The Women Behind Some Of Napa And Sonoma's Best Wines

In the male dominated wine industry, it's necessary to shine a spotlight on women in the business. While female winemakers and women owned wineries attract rightful attention, the axiom "wine is made in the vineyard" illuminates an ignored sector in this growing awareness. Although the number of female vineyard workers has increased in Napa Valley and Sonoma from 5% to 30% between 2013 and 2017, historically only about 25% of vineyard manager positions are held by women.

Meet five women who embrace dirt under their nails while bossing a tractor in muddy boots - all in a quest to grow top-quality fruit and make some of Napa and Sonoma's best wine.

Growing up in Napa Valley, Kathleen Inman's passion for the grape, specifically Pinot Noir, and gardening began early. However, working as an accountant in England kept her away from viticulture for almost two decades. "When I lived in England gardening was my hobby. I made my own compost, had a worm farm, used worm teas and did everything organically," she explains.

She returned to Sonoma, and launched Inman Family Wines in 2000, where she wears many hats—vineyard manager, winemaker, boss, farmer, and "grape groper." She oversees a small team including her sister, Diane, and assistant winemaker, Madelyn, who joined her last summer. While Inman enjoys mentoring women, she did not intentionally hire an all-female staff. However, she confesses to finding communication among women in the cellar easier, "We seem to know what is needed without many words, and often we finish each other's sentences."

Translating her English garden into commercial viticulture, Inman uses a "sensitive farming" approach, which she explains is non-certified organic—intentional sensitivity to the environment and the people working in the vineyard. Honoring acid "as the backbone of wine," she picks based on how the clusters "feel" (aka groping), taste, and how the skin reacts to saliva. Migrating away from "proper sampling," Inman selects her pick dates based on sensory perception rather than quantitative data. Taking sensitive farming into the cellar, she produces "natural" wines from organic or sustainable grapes by eliminating additives, utilizing ambient yeast, limiting sulfur dioxide to extended barrel aging and bottling, and cross-flow filtration; resulting in beautifully crafted wines that sell out quickly.

Lifetime Welcomes Travel Adventure Series Hosted By Scott Eddy

Scott Eddy’s job with an investment banking firm had him flying on private planes and helicopters heading to destinations around the world. Now, he is focusing on a new occupation, as the host of what is said to be the first travel focused show on Lifetime.

As the host of “Video Globetrotter,” airing its first episode Friday, May 22, at 7:30 a.m. ET/PT, Eddy’s time on screen has him taking viewers through the Caribbean.

The initial show kicks off in Trinidad, focusing on the history and culture of Carnival plus ziplining and tasting their iconic street food, “doubles.” In Antigua, Eddy interviews Julie Reifer-Jones, the CEO of Liat Airlines, who outlined the history of the airline. Scott ends his trip in Grenada, seeing vistas, resorts and beaches.

Eddy credits his previous career experience in introducing him to “the luxury side of travel” in what has become his full-time profession as a social media professional and luxury brand ambassador. “It changed my whole [life], now I know how different cultures live in real life, not from TV,” Eddy said. “It has taught me to appreciate the little things because the flashy things disappear very quickly, the little things take you through life.”

For business or personal travel, life has taken Eddy to many places. While Florida is now his home, he has previously lived in Thailand, the Philippines, Sri Lanka, Spain, Portland and the United Kingdom. He credits these experiences in introducing him to, and interacting with people from, all walks of life. “[I’ve] made friends on both sides of the fence,” he said. “It has really balanced my thinking.”

Fashion Fights Against Coronavirus

With the fashion industry at a virtual standstill since coronavirus swept through Asia and all of the world’s fashion capitals, fashion companies are pivoting their efforts to help fight against COVID-19 in a number of ways, from mobilizing their seamstresses to create masks for healthcare workers and others in need of personal protective equipment to donating revenue to charities that will help make an impact on those in need due to unexpected loss of income because of the virus. Here is a list of what some companies are doing:

Vestiaire Collective Launches Celebrity Sale To Benefit Hospitals and Research

Vestiaire Collective, the French pre-owned fashion e-commerce retailer, is holding a charity sale to help support the fight against COVID-19. The reseller reached out to its high-profile network of celebrities and fashion influencers, including Kate Moss, Rachel Weisz, Thandie Newton, Anna Dello Russo, Carine Roitfeld, Charlotte Tilbury, Margherita Missoni, Bella Freud, Leia Sfez, Caroline Issa and more, and asked them to pull items from the closets to sell items that will raise funds to help support local hospitals and scientific research. All of the proceeds of the sale will be donated across a number of charities, including The World Health Organization, the Italian Lombardia Region Fundraising, France/Paris Hospitals Foundation and Madrid’s La Paz Hospital.

Prada Goes Into PPE Production

Prada shifted its Montone factory’s capabilities, promising to produce 80,000 medical overalls and 110,000 masks for healthcare personnel in Tuscany after the region made a request. The PPE will be delivered daily, and production will be completed on April 6. 

Mango Provides 2 Million Face Masks To Spanish Ministry of Health

Mango delivered 2 million face masks to the Spanish Ministry of Health. The face masks arrived at Saragossa airport. It also will make its logistics capabilities available to Spanish authorities in order to curb the social, economic, and public health consequences caused by coronavirus.

Trouwjurken

UK Magazine Puts Forward A Positive Message In 2020 Fashion Shows

With the fashion world under increasing scrutiny, one UK publication is shifting mindsets following a heart-warming catwalk show during London Fashion Week last month. Goldie, a magazine and editorial platform launched in 2018 to discuss aspirational ageing for over-40s, has evolved, attracting a rapidly growing and diverse audience. Now operating as a hub for inter-sectional conversations, the team is seeking to break down boundaries and barriers in a bid to create a more accepting and inclusive society.

Goldie's founder, Rebecca Weef Smith, set out on a personal mission to portray to a wider audience that style can be ageless and how fashion can be used as a catalyst for positive change. Building a community of devoted readers, the publication is also interacting with readers through physical installations and experiences, following on from their first event which took place on 15th February.

The show, 'Andy's Catwalk', came to fruition after a real-life experience Weef Smith encountered during London Fashion Week Mens in 2019. "I was dashing to a presentation on the last day of fashion week when I grabbed a coffee in a café in Soho." Weef Smith recalls, "A rather dashing chap complimented me on the coat I was wearing, one thing led to another and after the menswear event, I returned to the café and spent a few hours talking to him, learning all about his life." The gentleman, Andy Palfreyman, had been homeless for over thirty years but in surviving this ordeal he had maintained a love for fashion throughout this time. He realised his desire to dress well had helped towards his wellbeing during those tough years.

Following on from this initial introduction, Andy mentioned an idea which had come to him for a fashion show which showcased charity shop clothes and how it could be used to dress those living on the streets of London. Thinking over the concept, Weef Smith made it a reality, resulting in the catwalk show which took place in The Swiss Church on Endell Street in Covent Garden.
 

Bridesmaid Dresses

How Data Helps Fight Fashion Waste

Geeks and fashion don't usually mix. Software engineers and other technology professionals are known for their reliance on t-shirts, sandals (often worn with socks) or sneakers and a predilection for wearing shorts in the freezing rain and snow. A bold fashion statement for most software engineers is making the decision to dye their hair green or blue.

But putting techie stereotypes aside for a moment, a new intersection point between the tech community and the fashion industry cognoscenti could be surfacing. The fashion industry is notoriously bad at product waste… and technology wants to come to the rescue.

Just hanging around

The BBC has reported one recent example where a fashion designer has helped to develop recyclable clothes hangers. Data analytics applied across fashion industry supply chains has shown the scale of waste in the business; designer Roland Mouret suggests that single-use clothes hangers are the 'plastic straw' of the fashion industry.

Working with scientists, Mouret and his team have developed a new hanger constructed from 80% recycled 'recovered sea plastic' and 20% recyclable plastic. The hanger problem is not just down to customers discarding them after purchase; apparently some fashion companies ship clothes on cheap hangers (which are then thrown away) before they transfer products to 'fancier' hangers in store.

Hanger recycling company First Mile says that hangers take 1,000 years to break down in landfill. Clearly we need smarter supply chains, smarter city distribution networks, smarter adoption of recycled products and smarter hangers if we are going to combat this waste.
Formal Dresses

How Small- And Medium-Sized Businesses Can Get Started With Email Marketing

No, it's not the trendiest or most glamorous tactic, and no, you're not likely to win "Ad Campaign of the Year," but good old-fashioned email marketing can offer a tremendous return with minor investments of time and money — especially for small- and medium-sized businesses.

In my experience helping such companies grow and maximize their sales and marketing efforts, I've found that email marketing is a great way to test and measure messaging strategies, new markets or new niches before ramping up investment in paid ad campaigns, content creation, etc. It's a direct line of one-on-one communication with the customer — there aren't any middlemen or ad platforms to pay for every message or impression — and there's a low barrier to entry, since most of us are already collecting prospects' and customers' emails. To start collecting and organizing them in a systematic way and using them consistently is often as simple as activating some features in the customer relationship management system and website you already have.

Creating marketing emails doesn't have to be expensive or time-consuming either. Here's how to get started:

1. Start with the basic messaging and call to action.

Your team may already be sending great emails out on a daily basis; they're just sending them one at a time. Gather together the most frequent types of client emails your team sends, and use the best of what you already have for the main body of your marketing emails. This is a great starting point.

Then, you can fine-tune your emails to be specific to the different segments of customers that you cater to. I've found that the most effective campaigns are based on an ongoing series of messages targeted to very specific niches.

Macao Is The Fashionable Playground For The Young And Rich In China

The mainland Chinese market has an insatiable appetite for all things beautiful and bespoke. According to Dr. Daniel Langer, CEO of Équité (a luxury, lifestyle and consumer brand strategy firm), they are the Nouveau Riche and “disrupting (the) luxury (industry) the most.” He explains that “the youngest customers now have the highest expectations toward luxury brands...in China, more than 80 percent of luxury goods are bought by consumers under 40, including a rapidly increasing share of Gen Zers, who are all 20 years old or younger.” And nowhere is this more apparent than in Macao, China - the “Vegas of Asia”- and a vast playground for the wealthy Chinese.

According to Lily Cheng (Director of Public Relations for Sands Resorts Macao) the number one demographic for those seeking a “staycation/getaway” are from Mainland China, who apparently have plenty of hedonistic desires in need of satisfying.

In trying to navigate the future of luxury, it’s been the objective of Sands Resorts and its family of brands to carve out an enduring space in an otherwise volatile market; so they are not only appeasing needs, but attempting to anticipate and anchor them as well. With 8 hotels (and growing) to choose from and their combined 12,000+ rooms, properties are frequently upgrading their respective “luxe life” to remain top-of-mind, experiential and “Instagram-worthy”. Moreover, “because competition is so keen in Macao - and the standards of hospitality so high - in order to differentiate ourselves, we need buildings and properties that are iconic and easily identifiable,” explains Joyce Chiu, Senior Public Relations Manager for Sands China Ltd.

For instance, since The Parisian Macao unveiled its sparkling and newly renovated Champagne Suites, they have been the most requested room category for the hotel.

Meanwhile, The Londoner Hotel (with plans to open progressively over 2020 and 2021) has soccer-star-turned-stylish-celebrity/philanthropist David Beckham acting as the face of the brand; he is also currently the ambassador to all of Sands Resorts Macao properties. The celebrity element is another strategy to ensure that there is frequent buzz and to update otherwise stagnant spaces in need of a facelift.

Bridesmaid Dresses

More Consumers Want Sustainable Fashion, But Are Brands Delivering It?

With consumers being more environmentally conscious than ever, it's no surprise that sustainability has become a familiar refrain in the fashion industry. But are brands delivering on it? That's a different story.

Among mass-market apparel brands and retailers, only 1% of new products introduced in the first half of this year were tagged sustainable, even after a five-fold increase in the number of such items unveiled in the past two years, according to a McKinsey study released Thursday. "Apparel companies still have a long way to go to meet the demand for sustainability," said the report, titled "Fashion's New Must Have: Sustainable Sourcing At Scale."

While brands face issues such as the cost and availability of sustainable materials, more than half of the industry players want at least half of their products to be made with sustainable materials by 2025, according to the study, which polled 64 global sourcing executive with a combined buying power of $100 billion.

More than four-fifths of the executives also expect physical clothing design samples to be used far less often by 2025.

Even against the shadow of the U.S.-China trade tariffs war, sustainability and transparency surfaced as the top focus–more than double the percentage who cited shifting countries where they buy goods from–when executives were asked how their companies plan to adjust apparel sourcing to respond to macroeconomic trends.

Why? Getting sustainability right pays dividends as consumers, led by millennials and Gen Z, are demanding it: online searches for "sustainable fashion" tripled between 2016 and 2019, the report found.

                                                  Trouwjurken

Wedding Planning? Try These Sanity Savers

Preparing for a wedding can be an amazing, love-affirming time for couples — but it can also be incredibly stressful! Now that wedding season is about to be in full swing, you might be looking for any way to restore some peace and balance to your life. If this sounds familiar, don’t fret! Here are some products that could save your sanity during the lead up to the big day.

Pollyanna Kit

Still in the planning stages? You might be quickly realizing how difficult it is to keep track of all the details. Do you remember the name of the officiator? Which cake flavor did you prefer? Who was it that is allergic to all fish and seafood? There’s a lot to remember! Fortunately, there is a way to tame the madness.

The Pollyanna Kit allows you to stay organized and create your dream wedding while maintaining your sanity! You’ll receive both a digital and hardcopy planning checklist, a candle, dessert, essential oil, handwritten notes, temporary tattoos and a special DIY keepsake.

Migrastil Migraine Stick

Even when everything is going right, weddings can be overwhelming. When things do go wrong, it can quickly turn into a nightmare. You booked a trip to a destination during storm season and it’s non-refundable? You gained five pounds instead of losing them? Haven’t had enough to drink and didn’t have time to eat anything all day? Yeah, your temples might be throbbing!

Microplastics Hurt Fauna From Zooplankton To Humpback Whales

Microplastics are found everywhere, from remote wilderness to the depths of the sea. They can alter growth of our agricultural crops. Recently, researchers Gloria Fackelmann and Dr. Simone Sommer of Ulm University conducted an extensive review covering how ingested microplastic causes an imbalance in the gut microbiomes of animals as tiny as zooplankton to as large as humpback whales.

As plastic breaks down, it forms microplastics, which are pieces less than 5 mm in length. Most microplastics are generated on land before being washed out to the ocean. The plastic packaging and clothing with synthetic materials corporations produce (and that we discard) is likely to find its way into the ocean and into the stomachs of marine life.

Zooplankton often mistake microplastics for food. Since zooplankton are near the bottom of the food web, microplastics can be concentrated as animals consume other animals, much like the bioaccumulation of DDT in bald eagles in the 20th century. Filter-feeding gooseneck barnacles also accumulate microplastics.

Dauntless' Is A Solid, Free ‘Baby Monster Hunter

I have been vaguely hearing about Dauntless for a while now in some form or another, usually from my influencer buddies who have been toying with the beta every so often. I didn't really know what it was, and from afar I thought it looked like a Fortnite-skinned Runescape. I quickly was informed that it's a Fortnite-skinned Monster Hunter instead.

With The Division 2 not wanting me to play its raid and Destiny's next expansion still two weeks away, I dove into Dauntless for a spell to see how it was. I played a bit of Monster Hunter World previously, which I enjoyed, but the longer it went, the more convoluted it became, and I never got past its issues with UI and combat.

Dauntless solves most of that, and it does it for free, supported by cosmetic microtransactions and a battle pass, and a few elements that seem like they *could* veer into being a bit pay-to-win, but nothing all that extreme I've found yet.

This game is Monster Hunter, simply stripped down to its base elements. You're in a steampunk-ish fantasy town, you hunt monsters with a series of upgradable weapons, and farm specific monsters to make armor sets based on the materials you glean from them. There are potions, grenades, a few skills on cooldowns, but nothing terribly complicated, and you're able to hop in very quickly and just get in there and slay.

In one day I went from level 1 to level 11 and capped out a Shrike armor set and axe at the current max, given that neutral upgrade orbs were plentiful. I really, really like the character design and animation, which features a great character customization system and a transmorg system that I wish more games would emulate.

The combat-reward loop is solid so far. I've found myself able to craft a lot more things in a lot shorter period of time than I did with Monster Hunter, and I've enjoyed experimenting with the six different types of weapons, which don't feel overwhelming because there aren't like, two dozen of them. Each has their own distinct feel to them, and I'm looking forward to unlocking more upgrades for them in time.

There are some pretty clear limitations Dauntless has, however, despite emulating Monster Hunter for its core concept. This is a F2P game, while MHW is big-budget, triple AAA. The biggest place you notice this is during the hunts themselves which are giant, empty areas that at least at lower levels, contain nothing but the central monster itself. There are no sprawling MHW zones with smaller bits of wildlife around, and no multiple boss-level monsters on a map that spar with one another. Each zone is simply a boss fight with 1-3 phases, and you go back, rinse, repeat.

Keep your child's mobile phone costs down

Parents can easily keep their child's mobile phone costs down if they stick one simple method — prepaid deals — experts say.
The introduction of data alerts at 50 per cent, 80 per cent and 100 per cent of plans has helped curb bill shock but many parents are still shelling out significant amounts each month to keep their kids connected.
New analysis by Pure Profile on behalf of Amaysim surveyed 1000 people with children aged 12-18 who use mobile phones and found parents spend the following on their child's phone deals:

Switch telcos and save yourself hundreds of dollars a year
Telco comparison website WhistleOut's spokesman, Kenny McGilvary, said it can be a hefty charge if kids exceed their monthly data usage, so prepaid deals are a good way "get certainty and not blow the budget each month."
"Most of the carriers charge $10 per extra gigabyte once you go over your monthly allocation," he said.
Mr McGilvary said the average data usage per month is 2.5-3 gigabytes.
But he warned scrolling social networking sites such as Instagram and watching videos "could result in a good chance of going over your data."
Mother Anya Hart, 41, said the way she avoids her 12-year-old daughter Charlotte running up bills is by including her in her husband's plan allowing them to share 37 gigabytes per month for $130.

"We are on my husband's contract and he manages our usage through his iPhone, we can check at any time how much data we are using," she said.
She said this works well for them rather than having individual phone plans and potentially going over monthly limits.

Ulysse Nardin Unveils New Erotic Classico Watches Designed by Milo Manara

With a new tag line that reads “We Xplore. we Xcite. we Xist. We are Ulysse,” Swiss watch brand Ulysse Nardin goes out of its way this year to truly excite people. With a long-standing tradition of creating exceptional erotic watches, typically minute repeaters with moving jaquemarts on the dial, this year the brand tones it down a notch—unveiling 10 erotic watches with hand-painted dials designed by Italian erotic comic book artist Milo Manara. Interestingly enough, the theme of these erotic watches is one that has mystified man for centuries: mermaids.

The inspiration comes from Manara’s concepts and illustrations of underwater adventures between a mythical mermaid and a beautiful young woman who meet and discover love. Each of the 10 watches in the series features the enchanting mermaid and the young woman in different scenes of embrace and frolic. While the mermaid seduces the woman, a shark watches them, sometimes from a distance and sometimes up close, depending on the dial design. The theme is consistent for the 10 watches, but each can stand alone without needing the others to tell the story.

Borrowing by mobile phone gets some poor people into trouble

Mobile money, which offers the equivalent of a basic bank account to almost anyone with any sort of phone, has long been seen as a boon for financial inclusion. So recent evidence that it is leaving problems in its wake is causing dismay. Digital credit through mobile phones is leading in some places to overborrowing, hardship and—horror of horrors—even more financial exclusion.

The starkest evidence is in east Africa. Thanks to m-pesa, its largest mobile-money service, with over 20m users, Kenya has been a pioneer in both mobile money and mobile financial services, such as lending. Anecdotal evidence is mounting of abuses—most notoriously of young Kenyans borrowing to splurge on online betting sites. The number of Kenyans blacklisted by the country's credit bureaus, and so unable to borrow, has risen to more than 500,000, up from 150,000 three years ago. The proliferation of mobile credit, offered by over 50 competing lenders, is blamed for the increase. The loans are mostly a few dollars and the maturities a matter of days or weeks. But the damage could be lasting.

Rewarded video monetization soars in U.S. mobile apps

Video ads that reward app users or gamers for viewing increased significantly as a form of monetization for mobile apps in the U.S., according to a new report (here's last year's report) by mobile ad monetization firm Appodeal.

These "rewarded videos" saw a significant increase in the past year when it comes to generating a high effective cost per mille (eCPM), the effective cost for every thousand ad impressions, Appodeal said in its second annual In-App Ad Monetization Performance Index.

The report identifies the top-performing ad networks for mobile ads. In the U.S., the top rewarded video ad networks were Unity Ads, AppLovin, and Tapjoy.

Mobile app developers and publishers are starting to rely on ads more to generate income, but to do it right, they need the right ad monetization strategies, Appodeal said. That includes investing in a variety of types of ads such as rewarded videos, banners, and interstitials.

Rewarded videos are user-initiated ads where users can earn in-app rewards in exchange for viewing a video ad.

Rewarded video debuted a mere few years ago, but Appodeal said it has quickly become popular in the ad tech market. New offerings by major players like Google AdMob and Facebook contributed significantly to eCPM growth; however, the inability to serve rewarded videos more frequently is one key barrier as it limits revenue potential.

Overall, interstitials generated the most revenue in all regions (except iOS in South America). Since these full-screen ads can come in the form of a static image, video, or interactive rich media (that is, playable ads), interstitials can be quite flexible as a happy medium between banner ads (with low eCPMs, but high frequency), and rewarded video (with high eCPMs, but low frequency).

Despite being one of the oldest ad formats and having the lowest eCPMs, banners continued to be an important and reliable monetizing ad format thanks to its superior availability of ads and ability to be served frequently or even continuously.

As a result, this format represented about at least a quarter of monetization power share across most regions. In South America, it even made up more than half of the revenue on iOS.

The eCPM trend reports of each ad format can serve as a revenue planning tool. For example, some ad formats' eCPMs are trending up in certain regions, while some are trending down. Publishers can use this information to make better forecast of what eCPMs they can expect to earn.

Hellenic introduces mobile banking units

"Mobile banking vehicles are innovative in their design and built on European safety standards and meet all of these specifications to provide customer service and customer experience while demonstrating respect for the environment," the bank announced.

The MBUs are powered by solar energy and other innovative technologies making them energy sufficient for up to 15 hours.

They will offer exactly the same services as a regular bank branch such as money withdrawals, deposits, payments and loan applications.

The vehicle includes ATMs, cash registers and seats and has built-in air conditioning, adaptive lighting, and a lift to facilitate access for the elderly and disabled.

The banking unit was created because the bank understands that it is not always easy to access banking services, especially for the residents of remote areas, Hellenic Bank’s statement said.

The first unit will cover 12 communities. On Monday it travels to Kofinou, Ayios Dhometios, Choirokoitia, and Kalo Chorio, on Tuesday to Vrisoulles and Frenaros, on Wednesday to Xylotymbou and Dasaki, on Thursday to Liopetri and Xylophagou and on Friday it serves customers in Parekklisia and Germasogeia.

"Mobile banking vehicles are innovative in their design and built on European safety standards and meet all of these specifications to provide customer service and customer experience while demonstrating respect for the environment," the bank announced.

The MBUs are powered by solar energy and other innovative technologies making them energy sufficient for up to 15 hours.

They will offer exactly the same services as a regular bank branch such as money withdrawals, deposits, payments and loan applications.

The vehicle includes ATMs, cash registers and seats and has built-in air conditioning, adaptive lighting, and a lift to facilitate access for the elderly and disabled.

The banking unit was created because the bank understands that it is not always easy to access banking services, especially for the residents of remote areas, Hellenic Bank’s statement said.

The first unit will cover 12 communities. On Monday it travels to Kofinou, Ayios Dhometios, Choirokoitia, and Kalo Chorio, on Tuesday to Vrisoulles and Frenaros, on Wednesday to Xylotymbou and Dasaki, on Thursday to Liopetri and Xylophagou and on Friday it serves customers in Parekklisia and Germasogeia.

Stephen Malkmus webchat – post your questions now

Coming to fame in the early 90s as co-founder and lead singer of the band Pavement, Stephen Malkmus, 52, has since become an icon of American indie rock. Over Pavement’s five albums, Malkmus’s often eccentric wordplay and off-kilter compositions won them a devoted following. They even prompted the Fall’s Mark E Smith to call them a "rip off" of his band, one that did not "have an original idea in their heads".

After the group disbanded in 1999, Malkmus collaborated with Sonic Youth’s Kim Gordon and Thurston Moore on their project Kim’s Bedroom, as well as writing music for film and TV, including tracks for Todd Haynes’ unconventional biopic of Bob Dylan, I’m Not There. He also fronts the enduring Stephen Malkmus and the Jicks – their seventh album, Sparkle Hard, was released in May.

As he tours the UK with the Jicks, Malkmus is joining us to answer your questions about his life and music, in a live webchat from 12.15pm BST on Thursday 25 October – post them in the comments below and he’ll take on as many as possible.

The Deuce recap: season two, episode three – 'It’s not racism, it’s economics'

CC opens up a carboot and takes out his pimp cane. He is at the airport, taking his first flight. "Will I need my coat in the plane?" he asks Lori, who is playfully teasing him about his naivety and lack of understanding about time zones. "We go back in time? I don't play that shit," he says after being told about the three-hour difference between his native New York and Los Angeles, the emerging hotbed of porn that the couple are due to visit for an adult awards show.

This exchange shows CC at his most vulnerable; ignorant and easily out of his comfort zone. But Lori is able to make him accept his weaknesses without lashing out at her, for now. Could that change once the pair get an audience on the west coast? We won't find out, as CC decides to opt out once Lori reminds him of the fact that some planes do actually crash. "Bring back that gold for us," he says, optimistically.

When Lori lands in LA, she finds herself in a plush hotel suite: it's like an Alex Prager photograph, with powder-blue hues and gilded furnishings. As she looks out on the Hollywood hills, the question lingers: why would she ever go back? She meets Candy and Harvey at the awards, and he delivers a zinger: "Fear of flying," he says about CC. "That's appropriate." On the east coast, Abby has begun organising a legalise prostitution campaign with former sex workers and the ACLU.

Back on the deuce, Paul and his partner are trying to convince Vincent to stump up $20,000 to bankroll their supper club. He is keen, but is not quite so into their idea of circumventing the mob and doing it on their own. "Rudy still gets his nut on the original bar," says Paul, who sounds about as naive as CC. "But this new one: it's ours." Vincent agrees, against his better judgment. Leon has a welcome home party at the cafe. Rodney turns up, drunk and disorderly, and looking as if he is well and truly on the slide.

Railway police to introduce mobile app for passengers

The Government Railway Police (GRP) would soon introduce a mobile application for train passengers. With the help of the railway ministry, the GRP is developing the mobile app. Passengers can download the app and lodge their complaints in the app. The complaint will reach the GRP police personnel travelling in the same train and ensure they respond immediately.
Speaking at an awareness programme on 'safe journey' for train passengers in the city on Tuesday, additional director general of police (ADGP-railways) C Sylendra Babu said a private company is developing the app and it will be introduced soon for the passengers.

The GRP, Coimbatore, organized the awareness programme. The commuters were requested not to travel on footboards and not to board a moving train. Students of the visual communication department of Rathinam College at Eachanari performed a street play to create awareness among the passengers.
Sylendra Babu said 2,300 people died in the last one year in the state due to carelessness while travelling in train or committing suicide by jumping in front of trains. While 10% of the people committed suicide by jumping in front of trains, 85% died due to careless journey. Remaining 5% were natural deaths.
"85% of deaths can be avoided if people are careful while travelling in trains. They should not travel on the footboards and should not board a moving train. If people avoid such carelessness, we can save the lives of train passengers. So, we conducted the awareness programme for the commuters. Such programmes will be conducted across the state," said Sylendra Babu.
He said passengers travelling in trains can download the app and upload the information in the app if they are facing any troubles in the train. Immediately, the message will be sent to the respective policemen who are on duty in the train. Senior police officials will also monitor the message and instruct the policemen on duty to act.

Mobile phone warning signs take to the road

A new deterrent sign is to be trialled in an attempt to caution motorists who are using their phones whilst driving.

A roadside system that detects if a mobile phone is in use in a passing vehicle is being piloted in a UK first.

Despite being unable to pick up whether the driver is using the phone, it is hoped it will act as a deterrent to people making calls behind the wheel.

The technology picks up the phone signal in the vehicle and activates a roadside warning sign of a mobile with a red line through it.

Being initially tested in Norfolk, the system cannot record footage.

However, it is designed to pick up whether the phone is being used hands-free or via a vehicle's Bluetooth system and as a result will not trigger the sign.

Chris Spinks, of Westcotec the firm behind it and former head of roads policing in Norfolk, said: "So many people, by force of habit, can't resist using their phone.

"The system cannot differentiate between a driver and the passengers on a bus, for example, but this goes some way towards remotely warning drivers that they can be detected using their phone."

The signs are in place in four locations in Norfolk before being moved on to new sites within the county in a month's time.

How does the system work?

Using a directional antenna, the detector picks up radio waves emitted from a phone handset, and measures the signal strength and length of activation.

When a signal is detected of a duration and signal strength sufficient to activate the system, the detector triggers the sign.

The detector is able to distinguish Bluetooth connections which, when picked up, will prevent the trigger activation.

Peter Williams, RAC road safety spokesperson, said: "While this new signage is no replacement for a uniformed police officer catching someone in the act, it could be enough to make some drivers think twice - and that has to be a positive step forward.

"So ironically, just as technology has enabled the problem of drivers using mobile phones illegally, it can also be a big part of the solution in getting people to stop."

Statistics from the devices will be shared with Norfolk Police, the county council said.

The council said that enabling the system to record specific number plates could be a "future development" with it.

Insp Jonathan Chapman, of Norfolk Roads Policing unit, said: "Any scheme which prevents this kind of behaviour is welcomed.

"Using a mobile phone at the wheel is one of the fatal four road offences which can have devastating consequences if it causes a fatal or serious collision."