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<ul><li>Parks, schools, and playgrounds have been shut all over India to prevent the spread of coronavirus. </li><li>Amar Chitra Katha Studio is offering a free one-month subscription to Tinkle and other comic apps to help battle the boredom.</li><li>Celebrities like Katrina Kaif and Shilpa Shetty are sharing workouts on social media to help burn off excess energy from being stuck at home and build up immunity.</li></ul>It’s not easy being a kid during the coronavirus outbreak. Parents, while at home, still have to work. Going off to school or hanging out with friends, on the other hand, is no more an option. To help manage the crisis, a few companies are coming to the rescue. You can kick things off by diving into the comical universe of <keyword id="1932114" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Kalia-the-Crow">Kalia the crow</keyword>, Shikari Sambu, and <keyword id="774990" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Suppandi">Suppandi</keyword>. The Amar Chitra Katha Studio — the birthplace of India’s first English-language comics — is offering a free one-month subscription to its comic apps. 
 
 
 
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 The other option for moms and dads looking to burn some calories and some of that excess energy that builds up from being stuck at home. Follow along with celebrities like Katrina Kaif and Shilpa Shetty who are sharing workout tutorials on their social media platforms to keep fit and make sure that your kids are tuckered out by the end of the day. 
	
	
	<div type="INSTAGRAMURL" thumbUrl="https://instagram.fdel1-2.fna.fbcdn.net/v/t51.2885-15/e35/p612x612/90094154_2643354695921257_119251700728265149_n.jpg?_nc_ht=instagram.fdel1-2.fna.fbcdn.net&amp;_nc_cat=1&amp;_nc_ohc=lHri1IOWG00AX_DTBCc&amp;oh=14d9358757fc5860a562e0ed1f8fbcc5&amp;oe=5E748A90" caption="#WorkoutFromHome Can't go to the gym so sharing the workout that Yas and I did at home. Stay safe and be active if u can 😊 1⃣ Squat &amp; Side Leg Lifts - 3 sets x 20 reps 2⃣ Reverse Lunge - 3 sets x 15 reps 3⃣ Situp - 3 sets x 20 reps 4⃣ Pushup - 3 sets x 15 reps (you can substitute with incline pushups or knee pushups) 5⃣ Plank to 'T' - 3 sets x 15 reps 6⃣ Mountain Climbers - 4 slow and 15 tempo x 3 sets @reebokindia #reebok" user="katrinakaif" cmsId="1584517246814"><url><![CDATA[https://www.instagram.com/p/B9zMwQJBoz_/]]></url><permalink><![CDATA[https://www.instagram.com/p/B9zMwQJBoz_/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;amp;utm_campaign=loading]]></permalink><payload><![CDATA[]]></payload></div>



 The legacy of Tinkle In a time when the comicverse is dominated with Marvel’s Avengers and DC’s Batman chronicles, it’s easy to overlook the simpler times like <keyword id="54080" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Tinkle-Comics">Tinkle Comics</keyword> were the only option on the market. 
	
 
 
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 However, the dawn of technology means that you can now dive into the Tinkle universe using your phone. For those of you who aren’t familiar with the adventures of the comic’s iconic characters, the first thing you need to know is that they’re not superheroes — but they’re not without their powers. Kalia the crow is a clever bird that roams the forest with his animal friends to bail them out of trouble. He was the first character created for the Tinkle series when the comic books launched on 14 November 1980 — Children’s Day. His power is that he can outsmart nearly anyone who crosses his path. 
	
 
 
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 A few issues later, Suppandi was introduced in January 1983. Adapted from Chapando — a folk Tamil character — his stories have been written by countless different writers. His power is that despite different voices telling his story, his goofy essence and simpleton nature remain through every adventure. 
	

	
 
 
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 Shikari Shambu is different from Kalia and Suppandi. Even though he was introduced early on — 10 issues after Suppandi — Shambu was initially a cowardly, but famous, hunter. However, over the years the character gave up his hunting ways and transformed into an animal conservationist. His power is the ability to adapt and be an example of how change is possible. 
 
 
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 Work up a sweat While comics may work to keep kids entertained indoors, it doesn’t involve a lot of movement. Even the parks and playgrounds are shut leaving kids with no way to burn off that excess energy that was normally used during classes. Kaif claims that her 20-minute workout is a good go-to to keep endorphins up at a time when anxiety is high and it builds up immunity. The audio on the stream isn’t the best, so you should probably sync up your own playlist to make sure you and your kid stay pumped. Shetty, known for her workout videos and emphasis on yoga, has also released a work out video for those stuck in self-isolation. She encourages people to work out at least four times a week to keep up their immunity. Aside from working out and reading comics, a bunch of education apps like BYJU’S, Vedantu, Toppr and Lido Learning are offering select online courses for free. See also: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/advertising/brands/article/what-continues-to-make-shilpa-shetty-kundra-relevant-for-brands/articleshow/74165546.cms">What continues to make Shilpa Shetty Kundra relevant for brands</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/videos/advertising/exclusive-interview-katrina-kaif-on-how-kay-is-going-to-stand-out-in-the-clutter-and-her-vision-for-the-brand/videoshow/71722472.cms">Exclusive Interview: Katrina Kaif on how Kay is going to stand out in the clutter and her vision for the brand</a>

Tinkle, Katrina Kaif and Shilpa Shetty are pushing comics and workouts to keep coronavirus from driving people crazy

<ul><li><keyword id="6357961" type="LOCATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="odisha">Odisha</keyword> has unveiled its own unconditional direct benefit transfer (<keyword id="281010" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="DBT">DBT</keyword>) scheme that will give all of its state farmers ₹20,000 a year. </li><li>The launch of <keyword id="272930" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Kalia">KALIA</keyword> preempts a likely budget announcement by <keyword id="6354642" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Modi">Modi</keyword> administration, which is planning a similar nationwide scheme. </li><li>The first phase of the programme will see transfers of ₹5,000 each to as many as 1.25 million beneficiaries.</li></ul>The state government of Odisha unveiled its own direct benefit transfer (DBT) scheme that will give all of its state farmers-- without any sort of filter-- ₹20,000 a year. The announcement from chief minister Naveen Patnaik preempts a likely budget announcement by Modi administration, which is said to be planning a similar DBT scheme of its own in the run-up to national <keyword id="6355644" type="DEFINITION" weightage="20" keywordseo="elections">elections</keyword>. 
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 Handouts under the KALIA scheme, which stands for Krushak Assistance for Livelihood Income Augmentation, have commenced in <a href="https://www.business-standard.com/article/pti-stories/patnaik-distributes-benefits-to-farmer-under-kalia-scheme-119012700465_1.html">Ganjam</a>, the home constituency of Naveen Patnaik - the chief minister of Odisha. <keyword id="37885" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="Cash">Cash</keyword> is being transferred electronically to eligible farmers through their bank accounts to enable investment in the rabi cropping season. Around 92% of the state’s farmers - from sharecroppers to large-holding farmers - are eligible, according to the state government. While the scheme is unconditional, which means a beneficiary’s land holdings has no bearing on his/her eligibility, landless households will be given special privileges under the programme such as payments of ₹12,500 for poultry farming and goat rearing, for instance. Electronic transfers would mean that only farmers with bank accounts -- or those with access to any other formal institutions -- will enjoy the benefit of the cash transfer scheme. The proportion of households where at least one member was reported to have saved any money with a formal institution in the state of Odisha <a href="https://www.nabard.org/auth/writereaddata/tender/1608180417NABARD-Repo-16_Web_P.pdf">was 71% in 2016-17</a>, according to a survey by the National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD). The national average was 48% at the time. The first phase of the programme will see transfers of ₹5,000 each to as many as 1.25 million beneficiaries. They will receive handouts twice a year - during the rabi and kharif seasons - in addition to a ₹10,000 payment upfront. They will also receive insurance support and access to interest-free loans. In an SBI report, S K Ghosh, the bank’s chief economic advisor, also <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/indias-largest-bank-bats-or-the-governments-proposed-cash-handouts-to-farmers-but-says-they-must-be-unconditional/articleshow/67652841.cms">recommended an unconditional transfer programme</a>, at least in the short term. A majority of India’s rural population does not own land. Even for those who own land, many states have not digitised land records fully. All of this makes the categorisation of farmers based on the size of their land holdings extremely difficult. And Odisha’s scheme is not the first. Telangana operates its Rythu Bandhu scheme, under which the state government provides smallholder farmers a handout of ₹4,000 per acre on an annual basis for investment in two crops. However, KALIA stands out because it is unconditional and therefore, will reach more farmers and yield better results politically. If the Modi government does plan to unveil direct cash transfers at the national level on friday, he has two designs to choose from and one of them is more politically savvy than the other. Overall, Odisha’s move is well-timed. State elections for Odisha happen alongside national elections. The incumbent government, which is led by the Biju Janata Dal, has criticised the BJP and Congress’s promises for loan waivers in the state. By kicking off direct cash transfers, Patnaik has not only given himself a head start, he has also stolen at least part of the thunder that from his political rivals. SEE ALSO: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/interest-free-loans-and-income-support-the-upcoming-budget-may-be-a-song-for-indias-farmers/articleshow/67538156.cms">Interest-free loans and income support— the upcoming Budget may be a song for India’s farmers</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/indias-largest-bank-bats-or-the-governments-proposed-cash-handouts-to-farmers-but-says-they-must-be-unconditional/articleshow/67652841.cms">India’s largest bank bats for the government’s proposed cash handouts to farmers but says they must be unconditional</a>

Here’s what Modi government can learn from Odisha’s direct cash transfer scheme

It’s not happening for the first time. But tomatoes and onions get expensive price tags in August and continue till the autumn breeze touches the subcontinent. And this year, tomatoes are already selling at Rs 70 a kilo in wholesale markets, which means it will touch Rs 120- Rs 140 when it reaches retail market. So is the case with onions. Having touched Rs 30 a kilo at wholesale markets, you can expect to buy those for Rs 70 or more. "There's not enough supply,” <keyword id="4856744" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="vandana-vilas-temkar">Vandana Vilas Temkar</keyword>, one the very few women traders in Narayangaon tomato market told the Economic Times. "Early last week, we were buying tomatoes at Rs 1,600 per crate. Now it has softened a bit. Farmers are now selling to us in Rs 900-1,200 range." The onion supply has also been hit. From 3.04 lakh tonnes in June, it has become 2.8 lakh tonnes in July, according to <keyword id="483754" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="national-horticulture-board">National Horticulture Board</keyword> data. While onions may keep hovering at a high rate, tomatoes may cost a bit less once once fresh produce from Lasalgaon, Pimpalgaon, Nashik and Dindori hit the market in the third week of August. So what’s ailing the farmers in India and burning a hole in your pocket? Well experts say, lower prices, weak supply chains, depleting yield, poor quality seeds and seedlings, climate change have all spurred them to switch crops for good, from decades of cultivating tomatoes to sugarcane, maize, soya, cauliflower, even grapes. "The government has not developed infrastructure to help farmers producing perishable vegetables. This is one reason why you see glut-and-shortage situations at regular intervals," <keyword id="4856743" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="pritam-kalia">Pritam Kalia</keyword>, emeritus scientist (vegetable sciences), Indian Agricultural Research Institute (<keyword id="275188" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="iari">IARI</keyword>) told ET. In 2015-16, tomato growers started using 1057, a seed variety bio-engineered by an <keyword id="6362175" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="mnc">MNC</keyword>. This was later proven to be susceptible to virus attacks. "It started 'the tiranga' virus that bore coloured patches on the fruit. A good portion of our crop was destroyed then," <keyword id="2153501" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="gadhave">Gadhave</keyword> told ET. "Pesticides and insecticides are not helping us. These pests and viruses have turned immune to the medicines we spray on them. Tomato crops are usually attacked by whiteflies, red mites and gram pod borers. One of the reasons for frequent pestilence is the recurring crop pattern adopted by farmers. In places like Narayangaon, farmers have been growing tomatoes for close to three decades now. The pests have got entrenched in the crop cycle,” he added. What seed companies need to do is to find heat-tolerant seeds so that the fewer monsoons in India shouldn’t be a factor. Also India exports tomatoes to Pakistan, Nepal and <keyword id="6354759" type="LOCATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="bangladesh">Bangladesh</keyword>. Traders have to fulfil pre-arranged orders before filling up local mandis; this, too, impacted domestic distribution.

Tomatoes and onions are burning a hole in your pocket. Here’s why

<keyword id="11032237" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="thrasio" source="Orion">Thrasio</keyword> Holdings Inc, an aggregator of private brands on <keyword id="18635" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Amazon" source="Orion">Amazon</keyword>, on Friday said it will invest Rs 3,750 crore (nearly $500 million) to acquire leading digital-first brands in India. Thrasio started its Indian innings with acquiring Lifelong Online, a leading domestic online consumer brand, for an undisclosed sum. India is one of the fastest-growing regions for Amazon's third-party marketplace, making it enticing for aggregators. "We couldn't be more excited to work with Lifelong Online and, together, take our proven model to India," said Carlos Cashman, CEO of Thrasio. "In addition to acquiring and growing digital-first businesses, we plan to participate in the 'make in India' movement by transitioning the manufacturing for some of our products to the country," Cashman said. Thrasio has acquired more than 200 brands and raised more than $3.4 billion in funding. Lifelong will now be known as "Lifelong, a Thrasio company" and will be well-positioned to engage with India's more than 750,000 sellers. "We are building a technology-first, next-generation consumer goods company," explained Bharat Kalia, CEO of Lifelong Online. Lifelong Online was founded by Atul Raheja, Varun Grover, and Kalia in 2015. "With lucrative exit options for founders, we hope to encourage even more brands and sellers to join the D2C ecosystem in India," he added. According to the most-recent list from Marketplace Pulse, adding all of the Thrasio brands together, Thrasio would be a top-5 seller on Amazon's marketplace. In fact, Thrasio estimates that 1 in 6 US households has already purchased a Thrasio product via Amazon alone. "India is a unique market with hundreds of thousands of motivated entrepreneurs," said Cashman. Founded in 2018 by Joshua Silberstein and Cashman, Thrasio has a portfolio of tens of thousands of products. "We are thrilled to provide brand owners with the opportunity to successfully sell their businesses as well as to give consumers greater access to quality products. This is a major step in our evolution and a huge opportunity for India's sellers," said Cashman. SEE ALSO <a class="tout-title-link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/stock-market/news/reliance-industries-hdfc-bank-mindtree-vodafone-idea-and-other-hot-stocks-on-january-14/slidelist/88888740.cms">Reliance Industries, HDFC Bank, Mindtree, Vodafone Idea and other hot stocks on January 14</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/politics/world/news/russia-warns-it-will-sever-ties-with-the-us-if-it-sanctions-putin-over-ukraine-crisis/articleshow/88884832.cms" data-type="tilCustomLink">Russia warns it will sever ties with the US if it sanctions Putin over Ukraine crisis</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/science/health/news/yes-cats-can-get-covid-19-but-theyre-unlikely-to-become-seriously-ill/articleshow/88887140.cms" data-type="tilCustomLink">Yes, cats can get COVID-19, but they're unlikely to become seriously ill</a>

Amazon aggregator Thrasio will invest half a billion dollars in buying Indian brands

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Amaya, a 6-year-old <keyword id="11910032" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="orca" source="Orion">orca</keyword>, died suddenly at <keyword id="11910031" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="seaworld" source="Orion">SeaWorld</keyword> San Diego on Thursday. </li><li>On Wednesday, the orca showed signs of an undisclosed illness, and veterinarians began treating her. </li><li>About 24 hours later, she died. The cause of <keyword id="6355784" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="death" source="Orion">death</keyword> is unknown and experts are conducting a post-mortem exam.</li></ul>The youngest orca at SeaWorld San Diego died from an undisclosed illness on Thursday, the animal theme park told Insider in a statement.SeaWorld said that 6-year-old Amaya first started showing signs of illness on Wednesday and her condition "continued to decline rapidly."Animal-care experts and veterinarians began treating Amaya on Wednesday; on Thursday the orca died, SeaWorld said in its statement."Her death was sudden and unexpected," the park told Insider.While the exact cause of death is still unknown, SeaWorld is conducting a post-mortem exam. The park said that it may take several weeks for the exam's results."This is a very difficult time for those who knew and loved Amaya," SeaWorld said in its statement. "The specialists who cared for her at SeaWorld are heartbroken."Amaya was born on December 2, 2015, and lived with her mother, Kalia, and her father, Ulises, at the park. According to <a href="https://seaworld.com/san-diego/animals/orca-underwater-viewing/">SeaWorld San Diego's website</a>, Amaya helped SeaWorld "gather and share critical information about calf development for researchers studying wild populations."SeaWorld San Diego now has nine orcas in its care. In 2016, the park announced it was <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/seaworld-ends-killer-whale-breeding-program-2016-3">immediately ending its orca breeding program</a>. The current population of orcas at its three US parks will be the last generation of mammals in SeaWorld's care. The <keyword id="11893589" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="news" source="Orion">news</keyword> followed criticism and declining visitors numbers after the 2013 documentary film "Blackfish" premiered. The film told the story of Tilikum, a SeaWorld whale held in captivity, who was involved in the deaths of several people.

SeaWorld San Diego's youngest orca has died from a sudden illness

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Many Hmong restaurants, farms, and nonprofits have recently opened, combining tradition and innovation.</li><li>It marks a renaissance of sorts for the Hmong community, which has historically been insular.</li></ul>Yia Vang never wanted to be a chef.His siblings received postgraduate degrees, while Vang just scraped by in college. A part of him, though, wanted to preserve what his parents did for him by bringing his Hmong heritage to the world through food.He recalled his father telling him: "I came to this country so you can be free, so you can work in a corner office in a nice, tall building signing people's checks for them and telling them what to do. I don't want you to work in a kitchen where it's hot and it's hard on your body."But Vang wanted to pursue cooking anyway, and he discovered a way to make his parents proud, while sharing Hmong foodways with the US."I wake up every morning getting to work with food in the way that I want to and the way that I love, telling an incredible story, and somehow, by the grace of God, I still can make a little money and provide for myself doing that," Vang told Insider.<div type="image" title="Yia Vang stands with his parents" height="3664" width="4886" msid="101800402" hostid="261"></div>Vang, now a James Beard award finalist for Union Hmong Kitchen in Minneapolis, is launching a brick-and-mortar restaurant called Vinai. He also recently appeared on "Iron Chef" and was the first to serve Hmong food at the Minnesota State Fair.Across the US, many Hmong business owners, chefs, and creatives have recently received national recognition for their work. Leading Hmong chefs are opening restaurants this year. Oakland, California, elected the first Hmong mayor of a major US city. Kao Kalia Yang wrote the libretto to the first main-stage Hmong opera in the US. And after the gymnast Sunisa Lee won silver at the 2020 Summer Olympics, "Hmong" was among the top Google searches.For many in the community, these feats are grounded in decades of hardship and success. For others, these leading Hmong figures are continuing what the first Hmong Americans did to survive. Now a new generation of restaurateurs and farmers is trying to bring Hmong culture to the masses.<h2>A savvy new generation of Hmong entrepreneurs</h2>The Hmong people have struggled to spread beyond their native community, but a young generation is changing that.Many older Hmong Americans immigrated to the US as refugees after the Vietnam War and the Laotian Civil War, Lee Pao Xiong, the director of the Center for Hmong Studies at Concordia University, St. Paul, said. <a href="https://www.pewresearch.org/social-trends/fact-sheet/asian-americans-hmong-in-the-u-s/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Pew Research Center</a> found that in 2019, nearly one in five Hmong Americans lived in poverty, a few percentage points above the national average, and 46% had a high-school education or less.<div type="image" title="Lee Pao Xiong headshot" height="1023" width="1365" msid="101800404" hostid="261"></div>Much is changing in the community to encourage Hmong entrepreneurship. Though for decades, Xiong said Hmong businesses struggled to market outside the Hmong community. Some businesses would label themselves as "Asian" or "Thai" to attract more customers.Xiong said the younger generation has been influential in not only starting their own businesses but also helping older Hmong Americans enter larger state and national markets."These young people are politically savvy as far as marketing, and social media contributed to the visibility of our cuisines, our culture, and our history, which prompted interest by the majority community," Xiong said.Many young Hmong entrepreneurs have been branching out into new industries, including tech startups, floral stores, and social-services nonprofits, said Peng Her, the CEO of the Hmong Institute in Madison, Wisconsin, which helps local Hmong residents with economic and professional development."These young business owners know how to create a business plan. They know how to market and attract non-Hmong customers, and so that's why they're getting into all these different industries," Her said. "They're not afraid to try new things, whether it's in fashion, in using traditional techniques and designs, incorporating in new styles."<h2>Spreading Hmong cooking across the US</h2>Some chefs have recently been able to pull in new demographics by explaining to diners that "this is what we eat at home; this is what my mom makes," Xiong said.Vang has grown his brand through his belief that Hmong food is not one cuisine but a philosophy in which "we use our living world around us to create food, and then using that food to invite the world in."His concept, featuring dishes such as Hmong sausage and fried fish with purple sticky rice, is nothing particularly new, he said. Hmong chefs for decades have opened restaurants and hustled in whatever jobs they can find after coming to Minnesota."All the things that the media is saying, like, 'Oh, my gosh, look at this new thing,' for us it's like, 'You guys are 10 years off. We've been doing that all the time,'" Vang said.Some entrepreneurs, including Diane Moua, who worked as an executive pastry chef at numerous Twin Cities restaurants, have looked to preserve history and tradition while thinking about the next generation. Moua decided in fall to pursue opening her first restaurant, an Asian bistro incorporating Hmong foodways and ingredients from her parents' garden. Moua, who has hosted numerous pop-ups, said she pulls from the philosophy of her parents, who owned a farm and never took anything for granted; her father would eat apples to the core to not waste, she said.<div type="image" title="Diane Moua decorates a cake." height="1000" width="1333" msid="101800407" hostid="261"></div>An emphasis on fresh, Hmong-produced ingredients was a pull for Mai Vang, who moved to Siskiyou County in far-north California and opened one of the area's first Hmong-owned restaurants in late 2021. The county, she said, attracted thousands of Hmong Americans for agricultural opportunities, particularly marijuana farming.She moved from New York and opened MaiYaj Asian Bistro in Montague with her partner, who sold Hmong sauces. The couple, whose restaurant is in a building that used to serve local ranchers, decided to call the eatery an "Asian bistro" to appeal to those unfamiliar with Hmong cuisine.<div type="image" title="Mai Vang (right) stands with her partner Pom Amaritnant" height="3185" width="4247" msid="101800409" hostid="261"></div>"We thought opening up a restaurant serving Hmong food would be a good way to connect with the people here because at that point when we first opened, there was a lot of controversy about who are Hmong people, why are they here, because these areas are a little bit more rural," she said.La Vang-Herr also opened her Hmong business in an area with few Hmong residents. In 2017, she started La's food cart, alongside her artisan-products brand and farm, in Oregon after 18 years in nonprofit management. She opened her business after noticing an upscale restaurant use the name "Hmong" in a dish. She disagreed with the way the ingredients were used."If anybody's going to screw up Hmong food, it probably should be me," Vang-Herr said. "I wanted to make sure that I have a voice in that whatever it is, Hmong-related."<div type="image" title="La Vang-Herr stands in front of her food cart La's" height="809" width="1079" msid="101800411" hostid="261"></div>Mortchee's, a Hmong eatery in a former Wausau, Wisconsin, ice-cream stand, has also been a lifeline for the local Hmong community since opening earlier this year. About 90% of its catering business comes from Hmong families hosting events for the community's roughly 7,000 Hmong residents, Sa Sor Lee, the owner, said.Some locals have supported the business without even intending to. A handful stumbled upon it expecting to get ice cream, instead leaving with Hmong sausage and papaya salad."There's a lot of people who know about the Hmong people, but there's still a lot of people out there that don't know us," Lee said. "Having small, growing businesses shows that we can do things like other people do and then keep improving ourselves."<h2>Farming-industry influence</h2>The Hmong community has a major influence on the agricultural landscape. <a href="https://foodprint.org/blog/hmong-farmers/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">More than 50%</a> of growers at the Twin Cities' metro markets are Hmong, and Hmong farmers are responsible for a decent portion of the nation's strawberries and poultry.The <a href="https://www.hmongfarmers.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Hmong American Farmers Association</a> has helped give farmers the space and opportunities to grow and sell their produce through its Food Hub, recently launching a community-supported agricultural model.Such initiatives have helped some of the over 200 vendors at Hmongtown Marketplace in St. Paul, opened by Toua Xiong in 2004. "We have never had to advertise one single time over the last 19 years to get a tenant: That's how strong we are," Xiong said. "We are 100% full, and we've had more and more people now asking for spaces."Pheng Her, who owns the recently opened farm Guerrilla Pastures on the outskirts of the Twin Cities, agreed the future would be fruitful for Hmong farmers. He wanted to take Hmong agricultural traditions and apply them to regenerative farming, selling various beeswax products, which he said was unprecedented among Hmong farmers.<div type="image" title="Pheng Her stands with his family" height="3000" width="4000" msid="101800413" hostid="261"></div>"We're in this unique spot right now where we're still very new to the country. We're still learning and adapting to Western culture, and so we still seek refuge and comfort in being around people that speak our language and look more like us," Her, who left his job in nonprofit management to pursue farming, said.He still works overnight shifts as a mechanic, though he hopes to teach those in north Minneapolis, many of whom live in food deserts, about sustainable agricultural practices."The Hmong community is growing in population, we're slowly entering the middle class, we have more and more expendable income, and we want to support looking for more people of color or other Hmong businesses," he said.

Hmong cuisine and culture are having a moment in the US. We spoke with the restaurateurs and farmers driving innovation.

<div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image">NeyberNeyber's chief strategy officer Monica Kalia, and chief executive Martin Ijaha.</div></div></div><ul class="summary-list"><li>Neyber, the UK fintech startup that has raised $150 million from Goldman Sachs and other backers, has laid off around 13 staff, predominantly in its marketing team. It had around 100 staff prior to the redundancies. </li><li>Founders Monica Kalia and Martin Ijaha said the business was reining in its costs as it focuses on sustainability, launching new products, and raising its "last" round of funding.</li><li>Neyber was founded in 2014 and offers loans at attractive rates through employers, taking repayments directly from people's salaries.</li><li>The company said it achieved topline growth of 100% year-on-year in 2018.</li><li><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/prime?module=article&amp;area=summary">Click here for more BI Prime stories</a>.</li></ul>Neyber, the UK fintech startup backed by Goldman Sachs, has laid off around 13 staff as it focuses on new products, raising a final round of funding, and profitability. The firm had around 100 staff prior to the layoffs.Cofounders Monica Kalia and Martin Ijaha confirmed the layoffs in an interview with Business Insider, saying the changes were part of a broader shift in priorities for the company.Neyber partners with employers to offer financial services to their employees, and counts Tesco, the UK police force, Asda, and Royal Mail among its customers. The startup is best-known for offering debt consolidation loans at attractive interest rates through employers.This means, for example, employees can borrow money to pay off all their credit card debts in one go, then repay that loan at a lower interest rate directly from their gross salary.Kalia and Ijaha told Business Insider that its marketing department bore the brunt of the redundancies. The bulk of people who had been let go were focused on winning new clients and building out the firm's initial offering, they said, both of which are no longer priorities. The firm said there is no hiring freeze, and that it has a number of roles open and new joiners in the next few weeks.Neyber is now looking at new product areas, including giving employees early access to their pay and developing an attractive savings proposition. The firm already partners with Smarterly to offer a workplace ISA. CEO Martin Ijaha said: "It is a change in our strategy, not in terms of what the business is doing, but more priorities."It's recognizing that you're coming out of stage one, where it's about creating the market and winning lots of new clients, and investing in technology and investing in product, to getting to a place where you're saying, 'Well, we've done that, and we've done it really well, and so now I need to get to sustainability. Does my current team structure get me towards that sustainability?'""You have to recognise where you have places where maybe costs are a little too high, or you can have better efficiencies."<h2>Neyber wants one final round of funding to hit break-even</h2><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image">Thomson ReutersNeyber counts Tesco as one of its clients.</div></div></div>The pair added that Neyber was in the process of raising a new round of funding, although they gave no further details. "We're looking at that as being the last round of capital that will take us to profitability, sustainability," Ijaha said of the new funding round. The company has raised $150 million to date in debt and equity financing, most notably from Ijaha's former employer Goldman Sachs, Police Mutual, and Wadhawan Global Capital.Neyber's investors provide its current tranche of lending capital, and the firm is currently exploring different models around where and how it gets that money, and on what terms. One eventual route might include taking deposits, potentially meaning a banking licence.Read more: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/profile-of-2-billion-checkoutcom-and-founder-guillaume-pousaz-2019-8?r=US&amp;IR=T">Here's how this college dropout spent 7 years building a profitable startup with no funding, then raised $230 million in his first round at a $2 billion valuation</a>"Over the medium-term, you'd potentially look at raising deposits, because that's the cheapest source of funding. But actually, the institutional market is pretty competitive now," Kalia said.Ijaha added: "Where we're coming from is that we've always wanted to build a business that gets to profitability, but is also doing the right thing for its customers. We've now been in business for five years, and we see the path to sustainability, which means we need to cover our costs."Neyber was late to filing its earnings for the full year 2017, but the most recent available filings show the startup lost £7.4 million ($9 million) after tax on turnover of £1.2 million in 2016. Revenue increased faster than the losses, and was up 729% year on year, versus a 57% increase in losses.The company told Business Insider that in 2018 it saw 50% growth in loan origination - essentially the process for getting a loan - and similar growth in its outstanding loan book. The firm says it achieved 100% topline growth for 2018, but did not give additional numbers.<h2>Neyber was born of the 2008 credit crisis and wants to give people fair access to credit</h2><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image">Oli Scarff/Getty Images</div></div></div>For Kalia and Ijaha, the process of cost-cutting and moving to profitability has been a learning curve."As a founder in the first couple of years, you don't know what the parameters will be because it's so wide," said Kalia. "The opportunities are there in terms of the size of the credit card market, but you're testing your proposition to see how it's going to work."Your forecasting ability just becomes much sharper when you get into year four. You probably make more informed decisions, whereas very early on, it's more like testing and learning."Ijaha, who is of Nigerian extraction, said the idea for Neyber was born out of the West African concept of "sou sou", an informal lending club used by his mother.Originally a computer scientist, he earned his financial chops while working at Lehman Brothers and Goldman Sachs just before the 2008 financial crisis. But Ijaha, even as the world seemed to be falling apart, focused on learning as much as he could about business and the workings of the wider financial system.Kalia, meanwhile, was working in Goldman's research team. And a third cofounder, ex-CTO Ezechi Britton, also worked in technology with Ijaha at Lehman. He stepped down last year, but remains on the company's board.The credit crunch created an opportunity for Neyber, which had room to step in as an alternative lender as banks shied away from offering credit."It was a significant catalyst," said Kalia. "Historically, before the crisis if you had credit card debt you might just be able to go to the bank and get a term loan and get yourself out of it over time. But actually, because banks were forced to take risk, lots of people were turned down and excluded."So the whole concept around why Neyber started was around saying there's this whole bunch of people that are too risky, the banking sector isn't for them, how can we start something different that's fairer?"Neyber said it can afford lower interest rates because it takes repayments directly from people's salaries, lowering the risk of people defaulting. For employees, it's an alternative to extortionate payday loans.They can borrow anything between £500 to £25,000 with one of four fixed rates of 3.9%, 8.9%, 13.9% and 18.9% depending on their credit score and other metrics. Neyber says the bulk of its loans are at the 8% mark, and its average borrower is aged 39 and earns £30,000.The firm said it has a low default rate, but declined to give exact numbers. <div class="margin-top"> <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/facebook-privacy-hacking-scandal-mark-zuckerberg-cambridge-analytica-2019-5">Facebook's scandals aren't enough for people to stop using it. Here's how the company has held up through data hacks, lawsuits, and massive security threats.</a></h3> <div> </div> </div>

Lending startup Neyber, which raised millions from Goldman Sachs, laid off 13% of staff as it focuses on its 'last' fundraise and profitability

Bhubaneswar, Feb 18 () Odisha Finance MinisterNiranjan Pujari on Tuesday presented the annual budget for2020-21 with an outlay of Rs 1,50,000 crore, a rise of 11.1 incomparison to the previous fiscal.While Rs 65,655 crore has been allocated asadministrative expenditure, Rs 74,000 crore is meant forprogramme expenditure, Rs 3,200 crore for disaster responsefund and Rs 7,145 crore towards transfers from the state,Pujari said in the assembly, describing it as a revenuesurplus budget.The minister had presented a Rs 1.39 lakh-crore budgetfor 2019-20.Pujari said the outlay is proposed to be financedthrough revenue receipt of Rs 1,24,300 crore and borrowing andother receipt of Rs 25,700 crore. "The fiscal deficit isestimated to be 3 per cent of GSDP for the year 2020-21," hesaid.The total revenue receipt include the state's own taxof Rs 38,350 crore and non-tax revenue of Rs 17,650 crore, itsshare in central taxes for Rs 36,300 crore and grants from theCentre for Rs 32,000 crore.The capital outlay in 2020-21 is Rs 26,513 crore,which is about 4.5 per cent of the GSDP.Additionally, loans and advances, grants for creationof capital assets and other expenditure for capital formationtogether account for Rs 10,000 crore, accounting for 1.7 percent of the GSDP.For the first time, the Odisha government has switchedto a digital method of budget presentation to reduce printingof papers for the exercise, Pujari said, adding, the e-budgetformat has saved about "1,000 large trees from being felled".Pujari read out his budget speech from a tabletcomputer, while all MLAs, including Chief Minister NaveenPatnaik, were provided with similar devices containing thebudget document.The finance minister said nutrition budget, strategicbudget and a climate code budget have been introduced thisyear.By separating specific sectors, focus has been givento environment, child and women and infrastructuredevelopment, he said.Pujari, like other years, presented the budget in twoparts - agriculture and general.For agriculture, he collocated Rs 19,408 crore for2020-21 and said another Rs 12,000 crore is to be investedthrough extra budgetary resources.To increase income of farmers, the finance ministerproposed a 'Samruddha Krishi Niti-2020' in the budget. Heproposed an allocation of Rs 3,195 crore for the KALIA scheme.Pujari added that construction of in-stream storagestructure in all major rivers with an investment of Rs 12,000crore over five years is a step towards transformation. AAMRBT RBT

Odisha govt presents Rs 1.5 lakh crore budget for FY21

<ul><li>In the phase 3 of polling, Odisha will be voting not just for Lok Sabha but also Assembly elections. </li><li><keyword id="43385" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Naveen-Patnaik">Naveen Patnaik</keyword>, who has been in power for four consecutive terms, faces anti-incumbency for the first time. </li><li>Patnaik has filed nominations from two constituencies.</li></ul>Odisha’s Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik of Biju Janata Dal (BJD) has twice as much at stake over many other regional leaders in India. The people in the state are voting not just for the Lok Sabha, the lower house of Indian Parliament, but also for the state assembly and Patnaik is fighting the kind of <a href="http://www.newindianexpress.com/opinions/editorials/2019/mar/25/naveen-patnaiks-bjd-no-more-invincible-as-election-season-starts-1955326.html">anti-incumbency</a> that is inevitable after holding power for 19 years. Rumours of his ill health have also been doing the rounds. To dissipate those rumours, Patnaik even<a href="https://indianexpress.com/elections/rumours-of-naveen-patnaiks-ill-health-bjd-releases-his-exercise-video-on-whatsapp-lok-sabha-elections-5661233/"> released </a>a video of him working out and also gave out interviews while in the gym. Populism and anti-incumbency For the people of Odisha, there’s a lot riding on this election. According to a survey report done by the Association of Democratic Reforms (ADR), drinking water, better employment opportunities, and better roads are the top priorities of voters in Odisha. The same survey also reflected that according to the voters, the performance of the current government in these three areas has been below average. His populist policies, like the recent Kalia scheme which promises financial, livelihood, cultivation and insurance support to farmers, have helped his image to some extent. The <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/direct-cash-transfer-scheme-in-odisha-is-a-lesson-for-modi-ahead-of-interim-budget/articleshow/67719605.cms">Kalia </a>programme was one of the cash transfer schemes to be announced in the run up to the general elections, even <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/direct-cash-transfer-scheme-in-odisha-is-a-lesson-for-modi-ahead-of-interim-budget/articleshow/67719605.cms">before</a> the one announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi during the interim budget on February 1. Under the scheme, the BJD government has set aside ₹10,180 crores for the first three years of its implementation. While launching the scheme Patnaik had said that the scheme will help 92% of the state's farmers. Insiders and outsiders However, in the <a href="https://www.hindustantimes.com/lok-sabha-elections/dozen-bjd-lawmakers-quit-naveen-patnaik-s-party-in-last-7-days/story-zRCGlcjrbSn2AZatzv2qCO.html">last year</a>, several top leaders have left the BJD in the last year. The most controversial exit of them all has been that <keyword id="261062" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Baijayant-Panda">Baijayant Panda</keyword>, who was counted as one of the closest associates of Patnaik. Panda was suspended from the party for alleged anti-party activities and after his subsequent resignation and a hiatus of six months, Panda joined the BJP. Panda, who went on to become the National Vice President of the <a href="https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/bjp-appoints-jay-panda-partys-vice-president-spokesperson/articleshow/68320016.cms">BJP</a>, is fighting from the Kendrapara constituency of Odisha. He has been a former MP for the same constituency on a ticket from the BJD. To counter his popularity, Patnaik gave the Kendrapara seat from BJD to sitting MP and famous Odiya actor Anubhav Mohanty. Dharmendra Pradhan, Union Minister of Petroleum &amp; Natural Gas and Skill Development &amp; Entrepreneurship, is another BJP leader from the state, representing the Deogarh constituency, posing a risk to BJD’s chances. Hinjli and Bijepur Patnaik, on the other hand, has filed nominations from two constituencies – Hinjli and Bijepur – for the <a href="https://www.aninews.in/news/national/politics/odisha-cm-naveen-patnaik-files-nomination-for-bijepur-after-hinjli-assembly-constituency20190325212210/">first time</a>. From the Hinjli constituency, Patnaik has managed to win four times and his popularity remains <a href="https://www.hindustantimes.com/lok-sabha-elections/in-hinjili-constituency-voters-give-naveen-patnaik-thumbs-up-for-growth/story-GqZRVPn1PCepvUS6u3cMLN.html">unmatched.</a> The Hinjili assembly constituency comes under the Lok Sabha constituency of Aska. Meanwhile, the Assembly constituency of Bijepur, falls under the Lok Sabha constituency of Bargarh. Prabhas Kumar Singh from the BJD is the current MP from Bargarh, while the assembly constituency of Bijepur also is with BJD. Development and mining Of the state's population, Odisha is also home to 22% tribals, who are <a href="https://ommcomnews.com/odisha-news/phase-i-polls-in-odisha-know-the-issues-on-which-voters-have-voted-today">rooting</a> for infrastructural development. Mining is one of the significant contributors to the state’s economy. Over the past few years, the sector has contributed on an average 9.5 percent to Gross State Domestic Product (GSDP). However, now it has become a subject of political debate – as Patnaik had come under <a href="https://www.moneycontrol.com/news/india/dharmendra-pradhan-accuses-patnaik-of-suppressing-facts-in-his-nomination-papers-3720711.html">fire</a> for the same, having also been subject to CBI interrogation in a coal block allocation case. But the push for mining as a development tool has been a double-edged sword. Odisha has also been subject to multiple protests from tribals against the land taken over by mining companies. Niyamgiri in the Rayagada constituency of Odisha has been one of the biggest land conflicts in the state where tribals had been protesting <a href="https://www.newsclick.in/we-will-die-niyamgiri-tribes-niyamgiri-protest-against-vedanta-odisha">against</a> the bauxite mining by Vedanta. In February this year, there were massive protests in the state after the Supreme Court <a href="https://in.reuters.com/article/india-landrights-evictions/protests-flare-in-odisha-over-eviction-of-a-million-forest-families-idINKCN1QE1CQ">rejected</a> where 1.3 million land claims of forest dwellers across the country were rejected. According to the reports, in Odisha nearly 150,000 were going to be evicted after the order. See Also: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/over-185-million-people-are-expected-to-vote-in-the-largest-phase-of-indias-2019-election/articleshow/68999709.cms">Over 185 million people are expected to vote in the largest phase of India's 2019 election</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/direct-cash-transfer-scheme-in-odisha-is-a-lesson-for-modi-ahead-of-interim-budget/articleshow/67719605.cms">Here’s what Modi government can learn from Odisha’s direct cash transfer scheme</a>

Odisha’s Chief Minister for 19 years is fighting some strange battles

<ul><li>One army officer and four soldiers among killed. </li><li>A gunfight erupted facing off security personnel and up to three militants. </li><li>The overnight encounter took place 10 kilometres from site of <keyword id="43212" type="LOCATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="Pulwama">Pulwama</keyword> attack.</li></ul>Less than 5 days after one of the deadliest militant attacks in Kashmir, an overnight encounter between Indian security forces and three militants in Pulwama, Kashmir has reportedly killed at least four army personnel. Seven people, including an Indian Army major and two Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) militants, were reportedly killed in a gunfight in <keyword id="17605" type="LOCATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="Jammu-and-kashmir">Jammu and Kashmir</keyword>'s Pulwama district. Defence Ministry spokesman Colonel Rajesh Kalia said: "One of the two slain JeM terrorists was a top commander and belonged to Pakistan." According to an NDTV <a href="https://www.ndtv.com/india-news/4-armymen-killed-in-overnight-encounter-in-pulwama-in-jammu-and-kashmir-1995055?pfrom=home-topscroll">report</a>, one army officer and three soldiers were killed during the encounter when terrorists opened fire on Indian security forces in Pulwama. On Sunday night, a gunfight erupted facing off security personnel from the Rashtriya Rifles (RR), Special Operations Group (SOG) of the state police and the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) and militants, after the former received a tip off that militants from Jaish-e-Muhammad were hiding there, IANS reported. “As the cordon was tightened, the holed-up militants fired triggering the gunfight," IANS reported citing police sources. As of Monday morning, a search operation was still underway at the site some 10 kilometres away from the spot where last week an SUV packed with explosives rammed into a bus carrying CRPF personnel, killing at least 45 Indian security personnel, in one of the worst militant attacks in the valley. With IANS See also: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/pulwama-attack-on-crpf-in-kashmir-condemned-by-pm-modi/articleshow/67997003.cms">India vows an ‘unforgettable lesson’ for the terrorists who killed 42 troopers</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/modi-on-pulwama-attack-indias-pakistan-policy/articleshow/68005611.cms">Indian government is raging at Pakistan again—here's a look at its policy so far</a>

Four soldiers killed in Pulwama during encounter between Indian security forces and militants: Report

17 of the biggest controversies in 'Big Brother' history

Welcome to <keyword id="9884466" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="insider-cannabis">Insider Cannabis</keyword>, our weekly newsletter where we're bringing you an inside look at the deals, trends, and personalities driving the multibillion-dollar global <keyword id="14728" type="ENTERTAINMENT" weightage="100" keywordseo="cannabis">cannabis</keyword> boom.<a href="http://newsletter.businessinsider.com/join/cultivated">Sign up here to get it in your inbox every week</a>.Most of our time this week was spent covering a sweeping, long-shot bid to legalize cannabis from Sens. Chuck Schumer, Cory Booker and Ron Wyden.The trio introduced a draft version of the bill, The Cannabis Administration and Opportunity Act (CAOA), on Wednesday. <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/senate-democrats-propose-bill-legalize-marijuana-2021-7">If you need the key takeaways, we've got you covered here</a>. In short, and I said this on NBC LX on Thursday, the bill goes after the 'whole enchilada' (yes, terrible metaphor) for marijuana legalization: It would fully remove cannabis from the list of federally controlled substances, expunge some criminal records, tax and regulate the industry, create funds that help minority entrepreneurs, and eventually allow for interstate commerce.This is the first time the senate majority leader has outlined cannabis reform as a top priority, and he's joined by Wyden, chair of the Senate Finance Committee - arguably the most powerful committee - as well as a former presidential candidate in Booker.Though the bill will likely change significantly over the next few months, the chances it gets over the 60-vote filibuster threshold are almost nonexistent. It's even unlikely they'll get all 50 Democratic Senators onboard, <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/marijuana-legalization-federal-decriminalization-congress-democrats-banking-schumber-2021-3">as we've reported</a>. There's a broader fight brewing within the industry as well as the popular activist movements that view legalization as the tip of the spear of broader police reform.The industry's investors and executives want access to banking. Senate Democrats and their progressive base want criminal justice reform first.Booker drew a bright red line in a Wednesday press conference, indicating that he would stop bills like SAFE Banking, which would allow cannabis companies to access the financial system without broader legalization, from advancing ahead of criminal justice reform.- Jeremy Berke (<a href="https://twitter.com/jfberke">@jfberke</a>) If you like what you read, share this newsletter with your colleagues, friends, boss, spouse, strangers on the internet, or whomever else would like a weekly dose of cannabis news. <a href="http://insider.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Insider.com</a> update: <keyword id="1590971" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="Newsletters">Newsletters</keyword> are now coming from our new domain, @<a href="http://insider.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">insider.com</a>. Also, a friendly reminder to add <a href="mailto:newsletter@insider.com" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">newsletter@insider.com</a> to your address book.Here's what we wrote about this week:<h3><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/senate-democrats-propose-bill-legalize-marijuana-2021-7">Top Senate Democrats just released a 30-page draft that lays out their vision for legalizing cannabis. Here are the 8 things you need to know.</a></h3>The discussion draft for the Cannabis Administration and Opportunity Act (CAOA) was released on Wednesday. The bill isn't expected to garner enough votes to pass the Senate - and the White House has not signaled support for the legislation - but Insider looked through the 30-page document to highlight eight key points in the draft. <h3><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/analyst-schumer-marijuana-legalization-bill-pros-cons-cannabis-companies-2021-7">A top Wall Street analyst lays out why Schumer's legalization bill isn't a slam dunk for US cannabis companies</a></h3>In a Thursday note, Cantor Fitzgerald analyst Pablo Zuanic said that while de-scheduling - a key aspect of the CAOA - would be a big win for the industry, a hefty federal tax would pose a "new burden" to consumers who already have to pay high state and local taxes. Zuanic broke down the draft into 7 points and noted how each one would affect current cannabis companies.<h3><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/list-top-cannabis-stocks-to-buy-curaleaf-gti-trulieve-cresco-2021-7">A top Wall Street analyst lays out 4 cannabis stock picks after Schumer's sweeping marijuana legalization proposal</a></h3>Analysts say that the recent pullback in US cannabis stocks the day Democrats released their bill draft has created a prime buying opportunity and laid out his top four picks. "Make use of yesterday's weakness," the analysts said in a Thursday note, adding that investors should avoid financially stretched companies that lack "state-level depth." <h3><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/list-top-vcs-venture-capital-investors-psychedelics-industry-2021">Meet the top 11 VCs who've bet the most cash on turning MDMA and magic mushrooms into medical treatments</a></h3>The psychedelics space has burgeoned over the past year and VCs are largely responsible for all the capital that's flowing into the space. Insider put together a list of the top investors that have bet the most cash on psychedelics companies. <h2>Executive moves</h2><ul><li>Curaleaf <a href="https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/curaleaf-appoints-ranjan-kalia-as-chief-financial-officer-301331165.html">announced</a> that Ranjan Kalia, former executive vice president and CFO of tech firm Virtusa Corp, would be joining the company as CFO.</li><li>MedMen <a href="https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210715006062/en/MedMen-Announces-Permanent-Appointment-of-Tom-Lynch-as-Chief-Executive-Officer">announced</a> that Tom Lynch, who had been serving as interim CEO, would be stepping into the role on a permanent basis.</li><li>President Joe Biden <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/health/2021/07/13/biden-gupta-drug-czar/">tapped Dr. Rahul Gupta as the new director of the Office of National Drug Control Policy</a> (ONDCP). Gupta is the former chair of the West Virginia Medical Cannabis Advisory Board. </li><li>Cannabis retail company Zoned Properties named Berekk Blackwell as its new COO. </li><li>Psychedelics wellness retreat company Dimensions Health Centres <a href="https://www.globenewswire.com/news-release/2021/07/13/2261988/0/en/Dimensions-Health-Centres-Expands-Executive-Leadership-Team.html">said</a> that Dr. Douglas Cook, head of neurosurgery at Queen's University, will be joining the company as chief medical officer. Hospitality veteran Linda Griffin will be joining as managing director of hospitality.</li></ul><h2>Deals, launches, and IPOs</h2><ul><li>Michigan cannabis company C3 Industries <a href="https://jcannabisresearch.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s42238-021-00084-y">closed a $25 million funding round</a> led by Welcan Capital and Navy Capital, bringing the company's total capital raised to $65 million.</li><li>Psychedelics company Wesana Health <a href="https://www.globenewswire.com/news-release/2021/07/13/2262007/0/en/Wesana-Health-Announces-Definitive-Agreement-to-Acquire-PsyTech-Inc.html">announced</a> that it acquired therapeutic software company PsyTech in a C$21 million all-stock deal. </li></ul><h2>Policy moves</h2><ul><li>Democratic Senators unveiled a draft discussion for the Cannabis Administration and Opportunity Act on Wednesday. <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/senate-democrats-propose-bill-legalize-marijuana-2021-7">We've got the main takeaways and a full summary PDF for you here</a>. </li><li>The United States Anti-Doping Agency is seeking to ease restrictions around athletes testing positive for marijuana use in an upcoming meeting with World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA), <a href="https://www.reuters.com/lifestyle/sports/usada-wants-fair-cannabis-rules-white-house-calls-meeting-2021-07-12/">Reuters reports</a>. </li><li>New Jersey has dismissed 88,000 marijuana cases, under the state's new legal marijuana laws, <a href="https://www.nj.com/marijuana/2021/07/nj-has-dismissed-88k-weed-cases-under-new-marijuana-law.html">NJ Advance Media reports</a>. </li></ul><h2>Research and data</h2><ul><li>Living near a dispensary did not increase cannabis use among young adults. However, there was a slight increase in tobacco/cannabis co-use among white people, according to <a href="https://jcannabisresearch.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s42238-021-00084-y">a new study published in the Journal of Cannabis Research</a>.</li><li>A <a href="https://jcannabisresearch.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s42238-021-00084-y">new study published in the journal </a><a href="https://jcannabisresearch.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s42238-021-00084-y">Addictive Behaviors</a> found that young men- particularly Black and Hispanic - had higher odds of suicidal ideation coinciding with cannabis use disorder. </li></ul><h2>Chart of the week</h2>Florida dominates the US medical cannabis market, selling $1.2 billion worth of products in 2020, according to New Frontier Data. Trailing closely behind are Arizona and California, at $1.1 billion and $857 million in sales respectively:<h2><div type="image" title="A bar chart about the top 10 medical cannabis market by revenue in 2020" height="1076" width="1240" msid="84483072" hostid="261"></div></h2><h2>What we're reading (and listening too)</h2><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/trucking-truck-driver-marijuana-drug-testing-clearinghouse-2021-7">The trucking industry is doubling down on booting marijuana smokers, and it's getting a little ridiculous</a> (Insider) <a href="https://www.insider.com/synthetic-weed-molecule-only-gives-munchies-without-high-treat-cancer-2021-7">Lab-grown weed designed to give you the munchies without feeling high could be a life-saving cancer treatment</a> (Insider)<a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/top-lawyers-law-firms-crypto-cannabis-tiktok-emerging-industries-2021-6">The lawyers making money behind the scenes of emerging fields like crypto, cannabis, and the influencer economy</a> (Insider)<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2021/07/11/well/move/marijuana-olympics-ban.html">Can Marijuana Make You a Better Athlete?</a> (New York Times)<a href="https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2021-07-11/illegal-marijuana-grows-have-overrun-the-california-desert">Illegal pot invades California's deserts, bringing violence, fear, ecological destruction</a> (LA Times)<a href="https://www.cnn.com/2021/07/15/business/dale-katechis-craft-beer-cannabis/index.html">One of the biggest names in craft beer is hopping over to the cannabis business</a> (CNN)<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2021/07/09/opinion/sunday/drug-legalization-mdma-psilocybin.html">Opinion: How should we do drugs now?</a> (New York Times)<a href="https://slate.com/podcasts/one-year/s1/1977/e2/marijuana-policy">Mr. Marijuana and the Drug Czar</a> (Slate)

Schumer's legalization plan

<div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_right"><div><div class="image on-image">Reuters</div></div></div>When I'm at work, I listen to a lot of instrumental, ambient music. I usually fire up Spotify on my Mac and play a playlist like "Deep Focus," on shuffle for hours.I'm not actively listening to anything in particular - I just want something non-distracting playing in the background.It's a different story when I'm out and about or even at home. I skip heavily through my favorite songs at the time and sometimes listen to a particular track I'm really digging on repeat. I also like to be more adventurous and listen to artists I'm not familiar with on Spotify.I felt like I knew my own listening habits. Then I saw how Spotify sees what I listen to.Every Spotify user has what the company internally refers to as a "taste profile." It's a collection of everything you listen to on Spotify broken down into genres and subgenres, like chillwave and alternative hip hop.The goal of your taste profile is to "come up with a nuanced understanding of each portion of your taste," Ajay Kalia, who oversees the project, tells Tech Insider."We believe that it's important to recognize that a single music listener is usually many listeners, and a person's preference will vary by the type of music, by their current activity, by the time of day, and so on," he says.I have two main kinds of music of I listen to in Spotify that are grouped into what are called "clusters."<div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image">Spotify / The Echo NestHow Spotify sees my taste in music</div></div></div>My largest cluster is 98 artists who are primarily hip hop-oriented, like Kanye West, Kendrick Lamar, Drake, Miguel, and Jay­ Z. My second, smaller cluster has about 20 artists that are primarily instrumental, like This Will Destroy You, Explosions in the Sky, and Caspian.Within those main clusters, Spotify knows the level of affinity I have for certain artists, explains Kalia. Based on how I listen, Spotify makes "inferences about the artists you enjoy, the artists you don't, and the artists where we haven't learned enough to know," he says.Here are the criteria for how Spotify determines your affinity score with an artist:<ul><li>How heavily you play</li><li>How regularly you play</li><li>How "actively" you play (such as playing from your playlists or an album vs. a radio station)</li><li>How much you play from an artist's full catalog of music</li></ul>For instance, I have a very high affinity in Spotify with Ben Howard, but a low affinity with The Black Eyed Peas - which is true. While I've played both artists on the service before, Spotify knows that I like one and don't particularly care for the other.The system allows Spotify to edge out actively that doesn't fit the overall pattern of your listening habits. Taste profiles are the foundation of personalization at Spotify, says Kalia. They aid the company in making new features like Discover Weekly, <a href="http://www.techinsider.io/how-spotify-discover-weekly-works-2015-9">a playlist for every Spotify user</a> that's updated once a week with new music based on what they listen to.At the end of the day, explains Kalia, Spotify is trying to get your music taste right. <div class="margin-top"> <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/apple-music-review-features-streaming-2015-7">How to use Apple's Spotify killer - now on everyone's iPhone</a></h3> <div> <div> <div class="ooyala-video-player" data-video-autoplay="false" data-video-id="FibGx5dTrRKa9Z1biyzTU1SbW8sOl5jW" data-player-variable="ooyalapopvideo" id="ooyalaplayer_popvideo" style="width:1280px;height:720px"></div> </div> </div> </div>

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