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And, of course, another reason foot traffic was down at brick-and-mortar stores is because online sales were up--way up. The second week of December, from the 10th to the 16th, broke records to become the first $7 billion week in online history.
Typically, online sales begin to dwindle in mid to late December as last-minute shoppers tend to favor brick-and-mortar buys to costly expedited shipping fees. But not this year. Thanks to Free Shipping Day on December 17th, and innovative methods from retailers like eBay's Holiday Express, which provides product delivery in as little as one hour after a mobile purchase is made, online sales were up 52.8 percent from the corresponding period last year. Free Shipping Day raked in a whopping $1 billion alone, while the five day work week period from December 17th to December 21st hit $3.69 billion.
Mobile sales were also through the roof. Sunday December 9, which is apparently “Mobile Sunday," was the heaviest mobile shopping day, with both eBay and PayPal hitting record daily highs in mobile volume--higher even than Cyber Monday.
There's no doubt that it's a brave new world when it comes to how consumers shopped this holiday season--the one question that remains, though, is how retailers will adapt.


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Capp Street Crap reports:
Owner Leef Smith said he decided to look for a new space after their 20th Street landlord wouldn’t agree to anything more than a new short-term lease renegotiated every couple of years.
As a small business owner in a pricey real estate market, the lack of long-term security was scary, and Smith thought he “could do better than that.”
“It definitely felt like I had to be proactive and not rely on the whims of a landlord,” he said.
Mission: Comics & Art’s new store will be at 2250 Mission between 18th and 19th streets, in what used to be Vimy Electronics. After nearly 40 years in business, the couple that owned the electronics store wanted to retire, Smith said. A contractor is now working to modernize the 1970s era space.

domain: news


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- Does it really matter who's selling you a ticket? You're still gonna be paying too much to see Pearl Jam
Concert-promotion monolith Live Nation announced yesterday a new batch of shows it’s promoting at the Q Arena this spring, including Pearl Jam and Maxwell. Tickets, the press releases said, will be available via LiveNation.com.
If you follow this kind of thing, the Live Nation link was a surprise: The Q announced in July that, effective October 1, tickets for all shows would be available exclusively via its proprietary Veritix system, which sells through theqarena.com. And that’s still the deal.
Though LiveNation.com has information about the shows, if you make enough clicks to buy tix, you’ll eventually arrive at the Q’s website. Live Nation also has the same arrangement when it presents shows at PlayhouseSquare Center: The promoter’s website ultimately redirects to venue’s site.
Director of Events Hallie Yavitch says that LiveNation uses its website as a central location for all the shows it promotes, regardless of venue. “We’ve promoting our website to make it easy for the consumer,” she says. “We say, ‘Go to our website, and we’ll take you where you need to go.”
Live Nation, she says, doesn’t collect a cut of sales redirected through its site. It has to make due with a percentage of $149 Maxwell tickets and $69 Pearl Jam seats. —D.X. Ferris


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, the recent University of Michigan graduate who last year launched a social media campaign to be hired as U-M's new social media director? Derek Mehraban remembers. And although Blackwell didn't get the job, she did land one with Mehraban's firm, Ingenex Digital Marketing
The downtown Ann Arbor-based Internet marketing firm has experienced some steady growth thanks to its expansion into social media work. The 6-year-old company has hired three people over the last year, including Blackwell who is heading up the firm's social media efforts.
"The clients just love her," Mehraban says
. "Our social media work has really increased. That was a big stride we took in one direction."
Ingenex Digital Marketing
is also launching a buzz tour, featuring a restored 1972 VW camping bus. The Digital Bus will come with Wi-Fi and a number of other digital technology options and tour across Michigan and beyond.
"We're going to go on a summer tour of Ann Arbor, Detroit and perhaps New York," Mehraban says. "It's all part of our plan to create buzz."
Source: Derek Mehraban, CEO of Ingenex Digital Marketing
Writer: Jon Zemke


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Monday, October 21, 2013, 7:06 PM ET|Posted by Will Richmond
Netflix now has over 40 million global subscribers, including over 31 million is the U.S. alone, after reporting strong Q3 2013 results. Domestically, Netflix now has more subscribers than the biggest pay-TV operator (Comcast) and the biggest premium cable network (HBO).
Every research report I've seen continues to verify that to date Netflix is NOT driving cord-cutting (which is relatively small anyway). Still I can't help but ask the question in light of the company's renewed momentum: though it's fully justifiable to consider Netflix as an augment to pay-TV service today, is it fair to continue thinking of it that way forever? In other words, could a very different Netflix - as it might look, say, 3 years from now - become more of a substitute for pay-TV service for certain people?
Consider how significantly Netflix has changed in the past couple of years and how it will continue to change in the next few. Netflix has a strong catalog of popular TV shows and an emerging group of originals that have made it the primary driver of binge-viewing, a whole new model of consumption. Its originals are poised to get stronger going forward. Netflix said it will double its investment in 2014 (though still remain less than 10% of overall content spend), with second seasons of original shows like House of Cards, Orange is the New Black, Derek and Hemlock Grove coming alongside brand-new ones.
As Netflix's originals grow, its value proposition keeps broadening from "watch library content here" to "also watch our great new programs." That's more like HBO's value prop. So ask yourself this question: if HBO were available today without having to first buy-through an expensive bundle of ad-supported cable channels, would it drive any cord-cutting? I think the answer is "yes" - primarily for a segment of viewers that are strictly entertainment-centric and wouldn't mind giving up live sports that are only available on pay-TV (in fact I think the damage that potential cord-cutting would do to Turner cable networks, HBO's sister company in the Time Warner fold, is one very strong reason HBO is so reluctant to go direct to consumer).
Now think of Netflix in this context, 3 years from now, with say 20 originals in its portfolio, some in seasons 3, 4, 5 or 6, with loyal viewers hooked. There are a finite number of hours in a day. As these Netflix loyalists begin to realize how much of their viewing time is now spent on Netflix vs. on pay-TV (which costs them 10x per month as much as Netflix), don't you think some of them (especially price-sensitive and younger ones) will start to realize that they can live on Netflix alone (or maybe combined with some other online video, and/or broadcast TV reception)? Then there's the younger "cord-nevers" that were never pay-TV subscribers in the first place. They grew up on a Netflix diet and are fully satisfied with it and other online sources - how likely are they to become pay-TV subscribers?
Netflix has done a brilliant job of continually hammering home the point that it is not a cord-cutting service, a beneficial positioning since its essential for it to have amicable relations with Hollywood to continue licensing hit programs. But the looming question is how long will this positioning be supported by market reality?
As Netflix gets stronger and stronger, the question of whether Netflix morphs into a bona fide pay-TV substitute for some segment of today's pay-TV subscribers (or would-be subscribers) is going to become more and more pressing.


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Sinking freight rates and vanished revenue because of a lowering demand have fueled high tension between shippers and carriers in the ocean transportation industry. Especially the accuracy of ocean freight invoices is about to reach a boiling point.
According to a sharply written article by Hugh r. Morley, both containerlines and shippers are looking strongly to lower their costs, and many in the logistics industry notice the negative impact of these cutbacks in the auditing department of transportation invoices.
Ocean Freight Audit
Pressured by budgetary needs and facing volatile container price changes, a complicating job as auditing ocean freight invoices has become a burden to many shippers. And the results are not too mild.
Ocean invoices accuracy
According to the article, many logistics professionals are dealing with declining invoice accuracy for sea transportation over the last few years, mostly because ocean carriers have significantly reduced their back-office staff or outsourced this daunting task to less experienced workers.
This has resulted in a blurred relationship between shippers and carriers because the first named group is now forced to increase the workload and budget on handling freight invoices.
One veteran freight invoice auditor claims the inaccuracy of his ocean invoices is costing his company between $ 50,000 and $ 150,000 on a yearly basis.
While some major shipping lines have admitted that the issues with ocean invoices were real a few years ago, and improved slightly since then, the industry is according to experts suffering as a whole.
"Some Audit experts estimate 30% of all shipping invoices are erroneous"
Critics say that that freight invoice errors in ocean transportation have long been riddled with problems and improvement still looks miles away. Asking about the reason for the inaccurate freight invoices in ocean transportation provokes a large diversity of reactions, indicating the scale of the problem. Complexity of the shipping process, the many organizations involved, the sheer volume and the lack of standardization are just a few to be passed in review.
If you then add the extreme volatility of current shipping rates, unclear business rules in current transportation contracts and 'sloppy and funky math', observers come to the bitter conclusion that ocean freight invoices still suffer poor accuracy.
Are you experiencing these issues? It is time to undertake action now. Start here by reading about the 10 best Freight Audit Practices for 2016.
Contact ControlPay global Freight Audit
For more information regarding our freight audit services or solutions to your ocean freight invoice challenges, please contact us via email@example.com. We are over 13 years active as a global freight audit provider and our experienced staff is happy to support you.


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Buy, Sell or Hold: Brace for Inflation with Kraft Foods Inc. (NYSE: KFT) By Jack Barnes, Contributing Writer, Money Morning
Growing up in the 1970s, I remember seeing fears of food inflation affect the life around me.
My parents purchased a small farm and put in an
organic garden so that we would always have food. My mum was always canning food and my father was riding the tractor. They had grown up in the 1930s and remembered the key to surviving tough economic times was to be able to feed yourself when you needed to.
Today, we have a generation of fast food buyers. But the problem with that diet – besides its impact on your health – is that it is not as cheap as it once was. People will have to change their spending habits if they’re going to cope with inflation.
That means more eating in, which is good news for Kraft Foods Inc. (NYSE: KFT). Kraft is a great source of inexpensive food – particularly for the millions of Americans signing up for food stamps.
The company today known as Kraft Foods was formed on December 10, 1923. The company changed hands over the next few decades and was purchased by Philip Morris Companies – now known as Altria Group (NYSE: MO) – in 1988.
Kraft has what I consider a bulletproof business plan. It is both diversified, but sector specific. It has scales of economy working for it, where smaller firms are going to have to compete on branding.
Kraft produced $47.6 billion in revenue in the last trailing 12 months. And it was able to generate $14.6 billion in gross profits, in what is normally a very tight margin industry.
The stock price is up 16% in the past year – a period through which the Standard & Poor’s 500 Index has returned 11.75%. This is not as surprising as it sounds. Kraft is one of the most defensive stocks a portfolio manager can purchase, because it has a large line of staple products that are considered demand inelastic.
While rising food costs have hit the bottom line of most business in the sector, Kraft so far has been able to adjust its serving size per container enough to offset some of the new incremental costs. The downsizing of serving sizes allows the company to stay competitive without raising prices significantly.
Kraft pays a stock dividend of 3.7%, which is higher than its trailing annual dividend rate of 2.8%. The dividend increase is not surprising, considering Kraft stock has yielded an average of 3.6% over the last five years.
So let’s review why Kraft is a buy in this market:
- It’s a stable, profitable business during a period of food inflation.
- The stock has a stable dividend rate over the last five years.
- It has a liquid options market.
- The company can pass on increases in costs.
- It’s a solid defensive cornerstone in hard times.
Kraft may not be the most exciting stock on the market, but it offers defensive strength in an uncertain economy. Kraft makes the food that people bring home to eat. It is going to be one of the last companies to feel the real impact of lost income.
Action to Take: Kraft Foods is a great choice for our covered call strategy. It is highly liquid to start with, and it has an options market that will allow us to leverage up the cash flow from the position, in addition to its dividend rate.
Let’s purchase our shares at market. The stock is liquid, and while up 5% or so over the S&P 500 in the past year, there is no reason to expect that it is going to get significantly cheaper.
If you are interested in picking up more cash flow from the stock position, look at the February 33 strikes, for some extra income. They are currently bid ask of 27 cents by 28 cents per contract.
Let’s look at selling one contract for every 100 shares you want to generate extra income off of in your portfolio.
(**) Special Note of Disclosure: Jack Barnes holds no interest in Kraft Foods Inc.
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Santander and Tradeshift partner to finance more suppliers
Santander has joined forces with business networking firm Tradeshift to bring more capital to its clients’ supply chains. The two will be launching a joint offering later this year.
The announcement comes just a few months after HSBC entered a similar collaboration with the San Francisco-based firm, whose platform connects more than 1.5 million companies across 190 countries and helps them manage their global supply chains.
The Tradeshift platform enables digital connectivity in one single business network – no disconnected systems and paper-heavy processes – and includes capabilities such as electronic invoicing, document matching and early payment capabilities.
Speaking to GTR, Santander’s global head of supply chain finance innovation Alejandro Romanos says the partnership will enhance the bank’s current supply chain finance offering, enabling it to fund companies further down the supply chain while simplifying and speeding up the process.
“Tradeshift is bringing to us better ways to reach the low-end suppliers,” he says. “The approach and cover we have is not changing, but Tradeshift will indeed be another channel to tackle the suppliers of our clients. Through these means we should be able to target a larger number of suppliers and offer them financing, more than what we can today.”
For a start, Romanos adds, the bank will offer approved payables finance for companies in the UK.
“But this is really an initial step,” he says. “Our ambition is to go much further than that. What Tradeshift is offering is to link our financial solutions with the digital version of the physical transactions. So through the network, we will know exactly when the order is made, when the invoice is issued, when the invoice is approved for payments, and other steps. We want to be in each of those steps and be ready to finance the suppliers of our clients in each of the transactions happening in the network. This is our final goal.”
As previously reported by GTR, Tradeshift’s platform has allowed companies to digitalise on average 70-80% of their supply chains.
The duo is planning to make the joint solution available to Santander clients in the UK in the beginning of Q4, before expanding to other countries next year.
In a statement, Tradeshift’s CEO and co-founder Christian Lanng says the benefit to the users of the platform “will be real”.
“We’re excited to partner with Santander to co-develop joint financial-services propositions for trading partners. This initiative aims to reduce structural barriers for provisioning liquidity across entire supply chains to enable commerce for all. Together with Santander, we are enabling every supplier – big or small – to more easily accessible cash,” he says.
The partnership is a result of a portfolio investment made by Santander InnoVentures, the group’s venture capital fund, in Tradeshift in December. The amount has not been disclosed.take me back


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News Corp is a network of leading companies in the worlds of diversified media, news, education, and information services.
More British drones are flying dangerously close to aeroplanes than ever
Amazon drones will land on electric cars to charge on the go like Blade Runner
Rescuers discover a missing dog at bottom of 230ft quarry thanks to a drone
Jaguar races hi-tech drones through its huge XJ in epic stunt video
Watch a terrifying drone armed with CLAWS swoop down from the sky like a robotic bird of prey
Top drone manufacturer WILL ‘brick’ its £500 copters unless owners install more tech on it
This £2,000 drone will walk your dog - but would you trust it to look after your pooch?
Amateur drone user manages to land device on Navy’s biggest and most expensive warship
UK's scariest drone near misses - from fright over London to a Royal's dice with disaster
Russian drones will soon have BRAINS allowing them make military decisions on their own
Iran unveils terrifying new arsenal of ‘hunter’ missiles that can wipe a US stealth jet out the sky from 75 miles away
What are drones? How are they used and what are the drone laws in the UK ?
'Perv' flies camera-equipped drone over naked kids for 25 minutes during party on campsite
Drone snaps take photography to new heights: from stunning natural world pics to a Dubai cityscape
Gatwick chaos as drone alert forces plane to abort landing and shuts runway, diverting four flights
Pilotless planes could be airborne in a year using technology from drones, says Boeing


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LG will soon add a new product to its latest series of smart monitors—the LG Smart Monitor 32SQ780S. The new LG monitor comes with a 32-inch 4K panel, AirPlay 2 support, and USB-C connectivity. It also features built-in webOS streaming functionality. Let us take a look at the pricing, full specifications, and features of the newly announced LG Smart Monitor 32SQ780S.
LG Smart Monitor 32SQ780S Price, Availability
The latest LG Smart Monitor 32SQ780S is priced at $499.99, which roughly translates to ₹41,100 in India. The new LG monitor is currently listed on Amazon.com, however the company has not released an official launch date for the product yet.
LG Smart Monitor 32SQ780S Features, Specifications
In terms of specifications, the newly launched LG Smart Monitor 32SQ780S features a 32-inch panel that offers a 4K resolution. In terms of software, the monitor runs on webOS22 out of the box. For connectivity, the new LG Smart Monitor includes a pair of HDMI ports, a USB-A input, and a Gigabit Ethernet port. Furthermore, the monitor comes with a USB Type-C port, which can dish out 65W of power passthrough to a connected device.
Subscribe to OnsitegoGet the latest technology news, reviews, and opinions on tech products right into your inbox
This new offering from LG comes with support for Apple’s AirPlay 2, which is accompanied by a screen-sharing feature and various other smart features. Users will also be able to access a wide range of apps and services such as Netflix, Hulu, and YouTube, all thanks to the built-in streaming app. Additionally, it provides access to smart home dashboards.
As for the design, the latest LG Smart Monitor flaunts white plastic bezels instead of the usual black finish seen on LG’s previous models. The monitor arrives with an Ergo stand, which features an adjustable design. The mount easily clamps to your desk or workstation. Additionally, the mount allows you to adjust the height of the monitor using a multi-angle arm that lets you tweak where the monitor hovers on your desk and how far away from the wall it is. You can also rotate the monitor to use it in a vertical orientation.
What are your thoughts on the newly launched LG Smart Monitor 32SQ780S? Do let us know in the comments section below.


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- Fundid provides credit score and lending equipment to “micro enterprises” with 10 or less workforce.
- Founder Stefanie Sample aims to assistance ladies-owned firms accessibility cash and produce know-how.
- See the 12 slides Sample applied to raise $3.25 million in seed funding below.
Startups aiming to simplify the generally-sophisticated entire world of corporate cards have boomed in latest yrs.
Business enterprise-finance management startup Brex was very last valued at $12.3 billion right after increasing $300 million final calendar year. Startup card supplier Ramp announced an $8.1 billion valuation in March right after escalating its revenue practically 10x in 2021. Divvy, a little small business card service provider, was obtained by Bill.com in Could 2021 for close to $2.5 billion.
But in spite of how incredibly hot the market has gotten, Stefanie Sample explained she ended up working in the place by incident.
Sample is the founder and CEO of Fundid, a new fintech that supplies credit rating and lending items to modest organizations.
This Might, Fundid introduced a $3.25 million seed round led by Nevcaut Ventures. Additional buyers consist of the Artemis Fund and Builders and Backers. The funding announcement capped off the company’s initial year: Sample released the Fundid idea in April 2021, launched its internet site in May, and began raising funds in August.
“I by no means meant to do Fundid,” Sample informed Insider. “I never intended to do a little something that was enterprise-backed.”
Sample lives in Missoula, Montana, and has been surrounded by entrepreneurship for a lot more than 15 several years. Sample’s to start with small business was luggage developed from marathon and triathlon memorabilia. She maxed out her personal credit rating card to pay back for a booth at the Las Vegas Marathon expo, in which the luggage had been a hit.
Sample experienced caught the entrepreneurship bug. “I just loved this thought of smaller business ownership,” she stated.
Fundid fills a hole in the sector
More than the a long time, Sample seen that as her close friends started out firms of their individual, they frequently struggled to entry cash and funding. When the COVID-19 pandemic strike, she researched why she was looking at news studies of women- and minority-owned companies struggling to access Paycheck Defense Software financial loans.
“I seriously went down this rabbit hole on this topic of smaller-enterprise funding for the duration of the pandemic,” she explained.
Sample’s rabbit gap led her to a market she states has however to be dealt with by the superior-traveling company-card startups. Fundid’s focus on client is a company with 10 or much less staff members, a team Sample claims makes up a sizeable part of the market but has couple options that sufficiently address their demands.
“The explanation we’re focused on this phase is when I was seriously attempting to figure out how to get ladies business enterprise owners funds, I understood that 98% of all women of all ages-owned businesses have less than 10 staff members,” she said.
Fundid presents a few primary methods to small firms: a market that lets company proprietors to far more quickly locate and use for grants, a lending solution released in April that delivers what Sample phone calls “microloans,” and a company credit score card that will launch later this summer season. The card is centered on business efficiency, is unsecured, and does not involve a private promise or
Fundid will make dollars by way of interchange costs on the company card and by way of fascination on the loans it gives.
Sample suggests that the grant search tool was important to Fundid correctly attracting traders. Even though Sample did not have earlier finance practical experience, she made use of her advertising qualifications to design and style the grant look for to appeal to possible clients and show need to opportunity backers.
“I seriously leaned into that, primarily with the grant match plan,” Sample stated of her previous expertise. “We set that up, in a large amount of methods, to show to the venture investors that we are capable of competently attracting our buyer base and that we talk their language.”
In excess of 7,000 organizations have already joined Fundid’s waitlist for its company card following using the grant search resource and devoid of any other internet marketing endeavours, Sample explained.
Sample and Fundid are also utilizing responses from purchaser surveys to advise the its roadmap and potential products. Sample claimed that 76% of survey respondents indicated they will not have accessibility to funding for their small business and never know how to get it.
The study responses also indicated that organization entrepreneurs weren’t automatically seeking for big traces of credit in a lending item. What they genuinely wanted was a solution that could support them clean out their hard cash movement as they grew their enterprises and introduced on new workforce and purchasers. Fundid’s lending solution is accessible to corporations that have yearly revenues as small as $50,000.
Fundid also seeks to help organization homeowners reply questions they may well have as a result of information on its website. Topics contain recommendations for writing grant proposals, how to examine desire premiums on various sorts of loans, and diverse uses for personal loan funding.
“The most overwhelming section of remaining a modest organization operator is that you are just all of a sudden meant to know all of this stuff that you surely did not know the working day prior to, like what the heck an EIN number is, how filing taxes operate, that getting a sole proprietor indicates that you have to pay out taxes quarterly,” Sample claimed of Fundid’s choice to produce information in addition to its monetary products and solutions. “We genuinely try out to simplify all of that and recognize how enterprise finance works, in addition to accessing capital.”
See the 12 slides Fundid applied to raise $3.25 million in seed funding right here.


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MAN, VWplan truck range
GERMAN truck maker MAN plans to work with its majority shareholder Volkswagen to build a new range of light-duty trucks, new reports suggest. Volkswagen, which also owns a significant share in Scania, has long discussed increasing its commercial vehicle strength. A MAN official had confirmed the companies would work on a new truck that would likely span from 3500kg to 7500kg,
reported. Details were still to be finalised.


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From USAA to Barclays to RBS, the number of financial organizations that are relying on voice biometric identity verification continues to grow. Now, global banking powerhouse HSBC is part of the mix.
On Feb. 19, HSBC announced that the company will soon protect customer accounts with voice recognition software. It will also be implementing fingerprint scanners via Touch ID. The service will be offered to about 15 million HSBC and First Division customers. First Division, it should be noted, is owned by HSBC.
Why is HSBC embracing voice biometrics? The company wanted to improve more than just the security element of its customer login process. It also wanted to make it more convenient.
“The launch of voice and touch ID makes it even quicker and easier for customers to access their bank account, using the most secure form of password technology – the body,” explained head of retail banking and wealth management Francesca McDonagh at HSBC UK following the announcement.
Moving forward, customers simply have to download the HSBC mobile banking app in order to access this innovative feature.
The news comes at an exciting time for the global voice biometrics market, which is expected to continue growing at a rate of 22.15 percent until 2019. Countless organizations are abandoning their traditional password and PIN-based login systems in favor of advanced, cloud-based voice biometric solutions which are a stellar alternative. A voice biometric engine can be easily—and cost effectively—added to the front of a mobile banking application. It requires no additional hardware to use (just a microphone), and no additional downloads.
Want to see just how easy and effective voice biometrics can be? Click here to try industry leader VoiceVault’s free mobile demo today.


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Aug 9, 2011
Hybrids may have become all the rage in recent years, but you certainly don’t need to own a hybrid vehicle in order to see greater fuel efficiency on the road. From replacements to add-on parts, there are plentiful ways to address higher gas prices right now, no matter the vehicle you own. So if you want to substantially reduce your fuel expenditure, either for environmental reasons are because you want to put less of a drain on your wallet, you can try utilizing one or several of the fuel economy-improving upgrades.
Aug 9, 2011
With the Toyota Prius outselling all other green car competitors with annual sales of approximately400,000 units sold annually worldwide, the Prius has become the face of the green car revolution whileleaving its competitors out of the limelight. This lack of attention from the general public has leadmanufacturers to develop new innovations in electric and hybrid technology that have the means to dethrone Toyota as the new breakout green vehicle.
In a new green car comparison, manufacturers like Nissan with the Leaf and SMART with the ForTwo Coupe have surpassed Toyota’s Prius when put in a side by side comparison. From this comparison, it isclear to see that these new competitors in the green car market are gaining headway on Toyota as theyhave been ranked higher than the Prius in categories such as Air Pollution score, MPG, and overall greenrating.
Although the sales numbers for the Leaf and the ForTwo Coupe are abysmal in when compared to thatof the Prius, they are growing rapidly with cars like the Nissan Leaf selling over 10,000 units worldwidein its very first year of production. With these cars scoring higher in green testing, it is only a matter oftime before we see a new powerhouse in the green car market.
May 13, 2011
According to German Media, Volkswagen and its subsidiary Audi is planning a package where when one buys a green car, he or she has the option to buy the fuel that comes with it as well.
Audi announced on Thursday evening it would invest in four large wind turbines at a cost of tens of millions of euros. The company declined to say who its partner would be, but the FTD reported that talks were underway with Bard, which runs the Borkum offshore wind farm.
I think this is a good plan for Volkswagen as it not only becomes a car manufacturer but also a possible alternative fuel seller.
May 12, 2011
Google and Ford, two of the biggest names in their industries have decided to join forces to create the best green car possible.
The deal was first announced at the recently held Google I/O Developers conference. Ford said that it is keen on applying the Google Prediction API in its own research to predict drivers’ behaviour on the street.
The reason behind it was that by predicting driver habits, Ford can find ways to optimize engine functions that would result into better hybrid or electric cars.
The result of all this planning and predicting may come to fruition in four to eight years from now.
May 10, 2011
What’s better than using an electric car and not paying anything for the high price of gas? Using an electric car and not paying for any recharge at all!
The electric car owners of San Francisco should be rejoicing now as Mayor Ed Lee will be announcing today that the city-owned garages with the almost 90 newly built plugins will be available for free until 2013.
The one to foot the $300,000 bill will mostly be coming from the Bay Area Air Quality Management District’s $3.9 Million that they were supposed to pay rebates to people with personal chargers and to build charging stations with.
May 1, 2011
General Motors is looking to the future by sponsoring the 2011 Alternative Clean Transportation Expo (ACT).
This 2011 ACT brings together stakeholders of alternative fuel and clean vehicles. Besides being the Gold Sponsor, GM also brought their plans that will make GM as THE car manufacturers for alternative fuels.
Several plans, like the Hawaii Hydrogen Initiative, point to the fact that GM will not focus its green efforts on only one technology. The car maker is working of several planes of this new industry, launching the Volt plug-in hybrid vehicles, announcing plans to make fuel cell cars a reality as well and focusing on alternative fuels like LPG.
Plans are good, but the real thing is even better. We’ll see if GM goes through with these plans.
[Article via: Autoevolution | Image By CoolKid1993 at en.wikipedia. (Transferred from en.wikipedia ()) [Public domain], from Wikimedia Commons]
Apr 28, 2011
Despite all the potential savings a green car driver will have, there’s still one thing that keeps most Americans from buying one: the price of the car.
According to Mike VanNieuwkuyk, executive director of global vehicle research at J.D. Power and Associates, their study show that people won’t put up with the car price if it’s too expensive:
“As concerns about the functionality and performance of hybrid vehicles have abated, vehicle price has become more prevalent as the primary purchase impediment. Without a tax credit to offset the price premium, consumers must absorb all of this additional cost. Furthermore, aggressive government subsidies are unlikely to be sustainable over the long term. Ultimately, the true cost of the technology needs to come down substantially.”
Another issue that concerns them is the availability of fuel/charge resources. With charging stations still not that common in the US, the potential buyers fear that they’ll be forced to use gasoline anyway.
Based on the report, it says that interest for green cars will remain below 10 percent of the US Market until 2016.
Apr 27, 2011
Electric cars not only allow you to save money by not buying gas, not only does it reduce the carbon emissions around you, it may also save your life.
According to some crash tests don on both the Nissan Leaf and Chevy Volt, they performed really well. The reason for their performance? Weight.
“They behave like heavier cars, and in a crash that can be a good thing,” Wiesenfelder told FOX Business Network’s Jeff Flock. “All other things being equal, heavier cars fare better in crashes.”
Specifically, the battery is so heavy that the roof strength needs to be reinforced. This results in the roofs not buckling as much during crashes.
Apr 25, 2011
The hybrid car is not a recent concept as the The Lohner-Porsche Semper Vivus shows. It’s a car that was originally designed and created in 1900.
The Lohner-Porsche Semper Vivus uses a gas engine to run a small generator, which in turn provides power to a pair of electric hub motors built inside the front wheels. A battery can run the car if you run out of fuel, which was kind of a problem back in 1900 when there wasn’t a gas station on every corner.
An additional trivia is that this car has also inspired NASA’s drive system of its Lunar Rover. Hopefully it will also serve as inspiration to other car manufacturers to go green.
Apr 15, 2011
Chicago is a readying itself for a more “greener” future as it has been installing more and more charging stations to service electric cars. This in turn has landed them on Ford Motor Co.’s list of Top 25 Cities Most Ready for Electric Vehicles.
Proof that they’re heading towards the green car movement:
- A Chicago based company called Carbon Day has installed at least 100 charging stations and plans on installing 150 or more within the year.
- Chicago’s signed up with 350Green for $1.9 Million to install 280 more charging stations.
- General Electric Co., Siemens AG and other well-known companies have plans to build more electric stations this year.
Let’s just hope that their electric consumption won’t go overboard…


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Rio Jade is the fourth beer in Lone Star's range.Photo: Lone Star Brewing
Lone Star Brewing announced the release of Rio Jade, a new Mexican-style lager that will be available across Texas starting end of April and through the end of summer. The brewery is also launching a partnership with Texas Humor to sell T-shirts whose proceeds will benefit Southern Smoke.
Rio Jade is the first seasonal beer for the brewery whose iconic red and white-clad original made its own “National Beer of Texas” marketing motto a kind of self-fulfilling prophecy. The new brew sports a turquoise look, designed by Texan artist Cruz Ortiz. It has 4.5% ABV and is made from Texas-grown ingredients, including malt from Greater Austin-based Blacklands Malt. The result is a crisp and refreshing style, with spice, floral and citrus notes.
Six-packs of Rio Jade will be sold for $7.99 across the state. The name translates from Spanish to River Jade, an ode to the waters and natural beauty of Texas and Mexico.
“We’re excited to launch the Rio Jade Mexican Style Lager as it gives us a chance to honor our heritage, but also celebrate the Texas of today,” said Lone Star brand director Emily Hoyle in a release. “The beer perfectly represents what we value at Lone Star: connecting to the land and people of Texas.”
Lone Star also became the latest brewery to raise funds for struggling service industry workers. The team partnered with clothing brand Texas Humor for its “Keep The Lights On Y’all” initiative, creating a T-shirt depicting neon lights such as the ones hung outside many bars and restaurants in the state. All of the profits from the T-shirts will benefit Southern Smoke, which is currently raising money for restaurant workers impacted by COVID-19 closures.
The Keep The Lights On Y’all t-shirts are on sale now for $25 apiece on Texas Humor’s website.


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The mall will reopen at 6 a.m. the following day for Black Friday.
For the second year in a row, Coastal Grand Mall will be closing on Thanksgiving Day this year.
Some retailers, like TJ Maxx, Neiman Marcus, and Costco, have already started announcing whether they will be open or closed on Thanksgiving Day. Wal-Mart made a similar move in 2011, and Target in 2012. The Mall of America, the nation's largest shopping mall located in Bloomington, Minn., bucked the trend and closed on Thanksgiving in 2016.
CBL Properties, owner and manager of the mall, made the announcement today.
'X-Men' Spinoff 'Gambit' gets a release date for 2019
The animated feature tells the story of an 11-year-old boy who finds that his robot buddy doesn't quite work. Josh Zetumer ( Patriot's Day, RoboCop, The Infamous ) wrote the script.
"The support that we received a year ago when we made this decision was overwhelmingly positive", said Stephen Lebovitz, president and CEO of CBL Properties. "Access to mall common areas will be restricted".
CBL & Associates Properties, Inc. who manages the mall, said they received "overwhelmingly positive" support with last year's decision to close.
As Thanksgiving gets closer, a list of store closures will be released from Broadway at the Beach.
CBI Properties owns more than 70 malls nationwide.


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Etsy has announced that payment delays recently experienced by some of the platform’s active sellers following the collapse of Silicon Valley Bank (SVB) have been resolved.
Etsy was using SVB to make payments to some sellers, causing delays and then on March 10th, when the bank went bankrupt, we were unable to make payments from the bank. However, Etsy quickly worked to “redesign” its payment process, allowing on-time deposits to be sent through a different payment partner.
Etsy Offered Guarantees
As reported by Small Business Trends, Etsy emailed the affected sellers on Friday, March 10, notifying them that they were behind on payment deadlines. Ecommerce marketplaces ensured that alternative payment partners were found as quickly as possible, something Etsy was unable to provide. Accurate timelines for when your due deposits will be paid.
Etsy Late Payment Solution
The delay is now resolved, Etsy website It describes what happened after the collapse of SVB: [approximately 0.5%] Payments for active sellers were delayed by one business day, but we began processing payments on Monday on our normal schedule.
“Although the number of sellers affected was relatively small, we take the disruption to our seller community very seriously. We know you rely on us to receive your payments on time for your purchases, which is why our team worked around the clock to implement alternative solutions. That’s why we continue to invest in our infrastructure and payment platform to enable seamless trading on Etsy.”
Global Panic Over SVB Collapse
The California bank failure is the largest bank failure since the 2008 financial crisis. There is great concern around the world, with many governments now trying to assess the impact on other financial institutions, technology start-ups, pensions, and more. funds.
President Biden said the U.S. banking system remains secure and offered his own assurances to the American people.
Get the latest headlines from Small Business Trends.Please follow us google news.


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Chile: Economic activity moderates in April
June 6, 2011
In April, economic activity expanded 6.3% over the same month last year, according to the monthly indicator for economic activity (IMACEC, Indicador Mensual de Actividad Economica). The reading came in below both the 15.4% surge registered in March and market expectations of economic activity growing 6.9%. According to the Central Bank, the March increase mainly reflected growth in the manufacturing sector, in addition to buoyant activity in the retail and transportation sectors. A month-on-month comparison does not corroborate the strong deceleration suggested by the annual figures, as economic activity rose 0.34% over the previous month in seasonally adjusted terms, following the 0.58% increase in March. That said, the trend continues to point upwards, with annual average growth inching up from 7.2% in March to 7.3%, which represents the fastest pace since May 1998.


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The value of Myanmar’s imports nearly the past eleven months of the current financial year 2020-2021 sank to US$13.4 billion from $17.55 billion recorded in the same corresponding period of last FY, the Ministry of Commerce’s data indicated. All the import groups including the consumer, capital, intermediate goods, and CMP businesses plunged in the current FY. The drop in foreign direct investment this year negatively affected the trade. Between 1 October and 27 August this FY, capital goods, such as auto parts, vehicles, machines, steel, and aeroplane parts were brought into the country. Their import value was estimated at $4.33 billion. The figure was over $2.3 billion lower than those values registered in the same period of the previous FY.
Meanwhile, Myanmar imported consumer products worth over $3 billion, including pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, and palm oil. The imports of consumer products showed a slight decrease of $82.7 million compared with the same period in the previous FY. Intermediate goods make up the second-largest share of Myanmar’s imports, with petroleum products and plastic raw materials being the main import items. This year, imports of raw materials plunged to $4.65 billion from $5.79 billion registered during the year-ago period. During the same period, raw materials worth over $1.4 billion were also imported for the Cut-Make-Pack (CMP) garment sector, showing a decrease of $584 million compared with the last budget year.
At present, the CMP garment sector which contributes to 30 per cent of Myanmar’s export sector is struggling because of the cancellation of orders from the European countries and suspension of trading by western countries amid the COVID-19. Therefore, import values of raw materials by CMP businesses have been dropping. At present, the traders have transaction problems triggered by the restriction of the private banks. Furthermore, the pandemic triggered the cargo shipping crisis, a market observer shared his opinion. The top 10 import countries to Myanmar are China, Singapore, Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, India, Viet Nam, Japan, the Republic of Korea and the US, as per data of the Ministry of Commerce.
Source: The Global New Light of Myanmar


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The New York State Brewers Association released the results of a 2018 economic impact study Wednesday.
The state's 434 craft breweries generated $5.4 billion in economic contribution that year, the association reported. The figure is up from $4.1 in 2017, when the state had 329 breweries.
The $5.4 billion breaks down to $3.5 billion in direct economic impact (brewing, wholesaling, retailing and tourism impact), $1.1 billion in supplier impact (production and sale of goods and services, such as equipment, bottles and banking and marketing services), and induced economic impact (wages spent by employees).
According to the association's website, Cayuga County's five breweries — Good Shepherds Brewing Co. and Prison City Pub & Brewery in Auburn, Lunkenheimer Craft Brewing Co. in Weedsport, Aurora Ale & Lager in Ledyard and Summerhill Brewing in Summerhill — generated $61,607,470 in output that year. (The study does not include the county's sixth brewery, Next Chapter Brewpub, which opened in August.) The association also reported that the area's breweries comprised 74 brewery jobs and 206 total jobs, generating $13,669,624 in wages.
"With a record number of breweries in our state, our economic impact now rivals the wine industry," said the association's executive director, Paul Leone. "Thanks to great beer, craft-friendly legislation, and continued support from government leaders on both sides of the aisle, we can say that New York craft beer is a true manufacturing success story throughout the entire state."
Additional statewide figures from the association's study include:
• 19,918 jobs supported by the industry's impact
• 10,627 jobs directly created by the state craft beer industry, generating $722 million in wages
• $545 million in state and federal taxes paid by the businesses and their employees, as well as excise and sales tax revenue from in-state consumption
• 2 million barrels of beer produced
• 48.6 million customers served at state craft breweries, of which 8.9 million were tourists
"I was really blown away by the results of this study," said Chris Ericson, president of the state Brewers Association and owner of Lake Placid Pub & Brewery and Big Slide Brewery & Public House. "These numbers validate that New York state brewers have a substantial impact on the lives of residents. We are providing excellent careers for thousands of New Yorkers in every corner of the state."


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As machine learning and artificial intelligence continue to grow as the next trends for smart devices, Google is continuing to position itself to have relevant features to engage these new technologies. One of them is TensorFlow, an open-source machine learning system that can take advantage of the new neural hardware available in devices and in the cloud.
To make TensorFlow more accessible to mobile devices, Google is now releasing TensorFlow Lite – a lightweight machine learning solution specifically designed for the hardware available in smartphones. TensorFlow Lite supports Android’s Neural Networks API, and is lightweight enough that it will still run even if only powered by device’s processor – if a dedicated neural processor (like the one in the Huawei Mate 10) is absent.
Current executions range from image recognition – using your camera to identify objects – to “smart replies”, which give users access to one touch text message replies to common queries and questions you receive over messaging.
As hardware for smartphones and mobile devices get better and better, TensorFlow Lite should start becoming a common technology for manufacturers to harness the power of machine learning in their products. Look to 2018 to see more mature executions of this current technology.
November 15, 2017 at 05:06AM


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I know it may sound blasphemously to some, but the iPhone maker’s retail army does get to enjoy turkey with their families as Apple Stores typically close for major holidays such as Christmas, Easter and Thanksgiving Day. One notable exception is the flagship glass cube store on Fifth Avenue, open 24/7 every day of the year.
Apple normally allows store employees to spend time with their families on Thanksgiving Day, with some of its retail shrines typically opening as early as 3am on Black Friday. Last year, for example, only the Royal Hawaiian and Las Vegas Forum Shops outlets were open on Thanksgiving, mainly because of tourist who arrived in droves for the start of the holiday shopping season in the United States.
This year will be different. According to a guy who tracks Apple’s retail efforts for a living, a bunch of Apple’s brick-and-mortar Stores in the United States will be open on Thanksgiving Day, a move apparently that in line with Tim Cook’s policy of doubling down on Apple Stores.
UPDATE: Apple CEO Tim Cook reportedly cancelled plans to keep additional Apple Stores open on Thanksgiving…
UPDATE: the website says Tim Cook has responded to objections from Market Directors by canceling these plans:
On Wednesday morning over the objections of the Market Directors, Apple CEO Tim Cook learned of the plans to keep several stores open on Thanksgiving, and cancelled the plan. Cook’s objection was specifically that it’s important that Apple retail employees be with their families on the holiday.
The rest of the article follows.
A well-known that specializes in Apple Retail, ifo Apple Store, reports that nearly a dozen stores will be greeting customers on Thanksgivig Day, including locations in Chicago, San Francisco, San Diego and Portland.
According to insiders, over the past few years several Apple retail market directors have been advocating for more stores to be open on Thanksgiving, believing the company was missing out on substantial holiday sales. Apparently their viewpoint prevailed this year, and at least 10 stores will be open some portion of Thanksgiving.
Here’s the complete list of stores that’ll open on Thanksgiving Day (more will be added):
• Fifth Avenue (NYC)
• West 14th Street (NYC)
• North Michigan Avenue (Chicago)
• Lincoln Road (Miami Beach)
• San Francisco (Calif.)
• Pioneer Place (Portland, Ore.)
• The Grove (LA)
• Third Street Promenade (Santa Monica)
• Fashion Valley (San Diego)
• Ala Moana (Honolulu
The website notes that employee schedules to cover the holiday shifts were being prepared over the last two days.
Apple will be posting its holiday shopping hours here.
I understand Apple is a money-making machine and that overwhelming demand for its products justifies the move, but don’t condone the practice – it really is not fair to employees to take them away from their loved ones on the holiday. I mean, it’s just obnoxious.
The holidays are supposed to be about family, not sales!
But hey – anything is justifiable to earn a few more bucks, I guess.
Apple Stores typically hold a special one-day shopping event on Black Friday, which falls this year on November 29, to celebrate the official start of the holiday shopping season. Just don’t count on deep Black Friday discounts from Apple. Last year, for example, Apple’s Black Friday sale included a $41 saving on iPad 3, a $31 off of the 32GB iPod touch and so forth.
You get the idea, deal-hunters normally avoid Apple Stores on Black Friday.
Pictured top of post: Apple’s new Stanford 2 store in North Carolina.


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Article: Unleashing the Power of AI: Fintech's Quantum Leap for Customer Benefit
Unleashing the Power of AI: Fintech's Quantum Leap for Customer Benefit
How Artificial Intelligence is Revolutionizing Fintech, Elevating Customer Experience to Unprecedented Heights
In the ever-evolving landscape of financial technology, a groundbreaking force is propelling the industry into uncharted territory: Artificial Intelligence (AI). As fintech continues its mission to redefine traditional finance, the symbiotic relationship between AI and the sector is emerging as the game-changer, promising a plethora of benefits for customers.
The AI Fintech Symphony: A Harmony of Innovation
Fintech has long been associated with disruption, breaking down barriers to financial services and democratizing access. Now, with the infusion of AI, the industry is set to elevate its offerings, transforming the customer experience from mundane to extraordinary.
1. Personalized Financial Bliss:
Imagine a financial advisor that knows you better than you know yourself. AI algorithms are making this a reality by analyzing user data to offer bespoke financial advice and investment strategies. Whether you're an institutional powerhouse or an individual investor, the era of tailored financial planning is dawning.
2. The Sentinels of Security:
In an age rife with digital transactions, security is paramount. AI's prowess in risk management and fraud detection is fortifying the fintech fortress. Machine learning algorithms are on the frontline, tirelessly monitoring transactions, swiftly detecting anomalies, and ensuring the sanctity of financial dealings. Trust, a cornerstone of the financial world, is being fortified through the vigilant eyes of AI.
Smart Contracts: The Digital Architects of Trust
Alongside AI, smart contracts are emerging as the architects of trust in the fintech realm. Built on the bedrock of blockchain, these contracts are not merely lines of code; they are unalterable records, transparent and tamper-proof. Their impact? Real-time settlements, transparency, and efficiency - the trifecta of customer-centric finance.
1. Speed and Transparency:
Smart contracts are rendering traditional paper trails obsolete. The tedious process of paperwork and delays in settlements are becoming relics of the past. Cross-border transactions are now executed with the swiftness of a keystroke, ensuring a seamless experience for customers dealing in the global financial arena.
2. Smart Contract Oracles:
A new frontier emerges with the integration of AI into smart contracts. Oracles, as they are aptly named, bridge the gap between the immutable blockchain and real-world data. This dynamic interaction allows for the adjustment of contract terms in real-time, a testament to the flexibility and adaptability that customers deserve.
AI and Compliance: Navigating the Regulatory Landscape
As fintech innovates, so too must it navigate the regulatory currents. AI is proving to be a guiding hand, ensuring compliance with evolving regulations. The integration of AI into smart contracts facilitates auditable processes, a boon for customers and institutions alike as they navigate the complex web of regulatory requirements.
Conclusion: A New Dawn for Fintech Customers
As we stand at the cusp of this fintech revolution, the marriage of AI and smart contracts is not just a technological feat; it is a testament to the industry's commitment to customer-centricity. The era of personalized financial guidance, seamless transactions, and fortified security is upon us, courtesy of the dynamic duo shaping the future of finance. Fintech, with AI as its co-pilot, is not just rewriting the rules but ensuring that every keystroke benefits the customers it serves. The symphony of innovation is playing, and the customers are the ones enjoying the melody.
by Abby + AI


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Today, popular gaming streamer and YouTuber Ali “SypherPK” Hassan has announced the opening of a dedicated Fortnite creative map creation division at Oni Studios, the content creation and consulting studio he founded in january. The new company aims to lower the barrier to entry for brands interested in the metaverse by bridging the production and distribution sides of this nascent marketing channel.
Oni Studios’ Fortnite map creation team is currently made up of three full-time employees, with plans to expand to 15 and recruit a wider network of contractors by the end of 2022. The new division has been in development for about a year. . Until now, the company has largely acted as an incubator and consultancy for emerging video creators and streamers, but brand deals have become an increasingly important element of the company’s business: Oni signs around 10 deals of brand each month, according to Oni. Studios CEO Daniela Ali and her services have accordingly expanded into brand consulting and the growing marketing space of the metaverse.
“Launching a dedicated mapping team is simply our response to a very real demand,” said Hassan. “I have worked on over half a dozen custom maps and while my contribution to the design and gameplay of each experience was significant, there is nothing like working with your own team and developing the perfect map.” Oni Studios has only employed full-time Fortnite map builders for two months, so has yet to develop an end-to-end brand experience, though Hassan has provided mechanical build expertise and helped promote activations like Honda’s. hondaverse in the past.
While these are still early days of metaverse marketing, Hassan’s studio is the latest in a string of dedicated Fortnite development firms that have formed to serve the needs of brands. Over the past year, prominent non-endemic gaming brands such as Gillette, Coca-Cola and GRAMrub hub have joined the feeding frenzy, releasing their own branded Fortnite worlds. “I don’t think it’s just a fad; I think the Fortnite metaverse, for lack of a better word, is definitely here to stay,” said Michael Herriger, CEO of independent Fortnite studio Atlas Creative. “We get brands coming to us all the time that are interested in creating spaces, and it’s becoming a trend of brands that not only want a unique game mode, but really want to have a place in the virtual Fortnite space. and having these extended-stay experiences.”
What sets Hassan’s studio apart from the competition is its ability to seamlessly spread the worlds it builds. When it comes to virtual brand activations within platforms like Fortnite and Roblox, the rules are a bit different than traditional media. A brand can’t just launch content on a platform and watch the views increase; genuine engagement and participation in three-dimensional brand worlds is necessary for them to be a worthwhile expense. Hassan’s position as a well-known Fortnite creator allows him to share his company activations on his Twitch stream and social media, a strategy he used to promote the recent Hondaverse activation.
“That’s the draw for the Oni Studios mapping team: the fact that we have both the influencer and the suite of services to develop those creative experiences,” said Ali, who is married to Hassan and is a prominent influencer for own right. “We think it’s really valuable when the brands, the influencer and the service providers are all aligned with their vision and goals, and that’s what this whole model facilitates.”
The presence of a prominent Fortnite influencer is also a potential draw for the skilled cartographers Oni Studios has hired and hopes to hire for its new division. The creative landscape of Fortnite is filled with independent creators, who have more freedom in choosing their projects, and the potential for higher pay, than creators under the Oni Studios banner. But working with Oni Studios gives creators the opportunity to share their work with Hassan’s millions of fans, along with the benefits and more consistent pay. “When I was introduced to Oni Studios and the amazing people who work there, the opportunities and goals they had set out perfectly aligned with mine,” said Jordan “eatyouhay” Frenkel, one of Oni’s full-time Fortnite developers.
Although Hassan contributed mechanical building tips for the Hondaverse activation, most of the actual development for that experience was handled by independent Fortnite studio BeyondCreative. Still, Honda’s use of Hassan’s large following to promote activation, the distribution end of metaverse marketing, demonstrated the strength of Oni Studios’ combined model. “SypherPK has a huge fan base within Fortnite,” said American Honda head of media Phil Hruska, “so it was a perfect fit for building the Hondaverse within Fortnite’s creative map mode while utilizing images of high quality and the ability to build a detailed replica. of the new Honda HR-V.
The company’s Fortnite division is not exclusively dedicated to this type of experience. It will also be spent on creating exclusive experiences for the Hassan community, as well as training creators in the Oni Studios incubator class. But with the volume of brands eager to reclaim the metaverse continuing to rise, partnerships remain Oni Studios’ top priority.
“It’s no surprise that I’m so passionate about Fortnite and a strong believer in the capabilities of the Unreal Engine,” said Hassan. “It elevates its creative mode light years from other platforms and allows us to design much more mature, immersive and engaging experiences.”


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“Kaiba Gionfriddo was born prematurely in 2011. After 8 months, his lung development caused concerns, although he was sent home with his parents as his breathing was normal. Six weeks later, Kaiba stopped breathing and turned blue. He was diagnosed with tracheobronchomalacia, a long Latin word that means his that windpipe was so weak that it collapsed. He had a tracheostomy and was put on a ventilator – the conventional treatment. Still, Kaiba would stop breathing almost daily. His heart would stop, too. Then, his caregivers 3D printed a bioresorbable device that instantly helped Kaiba breathe. This case is considered a prime example of how customized 3D printing is transforming healthcare as we know it. Since Kaiba’s story, 3D printing in medicine has been skyrocketing. And the list of objects that have already been successfully printed in this field demonstrates the potential that this technology holds for healthcare in the near future.” – Direct quote from the website.
- Blood Vessels and TissuesResearchers at Harvard University are making great progress in bioprinting blood vessels, a crucial step towards printing tissues with a blood supply. The lab of Dr. Jennifer Lewis designed a custom-built 3D printer and a dissolving ink to create a swatch of tissue containing skin cells interwoven with structural material that can potentially function as blood vessels.
2.Low-cost Prosethic Parts
As demonstrated by Martijn Gommermen in the FabLab when he 3D printed two children, Cian and Emilie’s prosethic hands.
Yes! It is actually possible to 3D print your own medicine. As stated on 3D print in the industry, Lee Cronin, a chemist at the University of Glasgow, wants to do for the discovery and distribution of prescription drugs what Apple did for music. In a TED talk Cronin describes a prototype 3D printer capable of assembling chemical compounds at the molecular level. Patients would go to an online drugstore with their digital prescription, buy the blueprint and the chemical ink needed, and then print the drug at home. In the future Cronin suggests that we might sell not drugs but rather blueprints or apps. Progress is already being made in this direction as Louisiana Technical University researchers have printed biocompatible, biodegradable devices for delivering bone cancer medicines. Sounds crazy but totally awesome if you ask me!
Researchers at Washington University in St. Louis have used scans of animal hearts to create printed models, around which, stretchable electronics were wrapped. The silicon device can be peeled off of the printed model and attached onto a human heart for a perfect fit. Though the electronic sensors can detect oxygenation detectors, heart strain strain, and temperature, the next step is to enhance the electronics with multiple sensors, including those that measure acidic conditions to detect blocked arteries.
A group of researchers in China and the US have printed models of cancerous tumors to aid discovery of new anti-cancer drugs and to better understand how tumors develop, grow, and spread. Creating patient-specific models from CT and MRI scans expands from medical research into practical application with the ability to prepare doctors for surgeries, thus drastically reducing surgery times. Taking this one step further, there are numerous examples of using medical scan data to 3D print implants tailor-made to the patient.
In 2011, Professor Susmita Bose, of Washington State University, modified a ProMetal 3D printer to bind chemicals to a ceramic powder, creating intricate scaffolds that promote the growth of bone in any shape. Prof. Bose’s goal is to, one day, be able to implant the bone scaffold with bone growth factors in such a way that the implant is dissolved by natural bone material in even load-bearing bone structures.
Jonathan Butcher, at Cornell University has printed a heart valve that will soon be tested in sheep. With a dual-syringe machine, he was able to print a combination of alginate, smooth muscle cells, and valve interstitial cells, to control the valve’s stiffness.
8. Ear cartilage
Cornell’s Lawrence Bonassar used 3D photos of human ears to create ear molds. These molds were then filled with a gel containing bovine cartilage cells suspended in collagen, which held the shape of the ear while cells grew their extracellular matrix. Bonassar and his team have since gone on to 3D print intervertebral discs to treat major spinal complications, while researchers at Princeton have 3D printed their own collagen ear, this time, with built-in electronic components for superhuman hearing.
Already, 3D printing is occurring in poverty-stricken areas of the world. Due to the ability to manufacture items that may be difficult or expensive to obtain by traditional means, groups like iLab//Haiti have taken to 3D printing umbilical chord clamps for local hospitals in Haiti.
A team of Dutch surgeons at the University Medical Center in Utrecht replaced the entire top portion of a 22 year–old woman’s skull with a customized printed implant made from plastic. This story has been replayed in China, where a man with a crushed skull was given a tailor-made, 3D printed, titanium replacement, and in Slovakia, in which a different man with brain damage received a similar, 3D printed treatment.
James Yoo at the Wake Forest School of Medicine in the US has developed a printer that can print skin straight onto the wounds of burn victims. With the ability to scan a wound, the printer can then fabricate the appropriate number of skin layers to fill the wound. Yoo’s research was able to successfully demonstrate the viability of a 10-cm piece of skin transplanted onto a pig and has since been funded by the US Army to use the technology to treat wounded soldiers.
12.And the one that’s very important and extremely relevant to my project….
Organovo recently announced the commercial launch of their bioprinted liver assays, 3D printed liver cells that able to function for more than 40 days. While, at the moment, the product is used for testing new pharmaceuticals, Organovo’s top executives and other industry experts suggest that within a decade we will be able to print solid organs such as liver, heart, and kidney. Hundreds of thousands of people worldwide are waiting for an organ donor; imagine how such a technology could transform their lives.
3D printing is just one of the many revolutionary technologies currently being used in healthcare. You can read more about the use of 3D printing, and much more, in medicine in my recent book, The Guide to the Future of Medicine!
All information sourced from 3D Printing Industry. It’s amazing how advance our society is becoming with technology and it’s only proof that in many future generations to come, organic transplanted organs will be a thing of the past. This relates highly to my project on Cybernetic Organs and I can’t believe what can be achieved in the 3D printing industry so far. It’s only going to keep getting better and better.


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Latest Gluten Stories
Karen "Gluten No-Morgan's" specialized flour mixtures don't skimp on taste, nutrition or versatility AUSTIN, Texas, May 20, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Austin-based cookbook author and gluten-free
Central Florida residents, travelers and food enthusiasts flock to the flourishing new website for dining reviews on restaurants offering gluten free options. Orlando,
As the nation celebrates May as Celiac Awareness Month, gluten-free cooking expert Carol Fenster, author of Gluten-Free 101, offers 10 baking tips for beginners who are just starting the gluten-free
The Righteously Raw Chocolate line is now featured in SnackSafely.com’s comprehensive Safe Snack Guide. San Diego, CA (PRWEB) May 12, 2014 SnackSafely.com,
Coeliac UK, the national charity for coeliac disease announces today, 12th May 2014, new research from the University of Nottingham that has found a fourfold increase in the rate of diagnosed cases of coeliac disease in the United Kingdom over the past two decades, but, still three quarters of people with coeliac disease remain undiagnosed.
Dr. Peter Osborne’s Gluten Free Society is reviewed in a new article and video released by Health News Wires.
New experiments conducted in mice have discovered a possible link between a gluten-free diet and a reduced risk of developing type 1 diabetes, according to research published recently in the journal Diabetes.
A newly expanded line of great tasting gluten-free products from WOW! Factor Desserts has been launched just in time for Celiac Awareness Month.
Now a $20 Billion Market, National Foundation for Celiac Awareness Asks People to Look Beyond Diet Fad, Understand Gluten-free Medical Story Chicago (PRWEB)
Join the Team Gluten-Free Week Without Wheat (Barley and Rye) Challenge to raise awareness of celiac disease and gluten sensitivity. Los Angeles, CA (PRWEB)
- A poem in which the author retracts something said in an earlier poem.


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North Carolina is the 10th fastest growing state in the nation which means we have lots of new folks moving here every year and one of the curiosities about the Old North State that many have to come to terms with are the laws governing alcohol sales.
North Carolina has 170 local Alcohol Beverage Control (ABC) boards that control the sale of alcohol in their municipality or county. Although you can buy a mixed drink in a bar or restaurant, if you want to buy liquor for off premises consumption, you have to purchase it from a state ABC store. The laws are based on a model created 80 years ago and some people think it’s high time for change.
Rep. Jon Hardister, from Whitsett is a primary sponsor of a bill to bring about that change and allow the sale of “off premises spirituous liquor” (even the language is archaic) by private businesses.
If the bill passes, the state would continue to heavily tax and regulate the sale of alcohol, or in the state’s terms spirituous liquors, but the state would get out of the business of selling alcohol at the wholesale and retail level.
According to Hardister, the current ABC system reduces consumer choice, lacks innovation and limits the opportunities for private businesses.
He said, “It’s time for the government to get out of the business of selling liquor and focus instead on regulating it. The licensure model would keep the ABC Commission in place and maintain government revenue, but it would also allow private businesses to grow and thrive. Private enterprise will always do a better job of running a business than a government-sanctioned monopoly.”
Hardister noted that the 170 different local ABC boards making their own decisions on product selection and revenue distribution, “is an inefficient, cumbersome and outdated model and it needs to be modernized.”
In the past Hardister who is vice chairman of the House ABC committee, has worked with craft brewers to update the laws governing beer sales and distribution.


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The more we rely on mobile devices the more we rely on one small technology. Batteries. Have you ever reached for your smartphone to look something up or to get directions and found that it has died? Well, in a few years, that could be something you don’t need to worry about.
A Better Battery on the Way?
Engineers at Chicago’s Northwestern University have been working on advancements in battery technology and may have discovered a way to make batteries charge in minutes and last considerably longer.
What they are working on is a new lithium-ion battery that has more then 10 times the life of present-day batteries. Additionally, after a year of operation, which the researchers estimate to be about 150 charges, these new lithium-ion batteries would remain 5 times more effective then today’s lithium-ion batteries.
A Charged Battery for a Week
Here’s the bottom line: The new cell phone battery could stay charged for more than a week and then recharge itself in just 15 minutes. This is great news for you: It could mean that your iPod won’t run out of juice while you are working the treadmill at the gym. But the new, better battery may have a much greater impact: Based on the Northwestern story, this new battery technology could result in smaller and more efficient batteries for electric cars. This may help the United States—and other countries—cut its reliance on fossil fuels.
Batteries Powering Technological Change
Advancements in battery technology are not something we typically pay attention to. But this one may have a massive positive affect our lives, and not just where convenience is concerned. This new lithium-ion battery may hold the key to a greater technological shift.


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BENGALURU: A couple was nabbed red-handed by shopkeepers of a jewellery store when they tried to palm off gold-plated ornaments in exchange for new gold jewellery. Srinivas K S (36), a salesman with Prathiba Jewellers in Richmond Circle, has filed a complaint against the couple — Manjula (45) and Mohan Kumar (47), both residents of Magadi Road.
Srinivas told Sampangiramnagar police that on March 4, the couple came to the store and asked him to show them some gold chains. The woman took out three chains from her bag which she claimed were gold chains, and asked Srinivas to exchange them for new ones.
On finding the chains to be fake, he alerted his colleagues and handed them over to the police.
An investigating officer said the couple claimed to be husband and wife. “They would exchange gold-coated jewellery in shops, purchase new ones and sell them in some other shop and make money. We have arrested them and sent them to jail,” he added.


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Over at Prism Plastics, three long-time plastics professionals, no doubt veterans of buyer bullying, have created a very successful injection molding business based on one key tenet: simplicity. Clare Goldsberry highlights how the company has used the collective experience of its founders, including the learnable moments they absorbed at their former companies, to create a niche that emphasize less machines, materials, molds, and customers and has earned greater profits. Clare also highlighted how lucrative labels have been for Inland Label, which has targeted the IML market.
Kraft Foods has found a way to simplify its resin sourcing; eliminate 100 million lb of packaging materials worldwide by 2015. Packaging Channel Heather Caliendo spoke with the company about one example of its effort to slim down, the Yes Pack, and stand-up pouch with molded closure that replaces a rigid blowmolded container used by restaurants for things like dressing.
Heather also stopped in at high-speed custom automation supplier, CBW Automation, to get the first-hand scoop on that company's latest flip-top closure robotics system. Completely rethinking the flip-top closure cell, the system eliminates downstream ancillaries that cost money and occupy floor space with a new design that captures, and closes, the closures.
Automotive Channel Editor Stephen Moore took a look at a removable engine cover application that uses a multishot injection design with elastomer studs and a nylon badge plate to replace rubber studs formerly added manually post mold, pretty slick. Stephen also donned his shades to take a peek a bright market, getting brighter, thin-film solar. The market for solar installations based on copper indium gallium diselenide (CIGS) thin-film panels is forecast to nearly double in size to $2.35 billion in 2015, and Mitsubishi Plastics has taken notice, announcing plants to set up a plant in Tsukuba, Japan to supply Tucson-based Global Solar Energy.
Medical Channel Editor Doug Smock provided a glimpse of the future in medical, a wireless one heavily reliant on plastics. He also checked in with Haitian, which through its Zhafir subsidiary, will launch a unique all-electric injection molding machine targeting the medical market at NPE2012. Doug also touched on an increasingly important question for the medical market; Where's the beef? Better not be bovine in your plastic additives.
Green Matter columnist, Karen Laird, brought to light (pun intended) a unique startup hoping provide light and phone charging to markets well off the electrical grid. The light's lightweight, economic design utilizes recycled ABS, and the light's maker, Off-Grid Solutions, told Karen that they had not ruled out the possibility of using a bioplastic.
Finally, PVC had a rough go last week, with P&G and Kaiser announcing their intent to stop using it in some instances, but for our readers and their customers, the reaction to vinyl was pretty muted. Asked if customers had ever expressed concerns about using PVC, 44% said no; 33% said yes; and for the 22% who don't run PVC, it's a non-issue.


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Waitrose is to open its eighth store in the UAE on Monday.
The outlet is on Saadiyat Island, 500m off the coast of Abu Dhabi. It is the fifth in Abu Dhabi, complementing three others in nearby Dubai.
The 10,000 sq ft premises will offer Waitrose products including its Waitrose Essential range, fresh fruit, vegetables and meat plus other food and non-food lines.
“Expanding our business into the UAE supports our long-term growth plans to make the Waitrose brand accessible to more people in more places,” said David Morton, Waitrose director, business to business.
“Customers in the region have really taken to our offer and we are thrilled to continue building our presence in Abu Dhabi on Saadiyat Island.”
The new outlet will create 40 jobs and be run by Fine Fare Food Market, the retailer’s established partner in the region.
Waitrose sales in the UAE have exceeded “all expectations” since it opened its first shop outside the UK, in Dubai in November 2008. Among big sellers are Waitrose farmhouse Cheddar, its freshly baked patisserie range and Waitrose Essential tinned tomatoes.


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By Dani Naess Hellesund
The changes that began in Hillwood Commons during the fall semester continued over the winter break. The latest additions, according to Dr. Abby Van Vlerah, Post’s new dean of Students, are the relocation of the Center for Student Information (CSI), the new Gold Coast Cinema, modified hours at The Student Body (the boutique), some modifications to the Hillwood Second Floor Lounge, and new gaming systems in the recently relocated Game Lounge, and more changes are expected.
Hillwood Commons is said to acquire a sports lounge and a candy shop, and future plans for the CSI include a tech store.
Last semester, Hillwood Commons added the boutique and the game lounge was relocated to the now defunct old study lounge. The newly renovated cinema, now known as the Gold Coast Cinema continues to be the place where students can catch new releases and old favorites. The Gold Coast Cinema has been spruced up and movies will run Thursday at 9 p.m. and Saturday at 3 p.m. Students can also hang out at the new sports lounge, which opens on Feb. 2.
Michelle Evjen Halvorsen, a Business Management major, thinks that the changes will benefit students. “I think people will start to think of the school as a place where they want to spend their time and not only to attend classes,” Halvorsen added.
Rachel Haas, a freshman Digital Arts and Design major and Marketing minor, liked some of the ideas, but not all.
However, overall Hass thinks the changes are positive for the campus. “It is good that they are trying to accommodate the students.” She also added, “as a vegetarian, I like that they now have more options.”
The sports lounge will be located in the Pioneer room in Hillwood, and according to VanVlerah, the name is to be determined. The lounge will feature 9 LED TVs ranging in size, a menu including wings, fries, burgers, chicken sandwiches, shakes and salad, and the opportunity to watch sports. The grand opening is scheduled for Super Bowl Sunday at 5 p.m. Regular hours will be Monday through Wednesday from 8 p.m. to midnight, Thursday from 8 p.m. to 1 a.m., Friday from 6:30 p.m. to 1 a.m., Saturday from 6 p.m. to 1 a.m. and Sunday from 6 p.m. to midnight.
“We changed the hours to better suit the needs of our shoppers,” said Tamir Dayya, Special Projects coordinator. “We found that we were open for too many hours and decided to tailor the hours of operation based on the most common shopping times that we noticed,” Dayya added.
The Post Sweet Treats will be located in the former CSI location. According to VanVlerah, the shop will sell candy, cupcakes, muffins, beverages and other non-perishables. No hours have been determined yet, and just like the Student Body, the candy shop will be student- operated. CSI has relocated to the second floor and a tech store is tentatively planned for fall 2014.
According to Van Vlerah, The Student Body Boutique’s hours have been modified due to student feedback. The new hours are Monday through Friday, noon to 8 p.m. Additionally, the game lounge now has new gaming systems that include a PlayStation 4, an Xbox One, and games, such as “Call of Duty,” “Ghosts,” “Madden 25,” “Battlefield 4” and “Rock Band” game with new drum kits and guitars.
The changes, according to Dan Potenzieri, president of the Student Government Association (SGA) , are very positive for the campus and have already generated a lot of buzz. About adding these new businesses on campus, Potenzieri said, “The changes are targeting services that students have asked for.”
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Photo by Peijin Chen.
Here’s what’s happening around Shanghai:
- Taiwan singer A-mei is in town to promote her latest album.
- Ushi.cn, has big plans to be China’s answer to LinkedIn.
- The much-hated tourist trains on Nanjing East Road are going to be replaced by better, greener alternatives.
- Shanghai has just experienced its longest dry spell in 138 years since the turn of the year.
- This may explain why people in Shanghai are such poor drivers — the driving schools have been actively seeking bribes to help people pass their driving exams!
- Disney products have been found among the 10% of children’s clothes, shoes and toys that failed quality inspection tests recently.
- Hah: The loan-an-umbrella programme started by the Shanghai Metro may be discontinued as the return rate is just slightly above 50%.
- New home supply has soared to the highest in five months.


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When people think of CVS Health (CVS -1.66%), they probably think of the company's ubiquitous pharmacies, of which there are nearly 10,000 in the United States.
CVS was once part of the Melville Shoe Corporation, which began as a three-store chain in 1892. Just as CVS is no longer in the shoe business, the company has evolved into much more than a pharmacy business.
CVS said it made $256.7 billion last year, a 32% rise over 2018. Its biggest revenue driver is its pharmacy services group, which gets revenue from employers, insurance companies, and health plans. Basically, CVS uses its bargaining position to buy bulk drugs at a discount and then shares the savings with its clients.
Last year, pharmacy services listed $141.5 billion for CVS. The company's retail/long-term care segment, which includes in-store pharmaceutical sales and other in-store retail sales, said it brought in $86.6 billion, while its healthcare benefits segment recorded $69.6 billion in revenue. That last area will likely grow, as 2018's $68 billion purchase of Aetna will contribute to its bottom line.
Good, but not great, growth
Revenue has grown at CVS every year since 2011, but does that mean investors in the company made money as well during that time?
The simple answer is yes, but not as much as they would have by investing in a simple S&P 500 index fund over the same period.
The company's share price has risen more than $11 a share since its March 16 low of $52.30, a 22% gain. But it hasn't bounced back as fast as the S&P, which has risen 32.8% in that same time frame.
The S&P 500's lowest point during the Great Recession was on March 9, 2009, when it closed at at $676.53. CVS closed at $23.98 that day. And as well as CVS stock may have done, the S&P 500 has outpaced it since the last recession. A $1,000 investment in CVS stock on March 9, 2009, would have bought you 41 shares. At Wednesday's closing price of $63.92, you would have $2,665.55 (before factoring in the company's dividends). That's a return of 167%, giving you a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 9.3%.
Assuming you reinvested CVS's dividends over that period, you would have $3,293.54, representing a return of 229% and a CAGR of 11%. An index fund that tracked the S&P 500 over that time, however, would have earned you $4,082.05, meaning a return of 301% with a CAGR of 13.5%.
If you compare CVS with its biggest competitor, Walgreens Boots Alliance (WBA -0.47%), however, CVS comes on top over that same period. Without the reinvestment of dividends, Walgreens's return over that period was 96% for a total of $1,963.72. With the reinvestment of dividends, a $1,000 investment in Walgreens on March 9, 2009, would give you $2,464.77 today. That's a return of 146%, compared with that $3,293.54 (229%) from CVS.
CVS's first-quarter report shows diversity is paying off
CVS seems to be weathering the pandemic well. Its first-quarter report listed a total revenue gain of 8.3% through March 31, and adjusted operating income increased 14.4%. There were several reasons for that, including the fact that people stocked up on prescriptions and other medical supplies early in the pandemic. That helped the company's retail LTC division do well, though its healthcare benefits segment lagged because fewer people went to the doctor.
Once people do return to their regular doctor visits, there will be a rise in prescriptions that will further lift CVS. And increasingly, those doctors may be operating in one of the company's in-store MinuteClinics. CVS estimates that 80% of primary care needs can be handled at one of the company's 1,100 MinuteClinics.
The benefits of the MinuteClinics are obvious, and not just for CVS. Most people in the United States live within 10 minutes of a MinuteClinic, making them easier to get to than a typical doctor's office. Someone on vacation or on a work trip with an ear infection is going to have a difficult time getting an appointment with a regular physician, but MinuteClinics bridge that gap.
Overall, CVS has been a decent performer since the last recession, and there are several things that seem to be going right for the company. Healthcare investors may not find explosive growth in this stock, but its strong fundamentals make it worth considering for those who value safety in their portfolios.


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Wednesday, 19 January 2022
Australian consumer groups warn UK Government against industry “self-regulation” of Buy Now Pay Later
Financial Counselling Australia and the Consumer Action Law Centre have shared Australia’s experience of weak consumer safeguards for Buy Now Pay Later (BNPL), as part of the UK Government’s consultation on regulation of the sector in that country.
The consultation by HM Treasury comes after the independent Woolard Review recommended that BNPL firms be regulated “as a matter of urgency”. The Review was commissioned by the UK’s Financial Conduct Authority, equivalent to the Australian Securities and Investment Commission (ASIC).
The BNPL industries in Australia and the UK currently make clever use of loopholes in existing credit laws to operate largely unregulated. The Australian Government has so far endorsed self-regulation for BNPL via a weak voluntary Code of Practice.
Fiona Guthrie, CEO of Financial Counselling Australia says BNPL debt is causing harm and much stronger safeguards are needed:
Financial counsellors are seeing increasing numbers of people experiencing hardship exacerbated by BNPL. People are too easily becoming overcommitted and struggling to make repayments. Our recent survey found that 12 months ago 31% of financial counsellors said that half, more or all of their clients had BNPL debts. This figure is now at 84%.
While it may escape legal definitions, BNPL is credit. The relationship between BNPL and growing financial hardship is clear.
Tom Abourizk, Policy Officer at Consumer Action Legal Centre, says Australia’s self-regulation of the BNPL industry through a voluntary industry code is woefully inadequate:
An appropriate regulatory response is needed that ensures at the least that BNPL providers are required to assess whether a person can afford to repay BNPL debt.
We urge the United Kingdom government to learn lessons from Australia’s experience and take steps to ensure these products have better safeguards, in a manner that puts consumers, particularly people experiencing vulnerability, first.
Both groups say it’s important the Australian Government follow the lead of the UK and initiate an independent review to examine the harm of BNPL and identify proportionate safeguards.
The UK Treasury’s consultation sought views from industry, community and consumer groups on the creation of a proportionate approach to the regulation of Buy-Now Pay-Later (BNPL) products. You can find FCA & CALC’s joint submission here.
Australia’s BNPL industry is self-regulated by a Code of Practice, overseen by the industry’s peak body the Australia Finance Industry Association (AFIA). The Code came into effect on 1 March 2021. Only eight of the 16+ BNPL providers have signed onto the Code.
Financial Counselling Australia conducted its survey between August and September 2021. The full report can be found here.
James Hunt –Financial Counselling Australia
0452 304 193
Mark Pearce- Consumer Action Law Centre
0413 299 567
Media contact: Mark Pearce, Media and Communications Adviser, 0413 299 567, [email protected]
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Melbourne, Victoria 3000


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AB706 and Why We Need it Passed
Last Wednesday was a day of high drama about FR chemicals. Here’s the story in three acts
Act I The Upholstered Furniture Flammability Stakeholder Meeting for the Senate Commerce Committee was held near DC. I joined by phone at seven am.
— Only California at present has a regulation for furniture flammability but a federal regulation has been under consideration since 1995. The chemical industry is agitating in Congress for a rigorous small open flame standard for the entire country that would lead to heavy usage of potentially toxic chemicals in our furniture. This meeting was held to expedite the furniture and related industries (fabric, foam) giving their input to the Senate Commerce committee.
Meeting discussion centered around whether the new flammability regulation be a smolder-only standard that could be satisfied with furniture design, inherently fire retardant fabrics, and innovative new technologies, or a small open-flame standard requiring potentially toxic fire retardant chemicals.
Many industry representatives make eloquent statements about the hardships their industries would face from an open flame standard and the lack of information on how to meet such a standard without using potentially toxic chemicals. The fabric industry believes that requiring fabric to withstand an open flame could put many companies out of business.
The chemical industry firmly opposes a federal smoldering standard because they say it would compromise fire safety; however, with no current Federal standard, fire safety would increase if a Federal smoldering ignition standard were enacted. The fact that no chemicals would be needed to treat fabrics and foam used in furniture without an open-flame standard no doubt is an unspoken factor.
At the end of a five hour discussion, almost everyone agreed on a Federal smoldering ignition standard for furniture for now and more research on a future small open flame standard.
Act II, A Seminar at the Department of Toxic Substances at 2:00 pm
Non-PBDE Flame Retardants: What Do We Know, and What Do We Need to Know?
— New emerging fire retardants that will be the environmental hazards of the future already can be detected in the environment, bioaccumulate, and have a variety of toxic effects.
Tetrabromobisphenol A (TBBPA), a flame retardant in circuit boards and plastic housings, is the highest volume brominated flame retardant in production 330 million pounds used annually in 2002. It has been detected in soils, sediments, fish, predatory birds and human serum. It is known to cause endocrine disruption in mammals and fish and is an immunotoxicant, interfering with cell signaling pathways.
Hexabromocyclododecane (HBCD), an additive flame retardant in polystyrene foams used as building thermal insulation, upholstery textiles, and electrical equipment housings is a global contaminant with long-range atmospheric transport. It is carcinogenic, interferes with thyroid hormones and causes developmental neurotoxic effects.
Dechlorane Plus, an additive flame retardant in electrical wires and cables, computer connectors and plastic roofing materials, has been used for over 40 years and has been detected in air, sediment and fish from the Great Lakes region, Lake Winnipeg and Lake Ontario food webs, and Great Lakes herring gull eggs. It is highly lipophilic, and bioaccumulative.
The list of chemicals with toxic effects and data gaps went on and on, increasing my belief that regulating whole classes of these chemicals at once is the only way to stop moving from using one toxin to the next when one toxin is banned.
Act III A meeting with my summer research student at four pm
PBDE fire retardants are half way in chemical structure between PCB and dioxins, which are known to cause cancer and a variety of toxic neurological and reproductive effects in humans. PBDE cause similar toxic effects in experimental animals. Can this be extrapolated to humans?
Summarizing many of the peer reviewed papers representing decades of work by eminent scientists around the world, Meg, a physician and recent MPH graduate from UC Berkeley, found alarming similarities in the mechanisms of action of PBDEs in animals and PCBs in humans for adverse thyroid, neurological, and reproductive impacts. In addition she found that the PBDE tissue levels in humans in the US are approaching levels that cause these effects in experimental animals. Levels of PBDEs in other countries are considerably lower.
Most PBDEs in the US have been used to meet the California open flame standard for furniture flammability that the chemical industry wants to extend to the whole country to improve fire safety. There is no evidence that decades of such a standard in CA has improved fire safety, but according to Meg’s results, these is increasing evidence for a potential human health catastrophe.
The questions that come to my mind are:
1) Do we need more of these chemicals in our furniture, our environment, our wildlife and our bodies?
2) Based on the mantra of fire safety, can the chemical industry continue to dictate against the
best interests of many other industries, the health of our population, and the planet?
3) When is enough enough?
You can view photos and text from Arlene’s new book Breaking Trail: A Climbing Life at http://www.arleneblum.com/photo_album.html.
Arlene Blum, PhD
Research Associate in Chemistry, UC Berkeley
Executive Director, Green Science Policy Institute
Office Telephone: 510 898 1704 or 510 898 1739 Mobile: 510 919-6363
Web: www .GreenSciencePolicy .org, www.arleneblum.com
Please check out our short Six Classes videos and learn how to select healthier products.