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The metaverse: Where reality and virtual reality collide
Walid Saad, an electrical and computer engineering professor, is creating a new network of interconnected digital twins with a National Science Foundation grant in collaboration with Tokyo Institute of Technology.
The metaverse. A misunderstood place where avatars roam and virtual reality almost seems like, well, actual reality.
Walid Saad, a professor in the Bradley Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at Virginia Tech and member of the Wireless@VT research group, wants to help close the knowledge gap related to the metaverse. He’s starting with digital twins, or virtual models of real world objects, that will be a key constituent of the metaverse.
Saad received a grant from the National Science Foundation to explore a new type of connectivity for digital twins in hopes of enhancing their role within the metaverse and beyond.
The research team will address current challenges of connectivity in these digital replicas by introducing the Internet of Federated Digital Twins. Similar to the Internet of Things (think different electronics powered and controlled by Alexa), the Internet of Federated Digital Twins will create a platform for interconnected digital replicas that can “talk to each other.” Through the use of fundamental theoretical and artificial intelligence-based tools, the team will be able to analyze, optimize, and operate these devices within wireless systems.
What is a digital twin?
By definition, a digital twin is an exact digital replica of a physical entity. Digital twins can be used for many purposes such as simulations, testing, real-time control, maintenance, or monitoring of a real-world system/process. They are helping revolutionize automation and product development across multiple areas.
Many industries are transitioning to virtual reality or digital twin test bed technologies to understand how, for example, proposed modifications to a piece of equipment will perform before physical changes are implemented. Benefits to this type of new workflow include more efficient training, cost savings, and reduced waste. Perhaps the most significant benefit is enabling increased and seamless collaboration. Taken a step further, this new technology can even allow workers to operate on physical equipment from their own home through digital twin replicas.
Although many consumers may associate digital twins and the metaverse with exorbitant spending and negatively framed media coverage, this virtual reality world is much more than a place to play video games with friends.
“The metaverse is an opportunity to experience a digital world for everyone, everywhere. It can help reduce distances and facilitate novel methods for social and business interactions,” said Saad. “During the pandemic, we saw the crucial need for online interactions and connectivity. The metaverse can take video calls to a whole new level whereby you can have holographic meetings in which you can, not just see and speak to the other person, but eventually interact with them with all five senses, as if they were sitting next to you.”
A new approach
Saad’s research envisions a new concept of an Internet of Federated Digital Twins that holistically integrates two different and physically separated digital twins within a single framework and system. This concept will allow for simultaneous and real-time changes to be made to a model, such as that of a Boeing airplane. These virtual airplane models could be separated by thousands of miles and vast oceans, but as long as they are both connected and communicate with each other over the 5G and 6G network, the geographical boundaries that exist while working on physical objects are eliminated.
The proposed wirelessly connected network of digital twins will require improvements on the artificial intelligence front. They must be built as dynamic systems that continuously grow and evolve with the data and the outcomes of the real time actuation. This calls for novel artificial intelligence techniques using the idea of lifelong learning, whereby a machine learning algorithm can “grow” over time with the information it receives, just like a child develops skills over a lifetime. This portion of the research will be led by machine learning expert Saad and his team at Virginia Tech.
The research is being done in collaboration with Tokyo Institute of Technology, where a test bed has been created at the Smart Mobility Research and Education Field. The test bed will allow the research team to better understand how digital twins interact with physical systems. By creating a digital twin for autonomous vehicles that will be driving around campus, the team will be able to use that vehicle’s twin to monitor and potentially control its movement.
Professor Kei Sakaguchi noted the expertise of the teams at both Virginia Tech and at Tokyo Institute of Technology. More specifically, how they complement each other.
"Professor Walid Saad and his team at Virginia Tech are well known for artificial intelligence, which is in cyberspace. Our team at Tokyo Tech is well known for 5G/6G networks and its application to super smart society, which are in physical space," said Sakaguchi. "It is exciting to merge the pieces of the puzzle in this project."
Other partners include the University of Colorado-Colorado Springs, as well as graduate students from the U.S. and Japan. Omar Hashash is a Ph.D. student at Virginia Tech studying electrical engineering with a focus in AI and wireless communication in the metaverse. As a graduate research assistant, he has enjoyed working with Saad and the innovative nature of this particular field.
“I am acquiring knowledge and gaining experience in the digital twins and metaverse fields, which are at the heart of the digital revolution that tech giants such as Meta, Nokia, and NVIDIA are leading,” said Hashash. “The contributions and experience in these fields will play a key role in providing me with the confidence and expertise to excel in any relevant industrial work field one day.”
The future of society is 5.0
Saad and his team are contributing to a much broader purpose with the enhancement of digital twins and their inter-connected networks. The Internet of Federated Digital Twins will provide a major leap toward the vision of Society 5.0, which aims to “balance economic advancement with the resolution of social problems by using a system that integrates cyberspace and physical space."
This transformative research will also help revolutionize several industries, including manufacturing, intelligent travel systems, healthcare, drone systems, and more. The proposed networking framework will create a new breed of wireless systems ready to support a massive deployment of federated digital twins. Additionally, it will play an instrumental role in creating programmable, autonomous virtual spaces that can grow and adapt to the data, eventually leading to smart city infrastructure.
“I expect that in the next 5-10 years we could see a more mainstream adoption of digital twins and the metaverse by industries and the average consumer looking for an immersive communications experience," said Saad. “Breaking through the negative stereotypes associated with this technology and encouraging adoption is going to greatly change the way we live, work, and play.”


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Here’s how Mukesh Ambani’s Reliance Industries more than doubled its quarterly profit
- The Mukesh Ambani owned conglomerate, Reliance Industries, has more than doubled its net profits in the final quarter of 2021 despite the pressures of the pandemic as compared to the same quarter last year.
- Retail is leading the growth, but oil is continuing to struggle and Jio looks like it needs to figure out how to mint more money.
- Investors have a reason to cheer with the company announcing a dividend of ₹7 per share.
While the oil to chemical vertical saw a growth of 4.5% in revenue, the profit shrunk by just as much despite a one-time gain of ₹4,420 crore from sale of its petrol pumps. “The increase in revenue was primarily due to higher volumes in transportation fuels and better price realisations,” the company statement said.
AdvertisementThe shares of RIL are up/down 17% since September 2020. Investment bank Goldman Sachs had expected a rebound in the oil to chemical vertical but that seems to have fallen short of expectation. These are segment wise results:
|Segment||Operating profit growth Jan-March 2021 vs year earlier|
|Oil to chemical||-4.6%|
|Oil to gas||122%|
|Digital services (Jio)||31.73%|
Meanwhile, Reliance Jio has reported a profit decline of nearly 4% with net profit of ₹3,508 crore. Jio added over 15 million new subscribers between January to March, after a disappointing December quarter.
But most of them are low-paying users, who use Jio as a second phone for cheaper plans. That means most people still look at their Jio sim cards as a secondary option — not their primary point of contact.
- UP's Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath announces free funerals for deceased Covid patients
- You no longer need a Covid+ve report to get admitted to a hospital: Union Health Ministry
- Supreme Court sets up a 12-member National Task Force to facilitate public health response to the pandemic
- Adobe Summit 2021: Empowering a digital-first economy through personalisation
- Crime branch to probe recovery of O2 concentrators from Delhi eateries, including Khan Market's famous Khan Chacha and Town Hall

domain: news


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Fake Id Dark Web 2022
29, 2022timer2 min. read FSB charged that Tsyganenko provided the main suspect, Natalya Vovk, with a fake ID and fake license plates. Where Dalia lives, getting caught with a fake ID is a felony, and in January 2022, BCS released an update that detected fake IDs as. With fake ID and credit card vendors reporting sales in the several Dark web market data may not provide the average person with. Andy's* first fake ID arrived from China a few weeks into his freshman since I'm neither a Russian hacker nor a Dark Web impresario. Listen to Fake ID on Spotify. Artist fake id dark web 2022 monthly listeners. Dark Side Of The Sun1,962,386 Single 2022 Dark Side Of The Sun. Single 2022. Published: April 3, 2008 Underage college students with fake IDs drink five to six individuals, according to the New York State Senate Web site. The Dark Web Price Index 2022 based on data scanning dark web More than 9,000 active vendors selling fake IDs and credit cards. Fake IDs are typically bought on the dark web. College students may use them to get into bars or clubs that serve alcohol. However, they can also be used for. Top Fake ID Sites #1 fake id dark web 2022 90-130 x ID #2 fake id dark web 2022 Avg price 100 #3 fake id dark web 2022 90-130 x ID Superprinterbros Litfakes.
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August 29, 2022 By Pierluigi Paganini Author of the Books "The Deep Dark Web" and Digital Virtual Currency and Bitcoin. Officials said the fake IDs were for more than 20 different states, and most were for college-age students. 25, 2022 at 12:37 PM PST. How To Use Free Cash App Money Generator Hack 2022 Cash App Hack Get hack generator includes free money code reddit flip hack dark web. (See A Fake Dark Web Hitman Site is Linked to a Real Murder, Vice, Feb. 23, 2022.) But in May 2022, a hacker published Besa Mafia's customer hit list and. Two Internet sites that allowed customers to generate phony identification--from driver's licenses to birth certificates--have been shut. They are also easy to find. Use the internet. You will find a hundred of them in a second. What is a Fake State ID? A state. Our office uncovered a scheme to provide fake credentials to circumvent these critical safeguards, which led to a widespread fake ID. Prices of ID, Passport, Account or Diplomas on the Dark Web: Fake Identity We already know that in the Dark Web we can find everything. A black market is flourishing for verified accounts on major exchanges including Coinbase Pro and Binance US, a CoinDesk investigation.
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Neither Santoyo, who is in fake id dark web 2022 custody, nor lawyers representing him could be reached for comment, and they have not commented publicly on the case in the past. Last year Thai authorities arrested the alleged operator of Alphabay, a massive Dark Web marketplace where illicit items such as narcotics and guns could be sold or purchased by anyone, unlike Infraud, which vetted its members. Key Marketing Points: -Amazon bestseller -Author of Eve of Destruction and The Russian Presidency -Author is a professor at the U. The study, conducted over a six-day period in September 2016, draws from data collected from 811 fake id dark web 2022 listings on 12 cryptomarkets.


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A successor to the Bugatti Chiron may not arrive until 2032.
It was inevitable, really. With Ferrari, McLaren and Porsche already adopting hybrid powertrains for the hypercar holy trinity, Bugatti's CEO Wolfgang has revealed that the Chiron's successor will also be electrified as battery and electric motor technology continues to evolve. "Electrification will happen," he said in an interview with Autocar. "The next car is a long way from being developed, but the way battery and electric motor technology is moving on – as well as regulations – it seems certain that the next car will be electrified in some way."
"It will still be too soon for a full electric car, I think – but electrification will happen." Originally, Bugatti was considering utilizing hybrid technology for the Chiron to extract more power from its W16 engine to ensure that it surpassed the Veyron. In the end, the Chiron's phenomenal performance was achieved by upgrading the engine's components, allowing its W16 8.0-liter engine to pump out 1,479-horsepower and 1,180 lb-ft of torque without electrification. Dürheimer believes the Chiron represents the pinnacle of pure mechanical performance, and that there "will probably never be a car with the pure mechanical capabilities of the Chiron."
Electrification is therefore the next logical step to push the limits even further. "The fact is that it may never be beaten in pure mechanical terms makes it incredibly desirable," he said. Dürheimer is even considering buying one himself, since the Chiron is likely to become a valuable collector's car in the future. Bugatti is planning to build 500 Chirons, 280 of which have already been sold. Don't expect to see the next Bugatti hypercar any time soon, however. Deliveries only recently started for the Chiron, which started production over 10 years after the original Veyron. Dürheimer also revealed that Bugatti is considering introducing a second model to its line-up before replacing the Chiron.
"We are looking at what customers want if we do something different, and we have some ideas," he said. "But we are not under pressure to decide – production of the Chiron is expected to last for around eight years. We are at the predevelopment phase, preparing technically and asking clients what they expect." Should the second Bugatti model launch in 2024 when production for the Chiron finishes, we may not see the Chiron's successor until 2032.


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Thoughtful meals: Deer Lakes starts weekly farm-to-table lunch program
Something new is simmering at Deer Lakes School District.
Forget the “mystery meat” label from school lunches — fresh local foods are appearing on their lunch lines.
The district has implemented a new “Comfort Food Thursdays” farm-to-table program in partnership with Mish Farms Meat Market in Gibsonia.
Joe Beaman, director of food services at Deer Lakes, is on a mission to provide students with more locally sourced foods and less processed meals.
“We should have a connection to our food,” Beaman said. “School food doesn’t have to be the old ‘slop it on the plate’ experience.”
Beaman, raised in Wisconsin in a “restaurant family,” brings a lifetime of culinary experience to Deer Lakes. He worked on the management team at the food services department at the University of Northern Colorado before moving to Pennsylvania. Previously he was employed by the Mt. Pleasant School District.
He and his cafeteria crew operate a “food court setting” at the high school, offering eight to nine entrees daily.
Beaman strives to distance his menu offerings from the processed food world, instead offering freshly prepared foods frequently to the more than 400 high school lunches served daily.
“Comfort Food Thursdays” began last January, offering freshly prepared beef twice monthly from Mish Farms.
Mish Farms owner Kim Guthrie delivers 60 pounds of fresh beef weekly, consisting of bottom and top round and sirloin tip cuts that feeds the entire district.
Guthrie’s three children are enrolled in the district.
“I was so excited when Joe approached me about this,” Guthrie said.
“Packing lunches is not always an option. With all of the processed food today, it is wonderful to know that every child has an opportunity to have a fresh, local meal at least once a week.”
Guthrie delivers the beef slabs on Tuesdays, allowing Beaman and his staff time to prepare the meat.
Family owned Mish’s has raised beef for more than 45 years, and all of their cattle are free of antibiotics, steroids and growth hormones.
Deer Lakes is the only school district with a rural zoning designation in Allegheny County, according to Beaman.
The district recently assembled a Deer Lakes School Wellness Committee dedicated to the whole health of the whole school.
All four school campuses serve the same meal on Comfort Food Thursdays, feeding more than 1,250 students districtwide, Beaman said.
“We can put it out (the local beef) cheaper than making pizzas,” he said. “We are able to fully season and prepare this beef in-house. This saves on the processing costs that are associated with some of our other items.”
Beaman was motivated after attending a food-focused conference in Georgia last year. There, he was exposed to a bevy of ideas from other educators on the farm-to-table trend.
Students are bragging up the Comfort Food Thursdays program.
“I don’t eat that healthy, but I am on board with this, and it’s nice to know where the meat is coming from,” said senior Sam Smallwood. “I love the braised beef they serve, and you can taste the quality.”
Junior Samantha Woloszyk doesn’t normally eat beef.
“I eat this beef,” Woloszyk said. “That is saying something. He (Beaman) is a great chef, great at mixing things up.”
“I buy my lunch everyday at school and I really prefer our Mish Farms meat — our local meat — because it’s just healthier for you and it definitely tastes really good,” said junior Angelina Saldamarco.
Comfort Food Thursdays will resume in the fall when students return from summer break. Beaman is pleased with the student participation.
“The numbers grow every time we have it,” Beaman said. “The kids are really buying into the program.”
“I believe this is just the beginning in the change of school lunch,” Guthrie said. “Joe has made many changes in offering other local fresh products. Kids need to learn where their food comes from which helps them make positive food choices.”
Joyce Hanz is a freelance writer.


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Data Theorem Delivers Privacy Toolkit and Data Leak Dashboard to Help Customers Comply with Apple’s New App Store Data Disclosure Rules
Data Theorem, Inc., a leading provider of modern application security, today announced its new application privacy solutions that streamline app publishers’ process to comply with Apple’s recently announced data privacy disclosure requirements for apps being distributed and sold on the Apple App Store.
Read More : BMC Increases Global SaaS Delivery With AWS
Apple’s data disclosure requirements go into effect Dec. 8, with the goal of helping users understand an app’s privacy practices before they download on any Apple platform such as iPhone, iPad, MacBook, etc. The aim is for users to learn about the data types an app collects, and whether that data is shared to third party SDKs.
This new requirement can be described as Apple’s privacy “nutrition labels” to be showcased in the App Store prior to downloading the app. With this change, app publishers and developers will need to provide information about their app’s privacy practices on each app’s product page, including the practices of third-party partners whose code and Software Development Kits (SDKs) are integrated into their app.
These new privacy transparency disclosures however create significant technical and potentially legal challenges for any organization which builds apps on Apple platforms and distributes through the Apple App Store.
Most app publishers are not aware of which third-party SDKs are used, how many are used on a per application basis, nor what data is shared; thus, they are at risk of mistakenly misrepresenting their app data privacy disclosures required by Apple starting next week. These new requirements can lead to fines, lawsuits and significant brand damage if it’s learned a company underreported user tracking and data security concerns for apps they are selling on the Apple App Store.


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Wall Street It opened this Tuesday in mixed terrain and the Dow Jones Industrials, its main indicator, lost 0.19% at the opening, when investors analyze the bad results business and forecasts from Home Depot, the world’s largest chain of DIY and home improvement stores.
Fifteen minutes after the start of operations at the NYSEthe Dow Jones fell to 33,286 units and the selective S&P 500 subtracted 0.03% to 4,134 points.
For his part, he composite index of the Nasdaq market, in which the main technology companies are listed, advanced 0.10% to 12,379 integers.
The Actions Home Depot, which is listed in the Dow Jones Industrials group, was down 1.23% after the home improvement retailer reported disappointing quarterly revenue and cut its full-year guidance.
The sales came in 2.7% below Wall Street expectations and is the company’s biggest revenue loss since November 2002.
In addition, Home Depot anticipates a reduction of the income of the whole year from 2% to 5%.
On the other hand, the investors they are waiting for Democrats and Republicans to reach an agreement on the US debt ceiling.
By sectors, the only Profits they were for technology and communications, which rose 0.67% and 0.01%, respectively. While the biggest losses were for the energetic and that of raw materials, with a drop of 0.85% and 0.71%, respectively.
Among the 30 values of the dowjones, the companies with the biggest losses were Nike (-2.44%) and Home Depot (-1.23%), while the biggest gains were for Microsoft (1.32%) and Apple (0.48%).


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Published on Jan 7, 2010
http://www.motorcyclecancer.com Motorcycle Seats / ELF EMF Radiation. Cancer-controversial ELF EMF radiation is penetrating motorcyclists. Randall Dale Chipkar discovered excessive ELF EMF magnetic radiation above motorcycle seats. Some motorcycle seat ELF EMF readings reach up to 500 mG. In contrast, doctors raise cancer concerns regarding 3 to 5 mG of ELF EMF exposure from other sources.
Extremely low frequency electromagnetic fields (ELF EMFs) are a catalyst for health disorders including cancer. The prostate, testicles and colon are the first invaded by the radiation along with the abdomen, heart and breast area. Promotion of existing hereditary cancer progression is a major concern. Along with other bio-effects various ELF EMFs disrupt melatonin which is our cancer-growth fighting hormone. Melatonin compromise is also linked to colitis, crohns disease, ileitis, gastrointestinal disorders, ulcers, heart disease, diabetes, impotence, etc.
People have a right to physiological integrity without synthetic electromagnetic intervention. Excessive ELF EMF radiation emission concern involves motorcycles, quad bikes, all-terrain vehicles (ATVs), hybrid-electric vehicles, etc.
Randall Dale Chipkar developed the International Motorcyclist Electromagnetic Safety Month Proclamation for governments to encourage the motorcycle industry for safer vehicles. The motorcycle industry needs to recognize, cooperate and support rational precautionary safety guidelines to reduce rider health risk from excessive ELF EMF radiation above motorcycle seats.
To see Randall Dale Chipkar in a motorcycle cancer television interview please visit the motorcycle cancer website below.
Please sign The Motorcycle Cancer Risk Worldwide Petition for global unification of consumer product rational safety standards and labeling regarding ELF EMF magnetic radiation emissions.


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Posts Tagged: WIC
Established in 1974, the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC) is the only federal nutrition program that provides education and counseling to recipients who receive assistance to buy nutritious foods. Depending on the learning style and time restraints of the recipients, however, staying at the WIC center for training and counseling can be a barrier for participation.
The researchers, who are part of UC ANR's Nutrition Policy Institute (NPI), showed that lessons about the importance of eating a healthful breakfast everyday were as effective when presented in person as they were when the participant completed the class on a smart phone, tablet or computer.
“Access to the Internet has rapidly increased in the United States,” said Lauren Au, NPI assistant researcher and lead author of the research article. “To our knowledge, however, the effectiveness of online vs. traditional classes in delivering nutrition education in WIC has never before been studied in a randomized trial.”
The researchers selected breakfast as the lesson topic because it had not been taught before as part of WIC nutrition education even though there is ample evidence to show that regularly eating breakfast is associated with a higher quality diet and decreased risk for obesity.
During the online and classroom training, participants learned why skipping breakfast can lead to poorer health for children and adults and how WIC foods – such as fruit, vegetables, milk, and whole grain cereals– can be used to make healthy breakfasts. Each of the participants was asked to set personal goals for eating healthy breakfasts and making sure their children did as well.
Before the classes began, the participants took a pretest to gauge their knowledge on the topic, and immediately after the class, the test was administered again. Two to four months later, follow up assessments were made to determine whether the participants breakfast behavior had changed and whether they remembered important facts from the training.
“All the participants increased and retained knowledge about how much juice WIC recommends per day – no more than half a cup – and how much sugar per serving of cereal is recommended – no more than 6 grams,” Au said.
Au said the researchers were pleased to confirm that online education is an effective supplement to in-person training.
“Both education types have advantages and disadvantages,” she said. “There's group peer support in the in-person education, and that can be a very powerful motivator. WIC appointments can be faster with online education, which can provide more flexibility and convenience. Both of these education approaches are incredibly beneficial for promoting healthy dietary behavior in WIC participants.”
A six-minute interview with Au about the research project may be viewed online.
An initiative to maintain and enhance healthy families and communities is part of the UC Division of Agriculture and Natural Resources Strategic Vision 2025.
A new federal voucher that gives low-income women access to a range of fruits and vegetables could provide unique new marketing opportunities for California growers.
In 2009, the federal Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC) began distributing monthly cash vouchers to low-income women with children to buy fruits and vegetables. The program reaches almost half of the infants and one-quarter of children under 5 years old in the United States.
A team of UC Cooperative Extension (UCCE) researchers and nutrition advisors has been exploring the possibility of developing a farm-to-WIC program that would link these low-income consumers with local growers. The purpose of such a program would be to increase the consumption of a wide variety of fresh produce, with a focus on locally grown produce when available.
UCCE conducted a survey of produce preferences and buying habits among WIC participants in Tulare, Alameda and Riverside counties in 2010. The full study is published in the January-March 2012 issue of California Agriculture journal.
Based on the results, the UCCE team developed a list of 19 produce items to promote in a possible new farm-to-WIC program. They are:
Although mustard greens and collards were not popular across all sites, the advisors gauged a potential market in Alameda County, so these were retained. Based on write-in responses, oranges were also added.
In California, which has the nation's largest WIC program, 82 local agencies serve about 1.43 million participants at 623 local centers, and WIC participants can redeem their monthly vouchers at 4,000 grocery stores statewide. About 40 percent shop at WIC-only stores, which stock and sell only WIC-authorized foods.
Stocking produce is relatively new to WIC-only stores; before rollout of new WIC food packages in October 2009, these stores were only required to stock limited amounts of fresh carrots. In the survey, most WIC participants (58 percent to 72.3 percent) responded that their preferred stores offered many choices, but fewer participants (18.5 percent to 41 percent) rated the produce quality as “excellent.” Key factors determining purchase decisions were produce quality and freshness, and nutrient value (vitamins and minerals). Cost was relatively less important, possibly because WIC participants procure the produce with the vouchers.
The list has served as a starting point for discussions with growers and WIC vendors.
“The survey showed that WIC participants were interested in purchasing fresh produce with better quality and more variety,” wrote lead author Lucia L. Kaiser, Cooperative Extension specialist in the UC Davis Department of Nutrition, and co-authors, in California Agriculture. “Some WIC participants that we surveyed said they avoided shopping at WIC-only stores in part because these interests were not met.”
A dish made with nopales (cactus pads).
You may have noticed changes lately in some little food stores tucked into your neighborhood strip mall or main street, stores with names like "Prime Time Nutrition" or "Fiesta Nutrition." These stores are now offering enticing displays of fresh fruits and vegetables along with the infant formula, breakfast cereal, eggs, cheese and other foods that have been offered to mothers, infants and children through the WIC program since 1972.
The UC Small Farm Program and Cooperative Extension advisors in three California counties are piloting a new "Farm to WIC Program" with the stores to make sure that some of the fresh produce on the shelves comes directly from small-scale local growers, helping low-income families to participate in USDA's "Know Your Farmer, Know Your Food" campaign.
The mission of the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) is to safeguard the health of low-income women, infants and children up to age 5 who are at nutrition risk. The program provides nutritional education and vouchers for supplemental foods to qualifying families. By 2002 almost half of the infants and about one quarter of children ages 1 to 4 in the country participated. The vouchers can be redeemed at most large grocery stores, but many WIC participants prefer to shop with their vouchers at the small, privately-owned WIC-only stores that have sprung up since 2000, carrying only WIC foods and catering primarily to WIC participants.
In October 2009, the WIC program began including vouchers for fresh fruits and vegetables in the monthly allotment to all participating families. This addition meant that all WIC-authorized retailers had to begin offering a variety of fresh fruits and vegetables to their customers - no problem for traditional supermarkets, but a big change for the smaller WIC-only stores. All of a sudden they were in a new business, the produce business. The store owners now have to understand their customers' fresh produce preferences as well as safe handling of perishable products that don't arrive in the store with "sell-by" dates stamped on them.
With funding from the California Department of Food and Agriculture's Specialty Crops Block Grant program, a team of UC Cooperative Extension specialists and advisors are partnering with WIC-only stores to ease this transition.
The nutrition advisor team, led by UCCE specialist Lucia Kaiser, first conducted a survey of WIC participants at WIC clinics in Alameda, Tulare and Riverside counties to determine what crops the women would like to purchase and what qualities were most important to them in deciding what to buy. Using this information, farm advisors in each county, led by UC Small Farm Program director Shermain Hardesty, introduced local growers who could supply the selected crops in season to WIC-only store owners at stores popular with WIC participants. Soon, staff in the stores will participate in post-harvest handling training sessions led by UCCE specialist Marita Cantwell and will each receive colorful posters and handouts to help their customers select, prepare and store the fresh produce.
Lessons learned from this UC pilot project will help connect local small-scale fruit and vegetable growers with WIC retailers and keep the best local fruits and vegetables available to WIC families throughout California.


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Deals for McAlister’s, AAMCO, Russo’s
Christina Berry, who’s been working in restaurants since she was a teen, is a talented trainer. She’s so good, in fact, that her former employer, Biglari Holdings, dispatched her to lead Steak ‘n Shake opening teams in the U.S. and in Cannes, Ibiza and Dubai.
Yet Berry has long dreamed of owning her own franchise, though like many dreamers she lacked the ability to bankroll it. “The financing was the biggest part. I would have needed help with that,” she says.
Berry got help after meeting Orlando-based developers Mark Graff and Jeff Paulsen. The pair were looking for a restaurant franchise for a new shopping center in Clermont, Florida, and made the 30-year-old QSR veteran their operating partner in a four-unit McAlister’s Deli deal.
The partnership, dubbed Good Eats, is also considering sites in Celebration, Winter Garden, MetroWest, Dr. Phillips, Lake Nona and Kissimmee. Also on the partners’ radar is the estimated $51 million Lee Vista Promenade, a major retail center scheduled to open this year near Orlando Airport.
Berry, meanwhile, is enamored of the soon-to-open first location, a free-standing unit near the National Training Center. The 37,000- square-foot fitness facility, which attracts thousands of amateur and professional athletes each year, is also part of a hospital and university complex, where McAlister’s units typically do well.
“The area is not over-saturated. There’s Denny’s, Waffle House and Panera,” Berry says, before recalling a nearby Chick-fil-A. “They have a great location.”
Thomas and Rhonda Scott are AAMCO’s largest franchisees, operating nine shops and planning to open three or four more in Tulsa and Oklahoma City over the next three years. Given the size of their franchise, you might expect that one or both had automotive repair backgrounds.
“That would be a bad guess,” declares Thomas, most recently a corporate turnaround specialist. Rhonda, trained as a dental hygienist, recently quit a job selling high-tech dental equipment.
The last of their four children graduated from college in May, and the peripatetic couple decided to settle down in Tulsa, where Rhonda’s aging parents live.
The Scotts didn’t intend to have a portfolio of nine auto repair shops. “Our objective was only to have one AAMCO,” Thomas recalls, “and spend time with the family. Yet once we were able to turn the first around, we went to the second one.”
The Horsham, Pennsylvania-based franchisor quickly took notice of their sales growth and profitability and suggested the Scotts add more units. “All we had to do is change the thought processes of taking care of the customer and not chasing money. There’s more to life than just making money,” Thomas, a devout Christian, claims.
Well, not quite. Thomas’ many years as an operations consultant in the field of injection molding taught him that identifying waste is also crucial. “Man, machine, material and methods,” he says. “Those four all contribute to waste. When you have them aligned, you become efficient and productive.”
In fact, the Scotts initially considered opening an injection molding facility and were hunting for a building in Tulsa when they noticed AAMCO. Realizing a muffler shop cost only slightly more than a single piece of injection molding equipment, they changed strategy. The Scotts, meanwhile, decline to detail how they’re financing the growth of their empire except to say debt is involved.
Today, the Scotts’ real estate strategy depends largely on location data supplied by the franchisor, which includes identifying ZIP codes with 200,000-plus cars. The couple also is attempting to outdo dealerships, their biggest rivals—an effort that, in turn, depends on careful hiring. “Our biggest challenge is finding associates who have the same values and ethics as Rhonda and I,” Thomas says.
Pizza and vapor
“I don’t see those places as competition,” says Russo’s New York Pizzeria franchisee David Martinez, referring to the advent of fast-casual pizza. “I see Pie Five, say, more as competition for Subway than for us.”
Martinez, who opened his first franchised restaurant in 2009, in McAllen, Texas, has so far opened two more of the full-service eateries, in Mission and Corpus Christie. He has plans to open another in nearby Harlingen, if he can find a second-generation site.
Martinez, the son of Presbyterian missionaries, helped his family turn around its Christian bookstore chain before deciding to get into the restaurant business via franchising. His mother, of Sicilian descent, gave her approval after eating at one of the company restaurants in Houston.
“Anthony literally cooked everything on the menu and brought it out to us,” Martinez recalls, referring to Anthony Russo, who founded the 30-unit chain in Houston. After moving to Texas in 1978, Russo’s family opened Russo’s Italian Restaurant. Martinez was one of the first franchisees.
Like many franchisees, Martinez maintains ties to his local bank, which has backed his restaurant ventures. The bank president and his wife are regulars at his McAllen outpost, he says.
The entrepreneurial-minded businessman opened his restaurants—so far two endcaps and an inline unit—for about $300,000 apiece in second-generation sites.
There’s a steady and loyal supply of labor in his McAllen and Mission outposts given the low cost of living there. In Corpus Christi, which has a much higher cost of living, it has been difficult to find and keep workers. “People who cross the border go to Houston, San Antonio and Dallas to look for work. They don’t go to Corpus Christie,” he explains.
In addition to being a franchisee, Martinez has recently become a franchisor after founding Fire Vapes, a McAllen-based electronic cigarette enterprise. The company has opened three stores so far in south Texas. In June, when I spoke to Martinez, he was about to release a franchise disclosure document.
He’s enthusiastic about store-level financial results, telling me that company stores margins run about 30 percent. He claims “payback” on the Corpus Christie location, which opened last November, was six months.
Customers, it turns out, spend on average a hefty $35 per visit. “You have to keep refilling that liquid,” Martinez notes, referring to the flavoring component. “Buy three tanks at a time, and that’s $30 right there.”
David Farkas has covered the restaurant industry for 25 years as a reporter and food writer. Submit your company’s development agreements to him at firstname.lastname@example.org.


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N.Y. Court Rejects Asbestos Defendant’s Objection to Recommendation Allowing Product Identification Interrogatory
March 16, 2022
NEW YORK –– A New York court has rejected an asbestos defendant’s appeal of a recommendation that allowed the plaintiffs to continue with a product identification interrogatory that sought information spanning decades.
In the Feb. 24 order, the New York Supreme Court for New York County concluded that the defendant had failed to establish that responding to the interrogatory would be burdensome.
Defendant Skanska Koch Inc.’s appealed the Special Master’s recommendation that the defendant must turn over information by product identification interrogatory.
“Here,” the court explained, “a discovery dispute arose as Defendant Skanska refused to respond to product identification interrogatories …


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From gas to tapioca: venture founded by former commodities traders helps farmers in Gambia.
At first glance, there might seem to be little in common between the humble cassava plant and the high-stakes world of commodities trading, but the founders of a new venture in Gambia beg to differ.
Aspuna Group, founded by a trio of former Executive MBA students at Cambridge Judge Business School, recently signed an agreement with Gambia’s Ministry of Agriculture to organise cassava farmers into cooperatives and develop a crop multiplication centre – based on the founders’ knowledge of commodities trading from their previous careers in the UK and Germany.
Aspuna, whose name derives from the English word “Aspire” and the Wolof word “Aduna” meaning “world”, was part of a cohort that in January 2017 finished the Cambridge Social Ventures programme, part of the Cambridge Centre for Social Innovation at Cambridge Judge.
“The tools and expertise needed to analyse commodities such as precious metals or natural gas are basically the same as those affecting agricultural commodities like cassava,” says Aspuna co-founder Maria-Yassin Jah, previously a gas market and trading analyst in Duesseldorf with E.ON Global Commodities, the trading arm of German energy company E.ON, and with energy consultants Platts in London.
Maria is a dual citizen of Germany and Gambia, and her father and other extended family members now live in Gambia. “It gives me a great sense of purpose to develop the country, which is very much a home for me,” she said.
Aspuna was founded in 2015 by Jah, Luis Prazeres, and Vladimir Maly, who met while studying for their EMBA in Cambridge in 2013-2015. Prazeres also hails from a commodities background, at JP Morgan and professional services firm EY.
“My background is in market risk management and quant trading in many commodity markets, particularly agriculture,” says Luis. “These sorts of skills transfer well to our work at Aspuna as we’re trying to achieve the best price for farmers while building a sustainable business model.”
Cassava (also known as tapioca) is processed into starch that is used locally in Gambia as a food staple, but also has an export market with international pharmaceutical and food companies. Health-food outlets are a major target given the rapid growth in this sector, and because health food consumers in Europe and the United States are increasingly interested in niche agricultural products. Pharma firms use starch to bind active elements in pills and to make capsules.
The agreement with Gambia’s agriculture ministry includes two line agencies, the National Agricultural Research Institute and the Department of Agriculture. The crop multiplication centre is testing 16 different cassava varieties, and only the most suitable will be distributed to farming communities taking part in Aspuna’s supply scheme. Superior cassava varieties produce larger roots with more starch content, and are more resistant to pests and diseases.
Aspuna also secured two grants from the UN’s International Fund for Agricultural Development and the African Development Bank, which support the construction of the factory and purchase of machinery, which will be installed in the next few months. The starch-processing factory is expected to be operational in mid-2017, with first samples delivered shortly thereafter. Aspuna hopes to produce 500 tons of cassava starch in the first commercial year, with sales and marketing activities based in London.
“The products of African producers often do not reach European markets because they lack the sales capacity to sell face-to-face,” says Maria.
To support the establishment of an efficient supply chain, Aspuna has partnered with Cambridge-based tech company AGRIinsight, which developed an interface that allows Aspuna to upload and visualise data and to communicate with smallholder farmer suppliers.
The aim is to geo-locate all farmers in the Aspuna supply scheme. Mapping activity has already begun in the village of Sanyang, 15 kilometres from the factory site, with the aim to map all feasible supply communities this year.
This article is part of Venturing Forth, our new series on the aspirations and challenges of ventures connected to students, alumni and others associated with Cambridge Judge Business School.


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The chain of troubles plaguing Nokia grew longer this week with news that class-action litigation giant Robbins Geller Rudman & Dowd has filed suit against the firm alleging violations of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934.
The complaint can be summed up thusly: Nokia said its shift to Windows Phone 7 would halt its slide in the smartphone market, but that hasn’t happened. Also, its Lumia 900 smartphone had a glitch that saw the company compensating owners by giving them $100, driving its share price down more than 16 percent in one day.
Robbins Geller filed the suit on behalf of one Robert Chmielinski and is seeking a lead plaintiff.
Nokia spokesperson Karen Lachtanski referred the E-Commerce Times to a statement the company made regarding the lawsuit and declined further comment.
Darren Robins, who is acting as plaintiff’s counsel for Robbins Geller, did not respond to our request for comment.
What the Lawsuit Alleges
The complaint was filed Thursday in the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York on behalf of purchasers of Nokia shares between Oct. 26, 2011 and April 10, 2012.
It names Nokia, company CEO and president Stephen Elop, and company CFO and vice president Timo Ihamuotila as defendants.
The complaint alleges fraud on the part of the defendants. It claims they had the motive and opportunity to conduct fraud, and had actual knowledge of the misleading nature of the statements they made or acted in reckless disregard of the true information known to them at the time. In so doing, the defendants are claimed to have participated in a scheme to defraud and participated in a course of business that operated as a fraud or deceit on purchasers of Nokia securities during the class period.
Alleged false and misleading statements cited as proof include Elop’s statement at the unveiling of the Lumia 800 and 710 in October that Nokia’s driving innovations throughout its entire portfolio.
Nokia said the allegations are without merit and it will defend itself.
Trying to Clean Nokia’s Clock?
Given that Nokia made the switch to Windows Phone less than a year ago and the first Nokia devices running this operating system were only unveiled less than eight months ago, it could be a little too early to allege that Nokia has failed to deliver on the promised turnaround.
“The bottom line is, some stakeholders in Nokia see the company failing, and instead of complaining about it, they see the opportunity to make some money,” Carl Howe, a vice president of the Yankee Group, told the E-Commerce Times.
In the first quarter of 2012, Nokia’s Symbian smartphone shipments declined sharply as demand plummeted in key emerging markets such as China, IDC said in its Worldwide Quarterly Mobile Phone Tracker report, issued earlier this week. It’s critical for Nokia to transition quickly to the Windows Phone OS, IDC suggested.
In April, Nokia announced that it lost about $1.2 billion in the first quarter of the year because of a 29 percent drop in sales. The news sent Nokia shares falling 3.8 percent to $3.82. However, the Lumia line is selling well, with 2 million purchased in the first quarter of this year, Nokia said.
Moody’s Investor Service downgraded Nokia’s debt ratings after the company issued its earnings report and questioned its ability to transition successfully to the Windows Phone OS. Standard & Poor’s also downgraded Nokia’s credit rating by one notch and warned it might reduce the rating further unless the company’s performance improves.
Nokia responded to Standard & Poor’s move by stating that it’s in the middle of a transformation program.


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The iPhone X made a huge splash when it was launched last year, dividing opinions over the ‘notch’ that houses all the Face ID hardware. While some felt it was unseemly, others quite liked the distinctive look that is now apparently being copied by other brands, although, Apple itself is said to be shrinking the notch on its 2019 iPhone lineup. As it turned out, whether they initially liked it or not, people eventually warmed up to the notch, making the iPhone X the most popular premium phone since its release, with 29 million units shipped during Q4, 2017, as per Canalys.
Now, it’s Apple’s turn to basically confirm those reports, with the company’s CEO, Tim Cook, saying that the phone’s sales “surpassed our expectations”. Speaking at the company’s Q1 2018 earnings call yesterday at its Cupertino headquarters, Cook said that the device “has been our top-selling iPhone every week since it shipped in November”. He also revealed that the company’s ‘active installed base of devices’ reached 1.3 billion in January, which represents a 30% increase over the past two years.
It’s important to note here that the company didn’t give out any exact numbers about how many units of each iPhone model it sold during the last quarter, but Cook did say that innovative iPhone X features, such as Face ID, were “incredibly well received”. He also gave strong hints about iPhone X successors, saying that “it is chock full of incredible innovations, so you can bet that we’re pulling that string”.
Cook was announcing the company’s financial results for the quarter ended December 2017, during which period, the company posted a record quarterly revenue of $88.3 billion, an increase of 13 percent from the year-ago period. The company’s quarterly earnings per diluted share also hit a record high of $3.89, which was a 16% increase on a YoY basis.


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When we talk about electric cars and their sales ratio worldwide, we can see the stock globally soared from 1 % in 2010 to 40 % year over the years. Approximately only 17000 electric cars were on the road in 2010 and 2019’s survey escalated 100,000 electric vehicles on the road almost in 9 countries worldwide.
Turkey has been working on the electric cars project for the last few years. Berkan Bayram, head of the Turkey electric and Hybrid vehicles Association (TEHAD), has announced that electric cars will be seen soon on the roads of turkey. They are now working on the domestic demand for vehicles to create awareness about environment-friendly vehicles. They are producing their first domestic electric car in their production centres located in northwestern Bursa province (the country’s automotive capital) by introducing and proceeding as TOGG.
The company president said, “The construction of the factory will complete in 18 months, and the first vehicle’s mass production line will start in the last quarter of 2022” The fixed investment on this cars’ project is TL 22 billion (3.21 billion in dollars ). Mass production’s annual capacity is 175,000 units.
He was happy by adding that when we started, only five brands joined their hands with TOGG in 2019, and now they have increased in numbers by 12. He also organized an event to emerge awareness about electric cars and urge all people to join free of cost by saying, “Hearing is not enough, you have to try.”
Through sources, it comes to know that TOGG will produce five models, including; SUV (sport utility vehicle), Sedan, C-hatchback, B-SUV and B-MPV, until 2030.
During the exact recapitulation of Mustafa Varank, the industry and technology minister, the” SUV model will start in the last quarter of 2022. The design of this car is registered in European Union and China as well. He further said, electric vehicles are always known about battery charging and capacity, while we provide the best battery charging in less timing.
The president added, “I believe that this project will become the applaud by the young generation and it’ll become a exceptional vision of Turkey”. Around 75% of the buyers of TOGG will be from turkey, and the other 25% will be from Europe and Asia.
By adding more about the specification of this car, he divulged that this car would provide over 300 to 500 kilometres approximately (190 to 300 miles) with 80% charge in less than 30 minutes. He said the engine Acceleration from 0 to 100 kph (0 to 62 mph) will be 7.6 seconds with 200 horsepower and 4.8 seconds with 400 horsepower.


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ANCHORAGE, Alaska — A marijuana business in Anchorage had a large amount of freshly packaged pot stolen, police said.
The owner of Danish Gardens arrived at his store to find the glass employee entrance smashed in, with a little bit of blood left behind, KTVA-TV reported Thursday.
The burglars got away with about $150,000 worth of ready-to-buy marijuana.
Dozens of surveillance cameras, required for marijuana firms under state law, recorded the burglary.
Business owner Dane Wyrick said video shows the suspects going straight to the product without looking at anything else.
“They came through the…


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News // 2 News by PX Group
Equipped with the BMW eDrive technology and a high-performance battery, the new BMW iX3 offers greater flexibility, efficiency and faster charging times – all-electric, sustainable, with an optimized range and innovative technological features. The latest campaign was photographed by ANTON WATTS, and it was produced by Ink & Oranges. Creative Director for the campaign was Jan Grothklags, Executive Creative Director at Serviceplan Hamburg. Anton Watts is represented by GoSee Premium Member SEVERIN WENDELER.
With a ten-year plan for sustainability, the BMW Group underscores its commitment to achieving the goals of the Paris Climate Agreement. Its focus is on expanding electro-mobility. Today, already 13.3 percent of all new cars registered throughout Europe from the brands BMW and MINI are models with purely electric or plug-in hybrid drive systems (source: IHS Markit’s New Registrations July 2020 report). This is nearly 1.5-fold compared to the average amount of all brands, which is around 8.0 percent. The company estimates that this will already reach one fourth by 2021, one third by 2025 and one half by 2030. GoSee : press.bmwgroup.com/////mehr-als-sieben-millionen-fahrzeuge-mit-vollelektrischem-oder-plug-in-hybrid-antrieb-bis-2030
29.08.2020 show complete article
28.08.2020 show complete article
Cem GUENES c/o TOBIAS BOSCH FOTOMANAGEMENT catapults you back into the lifestyle of the 90s with photos and film in his personal work "Pimp My Ride". Production was taken care of by Joy Fischer, with set construction by Linda Schäffler. Cem himself became the founder of OMG Tuning while post production was taken care of by PX Group Berlin.
22.07.2019 show complete article


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Ripple & # 39; s (XRP), xRapid goes live allowing international transactions. The announcement was made today during Ripple's "Swell 2018 Conference" in San Francisco. Ripple's CEO, Brad Garlinghouse, has officially announced that xRapid is now available for commercial use. xRapid will use the XRP cryptocurrency to allow financial institutions to make international transactions instantly. Software is commercially available and financial giants do not waste time getting on board. Three major payment providers use xRapid. Payment service providers include Mercury FX, Cuallix and Catalyst Corporate Credit Union. Although the banks have not yet adopted Ripple's new product, the Ripple team feels confident that this will change soon.
Ripple xRapid goes live allowing XRP international transactions
xRapid is designed to accelerate cross-border transactions. Use XRP as a sort of "bridge" from currency to currency. For example, when transferring money from the United States to Canada, it is necessary to move funds between pre-funded local currency accounts on both ends of the transaction. xRapid converts a currency into XRP and transfers funds across the border. The funds are converted into the new local currency. The whole process can take place almost immediately.
What to expect from xRapid
Among the first users, everyone has a different plan for using xRapid.
- Caullix placed to focus on transactions between the United States and Mexico.
- MercuryFX will distribute xRapid for payments between Europe and Mexico.
- Catalyst Corporate Credit Union Union will use xRapid on behalf of its clients to implement a new cross-border payment service.
What does this mean for Ripple and XRP?
It is important to remember that Ripple and XRP are distinct from each other. In addition, Ripple is a private company and XRP is a digital currency native to the XRP Ledger blockchain. Ripple owns 60% of the 100 billion existing XRP tokens. That said, there is a direct correlation between the success of XRP and Ripple. Recently, Electroneum (ETN) saw a 196% price increase following the beta launch of its new mobile payment app. We are curious to know if the price of Ripple will see the same fate. Also, can we expect to see banks and other financial institutions adopt xRapid as Ripple expects?


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In the role, Price will work across all of the agency's clients to produce solutions for their content and product placement strategies, such as the creation of TV shows, web content, sponsorship and online advertising production.
Price was previously the creative director at the branded entertainment company Bridge London. Before that, he was a producer for the TV production company Two Four and was responsible for shows that aired on Channel 4, ITV1, Sky1 and Channel 5.
At MPG, he will report to the managing director, Paul Frampton.
Frampton said: "Our clients are increasingly looking to us for solutions to their business problems."
Price said: "I am excited to be taking the business into content creation at a time when it has become so fundamental to the wider marketing mix of so many brands."


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Recent advances in light-emitting diode (LED) technology now provide the horticultural industry with multiple lighting options. However, growers are often unable to compare technologies and LED options due to insufficient data on lamp performance metrics. As a result, researchers are now proposing a standardized product label that facilitates the comparison of lamps across manufacturers. Dr. A.J. Both from Rutgers University and Ryan Siddon from Intertek will talk about the importance of horticultural lighting standards, the proposed horticultural lighting label and the unique requirements for horticultural luminaires.
Presented by Rutgers University professor and GLASE researcher A.J. Both and Intertek horticultural lighting specialist Ryan Siddon. The webinar was hosted by GLASE director Dr. Erico Mattos.
Date: September 7th, 2018


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Amazon and MIT establish Science Hub
The collaboration will support research, education, and outreach efforts in areas of mutual interest, beginning with artificial intelligence and robotics.
Amazon and MIT today announced the establishment of the Science Hub, a collaboration that will focus on areas of mutual interest, beginning with artificial intelligence and robotics in the first year. To get the hub started, Amazon will provide gift and sponsored research funding over the next five years to support research and academic fellowships on campus.
The primary goals of the hub are to ensure the benefits of AI and robotics innovations are shared broadly — both through education and by advancing research — and to broaden participation in the research from diverse, interdisciplinary scholars, and other innovators.
“AI and robotics have an enormous impact on every aspect of our lives, fundamentally changing how we work, learn, access resources and services, and connect to one another — so it’s critical we conduct research that advances the field in ways that are responsible, effective, and beneficial to society,” said Aude Oliva, a senior research scientist and director of strategic industry engagement in the MIT Schwarzman College of Computing. “We take an expansive view of AI and robotics to include expertise from across all five of the Institute’s schools. We’re excited by the potential of collaborations with industry leaders who bring their insights to the research, want to support the next generation of talent, and are best positioned to implement what is learned.”
Oliva will serve as the principal investigator for the Science Hub, which will be administered at MIT by the Schwarzman College of Computing, a cross-cutting entity with education and research links across MIT to increase connections in computing and AI.
Amazon’s support of the new Science Hub underscores a continuing commitment to collaborating with academia on research efforts as well as helping to fund the education and training of future scientists who reflect the diversity of perspectives and expertise at Amazon, MIT, and around the world.
Tye Brady, MIT alumni and Amazon Robotics chief technologist, noted that Amazon’s existing relationship with a number of MIT faculty helped lay the groundwork for the collaboration.
“Over the years we’ve worked with great people at MIT like Russ Tedrake, Alberto Rodriguez, Daniela Rus, Julie Shah, and Nicholas Roy,” Brady said. “Their hard work and ability to perform world class research is a model for what is possible when industry and academia work together.”
We are particularly keen to utilize the breadth of collaboration mechanisms available in the new hub, including sponsored research which could lead to open-source publications and community outreach.
The gift will enable a broad set of programs across MIT, including fellowships that will be awarded annually to graduate students and postdoctoral researchers, as well as support for events and activities that accelerate AI and robotics research in ways to make it more accessible, such as research symposia that are open to other academic institutions and the public. Additional sponsored research funds will support research projects led by MIT faculty members.
“We are delighted to join forces with MIT, bringing together top scientists and engineers from our two organizations in a joint endeavor to find solutions to the most challenging problems in AI and robotics,” Brady said. “MIT’s well-established record of conducting leading-edge, multi-disciplinary research paired with Amazon’s emphasis on translating research into applied science will help ensure the new hub results in practical solutions whose benefits extend beyond industry and academia.”
“We are particularly keen to utilize the breadth of collaboration mechanisms available in the new hub, including sponsored research which could lead to open-source publications and community outreach that will broaden participation in the research process,” added Siddhartha Srinivasa director, Amazon Robotics AI. “These mechanisms are now open to all the business areas of Amazon beyond Robotics too, so we are excited to see the breadth of innovation to come from this collaboration in the coming years.”
Amazon in Massachusetts
The Science Hub complements existing collaborations between Amazon and MIT, and Amazon’s research presence in the Boston area, including an Alexa science team in Cambridge.
Dating back to 2003, Amazon has had a longstanding engagement with the MIT Leaders for Global Operations, focusing on data analytics, supply chain and systems optimization research.
Earlier this year, the Amazon Last Mile team announced a collaboration with MIT’s Center for Transportation & Logistics (MIT CTL) with the aim of incorporating driver know-how into route optimization models. The two groups sponsored a competition, called the Amazon Last Mile Routing Research Challenge, in which academic teams trained machine learning models to predict the delivery routes chosen by experienced drivers. The winners of that competition were announced recently.
In addition, Amazon’s Core AI team in Boston features three MIT faculty currently working as Amazon Scholars: Victor Chernozhukov, the International Ford Professor in the MIT Department of Economics and Statistics and Data Science Center; Yury Polyanskiy, associate professor in the MIT Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, Institute for Data, Systems, and Society, Laboratory for Information and Decision Systems, and Statistics and Data Center; and Alexander Rakhlin, professor in the MIT Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences and Statistics and Data Science Center.
Amazon is also building a new state-of-the-art robotics innovation center in Westborough, Mass. Opening this fall, the company is investing more than $40 million in the new site to allow Amazon Robotics to continue to grow its engineering, manufacturing, support and test teams in the state. The new 350,000 square feet facility will feature corporate offices, research and development labs, and manufacturing space and will be in addition to Amazon Robotics’ current site in North Reading — together serving as the company’s epicenter of robotics innovation.
Amazon also announced plans earlier this year to expand its Boston Tech Hub. The expansion will create 3,000 jobs which will include technology roles in software development, artificial intelligence, and machine learning, along with non-tech corporate roles in product management, HR, finance, and more. Amazon has invested more than $10 billion in Massachusetts over the past decade, including opening five fulfillment and sortation centers, 13 delivery stations, and 33 Whole Foods Market locations. Those investments have helped to create more than 20,000 full- and part-time jobs across the state.


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Online dating app eHarmony has freshened up its old-school success couples ads for its latest cross-channel brand campaign.
A number of years ago interviews between couples who had met on the platform were all the rage for the dating up. But now they’re back.
“We wanted to share our success and prove eHarmony works,” Lynsey Tomkinson, senior marketing manager at eHarmony told B&T.
“Success couples are our most influential brand ambassadors. And we wanted to have them to actually talk about their stories and experiences.”
This time around, eHarmony is focusing more on the quirky titbits behind the couples’ rather than the overarching story.
The campaign was created by production and creative agency Kalido, with media by OMD.
“The new ads celebrate each couple’s unique story, which is built on milestones that happen in between all the big and predictable stages like marriage and kids,” said Joel Norton, CEO of Kalido.
“Quirky and intimate moments like your first date or when you knew it was something special show that a relationship is just as much about the journey as it is the destination.
“We want to show that the fun and chemistry continues to grow throughout a relationship when two people are truly compatible, even beyond the conventional ‘happily ever after’ ending.”
Check out the ad below.
The campaign is going to be cross-channel, but Tomkinson admitted TV is still the dominant medium for the online dating platform.
There’s no shortage of dating apps on the market, however Tomkinson has previously said they don’t consider the likes of Tinder and Happn as competition.
eHarmony is not a free dating service, as many of others are, and it’s one reason Tomkinson said they wanted to re-launch the success couples.
“It’s testament to the fact that eHarmony works, and that is our strategy behind launching it.”
Verizon Media’s talent program has come to an end for the third year, closing with a hybrid pitch-off event for Musicians Making A Difference (MMAD). The Verizon Media Academy class of 2021, made up of 44 emerging leaders from across Australia and New Zealand media, advertising and marketing industry, were given just one hour to […]
Social purpose organisation UnLtd’s Big Games competition has raised a combined $85,000 for children and young people at risk. Running over five weeks, the competition involved 32 teams from across the advertising, marketing and media industries battling it out virtually for a chance to qualify for the Rocket League final. The tournament culminated in a […]
Stan has announced that the Stan Original Film Transfusion commenced filming in Sydney earlier this week and will premiere on Stan in 2022. Transfusion is a taut, muscular thriller starring Sam Worthington (Avatar) as Ryan Logan, a former Special Forces operative, who is battling to cope with life after the loss of his wife and is thrust […]
According to a decade of data collected by iStock, Australian brands turned to imagery depicting outdated gender stereotypes during the pandemic. Tracking the keyword ‘women’, iStock by Getty Images found that in 2020, ANZ brands and businesses reverted to gender stereotypes. Images of mothers home-schooling were used at almost twice the rate of images of […]
Schwartz Media is congratulating Maddison Connaughton on her three years as editor of The Saturday Paper. Connaughton has decided to finish up her editorship this month. “It’s been an honour to edit the paper,” Connaughton said. “The Saturday Paper is one of the brightest voices in Australian media and I have been happy to see […]
Research from EdBbirdie using Spotify data has identified the most popular songs to study to. After analysing thousands of studying and homework playlists on Spotify, American singer Olivia Rodrigo’s ‘drivers license’ came out as top song to study to. It featured on 48 study playlists, while other top songs included ‘Ophelia’ by The Lumineers, ‘Falling’ […]
Dayna Stewart is the Business Director – Digital Marketing, Media & Creative Services at The Nudge Group. Here, she discusses the challenges that come with building a successful marketing team when working remotely. Before COVID-19 changed the way businesses work, most marketing teams spent their days together in a meeting room collaborating on the next […]
The line-up for the 2021 iHeartRadio Music Festival has been announced as the legendary event returns live in Las Vegas in September. This year, the epic two-day lineup for the iHeartRadio Music Festival main stage will feature performances by Billie Eilish, Cheap Trick, Coldplay, Dua Lipa, Florida Georgia Line, Journey, Khalid, Lil Baby, Maroon 5, Nelly, […]
Shop! ANZ is calling on shopper and retail marketing professionals from all retail related disciplines to participate in the first ANZ Shopper and Retail Marketing Industry Survey in four years. This important research provides a guide of where the retail marketing industry in Australia and New Zealand has come from and what is anticipated to […]


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World Bulletin / News Desk
Turkish Cargo, a division of Turkey’s national flag-carrier Turkish Airlines, has successfully transported the self-proclaimed “world’s fastest car” from the Gulf emirate of Dubai to Toronto, Canada.
Güncelleme Tarihi: 02 Haziran 2018, 11:07
According to a Turkish Airlines statement on Saturday, Turkish Cargo completed a successful private cargo operation by carrying the $2.2 million Devel Sixteen luxury car with its expert team using special cargo transportation rules.
The vehicle, produced by Dubai-based Devel, has a 123-liter, 16-cylinder engine which can reach dizzying speeds of 563 kilometers per hour.
Turkish Cargo currently offers air freight services to 121 countries.


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Google has postponed the launch of two mobile phones in China which use its Android platform, in the first sign its business in the country is starting to be affected by a dispute over hacking and censorship.
The manufacturers of the telephone, which was scheduled for launch in China on Wednesday, are Motorola and Samsung Electronics, and China Unicom would have been the carrier, a Google (NASDAQ: GOOG) spokeswoman said.
A source familiar with the situation said Google Inc wanted customers to have a “positive experience” with the product, but felt that would be difficult considering the publicity surrounding the company in China at present.
Google said last week that it and other companies were targets of sophisticated cyber-spying from China that also went after Chinese dissidents, and threatened to pull out of the country.
It also said it no longer wants to censor its Chinese Google.cn search site and wants talks with Beijing about offering a legal, unfiltered Chinese site.
Android is an open source mobile operating system, already adopted by China Mobile’s OPhone and Dell’s Mini 3, which were launched in China late last year.
Analysts say that without search, Google’s most important business in China, the firm would struggle to retain a foothold is the world’s biggest Internet market by users.
The dispute could stoke tensions between China and the United States, already at odds over the value of the yuan currency, trade issues, U.S. arms sales to Taiwan and climate change policy.
Chinese officials have so far publicly fended off Google’s complaints and not openly flagged any talks with the world’s biggest Internet search company, which opened its Chinese-language search site in 2006.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Ma Zhaoxu pressed the company a little more on Tuesday in comments that suggested scant room for giving way to Google’s demands.
“Foreign firms in China should respect China’s laws and regulations, and respect China’s public customs and traditions, and assume the corresponding social responsibilities, and of course Google is no exception,” Ma told a regular briefing.
Ma did not mention censorship as being among those responsibilities, but other Chinese officials have.
Until now, the Foreign Ministry had avoided mentioning Google’s name in comments on the dispute that has also drawn Washington into demanding an explanation from Beijing.
But Ma, like other Chinese officials, did not directly hit back at the U.S.
When asked again about Google’s complaint it had been hacked from within China, Ma said Chinese companies have also been hacked.
“China is the biggest victim of hacking,” Ma said, adding that eight out of 10 personal computers in China connected to the Internet had been hacked. This figure apparently included the many computers infected with viruses spread online.
Other countries are also being drawn into the dispute.
India’s national security adviser M.K. Narayanan told the London-based Times newspaper on Tuesday that his and other Indian government offices had been the target of hacker attacks originating from China on Dec. 15, coinciding with attacks on Google and the other firms.
“There is no basis at all for this claim,” Ma said.
Indian commerce and industry minister Anand Sharma declined to comment on the report.
He said he had not brought up the issue with China’s commerce minister when they met in Beijing on Tuesday.


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Ever since the debacle of Zero, Shah Rukh Khan’s fans have been waiting for the romance king to announce his next. From Atlee Kumar & Rajkumar Hirani’s collab to a cameo in Ayan Mukerji’s Brahmastra and Sidharth Malhotra’s Shershaah, there have been ample speculations about what SRK’s next would be.
Being the perfect husband he is, Shah Rukh Khan was recently spotted at his wife and designer Gauri Khan’s store. He not only visited the store but also obliged with her friends and colleagues for pictures. But what has caught our attention is that Gauri putting out a hilarious show of her sense of humour.
Interacting with the media present at her store, Gauri took a sly but cute dig at SRK in context to the constant curiosity around Shah’s announcement about his next film. Gauri said, “Shah Rukh has a great taste in designing. As Shah Rukh is not doing any movie right now, I will tell him to keep his second option as a designer in future because he is a great designer.”
Well, this isn’t the first time Khan’s career has become the butt of jokes. During his recent interaction with Amazon head honcho Jeff Bezoz, the latter said, “I was talking to him (gestures towards SRK) backstage and he (Shah Rukh) is one of the most humble people I have ever met.” As the audience applauded widely, Khan took a dig at himself saying, “That’s only because my last few films did not work well.”
Meanwhile, after the 2018 debacle of Zero, Shah Rukh Khan has not confirmed any project. However, it may be noted that Karan Johar has confirmed to Shah Rukh Khan doing a cameo in Ayan Mukerji’s Bramhastra alongside Ranbir Kapoor, Alia Bhatt and Amitabh Bachchan.


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Ahead of Redmi K20 series launch, Xiaomi to unveil Mi Superbass wireless headphones on July 15
Xiaomi has announced that it will launch the Mi Superbass Wireless Headphones in India on July 15 - two days before the planned launch of the Redmi K20 series in the country. The launch date was confirmed by Mi India on Twitter. The headphones will be available on Amazon India and Mi.com, the tweet confirmed.
Xiaomi has announced that it will launch the Mi Superbass Wireless Headphones in India on July 15 - two days before the planned launch of the Redmi K20 series in the country. The launch date was confirmed by Mi India on Twitter. The headphones will be available on Amazon India and Mi.com, the tweet confirmed. "Prepare to #BreakTheWire. Because the #MiSuperbassWirelessHeadphones are almost here. Launches on 15th July, midnight, on http://mi.com & @amazonIN," Mi India tweet posted on Wednesday read.
The accessory will be launched as part of company's fifth anniversary festival deals, alongside other product launches. The Mi Superbass Wireless Headphones are expected to come with 20 hours of battery life, and integrate 40mm dynamic drivers. Xiaomi is yet to confirm the price of the smartphone and will be revealed on the launch date.
Apart from these headphones, Xiaomi is also planning to launch a Mi Water TDS Tester. The Mi website also confirms that the Mi Water TDS Tester will be up for crowdfunding on July 23. It will help users check the health of drinking water, and can detect TDS of up to 9990 in a few seconds. Earlier, the page said that the crowdfunding will begin on June 23, which of course, was an error.
The Mi Crowdfunding site is currently only taking orders for the Mi Truck Builder Toy. The page also lists that the Chinese smartphone maker will soon introduce a Mi Rechargeable Lamp that offers three colour temperature options, a fast charger, and new neckband earphones as well.
The upcoming fast charger could be one of the two fast wall chargers Xiaomi sells in China right now – a 36W Mi USB charger or a 27W Mi USB charger. The company has already launched Mi Beard Trimmer in India as part of its 5th anniversary celebrations. The product is currently available on Amazon.in and Mi.com.
Xiaomi has also listed a Mi Rechargeable LED Lamp as coming soon.
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TOKYO — Japan has fought long and hard in trade talks to protect its rice growers from foreign competition. Now the government wants to help them go global.
The agriculture ministry plans to develop new technology to lower cultivation costs in a push to boost exports. It aims to slash production costs by more than 40% by using new crop varieties with greater yields, autonomous tractors and other smart agricultural machinery.
Sales of Japanese rice are growing in Asia, but they are currently limited to expensive restaurants due to high prices. With domestic rice demand continuing to decline, the government wants to develop overseas markets using new technology to lower costs.
Farmers and local governments will test the technology for two years starting this spring in four prefectures — Miyagi, Ibaraki, Fukui and Gifu. The National Agriculture and Food Research Organization, a national research and development agency, will summarize the results.
One way to cut costs is to reduce farmers’ workload. New varieties with higher yields and direct seeding will both help in that.
Rice yield per are (0.01 hectare) is usually around 544kg. But recent years have seen new varieties with yields of 720 kg per are. Research on cultivation by sowing seeds directly in rice paddies, rather than planting rice seedlings, is also progressing.
The ministry also plans to lower costs through greater use of information technology.
Drones can spray fertilizer and chemicals on crops, reducing waste and labor. Other machines, like autonomous tractors, will more efficiently plow large areas of farm land.
Japan’s rice exports in 2018 rose 16% from the previous year to 13,794 tons, according to the farm ministry. That is a sevenfold increase from 10 years ago.
Hong Kong and Singapore are the two biggest export markets for Japanese rice, and China-bound shipments are also expanding.
Japan’s rice exports still account for a tiny fraction of its total production. The country exported less than 1% of the 7.33 million tons grown in 2018.
But the importance of overseas markets is growing. Japan’s declining population means the market is shrinking, and people are shifting away from rice. Demand is falling by 100,000 tons annually.
Japanese rice exports currently cost 600 yen ($5.36) or more per kilogram, and is consumed primarily by people with high incomes, according to the farm ministry.
The ministry thinks that if prices are lowered to somewhere between 300 and 600 yen per kilogram, more people will buy the grain, like Japanese restaurant chains in China.
Government bodies in Japan have had a hard time using new technology to increase rice production at lower costs. Until recently production volume was regulated to deal with supply gluts. Those regulations ended in 2018.
As a result, researchers have focused on improving the quality of rice varieties until now.
But overseas markets have become more attractive as Japanese food has gained popularity.
“To increase rice exports, it’s necessary to both lower production costs and maintain high quality,” said Hiroaki Muto, chief economist at Tokai Tokyo Research Center. “It’s important for both the public and private sector to work to further improve its brand image.”


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Nutrition research risks turning into a branch of marketing for food and drink companies, a leading critic of corporate sponsored science has warned.
Marion Nestle, Paulette Goddard professor of nutrition, food studies and public health at New York University, found that only a small fraction of sponsored studies she had analysed would disappoint the companies that funded them.
Writing in JAMA Internal Medicine, she sounded the alarm over the fact that “so much research is sponsored by industry that health professionals and the public may lose confidence in basic dietary advice”.
Declining government research spending meant that “officers of nutrition research societies tell me that they cannot function without industry funding of journals and conferences”, Professor Nestle wrote.
Of 95 studies she has looked at since March last year, just nine did not give results that were favourable to their sponsors, Professor Nestle told Times Higher Education, giving an update on figures cited in her article.
Her warnings come after two New York Times exposés of industry sponsorship last summer that Professor Nestle said had been a “game changer” in raising awareness of the issue. One claimed that Coca-Cola had funded a non-profit organisation to spread the message – with the help of prominent academics – that exercise was more important than diet in preventing obesity.
The second revealed that firms selling genetically modified crops and their organic food industry opponents had enlisted academic scientists in a “food war” for public opinion. In both cases, universities and academics denied that their work had been influenced, and the businesses denied any sinister motives.
Following these stories, Coca-Cola published a list of the research projects and health programmes it had funded. Recipient organisations included a number of US universities. Overall, Coca-Cola said it spent $21.8 million (£15.19 million) in the past five years funding scientific research.
The company also named more than 100 “health professionals and scientific experts” to whom it had paid an average of $38,000 over the past five years to help “support their efforts to share scientific expertise, practical nutrition, physical activity, and lifestyle information with consumers and/or health professionals”. However, “several” recipients refused to allow Coca-Cola to reveal their identities.
In her article, Professor Nestle also says Mars could have left members of the public with the impression that “chocolate is good for them and that its sugar and calories can be ignored” through the way it has promoted the results of studies it has funded that suggest that cocoa flavanols – compounds found in cacao – can help lower blood pressure. Mars failed to respond in time for THE’s deadline.
A key question is whether disclosure of corporate funding can prevent research bias.
“I can’t imagine how you could accept it [funding] and not be influenced by it,” said Professor Nestle. “Research makes clear that people are influenced, and can’t detect that. When you’re dealing with that level of denial, people can’t see it in themselves.”
If food and drink companies genuinely wanted to fund scientific research, she said, they should pool their money and have it distributed by a panel of scientists to reduce the risk of bias and improve the scientific usefulness of funded studies.
But she thought this was unlikely to happen as it would deprive firms of their influence.


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Yachting Ventures founder Gabriella Richardson grew up surrounded by yachts on the island of Mallorca. And she’s worked as a yacht charter broker for Camper & Nicholsons. But it wasn’t until she’d moved to London and was one of the first employees at SeedLegals (a high growth tech startup that recently closed a $4 million Series A funding round) that her idea to bring proven start-up practices to the yachting industry took shape.
“I love being able to combine insight into the yachting space and insight into the startup world,” she told me recently. “Seeing how much support there is for entrepreneurs in other industries and trying to bring some of that now to the yachting space is exciting. And we've already hundreds of applications for our accelerator so there's a lot of opportunity.
“It's a 10-week program,” she explains. “We start by helping founders with everything from validating their idea and building out an MVP or minimum viable product the product that they can then use to start testing on real users, get some feedback, and potentially secure a pilot project.
“The middle weeks all about growth, so branding, marketing, launching. How to scale the team, giving equity to early employees, all that kind of stuff.
“And then the final three weeks are all about raising investment. We help our founders understand what investors look for, how to approach investors and how to find investors. We do sessions with investors that give the founders insight into what they look for and the materials they need.
“It's a lot condensed into the 10 weeks, but it's designed to open the founders' eyes into what's out there and we are already seeing results.”
Yachting Ventures-backed projects like the Navier 27, a 27-foot long, zero-emissions all-electric hydrofoil concept yacht capable of flying above the water’s surface at 20 knots that a young team of MIT engineers just unveiled at the Palm Beach International Boat Show seem to be just the beginning.
ZeroJet is another example of a yacht company looking to disrupt the yachting space. Company founders are on a mission to replace 10,000 internal combustion outboards with their unique electric jet propulsion system. It’s half the weight of a traditional outboard and produces a zero emissions.
“Boatcation is another B2C startup on our current Yachting Ventures cohort,” says Richardson. “The concept brings the trend of the ‘sharing economy’ to the world of boat chartering. The easy-to-use app uses new technology to match up like-minded to charter a yacht for a vacation or day trip. The upshot is they get to charter a yacht, for a price that fits, and they make new friends and enjoy amazing adventures together. The concept is also a win-win for the boat owner who receive income in return.”
Richardson’s accelerator also helps founders connect with and learn from yachting industry heavyweights such as Charlie Birkett (co-founder of Y.co), Tim Hamilton (Commercial Director at Lurssen US) and others.
"Gary Wright and I are very happy to help Yachting Ventures with their mentoring program,” Birkett says. “We see how much time and effort has gone into bringing some great minds together, and we love helping the next generation with their exciting business ideas."
“By providing a roadmap for entrepreneurs disrupting the marine trades, Yachting Ventures is filling a much-needed role in our industry,” Hamilton adds. “Our clients are demanding innovation to make the yacht experience more sustainable, more adventurous, and more accessible. By guiding those startups through their product development and scaling stages, Yachting Ventures is helping the marine industry remain relevant for future generations of owners.”
Watch this space!


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Nevada COVID-19 Response Director Caleb Cage and Julia Peek, deputy administrator of Community Health Services were joined by Jennifer Ott, director of the Nevada Department of Agriculture on Monday to provide updates on Nevada’s ongoing COVID-19 response and discuss NDA’s programs.
All counties in Nevada, with the exception of Eureka and Storey, have been flagged for elevated disease transmission, and all met the criteria of a high case rate per 100,000 and had a high test positivity rate. Lincoln was the only county flagged for a low average of tests per day.
Nevada has logged 189,412 cases, an increase of 2,579 new cases since Sunday. The state has completed a total of 1,845,307 molecular tests since the beginning of COVID-19. For the most recent seven-day period, cases are growing at a rate of 1.5%, or 2,689, new cases per day. The test positivity rate over the last 14 days is 21.3%
According to the Nevada Hospital Association, there are currently 2,025 COVID-19 hospitalizations (1,804 confirmed, 221 suspected).
Ott said NDA is committed to its mission to preserve, protect and promote food and agriculture in Nevada, and that includes supporting a safe and abundant food supply for all Nevadans. NDA administers several school and community nutrition programs and partners with organizations throughout the state to help provide nutritious foods to Nevadans who need it.
Feeding America describes food insecurity as a household’s inability to provide enough food for every person to live an active, healthy life, and the organization estimates 1 in 5 Nevadans are food insecure. That number was 1 in 8 before the pandemic exacerbated food insecurity throughout the country, but especially in Nevada.
NDA began planning in early March for how they could continue to provide nutrition access for people who rely on nutrition programs. NDA elected to participate in all available USDA waivers to give necessary flexibility to continue food distribution and maintain Centers for Disease Control and Prevention safety guidelines.
In addition, for tribal and senior distribution, drive-thru distributions and waived signature requirement waivers were implemented to minimize risk. NDA established 72 alternative meal distribution sites within 48 hours of closures leading to more than 150 sites distributing food by the end of the first week.
NDA used $8 million in CARES Act funding to address food insecurity, improve access to local food and relieve stress on Nevada’s food supply.
The UNLV Food Pantry received some of this relief funding to provide software to allow for online food orders to maximize safety and maintain distribution. UNR’s Made In Nevada program used funding to set up an e-commerce site to connect food and agriculture businesses directly with consumers for ease of purchase.
Funding went to personal protective equipment at farmers’ markets and for farm workers, addressing storage of products stuck in a logistics pipeline to prevent food waste.
One example, Lattin Farms in Fallon, received funding to ensure they could continue to safely operate their on-farm produce stand and bring their product to farmers’ markets, ensuring Nevadans could maintain safe access to fresh and healthy food.
This included signage to reduce congregation, sanitation supplies and barriers for traffic flow.