Nokia designs environmentally-friendly, recycled steel phone
Finnish tech firm Nokia has developed a new "green" phone made entirely of recycled steel and plant-based plastics.
The phone, which is still in the conceptual stage, would be as tiny as possible to reduce materials used, and would use an OLED screen, which uses less power than an LCD.
In addition to its eco-friendly design, the phone would also have a sensor, which could be worn on the wrist or around the neck, to monitor local pollution levels and ground-level ozone. The data would be transmitted wirelessly back to the phone and could then be uploaded to share with the world to create a real-time green map.
For extra green points, the sensors would be powered by solar cells or by kinetic energy generated as you walk around.
Check out pictures of the Nokia Eco Sensor Phone from cell phone news site, Unwired. Again, the phone is still only a concept, so unfortunately, you won't be able to add it to your Christmas wish list this year.
Magnolia Steel donates $10,000 to local charity
Magnolia Steel of Meridian, Mississippi got into the Christmas spirit this season in a big way - the steel fabricator donated $10,000 to help the Meridian Police Department provide clothing and toys to needy children in the community.
Police Chief Benny Dubose told press that this is the largest corporate gift that the "Shop with a Cop" program has ever received.
"We usually have to have a startup pool of money to take the kids shopping. And this year we had maybe $7,000 to $8,000 that we started up with which helped tremendously," said Dubose. "But this will enable us to carry more kids shopping than we have in previous years. And we're really looking forward to it."
One hundred percent of the money donated to "Shop with a Cop" is used to meet the needs of children, who might otherwise go without at Christmas.
Steel tree or real tree: which do you prefer?
What kind of Christmas tree will you get this year? Well, while most people will opt for a real tree that will cost them $50 or less, some people have more extravagant tastes.
For instance, Michael Pace's Steger Creek Store in Roanoke Virginia sells steel-framed Christmas trees for $899 (plus tax). Although this may sound like a ridiculous amount to spend on an artificial tree, Mr. Pace says, "If you want your home to look gorgeous and reflect the holiday season in a way that guests will really appreciate, these trees make sense."
The 9-foot tall faux firs feature a five-year warranty for the steel trunks and branches and a two-year warranty on the 1,000 pre-strung lights that adorn each tree. A real Fraser fir tree of this height may only cost you less than a 10th of the price at $75, but as one customer said of Fraser's trees, "I think it's a very good price when you consider that this tree will probably be in our home for at least 10 years."
And believe it or not, $899 isn't the most expensive fake tree on the market - the higher end ones will run you upwards of $2,000, Pace said. Pace also much cheaper models though, which run from $300 to $400.
Artificial Christmas trees may were once been plagued with the stigma of tackiness, but their popularity is growing as the artificial models have improved over the years -- they've come a long way from the fire-hazardous, metallic-painted, paper trees of the 1950s. About 9.3 million households bought them last year (compared to 25-30 million which bought real trees), up from 7.3 million in 2001, according to the National Christmas Tree Association.
Casino to keep historic steel mill's history alive
Although the plans to build an $800 million casino on the former Bethlehem Steel site are moving along without a hitch, history enthusiasts are excited that at least some of Bethlehem's steel history will be preserved.
Las Vegas Sands Corp, which will build the slot-machine casino, has already saved 20 historical buildings on the site from demolition with plans to preserve them for visitors.
The company has already dedicated the oldest building on the site, the Stock House, which dates back to the 1860s, to the city for use as a visitors center. Also, many of the buildings which have made up a big chunk of Bethlehem, Pennsylvania's history for the past 100 years will be incorporated into the resort, which in addition to 3,000 slot machines will include shops, restaurants, and other entertainment.
In its latest filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission, Las Vegas Sands stated: "The goal of Las Vegas Sands Corp. is to bring life back to this historic site, while respecting the fascinating and valuable legacy that it represents for the people of Pennsylvania and the world."
Bethlehem Steel started producing steel in the 1870s and started producing steel weapons for the military by the 1880s. By World War II, Bethlehem Steel was the nation's top military contractor, and the plant, which covered 20 percent of the city's land mass, employed more than 31,000 workers.