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The next-generation Infiniti Q60 luxury coupe will reportedly gain some serious horsepower.
The successor to the G35 and G37 coupes was unveiled in concept form at the Detroit Auto Show last month, where it was revealed that it would pack a twin-turbo 3.0L direct-injection V6.
Now, a report from AutoGuide claims that an Infiniti spokesman speaking anonymously at the Canadian International Auto Show has given the new engine a starting power rating of an astonishing 400hp, besting the current naturally aspirated 3.7L by a whopping 70hp.
What’s more, that is merely the figure for the entry level model. The spokesman says a second version of the Q60 with more aggressive horsepower will produce 450hp, which would make it a serious contender against road hammers like the BMW M4 and Lexus RC F.
In a separate finding, Jalopnik reports that another Infiniti spokesman has confirmed that this engine will be an in-house developed mill, rather than — as has been rumored — use an engine supplied by partner Mercedes-Benz.
Packaged within the well-received skin of the Q60 Concept shown in Detroit, this could provide Nissan’s luxury division with some serious performance cred. The Q60 is expected to hit showrooms in 2016.
Live images by Brian Williams.


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While the problems faced by gig workers in India have been under scrutiny of late, the specific concerns of female gig workers have not received as much attention. SABAH GURMAT writes about female gig workers’ biggest concerns: lack of access to washroom facilities, and personal safety.
FOR 45 year old cab-driver Sheetal (who only goes by her first name), moving from being a regular commercial driver since Delhi’s Commonwealth Games, to joining Ola, first felt like a dream. From 2010 onwards, the rise of mobile app-based cab platforms Uber and Ola in India also came with promises of more independence and better pay for the drivers, even as those promised incentives soon began dipping drastically after the mid 2010s.
But for drivers like Sheetal, the lack of incentives has been compounded by the ways app-based companies continue to treat women.
“Most of the women in this line are single mothers, and the breadwinners in their families. Women like me were drawn to the idea that one could log-in to the app and start at whatever time, after finishing our household duties”, she said, while lamenting that the “companies still choose not to positively differentiate between men and women”.
Ola, Uber, Swiggy, Zomato and Urban Company are amongst the many digital platforms that provide services constituting a large chunk of India’s booming gig-economy. According to the Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry of India (ASSOCHAM), India currently has at least 15 million gig-workers, or ‘freelance’ workers. As per the Oxford Internet Institute’s 2017 Online Labour Index, India was the largest overall supplier of online labour, with its gig-workers forming 24% of global online labour.
As service providers through mobile-based apps, gig-workers find themselves caught up in an arbitrarily designed ratings and rewards-based online set-up that has been widely criticised. Today, the app-based system, poor work conditions, lack of social security benefits, and the failure to accord them ‘employee’ status legally remain some of the biggest hurdles for these workers. For women, this is compounded by gender-oriented concerns.
On September 23, 2021, the New York City Council passed six bills in a significant legislative package directed at the gig economy, with provisions to ensure that delivery workers be allowed access to bathroom facilities in restaurants, distance and route limits on how far a delivery-worker could be made to deliver, guarantees for minimum pay and other formalised benefits such as gratuity.
Meanwhile, earlier in June 2021, Zomato, the popular online food delivery platform, announced that it planned to increase women delivery workers from 0.5% to 10% of their total workforce. Through a blog post on their website, the company’s CEO Deepinder Goyal announced four initiatives to increase the participation of women delivery workers. These included: Access to safety-related tools such as self-defence training and safety kits; contactless deliveries; SOS and helpline buttons on the app’s interface; and extending support from the company’s partner-restaurants for amenities including access to their toilets.
Just last week, Swiggy also posted a public statement on their blog, highlighting similar steps taken to increase the employment of women delivery workers. Notably, in addition to initiatives similar to Zomato, the company also mentioned a “no-questions-asked, two-day paid monthly period time-off” menstrual leave for all its “regular female delivery partners.”
Despite these promises, women gig-workers have still been repeatedly denied access to such facilities. For Anita (name changed), a Zomato delivery-worker based in Mumbai, access to toilets in partner-restaurants is “not even something we would dare to try”, despite it being over a month since she joined amidst the company’s increasing hire of women workers.
“There are no facilities for us as workers, I have never even asked the restaurants (out of fear). I mostly just rely on petrol pumps in whichever areas I can find”, Anita said.
Speaking to The Leaflet, the anonymous Twitter account ‘@DeliveryBhoy’, who has been using the medium to chronicle the plight of gig-workers, noted that access to toilets have not been considered that big a problem by companies, given how the majority of workers are men. “For many gig-workers abroad you’d even hear of workers peeing in bottles, carrying urine in bottles so obviously this law was needed there whereas in India, the perception is men can pee anywhere”, he said while stressing that it was a hurdle for women.
None of the spokespersons from Swiggy, Zomato, Uber and Ola that The Leaflet reached out to, chose to respond regarding questions about access to bathroom facilities. This story shall be updated if and when they choose to respond.
Meanwhile, Rinku Sharma, who is Vice-President of the Maharashtra App-based Transport Union and a member of the Indian Federation of App-based Transport Workers (IFAT) said that it was “absolutely true” that they still were not allowed to use the toilets in restaurants, “even though the government may have said we can use it.”
Sharma, who worked in Ola as a driver for six years, also pointed out the health risks faced by these women. “Many women try to hold their pee in. It goes up to 10-12 hours sometimes as well. If a woman has had an operation or a Caesarean, they can’t hold in for so long and they face bodily difficulties,” she noted while stressing how most women-drivers she knew preferred to drop and pick-up at airports just to be able to use their bathrooms and other facilities.
“In my research with women drivers, I had many tell me that they consciously did not drink water so that they would not have to pee. Some did not eat breakfast because if they did, they’d miss the peak hours”, said Kaveri Medappa, a PhD researcher from the University of Sussex, whose research focused on the work-life conditions of platform-based workers. Medappa also observed how the underlying health-issues posed by lack of access to amenities posed problems to many men as well.
She noted that, “Because this work is so male-dominated, peeing did not come up so much as a problem. But access to toilets, simply because they work for 12-15 hours a day, and health related issues such as urinary infections, gastrointestinal diseases, piles etc. all came up a lot, because of the nature of their work. It also has to do with irregular eating habits that this work regime forces people to adopt.”
As Uber and Ola gained popularity in India amidst the mid-2010s, both the companies publicised several initiatives to bring in more women cab-drivers. In 2015, Ola announced plans to launch its own ‘Pink Cabs’ service run by a fleet of all-women drivers. Uber also posted a statement that year aiming to create 50,000 jobs for women in India by 2020.
The Leaflet sent multiple emails to spokespersons at Ola and Uber to inquire about the data of women-drivers currently working in their fleet, however received no response. This story shall be updated if they choose to respond to the same.
Sheetal told us that safety, taboos around women driving at night and security-related concerns of family members remained some of the biggest hurdles for her and her co-workers. “Many of us choose to work at places like the international airport out of safety concerns; we are also in need of a separate space in the airport for women drivers”, she said, while stressing on how the companies have not been living up to promises of safety.
“We received nothing from the companies; just a kit with a pepper-spray. We want at least a feature on the app that allows for us as women drivers to be able to directly contact the company if the client is troubling us, or we feel at risk”, Sheetal noted. She further informed how Uber “had briefly given us a feature on the app, which was like a siren or like a camera that would be switched on to monitor the ride”; however, it was soon done away with, much to the anguish of women drivers.
Demands for a dedicated SOS and helpline support system on the app’s interface were raised by multiple women, who all highlighted “failure” on each company’s part to factor in gender-sensitivity into their work assignments. “They (companies like Zomato and Swiggy) should keep a delivery range of upto 2 to 3 kilometres if they can see we are women. At least for night-time deliveries, don’t make us travel long distances and ensure we have proper safe-zones assigned as women”, a woman delivery-worker from Zomato said, speaking on the condition of anonymity.
Sharma also pointed out how there was no gender-sensitive feature made available for female cab drivers, such as “a separate app or any scheme” for women drivers. “I know of women in Delhi working in Uber, but they have been complaining there that they get the same passengers (non-families/single men), just as male-drivers. Our union, IFAT, is fighting for special initiatives for women drivers and accountability for safety from the companies”, she said, while emphasising the importance of collectivising their struggles.
Earlier in October 2021, Entrackr reported that over a 100 women beauticians affiliated with the platform-based Urban Company had gone on strike against the company’s low wages, taking away high commissions and dismal safety and work conditions for women. Following a series of protests and media-coverage, Urban Company is said to have slashed its commission charges on the beauty service workers.
While Sharma believes in the need for more power to the unions fighting for gig-workers’ rights, others such as Sheetal reiterated that the “onus should be on the government to respond and take action”.
“Our safety, our bathrooms, and the barriers to our entry can all be changed by government recognition. Look at foreign countries (the recent New York law, for instance). If the government takes such action, then even these companies will fall in line, with better wages and status like formal employees, including getting bathroom-access”, Sheetal noted.
Medappa agreed. “If you don’t create the conditions required for women to work, nobody’s going to join, and even if they join, they’ll be exploited. The companies will simply get to use the banner of women, which will get them good publicity, but the conditions of these workers won’t change.”
She then got to the heart of the matter. “The problem is not just lack of toilets; it’s the incentive-based remuneration system where incentives are attached to umpteen conditions set by the platform, and the servility induced by app-based platforms. When workers (men or women) have no power to fight back or to negotiate better conditions, this is what will happen. If a worker speaks out, their IDs will get blocked.
There is a larger problem with the powerlessness created by design, and problems of access to toilets and other spaces are a symptom of that.”
(Sabah Gurmat is a staff-reporter at The Leaflet.)

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Niantic recently held a Twitter Poll to get players’ opinion on Pokémon Go events expected in 2017. The results were announced on Jan. 12 and 54 percent of the respondents chose a Halloween Celebration, 18 percent chose a Thank You event, while Holiday Season Part 1 and Part 2 got 9 and 19 percent respectively.
While 2016 was full of ups and downs for the game, if we go by the game’s popularity in the last quarter of 2016, it has a good year ahead of it — provided it matches up to players’ expectations.
In the past, players have lost interest in the game due to the lack of regular updates. Niantic is taking care to not make the same mistakes again and the poll is an example of this.
The company has already held its first 2017 event, pushing out the New Year's update as a part of its Christmas event. But while the company themed its 2016 events as holiday events, for players, the events were more about the updates that came with them, such as Baby Pokémon and Santa hat Pikachu.
While Niantic has so far been tight-lipped about the updates it will be pushing out this year, here are five updates that Pokémon Go is expected to get this year:
Gen 2 Pokémon
The Gen 2 Pokémon update will most likely be the biggest Pokémon Go update till date. It is expected to bring out hundred new Pokémon. The flood of new Pokémon could make the game more engaging for many players and give them a lot of options when they go out to capture Pokémon.
Niantic did mess up with the Baby Pokémon update as it offered only a limited number of new Pokémon — failing to match up players’ expectations.
The timeframe for the rollout of Gen 2 Pokémon is not known yet.
Niantic is finally expected to roll out a Legendary Pokémon update soon. The update is expected to bring along Articuno, Moltres, and Zapdos. All Legendary Pokémon are Bird type Pokémon and are expected to come out as a part of a spring-themed event, which might take place sometime around May 2017.
Shiny Pokémon are expected to add some new design aspects to Pokémon Go. Shiny Pokémon are expected to have a colored reskin which would be built into the game’s animation. They might even have a 3D version.
The emergence of Shiny Pokémon would make the game easier on the eyes and may even entice players into catching more Pokémon.
While Shiny Pokémon have appeared earlier in the datamine of the game done by the Silph Road Pokémon Go community, there is no timeframe or confirmation from Niantic regarding them so far.
Mew and Mewtwo are long-awaited Pokémon for Pokémon Go players. Mew and Mewtwo are special because they are both powerful and can be stacked in gyms. Niantic might have to figure how to include them in the game and is expected to go for a ‘landmark spawn’, which could see players working with each other to capture Mewtwo.
Niantic has already achieved success with Ditto, it’s replicating Pokémon.
Nintendo has already given up region locking for Pokémon Go for its new gaming console, the Nintendo Switch.
Tauros, Kangaskhan, Mr. Mime, and Farfetch'd are still limited by region locking — Tauros can only be found in North America, Mr. Mime in Europe, Kangaskhan in Australia and Farfetch'd in Asia.
In 2017, these Pokémon are expected to be finally unlocked and allowed to spawn anywhere in the world.


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Dublin-headquartered customer communications technology company VoiceSage is to invest more than €1m in a new R&D programme, having secured support from Enterprise Ireland. The company expects to create 10 new technical and engineering jobs over the next 24 months in its Dublin office.
VoiceSage said this latest round of funding will enable the company to respond to the growing market demand for its cloud-based customer communication technologies, with further investment in a range of R&D activities.
Founded in 2003 and headquartered in Dublin and London, VoiceSage has developed technology to enable automated real-time customer conversations. Its cloud-based messaging product and services deliver more than 2m messages a day and are used by businesses serving more than 75pc of the UK population.
In February, the company announced a 32pc growth in sales for the second half of 2012, with a stream of new companies investing in its technology.
Companies that have deployed VoiceSage’s technology to target their customer communications over the past year include Airtricity, Argos, Homebase, Littlewoods, QVC and Eircom.
“VoiceSage is a leading innovator in customer communication solutions. They have already won an impressive client base and this investment will enable them to expand their business further,” said Jennifer Condon, head of International Services and Software at Enterprise Ireland.
Graham Brierton, chief technology officer at VoiceSage, said the company is delighted to have secured the backing of Enterprise Ireland.
“This investment will allow us to accelerate our technology development to meet the growth that market analysts predict,” he said.


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December 11, 2019
In what might be interpreted as a sign of increasing globalisation, a new study from Intertrust amongst the firm’s corporate clients suggests that almost three quarters (72 percent) of business leaders expect to see more companies setting up overseas operations between now and 2024 compared to just 5 percent who believe it will fall. The conclusion is based on a survey of 100 companies ranging from start-ups to mature multinationals about their expansion plans. Over half (56 percent) of respondents said they plan to expand into up to three markets in the next two years with a further 14 percent aiming to break into four to six new countries.
According to the findings, attractive market conditions, demand for similar products and services and the country’s size and potential are the three biggest drivers influencing business leaders to move into new countries. Despite the strong appetite for cross-border expansion, it takes companies on average seven years to move from operating in one country to multiple markets and according to Intertrust’s research, the process is far from straightforward.
The five biggest obstacles companies say they have faced in setting up new operations are legal and regulatory challenges (53 percent), recruiting and retaining a local workforce (28 percent), hitting their business plan growth targets (23 percent), marketing and sales challenges (21 percent) and political issues (14 percent).
Intertrust’s study underlines how expanding companies often outsource key functions to a specialist provider with a local presence so they can focus on growing the business. One in three respondents (33 percent) said they have either have or would outsource payroll, HR and tax functions while 28 percent and 16 percent would do so with legal and accounting reporting requirements respectively.


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2b Acting announces the start of new episodes of their online weekly soap drama, ‘Today and Tomorrow’.
The viewing habits of those that watch programmes online in many ways reflects the fast paced world in which we live and a three minutes weekly soap is perhaps the start of a trend we can expect many other programmes to follow.
The made for internet soap drama, Today and Tomorrow, produced by 2b Acting Production was ITV Local Yorkshire's first internet soap to be shown on their website in 2008 and is now available on DVD from the Amazon.com online store.
New episodes of the soap will be available for free viewing starting 1st February 2011, broadcasted across the major media online websites such as Youtube, Facebook, Myspace, Twitter, Bebo, etc and on 2bActing.com/.
The shows writer/director David Jones is pleased to have the Internet as a broadcast platform and believes that the short three minutes style delivery will be attractive to internet viewers and establish the soap as a popular soap in the same way that dramas such as East Enders and Coronation Street has done on Television.
“It’s incredibly brave of 2b Acting to attempt something like this and shows great initiative in using the Internet as a new broadcast platform. Writing this soap drama to reflect the viewing habits of the online generation has been a challenge and I am really looking forward to viewers’ feedback”, said David Jones.
Is three minutes a week enough? Well, for those with more time the production company will be making the more traditional length episodes available on their website.


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McLaren is taking its first steps into the trainer business.
The luxury British carmaker is looking to reach more consumers through fashion and streetwear and has partnered with Athletic Propulsion Labs for its footwear debut.
The limited-edition line, called HySpeed, are running trainers in five colours infused with design elements from McLaren’s supercars like its seats and aerodynamics, with a carbon fibre plate and nitrogen-infused cushioning. Executives said the project started from scratch and has been in development for two years.
At $450, the line is the sport brand's most expensive to date and will be sold at Level Shoes in The Dubai Mall, as well as at stores in Los Angeles, Rome and Hong Kong.
The HySpeed is McLaren’s latest move in fashion, having previously linked up with labels including Belstaff, Rhude and SunGod.
“Collaborative licensing relationships are absolutely what we’re trying to do, whether it’s sunglasses, sneakers or streetwear,” McLaren chief marketing officer Gareth Dunsmore said. The push is about “making sure that we stay culturally relevant", he said.
McLaren is going through a rough patch, with demand for its supercars lagging due to the pandemic and delays hampering the release of its latest model, the Artura. Last month, the company said it raised $150 million from shareholders as cash dwindled.
Its shareholders include investment firm Ares Management, Bahrain’s sovereign wealth fund Mumtalakat and Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund.
At the same time, the McLaren name is finding new fans in the vital US market through its Formula One team as the sport gains viewers in North America with more local races and a hit Netflix show, which prominently features McLaren’s racing drivers and executives.
In July, the team signed a multi-year sponsorship deal with US shoe brand K-Swiss, with products set to hit stores next year.
Athletic Propulsion Labs, a celebrity favourite that’s attracted stars like Lady Gaga and Chrissy Teigen, rarely does collaborations but previously worked with athletic-wear giant Lululemon on performance footwear. Executives said they plan to expand on their arrangement with McLaren.


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Google joins the price war as it drastically dropped the price on Google Drive this week, which undercuts virtually all competitors. The tech giant puts its competitors to shame by offering its online storage of one terabyte for only $9.99 per month. However, there is more to this than just a price war.
Only $1.99 for 100GB
SugarSync offers $55 a month for one terabyte of online storage that can be shared by up to three users. Dropbox, on the other hand, wants $9.99 for its 100GB, while Microsoft?s OneDrive provides annual plans with a minimum of 50GB for $25 a year. All of them are way too expensive than Google?s new $1.99 a month for 100GB. Apple offers $100 a year for 50GB.
Google?s new rates have significantly undercut companies that offer cloud storage for developers, namely Microsoft?s Azure and Amazon?s S3. Most storage startups host their files on these two and the bigger ones probably get discounts for storing extremely large data. Unfortunately for them, Google could win the competition with their low ? cost storage platforms.
Google Sells Low Cost Storage to Fire Up Competition
The company is probably assuming that most users will not utilize the full amount of storage soon. It looks like Google is selling its storage at lower prices to fire up the competition. What could be the reason behind the tech giant?s move? It could be that the company wants to attract more paying users with attractive prices. Another reason could be Google?s plan to fight off competitors in the market.
A Price War
Google Drive is not just about storage. It also welcomes Google productivity apps live and closely link to Gmail, as well as the photo sharing tools that share the same storage. Dropbox is known for its cloud storage and syncing features, while Google Drive is not. Microsoft?s OneDrive is built into Windows 8. The desktop app of Drive works, but not as good as Dropbox.
Many people love Google Drive because of its collaborative productivity apps. This is a feature that Microsoft can face head on with its free online versions of PowerPoint, Word, Excel and OneNote. Obviously, they are more popular than Google?s version of Sheets, Docs and Slides. However, Google has placed itself in a hard ? to ? beat position because it undercuts even the wholesale prices for its online storage.


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BC-APFN-Money & Markets Digest
Money & Markets modules for Wednesday, August 29
The Commerce Department delivers its latest estimate of the nation’s second-quarter economic growth. The National Association of Realtors issues its monthly index of pending home sales contracts. Dick’s Sporting Goods reports quarterly results.
Tiffany & Co. shares climbed after the luxury jeweler reported forecast-topping sales and earnings and also raised its full-year profit forecast.
Turkey triggers flashback
Turmoil in Turkey is bringing back unpleasant memories of the 1997-1998 Asian financial crisis. The Turkish lira has plummeted 26 percent against the U.S. dollar since the end of May, causing other emerging market currencies to buckle.
Best Buy (BBY)
Campbell Soup (CPB)
Akcea Therapeutics (AKCA)
Brooks Automation (BRKS)
Hain Celestial (HAIN)
Toll Brothers (TOL)
Eaton Vance Tax-Managed Global (EADIX)
Morningstar says this fund’s results “leave something to be desired” since lead manager Chris Dyer took over in September, 2015. The fund has a “Neutral” rating.
For questions about Money & Markets modules, please contact Greg Keller (212-621-7958). For technical support: contact Todd Balog (816-654-1096). After 6 p.m., contact the AP Business News desk (800-845-8450, ext. 1680) for content questions; 1-800-3AP-STOX for technical support and 212-621-1905 for graphics help. The Money &Markets digest can also be found at www.markets.ap.org.


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NEW YORK — Lupini beans star in a new line of boxed pasta launched by Lupii, a female-founded snack startup. A regenerative crop, lupini beans pack three times more protein than eggs and three times more fiber than oats, according to the company.
Pasta shapes include elbow, penne and rotini. The recipes include sweet lupini flour, chickpea flour and tapioca. A serving has 17 grams of net carbohydrates, 14 grams of protein and 12 grams of fiber, while chickpea pasta has 27 grams of net carbohydrates, 12 grams of protein and 5 grams of fiber per serving.
Lupii pasta is available online at getlupii.com and Amazon.com.
Isabelle Steichen and Alexandra Dempster co-founded Lupii more than three years ago. The brand’s initial product offering was a plant-based protein bar formulated with lupini beans, dates, fruits, seeds and nuts. Flavors include almond butter cinnamon raisin, tahini lemon cranberry, peanut butter cacao nib and cashew ginger pumpkin seed. The bars are sold in 400 retail stores, including regional Whole Foods Market locations and Erewhon.The company is on track to double its gross revenue over last year due to large retail launches and its expansion into the pasta aisle.


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Analysts continue to insist that the altcoin market is experiencing its fall. According to one of the most famous representatives of the cryptocurrency industry, the level of dominance of bitcoin tends to a historical maximum of 90%.
In a Twitter debate with Primitive Fund co-founder Davie Van, Blockstream CEO Adam Beck stated that the previous superiority of altcoins was a temporary phenomenon in the cryptocurrency field. Before that, Van asked if Bitcoin would continue to increase its market capitalization level and whether it would become an ongoing process.
Currently, the level of dominance of bitcoin in the cryptocurrency market is about 70%, which is the highest figure since March 2017. It was this year that the scales tipped sharply in favor of bitcoin (last year, bitcoin accounted for less than 40% of market capitalization).
Back said that the full cycle will take about two and a half years. Thus, based on his arguments, as a result, bitcoin should occupy 90% of the cryptocurrency market, as it was before 2015.
Many prominent representatives of the cryptocurrency sphere have already expressed their agreement with the growing dominance of bitcoin. For example, criticism of altcoins came from well-known trader Peter Brandt and Max Kaiser. The latter has repeatedly stated that altcoins will never restore a loss in price relative to bitcoin.
Meanwhile, some studies already show that the actual level of bitcoin dominance among cryptocurrencies is more than 90%.


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Supermodel Kate Moss is no stranger to nudity, though she may not always have been comfortable baring her famous body. Now, the 39-year-old model is showing more skin than ever in a new ad for self-tanning products.
St. Tropez, a self-tanning product line, this week announced that Kate Moss is the “new face and body” of St. Tropez. The company has released new ads featuring Moss nearly and completely naked, covered only in self-tan. St. Tropez will be marketing Moss’ look as the “Kate Tan.”
“I’m so excited to be working with St.Tropez,” said Moss. “I’ve been using the products since they started and it’s a really trustworthy, cool brand. I always feel more confident with a St.Tropez tan!”
“We’re absolutely thrilled that Kate Moss has chosen to work with us on our new campaign: it gives us the ultimate stamp of approval on the quality of our products,” said Michelle Feeney, CEO of PZ Cussons Beauty, parent company of St. Tropez. “Kate epitomises St.Tropez’s naturally glamorous approach to self-tanning and is a long-time advocate of the brand…Kate’s fashion icon status is important to us but now her growing number of beauty campaigns proves that her appeal as a beauty icon resonates with confident women across all age groups globally. Not only is she beautiful but she has this amazing attitude. St.Tropez is about confidence.”
As part of its new social media campaign, St. Tropez has posted a behind-the-scenes look at Moss’ photo shoot to its YouTube channel:


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Within just the next four years, Silicon Valley will no longer be the world’s “technology innovation center.” At least, that’s what a lot of people who are not from the valley think.
A new survey about “global technology innovation” from audit, tax and advisory firm KPMG released Wednesday asked 668 business executives worldwide whether the center of technological innovation would shift away from Silicon Valley in the next four years. The results are dramatic: 44 percent of respondents believe some other country will take Silicon Valley’s spot at the top of the tech heap.
“Given the time horizon we gave them — the next four years — I was surprised by the results,” said Gary Matuszak, a partner and U.S. leader for KPMG’s technology, media and telecommunications practice. “I personally believe that, if it happens, it’s going to be a lot longer than that, but those were the survey results.”
Perhaps less surprisingly, it was mostly people from other countries that felt Silicon Valley would lose its spot on the pedestal: Only 28 percent of survey respondents in the U.S. said the center of technology would move, while more than half in the Asia-Pacific region said it would. More than 40 percent in Europe, Middle East and Africa said a new country would be at the top.
Of those who said it would shift, 44 percent said China would be the world’s new technology capital. Chinese executives were particularly confident in their country: 80 percent thought China would be at the top of technological innovation in the next four years.
“When you look globally, there are certainly countries outside the U.S. who believe that they are becoming innovative and that they doing a number of things to close that gap (with the U.S.), Matuszak said. “We thought it would be interesting just to get people’s insights on the likelihood of the innovation center of the world moving from Silicon Valley to somewhere else.”
KPMG, which has an office in Santa Clara, surveyed business executives at companies ranging from small businesses to large enterprises. About 25 percent of the respondents were from the U.S., while 14 percent were from China.
KPMG did the survey as part of the launch of its new “KPMG Technology Innovation Center,” an organization within the company that will study trends in the technology industry.


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Bugged by cicadas? Try walking around in your own personalized mesh pod
Based in Cincinnati, Under the Weather is selling a WalkingPod Mesh with Bug-Screens that fits over the head and torso. The company, which makes pop-up protective gear, typically sells small tent-like equipment for camping events.
Unlike its other protective equipment that is sold by popular retailers, Under the Weather is only selling the meshed pod from its website for $89.99.
The new product is a variation of one of its standby personal pods, only instead of see-through plastic screens to keep out the elements, it has a fine mesh to keep out the cicadas – and mosquitoes and other bugs.
Rick Pescovitz, the company's CEO, knows first hand the nuisance of cicadas – he grew up in Cincinnatiwhich saw Brood X infestations in 1987 and 2004, along with other parts of the eastern U.S.. He likened past broods to "hailstorms" of oversized bugs.
"They're more annoying than anything – they're noisy and they fly blindly all over the place," Pescovitz said. "You're walking along and bang, one runs into your forehead."
Local experts say Cincinnati typically sees cicadas emerge in May.
In 2017, Pescovitz’s company won an investment by billionaire Mark Cuban on 'Shark Tank' after successfully pitching his venture that makes foldable plastic pods – singles and doubles – to make watching your kid’s soccer or baseball game more comfortable in cold, damp weather.
Last year, the company was forced to pivot after the COVID-19 pandemic canceled legions of sporting events. It swiftly rebounded, however, after medical, retail and other professionals began using their gear for social distancing.
For the latest on Cincinnati business, P&G, Kroger and Fifth Third Bank, follow @alexcoolidge on Twitter.


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WATCH: Here’s an exclusive look inside a chicken nugget plant!
Headlines recalling several brands of chicken nuggets have raised parents’ concerns about their go-to food for picky children. Today, Dr. Oz goes behind the headlines and investigates if chicken nuggets are safe to eat again. Our correspondent Mara Schiavocampo gains exclusive access inside one of America’s largest chicken nugget plants to see what really goes into making them from start to finish.
Plus, Tamar Braxton opens up about her new relationship and the surprising issues plaguing her health.
Watch this episode on April 29, 2019 live at 4:00 p.m. on WBGH and 5:00 p.m. on WIVT.


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BBC correspondent in Milan
Many ski resorts face economic hardship as a result of climate change, the UN environment programme Unep has warned.
Many Alpine ski resorts could lose their customers, the report says
The winter climate warming means that snowfall is becoming less reliable, especially in lower altitude resorts.
The Unep report is being presented at a conference about sport and the environment in Italy's city of Turin, the venue for the next Winter Olympics.
It coincides with the annual international meeting on climate change which is taking place in Milan.
The effects of climate change are already being felt in the world of winter sports.
One ski resort in Scotland, Glencoe, where snow has never been very reliable, has just announced that it is suffering financial difficulties.
But for skiers who can afford to go to the classic winter sports resorts in the Alps, good snow has been virtually guaranteed.
Now the Unep report warns that if the snowline rises by 300 metres - a quite likely scenario - only 63% of Swiss resorts will reliably provide good skiing.
Unep spokesman Nick Nuttall says that Italian and Austrian resorts will also be badly affected.
"One of the classic ones is Kitzbuehl in Austria, a very well-known ski resort, and that is at a low altitude. And the findings seem to indicate that Kitzbuehl faces extinction as a winter sports centre," Mr Nuttall says.
"It's all about reliability and if people can't predict that they're going to find snow when they go skiing, they're going to go somewhere else."
Skiing has the reputation of being a luxury sport, and rich winter sports enthusiasts will be able to afford to move their holidays to the American Rockies or other high altitude areas.
But the people who live in the resort areas in Europe are not rich.
Farmers in these mountain villages depend on winter tourism to supplement their incomes.
Unep also points out that the lower slopes in Europe are used by families from nearby towns, where there is a winter sports tradition, and they are the places where children have traditionally learnt to ski.


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Jean-Michel Basquiat, the late Neo-Expressionist, is best known for his colorful and raw canvases. But the artist also played a hand in the release of an iconic ’80s hip hop song, having produced and released the record through his one-off label, Tartown.
Now, the artist’s estate is offering up numbered editions of the 1983 Beat Bop track. Featuring graffiti artists and musicians Rammellzee and K-Rob, the 10-minute track has been sampled by the likes of the Beastie Boys and in 2017 was ranked by Rolling Stone among the 100 best hip hop songs of all time. In addition to establishing his own record label to release it, Basquiat had the vinyl pressed and created a black and white design, complete with his trademark crown, for the track’s cover art. Sales of the pressed vinyl have fetched large sums at auction before—in 2020, an original copy realized $126,000, far surpassing its high estimate of $3,500.
Of the 500 original vinyl, 50 will be released by Basquiat’s estate in a special numbered edition. Numbers 2 to 40 of these are being sold on Dropshop, a new e-commerce platform introduced by auction house Phillips earlier this year. Created to facilitate a more direct connection between artists and audiences, the platform offers a “buy now” model for limited-edition releases of artwork and objects sold by artists, estates and galleries.
The vinyl, which comes from Basquiat’s personal collection, are factory sealed and come in a handmade leather case and a signed certificate from Basquiat’s estate. With sales opening today (Nov. 2) at $4,000 per vinyl, all 39 records sold out within a minute, a Phillips spokesperson told Observer.
In addition to celebrating the legacy of Basquiat, who died in 1989 at age 27, the release of the records coincides with the 50th anniversary of Hip Hop. Phillips isn’t the only auctioneer hosting sales in honor of the landmark anniversary. Earlier this year, Sotheby’s held a sale to commemorate 50 years of the genre, in an auction that sold off items like a $1 million gold ring designed by Tupac Shakur.
Other records will be offered via auction and at King Pleasure
Those who missed out on the Dropshop sale will still have the opportunity to bid on another Basquiat-designed Beat Bop record. The first of the numbered editions will be sold in a Phillips auction later this month with an estimate of $4,000 to $6,000. All proceeds from the online sale, which ends Nov. 17, will benefit A Place Called Home, a nonprofit focused on providing youth in Los Angeles with arts education. The winning bidder will receive the rare vinyl along with a private tour of the ongoing Basquiat exhibition, King Pleasure, in Los Angeles, guided by the artist’s younger sisters and estate executors Lisane Basquiat and Jeanine Heriveaux.
The exhibition, which is currently being shown in The Grand LA complex, displays the evolution of Basquiat’s artwork from his teenage days to what is believed to be his last painting. In addition to previously unseen artwork, it contains various objects of family memorabilia and scene recreations from Basquiat’s childhood. The final ten numbered copies of Beat Bop will be sold at the King Pleasure Emporium, the exhibition’s gift shop.


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LINDSAY Lohan is desperate for cash.
The actress has apparently sold a “truck load” of her old clothes in a bid to raise funds.
“Lindsay’s got zero income and a shed-load of bills,” a source said.
“She’s so desperate for cash she took a truck load of designer clothes, shoes and bags to Los Angeles’ Crossroads Trading Company, who agreed a price of $16,000 for the lot.
“She needed a huge lorry to transport it all to the company’s head office.”
© 2014 - SHOWBISPY.COM ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.


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Market Watch: Ray Dalio Says Watch Out for Rates Reaching This Level, Because Wall Street Stocks Will Take a 20% Hit
Article by Barbara Kollmeyer in Market Watch
After that CPI shock earlier in the week, Wall Street is fielding a fresh batch of data on Thursday, with the headline retail sales number coming in stronger than expected. And a disastrous rail strike may be inverted.
But there’s no cheering up billionaire investor and hedge-fund manager Ray Dalio who asserts the Fed has no choice but to keep driving up interest rates, at a high price to stocks.
And he’s putting some fairly precise guesswork out there. “I estimate that a rise in rates from where they are to about 4.5% will produce about a 20% negative impact on equity prices,” Dalio said.
As for what happens when people start losing money in the markets — the so-called “wealth effect” — he expects ......
To read this article in Market Watch in its entirety, click here.


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Global markets were up again overnight (S&P 500 Index +0.6% for its 4th straight day of gains), and the S&P 500 is now just 2% from its February all-time high. While uncertainty remains high, US earnings season continues to deliver surprises and covid-19 vaccine hopes are lifting sentiment.
Walt Disney shares jumped +8% after delivering a surprise profit for the second quarter, with the market expecting a massive loss due to revenue declines for Disney parks and media networks, which were not as bad as feared and offset by 100m paid subscribers joining their streaming network.
Novavak jumped +10% after reporting phase one vaccine trials results showed positive immune responses amongst patients. Johnson & Johnson edged higher after striking a $1 billion deal with the US government to manufacture 100m doses of its covid-19 vaccine candidate if it proves successful.
However, economic data continues to paint a mixed picture, as US services industry activity gained momentum in July, with new orders jumping to a record high, and then on the flipside hiring declined, supporting views that a recovery in the labour market is faltering.
Briscoes Group (BGP:NZX)
Briscoes Group (BGP) shares have been rebounding strongly lately, after releasing a surprisingly solid set of sales figures for the second quarter, which almost full offset the weak first quarter. For the first half of 2020, which includes 50 days of physical store lock down, group sales came in at $292.4m, down only 3.5% from last year, thanks to a +28.3% boost in sales in the second half helped by a boost in sales for many retailers and pent up demand built up post lockdown.
The result was helped by pent up demand post lockdown creating a surge in retail spending, however management appear wary over the near-term outlook with the risk of rising unemployment after wage subsidy support ends.
We remain HOLD rated on Briscoes, due to its valuation and uncertain outlook over the medium-term for the retail sector.
Australia & New Zealand Market Movers
The Australian market (ASX 200 -0.6%) fell yesterday, amid heightened geopolitical concerns and the US Congress' failure to agree on an extension of its fiscal support package.
There is local economic uncertainty with Victoria reporting another day of record high covid-19 cases, a week after entering into a strict lockdown.
There was broad based selling with almost all sectors in the red, other than miners which were mixed helped by gold miners as the price gold reached new record highs up +30% since the start of the year. The generally safe healthcare sector was the worst performing on the day lead by market giant CSL down 1.8%. The major banks were also trading weaker as well as Telstra which was down -2.3%, after announcing it was selling a data centre in Melbourne which it plans to lease back for 30 years.
The New Zealand market was a touch lower (NZX 50 Index -0.1%) yesterday as investors were reminded of the lingering uncertainty caused by the number of covid-19 cases continuing to rise globally. Local labour market data showed the unemployment rate fell to 4% in the second quarter of the year, defying expectations of a sharp increase. However, the figure is masked by government’s wage subsidies set to roll by the end of September, highlighting concerns of the economy over the near-term
Global logistics firm Mainfreight led the market lower, following a strong rally recently after an upbeat result. On the flipside, Ryman Healthcare continues to slip lower after it announced strict operating conditions in Melbourne are causing uncertainty over the build rate and earnings for the 2021 financial year.
3 Things Markets Will be Watching this Week
- COVID-19 related news-flow remains key, with second wave and lockdown headlines, while US Congress debate what an extension of stimulus will look like.
- Monthly employment figures are released in the US (Nonfarm payrolls) and it will be another big week of corporate earnings.
- Closer to home, the Reserve Bank of Australia makes an interest rate decision.


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Compatibility:Car Radio or Dash Player
Manufacturer Part Number:071022726556
Satellite Radio for Sale
The CAterham CSR 175 revealed at Tokyo We reported a few weeks ago that with the economic crisis still enveloping car makers round the world the Tokyo Motor Show was going to be almost exclusively domestic. Just Lotus – who brought the limited edition Lotus Scura – and Alpina – who brought the LWB B7 – were expected to be there to represent the rest of the world. But Caterham – inheritors of Colin Chapman’s Lotus 7 heritage – took advantage of some cheap floor space and turned up with a new car – the Caterham CSR 175./p> The CSR is Caterham’s top of the range, and this CSR 175 slots in as the bottom of the top – if that makes sense.Tue, 11 Dec 2012 00:00:00 -0800
Ford says it has developed a fix for the potential engine fire problem that prompted it to recall nearly 90,000 copies of the new Escape and Fusion with the 1.6-liter EcoBoost engine. Ford traced the problem to a glitch in the engine software that could lead to an engine fire in the event of pressure dropped in the cooling system. So dealers will update the software on the recalled vehicles.Mon, 08 Apr 2013 00:00:00 -0700
Automakers are offering cut-rate financing, cash back and lease deals just as our income-tax-refund checks are coming in the mail. These timely tax-return car deals are paired with the necessity for automakers to make room on dealer lots for all-new models. (See the Cadillac CTS deals.) Here, we break down some of the incentives being offered this month.
New Sirius Stratus 7 Satellite Radio Stereo Model # Ssv7v1 on 2040-parts.com
Indianapolis, Indiana, United States


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The spread of the Coronavirus (COVID-19) has caused the World Health Organization to increase its risk impact alert from “high” to “very high.” This should serve as a reality check for businesses to get ready.
According to Reuters, the brakes have been applied to consumer spending and worker productivity, as governments and health organizations embrace isolation and quarantine strategies to limit COVID-19’s spread. The coronavirus can’t easily be identified by outward signs. It can be deadly in some and cause mild or no symptoms in others. Stopping the spread of the disease means limiting social interaction.
Countries Are Embracing Isolation to Fight COVID-19
Table of Contents
The hardest-hit cities in China, like Wuhan, where the virus originated, went into complete lockdown. This approach seems to be effective. “We’ve seen the comprehensive measures that China has taken and… we believe that that has had an impact on changing the natural trajectory of the outbreak,” said Dr. Maria Van Kerkhove of the World Health Organization. As a result, other countries are following suit.
- The South Korean government has canceled some regional events.
- U.S.states have closed schools and some companies are encouraging employees to work from home.
- In Italy cities and towns in the north have been placed under full or partial shutdown, effectively quarantining 100,000 people.
- Those trying to leave the city of Qom, ground zero for Iran’s outbreak, are quarantined if they have a fever and display symptoms of coronavirus.
The Virus Has Accelerated the Shift to eCommerce
The economic impact in industries like tourism and dining has been swift. Major Asian airlines like Cathay Pacific and Singapore Airlines have warned of the need for staff to take unpaid leave. 47% of Chinese businesses have also reported that the outbreak has significantly or severely impacted their sales, according to a survey conducted by the Dentsu Aegis Network (DAN). However, many online industries could benefit by enabling consumers to work, socialize and access entertainment and goods while under lockdown.
According to QuestMobile, the average time Chinese citizens spent on the mobile internet climbed from an already high 6.8 hours a day during Chinese New Year, to an astonishing 7.3 hours after the holiday as coronavirus took hold.
How Companies Have Responded
In developing any response to the Coronavirus, it is critical that companies remain sensitive to consumers’ needs and align with the public’s interest. JD.com Provides an excellent example. The Chinese ecommerce company recently announced the creation of 35,000 new jobs for people who have been displaced by the coronavirus in China. The jobs they are creating include full- and part-time positions for warehouse workers, delivery drivers and remote customer-service workers.
This is not the first time JD.com has built its business by addressing a public health crisis. The company started as a brick-and-mortar retailer but relaunched as an online business in response to ecommerce demand driven by the SARS epidemic in 2004.
Steps Every Business Should Take
There are several common-sense actions businesses can take in response to the Coronavirus.
1- Maintain Close Contact with Suppliers: Contact suppliers in any country affected by the virus to check on their status. And maintain communication because the situation can change quickly.
2- Keep Customers Informed: Constantly update customers on the status of their orders in order to mitigate the damage done by delayed or canceled deliveries.
3- Monitor Third-Party Sellers: Maintain careful watch over any third-party sellers that may do business on your platforms to protect customers from false claims and price gouging.
4- Reassure Customers About the Safety of Deliveries: According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, COVID-19 can’t be transmitted in packages.
5- Forecast Supply Issues: Review sales over the last few years and identify upcoming spikes in demand. Then make moves now to ensure product availability, such as ordering extra inventory early or developing relationships with geographically diverse suppliers.
Help Customers Respond to Challenges Now to Build Long-Term Relationships
Online sellers, ride-sharing businesses, delivery services, and other participants in the digital economy need to consider both temporary opportunities and challenges, as well as new normals that arise due to shifts in behavior in response to this crisis. By focusing on communication with customers and suppliers, and ensuring that any actions you take support the public good, you can position your business for long-term success by helping customers with short-term needs.


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In the middle of California’s record-breaking drought in 2015, as the state asked residents to cut water use 20%, Santa Cruz-based entrepreneur Keri Waters noticed another statistic: in a typical American house, around 10% of water used is lost to leaks. As some Californians showered less often or let their lawns turn brown, many were missing the simpler approach of fixing those leaks–because it isn’t necessarily obvious that a leak exists.
A new device, developed by Waters and her team, is designed to help homeowners better understand where their water goes. Buoy attaches to a home water line and connects to Wi-Fi. As water flows through pipes, the system uses machine-learning algorithms to identify whether the water is going to a shower or sprinkler or washing machine. If there’s a leak, an app connected to the system gives the homeowner the option to shut off water remotely and call a plumber. If the system identifies that a large amount of water goes to a certain activity–such as watering a lawn–it can also help someone identify where to make strategic changes.
Though the idea began in California, the technology is meant to address a larger problem: Water bills are rising across much of the United States and will soon rise more as utilities struggle with the cost of replacing aging infrastructure and, in some places, more frequent droughts driven by climate change. In cities where populations are declining, those rising costs are even more prohibitive because they’re split between fewer people. A study in early 2017 estimated that within five years, the number of U.S. households that find water bills unaffordable would triple from 11.9% to 35.6%. Buoy is meant to help people cut unnecessary water use to avoid the largest bills.
For a device that considers itself as a solution to an affordability problem, Buoy is expensive: The technology, along with installation from a licensed plumber and a lifetime subscription to the service, costs $799. Homeowners who already have trouble affording water bills–including many people in Detroit, for example–won’t have the cash to buy the first iteration. But for the target group, homeowners with a little more disposable income, it could help.
“If you’re in the half of the country that’s already facing tiered water prices and high water bills, Buoy pays for itself in about a year,” says Waters. In beta tests that began in January 2017, the company saw that the average user was wasting 9.5% of their water in leaks. If a typical house leaks 10% of its water, she says, fixing that could save someone 13,000 gallons of water in a year, at a cost that might range between $300-$400. An increasing number of water utilities are also charging steep penalty bills for excessive use. “It [could be] $1,500 if you have a sprinkler head that breaks for a few days,” she says.
Homeowners can also save more by identifying where they use the most water. One beta user, for example, saw that he was using around 80 gallons of water each day to handwash dishes. A modern dishwasher uses about three gallons for a load. Because he lives in San Antonio, where water prices are high, he calculated that he could offset the cost of a new dishwasher in about a year. As the app develops, it will make more suggestions along these lines.
The company also wants to make the product affordable for everyone over time, including those who struggle most to pay water bills. Waters makes an analogy to Tesla. “They had to start with a segment of the population that could afford to invest in revolutionary new technology and then they’re able to cost-reduce it and bring it to everybody,” she says. “I think we have that same ethos.”
A similar device, called Water Hero, which detects leaks but doesn’t yet have the ability to distinguish which appliances are using water at a given time, comes in a version that costs $499 and doesn’t require professional installation; other versions cost as much as $799 for a larger pipe. Dropcountr, another similar device, is offered only through certain utilities and doesn’t offer the ability to remotely shut off water when leaks are detected. (Insurance companies, which spend billions on damage from leaks each year, may be particularly interested in the leak-shutoff feature and could offer discounts to consumers who own the technology.)
As pressure increases on traditional sources of water, and aquifers or reservoirs are drained, Waters envisions that Buoy could help enable a shift to new technology. Devices that harvest water from the air, for example, or greywater systems, are available now–but to use them, people need more data than a simple water bill provides.
“Let’s say I wanted to buy greywater for my house,” says Waters. “Just looking at my water bill isn’t enough. You have to know how much outdoor watering [you do] versus how much do you generate with showers and washing machines that could be used as greywater.”
She thinks that new water technology is in a similar position as home solar panels were at the turn of the century; a system to go fully off the water grid now costs roughly $40,000, about as much as home solar panels did in 2001. Rolling blackouts in California in 2001 helped lead to changes that spurred the growth of solar. The drought might do something similar.
“We’re just embarking on a grand vision to try to remake our relationship with water,” she says. “The way I see it, big picture, we’ve been able to take water for granted for a long time. It’s been so heavily subsidized–it’s more subsidized as a resource than oil–and that’s changing. Now that’s a challenge for us as homeowners in this country, but it’s also an opportunity, in that it’s allowing us to really take a look at what kind of world we want to live in, and what kind of control we want to have over the water in our home.”


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CEO Elon Musk tweeted:
Moving the Tesla announcement to Wednesday. Needs a few more days of refinement.— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) October 16, 2016
The Palo Alto-based company did announce it will collaborate with Japanese electronics company Panasonic to work on solar energy in Buffalo, New York.
Tesla and Panasonic to collaborate on photovoltaic cell and module production in Buffalo, New York https://t.co/bcDS3voHwu— Tesla (@TeslaMotors) October 17, 2016
Panasonic is already working with Tesla to supply batteries for its Model 3 vehicle.
Click here for more stories about Tesla.


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Silicon Valley is a not only a hotbed for information technology, it’s also a center for other technology disciplines, including the growing niche of food technology. One of the most ambitious of these endeavors is being undertaken by sustainable seafood startup New Wave, which is working on a lab-engineered shrimp substitute and shark fin replacement intended to grace the plates of foodies around the world.
New Wave is the brain child of Jennifer Kaehms, Michelle Wolf, and Dominique Barnes. The trio is focusing on sustainable seafood, using technology to create alternative forms of popular seafood delicacies. These fabricated food items allow people to consume their favorite seafood without impacting the animal population or its ecology.
The team chose to work on a shark fin substitute because of the impact that shark fin harvesting –the practice of removing a shark fin and throwing the finless body back into the sea– has had on the shark population. With up to 73 million shark fins harvested annually, shark populations have suffered serious declines in those areas where harvesting is active. The team molds its substitute shark fins using collagen produced from genetically modified yeast. They hope to provide an ecologically-friendly alternative source of shark fins for consumers who want a guilt-free food source or are seeking to avoid pollution in their food.
Besides shark fins, the company also is actively developing a shrimp substitute because that edible crustacean is such a high-profile seafood item. “Shrimp is the highest volume consumed seafood in the US,” says co-founder Kaehms, “so it just made sense for us to start with something that can make the biggest splash.”
The shrimp substitute is being developed to match the taste, texture and nutritional composition of real shrimp by turning towards the algae that shrimp consume in the wild as an input. The team is working on different ways of extracting protein from the algae and mixing it in a way that makes its appealing to eat. While the team allegedly has nailed the flavor aspect, they are continuing to tweak the texture of shrimp, which is difficult to replicate. They hope to demonstrate their first shrimp product in February of next year as part of their participation in IndieBio, a startup incubator that helps fund innovations in biotechnology.
- Renpho teams up with MyFitnessPal to make smart tracking that much easier
- No, this funky light show on the space station is not a disco
- Could cellular seafood take pressure off Earth’s overfished oceans?
- Making meat out of thin air? Impossible. But this startup does it anyway
- No soil? No problem. H2Grow can cultivate crops practically anywhere


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I HAVE at least five pseudonyms so when I read that some European governments want to prevent me from keeping my identities separate by different aliases, I started to wonder why they would want to stop people from taking on names to fit specific purposes. The New York Times reports on a piece of European legislation "to require companies to keep detailed data about people’s Internet and phone use that goes beyond what the countries will be required to do under a European Union directive. In Germany, a proposal from the Ministry of Justice would essentially prohibit using false information to create an e-mail account, making the standard Internet practice of creating accounts with pseudonyms illegal. A draft law in the Netherlands would likewise go further than the European Union requires, in this case by requiring phone companies to save records of a caller’s precise location during an entire mobile phone conversation."
If this kind of legislation is to be successful, it will be illegal to hold an email account in the States. I think it's a toothless exercise of people unfamiliar with the need for aliases in the virtual world.


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News and Articles About Hiring
Business strategist Carol Roth argues that forcing businesses to pay interns ignores both the costs incurred by the host business and the value interns receive.
A recent court ruling in favor of two former 20th Century Fox interns could set a precedent for other industries.
The most-common small business in the U.S. has only three employees and a single location, but taken together, small businesses in the U.S. are the primary engine of job growth.
In this case study, the Canadian social media company Hootsuite realized that its hiring process was holding the fast-growing company back.
As several reports show a slight improvement in the economy, small businesses remain cautious though the franchise sector is the bright spot.
New graduates can give your company a fresh way of looking at business problems. Here are five steps for hiring the best and brightest of the class of 2013.
At a recent StartX event, a panel of entrepreneurs detailed their unusual approaches to checking candidate references.
For a growing company, asking a recruiter to help you fill key jobs can be ideal, but how do you know the recruiter 'gets' your company? Here's how to vet a recruiter.
Read the best tips of the week from Entrepreneur.com, from tapping into your innate wisdom to adapting to foreign customers.
A look at Go Daddy's plan for growth and new offerings in an effort to target small businesses.
In this case study, Philadelphia's Buzz Marketing hired a pro to handle HR, saving the owner time and tension over family hires.
Student entrepreneur Karim Abouelnaga on the value of putting together a strong team -- and how to keep it that way.
Entrepreneurs usually can't offer new hires the promise of a hefty salary. But there are ways to get A-list employees without breaking the bank. Here are five budget-friendly techniques to get you there.
Several indicators show the overall economy is on the upswing, but small-business hiring is down slightly.
Offbeat hiring practices that get past canned answers.
The Boston Beer Co. expands its microloan and mentorship program. Plus, the founder shares the most popular advice he dispenses to young business owners.
A new report finds a majority of small-business owners spend their time and money supporting fellow small merchants and their communities.
A new report ranks the top cities for startups based on lending, business friendliness, hiring pool and local economy.
Why Aaron Muderick believes hiring more than 500 special needs employees is good for business.
A new report by U.S. Bank cites economic uncertainty as a top challenge for business owners when considering the future of their companies.
Research from the National Retail Federation reveals what young adults are looking for in their first jobs.
Business coach Ann Mehl explains the most common reasons why an employee might not be meeting expectations, including poorly defined job responsibilities.
A bipartisan group of Senators has established a blueprint to overhaul the immigration system.
How do you make sure new hires will mesh well with your other employees and with your company's culture?
Connect with Entrepreneur
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Suzuki Philippines Inc. (SPH), the country’s pioneer compact car distributor, continues its consistent positive performance as it closes the chapter on the first quarter of 2021.
Recent data from The Chamber of Automotive Manufacturers of the Philippines, Inc. (CAMPI) showed Suzuki’s continued sales growth despite the limitations proposed by the prolonged lockdown and global pandemic – a testament to Suzuki’s unwavering commitment in providing Filipinos with only the best automotive service and products that we deserve.
Accumulated industry sales revealed a total of 95,197 units sold in the first 4 months of 2021, amounting to 34% increase from last year’s performance. As for Suzuki, a total of 1,695 units were sold for the month of April, pushing the total number of units sold for the first 4 months of the year to 6,390 units – marking a growth of 65% compared to the 3,879 units sold in the same period of last year and also surpassing the industry’s recorded yearly growth.
Rolling into 2nd quarter with a high note, Suzuki landed top 3 in the month of April while maintaining its 4th place on the year-to-date sales. The 3 most popular sales drivers that have contributed to Suzuki’s sales for the first quarter of this year have been its flagship model Ertiga (1,544 units sold), the trendy hatchback S-Presso (1,204 units sold) and the ever-reliable workhorse Carry (1,177 unit sold) – accounting for 61 percent of Suzuki’s total sales.
“Despite the challenging situation, this continuous achievement that Suzuki has been reaping now is a testament of how we remain relentless in our goal to provide quality driving experience to the market. We will continue to thrive and reinforce our commitment to show more people what the Suzuki Way of Life is all about,” says SPH Vice President and General Manager for Automobile Division, Keiichi Suzuki.
SPH attributes the continued success of its sales to the provision of timely monthly promotions, seeking and encouraging active engagement from Suzuki patrons through interactive virtual occasions such as the different legs of the Suzuki Auto Festival, aggressive digital marketing, as well as individual digital efforts and activities from the numerous dealers across the country in promoting the Suzuki brand.
For more information about Suzuki visit http://suzuki.com.ph/auto/, like it on https://twitter.com/SuzukiAutoPH and follow on Instagram at @suzukiautoph.


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The first minister has set a target for new petrol and diesel vehicles to be phased out in Scotland by 2032. Nicola Sturgeon made the announcement as part of her programme for government for 2017-18. More people are buying electric vehicles, but there are significant challenges ahead if we're to be weaned off the combustion engine completely.
Four years ago, there were just 3,500 electric vehicles in the UK. As of August 2017, there are almost 113,000.
But many in the industry believe the market will soon see even bigger growth. It's not just Scotland - most European countries have targets for phasing out combustion engine vehicles.
"It's expected that the big rush to buy electric vehicles (EV) will be this year or next year," says Paul Minto.
He's a partner in the energy and utilities team for global law firm Addleshaw Goddard, and an industry expert.
"Motor Trade Association figures show sales are now booming. They're on the upward curve."
It doesn't seem that long ago that electric vehicles were mainly for a select band of car buyers who were either very wealthy or who only made very short journeys.
The advance of technology - in particular battery technology - is changing this rapidly. As the prices comes down and range goes up more people are buying EVs.
But Mr Minto says that there needs to be a corresponding focus on the infrastructure needed to keep all these batteries topped up, to keep EV owners from suffering the dreaded "range anxiety" - the fear your car will slow to a peaceful stop before it reaches its destination.
The starting point is to install trickle charging points in people's homes.
This is easy if you have your own drive, but - as Ms Sturgeon has acknowledged - many people in Scotland live in tenements.
So how do you ensure that several hundred people living in a block of flats can all charge their cars up overnight?
And how does the National Grid cope with the inevitable strain as everyone plugs their car in every evening?
These two problems are the "missing pieces in the jigsaw", according to Mr Minto. They're also where the big "commercial opportunity" is. There's lots of money to be made for those who can find the answers.
One of the ways mass-charging points can be created in densely-populated urban areas is with massive batteries kept in shipping container-style boxes.
"You can locate big batteries anywhere you want and attach EV charging points to those," says Mr Minto.
"Those batteries can be charged at any time of day or night so you do it when it's cheapest. Or you can use a renewable energy source like wind or hydropower to charge them."
These big batteries have two advantages - they're an efficient way of providing a lot of charging points in a small area and they "smooth out" the demand for electricity at certain times.
Mr Minto says these big batteries could easily be installed in the corner of an office car park and could have 50 charging points attached.
The batteries already exist, but there's a "vast" technology race under way to make them cheaper, smaller and faster-charging, he says.
And in urban areas we should be prepared to see parking meter-style charge points popping up on many roads - potentially providing a plug-in facility for every parking space on a busy street.
Other possibilities for charging lots of cars in a small space include more futuristic designs - like towers which stack cars up while charging them.
It's this type of solution that the Scottish government needs to embrace if mass electric car ownership is to become a reality. It's also one of the reasons Ms Sturgeon announced a £60m innovation fund alongside the 2032 target.
But Scotland has another big challenge to overcome with electric cars.
Although there are densely-populated cities, the vast majority of the country is rural, with big distances between villages or small towns.
It's enough to make a range-anxious electric car owner go weak at the knees. Or is it?
Es Tresidder lives just outside Fort William, where he runs his own business designing low-energy buildings.
Until last year, he was living in Brussels where he and his family didn't need a car to get around - but he realised that would change once he moved to Scotland.
Being immersed in the green economy and low-energy design, he was keen to try an electric car, but wasn't sure if it was the best option in a rural area.
"I initially thought there was no way it would work. Looking at web forums for electric car owners, I was told by many people it wouldn't work as my only vehicle in somewhere like the Highlands.
"But then I looked into it a bit more and decided it was worth a gamble."
He bought a second generation Nissan Leaf, one of the most popular models of electric car in the UK.
Mr Tresidder acknowledges there's a perception EVs are only good for small journeys in big cities - but says his experience has been "surprisingly good" so far.
"For most of my usage I won't use the public chargers at all - I just use the one at our house.
"If you've got somewhere to charge at home or work, that's all you will need for most of your charging," he says.
Home chargers like Mr Tresidder's are generally slower, but are fine for overnight charging.
"It's actually more convenient than a petrol or diesel car because I never have to go to a petrol station.
"There's also very low maintenance. All I've done on my car in the last 12 months is topped up the windscreen fluid and put some winter tyres on."
The range on Mr Tresidder's Nissan is about 120 miles (193km) - though it varies with the temperature and the speed he drives - which is more than enough for everyday use, he says.
"When I do go on longer journeys, the average speed in the Highlands means I'm driving long enough that I'm ready for a half-hour break - especially with three children."
The rapid charging technology found at most public charge points will bring the Leaf's batteries up to 80% in about 30 minutes.
Mr Tresidder says he's not yet needed to queue to plug his car in and has only found one charger that didn't work.
That was in Mallaig, where someone let him plug in to their wall socket with a standard three-pin extension lead for a couple of hours, which gave him enough charge to get home.
But he admits there are occasions when owning an electric car feels a lot more inconvenient than driving a petrol or diesel model.
"My parents live in Derbyshire and to go to see them I think I have to stop five times [to charge] - that's considerably less convenient.
"But then I only do that journey a couple of times a year and it's cost me £10 rather than £60 or £70."
There are also apps and websites to show the location of EV charging points - and sometimes even if they're occupied or not - which helps to keep the range anxiety at bay.
There will clearly need to be a lot more charging points installed around Scotland to keep up with the rise in EV ownership.
Or could part of the change over the next 15 years be a move away from traditional car ownership altogether?
If fewer people own cars and instead share them, or use public transport, then the pressure on the charging infrastructure is reduced.
Mr Minto believes there's likely to be a cultural shift soon.
"Over the passage of time, the ownership model of cars will become less important. We are may be the last generation to want that," he says.
"Already on the west coast of the USA you see driverless, autonomous vehicles.
"They're just driverless pods - in effect you're no longer owning a car, you're just sharing time in one."
This might seem impossibly far into the future.
But Mr Tresidder says he has no doubt that electric vehicles of some kind are in his future. He says he'll never buy another petrol or diesel car again.
"Driving a petrol or diesel would feel like a step backwards in terms of how nice it is," he says.
"This summer we did a house swap for our holiday which included a car swap.
"The petrol car we got was noisy and smelly. You had hill starts and the business of balancing the clutch.
"We stalled it constantly. We spent lots of money at petrol stations. It wasn't that nice at all.
"People often think of climate change mitigation in terms of sacrifices, but electric cars aren't a sacrifice at all - they're an improvement over what we're used to."


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A head-turner the BlackBerry Passport definitely is; but is it that for the right reasons? We can’t tell you that right now because we haven’t handled the device as yet. Images of it however, have intrigued many thanks to its unique PDA-like form factor.
And it’s a high end device by every sense of the term. It’s got a premium body which is hosting a QWERTY keyboard, and that square display you’re seeing placed on its front surface grabs a resolution of 1440 x 1440 pixels. It’s sized at 4.5 inches which brings its pixel density count to 453ppi.
It’s hence safe to assume that the BlackBerry Passport is indeed the rumored and leaked Windermere handset that had surfaced a while back. The images you’re seeing in this space above and below have come via CrackBerry correspondents who managed to click them at the company’s earnings call yesterday where the Canadian brand showcased both the new Classic handset as well as the Passport to the media.
Other specifications of the device remain unmentioned but through a past leak, we’ve learnt that it’s likely to carry onboard a quad core Qualcomm-made processor and 3GB worth of RAM. This phone could also feature a 13MP primary camera and a 2MP secondary snapper. Its battery slot is expected to be occupied by a 3500mAh power unit, while its graphics will apparently be handled by an Adreno 330 GPU.
The BlackBerry Passport will be out sometime in September this year. We’ll have more on it when addition details are out.


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The consultancy is understood to have been appointed on credentials, after working on a raft of other projects for Heinz, including its 1kg plastic beans jar in August 2010.
A new Heinz Big Soup label features a bowl of steaming soup to evoke ‘high-quality food credentials’, says Heinz.
The keystone and green background associated with the soup brand has been kept, but a new typeface to emphasise the ‘chunky, bold nature of the soup’ has been developed, says Heinz.
Two canned formats will be available, as well as the new microwavable pot, which is a response to the demands of consumers ‘looking for filling lunches to take to work that are easy to carry and quick to prepare’, according to Heinz senior brand manager Lucy Cawkwell.
Heinz Big Soup Pots will be available in seven varieties, rolling out this week.


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Shaw's Dacha Beer Garden faces historic challenge to permanent home
The proposed permanent home for Dacha Beer Garden faces an historic problem, and the co-founder of the fledgling Shaw venue says it threatens to kill his business.
D.C.’s Historic Preservation Office is recommending major design changes for the planned Dacha building at 1600 Seventh St. NW, home to the beer garden since September. The temporary certificate of occupancy expires Nov. 23 — this is its last weekend for the season — and co-founder Ilya Alter said the plan is to spend the next four months building a permanent beer garden structure.
The Dacha proprietors have proposed a two-story, frame building set back from Seventh Street by roughly 28 feet, with a three-bay-wide, open bar area on the first floor and a roof deck above. The majority of the site would remain open for beer garden seating.
That plan has been met with serious resistance from the Historic Preservation Office, which has oversight because the property is within the Shaw Historic District. Victorian-style buildings in Shaw usually sit on the front property line with commercial storefronts that “engage the street,” HPO reviewer Brendan Meyer writes in a report released Friday, in advance of a Nov. 21 Historic Preservation Review Board meeting.
The orientation of the Dacha design is ambiguous, Meyer writes, while the tall windows and floor-to-ceiling heights “give the building a proportion larger and out of sorts with the domestically scaled rowhouses along Q Street,” and the large areas of blank diagonal siding “erase much of the scale of the building and largely offset any rhythm achieved by the open bays of the bar.”
“The hardest shortcoming to ignore in the proposed concept is how far the building is set back from the street, sitting practically at the rear of the lot, as if it is a rowhouse rear-ell without the rowhouse,” Meyer writes. “Siting the building at the inverse of where a historic building would be expected, the weaknesses in regards to other principals are amplified.”
What Meyer, and by extension, the HPO, is looking for is a “business that can operate as a beer garden but also contribute to the commercial architecture and character of the historic district.” Meyer is recommending the the Dacha founders come back to the HPRB with significant design changes.
Alter said the HPO has taken a “very unfortunate position,” one that will bust the beer garden’s budget, destroy the commissioned Elizabeth Taylor mural (see image above), and “kill our business.”
“Our business model is an outside beer garden, not a beer garden that’s enclosed,” Alter said. “They’re only going by the strictest letter of the court without applying it smartly.”
Alter hopes to convince the HPRB next week that the existing plan is worthy of approval.
Michael Neibauer covers economic development, chambers of commerce, transportation and politics.
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The view ahead in global markets
As to the outlook for the industry for the next year or so, expect more of the same or even a bit worse for companies that are unwilling to take steps to address the continuing uncertainty in major markets — and that sidestep the need to change the status quo. In 2017, barring a recession in the U.S. and Europe or a slowdown in China, Moody’s Investor Service expects EBITDA in the chemicals industry to slip by 1 or 2 percent year-over-year.
Breaking this down by market, in the U.S., the new administration is likely to embrace policies that are antithetical to free trade and globalization as well as to reduce regulations on businesses. To a degree, this could increase demand for chemicals by stimulating domestic manufacturing investment. But the other side of the coin is more problematic for chemicals companies: If the U.S. impacts trade flows, producers that depend on access to international markets or that plan to make resource investments outside the U.S. could be harmed.
In the eurozone and the United Kingdom, monetary easing has not translated into significant growth or demand gains for chemicals companies. Moreover, the economic, political, and legal questions brought on by Brexit cloud the economic outlook in the U.K. and could put a damper on industrial manufacturing activity. Key elections in France, Italy, and Germany, which may move these countries toward more protectionist and insular biases — similar to the U.S. — could have a strong effect on whether chemicals companies can collaborate and grow within the European Union.
The Middle East is in the throes of a fundamental economic restructuring; low oil prices have frightened countries in the region into at least giving lip service to reducing dependence on revenue from fossil fuels and diversifying their economies. That, in fact, is the impetus behind Saudi Vision 2030, a far-reaching program that aims to, among other things, increase Saudi Arabia’s non-oil exports as a share of GDP to 50 percent from 16 percent today. This plan and similar ones being developed in the Middle East encourage more local production of consumer and business goods for both domestic and export markets. Thus, chemicals companies will need to figure out how they can participate in the Middle East by supporting and facilitating the region’s diversification and localization aspirations.
Asia, and more specifically China with its GDP growth of 6 percent (almost double that of the rest of the world), remains a bright spot in the chemicals firmament. But in China, too, a tectonic shift is under way as its economy moves from being export driven to one based on domestic consumption. Margin pressures are increasing among domestic chemicals producers due to an overcapacity in basic commodities and in certain value chains (such as acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene [ABS], a popular plastic used in manufacturing, and purified terephthalic acid [PTA], a polyester) as well as inefficient plants and processes. Moreover, a 6 percent growth rate in China represents a significant drop from a few years ago and heralds a slowdown in chemicals industry end markets, including automotive, construction, and pharmaceuticals, that enjoyed heady double-digit expansion for years.


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Toyota Prius had been a famous hybrid car all over the world. Some people bought the car not for its fuel efficiency, but somehow rather ot has become a trend ro own a toyota prius especially for the celebrities in the U.S.Due to the high demand, Toyota is releasing its 3rd generation Prius soon.
Toyota sleeker, more fuel-efficient update to its iconic Prius, which was introduced at the NAIAS, goes on sale this spring in a US market growing more crowded with competing hybrids and battered by the global financial crisis.
And the magic number is 50.
But the Japanese automaker’s executives are confident that the third-generation gas-electric Prius, which promises a city-highway average of 50 miles to the gallon, will maintain its spot as the top-selling hybrid in the US.
The highly-anticipated 2010 Prius boasts a 4mpg improvement over the current model, which already is the most fuel efficient vehicle ranked by the Environmental Protection Agency. When the Prius first was sold in the US in 2000, it got 41 mpg. The 2010 version shown in Detroit will be sold in 80 countries.
The new Prius debuted a day after Honda unveiled its next-generation hybrid, the 2010 Insight, which will arrive in US showrooms this Apr and is expected to compete head-on with the Prius.
Honda said the Insight will have a lower price than the Civic Hybrid, which has a base price of US$23,650. Toyota says pricing for the 2010 Prius be released shortly before it goes on sale. The 2009 version of the Prius starts at US$22,000.
Jesse Toprak, executive director of industry analysis for the Edmunds automotive website, said the Insight represents a big competitor for Toyota in the hybrid car market that likely will undercut the Prius on price. How Toyota prices the Prius and compares it to the Insight, he said, will be key.
“The new Insight is a direct competitor for Prius,” Toprak said. “Toyota used to have a monopoly in the marketplace.”
Sleek on the inside too.
Jim Lentz, president of Toyota Motor Sales USA, said before the unveiling that he expects the Insight will appeal to buyers focused on its low price, but Prius will draw drivers looking for a slightly larger vehicle and Toyota’s technology.
“It’s going to be a very good car,” Lentz said of the Insight. But, he added: “I think they’re very different vehicles.”
Prius sales fell 45% in Dec, but Toyota says the new Prius will help increase demand for the car – including by current owners who want to upgrade.
Last month, Toyota said it was shelving its plans to build the Prius in Mississippi amid the industrywide downturn. Toyota’s plant under construction in Blue Springs, Mississippi, was scheduled to begin production in 2010, marking the first time the Prius would be built outside of Japan and China.
Toyota had invested US$300mil in the plant before saying it was delaying production there indefinitely. Lentz said that Toyota plans to finish the shell of the plant, but there’s no update on whether production of the Prius or another Toyota vehicle will take place in Blue Springs.
Sharper looking than the old, but that’s not where the draw is.
The new Prius has a more aerodynamic design, but its exterior is easily recognizable as a Prius. It has a larger and more powerful 1.8l four-cylinder engine, which Toyota says helps improve fuel economy on the highway.
Toyota also will offer options such as a moonroof with solar panels to power the ventilation system. The system uses an electrically powered air circulation fan that doesn’t need the engine to work. It prevents the interior air temperature from rising while the vehicle is parked.
The ventilation system also can be remotely operated, so drivers can adjust the interior temperature before getting inside. Toyota says this remote air conditioning system is an industry first. – AP


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Last week, our Year 8 boys rugby team entered a sixteen team 7-a-side tournament at Gosforth RFC. After playing group and knockout stages we managed to get to the final where we narrowly lost out to the private school, Dame Allen’s.
Well done boys. A superb effort!
Meanwhile, next time, our rugby team will take on their opponents in brand new kit, after kit suppliers Canterbury delivered the new kit which was designed by Marden students before Christmas.
In October, four students spent the day at Kingston Park, home of the Newcastle Falcons, working with kit manufacturers Canterbury and came up with a design that the students have modelled below.


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Amanda Gerald is bringing the flair of New York City fashion to Dickson City.
Gerald, 33, of Scranton, along with co-owner Alfred Robinson and Shawn Kitt, both of Scranton, plans to open A Slice of Brooklyn at 729 Scranton-Carbondale Highway on Saturday at noon.
The store will feature clothing and accessories for both men and women. The products are also available at www.asliceofbrooklynny.com. Gerald noted the website was launched about a year ago.
“I’m originally from Brooklyn so I took the trend of ‘urban’ style and I’m incorporating it into Pennsylvania,” Gerald said.
Gerald feels Dickson City is an ideal spot to open the business.
“The demographic is very diverse and there is a lot of foot traffic,” she said. “I think we’ll be very successful at this location.”
She moved to Pennsylvania about two years ago and decided to start the venture following a dream.
“I dozed off for 15 minutes after a 16-hour shift and saw myself hanging up clothes,” Gerald said. “I jumped up and ran with the idea of the store.”
The store will be open each day from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m., Gerald said.
Dickson City Mayor Robert MacCallum said he’s constantly working with council and the planning commission to attract retailers.
“We’re always looking for new businesses and we get excited about anything that opens up,” he said. “We always have our eyes and ears open. We’re happy with bigger businesses, small businesses, and mom and pop stores. Anything we can do to help them out, we’re there for them.”


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More than one month after Amazon announced its decision to split its HQ2 campus between Arlington, Virginia and New York City, new details regarding Chicago’s failed bid to land the lucrative corporate expansion surfaced in documents made public by Freedom of Information Act request published by Crain’s.
While plenty of Chicago residents and journalists were more than happy to finally put the HQ2 saga in the city’s collective rearview mirror, the report does provide some interesting insight into the bid process including Amazon’s interests and concerns as well as the financial incentives being offered to the e-commerce and cloud computing powerhouse.
Here are 8 of the biggest takeaways and eyebrow-raising details highlighted in the report:
- Chicago was one of five finalist cities in the running to land HQ2. During its 13-month-long search, Amazon officials visited five of the ten development sites listed in Chicago’s formal bid. These include The 78, Lincoln Yards, the River District, Fulton Market District, and the Burnham Lakefront.
- The Seattle-based tech giant was most interested in The 78, developer Related Midwest’s vacant 62-acre riverfront parcel between the South Loop and Chinatown. Amazon reps made a second visit to The 78, but not a third as indicated by some sources.
- City, state, and county officials pledged at least $2.253 billion in tax breaks and other financial incentives to Amazon. The figure includes payroll credits, sales tax exemptions on construction costs, property tax breaks, and investments such as transit improvements and workforce training.
- A letter signed by Governor Bruce Rauner, Mayor Rahm Emanuel, and Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle indicated a vague promise to “consider other incentives that represent sound economic policy” once Amazon further narrowed its search. For comparison, New York offered the company nearly $3 billion for its half of the HQ2 prize.
- In addition to saving Amazon loads of money, Chicago officials hoped to save the company time as well. The city’s Build Department was prepared to offer the company a “concierge service” to streamline not only construction permits for HQ2 itself but also for the homes of its workers and executives.
- Amazon was concerned with Chicago’s struggle with violent crime, revealed emails uncovered by Crain’s. Deputy Mayor Bob Rivkin responded by describing a rise in murders as “a spike” and said police had made progress on the issue.
- Feeling good about their chances and wanting be prepared for any eventuality, City Hall preemptively drafted a press release announcing Chicago as the winner of HQ2. “Today Chicago begins a close partnership with Amazon as it builds its new home and continues to reach new heights for generations to come,” said Mayor Emanuel in a document cited in the report.
- The FOIA request does not, however, reveal how much money the public-private partnership known as World Business Chicago sank in drafting the Chicago bid. It was rumored that William Shatner was paid $50,000 for voiceover work as part of the city’s official bid video, but that figure remains unconfirmed.
These documents illustrate not only the complexity of the bidding process but also the lengths to which a city like Chicago would go to lure the company and its coveted 50,000 tech jobs. Whether you believe Chicago missed out or dodged a potential bullet, the fact that the city ranked so favorably in such an intense global competition is certainly encouraging.


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The numbers are in. Tekashi69 sold 55,319 copies of his “Day69” mixtape. The Brooklyn rapper sold 20,518 copies of his project from traditional album sales.
Tekashi was pleased with the performance of his sales.
Tekashi posted his sales onto his IG account with a caption, reading, “DAY69 Was the highest debut album last week. GUMMO went platinum. KOODA is gold going platinum. And KEKE just went gold. Don’t say I don’t run New York if you not putting these numbers up. Meet me on the charts.”


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While Texas has been one of the few states to shut out Tesla’s direct sales model, Elon Musk’s electric automaker has made a few unexpected allies. This includes Texas Governor Rick Perry, who has been doing his best to bring the Tesla Gigafactory to the Lone Star State, so it’s no wonder why he showed up at his Hyatt hotel in a Tesla Model S.
Perry tweeted the above picture, along with the caption that said “The only way to make this car faster is to make it in Texas.” Succinctly put, Governor Perry, though you should remember you’re competing for a battery factory, not a Model S factory. Elon Musk has floated the idea of a Tesla truck factory in Texas, though that won’t be until after the Model X and Model E debut.
— Rick Perry (@GovernorPerry) June 10, 2014
It isn’t just about the battery factory though; Rick Perry has always tried to appeal to Tea Party sensibilities, and the notion that Tesla shouldn’t be allowed to sell its own product because of government regulation rubs many conservatives the wrong way. It is rather absurd, though the dealer lobby has managed to put many Republican lawmakers in their pockets. But with Rick Perry now firmly in Tesla’s corner, one has to wonder if Elon Musk isn’t planning another push against the Texas anti-Tesla legislation.
Or he could just cut out the middle man, and go for national legislation to end the tyranny of the car dealership regime.


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IISc Bangalore develops Indigenous Ventilator Prototype to Address the Shortage
Indian Institute of Science (IISc) Bangalore has announced that a team of researchers has built an indigenous ventilator prototype to address the shortage of ventilators in Intensive Care Units (ICUs).
The team of researchers and engineers at IISc Bangalore have been working on the prototype of the ventilator since April 2020. The prototype has been developed following the guidelines of Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency in the United Kingdom.
With the increasing number of cases, it is predicted that countries might run short of ventilators. Due to the lockdown and frozen international trade routes, countries had to rely on indigenous healthcare products.
IISc stated in one of the statements, " The ventilator prototype uses components made in India or components which are easily available in the domestic supply chains. The team took nearly 35 days to go from the drawing board to a proof-of-concept system, and then a working prototype in another two weeks."
The IISc team is exploring options to collaborate with an industry to further co-develop the prototype into a field ready product, as stated by one of the faculty members Duvvuri Subrahmanyam.