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ReliaBuild 3D Helps SheTech Bring Tech Careers to Girls
On March 1, 2018, ReliaBuild 3D participated in the 2018 SheTech Explorer Day, in Sandy, UT. SheTech is organized by the Women Tech Council as an effort to introduce High School girls to the many different careers in STEM and encourage them to enter the industry.
At this year’s SheTech over 2000 High School-age girls attended break-out sessions where they had the opportunity to learn about different STEM jobs. They also cruised through the Tech Zone, where they talked with different STEM business about their products.
Our ReliaBuild 3D team was excited to explain 3D printing to girls who had little or no experience with the process. The team also got to ramp it up a bit and talk shop with a few attendees who already knew some of the ins-and-outs of 3D printing. Our printed parts, samples, and printers in action were greeted with surprise and lots of “Wow!” from the girls, which we will count as success!


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Digital marketers know that artificial intelligence, voice search and the Internet of Things could be key to their future. But most are not yet using them to deliver content, according to a survey by BrightEdge.
While 32% agree that AI is “the next big thing,” 57% will probably not implement any elements of it this year. And less than half are using data to determine content strategy.
Yet they need some kind of stimulus, as 71% say that less half their content is consumed. And less than 9% believe that three-fourths of their content achieves engagement.
This is hurting them in the winner-take-all post-mobile world, as Jim Yu, CEO of BrightEdge called it in a statement. And it follows that this severely limits their email targeting and their ability to integrate email into this digital ecosystem.
Who are we talking about? BrightEdge polled 250 digital marketers at Fortune 500 companies.
Many are barely making the transition from desktop to mobile: Over a quarter think mobile is “the next big thing,” BrightEdge reports. And while 31% think voice search is the next big thing, 66% have no plans to implement it
On a more positive note, the respondents said organic search was their top marketing initiative. And 51% listed creating content for local markets as a priority in 2017.
In another shift, many are also developing micro content — “small custom elements highly optimized for specific consumer searches and questions.” This short-form content now has priority over costly, long-form content formats such as Webinars, case studies and research reports.
Yet the leading content types are blogs, social media and videos. And B2C marketers are getting better content consumption rates than B2B.
The top content metrics? Conversion, engagement and traffic.
One more point: BrightEdge seems to feel that the use of data to drive content strategy by “nearly half” is positive. This could be why those marketers see the potential of AI, voice and local search -- even if execution lags.

domain: news


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Take action now!
The demand for palm oil is ever-increasing with the growth of the biofuel industry and growing need for everyday food and cosmetics products. It is an extremely productive crop, providing one third of the world’s vegetable oil from 10% of the land used for all oil crops. It is everywhere, and we can’t escape it; it is in our biscuits, washing detergent, lipstick, soap, ice cream, and that’s just for starters.
So what’s the issue? The issue is, that its production is leading to the displacement of indigenous people, deforestation and an overwhelmingly high loss of biodiversity. Further to that, the conversion of forest using fire is releasing even more CO2 into the atmosphere and contributing to climate change. Malaysia and Indonesia account for approximately 85% of the world’s palm oil production which is having devastating effects on their wildlife, including orangutans which are now critically endangered.
You can help by looking for the RSPO sustainable label or avoiding food containing palm oil, and by supporting the campaign here to pressure big brands to stop using unsustainably sourced palm oil!


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Cloud-delivered LTE and 5G wireless network edge specialist Cradlepoint has appointed Nathan McGregor to the role of APAC senior vice president of sales.
Global networking giant Cisco has unveiled a number of products and new offers targeting small businesses under the brand Cisco Designed. They will be available from this month onwards.
Multinational networking vendor Cisco has rolled out Wi-Fi 6 compatible infrastructure, betting that it will be taken up ahead of 5G, releasing what it says are next-generation switches, access points and controllers.
Cisco ANZ vice-president Ken Boal says he was previously unsure about the company's ability to serve small and medium businesses, but now he has an "absolute passion" for the SMB market.
Cisco has announced a pair of products aimed at simplifying WAN management.
A test of 19 different Wi-Fi APs ‘stressed to their limits in a variety of different scenarios’ revealed ‘dramatic differences between competitive suppliers’, putting Ruckus on top.
It's now just 100 days before Windows Server 2003 goes out of support. Here's how one Australian college is benefiting from upgrading to Windows Server 2012 R2 before it had to.
Hadoop technology for Big Data vendor, MapR Technologies, has appointed 20-year financial industry veteran, Dan Alter, as its Chief Financial Officer.
Linux is becoming worse than Windows. :-(
I have. https://itwire.com/opin...
Instead of complaining about it, do something - use Linux, or better still, a Mac. Microsoft is dead to me,[…]
While flowcharts might be of help to management at a high level, they are of little use in programming (which[…]
On Trustpilot (https://www.trustpilot.com/..., 88% of TomTom users are blown away by how bad TomTom Service is. Comments range from TomTom[…]


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A documentary about the development of For Honor is now available on Netflix
"Their dreams, fears, and relationships are at stake."
"Playing Hard", a docu-movie that went behind-the-scenes as Ubisoft developed For Honor, has come to Netflix in the UK.
Describing the movie as giving "unprecedented access to a highly secret world" of "the biggest entertainment industry in the world", the documentary follows the creation of the game For Honor across a four-year period.
"As the production team grows from 40 to 500 people, we witness the human theatre involved in creating and launching a major video game," the video description states. "In the world's biggest video game studio, a constantly growing team works on the creation of For Honor, a game that stages an epic war between Vikings, knights, and samurai. Like the game's characters, the main creators will face adversity that will take their personal lives to the breaking point.
"From Montreal to Los Angeles, through Cologne, Moscow, Seattle, and Asia, we follow Creative Director Jason VandenBerghe, Producer Stéphane Cardin, and Brand Manager Luc Duchaine as they struggle to bring an idea to life. Beyond the commercial success of the game, their dreams, fears, and relationships are at stake."
Even if you're not especially invested in For Honor, it's a fascinating insight into how a video game moves from merely an idea to a fully realised product. Interestingly, the website details that part-way through the project "the director's access to For Honor's production floor was revoked" and it took "many months and discussions for Ubisoft to reverse its decision and give the documentary's production team carte blanche".
Here, take a peek at the teaser:
Ubisoft's third year of content for multiplayer melee fighter For Honor is now underway on Xbox One, PS4, and PC, bringing with it a new hero, a new map, and more. According to Ubisoft's recent deep dive video, the Year of the Harbinger (as this third year is known) will be "doing things a little differently", featuring a somewhat darker tone than usual. Year 3 will, once again, consist of four "seasons" spread throughout 2019, with the first and current season, Vortiger, set to run until the end of April.


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Remember all the rumors that the Galaxy S 5 would have two versions? Well that still could happen, but Oppo isn’t holding anything back with the Find 7. They posted a teaser image via Weibo that leaves nothing on the table. Each version will sport a different display and processor. One version will get a 1080p (1920 x 1080) display while the more upscale version will get a 1440p (2560 x 1440) display.
Every year we see a lot of smartphones get released here in the U.S., and one thing they all have in common is they receive FCC approval before consumers can get their hands on them. It usually happens within a month or two of the actual release. The “All New One” is no exception and is one (no pun intended) step closer to release now that it has received FCC approval.
Documents show that not only the international version has cleared, but all four major U.S. carrier versions as well. The FCC IDs are as follows….
Yesterday, a report indicated that Samsung was having issues with the production of the Galaxy S 5 fingerprint scanners. The story went on to say that Samsung was getting help from CrucialTec in order to ensure supply will meet demand. Samsung chimed in with a statement saying that CrucialTec isn’t supplying fingerprint scanners…..
“CrucialTec does not supply fingerprint scanner to Samsung Electronics.”
Unfortunately that is all that was said, so there is no clear indication that the original report of Samsung actually having issues with production is correct or not. The fact that they aren’t currently working with CrucialTec doesn’t even mean they won’t be a week from now.
The importance of developing an ecosystem for rising platforms these days cannot be stressed enough— Ouya certainly has the right idea, as the Android-based game console manufacturer as announced that it will be pushing its software to other hardware in the future. Although the move will likely decrease sales on the Ouya gaming system, the reach of the software platform will certainly be able to branch out.
In an interview with “AListDaily,” Ouya CEO Julie Uhrman discussed her plans. Hit the break for the details.
Last night Samsung spent some serious coin on their advertising during the Oscars as we noted in a story earlier today. Although host Ellen DeGeneres appeared with the Samsung Galaxy Note 3 during the show, the backstage selfies and posts were supposedly not “officially” part of the package Samsung bought with the estimated $20 Million they spent for advertising. According to a report out today, Ellen’s images and tweets with the Note 3 were “organic.” » Read the rest
Undeterred by the appearance over the weekend of a leaked video of the HTC M8, HTC’s marketing team released a new teaser image today that highlights the device’s dual camera. The image is a collage of images of items appearing in pairs. HTC’s message to go with the image is “Life is about to become twice as beautiful. Coming March 25th.”
The capabilities of the camera were revealed to some extent at MWC 2014 by Corephotonics. According to the company, the dual lenses will provide better zoom capabilities for users and permit adjustments to depth of field after the image is captured.
source: HTC Source
By now if you haven’t seen Ellen DeGeneres’ viral “selfie” of Hollywood’s finest at last night’s Oscars, you definitely haven’t seen the blurry selfie that Ellen took while on stage.
With Samsung sponsoring the event, Ellen naturally took both photos with a Galaxy device. Nokia was quick to jump on the blurry selfie that was posted by Ellen, tweeting, “Let’s do away with blurry photos, Ellen! @TheEllenShow #Oscars #Blessed #blurry”
Nokia is rightfully on higher ground here, as the company features what might be the best camera phone ever, the Lumia 1020. The camera has 41-megapixels with a xenon flash and optical image stabilization.
Nokia’s remark hasn’t picked up much traction, with only 377 retweets at time of publication. To give some context, Ellen’s blurry photo tweet currently has 173,111 retweets.
Samsung made it official today that they are launching a new series of Chromebook devices. The new models will come in 11.6-inch and 13.3-inch screen sizes and will have a faux leather lid like Samsung has been using on the backs of recent devices. The larger 13.3-inch version will feature a full HD resolution screen running at 1920×1080 and both models will come equipped with Samsung’s Exynos 5 Octa processor and 4GB of RAM. According to Samsung, the devices will cold boot in less than 10 seconds and will be able to run for up to 8.5 hours on a single battery charge. » Read the rest
A new report out of Korea suggests that Samsung is experiencing a little bit of a problem with a significant feature for the Galaxy S 5. It is being reported that the company is having an issue internally producing the fingerprint scanner and unless they bring in a third party, it would be very difficult to launch next month in one hundred-fifty countries.
Because of this, Samsung has started to negotiate a deal with CrucialTec. CrucialTec is a company that manufactures Optical Track Pad mobile input devices for companies across the world. And if this negotiation does yield a deal, Samsung’s upcoming flagship should arrive right on time.
We’ve heard a lot about Samsung’s new Chromebook in the past few days, but we haven’t had much detail in pricing or release dates. Thanks to another leak, that’s getting cleared up.
A premature post accidentally outed a release date, pricing, and specs for Samsung’s newest laptop, and confirmed two different models. Both models will sport an Exynos 5 processor and 4 GB of RAM, but the smaller 11 inch screen will only have a 1366×768 resolution, while the 13.3 inch model will have a full 1080p screen. The smaller option will cost $319.99 while the larger option will run $399.99. » Read the rest


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Samsung announced the Galaxy Note 7 last month as the latest entrant to its flagship Note lineup. Since then, several members of the tech media have used the phone and written rave reviews about the same, often stating that the device is the best Android phone till date. While the Note 7 has not officially launched in India yet, with the sale set to begin tomorrow, you may want to hold off before you buy the phone just yet. The Note 7 is available on pre-order on select stores like Amazon in India, but it has been reported that Samsung has decided to stop the global shipment of its flagship device.
It has been reported that there have already been reported cases of the battery of the device exploding rendering the device useless. Since this is a potential hazard to the user, Samsung has decided to investigate the issue further and for now, has stopped the global distribution of the phone. A spokesman of the company told Reuters, “Shipments of the Galaxy Note7 are being delayed due to additional tests being conducted for product quality”.
According to Yonhap News, a total of five devices have exploded without any warning and all of a sudden which has alarmed those at Samsung. It is not clear what is the reason behind these explosions and by when can we expect the rollout to begin again. With the sale beginning tomorrow, most likely the first batch of the units would already have been imported and if these are from the same batch, they could pose a problem. We await more details around the same.
Edit: The shipments of the Note 7 has been delayed in India due to the stated issue. As a result, those who had pre-ordered the phone and were expected to get it today, will have to wait a little bit longer before they can get their hands on the device.


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It’s August, which means the games industry is preparing to head to Cologne, in Germany for Gamescom 2013. This is Europe’s answer to E3 Expo and has become a firm fixture on the gaming calendar, attracting over 200,000 visitors last year. At E3, Sony came out the clear victor, winning the hearts and minds of gamers and critics alike. Microsoft will be keen to win back some ground this time around and has confirmed a pre-show conference. Many of the big names are at the show, which promises to be all about games and letting punters get some early access to upcoming titles.
Here are the expected highlights so far:
Ubisoft is showing an enviable list of big-hitting titles, despite not hosting a conference, instead choosing to focus on the show floor. Titles at Gamescom include Splinter Cell: Blacklist, The Crew and The Mighty Quest for Epic Loot, alongside the AAA titles, Assassin’s Creed and Watch Dogs.
My personal highlights will be: Assassin’s Creed: Black Flag ‘ I just can’t get enough of this at the moment. Everything I see looks amazing. Give me more please.
Watch Dogs: this is another sweet looking title and I expect Ubisoft will be using this and Black Flag to show of the next gen.
Beyond Good and Evil 2 ‘ could this be the year we get confirmation of a title in development? Let’s hope so.
Plus ‘ Ubisoft has also announced a new IP for next gen to be revealed at Gamescom. There’s no telling what this could be, as Ubisoft proved with the Watch Dogs reveal at E3 2012, that the best publisher when it comes to keeping a secret. Could the mystery title be Child of Light or something else? All we know about Child of Light so far is that it’s a small team with a small budget. The title will be showcased at the Games Developers Conference (GDC) Europe, which takes place in Cologne just before GamesCom.
Watch this space, as Ubisoft could steal the show.
The Elder Scrolls Online (TESO) will be playable at Gamescom giving us a chance to see what it’s all about. Sony Online Entertainment (SOE) really threw the gauntlet down with its EverQuest Next (EQN) reveal at the beginning of August. It’ll be interesting to see how TESO is shaping up in comparison to EQN.
EQN looks set to shake up the MMO landscape, with player-created content, multi-classing and a fully destructible world. Let’s just say, TESO has some serious competition on its hands.
Sony’s announced a press conference at the show, confirming that PS4 will be the focus. Will Sony announce some more exclusives or did they reveal too much at E3? Post-E3 reports suggest that Sony has more to reveal, so this should be an interesting one.
My most anticipated: Beyond: Two Souls – we still haven’t seen much on this paranormal action game. I’m betting GamesCom will give us more on this title, especially as it comes from the French, Quantic Dreams studio and France is the partner country for the show this year.
Rain – I’m keen to get more on this atmospheric, Ico-esque title.
The Order 1866 – this game wowed me at E3, but we only got a glimpse. I’d like to see more gameplay and just more.
Microsoft has a lot to do at Gamescom, but the good news is, it can’t be much worse than their E3 effort. This year’s press conference takes place on 20 August, the day before the expo opens to the public. I’m expecting a real focus on games, as well as details on the self-publishing capabilities of Xbox One, making this a crowd pleaser for indie developers. Rumor has it Microsoft will reveal a previously unannounced exclusive ‘ so it’s all to play for. My most anticipated: Microsoft really failed to excite me at E3, so I’m keen to see the exclusives and some of the indie titles coming to XBL. I’m ready to be wowed.
With GTA V hitting retailers on September 17th, the Rockstar booth will be mobbed with people keen to get a hands on. Nothing yet on whether it will be available to play, but it makes sense.
My most anticipated: I’d really like to hear news of the next Red Dead. I don’t think we will, but it would be nice.
The best kind of show is the one that dishes up lots of surprises. With the next gen consoles around the corner, anything could happen at Gamescom this year. EA has press conference, showing Titanfall and Nintendo is also hitting the show floor, along with Konami, Bethesda and Let’s hope Microsoft manages to level the playing field, setting things up for a good, old fashioned console war. Either way, it’s all eyes on Cologne for the next couple of weeks.


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Baked goods group Aryzta has significantly increased organic growth in the first quarter of the current fiscal year. One region shows how it’s done.
In the first quarter of its new fiscal year, baked goods manufacturer Aryzta increased sales by almost 20 percent to 509 million euros.
Around 18 percent of this was attributed to price increases and 4 percent to volume increases. However, the product mix was down slightly, the Schlieren, Canton Zurich-based company announced in a media release on Monday.
Faced with inflation in energy and the cost of goods, Aryzta is doing the only thing it can and is fully committed to raising sales prices.
In particular, the Europe region, where Aryzta generates its main sales, saw a significant increase in revenues. Organic growth here was around 22 percent, with around 19 percent coming from price increases and around 2.8 percent from volume increases.
The turnaround in momentum demonstrated by the Aryzta Group in terms of quarterly sales is particularly impressive. A year ago, for example, it started with an organic increase in volume of around 8 percent, while price increases played virtually no role.
Then things took off in Q2 and Q3, with sales up 14.8 and 15.6 percent, respectively, due to volume increases. Price increases slowly came into play, going up by 2.1 and 6.1 percent.
Compared with the current quarter, therefore, the trend has turned full circle. The increase in volumes has dropped significantly, to single digits, while prices are soaring at double digits.
According to the company this is likely to continue in the future. Aryzta CEO Urs Jordi highlighted in the communiqué that the upward trend is likely to continue due to inflation.
Aryzta must now pay attention to the sales contribution of the product mix. This has recently been clearly negative, which means that customers are tending towards cheaper bakery products.
If the price increases are too high, consumers switch to cheaper Weggli & Co. instead of demanding the premium baked goods, as was also reported by muula.ch.
A year ago Aryzta’s revenue growth from the mix of goods had been plus 1 percent.


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INDIANAPOLIS, (Sept. 28, 2012)—Stoner Inc., a producer of mold releases, specialized cleaners, lubricants and coatings, has joined the Association for Rubber Products Manufacturers.
The company is based in Quarryville, Pa.
Stoner joined the group—made up of non-tire rubber goods manufacturers—after it studied the organization and found some of its members are Stone customers, according to Jim Ressler, national product manager of the firm.
The ARPM operates out of Indianapolis, where it will hold its annual meeting Oct. 11-12, in conjunction with the Manufacturers Association for Plastics Processors conference.
Information on that meeting is available by calling Jenny Taylor at 317-913-2440, or visiting.


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Google want’s everything… from the handsets you use to the computer browser, operating system, email everything…
Now after making initial attempts to enter the social networking market by acquiring orkut.. It has yet made another attempt… and this time it is going to get it right.. It has taken the perfect steps for things to fall in the perfect place…
Google Buzz is here.. and It’s competition time for Twitter, Facebook and all of em… because this is re-inventing the social network.. The smart move is that it’s integrated in Gmail,, so it already has millions of users in it’s database by default, unless someone has opted out of it.
So if Google Wave is the Future, Buzz is going to be the Present.
What more is Google trying to do, It just want’s to be in your life somehow.. The crazy people from who wish to index the world data, be it in any form -just announced that it plans to build trial ultra high-speed broadband networks in select parts of the country.
This could be great news for consumers, especially in Google’s test markets. The company promises connection speeds of “100 times faster than what most Americans have access to today.” Users could potentially enjoy download speeds from the network at 1 gigabit per second, though of course at that speed, the limiting factor would usually be elsewhere, like your hard drive or CPU.
The benefit for Google: More bandwidth so you can use more Google services, faster, including streaming hi-def videos from YouTube to multiple devices, more Web apps, search, etc.


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Attorneys general are targeting smmag.eu for prostitution ads that can really gotten out of the business and Backpage isn't the best place to run It is true Craigslist got rid of its "Adult Services" advertising category in. Prostitution still thrives on Backpage despite site shutdown of 'adult' section Backpage Shutters Adult Ads Amid Sex Trafficking Claims but instead say things like 'looking for companionship' or 'looking for a good time.'”. Our Need for Feel Good TVMelanie McFarland Activists calling for the site to shutter its adult classifieds section on the grounds that it that across a handful of sites carrying prostitution ads, 70 percent come from Backpage.
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The executive, Carl Ferrer, was arrested in Houston. The company's controlling shareholders, Michael Lacey and James Larkin, were also charged with felonies in the investigation by California and Texas authorities. Just over half of adult victims in recent Miami-Dade cases, and 40 percent of minor victims, were advertised on Backpage. Here are six alternatives! It's exposing where the ads will go once "adult services" is closed. However, the site is still believed to be a hub for prostitution and human trafficking Backpage.
Purveyors of illicit sex have shifted their on-lined advertising to new 'dating' a hub for prostitution and human trafficking of women and underage girls. The best we can do is facilitate the capabilities of police to investigate. "The Craigslist brothel business is booming –- belying its promise to fight "The best evidence is thousands of ads that remain on Craigslist. Prostitution still thrives on Backpage despite site shutdown of 'adult' section Backpage Shutters Adult Ads Amid Sex Trafficking Claims but instead say things like 'looking for companionship' or 'looking for a good time.'”..
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- Despite efforts from lawmakers and law enforcement, attempts to stop prostitutes from using the internet to find customers looks to be going nowhere fast. It did so when a U. The report, based on 1.
- A federal appeals court upheld the ruling ordering Dart to stop publicly pressing the issue. In the company's huge pool of general personal ads, sex ads would be harder to identify and scrutinize.
- Luxury escorts russian escort Brisbane


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Tea growers pick tea leaves in the northern province of Thái Nguyên. – Photo chinhchethainguyen.blogspot.comViet Nam News HÀ NỘI — A fair showcasing products of communes as well as hi-tech farm produce in the northern midland and mountainous region will be held next month in the northern province of Thái Nguyên. The ‘One commune one product (OCOP)’ fair aims to honour Việt Nam’s high-quality agro-forestry-fisheries products which are well-known in domestic and foreign markets, organisers said a press conference in Hà Nội on Tuesday. Nguyễn Quốc Huy, Deputy Director of Thái Nguyên Department of Industry and Trade, described the forthcoming event as a good chance for cities and provinces in the region to advertise their potential and strengths in agriculture and green tourism. The fair, organised annually by Thái Nguyên province since 2016, will also offer a venue for businesses, farms and processors to exchange experience and set up partnerships, he said. The event will run from August 31 to September 6. Also at the press conference, the People’s Committee of Bình Định Province announced that it will host a fair displaying farm produce, seafood and timber goods from the south central coastal region from August 1-6. The upcoming event… Read full this story
- Wood products industry expo opens
- VIETNAM NEWS JANUARY 1
- VIETNAM NEWS JANUARY 6
- VIETNAM BUSINESS NEWS JANUARY 6
Provinces to host farm produce fairs have 231 words, post on vietnamnews.vn at July 25, 2018. This is cached page on Drudgereport. If you want remove this page, please contact us.


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Greece is globally recognized for its touristic lures of idyllic beaches and a laid-back lifestyle. Prior to the outbreak of the global pandemic, the World Travel and Tourism Council said that tourism generated over one-fifth of Greece’s total GDP.
This year, the country faced a record number of travelers during its summer tourism season. In the month of August alone, the country received nearly 1 million travel arrivals per week, according to the Greek Minister of Tourism Vassilis Kikilias.
A report from ForwardKeys on this year’s summer tourism revealed that, of the top ten “sun and beach” locations in Europe, Greece held six spaces. These included the island destinations of Mykonos, Thira (Santorini) and Heraklion (Crete), as well as Thessaloniki. Athens, the country’s capital, took third place for “urban” destinations in Europe.
In the 27 European Union member states, Greece takes the sixth spot in terms of cryptocurrency ATMs, with 64 active for usage. Over half of Greece’s crypto ATMs are shared between Athens and Thessaloniki.
However, the Bitcoin ATM operator BCash strategically placed some of its ATMs in the country’s trendy island destinations of Mykonos, Santorini and Crete. Cointelegraph spoke with the managing director and co-founder of BCash, Dimitrios Tsangalidis, on how crypto is impacted by or itself impacts the tourism season in Greece.
Although Mykonos and Santorini are the most visited tourist destinations, the mainland ATMs have the majority of traffic, according to Tsangalidis — especially central Athens, where the first ATM was installed, and Thessaloniki.
However, the co-founder noted that in Crete, the country’s most populated island and a popular tourist destination, there is a “very loyal cryptocurrency crowd.”
“There is a strong crypto community in Heraklion of Crete [which is] the location of one of our ATMs.”
In Heraklion, the capital of Crete, the local start-up accelerator H2B Hub made a collaboration with the Greek-speaking University of Nicosia to create and support a local blockchain community.
Both Athens and Thessaloniki have active, regular meetups for the crypto and blockchain community.
While tourism bolsters parts of the Greek economy, according to Tsangalidis, it doesn’t translate to the crypto scene. “Unfortunately, the absolute opposite happens,” says Tsangalidis.
“In summer months and high tourist seasons, the demand drops. But we are in the middle of crypto winter that came earlier this year, so it is really hard to tell.”
Especially in terms of regular traffic, the decrease can also be equated to locals leaving for vacation.
Related: Tourists flock to El Salvador despite Bitcoin bear market
In general, Greece needs more awareness of cryptocurrencies and their utility in everyday life, Tsangalidis sums up.
“Influence on local tourism can be noticeable only if there is a general adoption of cryptocurrency within society.”
He adds that for now, there is little to no infrastructure or adoption from the level of Greek businesses and local governments. “If our government will become crypto friendly and if a green light will be given to businesses, then adoption will follow.”
In May of this year, the president of the Greek National Tourism Organization, Angela Gerekou, said the country is currently exploring how blockchain technology can bring about safety and transparency in tourism.
Source: Read Full Article
Worldcoin’s Orb had serious security vulnerability in operator onboarding: CertiK
Stellar Lumen (XLM) Price Forms Bearish Top, Risk of More Losses
Beanstalk Stablecoin Relaunches Four Months After Getting Hacked For Nearly $182 Million.
Terra Boss Do Kwon Says He’s Not ‘On The Run’ As Questions About His Whereabouts Rage On
Hut 8 merger would've happened even without FTX or crypto turmoil, says CEO


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At last week's Web 2.0 Summit, Facebook founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg told attendees that the social networking site didn't really view itself as a "media company", underlining one of the key differences between its strategy and that of rival MySpace. While third-party developers are free to write media-specific apps for Facebook's Platform, media content wasn't a priority area for the company.
In contrast, News Corp.-owned MySpace will launch its latest MySpaceTV exclusive web video series -- Roommates -- co-created by MySpace and new-media production studio Iron Sink Productions. Roommates is the first time that the social-networking site has been behind the development of a scripted web show, in terms of being directly responsible at the content level, rather than just being a exclusive distributor or partner.
From the press release:
MySpace’s co-development role in Roommates allows MySpaceTV to retain creative control over all aspects of the show’s development including casting, story development, location scouting, and wardrobe—allowing the company to create the series exclusively with the MySpace audience in mind.
Similar to Quaterlife, another MySpace exclusive web series, Roommates is taking a familiar post-modernist approach whereby a fictional set of characters will be video-blogging their "lives".
Roommates is a show within a show, as four recent college graduates move to Los Angeles and enlist in an uber-surveillant reality show while four of their other friends observe from their "real lives." They are, naturally, all good-looking females with penchants for strappy tank tops.
NewTeeVee picks up on the show's focus on "good-looking females", noting that MySpace seems to be targeting the lucrative demographic of adolescent males, "the first episode features one of the girls standing in her underwear scolding her dog". To that end, Roommates is heavily sponsored by Ford.
Tapping into its social networking base, Roommates is designed to be an interactive experience whereby MySpace users will be invited to participate in the creative process. "They'll be able to help shape story arcs," says Jeff Berman, general manager of the MySpaceTV division. "We're going to see some of the best creative ideas for the show come from our users."
While it's tempting to frame events in the social networking space as a battle between rising star Facebook and the number one incumbent MySpace, it may be possible that both sites can happily co-exist at the top of their game for years to come, if enough users can be persuaded to remain members of both sites. Original professionally-produced content, in combination with its pop culture roots is one way for MySpace to achieve this.


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The Prophetstown Main Street organization is seeking entries and invites everyone to its 34th annual lighted Christmas parade. The parade will be held on Saturday, November 30th beginning at 6:30 PM.
Prior to the parade Main Street will be closed to all traffic and parking beginning at 3:30. We invite everyone to enjoy strolling the downtown area as it is also” Small Business Saturday.”
Local businesses will have extended hours for holiday shopping. A number of them will also have children’s activities including:
A visit with Santa & Mrs. Claus- Fire Station 3:30 – 5:30
Face Painting- Hanford Insurance Agency 3:30 – 5:30
Letters to Santa- Ann’s Hair Salon 3:30 – 5:30
Reindeer Food Making-Hometown Hardware 3:00 – 6:00
Cookie Decorating- Main Street Office 3:30 – 5:30
Coloring Pages- Hartig Drug 3:30 -5:30
The lighting of the Love Light Tree takes place at 5:30 in Eclipse Square.
Food vendors will offer wares on Main Street and a chili supper sponsored by the Prophetstown Masonic Lodge will be held at the fire station. Strolling musicians, goodies, and hot chocolate will also be found on Main Street prior to the parade.
Special guest judges for the parade this year are Meteorologist Eric Maitland, and News Anchor Morgan Ottier from KWQC-TV 6.
Additional information is available on the Prophetstown Main Street website: Prophetstownil.com or on Facebook @ Prophetstown Main Street.


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Intel's 14nm Skylake platform demoed, mass production scheduled for mid-2015By Shawn Knight 8 comments
Apple wasn't the only big tech name to host an event for members of the media today. Less than an hour away in San Francisco, Intel kicked off its 14th annual Intel Developer Forum in which the chip maker confirmed plans to ship Core i3, i5 and i7 processors as 14-nanometer Broadwell parts early next year.
That wasn't the only big news of the day as Intel also announced intentions to begin production of its next generation CPU architecture in the second half of 2015 as part of Intel's familiar tick-tock development cycle.
The new microarchitecture, codenamed Skylake, will deliver "significant" performance increases, better battery life and better power efficiency compared to Broadwell according to Intel's Kirk Skaugen. And unlike Broadwell, Intel is planning to deliver Skylake across traditional PC markets including high-end desktops.
Skaugen noted that Skylake is coming along just fine in the development process at this stage. To help demonstrate that point, he showed those in attendance a working demo unit. Unlike past demonstrations that used early development motherboards, however, this demo chip was installed inside of a notebook.
The Intel rep reportedly ran a 3DMark graphics benchmark as part of the showcase, a move that The Tech Report believes may hint at the focus of Skylake's performance improvements. Elsewhere, Skaugen said Skylake is capable of decoding and displaying 4K video content in real time - a useful attribute considering we're quickly moving from 1080p to 4K (at least in the television industry).
Developers will be able to get their hands on the Skylake development platform during the first quarter of next year.


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Cryptocurrencies bounce back despite fed rate hike
Most cryptocurrencies saw a huge increase in price over the past week.
Welcome to Market Movers – March 24, 2023 – presented by Joel Flynn.
It’s been another big week for crypto. The US Federal Reserve raised the Fed rate by another 25-basis points again this week, and the US banking crisis looked like it forced a change in monetary policy. All of this combined fed into the crypto prices we saw this week, most of which had gone up in light of the latest financial news.
Join us in this episode of Market Movers for a weekly market wrap up.


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Social Climber: Amazon Offers Employees $5,000 to Quit
Social Climber: Top Search + Social Trends Explained
April 12, 2014 — -- quicklist: 1
title: Amazon Offers $5,000 to Quittext:
Who said it doesn't pay to be a quitter?
Retail behemoth Amazon is offering warehouse employees $5,000 if they quit their jobs. In a letter to shareholders Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos explained his decision.
"The goal is to encourage folks to take a moment and think about what they really want," Bezos wrote in the letter. "In the long-run, an employee staying somewhere they don't want to be isn't healthy for the employee or the company."
Just a warning to new Amazon employees, the full $5,000 only goes to employees who have worked there for four or more years. Newbies will be offered only $2,000.
media: 23301732quicklist: 2
title: Walmart Planning to Drive Down Organic Produce Prices
text: Watch Out Whole Foods
Walmart has unveiled plans to jump into seedbeds with Wild Oats, announcing a partnership that would bring cheaper organic goods to shoppers at the country's largest retailer and grocery seller.
The new line consists of nearly 100 items that would be 25 percent cheaper than Walmart's existing organic produce and will be introduced to shelves this month.
The move could portend major changes to the everyday U.S. diet on a much larger scale.
media: 23286994 quicklist: 3title: Mysterious X-37B Space Plane Has Another Milestone In Sighttext: The Air Force's X-37B, an unmanned reusable spacecraft on a mysterious mission, spent a record-breaking 470 days in orbit last month, and now another milestone is in sight.
The space plane will hit the 500-days-in-orbit mark on April 25, according to the Daily Beast.
Officials have remained hush-hush about the aircraft since it was first launched in 2010 and have said its missions are classified.
media: 23301875quicklist:4title: Julia Louis-Dreyfus Bares Almost Everythingtext: Funny gal Julia Louis-Dreyfus is grinning in her new cover for Rolling Stone, but readers' eyes might be drawn elsewhere.
Louis-Dreyfus posed naked for the cover, with a Photoshopped tattoo of the U.S. Constitution stamped on her back.
"In my defense, 'I was in a drunken stupor,'" the "Veep" actress wrote on Twitter.
Maybe that stupor explains the John Hancock signature very low on her back. Hancock's bold signature famously graced the Declaration of Independence, not the Constitution.media:23263794


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Amid signs of a slowdown in the U.S. market,
Honda is updating its lineup and introducing new models. Analysts have long believed the car maker is overdependent on U.S. sales for its profits. With aluminum and steel prices rising, these profits are softening. And sales for all automakers are lackluster in the States because of the soft housing market and high fuel prices. Honda has already grown more aggressive in its turf war against Toyota in India and China, where managers inside the company believe its best sales prospects lie.
Source: Wall Street Journal


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Family-friendly restaurant chain Rashays has doubled down on its decision to suspend a two-year major sponsorship deal with the Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs.
The club is currently embroiled in a sex scandal, following allegations two players brought two 17-year-old highschool girls back to a hotel in Port Macquarie earlier this month.
The timing of the incident could not have been worse for the NRL club, which had just put pen to paper on a two-year major sponsorship deal with Rashays.
It is believed the club had even started printing jerseys with the new sponsor on them.
In a statement provided to B&T, Rashays explained its decision to hit pause on the deal.
“We have advised [Bulldogs CEO] Andrew Hill that it was prudent to suspend the major sponsorship deal due to a scandal involving two Bulldog players,” Rashays said.
“The actions do not align with our core values as a company. We trust the club to deal with the situation appropriately and respectfully with all parties involved.
“The integral element of our brand is our focus on family-friendly experiences. We put our customers first, and despite our excitement towards this proposed deal, we need to uphold these values regardless of the magnitude of this partnership.”
However, the statement did leave the door open for a potential renegotiation.
“Rashays has currently suspended discussions with the club while they deal with this situation. We may reassess our position after the appropriate actions have been taken,” Rashays said.
It is being reported this morning that the Bulldogs will sack one of the involved players, Jayden Okunbor, after screenshots of his messages with the teen emerged.
Bulldogs chair Lynne Anderson indicated strong action could be on its way.
“We are not sweeping it under the carpet, we are owning it and facing up to it together as a club,” Anderson told the Herald. “We must respect the NRL process, one we triggered.”
Former agency executives Tim O’Neill and Tim Fouhy have launched the auto technology startup Summon. Australia’s first full e-commerce service for prestige cars. O’Neill and Fouhy both worked together at Accenture Interactive, before co-founding Reactive a digital agency bought by Accenture in 2016, now they’ve combined their knowledge and expertise to create Summon. Summon offers […]
To honour the fantastic feats of the Australian Paralympians, Hootsuite has revealed the top trending hashtags and social media data of the Paralympics. The top trending hashtag during the Paralympics period, #tokyo2020, received over 38,000 tweets and retweets, amounting to 1.7M+ impressions, while other popular hashtags included #paralympics, #readysettokyo and #paraswimming. According to Hootsuite’s research, […]
SOON, a futures think tank focused on human insights, has launched today tracking trends, developments and disruptions across people, products and the planet. Led by internationally renowned futurist, social scientist and trend forecaster Sarah Owen (pictured centre) in partnership with TABOO directors Andrew Mackinnon (right) and James Mackinnon (left), the independently Australian-owned futurist company uncovers […]
ARN’s iHeartPodcast Network Australia has announced a new podcast, SAS Australia Debrief hosted by 2020 recruits Merrick Watts and Sabrina Frederick. The podcast is made for anyone that can’t get enough of Aussie celebs putting themselves through the toughest test of their lives on the Seven Network’s hit show SAS Australia. Or anyone that wishes […]
Rakuten Advertising has launched ‘A 5-Stage Blueprint for High-Performance Affiliate Marketing’, designed to educate and inform both advertisers and publishers about the strategic role that the affiliate channel is now playing in marketing strategies. The blueprint is based on input from members of the Rakuten Advertising International Collective (RAIC), comprising affiliate marketing specialists from leading advertisers […]
Nine has announced the return of State of Originality, Australia’s biggest advertising prize, with $1 million again up for grabs to the brand and agency that creates the most original ad in the 2022 State of Origin Series. This year Nine launched State of Originality, challenging Australia’s marketers to help make State of Origin not […]


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A group of thieves smashed their way into a luxury store on Madison Avenue Wednesday morning and made off with tens of thousands of dollars in Givenchy purses and clothing, police said.
“This usually happens in Soho, Balenciaga, Chanel… it’s much quieter here,” an employee, who asked not to be named, told The Post
“This is [the] first time at this store.”
The break-in happened just before 5 a.m. at Givenchy’s flagship store in Manhattan at 747 Madison Ave. on the Upper East Side, according to cops.
A group of men used a hammer to break through the glass on the front door and emptied out the shelves, stealing 39 high-end purses and two outfits, according to cops.
The group split up and jumped into two cars and took off, cops said.
Cops said the merch was valued at around $80,000.
The employee at the high-end retailer believed the robbery was due to a lack of police presence in the area.
“Before there were constant police patrols in this area,” he said. “There are a lot of jewelry stores here. There was constant contact [with police]. The police officers would stop by, ask how we’re doing. Now, they’re not here anymore.”
“Let’s hope for better times.”
The store next door was broken into in a similar fashion back in April when a pair of crooks made off with $70,000 in high-end merch from the Alexander McQueen shop.
Additional reporting by Craig McCarthy


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Q: Isn't it just for the likes of Elton John and Madonna?
A: "By 2010, no new apartment development will be without a gym," says the architect James Thorpe, who designed the luxurious KX gym in London's South Kensington. He estimates that it can cost up to £15,000 to kit out a home gym.
Q: But don't people miss the social aspect of hanging out at a health club?
A: "A lot of people don't like going out," says Simon Waterson, the personal trainer to Halle Berry and Pierce Brosnan. "Home gyms offer stronger motivation; they are obviously more convenient, save time and are less stressful."
Q: What if I'm short of cash?
A: No worries. Brad Pitt may be spending £300,000 on a gym to…


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In its ongoing quest to convince you that it really is morphing into a cloud services and software company, computing giant IBM is set to make a big announcement today: It will make several of its cloud-ready software applications available from a single Web marketplace, creating sort of an Enterprise App store for businesses.
IBM says the software that will be available in what it calls IBM Cloud Marketplace will include some 100 applications it offers on a software-as-a-service basis, its BlueMix platform-as-a-service, and SoftLayer, the cloud computing infrastructure service that competes with Amazon Web Services and which IBM acquired last year.
“Most app marketplaces are aimed at software developers, but ours will be aimed directly at the company’s line of business,” said Steve Mills, an IBM senior VP heading up the effort. “We’ve tried to segment it by what’s relevant to people with different roles in a company.” There are apps for marketing, running a supply chain, finance and legal services, and several other business-specific apps will be there. So will all of its apps aimed at building software as well as running IT operations.
Another important fact about the marketplace is that it gives IBM customers a self-service method of picking and choosing and testing what IBM tools they want to use with minimal fuss. It’s similar to what they expect from other vendors like Amazon or Salesforce.com, whose App Exchange contains 1,800 cloud business apps, many made by third parties. “It’s a way to reach new customers — and existing customers — and help them understand what IBM brings to the table,” Mills said. “We’ve always sold things face to face, but as we’ve moved toward the public cloud, customers get what they need, swipe the credit card and get to work.”
IBM’s marketplace will contain software from third parties, too, among them New Relic, the fast-growing software performance service; SendGrid, the cloud-based email delivery service; Twilio for phone-based apps; and MongoDB for databases in the cloud.
It’s the latest step in IBM’s pivot away from its traditional business of selling hardware and software to customers, and toward selling them cloud-based applications and services. Big Blue has recently sought to argue — not quite convincingly — that it is the biggest cloud company when compared to Amazon, though it’s a tricky comparison. It has consistently promised that it will deliver $7 billion in revenue derived from the cloud by the end of 2015, and as of 2013 said it was more than halfway there at $4.4 billion.
It first announced the BlueMix effort in February with a $1 billion investment, and said it would build out the service on SoftLayer, the cloud computing company it acquired last year and has committed to expand. It also announced plans to invest $1 billion in companies working with its Watson cognitive computing technology, which also moved to the cloud.
The shift is an important one for IBM, and it will for better or worse define IBM’s years under CEO Ginni Rometty. But she has had a tough ride. Earlier this month, IBM reported disappointing earnings on hardware sales that have been persistently weak. It has also been divesting assets, selling its low-end server division to China’s Lenovo for $2.3 billion. It has also explored selling its chip-building as well as its software-defined networking units. IBM shares have risen one percent this year.
This article originally appeared on Recode.net.


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7 features the world’s richest homebuyers can’t live without in 2022
What do luxury customers want?
Luxury Portfolio International’s latest report describes today’s “luxury dream home” and spells it out.
The global luxury network surveyed more than 4,600 high-income (the richest 5%) and high-net-worth (those worth $1 million or more) people in more than 20 countries to create its State of luxury real estate report for 2022. From this survey, he deduced seven fundamental trends in luxury homes that the wealthy want today. The company has also created renderings of a model home that embodies the trends.
Overall, it seems that luxury customers are focusing on safety, health and sustainability in the homes they buy.
“While the landscape for luxury residential real estate – and subsequent buyer demand – had fluctuated before COVID, the pandemic has heightened some of the changes we are experiencing today,” said Mickey Alam Khan, President of LPI, in a press release. “This is especially true when it comes to the literal ‘livability’ of a home, such as high-end ‘green’ amenities, space to run around, self-care features like saunas, steam rooms and yoga studios, and ornate entertainment spaces.
“Today’s global market is shaped by widespread uncertainty, which makes it all the more crucial to stay well ahead of the most impactful trends,” he added. “At Luxury Portfolio International, we have long prided ourselves on not only being able to logically dissect what influences the high-end sector, but also on asking buyers, sellers and agents to adapt accordingly.”
Read on to learn about the seven main components that affluent clients need in a home today.
1. A home that reflects a happy and contented life
By creating a home that exudes satisfaction and exhilaration, luxury buyers are showing they’ve figured out how to make this thing called life, LPI’s report concludes. It shows that they have understood how to achieve work-life balance and a sense of satisfaction.
How do we reflect this balance and this satisfaction through a house? By having a property with a great view, in an area accessible by foot or bike, has a short commute to their place of work and easy access to nightlife. The house also evokes feelings of “safety”, “comfort”, “control” and “pleasure”, LPI said.
2. An outdoor space that is an “adult playscape”
After years of dealing with COVID, owners of luxury homes are now prioritizing an “outdoor escape” at home, LPI’s report notes, with a fun outdoor space in which to socialize in peace.
High-tech additions such as solar panels, smart home technology, and Wi-Fi that extend to outdoor spaces are a constant feature in luxury homes. From buyer to buyer, however, outdoor spaces are unique to the individual’s personality, whether it be large grassy fields, gardens or orchards, fully equipped entertaining areas with a swimming pool, an outdoor kitchen and a kind of fire pit.
3. Sustainability is a priority
Today’s affluent buyers are also looking to the future of the planet when considering their next home, making sustainable features one of their top priorities instead of just a nice addition. Ninety percent of luxury buyers surveyed by LPI said environmental sustainability was factored into their home search criteria. Installing solar panels and energy-efficient appliances in a home is no longer enough, notes the LPI report.
In order to meet the criteria of future luxury home buyers, homes will need to have features such as sustainable (reclaimed or renewable) and non-toxic building materials, as well as a designated composting area on the property.
4. Wellness and fitness equipment
In these tumultuous times, luxury buyers expect their homes to be havens of well-being for body and soul. As such, 75% of these buyers expect their next home to have three or more fitness and wellness amenities, according to LPI’s survey.
Luxury homes that include private spaces or quiet gardens, an indoor pool or spa, a massage room or yoga studio, and that let in plenty of natural light will appeal to this luxury trend.
5. High Security
Security has always been a concern for affluent clients, but the way they approach security today is changing with the times.
As luxury customers become more concerned about the potential increase in crime as a result of COVID-19 shutdowns and rising cybercrime rates, they are responding by putting more safeguard systems in place for customers. utilities, data and internet. Monitored home security systems and smart door locks, CCTV surveillance and onsite security or protected grounds also remain essential.
6. Kitchen Gadgets
According to LPI’s survey, having a kitchen full of gadgets for everyday use and entertaining has become essential for 80% of luxury buyers today.
Smart appliances like coffee makers, stoves, blenders, and built-in cocktail shakers are all popular gadgets right now. Additionally, 87% of luxury shoppers want entertainment features such as a dedicated bar, formal dining room and luxury brand appliances. Features like a separate catering or butler kitchen and commercial-grade appliances are also desirable.
7. Outsourced home services
As e-commerce has grown across the country in recent years, now accounting for about 13% of total U.S. retail sales, according to Census Bureau data, luxury shoppers are becoming more accustomed to this that their services are taken care of for them.
In addition to using more app-based services to obtain food, drink and other goods, this trend has resulted in luxury shoppers having more designated spaces in their homes to outsourced day-to-day tasks, such as a place for a personal chef to prepare meals or a break area for hired help.
Email to Lillian Dickerson


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12th May 2022 Employment / Visas
New sector agreements with the meat processing and seafood industries will be put in place later this year to help develop their workforces, says the government.
The hospitality industry says changes to migrant worker settings will be a welcome relief for businesses struggling to fill vacancies as the country’s border restrictions ease.
The Employment Court has found three former Gloriavale commune members on the West Coast were employees not volunteers at the registered charity which has F&B ventures.
Unemployment has remained at a record low of 3.2% for the March 2022 quarter, according to Stats NZ’s latest employment figures.
The workers will support NZ’s hospitality, horticultural and tourism sectors, says Immigration Minister Kris Faafoi.
Workers at Seeka have written to the company to seek assurances during bargaining for a new collective agreement that there will be no wage reductions at the end of the harvest in June.
Hawke’s Bay iwi-owned Takitimu Seafoods has started a restructure consultation process which could see its headcount reduce from 70 workers to 25 after falling to a $6.9m loss in its 2020-21 year.
Under-pressure meat processors are among business that will benefit from an increase in the class border exceptions and caps.
Supply chain challenges were one of the reasons behind a record number of job vacancies in the first quarter of the year according to analysis from Trade Me Jobs.
The government has updated guidance to businesses now that most workplaces will not require vaccine mandates from 4 April.
The re-opening of New Zealand’s borders could make it harder for employers to fill critical worker shortages as Kiwis head overseas, according to a new report which estimates a net outflow of 16,500 people as border opened.
A new initiative spearheaded by the Primary Industry Capability Alliance aims to grow more workplaces in the food and fibre sector.
The government’s Fair Pay Agreements Bill has been Criticised by Retail NZ who said it would drive up consumer costs if implemented.
New Zealand companies are seeing an acceleration of ‘career waka jumping,’ according to the 2021/22 Beyond Recruitment Economic & Labour Report.
Kiwifruit Growers Incorporated says the sector is desperate to attract overseas backpackers to come over and pick fruit this season.
But it’s no ‘silver bullet’ for industries struggling to cope with labour shortages.
The isolation period for Covid-19 cases and household contacts will go down to seven days from 10 at 11.59pm on Friday 11 March.
Countdown employees working alongside Australian colleagues shipped in to fill gaps in New Zealand stores and supply chains should immediately receive pay parity and be remunerated at the significantly higher rates of their colleagues from across the ditch, First Union says.
Government guidelines on wage subsidies need to be clearer to protect small business owners including hospitality operators who are being fined for misinterpreting the rules.
A number of pop-up information sessions aiming to plug the fruit harvest labour shortage have kicked-off in Hastings.
Federated Farmers is relieved hundreds of extra international dairy workers can enter New Zealand this season.
Business and hospitality groups are pleased the government is ditching self-isolation requirements for returning New Zealanders.
Horticulture New Zealand says the government’s decision to boost the cap on the Recognised Seasonal Employer scheme would benefit future picking seasons.
The government’s extended the cap on RSE workers for this season but warned there might be hurdles in getting enough people here to finish picking.
The business sector is critical of a move to raise the minimum wage 6% during the expected Omicron wave.
Industries will know by the end of this week which of them are considered critical, says Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern.
While it opens for more workers, it comes too late for some and does not do enough to address labour shortages for others.
But they will still need to go into self-isolation, says Jacinda Ardern.
Labour shortages are the most pressing concern for the country’s primary sector but global prices should remain strong, according to ANZ’s latest Agri Focus report.
EMA won’t support the government’s proposed Income Insurance Scheme as it is, saying it would result in a further tax on businesses.
The Omicron wave about to wash over New Zealand will exacerbate an already tightening labour market.
The National Party says government inaction on border class exceptions for time-critical workers could have an impact on food production and distribution in New Zealand.
Mounting skills shortages and ongoing supply chain disruptions are among the key challenges for company directors, according to the Institute of Directors and ASB Bank’s annual survey.
Countdown distribution centre workers at two Auckland sites have signed a new agreement that includes a 5% wage rise for the next year and a 3.9% increase for a reduced 9-month term in the following year.
Domino’s is hoping a year’s worth of free pizza will help fill more than 1500 new part-time and full-time roles.
Zespri says the industry is now planning for a substantial labour shortage for the 2022 season.
The owner of Dunedin-based Romeeco Bakery has been ordered to pay $299,038 in arrears and penalties after a Labour Inspectorate investigation.
Silver Fern Farms and the New Zealand Meat Workers Union (NZMWU) have agreed an increase in the minimum hourly rate paid at the meat processor to $24 per hour – an increase of almost 10%.
Hospitality New Zealand has welcomed the Government’s move to extend Working Holiday and SSE work visas by six months to allow onshore migrants to help fill labour shortages over summer.
The government has extended working holiday and supplementary seasonal employment work visas by six months.
The 2021 Resident Visa could allow around 17,000 workers in the food and accommodation sectors to stay in NZ.
One-way, quarantine-free travel for Recognised Seasonal Employer (RSE) workers from Vanuatu will be allowed from 4 October, says the government.
The details are yet to be finalised but government confirmation that quarantine-free travel will commence in October for workers from Vanuatu, Tonga and Samoa has provided a boost to growers.
F&B manufacturers are keen to get essential services staff vaccinated but it’s not easy, despite government encouragement.
The government is restarting childcare for workers in Alert Level 4 businesses and services, which was available during last year’s national lockdown, education minister Chris Hipkins has confirmed.
The Primary Production Committee is calling for public submissions on its inquiry into the future of the workforce needs in the primary industries of New Zealand.
Poultry company Ingham’s is introducing paid vaccination leave for its staff in New Zealand and Australia in an extension to its health and wellbeing benefits.
The Meat Industry Association has launched a campaign to help address the industry’s chronic shortage of employees – currently standing at around 2,000 people.
New Zealand’s closed border is putting additional strain on the country’s labour market with ASB warning the impacts could last several years.
Living wages, job security and local sourcing are the pillars of the initiative.
The horticulture and viticulture sectors are breathing a collective sigh of relief at the government’s decision to streamline the entry of seasonal workers from the Pacific.
The positions were needed to help meet global demand for the grower’s apples.
The Restaurant Association is expanding its training programme, Hospostart, after receiving further backing from the Ministry of Social Development.
Legislation doubling employees’ minimum sick leave entitlement to 10 days came into effect on Saturday 24 July.
Government changes to some essential skills visa will help ease some of the pressure on the red meat sector’s migrant workforce but a permanent solution is needed, according to the Meat MORE »
Changes to the essential skills visa will bring more certainty to accommodation and hospitality businesses struggling to fill vacancies, say industry groups.
Too many jobs are being created in the low-wage economy, says the finance minister.
The kiwifruit industry will need 24,000 seasonal workers in 2022, says New Zealand Kiwifruit Growers Inc.
Former Sanford COO Greg Johansson will help conduct the inquiry.
BusinessNZ’s quarterly planning forecast shows the economy bounced back during the June quarter with GDP figures holding up well, although warned that constraints to growth are rising.
The Auckland Business Chamber has added its voice to calls for immediate action in opening the border to allow entry for key workers to support the primary exports, hospitality, accommodation, and tourism sectors.
The government has passed the Holidays (Increasing Sick Leave) Amendment Bill, doubling employees’ minimum sick leave entitlement to 10 days each year.
The pandemic has highlighted NZ’s reliance on temporary migrant labour, says the government.
Parliament’s Primary Production Committee has initiated a select committee inquiry into the future of the workforce needs in the country’s primary industries.
But there are concerns over the costs of the scheme for employers.
Sealord, Sanford, and Talleys have backed the regional recruitment drive urging individuals to ‘seas the opportunity’.
Cafe workers, fast food cooks and kitchen hands are now on the Government’s oversupply list for all regions except Queenstown Lakes and Mackenzie Districts.
The winners of the Good Employer Awards have been revealed.
Chief executive Julie White said the extension would help struggling businesses find trained staff.
Federated Farmers has asked the government to allow 500 skilled dairy staff into New Zealand.
The food giant plans to relocate its Wiri confectionery manufacturing to Australia.
An investigation in 2019 found breaches of minimum employment standards in relation to 24 workers.
The workers will be placed at orchards and vineyards in Hawke’s Bay, Canterbury and the upper South Island.
The Government has eased visa restrictions for visitors already in New Zealand as the Covid-19 pandemic continues to cause havoc overseas.
The Agricultural and Marketing Research and Development Trust is taking applications for an associate board member to join its board of trustees. AGMARDT was an independent, not-for-profit charitable trust fostering MORE »
A cohort of Best Ugly Bagels staff is aiming to negotiate a collective employment agreement will calls going out for more workers to join E tū union. NZ chef Al MORE »


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The Windows 10 Patch Tuesday update seemed to cause more troubles than help to Microsoft loyal customers including random reboots to some.
After giving an urgent call to all Microsoft users to have their devices updated to the latest Windows 10 Patch Tuesday update to prevent the operating system vulnerabilities from being exploited, the software giant is now faced with complaints from disgruntled users.
Comments and complaints are now flooding Reddit from customers who have been affected by the Windows 10 Patch Tuesday update problems. The most common among the comments in the thread talk about their experience in trying to install the update. As of this writing, the comments and reactions reached more than a hundred.
The community of Microsoft customers trying to install the Windows 10 Patch Tuesday update sent an almost common response. They said that are receiving error messages such as 0x800f0982, 0xe0000100, and 0x80073701 upon trying to update.
Although there are some Microsoft customers that succeeded in installing the Windows 10 Patch Tuesday update, they are not spared of the headache. Reddit, as well as Answer.com forum comments, reveal that there are some successfully updated devices that randomly reboots after the installation.
This isn't the first time.
Disappointed Microsoft customers reminded the software giant that this is not the first time that they went through such a dilemma. The Windows 10 May cumulative update brought an almost similar issue. They found it hard to install the Windows May 2019 update. Back in October last year, cases of installation trouble have also been reported on the 2018 update.
What Can Microsoft Customers Do Now?
Luckily, one user suggested a temporary solution that might pacify the situation. One Answers.com comment suggested that if the Windows 10 Patch Tuesday update failure continues, users may download and try to install the update as a standalone package and not directly from through the Windows update.
Meanwhile, for those who have not attempted an update yet or have repeatedly ignored their devices alert to update their Windows 10 now, a pause update for now option could be the best thing to do.
Microsoft has yet to release any statement on the Windows 10 Patch Tuesday update problem.
This article was first published in IBTimes US. Permission required for reproduction.


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WhatsApp will roll out its payments service in India this year following a year-long pilot.
German digital bank N26 is launching in the United States through a phased rollout of its app-based checking account and debit card.
The PayPal Business Debit Mastercard gives UK business owners instant access to their PayPal funds around the world.
Singapore’s central bank plans to issue up to five digital bank licenses to suitable applicants, a move that could deliver the biggest shake-up in a market dominated by local banks.
WorldRemit’s chief product officer, Alice Newton-Rex, will join WhatsApp’s product team later this year to work on the app’s messaging service.
Seven Dutch banks have recently started to introduce instant payments using the CSM (Clearing and Settlement Mechanism) system of equensWorldline.
Zilvinas Bareisis, Payments Analyst at Celent shared his experience at Money 20/20 Europe in Amsterdam earlier in June.
Grab, Southeast Asia’s most valuable start-up, is exploring a move into Singapore banking as regulators in the Southeast Asian city-state consider allowing online-only banks.
In the nearest future, we’ll witness the rise of end-of-shift payments which will eventually lead to single payment accounts.
The world's biggest card issuer, China UnionPay, will offer debit and credit cards in Europe after striking a deal with a UK back-office startup, Tribe Payments.
Monzo has hit 2 million current account customers, signing up more than 35,000 new people every week.
New data from Juniper Research has found that fintech platform revenues will reach $638 billion by 2024, up from an estimated $263 billion in 2019.
illimity, the new paradigm banking start-up listed on Borsa Italiana’s MTA exchange, announces a partnership with Raisin, the marketplace for online savings and investments in Europe.
Following HKMA’s passing of the first virtual banking licenses this March, there are now 8 virtual banks in Hong Kong. So what is a virtual bank and what does it mean for Hong Kong?
Sopra Banking Software announced that Rabobank International Direct Bank is using its “Digital Experience Platform” (DxP) in order to comply with PSD2 regulations.
AliExpress adds Klarna’s market-leading ‘Pay later’ option through the world’s leading payment platforms Alipay and Adyen.
Klarna has revealed that the challenger’s buy-now-pay-later service continues to resonate strongly with its young user base, merchants and partners.
Took place on April 10-11, 2019, Seamless Middle East is the region’s most comprehensive exhibition, with over 350 exhibitors and 400 speakers from the payments and commerce industries.
Following up on their first edition published last year, LATTICE80 presents the complete list of Top 100 Fintech Southeast Asia Influencers who are charting the path for fintech in the region for 2019.
The non-profit organisation has been established by the founding members PPRO, Bankin’, Eurobits, Klarna/Sofort, Trustly.


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ESL/HLS buzz at DAC
Programmable Logic DesignLine Blog 7/30/2009 1 comment
The buzz over electronic-system level design and high-level synthesis seems to have reached a new level at this year's Design Automation Conference.
FPGA nuggets from 2009 Embedded Market Study
Programmable Logic DesignLine Blog 7/23/2009 1 comment
There was some interesting data about FPGA to emerge from Embedded Systems Design magazine's 2009 Embedded Market Study, presented a couple of months back on TechOnline.
CSwitch shutdown confirmed
Programmable Logic DesignLine Blog 7/3/2009 Post a comment
CSwitch President and CEO Doug Laird confirmed that the company halted operations in the last few weeks in an effort to conserve cash as it entered negotiations with potential buyers.
Video: Inside CSwitch headquarters
Programmable Logic DesignLine Blog 7/2/2009 1 comment
Tired of being stonewalled by CSwitch executives, Mark LaPedus and I stopped by CSwitch's headquarters Wednesday on a quest for answers. Unfortunately, we didn't get many.
Is CSwitch dead?
Programmable Logic DesignLine Blog 7/1/2009 Post a comment
FPGA startup CSwitch appears to have closed its doors, according to several industry sources.


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By Sam Jaffe
The first issue is site location. Tesla has said in the past that it will build the factory in one of five states: California, Nevada, Arizona, New Mexico, or Texas. It has also said that it will begin development work on more than one site, choosing the eventual location from multiple contenders upon which initial civil engineering work has already been done. Now we know that the Nevada site outside of Reno is one of those finalists. Where is/are the other/s? No word from Tesla on that, but it is pretty easy to identify the five top contenders. That's because the Gigafactory will need to be on a main rail line that connects with the company’s Fremont, California automobile factory. It will also need to be near a large population center in one of those five states. That leaves the following contenders:
You can expect the second site to be in one of those areas. There is still one potential curveball that might come from Tesla – the possibility that the Gigafactory will be composed of multiple sites: maybe a separator factory in one state, an electrolyte factory in another locale, and a final assembly plant in another.
More to Come
The other piece of interesting information still to be determined is exactly how the Gigafactory will be structured. No blueprint exists for how to design a factory that is owned by multiple parties: it’s a unique concept that has never been tried before. One day earlier, Tesla said that
The final questions are when the Gigafactory will go online and when it will reach full capacity. Tesla has already said that it hopes that those dates will be 2017 and 2020, respectively, but exactly how the ramp rate works will be interesting to see. Panasonic has clearly stated that it will invest in the equipment for the factory in a staggered, conservative fashion. That could lead to a much slower build-up to full capacity than the 3 years that Tesla is claiming. Regardless of the details of the how, when, and where of the facility, Navigant Research believes strongly that the Gigafactory will be built and will be a successful, potentially revolutionary, manufacturing venture.


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Ducati India has launched the 2018 Monster 821 in the country at a price tag of Rs 9.51 lakh (ex-showroom India). Positioned between the Monster 1200 and the Monster 797, the company has stated that the 2018 version of the naked street fighter packs enough power and technology to take on its rivals. Ducati’s dealerships across the country have started accepting bookings for the motorcycle for a token amount of Rs 1 lakh.
So what’s changed? For starters, the Monster 821 now looks more aggressive than before thanks to a more muscular and sharper design that seems to have been inspired by its elder sibling, the Monster 1200. The Monster 821 also gets the same LED headlamps seen on the bigger bike.
Apart from that, it also gets a TFT full-colour instrument cluster, which is a feature that’s missing on more expensive bikes such as the SuperSport and the Multistrada 950. Other features include Ducati Safety Pack, a three-level Bosch ABS, an eight-level traction control and a total of three different riding modes – Urban, Touring and Sport. For seamless up and downshifts, the Monster also comes with a quickshifter with a slipper clutch.
Powering the 2018 Ducati Monster 821 is a BSIV-compliant 821cc, 90-degree L-Twin, Testastretta engine. Compared to the previous version, the new motor is down on power by 2PS for a total power output of 111.5PS @ 9250rpm. Peak torque, on the other hand, now stands at 86Nm @ 7750rpm when compared to the 89.4Nm of the outgoing model.
Ducati has equipped the Monster 821 with 43mm USD forks at the front and an adjustable monoshock unit at the rear. Braking, on the other hand, is handled by the same Brembo 320mm dual discs at the front and a single 245mm disc at the rear.
The pricing of the 2018 Monster 821 makes it go head-to-head with the Triumph Street Triple S (Rs 9.19 lakh), the Yamaha MT-09 (Rs 9.56 lakh) and the newly launched Suzuki GSX-S750 (Rs 7.45 lakh, all prices ex-showroom Delhi). We will be putting the Monster 821 through a comprehensive test soon. So, stay tuned to Zigwheels to find out what we think of the refreshed Monster.
Source: Zig Wheels
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According to the Builders Merchant Building Index (BMBI), the value of total builders’ merchants sales in Q1 2021 increased by 15.1% compared to Q1 2020. This growth was mainly driven by Landscaping (+41.4) and Timber & Joinery Products (30.5%). Removing the effects of Covid, results are still positive, with total value of merchants’ sales up 6.0% on Q1 2019.
Growth has been fuelled by a bumper March, driven by unbated demand in RMI and a strong house building market. March sales were up 47.4% compared to March 2020, and by a no less extraordinary 23.0% compared to the same month in 2019.
While this recovery is promising, the industry might now see a greater impact from the indirect repercussions of the pandemic. Supply chain issues are concerning and with strong demand, prices are rising.
Visit www.bmbi.co.uk/the-index to download the report.
Tiles from Cotto d’Este have been chosen by SAP, the German multinational specialists in IT solutions, for the flooring of...Continue Reading
Light School will be hosted within Surface Design Show 2018 at the Business Design Centre in London from 6th to...Continue Reading
Brian Berry, Chief Executive of the FMB, said: “The recovery in the construction sector is far from secured, as shown...Continue Reading


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The AOP (Association of Online Publishers) occupies a unique niche, covering publishers, ad tech providers and brand advertisers alike. It’s a broad church that plays an important role in getting disparate parts of the media ecosystem to
However, it’s wide remit can also be its Achilles heel, with yesterday’s AOP Summit held in County Hall, London a case in point – whilst the event was well attended and
Indeed, it was a rare speaker who put his neck on the line and the Summit only kicked into life with an admonishment from the ex-Global Head of Advertising for Jaguar & Land Rover, Ian Armstrong, who told publishers, “To sort their s**t out if they wanted to claw back revenues” before adding, “You own the content and many of the platforms so why are you insecure and continually looking over your shoulder?”
Armstrong also courageously admitted that when he worked for Honda one of his biggest mistakes, “Was pulling out of a back cover print ad in a Sunday magazine because no one could tell me what its effectiveness was”. That decision was, he continued, “A mistake I deeply regret and with that decision Honda lost something, a bit of magic. My conclusion: We can be over-obsessed with data.”
On the same media buying panel, as if to demonstrate the wide range of views held, the Global CEO of m/SIX Jessica Burley, countered, “Many initiatives (inventory sales) are based around efficiency and ease of use, but the real conversation should be about the power of the datasets which are the only way we can challenge the likes of Google and Facebook.”
Other takeaways from the morning’s sessions include:
- Helen McRae, UK CEO and Western Europe Chair, Mindshare, told the audience, “Commerce is the new king, not content, according to the CEOs I talk to” and, “They view companies like Amazon not as a marketing challenge but as a disruptor.” As if to demonstrate the point, in another part of London, Hearst UK was simultaneously launching Esquire Edit, the magazine’s new range of menswear. Clearly commerce will be a major trend for 2019 amongst publishers.
- Ronan Harris, VP & MD UK & Ireland, Google UK & Ireland, said that, “The rate of technical innovation is getting faster each day”, and added, “15% of searches we see each day have never been seen before which demonstrates the pace of change in wider society, and this pace of change will force us to collaborate much closer together.”
- However, whilst it was pleasing to see Google front up to publishers, all too often Harris’ remarks made fence sitting an art. When tackled about why Google had refused to join the IAB consent framework, Harris answered, ”We’re working closely with the IAB and I remain optimistic”, a view certainly not shared by some attendees. Harris also added
that,“We’ve been receiving conflicting advice with regards to GDPR in Europe which makes things complicated” – another reply which failed to provide any meaningful details.
- Google’s Harris also made the observation that the internet had, “created new pressures, and now we’re asking what is the role of the internet? For us it’s still about relevance and getting the right content to you, but increasingly it’s about diversity of choice.” What that diversity of choice is would be anyone’s guess, but there’s no question the tech giants are strangling diverse opinions as they attempt to restore a mainstream narrative which is afraid of challenging or offending anyone.
- Harris also made the point
that,“We are in a phase of maximum disruption” and, “In a few years’ time things will be different and marketers can get back to the creative aspect of telling stories with their brands, as well as develop closer relationships with publishers, not least because tech complexity will fade into the background.” Whether that happens remains to be seen but an audible sigh of relief was heard echoing around the auditorium.
- WNIP then attended a breakout session with another member of Google,
DrChristian Heise, who is the tech giant’s New Partnerships Manager, Northern Europe. Whilst the session was merely an advertisement for Google’s new subscriptions initiative, it was interesting nonetheless, with Google making some powerful forays into fast transactions with its latest ‘Subscribe with Google’ tech.
- Heise told us that, “In tests with two major publishers, we have seen Subscribe with Google work 30% better than the publisher’s own workflow.” A 30% uplift in subs through ‘easy sign-in’, ‘frictionless payment’ and ‘improved discovery’? Any publisher would welcome this, and whilst the tech is still in testing, the fact that it includes apps, mobile web, multi-platform, AMP, etc is an exciting prospect. As one publisher was overheard saying, “It’s high time Google gave us something back.”
- Heise also gave us a clue as to who is currently testing the Subscribe with Google tech – the FT if you’re asking – and also told us about Google’s Pay tech which will allow publishers to know in real time whether a subscription applicant was credit-worthy enough to receive one. From a data privacy perspective it’s controversial, but it’s coming downstream and fast.
- Heise also told us that, “We are thinking about micropayments but it’s not our priority – maybe tomorrow but not now.”
All told, the morning session was a mixed back of PR soundbites, fence sitting and more than a few tired references to gin and tonic. But hiding amidst the blandness were a few real gems and Subscribe to Google’s new subs system is definitely one to watch. For that reason alone, we would recommend interested publishers to follow Dr Christian Heise on Twitter for all the latest updates on this new tech (@christianheise).
Part 2 will contain takeaways from the afternoon sessions…..


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Memphis-based freight transportation and logistics services bellwether FedEx reported lackluster fiscal second quarter results late yesterday.
Earnings per share, at $2.51, fell short of Wall Street expectations of $2.78, and revenue, at $17.3 billion, was down roughly 3% annually. Net income, at $560 million, dropped 40% for the same period, and quarterly operating income, at $684 million, was down compare to the $1.08 billion recorded a year ago.
FedEx explained that its operating cost were down, due to various factors, including: weak global economic conditions, increased FedEx Ground costs from expanded service offerings, the loss of business from a large customer, a continuing mix shift to lower-yielding services, and a more competitive pricing environment. It also cited this year’s later timing of Cyber Week in early December that negatively impacted results.
Revenue for FedEx Express slipped 5% annually to $9.084 billion, with the unit’s operating income, at $236 million, down 63%. Total quarterly package revenue was off 4% to $7.1 billion, with U.S. package revenue down 4% to $3.3 billion, and total international export package revenue falling 3% to $2.6 billion.
Total daily U.S. domestic packages fell 4% at 2.803 million and U.S. revenue per package was flat at $18.70. Total daily international export packages at 880,000 were up 3%, with average revenue per package down 6% to $ 48.49.
FedEx Ground revenue rose 3% to $5.3 billion, and FedEx Freight, its less-than-truckload unit, was off 4% to $1.8 billion.
“Fiscal 2020 is a year of continued significant challenges and changes for FedEx, particularly in the quarter just ended due to the compressed shipping season,” said Frederick W. Smith, FedEx Corp. chairman and chief executive officer, in a statement. “We have significantly enhanced our e-commerce capabilities with strategic initiatives including year-round seven-day FedEx Ground delivery, enhanced large package capabilities and the insourcing of FedEx SmartPost packages. These changes have been well-received by the marketplace as reflected in our record volumes this peak season. While we have experienced some higher-than-expected expenses this quarter, we forecast FedEx Ground operating margins to rebound to the teens in our fiscal fourth quarter as the bow wave of costs for these changes is absorbed.”
On an earnings call yesterday, Smith described the quarter as a anomaly, due to the compressed shipping season [with six fewer days between Thanksgiving and Christmas] that impacted expenses and volumes that would typically fall in the fiscal third quarter, coupled with significant effects on the industrial economy due to continuing trade disputes, including reductions in international air freight and tepid at best B2B domestic parcel and freight shipping.
“Despite these issues, we remain highly confident in our strategies, which we believe will begin to bear fruit by our fourth fiscal quarter and then into FY ’21, absent negative macroeconomic developments,” said Smith.
Rajesh Subramaniam, FedEx President and Chief Operating Officer, said on the call that he was not pleased with the company’s financial results, explaining that the company has focus areas across the enterprise on B2B, e-commerce, international profitability, market-leading revenue quality and operational excellence.
“In the short term, this includes targeted actions to shore up our financial performance,” he said. “We expect a reduction in intercontinental and domestic air capacity post peak and an overall reduction of costs in our Express business. This action should result in the decrease of international and domestic flight hours by about 6% to 8% year-over-year in Q4. Additionally, we’re permanently retiring our fleet of 10 A-310s. The reduction in flight hours would allow us to temporarily park 14 aircraft by the end of fiscal year ’20. We will also permanently retire another 29 aircraft over the next 30 months. It is imperative that while we reduce our cost to serve, we also drive higher yields to improve profitability. Capacity reductions will bring greater focus on revenue quality as we generate more compensatory volume through the network.”
Weak global trade and manufacturing drove less-than-expected demand for the company’s most profitable package and freight services across all of its business segments, noted Alan Graf, FedEx Executive Vice President & Chief Financial Officer, on the call.
“These conditions are especially challenging in Europe where capacity and network reduction opportunities are limited due to the current stage of integration as we are operating duplicate road and air networks,” he said. “As we’ve discussed, cost headwinds at FedEx Ground are largely driven by the expansion to six-day and seven-day delivery, due to a minimum number of employees required to staff and operate the new schedule prior to the volume and revenue coming online. The loss of volume from Amazon had a larger negative impact to the second quarter than the first quarter, since the FedEx Ground contract with Amazon expired in August.”
With the fiscal second quarter ending November 30, FedEx did not have any of the Cyber Monday or holiday shipping revenue within quarterly revenue although they did have all the ramp-up costs, observed Jerry Hempstead, president of Hempstead Consulting.
“UPS is on a calendar so its a little bit of apples and oranges but it will be interesting to see how UPS stacks up versus FedEx,” he said. “We will know better when FedEx does its next earnings call, which will have the Christmas revenue in it. Based on what is being said about the service degradation and the boasting about record volumes during the FedEx call, they [FedEx] should have an awesome December financially.”
FedEx moved 37.8 million packages on Cyber Monday, topping its published projections of more than 33 million packages and represents a 17% increase over Cyber Monday last year. And it added that December 9 and December 16 both were historic volume days for FedEx.
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Longtime area residents and first-time visitors to the Lakes Region have discovered that the freshest and largest variety of seafood available locally at the best possible price can be found at Stoney Brook Lobster Pound in Sebago.
Operated by veteran fisherman Jed Spear, Stoney Brook Lobster Pound is open every day through Labor Day and offers a dazzling array of fresh lobsters, crabs, scallops, oysters, halibut, shrimp. clams, hake, salmon, mussels, swordfish, tuna, crab cakes, snow crab legs, king crab legs, haddock, and other seafood at their take-out market. Spear and the Stoney Brook crew are up before dawn every day to fish the Atlantic Ocean and harvest only the finest seafood in Maine for customers.
“As far as price goes, there’s nobody that can beat us,” Spear said. “There is no middleman to pay. We bring it from the ocean directly to the marketplace.”
Spear said when customers shop for seafood at Stoney Brook Lobster Pound, they are following a longstanding tradition in the Lakes Region.
“This business is fisherman-owned,” he said. “It’s a family-owned operation and a one-of-a-kind experience. When you come in the store to shop, you get to meet the harvesters and learn about where the seafood was harvested and how it was harvested.”
Spear has been involved in lobstering for his entire life and the allure of the sea runs in his family.
“My grandfather was a fisherman and my father’s a fisherman too,” he said. “I learned from them. My brothers are fishermen, my uncles are fishermen and my cousins are fishermen. It’s an art that’s been passed down for generations in our family. It’s in our blood and is something we love doing.”
According to Spear, shopping for seafood at Stoney Brook Lobster Pound is a step up in terms of quality from what is traditionally offered at local supermarkets.
Jed Spear owns and operates
Stoney Brook Lobster Pound in
Sebago. From the ocean to their
market allows them to offer
the freshest lobster and fish at
the best price in Maine.
“We do not ever freeze our fish. It is always fresh,” he said. “It comes from here and is never stored. It’s absolutely the freshest seafood you can buy anywhere in the Lakes Region.”
The hottest trend in seafood these days is being able to know exactly where your fish was harvested and that’s something that Stoney Brook Lobster Pound has provided for years.
“People like to get to know their harvester and know from where their seafood on their dining table comes from,” Spear said. “They want to know when it was harvested and that it hasn’t been stored for weeks after being caught off of Canada.”
Stoney Brook customers are not just limited to the Lakes Region.
“We had a guy drive up here from New Jersey to buy from us,” Spear said. “We also have a lot of other customers from out of state and many on vacation here from Massachusetts.”
He said that the best thing about his business is connecting with the customers and helping them find exactly the type of seafood they are looking for.
“It’s nice to work for a business where you can see the faces of your customers,” Spear said. “We have a lot of regulars who have special requests and we do our best to find it for them. Even if we don’t have a particular seafood item, we know where to find it quickly and people are happy when we call them and tell them to come in and pick it up.”
For Spear, the life of being a fisherman is not without its challenges.
“This is certainly a day to day business,” he said. “But at Stoney Brook Lobster Pound it’s all about our customers and it’s truly become their place and they keep coming back year after year because they know everything we sell is the absolute freshest possible and at the least expensive price.”
Stoney Brook Lobster Pound is located at 304 Sebago Road in Sebago. It is open from noon to 5 p.m. Mondays through Thursdays, from noon to 6 p.m. Fridays, from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturdays, and from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Sundays. The store is closed on holidays.
To order ahead and have your lobsters cooked for you free and for today’s selection call 207-637-1284 or visit them on Faceboob at www.facebook.com/StoneyBrookLobster.


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NEWS AT A GLANCE
Citi gets Mideast cash infusion
The state-owned Abu Dhabi Investment Authority is injecting $7.5 billion into Citigroup, helping the largest U.S. bank shore up its capital levels after record mortgage-related losses. (The Wall Street Journal) The cash infusion will give Abu Dhabi up to 4.9 percent of Citigroup, making it the bank’s largest shareholder, overtaking Saudi Prince Alwaleed bin Talal. The news boosted Citi shares early today. “Citi is big, it’s widely followed, and when people see confidence in it, it should mean something,” said analyst Bo Brownstein at Cambiar Investors. (Reuters) Yesterday, Dubai’s International Capital equity fund bought a “substantial stake” in Sony. (Bloomberg)
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The Google backup plan
Google is preparing a service that will essentially let people back up their entire hard drive on Google servers, and access the drive from any Internet-connected computer, The Wall Street Journal reported. Some of the storage is expected to be free, with additional space available for a fee. (Reuters) The service could roll out in a few months. Similar virtual-storage services have either not caught on or are niche business products. But Google’s offering, if it boosted Web-based computing, could have the biggest impact on Microsoft. Microsoft, which is testing its own service, says that privacy concerns will keep users from storing files online. (The Wall Street Journal)
Markets brighten after ‘correction’
Banking gains helped pare early losses in European and Asian markets, as the cash infusion at Citigroup and a stable earnings outlook from Britain’s Barclays eased credit concerns. (MarketWatch) U.S. markets were also buoyed by the Citigroup news. “Following all the bad news we’ve had from banks and the likes of Citigroup, the fact that Abu Dhabi sees value in a stake will help ease the nervousness,” said Francisco Salvador at Venture Finanzas in Madrid. (Bloomberg) Yesterday’s steep declines, with major U.S. indexes down 10 percent from their 52-week highs, marks the first market “correction” since 2003. (Reuters)
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India’s Tata takes the lead
India’s Tata Motors has emerged as the surprise frontrunner in the auction for Ford’ Jaguar and Land Rover brands. Tata is best known for making the world’s cheapest car, a $2,500 four-seater set to hit Indian markets in January. But its bid for the British luxury brands is reportedly up to $1 billion above the competition—Indian tractor maker Mahindra & Mahindra and U.S. private equity firm One Equity Partners. The race is far from over, but Tata has advantages beyond its cash stockpile. “It’s the only car company bidding, and Jaguar and Land Rover are too small to survive on their own,” says University of Cardiff economist Garel Rhys. (BusinessWeek.com)
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