Early Investment in Franchise Concepts: OneClick Cleaners Launches California

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June 30, 2013 --

Brooklyn, New York (PRWEB) June 30, 2013

OneClick Cleaners has just entered into a territory development agreement for California adding to a number of states being serviced by Master Franchisees in the United States. The addition of this Master Franchisee, adds to the list of states already launched, including: Florida, Colorado, Washington, Idaho, Oregon and New Mexico. OneClick Cleaners is focused on developing the franchise through Master Franchisees, as this a proven franchise method for both growth and successful franchise units.

Looking over the best brands and concepts over the past 20 years, for the average business investor of $50,000 to $250,000, the strongest options come from the concept of becoming a Master Franchisee (also known as Territory Developer). The basic structure of a Master is to acquire a larger territory for development, where one would recruit, train, and develop the standard franchisee base. In exchange for this work, the Master will typically earn commissions and long-term residual income in the form of royalties.

Our franchise concept enhances the leading factors that capture uniqueness in our market that has lead to rapid growth strong branding, proven business model, industry differentiators and edge over competitors and innovations, said CEO Joseph Albert of OneClick Cleaners. The dry cleaning industry has been successful for many years; we just applied our model and unique twist. We are growing rapidly because of it.

Imagine the initial territory developers for concepts like Five Guys, Jimmy Johns, Serv-Pro, Val-Pak, or SportClips? These are all brands that have grown substantially and provide unique aspects that help them stand out and gain market share. One of the major benefits of becoming a Master Franchisee is the access to growing a brand concept in an area that you control and personally develop with the support and guidance of a franchisor home office.

So what about OneClick Cleaners? Throughout the globe, one of the cornerstones of any region are the service category businesses, such as hair salons, house & business cleaning, auto repair, lawn care, massage, etc. all providing core services that people use. Dry cleaning is no different. Pull into any small shopping center in America and you are likely to see a traditional cleaner hard at work providing garment care to his community. In some cases, you will find multiple cleaners within a one or two block radius. Do you ever wonder why? It is simple this is a core service that every walk of life needs whether it is a simple shirt service, cleaning a suit, or caring for household items like comforters and drapes.

Becoming a traditional dry cleaner will require a fairly substantial investment. Developing a store with equipment takes time and money plus the expense of a high lease, labor, and materials. A typical dry cleaner customer will spend about $25 on average, per visit. The margins in a dry cleaning business are quite good comparatively, mainly because the staffing and materials expenses are very low compared to other businesses.

The OneClick Cleaners concept is much different this business concept focuses on leaner operational costs and outsourcing the expensive portions (dry cleaning labor, lease costs, and equipment) allowing the business owner to concentrate on growing the customer base. Another differentiator is the online presence that OneClick Cleaners has developed; innovating a 100% online approach to business development and management including a cashless business for the franchisees to operate. Customers enroll online and manage their account and payments in the cloud. As for regular (no-master) franchisees, they will typically invest less than $50,000 all-in (the franchise fee, operating capital and a vehicle,) operating the unit as an owner/operator and maximizing margins, which are typically 50% or higher.

A typical Master territory will be a large metro area, partial or full state, or collection of states and require a higher investment (varies by territory size). Plans are in development to expand to other countries as well. As a Master Franchisee, OneClick Cleaners investors will concentrate on developing a territory with franchisees, earning money in three ways:

• ????Commissions on franchise fees (50%)
• ????Monthly ongoing royalties payment
• ????Owning and operating their own unit(s)

More information can be discovered on the OneClick Cleaners company website or by visiting Entrepreneur.com.

OneClick Cleaners Quick Stats:
-Total Franchises: 19
-2012 Sales: 5
-2013 Sales: 14
-Master Franchisees: Florida, Colorado, Washington, Idaho, Oregon, New Mexico, California
-In-house financing available for franchisees
-Training: Held in New York
-Support Center: New York
-Home Office: New York

Read the full story at http://www.prweb.com/releases/oneclickcleaners/franchise/prweb10886918.htm.

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Source:PRWEB.COM Newswire. All Rights Reserved

Source: http://www.consumerelectronicsnet.com/articles/viewarticle.jsp?id=2683109

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Cancer risks double when two carcinogens present at 'safe' levels, epigenetics study finds

June 28, 2013 ? Science knows that arsenic and estrogen can cause cancer. At certain very low levels, the chemicals offer little to no threats to human health.

However, new research conducted by Texas Tech University scientists has found that low doses of both chemicals together -- even at levels low enough to be considered "safe" for humans if they were on their own -- can cause cancer in prostate cells.

The combination of the two chemicals was almost twice as likely to create cancer in prostate cells, the research found. The study published online in the peer-reviewed journal The Prostate.

Kamaleshwar Singh, an assistant professor at The Institute of Environmental and Human Health (TIEHH) at Texas Tech said the findings could have an impact on health regulations regarding the "safe" doses of these chemicals and others. Most regulations are set by testing one chemical at a time on cells. Very few if any have looked at multiple chemicals at the same time.

"The majority of cancers are caused by environmental influences," Singh said. "Only about 5 to 10 percent of cancers are due to genetic predisposition. Science has looked at these chemicals, such as arsenic, and tested them in a lab to find the amounts that may cause cancer. But that's just a single chemical in a single test. In the real world, we are getting exposed to many chemicals at once."

Singh said he became interested in studying two chemicals at once after looking at arsenic's carcinogenic properties in a previous paper.

Because cigarette smoke and well water in some areas, including India, Mexico and even Lubbock county, can contain arsenic, Singh and his doctoral student, Justin Treas, wondered how the carcinogenic properties might change when paired with the presence of another carcinogenic chemical.

The two focused on estrogen because of the chemical's abundance. Many plastics, such as food can liners and bisphenol A (BPA), release small amounts of chemicals that mimic estrogen in the body.

"Co-exposure was creating a greater impact," Singh said. "That was one of the important findings of our study. The next thing we wanted to know is how these two chemicals are creating a greater effect."

Unlike stronger chemicals that do major damage to the DNA in a cell, such as benzene, arsenic and estrogen aren't major mutagens Singh said. Instead, their presence tends to stop certain genes from expressing. The process is called DNA hypermethylation.

In the experiment, human prostate cells were treated about once a week for six months with arsenic, estrogen and a combination of the two. Many of the tests involved levels of arsenic, estrogen or both at levels considered safe by the Environmental Protection Agency.

Treas said the two chemicals stopped the MLH1 gene, which is responsible for sending the signal to start the self-destruct sequence when a cell is damaged. Because the self-destruct couldn't activate, the cells became cancerous after exposure.

"With the lower dose not killing the cell, it's causing damages that go under the cell's radar," Treas said. "We found when you have two compounds together, lower doses could be more serious problem."

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/top_news/~3/4KxfKkjkKvo/130628130713.htm

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Transportation Safety Board of Canada will deploy a team of investigators to a fatal air accident near Pemberton, British Columbia

RICHMOND, BC, June 29, 2013 /CNW/ - The Transportation Safety Board of Canada (TSB) will deploy a team of investigators?to a fatal accident near Pemberton, British Columbia, where a Cessna and a glider collided. The TSB will be launching an investigation.

The TSB is an independent agency that advances transportation safety by investigating occurrences in the marine, pipeline, rail and air modes of transportation. It is not the function of the Board to assign fault or determine civil or criminal liability.

SOURCE: Transportation Safety Board of Canada

For further information:

Transportation Safety Board of Canada
Media Relations
819-994-8053

The TSB is online at?www.bst-tsb.gc.ca. Keep up to date on the latest from the TSB through?RSS,?Twitter @TSBCanada,?YouTube and?Flickr

Source: http://www.newswire.ca/en/story/1192615/transportation-safety-board-of-canada-will-deploy-a-team-of-investigators-to-a-fatal-air-accident-near-pemberton-british-columbia

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Markets drift as half-year comes to an end

LONDON (AP) ? Stocks drifted lower as the half-year came to an uninspiring climax Friday following a month of volatility that pushed many of the world's major stock indexes down from multi-year and record highs.

The coincidence of the end to the month, quarter and half year often prompts some volatility in trading, as investors try to make their portfolios look better for financial reports.

In Europe, the FTSE 100 index of leading British shares was down 0.45 percent at 6,215 while Germany's DAX fell 0.38 percent to 7,959. The CAC-40 in France was 0.62 percent lower at 3,738.

In midday trading in the U.S., the Dow Jones industrial average was down 0.4 percent at 14,962 while the broader S&P 500 index fell 0.26 percent to 1,609.

Friday's performance stood in marked contrast with much of what has taken place this week. The prevailing market mood has been calm, certainly compared with much of the last month ? the Dow for example has had 15 triple digit days in June alone.

The calmer backdrop has been due to a number of factors, including solid U.S. economic data and a seeming attempt by the U.S. Federal Reserve to ease investor concerns over the pace of any reduction in its monetary stimulus ? Fed officials appear to be trying to calm investor jitters over an upcoming reduction in the financial assets the central bank buys every month to help the economy. The so-called tapering of the purchases raised fears because the stimulus has been one of the drivers for stocks over recent years.

Given that there is continued uncertainty over the future of U.S. monetary policy, few in the markets think the recent calmer backdrop means the end to the volatility.

"The gains seen over the last few days have been more about traders seeking bargains rather than genuine optimism," said Max Cohen, a trader at Spreadex.

Earlier in Asia, investors were cheered by upbeat Japanese economic news ? industrial production rose 2 percent in May while, perhaps more importantly, the consumer price index stopped falling for the first time in seven months. That's important as the Bank of Japan is engaged on a massive monetary stimulus to get prices rising again after a near two-decade period of deflation.

The news gave Japan's main stock index, the Nikkei 225 index, a big lift as it finished 3.5 percent higher at 13,677.32.

The Nikkei's gains fed through across Asia. Hong Kong's Hang Seng advanced 1.8 percent to 20,803.29 while mainland Chinese shares also rose as fears eased of a credit crunch in China. The Shanghai Composite Index gained 1.5 percent to 1,979.21, while the smaller Shenzhen Composite Index edged up less than 0.1 percent to 887.68.

The central bank had allowed rates that banks pay to borrow from each other to soar last week, part of an attempt to clamp down on massive credit in the informal lending industry. Later, however, Chinese policymakers softened their stance with the promise to provide "liquidity support" if needed.

In currency markets, the dollar has been making further gains against the yen, trading up 0.97 percent at 99.29 yen on Friday. The euro was slightly down, 0.24 percent, at $1.3002.

Oil prices were steady too with the benchmark rate up 5 cents at $97.10 a barrel.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/markets-drift-half-comes-end-143200482.html

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Emily Bazelon Assures Stephen Colbert His Marriage Is Safe

Struggling to understand what the Supreme Court?s gay-marriage decisions mean, Stephen Colbert interviewed Emily Bazelon on Wednesday night's show. Watch her answer to the foremost question on Colbert?s mind: ?Is there any way we?re ever going to get the gay toothpaste back in the tube??

Source: http://www.slate.com/articles/news_and_politics/jurisprudence/2013/06/emily_bazelon_on_colbert_report_video_of_bazelon_explaining_doma_and_prop.html

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Imagination can change what we hear and see

June 27, 2013 ? A study from Karolinska Institutet in Sweden shows, that our imagination may affect how we experience the world more than we perhaps think. What we imagine hearing or seeing "in our head" can change our actual perception. The study, which is published in the scientific journal Current Biology, sheds new light on a classic question in psychology and neuroscience -- about how our brains combine information from the different senses.

"We often think about the things we imagine and the things we perceive as being clearly dissociable," says Christopher Berger, doctoral student at the Department of Neuroscience and lead author of the study. "However, what this study shows is that our imagination of a sound or a shape changes how we perceive the world around us in the same way actually hearing that sound or seeing that shape does. Specifically, we found that what we imagine hearing can change what we actually see, and what we imagine seeing can change what we actually hear."

The study consists of a series of experiments that make use of illusions in which sensory information from one sense changes or distorts one's perception of another sense. Ninety-six healthy volunteers participated in total.

In the first experiment, participants experienced the illusion that two passing objects collided rather than passed by one-another when they imagined a sound at the moment the two objects met. In a second experiment, the participants' spatial perception of a sound was biased towards a location where they imagined seeing the brief appearance of a white circle. In the third experiment, the participants' perception of what a person was saying was changed by their imagination of a particular sound.

According to the scientists, the results of the current study may be useful in understanding the mechanisms by which the brain fails to distinguish between thought and reality in certain psychiatric disorders such as schizophrenia. Another area of use could be research on brain computer interfaces, where paralyzed individuals' imagination is used to control virtual and artificial devices.

"This is the first set of experiments to definitively establish that the sensory signals generated by one's imagination are strong enough to change one's real-world perception of a different sensory modality" says Professor Henrik Ehrsson, the principle investigator behind the study.

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The above story is reprinted from materials provided by Karolinska Institutet.

Note: Materials may be edited for content and length. For further information, please contact the source cited above.

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Journal Reference:

1. Christopher?C. Berger, H.?Henrik Ehrsson. Mental Imagery Changes Multisensory Perception. Current Biology, 2013; DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2013.06.012

Note: If no author is given, the source is cited instead.

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/living_well/~3/SDPHCPJBUGM/130627125156.htm

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Fears of unrest in Egypt as mass protests pit neighbor against neighbor

As Egypt approaches a weekend of confrontation, the divide between those who love and those who despise President Mohammed Morsi and his pro-Islamist government is wider than ever. NBC's Charlene Gubash reports.

By Charlene Gubash and Alastair Jamieson, NBC News

CAIRO --?Egypt is bracing for mass nationwide protests this weekend amid deepening divisions that have set neighbor against neighbor and raised fears of unrest.

Organizers of ?June 30? demonstrations -- which mark one year since Islamist President Mohammed Morsi's election -- claim they have the backing of an estimated 15 million Egyptians who want him to resign.

?Only God knows what will happen [on Sunday],? said Gamal Abdul Aziz, a pro-Morsi car mechanic in Madba?a, a blue-collar district in Cairo.

Building on discontent about a range of social and economic issues, Morsi?s opponents hope to force early presidential elections.?His supporters, meanwhile, have promised they will also take to the streets to defend the Muslim Brotherhood-backed government on Friday ahead of opposition protest.

In an example of just how polarized the debate over Egypt?s future has become, Aziz and his family became embroiled in a shouting match with a nearby resident, anti-Morsi computer science student Mohamed Abdul Munim, 23, while being interviewed this week.

The argument, which took place after NBC News filmed a political discussion between the two, ended when Munim stormed off.

NBC News

Gamal Abdul Aziz, left, a pro-Morsi car mechanic, argues with anti-Morsi computer science student Mohamed Abdul Munim, right, while being interviewed this week.

The dispute and recent violence -- one man was shot dead and four wounded in an attack on a Muslim Brotherhood office on Thursday --?was an ill omen for Sunday?s marches that will be held a year to the day after Morsi became?Egypt's first freely elected leader.?The country's powerful army, which helped protesters topple Hosni Mubarak's?authoritarian regime in 2011, has?reinforced its presence in cities like Cairo and Port Said.

Egypt's leading religious authority warned Friday that the country could "slide into civil war."

Munim said he believed ?most? of Egypt?s registered 50 million voters will be out on the streets, supporting one side or the other.

?We are sure that we will go out and get beaten up by the [Muslim] Brotherhood [but] we are going out despite this," he said. ?There is no security, there is economic collapse, the electricity cuts off and everybody is suffering. They will say Morsi is not at fault, but electricity didn?t cut off when the military governed.?

Aziz, meanwhile, said his life had improved under Morsi, and accused the mostly-secular opposition of ?waging a war against Islam.?

?Can you build a house in a day? No, it takes time. What can a president do in one year when a country is in ruins? The old [Mubarak] regime stole the country and left it destroyed.?

Amr Nabil / AP

Egyptian drivers wait outside in long lines at a gasoline station in Cairo on Tuesday.

In a sign of the nervousness many felt, Egyptians were stocking up on food, fuel, water and cash in the days leading up the protests.

Morsi?s supporters claim the demonstration? organized by an opposition umbrella group named "Tamarod," meaning "Rebel"?? is setting the stage for a repeat of the 2011 Arab Spring revolution.

Mahmoud Badr, a 28-year-old journalist and founder of the Tamarod movement, dismissed televised speech by Morsi on Wednesday night in which the president appealed for calm.

"Our demand was early presidential elections and since that was not addressed anywhere in the speech then our response will be on the streets on [Sunday]," he told the English-language Egypt Independent news site.?

The U.S.?Embassy announced Tuesday it would be closing its doors for the day of the demonstrations, but added that ?potentially violent protest activity may occur before June 30,? and urged U.S. citizens to ?maintain a low profile? from Friday onwards.

Underscoring fears of violence, defenders of Morsi on Tuesday revealed plans to form vigilante groups to protect public buildings from opposition demonstrations, the Egypt Independent reported, quoting Safwat Abdel Ghany, a member of Islamic umbrella organization Jama'a al-Islamiya.?

The Daily Show's Jon Stewart took his satire to Cairo Friday, appearing on a show hosted by the man known as "Egypt's Jon Stewart" and who has faced investigation for insulting the country's president and Islam. "If your regime is not strong enough to handle a joke then you don't have a regime," said Stewart. TODAY's Jenna Wolfe reports.

?If chaos sweeps across the country, Islamist groups will secure state institutions and vital facilities against robbery by thugs and advocates of violence," he was quoted as saying.

Members of Tamarod were so confident that they?would force Morsi from power that the organization set out a constitutional ?road map? that it said would take Egypt forward without a president until new elections.

Eric Trager, fellow at the Washington Institute think tank, said this week that battle lines were drawn between ?an enraged opposition? and ?an utterly incapable, confrontational ruling party that now counts some of Egypt's most violent political elements as its core supporters.?

?Rising food prices, hours-long fuel lines, and multiple-times-daily electricity cuts -- all worsening amidst a typically scorching Egyptian summer -- have set many Egyptians on edge, with clashes between Brotherhood and anti-Brotherhood activists now a common feature of Egyptian political life," he said.

?Whatever happens on [Sunday], it can't end well,? he added.

Related:

This story was originally published on Fri Jun 28, 2013 5:30 AM EDT

Source: http://feeds.nbcnews.com/c/35002/f/663309/s/2deab03e/l/0Lworldnews0Bnbcnews0N0C0Inews0C20A130C0A60C280C191691570Efears0Eof0Eunrest0Ein0Eegypt0Eas0Emass0Eprotests0Epit0Eneighbor0Eagainst0Eneighbor0Dlite/story01.htm

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Instagram for BlackBerry, Windows Phone not coming ?anytime soon?

Well, the hits just keep on coming. Grease being Paula Deen has not just been dropped from her ham company in the wake of her racist remark scandal. She's also been dumped by Walmart, and now Home Depot, and diabeetus drug company Novo Nordisk. All because she admitted to saying and doing some racist things years ago in a deposition. ...

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/instagram-blackberry-windows-phone-not-coming-anytime-soon-212554517.html

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Marathon speech helps Democrats block Texas abortion bill (reuters)

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DOMA, Voting Rights, And The Bigot?s Last Gasp (OliverWillisLikeKryptoniteToStupid)

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Realistic robot carp created: First robot fish with autonomous 3-D movement in Asia

June 26, 2013 ? A team of researchers from the National University of Singapore's (NUS) Department of Electrical & Computer Engineering has developed a robot fish that mimics the movements of a carp. This robot which is essentially an autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) is ready for applications, as it can be programmed to perform specific functions, for example, for underwater archaeology such as exploring nooks and corners of wreckage -- or sunken city which are difficult for divers or traditional AUVs to access. Other applications include military activities, pipeline leakage detection, and the laying of communication cable.

The team comprises Professor Xu Jianxin, Mr Fan Lupeng, graduating Electrical Engineering student and Research Fellow, Dr Ren Qinyuan. Mr Fan worked on the project for his final year which won the High Achievement Award at the Faculty's 27th Innovation and Research Award. It will also be featured at the IEEE/RSJ International Conference on Intelligent Robots and Systems, a top international conference on intelligent robots, in Tokyo on 3-7 November 2013.

Said Prof Xu, "Currently, robot fish capable of 2-D movements are common, meaning that these models are not able to dive into the water. Our model is capable of 3-D movements as it can dive and float, using its fins like a real fish. Compared to traditional AUVs, they are certainly more mobile, with greater manoeuvrability. If used for military purpose, fish robots would definitely be more difficult to detect by the enemy."

Fish robots are also quieter and consume less energy, compared to traditional AUVs. Said Mr Fan who studied the movements of real life carps for three months, in order to develop their robot, "We chose to study carps because most fish swim like them. There is no literature at all on designing a mathematical model on the locomotion of fish and so we had to start from scratch. We used a camera to capture all the possible movements of a carp and then converted the data mathematically so that we could transfer the locomotion of real carp to our robot using different actuators."

This has been most challenging as fish use a lot of different muscles to move, and many actuators are required to enable the robot to move in the same manner.

Added Dr Ren, "Some fish can achieve almost 180 degree turning in a small turning radius through bending their body while traditional underwater vehicles have a much larger turning radius. Hence it is quite a feat for us to achieve this movement in our robot fish."

Other challenges included waterproofing the fish body, the motor and the control box. The fins and tails also need to be flexible and the team decided to use very fine (1mm) acrylic board for these. Buoyancy and balance for the robot is maintained by using plastic foams attached to both sides. For the diving mechanism, their robot fish is equipped with an internal ballast system to change density. The system is sophisticated enough to enable the fish to dive suddenly, as well as to the precise depth intended.

The team has constructed two fish robots. The larger prototype is about one and half metres in length, weighing about 10kg and it can dive to a depth of 1.8 metres. The smaller robot is about 60 centimetres long and weighs a mere 1.5kg. It is developed for investigation on 2D motion control and motion planning in a small place, and it can only swim at water surface.

"To my knowledge, the world's smallest fish robot is one about 12.7 centimetres (5 inches) in length. It was designed by MIT for specific military purpose and could go to a depth of 1.5 metres," said Dr Ren.

Moving forward

Underwater vehicles have long gone past the days of the submarines, said Mr Fan. Fish robots, besides being a micro submarine, can also be fully autonomous and can be programmed to perform many difficult and dangerous tasks.

The team hopes to make their robot fish even smaller and more realistic. Said Mr Fan, "We intend to equip it with more sensors like GPS and video camera to improve autonomous 3-D movement. We also intend to test out our fish with more challenging tasks such as object detection."

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/top_news/top_science/~3/Hexvc4gQL0o/130626113027.htm

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Page Not Found - Yahoo!

Please check the URL for proper spelling and capitalization. If you're having trouble locating a destination on Yahoo!, try visiting the Yahoo! homepage or look through a list of Yahoo!'s online services.

Please try Yahoo Help Central if you need more assistance.

Source: http://rss.news.yahoo.com/rss/techblog

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Paying by Phone ? Conveniences and Cautions

It seems like every time I get to the register of a chain store, they offer me a new way to pay with my phone. But these new modes of paying have serious pros and cons ? and there may be compelling reasons not to dive into mobile payments just yet, despite their growth.

Mobile Payments Predicted To Go Up 44% in 2013
Research firm Gartner says over $235 million in payments will be made with mobile devices this year. In retail outlets, those pay-by-phone options break down into three main categories: brand specific apps (like the Starbucks app), payment apps (like PayPal or Square Wallet), and NFC ? Near Field Communications (special phones linked to a Google Wallet or Isis account).

NFC ? Near Field Communication
Let?s start with NFC since it?s gotten all the hot press. This technology is built into certain devices, predominantly Android and Blackberry phones. You link the phone either to a Google Wallet account (tied to your bank or credit card), to an NFC credit card account (like Mastercard PayPass), or to an Isis account (tied to your mobile phone billing), then tap a terminal at the checkout to pay. But these tap-and-go contact-less payments will account for only 2% of all mobile payments in 2013 according to Gartner. Stores with NFC terminals are limited, and only a handful of phones have NFC technology built in (and the iPhone is NOT one of those).

Probably the biggest issue is that NFC is a solution in search of a problem: how difficult is it to swipe a credit card? More explicitly, what does NFC payment do for the consumer?s convenience that swiping a credit card can?t? If NFC terminals were everywhere, maybe it would facilitate leaving home without cash or a credit card, but until then, the technology faces significant inertia, and I wouldn?t buy one phone over another just because it has NFC baked in.

Brand-Specific Apps
Many chains have their own apps that let you input your credit card info and ?load? money on the app for in-store payments. By combining the payment functionality with apps that track purchases and reward loyalty, ?regulars? get a significant convenience and can even frequent their favorite joint without a wallet. Do you go for a run every morning and grab a coffee when you finish? Hello Starbucks app on your phone! uyl_WaysToPay_still_embed

Pre-order/Pre-pay
I particularly like the order ahead and pay by mobile functionality that chains like California Pizza Kitchen App have brought to market. This makes the take-out pizza experience incredibly easy. Order and pay by app, walk in, tell them your name, get your food and walk out in under three minutes. The app even remembers your previous orders so you can replicate them with one click ? genius. Jamba Juice is said to be testing pre-order and pre-pay for their app, and when this is a feature is replicated by more chains, it will bring many loyal customers into the mobile payment world.

Wallet Apps
Paypal and Square wallet are the two biggest players in app-based mobile payments. Stores that offer payment by app either let you key in your mobile phone number and a pin or use location data captured by your phone, in which case the phone will generate a QR code to be scanned at the register. Again, stores need special equipment and merchant accounts. Plus, the major benefits of using Paypal or Square are still limited to people who don?t have a bank account or credit cards and prefer a mobile option.

Money Transfers
While in-store mobile purchases are growing, 71% of all mobile payments are money transfers ? and most often, person-to-person transfers. The clear winner here is Paypal, which lets you email or even text money to anyone?s phone or email address. The recipient needs to have a Paypal account (or sign up for one) but so long as it?s not a business payment, just between individuals, there are no fees.

These types of transfers are ideal for repaying a friend, or sending money to a family member who needs the cash immediately. Some services don?t even need a bank account to work ? good news for the 8% of US households that don?t have bank accounts. Customers can use cash to purchase a PayPal card or Money Pak card in retail outlets, and then use the pin numbers on those cards to deposit money into the Paypal mobile account (but beware: prepaid card purchases can have fees associated).

Text Money From your Online Banking App
Banks like Wells Fargo and Chase now allow you to send money to individuals directly from their phone app. There?s also a brand new mobile phone-based bank called GoBank that, among many other innovative features, lets you send money directly to a friend from your GoBank account.

Send Money via Gmail
Google is also entering the mobile transfer space; they are trying out a product that lets you send money through Gmail, almost like an attachment. Google said in a statement this is only available to users over 18. It?s slowly being rolled out to users in the U.S., and we assume later, internationally.

Person-to-Person Credit Card Payments
PayPal and Square both offer credit card readers that plug into a smart phone and allow anyone to swipe a credit card and accept payment. If you have an account, the readers are free. They make great sense for small business owners, fundraising events, or even collecting money around the office for a baby gift. But the big gotcha here is the roughly 3% that the services charge you to accept money via credit card.

Security
The weakest link in the mobile payment security chain is not the wireless transmission of your data via NFC or the scanning of QR codes from a store?s app. The technology is not the problem; it?s what that technology enables: more corporations may have your credit card and billing info on their servers (hello hacking target). And an even bigger vulnerability: if your phone is stolen, thieves have access to a treasure trove of accounts and payment methods. If you plan to pay with your phone, you?d better have security software enabled, like Lookout for Android or Find My iPhone ? both of which allow you to erase your phone remotely as soon as it?s stolen.

[Related: How To Lock Down Your Cell Phone If It?s Stolen]

Bottom Line: Mobile payments make sense if you don?t have a bank account or credit card, if you frequent a chain that offers mobile payments and reward features, or if you want to transfer money to friends and family in a secure and convenient way. But be sure you know the fees associated with these payments and can remotely erase your phone if it?s stolen.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/upgrade-your-life/paying-phone-conveniences-cautions-141559523.html

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Brazil leader to break silence about protests

BRASILIA, Brazil (AP) ? More than a week of massive, violent protests across Brazil invited only stoic silence Friday from President Dilma Rousseff, even after she had called an emergency meeting with a top Cabinet member in response to the growing unrest.

Only on Friday night did the government confirm that Rousseff would address the nation a few hours later, but through a prerecorded message. She was expected to meet in the evening with top bishops from the Roman Catholic Church about the protests' effects on a papal visit still scheduled for next month in Rio and Sao Paulo state.

Trying to decipher the president's reaction to the unrest has become a national guessing game, especially after some 1 million anti-government demonstrators took to the streets the night before across the country to denounce everything from poor public services to the billions of dollars spent preparing for next year's World Cup soccer tournament and the 2016 Olympics in Brazil.

The protests continued Friday, as about 1,000 people marched in western Rio de Janeiro city, with some looting stores and invading an enormous $250 million arts center that remains empty after several years of construction. Police tried to disperse the crowd with tear gas as they were pelted with rocks. Police said some in the crowd were armed and firing at officers.

Local radio was also reporting that protesters were heading to the apartment of Rio state Gov. Sergio Cabral in the posh Rio neighborhood of Ipanema.

Other protests broke out in the country's biggest city, Sao Paulo, and in Fortaleza in the country's northeast. Demonstrators were calling for more mobilizations in 10 cities on Saturday.

The National Conference of Brazilian Bishops came out in favor of the protests, saying that it maintains "solidarity and support for the demonstrations, as long as they remain peaceful."

"This is a phenomenon involving the Brazilian people and the awakening of a new consciousness," church leaders said in the statement. "The protests show all of us that we cannot live in a country with so much inequality."

Rousseff, a former Marxist rebel who fought against Brazil's 1964-85 military regime, had never held elected office before she became president in 2011 and remains clearly uncomfortable in the spotlight.

She's the political protege of former President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, a charismatic ex-union leader whose tremendous popularity helped usher his former chief of staff to the country's top office. A career technocrat and trained economist, Rousseff's tough managerial style under Lula earned her the moniker "the Iron Lady," a name she has said she detests.

While Rousseff has stayed away from the public eye, Roberto Jaguaribe, the nation's ambassador to Britain, told news channel CNN Friday the government was first trying to contain the protests.

He labeled as "very delicate" the myriad demands emanating from protesters in the streets.

"One of our ministers who's dealing with these issues of civil society said that it would be presumptuous on our part to think we know what's taking place," Jaguaribe said. "This is a very dynamic process. We're trying to figure out what's going on because who do we speak to, who are the leaders of the process?"

Marlise Matos, a political science professor at the Federal University of Minas Gerais, said that answer wasn't good enough.

"The government has to respond, even if the agenda seems unclear and wide open," she said. "It should be the president herself who should come out and provide a response. But I think the government is still making strategic calculations to decide how to respond. What I'd like to see as a response is a call for a referendum on political reform. Let the people decide what kind of political and electoral system we have."

Brazil watchers outside the country were also puzzled by the government's silence, although Peter Hakim, president emeritus at the U.S.-based Inter-American Dialogue think-tank, said he appreciated the complicated political picture, especially with protests flaring in areas where the president is unpopular.

"It's unusual that there has not been a major speech by Dilma, in which she could say that Brazil has come a long way but admit it's got a long way to go," Hakim said. "This is a puzzle in the midst of a huge labyrinth maze and she can't figure out the best direction to take."

Carlos Cardozo, a 62-year-old financial consultant who joined Friday's protest in Rio, said he thought the unrest could cost Rousseff next year's elections. Even as recently as last week, Rousseff had enjoyed a 74 percent approval rating in a poll by the business group the National Transport Confederation.

"Her paying lip service by saying she's in favor of the protests is not helping her cause," Cardozo said. "People want to see real action, real decisions, and it's not this government that's capable of delivering."

Social media and mass emails were buzzing with calls for a general strike next week. However, Brazil's two largest nationwide unions, the Central Workers Union and the Union Force, said they knew nothing about such an action, though they do support the protests.

A Thursday night march in Sao Paulo was the first with a strong union presence, as a drum corps led members wearing matching shirts down the city's main avenue. Many protesters have called for a movement with no ties to political parties or unions, which are widely considered corrupt here.

In the absence of such groups, the protests have largely lacked organization or even concrete demands, making a coherent government response nearly impossible. Several cities have cancelled the transit fare hikes that had originally sparked the demonstrations a week ago, but the outrage has only grown more intense.

Saturday's demonstrations have been called by a group opposing a federal bill that would limit the power of prosecutors to investigate crimes.

The one group behind the reversal of the fare hike, the Free Fare Movement, said on Friday it would not call any more protests. However, it wasn't clear what impact that might have on a movement that has moved far beyond its original complaint.

Foreign Minister Antonio Patriota hit back at protesters the morning after his modernist ministry building was attacked by an enraged crowd Thursday. At one point, smoke had billowed from the building, while demonstrators shattered windows along its perimeter.

Standing before the ministry, Patriota told reporters he "was very angry" that protesters attacked a structure "that represents the search for understanding through dialogue." Patriota called for protesters "to convey their demands peacefully."

"I believe that the great majority of the protesters are not taking part in this violence and are instead looking to improve Brazil's democracy via legitimate forms of protest," Patriota said.

Most protesters have indeed been peaceful, and crowds have taken to chanting "No violence! No violence!" when small groups have prepared to burn and smash. The more violent demonstrators have usually taken over once night has fallen.

At least one protester was killed in Sao Paulo state Thursday night when a driver apparently became enraged about being unable to travel along a street and rammed his car into demonstrators. News reports also said a 54-year-old cleaning woman had died Friday after inhaling tear gas the night before while taking cover in a restored trolley car.

The unrest is hitting the nation as it hosts the Confederations Cup soccer tournament, with tens of thousands of foreign visitors in attendance.

For some, the police response to the protests has been yet another reason to hit the streets.

"Even though I didn't see much of police violence on TV because the coverage was focused on the vandalism, I heard about it from friends and family," said 26-year-old journalist Marcela Barreto, who was marching in Rio Friday. "And I wanted to show the government it's not going to work. We're not scared."

___

Barchfield reported from Rio de Janeiro and Brooks from Sao Paulo. Associated Press writers Stan Lehman in Sao Paulo and Jack Chang in Mexico City contributed to this report.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/brazil-leader-break-silence-protests-221307466.html

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Sennheiser HD 429s

Despite the relatively large number of headphones Sennheiser has out on the market at any given time, the German audio company manages to maintain an impressive standard of quality. The HD 429s, at $89.95 (direct), can be considered a budget headphone option in Sennheiser's deep lineup. Its volume control-free remote, dearth of accessories, and inability to fold down or collapse for easy storage and packing are not ideal, but it's easy to forget when these lightweight, comfortable headphones are playing your favorite music. Simply put, they sound excellent for this price range. The HD 429s is a pair that can afford to skimp on extras because it sounds so good for the price, bringing rich bass and clear highs to the sub-$100 range.

Design
The HD 429s's?design is reminiscent of the Sennheiser HD 558, with large earcups featuring a small Sennheiser logo in the center?and not much else. The material on the edge of the cups and the headband is matte black plastic, with padding that is comfortable despite not feeling very plush to the touch. There's a bit of flexibility to the angle of the earcups, too, that helps the comfort factor, but the primary reason for the comfort: The HD 429s is an extremely lightweight headphone pair.?

The thin black audio cable descends from the left earcup and ends around the upper chest where it can either be plugged into a player that is clipped onto or sitting in a pocket, or plugged into a longer cable that has a built-in microphone and remote. The compartment housing the remote also has a shirt clip on it, and all the cables terminate in 3.5mm?there's an adapter for Nokia-style headphone jacks.

Other than that, the HD 429s has no included accessories, which is a bit surprising even in the sub-$100 price category. There's no carrying pouch or case, nor do the headphones fold down flat, so stowing them for travel might prove to be a bit of a hassle.?

Call clarity through the inline mic is about what you should expect?your call partner will hear you just fine and understand you, but it will still sound like a low-fidelity cell phone call. The single-button remote controls playback and track navigation (depending on how many taps you give it), but there is, disappointingly, no volume control, which should be a given in this price range. Of course, the lack of volume control ensures compatibility with a wider range of phones, but you could always include multiple cables or options to buy different cables on the same headphone pair?none of which are options here.

Performance
On tracks with intense sub-bass content, like The Knife's "Silent Shout," the HD 429s delivers serious deep bass without going overboard. At maximum, unwise listening levels, the HD 249s doesn't distort on tracks like this, although the earcups vibrate so much, it feels as though it's teetering on the edge. At normal listening levels, the headphones still produce plenty of low frequency rumble, but they do so without going overboard, and the balance with the highs is ideal.

A better insight to the HD 429s's sound signature is gained when listening to Bill Callahan's "Drover." Often, a headphone pair with deep bass response achieves it by boosting the lows too much, almost across the board, so that the sub-bass frequencies get boosted as much as, say, the low-mids in a male baritone voice. This is rarely a good thing, and the HD 429s avoids it?instead of delivering Callahan's vocals in an bass-heavy manner, with dulled edges, we get the crisp high-mid response that keeps his vocals in the forefront of the mix. There's plenty of depth to his baritone voice, but it doesn't overwhelm the mix, and the drums on this track sound natural, rather than bogged down with too much bass. There's low-end here, but there are crisp high-mids and highs to match it.

On Jay-Z and Kanye West's "No Church in the Wild," the kick drum loop's attack gets the right amount of attention in the high-mids. Nothing is boosted so much that the attack sounds too sharp or harsh, but it has a nice crunch to it that's complimented by the low-end presence of the kick's sustain. The sub-bass synth hits that dance around the drum loop are delivered with a richness that does them justice?bass fiends will find them lacking, and purists may feel they're a bit boosted. For those of us who like a little bit of bass with our crisp highs?without everything turning to a lopsided, muddy mess?the HD 429s delivers.

Classical tracks, like John Adams' "The Chairman Dances," often seem to naturally cede the spotlight to the instruments in the high-mid to high frequency range, like higher register strings and brass, when played through pairs that are not bass-heavy and unbalanced. The HD 429s falls into this category?much of its bass presence serves the sub-bass realm, where many classical tracks have little content aside from some percussion hits and lower strings and brass at their lowest. The lower register instruments in this piece get a bit of added richness, but the focus is squarely on the mids-to-highs here. So, on classical tracks, the HD 429s feels fairly close to a flat response pair, whereas it packs a little more oomph on modern mixes that boost the bass. And that's probably the best way to think of it: These headphones give you the deep bass when it's in the mix, and don't invent it when it's not.

If big bass, a bit beyond what the HD 429s brings, is what you're after, consider the Skullcandy Navigator. For the price, it won't disappoint you and doesn't distort, but you sacrifice overall balance. If you have more room in your budget and like the idea of a balanced pair that can reproduce deep lows when called upon, both the Logitech UE 4000 and the Sennheiser HD 280 Pro are fine options. And if all of these are more expensive than what you're looking for, the Skullcandy Hesh 2 offers decent balance and solid bass response for far less money.

At $90, the Sennheiser HD 429s is a solid deal?it delivers excellent audio performance in a comfortable fit. It's lacking in the extras department, and the remote and un-foldable design aren't the most user-friendly decisions. But if you want a fantastic-sounding headphone pair and couldn't care less about the extras, the HD 429s will not disappoint.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/ziffdavis/pcmag/~3/pwT_vg3BEUk/0,2817,2420570,00.asp

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Zombies gained speed, may now get smart

Movies

Gael Fashingbauer Cooper NBC News

5 hours ago

In Brad Pitt's new movie, "World War Z," a soldier gives Pitt's character the lowdown on their undead opponent: Bullets to the body only slow them down, though head shots kill them. They sometimes ooze a kind of black tarry substance, and they love biting humans "like fat kids love Twix." And as filmgoers watch, they discover that these zombies can hear a Pepsi can drop a mile away, tackle like a Dallas Cowboy in the Super Bowl, are willing to fling themselves off skyscrapers and over giant walls, and are smart enough to use the bodies of their fellow undead as a ladder to clamber toward their human targets.

Uncredited / AP

Zombies generally don't work together, but in "World War Z," they use each other's undead bodies to form a ladder to get over a wall to eat humans.

These are not your grandfather's zombies.

Moviegoers have seen the undead evolve in a thousand gruesome rotting ways since the creatures of 1932's "White Zombie" were docile enough to work in a sugar plantation. George A. Romero took the creature -- which he called a "ghoul," not a "zombie" -- to a whole new level in 1968's classic "Night of the Living Dead," making them totter out of graves to munch on the living. And from then on, Hollywood was off, shambling down a rotting cinematic pathway littered with discarded body parts and ever-evolving zombie lore.

Zombies stayed about as fast as your walker-using Aunt Fannie until the 2002 release of "28 Days Later." Purists will tell you that the infected in that film weren't dead, so are not technically zombies. But no matter, they still introduced the public to the idea of fast movie zombies who no longer staggered after you like a drunk uncle, but match Pittsburgh Steeler Hines Ward (who played a zombie on AMC's "Walking Dead") for speediness.

"I do think that if you had to be bitten by slow movers to turn, you could avoid them and eventually defeat them," said Cal Miller, author of numerous zombie books and zombie comic strip TedDead. " It would be like fighting an army of senior citizens. The fast ones are just horrifying to me. They?ll run you down."

Jaap Buitendijk / AP

Brad Pitt gets knocked over by a swarm of fast-moving zombies in "World War Z."

The zombie diet has changed along with their speed. In the Romero film trilogy, zombies would munch on any part of a living human, from scalp to sole. But in 1985's "Return of the Living Dead" -- not a Romero film -- it's said that the zombies specifically consume the brains of the living because only that soothes the pain of being dead. That film explanation led to the popularization of the ever-popular "BRAAAAAINS!" quote so many associate with the living dead.

"Most people's knowledge of the zombie genre seems to be a bit limited," Miller said. "You say 'zombies' and they answer 'brainzzzzz,' But that was pretty much just in the 'Return of the Living Dead' movies/books. You try and explain that zombies eat the whole body and, well, unfamiliar people get either intrigued or grossed out."

Miller finds the brain-eating cliche a bit odd. "Human teeth can't bite through a skull," he said. "Zombies really go for the easy spots. Arms, legs, neck, belly."

Jaap Buitendijk / AP

In "World War Z," Brad Pitt arms himself with an axe because any sound, including gunshots, draws the attention of the undead.

Mac Montandon, author of "The Proper Care and Feeding of Zombies," thinks zombies are resourceful when it comes to dining. "In my book, I point out that the zombie diet is not that far off from the Inuits, indigenous peoples of the Arctic region," he said. "I think that, paradoxically, when it comes down to it, zombies have a really clever survival mechanism that kicks in -- meaning if they had to eat, say, someone's elbow to go on not living, they would."

Zombies were once human, and movies differ on whether their intelligence or humanity still exists once they're undead. In 2004, "Shaun of the Dead" played a zombie invasion for laughs, and in 2013's "Warm Bodies," a zombie actually falls in love with a human.

"Zombies are not funny," said Montandon. "But 'Shaun of the Dead' was. In terms of ('Warm Bodies') human-zombie romance, that seems like much less of a stretch than a human-Tom Cruise romance."

Even the way to kill a zombie isn't agreed on by all moviemakers. It's generally agreed that a head injury must be involved, specifically something that destroys the undead brain. Some require zombie bodies to be burned, but in "World War Z," the fingers of a zombie that's been burned almost to solid ash are still shown to wiggle.

"The head can live if cut off at the neck," said Miller. "A personal pet peeve of mine, however, is when a disembodied head groans. No diaphragm, no lungs, no airflow, no groan."

As long as zombie movies continue to make money, the creatures will doubtlessly continue to evolve on film.

"I think zombies are ready for their 'Coneheads' moment," said Montandon, referring to the "Saturday Night Live" aliens who claimed to be French. "That is, they already have so many human characteristics, it's not hard to see them passing as humans in a suburb of Chicago, for instance."

Miller's novel, "Het Madden: A Zombie Perspective," is written from the point of view of an intelligent zombie, and he believes smart zombies will be the next wave.

"I feel there have to be smart and dumb zombies, like smart and dumb people," Miller said. "The smart ones lurk and plan. They don't walk into machetes."

Source: http://www.nbcnews.com/entertainment/movie-zombies-have-staggered-slow-fast-smart-next-6C10370274

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Turkish police crack down on revival of protests

ISTANBUL (AP) ? Riot police on Sunday sprayed tear gas and water cannons at demonstrators who remained defiant after authorities evicted activists from an Istanbul park, making clear they intend to take a hardline against attempts to rekindle protests that have shaken the country.

Bulldozers cleared all that was left of a two-week sit-in and police sealed off the area to keep demonstrators away from the spot that has become the focus of the strongest challenge to Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan in his 10 years in office.

Protesters set up barricades and plumes of tear gas rose in Istanbul's streets on Sunday after Turkish riot police rousted the group who had vowed to stay in Gezi Park despite Erdogan's warnings to leave.

In Istanbul, police battled protesters in side streets off the park and beyond. In Ankara, the capital, police dispersed hundreds who tried to hold a memorial service for an activist who died of injuries sustained in a nearby police crackdown nearby on June 1.

In Saturday's raid at dusk, hundreds of white-helmeted riot police swept through the park and adjacent Taksim Square, firing canisters of the acrid, stinging gas. Thousands of peaceful protesters, choking on the fumes and stumbling among the tents, put up little physical resistance.

The protests began as an environmental sit-in to prevent a development project at Gezi Park, but have quickly spread to dozens of cities and spiraled into a broader expression of discontent about what many say is Erdogan's increasingly authoritarian decision-making. He vehemently denies the charge, pointing to the strong support base that helped him win third consecutive term with 50 percent of the vote in 2011.

As police cleared the square, many ran into nearby hotels for shelter. A stand-off developed at a luxury hotel on the edge of the park, where police opened up with water cannons against protesters and journalists outside before throwing tear gas at the entrance, filling the lobby with white smoke. At other hotels, plain-clothes policemen turned up outside, demanding the protesters come out.

Some protesters ran off into nearby streets, setting up makeshift barricades and running from water cannons, tear gas and rubber bullets.

As news of the raid broke, thousands of people from other parts of Istanbul gathered and were attempting to reach Taksim. Television showed footage of riot police firing tear gas on a highway and bridge across the Bosphorus to prevent protesters from heading to the area.

As the tear gas settled, bulldozers moved into the park, scooping up debris and loading it into trucks. Crews of workmen in fluorescent yellow vests and plain-clothes police went through the abandoned belongings, opening bags and searching their contents before tearing down the tents, food centers and library the protesters had set up in what had become a bustling tent city.

In Ankara, at least 3,000 people swarmed into John F. Kennedy street Saturday night, where opposition party legislators sat down at the front of the crowd facing the riot police ? not far from Parliament. In Izmir, thousands converged at a seafront square.

Near Gezi, ambulances ferried the injured to hospitals as police set up cordons and roadblocks around the park, preventing anyone from getting close.

Tayfun Kahraman, a member of Taksim Solidarity, an umbrella group of protest movements, said an untold number of people in the park had been injured ? some from rubber bullets.

"Let them keep the park, we don't care anymore. Let it all be theirs. This crackdown has to stop. The people are in a terrible state," he told The Associated Press by phone.

Taksim Solidarity, on its Web site, called the incursion "atrocious" and counted hundreds of injured ? which it called a provisional estimate ? as well as an undetermined number of arrests. Istanbul governor's office said at least 44 people were taken to hospitals for treatment. None of them were in serious condition, it said in a statement.

Huseyin Celik, the spokesman for Erdogan's Justice and Development Party, told NTV that the sit-in had to end.

"They had made their voice heard ... Our government could not have allowed such an occupation to go on until the end," he said.

It was a violent police raid on May 31 against a small sit-in in Gezi Park that sparked the initial outrage and spiraled into a much broader protest. While those in the park have now fled, it was unclear whether they would take their movement to other places, or try to return to the park at a later time.

The protests, which left at least four people dead and more than 5,000 injured, have dented Erdogan's international reputation and infuriated him with a previously unseen defiance to his rule.

Saturday's raid came less than two hours after Erdogan threatened protesters in a boisterous speech in Sincan, an Ankara suburb that is a stronghold of his party.

"I say this very clearly: either Taksim Square is cleared, or if it isn't cleared then the security forces of this country will know how to clear it," he told tens of thousands of supporters at a political rally.

A second pro-government rally is planned in Istanbul on Sunday.

According to the government's redevelopment plan for Taksim Square that caused the sit-in, the park would be replaced with a replica Ottoman-era barracks. Under initial plans, the construction would have housed a shopping mall, though that has since been amended to the possibility of an opera house, a theater and a museum with cafes.

On Friday, Erdogan offered to defer to a court ruling on the legality of the government's contested park redevelopment plan, and floated the possibility of a referendum on it.

___

Fraser reported from Ankara. Jamey Keaten in Ankara contributed to this report.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/turkish-police-crack-down-revival-protests-104830598.html

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Turkish street vendors turn on a dime to make a lira off Taksim protests

Swimming goggles and 'V for Vendetta' masks cropped up in street vendors' hands within days of the first demonstrations in Taksim Square.

By Tom A. Peter,?Correspondent / June 12, 2013

Turkish police firing tear gas battle antigovernment protesters as they try to reestablish police control of Taksim Square after an absence of 10 days in the heart of Istanbul, Turkey, Tuesday. Turkish street vendors were out selling swimming goggles and disposable face masks as protection against tear gas.

Scott Peterson/Getty Images/The Christian Science Monitor

Enlarge

• A local, slice-of-life story from a monitor correspondent

After almost a decade in the Middle East and Central Asia, I?ve found local street vendors to be among the most responsive businessmen I?ve ever encountered. When I got off the plane in Istanbul today, it started to rain. By the time I took a cab into the city, street vendors were out selling Chinese umbrellas for about $3.20 a piece.

Skip to next paragraph Tom A. Peter

Correspondent

Tom A. Peter is a journalist based in Kabul, Afghanistan where he covers news and features throughout the country. He has also reported for The Monitor from Iraq, Yemen, Jordan, and throughout the United States.

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While most people in Turkey will tell you that they were taken completely off guard by the protests, within days street vendors were out selling swimming goggles and disposable face masks for about $2.67 each as protection against tear gas. They also had masks popularized by the movie "V is for Vendetta" and the "Anonymous" hacker group, which have been adopted by many Turkish demonstrators.

The speed at which they were able to offer these items is astonishing when you think that before the protests, most of these people were probably selling toys and products that generally?had nothing to do with protection from tear gas or revolutionary symbolism. I wouldn?t be surprised to learn that they have boxes of pro-government paraphernalia ready in case the protests are permanently squashed.

Of course, the quality of their wares is always questionable. On my first day covering the protests, I didn?t have a gas mask so I purchased a pair of swimming goggles and a face mask, the sort of thing you?d wear to hang dry wall in your basement. When I hit a cloud of tear gas the goggles provided some protection for my eyes, but immediately fogged, blinding me more than the tear gas. As for the mask? I would have been better off trying to hold my breath.

Coming back to Istanbul after yesterday's fierce clashes, I decided that I needed a real gas mask, and sought out a vendor with a brick and mortar storefront. I found an industrial safety shop where the clerk told me that in the past 10 days he?d sold more gas masks than he normally sells in three months.

Normally, Turkish people couldn't care less about industrial safety and breathing toxic fumes, especially if it means spending money, he told me, but now he has people coming in to buy masks as gifts for their friends. Still, committed to selling quality products, he lacks a street merchant?s adaptability. He told me he worried he would burn through his inventory shortly if the demand continued.

If I?m ever in an end-of-days scenario, I hope there?s a Middle Eastern street vendor around. I?m sure he?ll have something to sell me for $5 or less that will protect me (at least psychologically) from anything ranging from a Biblical plague to a zombie apocalypse. In fact, whatever I?d need to weather either of those scenarios is probably already in a box wherever street vendors store their wares.

Source: http://rss.csmonitor.com/~r/csmonitor/globalnews/~3/V3A4jrCLnuE/Turkish-street-vendors-turn-on-a-dime-to-make-a-lira-off-Taksim-protests

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How Our Phones Leave a Telltale Trail (WSJ)

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