text:
Gov. Butch Otter learned something last week that he says defies economic gravity and may bring more jobs to Idaho.
Otter was one of eight governors who met with Wal-Mart executives and hundreds of their suppliers in Orlando after the retail giant announced a push to buy $50 billion more U.S.-made items over the next decade.
When it came time to give a pitch of why those 700 companies ... should look to Idaho as a new home for their overseas plants, the chairman of Chobani raved about how eagerly Twin Falls and Idaho had welcomed Chobanis new Greek yogurt plant, Otter told a Boise Metro Chamber of Commerce audience Tuesday.
But what shocked Otter, he said, was learning that Wal-Mart suppliers could save money if their products are made in places like Idaho instead of Bangladesh, India or China.
A lot of those [overseas] plants were built 15, 20 years ago ... when their energy rates were really low, and so were the wage rates, Otter said. Now the plants are outdated, labor is pricier and fuel alone has raised the cost of hauling goods across the ocean, he said.
Idaho has the second-cheapest energy in the country, Otter later told the Idaho Statesman. Idaho also has among the lowest wages in the country, though Otter told the Statesman the wages the Wal-Mart suppliers are paying in China $4 an hour are equivalent to about $18 here.
I dont know what the wage is going to be, Otter said. But if there is a vocational skill involved, he expects hourly wages could be $18 or higher.
He imagines dishcloths being colored with Idaho dyes or Idaho carpentry workers using their skills to make Wal-Mart furniture.
Otter was so excited about pitching Idaho to suppliers that, during the luncheon, he asked Boise State University President Bob Kustra to enlist his business and marketing departments help, scouting local Wal-Mart shelves for products that could be made in Idaho.
Though the idea was nascent as of Tuesday evening, Boise State spokesman Greg Hahn said, Its exactly the kind of thing we want to be involved in.
Otter said the next step is to build a profile of Idaho as a choice destination for companies that supply the largest retailer in the U.S.
Were going to end up with a lot of interest and hopefully a lot of those companies, he said.
Audrey Dutton: 377-6448, Twitter: @IDS_Audrey


text:
There have been a lot of speculations and anticipations about the upcoming flagship killer OnePlus 5. Recently, a well-known tipser named Evan Blass revealed a "Never Settle" teaser which made OnePlus' patrons believe that the launch of the upcoming handset from the Chine smartphone maker is just around the corner.
According to Droid Report, Evan Blass has posted on his Twitter account a picture which showcases wallpaper which somewhat seems to be the OnePlus 5. In the said photo Blass had shared, there were written words in bold letters stating 'Never Settle' and in the background, one can perceive molten black lava and some shades of red and orange.
Additionally, it is not just Evan Blass who took Twitter to post some hints about the OnePlus 5. As a matter of fact, Android Police's David Ruddock also posted some piece of information related to OnePlus 5 on his Twitter. Based on the tweet, Ruddock has mentioned that he asked OnePlus' co-founder, Carl Pei; whether the fans of the Chinese tech company could anticipate a 'dark' proclamation sometime soon. Pei in return replied to the Ruddock's tweet with a GIF of wolves whistling at night underneath a full moon.
When it comes with the specs, Indian Express has noted that OnePlus 5 will run on Android 7.0 Nougat as it comes out the box. It was also speculated to boast a dual edged curved display as similar to what Samsung Galaxy S7 smartphone has. The OnePlus 5 could also be equipped with a glass and aluminum body and a USB Type-C for connectivity.
The OnePlus 5 is anticipated to be engineered with Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 processor that will be paired with an enormous 6 GB of RAM and 64GB internal memory. In addition, OnePlus will reportedly unveil another variant of OnePlus 5 with 128GB internal storage, which can be further expanded up to 256 GB.
As of this moment, OnePlus hasn't confirmed any information about the OnePlus 5 yet. But then, with the above-mentioned indication; it really appears that the release date of the flagship killer is just around the corner.

domain: news


text:
Tim Lane, deputy governor of the Bank of Canada, said during the FinTech RDV 2020 conference held in Montreal that although the country's central bank does not plan to release its own digital currency in the near future, it does not rule out this possibility due to the possible mass adoption of digital currencies.
According to him, there is currently "not a compelling case" to support the launch of a CBDC, however, the country's central bank is working on the development of a prototype in case it eventually needs to launch it.
He has said:
"The Bank of Canada would design it to provide the benefits of cash—safe, easy to access, private and a good store of value—but in a digital version that consumers could use to buy things electronically online or in person at a shop."
At the same time, Lane believes private cryptos could be a potential threat to the Canadian dollar, since "If one or more alternative digital currencies threatened to become used widely as an alternative to the Canadian dollar, then a central bank issued digital currency could be used to defend monetary sovereignty."
In this sense, a CBDC would serve the country's central bank as a weapon to defend the national currency.
The BIS (Bank for International Settlements) has recently said that more central banks are considering the possibility of launching their own digital currencies in the near future. China seems to be the most advanced, although as it has recently reported, the pilot tests of its digital yuan have been delayed due to the coronavirus.
Subscribe to our Telegram channel to stay up to date on the latest crypto and blockchain news.


text:
India’s Informal Market
India’s informal electronic market is influenced by hundreds of thousands of people who collect unregistered recycled goods. Over 90 percent of India’s e-scrap enters the informal sector for processing, according to a national assessment and follow-up studies by nonprofit groups and academic institutions. In fact, the Seelampur slum, many call home, has become one of India’s most concentrated centers of electronics dismantling and recycling, with an estimated 25,000 informal workers. Similar processing clusters exist throughout India, the world’s second-most-populous country with a population of 1.32 billion.
The security issue behind these businesses collecting unregistered electronics for scrap is that the lower-value materials often get dump or end up in crude processing sites that put individuals at risk for hackers. The environmental risks for these disposed pieces also create an issue.
Increased international media scrutiny of these realities has helped push Indian policymakers and other stakeholders to try to formalize the sector. In 2016, an extended producer responsibility system went into effect, mandating electronics producers to help manage a nationwide e-scrap system. That lack of clear guidance for these new processes exists – no one has figured out how to integrate the Indian informal side in a successful manner.


text:
Marketers who take advantage of new NCAA rules allowing college athletes to cash in on their name, image, and likeness (NIL) will not only grab fans’ attention, but also their respect, according to a new survey released by Horizon Media and Scout Sports and Entertainment.
The survey revealed that almost 60% of “avid” fans said they were more likely to respect marketers who sponsor college athletes, and they were more inclined to purchase brands that sponsored their favorite college athletes.
Respondents to the study included more than 500 fans who were identified as either “college sports fans” or “avid college sports fans.” “Fans” were defined as those who rated their levels of interest as 3-plus on a 10-point scale, while “avid fans” indicated an interest level of 8-plus.
“Fans understand that sponsorships can be a huge opportunity for student-athletes, and they appreciate this show of support from brands,” said Marnie Heard, SVP, Managing Director, WHY. “This respect and admiration can also lead to further brand preference and engagement down the line, with many fans willing to open their wallets for brands sponsoring college athletes.”
The NCAA ruled this summer that college athletes could be paid for sponsorships and other marketing opportunities, a practice that was previously prohibited. The decision is likely to lead to millions of dollars in endorsement deals from companies eager to sign up top stars in collegiate athletics to serve as spokespersons and influencers.
“Marketers correctly anticipated that the new NCAA rules would be a significant game changer for college sports, and this report reveals that the fans are solidly behind the move,” said Michael Neuman, Managing Partner, Scout Sports and Entertainment.
The study also revealed:
College sports fans are almost twice as likely to support the new NIL rules than oppose (47% vs 25%), and the support grows stronger among avid college sports fans who are nearly three times more likely to support than oppose.
Almost 60% of avid fans and 41% of fans said they would “take notice” of brands that support athletes from their alma mater.
Sponsorship may shine more light on sports that aren’t followed as widely as football and basketball, per the study.
While there is strong support for the new rules, 70% of those who oppose the ruling warned that an influx of sponsorships could be distracting for students. Additionally, 72% said sponsorships could make college sports feel too much like pro sports, creating the perception that athletes were playing for money over school pride.
The study concludes that given the support among college sports fans, and particularly avid fans, brands who haven’t already jumped into the space should begin negotiating deals with student-athletes.
Also, brands breaking into college sponsorships should consider linking sponsorship deals to academic performance – should the NCAA allow this connection – to reassure fans that work on the field isn’t interfering with work in the classroom. This could help draw a definitive line in the sand between pro and college sports, as fans worry that the boundaries between the two could be blurred.
The study also found that while big-name football and basketball stars will provide the most visibility for brands, partnerships in lesser-known, niche sports and local markets may provide a more grassroots and meaningful way to connect with fans.
Brands hoping to establish customer loyalty in specific markets could leverage partnerships with local student-athletes as a starting point to build familiarity and connection with the broader community. This is also an opportunity for brands to partner with local athletes from diverse backgrounds and a way to demonstrate support and a corporate commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion.


text:
Retail is heating up south of the border.
PVH Corp. and Grupo Axo have inked a joint-venture agreement that will license from wholly owned subsidiaries of PVH the rights to operate and manage the distribution of Calvin Klein, Tommy Hilfiger, Warner’s, Olga and Speedo brand products in Mexico.
According to a press release Thursday, the joint venture will be formed by merging PVH México, S.A. de C.V., a wholly owned subsidiary of PVH and the operator of its Calvin Klein and Heritage Brands businesses in Mexico, with Baseco, S.A. de C.V., a wholly owned subsidiary of Axo and a Mexican distributor of Tommy Hilfiger.
“This strategic move allows us to maintain a direct ownership interest in our Calvin Klein and Heritage Brands businesses in Mexico, while gaining more control over our Tommy Hilfiger business in the region,” Emanuel Chirico, chairman and chief executive officer of PVH, stated. “Grupo Axo, which will oversee the joint venture’s day-to-day operations, is an experienced multi-channel distributor, including successfully managing our Tommy Hilfiger business in Mexico for the last 22 years. We believe that leveraging Grupo Axo’s in region expertise across our brand portfolio should ensure the long-term potential in Mexico of our brands.”
Andres Gomez, co-chief executive officer of Grupo Axo, continued, “We have a long and successful relationship with Tommy Hilfiger and PVH. We are excited about the opportunity to expand our relationship to include the global megabrand, Calvin Klein, as well as the Warner’s, Olga and Speedo heritage brands. We believe all these brands have huge potential for growth in Mexico and we look forward to partnering with PVH to make that potential a reality.”
PVH, which also owns Izod and Van Heusen, posted earnings per share of $1.63 in the fourth quarter, compared with $0.62 per share for the same period in the prior year. Revenue increased 2 percent from $2.07 billion to $2.11 billion. At time of writing, shares (PVH) had climbed 2.85% Friday to reach $88.82.


text:
We Are Social’s Tuesday Tweakup #16
Young people prefer smartphones for social
According to research presented in eMarketer last week, the smartphone is the device of choice for 18-34 year olds in social. When a sample of regular UK social media users were asked about which device they used for the bulk of their social activity, 54% of 18-34 year olds chose their smartphone, compared with 29% of 35-54 year olds and just 4% of those over 55. In that oldest demographic, computers were overwhelmingly the most popular device, accounting for 86% of answers.
Facebook reaches value of $100bn
Facebook last week reached an overall value of over $100bn, as fears about its ability to sell ads for mobile devices are beginning to disappear. Shares, which were trading at $17.73 back in September, have increased in value by 55% this year, at one point last week reaching $41.94, the highest since Facebook’s initial $16bn IPO. The network is now approaching the $45-per-share mark, an all-time high that matches a record it set at the time of its trading debut.
31% of the top 100 brands are on Tumblr
Out of Interbrand’s top 100 global brands, 31 have a presence on Tumblr, according to research by Simply Measured published last week. This leaves the network well behind the likes of Facebook (98%) and Twitter (97%), as well as Google+ (75%) and Pinterest (74%). From the below graph, you can see the change in brand presences between May and August of this year; ultimately, there has been very little difference on every network tested, the maximum difference being Pinterest’s dip of 3%.
Facebook introduces shared photo albums
Facebook has introduced a new feature, designed to make photos more collaborative: shared albums. Now, when a user creates a photo album, they can add up to fifty ‘contributors’, who can in turn add up to 200 photos each. Privacy settings are fairly straightforward for these, too, with only three possible settings: public, friends of contributors or contributors only. As yet, the feature is only available on desktop, but there are plans to extend it, posssibly allowing mobile functionality or an increase in the number of pictures that can be uploaded.
Facebook release embedded posts to everybody
In an act of generosity of which Robin Hood himself would be proud, Facebook has rolled out its embedded post feature to all and sundry. Tested last month with CNN, Huffington Post, Bleacher Report, PEOPLE and Mashable, it’s now possible for anyone to embed posts.
Facebook to shift ‘Gifts’ offering to cards and digital
Facebook is planning to shift its ‘Gifts’ feature, removing physical offerings and concentrating on digital gifts/gift cards. The network claims that 80% of gifts are already of such a type, anyway, and this all forms part of a larger plan, according to Lee Linden, who supervises the feature:
We’re really making the decision based on user feedback. The physical stuff is interesting for sure, but our goal is to build stuff that’s really great for the majority of people who are using it. Physical gifts do require more work to maintain, and if fewer than 20 percent of users are taking advantage of it — the purpose of this redesign is to double down on what people want.
Updates to images for Facebook pages
Facebook has announced three changes to images for page admins in the last week, starting with a partnership with stock image site Shutterstock. This means that millions of Shutterstock’s images, which normally come at a price, will be available free-of-charge for use in Facebook ads. Secondly, page admins can take these images, or others, and simultaneously create multiple adverts using different images, through a new image uploader. Finally, the iOS and Android Facebook apps have been updated to allow the posting of multiple photos in a single update, as shown below.
Twitter announces ‘related headlines’
Twitter has announced a feature called ‘related headlines’, meaning that a tweet will link to news stories in which it was embedded. From a tweet’s permalink page, users will now be able to see headlines from the stories that embedded the tweet, in the hope that these will help provide better context around what exactly it means.
Vine hits forty million users
Twitter-owned Vine has hit 40 million users, way up from the 13 million it had in early June. However, they are currently refusing to announce active user figures, making it very difficult to tell how much the service is actually being used.
Sky allows recording through Facebook directly
UK television provider Sky has released an app for Facebook. This has a number of nifty features, including the ability to share information on programmes with friends and discovering Sky shows based on your friends’ topics of conversation. However, the most groundbreaking thing about the app is that it allows users to record directly through Facebook.
Twitter team up with USTA and Heineken
In promotion of this week’s US Open tennis tournament, the United States Tennis Association (USTA) has teamed up with Twitter and Heineken to produce a set of promotional videos. Heineken will feature in a pre-roll for every video, posted through Twitter’s Amplify platform, and in a banner ad on every video. The move sees a further way in which Twitter is trying to ramp up its video connections, after partnering with major broadcasters and sports channels.
Instagram video in sports journalism
Tom Dienhart, a journalist for the Big Ten Network, has been posting videos to his Instagram page, as part of his reporting on American football. It’s an interesting idea for a sports journalist and it will be interesting to see if it gets picked up more widely.
Red Bull releases second-ever Instagram video
Two months after launching its Instagram account, Red Bull has launched only its second video – an extreme sports clip of base jumper Valery Rozov. It’s the first video since a launch post two months ago and, within a matter of hours, had received 23,000 likes and over 300 comments.
Airbnb set to make first full-length film purely from Vine
Last week, Airbnb announced plans to create a full-length film made up purely of fans’ Vine videos. The work will be made up of clips sent in by their Twitter followers, who will receive instructions from the brand on what to film.
Help us create the first film made entirely of Vines. Filming starts tomorrow! http://t.co/TykT55YOUy #AirbnbHV https://t.co/VFeCFoK12l
— Airbnb (@Airbnb) August 21, 2013
John Lewis launch #WhatMattersMost film competition on Vine
In line with their recent animated TV ad, UK department store John Lewis has launched a Vine competition for budding filmmakers to create a six-second film on Vine, inspired by the stop-motion style in the advert. Entries can be uploaded via the website and tracked on Twitter using #WhatMattersMost.
Asda posting social media fan messages on in-store packaging
In an attempt to make its food range more “emotional”, UK supermarket Asda will start to include Facebook and Twitter posts from customers on the packaging for its ‘Chosen By You’ range. They have invited customers to contribute their thoughts using the hashtag #ChosenByMe; these will then be curated on the brand’s website and a select few chosen to be included on in-store packaging.
Paddy Power celebrates 1 million Facebook with bet from space
Paddy Power, the UK betting company with the largest social media presence in the industry, has launched a competition to celebrate reaching 1 million fans on Facebook. After fans have entered, a computer attached to a balloon will be raised up to 100,000 feet, at which point it will place an accumulator on the weekend’s British Premier League matches on behalf of one lucky winner. If the bet comes in, it could be worth up to £1 million.
Audi launches 3d microsite from user-generated content
Audi is launching a 3d microsite made up of user-generated content from its social media communities. Fans across Facebook, Twitter, Google + and Instagram who share a reason that they love the brand, using the hashtag #onemillionreasons, will be included as a spherical particle in the microsite as part of a model of the Audi R8. Fans that contribute to the model will also be given the opportunity to win an Audi R8 driving experience.
Dacia reveal a campaign around football conversations
For three weeks, car manufacturer Dacia will run a campaign tweeting about the transfer window for top flight English football, plus using the hashtag #youdothemaths to promote the low cost of the car. Based on the ‘value for money’ connection, the move looks to attract as many football fans as possible to show an interest the brand’s products.
Burrito Martinez deletes 92,000 Twitter followers for Nike campaign
Burrito Martinez, superstar for Argentinian football club Boca Juniors, has deleted all 92,000 of his Twitter followers and starting again from scratch. The idea is that he must regain each follower, playing each game as if it were his first. The stunt, a part of Nike’s ‘Baptism’ campaign, seems to be paying off – he has already regained over 40,000 followers.
8Hotels offers free rooms to Instagram influencers
Australian hotel operator, 8Hotels has recently opened its eighth hotel in Sydney, named ‘The 1888 Hotel’. As 1888 is also the year that camera company Kodak launched, the hotel has chosen a photographic theme for the interior design. Its design features include Instagram images taken by guests – any guest with more than 10,000 followers can stay for free. Each month, the hotel will also offer a monthly competition to win a free night for the best Instagram picture.


text:
Google announced the deal on Aug. 15, saying it would run Motorola Mobility as a separate business. Google is deploying an Internet set-top strategy dubbed Google TV, which uses the Android operating system to bring Internet content and interactive features to TV sets.
"The future holds great promise for rural consumers as small cable operators explore IP- and cloud-based solutions in offering video to subscribers on TVs, PCs and mobile devices. Prior to today's Motorola Mobility announcement, Google has had its own interests in all of these areas, and it will be important that Google's other business interests do not unduly harm the growth of these new competitive market opportunities," Polka explained. "As the review of the merger advances, ACA looks forward to discussions with Google on these issues and other topics important to small cable operators that will expand consumer choice for products and services offered through traditional channels of communication and online."
Please use the information below to get in touch with the American Cable Association.


text:
Consumer confidence rebounded this month amid improved expectations for personal finances and the general economy, figures show.
The long-running GfK Consumer Confidence Index rose two points to minus 10 in August after July's fall to match last year's post-Brexit low.
All five measures of the index - including expectations for personal finances, the general economic situation and big-ticket spending - saw an increase.
Joe Staton, head of market dynamics at GfK, said: "We're seeing an uptick in August among consumers when reviewing their personal financial situation for both the past and next 12 months, as well as a slight improvement in views about the general economic situation of the country as a whole.
"These figures must be seen against the backdrop of better news on inflation, public finances, jobs and growth prospects as the UK economy displays some signs of stability after a volatile start to the year.
"However, the index has a lot of ground to regain to get back to black. So is this month's rise significant? Or could we simply be witnessing a dead-cat-bounce over the dog-days of summer?"
The measure of changes in personal finances over the last 12 months registered the biggest rise of the index of four points to positive two, two points higher than this time last year.
The forecast for personal finances over the next 12 months also increased, by three points this month to positive five - one point higher than last August.
The measure for the general economic situation of the country during the last 12 months increased one point to minus 30, still seven points lower year-on-year.
However expectations for the general economy over the next 12 months have increased one point to minus 27, five points lower than this time last year.


text:
PeopleForBikes encourages people to ride bicycles and governments to improve facilities for bicyclists. Call2Recycle helps people recycle the batteries in their electronic devices responsibly. Together, they have created the Hungry For Batteries program that focuses on recycling e-bike battery systems in the US.
The new program says that millions of electric bikes are being ridden on roads and trails across the US today. Those e-bikes are helping Americans replace car trips, reduce their personal carbon footprint, and access the countless benefits and joys of the great outdoors. With those bikes, there are also millions of lithium-ion batteries that will need to be properly managed at their end of life.
The bicycle industry recently came together to establish a battery recycling program to reduce negative impacts on our planet by removing e-bike batteries from our waste streams. The new program, powered by Call2Recycle and endorsed by PeopleForBikes, has already recycled more than 36,000 pounds of batteries.
The Hungry for Batteries campaign coordinates electric bike battery disposal for 52 e-bike brands and suppliers. It includes more than 1,800 retail drop-off locations in the United States, a vast network that should make recycling much simpler for cyclists.
According to Cycling Tips, riders who own an e-bike from one of the participating brands can drop their e-bike battery off at the dealership where they purchased their bicycle. That dealer then works with Call2Recycle to transport the battery to a local sorter or recycler.
Each dealer is trained to collect the battery using special recycling kits. Batteries that have been compromised in some way — swelling, loose wires showing, or obvious signs that the battery has been tampered with — go into one kit, while uncompromised batteries go into another kit. The dealer then works with Call2Recycle, which adds the batteries to its recycling stream.
The goal is always to keep the battery close to its original starting point, according to Call2Recycle. There’s no point in transporting a battery long distances to be recycled if it can be done closer so less energy is used. Call2Recycle currently works with Redwood Materials, Li-Cycle, RCI, and Interco. Once a recycler receives a battery, it determines how much of it is reusable and proceeds to extract the materials and minerals contained inside. Up to 90% of a battery submitted for recycling can be completely reused to make more batteries.
E-Bike Battery Recycling Is Just Beginning
PeopleForBikes points out that “Hungry for Batteries” is far from a finished project. The original program started in November of 2021 through a partnership with Specialized, Call2Recycle, and PeopleForBikes. Since then, other brands and their retailers have been brought on board. The program focuses on making sure retailers receive the correct training so they can handle the returned batteries properly. With that training completed, the e-bike battery recycling process will be able to run as smoothly as possible.
The “Hungry for Batteries” program is about educating the public about how to recycle an e-bike battery responsibly. It features Watts, a character that may look familiar to fans of The Muppets. PeopleForBikes says it plans to introduce more characters and more stories that aim to educate the public about why recycling an e-bike battery is important and how to properly maintain the batteries used in e-bikes.
Responsible E-Bike Battery Recycling
Most of us are aware of the number of battery fires in the news recently. More than a dozen people in New York City have been killed in fires attributed to faulty batteries in e-bikes, electric scooters, and hoverboards. The problem is the batteries in these products do not have a cooling system like most electric cars have.
EVs have elaborate battery management systems, but an e-bike battery typically has a rudimentary BMS at best. Many of the fires reported to date involve batteries that are being charged. Industry experts urge people not to leave the batteries connected to chargers overnight. They recommend the charger be disconnected as soon as the e-bike battery is fully charged.
Most CleanTechnica readers know that the lithium in a battery can create microscopic spikes called dendrites when the battery is charged or discharged. If those spikes of metal touch both the anode and cathode inside a battery cell, they create a short circuit. When that happens, the battery cell can quickly reach temperatures of 500º C. What takes place next is known in the battery business politely as “rapid disassembly.” Most of us would simply call it an explosion. If one cell overheats, that can cause adjoining cells to overheat, and soon there is a full-on conflagration.
Lithium-ion battery fires are not new, but the number of devices powered by batteries has increased dramatically, which means the total number of fires has increased as well, even if statistically the odds of any one battery cell catching fire is infinitesimally small.
Most of the batteries for personal mobility devices like electric bicycles come from China. Consumers know little about the battery cells inside their e-bike battery pack. Who made them? Do they all come from the same manufacturer? Are cells from different companies with different electrical properties being thrown together to make battery packs? We simply don’t know, and so we rely on the integrity of the bicycle manufacturer to keep us safe.
There is a move afoot to bring some order to the chaos of batteries for personal transportation devices. One suggestion is for consumers to insist that the battery pack for their e-bike carry the Underwriters Laboratory seal of approval. UL has been promoting the safety of electrical devices for generations, but it tests only a fraction of the batteries used today in e-bikes, scooters, hoverboards, and the like. Requiring the UL seal would be a big step forward for safety, but could limit the number of battery-operated personal mobility devices available for sale to the public.
The one thing everyone agrees with is that people absolutely, positively must not dispose of lithium-ion batteries in the trash. Sadly, it is much too easy to do precisely that. America needs more battery recycling programs. The materials inside an e-bike battery are much too precious to discard in a landfill, and the risk of a catastrophic fire that could injure innocent people is too great.
To find one of the 1,800 e-bike dealers in America that participates in the battery recycling program near you, check the Hungry For Batteries website. Only batteries from participating manufacturers are accepted.
The program does not address the issue of recycling the battery in an e-bike purchased online. Before you buy for a digital retailer, you may want to inquire about its recycling policy. If it says it doesn’t have one, you may want to look elsewhere.
Have a tip for CleanTechnica? Want to advertise? Want to suggest a guest for our CleanTech Talk podcast? Contact us here.
Our Latest EVObsession Video
CleanTechnica uses affiliate links. See our policy here.


text:
MUNICH and DANBURY, Conn. – Linde and Praxair announced their intention to merge on Dec. 20, creating a company with revenues of about $30 billion and a current market value of more than $65 billion.
MUNICH and DANBURY, Conn. – Linde and Praxair have announced their intention to merge, creating a company with revenues of about $30 billion and a current market value of more than $65 billion.
PORT WASHINGTON, N.Y. – Drive Medical has sent a letter to its customers in response to reports that private equity firm Clayton, Dubilier & Rice is close to buying the company.
MUNICH, Germany – Linde AG has successfully placed a bond for 1 billion euros to help finance its acquisition of Lincare, the company announced Sept. 5.
CLEARWATER, Fla. – Linde AG has completed its $4.6 billion acquisition of Lincare, it was announced Aug. 14.
MUNICH, Germany – The Linde Group announced today that it has completed its tender offer for Clearwater, Fla.-based Lincare.
MUNICH, Germany, and CLEARWATER, Fla. – The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has cleared one of the conditions needed for The Linde Group to acquire Lincare Holdings for $4.6 billion, the two companies announced this week.
BALTIMORE – CMS issued a proposed rule this week that details its plans to require a face-to-face evaluation within 90 days of a written order for certain high-cost durable medical equipment.
© 2017 United Publications Inc. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED


text:
The goal is to provide business and media insight that will enable our clients to increase their returns over the holiday period. In 2015 we identified that holiday shopping around Black Friday and Cyber Monday was set to become a clear trend that could be leveraged by brands and this was borne out by the numbers we saw when we reviewed the year.
This year we expect the holiday shopping trend to both deepen and lengthen, and we have highlighted some ways for advertisers to make better use of their media budgets in that event. We have also highlighted some new trends we can see in the data that we expect to continue to grow.
Financial data shows 2015 was a good year for consumers and especially the home shopping market, with catalogue/online retailers seeing the largest growth by segment. Along with Mark Pragnell at Capital Economics, “we believe the british economy is on the right track, largely because of consumers, and brexit is unlikely to derail it.”


text:
HOUSTON -- At the Athena Shooting Club, there s a glass case where Christian Louboutin shoes help sell guns.
I m telling a story that a woman can be a business professional, founder Susan Cho said. She can like fashion, but she can also be a lethal weapon.
Cho and her husband, John Boyert, are the team behind the new facility, which observers have described as a gun spa.
I think that would be a good description, Boyert said. If you look around at the way we designed the facility, the color, [and] the scheme.
The new shooting range along the Katy Freeway opens this weekend, and will include many features which are unusual to gun ranges.
The boutique looks like a jewelry store, yet nothing is under glass. Instead, unloaded guns are laid out on displays and customers can handle them.
In another part of the building, the VIP section uses facial recognition technology to let members in.
It could tell the difference between identical twins, Cho said. Inside, there is space to smoke cigars, hold a meeting, or lounge in leather chairs.
In addition to 26 shooting ranges, members can also practice in a state-of-the art simulator. Real guns with CO2 cartridges add to the experience, providing a kick when the gun is discharged.
Some early customers said this kind of facility is long overdue.
We were really looking for something that is a little more upscale, businessman Brian Kirkham said, something that kind of looks to the businessman that has a short amount of time during lunch.
Cho and her husband hope it is not just the men who come by. They hope their facility will be a place for everybody.


text:
Not content with its devices already living in our pockets, on our wrists, and on our desktops, Apple is seemingly at work on a completely different sort of mobile device: an electric car. Tesla CEO Elon Musk calls Apple’s electric car project an “open secret.” In keeping with the company’s grand tradition of hush-hush product development, there are only whispers about what Apple’s take on mobility will be like. While any sort of product release to this end is still several years away, it’s a fine time to be entering the automotive industry, with U.S. car sales hitting record numbers last year. Whatever Apple’s finished product is actually like, here’s what we know and have heard about the Apple car so far.
It is codenamed Project Titan, and a car could be out in five years.
Can you hang on until 2021? Celebrated Apple analyst Gene Munster says we’ll have Apple cars on the road within five years. Start saving now.
There are reportedly 1,000 employees working on the Apple car.
Since it was kicked off in 2014, Project Titan has involved the work of some 1,000 engineers, some of which formerly worked at Tesla. In fact, enough engineers have left Tesla to work for the iPhone manufacturer that Elon Musk has called Apple “the Tesla graveyard.”
Apple owns a variety of URLs pertaining to its car.
Check out the reports on apple.car, apple.auto, and apple.cars — they are of course registered to the famous Cupertino technology firm. These sites are broken for now, but they certainly seem like the type of web property to set up if one were going to sell cars.
The car could be in development at three different Apple installations around the world.
The speculation is that Project Titan hardware is coming together at labs in Vienna, Austria, Berlin, Germany, and Sunnyvale, California. There’s even speculation that it’s being built in Cork, Ireland.
Apple has inquired about using a driverless car test track.
It’s called GoMentum, and it’s the same automobile-testing station in California where Google and Tesla perfect driverless car features. It seems like any car with futuristic self-driving capabilities comes through this facility.
Its state-of-the-art battery will come from an unnamed South Korean partner.
Due to top-secret business practices, we don’t get to know the name of the South Korean company Apple is working with on car batteries, but we do get to know that its hollow-centered lithium ion battery design will have significantly expanded capacity. In practical terms, an electric car will be able to go farther on it per charge.
Apple has had a hard time finding a company to manufacture its car design.
After getting nos from BMW and Daimler, Apple is rumored to be working with vehicle firm Magna, based in Vienna.
Senior Vice President of Technologies Bob Mansfield is in charge of Project Titan.
Appointed to lead the car project in July, Mansfield is Apple’s head of hardware development and was formerly in charge of the company’s Macs and iPads. We predict lots of smooth, rounded edges here.
For access to exclusive gear videos, celebrity interviews, and more, subscribe on YouTube!


text:
January 24, 2008
Raketu Launches Lite Version of VoIP Calling Desktop Application
NEW YORK --(Business Wire)-- Raketu, a leading global Internet communications, information, and entertainment company, today released Raketu Lite, the light version of the company's voice over IP (VoIP) calling desktop application. Raketu Lite, which can be downloaded directly from www.Raketu.com, was developed specifically for those consumers interested solely in Raketu's leading edge VoIP calling features, including Global IM/SMS and email capabilities. The new application's "Slim" interface is Raketu's Lite version of Raketu's full-featured LaunchPad Desktop application, which also integrates Internet protocol television (IPTV) streamed video and video on demand (VOD) entertainment content. To view an image of Raketu Lite and the product's newly designed Slim interface, visit: http://www.Raketu.com/Raketu-Lite.gif.
"Some consumers who told us they value Raketu for our call quality, sms-texting, instant messaging, and great low rates globally, were interested primarily in our communications feature sets," said Greg Parker, president of Raketu Communications. "Raketu Lite now offers a sleek, easy-to-use interface to address these consumers."
Raketu Lite is a downloadable software application for consumer Windows and Vista operating system users, which offers free and extremely low cost VoIP calling from a desktop PC. Available immediately via www.Raketu.com, Raketu Lite supports users with free anytime PC-to-PC calling globally, and for Raketu prepaid customers, 1200 minutes per month of free PC-to-Phone calling or 600 minutes per month free Phone-to-Phone calling to free calling zones in 42 countries that include China, Japan, Australia, United Kingdom, France, Germany, Spain, Greece, Norway, Sweden, Switzerland, Mexico, Brazil, and the United States/Canada among others.
About Raketu Communications Inc.
Raketu Communications Inc. is developing leading edge peer-to-peer Internet protocol applications that provide communications, information and media services for consumers and for business. The company currently has users in over 150 countries around the world. For more information visit the company's website at www.Raketu.com.


text:
Chairman Nguyen Thanh Phong receives Iranian business delegation - Chairman Nguyen Thanh Phong receives Iranian business delegation - Website Ho Chi Minh City
On April 21, Chairman of HCMC People’s Committee Nguyen Thanh Phong received an Iranian business delegation led by Chairman of Iranian Chamber of Commerce, Industries, Mines and Agriculture Gholamhossein Shafeie on a working visit to Vietnam.
At the reception, Chairman Phong highly appreciated Vietnam-Iran well-developed cooperation relation through mutual high-profile visits. He said that Vietnam-Iran two way trade is still not matched with both sides’ potential, saying both sides will increase two way trade value to US$ 2 billion in the coming time as expected.
In his brief introduction of HCMC’s socio-economic development, Mr. Phong said the city gives priority to hi-tech industries, food processing industry, urban infrastructure development, water treatment. He added that through this visit, more and more Iranian businesses will seek investment opportunities and to participate into trade promotion activities in HCMC.
Agreed on huge cooperation potential of both sides, Mr. Gholamhossein Shafeie stressed that Vietnam and Iran can strengthen cooperation in fields of agriculture, mining, petrochemical, etc.
Beside, Mr. Gholamhossein Shafeie said Vietnam is a gateway for Iranian businesses to access to ASEAN market while Iran can help Vietnam access to Middle East. He expressed his belief that both sides can get fruitful cooperation results in the coming time.


text:
While consumers enjoy the ease at which a sale can be made with one swipe of a credit card, it also takes just one swipe for credit card theft to occur. Inside what looks like a regular point-of-sale device at the cashier’s counter or an ATM machine could be a skimmer, a gadget that records personal credit card information as you insert your card.
Hoping to put a fatal end to this type of credit card fraud, several years ago a group of researchers at the University of Florida created a device, aptly named the Skim Reaper, that detects skimmers. After some fine-tuning, sales of the Skim Reaper are poised to begin in the next few weeks.
The demand for such a tool has the potential to be very high, at a time when credit fraud is increasing at an alarming rate. A 2018 report found that 60 million U.S. payment cards were compromised over a 12-month period, 75 percent of which were compromised at a point-of-sale device.
The inventors of the Skim Reaper experienced this type of fraud first-hand, prompting them to develop the device. “Frankly, we were tired of getting ripped off,” says Nolen Scaife, a co-developer who is now an assistant professor at the University of Colorado Boulder. “So, we set out to make something that works.”
Credit cards store our personal information as variations in the magnetic properties of the dark strip across the top of the card. As you slide a card through a point-of-sale device, an interior component called a read head begins to register the magnetic information. When a skimmer is added to a point-of-sale device, it contains its own read head, which duplicates the information for fraudsters.
The Skim Reaper is a card-shaped tool that you can swipe through the point-of-sale device first, to register how many read heads it encounters. If it detects a second read head, this indicates that a skimmer is present.
An early prototype of the Skim Reaper, a device that can be used to detect credit card theft at point-of-sale machines.Photo: Nolen Scaife, Christian Peeters, Patrick Traynor
While the researchers first developed a prototype of a Skim Reaper several years ago, they’ve since been working to fine-tune it for commercialization.
“We’ve spent a lot of time working with our law enforcement and industry partners to better understand their needs and how the device performs in the field,” explains Scaife. “Since the initial prototypes, we have been working to place all of the equipment on a single card, which has fewer mechanical failure points and is more tailored to the use cases our partners need. We’re also eliminating the display on the prototypes and replacing them with LEDs to make it clear what the device is communicating.”
Details of the modified design were published in a study in IEEE Security & Privacy on 28 May. With sales poised to launch in the next few weeks, Scaife believes the initial customer pool will be made of businesses and law enforcement agencies. His team’s next goal is to create a new Skim Reaper design that allows the tool to be small enough to fit in a consumer’s pocket or wallet.


text:
Samsung Galaxy Z Flip, Galaxy S20 series, Galaxy Buds+: Everything announced at 2020 event
In its mega launch event on Tuesday night, Samsung unveiled the new line up of products which included its foldable smartphone Galaxy Z Flip, flagship level Galaxy S20 series and new wireless earbuds Galaxy Buds+. The new generation of smartphones include the S20, S20 Plus and the relatively mammoth S20 Ultra which comes with massive 16GB of RAM. Meanwhile, Samsung’s second foldable smartphone, after its Galaxy Fold, features a clamshell design similar to Motorola’s new Razr. Here is a detailed look at all the products launched during the Samsung Unpacked 2020 event –
Samsung Galaxy Z Flip price, features and specs
The Samsung Galaxy Z Flip was unveiled during the 92nd Academy Awards. It comes with a 6.7-inch screen when unfolded. There is a hole punch selfie camera, and a secondary display on the cover. The smartphone comes with a Flex Mode that allows you to use the bottom half of the screen for additional functions when the phone is half-opened.
The Samsung Galaxy Z Flip price has been set at $1380, which is roughly Rs 98,000. The smartphone will be available from February 14. The company has also come up with a special Thom Browne edition of the Galaxy Z Flip, which is a limited edition. The smartphone should arrive in India in March.
Samsung Galaxy S20, Galaxy S20+, Galaxy S20 Ultra price, features and specs
The Galaxy S20 series comes with a brand new Artificial Intelligence (AI)-driven camera architecture, superfast charging and 8K video shooting. Galaxy S20 comes in Cosmic Grey, Cloud Blue, Cloud Pink colours; Galaxy S20+ comes in Cosmic Grey, Cloud Blue, Cosmic Black and Galaxy S20 Ultra comes in Cosmic Grey, Cosmic Black colours. The line up comes with a 25W fast charger (S20 Ultra supports 45W superfast charging). S20 houses 4000mAh battery, S20+ has 4,500mAh battery while Ultra has a huge 5,000mAh battery.
All three devices are capable of delivering non-standalone and standalone 5G capabilities. S20 and S20+ have a triple camera system at the rear with main 64MP camera and a 10MP selfie shooter while S20 Ultra has main 108MP camera and 40MP front camera. The users will be able to use up to 30X zoom on the Galaxy S20 and S20+ and can experience Super Resolution Zoom up to 100X with a clearer view ever than before on S20 Ultra.
The series also takes gaming to the next level by offering a 120Hz display. Samsung Galaxy S20 price is $999 (roughly Rs 71,000), and Galaxy S20+ price is $1199 (roughly Rs 86,000). Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra price is $1,399 (roughly Rs 1,00,000).
Samsung Galaxy Buds+
The company also showcased new Galaxy Buds+ which will take on Apple’s wireless earbuds. Galaxy Buds+ has sound by AKG and features 2-way speakers, 3 mics for unparalleled sound and voice quality; and up to 11 hour long battery along with an extra 11 hours in the case.
The Galaxy Buds+ will be available from February 14 for $149 (roughly Rs 10,600).


text:
TikTok owner plans hiring spree amid booming user numbers
Short video app popular among locked-down consumers
TikTok’s owner is known for its generous pay and benefits. Photograph: AFP via Getty
ByteDance, the Chinese start-up behind the popular short video app TikTok, is looking to hire 10,000 new employees, defying a global chill that has forced many technology companies around the world to lay off workers.
The Beijing-based company has benefited as the coronavirus pandemic has trapped many of its 1.5 billion monthly users at home with extra time to spend on its stable of more than a dozen apps.
Outside China, the popularity of TikTok has soared as everyone from doctors and nurses to celebrities uploads short clips of themselves lip-syncing to music to while away the time.
In China, ByteDance has beefed up its ecommerce platform to monetise the extra traffic to its Douyin short-video platform, which has 400 million daily users. It has recruited a popular tech executive to hawk goods in livestreams that have drawn tens of millions of viewers and raked in millions of renminbi in revenue.
Inside Business Podcast
The start-up has some 60,000 employees and is advertising more than 10,000 open jobs around the globe for everything from a Beijing-based data analyst for its Latin America business to a Shenzhen-based operations manager for its gaming platform. In addition, its internal hiring board indicates it is looking for 3,000 interns and more upcoming college graduates.
The company is known for its generous pay and benefits, and perks that more closely mimic Silicon Valley based start-ups. Employees receive three meals daily free and “unlimited snacks” as well as gym memberships, according to the recruitment adverts.
Founder Zhang Yiming said in March that eight-year old ByteDance would have 100,000 employees by year-end, which would take its headcount well beyond that of its chief rival Tencent, with 62,000 employees at the end of 2019.
ByteDance is also aiming to expand its presence in Wuhan, where the coronavirus outbreak began, to 5,000 employees, joining a long list of Chinese companies that have promised support for the city of 11 million that recently emerged from a 76-day quarantine.
Investors valued the SoftBank-backed start-up at $75 billion (€69 billion) two years ago following a $3 billion funding round led by the Japanese tech conglomerate. More recently, ByteDance’s valuation has surged to $90 billion-$100 billion in recent transactions on secondary markets.
In China, Douyin has stepped up hiring as companies including Tesla and Poly Real Estate have turned to its livestreaming function to tout cars and apartments as their customers shy away from leaving home. ByteDance said last week that Poly had sold 102 apartments in a single 30-minute livestream.
ByteDance’s online education platforms including Qingbei Online School are also hiring more than 1,500 teachers, assistants, and other employees in China, as school closures leave parents scrambling to find activities for children stuck indoors. That adds to the 5,000 contracted English teachers in North America who teach on its platforms. – Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2020


text:
SAN FRANCISCO, July 27, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- On the heels of 3x growth last year, 6sense, the industry's leading predictive intelligence platform for B2B marketing and sales, today announced breakthrough momentum with 4x annual recurring revenue (ARR) growth from this time last year and zero customer churn. Fueled by its leading solution and market differentiation, some of 6sense enterprise and high-growth customers include ADP, BlueJeans Network, CBSi, Cisco, Cohesity, Dell, Dropbox, GE, HP, HPE, IBM, MobileIron, NetApp, Netsuite, Qlik, Salesforce and Xactly.
6sense's continued success highlights the increasing adoption of predictive time-based intelligence as a strategic imperative and competitive advantage for organizations today. By moving beyond profile fit and segmentation alone, 6sense customers have the critical ability to operate not simply on gut instinct and static look-alike firmographics, but on detection of active buying cycles that indicate a business need and propensity to purchase. At a time when organizations are looking for every opportunity to optimize their spend, knowing when prospects enter a buying cycle is crucial to remaining competitive and increasing conversion rates.
"We're thrilled the market is realizing our core differentiator of timing and recognizing that predictive is no longer a 'nice to have' but a 'must have' for sales and marketing teams to compete and win. The momentum we're seeing is a testament to the success of our customers and how we're helping sales and marketing improve effectiveness and create measurable marketing generated pipeline and revenue," said 6sense CEO and founder Amanda Kahlow. "Unlike other predictive tools on the market that offer advanced segmentation on 'who,' we offer the unique ability to find buyers in active buying cycles, answering the most critical question to sales and marketing of 'when' buyers are in market."
In response to strong customer results, ADP, Dell and Netsuite recently grew their partnerships with 6sense to focus on driving account-based media execution, powering account-based lead generation and prioritizing engaged leads. Dell has witnessed upward of a 5x lift in MQL to SQL conversion, a 2x increase in average opportunity size and is currently allocating media budget towards active accounts uncovered by 6sense. Netsuite has seen an 8x lift in conversions and $25 million in pipeline created since June of 2015. BlueJeans Network has grown pipeline by 2x, found 2.5 greater opportunity values and increased sales productivity by 3x.
6sense's market momentum can also be attributed to the recent addition of affordable pricing and products for mid-market and growth-stage companies. Predictive intelligence has historically been reserved for large enterprise companies with expansive marketing budgets, but with more accessible pricing, companies of all sizes can now operate on the same level of insight as sophisticated B2B enterprises.
Following the recent strategic partnerships 6sense has built to bolster customer success, customers have the ability to connect brand to demand in their digital marketing efforts. With the Forbes and 6sense integrated solution, customers like Dell can rethink the way they approach media buys and customer engagements by identifying which customers are in active buying cycles and then discretely target each population for engagement. 6sense and Forbes together are bringing omni-channel visibility to the marketing teams at Dell by connecting accounts and contacts from media impressions, to anonymous website visitors, to known contacts/leads, to closed won opportunities.
"The best part about 6sense's intent-based predictive is its full stack impact across marketing and sales," said Dell Marketing Innovation Strategist, Enterprise Demand Generation Jeff Siegel. "6sense fills in the blanks where marketers have to guess and answers the question of 'when' I should put my marketing dollar to use and engage with a prospect in an active buying cycle. At Dell, our team likes to say 'If it's not 6sense, it's nonsense.'"
6sense's mission is to empower marketing and sales teams with 100 percent visibility into buyers; who they are, needs and timing. 6sense provides marketers with omni-channel connectivity and visibility from brand to demand to revenue. 6sense's patent-protected predictions power all downstream sales and marketing systems with intelligence on who is in an active buying cycle, what products, when they will buy and where they are in the buyer's journey. 6sense enables intelligent growth resulting in new pipeline, higher marketing to sales conversions, larger opportunity size and increased sales productivity and effectiveness with teams focusing on the right buyers with a need now.


text:
This week it’s a man drinking bourbon in his undies, a sappy McDonalds ad and fish roe out of a toothpaste tube. So here is B&T best, worst and WTF of advertising for the week.
Digital agency Portal A have spoofed that Airbnb baby ad, taking what was a cute concept and completely flipped it on its head! Instead of a crawling baby, it’s a porno-watching, cigarette smoking, bourbon swilling man in his undies. Much better!
Here’s the sappy original:
If you fall in love over McDonalds your future together will be filled heart burn and diabetes, but that’s just us.
How do you sell the unsellable? For the past year, Kalles Kaviar have been trying to sell their cod roe that comes out of a toothpaste tube. Apparently it’s a delicacy in Sweden, but it looks more like salty, pink goop out of a tube. The self-deprecating TVCs shows that what the world hates, the Swedes love.
Have you seen an advert that puts your knickers in a twist? Tweet us @bandt
Please login with linkedin to commentgender marketing
Australian fashion brand Witchery has partnered with B Corp GlamCorner as part of GlamCorner’s subscription box offering as the demand for everyday essentials soars. This partnership marks another milestone for the Australian fashion industry towards becoming more circular and introducing more paths to reduce textile waste. Customers nationally will be able to rent more of […]
The media, marketing and creative industries are being encouraged to host their own ‘Curry Club for COVID’ before 30th June to help meet the ambitious $100k target set by its organisers. Curry Club for COVID, which was conceived by long-time adtech executive Peter Bray, sales director at Impact, and is powered by industry social purpose organisation […]
The UnLtd Cup is returning for its tenth consecutive year, marking a decade of soccer shenanigans that’s raised nearly $500,000 for children’s mental health charity, KidsXpress. On July 22-23rd, 28 teams from across the industry will battle it out on the soccer field in the two-day tournament at Sydney University Sports and Fitness Centre, Darlington. […]
Australian-bred company Ultra Commerce has acquired New Zealand-based company Vesta eCommerce, a global software business providing leading product data management solutions. The recent acquisition is a significant move for the business, which is Australian born, owned, and headquartered, but has built out a global presence as it pursues rapid growth in the eCommerce market. Connecting […]
Canteen’s latest campaign features the combined talents of Director Luna Laure and creative agency Crater. The campaign strives to raise awareness for young people affected by cancer. The awareness campaign centres around Harry Barentson, who at 12 years of age found out his pregnant mum had cancer. The campaign aims to bring awareness to Canteen’s […]
In partnership with storytelling agency Enthral, AFL legend Kevin Sheedy has voiced a ‘Love Letter to Victoria’ using visuals to showcase the state’s natural beauty and culture. Victoria has been hit with the worst of the coronavirus pandemic compared with any other Aussie state, experiencing four lockdowns. Sheedy partnered with Enthral to share a love […]
Telstra’s lower-cost telco, Belong, has awarded its strategy and creative account to Howatson + White, and has reappointed OMD to its media buying account, after a competitive pitch process. Howatson + White will handle strategy, planning, creative and CRM, while former agency Clemenger will continue to have a relationship with Belong, managing PR and retail activation. […]


text:
June 6th, 2007 by eugene
A Leaderboard Update
Perhaps long overdue, the StorageReview Leaderboard has received an update to reflect the recent reviews of current products.
Check out the full changes here.
We do, however, have a full spate of reviews coming up just around the corner, so the situation remains fluid. Stay tuned!


text:
2 maja 2016
Indian Media Welcomes Tranquini at the Brand Launch
In the energetic city of Mumbai, Tranquini decided to create a positive buzz and encourage curiosity by inviting more than fifty journalists to the brand?s launch event. The product, the brand and the company had not been revealed to journalists prior to the launch, so Mr. Ahmed Elafifi, Founder & Chief Relaxation Officer, introduced the new functional drinks category to the Indian market and explained its natural ingredients and relaxing benefits.
The event was also significant on a global scale as it marked the first Tranquini drinks manufactured outside of the brand?s home in Austria. Tranquini, the industry newcomer, was welcomed by an overwhelming positive response from the media that attended, resulting in great coverage in national newspapers, on TV, online, from bloggers and magazines.
Może Ci się także spodobać...


text:
MELISSA BLOCK, Host:
This is ALL THINGS CONSIDERED from NPR News. I'm Melissa Block.
MICHELE NORRIS, Host:
And I'm Michele Norris. And it's time now for All Tech Considered.
(SOUNDBITE OF MUSIC)
NORRIS: You've likely seen one, probably lots of them by now, those funny looking little pixelated squares that have been popping up on billboards and in magazines and newspaper ads. They're called QR codes, or a quick response codes. And you're supposed to scan them with your cell phone camera.
As NPR's Sami Yenigun reports, marketing departments all over the country are coming up with clever ways to use them.
SAMI YENIGUN: Back in 1994 when barcodes ruled the digital scanning universe, the automotive components company Denso Wave Incorporated came up with a better way to track car parts for Toyota, QR codes. Now they're more than just axel trackers.
(SOUNDBITE OF CROWD)
YENIGUN: At the salad restaurants Sweetgreen in Washington, D.C., there's a huge square on the wall hanging over the napkin dispenser.
JAMES MITCHELL: It looks like some archaic game from the '80s.
YENIGUN: James Mitchell is waiting for a salad. He has a smartphone but doesn't know that he can use it to scan the pixelated code next to him. Neither does Rachel McLaughlin. [POST-BROADCAST CORRECTION: We incorrectly characterized James Mitchell as unfamiliar with QR codes. He is in fact familiar with the technology but chooses not to use it.]
RACHEL MCLAUGHLIN: And it kind of looks like a television that's out of order.
YENIGUN: What Sweetgreen wants to McLaughlin to do is whip out her phone and take a picture of the broken television arcade-game-thing. Elizabeth Burkes knows what I'm talking about.
ELIZABETH BURKES: It's like one of those scanner things, where you just scan it and it tells you whatever information is behind it.
YENIGUN: A smartphone app will interpret the picture and link the phone to a website. Sweetgreen was an early adopter of QR.
MCKEE FLOYD: We would use them in stores and you snap a picture of the code. And then the link directs you to some sort of website. It could be a ticket to something. It could be a coupon.
YENIGUN: McKee Floyd is director of brand development for Sweetgreen. But Floyd is a QR skeptic. She says it takes too long to unlock your phone, fire up the app, take the picture, and wait for the page to load.
FLOYD: The issue that I have with QR codes is that, you know, marketing is a little bit like telling a joke. And the longer the joke, the better the punch line has to be. And QR code is a really long joke.
YENIGUN: According to a recent study from digital analyst comScore, a measly 6 percent of mobile subscribers currently use the technology. That 6 percent tends to be male, white and wealthy.
OLIVER WILLIAMS: That's partly why there hasn't been a massive uptake, although that's changing as the smartphone market starts to expand.
YENIGUN: Oliver Williams, founder of the online marketing agency Oliver Digital, says they're used for digital treasure hunts, for grocery shopping. They're on cupcakes, coasters and in catalogs. In Japan, where smartphones are more widely used...
WILLIAMS: There are people that are actually having QR codes put on their tombstones, so that when you go to scan them, you can see a photo of the person that died.
YENIGUN: Now, there's something on the horizon that both Williams and Floyd say could replace QR codes, and that's near field communication or NFC. This is being used for something QR isn't - paying for things. So instead of using your credit card to pay for your salad, you can just tap your phone to a plate by the register.
WILLIAMS: With near field communication, you're dealing with transactions that other people can profit from. And so, the banks have got an interest because they take a percentage.
YENIGUN: Last week, Google launched their first near field communication app, Google Wallet. It seems that by the time people finally figure out what QR codes are good for, they might just be swiping past them at the checkout line.
Sami Yenigun, NPR News.
NPR transcripts are created on a rush deadline by Verb8tm, Inc., an NPR contractor, and produced using a proprietary transcription process developed with NPR. This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. Accuracy and availability may vary. The authoritative record of NPR’s programming is the audio record.


text:
Do vegans pay more for food?
Veganism is often viewed as a privileged and expensive lifestyle. However, new research suggests that vegans spend on average 40% less on food than omnivores. Based on weekly meal diaries from 11,000 Brits across a year, plant-based meals eaten at home cost significantly less and take one-third less time.
What do full vegans eat?
Vegans are individuals who avoid animal products for ethical, health, or environmental reasons — or a combination of the three. Instead, they eat various plant foods, including fruits, vegetables, whole grains, legumes, nuts, seeds, and products made from these foods.
What do they feed vegans in jail?
If you want to be vegan in prison, you can eat fruit and veggies (a very limited portion), pasta, and salad. However, a prison salad is about five pieces of iceberg lettuce and way too much French dressing. Occasionally, you might get a piece of cucumber or tomato.
Do prisons accommodate dietary restrictions?
Prisons must accommodate proven religious dietary restrictions, to some extent. There must be a balance between the burden placed on the prisoner practicing his religion, weighed against the burden on the prison to offer an alternative menu.
Do prisons have vegetarian meals?
Prisons and healthcare facilities will soon offer plant-based options. Lawmakers say it won’t cost too much more. A new bill has passed in California requiring hospitals, healthcare facilities, and state prisons to offer plant-based meals to those who wish to abide by vegan and vegetarian diets.
Why is vegan food more expensive?
Why is Vegan Meat Currently More Expensive? According to Specht, vegan meat is currently more expensive for a number of reasons. It’s partly due to the fact that brands are operating in a “free market.” They must maximize their profit, and this means charging consumers more.
How much do vegans spend on food?
After they were asked if they believed that a plant-based diet would be less costly, 25% of meat-eaters didn’t believe it was a cheaper alternative, despite the numbers showing that on average the responding meatless shoppers paid 23 dollars less per week on groceries: Vegetarians and vegans spent an average of 102 …
Is vegan lifestyle more expensive?
Because more places now offer a selection of vegan dishes, inevitably the issue of cost arises. Recent research suggested that vegans could pay up to 65% more on an average meal out compared to those without any dietary specifications, but this may not tell the whole story.


text:
Like Lou Ferrigno’s Incredible Hulk, the supplements in the green-foods category are lean, mean and, of course, green. These nutrient-dense, low-cal ingredients are tough on regulating total health inside the body. The antioxidant and disease-fighting power of the ingredients in this category are what make them a powerful weapon in any athlete’s arsenal of health-promoting foods.
Green foods are, you guessed it: green. But it’s more than just the color of the food that gives “green food” superior status, according to Mark Timon, MS, clinical nutrition, at Canaan, Conn.-based Vibrant Health. “The concept of a ‘green food’ in the dietary supplement industry carries with it the understanding that it is not only green but also nutrient dense,” Timon explains. “At the top of the list of such foods are parsley and the cereal grasses. Each of these foods is decidedly not succulent, meaning they are not pumped up with water, sugars, starches or fats. You can think of them as the power-packed, lean athletes of the plant kingdom.”
The high nutrient content of various green foods is what many researchers suspect gives them their super health-promoting properties. Although the bulk of research on different types of green foods is preliminary, it has set a solid foundation for continuing research in humans. The studies show green foods, like chlorella, spirulina and barley and wheat grasses, are potent antioxidants that possess anti-disease properties, and they also help the body’s ability to clear toxins.
The overall health-promoting benefits of green foods are the basis for why they can help athletes, and the benefits can include “endurance, strength and faster recovery,” Timon says. “As each cell is provided the trace nutrients it needs to function at optimal efficiency, cells will have no trouble producing energy on demand, thereby boosting strength and endurance,” he says. “It follows that cellular waste, generated during a workout, will be more efficiently expelled from the cell and that tissue repair will be more speedily accomplished.”
Two water-based green foods — chlorella and spirulina — have been studied for just these effects, in fact. Researchers in Turkey reported that both these single-celled algae can enhance athletic performance as well as benefit overall health. The 2001 report indicated that chlorella and spirulina can be used as nourishment after exercise and a means to prevent disease.
Chlorella is a single-celled algae that exists in several varieties, some native to freshwater and some to the ocean. Species derived from both sources have shown potent antioxidant properties, which is important for athletes to help scavenge the electron-stealing free radicals that are produced as a natural byproduct of exercise. By “squelching” free radicals, antioxidants may help improve recovery after exercise, not to mention protect against lots of diseases.
Chlorella’s impressive list of benefits includes effects against diabetes — it can enhance the effectiveness of injected insulin and protect against diabetes-related cataracts. Chlorella also appears to be a promising weapon in the fight against cancer. Not only has it shown the ability to “kill” existing cancer — it promotes cell death in cancer cells — but the antioxidants extracted from chlorella also can act to prevent cancer.
Studies have shown that chlorella also helps the body clear certain toxins. In particular, chlorella has proved to be helpful against dioxins, a group of hundreds of carcinogenic chemicals that are formed during various manufacturing processes, and they get into our bodies from the foods we eat — primarily meat and dairy. To get rid of them, the body has to eliminate them in waste because they can’t be digested. Enter chlorella. Animal research reported in the April 2005 Chemosphere showed that Chlorella pyrenoidosa prevents dioxin accumulation in the body by inhibiting absorption from food and reabsorption of dioxins already stored in the intestinal tract.
Another water-derived supplement that falls into the green-foods category is spirulina, a blue-green algae that grows in the shape of a spiral and is a rich source of protein, vitamins, amino acids, minerals and other nutrients. Like chlorella, spirulina has a long list of suspected benefits. Researchers reporting in the October 2008 Current Pharmaceutical Biotechnology said that the microbe has therapeutic functions, including antioxidant, antibacterial, antiviral, anticancer, anti-inflammatory, anti-allergic and anti-diabetic, and that eating the algae seems to help promote healthy intestinal microflora — also known as probiotics, which are the bacteria that ensure healthy digestion.
In addition to microalgae, the green-foods category also contains the cereal grasses — like alfalfa, barley, Kamut, oat, rye and wheat. If left to grow, these grasses eventually produce grains, but they’re harvested before that, when chlorophyll, protein and vitamin content are at their highest. Like water-derived green foods, the land-based functional foods have strong antioxidant properties.
The flavonoids — that is, water-soluble plant pigments — from young barley leaves have more antioxidant oomph than vitamin E, according to a 2007 report in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry. Another study showed that the antioxidant effects of a barley-leaf extract help protect against vascular diseases in patients with Type 2 diabetes. Not only that, but barley-leaf extract also appears to lower cholesterol.
Wheat-grass juice has been a specialty offering in juice bars for years, and proponents tout it for use against the common cold, as well as for digestion, blood sugar disorders and even cancer. Research on wheat-grass juice specifically shows that it can, indeed, improve digestion. It also has shown its use in improving heart health by lowering total and LDL cholesterol — that’s the bad one — and triglycerides.
All in all, the supplements that make up the green-foods category are pretty super — hence their sometime designation as super foods. Like green foods, the category of “super foods” tends to be highly nutritious and sparsely caloric. “Super foods go beyond just their core green-food components to include complementary ingredients that expand the overall nutritional, health and energy benefits of the final product,” Timon says. “They should be formulated to maximize the bioavailability of all nutrients.” This is why choosing the right mix of ingredients becomes important.
Getting the right mix of nutrient-dense, low-cal foods — like green foods — promotes an optimal state of physical fitness, similar to the typical state our ancient hunter/gatherer ancestors maintained. “What happens when you start feeding the Paleolithic being inside,” Timon says, “is that it will then generate energy, clean out the trash, grow muscles and think clearly. In short, the whole body starts operating well.”


text:
“We’re just trying to put smiles on the faces of people everywhere,” says senior marketing manager, Maddy Isbell, of SPY Optic’s mission. It’s this fun-loving philosophy that keeps things fresh at the independent eyewear brand. Founded nearly 21 years ago by a handful of motocross athletes wanting an alternative to Oakley, SPY has developed into a major eyewear player that has been embraced across multiple categories including moto, surf, cycling and snow.
In February of 2013, SPY released its Happy Lens, which incorporates the first therapeutic light filtering technology to find its way into an eyewear lens. It works by allowing certain beneficial rays of light through the lens while blocking the more harmful ones and boosting color contrast all at the same time. Similar technologies can be found in light bulbs and window glass designed to fight Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) during the low light months of northern latitudes. These lenses literally help keep you from getting SAD. “We wanted to develop something that would improve athlete performance,” says Isbell. “Turns out, multiple studies suggest that letting more long wavelength blue light into your eyes can improve mood, focus and alertness. With Happy Lenses you see better, feel better and perform better.”
The Happy Lens project was developed with the help of eyewear industry legend Jim Pritts, who over the years has helped curate lens technology for many premium brands while coming to be known as The Wizard of Light. Thanks to this project, the entire company has adopted a “happy disrespect for the usual way of looking at life,” says Isbell. By next season, nearly 90 percent of the SPY line will incorporate this progressive technology. SPY also offers Happiness Guaranteed, a 14-day window for US consumers to return their sunglasses or goggles directly to SPY if they’re not satisfied. But that’s a rarity—of the 95,000 Happy lenses sold over the last two years, only 13 were returned.
For 2015-16, every premium goggle in the SPY line will have a Happy Lens option, including the all-new Ace, an interchangeable-lens goggle that comes in at a wallet-friendly $110 price point and in 23 style-conscious colorways. It’s the first cylindrical-lens goggle to incorporate Happy Lens tech as well as the first to use SPY’s new slider-actuated Quick Draw lens-change system.
In addition to technological developments, SPY’s increasing success in the ski industry can be attributed to the team of innovative skiers who spread the good news of SPY and personify the company’s free-spirited approach to the industry. Current team manager Andrew Thomas says the groundwork was laid by his predecessor and Level 1 founder Josh Berman who signed the likes of Wiley Miller, Ahmet Dadali and Adam Delorme while he was team manager. Now, with the recent addition of another industry visionary in Phil Casabon, SPY expects the Happy Lens story to reach even more freeskiers. And Thomas is quick to note, “We’re not exclusive to any one type of skier. We want to appeal to people who enjoy themselves whether they ski powder, ski the park or are just learning to make a turn. If we can help put a smile on their face, then we‘re doing something right.”
Doom – SPY + Wiley Miller
Featuring eye-catching design, the oversized Doom is Wiley Miller’s spherical Happy Lens pro model. It includes a bonus Happy Lens and utilizes the Lock Steady quick-change lens system which allows you to adjust quickly to changing conditions at the touch of a button. $220
￼Ace – SPY + Realtree®
The all-new Quick Draw lens change system puts the midsized Ace at the top of the deck. The goggle comes with two injected, cylindrical Happy Lenses to keep your vision clear no matter what Mother Nature throws your way. $130
Bravo – SPY + Arcade
Featuring SPY’s Lock Steady technology, one of the quickest lens change systems in the game, the midsized Bravo is your first line of defense against nature’s harsh elements. A free premium bonus lens allows you to easily adjust to changing conditions at the touch of a button. A bonus Arcade belt with matching graphics will keep your kit in check. $230


text:
from the poisoning-the-currency dept.
moonbender writes "Fake but working iTunes gift cards are being sold on Chinese auction sites for a fraction of their value: 'The owner of the Taobao shop told us frankly that the gift card codes are created using key-generators. He also said that he paid money to use the hackers' service. Half a year ago, when they started the business, the price was around 320 RMB [about $47] for [a] $200 card, then more people went into this business and the price went all the way down to 18 RMB [about $2.60] per card, "but we make more money as the amount of customers is growing rapidly."' The people at Chinese market researcher Outdustry have apparently confirmed this by buying a coupon and transferring it into an iTunes account. Oops."
... though his invention worked superbly -- his theory was a crock of sewage
from beginning to end.
-- Vernor Vinge, "The Peace War"


text:
An Australian man will sue Apple after suffering injuries when his iPhone X exploded in his pocket back in 2019. Melbourne-based scientist Robert De Rose suffered second-degree burns when his year-old iPhone X exploded in his pocket while at work.
“I heard a faint pop sound, followed by a fizz and then I felt intense pain on my right leg, so I immediately jumped up and realized it was my phone,” he told 7NEWS. “I had ash everywhere, and my skin had peeled back.”
De Rose says he reported the issue directly to Apple but failed to receive a response. He now plans to seek compensation from the Cupertino tech firm and wants to warn other iPhone users of the potential dangers of iPhone use.
Carbone Lawyers’ Tony Carbone said that the firm would also be representing a second man who says his overheating Apple Watch burnt his wrist. The two lawsuits had been filed with the County Court.
An Apple spokesperson said the company takes customer safety extremely seriously and confirmed the two complaints are being investigated.
(All images via 7NEWS)


text:
The Federal Government will need to create more than 1000 electronic-waste collection points — some 800 more than currently planned — to meet its 2020 recycling targets.
After more than a decade since the problem of dumped toxic e-waste entered the political arena, the government has backed an industry-lead scheme to prevent some 17 million computers and TVs from going into landfill each year.
Federal Environment Minister, Peter Garrett, said the government aims to recycle 80 per cent of all televisions and computer products by 2020. Collection facilities are planned for all capital cities using a mix of existing recycling stations and new depots which will be constructed under the scheme.
Dave West, technical consultant with waste-avoidance group, Boomerang Alliance, has worked with the big IT companies, green groups and government during consultations. He said the government will need to expand the number of collection points to encourage consumers to recycle.
“About 200 [collection points] are planned but it will take about 1000 to make it attractive and available to consumers,” West said.
Australian Information Industry Association (AIIA) chief executive officer, Ian Birks, told Computerworld the 80 per cent recycle target is well suited to the address the e-waste problem.
“The plan will be introduced in February 2011 [and] will be initially focused on the big cities where most of the demand for waste is [and] where many will have recycling schemes in place,” Birks said, adding that the first five years of the plan have already been laid out.
“Switzerland and the Netherlands have taken more than a decade to reach an over 80 per cent clearance of available e-waste and they have a much smaller geographical space than Australia.”
AIIA manager corporate social responsibility, Josh Millen, said Producer Responsibility Organisations (PROs) will manage compliance and finance and uphold recycling standards.
“There is a systematic approach to running the scheme [where] anyone who wants to sell into the market has to be in a PRO scheme,” Millen said. He added that while each PRO will govern a different product, large electronic companies may create their own schemes.
“Ninety-five per cent of imports [of electronic goods] are made by 100 companies, yet the remainder is done by 10,000, so legislation needs to make sure everyone is [compliant].”
The organisations could also be used to enforce better manufacturing processes, answering calls by green groups to minimise the use of toxic components in electronic products.
Millen said curbside collection of e-waste is not feasible because it puts additional strain on already overburdened councils. “If door-to-door was the best way to run logistics, the retail industry would still be knocking on doors.”
The e-waste recycling charter, dubbed the Product Stewardship Compact for Computers and Computer Peripherals, gained unanimous support in May last year from computer and television manufacturers including Dell, Apple, Hewlett-Packard and Panasonic which signed the agreement.
Only about 4 per cent of the 140,000 tonnes of e-waste dumped by Australians each year is recycled. According to 2009 Australian Bureau of Statistics figures, 1.6 million PCs ends up in landfill every year. The ABS also found that 5.3 million PCs were in garages, and a further 1.8 million were in storage. And that doesn't take into account the other types of e-waste, such as televisions, which are thrown out each year.
West said the diversion of toxic materials, rather than salvage of recyclable materials, is the main catalyst behind the policy. Computers and TVs contain toxic materials like lead, mercury, arsenic and cadmium.
“There are a lot of toxic materials in computers and one of the great parts of the scheme is that waste will be reprocessed in Australia,” West said, adding that western countries are guilty of offloading some of the toxic materials and components too expensive to recycle to developing nations.
Indonesia, Thailand and India are some of Australia’s dumping grounds. Australia presently lacks the $200-$300 million facilities required to recycle batteries and further reduce plastics and metals, however West said the government will do “as much reprocessing as possible” in Australia.
E-waste is the fastest growing waste product globally, according to Greenpeace. The problem is exacerbated not only by the inclusion of toxic materials, but by the low value of recycled products such as steel which fails to recover recycling costs.
The government previously , one of many previously under consideration, that would pay for recycling of all branded and whitebox e-waste goods using a tax collected at the point-of-sale. Birks previously said the preferred option is for the cost to be born on the manufacturers because it will encourage them to create products that can be recycled more efficiently. He said the scheme should be regulated by the federal government rather than the states to ensure consistency.
Manufacturers and importers of computer and televisions have supported the proposal through the AIIA and some, including Dell and Hewlett-Packard, have run voluntary low-cost or free recycling campaigns.
Computer vendors including Dell, Fujitsu, Apple, and IBM have participated with the AIIA, Sustainability Victoria and the City of Boroondara in a long-term recycling initiative dubbed ‘ByteBack’ which allows Victorian residents and businesses to recycle IT equipment free of charge.


text:
Latest Filling station Stories
- VNG's facility is the first installation of its retail network to support the widespread use of natural gas vehicles throughout Southeastern Pennsylvania BALA CYNWYD, Pa., Sept.
Shell and Stop & Shop are teaming up to help New Jersey consumers save at the pump during the back-to-school season and beyond PURCHASE, N.Y., Sept.
Shell and Giant are teaming up to help D.C. and Baltimore consumers save at the pump during the back-to-school season and beyond LANDOVER, Md., Sept.
New Offerings Bolster Control, Savings And Convenience To Fleets HOUSTON, Sept.
Agreement provides turnkey CNG fueling solution for fleet customers SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. and PITTSBURGH, Sept.
New system allows fuel customers to manage accounts and access key information online TAYLOR, Mich., Sept.
Local CITGO Marketer Launches "Adopt A School" Program at Chambers Elementary KINGSTON, N.Y., Aug.
Advanced Driving Systems announces recent changes at area Leon County gas stations. Tallahassee, FL (PRWEB) August 08, 2014 This month, pumping gas in
Enjoy 25 Cents Savings Rewards For A Limited Time HOUSTON, Aug.
Number of Natural Gas Fueling Stations in Florida Doubles TALLAHASSEE, Fla., July 30, 2014 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Today, Champion Brands, a Florida beer distributor, broke ground
- A person or thing gazed at with wonder or curiosity, especially of a scornful kind.


text:
Category: News ArchiveHits: 2299
Since the launch of the Kickstarter campaign, three updates have been released for The Bard's Tale IV, which is currently hovering around the $934,923 funding mark. The first extends the usual thanks to backers and developers who talked about the campaign online, while the second mentions that the free game offer has been extended for second day backers. But it's the third update that's of real interest, I believe, because inXile has posted an in-engine video of the title.
It should be noted that the video isn't actual in-game footage, because production hasn't started yet, but just a visualization of the core concepts inXile is hoping to implement in the final title and of the graphical capabilities of Unreal Engine 4:


text:
A revised method of accounting, in use for the first time in 1979 annual reports, reveals a radically altered, ominous view of the health of many major U.S. corporations.
For the first time, investors and the public at large are being given a glimpse of the toll inflation has taken on corporations.
Inflation adjusted figures are sweeping aside historical figures that show record sales and profits, sometimes reveling instead marginal earners or losers, particularly in the nation's large manufacturing industries and utilities.
Viewed through inflation-adjusted figures in the back of annual reports, what once appeared to be corporate robustness may now seem like alarming pallor. What seemed to be reasonable dividends may now look like unjustifiable luxuries, draining away the capital that industries need to survive.
"It's really very sobering, and we're somewhat overdue getting to it," Securities and Exchange Commission chairman Harold M. Williams said of the bleak new picture of the economy.
"Accounting has just not told the story. We're running down our wealth generating machinery without really knowing it," said Michael Alexander, director of research for the Financial Accounting Standards Board, which developed the format for inflation accounting now being used by the nation's major public corporations.
"If you look down the line, you really see a lot of Chryslers in the manufacturing industries," he said. Generally, high technology companies where costs are being reduced as the product improves come off best in inflation accounting.
"What the figures are telling us in the aggregate is that we are not generating and restaining the corporate profits necessary to keep our plants modern, to invest in productivity or new plants and to create the jobs and the new products that really underlie our standard of living," said Williams.
"What the figures are telling us in the aggregate is that we are not generating and retaining the corporate profits necessary to keep our plants modern, to invest in productivity or new plants and to create the jobs and the new products that really underlie our standard of living," said Williams.
What the figures tell about Ford Motor Company, for instance, is that once inflation is taken into account, income from containing operations is only about a fifth of what it appears to be using historical accounting methods that have been required.
Those figures show income of $1.169 billion for 1979. But when those figures are adjusted to take into account the general effects of inflation, the figure is reduced to $375 million. When the figures are adjusted specifically to take into account inflation in the costs of resources Ford must buy, the figure drops to $213 million.
"All things considered, I would say we had a pretty good year," Ford chief executive officer Philip Caldwell said in Ford's annual report. "Earnings of $9.75 a share -- $1.2 billion -- were the third highest in the company's history," he said.
But just as many individuals have come to realize that apparently higher salaries have been eroded by infaltion to the point that purchasing power has been lost, observers are getting indications that "record" corporate sales and profits have also been eroded.
For instance, the $9.75 per share earnings, adjusted for general inflation are $3.13. Adjusted specifically to reflect Ford's costs, they are $1.78. In contrast, Ford paid a cash dividend of $3.90. This year may be even bleaker. Some estimates suggest that Ford will be lucky to break even on income using conventional accounting.
"In some instances, the figures will point out that, in effect, companies are paying dividends out of capital, not earnings, and in reality the corporation is in a state of liquidation," said Williams.
Although Williams, analysts from the FASB and others maintain the new, inflation adjusted data is reasonably accurate and a good indicator of what is happening in the economy, others are less certain.
Historical accounting methods provided an incomplete picture because they based depreciation, or the cost to the company of using up its inventory and eqiupment, on prices paid when assets were acquired. Inflation accounting looks at the cost of replacing those assets right now.
Critics note that a weakness in the new method is that it assumes the complete replacement of productive capacity at current prices and assumes that selling prices will be constant.
Clarence Staubs, assistant chief accountant at the SEC, also cautions that the figures must be taken with a grain of salt because in many cases they provide a "worst case" analysis of the company's fortunes. "It's really a very conservative view," he noted.
The new methods were required by an October 1979 ruling by the FASB, which make the rules governing preparation of financial reports. Public companies with inventories and property of more than $125 million on $1 billion in assets are required to discuss their income for the fiscal year ending on or after Dec. 25, 1979 using the new method.
Inflation accounting techniques are still somewhat experimental in nature and the format used from company to company may vary.
Basically the FASB standard requires adjusted information about costs and expenses, net income, earnings per share and unrealized gains from money owed or losses from monetary assets held. This year, besides reporting figures using conventional methods, companies must also report what the figures look like adjusted to reflect changes in the consumer price index (constant dollars.)
For fiscal 1980, companies will also be required to disclose information on a current-cost basis that reflects specific price changes on the items a company buys.
In some cases, reductions in income produced by inflation accounting are offset by the amount of money made through holding debt. Just as individuals with large mortgages make paper profits in a time of inflation by being able to repay debt in cheaper dollars, so do corporations.
On the other hand, a gain from holding huge debts may be a sign of ill health rather than good health, according to analysts. The most heavily mortgaged companies may not be the soundest.
Some corporations have bounded into the ear of inflation accounting with more enthusiasm than others. Even though it may make good sense in the long run, corporate managers governed by short-run considerations such as annual bonuses and pleasing their directors and stockholders may prefer accounting techniques that give a rosier view of operations. Also, the change in methods is a major departure after years of use conventional methods. c
General Electric has done one of the most complete and enthusiastic jobs of incorporating the new data in its annual report, even referring to it on the cover.
"Severe inflation distorts the financial reporting of business, giving the illusion of soaring profits when in fact, real profits -- profits stripped of their inflationary increments -- have failed to keep pace with the rising costs of replacing buildings, machinery and equipment; maintaining inventories; and supporting research and development," according to GE's annual report. "Your management welcomes the initiative taken in 1979 by the Financial Accounting Standards Board." chairman Reginald H. Jones said.
GE has gone even further, setting up seminars for top management on coping with inflation.Nearly 1,000 mangers have already been through the course, and another 1,000 mangers at the next level are now scheduled for it, said Terrence E. McClary, vice president of corporate financial administration.
"We do a good deal of measuring our results using inflation adjusted data," he said. "On our requests for plant appropriations -- if we're undertaking to expand a plant or enter new business -- we ask our managers to present data two ways," he said.
Using a combination of conventional data and inflation adjusted data and forecasts, they decide "what type of business we want to allocate resources to," he said. Although GE has adjusted some data on the basis of inflation for several years, it now gets more emphasis, he said.
Results are influencing how GE grows, suggesting getting into service-oriented lines of business, such as information services, and out of capital-intensive and low-margin businesses. For instance, the company has gotten out of the food service business and a wire and cable manufacturing business in Canada.
One reason for the corporate embrace of inflation accounting is because it can be used as an argument for lower corporate taxes. If corporations are in fact riding out losses instead of reaping obscene profits, then their taxes should be lower, corporate officials argue.
"Whether a change in tax law ever comes to pass or not, I think we have to be realistic about understanding what corporate earnings are," said Williams. "We don't understand what role profits play in the economy and society. Rather than being obscene, they are pretty helpful." Inflation accounting will help foster that understanding, he said.