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Washio, the Uber for laundry, is going out of business.
Washio, the on-demand laundry service, announced it is shutting down effective immediately, making it the latest Uber-for-X specialty company to close its doors.
In a note posted on the Washio website, the startup's three founders announced that it is ending operations after raising $16.8 million to date and expanding to six cities with its promise of home pickup and delivery with a 24-hour turnaround on your dirty clothes.
"We generated millions in revenue and hundreds of thousands of orders, but the nature of startups is being innovative and venturing into uncharted territory: sometimes you make it, sometimes you don’t," the founders wrote. "We are not alone in believing in Washio’s core business, technology and team, and hope it lives on in some shape or form in the future."
Six months after its seed round, Washio raised a $10 million Series A round in 2014 led by Canaan Partners. Other prominent investors in the Santa Monica, CA-based startup included Yahoo founder Jerry Yang, actor Ashton Kutcher, and rapper Nas.
Washio wanted to be the Uber for laundry, allowing customers to press a button in their app and have someone come and pick up their dirty clothes. At the end, the company charged a $5.99 delivery fee and $2.15 per pound of clothes, plus fees for additional services. The economics of the business never worked out, as was the case with many other on-demand startup like homecleaning service Homejoy and car rental-alternative FlightCar.
EASTHAMPTON -- The Cottage Street bar long known as "Whiskerz Pub" is no more, and its replacement -- "Eagles Sports Bar" -- opened on Tuesday.
The bar is apparently named after the Easthampton High School sports teams, which are known as the "Eagles" and deploy maroon-and-white colors, the same as those displayed on the bar sign.
Businessman Naresh K. Patel, who owns several Easthampton properties, recently bought the bar, restaurant, building and land at 71-77 Cottage Street from Eugene "Joe" Bernier, who ran Whiskerz Pub for 16 years. The building contains four apartments on the second floor.
Patel, doing business as Easthampton Mahadev, LLC on Aug. 16 purchased the business and property from 75 Cottage, LLC for $750,000, according to Massachusetts Land Records.
The Easthampton Licensing Board on Aug. 20 granted Patel an entertainment license to keep two pool tables, a jukebox, and to continue offering live music. The board approved a liquor license transfer to Patel in June.
Eugene "Joe" Bernier has run Whiskerz on Cottage Street for 18 years.
Bernier, who operated Whiskerz since 2002, bought the building and land in late 2010 for $625,000 from Northampton lawyer Joseph DiFazio and George and Marsha Bailey of Holyoke.
At the time, Whiskerz was going to close because Defazio and the Baileys were planning to sell to Casey Douglass, owner of Galaxy restaurant. That deal fell through, and with help from friends, Bernier was able to purchase the building.
At some point over the last few days, a new sign was installed outside the building, which on Monday was closed. Patel was not available for comment because he is on vacation, said a man who answered the phone at his home.
Patel in June said he would keep all employees, maintain the the same hours, and run a similar operation.
Before it became Whiskerz, the space was known as Len's Lounge, the Unicorn, the 8-ball and Peanuts Pub.
Here’s looking at you...Mike Rix of Savills’ Norwich residential team offers a snapshotof the importance of good photography.
Summer is traditionally the time when the housing market is full of life. It’s when many buyers begin their hunt for a new home, while vendors, aware that their properties will have more kerb appeal when the sun is shining and gardens are looking their best, decide to sell.
This year’s awful spell of weather delayed activity somewhat but now that things have warmed up, the market is busy catching up.
Better weather also means better photography: many people hold off selling until they can get the best possible images.
Indeed, my advice for anyone planning a move in the next year is to take the photos now.
That way, if you decide to sell in the autumn or winter, you won’t be delayed by the one factor that is out of our control: the weather.
Bear in mind that although the height of summer probably gives us the best of the sunshine, flowerbeds and lawns can look a bit sad and scorched by then.
others at the click of a button, each has a second, perhaps two at most, to make an impression.
Strong photography also adds a new element to the marketing campaign, opening up opportunities for editorial and exposure through picture-led social media platforms such as Instagram.
So one of the key factors when choosing an agent should be to look at their offering online and ensure you find one that uses photographs of well-lit rooms taken from the best angles and, where possible, the front of the house is in full sunlight.
We are confident that buyer sentiment will outlast the sunshine this year, but the best photographic opportunities will always be seasonal.
So plan ahead and strike while the iron – and sun – is hot.
Mike Rix can be contacted at Savills Norwich on 01603 229 229.
Savills have sponsored this column.
The man who allegedly threw a 5-year-old boy from the balcony at the Mall of America told authorities he was “looking for someone to kill” after he became angry when a woman rejected him, USA Today reported.
Police are charging Emmanuel Aranda, 24, of Minneapolis, with attempted premeditated first-degree murder, a criminal complaint showed.
The incident occurred on Friday. Aranda allegedly grabbed the boy — who was standing next to his mother — and threw him from a third-floor balcony in the mall, according to official records filed Monday.
Authorities reported that Aranda had attempted to run away after throwing the boy, but was apprehended and was taken to the Hennepin County Jail. Authorities were able to identify Aranda through witness testimony and security footage of the attack.
The boy, who is only known as Landen, suffered massive head trauma in addition to broken arms and legs. The boy is fighting for his life in a Minneapolis hospital after falling almost 40 feet.
Aranda is expected to make a court appearance on Tuesday afternoon. Prosecutors, who will reportedly seek bail of $2 million, are also looking at a longer sentence for Aranda because of the “particular cruelty” of the crime, WCCO reported.
Hennepin County Attorney Mike Freeman said in a statement that the crime had “shocked the community,” the Duluth News Tribune reported.
Aranda has a history of misdemeanor convictions, and had even been banned from the mall at one point. However, he was not banned when he threw the boy from the balcony.
Aranda was arrested at the mall in July of 2015 after reportedly throwing an object from the third level and then resisting arrest, the Duluth News Tribune detailed.
The following October, he harassed a woman in a restaurant, violating a no-trespass order. When management became involved with the incident, he reportedly threw water and tea at the woman. Police arrested Aranda, and pressed forward with six misdemeanor charges.
Bloomington Police Chief Jeffrey Potts said in a press conference on Saturday that some of Aranda’s previous cases were handled through a mental health court, but he did not specify which ones.
If you don’t fancy the traditional, stiff, run-of-the-mill church wedding, how about something different? Something more rustic and steeped in nature, perhaps?
You’d be forgiven for thinking this whimsical woodland venue was further afield, but it’s actually right here in Formby.
Oyster Events has launched the bespoke wedding location at Orrell Hill Woods in Formby, for brides and grooms wanting to marry under the stars.
Oyster Events is hosting open evenings at the venue (with entertainment and refreshments) on Thursday March 16 and Friday march 17, from 5-8pm, at Orrell Hill Woods.
The venue will be decorated for a ceremony, so wedding-planning couples can get a sense of how their big day could look.
And you can take a look at the rustic wonderland in our gallery above!
The city is dotted with bars, exclusive clubs and lounges serving an interesting mix of cocktails and a global selection of wines and liquor. Drink up. Bars in Kolkata promise you a great time, and every night is a great night with these exclusive places. These bars in Kolkata are spread across the city, in various locations, and at all corners. But for those who want to experience some good fun, and enjoy the experience of a place that is well-managed and pulls a good crowd, then the list here below is the perfect guide.
Kolkata if of course known as the place that is culturally rich, with music, literature, cinema, drama, and art taking up all the space. But little did you know about its fun side! In fact Kolkata is arguably the first city that played live jazz during those great days of old. So you would be surprised to see that there are numerous bars and pubs here that are perfect for a great time. From hookah bars with alcohol, to your classic old-school bars, these bars in Kolkata would definitely give you an experience like no other.
The classy bar experience in Kolkata, after the British club legacy is at The Junction, the railway junction-inspired bar at the Taj Bengal.
The basement of Hotel Samilton has been turned into a pub realistically named The Basement.
Privy is an exclusive lounge bar, open to members only, post-9pm. During the day, it is thronged by youngsters.
This bar at ITC Sonar is genuinely one of the fantastic experiences to look forward to in the city, but only if you have the moolah.
A perfect night-out always starts with some pre-drinks! That is to say, you can drink some alcohol before finally heading out to drink more alcohol; yes it is as fun as it sounds. As we have mentioned before, bars in Kolkata are spread across the city so you can take your pick. You probably have the best bars in and around Park Street, where you can hang out with friends, family and spouse! Then there are the ones that are a little offbeat, like the ones located on VIP Road. These places are not really meant for family visits, and are usually visited by men after a tired day at work. There are also some bars in the Salt Lake area, which is gradually becoming one of the best places to hang-out for college-goers, and as well IT company executives.
In Park Street you have some legendary names, such as Oly Pub and Trinca’s. These are institutions in themselves, and are huge crowd pullers. There are also many new-age bars all over the city, which market themselves as lounge, where you can relax, drink a glass, and pull on some hookah.
Here in Kolkata bars are coming up in a slow pace, and becoming all the rage of the city. This is why you will find numerous tiny and large bars coming scattered all across the city, and its periphery. The city of Kolkata also has numerous beautiful luxury properties that have their own bars, such as Aqua – The Park, which is a pool side bar and lounge. This is a perfect bar in Kolkata for couples who want to romance over a glass of wine. There are numerous other mid-range hotels that also have bars, so you can pick one according to your needs. When in Kolkata, remember to do sightseeing, as there are some relics left from the British era, and as you might know, the city was the capital of India during the British period.
The city has some unique experiences to offer, and these include delectable Bengali cuisine, sweets, and street food. Bars in Kolkata make a point of attracting guests and making them feel at home, so take a note and check out these impressive and popular bars in the city.
THE NUMBER of universities in Slovakia could be reduced if five schools fail to rectify their shortfalls found by the state Accreditation Commission.
The results of the comprehensive accreditation review, presented in late August, revealed several problems in the Slovak university system, particularly low publication activities among PhD students. Though experts agree with the accreditation results, they added that to address the deficiencies it is necessary to better support scientific work at universities.
The most problematic schools are the Catholic University in Ružomberok, University of Alexander Dubček in Trenčín, Constantine the Philosopher University in Nitra, Matej Bel University in Banská Bystrica and the University of Veterinary Medicine and Pharmacy in Košice. If these universities fail to rectify their problems within 12 months, the education minister could file a proposal to strip them of their university titles.
“Based on the results, the Accreditation Commission raises a warning finger,” Education Minister Juraj Draxler said, as quoted by the SITA newswire.
The rectors of all five schools responded that they believe they will rectify the problems and will successfully defend their university’s accreditation.
The Accreditation Commission evaluated 22 universities that it considers to be excellent or good in the years 2008-2013. The worse schools will be scrutinised later, SITA wrote.
In addition to the above-mentioned universities, the School of Management of the City University of Seattle in Trenčín also failed to meet the criteria but it currently does not have university status. Moreover, the University of Economics in Bratislava (EUBA) only marginally managed to meet the commission’s criteria.
On the other hand, Comenius University in Bratislava, the Slovak University of Technology in Bratislava, Pavol Jozef Šafárik University in Košice and the Technical University of Košice recorded the best results. They were followed by Žilina University, the Slovak University of Agriculture in Nitra and the Technical University in Zvolen.
One of the biggest problems noted by the commission was lack of publication of scientific works in international journals and their disproportionate publication in the Slovak language. The publishing activities of Slovak academics are generally low, which is also one of the reasons why the country does not succeed in international rankings, said Renáta Králiková from the Slovak Governance Institute.
She said one way to increase the number of published scientific works is creating pressure, which is what the Accreditation Commission is doing, adding that better support for research is needed.
This is a problem, however, as Slovakia does not invest enough into science, at only 0.5 percent of GDP, compared to the European Union’s average of 1.8 percent, which means it is one of the lowest in the EU, said Martin Putala, chair of the Higher Educational Council (RVŠ). Other countries of the Visegrad Group, which had a similar start, have a much better track record.
“Paradoxically, we top the lists of effectiveness of publications – in the amount of finances invested in publication,” Putala told The Slovak Spectator.
He added that to support science a stable grant scheme is needed as well as to complete research infrastructure and support qualified staff and operational costs. He said another way to increase the quality of research is to achieve “the critical mass of research potential”, meaning better connections between universities, the Slovak Academy of Sciences and research institutes.
Among the biggest achievements noted in the accreditation review is the reduction in the number of detached university sites from 110 to 20, said chair of the Accreditation Commission, Ľubor Fišera, as reported by SITA.
But schools still have not tackled the problem of so-called “flying” professors, i.e. those who simultaneously guarantee degree specialisations at several schools.
“The problem is that the specialisations are guaranteed based on a university degree,” Králiková said, adding that this could be solved if anyone who is good at science and education was allowed to guarantee specialisations.
The commission also pointed to the high average age of university employees and the large number of external teachers at some schools, SITA reported.
All in all, the Accreditation Commission managed to set a comparable level of difficulty in evaluating all research fields, Putala said. Though some evaluations described as international quality do not correspond with it, since they were based on Slovak conditions, there was significant progress compared to the previous comprehensive accreditation, he added.
“The shortfalls should be perceived as recommendations to improve the quality of education and research,” Putala told The Slovak Spectator.
He also disagrees with only having schools defined as universities in Slovakia, saying there should also be colleges that graduate students based on specific needs of the market.
In addition to the deficiencies revealed by the Accreditation Commission, some Slovak universities and colleges also do not provide quality education, said Králiková.
“The focus is on scientific production but we are not interested in whether students learn something from it,” Králiková added.
Putala also noted the lack of openness towards foreign countries, the inability to internationally promote quality results and unwillingness of companies to cooperate with schools.
BHUBANESWAR: In the interim budget before the state goes to polls, the Naveen Patnaik government proceeded on expected lines, wooing farmers by allotting the major chunk of the budget estimates to schemes that help them. However, farmers’ organizations expressed unhappiness with the government.
The BJD government’s flagship Krushak Assistance for Livelihood and Income Augmentation (Kalia) scheme got the lion’s share of the estimates; the party hopes to ride on its success with the scheme to retain power for the fifth successive term.
“I am happy that adequate provisions have been made for Kalia and the Kalia scholarship (meant for children of the beneficiaries) schemes. This is a pro-farmer budget,” the chief minister said after the presentation of the interim budget in the assembly on Thursday.
In the budget allocation for the financial year 2019-20, the government made an estimate of Rs 4,461 crore for Kalia, which has fetched Naveen praise from across the country. The government also announced Rs 800 crore as subsidy on interest of farm loans.
“The scheme shows the commitment of the state government towards providing financial support to more than 50 lakh farmers’ families. The scheme also covers sharecroppers and agricultural landless labourers, covering almost 92 per cent of families dependent on agriculture,” finance minister Shashibhushan Behera said in his budget speech.
Akshay Kumar, leader of the farmers’ outfit Navnirman Krushaka Sangatha, which tried to stage a demonstration in the city on Wednesday, was not happy with the interim budget. “It is really shameful that the government is calling the budget pro-farmer. Whatever the state government is claiming to do for farmers is only in words. In reality, 70 per cent of the funds are being looted by corrupt officials. If the government can prevent migration of farmers to other states and give 50 per cent of the total budgetary allocations to farming, only then will we call it a pro-farmer budget,” he said.
The farmers’ organisations also alleged that the government was making superficial provisions for them without addressing the root cause of farm distress.
For the development of the agriculture sector, the state government allocated Rs 1,777crore to the Parvati Giri mega lift irrigation project, Rs 1,465 crore to water sector infrastructure development and Rs 357 crore to construction of check dams. In the budget, there was a provision of Rs 260 crore as corpus fund for seeds and fertilisers and Rs 295 crore for undertaking farm mechanisation programme.
It must be mentioned that farmers make up 60 per cent of the state’s population.
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The survey, overseen by UChicago Impact, a University of Chicago nonprofit organization, is intended to measure categories that relate to successful schools. These ingredients for success, stemming from decades of research at the University of Chicago, are the five essentials: effective leaders; teachers who collaborate and commit to a school; strong relationships with families and communities; a safe and supportive atmosphere; and challenging and engaging instruction.
The Tribune found that in four of the five areas, only about a quarter to a third of schools scored high enough to be considered strong, raising questions about whether schools are creating the kind of environment that allows students to learn and improve. Search for your school by typing the school name, district or county below.
Response rates are the total number of respondents divided by the total number of eligible individuals.
Survey scores range from 1 to 99 (low to high). They are calculated from responses to category-specific questions, analyzed using benchmarks and a Rasch analysis, and are adjusted to account for missing or unreliable data. A full description is available on the 5Essentials' website.
Schools were compared to others of the same type, then grouped by the extent to which a school is implementing each of the components. For more information about each school, click or tap on its row.
Principals and teachers implement a shared vision for success.
Teachers collaborate to promote professional growth.
The entire staff builds strong external relationships.
The school is safe, demanding, and supportive.

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