People are sick of drinking. Investors are betting on the ‘sober curious’

New York(CNN Business) Getaway in Brooklyn was comfortably full for a Saturday night, when I came in to try my first “shrub” — an acidic beverage made from vinegar, fruit, sugar, club soda and zero alcohol.

I ordered a carrot-and-ginger shrub and hoped it would be palatable. I was pleasantly surprised, drank the whole thing and, voila, was not even tipsy. Even more exciting: my bill. It was a mere $15 for two drinks and a bread bowl — to soak up the non-alcoholic beverages, of course.

Getaway is a sober bar, a new kind of dry nightlife option that is cropping up in New York City. The idea is to provide outlets for people who want to socialize in a bar-like location, but without having to drink alcohol.

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IBM is using self-driving car technology to power a new patient monitor for seniors

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The 65+ Age Group Will Make Up a Growing Portion of the US Population

 IBM Watson is trying its hand at in-home health monitoring with a new system that combines IBM’s machine learning software with cutting-edge Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) sensors to paint an accurate, real-time picture of seniors’ daily lives.

IBM’s teaming up with UK-based startup Cera Care — which links caregivers with elderly patients — to get the product into roughly a dozen patient homes in a six-month pilot phase launching in June, Reuters reports.

Here’s what it means: IBM’s making its home healthcare debut with a unique approach.

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Gen Z, Millennials and Gen X outvoted older generations in 2018 midterms

Voters Across The Country Head To The Polls For The Midterm Elections

Gen Z, Millennials and Gen X outvoted older generations in 2018 midterms

Voters in Missouri take part in November’s elections. Turnout reached a record high for the 2018 midterms. (Scott Olson/Getty Images)

Midterm voter turnout reached a modern high in 2018, and Generation Z, Millennials and Generation X accounted for a narrow majority of those voters, according to a Pew Research Center analysis of newly available Census Bureau data.

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Uber is now kicking low-rated passengers out of its cars

 

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Things that can lower your rating: being rude, leaving trash, drinking beer and vomiting.

Drivers and passengers now have to agree to Uber’s updated community guidelines before using the app.

Uber has long deactivated drivers who get low ratings. Now the ride-hailing company is turning the tables.

Uber announced Wednesday that those passengers who receive bad marks from drivers will be booted from the platform. But, Uber said, they’ll have to “develop a significantly below average rating.”

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US births lowest in 3 decades despite improving economy

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America’s baby bust isn’t over. The nation’s birth rates last year reached record lows for women in their teens and 20s, a government report shows, leading to the fewest babies in 32 years.

The provisional report, released Wednesday and based on more than 99% of U.S. birth records, found 3.788 million births last year. It was the fourth year the number of births has fallen, the lowest since 1986 and a surprise to some experts given the improving economy.

The fertility rate of 1.7 births per U.S. woman also fell 2%, meaning the current generation isn’t making enough babies to replace itself. The fertility rate is a hypothetical estimate based on lifetime projections of age-specific birth rates.

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These are the top reasons why people quit their jobs

08C61391-7128-4B10-AB16-D4465832C367Compensation software company Payscale presented new research in a white paper about the top reasons employees leave and you may be surprised.

That coworker of yours who just handed in his resignation and is striding towards the exit with his belongings in an old printer-paper box could be leaving the building for any number of reasons. Especially in this economic climate – a tight labor market makes people bolder, and more willing to take risks to get the job they really want. Compensation software company Payscale presented new research in a white paper about the top reasons employees leave.

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The future of business is purpose: Here are its leaders

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The 2018 Best For The World honorees include (clockwise from top left):
Sunrise Banks, Animal Experience International, Mascoma Bank, and CORE Kitchen.

21st century business leaders see assets everywhere and in everyone. They create value and competitive advantage by competing not just to be best in the world, but best for the world.

As consumers, talent and investors increasingly seek values-aligned businesses to buy from, work for and invest in, entrepreneurs are seeking to create the greatest positive impact not just to be nice, but to be more successful. The supporting evidence is mounting and clear.

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Non-Degree Certificates And Certifications: Fast, Cheap And Effective

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Sub-baccalaureate certificates and certifications bring significant economic advantages,
especially for adults who do not have a college degree.

Non-degree certificates convey substantial economic value, including higher employment rates and income, greater marketability and more personal satisfaction. Those are the key results from a just-released survey of about 50,000 working adults between the ages of 25-64. The survey focused on respondents who did not have a college degree and were not attending college.

The study was conducted by the Strada Educational Group and Gallup as part of their Education Consumer Survey, and the report, “Certified Value: When Do Adults Without Degrees Benefit From Earning Certificates and Certifications?” was published by Strada and the Lumina Foundation.

The results point to the multiple, positive economic impacts that sub-baccalaureate certificates and certifications have for adult workers, 5% of whom are estimated to hold such credentials as their highest level of educational attainment. A certificate is a credential awarded by a postsecondary institution for completion of occupationally oriented courses typically lasting a year or less; a certification is a credential awarded by industry or independent organizations based on examinations that verify the acquisition of skills.

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The Office of the Future Is No Office at All

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Everyone works remotely at software-development company GitLab, even its CEO

As collaboration tools improve, letting distant teammates work together seamlessly, some are questioning whether an office is necessary.

GitLab Inc. is extreme, even for Silicon Valley: It has no headquarters and everyone works remotely, even the CEO.

The software-development startup, which has more than 600 employees in 54 countries, plans to raise its headcount to about 1,000 by year-end. Its far-flung workers rely on internal tools and cloud-based services to collaborate, communicate and contribute to projects.

The idea is to remain headquarters-free even after GitLab’s initial public offering, planned for late 2020, giving it flexibility to cut costs and hire people world-wide as opposed to relying on expensive talent hubs and office space, said Sid Sijbrandij, the company’s chief executive and co-founder.

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Walmart offers free one-day delivery in attempt to catch up with Amazon

27F3C92A-6391-43AB-AC5F-C31CA6C69CD9Available across 75 percent of the country by year end

Walmart will offer free one-day delivery on up to 220,000 items on its online store with orders over $35. Walmart is currently offering the new service in Phoenix and Las Vegas, and will come to Southern California in the coming days. The retailer expects the service to be available to 75 percent of the US by the end of 2019, including 40 of the 50 biggest metropolitan areas.

The retailer’s announcement comes hot on the heels of Amazon’s decision to speed up its free delivery option for Prime members from two-day to one-day delivery. As of last week, Amazon’s new service is already available for select Prime items. While Walmart requires you to spend a minimum of $35 in order to quality for free delivery, Amazon has no minimum spend. Instead, Amazon requires you to pay a $119 annual fee for Prime.

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The future of housing looks nothing like today’s

 

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After a century, Americans are choosing to live together–transforming not just the buildings we live in, but the way we live in them.

What does a living room have to do with living?

When Lisa Cini and her husband, kids, and rescue dog moved in with her parents and grandmother a few years ago, the Ohio-based architect pored over the design of her 94-year-old grandma’s bedroom “apartment.” An Alzheimer’s diagnosis made security and mobility important, but her ideas went beyond extra locks and grab-bars; she felt it was crucial that she have her own living room within the family home.

“It’s interesting, when we’re younger and full of life, when we’re just doing life so hard, we have to find time to sleep. But when we get old, when we’re slowing down so much, we have to work to find ways to do more life and less sleep,” Cini recalls in her book about living with four generations under one roof. Designing a separate living room gave her grandma a space to hang out, engage, and entertain visitors outside of her bedroom, a subtle but important distinction. “Her living room really helps her keep living life,” Cini observes.

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I’ve been a freelancer for more than 15 years. Here’s what all clients should know

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As more freelancers enter the job force, managing them is an art form in and of itself. Here are the secrets to managing independent workers.

I’ve been a freelancer for more than 15 years. Here’s what all clients should know

For the past several years, there has been a steady stream of research indicating that companies are increasingly turning to freelance labor to fill talent gaps and create more flexible teams. Recent research from freelance website Upwork found reports that more than one in three Americans freelanced in 2018, and the freelance workforce grew 7% from 53 million to 56.7 million in five years. Full-time freelancers make up more than one-quarter (28%) of freelancers—up 11% since 2014.

And while hiring specific, on-demand talent may seem like a perfect solution to gaps in your workforce, learning how to manage freelancers and independent contractors well is essential to making the relationship the most fruitful it can be.

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Discover the Hidden Patterns of Tomorrow with Futurist Thomas Frey
Unlock Your Potential, Ignite Your Success.

By delving into the futuring techniques of Futurist Thomas Frey, you’ll embark on an enlightening journey.

Learn More about this exciting program.