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Apple’s own iOS 8.1 user guide in the iBookstore reveals screenshots of an iPad Air 2 and iPad mini 3, both with Touch ID. Additionally, the guide shows a screenshot noting that iPad Air 2 will be able to use Burst Mode when taking photos. Based on the shots, it does appear that Apple will call the devices iPad Air 2 and iPad mini 3. As the screenshots in the user guide are for iOS 8.1, we’ll likely also see that debut tomorrow, as well. [via 9to5Mac]
Alleged components of Apple’s upcoming second-generation iPad Air were recently posted on Apple.club.tw, with a logic board that shows an A8X chip. While the iPad Air used the same A7 chip found in the iPhone 5s, the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus contain an A8 chip, so it appears Apple will be once again making a separate processor for the iPad. The report also claims that iPad Air 2 will pack 2GB of RAM, as has been rumored. In addition to the logic board, the report also contains shots of the new iPad’s alleged Touch ID button and new display glass cover. Apple is expected to reveal its latest iPads on Thursday, Oct. 16.
Apple is pushing back mass production for its planned larger iPad into early 2015, the Wall Street Journal reports. Sources said the company was prepared to start production this December, but overwhelming demand for the new iPhones has become the top priority. A previous report also claimed that the device would enter production in the first quarter of 2015. It’s still expected that the new iPad — often referred to as “iPad Pro” — will have a 12.9” display. The actual release date for the product is still unknown, especially considering a production timeline that is apparently evolving based on other factors.
Many users are having issues with Bluetooth connectivity following the update to iOS 8 earlier this month, as noted in a recent report from MacRumors. Reports from numerous users on the Apple Support forums and MacRumors forums indicate problems with connecting not only to car audio systems but also headphones, speakers, headsets, and more. Some have reported that Apple support is aware of the incompatibility issue with “some car/navigation Bluetooth” systems, pertaining at least to the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus, and has said it is working on a fix. The problem with car audio systems appears to affect a wide variety of models, including Hyundai, BMW, Mercedes, Lexus, Toyota, Ford, and more. iLounge’s editors have experienced problems with the iPhone 6 Plus but not older iPhone models, although there are reports that other users of older devices are in fact experiencing similar problems. There have also been developer reports that Apple may have already addressed this issue in the iOS 8.1 beta released earlier this week.
Apple will add a new gold color option to its newest iPad Air likely to be unveiled this month, Bloomberg reports. The gold color, which has been an iPhone color option since last year’s iPhone 5s, is reportedly being added to the lineup to boost sales. Interestingly, the report makes no mention of whether the next iPad mini will also come in gold. Apple declined comment.
A serious bug has been reported with the “Reset All Settings” option in iOS 8 that may result in at least some iCloud Drive based documents being deleted. According to several MacRumors readers, using the option found under Settings, General, Reset has caused documents to be permanently removed from iCloud Drive across all other iOS devices. The “Reset All Settings” option has been around since the early versions of iOS, and as the name implies is designed to reset all user-configurable settings on an iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch back to their factory defaults, without actually deleting any data from the device or the cloud. While it is unclear what iCloud Drive data is being impacted by this bug, it appears that at least Apple’s own Pages, Keynote, and Numbers apps are impacted.
Apple has released the first beta of iOS 8.1 to registered developers. The latest version features a build number of 12B401 and appears to contain mostly minor tweaks and fixes, including the ability to disable Dictation independently from Siri, and a renaming of “Recently Added” photos back to “Camera Roll.” A report from MacRumors also notes that the beta includes hidden settings for Apple Pay as well as underlying code for iPad Touch ID support.
Apple is currently working on iOS 8.1, 8.2, and 8.3 at the same time, according to 9to5Mac. The report claims that such a move away from Apple’s normal development cycle might show that the company won’t tie annual major iOS releases to typical fall hardware releases. Otherwise, Apple may be accelerating its iOS point release development while keeping iOS 9 for release next fall. It’s possible that the upcoming releases of 8.1, 8.2, and 8.3 will introduce major new features, such as Apple Pay, split-screen iPad apps, or an update to make iPhones compatible with the Apple Watch.
Apple’s quickly-pulled iOS 8.0.1 update was overseen by the same manager in charge of catching problems with Apple Maps before that program was released, according to Bloomberg. The report claims mid-level manager Josh Williams oversees quality assurance for iOS, and Williams was also in charge of quality control for Apple’s much-maligned Maps release in 2012. A source said Williams was removed from the Maps team “after the software gave users unreliable directions and mislabeled landmarks,” but he remained in charge of iOS testing. Williams has reportedly been working on quality control for iPhone software “since early iterations of the product,” and he leads a team of more than 100 people worldwide.
Former employees said the company relies on people to find bugs more than it uses automation-testing. The report also notes that engineers in charge of testing new software “often don’t get their hands on the latest iPhones until the same time that they arrive with customers, resulting in updates that may not get tested as much on the latest handsets.” Only senior managers can use unreleased iPhones without special permission, sources said.
Apple has released iOS 8.0.2 tonight, just one day after releasing and pulling iOS 8.0.1, which was immediately received with complaints of cellular and Touch ID issues from iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus users. iOS 8.0.2 resolves those problems, and also allows HealthKit apps to be available on the App Store, among other fixes.
Update: Some Australian users are still experiencing cellular and Touch ID problems after installing iOS 8.0.2, according to MacRumors.
Apple has already released a maintenance update only a week following the company’s release of iOS 8. Listed as “containing improvements and bug fixes,” iOS 8.0.1 notably addresses the issue that affected use of HealthKit by third-party apps revealed last week. Other improvements and fixes include issues with third-party keyboards, apps accessing the Photo Library, reliability of the Reachability feature on the iPhone 6, fixes for unexpected cellular data usage when receiving SMS/MMS messages, and more. The update is now available in Settings, General, Software Update.
Update: iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus users have reported a complete loss of cellular connectivity and Touch ID functionality following the 8.0.1 update. iPhone 5s and other iPhone users appear to be unaffected, but we would advise users to hold off on this update for the time being.
Update 2: Apple has pulled the iOS 8.0.1 update following widespread reports of iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus problems.
Several research and analytics firms have reported that iOS 8 adoption has reached 30% following the first weekend of iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus sales, based on in-app analytics reported by Fiksu, Mixpanel, Appsee, and Chitika. While this number is up from the estimated 15% adoption following the initial iOS 8 public release last week, it still falls short of the almost 50% of users that had updated to iOS 7 by this time last year. The higher adoption rates of course include the new iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus, both of which come with iOS 8 preinstalled, which would account for at least some of the increase. Stats from Appsee also notably indicate that 2% of users are still on iOS 6.0. Apple has not yet released any official numbers for iOS 8 adoption. [via 9to5Mac]
As expected, Apple has released its latest operating system for iOS devices, iOS 8. The update is now available in Settings, General, Software Update. Apple describes it as “the biggest release since the launch of the App Store, with hundreds of new features.” We published our review of iOS 8 on Tuesday. Our iOS 8 Instant Expert feature is already up, as well, filling you in on everything you need to know about iOS 8.
As generally anticipated, Apple has set an October date for the release of new iPad models alongside OS X Yosemite. A new report from The Daly Dot, citing “sources familiar with the matter” indicates that the Apple is planning to hold an event on Tuesday, October 21st, where the company will debut two new iPad models as well as releasing OS X Yosemite. Last year’s event was held on October 22nd, where Apple similarly unveiled new iPad models and the latest version of OS X.
New information found on Apple’s page on iOS 8 Continuity suggests that the company may be delaying the activation of the iOS 8 SMS Continuity feature until some time in October, possibly to coincide with the expected release of OS X Yosemite. Originally announced and demonstrated at Apple’s Worldwide Developer Conference in June, SMS Continuity will allow users with an iPhone and other iOS or OS X device to send and receive traditional SMS text messages from their iPad or Mac. While the feature seems to have worked reasonably well with earlier iOS 8 and Yosemite betas, iLounge readers and editors have noted that the feature no longer seems to function in the iOS 8 GM, and Apple’s iOS 8 Preview Page now shows it as “Coming in October”; a discussion thread at Macrumors reveals several other users having similar problems, with suggestions that the feature may in fact have been disabled on Apple’s servers sometime in the past couple of days.
Apple has introduced three new features for iOS Developers allowing them to more easily distribute, test, and promote their apps on the App Store. App Store Bundles will allow developers to bundle up to 10 of their apps into a single-priced bundle that users can purchase together at a reduced price. App Bundles can be purchased with a single tap, and all of the apps will appear individually on the customer’s device. A “Complete My Bundle” feature will also be available that will credit customers for any apps they’ve already purchased, allowing them to purchase the bundle and pay only the price for the remaining apps.
With the introduction of App Previews, developers can now include a video preview to demonstrate the features and user interface of the app that users can watch right on the App Store page. Previews can be between 15 and 30 seconds long and will be displayed as the first image on the product page, followed by the standard app screenshots. Developers will also be able to capture real-time app footage directly from their iOS device using iOS 8 and Yosemite.
Following Apple’s acquisition of TestFlight earlier this year, the company has now incorporated TestFlight Beta Testing into its own tools for iOS developers, and will allow up to 25 internal testers to access beta builds on up to 10 devices each. External beta tester access is said to be coming soon which will allow up to 1,000 users to be invited to beta test an app using only their e-mail addresses.
Apple has also posted a set of developer documents covering building apps for the new iPhone models and iOS 8 features, including programming guides for Touch ID, PhotoKit, HealthKit, HomeKit, CloudKit, Handoff, and more.
Apple has released its Gold Master seed of iOS 8 to registered developers. Listed as build 12A365, the GM build is normally the last to be seeded prior to the software’s official launch, expected on September 17, and as such can be used to submit iOS 8 applications to the App Store for review. It is unclear whether the iOS 8 GM seed will be made available as an over-the-air software update, as has been the case with past iOS beta releases, however Registered Developers can download the iOS 8 GM seed and the accompanying SDK from the iOS Dev Center now.
During today’s event, Apple announced the official release date for iOS 8, the next generation of the company’s mobile operating system. Originally unveiled at WWDC in June, iOS 8 adds several significant enhancements such as new Health and Home Automation frameworks, an iCloud-based Photo Library, Family Sharing, and more.
iOS 8 is compatible with the iPhone 4S and later, fifth-generation iPod, iPad 2 and later models, and all iPad mini models. It will be available for download as a free update via iTunes and OTA update on September 17th.
Apple may be adding support for a “triple-resolution” Retina Display into iOS 8 according to a new discovery by iOS Developer James Thomson. In a series of tweets this afternoon, Thomson indicated that he had discovered a bug in iOS 8 beta 5 that loads a 3X asset instead of a 2X asset, and further explained that this only happens specifically with 3X assets and not other resolutions like 4X, suggesting this indicates a deliberate decision in the iOS 8 code, rather than a matter of simply selecting the highest-resolution asset available.
Basically, it looks like UIImage has had support for @3x retina images added to it in iOS 8, and/or there is a bug in image loading.— James Thomson (@jamesthomson) August 29, 2014
Mark Gurman of 9to5Mac originally reported in May that Apple was testing a 1704x960 screen resolution for the iPhone 6 that would be achieved by tripling each pixel from a “base resolution” of 568 x 320. Daring Fireball’s John Gruber added his speculation earlier this week suggesting different screen resolutions may be used and that the higher resolution would only apply to the larger 5.5” iPhone 6 in order to maintain a proper Retina Display pixel density. It still remains unclear what hardware Apple may ultimately intend to use this on, since although the iPhone 6 is scheduled for release next month, it is expected that new iPad models will also be appearing during the iOS 8 lifecycle, including a rumoured 12.9” iPad which may also require a higher pixel density for the larger display.


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Affiliate 'Ripped Off' by Panties.com Program Manager
Want to know how cheap and slimy some marketers can be? Look no further than Panties.com. The online purveyor of panties, thongs and other lingerie ripped of one of its affiliates.
In a recent campaign, Panties.com stated, "We are so confident you'll make a sale that we'll pay you $50 if you put one of our new panties.com banners on your website and do not make a sale by February 28th!"
Eric Nagel took them up on their offer. But, as he explains on his blog, at the last minute, Panties.com Program Manager Lila swooped in and made a purchase negating the $50 bonus netting Nagel the usual cut which, in this case, was $7.50.

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Dell Technologies lays out its hybrid cloud plan with a heavy dose of VMware Dell Technologies' crown jewel in its portfolio is VMware and the technology giant is now making it the glue that holds its portfolio of companies together. Dell Technologies' crown jewel in its portfolio is VMware and the technology giant is now making it the glue that holds its portfolio of companies together. At the launch of its Dell Techologies World conference in Las Vegas, the company outlined a hybrid cloud strategy that aims to knit its data center and hybrid cloud technologies with public cloud providers such as Amazon Web Services and IBM Cloud with more to come. The effort is dubbed the Dell Technologies Cloud. VMware is also launching VMware Cloud on Dell EMC, which will include vSphere, vSAN and NSX running on Dell EMC's infrastructure. In addition, Dell Technologies is launching a data center as a service effort where it manages infrastructure in a model that lines up with cloud computing … [Read more...] about Dell Technologies makes VMware linchpin of hybrid cloud, data center as a service, end user strategies
Dell acquired emc
(Reuters) - Computer maker Dell Technologies Inc is exploring a sale of SecureWorks Corp, a U.S. provider of cybersecurity services with a market value of close to $2 billion, people familiar with the matter said on Thursday. FILE PHOTO - A Dell gaming computer is shown at the E3 2017 Electronic Entertainment Expo in Los Angeles, California, U.S. June 13, 2017. REUTERS/ Mike Blake A sale of SecureWorks, in which Dell holds an 85 percent stake, would allow the latter to trim its $50 billion debt pile, after it decided to become a publicly traded company last year through a complex deal involving its software subsidiary VMware Inc. SecureWorks is working with investment bank Morgan Stanley on a sale process for the entire company that is in its early stages, the sources said, asking not to be identified because the matter is confidential. Dell and SecureWorks declined to comment, while Morgan Stanley did not respond to a request for comment. SecureWorks, based in … [Read more...] about Exclusive: Dell explores sale of cybersecurity company SecureWorks…
It’s 2019, and after a five-year stint as a private company, Dell Technologies has returned to the public markets. It’s a move that could have enormous implications for enterprise data storage. As a former Dell executive, I’ve closely followed the company’s recent journey from private to public, most recently writing in May about the implications of Dell’s then-rumored plans to go public via a reverse merger. Now that Dell has gone through with that plan, the company has both the means and incentive to fill gaps in its product portfolio through acquisition using its public stock as currency. As a result, the newly public Dell could heat up the enterprise storage M&A market, increasing prices and accelerating exits. Since it went private five years ago, Dell hasn’t exactly been idle when it comes to storage. After all, the company did acquire the largest data storage vendor in the world when it bought EMC in 2016. And by the numbers, Dell is still … [Read more...] about Newly public Dell could heat up the data storage M&A market
Visit The Boston Globe Share on Twitter Share on Facebook Comment on this Scroll to top of page Scott Kirsner Globe Correspondent November 30, 2018 Three years ago, Michael Dell bought the top technology company in Massachusetts, data storage giant EMC Corp., in what was the biggest acquisition ever in the tech industry. The combination formed the world’s largest privately-held technology company, with a significant nexus in Hopkinton — a company still run by one of the original entrepreneurs of the PC era.You might have assumed that Michael Dell would have pretty quickly become one of the highest-profile dudes on the Massachusetts business scene. Or at least the tech sector?Nope. Advertisement Dell has been a phantom presence here since the EMC acquisition was announced in October 2015. Has Tom Hopcroft, the CEO of the state’s biggest tech association, run into him? Nope. Perhaps Dell has dropped in on MIT’s entrepreneurship … [Read more...] about Where are you, Michael Dell?
(Reuters) — IBM said on Sunday it had agreed to acquire U.S. software company Red Hat for $34 billion, including debt, as it seeks to diversify its technology hardware and consulting business into higher-margin products and services. The transaction is by far IBM’s biggest acquisition. It underscores IBM chief executive Ginni Rometty’s efforts to expand the company’s subscription-based software offerings, as it faces slowing software sales and waning demand for mainframe servers. “The acquisition of Red Hat is a game-changer … IBM will become the world’s No. 1 hybrid cloud provider, offering companies the only open cloud solution that will unlock the full value of the cloud for their businesses,” Rometty said in a statement. IBM, which has a market capitalization of $114 billion, will pay $190 per share in cash for Red Hat, a 62 percent premium to Friday’s closing share price. Founded in 1993, Red Hat specializes in Linux operating … [Read more...] about IBM acquires Red Hat for $34 billion


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Canadian consumers and businesses hunkered down in the first quarter of the year, a trend that could persist as heavy household debt and the escalating euro crisis threaten to spur these key sources of growth to pull back even more.
Statistics Canada releases gross domestic product figures for January through March on Friday, and analysts expect an underwhelming annual growth rate of about 1.9 per cent, amid what many say was likely the weakest growth in domestic spending since the recession. Without decent performances by exports (possibly short-lived, given the global backdrop) and housing (which carries risks, given worries about Toronto's condo market), the economy would have grown even less.
The hope is that households will be buoyed in the coming quarters by a resurgent labour market, and that a rebound in factory shipments in March points to companies' ability to profit from an improving U.S. economy despite Europe's troubles and slower-than expected growth in China. But the fear is that a deepening euro crisis could tip Canada's chief export market into perilous territory, which would pour more cold water on consumers and businesses.
"Consumer spending is likely to continue to slow, growing at a modest pace, so there's not much to be terribly optimistic about domestically," said Benjamin Reitzes, a senior economist at BMO Nesbitt Burns. "And the news overseas just has not been good for I don't even know how long. Right now, there's no real impetus for businesses to be extraordinarily optimistic and go out there and spend."
The Bank of Canada last month said the economy would grow at an annual rate of 2.5 per cent in each of the first two quarters, slowing ever so slightly in the July-to-September period to a 2.4-per-cent pace before returning to 2.5 per cent in the final three months. Economists, though, are increasingly of the view that those projections will prove too optimistic, which helps explain why markets now doubt Governor Mark Carney will raise interest rates this year.
Meanwhile, at a press conference in Oshawa, Ont., last Friday, Finance Minister Jim Flaherty was asked if he thought Europe's troubles could spark another recession here.
His response was that he sees no sign of "anything like" a downturn on the horizon, just "continued modest growth" in both Canada and the United States. Anyone watching Canada's frothy housing market and recent hiring surge would probably agree with that answer, but the fact he was asked the question shows the level of euro-fuelled anxiety.
Outside of a worst-case scenario – Greece not only quits the euro, but in doing so inspires bank runs and panic in other debt-strapped countries like Spain, Portugal, Ireland and Italy – most analysts say the Canadian economy won't be affected dramatically, and could still grow 2 per cent or a bit more this year.
Still, many also worry about the prospect of an ever-worsening crisis that shatters business and consumer confidence everywhere, including in Canada, possibly causing job losses and a precipitous drop in real estate values at a time when so many households are vulnerable.
"The difficulty here is seeing where the risks will ultimately fall," said Francis Fong, an economist with Toronto-Dominion Bank. "Our base forecast is Greece falls into trouble but there's enough backstopping on the part of European policy makers, the [European Central Bank]and the [International Monetary Fund]to allow them to hobble their way through the crisis, and Canada's only going to be slightly impacted. That being said, the risks are huge."


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Equities research analysts expect SYNNEX Co. (NYSE:SNX) to report sales of $5.52 billion for the current fiscal quarter, according to Zacks Investment Research. Three analysts have made estimates for SYNNEX’s earnings, with the highest sales estimate coming in at $5.55 billion and the lowest estimate coming in at $5.47 billion. SYNNEX reported sales of $4.97 billion during the same quarter last year, which would suggest a positive year over year growth rate of 11.1%. The business is expected to issue its next quarterly earnings results on Thursday, June 27th.
On average, analysts expect that SYNNEX will report full-year sales of $22.14 billion for the current fiscal year, with estimates ranging from $22.09 billion to $22.19 billion. For the next fiscal year, analysts anticipate that the firm will report sales of $22.61 billion, with estimates ranging from $22.32 billion to $22.88 billion. Zacks Investment Research’s sales averages are an average based on a survey of research analysts that follow SYNNEX.
SYNNEX (NYSE:SNX) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, March 27th. The business services provider reported $2.84 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the Zacks’ consensus estimate of $2.75 by $0.09. The business had revenue of $5.25 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.29 billion. SYNNEX had a return on equity of 17.78% and a net margin of 1.75%. SYNNEX’s quarterly revenue was up 16.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $2.14 earnings per share.
NYSE SNX opened at $101.03 on Thursday. The firm has a market capitalization of $5.07 billion, a P/E ratio of 9.28 and a beta of 0.73. SYNNEX has a twelve month low of $71.82 and a twelve month high of $116.47. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.81, a current ratio of 1.66 and a quick ratio of 1.03.
The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, April 26th. Shareholders of record on Friday, April 12th will be issued a dividend of $0.375 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, April 11th. This represents a $1.50 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.48%. SYNNEX’s payout ratio is currently 13.77%.
In other SYNNEX news, Director Andrea M. Zulberti sold 2,416 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, January 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $90.45, for a total transaction of $218,527.20. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 14,717 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,331,152.65. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CFO Marshall Witt sold 600 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, March 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $99.04, for a total value of $59,424.00. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 17,693 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,752,314.72. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 4,216 shares of company stock valued at $393,661. Company insiders own 3.20% of the company’s stock.
Institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. JOYN Advisors Inc. grew its holdings in SYNNEX by 375.0% during the 4th quarter. JOYN Advisors Inc. now owns 380 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $31,000 after acquiring an additional 300 shares during the period. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust boosted its position in shares of SYNNEX by 103.3% during the 4th quarter. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust now owns 498 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $40,000 after purchasing an additional 253 shares in the last quarter. Sage Capital Advisors llc bought a new position in shares of SYNNEX during the 4th quarter worth about $40,000. O Shaughnessy Asset Management LLC bought a new position in shares of SYNNEX during the 4th quarter worth about $70,000. Finally, Advisor Group Inc. boosted its position in shares of SYNNEX by 32.6% during the 4th quarter. Advisor Group Inc. now owns 1,816 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $148,000 after purchasing an additional 446 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 77.67% of the company’s stock.
SYNNEX Company Profile
SYNNEX Corporation provides business process services in the Americas, Asia-Pacific, Europe and Africa. It operates in two segments, Technology Solutions and Concentrix. The Technology Solutions segment distributes peripherals; information technology systems, including data center servers and storage solutions; system components; software; networking, communications, and security equipment; consumer electronics; and complementary products.
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by University of East Anglia, Dept. of Accountancy and Finance in [s.l.] .
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|Contributions||University of East Anglia. Department Accountancy and Finance.|
UK car industry future hinges 'not on Brexit, but on batteries' This article is more than 9 months old Jaguar Land Rover boss says UK needs batteries made in Britain - or carmakers will leave. Executive summary. The UK’s automotive industry is poised for continued growth in both vehicle production and local sourcing of components. This paper forecasts that by , the UK will be producing two million vehicles a year, compared to its current . Meanwhile, an extra £bn would be paid collectively for new cars coming from the Continent. Ford puts the blame squarely on Brexit for its loss-making second quarter in Europe this year. “The biggest issue we face is the UK,” Jim Farley, president of global markets, told investors last week. The fall and rise of Britain's car industry A decade on from the collapse of MG Rover, the UK's automotive sector is getting back into top gear.
Connectivity is, you start to think of the car as a computer on wheels, and a computer generates massive amounts of data. A car is going to have million lines of software code in the future. All of Facebook in comparison today is roughly about 50 million lines of code. So it’s a massive change. The UK car industry supports , manufacturing jobs, of wh are in supply chain companies, according to the trade body SMMT. Some 18 . Artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) have an important role in the future of the automotive industry as predictive capabilities are becoming more prevalent in cars, personalizing the driving experience. More manufacturers are applying algorithms that use data to automate the process of setting up a vehicle, including a car’s infotainment system and . 5 Trends Driving the Future of Parking 2 Introduction Technology is the parking industry’s driving force—and as available technology continues to advance and evolve, so do the people that use it. All of these trends have already started – and the impact will .
proton: its rise, fall, and future prospects launched as part of the national motorcycle project in , and Malaysia Truck and Bus Sdn Bhd (currently known. Future of the Auto Industry - robot drivers, next-generation electric vehicles, fuels, shared ownership, flying cars, traffic management, road infrastructure, smart cities - keynote speaker Future of Taxation, Compliance and Regulation - Accountancy firms, financial reporting, corporation tax, personal tax, tax evasion clampdowns. Recent Developments and Future Prospects in the Indian Automotive Industry. The automobile market is growing at about 25% for the last three years. The number of persons per car is , which is very large compared to other emerging markets like Korea and Brazil which have about 12 persons per car. The automotive industry in the United Kingdom is now best known for premium and sports car marques including Aston Martin, Bentley, Caterham Cars, Daimler, Jaguar, Lagonda, Land Rover, Lister Cars, Lotus, McLaren, MG, Mini, Morgan and car manufacturers with a major presence in the UK include Honda, Nissan, Toyota and Vauxhall Motors (subsidiary of .


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By: Aulia Masna
Recently, there has been discussion about the behavior of Indonesians online as well as the potential growth of the number of people using the Internet.
We found out that the top five online activities by Indonesians involve social media and messaging, and also that there are roughly 50 million Indonesians online, a number that may double in less than five years given the current growth rate.
But what does that mean in terms of the economy? Does this affect businesses at all and if it does, how does it compare with other industries?
The Connected Archipelago is a report that was put together by Deloitte and takes a fresh look at this question by treating the Internet as a boring industry and measuring it in a traditional way. This isn’t as easy as it sounds. It’s shockingly hard.
Governments don’t track the Internet’s activity as they do other industries, so whatever the Internet does gets counted as something done by someone else. If a shipping firm uses the Internet to reduce its inventory and speed up shipments, that counts as an expansion of the shipping sector.
As a general rule, when the Internet helps a business, that business takes the credit. When it hurts a business, however, the Internet will take the blame.
What the folks at Deloitte have done is measure the Internet using the same methods that the government uses to add up GDP statistics, the basic benchmark of how much Indonesia has produced in a year.
Bottom line is they have produced a report that provides a more meaningful way of looking at the Internet, which allows us to see the industry from a different perspective.
They have added up how much Indonesia has spent in total on the Internet, which happens to be the same amount that the Internet has produced for Indonesia. And that finally allows us to judge how big the Internet really is. Bigger than cars? Bigger than mining? Bigger than Syahrini?
So this is what they’ve discovered. Internet-related activities in Indonesia have produced 1.6 percent of the nation’s gross domestic product (GDP). This is larger than liquefied natural gas at 1.45 percent and larger than electronic and electrical equipment exports at 1.51 percent. This is more than three times larger than wood and wood-related manufacturing.
Indonesia’s Internet economy is massive. If we put this alongside the other major national industries, how would we treat this Internet economy?
How would we encourage its growth? Should we protect it? Thanks to the proliferation of Internet-enabled mobile phones and affordable Internet access, this industry will only grow larger.
The report says that “it is likely the number of Indonesian households with access to the Internet will double over the next five years, increasing the value of the Internet economy by around Rp 70 trillion, or 1 percent of GDP”.
There’s also great potential for e-commerce. The report estimates only US$230 million a year in 2010, less than 0.1 percent of GDP. And yet the survey cites a ComScore survey that found 50 percent of Indonesian Internet users had visited retail sites in 2010, up from 41 percent in 2009.
A survey of small and medium enterprises found that a majority of them were using the Internet to find a greater range of products and suppliers, at lower prices, and almost two-thirds were using the Internet to source supplies.
There in lies a clue as to how the Internet became so big. Most businesses are having some form of business discussion on the Internet. You mess with that, you’re messing with every business’s ability to get supplies, find clients and handle complaints.
This makes the answer to the earlier question about growing the industry pretty clear. With businesses relying on the Internet for much of their operations, it only makes sense that there needs to be more people online, especially businesses, supplied with as much information as possible.
Limiting the number of people online would only mean taking away a cut of the GDP, effectively reducing the ability and competitiveness of Indonesia on the world stage, in which the distribution of information and knowledge is playing a greater role to move a nation forward.
The report reckons that the Internet economy will grow to around three times the rate of the overall economy over the next five years.
By 2016, it will account for at least 2.5 percent of GDP by 2016, which means that in just a few years we are looking at a sector as big or bigger than the textiles, leather products and footwear industries (all of which contribute about 2.1 percent of GDP).
The report though, still has yet to consider the fact that many Indonesians are trading online, selling goods and services, using personal Facebook pages and BlackBerry Messenger groups. These “underground stores” are not impossible to measure but are usually invisible to most studies as they are easily forgotten or ignored.
You know you have Indonesian friends on Facebook when you have been tagged in photos in which there may not be a single person in it but you will see dresses or cameras or bags, or just about anything that can be sold.
Instead of using sites like Multiply, eBay, Rakuten, or Tokobagus, a lot of these people buy and sell goods on what is normally seen as social networks.
People may joke about it but it’s an underground economy nonetheless, one which plays a part in contributing to the Internet economy.
So, if not already, maybe it’s time to consider the Internet not as a place to play around, but as a serious industry that has a massive effect on the nation’s economy.
It will only continue to play such a role in years to come as it blows past other, more traditional economies and spreads its influence across those very industries.
Notice: This opinion article was quoted in an online newspaper, The Jakarta Post, in Jakarta, Indonesia, on December 31, 2011. It is also able to be reached at: www.thejakartapost.com [accessed in Bandung, West Java, Indonesia: January 10, 2012].
Aulia Masna is the technology columnist at Daily Social, a news site focusing on Indonesian start-ups, technology, and tech-related innovations. He was also the managing editor of e27.sg, a technology news site based in Singapore covering start-ups and innovations across Southeast Asia.


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Full profile →'">
The author is a Forbes contributor. The opinions expressed are those of the writer.
Sometimes players in an industry have to take on the role of evangelists in order to open up crowds of new customers. The suppressor market – an accessory category within the firearms industry – is one space that’s seen growth as people tune in to the benefits of making rifles, shotguns and pistols less noisy.
Also known as “silencers,” suppressors have been around since the early 1900s. Traditionally they are cylindrical devices filled with layers of metal baffles, or dividers, which slow the gases that escape a gun barrel when a bullet is fired and muffle the sound. Are they as quiet as often depicted in popular action films? No, but they do reduce the volume of a pistol, rifle or shotgun blast enough to protect the hearing of hunters and shooting enthusiasts, which may explain why suppressors have seen a surge recently despite critics’ arguments that quieter gunfire would benefit the criminal element.
Though it’s hard to find exact figures, Americans probably bought between 100,000 and 200,000 suppressors last year, according to industry insider estimates. In 2014 the number of such products registered by civilians with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms surpassed 571,000—that’s a 58% increase since 2012. Last year the number of people waiting to have their suppressor permits approved surpassed 80,000.
Liberty Suppressors – a small manufacturer based in Trenton, Georgia – has noticed the increase in interest. Founded in 2004 by husband-wife team David and Teresa Saylors, the 16-person company has enjoyed an average 2X growth every year of operation and David Saylors says the push to educate gun owners, coupled with the ease of research the internet provides, will continue to spur the market, which he says is vast and largely untapped given the number of gun owners in the country compared with the number of suppressors in circulation. “It’s immediately appealing to a person who fires firearms routinely at a practice range,” says Saylors. “Once they shoot a suppressed firearm, it’s so much more pleasant they don’t want to go back to unsuppressed guns.”
Established companies in the firearms industry could get into the game more actively. Top tier suppressor firm, AAC, was acquired by Remington, and last year Switzerland-based gun maker Sig Sauer emerged with its own line of products after hiring AAC founder Kevin Brittingham, as well as designer Ethan Lessard, to spearhead their entrance into the space. According to Casey Foster, director of special projects for 22 year-old suppressor company GEMTECH, partnerships are likely the way larger firms in the industry will enter the market, rather than engineering their own designs from scratch. “I do not think that you’re going to see the majority of rifle manufacturers even attempt to get into this—it’s simply too complex.”
Working to educate consumers and legislators to the benefits of suppressor technology is the American Suppressor Association (ASA), the niche industry’s mouthpiece formed in 2011, made up of manufacturers, dealers and consumers. “In order to expand our market we have to break down a lot of misconceptions,” says Knox Williams, president of the organization. “For most people, their only exposure to suppressors is through Hollywood. They see it in the movies, they think they know what they sound like, they think they know how they function, they think they’re these tiny little gadgets that you can just put on any gun that will completely silence the firearm. That’s not the case at all.”
The ASA has connected to about 65 dealers nationwide to whom it sends educational material about suppressors. By the end of the year Williams says he expects to expand that network to 500. But informing sellers and consumers also takes hands on work. “A lot of it is just sheer exposure,” he said. “Hitting public events, taking people out and shooting with suppressors.”


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Coca-Cola, soft drink company will invest $200 million in Pakistan for beverage plants zone in Islamabad and Faisalabad. Atilla Yerlikaya, GM, chairman of Pakistan and Turkey met with MOS/Chairman and discuss opportunities available in Pakistan. Investment board confirmed on Wednesday.
Chairman and MOS warmly welcomed and briefed about the investment in Pakistan.
Atilla Yerlikaya, coca cola company stated that plans on investing beverage plants in Islamabad and Faisalabad. They said, Coca-cola company already invest $500 million this year in country and also ready for $200 million more investment in Pakistan.
They will establish one unit in Faisalabad at SEZ, M.III , and Second unit at SEZ, Islamabad
MOS/Chairman, Dr. Miftah Ismail, confirmed that they ensured that they fully support Coca Cola Company and they will establish their plans in Pakistan.


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Norwegian energy giant Statkraft has bought a 47.5% interest in electric vehicle (EV) charging company Grønn Kontakt.
It bought the stake from Agder Energi, giving Statkfraft full control of the Norwegian firm, which has been in the market for 10 years.
Statkraft has been co-owner of Grønn Kontakt since 2012 and the latest investment increase its shareholding to nearly 96%.
The remaining shareholders will be offered to sell their shares.
Grønn Kontakt has more than 230 fast charging stations across Norway, from Mandal in the south, to Tromsø in the north.
Christian Rynning-Tønnesen, President and CEO of Statkraft said: “Electric vehicles will change the power industry in Europe and to achieve an emission free transport sector, renewable energy must be used to charge electric vehicles.
“It is time to further develop Norway’s and Grønn Kontakt’s strong position and to use our expertise and our competitive advantage to drive the electrification of the transport sector forward.”


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- US/Chinese trade deal stumbles ahead despite internal dissent on tariff roll-backs
- Juncker says no Trump tariff on EU autos next week
- U.S. consumer sentiment expected unchanged
US/Chinese trade deal stumbles ahead despite internal dissent on tariff roll-backs — The markets were encouraged early Thursday when China’s Ministry of Commerce spokesman Gao Feng said, “In the past two weeks, top negotiators had serious, constructive discussions and agreed to remove the additional tariffs in phases as progress is made on the agreement.”
Mr. Gao added, “If China, U.S. reach a phase-one deal, both sides should roll back existing additional tariffs in the same proportion simultaneously based on the content of the agreement, which is an important condition for reaching the agreement.”
However, Reuters then threw some cold water on the market’s trade enthusiasm by reporting later in the day that an agreement to roll back tariffs as part of the phase-one trade deal “faces fierce internal opposition at the White House and from outside advisors, multiple sources familiar with the talks said.”
The White House is apparently seeing a new internal battle between trade doves and hawks. In past battles, the doves were led by Treasury Secretary Mnuchin and the hawks were led by White House trade advisor Navarro. The most important question is where USTR Lighthizer stands and whether President Trump fully backs his position.
If Mr. Gao’s statement is correct that “top negotiators” agreed “to remove the additional tariffs in phases,” then USTR Lighthizer, as the lead negotiator, has possibly already agreed with the idea of rolling back tariffs. If that is the case, then the carping expressed to Reuters may have been from Mr. Navarro, who may feel that he is losing the battle to keep the tariffs fully in place. Yet, if the trade hawks led by Mr. Navarro can pull President Trump over to their side, then they may still win their battle, perhaps leading to no phase-one trade deal at all if China sticks to its guns on its demand for tariff roll-backs.
In any case, the freight train appears to be heading towards a phase-one trade deal despite some carping to Reuters by lower-level trade officials and outside advisors. White House economic advisor Kudlow yesterday afternoon made an apparent attempt to stamp out the dissent when he told Bloomberg, “If there’s a phase one trade deal, there are going to be tariff agreements and concessions.”
There was additional positive trade news Thursday afternoon when Fox Business News reported that the U.S. and China want to have a phase-one deal down on paper by the end of next week. The reporter said, “Trade sources from both sides say the U.S. and China [are] still negotiating using the APEC timeframe,” i.e., a deal by the Nov 16-17 date of the now-canceled APEC Summit in Chile.
There is concern that the timing of a deal could slip into late November or even December since the U.S. and China are having a difficult time settling on a date and location for a signing ceremony. Reuters on Wednesday reported that Dec 3-4 in London is considered a possible date for a Trump-Xi meeting to sign the trade deal since Mr. Trump will be in London for a NATO meeting. Reuters said many other locations in Europe and Asia are also under consideration.
Juncker says no Trump tariff on EU autos next week — EU Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker yesterday said in a German newspaper interview that President Trump will not impose tariffs next week on EU autos. Mr. Juncker said, “Trump will ruffle a bit, but there will not be any automobile tariffs.” He added, “He won’t do it. You’re talking to a full informed man.”
Mr. Juncker was the EU official who was able to talk Mr. Trump into a truce in July 2018 that has so far prevented a U.S. tariff on EU autos. Mr. Juncker is clearly in a position to be fully informed on the status of the US/EU trade talks.
The global stock markets are likely to drop sharply if Mr. Trump goes ahead with a U.S. tariff on European autos since that would cause a heavy hit to the German and European manufacturing sectors, which are already in recessions.
The Trump administration has a self-imposed deadline of Nov 17 to make a decision on auto tariffs, although President Trump could decide to again delay a decision to allow for continued negotiations. EU Trade Commissioner Malmstrom on Wednesday said that the EU has been in “intensive discussions” with the U.S. about dropping the auto-tariff threat and that she did not know whether or not Mr. Trump would impose tariffs next week.
U.S. consumer sentiment expected unchanged — The consensus is for today’s preliminary-Nov University of Michigan U.S. consumer sentiment index to be unchanged at 95.5 following October’s +2.3 point increase to 95.5. The index fell sharply in August by -8.6 points to a 3-year low of 89.8 but then partially recovered with an overall rise of +5.7 points in September and October.
The market continues to watch U.S. consumer confidence and spending very carefully because consumers are the only major sector holding up the U.S. economy. Personal consumption contributed 1.93 percentage points to the Q3 GDP report of +1.9% and 3.03 points to the Q2 GDP report of +2.0%. U.S. consumer confidence is seeing support from (1) the strong labor market, (2) the record highs in the stock market that boost consumer 401k accounts and foster optimism about the economy, and (3) the continued rise in home prices that bolsters household wealth. However, confidence is being undercut by trade tariffs, political uncertainty in Washington, and the slowdown in U.S. GDP growth to +1.9% in Q3.


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LONDON ¿ The European biotechnology industry is maturing, becoming more integrated and starting to repay investors¿ faith, a change expected to be reflected at the CEO and Investor Conference in London, sponsored by the UK BioIndustry Association (BIA), Nov. 27 and 28.
¿We are delivering products, not promises, and there is far more concentration on the market end of the business,¿ said Crispin Kirkman, CEO of the BIA. ¿One of the key things on display at this conference will be the Europeanization of the biotechnology industry and the emergence of a pan-European market.¿
Despite the current downturn in high-tech investment, biotechnology is in a strong position. ¿Given that everyone else is catching a cold, influenza or worse, biotechnology is holding up well, and that is because products are beginning to come through,¿ Kirkman said. Currently, a lot of venture money is unallocated.
¿There is no shortage of venture money for later-stage companies; however, we are still waiting for the IPO window to reopen,¿ he said.
More than 60 biotech CEOs will be making company presentations and discussing how they will convert recent advances in platform technologies, such as genomics, proteomics and drug discovery, into tangible products.
¿Of course. there will still be companies that fall by the wayside, but overall the industry is delivering,¿ said Kirkman. ¿ Nuala Moran


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Well, if more smartphone makers consider adopting Windows, Nokia would suddenly find itself battling a larger crowd of more direct competitors who would churn out similar devices.
But even so, I still feel that Nokia stands to gain from Apple’s victory, since a blow to Android device makers would offer a temporary, but golden opportunity to gain traction in the market through its upcoming Windows 8 Lumia devices.
In addition, with Android devices on the firing line, wireless carriers such as Verizon and AT&T would find it more convenient to favor Windows phones especially Nokia’s range of Lumia smartphones. These devices would always stay clear of any legal dispute with Apple due to Nokia’s snug relationship with MS. Consequently, any increase in sales for Nokia would definitely hasten its ongoing turnaround.
But the positives for Nokia don’t end there...
Nokia is sitting on a rather large cache of 30,000 patents it acquired over the past 20 or so years. Some analysts believe that these could be worth between 4 to 10 billion euros. But after Apple’s patent victory, I suspect that the value these patents would be much higher today than it was before. This should not only ensure a higher “floor price” for Nokia’s ADRs but would also potentially serve as a good source of more royalties for Nokia.


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Xbox is happily and heavily celebrating the memes by acknowledging the fact that its next-gen console looks like a refrigerator, but now it is giving away an Xbox Series X-themed refrigerator. Check out the official world premiere video for the kitchen monolith.
Xbox Series X Fridge giveaway.
Follow and retweet with #XSXFridgeSweeps for a chance to win the Xbox Series X Fridge.
— Xbox (@Xbox) October 28, 2020
It was revealed via Xbox’s official Twitter account, the Xbox Series X Fridge is part of sweepstakes that starts today and it will end on November 4, 2020, at 7:00 PM PST. Check out the video below.
Microsoft even attached a “fridge for scale” image with Xbox Series X next to a banana.
Microsoft revealed in an interview earlier this year that the design will help with the cooling, not unlike a refrigerator. It seems the two things have more in common than we originally thought.


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Local residents are encouraged to become tourists in their own back- yards Oct. 9-10 for the fifth annual Sierra Oro Farm Trail Passport Weekend.
“We have such an amazing agricultural economy. Some of us don’t pay attention day-to-day,” said Mandy Johnston, one of the organizers of Passport Weekend.
Many farms, wineries and food producers have open hours or tours by special arrangement. But on this weekend in October, a greater number will be open for visitors all at the same time.
Twenty-seven growers and agri-businesses are on the list this year, spread between Chico, Oroville and Paradise along a 60-mile loop.
Now in its fifth year, the farms and agri-businesses make preparations for the steady flow of visitors, offering treats, music or other special touches.
While the event takes place from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Oct. 9-10, Chico State University hold its Chico Experience weekend Oct. 16-17. About half of the businesses will also have limited open hours during that second weekend.
Passports are $20 per person in advance and $25 the day of the event. This includes a free wine glass and free tasting at all stops. Children under age 12 are free.
To order online go to www.sierraoro.org. In person, passports can be purchased at Northern California Tri Counties Bank locations, Bacio Catering and Carryout in Chico, and at the Chico, Oroville and Paradise chambers of commerce.
Money from the passport sales goes to the Sierra Oro Farm Trail Association to further develop agritourism in Butte County.
Each stop along the Sierra Oro Farm Trail during Passport Weekend offers treats to visitors. Some examples include:
* Quilici Vineyards in Oroville is pairing with a family friend to provide pizza, as well as tastes of wine.
* Odyssey Winery and Vineyards in Chico will team up with Mim’s Bakery for wine and chocolate treats.
* Maisie Jane’s is hooking up with Sierra Nevada Brewing Co. and Schubert’s ice cream. The special treat will be almonds dunked in beer, then blended with ice cream.
* Mountain View Christmas Tree Farm will join with Joy Lyn’s Candies and Feather River Brewery to offer beer peanut brittle.
* Morse Farms in Oroville won’t have mandarins yet, but will treat guests to mini burgers slathered in mandarin marmalade, as well as mandarin juice spritzers.
New stops along Farm Trail this year
* Llano Seco Rancho, just south of Chico, practices organic farming and ranching, and recently began producing Llano Seco organic pork.
* The Worm Farm in Durham sells worms as well as finished worm compost.
* The Butte College Environmental Horticultural Nursery, on the college’s main campus, will host a plant sale.
* Chico State’s University Farm, on Hegan Lane, was in the farm trail loop last year. This year there will be stock dogs showing how canines work in agriculture. The dogs will be out and about from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. both days.


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A study suggests low vitamin D status may negatively impact balance among patients with fibromyalgia.
Tag Archives: low vitamin D status
Low vitamin D levels in autistic children not due to decreased sun exposure or less dietary vitamin D
A new study suggests that low vitamin D status in autistic children is not a result from decreased sun exposure or dietary intake of vitamin D.
Infantile vitamin D deficiency linked with increased risk for MS
A new study suggests that low vitamin D status during infancy is associated with an increased risk for developing multiple sclerosis.
Low vitamin D status associated with bladder cancer
A recent study found that maintaining vitamin D levels of at least 30 ng/ml was associated with a 60% decreased risk in developing bladder cancer.
Research finds high prevalence of vitamin D deficiency among pharmacy students
New research found that over 70% of Lebanese pharmacy students had low vitamin D levels and that pharmacist counseling was an effective intervention.
Nearly 90% of older Moroccan men and women have low vitamin D levels
New study indicates that despite the sunny location, 89.2% of men and 86% of women have low vitamin D levels in Morocco.
Vitamin D supplementation may reduce musculoskeletal pain in breast cancer patients
New research suggests that vitamin D supplementation may help reduce musculoskeletal pain in breast cancer patients taking letrozole.
Dr. Cannell discusses two recent studies which found that low vitamin D status is associated with an increased risk for kidney stones.
Low vitamin D status linked with nearsighted vision in young children
A recent study suggests that vitamin D deficiency is linked with longer axial length and an increased risk of nearsighted vision in young children.
Study finds low vitamin D levels linked to poorer neuropsychological function but not dementia
A recent cohort study found that vitamin D status related to poorer executive function, processing speed and visual perceptual skills.


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This Week in Crypto
Visa introduces the LucidiTEE blockchain, the SEC reviews Bitwise bitcoin ETF rejection, and rCashaa plans to offer banking for USD crypto firms.
A Wyoming law exempts New York’s Bitlicense requirement, Andrew Yang addresses regulating crypto, and the Federal Reserve releases stablecoin guidelines for issuers.
Tether denies allegations in its class action lawsuit, China stays firm on its cryptocurrency restrictions, and Alibaba denies any form of partnership with Lolli.
Compound Finance raises $25 million, BRICS nations explore cryptocurrency for trade, and Multi-Collateral Dai (MCD) goes live on Monday.
The Coinbase debit card supports additional tokens, Ledger Vault secures a $150 million insurance policy, and the Swiss Exchange lists a Tezos exchange traded product (ETP).
Bakkt plans to offer cash-settled bitcoin futures, crypto.com announces a new exchange, and Telegram requests its SEC case to be dismissed.
Justin Sun admits investment in Poloniex, BitGo is processing 20% bitcoin of transactions, and Binance announces it will use the fiat gateway by Paxos Trust Company.
HTC launches the EXODUS 1 Binance Edition, Abra adds support for 60 new assets, and Polkadot explores Kadena’s Pact smart contract programming language.
Bithumb launches Bithumb Coin (BT), an EIDOS airdrop clogs the EOS network, and Ant Financial is testing its blockchain network for launch next year.
Hong Kong’s SFC releases a position paper on virtual asset exchanges, Cash App restructures its bitcoin fees, and Nervos Network will launch its “Lina” blockchain next week.
© 2020 This Week in Crypto.
Get to the latest crypto news.


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Canadian optimism surges as expert asserts importance of expanding market investment
April 03, 2012
Mark Carney, governor of the Canadian Press Bank of Canada, derided the Canadian economy this week for focusing heavily on traditional markets in the post-recession economy, instead of investing in new opportunities in Asia, South America and elsewhere.
Carney cited Canada's export record since 2000 as a dismal failure, adding that it has assumed the worst post-recession record of any recovery since the Second World War. Aside from the United Kingdom, Carney noted, Canada is currently the worst in the G20 club of major economic nations, the Winnipeg Free Press reports.
It is true that Canada faired the global recession relatively well - at least in comparison to the U.S. and Europe - but its recovery has been weak and remains marred by high unemployment, weak consumer spending and poor international trade. Consumer debt is also high, and growth in construction for homes has largely dried up.
"Exports have not regained their pre-crisis peak, and in fact remain below their level of a decade ago," Carney added, according to the source. "The combination of over-exposure to the U.S. market and under-exposure to faster-growing emerging markets is almost entirely responsible."
However, in the speech to a Kitchener-Waterloo business audience on Monday, Carney was careful not to declare outright pessimism. He pointed to the ameliorating crisis in Europe as well as the quickening U.S. recovery as evidence of recovery and growth opportunities in Canada.
The analysis is a contrast to the latest CICA/RBC Business Monitor, however. The findings of that report conclude that the U.S. economy is unlikely to slip into recession, but is still a major economic challenge to Canada.
Optimism regarding the overall Canadian economy climbed to 32 percent in the first quarter, up from 20 percent in the fourth quarter of last year. However, most respondents - 58 percent - remain neutral about the country's economy.
"It is not surprising that we're seeing a rise in optimism about the Canadian economy and greater comfort with indicators stateside considering how closely our economies are linked," said Kevin Dancey, president and CEO of the Canadian Institute of Chartered Accountants. "These are positive signals, but not enough to suggest that we have achieved a sustainable recovery in Canada."


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2019 is likely to present a host of challenges as global political strife increases, coupled with slowing economic growth. The result is likely to lead to an
era of cost-cutting in many industries. Should this occur, products and their related quality and innovation will determine which organizations continue to be relevant.
CIOs and business leaders are facing a double whammy as this economic uncertainty is occurring at a time when there is a technology tipping point. They find themselves needing to justify the large technical debt they have occurred over the past decade. Those willing to address the gaps in process and technology and double down on dismantling silos—through product lifecycle management (PLM) tools—will be the ones who emerge victorious in their product-complexity endeavors.
As we did last year, we have conferred with our customers and internal teams to bring forth our predictions that, we believe, will significantly shape manufacturing businesses in 2019.
Prediction #1: Economic slowdown roots out the weak
Whether or not you believe that this will be the year for a global economic slowdown, there are certain truths for those that deny or do not prepare for its inevitability. We continue to see China’s growth receding, interest rates across the globe are increasing, and close to home, continued political strife has culminated in a government shutdown that is affecting the economy.
We expect this volatility to root out some weaker manufacturers, resulting in bankruptcies, mergers and large restructuring announcements. These will be the attempts to push a reset button for those who have not anticipated market changes and have high costs associated with missing the market on customer demands for products, or an inability to innovate and manufacture complex products cost-effectively.
At Aras, we anticipate increases in rip-and-replace strategies, as CIOs with their backs against the wall will be empowered to act decisively. They may believe that this strategy will put their organizations on a competitive footing and address their long-term fight with technical debt (all the work that still needs to be done to existing systems), but the cost is just too high due to poor architecture decisions.
Prediction #2: Embedded software becomes strategic
Software has been eating the world for a few years now, particularly in the consumer-market space. Through innovative applications, companies like Amazon, Uber and SpaceX have been able to systematically disrupt markets by bucking convention and solving issues previously thought unsolvable.
We believe 2019 is the year for most manufacturers to realize it’s time to elevate a precious resource of their own—embedded software. This specialized software is written to control machines and devices for a specific operating function—navigation, collision-sensing, fly-by-wire, and missile-guidance to name a few. This software is at the heart of how their products work and how they feature unique differentiators to compete for market share.
As opposed to a separate development process in the product-creation/development cycle, we predict embedded software (and the groups that manage it) will be take a central role determining the future of products, even going beyond traditional products to those that are autonomous and can diagnose and repair themselves. Those who manage embedded software in concert with the entire development of a product will gain competitive edge in the market
Prediction #3: Industry platforms assert more relevance
Over the past two years, we have seen a gradual increase in the availability of industry platforms that group critical processes and technologies, which can support specific business requirements for specific industries. For example, aeronautic and defense giant Airbus is partnering with the software community in order to create their Skywise open-data platform for aviation. This platform is designed to meet specific requirements within their industry and ultimately serve as a single point of reference for major airline operators engaged in digital transformation.
Another example is Bosch’s Connected Industry that combines people, data and machines in a customer’s value chain (think customers, suppliers, plants, office, etc.) in order to create full connectivity and transparency, which reduces complexity
We expect industry platforms to gain momentum in 2019, in terms of both use and the number of platforms that become available. Why? As technology accelerates at a furious pace, many organizations will continue to have a skills gap when it comes to incorporating this technology individually into their business. Similar to incorporating complex products into their environment, organizations will rely on industry platforms to pull value from the products they purchased.
Users signing up for industrial platforms should look for offerings that have traceability of information, aka the digital thread, in order to access information across the product lifecycle. Users should also consider industrial platforms as tools with which to learn new approaches (IIoT, predictive analytics) to fold into existing business processes and increase operational efficiencies.
Looking forward to what 2019 will bring…
This will be a challenging year for manufacturers, as one of the longest runs of economic growth begins to teeter and stagnate. Those accepting a new reality and willing to anticipate the next phase of the economy will come out on top.
Now is not the time to pull back on investment in people, products and technology. The winners will be those manufacturers that continue to adapt and create complex, high-quality products that cost-effectively meet customer demand, all while creating innovations that enable them to do more with less.
Jason Kasper is a product marketing manager with Aras.


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BARTLETT, Tenn. – Freddy’s Frozen Custard & Steakburgers®, a fast-casual restaurant concept, opens Thursday, Jan. 16, at 6780 Stage Rd. Freddy’s is known for its cooked-to-order steakburgers made with lean 100 percent ground beef, Vienna® Beef hot dogs, crispy shoestring fries and frozen custard treats made with freshly churned chocolate or vanilla frozen custard.
“The Stage Road retail corridor has a steady flow of traffic through the area and is home to a wide variety of retail businesses and restaurants that makes it a great next stop for Freddy’s,” said Tim Heeren, franchise owner. “We hope to be a popular place for area shoppers looking for a quick bite to eat, as well as for those who want to relax and enjoy a fresh meal and dessert treat with family and friends.”
The 2,800 square-foot, freestanding restaurant seats 92 guests and has additional seating on the patio. Drive-thru service is also available. Hours of operation are 10:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and 10:30 a.m. to 11 p.m. Friday and Saturday.
“Our restaurant presence in the Memphis area is steadily increasing and we look forward to continuing our growth over the next few years,” said Heeren. “We’ll continue to uphold the exceptional Freddy’s dining experience with fast, friendly service and cooked-to-order menu items to all of our guests at our newest area location in Bartlett.”


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Airtel Zambia hopes that a new agreement to outsource its retail customer services to Allied Mobile Communications in the country will boost customer satisfaction in the telecom sector.
Airtel Zambia Managing Director Fayaz King said the mobile service provider “will remain responsible for the needs of its nearly five million subscribers despite the agreement with Allied to run its retail business,” adding that the company reserves the right “to reverse the deal should Allied fail to improve the retail customer service delivery.”
It comes in the wake of growing concern across Africa over the ability of telecom operators to handle the increasing number of users on the continent. While East Africa and Zambia have been largely solid on customer satisfaction, there are concerns that a rise in mobile users would result in a drop in levels of customer care.
Airtel inked the outsourcing agreement with Allied Mobile Communications, a South African-registered company, and will see the latter manage the retail customer services.
Airtel has already terminated the contracts of its retail customer service employees, except for those at Lusaka’s 24-hour Arcades shop, which is earmarked for upgrading into a flagship store.
Allied Communications chief of staff Sujatha Daniel McMutrie has offered to take over some of the employees on new conditions, according to a letter of employment offer copied to the affected workers, the Times of Zambia reported.
King said “only about 69 employees had been affected” and said that those who are not happy with the conditions under Allied Mobile Communications “to make personal decisions to leave.”


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A LEGO ‘Friends’ Apartment Set Is Coming Soon!
The popularity of the tv show Friends is never going to “be on a break.”
Rachel, Ross, Monica, Chandler, Joey and Phoebe live on in reruns, streaming and now LEGOs!
LEGO has announced that a 2,048 piece Friends apartment kit will be available on June 1. There will be 2 main New York City apartments, and plenty of references to the individual shows through the pieces. There’s the giant poking device that was used to check on the “Ugly Naked Guy,” there’s the “meat-sweats” Thanksgiving turkey, and of course Ross’s famous leather pants.
The toy company already had released their Central Perk set and now we have this to look forward to.
Wait, aren’t LEGOs supposed to be for kids? This is clearly marketed to the Friends generation, aka “big kids.”
https://t.co/GpYlieg2ER.Gawd. LEGO ‘The Friends Apartments’ is coming soon. Build and recreate your favorite scenes set in Monica/Rachel’s and Chandler/Joey’s apartments. Available exclusively at https://t.co/Gqz8m6gzvd and LEGO stores starting June 1st. https://t.co/5dEGaTB0zs pic.twitter.com/wuzzFslS9A— FRIENDS (@FriendsTV) May 11, 2021


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Organised retail is growing at a fast pace and the rate of compounded annual growth is expected to reach 35% by 2010. However, there are many issues that require urgent attention of the industry and the government to ensure that the growth momentum is not faltered.This has been highlighted in a report entitled ‘Retail in India: Getting organised to drive growth’ by the Confederation of Indian Industries (CII) and AT Kearney.
The key take aways of the report include:
- The government should give retail industry status and should also set up a regulatory body to legislate on industry norms and other aspects.
- The industry should organise itself and work together on aspects such as development of cold chain and cadre of mid-management staff.
- Retailers, and not the government, should take the initiatives on gaining consumer insight and developing the markets.
- The government should relook at some of the inconsistencies in the octroi and entry tax structures which vary from state to state.
- Lack of proper town planning has resulted in bad retail infrastructure.
- High real estate prices act as stumbling blocks.The real estate in certain cases costs as high as 10-20 per cent of net sales, which can not be sustained.
- While, some retailers have taken initiatives to meet the manpower requirement by having tie-ups with training institutes, it is not enough to meet the demand generated by the sector. More active role of the industry is required.


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Photo by Pierre Lecourt on Flickr.com
Microsoft has announced that it has stopped the Windows 11 22H2 update, which causes lower-than-expected performance in some games.
The Windows 11 operating system, which is a more developed version of Windows 10, was launched last year.
With the 22H2 update of Windows 11, which was presented to users last month, the performance of NVIDIA graphics cards had dropped significantly, and NVIDIA officials solved the problem by issuing an update on the subject.
The Windows 11 quality update released now causes serious performance drops in games.
Microsoft has announced that it will take steps to limit potential performance issues for Windows 11 users who have not yet downloaded the latest update and stopped the update.
Upgrade from the current version of Windows 11 to version 22H2 will not be possible until the issues are resolved.


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A strong start is crucial to any healthy plant — whether it’s a canola stem or a cucumber seedling. And focusing on that one crucial step in the production process is proving to be a vigorous growth strategy for Ontario’s 2016 Outstanding Young Farmers’ Program award winners. In fact, since starting their four-acre propagation greenhouse, Roelands Plant Farms Inc., a mere three years ago, Adrian and Jodi Roelands have already expanded to 12 acres. Now that’s good stand establishment!
Southwestern Ontario is a hotbed for Canada’s greenhouse growers, so when this young couple decided to venture out on their own, they chose an ag business where they both had some experience, and where they saw big opportunities for growth. Early farm life for Jodi and Adrian, both university graduates, included livestock. Jodi’s parents had a poultry farm before adding on a pepper greenhouse. Adrian grew up on a hog farm, and also worked at a greenhouse before he and Jodi were married.
They built their greenhouse near Lambton Shores, ON — a little off the beaten path for a propagation enterprise, but that was the idea. “We wanted a location that was fairly isolated from other greenhouses… so there’s no crop contamination with pests or diseases,” explains Adrian.
“We were also looking for good sunlight levels in the winter, and we wanted to have as cool a summer as possible,” he adds. Building close to Lake Huron means cooler summers because of the north and west winds that come off the lake.
In addition to a great location, the Roelands saw a need for more propagation space in the greenhouse sector. In propagation, vegetable seeds are planted and grown to about a foot in height, then sold to greenhouse growers — a process that allows them to pick three to six weeks sooner than when starting from scratch.
Regardless of the industry you are in, starting new means you have the opportunity to do things right, right from the start, says Adrian. He travelled to B.C., Europe and Scandinavia to look at different greenhouse operations. These trips helped him develop networks where new innovations were being sprouted.
“We didn’t want to build something outdated so we went right to the top and made sure everything was state-of-the-art. We know that our sales are all driven by plant quality, so we built the facility to make the highest quality plants.”
The Roelands greenhouse incorporates technology like ebb-and-flood floor irrigation that improves efficiency and lowers labour costs; grow lights and energy shade curtains for a more cost-effective growing environment; and integrated biological controls to help control pests and diseases.
Another key decision was to limit production to vegetables only as part of an overall emphasis on quality (many operators propagate flowers to fill in the off-season). Indeed, their marketing slogan is: “where vegetables are royalty.”
The Roelands also had to think big while starting small. For example, a large, one-acre warehouse was part of the first construction phase and, as Jodi explains, they built with their capacity goals in mind. “Four acres of growing space was all we could afford then, so we were paying for 12 acres-worth of warehouse off of only four acres of income,” she says.
“We needed to get up to the 12 acres as quickly as possible to make the entire business more efficient and viable.” And fortunately, that happened more quickly than expected.
Adrian attributes that rapid growth to quality control, which includes extra water sterilization treatments to ensure strong root development. And, he says, their management team is another key factor.
“We’ve got a lot of really great people here. While we’re new to the propagation industry, we’ve got two people who each have over 20 years of experience, and a lot of newer people who have picked up on it incredibly fast,” he says. All management and staff are on board with the company motto “premium plant propagation” and this has had a huge impact on quality control, adds Adrian.
The Roelands also keep a close eye on expenses, managing costs like natural gas and looking to automate where possible to offset labour costs. And because they serve clients in Canada and the U.S., they purchased their own trucks to minimize transportation costs.
Inclusive customer service is also key to the Roelands’ success. “During the growing process, we try and stay in really close contact with our customers,” says Jodi. “Twice a week, we send them an update on how their plants are growing, and if there’s a problem that arises, we call them right away to discuss how best they’d like us to deal with it. We try and include them in every step.”
As the Roelands finished the final phase of production last fall, their greenhouse was already fully booked for a busy winter growing season of peppers, cucumbers and grafted tomatoes. The challenge was filling the space for the rest of the year, which led them to develop a new product called “living lettuce.” They use their propagation medium for a lettuce head that consumers can take home, water and have fresh lettuce right in their kitchens.
In general, people think the greenhouse industry is similar to growing crops, says Adrian. “I would say that a greenhouse is actually, in a lot of ways, more similar to livestock than to crops. You have more control over all of your systems and your elements,” he explains.
A greenhouse requires constant attention. “If the power goes off, then your irrigation goes off, or your boiler shuts down. It’s not like crops, which don’t require quite as much babysitting. With livestock or with a greenhouse operation, it’s really 24/7.”
Thanks to technology, that attention can be given remotely. An app on Adrian’s phone allows him to monitor the greenhouses, operate irrigation and troubleshoot, even when he’s away from the premises.
But plants aren’t the only things growing at the Roelands’ farm. Jodi and Adrian have five children, (from under two to eight years old) who are shooting up too! Raising them takes a lot of teamwork, as the couple alternates time with the business and the kids.
“They all take turns out with Adrian,” says Jodi. “Whoever wakes up earliest in the morning gets sent to the greenhouse with Adrian when he’s doing his chores. They are pretty passionate about that, and have already decided they want to be greenhouse farmers.” FF


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Crypto Market Recap. May 2023
In May 2023, the market’s bullishness and positivity were doubted, making it the first month of the year to face such concerns. The total market cap experienced a decline of almost 6%. However, despite substantial bearish pressure, the market managed to confidently navigate through the month. Read on to explore the month’s market summary!
- Crypto Market Has Started to Cool Down
- Surprisingly Not Dead: Token Sales Market
- Decentralization Matters
- New Trend on NFT Market
Crypto Market Has Started to Cool Down
May was fairly quiet, with no surges of negativity or positivity. There was also a slight drop in trading volumes, which also indicates a calm sentiment. The popular expression “Sell in May and go away” seems to hint that the summer could become very low-volatile. May 2023 looks particularly still compared to the previous year, when a series of negative events was just beginning.
Bitcoin had its weakest month since the beginning of the year, and it basically was the first month of 2023 with negative returns (unless you count February, when bitcoin was down just 0.01%).
During the beginning of May, memecoins experienced a robust surge, reaching a record-breaking weekly trading volume of US$2.7 billion. However, trading volume has subsequently diminished, indicating a return to more typical trends. Regrettably, many memecoins closed the month with negative price performances.
Surprisingly Not Dead: Token Sales Market
Despite the general market cool-off, the market for token sales continues its recovery. Activity in public sales continues to grow, and some of the major launchpads have resumed activity after a long break.
The total raised amount and the number of sales slightly increased in May compared to April. However, the positive momentum has been maintained since February and the contrast between 2023 and the previous year is very noticeable.
Also this month there were no projects showing huge ROI after TGE, most of them posted moderate performance. The reason for this is that no major trend has emerged this month (except for memecoins, which are not the subject of the launchpads).
DAO Maker stood out when it came to fundraising, surpassing even Coinlist (with two ICOs and larger raises). This launchpad quickly took advantage of the bullrun’s opportunities and started launching projects one after another.
If the current trend persists, we can anticipate a continued revival of the public token sales market. This market presents an excellent opportunity for projects to enter and serves as a profitable source for investors. However, previous months have shown that only hype, such as Artificial Intelligence, can revive launchpads and show truly high returns. Without global growth, the token sales market is still a long way from its 2021 state.
So far, 2023 has been a very positive year for DeFi. In many ways, it echoes the transition from centralized institutions to decentralized ones triggered by the collapse of FTX. Despite the market downturn, May is just continuing to move towards the right path.
Most blockchains showed a decline of TVL in May, with only a few networks showed a meaningful growth. It is worth noting that Polygon zkEVM and other new layer 2 blockchains (notably zkSync and Starknet) continue to show TVL growth despite the market downturn.
However, the optimism becomes evident when examining the specific details. First and foremost is the increase in trading volumes on decentralized exchanges. Undoubtedly, a share of this growth is related to the rise of memcoins at the beginning of the month. However, the trend looks much stronger than just an one-time bounce.
Decentralized exchanges strengthen their positions amid the decline of trading volumes on the centralized exchanges. As a result of these changes, the ratio of DEX to CEX volumes on the spot market rose to a new high of almost 22%.
DEX remains one of the key indicators of decentralization. However, despite their high importance, since the Ethereum Merge, the Liquid Staking projects have also pulled ahead strongly in terms of TVL and even outpaced the total TVL of DEXs.
Market recovery has led to increased use of DeFi protocols. DeFi (DEX in particular) is one of the key elements of the crypto market after blockchain infrastructure projects, thus its strong position is not surprising. One of the most important things to improve for most decentralized projects is the user experience.
BRC 20 – New Trend on NFT Market
May brought a new trend to the NFT market, which has been in a long decline over the past few months. It is still too early to talk about global growth of NFTs, as we can only see it in terms of trading volumes (as was the case with the Blur airdrop in February and March).
Bitcoin Ordinals became the new NFT market trend at the beginning of the year. But at the time, it was only a tiny fraction compared to the NFT market on Ethereum. However, with the launch of the new BRC-20 standard, NFT on Bitcoin became even more popular.
The BRC-20 token standard is a fungible token standard designed for the Bitcoin blockchain, created using the Ordinals protocol.
The popularity of BRC-20 tokens and their trading volumes boosted Bitcoin’s NFT trading volumes, which even overtook Solana (Ethereum’s main competitor in the past) and all other blockchains at the end of May. However, volumes on Ethereum are still a long way off.
The Bottom Line
To summarize, May could be described as the first test of the 2023 bull run. However, despite these challenges, the crypto market did well this month, learning valuable lessons and becoming even stronger.
Launchpads continue to delight investors with new projects, and projects are starting to raise large sums again, after a lull of more than a year. Token sales are still proving to be a workable scheme for earning money, as well as a booster for start-up projects.
Who would have expected Bitcoin, rather than Polygon or Arbitrum, to be the impetus for NFT trading volumes… The new BRC-20 standard has inspired many traders to get back to business and shown new possible ways to develop and apply NFT.
Despite local difficulties, the market continues to evolve. New users arriving early in the year on the mini-bullpen and from behind the airdrop are investigating new activity and thereby driving the development of blockchain technology and the crypto market.
Download the CryptoRank app now:
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Friends Giving, a potluck style beer produced as part of a charitable program to help feed the hungry was originally started and organized 2 years ago by Double Nickel Brewing Co.’s non-profit, Collabor-AID. For the second year, Double Nickel in conjunction with three other local breweries, Tonewood Brewing Co., Cape May Brewing Co. and Urban […]
About Melanie Knowles
This author has yet to write their bio.Meanwhile lets just say that we are proud Melanie Knowles contributed a whooping 34 entries.
Entries by Melanie Knowles
On May 8th, 2019 our Dalton Box facility makes a sizeable donation to support a good cause in their community. With help from Dalton Box and their partnership with Whitfield Healthcare Foundation, Pet Therapy dogs are now on their way to their new careers at the Peeples Cancer Institute. All therapy dogs are trained and […]
Keith Wilhelm has joined The Royal Group (TRG) as its new corporate director of manufacturing services. Keith is a graduate of Indiana University and has over 25 years of operations experience in the corrugated packaging industry. He was the former director of engineering and manufacturing services with KapStone, which was purchased by WestRock last […]
Effective Aug. 1, 2019, The Royal Group (TRG), a division of Schwarz Partners, is pleased to announce the acquisition of SPA Inc., located in Milford, Ohio. SPA Inc. specializes in software and consumer electronics distribution, third-party logistics and multivendor programs. “SPA’s business model aligns perfectly with ours,” said Bob McIlvaine, president and CEO of TRG. […]
Besides all the great new faces we were ecstatic to have met at the show, we won two awards to top it off! We couldn’t ask for better award categories either! To win on such a broad category as “General Merchandise” shows that our creative design efforts really do stand out amongst the crowd! And […]
As a total of 14 EF3 & EF4 tornados touched down in the Dayton Miami Valley area, they left behind an abundance of devastation in their wake. Many people were left homeless and were forced to relocate, some with only the clothes they had on their back. With most of their belongings lost or destroyed, […]
Announcing the recipients of the 2019/20 Schwarz Family Foundation Scholarship. Each award recipient has received a letter and information about their award direct from the scholarship service and, in a tradition started with last year’s winners, Jack Schwarz has personally contacted the parent/employee of each winner at their work location. Each winner will have an […]
Inspired by one of their displays, TRG employees gave back this holiday season by supporting families in need.
Effective November 1st, 2018, The Royal Group (TRG), a division of Schwarz Partners, is pleased to announce the acquisition of Mid-Atlantic Packaging based in Montgomeryville, PA. An industry leader in design, innovation and retail packaging, Mid-Atlantic will now operate under the name TRG Mid-Atlantic. The acquisition provides TRG a superb manufacturing facility in the northeast corridor […]
Check out our life-size Red Solo Cup display done for the Pilgrimage festival in Tennessee. We created the big cup as a photo prop so that the festival attendees could look like they were actually inside the big cup! Although the festival was canceled after only a few hours due to weather, festival-goers still had […]
FORTUNE 500 - CPG Company
“When our production facility had reached maximum capacity due to three new item launches, we turned to TRG for help in assembly of a large complex 4-way Tower display, and they were able to deliver top quality output sooner to the retailer than our facility could deliver at regular capacity.”


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ANIMAL rights activists have been likened to mothers-in-laws and profitability lauded as an important plank in the wool industry’s social licence defence, during a Victorian farm tour last weekend.
Australian Wool Innovation corporate communications manager Marius Cuming told superfine growers on an Australian Superfine Wool Growers Association farm tour that AWI was often criticised when the industry was attacked by animal rights bodies.
“People say – ‘Why aren’t you fighting for us, why aren’t you out there?
“And I always use the mother-in-law theory – I love my mother-in-law, she’s wonderful, but I don’t fight with her.
“You will never, ever, ever, win a fight with your mother-in-law, and if you think you’ve won it, you’ve still lost it, haven’t you? he said.
“I said that the other day to a mother-in-law in New Norcia (Western Australia) and she got it, because she has a mother-in-law.”
“So what are we doing in response to this? Well, what I’m going to talk briefly about today – selling wool,” he said.
“Every time we sell a woollen garment, these activists lose.
“Remember that they want this industry gone, they say ‘that animals are not ours to play with, they’re not ours for an industry, they are for animal rights, not for animal welfare,” Mr Cuming said.
“So selling the product is a very, very important thing to do; in fact, it is the most important thing to do.”
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Don’t talk about mulesing
Mr Cuming said growers were not going to sell any more wool talking about mulesing.
“We’ve got to start looking at the donut and stop looking at the hole – the mother-in-law theory, everyone gets that.
“In around 10 years, we’ve gone from a horrible image in Times Square to a (PETA) billboard in Horsham,” he said.
“Now I like Horsham, but how much media did they get out of that billboard? A lot.”
“Every time a woollen garment is sold, the animal rights activists lose.”
Profitability is the way to keep social license strong
In Wool Week across Australia this week, Mr Cuming said AWI had partnered with the country’s biggest retail group Westfield and 30 retail stores to sell wool, with a campaign focussing on family and provenance involving model Stephanie Field with her mother, Angela, of Benangaroo Station, New South Wales.
“Selling wool through Wool Week, not just in Australia, but wherever we have Woolmark offices around the world, is our chief defence — we beat them with a credit card.
“And as Michael Lempriere said all those years ago, no-one actually sells any wool in this industry until someone hands over a credit card and buys a garment,” he said.
“So having a profitable industry is a great way to keep a social licence strong – to have people that are happy about the industry, that are making money, that are getting the next generation through.
“And of course, making money, it does actually make us feel a little bit better about being in this industry, does it not? And it (the wool market) is heading the right way.”
Educating children to retain social license
Mr Cuming said another front in the battle to retain the wool industry’s social licence was education.
“The children that are coming through schools need to know what wool is really about, because the people who want to end this industry are already in the classroom; so we have to be there as well.
“So we are working very hard to fill the content for different educational platforms.”
He said 16,000 children around Australia registered for the Wool4School program last year.
“And they are all thinking about wool, they’re all feeling wool and thinking about how it would fit into a garment that they are designing.”
Wool4school has been launched in Hong Kong and will start in the United Kingdom later this year.
AWI also provided free educational wool kits for teachers in Australian primary and secondary schools who want to talk about “Australia’s national fibre”, Mr Cuming said.
He said the 2017 National Merino Challenge will start in Melbourne in a couple of weeks, on May 27 and 28. AWI had many programs for young people to get involved in if they wanted to be wool growers. AWI was also working with universities in China to train the next generation of textile specialists, he said.
Mr Cuming said AWI was also strengthening the wool industry’s social licence through research, development and extension. This included flystrike research, wild dog control, shearer training, the LifetIme Ewe Management program and development of mulesing pain relief options.
He said he felt offended and annoyed when activists attacked the community’s trust in the wool industry and its social license.
“The best way to describe what social licence is to show what it looks like when it is under pressure, when it’s on the line.
“And when you hit the back of buses in capital cities you know you are in trouble.”
Every wool grower should be a welfare activist
Mr Cuming said every farmer in Australia should be an animal welfare activist.
“We all want the best for our animals.”
But what we also need to differentiate from that is animal rights activists and we know who they are.”
Mr Cuming said “social licence through provenance” is a buzz-word at the moment.
“The world is wanting to know where their food is coming from, wanting to know where their fibre is coming from.
“This is a great opportunity for us because no-one has a better story to tell than we do – this industry has the best story to tell,” he said.
“I have to say I am just so proud to talk about it and do it as well and we all need to more of it.”
He said AWI was promoting wool’s story of sustainability, renewability, biodegradability and provenance through advocates, such as actors Naomi Watts and Isabel Lucas, footballers Nat Fyfe, Tom Hawkins, Bernie Vince and Hamish McLachlan and the Woolmark Prize winners.
The wool industry was also strengthening its social license through the use of wool in active wear, he said.
Mr Cuming said he loved showing growers an Adidas running top designed by British designer Stella McCartney, the daughter of vegetarian parents; former Beetle Paul McCartney and the late Linda McCartney, a musician, photographer and animal rights activist.
“I love it because her father is the most famous vegan in the world.”


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- Is there enough non-GMO ingredient supply to meet growing demand?
Suppliers of non-GMO ingredients say more big companies are likely to follow General Mills and Post Foods in switching to non-GMO ingredients in some of their products. They also say there will be enough supplies of non-GMO corn and soybeans to meet the increased non-GMO demand.
- A scientist’s journey from devout GMO believer to skeptic
GM tomato developer is now skeptical about the promises of GM food
- Blue Pacific pioneers non-GMO verification of food flavors
Non-GMO status provides greater transparency to consumers
- Is Monsanto going non-GMO?
Recent media reports have said that Monsanto, which is known as the leader in developing genetically modified crops, is focusing on traditional plant breeding—not genetic engineering—in the company’s Seminis vegetable seed business.