Jan 3, 2018  -  A post from IKIGUIDE - As a professional who has been doing Public Relations/ Community Management in the cryptoworld for some time already, it recently came to my attention that some of my friends are completely lost when my fellow traders and I discuss crypto stuff. This is because we tend to spam cryptocurrency jargons like water.

Indeed, cryptocurrency jargons can sometimes be quite confusing to a person who isn’t familiar with crypto! Yet if you are just starting out in crypto in Singapore, you will see such language used really often on reddit and in telegram. Having said that, don’t worry. Here’s presenting a Top 5 Must-Know Cryptocurrency Jargon Post to help you decrypt some of the potentially confusing language.

Cryptocurrency Jargon #1: “HODL”Everytime you read Facebook Groups, Telegram, Reddit–there will be at least one person who uses the term “HODL”.

So initially when I first started out in the cryptoworld and doing research, I was totally judging redditors. “Cannot even spell ‘HOLD’ meh? So fail.”

But actually, “HODL” refers to “Hold On for Dear Life”. It’s not a misspelling or autocorrect for the word “HOLD”.

Well as I’m typing this, TRX is like mooning again due to its newest listing today on a major exchange. So someone might tell you to “HODL” because the prices will be increasing (X10? X100?) over the next few hours or days.

Which brings us to our next jargon…

Cryptocurrency Jargon #2: “Mooning”Basically the action verb of mooning describes the increasing price of the cryptocurrency.

Contrary to popular language, it’s not describing an ass. (HAHA– that was what one or two friends speculated).

Sometimes crypto traders use the phrase “to the moon” to describe the skyrocketing prices of that particular coin.

Cryptocurrency Jargon #3: “FOMO”This abbreviation stands for “Fear Of Missing Out”.

The shittiest feeling in crypto is when you cannot buy ETH as coinmama/ coinbase/ xfers is taking forever to verify your account, or you buy a coin at a relatively high price because everyone else is doing so.

Take the recent example of VERGE. A couple of days ago, there were massive rumours surrounding the verge wraith protocol release. The prices of VERGE fell due to loss of confidence, then peaked when a developer “leaked” a picture of a wraith protocol screenshot on snapchat.

So why did the price of VERGE peak due to pure speculation? It’s the fear of missing out or FOMO. So there you go

Jan 3, 2018 - Ether, the coin or token associated with the ethereum platform started 2018 right reaching an all-time high of over $900 this morning January 2. Ethereum is the third largest cryptocurrency by capitalization after being overtaken by Ripple for second place late last year.  Ether's market capitalization is almost $85 billion. 79 million coins are in circulation.

Dec 27, 2017  - A young woman with plans to study engineering, specialising in mechatronics, has been awarded Rocket Lab’s inaugral scholarship.  Wairoa College year 13 student Arianna Ormond is rapt to have been granted the $20,000 scholarship.

Rocket Lab founder and chief executive Peter Beck said Arianna’s love for engineering throughout a rigorous application process gave her the edge to be awarded the scholarship to study a Bachelor of Engineering at the University of Canterbury.

She plans to specialise in mechatronics, an interdisciplinary engineering field that includes aspects of mechanical, computer and electrical engineering.

The Rocket Lab Scholarship was founded to encourage students from Mahia and the greater Wairoa region to pursue university studies in science, technology, mathematics and engineering.

The scholarship covers up to $20,000 of tertiary education fees for up to four years of study, and includes hands-on mentoring from Rocket Lab.

Arianna says the scholarship will give her the freedom to focus solely on her studies and pursue her passion for engineering.

“The scholarship will play a huge role in forging the kind of future I want for myself and hopefully help others in our area to do the same,” she said.

“My family are farmers in Mahia, so I’ve always been around heavy machinery. I also ride motorbikes a lot for mustering around the farm, and have to be aware of hydraulics, electrical and cooling systems too. I like learning how things work and improving them.”

Mr Beck said supporting the growth of science, engineering and technology careers in New Zealand is crucial to continuing a culture of innovation.

“Bright, dedicated and passionate students like Arianna are going to be the drivers behind tomorrow’s innovation. We’re proud to support and mentor students while they develop the skills for this future,” he said.

The Rocket Lab scholarship was founded in 2017 to support the community surrounding Rocket Lab’s Launch Complex 1 on the Mahia Peninsula. It is designed to foster continued excellence and innovation among New Zealand’s next generation of science, technology, mathematics and engineering leaders.

Applications for the annual scholarship open in term four each year at rocketlabusa.com.

Source: Gisborne Herald - RocketLab.com

Without fear or favour Peter Isaac tip toes through political correctness and our Five Questions

Dec 24, 2017  - Where do you see the mainstream media now?In a rather stronger position than it appears to see itself. There are the revenue shifts in which their giveaway versions are flourishing especially in property advertising. Similarly the broadcasters have a solid localised radio backbone via carrying advertising for patent medicines, directed at those of mature years, their audience base.

Dec 22, 2017  -  A US billionaire is funnelling tens of millions of dollars into a three-pronged New Zealand fine wine investment, in an ambitious attempt to mirror a business model developed by a French insurance giant writes David Williams for Newsroom.  The hope is to prove to the world that this country isn’t just a high-volume, low-price producer of sauvignon blanc – that it can, in fact, produce some of the best fine wine in the world.

Through Aotearoa New Zealand Fine Wine Estates limited partnership, wealthy American Brian Sheth, and wife Adriana, paid $8 million to buy loss-making North Canterbury vineyard Pyramid Valley, in a deal approved by the Overseas Investment Office in September .

Details of Sheth’s New Zealand wine ambitions are contained in the Overseas Investment Office (OIO) decision, released to Newsroom under the Official Information Act.

It says the Sheths are also buying Central Otago’s Lowburn Ferry Estates (which requires another OIO application), including 27.5 hectares of land near Cromwell, and four hectares of yet-to-be-planted land in Hawke’s Bay’s Gimblett Gravel winegrowing area, as part of their “ambitious” investment plan.

“Achieving economies of scale is a key part of the investment,” the OIO decision says, while noting the Pyramid Valley purchase isn’t dependent on the other two going ahead.

“The applicant considers there is an opportunity to create a successful competitive business in the New Zealand fine wine industry, replicating a business model used successfully in Europe.”

Sheth’s business partner is Steve Smith, the Kiwi co-founder and developer of Craggy Range wines. Smith explains to Newsroom the idea is to emulate the business model developed by insurance company AXA. According to Forbes magazine, AXA has acquired wine estates in Burgundy, France, and Hungary and Portugal since 1987 and owns more than 500 hectares of vineyards around Europe.

Smith, who got out of Craggy in 2015, says the AXA fine wine entities coalesce under the same business and management umbrella, while retaining their independent brand and personality. It’s extremely successful as a strategy and a business, he says.

“We think we’ve got an opportunity to do that in New Zealand, where you have a bunch of these smaller, really high-end brands that, by themselves, probably struggle to be long-term sustainable businesses because of their lack of scale at a business level – not so much a lack of scale of wine-making.”

“In the context of a true fine wine investment in New Zealand it’s probably the most significant that’s been made, I would suggest.”

That’s great for New Zealand, he says. The danger, in his view, is the country being pigeon-holed as just a producer of sauvignon blanc at really good-value prices.

“That would be an absolute crying shame if that’s where the New Zealand wine industry ended up, because in this country are some of the world’s great wines made from some of the world’s most famous grape varieties. And we believe it’s really important that the world gets to see that.”

Across Aotearoa New Zealand Fine Wine Estates’ three properties, Sheth’s investment is in the tens of millions of dollars, Smith says. “In the context of a true fine wine investment in New Zealand it’s probably the most significant that’s been made, I would suggest.”

The 80.7 hectare Pyramid Valley block is at Waikari, an hour north of Christchurch, close to the Waipara wine area. The vineyard was established by Mike and Claudia Weersing. The catalyst for the sale was the death of Mike’s father, Jim, who, alongside his family trust, were the operation’s major financial backers. The Weersings will initially stay on to manage the vineyard.

The vineyard is fully biodynamic and organic certified. Just over two hectares is already planted in grapes, with almost all the rest of the land used for pasture and water storage.

Pyramid Valley is high-end stuff. On average, 10,000 bottles of pinot noir and chardonnay, which retail for about $120 each, are produced each year. Two-thirds are exported.

(Yes, but how good is it? Smith says he regards the site as one of the best in the world to grow chardonnay. The combination of soils and climate give the wine a unique character, he says. “When you have a great bottle of Pyramid Valley chardonnay, particularly, but also the pinot, it leaves a lasting impression on you. With any high-end luxury product, that’s the name of the game.”)

The OIO decision lays out the breadth – but not the dollar value – of Sheth’s investment.

Two capital investments will be made over the next six years, including $1 million in the first three years. The first stage is to expand the vineyard area – the figures are redacted but to an area less than 10 hectares – thus increasing production. (Lowburn Ferry’s vineyard, near Cromwell, will also be enlarged.) Pyramid Valley’s vineyard development plans include building infrastructure for irrigation and frost protection.

After 2020, high-quality wine-tasting facilities and accommodation will be built on-site – although, the OIO says, “these facilities have not yet been designed, are at an early stage of planning, and do not yet have tangible costings”.

The OIO dismisses as “too vague, remote and unsubstantiated” claims by the Sheths that their Pyramid Valley investment will increase wine tourism to New Zealand, particularly by high-net-worth individuals.

Smith says Aotearoa New Zealand Fine Wine Estates want to take time to design the tourism accommodation, “but I can tell you now that it will definitely happen”. “And, if anything, the level of investment that we talked about in the OIO application is probably conservative.”

The $2 billion man

So, in a possibly unfair binary choice, is Sheth’s investment a money-making hobby or a serious business endeavour? Smith leans towards the latter. But he admits Sheth’s technical appreciation of wine is more “sit around with his mates” quaffing a good wine, rather than “somebody who loves to hang out with serious wine geeks all the time”.

Sheth is “well-financed”, the OIO notes in an extraordinary understatement. Forbes estimates his net worth to be $US1.39 billion ($NZ2 billion). He is the co-founder and president of US investment company Vista Equity Partners, which manages more than $US14 billion, which is mainly for mergers and acquisitions, primarily in the software and technology sector. He lives in Austin, Texas, and used to work for Bain Capital, Goldman Sachs and Deutsche Morgan Grenfell.

Smith says Sheth loves wine, New Zealand and conservation. Sheth’s Sangreal Foundation and Global Wildlife Conservation entities fund a variety of causes, including a New Zealand Department of Conservation programme to help save the kaki, or black stilt, and school-building in Africa.

Sheth’s likely to shell out for more environmental causes, such as projects associated with the country’s target of being predator-free by 2050, Smith reckons. “As the projects evolve around that and they have some real chance of making a difference, I would expect Brian to be involved at an increasing level.”

Smith says Aotearoa New Zealand Fine Wine Estates, which has brought on former Trinity Hill CEO Michael Henley as its chief executive, has been keeping quiet while it shapes its plans. Snuffling the aroma of the brands, swirling the different distribution channels, pondering the finish of tourism accommodation designs.

“I think that’s going to be a decent amount of work for a while,” Smith says. “There’s been a couple of other smaller wineries that have come to market in the last two or three months that we’ve had a look at and decided ‘no’, because we just want to concentrate on this at the moment. But if it fits what we want to do and it adds value to what we want to do then, of course, we’ll have a look at it.”

Earlier this week, a joint report by ANZ Bank and Deloitte said New Zealand’s wine export revenue reached $1.66 billion this year. For the first time, exports to Australia, US and United Kingdom topped 200 million litres.

The report says Canterbury and Waipara harvested 8240 tonnes of grapes this year. The area boasts 65 wineries, 14 grape growers and employs 440 people. That makes it a minnow compared to its powerhouse northern neighbour, Marlborough, which employs 2400 people and harvested 302,396 tonnes last year.

Source:  Newsroom  ||  December 22, 2017   |||

Dec 22, 2017  -  The former heads of the UK’s biggest retailers have called for the introduction of a plastic free aisle at supermarkets.  Plastic free aisle Former chiefs of Asda, Tesco, Marks and Spencer, and Argos, along with current bosses at Debenhams and Weleda said in an open letter that while aluminium and glass can be reused easily, plastic packaging cannot be recycled ad infinitum.

“Most plastic packaging items can only be recycled twice before becoming unusable,” they insisted.

“Regardless of how much is invested in Britain’s recycling infrastructure, virtually all plastic packaging will reach landfill or the bottom of the ocean sooner or later.

“It is therefore essential that retailers and packaging manufacturers work together to turn off the tap of throwaway packaging. Retailers should take advantage of the raft of zero-plastic packaging solutions that provide a real alternative to conventional plastic.”

The group said a plastic free aisle would be good for business, as research showed at least a third of consumers base their purchasing decisions on the social and environmental impact of the products they buy.

This is not the first time there have been calls for plastic free aisles, and such views have been met with scepticism by packaging industry bodies and manufacturers.

The British Plastics Federation (BPF) has previously criticised the idea, saying that such a campaign deflected from the important role plastic packaging provides.

The material, according to the BPF, increases the hygiene of food while the Co-Op has warned that packaging-free food can increase food waste.

Iain Ferguson, Co-Op’s environment manager, told Sky News this week: “The packaging actually helps to increase the shelf life, for example on cucumbers, we used to sell them unwrapped. We did a full-scale trial in 2012 measuring the waste of wrapped and unwrapped cucumbers and we found that by wrapping the cucumbers we reduced the waste by two thirds.”

The UK’s retailers combined revenues exceed £380bn, and the sector employs 4.6 million people nationwide.

The signatories are:

Andy Clarke - Former CEO, ASDA

Sir Ian Cheshire - Chairman, Debenhams

The Lord Rose of Monewden - Former CEO, Argos, former Chairman and CEO, Marks and Spencer

The Lord MacLaurin of Knebworth DL - Former Chairman, Tesco

The Lord Stone of Blackheath - Former Managing Director, Marks and Spencer

The Lord Jones of Birmingham - Business Leader

The Lord Hayward OBE - Former Chief Executive of the British Soft Drinks Association

The Lord Cameron of Dillington - Former National President of the Country Land and Business Association

The Baroness Scott of Needham Market - Former Board Member, Lloyds Register, Party President, Liberal Democrats

The Lord Clement-Jones CBE - Former Co-Secretary and Legal Director, Kingfisher

The Rt Hon. Lord Foster of Bath - Associate, Global Partners Governance

The Lord Hodgson of Astley Abbotts CBE - Former Director, Marston’s PLC

Brent Hoberman CBE - Founder, Lastminute.com

The Rt Hon. The Lord Goldsmith QC, PC - Former Attorney General

The Lord Judd - Former Director Oxfam

The Baroness Miller of Chilthorne Domer - Unicef Board Member

The Lord Rees of Ludlow OM - Astronomer Royal

The Baroness Lister of Burtersett CBE - Author and Professor

Jayn Sterland - Managing Director, Weleda UK

| Source: PackagingNews    ||  December 21, 2017   |||

Dec 21, 2017 - A coalition of tech start-ups is using blockchain to build a database of small tea farmers in Malawi to improve supply chain transparency.  The tool, which is being piloted by both Unilever and Sainsbury’s as well as several international banks, uses a number of different technologies to gather and record standardised information on small farmers and producers, including quality and price.

Dec 21, 2017  -  Construction is one of New Zealand’s biggest industries and predicted to grow for some time to come. Large and increasingly sophisticated building projects need well trained and qualified staff to run smoothly and efficiently - or risk costly mistakes.  Ara Institute of Canterbury has responded to this increasing complexity in the construction sector by launching new qualifications that prepare graduates with the critical thinking skills and initiative to lead the way as construction managers and quantity surveyors. The new Bachelor of Construction, specialising in construction management or quantity surveying, and Graduate Diplomas in Quantity Surveying (QS) and Construction Management (CM) (Level 7) have been approved by NZQA and are awaiting final approval from TEC to commence in 2018. Programme Leader at Ara Keith Power has many years of experience in quantity surveying and in teaching. “The construction industry told us this is what they need,” he said. “Construction is changing very rapidly with new technology and systems. Construction companies are increasing their productivity on increasingly complex jobs. Staff need to be better equipped for the future.” “Most of the construction company employers, and a lot of their staff, have passed through Ara or its predecessor CPIT. We are trusted to train quantity surveyors and construction managers for the realities of the construction industry. Running a building site, or managing the cost of a project, means dealing with the materials, staff, sub-contractors and technology – it is increasingly innovative, and there are new ways of setting projects up from the very start. Our qualifications take graduates a step further to really future proof their work with courses such as advanced contracting and law, cost planning and BIM (Building Information Modelling), property development, plus elective choices that allow students to choose the specialised areas they would like to explore.” The new qualifications are flexible to allow for part time study while working by using a blended delivery approach with online learning and two-day block courses. Full time study is also available using work-integrated industry placements to provide students with experience in an industry setting. Ara will continue to offer the New Zealand Diploma in Construction and Power expects many diploma graduates to upgrade to the degree. Those qualified in other areas, such as civil engineering, can enrol in the graduate diploma to move into specialising in CM or QS. It worth investing in upskilling, he says. “There are excellent employment prospects in QS and CM. The construction industry has moved on from the boom and bust, cyclical nature of the past, to steadier workflows forecast for the future.” For more information go to www.ara.ac.nz or phone 0800 24 24 76.

| An ARA frelease  ||  FDecvember 21, 2017   |||

Dec 20, 2017  -  Eagle Australasia has been selected by BLR Aerospace as exclusive dealer for BLR products in Australia, New Zealand and Papua New Guinea, the company announced on 15 December.

Eagle will represent BLR products in these markets, including the FastFin system for the Bell 204, 205, 212, 412 and UH-1 model helicopters; as well as the Dual Tailboom Strakes for the Bell 206 series, including the Bell PH-58 and Agusta Bell models.

The FastFin tail rotor enhancement and stability system is designed to provide improved OGE loads, enhance productivity and improve stability during hover operations to reduce pilot workload and fatigue.

The Dual Tailboom Strakes are developed for single-rotor helicopters with enclosed tailbooms. They work by organising and controlling rotorwash, reducing undesired sideways lift on the left side of the tailboom and reducing turbulence under the tailboom.

| A Shephard release  ||  December 20, 2017   |||

Dec 20, 2017  -  Providing the opportunity to sharpen business administration skills through on-job and online learning, Skills Active now offers an exciting programme for the Level 3 New Zealand Certificate in Business (Administration and Technology).

The qualification Skills Active delivers is specifically designed to suit people who work in a wide range of office administration and business roles within the sport, recreation and performing arts industries.

Officially launched on December 8, this is the first of Skill's Active's new business suite of qualifications.

Chief executive, Grant Davidson, is proud that the organisation is able to offer this nationally-recognised business qualification, which will provide value across all of Skills Active's industries.

"In all of our industries, the customer is key. Therefore, it is a natural fit for us to offer a qualification that develops an individual's customer service, technology and business administration skills," Dr Davidson says.

"Skilled staff with strengths in these areas will allow a workplace to run more smoothly, which in turn will provide a better experience for the customer."

The qualification is designed to be undertaken on-the-job, and assessed online. Staff learn while they earn, receiving on-job support and mentoring from managers, supervisors and colleagues to complete their qualification. Through completing the qualification in the workplace, new skills and knowledge are applied directly to the work the staff member engages with in their role. This ensures the qualification is highly relevant and useful to both staff and the workplace.

The qualification is a 60-credit package and includes tasks around: planning for your success, producing business documents; data processing to produce business information; and providing administration support.

The qualification is estimated to take around eight months to complete for a person newly entering their role.

The qualification costs $650 + GST. This price includes all fees, assessment costs, access to Skills Active’s learning support staff, and all online tools and useful study materials in one space.

With a high volume of interest already, Dr Davidson encourages anyone who is working in business and office administration roles in the sport, recreation or performing arts industries to sign up to this qualification.

"Doing this qualification while on-the-job gives you the opportunity to learn crucial business administration skills that are directly relevant to your role. The knowledge and skills you gain will enhance your confidence and increase your productivity within the workplace.”

To find out more about this qualification, and learn how to sign up, click here.

| a Skills Active release  ||  December 20, 2017   |||