Daily Archives: June 15, 2012

Business

AAA Highlights Implications of Gold Demand Rise in China

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The increasing demand for gold in China is another indicator of the growing popularity of alternative investments around the world, claims AAA.

Boston, MA, USA, June 15, 2012 — The increasing demand for gold in China is another indicator of the growing popularity of alternative investments around the world, claims Alternative Asset Analysis, (AAA).

The Commercial Bank of China’s precious metals department claims that the demand for gold investments could increase by ten per cent this year. The growing demand for commodities like gold, silver and timber is down to a desire among investors to seek safe havens from the ongoing Eurozone crisis.

This is according to AAA’s analysis partner, Anthony Johnson. The seasoned asset manager said, “individual investors and institutional investors alike are all looking at ways of diversifying their portfolios to protect against risk.”

Zheng Zhiguang, the general manager of the Commercial Bank of China’s precious metals department, backed up AAA’s view. He told the Economic Times: “Investors here want to hold part of their assets in gold to hedge for the risks, especially now that the financial crisis has evolved into a sovereign crisis.”

The World Gold Council forecasts that China will exceed India this year as the largest market for gold bullion as more and more of the country’s new wealthy population seek safe havens for their cash. Mr Zhiguang added that Chinese investors are facing volatile equity markets and a poor real estate investment opportunities and are looking towards gold as a result.

AAA is an advocate of many varieties of alternative investments and claims that they are growing in popularity since the global economic crisis. “It’s not difficult to see why many people prefer to buy tangible assets of stocks and shares these days,” claimed Mr Johnson. He added, “Assets like timber, gold and fine wine have consistently outperformed the equity markets and also provide investors with an ethical choice.”

AAA advocates ethical investment, through projects such as the sustainable plantations run by Greenwood Management, which offers investors the chance to directly invest in timberland for as little as EUR10,000.

About Alternative Asset Analysis:
The remit of Alternative Asset Analysis is to analyse and provide news on the global performance of a wide range of alternative asset classes including, but not restricted to, commodities, real estate, forestry, foreign exchange, hedge funds, private equity and venture capital.

Media Contact:
Anthony Johnson
Alternative Asset Analysis
71 Commercial St
Boston, MA 02109-1320
617-939-9596
info@alternativeassetanalysis.com
http://www.alternativeassetanalysis.com

Business

FRA Welcomes Rousseff’s New Environmental Measures

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Following the news that Dilma Rousseff has agreed to veto parts of the controversial Brazilian Forestry Act, FRA has also welcomed Rousseff’s moves to create new nature reserves and protected land for indigenous tribes.

Bainbridge Island, WA, June 15, 2012 – Following the news that Dilma Rousseff has agreed to veto parts of the controversial Brazilian Forestry Act, Forestry Research Associates (FRA) has also welcomed Rousseff’s moves to create new nature reserves and protected land for indigenous tribes.

FRA, a research and analysis consultancy, promotes forestry investment and sustainable development projects. Its analysis partner, Peter Collins, stated, “The news that Brazil’s President Rousseff is opening new nature reserves is great for the forests and indigenous people of Brazil and we wholeheartedly endorse the decision.”

The measures were signed into law earlier this week ahead of the Rio+20 environmental conference on 20-22 June. The conference will see major heads of state gather to discuss environmental concerns and issues that affect countries all over the globe.

In response to some claims from critics that she was generally putting the country’s economic growth ahead of environmental concerns, Rousseff stated that Brazil has become “one of the most advanced countries” when it comes to sustainable development.

Several projects that involve planting sustainable timberland plantations help the country to reach its sustainability goals. For example, the projects run by firms like Greenwood Management, which plants fast-growing non-native timber species for use as an alternative source of timber and charcoal, can help to protect native forests. FRA supports these projects and claims that investors can also make healthy returns from them.

“The timberland asset class has regularly outperformed traditional asset classes in recent years and investing in trees offers individuals the chance to get their hands on a tangible asset that can provide diversification in a portfolio,” added Mr Collins.

Demand for timber and charcoal is high in Brazil and elsewhere among the world’s emerging economies – thanks partly due to developing infrastructure in countries like China and India and also because of the growing steel industry in Brazil itself.

The new measures announced by Rousseff include the creation of seven new indigenous territories to help protect land used by native Amazon tribes.

Contact:
Peter Collins
Forestry Research Associates
620 Vineyard Lane
Bainbridge Island, WA 98110
(206) 316 8394
info@forestry-research.com
http://www.forestry-research.com

Business, Industrial, Management, Media

Inventory Management Specialist Phillip Slater Releases New e-Book The Optimization Trap

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In a move that capitalizes on technology’s ability to provide written works through mobile devices and financially supports community philanthropies, The Optimization Trap has been recently released exclusively in digital format. Written by inventory management expert Phillip Slater, the book is now available on Kindle, Kobo, Nook, iPad, Sony, and other e-readers. Mr. Slater’s previous books were published in hard copy by Industrial Press, New York, the world’s oldest industrial education publisher.

Mr. Slater will donate 100% of the proceeds from this e-Book to the Initiate Action Community Fund, a sub fund of The Australian Communities Foundation (ACF), that Phillip and Mercedes Slater established in 2011 to support educational initiatives and causes.  The Australian Community Foundation (previously Melbourne Community Foundation) aims to generate and distribute philanthropic resources to address emerging social issues and to meet the needs of its communities.

“Digitally publishing The Optimization Trap achieves many goals for me: the digital format not only provides readers with more accessibility, but it costs less to purchase. Using a digital format also allows us to channel 100% of the proceeds into our Initiate Action Community Fund which supports various educational causes through ACF,” said Mr. Slater.

Following years of helping companies improve their profit and reduce working capital, Mr. Slater wrote The Optimization Trap to help managers understand why optimization programs often fail to achieve their intended results. The book exposes the pitfalls of optimization programs while offering viable solutions. Based on Mr. Slater’s years of experience in inventory management, he identifies optimization traps and illustrates how to remedy these and achieve peak performance in operations.

“Improving operational outcomes typically involves optimization. It is what managers do. However, sometimes when seeking to optimize, people take actions that, without realizing it, limit both their options and their results. This is what I call the Optimization Trap,” stated Mr. Slater. “How do you make sure that you don’t get caught in the optimization trap and, if you do, how do you get free? This book identifies the key principles to both identify and be free of the ‘trap’.”

Similar to best selling management books such as The Goal, Who Moved My Cheese, and Fish!, The Optimization Trap uses an easy to read narrative style. By using inventory management as the example, Mr. Slater is able to address familiar, realistic everyday scenarios faced by managers and discuss how to apply the principles for avoiding the Optimization Trap. This book speaks not just to inventory managers; its tips and principles are applicable to any situation where managers are seeking to achieve optimal performance in its operations.

For Kindle users, please access the ebook The Optimization Trap via Phillip Slater author’s page at Amazon.com: http://amzn.to/L9npFE

For PDF (PC or Mac), EPUB (iPad, Nook and most ebook readers) please visit:http://bit.ly/L9nusU

For more information about the Initiate Action Community Fund, go to:http://bit.ly/MhynZ1

For video of Mr. Slater summarizing a number of his books, including The Optimization Trap, please visit http://youtu.be/q762uyFFjWs

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Uncategorized

Raptivity Launches a ‘Free Interaction’ Initiative for its Premium Customers

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Get creative and think visually with Mind Map organizing thoughts, effectively solving problems and writing more explicably

 

June 14, 2012

 

Harbinger Knowledge Products, a global leader in interactivity solutions today announced a new initiative to help deliver greater value to its Raptivity customer base.  As a part of this effort, the Raptivity has launched a ‘Free Interaction’ initiative starting this month in which it will release a new interaction periodically for its valued customers. Raptivity Premium customers will be eligible to receive these interactions on a regular basis absolutely FREE!

The first interaction being launched in the series is – Mind Map, a concept invented by British psychologist Tony Buzan, who believes it to be “the ultimate organizational thinking tool –the Swiss army knife of the brain!”

 

The Mind Map interaction brings a compelling learning aid to Raptivity customers and other learning professionals, which they will find useful for organizing thoughts, effectively solving problems and writing more explicably. Through Mind Map, concepts and associations between them can be easily organized, conveyed and visualized. It aims to bring about a definite change in the conventional method of assimilating and memorizing content heavy information.

 

Vikas Joshi, Chairman and Managing Director of Harbinger Group, acknowledges this initiative saying, “There are very few learning aids that can help in organizing and visualizing both conceptual and structured information at the same time. Mind Map is one such powerful concept that can serve as a catalyst not just in the learning process but also in innovation and strategic decision making. I personally use Mind Map as a handy tool in my professional as well as personal life and would recommend the same to all.”

 

Mind Map is the first interaction to be launched under the free interaction initiative and the team plans to release many more interesting interactions in the future. Raptivity team also encourages its customers to share new ideas on the community for future interactions they would like to see in the series.

 

According to Seema Chaudhary, President of Harbinger Knowledge Products Inc, “This ‘free interaction’ initiative is just a small token of gratitude for our valued Raptivity customers. We owe the credit of our success to them. We strive to further strengthen our relationship and to co-create value with our customers through this initiative. I am sure Mind Map as a concept would be highly appreciated by all.”

 

Seema added “To find out about the ‘Free Interaction’ initiative and to learn more about the concept of Mind Maps as it applies to learning, I encourage our customers to join us for a special webinar we will be hosting on June 19th. Details and sign-up information can be found on the Raptivity website.”

 

To join the webinar, visit www.raptivity.com.

 

About Raptivity

 

Raptivity® allows you to quickly and easily create learning interactions such as games, simulations, brainteasers, interactive diagrams, virtual worlds and more. Instructors can add the interactions conveniently to their eLearning content.

Raptivity® has won numerous awards in various categories, including the 2011 Best Educational Software Award in the Online Technology Tool category and three 2011 LearnX E-learning & Training Awards from Training Australia Magazine. For more information, please go to www.raptivity.com or contact Harbinger Knowledge Products at 425.861.8400.

 

About Harbinger Knowledge Products

 

Harbinger Knowledge Products is recognized as a global leader in interactivity solutions for knowledge-sharing applications including learning, presentation and web development. Harbinger Knowledge Products is a part of Harbinger Group, which serves customers in over 57 countries through its offices in Pune (India), Redmond (WA, USA), Pleasanton (CA, USA) and through its partner network worldwide.

For three consecutive years, Deloitte has named Harbinger Knowledge Products among the fastest growing technology companies in its Technology Fast 500 Asia Pacific and Technology Fast 50 India programs. Red Herring named Harbinger amongst world’s top 100 private technology companies. Harbinger’s patented technology and sound thought leadership have resulted in groundbreaking products, including market-leading Raptivity®, innovative YawnBuster, and cutting-edge SiteJazzer and TeemingPod.

For more information on Harbinger Knowledge Products, please visit

http://www.harbingerknowledge.com.

Technology

Ecotech Institute’s First-Ever Graduating Class Takes the Stage June 21

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Forty-two Graduates to Receive Degrees Focused on Clean Technology and Sustainability

Denver, CO, June 14, 2012 – Ecotech Institute, the first and only college entirely focused on preparing America’s workforce for careers in clean technology and sustainability, will hold its first graduation on Thursday, June 21, 2012. Forty-two students will receive their associate’s degrees, which prepares them for a career in the clean technology industry. The graduates will receive degrees in the following areas: Wind Energy Technology, Solar Energy Technology, Renewable Energy Technology and Electrical Engineering Technology. Former Governor Bill Ritter, who currently serves as the Director of the Colorado State University Center for the New Energy Economy, will deliver the commencement speech at the graduation.

“As Governor, I was proud when Ecotech Institute chose Colorado as the place to locate the country’s first private technical institute devoted solely to preparing the workforce for the clean energy economy,” said Bill Ritter, Former Colorado Governor and current Director of the Colorado State University Center for the New Energy Economy. “It is a privilege to play a role in Ecotech’s first commencement, and to see the efforts of the staff and faculty come to fruition.”

Students in this first graduating class began classes in a temporary facility in June 2010 as Ecotech completed an overhaul of an existing vacant building. In January 2011, they moved to the current LEED gold-certified campus in Aurora, Colorado. Today, Ecotech has more than 500 students and continues to grow.

“This initial group of students are visionaries, as they signed up for classes before they were able to see the beautiful campus and cutting-edge labs,” said Mike Seifert, president of Ecotech Institute. “Now, a variety of clean tech companies are offering them excellent positions and their forward-thinking commitment is paying off. We applaud each of them and look forward to watching their success.”

At Ecotech all students develop soft skills (communication, workplace etiquette), and math and science basics and technology skills, but the educational emphasis is on hands-on, practical training. Ecotech’s prestigious national board of advisors, who all work in clean tech industries, helped design the school’s curriculum, providing coursework that reflects what the students will experience upon graduation. For a demographic breakdown of this first graduating class, please visit http://www.ecotechinstitute.com/pdf/ecotech-graduate-information.pdf.

“Ecotech is producing well-prepared graduates that are highly sought in industries such as ours,” said Jesse Masters, Recruiter from M-I SWACO, a Schlumberger Company. “Its curriculum and practical labs offer complete training that makes new employees ready to hit the ground running. We were very impressed with the interviews we conducted with students from this graduating class and are excited to have several of these graduates join our team.”

Ecotech’s campus is LEED-gold certified and supports a commitment to sustainable living. The school generates approximately 5-10 percent of its energy from on-site clean, renewable energy sources such as rooftop wind turbines, solar panels, integral thin solar technologies embedded into the glass of the building canopy, and solar trees.

Ecotech Institute, which is accredited by the Accrediting Council for Independent Colleges and Schools, offers five highly practical associate’s degree programs that provide graduates with skills valued by today’s alternative renewable energy employers.

To learn more about Ecotech Institute, visit us online at www.ecotechinstitute.com or call 877-326-5576. The next round of classes begins in July and applications are being accepted now. Financial assistance is available to those who qualify.

About Ecotech Institute
Ecotech Institute is the first and only college entirely focused on preparing America’s workforce for careers in renewable energy and sustainability. Launched in April 2010 in Denver, Colorado, the college offers five associate’s degrees designed by experts in the industry for people seeking careers in the emerging cleantech economy. Ecotech Institute is a division of Education Corporation of America. For more information about Ecotech Institute, visit ecotechinstitute.com.

Contact:
Alicia Hassinger or Jenny Foust
Communications Strategy Group
303.433.7020
ahassinger@csg-pr.com or jfoust@csg-pr.com

About Education Corporation of America
Education Corporation of America is a leader in the post-secondary career school market with current enrollment of almost 20,000 students.  The ECA website is ecacolleges.com.  In addition to Ecotech Institute, ECA schools include Virginia College, founded in 1983, a private institution of higher education that offers non-degree and associate’s, bachelor’s and master’s degree programs in the areas of Health and Medical, Business, Information Technology, Interior Design, Computer Design, Culinary Arts, Cosmetology, Nursing and more in eighteen different cities.  Virginia College campuses are located in Birmingham, Huntsville, Mobile and Montgomery, Alabama; Jacksonville and Pensacola, Florida; Augusta, Columbus, Macon and Savannah, Georgia; Biloxi and Jackson, Mississippi; Charleston, Spartanburg, Columbia, and Greenville, South Carolina; Chattanooga and Knoxville, Tennessee; Baton Rouge, Louisiana; Richmond, Virginia; Tulsa, Oklahoma; and Austin, Texas. The Virginia College website is vc.edu.  Virginia College also offers classes worldwide via the Internet, with student services and admissions facilities in Birmingham, Alabama, and Tampa, Florida, and a Military Student Center also in Tampa.  Information about online classes at Virginia College is available at vconline.edu.  Additionally, ECA operates Culinard, the Culinary Institute of Virginia College, with locations in Birmingham and Mobile, Alabama; Richmond, Virginia; Savannah, Georgia; and Jacksonville, Florida.  The website is culinard.com.  ECA also operates Golf Academy of America, with locations in Phoenix, Arizona; San Diego, California; Dallas, Texas; Orlando, Florida; and Myrtle Beach, South Carolina.  The Golf Academy website is golfacademy.edu.

Contact:
Alicia Hassinger
Communications Strategy Group
3225 East 2nd Avenue
Denver, CO 80206
303-433-7020
ahassinger@csg-pr.com
http://www.csg-pr.com

Sports

SAFE International Launches Toronto Health and Wellness Self Defense Seminars – Toronto, ON Self Defense

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Toronto Health and Wellness, SAFE International Launches Toronto Corporate Health and Wellness Self Defense Seminars.

Toronto, ON, June 15, 2012 – (Straight Line PR) – Toronto Health and Wellness, SAFE International Launches Toronto Corporate Health and Wellness Self Defense Seminars.

SAFE International ™ is one of the leading providers of mobile self defense/personal protection training in North America. SAFE International has taught 150,000 clients in the private, corporate and high school environments since 1994. SAFE International is expanding its seminar options to include Corporate Health and Wellness Self Defense Seminars in Toronto, ON.

Many companies today are looking for educational opportunities to provide to their staff. Corporate Health and Wellness seminars are a great way to offer this education. SAFE International provides not only potentially life-saving information during their one or two hour health and wellness seminars, but it is also entertaining at the same time.

Many corporations are located where there are risks people need to concern themselves with such as car safety, elevator safety, personal safety, plus many more. A SAFE International Health and Wellness seminar can teach employees what an attacker looks for in a potential victim, what an attacker wants and doesn’t want in confrontation, as well as how to avoid looking like a victim. One of the biggest topics that SAFE International explores is how most people are too polite, even when their intuition is telling them that their safety is at risk.  SAFE International covers the most common distraction techniques an attacker will use to gain an advantage.  Instruction would then move on to verbal strategies in the event that avoidance is no longer possible.  Rather than just teaching to yell at a potential attacker, SAFE International instructors cover a few verbal strategies based on the aggressor and the scenario.  The third step is addressing the physical aspect of Toronto Corporate Health and Wellness.  Physical self defense instruction begins with the advantages of adopting a passive stance rather than an aggressive stance.  SAFE International only teaches gross motor strikes due to the adrenal rush one gets when they are in a highly stressful state such as an attack scenario. Self defense training does not take years, and in fact with just a few hours of Toronto Health and Wellness self defense, you can be confident that you have reduced the odds of harm for your employees.

SAFE International has taught more than 150,000 women and men since 1994. For more information on SAFE International Corporate Health and Wellness seminars, please email Chris Roberts, CEO, by email at chrisroberts@safeinternational.biz You can also visit the website at www.safeinternational.biz SAFE International can also be reached toll free at 1 800 465 5972.

Contact:
Chris Roberts
SAFE International™
15535 Cooper Rd.
Lunenburg, ON
Canada K0C 1R0
1 800 465-5972
chrisroberts@safeinternational.biz
http://www.safeinternational.biz