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betterU Education Corp. $BTRU.ca announces results for the Third Quarter ended September 30, 2018 $ARCL $CPLA $BPI $FC.ca

Posted by AGORACOM-JC at 5:01 PM on Friday, March 1st, 2019
Betteru large

OTTAWA, March 01, 2019 — betterU Education Corp. (TSX VENTURE:BTRU) (FRANKFURT:5OGA), (the “Company” or “betterU”) announced today it has filed its financial results for the nine months ended December 31, 2018. betterU is a Global Education Marketplace for emerging markets. The Company aggregates education, educational services and employment services from quality Institutions including universities, colleges, Industry leaders and corporations from around the world and makes their programs available to students through the betterU marketplace. betterU has now over 20,000 programs available.

Highlights for the nine months ended December 31, 2018 include:

  • For the quarter, the Company reported revenues of $13,728, and a net loss of $867,214.
     
  • On October 15th, 2018, betterU entered into two loan agreements totaling $613,000 and entered into an agreement with AIP Asset Management Inc., (AIP) for an investment of $2.5 million to support ongoing operations and growth until the TUC funding is received. AIP and betterU are working through all the definitive agreements in connection with this funding.
     
  • On October 30, 2018, the Company provided an update on the investment progress.

    According to a written update provided to betterU on October 28th, 2018 by Mr. Kenny Ho, CFO and Chairman of TUC Co. Ltd., (“TUC”) Mr. Ho indicated that he arrived in Tokyo, Japan to review the amendments on Wednesday, October 17th and that they completed the required documents on Friday, October 19th. Mr. Ho further indicated in writing to betterU that he has decided to remain in Tokyo until the funds have been released. Mr. Ho expects there will be no further delays yet has not provided betterU with definitive timelines for the release of funds. While Mr. Ho also indicated that he expects the funds to be released shortly, betterU is reluctant to commit to any dates having experienced many previous delays. “While we remain confident in this opportunity, the ongoing delays and missed timelines provided by TUC have proven to be difficult in managing market expectations. Our focus has been and continues to be on the development and growth of betterU,” said Brad Loiselle, President/CEO of betterU.

Outlook:

  • On Jan. 17, 2019 the Company provided following updates on its funding activities:

    The Company has completed a $1,250,000 equity investment by HT Overseas Pte. Ltd., a wholly owned subsidiary of HT Media Limited, (“HT”) for the purchase of 2,976,190 common shares of the Corporation at $0.42 per share (the “Private Placement”) with a hold period expiring on May 17, 2019. As previously announced on December 21, 2017, HT’s $10 million investment is provided to betterU in eight (8) tranches over two years, this being the 3rd tranche with the full investment immediately being paid to HT’s Media Groups by betterU to support betterU’s mass marketing efforts across India.

    The Company, over the last few months, has been working on multiple funding opportunities motivated by the ongoing delays from the $100M investment from TUC Co, Ltd. (“TUC”). These delays have not been explained in detail to betterU because according to GDS Holdings Ltd. (“GDS”), they are under confidentiality agreements with their investment partners. betterU has received over 400 emails over the last year with discussions not only with TUC and GDS, but also with other organizations that are also part of TUC’s investment portfolio. betterU has been in active discussions with the CEOs for multiple groups in Canada and the USA with whom TUC and GDS have also promised funding. Despite the ongoing support and assurances made by TUC and GDS however, with these ongoing delays, it is not sustainable for betterU to rely solely on TUC or GDS, so betterU has had no choice but to seek other investment opportunities as outlined further below. betterU’s agreement with TUC and GDS will remain active and when and if GDS funds are released they will be in accordance with the terms of the agreement executed by TUC and betterU on February 1, 2018.

    The Term Sheet with AIP Asset Management Inc., AIP Inc. (“AIP”) for financing of $2.5 Million previously announced October 15, 2018, is currently under review by betterU. AIP requires as a condition to closing the financing that a subordination agreement (“SA”) be executed by the creditors of betterU. After betterU’s creditors reviewed the SA provided by AIP, they felt it was punitive to their rights as creditors and decided not to sign it. betterU has been in discussions with AIP to determine alternative solutions and while AIP is willing to provide betterU with more time, at a cost, they still require that betterU’s creditors execute on the SA. A further update to the market will be forthcoming as this materializes further.

    Additionally, in early October 2018, betterU was invited to present to dozens of investors organized by a Montreal investor relations firm known to betterU, Mi3. During these events, betterU was introduced to the CEO of Quantiium Capital Management Corporation (“QCMC”) an alternative funding group located in Montreal QC who expressed interest in betterU. Over subsequent months, betterU met with their leadership teams in Montreal, Toronto and at betterU’s office in Ottawa. Following QCMC’s due diligence process, a Letter of Intent was offered and executed by both parties on December 5, 2018 which supports an investment of 5 Million Euro (approximately CND$7.5M) through a credit facility backed by QCMC. The agreements are currently under development with QCMC and the credit facility is expected to be issued in favour of betterU. Further details will be provided to the market as the agreements and timelines materialize.

    All investments are subject to board of director and TSXV approvals.  The Company wants to emphasize that they have no control over the timelines of these investments.
  • On Jan. 29, 2019, the Company announced that the successful acquisition of two corporate training contracts worth $26,812 with Larsen & Toubro (L&T) and Maharashtra State Electricity Transmission Company Limited (Mahatransco), both located in Mumbai, India. These two training programs come on the heels of betterU’s efforts to enhance their revenue focus and after the successful completion of other such training programs and custom development projects with groups such as Central Bank of India, Dena Bank, Confederation of Indian Industries (CII), Indian Oil Corporation Limited (IOCL), Blue Star, Dimension Data, Evry India and Acliv Technologies.

Additional information concerning the Company, including its audited consolidated financial statements and its Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations (“MD&A”) for the year ended March 31, 2018 can be found at www.sedar.com.

About betterU

betterU, an online education technology company, aims to provide access to quality education from around the world in order to foster growth and opportunity to those who want to better their lives. The Company plans to bridge the prevailing gap in the education and job industry and enhance the lives of its prospective learners by developing an integrated ecosystem. betterU’s offerings can be categorized into four broad functions: to compliment school programs with flexible KG-12 programs preparing children for their next stage of education, to foster an exceptional educational environment by providing befitting skills that lead to a better career, to bridge the gap between one’s existing education and prospective job requirement by training them and lastly, to connect the end user to various job opportunities.

Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

By their nature, forward-looking statements include assumptions and are subject to inherent risks and uncertainties that could cause actual future results, conditions, actions or events to differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements. If and when forward-looking statements are set out in this news release, betterU will also set out the material risk factors or assumptions used to develop the forward-looking statements. Except as expressly required by applicable securities law, the Company assumes no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements. The future outcomes that relate to forward-looking statements may be influenced by many factors, including, but not limited to: industry cyclicality; the ability to secure third party agreements; successful integration of betterU’s system with third party technology; competition; reduction in demand for products; collection from customers; relationships with suppliers; product liability; intellectual property; reliance on key personnel; environmental; interest rates; uninsured and underinsured losses; operating hazards; risks of future legal proceedings; income tax matters; credit facilities; availability and terms of financing; distribution of securities; restrictions on potential growth; effect of market interest rates on price of securities; and potential dilution. betterU does not assume any obligation to update any forward-looking statements except as required by law.

CONTACT INFORMATION

For further information, please visit
http://www.betteru.ca/investor-overview/

Jason Burke, CFO

Investor Relations 1-613-695-4100 ex 233
Email: [email protected]

Bougainville Ventures Inc $BOG.ca – Why The Cannabis Sector Has More Room to Run $CROP.ca $VP.ca NF.ca $MCOA

Posted by AGORACOM-JC at 3:46 PM on Friday, March 1st, 2019
SPONSOR:  Bougainville Ventures Inc (CSE: BOG) Converting irrigated farmland to greenhouse-equipped farmland. Bougainville does not “touch the plant” and only provides agricultural infrastructure as a landlord for licensed marijuana growers. Click here for more info.
BOG:CSE
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Why The Cannabis Sector Has More Room to Run

  • Positive developments are palpable in the marijuana industry.
  • Be it acquisitions, expansion into industries like food, beverage, tobacco and cosmetics or legalization, things are increasingly falling into place for marijuana.

From Sanghamitra Saha: Positive developments are palpable in the marijuana industry. Be it acquisitions, expansion into industries like food, beverage, tobacco and cosmetics or legalization, things are increasingly falling into place for marijuana. ETFMG Alternative Harvest ETF (MJ – Free Report) is up 48.7% this year and appears to have more room to run.

Will FDA Regulate CBD in April?

There is growing demand for uses of CBD, a non-psychoactive ingredient in cannabis, in food, drinks and cosmetics. Naturally, companies selling food and drinks with CBD want FDA regulation for the industry. Though the U.S. FDA has forbidden companies from infusing CBD in food, many drink companies have announced plans to use it.

Congress legalized hemp products, including most CBD, in December in the 2018 Farm Bill. The FDA now has to set new rules for the industry. Amid ongoing legal uncertainty, which is causing quite an upheaval for the rising industry, FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb’s latest comment brought good news for the industry. He said “public meetings will be held sometime in April to hear from relevant parties on how best to regulate CBD derived from hemp,” per MarketWatch.

Marijuana for Pets Too?

Lifestyle guru Martha Stewart has teamed up with Canadian marijuana producer Canopy Growth CGC) as an adviser to help in the development and launch of a line of pot-based products for humans and animals, per Reuters.

The joining of Martha Stewart came with the deal between Sequential Brands Group Inc. (SQBG â€“ Free Report) (up 40% on Feb 28) and Canopy Growth (up 3.6% on the day). Sequential Brands, which is a licensing and brand management company, owns Stewart’s media company Living Omnimedia since Dec 2015.Substantial Growth Prospect in Hemp-CBD Market

The Hemp Business Journal estimates that sales in the hemp-CBD market will shoot up from $390 million in 2018, to about $1.3 billion by 2022. As U.S. cannabis companies are still under regulatory prohibitions, Canadian operators are looking for ways to expand their reach by mergers and acquisitions, per the source. And the hemp-CBD market offers lucrative opportunities for this. This is because the 2018 Farm Bill subjects hemp and its derivatives to agricultural products category rather than controlled substances.

Canopy Growth has plans to invest between $100 million and $150 million in a hemp industrial park in New York state, per Reuters. Meanwhile, Canada’s Tilray(TLRY â€“ Free Report) is working with Authentic Brands Group on a line of consumer products. Tilray announced an acquisition of the world’s largest hemp food maker Manitoba Harvest for about $318 million in February. Arcadia Biosciences Inc. (RKDA â€“ Free Report) – which normally develops food ingredients from wheat and soybeans – saw its shares jumping 49% on Feb 28 after it divulged plans to foray into the hemp industry (read: Top ETF Stories of February).

Source: https://etfdailynews.com/2019/03/01/why-the-cannabis-sector-has-more-room-to-run/

New Age Metals Inc. $NAM.ca – Riding the #palladium wave, #Implats to build new mine in 2021 $WG.ca $XTM.ca $WM.ca $PDL.ca $GLEN

Posted by AGORACOM-JC at 3:10 PM on Friday, March 1st, 2019

SPONSOR: New Age Metals Inc. (TSX-V: NAM) The company’s new Lithium Division has already made significant acquisitions in Canada and the USA. The company also owns one of North America’s largest primary platinum group metals deposit in Sudbury, Canada. Learn More.

NAM: TSX-V

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Riding the palladium wave, Implats to build new mine in 2021

  • The price of palladium has been on a tear in recent months, overtaking the gold price.
  • This has all been down to a massive supply deficit that has existed since 2012 and the situation is expected to remain this way for the next few years.

By Gareth van Zyl

JOHANNESBURG — The price of palladium has been on a tear in recent months, overtaking the gold price. This has all been down to a massive supply deficit that has existed since 2012 and the situation is expected to remain this way for the next few years. Amid this backdrop, miner Implats believes palladium isn’t in a bubble and that demand for the metal could continue for the next few years to come. That’s why Implats is now building a new palladium mine in the Waterberg that will come online in 2024. South Africa’s mining sector will certainly welcome this development and, hopefully, it will help breathe new life into the sector. Helping fuel Cyril Ramaphosa’s drive for jobs. – Gareth van Zyl

By Felix Njini

(Bloomberg) – Impala Platinum Holdings Ltd. plans to start building a new palladium mine that could begin producing as soon as 2024 as the company’s outlook for metals turns bullish.

Implats, as the second-biggest platinum miner is known, plans to start work on the Waterberg project in South Africa in 2021, Chief Executive Officer Nico Muller said. The producer is also considering boosting output at its jointly held Mimosa mine in Zimbabwe by 30% as it bets on a long-term shift in platinum-group metals prices, Muller said.

A surge in palladium prices and a weaker rand is dispelling the gloom that gripped South African miners just a year ago. The metal used in pollution-control devices for car engines is forecast to remain in deficit for an eighth straight year in 2019, and Implats isn’t the only company seeking new sources of supply. The world’s top platinum supplier, Anglo American Platinum Ltd., is studying plans to ramp up palladium output through the expansion of its flagship Mogalakwena mine.

“I believe the change in PGMs is structural and not cyclical, so we are fully confident that the buoyant market we see today is going to prevail for the next 10 years,” Muller told reporters in Johannesburg after announcing earnings Thursday. “When you contemplate a project like this, you have to have a long-range view, and we have a very bullish position at the moment.”

Read also: Amplats declares biggest dividend since 2008 as Palladium surges

Despite a stronger market for platinum-group metals and improved liquidity, Implats is sticking with plans to restructure loss-making mines at its Rustenburg complex, Muller said. Implats will evaluate options to boost output in existing businesses and may consider assets outside its current portfolio, the CEO said.

The shares have rallied 63% this year.

Implats will exercise its options to increase its stake to more than 50% from 15% of the Waterberg project, which is being developed jointly with Platinum Group Metals Ltd. and Japan Oil, Gas and Metals National Corp. The deposit could produce about 450,000 ounces of palladium and about 290,000 ounces of platinum a year, initial studies show. The high proportion of palladium means raising money is unlikely to be a major concern, Muller said.

“I don’t see financing to be a material barrier to our ability to execute the project,” Muller said.

Source: https://www.biznews.com/good-hope-project/2019/03/01/riding-palladium-wave-implats-build-new-mine-2021

INTERVIEW: $HPQ.ca Discusses PUREVAP Conversion of Low Purity Quartz Into 4N+ Silicon Metal

Posted by AGORACOM-JC at 2:23 PM on Friday, March 1st, 2019

Esports Entertainment Group $GMBL – Nike $NKE.ca Signs Its First #Esports Sponsorship Deal $TECHF $ATVI $TTWO $GAME $EPY.ca $FDM.ca $TNA.ca

Posted by AGORACOM-JC at 12:18 PM on Friday, March 1st, 2019
SPONSOR: Esports Entertainment $GMBL Esports audience is 350M, growing to 590M, Esports wagering is projected at $23 BILLION by 2020. The company has launched VIE.gg esports betting platform and has accelerated affiliate marketing agreements with 190 Esports teams. Click here for more information
GMBL: OTCQB

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Nike Signs Its First Esports Sponsorship Deal

  • Nike is entering the esports game, following competitors Adidas and Puma into the field.
  • The global sports brand has signed a four-year deal with China’s League of Legends Pro League, agreeing to supply all squads with clothing and footwear starting this year.

“Since its inception, Nike has always believed that in all sports, a strong body and will will make athletes better,” the company said in a statement. “As China becomes a new e-sports cultural center, Nike is pleased to support the next generation of athletes and establish a long-term cooperative relationship with e-sports to contribute to the future development of sports ecology.”

The league consists of 16 teams and has one of the largest followings in the world. Fans will also be able to buy Nike-produced products at live tournaments.

The announcement is Nike’s first formal sponsorship of an esports team or competition, although the company did feature an esports athlete in a marketing campaign last year. Financial terms of its esports contract with the league were not disclosed.

The company is actually a bit late to the competitive video game world, as Adidas and Puma both already have presences in the field.

Beyond simply supplying clothes and shoes, Nike says it also plans to work with esports athletes to custom-design training programs to help them improve.

While they might have been scoffed at initially, esports have become recognized as a bona fide athletic event in recent years. They were under consideration at one point for inclusion in the 2024 Olympics and they will be a medal event in the 2022 Asian Games—a multi-sport event held every four years among athletes from all over Asia. Tournaments are regularly aired on ESPN, Turner Broadcasting, Disney and other networks.

Source: http://fortune.com/2019/02/28/nike-league-of-legends-esports-sponsorship/

CLIENT FEATURE: Tartisan Nickel (TN:CSE) Kenbridge Property Hosts M&I Resource of 7.14 Million Tonnes at 0.62% Nickel, 0.33% Copper

Posted by AGORACOM-JC at 11:20 AM on Friday, March 1st, 2019

Investment Highlights

  • Kenbridge property has a measured and indicated resource of 7.14 million tonnes at 0.62% nickel, 0.33% copper
  • 17.5 (21.8 fully diluted) percent equity stake in Eloro Resources and 2 percent NSR in their La Victoria property

Kenbridge Ni Project (ON, Canada)

  • Advanced  stage  deposit  remains open  in  three  directions,  is  equipped with a 623m  deep  shaft  and  has  never  been  mined. 
  • Preliminary  Economic Assessment completed and updated returned robust project 
    economics and operating costs including  a  NPV  of  C$253M  and  cash costs of US$3.47/lb of nickel net of  
    copper credits.
  • Plans for Kenbridge include updating PEA, advancing the project through to feasibility and exploring the open mineralization at depth

FULL DISCLOSURE: Tartisan Nickel Corp. is an advertising client of AGORA Internet Relations Corp.

ThreeD Capital Inc. $IDK.ca – 10 Major #Blockchain Trends in 2019 $HIVE.ca $BLOC.ca $CODE.ca

Posted by AGORACOM-JC at 10:58 AM on Friday, March 1st, 2019

SPONSOR: ThreeD Capital Inc. (IDK:CSE) Led by legendary financier, Sheldon Inwentash, ThreeD is a Canadian-based venture capital firm that only invests in best of breed small-cap companies which are both defensible and mass scalable. More than just lip service, Inwentash has financed many of Canada’s biggest small-cap exits. Click Here For More Information.

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10 Major Blockchain Trends in 2019

  • While cryptocurrencies took a hammering, 2018 was huge for Blockchain, the technology that underpins Bitcoin and a myriad of other coins.
  • Blockchain has plenty of use cases outside of the cryptocurrency space with IBM, Oracle, and Amazon and other multi-billion dollar companies trying to capitalize on the disruptive technology.
  • Now, it’s time to find out what major Blockchain trends will define the current year.   

By: Alex Morris  

From the Internet-of-Things (IoT) convergence to startups for the unbanked — find out what to expect from Blockchain in 2019

While cryptocurrencies took a hammering, 2018 was huge for Blockchain, the technology that underpins Bitcoin and a myriad of other coins. Blockchain has plenty of use cases outside of the cryptocurrency space with IBM, Oracle, and Amazon and other multi-billion dollar companies trying to capitalize on the disruptive technology. Now, it’s time to find out what major Blockchain trends will define the current year.   

STOs replacing ICOs

Security tokens (STOs) have been a hot topic in the crypto space, and it looks like they will continue to be hot now that Overstock’s tZERO announced the launch of the new STO platform on Jan. 21. The Blockchain-powered platform will provide any company with the opportunity to raise funds by launching its own STOs. Prior to that, the startup made an announcement about the completion of its utility token distribution.

STOs, which combine the best features of the stock market and cryptocurrencies, arose as a fully regulated alternative to ICOs, which turned out to be the passing fad of 2017.   

Tokenization creating more investment opportunities

The launch of the Estonia-based DEX, which buys the shares of the biggest companies in the world in the form of ERC20 tokens, proved that 2019 is all about tokenization. The Ethereum-powered startup will allow non-US investors to engage in the US stock market without any limitations pertaining to their location or investment amount.  

Crypto startup Zilliqa also recently introduced Hg Exchange, a fully regulated exchange that allows accredited investors to buy US stocks.   

Tokenization already became a pervasive trend in 2018, going far beyond the stock market, but this is the year when pretty much everything will be tokenized – art, wine, real estate, etc.

Blockchain and IoT forming an alliance

Back in January, leading digital security company Gemalto released a report that states that 23 percent of responders think that Blockchain technology could be a boon for securing IoT-powered devices. Meanwhile, almost 91 percent of businesses who do not utilize Blockchain consider making use of the technology in the future.

The number of IoT-powered devices is expected to reach 26.66 bln in 2019, but less than half of all businesses can detect whether their device experienced a security breach.   

IBM also illustrated the benefits for this convergence with the help of their game-changing platform Watson IoT. Apart from bringing more security to the table, Blockchain significantly simplifies the task of managing different devices and increases the efficiency of the transaction.

Wall Street transitioning from dabbling to actions

The fact that cryptocurrency prices took a nosedive in 2018 doesn’t mean that the global financial industry is going to suddenly give up on Blockchain. As U.Today reported earlier, Bakkt, the ICE-backed exchange, was supposed to go live in January, but its launch was eventually delayed due to the longest government shutdown in history. Speaking of other ‘big-fish’ players, NASDAQ and the NYSE plan to launch Bitcoin futures while also being keen on Blockchain. Since the crypto hub died down, there is a good reason to believe that 2019 will be the year of exciting developments in the Blockchain space.

More decentralized exchanges appearing on the horizon

Decentralized exchanges, while actually living up to Satoshi’s vision, have numerous usability issues that take a toll on their popularity. There is no centralized authority that manages the users’ funds, but it’s also a double-edged sword problem – there is no way to revert a certain transaction if private keys are stolen or lost. Keep in mind that there are certain degrees of centralization. Case in point: the Bancor DEX, which suffered from a $13.5 mln hack, though Charlie Lee later claimed that no decentralized exchange can lose its funds.   

With that being said, major crypto startups – from Binance to Tron – have launched their own DEXs in order to spearhead the shift towards decentralization in the crypto world.     

Governments will continue looking into Blockchain

The wide variety of Blockchain applications are being explored by governments across the globe (even those ones who are openly hawkish towards cryptocurrencies). China cracked down on Bitcoin, but this country is hell-bent on becoming the leader in the Blockchain race. Shanghai, Guangzhou and other major cities are all supporting Blockchain developments. As reported by U.Today, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) launched an initiative to incentivize business who are working with the DLT technology. Moreover, there are specific Blockchain guides in China for educating government officials.

Estonia is yet another country that is focused on the e-Estonia program that will digitize the government. Meanwhile, Dubai could become the very first government that is powered by Blockchain. The implementation of Blockchain could help Dubai save up to $1.5 bln per year by cutting the red herring and creating a fully paperless government.

Blockchain-powered startups banking the unbanked

Africa, where a substantial part of the population remains unbaked, represents a breeding ground for different startups that utilize Blockchain technology in order to increase economic inclusiveness. The Rohingya Project went even further by using Blockchain to restore the identity of stateless Rohingyas and give them access to banking services.  

Real-word use cases beyond fintech  

It is worth noting that Blockchain is the most disruptive technology of the last decade, but it remains unknown to the general public. Yes, along with Bitcoin, Blockchain was one of the buzzwords in the tech space, but it’s all about real-world adoption. According to PwC research, 84 percent of companies have dipped their toes into Blockchain, but they are not ready to embrace it due to numerous ‘trust issues.’ Those who will be able to integrate Blockchain into their businesses will turn out to be the true winners of 2019.

Scalability becoming one of the main issues

Without a doubt, scalability is one of the major bottlenecks of Blockchain, which poses a major hindrance to mainstream adoption. That became very evident when CryptoKitties, one of the best-known dApps, created congestion on the Ethereum network. Bitcoin and Ethereum are only able to handle seven and 25 TPS (this level of scalability doesn’t hold a candle to mainstream payment processors in the likes of VISA).

Hence, many promising solutions, such as sharding and sidechains, are expected to be implemented in 2019. Bitcoin’s Lightning Network (LN), for example, is witnessing growing popularity with major industry players, with an eye-popping 830 percent surge in half a year. LN will significantly boost Bitcoin adoption while solving scalability pain points.   

Blockchain jobs will become more common

Despite Bitcoin, the major use case of Blockchain, taking a hammering in 2018, the number of Blockchain-related jobs continued to grow throughout the year. Moreover, as reported by CNBC, the salaries of Blockchain engineers skyrocketed to $175,000 per year, which means that they receive the highest salaries in the software development niche on par with AI specialists. According to Hired CEO Mehul Patel, ‘there’s a ton of demand for Blockchain.’ On top of that, Upwork, the leading freelance platform, had a 35,000 percent uptick in the number of Blockchain freelancers (it’s the fastest-growing freelance sector).

However, earning a six-figure salary is not an easy feat. Blockchain developers have to code in numerous languages, including Go and Solidity. As mentioned above, major companies do not want to miss the boat on Blockchain, so they are striving to hire talented programmers.

Source: https://u.today/10-major-blockchain-trends-in-2019

NOTICE: Iconic Minerals $ICM.ca $BVTEF Featured On Fox Business Network This Evening $LI.ca $MGG.ca $PAC.ca $CYP.ca $NEV.ca $SX.ca

Posted by AGORACOM-JC at 4:54 PM on Thursday, February 28th, 2019

NOTICE: Iconic Minerals – Fox Business Network – Thursday, February 28, 2019

The Company would like to give notice to its shareholders that the Company’s CEO (Richard Kern) will be featured on national Fox Business Network on Thursday, February 28, 2019 at 9:46 PM Eastern, 8:46 PM Central, 7:46 PM Mountain and 6:46 PM Pacific Time. 

In this five minute segment, Richard Kern will be providing comments on the lithium industry while onsite in Nevada, at the Bonnie Claire property.

Please keep in mind that the allotted time slot may not be exact, and the segment could air within an hour of the above scheduled times.

On Behalf of the Iconic Team

AGORACOM Welcomes Iconic Minerals $ICM.ca $BVTEF With An Inferred Resource of 11.8 Billion Pounds of Lithium Carbonate Equivalent $LI.ca $MGG.ca $PAC.ca $CYP.ca $NEV.ca $SX.ca

Posted by AGORACOM-JC at 4:27 PM on Thursday, February 28th, 2019
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(TSXV: ICM) (OTC Pink: BVTEF) (FSE: YQGB)

Why Iconic Minerals?

  • Bonnie Claire Lithium property hosts 11.8 Billion pounds of lithium carbonate equivalent (28.5 Million tonnes of LCE) Inferred Resource (43-101).
  • Potential to be the largest lithium resource globally (based on size)
  • Initial leaching tests applying dilute acid to the drill cuttings resulted in recoveries as high as 98%.
  • Two other highly prospective Lithium exploration properties also located in Nevada.

Lithium Projects

Iconic Minerals has three highly prospective Lithium exploration properties located in Nevada, the Bonnie Claire Sarcobatus Valley Lithium property, the Smith Valley Creek Property, and the Third Nevada Lithium Property.

Bonnie Claire Property

Property Overview

  • 11.8 Billion pounds of lithium carbonate equivalent (28.5 Million tonnes of LCE) Inferred Resource (43-101).
  • Potential to be the largest lithium resource globally (based on size)
  • Bonnie Claire is a 100% owned lithium brine property comprising of 23,100 acres of contiguous placer claims, currently in control of 28.75 square miles (75 km2) located in Nye County, Nevada.
  • Property area is contained within a valley that is 60kms from the only producing lithium mine in North America (Albermarle Silver Peak Mine).
  • Over +20 miles (+30 km) long and 12 miles (20 km) wide into which streams from an +800 mi2 (2,070 km2) drainage basin empty.
  • Sampling of salt flats within the basin, have found lithium values in salt samples yielding up to 340 ppm.
  • Current claim block covers the gravity low and associated mud flats that could be used for evaporation ponds if significant lithium brines are discovered in drilling.
  • Preliminary NI 43-101 Technical Report completed Read More
  • A total 5,550 feet has been drilled at the Bonnie Claire with an average 963+ppm from four drill holes
  • Great infrastructure
  • Local end-users

Property Details Snapshot


Drainage Basin  (20 x 30 kms)830 square miles
Gravity Lows (length)20 x 30 kms
Valley Sediment (Range)460 – 610m (1,500 to 2,000ft)
BLM Drilling Permits
Drilling ProgramDrilling completion of first of three test wells

Smith Creek Valley Property

  • Controls 808 placer claims totaling 25.25 square miles (65.4 km2) over a major gravity low.
  • The enclosed Smith Creek Valley Basin covers 582 square miles (1,507 km2), which is slightly larger than Clayton Valley Basin where lithium brines are produced.
  • Smith Creek Valley is over +40 miles (+64 km) long in a north-northeast direction and averages 9 miles (14.5 km) in width.
  • The vast majority of rock weathering into the basin is felsic ash flow tuff, which is an excellent source of lithium.

Lithium Brine Benefits

  • Lower Cost Exploration
  • Easy access because flat and arid
  • Decreased environmental impact
  • Shorter Timeline to Production
  • Requires Less Capital
  • Lower Cost Production than bedrock
  • Found beneath salt flats in brine bearing aquifers
  • Easily pumped to Surface from vertical production well
  • After evaporation lithium recovered in small on site mill
  • Potassium may also be recovered
  • Nevada is a Geopolitically Stable Jurisdiction

Gold Projects

The company’s Gold exploration portfolio includes the Hercules property in the Como mining district, 17 kms from the famous Comstock Lode mine, the New Pass property in the New Pass mining district, and the Squaw Creek property located in the northern area of the Carlin Trend.

Gold Properties

The Hercules Property

  • Situated within and on the margins of the Como mining district, located in Lyon County, Nevada.
  • Como district was worked as early as the late 1850s, before the famous Comstock Lode deposit was discovered about 10 miles (16 km.) to the north by prospectors following float upstream from placer gold deposits at Dayton.
  • By the early 1860’s the Como district was abandoned due to the rich lodes having been discovered at Virginia City (Russell, 1981).
  • In the late 1880’s the Hercules Mining Company explored the occurred with the excavation of another 1,500 feet (450 m) of underground workings.

New Pass

  • Gold and silver property which, is comprised of 107 unpatented lode mining claims (2,231 acres).
  • The property is located in eastern Churchill County, Nevada; in the New Pass Mining District, 27 miles west of Austin, Nevada and 105 miles east of Reno.
  • Iconic Minerals has a controlling interest in the property, in a joint venture with White Knight Gold U.S. Inc., (now U.S. Gold), with Iconic earning a 50% interest.

Squaw Creek

  • Property is located 42 miles due north of Battle Mountain, Nevada and lies between the Midas and Ivanhoe mining districts on the northern portion of the Carlin Trend, six miles north of the Dee Mine in the Lower Plate Bootstrap Window.  Iconic’s Research and Development partner
  • St-Georges’ metallurgists report that they have successfully improved the concentration of lithium in the Sediments, originally reported in December  using mechanical separation and selective leaching of other elements within the Sediments.
  • The additional tests St-Georges completed in Stage 2, through selective leaching methods, have improved the elimination of barren material from 55% to 85%-88%, while retaining 100% of the lithium.
  • Upon completion approximately 12% to 15% of the original material remains for further processing and purification. This process may significantly reduce the cost of production.
  • Lithium also leachable by water

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Starbucks could be the first big chain to start selling CBD beverages

  • Coffee behemoth Starbucks could be the first major chain to introduce a range of cannabis-infused beverages, according to analysts.
  • A report released Monday by Cowan revealed its analysis of the CBD market.
  • The group believes that by 2025, CBD retail sales could reach up to $16 billion and that CBD is likely to start showing up in a variety of products on the market.

“The dynamics are fluid, likely delaying adoption from major coffee players like Starbucks in the near term,” wrote analyst Andrew Charles in the report.

“Should the regulation of CBD oil as an additive to food/beverage change or craft/independent coffee shops find a way to comply with the existing regulation, we could envision Starbucks ultimately piloting the ingredient.”

Despite the analysts’ projections, however, Starbucks-branded CBD drinks may not be in the cards–at least for some time. Starbucks CEO Kevin Johnson told CNBC in January that while the coffee giant is keeping an eye on the trend, cannabis drinks aren’t something the company is planning on rolling out in the near future.

If the caffeine purveyors opt to incorporate cannabis beverages into product lines, they face heavy regulations that may not be worth it–at least in Canada.

All cannabinoids, including CBD, must be sourced from a licenced producer, and regulators still aren’t sure how to deal with potential age restrictions.

Nonetheless, there’s money to be made, so in a few years, there might just be a CBD Frappuccino available to enthusiasts. See you in 2025!

Source: https://www.thegrowthop.com/cannabis-health/starbucks-could-be-the-first-big-chain-to-start-selling-cbd-beverages