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ARLINGTON, Va., April 15, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- The National Council on Aging (NCOA) is partnering with Airbnb to address COVID-19 related social isolation by providing homebound older adults with a new way to connect with others and travel virtually during the pandemic.
Airbnb will provide access to Online Experiences for free to older adults across the country through NCOA. Coupon codes will be distributed to older adults through NCOA's nationwide network of senior centers, as well as NCOA's national partners that target underserved populations such as older women, people of color, LGBTQ, low-income, and rural individuals.
"NCOA is working hard every day to help all older adults cope with the coronavirus and stay healthy—both physically and emotionally," said Anna Maria Chavéz, NCOA's Interim President and CEO. "This partnership with Airbnb is a wonderful opportunity to provide older adults with human connections and unique experiences that can combat the isolation many of them are experiencing as they shelter in place."
"Human connection is at the core of what we do," said Catherine Powell, Head of Airbnb Experiences. "With so many older adults needing to stay indoors to protect their health, we want to provide an opportunity for our hosts to connect with our global community of guests in the only way possible right now, online."
Airbnb Online Experiences include various options such as gentle yoga and slow life coaching, a family baking experience, meditation with a Buddhist monk, virtual visits with the dogs of Chernobyl, and more opportunities from over 30 different countries.
The National Council on Aging (NCOA) is a trusted national leader working to ensure that every person can age well. Since 1950, our mission has not changed: Improve the lives of millions of older adults, especially those who are struggling. NCOA empowers people with the best solutions to improve their own health and economic security—and we strengthen government programs that we all depend on as we age. Every year, millions of people use our signature programs BenefitsCheckUp®, My Medicare Matters®, and the Aging Mastery Program® to age well. By offering online tools and collaborating with a nationwide network of partners, NCOA is working to improve the lives of 40 million older adults by 2030. Learn more at www.ncoa.org and @NCOAging.
Airbnb is one of the world's largest marketplaces for unique, authentic places to stay and things to do, offering over 7 million accommodations and 40,000 handcrafted activities, all powered by local hosts. An economic empowerment engine, Airbnb has helped millions of hospitality entrepreneurs monetize their spaces and their passions while keeping the financial benefits of tourism in their own communities. With more than three quarters of a billion guest arrivals to date, and accessible in 62 languages across 220+ countries and regions, Airbnb promotes people-to-people connection, community and trust around the world.
SOURCE National Council on Aging


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When Amazon forked out nearly $14 billion to buy Whole Foods Market last year, it was inevitable that there would be some intriguing benefits for existing Prime members. Sure enough, lots of Whole Foods products have been added to Amazon's two-hour Prime Now delivery service in selected cities, and in-store discounts for Prime members were announced earlier this month.
At that time, those benefits were limited to the state of Florida, but now Amazon is including a further 12 states — 121 Whole Foods Market stores in total — in the program. Additionally, all Whole Foods Market 365 stores nationwide will carry the Prime discounts, so you should be able to find one somewhere not too far away. Read More
Fed up with your Amazon packages being taken off your doorstep? Now you can get them delivered to your trunk. Amazon has launched “In-Car delivery” for millions of Prime members with certain vehicles who take advantage of Amazon Key. Read More
In 2016, Jeff Bezos said of Amazon’s streaming video offerings, “When we win a Golden Globe, it helps us sell more shoes.” This was his way of explaining how the enormous amount of money and resources Amazon was pouring into its original prestige programming could lure customers into the warm embrace of its retail business. But until now, we had to take Bezos’s assertion on faith. I mean, he is the richest man in the world, after all. He must know something. Well, thanks to a scoop by Reuters, we now have a more concrete idea of what Prime Video really means for Amazon’s bottom line: 5 million new customers. Read More
Since Amazon paid an eye-watering $13.7 billion for Whole Foods Market last summer, we knew we'd eventually see some integration of the luxury grocery chain's products into existing Prime services. It's taken a while to work out the details, but Amazon has just announced that Prime Now customers in select locations can now get Whole Foods items delivered within two hours. Read More
Today is a big day for Canada, at least when it comes to mega-retailer Amazon's products and services. The company has announced Canadian availability of its Alexa-powered smart hardware with a special short-term promotional discount, as well as the regional availability of its Prime Music streaming service. Developers can even get in on the action, as some Alexa-related software and hardware development tools are also now available in the country. Read More
Around a month ago, we heard rumors that Amazon was planning to release a home security camera and a pair of smart glasses. Today, one of those became official, as Amazon announced the Cloud Cam. The intelligent indoor camera costs just $119 and aims to bring home security features to consumers who might not previously have been able to afford such hardware.
At the same time, the company is launching a new home access service called Amazon Key. This Prime-exclusive scheme is designed to allow Amazon delivery personnel to briefly enter your home and leave packages inside your door, all under that watchful gaze of the Cloud Cam. Read More
If you've got teenage children I can imagine its difficult to get the right balance between allowing them the freedom to develop into responsible adults and watching their every move so they don't mess up. I don't have children myself but I was one once, so I guess I have some idea what it's like. Amazon knows this, too, and so it's launching a new feature that gives teenagers a bit more freedom when it comes to shopping. But not too much.
Amazon's new accounts for teens, specifically those between 13 and 17, give them independence to shop on their own, but with certain controls in place. Read More
Amazon Prime is awesome, let's just get that out of the way. Everyone knows most of the benefits from the subscription service by now, but the thing that I hear that keeps some people away is the cost. Despite it being not unreasonable, it's understandable that not every person can afford it. Students are typically among that category, but Amazon has announced new pricing for college kids. You can get everything Prime-related for $5.49 a month — that's the price of a decent cup of coffee on my campus. Read More
BLU doesn't have a particularly great reputation for its phones' software, and the recent discovery of spyware on its phones, including those sold in the US, certainly didn't help it. However, the company's popular R1 HD, best known for costing Amazon Prime members only $50, has just received an update with some nice improvements for T-Mobile customers. Read More

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TORONTO - Fashionistas envious of clothing, shoes and accessories they see on the street or on websites can turn to new applications to find, buy or rent similar items. Like the music app Shazam, which identifies songs based on sound clips, new fashion apps use photos and image-recognition technology to find similar clothing.
TORONTO — Fashionistas envious of clothing, shoes and accessories they see on the street or on websites can turn to new applications to find, buy or rent similar items.
Like the music app Shazam, which identifies songs based on sound clips, new fashion apps use photos and image-recognition technology to find similar clothing.
“People see items they like on the street but can’t really go up to the person wearing them and ask where they got them,” said Daniela Cecilio, CEO of the London-based startup company Asap54.
“Or they might see items they like on Instagram, Tumblr, Facebook or Twitter but can’t really click through to buy them.”
With the Asap54 app for iPhone, users take a photo of an item, or upload an existing one, and describe what it is to help the app identify it. The app recommends something similar from more than 150 retail partners in the United States and other countries.
The Style Eyes app for iPhone and Android also uses a photo to find the desired or a similar item, which can be purchased from its catalog of 600 retailers in Britain and 300 in the United States.
Mark Elfenbein, chief digital officer of the Toronto-based startup company Slyce, said its image-recognition technology integrates with retail brands so shoppers can find things by taking a photo with an iPhone or scanning an image from a desktop.
“The way brands are trying to communicate with customers is changing,” he said. “Historically, they would lure customers to their stores or websites, but now we’re seeing that brands want to create transactions in other places, too.”
The technology recognizes information such as how far apart buttons are and fabric and stitching to help power visual searches.
Other apps making shopping easier include Pounce for iOS, created by the Israel-based BuyCode Inc. It allows consumers to buy items directly through retail advertisements from stores such as Lord & Taylor by hovering a smartphone camera over an image.


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In episode 207 of Total Retail Talks, Executive Editor Joe Keenan speaks with Lester Holze, vice president of sales, retail and CPG at Experian Marketing Services, and Dan Thorpe, analytics leader at Chico's FAS. Listen in as Holze and Thorpe discuss why Chico's FAS chose Experian as its data partner and how the relationship has helped the women's…
In episode 179 of Total Retail Talks, Shelagh Stoneham, senior vice president of marketing, Chico's, reviews the women's apparel and accessories brand's #HowBoldAreYou social campaign, aimed at celebrating women's uniqueness and authenticity, and not just their ages. Stoneham offers insights into the customer feedback that Chico's has gotten from the campaign, as well as the…
Total Retail's sixth annual list of the leading female executives in the retail industry The 2016 list of the leading women executives in retail features some of the best and brightest minds in the industry. This year's honorees were chosen for being in a top-level position within a retail organization, along with several…
Clothing company Chico's FAS said Thursday it's eliminating 180 positions and may close up to 25 stores to cope with the economy's toll on retailers. Chico's, which operates its namesake retail stores, White House Black Market and Soma Intimates brands, has suffered from weak sales as consumers cut their spending back amid the recession. The job cuts represent roughly 11 percent of its workforce at its Fort Meyers, Fla. headquarters. The move is expected to save the company $15 million over the next year.
With a strong focus on in-store innovation and evolving its omnichannel retail strategy, Chico's FAS partnered with Tyco Retail Solutions, a provider of performance and security solutions, to address inventory accuracy and visibility challenges in 13 Soma Intimates pilot stores. Soma store associates can now access accurate, real-time inventory information in one place to better manage their deep merchandise assortment, helping to drive sales and customer satisfaction. The ability to have this level of inventory accuracy fosters confidence in associates to provide a better customer experience.
Chico's approach to marketing evolves each year, striving to break through all the clutter to reach current and potential customers in a more relevant and targeted way. To further this, come 2015 the retailer will invest in omnichannel in a meaningful way, including automation, cloud, new point-of-sale systems, RFID, customer engagement and mobile apps. Seeing positive changes from these investments, the retailer anticipates even further gains in 2015 and beyond, as the initiatives are expanding even further and rolled out to even more boutiques.
Central to its long-term growth strategy is Chico's omnichannel initiatives. The retailer invests in technology that allows its customers to shop how, when and where she chooses to shop. To fully integrate community, content and commerce on all customers’ devices and in the boutique she favors, Chico's is focused on a cloud-based digital retail theater. It's become increasingly important to blend the online and in-store experience. For several years now, Chico's has taken advantage of its e-commerce assortment in the distribution center, enabling it to fulfill orders from other stores.
Chico's is looking to establish a Canadian footprint, and plans in late August to open three boutiques in Ontario. The Chico's brand was founded in 1983 as a boutique selling Mexican folk art and cotton sweaters from a store on Florida's Sanibel Island. Today, Chico's sells exclusively designed, private-branded clothing for women. "We couldn't be more thrilled for the opening of the first Chico's boutique in Canada," said Cinny Murray, Chico's brand president. "I'm so excited to bring the women of Canada fabulous Chico's fashion; this is an incredible growth opportunity for our brand."
Everything you do, everything you say, everything you are — and I mean everything — is a direct reflection of your brand. All of these things need to be managed and controlled, but in a way that doesn't seem managed and controlled. Sound difficult? It is. That's why so few brands actually do it well.
Fort Myers, Fla. -- Chico's FAS reported Tuesday that net income for the quarter ended Oct. 29 fell to $26.5 million, compared with $28.8 million a year earlier. Results include costs associated with the company’s acquisition of Boston Proper. Net sales for the quarter increased 11.5% to $538.5 million, from $483 million. Same-store sales increased 3.7%. By brand, Chico's/Soma Intimates same-store sales increa


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Metsä Wood setting up shop in Estonia
Metsä Wood, part of Metsä Group, is building a new birch plywood mill in Pärnu, Estonia, after acquiring a 10 hectare industrial site in the seaside city.
Trimble doubles down on Finnish companies
US company Trimble has acquired the Finnish duo of Savcor and Silvadata, both of which stem from the forestry field and will complement Trimble’s Connected Forest division.
Metsä Wood launches EUR 100 million investment programme
The Wood Products Industry of Metsä Group is giving its Kerto LVL and plywood operations a significant boost in Finland and Estonia.
Stora Enso in agreement with Rennovia on bio-based chemicals
Finnish renewable materials company Stora Enso and US specialty chemicals company Rennovia Inc have announced a joint development and license agreement.
Stora Enso invests further in China and Sweden
Finnish company Stora Enso is investing approximately 63 million euros in its Consumer Board and Biomaterials divisions.
UPM Raflatac continues downstream with WWF
Finnish label manufacturer UPM Raflatac and WWF Poland have extended their cooperation on the ‘Rivers for Life’ project after signing a three-year contract.
Valmet gives tech boost to USD 160 million project
Finnish company Valmet is to provide key technology to US tissue, paperboard and pulp manufacturer Clearwater Paper’s mill upgrade project in Lewiston, Idaho.
Metsä Board shows its winning influence at Pro Carton ECMA Awards
A total of four cartons utilising Finnish paper and pulp company Metsä Board’s products have won at the 2015 Pro Carton ECMA Awards.
Valmet lands another big Chinese order
Finnish company Valmet has signed its second significant contract in China in a week.
Valmet receives EUR 110 million order from China
Finnish Valmet will supply main equipment to Huanggang Chenming Pulp & Paper’s new pulp mill in the city of Huanggang in China. The value of the order is approximately 110 million euros.
Major order for technology group Andritz will create jobs in Finland
The technology group Andritz has signed a letter of intent with Fibria, the world’s leading eucalyptus pulp producer, concerning the delivery of the main equipment for a pulp mill.


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It looks like our assumptions were right, Borderlands 3 will be an Epic Games exclusive. That is a timed-exclusive, the game will be released on September 13th on all platforms September 13th, but its distribution on PC will only be on the Epic Games store. Other online distribution platforms (Steam) will have to wait until April 2020 to sell copies of the game.
The game will also feature optimized performance for AMD’s CPU and GPU portfolio. AMD has worked with Gearbox to aid in performance optimizations for is Ryzen CPUs, current GPUs, and we can expect Navi GPUs as well. Looking at the announcement trailer (below) and the press release it looks like this will be a story-driven shooter which Gearbox CEO Randy Pitchford said is, “a love letter to fans of the series, but also as an ideal entry point for new players to jump-in alone or cooperatively, on or off-line, in the latest and greatest installment of the definitive best-in-class benchmark shooter-looter.”


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Kolkata company trumps Donald, gifts him green tea to "cleanse" himself
A Kolkata firm has gifted Donald Trump four years’ worth of tea bags – 6,000 of them to Trump Tower in New York City. And its all done in the name of humanity.
On July 14, Kolkata-based based TE-A-ME Teas uploaded a video of its gift to Trump, urging him to drink tea to become "less extreme" as it is never too late to "cleanse" oneself. The consignment contained 6,000 bags of Assam green tea.
Watch the video here:
"The special delivery went from the company all the way to Trump Tower, New York. New Yorkers witnessed the delivery....." ,the company said in a statement.
"The message is simple:AMr. Trump, it's never too late to cleanse yourself," it said.
"We believe that green tea with all its goodness can help Trump, and in turn benefit his country and the world at large. We therefore prescribe at least three cups a day for Trump. If he needs more, we'll be happy to provide!" said company's managing director Sumit Shah.


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Since 1948 the U.S. economy has never shrunk for two quarters in a row without a recession being declared, but an exception to the rule could happen soon.
Gross domestic product, the official scorecard for the economy, is on track to contract in the recently ended second quarter. GDP also declined at a 1.6% annual rate in the first three months of 2022.
Typically two straight quarters of economic contraction is considered a recession, at least unofficially, but an “official” declaration of recession is not so cut and dry.
For one thing, GDP is a complicated report whose headline number sometimes gives off an inaccurate portrait of the economy.
Take the first quarter. GDP contracted largely because of a record U.S. international trade deficit.
Americans bought piles of imports while businesses that were suffering from chronic shortages of supplies put in bigger orders for foreign goods to make sure they had enough on hand later in the year, pushing up inventories.
The surge in demand for imports was not a sign of a slowing economy. Consumer spending and business investment, the two main pillars of the economy, both rose. GDP would have been positive had the international trade deficit not exploded early in the year.
At the same time, the U.S. economy has been steadily creating hundreds of thousands of new jobs each month and the unemployment rate has held steady at 3.6% — just a hair above a 54-year low.
These are some of the details that won’t escape the attention of the group of eight economists in the U.S. entrusted with determining when recessions begin and end.
These economists, mostly unknown to the public but prominent in their field, work for an organization called the National Bureau of Economic Research. The nonprofit organization was founded in 1920 and is funded by government and private contributions.


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} Analysts warn Web ads are off target By Frank Barnako, CBS MarketWatch Last Update: Listen to Internet Daily
If advertising on the Internet is going to succeed, it must be right on target. So far, that's not typically the case.
Researchers at a Jupiter Communications-sponsored advertising conference in New York said Wednesday that the growth of the Web advertising pie will be increasingly dependent on the successful introduction of techniques for reaching specific demographic groups. Despite claims the Net can reach specific groups, "that promise is not being met, and failure to do so could severely hinder future growth rates of the medium," said Jupiter's Evan Neufeld.
Jupiter said its research found that the relatively high price of online ads compared with the price of ads in traditional media is theoretically justified by targetability and interactivity. Without true targeting, however, the potential goes largely unrealized, and click-through rates on banners decline to where they now hover -- at around 1 percent. Tellingly, Netscape (NSCP) nscp and Citibank (CCI) CCI, +1.38% characterized their advertising agreement for Netcenter yesterday as a "pay for performance" deal, while agreements between Unilever (UN) UN, +1.14% , America Online (AOL) aol and Microsoft (MSFT) MSFT, +0.94% also included comments indicating payments for the media placement would be tied to results produced.
"Sites are often unable to provide advertisers basic demographic data -- age, sex and income -- which is standard supporting evidence for charging higher [rates] in traditional media," said Neufeld. New deals between ad technology vendors and major Web sites should accelerate the development of targeting, he said, "but the time to move was yesterday."
Net telephony draws Excite xcit and Sprint FON, -7.14%
Excite Inc. and Sprint announced they will incorporate Internet telephony into their services. Sprint (FON) FON, -7.14% said it will begin using its Internet protocol backbone to carry calls from five cities throughout the United States and several countries. Excite (XCIT) xcit said it would partner with IDT's Net2Phone division in a two-year deal offering Net telephony for Excite customers in the United Kingdom, Germany, France, Australia, the Netherlands, Japan and Sweden. Excite users can download the IDT (IDTC) idtc service, subscribe and place calls to any telephone in the world. IDT said its service is "competitively priced," while Sprint said that during the test U.S. calls would cost 7.5 cents a minute and international calls 30 to 67 cents a minute.
Infoseek SEEK, +0.00% plans ShoppingBot
Infoseek Corp. said it has agreed to acquire Quando Inc., an Internet technology company that has developed software agents which will be incorporated in a new shopping area set for launch in the fourth quarter. The online service said it will buy Quando for approximately $17 million in Infoseek shares. "E-commerce is a huge opportunity and key to our portal strategy," said Infoseek (SEEK) SEEK, +0.00% President Harry Motro. "Services that give consumers the comparative information they need will change the spending habits of the Internet consumer and set a new standard for comparative shopping." Motro said Quando's ShoppingBot technology will give users useful and "actionable" information. Quando also creates and licenses customized directories, including shopping guides, contact directories, audio-clip libraries, review guides and data for Web site rating guides. America Online Inc.'s (AOL) aol Digital Cities employs Quando's EventBot in its local event guides.
Theglobe.com offers low-cost e-tail support
Web community Theglobe.com and Intershop Communications, a provider of electronic-commerce software, announced a $30 monthly service to set up small businesses with e-commerce systems. Merchants participating in the GlobeStores program will have their back-office functions handled, including order processing, statistical analysis of store traffic and inventory management. GlobeStores will feature four levels of service, starting at $30 a month.
Sportsline SPLN, +0.00% , CNN add free e-mail
Just in case there are still people who don't have free e-mail accounts, SportsLine USA Inc., CNN Interactive and CNN/SI Interactive have signed up with iName Inc. to offer them. SportsLine (SPLN) SPLN, +0.00% users will be able to have personalized mailbox accounts with addresses ending in "@baseball.com" or "@footballmail.com." Users of the the CNN services can also sign up for personalized addresses at what the company called "a nominal charge."
On-demand music videos
Music Web site Musicvideos.com said visitors can choose to watch any of 750 music videos at no charge. "With Musicvideos.com, you don't have to wait around, hoping for your favorite video to play; you just point and click," said the company's president, Greg Morrow. "Given the diversity of popular music, the fact that individuals can customize what they view online makes the Web the ideal forum for music videos." Various categories of music are offered, including country, hip-hop, alternative and dance, in either a program-it-yourself or continuous Webcast mode (www.musicvideos.com).
Microsoft's MSFT, +0.94% HomeAdvisor launches
Microsoft Corp.'s entry into the online real estate business is out of beta. After a one-month preview, HomeAdvisor made its official debut Wednesday as the company announced deals aimed at promoting traffic to the site (www.homeadvisor.com). Perhaps the largest of the arrangements is an advertising deal with Yahoo! in which the online home-buying and loan site will be featured in Yahoo!'s finance and real estate categories. No financial terms were disclosed. HomeAdvisor will also be available through links on Infoseek (SEEK) SEEK, +0.00% , Switchboard, Pathfinder, WhoWhere?, Tripod, Big Yellow, GTE InterNet and the DoubleClick (DCLK) dclk advertising network's sites. "We are very excited to have secured this many far-reaching marketing agreements at this stage in our product's history," said Ian Morris, lead product manager for HomeAdvisor.
Internet homes cut back TV time
Households with Internet or online access watch less television than do non-Internet/online households, according to a study released Wednesday. Produced by Nielsen Media Research for America Online Inc., it included 5,000 homes and indicates that "wired" households watch eight hours less television per week than do non-Internet/online households. During prime time -- Monday through Friday between 8 p.m. and 11 p.m. -- television usage is 6 percent lower among Internet/online households.
AOL (AOL) aol President Bob Pittman said advertisers should pay attention to the results: "This underscores AOL's unique advantage compared to television, which is underdelivering to these upper-demographic Internet/online households so desirable to advertisers."
Compaq cpq buys AltaVista domain name
Compaq Computer Corp. said it has made a deal for the rights to the trademark and domain name Altavista.com. AltaVista Technology Inc. (ATI) ATI, -1.46% has agreed to sell the rights to www.altavista.com, the company said. No financial terms were disclosed, but a report indicated Compaq (CPQ) cpq may have paid as much as $3 million. Compaq acquired the AltaVista search engine and portal site when it purchased Digital Equipment Corp. in June.
Yahoo! yhoo adds Individual Investor chats
Individual Investor Online said it has signed a contract to host two monthly chats on Yahoo! Finance. They will usually be held every other Wednesday at chat.yahoo.com. "This will expand our outreach on the Internet, drive traffic to our site and provide investors with top-notch research," said Mitchell Scherr, Individual Investor's director of Internet services.
Time spent on the Web increases
Maybe it's just the hot weather outside and the air conditioning inside, but something is keeping people online longer. Web-traffic researcher Relevant Knowledge reports that it saw an increase in session times in July, up from June, and even up from the winter. The average time that Web users 12 and older in the United States spent on the Web during July was 8.8 hours, the researchers said. The comparable figures were seven hours in February and just slightly over eight in June. Users also visited the Web an average of 9.4 days during July, vs. 8.6 days in February and 9.1 days in June. "This is a very interesting phenomenon and goes against what most people would suppose is normal usage during summer months," said Jill Frankle, a senior analyst at International Data Corp., a research firm. "This increased frequency and duration is being driven by the growth in the work segment and the fact that teens are out of school."


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“We believe PR is the only channel that can get us reach, attention, impact and credibility all at the same time,” said Gaurav Gupta, senior manager of omnichannel for Singapore telco Circles.Life, at the recent Digital PR Strategies conference in Singapore.
“It is not just about publications writing about you,” he explained. “It is also what your customers think about you, what your employees say about the brand and the company they work for, and even what influencers and bloggers write about you.” (For more, read WARC’s report: How PR, out of home and stunts drive marketing at Circles.Life)
“What we recognise is, we are operating in a market which is saturated and is governed by giants, “ Gupta continued. “If we don’t have deep enough pockets… [we’ve] got to have great ideas. That’s the only way we can counter that.”
PR plays an important role in driving word-of-mouth referrals for the challenger brand, generating massive growth to the tune of 43%. Almost half of all new customer acquisitions are referrals from existing customers.
Circles.Life has a unique customer referral programme which sees users earn an extra 1GB of monthly data for every five successful referrals they make through a unique and customisable referral code, optimised for easy sharing on social channels.
“People refer people, and people do spread the word,” said Gupta.
“The best way to get people talking about you, is to get people to talk about you. We did that by focusing on great products, and giving a fabulous user experience.”
Sourced from WARC


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For millions of small business owners across the country, the fact that the economy is finally moving in the right direction after years of stops and starts is welcome news. Now, many entrepreneurs are feeling much more confident about their firms’ chances for success down the road, largely as a result of the positive signs seen in their bottom lines over the last few months in particular.
Over the past few months, many small companies have seen far more business come through their doors after the harsh winter weather that plagued many in January and February, and as such are feeling somewhat better about their chances for success after having a rather dour outlook previously, according to a report from the Greenville News. These latest numbers might be proof positive that a more significant recovery is in the offing, particularly because the numbers seen in the first two months of the year typically resembled those seen during and following the recession.
“We do see an uptick in activity in the economy,” Richard Hagins, chief executive and president of US&S, a Greenville-based firm providing facility maintenance and support service for governmental, commercial and industrial markets, told the newspaper. “Thank goodness that we see that. [Owners] are spending money where they were hunkering down.”
Still a long way to go
Of course, when these issues arise, some experts are quick to point out that while optimism among small business owners is certainly on the upswing overall, it nonetheless lags behind the levels seen prior to the recession overall, and considerably so, the report said. As such, there may still need to be a longer time frame of more significant recovery before many more skeptical owners can be convinced that the positive conditions seen in the market today are here to stay. Some analysts believe that only after a prolonged period of growing sales numbers will many owners begin to believe that it could be time to hire more workers once again.
Owners who want to position their companies for as much success as possible might also want to consider the ways in which they can reduce their ongoing expenses to streamline their budgets. This could include shopping around for more affordable small business insurance, including policies for liability insurance, as a means of saving what could add up to thousands of dollars per year.


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Report: Apple Developing $99 Apple TV Based on iPhone 4 Architecture and OS
--Hulu Blocks New Version of Hillcrest Labs' Kylo TV Web Browser
--Boxee Seeking to Attract BBC iPlayer, Other UK Content Providers, to its Platform
--Wolfgang's Vault App Launches on Boxee
The blog Engadget reported last week that it had received a tip--which it said had been confirmed by "a source very close to Apple"--about the next generation of Apple TV, a platform whose current incarnation has been famously described by CEO Steve Jobs as a "hobby." According to the blog, the new version of Apple TV has been in development for some time now (i.e. before Google announced its new Android-based Google TV platform) and will:
- be based on the forthcoming iPhone 4 and its A4 CPU (note: it was described by one of Engadget's sources as "an iPhone without a screen").
- use the iPhone OS.
- incorporate 16GB of local flash storage, but will primarily rely on cloud-based storage.
- support 1080p HDTV.
- incorporate just two ports: a power socket and video out.
- be priced at $99.
In other OTT news:
- Network-backed broadband video service, Hulu, has blocked the latest version of Hillcrest Labs' Web browser for the TV, Kylo. Hulu--which has also blocked Boxee's OTT platform (note: the company is believed to be concerned that services that enable its offerings to be viewed on a TV set--i.e. in "10 foot" or "leanback" mode--will cannibalize the audiences of its parent companies)--had blocked the original version of the Kylo browser immediately after its launch in March. Hillcrest had touted the new version as allowing advanced users to configure it in order to access Hulu.
- In a posting on Boxee's corporate blog last week, its VP of marketing, Andrew Kippen, revealed that the company is making a push to gather more UK content for its platform, and is apparently being assisted by Brightcove: "With the help of our friends at Brightcove, we have gathered some of the premiere content owners in the UK," Kippen wrote. "Idan Cohen, co-founder and Boxee's head of platform...is packing his bags as we speak to travel to London in the hopes of adding as many of them as we can to Boxee. In the next 6 months we hope to see more great UK applications like the BBC iPlayer running on Boxee. Wanna meet Idan? He'll be speaking at the London Brightcove developer group meeting."
- In a separate blog posting, Kippen also announced the availability of a free app that brings the online music service, Wolfgang's Vault, to Boxee's platform. "Wolfgang's Vault on Boxee propels you into a world of 60's psychedelic rock, amazing vintage jazz, 'tear the roof off this mother' funk, current Indie rock idols, and amazing concerts from the 80's," Kippen wrote. "Wolfgang has generously picked out some of his favorites in the featured section. Wolfgang's Vault aficionados can search for their favorite concerts or play directly from their personal playlists on the site. For those who hate making choices, you can just turn on Wolfgang's Vault radio and let the music wash over you."


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Knocked Up French Bistro Progresses In Neukölln
Neukölln- Bistro La Côte
Bistro La Côte, new French style bistro is currently knocked up over in Neukölln is progressing with their new location. They are currently done with the heaviest of the construction and were spotted putting in their new artisan designed bar. The new mom and pop shop aiming at a French offering has been in development over the last couple of months and it looks like they are due for an early 2020 opener. Information is still soft on this shop but it seems as though they are going to be offering a heavy lean towards a wine offering. More on La Cote as it develops.


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According to the “Most Magnetic Brands” report from research and consulting firm dcdx, McDonald’s claimed the number one spot last year for the brand that attracted the most Gen Z conversation.
They won by leaning into “fan truths”—moments, memories, rituals, or behaviors related to McDonald’s that intersect with subcultures involving celebrities, music, fashion, childhood nostalgia, anime, and more, per Adage.
Finding the subsequent subculture to speak to is a mix of art and science. McDonald’s marketing team uses consumer data from its 150 million-member loyalty program, third-party delivery data, and social listening to spot trends they can bring to the masses.
Some individual campaigns include:
One key to McDonald’s success is that a trend must be relevant for 12 to 18 months, the time it takes for them to run through the campaign process. McDonald’s McRib NFT campaign failed to capture the attention of its audience because the trend faded almost as fast as it began.
While McDonald’s hasn’t revealed all the sales metrics behind its marketing campaigns – there is some anecdotal evidence that it works. After McDonald’s announced The Travis Scott Meal campaign, Quarter Pounder®* sales doubled in the first week.


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Charlie Day and Ice Cube literally hit the schoolyard in Fist Fight, the R-rated comedy from director Richie Keen that co-stars Tracy Morgan, Jillian Bell, Dean Norris, Christina Hendricks, Dennis Haysbert, JoAnna Garcia Swisher and Kumail Nanjiani.
Warner Home Video has announced plans to bring Fist Fight to Digital HD on May 16th, followed by a Blu-ray and DVD release on May 30th.
Fist Fight grossed a little over $40.7 million at the box office. Approximately $32 million of that came from North America.
The Fist Fight Blu-ray combo edition includes a couple bonus features: Georgia Film Commission and Deleted Scenes. The former is exclusive to Blu-ray and Digital and will not be found on the DVD release.
Check out the Fist Fight Blu-ray combo cover art and trailer below.


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Technology has been slow to make its way into textiles, according to Myant Inc.’s director of marketing Gagan Gill, and it’s time for all of that to change.
The Canadian firm is doing its part to bring “textile computing” into the mainstream and usher in an era in which all clothing is connected and functional—though the technology takes a firm backseat to beautiful apparel design.
To further the textile computing movement, Myant has assembled a strong cross-disciplinary R&D team packed with experts in a variety of fields, including electrical, material sciences, biomedical and textile engineering. As with any company that has technology ambitions, the firm’s intellectual property includes dozens of patents that cover areas like textile development and knitting.
With smartphone usage skyrocketing, consumers are accustomed to being “always on,” paving the way for such connectivity to extend from the devices they carry to the garments that cloak their figures. Myant sees practical applications for smart clothing, according to Gill, and envisions a future in which garments are connected via the Internet of Things.
“Every minute biosignals are going out of your body, going unread,” Gill said. “There’s no practical way of collecting and using that data.”
While personal health monitoring of the kind provided by a Fitbit wearable is great for casual usage, Myant is focused on developing healthcare-grade solutions that could potentially eliminate the need for certain medical tests, Gill explained. The company’s SKIIN smart underwear, available for men and women, incorporates conductive yarns and medical-grade sensors that “measure your EKG all day long,” he said, noting their cost and quality are on par with comparable in-store products.
“Because garments cover a lot of real estate on the body, they can collect more and better data than a small device,” Gill said. Even more importantly, a ubiquitous garment like underwear helps ensure people who need to track their EKG comply; it’s easier to forget about strapping on a “smart” wristband or wristwatch than it is to slide into a daily pair of undies that “collects the information without you having to think about it.”
The idea of underwear performing a function may seem odd at first but it’s “not really reinventing the wheel, mostly just providing a better user experience for a problem that already exists,” Gill said, noting that the garment sends data to the wearer’s smartphone app. The benefit of a connected garment like the EKG underwear is that it could alert the wearer if it detects significant changes in vital signs.
Creating scalable smart clothing and conductive yarns presents numerous challenges, from ensuring compatibility on the body and durability as one component of a larger garment. Myant creates its functional, conductive yarns in-house in what head of R&D Milad Alizadeh, described as the “secret sauce.”
Myant produces the underwear, and other textile computing garments, in its full-service Canadian manufacturing facility that features a number of robotic knitting machines, in addition to weaving and cut-and-sew capabilities. The company will be exhibiting at the Apparel Textile Sourcing Canada show in late August.


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The world's carmakers are in a very good mood at this year's Detroit Auto show, celebrating a trifecta of low fuel costs, low interest rates and an increasingly robust U.S. economy. But not everyone is ready to pop the champagne.
Despite the industry's outlook that it should enjoy a a record-breaking 2015, Fiat Chrysler Automobiles CEO Sergio Marchionne today called again on the world’s carmakers to begin considering a new wave of consolidation to right-size an industry that has seen its production costs spiral even as global sales growth has slowed in recent years. He said shrinking markets in Europe and diminished valuations by stock markets, pointed to the need for a reevaluation of the industry over the medium to long-term.
“I think our cost of execution on the capital side is well in excess of what I think a mature industry can afford,” Marchionne told reporters this morning. Given the low interest rate environment, he says the flatish performance of many carmaker shares, including FCA’s, shows “A lack of trust and belief” by Wall Street in the industry. He called it an “incredibly pessimistic” view of car makers.
Worldwide, carmakers expect to sell a record 74 million cars in 2015, with sales in China and the U.S. leading the way. Still, the huge expense associated with creating new vehicles, increasing technological sophistication that is raising the costs of cars for consumers, a stalling European economy and fewer younger drivers are all pushing hard against the industry.
“I understand the skepticism, I understand the reluctance,” of the big carmakers to combine, he said. “but I am more convinced than I have ever been that this industry needs to move towards consolidation.”
Marchionne said he doesn’t think low gas prices could hurt FCA’s Fiat and Alfa-Romeo brands, which focus on smaller cars. FCA expects to sell 5 million cars next year, Marchionne said.
As for the overall mood at the show, "I think we all feel comfortable that we’re not all carrying out kamikaze moves in the marketplace," he said. “We’ll see what happens next year, but at least for 2015 we’re optimistic.”


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Men’s fashion store Linnègatan No. 2 recently introduced Caruso as new Blazer and kostymleverantör for the season.Today we are pleased to announce that the store will house the Italian clothing specialist for two dimensions sewing days into next week.
Caruso is one of the most reliable and reputable manufacturers in the market. It has its origin from the founder Raffaelle Caruso who was trained in Naples but Soragna then moved to where the company is still located.
Caruso has been known as a very talented producer which made that worked a lot as a manufacturer of Private Label for other companies.Recent seasons have you wanted to change the perception and strengthen its own brand through more stores and more clearly their own collection.
Suits and jackets from Caruso is not cheap but many people consider them to be one of the most affordable in the industry with a full canvas construction if somewhat fewer hand torque than the very expensive.
This is the first time in several years that the company visits Sweden for a Trunk Show, where his staff is able to answer questions about the production and måttningen of the customers.
Trunk Show at linnégatan No.2 in Gothenburg will be held on Thursday 20/10 between 12-20 and Friday 21/10 between 10-12.
Provkavaj that illustrate the craftsmanship and design behind the product.
Some of the tygswatches you can choose from when taking measurements of Caruso.


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Since marijuana was legalized in many states across the country, the legal marijuana industry has grown to $13.6 billion creating 340,000 jobs in the sector. Investors and entrepreneurs saw a rich business opportunity in recreational cannabis. The money came pouring in and startups on everything from CBD and THC-infused lube to Uber for weed exploded onto the scene. According to cannabis industry research firm, Viridian Capital Advisors, marijuana startups raised $116.8 billion in 2019. Many called this “The Green Rush”.
But in just half a decade the cannabis market has become saturated. The easing of restrictions made creating a new cannabis product much easier and thus the market has become noisy with many competing businesses, each trying to carve out their niche consumer. With a crowded cannabis market, investors have started looking towards another previously taboo substance that’s in the midst of a startup renaissance—the psychedelic mushroom. Are we entering a new wave of the “Shroom Boom?”
Just as medical marijuana laws were the first sign of an upcoming revolution in cannabis, psilocybin is experiencing a shift as psychedelics and especially psychedelic therapies gain acceptance and momentum. Denver, Santa Cruz and Oakland have all decriminalized psilocybin and in 2020 New York City became the first city to have a legislator introduce a decriminalization bill, rather than an activist group.
“A decision [like that] by FDA is the ultimate signal for investors,” said Brad Loncar, a biotech investor with Loncar Investments told CNBC last year. “It shows that there’s a regulatory path forward for this class of drugs, which typically causes a flood of investment in the area.”
It’s unlikely psychedelics and psilocybin will be approved for recreational use, which could actually be a positive for investors. Research trials, regulations, and approvals are undesirable and costly barriers to entry for many small scrappy startups. So unlike the cannabis sector, the psilocybin market won’t have a deluge of competition. Focusing on the pharmaceutical sector is also a recipe for much higher margins and profits.
Pharmaceutical companies and investors alike are starting to take notice, hoping to capitalize on the moment. Along with Jonhson and Johnson’s ketamine product, Toronto-based company Pharmadrug announced its intent to buy Super Smart, a startup geared towards psychedelics. Revive Therapeutics acquired Psilocin Pharma to give itself a foothold in the space. Last year in Europe, investors coughed up enough money to ATAI Life Sciences for it to be the largest private financing round for a psychedelic medicine biotech company, $43 million to be exact. In 2018, The FDA awarded the Breakthrough Therapy designation to Compass Pathways’ psilocybin therapy for treatment-resistant depression. And MindMed, a leader in the pharmaceutical psychedelics space, went public in March just after raising $24 million ahead of its IPO. And the publicly traded companies focusing on psilocybin, like Champignon Brands, Mind Medicine and Revive Therapeutics have become the hottest stock buys for investors.
This spurt of energy and the injection of money into psychedelic companies has been coined the ‘Shroom Boom.’ But for a substance that for decades awakened a rejection of capitalist systems in its users, we will have to see what happens when the capitalists come knocking with wads of cash in hand.


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In the UK Nationwide Platforms has confirmed that it will no longer charge customers for its 'Harness On' device
Spanish rental company LoxamHune has adopted Nationwide's ‘Harness On’ safety system
A major UK contractor, Willmott Dixon, has announced that all boom lifts used on its site must be equipped with Nationwide's Harness On device
Huisman has unveiled a new wind detection system aiming to improve wind turbine installation safety
Haulotte has launched an all-new ‘active anchorage’ device to detect that a harness lanyard has been attached to the platform's anchor point
UK rental company Nationwide Platforms has begun installing its new ‘Harness On’ safety device with control lock out
Alimak is to acquire Tractel the façade platform, mastclimber, safety equipment and lifting tackle manufacturer for €500 million in cash
UK's Nationwide Platforms has introduced a new dual level secondary guarding system
Major manufacturers are now not only approving the fitting of anti-crush devices to boom lifts, but also endorsing them, as they introduce their own devices - but should they be standard or optional?
UK contractor Skanska UK is launching a new policy relating to boom lifts on its UK sites.
UK based Loadwise International has announced a new range of wireless rated load indicators.
The HSE is warning scaffold companies to review current practices


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It has been an interesting weekend for Xbox and Starfield. Runaway release Palworld suddenly appeared and took the markets by storm, first gobbling up some 1 million players on Steam roughly 8 hours after its release last Friday, January 19.
It has reportedly amassed 8 million players in the past few days. Along the way, it has surpassed Starfield’s peak concurrent number of players more than four times as it, at some point, saw roughly 1.2 million players on its servers simultaneously.
Now, it appears that Palworld is also taking over Xbox Game Pass. According to X user Boss Shawn, Palworld is already #1 in Game Pass, translating to roughly 1 million concurrent users on this platform alone.
As you can see in this infographic, Palworld has already overtaken AAA games like Resident Evil 2, Far Cry 6, and even Minecraft.
The question to ask, however, is this - has it edged Starfield out of the story? Not yet, because the Game Pass screenshot shows that our space exploration game is still hanging on at No. 9.
As Paul Tassi indicated, Starfield may yet be able to bounce back with much-needed patches, which Bethesda said will be coming every six weeks starting in February. The first update is currently undergoing beta testing on Steam Beta, and previews are showing some vital improvements. Of course, we’d only find out more once the final product rolls out in two more weeks.
Tassi also indicated that the Shattered Space DLC may be crucial to resuscitating Starfield after several months of consistently plummeting Steam scores and player count. However, no data is currently available for Starfield’s first-ever DLC.
Is Starfield down for the count? We don’t think so, but how about you? What do you think?
For more articles like this, take a look at our News page.


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What you need to know
- Apple might be working on AR contact lenses.
- That's according to supply chain analyst Ming-Chi Kuo.
- Apple's Glasses are coming in 2025, according to the report.
A new report claims Apple Glasses will debut in 2025, followed by a pair of AR contact lenses with an "undetermined" release schedule.
In a new note seen by iMore, supply chain analyst Ming-Chi Kuo says Apple Glasses are coming in 2025 "at the earliest", and that there is no prototype of the device yet. This is in direct contradiction with Apple leaker Jon Prosser who says these could debut much sooner than that, and that he has in fact seen a prototype.
Kuo revealed several details about the glasses:
- 2025 at the earliest
- It will be an optical see-through AR experience
- They "may" have independent computing power and storage space
- They will be positioned as mobile products
- They will not be positioned the same as Apple's VR headset, and that the product lines may move in parallel in future
- They will be integrated with Apple Car
Now we've heard plenty about Apple's rumored glasses before, but Kuo also mentioned another new product we've never heard of. Contact lenses.
Kuo says they predict a release of Apple contact lenses to come after 2030, and that this will bring electronic products from the era of visible to invisible computing. In terms of technical features, "this product is unlikely to have the independent computing power and storage space." That's right folks, a pair of Apple contact lenses could hit the market within 10 years. Wild.
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Stephen Warwick has written about Apple for five years at iMore and previously elsewhere. He covers all of iMore's latest breaking news regarding all of Apple's products and services, both hardware and software. Stephen has interviewed industry experts in a range of fields including finance, litigation, security, and more. He also specializes in curating and reviewing audio hardware and has experience beyond journalism in sound engineering, production, and design.
Before becoming a writer Stephen studied Ancient History at University and also worked at Apple for more than two years. Stephen is also a host on the iMore show, a weekly podcast recorded live that discusses the latest in breaking Apple news, as well as featuring fun trivia about all things Apple. Follow him on Twitter @stephenwarwick9


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Nature-based solutions can play an important role in improving the supply and quality of water and reducing the impact of natural disasters, according to the 2018 edition of the United Nations World Water Development Report. The study, which will be presented by Audrey Azoulay, Director-General of UNESCO, Gilbert Houngbo, Chair of UN-Water, at the 8th World Water Forum in Brasilia (Brazil), argues that reservoirs, irrigation canals and water treatment plants are not the only water management instruments at our disposal.
In 1986, the State of Rajasthan (India) experienced one of the worst droughts in its history. Over the following years, an NGO worked alongside local communities to set up water harvesting structures and regenerate soils and forests in the region. This led to a 30% increase in forest cover, groundwater levels rose by several metres and cropland productivity improved.
These measures are good examples of the nature-based solutions (NBS) advocated by the latest edition of the report, Nature-based Solutions for Water. It recognizes water not as an isolated element, but as an integral part of a complex natural process that involves evaporation, precipitation and the absorption of water through the soil. The presence and extent of vegetation cover across grasslands, wetlands and forests influences the water cycle and can be the focus for actions to improve the quantity and quality of available water.
“We need new solutions in managing water resources so as to meet emerging challenges to water security caused by population growth and climate change. If we do nothing, some five billion people will be living in areas with poor access to water by 2050. This Report proposes solutions that are based on nature to manage water better. This is a major task all of us need to accomplish together responsibly so as to avoid water related conflicts,” declared the Director-General of UNESCO.
“For too long, the world has turned first to human-built, or “grey”, infrastructure to improve water management. In so doing, it has often brushed aside traditional and Indigenous knowledge that embraces greener approaches. Three years into the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, it is time for us to re-examine nature-based solutions (NBS) to help achieve water management objectives”, writes Gilbert Houngbo, Chair of UN-Water and President of the International Fund for Agricultural Development in the foreword of the report.
Focusing on ‘environmental engineering’
So-called ‘green’ infrastructure, as opposed to traditional ‘grey’ infrastructure, focuses on preserving the functions of ecosystems, both natural and built, and environmental engineering rather than civil engineering to improve the management of water resources. This has multiple applications in agriculture, the greatest consumer of water by far. Green infrastructure can help reduce pressures on land use while limiting pollution, soil erosion and water requirements by contributing to the development of more effective and economic irrigation systems, for example.
Thus, the System of Rice Intensification, originally introduced in Madagascar, helps restore the hydrological and ecological functioning of soils rather than using new crop varieties or chemical products. It enables savings of 25 to 50% in water requirements and 80 to 90% in seeds while raising paddy output by 25 to 50%, depending on the region in which it is implemented.
It is estimated that agricultural production could be increased by about 20% worldwide if greener water management practices were used. One study cited by the Report reviewed agricultural development projects in 57 low-income countries and found that using water more efficiently combined with reductions in the use of pesticides and improvements in soil cover, increased average crop yields by 79%.
Green solutions have also shown great potential in urban areas. While vegetated walls and roof gardens are perhaps the most recognizable examples, others include measures to recycle and harvest water, water retention hollows to recharge groundwater and the protection of watersheds that supply urban areas. New York City has been protecting its three largest watersheds since the late 1990s. Disposing of the largest unfiltered water supply in the USA, the city now saves more than US$ 300 million yearly on water treatment and maintenance costs.
Faced with an ever-increasing demand for water, countries and municipalities are showing a growing interest in green solutions. China, for example, recently initiated a project entitled “Sponge City” to improve water availability in urban settlements. By 2020, it will build 16 pilot Sponge Cities across the country. Their goal is to recycle 70% of rainwater through greater soil permeation, retention and storage, water purification and the restoration of adjacent wetlands.
The importance of wetlands
Wetlands only cover about 2.6 % of the planet but play a disproportionately large role in hydrology. They directly impact water quality by filtering toxic substances from pesticides, industrial and mining discharges.
There is evidence that wetlands alone can remove 20 to 60% of metals in water and trap 80 to 90% of sediment from runoff. Some countries have even created wetlands to treat industrial wastewater, at least partially. Over recent years, Ukraine, for example, has been experimenting artificial wetlands to filter some pharmaceutical products from wastewater.
However, ecosystems alone cannot perform to totality of water treatment functions. They cannot filter out all types toxic substances discharged into the water and their capacity has limits. There are tipping points beyond which the negative impacts of contaminant loading on an ecosystem becomes irreversible, hence the need to recognize thresholds and manage ecosystems accordingly.
Mitigating risks from natural disasters
Wetlands also act as natural barriers that soak up and capture rainwater limiting soil erosion and the impacts of certain natural disasters such as floods. With climate change, experts predict that there will be an increase in the frequency and intensity of natural disasters.
Some countries have already started taking precautions. For example, Chile announced measures to protect its coastal wetlands after the tsunami of 2010. The State of Louisiana (USA) created the Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority following Hurricane Katrina (2005), whose devastating impact was magnified by the degradation of wetlands in the Mississippi Delta.
Nevertheless, the use of nature-based solutions remains marginal and almost all investments are still channelled to grey infrastructure projects. Yet, to satisfy the ever-growing demand for water, green infrastructure appears to be a promising solution complementing traditional approaches. The authors of the report therefore call for greater balance between the two, especially given that nature-based solutions are best aligned with the Sustainable Development Goals adopted by the United Nations in 2015. Coordinated by the UN World Water Assessment Programme of UNESCO, the United Nations World Water Development Report is is the fruit of collaboration between the 31 United Nations entities and 39 international partners that comprise UN-Water. Its publication coincides with World Water Day, celebrated every year on 22 March.
Bicycle comeback amongst initiatives to help Hangzhou cut air pollution
The city of Hangzhou in eastern China was once described by the Italian explorer Marco Polo as the, “finest and most splendid city in the world”. Today it is once again on the map thanks to a range of initiatives to cut air pollution and increase the livability of the city.
Indeed, many cities across China have suffered from the effects of air pollution. To remedy the situation, China introduced an Air Pollution Action Plan in 2013 to reduce dangerous particulate matter (PM) 2.5 levels.
For the city of Beijing, the solution has been to drastically eliminate the use of coal: the city closed its coal-fired power stations and banned people in surrounding areas from burning coal for heat. The city’s efforts were so effective that, while in 2013, Beijing ranked as the 40th worst city for PM 2.5 by the World Health Organization, it ranked in 187th place in 2018. As part of nationwide efforts to curb air pollutants, other cities in China followed suit and dramatically reduced their PM 2.5 levels.
The new 2018-2020 Three-year Action Plan for Winning the Blue Sky War, announced in July 2018, is the successor of the original air pollution action plan. It calls for a reduction of sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxide by more than 15 per cent compared with 2015 levels by 2020.
Hangzhou’s bike-sharing success
The bustling city of Hangzhou, home to nearly 10 million people, is world-famous for being home to the high-tech industry, including the world’s leading e-commerce group, Alibaba.
However, like other cities in China, Hangzhou has had to tackle the scourge of air pollution. Since most of the Hangzhou’s PM 2.5 pollution comes from vehicle emissions, Hangzhou city authority started China’s very first public bike-sharing scheme. Launched in 2008, the primary purpose of this initiative was to a provide a convenient public service for short journeys in the city. They ended up with two knock-on benefits: less traffic and a reduction in air pollution.
In 2017, when the number of bikes hit a peak, a total of 10 companies, including commercial ones, operated more than 882,000 bikes. The number of bike trips is estimated in the range of hundreds of millions since 2008.
Furthermore, the integration of the public bike-sharing scheme with other public transport in the city has increased its attractiveness and ease-of-use. “This healthy transport has made our city better and its air quality is good,” says Tao Xuejun, general manager of the Hangzhou Public Bicycle Service.
China was known as the “Kingdom of the bicycle” in the 1980s. With economic progress, many people moved to motorized forms of transport. The re-emergence of the bicycle in Hangzhou since 2008 may have been somewhat unexpected but its contribution to helping reduced air pollution is undeniable.
In 2017, the Hangzhou bike-sharing scheme won an award from the Ashden charity which said that “the combination of convenient and free bicycles, well separated bicycle lanes and good public transport appears to have led to reduced use of cars and their associated congestion, pollution and greenhouse gas emissions”.
“Hangzhou is a great example of how cities can introduce initiatives like bike sharing to encourage people to get out of their cars and reduce air pollution,” says Rob de Jong, Head of UN Environment’s Air Quality and Mobility Unit. “We really need to encourage city governments and planners around the world to design cities for people, and not cars – leading to safer and cleaner living spaces”.
Switching to non-polluting vehicles an international priority
Tackling air pollution by removing cars from the road is the focus of UN Environment’s Share the Road Programme. The Programme is centered around the concept that everyone begins and ends their journeys as pedestrians, and in cities, some people rely almost exclusively on walking and cycling. Yet, investors and governments continue to prioritize road space for cars. To make the switch to more eco-friendly means of transport, UN Environment supports governments and other stakeholders in developing countries to systematically prioritize and invest in infrastructure for pedestrians and cyclists.
Bike-sharing schemes have not been without criticism, however. As the number of bicycles grew rapidly across China, many found their way to massive dumps, as companies went bankrupt because of insufficient demand. Vast piles of impounded, abandoned or broken bicycles have become a familiar sight in many big cities.
Hangzhou itself has had to cut the number of bikes. Cities around the world are learning from this example and ensuring they have full control over the number of bikes released into the city within their bike-sharing schemes.
Other initiatives in Hangzhou to reduce air pollution
Conscious of the risk air pollution poses to health, Hangzhou has implemented many other measures to improve air quality. It expanded its metro system to reduce traffic and invested in thousands of electric buses and taxis.
The city also developed an innovative battery-swapping mechanism for the its electric taxi fleet, allowing one electric taxi to travel for 230 kilometers on two to three fully charged batteries every day. Hangzhou’s goal is to reach a total fleet of 1,000 electric taxis, ultimately aiming at a zero-emission taxi fleet.
Putting the brakes on fast fashion
Fashion revolves around the latest trends but is the industry behind the curve on the only trend that ultimately matters – the need to radically alter our patterns of consumption to ensure the survival of the planet.
The fashion industry produces 20 per cent of global wastewater and 10 per cent of global carbon emissions – more than all international flights and maritime shipping. Textile dyeing is the second largest polluter of water globally and it takes around 2,000 gallons of water to make a typical pair of jeans.
Every second, the equivalent of one garbage truck of textiles is landfilled or burned. If nothing changes, by 2050 the fashion industry will use up a quarter of the world’s carbon budget. Washing clothes also releases half a million tonnes of microfibres into the ocean every year.
Then there is the human cost: textile workers are often paid derisory wages and forced to work long hours in appalling conditions. But with consumers increasingly demanding change, the fashion world is finally responding with A-listers, like Duchess Meghan Markle, leading the way with their clothing choices and designers looking to break the take-make-waste model.
“Most fashion retailers now are doing something about sustainability and have some initiatives focused on reducing fashion’s negative impact on the environment,” says Patsy Perry, senior lecturer in fashion marketing at the University of Manchester. For example, last year, Britain’s Stella McCartney teamed up with the Ellen MacArthur Foundation to launch a report on redesigning fashion’s future.
“However, there is still a fundamental problem with the fast fashion business model where revenues are based on selling more products, and therefore retailers must constantly offer new collections. It would be unrealistic to expect consumers to stop shopping on a large scale, so going forward, I would expect to see more development and wider adoption of more sustainable production methods such as waterless dyeing, using waste as a raw material, and development of innovative solutions to the textile waste problem,” she says.
Pioneering solutions to address environmental challenges will be at the heart of the fourth UN Environment Assembly next March. The meeting’s motto is to think beyond prevailing patterns and live within sustainable limits—a message that will resonate with fashion designers and retailers seeking to reform their industry.
At the March meeting, UN Environment will formally launch the UN Alliance on Sustainable Fashion to encourage the private sector, governments and non-governmental organizations to create an industry-wide push for action to reduce fashion’s negative social, economic and environmental impact and turn it into a driver for the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals.
Across the United Nations, agencies are working to make fashion more sustainable, from the Food and Agricultural Organization protecting arable land, to the Ethical Fashion Initiative set up by the International Trade Centre to the work of UN Environment in fostering sustainable manufacturing practices.
And some entrepreneurs are already designing the fashion of the future:
Spain’s Ecoalf creates shoes from algae and recycled plastic as part of its Upcycling the Oceans collection. Founded by Javier Goyeneche in 2012, Ecoalf collects ocean plastics from 33 ports and turns the trash into shoes, clothing and bags.
In Amsterdam, GumDrop collects gum and turns it into a new kind of rubber, Gum-tec, which is then used to make shoes in collaboration with marketing group I Amsterdam and fashion company Explicit. GumDrop says around 3.3 million pounds of gum end up on Amsterdam’s paths every year, costing millions of dollars to clean. It takes around 2.2 pounds of gum to make four pairs of sneakers.
Outdoor gear retailer Patagonia, based in California, has been producing fleece jackets using polyester from recycled bottles since 1993, working with Polartec, a Massachusetts-based textile designer. Patagonia also encourages shoppers to buy only what they need, and mends and recycles older items.
Gothenburg-based Nudie Jeans uses organic cotton for its jeans and offers free repairs for life. Customers also get a discount if they hand in their old jeans.
Cambodia-based Tonlé uses surplus fabric from mass clothing manufacturers to create zero-waste fashion collections. It uses more than 97 per cent of the material it receives and turns the rest into paper.
In the Netherlands, Wintervacht turns blankets and curtains into coats and jackets. Designers Yoni van Oorsouw and Manon van Hoeckel find their raw materials in secondhand shops and sorting facilities where donations are processed. San Francisco- and Bali-based Indosole turns discarded tyres in Indonesia into shoes, sandals and flip-flops, while Swiss firm Freitag upcycles tarpaulins, seat belts and bicycle inner tubes to make their bags and backpacks.
In New York, Queen of Raw connects designers, architects and textile firms with dead stock of sustainable fabrics from factories, brands and retailers. Queen of Raw says more than US$120 billion worth of unused fabric sits in warehouses, waiting to be burned or buried.
Novel Supply, based in Canada, makes clothes from natural and organic fabrics and is developing a take-back programme to find alternative ways to use garments at the end of their life. For founder Kaya Dorey, winner of UN Environment’s Young Champion of the Earth award in 2017, the aim is to create a zero-waste, closed-loop fashion model.
Retailer H&M has a successful garment collection scheme and in October, lifestyle brand and jeans manufacturer Guess said it was teaming up with i:Collect, which collects, sorts and recycles clothes and footwear worldwide, to launch a wardrobe recycling programme in the US. Customers who bring in five or more items of clothing or shoes, will receive discounts. Wearable items will be recycled as secondhand goods, while unwearable items will be turned into new products like cleaning cloths or made into fibres for products like insulation.
Some argue that recycling is itself energy intensive and does not address our throwaway culture—the number of times a garment is worn has declined by 36 per cent in 15 years. An alternative might be found in a viable rental market for clothes. Pioneers in this field include Dutch firm Mud Jeans, which leases organic jeans that can be kept, swapped or returned, Rent the Runway, Girl Meets Dress and YCloset in China.
“The rental model is clearly a winner for the higher end of the market where consumers may have no intention of wearing an occasion dress more than once… but at the lower end, it’s all too easy to go online and be able to buy outright any trend or item,” says Perry. “For rental to be a success at this market level, companies need to offer sufficient choice of brands and styles that would engage consumers and tempt them away from outright purchase, and the rental service needs to be smooth and faultless.”
Her best fashion advice? Less is always more.
“Keep your clothing in use for longer to reduce its environmental footprint, as well as reducing the amount of new stuff you need to buy and the consequent use of resources. This also reduces the impact of the disposal of perfectly good but unwanted clothes.”
New e-portal for the protection of the Caspian marine environment
A new, upgraded, online platform was launched on 8 November 2018 to support joint action under the Framework Convention for the Protection of the Marine Environment of the Caspian Sea, also known as the Tehran Convention. The objective of the completely revamped Caspian Environment Information Center is to provide the Parties to the Tehran Convention with an online collaborative information-sharing tool, making it easier for different stakeholders from the Caspian littoral states to collaborate on environmental issues. The platform has been developed by GRID-Arendal with the support of British Petroleum Exploration (Caspian Sea) Limited in Baku, Republic of Azerbaijan.
A major step forward was made in 2003, when the Tehran Convention was signed as the first legally binding agreement among the Caspian littoral states. The expanding work under the UN Environment-hosted Convention identified the need for a reliable and easy way to exchange information. An initial portal was set up in 2012 to facilitate collaboration across the region. Six years later, the Caspian countries have been provided with an enhanced version with a broader data base and an expanded array of tools.
“The Caspian Environmental Information Center is a portal that is a kind of library where you can find information related to the Caspian environment, biodiversity, monitoring, the economic potential of the region, etc. The portal also contains information on activities carried out in the Caspian littoral countries”, said Nurgul Tastenbekova, a 23-year-old user from Kazakhstan. “The portal is very convenient to use and well thought-out”, she added.
The online portal contains a series of functions that enable easy access to Caspian Sea environmental data. Stakeholders such as governments, administrators, academia, private companies and non-governmental organizations can become users and join different groups, contributing to public and private information sharing. It has been pivotal in the ongoing process of preparing the Second State of the Environment Report for the Caspian Sea. Even for the casual viewer, the site provides access to a wide range of information included in the collections of documents, news, events, forum discussions and maps.
Supporting implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals
The portal aims at contributing to the achievement of several Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly number 17 “Partnerships for the goals” and 16 “Peace, justice and strong institutions”. This online tool provides the Caspian countries with a technological means for regional cooperation and information sharing, promoting policy and institutional coherence. Furthermore, by encouraging private, public and civil society engagement on the platform, it contributes to increased openness and public awareness on environmental issues in the Caspian region. The portal is set up for inclusive and participatory knowledge creation, aimed at informing decision makers, scientists and civil society stakeholders. Ultimately, this will contribute to achieving goal 14 “Life below water” by supporting the sustainable use and conservation of the sea and its marine resources.
The Tehran Convention Interim Secretariat (TCIS) is located within UN Environment’s Europe Office, in Geneva, Switzerland. The Secretariat supports the Conference of the Parties and the implementation of the Tehran Convention in organizational, administrative and technical matters.
GRID-Arendal is a center collaborating with UN Environment, which provides support to monitoring, assessment, reporting, information exchange, back-up networking and research, and environmental management and administration-related work.
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Texas-based retail store, Buc-ee’s, breaks ground on new Smiths Grove location
SMITH’S GROVE, Ky. (WBKO) - City and state leaders took the next step in opening the Buc-ees location in Smiths Grove.
Construction on the new retail store and gas station formally began on Monday with the groundbreaking at the location off of Exit 38 on Interstate 65.
“[For] those travelers that are traveling down Interstate 65, there’s a lot of opportunities to have their needs serviced... but our job is for it to happen right here in this community,” CEO of Buc-ees, Arch ‘Beaver’ Aplin, said. “If we do, then the entire community prospers”.
The Smiths Grove location will feature a total of 54,000 square feet, with 116 fueling stations, and 565 parking spaces on a 31-acre property. It could also bring nearly 200 jobs to the city.
While the jobs for the Smiths Grove location have not been posted yet, the company does list some of the opportunities they have for employees online. Those include 40-plus hour work weeks, three weeks of paid time off, and a 100% match of up to six percent of 401ks.
The average pay is around $16 an hour for most positions.
“It’s gonna be a great thing for our community because of the growth of this type of business with employees they have,” said Smith’s Grove Mayor, David Stiffey. “We’re very thankful for the benefits that they will get to the occupation, tax revenues that they will generate.
While addressing the audience, Aplin spoke about the different opportunities that those driving on the interstate have and why it is a great place for another Buc-ees location.
“I can commit to you that we will have really good full-time high-paying jobs”, he said, “Although it’s small, there’s a great population base here for hiring, and then we’re relatively close to the population base in Bowling Green”.
Aplin also spoke about the former owners of the property.
“This was their family farm,” he said, “There’s a lot of emotion with that, but they were as happy and as thankful and as excited about the opportunities here on their piece of property”.
The Smiths Grove location will be up and running in about a year.
This is the second location to come to Kentucky, with the first opening in Richmond in April 2022.
Copyright 2023 WBKO. All rights reserved.


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On Wednesday, GM CEO will appear for the 2nd time before a US House subcommittee to discuss the company's internal investigation.
Yet another apprehension of parents is the students’ education. The academy will not provide schooling. Students will have to study in schools in the area.
Experts feel that the focus of the new government would be more on creating opportunities for retail investors in financial markets.
A research firm pegs TCS at No 10 globally in IT services but the Tata group company reckons it’s much higher on various parameters.
Sanjay Sethi was ripped off by a cabbie in Shanghai on the exchange rate on his first visit to China.
"We are planning to focus on sunglasses as it is an under- penetrated category and there is huge scope for growth," a company official said.
Pushing for introducing FDI in B2C e-commerce, industry bodies and e-commerce firms have said such moves will help SMEs scale up their operations and aid expansion into smaller parts of the country.
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text: I spent an interesting morning this week with a leading bottle water manufacturer presenting the findings from the latest Bottled Water report – UK, May 2011 to feed into their strategic planning. It’s always good to compare findings and points of view and make sure we’re answering the sort of questions that our clients are posing. A recurring theme that came out of the discussion was how paradoxical the bottled water consumer is: hardly surprising given that they buy a product that is available for free in their homes. On the one hand three fifths say own-label water is just as good as branded, but then these very same consumers admit to being influenced by a range of brand characteristics from whether a bottled water brand is established/trustworthy (39%), if it is British (47%), and (for young consumers especially) not wanting to be seen drinking brands that make them look unethical. With people currently so hard up for cash and re-evaluating what should and should not make it into their shopping basket, you would think sales of bottled water would be especially vulnerable? However, the market is much more resilient than I initially thought: a large minority of Brits think that bottled water is inherently superior to tap both in taste and purity, and it seems that bottle triumphs over the tap in terms of convenience as well, with over three in five consumers viewing water as a key way to ensure they remain hydrated when out and about. So expect more NPD around packaging that promotes convenience and portability but also panders to consumers environmental concerns. You might also be interested in: No related posts.


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PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — A new book names Portland the best pizza city in the country, and one of the authors is telling KOIN 6 News about the decision.
Nathan Myhrvold, the co-author of the book “Modernist Pizza,” said that Portland’s pizza scene is unique because pizzeria owners are obsessed with pizza. Myhrvold ate more than 400 pies and traveled 100,000 miles with co-author Francisco Migoy.
The Seattle resident credits Portland’s accessibility to different styles of pizza, along with shops taking the time to serve a high-quality product.
“Portland is blessed with a number of people who are obsessed about their pizza, and it’s blessed with customers that are willing to pay a little bit more to get something that’s better than Dominos,” said Myhrvold.
He added that other cities can sometimes rely on old pizza recipes instead on trying to improve them.
More specifically, Myhrvold mentioned New York City as a place that “You only get a good slice of pizza, if you’re there right after it comes out of the oven. Otherwise, the damn thing sits there on a table with a heat lamp on it or something.”
If you want to get a slice in Portland, the passionate author recommends Lovely’s Fifty Fifty on North Mississippi Avenue, Ken’s Artisan Pizza on Southeast 28th Avenue or Scottie’s Pizza Parlor on Southeast Division Street.
When asked if he’s tired of eating pizza, Myhrvold said not a chance.
“I say, when you come back from five pizzerias a day for two weeks, you do take a little bit of pizza break, but I love pizza,” he said with a smile. “I’ll always love pizza.”
“Modernist Pizza” will be released in October and will include three volumes and a recipe manual.


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Known as Showtime Anytime, the website, which launched today, features more than 400 hours of Showtime original programming, movies and sports, available for viewing on any computer or iPad.
The website is free for those FiOS TV customers who get Showtime as part of their television subscription package.
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Additionally, Verizon has signed an agreement with Showtime Networks extending their existing carriage agreement into 2017.
That agreement will keep Showtime, The Movie Channel and Flix on FiOS for at least the next five years.
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Amazon's video-streaming service might be more popular than Netflix.
The research firm Consumer Intelligence Research Partners (CIRP) just released a study showing that people stream video content on Amazon as much as (or more than) on Netflix, thanks to Amazon's decision to offer both a subscription and single-pay service in the same place.
Amazon's magic is that people who subscribe to Prime — the company's $99-a-year service that comes with two-day free shipping and the ability to stream thousands of free movies and TV shows — will also buy movies and shows from Amazon that are not listed as free.
Here are the key numbers from CIRP:
Netflix members view video 12.7 times per month, iTunes users buy or rent video 4.9 times per month, and Amazon Prime members view free Prime video 8.3 times per month.
If Amazon offered only its subscription service, Netflix would still be the king of streaming video content.
But it doesn't. If you factor in CIRP's finding that Prime users also buy or rent content from Amazon Instant Video 5.1 times per month, Prime members view video on Amazon 13.4 times per month — more than Netflix.
"Amazon doesn't do anything the way anyone else does it," Mike Levin, CIRP's cofounder, told Business Insider. That's what makes its system so clever.
"Amazon Prime customers use the free streaming video that they receive with their membership somewhat less than Netflix members use their service," Levin writes in the report. "But, Amazon Prime customers also buy or rent additional video using Amazon Instant Video, say when a video is not available on the Prime streaming service. We combine the Amazon Prime streaming and Amazon Instant Video use to conclude that Amazon Prime members use video from Amazon about as often as Netflix subscribers use video from their service."
Amazon has poured a bunch of money into Prime Instant Video — $1.3 billion in fact — to try to make Prime more attractive. Prime members are believed to spend more than double what nonmembers do on the site.
Now there's some indication it might actually be paying off.
For what it's worth, this is not a winner-take-all situation. Plenty of people will subscribe to both Amazon and Netflix. But Amazon's success in a relatively short period of time is something everyone in the TV/video industry should be watching.
(CIRP based its analysis on a survey of 500 Americans who use on-demand video.)
Disclosure: Mathias Döpfner, CEO of Business Insider's parent company, Axel Springer, is a Netflix board member.


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Tony Hawk’s Professional Skater 1 + 2 will revisit some iconic ranges from the sequence’ previous, however it’s additionally modernizing a number of elements–including the skaters. In a brand new video, Steve Caballero–who first appeared in Professional Skater 2 again in 2000–has revealed that he mo-capped new facial expressions for his in-game character, who appears to be like identical to he does now.
Within the video beneath, Caballero says that he now sees a number of skaters doing the tips from these video games in real-life, and we get a take a look at the movement seize set-up that’s getting used to seize the current-day look of those characters. Though they didn’t seize Caballero on a skateboard–he says they wished to get new facial expressions from him–the new in-game mannequin appears to be like loads like him.
The video additionally reveals Caballero skating by the primary sport’s Warehouse level–which confirms, primarily, that characters launched within the sequel will be capable of skate by ranges from the primary.
Tony Hawk’s Professional Skater 1 + 2 is trying like a severe hit of nostalgia, and it will even carry over many of the authentic sport’s soundtrack. These are essential video games, as Caballero acknowledges–and if you wish to be sure to can get in on the nostalgia on September four when the sport launches, it’s best to take a look at our preorder information.
Beginning June 1, GameSpot will likely be internet hosting Play For All–a celebration of all issues gaming. Be part of us as we convey you the summer season’s hottest information, previews, interviews, options, and movies, in addition to elevate cash for COVID-19 reduction efforts with the assistance of our buddies from across the gaming world.
GameSpot might get a fee from retail provides.