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An ex-McDonald’s employee has shared secrets of the fast-food chain on TikTok, including revealing that the milkshake machine probably isn’t broken…
Taking to TikTok, Dessy Joseph has shared tricks of the trade after working at McDonald’s over the years.
She gives people hints on how to get the best out of your experience at McDonald’s, including how to get fresher food.
For instance, if you make customisations to your order like ‘added cheese’, your burger will be made fresh so they can add an additional slice.
Dessy has over 560,000 followers on TikTok and has now shared 23 videos of tricks for Maccies lovers.
Another includes avoiding the ‘lunch hour rush’ where items tend to be pre-made for fresher food. She said: “During the lunch rush we would make a certain amount of food that were popular items and leave them on the belt – it was heated so you couldn’t really tell if your food had been left on the belt.
“Which is where customisations come in, to make sure you don’t get food that’s been sitting on the belt.”
She also confirmed that the legendary ‘secret menu’ is actually real. Dessy explains you can order ‘an Oreo McFlurry with caramel sauce’ or a ‘neapolitan shake’ which will include chocolate, strawberry and caramel in one cup.
And it turns out, the milkshake machine probably isn’t actually broken.
Dessy revealed that colleagues often lie about the machine being broken to avoid replacing the massive and heavy bag of shake mix.
She even said that in the McDonald’s store she worked in the machine wouldn’t be cleaned very often, and would frequently have bugs inside.
She claimed: “Dead flies and dirt collect at the top of the ice cream machine, so if you slide the top off without wiping it first, all those little buggies go in the ice cream mix.”
The Mirror also shared some secret menu items shared by another ex McDonald’s employee.
They include ‘Angus Fries’ which are unsalted fries with Angus beef seasoning from the grill. There’s also ‘Strawberry Sprite’ which mixes Sprite post-mix with four squirts of Strawberry Thickshake Syrup.
You could also get ‘Mega MAC’ which builds a big Mac with quarter pounder meat and buns and an extra slice of cheese.
And there’s even ‘McMuffin Pizzas’ using grilled muffin halves with sauce, cheese and ‘toppings’.
BRB going to try and get something from the secret Maccies menu…
Warning to ‘Instagram hikers’ trekking to view plane crash on the moors above Glossop
Mountain rescuers have issued a warning to ‘Instagram hikers’ trekking to an eerie plane crash site on the mores above Glossop.
It comes following a weekend where Glossop Mountain Rescue Team were called out to two incidents in just three hours, after walkers got into trouble trying to reach the remote spot.
Visitors to the crash site in Bleaklow Moor have sky rocketed in lockdown with the site becoming an unlikely hit on social media.
Now, the GMRT team leader, Patch Hale has warned visitors that the elevation and inhospitable route makes for a difficult challenge for even experienced hikers.
He said: “Visitors should be aware that social media only tells them half the story. Always check the weather before you set off.
“Conditions can change without warning at these elevations, and low cloud can reduce visibility drastically.
“It’s easy to get disorientated and wet, and that’s when hypothermia can set in.
“And remember to allow plenty of time to get back before sunset, as conditions underfoot will become claggy, and navigation nearly impossible.
“Make sure you bring food, water, a torch, and a map and compass. And be confident you can use them.”
Mum puts kids to bed in next day’s clothes to save time in the morning and says it ‘works wonders’
The mum-of-two says her trick works wonders for saving time in the morning.
Lisa Lamond stars in an Australian renovation show, House Rules, on which she revealed her trick to save time in the morning.
The pre-school routine for her and many other parents can often be difficult with young children.
She said her daughters, Arabella, three and Ruby who is two like to dress themselves head to toe as they strive for independence.
Lisa added: “On days I’m working in particular, I don’t have a spare hour while they pull up one sock.
“So the best piece of advice I’ve been given is to dress your kids the night before in the clothes you want them to go out in.”
In the morning, she simply wakes her kids up, changes their nappy and puts on the shoes. She said: “It works wonders for me and where I’m at in life at the moment.”
Lisa also recommends taking advantage of online supermarket delivery to save the hassle of shopping with two young children and to leave the weekend for quality family time.
Lisa also said one her daughters has become attached and struggled to go to nursery. She said by printing out words with pictures of both the morning and evening routine it can help the little one preempt what’s coming up when she’s starting to feel anxious.
She urged parents to not compare themselves with other mums and dads, admitting at one stage she wouldn’t go out because she thought she couldn’t control her daughters and felt embarrassed.
She said: “We all have our own pace and ways of coping, but I got over it and learned how to diffuse the situation.”
You can follow the family on Instagram here.
Mums slam people who put their Christmas tree up early saying it’s ‘vulgar’ and ‘tacky’
You do you, tbh…
Mums on Mumsnet have called people who put their tree up before December ‘tacky’ and ‘vulgar’.
While we won’t judge you, either way, some people have got pretty strong opinions on exactly when they and everyone around them should put their Christmas trees up.
Some do it just after Halloween, others wait until December 1st, while some might do it as soon as the autumn leaves fall – and after the year we’ve had, you can’t really begrudge anyone wanting to spread some festive cheer, can you?
A number of parents have headed to Mumsnet to let everyone know their thoughts on the matter.
One person said any time before December was ‘ridiculously too early’, adding: “Were you born in a barn?”
A second went one step further (possibly too far): “NOT before December 1st. We need laws. Including the death penalty for shops who put Xmas stuff out in September.”
A third commented: “No it’s stupidly, embarrassingly early.” Someone else said putting decorations up before December ‘ludicrous’.
One mum let everyone else know exactly what she thought, writing: “Trees up this early is so tacky! Don’t do it. Christmas Eve to Twelfth Night. Anything else is a bit vulgar really.”
Someone thought mid-December is the right time adding: “25th November is insanely early too! 15th December is the earliest it should go up. Down on the 6th of January.”
A lot of these people were slammed as the Grinch for not getting in the festive spirit.
When do you think is the perfect time to put your tree up? Just do that, tbh…


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The Portuguese shoe industry association, Apiccaps, has posted a useful guide on the website of World Footwear with practical checklists for shoe exporters and importers on how to deal with the new trade agreement between the U.K. and the European Union. It also organized a few days ago an interesting ...
Many sports and fashion brands that have shifted part of their sourcing for apparel and footwear to Myanmar because of its lower labor costs are watching with awe the consequences of the recent military coup in the country. According to observers, it may be difficult for some of them to ...
British lawmakers have called for the creation of a garment industry watchdog to stop labor abuses at suppliers to fashion industry retailers such as Boohoo, saying voluntary codes to tackle exploitation are not working.
On March 3, the German federal government approved a bill that aims to force local companies to respect human rights in their global supply chain. Parliament is expected to pass the draft legislation, commonly referred to as the Supply Chain Act, by the middle of the year.
The British government announced that the increasingly popular interest-free ”buy now pay later” (BNPL) credit agreements will be regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) in order to protect consumers.
The municipality of Monte Urano, led its mayor, Moira Canigola, is seeking to obtain geographical indication protection from the European Commission for the footwear cluster located in the Fermo-Macerata area in the Marche region.
The European Commission has proposed the European Council to discourage non-essential travel between European Union member states amid high Covid-19 infection rates and concerns about new virus variants, while avoiding border closures or blanket prohibitions that would impede the functioning of the internal market and supply chains.
After seven years of talks, the European Union and China have agreed in principle on an investment agreement after their leaders met on a conference call on Dec. 30. The parties had set the end of 2020 as the deadline to strike a deal.

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Saint John's 1st cruise ship of the season a ‘relief’ for tourism
Change in fuel requirements could divert tens of thousands of tourists from port
The first cruise ship of the season docked in Saint John, N.B. on Saturday, helping to quench a tourism industry feeling the pinch of a reduced ship schedule.
Thousands of passengers off the Carnival Splendor were greeted by eager tourism operators.
The cruise industry has scaled back the number of ships it is operating in Atlantic Canada to deal with an expensive boost in fuel costs next year. Saint John is expecting eight fewer cruise ships to visit its port this year compared to previous summers.
At the Steamers Lobster Company on Water Street, owner Roy Billingsley says business has been down almost 50 per cent over the last couple of months.
“It was a feeling of relief. I don't know if you know, but the last ship that was scheduled to visit in July was actually diverted as a result of the Hurricane Arthur. So actually to see it in the port tied up is a bit consoling,” he said.
Melanie Colpitts, director of cruise excellence with Aquila Tours, says the group has noticed a shift in the season. She was happy to see 1,000 people sign up for one of her tours on Saturday.
"We are seeing less in the summer and more in the fall. So while we're only down eight ships we are noticing that the difference is really felt in the summer months,” she said.
Starting in 2015, all cruise ships operating within 200 nautical miles of the Canadian or United States coast will be required to use a fuel containing less sulphur. That is expected to push fuel expenses for the cruise lines higher and make it more expensive for ships to operate in areas such as Atlantic Canada.
The Carnival Glory already announced it will be moving its home port from New York City to Miami by next cruise season to get ahead of the fuel changes.
- An earlier version of this story incorrectly identified the Carnival Glory home port as being Saint John. Its home port is currently New York City and will be moving to Miami by next cruise season.Aug 05, 2014 12:14 PM AT


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Over the past week we have seen loads of reports in the media about the recent Beko fridge freezer recall for a potential fire risk, the original news report we published in June is available from this link, and we have collated as much news information in this article as we can.
We have also made a permanent page available from this link that will offer advice on the recall and updates as we receive information.
We held off publishing anything on this beyond providing as much updated information as we could waiting on a response from Beko who, despite what anyone may think, are actually doing the best that they can to resolve this issue. Sadly we cannot really add much to what has already been reported other than to collate the information as best as possible.
This really kicked into high gear on Tuesday last week (28th June 2011) when a fire broke out in a flat in Bermondsey, London that was initially thought to have been caused by a lighting strike but the cause was subsequently traced to a Beko fridge freezer that had caught fire in the property. The London Fire Brigade (LFB) then went very public with the fault and an interview was given on the BBC Radio 4's Today morning news program.
Death & Police Investigation
We then found out that in a fire in November 2010, again reported to have been caused by a faulty Beko fridge freezer, had caused the death of 36 year old Santosh Benjamin-Muthiah in Wealdstone, North London.
Over the past few days it has been reported that the London Met have been asked by Barnet Coroner's Office to investigate the death and this may involve charges being brought against Beko.
A spokesman for the coroner said:
This is obviously not good news for Beko and it will probably mean an investigation into the company's responsibilities and whether or not enough was done to try to prevent this unfortunate incident. Beko have expressed their deep regret for issues caused.
More Widespread Than Reported So Far
However, so far, we have only had reports from the LFB within London that lists these models as being responsible for fifteen fires thus far. What we don't know is the number of fires caused by these fridge freezers outside of London that may yet have to be reported. The BBC has received several reports from around the country so far of similar incidents, one such is featured in the following BBC news article.
Difficulties Contacting Beko
Of course these images and the ones above of the London fires has created a widespread panic amongst owners of Beko fridge freezers and Beko has been swamped with calls leading to difficulty getting through to the call centre and irritating owners. Part of the problem being that many owners of a Beko fridge freezer, even with a model not listed as a part of the recall and therefore completely unaffected, are also calling Beko for reassurances on the safety of the model that they own.
Please, if your model is not listed on the recall notice then it is unaffected, does not have the part/s fitted than can cause an issue and is, as far as anyone knows, completely safe to use.
If you do have an affected fridge freezer the number again for Beko's helpline is 0800 009 4837 and lines are open between 7am and 11pm, Monday to Friday.
Latest Statement From Beko
The latest statement from Beko, in full, on this issue is as follows:
"We deeply regret any instance involving any Beko product and we are doing all we can to address these issues. Additionally, we apologise for the frustrations people have experienced trying to reach us.
Since the issue of the fridge freezer became high profile, we have increased our call centre capacity by twenty times and have dedicated additional staff to respond to email enquiries. We will have three call centres operating on Saturday and Sunday. We have also increased our capacity to perform modifications by five times and have plans to increase even further. We have already spoken directly with tens of thousands of consumers.
Additionally, consumers can now check online if they have an affected product and submit their contact information. We will then schedule an appointment. There is no need to contact the call centre again and we ask that consumers please bear with us as we attempt to get back to them. Please visit our website www.beko.co.uk for more details.
Over 500,000 of these products have been sold, and most have been safely in use, some for over ten years. It is important to realise that the risk to consumers is extremely low. You can continue to use your fridge freezer, but as with any electrical product, if you notice anything different please contact us. Our original plan, as discussed and supported by Trading Standards was for a phased approach in order to minimise consumer delay and concern.
The BEKO frost free fridge freezer models affected were manufactured between January 2000 and October 2006. These have a serial number that begins with either 00, 01, 02, 03, 04, 05 or 06 and this information can be found on a label inside the fridge. Other Beko branded models and all Beko frost free fridge freezers manufactured after this date are unaffected. Some of the initial delays were caused by unaffected consumers calling the call centres. Please check you do have an affected product before calling.
Beko is making a free of charge modification to all affected models. This modification takes approximately 30mins and can be booked by calling 0800 009 4837 or by visiting www.beko.co.uk.
The safety of all our products is our highest priority. Every one of our products is manufactured in compliance with all current EU safety standards and they are independently tested.
Again, we do apologise for the concern and the inconvenience this has caused."
Was Action Taken Soon Enough & Potential Delays?
Of course it was expected that, since the LFB warned Beko of this issue in June of 2010, with the unfortunate death coming some five months later, that there have been calls from some quarters that not enough was done quickly enough and that this incident, along with others, may have been prevented had action by Beko been taken swifter.
Which? is currently looking into this with magazine editor Martyn Hocking says: 'Beko has taken some steps to contact customers who have the affected models but we don't think it acted swiftly enough and more could have been done sooner to ensure all customers are protected; not just those it had contact details for.'
In a statement however Beko stated that, "We took all the steps necessary to ensure we had replacement parts in stock, a call centre in place, and a repair network ready to modify products.
"Our plan was for a phased approach, to minimise consumer delay."
The latter delay that Beko were trying to avoid would appear to be exactly what has in fact happened given the many reports of great difficulty in getting through to Beko for some owners and, most probably now, delays in being able to book appointments fast enough to satisfy customer demands. We would imagine that British Gas, who appear to be carrying out this modification for Beko, are liable to be overwhelmed with requests for visits to rectify the problem. To our knowledge no outside help has been requested by Beko from either it's normal service network or independent repairers with some Beko agents concerned that all Beko service may now switch to British Gas.
Removal Of Recall Notice
It has been alleged that Beko forced a website to pull a warning about its products. RecallUK posted the caution in April that certain Beko models may be at risk.
But Beko are said to have ordered it to be dropped, saying it was not recalling the product, it was only modifying a defrost timer thought to be responsible.
Beko said, “We’re contacting customers to make the modification so there is no need to recall the product.”
After consultation with the LFB, Beko said it planned to correct the fault on site rather than recalling the products which meant it did not class the issue as a recall. RecallUK said that, 'This issue was previously listed on our site but we were asked by Beko to remove it as they did not consider it to be a recall,'
'Their point was that because they were checking/repairing the product at the customer's site the product was not being recalled.
'In light of recent events we have put this product safety issue back on our site in order to help customers find the information as quickly and easily as possible.'
Overall Assessment Of The Situation
In short we would say that Beko have most probably been caught a little off guard here with all the attention that has suddenly been focussed on the issue and that they have been been ill prepared to deal with the sudden increase in media attention and demands from their customers to resolve the issue. This is not entirely surprising as the call volume that Beko will be having to cope with will be massively over their normal levels and it is not possible to get trained personal in place fast enough so we can sympathise a little with Beko on that front.
We would also expect almost inevitable delays on getting close to half a million fridge freezers modified. This will take many weeks if not many months to clear completely.
Contacting customers is extremely difficult for Beko and many other manufacturers as many, many customers do not register their warranties. This makes tracking down where the machines were sold and who to a Herculean task for the company as they will often have no clue who owns what were or, in a great many cases, where the machines were even sold especially if they entered the normal trade distribution channels.
From what we know however Beko are doing everything that they possibly can to reach owners.
What wil be very interesting is what happens next in respect to the police investigation and calls that a general recall was not instigated fast enough.
We would imagine that other manufacturers will be a little less inclined to hold off from issuing recall notices for products that may suffer from similar risks and that there will be lessons learned from this by others as well as Beko. We say this as there may be more appliances out there that suffer inherent problems, just maybe.
Open To Question
The questions that remain are technical and, we suspect will be avoided, is that if this fire risk is caused by water ingress because there's a hole in the cover for the defrost timer then why not just use a simple plug to seal the hole? Or, why not just change the casing?
Surely if there was no problem with the defrost timer you wouldn't incur the cost of changing it?


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Published on : Feb 22, 2018
Professional services for internet of things (IoT) are gathering momentum driven by surging interests in IoT-powered products among companies world over. These services have picked up steam across businesses of all industries, increasingly helping them adopt IoT solutions. Collaborations among global players play a vital role in accelerating the adoption and further fueling innovation in IoT capabilities. To this end, AT&T Inc. and Ericsson, two globally prominent technology companies, announced on February 21 that they have entered into a collaboration to expand professional service capabilities for IoT. The partnership will enable the customers of AT&T to lessen risk and capitalize on the various opportunities brought about by emerging IoT ecosystem. The American multinational conglomerate has teamed with the Sweden-based networking and telecommunication player to introduce Global Device Certification for the app deployments. The service notably includes testing and verification along with white glove assistance for easing regulatory approval for IoT expansion.
Cooperation to Pave Way for Global IoT Ecosystem Spanning Over 150 Countries
With this collaboration, the companies are hoping to lay a robust foundation for global IoT ecosystem spanning over 150 countries. Of note, in 2017 AT&T has launched a comprehensive suite of suite of professional, managed, and consulting service in IoT for its customers. The services will allow operators as well as enterprises to unleash the potential of IoT in connecting things to unlock value. The customers will be able to use them to scale design, reduce implementation cost, accelerate device certification process, and innovate in the overall IoT landscape.
Adoption of IoT Professional Services to benefit Smart City Deployment
Notably benefiting the IoT ecosystem will be smart city deployments in a number of developing and developed nations. Utilities such as water meter companies, who will gain several advantages of the AT&T professional services. For instance, the services can be used to certify their water meter devices as they look to expand to new geographic regions. Certification services offered under the collaboration will feature facilitating pre-launch processes for IoT applications, helping end users get over regulatory and technological hurdles.


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Home > News > Infineon Technologies Establishes Presence in New York City
September 30th, 2003
Infineon Technologies Establishes Presence in New York City
Dr. Ulrich Schumacher, President and CEO of Infineon Technologies, the world's sixth largest semiconductor company, reaffirmed his commitment to growing the company's presence in North America, with the opening of its latest U.S. office facility in New York City, the world's largest capital market. The company is also increasing its investment in nanotechnology development in the U.S. for next generation chip applications.
Pixelligent Closes $5.5 Million in Funding: Capital Will Be Used to Support Global Customer Growth December 12th, 2014
Nanometrics Announces Upcoming Investor Events November 19th, 2014
Eight19 secures £1m funding: Investment to develop production technology, and expand commercial activities for organic photovoltaics November 19th, 2014
Arrowhead to Present at Upcoming Conferences November 15th, 2014


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Trump meets with billionaire founder of China's Alibaba
- Author: Kyle Warner Jan 12, 2017,
Jan 12, 2017, 0:07
Ma, who is the richest person in Asia, told reporters that the two discussed how to help small businesses in the USA sell agricultural products to consumers in Asia.
The meeting is the latest sign that e-commerce has moved to the forefront of both worldwide relations and domestic politics, and is expected to be a major point of contention in the Trump administration.
"We had a great meeting", Trump told reporters after the meeting at Trump Tower in NY.
"I think the door is opened for discussing the relationship on trade issues", Ma said.
At the same time, Alibaba's founder, Jack Ma, met with president-elect Donald Trump to unveil his plans to bring more than a million American businesses to its online platform, which should open up the Chinese market for American companies. The partnership already gives Alibaba access to Intime's inventory and allows its online customers to pick up orders from physical stores.
Ma gets on rather well with the Chinese authorities which is more than can be said for Trump.
Jack Ma met Trump in NY, and the two talked U.S.
Chevy Bolt gets top auto award; Honda Ridgeline top truck
Honda's Ridgeline took the top honor as Truck of the Year , beating out Ford's F-Series Super Duty and the Nissan Titan . The vehicle, with its all-electric powertrain, becomes the first pure electric vehicle to win the award.
He had also promised to call China a currency manipulator on his first day in office. Both individuals decided that US-China relations "should be strengthened, should be more friendly and do better". We know there's big demand for that in China.
The Chinese company expects the increased demands from Asian consumers for those American goods to necessitate hiring increases by US brands as they work to meet the heightened demand. They made $15 billion in sales to Chinese consumers previous year.
However, some of the foreign retailers on Tmall have not had success. "So that is what they are all now saying", he said.
Alibaba spokesperson told CNBC before the meeting that the Chinese online retail giant company would create 1 million jobs over the next five years, Ma's comments fixated on supporting small businesses.
"There's no one who could prove or disprove how likely that's going to be", he said.
Alibaba is aggressive in its approach to making deals, recently announcing 35 deals over the past 12 months, totalling $US15.2 billion, according to Bloomberg.
A staunch opponent of the Transpacific Partnership, (then) candidate Trump had campaigned on the premise that the U.S was losing to China from a trade perspective.


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Welcome to our weekly bitcoin news recap, where we cover top headlines and stories in the world of bitcoin each week. This was a huge week for Blockchain with the launch of the Thunder Network, which was carried by several mainstream media outlets including TechCrunch and Forbes. We also cover news about different blockchains, bitcoin art, games, and user adoption. Get all this and more, in our weekly Blockchain recap.
At Blockchain, we’re on a mission to create an open, accessible, and equitable financial future. Since our inception, we have focused on building products that make it easy for everyday people to use bitcoin to store and transfer value all over the world. This week, we were proud to release the alpha version of our Thunder Network, the first usable implementation of the Lightning network for off chain bitcoin payments that settles back to the main bitcoin blockchain.
We used it internally a few days ago when we successfully performed Transaction 0. With Thunder, we now have a pathway for scaling transaction volume. For comparison’s sake, the Visa network capable of processing 56,000 transactions per second and we think Thunder can do over 100,000. Blockchain CEO Peter Smith says the announcement represents a significant step forward for the bitcoin network given that the technology is useable at a limited scale today.
“Thunder is already open-sourced. It’s more functional today [than other versions of lightning networks], because it’s the first network of this style that’s settled back to the main blockchain.”
Is it all about the blockchains?[Payments Giant Qiwi is Building a Blockchain Replacement for its Core Database](http://www.coindesk.com/qiwi-replace-payments-processor-blockchain/)
Russian payments firm Qiwi is currently designing its own proprietary blockchain in an effort to replace its central payments processing database. Called the “Qiwi blockchain system”, the company’s development effort focuses on how its core database of customer transactions could be reimagined to reduce costs.
A big story that’s been underreported is the ongoing crowdfunding of the DAO, a distributed autonomous organization that is said to become the largest crowdfunded project in history!
In other news, the Sydney Stock Exchange announced they are developing their own private blockchain.
Bitcoin Art, Games, and User Adoption[Proof of Art: Bringing Bitcoin Advocacy to the Art Galleria](https://news.bitcoin.com/proof-art-bitcoin-galleria/)
A Bitcoin-themed art event, Proof of Art, will be taking place on May 25th, 2016 in San Francisco, California. The event is a melding between cryptocurrency advocacy and an art gallery showing. Many of the participating artists are Bitcoin-enthusiasts themselves, with each of them actively sharing the lifestyle of selling their artwork for bitcoin. The art show will even include an innovative integration of Bitcoin into many of the works on display. Thousands of miles away in Eastern Europe, our first sponsorship at a Kyiv-based event took place during FinTech Week Ukraine, which ends on Sunday. If you’re in Kyiv, we curated the ultimate list of places to spend your bitcoin there.
In the gaming world, the popular bitcoin game Sarutobi is coming to the Android mobile platform. From what the developer announced on Reddit, there are going to be options for Android users that iOS users don’t have, such as the ability to use game items from Spells of Genesis, which is an upcoming game that uses bitcoin as the driver for its virtual economy; more can be found on that game here.
In other news, BitPay recently announced that messaging app Vodi added bitcoin payment options for digital gift cards, phone minutes, and more. Mobile payments are an exciting use case for bitcoin, and gift card and top-up payments have proven to be especially popular with international bitcoin users. In the same realm, targeting users in India, bitcoin startup Unocoin partnered with MobiKwik so that users can top-up their MobiKwik accounts using bitcoin.
Enjoyed this article? Leave a comment below and let us know. For more news like this, be sure to check out our archives!


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At a time when the Reserve Financial institution of India (RBI) frowns on non-public digital currencies, the proposal of cryptocurrency financial institution Cashaa to launch banking operations in India for purchasers of digital currencies like Bitcoin from August, by means of the credit score co-operative society route, has raised eyebrows in monetary circles.
Cashaa says it has launched Unicas, the world’s first crypto-friendly monetary establishment with bodily branches in India in affiliation with the United Multistate Credit score Co-operative Society. It permits companies for each crypto and fiat (currencies) from a single financial savings account, Cashaa founder and CEO Kumar Gaurav mentioned.
The “financial institution” has formidable plans to increase loans to purchase cryptocurrencies and open financial savings accounts for purchasers. The federal government can be planning to herald a regulation to manage cryptocurrencies.
Requested whether or not the agency has sought RBI’s permission to launch a “financial institution”, Gaurav mentioned United is a multistate credit score co-operative society which is “registered and works underneath the Registrar of Societies”. “As we give companies to members solely, we don’t want the RBI’s permission for this mannequin. United can be a member of the Nationwide Federation of City Co-operative Banks and Credit score Societies Ltd (NAFCUB) vide membership No. 1753 and licensed with ISO 9001:2008 for High quality Administration Programs,” he mentioned in an e-mail reply to a questionnaire from The Indian Express.
A credit score co-operative society doesn’t deal in banking enterprise, as an alternative it lends cash solely to its members. “This society doesn’t come underneath the RBI. The promoters of the so-called financial institution are taking the credit score co-operative path to keep away from strict regulation and monitoring of the RBI. They received’t get a banking licence from the RBI. Nonetheless, this society can lend to its members. It might nonetheless create a systemic threat to the monetary system,” mentioned a banking supply.
“I feel opening a credit score co-operative society or offering companies by means of them is a better route as in comparison with going by means of non-public banking companies. I’m positive they’d have some form of limitations for purchasers on the banking aspect, that might be attention-grabbing to be careful for,” mentioned Hitesh Malviya, founder, Itsblockchain.com.
The Finance Ministry and the RBI didn’t reply to queries concerning the authorized place of Cashaa’s financial institution.
“As Unicas is a part of Cashaa, we’re working in direction of the way forward for banking in India. We’re releasing private accounts in India powered by CAS tokens with options corresponding to saving account for the Indian rupee and crypto in addition to lending (mortgage towards crypto and mortgage to purchase crypto),” Gaurav mentioned.
Gaurav mentioned he deliberate to launch it throughout Independence week (in August) “as a logo of the liberty of cash”. “We are going to begin issuing playing cards to account holders by the tip of this yr. All these companies shall be accessible by means of our web banking utility in addition to in our branches,” he mentioned.
He mentioned Cashaa has created a hassle-free banking expertise for crypto companies who’re underserved by banks. “At this time, with greater than 5 banking companions in three continents, we’re offering enterprise banking to greater than 250-plus crypto firms. With our huge community of companions, Cashaa is main the way in which for crypto-friendly world banking companies (B2B),” Gaurav mentioned.
“Earlier than opening Unicas mannequin branches, we now have examined the mannequin with three of the present United branches, and now we’re going to open new and modernise all of the United branches within the coming months,” he mentioned.
The RBI, which is towards different digital cryptocurrencies, has warned folks towards such currencies a number of occasions prior to now. It has indicated that it’s “very a lot within the sport”, and on the point of launch its personal digital forex. “Central financial institution digital forex is a piece in progress. The RBI workforce is engaged on it, know-how aspect and procedural aspect… how it will likely be launched and rolled out,” RBI Governor Shaktikanta Das mentioned just lately.
Uncertainty over the authorized standing of cryptocurrencies is unnerving Indian traders who, based on unofficial estimates, maintain round $1.5 billion (Rs 10,000 crore) in digital currencies. The federal government, which plans a regulation to ban non-public digital currencies, favours a digital forex backed by the Reserve Financial institution of India.
Whereas current traders might get an exit route within the occasion of a ban on buying and selling, mining and holding cryptos, the proposed authorized construction might search declarations of holdings and transactions retrospectively from traders and merchants.


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Kodak's plan to recoup its losses by leveraging valuable patents has just been shaken, as the International Trade Commission has dismissed claims that RIM and Apple are infringing on a technique for previewing images. The case was filed in 2010, with Kodak claiming that the iPhone and BlackBerry's cameras violated the '218 patent, which covered techniques for displaying still images before and after taking a picture. Now, the ITC has upheld its judge's previous finding that the patent was invalid.
Kodak filed for bankruptcy earlier this year, and it's relying on patent sales to help it restructure. The '218 patent has allegedly been one of its most lucrative, and Kodak has previously asserted claims against Sony, JVC, Samsung, LG, and Fujifilm as well as RIM and Apple. Apple, however, has claimed ownership of it, leading to a countersuit. Kodak has won the right to sell off the patents, but this recent decision could affect the outcome of its auction.


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China's Geely Eyes GM's Saab, Ford's Volvoby
First it was India's Tata Motors (TTM) that bought Jaguar and Land Rover from Ford (F) last year. Now it might be the turn of a Chinese automaker to take over some of Detroit's unwanted brands. China's Geely Automotive has put its name into the hat as a suitor for General Motors' (GM) Swedish unit, Saab, The Wall Street Journal reported on May 7, citing unidentified sources. The news comes a few weeks after Geely, the No. 2 domestic automaker, reportedly made a bid for Ford's Sweden-based operation, Volvo.
Is Geely, which trades in Hong Kong and is controlled by Zhejiang Geely Holding, based in the eastern Chinese city of Hangzhou, interested in picking up the Swedish pieces of GM and Ford? Lawrence Ang, an executive director of the Hong Kong-listed subsidiary, says there is no truth to either report. "We are not bidding for Volvo," he says, "and not for Saab." However, Ang does allow that talks might be taking place between Geely's parent company and the Detroit pair. "I can only speak on behalf of the listed company," he says. "So maybe it's the holding company, but not us." Wang Ziliang, spokesman for Zhejiang Geely, did not answer calls to his office.
Despite Ang's denial, some analysts suspect the Chinese company is indeed interested in making some deals. Michael Dunne, managing director of J.D. Power (China) (MHP), notes that Geely is constantly in talks "with several parties not only at the automaker level but at the private equity level, and in talks with lots of people in technology." While Zhejiang Geely is a privately held company without government ownership, Dunne says any foreign acquisition would still need the green light from Beijing. The company may therefore have received instructions to deny the existence of negotiations until the government is fully on board with the transaction, he says.
A deal with either Saab or Volvo would certainly help Geely get a leg up on its domestic rivals. The Swedish carmakers could provide superior technology and marketing know-how, and could also provide Geely with an eventual platform from which to sell into Western Europe. "Geely is looking at how to move upscale in terms of technology, quality, and image, and this may be a one-time opportunity to buy assets at a low price," says Dunne. Last year the group's domestic sales only grew 4% to 166,265 units. Total auto sales for 2008 were $1.2 billion, up 16%.
Heading Down a Bumpy Road?
China's experience purchasing foreign brands to jump-start its forays into overseas markets has met with little success. In 2003 Huizhou-based electronics group TCL acquired the TV operation of France's Thomson and the following year took over the cell-phone business of Alcatel. Neither partnership delivered on its promise for the Chinese company. In 2005, Lenovo bought IBM's (IBM) PC business in a much trumpeted deal that would establish it as China's first truly global brand. But in February the company replaced its CEO, former Dell (DELL) executive William Amelio, with his Chinese predecessor Yang Yuanqing, and signaled the company would refocus more on domestic sales. The 2004 purchase by Shanghai Automotive Industry Corp. of a 51% stake in Korean automaker Ssangyong Motor ended with the Korean company seeking bankruptcy protection in January.
The disappointing results of many Chinese acquisitions overseas might make it harder for Geely or any other automaker from china to close a deal with Detroit. Talk of the Chinese coming to the rescue is just wishful thinking, says one industry analyst. "Right now, the foreigners are thinking the Chinese will pay huge prices and life will be great," says the analyst, who asked not to be named because of company policy. "But I don't think the government will allow it unless it's real cheap."
Working on its own, Geely has had some success in emerging economies, with the company selling in markets like Romania, Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Peru. It exported 37,940 autos in 2008, an 80% increase over 2007, but that's just a fraction of the nearly 140,000 cars exported by domestic rival Chery Motors, which has global ambitions of its own. Geely also lags behind BYD, which has rolled out the world's first plug-in hybrid.
More recently, the global recession has put a damper on Geely's exports. In the first quarter of 2009, overseas shipments plunged 83%, to just 1,373 vehicles in 2009. Still, Ang is confident the company will achieve its export target of 40,000 in 2009 by penetrating new markets in Southeast Asia and Latin America.


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Kia plans to manufacture its electric vehicles in the United States, according to South Korean media Mail Business and SBS (Going through EV Officials). The automaker is currently building its flagship electric car and North American hit, the Kia EV6, in South Korea at its Hwasung plant. But now Kia will move some of its electric vehicle assembly to the United States by 2024, according to the report.
Manufacturing electric vehicles in the United States would allow Kia to qualify for new incentives included in the recently passed Cut Inflation Act, which requires automakers to build electric vehicles in North America to qualify. .
Kia and its parent company, Hyundai, had threatened legal action against the United States for what they consider a “discriminatory” policy. Other provisions will exclude automakers from incentives if they use Chinese-origin battery minerals and components, which could effectively cut out nearly all domestic EV makers once the law takes effect.
Hyundai and Kia combined currently hold the second-largest EV market share in the United States, a position that could be threatened if customers can’t take advantage of new federal incentives (and man, EVs are getting expensive).
Hyundai, in particular, is already making investments on the state side by building electric vehicle and battery factories in Savannah, Georgia, though that won’t be ready until 2025.
It might be in Hyundai’s interest to speed up this process and start building the Ioniq 5 and maybe even help bring Kia’s EV6 manufacturing to the state side. Both vehicles are based on a shared E-GMP EV platform. And by the time Kia and Hyundai have everything in place, automakers will hopefully have their next-generation cars, like the Kia EV9 SUV and Hyundai Ioniq 6, ready to go.


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Verizon Communications this week joined the Voice over Internet Protocol crowd, introducing a service that lets broadband users make unlimited phone calls around the United States over a data network.
VoIP converts voice calls into data packets and can transport them along with Web and other data traffic, which generally costs less than using a traditional phone network with dedicated circuits. It also allows service providers to set up new features, such as controlling calls and accessing messages through a PC. Startups such as Vonage Holdings and Skype Technologies pioneered the technology, which is finding growing popularity.
Verizon's VoiceWing service, which transports calls partly over the open Internet, is geared toward consumers and has a basic price of $40 per month. Another Verizon VoIP service, geared toward small businesses and enterprises and probably debuting next year, will run over a fully managed network to better ensure call quality, says Michelle Swittenberg, executive director of consumer VoIP product management at Verizon. She did not provide any additional details on the business service.
The entry of Verizon, the largest of the nation's former regional phone carriers and a major provider of broadband service, is a smart move and just the latest sign that VoIP is maturing, according to Yankee Group analyst Jim Slaby.
"Verizon has chosen not to sit there with its hands over its ears and eyes and chanting, 'There is no monster under the bed,' when in fact there is a monster under the bed," Slaby says. VoIP is not only presenting a lower-cost alternative to traditional phone service but is also bringing cable providers, the archrivals of DSL carriers such as Verizon, into the business, Slaby says.
VoiceWing users will plug their phones into an adapter roughly the size of a videotape and connect that to any broadband Internet connection. When traveling, they can carry the adapter with them and do the same with any conventional phone and broadband connection, Verizon spokesperson Bobbi Henson says.
Customers can choose phone numbers with area codes from 139 markets in 33 U.S. states and the District of Columbia, Henson says. In addition, they can manage the service from any Internet-connected PC through a Web-based service called the Personal Account Manager. Among other things, it lets users itemize all their calls, play back voice mail by clicking on a link, or direct their calls to be forwarded to any phone number, starting immediately or at a set time.
The service, available throughout the continental United States, offers unlimited calls within the country and some territories, according to Verizon. International calls are charged per minute, including 3 cents per minute to Canada, 4 cents to the UK, and 21 cents to India.
In addition to the standard price, the carrier is offering some special deals: For Verizon Online DSL customers, the service costs $35 per month, or $30 per month for the first six months if customer signs up by October 31. Users of other broadband services can get an introductory price of $35 for the first six months if they sign up by October 31. There is a one-time setup fee of $40, plus shipping and handling for a free adapter. Verizon is offering a 30-day money-back guarantee.
Customers can turn incoming long-distance calls from a certain area into local calls by using an Alternate Telephone Number in the area code of that place. Each alternate number costs $10 per month, Henson says.
Traditional 911 emergency numbers can't be reached through VoiceWing, but Verizon is providing an emergency response service. That service doesn't have all the features of a regular 911 service, and customers will have to identify their location to the operator, Henson says.
For some customers, a low price can make up for VoIP's shortcomings, says Yankee's Slaby.
"The voice quality and the uptimes aren't up to the level of traditional telephony, but people are willing to make compromises," Slaby says.
Over time, features and related services will count for more than low cost, and major providers such as Verizon will have a leg up on "non-facilities-based" VoIP startups, he says.
"Somebody like a Verizon has a lot more leverage there, because they own the local broadband connection," Slaby says.


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The Nation: dot.com soirees coming to Bangkok
02 May 2000
K I Woo talks to the American founder of eAngelz.com who is introducing networking dot.com soirees to Bangkok.
An American impresario who hosted countless high-tech get togethers in California more than a decade ago is now introducing his trademark dot.com schmoozing sessions to Bangkok.
These high-tech get togethers allow fledgling dot.com entrepreneurs to sip wine coolers and munch hor-doeuvres with financial angels, major network and computer infrastructure suppliers, as well as important business consultants.
In the past year, Landy Eng, who was CNBC business show Driven’s host, launched eAngelz.com, his dot.com website and dot.com get-togethers in Singapore.
Now with corporate headhunter Korn Ferry Thailand’s support, Eng is launching his first Bangkok eAngelz get together on Tuesday, May 9 at the Sukhothai Hotel.
“We have invited many of this country’s top financiers, equipment and network company officials, consultants and dot.commers,” Eng said.
eAngelz get-togethers, Eng said are unique functions, which provide a comfortable venue for the new economy’s sometimes disparate groups, who normally do not get together. At eAngelz-like parties, these disparate groups meet each other at an informal get together and ferret out what is happening in a fast-changing environment. “Many deals are made from contacts at these functions,” he said.
Eng said that he expects about 30 per cent of the first eAngelz party’s guests in Bangkok will be fledgling dot.commers looking for technical and financial partners. “Twenty per cent will be financial angels and venture capitalists. The balance will be equipment and network providers, consultants and the media,” he said.
Leading headhunter Korn Ferry Thailand will sponsor eAngelz first event in Thailand . “We are very happy to be hosting e-commerce and dot.com leaders, who I’m sure will be driving this country’s future growth,” said Edwin Sim, Korn Ferry’s managing director in Thailand .
In California’s Silicon Valley , where high-tech parties first began in the mid-1980’s, Eng said the events were mainly attended by high-tech engineers looking to exchange technical information. However, as the years went by, investors, equipment and network suppliers, and consultants discovered that “angels” parties were a convenient and efficient way to discover the next new hot entrepreneur.
Here in Asia, Eng said eAngels parties, particular the ones in Singapore , have become a very efficient way for all groups in the new e-economy to meet and exchange ideas on a regular basis. “Equipment and network suppliers can come and usually meet about 20 or 30 new dot.commers in one night,” he said.
At the same time, dot.commers also realizes tremendous benefits from these events. “Not only will they meet technical people who supply the latest infrastructural equipment, but they may also meet financial “angels” who may want to fund their new idea,” he said.
Eng predicts that eAngelz dot.com parties will be equally as successful in Thailand .
Korn Ferry’s Sim told The Nation that representative of some of the top private equity funds and top investors in this country will all be attending the event. “They’ve all told me they are looking forward to such an event in Thailand,”
He added that many of his multinational clients are expressing an acute interest in any events, which will help them, better understand the fast-moving new e-commerce economy.
Many Korn Ferry multinational clients, Sim said are always looking to learn from innovative new business ideas created by dot.commers. “The eAngelz get togethers are an ideal venue and we’re just delighted to have been given the opportunity to bring the idea to Thailand ,” Sim said.
It promises to be a groundbreaking event for this country’s dot.comming future.
Photos from the event:


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SUNDAY, Oct. 25, 2020 — Halloween is risky enough this year with the coronavirus pandemic, so don’t risk your vision as well by wearing costume contact lenses, the American Academy of Ophthalmology (AAO) says.
Costume contact lens packaging that claims “one-size-fits-all” or “no need to see an eye doctor” is false, the academy said.
Poorly fitted contact lenses can scrape the cornea (the outer layer of the eye), making the eye more vulnerable to bacteria and viruses that can cause infections.
People who buy contacts without a prescription have a 16-fold increased risk of developing an eye infection, research shows.
“As we follow new precautions to keep our families safe in this abnormal year, it’s important not to forget about the normal hazards that can occur during Halloween,” Dr. Dianna Seldomridge, a clinical spokesperson for the AAO, said in an academy news release. “Whatever you plan, please follow these tips to protect your eyes this Halloween.”
- Get an Rx. Buy only U.S. Food and Drug Administration-approved contact lenses. Color contacts or other decorative lenses are sometimes sold at corner shops or online, but such sales are illegal. Contact lenses must be bought with a doctor’s prescription.
- Practice good hygiene. Wash your hands before putting your contacts in or touching the skin around your eye. Cleaning and disinfecting your contact lenses as instructed minimizes the risk of an eye infection. See an ophthalmologist immediately if you notice any swelling, redness, pain or discharge from the eye when using eye makeup or contacts.
- Watch the clock. Don’t wear costume contact lenses longer than four or five hours. The dye in them can restrict oxygen flow to the cornea. Never sleep in contact lenses.
- Keep them to yourself. Never share contact lenses or eye makeup. Doing so can spread germs and bacteria, which can cause infections.
- Take safety precautions. If you’re decorating for Halloween, wear protective eyewear.
© 2020 HealthDay. All rights reserved.
Posted: October 2020
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text: A major charitable organization in Iowa is also a major employer. Mike Townsend is a vice-president at Goodwill of southeast Iowa, one of five districts in the state. He says in addition to operating thrift shops in many Iowa towns, Goodwill provides jobs for hundreds of workers who face challenges finding work. Townsend says they’re folks who may have a disability or some other barrier to independence, like being in the corrections system, being homeless or on welfare. The mission of Goodwill, he says, is to help those people get jobs and keep them. Townsend explains the retail stores operated by Goodwill are just one important part of its work. He says the stores are essential to Goodwill’s work because they provide places to work, and to train workers. But he says the mission statement of the organization talks about helping clients become more independent and become working members of the community. The Goodwill organizations do that with work –offering jobs and helping people learn to do them. He says they begin by teaching people how to approach a job interview, and land a job that’s a good match for them. And it’s also important to help people keep that job, since some who haven’t worked in a while, or ever worked, need training in things as basic as good work habits, getting there on time and getting along with co-workers. Goodwill also teaches the skills for specific jobs, be those in computers, driving a forklift, housekeeping, food service or some other area. He says they help people figure out what they want to do and what they’re good at, since we all do better at jobs we like. Many people are referred to Goodwill’s job-training programs by welfare, other government agencies, or vocational-rehabilitation counselors, but Townsend says some come in on their own. And their jobs are important, running retail stores for the charity and contributing to another unexpected benefit.During the last year they counted, Goodwill got donations totaling 64-Million pounds of goods and he notes that diverted about 40-Million pounds from local landfills. The charity also sold more than 21-Million pounds of clothing to developing nations in 2003, some for clothing and some for use as salvage, thereby helping the poor communities and raising money for Goodwill programs.


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Meet the women's health and wellness brand founder who is scaling up on a quick note.
She is an Aerospace Engineer from IIT Mumbai and an alumnus of Harvard Business School. She initiated her career as a Management Consultant with The Boston Consulting Group, served as a marketing manager with Future Group, and went on to work for 5 years with NIKE in their US and China offices. 31-year-old Sheta Mittal is an entrepreneur with a purpose. That purpose is unique and never-before kind. Passionate about Health and Wellness, Sheta returned to India and built a Women's Health brand which is now bringing smiles to numerous women out there! Let get into the entrepreneurial journey of Sheta Mittal and I'm sure this is going to help women in specific and inspire people on the whole.
Practical Experiences That Triggered Thought:
When this graduate from Harvard Business School came to know about her friends who are suffering from Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS), she observed that they were embarrassed to talk about it. This triggered a thought in her and decided to address the functional needs of women. She came back to India after working with notable companies in the US and China. One day, a salesman tried to sell her & Me’s period drink at a store. However, the salesman seemed uncomfortable talking about women's health and explaining how that product would help women. It is then that Sheta understood how the problems of women, who make up to 50% of the population, are under-looked even by women themselves. Lack of discussions owing to embarrassment etc. has led to dormant women's wellness sector in India. "Women makeup 50 percent of the population and suffer from 40+ unique problems, yet the healthcare industry has turned a blind eye to women’s health.", she thought. Her further research on this got her to the conclusion that lack of a database and minimal focus on women’s health and wellness were some of the glaring issues the country is facing today. "Every month women go through complex hormonal changes that affect their period health, skin, hair, fitness, and mental health, but there was no good health solution for women. There was a lack of research and focus because it was a ‘women’s health topic.", She expressed. She also understood that there was no women’s health company in India until then. There was also no database that provides information about the incidence of the problem and ways it could be broken down by tiers and income segments. "We reached out to the Harvard Center for Public Health, and even they said they didn’t have the data. But given our experience and interaction with consumers, we knew that the problem was big. The initial phase was to just go out and speak to women. It was during this phase that we realized menstrual health is taboo and people don’t talk about it openly. However, if someone is genuinely probing into the matter, they are more than happy to talk about it because they are looking for solutions. Hence, the first two problems that came out were period pain and acne,” says Mittal.
The Birth Of &Me:
In September 2017, Sheta joined hands with Ankur who laid the initial foundations to &Me, a brand that is built to care for women’s unique health and nutrition needs, across menstrual health, beauty and fitness, through a combination of Ayurveda and Nutritional Science for a holistic solution.
A women’s health and wellness brand, &Me has over one lakh consumers and is present in more than 600 retail stores across five cities in India. Its products are also widely available online. The brand says that its drinks come with five Ayurvedic super herbs, 12 vitamins and minerals, and two to four fruits and vegetables. Along with solving functional needs, every 200 ml bottle caters to 30 per cent of a woman’s daily micronutrient requirements. "We add no preservatives, no artificial colours or flavours, no refined sugar, and are vegan (by nature) and gluten-free,” adds Sheta. The company also claims to be witnessing month-on-month growth of 40 to 50 per cent.
Challenges Along The Way:
With a desire to cater to women's health and wellness, Sheta and Ankur founded &Me but it wasn't so easy for them to get it running. They had to face numerous challenges initially. The first and foremost challenge was to get women to talk openly about menstrual health. Talking about women's health issues especially those related to menstrual cycles, pregnancy, PCOS etc is taboo in India. With great difficulty and year long's efforts, they could finally get to a conclusion about what women are looking for. The second challenge in front of them was to combine ancient methods and modern sciences viz. Ayurveda and Nutritional science. They got experts from both fields, brainstormed and developed products that are healthy and tasty for the consumers. "It was tricky but with the vision to solve for women’s wellness, we were able to come up with drinks that are not only healthy but also tasty for consumers! We continually outperform in blind taste tests with consumers,” says the co-founder.
The first attempt wherein they combined herbs with vitamins and minerals turned out to have a scary taste but with research for one-and-a-half years, the team has achieved a fine balance between herbs, minerals, and vitamins. “We have done over 10,000 iterations on our products during the development stage. This balance is a de-risking factor for us against others who might try to perform similar experiments,” said the co-founder. The third challenge they faced was scaling the product and business. Sheta said, "When we first launched the products offline, we saw mixed traction. Women were not expecting to find health products in the store and glancing past them. There was no Women’s Health section in the store." Thus, the incredible sales team the brand has hired has come up with great ideas and solutions to scale the brand up. They expanded the stores and in 2019, the team decided to step into online marketing. "Increased digital penetration and the rise of wallets have helped drive e-commerce sales for us. When women see the ad on their phones, they get intrigued because the need is high; we get messages thanking us for our efforts and happy consumers who see benefits! They are happy to try because an alternate doesn’t exist. Thanks to online modes and platforms, we were able to drive the category.", says Sheta. At present, more than 30% of the orders come from Tier 3 and below cities.
The Motivating Factor:
When asked about what keeps her and her team motivated, she says that the zeal to create an impact in the women's health and wellness industry that remained under-served for years is what drives them every day. When they speak to consumers every day who share their experiences and talk about how &Me products have helped them, that's what keeps them going.
"We want to obsess women’s health, truly understand her needs and strive to provide her with innovative, convenient and healthy SOLUTIONS. We want to be her Go to health brand across menstrual health, beauty and fitness.", said Sheta. They move forward every day with a vision to create a Women's Health Destination.
Words Of Value:
Sheta, who is also a certified yoga instructor and a marathon runner, says that one must have passion and perseverance especially when they are trying to kickstart a business. She says that one can learn many things all through the journey. The obstacles teach a lot and all one needs to do is to stay and continue without quitting. "When there are minds that tell you that what you are doing might not work, you need Passion and Perseverance.", she says.
This woman who is working relentlessly to create a better place for the other women out there is surely an inspiration.
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Legislators are constantly debating the corporate responsibility regarding in-store marketing, but the reality is that modern technology has already found the appropriate solution.
The “Ampel” discussion
For a couple of years now, legislators are debating the so-called “Ampel” (German for: traffic light). The proposal consists in depicting traffic lights on grocery store products and deciding whether or not they are red (unhealthy), yellow (moderately unhealthy), or green (healthy). The models include more specific considerations, such as the level of sugar or the level of fat contained in the respective product. Overall, the “Ampel” would make a value judgement of grocery store products, made to be easily understood. Public health advocates hope to inform consumers about the benefits and risks of their consumption. However, the use of food pyramids throughout time should make us watchful of listening to governments when it comes to nutrition.
Denise Minger writes in her book “Death By Food Pyramid” about Louise Light’s commissioned review of the 1956 food pyramid in the United States, which was ultimately rejected:
“The guide Light and her team worked so hard to assemble came back a mangled, lopsided perversion of its former self. The recommended grain servings had nearly quadrupled, exploding to form America’s dietary centerpiece: six to eleven servings of grains per day replaced Light’s recommended two to three… and rather than aggressively lowering sugar consumption as Light’s team strived to do, the new guidelines told Americans to choose a diet “moderate in sugar,” with no explanation of what that hazy phrase actually meant.”
Even schools of public health advocacy are quick to admit the foolishness that was the old food pyramid. So how exactly are we supposed to trust the current public health advocates in their claims, when they purport to make traffic light labelling compulsory?
And in any way, who would be helped by this mandatory labelling anyway? Those consumers who are interested in their nutrition won’t be helped by a simplistic traffic light of red, yellow, and green, and those disinterested with their nutrition won’t listen to a label in the first place. The complete ingredients is already on our food packaging, and yet obesity remains problematic.
It is sensible to reject “Ampel” labelling for the aforementioned reasons, as well as for reasons of crony capitalism: big businesses will be inclined to harm their competitors by lobyying legislators and agencies in short of the labelling colours. However, the “Ampel” isn’t a big deal in comparison what some public health activists want to overtax and ban.
The truth is however, that modern technology has already provided consumers with the means to inform themselves independently. I know this for myself, as I am one of them. I personally use a beer app in order check on the product information and quality of the beer I am about to purchase. The same exists for wine. I am by far the only one using his smartphone in this way, as I often see people whip out their phones while grocery shopping.
Studies released by Google reveal this: 69% of smartphone owners turn to mobile search first in a moment of need. 76% of people who search on their smartphone for something nearby visit a related business within a day, and 28% of those searches result in a purchase.
Further research finds that 79% of smartphone users are “smartphone shoppers”, meaning they use their device during their purchases. 62% are “standard smartphone shoppers”, and 17% are “frequent smartphone shoppers”. A third of smartphone shoppers are already using their phone in order to acquire information about their product. This gives them the opportunity to find trusted sources and hold the producers independently to account. Furthermore, in-store price comparisons are the most common shopping activity across all categories, meaning that consumers are going the extra-mile in order not to be ripped off by retailers. They keep the market competitive.
Modern technology is making consumers decisions more transparent and easy than the old-school labelling that some advocates are suggesting. Labels are there to be pretty. It’s the bar code that gives us the info we want to get.


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Seattle startup Mindbloom has reached a multi-year agreement with health insurance giant Aetna, which will offer an enhanced version of the company’s “Life Game” to its members as a way of promoting health and wellness.
Aetna is Mindbloom’s largest customer to date, said the startup’s CEO, Brent Poole, via phone this afternoon. It’s also a high-profile example of the rise of “gamification” — in which principles and strategies from video games are applied to other industries and areas of life.
People playing Mindbloom’s Life Game maintain a virtual “life tree” that grows based on how well they’re reaching their goals.
In the case of Aetna, the specialized version of the Life Game will be marketed starting this fall to more than 20 million people covered by the insurance company, through the companies where they work. The idea is to focus on preventative measures by helping motivate people to exercise, eat healthy foods, and stop smoking, among other goals.
“There’s a real shift in focus away from monolithic provider programs focused on prescriptions and treatments, toward a consumer focus on prevention and behavioral modification,” said Poole, explaining that Aetna is part of an influx of companies adopting the Mindbloom platform.
Mindbloom, based in Seattle’s Pioneer Square neighborhood, was founded by Poole, an Amazon.com veteran, along with Chris Hewett, formerly of the Monolith Productions video-game studio. It has 12 employees and expects about $2 million in revenue this year.


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Feb 4, 2021
Electric car charging ‘Superhub’ coming to Brooklyn
With its first new product launch since 2018, Revel aims to expand its electric vehicle charging hub model to other cities
Moped-share company Revel is bringing a charging hub for electric vehicles to Brooklyn. The fast-charging DC “Superhub” will open this spring at the former Pfizer building, and would make Bed-Stuy home to the largest universal fast-charging depot in North America.
This will be the first in a network of Superhubs opened by Revel across the country, the company said.
The hub’s 30 chargers will each provide 100 miles of power in 20 minutes. The stations will be available 24/7 to owners of any electric vehicle, regardless of brand.
Revel’s announcement is timely as the world moves towards alternative forms of energy: Just last week, General Motors announced they plan to transition their vehicles to all-electric by 2035. Ford and VW Group are also adding more electric vehicles to their fleets.
But Revel’s been on the electric train for a while, even though this is its first new product line since launching in 2018 in Brooklyn. The plan to “electrify cities like New York” began with a fleet of shared moped scooters. Currently, Revel operates 5,000 mopeds across the country.
Still, shared mopeds haven’t been a universal success. Last summer, Revel suspended operations in New York City after two accidents involving its scooters proved fatal. And Revel pulled out of Austin in December, citing the city’s overall car culture as well as the pandemic’s impact on local travel.
“Revel is building the infrastructure of the future and we’re building it now—our planet can’t wait,” said Frank Reig, cofounder and CEO, in a press release. “We couldn’t be more excited to bring fast-charging to our home borough of Brooklyn and get to work on the first of many Superhubs to come in 2021.”
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Food & Drink


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Volkswagen recently launched its new Polo GTI overseas, but is there room for an even hotter form of its smallest hatch? Not likely — although its R GmbH tuning division is open to crafting performance models of virtually every VW model (including the Jetta), executives feel a Polo R would step on the toes of a new Audi S1 model that’s also in the works.
“I would say there have been some ideas about [Polo R], but more in the press than the company itself because we have our [Polo] GTI and within our company Audi has an *** Dr. Ernst Linder, technical chief of the new Polo, told Drive.com.au. “The S1 topped our [Polo] GTI and to put a car above both, we think we’ll not have the same volume to make it interesting. “
Although we’ve only seen Audi’s A1, Linder confirmed the S1 variant will utilize the same supercharged and turbocharged 1.4-liter I-4 as the Polo GTI (good for roughly 182 horsepower), mated to a seven-speed dual-clutch transmission. A Polo R designed to outperform the S1 wouldn’t necessarily make financial sense, as extra power would require other features — notably all-wheel-drive — that could make the VW more expensive than the Audi.
“From the technical point-of-view, of course we can do something,” Linder said. “From the financial point-of-view it doesn’t make so much sense. It would be too expensive and we have the S1. The S1 will have 182 horsepower and it’s a very sporty car. If we put much more power in the [Polo], we need something like four-wheel-drive. This is a technical feature that is very expensive.”
In order to attain more power, a Polo R would also need to adopt a different engine, which could prove expensive. Linder says the twincharged 1.4-liter I-4 is already close to its maximum power output, and can only be tuned for an additional 10-20 more horsepower.
While Linder crushed the idea of a Polo R, he did confirm a Jetta R will work its way into VW’s European lineup shortly after a new Jetta launches next year. Linder didn’t indicate what will power the Jetta R, but we wouldn’t be surprised if it cribbed the 267-horsepower, 2.0-liter I-4 from the Golf R. We’d love to see a Jetta hotter than the GLI in our market, but seeing as cost and pricing are threatening the Golf R’s arrival in the U.S., we wouldn’t be surprised if this remains a forbidden fruit.


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(UnitedHeadlines.com) – Billions of people in the world use Android devices, storing a motherlode of sensitive information on them. Most people trust that these phones and tablets are safe, especially when they buy apps from reputable sources like Google Play. Recent events are proving hackers can strike literally anywhere.
According to a recent report from The Sun, Google is warning Android users of a scam in which hackers can fully take over a device all while the user believes their screen is black. By reducing the brightness to zero and remotely disabling notifications, the hackers are free to go about their business without the owner suspecting a thing.
These hackers are gaining unrestricted access to people’s phones through a number of “antivirus” apps containing a harmful malware called Octo. Through Octo, hackers can steal every bit of information from a phone, even passwords and PINs, gaining access to personal information such as bank accounts.
According to CNBC, Google has removed six apps from its Play Store in hopes of stopping, or at least slowing, the spread of this malware. Unfortunately, they’re still available on unofficial markets.
Though these "malware-spreading" apps have been removed from the #PlayStore, they continue to remain active in unofficial app markets.https://t.co/YYkO6kepaJ
— CNBC-TV18 (@CNBCTV18News) April 8, 2022
Keep an eye out for these types of malware-infected Trojan Horse apps, which disguise themselves as device protection only to gain access and steal information. Research any app before downloading it. If in doubt, play it safe and leave the app off your phone.
Copyright 2022, UnitedHeadlines.com


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Fans of 3 Ravens in WA, where the brewery has enjoyed much awards success, soon won’t have to travel far to enjoy their beers as they're working on plans for a second home in Perth. Head brewer Brendan O’Sullivan says the location was a natural choice given he grew up in Western Australia, and the state is also where a lot of the brewery team calls home.
“For us, it’s a bit of a homecoming,” he told The Crafty Pint. “Perth’s a home for me and growing up there it was the home of Australian craft beer – it’s where Sail & Anchor and Matilda Bay kicked off.”
Having started out as a homebrewer while still living in the west, he’s maintained close connections with many in the industry there, and while they already have a presence in the market there, sending beer across the country has price and emissions impacts.
“From a sustainability perspective, it’s one of the hardest places for us to get beer," Brendan (arm raised in the centre of the photo above) says, "given the amount of fuel that goes into shipping beer around the country.”
Melbourne’s oldest independent brewery is no stranger to success in the state either: 3 Ravens took out Champion Beer and Champion Small Brewery at the 2019 Perth Royal Beer Awards and have collected trophies in other years too. Brendan says he always takes a lot of pride in those wins, and believes craft beer drinkers in the state have a good understanding of the myriad beer styles they make.
“One thing that also attracts me is the level of experience and knowledge in the pointy edge,” he says. “It’s a very mature market and you can sell any style really; there’s an appreciation of everything, which is a philosophy we really embrace.”
For now, they’re keeping their intended location in Perth under wraps while waiting for council approval but hope to have the venue up and running between November and this time next year.
As for what drinkers can expect, general manager Nathan Liascos (above second from left) says: “It’s still in the concept phase but we definitely plan on bringing the 3 Ravens flavour to the venue – offering an exciting hospitality experience with an amazing vibe and a unique and delicious booze, food and music lineup.”
They don’t intend to stop at just one new home either.
“We’ve had steady organic growth for the last 18 years, but I think it’s just now time we became a bigger player and look to become a sustainability leader in the industry,” Nathan says as the brewery announces an equity crowdfunding campaign via Birchal.
“It allows us to raise funds to help us achieve our ambitions, while also building a community of co-owners that are as passionate about our beers, the industry, and the planet as we are.”
Their campaign comes hot on the heels of those from other established breweries, including Bridge Road Brewers, who raised almost $1.5 million, and Akasha, whose campaign brought in close to $1.7 million, in the past few weeks alone.
As well as helping fund their expansion interstate, 3 Ravens plan to update the Thornbury site has been their home since the brewery launched in 2003. This includes installing a kitchen, revamping the hospitality space, and upgrading and modernising their production capability to double their capacity over the next 18 months.
The upgrades will increase the amount of beer they can brew, but Brendan says their focus will remain on exploring new beer styles, ingredients and developing their impressive barrel-aged program.
“This site will always be focused on new product development and innovation,” he says. “That will never change and we won’t be particularly geared towards high production volumes.”
Part of the modernisation includes a range of sustainability initiatives, building upon some they've already implemented. This includes installing a 74-kilowatt solar system and a cool roof to help lower the overall temperature of the 3 Ravens home.
Having received $300,000 funding in total from the Federal Government’s Manufacturing Modernisation Fund and the Victorian government’s Small Scale Craft Grant, the brewery’s CO2 chiller heat pump system is set to be up and running by the year’s end. The technology will enable the brewery to take heat from the brewing process that would otherwise be wasted and re-utilise it in other parts of the brewery, including heating or cooling their upstairs co-working space and bar.
“It’s a means of linking processes together throughout the business,” Brendan says, “so that any heating or cooling can utilise one another to minimise any demand from us from the grid.”
It will also see them cut their energy consumption by more than 70 percent and it's something they want to roll out in future homes too. While Brendan says the technology isn’t new, it is being freshly applied across a range of industries.
“This is about finding ways to make small-scale brewing more efficient and sustainable,” he says. “It’s something we’re really passionate about and hopefully we can share some of the learnings and technology with other small breweries.”
Their desire to cut their own emissions as a brewery was a key focus of the 3 Ravens crew when they went through their business priorities ahead of their 2018 rebrand, and Nathan hopes to see others join them on that mission.
“Really, we’re not going to have a planet to drink good beer on if we don’t make changes now,” he says.
Expressions of interest f the 3 Ravens crowdfund opens today – details here.
It's not the only announcement of a new brewery venue for Perth – read our article about the ambitious plans for FOUND. here.


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Katerra Merges with Counterpart in India for Global Reach
Originally published by: Katerra — June 21, 2018
The following article was produced and published by the source linked to above, who is solely responsible for its content. SBC Magazine is publishing this story to raise awareness of information publicly available online and does not verify the accuracy of the author’s claims. As a consequence, SBC cannot vouch for the validity of any facts, claims or opinions made in the article.
Katerra, a technology company revolutionizing the design and construction industries, and KEF Infra, an offsite manufacturing technology specialist, announced a merger today that will jointly expand their geographic reach, manufacturing capacity, and market expertise. Known as KEF Katerra, it will operate in the India and the Middle East markets.
Both companies employ a vertically integrated model, offering end-to-end building services enhanced by offsite manufacturing and enterprise technology. In addition to addressing housing needs, KEF Katerra will be actively engaged in building critical infrastructure such as hospitals and schools.
Founded in 2014, KEF Infra utilizes robotics and automation in its advanced manufacturing operations to deliver high quality building projects more quickly and efficiently. The industry-leading expert in factory made products such as pre-cast concrete, prefabricated bathroom pods, joinery and furniture and aluminum and glazing facades for the Indian and Middle East markets, KEF Infra has 1,400 employees and factories in Krishnagiri, Tamil Nadu and Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh in India. With the merger, Katerra will bring world-class pre-cast concrete technologies to the U.S. market, greatly expanding design and materials options for U.S. clients. At the same time, the merger will result in a more robust global supply chain and elevated manufacturing processes in existing KEF markets.
Katerra employs more than 2,000 people with operational factories in Greater Phoenix, Arizona and Shanghai, China, as well as two more U.S. factories in development. After the merger, there will be 20 offices worldwide and 3,400 employees.
“We are thrilled to merge with KEF Infra, a company that is truly a disruptor,” said Michael Marks, chairman and co-founder of Katerra. “It’s incredible to discover a team so aligned with our values and vision.”
“I am very excited by the prospects of this strategic alliance,” said Faizal Kottikollon, founder and chairman of KEF Infra. “We look forward to breaking new ground with such a like-minded team.”


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OnePlus is integrating Google’s Duo video-calling service into its handsets. The company today announced that it’s working on a new update for OxygenOS that will natively integrate Google Duo into the devices.
Google Duo will be the native video calling option for OnePlus users, though they will still have the option to access traditional, carrier-based video calling option from settings.
Apart from being the native video calling provider, Google Duo will also integrate into parts of the OS like Call Logs, Contacts, the Dial Pad, and Messaging. So it is a pretty well thought-out integration on OnePlus’ side, and to be honest, I was only expecting the company to simply ship the Duo app out-of-the-box with OyxgenOS, but the greater level of integration here is pretty cool.
OnePlus says the Google Duo integration will roll out with OxygenOS 9.0.12 build on the OnePlus 6T, and OxygenOS 9.0.4 for OnePlus 6, 5 and 5T and eventually on OnePlus 3 and 3T with the Android Pie update. It’s not clear exactly when these updates will be shipped, however.


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10/04/2011, 12:10 pm
Apple now sells more smartphones than any other hardware maker in the world, and the company's sales are only expected to increase with today's introduction of the next iPhone.
10/03/2011, 10:10 am
The exact terms of the patent settlement between Apple and Nokia were never released, but the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission asked for -- and received -- more details on the undisclosed agreement.
09/29/2011, 12:09 pm
Nokia's struggles to compete with Apple's iPhone and the Google Android platform continue to take their toll on the beleaguered Finnish handset maker, which announced on Wednesday that it is laying off 3,500 employees.
09/23/2011, 10:09 am
Apple is one of a long list of companies accused of patent infringement in a new lawsuit related to wireless recording of transactions.
09/22/2011, 11:09 am
A whopping 89 percent of iPhone owners have indicated they will stick with Apple for their next handset, dwarfing all other hardware makers, according to a new survey.
09/06/2011, 08:09 am
Apple is projected to lead all smartphone shipments at the conclusion of 2011 with 86.4 million units, an 82 percent increase from 2010.
08/30/2011, 03:08 pm
Apple's stateside share of the smartphone market continued to grow last quarter, with the iPhone representing 27 percent of the domestic mobile operating system market.
08/17/2011, 04:08 pm
Following Google's purchase of Motorola, a new report claims that Apple is still interested in acquiring InterDigital, as are Nokia, Qualcomm and others in the wireless industry.
08/16/2011, 07:08 pm
Following Google's bid to purchase Motorola Mobility, Apple is predicted to strike a deal -- perhaps with competitors Nokia or RIM -- to consolidate its already significant patent portfolio and better position itself both offensively and defensively.
08/11/2011, 02:08 pm
Apple's iOS and Google Android have more than doubled their collective smartphone market share in the last year, and now represent nearly two-thirds of all devices sold, according to Gartner.
08/09/2011, 08:08 am
China, one major market where Nokia remains the leading smartphone vendor, is expected to see a "drastic realignment" in the coming months as Apple expands to new carrier partners.
08/02/2011, 10:08 am
Apple's iOS has surpassed Nokia's Symbian to become the world's second largest smartphone platform with a 19 percent market share, behind only Android's 48 percent share with multiple manufacturers, according to the latest figures from Canalys.
07/29/2011, 01:07 pm
Apple's share of the mobile phone industry's profits has swelled to around two thirds, as the company's iPhone sales have remained profitable while achieving the top spot in sales.
07/29/2011, 02:07 am
Just four years after releasing the iPhone, Apple has managed to pass Nokia and fend off a challenge from Samsung in the second quarter on its way to a new milestone as the world's No. 1 smartphone maker in terms of volume.
07/29/2011, 01:07 am
A massive iPhone shipment increase of 141.8 percent year over year gave Apple a growth rate more than 12 times that of the global mobile phone market in the second quarter, leaving the company poised to overtake LG as the No. 3 handset maker in the world.
07/21/2011, 10:07 am
Nokia posted its quarterly earnings report on Thursday, revealing Apple has surpassed it to become the No. 1 global seller of smartphones, and also disclosing a $600 million one-time royalty payment that likely includes its new licensing agreement with Apple.
07/13/2011, 08:07 am
Both Nokia and Apple have remained mum on the financial terms of their patent lawsuit settlement, but a glimpse at the deal Apple was able to broker is expected to be seen in next week's quarterly earnings report.
06/22/2011, 12:06 pm
Apple this week was awarded an iPhone-related patent first filed in December of 2007, a victory that intellectual property experts believe will be significant.
06/21/2011, 03:06 am
Nokia Chief Executive Stephen Elop said Tuesday that his company expects to begin selling its first phones running Windows Phone later this year, before ramping up volume shipments in 2012.
06/17/2011, 12:06 pm
Apple's cash is expected to top $70 billion at the conclusion of its current fiscal quarter, a sum so massive it could buy out rivals Nokia, Research in Motion, HTC and Motorola Mobility, according to a new analysis.


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Stocks rose Tuesday, but only on the strength of Big Tech. A positive development on a coronavirus vaccine was met with a weak consumer confidence reading, which dented sentiment.
The S&P 500 rose 0.36%, buoyed by the tech-heavy Nasdaq’s gain of 0.76%. Tech stocks have a heavy market cap weighting in the S&P 500, so the gains were keeping the S&P from falling, as many economically-sensitive sectors fell.
Bullishly, the 10-Year Treasury rose to 0.69% and has risen significantly in the past few days, as investors have reason to believe the economic recovery is on track, leading into a strong 2021. The yield is currently below where inflation has been running of late, so some selling of the bond isn’t necessarily ill-advised.
One positive news item enabling investors' confidence: coronavirus vaccines may soon to hit the market. AstraZeneca (AZN) - Get Free Report said in a press release it is now testing its vaccine. The stock rose 0.44%. Other large biotech players are also working to produce vaccines.
But cyclical sectors faltered Tuesday, with banking the only sector to rise, as the yield curve has expanded this week.
The main negative denting risk sentiment in equities was that the consumer confidence reading for August came in at 84, against economists' estimates of 93 and lower than July’s reading of 91. Economic data -- and earnings for that matter -- have largely shown an aggressive trend in the direction of pre-virus levels, but the trend has been choppy, especially of late. A surge in virus cases in June has hurt some backward-looking data points, while a new fiscal stimulus bill won’t be passed until at least September. This puts consumer spend and the economic recovery on hold, as unemployment still sits at 10%.
Large cap consumer discretionary stocks fell about a tenth of a percentage point.
As for tech, Apple (AAPL) - Get Free Report was down 0.82% to $499 a share. The stock is now trading at almost 30 times earnings, against earnings growth estimates, according to FactSet, for the next few years of roughly 8%. Still, analysts have said the stock isn’t overvalued, with some noting that Apple’s recurring revenue model in its growing services business can uphold the valuation.
Positively, U.S. and Chinese officials said they are sticking by their sometimes questionable commitment to uphold to their phase one trade agreement. Still, Bank of America Global Research analysts say the majority of companies intend on restoring manufacturing operations to the U.S. and other counties to reduce country risk. This pressures cost structures, as labor in China is incredibly cheap. Bank of America says this will pressure free cash flow and return on equity, or earnings as a percentage of net assets, but that companies are willing to accept that negative if it means more supply chain stability.
Here’s What Wall Street’s saying:
Ken Berman, Strategist, Gorrilla Trades:
"This morning's economic releases were mixed and even the highly-anticipated CB consumer confidence number was well below the consensus estimate. The key cyclical sectors edged lower.”
Market Haefele, Chief Investment Officer, Global Wealth Management, UBS:
"Progress on US-China trade talks supports upside for stocks. Progress on trade talks reinforces our preference for global equities: With both the US and China committed to the trade deal that they signed in January, we think tensions between the two sides remain more "bark" than "bite". As long as tariffs don't rise, we see little reason to expect a significantly negative economic impact in the near term. While volatility may persist in the run-up to the November US presidential election, we don't see this derailing our positive view on global equities, for which the Federal Reserve liquidity story is the key driver. Read more on positioning for the upside in equities here."
Krish Sankar, Apple Analyst, Cowen:
"We do a sum-of-the-parts analysis to arrive at our price target of $530 (was $470) applying a 25x (was 23x) earnings multiple to the core businesses (iPhone, hardware, etc.) and a 41x (was 35x) multiple to the recurring revenue Services segment. This leads to a blended 31x P/E multiple on our CY21 EPS of $16.83 (sell-side ~$16.11, buy-side around $17). The higher core hardware P/E is driven by potential for share gains in the premium segment entering the 5G upgrade cycle, and the higher Services P/E is consistent with EDA companies (recurring revenue model). On a blended basis the 31x multiple is consistent with. Other mega-cap tech companies with AAPL showing strong revenue growth and FCF yield, and also compares favorably to consumer staples such as Clorox.”
Watch More on the Coronavirus Pandemic From TheStreet.com:
- Jim Cramer Explains Why Target Is a Winner in Contactless Shopping
- Coronavirus: The Latest Numbers on the COVID-19 Pandemic
- Jim Cramer Explains the Importance of His Mask Challenge
- Which Major Retailers Require Customers to Wear Masks?
- What the Coronavirus Relief Package Means for the Self-Employed
- Here's What's In Trump's Executive Orders on Coronavirus Relief


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Tesla makes its technology patents freely available to the public and promises not to sue anyone who uses the patent in good faith. The company, which has hundreds of issued patents and hundreds more pending, will continue to apply for future patents to protect itself from those others take out for the same technology. In a blog post, CEO Elon Musk explains:
Given that annual new vehicle production is approaching 100 million per year and the global fleet is approximately 2 billion cars, it is impossible for Tesla to build electric cars fast enough to address the carbon crisis. By the same token, it means the market is enormous. Our true competition is not the small trickle of non-Tesla electric cars being produced, but rather the enormous flood of gasoline cars pouring out of the world’s factories every day.
We believe that…applying the open source philosophy to our patents will strengthen rather than diminish Tesla’s position in this regard.


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Headwear took centre stage at Marc Jacobs’ Spring 2018 show at New York Fashion Week. Brooch-decorated headscarves and turbans were the key accessories in the spotlight, overtaking roomy handbags. A line-up of millennial models, including Cindy Crawford’s daughter Kaia Gerber, Gigi Hadid, Selena Forrest, Taylor Hill, Lexi Boling, Binx Walton, Kendall Jenner, and Teddy Quinlivan all sported Jacobs’s revamped signature look.
The look? Turbans – silk ones, jewel-encrusted, exaggerated, and stacked high on back-combed hair. This is going to be the microtrend of next summer and early adopters will already be taking note now for winter.
Jacobs took sartorial cues from his muses Sofia Coppola and Kate Moss to make the styling decision to place each model in turbans.
After all, Coppola recently sported one on the red carpet and few can forget the moment when Jacobs and Moss co-hosted The Met Gala, styling the supermodel in a metallic turban, instantly creating a classic moment in fashion history. As the fashion world is constantly looking back at itself for inspiration as well as perpetually moving forward, avid fans of the house of Marc Jacobs shouldn’t be surprised to see this classic key piece revived for the Spring 2018 season.