Starbucks: Neil Young is wrong on boycott

Posted on by

Neil Young is swearing off Starbucks lattes.

NEW YORK (CNNMoney)

Last week, the singer said on his website, that he was kicking his daily Starbucks latte habit because he claimed the coffee company had teamed up with Monsanto to sue Vermont over a new law on genetically engineered foods. Young called out to his fans to join a petition by the organization SumOfUs.

Now both companies are denying that they are part of the lawsuit.

Starbucks (SBUX) flatly denied, via Twitter, that the company has anything to do with the lawsuit. Vermont's new labeling law requires that companies identify whether its food products contain genetically modified organisms.

"Starbucks is not a part of any lawsuit pertaining to GMO labeling nor have we provided funding for any campaign," said Starbucks. "And Starbucks is not aligned with Monsanto to stop food labeling or block Vermont State law. The petition claiming that Starbucks is part of this litigation is completely false and we have asked the petitioners to correct their description of our position."

Related: Starbucks CEO tells Congress 'stop the polarization'

Neither company is named in the lawsuit, but both are members of the Grocery Manufacturers Association, a lobbying group that filed the suit. But Starbucks said that doesn't matter.

"While we are a member of the GMA, we disagree with the association and Monsanto on this issue, and we don't support the lawsuit," the company said in an email to CNNMoney. "It is important for Starbucks to participate in trade associations because participation gives us a voice in the industry debate about these kinds of issues."

GMA spokesman Brian Kennedy confirmed that Starbucks is an "affiliate member" without any involvement in the group's lawsuit.

See the rest here:

Starbucks: Neil Young is wrong on boycott

Starbucks: Neil Young is wrong about boycott

Posted on by

Neil Young is swearing off Starbucks lattes.

NEW YORK (CNNMoney)

Last week, the singer said on his website, that he was kicking his daily Starbucks latte habit because he claimed the coffee company had teamed up with Monsanto to sue Vermont over a new law on genetically engineered foods. Young called out to his fans to join a petition by the organization SumOfUs.

Now both companies are denying that they are part of the lawsuit.

Starbucks (SBUX) flatly denied, via Twitter, that the company has anything to do with the lawsuit. Vermont's new labeling law requires that companies identify whether its food products contain genetically modified organisms.

"Starbucks is not a part of any lawsuit pertaining to GMO labeling nor have we provided funding for any campaign," said Starbucks. "And Starbucks is not aligned with Monsanto to stop food labeling or block Vermont State law. The petition claiming that Starbucks is part of this litigation is completely false and we have asked the petitioners to correct their description of our position."

Related: Starbucks CEO tells Congress 'stop the polarization'

Neither company is named in the lawsuit, but both are members of the Grocery Manufacturers Association, a lobbying group that filed the suit. But Starbucks said that doesn't matter.

"While we are a member of the GMA, we disagree with the association and Monsanto on this issue, and we don't support the lawsuit," the company said in an email to CNNMoney. "It is important for Starbucks to participate in trade associations because participation gives us a voice in the industry debate about these kinds of issues."

GMA spokesman Brian Kennedy confirmed that Starbucks is an "affiliate member" without any involvement in the group's lawsuit.

Read more here:

Starbucks: Neil Young is wrong about boycott

Bobby Gaspar: "Translational research in the ex vivo gene therapy of monogenic diseases" – Video

Posted on by


Bobby Gaspar: "Translational research in the ex vivo gene therapy of monogenic diseases"
Educational Day* at ESGCT Conference in Madrid. "Translational research in the ex vivo gene therapy of monogenic diseases". Bobby Gaspar, Professor of Paedi...

By: European Society for Gene and Cell Therapy

Read the original:

Bobby Gaspar: "Translational research in the ex vivo gene therapy of monogenic diseases" - Video

Gene treatment promising in fight against degenerative blindness

Posted on by

LOS ANGELES (KABC) --

In bright daylight, 10-year-old Mark Devoe has no trouble seeing his friends. But inside or even in the shade, Mark's eyes sometimes don't work.

"I have trouble seeing like, trees, when the road ends, and when there's like a drop there," said Mark.

At age 6, Mark's doctors diagnosed him with the genetic condition choroideremia, which causes people to progressively lose vision until they are completely blind.

"I don't know what it's like to live in darkness, but I've seen it," said Susan Devoe, Mark's mother.

Susan is a carrier of the blindness gene. Mark's grandfather has the condition.

"Watching my father go blind was devastating," said Susan. "I was a little girl. You know, you count on daddy to do things, and daddy couldn't do them."

Dr. Jean Bennett is one of two U.S. researchers preparing to test a gene therapy for choroideremia in humans.

"I think gene therapy holds a huge promise for developing treatments for blinding diseases," said Bennett.

Researchers will use a virus carrying a small choroideremia gene and inject the virus just under the retina. The gene should begin to work in a few weeks.

Read more:

Gene treatment promising in fight against degenerative blindness

12 Trends Transforming Transportation: Futurist Jack Uldrich to Deliver Keynote at AASHTO

Posted on by

Charlotte, NC (PRWEB) November 20, 2014

Robin Chase, the founder and CEO of Buzzcar, a peer-to-peer car sharing service, and co-founder and former CEO of Zipcar says,"Transportation is the center of the world! It is the glue of our daily lives. When it goes well, we don't see it. When it goes wrong, it negatively colors our day, makes us feel angry and impotent, curtails our possibilities."

Starting today, through November 23rd, the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) Annual Meeting will be taking place in Charlotte, NC. AASHTO is one of the industrys most important gatherings of transportation, government and commercial organizations. Their Annual Meeting offers transportation executives the opportunity to network and share the latest in industry policies and innovations. The group has chosen global futurist Jack Uldrich as one of their keynote speakers to discuss the possibilities that will transform the industry, and round out their series of events on the 23rd.

AASHTO represents all five transportation modes: air, highways, public transportation, rail, and water. Its primary goal is to foster the development, operation, and maintenance of an integrated national transportation system. Uldrich, who will deliver his keynote, "Foresight 20/20: 12 Trends Transforming the Transportation of Tomorrow" speaks over 100 times a year to a wide variety of businesses and organizations in transportation, health care, agriculture, education, energy, finance, retail and manufacturing. He argues that creativity and action are more powerful and versatile than knowledge, and he provides provocative new perspectives on competitive advantage, change management and transformational leadership to his audience members.

Uldrich says, "What a lot of people don't realize is that there is an 800 pound gorilla sitting in the room right now, in the form of new and emerging technologies, and it's beating it's chest indicating it will transform virtually every part of your business. But many people don't see it because their attention is focused elsewhere. As a futurist I have the luxury of stepping back and looking at the big picture and helping people embrace that gorilla without fear."

In his book, Foresight 20/20, Uldrich says, "In the near future there may be no need to own a vehicle. Having an expensive asset sitting unused 90-95 percent of the time, losing value, has never been the wisest idea but there just hasnt a better option unless you live in an area with excellent public transit. Although we certainly dont expect every car on the road to be self-driving by 2020, we do expect transportation to look far different than it does today."

In addition to sharing insights from his book on things like driver-less cars, he'll outline eleven other upcoming trends and emerging technologies that will profoundly affect transportation such as collaborative consumption (like Buzzcar & Zipcar) biofuels, fuel cell technology, sensors and The Internet of Things for the AASHTO audience members. He intends to challenge them to start embracing ambiguity and taking on reverse mentors, (i.e., members of the younger generations who can teach them the way of the future.) Uldrich will also touch on the concept of unlearning. "Organizations must unlearn old, obsolete knowledge and old ways of doing business, before they can seize tomorrows opportunities. And I look forward to helping AASHTO members do just that as they look to transform the transportation of tomorrow. "

Parties interested in learning more about Jack, his books, his daily blog or his speaking availability are encouraged to visit his website. Media wishing to know more about either the event or interviewing Jack as a futurist or trend expert can contact Amy Tomczyk at (651) 343.0660.

See more here:

12 Trends Transforming Transportation: Futurist Jack Uldrich to Deliver Keynote at AASHTO

Peter Schwartz Warns Auto Industry Could Wind Up In Silicon Valleys Back Seat

Posted on by

Renowned business strategist and futurist Peter Schwartz is issuing a warning to the automotive sector: Step up or step aside in steering the future of cars. The tech industry, he says, could become the main driver of new motorized transport technologies, including Internet-connected, self-driving cars.

If [automakers] don't adapt, they'll just be hardware suppliers to a software industry,Schwartz told a packed audience Tuesday at the Los Angeles Auto Shows Connected Car Expo. The very business model -- who are the winners and losers -- is up for change.

The founder of the Berkeley, California-based strategic planning consultancy Global Business Network said he envisions a future where either automakers adapt quickly to the changes taking place in passenger cars, or risk having tech companies like Google and Apple swoop in to fill consumer needs on their own.

Already Googles Android and Apples iOS are battling for control of the vehicle dashboard touch-screen interface, and Google is taking a strong position on autonomous driving technology. And some Wall Street dreamers have even suggested that Apple dive right into car manufacturing by purchasing Tesla Motors Inc. (If it does, CEO Tim Cook might find himself, as Tesla CEO Elon Musk did during a recent conference call with analysts, lamenting how hard it is to engineer and make a car.)

The auto industry certainly recognizes the need to embrace the innovation.

Speaking at a business conference in the United Arab Emirates on Wednesday, Ford Motor Co. Executive Chairman Bill Ford, the great-grandson of Henry Ford, outlined his companys vision of the future of driving, which seems to correspond with Schwartzs advice.

We are equipping cars and trucks with new technologies that improve the driving experience, guide you to your destination, manage the cars functions and keep you and your passengers entertained, Ford told an audience of business executives in Dubai. So wearebuilding smart cars, and they will continue to get smarter.

Ford outlined a vision where the future of driving focuses on the needs of congested urban environments where smart infrastructure and smaller, more connected forms of transport will be needed to cope with higher population densities. In what would have been industry sacrilege 20 to 30 years ago, Ford offered up a vision of access to transport rather than ownership, transport that is shared rather than individually owned.

In congested urban environments, we will see more peer-to-peer applications and on-demand transportation networks, he said, pointing to ridesharing services like Uber.

Ford Motor Co. three years ago released its vision of automotive transport through 2050, which predicted the arrival as early as 2017 of semi-autonomous driving, vehicle-to-infrastructure communication (smart roads that adjust speed limits in real time, the ability to warn of road construction or traffic jams well ahead of time) and growth in small city cars to navigate congested urban environments. Ford sees fully autonomous driving by as early as 2025.

Continued here:

Peter Schwartz Warns Auto Industry Could Wind Up In Silicon Valleys Back Seat

Book Review: The Collected Stories of Frank Herbert

Posted on by

Mania Grade: A+ 0 Comments | Add

By Chuck Francisco November 19, 2014 Source: Mania.com

With Interstellar pinging off the satellite system of public consciousness, the timing could not be more fortuitous to publish a massive collection of classic science fiction short stories by a much beloved genre master. Christopher Nolan's modern space thought piece harkens back a kind of scifi more keen on exploring the vast potential of human existence, in all of its untapped potential, and audiences can't stop talking about the tangential ramifications. With a glimmer of Fred Astair's timing, Tor Books has published the largest collection of short stories by science fiction luminary Frank Herbert ever assembled. It's ambitious, recalling the halcyon days of futurism yesteryears. It's also perfect.

The Collected Stories of Frank Herbert is comprised of forty (seriously) short compositions from the man most famous for creating Dune. All of these stories had been previous published on the pages of pulps, magazines, or anthologies, save one newly added work: The Daddy Box. Presented chronologically from 1952 through 1979 (Herbert passed away in 1986), these perfectly realized, wonderfully self contained microcosms offer a reflection of a turbulent society on the brink of nuclear apocalypse. The resulting paranoia flavors many of the lessons imbued in these scifi parables.

Much of the science fiction of the time carried with it a combination of jaded paranoia for society's downward spiral and an irrational hope for man's untapped potential. Herbert's stories run the gamut from aliens secretly observing humanity (often deeming us savage and barbaric), to an almost They Live tilted spin on mankind as cattle. In many instances his tales wrap up with Twilight Zone-esq twists which shine an entirely new light in the context of the entire narrative. It's wonderful, calling back to the comfortable nostalgia of classic scifi, while also striking perfectly thought provoking notes of fascination and surprise.

As a master of his craft, Herbert is able to fully realize each short stories' self contained universe within a very small space. One case in particular, Occupation Force, is a mere three pages long. Within these cozy confines, Frank Herbert manages to tell a riveting and complex tale, densely packed with imagination. The ending is enough to make Rod Serling sit-up and take notice from the grave.

Of the forty realities bundled in this hardback collection, it's difficult pointing to any specific one which isn't fantastic. This is 699 pages of dense unique, imaginatively flowing prose, brimming with intriguing ideas that still feel fresh today. As old man winter reminds the country that he's a cruel and frigid miser, The Collected Stories of Frank Herbert is the perfect anthology to experience with a warm mug, while buried under a cozy blanket. And (bonus!), its arrival is perfectly timed to assist in surviving uncomfortable family gatherings and long road trips to reach them!

Go here to read the rest:

Book Review: The Collected Stories of Frank Herbert

BIG AND BLACK!-Black Gravios-(Monster Hunter Freedom Unite)-Gameplay/CommentaryPart 20 – Video

Posted on by


BIG AND BLACK!-Black Gravios-(Monster Hunter Freedom Unite)-Gameplay/CommentaryPart 20
LOOK ME UP-- My Twiiter! TWEET TWEET! https://twitter.com/SoHellkite LIVE STREAMS! http://www.twitch.tv/sohellkite --MY OTHER GAMES IVE PLAYED!-- Ryze Son Of Rome ...

By: SOHellKite

See more here:

BIG AND BLACK!-Black Gravios-(Monster Hunter Freedom Unite)-Gameplay/CommentaryPart 20 - Video

Mrgunsngear Channel Ammo Sponsors: Minuteman Munitions & Freedom Munitions – Video

Posted on by


Mrgunsngear Channel Ammo Sponsors: Minuteman Munitions Freedom Munitions
http://www.minutemanmunitions.com http://www.freedommunitions.com Mrgunsngear Shirt link: http://www.1791apparel.com/collections/store/products/mrgunsngear http://www.Mrgunsngear.com ...

By: Mrgunsngear Channel

Go here to read the rest:

Mrgunsngear Channel Ammo Sponsors: Minuteman Munitions & Freedom Munitions - Video

How happy are you with yourself really? Honesty leads to freedom – Video

Posted on by


How happy are you with yourself really? Honesty leads to freedom
How happy are you? How happy are you really and truly? Be gut honest with yourself, because that is the only person that this matters for. Spirtuality is you getting gut honest with yourself....

By: Blissful Flow

See original here:

How happy are you with yourself really? Honesty leads to freedom - Video

How to quit your job, get rich and find financial freedom with Real Estate Investing – Video

Posted on by


How to quit your job, get rich and find financial freedom with Real Estate Investing
SIGN UP FOR THIS FREE TV SHOW AT http://www.addicted2realestate.com SIGN UP FOR MY FREE MEETINGS AT http://www.meetup.com/Addicted2RealEstate/ http://www.addicted2realestate.com ...

By: Phil Falcone

Continue reading here:

How to quit your job, get rich and find financial freedom with Real Estate Investing - Video

USA Freedom Act fails to clear Senate, CIA and NSA surveillance continues unfettered

Posted on by

WASHINGTON, Nov. 19 (UPI) -- The USA Freedom Act, an attempt to reform and curtail government surveillance, failed to reach the 60 vote threshold necessary to pass the Senate, effectively killing the proposed legislation for the current session.

The Senate voted 58-42 to bring the USA Freedom Act to the floor, two shy of the required 60 votes.

"I am disappointed by tonight's vote, but I am not new to this fight," Vermont Senator and co-sponsor Pat Leahy wrote in a statement.

"Tonight, Senate Republicans have failed to answer the call of the American people who elected them, and all of us, to stand up and to work across the aisle. Once again, they reverted to scare tactics rather than to working productively to protect Americans' basic privacy rights and our national security."

Opponents of USA Freedom Act felt it undermined U.S. national security amidst global volatility.

"Proponents say this change is necessary to allay fears that the NSA could use telephone metadata to construct an electronic portrait of an American citizen's communications, and determine whether that person has, say, consulted a psychiatrist, or called someone elses' spouse," wrote former head of the CIA and NSA Michael Hayden in a Wall Street Journal op-ed co-penned by Bush administration Attorney General Michael Mukasey.

"However, only 22 people at the NSA are permitted access to metadata, and only upon a showing of relevance to a national-security investigation, and they are barred from any data-mining whatsoever even in connection with such an investigation. They are overseen by a Madisonian trifecta of the FISA court, the executive and committees of Congress. Those people and everyone else at the NSA live in constant dread of failing to detect a terrorist attack. Nonetheless, the sponsors of the USA Freedom Act prefer the counsel of hypothetical fears to the logic of concrete realities."

2014 United Press International, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Any reproduction, republication, redistribution and/or modification of any UPI content is expressly prohibited without UPI's prior written consent.

Originally posted here:

USA Freedom Act fails to clear Senate, CIA and NSA surveillance continues unfettered

Freedom Foods signs dairy deal with Chinas New Hope Group

Posted on by

Freedom Foods signs dairy deal with Chinas New Hope Group

Australian food manufacturer Freedom Foods and its major shareholder the Perich Group have announced the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding with Chinas agricultural industry giant the New Hope Group.

The Memorandum was signed during the official ceremonies in Canberra while Chinas President Xi Jinping and Australias Prime Minister Tony Abbott signed the China-Australia Free Trade Agreement. This visit also coincided with a meeting of the Australia Sino Agriculture 100 meeting, which was attended by New Hope Chairman, Mr Liu.

We are pleased to announce the formal signing of a Memorandum of Understanding between New Hope Group, Perich Group and Freedom Foods Group, said Rory Macleod, Managing Director of Freedom Foods Group.

Under the Memorandum of Understanding, the parties will co-operate to develop and implement growth in long-term dairy milk supply through establishment of new large scale intensive dairy farms in South East Australia for supply to Freedom Foods Groups UHT operations and other potential processing operations in Australia including fresh milk.

Australia has a unique advantage in the supply and manufacture of high quality premium agriculture based foods, Mr Macleod said. With increasing demand from markets in China and South East Asia for high quality value added product, Australia through companies such as Freedom Foods Group and Perich Group are well placed to play an important role in the development of this supply chain, he said.

Mr Macleod said these supply arrangements would compliment sourcing from existing dairy farm supply to ensure the ability to meet long term supply requirements.

He said the arrangements envisaged will provide a unique collaborative business model to develop large scale dairy farms under Australian management and ownership. New Hope Group will be a core investor and partner in the operations, while continuing to market and distribute value added dairy products into China through New Hope Dairy.

New Hope Group investment fund to develop Australian activities

New Hope Group has established an investment fund of up to $500 million to be utilised in the development of agricultural and food processing activities in Australia, with a substantial proportion to be invested in dairy farm and processing activities in the longer term.

Read the original post:

Freedom Foods signs dairy deal with Chinas New Hope Group

More concerns over freedom camping

Posted on by

Extending a freedom camping trial to Dunedin's Bayfield Park might just spread the mess around, it has been claimed.

The concern was raised by a member of the public opposed to the Dunedin City Council's proposal to open up part of the Bayfield Park car park, in Andersons Bay, to freedom campers.

The proposal would see five spaces made available for use by freedom campers in vehicles without self-contained toilets.

The change would be part of an ongoing trial of more relaxed restrictions on freedom camping in the city, but was also designed to help ease the pressure on facilities at Macandrew Bay after public concern.

The council's proposal to open up Bayfield Park's facilities to freedom campers drew just two submissions, both opposed, during a month-long consultation process which ended on Monday.

One of the submitters, Wayne Allen, worried the area was not suitable and would encourage campers to use the nearby playground, bushes and even the inlet itself as their toilet.

Instead, they should be encouraged to use the city's existing commercial camping grounds, the nearest of which was just 2km from Bayfield Park, he said.

Council reserves and recreation planning team leader Richard Saunders said the submitters' concerns about freedom camping and the impact on the site would ''need to be considered'' before a decision was made.

It was not yet known if a public hearing would be needed, given the small number of submissions, he said.

''The process for deciding the issue has yet to be considered by the council, so we are unable to give a time frame at this stage for when, if approved, the site would be up and running.''

Continued here:

More concerns over freedom camping

Heating chaos hits Derwenthorpe eco homes

Posted on by

RESIDENTS at a flagship York housing development are angry after again losing their heating supplies - while also facing a hike in their heating bills.

Householders at Derwenthorpe have complained that the eco-friendly centralised system, which uses a biomass boiler to deliver heating and hot water to their homes, has continued to break down as winter draws in.

One resident contacted The Press to say the Joseph Rowntree Housing Trust's 'dream' development was becoming a 'nightmare,' with some residents having experienced two weeks without heating and hot water.

She said: "The Eco system breaks down on average once every three months, and yet homeowners have been asked to increase their payments; in some cases this payment represents over 100 per cent more than the original bill."

Residents also vented their anger on Derwenthorpe's Facebook page. One called for a public meeting at which it could be explained why the system was so susceptible to continuous faults.

Another posted: "This situation is now beyond a joke and no longer laughable, as this has happened over approx 50 times now."

John Hocking, executive director at the Trust, said an engineer from system operators Dalkia had attended within 90 minutes of a fault being reported on a Sunday and, when he left the site, the system was operational.

"Further reports of no hot water were received the following day and a Dalkia engineer attended site at 8am," he said. "The nature of this fault, within the control system, meant that significant diagnostic works were required to identify the fault, and engineers worked throughout the day to resolve the problem, which was done by 4pm."

He said that as part of a continual review of the scheme, the required level of standing charge to be charged to customers had been assessed in order to guarantee low carbon, low cost energy in the long term.

"We have written to residents to inform them of the contribution they are required to make through a standing charge that will be charged at 350 a year, and covers all maintenance, repair and replacement of plant and equipment."

View original post here:

Heating chaos hits Derwenthorpe eco homes