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<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?><rss version="2.0" xmlns:content="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/content/" xmlns:wfw="http://wellformedweb.org/CommentAPI/" xmlns:dc="http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/" xmlns:atom="http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom" xmlns:sy="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/syndication/" xmlns:slash="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/slash/" > <channel> <title>Alpha Leaders</title> <atom:link href="https://alphaleaders.co.uk/feed/" rel="self" type="application/rss+xml" /> <link>https://alphaleaders.co.uk</link> <description>Latest Entrepreneurs and Leaders News and Updates</description> <lastBuildDate>Sat, 04 May 2024 12:29:37 +0000</lastBuildDate> <language>en-GB</language> <sy:updatePeriod> hourly </sy:updatePeriod> <sy:updateFrequency> 1 </sy:updateFrequency> <generator>https://wordpress.org/?v=6.4.4</generator> <image> <url>https://alphaleaders.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/cropped-alph-icon-32x32.png</url> <title>Alpha Leaders</title> <link>https://alphaleaders.co.uk</link> <width>32</width> <height>32</height></image> <item> <title>Today’s NYT ‘Connections’ Hints And Answers For Saturday, May 4</title> <link>https://alphaleaders.co.uk/todays-nyt-connections-hints-and-answers-for-saturday-may-4/</link> <comments>https://alphaleaders.co.uk/todays-nyt-connections-hints-and-answers-for-saturday-may-4/#respond</comments> <dc:creator><![CDATA[Press Room]]></dc:creator> <pubDate>Sat, 04 May 2024 12:29:36 +0000</pubDate> <category><![CDATA[Innovation]]></category> <category><![CDATA[NYT]]></category> <guid isPermaLink="false">https://alphaleaders.co.uk/todays-nyt-connections-hints-and-answers-for-saturday-may-4/</guid> <description><![CDATA[<p>Looking for Friday’s Connections hints and answers? You can find them here: Welcome to the weekend, folks, and a happy Star Wars Day to one and all! I’m not exactly a massive Star Wars fan, but I do enjoy it and was a little disappointed that there was no theme to today’s game of Connections. [...]</p><p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://alphaleaders.co.uk/todays-nyt-connections-hints-and-answers-for-saturday-may-4/">Today’s NYT ‘Connections’ Hints And Answers For Saturday, May 4</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://alphaleaders.co.uk">Alpha Leaders</a>.</p>]]></description> <content:encoded><![CDATA[<div><p><em>Looking for Friday’s Connections hints and answers? You can find them here:</em></p><p>Welcome to the weekend, folks, and a happy Star Wars Day to one and all! I’m not exactly a massive Star Wars fan, but I do enjoy it and was a little disappointed that there was no theme to today’s game of <em>Connections</em>. That’s okay, though — I still had fun with it anyway.</p><p>Today’s <em>NYT</em> <em data-ga-track="ExternalLink:https://www.nytimes.com/games/connections">Connections</em><em> </em>hints and answers are coming right up.</p><h2 class="subhead-embed color-accent bg-base font-accent font-size text-align"><strong>How To Play Connections</strong></h2><p>In <em>Connections</em>, you’re presented with a grid of 16 words. Your task is to arrange them into four groups of four by figuring out the links between them. The groups could be things like horror movie franchises, a type of verb or rappers.</p><p><fbs-ad position="inread" progressive="" ad-id="article-0-inread" aria-hidden="true" role="presentation"></fbs-ad></p><p>There’s only one solution for each puzzle, and you’ll need to be careful when it comes to words that might fit into more than one category. You can shuffle the words to perhaps help you see links between them.</p><p>Each group is color coded. The yellow group is usually the easiest to figure out, blue and green fall in the middle, and the purple group is typically the hardest one to deduce. The purple group often involves wordplay, so bear that in mind.</p><p>Select four words you think go together and press Submit. If you make a guess and you’re incorrect, you’ll lose a life. If you’re close to having a correct group, you might see a message telling you that you’re one word away from getting it right, but you’ll still need to figure out which one to swap.</p><p>If you make four mistakes, it’s game over. Let’s make sure that doesn’t happen with the help of some hints, and, if you’re really struggling, today’s <em>Connections</em> answers.</p><h2 class="subhead-embed color-accent bg-base font-accent font-size text-align"><strong>What Are Today’s Connections Hints?</strong></h2><p><strong>Scroll slowly!</strong> Just after the hints for each of today’s <em>Connections </em>groups, I’ll reveal what the groups are without immediately telling you which words go into them.</p><p>Today’s 16 words are:</p><ul><li>SPRING</li><li>LOVE</li><li>PIN</li><li>WELL</li><li>FANCY</li><li>JEWEL</li><li>LIKE</li><li>CARROT</li><li>CYLINDER</li><li>HURTS</li><li>LITERALLY</li><li>RELISH</li><li>UM</li><li>OM</li><li>SAVOR</li><li>TUMBLER</li></ul><p>And the hints for today’s groups are:</p><ol><li>Yellow group — take pleasure in</li><li>Green group — ah, you know, sort of</li><li>Blue group — parts of an object that protects your bike or front door</li><li>Purple group — they sound like things used for quantification</li></ol><h2 class="subhead-embed color-accent bg-base font-accent font-size text-align"><strong>What Are Today’s Connections Groups?</strong></h2><p>Need some extra help?</p><p>Be warned: we’re starting to get into <strong>spoiler territory.</strong></p><p>Today’s groups are…</p><ul><li>Yellow group — enjoy</li><li>Green group — filler words</li><li>Blue group — components of a lock</li><li>Purple group — homophones of units of measure</li></ul><h2 class="subhead-embed color-accent bg-base font-accent font-size text-align"><strong>What Are Today’s Connections Answers?</strong></h2><p><strong>Spoiler alert! </strong>Don’t scroll any further down the page until you’re ready to find out today’s <em>Connections</em> answers.</p><p>This is your final warning!</p><p>Today’s <em>Connections </em>answers are…</p><ul><li>Yellow group — enjoy (FANCY, LOVE, RELISH, SAVOR)</li><li>Green group — filler words (LIKE, LITERALLY, UM, WELL)</li><li>Blue group — components of a lock (CYLINDER, PIN, SPRING, TUMBLER)</li><li>Purple group — homophones of units of measure (CARROT, HURTS, JEWEL, OM)</li></ul><p>No perfect game today, but I’m happy to extend my overall streak to three wins. This one was a little chaotic and ridiculous, but I got there in the end.</p><p>I had a decent idea about the yellows, but just missed the mark with my first guess of LOVE, LIKE, RELISH and SAVOR. Rather than try to brute force my way to getting the first group, I changed tactics. After some thinking time, I eventually got the blues first, but I actually thought they were just round things. Whoops. I’ll take that though.</p><p>I then entered chaos mode and had a couple more stabs at the yellows, until I figured out the group with one life left. Excavating LIKE from those guesses then made the greens clear to me.</p><p>I didn’t figure out the purple connection, so I’m glad I didn’t have to. In case you were wondering, the words they refer to are carat, hertz, joule and ohm.</p><p>That’s all there is to it for today’s <em>Connections </em>clues and answers. Be sure to check my blog for hints and the solution for Sunday’s game if you need them.</p><p>P.S. Say what you will about <em>The Phantom Menace,</em> but this piece remains stunning, a quarter of a century later:</p></div><p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://alphaleaders.co.uk/todays-nyt-connections-hints-and-answers-for-saturday-may-4/">Today’s NYT ‘Connections’ Hints And Answers For Saturday, May 4</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://alphaleaders.co.uk">Alpha Leaders</a>.</p>]]></content:encoded> <wfw:commentRss>https://alphaleaders.co.uk/todays-nyt-connections-hints-and-answers-for-saturday-may-4/feed/</wfw:commentRss> <slash:comments>0</slash:comments> </item> <item> <title>Is It Good to Go Exclusive?</title> <link>https://alphaleaders.co.uk/is-it-good-to-go-exclusive/</link> <comments>https://alphaleaders.co.uk/is-it-good-to-go-exclusive/#respond</comments> <dc:creator><![CDATA[Press Room]]></dc:creator> <pubDate>Sat, 04 May 2024 12:24:16 +0000</pubDate> <category><![CDATA[Business]]></category> <guid isPermaLink="false">https://alphaleaders.co.uk/is-it-good-to-go-exclusive/</guid> <description><![CDATA[<p>Paramount’s proposed merger with Skydance has been the most tumultuous media deal in years. Now it has taken yet another turn after the exclusivity period for negotiations expired without an agreement in hand. A month ago, a special committee of Paramount’s board agreed to enter into exclusive talks with Skydance — a Hollywood studio run [...]</p><p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://alphaleaders.co.uk/is-it-good-to-go-exclusive/">Is It Good to Go Exclusive?</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://alphaleaders.co.uk">Alpha Leaders</a>.</p>]]></description> <content:encoded><![CDATA[<div><div class="css-53u6y8"><p class="css-at9mc1 evys1bk0">Paramount’s proposed merger with Skydance has been the most tumultuous media deal in years. Now it has taken yet another turn after the exclusivity period for negotiations expired without an agreement in hand.</p><p class="css-at9mc1 evys1bk0">A month ago, a special committee of Paramount’s board agreed to enter into exclusive talks with Skydance — a Hollywood studio run by the tech scion David Ellison — even as the private equity giant Apollo Global Management reached out with a $26 billion offer. Paramount shareholders grumbled that granting exclusivity was a mistake, and that the company should have engaged with Apollo instead.</p><p class="css-at9mc1 evys1bk0">This week, the special committee told Skydance that it was letting the exclusivity period lapse. The end of exclusivity doesn’t alone kill the deal with Skydance. But it does allow Paramount to open up negotiations with Apollo and Sony Pictures Entertainment, which joined Apollo’s bid.</p><p class="css-at9mc1 evys1bk0">The so far fruitless negotiations raise a question that deal makers have long debated: Why do companies like Paramount agree to exclusivity in the first place?</p></div><aside class="css-ew4tgv" aria-label="companion column"/></div><div><div class="css-53u6y8"><p class="css-at9mc1 evys1bk0"><strong class="css-8qgvsz ebyp5n10">Buyers often prefer exclusivity more than sellers. </strong>Exclusivity is a sign from the seller that it is committed to doing a deal and not just using a bid to drum up higher offers.</p><p class="css-at9mc1 evys1bk0">Sellers generally prefer to negotiate without exclusivity because it limits their ability to shop around for a higher price. And since they’ve already signaled to a buyer they’re willing to make a deal, they’ve weakened their bargaining power.</p><p class="css-at9mc1 evys1bk0">Many big public company deals are negotiated without exclusivity, since shareholders expect the company to get the highest possible price.</p><p class="css-at9mc1 evys1bk0"><strong class="css-8qgvsz ebyp5n10">Exclusivity can help sellers with thorny deals.</strong> In addition to helping to cajole a potential buyer to spend millions on due diligence, committing to negotiate with just one party can obscure limited interest.</p><p class="css-at9mc1 evys1bk0">“An auction is a really good way of selling something when you have multiple bidders,” Edward Rock, a professor of corporate law at New York University told DealBook. “It’s a really bad way of selling something if you announce an auction and only one person shows up, because now everybody knows there’s no one else out there interested in buying the company.”</p></div><aside class="css-ew4tgv" aria-label="companion column"/></div><div><div class="css-53u6y8"><p class="css-at9mc1 evys1bk0"><strong class="css-8qgvsz ebyp5n10">For Paramount, other factors were most likely in play.</strong> Shari Redstone, the company’s board chair, almost certainly prefers a Skydance deal, which would allow her to sell her shares at a control premium. It’s unclear whether the all-cash Paramount offer from Sony and Apollo would be as lucrative for her.</p><p class="css-at9mc1 evys1bk0">Redstone appointed the special committee to lead Paramount’s negotiations to avoid conflicts of interest. But that committee is nonetheless aware that Skydance’s bid for National Amusements, the parent company of Paramount, was supported by Redstone, the company’s most influential shareholder. That was likely a factor in its decision to move forward with exclusive talks, said Steven Davidoff Solomon, a professor at the University of California, Berkeley, School of Law.</p><p class="css-at9mc1 evys1bk0">Solomon said the special committee might have seen Skydance’s offer as the only plausible deal on the table. “Let’s see if we can get it done,” Solomon said, articulating his interpretation of the committee’s approach. “If we <em class="css-2fg4z9 e1gzwzxm0">can’t</em> get it done, then 30 days later, we can go do another deal.”</p><p class="css-at9mc1 evys1bk0"><strong class="css-8qgvsz ebyp5n10">But time is money. </strong>The highly publicized 30-day deadline put a spotlight on the deal, adding an unwelcome level of dramatic tension as the two sides sought to hammer out a tricky agreement. The 30 days also coincided with the departure of Paramount’s C.E.O., Bob Bakish, which left the company on shakier footing and potentially weakened its bargaining power.</p><p class="css-at9mc1 evys1bk0">If Paramount begins talks with Sony and Apollo, it’s not clear they will result in a deal. It’s not clear whether there will now be any deal at all. But in any case, Paramount’s special committee will have a lot to talk about when it meets today to discuss its options. <em class="css-2fg4z9 e1gzwzxm0">— Lauren Hirsch</em></p></div><aside class="css-ew4tgv" aria-label="companion column"/></div><div><div class="css-53u6y8"><h3 class="css-15h6bi9 e1gnsphs0" id="link-36c9f6c7"><span>IN CASE YOU MISSED IT</span></h3><p class="css-at9mc1 evys1bk0"><strong class="css-8qgvsz ebyp5n10">The United States added fewer jobs than expected last month.</strong> Non-farm payrolls released this week showed that 175,000 jobs were created, fewer than forecast, and that wage growth slowed. The data capped a week of new economic indicators and the Fed’s decision to leave rates unchanged until it is confident that inflation is closer to its 2 percent target.</p><p class="css-at9mc1 evys1bk0"><strong class="css-8qgvsz ebyp5n10">The Securities and Exchange Commission charged Trump Media’s auditor with fraud.</strong> The regulator charged BF Borgers with failing to comply with accounting rules, and the firm agreed to stop filing audited statements on behalf of clients. Trump Media has been a client of BF Borgers since 2022.</p><p class="css-at9mc1 evys1bk0"><strong class="css-8qgvsz ebyp5n10">The Biden administration recommended reclassifying marijuana.</strong> Cannabis company stocks jumped on news that the Justice Department recommended changing the drug’s classification from Schedule I (the same level as heroin) to Schedule III (which would put it on a par with Tylenol and codeine). The move could help President Biden’s appeal among younger voters.</p><p class="css-at9mc1 evys1bk0"><strong class="css-8qgvsz ebyp5n10">Another crypto mogul was sentenced to prison.</strong> Changpeng Zhao, the founder of Binance and one of the industry’s biggest names, was given a term of four months for money laundering. Zhao, who pleaded guilty last year, received less than the three-year term that prosecutors had recommended. With a fortune estimated at $33 billion, he may become the richest federal inmate in U.S. history.</p><h2 class="css-9ycfei eoo0vm40" id="link-4a51ebde">Munger’s best zingers</h2><p class="css-at9mc1 evys1bk0">Much of Berkshire Hathaway’s annual meeting in Omaha today will resemble gatherings of years past: the tens of thousands of attendees from around the world; dozens of representatives from the conglomerate’s portfolio companies, from Fruit of the Loom to the BNSF railroad; and Warren Buffett himself on hand to answer shareholder questions.</p></div><aside class="css-ew4tgv" aria-label="companion column"/></div><div><div class="css-53u6y8"><p class="css-at9mc1 evys1bk0">But this year Buffett will be without his longtime right-hand man, Charlie Munger, who died in November at age 99. For ages, the centerpiece of the shareholder conclave was an hourslong question-and-answer session featuring the two men, who perfected a buddy-comedy act — Buffett first answered with sunny optimism, and then Munger followed with sharp-tongued cynicism. (This year, Buffett will be joined by his top lieutenants, Greg Abel and Ajit Jain.)</p><p class="css-at9mc1 evys1bk0">Here are some of the best zingers that Munger let fly at Berkshire annual meetings over the years:</p><ul class="css-1le37cb ez3869y0"><li class="css-1i3ul0c eoqvrfo0"><p class="css-1il0jfh evys1bk0">“If you mix the mathematics of the chain letter or the Ponzi scheme with some legitimate development like the development of the internet, you are mixing something which is wretched or irrational or has bad consequences with something that has very good consequences. But you know, if you mix raisins with turds, they’re still turds.” (2000)</p></li><li class="css-1i3ul0c eoqvrfo0"><p class="css-1il0jfh evys1bk0">“What I needed to get ahead was to compete against idiots. And luckily there’s a large supply.” (2014)</p></li><li class="css-1i3ul0c eoqvrfo0"><p class="css-1il0jfh evys1bk0">“I have avoided compensation consultants all my life. I hardly can find the words to express my contempt.” (2017)</p></li><li class="css-1i3ul0c eoqvrfo0"><p class="css-1il0jfh evys1bk0">“A man who jumps out of a building is OK until he hits the ground.” (2023, on government deficits)</p></li></ul><hr class="css-7ad88g e1mu4ftr0"/><h2 class="css-9ycfei eoo0vm40" id="link-573a501e">On our radar: A.I. art that gives humans some hope </h2></div><aside class="css-ew4tgv" aria-label="companion column"/></div><div><div class="css-53u6y8"><p class="css-at9mc1 evys1bk0">Ever since ChatGPT was released in 2022, businesses and governments have been trying to figure out how artificial intelligence will work alongside humans. Can the technology take on entire jobs? Is it a collaborator? And which functions could A.I. augment rather than replace?</p></div><aside class="css-ew4tgv" aria-label="companion column"/></div><div><div class="css-53u6y8"><p class="css-at9mc1 evys1bk0">For clues on the future, DealBook visited two art galleries in London featuring works created by traditional artists experimenting with A.I.</p><p class="css-at9mc1 evys1bk0">In “AI & Technology Influence on Contemporary Art,” a show curated by Virginia Damtsa and on display through Sept. 10 at Gabriel Scott, three painters have used the tech to test the boundaries of human creativity, exploring whether A.I. is a liberating tool or an existential risk to creativity. Jonathan Yeo — whose painting of King Charles III, the first since he was crowned, will be unveiled this month — asked an A.I. to create a series of self-portraits. Von Wolfe, an oil painter, built his own A.I. to create an image of a digital sculpture that is displayed in a light box. And Henry Hudson asked an A.I. to create an image and then used oils to paint a version of it.</p><p class="css-at9mc1 evys1bk0">“Post-Photography: The Uncanny Valley,” a show at the Palmer Gallery through May 17, also features the work of three artists. Boris Eldagsen of Germany won a Sony World Photographer Award last year — and turned it down, after revealing that he had used A.I. to create his entry partly to kick-start a discussion about technology and art. The image, “The Electrician,” and other works by Eldagsen are displayed alongside images by Ben Millar Cole, a British photographer, and Nouf Aljowaysir, a Saudi-born artist. It would be impossible for most viewers to know that the images were generated using tools like DALL-E, Midjourney and Stable Diffusion.</p><p class="css-at9mc1 evys1bk0">The artists created the works by using A.I. as a tool, as if it were a paintbrush or a computer. For workers trying to understand how their own jobs will evolve, that could provide some hope that humans will have a role to play for a bit longer yet.</p><p class="css-at9mc1 evys1bk0"><strong class="css-8qgvsz ebyp5n10">Thanks for reading! We’ll see you Monday.</strong></p><p class="css-at9mc1 evys1bk0">We’d like your feedback. Please email thoughts and suggestions to dealbook@nytimes.com.</p></div><aside class="css-ew4tgv" aria-label="companion column"/></div><p><script async src="//www.instagram.com/embed.js"></script></p><p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://alphaleaders.co.uk/is-it-good-to-go-exclusive/">Is It Good to Go Exclusive?</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://alphaleaders.co.uk">Alpha Leaders</a>.</p>]]></content:encoded> <wfw:commentRss>https://alphaleaders.co.uk/is-it-good-to-go-exclusive/feed/</wfw:commentRss> <slash:comments>0</slash:comments> </item> <item> <title>Apple iPhone 16 New Design And Performance Upgrades Revealed In Leak</title> <link>https://alphaleaders.co.uk/apple-iphone-16-new-design-and-performance-upgrades-revealed-in-leak/</link> <comments>https://alphaleaders.co.uk/apple-iphone-16-new-design-and-performance-upgrades-revealed-in-leak/#respond</comments> <dc:creator><![CDATA[Press Room]]></dc:creator> <pubDate>Sat, 04 May 2024 11:28:43 +0000</pubDate> <category><![CDATA[Innovation]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Apple]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Apple iPhone]]></category> <category><![CDATA[apple iPhone 16]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Apple IPhone 16 Pro]]></category> <category><![CDATA[apple iPhone 16 pro max]]></category> <category><![CDATA[iPhone]]></category> <category><![CDATA[iPhone 16 latest]]></category> <category><![CDATA[iphone 16 news]]></category> <category><![CDATA[MagSafe]]></category> <guid isPermaLink="false">https://alphaleaders.co.uk/apple-iphone-16-new-design-and-performance-upgrades-revealed-in-leak/</guid> <description><![CDATA[<p>As we edge closer to the expected unveiling of the next iPhones, the iPhone 16 series, there have already been numerous leaks, from different displays on some models to wider implementation of the exceptional tetraprism camera, more efficient OLED displays and an improved main camera sensor. Now, there’s a report of a change that’s a [...]</p><p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://alphaleaders.co.uk/apple-iphone-16-new-design-and-performance-upgrades-revealed-in-leak/">Apple iPhone 16 New Design And Performance Upgrades Revealed In Leak</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://alphaleaders.co.uk">Alpha Leaders</a>.</p>]]></description> <content:encoded><![CDATA[<div><p>As we edge closer to the expected unveiling of the next iPhones, the iPhone 16 series, there have already been numerous leaks, from different displays on some models to wider implementation of the exceptional tetraprism camera, more efficient OLED displays and an improved main camera sensor. Now, there’s a report of a change that’s a complete surprise: a change to MagSafe. Not only might this mean a better look, but a significant performance uptick, too.</p><p>As you’ll know, Apple brought MagSafe to the iPhone in 2020 alongside the release of the iPhone 12 series. Wireless charging had come to Apple’s phones three years before and it was great, but there was that nasty possibility that if you didn’t put the phone on the charging pad just right, you’d wake up in the morning to find the phone hadn’t charged.</p><p>A ring of magnets in the back of the iPhone and corresponding magnets in the charger solved this problem perfectly. MagSafe was a big success, so much so that the magnet ring is now a part of Qi2 chargers, which work with Android phones, too.</p><p><fbs-ad position="inread" progressive="" ad-id="article-0-inread" aria-hidden="true" role="presentation"></fbs-ad></p><p>Now, ShopSystem, a French website, has published images of casemaking molds which are claimed to be for the iPhone 16 series, and which show the cut-outs where the MagSafe magnets will sit. They are similarly placed to current models but are noticeably much thinner, though in the familiar circle plus separate bar, looking as ever like a magnifying glass.</p><p>What does this mean? Well, Apple routinely looks to improve design elements and has obviously found a way to achieve the same effect with a thinner, more discreet magnet set-up.</p><p>Your next question will be, what about earlier iPhones and earlier MagSafe chargers? Well, it was certainly mine.</p><p>They’ll be certain to work. Apple will have factored in backward compatibility: just think of how the Apple Watch can still use bands designed for the first Apple Watch released almost 10 years ago.</p><p>I would be flabbergasted if Apple has not fully factored this in.</p><p>At the very least this change should mean that the design of transparent iPhone cases could look that bit subtler, but there may also be a bigger change that goes further than the way it looks and relates to performance.</p><p>A previous claim, picked up by MacRumors, suggested that Apple has previously tested faster charging, up to 20W charging via MagSafe, against the 15W maximum right now. That rumor surfaced last year but was said to be for the iPhone 16 series.</p><p>That would make for much faster wireless charging and, if that previous report is right, faster wired charging, too, up from the current 29W to 40W.</p><p>If this is true, then—as is so often the case with Apple—design and performance enhancements will be going hand-in-hand.</p></div><p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://alphaleaders.co.uk/apple-iphone-16-new-design-and-performance-upgrades-revealed-in-leak/">Apple iPhone 16 New Design And Performance Upgrades Revealed In Leak</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://alphaleaders.co.uk">Alpha Leaders</a>.</p>]]></content:encoded> <wfw:commentRss>https://alphaleaders.co.uk/apple-iphone-16-new-design-and-performance-upgrades-revealed-in-leak/feed/</wfw:commentRss> <slash:comments>0</slash:comments> </item> <item> <title>Millennials’ love affair with pet chickens is big business for a $30 billion retail chain—‘In America, the new companion animal is the chicken’</title> <link>https://alphaleaders.co.uk/millennials-love-affair-with-pet-chickens-is-big-business-for-a-30-billion-retail-chain-in-america-the-new-companion-animal-is-the-chicken/</link> <comments>https://alphaleaders.co.uk/millennials-love-affair-with-pet-chickens-is-big-business-for-a-30-billion-retail-chain-in-america-the-new-companion-animal-is-the-chicken/#respond</comments> <dc:creator><![CDATA[Press Room]]></dc:creator> <pubDate>Sat, 04 May 2024 11:24:08 +0000</pubDate> <category><![CDATA[News]]></category> <category><![CDATA[animals]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Gen Z]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Housing]]></category> <category><![CDATA[metro]]></category> <category><![CDATA[migration]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Millennials]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Personal Finance]]></category> <category><![CDATA[pets]]></category> <category><![CDATA[retail]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Suburbs]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Sustainable Development]]></category> <guid isPermaLink="false">https://alphaleaders.co.uk/millennials-love-affair-with-pet-chickens-is-big-business-for-a-30-billion-retail-chain-in-america-the-new-companion-animal-is-the-chicken/</guid> <description><![CDATA[<p>The call to IT was a strange one. A cochin rooster had accidentally changed a password on a cash register, and someone needed to come and unlock it. “We had to explain the situation—a chicken changed the password, and we don’t know what it is and he’s not giving it up,” said Sue Cristante, the [...]</p><p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://alphaleaders.co.uk/millennials-love-affair-with-pet-chickens-is-big-business-for-a-30-billion-retail-chain-in-america-the-new-companion-animal-is-the-chicken/">Millennials’ love affair with pet chickens is big business for a $30 billion retail chain—‘In America, the new companion animal is the chicken’</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://alphaleaders.co.uk">Alpha Leaders</a>.</p>]]></description> <content:encoded><![CDATA[<p></p><p>The call to IT was a strange one. A cochin rooster had accidentally changed a password on a cash register, and someone needed to come and unlock it.</p><div><p>“We had to explain the situation—a chicken changed the password, and we don’t know what it is and he’s not giving it up,” said Sue Cristante, the fluffy bird’s owner. She had brought her pet chickens into work and dressed them up as bumblebees to help advertise that shoppers at the Ontario, Canada, hardware outlet Peavey Mart could now purchase beehives. “It took them a while to respond.”</p><p>At the store, Cristante, 56, lends her expertise to customers who are building their own flocks. Pre-pandemic, the company probably sold one chicken coop per year. “Now we can’t keep them in stock,” she said. “Chickens have really caught on.”</p><p>In the U.S., the $30 billion retailer Tractor Supply is hoping to capitalize on how much people have grown to treasure their chickens. While they often come to chicken-keeping as a way to live a more sustainable lifestyle and get a guaranteed source of fresh eggs for breakfast, people have fallen in love with them.</p><p>“Chickens are really the new third pet out there,” Tractor Supply CEO Hal Lawton told <em>CNBC</em> on April 25. “The vast majority of our customer base partake in the category and they think of them as pets—they name them, take care of them that way, and it’s been a great new source of growth for us over the last five years or so.” </p><p>Among the company’s 34 million customers who are involved in its loyalty program, one in five owns chickens, he added. </p><p>Chicks themselves cost $3 or $4 apiece—but once a customer starts to build a flock, they need chicken coops, heaters, feeders, and waterers. The average flock size for customers is 14 birds, though nearly 30% of the company’s customers who raise chickens have 20 birds or more. </p><p>“In America, the new companion animal is the chicken,” CFO Kurt Barton said in a statement to <em>Fortune</em>. </p><p>Last year, the company sold 11 million chicks, which was more than double the number sold 10 years ago. In 2022, the company launched a brand, Impeckables, to cater to poultry hobbyists. Branded items include chicken toys like a xylophone, tambourine, and fruity treats mixed with mealworms—and they’ve been “all the rage this year,” said Nicole Logan, senior vice president of general merchandising at Tractor Supply.</p><p>The company has also expanded its “chick days” events. What used to be a six-week project with live birds in the store for families to take in on a Saturday outing is now an eight-month event with clusters of fluffy baby chicks on display in stores under heat lamps with feed and water. The company is aiming to be a one-stop shop for anyone who wants to bring chickens home and set up a backyard flock.</p><p>A 2024 study of attitudes toward chickens found that 13% of U.S. households now own a collective 85 million backyard chickens, with an average of five per owner. A survey of 2,000 chicken carers as part of the study found that nearly 90% were women. Among the 20% who reported that they cared for chickens with health or other issues, such as special needs or disabilities, flock owners said they had used chicken wheelchairs, walking frames, or a hammock to support birds with broken backs. Some 82% of owners said they arrange for a chicken-sitter when they go away for a weekend, and 12% said they let their chickens come in the house whenever they want to.</p><p>That, however, introduces one of the only drawbacks of chickens—their bathroom habits. “If you’re sitting on the couch watching TV with your chickens, you’re definitely going to get pooped on,” said Cristante. She runs an Etsy shop, Chickenwear by Sue, where she sells colorful hand-sewn chicken diapers and takes custom orders. She’s shipped fashionable chicken apparel to clients in Chicago, Los Angeles, New York City, and nearly every state in the U.S., she said. For one customer in England who included a pet chicken in her wedding party, Cristante made a dress with a white satin harness, small veil, and tiny pearls, with a burgundy bow on the back to match the groomsmen. “It was a very interesting project,” she said. In New York City, a client asked for a Halloween costume, and Cristante sent vampire outfits with detachable capes and bat wings.</p><p>“Chickens—if you’ve never been around them and don’t know—have their own personalities, and some of them are quite affectionate and smart,” said Cristante. She described one popular breed of fluffy chickens known as silkies “like huge cotton balls. They’re very docile and easy to take care of and, honestly, they make very good house pets.”</p><p>Trish Sie, 53, a film director in the Los Feliz neighborhood of Los Angeles, started with half a dozen chicks and a coop from Williams-Sonoma. The flock grew after the chickens “exceeded all expectations for how fun they are to keep as pets,” she said. “They all have different temperaments and personalities. They learn their names and they’ll name you.” Sie, who directed films such as <em>Pitch Perfect 3</em> and <em>Players</em>, also makes video content with her chickens, including dances and music videos. </p><p>“I’m so bonded to our dogs, and they really are like man’s best friend for a reason because they love people,” said Sie. “But with chickens, you have to earn their trust because you’re a big thing that can eat them.” Currently, her family has 11 chickens plus a rooster named Brian.</p><p>Sie first thought she was imagining things when she realized that the chickens all made the same sound when they saw her. But after looking into it, she learned that chickens have names for a number of things in their lives. After being gone for three months on a film set, she came home late at night after the chickens had already put themselves to bed. Just before midnight, she crept over to the coop to see them in the roost and whispered, “Hi chickens.” Three woke up and sleepily clucked the sound that is their “chicken name” for Sie.</p><p>Sie’s favorite, Ruby, sadly passed away last summer. The bird had a long life with Sie. Once, after suffering a prolapsed cloaca, a common issue for female birds, Ruby let Sie hold her for several hours while her husband gently “reset” the organ with his hands. Ruby lived another three years after that. “That’s the stuff they’ll let you do when they just trust you,” she said. A jeweler friend is recreating Ruby’s foot in sterling silver inlaid with onyx stones; Sie plans to wear the piece around her neck to honor Ruby. </p><p>According to Tractor Supply’s Lawton, part of what’s undergirding the chicken boom is the overall lack of affordability for Millennials and Gen Zers in urban areas. One of the only areas those demographic cohorts can afford to buy homes is in exurban, suburban and rural parts of the country. The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s economic research service found that migration to rural areas kicked up by a factor of 45 between 2020 and 2022, compared to pre-pandemic. </p><p>“It is our view that the sense of community found in our markets, perhaps more importantly, the ability to secure a piece of property at a reasonable price, has ensured that rural migration trend is one that is here to stay for the time being,” said Lawton during the company’s earnings call last week. </p><p>Once there, the Millennial and Gen Z generations seek to live a cleaner life, gardening fruits and vegetables and keeping chickens, said Logan. The poultry category is a gateway to a more sustainable living lifestyle, she said. Plus, that demographic is willing to spend more for organic ingredients. A decade ago, organic chicken feed made up 1% of the company’s sales in the poultry feed space; now it’s over 10%, she added.</p><p>“I wake up every day thinking, ‘How do I get more people interested in this?’” said Logan.</p></div><p><script async src="//www.instagram.com/embed.js"></script><script async src="//www.tiktok.com/embed.js"></script></p><p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://alphaleaders.co.uk/millennials-love-affair-with-pet-chickens-is-big-business-for-a-30-billion-retail-chain-in-america-the-new-companion-animal-is-the-chicken/">Millennials’ love affair with pet chickens is big business for a $30 billion retail chain—‘In America, the new companion animal is the chicken’</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://alphaleaders.co.uk">Alpha Leaders</a>.</p>]]></content:encoded> <wfw:commentRss>https://alphaleaders.co.uk/millennials-love-affair-with-pet-chickens-is-big-business-for-a-30-billion-retail-chain-in-america-the-new-companion-animal-is-the-chicken/feed/</wfw:commentRss> <slash:comments>0</slash:comments> </item> <item> <title>Got an Idea for a Toy? Toymakers Want to Hear From You.</title> <link>https://alphaleaders.co.uk/got-an-idea-for-a-toy-toymakers-want-to-hear-from-you/</link> <comments>https://alphaleaders.co.uk/got-an-idea-for-a-toy-toymakers-want-to-hear-from-you/#respond</comments> <dc:creator><![CDATA[Press Room]]></dc:creator> <pubDate>Sat, 04 May 2024 11:22:49 +0000</pubDate> <category><![CDATA[Business]]></category> <guid isPermaLink="false">https://alphaleaders.co.uk/got-an-idea-for-a-toy-toymakers-want-to-hear-from-you/</guid> <description><![CDATA[<p>Near the end of 2022, Lucas Bolt, an environmental artist and Lego enthusiast in Amsterdam, was working on a design for a Lego set the company had crowdsourced to commemorate the 50th anniversary of Dungeons & Dragons, the tabletop role-playing game. “I spent two very intense weeks working on it, every night, every weekend, all [...]</p><p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://alphaleaders.co.uk/got-an-idea-for-a-toy-toymakers-want-to-hear-from-you/">Got an Idea for a Toy? Toymakers Want to Hear From You.</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://alphaleaders.co.uk">Alpha Leaders</a>.</p>]]></description> <content:encoded><![CDATA[<div><div class="css-53u6y8"><p class="css-at9mc1 evys1bk0">Near the end of 2022, Lucas Bolt, an environmental artist and Lego enthusiast in Amsterdam, was working on a design for a Lego set the company had crowdsourced to commemorate the 50th anniversary of Dungeons & Dragons, the tabletop role-playing game.</p><p class="css-at9mc1 evys1bk0">“I spent two very intense weeks working on it, every night, every weekend, all the time that I had,” he said.</p><p class="css-at9mc1 evys1bk0">Mr. Bolt was hoping to create the design for Lego Ideas, a program the toymaker started in 2008 to solicit ideas online directly from fans. Typically, designers post their concept on the platform, and if a design gets 10,000 votes, the company considers it for production. This case was different, though: It was the first time the company had given fans a concept to work with.</p><p class="css-at9mc1 evys1bk0">Mr. Bolt had been designing his own sets for a few years, primarily for his followers on Instagram, but this was the first time something he had produced had gained real traction. A panel of judges selected his set and four others for a shortlist, and in a vote fans chose his set as their favorite.</p></div><aside class="css-ew4tgv" aria-label="companion column"/></div><div><div class="css-53u6y8"><p class="css-at9mc1 evys1bk0">Lego Ideas is part of a growing strategy among companies that are creating divisions devoted to going directly to consumers for ideas. Lego takes a more personal approach, allowing fans to submit designs, while other companies poll consumers about what they would like to see or speak to inventors about their latest projects. These initiatives are finding particular success within niche groups of collectors and other highly dedicated fans.</p><p class="css-at9mc1 evys1bk0">Toy companies that have direct-to-consumer models do not have the same audience reach that distributors like Amazon have, but a unit devoted to direct sales still provides advantages for the overall business, said Jaime M. Katz, an analyst who covers the toy industry for Morningstar, a financial services company. The primary reason companies like direct sales is the speed at which they are able to get access to purchasing data from consumers.</p><p class="css-at9mc1 evys1bk0">That data can help toy companies bring products to market faster, Ms. Katz said, and capitalize on trends and purchasing patterns. There’s also less excess inventory and, by extension, fewer markdowns on items sold on the company’s websites.</p><p class="css-at9mc1 evys1bk0">“You don’t want to be the last adopter of the methodology,” she said, “Somebody might be able to move faster than you.”</p><p class="css-at9mc1 evys1bk0">Many companies, Ms. Katz added, see their direct-to-consumer divisions as the next iteration of a focus group. “You can collect the data in a much larger fashion,” she said, “It’s not like six people sitting in an office in Chicago and they’re asking, ‘Well, what do you think of Barbie?’”</p></div><aside class="css-ew4tgv" aria-label="companion column"/></div><div><div class="css-53u6y8"><p class="css-at9mc1 evys1bk0">As it turns out, Mattel does want to know what consumers think of Barbie, but it is taking a niche approach through its Mattel Creations website, where it runs crowdfunding campaigns tailored to its fan base for Barbie, Hot Wheels and other brands.</p><p class="css-at9mc1 evys1bk0">“The wealth of information, which we generate from our fans, is priceless,” said Sanjay Luthra, managing director of Mattel’s global direct-to-consumer portfolio.</p><p class="css-at9mc1 evys1bk0">Feeding into consumer obsession is a big part of Mattel’s product development strategy, said Mr. Luthra, who added that Mattel was constantly checking what fans were saying on social media to get product ideas. For example, Weird Barbie, which the toymaker sold on the Mattel Creations website after seeing the enormous response to the “Barbie” movie on social media, was the highest-selling doll ever on the platform, he said.</p><p class="css-at9mc1 evys1bk0">A design solicitation program like Lego Ideas can also help guide companies in their product development. “We have 10,000 people who told us they want this product,” said Monica Pedersen, marketing director for Lego Ideas. “That’s very special, because we don’t go out and test every single Lego product with 10,000 people.”</p></div><aside class="css-ew4tgv" aria-label="companion column"/></div><div><div class="css-53u6y8"><p class="css-at9mc1 evys1bk0">Magic: The Gathering, a trading card game owned by the gaming publisher Wizards of the Coast, uses a similar program, called Secret Lair, as a way to sell special cards that have added visual treatments like custom art.</p><p class="css-at9mc1 evys1bk0">Secret Lair gives the company “a pipeline of awareness that we just never had,” said Mark Heggen, vice president of collectibles at Wizards of the Coast, which is owned by Hasbro. “We have a little lens into reality, so we can understand how people are behaving, what’s exciting to them, if they’re coming back or if they’re lapsing.”</p><p class="css-at9mc1 evys1bk0">Spin Master, a toy company in Toronto, has been soliciting inventors for ideas since its inception in 1994. The company’s greatest advantage comes from the “mutual respect” it has with the inventor community, said Ben Dermer, senior vice president of toy innovation at Spin Master.</p><p class="css-at9mc1 evys1bk0">“I think at other companies over the years, inventors have oftentimes been maligned, not treated as well as they could have been,” he said.</p><p class="css-at9mc1 evys1bk0">There are about 300 professional inventors in the toy industry, Mr. Dermer said, and Spin Master is in regular contact with most of them. Typically, before an idea is formally submitted to Spin Master for consideration, a member of the company’s inventor relations department has already had lengthy discussions about the viability of the product.</p></div><aside class="css-ew4tgv" aria-label="companion column"/></div><div><div class="css-53u6y8"><p class="css-at9mc1 evys1bk0">For his work with Lego, Mr. Bolt will be rewarded with a 1 percent sales commission on each set, and 10 copies of the set for himself. The final set, called Red Dragon’s Tale, has 3,745 pieces and features a playable adventure and, of course, a dungeon and a dragon. It sells for $360 at Lego Stores, a price well above most of the company’s mass-market offerings.</p><p class="css-at9mc1 evys1bk0">Lego gets thousands of submissions through the Ideas program, but the bar is high for a set to make it to customers. Normally, if a set receives more than 10,000 votes from fans, the company considers it for production. Once made, the set is sold both directly from Lego and by retailers like Target and Amazon.</p><p class="css-at9mc1 evys1bk0">About a hundred sets a year reach the vote threshold (though that number increases every year), and from those only 56 sets, including Mr. Bolt’s design, have reached production since the program began in 2008. Compare that with the 916 sets the company released just in 2023.</p><p class="css-at9mc1 evys1bk0">The sets still go through Lego’s internal design and testing. The company meets with the designers working on Ideas sets once or twice a month to ensure the product is living up to their vision, Ms. Pedersen said.</p><p class="css-at9mc1 evys1bk0">“It was very special to see as a Lego builder how they approach it,” Mr. Bolt said of his experience with Lego testers. “It was a whole team of designers, which was really cool that they spent so much time designing something that I came up with.”</p></div><aside class="css-ew4tgv" aria-label="companion column"/></div><p><script async src="//www.instagram.com/embed.js"></script></p><p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://alphaleaders.co.uk/got-an-idea-for-a-toy-toymakers-want-to-hear-from-you/">Got an Idea for a Toy? Toymakers Want to Hear From You.</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://alphaleaders.co.uk">Alpha Leaders</a>.</p>]]></content:encoded> <wfw:commentRss>https://alphaleaders.co.uk/got-an-idea-for-a-toy-toymakers-want-to-hear-from-you/feed/</wfw:commentRss> <slash:comments>0</slash:comments> </item> <item> <title>A ‘New Star’ To The Naked Eye Is Imminent In Rare Sky Event</title> <link>https://alphaleaders.co.uk/a-new-star-to-the-naked-eye-is-imminent-in-rare-sky-event/</link> <comments>https://alphaleaders.co.uk/a-new-star-to-the-naked-eye-is-imminent-in-rare-sky-event/#respond</comments> <dc:creator><![CDATA[Press Room]]></dc:creator> <pubDate>Sat, 04 May 2024 10:26:58 +0000</pubDate> <category><![CDATA[Innovation]]></category> <category><![CDATA[blaze star]]></category> <category><![CDATA[guest star]]></category> <category><![CDATA[naked eye star]]></category> <category><![CDATA[new star]]></category> <category><![CDATA[nova]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Supernova]]></category> <category><![CDATA[T Coronae Borealis]]></category> <category><![CDATA[T CrB]]></category> <guid isPermaLink="false">https://alphaleaders.co.uk/a-new-star-to-the-naked-eye-is-imminent-in-rare-sky-event/</guid> <description><![CDATA[<p>Are you ready for another once-in-a-lifetime event? In the wake of April 8’s total solar eclipse—a one-off in the lives of most of the 32 million Americans who lived in the path of totality that day—you might be forgiven for thinking that the cosmos couldn’t offer much else to compete. How about a nova, a [...]</p><p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://alphaleaders.co.uk/a-new-star-to-the-naked-eye-is-imminent-in-rare-sky-event/">A ‘New Star’ To The Naked Eye Is Imminent In Rare Sky Event</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://alphaleaders.co.uk">Alpha Leaders</a>.</p>]]></description> <content:encoded><![CDATA[<div><p>Are you ready for another once-in-a-lifetime event? In the wake of April 8’s total solar eclipse—a one-off in the lives of most of the 32 million Americans who lived in the path of totality that day—you might be forgiven for thinking that the cosmos couldn’t offer much else to compete.</p><p>How about a nova, a kind of “supernova-lite,” that’s about to go off in one of the most beautiful constellations in the night sky?</p><p>It’s not happened since 1946, since where there have been 53 total solar eclipses somewhere on Earth.</p><p>Here’s everything you need to know about T Coronae Borealis, the “Blaze Star,” which everyone will soon be talking about:</p><h2 class="subhead-embed color-accent bg-base font-accent font-size text-align"><strong>The ‘Blaze Star’ Explained</strong></h2><p>T Coronae Borealis is a star of no importance—usually. T CrB, for short, is about 3,000 light-years from the solar system in the constellation Corona Borealis, one of the loveliest constellations to find in the night sky between May and September.</p><p><fbs-ad position="inread" progressive="" ad-id="article-0-inread" aria-hidden="true" role="presentation"></fbs-ad></p><p>That’s crucial because T CrB is what astronomers call a “recurrent nova.” Although it’s visually one dim star in a pair of binoculars, every 80 years, it balloons in brightness to become visible to the naked eye.</p><p>That 80 years is up now, with T CrB predicted to “go nova” during 2024. Let’s hope it happens soon because Corona Borealis is now in the night sky.</p><h2 class="subhead-embed color-accent bg-base font-accent font-size text-align"><strong>How To Find Corona Borealis</strong></h2><p>T CrB is found within the horseshoe-shaped constellation of Corona Borealis, also called the Northern Crown. This curl of stars is found between the two constellations of Boötes and Hercules. Here’s how to find it:</p><ul><li>Go outside at 10 p.m. tonight, wherever you are in the northern hemisphere.</li><li>Find The Big Dipper high in the northwestern sky and follow the curve of its handle, taking an “arc to Arcturus,” a bright star above due east.</li><li>Trace a line from Arcturus down to a bright star, Vega, close to the northeastern horizon.</li><li>Halfway between the two is a curve of seven stars—Corona Borealis.</li></ul><p>It’s arguably wise to get to know Corona Borealis well in the run-up to the “Blaze Star” brightening. If you don’t, it won’t have as much impact on you. That’s because although the star will dramatically brighten, it won’t be scorch-your-eyes-out bright. In fact, there will still be 100 other stars in the night sky that are brighter. However, in its patch of sky—which, incidentally, is packed with other sights to explore—it will look impressively strange.</p><h2 class="subhead-embed color-accent bg-base font-accent font-size text-align"><strong>Why The ‘Blaze Star’ Will Explode</strong></h2><p>Although T CrB looks like one star in a pair of binoculars and will, when it brightens, it still looks like one brighter point of light; it’s actually two stars orbiting each other. That may sound strange, but it’s incredibly common in the night sky. T CrB comprises a massive, cool red giant star and a smaller, hotter white dwarf star.</p><p>As part of its end-of-life process, every 80 years the slowly dying red giant expels matter, which the white dwarf sucks onto its surface. When it reaches a critical mass, it triggers a massive explosion and a huge increase in the latter’s brightness. That’s a nova—an explosion on the surface of a white dwarf star.</p><p>Known about since 1866, the nova explosion of T CrB was last observed in 1946, before which a slight dimming was detected. That’s exactly what happened in 2023, leading astronomers to predict that T CrB will explode, right on cue, between April and September 2024.</p><p>When it does, it will shine brightly for only a short while. It’s best to be prepared right now.</p><p><em>Wishing you clear skies and wide eyes. </em></p></div><p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://alphaleaders.co.uk/a-new-star-to-the-naked-eye-is-imminent-in-rare-sky-event/">A ‘New Star’ To The Naked Eye Is Imminent In Rare Sky Event</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://alphaleaders.co.uk">Alpha Leaders</a>.</p>]]></content:encoded> <wfw:commentRss>https://alphaleaders.co.uk/a-new-star-to-the-naked-eye-is-imminent-in-rare-sky-event/feed/</wfw:commentRss> <slash:comments>0</slash:comments> </item> <item> <title>How Scammers Are Stealing Food Stamps From Struggling Americans</title> <link>https://alphaleaders.co.uk/how-scammers-are-stealing-food-stamps-from-struggling-americans/</link> <comments>https://alphaleaders.co.uk/how-scammers-are-stealing-food-stamps-from-struggling-americans/#respond</comments> <dc:creator><![CDATA[Press Room]]></dc:creator> <pubDate>Sat, 04 May 2024 10:21:25 +0000</pubDate> <category><![CDATA[Business]]></category> <guid isPermaLink="false">https://alphaleaders.co.uk/how-scammers-are-stealing-food-stamps-from-struggling-americans/</guid> <description><![CDATA[<p>Something was very wrong with Jackie Kirks’s food stamp card. While standing at the checkout line in a cavernous Albertsons grocery store in Long Beach, Calif., last December, Ms. Kirks was told that she didn’t have enough money in her account to pay for food. “That’s impossible,” she told the cashier. Ms. Kirks, 70, knew [...]</p><p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://alphaleaders.co.uk/how-scammers-are-stealing-food-stamps-from-struggling-americans/">How Scammers Are Stealing Food Stamps From Struggling Americans</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://alphaleaders.co.uk">Alpha Leaders</a>.</p>]]></description> <content:encoded><![CDATA[<div><div class="css-53u6y8"><p class="css-at9mc1 evys1bk0">Something was very wrong with Jackie Kirks’s food stamp card.</p><p class="css-at9mc1 evys1bk0">While standing at the checkout line in a cavernous Albertsons grocery store in Long Beach, Calif., last December, Ms. Kirks was told that she didn’t have enough money in her account to pay for food.</p><p class="css-at9mc1 evys1bk0">“That’s impossible,” she told the cashier.</p><p class="css-at9mc1 evys1bk0">Ms. Kirks, 70, knew that she had saved up a sizable sum in monthly benefits from the federal food assistance program, also known as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP. Until September, she had been homeless, bouncing between weeklong stays at motels and sleeping in her car. To eat, she would buy food through a state program that permitted adults 60 and older, people with disabilities and homeless people to buy discount meals using their food stamps. The program had cost far less than buying groceries, so most of the SNAP money had accumulated in her account.</p><p class="css-at9mc1 evys1bk0">But the cashier at Albertsons was adamant: Ms. Kirks had only $6 in her account. Alarm bells rang in her head as she walked out of the supermarket, empty-handed except for a bottle of water and coffee creamer. She immediately called the state agency that oversaw food benefits. Her heart sank when a caseworker explained that someone had gained access to her card and drained her balance of over $4,000.</p><p class="css-at9mc1 evys1bk0">People like Ms. Kirks who rely on public benefits, such as food stamps, are facing a relentless threat: Scammers are using illegally installed skimming devices to lift payment card data from unsuspecting victims who swipe their payment cards through the devices in stores or at A.T.M.s. The criminals then use the information to create fake payment cards and steal money from victims’ accounts.</p></div><aside class="css-ew4tgv" aria-label="companion column"/></div><div><div class="css-53u6y8"><p class="css-at9mc1 evys1bk0">Skimming schemes started spiking in prevalence around 2022. Thieves target a variety of card-based payments, including those made with credit and debit cards. Welfare programs that use payment cards are similarly vulnerable. Yet, unlike credit and debit cards issued by banks, benefit cards issued by public agencies don’t come with fraud protection, which limits a credit or debit cardholder’s liability for unauthorized charges.</p><p class="css-at9mc1 evys1bk0">The schemes have hit two welfare programs particularly hard: food stamps, which are payments to low-income families that can be used only to buy groceries, and cash assistance, which is a no-strings-attached sum. Both are monthly programs and are transferred to participants through a payment card known as an “electronic benefit transfer,” or E.B.T.</p></div><aside class="css-ew4tgv" aria-label="companion column"/></div><div><div class="css-53u6y8"><p class="css-at9mc1 evys1bk0">E.B.T. cards, unlike debit and credit cards, use basic payment technology, bearing just a magnetic stripe that contains an account number. By comparison, most credit and debit cards issued by banks now have chips, which function as tiny computers that use encryption to protect account information.</p><p class="css-at9mc1 evys1bk0">State agencies that administer benefits haven’t adopted chip technology, in part, because no federal law requires it. Not only are chip cards more costly than magnetic-stripe cards, but transitioning a multibillion-dollar benefit program to a new payment structure can be logistically challenging, advocates said.</p></div><aside class="css-ew4tgv" aria-label="companion column"/></div><div><div class="css-53u6y8"><p class="css-at9mc1 evys1bk0">“The lack of equal security for people with credit cards and people with E.B.T. cards is disgraceful,” said Andrew Kazakes, a lawyer at the Legal Aid Foundation of Los Angeles, which provides legal services and advocacy for the city’s residents. “It’s embarrassing that this inequity has persisted.”</p><p class="css-at9mc1 evys1bk0">The gulf between industry-standard payment safeguards and outdated E.B.T. technology has left E.B.T. users vulnerable to digital theft. Here’s how it works: Thieves covertly slip card readers known as skimming devices inside card readers at A.T.M.s or atop point-of-sale systems in stores. When a card is swiped through, the skimming device can read and store the account information in its magnetic stripe. Skimming devices are used in conjunction with hidden video cameras, which capture PIN codes associated with accounts.</p><p class="css-at9mc1 evys1bk0">Skimming devices can be installed in seconds. Security camera footage has caught thieves snapping card skimmers over card readers and A.T.M. interfaces, typically when cashiers are distracted or bank vestibules are empty.</p><p class="css-at9mc1 evys1bk0">Once E.B.T. card information is recorded, it can be encoded onto any card with a magnetic stripe. The duplicated card can be used for groceries or cash, depending on the card that was cloned. Scammers can determine the amount of food stamps stored on an E.B.T. by calling a state’s benefit hotline and can withdraw cash benefits at any A.T.M.</p><p class="css-at9mc1 evys1bk0">This comes at a significant cost, not only to benefit recipients but also to the public. According to the Department of Agriculture, which oversees the food stamp program, the federal government has spent at least $30 million reimbursing stolen benefits in the past year.</p></div><aside class="css-ew4tgv" aria-label="companion column"/></div><div><div class="css-53u6y8"><p class="css-at9mc1 evys1bk0">After she was skimmed, Ms. Kirks went 10 days without buying groceries. One of her favorite foods are the croissants from Whole Foods, which remind her of Paris, where she immigrated from in the 1990s. But after her food stamps were stolen, she couldn’t buy them, nor could she get any of her other staples.</p><p class="css-at9mc1 evys1bk0">Eventually, Ms. Kirks was partly reimbursed for the stolen money, receiving around $580. Federal law caps the amount that skimming victims can get to two months’ worth of benefits. While she waited for the reimbursement, Ms. Kirks lived off leftovers and pantry items, as well as occasional meals from the local Meals on Wheels program.</p><p class="css-at9mc1 evys1bk0">Other victims have had to eat canned food for days, visit food banks, skip meals or borrow money.</p><p class="css-at9mc1 evys1bk0">Jeanneth Chavez is a mother of two who receives cash assistance through her E.B.T. card. She is a longtime resident of Los Angeles, but in the spring of 2022, around $1,100 was stolen from her benefits in a transaction recorded as taking place in New York.</p></div><aside class="css-ew4tgv" aria-label="companion column"/></div><div><div class="css-53u6y8"><p class="css-at9mc1 evys1bk0">When she discovered that the money was missing, Ms. Chavez immediately began to worry about being evicted. She gets her benefits on the second day of every month, and her landlord requires rent payment within the first three days. She raced to the local public services office, hoping to address the issue, only to discover there was a long line of other women dealing with the exact same crisis.</p></div><aside class="css-ew4tgv" aria-label="companion column"/></div><div><div class="css-53u6y8"><p class="css-at9mc1 evys1bk0">“It was very devastating,” Ms. Chavez recalled. They were all given instructions for how to file for reimbursement, but there was nothing else that could be done in the short term. “The only other resources that they had for us was that, in the case of eviction, they were giving out little pamphlets to halfway houses for women and children,” she said.</p><p class="css-at9mc1 evys1bk0">Ms. Chavez ended up working out a deal with her landlord, agreeing to pay an extra $100 in a late payment fee. To get diapers for her daughter, she went to a dollar store with her father, who bought them for her. The poor quality of the cheap diapers gave her baby a diaper rash. Ms. Chavez was skimmed two more times that year. Now, every month, she stays up late on the day her benefits are deposited, making sure to change her PIN at exactly midnight to throw off any potential scammers who may have gotten her card information.</p><p class="css-at9mc1 evys1bk0">“Only then am I able to rest. Only then am I able to get a good night’s sleep,” Ms. Chavez said. “I get anxiety in the days leading up to me receiving the funds. I don’t want to find myself in that predicament because I have little people that depend on me. How do I look at my baby in her face and know that I might not have funds for her diapers?”</p><p class="css-at9mc1 evys1bk0">The federal reimbursement program for food stamps is slated to end in the fall, leaving little recourse for skimming victims. When Congress passed the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2023, which funded reimbursements, the law required the restoration of benefits stolen only through Sept. 30, 2024. There is currently no federal plan to extend reimbursements beyond that date.</p><p class="css-at9mc1 evys1bk0">Some states are taking their own actions to protect welfare recipients. California and Oklahoma are slated to pilot E.B.T. chip cards this summer, which advocates hope will help safeguard benefits. While food stamps and cash aid are federally funded programs, states have significant leeway in how they administer them.</p></div><aside class="css-ew4tgv" aria-label="companion column"/></div><div><div class="css-53u6y8"><p class="css-at9mc1 evys1bk0">Last year, Maryland passed a law that expanded reimbursements for stolen food stamps and cash assistance, even if they meant drawing from state funds — a model that some advocates hope other states will adopt.</p><p class="css-at9mc1 evys1bk0">“It feels like states think that just by depositing the benefit on a card, we did our job,” said Michelle Salomon Madaio, a senior attorney at the Homeless Persons Representation Project in Baltimore. “If you’re not able to deposit it on a card in a way that ensures the family who’s eligible for the benefit can actually access the benefit, then it’s as if they never got the benefit to begin with.”</p><p class="css-at9mc1 evys1bk0">As for Ms. Kirks, back in Long Beach, the experience of being skimmed out of $4,000 continues to make her feel exposed. In the past, she would buy food for the homeless people in her neighborhood. Having experienced homelessness herself, she knew what it was like to depend on the good will of others. “That’s how I was raised,” she said.</p><p class="css-at9mc1 evys1bk0">She doesn’t do that as much anymore. Instead, she tries to use her SNAP card as little as possible, never knowing when her info may be stolen again. She doesn’t like to be so pessimistic and suspicious, but she doesn’t feel like she has a choice. “To be cautious of everybody,” she said, “it’s not a way of living.”</p></div><aside class="css-ew4tgv" aria-label="companion column"/></div><p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://alphaleaders.co.uk/how-scammers-are-stealing-food-stamps-from-struggling-americans/">How Scammers Are Stealing Food Stamps From Struggling Americans</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://alphaleaders.co.uk">Alpha Leaders</a>.</p>]]></content:encoded> <wfw:commentRss>https://alphaleaders.co.uk/how-scammers-are-stealing-food-stamps-from-struggling-americans/feed/</wfw:commentRss> <slash:comments>0</slash:comments> </item> <item> <title>Today’s ‘Quordle’ Hints And Answers For Saturday, May 4</title> <link>https://alphaleaders.co.uk/todays-quordle-hints-and-answers-for-saturday-may-4/</link> <comments>https://alphaleaders.co.uk/todays-quordle-hints-and-answers-for-saturday-may-4/#respond</comments> <dc:creator><![CDATA[Press Room]]></dc:creator> <pubDate>Sat, 04 May 2024 09:25:37 +0000</pubDate> <category><![CDATA[Innovation]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Quordle]]></category> <guid isPermaLink="false">https://alphaleaders.co.uk/todays-quordle-hints-and-answers-for-saturday-may-4/</guid> <description><![CDATA[<p>Looking for Friday’s Quordle hints and answers? You can find them here: Hey, folks! Hints and the answers for today’s Quordle words are just ahead. How To Play Quordle For any newcomers joining us, here’s how to play Quordle: Just start typing in words. You have four five-letter words to guess and nine attempts to [...]</p><p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://alphaleaders.co.uk/todays-quordle-hints-and-answers-for-saturday-may-4/">Today’s ‘Quordle’ Hints And Answers For Saturday, May 4</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://alphaleaders.co.uk">Alpha Leaders</a>.</p>]]></description> <content:encoded><![CDATA[<div><p><em>Looking for Friday’s Quordle hints and answers? You can find them here:</em></p><p>Hey, folks! Hints and the answers for today’s <em>Quordle </em>words are just ahead.</p><h2 class="subhead-embed color-accent bg-base font-accent font-size text-align"><strong>How To Play Quordle</strong></h2><p>For any newcomers joining us, here’s how to play <em data-ga-track="ExternalLink:https://www.merriam-webster.com/games/quordle/">Quordle</em>: Just start typing in words. You have four five-letter words to guess and nine attempts to find them all. The catch is that you play all four words simultaneously.</p><p>If you get a letter in the right place for any of the four words, it will light up in green. If a word contains a letter from one of your guesses but it’s in the wrong place, it will appear in yellow. You could always check out the practice games before taking on the daily puzzle.</p><p><fbs-ad position="inread" progressive="" ad-id="article-0-inread" aria-hidden="true" role="presentation"></fbs-ad></p><p>Here are some hints for today’s <em>Quordle</em> game, followed by the answers:</p><h2 class="subhead-embed color-accent bg-base font-accent font-size text-align"><strong>What Are Today’s Quordle Hints?</strong></h2><ul><li>Word 1 (top left) hint — vehicle used for transporting goods, particularly one drawn by horses</li><li>Word 2 (top right) hint — speedy</li><li>Word 3 (bottom left) hint — artwork executed directly on a wall</li><li>Word 4 (bottom right) hint — a feudal superior or sovereign. Also, Belgian soccer team Standard ____</li><li>One of the words has a pair of repeated letters</li><li>Today’s words start with W, Q, M and L</li></ul><h2 class="subhead-embed color-accent bg-base font-accent font-size text-align"><strong>What Are Today’s Quordle Answers?</strong></h2><p><strong>Spoiler alert! </strong>Don’t scroll any further down the page until you’re ready to find out today’s <em>Quordle</em> answers.</p><p>This is your final warning!</p><p>Today’s words are…</p><p>That’s all there is to it for today’s <em>Quordle</em> clues and answers. Be sure to check my blog for hints and the solution for Sunday’s game if you need them.</p></div><p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://alphaleaders.co.uk/todays-quordle-hints-and-answers-for-saturday-may-4/">Today’s ‘Quordle’ Hints And Answers For Saturday, May 4</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://alphaleaders.co.uk">Alpha Leaders</a>.</p>]]></content:encoded> <wfw:commentRss>https://alphaleaders.co.uk/todays-quordle-hints-and-answers-for-saturday-may-4/feed/</wfw:commentRss> <slash:comments>0</slash:comments> </item> <item> <title>Tesla Pullback Puts Onus on Others to Build Electric Vehicle Chargers</title> <link>https://alphaleaders.co.uk/tesla-pullback-puts-onus-on-others-to-build-electric-vehicle-chargers/</link> <comments>https://alphaleaders.co.uk/tesla-pullback-puts-onus-on-others-to-build-electric-vehicle-chargers/#respond</comments> <dc:creator><![CDATA[Press Room]]></dc:creator> <pubDate>Sat, 04 May 2024 09:20:31 +0000</pubDate> <category><![CDATA[Business]]></category> <guid isPermaLink="false">https://alphaleaders.co.uk/tesla-pullback-puts-onus-on-others-to-build-electric-vehicle-chargers/</guid> <description><![CDATA[<p>Elon Musk, the chief executive of Tesla, blindsided competitors, suppliers and his own employees this week by reversing course on his aggressive push to build electric vehicle chargers in the United States, a major priority of the Biden administration. Mr. Musk’s decision to lay off the 500-member team responsible for installing charging stations, and to [...]</p><p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://alphaleaders.co.uk/tesla-pullback-puts-onus-on-others-to-build-electric-vehicle-chargers/">Tesla Pullback Puts Onus on Others to Build Electric Vehicle Chargers</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://alphaleaders.co.uk">Alpha Leaders</a>.</p>]]></description> <content:encoded><![CDATA[<div><div class="css-53u6y8"><p class="css-at9mc1 evys1bk0">Elon Musk, the chief executive of Tesla, blindsided competitors, suppliers and his own employees this week by reversing course on his aggressive push to build electric vehicle chargers in the United States, a major priority of the Biden administration.</p><p class="css-at9mc1 evys1bk0">Mr. Musk’s decision to lay off the 500-member team responsible for installing charging stations, and to sharply slow investment in new stations, baffled the industry and raised doubts about whether the number of public chargers would grow fast enough to keep pace with sales of battery-powered cars. It put the onus on other charging companies, raising questions about whether they can build fast enough to address a shortage that appears to be discouraging some people from buying electric cars.</p><p class="css-at9mc1 evys1bk0">As the owner of the largest charging network in the United States, Tesla has a powerful effect on people’s views of electric cars.</p><p class="css-at9mc1 evys1bk0">“There is certainly a psychological component,” said Robert Zabors, a senior partner at Roland Berger, a consulting firm. “Availability and reliability are critical to overall E.V. adoption.”</p></div><aside class="css-ew4tgv" aria-label="companion column"/></div><div><div class="css-53u6y8"><p class="css-at9mc1 evys1bk0">Tesla’s change of direction, only days after it had told shareholders in a securities filing that it would “rapidly” expand its charging network, which it calls Supercharger, is likely to delay construction of fast chargers, which are concentrated along the two coasts and in parts of Texas.</p><p class="css-at9mc1 evys1bk0">Wildflower, a New York real estate developer, was on the verge of signing a lease with Tesla to build a charging center near the intersection of Interstates 278 and 495 in Queens. Then Adam Gordon, the firm’s managing partner, got a text message from the Tesla executive he had been working with.</p><p class="css-at9mc1 evys1bk0">“‘Hey, I was fired at 4 a.m. and my boss was fired too,’” the Tesla manager said, according to Mr. Gordon. “That was the only communication we got from Tesla,” he added.</p><p class="css-at9mc1 evys1bk0">Another charging company is likely to take over the site, which has a permit to obtain power, Mr. Gordon said. But Tesla’s withdrawal will inevitably delay the project.</p><p class="css-at9mc1 evys1bk0">No other company has as much experience and expertise as Tesla in installing charging stations, which range from a handful of plugs in the corner of parking lots to dozens of them at dedicated sites, often along highways.</p></div><aside class="css-ew4tgv" aria-label="companion column"/></div><div><div class="css-53u6y8"><p class="css-at9mc1 evys1bk0">The automaker accounts for 25,500 of the 42,000 fast chargers installed in the United States, according to federal government data. A fast charger can top up an electric-car battery in 10 minutes to an hour, depending on the car and the charger. There are about 132,000 slower public chargers that can fully recharge electric cars in roughly eight to 12 hours.</p></div><aside class="css-ew4tgv" aria-label="companion column"/></div><div><div class="css-53u6y8"><p class="css-at9mc1 evys1bk0">Tesla began building its Supercharger stations in 2012 to give owners of the Model S sedan a place to fuel on road trips. Buyers of its earlier model, the Roadster sports car, charged primarily at home.</p><p class="css-at9mc1 evys1bk0">Other companies may not be able to build chargers as quickly or as cheaply as Tesla, said Daniel Bowermaster, senior manager of electric transportation at the Electric Power Research Institute, a nonprofit group in Palo Alto, Calif., where Tesla once had its headquarters.</p><p class="css-at9mc1 evys1bk0">“There is significant opportunity, kind of regardless of what Tesla does,” Mr. Bowermaster said. “It will be addressed by the market. How do they do it in a timely, cost-effective manner?”</p></div><aside class="css-ew4tgv" aria-label="companion column"/></div><div><div class="css-53u6y8"><p class="css-at9mc1 evys1bk0">But some in the industry say Tesla won’t be missed as much as it would have been a few years ago. Government subsidies and private capital are fueling a surge in charger construction that does not depend on Tesla: The number of public fast chargers in the United States increased by nearly 11,000, or about 36 percent, from April 2023 to April 2024.</p><p class="css-at9mc1 evys1bk0">“The public charging experience is going to get easier,” said Peter Slowik, an auto expert at the International Council on Clean Transportation, a research organization. “I don’t think the charging market and the electric vehicle market is slowing down because of Tesla.”</p><p class="css-at9mc1 evys1bk0">Tesla manufactures charging hardware for Supercharger stations at a factory in Buffalo, which was necessary a few years ago when there weren’t many suppliers. Since then, many companies have begun selling charging equipment, and the technology has become standardized.</p><p class="css-at9mc1 evys1bk0">Last year, virtually all major automakers selling cars in North America agreed to use the charging plug developed by Tesla starting in 2025, reducing complexity. Electric cars in Europe and China rely on standards different from the one used by Tesla in North America.</p><p class="css-at9mc1 evys1bk0">Tesla’s pullback “is a normal step of a market professionalization,” said Jörg Heue, chief executive of EcoG, a firm in Munich that provides charging software.</p></div><aside class="css-ew4tgv" aria-label="companion column"/></div><div><div class="css-53u6y8"><p class="css-at9mc1 evys1bk0">Mr. Musk did not explain his rationale for cutting back on charger construction, but some analysts said he had probably concluded that it would become harder to make money from charging as more companies entered the market.</p><p class="css-at9mc1 evys1bk0">Tesla does not disclose the financial performance of its charging business, but analysts say it requires capital that Mr. Musk would rather invest in artificial intelligence and robotics, which he has said will power the company’s future growth.</p><p class="css-at9mc1 evys1bk0">“My guess is that the electricity and infrastructure costs of running the network far exceed the fees provided by Tesla and other drivers thus far,” Ben Rose, president of Battle Road Research, said in an email. “They can now focus on getting maximum use of what they’ve installed.”</p><p class="css-at9mc1 evys1bk0">Tesla did not respond to a request for comment.</p><p class="css-at9mc1 evys1bk0">Another reason Mr. Musk may have soured on charging is that he may regret Tesla’s decision last year to open its U.S. stations to vehicles from other manufacturers. By opening the door to Fords, Cadillacs, BMWs and other automakers, Tesla has made it easier for others to sell electric vehicles, which may help those automakers chip away at Tesla’s dominance in the U.S. market.</p><p class="css-at9mc1 evys1bk0">Mr. Musk’s rationale “may be that people will use Tesla’s infrastructure and buy another manufacturer’s car,” said Raj Rajkumar, a professor of electrical and computer engineering at Carnegie Mellon University. He added that he considered Mr. Musk’s decision to pull back on new chargers a mistake that would make it harder for more car buyers to switch to electric vehicles.</p></div><aside class="css-ew4tgv" aria-label="companion column"/></div><div><div class="css-53u6y8"><p class="css-at9mc1 evys1bk0">Tesla has been one of many companies applying for subsidies under a federal program that aims to have half a million fast and slow chargers operating by 2030, up from nearly 200,000 today. Combined with state and local incentives, government money can cover almost all the cost of a charging station. </p><p class="css-at9mc1 evys1bk0">“If Tesla is no longer bidding on these things, the agencies handing them out will go to other operators,” said Badar Khan, the chief executive of EVgo, a charging company in Los Angeles. “There are a lot of different participants.”</p></div><aside class="css-ew4tgv" aria-label="companion column"/></div><div><div class="css-53u6y8"><p class="css-at9mc1 evys1bk0">The 500 charging employees that Tesla dismissed will probably take their expertise elsewhere, Mr. Khan said. “There is a very talented pool of people entering the market,” he said. “We are having conversations with individuals right now.”</p><p class="css-at9mc1 evys1bk0">EVgo said in March that it had nearly 3,000 charging stalls as of the end of last year, up 37 percent from the end of 2022.</p></div><aside class="css-ew4tgv" aria-label="companion column"/></div><div><div class="css-53u6y8"><p class="css-at9mc1 evys1bk0">Electric utilities, which must upgrade their equipment to support growth of charging options, said the fast charging network was just one component of a broader strategy that Tesla’s decision would not alter.</p><p class="css-at9mc1 evys1bk0">“It’s no secret Tesla’s an important player” for electric vehicle charging, said Chanel Parson, director of clean energy and demand response at Southern California Edison, the state’s second largest investor-owned utility. But, she added, “they’re not the only player.”</p><p class="css-at9mc1 evys1bk0">The utility has 500 projects at various stages of development for 14,000 chargers that focus on light-, medium- and heavy-duty vehicles. To reach California’s goal of net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2045, Ms. Parson said, 90 percent of light and medium vehicles must go electric, along with 80 percent of buses and 54 percent of heavy-duty vehicles.</p><p class="css-at9mc1 evys1bk0">“And there’s lots of partners in this space that we’re working with to make that a reality,” she said.</p><p class="css-at9mc1 evys1bk0">Government officials responsible for funding and promoting electric vehicles said they were not dismayed by Tesla’s decision to pull back on charging.</p><p class="css-at9mc1 evys1bk0">Thousands of chargers are coming online every month, the Biden administration’s Joint Office of Energy and Transportation said in a statement, adding, “We don’t expect individual business decisions to impact E.V. charging projects.”</p></div><aside class="css-ew4tgv" aria-label="companion column"/></div><p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://alphaleaders.co.uk/tesla-pullback-puts-onus-on-others-to-build-electric-vehicle-chargers/">Tesla Pullback Puts Onus on Others to Build Electric Vehicle Chargers</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://alphaleaders.co.uk">Alpha Leaders</a>.</p>]]></content:encoded> <wfw:commentRss>https://alphaleaders.co.uk/tesla-pullback-puts-onus-on-others-to-build-electric-vehicle-chargers/feed/</wfw:commentRss> <slash:comments>0</slash:comments> </item> <item> <title>NYT ‘Strands’ #62 Hints, Spangram And Answers For Saturday, May 4th</title> <link>https://alphaleaders.co.uk/nyt-strands-62-hints-spangram-and-answers-for-saturday-may-4th/</link> <comments>https://alphaleaders.co.uk/nyt-strands-62-hints-spangram-and-answers-for-saturday-may-4th/#respond</comments> <dc:creator><![CDATA[Press Room]]></dc:creator> <pubDate>Sat, 04 May 2024 08:24:33 +0000</pubDate> <category><![CDATA[Innovation]]></category> <category><![CDATA[NYT Strands answers]]></category> <category><![CDATA[NYT Strands clues]]></category> <category><![CDATA[NYT Strands hints]]></category> <category><![CDATA[NYT Strands Spangram]]></category> <category><![CDATA[today]]></category> <guid isPermaLink="false">https://alphaleaders.co.uk/nyt-strands-62-hints-spangram-and-answers-for-saturday-may-4th/</guid> <description><![CDATA[<p>Looking for Friday’s Strands hints, spangram and answers? You can find them here: I have returned, oh Strandifiers! It’s been a couple weeks since my last Strands guide, with my colleagues Kris Holt and Paul Tassi taking the baton in our tri-weekly rotation. It’s good to be back, as I genuinely enjoy this little puzzle [...]</p><p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://alphaleaders.co.uk/nyt-strands-62-hints-spangram-and-answers-for-saturday-may-4th/">NYT ‘Strands’ #62 Hints, Spangram And Answers For Saturday, May 4th</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://alphaleaders.co.uk">Alpha Leaders</a>.</p>]]></description> <content:encoded><![CDATA[<div><p><em>Looking for Friday’s Strands hints, spangram and answers? You can find them here:</em></p><p>I have returned, oh Strandifiers! It’s been a couple weeks since my last <em>Strands </em>guide, with my colleagues Kris Holt and Paul Tassi taking the baton in our tri-weekly rotation.</p><p>It’s good to be back, as I genuinely enjoy this little puzzle game and it’s fun to shake up my daily Wordle with another challenge. So, without further adieu, let’s dive right in!</p><h2 class="subhead-embed color-accent bg-base font-accent font-size text-align"><strong>How To Play Strands</strong></h2><p>The New York Times’ Strands puzzle is a play on the classic word search. It’s in beta for now, which means it’ll only stick around if enough people play it every day.</p><p>There’s a new game of Strands to play every day. The game will present you with a six by eight grid of letters. The aim is to find a group of words that have something in common, and you’ll get a clue as to what that theme is. When you find a theme word, it will remain highlighted in blue.</p><p><fbs-ad position="inread" progressive="" ad-id="article-0-inread" aria-hidden="true" role="presentation"></fbs-ad></p><p>You’ll also need to find a special word called a spangram. This tells you what the words have in common. The spangram links two opposite sides of the board. While the theme words will not be a proper name, the spangram can be a proper name. When you find the spangram, it will remain highlighted in yellow.</p><p><em>Strands </em>still isn’t on the New York Times games app, but you can play it right here.</p><h2 class="subhead-embed color-accent bg-base font-accent font-size text-align"><strong>What Is Today’s Strands Hint?</strong></h2><p><strong>Scroll slowly!</strong> Just after the hint for today’s <em>Strands </em>puzzle, I’ll reveal what the answer words are.</p><p>The official theme hint for today’s <em>Strand </em>puzzle is: <strong>The horror</strong></p><p>Here’s an extra hint to help guide you to the solution: <strong>Frightening cinema</strong></p><h2 class="subhead-embed color-accent bg-base font-accent font-size text-align"><strong>What Are Today’s Strands Answers?</strong></h2><p><strong>Spoiler alert!</strong> Don’t scroll any further down the page until you’re ready to find out today’s <em>Strands </em>answers.</p><h3 class="subhead3-embed color-body bg-base font-accent font-size text-align">Today’s Spangram</h3><p>I’ll first tell you the spangram and show you where that is on the grid. I’ll then tell you the other words and show you how they fit in.</p><p>This is your final warning!</p><p>Today’s <em>Strands </em>spangram is . . .</p><p><strong>SCARYMOVIE</strong></p><p>Here’s where the Spangram is on the grid:</p><h3 class="subhead3-embed color-body bg-base font-accent font-size text-align">All Today’s Strands Answers</h3><p>I found today’s <em>Strands </em>to be frighteningly easy, if we’re being honest. I’m not even a huge horror movie aficionado, but I’ve seen most of these and certainly heard of all of them.</p><p>If you need extra help, <strong>spoilers below!</strong></p><p>Here’s the full list of words:</p><ul><li>Scream</li><li>Hostel</li><li>Psycho</li><li>Poltergeist</li><li>Halloween</li></ul><h3 class="subhead3-embed color-body bg-base font-accent font-size text-align">Today’s Strands Breakdown</h3><p>Today was a pretty easy puzzle all around. I found SCREAM almost instantly and PSYCHO moments later, which made me realize quite quickly we were dealing with horror movies. GEIST popped out from the third corner and from there it was a quick deduction—and a slightly longer search for a ‘P’ that led to POLTERGEIST.</p><p>This made the ending of the spangram pretty obvious and after a bit of searching I pieced together SCARYMOVIE. At this point, it was hardly any effort at all to uncover HOSTEL and HALLOWEEN. I never used a hint or even got a word wrong. I’ll take it!</p><p>How did you do on your Strands today? Let me know on<a rel="nofollow noopener" href="https://www.twitter.com/erikkain/" target="_blank" class="color-link" title="https://www.twitter.com/erikkain/" data-ga-track="ExternalLink:https://www.twitter.com/erikkain/" aria-label="Twitter"> Twitter</a> and Facebook.</p><p>Be sure to check out <strong data-ga-track="InternalLink:https://www.forbes.com/sites/erikkain/#196d790943ab">my blog</strong> for my daily Wordle guides as well as all my other writing about TV shows, streaming guides, movie reviews, video game coverage and much more. Thanks for stopping by!</p></div><p><script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p><p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://alphaleaders.co.uk/nyt-strands-62-hints-spangram-and-answers-for-saturday-may-4th/">NYT ‘Strands’ #62 Hints, Spangram And Answers For Saturday, May 4th</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://alphaleaders.co.uk">Alpha Leaders</a>.</p>]]></content:encoded> <wfw:commentRss>https://alphaleaders.co.uk/nyt-strands-62-hints-spangram-and-answers-for-saturday-may-4th/feed/</wfw:commentRss> <slash:comments>0</slash:comments> </item> </channel></rss> If you would like to create a banner that links to this page (i.e. this validation result), do the following:
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