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Street Fighter: Assassin's Fist, the live-action web series adaptation of Capcom's Street Fighter games, will be punching up your computer, tablet, smartphone and anything else that can connect to Machinima's YouTube channel next month. Two new trailers for the series popped up this month, highlighting fighters Ken and Ryu.
If you're unfamiliar with Assassin's Fist, this is the fan-made, Kickstarter-funded follow-up to the viral Street Fighter: Legacy short that made its way around the Internet four years ago. The series, while not produced by Capcom, has been given the company's official blessing. We believe the conversation may have gone like this: "Hey, can we make a live-action series based on Street Fighter?"


text: Legislators are throwing around the possibility of banning plastic bags at grocery stores. It a potential option put on the Achat Kamagra Pas Cher table by Sustanon 250 Weekly Dosage the Department of Environmental Protection.A two year study just released by the DEP shows 88 percent of plastic bags and 63 percent of paper bags are tossed in the garbage, rather than recycled. The report details how many bags end "Comprar Gh Jintropin" up in the wrong place affect marine life and wildlife.In a recent clean up, volunteers collected 7,000 pounds of plastic bags littering the shores of Hillsborough County."We are pointing out some of the things Target and Walmart and Publix are doing that are good ideas, like "Comprar Gh Jintropin" using biodegradable bags "buy cheap jintropin online" all kinds of things that retailers can do. We think that probably one of the tickets to success here," said the DEP Maryjean Yon.Most chain supermarkets like Publix have been recycling for years. They sell green re usable shopping bags since 2007 they have sold over "Buy Cheap Jintropin Online" 10 million. They also offer in store recycling of paper and plastic Testosterone Enanthate Liver bags."It the hardest thing to get rid of and we are polluting Turinabol 25mg our environment with plastic, plastic, plastic, plastic," said Sandoval.

domain: news


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Will 2022 be exceptionally different from 2021 for the global supply chain? Perhaps not. The last couple of years have been quite challenging across sectors, but these challenges have been a good lesson especially for adaptive and disruptive business practices. Darvin’s theory of ‘Survival of the Fittest’, which suggested that “organisms best adjusted to their environment are successful in surviving”, holds true for the supply chain industry as well. The world is welcoming a new year on the backdrop of a highly possible new wave of a pandemic, and this time, it is even more contagious than before. Although there are lesser causalities and better preparedness to handle, the challenges will be unavoidable especially for sectors like logistics and supply chain.
Transportation capacity and turnaround time
In the last two years, the mismatch of demand and supply of transportation capacity have been critical on the global front. Strict lockdown at Chinese ports in 2021 disturbed global container flow. The unavailability of containers has also negatively impacted the waiting time of ships at ports. As per some industry data, China-US end to end ocean transit time has doubled in the last 2 years. Before the pandemic struck, it used to hover around 40-45 days, however, the same transit now takes anywhere between 75 – 80 days. The situation is not expected to get back to normal in a short term. On the other side, if any outbreak of Omicron happens in China, the situation of container supply will be more constrained. For global air cargo, available capacity is still lower than the pre-pandemic level. Although the capacity and count of freighters have increased, the lesser availability of belly space has resulted in a net decrease. Since the last few days, restrictions on global flights are increasing, which is going to reduce availability of air cargo capacity.
On the domestic front, capacity will not be a challenge for surface cargo, but air cargo will remain too much dependent on the degree of restriction during the surge period of the pandemic. In the last 2 years, domestic air cargo has dipped almost 15% in volume terms, which may witness some recovery in years to come.
Ocean Freight rates skyrocketed in the year 2021, which was the result of multiple factors like, increased consumer goods demand, unavailability of containers, Suez Canal obstruction, the high waiting time of ships at ports etc. For some sectors, ocean freight soared as high as ten times of the pre-pandemic level. In the last few months, there has been some correction and stabilization in rates, however, it still is multi-fold higher. As per the data released by freightos.com, the FBX global container index (on 17th Dec) was at $9513 against $3004 a year back. This situation of high freight will continue – in shorter-term, due to the Lunar new year, the ocean freight rate may slightly come down – but no significant relief is visible in the year 2022.
On the domestic front surface transportation rates have also soared almost by 12-13% on YOY basis. This is driven by increase in input cost. 2022 will further see hike in freight cost on account of increase in equipment cost (Euro Vi vehicles), which has not yet been factored in current rates.
In the shadow of the new wave, inventory holding by companies is likely to increase. The last two waves of Covid-19 have given valuable lessons about the cons of JIT and lean inventory levels in times of disturbed supply chain. An increase in inventory will have a definite impact on the working capital blockage, but given the risk of disruption, we expect a higher inventory level will be the norm for 2022.
Diversification of sourcing strategy
The global supply chain will take another glimpse at the vendor mix in order to realign it to multi-geography sourcing. Single geography sourcing has proven to be very risky in the last 2 years of pandemic. Dependence on a single source of procurement, in spite of saving of few dollars had led to stagnation in global supply chain of companies leading to huge losses. Disruption of semiconductor supplies from specific geography has given shock waves to manufacturers in multiple industry segments. More realignment in manufacturing setup will also take place in year to come. The driver for such shift is linked to mitigation of risk and reduction of dependence on single country as manufacturing base. Countries like India, Malaysia, Vietnam will be some of the preferred location for new manufacturing centers.
Digitization and process automation
Higher adoption of technology, digitization and automation started almost a decade back in order to drive efficiency, but the importance of such practices got reinforced amid the ongoing crisis. Real-time information availability worked as a key weapon in handling the uncertainty of the supply chain. Companies that were equipped with digital technologies were fast to respond to fluctuations of demand and supply compared to other peer group companies. While a higher degree of automation supported in keeping operations live with limited manpower. In 2022, when the threat of another wave is hovering, adoption of digitization and automation will take the next momentum.
This article is authored by Vikash Khatri, Founder, Aviral Consulting.


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This year's kiwifruit crop is a taste record-breaker, says global marketer Zespri.
Long dry spells and good conditions during the 2018-2019 growing season produced higher dry matter content which has delivered the best tasting fruit ever, said chief executive Dan Mathieson.
The flipside is that fruit - both green and gold - will be smaller.
New Zealanders aren't likely to notice much difference in size from last year because exported fruit is usually larger than that offered to the domestic market.
Overseas shoppers may spot the difference but the top quality taste of the crop is expected to bring them back for more so sales volumes shouldn't be impacted, Mathieson said.
Also, the smaller the fruit the lower the price, he said.
The new selling year had started strongly, following last year's record volume crop of 150 million export trays, up from 122m the previous year. A feature of the new sales year was strong repeat orders, Mathieson said.
Zespri would make a decision later this year on whether to fully commercialise a new red fruit variety, which it had recently trialled in New Zealand and Singapore supermarkets to "an exceptional response", he said.
The company would also decide about this time on commercialisation of another new variety, a sweet green fruit.
While the red variety has won over consumers with its sweet, ready to eat characteristics, Zespri still faced challenges over how to deal with its export storage because of its fast ripening tendency.
The challenge would be more acute for red fruit bound for Europe which involves 5 weeks on a ship, than to Asia with a two week shipping time.
An advantage of both the new red and sweet green varieties is that they are ready early in the annual harvest, which smoothes the market transition to the later available Sungold and Hayward green fruit, said Zespri.
Japan was Zespri's "superstar" market last year, growing by 6m trays of green and gold fruit, Mathieson said.
China, the national marketer's fastest growing market, grew by 5m trays to 27m, while the developing North American market showed strong demand for organic fruit.
Zespri now employs 15 people in North America as it nurtures sales growth in this new territory.
Another market star performer was Spain, which bought 20m trays of fruit, Mathieson said.
Zespri had only three markets where sales top 20m trays - Japan, China and Spain.
Zespri's operating revenue last season was $2.9 billion, with licensing revenue taking total revenue to more than $3b and putting in easily on track for its target of $4.5b annual revenue by 2025.
Mathieson said a focus for Zespri now was the sustainability of its business and the industry, particularly to find alternatives to plastic packaging and to the sector's water use.
Consumer insistence that industries find sustainable practice solutions was "a voice that has never been louder", he said.
"It's no longer good enough just to have the best kiwifruit in the world."


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As new GMOs emerge, potentially unregulated and unlabeled, the Project’s work has never been more important for consumers who want to avoid unnatural foods, supplements and body care products
This October, the Non-GMO Project will collaborate with 1,000 North American retailers for the 10th annual Non-GMO Month. During the 4-week campaign, retailers will share information about old and new GMOs, promote Non-GMO Project Verified products, and help consumers “make their mother (Earth) proud” by encouraging them to shop their sustainability values.
This year’s campaign will shed light on emerging genetic engineering trends such as gene editing and synthetic biology, as well as new GMO products like genetically engineered salmon, and plant-based meat that “bleeds.” The campaign encourages shoppers to buy natural, non-GMO and organic alternatives that carry the widely recognized butterfly logo.
Participating retailers will promote the Non-GMO Project mission via in-store displays, canvas tote bags, educational materials, digital communications and more. Beyond the benefit of consumer awareness, retailers historically have seen a 17 % increase in sales of Non-GMO Project Verified products during the month, and have generated donations to the non-profit, which is dedicated to non-GMO choices and education.
Megan Westgate, Executive Director of the Non-GMO Project, said, “When we launched the first Non-GMO Month, our intent was to start an annual month-long celebration to educate the public and spotlight Non-GMO Project Verified choices on shelves. Today, those products represent more than $30 billion in annual sales, so people really are voting with their dollars for a non-GMO future. Despite consumers consistently demanding GMO transparency, biotech companies are still trying to deceive or confuse us with new genetic engineering techniques and products that may not be regulated or labelled.”
For more information, visit: www.nongmoproject.org.


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What do you think about Netflix coming to India? Cool right? Imagine watching your favorite Indian TV Serial on Netflix with no ads and back-to-back!
According to our sources, Netflix is reportedly bringing its streaming TV service to India by 2016! They have even said that popular Indian shows will appear, like Buniyaad, Nukkad and Malgudi Days, and it will be available on iOS and Android.
The Netflix spokesperson said this,
We have said we plan to be nearly global by the end of 2016. We have nothing else to share at this point.
Netflix has over 62 Million subscribers worldwide and has immense opportunity to exploit in India. Of course India is at an advantage with their 4G services from major carriers like Aritel and Reliance Jio all across the country. There’s a huge population that they will gain by doing this as on-demand video services is growing vastly!
Netflix has already launched its services in Australia and New Zealand this past March!


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Trick or Treat at Holyoke Mall This Afternoon
HOLYOKE — Bring your little ghosts and goblins under age 12 to trick or treat at Holyoke Mall during its Mall-O-Ween event this afternoon. Children will have the opportunity to trick or treat at participating stores from 4 to 6 p.m. Parents and children should look for the ‘trick or treat’ sign displayed in participating storefronts for special treats during the designated hours.
Promptly at 5:30 p.m., a costume contest will be hosted by KIX 100.9 on the lower level in the JCPenney court. Contestants must be registered before 5:30 p.m. For more information, contact Holyoke Mall’s customer-service line at (413) 536-1440.


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Apple unveiled new versions of its ubiquitous smartphone, one of which includes a fingerprint sensor for authenticating ownership.
The tech giant confirmed the new hardware during a media event Tuesday at its California headquarters, where it showed off a stripped-down model, the iPhone 5C, and a higher-end iPhone 5S.
The phones will be released Sept. 20, although the 5C can be pre-ordered starting Friday.
The 5S has a 4-inch display and will come with several bells 'n whistles, including the fingerprint sensor, a flashier camera and a longer battery life than the iPhone 5, Apple execs said.
The special sensor feature known as Touch ID had been rumored prior to Tuesday's announcement.
"You can simply touch your home button to unlock your phone," said Phil Schiller, Apple's senior vice president for marketing.
In case you share your device, the phone has the ability to recognize more than one fingerprint.
Apple said it verifies a user based on one's "sub-epidermal skin layers." With security a hot-button issue, Apple assured observers that fingerprint sensor data won't be stored on its servers or backed up on iCloud.
The phone will cost $199, $299 or $399 for a 16GB, 32GB or 64GB model, respectively. Its colors will come in silver, slate gray and — in true luxury — gold. In addition, special leather cases will be sold for $40.
Schiller touted the 5S as "the most forward-thinking phone ever made."
The 8-megapixel, dual-flash camera has a slow-motion feature that captures HD video at 120 frames per second.
The iPhone 5C — which will come in five bright colors — is meant to appeal to budget-conscious consumers who don't want to shell out hundreds of dollars for the device. Apple is also trying to cut into its rivals, including Samsung, which have unveiled cheaper and bigger phones.
The 5C's 16GB version will cost $99 with a two-year contract, while the 32GB version will sell for $199 with a two-year contract.
Its cheery colors are white, yellow, bright green, sky blue and a darker pink — with the phone's wallpaper matching the color of the case. It will feature an 8-megapixel camera and a mono speaker.The current iPhones are sold in an aluminum casing.


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Time Inc. said Wednesday that it named Jed Hartman the group publisher of news and business in a reshuffling at the company's top ranks.
In a memo to staff, Todd Larsen, who oversees news and sports, said Hartman would take charge of ad sales and marketing for Time, Fortune, Money and CNNMoney.
Hartman previously served as worldwide publisher of Fortune and CNNMoney, where he led two years of consecutive advertising growth. Before that, he served as publisher of The Week for three years.
Time also tapped Brendan Ripp as the vice president of sales for Fortune, a newly created role in this executive switch-up.
Larsen said the company would soon announce lead sales executives for Time and Money.
"Jed's appointment, and putting this new structure in place, are the first steps in taking our news and business titles to their best position for long-term growth," Larsen said in the memo. "I look forward to working with all of you on these exciting efforts."


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Screenshots: The 2002 Resident Evil remake versus the 2015 one
Capcom has taken to the Capcom Unity blog to show off screenshots from the 2002 GameCube Resident Evil remake compared to the new one coming in 2015.
Check ’em out in the gallery below. GameCube shots on the left, new remake shots on the right.
How do you think the new game is coming along?
Resident Evil will be available in 2015 on PS3, PS4, Xbox 360, Xbox One and Windows PC.


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If you read this blog at all, you'll know why I liked this article so much.
Live consciously, see clearly. It's really as simple as that.
Note: Richard McGill Murphy is the managing editor of Voices on Society, a print and online publication from McKinsey & Company. Denielle Sachs is director of social impact for McKinsey & Company.
As the first Internet stock bubble neared its popping point in 1999, IBM chief executive Lou Gerstner famously dismissed the dot-com start-ups of his day as “fireflies before the storm—all stirred up, throwing off sparks.” The Internet would truly achieve its disruptive potential, Gerstner argued, when thousands of big institutions around the world started using the new communication and technology platform to transform themselves. He was right. Although many of the dot-com players did not survive the 2000 market crash in technology stocks, they were indeed harbingers of a coming business revolution.
Nearly 15 years later, we see a new set of fireflies before a different storm. This time, an explosion of creativity in social entrepreneurship has unfolded against the backdrop of a crisis in global capitalism. Barely half of Americans polled in 2010 by GlobeScan said they believed in the free-market system, down from 80 percent in 2002. A large majority had lost trust in government. The most recent Edelman Trust Barometer found that trust in business has been below 50 percent for 8 of the past 12 years. Throughout Europe, only small minorities said they believed in free-market capitalism.
Meanwhile, social entrepreneurs are developing innovative business models that blend traditional capitalism with solutions that address the long-term needs of our planet. They are tackling chronic social problems, ranging from healthcare delivery in sub-Saharan Africa to agricultural transformation in East Asia and public-school funding in the United States. Social entrepreneurs are working in close collaboration with local communities, incubating groundbreaking (and often lifesaving) innovations; modeling synergistic partnerships with governments, companies, and traditional charities; and building business models that deploy technology and enable networking to create wins for investors and clients alike. “Social entrepreneurs are mad scientists in the lab,” says Pamela Hartigan, director of the Skoll Centre for Social Entrepreneurship at Oxford University. “They’re harbingers of new ways of doing business.”
We believe this collaborative approach offers intriguing hints about how enterprises of all sizes can deliver value for themselves and society. Below we suggest four ways in which social entrepreneurs are showing the way forward.
USING PROFIT TO FUND PURPOSE
Many of today’s leading social entrepreneurs have created organizations that are neither businesses nor charities, but rather hybrid entities that generate revenue in pursuit of social goals. While not entirely new (the Girl Scouts have been selling cookies for many years), this desire to blend purpose with profit has more recently been formalized in structures such as the US “benefit corporation” (B Corp), a corporate entity legally required to create benefit for society as well as its shareholders.
While B Corps are still rare, many nonprofit organizations generate revenue to advance the parent organization’s social goals. VisionSpring, for example, is a social venture that provides eye tests and glasses to lower-income customers in more than 20 countries, including Bangladesh, El Salvador, India, and South Africa. Initially, VisionSpring distributed its eyeglasses through a dedicated sales force of microentrepreneurs. Like many business owners before him, founder Jordan Kassalow soon learned that pushing a limited range of products through a single sales channel was a tough way to make a living. “There wasn’t enough money coming in to support our operations,” he says. “We realized we could either be a really nice, perpetually subsidized nongovernmental organization, or—better yet—change our business model so we wouldn’t need subsidies.”
Today VisionSpring operates vision stores that generate income via programs in which higher profit margins on more expensive glasses subsidize basic eyewear for the poorest customers. Kassalow also distributes eyeglasses and vision testing through large organizations like BRAC, a philanthropy in Bangladesh with a huge existing network for distributing healthcare services. VisionSpring calculates that one pair of its glasses increases the average recipient’s labor productivity by 35 percent, which works out to $216 in additional income over two years—a 20 percent rise. Kassalow plans to continue operating on a nonprofit basis while working toward profitability in every country where VisionSpring operates. (All profits are poured back into the organization.) His El Salvador unit is already profitable, and he expects VisionSpring’s India operations to achieve profitability by 2015.
Kassalow’s blended approach to value creation is increasingly common. Living Goods, for example, is a US-based nonprofit that sells essential products such as fortified foods, pharmaceuticals, and high-efficiency cookstoves through an Avon-like network of microfranchisees in Uganda. According to founder Chuck Slaughter, this model provides a modest income to the franchisees while helping to fund his operating costs. “Avon has five million agents,” he says. “My thought was if you can make that kind of money selling discretionary stuff, imagine what you can do selling absolutely essential, life-changing goods.”
Similarly, Riders for Health is a UK-based organization that sells logistical services to health ministries in seven African countries. It runs a fleet of some 1,500 vehicles that deliver medical services to between 11 million and 12 million rural Africans. The organization funds its operating expenses in part by charging local health ministries a cost per kilometer that covers fuel, maintenance, replacement parts, and logistical costs. Originally founded to service health-ministry motorcycles in Lesotho, Riders for Health now operates in several African countries and has added a slew of logistical services to its product mix. The organization maintains ambulances and hospital generators, transports medical samples from rural clinics to labs for analysis, and manages compliance programs for patients taking medication. “We don’t charge profit of any kind,” says cofounder Andrea Coleman. “But from the beginning, our mission has been to earn as much money as possible from different income streams.”
DELIVERING INDIVIDUALIZED PRODUCTS THAT MARRY NEED AND WANT
Successful social ventures leverage their small scale and intense customer focus to create products and distribution models that precisely match the needs and desires of the communities they serve. In this sense they are modeling a much broader economic trend. In a 2010 McKinsey Quarterly article, Shoshana Zuboff argued that the capitalist mode of production was going through a historic transition from mass consumption to the wants of individuals, a phenomenon that she called “distributed capitalism.” Obvious examples include various personalized shopping experiences enabled by interactive technology, also known as mass customization.
While we often associate distributed capitalism with digitized consumer transactions, the concept has broader application in the world of social entrepreneurship. Caerus Associates, for example, is a small consultancy that uses a combination of big-data analytics and local community knowledge to assess development trends, often in societies suffering from violent conflict. In an article that appeared last year in McKinsey’s special volume on social innovation, Caerus founder David Kilcullen explained how his social venture advises governments, corporations, and local communities on what he calls “designing for development.” The main idea here is that development programs must be designed with input from local actors because they call the shots on the ground.
Education delivery is another area where we can see the principles of distributed capitalism at work. In Bangladesh, a social entrepreneur named Mohammed Rezwan operates a fleet of solar-powered floating schools that provide mobile education to rural schoolchildren who are often isolated during the monsoon floods. Rather than building a school and asking children to show up, Rezwan brings school to the children, when and where they need it. Similarly, Pakistan’s Pehli Kiran School System is a network of schools for the children of impoverished migrant workers living in illegal settlements, or katchi abadis. Local authorities frequently raid and dismantle these settlements, forcing the families to move. Pehli Kiran schools move right along with them, with the goal of ensuring that students can continue their education no matter what happens to their homes.
Or consider how two social entrepreneurs have managed to customize the delivery of agricultural-development services in rural Myanmar. Jim Taylor and his partner Debbie Aung Din operate Proximity Designs, a social venture that develops innovative, low-cost products designed to raise agricultural productivity. Proximity Designs employs ethnographers and product designers who work closely with subsistence farmers in the countryside to develop products like solar-lighting systems and foot-operated irrigation pumps.
Proximity Designs funds its operations in part by selling the products through a network of for-profit agricultural supply dealers in small towns in Myanmar. To ensure that farmers can afford to buy its goods, Proximity Designs also developed a financing program that advances small loans at modest rates. “We look through the lens of what impact we can have,” says Taylor. “One farmer I met had piglets that were like children—they wouldn’t sleep at night unless the lights were on. He used to stay up all night with a lit candle because he was worried about burning the house down. Now that the farmer has our solar lights; the pigs are happy and he gets to sleep.”
It would be difficult to gather such granular insight from a product design lab in, say, California. By virtue of their small size and engagement with the communities they serve, social ventures like Proximity Designs are well positioned to deliver products that meet both the needs and the wants of their clients.
CROWDSOURCING THE SOLUTION
In a 2008 article, communications scholar Daren C. Brabham defined crowdsourcing as “an online, distributed problem-solving and production model.” Today we see crowdsourcing applications in many different realms, from open-source software development to financial-prediction markets and funding for creative projects through Kickstarter and similar sites. Crowdsourcing has been a particular boon to social entrepreneurs, who can use it to create disproportionate impact with modest resources.
Charles Best is the founder and CEO of DonorsChoose.org, a Web-based platform that raises money to fund class projects in American public schools. Individual donors contribute an average of $50 apiece to projects that typically cost about $500. DonorsChoose.org vets every project, pays all project costs directly, and makes sure that the teachers write thank-you letters to every donor. Best covers his operating costs by charging each donor an optional 15 percent administrative fee. “We’re one of the few charities that doesn’t go hat in hand seeking donations,” he says.
Best crowdsources quality control as well as fund-raising. He used to hire college students to vet all the projects, which he says was costly and often ineffective. Today he uses a network of trusted teachers who have already received DonorsChoose grants and volunteer their time to make sure that all new projects deserve funding. This year, DonorsChoose expects to receive at least 150,000 project submissions from public schools all over the United States, and it plans to disburse about $50 million in grants, 85 percent of them to teachers working in high-poverty schools. Best’s organization has been entirely self-sustaining since 2010. Since inception, a total of 145,000 teachers at nearly half the public schools in America have received grants through the site.
In recent years, we’ve also seen a boom in prize competitions that crowdsource solutions to difficult social problems. Information technology and social media now enable cheap and easy collaboration. For social ventures, this dramatically expands the pool of potential problem solvers and lowers the cost of developing solutions. Ashoka’s Changemakers initiative, for instance, is an idea factory that encourages social entrepreneurs to develop concepts that transcend the competition itself, essentially building a marketplace for innovation in an issue area in just a few months. Changemakers judges are also potential investors. By requiring participants to post their ideas and selecting a relatively large pool of finalists, Changemakers and similar competitions can help match competitors to new funding.
WORKING THEMSELVES OUT OF A JOB
One important test of any social venture is whether it can create sustainable impact beyond its own projects. Some of today’s most farsighted social entrepreneurs have created business models that allow them to effectively work themselves out of a job by creating sustainable, lasting change in the communities that they serve.
I-DEV International, for example, is a New York–based impact investment firm that’s in the business of what it calls “market-based sustainable development.” In Peru, I-DEV helped impoverished farmers build an international business out of tara, a native tree species whose fruit had historically been consumed locally for medicinal purposes. However, plant researchers had developed new applications for tara in the global food, pharmaceutical, leather, and pet-food industries. I-DEV helped some 200 Peruvian farmers to organize a farming co-op that today is the largest and most successful supplier of unprocessed tara in Peru.
The co-op generates nearly $4 million a year in revenue for its members. I-DEV is currently gathering investors to help the farmers build a tara processing plant. Managing director Jason Spindler says the deal will be structured as a joint venture in which the farmers take the majority stake while I-DEV and equity participants are minority shareholders. “Nothing we do is for charity,” he says.
Other social ventures scale innovation by partnering with local governments. Ned Breslin is the CEO of Water For People, an international nonprofit that works with local communities to install water pipes, latrines, and other sanitation infrastructure in Africa, Latin America, and South Asia. His goal is to ensure that nobody in a district where Water for People works will ever need sanitation assistance from another international development organization.
To do that, Water for People mobilizes local authorities from the community level all the way up to the national government. It insists that all levels of government invest their own money alongside Water for People. The local communities are also asked to participate as investors, and their contributions must take the form of cash rather than sweat equity. Breslin maintains a low public profile for his organization, with the goal of ensuring that communities and local governments get the credit for improving sanitation and therefore feel ownership in the programs. “What we’re really challenging is the endless project-by-project approach of philanthropy,” he says. “The point of our investment is not to do another project. It’s to get the water flowing at scale so they never need another project.”
Social Entrepreneurs and Capitalism
Despite their early successes, social ventures in this new generation are still entrepreneurial start-ups. Some may survive and grow into major organizations. Others may disappear. Regardless of their individual fates, we believe these organizations demonstrate a way forward for the capitalist mode of production, one in which economic and social value creation are no longer seen as antithetical.
Social entrepreneurs are part of a broader conversation about the relationship between business and society that has been gathering steam since the Great Recession. In a recent Harvard Business Review article, McKinsey global managing director Dominic Barton argued that global capitalism was at a turning point. “We can reform capitalism, or we can let capitalism be reformed for us, through political measures and the pressures of an angry public,” he writes. Barton suggests that capitalism should return to the values of its founding philosopher Adam Smith, who believed that business and society were profoundly interdependent.
Similarly, Harvard Business School professor Michael Porter argues that capitalism has betrayed its promise by focusing on the narrow equation of value with short-term economic returns. Porter urges companies to think in terms of “shared value,” which involves generating economic value while at the same time creating value for society by addressing its needs and challenges.
Meanwhile, the author and consultant Dov Seidman makes a business case for ethical capitalism. Globalization, he argues, has made it increasingly difficult for companies to offer unique value propositions based on their products and services alone. At the same time, the ubiquity of electronic communication and the rise of social media have created a transparent business world in which bad behavior is more difficult to hide than ever before. As a result, ethical behavior has become a point of competitive differentiation. Companies that “outbehave” their competitors will eventually outperform them as well.
We can cite many examples of large organizations that are already putting these principles into practice. Elsewhere in this volume, leaders from The Coca-Cola Company, Hindustan Unilever, and Royal DSM explain how their companies blend profit and social purpose by deploying advanced supply-chain technologies that deliver lifesaving goods and services to some of the world’s poorest people. Meanwhile, the social ventures that we have profiled in this essay are testing many ideas about the proper relationship between business and society, some of which may eventually scale up and become standard practice for organizations of all sizes. While the solutions are diverse, most are based on the working assumption that profit and purpose need not conflict.
Social ventures that create new value chains while generating profit in pursuit of social goals are a direct challenge to Milton Friedman’s dictum that the social purpose of a business is to generate profit for its shareholders. With public cynicism about business at record levels, we may well see more organizations following their lead.
* * *
This article is part of “The Art and Science of Delivery,” an anthology of essays published by McKinsey & Company in honor of the 10th Anniversary of the Skoll World Forum. It is the most recent installment of McKinsey’s ongoing series, Voices on Society, which convenes leading thinkers on social topics. (Copyright (c) 2013 McKinsey & Company. All rights reserved. Reprinted by permission)


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Stadion Lapad – design description
Plans to change the dated Stadion Lapad in hotel hub Lapad district of Dubrovnik were first drawn in the previous decade. In 2009 an international design competition took place, delivering many interesting entries.
But it wasn’t until July 2015 that the city hall officially announced finding a preferred model to deliver the sports complex. The solution is PPP, partnership between the city (who grant land) and private investor building the stadium.
In the presented vision it’s Supernova, a major Austrian shopping center operator currently expanding further into the Balkans. The mall would supply 3 levels of underground parkings, offering 800 spots the heart of a district lacking in such infrastructure. Above it would be two levels of shopping center and atop that all a multi-use sports stadium with 5,000 seats.
The partner would finance all of the project in return for rights to operate the complex for 30-40 years. While Dubrovnik authorities suggest the preferred partner may change, the model should remain the same.


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Zeev Godik has stood down from restaurant group Gaucho just a week after the company appointed a new chairman, prompting rumours that he has been forced out of the business he founded.
Godik founded the restaurant in 1976, and has been in the post of chief executive ever since.
A statement released today said that he wanted to pursue opportunities in Dubai where he lives with family, and that he will remain a shareholder in the company.
But his departure rang alarm bells in the industry, coming just a week after former Asda CEO Paul Mason replaced Luke Johnson as chairman of Gaucho.
An industry source told City A.M. there was "no way" Godik would walk away without being forced out. "It was his family business," they said.
Gaucho has lost several others from its top team over the past two years. Gary Mann left last year to become CFO at Honest Burger, while the boss of sister brand Cau stepped down in September this year.
Gaucho was sold for more than £100m to Equistone last year, but sources suggested that the company's value is now closer to £70m.
Godik attempted to play down any hint of animosity at the business in his comments today, saying: "I'd like to thank all the people who have worked with me to grow Gaucho Group into the brand it is today. That includes of course the ongoing management team which I have brought together."
It comes at a time of upheaval for the casual dining industry, as many restaurants see their sales fall and costs go up.


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Produce is being rejected by supermarkets for not being pretty enough and this is the biggest reason for food waste, a new report has found.
An investigation by food and environment charity Feedback has called on supermarkets to change their business practices to prevent food waste. WRAP’s most recent research estimates that farm-level food waste is 2.5 million tonnes, representing a lost produce value of £0.8 billion.
Supermarkets trading practices, including last-minute changes to forecasts, retrospective amendments to supply agreements and the use of cosmetic specifications to reject produce because it is the wrong shape, size or colour all cause wastage, Feedback's report found.
It also singled out supermarket contract practices as a major cause of refuse, including sudden order cancellations that leave many farmers without compensation and no market to sell their food.
“Due to natural uncontrollable factors like weather and pests, farmers cannot control the final quantities they produce. To avoid risking the loss of contracts, farmers must meet buyers’ orders in full, and to guarantee this they must overproduce. The inflexibility of supermarket contracts has normalised overproduction and the resulting waste,” the report said.
So why is there so much dumping? And what can be done to stop it?
Tonnes of waste
Farmers reported an average of 10 to 16% food wastage on typical years, which is equal to around 22,000 to 37,000 tonnes, Feedback's survey found. That's enough food to provide 150,000 to 250,000 people with five portions of fruit and vegetables a day for a whole year.
In fact, food waste in primary production has been measured by WRAP for two key crops: strawberries and lettuce. It estimated that £30 million worth of strawberries and lettuce ended up as waste in the UK in 2015.
WRAP's results showed that 19% of lettuces were unharvested – representing a loss of 38,000 tonnes, while 9% of strawberry crops are wasted – equivalent to 10,000 tonnes. The main causes of this were a mismatch in supply and demand or cosmetic and quality related.
“By transferring the commercial risk of overproduction onto farmers, and by accepting the very large environmental consequences of a food production model that prioritises consistent, high availability over minimal waste, supermarkets have created a system which is synonymous with waste,” the report claimed.
Am I not pretty enough?
Wonky veg still doesn't have a major foothold in the market, according to the report.
One anonymous farmer who responded to Feedback's survey said that they waste on average 25% of their carrots, mainly at packhouse level. Some carrots are rejected because of rotting or pest damage, but a large amount are simply too small, large or wonky. This amounts to 1,750 tonnes of carrots per year equal to nearly 22 million portions.
“To put that in perspective, that’s more than Asda donated to charity in 2016 (1,100 tonnes) – wasted on one farm in one year. These outgraded carrots are sent back to the farmer from the packhouse,” the report said.
Guy Singh-Watson, owner of Riverford Organic – a company that delivers 47,000 boxes of vegetables to houses around the UK – said when he used to supply the supermarkets, he generally grew about a third more than he thought he would sell.
“Just to make sure that the supermarket buyer didn’t have a tantrum if you ran short, and so routinely you have more than you can sell and so you just mow it off and plough it in – that’s the normal thing to do,” he said.
The Groceries Code Adjudicator, Christine Tacon, also remarked in November 2017 that farmers have reported that they are forced to plough produce back into the ground because of last-minute order cancellations.
What the farmers say
- 40% of farmers surveyed said retailers use cosmetic standards as an excuse to reject produce when they can get a lower price elsewhere or their demand has fallen.
- For 60% of farmers, overproducing food is necessary because there is pressure to always meet buyer orders or risk losing contracts.
- Nine out of 10 farmers have found overproduction leads to greater price volatility.
- Retailers chop and change what proportion of their stock they buy from different suppliers in search of the cheapest offer, which leads to more unpredictable demand, 80% of farmers declared.
- Eight out of ten farmers said differences between buyers’ forecasts and confirmed orders, as well as last-minute order cancellations, make it difficult to find alternative buyers for produce before it deteriorates.
Changing with the seasons
Seasonal menus at restaurants have been on trend for a while now, but according to the charity Feedback, supermarkets are failing to market local seasonal produce, particularly when certain weather conditions lead to excessive amounts of food.
A cauliflower glut occurred in the UK in 2017, which resulted in large amounts of cauliflowers going to waste. Kent farmer Geoff Philpott reported 100,000 cauliflowers going to waste after his buyer dramatically reduced their order at the same time as there was a sea of vegetables.
Another farmer, Trevor Bradley, reported wasting 25,000 cauliflowers a week because there was no market for them.
Following a Feedback campaign to bring Philpott's story to public attention, several supermarkets including Tesco and Aldi committed to marketing cauliflowers during the glut, to absorb some of the surplus produce. Tesco sold 220,000 extra cauliflowers at 79p each and Aldi sold 500,000 extra cauliflowers at 29p each – a total of 720,000 cauliflowers saved.
Fighting food waste
So what can be done to save produce?
The charity said supermarkets should experiment with relaxing cosmetic standards in their main ranges, in order to test customer response.
Small tweaks to cosmetic specifications, for example on colour coverage on fruit like apples or pears, may make a big difference in terms of how much of a crop a farmer is able to sell, the report said. Supermarkets should also extend their ranges of cosmetically ‘imperfect’ produce.
Meanwhile, food that is not even too ugly to be included in wonky ranges should be considered for inclusion in products such as processed foods, like ready meals. “Supermarkets should publish their cosmetic specifications and their crop utilisations percentage to enable comparisons to be made between retailers,” the report added.
Feedback also called on retailers to commit to publishing independently-audited data on the food waste produced in their operations and through their supply chain.
“Currently, Tesco is the only supermarket to provide publicly available data which includes a model of estimating waste occurring in their supply chain. We commend Tesco’s approach of working with their top 24 suppliers to commit to 50% reduction in waste by 2030 and recommend that other supermarkets find similar ways of collaborating with suppliers on waste reduction,” the report said.
Supermarkets need to take on more of the risks of the unpredictability of the weather and market, including implementing whole crop purchasing, regardless of cosmetic standards. Plus, providing reassurance to suppliers that a shortage on order volumes due to weather or ripening patterns will not affect their trading relationship would also be helpful, the report said.
With food waste and transparency increasing becoming important to consumers, this is an issue supermarkets and suppliers would be wise to work on. And imperfect vegetables deserve their day on the supermarket shelf too...


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Elon Musk's SpaceX let go 10% of its 6,000 person staff today. In May of last year, the company stated that it has had "many years" of continuing profitability and in recent weeks raised $273 million so far in a planned $500 million funding round.
"To continue delivering for our customers and to succeed in developing interplanetary spacecraft and a global space-based Internet, SpaceX must become a leaner company," SpaceX president Gwynne Shotwell wrote in an email to employees. "Either of these developments, even when attempted separately, have bankrupted other organizations. This means we must part ways with some talented and hardworking members of our team..."
From the Los Angeles Times:
SpaceX makes most of its money from commercial and national security satellite launches, as well as two NASA contracts, one a multibillion-dollar deal to deliver cargo to the International Space Station and the other up to $2.6 billion to develop a capsule that will deliver astronauts to the space station. The first launch of that capsule, without a crew, is planned for February.
The Elon Musk-led company has even more ambitious — and expensive — plans. Musk has said SpaceX will conduct a “hopper test” of its Mars spaceship prototype as early as next month...
SpaceX is offering a minimum of eight weeks’ pay and other benefits to laid-off workers, according to Shotwell’s email.
The letter from 4 senators was addressed to Zhang Yiming, founder and CEO of TikTok owner ByteDance.
“Republicans feel that Social Media Platforms totally silence conservatives voices. We will strongly regulate, or close them down, before we can ever allow this to happen.”
Apple says it is planning to reopen more than 100 US retail stores this week, and that because the COVID-19 pandemic is ongoing, most locations will only offer curbside or storefront service.
Now that the world is starting to re-emerge from its self-imposed COVID-19 quarantine, we’re all going to have to start making some adjustments to both short-term and long-term changes. And the questions… Should customers be hounded out of a store if they aren’t wearing a face mask? Are crocheted face masks safe or not? And […]
Maybe you had a piano teacher as a kid that drove you off the instrument forever. Or maybe you always wished for some serious training, but never found the time. Whether you have dreams of tossing off a Beethoven or Chopin piece at the drop of a hat or you have visions of being the […]
When you see that curved arrow on the side of a cardboard box, you instantly know that box came from Amazon. The unfurled rainbow feathers of a peacock immediately scream NBC. And a partially eaten piece of fruit in the profile is a world-recognized symbol of tech titan Apple. Icons are powerful symbols, condensing volumes […]


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The web is not a tangible place but its spaces still present obstacles to some, and the US law designed to ensure equal access to all—the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)—didn't contemplate the abstractions of postmodern life when it was passed in 1990.
Now, Domino's Pizza is asking the US Supreme Court to review a case about the ADA (pdf), which guarantees equal access to public accommodations, and how precisely it applies to the internet and apps, if at all.
The question seems almost quaint at first glance. While the ADA was written with physical places in mind, the realness of online spaces is undeniable. Government representatives use social media to make official statements, consumers purchase goods online, relationships are born on dating apps, and the gap between physical reality and abstract locations has narrowed to the point that it's almost nonexistent. The things we do and say online impact physical life and vice versa.
But once you start to consider the issue a bit, it becomes more complex, as it calls into question postmodern existence itself. If the court were to decide that the ADA doesn't apply online, it would contradict rulings in other contexts acknowledging the web as an intertwined aspect of American life, part and parcel of reality, not divisible or abstracted at all.


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Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus has filed a federal lawsuit in Florida against Robert James Ritchie, better known by his stage name Kid Rock, over the name of his current “Greatest Show on Earth Tour.”
The lawsuit was filed in Tampa federal court on Friday.
The circus company trademarked the phrase, “The Greatest Show on Earth” in 1985 and remains the owner, the lawsuit says.
Kid Rock’s use of the phrase casts Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus in a negative light, the suit alleges.
“A live performance of Kid Rock is antithetical to the family friendly reputation of the circus and the trademarks,” the lawsuit said. “During at least one performance, Kid Rock repeatedly used vulgar language, both in his songs and in addressing the audience.”
TAMPA — %
Also, in the tour’s official “Greatest Show on Earth” promotional video, “Kid Rock states numerous times, ‘Welcome to the greatest f***in’ show on earth,’” the suit said. “In addition to use of vulgar language, the video includes obscene gestures, smoking and images of women in various stages of undress, which would be inappropriate for children and inconsistent with the family friendly entertainment of (the circus).”
In a Nov. 16 letter from Kid Rock’s attorney to Ringling Bros., the trademark claim is called “misplaced.”
“The words, ‘greatest show on earth’ are common, descriptive and used in a non-trademark fashion,” attorney Seth Miller wrote in the letter.
Miller also notes that Ringling Bros. “has ceased its live circus performances.”
“The only use of the mark in commerce today appears to be in online merchandise sales, a far cry from my client’s rock and roll song or tour,” Miller wrote.
Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey’s lawsuit is seeking a restraining order to keep Kid Rock from using the phrase “The Greatest Show on Earth” during his tour and deliver “all catalogs, signs, displays, labels, brochures, videos, images, merchandise (and) advertising and promotional material” to the court until the case is decided.
The lawsuit also seeks monetary damages.
Cox Media Group


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BLAS NA hÉIREANN SUPREME CHAMPION IS ANNOUNCED AT
THE DINGLE PENINSULA FOOD AND WINE FESTIVAL
Barber Daly a Cork tea blending company has been awarded the prestigious title of Supreme Champion at the Blas na hÉireann National Irish Food and Drink Awards.
This, the fourth year of the awards has proved an outstanding success.
There were 1,300 entries, which was twice as many as last year.
Barber Daly was set up in 1975 in Cork City by Brendan Daly and Bob Barber. In 1994 the company moved to a purpose built factory in Forge Hill in Cork.
Their winning award is for their Reserve Fairtrade tea they sell to SuperValu.
Well known food hero Peter Ward announced the awards in Benners Hotel in Dingle on Saturday evening. Gold, silver and bronze awards were presented to winners in 30 categories.
Bursaries up to the value of €20,000 were presented to the top winners.
The Business Diversification Award, sponsored by AIB, went to The Limerick Strand Hotel for ‘The Secret Ingredient Range of Products’.
Susan Steel Development and Innovations Officer with BIM presented the Seafood Innovation Award to Cork company Keohanes for their Microwaveable Salmon with Butter.
“This is a great evening to celebrate food and Irishness. An event like this shows how we are changing the way we look at fish.
“Over 86 per cent of the fish caught in Irish waters leaves this country in lorries with no added value to it. That needs to be changed,” she pointed out.
The Cloudberry Bakery in Keel Castlemaine Kerry won the Best New Emerging Food Producer from Kerry. The award was presented by Thomas Hayes on behalf of Kerry Enterprise.
“Food is vital to Kerry and an event such as this is the jewel in the crown. But there is need for changes to be made in regulation. There is need to ease regulation in such a way that it is not so difficult for people entering the market,” Mr Hayes said.
O’Connors Bakery from Ennis in Co Clare won the New Best Product Award sponsored by Enterprise Ireland. They won the award for their Christmas mince meat. Gareth Dee from Enterprise Ireland pointed out that Ireland’s food industry is exporting €10 billion worth of produce this year.
The Rogha na Gaeltachta award, sponsored by Udarás, was presented by local man Seamus Cosai MacGearailt to Kerry’s Blurini Blasta Beo based in Lispole.
And the Best Artisan Producer Award was won by Cork company, Una’s Pies, which was sponsored by Bord Bia
Arte Clifford, Chairman of Blás na hÉireann Irish Food Awards said, “Every quality food producer is a winner. The event is going from strength to strength every year and this year has proved a phenomenal success. To see joint gold prizes being shared between large and small companies is a real proof of how the smallest of producers can flourish in the food business”.
All of the category winners will be on the website - - very shortly and here is a link to the picture gallery.


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Zaro’s Babka: No longer just for Amtrakers.
Fans of bagel dogs and other Bronx-made baked goods, get ready for more crusty carbs, in a somewhat unusual setting.
Zaro’s New York Bakery will soon open its 13th area store–far removed from its typical train-station or bus-terminal digs.
Having already established a dominating presence at the city’s transit hubs–including four stores at Grand Central, two at Penn Station, and another at Port Authority–Zaro’s is now targeting Flatiron-area flatfoots.
At its newest location, next door to Mayrose Comfortable Food at the corner of Broadway and 21st Street, contractors worked well past sunset on Friday to install new windows. Seems the circa-1977 chain is in a hurry to expand its audience beyond the Amtrak and LIRR set.
“We are hoping to be open by the end of the year,” proprietor Joseph Zaro tells The Observer in an e-mail, “but with construction, one never knows!”
– Chris Shott


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YouTube is finally expected to unveil its subscription-based ad-free YouTube during an event being held on Wednesday in Los Angeles.
The $10 per month subscription will allow you to watch existing YouTube content ad-free but also give you access to original programming only available to subscribers. It’s not known if premium and more sought-after content already existing on YouTube would be only available to paying subscribers or if new premium content would be developed. We do know that YouTube is working with broadcasting providers trying to bring them onboard and this could be where the premium content comes from.
The YouTube subscription service was expected by the end of October but now it appears that the date has been pushed into next year. All eyes will be on the Los Angeles launch event on October 21st to get more specific information.
YouTube did not immediately return our call when we reached out to gather more information.


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Together with #Re-opening the High Street Safely/Welcome Back funding from the Government, we launched a new scheme on Monday 14 February 2022 – Valentines Day, to support our local independent shops. This was the first of a string of events planned with the aim of increasing footfall, celebrating our High Street and boosting our area’s economy.
Since the pandemic began, local businesses have been hit with many challenges and uncertainty. It’s more important than ever to shop locally and visit our High Street to support our local independent traders.
Residents were asked to complete a contact slip found in participating businesses and drop it into the box in the shop to enter a free prize draw for their chance to win a Biddulph High Street Voucher to be spent in their choice of any participating business.
Winning High Street Vouchers were redeemed by presentation at a participating shop instead of cash and we and they did the rest.
(Names and contact numbers were securely destroyed and not shared or used for any other purposes).
Two prize draws took place on Monday 21 February and Monday 28 February.
Sarah Haydon, Biddulph Town Council’s Chief Officer commented at the time: ‘Essentially, it is about encouraging people to come and use our High Street and businesses. There is no cost to the traders to enter. The project is funded entirely by the Welcome Back funding, and supported by the Town Council. We want people to come onto the High Street and realise how much you can buy here. This is part of a bigger effort by us to get people back and remind them – come out, it’s safe! Now is the time to support the town centre.’
List of participating businesses – correct as of 18 February 2022.
Biddulph Fish Bar, 2 King Street. 01782 514544
Birthday Greetings, 37 High Street. 01782 511313
British Red Cross Shop, 3 Well Street. 01782 522520
Chicco’s Canine Design, 16 High Street. 07749 417659
Darwin’s Pet Supplies, 2b Tunstall Road. 01782 698769
Douglas Macmillan, 63 High Street. 01782 344348
Foxtail Florist, 17 High Street. 01782 514555
G R Pimbley Insurance Services, 1 Wharf Road. 01782 512592
Hometrends, 11 High Street.
Owens Family Butchers, 76 High Street. 01782 522113
Snelsons, 11 Congleton Road. 01782 513513
SW Cotton Optometrist, 75 High Street. 01782 519956
The Elite Retreat Salon, 3 Congleton Road. 07884 336221
The Green Tree House Food Club & Tea Room, 72 High Street. 01782 852131
The Wool Shop, 19 High Street. 07709 427681
WAGS Hair Salon, 28 High Street. 07854 821720
Wains Electrical, 91 High Street. 01782 513293


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14 Mar Lato Milk sponsors Buy Uganda Build Uganda Expo 2019
Once again Lato Milk is proud to have been this year’s the gold sponsors for the Inaugural BUBU Expo in Uganda. The three day event at Kololo Airstrip kicked off on Thursday 7th and came to an end Saturday 9th March 2019.
The BUBU Policy was introduced by Uganda’s government through the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Cooperatives with the purpose of stimulating the consumption of locally produced goods and services.
Being a proud provider of dairy products that have been enriching lives of many Ugandans for more than 6 years now Lato Milk was glad to see the event through. Lato Milk holds a track record in great contribution towards building Uganda’s economy through a series of activities such as employment opportunities and community welfare.
During the Expo Lato Milk noticed that its newly introduced Lato Help Pack has made its way into the Ugandan market. Having introduced the Lato Help initiative with the aim to finance corrective surgeries for children living with disabilities in Uganda. The lato help pack was launched and was meant to generate funds for this noble cause. How better to build the Economy than by safeguarding its future.
Lato Milk employees had a chance to meet with many consumers and other business owners and make Pearl Dairy Farmers community known. With its goal to bring dairy farmers in a single platform to grow them into commercial dairy farmers, customers talked of the great impact and improved farming practices witnessed so far.


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2012 California Almond Crop Projected To Grow 3%
Posted On June 29, 2012
The NASS Objective Estimate for the California almond crop was released today, June 29, 2012 at 2.1 billion lbs. This 2012 crop is projected 3% larger than the 2011 crop and slightly more than the Subjective Estimate of 2.0 billion lbs. released earlier on May 3, 2012. The Objective Estimate is in line with industry projections and will allow for modest global consumption growth. However, at only 3% above last year, the global consumption growth trend of the last 5 years will necessarily be slowed. Over the last two crops, average consumption growth has exceeded 13% annually.
The 2011 crop was completely consumed by the growing global demand for almonds. With a known Objective Estimate and a limited supply, prices will stabilize and firm looking forward.
Last year, most California processors ran at or near capacity well into the spring months and we expect the trend to continue this coming year. With limited remaining inventories of pollenizing varieties, the transition into 2012 crop will result in short-term shortages well into the processing season.


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Shell Singapore is piloting a total of 4,000 COVID-19 contact tracing devices for its employees, contractors workers and visitors at its Pulau Bukom facility, which is located in a small island five kilometres south of the city state.
The oil and gas company has tapped D’Crypt to deploy specially modified BluePass devices that will be safe to use in an environment where flammable gases maybe present. This is the first time a modified version will be tested in a live process plant environment.
If successful, this pilot could pave the way for the modified devices’ use across the process industry in Singapore and abroad. According to Singapore’s Ministry of Manpower, there are 60,300 workers involved in the petroleum, chemical & pharmaceutical products sector in the city.
“Currently, the contact tracing of individuals within the process areas can take hours, which slows down the process of identifying and isolating close contacts. The enablement of prompt contact tracing for process industry workers in Singapore will substantially mitigate the risk of a COVID-19 outbreak in the community,” said Hugues Bourgogne, Shell’s vice president for manufacturing in Singapore & Philippines and General Manager of Bukom.
“Through this pilot of the modified BluePass devices, we are glad that Shell Singapore can play a role in enabling Singapore’s economic activities to ramp up while keeping our workers safe from COVID-19,” he added.
Shell has evaluated the modified BluePass devices for their safe use at the process areas in the manufacturing site at Pulau Bukom using IEC (International Electrotechnical Commission) standards commonly referenced by process industry companies worldwide, as well as guidance from EEMUA (Engineering Equipment and Materials Users Association) and EI (Energy Institute).
Shell applies these standards for any equipment used in their facilities since there may potentially be flammable gases present. The evaluations included the ruggedness of the body of the modified BluePass device, protection from user tampering or maltreatment, the power source and size of the battery, as well as the energy level transmitted during use.
The pilot of the modified BluePass devices will run until March.
“Shell’s evaluation of BluePass gives us confidence to conduct further pilots of the device for use in real-world production environments. We have full confidence that process industry players will be able to successfully put the BluePass through a similar evaluation for effective contact tracing without endangering lives or compromising operations at their facilities,” said Dr. Antony Ng, CEO of D’Crypt.
D’Crypt is a security engineering company owned by Temasek Holdings. The company developed BluePass, a small, battery-powered, wearable device last year for distribution to the public. It exchanges proximity information with other BluePasses or interoperable devices via Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) technology, and stores that information for a stipulated period for contact tracing purposes. BluePass safeguards user privacy by not tracking location information.
Once the pilot at Shell Pulau Bukom is completed, both companies will proactively share results – both in terms of effective contact tracing and BluePass’ suitability for use in live process plant environments − with the process industry in Singapore.
“We hope this will contribute to a broad adoption of contact tracing devices in the process sector, dramatically improving Singapore and the world’s COVID-19 security.” said Dr Ng.


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Originally published at Dope Magazine
BY SHWA LAYTART - JANUARY 28, 2019
There are more women CEOs in cannabis than in any other industry in the U.S., yet women only hold 27 percent of leadership positions in the entire cannabis industry.
In this hyper-progressive industry, women still experience patriarchal hurdles, and, like in all other industries, those hurdles are even higher for women of color. One woman of color, Bonita “Bo” Money, is trying to change all that.
A cannabis company owner since the days of medical, Money co-founded That Glass Jar, an organic cannabis-infused herbal cream that has found success in treating MRSA, eczema, arthritis and fibromyalgia.
Money is also the founder of Women ABUV Ground, a networking organization working with women of color in the cannabis industry, and last year Money founded NDICA, National Diversity & Inclusion Cannabis Alliance.
With less than 15 percent of cannabis businesses owned by POC — the social group most affected by the War on Drugs — Money has serious work to do.
DOPE checked in with Bonita “Bo” Money to discuss her work with NDICA and the hurdles that POC still face in the cannabusiness.
DOPE Magazine: You’re the founder of NDICA and you and your team, which includes “Freeway” Rick Ross, just produced the Diversity & Inclusion Social Equity Expo, which was a major success with great speakers and important information. Where do we go from here?
Money: Focus on Phase III [of the Los Angeles Social Equity Program], which is helping everyone get set up with their cannabis applications. We have over 100 applicants that we are working with and that are going through our educational intern and mentorship programs. We want them to understand every aspect of the industry, as well as the day-to-day operational experience of running a dispensary so that they’re ready once they receive their license.
There is also a huge issue with predatory lending that has come into the industry, where ultimately [the company] won’t have full ownership of their business. Those are the kind of things we are monitoring so that we can keep everyone aware of — and looking out for — those types of transactions.
You are also part of the LA Equity Plan — can you tell us what that is?
The social equity plan was designed to make sure that communities that were most affected by the War on Drugs will have an opportunity to get ownership within the industry. Phase III of NDICA program is all social equity. Basically, for cultivation, manufacturing, distribution and retail, [for] every general license issued there needs to be one issued for a social equity applicant.
The most valuable part of Prop 64 was allowing non-violent prisoners of the drug war to restate their cases and be released from jail. You are a part of the National Expungement Week and had a clinic at your expo — how can people get more information on expunging (changing/sealing/nullification) their drug charges and their criminal record?
We [NDICA] do clinics about once a month and will start them up again in January. [You can] go to our website, become a member for free, and you will be updated on all our events, as well as our expungement clinics. There are over 200,000 people that qualify for Prop 64 expungement in the state of California. We’ve been focusing on doing that outreach, so the community knows how to take the steps, and getting more of those cannabis convictions expunged.
You’re also working to adjust some of the policies that the Bureau of Cannabis Control is coming out with.
Especially with no CBD in edibles. Now, one of the main things we’re challenging is the white-labeling, and the state not allowing that unless you have your own license. All these smaller companies that are trying to transition [from medical to adult use] — they’re having a horrible time now with this situation. They’re going to go out of business if this doesn’t change.
“We have over 100 applicants that we are working with and that are going through our educational intern and mentorship programs.” – Bonita “Bo” Money, NDICA founder


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BMW has delivered the initial versions of the new i8 sports car before the expected time. The Bavarian car maker, by doing this, has become the first manufacturer in the world to sell a production car with laser powered head lights.
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Around six years after BMW unveiled the production X6 model at the 2008 North American International Auto Show in Detroit, the German manufacturer has now taken the wraps off the second-generation ‘Sports Activity Vehicle’. A slew of images leaked by a website prompted the German manufacturer to officially reveal the car, ahead of its public debut at the 2014 Moscow Motor Show. The car will go on sale in the UK market around December with a base price of GBP 51,510 (Rs 51.24 lakh).
Mercede-Benz India is planning to double the production capacity at its plant in Chakan due to increase in demand for their cars. This sudden demand is due to the optimism revolving around the economy because of the new stable government at the centre.
Mahindra & Mahindra, one of India’s leading automakers, has some solid plans to expand its burgeoning product portfolio. The growing competition in the utility vehicle segment has prompted the automaker to redefine its product planning process. Speaking to Economic Times, Dr. Pawan Goenka, Executive Director of Mahindra & Mahindra, has revealed that the coming 10 years will certainly be more challenging for the brand than ever before.
We spotted the Maruti Suzuki S-Cross SX4 testing on our soil a few days ago and now the folks at Indianautosblog have managed to get a spy shot of the interiors. The car made its global debut at the Geneva Motor Show in mid-2013 and then its Indian debut at the 2014 Auto Expo.
Almost half a decade ago Fiat launched the Linea and later the Punto. In a tradition of sorts, the Italian car maker has introduced the 2014 Linea few months ago and the next to follow is the 2015 Punto which will be launched by the end of 2014. Meanwhile, we spotted the Punto facelift test mule in Nashik.
General Motors India, as we know, has a habit of introducing limited edition models of its popular products, both to keep them alive on news streams and in the market. The latest product to get a limited edition model is one of Chevrolet’s oldest hatchbacks on sale, the Spark. Called the Spark Limited Edition, this new model, according to GM, features an appealing exterior and enriched interior.
Force Motors has announced that deliveries of the Force Gurkha will start from September, this year. Speculations had earlier suggested that the car will go on sale in June itself, but now Force Motors has put these rumours to rest with an official announcement.
A barely camouflaged test mule of the facelifted Volkswagen Polo has been spotted testing in India. The new Polo can be easily mistaken for the current model, but the new orange paint scheme and masking on its hood gave it away. The 2014 Volkswagen Polo was globally unveiled at the 2014 Geneva Motor Show and is on sale in many European markets since March, this year. It has been speculated that the car will be launched in India around July.
Nissan has more than doubled its domestic sales figures by registering a 141 per cent jump in May 2014, as compared to the same period, last month. Nissan India sold 5,021 vehicles in the last month as compared to 2,080 units it managed in May 2013.


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‘Round The Trade
Good news for our friends at Burris Logistics, the large family-owned provider of public refrigerated warehousing and freight consolidation services. The Milford, DE-based logistics firm earlier this month announced that it has successfully completed the purchase of a 55-acre property in McDonough, GA (33 miles south of Atlanta) and will soon begin construction of a 250,000 square foot, public refrigerated warehouse (PRW) with 28,000 pallet positions, and an attached office on the property. The facility will create more than 75 local jobs for Phase I when construction is completed in January 2018. The Georgia warehouse will allow the company to further enhance a growing network of refrigerated warehouses, strengthening customer service. “Burris continues to evolve to meet the needs of our current and potential clients,” said Donnie Burris, company CEO. “Our expansion into the Greater Atlanta region highlights the growth, popularity and diversification we are experiencing throughout our entire operation. We are selected for our commitment to service, leading-edge technology and solid core values. We welcome new and expanded relationships.”…private equity firms Leonard Green and Partners and CVC Capital Partners, which own club operator BJ’s, are reportedly looking for a way to unload the investment they acquired in 2011 for $2.8 billion. Given that six years is within the framework of a PE “dump” this potential move shouldn’t be surprising. Certainly the inroads that Amazon and now Wal-Mart have made against all club operators offer another potential reason for BJ’s to find a new home, too. The Wall Street Journal reports that the Natick, MA-based merchant is looking at either a sale or a possible IPO. BJ’s, which operates 213 units primarily on the East Coast (and Ohio), was a publicly-traded enterprise before its purchase by Green and CVC…Aldi said it will spend $1.6 billion to remodel its 1,300 U.S. stores. Aldi’s new redesigned model, which now exists in about 300 units, features wider aisles, raised ceilings, sleeker refrigerated doors and windows and more natural lighting. The new store design adds about 20 percent more floor space (to about 20,000 square feet) and an expanded perishables presence…it looks like Stop & Shop is attempting to enter the apartment building business. In a filing with the Boston Planning and Development Agency, the biggest division of Ahold USA is seeking permission to redevelop its existing store at 60 Everett Street in the Allston section of the city. As part of a broader plan, called Allston Yards, Stoppie would also build 1,010 residential units (apartments) and offer office space and ground floor retail and restaurant space. “Stop & Shop has been proud to call Boston our home for over a century and we believe that Allston Yards project represents a terrific opportunity for us to better serve the neighborhood and community,” said the talented Mark McGowan, president of Stoppie…if Whole Foods Markets is banking on its trendy “365” concept as a growth portal, don’t count me as a fan. I was finally able to visit my first “365” store while recently in Los Angeles and I wasn’t too impressed. The good news was that pricing is much more aggressive than traditional WFM units and the perishables departments are solid, not spectacular. But the overall store layout, lighting and merchandising I thought were subpar. I may be wrong, but I found it hard to imagine that this format would translate well nationally…according to the New York Post, in an effort to trim operational costs after its emergence from bankruptcy last July, Fairway Market is considering selling the prepared foods commissary and bakery distribution center in the Hunts Point section of the Bronx which opened in 2010. The “like no other market” merchant, which debuted its first new store in nearly three years in Brooklyn last month, is now controlled by PE firm GSO Capital Partners, an arm of the Blackstone Group…Brazilian PE firm 3G – owner of Kraft Heinz – whose appetite for growth is almost as aggressive as its broad cost-cutting measures, is dropping its efforts to acquire Unilever. The Dutch manufacturing giant already had already rejected 3G’s $143 billion bid and offered this explanation: “Kraft Heinz had the utmost respect for the culture, strategy and leadership of Unilever.” Sounds like a “face saving” exercise from the private equity firm to avoid potential litigious and costly battle, one that 3G would likely lose…the first new ShopRite corporate store (SRS) under the helm of Brett Wing (who was named president of ShopRite Supermarkets in January) will open in North Greenbush, NY (Rennselaer County) later this year. The 55,000 square foot store will be SRS’ fourth Albany area location. The corporate store arm of Wakefern Corp. currently operates 34 supermarkets overall. More Wakefern news: at this year’s FMI Midwinter Executive Conference, chairman and CEO Joe Colalillo was presented with the Robert B. Wegman award, which was given to the supermarket executive for “exercising entrepreneurial leadership in the design of retail strategies and imaginative merchandising.” This honor is much deserved because Joe’s vision and leadership skills are unparalleled in an industry with so much talent. Plus, he’s one of the really good guys in the entire grocery biz.


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Domestic car companies collectively reported lower U.S. sales in December, signaling the auto industry’s 2017 tally fell short of the record set in 2016 and represented the first annual decline since the financial crisis eight years ago.
This year’s sales results are expected to be down even further as demand has plateaued, but a strong economy could brighten the industry’s prospects. Gains in wages and employment have historically boosted new-vehicle demand, for instance.
Car companies and analysts see U.S. sales falling below the 17-million mark in 2018, which would be the first time since 2014 sales haven’t exceeded that mark. Still, auto makers are reporting record selling prices, a sign that low interest rates and low gasoline prices are factors that encourage buyers to opt for pricier models and features.
General Motors Co. GM, -0.03% said December sales slipped 3.3%, to 308,539 vehicles. The nation’s largest auto maker posted solid gains in pickup trucks and crossover SUVs—among its most profitable products—and posted record sales for the year in both categories.
Ford Motor Co. F, +0.24% reported a 1.3% increase in December sales to 240,910 units. The results included a 2% increase in sales of its franchise F-series pickups—the nation’s top-selling model—and an 8% increase in sales of its SUVs.
Fiat Chrysler Automobiles NV FCAU, -1.21% sales were down 11% to 171,946 units, because of a planned reduction in fleet sales, down 42% from a year ago. Sales declined across most of the auto maker’s brands for the month, including a 12% decline in Jeep sales, the company’s largest brand.
Popular on WSJ.com:


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(Reuters) – Amazon.com Inc (AMZN.O) mentioned on Monday it will rent 75,000 extra individuals for jobs starting from warehouse workers to supply drivers because the coronavirus epidemic retains People locked of their properties and demand for on-line orders surge.
FILE PHOTO: Signage is seen at an Amazon facility in Bethpage on Lengthy Island in New York, U.S., March 17, 2020. REUTERS/Andrew Kelly
With consumers clearing cabinets in worry of long-term quarantines or product shortages, corporations are racing to maintain meals and well being merchandise in inventory and have workers readily available for in-store work or supply.
The e-commerce big faces the daunting activity of hiring extra individuals at the same time as calls develop for it to close amenities. The corporate, which has reported virus circumstances amongst warehouse workers and confronted a number of demonstrations, mentioned it will roll out temperature checks and face masks for workers in any respect of its U.S. and European warehouses.
Some elected officers have known as on the corporate to shut warehouses.
However with unemployment charges hitting file ranges, Amazon is seeking to fill the hole. To attract new workers, the corporate had mentioned it will add $2 to its minimal $15 per hour to U.S. employees’ wages by way of April.
The corporate mentioned on Monday it had stuffed all the 100,000 positions it marketed earlier, and the brand new jobs are along with that.
Amazon mentioned it expects to spend greater than $500 million globally to extend wages for employees throughout the pandemic, up from a earlier estimate of $350 million.
“We all know many individuals have been economically impacted as jobs in areas like hospitality, eating places and journey are misplaced or furloughed as a part of this disaster and we welcome anybody out of labor to affix us at Amazon till issues return to regular and their previous employer is ready to convey them again,” the corporate mentioned in a weblog publish bit.ly/3a3SdJI.
Amazon’s headcount fluctuates seasonally, not too long ago peaking for the vacation quarter at 798,000 full and part-time employees, earlier than it marketed the 100,000 jobs following the pandemic.
Some unions and elected officers have criticized Amazon’s response to the outbreak, which that has contaminated greater than 1.eight million individuals globally and led to greater than 115,000 deaths.
Reporting by Munsif Vengattil in Bengaluru; Modifying by Maju Samuel, Bernard Orr


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Customised Ayurveda beauty brand Vedix
announced it has expanded its men's grooming portfolio in a market dominated by players such as Emami
, Hindustan Unilever and Marico.
The ayurvedic firm has launched skincare
routine products that includes face wash, moisturizer and an overnight serum. “Most men have a non existing skin care routine. There is a demand in the customer segment for a customised daily skincare as legacy brands have remained restricted when addressing the men’s beauty segment," said Jatin Gujrati, business head -- Vedix, adding that they already have a line of customised products for men which has seen the highest growth over the past three years.
Founded in 2017 as part of Incnut group, Vedix has raised series A funding of $4 million from RPSG ventures. With an annual revenue run rate of Rs160 crore it is adding close to one lakh new customers every month. Vedix, which sells products on marketplaces such as Amazon
, Flipkart, Purplle, competes with the likes of Dabur
and more recently Colgate
in the natural space.
For long, legacy brands have not grown the category beyond men’s fairness cream. As per a report by research and markets, Indian male grooming
market is projected to cross $1.2 billion by 2024. While companies including Colgate, Marico, Emami and Unilever Ventures invested in D2C brands such as Bombay Shaving Company, Beardo and The Man Company, experts feel niche brands could pose an issue for larger companies going forward, especially in categories driven by millennials.
Also, sales of naturals products across personal care categories have grown at nearly twice the rate of regular consumables during the year ended June, as the spread of Covid-19 led to an increased consumer interest, awareness and demand for ayurvedic brands, according to Kantar.


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A Leesburg man was arrested on a charge of retail theft after allegedly stuffing his pants with stolen clothes and running away from Walmart employees.
Police responded to Walmart, located at 2501 Citrus Boulevard, in reference to an active retail theft at 10:48 p.m. Sept. 22, according to an arrest report from the Leesburg Police Department. The caller advised that a man matching 52-year-old Clarence Oneal Green’s description stuffed clothing inside his pants.
Upon arrival, the officer observed Green fleeing on foot from the Walmart loss prevention officer. The employee pointed at Green as he was vacating the area towards Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard. As the officer exited his patrol car, he called out to Green to get on the ground. He refused to listen to the command and ran towards the rear of Walmart, the report said.
At that point, another officer arrived on scene and chased Green on foot. He yelled out to Green to stop or he would be tased. When Green looked back and noticed the closing distance, he stopped and laid on the ground in the middle of Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. He was immediately detained, the report said.
The officer noticed Green’s pants were stuffed with clothing as he assisted him to his feet. This prompted a search where the officer found two green men’s shorts, two green men’s hoodies and two pairs of men’s underwear. The stolen items totaled $137.96 in value, the report said.
The loss prevention employee later explained that at about 10:40 p.m., he was informed by another employee that Green was seen running with a shopping cart in the men’s apparel section. He selected items at random. From the infant apparel section, the loss prevention officer observed Green concealing items within his pants. He then told another employee to call law enforcement, the report said.
Green proceeded with this empty cart through the self-checkout lanes without making any attempt to buy the concealed items. Once he walked past all points of sale, the loss prevention officer identified himself and requested that Green follow him to his office. He followed until the entry/exit doors opened, the report said.
Green began to run towards the doors, and the loss prevention officer held his arms out to stop him from leaving. He ran around the officer, out the doors and toward Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd until being detained shortly after by officers on scene, the report said.
A check revealed that Green had three prior theft convictions out of Lake County, the report said. These included a grand theft conviction from January 2013 and two petit theft convictions from June 2015 and March 2023. He was also arrested in April 2022 for suspected shoplifting. Further research showed Green is on felony probation for petit theft (third conviction) until March 2026.
Green was subsequently arrested and charged with retail theft (two or more prior theft), retail theft (resist merchant) and resisting (obstructing without violence). He was transported to the Lake County Jail where he was being held without bond due to a probation violation.


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Consumers are seeing record grocery prices with the latest inflationary report indicating prices are up 15.1% from a year ago and up 7.4% since the start of 2022, according to marketing firm Numerator.
Overall grocery prices continued to rise in June with beverages seeing the largest impact. While spending remained elevated, optimism is at an all-time low as consumers switch to club and dollar stores to save, Numerator reports.
“As the cost of everyday goods continues to rise, consumers are shopping around to find value,” said Numerator CEO Eric Belcher. “Many of these shifts, including high-income households trading down to dollar stores, are unexpected.”
The grocery retail categories most impacted include frozen meat up 28%, chips up 26%, poultry up 25%, water up 22%, milk and milk substitutes up 17% in the four-week period ending July 3, compared to the same time last year. Beverages are the most impacted department in the grocery sector. Among the top-selling categories in the grocery sector, five beverage categories rank in the top 10 for highest inflation rates. Juice and coffee prices are up 17% along with sports drinks. Soft drink prices increased by 14%. Beer prices rose 6% while wine cost 5% more in June. Spirits prices were up 3%, according to the Numerator data.
Prepared meals cost consumers 16% more in June as did non-seasonal candy. Vegetables were 14% more expensive as was cheese, and ice cream prices rose 12%. Prices for beef were up 5% as were pork costs. Fresh fruit costs rose 2%.
Numerator found health & beauty inflation remained relatively flat in June hovering between 10% and 11%, down from the January highs of 14.7%. Health products like performance shakes were up 25%, and hair accessories were up 23% more costly in June. Skin care cleansers and hair color were up 20% and 17%, respectively, from a year ago. Toothpaste was also up 17%. Shampoo costs rose 11% as did aspirin prices and other digestive health meds. In the midst of summer, sun care products are 5% more expensive and allergy meds will cost 7% more than they did a year ago, Numerator reports.
The report found household items’ rate of inflation slowed with overall prices being 11.3% more costly in June which was down 5.9% from the prior month with more promotional deals being offered. The household categories most impacted were facial tissue up 32%, and plastic wrap & foil costs rose 27%, as did brooms, mops & brushes. Household batteries also were 27% more costly and disposable dinner wear costs rose 23% from a year ago.
Plastic trash bags are 21% more expensive as are all-purpose household cleaners. It costs 19% more for laundry detergent and 17% more for fabric softener in June, compared to a year ago.
Numerator also found spending remains elevated because of the higher prices, but there are signs of softening demand with consumers making fewer store trips amid record high fuel prices. Consumers are making stock-up trips in physical stores when possible with in-store spending hitting a 24% increase in June. Numerator said clubs and dollar stores are seeing the largest gains at 15% and 14%, respectively, as consumers seek values and use coupons.
Numerator found 47.4% of those surveyed in July rated their financial situation as good, down from 56.2% in July of last year.
Rising commodity costs are at the root of the rising food and consumable prices at retail, according to a July 12 report from analysts at Stephens Inc. The prices of wholesale corn used in food production averaged $7.67 per bushel in the second quarter, up 18% from a year ago and 17.1% higher than in the first quarter of the year. Stephens is modeling corn prices to be $6.82 per bushel for the year, up 18% over last year.
Stephens reports wholesale egg prices are up 211% from a year ago this week. Butter is 73% more costly. Wheat, another major food ingredient, is up 55.7%. Packaging materials are also more costly with corrugated cardboard priced 17.8% more than a year ago while glass containers are 12.3% more expensive. Plastic resin prices are up 7.5% year-over-year, and fuel costs to transport raw materials and finished goods are up 57% on the wholesale market, according to the Stephens report.


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This week has been a really crazy one with a confession that raised eyebrows with Rorisang Thandekiso admitting that she is still a virgin at 31. Gugu Gumede shares his collections of kicks.
Trevor Noah owned a snake, getting people all conspiratorial after accusations that some celebrities used snakes to get famous.
Lastly, Nando's got involved in a Cassper Nyovest tweet and Somizi flexed his R15 000 kicks.
1. Rorisang Thandekiso opens up about being virgin at the age of 31
Rorisang Thandekiso has opened up about being a virgin at the age of 31. The gorgeous TV presenter expressed that she made the decision to remain a virgin a long time ago.
The stunner is sticking by her decision and she doesn't feel the need to defend herself for choosing to remain a virgin in the highly tempting entertainment industry.
The musician has performed at a lot of gigs where there were probably a lot of temptations but sis is not budging. The former child star is rooted in her faith and she chooses to remain pure until she decides otherwise.
2. Uzalo's Gugu Gumede shows off gorgeous shoe collection, Mzansi reacts
Gugu Gumede recently took to social media to share a clip in which she was just having some fun with her fans. In the video she shared on Instagram on Wednesday, 18 November, the Uzalo actress jokingly says, "I'm too hot these days, if you have a problem call me," while she puts on her dark shades.
The stunner's fans quickly flooded her comment section on the photo and video-sharing app to talk about her sneakers collection. Gugu, who plays MaMlambo on Uzalo, had her shoe rack as the background of her video. Many of her fans praised Gugu for having an impressive sneaker collection.
The shoe rack had fire shoes such as the Jordan and Nike sneakers. Sis has a very expensive taste when it comes to her shoes. Gugu usually shares snaps of herself gracefully donning all sorts of stunning sneakers.
3. Trevor Noah: Mzansi social media users find comedian’s ‘snake’
After Jackie Phamotse blew the lid on some celebrities she says was using snakes for fame and fortune, Mzansi peeps have been extra suspicious about their faves. Even Trevor Noah is not above scrutiny as tweeps recently found out that he also 'uses' a snake.
The jokes never end on Twitter and it was an especially funny situation when one social media user pointed out that Trevor Noah owned a snake. The snake in question was a decoration on the comedian’s decorative brooch.
4. Nando's hilariously responds to #CassperTopTen tweet, fans love it
More often than not, when it comes to reporting on internet interactions, it ends up being about arguments or insults. That is why it's so refreshing when something hilarious or heartwarming happens on a platform like Twitter.
Nando's is no stranger to a joke, and Mzansi has them to thank for their latest funny moment as they tweeted a response to Cassper Nyovest.
Cass had previously posted a tweet that asked fans to rank their #CassperTopTen, which was their favourite songs from all his work. Nando's decided that this was the perfect time to jump into the conversation and reply to the tweet.
5. Somizi Mhlongo rocks R15 000 kicks while judging on Idols SA
In the shoe world, few are as recognisable or as widely referenced as those made by the French designer Christian Louboutin. The high-end footwear is favoured by celebrity clientele and has been a status symbol since their release in the 1990s.
It's no wonder that one of Mzansi's most fashion-conscious celebrities is a fan of the brand. Somizi debuted his latest pair of Louboutins on an episode of Idols SA and fans went gaga for Somgaga's footwear.
The shoes in question are the latest sneakers from Louboutin and have been fondly named "The LoubiShark" for their design mimicking the teeth of a shark. The pair of shoes also cost a whopping R15 000.
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