03-2014 : Montréal Exchange to Introduce Futures Contracts on the FTSE Emerging Markets Index

We talked with Jay DeFruscio, the Chief Operating Officer for the Archdiocese of Philadelphia Schools, about the huge benefit provided by the Educational Improvement Tax Credit Program. Here are three of the postings we shared on Facebook. https://www.facebook.com/share/v/o9mfCwioL8PfuHa8/?mibextid=WC7FNe https://www.facebook.com/share/v/8Hbz7PVfKdKSFrWM/?mibextid=WC7FNe https://www.facebook.com/share/v/d83WFnKC8ZZ4oQAi/?mibextid=WC7FNe    

From the USCCB – June 4, 2018 – Today, the U.S. Supreme Court decided the case of Masterpiece Cakeshop v. Colorado Civil Rights Commission. The case involves a Christian baker named Jack Phillips who declined in 2012 to create a custom wedding cake for a same-sex ceremony. State officials sought to compel Phillips to create such cakes under Colorado’s public accommodations law. The Supreme Court ruled 7-2 in favor of Phillips under the Free Exercise Clause of the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. Archbishop Joseph E. Kurtz of Louisville, Chairman of the Committee for Religious Liberty, Archbishop Charles J. Chaput, O.F.M. Cap., of Philadelphia, Chairman of the Committee on Laity, Marriage, Family Life and Youth, and Bishop James D. Conley of Lincoln, Chairman of the Subcommittee for the Promotion and Defense of Marriage of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB), issued the following joint statement: “Today’s decision confirms that people of faith should not suffer discrimination on account of their deeply held religious beliefs, but instead should be respected by government officials. This extends to creative professionals, such as Jack Phillips, who seek to serve the Lord in every aspect of their daily lives. In a pluralistic society like ours, true tolerance allows people with different viewpoints to be free to live out their beliefs, even if those beliefs are unpopular with the government.” The USCCB filed an amicus curiae brief supporting Masterpiece Cakeshop, which can be found here: http://www.usccb.org/about/general-counsel/amicus-briefs/upload/16-111-tsac-USCCB.pdf.        

  The Pennsylvania Catholic Conference applauds the Supreme Court’s decisions in Little Sisters of the Poor v. Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and in Our Lady of Guadalupe School v. Morrissey-Berru and St. James Catholic School v. Biel. In both cases, the Court reaffirmed the religious liberties guaranteed in the United States’ Constitution. “These are incredibly important rulings for so many groups across the country,” said Eric Failing, the Executive Director of the PCC. “They take a big stand for religious liberty as a First Amendment freedom, which is continually being threatened. We are happy the Court has clearly recognized the importance of religious liberty to our nation.”

The Health Committee within the Pennsylvania House of Representatives has approved a resolution which condemns the free availability of pornography based on the public health hazard that it presents by harming children and families across the Commonwealth. “It’s a public awareness resolution,” said Chairman Matt Baker (R-Tioga). With the resolution, Pennsylvania joins nineteen other states that have passed or introduced a similar measure. “Most people understand pornography is bad, and child pornography is particularly bad,” continued Baker. The resolution cites that due to advances in technology, young children are now exposed to pornography at alarming rates, with as many as 27% of older millennials reporting that they first encountered explicit pornography before even reaching puberty. “As someone with two small daughters, I think that it’s something we owe a certain amount of time and effort to look at,” said Rep. Eli Evankovich (R-WestmorelandAllegheny). House Resolution 519 also encourages a three-pronged approach to confronting this issue with education, prevention and research and policy change at the community and social levels. Prior to the vote, Rep. Martina White (R-Philadelphia) stated that her intent is to “make sure that families are aware of this issue, that it is a concern and it can become, if it not already is, a public health crisis.”

Catholic adoption agencies across the state have been curtailing or stopping their work altogether as a result of a policy by the Wolf Administration that would take away a lot of their power to decide who would be the best parents for adoption. PA Rep. Dave Zimmerman (R-Lancaster) says there is still hope that a religious exemption will be granted by lawmakers for organizations. “A number of us in the House actually held up the budget because of a religious exemption, related to the Foster care and adoption,” Zimmerman told me in his Lancaster district office. Despite their determined efforts the Governor held firm and it was kept out. “They took the religious exemption out, which means an adoption agency would have to work with any type of family arrangements, whether it’s a man and wife, or an LGBT couple. They would have to work with all of those.” Zimmerman and several of his colleagues would like to see the exemption established. They have an agreement from House and Senate leadership to run bills in the fall to make that happen. “This is just one area. So the question is ‘what’s next?’” Zimmerman said. “I believe that our country and our state were established on religious liberty, religious freedom. We need to have these religious exemptions available to business and family throughout our state. It’s very important.” Zimmerman said another issue that drew debate in the last session was the compulsory age for education. The current law requires children between the ages of eight and 17 to be in school. But new regulations installed in one of the budget codes would expand that from six to 18. Zimmerman was one of the lawmakers who opposed the change. “There are a lot of issues with that,” he said. “Some children are just not ready at six. What about someone who graduates early? What about—in our district—the Plain community that gets work permits at 15?  None of that has been really addressed at this point, so there are some real concerns about the compulsory age.” The age change was something that was being pushed by the Governor, Zimmerman said. Even though it was placed in the budget, he says there will be an effort in the fall to get the change modified. ‘I also look at it as a liberties issue,” Zimmerman added. “The parents can probably make a better decision on their children than government.” Zimmerman remains very committed to pro-life issues. He voted for the Down Syndrome Protection Act and has signed on as a co-sponsor to Rep. Stephanie Borowicz’s (R-Centre, Clinton) “heartbeat” abortion bill, which he hopes to see introduced in the fall.

With the advent of new technologies, rapidly changing customer needs and emerging competitors, companies across industries are facing disruptions like never before. To succeed, they will need to innovate by harnessing the power of a wide range of partners who can bring different skills, experience, capacity, and their own networks to the task. In this podcast, SMU University Professor Arnoud De Meyer, who is also co-author of The Ecosystem Edge (https://ecosystemedge.com/) and The Ecosystem Advantage, shares riveting lessons from organisations poised to innovate successfully in this age of disruption. His case-based research reveals how ecosystem leaders bring companies together with complementary abilities to redefine value, serve more customers and create an overall larger pie for each to partake from.

“Many STEM professionals hold the misconception that engaging in science communication can hinder the progress of budding and established research careers. However, it is not necessary to choose between engaging in outreach and conducting research.

The post Science Communication: How it benefits a STEM research career appeared first on The Plainspoken Scientist.

We are pleased to announce the approval of three updated position statements that will help shape the future of climate action, science communication and data sharing. AGU position statements—created, revised and approved by members with feedback and support from experts in related fields—are what enable AGU to take adaptive stances on significant policy issues ranging from climate change to national security. These statements, which are updated in a recurring four-year …

The post AGU Updates Critical Position Statements on Climate, Communications and Data appeared first on AGU Blogosphere.

From increased regulation, to a growing emphasis on food safety, to changing workforce and customer demographics, food processors and their vendors and partners are facing a period of unprecedented change.

The global pharmaceutical packaging market is set to grow over 5% year-over-year in 2019, and bottles will remain highly sought after, followed by blisters, vials and ampoules.

PMMI, the Association for Packaging and Processing Technologies, addresses five packaging pain points in senior-friendly health care packaging.

PA and PulPac created the Blister Pack Collective to limit the use of non-recyclable plastics in over-the-counter and prescription drug packaging through cross-industry collaboration.

From filling to sterilizing, flexible packaging must be handled differently than rigid containers.

A glue-free label solution, Molded Fiber Labeling involves 100% mono-material packaging that can be fully recycled or composted.

Allpax, a ProMach brand, recently delivered a new high-speed automated pouch loading and unloading system to a customer to feed an existing bank of Allpax retorts.

Discover what inspired these six professionals to pursue careers in packaging and their advice for young women considering the same.

ProMach brand Pharmaworks will debut their capability to handle new 100-percent recyclable, mono-material packaging films on their blister machines.

N-Sorb leverages Aptar CSP Technologies’ proven 3-Phase Activ-Polymer™ platform technology to address the pressing issue of N-nitrosamine impurities in pharmaceuticals.

Available in sizes from one to 30 liters, Politainer comprises a polyethylene container held within a sturdy cardboard outer.

A report from Future Market Insights finds that growing awareness of non-carcinogenic packaging materials is driving growth.

Lineup includes keynote speaker Francisco Garcia, COO & Co-Founder of E6PR and Co-Founder of ENTELEQUIA, the largest compostable packaging company in Mexico. 

The acquisition will reportedly complement PepsiCo's portfolio with the addition of an authentic, Mexican-American brand, while also growing its better-for-you food offerings.

Sun Chemical’s SolarWave Integra and SolarWave FSP are both UV-LED curing ink solutions designed to meet diverse printing needs.

Meet Dana Austin, General Manager for IWK North America.

Meet Jessica Fischer, Parts and Service Manager for OMV Technologies, USA.

Meet Babitha George, Portfolio Manager for Packaging Solutions at Tetra Pak U.S. & Canada.

Meet Kate Gilpin, Product Manager of Luxury Packaging for James Cropper.

Meet Amy Mercante, General Manager of Specialty Products at PPG.

Meet Amy Phinney, Market Manager at NOVA Chemicals.

The agreement significantly increases the range of automation and packaging combinations available to Harpak-ULMA’s served markets.

The gradual commercialization of Near Field Communication products show how companies like Thin Film Electronics (Thinfilm) are pushing the integration of electronic intelligence into everyday products such as packaging labels.

Environmentally conscious consumers are looking for packaging that uses fewer resources and less energy than other forms of packaging. Flexible packaging minimizes transport costs between the converter, packager/filler, retailer and end user.

PMMI has welcomed Delkor Systems’ Patty Andersen as the 2023 chairperson of the Board, marking the first time a woman has held the position in the association’s history. 

Ardagh Group, Glass – North America, a division of Ardagh Group, has  achieved ISO 14001:2015 certification at its Dolton, Ill., facility. ISO 14001 is the internationally recognized standard for the environmental management of businesses.

Nestlé Waters North America has signed an agreement with recycled PET plastic (rPET) supplier CarbonLITE, which will expand its U.S. operations by building a third facility in Pennsylvania.

The company cites a study where its Fillbee reusable packaging cut CO₂ emissions by nearly two-thirds compared to conventional beverage packaging.

Packaging option is a 100% paper-based alternative to shrink wrap for bundling beverage multi-packs. 

Company has temporary office space available and intends to have its Service, Engineering, Sales, IT and Administration departments set up and operating by January 5.

Centre aims to help achieve global plastics sustainability goals by focusing on R&D collaboration and value chain-integrated solutions.

The name change better reflects who FPSA members really are: companies that provide solutions for food production.

METTLER TOLEDO's PCE T2620 is a compact system for the track & trace labeling­ of cartons in accordance with the Falsified Medicines Directive in Europe, the Drug Supply Chain Security Act in the U.S., and other global regulations. 

Markem-Imaje is extending its thermal transfer overprinter (TTO) line of coders with a cost-efficient version targeting low- and medium-speed production lines of up to 600 mm per second initially for users in Asia-Pacific.

Sabri Demirel has just been appointed new managing director of Romaco North America. He succeeds Charles Ravalli, who retired in April 2019. 

Swiss Bühler Group and Premier Tech from Canada announce the formation of a strategic cooperation for industrial flexible packaging solutions. Both will build a design and manufacturing center in China.

Antares Vision is collaborating with the National Football League Alumni (NFLA) organization to enhance the NFLA’s new membership outreach efforts, as well as expand its engagement capabilities. Track My Way  is a next-generation  platform that provides data-driven insight into ambassador and chapter membership campaigns.

Smart Packaging or Smart Products, are assigned internet IDs to allow consumers to engage with their everyday products.

With automation, the cloud and new innovative printing solutions, there are many ways to create new and unique labels. Here, we cover an automation solution that boosted a label printer’s production by 50%, a label management system stored in the cloud, a barcode printer that prints a packing list and shipping label on a single label, and a new adhesive.

Key benefits include an innovative tank construction that ensures uniform melt temperatures with no hotspots, char or waste; a horizontal piston pump design that provides consistent, direct adhesive feed; and a high efficiency design that uses 60% less energy and 50% less compressed air than comparable systems.