Since prehistoric times, gold has always been appreciated and considered one of the most precious metals in all cultures of the world. Between the seventh and sixth century BC it was used in Lydia, in Asia Minor, for the first metal coins, and it is interesting to note that his alchemical symbol, a circle with a dot in the center, is also the astrological symbol, the hieroglyph and the Chinese ideogram for the sun.
For centuries gold has been used as a support for the production of currency, in a system known as the Gold Standard, in which each banknote had to be matched by an amount of gold equal to its nominal value.
Even for this use as a reserve for currency, the private possession of gold has sometimes been regulated or even prohibited. In Italy, for example, before the opening made by a decree back in the year 2000, private were allowed to possess gold only in the form of jewelry, coins or small bars (maximum weight of 100 grams), whereas in the USA the possession of gold in a form other than jewelry or coins was prohibited from 1933 until 1975.
Today, the value of gold is determined by the market, although its nature of universal currency means that its quotation is barely influenced by developments in the stock market. Considered to be the shelter good par excellence, expecially when the currency remains subject to excessive inflation, gold has reached record quotations in 2008, when it exceeded 1000 US Dollars per ounce; currently it remains on values arund $930 the ounce, which correspond to about 660 euros. Who possess gold and wants to turn it into cash has now an opportunity to do it online, thanks to online gold buyers which usually offer better quotation than jewelries or other traditional gold buyers. It must be clear that you cannot expect to get as much money as the official quotation might suggest, because that quotation refers to pure gold, whereas jewelry and other objects commonly owned by privates are usually made of gold mixed with other metals. Then you must consider also the costs of handling and refining, plus the gain of the buyer, but still this moment is still very favorable for those in possession of the preciuos yellow metal: just think that in 1990 its value was just over a quarter of the actual.
Amaro (Italy), 2nd July 2009– Eurotech announces today the new Panel Computer Vx-120F-N270 and Vx-150F-N270, based on the Intel® Atom™ N270 series. The efficiency, high performance and low power consumption of the 1.6GHz Ultra Low Voltage processor are embedded in a highly integrated design making them totally compatible with Intel® Core™ platforms. These two new models join Eurotechs comprehensive range of Vx Panel PCs.
The fanless, high performance Panel PC has been developed using no moving parts and a high quality mechanical engineering. The new Vx-120F-N270 12” and Vx-150F-N270 15” models are equipped with a high brightness TFT display that allows the installation in several applications, such as process control, HMI, building automation and other demanding applications.
The 8 wire resistive touch screen can guarantees a high calibration stability and a long term accuracy. The front panel has an IP65 protection, a USB port and is equipped with power on and HD LEDs. A monitor, mouse and keyboard can be connected externally, allowing fast set-up operations. Both Panel PCs come with 2-Gbit Ports as well as one expansion slot for add-On boards.
In addition Eurotech announces the new Bx-400F-N270, an extremely rugged and compact box computer. It has been designed for fanless applications and is based on N270 1.6GHz Ultra Low Voltage Atom™ processor from Intel®; its new, state of the art architecture is taking over embedded systems.
The new Box Computer Bx-400F-N270 has been designed to resist mechanical and temperature stresses, commonly found in industrial applications. Thanks to 4 USB interfaces, 2 ethernet ports and 2 serial ports, the Bx-400F-N270 can be easily connected to the most common interfaces available on the market.
Using the two mounting kits, the Bx-400F-N270 can be installed on DIN rail alternatively, it can be wall mounted with an optional mechanical kit.
For embedded applications the Bx-400F-N270 can be equipped with a Compact Flash reader and a pre-installed Windows XP or XP embedded operating system.
Availability: Mid September 2009
For more information, please visit the Eurotech website at www.eurotech.com
Companies contacts:
| Eurotech Italy | |
| Moira Picco | |
| +39.0433.485400 | |
| moira.picco@eurotech.com | |
| Eurotech Group | |
| Giuliana Vidoni | |
| +39.0433.485462 | |
| g.vidoni@eurotech.com | |
| Eurotech USA | Eurotech Europe |
| Hilary Tomasson | Jenny Shepperd |
| +1.301.490.4700 int. 113 | +44.1223.403421 |
| hilary.tomasson@eurotech.com | jenny.shepperd@eurotech.com |
| Eurotech South and South East Asia | Eurotech Japan |
| Tomi Hanninen | Masaki Takahashi |
| +358.9.477.888.0 | +81.904.5798683 |
| tomi.hanninen@eurotech.fi | takahasi@advanet.co.jp |
Rome is hosting the third annual meeting of Confitarma, the Italian Shipowner Confederation. The international crisis, of course, is one of the key topics of the meeting, which is taking place in Palazzo Colonna. Yesterday, during the opening day, light and shade of maritime shipping scenery were highlighted without delay but also with cautious optimism. There’s no doubt that the international crisis is still in full swing, even though some signs of recovery were pointed out by Mr. Angelo D’Amato, financial manager of “Perseveranza di navigazione”, who stated that something is changing for the good in the dry bulk sector. President of Confitarma Nicola Coccia explained that italian shipowners were not overwhelmed by the waves of panic brought by the financial crisis, because most of them run family companies and have always been pretty cautious in choosing shrewd and non speculative financial project to carry on. Coccia also said that it’s now time to come back to business and start new investments for a new phase of growth and development, pointing out the need of new fundings from bank institutions, who should change their attitudes and take into consideration not only the assets of the companies but also the quality of their projects and the clearness of their relationships. In a recent interview Coccia also stated that the Green Economy can represent a way out to the crisis, because it can stimulate new investments and encourage old ship scrapping, as happened in the past with single hull ships.
Verona, Italy — July 1, 2009— Today, Diamante announces it has been selected as a 2009 Microsoft Worldwide Partner Conference Awards finalist in Office Business Application Partner of the Year.
Enzo Dalla Pria, Diamante CEO, believes the award will help boost success, “Achieving a finalist position adds further credibility to an already successful solution. Coupled with our recognition as a showcase solution for Microsoft online services, we are ready to open up new international business opportunities.”
As a finalist in the Office Business Application Partner of the Year award, Diamante has applied the latest Microsoft Online Services to helping small and medium enterprises optimize the business challenge of invoice management. Through Microsoft Online Services, the Diamante solution transforms the relationship between small businesses and their accountants, allowing them to work together online with increased responsiveness and efficiency.
Their breakthrough solution exploits a wide range of Microsoft technologies and services including Microsoft Office Communication Online, Microsoft SharePoint Online, Microsoft Live Meeting, Microsoft Exchange Online and Microsoft Office System.
“Partners are the key to igniting business innovation through great technology as well as helping customer drive down costs,” said Allison L. Watson, Corporate Vice President, Worldwide Partner Group, Microsoft Corp. “Congratulations to the 2009 WPC Award finalists who have demonstrated a superior level of expertise as well as a focus on delivering customer value. We look forward to seeing these partners fulfill their limitless potential as they continue to provide customers with world-class Microsoft solutions.”
The Microsoft Worldwide Partner Conference Awards recognize Microsoft partners that have developed and delivered exceptional Microsoft-based solutions over the past year.
Diamante is a successful and innovative Italian developer of business applications for small and medium enterprises. Founded in 1997, it has built up a solid portfolio of products and a strong and loyal customer base. Today, some 4000 Italian businesses rely on Diamante solutions.
# # #
For further information visit http://www.diamanteapps.com or contact Diamante at info@diamante.it
Product or service names mentioned herein may be the trademarks of their respective owners.
Press Office
Cynthia Carta Adv.
Via Monte Rosa, 74 20149 Milano
Tel +39 (0)245484666 – Mob.+39 3385909592 cyncarta@cynthiacartaadv.it
www.cynthiacartaadv.it
The organisation development (OD) consultancy Echelon has welcomed the findings of a recent CIPD survey of 4,500 respondents within the HR arena. Among other things, the survey suggested that the boundaries between learning and development (L&D) and OD will continue to blur as learning is embedded into the way organisations work.
Jackie Orme, the CIPD’s CEO, discussed the survey’s findings in her closing address to the recent Training Journal conference, held in central London. She observed that, in this recession, redundancies are being undertaken on a much more considered basis and spare capacity is being used to develop employees and operating processes.
It is the capability of the organisation’s people that will drive it out of recession, she argued. Retention of key staff is critical to being prepared to benefit from the upturn.
The conference highlighted the increasing importance of L&D to organisational success in the current economic downturn. In addition to the importance of investing in people to build their competence, L&D is essential to driving employee engagement and sustained performance.
Taking up this theme, Ms Orme said that, in an era where change is the norm, those designing and managing change should work hand-in-hand with those responsible for skilling the workforce.
Alistair Morrison, Echelon’s CEO, commented: “The general conclusion of various recent reports and surveys, along with current practitioner thinking is that organisations must put their money where their mouths are in terms of recognising the capacity and criticality of their organisation’s ‘most valuable asset’.
“L&D alone is not the answer. Instead, its integration with business planning and organisational design – to shape the structure and performance of the best practice organisation – is essential. The growing role of HR in strategic planning is a welcome sign – and L&D professionals must step up to the plate to ensure that training delivers the competencies required by the organisation and that training can be applied quickly in the context of the organisation, its customers and its market.
“Jackie Orme is right that HR is no longer merely one discipline,” he continued. “Rather, it’s an amalgam of sub-specialisms, within each of which the level of skill required for success is continually growing.
“The contribution of HR to workforce planning in support of organisational strategy is miles away from just being about ‘recruitment and rations’. This highlights the growing importance of HR as an agent of change and reflects a major shift in its purpose,” Morrison added.
“The role of the HR practitioner is about supporting people managers to achieve their objectives. HR is increasingly seen as a value-adding function and an essential component in creating the sustained capability and flexibility required for the organisation to achieve its future vision.”
In supporting this, Echelon sponsored the management of change award at the event’s accompanying TJ Awards – hosted by the broadcaster and former high profile Lebanon hostage, John McCarthy. The prize went to Safestore, represented by Avril Jones, who not only collected that award but also the award for the best overall project.
For further information please contact
Media contact: Bob Little Tel + 44 (0)1727 860405; Email: bob.little@boblittlepr.com
Sales contact: Alistair Morrison Tel + 44 (0)20 8568 1500; Email: alistair@echelonlearning.co.uk
About the CIPD/ Training Journal research/ reports
Training Journal’s recently published research, ‘L&D 2020: Shaping change in learning’, has explored how Learning & Development (L&D) in organisations might evolve over the next five to ten years, and considered the implications for L&D professionals. The report identifies the trends and developments likely to impact the world of L&D in the four areas of Society, Work & Business, Brain & Mind and Technology. It goes on to outline a range of potential future scenarios that might emerge for L&D:
• L&D is queen – impact of learning is clear and learning & well-being are highly important for organisations, learning is for whole life not just work
• Organisational necessity – economy and competition are tough, learning is focused on just immediate work issues and is seen as a cost to be contained
• National learning – UK Plc is struggling and the government is driving the learning and well-being agenda, companies are reluctant to invest in training.
The report’s emerging conclusions include the predictions that:
• The importance of continuous, informal, social learning will continue to grow and will require L&D professionals to become competent in creating the conditions for this to occur
• Individuals will increasingly look for ways for their informal learning to be recognised (accredited) to demonstrate their value in the market
• The skill of learning will become increasingly important and people will need to be helped to become even more effective at learning for themselves and with others.
• While individuals will find ways to learn for themselves, the role of the line manager in focusing and reinforcing learning will continue to be crucial.
• New technologies are not just ways of delivering the same content differently. They open up new opportunities for people to learn.
• The boundaries between learning and development (L&D) and OD will continue to blur as learning is embedded into the way organisations work.
• There will be a shift in balance of the L&D professionals’ skillset towards greater business understanding, change management, organisation development and use of new technologies.
About Echelon Learning Ltd
Echelon is an organisation development consultancy with a 20-year track record of delivering targeted communication, training and performance support solutions that really make a difference to corporate, government and not-for-profit organisations and professional bodies.
The company helps its clients create and sustain improved operational performance by developing high levels of employee engagement and competence that leverage their ability to achieve outstanding results, particularly in times of change.
Echelon publishes a wide range of business and management solutions that offer job support and lifelong career development: www.learningmatters.com
Clients include:
Channel Tunnel Rail Link
London Overground Rail (LOROL)
Chartered Institute of Purchasing & Supply
Department of Work and Pensions
Festival Housing Association
NHS
Royal Town Planning Institute
T-Mobile
Translink
Top industry experts and HR executives to explore trends and best practices for optimising workforce management initiatives at London event.
Cornerstone OnDemand, a specialist in integrated learning and talent management software and services, is hosting a Learning and Talent Management Roundtable event this Thursday, 2 July from 9 a.m. – 12 p.m. at Coopers’ Hall in London. The complimentary event will bring together industry experts with top learning and human resources (HR) executives in an interactive forum to examine talent management issues and gain insight for optimising HR strategies.
“More organisations are recognising that, amid downsizing, restructuring and cost cutting, their most valuable assets are their employees,” said Adam Miller, President and CEO of Cornerstone OnDemand. “Making employee engagement and development a priority can directly impact a company’s bottom line. But modern work environments require a fresh approach, one that combines collaboration tools with traditional solutions for learning and performance management, in order to accommodate faster information cycles and global, geographically dispersed workforces.”
During the Roundtable event, Miller will lead a discussion and offer his perspective on human capital management issues impacting today’s organisations, such as motivating and retaining high performers, identifying critical roles, succession planning, and addressing skill gaps. Other event speakers include:
- Sharon Bell, Programme Delivery Manager, Group Strategy for Manchester Airports Group, who will discuss performance management key learnings and best practices,
- And Donald H. Taylor, Chairman of the Learning and Skills Group, who will explore the impact and value of corporate social networking and collaboration tools for learning and talent management strategies.
Commented Taylor, “There are always fads in technology-supported learning, but collaboration is not one of them. On the contrary, social networking tools support people’s natural ways of learning, and I’m delighted to be working with the group to examine how best to deploy them.”
To inquire about attending Thursday’s event, please contact Sinead Reynolds Berti, European Marketing Manager for Cornerstone OnDemand, at + 33 (0) 6 28 33 55 66
or sberti@cornerstoneondemand.com. Please note that event attendance is limited. Coopers’ Hall is located at 13 Devonshire Square, London EC2M 4TH, near the Liverpool Street Station. Breakfast will be provided.
About Cornerstone OnDemand
Cornerstone OnDemand (www.cornerstoneondemand.com) empowers people around the world with on-demand, integrated learning and talent management software and services for connecting, developing and performing in the workplace. Cornerstone’s Software-as-a-Service (SaaS)-based solutions span the workforce lifecycle, including onboarding, learning, social networking, compliance, performance, compensation and succession planning. The company also provides extended enterprise solutions to help companies better train and collaborate with customers, vendors and resellers. Available in 16 languages and supported by global, 24×7 customer care, Cornerstone is used by more than 2.5 million active subscribers in 141 countries. The company is headquartered in Santa Monica, California and has international offices in London, Paris, Munich and Tel Aviv.
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Cornerstone® and Cornerstone OnDemand® are registered trademarks of Cornerstone OnDemand Inc.
LTD 100 – Winning designers announcedLondon: ASOS.com is giving fashion lovers the chance to snap up a piece of design history when it launches its LTD 100 collection – an exclusive collection of 100 original one-off designs by students from London College of Fashion. The LTD 100 collection launches on Friday 3 July at 1pm on ASOS.com with students receiving full profits from the sales of their designs.
This is the third year that leading online fashion e-tailer ASOS.com has joined forces with London College of Fashion (LCF) to celebrate and nurture the talents of the UK’s hottest young designers.
Housed and showcased in an online gallery, the LTD 100 collection was judged by a high-profile panel of fashion experts including designer Markus Lupfer, Susie Lau of Style Bubble.com fame and menswear designer Tim Soar.
As well as choosing the final 100 pieces for inclusion in the LTD 100 collection, the panel also had the tough task of selecting three main winners, one womenswear, one menswear and one accessory designer, who will go on to receive a highly coveted placement with the ASOS.com design team. From this shortlist, one overall winner was also chosen to receive an all-expenses paid inspirational trip to one of the fashion capitals with the ASOS.com design team.
LTD 100 Womenswear winner – Tian Wang
LTD 100 Menswear winner – Hwa Kim
LTD 100 Accessory winner – Rachel EsswoodWinner of the LTD 100 womenswear prize has been awarded to Tian Wang whose digital print jacket wowed the judges with its eye-catching, futuristic design. Her design impressed the judges so much that she went on to be crowned the overall LTD 100 winner.
Commenting on her design, Robert Bready, ASOS.com’s Product and Trading Director and one of the LTD 100 judges, said: “This design celebrates the marriage of fashion and technology, which is very much what ASOS is about. The judges’ decision was unanimous and it was clear that Tian has a commercial eye, producing eye-catching pieces that she has already successfully sold.”
LTD 100 menswear winner Hwa Kim won the judges over with her drop shoulder short sleeve coat which came from a collection of pieces with interesting silhouettes. Robert Bready said: “Overall the menswear submissions were beautifully finished. However, this piece was well constructed using great fabrics with the judges feeling the designer had produced a collection of very wearable, interesting designs.”
Rachel Esswood, winner of the LTD 100 accessories award impressed the judges with her amazing, oversized hand knitted scarf. Robert Bready said: “This bold statement piece caught our eye from the start. It’s a simple idea, very well executed and beautifully crafted.”
The winning pieces will be available as part of the LTD 100 collection which goes on sale at http://www.asos.com at 1pm on 3 July 2009.
Last year, the LTD 100 judging panel line-up included Henry Holland and model Ben Grimes with the entire collection selling out in an impressive 2 minutes.
Robert Bready, Product and Trading Director, asos.com said: “This is the third year of our partnership with LCF and the second year of LTD 100 and we are thrilled once again to be able to lend our support to up and coming design talent and to give fashion’s future stars a vital leg up in the industry.”
Colin Renfrew, Dean of the School of Design and Technology at London College of Fashion, said: “It’s hugely important to support young designers in this country. We produce some of the best designers in the world and through this partnership with ASOS.com we are able to help develop fashion students for their future design careers.”
Tian Wang, Sleeve Detail Digital Print Jacket, £250
LTD 100 Menswear winner:
Hwa Kim, Sleeveless Drop Shoulder Jacket, £300
LTD 100 Accessories winner:
Rachel Esswood, Oversized Hand Knitted Scarf, £150
About ASOS.com
Established in June 2000, ASOS.com is the UK’s largest independent online fashion and beauty retailer. With over 19,400 branded and own label products available and 1000 new lines added each week, ASOS.com is rapidly becoming the market leader in the UK online fashion world. Aimed primarily at fashion forward 16-34 year olds, ASOS.com attracts over 5.3 million unique visitors a month and has 2.5 million registered users.
For more information, please contact:
Amy Davies
asos.com
Greater London House
Hampstead Road
London
NW1 7FB
0207 836 1284
press@asos.com
http://www.asos.com
Submitted by: WorldWidePR.net
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Mike with three contestants of this year’s Hooters International Swimsuit PageantMiami, Florida: On the Mike with Mike Sherman, the premier music and lifestyle TV show, this week, features the most beautiful girls in the world at Center Stage from the Broward Performing Arts Center in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, for one masterful night of beauty; the 2009 Hooters International Swimsuit Pageant.
Mike was given access to all areas and he goes backstage to bring exclusive footage of these glamorous divas, showcasing their swimsuits as they parade the catwalk for this year’s Swimsuit Extravaganza.
Mike interviewing a Hooters International Swimsuit Pageant contestantAs if that wasn’t enough beauty for one show, Mike also attends the Kardashian sisters’ fashion show “Dash”, coming from the beautiful Satie Hotel in Miami Beach.
“This wouldn’t be a typical On the Mike show without an interview from one of today’s brightest superstars in music. Our very own K Foxx sits down with Dance Hall Sensation Sean Paul and talks about his new album being released next month,” says Mike. “It would be just wrong for you to miss this week’s show! Tune in this Saturday at 10:30pm on WBFS/MY33 Miami for this spectacular broadcast. Check your local listings.”
About WFOR/WBFS, Miami, Florida
WFOR-TV/CBS4 and WBFS/My 33 are part of CBS Television, a division of CBS Corporation. For more information, contact: Lee Zimmerman, Director of PR, WFOR-TV & WBFS. Tel: 305 639 4426 and e-mail: lzimmerman@cbs.com
About MSP, Inc.
MSP Inc. produces “On the Mike with Mike Sherman” on Miami’s My 33 (My Network TV, a CBS affiliate) on Saturday nights. Today, the show is syndicated all over the US as well as internationally. Mike’s show has brought his audience exclusive interviews, red carpet events, live shows and top celebrities from the world of acting, music and sports since 2003. onthemiketv.com
For more information, please contact:
Mike Sherman
Mike Sherman Productions, Inc.
777 East Atlantic Avenue
Suite C2-239
Delray Beach
FL 33483
USA
+1 561 243 0429
mshermanshow@aol.com
http://www.onthemike.tv
Submitted by:
John Wood
+44 1342 323750
jw@worldwidepr.net
www.worldwidepr.net
London, United Kingdom
Despite the coordinated efforts of the governements and the central banks aiming to recapitalize private financial institutions, the global financial crisis hasn’t been fully absorbed, so far, expecially in USa and UK where it started. Even if the quarterly earning annouced by Goldman Sachs have had a positive impact on investors, the disappointment for the very bad performance of global banks in the last few months is still nourished by the losses of Citigroup and the Swiss UBS.
At this stage, it is crucial to regain the trust of investors, who are intelligibly circumspect when facing the risky assets held by the banks: if the level of this risk cannot be calculated, then there’s no space for sensible investments. That’s why governements and central banks were forced to recapitalize private banks in order to decrease their financial leverage.
One possibile solution to this problem might be the “bad bank”, which would allow the separation of the different assest: the bad bank, capitalized with public money and private investments, would take all the riscky assets, freeing the solid ones from their deadly influence. Separating these different assets would increase investments, because investors inclined to risky investments might take the opportunity to ask for higher returns, whereas the others would be able to invest in the cleaned-up bank with lower risks and returns.
The implementation of the bad bank solution is not free from problems, because there are technical issues not easy to solve, such as the quotation of risky assets, but it is surely a tool that must be take into consideration, because the benefits it might bring in the actual scenery are more than remarkable.
More: VirtualBocconi
Cinturato P7 is the new tyre produced by Pirelli, the most recent member of its family of “green” products, launched last year with the P4 and P6 models for mid-range automobiles.
Thanks to the technologically advanced polymers in its compound, Cinturato P7 represents the latest outcome of a new philosophy based on four simple principles: respect for the environment, safety, performance and enjoyability.
First of all, P7 is designed to last longer than usual and offers low rolling resistance. This means less pollution and reduction of fuel consumption, that is, less impact on environment and savings for consumers. The new compound used for this tyre betters the grip and reduce noise (30%) at the same time, assuring higher performance both on wet or dry roads and improving safety with shorter braking distances (2 meters on dry and 1 meter on wet road). The new tread design guarantees a perfect driving experience thank to the Asymmetrical pattern and the efficient expulsion of the water when driving on a wet road.
Cinturato P7 is built with aromatic oil free compound to avoid the dispersion of polluting substances in the environment, which confirm Pirelli’s commitment to an ecologic approach, carried on with the work of five Research and Development units (about 1000 professionals) and significant investments in this particular field.