TrendCentral: There may not be lines at Pinkberry anymore now that we know it's not quite as "natural" as they claimed, but the ever resilient frogurt trend shows no signs of defeat, with the number of frogurt stores starting to rival that of Starbucks. While we've yet to reach a consensus as to which is our favorite, we must say we're pretty stoked on the Yogurtland business model. Not only do they have 16 flavors and 33 toppings, but customers pay by the ounce.

Custom-Sized Frogurt [TrendCentral]

Speaking Roses invented a process that has revolutionized the floral and greeting card industries forever. They have created a method of transferring images and messages onto fresh-cut flowers without harming or shortening the life of the flowers. This refreshing twist on both flowers and greeting cards enhances the emotional response in both the giver and the receiver, and has garnished international attention and phenomenal success.

With two patents in the United States and many others, pending or already received, in countries all over the world, Speaking Roses from Salt Lake City, Utah, is the first and the only business legally allowed to produce and sell personalized, fresh-cut flowers with images or messages right on the petals.

Now they have decided to start offering this opportunity for others to be part of this revolutionary product. For this reason, they have created a new concept that is call the 'Business in a Box' program, where you can now be a Speaking Roses licensed business owner in your own market. They will provide you with not only the equipment and supplies necessary to start running your business, but you also get years of experience in business development, marketing strategies and public relations, which makes opening your own Speaking Roses business a great experience. They offer proven technology and equipment for both high and low volume production, as well as marketing materials, great methods and techniques, and personalized training. All this allows you have what truly is a 'business in a box.'

With the option of starting your Speaking Roses business on a part-time or full-time basis, you can begin working from home or in your own retail Speaking Roses store. With the floral, gifts, advertisement, corporate, and greeting card markets making up a $80 billion dollar industry, they provide you with all of the tools to help you tap into that potential market. Speaking Roses offers you the ability to place anything from a corporate logo to a marriage proposal on fresh-cut flowers, which has opened the door to an advertising world that is only just beginning to tap into its real potential.

The chance to get in on the ground floor of this amazing opportunity is now being offered to regular people that are looking to be the first in this new market to capture the hearts of consumers in a way that has already caught the attention of everyone from Hollywood to the guests that have experienced the product at a wedding reception.

[Speaking Roses]

Snellville (Atlanta), GA USA. A Ukrainian inventor, Johan De Broyer has conceived the idea for a re-sealable aluminum soda can featuring hidden advertising messaging. The idea was developed/designed by Robert Davis, Davis Advertising Inc. of Snellville (Atlanta), GA USA. K Mac McClintock, Advercan (Dallas, TX USA) is handling messaging technologies and representation.

The ingenious new “Soda Seal®” can appears like a standard soda can -- until it is popped open. When the tab is turned the can becomes re-sealed with a water-tight and gas-tight seal,* revealing full-color, high-resolution advertising messaging. The potential for the new soda can is proportionate to the 250 billion soda cans consumed annually.

There are numerous benefits including:

-Net-zero production cost. The “mini-billboard” advertising message is sold to co-promoters. Advertising revenues will offset the cost of production.

-Advertising messaging can include hidden codes, prizes, logos, branding, websites, scent, flavor and other messaging technologies.

-The “novelty aspect” of the new can, in addition to the hidden promotional messaging, may result in added beverage sales, especially when used in conjunction with sweepstakes, contests, giveaways, etc.

-Advertising messaging can be customized for local, regional, national or worldwide (with language translation) implementation. The closing disks can be printed and distributed to various packaging facilities for specific advertising/
promotional targeting.

-The can’s all aluminum construction requires no deviation from current recycling programs. There are no plastics or other materials used.

-The Soda-Seal top assembly is fitted to a standard aluminum can. There is no redesign, retooling or machining required for the standard can which resides beneath the Soda-Seal can top assembly.

Advercan is now seeking partnerships with MCC Rexam, Ball, Crown Holdings, Etc. More info is available at: http://www.davisadvertisinginc.com/sodaseal/

Inhabitat: Energy company Sunrgi recently announced an astounding new solar system that will break our grids free from the fossil fuel lockdown. Their Xtreme Concentrated Photovoltaics promise a low-cost, high-efficiency system with an incredible projected energy pricing of 5 cents per kilowatt. This breakthrough puts solar on par with the cost of coal, natural gas, and other non-renewable energy sources.

If solar energy is ever going to live up to it’s world-changing potential, it’s going to have to mesh with our existing energy infrastructure, competing with coal and natural gas on price point. While traditional photovoltaic arrays span great expanses and struggle to keep costs down, Sunrgi’s system proposes a novel idea, making better use of fewer expensive materials.

The XCPV system is based on a principle blinding in its simplicity: use a magnifying glass to concentrate the sun’s energy into a single high efficiency solar cell. Each unit features a lens that magnifies the sun’s rays 2,000 times, focusing it onto a solar cell that converts more than 37% sunlight to energy. The result is a system that maximizes the potential output of each solar cell while minimizing cost and space required.

The units are modular and thus easily deployable on or off-grid, and they can be easily upgraded to accommodate future advancements in solar cell technology.

SOLAR ENERGY AS CHEAP AS COAL! [Inhabitat]

Freep.com: Hospital food has always gotten a bad rap, much of it richly deserved.

But the Henry Ford Health System is taking unprecedented steps to change that, along with many other traditional hospital practices, in a $350-million community hospital and wellness complex opening in February on 160 scenic acres in West Bloomfield.

Its multifaceted approach is so different that it has attracted the attention of health care experts around the country.

In addition to national-class clinical services, the 300-bed hospital is to offer amenities ranging from homelike private rooms with couches where relatives can sleep comfortably overnight to relaxing in-room whirlpool tubs for mothers in labor.

Wellness services include health coaches, holistic therapies and personal trainers -- part of an emerging national trend to help people control or prevent chronic conditions that lead to expensive hospital stays.

But one of the hospital's most innovative elements is its culinary program, which involves a trio of partners: prominent metro Detroit restaurateur Matt Prentice, the nationally known culinary department at Schoolcraft College in Livonia and Chef's Garden, an elite organic farm in Ohio that sells exclusively to America's most famous restaurants.

New Ford hospital strives for 5-star treatment [Freep.com]