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The old saying was “as goes Detroit, so goes the nation.” Today, we should substitute “Wal-Mart” for Detroit.
The ubiquitous retailer is the nation’s largest private employer (1.1 million); it accounts for 9 percent of US retail sales. Its annual US sales of $203.7 billion dwarf the combined sales of the next four largest US retailers: Home Depot, Kroger, Target and Sears.
To control costs and manage deliveries, Wal-Mart implemented a costly technology system in the ’90s. Electronic data exchange allows it to optimally manage inventories with its 21,000 vendors. And the vendors take note: Wal-Mart accounts for more than half the sales of AT&T phone cards; 28 percent of Dial products; and 20 percent of sales for Hershey Foods, Clorox, Revlon and Rayovac.
Analysts do not expect President Bush’s tax cut to have much of an economic stimulus, based on sales at Wal-Mart.
Sales at Wal-Mart and other “box” stores (Costco, Target and even Long’s Drugs) have eroded sales at traditional grocery stores. Currently there are grocery store strikes around the country, brought about in part by firms trying to hold the line on labor costs. The average unionized grocery store employee makes $13.00 an hour; the average non-unionized Wal-Mart employee makes $8.50 an hour.


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EVIAN, France — Procter & Gamble’s SK-II skin care brand is becoming a testing ground for the firm’s new beauty technology.
Already, a moisturizing compact powder foundation has made its way from SK-II to Cover Girl in AquaSmooth, and now another foundation will make its debut via SK-II. Called Air Touch, the new foundation is unlike any other, claims A.G. Lafley, P&G’s chairman and chief executive officer, who discussed the company’s latest beauty innovation at the WWD CEO Beauty Summit here last week.
Air Touch, which launches in Japan in September, "breaks the trade-off between complete coverage and natural appearance," he said.
Details of the formula were not available, but the delivery system "uses electrostatic technology to form, charge and transfer tiny droplets of foundation to the face," said Lafley.
Essentially, the foundation is applied using something called the Ionizer, explained Marc Pritchard, vice president, global cosmetics and personal care at P&G. "There is no mess with Air Touch," he stressed, for there is no sponge or other applicator required. The foundation evenly distributes itself across the face, even avoiding the hair, which the foundation does not cling to. "The positively charged ions are attracted to the skin," said Pritchard. The foundation was designed to provide coverage, while allowing a woman’s natural skin to come through.
Air Touch is packaged with an Ionizer and two foundation cartridges for 14,000 yen or about $114. A refill package of two cartridges is 6,000 yen or about $50.
SK-II, now sold in parts of Asia and recently the U.K., has been growing. However, there are no immediate plans to introduce Air Touch outside the Japanese market.
Several retailers in Japan have been pleased with SK-II and look forward to offering Air Touch.
A spokesperson for the cosmetics division of the Hankyu department store in Umeda, Osaka, said "both SK-II skin care and foundation items are popular among our customers." Its SK-II counter was expanded last September during a store renovation due to the "increasing popularity of the brand and we will carefully watch the reaction to Air Touch when it is introduced because it is a unique product," said the spokesperson.Keizo Shuno, a cosmetics buyer for Matsuzakaya Department store in Tokyo, said sales of SK-II increased 40 to 50 percent this spring over the same period last year. "We renovated the sales floor and expanded the brand’s counter space from about 32 square feet to 54 square feet based on our [sales] expectations."
He said the product has broad appeal because, "the brand’s products work well on the skin of a wide range of age groups." He added that he is expecting a "good reaction for Air Touch from the market because it is unique."
SK-II’s sales have also been climbing at the Keio Department Store in Tokyo, according to Shunichi Hosaka, general manager of the cosmetics division.
"For the April to June period, SK-II generated 20.7 percent more sales than the same period last year," Hosaka said. The brand’s counter space has also recently been expanded to about 79 square feet and moved to a better location. "Air Touch is a high-priced product, but it will generate a big increase in sales when it is accepted in the market," remarked Shuno. He added: "Air Touch will also help the brand develop more loyal customers because the product needs cartridges and customers will have to repeatedly buy them."
London’s newly opened @designmuseum will look back on the life and work of Azzedine Alaïa in a show that the designer helped to curate before he died of heart failure last month. The retrospective, which Alaïa had worked on with Mark Wilson, chief curator of the @groningermuseum, will look at the impact of his work worldwide. The show, “Azzedine Alaïa: The Couturier,” will run from May 10 to October 7. Read more about the exhibit on WWD.com #wwdnews #wwdfashion (📷: @zefashioninsider)
@Pharrell and his wife Helen Lasichanh were among the stars that came out to celebrate @rimowa’s first pop-up concept shop. The space, which is located on Rodeo Drive in Beverly Hills, draws inspiration from airport luggage carousels and lounge areas – and features the company’s luggage and accessories. If the pop-up is successful it could pave the way for addition temporary shops throughout the world. #wwdfashion (📷: Owen Kolasinski/BFA)
@carineroitfeld celebrated @crfashionbook’s first calendar last night with a dinner party at Spring Place in Manhattan. Photographed by @stevenkleinstudio, the calendar takes on a fitness theme and features @joansmalls, @gigihadid, @danielle_herrington_ – pictured here – and more. “[Carine Roitfeld] wanted me to feel sexy and she wanted me to be myself and feel it out on my own and do what I felt was right,” said Herrington, aka Miss October. #wwdeye
@saintrecords and @virgilabloh last night at @americanexpress’ “A Night With Success Makers” event. “I always bring it back to community because without that I wouldn’t have the courage,” said Knowles when asked how she has gotten where she is now. Read more highlights from their conversation on WWD.com. #wwdeye (📷: @lizdoupnik)
This Just In: Industry sources have told WWD that Anastasia Soare is rumored to be considering selling her beauty business, @anastasiabeverlyhills. According to those sources, Soare has tapped investment bank Imperial Capital to explore sale options for her eponymous beauty brand –– and with at least $340 million in net sales, this would be a big deal. Put in context of other recent transactions for makeup companies, Soare’s price tag could be in the billions if she were to sell the whole thing. #wwdnews #wwdbeauty (📷: @clint_spaulding)
@assouline’s latest book, “The Spirit of Bentley: Be Extraordinary” captures the adventurous attitudes and opulent lifestyles of @bentleymotors’ most creative owners and enthusiasts throughout the U.K. The 292-page hardcover has a section dedicated to showing its team of skilled artisans and photos of its most colorful owners, from George Bamford to designer @alicetemperley, pictured here by Aline Coquelle. #wwdeye
@google released its report on the most popular search terms this year. For fashion brands, the list was led by @gucci, the luxury brand that stunned the market last October when it pledged to stop using fur. Runner ups were @supremenewyork and @fashionnova, along with more established brands like @louisvuitton, @chanelofficial and @ysl. #wwdfashion (📷: @aitorrosasphoto)
In yet another fashion show shuffle, @elleryland is moving its show in sync with the Paris couture calendar — though the brand is still keeping one foot on the city’s ready-to-wear schedule. Their runway show in January will coincide with the launch of a new strategy: designing two main collections each year instead of four, which will then be released in four drops. “As we all know, the system needs to change. We need to show sooner to give time back to artisans and designers to do what they do best — create,” said founder Kym Ellery. #wwdnews #wwdfashion (📷: @kukukuba)
@maxmara’s classic 101801 coat was the cornerstone of its pre-fall 2018 collection. The design team expanded the traditional double-breasted, kimono-sleeved style into a trapeze coat, lean belted styles and a peacoat and presented them in monochromatic looks – like the camel one pictured here. #wwdfashion #prefall18 (📷: George Chinsee)

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Three decades ago, Thrifty Ice Cream could be found in a handful of Southern California restaurants, but you wouldn't know it.
Back then, shops wouldn't dare tell customers they served what was considered a poor man's ice cream made in a small factory in El Monte. At Farrell's Ice Cream Parlor, menus did not boast the Thrifty brand, which was delivered in a pick-up truck carrying unmarked 3-gallon cartons.
"There was a stigma. We were the cheap ice cream," said Ron Simmer, general manger of the Thrifty Ice Cream plant in El Monte.
But this year, as Thrifty celebrates its 70th birthday, the nostalgic drugstore treat is finally growing up.
In a billion-dollar frozen dessert industry, book-ended on each side by pricey players like Haagen Dazs to eco-friendly brands such as Ben & Jerry's, Thrifty is emerging regionally as the practical choice for the masses.
The ice cream's label is proudly displayed in indie shops from Catalina Island to Las Vegas, as well as freezer space at some Costco business warehouses in California and Washington.
Thrifty-branded kiosks have also popped up in Mexico as its East Coast parent company, Rite Aid, pushes the ice cream's presence outside its California home base.
"We've recently been going through a metamorphosis," said Simmer, who has been with the company for 30 years. "We're proud of our product, and we don't want to camouflage it."
Simmer gave The Register an exclusive tour this summer of Thrifty's 34-year-old ice cream factory, a 3-acre facility tucked in a culturally diverse industrial sector in El Monte.
As we enter the 20,000-square-foot plant, my senses are hijacked. I'm assaulted with sugary smells, bold colors and skin-tingling cold temperatures.
The white lab coat of one factory worker is splattered with neon blue and red stains and some brown — as if he'd been playing with finger paints all day. The collage of colors gives Simmer an instant answer to the day's first question.
What kind of ice cream is being made today?
"Looks like we're making cotton candy. There's a lot of punch to the flavor," said Simmer, who can often predict (based on smell) what ice cream is being made before entering the plant.
Cotton candy, as it turns out, is a year-old flavor that has performed beyond the company's expectations.
Of the millions of gallons ice cream produced by Thrifty annually, the most popular sellers aren't classics such as vanilla and chocolate. Instead, fans lean toward cylinder-shaped scoops of Butter Pecan, Rocky Road, Pistachio Nut, Chocolate Chip and Mint N Chip.


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Three out of 4 middle class households report falling behind the rising cost of living as inflation continues to soar, according to a new poll.
Primerica released the report, which found that 75% of middle-income families “say their income is falling behind the cost of living,” an eight-point rise since March. The poll found only 16% of those surveyed think they will be better off financially in a year.
Surveyed American middle-income families cited inflation as a top concern. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics’ latest federal inflation data showed a 9.1% increase in consumer prices in the past year and a rise in the producer price index of more than 11%, nearly the highest ever recorded.
“Concern about the economy continues to be a major stressor, with about 41% rating inflation as their top concern,” the group said. “Being able to pay for food and groceries also ranks high (26%, up four percentage points since March) as does their current financial situation (25%, up eight percentage points since March).”


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Forager, a startup connecting local farmers with grocery stores to source local food, raised $4 million in a funding round led by a group of backers, including Duncan Saville via ICM and Coastal Enterprises.
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The Portland, Maine-based company was founded in 2015 by David Douglas Stone to develop a platform that digitizes and streamlines the discovery of new vendors, onboarding and management of those relationships.
Joe Blunda took over as CEO in 2019, while Stone is still involved as executive chairman. Local food accounts for 3 to 5 percent of what people buy from stores, and while that number shifted during the global pandemic, it is still in the single digits, Blunda told Crunchbase News
“The original problem is building a supply chain and getting it organized, which is what we are doing,” he added. “Grocers bring the cultural perception of what will resonate with the consumer, and we bring the ability to execute that.”
Blunda intends to use the new funding to expand the company’s sales outreach and product development. Grocers want to invest time in building local supply chains, but have difficulty operating them afterward, he said.
One of the problems they face is that there are so many small vendors, and grocers are trying to layer them on top of their platforms that were made for a small number of large vendors, Blunda added.
“Local food access is such a critical problem and patience is waning,” he said. “Grocers are passionate about fixing the problem, and we have some product development to do.”
The company has 10 employees and Blunda expects to add another two to five people by the end of the year. Forager operates in more than 12 states and works with more than 40 grocers and institutions, as well as 500 local suppliers.
In addition, the company has seen 4x growth since 2018, with nearly 200,000 local products sourced through its platform to date. It has also doubled both its supplier and buyer bases. Blunda expects even faster growth in the second half of 2021.
Saville, ICM’s founder and chairman, said in a written statement that local food is a “market trend that cannot be ignored and is critical to the future health of our planet.”
“I invested in Forager for two reasons, first this is a $40 billion fast growing market that is largely analogue and in desperate need for technology so it can scale and be data driven,” Saville added. “Second, the majority of people I know are interested in buying more sustainably sourced products, especially at the local level. This is an important market trend that cannot be ignored and is critical to the future health of our planet.”
Illustration: Li-Anne Dias
Stay up to date with recent funding rounds, acquisitions, and more with the Crunchbase Daily.


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The China Internet Network Information Center (CNNIC) released its 2014 statistical report on Internet development in China, and here are some of the highlights:
-Numbers have risen across the board. By the end of June 2014, China has had 632 million Internet users, up 14.42 million from 2013. Internet penetration rate was 46.9 percent. China has had 527 million mobile Internet users, an increase of 26.99 million since last year. Students are the single largest population of users, accounting for 25 percent. The weekly average time spent online reached 25.9 hours (by contrast, the U.S. average was 20.4 hours a week in 2013).
-Mobile is the future in China. For the first time, the number of users accessing the web on a mobile device is greater than on a personal computer. Mobile Eats the World, a presentation by Benedict Evans of Andreesen Horowitz, shows this as a global phenomenon. Reflecting this trend, payment applications were the fastest growing segment of the market in China.
-The rise of online financial instruments. The number of users of Internet financing or wealth management products grew to over 60 million in less than one year. These are funds like Yuebao that are only offered online, usually with no minimum deposit and transactions fees, providing access to small investors. Yuebao is part of the Alibaba empire. Users of Alipay, an online payment system, can invest into Yuebao, which provides better return than the 3 percent found at state-owned banks and is mobile-friendly. By the middle of 2014, Yuebao had $90 billion in assets.
(What You May Also Like: The Great Debate: U.S.-Chinese Relations and the Future of Asia)
-Digital divide. There were 178 million rural Internet users, 28.2 percent of the total in China. Or put another way, approximately 450 million people in rural areas are not using the Internet. There is also a growing divide between available broadband speeds in urban and rural areas. Among those who do have fixed broadband access in China, only 18 percent in poorer central and western provinces enjoy speeds of 8 megabits per second or more,compared to 36 percent in the wealthier eastern provinces.
-The decline of Weibo and other social networking sites. The number of microblog users in China was 275 million, decreasing by 5.43 million compared with that at the end of 2013. Utilization rates stayed the same, as users switched to social applications and instant messaging tools like WeChat. This supports reporting that the crackdown on social media has bolstered the shift from more public to more private forms of communications.
The report, which also has some interesting details on online commerce, gaming, and videos, should be read in parallel with this great post by David Bandurski on the ideas of Lu Wei, China’s Internet czar. Much of the discussion focuses on the balance among control, development, and security the Chinese Communist Party tries to achieve domestically, but Bandurski also notes that China is becoming more assertive about its right to define international norms of behavior in cyberspace. A new platform for this will be the World Internet Conference in Wuzhen, but the most likely source of influence be size. Or as Bandurski explains, “China, in other words, wants the influence over global Internet-related decision making that its sheer size warrants.” The CNNIC report gives a sense of that size, and how the size, and perhaps influence, will increase over time.
This piece first appeared on CFR’s blog Net Politics here.
Image: Flickr/Creative Commons.


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A spat of recent <"https://www.yourlawyer.com/practice_areas/food_poisoning">food recalls including Castleberry Food Companyâ€™s chili sauce tainted with botulism, Peter Pan peanut butter laced with salmonella and even problems with baby cereal are causing many to question the safety of the US food supply. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) prides itself in having the most sanitary standards of any country when it comes to food inspection. Yet in 2007 alone there have been many recalls of basic foods that once could be purchased at local grocery stores or corner delis without fear.
This yearâ€™s rash of food recalls started in February when thousands of people got Salmonella poisoning from Peter Pan brand peanut butter as well as Great Value (Wal-Martâ€™s store brand) peanut butter. According to officials from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), it was the first salmonella outbreak involving peanut butter in the US. The recall included all ConAgra-made peanut butter in the US since October 2004. On April 5, the company stated that they found the source of the contamination. – a leaky roof sprinkler in ConAgraâ€™s Georgia plant. By mid-July the company had announced plans to bring back Peter Pan and Great Value peanut butter slowly back to grocery stores.
In June, the popular rice snack Veggie Booty was also recalled because of Salmonella contamination. This snack was often recommended as a â€œhealthy alternative to potato chips.â€ Nearly 100 people, most of them children, became sick from the snack food. The Salmonella contamination was traced to seasoning used on Veggie Booty that had been imported from China.
On July 14, the FDA recalled Gerber Organic Whole Grain Oatmeal cereal because it would not dissolve in water. Large chunks formed in the cereal posed a chocking hazard to children. Though Gerber received reports of the problem as early as May, it did not notify the FDA until July.
In July, Castleberry Foods Company had to recall 90 of their canned products because four people contracted botulism from hot dog chili sauces. The FDA had problems informing consumers of the recall, and there is some concern that contaminated products still remain in small independently owned stores and convenience stores. Castleberry said that a malfunction on one of its production lines led to the botulism contamination.
And now the most recent scare came just two days ago involving Lakeside Foods Inc. French Style green beans. There is a chance that they could be tainted with botulism. The company traced the problem to an equipment operations error, packing too many beans into one can, leaving some beans undercooked.
All these cases coming one right after another has raised doubts about the US food supply, and the ability of the agencies like the FDA whose job it is to monitor it. Americans can no longer be confident that the food they purchase at their local grocery story will cause them serious injury.


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A leader of Australia's plastics industry trade association said a proposed free-trade agreement between China and Australia will have little effect on the plastics industry in Australia.
However, the Australia-China bilateral free-trade agreement, currently being negotiated, must deal with nontariff barriers that limit access of Australian plastic goods to the Chinese market, according to Brian Gallagher, trade and economic policy director for the Richmond, Australia-based Plastics and Chemicals Industry Association.
He cited China's restrictions on people's movement, poor banking services and lax enforcement of intellectual property rights as examples of nontariff barriers.
``Those are the more-significant, long-term issues - not tariff barriers,'' Gallagher said.
Australia began free-trade negotiations with China in April. A joint feasibility study concluded that an agreement could boost Australia's gross domestic profit by US$18 billion, and China's by US$64 billion over 10 years.
A PACIA submission to the feasibility study showed that in 2003, Australia exported A$26.7 million (US$20.4 million) worth of plastic extruded products and A$25.2 million (US$19.2 million) worth of injection molded products to China. Australian exports increased 145 percent for extruded products and 280 percent for injection molded products from 1999-2003. Imports of plastic products from China in 2003 totaled A$293.7 million (US$223.9 million).
Gallagher said the Australian plastics industry will face increased competition from overseas manufacturers if it continues to focus on supplying products for the Australian food, car and building industries.
If the free-trade agreement proceeds, then removing Australia's 5 percent tariff on plastic products from China will have little effect on the industry, he said. Although Chinese plastics manufacturers have lower labor costs, they have energy-supply problems and difficulty meeting consumer demand for goods with high plastic content, such as air conditioners, from a rapidly expanding middle class.
Those factors will provide the Australian industry with an opportunity to export finished plastic goods and raw materials to China, he added.
Mark Vaile, Australian trade minister, said at a China trade conference in Sydney in May that Australian industry is concerned with the lack of transparency in government regulations in China.
``Differences often arise between central and provincial levels of government in the implementation and interpretation of laws and regulations. Particular transparency-related concerns raised by industry include the application of taxes, legal and financial systems, the inconsistent enforcement of import duties, and unclear and conflicting standards across provinces,'' Vaile said.
Gallagher agreed with Vaile's assessment, but said any agreement that improves the Australian plastics industry's access to the Chinese market will provide opportunities.


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The Beer Syrup Company is set to launch in under a week, and that day couldn’t come sooner.
Russ Meredith, local entrepreneur and the 33-year-old creator of Louisville-based Beer Syrup Company has a secret. This secret allowed the launch of the first ever line of commercial syrups that can be used by people of all ages in dishes ranging from pancake breakfasts to cocktails.
Basically, Meredith discovered a way to decrease the amount of alcohol in beer syrup so his syrups can be sold free-range. Most other beer syrups are too alcoholic to be sold outside the liquor section. This has opened up endless opportunities for Meredith to sell his Beer Syrup Company products at events such as The Flea Off Market pictured above.
Meredith explains that his syrups are by no means meant exclusively for pancakes. In fact, Louisville Grind Burger Kitchen Home recently featured a burger with brie, bacon, habanero jam, and lots of Meredith’s beer syrup.
Meredith did not simply fall into success. At first, Meredith was not interested in beer syrups. Rather, he wanted to do a simple syrup line featuring craft flavors to be used in cocktails. But, being a smart businessman, Meredith realized this had already been done and decided to chase after an untapped market: beer syrup. Meredith enrolled in a start up program on Velocity, had a soft launch for his website last December, reached out to contacts, and slowly saw his dreams and ideas growing to fruition.
Currently, Meredith is selling his first three flavors, Bourbon Barrel Stout, Mocha Porter, and Pecan Nut Brown, both online and at local events. The Beer Syrup Company is gaining more and more momentum and it’s official launch is just around the corner. The Launch Party is Sept. 20, 2015 at 6pm in Louisville, KY.
Will Beer Syrup become the newest staple in your kitchen?


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AR is the next big revolution in the tech industry. In order to keep pace with things, several companies are already working on AR. The same is true with Google. In the past, we learned that Google is working on Project Iris AR glasses and mixed reality headsets. However, the company is facing some challenges with its AR projects.
As we already know the mixed reality headset is going to be a collaborated product. It will be a partnership product including three different companies i.e., Google, Samsung, and Qualcomm. Google will deal with the software features, Samsung will deal the matters related to design and product specifications whereas Qualcomm will work on its processor.
Several analysts refer to this partnership as the best for the upcoming mixed-reality headset. Despite the possibility that this is the case, it appears like Google is losing control of the undertaking. On the other hand, Samsung is taking charge of the project and making the key decisions.
With the upcoming Google AR product, Samsung could reduce Google’s market share
According to the report shared by SBS Biz, Samsung is taking more control of the mixed reality headset. It is dictating the specifications and features of the forthcoming product. Some reports even suggest that Samsung is creating problems in the production process that will eventually impact the product launch.
Besides this, some employees of Google assert that the product is immature. On the other hand, Samsung seems to be prepared with the hardware of the mixed reality headset and Google still requires more time to work on the software. In addition to this, some major changes were observed at Google’s AR department. New project leaders were assigned that might alter the pathway for carrying out several tasks.
It is evident that both Google and Samsung are trying to compete with the Vision Pro headset by Apple. Apple is all set to launch its headset. In contrast to Google, Apple appears to be more disciplined and organized concerning the development of its AR product. Despite these problems, the tech giant Google is not giving up on things.
Research Snipers is currently covering all technology news including Google, Apple, Android, Xiaomi, Huawei, Samsung News, and More. Research Snipers has decade of experience in breaking technology news, covering latest trends in tech news, and recent developments.


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President Uhuru Kenyatta will meet his US counterpart Donald Trump in Washington on Thursday for a free-trade bilateral agreement, as Kenya positions itself post-AGOA deal.
The Cabinet on Thursday, January 30, gave a green light for Kenya to proceed with the talks, which are also likely to jostle the EAC region.
It will be the first of such a deal by the US with a sub-Saharan country.
If Kenya and the US reach a deal, which is certain, it will see Kenyan goods have smooth access to the expansive American market as the African Growth Opportunity Act comes to an end, a statement from State House said.
AGOA, which provides 39 sub-Saharan African countries duty-free access to the US for about 6,500 products, ranging from textiles to manufactured items, will expire in 2025.
The move is, however, set to draw a sharp reaction from other EAC states because Kenya surrendered its customs space to the bloc in 2005 when it signed its customs union protocol. The rulebook compels member states to negotiate all trade pacts jointly.
However, this appears to be a reaction to the unwillingness of other EAC states to sign the Economic Partnership Agreement with the EU.
Kenya signed and ratified the EPA, which guarantees duty-free and quota-free access of EAC products to the EU market in October 2016, after nine years of negotiation.
Other than Rwanda, the other member states are yet to sign it.
Foreign Affairs PS Macharia Kamau said the government expects real progress on the US agreement by the third quarter of this year.
“We are trying to figure out which is going to be the path forward for our arrangement with the US post-AGOA,” he said.
Trump has said he wants to conclude bilateral deals with African countries to replace the 20-year-old AGOA deal, overriding the wish of most African states for a new multilateral deal.
Many African governments have expressed a preference for a multilateral deal, particularly as they move towards a 54-nation African Continental Free Trade Agreement, which comes into force in July.
Ambassador Kamau, however, said Kenya will move cautiously in terms of reciprocity, since it needed to protect infant industries and services, including its airline.
“They could easily swamp our markets into oblivion,” he said. Any deal “cannot be at the expense of our local capabilities, which are nascent at best”.


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STUDIO CITY (CBS) — Schools across Southern California are in full swing, and that means regular checks for lice are taking place as well.
Risa Barash — Co-Founder of Fairy Tales Hair Care and a self-proclaimed “lice expert” — was in the KCAL 9 studio at noon on Friday, discussing ways to prevent and treat head lice.
Risa says there are more than 15 million cases of head lice each year in the U.S. There is also an increased risk during back to school months — 85% of all school districts report at least one outbreak of lice every year.
Here are some of Risa’s tips for preventing lice:
- Don’t wash your hair every day.
- Do weekly head checks — you can never be too safe.
- Keep your hair in a ponytail and/or use preventative herbal products (Rita recommends a spray a day of Fairy Tales Rosemary Repel Leave-In Conditioning Spray).
And here’s what Risa says to do if you or your children have contracted lice:
- Have a glass of wine and take a deep breath, it’s not the end of the world!
- Look for a natural product — enzyme formulas are better to fight next generation “super lice.”
- Don’t use olive oil or Cetaphil — they don’t kill the nits (eggs). Use rosemary, citronella, lavender and geranium oils instead!
- Think hard before heading to a “Nitpicker.” It’s a booming industry with a high price tag — but are they really “specialists?”
- Remember — anyone can be a skilled nitpicker — it doesn’t have to cost you hundreds of dollars!
“The Facts of Lice” is the first and only iPhone app that provides real time alerts of lice outbreaks at the local level — and it’s free. Risa’s hair products can be viewed here.


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1) Google is providing data on how many government requests they get for data. As various people have pointed out, the site has its limitations, but it’s still fascinating. We’ve been thinking a lot about how attractive our datatrust would be to governments, and how we can best deal with requests and remain transparent. This seems like a good option and maybe something all companies should consider doing.
2) In related news, Amazon is refusing the state of North Carolina’s request for its customer data. North Carolina wants the names and addresses of every customer and what they bought since 2003! They want to audit Amazon’s compliance with North Carolina’s state tax laws. I think NC’s request is nuts–are they really prepared to go through 50 million purchases? It may just be legal posturing, given Amazon already gave them anonymized data on the purchases of NC residents, but what’s really interesting to me is Amazon’s argument that its customers have First Amendment rights in their purchases. I heard a similar argument at a talk at NYU a few months ago, that instead of arguing privacy rights, which are not explicitly defined in the Constitution, we should be arguing for freedom of association rights when we seek to protect ourselves from data requests like this. Interesting to see where this goes.
3) The World Bank is opening up its development data. This is data people used to pay for and now it’s free, so it’s exciting news. But as with most public data out there, it’s really just indicators, aggregates, statistics, and such, rather than raw data you can query in an open-ended way. Wouldn’t that be really exciting?


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The final episode of the millennial decade has begun, and it features a waddle of media and marketing businesses huddling like emperor penguins for protection against the worst of times. Welcome to 2009.
But some say the outlook might not be so bleak after all. Optimists point to a bailout of the auto industry, the upcoming inauguration and a (hopefully) stronger midseason lineup for the broadcast networks as beacons of hope. And the green shoots of a possible recovery are springing not from the usual positive-spinning PR reps, but from operational business executives who think the current down cycle has some useful upside.
“The economy has made us shift our focus. We're working on accountability,” says Tracey Scheppach, Starcom USA's video innovation director and resident media futurist.
“Everybody is asking for more value,” adds Gibbs Haljun, managing director of media investment at Mediaedge:cia North America, which counts AT&T and Paramount as clients. “And it can translate into pricing reductions, more ratings points over delivery and incremental added value. Everybody is being asked to make media do more.”
And with that comes a long, hard look at the performance of buys that have already been placed, as well as upcoming marquee events. On the traditional advertising front, advertisers will be permitted to pull 50% of their upfront buys as part of second-quarter cancellation options due in mid-January. Until that happens, many agency buyers are simply holding their cards and bargaining hard for a reduction on big-ticket “luxury buys,” such as the Academy Awards and BCS football. Several Super Bowl spots are still available.
Despite those questions, many remain bullish on television in 2009; they just expect the marketplace to continue to evolve. “I see a very rosy picture for TV,” says Starcom's Scheppach. “Viewership is up; it's just going down the tail where it's unrated by Nielsen.”
Scheppach is looking forward to new TV viewing data about to cascade from Canoe Ventures, the cable joint venture that is processing set-top box data, for the first time, on a national basis. She expects that at some point all TV operators will be Canoe participants, and in an ideal world, advertisers won't be bombarding viewers with up to 60 messages per hour. Instead, watching TV will be a less-stressful endeavor with lighter ad loads that both entertain and inform, thanks to precision targeting.
Cable continues to have momentum heading into 2009. As Steve Mandala, NBC Universal's executive VP of cable sales, somewhat predictably says, “Advertisers are cognizant that's where viewing trends are moving.”
But all eyes will be on the broadcast networks this month after another sluggish fall. Few rookies made the grade, and many returning shows continued to shed audiences in alarming fashion.
The networks collectively hope that the return of big-tent names like American Idol, 24 and Lost will drive viewers back to the networks. And since the writers' strike made for a sparse fall in terms of new product, the networks will also be hoping that as more freshman shows debut at midseason, CBS's The Mentalist will have some company in the chase for rookie of the year.
At the local station level, it is no secret 2009 is daunting, so innovation is absolutely the order of the day. Kathleen Keefe, Hearst-Argyle Television's VP of commerce sales, says her company has made a corporate decision to help keep struggling partners in business. Hearst stations have partnered with local auto dealer associations to produce PSA messages saying that there's never been a better time to buy a car, with great deals and low gas prices around. The company has also grouped realtors and retailers to help them afford airtime.
Now that the auto bailout has presidential approval, Keefe thinks the local ad market will be on more solid footing. Her group is chasing and winning ad dollars from a host of sectors such as credit unions, cosmetic surgeons and lawyers.
Keefe credits that development to a sharp focus on new business, most of which didn't exist in the first quarter of 2008: “People are literally falling out of newspapers and the Yellow Pages. That's a jump ball.”


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Spring is always the chosen season for tech giants to present their latest developments and products and to transmit, especially to developers, their current and future line of thought. Facebook, Google and more recently Apple have made clear what their greatest bet is: Artificial Intelligence (AI).
This promising core technology can be applied in many ways, but it seems many efforts are focused in one direction: to facilitate valuable and natural conversations between people and businesses within a single platform, thereby capitalising the greater popularity of a few core apps. Does this mean that the end of app stores is closer than ever?
Messaging apps open the doors to chatbot dominance
49 per cent of American smartphone users download zero apps per month. This explains why users tend to integrate services into their most used app, like a messaging app, instead of downloading another one. Actually, among the top 5 most popular apps in Germany are two messaging apps: WhatsApp (the leader) and Messenger (in third position).
The main goal of a messaging app is communication. Nowadays it is a fact that many people are getting used to communicating via chat. Therefore sooner or later businesses will need a way to engage on these platforms. This is where chatbots come to play. Taking into account that language is the most basic and intuitive way of understanding (even more than visual) and that chatbots use language as a main interface, it is no wonder that chatbots will probably replace many app’s functionalities.
In order to do so, the technology involved must evolve. For this reason, all efforts are now concentrated on refining and improving the bot’s language recognition skills through the development of machine learning and deep learning.
Messenger is not anymore a messaging app but a meeting point to do anything else. Users can now schedule an appointment, play games or music, but also integrate bots. Apple does not want to lag behind and recently presented its chatbot’s concept, which differs slightly in form and execution from Messenger’s .
Business chat: The all-in-one platform that brings shopping and CRM together
Business Chat brings customer services and shopping together in Apple’s messaging app iMessage. With this new upgrade, consumers can chat in order to get answers to their questions, get informed about products or promotions as well as to purchase goods and services via Apple Pay without having to open a separate app.
As this extension will be part of iOS 11, users will be able to open an iMessage window from Safari, Maps, Spotlight or Siri.
What we can deduct from this move is:
- Apple wants that businesses can also include some of their app’s capabilities in the chat. For example, Apple showed a conversation where the consumer could select their flight seat. And this idea matches perfectly with the tendency to reorganise the services users consume in a few platforms instead of multiple apps.
The opening video for their annual conference presented an apocalyptic world without apps in order to encourage developers to keep developing apps.
- Business Chat will be integrated with customer support platforms. The initial partners are LivePerson, Salesforce, Nuance and Genesys.
Has the chat revolution really started?
Not really. The technology and the possibilities are out there, but not well communicated yet. If nobody discovers and tries this new way of interaction with brands, the potential of this technology is not going to uptake. There are some critical facts in this respect: 76 per cent of German respondents didn’t know what a chatbot is or have never heard of it, according to a recent survey conducted by YouGov.
Another important flaw is the discovery phase. For instance: Messenger is supposed to integrate thousands of bots, however it is still not clear where users can find them. If someone is curious about it, here is a dedicated list.


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An Australian expert who has measured the rising calorie load of the American diet says the developed world faces a "monumental" task to turn around poor eating patterns.
Professor Boyd Swinburn, working alongside American researchers, set out to gauge the differing roles played by diet and exercise as America's collective waistline expanded over the past 30 years.
He found diet alone could explain the 8.6kg increase in the weight of the average American adult since the late 1970s, and he says this would be difficult to turn around given the massive shift that has also occurred in the "food environment".
"If you think of how the food environment has changed over the last 30 years it has been quite remarkable," Prof Boyd, who is director of Deakin University's World Health Organisation Collaborating Centre for Obesity Prevention, told AAP.
"Food now is absolutely everywhere. Petrol stations used to sell petrol, now they sell chocolate.
"Vending machines and food outlets have just exploded.
"And with food in general, prices has come down over time ... particularly for the highly processed, energy-dense, high in fat and sugar foods."
Marketing techniques and advertising methods had also become increasingly sophisticated over time, Prof Boyd said, and the emphasis was always on enticing more consumers.
Prof Boyd's research - which he said would produce similar results if focused on Australia - found an American adult would have to cut about 500 calories from their daily food intake to return to the average weight seen in the 1970s.
This was the equivalent of one large hamburger daily.
The average American adult now weighs in at 80.8kg, while the average US child had gained 4kg over the 30 years to now weigh 43.1kg.
This child would need to cut 350 calories - one can of soft drink and a small portion of chips - daily to lose the weight.
Prof Boyd said while activity levels were found to play only a minimal role in the weight gain over the years, his study should not be seen as being critical of exercise, which was a key way to improve health.
The study did, however, point to the importance of diet in a time when "all of the drivers have been towards increasing the energy density of our food supply," Prof Boyd said.
"The challenge ahead of us is large - monumental if you want to get people to reduce that amount of intake - and it is going against all of the forces out there at the moment.
"We definitely should not underestimate the task ahead of us."


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This is amusing.
Back when Oculus Rift was in its early days, coming off of a successful crowdfunding campaign, Minecraft was announced for it. Then Oculus was bought out by Facebook, and Minecraft creator Notch, in a fit of fury at Oculus selling out to a large corporation, canceled the Oculus version of Minecraft.
Then Minecraft sold out to a large corporation (Microsoft), and now, that large corporation has announced that Minecraft will be coming to the VR headset of the other large corporation. That’s right, Minecraft: Windows 10 Edition will be coming to Oculus Rift.
The Windows 10 Edition of Minecraft will be launching in Spring 2016 on Oculus, which means that hopefully, it will be available right at the official consumer launch of the Oculus Rift headset- it is the one thing that really could make Oculus Rift take off, and VR as a whole, since Minecraft is one of those mass market brands that can sell anything.
[Image Credit NeoGAF]


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We are excited to announce that our co-founder and COO, Sukhi Jutla, has been shortlisted for the prestigious Variety Catherine Awards in the Entrepreneurial Spirit Award!
This award recognises women who have ‘done it their way’ by founding and running their own company and have worked to achieve significant results in their chosen field.
We are super proud of Sukhi who continues to lead the way as an inspirational role model to many female founders and entrepreneurs and we wish her the best of luck!
The judging panel will be made up of the following amazing women:
- Paula Radcliffe MBE
- Lucy Choi – Owner, Lucy Choi London
- Dr Maggie Semple – Owner, Maggie Semple Limited
- Suzan Antonowicz – Head of International, Beauty, Fashion and Luxury – ESI Media – The Independent and Evening Standard
- Kanya King MBE – Founder, MOBO Awards
- Christina Blacklaws – President, Law Society of England and Wales
- Lisa Francis – CEO, Barclays Private Bank, UK and Ireland
- Lesley Batchelor OBE – Director General, Institute of Export and International Trade
The winner will be announced on Nov 13th at an awards ceremony. You can get your tickets here:
Good luck Sukhi!
Written by MarketOrders


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This month’s roundup of news from the independent hotel sector includes: A new boutique for New York’s Life magazine building; Thierry Mugler’s foray into hotels; people on the move; and more.
Hotel News Now’s Independent Insights newsletter each month features a news roundup from the independent hotel sector. Subscribe to the free monthly newsletter here.
New life for Life building
New York developer David Mitchell is transforming the 1895 Life magazine building in New York City into a 98-room boutique hotel. Mitchell and partners purchased the building, home to the first Life magazine, and more recently the Herald Square Hotel, for around $40 million in 2015, according to The New York Post. In the process of renovation, Mitchell discovered marble flooring and wood moldings, along with other original elements that will factor into the design of the property, which he told the paper “will bring back the spirit of the 1920s.” The hotel will include a restaurant from B.R. Guest founder Stephen Hanson.
Davidson adds Don CeSar
Loews Hotels & Resorts sold the historic 1928 Don CeSar Hotel on St. Pete Beach, Florida, in January, and new owner Host Hotels & Resorts named Davidson Hotels & Resorts as manager. The hotel’s amenities went through a $10 million upgrade in the last year. The hotel will fall under Davidson’s Pivot Hotels & Resorts lifestyle and luxury division. Davidson also manages Beach House Suites by The Don CeSar, a 70-room all-suite beachfront hotel located a half mile from the Don CeSar.
Auberge to manage Utah mountain resort
Auberge Resorts Collection will manage The Lodge at Blue Sky, a 46-room luxury resort under development near Park City, Utah. The property will be part of Blue Sky Utah, a 3,400-acre hospitality and recreation mixed-use development in the Wasatch Mountains, developed by local owner Mike Phillips. The Blue Sky development comprises 35 acres in the mountains and offers guests many outdoor pursuits, including skiing, a sporting clays course and an equestrian program.
Fashion designer Thierry Mugler takes on hotels
The Telegraph reports that French fashion designer Thierry Mugler is partnering with design and architecture consultancy +Cassia to launch a luxury hotels and resorts brand. According to the report, Mugler’s first project will be a 600-room hotel in the Domino Towers development near Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
People and projects
- Ted Horan was named GM of Primland, in Virginia’s Blue Ridge Mountains.
- Maureen Doran was named GM of two independent properties in Carmel-by-the-Sea, California—Tradewinds Carmel and Carmel Lodge.
- The Hotel Californian, in Santa Barbara, California, named its executive team in advance of the hotel’s opening later this year. Carlos Lopes will be managing director. Warren Nocon and Ellen Adelman will head hotel operations, and sales and strategic marketing. Alexander La Motte was named executive chef.
- Sixty Hotels named Kevin Osterhaus as president.
- The Statler in downtown Dallas named Evan Danziger as GM and Jennifer Wasserman as director of sales and marketing. The iconic luxury boutique hotel is undergoing a $225-million redevelopment and is set to re-open in late spring.
- Remington Hotels named Pier House Resort & Spa in Key West, Florida, its Hotel of the Year. This is the second consecutive year the hotel has won this honor.
- Ames Boston Hotel recently opened 1,700 square feet of new meeting and event space, designed by Glen and Co. Architecture.
Compiled by Stephanie Ricca.


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The Louisiana Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS) has begun the three-month process of transitioning its Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits schedule to distribute benefits more evenly throughout each month.
Rather than receiving their benefits during the 1st through 14th of each month, SNAP households will soon receive them between the 1st and 23rd of each month, DCFS said.
The new regular schedule, which will go into effect in February 2021, will allow for more even stocking and staffing at grocery stores and more consistent access to a variety of foods for shoppers, as households typically do their shopping on or shortly after the day their benefits are issued.
DCFS also received approval from the U.S. Department of Agriculture Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) to issue supplemental SNAP benefits for December to families not already receiving the maximum allotment for their household size.
The supplemental benefits are scheduled to be loaded onto recipients’ EBT cards on Friday, December 4.
In prior months, supplements have been issued after regular SNAP benefits, but for December, some households will receive their supplement before their regular benefit.
The maximum monthly allotments by household size can be found at www.dcfs.la.gov/page/snap-allotment-amounts.
New SNAP ScheduleOver the next three months, SNAP issuance dates will transition to the new schedule, with no recipient going more than 40 days between monthly issuances, per federal regulations. Recipients who are elderly or disabled will continue to receive their benefits on the 1st through the 4th of each month.
Other recipients’ issuance dates will shift according to the following schedule:
*The last month in which SNAP benefits were issued on the “old schedule” was August 2020. Since then, benefits have been issued early, on the 1st of each month for September, October and November, due to the overlapping circumstances of the COVID-19 pandemic and multiple hurricanes.
For example, recipients whose Social Security Number ends in 9, and who are not classified as elderly or disabled, will receive their December benefits on Dec. 10, their January benefits on Jan. 18, and their February benefits on Feb. 23. Their regular benefit issuance date will then be the 23rd of each month.
SNAP recipients should familiarize themselves with their upcoming issuance dates and budget accordingly, DCFS said.
For more information about SNAP benefits changes, visit www.dcfs.la.gov/snapstorms.
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Why is the year 2020 special?
Being alive in 2020 is special because that is the only year you are likely to live through wherein the first two digits will match the second two digits.
The next year that follows this pattern is 2121.
A person alive now would have to be at least 101 to see that year.
While that is possible, it is unlikely.
What will be trending in 2020?
The year 2020 has no choice but to be momentous, heralding in a new decade with the most satisfying numerical repetition.
- The New A-List Celebrity.
- Embracing Earthy Neutrals.
- Summer Olympics Switch-Ups.
- Gen Z Rock the Vote.
- Plant-Based Meats Go Mainstream.
- The Return of the “It” Bag.
What will happen to the economy in 2020?
There Probably Won’t Be a Recession in 2020
“The resolution of the trade war with China will help boost corporate confidence, and the U.S. consumer remains strong due to a healthy job market, low inflation and low gas prices. The economic expansion is getting long in the tooth, but they don’t typically die of old age.”
What is the year 2020 called?
The 2020s (pronounced “twenty-twenties”, shortened to the ’20s) is the current decade in the Gregorian calendar, which began on 1 January 2020 and will end on 31 December 2029.


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7th May 2021
Toy innovator and distributor Wow! Stuff has secured a £4.5 million facility from Independent Growth Finance (IGF) to help support its ongoing growth aspirations. As a company working with global brands, the Wolverhampton-headquartered business, with offices in LA and Hong Kong, were looking for funding to assist growth in the European market. The additional funding will allow the business to expand its branded range on a commercial-led timeline throughout the pandemic and beyond.
6th May 2021
Percival Menswear, a London-based contemporary menswear fashion brand, has secured a further £3m investment from growth capital investor VGC Partners, following an initial investment of £150,000 in 2018.
The Hackney-based brand, which employs eight people, has set itself apart in recent years by creating collections that subvert the classics of the male wardrobe. This includes featuring in the David Beckham Eyewear campaign and curating a custom tour wardrobe of Niall Horan, as well as more recently collaborating with Brighton-based artist and illustrator Sophy Hollington.
4th May 2021
Sesamy, the startup allowing people to purchase audio and ebooks online for any kind of device, has announced that it has raised €4 million in a major seed funding round from investors.
30th April 2021
Pure Pet Food, a Yorkshire company which manufactures personalised pet food using only natural ingredients, has secured a multi-million pound investment to accelerate its growth.
The company has raised the funds from Mercia's Northern Venture Capital Trust (VCT) Funds and NPIF – Mercia Equity Finance, which is managed by Mercia and part of the Northern Powerhouse Investment Fund. The latest funding round follows a £2m investment by the Northern VCTs in 2019 and will allow the Cleckheaton-based company to continue to support its ambitious growth plans and development of its software as a service (SaaS) platform and data capabilities.
28th April 2021
Foresight Group has made a £1.25 million growth capital investment under the Scottish Growth Scheme into FURTHER.SPACE Limited, a luxury glamping pod holiday company, providing outdoor premium short breaks in Scotland and Ireland.
The company is well placed to benefit from the growth in staycations with COVID-19 likely impacting international tourism for some time to come and more broadly to serve a growing segment of consumers concerned about the carbon footprint of air travel.
28th April 2021
Ecommerce startup aisle 3 has completed a successful follow on funding round, raising £250,000 via Angel Investment Network, the world’s largest online angel investment network. Aiming to become ‘the Wikipedia of product search’ the business secured the funds in just six weeks with the company’s valuation more than doubling in the past five months. Experienced angel investors have backed the founders’ vision for a new, disruptive ecommerce marketplace offering truly personalised experiences for large networks of engaged shoppers.
21st April 2021
Odore, the beauty tech start-up working with global brands including Guerlain, Clive Christian and L’Oréal has raised $830k to revolutionise how cosmetics and beauty businesses market their products to consumers. The round was led by SFC Capital and joined by RLC Ventures.
15th April 2021
Skin & Tonic, a skincare and wellbeing brand founded in Hackney, London, has secured £830,000 in funding, enabling it to fulfil increased production demands and expand its operations to Manchester. Driven by GC Angels, this includes a £605,000 investment from the angel investment service alongside private investors, as well as a £225,000 loan from NPIF – FW Capital, managed by FW Capital and part of the Northern Powerhouse Investment Fund (NPIF).
15th April 2021
Circularity Capital LLP has announced a follow-on investment in consumer technology subscriptions expert Grover. Coming as part of the company’s €60m Series B funding round, the commitment will support Grover in its ambitions of tripling subscriptions before the end of the year and driving an industry shift toward a more circular approach to consumer electronics.
14th April 2021
Nottingham-based, Lazy Flora, has secured £500,000 from venture capital firm, Midven, through the Midlands Engine Investment Fund (MEIF) in a deal that will create over 20 new jobs over the next three years. The investment will help to expand Lazy Flora’s marketing efforts - building on its success over the last 12 months which has seen its revenues increase by 600 per cent, following increased demand for its online plant delivery service.
13th April 2021
Same-day grocery delivery startup Grocemania has raised more than £170,000 on the crowdfunding platform Seedrs.
The London-based business has exceeded its funding target of £100,000 at a valuation of £2.4 million. In this latest funding round, which concluded on 29th March 2021, more than 340 investors invested a combined £173,000 in Grocemania.
12th April 2021
Maven Capital Partners has led the £3 million funding round for Atterley.com, an online fashion retailer which enables independent fashion boutiques and brands to increase their reach and sell to customers across the UK and beyond.
The investment, which also includes commitments from Scottish Enterprise and existing shareholders will allow Atterley to execute its planned growth strategy with a key focus on developing its international footprint, particularly in the US.


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FxWirePro: Sterling Still Edgy Amid Pandemic Saga - Driving Forces, OTC Outlook & Hedging Strategies of GBP/USD
FxWirePro: NZD/USD ignores Doji on Thursday's candle, resumes weakness on broad-based US Dollar strength
Digital Currency/Stablecoin/Tokenization Series: Tokenized Gold Trading On Cards Amid Pandemic Turmoil
Can Bitcoin Moon-shot In Tandem With Covid-19 Speed As US Congress Mulls Over Digital Dollar Stimulus Package?
Ex-CFTC Chairperson Divulges Digital Dollar Project & Its Purpose At Davos
There has been a budding trend of central bank digital currency (CBDC) across the globe.
Yesterday, the farmer CFTC chairman, Mr. Christopher Giancarlo clarified about the Digital Dollar project to be entrusted with an objective of the United States’ CBDC, as per the penned remarks for a Davos event hosted by the renowned media outlet The Block.
Many top business tycoons, enterprises and politicians across the world coupled with dashing celebrities have assembled in Davos, Switzerland, for the World Economic Forum (WEF) this week.
The event is the prime resourceful drive for involving the top global leaders in collaborative activities to shape global, regional and industry agendas at the beginning of each year. Well, the theme of this 2020 forum is ‘Stakeholders for a Cohesive and Sustainable World’. While we have highlighted some notable events from the digital assets’ perspectives.
The annual meeting of the World Economic Forum has taken place in Davos, Switzerland from January 20 – 24th. Wherein, Giancarlo has delivered his debuted public speech devoted to the blockchain-based Digital Dollar project.
Giancarlo divulged his intentions behind the project at the Block’s event in Davos on Wednesday which is for the circulation of U.S. central bank money that has remained “strictly local” and its functionalities are “limited.”
“We seek to encourage the next major innovation in the U.S. currency: a tokenized fiat currency issued by the Federal Reserve System,” said Giancarlo. “A new digital form of the Dollar that, alongside traditional fiat coins, bank notes and reserves, would enjoy the full faith and credit of the U.S. government as central bank money.”
Christopher Giancarlo is popularly known as “Crypto Dad” also, has recently established a non-profit foundation to studying and promoting a digital US dollar.
Digital Dollar Foundation which is a multi-stakeholder initiative, has partnered with Accenture to launch the Digital Dollar Project or to advance exploration of a United States Central Bank Digital Currency (CBDC).
“The digital 21st century is underserved by an analog reserve currency, a digital dollar would help future-proof the greenback and allow individuals and global enterprises to make payments in dollars irrespective of space and time. We are launching the Digital Dollar Project to catalyze a digital, tokenized U.S. currency that would coexist with other Federal Reserve liabilities and serve as a settlement medium to meet demands of the new digital world and a cheaper, faster and more inclusive global financial system.”


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Security oversights by Mac developers and Apple allow users to pirate or modify applications downloaded from the Mac App Store, several users reported on Jan. 6.
Less than 24 hours after Apple unveiled the Mac App Store for the Mac OS X, reports emerged on various user forums, including Pastebin and Daring Fireball, that some paid apps do not properly validate App Store receipts, making it easy to obtain those programs for free.
Users can copy the App Store receipt from any legitimate Mac App Store download-free or paid-and paste it to validate other paid applications, according to the posted instructions.
“This isn’t true for all paid Mac App Store apps,” wrote John Gruber of Daring Fireball, but only for those applications with which developers were lax about applying Apple’s recommendations on validating store receipts. The app checks to ensure there is a valid receipt, but it doesn’t check that the ID listed on the receipt belongs to the app.
Just how many developers and apps didn’t implement receipt validation correctly is unclear at this time, but the popular Angry Birds game happens to be one of them.
The lack of proper receipt validation makes it easier for users to pirate Mac App Store applications, and it seems inevitable that they will become readily available. “Someone who claims to provide you with paid applications for free may not simply give you a free program, they may give you an unwanted infection,” said Sophos security researcher Chester Wisniewski on the Naked Security blog.
While this means Apple and Mac App Store developers miss out on legitimate revenue because of piracy, what’s more worrying is the fact that many validations appear to have been skipped, said Wisniewski. Other than receipt checking, some developers neglected to perform other checks that open their apps to the possibility of being modified, he said.
Wisniewski found that some applications could be modified to include other executables, tricking users into running something other than what they expected. In his video example, Wisniewski showed how easily he could swap out the Angry Birds executable with the Firefox code. From the user’s standpoint, it looked like Angry Birds, and the OS thought it was running Angry Birds. But when executed, it opened up Firefox.
“It wouldn’t surprise me to see a surge in markets for pirated applications that might just be booby-trapped to include unexpected surprises,” Wisniewski said.
Every program in the Mac App Store is reviewed by Apple and must pass a series of tests before it is accepted in the store. Gruber said it is surprising that Apple hadn’t tested for something as basic as receipt validation before approving the apps.
Apple said that there were more than 1 million downloads from the Mac App Store on its first day. It was not clear what the breakdown was for paid and free apps.
If that isn’t enough to give Apple a headache, Gizmodo reports that a group known as Hackulous has developed a program called Kickback, which claims to break the protection on any Mac App Store application, but that it will not release it until next month. “We’re not going to release Kickback until well after the store’s been established, well after developers have gotten their applications up,” the group’s spokesperson, “Dissident,” told Gizmodo.
Hackulous has previously cracked the iPhone and iPad.


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Finally! Paid Content reports today that the long-awaited BBC iPlayer app for iPad and iPhone is due to be released by the end of February. Almost a year on from when the BBC first announced plans to release an iPlayer app, it looks like we could finally be getting a result. The app actually received the approval of the BBC Trust, which has to sign off on such things, six months ago, but things have obviously been moving very slowly in Beeb land. Maybe the delay has something to do with the massive cuts that the BBC has been forced to implement, including chopping 25 percent off the online budget and laying off 360 staff. Anyone in the UK wanting to catch up on BBC programmes on their iPad or iPhone at present has to view them in the iPlayer beta browser, which is actually pretty decent, but how much better would it be to have an actual bespoke app? Much better, thatâ€™s how! For people outside of the UK who want to be able to watch the iPlayer, you wonâ€™t be able to do it on this app, unfortunately, but according to PaidContent the BBC will be releasing an international subscription-based iPlayer app with different shows sometime in the future.
Source: BBCâ€™s iPlayer App Finally Nearing Release | paidContent:UK


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HAPPY BITCOIN PIZZA DAY: The Reason Why The World Marks Bitcoin Pizza Day On May 22 Every Year (A MUST READ)
Every year on May 22, the entire crypto community comes together to commemorate the first physical bitcoin transaction on a day dubbed Bitcoin Pizza Day.
This day commemorates the first Bitcoin transaction, in which a crypto miner from Florida, United States, used the cryptocurrency to pay for two pizzas. What’s more remarkable is that he paid 10,000 Bitcoins for the two pizzas, which is now worth over $80 million.
Laszlo Hanyecz agreed to pay 10,000 Bitcoins for two delivered Papa John’s pizzas on May 22, 2010, just over a year after the bitcoin blockchain went online. Back then, it was somewhat simple to obtain bitcoins; each successful miner was awarded with 50 BTC for discovering a new block. This meant that mining 200 blocks would yield you 10,000 BTC.
Organized on bitcointalk forum, Laszlo Hanyecz reached out with an advertisement to buy from anyone who would cook the pizza or order the pizza and deliver to him.
“I’ll pay 10,000 bitcoins for a couple of pizzas.. like maybe 2 large ones so I have some left over for the next day,” Hanyecz wrote.
“I like having left over pizza to nibble on later. You can make the pizza yourself and bring it to my house or order it for me from a delivery place, but what I’m aiming for is getting food delivered in exchange for bitcoins where I don’t have to order or prepare it myself…”
In exchange for the 10,000 Bitcoins, a British man accepted Hanyecz’s offer and purchased the two pizzas for him.
“I just want to report that I successfully traded 10,000 bitcoins for pizza.” – Jercos
The pizzas were prepared by Papa John’s, but Hanyecz purchased them from Jeremy Sturdivant (username “jercos”), a 19-year-old.
Hanyeczs’ pizzas have undoubtedly become more and more expensive since the advent of Bitcoin. Hanyecz might have profited about $690 million if he had sold his entire stock at bitcoin’s all-time high of $68, 990 — enough to buy 46 million big Papa John’s pizzas at $15 each.
The 10,000 bitcoins would be worth at least $291 million at the current bitcoin price of $29 160.49. At the very least, he helped to launch bitcoin by purchasing the first real-world commodity with it.
Follow NL on Social Media
LUCY $tarr* - 10 months ago
Boring as FUCK.!!!.
YAB THEM - 10 months ago
nonsense waytin me and bitcoin pizza dey do abeg getaout
Brave man - 10 months ago
Am so happy
smooth-g - 10 months ago
Bitcoin day ô fè kpà è
you dont know how much people are loosing to btc nowadays


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Who doesn’t love tacos? Especially when they’re free…
Everyone in the United States can grab a free Doritos Locos Taco from 2-6 p.m. on Tuesday, June 18 at Taco Bell thanks to the restaurant’s “steal a game, steal a taco” promotion during the NBA finals.
This giveaway is due to the Golden State Warriors “stealing” a road victory against the Toronto Raptors during the championship series.
Even though the Warriors stole that particular game, they didn’t win the NBA title. The Raptors beat the Warriors in six games.


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CHIP DESIGNER Renesas has announced its 32-bit RX111 microcontroller, claiming it is the first such unit to sport USB connectivity and low power technology.
Renesas' business is heavily weighted towards producing microcontrollers that end up in industrial applications and the automotive industry, however like many semiconductor firms, it is trying to expand into healthcare and "the internet of things". Renesas hopes that its 32-bit RX111 microcontroller will help it crack the market, with the firm touting its USB connectivity and low power consumption.
Renesas not only highlighted the 32-bit addressing of the RX111 but wanted to show off the low power capabilities of the microcontroller, which uses its True Low Power technology. The firm told The INQUIRER that the RX111 uses 100 µA/MHz in run mode, therefore consuming a total of 3.2mA when running at its full clock speed of 32MHz, while sipping just 350nA in software standby mode.
Aside from power consumption figures, Renesas said the USB 2.0 host and zero wait state flash device is particularly well suited to healthcare, building automation, smart meters and sensors. The firm, like many in the industry, is looking to exploit the upcoming boom in sensors that is presented under the marketing banner of "the internet of things".
Renesas' RX111 microcontroller comes in 36 pin and 64 pin options with 16KB or 128KB of embedded flash memory. The firm said that it has a roadmap to larger memory capacities.
Renesas told The INQUIRER that samples of its RX111 microcontroller will be available in July, while mass production is set to start in September. µ
Plus the cost of ambition as moonshots eat into the coffers
Spoiler alert: it's probably VeriSign
Did we say cuts off? We meant traps them inside their own home


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A new wave of startups is helping us plan for the end of our lives, mourn those we’ve lost and form a more positive relationship with death
Wayra’s Gary Stewart has experienced discrimination and bias in Britain’s tech sector first hand and thinks it’s time for things to change
With Microsoft and Amazon announcing new devices, the fight to become the dominating smart speaker developer is certainly intensifying
Wayra UK director Gary Stewart says Britain's tech sector needs to do more to ensure the benefits of progress aren’t just being felt by a narrow elite
New proposed EU legislation at odds with Theresa May’s desire to force tech firms to provide authorities with backdoors into messaging apps
According to the annual FinTech50 list, there are more promising fintech startups in the British capital than ever before
Speaking at the conference, Ciaran Martin, CEO of the National Cyber Security Centre, explained even basic security can slow relatively unsophisticated attacks
What will it take for foodtech to start getting as much attention as fintech?


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It’s been quite the start to 2020 for the Brizzy family. We’ve increased our menu placements across Austin, collaborated with local staples such as Antonelli’s Cheese Shop, and have even gone head-to-head with one of the biggest alcohol companies in the world. While most companies prefer to take these steps in steady paces, we tend to move with a little more intent; when we have an idea we move on it.
Having said that, what would progress be without adding an entirely new flavor to the Brizzy lineup? We’re proud and thrilled to introduce the Blood Orange Mimosa — the single-most brunch-ready beverage to hit shelves since OJ. Whether it’s in that upscale eatery you had to wait 45 minutes to get into or some home-cooked bacon and eggs on Sunday morning, Brizzy Blood Orange Mimosa simply gives. “We continue to push the seltzer category forward by innovating in original flavors, inspired by mixologists and craft,” said Brizzy co-founder Aimy Steadman. “Brizzy shines a light on tastemakers, from mixologists to chefs, artists, and your casual drinker alike.”
Blood Orange Mimosa expands on what we set out to do with Brizzy Seltzer Cocktails: innovate. “As we continue to push our industry forward by creating unique and delicious offerings for our customers, we recognize the larger players are looking to startups for innovation,” said Future Proof’s Vice President of Marketing, Hanna Swanson. “Our goal with Blood Orange Mimosa, and all our Brizzy flavors, is to provide an elevated and balanced cocktail experience that you just won’t find in the current slim-can seltzer offerings.”
To get your hands on Brizzy Blood Orange Mimosa, visit our store locator and head over to your nearest store and pick up our variety 12 pack. See you at the table.


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Is Tesco eyeing Marks? An old rumour resurfaces
Shares in Tesco rose as much as 3%t on Wednesday amid speculation of a merger between the beleagured stores group Marks & Spencer.
Tesco traded 2% or 3- 1/2 pence higher at 173p by 1151 , having hit 175p, with more than 12 million shares changing hands, while Marks shares rose 1% or 2- 3/4p to 254- 1/4p by that time with five million shares traded.
'It is a good idea. It would allow the proper separation of clothing and food markets with Tesco managing Marks food, taking Marks products into their stores,' said one food retail analyst. But this story has been doing the rounds for ages and no one is taking it that seriously,' he said.
Spokesmen at Tesco and Marks declined to comment on the rumour.
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On Saturday, November 22, almost 1,000 people attended the grand opening of the Microsoft store at Montgomery Mall in Bethesda, Maryland. If you haven’t been to a Microsoft store opening, it’s a spectacle worth experiencing. The festivities included demos of the latest video games, technology exhibits, and the chance to test your Xbox skills against pitching ace, Stephen Strasberg. The event kicked off with a presentation to locally based nonprofit organizations. As part of its community partnerships program, Microsoft generously donated $50,000 to MdBio Foundation in technology and software grants. Brian Gaines, MdBio Foundation’s CEO, was on hand along with more than 20 Board, staff, and friends of the Foundation.
MdBio Foundation, will leverage the grant in the coming weeks and months to support their STEM education initiatives throughout Maryland.


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In 2017, family members told Librado Perez that a Mexican restaurant was for sale in Warrenton.
At the time, Perez was living on Maui with his wife and daughter, Amarissa.
“We lived in Hawaii a very long time,” Amarissa said. “My parents always wanted to open a restaurant but never had the opportunity to.”
Soon after, the family packed up their belongings and left for Oregon.
Now, the family runs El Catrin Mexican Cuisine.
“We’re a family-run restaurant,” Librado said. “We make everyone feel that they’re family too.”
Most El Catrin customers are local, Librado said. Many make the commute from the Long Beach Peninsula and Cannon Beach.
“They’re regulars,” Amarissa said. “They come a long way to eat here, which makes us feel very special.”
Family isn’t the only focus for the restaurant.
“Everything is made with local ingredients,” Librado said. “It’s authentic Mexican food and flavors. Everything is made from scratch.”
The restaurant’s menu is also flexible for customers who have dietary restrictions.
“We can accommodate anyone,” Amarissa said. “We can make your meal how you want it.”
Popular menu items include margaritas, soups and fajitas, Librado said.
“On a rainy day, it’s crazy how many soups we sell and fajitas,” Librado said.
El Catrin is open from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday, and 11:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Sunday. The restaurant’s location is 19 U.S. Highway 101 in Warrenton.


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Amazon.com Inc is planning to split its second headquarters evenly between two locations rather than picking one city, the Wall Street Journal reported on Monday, citing a person familiar with the matter. A decision could come as soon as this week, according to the source.
While nothing is set in stone, Amazon seems to be furthest along in the selection process with Crystal City-up to the point of scouting out potential real estate locations in the city and discussing how long it would take to move in a first wave of employees. The divided HQ2 locations would each house 25,000 employees, The Journal reports.
The e-commerce giant a year ago announced plans to invest US$5 billion in a second headquarters and hire up to 50,000 people, setting off a frenzy of interest from cities in the USA and Canada.
Amazon initially chose 20 possible cities for next headquarters and said it plans to make $5 billion in capital investments alone in the city it chooses. A recent report from CBRE estimated that more than 160,000 D-FW residents work in the tech sector, with an average wage of nearly $97,000. Washington D.C. ranked 3 with 248,200 workers in tech jobs.
Talking Points From Manchester United's Win Over Bournemouth
Juventus were by far the better side and welcome United to Turin on Wednesday night in the reverse Champions League fixture. Mourinho highlighted the contribution of his second-half substitute Ander Herrera as the key to United's revival.
The Wall Street Journal responded with a story yesterday saying Dallas and NY are still talking with Amazon, too.
Amazon Director of Economic Development- Global Public Policy Mike Grella tweeted that whomever leaked word of the Amazon interest in Crystal City, VA.as its new home is "not doing Crystal City, VA. any favors".
Amazon, based in Seattle, is apparently seriously considering an area known as Crystal City.


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The UK arm of McDonald’s is giving away a gaming chair to celebrate its new “game-changing” chicken burger, the McCrispy. And we’re not sure if we’re lovin’ it.
The giveaway was announced on McDonald’s UK’s Facebook page with a video showcasing the yellow and black racing-style design, as well as garish/gimmicky additions such as a fry holder, a “hot box to keep your McCrispy warm during game-play” a stain proof treatment (which this will need if you’re eating greasy food while sitting in it) and slots for two of your favorite dips.
It’s unclear what partners McDonald’s UK worked with to create the chair fit for Mayor McCheese. It wouldn’t surprise me if the company worked with a partner. McDonald’s UK and its public relations firm for the contest didn’t respond to requests for comments about the McCrispy gaming chair in time for publication. We’ll update if we hear back.
People in England, Scotland and Wales can enter on the McDonald’s Facebook page with the announcement video. Entries will close on November 13 at 11:59 p.m. GMT.
The chair appears to be the only one given away, though The Gamer suggests three more exist and were given to influencers. The terms and conditions for the contest lists just a single grand prize for the chair, while two runner-ups will receive a McCrispy Neon Light. So if you win, make sure the Hamburglar doesn’t run away with it; you won’t get another one. The terms state that “there is no cash alternative to the prize,” suggesting that it is, indeed, priceless.
We have lots of questions, like if the chair needs to be plugged in to keep the sandwich warmer operating, and why anyone would pick anything other than ketchup to dip their fries in. As long as the chair works better than McDonald’s ice cream machines here in the U.S., it should be fine.
But this is far from the first time we’ve seen a fast-food restaurant get involved in the gaming space. KFC and Cooler Master made the KFConsole, a PC based on the Intel NUC compute element which was delayed and then never released back in 2020. A Wendy’s-themed Super Smash Bros. level went semi-viral back in 2019 and, well, we’re all better off forgetting Burger King’s attempt at making games like Sneak King on the Xbox 360.
Heck, this arguably isn’t even the weirdest gaming chair out there. That honor still goes to Gigabyte’s inflatable recliner.
A winner will be selected within seven days of the end of the entry period. We imagine that whatever the winner eats in this chair will be a happy meal, indeed.


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- The group — comprising KLCCP and KLCC REIT — saw quarterly revenue grow 18.35% to RM380.74 million from RM321.71 million.
KUALA LUMPUR (May 30): KLCCP Stapled Group Bhd’s net profit expanded 11.85% to RM180.56 million for the first quarter ended March 31, 2023 (1QFY2023) from RM161.45 million a year earlier, on improved performance across all business segments, particularly retail, hotel and management services.
The group — comprising KLCC Property Holdings Bhd (KLCCP) and KLCC Real Estate Investment Trust (KLCC REIT) — saw quarterly revenue grow 18.35% to RM380.74 million from RM321.71 million.
It declared a dividend of 8.5 sen per stapled security, compared with eight sen a year earlier.
The group’s retail segment (represented by Suria KLCC and the retail podium of Menara 3 Petronas) posted an increase in profit before tax of RM20 million on the back of revenue of RM129.8 million, driven by robust tenant sales and increase in customer counts at the mall, KLCCP Stapled said in a statement.
Meanwhile, its hotel segment (represented by Mandarin Oriental Hotel) saw revenue rising to RM46.1 million from RM20 million in 1QFY2022, further narrowing the loss for the segment to RM2.3 million. This is driven by significant improvement in occupancy and pent up demand from high-yielding rooms, robust corporate demand and a resurgence of international meetings, incentives, conference & exhibitions (MICE) events.
The management services segment — comprising the facilities management and the car parking management services — saw a revenue increase of 21.3% to RM77.4 million while profit before tax increased 13.2% to RM19.2 million, mainly due to the continuous improvement in car parking income and the ongoing reinstatement works for the “Workplace for Tomorrow” and higher interest income.
On prospects, KLCCP Stapled said it is cautious with the rising cost of living and inflationary pressure which may impact the consumers’ spending pattern and cost of business.
“Overall, the group’s performance is expected to remain stable backed by the long-term leases and triple net lease agreement in the office segment,” said the group.


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Regulator wants Telekom to ease terms for rivals
27 April 2006, BONN, GERMANY - German utilities regulator Bundesnetzagentur published for comment Wednesday a draft directive that would force Deutsche Telekom to rent out its DSL connections to business rivals on more flexible terms.
27 April 2006
BONN, GERMANY - German utilities regulator Bundesnetzagentur published for comment Wednesday a draft directive that would force Deutsche Telekom to rent out its DSL connections to business rivals on more flexible terms.
Telekom, the former German monopoly, provides the lion's share of German internet connections. Most new business in Germany utilizes the DSL standard, with signals shunted along the same two copper wires as household phone calls.
Telekom is already being forced to lease the wires outright to independent telecoms companies, but leasing them for only the DSL part of an overall telecommunications service is not regulated.
In Bonn the Bundesnetzagentur called for comment in the next four weeks on the draft document on "bit-stream access".
Telekom currently allows independent resellers including Freenet and United to retail that service at a slight discount.
The directive would allow the resellers of Telekom's DSL services to offer varying terms to retail customers and force Telekom to obtain regulatory approval for its own DSL price list.
A spokesman for Telekom's T-Com division described the proposed ruling as unconvincing and said free competition had provided adequate market opening. The Bundesnetzagentur closely monitors other parts of Telekom's operations.
The DSL business has expanded fast in Germany, growing in the space of last year from 3.6 million to 10.4 million customers.
Germans can obtain a flat-rate 2 megabit per second connection bundled with phone service for 40 euros monthly, little more than the price of traditional phone service by itself. Competition is increasing as cable TV companies start to offer internet access too.
Subject: German news


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Dairy Crest (DC) has come under fire over how retail payments are delivered to farmers after it cut November prices for those on Davidstow contracts.
Last week the processor announced it would hold prices for those on standard litre contracts, but those on Davidstow manufacturing contracts would see a 1.5ppl reduction in milk cheques, to be applied from November 1.
Farmers on liquid contracts have also been told to expect to see the first supplementary payments in October. The supplements come from commitments from the retail sector to support the industry. Based on current forecasts, the first supplement for October is estimated at 0.39ppl. The November supplement is estimated at 0.65ppl.
James Bruna, a dairy farmer milking 200 cows in Cornwall, raised questions to Farmers Guardian over the transparency of DC’s supplementary payments to farmers.
"My issue is the retailers are doing their bit, fair credit to them. DC seems to be pocketing it themselves," he said.
"I know they have invested but they seem to be trying to pull some of that back straight away."
Mr Bruna also raised issues about the wider industry, claiming current prices were not sustainable.
"[Our costs] cannot go any lower. If we go any tighter we will end up with unhealthy cows," he said.
A spokesman for Dairy Crest said supplementary payments were only applicable to liquid contracts and added the firm had to be in line with the market.
Muller Wiseman informed farmers this week those on non-aligned contracts would receive 1.6ppl in supplementary payments for September retailer price commitments.
The increased funds will go to about 430 farmers who do not operate on aligned milk contracts, taking their overall September milk cheques to 23.971ppl.


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Last week saw the annual Small Business Saturday campaign take place across the country. Small businesses are the lifeblood of our communities and the backbone of our country. That’s why I was so pleased last year there were 5.7 million businesses across the country and why I am delighted to support small businesses in the Forest of Dean – not just on Small Business Saturday.
The last eight years have seen Conservatives in government add to our proud record of supporting businesses in their efforts to expand and create more jobs. The Government continues to help small businesses access the finance they need to grow and reach their potential.
The recent Budget provided a £900 million cut in business rates for almost 500,000 small businesses across the country, while keeping three million small businesses out of VAT altogether by maintaining one of the highest VAT thresholds in the world.
As well as this, Conservatives in government have progressively reduced rates of Corporation Tax – paid by businesses large and small – from 28% in 2010 to 19% now. This has not only helped businesses across the country reduce their bills, but also raised more money for our public services.
As such, since 2010 there have been almost 1.2 million new businesses nationally, 99 per cent of which are small and medium-sized enterprises. Small businesses across the country give people the security of a regular wage and there are so many fantastic small businesses employing people locally and serving our community.
Just recently, I have had the pleasure of visiting business across the Forest of Dean – from NFU members in Newent to Chronos Technology in Lydbrook as well as KW Bell in Cinderford and Petlon Polymers in Lydney.
Throughout my 13 years as your Member of Parliament, I have been proud to do what I can to help our excellent local employers. If any business in the Forest of Dean would like me to pay them a visit or would like me to offer any assistance I can, I am always happy to help.


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With its curbside plaza finished in brick paving, its open-air space and a flexible parking plan that’s designed to allow for additional outdoor seating, as needed, the artisanal foods marketplace planned for 75 Pine St. is expected to transform the street’s “auto-centric” feel into something more pedestrian-friendly, the project’s architects say.
According to L. Wesley Stout, principal at New Canaan’s Wesley Stout Associates, a landscape architecture firm, an eating option of some kind drives retail business today—coffee, prepared and take-out foods, “dine-ins”—a differentiator for retailers competing against Internet shopping.
“What is remaking ‘Main Streets’ is food,” Stout said Tuesday during a public hearing before the Planning & Zoning Commission.
“So places like this will be a huge success, to bring people into these places rather than just maybe stopping into your shop if you’re lucky,” Stout said during the hearing, held in the Sturgess Room at the New Canaan Nature Center. “I see retailers struggle, and this is a very different approach to how ‘Main Streets’ and villages will survive.”
Announced in February and with a physical rendering released in March, the Pine Street Market is to sit in a portion of the lot long occupied by New Canaan Cleaners, now moved to East Maple Street and its former building under demolition.
With construction expected to start this spring and a target opening in the fall, the Grand Central-style marketplace will include three specialty foods providers—possibly a baker, butcher and cheese maker, according to officials with NCLC, which owns the property—as well as some indoor seating and retail areas.
A centerpiece of the site plan is its plaza out front, made possibly in part by a plan to carve out a large parking area to the east of the marketplace (the area now occupied by the former cleaners structure).
“We are bringing the new building in and we are creating this parking area that will help ease people coming in and out of the space, of the property,” Frank Diurno of Norwalk-based Balance Architecture LLC said during the meeting.
“The idea is to create this plaza in front, which is more accessible to pedestrians,” he said. “We are proposing also a walking sidewalk with some ample space for people to actually walk and trees to be in that area in front of this open plaza.”
To be built adjacent and attached to Tony’s Deli, the marketplace is expected to reduce the size of the (cleaners) building by 24 percent (from about 6,600 square feet to 5,000) while increasing parking 32 percent (from 25 spaces to 33), Diurno said.
The marketplace itself will be a metal, framed open structure that plays off of a theme that suits New Canaan: an old railroad building. With glass frontage, a metal roof and brick at the base, the 1.5-story building is expected to embrace much of what’s outlined in the recently updated Plan of Conservation & Development, its advocates said.
P&Z unanimously approved the site plan for the marketplace, and urged its creators to look more closely at a plan to preserve a drive aisle and some parking directly in front of the structure, in lieu of additional, permanent seating.
Plans call for brick paving throughout the plaza, and preserving an existing curb cut for cars beside Tony’s Deli—a proposal that prompted commissions to urge Diurno and Stout to find a way to close the area off from all motor vehicle traffic, for the sake of safety and use.
“You could close that area down in front of the new building and use that for more people sitting, and eliminate the problem of a woman or man or little children coming out [of the marketplace] with cars coming through,” Commissioner Jack Flinn said. “You will have more people coming in and out than you did with the cleaners. You have a wonderful opportunity here for something new like this, and exciting like this, to create a beautiful streetscape, and to set the tone for development in that area.”
Commissioner Kent Turner said: “I think you have got a great concept and the way you are articulating it as far as the form, the structure and the movement is exciting.”
Responding to some commissioners’ calls for better delineation between the seating and parking areas—for example, through new curbing—Stout replied that the plan’s architects would prefer to use planters and other more flexible means for controlling just what is designated for parking versus seating.
“We wanted to get away from a Post Road sort of feel and do a village feel here,” he said.
“We really tried to create a village feel to this and brought in brick pavers. We call these ‘flex parking spots’ so that we can potentially shut them down or open them up, too, so it could be more or less pedestrian-dependent on hours. Maybe weekends will work a little different from the week.”


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Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Siege Is Coming to Xbox Game Pass This MonthGames News Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six Siege
If you’ve been putting off grabbing a copy of Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Siege in the five years the game has been out, your patience is about to be rewarded. Rainbow Six Siege is coming to Xbox Game Pass for consoles and Xbox Game Pass Ultimate for Android devices on Oct. 22.
Rainbow Six Siege is a team-based tactical shooter that pits two squads of operatives against each other in sieges of modern strongholds. Both attackers and defenders have unique skills tailored to their side of the struggle, allowing players to use their creativity and wits to get the upper hand on the enemy.
In addition to the game itself, Xbox Game Pass members will also get up to 10% off of in-game purchases.
Rainbow Six Siege is the latest addition to the Xbox Game Pass’ growing library of titles, which has surpassed 200 games, and will hardly be the last. Later this year, EA Play will also be bundled into Xbox Game Pass and future Bethesda titles will be available on the service at launch thanks to Microsoft’s acquisition of the company.
Nicolas Perez is an editorial intern at Paste and opinion co-editor for New University. He’s rambling on Twitter @Nic_Perez__.


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STUDENTS FOR A GOOD CAUSE: Marking the 20th anniversary of World Cancer Day, Feb. 4, fashion and design school Istituto Marangoni has partnered with UICC, or Union for International Cancer Control, to help raise awareness about and fight the disease.
A range of students from Istituto Marangoni’s course in fashion design were asked to develop an original graphic around the concept of “Heroes for Progress” to appear on slogan T-shirts.
The students’ works were evaluated by a jury presided by Italian supermodel Bianca Balti, along with fellow jurors Princess Dina Mired of Jordan, a health and humanitarian activist who serves as UICC’s president and Malcom McInnes, chief academic officer of Istituto Marangoni’s parent Galileo Global Education Italia.
“It’s been a great honor to be a juror in this contest, as much as I think the students were honored to be enrolled for such a project,” said Balti. “UICC and Istituto Marangoni demonstrated that creativity can change the world. I want to congratulate myself with the young talents and I wish they learned an important lesson by supporting this cause while having fun.”
Aimone Pitacco, enrolled in the second year of the fashion design and accessories course, scooped up the top spot with a graphics
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