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16 Nov 2017 - The Financial Markets Authority (FMA) has concluded an investigation into certain trading activity by Goldman Sachs New Zealand LTD (GS). The GS investigation was prompted by concerns arising from an investigation into trading by Mark Warminger and Milford Asset Management. The FMA was concerned that GS trading may have been in breach of section 11B of the Securities Market Act 1988 by creating a false or misleading appearance to the price and supply of securities.
The FMA determined that pursuing enforcement action in court would not have been the most appropriate response to this case or the best way to achieve its regulatory objectives. The FMA decided to publish a report based on its concerns about the alleged misconduct in the investigation, and to educate the market about its expectations surrounding trading by brokers.
The FMA decided not to go to court based on a number of factors, each detailed in the report. These include litigation risk and limited regulatory options available in this case and the details of the specific misconduct alleged. The FMA also considered the significant cost, time and resources required in pursuing litigation would outweigh the potential benefits.
GS has explained the alleged misconduct to the FMA as facilitating trades for a client. Since the trading covered in the report, GS has ceased operating as a trading participant in the New Zealand market.
In addition to publishing a report, the FMA will take the following additional actions:
Work with NZX to ensure the NZX Participant rules are updated to require trading participants to maintain voice recordings.
Work with NZX to review facilitation practices by traders, including spot checks carried out on individual trades.
Continue to engage with brokers and fund managers to ensure that the lessons from the Mark Warminger judgment on market manipulation are adopted by firms. We expect market participants to assess their existing governance and controls systems - including documentation and record keeping - to ensure brokers’ facilitation practices cannot be used to excuse misconduct.
Consult with the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment to consider legislative changes to allow the FMA to refer matters directly to the NZMDT; or to enable the creation of another disciplinary tribunal for these purposes.
The FMA also considered the most proportionate response to the GS conduct would have been for the NZX to refer GS to the NZ Markets Disciplinary Tribunal (NZMDT). The NZX did not take this action.
Rob Everett, the FMA’s Chief Executive, said “Capital markets growth and integrity is a key FMA strategic priority. Successful markets rely on confident participation and any activity which threatens market integrity reduces confidence from investors and the public.
Mr Everett said, “We had a difficult decision in terms of what the appropriate regulatory response was in this instance. Ultimately, we decided that our regulatory objectives would best be met by issuing the report.”
“Publishing the results of the GS investigation enables us to demonstrate the lessons for industry in our findings. We’ll continue to engage with industry to ensure they are clear about the standards of conduct, governance, systems and controls we expect, and use this report as the basis of discussions with brokers.”
15 Nov 2017 - Westpac New Zealand Limited (Westpac) has had its minimum regulatory capital requirements increased after it failed to comply with regulatory obligations relating to its status as an internal models bank. Internal models banks are accredited by the Reserve Bank to use approved risk models to calculate how much regulatory capital they need to hold. Westpac used a number of models that had not been approved by the Reserve Bank, and materially failed to meet requirements around model governance, processes and documentation. “This is very disappointing. Operating as an internal models bank is a privilege that requires high standards and comes with considerable responsibilities. Westpac has not met our expectations in this regard,” Reserve Bank Deputy Governor and Head of Financial Stability Geoff Bascand said. The Reserve Bank required Westpac to commission an independent report into its compliance with internal models regulatory requirements. The report found that Westpac:· currently operates 17 (out of 35) unapproved capital models;
· has used 21 (out of 32) additional unapproved capital models since it was accredited as an internal models bank in 2008; and
· failed to put in place the systems and controls an internal models bank is required to have under its conditions of registration.
The Reserve Bank has decided that Westpac’s conditions of registration should be amended to increase its minimum capital levels until the shortcomings and non-compliance identified in the independent report have been remedied. Westpac’s minimum capital ratio requirements will be 6.5 percent for Common Equity Tier 1 capital, 8 percent for Tier 1 capital and 10 percent for Total capital, with the additional 2.5 percent capital conservation buffer applying. Currently, for all other locally incorporated banks capital ratios are set at, respectively, 4.5 percent, 6 percent and 8 percent, plus the 2.5 percent buffer. In addition, the Reserve Bank has accepted an undertaking by Westpac to maintain its total capital ratio above 15.1 percent until all existing issues have been resolved. The Reserve Bank has given Westpac 18 months to satisfy the Reserve Bank that it has sufficiently addressed those issues or it risks losing accreditation to operate as an internal models bank. “We believe the regulatory action is appropriate given the seriousness of Westpac’s non-compliance and the need to protect the integrity of the capital regime,” Mr Bascand said. The Reserve Bank has taken into account that Westpac has not deliberately sought to reduce its regulatory capital. While there have been serious shortcomings and non-compliance, it appears that Westpac has remained well above its required regulatory capital levels. Westpac has confirmed that it does not dispute the findings of the independent report, that it is committed to remedying all the issues identified, and that it will maintain its total capital ratio above 15.1 percent.
9 Nov 2017 - Statement by Reserve Bank Governor Grant Spencer: The Reserve Bank today left the Official Cash Rate (OCR) unchanged at 1.75 percent. Global economic growth continues to improve, although inflation and wage outcomes remain subdued. Commodity prices are relatively stable. Bond yields and credit spreads remain low and equity prices are near record levels. Monetary policy remains easy in the advanced economies but is gradually becoming less stimulatory. The exchange rate has eased since the August Statement and, if sustained, will increase tradables inflation and promote more balanced growth. GDP in the June quarter grew broadly in line with expectations, following relative weakness in the previous two quarters. Employment growth has been strong and GDP growth is projected to strengthen, with a weaker outlook for housing and construction offset by accommodative monetary policy, the continued high terms of trade, and increased fiscal stimulus. The Bank has incorporated preliminary estimates of the impact of new government policies in four areas: new government spending; the KiwiBuild programme; tighter visa requirements; and increases in the minimum wage. The impact of these policies remains very uncertain. House price inflation has moderated due to loan-to-value ratio restrictions, affordability constraints, reduced foreign demand, and a tightening in credit conditions. Low house price inflation is expected to continue, reinforced by new government policies on housing. Annual CPI inflation was 1.9 percent in September although underlying inflation remains subdued. Non-tradables inflation is moderate but expected to increase gradually as capacity pressures increase. Tradables inflation has increased due to the lower New Zealand dollar and higher oil prices, but is expected to soften in line with projected low global inflation. Overall, CPI inflation is projected to remain near the midpoint of the target range and longer-term inflation expectations are well anchored at 2 percent. Monetary policy will remain accommodative for a considerable period. Numerous uncertainties remain and policy may need to adjust accordingly. Read the Monetary Policy Statement
7 Nov 2017 - MyBitcoinSaver, the New Zealand micro-savings platform for Bitcoin, has today announced the closing of $400,000 in seed round funding. The platform, launched by Aucklander Sam Blackmore in November last year, makes it easy for New Zealanders to invest small ongoing amounts in the world’s most popular cryptocurrency, which has grown in value by almost ten times since January. The startup plans to use the funding to continue driving growth in New Zealand while also expanding into the UK market.
Investors in the seed round included Brian Cartmell, investor in the billion-dollar US Bitcoin exchange Coinbase; David Smith, director of Caci Clinic; and Techemy: the parent company of Bitcoin analysis and news company Brave New Coin.
"Bitcoin is one of the most exciting things to happen to the financial world in decades," Blackmore says.
"But until recently, the cryptocurrency world has been an exclusive little club of early adopters. Unless you were very smart or willing to spend hours hunting for them, buying Bitcoins in New Zealand hasn’t been easy. We want to help all New Zealanders tap into the exciting opportunities Bitcoin presents."
Once registering to MyBitcoinSaver, users can set up automatic bank payments of between $10 and $200 on a weekly, fortnightly, or monthly basis.
The startup then bulk buys Bitcoin from an overseas exchange and distributes it to users’ wallets that same week.
MyBitcoinSaver has grown by more than 4000% in its first year with 1460 New Zealanders signed up to the service so far.
Blackmore has been investing in Bitcoin since 2013 and initially built the early prototype of MyBitcoinSaver - with a few lines of code - for himself, friends and family.
With a limit of $200 per week per user, MyBitcoinSaver aims to be a responsible and safe platform for buying Bitcoin, encouraging its users to use a Dollar Cost Average savings approach.
"Public interest in Bitcoin has exploded and people see buying it as a sensible addition to their savings plan," Blackmore says.
"We take the stress and complication out of buying Bitcoin and help anyone - from millennials to grandparents - take part in this revolutionary financial technology."
MyBitcoinSaver will be soft-launching in the UK within the next two months with plans to roll out the service publicly after three months in Beta testing.
The startup decided to extend its operations there because London is the financial capital of the world and there’s an appetite for a safe and reliable way to buy Bitcoin with Pounds Sterling.
The $400,000 seed money will be used to hire development staff and fund marketing here and in the UK.
7 Nov - Finance Minister Grant Robertson and Reserve Bank Governor Grant Spencer today signed an unchanged Policy Targets Agreement (PTA), which sets out specific targets for maintaining price stability. The Minister also released today the Terms of Reference for a Review of the Reserve Bank Act. The Policy Targets Agreement, effective immediately, is the same as that signed by Mr Spencer and the previous Finance Minister Steven Joyce, which has been in effect since Mr Spencer’s six-month term as Governor began on 27 September. The PTA requires the Reserve Bank to keep future CPI inflation outcomes between 1 per cent and 3 per cent on average over the medium term, with a focus on keeping future average inflation near the 2 percent target midpoint. “The renewed PTA will continue to provide continuity, consistency and stability for the monetary policy target during the period of review of the monetary policy provisions of the Reserve Bank Act, and ahead of the appointment of a new Governor,” Mr Spencer said Mr Spencer said that the Bank welcomes the Review of the Reserve Bank Act and will work with the Treasury on the Review. “The Reserve Bank has been subject to several reviews in the past. The Terms of Reference state that the operational independence of the Reserve Bank remains paramount and will be protected,” he said.
7 Nov - With the risk to foreign student export market from potential changes to immigration policy, the government should increase its focus on the little cousin of education exports, edtech, NZTech chief executive Graeme Muller says. The education export industry is a $3billion market of which the majority is made up of bringing in foreign students. Today is the launch in Auckland of EdTechNZ, which is focused on growing and nurturing education tech in New Zealand, and is part of the New Zealand Tech Alliance. “While edtech is probably less than a $100 million export market at the moment we are well known internationally for our education system and a number of Kiwi edtech companies are doing very well internationally,” Muller says. “We have some great examples such as Hapara, Matheletics and Wendy Pye Publishing. Another success story is Christchurch based Linewize which developed an education specific internet management tool which competed with the government owned Network for Learning. “Linewize quickly grew an international market with the support of the New Zealand Punakaiki Investment Fund and last month was purchased by Australian stock exchange-listed Family Zone. “The edtech market, while currently small for New Zealand, is forecast to be a $344 billion global market by 2019. More than 140 edtech companies have been identified in New Zealand and a group of them have joined forces to form EdTechNZ to collaborate and support the development of edtech not only for export, but also for the benefit of the local New Zealand education sector.” Digital technologies are rapidly causing changes to work not seen since the industrial revolution. This is a global challenge and, according to the OECD, schools have yet to take advantage of the potential of technology in the classroom in order to give every student the skills they need for today’s connected world. Technology is enabling a transformation of the education system. A shift is occurring from instructional education to a more personalised, self-directed and collaborative learning experience. Increased use of computers in classrooms and increased internet connectivity are impacting on education.Technology is not only helping teachers become more efficient and saving schools money, but it is also helping to improve the quality of education which often still relies heavily on Victorian-era lecturing methods,” Muller says.
“Our studies have found that if New Zealand was to raise its education outcomes over a period of 20 years to a level comparable with Finland it would generate a 204 percent increase in GDP worth an additional US$258 billion,” Muller says, “so education is critical to our nation’s future prosperity.”
The New Zealand Bankers Association announced today that the China Construction Bank (New Zealand) Ltd has joined the association, bringing the total number of member banks to 17.
New Zealand Bankers Association chief executive Karen Scott-Howman says: We are delighted to welcome CCBNZ to the Bankers Association. China is one of New Zealands most important trading partners. Having Chinese banks here helps support this trading relationship.
CCBNZs participation in the New Zealand banking industry promotes further competition and diversity in our banking sector, says Scott-Howman.
China Construction Bank (New Zealand) chief executive Jun Qi says: CCB is one of the largest global banks by market capitalisation and total assets. It operates in 30 countries. Since our inception, CCBNZ has aspired to be the first-call Chinese bank in New Zealand. We can leverage our extensive CCB network in China and worldwide.
CCBNZ offers its customers a range of financial services, with an active focus on supporting economic cooperation and trade between New Zealand and China.
As the voice of the banking industry, the New Zealand Bankers Association supports a strong and stable banking system that benefits New Zealand. Member banks work together on a range of non-competitive industry issues.
Other New Zealand Bankers Association members are ANZ New Zealand, ASB Bank, Bank of China, Bank of New Zealand, Bank of Tokyo-Mitsubishi UFJ, Citibank, The Co-operative Bank, Heartland Bank, Hong Kong and Shanghai Banking Corporation, Industrial and Commercial Bank of China, JPMorgan Chase Bank, Kiwibank, Rabobank New Zealand, SBS Bank, TSB Bank, and Westpac New Zealand.
| An Emirates Neews Agency release || November 3, 2017 |||
31 Oct: The word “FinTech” (financial technology) has been thrown around as of late by hundreds, if not thousands, of startups looking to capitalize on the e-commerce coverage that the growing industry has been receiving. A FinTech, according to definition, is a company that uses new technology in the financial world. Originally, it was a term used to define the back end technology of established financial institutions.
Today, the term is used much more broadly and includes new financial technologies, such as Bitcoin, various e-wallet apps and capital marketplaces like Kickstarter. These companies attempt to disrupt the established financial sector and conventional financial channels by offering services that eliminate the need to use their older counterparts. Other interesting developments in the sector can be found in the insightful infographic the fellows at Play-N-Play have assembled.
Contrary to popular belief, the first truly successful FinTech companies have been around since the turn of the millennium. Some were even around since the late 90’s. The first FinTech to truly become a global financial giant out of this sector is none other than PayPal.
Today, PayPal is worth over 80 billion dollars and is, according to Forbes magazine, the 193rd biggest public company on the planet. Though this success has been nearly 18 years in the making, the rise of PayPal to global domination in the industry it pioneered has not been all smooth sailing.
PayPal was started in 1998 and was voted the worst idea of the year in 1999. The financial and venture capital firms assumed the payment processor would never be able to penetrate the market due to the immense size and market share of its competitors Visa, MasterCard and Amex.
PayPal began to convert users who found the payment system streamlined in the relatively new e-commerce experience and offered a cheaper price point for merchants than Visa, MasterCard and other conventional payment processing systems.
In 2000, PayPal had its initial meeting with eBay, a marketplace for auctioning goods. eBay was attracted to the growing user base and thought PayPal could be an asset to their business model. By 2001, PayPal began its impressive user growth and hit 100,000 users, a number that began to shake up the financial markets and bring attention to the growing FinTech sector.
In 2002, less than 4 years after being founded, PayPal had its IPO (Initial Public Offering) and immediately grew 55%, becoming NASDAQ’s biggest gainer amongst newly listed companies. eBay, immediately spotting the ecommerce growth, purchased a controlling interest in PayPal for 1.5 billion dollars.
Earlier this month Kiwibank announced it will launch another set of FinTech startups onto the global stage with its second FinTech accelerator. The inaugural FinTech accelerator resulted in several Kiwi FinTech start-ups gaining vital support, funding and expertise to build, launch and expand their products in New Zealand and world markets.
Kiwibank chief executive Paul Brock said the success of the first accelerator had encouraged Kiwibank and accelerator partners Callaghan Innovation and Creative HQ to launch version two of the innovative programme.
“The first accelerator saw exciting new Kiwi companies such as Sharesies, Accounting Pod and Tapi successfully launched to market."
“With the second accelerator, we’re looking to help even more startups capitalise on what is a $1 trillion global FinTech opportunity, and to further grow New Zealand’s FinTech ecosystem.”
The First Accelerator's Success
The inaugural Kiwibank FinTech Accelerator resulted in:
Sharesies achieving $1 million in investments and 5000 users in just eight weeks; full funding gained four weeks before the programme’s investment showcase “Demo Day"
Accounting Pod and Tapi (formerly Flatfish) achieving full funding and on track to crack $1 million annual revenue targets
Mr Brock said V2 of the accelerator would take on an even stronger global focus. “This time we want to have a strong international flavour and we’re targeting exciting overseas ventures interested in basing their FinTech operations here in New Zealand." “There’s strong interest from startups in China, Korea and elsewhere to take part."
"It’s a win-win, given that New Zealand is perfectly placed to take a lead in FinTech globally by attracting the best and brightest overseas talent and capability to help us take our own FinTech ecosystem to the next level.”
About a quarter of the 12 startups to be selected for the accelerator could come from overseas, Mr Brock said. “Quite apart from the ability for Kiwi startups to experience the thinking and technology being applied in FinTech overseas, the global networking potential alone will be invaluable.”
Investment in Chinese FinTech was NZ$9.2bn in 2016 and it is home to the four most valuable FinTech companies in the world (Alibaba’s Ant Financial, Lufax, JD Finance and Qufenqi). There are more than 400 FinTech startups in South Korea with more than NZ$120m invested in FinTechs in 2016. Globally NZ$26.3bn was invested in FinTech companies in 2016.
Sharesies founder Sonya Williams said:“We got a huge amount out of being in the accelerator – mentorship, a space to work, great corporate support. But by far and away the biggest benefit was that the accelerator gave us the start date and support we needed take Sharesies from an idea and turn it into a successful business."
"The company is never going to get off the ground until this leap of faith is taken and we got that from the Kiwibank Fintech Accelerator”
The Kiwibank FinTech Accelerator will open for applications on October 2 and the 14 week pro-gramme will begin in February 2018 and finish with a Demo Day in May 2018.
Creative HQ CEO Stefan Korn said: “Being able to run another FinTech accelerator with Kiwibank and Callaghan Innovation is an excellent step in the right direction to put Kiwi FinTech on the map globally and to establish Wellington as New Zealand’s hub for innovation in the finance sector.”
Richard Silverman penned this article on whats behind Ripple and it's future. The CEO of Ripple, Brad Garlinghouse has many reasons to feel good, being in a conference in Toronto with money maverick Ben Bernanke and crypto-genius Vitalik Buterin.
– Yes, Ripple network itself is expanding quickly as it is among few digital currencies that has intrinsic value and has started more and more to be used in real world business, having licenced more than 100 banks and financial institutions to use its blockchain technology. XRP is the only digital asset with a clear use case – it’s the best digital asset for payments.
-Ripple’s Interledger Protocol(ILP) standardize how to instantly settle transactions across different ledgers and networks. ILP can be thought of much like the protocol HTTP used in web address that become a global standard for online information exchange. At last, value can move as quickly around the world through internet just as information does, with a few clicks.
-According to Coinmarketcap, XRP now has a market cap of more than $7,7 Billion, and it is third behind the digital money giants, Bitcoin and Ethereum.
-Ripple is the only digital asset specifically designed for financial institutions. It’s pricing model is one part software license, one part professional services and one part transaction fees.
-The Ripple ecosystem with its huge financial strength used like strategic weapon which enables it to further development of its platform; while engaging the best blockchain experts, hackers, developers, software engineers,and it is constantly evolving, updating; regarding usability, reliability, security and scalability of the XRP Ledger.
-SortedDirectories amendment. This new feature is expected to be enabled in early November, but nevertheless it is advisable to upgrade the nodes as soon as possible, as non-upgraded nodes can’t participate in the consensus process or vote on future amendments. This new update will be deployed to all Ripple servers in real time upgrade which should take around four hours without disturbing the efficiency of current operations. This is another reached important milestone for Ripple.
Behind the Ripple is this great idea and vision of the global market with its Internet of Things and Internet of Value enabled by XRP.
It is estimated that by 2020 there will be 50 billion connected devices, including cars, fridges, thermostats, … this is INTERNET OF THINGS and happening now with accelerating speed. And this is just a first wave in what will be a tsunami of micropayments powering the INTERNET OF VALUE. We’ve shared our vision of an Internet of Value in which money moves like information moves today. Key to realizing that vision is lowering the cost of payments, especially cross-border payments, also very important for emerging, unbanked markets.
Actually there are $18 Trillion of cross-border payments made every year with a combined cost of about $1 trillion a year. Ripple solution through its blockchain technology allows assets to be transferred from one party directly to another without middleman, validated, permanent, completed instantly, irrevocably.
Foreign Payment Transactions is area where banks should completely embrace blockchain derived technology like Ripple, which will allow banks to move away from batch-and-file to smooth real time transactions.
Making cross border payments faster, cheaper, and reliable will bring major benefits to consumers, businesses, banks… It will also connect billions of people around the world to transact, give rise to entirely new businesses and industries, increase financial inclusion for millions underbanked consumers…
The CEO of Ripple, Garlinghouse believes big digital currencies will have a peaceful coexistence.
In his interview to Fortune’s The Ledger among other worth noting arguments, he stated:
“We took a rather contrarian view at the time that we’re not anti-bank, we’re not anti-government, we’re not anti-fiat currency”.
“In 2017, people have realized there isn’t going to be one crypto to rule them all. You’re seeing vertical solutions where XRP is focused on payment problems, Ethereum is focused on smart contracts, and increasingly Bitcoin is a store of value. Those aren’t competitive. In fact, I want Bitcoin and Ethereum to be successful”.
“If Ripple as a company went away, XRP would continue to trade. To me that’s the definition of decentralization”.
Ripple’s goal in distributing XRP tokens is to incentivize actions that build trust, utility and liquidity. The Ripple Net Accelerator program is designed to allocate up to $300 million to create incentives to accelerate adoption. It’s our vision of solving a liquidity problem for banks. We engage in distribution strategies that we expect will result in a strengthening XRP exchange rate against other currencies.
With more and more banks using the Ripple protocol, the supply of Ripple will eventually have to be enough to support the total transaction volume of all the players using the system. Since XRP could feasibly replace SWIFT as a payment system due to its lower cost and higher speed, SWIFT figures can be used as an estimate. SWIFT handles about $5 Trillion each day. This is one of the biggest opportunities for Ripple.
Unlike many other popular cryptocurrencies, XRP is not mined. The company is centralized in many ways. There are whopping 100 billion coins in existence, and they were created by the company Ripple. Ripple has been fast growing and is currently at a market cap of just about $7.7bn. This means that the current circulating supply of about 38.5 billion XRP is trading at around $0.2 each.
It’s very important for Ripple as a company to be very transparent in XRP markets so every quarter they publish a report that specifies how much they sold in the open market and to institutional buyers.
XRP supply, unlike other cryptocurrencies, is partly controlled by the company Ripple who currently owns more than 60% of all existing XRP coins. The fear is that the company will capitalize on its position and flood the market with Ripple coins, from time to time as it suits them, causing a massive oversupply in the short run. For holders of the coin, it could be devastating. This could be not just weakness but also a threat.
– Currently we are permanently removing that uncertainty by committing to place 55 billion XRP into a cryptographically-secured Escrow account by the end of 2017. We’ll use Escrow to establish 55 smart contracts of 1 billion XRP each that will expire on the first day of every month from months 0 to 54. As each contract expires, the XRP will become available for Ripple’s use. We’ll then return whatever is unused at the end of each month to the back of the escrow queue. This technology-escrow enables Ripple to promise a predictable supply of XRP and enablesinvestors to instantly verify such a promise. For comparison, Ripple has sold on average 300M XRP per month for the past 18 months.
Investors should be considering what role Ripple might play over the course of the next several years?
The number of institutions that have partnered with Ripple has exceeded 100 and is growing almost daily and very rapidly.
Yet the price of Ripple has steadily fluctuated around $0.2 for the past months. Why is that?
There are still a lot of potential roadblocks on the way to XRP being traded at lets say higher price than $5.
-First of all, the biggest threat is competition, development of more innovative payment systems that would be similar or even better, technologically more sophisticated, offering an even more attractive alternative using a different coin as a bridge currency, so the amount of money being transferred via Ripple will decrease substantially, or even wipe out XRP usage completely.
-Unfavourable government regulations, or even ban of the cryptocurrencies.
-Many banks and financial institutions have started developing their own cryptocurrencies for the use of interbank transactions.
Still we like the quite feasible idea that the maximum supply of XRP will one day drive a majority of financial transactions which is a powerful incentive to buy XRP coins.
| An Ethereum News release || October 26, 2017 |||


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This piece of jewelry is the talk of Facebook and Twitter today ...
Created by New Orleans designer Mignon Faget, sales of the "Stop the Shooting" pin benefits NOLA FOR LIFE, the ambitious program outlined last night at the Joy Theater by Mayor Mitch Landrieu and film director Spike Lee. The two have teamed up for a program called "Flip the Script," aimed at street violence in New Orleans, primarily black-on-black violence committed by the city's young men. Chevron announced a $1 million donation to the program last night, but there were local entrepreneurial tie-ins as well:
Highlighting the importance of public-private partnerships and the significance of leveraging City resources with private funds, grants, and other funding opportunities, the Landrieu Administration also announced commitments from a number of local entrepreneurs to the NOLA FOR LIFE Fund.
New Orleans artist and jewelry designer Mignon Faget has designed a provocative collection to benefit the Fund and raise awareness to stop gun violence in the City. The collection includes a gun pin designed to be worn on a black ribbon in the tradition of mourning jewelry and a graphic gun motif scarf that proclaims “Stop the Shooting.” The collection is available in Mignon Faget stores and online at www.mignonfaget.com.
“My collection is bold, powerful and to the point. It acknowledges New Orleans’ epidemic while supporting and encouraging the widespread efforts to curb the violence,” Faget said.
Faget frequently designs jewelry to highlight a particular cause; her recent pin commemorating the demise of the daily Times-Picayune was a big seller, and in 2010 she created an entire line of jewelry inspired by the Gulf oil disaster, which benefited the Coalition to Restore Coastal Louisiana.
The "Stop the Shooting" pewter pin, which retails for $25, is designed to be "provocative and encourage conversations," Faget says.
Judging from social media reaction, it's done just that.
What do you think of the pin?

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It has now been leaked that EA's next Need For Speed game popularly known as Need For Speed 2022, will be getting an announcement at the upcoming Summer Game Fest. The Need For Speed franchise has been around for a long time now, and despite EA disappointing fans with a slew of subpar releases, many still find the overall experience to be fun and exciting.
With Geoff Keighley's Summer Game Fest about to kick off, leaks have started pouring in as to what the event will feature. A new leak suggests that EA's Need For Speed 2022 will be announced at the event. Here's all you need to know about this new leak.
Need For Speed 2022 rumored for Summer Game Fest
EA looks to be hard at work on a new Need For Speed game and leaks even hint that an announcement is imminent. This information comes via a Twitter post by Roberto Serrano, who, in one of their tweets stated that we can expect a Need For Speed 2022 announcement trailer alongside a November 2022 release date during the upcoming Summer Game Fest.
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This could prove to be a huge piece of news since we haven't seen or heard much about the game to this point. While there have been leaks, nothing substantial is known currently. However, this might change with Keighley's game event and an announcement might be on the horizon. That said, this still remains a rumour without any official backing or word from the developers, so take all of this with a grain of salt.
The new Need for Speed game is being developed by Criterion Games and Codemasters Cheshire is also working on the project. As per VentureBeat’s Jeff Grubb, the upcoming NFS will have "photorealistic graphics mixed with "anime elements." Grubb said, "It’s going to be photo-realistic, but it’s going to have on top of that, anime elements."
He further added, "you know when you see a car commercial or something like that and the car’s driving around, but then cartoons flames and stuff are flying off it? That’s the kind of the aesthetic that they seem to be going for." It will be interesting to see what kind of new things and elements the developers will add to the game, especially in terms of maps, cars, and lore. And that's all about Need For Speed 2022 announcement leak.
For more coverage on related titles, make sure to check out our dedicated Sports Games section featuring upcoming game releases, title updates, and more.
Featured image courtesy of Electronic Arts / BlackPanthaa.


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Professor Geoff Rose, Professor Rod McClure and Dr Marilyn Johnson of The Institute of Transport Studies (Monash) at Monash University are undertaking a study into electric bicycles, their purchase and use. The researchers are seeking Australian users of electric bikes to complete a brief online survey, estimated time to complete being 15 minutes.
The study is funded by a grant from the Australian Research Council in conjunction with VicRoads, the Victorian Department of Transport, Transport Accident Commission (TAC), the RACV and the Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries, the partner organisations on this project.
If you are resident in Australia, over 18 years old and a owner or user of a electric bike please consider supporting this research by completing the survey instrument. The survey closes on December 31, 2012.


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Home Authors Posts by Mitch Talley
A blue 1972 Corvette for sale on Craigslist features an LS5 454 ci V8 mated to a 4-speed and it has just 58K original miles on the odometer.
The driver of this C4 Corvette is okay following a multi-vehicle crash in which he was struck by a tow truck and then careened into a tree, only to be hit by the tow truck once again.
The Convertible Corvette model is seeing a resurgence in sales as the C8 Convertible is outselling the previous generation C7 convertible by nearly double.
The owner of the last 2020 Corvette produced turned down a high bid of $140,000 for the Sebring Orange non-Z51 Convertible at Mecum Kissimmee.
This one-owner Orange 1974 Corvette for sale on Craigslist for $17,500 features the last year of the 454 ci V8 big block engine.
A man won the Corvette and Cash game from the Georgia Lottery but now officials are having trouble sourcing a new C8 Corvette from a dealer.
California Highway Patrol says two people in a C5 Corvette were injured after they crashed in a street race with speeds exceeding 120 mph.
This vintage 1957 Corvette racer for sale on Bring A Trailer has been raced on the top tracks in the world including the Nurburgring, VIR, and Sebring.
General Motors Design shared this rendering by Jingxu Zhan on Instagram of a futuristic vehicle that one day might represent the Chevrolet Corvette.
This Goodwood Green 1967 Corvette for sale on eBay has had only three owners and has traveled just 35,000 miles in its lifetime.


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Online retail giant Catch today announced an e-commerce partnership with The a2 Milk Company to sell its Platinum Infant Formula.
Catch is managing an online store specifically for the sale of a2 formula, handling everything from e-commerce to logistics and finance on behalf of The a2 Milk Company.
Infant formula has been in high demand recently, with photos and videos circulating online in recent weeks showing large queues of people purchasing several tins at a time.
Last week Woolworths reverted to a two tin limit, down from eight, following increasing pressure from families who were struggling to get their hands on the product.
Catch’s channel promises availability even when local stores are out of stock and cuts out waiting in long queues, with delivery to customers’ door in 1-3 business days.
The companies have been working together on the e-commerce offering for the last 12 months but are speaking publicly about the partnership for the first time.
Peter Nathan, CEO Asia Pacific, The a2 Milk Company said Catch has helped provide a “great solution to Australian parents who often cannot find a2 Platinum formula on supermarket shelves due to high demand”.
Catch Group CEO Nati Harpaz says a total “end-to-end solution” helps brands like a2 meet the needs of customers at all times.
“At Catch, we understand what it takes to be successful online and how to manage the customer journey online as well as throughout the fulfillment process. It’s exciting to partner with iconic companies like The a2 Milk Company™ to help them improve customer experiences online.”
“Our 4PL relationship with a2 will allow us to leverage our existing infrastructure and warehouse facility to build a new services arm to our business. Many FMCG suppliers require expertise and assistance with their direct to consumer channel and this is where we can step up and help” Harpaz said.


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Supermassive Games the developer behind the popular Until Dawn game, have this week released a new teaser trailer for the upcoming new game Dark Pictures Anthology. Check out the announcement trailer as well as the latest teaser from the development team to learn more about what you can expect from the supernatural horror survival game.
Dark Pictures: Man of Medan will be launching sometime during 2019 and a soon as more details are announced will keep you up to speed as always. Man of Medan is the first game in The Dark Pictures Anthology, bringing supernatural horror on board a ghost-ship adrift in the South Pacific.
“Enter the world of The Dark Pictures – A series of standalone cinematic horror games. Players will be challenged to explore and uncover each story with the knowledge that all their choices have consequences and all playable characters can live, any and all can die… “
“Man of Medan is the first game in The Dark Pictures anthology, bringing supernatural horror to the South Pacific. Five friends set sail on a holiday diving trip with a rumored WWII wreck to find. As the day unfolds and a storm rolls in, their trip soon changes into something much more sinister. Who will live? Who will die? It’s down to you. Can you save them all? “
For more details, media and trailers jump over to the official website by following the link below.
Disclosure: Some of our articles include affiliate links. If you buy something through one of these links, Geeky Gadgets may earn an affiliate commission. Learn more.


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These colorfully packaged vaping products certainly look like they're marketed to adult smokers. Wouldn't you agree, Ron?
Reported in Ron Johnson sends letter to Donald Trump urging him to abandon rules for vaping flavors, warns changes are being 'rammed through'. (Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, 11/13/2019)
5/23/2019 update, "Remember, Juul recently jumped into bed with Big Tobacco", starts here.
So I'd take this full-page ad in the New York Times with a big grain of salt.
File this ad under "bridge for sale".
Original 12/21/2018 post, "Marlboro goes to where the flavors are", starts here.
Juul Closes Deal with Tobacco Giant Altria. (The New York Times, 12/20/2018)
The tobacco giant Altria, maker of Marlboro and other top-selling brands of cigarettes, has agreed to pay nearly $13 billion for a 35 percent stake in Juul Labs, the wildly popular vaping company that burst on the scene in 2015 with a mission to render cigarettes obsolete.
Like the tobacco industry hawking cigarettes, the whole point of vaping is to get kids hooked. (12/19/2018)


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DVDs, CDs, Zak Posen, Books…Hang on a minute; did you just say Zak Posen…on Amazon?
It’s well known that Amazon has been trying to enter the fashion world for some time, and 2015/2016 has really seen it step up its efforts to break the notoriously difficult market.
Amazon has been on the fashion trail since as early as 2006 when it first acquired online retail website SHOPBOP. In 2011 it launched MyHabit, another online retail website created “in response to customers’ desires to shop intelligently from a selection of great brands”.
In 2012 it really took a leap of faith, opening a huge Brooklyn photography studio, hiring Barneys’ Fashion Director as an advisor and launching My Fashion on the Amazon website, a section dedicated to all things fashion. The following year saw the launch of East Dane, an equivalent to SHOPBOP targeting the male market.
Louis Vuitton on Amazon?
So has Amazon attracted any high fashion brands?
Well, not as yet, unfortunately! Designers such as Louis Vuitton have been reluctant to create an association with Amazon, preferring to keep their designs exclusive and prices high. In fact, the then Louis Vuitton Chief Executive, Yves Carcelle, made this perfectly clear during 2012, telling Vogue UK that “Amazon will never sell Louis Vuitton, because we are the only ones that sell it.”
In 2015, the Chief Marketing Officer of Amazon’s fashion division explained to Business of Fashion that they were not targeting designer brands, confirming that “there has been a lot of speculation on us entering the luxury market and that is just not something we’re focused on right now.”
So which brave brands have been enticed by Amazon? Well, high profile designers such as Zac Posen and Kate Spade are both available on the US site, whilst Lacoste, Calvin Klein, Tommy Hilfiger and Hugo Boss can also all be purchased via amazon.com. Amazon also has a partnership with department store giants Debenhams. So whilst many designer brands may have thus far resisted Amazon’s call, Zac Posen can hardly be considered downmarket (especially not when a handbag could set you back $595!).
The mission continues
Not one to be defeated, Amazon has continued to try and develop its fashion credentials, sponsoring the first ever New York Men’s Fashion Week held in July 2015, and the OCFDA/ Vogue Fashion Fund Fashion Show held during October 2015.
It has also partnered with up and coming British model Suki Waterhouse, marketing her favourite Autumn/Winter pieces that are all purchasable on Amazon, whilst East Dane has launched a new Michael Kors collection dedicated to ‘streamlined accessories’.
October 2015 saw the purchase of the new season of the fashion based reality show ‘The Fashion Fund’. The show features none other than fashion royalty Anna Wintour and Diane von Furstenberg, and a dedicated section on the Amazon website will be set up to sell a collection of the 2015 finalists’ designs.
The new Prime Now service may also be a step towards the coveted fashion elite, with customers able to buy clothing and accessories with one and two hour delivery slots.
It’s clear that Amazon has increased its efforts to become a fashion destination, and there appears to be no sign yet that it will be slowing down any time soon. So whilst you may have to currently shop elsewhere for your Chanel handbag or Louboutin heels, there may be a time very soon when you can buy these alongside your books, DVDs and CDs, perhaps even by drone delivery!


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Burger King has created its own ‘Whopper Wine’. The wine is, thankfully, not burger-flavoured, but it does have an interesting fast-food twist.
Most of us are used to enjoying a big plastic cup of fizzy drink with our burgers. Given that drive-through represented 57 percent of US visits to fast food burger joints in a 2012 report by NPD Group, a fair percentage of diners are probably barely paying attention to their burgers, let alone the accompanying drink.
It’s against this trend towards casual dining that Burger King has introduced the Whopper Wine. The curious move is explained in an advertisement by Madrid agency, La Despensa.
“Fire holds the essence of what we do best, and as we celebrate our 40th anniversary in Spain, now, that’s also true for wine,” says the ad, mysteriously. “With the help of a vinologist and sommeliers, we have innovated the wine-making process.”
The ad goes on to say that the wood of the barrels used to mature Whopper Wine has been given Burger King’s signature treatment – a good flame grilling. This has produced what Burger King describes as “a unique wine”. The wine is meant to enhance the flavour of Burger King’s Whopper burger.
Just 40 bottles of the wine were created, and will be given away to customers who submit creative content related to a memorable moment at Burger King. The promotion seems to be limited to Spain.


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- ASE, SPIL agree to set up JV holding company
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Hard Time For Nissan As Profit Dips
The gigantic automobile manufacturer Nissan revealed that their operating profit dropped to 45%. One of the major reasons for this fall is said to be the troubles with the U.S which includes failed deliveries to the dealers. Nissan’s U.S operations have set unreasonable sales goals and sales bonuses, which resulted in an increased sale of fleets.
The CEO admitted that Nissan was supposed to bring the fleet sales to 15% from 17% by 2022. However, bulk sale of the fleet will now result in less resale value, and it will affect the retail customers. Nissan dealers in the U.S complain that the parent company has not fulfilled the promises made about a turnaround plan. Many dealers were not convinced because the sales bonus plan is still on, and it will be rewarded only if the targets are achieved.
The sales bonus program or programs like it can force the dealers to increase the profit margins so that the target can be achieved. If not, they will see the rivals taking away the bonus money. In the last three years, profit has reduced by 50%. If the parent company sets high targets, it will be depressing for the dealer, which results in the sale of used cars. Nissan’s head of North America, Jose Valls said that in the next three years they will revive the line-up.
Relying On The U.S Market
Major automobile companies like Honda and Toyota rely on discounts in the U.S markets to sell their vehicle. These discounts can be used to increase the resale values, says Cox Automotive. On Tuesday Nissan CEO Saikawa said that people prefer buying vehicles according to discount and are not giving preference to the strength of the vehicle. If Nissan pulls out from fleet sales, it will affect Nissan’s U.S manufacturing operations as it builds around 640000 vehicles per year.
New Plans In The Loop Hole
Jose Valls announced that Nissan does not plan to lay off any more workers. Earlier, this year around 400 workers lost their job. Chris Reed Head Of Nissan’s R&D said,
Nissan’s new goal will be launching new models and revamping the old ones in two years.
Nissan plans to introduce new versions of Rogue, Frontier pickup truck and Pathfinder SUVs.
Now on, Nissan’s steps will be closely watched said Pete Delongchamps because the discounts and high inventory still stands as a problem.


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A new niche sector in the marijuana transportation plan is developing in California: independent distribution businesses that don’t produce their own cannabis products. Such companies – which often serve as inventory clearinghouses for existing dispensaries and other plant-touching businesses – are a relatively new phenomenon in California.
“It has ramped up in a formal sense,” said Lauren Fraser, the founding director from the Cannabis Distribution Association (CDA), which had been established in 2016 as a wing in the California Growers Association.
The distribution sector has emerged due to changes for the state’s cannabis market that have been inside the works since the legislature approved a medical marijuana regulatory system in 2015.
A proverbial light went on for entrepreneurs after lawmakers approved the first MMJ regulations in 2015, Fraser said.
“Distribution was this kind of big element of the language which had been used – plus they actually experienced a license type established because of it – so following that, businesses started to appear and say, ‘This is definitely the business I’m likely to pursue within this industry,’” she added.
There are already dozens of distribution businesses that specialize in shipping, marketing for your brands they carry and – depending on the company – even the drying, curing and packaging of flower. The CDA, for instance, now represents about 50 distribution companies, Fraser said.
“In some other industry, distribution is an important component,” said Lucas Seymour, co-founding father of Old Kai, a California distributor that serves about 250 dispensaries. “Whether you’re selling neckties or beer, your distribution is crucial.
With business models dedicated to serving the existing market, many distributors simply work as third-party shippers for growers, edibles makers, concentrate producers and so forth.
Some distributors focus on raw flower, selling to both dispensaries and manufacturers like concentrate producers. Others carry a variety of products and could be a one-stop go shopping for retailers looking vcgtbq fill their shelves.
And a few companies, with the eye on the future, have started diversifying their services and work only with brands they’re certain will be able to obtain state licenses when California’s fully regulated MJ market launches in January.
Underneath the state’s impending system, plant-touching companies is going to be allowed to obtain distribution licenses and, thus, be spared the expense of hiring an outside party.
But some skilled professionals don’t think that will lessen the requirement for third-party distributors, if only because some companies won’t want to handle the extra work.
“If you were to map out the complexity of all several types of companies in the supply chain, distribution sits on the center,” said Azam Khan, co-founder of California tech company Distru. “Because to ensure that flower to maneuver from cultivators to manufacturers … you need to proceed through a (licensed) distributor once 2018 comes.
“These distributors are both gonna be a sales and marketing engine – particularly the bigger guys – and there are also likely to be distributors that do solely transportation,” Khan continued. “What’s going to give distributors a good edge can also be the other services they are able to do.
“We see lots of people which can be distributing which have processing facilities. Not only will they pick-up your entire plant … but they’ll dry it and cure it at their facility, in addition to bottle it up then sell it to suit your needs.”


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Junk food celebrity ads for children to face ban in Britain
To fight against children obesity the British TV, media and communication regulator Offcom has set out a menu of possible bans on advertising of junk food and drink aimed at children. If things go straight days are over for celebrities like David Beckham and Britney Spears doing Pepsi-Coke on Television.
To fight against the children obesity Offcom suggests four options. The first proposal is total ban on high fat products advertising during TV programmes meant for children up to nine and under.
The second proposal from the watchdog is a ban on all junk food and drink advertising which aim children up to nine years old.


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Merz Aesthetics announces the launch of its “confidence to be” branding as the world’s largest dedicated aesthetics business. This is the latest among several significant announcements over the last six months.
Merz Aesthetics recently announced the launch of its new vision as the world’s largest dedicated aesthetics business. The “confidence to be” branding is a symbol of the company’s new direction, according to a press release.
Featuring a bold look-and-feel, the new branding is said to reflect Merz’s “innovative, entrepreneurial employees and customers, and the confidence they strive to inspire in patients every day,” the company says.
“The new brand for Merz Aesthetics is an expression of our purpose — we exist to fuel confidence by helping people look better, feel better and live better,” says Bob Rhatigan, Global CEO, Merz Aesthetics, in the release. “We want everyone to have the confidence to be their best self.”
The “confidence to be” branding follows the company’s reorganization into three independently operating businesses: medical aesthetics, therapeutics and consumer care.
Merz Aesthetics has implemented multiple significant changes in the last six months, including creating a new operating structure, a new global leadership team, a new operating model that aligns with country-level commercial execution and the opening of its Raleigh, N.C. headquarters.
The company is also currently focused on helping customers recover from the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“We recognize that medical aesthetics can be an integral part of self-care routines,” says Rhatigan. “The last four months have taught us that during a time of high uncertainty, self-care and personal health are top of mind, so we will continue to provide our customers the tools to empower patients in their personal quests to be their best selves.”


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Kazakh PM prioritizes agro-industrial complex development directions
NUR-SULTAN. KAZINFORM Kazakh PM Askar Mamin briefed on the country’s agro-industrial complex development priority directions.
The PM stressed that Kazakhstan ranks among five countries of the world with the most agro-industrial complex development potential. «The first task is to provide food security amid the pandemic. The second is to develop export potential,» the PM told journalists. He noted that the tasks set are interconnected.
The PM said that dealing with price regulation, especially, for socially important goods there are 29 items of goods of great importance for the people of Kazakhstan. 11 of them are provided by 100%, 12 by 80%, 6 by 50%. The PM mentioned that it is essential to provide these goods at least by 80% to ensure food security. Mamin also said that there is a certain plan on each direction.


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Bandai Namco has released a new trailer for one of their fighting titles, which showcases two brand new DLC characters, who are available to play tomorrow!
Yes, the game is no other than One Punch Man: A Hero Nobody Knows! The trailer showcases both Watchdog Man and Garou in action, and they both look pretty awesome. Fans of the One Punch Man franchise, will definitely get a kick out of these two DLC characters, which are available to purchase today!
Check out the latest trailer for One Punch Man: A Hero Nobody Knows down below:
In related news, Bandai Namco detailed another one of their fighting titles, but this time it was centered around its other anime fighting title — My Hero One’s Justice 2!
Instead of a new trailer though, Bandai Namco released a slew of screenshots for their upcoming DLC character — Mei Hatsume. Mei looks pretty awesome and fans of the franchise will definitely be excited to get their hands on the new character when she launches. However, at this time there is no release date. Check out the gallery of screenshots right here!
One Punch Man: A Hero Nobody Knows is now available for the Ps4, Xbox One, and PC. Are you still playing the epic fighting title? Let us know in the comments below!


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MobileCrunch notes that the likely spur for some of the changes was "to offer a cheaper option to light users, while restricting the heavy users, in turn helping ease the burden on their struggling network."
200MB of data for $15 per month. AT&T says this will be enough data to meet the needs of 65% of its smartphone users. If you go over the 200MB cap, AT&T will charge you $15 per 200MB of overages.
2GB of data for $25 per month. According to AT&T, only 2% of its smartphone customers manage to blow through more than 2GB of data per month. Go over the limit and you’ll be charged $10 per GB.
Smartphone users that want tethering and have a DataPro plan can add the feature for $20 per month. This means you’ll be sharing 2GB between your phone and your laptop for $45 per month. Not great at all, but remember this: A 5GB data card plan costs $60 per month. This means — with overages — you’ll be able to have 5GB of smartphone and tethering data for $75 and not have to worry about two contracts. Oh, and “Tethering for iPhones will be available when Apple releases iPhone OS 4 this summer.” About bloody time.
The $29.99 unlimited data plan for the iPad has not escaped the chop. Starting June 7th, new iPad customers will have two options: $15 for 250MB and $25 for 2GB of data. Any iPad customers who wish to stick to the $30 unlimited plan are free to do so, but AT&T is hoping most people will opt to save $5 and change plans.
The new plans will be taking taking effect on June 7th, according to the Engadget article.


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CABARRUS COUNTY (QUEEN CITY NEWS) — The Allen Volunteer Fire Department posted photos of the truck heavily burned.
Just after 1:30 p.m. on Saturday, April 2nd, firefighters say they were called about a vehicle fire on Kiwi Court.
A fire engine and one tanker truck arrived to extinguish the fire. Officials say the fire started in the engine compartment of the Amazon Van.
There is no word yet on how many packages were in the van or what impact this incident may have had on Amazon customers in the area.


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A well-known surfing magazine published out of Carlsbad will no longer have a print edition.
TransWorld Surf will be an online-only publication beginning in September. GrindMedia LLC, which bought the magazine in May, released a statement earlier this week announcing the change.
“Following an exhaustive review, we’ve concluded that producing three monthly print surf titles is not feasible for GrindMedia and we will no longer produce TransWorld Surf as a print property while the website will remain live,” stated Norb Garrett, senior vice president of GrindMedia LLC.
Garrett said they will instead focus on growing their other publications: Surfer, Surfing and SUP (Stand Up Paddler).
In an interview with Transworld Business, Garrett said some of the magazine’s surfers have been offered opportunity within the company. He also said the online team will stay within the company, though “a handful of others” are not being offered jobs.
Editors Justin Cote and Zander Morton will manage the site, according to Transworld Business.
It is uncertain if the office in Carlsbad will remain open for the online staff.


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Seafood authenticity is a key parameter for seafood quality, particularly in Europe where regulations provide a strict framework for seafood labeling.
Leading aquaculture feed producer BioMar has collaborated with Orivo, the marine-based ingredient testing lab, to create new ultra-precise tech which it claims can detect the presence of even very small amounts of DNA.
The firm, which operates 14 feed factories across the globe, believes that DNA-testing of marine ingredients will answer the calls for improved transparency and traceability in seafood value chains.
BioMar claims it has been improving the sustainability profile of its sourced fisheries for the last 15 years by supporting science-based certification schemes (IFFO RS, MSC, ASC, etc.) and developing alternative raw materials, such as vegetable protein and microalgae for marine omega-3s.
The firm says that supporting the development of DNA-testing of marine ingredients is the next step in its commitment to responsible sourcing of marine raw materials.
Vidar Gundersen, Sustainability Director, BioMar Group, said: “Reports of fraud in many of the world’s largest seafood markets highlights the importance of accurate and reliable traceability data throughout the value chain.
"BioMar will now be able to genetically test whether the species composition in a sample of raw material matches the reported composition on the traceability certificate.
"BioMar has a great deal of trust in our suppliers and understands that both have a responsibility as stewards of the ocean. As such, we expect this new DNA-based test to play a crucial role in efforts focused on building consumer and stakeholder trust.”
The new testing tech will become commercially available from January 2020.
Norway-based ORIVO provides authenticity testing technology based on proven NMR- and DNA-technologies combined with 'strong database and analysis algorithms'.
It is is able to verify marine species and region of origin via quality assured sampling protocols and it serves the global markets independent third party verification to meet the consumer demand for non-adulterated and sustainable feed and supplements.
Svein Erik Haugmo, ORIVO's CEO, says his firm is looking to increase its footprint in the feed industry.
“Together with BioMar we have started working on selected feed ingredients, but these represent just a small part of the many industry-specific issues which we think can be solved with our technology.
"We are currently working very hard on developing tests that can address all of these issues, and we plan to launch these consecutively in the near future as soon as they are ready for the market.”
Aquaculture feed production
BioMar, owned by the Danish industrial group Schouw & Co, currently operates factories in Norway, Chile, Denmark, Scotland, Spain, France, Greece, Turkey, China, Costa Rica, Ecuador and very soon also in Australia.
Roughly one out of five farmed fish produced in Europe, South and Central America is fed on BioMar feed.
Worldwide, BioMar supplies feed to around 80 countries and for more than 45 different fish species.


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Most people don’t know the coffee bean has more natural antioxidants than broccoli, grapes, and even blueberries. Coffee is even considered one of the best Super Foods by many Doctors and Nutritional Specialists. Drinking just two cups of coffee per day can have a huge impact on your health and well being. Recent laboratory studies even suggest that the antioxidant and anti-inflammatory compounds found in coffeeactually reduce the risk of many diseases and even some forms of cancer.
Eleven coffee manufacturers and coffee house chains in Korea have been falsely labeling the country-of-origin of their coffee beans.
Seoul Main Customs said Wednesday that companies like Dongsuh Food and Starbucks are labeling their products with different countries-of-origin on the front and the back of their packages.
The customs will fine around 2.1 billion won, or around 1.8 million US dollars to these 11 coffee businesses.


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It’s best known as the plant from which tequila is made, but agave and other fibrous plants like pineapple and the skins of bananas, are now being made into plastic.
Led by Dr. Alcides Leao, scientists at Sao Paolo’s State University have developed what they call “super plastic” from the cellulose contained within the plants. Using a device similar to a pressure cooker, they’ve been able to turn the cellulose into nano-fibers, which after further processing, can be meshed to create an eco-friendly material that’s lighter and stronger than conventional petroleum-based plastic.
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Once you see what could happen next time you go to an ATM, you’ll understand why he’s sending a FREE copy of his new book to any American who answers right here.
“What we do is we break up what nature did and use nature’s structure to strengthen other materials. So this is simply not destroying what nature did, but separating what nature produced and taking advantage of the mechanical properties that are infinitely superior to those produced by man. Our fiber is more resistant than steel.”
It’s also renewable. The auto industry is one sector where Laeo says the super plastic is perfectly suited.
He says within a few years, car parts like dashboards and steering wheels will be made from the bio-degradable material. The process is expensive, but Laeo says the price will come down and the benefits are too numerous to ignore.
“It will substitute traditional plastics made from petroleum. So the first benefit is it that is carbon neutral, since it doesn’t affect the balance of carbon.
Its second benefit is that it is renewable because it grows easily in a country like ours where there are great conditions, so it grows in months.
Third: it can also be recycled numerous times.”
And by stepping up production of the raw materials there are potential economic benefits for poor communities throughout the region… yet another reason says Dr Leao, for turning plants into plastic.
Bottom line: Scientists in Brazil have developed a method of turning pineapples, banana peels and other fibrous plants into plastic. The researchers say the material is strong, lightweight and eco-friendly and will soon replace conventional plastics in auto manufacturing.


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February 3, 2014
Laura Marano, star of the Disney Channel’s Austin & Ally, has taken on a new role in The Humane Society of the United States’ first-ever Meatless Monday poster campaign.
January 27, 2014
The Farm Bill conference report released today by the House-Senate conference committee includes two major wins on animal welfare issues, and was applauded by The HSUS and the Humane Society Legislative Fund.
January 6, 2014
The first “ag-gag,” or whistleblower suppression, bill of 2014 has been introduced, and will be heard in the Corrections and Criminal Law committee on Tuesday at the Indiana State House.
November 26, 2013
Neighbors of a newly built sow breeding facility have joined with The HSUS in seeking to overturn the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources’ decision to allow the factory farm to take more than eight million gallons of groundwater per year.
November 21, 2013
Coalition Notifies Iowa Factory Farm of Intent to File Clean Water Act Lawsuit over Repeated Manure Spills
A coalition of community, environmental and animal welfare organizations sent a notice of intent to sue Illinois-based The Maschhoffs, LLC over repeated discharges of hog manure to waterways from one of its Iowa factory farms.
November 18, 2013
Cracker Barrel Shareholders Vote to Support Eliminating Controversial Pig Cages from Pork Supply Chain
Shareholders of Cracker Barrel Old Country Store (NASDAQ: CBRL) voted to support the restaurant outlet’s recently-adopted policy to eliminate gestation crates—small cages used to virtually immobilize breeding pigs for months on end—from its pork supply chain.
November 14, 2013
Papa John’s, an international pizza outlet with more than 4,000 stores, announced it will join other major restaurant chains in working to eliminate controversial gestation crates from its supply chain. The cages, used to confine breeding pigs, have been criticized in recent years by animal welfare advocates and the food industry alike.
November 8, 2013
Ahold USA, the parent company of Stop & Shop New England, Stop & Shop New York Metro, Giant Carlisle and Giant Landover with nearly 770 supermarkets in 13 states, along with Peapod, the nation’s leading online grocery shopping and delivery service, announced it is eliminating the lifelong confinement of pigs in cages from its supply chain.
October 31, 2013
A coalition of advocates for family farmers, farm workers and animal welfare has joined with independent producers to defend the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s country-of-origin labeling regulations by filing an amicus curiae brief in support of the law. The regulations tell consumers the national origin of meat, seafood and other agricultural products for sale.
October 24, 2013
The Humane Society of the United States announced the filing of a second class action lawsuit against the nation's fourth-largest poultry producer, Perdue Farms, Inc. over the company's alleged false advertising of factory farmed chicken products as “humane.”


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PC gamers are wondering: Should I buy an AMD Ryzen 3 2200G or Ryzen 5 2400G? Here are 5 good reasons to buy it, and 5 reasons why you may want to hold off.
Google is reportedly building support for notched screen into Android P, which could offer a huge clue as to what the Pixel 3 will look like.
Google is bringing Nest back into its fold to build a home that's smarter—and that's good news if you're frustrated with the Google Tax.
Virtually all graphics cards are selling for twice their suggested price—when you can find them—thanks to voracious coin miners. Here's how to keep gaming during these dystopian times.
By combining the face and iris biometrics, the Galaxy S9's 'Intelligent Scan' could be the smartest way to take on Apple's Face ID.
It's much cheaper to buy a premade gaming PC than building your own computer, thanks to surging memory and graphics card prices.
We tested the Meltdown and Spectre fix on an older Intel Broadwell laptop, and the results are ugly.
Here's everything you need to know about the Meltdown and Spectre CPU exploits.
Lenovo's entire line-up of 2018 phones just leaked online. Here's why that could be a huge problem for the industry.
There are reports that Apple's iOS 11.2.2 Spectre security update is slowing down some older iPhones. That shouldn't be the case for most people, but here's what to do if your phone is affected.
I just patched the Surface Book with the Meltdown and Spectre patches. Here's how much it hurt.
In this episode of the Full Nerd, we talk Kaby Lake G, AMD's Ryzen roadmap, Nvidia's BFGD, and all of the craziest PC hardware to come out of CES.
Samsung has reportedly once again show off a concept of a folding phone, and once again the internet is buzzing about it. Not me though.
Huawei's big U.S. launch of the Mate 10 Pro was dampened when AT&T pulled out of a deal to sell the new handset in stores. Now Huawei may never break through in the states.
After being publicly called out over its lack of parental controls in iOS, Apple has vowed to implement "new features and enhancements" to protect kids. But it might be too little too late.
Apple's announcement that it will replace aging batteries in iPhones 6 and later is the perfect way to end a rocky 2017.


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Mumbai Pizza Chain Already Delivering Pizzas by Drone
The FAA, killing “Pizza by Drone” since 2011.
Would you like your pizza home-delivered by an unmanned drone? That may not be impossible in future, for a little-known pizza chain in Mumbai last week succeeded in making a test-delivery less than 3km away from its outlet in Lower Parel by using a remote-controlled, GPS-enabled drone.
The ‘customer’ was actually a friend of the chain’s CEO, so it was technically not a sale, as commercial deliveries by drones are not allowed in India. Yet, in a way, it was a first for a product delivery Amazon has only planned. On May 11, the drone took off from the Lower Parel outlet and, flying at a speed of 30km an hour, manoeuvred its way atop the city’s mill district to reach its destination, a high-rise in Worli, in nearly 10 minutes.
The drone dropped the 13-inch plain margherita pizza, weighing half a kilo, on the 21st floor rooftop (where it was collected by the ‘customer’) before taking off again for the return journey. The speed with which the delivery was made thus beat the record for most leading pizza chains, which manually deliver pizzas within 30 minutes.
The drone used in the operation was custom-made, said an official from the pizza chain, adding that an auto engineer friend of his had helped him make the flight possible. The official said the chain had carried out the test-delivery as an experiment because it wants to be ready when regulations in India allow for such methods of product delivery.
Drones are quite common in India. The motion picture industry there has apparently been using them for years.


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Ky. agricultural receipts hold steady for third year, net incomes up
Ky. agricultural receipts hold steady for third year, net incomes up
Kentucky agricultural receipts will likely hold steady for the third consecutive year despite trade concerns and relatively low commodity prices.
Agricultural economists from the University of Kentucky College of Agriculture, Food and Environment are projecting 2019 farm cash receipts to be $5.9 billion, equaling the past two years. Kentucky producers saw increases in equine, corn, wheat, dairy and hemp receipts.
“While low commodity prices continued throughout 2019, sales were aided by better than expected grain yields in certain parts of the state,” said Will Snell, UK agricultural economist. “We expect Kentucky agriculture cash receipts to slightly exceed $6 billion in 2020 with poultry, cattle and hogs rebounding from 2019 levels. Trade developments and weather will ultimately dictate the 2020 market.”
UK agricultural economists estimate Kentucky producers’ net cash income will exceed $1.8 billion, which is slightly up from 2018 and largely due to two rounds of direct government payments producers received as a result of the Market Facilitation Program. The program was created by the Trump administration to support farmers amidst the ongoing trade war. Accounting for this program and other federal farm programs, Kentucky farmers may receive more than $300 million in direct government payments in 2019.
U.S. net farm incomes totaled $92.5 billion, which is a 10% increase from 2018. Payments from the Market Facilitation Program and crop insurance indemnities accounted for nearly one-third of U.S. net farm incomes in 2019.
“Despite an expected increase in 2019 net farm income, the national and Kentucky farm economies remain very vulnerable, especially if either experience low crop yields, additional trade disruptions, the elimination or reduction of Market Facilitation Program payments, higher interest rates, and/or a decline in asset values materializes,” Snell said.
Despite a sales decline in 2019, poultry will remain Kentucky’s top agricultural commodity, comprising 21 percent of all projected sales for the year. Equine, corn, soybeans and cattle are expected to follow in that order.
The equine industry experienced its third year of gains with receipts continuing to surpass $1 billion. UK agricultural economist Kenny Burdine expects the industry to continue to grow in 2020, provided the U.S. economy as a whole continues to be relatively strong.
In 2019, U.S. corn harvested acreage increased slightly, while soybean harvested acreage decreased by about 12 million acres, and wheat harvested acreage dropped by about 2.4 million acres. U.S. corn and soybean crops were smaller in 2019 compared to 2018, while higher yields made for a larger U.S. wheat crop. Despite the larger wheat crop, a modest growth in demand continued to lower U.S. wheat inventories. National corn and soybean stocks dropped as well.
In Kentucky, corn receipts grew in 2019, resulting in corn becoming the state’s third largest commodity, up from No. 5 in 2018. Producers harvested 220,000 more corn acres in 2019 compared to 2018, and average yields were up by two bushels per acre. Producers who had corn in storage were also able to capitalize on a spring market rally for the crop.
“Trade uncertainty will continue to impact grain crops, particularly soybeans, into 2020. Kentucky producers may find some opportunities to sell their stored grain to producers in areas of the Midwest devastated by flooding last spring, as they will need grain to feed their livestock,” said Todd Davis, UK agricultural economist. “Nationally, the USDA forecasts corn to increase by 4.6 million acres and soybeans to increase by 7.5 million acres in 2020. U.S. wheat acreage is expected to decrease by 2.6 million acres in 2020.”
Weather extremes adversely impacted Kentucky’s cattle industry in 2019 with the year starting out extremely wet, but by fall, producers faced a drought. While prices for heavy feeder cattle were stable throughout the year, the calf market struggled. The fall calf market reached its lowest level since 2016.
“Many signs are pointing to a halt in herd expansion, which is exactly what the market needs. Also, I think there is potential for increased meat exports in 2020, which should support cattle prices,” Burdine said. “I expect considerably better prices for calves in spring 2020 and better prices in the fall than we saw this year.”
The state’s tobacco industry continued to decline in 2019 with the value of production dropping below $300 million, compared to averaging nearly $350 million annually during the past five years. U.S. burley exports were down 30%, while imports were up by more than 40%, even in the midst of accelerating declines in cigarette sales. Declining smokeless tobacco sales adversely impacted the dark tobacco industry, which prior to 2018 had experienced more than 20 years of growth. Nationally, dark tobacco production was likely off by 10% to 15% in 2019, while burley production may be down more than 15% this year from 2018 levels. E-cigarettes and vaping products, which contain virtually no U.S. tobacco, continue to take market shares away from traditional tobacco products. UK agricultural economist Will Snell expects the market to move into a more balanced supply and demand situation for 2020, which may result in fairly stable individual contract volumes next year, especially accounting for exiting growers.
U.S. hemp acreage reportedly increased to more than 500,000 licensed acres and perhaps more than 250,000 planted acres in 2019, up from less than 100,000 acres in 2018. In Kentucky, producers planted around 26,000 acres of hemp this year, with 90% likely dedicated to production of cannabinoids. Based on price and production estimates, Kentucky producers may receive between $55 to $65 million from hemp sales in 2019, which would comprise 1% of the state’s total agricultural reciepts. This is up from the $17.75 million Kentucky growers made in 2018. In 2020, more states will start allowing producers to grow hemp, which could continue to put downward pressure on farm-level hemp prices, despite growing product sales.
“Moving forward, growers are advised to closely monitor and evaluate their own personal risk tolerance, contract terms and business relations, as this industry matures amidst much regulatory and economic uncertainty,” Snell said.
Specialty crop yields and markets remained strong despite a very dry mid-summer. Produce and nursery/greenhouse receipts are expected to increase by 2% each for 2019. Fruit and vegetable growers grossed around $49 million in 2019, with farmers markets and other direct-to-consumer sales comprising between 40% to 50% of total receipts. The nursery/greenhouse industry benefited from a 12-year high in housing starts in 2019 with receipts estimated at $102 million.
“Kentucky is a unique state for marketing specialty crops, in that we have a larger portion of total sales coming from direct-to-consumer purchases rather than from the wholesale markets like larger producing states,” said Tim Woods, UK agricultural economist. “So when the national economy is relatively strong and people have more disposable income and consumer spending is higher, direct-to-consumer markets, tend to do better.”
As in 2018, the forestry industry contributed $13.2 billion to Kentucky’s economy in 2019, but there was considerable volatility. Prices for white oak stave logs, used to make barrels, were up and are projected to continue upward in 2020. Railroad ties remained stable from 2018 levels and are expected to be steady into 2020. Red oak prices were hit by a lower demand in Asia, which was exacerbated by tariffs and a soft U.S. market. With red oak comprising a significant portion of Kentucky forests, the lower prices caused some landowners not to sell their timber. This adversely affected the state’s logging industry and primary wood manufacturers and is expected to continue to do so in 2020.
“With the excpetion of white oak and cross-tie markets, there is a significant amount of uncertainty across the industry and that will likely lead to lower stumpage prices in the near future,” said Bobby Ammerman, UK extension associate of secondary wood industry.
For the entire outlook, visit the UK Department of Agricultural Economics website at https://agecon.ca.uky.edu/sites/agecon.ca.uky.edu/files/2019-2020_ky_and_us_ag_outlook.pdf.
Crops Economics Extension Forestry Horticulture Livestock Research


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Playson has announced a brand new content agreement with a popular online casino.
The slot provider, which is known for games such as Crystal Crush and Clover Riches, announced the news this week, revealing that it had struck an agreement with Royal Panda Casino.
Under the partnership, Playson’s selection of slots has gone live with the online casino. Games such as Solar Queen, Vikings Fortune: Hold And Win, Phoenix Fire, the Timeless Fruit Slots series, Red Chilli Wins, Viking Gods: Thor And Loki, and so many more are now available at the online casino.
The agreement enhances Royal Panda Casino’s game selection while also expanding on Playson’s player’s reach, appealing to brand new players in jurisdictions the site operates.
Playson’s Sales Director Blanka Homor said in a statement: “We are always striving to further the reach of our games, and we are confident this new agreement will help us do that.
“It’s another fantastic step in strengthening our brand with the best operators, as well as further progression in our aim to be one of Europe’s leading suppliers.”
Melvin Ritsema, Managing Director of Royal Panda, added: “Playson is well-respected n the industry and its games will undoubtedly complement our existing offering.
“I know our players will enjoy the company’s latest titles and, like us, will also look forward to seeing what else they have in store over the coming months.”
The news comes as Playson continues to expand its player reach by striking agreements with various online casino operators. Over the last few months, Playson has struck deals with operators including Lucky Days, Yobetit, TOPsport, SuprNation, 4starsgames, Germania, and Betzest.
Meanwhile, Playson has continued to develop and release brand new games including most recent slot Red Chilli Wins, the first game in Playson’s Funky Fruits series which puts a fresh twist on the popular fruit machine theme including new artwork and fresh gameplay mechanics.
Other games recently launched by Playson include Super Burning Wins, Book of Gold Symbol Choice, and Clover Riches, all of which have been a hit with fans and critics alike.


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Tbilisi was admitted to the World Tourism Cities Federation (WTCF). Mayor of Tbilisi Kakha Kaladze announced this today at a meeting of the city government. “I would like to share with you one more joyful and interesting innovation for the city.
Helsinki hosted a summit entitled "Smart tourism - the path of development and innovation of cities", at which Tbilisi was officially presented as a new member of the association, "Kaladze said. According to the mayor, membership in the organization will bring many benefits to Tbilisi: "active cooperation between member cities in the field of tourism, establishing new ties with various industry associations, thematic and business meetings, promoting tourism products and increasing awareness." “We have delicious cuisine, wine and, most importantly, we are hospitable people, and any tourist who comes here must return to Tbilisi with his friends and family.
That is why tourism needs a lot of support, ”added Kaladze, noting that it is necessary to do everything possible to acquaint the world with Georgia. WTCF was founded on September 15, 2012 in Beijing. It is the world's first international tourism organization focused not on countries, but on cities. Today the WTCF has six branches.
The organization consists of 145 cities and more than 70 institutional members - travel agencies, media, airports, airlines, hotel groups, cruise companies and financial firms.
“Improving city life through tourism” is the slogan and concept of the WTCF.


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Apple is advertising for a new head of product security, following the second loss of an iPhone prototype.
The new hire, based at Cupertino, will be required to handle “the protection of, and managing risks to, Apple’s unreleased products and related intellectual property,” the job ad reads. Given that not one but two iPhone prototypes have apparently been left in drinking establishments, a strong liver might also be an asset – as would a cozy relationship with California police.
Apple isn’t looking for a traditional thick-necked security guard however. The new hire will need an advanced degree, certification from security authorities or at least five years experience in the industry. They’ll also need to handle risk assessments and recommend new security strategies for the company.
Some have questioned whether Apple has been deliberately leaving prototypes out as a publicity stunt. After all, to lose one prototype in a bar is understandable but two looks slightly fishy. However, this looks unlikely given Apple’s legendary secrecy fetish and its heavy-handed response in both cases.
With the iPhone 4, the police seized the computers of Gizmodo editor Jason Chen, after the prototype fell into his hands. With the latest loss Apple staff may also have impersonated police officers to get enter and search the house of the man accused of having it. Such conduct is illegal in California and carries a recommended prison sentence of a year. ®


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Slots provider, ReelNRG, has confirmed the signing of a deal with Asian gaming platform and provider CQ9.
The partnership entails plethora of game releases that will make its way to Asian market, including the just-released Shanghai Respin classic slot, which will be followed by more releases over the coming months.
A Huge Opportunity
Calvin Kent, CEO of ReelNRG, said he is thrilled with the beginning of CQ9 partnership and is excited to see this part of company’s history and future unfold.
He said: “Asia offers some huge opportunities for us, and we couldn’t be more excited to work with CQ9. Having proven themselves to be a leading provider in Asia themselves, we feel CQ9 is an ideal partner to bring our own slots to the markets and grow ReelNRG’s presence even further.”
Wise Wang, Gaming Sales Supervisor, added that slots by ReelNRG are the most welcome addition to their platform and said:
“ReelNRG has a host of fantastic slots that we’re excited to see perform in the Asian markets, and we’re thrilled to welcome them onboard. Their folio offers an optimal mix of both Asian and European-style games, and players are sure to benefit from the variety on offer.”
Partnership With Vegas Crest
It was in October when CQ9 announced their partnership with one Vegas Crest.
The gaming portal and the operator from Taipei have reached a supply agreement that will see CQ9 will expand in US and Europe as it aims to be one of the most competitive online gaming publishers.
Vegas Crest will introduce over 100 new games that will be made available on CQ9 platform, including arcades and online board and card games.
About Two Companies
CQ9 offers an operational platform, as they have adopted prudent development procedures and a customized consultation service to enhance their experience for clients. Listed and headquartered in Asia, CQ9 is currently working to expand their US and European business, and to evolve their offering across a global market.
ReelNRG is a casino game development company dedicated to delivering high quality casino slots. Based in London, England, the supplier takes pride in producing games that engage players with stunning audio and visual gaming experiences.
The firm has made great success since it began and remains committed to developing exciting, fresh and innovative gaming content.
“ReelNRG Launches with CQ9”, reelnrg.com, January 9, 2019.
DomLatVit 3 years ago
Best of luck to both in their endeavors!
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