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Seems like you can’t walk 5 steps in a shopping mall these days without encountering what my colleague calls “green porn”.
You know, those highly graphic, in-your-face images of monstera deliciosa or polar bears, accompanied by some company’s announcement that they have now stopped giving out free straws or have increased their air con temperature by 1 degree.
It doesn’t take a genius to guess what these marketing campaigns are meant to do. They’re blatantly trying to woo “millennials” by making the company seem like it cares about sustainability and the environment. Probably because some expensive marketing consultant told them it’s their only chance of getting those flighty young adults to look up from their phones and pay attention.
Now, most millennials I know find this whole trend annoying and just a little bit… gross. Me, I hate that mega-corporations who have been wreaking havoc on the environment for decades think they suddenly get a free pass, just because they now use more eco-friendly product packaging.
But, as disgusting as these “ownself praise ownself”-type ads are, I do think that the greenwashing trend is exactly what Singapore needs. Here’s why.
Reason 1: Big companies have disproportionate power
There is absolutely no lack of ground-up initiatives with a focus on sustainability, but these are nothing compared to what big, powerful companies can do.
Here’s an example: There’s an ongoing movement, organised by nonprofit BYO Singapore and youth volunteers, to get bakeries to reduce their use of individual plastic bags for buns (#BreadWithoutBags).
But if you look at who’s participating in the campaign, you’ll notice that most of the bakeries are small businesses. Not to disparage them, but how much plastic can these small bakeries realistically save? And how much impact can they make?
Now imagine if BreadTalk and Four Leaves joined in the #breadwithoutbags movement. These big chains have the lion’s share of the bun market, so almost everyone in Singapore would be forced to reduce or at least consider their plastic bag consumption.
Yet, being so powerful, they have little incentive to do so… Unless the whole “millennials like saving the earth” thing gets so big that even these giants start taking it seriously.
Also, remember the whole #StopSucking movement last year? People have been trying to reduce single-use straws from the ground up for the longest time, but it was only after Starbucks officially boycotted them, that every other F&B company started to follow suit.
That’s another superpower that giant corporations have — not only do they impact their own consumption, they also have the power to influence other companies to follow suit.
Reason 2: Significant impact comes only with scale
Purely by virtue of their scale, big companies and organisations can make a way larger impact with their environmental decisions than any single person’s lifestyle decisions.
No matter how much you personally advocate the use of menstrual cups and bring your own bag to the supermarket without fail, you are just one person. Your impact is limited to your personal consumption and whatever influence you can exert on your social circle.
So, I totally welcome big institutions’ attempts to be cool and millennial-friendly. As gimmicky as they may seem, the smallest action by them can multiply into a huge effect.
Take the National Day Parade fun pack for example. This year, NDP committee to develop a more eco-friendly fun pack in consultation with Zero Waste Singapore.
The improvements may seem so minor and gimmicky as to be borderline laughable, but once you consider the multiplier effect of 175,000 fun packs, they turn out to be not so small.
For example, omitting the tiny plastic stand for the Singapore flag means 175,000 pieces of plastic saved. That’s so much more than any single person can do. And the best thing is that this significant saving comes at almost no cost to anyone. All it took was someone to make the decision.
If the gross wannabe-green trend could result in this sort of positive impact, then I’m all for it.
Reason 3: It increases overall awareness of issues
A lot of the formulaic greenwashing we see out there is probably aimed at millennials, to give them that warm and fuzzy feeling that makes them spend on things like bamboo straws.
But a great side effect is that these big brands’ marketing campaigns can also spread awareness among the “unwoke”.
Just recently, DBS released Season 2 of Sparks, their attempt to make a web series about banking (???). Each episode features a social enterprise trying to get funding from banks, and getting rebuffed by those sharks in suits for being financially unsound.
Sparks clearly falls under the category of annoying, millennial-wooing “green porn”. But I have to give the producers credit for explicitly exploring the tension between economic profit vs environmental benefit.
The privileged Singaporeans who have gone through academic training might know about this aspect of the capitalist economy, but I think there are many others who do not.
So kudos to DBS for making the perils of late-stage capitalism accessible to a wider audience — probably unintentionally.
Reason 4: It can influence your relationship with money
Let’s say you think the environmental agenda is total crap and you refuse to change your behaviour. There’s nothing that would stop you from asking for extra plastic bags at the supermarket and double-bagging every tuna bun as though it were radioactive waste.
Fair enough — you can ignore the ads and social media. But can you ignore what Ho Ching is doing with the nation’s funds?
That’s right, Temasek Holdings is the latest mega-organisation in Singapore to jump on the bandwagon. At their latest annual review, we learnt that they’re now pursuing the “sustainability” theme for their new and future investments.
It’s early days yet and they have only a few investments to show for it — mainly not-yet-listed clean energy and agri-tech companies — but I’d consider this sufficient motivation for any retail investor to start considering the sustainability profile of his or her own investments.
Because, what if sustainability isn’t just a goody-two-shoes CSR thing, but is actually an important aspect to consider alongside traditional financial metrics?
If Ho Ching’s investment company is thinking about sustainability, then you probably should too. They might be on to something.
What do you think of the sustainability trend? Tell us your thoughts in the comments.
5 Chilling (Yet Probable) Consequences Of Hawker Centres Going Cashless
10 Best Green Electricity Plans Singapore: Solar and Carbon Neutral Electricity
5 Habits That are Not Just Good For Your Wallet, But For the Environment, Too


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Sony might exit the smartphone market in a bid to become profitable once again. The Japanese tech giantís CEO Kazuo Hurai announced at a press conference that Sony will no longer pursue sales growth in the highly competitive field.
Right in line with past reports, Mr. Hirai revealed that the company will consider a sale of its struggling smartphone and television businesses. However, there is no deal currently in the works.
Despite developing quality Android smartphones, Sony has struggled in the highly competitive smartphone field. The company has been sandwiched between rivals such as Apple and Samsung in the high end and the army of Chinese companies in the low end of the market.
The company aims to achieve an annual operating profit of $4.2 billion by 2018. Thatís a 25-fold increase over its current financial performance.
Sony plans to turn to profit by investing in its already successful divisions. They include production and development of image sensors and the Sony PlayStation gaming business.
Sony is the best ever and new debuit in 2 October I miss to all old phones
I can't imagine any other mobile rather than Sony. Its audio quality and Camera are really amazing. No other mobile phone can give such a wonderful experience to users.
No one can surpass the quality of sony product as much as durability, quality and originality of the experience. Sony is the first transistor radio maker company and it is making and using world's best ic chip system in each sony product from m...

domain: news


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Editor’s note: updated July 31st with comments from CHS.
U.S. farmer cooperative CHS Inc. has entered a deal to acquire Northstar Agri Industries and its canola processing business in northern Minnesota from PICO Holdings, Inc. for approximately $127 million.
Located less than 60 kilometres from the Canadian border at Hallock, Minnesota, the canola processing and refining facility has purchased the majority of its canola from Canadian farmers since opening in 2012. Northstar opened a delivery facility in Winkler, Manitoba in the fall of 2014.
Formally acknowledging the acquisition on July 31st, Tom Malecha, CHS vice president for processing and food ingredients, said the purchase will add value for CHS members:
“Specifically, the acquisition expands our oilseed processing platform to include canola in addition to soybeans, adds to CHS presence in Canada, expands CHS oil product offerings to global food companies, and links growers purchasing canola seed from CHS-owned retail outlets to an integrated supply chain,” he said.
Neil Juhnke, president of Northstar Agri Industries, noted “the new ownership structure adds security and many value-added opportunities for canola growers in our region.”
With capacity for 1,400 tons per day and storage for 830,000 bushels, the Northstar plant produces food-grade canola oil and meal, which was marketed by Purina Animal Nutrition, a subsidiary of Land O’Lakes. Land O’Lakes was committed to guaranteeing the sale of all of the plant’s canola oil and canola meal for a five year period.
Management of PICO Holdings, a publicly-traded investment company based in California, had been looking at alternatives for monetizing the company’s investment in its Northstar subsidiary since the fourth quarter of 2014. After adjustments and repayment of approximately $75 million in debt associated with PICO Northstar’s assets, the sale will net PICO Northstar estimated cash of $30 million, before transaction related costs.
The deal is expected to close in the third quarter of 2015. The Hallock facility will be rebranded as CHS and the 57 employees at the Hallock plant will become CHS employees. The Winkler delivery station will remain open, operating as a CHS facility.


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The wearable world is still moving at a ferocious pace, and there's genuine traction in the smartwatch market, right now.
With the Apple Watch now just weeks away, all the talk of smartwatches from Baselworld last week has continued unabated, as a host of players – old and new – enter the fray.
So if you've taken your eye off the ball this week, let us catch you up.
Fitness tracker market to top $5bn
While the pace of new releases has slowed, a new report announced this week says that the ever-popular wearable category will grow to $5bn this year from $2bn in 2014.
Cheap smartwatches land
The smartwatch market is gaining traction – and as last week we left Baselworld 2015 talking about some of the most expensive devices to date, this week the pendulum swung back to the cheapest.
Budget brand Hanspree has shown off its Sports Watch – a $30 smartwatch, which will display basic notifications and track your fitness.
Elsewhere, Coros released a new smartwatch to Kickstarter, a watch we'd generously call a homage original Pebble. While the launch, design and even website have all the hallmarks of the Kickstarter classic, Coros promises a six week battery life and a super low $59 price tag.
Check out our round ups of the best cheap smartwatches on the market today, and everything you need to know about Pebble's latest devices.
Glass isn't dead, promises Schmidt
We already knew that Google Glass wasn't dead, but top boss Eric Schmidt added extra confirmation of that this week.
He was bullish about Glass and his withdrawal of the Explorer programme, and amongst a diatribe of positive rhetoric about the device, he stated: "It [Glass] is a big and very fundamental platform for Google."
We've written extensively about Glass – and its potential. Whatever your opinion on the controversial wearable, read our guide to how Google should fix Glass, and why the smartglasses broke every rule.
Apple Watch tryouts to start
If you're itching to get your hands on the Apple Watch, there was good news this week. Apple announced that the public will be able to go into Apple Stores and try on the Watch from 10 April – and generously for people considering spending $500 – you'll get 15 minutes.
However, those eyeing up the $10,000 Apple Watch Edition will get half an hour of trial time.
Olio smartwatch will learn how you live
Among the multitude of smartwatch trends emerging this year (designer brands, expensive watches, budget watches, long battery life) new names breaking into the market is one of the biggest.
Last week we saw Vector at Baselworld, and this week, the Olio Model One smartwatch landed. It's releasing two smartwatches this summer, which promise to learn about your life and cut out the digital noise to deliver just the most important notifications to your wrist.


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Apple’s fiscal 2014 fourth quarter (ending September 27) painted a rosy picture with a quarterly net profit of $8.5 billion on revenues of $42.1 billion.
These results compare favourably to the previous quarter revenues of $37.5 billion and a net profit of $7.5 billion. But, Apple CEO Tim Cook admitted to dealing with an iPhone 6 supply shortage and a decline in iPad sales overall.
Cook said during a conference call that the supply shortage is a good problem to have.
“Our fiscal 2014 was one for the record books, including the biggest iPhone launch ever with iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus,” said Cook.
There were nearly 40 million iPhones sold in the fourth quarter spurred on by the release of the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus. Apple iPhone sales overall are up from the 33.8 million iPhones it sold a year ago. But, that’s not the case for iPad sales which were down by 13 per cent.
Cook did reveal that enterprise apps will be ready next month as part of the historic IBM Apple partnership. Cook believes this partnership will improve iPad sales long term.
“With amazing innovations in our new iPhones, iPads and Macs, as well as iOS 8 and OS X Yosemite, we are heading into the holidays with Apple’s strongest product line-up ever. We are also incredibly excited about Apple Watch and other great products and services in the pipeline for 2015,” he added.
The company also announced a cash dividend of $.47 per share of the common stock to be paid out on November 13.


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Three dairy farms are under construction in Yesil district. The largest one is being built on the basis of Atameken-Agro-Korneyevka LLP, World of NAN reports with reference to pkzsk.info.
The cost of the project will be more than 11 billion tenge. 1500 heads will produce 7.5 thousand tons of milk per year, which will increase the volume of milk by 16.6%. It is planned to create 50 new jobs.
Another project in the district is being implemented by Asia-Tarangul LLP, a dairy farm for 800 cows with a capacity of 4 thousand tons of milk per year. The cost of the project will amount to 3.6 billion tenge. 30 new jobs will be created.
Gramlikh LLP is building a dairy farm for 100 cows. The farm has purchased 52 heads of cattle. The cost of the project is 100 million tenge with a capacity of 300 tons of milk per year.


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Pea milk continues push into Australia market
AUSTRALIANS purchased over $200 million dollars’ worth of vegan milk in 2017, according to figures released by Dairy Australia.
The demand for coconut and almond milk has grown as the number of Australians identifying as vegan has grown. The report from Dairy Australia reflected that dairy milk sales in Australia have fallen and only 53% of dairy farmers felt positive about the future of the dairy industry.
Total sales of vegan milk in Australia hit $212 million, or 83 million litres in 2017. Almond milk particularly has won over consumers with 7.7 million litres sold in 2013 up to 25.2 litres by 2017.
The global market for vegan milk is predicted to reach $16.3 billion this year according to Innova Market Insights.
Also in Australian Foods News
- Is mandatory eco-labelling a climate change pathway to low-GHG food?
- How Emma & Tom’s created a winning distribution system
- Clearer food labelling needed to prevent allergy deaths
Australian plant-based food and beverage providers Freedom Foods Group have recently introduced Like Milk to their range. This is milk made of pea protein, which is rich in amino acids, calcium, vitamins B2 and B12 and vitamin D. Per serve, dairy milk typically has 8.8g protein, 268mg calcium and 15.5g of sugar. Like Milk Unsweetened has 300mg of calcium, 8.8g protein, 0.2g sugar and no fat. The Sweetened version has the same calcium, protein and zero fat, with 7.9g sugar (half that of dairy milk).
Jemma Watkins, Accredited Practising Dietitian at Discover Health, says, “Pea milk may have use in vegan and lactose free populations, however calcium fortified soy milk is likely to be more nutritionally balanced. For the average Australian adult, the significantly lower calories compared to cow’s milk may be favourable. “
Having recently introduced pea milk into her own kitchen, Watkins adds: “Taste will also be a deciding factor in its popularity. It has a different taste to milk and may take some getting used to.”
Dr. Sonja Kukuljan, Australia’s Own Dietitian, says, “Like Milk is lactose free and so is suitable for those with lactose and dairy milk intolerance. The levels of protein, calcium, phosphorus and vitamin B2 are all similar to dairy milk and Vitamins B12 and D2 are added for those consuming Vegan diets and whom may find it difficult to meet their requirements for these nutrients.”
However popular amongst the fitness market, the trend hasn’t attracted major retailer interest. An ALDI Australia spokesperson said, “Our existing vegan milk alternative range includes almond milk, rice milk, coconut milk, soy milk, organic soy milk and oat milk. At this stage, we don’t sell pea milk in our stores and do not have any immediate plans to stock this product.”
Disclaimer: Like Milk and Australia’s Own are operated under Freedom Foods Groups. Dr Sonja Kukuljan is employed by Freedom Foods Group.
On 25 November 2016, the Australia New Zealand Ministerial Forum on Food Regulation (the Ministerial...
Global stevia producer, PureCircle, is now producing a number of stevia-based flavour enhancers.
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Evidence of a link between diet and depression has been found in the first study to analyse associat...
A new McDonald’s UK ad may signal a new future direction for the global fast food giant.
Carlton and United Breweries has launched a new Yak ale variety.
The Australian Bureau of Agricultural and Resources Economics has released its Food Demand in Austra...
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The surveillance state is upon us. With the police tracking through license plates and so on and so on, there’s no doubt that privacy is slowly…becoming…a…piece…of the…past. As we recounted already, before WSJ and FT ran today’s stories, the data gathering consumerism of modern Amerikkka is upon us:
Let’s take, for instance, my recent experience at Radio Shack. When I purchased a pair of headphones for $20 so that I could listen to punk rock on my jogs, I had a number of questions to answer. Of course, I did not have to answer the questions, but the promise of a $5 gift certificate if I complied was just too much to resist.
And so, i proceeded to surrender my full name, address, phone number, mother’s maiden name, social security, what phone company I used (perhaps for efficient wiretapping), and my e-mail address. And then, I was asked if I would like to donate to a foundation.I declined the latter part knowing full-well that, while the foundation might purport to fight cancer worldwide, if it was anything like foundations such as the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, etc., it probably was promoting cancer as a sick form of family planning. Luckily, I still got that $5 gift certificate.
Mastercard contends that it analyzes billions of transactions, including which customers purchase, for example, electronics or luxury goods. MasterCard is not the only credit card company in the data industry. Visa sells retailers the ability to send text messages to consumers based on previous card transactions. Those who receive the ads, just like I detailed in the story, agree to them in exchange for discounts and coupons. American Express is also doing the same.
MasterCard Advisors has been around for more than a decade, and is a professional services division aimed at analyzing the companies multifarious and innumerable points of data. Not until 2012 did Mastercard begin marketing specific data. While the company insists it does not provide information to identify an individual customer, it will provide detailed customer segments and their spending patterns:
Once the data is sorted, it appears with segments of the customership grouped into different “audiences.” That audiences are categorized by how likely they are to spend at particular stores and at what times. There are different ways that habits can be atomized and studied. For example, What stores does an individual shop? What products does an individual buy? At what times? Days of the week?
Mastercard can utilize the data from more credit cards and debit cards than Facebook has accounts.
MasterCard is just one company amid many looking to monetize their customer information. Big Data is the new industry on the block of Big Industry. But, few have as intimate of a reach into customer’s lives as do credit card companies.
One industry that is right there alongside credit card companies in access to customer information are mobile phone companies. They know where their customers and where they are going and every single call they have made.
Of course, efficiency and fusion are the for-bearers of consolidation, and now we can expect a all-encompassing data funnel center called Isis Mobile payments service. The service goes live in Austin, Texas and Salt Lake City on Monday. So, Alex Jones and his posse best be on their toes. AT&T, T-Mobile and Verizon have launched the system in partnership, and it will let users make purchases by tapping certain phones against certain terminals at store checkouts. They payment is then processed by linking up their Isis account with their payment card.
This bring us to the supermarket. Many supermarkets have been collecting data for awhile using cards that help them track individual shoppers. Such data is compiled for millions of customers across the US, and offers a clear picture of what families are eating and when.
Supermarket chain Kroger’s CEO, David Dillon, loves voyeurism:
“The Dunnhumby data not only tells us within a store what’s happening and what customer combinations are there, but [also] within households what’s going on in these households and what they like to buy over a long period of time,” Dillon said. “It’s one thing to look at a basket of goods and see what they buy together at one moment, but we can see what they buy over long periods [of] time. [With] the work we do and other data pieces in the market, we’re able to see not only what they buy at Kroger but also what they buy in other places too.”
“If you think about the digital world, we’re going to know where you browse, we’re going to know what you watch, we’re going to know where you are,” noted Michael Donnelly, Kroger SVP merchandising. “If we can do the things that we think we can do, using big data and coupling it with our insights, we think this is going to be a competitive advantage,” he said. “It’s really bringing big data in what we do to a personal level.”
The government is concerned about Big Business doing its historical job. Last week the US Senate Commerce Committee launched an investigation into nine consumer brokers. In March, the US Federal Trade Commission advocated for legislation to “address the invisibility of, and consumers’ lack of control over, data brokers’ collection and use of consumer information.”
“The digital footprint [consumers] will inevitably leave behind will become more specific and potentially damaging, if used improperly,” even John Rockefeller, chairman of the Senate Commerce Committee, wrote in a letter to one large data broker. Presumably, he is defending the business of some friends.


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22nd July 2021
Good morning The Millennial love of bling has helped the Royal Mint turn a profit after a loss making 2020. The government-owned maker of UK and international coins said that there was a 430% increase in young investors using their new gold investment platform in the past year.
Netflix numbers chill
Next set for a great summer
Yesterday's market moves
FTSE 100 +1.7% 6,998 FTSE 250 +1.9% 21,542
Markets continued to recover from their Monday wobble as investors set aside their unease about the rapid spread of the Delta variant of coronavirus … for now.The FTSE 100 rose a further 1.7% on its best day since February and the FTSE 250, up 1.9%, enjoyed its best day this year.
MEDIANetflix numbers chill
What’s going on?Netflix released less than impressive subscription numbers for the three months to June. The US streaming service added only 1.5m customers in the period, the lowest quarterly increase it’s ever reported.
Why is this important?
Netflix was undoubtedly a big winner from lockdown last year, adding 10m subscribers between April and June 2020.But as restrictions have lifted across the world the company says that unsurprisingly people are watching less TV. Investors had expected growth to slow but not by as much as Netflix reported.Alongside competition from IRL activities, rival streaming services from Amazon and Disney have added extra pressure in the fight for consumer attention. The pandemic also created delays in production of shows meaning it had less of a pipeline of original content for audiences.Worryingly for the company it lost 400,000 customers in the US and Canada. It also now expects to add 3.5m users from July to September, down from initial estimates of 5.5m.
TakeawayNetflix is working hard on finding more ways to prop up subscriber numbers and announced that it’s moving into gaming to do this. The company added that games would be included in members’ subscriptions at no extra cost, and that it would initially focus on mobile games. It plans to publish its first games next year.
RETAILNext set for a great summer
Next is raising sales and profit targets for this year driven by a combination of:
Warm weather in May and June
Pent up demand for fashion with consumers itching to buy summer clothes
Billions saved up during the pandemic meaning consumers are ready to spend
The clothes retailer said full-price sales rose 19% in the past 11 weeks compared with the same period in 2019, way above its forecast for 3%.The company said profit for the 12 months to January 2022 would be about £750m, an increase of £30m on what it previously expected.Performance has been so strong that the company is planning to give an extra £240m in cash back to shareholders later this year.But Next appreciates that the good times can’t last forever, it said it expects sales to cool towards the end of the year.Shares were up 7.5% yesterday on the news, taking gains in the past year to 60%.
Stat of the day
The number of plane rage incidents have doubled during the pandemic
Other stories to keep you in the loop
EU rejects British plan to rip up Brexit deal
UK borrowing falls as debt interest payments jump to £8.7bn
Private equity firm Bridgepoint surges 21% in London debut
Mulberry returns to profit as it turns 50 years old


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1 posts tagged "Picture Me"
Before Sara Ziff founded the not-for-profit Model Alliance, she was just another runway regular. The 29-year-old walked the runways for Marc Jacobs, Chanel, and Dolce & Gabbana and shot ad campaigns for H&M and Tommy Hilfiger. But when she left modeling full-time to study political science at Columbia University, she used her spare time to edit footage taken during her modeling career into a 2010 documentary, Picture Me. “It allowed me to start making sense of my experiences,” Ziff says. “Without Picture Me, I don’t think I would’ve formed the Alliance.” Following the film’s warm reception, other models began reaching out to her with their own stories.
So with a little help from the Fashion Law Institute at Fordham University, Ziff and model-turned-scribe pal Jenna Sauers formed the Model Alliance earlier this year to help educate and advocate for models. At just a few months old, the Alliance already boasts over 200 members, including big names like Coco Rocha, Trish Goff, Doutzen Kroes, and Milla Jovovich.
Many of the Alliance’s goals are in line with those of the CFDA Health Initiative. “There have been efforts within the industry to promote healthier standards, and while I think any effort in that direction is a good thing, I don’t think that real, lasting change comes from the top down,” says Ziff. “It has to be a grassroots effort, and you have to involve the models themselves.”
The Alliance is rolling out new programs during the Spring 2013 New York shows. One workshop will advise beginning models on business necessities like how to negotiate a contract, do taxes, and even set up a bank account; another will focus on career transition possibilities for models exiting the runway. The Alliance has also set up a discreet grievance reporting system for models facing unjust difficulties within the industry. “Modeling is a business like any other, and it’s in models’ best interest to treat it as a business and to understand their rights,” says Ziff, who still works part-time as a model. “In a funny way, when I went to school, I was desperate to escape this industry and move on, but now I realize fashion is part of my world, and these are my people.”


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Conan Exiles Best And Fastest-Selling Game In Funcom History
Funcom announced today that Conan Exiles is now both the best-selling and fastest-selling game in the company’s history.
The game has surpassed 2008’s Age of Conan: Hyborian Adventures, which had sold 1.4 million units by the time it went free-to-play three years after its initial release. Kicking off Early Access in January 2017 with a full launch in May 2018, Conan Exiles was able to break this record in less than half that time.
To go alongside this news, Funcom has released an accolades trailer for the game:
Conan Exiles — Accolades Trailer
Funcom also announced today that the second DLC for the game, Jewel of the West, will launch in early August. This downloadable content will introduce new Aquilonia-themed building pieces, armor, weapons, furniture, and more. In Conan lore, Aquilonia is the center of the civilized world and its clothing and architecture is inspired by that of the real-world Romans.
According to Creative Director Joel Bylos:[testimonials user=” email=” name=” position=” photo=”]“In addition to the Jewel of the West, the team is also hard at work putting together one of our biggest free updates yet. Launching later this quarter, this update will introduce pets and taming to Conan Exiles, allowing players to find and tame anything from camels to panthers and even spiders and then use them to guard their base, carry resources, and more. This update will be free to all players on all platforms.”[/testimonials]


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It’s no question that retail is experiencing major changes, but consumers aren’t going to stop shopping anytime soon. XRC Labs startups, including Facenote, WonderMile and ShopShops, are taking brick-and-mortar stores to the future with technology that places the consumer first. From facial recognition to increasing virtual visibility, here’s what startups are doing to advance the capabilities of brick-and-mortar stores.
Digital devices play an important role in the brick-and-mortar experience, since retailers use technology, including beacons, to track consumer activity and send customized promotions to consumers’ smartphones.
Chile-based startup, Facenote, is stepping up this concept with a new kind of facial recognition technology. As a technology platform, Facenote enables retailers to identify consumers in apps, online and in stores by their face.
What makes Facenote ahead of the pack is that the platform doesn’t require any sales associates and it taps into the needs of individual consumers when they visit a store. The platform scans the consumer’s face when they walk into a store and instantly provides them with curated deals on their smartphones. If consumers have privacy concerns, they can also manage Facenote and select the stores they wish to be recognized in.
Going from store to store to find a desired item is tedious, and consumers don’t have time for it these days. Although retailers provide the ability to search for in-stock goods on their websites, it often leaves consumers searching on multiple web browsers, calling stores, experiences long wait times and abandoning their purchase journey.
WonderMile, a Boston-based startup, is making this process more seamless for consumers and retailers.
The company’s online platform streamlines the browsing and buying process by solely focusing on brick-and-mortar stores. On the platform, consumers can search real-time inventory, receive notifications on discounts and sales, browse for new items in nearby stores and communicate with sales associates. Brick-and-mortar stores also win with this platform, which helps them to drive store traffic, gain new shoppers and fulfill consumer demands when it comes to products.
U.S. brick-and-mortar stores aren’t only frequented by domestic consumers, but achieving global reach isn’t easy in a tough retail scene.
Beijing-based startup, ShopShops, is helping American stores tap into the needs of Chinese consumers with its cross-border O2O e-commerce platform.
According to ShopShops, Chinese shoppers spend more than $100 billion on international clothing purchases. What’s more, the U.S. is one of the top destinations for Chinese tourists, where they spend an average of $18,000 per person, per visit.
ShopShops bridges the gap between Chinese consumers and U.S. brick-and-mortar stores with a personalized shopping experience. The platform allows Chinese consumers to browse for items and shop by location when they visit major cities, including New York and Seattle. Consumers can shop for unique brands and products, while stores gain exposure to a new shopper demographic.
LevaData is tapping the power of AI to make strategic sourcing and procurement more seamless for apparel industry members.Read more
Samples, it seems, may soon end up on the endangered list if 3D modeling technology continues to improve and provides the industry with a way to cut down production timelines.Read more
Abercrombie & Fitch continues to rely on Hollister gains, while positioning the Abercrombie brand for similar success. Gap sales up on Athleta, Old Navy performance.Read more
The domestic textile industry and apparel importers have often been on opposite sides of U.S. trade issues, but in today’s political climate they seem to have found some common ground.Read more
U.S. employers added 261,000 jobs in October, pushing unemployment down to the lowest rate since the halcyon days of late 2000.Read more
While everyone’s been focused on the "retail apocalypse," the real story to emerge from 2017 might be the strange bedfellows that have emerged as everyone tries to plot a course forward. The recent partnership between Walmart and Lord & Taylor is the latest to get people talking.Read more
J.W. Anderson’s chief executive, Simon Whitehouse, is exiting the company, plus Dick's Sporting Goods tapped Paul Gaffney as its new CTO.Read more


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Seeing a girl on a magazine cover, fronting an ad campaign or sitting in the front row at Fashion Week and thinking to yourself, “Who is that?” has become a frequent occurrence in the fashion industry. The phenomenon, which can arguably be traced back to pioneers Alexa Chung and Alice Dellal, has helped a new crop of personalities rise to immense levels of popularity for no discernible reason at all, aside from their standout personal style. “It” girls with careers in creative fields — DJs, artists, musicians, TV presenters — have started to replace models and celebrities as the most desirable faces for brands to attach themselves to, despite the fact that most mainstream consumers don’t know them by name. Or what they do, for that matter.
That je ne sais quoi, or that “X Factor” as it’s called in the business, is increasingly what clients are looking for when choosing women (or men) to work with on campaigns or collaborations for one very simple reason: People want to dress like them, and therefore, they have a proven track record when it comes to selling products. Modeling agencies have become well aware of this fact, and have started special talent divisions for musicians, bloggers and influencers as a way to help manage their careers in the fashion and beauty space, as well as to align them with brands that share their interests and aesthetic.
Next Models was one of the first agencies to get on board with the changing tide, and its special bookings board reads like a who’s who of the industry’s buzziest names. Along with Chung and Dellal, Suki Waterhouse, Atlanta de Cadenet Taylor, Harley Viera-Newton and Julia Restoin Roitfeld are all signed with Next. What all of these women have in common is that they are more than just pretty faces: They have multi-faced interests, an innate “cool factor” and undeniable charisma. They all have more going on than just what meets the eye. Something different.
“It’s so blindingly obvious to us when someone has 'It,'” says Katy Moseley, the director of public relations at Next. “As soon as we meet them — they’re talented, so chic, so beautiful. They’re super cool. It’s a no-brainer. Clients love them when we present them.” Much of the appeal comes from charisma and wit, which is something that Chung, Dellal and their counterparts have in spades. In addition, they have an eye for cool looks and products before most consumers catch on.
At first, people didn’t necessarily “get” it — for example, when Chung was given a Madewell collaboration or when Dellal, with her shaved head and tattoos, became the face of Chanel — but in the digital age, the nature of fashion marketing changed and these influencers’ careers began to grow. “There was still that old-school thinking — pre-Internet thinking,” says Sarah Leon, the creative director of talent at Next. “It was hard for people to understand [Chung]. She wasn’t an actress or a model, but she is really beautiful, has incredible style, writes for Vogue and is super creative. Why does she have to fit a particular pigeonhole or role? What she has is not a tangible thing.”
Faith Kates, the founder of Next Models, calls Chung the "Christy Turlington" of this generation of "It" girls, meaning that no one else quite has her unique appeal. "To me, Alexa Chung is the girl everyone wants to be. She looks like girl next door, she has a personality unlike anything you’ve ever seen before. The aura of her is that she’s so smart, she’s way ahead of the curve."
These “It” girls are scouted in a similar way to how models are: Next’s agents know who is creating buzz in each of their territories — from New York to Los Angeles to London and Paris — and are often tipped off by artists’ managers, live agents, word of mouth and, perhaps most importantly, social media. Many influential personalities today are discovered via Facebook and Instagram. They are the ones are singlehandedly starting trends, and they attract attention for simply being themselves. Brands are searching for authentic voices to partner with — ones with fans who trust them and the products they endorse — and each contract or collaboration is tailored to each girl’s particular interests and talents.
More frequently, companies are employing a mixture of both "It" girls and models, building out budgets for both in marketing, and the activities the brands are doing are changing every day. If a girl is creative in one way, brands and agents help her find ways to apply it in different mediums, which is something that is now celebrated. This is how Langley Fox Hemingway, a talented artist who moonlights as a model, scored Everlane's first-ever collaboration, and how Suki Waterhouse ended up designing shoes for Superga. These women were not hired only for their pretty faces. There is something else going on that drew the brands in — they have personality and creative value.
Musicians replacing models and actors in ad campaigns is becoming more frequent as well, and Next also has an extensive musical roster that includes the likes of Lana del Rey, Rita Ora (whom the agency has worked with since she was 15), twin DJ/producers NERVO and Say Lou Lou. In certain cases, a girl can become "fashion famous" before she has reached any major career milestones: Before Del Rey had a number one album, she had a lucrative modeling contract with H&M and was in talks with Emma Hill at Mulberry to design a handbag.
Something that’s important to note is that not everyone has fashion currency, and while many rising stars in the worlds of music, fashion and art are equally beautiful and talented, that doesn’t mean that they have inspiring style that will want emulate. “Now, it’s not just about celebrity, its about a person’s ability to sell clothes,” Leon explains. “The Average Joe on the street might not know them, but whether or not you want to dress like them is a completely different measure … a totally different thing than who we want to listen to or watch on TV. Style influence quotient is the most important factor.” In addition, models are getting in on the action, with both big-name girls — Karlie Kloss and Cara Delevingne — as well as more niche models like Ali Michael and Hanne Gaby Odiele, building up their social media presence and getting noticed off the runways for their street style.
But is it a risk for a big-name brand to sign a relatively unknown girl who most shoppers wouldn’t recognize? "It’s a much bigger risk to sign someone super famous with no style," Leon says. In addition, brands enjoy thinking that they've discovered something or someone new, and signing a contract or releasing a collaboration with an influencer helps them show her off to everyone. “It keeps brands cool and fresh, and it makes sense for them to sign these girls to help them seem young and stay current,” Moseley adds. “It’s not a risk, it’s a well thought-out strategic plan.”
Next started its board of influencers a few years ago without knowing whether or not they would end up having a platform, but it's proven to be one of its most popular divisions. By developing individuals as more than just a face — as someone who brings something more to the table, and who is not shy about being herself — has helped to shift the paradigm in the world of fashion marketing. Sure, you might not be able to succinctly define what it is that they "do" in terms of a job, or they might have famous parents, but they have proven to move the needle when it comes to sales and influence over consumers. What they "do" can just be a bonus.
Top photo: Longchamp


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The Africa Fintech Summit takes place on the backdrop of the global COVID-19 pandemic that has brought unprecedented need for digital trade & finance and positioned fintech as key to economic recovery.
This year’s Summit will host over 1,000 attendees and 60+ speakers calling in from 10 different time zones across 6 continents. Each day’s theme has been built to explore the new insights we uncovered in preparing the soon-to-be-released Africa Fintech: State of the Industry 2020, a 63-page report dedicated to the bright minds and innovations.
With a focus on the geniuses behind the innovations leading the industry, panelists include:
Co-Founder & CEO of Flutterwave, Olugbenga Agboola; Founder & CEO of PAGA, Tayo Oviosu; Founder & CEO of Amole, Yemiru Chanyalew; EcoBank’s Senior Fintech Advisor, Djiba Diallo; Co-Founder & CEO of TYME Bank, Coen Jonker; Founder and General Partner of Future Africa, Iyin Aboyeji; Co-Founder and President of Ovamba, Viola Llewellyn; and, ChipperCash Co-Founder & CEO, Ham Serunjogi.


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The rise of ransomware attacks directed at U.S. companies is creating demand for a new service from cybersecurity companies: ransomware negotiations.
"We did our first negotiation in June of 2020 based off of contacts that we had had with a victim of ransomware incident," said Groupsense Director of Intelligence Operations Bryce Webster-Jacobsen. "We did a few more after that between June and September and decided to make it a formal offering because word was out that we were doing it. We were starting to get referrals from other victims that we had worked with."
Webster-Jacobsen told Newsy that the end goals of each negotiation are specific to the situation, but that a successful negotiation usually involves pushing ransom prices down and protecting victims from future attacks.
"We've seen negotiations that, we've been able to get the price down to 10 percent of the original asking price," Webster-Jacobsen said. "We don't want to spend too much time in an incident focusing on the why, but to the level appropriate, providing context so that this incident and this negotiation can be an educational experience, so that the victim organization doesn't have to go through this again."
There’s some debate about whether these negotiations or payments should be banned. Paying ransoms is legal so long as the ransom, usually in the form of hard-to-trace cryptocurrencies, doesn’t go to countries like North Korea or Iran. But the FBI advises against ransom payments.
"I think the idea of banning ransom payments because they're such a financially motivated crime appears to be a really good solution. But it's not that cut and dry," said Sarah Powazek, program manager of the Ransomware Task Force at the Institute for Security and Technology.
"This concept of 'let's make paying the ransom illegal,' that's not fixing the problem. That's basically doing what happened to drugs in the United States when you make something illegal. All it does is increase supply and demand, and drive up the price. So all you're going to see is the ransom go up," said Dr. Eric Cole, founder & CEO of Secure Anchor.
Negotiators do recognize their role in keeping this ransomware supply chain alive. Worldwide, ransomware damages are expected to cost companies and governments $20 billion in 2021, according to Cybersecurity Ventures.
"Paying a ransom is putting money into the hands of those criminals. And that is a really tough pill to swallow for many of the victims that we work with. And it is frankly, the worst part about this job is knowing that that money — especially some of the early payments that we made in Bitcoin — have now doubled or tripled in value because the currency is becoming more and more valuable," said Webster-Jacobsen.
Experts note that one way to avoid ransomware payments is for companies to put more resources toward detecting and stopping future cyber attacks, rather than default to paying.
"We need to work first on securing our critical infrastructure, on providing businesses better, clearer ways to prepare and on doing a better job of actually disrupting the criminals. Before we say what we're going to do is we're going to stop you from paying," said Powazek.


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Worldwide, the gaming industry has experienced unprecedented growth over the last 2 decades, culminating with in industry explosion in 2020 and 2021 that saw the global games market increase 23% year-over-year. Five years ago analysts didn’t expect the industry to reach $200 billion mark until 2030 but that threshold will likely be passed next year and now the industry seems to be on course to reach $219 billion by 2024.
Yet the gaming industry is facing challenges as well. Worries about a recession that will impact on video games sales and Vegas online casino gambling keep many industry leaders up at night. Gaming studies are also warily watching Big Tech who are actively pursuing policies that advance their own companies while they impact negatively on small businesses in the gaming world.
Some things to look out for in the coming years include:
The gaming industry has begun to turn to governments in an attempt to get them to intervene against the unfair policies of tech giants like Microsoft, Google and Apple. These policies, they say, are arbitrary and put their own small companies at an unfair advantage in the global marketplace.
For instance, Google has been accused of refusing to feature Indian online skill games on its Google Play Store while at the same time, promoting Chinese and western game including its own gaming service called Play Pass.
Gaming studios have been able to demonstrate that Google unfairly prevents Android app stores from advertising on its platform which limits consumer choice. Additionally, in many cases, when a user downloads an online gaming app directly, Google dissuades the installation of the app by showing a warning message.
Google has been investigated and fined by the Paris Commercial Court which charged the tech giant with abusive practices on the Play Store towards developers. In the coming months the US Department of Justice has announced that it will pursue an anti-trust lawsuit against Google based on its online advertising market monopoly.
The big tech giants’ moves to acquire smaller studios and companies is cause for concern within the games industry. Microsoft is moving to acquire Activision Blizzard for $75 billion and that prospect of a tech giant that’s valued at $2 trillion (yes, trillion), trying to wiggle into the games industry leadership is troubling to many.
Some observers believe that the move could precipitate a wider industry realignment and reshape the sector which would mean ever-larger gaming empires.
Today’s gaming audience is huge. According to Newzoo, a gaming market intelligence analytics firm, there are 2.69 billion gamers in the world today – almost a third of the world’s population plays games. Those types of numbers play to the strengths of the large companies who have the resources to build and manage such large online businesses.
Bing Gordeon, a venture capitalist and longtime video game executive, says “The new critical mass is bigger than ever. Someone’s going to create a games service with hundreds of millions of subscribers.”
The tech giants say that increasing domination of the mega-companies in the gaming universe will help bring the metaverse closer. That’s the way that Satya Nadella spins it. Nadella is Microsoft’s chief executive and he says that the big tech companies will move the internet’s next bit iteration forward.
Video games are seen as a path towards a more immersive online world and, in combination with the resources that the big companies bring to the table, it will soon be possible to do everything within games that you do in the real world.
Decline in Sales
The games industry is preparing to face a decline in video game sales which has people worried about a recession in the industry. During the pandemic the sale of video games shot up, expanding 26% from 2019 to 2021. Now analysts are predicting a 1.2% year-on-year decline in 2022.
Research from Ampere Analytics, a market data firm indicates that logistics disruptions and shortages of vital components which started to plague the industry during the pandemic have made it difficult for customers to find new consoles, either online or at on store shelves, and that, in turn, causes fewer games to be sold.
Rising inflation is also impacting on the number of games that customers buy while Russia’s invasion of the Ukraine meant that hardware makers such as Sony and Microsoft have suspended their operations in Russia – the world’s 10th largest games market in 2021.
Piers Harding-Rolls, research director at Ampere, said that “After two years of huge expansion, the games market is poised to hand back a bit of that growth in 2022 as multiple factors combine to undermine performance. Even so, the year will end well ahead of pre-pandemic performance, and the outlook for the sector as a whole remains positive, with growth forecast to return in 2023.”
But, added Harding-Rolls, a careful analysis shows that the market can be expected to return to growth in 2023.


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Spark Global Limited reports:
All three major U.S. stock indexes closed lower on Wednesday, led by technology stocks, after a report showed U.S. consumer prices rose at the fastest pace in nearly 31 years in October, indicating inflation pressures are still building. At the close, the Dow was down 0.66%, the S&P 500 was down 0.82% and the NASDAQ was down 1.66%.
Technology stocks led declines after THE U.S. consumer price index rose at its fastest pace in nearly 31 years in October
The latest data on Wednesday showed that THE US CONSUMER price index rose for the 17th straight month in October, rising 6.2% from a year earlier, beating expectations and recording the highest growth rate since December 1990. Month-on-month growth was 0.9%. Us core CPI also rose more than expected year-on-year and month-on-month in October. The data suggest companies have been raising prices for consumer goods and services amid supply bottlenecks and Labour shortages that have pushed up production costs. High inflation is seen as putting pressure on the Fed to taper faster or raise rates sooner. Rising inflation pushed long-term Treasury yields significantly higher, triggering a selloff in blue-chip tech stocks, with all six leading tech stocks closing lower.
Tesla’s Nemesis Rivian got off to a strong start on its first day of trading and Disney’s earnings missed expectations
Among individual stocks, Electric car maker Rivian, which investors see as Tesla’s biggest rival, got off to a flying start on Its Nasdaq debut on Wednesday, closing up 29% to give it a market value of $85.9 billion, roughly equal to traditional auto giant General Motors. Disney shares fell more than 4% in after-hours trading Wednesday after the entertainment giant reported earnings that missed expectations and disappointed investors with slowing growth in its streaming business. It is worth mentioning that China ushered in the “Double 11” e-commerce activity sales peak today, most of the popular Chinese stocks rose, the three major e-commerce alibaba, JINGdong and Pinduoduo all bucked the market and ended up.
All three major European markets closed higher
In Europe, data on Wednesday showed inflation in Germany, the euro zone’s largest economy, rose to 4.5 percent in October, the highest since August 1993. But all three major European markets ended the day in positive territory, helped by a number of bright earnings reports. At the close, UK stocks were up 0.91%, French stocks were up 0.03% and German stocks were up 0.17%.
International oil prices have dropped significantly
In the oil market, data from the U.S. Energy Information Administration showing a 1 million barrel month-on-month rise in U.S. commercial crude inventories last week and a significant rise in the U.S. dollar index weighed on international oil prices. By the close, New York light crude for December delivery was down 3.34% at $81.34 a barrel. London Brent crude for January delivery closed down 2.52% at $82.64 a barrel.


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Los Angeles, CA, Oct. 27, 2010 — Pacifica Music, a catalog of modern music, and its founding partners RipTide Music and pigFACTORY, are marking the first year anniversary of their joint venture by launching the companyâ€™s new website in the Soundminer platform. Pacifica will continue to deliver the catalogue to clients in a variety of delivery formats, including online and offline Soundminer and iTunes compatible files, mSoft/Dashbox and hard drive.
Pacifica Music has also expanded its outreach internationally. The company has signed deals with new international partners in territories that include Spain, Japan, Italy, Greece, Russia and Ukraine. In additional company news, Pacifica Music has just added the Drama King music library (for U.S. distribution) and the Studio 51 music library (on a global basis) to its catalogue roster.
The company has recently placed music in commercials on
behalf of a number of new corporate clients. These include Microsoft, Target, Lexus, THQ, Sony PlayStation and 1-800 Contacts, among them.
Regarding the news, Pacificaâ€™s executive team Rich Goldman, Bob Kaminsky and Keatly Haldeman said, â€œWe are thrilled to be marking the one year anniversary of Pacifica Music concurrent with the major technological upgrade of our website. This delivery system is being used more widely than ever by ad agencies and post houses. Coupled with our global expansion, addition of new libraries, and recent placements on behalf of a diverse range of high profile corporate clients, Pacifica Music continues to grow and thrive.â€?
ABOUT PACIFICA MUSIC:
Launched in Fall 2009, Pacifica Music is a production music catalog created by two of Hollywood’s leading independent licensing and publishing companies (RipTide Music and pigFACTORY Music) to aggregate, produce and
supply thousands of tracks of affordable, high quality music to film studios, television networks, trailer houses, advertising agencies, game companies and corporate producers. The catalog provides the production community great music with competitive pricing, a knowledgeable staff, on-line search and delivery, and easy licensing that includes blanket deals, show packages and needle-drops.
Pacifica Music features over 7,500 tracks of modern music across numerous genres, including hip hop, rock, pop, orchestral and electronica, with new tracks being added at an aggressive pace. Pacifica Music, which is deliverable through its industry leading website based on Soundminer, a variety of popular digital asset management systems, and on hard drives, offers a collection of works from a global network of composers, musicians and producers.
For more info, please visit: www.pacificamusic.com


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Google is set to pay Apple nearly $3 billion this year to remain as the default search engine on iPhones and iPads, according to U.S. research and brokerage firm Bernstein (via CNBC).
According to the investor note, Google is paying out three times as much to Apple as it did in 2014 for the same privilege, with Google's licensing fees making up a large bulk of Apple's services business.
"Court documents indicate that Google paid Apple $1B in 2014, and we estimate that total Google payments to Apple in FY 17 may approach $3B," CNBC quoted analyst A.M. Sacconaghi Jr. as saying.
"Given that Google payments are nearly all profit for Apple, Google alone may account for five per cent of Apple's total operating profits this year, and may account for 25 per cent of total company OP growth over the last two years," he added.
Apple has increasingly highlighted its services business as a core component of its continued growth. In a recent conference call, for example, CEO Tim Cook said the company's services had become as large as a Fortune 100 company over the last 12 months.
Apple's iOS devices contribute about 50 per cent to Google's mobile search revenue, according to Sacconaghi, suggesting Google would be unlikely to walk away from the licensing deal even if it suspected Apple would stick with Google as the default search engine anyway, given its huge popularity.


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Coulomb Technologies has raised $47.5 million in a Series D round to boost its car-charging plans, and has brought in a new investor: Toyota Tsusho Corp., the trading arm of the Japanese automotive giant. Looks like the war over plug-in EV charging infrastructure investment dollars, and strategic partnerships, is about to heat up.
Braemar Energy Ventures and Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers led the financing, along with Toyota Tsusho and existing investors Rho Ventures, Voyager Capital, Siemens Venture Capital GmbH, Harbor Pacific Capital Partners and Hartford Ventures. The Campbell, Calif.-based startup has previously raised about $33 million, along with a $15 million federal grant, meaning that the new investment nearly doubles its previous funding.
That’s a lot of money from big-name investors to raise in today’s depressed greentech investment climate. But it’s also a testament to the cost of trying to build a vehicle-fueling infrastructure from scratch. Coulomb, which is working with the likes of Nissan, BMW, Ford, General Motors and Fisker, plans to deploy 5,000 charging stations in the next few years, and had shipped 2,400 of them as of April.
Coulomb’s ChargePoint Network consists of its charging stations and the networking and software smarts to run them. Competitors include ECOtality, Better Place, AeroVironment and other startups, as well as efforts by giants including General Electric, Siemens, Schneider Electric and ABB, and of course, the big Japanese, European and U.S. automakers.
Deep-pocketed partners will be critical for startups like Coulomb, since the upfront costs of putting in chargers for a fleet of plug-in hybrids and EVs that don’t yet exist will be pretty high. Almost all of today’s plug-in charging installations have been done as government-funded partnerships (or settlements, in the case of California), although NRG Energy has promised a subscription-based, private charging network.
With plug-in hybrid and EV sales still lingering in the tens of thousands of vehicles globally, there’s also the question of who’s going to use the charging stations. Fleet vehicles for corporate and government customers have been the primary way we’ve seen chargers deployed en masse to date.
Still, someday we’ll want to drive our plug-in cars from one utility jurisdiction to another, topping off the batteries as we go. Building a network and platform to manage that kind of agnostic charging business is what Coulomb, ECOtality and its startup competitors have based their value on.
That’s led to partnerships with power giants in which the startup’s software may be put to the test in large-scale deployments, such as ECOtality’s licensing agreement with ABB, or Coulomb’s marketing agreement with Siemens, or AeroVironment's partnership with Nissan.
Just when we’ll see enough plug-in vehicles on the road to test the capabilities of these chargers is anyone’s guess. While the Department of Energy sticks to its goal of supporting 1 million plug-ins by 2015, most market projections don’t see the market heating up nearly that fast.


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What: Shares of GoPro (GPRO 3.89%) rose more than 16% Wednesday following reports of an interesting new hire.
So what: According to technology news site The Information, longtime Apple (AAPL 2.32%) industrial design team member Danny Coster has left Cupertino to lead a new hardware design group at GoPro. More specifically, The Information states, GoPro CEO Nick Woodman confirmed the hire in an email to employees on Wednesday, saying Coster will begin serving as the company's vice president of design at the end of this month.
Now what: One man certainly doesn't make a company, but Coster's move from Apple's elite design team is admittedly surprising considering he began working there in the early 1990s. But while his insight could serve as an intriguing sign of what's to come for GoPro's future products -- including a long-awaited refresh of its HERO4 Camera line, as well as the impending launch of its Karma drone and new virtual reality equipment -- to me, this appears to be a knee-jerk reaction to (less than concrete) positive news in shares of a beaten-down stock.
With GoPro's painful holiday-quarter results still lingering, I think investors would be wise to keep their eyes fixed on its quarterly report later this month to determine if GoPro stock has indeed found a bottom.


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Hearst Magazines is taking a digital swerve with its choice for the new editor in chief of Esquire. Michael Sebastian, currently digital director for the magazine, is its new editor, making for a major leap on the masthead. Sebastian has been at Esquire for only about two years, but joined Hearst in 2015 as senior editor and then director of its digital news division.
Before that, he was a reporter, with a stint covering media for AdAge and before that several years covering p.r. industry news for Lawrence Ragan Communications.
Nick Sullivan, currently Esquire’s fashion director since 2004, is getting a promotion. He will now be the magazine’s creative director. Both men are taking up their new roles immediately.
On Thursday, Marrakech came to Malibu for the Saint Laurent spring 2020 men’s show with a cinematic sunset setting, a runway in the sand and perfectly lit ocean waves crashing at the models’ feet.
Anthony Vaccarello rekindled Yves Saint Laurent’s gender-bending revolution for today’s gender-fluid generation using Mick Jagger as inspiration. The result was a collection of sexy sheer shirts, embroidered tunics and voluminous harem pants (yes, harem pants) that marked a confident step forward for Vaccarello and out of Hedi Slimane’s strictly tailored men’s wear shadow.
Rather than making a political statement with the gender-fluid styles the designer said he was trying to express what just comes naturally to young people when they get dressed today. “When I design for a woman, I think about a man and when I design for a man, I think about a woman’s wardrobe,” he explained of his process, adding that he believed it would be more interesting to show Arab-influenced dress in Los Angeles, which he has been visiting since he was a child, than in Marrakech itself, a place to which the brand is intrinsically tied and also where Dior held its cruise show just weeks ago.
But once everyone was near the water, the sound of the waves created an unusual pre-show calm. Continue reading
Colette the space that housed the Paris concept store for 20 years will reopen on Saturday as Saint Laurent Rive Droite, a new retail format developed by creative director Anthony Vaccarello that will sell everything from Jean Prouvé chairs to Saint Laurent-branded condoms.
The new boutique and its sister unit on Rodeo Drive in Los Angeles, opening the same day, represent a departure for Saint Laurent, known for its minimal stores featuring acres of veiny marble and gleaming shelves. Continue reading
Atop the Long Museum in Shanghai, Chloé resort 2020 dove deep into China’s cinematic treasures, in a first that brought the French label outside its home country to launch a collection.
In the lead-up to Thursday night’s runway show, creative director Natacha Ramsay-Levi found herself digging through the film works of Chinese director greats: Jia Zhangke, Hou Hsiao Hsien, Zhang Yimou, Lou Ye, and Bi Gan, as well as their leading ladies Gong Li, Shu Qi, and Zhao Tao.
Ramsay-Levi played with old China codes quilted jackets with flowers, jacquard prints and even pajama styles. After seeing how it paired so well with the architecture around the city, she added Art Deco flourishes to the clothes, which had been pulled from the house’s archives.
For the brand’s devotees, there was plenty to pick from long-trailing neck scarfs, earthy colors and tailored pants in multiple material variations ranging from georgette silk to denim. Continue reading
There will be color, teased Axel Dumas, chief executive officer of Hermès International, revealing a few details about plans by the French luxury firm to launch a makeup line next year. Color is the only thing he can analyse!
For the moment, we are starting with makeup, it’s a long-term plan, we will launch in 2020, with an announcement when we are ready we still have to finish the products. Nobody launches an unfinished makeup line !
The perfumes division accounted for around 5 percent of the company’s annual sales of nearly 6 billion euros last year.
Asked about conditions for slaying crocodiles, Dumas said that the company has veterinary guidelines that are “much more demanding than local regulation so that animal well-being is respected in each farm it’s essential, part of Hermès’ projects.” Now you understand why Hermès carries on killing crocodile in top secret farm. Continue reading
It’s been 12 years, since Fendi last held a show in China. In 2007, it was a show-stopping spectacle held atop the Great Wall. On Friday evening, the brand returned to the country to stage its first co-gender show, although with a very different tact.
The location of tonight is the Powerlong Museum, where a slick futuristic winding ramp that spread over multiple floors acted as the runway, recalling the spiral interior of the Guggenheim.
Actor Timmy Xu opened the show, which added 15 new looks 10 women’s and five men’s. At least for now, Fendi is overseeing both collections herself. The late Karl Lagerfeld was not involved in the planning of the China event so the combined men’s and women’s collections accurately reflected the new creative structure.
Not looking at the past but to the future is something we have very much learned from Karl. China, to me, is really a country which embraces the future a lot. Continue reading
Just two miles away from Vatican City, a bold pro-choice message was unfurled Tuesday before an international fashion public. In a darkened space in the halls of Rome’s Capitoline Museum, stone Roman faces and their gods presided over a runway where a white gown embroidered with a sequined uterus stirred a media frenzy.
It was Gucci’s 2020 cruise collection, and designer Alessandro Michele chose to make his voice heard through his most powerful weapon: needle and thread.
Amid controversial times, Michele was successful in making fashion’s voice heard. Just across the Tiber River, however, as the 47-year-old designer was putting the finishing touches on his fashion-forward collection, Pope Francis voiced his opinion on the pro-life, pro-choice debate, at a Vatican conference on Saturday. According to the New York Times, the Pope stated that abortion, even of a sick fetus, is like hiring a “hitman.”
Homage to Michele’s Roman upbringing. Models draped in veils and swathed in flowing gowns called to mind the Vestal Virgins, ancient highborns, who in Roman times took a vow of celibacy to honor the Godess Vesta. Continue reading
Karl Lagerfeld Memorial Event to Be Held in Paris, Organized by Chanel, Fendi and the Karl Lagerfeld brand, “Karl For Ever” will be staged at the Grand Palais for one night only.
In celebration of his legacy, the houses of Chanel, Fendi and Karl Lagerfeld have organized a memorial in honor of the fashion Kaiser. The tribute, named “Karl For Ever,” will be held at the Grand Palais in Paris on June 20, for one night only during Paris Men’s Fashion Week.
There had been no public ceremony since the designer’s passing. In keeping with Lagerfeld’s wish not to have a public funeral, he was cremated during a private ceremony in Nanterre, France. The event, accessible via private invitation, should attract around 2,500 guests. Continue reading
In his first runway show for a cruise collection, Giorgio Armani touched down in the island nation of Japan, and brought with him even more of an island vibe. The show began with looks in neutral shades, eventually moving on to more vibrant reds and blues.
Linen, silk and satin were accented with leather trim and sumptuous knits. Lightweight fabrics were often used in voluminous pieces, from oversized women’s blouses and flowing ponchos to pleated men’s trousers that gathered at the ankle like jogging pants.
Wide belts with exaggerated buckles defined the waist of coats and pants, tortoiseshell necklaces were chunky and layered and brooches and earrings packed a punch with their sheer size and bright, shiny colors.
One standout piece was a sheer black dress, gathered into pleats from the neck to the waist and secured at the collarbone with a cord. Complete with pockets, it was a picture of effortless elegance. Continue reading
This is the decadence of fashion schools. Men and women have become to accustom to the low, they are iconoclasts. They deflect young minds to make them believe that fashion is them, but fashion is the others. Continue reading


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Intel already dropped the biggest news about its 11th-gen Core desktop CPUs in January: They'll be up to 19 percent faster than its 10th-gen chips. Now, the company is finally able to give us more information about its next family of CPUs, codenamed "Rocket Lake S." The fastest offering will be the Core i9-11900K, an 8-core chip that reaches up to 5.3GHz on a single core. Notably, that's two fewer cores than last year's 10900K. Intel clearly had to make some tradeoffs since it's not moving to a newer manufacturing process; by sacrificing a few cores, it's able to wring out more performance from its aging 14nm hardware.
Paradoxically, that's great news for gamers. Most PC titles don't take full advantage of multiple CPU cores, instead it's single-core performance and high clock speeds that matters the most. Intel claims the 11900K is 14 percent faster than its last chip while playing Microsoft Flight Simulator in 1080p with high settings, as well as 13 percent speedier in Total War: Three Kingdoms. Additionally, Intel says the chip beats out AMD's flagship Ryzen 9 5900X by 11 percent and 10 percent in those respective titles.
Based on the figures Intel has shared so far, there doesn't seem to be a major downside by going with an 8-core flagship chip, instead of a 10-core model. That's even true for tasks that can actually take advantage of multiple cores, like video and photo creation. The company claims the 11900K is a whopping 88 percent faster than the previous model when it comes to video editing, as well as 35 percent faster than the Ryzen 9 5900X. At this point, it seems like the speed improvements in 11th-gen hardware was worth the sacrifice, but I'm waiting on third-party benchmarks for a final confirmation.
You can expect some speed improvements across Intel's new lineup, like a 16 percent speed bump in Gears 5 on the Core i5-11600K, compared to last year's 10600K. As usual, these chips really aren't meant to be an immediate upgrade for anyone rocking last-gen hardware. But for anyone running older chips — like my tried and true Core i7-8700K — it's suddenly more compelling to stick with Intel rather than jump ship to AMD.
Across the board, you can expect up to 50 percent faster graphics on the 11th-gen CPUs, thanks to Intel's new UHD graphics with Xe GPU hardware. (Though really, if you're getting one of these chips, you'll definitely be pairing it with a dedicated GPU.) They'll support up to 20 PCIe 4.0 lanes, DDR4-3200 RAM, as well as the ability to better handle new media compression, like 10-bit AV1, 12-bit HEVC and E2E. These chips will be powered by the company's new 500-series chipset, which includes support for faster USB 3.2 performance (2x2 20Gbps), discrete Thunderbolt 4, and double the bandwidth capabilities between the chipset and CPUs.
Together with a bevy of overclocking improvements, including support for better memory tweaks on the H570 and B560 chipsets, Intel is making a real push for performance-oriented users. But given just how strong AMD's Ryzen chips have been over the years, it may still make more sense to jump ship. That's particularly true if you care about more efficient thermal performance, as well as upgradability. It's unclear how future Intel CPUs — which will hopefully be moving on from its 14nm process — will support its latest batch of chipsets. AMD, meanwhile, has historically done a better job of making its new hardware backwards-compatible with older chipsets.


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According to Chinese tech site DoNews (sketchy English translation here), Apple plans on bringing support for Mandarin Chinese to Siri as early as March of this year. Other dialects of Chinese, such as Cantonese, will remain unsupported for the time being. Support for Japanese and Russian is supposedly coming at the same time.
Although the source may sound somewhat suspicious -- a Chinese tech site that claims to have inside information from an Apple engineer working on Siri -- this information does align with Apple's own promise to increase Siri's linguistic acumen in 2012. Apple has also promised to bring support for Spanish, Italian, and Korean to Siri sometime this year.
Siri will supposedly also offer local business information and navigation options to Chinese users, which is something that's been US-only so far. With China being Apple's biggest emerging market, it's obvious why Apple might want to prioritize increased Siri functionality in that country. (As for me and the rest of the New Zealand iOS users, we can probably look forward to full business/navigation support in Siri sometime in 2022.)
These updates to Siri's linguistic capabilities are likely to launch alongside an iOS update, probably iOS 5.1. Like many others, Stephen Millward of Penn-Olson speculates the iOS 5.1 update will launch alongside new iPad hardware; there's obviously no way to know that for certain, but my gut tells me he's probably right.


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Kroger Supermarkets Considering Sports Betting Kiosk Licenses in Ohio
Posted on: August 9, 2022, 07:18h.
Last updated on: August 10, 2022, 09:53h.
It’s just before 6 p.m. on an early August evening in Ohio. The Kroger in Anderson Township just outside Cincinnati looks like your typical supermarket at that time of the day.
Couples and singles walk down the aisle picking up items for dinner. Parents and their kids stop to grab some water on their way to practice. Then, all of a sudden, the sound of an acoustic guitar could be heard throughout the store.
It’s not elevator music. It’s a live musician who just so happens to be playing in Kroger’s bar.
Yes, a supermarket with a bar. This Kroger pretty much has anything you could imagine, and in less than five months, that could include sports betting.
That Kroger store and 41 others in the state owned by the Cincinnati-based grocery giant are among the 1,109 lottery retailers that have been prequalified by the Ohio Lottery Commission (OLC) to host sports betting kiosks.
A Kroger representative did not return messages seeking comment.
Kroger isn’t the only grocery chain with stores that have been prequalified. The OLC’s database shows nine Acme Fresh Markets also have been prequalified by lottery officials.
Compared to how sports betting has rolled out in other states, grocery stores aren’t the only unusual applicants that have come forward in Ohio for sports betting licenses.
The SPIRE Institute, a large sports complex in Northeastern Ohio that also offers a boarding academy for high school-aged students, has applied to be a proprietor for an online sports betting app and a brick-and-mortar sportsbook. Phantom Fireworks also has submitted an application to partner with a retail sportsbook to be based in the Covelli Centre, a multipurpose arena in Youngstown.
More Grocers Interested in Ohio Sports Betting
According to one industry official, those may not be the only grocery chains in the state with locations that apply for sports betting licenses.
Kroger is not a member of the Ohio Grocers Association (OGA). But Kristin Mullins, the group’s president, told Casino.org Tuesday that the organization anticipates other large supermarket chains may apply for licenses, too.
“I think we’ve got some caution on behalf of some of the members, because we’re still waiting on the details of how everything is going to work,” Mullins said.
In addition to allowing online sports betting and in-person sportsbooks, kiosks were part of the sports betting bill Ohio lawmakers passed and Gov. Mike DeWine signed into law last December. The measure was part of an effort to allow more businesses to participate. The law permits lottery retailers holding certain by-the-drink liquor licenses to have either self-serve or clerk-operated kiosks.
While more than 1,100 applications have been prequalified by the lottery, those vendors and others interested in getting a license will still need to be approved by the Ohio Casino Control Commission (OCCC). Through Tuesday evening, 350 have officially applied to the OCCC.
Prequalification by the lottery does not guarantee approval by the OCCC. Besides being a lottery retailer with either a D-1, D-2, or D-5 liquor license, the applicant must also be a for-profit business. Those that submit their applications by next Monday will be in line to start taking bets on the state’s universal start date of Jan. 1 if the state approves their application.
Retailers approved will be able to work with a licensed kiosk proprietor. So far, the OCCC has received applications from seven such businesses.
OCCC Executive Director Matt Schuler said at a meeting of the Casino Control Commission last week that as many as 2,000 retailers may apply for kiosks.
Cashing In By Cashing Out?
Last year, as Ohio state senators worked on the bill that ultimately passed the legislature, several business groups came before a special committee. They urged them to let such businesses as grocery stores and bowling alleys offer kiosks.
“We, of course, were hoping that all retailers can have a small piece of the pie. But that just wasn’t in the cards… it’s not ideal for my smaller members,” Mullins said. “But it is what it is, and I’m happy that some of my members could partake if they so choose.”
There may be other ways, though, for grocers to be involved in sports betting.
Mullins said the OGA is working with lottery officials to get any lottery retailer – whether or not they offer sports betting kiosks – to be able to cash kiosk sports betting tickets. Currently, lottery retailers can cash winning lottery tickets up to $600.
She said it would being able to cash sports wagers would be beneficial to smaller grocery stores.
It not only adds convenience to the consumers, but it puts people physically in our stores,” Mullins told Casino.org. “So. while they’re there, they’re going to pick up their milk and their chips and their pop and whatever else they need. That’s really what we’re looking for. We’re looking for that traffic. We’re a volume-based industry. We need people on our stores. We work on a very small profit margin, 1%-to-2%. So, it’s all about volume.”
Late Tuesday night, Danielle Frizzi-Babb, a spokesperson with the Ohio Lottery, told Casino.org that the rules regarding how sports betting kiosks will operate, including how bets can be cashed out, are moving through the regulatory review process.
That includes letting non-sports betting retailers have the chance to cash out sports bets.
“It was always our intent to offer as many options as possible for customers to cash their sports gaming prizes. The prize payment rule clarifies that intent to expressly allow non-host locations to cash sports gaming prizes if they choose to do so,” Frizzi-Babb said.
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Apple woke up this morning with something to brag about- over 10 million iPhone 6’s have been sold in their first weekend.
Apple announced this morning that it had sold a collective 10 million for both the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus.
This is around 1 million higher than the iPhone 5S and 5C which sold around 9 million in it’s first weekend during the same time last year.
The sales figures have definitely trumped expectations which were around the 6 million range and many are attributing the success to the larger screened iPhone 6 Plus.
These new sales figures really prove that the trend is moving away from small cell phones and over to the bigger, mini tablet sized screens.
One research analysts stated, “the iPhone 6 Plus demand is very strong. They are basically sold out everywhere we checked. But the iPhone 6 didn’t look to be fully sold out. That’s hard to tell if it’s because Apple has a lot of supply out there, or its because there’s less demand for it compared to the iPhone 6 Plus.”
To date, sales for both the iPhone 6’s have accounted for nearly 70 percent of Apple’s profit this quarter.
This number is expected to grow as more supplies are released to keep up with the demand.
“We could have sold many more iPhones with greater supply and we are working hard to fill orders as quickly as possible,” concluded CEO of Apple, Tim Cook.


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LIHU‘E — Kaua‘i Police Department white collar detective Michael Nii met with retired members of the Hawai‘i State Teachers Association on Wednesday to discuss digital scams, how to prevent becoming a victim, and what to do in the event of a scam.
Nii told the audience that most of these scams are what are called phishing scams — where scammers pretend to be a reputable company in order to convince people to reveal personal information.
“What they do is they dial up hundreds of phone calls at a time. And as everybody’s witnessed or experienced, that robot comes on and talks to them — ‘There’s a problem with your Medicare’ or ‘I have information about your Medicare,’ what have you,” he said.
“So people who have legitimate issues with Medicare, especially in your age, that’s when they click a button. On the other end, that’s when the scammer’s like, ‘OK, I set the bait out and want to see who bites.’ Whoever bites, then a live person comes on and they start giving you the runaround.”
One of the more common phishing methods Nii sees involves scammers taking on fake identities online. Under these identities, the scammer pretends to be romantically interested in the victim.
“What these scammers do is they prey on your emotion of loneliness,” Nii said. “They’ll call you, they’ll be friendly — they won’t ask for money upfront. They’ll gain your trust. Eventually, three months down the road, he says, ‘Hey, I want to come and meet you. I’ll come to the island, but I don’t have any money. Can you send me $2,000 for a plane ticket?’”
When the fictional love interest doesn’t show up, Nii said, the scammer will often come up with an excuse in an attempt to continue the scam.
“Usually the case is, ‘I got arrested,’ or ‘I got stopped by immigration,’ or ‘I got stuck and I need another $2,000 to come over.’”
On the other end, Nii noted many scammers intimidate their victims into compliance by pretending to represent a government agency.
Typically in these scams, the scammer claims the victim’s Social Security number has been involved in criminal activity. The scammer then threatens to freeze the victim’s financial accounts and send a warrant of arrest if the victim doesn’t send a certain amount of money in gift cards.
“If any scammer tells you to go to the store, buy a gift card and read them the numbers, it’s a scam,” Nii said. “Right off the bat. No law enforcement agency will ever ask you to send money in lieu of an arrest.”
Another common method Nii sees involves scammers pretending to be e-commerce company Amazon. In these scams, victims receive a text message or email stating that their Amazon order has failed and redirecting the victim to the scammer’s phone number.
“These guys are very clever. They’ll ask you questions and elicit information from you without you even knowing. They’ll get your name. They’ll get where you bank. They’ll get the account number — all they need is an account number, because you can do a Google search and get the routing number online for your particular bank,” Nii said.
“They’ll ask you, ‘Do you have online banking?’ or they’ll get enough information that they’ll create an online banking account with your information and lock you out. And they will take monies from there.”
Lieutenant Kennison Nagahisa — assigned to KPD’s Investigative Services Bureau — noted this method had become so prevalent, even he had nearly fallen victim to it.
“Even myself as a police officer opened an email thinking, ‘Yeah, something’s wrong with my order,’” he said. “So it just shows that it got so sophisticated, even I could get fooled.”
Nii stressed that digital scams aren’t limited to calls, texts and emails, though. An growing method of scams involves scammers gaining access to individuals’ social media accounts. Once they’ve gained access, the scammer will pretend to be that individual, claiming they’ve made incredibly quick, successful investments.
“They say, “Hey look, I invested so much money and I got so much money back,’” Nii said. “‘I invested $500, I got $2,000 back.’ So once you’ve contacted him, ‘I’m interested, tell me more about it,’ (they say) ‘Oh, well send me $500 through Venmo, Cash App, Zelle — online payment platforms.’”
In any situation where you feel you might be getting scammed, Nii recommends reaching out through the company or individual’s official contact and seeing if they’ve actually reached out.
“Do your own research from your iPad or your computer to get the number to that location, and vet them yourself,” Nii said. “Ask questions — ‘Hey, I received a call. Are you guys trying to contact me?’”
Additionally, Nagahisa encourages anyone worried they may be getting involved in a scam to call police dispatch at 808-411-1711.
“What’s a five minute conversation with a police officer, right?” Nagahisa said. “It’s nothing, and it could save you thousands of dollars, if not your identity.”
To check for suspicious financial activity, Nii recommends checking your credit once a year.
“From there, you can monitor to see if your personal information that’s used to get loans and get credit has been used,” Nii said. “You can see fraudulent accounts, and then you can go and report it to the credit bureaus.”
Nii urges those who find their finances compromised to file a police report and contact their bank immediately.
“If there’s recurring payments, what they’ll do is they’ll switch it off,” he said. “It doesn’t hurt to notify them and just say, ‘This has happened to me. I filed a police report. This much money was taken.’”
Nii added that victims of identity theft can file a report with the Federal Trade Commission at FTC.gov, and that victims of cybercrime can file a report to the FBI at IC3.gov.
Jackson Healy, reporter, can be reached at 808-245-0427 or firstname.lastname@example.org.
Source: The Garden Island
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Food and wine are booming across the region, capitalising on fresh produce and new ideas for hospitality. These are our 15 top stories about great wining and dining experiences, from authentic Korean barbecue to Wagga’s best chicken parmigiana. But where does Kylie Minogue’s lingerie come into it?
The wait is over for patrons of Junee’s Locomotive Hotel which officially reopened in October after closing the doors for a major overhaul.
Co-owner Chris Blanchard said he couldn’t wait to show off the new interior.
“We’ve revamped the whole bar with a different appearance and we’ve gone for that kind of 1930s speakeasy style,” he explained.
Much anticipated, Wagga’s newest cafe Al Maghrib opened its doors mid-year to bring the taste and experience of Morocco to the region.
Al Maghrib is the Arabic word for Morocco. Maghrib in Arabic means sunset, hence the logo on the cafe’s entry.
Situated at 32 Fitzmaurice Street, the contemporary Morrocan cafe has welcomed diners since 2 May.
Chocoholics, prepare to assemble: the ultimate destination for decadent desserts and authentic Belgian chocolate has arrived in Wagga Wagga.
Oliver Brown Belgian Chocolate Cafe opened in November on Baylis Street, outside the Sturt Mall. “Oliver Brown is an authentic Belgian chocolate cafe,” said franchisee Farhana Amir.
Mariam Rehman is proudly Wagga born and raised and while she has big plans for the Habibi Chicken brand, she is keeping it anchored in the Riverina.
The Fitzmaurice Street restaurant launched less than a year ago and has quickly become a popular option for locals in the expanding dining precinct.
“I thought it was about time that we had something a little bit more culturally diverse but also still spoke to the contemporary market that is here, so we created Habibi Chicken just so that we could celebrate Middle Eastern culture and flavours and the local culture too,” Mariam explains.
Wagga’s largest outdoor dinner party, positioned under the stars on the iconic Wollundry Lagoon Bridge, was a roaring success this year.
Richard Moffatt of restaurant Pastorale hosted 160 people at the Pastorale Dinner Party on 27 October for a four-course set menu to showcase local produce and promote Wagga as a foodie destination.
“It was a great success. It went better than we anticipated for our first time doing such a thing,” Richard said.
Although Wagga’s newest dessert bar has been open for a few months, Sweeties has already won sweet tooths over with its delicious acai desserts, its bright yet relaxed setting and its fantastic balcony.
For Sweetie owner Dalia Halawani, it’s all about creating a unique space for friends and family to relax while enjoying desserts they may have never experienced before.
“I want this to be a family-friendly place,” Dalia said.
A word-of-mouth eatery hidden in Griffith’s industrial district has a new owner for the first time in 34 years.
Amanda Elvy, a 35-year-old single mum with four kids, has embarked on a business venture for the first time – taking over the longstanding Tucker Den at 25 Collier Street from Veronica Anderson, who owned it since 1989.
“Veronica was one of my regular customers when I was working as a waitress at Station 4 Cafe, she mentioned to me she was selling it, I thought I’d give it a go,” Ms Elvy said.
Mir Yousef Saadat, a 36-year-old Iranian who sought asylum in Australia in 2013, has spiced up the heart of Yenda by opening a new Middle Eastern eatery in the small town.
The modestly named Yenda Kebab House features a lot more than shaved meat wrapped in Lebanese bread. The menu includes several Turkish delicacies that are usually hard to find outside big cities, including gozleme (crispy flatbread filled with spinach, chicken or beef), dolma (stuffed grape leaves) and baklava (a layered pastry dessert covered in syrup).
Mr Saadat, who worked as a chef in Iran, decided to open his store when he noticed there were few places to eat out in Yenda.
When Andrew and Joanne bought Wes’s Walkabout Cafe, the plan was to buy the shop and go back to their jobs. Things didn’t work out exactly to plan and they’re still serving up fresh healthy food (and great coffee) to the community.
The policeman and maths teacher moved to Wagga for work and realised there weren’t many coffee shops to buy lunch from. While the two don’t dine out much themselves, preferring a family get-together, they’re still in business 30 years later.
There’s always been a mystery about the woman who introduced Griffith to Vietnamese and Laotian food, selling and donating delicious spring rolls, bahn mi, pho and spicy curries made from home since early 2020. But the extraordinary life story of Paris Floyd has to be heard to be believed.
As the daughter of a CIA agent who escaped her wartorn country in the 1970s, she settled in Australia as a refugee, then became a lingerie designer for Kylie Minogue’s Love Kylie range before reinventing herself as a homemade food chef who also offers cooking classes and a soup detox diet program.
“It’s taken me a long time to own the answer to that question,” she said when asked to describe who she is. But her life story speaks for itself.
Having only four and a half weeks to completely revitalise a bar may be a bridge too far for many business owners.
But, for husband-and-wife team Chris Hawe and Chelsea Cleary, it was just the right amount of time to breathe new life into what was formerly known as the Birdhouse Bar and Kitchen, now the Birdy Bar.
Although they did cut it fine and found themselves adding the finishing touches to the venue only 45 minutes before opening the doors in time for Wagga’s annual Aggies Race Day.
Hanok Korean BBQ has finally opened its doors at 85 Baylis St after two years of planning.
The traditional Korean barbecue method involves cooking marinated cuts of chicken, beef or pork over a charcoal grill. The grill is normally placed in the middle of the table with an exhaust fan above. And best of all, it’s completely delicious
There is frequent conversation and commentary over the best way to abbreviate the name of the culinary king of the Australian pub, the chicken parmigiana.
Whether you were born in NSW, and correctly pronounce it as ‘parmi’, or you were born in Victoria and utter the wrong, un-Australian ‘parma’, one thing can be agreed on – parmis are perfect!
A perfectly crumbed chicken schnitty topped with homemade marinara sauce, a little bit of smoked ham and the finishing touch of lightly melted cheese on top just can’t be beaten. We’ve trawled through Wagga’s best to save you the work.
Maria Bianchini is Griffith’s longest-serving waitress, having worked her way up Banna Avenue’s stalwart establishments over the past 43 years.
She started at Bertoldo’s Bakery in 1980 before opening her own pizzeria, California, then moved on to the cafe Chittery Bit, Italian favourite La Tavola and its reincarnation Giuseppe’s before appropriately ending up on the top block at Griffith’s oldest restaurant, Belvedere, where she plans to serve out the rest of her career.
Her colleagues say her simple job title doesn’t do her justice.
Maria Sergi, the owner of Griffith’s oldest restaurant, Belvedere, has teamed up with best friend and waitress Lisa Senatore to reopen popular sandwich and salad bar Cafe Deli.
Ulong Street once buzzed with two busy eateries, with family-owned O’Donnells Cafe opposite Cafe on U, which was replaced by Cafe Deli. Both establishments closed in the past few years, the latter finally revived by the Belvedere duo in May 2023.
Ms Sergi, 35, who now manages three businesses alongside her household of three children aged five, eight and 11, explained why she decided to branch out.