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Announcement made at 5G MENA Summit aims at bringing the next generation of connectivity experience to consumers
DUBAI, UAE, April 10, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- As a pioneer in 5G technology, OPPO connected with regional telecom service providers, regulators, and global ICT solution providers to accelerate the commercialization of 5G enabled smartphones at the 5G MENA 2019 summit held in Dubai from April 7-9, 2019. To further its commitment of developing the 5G ecosystem, the leading global smartphone brand also announced collaboration with Etisalat to test the compatibility of OPPO 5G smartphones with Etisalat's 5G network to ensure that user experience reaches the level for commercial use. This is the first 5G smartphone test between carrier and smartphone in GCC region.
At this year's 5G MENA summit, Zhang Zhi, 5G Expert from OPPO presented the company's vision of being a 5G era pioneer. This included a keynote speech on 9th April as well as a panel discussion with representatives from Etisalat and Telecommunications Regulatory Authority.
"While the underlying 5G network infrastructure is vital to a connected future, the capacity of super-powerful 5G networks only matters when people can leverage these benefits in their everyday lives," says Andy Shi, Preside of OPPO Middle East & Africa. "This makes the pivot to 5G all the more important to our industry."
"This year is the first of 5G commercialization and is set to be a game-changer that revolutionizes the smartphone industry," adds Shi. "At OPPO, we have always focused on the user experience and know that today's consumers expect their smartphone to leverage 5G to bring about more immersive, seamless and intuitive digital services."
Commenting on the collaboration with OPPO, Khaled Elkhouly, Chief Consumer Officer, Etisalat, said: "We at Etisalat are excited to work closely with OPPO to test the compatibility of its 5G smartphones with our 5G network, ensuring that user experience reaches the level for commercial use. It is part of our commitment to build partnerships with world leading smartphone manufacturers and technology leaders, and enable our customers to enjoy the best-in-class performance and our 5G network that boasts of ultra-high speeds and low latency services.
"Our management's strategy to focus on digital innovation and to 'Drive the digital future to empower societies' have led to investments in superior and state-of-the-art technology solutions on the network. With continuous investments in technology and innovation on the network, Etisalat's infrastructure can enable 5G connectivity today for all fixed and mobile devices expected to be launched in the first half of this year," added Elkhouly.
At the summit, Zhang Zhi highlighted OPPO's belief that 5G will form the essential foundation for our future smart world. He added that 5G will enable realization of the Internet of Everything vision, and emphasize experience over everything else. 5G will further empower the development of "cognitive intelligence" and accelerate the evolution of the Artificial Intelligence of Things, or AIoT.
OPPO remains committed to be one of the key contributors to the 5G ecosystem in the region and is helping shape the next generation of connectivity through contributions in research, software and hardware development, deep consumer insight and a robust ecosystem of strong industry partners.
The company recently launched its "5G Landing Project" with several operator partners to accelerate the commercialization of 5G products and services worldwide. Last month, OPPO also announced that its first 5G smartphone has successfully passed 5G CE tests conducted by Sporton International Inc., making it compliant with EU requirements in areas such as wireless, electromagnetic compatibility, health and safety.
OPPO formed a 5G standardization team as early as 2015 to focus on the research and development of 5G standards. To date, OPPO has obtained more than 1,000 global patents related to 5G technology, and partnered with industry heavyweights such as chipmaker Qualcomm on their "5G Pioneer" initiative.
The company is consistently ranked among the top five smartphone brands in the world and in January 2019 opened its second regional hub within the UAE, making Dubai its new center for operations in the Middle East & Africa.
OPPO is a leading global smartphone brand, dedicated to providing products infused with art and innovative technology. Based on the brand elements of young, trend-setting and beauty, OPPO brings consumers delighted experience of digital life.
For the last 10 years, OPPO has been focusing on manufacturing camera phones, while innovating mobile photography technology breakthroughs. OPPO started the era of Selfie beautification, and was the first brand to launch smartphones with 5MP and 16MP front cameras. OPPO was also the first brand to introduce the motorized rotating camera, the Ultra HD feature and the 5x Dual Camera Zoom technology. OPPO's Selfie Expert F series launched in 2016 drove a Selfie trend in the smartphone industry.
In 2017, OPPO was ranked as the number 4 smartphone brand globally, according to IDC. Today OPPO's business covers 40 countries and regions, and has 6 research centers worldwide, providing excellent smartphone photography experience to more and more young people around the world.
About OPPO MEA
In 2015, OPPO entered the Egyptian market. In 2016, OPPO set up its Middle East & Africa Sales Center in Cairo. The markets OPPO has entered in the Middle East and Africa include: Egypt, Algeria, Tunisia, Morocco, the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Oman, Kenya and Nigeria. OPPO set up its factory in Algeria in 2017, which made OPPO the first Chinese brand setting up factory in North Africa. Now, the factory goes into production.
Based on the insights of local consumers in each country, OPPO MEA has started the progress of localization. And the localization includes all the perspectives towards each market – product localization, to further meet the core needs of users; marketing localization, to better communicate with local young customers; and team localization, to know our local consumers further and provide better service to the consumers.
Within the last year, OPPO has started to adjust its product line in the Middle East region specifically. This has included the launch of its flagship OPPO Find X smartphone and the introduction of the OPPO R Series. OPPO will continue to evolve its local product line to offer more premium series to young consumers in the region.


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Marcos Domiciano shares what CLEAR is doing in healthcare. CLEAR isn’t just at airports; they’re bringing their vision for removing friction to healthcare experiences. Marcos shares how they can empower consumer centricity and what it can mean for consumers when identity isn’t such a mystery anymore.
All that, plus the Flava of the Week about Best Buy offering its first prescription-based medical devices. Can their partnerships with virtual care platforms and pharmacy tech providers deliver not just on continuous glucose monitors, but on simplifying the process for other devices down the road?
This show is produced by Shift Forward Health, the consumer advisory firm and community that's writing the playbook for consumer-first health. (#290)

domain: news


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Hook Hall, a large bar in northwest Washington D.C., has transformed into a relief center to feed laid-off service workers in the wake of the Wuhan virus that has forced District restaurants and bars to shut down.
On Monday, D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser ordered all food establishments to close or limit to carry-out services to prevent the spread of the virus. The directive has landed thousands of service workers suddenly out of a job who were already suffering lower wages as panic over the outbreak deterred people from dining in the days leading up to Bowser’s decision.
To ease the blow of unexpected unemployment, the large event space has begun providing “Hook Hall Care Kits” with food and essentials donated by restaurants or food suppliers to those in the industry. Each care package includes a bundle of non-perishable food items and supplies that have become tough to find in stores, such as toilet paper. Every bag even contains a few servings of hot tea.
Affected individuals may also pick up fresh-made meals that have been cooked by area chefs using left-over food that would have otherwise gone bad or supplies that have been donated to Hook Hall. Maggiano’s Little Italy donated 1,000 packages of lasagna and has promised two more rounds of donations, including meals of salmon with asparagus and spaghetti.
In the back of the establishment, a large refrigerator truck sits packed with items such as eggs, chicken, and beef that area chefs have come to pick up to cook the meals. Jamie Leeds, the owner of Hank’s Oyster Bar, even donated 3,000 oysters waiting to be cooked up. Anyone hoping to help can sign up here.
Keeping compliant with restrictions on public gatherings, the center only allows a few people inside at a time to pick up their items.
“Getting toiletries for the kits has been more difficult than we imagined. Just because supplies are running out at the distribution level,” said Hook Hall’s owner running the operation, Anna Valero.
To fund the effort, Hook Hall has teamed up with the Restaurant Association Metropolitan Washington to create the Worker’s Relief Fund that has raised more than $50,000 since Monday. While that might seem like a lot at first glimpse, Valero stressed that it’s still not enough to keep the effort up and running for as long as the pandemic might last, which could be months. So far the center has already served more than 1,000 people.
“This isn’t over in a week,” said Valero, noting that she doesn’t expect the bar to be open for business-as-usual for another 90 days. “We are trying to raise as many dollars as possible so that we can sustain the efforts for the foreseeable future.”
Some in the business remain optimistic that the extreme social distancing measures damaging the hospitality business will end soon.
Cecile Blot used to work at a bar in Chinatown part-time while operating a travel consulting business on the side that has also taken a hit. Her husband worked in the service industry as a chef. While Blot’s unemployment from her bartending job is temporary, “God willing,” she says, her husband’s became permanent when the restaurant decided to close its doors for good, raising further uncertainty.
While picking up her items, Blot said she was hopeful that the outbreak would blow over relatively soon.
“I think it has to be,” Blot said. “This is going to destroy so many people and so many things larger than just me. I think that people are going to want to get back to work… I’m hoping that whatever we’re waiting for to tell us to go back to work happens. I don’t know what that arbitrary thing is or what number we’re looking for, but I’m optimistic.”


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Calling all space fans: point your browser to the Obama White House's "We the People" petition website and sign onto an effort to ensure that NASA is funded to at least 1 per cent of the US annual budget.
Google and the MPEG LA licensing body have announced that they have reached a licensing agreement for patents related to the Chocolate Factory's WebM streaming media technology, clearing the cloud of potential litigation that has loomed over the format for more than two years.
There's no end in sight for Boeing's woes with its combustible 787 Dreamliner: the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has released its interim report about a fire on one of the aircraft, and announced that a full investigation into the 787's batteries will begin next month.
The One Laptop Per Child (OLPC) initiative has published a response to a study by the Inter-American Development Bank (IADB) that found kids given the program's signature PC didn't learn much and spent less time reading.
A group from Georgia Tech is hoping to build a micro-scale graphene antenna that would support terabit – or even hundred-terabit – radio communications.
It's back to the drawing board for coders at Microsoft, Google, Adobe, Mozilla, and Oracle after entrants in the annual Pwn2Own contest waltzed off with over half a million dollars in prizes for exploiting security holes in popular software.
Red Hat has announced that it is assuming the leadership of the OpenJDK 6 community, just days after Oracle issued what it said would be the final patch for version 6 of its commercial Java SE 6 Development Kit.
A Parliamentary committee hearing in the Republic of Ireland on “the abuse of social media and cyber-bullying” has heard a proposal to control trolls and other unsavoury online creatures by registering internet users with their passport numbers or IP addresses.
Beauty products brand Dove, one arm of the Unilever conglomerate, has pranked graphic designers with a new Photoshop tool.
Google’s Street View project took an unusual left turn this week after one of it's familiar camera mounted cars took to the streets of Namie – a town in Japan’s Fukushima Prefecture deserted nearly two years ago after the worst nuclear disaster since Chernobyl.
At a time when smartphone screens are getting bigger and bigger, Japanese outfit Willcom has bucked the trend and announced what it claims is the world’s smallest and lightest mobile phone.
It is the end of an era – the minicomputer era to be precise – for the IBMers who work in the company's sprawling Rochester, Minnesota facility. Their jobs are moving to Mexico.
NSFWGoogle's Street View has been around long enough to become part of the internet scenery, although it continues to offer interesting scenery for those with a sharp eye.
The medicinal properties of the odd glass of red wine have long been document, and embraced. But now an international team of boffins has published a paper asserting that a particular compound found in red can activate an anti-ageing protein.
If you are a developer and you want to get a jump on the ARM server wave and port your applications from an x86 processor or another chip architecture – hey, the latter could happen – getting your hands on some of the nifty new server iron can be problematic. An ARM server is not exactly a volume product, and neither are operating systems that run on them. But cheeky UK server maker Boston Limited has a solution to the programmer problem, and it is called the ARM as a service, or AaaS, cloud.
My testlab has a new arrival: a Supermicro FatTwin™ F617R2-F73. As always when something lands in my lab, I will valiantly kick the crap out of it on behalf of El Reg's discerning readership. There are already a few different systems in my testlab - let's see how this thing stacks up.
Standard-essential patent owners should be required to try to settle licensing disputes out of court in a bid to restrict the affects of litigation on market innovation, three prominent economists have said.
Last week, we offered a brief history of aerial surveillance, with a promise to give a few pointers to the budding DIY spy-in-the-sky.
Mid-range storage array vendor Dot Hill has presented its SPC-1 performance benchmark results in a left-field way to make it stand-out from the crowd, saying it leads as the best performer on a $/GB (capacity) measure.
CommentMeet the most pampered group in the UK. Bankers? Farmers? Wind-farm operators? The depressed river mussel?
Kaspersky Lab has fixed a bug that could freeze PCs with Kaspersky Internet Security 2013 installed if they received a specially malformed IPv6 packet.
QuotwThis was the week that hard-working Reg hack Kelly Fiveash came in for some flack over her presentation of Steelie Neelie's latest comments on the lack of IT skills in Europe.
Virus writers are paying top dollar for access to "active" Google Play accounts to help them spread mobile malware across the Android ecosystem.
Symphony Teleca will be helping NFC-specialist Kovio realise its dream of dropping printed NFC tags into just about everything, bringing its analytical and technical skills to bear on Kovio's product line.
Microsoft plans to deliver seven bulletins next week, four critical, and three important, as part of the March edition of its regular Patch Tuesday update cycle.
Virgin Mobile UK has suspended its internet speed cap while it tries to get its network reliability back up to scratch.
Something for the Weekend, Sir?There are things in this tiny microcosm of the universe that I will never comprehend. For example, why do so many humans require the assistance of spectacles? How does the phase of the moon affect emotional behaviour? And what is it about the otherwise harmless, uncontroversial and inoffensive Justin Bieber that makes me want to kick that shit-eating wanker in his non-existent, hairless nuts?
Google is cutting loose another 10 per cent of its Motorola Mobility workforce - which means 1,200 employees at the smartphone maker face redundancy.
Bottom-line boosting IT services worked well for Cisco Gold house Cisilion in its last fiscal year while hardware and software licensing margins tightened.
Despite an apparent lull of late on the Low Orbit Helium Assisted Navigator (LOHAN) front, we are moving apace towards finally getting our Vulture 2 aircraft aloft.
MEPs are being urged to back a non-binding resolution that calls on the European Parliament to, in effect, ban pornography from the internet. A group of Euro politicos hope the web filth block will bring about a "genuine culture of equality" online.
Advanced Computer Software Group has hoovered up accounting software outfit Computer Software Holdings from HgCapital LLP for £110m in an all-cash deal.
VidVeteran software outfit Stardock has offered Microsoft an elegant way to escape its Windows 8 Metro Notro dilemma.
Twitter's private OAuth login keys, used by the website's official applications to get preferential treatment from the micro-blogging site, have apparently been leaked. The secret credentials could now allow any software to masquerade as an approved Twitter client.
The US federal government's budget crisis at the end of 2012 did mess with America's economy and the jobs market in particular. But according to the latest employment report from the Department of Labor, companies were a tad more resilient in the face of the Fiscal Cliff than many had expected.
Yahoo! has blamed cross-site scripting security bugs, which it claims to have squashed, for a recent upsurge in webmail account takeovers.
The private equity boys are preparing to flip US technology shop CDW back to the market, Reuters reports.
CommentFacebook has been tugging apart and putting back together its website over the past year, trying to make more cash out of its network and hopefully see its stock rocket now that it has Wall Street to answer to.
An Oklahoma woman busted on drugs and firearms charges earlier this week was found to have concealed a loaded .22 revolver in her vagina, the Smoking Gun reports.
Nokia has lost a patent-infringement lawsuit it brought against rival phone-maker HTC. Nokia was upset about the way HTC's Android phones talked to Google app stores, claiming the communication ripped off its protected technologies.
ExclusiveThe torrential growth of Amazon Web Services' cloud is coming at the expense of the web giant's customers, some of its partners contend – and they're not happy about the tactics being used by the company.
A new study claims that the revenues of two anonymous Hollywood studios rose between 6 to 10 per cent in countries where digital sales are available, after the cyberlocker site Megaupload was shut down.
Microsoft is backing a bill in Massachusetts that would effectively force schools to stop using Google Apps, or any other service that uses students' data.
A US magistrate has ordered Apple to show in great detail how it goes about searching for documents it has been ordered to provide to plaintiffs in an ongoing personal information–slurping lawsuit, noting that he no longer trusts Cupertino's efforts to be on the up-and-up.
Online payments giant PayPal has spruced up its developer tools with new APIs, a new mobile SDK, and a new, one-stop developer website – all changes that company execs admit are long overdue.
Amazon has slashed the cost of DynamoDB as the cloud giant passes on operational savings to customers.


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The Mobile Electronics Retailers Association (MERA), in continued preparation of the upcoming KnowledgeFest at the Gaylord Texan near Dallas August 18-21, has announced the entertainment for the show’s “KnowledgeFest Live!” networking event. Dave Whiteman and the Love Chocolates will entertain attendees courtesy of SiriusXM and Voxx International at the Glass Cactus Club on the evening of August 20.
A 13-member, 11-piece ensemble, Dave Whiteman and the Love Chocolates is one of the most entertaining bands in the Dallas / Fort Worth area. Since 2001 the band has created a festive party atmosphere for countless gatherings and venues, playing a popular mix of Top 40, R&B, Latin and dance music in addition to many classics. The band’s versatility has made it a hit with groups of different ages and musical tastes.
Sony, which sponsored the KnowledgeFest Live! event last year, is again the event’s overall sponsor and will facilitate food and beverages.
KnowledgeFest Live! allows retailers, vendors and other industry professionals to come together in a relaxed atmosphere to catch up on friendships, discuss ideas or simply enjoy a night of food, drinks and music. Buses shuttle attendees to and from the Gaylord Texan hotel nearby.
“It’s perfectly fitting to have three companies known for providing entertaining content to be the sponsors for a night of food and fun with a vibrant group of musicians and performers,” said Chris Cook, MERA president. “We appreciate the participation of SiriusXM, Voxx International and Sony for creating a night to kick back with friends and colleagues within the education-intensive show and conference.”
To register online to attend KnowledgeFest, go to www.knowledgefest.org and click “MERA Member Registration” or “Non-MERA Member Registration.” For more information on MERA or KnowledgeFest, visit www.merausa.org, www.knowledgefest.org, or contact Chris Cook at (800) 949-6372.


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mobile Stories January 10, 2015
mobile Stories November 13, 2014
mobile Stories October 6, 2014
A modified version of the Facebook Messenger has revealed that person-to-person payment interfaces and other elements are already integrated into the app. The discovery was made by iOS developer Andre Aude.
Just like sending a message or sending a photo, Facebook’s payments implementation is integrated into the chat window. The idea being, that if you talk to a friend about getting coffee, you can pay your half of the bill in the same place. A history of payments appears in the settings pages.
Facebook has not confirmed that the feature is coming any time soon. Zuckerberg has floated the idea of Facebook tying mobile payments before, but warned it was a long way off.
mobile Stories September 8, 2014
mobile Stories August 6, 2014
mobile Stories July 24, 2014


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Motorola’s wacky flip-around mobile phone, the Aura, is supposedly the pinnacle of handset style. But a third-party’s designed a knock-off model that's crucially much, much cheaper. Imobile_V453_01 The Imobile Phone V453: 'inspired' by Motorola's Aura and Louis Vuitton Motorola launched Aura back in October and it later …
13 lacpixel camera
Interestingly this little thingy sports a 13 lacpixel camera for "support to shoot video with sound, the time depends on storage".
Hmm, interesting, so this is the next big thing in digital photography then. Can't wait for Canon, Nikon et al to move their a@@@s to make lacpixel cameras, can't let a cheap chinese knock off beat them to it.
- Very fabric of space-time RIPPED apart in latest Hubble pic
- 10 years of Facebook Inside Facebook's engineering labs: Hardware heaven, HP hell – PICTURES
- Dell charges £16 TO INSTALL FIREFOX on PCs – Mozilla is miffed
- Google! and! Facebook! IDs! face! Yahoo! login! BAN!
- CIA snoops snooped on Senate to spy spy torture report – report


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EL DORADO HILLS, Calif. —
George Haymaker turned his addiction into an opportunity to help himself and others by creating a "tummy-friendly" ice cream.
Around 10 years ago, George Haymaker, the founder CEO of ReThink Ice Cream, was struggling with an addiction to pain medications and alcohol.
As Haymaker began recovering from his addiction, he turned to ice cream as a substitute for the sugar found in alcohol. But the more he indulged, the more he began feeling and showing the effects of all the sugar found in ice cream.
“I thought to myself, this is not sustainable; I’ve got to apply my tools of recovery to total health of mind, body and spirit,” Haymaker said. “Because of that, I started watching what I was eating and looked around for healthier ways to indulge.”
As Haymaker looked for a healthier ice cream, he struggled to find one he liked as brands that were low in sugar or nondairy didn't provide the taste or texture he craved.
That was when Haymaker had the idea to create a healthier ice cream that still tasted great and had a similar texture.
"An important part of staying sober is to give back, which makes those of us in recovery feel good about ourselves," Haymaker said. "I created ReThink Ice Cream as a platform to help others."
The original premise of ReThink Ice Cream was to create an ice cream that was healthier, but still tasted as identical as possible to Häagen-Dazs. As Haymaker began talking with others, he realized many people had issues with digesting dairy.
"We found this issue to be important to our consumers," Haymaker said. "That was when we began rebranding Rethink Ice Cream as a 'kinder' ice cream."
ReThink Ice Cream is "tummy-friendly" as it is lactose-free, low in sugar, low in carbs, low in calories, does not use sugar alcohols, and uses A2/A2 dairy from cows making it easier to digest.
"There is really no one in the market that focuses on being tummy-friendly, so we were excited we could make this happen," Haymaker said.
According to Haymaker, Re-Think Ice cream is a 'kinder ice cream' as it is kinder to the tummy, the cow, and the environment.
The company was originally based in Napa before Haymaker decided to relocate to El Dorado Hills in 2021.
"In terms of business, relocating to the Sacramento area was a good move for us as there is a broad demographic to test our products with," Haymaker said. "We want to try to own this market and become Sacramento's ice cream company."
According to Haymaker, customers can find ReThink Ice Cream across the Greater Sacramento Region at every Raley's, every Bel-Air, Sac Co-Op, and Davis Co-Op. Haymaker said he hopes to bring ReThink ice cream to more stores in Northern California and online soon.
Watch more from ABC10: 4 ways to improve gut health | Meg Unprocessed


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Via Inside Facebook: Facebook is reportedly experimenting with a new “Want” button that would act similarly to its popular “Like” feature. Third-party Open Graph developers have already created similar features, but a native button means Facebook users wouldn’t have to authorize a third-party app to click away at products they desire. If implemented, the addition of a “Want” button could provide a powerful distinction between people who “Like” a product–a vague action that doesn’t necessarily indicate a desire to purchase–and people who are actually likely to make purchases. The massive trove of resulting data could prove very valuable to advertisers and e-commerce businesses looking to better target consumers. (We’ve asked Facebook for confirmation and more information and will report if we hear back.)
Update: A Facebook spokesperson would only confirm they’re testing new Platform features and have nothing to announce at this time.
For more news like this, visit our main Fast Feed page regularly.


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The pricey German cars add extra charge to allay Brexit fears.
The German manufacturer of sports and luxury cars has warned that customers may have to pay an extra 10 percent on top of the price of all of its cars after Britain leaves the EU, according to the BBC.
In fact, in a 'precautionary' move, it is reportedly already started asking customers to sign contracts agreeing to the additional cost, although those that have put their pre-orders in before January 17 will be unaffected by the charge.
"As one potential outcome of the Brexit negotiations, there is a possibility that a duty of up to 10% may be applied to cars imported into the UK by us after March 29," Porsche said in an email to the BBC. "In light of this, we have chosen to inform customers whose cars are likely to arrive after Brexit occurs to warn them that they may be affected by this tariff – allowing them to be fully informed at the point of sale and, if they wish, to adjust their order accordingly."
"This is a precautionary step in the interests of allowing our customers to plan ahead."
The tariff will up the cost of an entry-level 911 Carrera 2 from around £93,000 to over £102,000, while it will also push its 'cheaper' offerings – the entry-level Boxster and Macan – to over £50,000.
Porsche is of course part of the Volkswagen Group's expansive portfolio which also includes mainstream brands Volkswagen, Seat, and Skoda, as well as premium brands Audi, Bentley, Bugatti, and Lamborghini, but it is not yet known if a similar tariff will be applied to products from the other brands.
"We are keeping a very close eye on developments and reviewing the entire spectrum of possible effects," a Volkswagen spokesman told the BBC. "We are noting with regret that there is currently a stand-still regarding the decision on the negotiated deal. For us, this means a further period of insecurity and planning uncertainty."
"We continue to prepare for all eventualities," the spokesman added. "Irrespective of this, the United Kingdom will remain an important market for the Volkswagen Group, the second largest in Europe."
Nearly five percent of Porsche's 2018 output of 256,000 cars was sold in Britain last year.


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WASHINGTON — House and Senate races have taken a backseat to the presidential race this year, but retail and specialty store chains focused on special issues have invested millions of dollars in supporting congressional candidates.
A great majority of retail political contributions have gone to Capitol Hill candidates who are viewed as friendly to business and largely favor Republicans.
The political action committee run by Wal-Mart Inc. leads apparel retailers in terms of political giving this election. The world’s largest company has contributed most of its $2.5 million this two-year election cycle to GOP candidates and PACs and has $108,790 left in its war chest, according to the Federal Election Commission. Wal-Mart spent $667,805 in the comparable election cycle of 2000.
But Wal-Mart and other retailers haven’t ignored Democrats. For example, Rep. Charles Rangel (D., N.Y.), a backer of many trade pacts, received $5,000 from Wal-Mart’s PAC, even though Rangel bucks retailers in opposing tax cuts and advocating an increase in the $5.15 an hour federal minimum wage.
Sears, Roebuck & Co.’s PAC comes in second among apparel retailers with $295,221 in contributions and $264,373 to spend. Sears’ political giving is well above the year 2000, when it wrote $109,330 in campaign checks.
A Sears spokesman attributed the boost in Sears’ PAC contributions to its government affairs staff working hard “to educate employees” about the ways of politics. Business PACs, including Sears, are typically filled with donations from executives and the ranks of managers.
“Public policy decisions made by elected officials have an impact on our ability to serve our customers and operate our business,” the spokesman said.
Some retailers choose not to have PACs or they keep a nominal amount in their political bank accounts.
Federated Department Stores, for example, hasn’t raised any money this election cycle, but used $3,000 of its PAC’s $8,428 cash on hand to give $1,000 to its hometown Cincinnati Republican Rep. Steve Chabot and $2,000 to GOP Ohio Sen. Mike DeWine. Federated officials have said having a PAC isn’t a priority.
The retail political agenda is varied and that means supporting politicians who favor expanding international trade and reforming laws to curb bankruptcies while opposing a national sales tax and increases in the minimum wage. The industry is also eager to see health care reform take shape, which would lower escalating employee benefit costs.
Aside from where a candidate stands on retail issues, a spokeswoman for J.C. Penney Co. said congressional incumbents in positions of leadership in both parties or holding key committee posts carry weight in deciding where to place Penney’s PAC contributions. In addition, “the dynamics of a race,” in which a retail-friendly candidate may need more support, is a factor. Penney’s has made $133,984 in political contributions this election and has $112,676 left to give. In the 2000 election, the retailer’s PAC gave $237,209.
The amount of PAC contributions allowed is regulated by the FEC. A candidate can receive up to $5,000 from a PAC separately for primary and general elections.
Among candidates earmarked this election by retailers for PAC contributions in closely contested races include GOP Rep. Richard Burr from North Carolina, who is vying for the North Carolina Senate seat being vacated by Sen. John Edwards, Democratic presidential candidate Sen. John Kerry’s running mate. Burr supports tax cuts and has generally backed President Bush’s expansive trade policies, while Democratic opponent Erskine Bowles opposes tax breaks and Bush’s trade policies.
An example of an influential House incumbent getting retail PAC money is House Majority Leader Tom DeLay (R., Texas). DeLay’s job is to ensure there are enough GOP votes to pass party-backed legislation, such as a measure in 2001 repealing Clinton administration ergonomic Occupational Safety & Health Administration rules and President Bush’s $2 trillion tax cut bill.
While apparel retailers, like other businesses, generally steer the bulk of their contributions to Republicans, an exception this election is Gap, which gave 68 percent of its $34,143 to Democrats.
An example of a Democrat garnering retail industry support is Arkansas Sen. Blanche Lincoln, a member of the Senate Finance Committee that oversees trade legislation. Lincoln has raised $6 million in campaign funds, including contributions from Wal-Mart, Target Corp., The Limited, J.C. Penney and May Department Stores. GOP opponent state Rep. Jim Holt has raised $97,290.
A third of the 100-member Senate is up for reelection Tuesday, but there are several races for open seats or Republican-held seats, such as in Illinois, Oklahoma and Kentucky, that are considered so closely contested that Democratic victories could lead to the party claiming majority power in the chamber. The GOP majority in the House is considered less threatened. However, the expected high voter turnout is considered to be a wild card in forecasting dominance by either party in either chamber.
“Nobody knows how the election will turn out,” said Steve Pfister, senior vice president of government relations with the National Retail Federation, the lobbying arm of department and specialty stores.
The NRF’s PAC this election has contributed $190,850 to House and Senate candidates and has $32,142 left to spend. In contrast, in 2000, NRF PAC contributions were $165,000.
The Retail Industry Leaders’ Association, the lobbying arm of retail discount chains including Wal-Mart, has contributed $33,855 through its PAC and has $3,464 cash on hand. In 2000, the association spent $23,250 on political giving.


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Google pulls out of Yahoo advertising deal
This article was originally on a blog post platform and may be missing photos, graphics or links. See About archive blog posts.
Google pulled out of its controversial advertising agreement with Yahoo this morning because of fears of a ‘protracted legal battle’ with federal and state antitrust regulators concerned about the deal’s impact on the online market.
The decision ends a four-month quest to get regulatory approval and a broader attempt to keep Yahoo out of the hands of Google rival Microsoft. The software giant led the charge against the Web advertising deal, stirring up opposition among advertisers and raising worries within the Bush administration and Congress about the potential impact of a partnership between the top two search engines.
With the deal already delayed and then revised in hopes of overcoming strong concerns from the Justice Department, Google announced in a blog post this morning it was pulling the plug because those steps were not enough to ...
... secure regulatory approval. David Drummond, Google’s chief legal officer and senior vice president for corporate development, said:
We feel that the agreement would have been good for publishers, advertisers, and users -- as well, of course, for Yahoo and Google. However, after four months of review, including discussions of various possible changes to the agreement, it’s clear that government regulators and some advertisers continue to have concerns about the agreement. Pressing ahead risked not only a protracted legal battle but also damage to relationships with valued partners. That wouldn’t have been in the long term interests of Google or our users, so we have decided to end the agreement.
Yahoo said Google had notified it of the decision to end the proposed agreement, through which Google would have brokered some text ads for Yahoo’s search engine, ‘following indication from the Department of Justice that it would seek to block it, despite Yahoo’s proposed revisions to address the DOJ’s concerns.’
Yahoo downplayed the impact of Google’s decision on its future. But Wall Street clearly thinks Microsoft may come back into the picture and revive its bid for part or all of Yahoo. Despite the collapse of a deal that Yahoo said would boost its annual revenue by hundreds of millions of dollars, its stock was trading up more than 4%, around $13.90, in early trading after the announcement. The Sunnyvale, Calif., company said in a statement:
While the implementation of the services agreement with Google would have enabled Yahoo to accelerate its investments in its top business priorities through an infusion of additional operating cash flow, this deal was incremental to Yahoo’s product roadmap and does not change Yahoo’s commitment to innovation and growth in search. The fundamental building blocks of a stronger Yahoo in both sponsored and algorithmic search were put in place independent of the agreement.
The Justice Department said it had significant concerns about the deal.
‘The companies’ decision to abandon their agreement eliminates the competitive concerns identified during our investigation and eliminates the need to file an enforcement action,’ Thomas O. Barnett, who oversees the department’s antitrust division, said this morning. ‘The arrangement likely would have denied consumers the benefits of competition–lower prices, better service and greater innovation.’
-- Jim Puzzanghera


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BT is offering customers three months of FREE broadband in a series of Black Friday deals.
It means if you opt into the deal you won’t have to pay anything until next year.
BT customers can get three months free broadband inthe Black Friday sales[/caption]
Millions of Brits face soaring prices as the cost of living is increasing and bills are rising too.
This year Black Friday falls on November 26.
It’s typically a day where retailers will launch their biggest and best sales of the year just as shoppers are looking to stock up for Christmas.
This year though, a number of retailers have jumped the gun, like Amazon for example, who began its Black Friday deals 20 days prior to the “holiday”, meanwhile many more, are also already rolling out discounts.
Often though, it’s not just the latest gadgets and gizmos that are on offer, as experiences, travel and other less tangible purchases join in the sales hype.
Just like BT’s three month deal on broadband too – it’s also early this year as youcan apply for it now.
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The broadband provider offers its services to almost every address in the country, so it’s a deal that all would be able to cash in on.
BT is offering the deal across all speeds too, so you can upgrade or switch tariff if the deal works for you, and there are no setup fees either.
The actual tariff will be from £27.99 a month, and you’re tied in for 24 months.
The Black Friday deal doesn’t mean you get any money off your bills when they do eventually start to roll in though.
That’s why it’s important to make sure you’re opting for a deal that’s within your budget in the long run.
Come February, you don’t want to be paying for something you can’t afford just because it was a good freebie back in November.
It’s why you should always shop around and choose the best deal for your household and the kind of usage you expect.
Virgin Media, for example has slashed prices by as much as £342, but you will have to pay a £35 setup fee.
Plus, Hyperoptic, is also offering three months of free broadband, but you have to join a 24 month contract.
There are other ways you can keep costs down on broadband worth considering too.
Millions on Universal Credit and benefits could save £234 a year on broadband, with affordable broadband choices called social tariffs.
There are eight social tariffs available from major providers and smaller companies, but it can vary as to which one you may be eligible for, and the speeds with be different for each too.
The cheapest deal out there is from Community Fibre and costs £10 a month for 10mbps, but it’s only available in London, for example.
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For years, there has been controversy surrounding the chemical tert-butylhydroquinone (TBHQ). Currently, it is in many food products as an antioxidant. Essentially, its function is to extend the shelf life of certain foods. Robert Freeborn, a toxicologist at Michigan State University, recently carried out a study that looked at its effects on the flu vaccine. The results were cause for worry for anyone who has received the shot.
The FDA just approved a new antidepressant, the first of its kind. Unlike other antidepressants, this one is a nasal spray. Esketamine, under the brand name Spravato, is developed by Johnson & Johnson and has been in testing for the past 2 years. The drug has seen remarkable success. This success is interesting because the drug is closely tied to the club drug “Special K.” Related to MDMA, Special K is known as Ecstasy. This marks the first major breakthrough in the treatment of depression since the 1980s.
Cassandra Twining | United States
Doctors in the United States write 50 million Xanax prescriptions per year. That’s over one prescription per second. You can buy 30 Xanax pills at your local pharmacy for on average $100. That amounts to five billion dollars being spent on Xanax every single year. But what exactly is Xanax and how does it work?
Xanax, also commonly known by its cheaper off-brand counterpart Alprazolam, is a Benzodiazepine. It is commonly used to treat general anxiety disorder, panic disorders, and insomnia. Benzodiazepines are a specific category of drug that works in specific receptors in your brain. The Benzodiazepines, in this instance, Xanax, attaches to the gamma-aminobutyric acid-A (GABA-A) receptors in your brain and diminish sensitivity to stimulation, which in turn produces the calming effect so many people love. Xanax is listed by the Drug Enforcement Agency as a schedule 4 drug. This essentially means that it is the second least likely to lead to addiction and it is very safe to take. At least according to their classification that is… So let’s look a little more into what exactly Xanax does to your brain along with the long term effects.
Treating anxiety disorders can be very difficult for some people because of the vast amount of kinds of ways anxiety can present itself. While Xanax is not the only option for treating anxiety medically, it is certainly the most commonly prescribed and most well-known option. There are 3 fundamental problems with Xanax and its long term effects on the brain.
Treating Symptoms, not Problems
The first problem being that Xanax doesn’t stop one’s anxiety, it merely numbs it. When the medication goes into the receptors in your brain and dims the sensation in the brain it effectively reduces the release of the chemicals in your brain that causes anxiety. However, the issue arises from the fact that a reduction of the release of the chemicals does not mean they go away, it just builds up.
This is why when people try to quit taking Xanax or the dosage they took wears off the anxiety feelings not only come back but comes back more forcefully. It’s essentially like sweeping dirt under a rug; it’s still there and it’s still going to affect you eventually. The problem is just continuing to build up and get worse.
This problem is enhanced by the second problem faced with Xanax: it has an incredibly short half-life. Meaning that the amount of time it takes for the drug to completely leave your system is really quick. Which makes people want to take more of the medication even when they’re not scheduled to because of the adverse effects that come when it wears off.
Xanax Addiction and Overdose
Both problems, in turn, contribute to the third and final problem that Xanax is highly addictive. Because of the short half-life, the increase in anxiety when it wears off, and the effectiveness of the drug, people quickly become both physically and emotionally dependant on Xanax as a treatment for their anxiety.
It is also very possible to overdose on Xanax, especially taken with other opioids or alcohol. In 2015 over 30,000 drug overdose deaths were the result of opioids mixed with benzos like Xanax. It is also important to note that these numbers of Xanax use are only those prescribed by doctors; Xanax is also a very commonly used recreational drug. Doctors and pharmaceutical companies are making billions of dollars from prescribing and encouraging the consumption of a drug that is continuing to increase the amounts of anxiety and addiction in our country.
Nevertheless, anxiety is a very real and serious issue. So what can people do to change the current system for go to treatment options? A community health center in Louisville, Kentucky started to notice how the mass amounts of Xanax prescriptions for patients were not only dangerous but also a drain on their resources.
Because of the lack of education surrounding the long term effects of Xanax they were also spending an enormous amount of time just simply educating people about it. This is why they decided to switch to prescribing clonazepam a similar drug with less adverse long term effects. They are trying to completely wean their patients off of Xanax altogether. There are some people who do truly benefit from its effects. However, it is such a dangerous drug that the risk just doesn’t appear to continue to be worth it.
Finally, there are a lot of ways to try and alleviate anxiety using natural methods of treatment. Exercising can release endorphins and be a cathartic experience that can help with anxious feelings. Meditation and relaxation exercises like slowly relaxing each muscle group and breathing techniques can also help. You can also try reading, writing, natural medical treatments, or anything you may feel will help.
It’s most important to remember that anxiety isn’t the same for everyone and what might work for you might not work for someone else. It takes hard work and bravery to evaluate your options and find the best course of treatment for you. It’s okay to not want to try modern medical solutions, and it’s okay to want to! What’s not okay is not having the full story of how these solutions actually affect you. Do your research and make sure you’re not just making the problem worse while trying to solve it.
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By Mason Mohon | @mohonofficial
The government shutdown has turned into the longest one in United States history. The consequences have included our TSA not being paid (scary!) and the National Parks losing funding. In addition, the FDA is shut down. So amidst the constant slew of overdoses on cheap EpiPens and terrorist attacks, some kind-hearted libertarians decided to step up to the plate and do their part for nature.
By Max Bibeau | United States
The American Dream, as outlined by the Founding Fathers in the Declaration of Independence, has long been the shining beacon of hope for citizens and foreigners alike, offering a chance to be successful on an even playing field. Unfortunately, that beacon has been dimming in recent decades, leading the World Economic Forum to bluntly mourn that the American Dream is broken.
As class mobility continues to fall and the economic gap between rich and poor only seems to expand, many Americans are starting to give up hope in American capitalism. This has led to mass calls for change among the general populace, with everyone desperately looking for solutions. Some, such as Vermont Senator and 2016 presidential candidate Bernie Sanders, propose that it is time to look towards “democratic socialism” in the United States. Others, such as Speaker of the House Paul Ryan, seem to be denying the problem completely, still claiming that “the circumstances of your birth do not determine the outcome of your life.”
As much as we might wish for Paul Ryan’s statement to be true, the facts stand against him. Since we are in grave need of a solution, and one does not appear to be coming anytime soon, we must ask how America can improve competition in modern capitalism. Luckily, it is not too late for capitalism to be saved and for America to recover, but the country needs to act fast. While there are many potential solutions, there are three primary ones which will specifically target major problems in the US economy. In order to address current problems in the economy, the United States should target inefficiencies in regulatory organizations like the FDA, foster blockchain development around the country, and crack down on state preference policies.
The problem of skyrocketing drug prices was first brought to the forefront of American politics in 2015 when the infamous Martin Shkreli increased prices on a lifesaving drug by over 4000%, from $18 a pill to $750 a pill, making the cost of treatment virtually impossible to cover. Unfortunately, this is not an isolated case, as the Center for American Progress describes how American pharmaceutical prices have “continued to skyrocket” in recent years, with manufacturers of Medicare-covered drugs raising prices 12% per year on average. Another study shockingly found that over the past 14 months, 20 different prescription drugs had their prices increased by 200% or more.
Price increases, especially of these unprecedented proportions, are a clear indicator of a lack of competition within the pharmaceutical industry, as confirmed by a Government Accountability Office study. To counteract price increases, the United States must directly tackle the sources of the problem: inefficiency and over-regulation, which leads to monopolistic markets. All of the prescription drugs that saw drastic price increases have one thing in common: they have little to no competition making the same substances. This is because of how unreasonably difficult and expensive it is to get a new drug approved for manufacturing by the FDA.
The Journal of Health quantifies just how expensive the process can be, totaling it at over $1.395 billion in out-of-pocket costs. That number skyrockets up to $2.870 billion when post-approval research and development costs are factored in. These astronomically high development costs make it extremely difficult for anybody looking to create a new drug to even get their business off the ground. High startup costs are one of the top reasons that new companies and drugs never find success, as it’s virtually impossible for new companies, even with perfect scientific viability, to raise nearly $3 billion in investments just to allow their drug to be widely sold.
Because of complex regulations and red tape encircling the pharmaceutical industry, it’s no surprise that the market is nearly devoid of competition. By removing excessive regulation on the industry and streamlining the FDA, new drugs could be approved faster and cheaper. This would dramatically lower startup costs for new businesses trying to develop drugs and would promote increased competition throughout the entire industry, making life-saving substances much more affordable.
Blockchain Growth and Development
The blockchain, developed and made popular by cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin, is currently a buzzword in American Congress. Politicians are scrambling to implement the budding technology into their cities and states, and have even formed the Congressional Blockchain Caucus to craft policy surrounding it. Luckily, the potential benefits of the blockchain, especially when it comes to increasing competition, cannot be overstated. To quickly summarize a complex technology, the blockchain is a completely digital, decentralized ledger of information, constantly being confirmed and updated by computers around the world. This has plenty of business applications.
Specifically, since the National Bureau of Economic Research contends that the blockchain removes almost all need for trust in a transaction, small businesses will no longer have to compete with larger businesses when it comes to reputability. Trust, especially when it comes to internet retail, is one of the largest problems that businesses face, preventing up to 30% of internet users from utilizing online retail at all.
However, as the blockchain expands and becomes more widely used, retailers, especially small, newer businesses, will be granted the same level of trust as established companies. The Pew Research Center has found that many consumers soon “expect to see improved technology emerge that will allow people to have confidence in the organizations and individuals with whom they interact online,” specifically through the blockchain. Once the blockchain and cryptocurrency have become mainstream, the issue of trust will be eliminated from the equation, promoting widespread competition in online retail by allowing small retailers with no reputation to provide legitimate competition to retail giants.
While many are afraid to buy from anywhere other than Amazon due to the threat of scams, the blockchain will almost completely mitigate that problem, giving startups a chance, and opening up the online retail industry to everyone. To promote this, the government should focus on effectively regulating and investing in blockchain companies. These regulations would allow them to thrive and innovate in the near future, while still protecting the safety of consumers.
Ending State Preference Policies
While it is commonly agreed upon by economists that international protectionism damages all parties involved, what is criminally under-discussed when it comes to increasing domestic competition is state-by-state protectionism, more commonly known as preference policies. These policies are outlined by the Mercatus Center, which describes that preference policies, often enacted by state or local governments, give a significant advantage to companies residing in-state when bidding on government projects.
When a state government wishes to have a project completed, whether it be building military bases or providing a government building with computers, they allow companies to bid on the project. In theory, this practice would reduce costs as much as possible, as competition drives prices lower. Unfortunately, as the Mercatus Center furthers, even if an out-of-state company bids with a significantly cheaper offer, the more expensive in-state company will still almost always get the job. Aside from drastically raising the costs of government projects on taxpayers, in-state preference policies are almost identical to international protectionist policies, and have almost identical impacts, especially when it comes to decreasing competition.
Essentially, these programs enable companies to raise their prices due to the lack of competition from other states. Similar to international protectionism, these policies are put in place with the goal of stimulating domestic growth. However, this growth often comes at the cost of cheap prices and quality services. While it may appear that this would only discourage competition when it comes to government services, that is not quite true. Because most of these state and local policies are very strict, they only give preference to companies that have a state/local business license, pay all state/local taxes, and hire only state/local employees.
Since these policies are so rigid, and only apply to exclusively state or local businesses, it often discourages companies, especially those which rely on government business to remain profitable, from expanding outside of state borders, given that they know this will likely cost them their government business. This has much more broad impacts, affecting competition around the entire nation.
An Increase in Market Freedom
The United States, viewed as a pioneer of capitalism around the world, has found itself entrapped by red tape and ineffective policies, all of which are hindering one of the key benefits of capitalism: competition. However, while the United States does have some dire problems, they can be addressed.
First, the country needs to crack down on inefficient and ineffective regulations, specifically in the pharmaceutical industry. Second, the US should encourage and foster blockchain development by establishing fair regulations that don’t stifle the technology. Finally, the unfair problem of in-state preference policies must be addressed. While hope may be in short supply for capitalists in the United States, some common sense changes to economic policy would allow the beacon of the American Dream to shine brightly once again.
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In January 2014, the US Food and Drug Administration published a study in which they identified an amphetamine-like stimulant in a number of commonly used dietary supplements. More than 2 years later, a new study led by a researcher from Harvard Medical School in Cambridge, MA, finds that, not only are products containing the supplement still on the market, their abundance has increased.
The 2014 study from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), published in the Journal of Pharmaceutical and Biomedical Analysis, revealed that nine of the tested 21 dietary supplements marketed for weight loss, improved cognitive function or enhanced athletic performance containing a plant extract called Acacia rigidula also contained beta-methylphenylethylamine (BMPEA).
BMPEA is a synthetic compound closely related to amphetamine. Though the safety of the substance has not been tested in humans, studies in cats and dogs have shown it to increase blood pressure and heart rate – conditions known to raise the risk of heart attack and stroke in humans.
But despite the FDA’s findings, it seems the organization has taken no action to enforce the removal of BMPEA from dietary supplements or warn consumers about the potential risks.
On Tuesday, Dr. Pieter A. Cohen, of the Cambridge Health Alliance at Harvard, and colleagues published a study in the journal Drug Testing and Analysis, revealing that BMPEA was identified in 11 of the 21 Acacia rigidula dietary supplements they purchased 1 year after the FDA’s findings.
“Since the FDA discovered BMPEA in supplements, the percentage of brands of Acacia rigidula supplements that contain BMPEA has appeared to increase, from 42.9% in 2012 to 52.4% in 2014,” note the researchers.
“Whether this represents a true increase in the prevalence of BMPEA or is due to differences in sampling methods or other factors is not known,” they add. “Regardless, the continued presence of BMPEA in mainstream supplements continues to expose consumers to potential risks.”
Dr. Cohen told Medical News Today that he was “shocked” by their findings. “I had assumed that the FDA’s original research would have led manufacturers to quietly withdraw this stimulant since the FDA had discovered it,” he said.
He told us that the results represent a “profound leadership failure” at the FDA. “The problem starts with the commissioner ignoring supplements and continues all the way down to the supplement division, which is intertwined with the supplement industry,” he added.
The team says immediate action needs to be taken to remove BMPEA from all supplements and ensure consumers avoid such products:
“We recommend that supplement manufacturers immediately recall all supplements containing BMPEA, and that the FDA use all its enforcement powers to eliminate BMPEA as an ingredient in dietary supplements.
Consumers should be advised to avoid all supplements labeled as containing Acacia rigidula. Physicians should remain alert to the possibility that patients may be inadvertently exposed to synthetic stimulants when consuming weight-loss and sports supplements.”
The FDA, however, have taken a different view on the issue. In a statement released yesterday, the organization said their review of products containing BMPEA “does not identify a specific safety concern at this time,” though they say they “will consider taking regulatory action, as appropriate, to protect consumers.”
Talking to MNT, Dr. Cohen said he was left “speechless” by the FDA’s statement. “This statement is ludicrous,” he added. “How could they try to spin this as if there is no safety concern? That is flying in the face of what we’ve heard from the Canadian and European health authorities, not to mention many independent experts.”
The UK’s Food Standard Agency, for example, say they have seen no evidence that Acacia rigidula is not a “novel food.” As such, they say – under European Union (EU) regulations – it needs to undergo testing to ensure it is safe for human consumption.
Steve Mister, president and CEO of the Council for Responsible Nutrition (CRN), agrees with Dr. Cohen, and says he sees no reason why the FDA cannot take the appropriate action against supplement manufacturers adding BMPEA to their products.
“BMPEA does not appear to be a legitimate dietary ingredient, and therefore, its inclusion in a product labeled as a dietary supplement makes the product adulterated under the Dietary Supplement Health & Education Act (DSHEA),” Mister explained in a statement.
“Although Acacia rigidula supplements represent a very small portion of the dietary supplement industry – so small that we are not aware of specific sales data – FDA has the tools it needs under the law to take action before there are serious health consequences, and CRN is asking the agency to do just that.”
It seems the findings from Dr. Cohen and colleagues have triggered some positive action, however. E-commerce company Vitacost – who markets a BMPEA-containing dietary supplement called ARO-Vitacost Black Series BURN – say they are halting all online sales of the product.
“They will not be available for purchase until we can investigate further, and again have full confidence that these products are safe and effective for our customers,” the company said in a statement.
But talking to CBS This Morning, Dr. Cohen said such a move is simply not enough. “This is way too little too late. We need all these products off store shelves. More importantly, we need the FDA to be enforcing the law.”
Last month, Medical News Today reported on a study published in Nature Communications, in which researchers claim a popular anti-aging supplement – ubiquinone – is unlikely to have any benefits.


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New England editorial roundup
The Brattleboro (Vt.) Reformer, Dec. 25, 2014
Two decades into the Internet revolution and political leaders around the world are still trying to figure out how to control, regulate and bend it to their will.
Internet governance is at an inflection point right now and debate about the fundamental structure of the Internet is ramping up, according to an essay written by the bipartisan leaders of the House Energy & Commerce and Foreign Affairs Committees for Recode.net, a CNBC partner site.
U.S. Reps. Fred Upton, R-Mich., Henry A. Waxman, D-Calif., and Eliot Engel, D-N.Y., said this debate will affect global business models relying on networked technologies and freedom of expression and privacy. The United States’ position has been clear on this question: The multi-stakeholder system must continue.
A multi-stakeholder model of Internet governance embraces individual users, academia, technologists, civil society, commercial interests, and governments. For continued advancement of the Internet, the congressmen argue, the world must maintain multi-stakeholder governance and reject efforts by others to impose an intergovernmental entity as an international Internet regulator.
As the congressmen note, not every country shares our nation’s passion for free expression. Around the world, oppressive governments have restricted access to Facebook, Google, YouTube, as well as other sites, in an effort to control the free flow of opinions and information. Vladimir Putin made headlines recently when he blocked a Facebook page promoting a Russian opposition rally, but this type of thing happens all the time with oppressive governments.
China is blocking websites and filtering its citizen’s searches, Cuba only allows pro-government users to upload content, Saudi Arabia has blocked more than 40,000 sites that it deems unacceptable with the government, and Turkey is taking steps to make it easier to block sites without a court order.
We’re lucky here in the United States because as much as we like to grumble about our government, the fact is we are allowed to grumble about our government by any peaceful means we choose, including the Internet. Cyberspace in the U.S. is awash with political discourse and free-flowing exchange of ideas. But just because our government doesn’t control the Internet doesn’t mean it isn’t being controlled.
Because of the way the Internet works, companies that operate social media platforms get to subtly influence what we encounter online: what we find, who we meet, and what we buy, according to a recent article in The Telegraph. Thanks to market forces and expediency the result is a public space that isn’t really controlled by the citizens. It’s curated, controlled, monetized, and censored, often from behind closed doors, the newspaper reports.
Some governments are discussing regulatory steps against the Internet giants to stem this monopoly of influence over cyberspace, but market forces are going in a different direction. According to the Telegraph, “an alternative way of running the Internet is being built already: an Internet where no one is in control, where no one can shut you down, where no one can manipulate your content. A decentralised Internet.”
This “Ethereum” system will allow us to do everything online directly with each other, not through the big companies that currently mediate our online interaction and whom we have little choice but to trust with our data.
The Telegraph believes this transformation with the Internet will be gradual but significant: “Chipping away at the dominance of the big companies that currently rule the roost, and making it far harder, if not impossible, to censor and control what’s online. Doubtless ISIL propagandists will be rubbing their hands with this, but so will democratic revolutionaries in Russia. And for the rest of us, it will mean more control over our own data and digital footprints, a peer-to-peer network where no one is in charge — because everyone is.”
The Record Journal of Meriden (Conn.), Dec. 26, 2014
Children today never seem far removed from computer screens or digital content. Out in public, on buses or trains, they watch programming or play video games on smartphones and hand-held consoles. Walk through the Wallingford Public Library computer section on any given day, and you will see a number of kids controlling characters in virtual worlds. This may hone certain technical skills, but does anybody believe that these activities are beneficial for youths’ attention spans or mental development?
Parents in holiday season 2014 — and perhaps beyond — would seem to think not. What’s hot this winter are “unplugged” toys, according to a New York Times article. Popular non-electronic items include arts and crafts, outdoor toys, kinetic sand (similar to Play-Doh), Legos (orders have spiked 188 percent), American Dolls (eBay listings are up 189 percent) and the 1990s throwback Puppy Surprise, a stuffed dog that births a litter of stuffed puppies. Manufacturers could not deliver that particular plaything fast enough before retailers again sold out.
What gives? Marketing executives believe parents are pushing back against screens. And who can blame them? Perhaps kids can make much better use of their time with non-electronic toys.
This helps explain the rising appeal of arts and crafts this holiday season. Certain items, like jewelry-making toys, have even begun incorporating business aspects. The idea is that users will sell some of what they make, so that youths can learn the basics of managing production and commerce. Even if economics are not involved, toys that foster creativity and personalization, like Legos, can stretch a recipient’s imagination.
The same cannot be so easily said for the umpteenth iteration of a kart-racing video game, or the DVD boxed set of a favorite cartoon show. The trends this shopping season suggest that adults have been keeping this in mind when shopping for children. Although movies, TV shows and video games are high on universal appeal, they are low on the self-improvement factor. It strikes us as a good sign that adults are considering toys that will challenge children intellectually, and allow them to utilize creativity and imagination that might not be engaged by other gifts.


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Martorell, 24/2/2014. The new SEAT Leon has been distinguished with the “Best Car 2014” award in the compact car segment by the editorial staff of the trade press magazine Coche Actual, which belongs to the Motorpress Ibérica editorial group. This prestigious award recognises the quality, design, sportiness and technology displayed by the Spanish company’s new model.
SEAT Spain director Mikel Palomera received the award this afternoon at an event held in Madrid, where he pointed out that “this prize is an enormous satisfaction for the SEAT family due to its significance within the sector. The new Leon perfectly represents SEAT’s values and we are pleased that Coche Actual has distinguished our model from the field of worthy competitors in the current compact segment”.
It is especially significant that the Leon has been chosen best compact car by the editorial staff of Coche Actual as they are highly qualified trade specialists who have closely analysed the most prominent cars this segment currently has on the market. For this reason, the “Best Car 2014” award is duly relevant when you consider that the philosophy behind Coche Actual is to provide their readers with the guidelines that give a better understanding of cars in an informative and practical language.
This is clearly another success for the Leon, which is continuously winning awards in Spain. SEAT’s new model has conquered a leading position within its segment, thanks to an enticing lineup that has recently been expanded with the arrival of the CUPRA version, the sportiest in the range, which is available with a power output of 265 and 280 PS and a three or five-door body style.


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Written by Jeff Jacobson
President, Technology Business
I’ve been to 28 straight Graph Expo/Print graphic communications trade shows—it’s name changes from “Graph Expo” to “Print” every four years—but this year’s was my first as Xerox Technology Business President. Graphic communications is still a significant part of my portfolio, but it’s no longer my sole focus.
As usual, the show was something of a homecoming for me, meeting up with old friends, colleagues and customers, and perhaps taking away a nugget or two of fresh insight. And sure enough, this year I found fresh evidence supporting my view of why keeping a laser-like focus on your customer is so critical to success in business, particularly in today’s graphic communications industry.
Those who know me well know that this is not a new theme for me, but you may also know that over the years, my perspectives have changed.
At this year’s Graph Expo show, more than perspectives were changing. Signs of the industry’s dramatic shifts to digital communications were everywhere. The show’s footprint was as compact as I can remember, reflecting the move from big offset presses toward smaller digital presses and digital communications solutions. And despite travel challenges—a fire in a Federal Aviation Administration facility in Aurora, Ill. causing thousands of flight cancellations—attendance was down just eight percent from the last Graph Expo.
The new challenge that printers face was detailed in a new book that authors Dr. Joe Webb and Richard Romano were promoting at the show, “This Point Forward.” The challenge: to follow their marketing customers into the automated and analytic communications market. Print will still play a significant role in data-driven campaigns, but to win over the new generation of marketers, which embrace print alternatives, providers must promote the value print brings to campaigns, the authors state.
Many print providers are succeeding by doing just that. They use their customers as their compasses, building digital solutions that meet very specific customer needs in the automated, data-driven space Webb and Romano describe. If successful, they can then sell similar solutions to other customers and prospects, gradually transforming their businesses.
Graph Expo has evolved into a show that plays an important role in this process. Our customers gather to find out what is possible for meeting their customer needs. Booth conversations are more strategic, more solutions-oriented. And our booth theme, “Let’s Automate and Simplify,” focused attention on our FreeFlow and XMPie software, which can integrate production operations with the automated and analytic communications favored by today’s marketers.
Done well, this process creates a virtuous cycle—as print providers win more business and loyalty, they are able to invest further into building the expertise that makes them even more indispensible to their customers—and more alluring to prospects. It’s a cycle that can work in any industry, but is especially valued in transforming industries, where the needs of traditional customers are changing.
The graphic communications industry is full of opportunities, but you need to know where to look. And the first place to look is to your customers.
Written by Jeff Jacobson


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Artificial intelligence (AI) company ThoughtSpot, whose technology enables sophisticated searches of corporate data, will spend $25 million (Rs 174 crore at current exchange rate) on its India engineering headcount to take it to 150 from 100 in the next 12 months, global chief executive Sudheesh Nair told TechCircle. The company is hiring two executives in India for each person it onboards anywhere else in the world, he added. Including the country, ThoughtSpot has employed around 400 people globally.
California-based ThoughtSpot has also entered into an agreement with IT (information technology) firm Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) to reach more mid-sized customer-companies across the globe.
Nair said, "It is difficult for us to reach every customer we want to. TCS has done good work in AI-based analytics and we will work with them to co-create end-solutions for customers."
The firm has also launched its India sales and marketing office, headed by Sunil Mahale, vice-president for the Asia-Pacific and Japan.
Mahale said, "Not only will the investment help ThoughtSpot bring innovations to our customers more quickly than ever before, but for the first time, we will have a dedicated business team to bring search and AI-driven analytics to enterprises throughout India.”
According to ThoughtSpot, the India research and development (R&D) office will soon surpass the US offices as the most important centre. Nair said, "While from a business perspective India might not be huge, all the large customers we work with have their R&D centres here. So it becomes easier to work with these clients."
ThoughtSpot was founded in 2012 by Indian-origin entrepreneurs Ajeet Singh, Abhishek Rai, Priyendra Deshwai, Amit Prakash, Shashank Gupta, Sanjay Agrawal and Vijay Ganesan. The founders have previously worked at consumer technology companies like Google, Amazon and Facebook, while Singh, an IIT-Kanpur and IIM-Calcutta alumnus, has worked in Bengaluru till 2006. He then moved to the US with his then employer Honeywell and later worked at Oracle. Since inception, ThoughtSpot has raised more than $300 million.
Nair said that the company increasingly finds more top-end AI engineers in India rather than in the US, except for design. The firm is developing an enterprise search engine suffused with AI. "While currently the questions being asked are answered, but we are training our algorithms so that it could even suggest the end-users what questions should they be asking with the kind of data they have," Nair said.
In a story published in October last year, ThoughtSpot co-founder Ajeet Singh had told TechCircle that the company was looking to be the Google of enterprise search.


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It’s all becoming quite real now.
When it was announced three weeks ago that Sir Elton John would be playing a Bathurst show as part of his farewell world tour, plenty of locals took some convincing.
To be fair, it certainly sounded like an April Fool's joke but the promoters were quite serious.
So, it turns out, were Sir Elton's legion of fans.
While it was to be expected that the pre-sale tickets that went on sale only to Telstra customers last week would not last long, no-one really knew what to expect when tickets were made available to the general public on Friday morning.
Bathurst has never hosted an event like this before and even the promoters admitted they had not previously taken Sir Elton's show to a city as small as Bathurst.
And the tickets weren't cheap, starting at $119 for a patch of grass on the hill at the far end of Carrington Park and ranging up to $339 [or even more for the VIP packages].
With large areas of the state's west still concerned by the impact of drought and much less discretionary spending money slushing about in local economies than might otherwise be the case, there must have also been questions over just how many people could afford to spare a few hundred dollars for a single night out.
Well, those questions have now been answered – and emphatically.
Within half an hour of tickets going on sale to the general public on Friday, nearly all had been snapped up.
It will certainly be a sell-out by the time Sir Elton arrives in January next year, with fans coming from far afield to enjoy one of modern music's greats.
It's an enormous achievement which is a credit to the drawing power of Sir Elton, the planning nous of the promoters and to the faith that all have showed in Bathurst's ability to host such an extravaganza.
Local food, beverage and accommodation providers must already be rubbing their hands at the prospect of a welcome post-Christmas boost to their coffers as many of the concertgoers will already been planning their overnight stays.
And locals who have been fortunate enough to grab a ticket or two will be counting down the days to a night they will not quickly forget.
There is still plenty of work to do to make the show a reality, but it's all becoming quite real now. And we can hardly wait.


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- For Greg Lehmkuhl, president and CEO of Lineage Logistics, temperature-controlled supply chains for perishables are one of the world’s next great platforms.
- March 29, 2016 by Daniel GrossHow can a service economy function at its full potential if many service workers can’t afford to live anywhere near their jobs?
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NEW YORK (AP) Big Blue is giving itself the Big Boot.
IBM, whose name has been synonymous with personal computers for two decades, said Tuesday it is pulling its money-losing line of PCs from retail stores in the United States and will sell them exclusively over the Internet in a drastic move to cut costs.
Aptiva PCs will disappear from shelves starting Jan. 1. IBM's ThinkPad laptops, which are profitable, will continue to be available in stores.
The retreat underscores the enormous pressure facing the nation's third-largest PC maker. IBM's Personal Systems Group, which sells PCs to both consumers and businesses, lost about $150 million in the second quarter and nearly $1 billion last year.
By withdrawing its PCs from about 70 U.S. retail chains, IBM saves on the fees stores typically charge to display and stock products.
''We need to restore this business to profitability,'' IBM spokeswoman Trink Guarino said. Moving out of stores ''will save us a lot of money.''
To buoy awareness of the Aptiva brand and encourage people to visit its ShopIBM Web site, which it is redesigning, IBM plans to launch a $20 million advertising campaign early next year that will include television and direct mail.
IBM, a one-time PC pioneer, is the latest technology company to be squeezed by price wars and a surge in component costs.
Dell Computer Corp. warned on Monday its third-quarter profits will be hurt by rising chip prices stemming from the Taiwan earthquake last month.
IBM is expected to report its third-quarter financial results today.
IBM's move comes two weeks after it started cutting 500 to 1,000 employees from its PC business as it consolidates several brands under one marketing umbrella.
The retreat by IBM is a stunning reversal from its launch of the first home computer in the early 1980s, when it started selling an affordable box-like device that sat on people's desks. Even though IBM was overtaken by sellers of cheaper PCs, such as Compaq Computer Corp., home machines became widely known as ''IBM clones.''
To differentiate its products, IBM introduced the Aptiva in 1994. But IBM reacted sluggishly in 1997 to a profound shift in consumer buying behavior PCs that cost less than $1,000. After finally tagging on, IBM subsequently shied away from this year's hot budget item: home PCs under $600, which accounted for nearly half of all store sales this past August.
Analysts say IBM, which makes many of its own computer parts, has difficulty keeping down costs in contrast to rivals that buy more heavily from cheaper outside suppliers.
''IBM has always wanted to stay away from the low end,'' said Matt Sargent, an analyst with the ZD InfoBeads research firm, based in La Jolla, Calif. ''They just aren't as low cost a producer'' as some rivals.
IBM's move to eliminate store sales takes its cue from Dell and Gateway Inc., the two largest direct sellers of PCs to customers. By eliminating wholesalers and retailers, the companies have shaved costs, created customer loyalty and prompted competitors to become copycats.
But IBM has a tough task ahead of it.
Dell sells mostly business PCs to corporate customers, a more tech-savvy group that generally knows what type of computers to buy. Home computer users are more of a ''kick-the-tire'' crowd, preferring to try out a PC before buying it.
Though Gateway sells most of its computers to home users, it operates its own ''Country Store'' outlets to help walk consumers through the buying process. A survey early this year by ZD InfoBeads found that 41 percent of consumers who bought an IBM Aptiva would consider buying a Gateway as their next computer.
Moreover, IBM's Web destination is considered harder to navigate than online sites from Dell and Gateway.
''I don't think IBM's move to direct is a mistake,'' Sargent said. ''I just don't think IBM is going to make the transition (to online sales) well.''
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November 11, 2015
Starbucks is taking a hit because it made red cups for the holidays, with no Christmas imagery on them. Some people think it’s part of the “War on Christmas.”
The weird thing is, the stuff that’s supposed to be part of the War on Christmas is the same sort of commercialism that people scream is taking the meaning out of Christmas.
So what makes it a war on Christmas: Making it commercial instead of religious, or not making the commercialism religious enough?
(FYI: If Starbucks puts little green men on its cups in December; if Target decorates in black and white, with no red or green in sight; if another store has Hawaiian vacation scenes instead of elves or Mangers…You can still celebrate Christmas any way you want to. You know that, right?)


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Nothing can stop the crypto convene as things are removing more and more engaging with each flitting day. The cryptocurrency marketplace valuations are at a record high of $772 billion, at the press time. It is just past 36 hours that the cryptocurrency markets crossed $700 mark for the first time and the movement has been positively unstoppable compartment now.
There is no doubt about it that Ripple and Ethereum have remained at the forefront of this convene in the crypto markets. However, of late, we have seen some other not-so-famous altcoins creation wordless moves. Stellar Lumens started 2018 on a fantastic note as the cryptocurrency by 30% on the very first day of the year.
Now, it is another altcoin – TRON (TRX) that is gaining measureless recognition within the financier village as the cryptocurrency has surged by more than 150% in just past 24 hours and has clinched the number 8 mark in the list of tip 10 cryptocurrencies by marketplace cap. According to CoinMarketCap, TRON (TRX) is now trade at $0.20 with the market cap over $13 billion USD.
It has been just 4 months that TRON has made an entrance in the cryptocurrency markets and the cryptocurrency is removing a lot of courtesy from several ‘NASDAQ listed companies’, says TRON owner Justin Sun.
— Justin Sun (@justinsuntron) January 2, 2018
TRON has some arrange of uneasy ICO launch back in Sep 2017, following China’s anathema on internal cryptocurrency exchanges. The cryptocurrency recently came into the limelight following a recommendation from John McAfee.
Just like other cryptocurrencies, TRON is aiming at creation available low tellurian transactions. Using distributed storage along with the blockchain technology, TRON also aims to build a worldwide giveaway calm party system. This height aims to give the elemental tenure of information to the users creation it totally decentralized system of pity content.
Just like Ethereum TRON also allows third-party developers to build their possess decentralized applications (DAPPs) on the platform. Last month we had seen a diversion named CryptoKitties removing much famous on the Ethereum blockchain platform. CryptoKitties is an engaging diversion that allows users to buy squeeze digital kittens, multiply them and them trade them in sell for Ether tokens. The game’s recognition was so high that it consumed a infancy of crush energy on Ethereum network thereby negligence down transactions.
On a identical proceed and concept, TRON is shortly set to launch crypto TRX dogs. For this, TRON has made a partnership with online gaming height Game.com wherein users would be authorised to trade practical pets in sell for TRX tokens. Two days back, owner Justin Sun tweeted:
— Justin Sun (@justinsuntron) January 1, 2018
We are gratified to announce our partnership with https://t.co/SCU7seVS4G, a heading online gaming height and launch first #TRON dogs games https://t.co/QRt7WVYrZl, where users can use #TRX to squeeze several pets and suffer the messenger of practical pets. https://t.co/XHHOC4zZwy pic.twitter.com/Zp5H70asqT
— Justin Sun (@justinsuntron) January 3, 2018
Justin Sun is a 26-year old Chinese businessman and has formerly worked as the arch deputy of Ripple in China. TRON is also pronounced to have some of the very competent personalities on the house which includes prior employees of Alibaba and other conjectural firms.
TRON is now expanding the horizons by combining critical partnerships with businesses widespread opposite different sectors that can eventually advantage from the use of TRON’s blockchain solutions. Analysts trust that this year of 2018 could be cultivatable for TRON’s growth further.


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AMD (NYSE: AMD) announced today the next milestone in digital entertainment with the AMD LIVE!™ PC - a full-featured, easy-to-use media center PC, designed to enable consumers to organize, distribute, share, and enjoy their content collection throughout the home and on the go.
Leading OEMs including Acer, Alienware, Fujitsu Siemens Computers, Gateway, HP, Sahara, and Tsinghua Tongfang, as well as system builders in North America, Western Europe, and China, will have AMD LIVE! PCs, powered by the award-winning AMD Athlon™ 64 X2 dual-core processor, starting in June. The AMD LIVE! Entertainment Suite, a collection of services and applications designed to enhance the PC experience, is also available today at www.amdlive.com.
'The AMD LIVE! PC and AMD LIVE! Entertainment Suite represent the culmination of industry-leading companies collaborating around open standards to deliver compelling entertainment solutions,' said Gaith Kadir, AMD General Manager, Middle East and Africa.
'With the AMD LIVE! PC, AMD begins delivering on its vision for merging broadcast TV content with interactive, personalized broadband applications and services, all without disrupting the devices already accepted and used by consumers in their homes today.'
The AMD LIVE! PC is designed to help consumers get more enjoyment out of their digital media by consolidating their content in a central location and delivering the tools to help them easily and seamlessly access that content through the devices they already have.
'Today customers are looking for PCs that will allow them to view, interact and play new content from broadcast television to music to games,' said Tom Anderson, vice president of marketing, global consumer PCs, Personal Systems Group, HP. 'By offering AMD LIVE! branded PCs, our customers will have the ability to buy a PC that will meet their evolving entertainment needs.'
'We've seen remarkable enthusiasm for Windows XP Media Center Edition PCs, enabling consumers to enjoy their photos, music, TV shows and movies throughout the home,' said Mike Sievert, corporate vice president, Windows Client Marketing at Microsoft. 'By collaborating with AMD to deliver a powerful combination of digital entertainment software on a strong media platform, Microsoft is helping to provide consumers with rich, engaging experiences.'
The first solutions to be offered in the AMD LIVE! Entertainment Suite include AMD LIVE! On Demand powered by Orb Networks: a service that streams live or pre-recorded television programs, photos, music and movies to many common Web-connected devices; AMD LIVE! Compress: a tool that optimizes recorded television content in order to save space and time, enabling customers to save up to 10 times as many TV shows on their PC; AMD LIVE! Network Magic: an easy to use service that allows users to set up, manage and secure their home network; AMD LIVE! LogMeIn: a service providing users the ability to remotely control their AMD LIVE! PC to obtain access to content, files and programs from anywhere; and AMD LIVE! Media Vault™: a service that can automatically back-up users' digital content collection to a secure online server. Once registered and activated, AMD LIVE! PC users will receive 25GB of free storage to safely store their personal photos, home movies and music collections.
Many of these applications and services are available for free download beginning today from AMD at www.amdlive.com. Over time, the website will evolve into a repository of tips and tools to help consumers build out their entertainment world. With home networks, and using technology such as Microsoft Media Center Extender, the site will be available both in a 'two-foot' Internet in the study and '10-foot' television experience in the living room.
'Our vision for AMD LIVE! is to apply the power and flexibility of AMD64 processors in ways that help consumers to get a richer entertainment experience when and where they want, using their favorite entertainment components and devices,' said Joe Menard, corporate vice president, Consumer Business Segment, AMD. 'Moving forward, our mission is to put in place the additional technology and expand the ecosystem to make these new experiences even more simple and enjoyable.'
AMD recently announced their agreement with STMicroelectronics to develop world-class, high-definition networked set-top box solutions for consumers to connect to a desktop or notebook PC, transforming the TV experience from traditional and 'linear' to a new, interactive experience. AMD and STMicroelectronics will demonstrate this solution from June 6-9 at Computex in Taipei, Taiwan.
AMD LIVE! PCs will improve consumers' connectivity by enabling their PC to stream music through their entertainment center, view and share photos on the TV, burn recorded TV shows, videos, music and pictures to a DVD or CD, or transfer this same content to a notebook, MP3, portable media player (PMP) or personal digital assistant (PDA). Consumers will be able to build their entertainment world at their pace with AMD LIVE! PCs designed for flexibility, built for longevity and engineered for the future.


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Welcome to The Day by day Forkast – March thirty first, 2022 – Offered by Megha Chaddah.
Developing on at this time’s present:
In China, NFT accounts are being banned from WeChat as a result of “crypto hypothesis”.
In the meantime, India’s IMF Mission Chief warns over crypto.
And final up, Zilliqa soars after Metapolis launch occasion announcement.
We’ll have extra on these tales — and different information shaping the cryptocurrency and blockchain world — on this episode of The Day by day Forkast March thirty first.


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Printable Robots Fold Up Like Origami Figures
A new kind of robot can literally be printed on demand.
And we're not even talking about a fancy 3D printer. The new process, developed by MIT researchers, involves using 2D printing technology to produce robots that fold up, origami-style. Right now, it's a hand-made project. But the creator, Daniela Rus, a professor of robotics at MIT, imagines the technology being inexpensively automated in the future, allowing everyday consumers to create, customize and print their own specialized robot quickly.
“The research revolutionizes the design and manufacturing of robots, with a profound potential impact on society,” said Ralph Wachter, a program director at the National Science Foundation, which provided funding for the project.
The process of creating these miniature robots is relatively simple: A sheet of plastic is placed into an inkjet printer. Then, a sheet of copper is placed on top of the sheet of plastic, and a circuit — which is required to control the device — is printed onto it. Next, a laser-cutter traces out the shape of the robot’s body, which then folds together — no glue, screws or staples required. Add a motor and sensors, and the robot comes to life.
Rus believes the process has the potential to transform manufacturing and democratize access to robots. In fact, she said, they could even be used as educational tools in schools. The relatively simple printing process will make it possible to easily produce handy robots for more tasks, such as helping people with disabilities reach and pick up household objects.
“My goal is to make robots more capable, more autonomous…to bring machines into everyday life in such a way that our lives will be improved and enhanced by these machines,” Rus said.