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On the heels of last week's London launch, the ride-sharing company Uber is poised to make inroads onto St. Thomas streets – and city staff are watching closely.
According to Uber, last Thursday's Forest City roll-out encompasses St. Thomas as well – with London-based drivers able to pick up and drop off fares at local addresses.
“It is something that we certainly are paying attention to and want to address,” said Wendell Graves, clerk and CAO for the City of St. Thomas.
Uber is causing upset in many cities because it skirts municipal bylaws governing the taxi industry. The company insists it is not a taxi service but a mobile ride-sharing platform and is therefore not bound by the rules, regulations, fare prices and licensing city bylaws require of taxis.
Graves has contacted the Association of Municipalities of Ontario to see if the province-wide organization has any policy guidelines or suggestions to deal with ride-sharing companies like Uber.
“I've reached out to them and asked them if they've got a file on this and what suggestions they are giving municipalities so there can be some consistency,” said Graves. “I know this is something of interest to municipalities right across the province.”
Anyone with a smartphone can download the app and summon a ride from an Uber driver – regular people in their personal vehicles who have signed up and meet the company's criteria. Fares vary and are determined by Uber based on the time of day and distance traveled. No cash is exchanged between the passenger and driver – that's taken care of by credit card using the mobile app.
And though the Uber app has a lot of bells and whistles – like the ability to track your ride in real time and rate your driver – James Donnelly, president of Cox Cabs in St. Thomas and Blue and White Taxi in London said it doesn't replace the reliable personal service taxis offer.
“They (Uber) leave a lot of things behind. They only deal with people who have smartphones and credit cards. They don't provide any kind of wheelchair service for the disabled community,” he said. “St. Thomas is a pretty traditional market ... It's not really a market that is going to do very well for them.”
Donnelly said Cox Cabs serves a lot of elderly clientele who appreciate consistent and timely service by familiar drivers.
But above all else, Donnelly is concerned about driver and passenger safety. Though Uber has its own standards to ensure the safety of its drivers and passengers, Donnelly said is doesn't measure up to the checks and balances city bylaws impose on the taxi industry.
“Public safety is the number one rationale for the formation of the taxi bylaws,” he said. “Our biggest concern is safety. This is putting something in our community that is not vetted the way everything else is.”


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Parents have been left divided over Fashion Nova’s new clothing collection for kids.
Social media users have suggested that the brand are “sexualising” children with “creepy” outfits that are “not appropriate”.
The backlash comes after the brand generated discussion with an “invisible” bikini, which features scraps of fabric secured together with translucent plastic straps.
The affordable LA-based online retailer launched their Nova Kids line in late September, and the range features designs that mimic their adult looks.
These include pieces – targeted at those as young as three years old – such as bodycon dresses, crop tops, leather trousers and miniskirts.
— TiffanyViolet (@TifanyViolet) September 27, 2020
In a post on Twitter, one person wrote: “Wtf is Fashion Nova thinking with their kids line? Creepy and gross af...as a mom I’m disgusted."
Another commented: “Fashion Nova lost their mind with these kids clothes.”
A third added: “Fashion Nova is now over sexualizing KIDS with this new kids line.”
The controversial new clothing range even caught the attention of US political candidate Angela Stanton King.
— Angela Stanton King 🇺🇸 (@theangiestanton) September 28, 2020
Meanwhile, one user suggested: "Fashion Nova took all of their regular outfits and just made them in kids size and told y’all here’s a kid friendly clothing line."
Another person noted: “I want my child dressing like a child, not like she about to go to the club."
A post shared by Nova Kids (@novakids) on
However, others social media users found the mini-me outfits from the fast fashion label “cute” and “fabulous”.
On the brand’s Instagram page, one person wrote: “The cutest.”
Another shared: “Should be a novababies too!”
Fashion Nova has been approached by Yahoo Style UK for comment.

domain: news


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GUCCI has confirmed that it will show its pre-spring/summer 2017 show at Westminster Abbey in London on June 2 this year.
Read more: How To Give Your Home The Gucci Look
"Creative director Alessandro Michele has chosen one of London's most historic and beautiful settings for his cruise 2017 fashion show: the Cloisters at Westminster Abbey," read a statement from the brand this afternoon. "Gucci will be the first fashion house to host a runway show in this historic location."
Read more: Gucci Show Coming To London
The news comes after Michele, who lived in London for years, was honoured at the British Fashion Awards in November where he picked up the International Designer Award. His chosen venue for the already hotly anticipated event has previously hosted some of the most prestigious events and royal occaisions in the world, including the wedding of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge in 2011.
Read more: The Royal Wedding
The decision to show in the capital bucks the trend with fellow fashion houses Louis Vuitton and Chanel who have decided to show their cruise collections in Rio di Janeiro and Cuba respectively.
Read more: Louis Vuitton Heads To Rio
Read more: Karl Takes Cruise To Cuba


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The MacBook Air made its return last week, featuring a new Retina display, a Touch ID fingerprint sensor, and Apple’s T2 security chip in what the company called “the most secure boot process of any notebook.” It’s an interesting choice of words because when Apple introduced the iPad Pro shortly after, it called Face ID “more secure than any tablet or computer.” Presumably, that includes the super secure MacBook Air.
It was a jarring moment. Apple went straight from boasting about the security of its new MacBook Air to declaring it outdated and weak compared to the comparatively priced iPad in the span of just a few minutes. So why isn’t Apple putting Face ID on the Mac?
There’s any number of practical reasons why this could be the case. It might simply be a matter of size — Face ID’s array of sensors might be thicker or wider than Apple can fit in its laptop displays — or maybe Face ID would add costs. But given that comparable Windows laptops have managed to fit their own IR facial recognition cameras into their models, it seems like Apple could work something out. As it stands, the company’s latest and greatest MacBooks are not only behind its mobile devices — including the new iPhone XS and XR and iPad Pros — but they’re behind most Windows competitors as well.
If Apple really wanted to make waves with the new MacBook Air, it should have taken a risk and added a notch. Hear me out. We’ve already seen other laptop makers shrink bezel sizes to the very limits of what’s possible, far beyond even Apple’s slimmest borders. Imagine a MacBook Air that, instead of playing catch-up to where the rest of Apple’s laptops were two years ago, jumped ahead of its competitors by cutting out almost the entire display, just like the iPhone X.
If you think about it, a notch actually makes sense with macOS. We’ve seen Windows competitors like the Dell XPS 13 or Huawei MateBook X Pro awkwardly work around their webcam locations by hiding them at the bottom of the displays or even inside a keyboard key. (No one wants to see your nose hairs during a video call.) But a notched menu bar would let Apple keep the camera right where it belongs — in the top of the display — without sacrificing slim upper bezels. Combined with Apple’s already omnipresent-by-default menubar (which already has an awkward dead space in the middle in almost every setting) and the newly introduced dark mode in macOS Mojave, a notched MacBook would fit in perfectly to the existing software design, instead of being an awkward intrusion that you have to ignore like on iOS. In an era where laptops all have started to blur together visually, a notch could set a next-gen MacBook apart from the pack. It’d be similar to Apple’s strategy with the iPhone X — at least until everyone copied it.
If Face ID skips the Mac, it won’t be surprising. The Mac is just not a place where the company innovates anymore. Nearly every recent Apple hardware or software innovation started on the iPhone: the App Store, iMessage, Retina Displays, Siri, Touch ID, HomeKit, Face ID, touchscreen interfaces, and even basic UI trends. And the places where Apple is innovating on the Mac are sometimes based on Apple’s mobile operating systems — like the lukewarmly received Touch Bar, which was built off of a version of watchOS.
Apple has eventually brought over almost all of these features to the Mac. But right now, Apple’s Mac lineup feels like an afterthought or a second fiddle that eventually benefits from trickled-down iOS features instead of its own platform for innovation. Now that it’s looking to bridge the gap next year with its Marzipan porting of iOS apps, that pressure from the mobile platform is only going to further cement that fact for Mac users. Apple is practically admitting that Mac apps aren’t enough anymore, and it’s turning to iOS.
It’s not that Apple’s new MacBook Air is bad, per se: Apple made a perfectly serviceable refresh of the previous Air, but it’s an update that just brings things back up to par from the woefully outdated model. Taken together with the new Mac mini, you have two computers that weren’t updated for years that are finally getting brought up to the bare standard for 2018. Meanwhile, Apple continues to push to the cutting edge of its tablet technology year after year.
It feels like Apple is excited about the iPad. It’s a place where the company wants to push the envelope of what’s possible with computers. And even if it seems like the software powering that hardware still isn’t quite ready for that future, at least Apple is trying to move ahead there, instead of playing catch-up from a self-imposed stagnation.
It’s time for Apple to start pushing the MacBook line forward again — to take risks, to be bold, to be exciting. Perhaps, it could start with a notch.


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Tax and Government Fraud Cases Spiked 68% in 2022
NORTHBOOK, Ill.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Mar. 30, 2023-- Taxpayers may get lower refunds this year, but that’s not stopping scammers from trying to steal them.
Allstate Identity Protection is reporting a 68% spike in tax and government fraud cases in 2022 over 2021. In fact, tax refund fraud was the third most reported fraud type in 2022, according to the Allstate Identity Protection Fraud in Focus report.
“We get a lot of calls about identity theft every year during tax season,” said
Allstate Identity Protection is reminding people to be diligent and act on warning signs early to keep their identity and money safe.
5 warning signs of tax identity theft
You file your taxes and they’re declined. This is a sign a scammer has already used your
Social Securitynumber to file a phony tax return. As a result, the IRScan’t accept your electronic or paper return.
IRSrecords don't have your correct employment history or wages.
IRSnotifies you about an additional tax or refund offset you weren’t expecting.
You get a letter from the
IRSsaying your online account has been deactivated.
- You’ve been assigned an employer identification number you didn’t request.
“One of the best ways to protect yourself is to safeguard your
Consider signing up for an identity protection service for extra peace of mind. Allstate Identity Protection reimburses out-of-pocket costs for various types of fraud, including stolen tax refunds.
To learn more about 2023 fraud predictions and the most prevalent scams of 2022, check out Identity Fraud in Focus, the Allstate Identity Protection quarterly report. It includes insights from millions of identity theft cases to keep families safer online.
View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230330005184/en/


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The hottest topic at the moment in America is marijuana legalization. It is a huge phenomenon that is disrupting a number of industries. Marijuana is still illegal at the Federal level and it has been left up to individual states to decide whether or not they want to legalize. The result of this is that 8 states have currently legalizedrecreational marijuana. These states are Colorado, Nevada, Washington, Massachusetts, Alaska, Oregon, Maine and California. 29 states currently allow medical marijuana. There are a number of different rules and regulations in each state which are changing and evolving all the time, so it is quite a complex regulatory and legal field. Once legalized at the State level it is up to local counties to implement procedures to comply with state and federal laws. In many ways, it is a quagmire of differing requirements, especially since there are different rules in relation to the regulation of both medical and recreational marijuana.
Marijuana banned in Maine Town?
The town of Surry is set to hold a public hearing on Sept. 20 to discuss the ordinanceto prohibit marijuana retail stores and pot social clubs. A special town meeting is scheduled for the Second of October.Maine voters last year approved legalizing the possession, sale and use of recreational marijuana by persons over 21 years of age. Possession of up to 2.5 ounces of marijuana became legal earlier this year but lawmakers pushed back legalization of marijuana sales to next year.Surry voted 526-477 against the marijuana legalization referendum.A legislative committee is determining a regulatory framework for recreational marijuana sales and licensing.
The legalization of marijuana is in many ways unprecedented in its decentralization. Once legalized it is pretty much up to each local county to decide how and if they want to implement marijuana. This is true and pure decentralization, where each region gets to vote on what it wants to do. Some may want less restrictions and other may want very strict compliance and regulatory standards. As good as it sounds, it does come with a number of difficulties and setbacks. One is that there are so many differing rules and requirements not just between each state but also between each county.
Maine is just one of many other towns considering banning marijuana. Like California, Maine is set to experience recreational marijuana next year, but this has not gone down well with a number of counties in Southern Maine. Lebanon was the first town in Southern Maine to become marijuana free and more are set to join.
York is holding a similar referendum this weekend and could join Lebanon on a small but growing list of Maine towns considering shutting down the new legal marijuana market that is expected to launch next year, after lawmakers set up a regulatory system to oversee the industry. According to Ted Kelleher, an attorney with who leads a practice group focusing on highly regulated markets: “It’s the most clear-cut, unambiguous action a town can take. It avoids the need to have to face a lot of the other more complicated, difficult questions about where you would permit these stores and how many you would allow.”
Many towns have halted marijuana legalization until they can come to terms with the social implications of the plant and all that comes with it, from licensing to zoning permits to regulation of growth. Indeed, it comes with a lot of responsibility. Marijuana is actually notoriously difficult to grow and regulate. Badly run marijuana operations wreak havoc on the environment. Then there is the very tricky issue of setting standards for the regulation and certification of marijuana strains. The police force is not equipped to manage illegal growth operations, of which there are many, and there are no inspectors to enforce any sort of standards (standards which as of yet do not really exist). In sum, the framework is not there, neither are the resources, and some towns have simply said no to marijuana until they have more information and data. While many towns have halted the legalization of marijuana, some have simply said no. This is their choice and has to be respected. In December, the Kennebec County town of Oakland became the first dry town in Maine. In Saco, city councilors are considering an ordinance to ban recreational marijuana business for a year.
A Little bit Premature
The towns are entitled to do as they please as long as it is what the residents want to do. But simply banning marijuana might be a foolish mistake in many ways simply because” We don’t know how to manage”. This is a somewhat childish approach. As adults, it might be a good idea to simply halt it and to start putting procedures in place so that organically and over time marijuana can be integrated into the town in an effective and efficient manner. In any case towns only have the ability to ban sales and business-related activities. Recreational marijuana is still legal and residents can grow their own personal supply of marijuana in Maine.
However, there is one good argument as put forward by Jon Speers, vice chairman of the York Board of Selectmen.: “Where do you think that tax money is going to be going? Straight to Augusta. We’re not going to see any retail sales tax on these operations.” The money is not really there to pay for enforcement officials to tackle marijuana regulation and to ensure that compliance standards are met.


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In context: Game Pass and other hardware-agnostic services have become the core of Microsoft’s gaming strategy, but the company’s recent documents leak suggests Microsoft is betting Xbox’s entire future on the strategy. It’s unclear how critical Microsoft’s situation truly is or if its comments are another attempt to play the little guy amid its court battle with the FTC.
A new revelation from the major leak of FTC v. Microsoft court documents indicates that the company has at least considered leaving the gaming market if its Game Pass subscriber base can’t grow enough in the next few years. Throughout regulatory hearings, Microsoft has often described its console as a losing competitor.
According to the document, FTC lawyer James Weingarten asked Xbox boss Phil Spencer about an internal Microsoft graphic projecting that Game Pass could reach over 100 million subscribers by 2030. Spencer called the chart a pessimistic projection, suggesting the company might reorient its strategy if it doesn’t achieve that milestone by fiscal year 2026 or 2027. A Microsoft LinkedIn profile recently noted that Game Pass currently has 30 million users, but this week, Microsoft amended the account and reiterated the 25 million figure from last year.
Furthermore, the graph shows that most Game Pass customers use the service on Xbox, but Spencer said the company’s current direction depends on growing the proportion of PC and cloud users much more quickly than depicted. The strategy would align with Microsoft’s plans to encourage playing games across numerous devices.
“I do not believe that that is what the future Xbox business would look like. This is a presentation from our devices organization to the gaming leadership team, so this is the view from the team that is chartered with building our hardware on what the future business would look like,” said Spencer. “I can fairly safely say that if we do not make more progress than this off of console, we would exit the gaming business. If this were the outcome, we would – I don’t believe we’d still be in the business.”
There is a chance that Spencer is exaggerating, as multiple statements from the court proceedings seem designed to make the company’s position in the gaming market appear weak. Microsoft is trying to convince regulators that its attempted $69 billion purchase of Activision Blizzard won’t give it an unfair advantage on the console and cloud gaming businesses.
The company previously admitted that it has “lost” the console wars because Xbox sales put it in third place behind PlayStation and the Nintendo Switch. Additionally, Microsoft pledged to keep Call of Duty – a central focus behind regulatory pushback – on non-Microsoft platforms because keeping it exclusive to Xbox would lose the company money. The UK’s CMA is likely the final obstacle facing the acquisition.
Other information from the leak includes Microsoft’s plans for future consoles, confirming its dedication to staying in the race. However, Spencer said the company’s plans have evolved since the documents were created in 2022 and earlier.


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For the first time in 5 years, Dr Pepper is offering a new flavor as part of a promotional tie-in with the upcoming theatrical release of Spider-Man: Far From Home.
Story continues below
Dr Pepper Dark Berry takes the classic Dr Pepper flavor that fans are familiar with and brings out its dark side with tangy fruit flavors like blackberry, black currant, and black cherry.
The new limited-edition Dr Pepper flavor can be found at retailers nationwide in 12-packs of 12-oz cans for a suggested price of $5.29, as well as 20-oz bottles for $1.99.
Image – Dr Pepper


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Customers and Essential Workers to all Wear Face Coverings
Revised City Order Requires All Customers of Essential Businesses and All Essential Workers Wear Face CoveringsCity of Laguna Beach, April 15, 2020, Media Release
Laguna Beach, CA – Laguna Beach City Manager John Pietig issued a revised Emergency Order today requiring all customers wear face coverings when entering or remaining in Essential Businesses to provide additional protection for workers and the general public from the spread of COVID-19.
Individuals who work or provide services at Essential Businesses are already required to wear face coverings while performing their work following the first Emergency Order issued by the City Manager on April 9.
The revised Emergency Order takes effect on Thursday, April 16, 2020 at 12:00 a.m., and states all Essential Businesses and Services within the City shall require their customers and workers wear cloth face coverings that shield their noses and mouths while at the Essential Business.
Essential Businesses include grocery stores, pharmacies, home improvement stores, gas station convenience stores, restaurants providing take-out or delivery services, banks, savings and loans, credit unions, and construction sites. Face coverings, such as scarves (dense fabric, without holes), bandanas, neck gaiter, or other fabric face coverings are allowed.
All persons, including Essential Workers, are discouraged from using medical grade personal protective equipment, such as N95 masks, for non-medical reasons.
Essential businesses must also continue to implement physical distancing measures for employees, customers, and maintain proper sanitation at all times or the facility shall be closed.
All residents of the City are strongly urged to wear face coverings over their nose and mouth whenever they are in close proximity to others in public and private areas who are not members of their household. The California Department of Public Health and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends all persons wear cloth face coverings in public settings where other social distancing measures are difficult to maintain. On April 8, 2020, the Orange County Public Health Officer also issued a recommendation strongly encouraging Essential Workers to wear non-medical grade masks or face coverings while at work to help prevent the spread of COVID-19.
“The City of Laguna Beach is taking every measure we can to protect our residents, Essential Workers and businesses from the spread of COVID-19,” said Laguna Beach City Manager John Pietig. “We appreciate the public’s efforts to help us flatten the curve together.”
A full copy of the City Manager’s Emergency Order can be found HERE.


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Canadian researchers develop nano-sensors for smartphone display glass
Mike McLeodElectronics sensors slideshow smartphone
Polytechnique Montréal scientist employ 3D laser-etched waveguides in Gorilla glass for novel sensor-based applications.
“We’re opening Pandora’s box at the moment,” says Raman Kashyap, professor of electrical engineering and engineering physics at Polytechnique Montréal. “Now that this technique is viable, what remains is to invent new uses for it. This is why we are actively looking to partner with industry to develop this technology.”
To create these nano-sized, transparent systems, the research team used an infrared laser to etch three-axis transparent light pathways, or waveguides, within Corning Gorilla Glass, a strong, dense glass currently used in most smartphones. Measuring only a few microns in diameter, but up to a meter long, the channels are imperceptible to the naked eye but act as conduits for the light given off by the smartphone display. By analyzing shifts in the light allows for novel sensor applications.
As a proof of concept, the research team created a heat sensor composed of two waveguides, one straight and one curved. As the glass heats up and expands, the waveguides lengthen. By measuring how the light that emerges from one waveguide interferes with light from the other, the device can measure the temperature of anything it touches.
The team also created a smartphone authentication system by employing waveguides with patterns of tiny holes. Using this method, each smartphone could have a unique photonic fingerprint to add another layer of security in, for example, financial transactions.
“It’s easy to imagine how the technology could also eventually allow computing devices to be embedded into any glass surface, such as windows, tabletops, telephone screens, creating totally transparent tactile surfaces,” says Jérôme Lapointe, lead researcher and doctoral student at Polytechnique Montréal. “It would be like adding a new dimension to the real world that our eyes can see.”
For a complete explanation of the Polytechnique Montréal technique, the team’s work is detailed in a report (Making smart phones smarter with photonics) published in The Optical Society’s photonics journal, Optics Express.


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Police Seeking Person Of Interest After Baby Abandoned In Walmart Bathroom
A baby was left on the floor next to a toilet in a locked stall that was undergoing repairs at a Walmart in Lakewood, California.
A baby was abandoned inside a Walmart in Lakewood, California and police are asking for the public's help in tracking down a person of interest in the case.
The baby boy was found alone inside the men’s bathroom of the store on Oct. 8, according to the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s department. The boy was discovered on the tile floor next to a toilet in a locked stall that was undergoing repairs, KTLA 5 in Los Angeles reports.
The infant is described as African-American, between 12 and 15 months years old, and weighing approximately 20 pounds, police said on Monday.
“The baby was discovered by a Walmart customer who immediately notified a store employee,” police said. “Since the incident, the child’s parents and/or guardians have yet to be identified and nobody has reported the child missing.”
Police reviewed Walmart video footage and determined a person of interest. They have released a video still of the person. Police have also released a photo and description of a car the man is believed to be driving: a beige- or gold-colored 2000-2001 Jeep Grand Cherokee Laredo.
At a Monday press conference, Lt. Todd Deeds told reporters that this man exhibited what appeared to be unusual behavior: he parked as far away from the store as possible and headed directly to the bathroom. He also had a backpack on that appeared to decrease in size after the bathroom visit.
"He may have a perfectly valid reason why his backpack looked full when he walked in and why it didn't look full when he walked out, and why he parked so far away. We don't know," Deeds said, as reported by KTLA. "He may have a valid reason as to why he did what he did, or his actions, but we need to talk to him. We need to find out firsthand.”
Although police do not know the identity of the baby, Deeds said that at the press conference that he is doing okay and is being cared for.
Anyone with information is encouraged to contact the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department, Special Victims Bureau toll free tip line at (877) 710-5273 or by email at email@example.com. If you prefer to provide information anonymously, you may call "Crime Stoppers" by dialing (800) 222-TIPS (8477), or use your smartphone by downloading the “P3 Tips” Mobile APP or “P3 Mobile” for the hearing impaired on Google play or the App Store, or by using the website http://lacrimestoppers.org/


text: Consumers are used to getting what they want when they want it – and geofencing can help set guest expectations (and make you a more appealing choice for guests in a hurry). While the use of geofencing technology to increase the efficiency of food collection is nothing new, time has now proven its ability to expedite service. Last October, in an InTouch Insight study of 10 quick-service restaurants during peak dayparts, Chick-fil-A came in last for drive-thru times at eight minutes and 29 seconds on average. (KFC took first place for speed, with average drive-thru times of five minutes and two seconds.) Restaurant Dive reports that following a test of geofencing technology on its mobile app this past year, Chick-fil-A has been able to decrease its drive-thru times by between one and two minutes. Guests who enable location service on the restaurant’s app will get an estimate of how long their orders will take, whether for curbside, takeaway or dine-in service. Chick-fil-A staff are alerted when customers approach the restaurant and can begin preparing orders – and estimated wait times have been 90 percent accurate.


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By Carolyn Cummins
The announcement by GPT Group that it is planning to develop the air rights above its malls, starting at Melbourne Central, is another step in the evolution and revolution of shopping centres.
While residential development near to a centre is not new, the use of air rights is gaining traction and popularity. According to property analysts it makes sense for shopping centre owners to look at new ways to attract customers to entertainment and food facilities and hotels are seen as a desirable option.
The one hurdle, of course, is gaining entry to the mall and its food courts, but as more people start to call a city their home, pressure is mounting for councils and the landlords to change the opening and closing times. In the future, cinemas are tipped to be smaller, but they will still be an integral part of a mall, and will need late access times.
Income would be generated for the centres if they can have food and entertainment offerings available for the residents.
The owners of Chadstone shopping centre in Melbourne has apartments and plans for a hotel and offices nearby, as has Westfield at Doncaster.
In London, Westfield is developing apartments near its Stratford City mall, while a preliminary development application has been lodged in Sydney to develop the air rights on the David Jones’s Market Street site.
Down George Street is the World Square site which is one of the busiest in the country as people work, live and play in the same complex.
One of the first was the Swissotel, which sits on top of the Myer store at Westfield’s Sydney Central Plaza. GPT also has its mixed use Rouse Hill mall, while Stockland is revamping the Wetherill Park shopping centre and also has its Cammeray and Balgowlah centres. But having apartments incorporated into a centre is the next step.
GPT’s Carmel Hourigan said at the announcement of the group’s half year results on Tuesday that the company was looking at some student accommodation on the roof area, ''and looking at a hotel opportunity as well’’.
‘‘What we're doing with our portfolio is looking for untapped value.’’
Ms Hourigan told analysts that as retail sales appear to be recovering, it will provide landlords with the opportunity to unlock additional value at existing centres. ‘‘GPT will consider further development of the centre after teaming up with Unilodge on a 300-bed student accommodation project in the Northern Territory suburb of Casuarina.
‘‘Mixed use opportunities are being investigated as part of the masterplanning process across the portfolio to transition retail assets from pure shopping centres into major activity or town centres.’’
In 1990, Lend Lease, through its projects division, looked at building hotels in a number of shopping centres in a concept similar to its Woden Plaza Hotel in Canberra. The hotels would probably be run as budget-type accommodation with the shopping centres providing entertainment through cinema complexes and food halls.
Retailers around the world have spent millions of dollars upgrading shopping centres to provide venues for entertaining customers under the strategy of "get them in and keep them in".


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Solange proved earlier this year that she has a strong kick game, and while we can’t confirm that this resume entry led to her work with Puma, we can show you a preview of the shoes that she’s concocted with the brand.
Named ‘Wild Wonders’ and ‘Behind the Bazaar’ the two shoes go over the XT2 silhouette with aqua blues and fluoro yellow mesh – definitely a loud shoe but one that will be instantly recognisable.
You can grab the striking kicks on Black Friday (November 28) but don’t despair if you get bought out by bots, as there’ll be another drop coming on December 13.
Solange is “the people’s Beyonce” according to Earl Sweatshirt
Solange punching Jay Z in an elevator nearly broke the internet. Her are the 10 best responses.
Rihanna is in talks to design a line for Puma


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Monthly Archives: October 2020
Revenge-Seeking Employee Stole Fuel
According to the Lancashire Telegraph website, a trusted and well-liked member of staff had been secretly ripping his employers off, as an act of revenge.
Everton Evans spent years using his company fuel card to purchase petrol, drums of which he later gave to others in exchange for goods.read more
Dentist Stole £15k From Practice
The Leicestershire Live website reports that a dentist is set to be struck off after stealing more than £15,000 from his employer.
Sundip Singh Nagra admitted to putting money paid by eight patients – in cash, cheques and a bank transfer – into his personal bank account.read more
Female Gang Stole £4k Of Perfume
The Birmingham Live website reports that a Romanian shoplifting gang travelled up and down the country to steal £4,000 worth of perfume from shops in an organised operation.
A court was told that the gang visited busy shopping venues where they blatantly stole large quantities of expensive scent from large stores.read more
Hotel Worker Stole Electricals
The Scottish Sun reports that a maintenance manager stole TVs, lights and computer equipment from the hotel where he worked, and then sold them on eBay.
Gordon Cameron was caught when his work computer was searched and found he’d auctioned off almost £2,500 of goods, some for a fraction of their value.read more
Pharmacy Worker Stole £300k
An article in The Sun reports that a pharmacy worker has been jailed for 22 months after admitting theft from his employers.
Andrew Simpson stole drugs and make-up worth nearly £300,000, selling the over-ordered stock via an eBay account.read more
Volunteer Treasurer Stole £222k
According to the Eastern Daily Press website, a gambling addict took more than £220,000 from Norwich’s Catholic Cathedral while volunteering as its treasurer.
Rene Mugenzi siphoned off the cash from the bank account at St John the Baptist Cathedral and into his own between March 2016 and May 2018.read more


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Quarterly updates are driving the flow of Indian markets in the current scenario. The Power sector has been on the rise in this quarter. This has also been displayed in one of the Power segment giants Tata Power. The company has registered a growth of 48% in its net profit. Alongside this the major company of the Adani conglomerate has also shown growth.
The company has been one of the major power segment players in the past decade. It has registered a 939 Crore Rs of net profit in the quarter of March 2023. The company’s net profit has grown 48%. However the company has also proved the estimates of Dalal Street wrong. The estimates of analysts were at 670 Crore Rs of profit for the firm. It has beaten that by a huge margin. The company’s revenue from operations was 12454 Crore Rs. This has been 4.1% more than the previous year’s quarter. The operating margin of the firm was lower which can be easily noted due to the revenue growth of 4.1% against t5he profit jump of 48%. This shows the income from other sources has been more.
The major support in net profit was from the transmission and distribution business. It recorded a growth of 16%. The company recorded its earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation at 1927 Crore Rs which is 3/2% more than the previous year’s quarter. The margin was however around 15.5% which fell by 10 bps. The revenue of the firm was expected around 12950 Crore Rs by the analysts which was missed by the firm. But on the other hand the earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation was more than the expectations of 1813 Crore Rs. Tata Power declared a dividend of 2 Rs per share. The current share price of the company is around 207 Rs per share.
The flagship company of the Adani Conglomerate recorded a boom of double profit in this quarter in comparison to March 2022. The company’s profit was 722.5 Crore Rs in comparison to the 304.32 Crore Rs in the previous year’s quarter. The company’s revenue increased from 25141 Crore Rs in March 2022 from 31716 Crore Rs in March 2023. This will definitely boost the investor’s confidence in the firm.
The Hindenburg report has been a major headache for the group and as a result of it the company has also recorded a major loss in valuation. This result will fuel up the motivation of investors to stay invested in the firm. The company has been able to achieve this growth despite the rumours published by the Hindenburg group in its report. The current share price of the firm is around 1964 Rs per share.
The net profit of Hero Motocorp was 37% more than the previous year’s quarter. The company has generated a net profit of 859 Crore Rs. The same figures for the March 2022 quarter was 627 Crore Rs. The revenue of the firm has also increased from 7421 Crore Rs to 8307 Crore Rs. The earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation increased by a mighty 31% from 827 Crore Rs to 1083 Crore Rs. The margins of the firm were 11.2% in the previous quarter which rose by 13%. The company declared a dividend of 35 Rs per share. With this the total tally of dividend declared by the firm in this year was 100 Rs per share.
In this quarter the company has also initiated its business expansion into the EV segment. The VIDA model has been made affordable to increase the sales of the company in this segment. The rollout of its EV product is planned in more than 100 cities now. The company is expecting a growth of sales in the two wheeler segment to 2 times in the coming year. The current share price of the company is around 2605 Rs per share.
The company has recorded a major rise in sales to 35.61%. The sales of the firm came at 16679 Crore Rs which was 12299 Crore Rs in the previous year’s quarter. The net profit of the firm increased by 19.6% from 3700 Crore Rs in March 2022 to 4425 Crore Rs in the March 2023 quarter. The earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation stood at 15681 Crore Rs. This figure displayed a jump of 36.96% in the earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation figures after comparison with the previous year’s quarter of 11449 Crore Rs. The earnings per share of the firm increased to 24.19 Rs. The same for the previous year was 20.43 Rs per share. The current share price of the firm is 2787 Rs and it has already given a return of 16.13% in the previous year.


text: Data proves California is the most expensive state in the country. The top motivators for working out include wanting to beat a partner and shaking off bad mood. Kim Mulkey from Baylor says NCAA should do away with COVID testing for Final Four. Man finds that his cat has been living a double life through Zoopla app. A mafia fugitive was caught after he posted a cooking video. A Sacramento man whose dog barks constantly received an anonymous deliver from Amazon - it contained a shock collar. New Releases.


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Advocacy group Parents’ Voice has voiced its concerns about the marketing of unhealthy food and drinks during the current Tokyo Olympics and is now calling for the end of junk food and sugary drink sponsorship in sport.
Parents’ Voice Manager Alice Pryor said: “Parents are fed up with sugary drinks and unhealthy food marketing to kids via their sporting heroes. It’s past time for the Olympics, and all sport, to set a better example for kids and ditch the junk.”
“Watching the Olympics with your family is a vivid memory for most children, evoking feelings of unity and inclusion through sport. This is not an event that should ever be accompanied by ads and sponsorships for sugary drinks, fast food and chocolate.”
The group cites Coca-Cola’s official partnership with the Australian Olympic Team, as well as its inclusion as a ‘Worldwide Olympic Partner’ as being of particular concern.
The Australian Olympic Team is also sponsored by Cadbury, while McDonald’s is a broadcast partner.
Hannah Phillips, Melbourne parent of two, shared her concern.
“I want to be able to enjoy these moments with my family, but we can’t sit through a single event without being bombarded by these unhealthy food and drink ads. It seems our only option is to not watch,” Phillips said.
“I’m concerned about the influence of this marketing on our children. Why do these companies get to market to children through their favourite athletes? I want sport to support healthy behaviours, not undermine families.”
Pryor added: “If the Australian and International Olympic Committees are not going to take steps to remove these unhealthy sponsorships, then the Australian Government must step up. One in four Australian children are now above a healthy weight. Government must set a better standard and put the health and wellbeing of Aussie kids above corporate profit.”


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The annual Waste Not! tag sale was this weekend—the usual hodgepodge of second (or third or fourth) hand knickknacks. This year the sale was in two locations, Brainerd and Fountain. Despite prices, which some perusers felt were a bit steep, most items sold quickly. The sale started at noon on Saturday with shoppers sprinting to couches, lamps, mirrors Supermarket Sweep style. Fountain was picked almost clean within the first half hour of the sale, but Brainerd—where all the clothes were—was going strong all day Saturday.
So, what’d people buy? Film hall now has a new record player, which they claim will be used for “playing music.” Jules Berman ’16 of West College bought a birdhouse, which he’s hoping will bring canaries and cockatoos to play above his bed.
A shout out to the hip and cool sustainability interns, Noah K-M ’13 and Kate Weiner ’15, who will be putting on campus sustainability events throughout the year.[nggallery id=164]


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U.S. automakers close productivity gap
in 2007, Chrysler LLC and Toyota Motor Corp. were tied for the top spot in plant productivity in North America, according to a closely watched scorecard on auto manufacturing.
The Wall Street Journal reported today that last year “Chrysler LLC and Toyota Motor Corp. were tied for the top spot in plant productivity in North America,” according to a closely watched scorecard on auto manufacturing. “On average both companies required the same number of labor hours – just over 30 – to assemble a vehicle and major components like the engine and transmission.”The Detroit Free Press added that Chrysler “got its first piece of really good news in more than a year as some of its most important manufacturing facilities won raves in the respected Harbour Report of productivity.” With “buyers shift[ing] to more fuel-efficient vehicles, the plants that build Chrysler’s smallest and most fuel efficient engines and vehicles have become the most efficient in North America by a wide margin,” giving the automaker “an important competitive advantage.” The report indicated that “Chrysler has tied Toyota as the most efficient vehicle maker in North America.” In contrast, “Chrysler finished dead last in the survey just seven years ago.”According to a related Wall Street Journal article, the Harbour Report indicated that, “[h]elped by leaner processes and employee buyouts, Detroit’s beleaguered automakers last year nearly erased the productivity deficit against their Japanese competitors.” The difference between “the Big Six from the most- to least-productive in terms of total manufacturing labor dropped to 3.5 hours a vehicle, or about $260 a vehicle, down from 10.51 hours, or $790 a vehicle, in 2003.” In addition to Chrysler’s improvements, the report suggested that “General Motors Corp. (GM) brought its total manufacturing productivity performance to 32.29 hours a vehicle, its 12th consecutive year of improvement,” while “Ford Motor Co. reduced its labor hours per vehicle by 3.5 percent to 33.88, despite producing 6 percent fewer vehicles than it did in 2006.” Bloomberg further explains that, while Toyota and Chrysler “plants used the least labor to build a vehicle in North America last year…worker buyouts helped improve efficiency at” GM and Ford. “Automakers are shifting to ‘fewer, better, more competitive plants,’ Ron Harbour, partner in Oliver Wyman’s North American automotive practice, told reporters at an Automotive Press Association meeting in Detroit.” Harbour added, “Plant flexibility is going to be crucial.”Meanwhile, the report says that while the U.S. automakers are more productive, they still are “losing money per vehicle,” due to higher costs, the Associated Press notes.


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Our News / Collaborations
CHB Group to be Field Global Partner for Harvard Business School!
CHB Group recently had the opportunity to host a team of students from Harvard Business School in Athens for one week as part of a required first-year course at Harvard Business School called the FIELD Global Immersion. CHB Group was one of 157 FIELD Global Partners spanning 13 countries around the world. Together these Global Partners combined to host more than 930 Harvard Business School students in all. “We are extremely grateful to CHB Group and all the FIELD Global Partner organizations for all they do on behalf of our students,” said Professor Juan Alcacer, the faculty head of FIELD. “The students benefit immeasurably from this experience and we hope the partner organizations do as well.”
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Our juices available at Ipirotissa
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Our juices available at Trois bakeries!
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CE Pulse Tracks Real-Time Online Sentiment at CES
The International Consumer Electronics Show begins today, pumping an insurmountable amount of new technology into our lives. In order to help consumers digest the new technology, three companies have joined forces to develop a real time, interactive gauge of public opinion, CE Pulse.
Sponsored by JetBlue Airways and powered by Mullen and Pointslocal, a leading social media analytics provider, CE Pulse keeps track and ranks social opinion about consumer electronics, so site visitors can filter through the marketing build up and gain an understanding of how consumers actually feel about products and brands.
With CE Pulse companies and consumers can rate a brand’s consumer sentiment and popularity in regard to the competition, engage in a live dialog with people and brands, follow brand or category specific tweet streams, discover breakout products and consumer electronics categories from the show, and pinpoint geographic activity.
In the latest series of projects in social media monitoring and analysis from Mullen, Fast Company’s Most Innovative Company, CE Pulse came out on top. For the past three years Mullen has held BrandBowl, a way to gauge consumer sentiment surrounding Super Bowl TV Ads. In addition to BrandBowl, the agency has also measured consumer interest related to major sports teams including The Boston Red Sox and The New England Patriots.
“In a fast-paced and cluttered environment like CES, all brands are trying to stand out with innovative products and splashy marketing,” said Michael Bourne, SVP Account Director at Mullen. “Social media monitoring tools like CE Pulse enable consumers and brands to truly understand how the public perceives new products, and filter through the noise to uncover valuable information. Brands that gauge how consumers talk about them are in a better position to engage in a dialogue with those consumers.”
Sponsored by JetBlue, who are known for its unprecedented in-flight experiences and ground breaking approach to customer service that includes an acclaimed social media outreach team, CE Pulse is giving consumers and consumer electronics industry professionals an invaluable view of the public’s opinion of new products and brand activity.
“At JetBlue, we care about our customers’ experiences from start to finish, even beyond their flight,” said JetBlue Social Media Strategist Morgan Johnston. “The advancements in consumer electronics change the way we play, work, live and even travel, so we’re excited to help provide consumers with this unique view into all the cool new gadgets at the show. is going to be an exciting year for us as we continue the technological innovation and award-winning service at the heart of JetBlue.”


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Workers at an Apple Inc. store in Atlanta plan to become the first in the U.S. to file for a union election today, reports Bloomberg. The proposed union would include 107 workers at an Apple store in Cumberland Mall in northwest Atlanta.
Seventy percent of workers have signed cards of support and plan to file an election petition with the National Labor Relations Board Wednesday afternoon, said Derrick Bowles, a Cumberland Apple store worker and member of the organizing committee.
According to Bloomberg, organizers say wages at the store fall below the living wage for Atlanta. Starting pay is about $20 an hour, below the $31-an-hour living wage a single parent with one child needs to live there, according to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
The union wants to raise base wages to $28 an hour, the minimum it says is needed for a single employee to afford a one-bedroom apartment without being rent burdened. It’s also asking for bigger raises to offset inflation and greater profit sharing to match corporate employees.


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Haitian Government Step up To Protect Local Enterprises Business in Haiti It is an amazing steps Haiti is taking to help boost our economy. Developing the local production of goods while making it cost retailers more to import is a good step to growing our economy. Every country in the worlds protects its local production. So should Haiti! Lakay Expo always there to help anybody who can create or improve product that can ship throughout the world. Lakay Expo will do the rest.
Secretary of State for Fiscal Reform, Ronald Décembre, said the government has an obligation to protect local producers and industries that are supporting the country’s economy and creating sustainable jobs
“We have incentive tariffs for products we wish people to import and deterrent tariffs for products we believe are harmful to national production,” Décembre told the Haitian-based website, HCNN.
He said taxes on imported corn and beans will increase by nearly 400 per cent while the duty on imported rum has been hiked from 15 to 25 per cent. Wheat flour, which previously enjoyed tax-free status, will now attract a 15 per cent tax, while pasta products will move from 10 to 20 per cent.
The tax on imported rice remains unchanged at 3.5 per cent because officials say the country is not yet in a position to produce enough rice to satisfy the local demand.
The new taxes are expected to come into effect in October and must be approved by both houses of Parliament.
Décembre said that the imported goods, often subsidized by producing countries, can be bought on the local market at a cheaper price, and is a main factor in many local businesses closing down.
“We are not taxing just because we want customs to collect more money. It is because the enterprises that are creating jobs here cannot keep up with the prices of subsidized products being dumped from other countries,” Décembre said.
But critics fear such measures could affect negatively the cost of living in a country where majority of the population is living on less than two United States dollars a day.
However, the government said the best way to turn the economic situation around is to protect and boost national production, create jobs and opportunities, and generate the means to autonomously fund the projects that matter to the Haitian people.
“We cannot always count on the international community to finance our national budget and our projects. As a people, we have to try our best to take our destiny into our own hands


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Mack Trucks announced plans to commercialize the Mack LR Electric, its refuse model equipped with a fully electric integrated Mack drivetrain. Orders for the Mack LR Electric will open in fourth quarter of 2020, with deliveries beginning in 2021.
“Mack’s leadership in the refuse segment goes back more than a century, and we’re pleased to build on that heritage today by announcing the commercialization of the LR Electric model,” said Martin Weissburg, president, Mack Trucks. “This clean, quiet and powerful truck demonstrates the very best of Mack innovation and our people, and I couldn’t be more proud to announce our plans to build it.”
The production Mack LR Electric model will fulfill the needs of refuse customers, whether commercial or municipal, seeking a zero-emissions truck that aligns with their environmental goals and local emissions regulations. With its quiet operation, the LR Electric will meet the needs of customers working in an urban setting who are seeking to cut noise pollution and operate quietly at night, according to Mack.
Introduced as a prototype in 2018, the LR Electric features Mack’s fully integrated electric powertrain with twin electric motors and four NMC lithium-ion batteries providing vehicle propulsion, as well as power for all onboard accessories. A three-mode regenerative braking system takes into account the truck’s increasing load and helps recapture energy from the hundreds of stops refuse trucks make per day.
And, according to Mack, "in a nod to its unique pedigree and fully electric driveline," LR Electric models will feature a copper Bulldog mounted on the front of each truck.
Similar to other LR models, the LR Electric may be fitted with equipment bodies from a number of manufacturers, allowing the customer to tailor the truck to their specific application. Customers will be able to choose from the same driver/passenger side driving configurations, seating choices and door options offered on the diesel-powered LR. In addition, minimal changes to the gauges and select switchgear were made, allowing Mack to carry over the ergonomic driver-designed LR cab.
To maximize customer uptime, the LR Electric will be monitored by Mack GuardDog Connect, a proactive telematics solution that monitors vehicle performance to help customers avoid unplanned downtime. LR Electric-focused service training and electrical safety curriculum will also be deployed to the Mack dealer network to ensure customers receive the level of support they’ve come to expect from Mack.
Originally posted on Work Truck Online


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Ubuntu ARMed for Mobile Expansion
- By Herb Torrens
- November 17, 2008
Netbooks and mobile computers will soon be able to run the Ubuntu operating system with additional energy efficiency. The breakthrough comes from porting Ubuntu to the ARMv7 processor architecture, which Canonical last week announced it planned to do.
UK-based Canonical is the commercial sponsor of Ubuntu, a Linux-based, open source free operating system for desktop and laptop PCs. The move to ARMv7 will help bring a full set of open-source software, including the OpenOffice.org productivity suite, to the mobile computing market.
The addition of Ubuntu will allow netbooks and hybrid computers "to deliver a rich, always-connected, mobile computing experience without compromising battery life," according to Canonical's announcement.
The ARM architecture has always had "a power advantage" to x86 processing, wrote Mark Shuttleworth, Ubuntu Project founder, in a Linux blog. He noted that the Nokia N810 Internet tablet powered by ARM can last several weeks on standby with a cell phone-sized battery.
The adoption of ARMv7 to Ubuntu "could set the stage for Intel to lose the software advantage that has enabled x86 to shrug off attacks from other architectures for the last 30 years," Shuttleworth added.
According to Canonical, its support of ARM distribution strengthens the ARM Linux ecosystem and provides the opportunity for open source developers to provide a "wider choice for consumers looking for the best operating system for their digital lifestyles."
The extension of Ubuntu "will pave the way for the development of new features and innovations to all connected platforms," stated Ian Drew, vice president of marketing for ARM, in the announcement. He added that the always-connected Internet market is rapidly expanding.
Herb Torrens is an award-winning freelance writer based in Southern California. He managed the MCSP program for a leading computer telephony integrator for more than five years and has worked with numerous solution providers including HP/Compaq, Nortel, and Microsoft in all forms of media.


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Oct. 13, 2007 — -- Americans love to smell good.
In fact, perfume is a $6-billion-a-year industry in the United States alone. And now there's a new perfume that sells for $5,000 per bottle.
A perfume so expensive warranted a sniff-off, and an official lab test to match. Is there a difference between the pricey perfume and the drugstore brand? Or is it all in the packaging?
There are classic perfumes, celebrity eau du toilets, day scents and date-night essences.
Now, Mane, the company that developed many of those famous fragrances for other brands, is introducing the first perfume under its own name.
It's called Yu, which means rain in Chinese. And it can be yours for just $5,000 at the high-end department store Bergdorf Goodman.
The perfumer who developed Yu told us how she came up with the smell.
"It's really the idea of the perfumer trying to put together the ingredients to tell a story in a very harmonious way," Mane Perfumery's Cecile Krakower said. "The great thing about Yu is that I really had the luxury of time to handpick, or should I say nose pick, every ingredient for its various quality."
It is a scent that won over The New York Times' resident perfume critic, Chandler Burr.
"It's actually very interesting, aesthetically gorgeous," Burr said as he spritzed the scent. "You can smell the money in it. It's almost a fresh quality, like using a very good toothpaste."
While he is impressed with the product, he said the price might not reflect the quality of the product.
Burr said, "$5,000 is marketing, just increases the marketing campaign."
But there's more to the perfume industry than the money behind it. It's an art and a science, so the next logical step was the lab. Is there a difference between a $5,000 bottle of perfume and the drugstore special for $12.99?
Larry Nielsen of Microanalytics Laboratories tested the two bottles to see whether any difference could be detected.
"We could categorize the yellow one as being richer, has a wider variety of components in it, some spices, some animal-type odors in it, and the pink one — it's just not as rich," Nielsen said.


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Alpine F1, of motor racing’s iconic Formula 1 (F1) series, have announced a multi-year partnership extension with Mexican confectionary firm Canel’s.
Under the renewal, Canel’s will continue to be designated Alpine’s confectionery partner.
Canel’s said: “Our family business has a long history of involvement in sports and we understood the potential of a Formula 1 partnership as soon as grand prix racing returned to Mexico City in 2015. Our association with BWT Alpine F1 Team began the following year and has continued to bring to our company significant brand equity.”
The agreement follows Alpine F1’s announcement last month of a multi-year partnership with Ecowatt, an investment company developing renewable energy assets and funding social impact projects.
Meanwhile, Scuderia Ferrari have signed a multi-year partnership with gaming technology company Virtual Gaming Worlds (VGW).
The agreement began with the first race of the new season in Bahrain yesterday (March 5), with VGW a premium partner of the team.
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Ferrari chief racing revenue officer Lorenzo Giorgetti said: “As leaders in the gaming technology sector, they share our passion for innovation and thinking outside the box. We look forward to working with them in offering new assets and experiences to our loyal and passionate Tifosi.”
The agreement follows a number of other recent Ferrari deals, including with investment firm ZCG, business aviation firm VistaJet, Danish audio technology company Bang & Olufsen, and Italian hydrosoluble polymer manufacturer Ecopol.
Elsewhere, Alfa Romeo F1 have announced a trio of partnerships, with medtech company Diagnostix, paint brand R-M, and automotive supplier Marelli.
The Diagnostix partnership will involve the medtech company working on biometric performance with Alfa Romeo F1.
The company's logo will also feature on the helmets and overalls of their drivers Valtteri Bottas and Zhou Guanyu, as well as on the team’s 2023 car.
Alessandro Alunni Bravi, team representative of Alfa Romeo F1, said: “Wearable devices and advanced diagnostics tools have undergone huge development over the last few years, and Diagnostix is at the forefront of this revolution. Their innovative approach continues to push the boundaries of this field, and we’re proud to be part of the journey to provide fundamental insight into the performance and health of our drivers.”
Giuliano Senese, chief executive of Diagnostix, added: “We are thrilled to launch our biometric performance analytics technology and look forward to seeing how motorsports and our medical solutions can interact together to bring innovation in our respective fields.”
The R-M partnership will see the refinish paint brand of BASF Group become the exclusive technical paint supplier of the team.
Alfa Romeo’s F1 car will be painted using R-M’s Agilis line of paints, with the company's logo featuring on the floor line of the team’s car.
Of that deal, Bravi said: “Their top-quality products, which will be employed on our 2023 cars, have set a new standard in paint weight reduction, and will be instrumental for us to gain further speed on track.”
Chris Titmarsh, senior vice president for automotive refinish coatings solutions in Europe, the Middle East, and Africa at R-M, added: “Our waterborne paint line Agilis is the most advanced lightweight paint technology: it ensures faster process times, and less overall consumption of paint materials, being at the same time able to protect the environment by reducing CO2 emissions and saving energy.”
Finally, Alfa Romeo will extend its technology partnership with automotive supplier Marelli for the 2023 season, having begun the partnership in 2019.
The partnership will involve the Alfa Romeo F1 cars continuing to be equipped with Marelli products and having the Marelli logo on top of the chassis.


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Investors could hardly be more optimistic heading into Costco's (NASDAQ: COST) upcoming earnings report. Shares have been hovering around all-time highs as Wall Street continues to reward the warehouse giant with more premium valuations than peers like Walmart (NYSE: WMT) and Target (NYSE: TGT).
Costco will have to earn that premium this week by announcing positive metrics around sales growth, profitability, and membership trends when it reports earnings results on Thursday, May 30. Let's take a closer look.
No growth surprises
Investors already know a few important details about Costco's sales growth trends. Its monthly reports have hinted at continued market share gains in physical stores and solid results online. Comps rose 6% in the U.S. market in both April and May, after adjusting for fuel price swings, and that implies the chain will announce faster full-quarter gains than the 3.4% increase that rival Walmart recently posted.
Looking beneath that headline number, investors will be watching customer traffic trends to see if they held near the market-thumping 5% spike the chain reported in the previous quarter. News that Costco filled its warehouse aisles with shoppers and continued to grow e-commerce sales by over 20% would go a long way toward confirming investors' bullish reading on this business.
Several trends are combining to pressure Costco's earnings growth this year. Supply chain costs and labor expenses are on the rise, for one. The warehouse titan is dealing with tariff-based price spikes, too. Finally, the benefits from Costco's membership price increase are wearing off as the company moves further away from that raise.
Put together, these pressures might reduce operating margin in fiscal 2019, especially given that Costco makes it a point to protect its price-leadership position. Walmart sounded a cautionary note on this topic in mid-May as executives considered another potential tariff spike on the way. We'll find out on Thursday whether Costco agrees that trade war challenges will likely hurt profits this year.
Watch membership trends
Costco is a subscription club first and a retailer second. That fact makes membership trends arguably more important for shareholders to follow than traditional retailing metrics like sales growth. If there's one number that predicts whether the retailer can grow even as more shopping shifts online, it's the rate at which members renew their annual subscriptions.
There's been nothing but good news on this score lately, with renewal rates inching up toward a record 91% over the last few quarters after hovering at around 90% in the previous two fiscal years.
Costco's Thursday report will show whether that key metric improved from last quarter's 90.7% in the U.S. market and the 88.3% rate the company enjoys across its global sales base. If it does increase, or holds steady, then investors aren't likely to see much of a negative impact from the cost issues plaguing the industry these days.
After all, most of Costco's earnings come from its membership fees, not the markup it charges for product sales. That income is also far more stable than retailing sales. Those facts help explain why Wall Street is valuing the chain's stock at a higher premium than Walmart and Target even though both rivals recently announced robust growth trends. More evidence of membership wins this quarter would pave the way for Costco's valuation gap to stretch further on into 2019 and beyond.
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Kaneka introduces new product formats for antioxidant Ubiquinol
01 May 2023 --- As consumer demand for healthy aging grows, Kaneka will feature its antioxidant Ubiquinol at the upcoming Vitafoods Europe trade fair. This is the active form of coenzyme Q10, which helps cells produce energy.
Kaneka will focus on Ubiquinol’s “multiple health benefits, mechanism of action, quality and versatility, as well as presenting on-trend functional food formats,” Filip van Hulle, general manager at Kaneka Nutrients Europe, tells NutritionInsight.
He notes that Ubiquinol is a powerful antioxidant naturally found in the human body and aids the process of converting carbohydrates and fats into energy at a cellular level.
“Decades of clinical research have shown that the ingredient supports cognitive function, cardiovascular health and slows the skin’s aging process. After age 40, our natural Ubiquinol levels start to decrease, making supplementation all the more important.”
New product formats
Van Hulle notes that most product development with Ubiquinol focuses on mono products in soft gelatin capsule formats due to its sensitivity as a potent antioxidant.
“However, at Vitafoods this year, we’ll be showing new product concepts developed using Ubiquinol in a range of new delivery formats and combinations with other on-trend ingredients.”
“Visitors are invited to try samples of innovative functional food applications, including beauty-from-within gummies, all-natural snack bars that boost energy for nutrition applications and easy-to-swallow supplements for healthy aging.”
Van Hulle adds that Kaneka aims to explore the potential of Ubiquinol with its partners for new product development and the possible combinations with other active ingredients. Research has shown that Ubiquinol could reduce levels of fatigue and stress.
Ubiquinol health benefits
Van Hulle explains that Kaneka Ubiquinol is bioidentical and highly bioavailable to deliver energy to cells at a mitochondrial level.
“It covers many health areas, including beauty-from-within, healthy aging and cognitive health, keeping people from all walks of life energized and healthy.”
“Consumer demands are always evolving and it’s important that we keep up with this shift. With 47% of consumers agreeing that looking after their health is important to live a longer, healthier life.”
Innova Market Insights reports that one in three consumers take active steps to age healthily from 30 years old.
An earlier Kaneka study found supplementation with the company’s Ubiquinol could help increase Ubiquinol plasma levels in plant-based eaters, as these were 23% lower than in omnivores.
At the nutraceuticals trade fair, the company’s new product image will be unveiled at stand J104, concludes Van Hulle. “We have launched a new visual identity for Kaneka Ubiquinol to highlight the ingredient’s potential to support manufacturers in meeting consumer demand for safe, natural supplements that target trending health areas.”
By Jolanda van Hal
To contact our editorial team please email us at firstname.lastname@example.org
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Kawasaki has launched the 2017 Versys 650 and it gets a new colour among other minor changes.
The 2017 Kawasaki Versys 650 has been launched in India at a price of Rs. 6.60 lakhs (ex-showroom, Delhi). The bike gets BS4 compliance and a gear position indicator now. Styling remains the same but the Versys 650 now gets a green and black paint job now along with a Versys decal running across the fuel tank.
The alloy wheels get green pin stripes too. The engine is the same 649cc, parallel twin-cylinder motor producing 68 HP and 64 Nm, mated to a 6-speed transmission. You get 41 mm inverted telescopic forks up front and an offset monoshock setup with adjustable pre-load at the rear. The Kawasaki Versys 650 gets ABS too.
2017 Kawasaki Versys 650
– Priced at Rs. 6.60 lakhs
– Gets green and black paint job with Versys decals
– BS4 compliant, also gets gear shift indicator


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Cheesy enchiladas. Hot and spicy fajitas. Crispy hard shell tacos. These are the staples of Latin American cuisine, right?
Not so, says cooking instructor and local food writer Sandra Gutierrez, who recently released her second cookbook, “Latin American Street Food: The Best Flavors of Markets, Beaches and Roadside Stands from Mexico to Argentina.”
In fact, the type of enchilada Americans chow down on is very different from a Guatemalan enchilada, which is actually a tostada topped with peas, cabbage and a vibrant beet slaw. And those beloved hard shell tacos? You won’t find those in any city in Mexico, according to Donna Van Bodegraven, associate professor of Spanish at Elon University and long-time homeowner in Yucatan, Mexico.
The misconception that the food Americans find in Tex-Mex restaurants is indicative of all Latin American cuisine is just one of the stereotypes surrounding Latin American food that Gutierrez, who grew up in Guatemala City, aims to dismiss with her new book. In addition, her book highlights the diversity of flavors and dishes within Latin America.
“The food of Latin America is very different — it cannot all be boxed together,” Gutierrez told an audience of family, friends and colleagues at the cookbook’s launch event Sept. 3. “We do not all eat Mexican food, and Mexican food … it’s only what I call the doorway into the home that represents all Latin American cuisines. Once you walk into the door, you find that you have 20 other rooms in the house, each of them just as special and worth trying and discovering.”
Identifying the stereotypes
While Americans may feel comfortable cooking a cheese quesadilla, many find the task of frying a churro a bit more daunting. Gutierrez hopes to eradicate this intimidation with her cookbook.
“In my opinion, there is no food that is less intimidating, more casual, more fun than street food,” she said.
Vanessa Bravo, assistant professor of communications at Elon University, who spent 14 years as a journalist and editor at a newspaper in Costa Rica, sees Gutierrez’s decision to include Mexican food in the cookbook as a smart way to accomplish the spread of authentic Latin American cuisine.
“The Mexican cuisine is very good, [and] there are dishes that are pretty simple to prepare, so it’s probably a good way to make people feel more confident and then try to go into more exotic dishes,” she said.
The “Raw Bar” chapter in Gutierrez’s cookbook is full of fresh salads and no-cook dishes, helping her dispel the common stereotype that all street food is unhealthy. A similar stereotype — that all Latin American food is cheesy — came about because of Americans adapting the food to their liking, Gutierrez said. Americans put cheese and sour cream on top of Latin American dishes to tame the heat, giving rise to another stereotype: that all Latin American food is spicy.
“I would say most Americans think of Mexican food as spicy, [but] the typical cuisine in the Yucatan is not spicy,” Van Bodegraven said. “There’s a particular chili pepper, the habanero chili pepper, [that] they will chop up and mix with a little vinegar and put on the side if you want to spice things up. But typically, the food itself from the region is not spicy.”
And just as dishes can take on very different forms from one country to the next, food terms can take on different meanings within the various parts of Latin America.
“In Latin America we may all speak Spanish, but it doesn’t all mean the same thing when we say it,” Gutierrez said. “Argentinians don’t eat tacos. ‘Tacos’ for them mean the little heel in their shoe. Just like if you ask for a fajita in Chile, and [the waitress is] a pretty woman, and you’re a man asking for a fajita, you’ll probably get slapped because it means ‘girdle.’”
The birth of a cookbook
It’s a lack of first-hand encounters with the food itself, perhaps, that gives birth to these stereotypes. Gutierrez said she believes there is an absence of authentic Latin American street food in America — a visit with other food writers to a food truck park in Portland, Ore. opened her eyes to this void. As they sat around the table enjoying food from Vietnam, Thailand, Spain, Yugoslavia and Poland, Gutierrez noticed there was something missing from the table: a plate of Latin American food.
Eight weeks later, the proposal for a book on Latin American street food was sold. The theme, Gutierrez explained, was ripe for the taking. Freelance food writer Jill Warren Lucas agreed now is the time for Americans to begin opening themselves up to Latin American flavors.
“I think most people will come to the book with a very open mind, and very open eyes and a very open palette,” she said. “When you look at what’s happening not only in North Carolina, but nationally, Latino communities are growing so much … and they are bringing their food cultures with them.”
Andrea Weigl, food writer for the Raleigh News & Observer, said she hopes Gutierrez’s cookbook will help bridge the generational divide that exists between street food goers in America.
“Young people think it’s the coolest thing in the world, and they track down [trucks] using their Twitter account, and some older people are still reluctant,” she said. “They may go for the cupcake truck, but they won’t go find the taco truck.”
The book, which launched at Quail Ridge Books & Music in Raleigh, consists of 150 recipes from 20 different countries. It is divided into chapter by theme, and while there are chapters focused on tortillas, soups, sandwiches, fried food, empanadas and tamales, the longest chapter in the book is dedicated to toppings.
“[Toppings] make you a participant in the dish you’re going to eat,” Gutierrez said. “What you put in your taco is going to be different than what I put in my taco. You become part of the cooking equation just by what you put on your food.”
Gutierrez is no stranger to making home cooking part of the experience — as a cooking instructor in both Chapel Hill and Cary, she is constantly teaching her participants about flavor and technique, through both hands-on demonstrations and personal stories. She also has another successful cookbook, “The New Southern-Latino Table,” and is the former food columnist for The Cary News. These experiences bring to her book both a voice of expertise and a welcoming quality, which gives readers more confidence when tackling the recipes, said food writer Warren Lucas.
“She has a tone that’s very encouraging, and I appreciate that as a home cook,” she said. “It’s very accessible food, and I think it’s a really exciting book because I love things like a ceviche, but I don’t feel especially confident whipping one up and serving raw fish to people, and now I have a recipe I can really trust.”
Forming a community
While street food in America is a relatively new phenomenon and is often seen as festival food or rodeo fare, it is very much a way of life in many Latin American countries, Gutierrez said.
There’s been documentation of street food in Latin America since the 1600s, and it, too, was relegated to festivals and special activity until the 1970s, when more and more people joined the workforce and traffic became extremely congested. The subsequent gas shortages made it so buses that took children home for lunch and back to school in the afternoon could no longer make this midday trip.
“Schools and universities had no places to serve food from — there were no cafeterias in schools back then,” Gutierrez said. “You either took your lunch box and stayed the whole day until 6:00, or there had to be an option, and street food vendors filled that niche.”
And while the service was quick, these street vendors weren’t selling “fastfood.” These food vendors made it their responsibility to serve home-cooked meals in the street, so that kids could find a sandwich similar to the one their mothers made back home. They attracted their customers not with plastic toys or giveaways, but with flavor and authentic dishes.
“You would walk an extra half a mile to get to that specific sope stand or pupusa stand or ceviche stand that had the food you liked or that reminded you more of home,” Gutierrez said. “You started meeting the people who used to conglomerate around that same [stand] … The importance of street food in Latin America is not just eating to eat, it is more than that. It is community.”
Between these stories, photographs of Latin American streets, extensive research and authentic recipes, Gutierrez said she hopes her book will bring readers into this community and invite others to share in it as well.
“This is meant to be a communal meal,” she said. “And that you’re happy every time you make it.”


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An Ocala shop that offers nearly 500 different types of wine will soon celebrate its one-year anniversary at Six Gun Plaza.
Sandy’s Shack Imported Wine & Beer will celebrate its one-year anniversary at 4901 E Silver Springs Boulevard, Units 306 and 307, on Sunday, October 8.
Owned and operated by Sandra Tremblay and Alexandre Menard, the 3,000-square-foot store boasts approximately 466 different types of wine and over 400 imported craft beers.
Tremblay and Menard, who moved to Ocala two years ago, say they were tired of getting the same wine offering in the area, or having to drive to Gainesville or The Villages to get the wines they wanted. The entrepreneurs say that is what led them to create their own store.
The business hosts free wine and beer tastings every week, offering a chance for customers to try drinks that they might normally avoid.
In addition to wines and craft beers, Sandy’s Shack also sells mead, cider, sake, and offers the biggest selection of ports in North Central Florida, according to the business.
For those looking for wine and beer-themed gifts, the shop also has multiple gift items, glassware sets, and even hangover pills.
Earlier this year, Tremblay and Menard launched a new Wine Club, allowing customers to choose from customizable packages that fit any style or budget.
On October 8, the business will celebrate its first anniversary by offering free tastings from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Sandy’s Shack Imported Wine & Beer is open Monday through Saturday, from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m., and Sunday from 12 p.m. to 8 p.m.
For more information on the business or its products, visit Sandy’s Shack Imported Wine & Beer online.
Sandy’s Shack joins several other businesses that have celebrated grand openings in Six Gun Plaza over the past year, including More Than Video Games and The Sunny Pint, which opened its doors last week.
Sandy’s Shack also joins a changing landscape of wine-based retailers in Ocala. Earlier this summer, The Keep Downtown permanently closed its downtown Ocala wine bar after a multi-decade run.
In July, Katya Vineyards announced that it was temporarily closed while the owners work on renovations.


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United Launch Alliance plans to blast off its new powerful rocket, the Vulcan Centaur, in early May. The launch is already delayed. Its initial target was in Q1 2023. The United Launch Alliance is owned jointly by Lockheed Martin Corp. and Boeing Co.
According to information gathered from the best news website, on Thursday, Tory Bruno, CEO of United Launch Alliance, said the company is planning to launch its first flight in May 2023. The launch providers are working hard to blast off Vulcan Centaur, which is one of the several proposed large rockets and the first inaugural rocket this year. This rocket, along with other upcoming rockets, will be used by satellite operators to place their devices in orbit. These innovative rockets will also be used by military and scientific projects and government agencies for exploration.
SpaceX completes major engine tests for the Starship Vehicle
According to executives, SpaceX recently completed major engine tests for its Starship vehicle, which is expected to be placed in orbit soon. Arianespace, a French rocket company, plans to launch the Ariane 6 vehicle from a French Guiana-based European spaceport in Q4. Just like the Vulcan Centaur, these vehicles have also faced delays in their launches.
According to Mr. Bruno, United Launch Alliance decided to keep its inaugural flight in May to ensure that its proposed lunar lander will reach the moon. According to the latest available information, the United Launch Alliance is still validating engines supplied by Blue Origin, a company belonging to Jeff Bezos, to match parameters with those installed on its Vulcan Centaur.
According to a communiqué from Blue Origin, the two engines are being tested. It has supplied them for use in the flight in October 2022. Mr. Bruno said its teams are carefully doing the tests to ensure a successful flight.
National security flights are scheduled for Q4
Astrobotic Technology, a company based in Pittsburgh, has developed the lunar lander on which two prototype satellites of Amazon Inc. for internet services will be flown. The first flight and subsequent flights are being developed to demonstrate the operation of the Vulcan Centaur, according to United Launch Alliance. After proving all the parameters on two flights, United Launch Alliance will use Vulcan Centaur to launch rockets for national security, and one such flight is scheduled for Q4.
The Pentagon considers United Launch Alliance’s Vulcan Centaur as its main launch vehicle. However, SpaceX has already ventured into this space. On achieving success with Vulcan Centaur, United Launch Alliance expects to discontinue the use of Atlas V and Delta IV rockets. The company will not use Russian engines in its Vulcan Centaur.
Bookings for Vulcan Centaur
According to the latest news today, United Launch Alliance has already received bookings for seventy missions on its Vulcan Centaur. Amazon would use 38 of these missions to launch its satellites for an Internet business, according to the VP for development at Vulcan Centaur, Mark Peller. The company also said national security launches are also in the pipeline.
The company will configure Vulcan Centaur with different boosters for powering it off the launch pads. The boosters will be fixed to the sides of the launch vehicle. The United Launch Alliance will incorporate changes at a later date to reduce costs and improve performance. The Wet launch redresser for the launch vehicle is still pending.


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Even the new Jaguar F-Type R Coupe was revealed in world premiere at Los Angeles last month, we get to see the new model in metal on the Dubai streets.
The British model sports a red exterior finish, large alloy wheels and a massive V8 engine under the bonnet.
We talk about a 5.0-liter V8 powerplant delivering 550 horsepower and 680Nm of torque, enough for a 0-100 km/h sprint in 4 seconds and a top speed of 300 km/h.
Power is transferred to the wheels via an eight-speed Quickshift automatic gearbox. The top-of-the-range Jaguar F-Type R Coupe starts from 85,000 in the UK but the model in question got clearly a lot of features from the options list.
Among them we note the carbon ceramic braking system with yellow callipers. If you were curious to see how the British sports car looks outside the Los Angeles Motor Show stage, take a look above.


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Nonprofit slips in race for cheap laptop for world’s poor kids
Thursday, January 10, 2008
By Ben Arnoldy
Problems at One Laptop Per Child show how social entrepreneurs can blaze trails but miss the payoff.
The vision was grand: Develop a cheap laptop and get it into the hands of 150 million school children in the developing world.
Making the computer turned out to be the easy part. On Wednesday at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, Nicholas Negroponte, founder of One Laptop Per Child, showed off the $200 XO. The innovative computer sports a bright screen readable in sunshine and a highly efficient battery that can be recharged by cranking it.
But One Laptop has run into controversy ? a corporate partner and the group’s chief technology officer pulled out in recent weeks ? which has experts noting perils for the broader social entrepreneur movement.
Social entrepreneurs, who aim to solve social problems using business-world principles, have tackled everything from expanding rural credit to marketing indigenous crafts in recent years. But experts say the problems at One Laptop point to a challenge for these emerging entrepreneurs. They often excel at trailblazing new markets among the world’s poor but struggle to achieve large-scale sales and distribution.
“In many respects, these social entrepreneurs are pathfinders, they are like the research and development for bigger players that have otherwise ignored the bottom of the pyramid market,” says James Koch, a professor at Santa Clara University in California.
For example, One Laptop’s XO has proven the concept of cheap laptops. Companies like Lenovo and Intel, sensing the market potential, are now working on their own models. This isn’t necessarily bad for One Laptop’s ultimate goal.
“Part of our model of success is to have competition, to have other people in this space,” says Walter Bender, president of software and content at One Laptop. “We don’t need to be the monopoly or biggest player in the market.”
But the competitors’ products aren’t helping One Laptop’s efforts to secure big orders. So far, it has orders for 500,000 laptops, with more than 100,000 already en route to places such as Afghanistan and Haiti. But it’s far behind its goal to sell 150 million units by the end of 2008.
One reason for the shortfall, One Laptop alleges, is that a former partner ? Intel ? was disparaging the XO as it developed its own ultra-cheap laptop, the Classmate.
“Their sales people were saying, ’Because we’re on the board, we have inside info and we know that everything is broken and it doesn’t work,’ ” says Mr. Bender.
Intel has told a different story, saying that Mr. Negroponte was unreasonably demanding that the company stop marketing the Classmate in regions targeted by One Laptop. Intel didn’t respond to an interview request.
Partnerships with multinational corporations can be double-edged swords for nonprofit startups. On the one hand, they’re one of the quickest ways for startups to ramp up delivery of a product. On the other hand, nonprofits and corporations have different bottom lines, which means that such partnerships need to develop slowly and carefully, says Nora Silver, director of the Center for Nonprofit and Public Leadership at the University of California, Berkeley.
A successful partnership between clothing-manufacturer Timberland and CityYear, a nationwide volunteer corps, took years to forge. The Intel partnership, however, seemed hasty and didn’t integrate the sales force into the effort, Dr. Silver says.
“Did these folks have a clear contract?” she asks. “You have to be very clear about such basic agreements.”
One Laptop was acting as if they had a contract with exclusivity and noncompete clauses, she adds. Bender says there was only a nondisparage agreement.
The difficulty of scaling up a business isn’t limited to social entrepreneurs. For-profit startups struggle with it, too. But entrepreneurs have a bigger challenge when they target poor people, especially those who are uneducated and live in remote areas.
Traditional marketing campaigns on TV and billboards may miss these customers entirely. And putting the product on shelves may not be enough. The entrepreneurs may have to find ways to advance small loans to would-be buyers. They may have to find indigenous nonprofit groups that could open markets that a corporation would never devote the time or have the credibility to crack.
One Laptop decided to target ministries of education to get bulk orders for schools. Working with those agencies, even in the developed world, requires a lot of effort and patience, notes John Quelch, a professor at the Harvard Business School.
“One of the knocks against [One Laptop] could be that they focused very much at achieving a price point for the product, but didn’t necessarily focus as much on developing a solution for the ministry of education for country X,” says Dr. Quelch, adding that this can be a common pitfall.
Continue Reading “Nonprofit slips in race for cheap laptop for world’s poor kids“


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The United Kingdom’s newest prime minister, Rishi Sunak, is a huge crypto enthusiast. As Sunak supports cryptocurrency it has been made clear that he wants to turn the UK into a major center for it. In the midst of this, UK Lawmakers have decided to accept cryptocurrencies as regulated goods and financial instruments.
The inclusion of stablecoins in the draft report was approved by the House of Commons as well. The UK’s parliament has decided to publish new stablecoin regulations on Thursday. In a few weeks, the UK government also intends to hold a discussion on cryptocurrency regulations and the digital pound.
Global Cryptocurrency Usage Soars
The use of cryptocurrencies is expanding globally. The required regulations are being introduced by governments all around the world. The focus of governments is likewise shifting to stablecoins. This is because they are less volatile and pegged to either the value of the US dollar or the pound.
Recently appointed Economic Secretary to the Treasury Andrew Griffith claimed that specific cryptocurrency assets and distributed ledger technologies could bring about seismic shifts in the financial sector. The financial security of the users is also at risk, he added.
Griffith further stated,
“We wish to tentatively seize those opportunities … not fall behind other markets, but also proceeded in a cautious way. The government’s position is to start with those most stable, least volatile coins likely to be used by intermediaries as a settlement currency and then we will go forward and consult from there.”
Griffith further stated that to implement the framework and weigh its risks and benefits, the Treasury will communicate with numerous stakeholders and business leaders. As of right now, the House of Lords must give the regulations its final approval. This is necessary since King Charles III of England holds the ultimate authority.
Griffith also brought up the potential for a digital pound to be issued. In the following weeks, this issuance will also be the subject of consultations between the Treasury and the Bank of England.
The new crypto regulation bill received a unanimous vote of support from the committee’s legislators. It seems as though the House of Lords must currently approve the rules.


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Beckerman: Internet industry ready to fight for net neutrality
The five-year-old Internet Association may be young by Washington standards, but this isn't its first go-around in the net neutrality debate. The trade group is deeply entrenched in the fight against Republican FCC Chairman Ajit Pai's proposed rollback of net neutrality rules — just a few years after the battle that led up to those rules in the first place.
The association rolled out an explanatory video this weekend along with instructions for how people can submit comments on the proposal to the commission. It's part of a larger protest on Wednesday that includes major companies like Google, Facebook and Amazon that support the rules. Here's what Michael Beckerman, who leads the group, had to say about the issue:
What happens if the rules are rolled back?
Because of the net neutrality rules, anybody can start a company and anybody can access the entire internet on a global scale, and that's unique and that's significant. And we want to make sure that that's maintained and that's part of the reason why these rules are so important. … Because as an individual you get online and no one's blocking you from going anywhere, you can go from one site to another with the click of a button or a tap of your finger on your phone instantaneously. Which means that, also, companies can come and access the entire global market without somebody charging a toll or blocking their ability to compete. And that's what's made the internet so great and will continue [to make the internet great].
How does the enthusiasm over this issue in the tech industry compared to the last time this battle was fought, especially given all the other issues on the agenda of left-leaning Silicon Valley?
I really do think the enthusiasm and the recognition of how important this issue is is unchanged, there just happens to be more things going on. But this has become a very sophisticated industry, and the companies are more and more engaged on a lot of things, and we can walk and chew gum at the same time — just like many other industries do.
What do you think of the Trump administration's work on internet issues so far?
Putting aside the issues where there's been vocal disagreement between our company and industry and the White House, I am heartened by the recognition and attention that they're giving our sector because they realize that this is one of the fastest growing pieces of our economy, creating jobs in every single state.