon, it seemed like a foregone conclusion. So, what happened?
Microsoft launched a Surface Pro 3
instead. This too was rumored to launch alongside the Surface Mini leading up to the event, but rather than share the stage, it stole the show with a solo act. Apparently Microsoft got cold feet at last the minute and abandoned plans to launch a Surface Mini within days of the event.
According to Neowin
, the decision not to launch the Surface Mini was a "management directive," and one that came after Microsoft had already produced between 15,000 to 20,000 of them. Now they sit somewhere, perhaps in a warehouse, awaiting their fate.
That's not a ton of devices in the grand scheme of things, and if Microsoft decides to forge ahead with a Surface Mini at a later date, perhaps they'll end up sold to consumers after all. However, the longer Microsoft waits to make that decision, the less relevant the hardware inside will be.
As to why Microsoft got cold feet, there have been a few different reasons floating around. One is that Microsoft didn't feel it had enough differentiating features to be a hit. Another -- and one that's related -- is that Microsoft just felt it wouldn't sell all that well. Yet another reason is that Microsoft wants to wait until a touch-based version of Office is available, which could come this fall.


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Three of the largest cryptocurrency mining hardware manufacturers are preparing to launch initial public offerings (IPOs) in Hong Kong. However, the crypto price slump and regulatory issues could negatively impact on the success of said offerings.
Is the Demand Still There to Necessitate IPOs?
Bitmain, Canaan Inc., and Ebang International Holdings are the three largest producers of Bitcoin mining equipment on the planet.
The three are all currently preparing to launch independent initial public offerings in Hong Kong.
However, experts believe that falling cryptocurrency prices this year will lessen demand for mining units. Potential investors should therefore be wary about taking part in these offerings. An executive at consultancy firm Quinlan & Associates explained:
“The marked decline in the price of bitcoin since the start of the year is likely to weigh on investors’ interest in these companies… [Yet] the fall in the price of bitcoin from its peaks has not been matched by an equivalent fall in the numbers of people mining it.”
Julian Hosp, the president of blockchain firm TenX added that coins could switch mining algorithms too, which makes investing in such an offering even riskier. However, since Bitmain themselves make up a large portion of the Bitcoin hash rate, it would be incredibly foolish for them to back a change that would render their own hardware redundant.
Canaan Inc. filed plans for their offering in May. It hopes to raise at least $400 million from an IPO. Concerns about the future of the market have meant that the firm has since reduced its initial target figure of $2 billion. According to a report in Reuters, Canaan chips accounted for around 14% of the entire Bitcoin mining market last year.
Meanwhile, Ebang International is aiming to raise as much as $1 billion. Its offering is thought to be ready for consideration by the listing committee in September. The plans themselves were filed in June of this year.
Dwarfing them all is Bitmain. Their chips accounted for a massive three quarters of the mining market last year. Reports on their goals for their IPO have varied tremendously. At the upper end of estimates, figures as large as $18 billion have been cited. It is now thought that Bitmain aims to raise a still-impressive $3 billion in their offering. That said, concerns about the management of Bitmain itself have been raised in relation to their IPO.
In addition to the above concerns over demand and potential (although unlikely) technological problems, there are also regulatory issues with the future of cryptocurrencies, as well as the IPOs themselves. The Reuters article cites sources “close” to the various deals as being “aware” of the regulatory scrutiny on the industry.
In light of questionable demand for Bitcoin hardware going forward, the companies are keen to stress that their powerful chips can be put to other uses other than cryptocurrency mining. Other blockchain applications, AI tools, and 5G telecoms, are mentioned as potential use cases for the specialised hardware.
Featured image from Shutterstock.


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Big changes a-brewing at Badger Mountain
The always-bustling Badger Mountain Brewing in Wenatchee has been undergoing interesting year-end changes. Take a look:
Country Boy’s no longer city boys: Barbecue lovers can say bye-bye to Country Boy’s slabs of baby-backs in Wenatchee. At least for now.
Country Boy’s Southern Style BBQ, arguably the most popular barbecue restaurant in North Central Washington, closed its Wenatchee outlet in November after nearly two years of serving. The outfit’s original restaurant in Cashmere remains open and busy.
Owners Tom and Anitra Dew opened their Wenatchee location inside Badger Mountain Brewing in January 2013. “Business was good,” said Tom. “We were busy much of the time.”
The good news? Tom said they’re meeting with building owners in Wenatchee to find another location for their restaurant. “We want our barbecue in Wenatchee,” said Tom. “We’re continuing to look for a space that works for us.”
Details: Country Boy’s Southern Style BBQ, 400 Aplets Way, Cashmere. Phone: 782-7427. Web: countryboysbbq.com.
Badger brews up new menus: Barbecue has departed Badger Mountain Brewing, but those beer drinkers still crave eats. So what’s next on the brewery’s menu?
Manager Jim Blair said the brewhouse moved quickly to invite Chris & Beck’s Gyros, a mobile food trailer, to set up shop in their parking lot. Now brew buffs can grab a lamb-feta-tzatziki Greek sandwich and take it into the bar to accompany their drinks.
But that’s not all. Blair said Badger Mountain has plans to offer in-house goodies soon. He’s talking pizzas, sandwiches, paninis and the like.
And that’s still not all. Plans are underway for a full kitchen build-out to be completed in the next four to six months that’ll give provide customers with “upscale pub food” such as gourmet macaroni and cheese, deluxe nachos and baked oysters.
And that’s STILL not all. Sometime in the next four or five months, Badger Mountain will open its new distillery to produce a line of hard liquors. Blair said they’ll start with a “white product,” such as moonshine, and work their way up to bourbon and a single-malt whiskey.
“Equipment has already been ordered and is on the way,” said Blair. “We’re serious about getting the distillery up and running as soon as possible.”
Details: Badger Mountain Brewing, 1 Orondo Ave., Wenatchee. Phone: 888-2234. Web: Facebook.com/badgermountainbrewing.
Riverside9 Apartments will be home for new businesses
A decade after city officials launched development plans for Wenatchee’s waterfront, the first new commercial buildings along Riverside Drive have begun to take shape.
The two residential-commercial structures, now underway with completion set for October 2015, could bring an assortment of businesses to the Riverside9 Apartments, the city’s newest, largest and arguably most upscale apartment project in years.
“We’re thrilled to see the arrival of these commercial buildings,” said Steve King, the city’s director of community and economic development. “They reflect back to the city’s original vision for a waterfront complex of residential, commercial and recreation opportunities.”
Plans call for one building to house two 3,000-square-foot retail spaces with apartments on the two floors above. The other building would contain 20 “live-work” units with smaller first-floor spaces for craft studios or offices for professionals such as accountants or insurance agents.
“We view these commercial spaces as both amenities for Riverside9’s tenants and added businesses for Wenatchee’s residents,” said Jackie Fisher, commercial leasing manager for Weidner Apartment Homes, owner of the Riverside9 Apartments.
“The project,” she said, “is like a partnership with the local business community that we hope brings further development” to Riverside Drive, which has long been considered ripe for development.
So far, she said, a dozen businesses have shown interest in renting the retail spaces, but final tenants haven’t been named. Possible tenants could include a convenience store, coffee shop, a home decor store or others. When finished, the buildings will cap two years of construction of the $30 million, 312-unit Riverside9 Apartments, built on 6.4 waterfront acres along the Apple Capital Recreation Loop Trail. Apartments range in size from around 498 square feet to 1,563 square feet. Monthly rents range from $775 to $1,374.
The apartments have rented nearly as fast as they’ve been completed, said Fisher. “We’re not 100 percent occupied, but almost.” Construction is about 75 percent complete.
In 2003-04, the city created a plan that included its vision for waterfront development with Riverside Drive as an integral part of those plans. The city had hoped for a stronger commercial presence after a $10 million upgrade of the road in 2009, but the downturn in the economy slowed most new construction.
Still, some waterfront development has taken place along Riverside Drive, most notably the $52 million Town Toyota Center (opened in 2008) and, across the street, the Riverwalk Condominiums near Walla Walla Point Park. Existing warehouses near Fifth Street have also been renovated to accommodate a brewery, cigar shop and fitness center.
In the downtown area, Pybus Public Market (opened in 2013) anchors hopes of further development along the Columbia River, including the 57-room Chrysalis Inn and Spa proposed for a 3-acre site just north of Pybus.
North of downtown, “Riverside9 is the perfect start” to a new phase of development, said King. “It’s a concrete example of the possibilities, of what can happen there.”
Legislature 2015: School funding has lawmakers scratching their heads
How to boost education funding and keep a balanced budget?
Lawmakers and lobbyists scratched their heads Dec. 10 in trying to explain to local business folks how the state might increase school programs and shrink class sizes and still have enough money for everything else.
“It’ll likely be our biggest effort” of the 2015 legislative session, sophomore State Rep. Brad Hawkins, R-East Wenatchee, told members of the Wenatchee Valley Chamber of Commerce at the group’s annual Legislative Preview. “Know that we’ll be giving it our full attention.”
Twelfth District lawmakers Hawkins and Sen. Linda Evans Parlette led a breakfast panel that also included Jon DeVaney, president of the Washington State Tree Fruit Association and Sheri Nelson, government affairs director for the Association of Washington Business. About 60 Chamber members attended the early-morning gathering at Town Toyota Center.
Lawmakers said they’re feeling the squeeze between maintaining a balanced four-year budget — a condition imposed by the Legislature in 2012 — and meeting demands of the state Supreme Court’s McCleary decision along with passage of Initiative 1351 in November.
The McCleary decision is a court order that requires the legislature to increase spending per student by 2018, while I-1351 calls for reduction in class sizes beginning in the 2015-2017 biennium.
Economists have estimated that funding the McCleary decision and I-1351 could cost billions of dollars per year — money the state doesn’t have.
“State revenues are up 9 percent,” said Parlette. “But is that enough to fund even part of these new demands? Time will tell.”
The 105-day 2015 legislative session kicks off Jan. 12 and ends April 27. But, said Nelson of the AWB, rumors have circulated that complicated issues could extend the session by several weeks. “We joke with legislators that if they’re renting a house for the session, they’d better rent it through June.”
Other topics at the legislative preview:
Transportation — An $8 billion transportation package, which included some road and rail projects in North Central Washington, failed to gain a vote during the last legislative session.
Parlette said it’s possible the package could be revived in the upcoming session, but that Republicans would want to push through some changes in how projects are chosen and funding allocated.
Business climate — The state’s fruit growers are wary of increased regulations and taxes that could hinder business growth, said DeVaney of the tree fruit group. “We’re always looking for policies and taxes that might increase the cost of business and put us at a disadvantage against our competitors,” he said. Concerns are also growing, he added, that Gov. Jay Inslee’s initiatives to curb climate change could add costs for the ag industry, including reformulated fuels that would add $1 per gallon to gasoline prices.
Minimum wage — The push for a $15 minimum wage worries small business owners, said Nelson of the AWB. “The minimum wage was never meant to be a living wage,” she said. “Maybe we should change its name to ‘training wage.’” The state’s current minimum wage of $9.47 per hour is one of the highest in the U.S., she noted. “Toss in sick leave, vacation and health care, and it’s probably closer to $12 an hour — and that’s a huge portion of costs for the state’s small businesses.”
Not just horsing around
The Alatheia Riding Center, a nonprofit therapy facility that uses horses in its programs, has been featured in the fall issue of Fjord Herald, a quarterly publication of the Norwegian Fjord Horse Registry.
The article on therapeutic riding, written by Alatheia founder Nancy Grette, highlights ways the facility’s six Fjord horses are used to develop strength, balance, coordination, social skills and cognitive abilities in clients with physical, mental or learning disabilities. Clients range in age from 3 to 74.
“In the five years since we started Alatheia Riding Center, we’ve seen remarkable transformations in the lives and abilities of many of our clients,” said Grette.
Last year, Alatheia served 48 riders through weekly, semi-private lessons.
Hort Day looking for participants to join Jan. 19 trade show
Organizers of the Lake Chelan Horticulture Day are seeking vendors to show products and services at the annual event.
Sponsored by Chelan FFA Alumni, the Hort Day will run from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Jan. 19 at Chelan High School, 215 W. Webster Ave.
The event brings together producers, professionals and businesses in horticulture and viticulture from around the Lake Chelan Valley for a day of meetings, workshops and a trade show.
Both booth and outdoor display space are available for vendors. Booth rental space starts at $125. Proceeds help provide scholarships and support for the Chelan FFA.
For more info, contact the trade show’s coordinator Rod Cool at 682-4061.
Labor dispute continues to squeeze NCW apple exports
Just when North Central Washington’s apple industry was hoping for mega-exports from its largest crop in history, millions of boxes of ready-to-ship fruit are threatened with shipping delays in a labor dispute at the state’s major ports.
“The timing couldn’t be worse,” Jon DeVaney, president of the Washington State Tree Fruit Association, said in December. “Weeks of delays have turned this into a critical situation.”
Fruit industry execs say a months-long dispute between the International Longshore and Warehouse Union and the Pacific Maritime Association — which represents port operators in Seattle, Tacoma and Longview — has put the squeeze on exports, including apple shipments to key markets in Latin America and Asia. Shipping slowdowns began three weeks ago and are expected to continue into December.
Neither side has given details of their negotiations, which began July 1 when the ILWU contract expired.
Local fruit companies, including Stemilt Growers, confirmed they’ve been affected by port slowdowns but declined to comment further. The Seattle Times reported Dec. 18 that Chelan Fresh, based in Chelan, had temporarily laid off 250 workers and cut 70 workers from full time to part time due to the labor slowdown.
In December, loading and unloading of ships docked in Seattle and Tacoma slowed by as much as 60 percent, said PMA officials, as union workers either walked off the job early each day or were sent home by supervisors. ILWU officials — representing 13,900 workers at 29 west coast ports, including Seattle and Tacoma — said the slowdowns were due to mismanagement and shortage of equipment.
An exact count of delayed shipments has been elusive, said fruit officials. Containers waiting in ports for longer than a couple of days have often been redirected to domestic markets. A few shipments to Latin America have even been trucked to ports in the southeastern U.S. such as Houston, New Orleans or Miami.
But DeVaney said total apple shipments (domestic and exports) in November averaged around 3.1 million boxes per week in recent years. This year, after port slowdowns began Oct. 31, November’s weekly shipment dropped around 500,000 boxes to about 2.6 million.
NCW apples are packed in refrigerated shipping containers that can keep fruit relatively fresh for weeks, said Rebecca Lyons, export marketing director for the Washington Apple Commission. But with shipments taking 14 to 21 days to reach their destinations, any delays would reduce the fruit’s shelf life once it arrived in export markets.
The Apple Commission has boosted efforts this year to sell up to 40 percent more apples in the industry’s largest export markets — China, India, Mexico and Canada. The push follows a record-breaking harvest of more than 140 million boxes with some unofficial estimates reaching 155 million boxes. The previous record harvest was 128 million boxes in 2012.
“With the domestic apple sales fairly stable, we’re looking to the export markets to sell these millions of additional boxes,” said Lyons. “A timely shipping schedule is crucial to this type of marketing.”
The port slowdowns place large portions of the state’s food and farm product exports in jeopardy, say ag officials. More than $15 billion worth of farm products ship out through Washington ports each year, according to the state Department of Agriculture. Apples, potatoes and Christmas trees head the list of exported products.
As a result, hundreds of millions of dollars in apple sales are at stake, say fruit officials, as overseas consumers enter prime food-spending periods — Christmas in Latin America, Chinese New Year in China and Southeast Asia.
“Missing any delivery deadline undermines the chances of continuing sales,” said DeVaney. “It opens the doors for our competitors to step in.”
In particular, said DeVaney, European apple growers have aggressively stepped up efforts to peddle their fruit in international markets after East Asia exports dwindled following conflict between Russia and Ukraine.
“It’s critical that shipments make their target delivery dates in some of these big international markets,” said DeVaney. “We’ve got all these apples, we sure as heck want to sell them.”
Orchardists John Gebbers, Randy Smith on Tree Top board
A top exec for Gebbers Farms has been chosen to serve on the board of directors of Tree Top, the juice cooperative based in Selah.
John (Johnny) Howard Gebbers, operations manager for Gebbers Farms’s warehouses, was elected to the 3-year term at Tree Top’s shareholders meeting in November in Yakima. Gebbers, 34, is one of the youngest directors on the board.
“Our cooperative is comprised of a wide array of growers, from those managing just a few acres to those with dozens of orchards and large-scale business operations,” said Tree Top CEO Tom Stokes. Younger generations in farm management readily embrace new technologies and evolving business practices, he said.
“We’ve got a really nice balance of growers on the Board to represent the memberships’ interests,” said Stokes.
Tree Top shareholders also re-elected orchardists Randy Smith of Cashmere and Warren Morgan of Quincy to new 3-year terms on the 12-member board. Smith was chosen board chairman for the third straight year.
Tree Top, one of the state’s largest privately-held companies, is an ag cooperative owned by more than 1,000 apple and pear growers. The company has eight processing facilities in Oregon, California and Washington, including one in Wenatchee.
New chef caters to convention crowds
What’s cookin’ at the Wenatchee Convention Center? A brand new chef.
Leonard Silva, a 15-year veteran in the culinary trade, joined the convention center’s hospitality team last month after years of working in high-end kitchens from Seattle to Montana to Connecticut. He’ll oversee all of the convention center’s kitchen operations and catering.
Silva got his start as a dishwasher at Angelo’s Italian Restaurant in Lakewood, where he eventually cooked his way up to head chef. Later, he learned formal culinary and pastry techniques through internships with several hot-shot chefs. He’s worked as an executive chef, a corporate chef and as head chef in private residences. Silva particularly enjoys serving the elderly and was recently dining services manager at two senior living communities in Seattle.
“I’m looking forward to working in the heart of Washington,” said Silva. “Wenatchee offers easy access to some of the world’s best fruits and vegetables and boasts excellent local producers.”
Plus, his family has history in central Washington. “Many years ago my grandfather made apple crates here, and my great-aunt cooked at various Wenatchee hotels,” Silva said.
Paine Electronics joins billion-dollar Emerson
One of our area’s most high-tech companies — Paine Electronics in East Wenatchee — has been bought by the billion-dollar tech giant Emerson.
The purchase, announced last month, would add Paine’s sensor technology and manufacturing to Emerson’s stable of companies that provide automation for the oil and gas, pulp and paper, power and water, mining and metals and food and beverage industries. Last year, Emerson had $24.7 billion in sales.
Paine designs and produces pressure transducers and transmitters for extreme environments, such as deep-sea oil rigs and high-flying military and aerospace equipment. The 62-year-old, employee-owned company (with additional offices in Renton) recently added a new research-and-development facility.
“Paine’s products are a natural complement to our already-strong measurement technologies for the oil and gas industry,” said Tom Moser, an Emerson vice-president. “We’re excited about the synergy between our two companies and the opportunities for global business growth.”
PetHub collars technology to help locate lost pets
The story goes like this: Man loses dog. Man checks smartphone. Man finds dog.
Sounds simple enough, but it’s taken Tom Arnold years of thinking, experimentation and software code-writing to perfect PetHub.com, a startup tech company that helps reunite lost pets with hopeful owners.
“Our goal is to return home as many lost pets as possible,” said Arnold, who founded the online service in Seattle but now runs it from Wenatchee. “We’re aiming for a million customers by the end of 2016.”
Now with over 100,000 members, PetHub uses info-packed collar tags to direct the finders of lost animals to a website and call center that provides owners’ contact info and pet profiles — the pet’s name, description and any important medical and behavioral information.
The collar tag is imprinted with a QR code, or Quick Response barcode, that can easily be read by smartphones. A toll-free phone number and PetHub’s website address are also on the tag. The newest PetHub tags, just hitting the market, even link the pet to an owner’s smartphone via Bluetooth and can scan up to 500 feet away for a lost pet.
In the last two years, the company has reconnected more than 400 pets with their owners, while scores more may have been located by direct contact between finder and owner, a statistic not tracked by PetHub. Of the 400 returned home, 97 percent were found less than a day, said Arnold, and the rest in less than two days.
Here’s how it works: Sally finds a trembling shih tzu in her backyard that’s registered with PetHub. Using a smartphone, she scans the animal’s collar tag and is instantly connected to the pet’s profile and owner’s contact info. (Or she can call the toll-free number on the tag to be connected with PetHub’s call center.) Simultaneously, pet owner Bob receives an email notification that someone has located little FiFi and his pet’s profile has been scanned and checked.
“The clear message is that this system works,” said Arnold. “Over the last two years, we’ve had great success.”
Arnold came up with the PetHub idea back in 2009 when his job at Microsoft repeatedly took him abroad. “I worried about my cats left behind and what would happen if they got loose and, even worse, got lost,” he said. “I wanted a system that was easier and more efficient.”
He soon left Microsoft “to dig a little deeper” into the idea of pet-locating software and in 2010 formed PetHub.
The collar-tag system, said Arnold, is designed to complement microchipping and mesh with tag ID systems already being used by animal shelters and veterinarians.
Arnold said statistics on lost pets are “downright scary.” According to his company’s research, one out of three animals goes missing in its lifetime. Only 18 percent of dogs are found, and only 2 percent of cats return home. Just 10 percent of America’s dogs and cats are microchipped, but 57 percent of the microchip data is out of date — carrying wrong addresses or phone numbers.
“Our thinking is, ‘why not raise the bar?’” said Arnold. “Why not use the power of the Internet, social media and smartphones to help locate lost pets more quickly and efficiently? That’s where PetHub comes in.”
Technically a software company, PetHub licenses its system to collar-tag manufacturers who etch PetHub QR codes on the backs of their tags. Purchasers have the choice to become PetHub members — either registering for the free basic service or adding features with a yearly subscription membership.
“The more members we have, the larger the safety net grows to find lost pets,” said Arnold. “The larger the net in a particular area, the more likely it is for a pet to return home.”
Currently, said Arnold, PetHub works with 11 manufacturers to produce coded tags and has seen 20 percent growth in the last two quarters. He hopes the company’s newest high-tech offering boosts business even more.
PetHub’s Signal, a tag embedded with a Bluetooth chip, allows a pet owner to scan nearby areas (up to 500 feet away) for a lost pet. It also contains a small speaker — beep! beep! — and a flashing LED bulb for owners to locate their animals from a distance.
“Every step we take with this (tag) technology is a way to help lower the number of animals going into shelters,” said Arnold. “We want to find more animals who aren’t making it home. Our mission is to have pets live long, happy lives with their owners.”
South’s bar at Pybus ranks with state’s best
Let’s give a hearty toast to South, the Latin restaurant at Pybus Public Market in Wenatchee, for being named one of “Washington’s 10 Best Bars Outside of Seattle” by the lifestyle website Thrillist.com.
South’s bar at Pybus ranks with some of the state’s classic watering holes, including The Brick Tavern in Roslyn, The Brown Lantern in Anacortes and The Barnacle in Eastsound. The Pybus location has basically the same drink menu as restaurant’s original location in Leavenworth.
In choosing South, reporter Chona Kasinger at Thrillist.com wrote: “Boasting 50 different mezcals and tequilas, plus a hefty selection of rum, pisco and cachaca, South’s booze lineup matches anything you’ll find in Seattle, and they’ve got a lengthy menu filled with Latin and Mexican classics like their Cubano burrito, four types of enchiladas and much, much more.”
Tax webinar for business owners rescheduled
The state Department of Revenue will host a live webinar this month to help business owners better understand the whys and hows of filing their taxes online.
The free one-hour webinar will be held 10 a.m. Jan. 7. The registration deadline is Jan. 4. This session was originally scheduled for Dec. 10.
“Whether you’re a small business or a CPA who handles multiple accounts, e-file offers several advantages over traditional paper filing,” said a Revenue press release. Those include 24-hour access to your tax return and payment system and automatic error checking.
Webinar participants will learn how to file electronically, how to sign up for electronic due date reminders and sales tax changes and how to use various payment options, including EFT debit, EFT credit, E-check, and credit cards.
To register, send an email to NBOWebinar@dor.wa.gov. Include your name, company name, phone number and email address.