This startup is getting frat guys across America to wear short shorts — and they love it | ||
| | ||
Men's short-shorts may seem like an unlikely product for an ecommerce startup. But for Chubbies cofounders Kyle Hency, Rainer Castillo, Preston Rutherford, and Tom Montgomery, it was the most natural thing in the world to start a company based around retro-inspired shorts. After graduating from Stanford, where they all met, the four guys pursued jobs in different fields ranging from traditional finance to the startup world to corporate retail. Back in college, the four guys would wear retro short-shorts they found in thrift stories and had handed down from their dads and uncles. "If you had a really cool pair of shorts, people would talk about it," Chubbies cofounder Tom Montgomery tells Business Insider. So in 2011, a few years after graduating, they decided they'd had enough of their own jobs — they wanted to start their own company together, and they wanted to sell the short-shorts they loved wearing themselves. "We all had the mindset of wanting to run something ourselves and wanting to do something that was a little more meaningful and a little more fun," Montgomery says. "It was such an extension of our personalities to start this company." It all started at a Fourth of July beach partyTo test out the idea of mass-producing and selling men's short-shorts, the cofounders made a few pairs of shorts and brought them to an annual Fourth of July celebration at Lake Tahoe. Along with 20 friends all clad in red, white, and blue, the cofounders hit the beaches at Lake Tahoe in their Chubbies.
"That was immediately where we saw how impactful the shorts were and also how polarizing the shorts were," Montgomery says. Reactions ranged from "'Good lord, those shorts are the greatest things I've ever seen,' to 'Get off of my beach, men's legs belong under layers of fabric,'" Montgomery says. The cofounders immediately sold out of the few pairs of shorts they had brought with them right there on the beach. "That's where we really understood that the product was fantastic in terms of the resonance that it had," Montgomery says. "The shorts struck the same emotional chord with other people that it struck with us. It reminded us of our dads; it reminded us of the weekend." When they got home from the beach, the founders built out a website and made a couple hundred more pairs of shorts. And in September 2011, Chubbies launched its website. From the beginning, the founders were inundated, selling out of their early merchandise immediately. "From day one we saw there was a very talkable, very shareable notion around our brand," Montgomery says. "We saw complete strangers who we hadn't told about the brand purchasing from us." Recruiting college fraternity brothersMontgomery and his cofounders launched their company in September, just before winter. They started gearing up for March, which would be the company's first big inflection point. To make sure they started spring and summer sales strong, the founders sent emails to fraternity presidents and the heads of other social groups on college campuses, letting them know about the shorts. "Invariably, the guys who responded to us were the fraternity presidents and heads of these groups saying 'Hey, I know a guy who's interested, and it happens to be me,' and immediately they were on board," Montgomery says. Today, Chubbies has an ambassadors program, and has plucked more than a hundred college guys to help it continue to spread the word on college campuses. If you walk around any big college campus when it's nice out, you're bound to see at least a few guys rocking Chubbies shorts.
So far, Chubbies has taken very little venture capital funding. In October 2012, Chubbies raised an undisclosed amount of cash from Rothenberg Ventures. Two years later, in April 2014, the company raised a $4.4 million round from Thrillist CEO Ben Lerer, Rothenberg Ventures, Trunk Club's Brian Spaly, IDG Ventures USA, and other investors. Beyond shortsSince then, Chubbies has had a steady growth curve, Montgomery says. As the years have gone on, the company has expanded beyond their signature shorts, which have a 5.5-inch inseam. They've launched swim trunks and even a Hawaiian-style T-shirt, called the Nutter. They're also experimenting with producing long-sleeve shirts and heavier-weight warmer items to let Chubbies customers wear shorts year-round. "We're constantly building this brand around the weekend and the feeling you get around Friday at 5 p.m.," Montgomery says. "When a guy throws them on, the stress and rigors of the work week can be put on hold for a bit." Rainer Castillo, who leads the merchandising, product design, and development teams for Chubbies, says the company always wants to innovate on shorts, and one way the it does that is through riffs on nostalgic items. "When we were growing up, a big thing was tear-away basketball pants," he says. "So we made a tear-away short that guys could rip away and there was a Speedo underneath. We take items of clothing that people are familiar with and turn them into shorts."
Chubbies also tries to innovate on the customer experience side of the company too. Kyle Hency, who heads up the business development and finance teams at Chubbies, says that one of Chubbies' high-school customers wrote to the company to let them know that he had his pair of Chubbies stolen from his locker at school by bullies. The Chubbies team, in return, sent him karate lessons. "We do a lot of those types of things to go above and beyond for our guys," Hency said. Chubbies' American-made shorts come in a number of patterns: there are the company's patriotic Americans shorts, as well as shorts in any number of patterns and colors. They cost between $49.50 and $59.50 a pair. What's next for Chubbies?Chubbies has also dipped into brick-and-mortar, with a physical retail store on Union Street in San Francisco. Hency says the company's been "pleasantly surprised and excited by the traction we've had in that store to date, and the other thing that's really interesting is that us owning that 'Friday at 5' time period. We're getting lots of people flying into the store from Thursday end of day through Friday who are going on trips over the weekend." In the casual shorts market, Chubbies faces tons of competition. Everyone from huge brick-and-mortar retailers like Gap and Abercrombie cater to the 18-to-35-year-old guys that Chubbies also hopes to sell to. But few other companies — aside from the preppy Martha's Vineyard-inspired Vineyard Vines brand and similar niche competitors — are going after the "Friday at 5 p.m." mindshare like Chubbies. Today, Chubbies has roughly 40 employees. Between its followings on social media and its mailing list, Chubbies' community has grown to a "couple million people," Montgomery says. In a couple weeks, Chubbies will have its annual "Fourth of Julyber Monday ” — basically a summertime version of Cyber Monday — and the company expects to do $1 million in sales on that day alone. "Last year on this same day, we got close, but didn't break it, but this year, we think we'll eclipse it," Montgomery says. Join the conversation about this story » NOW WATCH: These are the only types of jewelry men can get away with at the office  | ||
| |
The founders spent all their cash to buy as many pairs of shorts as they could before the March push. "We thought it would last through the summer, and we sold out in a couple days," Montgomery says.
Some of the company's products also border on the absurd. For example, Castillo says the company is working on an entire outerwear collection, including items like a rain-jacket short, a puffer short, and a sherpa short. "These items are outrageous, but our customer knows they're going to find them nowhere else," he says. President Obama's former CIO says the government will end up regulating the algorithms found in apps like Uber and Lyft | ||
| | ||
It's easy now to open up an app on your phone and do anything from ordering takeout to calling an Uber or posting status updates. But the moment we need to do anything related to the government, we're back to paper forms and standing in line. "In our everyday lives as citizens, there's an app for that. When we're dealing with our government, there's a form for that," said Salesforce executive vice president Vivek Kundra at the U.S. Conference of Mayors in San Francisco, California. Kundra joined Salesforce in 2012 after serving as the first U.S. Chief Information Officer for President Barack Obama, who would speak about the Charleston shootings at the conference later that day. It's not sufficient for governments to become an app, though. When asked by Business Insider to elaborate, Kundra explained that he sees governments becoming a platform and forming a golden triangle of shared data with NGOs and private companies. As CIO, he led the campaign on democratizing data and launched Data.Gov, the federal government's public data repository. Now that he's at Salesforce, Kundra is helping cities evaluate and visualize their data with the company's analytics cloud. He estimated that less than one percent of all data generated by cities was analyzed last year. As part of his "golden triangle" theory, Lyft gave some of its data to Salesforce so it could display in a demo what the most popular Washington D.C. metro stops are for pickup and drop offs. This information can be crucial to cities, Kundra argues, as these private companies become as woven into the city infrastructure as the bus lines and subways have been. "Ultimately where government is going to move is regulating the algorithms around Lyft and Uber," Kundra said. Kundra explained that city planners would use this data to make sure Uber and Lyft are servicing all neighborhoods of the city and not creating transportation deserts. He expects to see an "exponential rise" in the private sector working in tandem with governments. "Governments should be more like platforms," Kundra told Business Insider. "The government doesn't have the monopoly for the best ideas." SEE ALSO: Larry Ellison: SAP and Salesforce pay Oracle a LOT of money Join the conversation about this story » NOW WATCH: This small landfill in New York turns trash into electricity for 400 homes  | ||
| |
Apple invented a new type of viral advertising | ||
| | ||
Apple has been granted a patent for a new viral advertising management system that can track ads or media content as it is shared via different methods, such as email, texts and social networks like Facebook and Twitter. The patent also says that it can store users' names, addresses, and age in a database. This does not mean that Apple is going to launch a viral advertising product — the company has a long history of focusing on devices and apps, not advertising. Nor does it mean that Apple is going to start tracking your consumption of social media. But it is interesting that Apple is even thinking about cross-platform viral ad tracking, given the company's recent renewed interest in evolving its advertising business. Here is the context:
Apple's new viral ad tracking method — in theory — could be used in iAd. The system proposes to gather data about people who share ads or content with their friends from Apple devices: The UUID database 235 can also contain demographic data associated with each entry in the UUID database 235. For example, demographic data can include a user's name, address, age, likes, dislikes, previous history, etc. The demographic data can be received from a user of a user device 215 or inferred from data collected by the content delivery server 205. For example, user likes and dislikes can be inferred from a user's previous requests for invitational content and user interaction with the invitational content. We've reached out to Apple for comment but have not heard back, yet. Apple files a lot of patents simply because it wants to own the technology and prevent others from using it. Most patents do not become products. And just because the patent has the ability to track user data does not mean Apple will actually do that. Usually, advertisers and publishers go to lengths to avoid dealing in unique identifying information. They would rather that data be "hashed" (meaning re-coded in a random way to make it anonymous), and tracked in aggregate as bundled statistics, until they actually make a purchase on a web site. But it's ironic that that Apple now has a method of tracking users across multiple devices and in multiple media after CEO Tim Cook made a series of speeches in which he criticised Facebook and Google for doing exactly that. "Some of the most prominent and successful companies have built their businesses by lulling their customers into complacency about their personal information. They're gobbling up everything they can learn about you and trying to monetise it. We think that's wrong," he told an audience in Washington D.C. recently. Apple says its new viral "invitational" ad tracker is "an improved method of implementing a viral campaign." This is how Apple believes an ad with an invitation to "share this" with your friends might appear on a phone or desktop, as part of a newsfeed stream:
Apple envisions a suite of sharing buttons that would allow the user to share the ad on Facebook or Twitter, or email, or by text:
A chart of how an advertiser might manage a budget promoting the campaign:
This schematic flow chart shows that each time the ad is forwarded, it would generate a unique identifier, allowing the advertiser to track the success of the ad:
When the link to the ad is received by one of your friends, this is the tracking decision tree that Apple proposes:
Here's a diagram of the hardware and circuitry on the device needed to support the ad:
How Apple sees those devices sitting within the viral ad ecosystem:
Join the conversation about this story »  | ||
| |
IBM CEO Ginni Rometty told this inspiring story about her husband | ||
| | ||
As CEO of IBM, one of the oldest, most powerful companies in the world, Ginni Rometty is no stranger to public speaking. On Friday, she gave a commencement speech at her alma mater, Northwestern. During these kind of speeches, Rometty has openly talked about her modest middle-class upbringing in the suburbs of Chicago, what it's like being raised by her single mom after her dad left, and her three siblings. But she hardly ever mentions her husband of 35 years, Mark Rometty, in her speeches, who prefers to stay out of the spotlight. Apparently, he noticed. So Rometty included him in one of the funniest portions of her speech, telling this great anecdote about how he set her on her career path: I had worked for a senior executive, and he decided to go to a new job. He came in to me one day and he said, wonderful, you are the candidate to replace me. So, I was called in the office and with great excitement told I'd be offered this job. Well, I can remember my reaction: it wasn't the same great excitement. I looked at him and I said, tsk, it's too early. I'm not ready. Just give me a few more years and I'd be ready for this. I need to go home and I need to go sleep on that. Well, that evening, my husband, now up there [she pointed upward, which made it look like she was pointing at heaven] ...well, he's up in the stands, I don't mean too far up. [The crowd laughed.] My husband of 35 years. Oh, boy. He says I never mention him, and then I do and I mess it up, you know. [More laughter. ] He sat and listened patiently to my story, like he always does. And then he looked at me and he said one thing. He said, do you think a man would have answered the question that way? He said, I know you. In six months you'll be ready for something else. And you know what? He was right. And I went in the next day and I took that job. And that takes me to my second lesson to leave you with: growth and comfort never co‑exist. I want you to close your eyes ... and ask yourself, when have you learned the most? I guarantee it's when you felt at risk. So, when you feel anxious, maybe tomorrow, when you leave and start a new job, I guarantee that that is a good sign. And this is proven to be a really important realization to me throughout my whole career. I've always looked for challenges and I have found plenty. Here's a rare photo of Ginni and Mark Rometty.
SEE ALSO: It sounds like IBM layoffs are still going on Join the conversation about this story » NOW WATCH: Forget the Apple Watch — here's the new watch everyone on Wall Street wants  | ||
| |
Apple currently has a flash sale going for its favorite iPhone games — get them while you still can (AAPL) | ||
| | ||
Apple is currently running a sale on its favorite action, adventure, and fantasy iPhone games, and everything is at least 50% off. The collection features plenty of timeless classics along with popular newcomers too, with award-winning titles including Badland, Limbo, and Final Fantasy IV. The sale is only happening for a limited time, however, so you'd better act fast before the low prices disappear. Ravensword: Shadowlands is like Skyrim for your iPhone. With beautiful graphics that are powered by Unity and a huge open world to explore, Ravensword: Shadowlands lets you customize your hero as you adventure through the Kingdom of Tyreas. There's a reflex-based combat system, ragdoll physics, five different weapons types, charactere classes, and even flying mounts and horses to help you get around. Price: $2.99 (usually $6.99) Badland is a sidescroller game with beautiful graphics. Badland is an award-winning action adventure game with 80 unique single-player levels, and the game's gorgeous graphics are some of the best we've seen. Your objective is to guide a creature through creepy environments and beat objectives and challenges, and a multiplayer mode lets up to four players play with he same device. Price: $1.99 (usually $3.99) Terraria is like 2D version of Minecraft but with a few twists. Terraria is a charming 2D game that dances along a few different genres, mixing together the creation aspects of games like "Minecraft" along with crafting and battle elements that will keep you hooked. Price: $1.99 (usually $4.99) See the rest of the story at Business Insider  | ||
| |
Here's what happened in digital media this week (AAPL, GOOG, NYT) | ||
| | ||
This story was originally sent to thousands of professionals just like you in this morning's DIGITAL MEDIA WEEKENDER newsletter. Don't be left in the dark while your competition gets ahead each morning. Learn more about our 7-day FREE trial now »
Apple's new ad-blocking framework has stoked fears that ad blocking will go mainstream. As of right now, ad blocking is a growing, but still limited behavior. About 144 million internet users, or 5% of the internet population, use ad-blocking software (see chart, below), according to a report by Adobe and PageFair. Ad blocking, however, is rare on mobile due to various limitations. Apple's new ad-blocking framework will lower those technical hurdles. It allows developers to use content-blocking tools already built into Safari to block ads (or other web content), instead of loading additional software that runs alongside the web browser, according to an analysis by AppleInsider. This could mean that developers will be able to create ad-blocking software that consumes fewer system resources than standard ad-blocking tools. Apple's framework could solve the two major challenges of implementing ad blocking on mobile. The first is that reduced demand on system resources. The second involves App Store rules: The new framework suggests that Apple's App Store will be more lenient towards apps that alter content in other apps, including Safari. The result will likely be a flood of Apple-sanctioned ad-blocking software appearing in the App store. Finding this article interesting? Thousands of professionals just like you had it in their inbox first. Stay ahead of the curve and gain a comprehensive understanding of the latest news & trends, start your day with the DIGITAL MEDIA INSIDER. Get 7-days FREE » SNAPCHAT SHEDS LIGHT ON AD PLANS: Snapchat CEO Evan Spiegel is looking to woo advertisers and cement Snapchat's future as an ad-friendly platform, Spiegel explained during an interview with Adweek published this week. Snapchat already supports some advertising through its Discover and Live Stories features. However, the photo-sharing app is looking to further monetize through increasing ad sales. Snapchat is an incredibly appealing platform for brands looking to reach young mobile phone users. 60% of US smartphone users between the ages of 13-34 are frequent users of the disappearing-message app, Spiegel told Adweek. Snapchat's users are very active, too. It gets 2 billion views a day, nearly half of Facebook's daily video views, according to Adweek. This is a huge feat, considering Facebook's user base is almost 7x larger. Snapchat aims to utilize its full-screen, vertical video format to drive advertisers to the platform. Vertical video ads have an engagement rate nine times that of horizontally oriented ads, according to Adweek. Snapchat ads also take up the entire mobile screen. This is a huge advantage over Facebook and Twitter, where native ads are horizontal and can be lost within feed formats. Snapchat will not emerge as a major advertising platform without getting over some hurdles. Advertisers could worry that the placement of their ads within the Discover or Live Stories features are not easily visible to users. Both features require multiple swipes off the home screen and are not yet promoted through icons or user directions. Running ads on Snapchat can also be expensive, as the unique format means that advertisers cannot reuse ads from other mobile campaigns, Bloomberg notes. Finally, and perhaps most importantly for advertisers, Spiegel has made it clear that he is not ready to introduce targeted ads, according to Adweek. This could pose a major drawback for advertisers that value targeted ads on other platforms. THE NEW YORK TIMES' MOBILE EXPERIMENT: The New York Times has devised an internal experiment to teach its employees about the importance of mobile: This week, Times' employees were barred from accessing the Times' homepage on nonmobile devices, The Wall Street Journal reports. The experiment should drive home to Times' staff how most readers access the paper's articles, according to the report. Mobile increasingly dominates incoming traffic to news sites. Nearly four-fifths of a sample of 50 top news sites received the majority of their traffic from mobile, according to comScore data cited by Pew. This shift to mobile is obvious at The New York Times as well: The paper noted in its announcement of the experiment that more than half of its traffic already comes from mobile, according to The Wall Street Journal.
Viewing video gameplay footage is a hugely popular digital media activity for young adults. Twitch, for instance, garnered 100 million users at the end of 2014, according to the company. And on YouTube, gaming-focused channels from PewDiePie and other top creators receive tens of millions of views each month. Brands are eager to reach this often young gamer demographic. For example, Old Spice recently launched an advertising campaign on Twitch that allowed gamers to interact with a character called "nature man." Google was rumored to be in talks to acquire Twitch last year, but ultimately, Twitch was acquired by Amazon for nearly $1 billion. It's likely that Google decided to build a Twitch clone instead given its already large gamer audience and prowess at delivering live digital video streams. Don't miss another day of breaking developments! Stay ahead of the curve and gain insight into the latest news & trends. Join thousands of other professionals who start the day with DIGITAL MEDIA INSIDER. Try it FREE for 7 days now » Join the conversation about this story »  | ||
| |
.png)
APPLE'S AD-BLOCKING FRAMEWORK RAISES FEARS: The next version of Apple's widely used iOS and OS X operating systems will make it significantly easier for developers to create ad-blocking extensions for the company's Safari web browser. As we reported last week, Apple will allow developers to build extensions that block ads on Safari for iOS 9, according to developer documentation reviewed by 
GOOGLE IS LAUNCHING A TWITCH COMPETITOR: Google will Tesla is finally building an SUV — and they want it to appeal to women (TSLA) | ||
| | ||
In the coming months, Tesla long-awaited Model X SUV is finally set to debut. With the X, Tesla will at last have a car to satisfy the consumer's craving for crossovers and SUVs. The Model S has been a home run for the company — they are selling as many they can build. However, as Tesla marches towards its future as the mass-market manufacturer of Elon Musk's visions, the company will have to appeal to a broader spectrum of buyers. With the Model X, not only will Tesla be able to reach the crossover-SUV crowd, but also — according to Musk — women buyers. According to the Washington Post, Tesla CEO Elon Musk has said in the past that the Model S is "a little too guy centric." It's an issue that the company is actively trying to correct with X, a vehicle that's expected to cost between $50,000-$70,000. And it seems to be working, with more than half of the pre-orders for the Model X coming from women. That's certainly a good thing. In 2014, women account for 40% of the nearly 17 million cars and trucks sold the US, the Washington Post reported. For crossover SUVs, that number is closer to 50%. That being said, the Tesla SUV's Model S-based powertrain and breakneck acceleration will likely also be quite a draw regardless of gender. As will the Model X's signature Falcon Wing rear doors, which are unique in the segment.
But with the X, Tesla will have an all-electric product that's quite unlike anything the exotic car brands can muster up. SEE ALSO: Here are the 20 best airlines in the world Join the conversation about this story » NOW WATCH: 6 scientifically proven features men find attractive in women  | ||
| |
The Model X taps into the burgeoning luxury crossover market, which has been growing at a seemingly endless pace. Everyone from Jaguar to Rolls-Royce to Bentley and even Lamborghini have recognized this and are developing new SUVs. A former Facebook and Apple engineer explains why his new job at Pinterest has the most collaborative work environment he's ever seen | ||
| | ||
Scott Goodson joined Pinterest as its head of core experience only a few weeks ago, but he says that he's stunned by how much he and his teams have already managed to get done. He's also amazed by the the ways that those teams get work done. Goodson has a long history in the tech world. Prior to joining to Pinterest, he spent more than three years at Facebook, first working to develop its news app, Paper, and then as an engineering manager at Instagram. Before that, he worked at Apple for four years, where he was one of the first ten engineers to work on OS 1.0 for the iPhone. Teams at Pinterest operate contrary to other teams he's been part of in the past. "I found Pinterest to be a very different sort of culture than I'm used to," he told Business Insider. "One of the most unique things is that the company really values interdisciplinary work across the different functional areas of the team. The notion of empathy is deeply understood here. At other companies there's a bit more of a competitive or even ruthless perspective, so it was really refreshing to see the level of cooperation here." That spirit of cooperation manifests itself in the way that designers and engineers work together. At Pinterest, collaboration happens much earlier in any given project, Goodson says. In the past, he's been part of teams where designers don't share their work with engineers at an early stage, partially because they're defensive of engineers tearing apart their work with criticisms that aren't core to what they're trying to demonstrate. He's noticed that a lack of empathy between designers and engineers can essentially lead to the two groups silo-ing themselves off from each other. "In addition to the human tensions and the stress that that causes, it means that the design is less flexible and less easily changed to adapt to other requirements or corner-cases that could have been pointed out at an early stage," Goodson says. "But Pinterest is really developing the product and the design together, and experimenting, instead of having designers output a specification for engineering to go build in isolation. And that's happening at a greater scale than what I've seen at a lof of places." He says that in his new role he'll be focused on making sure that Pinterest can "live up to all the possibilities that we see for it." Pinterest's goal is to help people enable their own creativity, and he says that a big challenge is figuring out what that means for different people at different stages of their lives. His teams need to figure out how to build the app and desktop experience so all of those different use cases are better and more intuitive. Even though he says it was hard to leave an innovative company like Instagram, Goodson felt like the move made sense because he strongly believes in Pinterest's vision. "It's not about projecting outwards to other people and trying to create an image for yourself, it's about actually trying to better understand yourself and develop your own capabilities," he says. "And that problem space, which has so many different subtleties and interesting elements to it, is something that Pinterest seems to be the leader in. So that was a huge part of my decision." This isn't the first time we've heard about Pinterest employees bucking the norm. Company cofounder Evan Sharp recently told Business Insider that Pinterest only tries to hire people who are "nice." "There’s definitely a stereotype of a successful startup that it’s often this aggressive, type A place and that’s just not necessarily true," Sharp said. "You can have geniuses that are nice or geniuses that are really egotistical. But they’re both geniuses. So, we really want to work with the geniuses that are nice to each other and have a common level of respect." Goodson joins Pinterest at an interesting time. The 6-year-old startup is fresh off a $553 million round of funding, and it just took a big leap towards proving its whopping $11 billion valuation by introducing a new "buy" button. Join the conversation about this story » NOW WATCH: How to use Google Maps when you have no phone service  | ||
| |
Emma Stone 'did one of the worst things ever' after her contact info was published in the Sony hack | ||
| | ||
Emma Stone is notoriously private about her personal life, so the actress recently went into a panic after her email address and cellphone number were published on WikiLeaks after the Sony hack. In a new cover interview with The Wall Street Journal Magazine, Stone says she reacted to the privacy breach "really quickly" and "then I did one of the worst things ever."
I was getting all these emails and texts from people I didn't know — 'Hi, I'm Joe from the UK I like your movies' — and I was so overwhelmed that I went to my inbox and I deleted all my emails. In about a 30-second span, I hit 'Select All' and 'Delete Forever,' and thousands of emails, like six years of emails, are now gone forever. I was just so freaked out that someone was in there ... It was horrible. I cried for like an hour. Most of the emails I'm mourning I can still talk to the person and get them back. But there's others where the person is actually gone. It really sucks. But just how many fan emails did Stone — who has appeared in six Sony films, including "The Amazing Spider-Man" franchise — get to prompt such a drastic gesture? Fewer than you may think. "It was probably five emails and five texts," Stone says. "I just went there." Stone simply prefers to keep her personal life private, especially when it comes to her actor-boyfriend, Andrew Garfield. "It's so special to me that it never feels good to talk about," she tells The Journal of her relationship. "So I just continually don't talk about it.”
Sony, which was "totally blindsided" by the Wikileaks dump of private information, responded to the privacy invasion by calling it a "criminal act." WikiLeaks' Julian Assange, however, argued in a press release that the public had a right to the hacked Sony information, which was initially leaked ahead of the release of "The Interview." SEE ALSO: Sony 'strongly condemns' WikiLeaks 'criminal act' of publishing leaked emails Join the conversation about this story » NOW WATCH: Watch Obama Slam Sony For Pulling 'The Interview'  | ||
| |
In April, WikiLeaks Everyone's ignoring Apple Pay's secret weapon (AAPL) | ||
| | ||
Apple Pay is finally coming to the UK in July, allowing people to pay at places including Starbucks and Boots by tapping their iPhone on a card reader. But that isn't what has people who are working with the company on Apple Pay really excited. What they are excited about is the forgotten other feature of Apple Pay: in-app purchases. As well as allowing people to pay for things in brick-and-mortar stores with their phones, Apple Pay lets people buy things on mobile and the web with the click of just one button. Sign up to Apple Pay on your iPhone or iPad and input your card details, then go to any website or app that supports Apple Pay, click the button, and you've made a purchase. Apple knows whom to charge because of the particular iPhone used. Card details are tied to the Apple device, much the same way card numbers are linked to iTunes and App Store accounts. John Collison, one of the cofounders of $3.5 billion (£2.25 billion) payment processing startup Stripe, says this feature, not the contactless mobile payments, is getting businesses most excited. In his speech at MoneyConf in Belfast this week he said: "We do mostly the in-app [Apple Pay] and we're seeing a lot of growth. In the US there are a lot of apps we see where Apple Pay is the priority for them. They're getting a significant chunk, not a majority yet, of their transactions from there." John Lunn, senior global director for the mobile-payment company Braintree, which was bought by Paypal for $800 million (£512.18 million) in 2013, also thinks Apple Pay's in-app element is the most exciting thing about it. He told Business Insider at MoneyConf: "Everybody's talking about the in-store stuff, but actually when you look at the presentation when they launched it, the merchants that were sitting behind Tim Cook were online." Uber, Groupon, Eventbrite, Houzz, Airbnb, Hotel Tonight, Instacart, and OpenTable were all featured in the Apple slide. All operate online-only. Lunn says: "There's possibly more traction online. You see big companies that are using Apple Pay online now. But the headlines are coming from in-store because it's such a new experience." The reason retailers and industry figures are getting so excited about Apple Pay on mobile is because mobile commerce — people actually buying things on their smartphone — is terrible right now. Collison said in his speech: "Mobile conversion sucks. You see the problem in the divergence between where people are spending their time online and where people are spending their money. People spend their time on their phones and in a few apps like Pinterest and Twitter. But you can't buy things where you spend the majority of your time." Apple Pay could change that by taking the hassle out of buying on your mobile. Rather than having to type out your address and card details on a tiny phone screen, you just click the Apple Pay button and you're done. Buying everything from clothes to power drills on your mobile could become as easy as ordering an Uber. And every retailer wants to be the next Uber — that's the real reason companies are getting on board with Apple Pay. Join the conversation about this story » NOW WATCH: The 12 best new features coming to the iPhone  | ||
| |
This startup thinks its found a 'game changer' for banks and bitcoin | ||
| | ||
Elliptic, a bitcoin analytics and storage startup based in London, thinks it's just made a huge breakthrough that could make banks way more interested in bitcoin. The company has created a sophisticated bit of software that it says can identify where a bitcoin has come from. That's a big deal for banks, which have a legal obligation to find out where the money they hold is coming from to ensure they're not holding proceeds of crime. Bitcoin isn't untraceable — every transaction is recorded on a public ledger called the blockchain. But the digital wallets that carry out transactions are anonymous, making it extremely difficult to actually make sense of the data. You could do some digging around and make a guess, but it's hard and time-consuming. That means banks have been wary about holding bitcoin — if they take a bitcoin that's just been earned selling drugs in a dark web market like Silk Road 2.0, or that has passed through a known money-laundering service, they could end up in huge trouble with regulators. Elliptic says its tool, built by 4 PhD holders, can make a hugely accurate guess as to who each wallet belongs to — and it can do so in real-time. Using machine-learning, its software crunches through the web and dark web, skimming references to wallets and other digital clues to build up a picture of the owner. Tom Robinson, Elliptic's cofounder, told Business Insider the tool could be a "game changer for the institutionalisation of bitcoin." If banks can satisfy anti-money laundering regulation then they can start to think about handling bitcoin. The tool was created after conversations with dozens of lenders. Elliptic has today released a visualisation tool showing the flow of bitcoin between entities over the entire six- year history of bitcoin, naming the 250 largest entities where bitcoins are sent to and from.
Later this year, the company will launch a API of its software, meaning banks will be able to effectively bolt it on to their existing systems and use it. Kevin Beardsley, an analyst at Elliptic, said around five banks have already signed up for the API. (He didn't say which ones.) In an emailed statement on Thursday, Elliptic's CEO James Smith said “if digital currency is to take its legitimate place in the enterprise it inevitably must step out of the shadows of the dark web. Our technology allows us to trace historic and real-time flow, and represents the tipping point for enterprise adoption of bitcoin. He added: "We have developed this technology not to incriminate nor to pry; but to support businesses’ anti-money laundering obligations. Compliance officers can finally have peace of mind, knowing that they have performed real, defensible diligence to ascertain that their bitcoin holdings are not derived from the proceeds of crime.” Join the conversation about this story » NOW WATCH: 'Shark Tank' investor Daymond John reveals the one thing in business more important than money  | ||
| |
Here's why Apple named its new Mac software 'El Capitan' (AAPL) | ||
| | ||
Earlier this month, Apple announced its newest operating system for Macs, OS X El Capitan. Piggybacking off of the operating system before it — OS X Yosemite — El Capitan claims to be faster and come with some nifty new features for desktop Mac users. But one question remains: Why in the world did Apple decide to call it El Capitan? The history of OS X naming goes all the way back to 2001. The first official version of OS X was dubbed "Cheetah." Then, until 2012, each following operating system was named after another fast and agile cat. The last feline-named version of Apple's Mac operating system was Mountain Lion. Then in 2013, Apple made a change. OS X 10.9, instead of representing yet another cat-like animal, was dubbed Mavericks. At its unveiling, Craig Federighi told the audience the operating systems to come would be named after well-known California locations. Of course, Mavericks is a favorite surfing spot in Northern California. Federighi joked, "We don’t want to be the first development team to be delayed by the lack of big cats." Following Mavericks was OS X Yosemite, which was named after Yosemite National Park. And now we have El Capitan, which (despite sounding a bit like a Mexican restaurant) is actually a vertical rock formation located within Yosemite National Park. Apple didn’t provide a formal reason for why it chose El Capitan, but the rock formation is considered an important California landmark. Hikers know it well, and it's even considered one of the best places in the world for rock climbing and BASE jumping. Like Mavericks, it’s a destination for agile and daredevil sport enthusiasts. So while there’s no way to know for sure what Apple will choose for its next OS X name, chances are it will likely focus on yet another geographical landmark in California. You can see a full breakdown of all the new features coming to your Mac with OS X El Capitan by clicking here. Join the conversation about this story » NOW WATCH: Here's the most annoying feature about the new MacBook — and the added cost to make it work right  | ||
| |
BATTLE OF THE BLOWOUTS: We tried 2 new 'ClassPass for hair' services — here's what we thought | ||
| | ||
Hi. We're Molly and Caroline, and we're addicted to blowouts. So when we were offered the opportunity to try out two brand-new services that promised unlimited blow-dry appointments in NYC for a monthly fee, we both jumped at the opportunity. We tried BeautyPass and Vive (currently in Beta), respectively. Both offer New Yorkers a package similar to the business model of "ClassPass" — for $99, members can schedule unlimited monthly blowouts in Manhattan (BeautyPass also offers its services in the Hamptons). When you request an appointment, you're matched with a participating salon nearby. But first: Are you wondering what a blowout is?A blowout is when you go to the hair salon and someone washes your hair and blows it dry with professional styling tools and expensive product. Yes, lots of people own blow-dryers. No, we don't know how to make it look that good ourselves.
Blowouts are perfect for the times you want your hair to look, smell, and feel like it does right after a haircut, without actually getting a haircut. But they're a luxury — blowouts can cost anywhere between $40 and $90 at salons in Manhattan, including places like DryBar that only provide their clientele with blow-drying. On-demand apps that offer blowouts at home (like Glamsquad and Priv) are convenient but also require us to fork over more cash, usually between $50 and $60. It's a lot of money to spend on something you can technically just do yourself for free. So BeautyPass and Vive exist to solve that issue — a flat-rate $99 buys you into thirty blissful days of blowouts. Even if you only get your hair done two or three times, it pays for itself. BeautyPass and Vive: The Similarities
BeautyPass and Vive: The Differences
BeautyPass and Vive: What We Loved
BeautyPass and Vive: What We Didn't Love
The Verdict: We're InLife is all about choices, and we both thought forking over the cash for unlimited blowouts beat out a few spontaneous Uber rides or Seamless orders. Both Vive and BeautyPass offer similar services so it's hard to say which one is better or which one you'll be happier with — we were both happy with our experiences. If the ClassPass business model proves to be effective, it's going to save everyone a lot of money. Join the conversation about this story » NOW WATCH: Here's how often you should wash your hair  | ||
| |
Watch a young Brian Williams warn the world about virtual reality back in 1996 | ||
| | ||
Virtual reality may be considered somewhat mainstream now thanks to Facebook's Oculus Rift and Sony's Project Morpheus headsets, but that wasn't always the case. This was humorously highlighted in an old NBC feature on virtual reality from back in 1996, where a young Brian Williams warned the public about the potential dangers of VR headsets. "In focus this evening, those so-called virtual reality games," a somber Williams said. "When they were first unveiled, the science of it all was staggering, but now there’s some evidence that’s have a staggering effect — literally — on some who use it when they try to return to the real world." The news report then goes on to examine how early virtual reality headsets at the time often made people feel dizzy and nauseous after extended periods of wearing the device, an issue we now know was caused by technology limitations. That's because modern virtual reality headsets like the Oculus Rift have been able to solve the dizziness and simulator sickness problem by increasing the refresh rate of the screens residing inside the headset, while also limiting motion blur and latency — factors that can all combine to make a user feel sick if not accounted for. "Kay Stanney, a researcher at the University of Central Florida is studying the real world consequences of virtual reality for NASA," the 1996 NBC feature said. "Experts warn of possible dizziness, nausea, and loss of coordination after extended exposure. It’s hard to know who will be effected and to what extent." Gizmodo points out that NBC is referencing this 1996 study conducted by researchers at the University of Central Florida, which concluded that "Exposure to virtual environments often causes users to experience symptoms of motion sickness." Of course, that's certainly true, but Williams and the reports in the NBC feature take a somewhat fearful and alarmist stance on the study's findings, painting virtual reality in a scary light and extrapolating its potential effects. "Most manufacturers warn players to take regular breaks, but experts say until legislation catches up with technology, it is up to each user to make sure their virtual experience does not become a real world nightmare," Williams said. You can watch the full clip of NBC's 1996 feature on virtual reality below.
SEE ALSO: 19 iPhone-only apps that will make your Android friends jealous Join the conversation about this story » NOW WATCH: Here's what happens when you drop an Apple Watch face down on cement  | ||
| |
We may have just stumbled on Apple Music's newest signing (AAPL) | ||
| | ||
Jamal Edwards, the 24-year-old entrepreneur behind popular YouTube music channel SBTV, could be joining Apple Music. Business Insider asked Edwards during an interview whether Apple had approached him about joining its new music streaming and radio venture. Edwards replied: "No comment. I can’t speak on it. I can’t say anything, I’ve signed a strict NDA [non-disclosure agreement]." It's not clear whether the NDA is with Apple or another company. But it seems to suggest that Edwards at least could be in conversation with Apple about joining the service. Edwards, who was speaking to promote EY’s World Entrepreneur of the Year event, also spoke more generally about Apple Music, saying: "I don’t know what to think about it. I think it’s exciting and I’m excited to see what they do. Apple’s a beast man. I’m just intrigued to see what happens in the next couple of weeks." Apple has already signed up a prominent figure in London's urban music scene. Julie Adenuga will host the UK section of Apple's Beats 1 radio station, alongside DJs Zane Lowe in Los Angeles and Ebro Darden in New York. Apple's also working with well-known musicians to bring their voices to the platform. But Edwards' comment suggests that Apple could also be expanding its network of presenters, potentially even introducing video content on its "Connect" social platform. Edwards was one of the UK's earliest YouTube stars, starting his urban music channel SBTV on the site in 2006 when he was a teenager. He posted initially home made videos of rappers performing their songs before graduating to more professional quality videos. SBTV, which has just over 500,000 subscribers, is credited with helping the revival of grime and British rap music. Artists like Dizzee Rascal, Wiley and Tinchy Stryder all appearing on the channel early in their careers. SBTV, which recently passed 300 million views on YouTube, has more recently branched out beyond urban music, featuring pop stars like Ed Sheeran, Pixie Lott and Jessie J early in their careers. Edwards has also interviewed everyone from film director Spike Lee to advertising heavyweight Sir Martin Sorrell and even Prime Minister David Cameron. Fans of Edwards include Sir Richard Branson. He was made an MBE in the Queen's New Year's Honours List last year. Join the conversation about this story » NOW WATCH: The 12 best new features coming to the iPhone  | ||
| |
Look at all the goofy clothing that tech companies made back in the '80s and '90s | ||
| | ||
Earlier this month, Drake caught everyone's attention when he appeared onstage at WWDC, Apple's big developer conference, wearing a vintage jacket made for the company's employees in the 1990s. It turns out Apple and other tech companies made lots of funny corporate gear in the '80s and '90s. We've rounded up some of the best of it here. During his talk at WWDC, Drake made a joke about the vintage employee jacket, saying that he bought it "using this tool called the internet." Drake's jacket looks just like one that recently sold for $825 on eBay. According to the listing, "this rare Apple Computers jacket varsity/baseball style jacket was given to Apple employees, at the time of the 'rainbow' logo." The rainbow logo was used by Apple from 1977 to 1998. An identical jacket is currently on eBay for $3,500. Back in 1986, Apple released a clothing line it called "The Apple Collection," filled with oversized sweatshirts, windbreakers, and obnoxiously bright patterns.
See the rest of the story at Business Insider  | ||
| |
Stunning video captures what it's like to live on the International Space Station | ||
| | ||
NASA put together this video showing what its like to live and work aboard the International Space Station. Video Courtesy of NASA Follow BI Video: On Facebook Join the conversation about this story »  | ||
| |
19 iPhone-only apps that will make your Android friends jealous | ||
| | ||
One of the best things about owning an iPhone is that you get a lot of the newest apps first before they arrive on Android. It may not be fair, but it's a great perk for iPhone users. That means there's always something new to try. You can enjoy exclusive apps from Instagram, cutting-edge photography apps, the best game we've seen this year, and even an app that will tell you the exact minute it's going to start raining.
Manual gives photography experts full access to all of your camera's settings. Manual lets you open up the hood of your iPhone's camera, giving you full independent control of advanced settings like shutter, ISO, white balance, focus, and exposure compensation. Price: $1.99 Robinhood is a no-fee stock trading app. You don't have to pay any commission fees when you use Robinhood, a stylish new trading app that's backed by Marc Andreessen and Snoop Dogg. You can access market data and quotes in real-time, and Robinhood makes it easy to stay on top of your portfolio with its Apple Watch app and iPhone widget that you can check from your lock screen. Price: Free Fresh Air is our new favorite weather app. Fresh Air is a gorgeous new weather app that emphasizes visuals with its minimalist weather graph. You can scroll forward in time to see how the weather will be in the future, and it also connects to your calendar app to give you forecasts on upcoming appointments. Price: Free See the rest of the story at Business Insider  | ||
| |
It doesn't matter that Taylor Swift and other famous musicians won't be part of Apple's new music service (AAPL) | ||
| | ||
Taylor Swift gave Apple's new music streaming service the cold shoulder this week. And it's not just Taylor. A lot of big-name artists like Metallica, Def Leppard, The Beatles, Jay Z, and Beyoncé all have odd relationships with the various music-streaming services out there. They're the superstars of the music world, and they have the clout to circumvent the labels' negotiations with streaming services and do pretty much whatever they want. But at the end of the day, a handful of superstars revolting against Apple and Spotify won't destroy the music-streaming business. It's the only segment in the industry showing any real growth, and Apple Music has the potential to provide a massive boost. Ideally, you'd be able to get any song or album you want for that $10 per month you pay for Apple Music or Spotify. But there are far too many wonky contracts, egos, and other moving parts keeping that from ever becoming a reality. Taylor Swift and some other indie artists appear to be upset because Apple Music gives you a free three-month trial for unlimited music streaming. The artists don't want to participate because they won't be getting paid while new Apple Music users are gobbling up all their music for free. Of course, Apple has plenty of cash to compensate artists for the three-month free trial period for Apple Music. But that's not a wise investment. Taylor Swift has a lot of fans, but just because her most recent album isn't going to be on Apple Music doesn't mean the service will flop. When she did the same thing to Spotify about a year ago, Spotify's paid user base continued to grow. People didn't suddenly ditch the service because they couldn't listen to Taylor Swift. Taylor's most rabid fans have probably already purchased the album through iTunes or — yikes! — at a record store. And if they did that, "1989" will be available within the new Apple Music app when it launches at the end of the month.
Music streaming isn't a perfect alternative to buying individual songs the old-fashioned way. It's a wonderful supplement, but you're still essentially renting the music you listen to. Apple Music can bring the best of both worlds together. Join the conversation about this story » NOW WATCH: The 6 best new features coming to Apple computers  | ||
| |
Here's what happened in mobile this week (GOOG) | ||
| | ||
This story was originally sent to thousands of professionals just like you in this morning's MOBILE WEEKENDER newsletter. Don't be left in the dark while your competition gets ahead each morning. Learn more about our 7-day FREE trial now » GOOGLE MIGHT TRY TO DISRUPT APP ECOSYSTEM WITH APP STREAMING: One constant in the fast-moving world of mobile apps has been that in order for a consumer to use an app, she must download it first. Google may seek to change this truth. The creator of the Android platform acquired an app-streaming service called Agawi in 2014, and recent statements obtained by The Information (paywall) indicate Google is working toward enabling apps that are streamed to mobile devices rather than apps that are housed on the devices themselves.
As for what Google has to gain from such a move, this would probably be a great move for consumers, a so-so move for developers, and a bad move for other tech platform giants. Users would save space on their devices and get to test out apps before investing their data allotments and money into an app they may not actually like, developers wouldn’t be severely impacted as long as commerce models would be able to work through an app streaming portal, and platforms like Facebook and Apple would lose some of their own power.
However, this idea is still premature. The ability to stream apps, particularly gaming apps with heavy graphics and functions, in their entirety is no easy task and won’t become a perfect science in the near term. While streaming for a “try before you buy” model is feasible, uprooting the entire app ecosystem through a streaming portal is a long way off. Finding this article interesting? Thousands of professionals just like you had it in their inbox first. Stay ahead of the curve and gain a comprehensive understanding of the latest news & trends, start your day with the MOBILE INSIDER. Get 7-days FREE »
A greater reliance on Wi-Fi could challenge the business model used by telecoms and effectively further diminish already dipping average revenue per user (ARPU) incomes. By 2019 ARPU with be less than 80% of the value it was in 2013, according to Juniper’s forecast. This is particularly notable in light of the large investments telecoms must make in spectrum purchases and infrastructure to better their existing 3G/4G networks and prepare for the impending entry of 5G, estimated to hit the commercial market in 2020.
ANDROID ONE HAS BEEN A DISAPPOINTMENT: Back at the Google I/O developer conference in June 2014, Google officially unveiled the Android One project, a program in which Google would work hand-in-hand with low-cost smartphone manufacturers in emerging markets. The goal of the program is to provide manufacturers with hardware specifications that these companies can use to easily build the most cost-effective smartphone devices, which run the stock Android operating system, similar to the OS found on Google Nexus devices. But the program has failed to take off, mostly because manufacturers have been reluctant to continue participating in the program after mediocre sales, according to Re/Code. There were 700,000 Android One handsets shipped in the first month of the program, and only 700,000 more in the subsequent five moths. Mostly, Google's strategy to target rising domestic manufacturers in emerging markets, like Micromax in India, backfired because Android One offered less profit on sales than other options and limited product differentiation to these fast-growing global players. Android One is Google's answer to the proliferation of devices that run a more bare-bones version of the Android mobile operating system, the Android Open Source Project (AOSP). These devices became popular in emerging markets where first-time smartphone users looked for a low-cost option. Widespread use of AOSP devices posed a significant threat to Google and its mobile services in 2014, and with the subdued performance of Android One, that threat may not be alleviated for some time. In the fourth quarter of 2014, AOSP devices took 22% of global smartphone shipments worldwide.
Notably, for most countries search is the most common starting point for accessing news stories, and mobile notifications and alerts take a much smaller piece of that pie (see chart, below). Despite the comparatively small role mobile push notifications play in news discovery, their current share is the result of significant growth over the past year, from ~6% in 2014 to ~13% in 2015. It’s likely that the importance of notifications in driving mobile news discovery will continue to increase as wrist-worn devices like the Apple Watch become more pervasive in the consumer market.
This development is important in the context of the recent movement toward "app unbundling," in which tech companies tend to package specific services into standalone apps to provide users with a more tailored experience. App unbundling may prove successful in emerging markets, where users look to more streamlined apps that take up less storage capacity and suck up less cellular data. But this US data shows that in developed markets, users seem to stick to a reliable pool of robust apps to complete their tasks. Getting users to download a greater number of apps with fewer services may take some convincing. Don't miss another day of breaking developments! Stay ahead of the curve and gain insight into the latest news & trends. Join thousands of other professionals who start the day with MOBILE INSIDER. Try it FREE for 7 days now » Join the conversation about this story »  | ||
| |
The biggest potential game-changer of such a model is the homogenization of OSs; If apps can be streamed from one location it may theoretically be easier for developers to create an app iteration that is compatible with several mobile OSs. More likely, the streaming app portal could be downloaded on devices running different OSs and act as a sort of virtual environment to run apps. Apple’s iOS store, which just lost dominance in terms of number of apps available, would stand to lose the most (see chart).
MOBILE DATA WILL BE HEAVILY RELIANT ON WI-FI BY 2019: Smartphone and tablet traffic on Wi-Fi networks will grow by a factor of four between this year and 2019, at which point Wi-Fi networks will carry up to 60% of all mobile data traffic, according to a recent 
MOBILE WEB STILL WINNING MOBILE NEWS CONSUMPTION: Following last month’s Pew Research 
CONSUMERS SPENDING MORE TIME IN APPS: The number of apps a smartphone user visits in a standard month is declining slightly as the average time spent in apps makes gains, according to new data from Shebab militants attack military base in Mogadishu: security officials | ||
| | ||
Mogadishu (AFP) - Shebab militants launched a major suicide raid on Sunday against a military intelligence base in the capital Mogadishu, setting off a car bomb before storming inside, security officials said. "There is an attack against a base belonging to the security forces. The violent elements used a car bomb to get inside the compound. There was a heavy exchange of gunfire," said Adan Mohamed, a Somali security official.
Join the conversation about this story »  | ||
| |
Twitter, YouTube analysis pinpoints IS strategy | ||
| | ||
Paris (AFP) - Tweets and YouTube videos by fighters from the Islamic State group have allowed analysts to pinpoint their movements in Iraq and Syria, highlighting the group's increasing push towards government strongholds. The data compiled by Britain-based analysts from IHS Conflict Monitor, and shared exclusively with AFP, shows how the Islamic State (IS) group is probing beyond the territory it currently holds and pushing the bulk of its forces towards Damascus and Baghdad. IHS ranks the most reliable Twitter and YouTube accounts from known IS militants, as well as opposition activists and government sources, using the geo-location data from around 4,000 entries a month to map attacks ranging from assassinations to large-scale bomb attacks. "The Islamic State is shifting its attention to the weakened Syrian government at the expense of losing territory to the Kurds in northern Syria," said Firas Abi-Ali, head of Middle East analysis for IHS. "We see the group's operational reach goes far beyond the territory it controls," he added. "This is a continually expanding project, there is no limit to where they would stop." The IHS data from March to May showed IS was making a tactical decision not to launch offensives against Kurdish forces on the northern front, which could leave its forces vulnerable to air strikes. "Neither the Kurds nor the Islamic State appear interested in changing that front line," said Richard Jackson, deputy head of political violence forecasting at IHS. "That frees up IS fighters to push towards the capitals." The exception has been a key border crossing into Turkey, Tal Abyad, which the Kurds recaptured from IS this week. Tal Abyad was the main entry point for IS to bring in foreign fighters, weapons and supplies -- forcing the group to throw men and resources at trying to defend it. But Jackson said that would be an exception, with IS forces continuing to press towards Syrian and Iraqi government strongholds. "They're not strong enough to take Damascus because the strong Sunni threat in that region is (Al-Qaeda affiliate) Jabhat Al-Nusra and Jaish Al-Islam, but they will push towards the Damascus-Homs road," cutting off the Syrian regime of Bashar al-Assad from his Alawite community's coastal stronghold of Latakia. "Damascus is important, but Latakia is their home," said Jackson. "That frightens Assad supporters."
- 'Divide and conquer' -
Abi-Ali said the team began the mapping project and ranking the reliability of sources in January 2014 to try to sift through the lies from all sides in the war. "What we've seen in the Syrian conflict is groups over-reporting their activity to gain credibility. There were a lot of unsubstantiated claims that one side or another was winning," he said. Given the speed of their movement, IS fighters have made little effort to disguise their locations on social media. "They rely heavily on their mobility, they move between battle fronts quite quickly and effectively, so they are less worried about giving away their location," said Abi-Ali. In Iraq, weak security forces and an ineffectual government mean IS is still able to make offensive gains despite a massive international effort involving thousands of air strikes, deliveries of weapons and other equipment and training for Iraqi forces. The IHS data shows IS pushing into the capital, with 70 improvised explosive device (IED) attacks in Baghdad between February and April, as well as three suicide bombings. "This is about undermining the enemy's will to fight," said Abi-Ali. "In their grander aspirations, it's about inflicting enough casualties that you bring down the government or spark an exodus of the enemy population." Some IS operatives were members of the feared intelligence services under the regime of former Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein, and the group has been able to infiltrate towns, villages and tribes to lay the ground for takeovers. "They have really well-structured sleeper cells," said Jackson. "The beards come off. They speak against the Islamic State to see who disagrees. It's divide and conquer." In the long-term, IS brutality and its totalitarian approach could provide an opening for other militant groups, including Al-Qaeda, which has been displaced by IS as the most active and feared jihadist organisation. "Al-Qaeda tends to work with a group to take over an area and then back off, letting the local group run it," said Jackson, citing examples in Yemen and Syria. "That sort of cooperative approach is more likely to pay dividends than the IS approach of mass executions and killing all the dissenters. But that's long-term, and we're talking years."
Join the conversation about this story »  | ||
| |
Day survives to join foursome in US Open lead | ||
| | ||
Tacoma (United States) (AFP) - Americans Dustin Johnson and Jordan Spieth, Australian Jason Day and Branden Grace of South Africa will share the lead going into Sunday's final round of the US Open. The international quartet emerged ahead from a day of all-out attrition on the unforgiving links of Chambers Bay golf course that saw just eight players still under par by the time the dust had settled. The round of the day though came from Jason Day, who came close several times to abandoning due to vertigo sickness, only to battle back against the odds with five birdies down the back nine. His 68 put him at four-under 206 and he was soon joined by Johnson, who had a 70, Spieth with a 71 and Grace who signed for a 70. They were three shots clear of the field with four players tied on one under - Louis Oosthuizen of South Africa, who had the round of the day with a 66, Cameron Smith of Australia (69), Shane Lowry of Ireland (70) and JB Holmes of the United States (71). In a day of dramas, Day's heroic effort was the most dramatic of all. He collapsed playing the final hole of his second round on Friday, struck down by another attack of the vertigo which he has been suffering from for the last year. He had to be helped onto the green to finish his round and then needed extensive medical treatment before waking up on Saturday and deciding to step onto the tee in the early afternoon despite still feeling unwell. At times he struggled to stay on his feet, looked distressed throughout, and even had difficulty glancing up to follow his ball in flight. But somehow he kept his game together as others around him came to grief on a golf course that takes no prisoners. Day on the contrary picked up shots. "I didn't feel that great coming out early, and then I felt pretty groggy on the front nine just from the drugs that I had in my system, then kind of flushed that out on the back nine," the 27-year-old Queenslander said. Johnson, who has come close in the past in all four of the majors but has yet to win one, stained his round with three bogeys and a double. But his length was always going to be a godsend on this monster course as he also rattled in five birdies to keep himself on par for the day. "I've been in the situation a few times so I know how to handle myself," he said. "I know what it takes to get it done. And tomorrow just need to go out there and focus on one shot at a time. And we'll see what happens. Masters champion Jordan Spieth was three strokes clear after just three holes before his magical putting touch left him. But he finished strongly to climb into the four-way tie boosting his hopes of becoming the first players since Tiger Woods in 2002 to win the Masters and the US Open in the same year. "Four three-putts today, two of them I could not do much about them. The other two were unforced. All in all it was just a little bit off. But plenty of birdies. Just need to limit the mistakes tomorrow," the 21-year-old Texan said. Grace, at 27 the latest ace to emerge from the golfing academies of South Africa, grappled with the lead all day before bogeys at 12 and 13 pegged him back. But he rallied again with a birdie at 15 to join the leaders and keep alive his hopes of winning a first major title. "I'm stoked. I can't wait. Tomorrow is going to be a good one. Like I said, this is what we play golf for. So it's my dream to lead a tournament or tying for the lead," he said of the challenge ahead of him on Sunday. World number one Rory McIlroy hit an array of superb shots, but at the end of the day his 70 meant he was still four over for the tournament and needing a minor miracle on Sunday to win a fifth major title from eight strokes back. Phil Mickelson's chances of finally winning a US Open, after a record six runner-up finishes, were wrecked when a 77 left him a distant 10 over.
Join the conversation about this story »  | ||
| |
Germany, China advance to quarter-finals at Women's World cup | ||
| | ||
Ottawa (AFP) - Germany and China booked the first two spots in the quarter-finals of the Women's World Cup on Saturday with confident wins over Sweden and Cameroon. Germany, champions in 2003 and 2007, demolished Sweden 4-1 in Ottawa, while China won 1-0 in Edmonton to send the last African challenger Cameroon out of the tournament. Forwards Celia Sasic and Anja Mittag both scored their fifth goals of the tournament as the top-ranked Germans closed down their fifth-ranked European rivals in scorching conditions at Lansdowne Stadium. Sasic scored twice with Mittag and Dzsenifer Marozsan also on target to put the favourites through to the last eight for the seventh time in as many editions of the tournament. Germany coach Silvia Neid described the victory as "a very important game, maybe a key match" in the tournament. "We haven't had games of this quality in the World Cup apart from Norway," said Neid, whose group had included minnows Ivory Coast and Thailand. Germany, who were shocked in the quarter-finals of the 2011 World Cup at home, next play either France or South Korea, who clash in Montreal on Sunday, for a place in the semi-finals. The 30-year-old Mittag set Germany on their way in the 24th minute with a solo run following a poor pass in the Swedish defence for her fifth goal in four matches. And 12 minutes later Sasic got her first when she slotted in a contentious penalty awarded for a foul on Mittag inside the box by her former FC Rosengard teammate Amanda Ilestedt. Sofia Jakobsson nearly pulled one back for the Swedes seconds before half-time but could not manage to keep her header down. Sasic grabbed her second on 78 minutes when her diving header gave her a fifth goal of the tournament after Simone Laudehr's initial effort had come back off the post. Defender Linda Sembrant got one back for the Swedes with eight minutes to go, but Marozsan connected with a sliding shot that went over a diving Hedvig Lindahl two minutes from time.
- Touchline ban -
While Germany and Sweden battled in temperatures reaching 38 degrees Celsius (100 Farenheit), it was raining in Edmonton, where Wang Shanshan's first half goal was enough to set up a meeting with either the United States or Colombia for a place in the semi-finals. China coach Hao Wei had a touchline ban and was forced to watch the game from the stands in Edmonton's Commonwealth Stadium. But his side closed down the game early when Wang Shanshan got the opener after 12 minutes when she picked up pass from Li Dongna who did well to control a Wang Lisi corner. Despite a spirited challenge by the 53rd-ranked African side, the 16th-ranked Chinese held on to make it through to the last eight for the sixth time. It was her second goal of the tournament for the 25-year-old Wang, who missed a golden chance for a second as she went wide on 60 minutes when alone on front of goal. Substitute Henriette Akaba missed a chance to level for Cameroon three minutes from time but fired wide. Cameroon were just the second African side to make it out of the group stage after Nigeria in 1999. It is China's sixth time reaching the quarter-finals. They failed to qualify for the 2011 tournament.
Join the conversation about this story »  | ||
| |
China, US set for 'vigorous' talks on tough issues | ||
| | ||
Washington (AFP) - The United States is vowing not to "paper over" differences with China at key talks this week weighed down by thorny issues of trade, cyber spying and tensions in the South China Sea. And while some analysts believe there will be few concrete results from the annual US-China Strategic and Economic Dialogue, the two-day talks which open formally on Tuesday in Washington are seen as an important forum for managing ties between the two global powers. "We talk through, we work through our differences. We seek to solve problems and to manage the problems that we can't seem to solve," said the top US diplomat for East Asia, Danny Russel. "We don't paper over these differences. We don't turn a blind eye to problems. We discuss them and we seek to tackle them directly." US Secretary of State John Kerry and Treasury Secretary Jack Lew will host China's State Councilor Yang Jiechi and Vice Premier Wang Yang for a private dinner on Monday, before the talks kick off at the State Department the next day. The world's two leading economies remain at odds over China's claims to much of the South China Sea and Washington has repeatedly urged Beijing to stop building artificial islands in the key waterway. Such moves are "troubling not just to us, but to the countries in the region," Russel said, adding: "The prospect of militarizing those outposts runs counter to the goal of reducing tensions."
- Hacking charges -
Ties have also strained over US accusations of cyber-espionage. A bilateral cyber-working group was suspended by Beijing last year after Washington indicted five Chinese military officers for hacking into US computers to pilfer intellectual property and US government secrets. But both countries recognize it is an area where they need to cooperate. "It's a place where us and China both have very important equities and as in the past, we'll continue to discuss those issues vigorously with our Chinese counterparts," a US Treasury official said. Chinese officials remained more circumspect with foreign ministry spokesman Lu Kang saying the delegations would have an "in-depth exchange of views on China-US relations as well as other major issues of common interest." And the state-run Chinese press appeared optimistic about this seventh round of annual talks, which come ahead of a visit to the US by Chinese President Xi Jinping in September. "Following months of diplomatic clashes over the South China Sea, Sino-US relations seem to be headed for calmer waters after key events in the lead-up to a major meeting between the two countries," the China Daily said. It quoted Wang Yiwei, a professor of international relations at Renmin University, saying: "Washington understands the consequences of US-Sino confrontation, and conflict is not on the agenda. "Still, it has to issue criticisms of China over the South China Sea to show its muscle and commitment to its Asian allies."
- Not all doom and gloom -
Other knotty problems remain over trade, the new Beijing-led Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank -- spurned so far by the US -- and whether to include the Chinese yuan as part of the IMF's international basket of reference currencies. Washington has long claimed the yuan was manipulated, but the IMF said late last month that the currency was "no longer undervalued." Such differences do "not necessarily doom the dialogue," said Adam Posen, president of the Peterson Institute for International Economics, adding the talks will still be "professional." And David Dollar, an expert with the Brookings Institution, predicted the chill in ties arising from security issues would not spill over into the economic track. Both countries "have compelling reasons to have a robust discussion of economic trends and to try to make progress on bilateral issues," he said. "If anything, tension on the security side makes the economic talks more important." One potential area of cooperation is on climate change, as UN-led talks loom in Paris in December to set new targets on limiting greenhouse gases. "We're still the two largest emitters in the world. We're trying to position ourselves and lead, frankly, the international community into the Paris conference," said Russel. There is concern in Beijing however over President Barack Obama's woes with Congress, particularly in trying to push forward a huge Pacific trade deal -- even though it will not include China. The Chinese "start to wonder, can the US government execute things in its own self-interest?" said Posen. Join the conversation about this story »  | ||
| |
Protesters target Confederate flag after Charleston killings | ||
| | ||
Columbia (United States) (AFP) - Several thousand protesters gathered under the controversial Confederate flag at South Carolina's state legislature, demanding it be taken down in response to the Charleston church massacre. Waving placards, chanting "take it down" and singing "We Shall Overcome," the youthful crowd, black and white, condemned the Civil War saltire as a symbol of lingering racist sentiment in the American South. "We can no longer afford to let that flat stand there" and be a beacon for those who harbor "bad opinions," said one of the speakers, 95-year-old lawyer and activist Sarah Leverette, prompting loud cheers. Organizers called the event a "warm-up" for what they hope will be an even bigger anti-flag protest, also in front of the colonaded State House, on the Fourth of July holiday. Online, more than 370,000 people as of late Saturday had put their name to a petition launched by the left-leaning MoveOn.org activist group, calling for the flag to go. "Symbols of hate have no place in our government. The Confederate flag is not a symbol of Southern pride but rather a symbol of rebellion and racism," it said. On the heels of the Charleston shooting, "it's time to put that symbol of rebellion and racism behind us and move toward healing and a better United States of America!"
- Point of friction -
The flag's 24/7 presence -- alongside a memorial to Confederate war dead on the lush green State House lawn -- has been a point of friction in South Carolina for years. But it became a flashpoint once again after a young white male walked into a bible study class at the historic Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Charleston and shot dead nine African-Americans. One of the dead was chief pastor Clementa Pinckney, who was also a state senator, yet the flag -- unlike others -- was not lowered to half-staff after the shocking massacre that has renewed debate about racism and gun violence in America. Dylann Roof, 21, from the Columbia area, has been charged with nine counts of murder in connection with the bloodshed, which authorities have described as a hate crime. Police on Saturday were investigating a racist online manifesto that appeared on a website that also carried pictures of Roof with the Confederate flag and a handgun. Supporters of the Confederate flag embrace it as a symbol of Southern pride and heritage, and officials say removing it from the State House grounds requires by law a decision by the Republican-dominated legislature, now in summer recess. Governor Nikki Haley, a Republican who enjoys Tea Party support, has refused to call a special session to address the issue, saying emotions are still too raw in the wake of Wednesday's bloodbath.
- No one complained -
Last year Haley, whose parents are immigrants from India, defended the flag on the State House lawn, saying it wasn't an issue because no corporate CEO had ever complained about it. Yet even some of her influential fellow Republicans were on the other side of the argument. Former Republican White House hopeful Mitt Romney tweeted "it's time to take down flag in SC." And current Republican presidential candidate Jeb Bush echoed that saying in his own tweet that as governor he took it down in Florida, and put it in a "museum." Will Green, a young African-American activist in Columbia, said the flag encouraged neo-Nazis from out of state to come to South Carolina, but discouraged investors and graduate students from moving to the state. "This flag is lying about us, our state and the kind of people we are," Green, who described himself as "a son of the South," told the crowd. "We have to take Southern pride out of the hands of racists and haters," he added. "It's not just about dead Confederates. It's about us."
Join the conversation about this story »  | ||
| |
Argentina struggle into Copa quarters, Uruguay advance | ||
| | ||
Santiago (AFP) - Argentina marked Lionel Messi's 100th cap with an unconvincing 1-0 win over Jamaica to reach the Copa America quarter-finals as group winners as holders Uruguay advanced to the last eight. Napoli striker Gonzalo Higuain rifled home the only goal for Argentina as the tournament favorites downed the Reggae Boyz in Vina del Mar to clinch top spot in Group B ahead of Paraguay and Uruguay. But it was another patchy performance from the 2014 World Cup quarter-finalists, who struggled to break down a team ranked 62 places below them in the latest FIFA standings. Argentina coach Gerardo Martino blamed weariness for his side's disjointed performance, and said his side were looking forward to some rest in the six-day break before next Friday's quarter-final. "The first half was okay. We played fine and we scored quickly and created five or six chances to score," Martino said. "At the end though it was a bit tedious but we did what was necessary. Physically we struggled a bit in the second half." Argentina will play either Ecuador or the third placed team from Group C in the last eight. - 'Tough schedule' - "There are things to fix," Martino said. "We've got six days' rest now before the quarter-finals and I think we need them. "We've had three matches in a week so it's been a tough schedule." Jamaica's players meanwhile celebrated a brave performance against one of the powerhouses of international football. At the final whistle, striker Deshorn Brown posed for a selfie with Argentina skipper Messi, who was unable to mark his century of caps with a goal. The Barcelona superstar meanwhile was happy to swap the jersey from his 100th international appearance with Jamaican midfielder Jobi McAnuff, who plays in the fourth tier of the English football league system. Jamaica captain Rodolph Austin said he was proud of his team's performances in Chile, as they headed home from the tournament after three consecutive 1-0 defeats in the first round. Restricting Argentina to only Higuain's 11th-minute strike was a particular source of satisfaction for Jamaica, one of two teams invited to take part in the South American football showpiece from North America, Central America and Caribbean region (CONCACAF). "I'm proud of the team. We maybe showed them a little bit too much respect in the first half and we didn't come at them and press them enough," the midfielder said. "But to come here and lose by only one goal against a side like Argentina is a good for us." Earlier Saturday, Uruguay made sure of their place in the last eight from Group B after battling to a 1-1 draw with Paraguay in a rematch of the 2011 final. Uruguay secured the point they needed to advance after taking the lead through Jose Maria Gimenez before Paraguay equalised on the stroke of half-time with a goal from Lucas Barrios. Paraguay were already guaranteed a place in the knockout rounds after results elsewhere on Friday, when Ecuador's win over Mexico in Group A ensured they would qualify. Uruguay took the lead after 29 minutes through Gimenez, who rose high to meet a corner from Carlos Sanchez with a powerful downward header. But Paraguay hit back shortly before half-time with a set-piece goal of their own, Barrios heading home Edgar Benitez's corner. - Brazil aim to bounce back - Sunday sees the conclusion of the group stage with Brazil aiming to bounce back with victory over Venezuela in the wake of their stormy 1-0 defeat to Colombia. The Brazilians will be without striker Neymar, sensationally axed from the remainder of the tournament on Friday after receiving a four-match ban for headbutting an opponent and verbally abusing the referee in the Colombia game. Brazil coach Dunga said Saturday the Brazilian Football Federation (CBF) was studying the possibility of lodging an appeal. "CBF legal experts will respond to all the action taken against Neymar," Dunga told a press conference. "We don't want anything in our favour, we don't want anything against us, we just want it to be balanced," he added. Join the conversation about this story »  | ||
| |
With revamped app, news to be at core of Apple | ||
| | ||
Washington (AFP) - Apple is diving deeper into the news business with a new application that could make the US tech giant a key industry player. Apple News, part of the upcoming iOS 9 operating system, aims to be the primary news source for users of the iPhone and iPad -- likely at the expense of sources such as Facebook, Google and news apps such as Flipboard. In a surprising move, Apple has unveiled it will be hiring experienced journalists to manage its news feeds -- marking a departure from the algorithmic process used by rivals. "Apple is eager to have news created by human beings and not algorithms -- it fits in with the brand statement Apple has been making," said Judd Slivka, a professor of mobile journalism at the University of Missouri. "The expectation is they will put together a smart team that works well broadly across news and specific content areas." Although Apple has offered few specifics on its plans, the company's jobs listing page said it is "looking for passionate, knowledgeable editors to help identify and deliver the best in breaking national, global, and local news." The page said the editors should have "great instincts for breaking news, but be equally able to recognize original, compelling stories unlikely to be identified by algorithms." This marks a distinction from rivals such as Facebook, which is crafting formulas that aim to deliver articles users want based on their Web habits, demographics and interests.
- Fed by robots? -
Although Apple is likely to use some algorithms to filter stories, the hiring of experienced journalists is a positive step, said Dan Kennedy, a journalism professor at Northeastern University. "A lot of people don't want to be fed news that a robot has decided interests them," Kennedy told AFP. "Especially if you don't have any say how the robot makes that decision. The Facebook algorithm is highly mysterious, and people are starting to resent that." Kennedy said it is "encouraging that this is moving journalism to the center of Apple's universe." But he remains cautious about technology companies increasingly becoming gatekeepers for news. "I'm not crazy about the idea of shifting news to huge corporations like Apple and Facebook that have their own agendas," he said. Apple says its news app "follows over a million topics and pulls relevant stories based on your specific interests." Partner news organizations include Conde Nast magazines, ESPN, The New York Times, Hearst, Time Inc., CNN and Bloomberg, but Apple will be opening to other publishers and bloggers. Joshua Benton of the Nieman Journalism Lab said the app will be important because "though the awesome power of default, Apple distribution puts it in an entirely other league. This app will be on hundreds of millions of devices within 24 hours of its debut." Benton said it could help news organizations struggling to raise ad revenues, with Apple allowing them to keep 100 percent of money from ads they sell and 70 percent from what Apple's iAd platform sells.
- Following Apple playbook -
Rob Enderle, a Silicon Valley analyst at Enderle Group, said Apple is following a formula it has used in other areas, aiming for tight control of content to assure quality -- and shutting potential rivals out. Enderle said Apple prefers to have its own application on its devices to give iPhone and iPad users easy access without turning to third parties such as Google or Facebook. He said that when rumors surfaced that Google was interested in buying Flipboard, this spurred Apple to act. "They didn't want Google to own a news device used by so many Apple users," Enderle said. As a major media player, Apple will need to deal with conflicts of interest such as managing news that is unflattering to the company or which promotes rivals, analysts say. Kennedy said that like other media owners, Apple will realize "that it would be a public relations fiasco if they did try to manipulate the news in their favor." Enderle said Apple understands the need to keep its hands off the editorial process. "If it's a core app and people don't like it, that would hurt the iPad," he said.
Join the conversation about this story »  | ||
| |
Net closes on escaped New York convicts | ||
| | ||
New York (AFP) - The net appeared to be closing on two killers who escaped a maximum-security New York jail two weeks ago in an elaborate prison break that was likened to a Hollywood movie. Hundreds of police backed by sniffer dogs and helicopters stepped up the hunt saying they were investigating a possible sighting of Richard Matt, 49, and David Sweat, 35, who have been described as highly dangerous and manipulative, and not to be approached. Police said the possible sighting was in Allegany County, about 400 miles (650 kilometers) south of Clinton County Correctional Facility, the sprawling prison the duo escaped from sparking a huge search across mainly difficult, rural terrain in New York state. Two men "who may fit the description" were spotted along a railroad line in the town of Friendship, said state Superintendent Joseph D'Amico. "While this is an unconfirmed sighting, the state police is asking residents who live in this area along the New York-Pennsylvania border to be on alert," he said in a statement. "If these men are spotted, please call 911 immediately. Do not approach, as both are considered to be very dangerous." Reporters on the ground were asked to clear a "hot area," WIVB reported, in the first major breakthrough in a week in an investigation that appeared to be flagging. "They are near railroad tracks and a culvert," a state police spokesman told The Wellsville Daily Reporter of two men who could be the pain on the run. "One had a scruffy brown beard. One had a blue sweatshirt on and the other a black t-shirt," the spokesman added, confirming authorities were "bringing in assets from other areas." Joyce Mitchell, who worked in the tailor shop at the prison in the village of Dannemora, is in custody charged with facilitating the escape, which saw the duo use hacksaw blades to bust out of their cells before crawling along pipes and out into freedom via a manhole cover. Matt, six feet (1.83 meters) tall with multiple tattoos, was serving a sentence of 25 years to life for the 1997 kidnapping and dismembering of his former boss. He fled to Mexico after the murder and killed another American there, before being sentenced to 20 years and extradited back to New York. Sweat was serving a life sentence without parole for murdering a sheriff's deputy in New York state in 2002 when he was 22. US Marshals on Thursday added the convicts to a 15 most-wanted list of "the worst of the worst" fugitives. Police have offered a $100,000 reward for information leading to their arrest.
Join the conversation about this story »  | ||
| |
India all set to celebrate Modi's Yoga Day | ||
| | ||
New Delhi (AFP) - Thousands are set to roll out their mats in the heart of the Indian capital Sunday to celebrate the first International Day of Yoga championed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Some 35,000 people including bureaucrats, students and soldiers will gather a little after dawn to do the half camel, cobra and 13 other poses in a 35-minute mass outdoor yoga session on a New Delhi boulevard, hopeful of qualifying for the Guinness Book of Records. In his maiden address to the United Nations General Assembly, Modi pitched the idea for a day dedicated to the ancient Indian discipline, prompting the UN to proclaim June 21 as the International Day of Yoga. And to mark the day, instructors will teach stretches, breathing control and meditation from 7:00 am (0130 GMT), with all of it beamed on giant screens along the historic avenue that connects the president's palace with the iconic India Gate monument. Modi, who credits yoga for his ability to work long hours on little sleep, will however make only a speech and not take to the mat himself at the mass session along the 1,400-metre (4,600-foot) Rajpath stretch. Rajpath, or King's Avenue, has been sealed off and carpeted, with dozens of metal detectors placed and multiple checkpoints erected for the big day that will see top ministers and celebrities like Bollywood superstar Amitabh Bachchan participate. While people in 650 districts across the nation stretch it out, yoga enthusiasts in 192 other countries are also expected to join in the celebrations, including in Britain where mats will be rolled out along the banks of the River Thames. Indian scholars believe yoga dates back 5,000 years, based on archaeological evidence of poses found inscribed on stones and references to Yogic teachings in the ancient Hindu scriptures of the Vedas. And Modi wants to reclaim yoga as an historical part of Indian culture which has been lost to the West where it has become a multi-billion-dollar industry. Since storming to power, the Hindu nationalist premier has set up a ministry dedicated to promoting yoga and other traditional Indian treatments and also started free yoga classes for his government's three million bureaucrats and their families. Foreign Minister Sushma Swaraj, who is at the UN's headquarters in New York for the day's launch in Times Square, has called yoga "the soft power of India" that can foster world peace. Join the conversation about this story »  | ||
| |
Argentina down Jamaica but Messi milestone falls flat | ||
| | ||
Viña del Mar (Chile) (AFP) - Gonzalo Higuain fired the only goal as Argentina marked Lionel Messi's 100th appearance with an unconvincing 1-0 win over Jamaica to reach the Copa America quarter-finals as group winners. Napoli striker Higuain, reportedly a transfer target for English giants Manchester United and Arsenal, struck in the 11th minute to ensure Argentina finished on top of Group B ahead of Paraguay and Uruguay. But it was another patchy performance from the 2014 World Cup finalists, who made desperately hard work of breaking down a side ranked 65th in the world. Argentina coach Gerardo Martino blamed weariness. "The first half was okay. We played fine and we scored quickly and created five or six chances to score," Martino said. "At the end though it was a bit tedious but we did what was necessary. Physically we struggled a bit in the second half." Argentina will now have nearly a week's rest before the quarter-final, which will be against either Ecuador or the third-placed team in Group C. "There are things to fix," he said. "We've got six days' rest now before the quarter-finals and I think we need them. "We've had three matches in a week so it's been a tough schedule." The build-up to the match in Vina del Mar had been dominated by Messi, who took to the field wearing boots emblazoned with "100" as he brought up a century of caps.
- Early pressure -
After a one-sided opening spell it looked as if the South American giants were ready to lay on a goal feast to mark their captain's milestone. But Jamaica, whose players are drawn mostly from Major League Soccer and the lower leagues of English football, proved surprisingly resilient, with goalkeeper Dwayne Miller producing some fine saves. Messi, Higuain and Manchester United star Angel Di Maria all started brightly, bristling with energy and intent as Jamaica struggled to get out of their own half in the opening minutes. The early pressure paid off when Di Maria crossed low to Higuain, who took one touch before spinning smartly to shoot low past Miller for 1-0. Higuain almost doubled his tally in the 22nd minute when he broke clear and lobbed Miller only to see his shot bounce off the crossbar. Di Maria should have made it 2-0 on 39 minutes, bursting from deep inside his own half but electing to shoot when he could have squared to an unmarked Messi. Jamaica keeper Miller was then pressed into action again, tipping over from Di Maria just before half-time. Di Maria had Miller beaten early in the second half when he sent a rasping left foot shot crashing back off the woodwork as Jamaica survived again. Messi was the next to be frustrated by Miller, lifting an exquisite chip over the Sweden-based stopper only to see the 27-year-old just manage to pluck the ball down with his fingertips. As the game progressed, Argentina looked increasingly devoid of inspiration, and the match finished with Chilean fans giving roars of "Ole" whenever Jamaica put together sequences of passes. The final moments saw Jamaica pressuring Argentina's defence but unable to grab the equaliser which could have forced the drawing of lots with Paraguay to determine the winners of Group B. Join the conversation about this story »  | ||
| |
Kvitova begins Wimbledon assault at seaside | ||
| | ||
Eastbourne (United Kingdom) (AFP) - Petra Kvitova will start her preparation for a possible third Wimbledon title on Monday when the Czech plays as top seed at the Eastbourne International on the English south coast. The world number two, who was runner-up at Devonshire Park in 2011 before going on to capture her first Wimbledon trophy, starts in the second round against either a qualifier or Italian Camila Giorgi, a 2014 quarter-finalist. Former number one Caroline Wozniacki steps onto grass for the first time this summer as she plays as second seed after spending time at home in Monaco resting after the French Open. The Dane won the Eastbourne title in 2009 and has reached the final four in her last two appearances at the Wimbledon tune-up event. French Open finalist Lucie Safarova, the third seed, will also wait for an opponent from the first round. That will be either British card Harriet Dart or Slovakia's 2014 Australian Open finalist Dominika Cibulkova, who will be playing for the first time since February foot surgery. Her last tournament was in Antwerp where where lost to Andrea Petkovic in the quarter-finals. Cibulkova, now ranked at 50, has only been back on court for little more than a week and did not touch grass until arriving in Britain. The 26-year-old will be making her career debut at Eastbourne. Russian Ekaterina Makarova takes the fourth seeding, heading number five Carla Suarez Navarro, number six and last year's losing finalist Angelique Kerber and crisis-ridden Canadian Eugenie Bouchard, the 2014 Wimbledon finalist who has lost 10 of her last 11 matches. Czech Karolina Pliskova is seeded eighth, ahead of Poland's Agnieszka Radwanska, who opens against a qualifier. Defending champion Madison Keys of the United States takes the 12th seeding and starts against either Swiss teenager Belinda Bencic or Mona Barthel. Join the conversation about this story »  | ||
| |
The troubled college with a $85 million endowment will stay open one more year after alumnae raise millions | ||
| | ||
Originally slated to close at the end of the summer, it appears that Sweet Briar College will stay open at least another year, after an agreement was reached between the school's leadership, activist alumnae, and Virginia's attorney general. Pending approval by a judge on Monday, Sweet Briar will stay open through the 2015-2016 academic year, with an infusion of at least $12 million raised by an alumnae group called "Saving Sweet Briar." Virginia AG Mark Herring will also unlock $16 million from the college's endowment to be used for operating costs over the next year. Sweet Briar's endowment was at around $85 million when the closure announcement was made in March, although much of that is restricted. Because of the abrupt nature of Sweet Briar's announcement and the questions still surrounding its financials, many alumnae asked why the school didn't explore more options to save itself — such as a fundraising campaign, admitting male students, or a merger with a larger college. The agreement also stipulates that the majority of the current board will step down, as will Sweet Briar president Jimmy Jones. The college's leadership had attributed the decision to close to "insurmountable financial challenges," tied mostly to supposed declining enrollment trends that have been questioned by those fighting to keep Sweet Briar open. Sweet Briar's new president is expected to be Phillip Stone, the former head of Bridgewater College, according to Herring's statement. Since the Sweet Briar board of trustees and president Jones announced in early March that the college will close, there has been a battle over the college's finances and its ability to operate in the future. Several lawsuits to keep the school open were filed by Sweet Briar alumnae, faculty, and local community leaders. The lawyer for Sweet Briar, Calvin Fowler, has acknowledged that the school had a $84.8 endowment but said much of that money was restricted and that the school's debt exceeded its unrestricted funds. Moreover, he has said, Sweet Briar needs to have 800 students enrolled to be sustainable but had just 532 students at the beginning of the current semester when the board voted to close. In her lawsuit against the school, Amherst County Attorney Ellen Bowyer details how Sweet Briar's financial situation may have actually gotten better in the past few years: A review of the College's annual financial statements from 2010 to 2014, shows that annual operating deficits were more than offset by the endowment's investment gains, grants, gifts and alumnae giving. This pattern resulted in an increase of the College's net assets (total assets minus total liabilities) over the last five years from $126 million to $134 million. During the same period, the College's debt load decreased from approximately $42 million to $25 million while its endowment increased from $85 million to $95 million. Likewise, alumnae activist group Saving Sweet Briar released a report last month from a forensic accountant questioning the college's claims. "Assuming the College's finances are handled in a prudent and responsible way going forward, it would still remain financially viable," Steve Spitzer, a CPA and certified fraud examiner, writes. "Our preliminary conclusion upon a review of the publicly-available data is that, as of approximately eight months before the closure announcement, the College was financially viable, and there was not an urgent financial reason to close."
The alumnae members of Saving Sweet Briar see the agreement announced Saturday as a victory. "Today's settlement is an answer to the prayers of many and a powerful validation of the value of fighting for what you believe in," Sarah Clement, Chair of Saving Sweet Briar, said in a statement. "We first thank County Attorney Ellen Bowyer for her leadership in bringing the lawsuit to save Sweet Briar College. Additionally, the $21 million in pledges generated by the alumnae community was pivotal in demonstrating that the College's funding gap could be closed. We are forever grateful to the thousands of alumnae who made this possible and call upon them to convert their pledges into donations quickly so we can deliver on the promise we have made." Here is the college's statement: The Sweet Briar College Board of Directors is pleased the College’s financial situation has dramatically changed to avoid closing on Aug. 25, 2015, as previously announced. The College has been working with the Office of the Attorney General, Saving Sweet Briar, County Attorney Ellen Bowyer, and counsel for faculty members and students for weeks on a resolution. Saving Sweet Briar reports it has received current year pledges of $12 million with additional pledges in hand for subsequent years nearly equal to the initial amount. The attorney general has indicated he will release $16 million from the restricted endowment for the continued operation of Sweet Briar College. As a result of these two important developments, the Board of Directors decided that new leadership should be allowed the opportunity to operate the College for another year with the hope it will be able to find long-term solutions for ongoing sustainability. While the current members of the Board will be stepping down as part of this settlement, all of the directors offer their best wishes to the College’s new leadership and the assurance of any support that may be requested. The Board thanks the attorney general for his leadership in achieving a resolution and the release of funds that allow the College to continue operations. SEE ALSO: Here's when an imploding Virginia college probably knew it was in serious trouble Join the conversation about this story » NOW WATCH: Mark Cuban has a brilliant strategy to get the best college degree for less money  | ||
| |
Nationals' Max Scherzer gives interview covered in chocolate sauce after throwing a no-hitter | ||
| | ||
WASHINGTON (AP) — Max Scherzer pitched a no-hitter Saturday, losing his perfect game with two outs in the ninth inning when he hit a batter in the Washington Nationals' 6-0 win over the Pittsburgh Pirates. Scherzer dominated in retiring the first 26 batters and was one strike from throwing the 22nd perfect game in major league history since 1900. Pinch-hitter Jose Tabata fouled off a pair of 2-2 pitches before Scherzer clipped him on the elbow with a breaking ball. Scherzer immediately grimaced as Tabata took his base. Scherzer then retired Josh Harrison on a deep fly to left. Scherzer struck out 10 Pirates. In his previous start, he took a perfect game bid into the seventh at Milwaukee and finished with a one-hitter and 16 strikeouts.
Scherzer lost the perfect game bid in the bottom of the 9th when he hit Jose Tabata.After the game, Nationals players celebrated Scherzer's no-hit game by showering him with chocolate syrup. It begins. And here's the full chocolate syrup shower: And Scherzer's chocolate covered interview:
Join the conversation about this story » NOW WATCH: This simple exercise will give you a total body workout and show results super fast  | ||
| |
Nationals pitcher Max Scherzer loses perfect game with 2 outs in the 9th in the worst way possible | ||
| | ||
Washington Nationals pitcher Max Scherzer was one strike away from becoming the 24th pitcher in Major League history to throw a perfect game. Instead he had to settle for a no-hitter thanks to a controversial hit batter. With two outs in the ninth inning and two strikes on the batter, Scherzer hit Jose Tabata with a pitch ending the bid for a perfect game (via MASN).
However, replays clearly showed that Tabata leaned into the pitch which should have negated the hit batter.
It is a ploy often used by batters and rarely called by the umpires. However, to do so in this situation, with the game no longer in doubt and a pitcher working on a perfect game, would be considered taboo by most in the game. Scherzer did settle down and get the next batter out to preserve the no-hitter. However, it's hard not to think about what might have been if Tabata had not dropped his elbow into the path of the pitch.
Here is video of the final pitch. Join the conversation about this story » NOW WATCH: This is why LeBron James is in such good shape  | ||
| |
The fate of Obamacare could reside in the hands of one of these 2 people | ||
| | ||
The fate of the Affordable Care Act is in the hands of the Supreme Court once again — and whether it lives as is or crumbles might depend on a justice who believes the heart of the law to be unconstitutional. Justice Anthony Kennedy is the traditional swing vote, and his views on the latest death threat to the law colloquially known as Obamacare will likely predict how the court rules. The fate of the decision could also rest with conservative Chief Justice John Roberts, who previously sided with the liberals to uphold the law. This latest challenge puts Kennedy in a particularly vexing position. Just three years ago, he voted against the government and opined that the heart of the Affordable Care Act — its individual mandate requiring individuals to purchase some form of health insurance or pay a penalty — was unconstitutional. Kennedy read his dissent from the bench with a palpable display of emotion after Roberts joined the liberals to save the law. "It amounts to a vast judicial overreaching," Kennedy said of the 5-4 decision that upheld the mandate's penalty as a tax. Now Kennedy might be the one to save a key provision of the law. This challenge, King v. Burwell, has the potential to cripple the law and throw its future into highly uncertain territory in the 36 states where the federal government provides subsidies for low-income people to buy health insurance. The high court's decision could be handed down as soon as Monday and is expected to be delivered sometime before the end of the month. And again, Kennedy and Roberts are the justices to watch. "They're going to be the swing votes," said Jonathan Adler, a professor at Case Western University School of Law and one of the lawyers instrumental in forming the challenge. "And I expect them to vote together, whichever way they vote." The challengers in King v. Burwell are focusing on four words in the statute that supposedly suggest the federal government can't subsidize health insurance in the 36 states that refused to set up their own exchanges. Those four words are in Section 1311 of the law, which establishes insurance exchanges. That section states that subsidies should be issued to plans purchased "through an Exchange established by the State under Section 1311" of the Affordable Care Act.
During another, he said the challengers "may prevail" on the "plain words of the statute," even though he acknowledged a "serious constitutional problem if we adopt your argument." Chris Walker, an assistant professor at the Michael E. Moritz College of Law who clerked for Kennedy, told Business Insider that Kennedy could go either way. "A lot of the questions he was asking were about federalism, and federalism is something he cares deeply about," Walker said. On the flip side, near the end of the oral argument, Kennedy asked Solicitor General Donald Verrilli — who represents the Obama administration — about how much authority the IRS should have in interpreting a law passed by Congress, as Slate's Dahlia Lithwick noted. It was the IRS that interpreted the law to allow subsidies in states with exchanges set up by the federal government. Kennedy questioned whether Congress really meant for the IRS rather than the states to make a decision with potentially billions of dollars at stake. "[I]t seems to me a drastic step for us to say that the Department of Internal Revenue Service and its director can make this call one way or the other when there are, what, billions of dollars of subsidies involved here? Hundreds of millions?" Kennedy said during the oral arguments. "So you've got these bookends," Walker told Business Insider. "At the beginning, he seems very concerned about the federalism argument. And at the end of the argument, he seems to be concerned about executive power and congressional interpretation. So it's difficult to figure out where he stands."
Roberts is much harder to figure out, and Supreme Court observers say they're entirely uncertain which way he'll lean. On one hand, he upheld the law last time. On the other hand, he's viewed as generally pro-business in his decisions, and multiple businesses and organizations have issued briefs on the side of the administration in this case. Complicating things is the fact that Roberts spoke just two meaningful times during the oral arguments. That was as often as the number of times he opened his mouth to crack a joke at one of the lawyers involved in the case. Kennedy has been more of a talker. In fact, just three weeks after the arguments, he appeared before Congress and said something that some observers viewed as possibly tipping his hand. He said, in a general sense and without mentioning the Affordable Care Act, that the judiciary should decide cases without worrying about external factors like congressional gridlock. That comment spurred speculation that he might not have any qualms about dismantling Obamacare even though lawmakers might not ever come together to fix the law. But even Adler, one of the legal minds behind the King challenge, said those comments didn't raise his hopes. "Those comments in Congress were normal," Adler said. "I don't think anyone thinks the court's decision will be affected by Congress." Join the conversation about this story » NOW WATCH: Here's what it's like to have a drink with President Obama  | ||
| |
9 brilliant business books you can read in an afternoon | ||
| | ||
It's no secret that reading can help you get ahead. The most accomplished people tend to love to read. 'Who Moved My Cheese?' by Spencer Johnson "Who Moved My Cheese?" made it on "Shark Tank" investor Daymond John's list of business books that changed his life. Johnson's parable was an instant hit when it came out in 1998 and has continued to be a bestseller over the past decade. It tells the story of two mice, Scurry and Sniff, and two sprite-like people, Hem and Haw, living in a maze where the location of the cheese suddenly begins changing every day. Johnson wrote the book as the internet started becoming more accessible, causing companies around the world to adapt and learn new ways of doing business. Its lessons on how to let go of a fear of change are timeless. 'As a Man Thinketh' by James Allen This short classic should be on every entrepreneur's bookshelf. Published in 1902, "As a Man Thinketh" contains wisdom that transcends time. Author and coach Tony Robbins says he often recommends it to people "because it's so small and easy to read and so profound." He's read it at least a dozen times. In the book, Allen emphasizes that your life is completely under your control rather than in the hands of fate, luck, or external circumstances. To be successful, he says you must first be successful in your mind.
'How to Lie with Statistics' by Darrell Huff If "How to Lie with Statistics" worked for Bill Gates, it could work for you. The business magnate and bookworm included Huff's 150-page book about how statistics can be deceptive on his list of summer must-reads. Although it was written in 1954, Gates promises it doesn't feel dated. Rather, it will make you feel smarter and more skeptical of the things you read. See the rest of the story at Business Insider  | ||
| |
Police are reportedly closing in on the two escaped New York fugitives | ||
| | ||
Police have descended on the town of Friendship, New York, where there were sightings of two convicted murderes who escaped a maximum-security prison two weeks ago. New York state police spokesman told Reuters that police had set up a perimeter in the area of the town. In addition, the Wellsville Daily Reporter reported that authorities have shut off a highway. Despite earlier reports that authorities had trapped the convicts on a set of train tracks, police have yet to capture the suspects. New York state troopers did not respond to Business Insider's request for comment, though according to NBC's Tom Winter, law enforcement officials did confirm that the fugitives had been seen near Friendship. Local reporter John Anderson tweeted that police believe that the two fugitives may have separated. Earlier this month, 48-year-old Richard Matt and 34-year-old David Sweat broke out of a maximum security prison in upstate New York. Hundreds of law enforcement officials have been involved in the hunt for the two suspects. As the manhunt extended to its second week, some expressed frustration at the lack of significant leads. Last week, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo said that the two murderers could be near or “in Mexico by now.” Both Matt and Sweat were serving potential life sentences for murder. Matt previously escaped a different jail in New York in 1986. "They went onto a catwalk which is about six stories high. We estimate they climbed down and had power tools and were able to get out to this facility through tunnels, cutting away at several spots." Before reportedly escaping through a manhole outside the prison, the two fugitives cut their way through several tunnels with power tools and worked their way through scaffolding that's six-stories high. This story will be updated as we get more information. Pamela Engel and Barbara Tasch contributed reporting. Join the conversation about this story » NOW WATCH: Take a tour of the $367 million jet that will soon be called Air Force One  | ||
| |
This startup is getting frat guys across America to wear short shorts — and they love it | ||
| | ||
Men's short-shorts may seem like an unlikely product for an ecommerce startup. But for Chubbies cofounders Kyle Hency, Rainer Castillo, Preston Rutherford, and Tom Montgomery, it was the most natural thing in the world to start a company based around retro-inspired shorts. After graduating from Stanford, where they all met, the four guys pursued jobs in different fields ranging from traditional finance to the startup world to corporate retail. Back in college, the four guys would wear retro short-shorts they found in thrift stories and had handed down from their dads and uncles. "If you had a really cool pair of shorts, people would talk about it," Chubbies cofounder Tom Montgomery tells Business Insider. So in 2011, a few years after graduating, they decided they'd had enough of their own jobs — they wanted to start their own company together, and they wanted to sell the short-shorts they loved wearing themselves. "We all had the mindset of wanting to run something ourselves and wanting to do something that was a little more meaningful and a little more fun," Montgomery says. "It was such an extension of our personalities to start this company." It all started at a Fourth of July beach partyTo test out the idea of mass-producing and selling men's short-shorts, the cofounders made a few pairs of shorts and brought them to an annual Fourth of July celebration at Lake Tahoe. Along with 20 friends all clad in red, white, and blue, the cofounders hit the beaches at Lake Tahoe in their Chubbies.
"That was immediately where we saw how impactful the shorts were and also how polarizing the shorts were," Montgomery says. Reactions ranged from "'Good lord, those shorts are the greatest things I've ever seen,' to 'Get off of my beach, men's legs belong under layers of fabric,'" Montgomery says. The cofounders immediately sold out of the few pairs of shorts they had brought with them right there on the beach. "That's where we really understood that the product was fantastic in terms of the resonance that it had," Montgomery says. "The shorts struck the same emotional chord with other people that it struck with us. It reminded us of our dads; it reminded us of the weekend." When they got home from the beach, the founders built out a website and made a couple hundred more pairs of shorts. And in September 2011, Chubbies launched its website. From the beginning, the founders were inundated, selling out of their early merchandise immediately. "From day one we saw there was a very talkable, very shareable notion around our brand," Montgomery says. "We saw complete strangers who we hadn't told about the brand purchasing from us." Recruiting college fraternity brothersMontgomery and his cofounders launched their company in September, just before winter. They started gearing up for March, which would be the company's first big inflection point. To make sure they started spring and summer sales strong, the founders sent emails to fraternity presidents and the heads of other social groups on college campuses, letting them know about the shorts. "Invariably, the guys who responded to us were the fraternity presidents and heads of these groups saying 'Hey, I know a guy who's interested, and it happens to be me,' and immediately they were on board," Montgomery says. Today, Chubbies has an ambassadors program, and has plucked more than a hundred college guys to help it continue to spread the word on college campuses. If you walk around any big college campus when it's nice out, you're bound to see at least a few guys rocking Chubbies shorts.
So far, Chubbies has taken very little venture capital funding. In October 2012, Chubbies raised an undisclosed amount of cash from Rothenberg Ventures. Two years later, in April 2014, the company raised a $4.4 million round from Thrillist CEO Ben Lerer, Rothenberg Ventures, Trunk Club's Brian Spaly, IDG Ventures USA, and other investors. Beyond shortsSince then, Chubbies has had a steady growth curve, Montgomery says. As the years have gone on, the company has expanded beyond their signature shorts, which have a 5.5-inch inseam. They've launched swim trunks and even a Hawaiian-style T-shirt, called the Nutter. They're also experimenting with producing long-sleeve shirts and heavier-weight warmer items to let Chubbies customers wear shorts year-round. "We're constantly building this brand around the weekend and the feeling you get around Friday at 5 p.m.," Montgomery says. "When a guy throws them on, the stress and rigors of the work week can be put on hold for a bit." Rainer Castillo, who leads the merchandising, product design, and development teams for Chubbies, says the company always wants to innovate on shorts, and one way the it does that is through riffs on nostalgic items. "When we were growing up, a big thing was tear-away basketball pants," he says. "So we made a tear-away short that guys could rip away and there was a Speedo underneath. We take items of clothing that people are familiar with and turn them into shorts."
Chubbies also tries to innovate on the customer experience side of the company too. Kyle Hency, who heads up the business development and finance teams at Chubbies, says that one of Chubbies' high-school customers wrote to the company to let them know that he had his pair of Chubbies stolen from his locker at school by bullies. The Chubbies team, in return, sent him karate lessons. "We do a lot of those types of things to go above and beyond for our guys," Hency said. Chubbies' American-made shorts come in a number of patterns: there are the company's patriotic Americans shorts, as well as shorts in any number of patterns and colors. They cost between $49.50 and $59.50 a pair. What's next for Chubbies?Chubbies has also dipped into brick-and-mortar, with a physical retail store on Union Street in San Francisco. Hency says the company's been "pleasantly surprised and excited by the traction we've had in that store to date, and the other thing that's really interesting is that us owning that 'Friday at 5' time period. We're getting lots of people flying into the store from Thursday end of day through Friday who are going on trips over the weekend." In the casual shorts market, Chubbies faces tons of competition. Everyone from huge brick-and-mortar retailers like Gap and Abercrombie cater to the 18-to-35-year-old guys that Chubbies also hopes to sell to. But few other companies — aside from the preppy Martha's Vineyard-inspired Vineyard Vines brand and similar niche competitors — are going after the "Friday at 5 p.m." mindshare like Chubbies. Today, Chubbies has roughly 40 employees. Between its followings on social media and its mailing list, Chubbies' community has grown to a "couple million people," Montgomery says. In a couple weeks, Chubbies will have its annual "Fourth of Julyber Monday ” — basically a summertime version of Cyber Monday — and the company expects to do $1 million in sales on that day alone. "Last year on this same day, we got close, but didn't break it, but this year, we think we'll eclipse it," Montgomery says. Join the conversation about this story » NOW WATCH: These are the only types of jewelry men can get away with at the office  | ||
| |
GREECE IS DOWN TO THE WIRE | ||
| | ||
The Wall Street Journal is reporting that the Greek government is once again working to revise its proposals for economic reforms so that it might finally strike a deal with its creditors on Monday. Greek government leaders will meet Sunday to approve the revisions, according to The Journal: Government members are putting together a plan they hope would achieve budget targets that bailout creditors want, while relying more on eliminating tax breaks and less on pension cuts than the lenders’ own proposal, the officials said. The Greek cabinet is due to discuss the proposal on Sunday morning. It isn’t clear whether the cabinet under Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras will endorse the plan, which was being prepared on the weekend by Deputy Prime Minister Yannis Dragasakis and others who are considered among the more pragmatic members of the leftist Syriza-led government. Monday's meeting with Greece's troika of creditors, the European Commission, the IMF, and the ECB, will be crucial. The group has thus far refused a litany of previous proposals for reform from Greece's government officials. The ECB had to grant Greek banks emergency liquidity over the weekend to make sure that they will be able to open Monday, and Bloomberg reports that this is a "weekend of fear in Greece." In an op-ed in the Irish Times on Saturday morning, an obviously frustrated Greek finance minister Yanis Varoufakis wrote that so far, eurogroup negotiations have proved to be "a strange forum, one ill-equipped to forge good, hard decisions when Europe truly needs them." In another weekend op-ed, this one in the Financial Times, economist Larry Summers wrote that without a deal, Greece might become a failed state — although at least one critic suggested that Summers' argument might be a bit hyperbolic. SEE ALSO: Greek finance minister: Europe's negotiators are 'ill-equipped to forge good, hard decisions' Join the conversation about this story » NOW WATCH: This animated map shows how European languages evolved  | ||
| |
