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☆ Are Disposable Hotel Slippers the Next Plastic Straws?
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-30 | by ( Elaine Glusac | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

In November, managers at the Arenas del Mar resort near Manuel Antonio National Park in Costa Rica, challenged employees to come up with ways to operate more sustainably. “It’s very wasteful.”Like plastic straws and mini bottles of shampoo, disposable slippers — flimsy models usually made of plastic and fabric, and often found bedside at turndown or bagged in hotel closets — are the next single-use item in the cross hairs of sustainability activists. “Anything single-use is problematic,” wrote Willy Legrand, a sustainable hospitality expert and a professor at the IU International University of Applied Sciences in Bad Honnef, Germany, in an email. He cited the large footprint of a small slipper once you factor in production, shipping and waste. Single-use slippers, he said, “feel out of place and out of touch.”

Persons: Manuel, ”, Hans Pfister, “, Willy Legrand Organizations: Arenas, Cayuga, IU International University of Applied Sciences Locations: Mar, Costa Rica, Bad Honnef, Germany

☆ China's Xi meets U.S. executives as businesses navigate bilateral tensions
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-27 | by ( Evelyn Cheng | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +8 min

The forum this year coincided with other efforts to attract foreign business. However, a combination of geopolitical tensions, regulatory uncertainty and slower economic growth have made it more challenging for foreign businesses in China. ... foreign companies share the same lack of confidence and worries about an uncertain future that is felt amongst much of China's domestic industry. Looking for economic clarityFor businesses considering China investment plans, the country's near-term growth outlook is another factor. He emphasized China's large market, industrial supply chain, and pointed out how China has worked on issues such as data exports and equal market treatment for foreign businesses.

Persons: Tim Cook, Management Dean Bai Chong, Xi Jinping, Stephen Schwarzman, Cristiano Amon, Mark Carney, Rajesh Subramaniam, Joe Biden, Carlos Gutierrez, Sean Stein, Gutierrez, Biden, Scott Kennedy, Peter Bachmann, Bachmann, Kennedy, Stephen S, Roach, Yale Law School's Paul Tsai, he's, China's, Han Zheng, Amin H, Nasser Organizations: Apple, China Development Forum, Tsinghua University School of Economics, Management, China News Service, Getty, U.S . Blackstone, Qualcomm, Bloomberg, FedEx, China, Cyberspace Administration, U.S, American Chamber of Commerce, of Commerce, Scott, Scott Kennedy Center for Strategic, Studies, China Centre, University of Applied Sciences, Arts Northwestern Switzerland, Center for Strategic, International Studies, Yale Law, Yale Law School's Paul Tsai China, Communist Party, Invest, CNBC, Aramco Locations: China, BEIJING, U.S, San Francisco, Beijing, Shanghai, Washington ,, Saudi

☆ Zoom fatigue is real — and it's messing with more than just your head, study finds
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-23 | by ( Kai Xiang Teo | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Participants' brain and heart readings indicated that videoconferencing caused higher levels of fatigue, sadness, and inattentiveness than did in-person lectures. What sets their findings apart, they added, is that past research on Zoom fatigue has been dependent on participants self-reporting their level of exhaustion in questionnaires. AdvertisementFor example, a 2021 study by Gothenburg and Stanford researchers that involved over 2,700 respondents found that longer Zoom meetings weren't the only causes of fatigue. However, Zoom fatigue may not be as widespread as it seems. A Pew Research Center study surveying 10,000 workers in October 2020 found that fewer than four in 10 said they were worn out by videoconferencing.

Persons: —, they've, Rene Riedl Organizations: Service, University of Applied Sciences Upper, Stanford, Pew Research Center Locations: University of Applied Sciences Upper Austria, Gothenburg

☆ 'They knew' - Libyans express fury that warnings went unheeded before catastrophic flood
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-15 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +9 min

"The Libyan government knew what was going on in the Derna River Valley and the danger of the situation for a very long time." In his report, hydrologist Ashour cites an unpublished 2006 study from the Water Resources Ministry on "the danger of the situation." The Turkish company, Arsel, lists a project on its website to repair the Derna dams as having begun in 2007 and been completed in 2012. Even as the catastrophe was unfolding on Sunday night, the Water Resources Ministry issued a post on its Facebook page telling residents not to worry. "When the water started flowing into the house, me and my two sons with their wives escaped to the roof.

Persons: hydrologist Abdul Wanis Ashour, Ashour, Abdulqader Mohamed Alfakhakhri, Alwad Alshawly, hydrologist Ashour, Muammar Gaddafi, Derna, Al Qaeda, Omar al, Moghairbi, Marwan Alfaituri, Abdulmenam, Ghaithi, Petteri Taalas, Gaddafi, Khalifa Hafter, Abdulhamid, Aguila Saleh, Yousef Alfkakhri, Tom Perry, Angus McDowall, Maya Gebeily, Laila Bassam, Tarek Amara, Emma Farge, Mariana Sandoval, Peter Graff, Frank Jack Daniel Our Organizations: Reuters, Public Water Commission, Sebha University, of, Applied Sciences, Water Resources Ministry, NATO, Islamic, Gaddafi's, Libya's, Derna, Sunday, World Meteorological Organization, Libyan National Army, Thomson Locations: Libya, Derna, Tripoli, Turkish, Islamic State, Geneva, Libyan, Benghazi

☆ Libya flood: fury that warnings went unheeded
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-15 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +9 min

[1/4] A view shows the damaged areas, in the aftermath of the floods in Derna, Libya, September 13, 2023, in this picture obtained from social media. In his report, hydrologist Ashour cites an unpublished 2006 study from the Water Resources Ministry on "the danger of the situation." The Turkish company, Arsel, lists a project on its website to repair the Derna dams as having begun in 2007 and been completed in 2012. Even as the catastrophe was unfolding on Sunday night, the Water Resources Ministry issued a post on its Facebook page telling residents not to worry. "When the water started flowing into the house, me and my two sons with their wives escaped to the roof.

Persons: Marwan Alfaituri, hydrologist Abdul Wanis Ashour, Ashour, Abdulqader Mohamed Alfakhakhri, Alwad Alshawly, hydrologist Ashour, Muammar Gaddafi, Derna, Al Qaeda, Omar al, Moghairbi, Abdulmenam, Ghaithi, Petteri Taalas, Gaddafi, Khalifa Hafter, Abdulhamid, Aguila Saleh, Yousef Alfkakhri, Tom Perry, Angus McDowall, Maya Gebeily, Laila Bassam, Tarek Amara, Emma Farge, Mariana Sandoval, Peter Graff, Frank Jack Daniel Our Organizations: Reuters, Public Water Commission, Sebha University, of, Applied Sciences, Water Resources Ministry, NATO, Islamic, Gaddafi's, Libya's, Derna, Sunday, World Meteorological Organization, Libyan National Army, Thomson Locations: Derna, Libya, Tripoli, Turkish, Islamic State, Geneva, Libyan, Benghazi

“With us, you know what you get, which is rare nowadays!” Alexandre Edelmann, head of Presence Switzerland, a government agency that promotes the country abroad, says in an email. “People love our country without always knowing why,” says Jacques Pitteloud, Switzerland’s ambassador to the U.S. and a veteran diplomat. We are constantly leading the pack in terms of innovation.”This is evident in the prominent role Switzerland plays in some key areas of the global economy. Acknowledging "the elephant in the room," Pitteloud says Switzerland and the EU have "a complex relationship." And as a relatively small, landlocked country in which many areas are difficult to inhabit due to terrain, Switzerland is facing challenges related to population and resources.

Persons: Roger Federer, Philippe, –, Alexandre Edelmann, ”, Jacques Pitteloud, Pitteloud, ” Delphine Donné, Ruag, yearslong, ” Georg Klingler, Donné Organizations: Wimbledon, U.S . News, European Union, Bank, Presence Switzerland, Nestle, Roche, Novartis, Atlas, Logitech, ETH Zurich, Zurich University of Applied Sciences, EU, Greenpeace, Associated Press Locations: Switzerland, Europe, U.S, Swiss, France, China, Canada, Lausanne, Ukraine, Greenpeace Switzerland

☆ Danaher cut its outlook for 2023, but we're maintaining our rating — here's why
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-25 | by ( Zev Fima | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +9 min

Life sciences and medical diagnostics company Danaher (DHR) delivered a second-quarter earnings beat on Tuesday, but lowered its outlook for the year. When excluding the impact of Covid-related tests and products, Danaher realized base-business core sales growth of 2%. As a result, management was once again forced to downwardly revise their sales growth outlook for the year. We predict a bioprocessing bottom this year, early next year at the very latest, setting us for a rebound in organic revenue growth. This updated outlook represents a downward revision from the high-single-digit percentage decline previously expected on a core basis and the mid-single-digit percentage growth previously expected for the base business.

Persons: Danaher, Cash, Bioprocessing, That's, Sartorius, Cepheid, Jim Cramer's, Jim Cramer, Jim, Marisol Darge, Robert McCabe, Hyoung Chang Organizations: Revenue, Management, Wall, Biotechnology, pharma, CNBC, Kaiser Permanente Arapahoe Medical, Getty Locations: DHR, China, Base, Centennial , Colorado, Denver

☆ Why Instagram Will Never Be Able to Compete With TikTok
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-02 | by ( Chris Stokel-Walker | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +9 min

TikTok's secret sauce is its ability to keep users on the platform, and without sacrificing its core, Instagram won't be able to compete. That's because on TikTok, every video a creator makes has to outperform every other TikTok video. Victim of its own successUnlike TikTok, Instagram has long been seen as a secure place on which to build a digital following. A year ago, when the researcher Valdovinos Kaye was interviewing TikTok creators for his book, he found that they desperately sought to transport their audiences over to Instagram. Rather than copying TikTok's success, Instagram might need to focus on what separates it from the pack.

☆ Microsoft layoffs shake up the unit responsible for integrating ChatGPT technology into Bing
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-18 | by ( Ashley Stewart | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

WebXT includes the team responsible for integrating AI technology from ChatGPT into Bing. Affected units include Microsoft's Web Experience Team, known internally as WebXT, which includes the company's Bing search engine and Edge web browser. Notably, this is the unit responsible for integrating ChatGPT technology into Bing. The Information reported earlier this year that Microsoft plans to use the same AI as ChatGPT to provide users with answers to some searches. One Microsoft employee theorized that the layoffs will help Microsoft cut higher-paid staff and hire new employees at lower compensation into investment areas like Bing.

☆ Why detransitioners are crucial to the science of gender care
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-22 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +43 min

A Canadian health provider said it couldn’t participate, citing recent threats to hospitals offering youth gender care. But as Reuters found, hard evidence on long-term outcomes for the rising numbers of people who received gender treatment as minors is very weak. Dr Marianne van der Loos, the Dutch study’s lead author, is a physician at Amsterdam University Medical Center’s Center for Expertise on Gender Dysphoria, a pioneer in gender care for adolescents. For those who also received medical treatment, detransitioning typically includes halting the hormone therapy they otherwise would receive for years. One is Max Robinson, who was 16 when she sought gender care at Kaiser in 2012.

Over two dozen corporate leaders and businesses are quietly donating to the campaigns of at least four Republicans who have pushed false claims about the 2020 election results while running to become secretaries of state, according to a review of state campaign finance disclosures. Marchant is running to be Nevada's secretary of state, while Finchem and Karamo are aiming for the same position in Arizona and Michigan, respectively. The allegations led to dozens of failed lawsuits attempting to overturn state results and prompted the deadly Jan. 6, 2021 riot at the U.S. Capitol. Those business officials started financing the secretary of state candidates in Aug. 2021 and continued their donations through September, according to state records. Beckel noted in an email to CNBC that donors could be giving to secretary of state candidates for future help with issues more directly tied to their businesses.

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