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Need more proof that PETCO doesn’t care about animals? Because of newly reported cases of salmonella that have been linked to pet turtles, the company has launched a “turtle relinquishment program,” which encourages people to bring in their pet turtles and give them to PETCO.The retail giant told PETA that people who give up their turtles are told that the animals will get to “grow up” at Concordia Turtle Farm.
But the truth, according to PETCO, is that many of these turtles are actually recycled back into the pet trade!
And Concordia Turtle Farm? It’s actually a massive turtle meat factory farm that ships more than 2 million hatchlings overseas annually, mostly to China, for slaughter!
PETCO should not be selling turtles to begin with, let alone recycling them back into the pet trade and/or doing business with a massive turtle meat factory farm! E-mail James Myers, CEO of PETCO, at [email protected] and urge him to stop supporting the suffering of turtles.
Submit a copy of your e-mail for points by clicking “Get Points” above.


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This competition has closed. The winner was jonhillyer.
Oasi are the favourite shoes of Alex Megos, Tenaya sponsored climber. Designed to achieve the highest levels of performance, the Oasi is exceptionally comfortable yet offers incredible precision and responsiveness, making climbing feel easier and more intuitive.
Tenaya's team of engineers and designers have been working on the Oasi project for two years, searching for the perfect rock shoe for extreme climbing. Now it is available in the UK at selected specialist climbing stores.
The video below shows Alex Megos, wearing Tenaya Oasi rocks shoes, making the first ascent of Wheelchair in the Hollow Mountain Cave (Australia), probably the most difficult climb on the continent. Given a sport grade of 9a+. Check out his amazing footwork using heel and toe hooks to maximum effect.
To enter the competition to win a pair of these beautiful shoes, just answer the question below:
This competition has now closed.

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I was honored to address students at the National Law University, Delhi this past week about privacy in the US and global privacy trends and issues. The talk included a Q and A session, during which the students engaged in a spirited conversation about US policies regarding surveillance and privacy. I enjoyed the session thoroughly. The students asked challenging questions in particular about telecommunications policies and the idea of safety versus privacy and achieving proper balance.
The World Privacy Forum’s recent public comments to the White House regarding Big Data focus on using a foundation of Fair Information Principles to address issues connected to bias, error, and privacy regarding big data as applied to vulnerable populations. The comments also discuss large medical research data sets, and stress the importance of applying
The World Privacy Forum submitted comments to the Securities and Exchange Commission today requesting that the SEC do more to protect the privacy of consumers’ asset information. Asset information — the financial information attached to mortgages, car loans, and other consumer borrowing activities– is very attractive to the consumer data industry. We would be happier with the current SEC proposal if it were practical to keep all sensitive asset-level data under the direct control of the Commission or, perhaps, the Consumer Finance Protection Bureau. Direct involvement by a federal agency, while no guarantee of a better outcome for data subjects, would provide better and clearer accountability for maintenance of the data as well as the possibility of meaningful enforcement.
To score is human. Ranking individuals by grades and other performance numbers is as old as human society. Consumer scores — numbers given to individuals to describe or predict their characteristics, habits, or predilections — are a modern day numeric shorthand that ranks, separates, sifts, and otherwise categorizes individuals and also predicts their potential future actions. This new report by Pam Dixon and Robert Gellman explores this issue of predictive scores and privacy.
This op ed was originally published Wednesday, March 19 2014 in IAPP for the FTC Alternate Scoring Conference.
In our modern sea of data, the resources to examine all relevant information regarding a decision is no longer feasible, so we use shortcuts. Consumer scores built using predictive analytics and fed by large datasets are the modern-day shortcuts to understanding individual consumer behavior. That’s why new and unregulated consumer scores abound. They are used widely in today’s world to predict consumers’ behavior, spending, health, fraud, profitability, and much more. These scores rely on petabytes of information coming from newly available data streams, and some old ones.


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Android has raced past iOS to become the top mobile operating system for the first time.
Figures from Net Applications show that devices powered by Android were used more than iPhones, iPads, and iPod Touch devices running iOS throughout July 2014.
The mobile OS usage number is particularly striking since Android is already so dominant in terms of devices: it runs on 85 per cent of handsets sold compared with iOS just 11.9 per cent. It seems fanbois are apparently much more active as users.
Google I/O started off on high note and ended making a lot of Nexus users happy. Pure Android lovers who bragged about their Nexus device got even more bragging rights. Android L with a brand new design and a lot of under-the-hood changes has given Android the revamp it needed. The release is one more step towards fighting off the fragmentation problem that has been plaguing Android for years. Also with L, Android might finally manage to overthrow iOS in areas that Apple has been constantly dominating. Besides this being a "fix what's weak" release for Google, the conference had another less-noticed gem that might bring more users to the search giant: Android One.
I wish to encourage modern android app developers to use open source OS Linux and latest Android SDK for better Android app development so development would be cost-effective as well as quick to reach as early as possible to the market. Therefore, I have given good hints in this post for newbie as well as seasoned Android developers.
The folks at VolksPC started showing off a software solution that lets you run Android and Debian Linux simultaneously on an ARM-based computer. This lets you use the same machine to run full desktop Linux apps like LibreOffice or Firefox as well as Android apps including Netflix, Hulu Plus, and any number of video games.
Microsoft is seeking a ruling as to whether its acquisition of Nokia's handset and services business negates its intellectual-property licensing agreement with Samsung that dates back to 2011. Microsoft also is seeking unpaid interest from Samsung, resulting from the period of time last year when Samsung withheld patent royalties from Microsoft -- royalties which Samsung later paid.
OnePlus has generated a hell of a lot of hype over the last few months and seem to be using hype as an interesting marketing tool. The company’s flagship device, the ‘One’ generated enormous hype among techies and as a result has generated demand which clearly outweighed the company’s expectations and capabilities. Especially due to their notorious invite system. Last week there were suggestions OnePlus are already working on the OnePlus Two and now it seems hype is building around what very well could be a OnePlus Smartwatch…the OneWatch.
So you have rooted your device and are now thinking what do I do? What was all the flashing, installing and wiping for? My phone still looks the same! Well, yes, rooting does not actually do much in itself but instead offers you the opportunity to customize and alter the device. The best way to do this is with root-only available apps and this list should help you to get to grips with the basics of root apps.
Hong Kong based reseller W2Comp, which previously introduced a dual-core Rockchip RK3066 based Probox2 Ultimate media player that runs Android 4.0, has now launched a faster model, called the Probox2 EX (Extreme), that runs Android 4.4 (“KitKat”). The new mini-PC is open for pre-orders at $150, with shipments beginning Aug. 8. There’s no mention of any support for Google’s upcoming remix of Google TV called Android TV, but the Probox2 EX would seem to have the advanced hardware to run it.
When Nokia completed the sale of its mobile business to Microsoft earlier this year, the acquisition meant that the Finnish giant would not manufacture mobile phones for a while, and concentrate on its telecommunications and services business in the interim.
However, if newly-spotted job listings on LinkedIn are to be believed, then Nokia is hiring engineers, designers and camera specialists for upcoming devices.


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A newly opened retail store on the northwest corner of Bathhouse Row ensures that the Spa City will never be short of holiday spirit, no matter what time of year.
Kringle’s in the Park, a storefront located at 118 Central Ave., prides itself on being filled to the brim with holiday items for purchase year-round. Such a festive holiday appearance both gives customers a bevy of items for
purchase as well as a vibrant atmosphere for them to enjoy.
“We want it to be an experience as much as a business,” Greg Mabry, one of the store’s owners, said.
Kringle’s came into existence through store owners Greg and Shawn Mabry, a couple that was previously working as president and risk manager for a local staffing company. Greg Mabry, who grew up in the retail industry, said that he and his wife were looking for an opportunity to get into Garland County’s retail scene by bringing something original to the community.
The couple first began searching for opportunities to do retail in January of this year.
“I looked for a lot of opportunities around town, but we quit, came back and then started looking for local opportunities as to what would be something missing from Hot Springs that might be unique, and most particularly, in the downtown district,” Greg Mabry said.
Upon seeing the storefront, the Mabrys decided that the location would serve well as a year-round Christmas store and took over the rights to the storefront’s lease on Aug. 7. The couple immediately began transforming the room into a winter wonderland — they painted the room’s walls and reached out to more than 50 suppliers for merchandise. Greg Mabry said that their surplus of suppliers is how the two have been able to sell such a wide variety of merchandise.
Once they had gathered all of their merchandise and readied the room for customers, the Mabrys opened Kringle’s on Oct. 1. Today, one can walk into the store and witness an array of Christmas trees, ornaments and festive art pieces that bring on seasonal vibes no matter what time of year.
The business, which has been open for just over a month, has received widespread praise.
“In addition to the visitors of Hot Springs, the local community has been extremely supportive,” Greg Mabry said. “Our neighboring shops and the community, from the Village to Hot Springs — those who have come to the store have been extremely complimentary.”
Although Kringle’s will keep a Christmas theme and sell such
items year-round, the store also plans to sell seasonal items for holidays such as St. Patrick’s Day and Easter Sunday. The Mabrys also pointed out that many customers have already purchased gifts for occasions such as weddings and graduations.
“It’ll always look like Christmas, but it’ll have seasonal gifts,” Shawn Mabry said.
As Hot Springs moves into the holiday season, the Mabrys hope that business at Kringle’s will continue to increase as it already has from its time of opening.
“We’ve been very busy so far,” Greg Mabry said. “Each week has been progressively busier than the week of grand opening. I can only say that we can expect things to continuously increase from an activity standpoint leading up to Christmas.”
So far, the Mabrys are happy with how their business has been faring in Hot Springs.
“We’ve gotten a lot of feedback from the perspective of people that say, ‘We love your store,’” Greg Mabry said. “That’s kind of what we were shooting for. You don’t always wind up like that, but we were very fortunate that we get person after person who is very complimentary of the store. That has probably been the most rewarding so far.”
Kringle’s is open from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. daily.


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RATE OF VACANCIES DEPEND ON TYPE OF PROPERTY
Historical Rates on VacanciesThe vacancy rate at open-air shopping centers rose to 10.9 percent from 10.6 percent a year ago, according to research firm Reis. That’s still significantly below the 30-year record high of 11.1 percent vacancy recorded by the firm in 1990. Meanwhile, at regional and super-regional malls, vacancies fell to 8.7 percent in the fourth quarter from 8.8 percent both in the third quarter and a year ago, Reis said.
Absorbtion Rates Hurt VacanciesRetailers absorbed about 92,000 square feet of new or empty shopping center space last quarter, less than the 474,000 square feet absorbed in the third quarter, Reis said. In the fourth quarter of 2009, retailers vacated about 2.6 million square feet of space, the firm says.
Effective rents, or what tenants actually pay, dropped to an average $16.56 per square foot in the fourth quarter for open-air centers from $16.81 a year ago, Reis said. At malls, fourth-quarter effective rents were slightly up from a year ago to $38.79 per square foot.
Compiled by the staff of Shopping Centers Today. © January 05, 2011 International Council of Shopping Centers.
The Voice of the Retail Real Estate Industry


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It seems like everything of importance is being bought and sold in the first two and a half weeks of 2013 in both the equities and commodities markets. Besides the Dow climbing to highs not seen in the past five years, and gun purchases emptying out many retail stores that sell firearms, the primary assets being completely bought off the shelves by the American people are actually silver ounce coins.
On Jan. 17, the U.S. Mint issued a letter stating that they have completely run out of silver American Eagle coins, and are suspending sales until the end of the month. This suspension comes after six million silver Eagles were sold since the beginning of the year, and at a time when precious metal sales are escalating in markets all over the globe.
The United States Mint has temporarily sold out of 2013 American Eagle Silver Bullion coins. As a result, sales are suspended until we can build up an inventory of these coins. Sales will resume on or about the week of January 28, 2013, via the allocation process.
Please feel free to call us if you have any questions.
Jack A. Szczerban
Branch Chief, Precious Metals Group
Department of the Treasury
United States Mint
Although the Federal Reserve, and Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke, believe that gold and silver are simply one of many assets to be used to support the U.S. dollar, but are not actually considered money, countries around the world have been trading their dollar reserves to accumulate the precious metals in large quantities. In fact, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe recently stated that the Asian nation would increase their purchases of gold and silver using percentages of their $3 trillion pension funds that now reside in dollar denominated assets.
At the same time China, Japan, Russia, and India are increasing their gold reserves, Germany this week declared they were going to repatriate their gold from banks in both France and the United States. This represents nearly 300 tons of the precious metal that many believe has been leased out, and is not available for delivery to the Germany government.
Americans in large numbers are preparing for an economic, political, or societal change that is now effecting the growth and direction of many consumer products being bought and sold. Guns, ammunition, disaster preparedness equipment, along with gold and silver, are all doing well in this recessionary period, and are being purchased in large quantities. With the U.S.. Mint today declaring they have run out of silver American Eagle coins, especially when the population is buying them in record numbers, the result will be a greater demand on the limited amount of silver being sold in shops and retail outlets across the country, and substantially higher prices for that limited supply.


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The Palm Beach Food and Wine Festival kicks off today, December 10. But unless you already purchased tickets, you won't be sampling and food or wine — each of the three-day fest's 12 events are completely sold out — except one.
Tickets are still available for the festival’s crème de la crème event: the ninth-annual Grand Tasting.
The final event of the festival, this year the Grand Tasting has received a noticeable overhaul. Twice the size of last year's event, this year it has been moved to the Gardens Mall in Palm Beach Gardens where it will take over the entire first floor.
The move to a new venue is a reflection of the festival's growth, say its creators. During the event, more than 60 South Florida restaurants will be serving their most celebrated dishes and more than 30 wineries will be pouring samples.
Newcomers this year will include appearances by Jupiter's Nitrogen Bar and Grill, as well as Miami's Blue Collar, Mignonette, and the Osprey Tavern.
Lastly, don't miss the annual Grand Chef Throwdown finale, where three local chefs compete in a timed competition for a $10,000 prize. This year, the showdown will pit West Palm Beach's Emko executive chef Nick Martinkovic against Café Boulud's James Strine and Taylor Balderson.
The Palm Beach Food & Wine Festival Ninth-Annual Grand Tasting event will take place from 5 to 9 p.m. on Sunday, December 13. Tickets are $75 per person, and purchase includes food samples, wine pairings, and an open bar. Visit pbfoodwinefest.com.
Nicole Danna is a food writer covering Broward and Palm Beach counties. To get the latest in food and drink news in South Florida, follow her @SoFloNicole or find her latest food pics on the BPB New Times Food & Drink Instagram.
Keep New Times Broward-Palm Beach Free... Since we started New Times Broward-Palm Beach, it has been defined as the free, independent voice of South Florida, and we would like to keep it that way. Offering our readers free access to incisive coverage of local news, food and culture. Producing stories on everything from political scandals to the hottest new bands, with gutsy reporting, stylish writing, and staffers who've won everything from the Society of Professional Journalists' Sigma Delta Chi feature-writing award to the Casey Medal for Meritorious Journalism. But with local journalism's existence under siege and advertising revenue setbacks having a larger impact, it is important now more than ever for us to rally support behind funding our local journalism. You can help by participating in our "I Support" membership program, allowing us to keep covering South Florida with no paywalls.


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Australia’s retail sector is helping lead the country out of the economic impacts of the pandemic.
We saw how resilient we are when it comes to consumer spending and adopting new technologies. We also saw a paradigm shift in how Australians engage with the retail sector, and how retail is adapting to this change to engage with consumers.
However, some challenges retailers are still facing, and have blown out of our control. With the election now behind us, it is time for the government to focus on the lingering issues that continue to affect businesses, employers, workers and consumers.
A two-year hiatus of Australia’s migration scheme left significant gaps in the nation’s skills pool. Large companies to small businesses have struggled to find staff without the ability to source overseas talent or working-holiday and student visa holders. This shortage has constrained several business’s ability to operate at full capacity.
The competition for workers is adding upward pressure to the cost of living and for the Fair Work Commission to increase the minimum wage to match. The cost-of-living crisis we find ourselves in has been driven by a decade of slow wage growth. A wage increase will provide financial relief for some workers, but in many cases the cost burden rests on employers. Some businesses are simply unable to pass wage hikes to their employees. Others are concerned by the repercussion of jacking up already inflated consumer prices to cover the cost.
Inflation has highlighted the failures of the global supply chain, revealing persistent issues with the manufacture and movement of goods. The bottleneck has affected every single part of our economy and will take years to sort out.
But, out of crisis comes opportunity. The essentials of retail remain strong, but there are elements of making our future secure, a new way of seeing and doing things, that need to be explored.
The key takeaway we have learned from the past two years is that consumers are increasingly more reliant on technology and digital platforms, having tried and adopted new ways to shop. We are already using digital tools for tax, compliance, cash flow, invoicing and online payments and project and inventory management. Yet to compete on the global scale, Australia must innovate its digital capacities and train a tech-focused workforce to capitalise on new opportunities in emerging consumer and technology trends.
Tech innovation is also our answer to the drop in productivity. Lifting wages without increasing productivity, for example, will only stroke inflation. At the moment, not much is clear on what is happening in terms of productivity. Measures that boost productivity, such as childcare and vocational training, should be a high priority for the government. This is why we’re assembling an industry roundtable in Melbourne later this month to discuss industry requirements in digital innovation and infrastructure. Learn more here.
The government also needs to expand existing programs that provide access to vocational training and career pathways to people outside of the typical retail-worker demographic of 18 to 25 year olds. Retail can be a purposeful career, and we should look to invest in the right people with a focus on technology and automation.
To get inflation back to a level that is sustainable, an increase in digital capabilities is the way forward with a unified response that captures intelligence, flexibility and insights. This will require significant investment, but once digital adoption gathers speed, the impacts will be immediate and meaningful.
The National Retail Association looks forward to continued collaboration between the sector and government to iron out these inefficiencies and provide continual improvement across the sector, helping secure Australia’s economic recovery and better prepare us for the future.


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Now is an ideal opportunity for people to lower their levels of credit card debt, it has been suggested.
According to Moneyfacts.co.uk, January is the time of year when people are facing up to their borrowing during the festive season.
The firm claimed: “In the last couple of weeks thousands of people will have taken a sharp intake of breath when they realised the extent of their Christmas overspending as their latest credit card bills hit the doormat.”
Moneyfacts.co.uk claimed that in an attempt to become debt free people should also consider switching suppliers of personal finance products.
Earlier this month, Rachel Thrussell, head of savings at the institution, reported that it is vital consumers keep an eye on the rate of interest they receive on their savings account and ensure that they change providers in an attempt to get a good deal.
She suggested that those who do fail to do so could be missing out on hundreds of pounds every year.


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By Nduka Chiejina (Assistant Editor)
African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank) and Nigeria Export-Import Bank (NEXIM) have announced a US$750,000 grant to chart the main channel of the Niger-Benue river in Nigeria.
The channeling of the Niger-Benue River is part of the Regional Sealink Project, which aims to bridge the gap in maritime transport infrastructure and improve trade connectivity in West Africa.
Afreximbank provided a grant of US$350,000 to supplement the US$450,000 made available by NEXIM, thus completing the financing of the bathymetric survey and hydrographic and hydrological studies of the lower Niger-Benue River.
The studies will be undertaken under a joint collaboration framework between the Nigerian Navy Hydrography Department, Nigeria’s National Inland waterways Authority (NIWA) and Sealink Consortium Partners.
When completed, “the studies will support the early commencement of the inland waterways operations planned under the Regional Sealink Project, by enabling the development of the inland waterways navigation chart as well as river ports and anchorage plans that will facilitate bulk commodities and general cargo shipping, thereby boosting Nigeria’s bulk commodities trade and exports,” Afrexim said.
Inland waterways are a key transport mode that plays a vital role in facilitating the efficient and cost-effective movement of goods and providing a competitive alternative to rail and road transport, while ensuring integration into the country’s international logistics chain.
Prof. Benedict Oramah, President of Afreximbank, said “the project will facilitate regional transit, especially with the commencement of trading under the African Continental Free Trade Agreement (AfCFTA).”
The project he said will enhance Nigeria’s attractiveness as an investment destination, but also foster regional integration and trade in the ECOWAS region as well as facilitate the reduction of the level of informal trade, thereby promoting industrialisation and financial inclusion for Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs).”
Mr. Abubakar Abba Bello, Managing Director of NEXIM on his part, said “the execution of the Grant Agreement strongly aligns with the strategic objectives of Afreximbank and NEXIM in trade promotion and support for the development of trade facilitating and enabling infrastructure that will deepen the partnership engagements of both institutions to foster trade connectivity, especially under the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).”


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How new mobile devices affect the company’s efficiencyBy
There is a multitude of new mobile devices and hardware with embedded wireless connectivity being introduced into the marketplace by leading equipment manufacturers that could potentially revolutionize the efficiency of the enterprise.
Many of these devices have the capacity to help enterprises significantly reduce costs, increase efficiency and capture real-time data from the field.
The scope of functionality for a lot of these new devices continues to widen and, consequently, the enterprise is increasingly relying on this technology for more applications.
Enterprise Strategy Group recently surveyed 174 IT professionals about their organizations’ use and adoption of mobile devices and found that:
• Thirty-seven percent plan to significantly increase their spending plans for mobile devices and mobile device support
• When asked about the importance of mobile devices to their organization’s business processes and productivity, 38 percent defined them as “critical,” while 48 percent labeled them as “important”
• Twenty-eight percent stated that their organizations are already developing applications for mobile devices, while 34 percent plan to develop applications for mobile devices.
Clearly as the utility of these devices continues to grow, enterprises will spend more on these technologies, applications and support.
Additionally, the operational efficiency of enterprises will be especially enhanced by mobile devices following the roll-out of 4G networks.
The 4G technology will provide increased bandwidth and transmission speeds, along with capacity, to allow for faster and more seamless communication. This will allow for the sharing of larger data intensive files to be transferred across the network at much higher speeds.
As an example, more video files will be taken in the field including video relay of an event or issue from the field, as well as two-way video conferencing, such so that headquarters personnel can weigh in with possible solutions to rectify the situation.
One area in which some of the leading equipment manufacturers are engaged in a mobile horse race is machine-to-machine (M2M) communication.
Many of these manufacturers are aggressively positioning themselves as leaders in this market and aggressively investing in R&D to produce wirelessly enabled hand-held devices and chipsets that will soon allow for M2M communication.
More specifically, they are developing enterprise applications that leverage Near Field Communication (NFC) technology to enable mobile to mobile transactions.
NFC has the potential to dramatically increase the operational efficiency of enterprises.
An example of this would include mobile handheld financial and credit card transactions.
In a recent joint venture, several U.S. carriers including Verizon Wireless, AT&T and T-Mobile are working on developing a mobile payments ecosystem on their own, whereby cutting credit card issuers such as Visa, MasterCard, American Express and Discover out of the mix.
A growing amount of mobile devices are now offering increased functionality for remote sales applications.
In particular, as the variety of tablet-based device offerings such as Apple’s iPad and Hewlett-Packard’s Touch Smart tm2 continues to widen, there is a reciprocal zealotry growing in the sales force market for relying on these devices.
With tablets being wirelessly enabled, a salesperson can now perform functions that were previously unattainable.
In many ways, the design and functionality of tablets are ideal for the typical salesperson that is constantly mobile and in need of a streamlined device that suits their needs.
These tablet-based devices also offer enterprises with the additional functionality of training their sales forces through e-reading and e-learning applications.
Salespeople can undergo Web-based continuing education while making calls and visits with customers.
Another industry where we can anticipate a significant increase in mobile device adoption is the utilities sector.
Wireless devices will be offering enterprises increased efficiency for monitoring utility usage in the field via mobile diagnostic applications for meter reading.
The build-out of the smart grid will further expedite the manufacturing and availability of these offerings.
Utility company employees will have the capacity to remotely capture diagnostic data from the grid via NFC technology.
What is more, these devices will enable utilities to send data to a utility company’s main office via wireless transmission.
There are a number of companies focused on developing solutions for the Smart Grid ecosystem, including GE and IBM.
One example of this is electronic meter reading where both M2M mobile solutions and linkages with billing and support systems will be required.
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Editorial Note: The content of this article is based on the author’s opinions and recommendations alone. It has not been previewed, commissioned or otherwise endorsed by any credit card issuer. This site may be compensated through a credit card issuer partnership.
Updated on Tuesday, October 25, 2016
Note: Since December 14, 2017, Plastc is no longer available.
The idea seemed brilliant in its simplicity: Combine all the credit cards in your wallet into one slick, card-sized gadget with a chameleon-like magnetic stripe that could be swiped anywhere. All-in-one cards promised the end of bulging wallets forever.
Coin, the first well-funded entrant into the category, made a huge first impression thanks to a slick social media campaign and viral videos — one was seen 10.2 million times on YouTube. Imitators like Plastc and Swyp jumped in on the excitement and into the fray.
Frank Barbieri, a tech enthusiast and investor, was among the first to spot and share an ad for Coin.
“I was excited about the promise,” said Barbieri, who paid $50 on the spot to get in line to be among the first Coin customers.
The company said it wanted to raise $50,000 via pre-orders when it opened the doors on Nov. 13, 2013. It reached that goal — theoretically, 1,000 orders — within 47 minutes.
But minutes have turned into hours, days, and years … and those early enthusiasts are still waiting for their one card to rule them all. Coin has come and gone. Its wearable payments technology was sold to FitBit in May, and the company stopped producing its flagship product. What’s left of the category seems little more than Facebook pages where frustrated consumers beg for the status of their pre-orders.
Failure to Launch
Plastc, which was considered a close competitor to Coin when it launched in October 2014, is currently taking orders for its $155 product but has yet to ship a product. In a Facebook Live post in September and in an e-mail sent to customers*, the company said it has 80,000 pre-orders and has raised $9 million in revenue since its launch (*Updated on May 2, 2017: This has been updated to reflect the source, which was a Facebook Live video posted on the now-defunct Plastc Facebook page and also an e-mail sent to Plastc customers from Plastc CEO Ryan Marquis on Sept. 13, 2016). But it has repeatedly disappointed consumers with delays. Earlier this year, the ship date was bumped from April to August or September, according to a message attributed to CEO Ryan Marquis and posted on several online venues, including Reddit. The message offered consumers an opportunity to get a refund, but Marquis urged folks to be patient.
“I hope you stick around. Plastc Card is going to be an AWESOME product,” he wrote.
In July, the company announced another delay, blaming a typhoon that wreaked havoc with its parts suppliers in Asia. The release date was pushed into the fourth quarter of 2016.
When we reached out to Plastc, the firm said it was shipping orders “in late Q4 (Nov/Dec) of this year.” But separately, CEO Ryan Marquis said on a Facebook video released in late September that only a small group of buyers would receive their cards this year, as part of a test group, and the rest wouldn’t be shipped until next year.
“Stop lying to your (way too) loyal customers about when this outdated product is going to ship,” wrote Steve Bierfeldt on the firm’s Facebook page. Bierfeldt, a 30-something who lives in the New York City area, told me he ordered the product more than a year ago. After this latest delay, he requested a refund.
“I hope you stick around.”
“They’ve missed 3 or 4 public deadlines, and there is nothing to indicate they have a working prototype, much less a finished product,” Bierfeldt said. “It certainly seems they are stringing along customers and hoping the bottom doesn’t drop out. I hope they can pull it together because the idea of the product is a good one.”
Plenty of Plastc consumers aren’t convinced the product will ever arrive, and aren’t shy about complaining. On Plastc’s Facebook page, the firm is currently offering a T-shirt giveaway, leading another buyer to write, “Want my card not a damn T-Shirt.”
Plastc did not answer additional questions about the consumers’ frustration.
Michigan-based Stratos card got a lot of attention when it launched and began shipping some all-in-one cards in May 2015, but in another sign of how tough the market is, the firm nearly went under less than a year later. At the 11th hour, Stratos sold to Ciright One, a Pennslyvania-based firm working on a similar product. Ciright’s “One” card will pitch a slightly different angle, promising to help consumers keep track of their gift card balances, while also allowing use of credit cards. The firm’s website says its One Card will ship in 2017.
Bad Timing and Mixed Results
Why are all-in-one cards, and their elegantly simple idea, such a dud? There are plenty of reasons.
The key technology involved, which predates Coin, is called “dynamic magnetic stripe.” Installed on a gadget like Coin, it would theoretically allow consumers to load multiple cards onto the same device. Then it would change, chameleon-like, so it would look like the original bank-issued piece of plastic to any point of sale terminal. Fine so far.
But Coin and its ilk had bad timing. Barbieri was lucky enough to get an early version of Coin, but he found he could hardly use it anywhere. Just as Coin arrived, stores began abandoning the magnetic stripe in favor of EMV chip debit and credit cards. Coin had no way to deal with that.
“So it was a complete bust. [I] had to carry cards anyway,” Barbieri said.
But the chip issue is just the beginning of the problem faced by all-in-one card makers, says James Wester, a payments analyst at IDC Financial Insights. He’s not surprised that gadget makers shipwrecked while trying to change the way consumers spend money. Many tech firms have run aground before.
“Trying to participate in the payments space is very hard,” Wester says. “A lot of folks who try, find out the hard way.”
For starters, Coin and its imitators had to do the near-impossible: compete against a product that’s free and simple. Bank plastic doesn’t cost anything and works pretty much immediately. Cards like Coin cost money and have to be loaded and maintained.
“Is [carrying too many cards] a problem worth paying $50 to solve?” Wester asks. “When your largest competitor is a free product, that’s going to be really hard.”
As is clear from the continuing angst over conversion from magnetic stripes to chips — not to mention the fits and starts suffered by giant entrants Apple Pay and Google Wallet — old consumer payment habits die very hard. People don’t want to have to think about how they spend money; they just want it to work.
Coin, which had shipped two versions of its product, gave up earlier this year and sold its technology to Fitbit. A message sent to CEO Kanishk Parashar wasn’t returned.
Swyp shipped its first batch of long-awaited cards this summer after prolonged delays. Users are already complaining about the card’s major flaw: it is not EMV chip-enabled.
Not that all all-in-ones are giving up. Swyp, which promises a similar product it calls the “smart wallet,” shipped a batch of cards this summer to consumers who pre-ordered them. But these cards suffer from the same problem as Coin’s first batch: they only work as magnetic stripe cards, and can’t be used to complete EMV chip transactions.
Swyp is no longer taking pre-orders for them. The firm says on its website that the cards will go on sale next year. It also says Swyp will support both EMV and NFC in the future, but doesn’t say when.
Wester, who comes across as very cynical of all-in-one cards, thinks that firms like Plastc might actually have a window of opportunity created by the current chaos in payments. Consumers are still frustrated by the clunky changeover to chip credit and debit cards, and the associated slowdowns at checkout. Adoption of mobile phone payment or other schemes using wireless Near Field Communication (NFC) tap-and-pay technology has been sluggish too.
NFC-enabled plastic allows “contactless credit cards,” which are popular in Europe, but are nearly unavailable in the U.S. And that could be an opening for a card like Plastc. (On its site, the firms says it will support NFC, but not chips, at launch). Tap-and-pay NFC transactions can be nearly instantaneous, which might attract consumers and create a value proposition, Wester said. And if they are integrated into wearable devices, which is Fitbit’s master plan, they could give runners an easy way to grab a bottled water without slowing them down.
Still, Wester repeated many times, creating a brand new form of payment is among the most challenging areas of technology innovation. It’s so challenging that he offers his entrepreneurial friends this advice:
“If you have money to burn on a smart idea, don’t go into payments,” he said. And if you have money to burn on a product, consider spending it on something other than a pre-order for a payments gadget.


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The giant vendor had a disappointing start to the year across the board, including in fixed broadband access equipment sales.
US Department of Agriculture began accepting online applications from service providers, municipalities and utilities for at least $600M in funding via its new ReConnect Rural Broadband Pilot Program.
First-quarter earnings show demand for range of ADTRAN products and services, including Gfast, VDSL, XGS-PON and professional services, CEO and President Tom Stanton told analysts.
More than a half-million Irish residents expected to have fiber broadband by 2020. But Ireland's National Broadband Plan has not even begun — and government officials today postponed any agreement again.
Rapidly growing MSO keeps bulking up by buying smaller cablecos in largely rural and exurban markets throughout the US.
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Just when you thought the answer to your next technology direction question was clear, the noise around multiple new technology options fills the Internet and airwaves. Multiple 5Gs are being deployed; there's CableLabs' 10G initiative; the ITU and IEEE are toiling around 50G PON – and we haven’t even talked about Wi-Fi6 yet! Is any of this real, do you have to pay attention or can you just let the dust settle and then decide?
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India’s Leading passenger and utility vehicle manufacturers Mahindra have announced a margin hike in price for all its products by 1%.This price hike will come to play during this month effectively. This price hike will be around Rs.2,300 to Rs.11,500 across its vehicles.
Pravin Shah, Chief Executive of Automotive and International Operation Mahindra said “We have been holding back on price hikes for a while but now it has been necessitated to partly offset the impact of rising input costs.”
At present Mahindra portfolio includes Xylo, Scorpio, XUV 500,Verito, Vertio Vibe , Bolero, Reva e2o. Many other companies like Maruti Suzuki, Honda and Hyundai are in phase to increase the price of its products due to increase in cost of raw materials.
Stay Tuned at GaadiKey to Keep yourself updated and connected with Gaadis.


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Companies across categories, had to rejig their business model and the product portfolio in the last few months, in the wake of the pandemic and the resultant changing consumer habits. Online furniture as a category, for example, saw a huge surge when compared to the brick-and-mortar category.
Pepperfry, India's leading furniture and home products marketplace also went through a turbulent phase in the last few months where a few sub-categories like study tables and ergonomic office chairs grew beyond expectation – and some others saw a shrinking demand.
As such, the brand recalibrated its marketing playbook and, more recently, to buck up for the festive season demand. In an exclusive chat with The Drum, Kashyap Vadapalli, chief marketing officer and business head, Pepperfry shares the brand’s story in the last few months, the phased marketing strategy, and a peep into the future plans.
The ongoing pandemic and nation-wide lockdown have led to a significant shift in consumer trends and purchase patterns. With homes now playing multifaceted roles in the new normal, individuals are investing behind creating a space that meets the functional and aesthetic aspects, leading to a rise in demand for home and furniture products.
For a brand like Pepperfry this is good news. After the initial dip in sales, with the ease of lockdown regulations in May, sales began to revive. Sharing his experience, Vadapalli, says, “Our sales volumes started reflecting steady bounce-back with 40% of pre-lockdown sales in May, 70% in June, 85% in July and then a full recovery at 100% of pre-lockdown volumes, in August.” Here is a deep dive into the Indian furniture and home décor brand’s journey of recovery and growth.
Spike in the first-time-buyers
As more and more consumers shifted to online shopping, the category - and the company - witnessed an increase in the online business. An interesting trend was around the first-time-buyers (FTB) business growing at a faster rate than repeat buyers in Tier-2 cities. In order to aid this shift and cater to our discerning consumers, Pepperfry launched a ‘Buy on Phone’ program, where the company’s sales consultants spoke to buyers and guided them through the furniture buying process, given that many people might not want to venture out into the markets and malls but they might still need consulting to buy furniture.
WFH: a boon for some businesses and categories
As the lockdown progressed, most companies and educational institutions formalized a work/study from home policy till the end of 2020. This new lifestyle of work-from-home and study-from-home has encouraged consumers to view furniture as a required, long-term investment that will support and smoothen this transition, which led to an unprecedented rise in demand for home office furniture. Shares Vadapalli, “Pepperfry’s home-office category, specifically study tables and ergonomic office chairs grew by 250% and 400% respectively in August 2020, in comparison to pre-lockdown levels.” Currently, this category contributes about 25% to the overall sales volume, a segment which earlier accounted for about 10% of total sales, prior to the lockdown, he adds.
The demand for hero products such as beds, mattresses, dining tables, wardrobes as well as furnishings such as wall décor, lights & lamps has seen a rise. Compact and space-saving products like bean bags, recliners have also grown reasonably well compared to pre-Covid numbers.
Keeping the marketing playbook relevant
While the product mix was tweaked keeping in mind the new reality in mind, the overall marketing strategy was also tweaked. For instance, during the early lockdown days, the brand consciously decided to solely channel all communications through its owned mediums like email marketing, push notifications and social media platforms like Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook and Instagram.
The messaging was tweaked to make it more relevant, engaging, and interesting. For instance, since movements were restricted, the communication sought to address the challenges through tips like how to maintain furniture, DIY décor ideas, safe ways to rearrange your furniture and so on.
From ‘educate and inform’ to talking of specific brand propositions
The brand kept its marketing strategy in line with emerging market realities and consumer demands. Thus, in the March to May period, the company focused on an ‘educate and inform’ approach. Starting June the focus was on communicating safety and hygiene across all possible Pepperfry touchpoints and after August it started talking about - sales and value on the one side and specific brand propositions like – professional assembly and delivery and warranty on the other side. Alongside it also tweaked its performance marketing strategy – by scaling it down during the March/May period and slowly scaling it back starting June.
Explains Vadapalli, “Our approach has always been to target in-market consumers and our campaigns are also structured to scale basis efficiency metrics. So, on the demand side, when we saw an increase in demand for WFH and SFH items, our marketing campaigns adjusted to scale for catering to this demand and we ensured that we maximized on the opportunity.”
Marketing the festival happiness
Festivals in India result in a disproportionate increase in demand for goods and services and. To cater to this demand and to keep the offerings exciting and relevant for our customers during the festive season (October to December), we launch nearly 3,000-4,000 products every year during the festive season across all our categories – furniture, décor, furnishing and lamps & lighting. Says Vadapalli. For the festive season, the brand has made the infrastructure-related changes on the category/merchant side and on the supply side, as well.
In a marked departure, the brand decided to get back on traditional media like TV after 18-20 months and launched its Diwali campaign ‘Family times = Pepperfry times’. It has also experimented with OTT platforms like Hotstar and advertised on IPL. In combination with our always-on digital presence these two initiatives will provide us with the salience we require to make an impact during the season, according to Vadapalli.
Watch the ad here
‘Family times = Pepperfry times’
3 marketing truths learnt during the pandemic
- The world can change in an instant and marketing teams need to be nimble in order to react to these changes.
- Even when the consumer is not actively buying, she is still receiving a lot of messages in the market and is making her mind up about the brands that she wants to engage with. This means that the brand should be active in the consumer's engagement set, if not the consideration set.
- Every crisis brings an opportunity and it’s only those who have a pulse on the consumers’ sentiment and understand the ecosystem and act quickly who benefit from this.


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When it comes to dressing up for a night out, you can’t go wrong with a failsafe LBD. This was definitely proved correct when Carey Mulligan showed up at the [...]Read more ›
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A flock of some of the hottest names in music headed to Glasgow last night for the prestigious MOBO awards. Jessie J rocked the red carpet in a floor length [...]Read more ›
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She’s a force to be reckoned with, alright: her long-time sidekick Nathan Jenden may be leaving his creative position, but that’s not stopping Diane Von Furstenberg from keeping her fashion [...]Read more ›


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For the eighth consecutive year, Chopard has created the Red Carpet collection in honor of the Cannes Film Festival.
In 2007, copresident and artistic director Caroline Scheufele introduced the first Red Carpet collection. Chopard has been an official sponsor of the Cannes Film Festival since 1998.
This year’s collection takes inspiration from Italian film actresses of the 1960s and ’70s. As it is the 67th anniversary of the festival, the collection includes 67 pieces.
The pieces will debut adorning celebrities throughout the festival, both on the red carpet and at film premieres.
The masterpiece of the collection is the Riviera jewelry set, composed of a diamond necklace and matching earrings (pictured above). The set contains at least 100 carats of brilliant-, marquise-, and rose-cut pear-shape diamonds and required more than 1,000 hours of craftsmanship to create.
The brand also revealed a new piece in their Green Carpet collection, a line introduced in 2013 in collaboration with the creative director of Eco-Age, Livia Firth.
This year’s piece is a set of earrings featuring ethically mined white gold and 13.49 cts, of pear-cut diamonds with brilliant- and marquise-cut diamonds.
“All the stones are sourced from the IGC Group, one of the world’s oldest diamond firms. This group is a Responsible Jewellery Council (RJC) member. Chopard has been a member of the RJC since 2010 and has just had its certified membership successfully renewed for a further three years,” according to a statement.
A few selections from the stunning 2014 Red Carpet collection:


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By Kazradal - 24.02.2020
Paypal compliance department email address
On October 1st I received an Email from Paypal that they show I am the Compliance Department to at least answer my emails and tell me how long /all-the-secret-paypalebay-email-addresses-and-phone-numbers-you-c. tovar-show.ru › /06/06 › all-the-secret-paypalebay-email-addresses.
The PayPal European headquarters are located in Luxembourg and the international headquarters are in Singapore. PayPal opened a technology here in Scottsdale, Arizona in and a software development center in ChennaiIndia in PayPal allows customers to send, receive, and hold funds in 25 currencies worldwide.
It is not necessary to have https://tovar-show.ru/address/create-bitcoin-testnet-address.html PayPal account to use the company's services.
paypal compliance department email addressPayPal to email verification process -PayPal me Confirmation verification email kaise laye#Technonir
The program provided tools to teach how to spend money wisely and take responsibility for actions. In NovemberPayPal opened its platform, allowing other paypal compliance department email address to get access to its code paypal compliance department email address to use its infrastructure in order to enable peer-to-peer online transactions.
PayPal Credit allows consumers to shop online in much the same way as they would with a traditional credit card.
One year after acquiring BraintreePayPal introduced its "One Touch" service, which allows users to pay with a one-touch option on participating merchants websites or apps.
As part of the announcement, PayPal secured the first conditional paypal compliance department email address license from the New York State Department of Financial Serviceswhich will allow customers to purchase cryptocurrencies such as BitcoinLitecoinEthereumand Paypal compliance department email address Cash.
Read article, we began expanding PayPal to eBay's international sites. And third, we started to build PayPal's business off eBay. The system was very attractive to auction sellers, most of which were individuals or small businesses that were unable to accept credit cards, and for consumers as well.
In fact, many sellers paypal compliance department email address not qualify for a credit card Merchant account paypal compliance department email address they lacked a commercial credit history. The service also appealed to auction buyers because they could fund PayPal accounts using credit cards or bank account balances, without divulging credit card numbers to unknown sellers.
However, most recipients of PayPal credits withdrew funds immediately.
Paypal Headquarters Information
Instead of relying on interests paypal compliance department email address from deposited funds, Paypal compliance department email address started relying on earnings from service charges.
They offered seller protection to PayPal account holders, provided that they comply with reimbursement policies.
This was based on developing stronger growth in active users by adding users across multiple platforms, despite the slowdown in on-eBay growth and low-single-digit user growth on the eBay site. Paypal compliance department email address late reorganization created a new business unit within PayPal—Merchant Services—to provide payment paypal compliance department email address to small and please click for source e-commerce merchants outside https://tovar-show.ru/address/craig-wright-bsv.html eBay auction community.
Starting in the second half ofPayPal Merchant Services unveiled several initiatives to enroll online merchants outside the eBay auction community, including:  Lowering its transaction fee for high-volume merchants from 2.
Hiring a new sales force to acquire large merchants such as DellHttps://tovar-show.ru/address/electrum-change-receiving-address.html iTunesand Yahoo!
PayPal has disabled sending and receiving personal payments in India, thus forcing all recipients to pay a transaction fee. InPayPal hired people for its offices in Chennai see more Bengaluru.
This discrepancy has prompted Palestinian tech companies to seek a policy change from PayPal. The regulators had demanded that PayPal's data centers be located inside Turkey to facilitate compliance click paypal compliance department email address and court orders to block content and to generate tax revenue.
PayPal said that the closure will affect tens of thousands of businesses and hundreds of thousands of consumers in Turkey. PayPal's paypal compliance department email address gathers the consumer information which can be installed on the trader's website.
Ordinarily, a credit card transaction, paypal compliance department email address the relationship between the issuing bank and the cardholder, is governed by the Truth in Lending Act TILA 15 U.
Basically, unless a PayPal transaction is funded with a credit card, the consumer paypal compliance department email address no recourse in the event of fraud by the seller.
This ceased inwhen the company paypal compliance department email address to Luxembourg.
In AustraliaPayPal is licensed as an authorised deposit-taking institution ADI paypal compliance department email address is thus subject to Australian banking laws and regulations.
The customer can open a dispute within days from the date of payment and escalate it to a claim within 20 days from opening the dispute.
If the buyer used a credit card, he or she might get a refund via chargeback from his or her credit-card company. However, in the UK, where such a purchaser is entitled to specific statutory protections that the credit card company is a second party to the purchase and is therefore equally paypal compliance department email address in law if the other party defaults or goes into https://tovar-show.ru/address/where-do-i-find-my-coinbase-wallet-address.html under Section 75 Consumer Credit Actthe purchaser loses this legal protection if the card payment is processed via PayPal.
This leaves consumers with no recourse to pursue their complaint with the Financial Ombudsman Service.
They only have recourse with the courts.
Compliance Manager Paypal jobs
This is a legal authority that paypal compliance department email address 75 protection does exist where one has paid on paypal compliance department email address credit card for a product, via an eMoney service. In general, the Seller Protection Policy is intended to protect the seller check this out paypal compliance department email address kinds of chargebacks or complaints if the seller meets certain conditions including proof of delivery to the buyer.
PayPal states the Seller Protection Policy is "designed to protect sellers against claims by buyers of unauthorized payments and against claims of non-receipt of any merchandise". The policy includes a list of "Exclusions" which itself includes "Intangible goods", "Claims for receipt of goods 'not as described'", and "Total reversals over the annual paypal compliance department email address.
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text: Hope Auto General Manager Gary Weems and Service Manager Tim Freeman visit with Richard and Rosetta Hogue about their 1999 Chevrolet Surburban on Tuesday January 12th. The Hogue's Surburban was bought brand new at the Chevrolet dealer in Hope and now has an amazing 500,413 miles! The vehicle has had regular service but no major work. Mr. Hogue said he thought they might even try for 600,000 miles! Weems said while not every vehicle at Hope Auto is still on the road after a half-million miles, his staff frequently sees vehicles that were bought new and continue to serve their owners well for hundreds of thousands of miles. Weems also said when the Hogues finally do decide to trade off their faithful Surburban, he hopes they come back to see their friends at Hope Auto!


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If your iPhone dies and you need to juice up as quickly as possible, there’s an incredible and little-known tip that can help you charge up your iPhone faster than ever. While most people know that charging your iPhone in Airplane Mode can help speed things along by ensuring that your device doesn’t tax it self by updating apps in the background or perhaps straining for a weak cellular signal, this particular tip can really be a lifesaver when you need a charge in a pinch.
The simple solution? Charge your iPhone with your iPad charger.
Does Apple recommend this? Is this even allowed?
Actually, yes. There’s even an Apple support page which explicitly states that you can charge up all iPhone and iPod models with the iPad’s USB power adapter.
Earlier this week, Facebook announced that its WhatsApp messenger app now has more than one billion users, an impressive number considering that Facebook Messenger has less than that (over 800 million).
While some users may have intimate knowledge of the way WhatsApp works, others might be new to the chat app. If you’re one of them, the following 15 tips and tricks should come in handy.
This week has been packed full of huge lists of paid iPhone and iPad apps on sale for free, so there’s no better way to close it out than by publishing our longest list of al time. We’ve got 20 new premium iOS apps for you today that are all on sale for free right now, and there are even more apps that are still free in yesterday’s post if you want to go back and look through those as well. More →
New smartphone data from Mixpanel reveals that Apple’s older iPhone models are more popular than many would have otherwise assumed. As of this week, Mixpanel’s data found that approximately 38% of iPhone users are using iPhone models that predate the iPhone 6.
Mixpanel’s data effectively supports Tim Cook’s recent remarks indicating that 60% of iPhone owners who owned devices before the larger-screened iPhone 6 was launched in September of 2014 still haven’t upgraded to either the iPhone 6 or iPhone 6s. That being the case, it appears that Apple has a huge base of installed users arguably on the cusp of upgrading.
While the fight between iPhone and Android persists, the fact is that no matter what platform you choose, you’ll get a great experience. There’s great hardware on either side and amazing apps to complement them. Sure, iPhone has definitive advantages over Android, but, in turn, Android outshines iPhone in some ways.
However, there’s still one key area where iPhone always wins that Google has not managed to address. More →
Much has been written in recent months about Apple’s potential iPhone plans for the future and some reports have suggested that the introduction of 3D Touch functionality in the iPhone 6s is a hint that the home button will be going away at some point in the future. In fact, the only thing Apple has to do to preserve all the features the home button is to add fingerprint-sensing capabilities to the device’s touch display, and now a newly unearthed patent may show us how Apple plans to achieve this.
There are a few cases where a pre-installed iPhone app made by Apple is the best tool for a particular job, but the Mail app certainly isn’t one of them. For light email users, it’s a nice clean option that offers a fairly basic set of features and a nice user interface. For the rest of us, we need a solution that offers a broader feature set than Apple’s Mail app will likely ever offer.
I’ve personally been back on the hunt for a new email app ever since my email solution of choice was shut down by Dropbox. And no, I still haven’t forgiven the company. I’ve gone through more than a dozen apps in my search for a Mailbox replacement though, and in this post I’ll save you the pain and suffering that I’ve had to endure. More →
Yesterday’s list of paid iPhone and iPad apps on sale for free was our biggest of the week, but it was also one of our best thanks to the great apps we found. In fact, a bunch of them are still free downloads, so go and see for yourself. Today’s list isn’t too shabby either, and it includes 13 premium iOS apps that are on sale for free for a limited time. More →
To grow from the brink of bankruptcy to the most valuable company on the planet, Apple had to stray from convention in a number of ways. We’ve discussed them all at one time or another, but in this post we’ll focus on one: The user experience.
With many different types of consumer electronics, and certainly with computers and mobile devices, hardware and software go hand in hand to form a complete user experience. Different companies have different strengths and weaknesses, but over the past couple of decades Apple has become known as a company that provides a user experience that, simply put, is a cut above the rest.
According the three of the most popular and widely respected Apple bloggers in the world, however, Apple has a serious problem that continues to grow more serious as time moves on. And the worst part is that there’s simply no indication that the matter is improving. More →
Almost exactly four years ago, Samsung’s marketing boss sat down for an interview and made a claim that seemed almost comical at the time. There was a bit of a language barrier, but the gist of Young-Hee Lee’s bold claim was this: People had been obsessed with Apple’s iPhone line for long enough, and Samsung was going to shift their obsession to Galaxy phones.
It might sound like a bold prediction, but the iPhone will get a holographic display in the coming years. And this isn’t wishful thinking based on what sci-fi movies told me to expect from the future. There are pieces of evidence here and there that indicate Apple is clearly interested in this particular type of technology, even though the company is far from announcing anything at this time. More →


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New games incoming from the Total War publisher.
It's not just visual. Bioware devs admit Skyrim is major influence on their new adventure game.
Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim's latest expansion, Dragonborn, goes live today for the XBox 360.
EA has posted a video for its upcoming city-builder simulation that showcases the natural, and not-so-natural disasters set to be unleashed in the game.
EA has released a video for its upcoming city-builder simulation that showcases the detailed interactions between multiple cities in a specific region.
A number of Nintendo Wii U owners are reporting some serious issues with their new consoles related to a 5GB launch day update.
Universal Pictures has hired a new writer for the languishing property.
IGN Start brings us an original fan-produced homage to the classic video game franchise.
Bethesda Softworks has released a number of screenshots for its upcoming Skyrim: Dragonborn expansion.
A group of image board fans in the Valve lobby got some answers out of the famously secretive developer.
Bethesda Softworks has released a new video which explores the gameplay basics of its upcoming fantasy MMO.
Rockstar has revealed some sparse details about our next anti-hero.
Rockstar Games recently announced a release window for its upcoming open-world adventure game sequel.
Modder Madmax1998 is making us the Descent we deserve.
Bethesda Softworks has released the first trailer for its upcoming Skyrim DLC.
Bethesda has announced the imminent arrival of a trailer for the next Skyrim DLC, but that hasn't stopped the speculation.
Come for the nostalgic video game references, stay for the great story.
The Pulp Fiction writer will try his pen at adapting the classic video game franchise.
Bethesda has revealed the story of its upcoming Massive-Multi-player game.
Warner Bros recently released the first full trailer for its upcoming animated super hero comedy.


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YES WORLD Founder Sandeep Choudhary received Prestigious CEO STAR AWARD 2022 for SAVE EARTH Mission
July 30: Save Earth Activist and YES WORLD Co-founder Sandeep Choudhary have been honoured by the prestigious SMEBIZZ CEO STAR AWARD 2022 at The Leela Ambience Hotel, Gurugram, on 23rd July 2022. Sandeep Choudhary, who has committed his life to finding solutions to the challenge of global warming and to protect Mother Nature, has received many prestigious awards recently for his Save Earth Mission.
Sandeep Choudhary is a Promoter of climate tech blockchain-based startup – YES WORLD, and he is working on World’s biggest mission to save the earth. Dr Choudhary, who has a strong background in technology and real estate, left his fin-tech startup BankSathi Technologies, a VC-funded $50 Million company, for this world’s biggest mission to save our planet Earth.
He has been working tirelessly towards reducing the carbon footprint on Earth’s atmosphere since then. For years, Mr. Choudhary has been a part of several initiatives that have worked towards making the world a greener and healthier place for its inhabitants. Choudhary’s path-breaking achievements as an entrepreneur and thoughtful initiatives as a save Earth activist have been recognized by the government and several national and international agencies. In 2016, he was invited as a delegate with honourable Prime Minister Narender Modi Ji on his Japan delegation.
Earlier this year, he has conferred an honorary doctorate from the American University. He has been felicitated with India’s Biggest Shaksheeyat Awards by the Honourable Governor of Odisha. He was honoured with the Global Business Achievers Award in Delhi on World Environment Day. The Zee Media Group gave him the Rising Star Award for his meteoric rise as an entrepreneur. Another notable award he won is the Best Technology Entrepreneur Award by CNBC Awaaz.
YES WORLD Token is an Asset based Token that drives value from Carbon Credits and warehousing, tokenization, and standardization of voluntary carbon offsets. YES WORLD has a strong and fast-growing community that supports the biggest mission. It spreads the much-required awareness around the most existential threat that mankind faces today due to global warming and climate change emergency.
Yes World Token uses blockchain technology to create several utilities to promote the save Earth mission and offer the kind of products and services which add value to the consumers’ lives without disrupting the environment.
As an environmentalist, Mr. Choudhary keeps brainstorming and ideating innovative methods and techniques that would contribute to nurturing the environment.
Twitter handle for Choudhary is @Sandep4Earth
If you have any objection to this press release content, kindly contact firstname.lastname@example.org to notify us. We will respond and rectify the situation in the next 24 hours.
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National Institution for Transforming India (NITI) Aayog — the policy think-tank of the Central government — is planning to introduce green-coloured number plates for electric vehicles (EV) in the country.
The proposal from NITI Aayog also suggests three-year free parking and toll waivers in a bid to promote customers to buy environment-friendly EVs.
In addition, the draft policy also suggests that residential, shopping and office complexes will have to reserve 10 percent parking space for EVs, reports Business Standard.
A Niti Aayog report earlier suggested that by the use of shared, connected and EV technologies, India could save 64 percent of energy demand for road transport and reduce 37 percent of carbon emissions by 2030. The report further suggests that the country could also save $60 billion in diesel and petrol costs by 2030.
The new proposal come in light of these study reports and is in line with the Central government's ambitious plan that will see electric vehicles fully taking over their fossil-fuel counterparts in the country by 2030.
Meanwhile, an Economic Times report says NITI Aayog is also working towards a policy for Methanol-based hybrid vehicles. The move is expected to make a smooth transition from forced induction motor to electric powertrains.
6 types of number plates in India
Currently, vehicles plying on Indian roads have six types of number plates:
Black text on white background- Private vehicles that can't be used for commercial purposes.
Black text on yellow background- Fleet and commercial vehicles.
Yellow text on black background- Vehicles available on rent for self-drive.
White text on a light blue background- Embassy vehicles.
Red coloured plates- President of India and governors of states.
Military vehicles- Such vehicles have a unique numbering system. The first (or the third) character is an upward-pointing arrow.


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While the camera still has the weather-sealed body and same basic design, almost everything else about the Pentax K-3 from sensor to control layout is different.
Pricing not available
From the PlayStation TV to OLED TVs to the iPhone 6, here are the most anticipated gadgets of the last four months of 2014.
The latest addictive game already has popular parody versions, Gmail beefs up its security, and Samsung has a new TV that costs as much as a house.
The Google Play app might get a boost, and a 32-inch monitor on Apple's site makes everyone speculate like mad.
The new "Transformers: Age of Extinction" is the first feature film shot with the Imax 3D Digital Camera, a 3D, 4K. It's a beast, but small enough for director Michael Bay's dynamic movie-making style.
It's the second day on the CES 2014 showroom floor and we're excited to bring you the first laptop with a 4K display, the Toshiba Satellite P50T. We'll also tell you about some of the things we've seen on the show floor, including the Back To the Future DeLorean, Corning's new anti-microbial Gorilla Glass, and more.
Google has plenty of partners supporting its new 4K bandwidth, according to a report, so this could be the year of 4K.
CNET's Donald Bell and Bridget Carey dive into the news getting the most buzz as the Consumer Electronics Show kicks off, including Samsung's bendable TV, 4K resolution screens and the Pebble Steel.
CNET's Donald Bell counts down the trends he predicts will shape 2014.
It was a year we gained Google Glass, but lost Panasonic plasma TVs. CNET's Bridget Carey looks back at the gadgets and services that met their end in 2013.


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Telecom operators may have to refuse operation on Apple iPhones if the Cupertino giant doesn’t install a DND app on its devices to counter the problem of pesky calls and to allow its users a method to report spam calls and messages. The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India has locked horns with Apple over this issue for almost a year now. The California based phone manufacturer has refused to install such an app citing privacy concerns. However, the problem might take a quick turn after the Trai’s decision on the matter.
On Thursday, the regulator will be coming out with new norms which will dictate the companies to provide a DND app on their phones to report pesky calls and messages. However, parties will be given a “reasonable opportunity of representing against the contravention of regulations.”
Apple has also proposed an in-house solution to Trai. However, the answer was trashed by Trai later on. Apple has said that the privacy of its customers “cannot be compromised”. Now Trai’s regulations which will be laid down in the 113 page ‘Telecom Commercial Communication Customer Preference Regulation’ outlines “Every access provider shall ensure, within six months’ time, that all smart-phone devices registered on its network support the permissions required for the functioning of such apps.”
The regulation further reads “Provided that where such devices do not permit functioning of such apps as prescribed in regulations… access providers (mobile operators) shall, on the order or direction of the (telecom) authority, de-recognise such devices from their telecom networks.”
It’s also noteworthy that Google has agreed to ship the DND app according to Trai’s request on its Android platform. In August last year, following the struggle RS Sharma, Trai Chairman also accused Apple of ‘data colonisation’.
One more condition which is making things tough for Apple is the decision of Trai which says that the app should be developed either by Trai “or by any other person or entity and approved by the (telecom) authority.” Now Apple will have two options, either to allow Trai to go on and develop an app for the platform, or to develop it themselves and then obtain the approval from the regulator. This news was reported by Economic Times.
Trai claims that its DND app, launched in 2016 will help the authorities better deal with the issue of pesky calls and it will allow a channel for subscribers to report pesky calls. While Android did not object to this request, Apple has said that sharing call logs and SMS data would mean a breach of privacy for its users.


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Microsoft — as I mentioned last fall — is involved in a teacher-recruiting campaign. In the U.S., with so many teachers in their 50s and 60s, the education department is using TV, social media, print, radio, and more to spread the word about the profession.
Now, there’s more out about Microsoft’s role.
What happened is Microsoft donated over 125 million “impressions” to the campaign, which is run by two organizations, one called the Ad Council, and another called TEACH.
The ads are on Xbox 360, Windows 8, and MSN. With the latter, Microsoft started off donating 47 million impressions in media banner inventory.
Article Continues Below
5 Ways to Hire Like It’s 2021
The Xbox ads are interactive — people use gestures, voice, or controllers.
The video below shows what Microsoft is doing on Windows 8 — “personality quizzes,” games about teaching skills, and more. Many of the ads encourage people to visit teach.org.


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Beyond Meat announces the launch of Beyond Pork, designed specifically for the Chinese market. Beyond Pork has been developed for the Chinese market to mimic the flavour, texture and culinary versatility of to traditional pork.
This follows the news from this September that Beyond Meat signed a historic agreement with Jiaxing Economic & Technological Development Zone to bring the production of plant-based meat to the Chinese market with plans to build two Beyond Meat production plants around Shanghai.
Beyond Burger and Beyond Beef successfully launched in mainland China, at a time when interest in plantbased meat is growing in China and around the world. Pork is the most popular meat in China, and the country is among the countries with the highest pork consumption in the world, making it an excellent location for the launch of Beyond Pork.
The development of Beyond Pork was a global collaboration between dedicated Beyond Meat teams in Los Angeles and Shanghai. In addition, Beyond Meat conducted several sensory tests in China to obtain direct consumer feedback to perfect the product.


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The Silent Role of Biofilms in Chronic Disease › Forums › Biofilm Community › The Human Ecosystem › Breast Milk Confers Immunity – Gastrointestinal Mucosa › Reply To: Breast Milk Confers Immunity – Gastrointestinal Mucosa
For healthy guts, breast milk beats formula
Posted By On August 28, 2012
DUKE (US) Breast milk, but not infant formula, fosters growth of healthy bacteria in a babys intestinal tract, research shows.
This unique property may make mothers milk better than infant formula in protecting infants from infections and illnesses, according to a study published in the journal [SUP][/SUP].
This study is the first we know of that examines the effects of infant nutrition on the way that bacteria grow, providing insight to the mechanisms underlying the benefits of breast feeding over formula feeding for newborns, says William Parker, associate professor of surgery at Duke University and senior author of the study.
Only breast milk appears to promote a healthy colonization of beneficial biofilms, and these insights suggest there may be potential approaches for developing substitutes that more closely mimic those benefits in cases where breast milk cannot be provided, says Parker.
Straight from the Source
Earlier studies have shown that breast milk lowers the incidence of diarrhea, influenza, and respiratory infections during infancy, while protecting against the later development of allergies, type 1 diabetes, multiple sclerosis, and other illnesses.
As scientists have learned more about the role intestinal flora plays in health, they have gained appreciation for how an infants early diet can affect this beneficial microbial universe.
In their study, the Duke researchers grew bacteria in samples of infant formulas, cows milk, and breast milk. For the infant formula, the researchers used three brands each of popular milk- and soy-based products, and they purchased whole milk from the grocery store.
Breast milk was donated and processed to separate different components, including proteins, fats, and carbohydrates. They also tested a purified form of an antibody called secretory immunoglobulin A (SIgA), which is abundant in breast milk and helps establish an infants immune system.
The infant formulas, the milk products and the SIgA were incubated with two strains of E. coli bacterianecessary early inhabitants of the gut that are helpful cousins to the dangerous organisms associated with food poisoning.
Within minutes, the bacteria began multiplying in all of the specimens, but there was an immediate difference in the way the bacteria grew. In the breast milk, bacteria stuck together to form biofilmsthin, adherent layers of bacteria that serve as a shield against pathogens and infections.
Bacteria in the infant formula and cows milk proliferated wildly, but it grew as individual organisms that did not aggregate to form a protective barrier. The bacteria in SIgA had mixed results, suggesting that this antibody by itself isnt enough to trigger the beneficial biofilm formation.
Knowing how breast milk conveys its benefits could help in the development of infant formulas that better mimic nature, Parker says. This could have a long-lasting effect on the health of infants who, for many reasons, may not get mothers milk.
Additional studies should explore why human whey has the clumping effect on the bacteria, and whether it has a similar effect on strains of bacteria other than E. coli, notes Parker.
This study adds even more weight to an already large body of evidence that breast milk is the most nutritious way to feed a baby whenever possible, says Gabriela M. Maradiaga Panayotti, M.D., co-director of the newborn nursery for Duke Childrens and Duke Primary Care. We know that babies who receive breast milk have better outcomes in many ways, and mothers who breast feed also have improved health outcomes, including decreased risks of cancer. Whenever possible, promoting breast feeding is the absolute best option for mom and baby.
The study was supported in part by the Fannie E. Rippel Foundation and the Howard Hughes Medical Institute.
Human Whey Promotes Sessile Bacterial Growth, Whereas Alternative Sources of Infant Nutrition Promote Planktonic Growth
Duke University [SUP][/SUP]
[HR][/HR]Article printed from Futurity.org: Futurity.org


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Engine boss Wolfgang Hatz told Automobilwoche that the VW subsidiary will be using the technical base of the A4 for at least two more derivatives.
Audi officials say a compact off-roader and a sports tourer, following the example of the Mercedes R class, are being considered.
There might also be an addition to the TT family. A "shooting brake," a two-door version with large hatchback, might join the sports coupe and the roadster models.
Audi's chief designer, Walter de' Silva, says: "It is more than just an idea." Hatz also believes that "such a car would be possible."
Audi first will decide within the next few days whether the Allroad Quattro concept car based on the A6, which was presented at Detroit, will go into series production.
Ulrich Hackenberg, head of concept development, says that the reactions to the concept car, which was developed in only three months, were very positive.
He believes that the Allroad Quattro will go into full-scale production. "So far every show car designed by me was built."


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There was a lot of pushing and shoving going on this week among the biggest players in technology. Google had its I/O conference and introduced several products and services aimed squarely at Apple, but that wasn't enough for them. Oh no, they had to rub Steve Jobs' nose in what they were doing whether upgrading Android, adding music sales to their online App store, creating a viable alternative to Apple TV or announcing their very own video codec to compete with Apple's choice h.264. Oh and they compared Apple to Big Brother too, and if all of that weren't enough, they invited Adobe on stage and actually made of fun the fact that Flash didn't work on the iPad.
It occurred to me this was getting ugly and I had the image of a school playground in my head:
* In one corner Apple pushed Adobe to the ground after bloodying its nose.
* Google suggested Apple pick on somebody its own size and shoved Apple.
* Apple just laughed and asked Google if that was the best they got.
* HP and Microsoft sat on the sidelines like a couple of scared wimpy kids wanting to join the fray, but not sure how to do it.
Just another week in the world of technology.
Jobs Strikes Back
Meanwhile Steve Jobs defended his proprietary world in an email exchange with Ryan Tate of Gawker last weekend. To Jobs, it was about platform purity, not Big-Brother style control. By controlling the platform from nasty outside elements (like Flash), it protected the user experience and kept it pure. It actually makes sense on one level, and Jobs may even believe it, but from an outsider's perspective it's all about command and control. That said, it's hard to argue with popularity of Apple products or the beauty of the user experience.
Apple Walks Alone
Google and Apple used to be friends. Apple and Adobe used to hang out. Microsoft and Apple used to pal around. See a common pattern here. Apple goes its own way. It's the Neil Young of technology. ("I got bored and left them there, they were just dead weight to me. Better down the road without that load.") Sure, they'll hang as long as it's interesting, but the overall experience is what it's about. It's rock and roll to Young. It's technology for Jobs.
Google Moves On
Google severed any last vestiges of friendship with Apple this week when it took a stand at I/O. There wasn't anyone in that room or watching around the world who didn't get that Google had turned its full attention to Apple and it was aiming to take them down (well, at least a notch). Whether any of these products and services announced this week deliver on the promise remains to be seen, but one thing is clear. The playground fight has just begun and these two kids are not going to back down.


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Innovative U.S. online gaming platform, PlayStar, has unveiled that it has inked a deal with IGT PlayDigital, a far-reaching IGT business dedicated to delivering the best-in-class digital and betting games and solutions. This will see the company hosting a selection of new games before they go live in the USA.
PlayStar is focused on providing a special online gaming experience and differentiating itself from the competition by providing an engaging user experience that’s supported by bigger user personalization and entertainment features backed by top customer service.
The fast-increasing casino company has now unveiled that its main pillars will be further complemented by IGT PlayCasino titles on its network, with this allowing the brand to offer U.S. users the best in digital entertainment from one of the leading content suppliers.
The latest partnership deal will now see user-favorite IGT slots such as Cleopatra® Gold, Pixies of the Forest®, and Fortune Coin™ featured at PlayStar Casino, along with appealing new releases such as omnichannel titles Stinkin’ Rich™ and Lion Dance™.
In addition, users at PlayStar will also have a chance to experience multiple and engaging selections of table content and video poker from IGT PlayCasino, providing alternative gaming solutions for those looking to leave the conventional reel play.
What Was Stated
Commenting on the experience, Adam Noble, Co-Founder and Chief Business Development Officer at PlayStar says that the U.S. is currently the fastest-growing iGaming market in the world and it is crucial that PlayStar hits the ground running by providing players the best selection of titles in the market.
By partnering with a brand such as IGT PlayDigital, they believe they are able to accomplish this goal by delivering an exciting suite of titles that will be enhanced by PlayStar’s commitment to personalization, engagement, and user service.
On the other hand, Gil Rotem, President of iGaming at IGT said:
“IGT looks forward to joining forces with PlayStar Casino ahead of its upcoming U.S. launch in New Jersey. The team behind PlayStar has a proven track record in building successful businesses and it is a great opportunity for us to be there with them from day one.
“By adding top-performing IGT PlayCasino games to its roster, PlayStar will be able to offer customers nearly 500 engaging titles covering a wide range of product verticals, helping to provide a first-class gaming experience as it looks to make a major impact in the American iGaming market.”
“PlayStar Teams Up with IGT PlayDigital to Further Bolster Anticipated U.S. Launch”, igamingfuture.com, June 29, 2022.


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Continuing its promise to build up the worldwide capacity to produce plant-based mono ethylene glycol for its PET bottles, Coca-Cola is partnering with an Indian company to build a second pMEG plant, this one in Brazil.
The 500,000 tonne per year plant will be larger than the current plant in India that now supplies Coke with pMEG.
Atlanta-based Coke expects construction of the plant in Araraquara, Brazil, to begin by the end of the year with a target completion date of late 2014. Its partner is JBF Industries, a Mumbai, India, company that makes bottle-grade PET, PET chips, partially oriented yarn and fully drawn yarn in several locations worldwide.
Coke's supplier that operates the pMEG plant in India is India Glycols, which is headquartered in Kolkata.
The Brazil plant is part of Coke's plan to have plant-based resin in all of its plastic bottles by 2020. Mono ethylene glycol represents 30% of the weight of a PET bottle.
Coke's ultimate goal is to have its PlantBottle made 100% from plants. It has invested in three other companies to develop plant-based purified terephthalic acid - which accounts for the other 70% of PET.
“This further demonstrates our commitment to growing plant-based PET and realizing our goal of having our first generation PlantBottle package in 100% of our bottles by 2020,” Scott Vitters, Coke's general manager of the PlantBottle Packaging Innovation Platform, told Plastics News in an email. “It is our next big milestone in expanding [pMEG] supply globally.”
There is no timetable for when Coke will incorporate plant-based PTA into its bottles on a commercial scale. But in a recent interview with Plastics News, Vitters said the company's PTA technology investments “are tracking where we expected them to be.”
“We want to move the growth of the PlantBottle worldwide with the right feedstock solutions,” Vitters said. “We will make continued investments to build out capacity for bio-ethylene glycol. We need to ensure the availability of plant feedstock in local markets. We believe you have to have feedstock locally where you build your plants.”
More than 10 billion PlantBottles — with bio-based mono ethylene glycol — have been sold in 24 countries since December 2009. By the end of the year, 8-10% of Coke's total PET resin consumption will be plant-based, Vitters said.
“Our partnership with JBF Industries will help us further expand global production,” added Ronald Lewis, vice president of procurement and chief procurement officer for Coca-Cola. No further details on the investment and partnership between the two companies were disclosed.
The plant in Brazil will use locally-grown sugarcane and sugarcane processing waste to make the ethanol feedstock. Roughly 1.5 million barrels of oil would be needed each year to make that same amount of ethylene, according to Coke.
To date, Coke said the PlantBottle has eliminated the equivalent of almost 100,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions, or the equivalent of 200,000 barrels of oil, from Coke's PET packaging.
Equally as critical, the PlantBottle has also paid dividends for Coke in increased sales.
“We continue to see encouraging results from its ability to drive growth for our business,” Vitters said. “We've seen encouraging market signals and indicators of the PlantBottle being able to drive growth.”


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Should I Wear a Mask?
Here’s what the latest science says
Making sense of the totally confusing mask debate. We’ve been tracking the latest thinking on whether people should wear masks in daily life. The shortages of N95 masks are still affecting health workers, and the advice remains not to hoard them. But the thinking about whether everyone should cover their face is evolving. Here’s everything you want to know about masks and the coronavirus.


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17 Oct 2017
Vision Zero makes a mark on the annual A+A exhibition
Every two years, the Messe Düsseldorf convention centre hosts the A+A exhibition where over 70,000 people from all over the world visit over three days to see the newest advancements in occupational safety technology and products. Hundreds of exhibitors set up their stands to showcase their latest work boots, high-performing smart gloves and machines that automate tedious tasks. Different social insurance providers and advocates of good labour conditions were also present.
It was in this context that Vision Zero set up two different stands to promote its message. The Vision Zero Guide flew off the shelves and hundreds of OSH professionals gathered around the stands to hear about Vision Zero’s unique approach to prevention. Many more companies and organizations signed up to become became Vision Zero supporters during the event and meetings were held to discuss the next steps of the campaign.


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Square Enix, creators of the Final Fantasy and Dragon Quest video games, are considering to make their own subscription based streaming service for video games.
In an interview with Engadget, Square Enix CEO Matsuda said the company had to create many variations of major titles in order for them to be playable on multiple platforms. They’re also worried whether it would be possible for players to play games released during the era of the Famicom in the future.
As such, Square Enix is looking into the possibility of creating a subscription or streaming service (imagine something like Netflix but with Square Enix video games), a place where players could exclusively play games part of the Square Enix library.
What do you think of this idea? Let us know in the comments.