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We live in a world of ambient hums, from air conditioners and distant traffic to the whir of our own thoughts. Its no surprise many people reach for active noise-cancelling (ANC) headphones to escape it all. Originally designed for planes and offices, ANC devices, including earbuds, have become a popular bedtime tool for chasing total quiet. But the brain doesnt actually want silence to sleep, and forcing it can backfire. The best way to fall and stay asleep is to quiet the mind, not just what enters your ears. We call this creating “cognitive silence, and ANC often gets in the way. Even during sleep, the brain keeps an ear out for danger. Its an evolutionary survival mechanism in which the auditory system monitors the environment for changes: a creak, a bark, or a door slam. When the surrounding world grows too quiet, that alert system can become hypersensitive, scanning for the next disturbance. Research has shown that sudden noises are more likely to fragment sleep. Fragmented sleep affects everything from mood and metabolism to cognitive performance. Even minor disruptions can increase stress hormones and reduce the deep sleep stages responsible for recovery and memory consolidation. For sleep, the goal isnt to eliminate sound entirely, but to give the brain a safe, steady acoustic background so it can rest rather than react. WHERE ANC FALLS SHORT ANC uses tiny microphones to detect external sound and then produces an equal-and-opposite anti-noise signal to cancel it out. It works well for consistent, low-frequency noise like airplane engines, HVAC systems, or the hum of a refrigerator. Thats also where its effectiveness tends to end. Dan Gauger, retired distinguished engineer at Bose, the cocreator of their ANC division, and someone I worked closely with says, At frequencies above where ANC can cancel, it actually amplifies the noise a bit. When it comes to sleep, our needs and our sound environment are far more complex. And thats where ANC can start to work against us. Heres why ANC in sleep technology can be unhealthy: It amplifies what youre trying to avoid: Real-world sound isnt always consistent. A door slam, a barking dog, or footsteps overhead are irregular, high-frequency noises that ANC cant cancel effectively, and these sharper sounds often stand out even more. It disrupts the bodys natural equilibrium: ANC can introduce a subtle but uncomfortable pressure change in the ear. Many users describe it as a plugged or vacuum feeling, especially in quieter settings. That pressure, combined with the unnatural stillness of total quiet, can be distracting enough to delay or fragment sleep. Gauger adds, ANC cant create a steady pressure in the ear, but it mimics the low-frequency drop your ears notice during, say, altitude changes. From experience, some people interpret this sonic change as uncomfortable pressure. It doesn’t address the mental noise: Maybe most importantly, racing thoughts and anticipatory anxiety arent fixed by cancellation. The internal soundtrack remains, making sleep even harder to get. WHY PASSIVE NOISE BLOCKING IS A STRONGER OPTION Passive noise blocking takes a simpler, more natural approach. Instead of electronically canceling sound, it physically reduces it using materials that seal off the ear and absorb or deflect noise before it reaches the eardrum. A well-fitted silicone seal can reduce outside noise by 15-30 decibels, dulling most environmental disruptions without the ear pressure or artificial quiet that ANC can create. Because the ear isnt fighting internal pressure or electronic hiss, the result feels calmer, more organic, and less fatiguing. Pairing that physical protection with gentle, consistent noise masking sound, such as white or pink noise, or relaxing audio from a sleep app, gives the brain a steady, predictable auditory background. White noise contains all audio frequencies at equal intensity, similar to pink noise. Pink noise, however, sounds deeper and less harsh. Studies suggest pink noise may help people fall asleep faster and even enhance deep sleep. This combination of physical protection and consistent soothing audio helps the auditory system stand down, signaling that nothing unexpected is coming and its safe to rest. The benefits extend far beyond your nightly sleep. By improving rest quality, these techniques can directly boost daytime cognitive performance and productivity, areas where sleep deprivation takes a staggering toll. Currently, up to one-quarter of adults struggle with inadequate sleep, resulting in an economic impact of over $411 billion and the loss of 1.23 million working days annually in the U.S. alone. Sleep is the foundation for how we think, perform, and connect. When we chase total silence during sleep with ANC, we risk disrupting the very systems that help the brain recharge. True recovery happens when the mind feels safe, not sealed off. Passive noise blocking and gentle, consistent noise-masking audio support the brains natural rhythms, creating an environment where both body and mind can truly rest. The payoff is deeper sleep, steadier moods, sharper focus, and better performance. N.B. Patil is CEO and CTO of Ozlo.
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E-Commerce
As CES 2026 gets underway, Havas Media Network North America is publishing its 2026 Predictions Forecast, outlining the forces we believe will define the year ahead and separate brands that grow from those that fade. This perspective is drawn directly from that report and grounded in what leaders are seeing, discussing, and debating in Las Vegas this week. CES has always been where the future shows up first. But walking the floors this year, one thing is unmistakable: The industry is no longer dazzled by whats possible. Its demanding proof of what works. As technology accelerates, consumer expectations fragment, and financial scrutiny intensifies, 2026 is shaping up to be a reckoning year for brands. According to Havas Meaningful Brands research, 78% of brands could disappear tomorrow and consumers wouldnt care. Loyalty has become conditional. Attention is scarce. And relevance must be earned daily. CES 2026 isnt about shiny demos. Its about confronting the uncomfortable truths reshaping media, marketing, and how brands create value in peoples lives. The forces below reflect our point of view on the year ahead, based on the expanded Havas Media Network North America 2026 Predictions Forecast. AI MAKES VOLUME EASYSTANDING OUT HAS NEVER BEEN HARDER CES is flooded with AI promises. Personalization at scale. Automated creativity. Infinite content. But when everyone has access to the same tools, the tools stop being the advantage. Social feeds are already saturated with AI-generated sameness, creating a crisis of attention and trust. As Jackie Lyons, chief planning officer at Havas Media Network North America notes in the report, creator-led storytelling will become one of the most critical media effectiveness levers in 2026. Not because it scales fastest, but because it still feels human. Attention is no longer a vanity metric. Its a business currency. Chris Chobanian, SVP at CSA Consulting, Havas Media Network North America, explains that attention will move from a nice-to-have to a metric directly correlated to business outcomes. The strategic shift is clear: Use AI to amplify human creativity, not replace it. Brands that rely on generic automation will blend into the noise. Brands that invest in emotional storytelling and cultural relevance will earn premium attention. DISCOVERY IS BEING REWRITTEN IN REAL TIME One of the loudest conversations at CES this year isnt happening on stage. Its happening inside AI interfaces. Over 60% of Gen Z now uses generative AI to discover products. Conversational AI and agent engines are collapsing discovery into single answers. As Trevor Carr, CEO of Noise Digital and head of CSA shared with Havas Media Network, this isnt a new platform. Its a fundamental change to the internets decision-making layer. For brands, that means traditional click-based strategies are eroding. The winners in 2026 will be those that optimize not just for SEO, but for agent engine optimization, ensuring their brand becomes the answer AI recommends before a click ever happens. CFOS ARE THE NEW GROWTH GATEKEEPERS CES conversations are no longer just happening between CMOs and CTOs. CFOs are firmly in the room. 2026 marketing budgets will be planned like investments, with required returns, not discretionary spend. Finance leaders expect clean attribution, incrementality, and month-to-month accuracy. Plan your marketing budget like an investment, Taimoor Qureshi, managing partner of Finance Media Operations shared with us. Start with business outcomes, not last years spend. Brands that can speak CFO language arent seeing budgets shrink. Theyre seeing budgets protected and expanded. Those that cant will struggle to justify relevance. CULTURE CANT BE RENTEDIT HAS TO BE EARNED CES reflects a broader cultural truth: Mass culture has fractured into thousands of micro-communities. Gaming, fandoms, creators, and sports communities dont respond to one-off activations. They reward consistency, credibility, and commitment. Treat culture like a commitment, not a media plan, says Andrea Isaac, managing partner of Havas Play. Audiences are building identities around passions, rituals, and shared experiences, often guided by creators and platforms rather than institutions. Brands that show up episodically will be ignored. Brands that commit year-round will be welcomed in. THE GROWTH EVERYONE IS OVERLOOKING While much of CES targets youth and novelty, some of the most powerful growth opportunities are hiding in plain sight. Affluent consumers over 50 hold the majority of wealth. The premium pet economy continues to surge. And connected health is rapidly becoming a trillion-dollar market, reshaping daily consumer behavior and expectations. As Ray Romero, managing partner of client experience at Havas Media Network North America notes, connected devices and data-driven platforms are becoming embedded in how people manage everyday decisions. These are not niche opportunities. They are foundational growth engines for 2026 and beyond. WHAT WILL ACTUALLY WORK IN 2026 So what do brands do when they cant outspend competitors and old playbooks stop working? They get clear. They commit deeply. They prove value rigorously. They respect culture. And they never lose sight of the human on the other side of the screen. A CES MOMENT, A 2026 MANDATE The convergence of AI democratization, discovery disruption, financial scrutiny, and cultural fragmentation makes CES 2026 a defining moment, not just a showcase. Most brands will leave Las Vegas inspired, then return to the same habits. The ones that matter will act. The question isnt whether 2026 will be challenging. Its whether your brand is ready to meet it. Greg James is CEO of Havas Media Network North Amerca.
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E-Commerce
U.S. President Donald Trump said on Wednesday that the United States would withdraw from dozens of international and U.N. entities, including a key climate treaty and a U.N. body that promotes gender equality and women’s empowerment, because they “operate contrary to U.S. national interests.” Among the 35 non-U.N. groups and 31 U.N. entities Trump listed in a memo to senior administration officials is the U.N. Framework Convention on Climate Change described by many as the “bedrock” climate treaty which is parent agreement to the 2015 Paris climate deal. The United States skipped the annual U.N. international climate summit last year for the first time in three decades. “The United States would be the first country to walk away from the UNFCCC,” said Manish Bapna, president and CEO of the Natural Resources Defense Council. “Every other nation is a member, in part because they recognize that even beyond the moral imperative of addressing climate change, having a seat at the table in those negotiations represents an ability to shape massive economic policy and opportunity,” said Bapna. The U.S. will also quit UN Women, which works for gender equality and the empowerment of women, and the U.N. Population Fund (UNFPA), the international body’s agency focused on family planning as well as maternal and child health in more than 150 countries. The U.S. cut its funding for the UNFPA last year. “For United Nations entities, withdrawal means ceasing participation in or funding to those entities to the extent permitted by law,” reads the memo. Trump has already largely slashed voluntary funding to most U.N. agencies. A spokesperson for U.N. Secretary General Antonio Guterres did not immediately respond to a request for comment. TRUMP WARY OF MULTILATERAL ORGANIZATIONS Trump’s move reflects his long-standing wariness of multilateral institutions, particularly the United Nations. He has repeatedly questioned the effectiveness, cost and accountability of international bodies, arguing they often fail to serve U.S. interests. Since beginning his second term a year ago, Trump has sought to slash U.S. funding for the United Nations, stopped U.S. engagement with the U.N. Human Rights Council, extended a halt to funding for the Palestinian relief agency UNRWA and quit the U.N. cultural agency UNESCO. He has also announced plans to quit the World Health Organization and the Paris climate agreement. Other entities on the U.S. list are the U.N. Conference on Trade and Development, the International Energy Forum, the U.N. Register of Conventional Arms and the U.N. Peacebuilding Commission. The White House said the dozens of entities that Washington was seeking to depart as soon as possible promote “radical climate policies, global governance, and ideological programs that conflict with U.S. sovereignty and economic strength.” It said the move is part of a review of all international intergovernmental organizations, conventions and treaties. “These withdrawals will end American taxpayer funding and involvement in entities that advance globalist agendas over U.S. priorities, or that address important issues inefficiently or ineffectively such that U.S. taxpayer dollars are best allocated in other ways to support the relevant missions,” the White House said in a statement. Jasper Ward and Valerie Volcovici, Reuters
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E-Commerce
Dog owners have a lot of choices nowadays when it comes to picking out pet food for their pup. Dry kibble or wet? Beef or chicken? Frozen, fresh, or raw? Brands even boast human-grade ingredients and grain-free recipes. If you have a dog, your decision may be focused on nutrients, or maybe price. But one vet-turned-environmental researcher wants you to also consider the climate impact. And that impact could be hugedepending on the type of food, your dogs diet could have a greater environmental impact than your own. Calculating the carbon footprint of dog food What we eat matters for the planet. Globally, food production is responsible for more than a quarter of all greenhouse gas emissions and has impacts on biodiversity, deforestation, and water use. Climate experts agree that eating less meat and more plants is better for the environment. What we feed our pets matters too, says John Harvey, a veterinary surgeon working on environmental sustainability at the University of Edinburgh. In Harveys newest study, published in the Journal of Cleaner Production this week, researchers calculated the carbon footprint of nearly 1,000 types of dog food that are commercially available in the United Kingdom. Though the study is U.K. focused, the dog food market there is similar to the United States: the sample included dry, wet, and raw foods, as well as grain-free and even plant-based options. Harvey and his team found that in the U.K., the production of ingredients for dog food accounts for about 1% of the countrys total greenhouse gas emissions. Though 1% may seem small, it does matter, Harvey says. That’s big. Scaled up, the impact is clearer: If all dogs around the world were fed like they are in the U.K., the emissions to produce that food would be equivalent to more than half of all jet fuel emissions from global commercial aviation. (Dog food emissions actually range enough that they could be 59% to 99% of jet fuel emissions, when scaled up.) Its not clear what share of U.S. emissions comes from dog food, but dog ownership here is even higher. About 36% of U.K. households own a dog, for some 13 million total pups. In the U.S., more than 45% of households own a dog, for a total closer to 90 million, according to the American Veterinary Medical Association. What type of dog food is the most environmentally friendly? Your dog’s environmental pawprint depends on what exactly their food is made up of. And depending on the ingredients, that impact can change drastically: Over those nearly 1,000 different types of pet food, the researchers found a 65-fold difference between lower-impact feed options and higher-impact food. For comparison, the difference between human diets is much smaller: an average high-meat human diet produces 2.5 times the emissions as an average vegan diet. The dog foods with the highest greenhouse gas emissions were those that are meat-rich, wet, raw, or grain-free, the study found. [Image: courtesy The University of Edinburgh] When we look at feeding a 20-kilogram [44-pound] dog on raw food or wet food, many of those have a higher impact than a high meat human diet, Harvey says. Wet grain-free and raw foods also come with about twice the emissions of a human vegan diet. Terms like grain free, fresh, or human grade may sound appealing to pet owners, but studies have found that they dont come with clear health benefits, or generally lack evidence that theyre superior. There are people who really believe in a particular type of feeling, for example, that dogs must be fed like wolves, only meat and raw bones, Harvey says. Well, I would say the veterinary profession I’m not sure is aligned with that, and the evidence isn’t necessarily aligned with those particular positions. Helping dog owners be more aware Harvey doesnt want to demonize any way an owner might feed their dog; he just wants pet owners to be a bit more aware. This is not about saying You’re doing the wrong thing or blaming people, he says. There are opportunities within every single class of food that we looked at to pick a dramatically lower environmentally impactful formulation, and there’s opportunities for manufacturers to reformulate. Beef and lamb are the worst climate offenders when it comes to proteins, for example, so it makes sense that beef and lamb dog foods come with higher emissions. Switching to dog food with chicken would reduce your pups diet emissions. Similarly, foods with prime cuts, similar to what humans eat, have a bigger environmental impact, while those that use meat byproducts are more sustainable. There are also plant-based dog foods, which come with some of the lowest emissions. Pet owners can also be cognizant of managing portion sizes and waste to make their dogs diets more environmentally friendly. Harvey focused on food because it comes with a big impact, but also because its changeable. He even has a website with more information for pet owners. He hopes pet owners do become more aware of the impact of their dogs diets, and that dog food manufacturers become more transparent and better about labeling their ingredients, so customers can make informed choices. With his background as a vet, Harvey knows that pets matter to people. He also knows that were facing a climate crisis. I’d like people to still be able to have a pet as the climate changes, he says. I want those two things to be compatible.
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E-Commerce
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said he plans to meet with Danish officials next week after the Trump administration doubled down on its intention to take over Greenland, the strategic Arctic island that is a self-governing territory of Denmark.Since the capture of former Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro, President Donald Trump has revived his argument that the United States needs to control the world’s largest island to ensure its own security in the face of rising threats from China and Russia in the Arctic.Danish Foreign Minister Lars Lkke Rasmussen and his Greenland counterpart, Vivian Motzfeldt, had requested a meeting with Rubio, according to a statement posted Tuesday to Greenland’s government website. Previous requests for a meeting were not successful, the statement said.Rubio told a select group of U.S. lawmakers that it was the Republican administration’s intention to eventually purchase Greenland, as opposed to using military force.The remarks, first reported by The Wall Street Journal, were made in a classified briefing Monday evening on Capitol Hill, according to a person with knowledge of his comments who was granted anonymity because it was a private discussion.On Wednesday, Rubio told reporters in Washington that Trump has been talking about acquiring Greenland since his first term. “That’s always been the president’s intent from the very beginning,” Rubio said. “He’s not the first U.S. president that has examined or looked at how we could acquire Greenland.” European leaders express concern The leaders of France, Germany, Italy, Poland, Spain and the United Kingdom joined Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen in issuing a statement this week reaffirming that the mineral-rich island, which guards the Arctic and North Atlantic approaches to North America, “belongs to its people.” Frederiksen warned that a U.S. takeover would amount to the end of NATO.“The Nordics do not lightly make statements like this,” Maria Martisiute, a defense analyst at the European Policy Centre think tank, told The Associated Press on Wednesday. “But it is Trump whose very bombastic language bordering on direct threats and intimidation is threatening the fact to another ally by saying, ‘I will control or annex the territory.'”Rubio, who was on Capitol Hill for a classified briefing Wednesday with the entire U.S. Senate and House, did not directly answer reporters’ questions about whether the administration was willing to risk the NATO alliance by potentially moving ahead with a military option regarding Greenland.“I’m not here to talk about Denmark or military intervention, I’ll be meeting with them next week, we’ll have those conversations with them then, but I don’t have anything further to add to that,” Rubio said. He added that every president retains the option to address national security threats to the United States through military means.White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said Tuesday that using the military to acquire Greenland was an option, though she told reporters Wednesday that “the president’s first option always has been diplomacy.”Some Republican senators said they saw strategic value in Greenland, but they stopped short of supporting military action to acquire it.Kansas Sen. Roger Marshall said he hoped “we can work out a deal,” while North Dakota Sen. John Hoeven said some of the discussion about taking Greenland by force has been “misconstrued.”“One of the things about President Trump, you may have noticed, is he keeps our adversaries off balance by making sure they don’t know what we’re going to do,” Hoeven said.But Alaska Sen. Lisa Murkowski said she hated “the rhetoric around either acquiring Greenland by purchase or by force,” adding, “I think that it is very, very unsettling.”Democratic Sen. Jeanne Shaheen of New Hampshire and Republican Sen. Thom Tillis of North Carolina, co-chairs of the bipartisan Senate NATO Observer Group, said the U.S. needs to honor its treaty obligations to Denmark.“Any suggestion that our nation would subject a fellow NATO ally to coercion or external pressure undermines the very principles of self-determination that our Alliance exists to defend,” the senators said in a joint statement. ‘This is America now’ Thomas Crosbie, an associate professor of military operations at the Royal Danish Defense College, said an American takeover would not help Washington’s national security.“The United States will gain no advantage if its flag is flying in Nuuk versus the Greenlandic flag,” he told the AP. “There’s no benefits to them because they already enjoy all of the advantages they want. If there’s any specific security access that they want to improve American security, they’ll be given it as a matter of course, as a trusted ally. So this has nothing to do with improving national security for the United States.”Denmark’s parliament approved a bill in June to allow U.S. military bases on Danish soil. It widened a previous military agreement, made in 2023 with the Biden administration, in which U.S. troops had broad access to Danish air bases in the Scandinavian country. Denmark’s foreign minister has said that Denmark would be able to terminate the agreement if the U.S. tries to annex all or part of Greenland.In the event of military action, the U.S. Department of Defense operates the remote Pituffik Space Base, in northwestern Greenland, and the troops there could be mobilized.Crosbie said he believes the U.S. would not seek to hurt the local population or engage with Danish troops.“They don’t need to bring any firepower. They don’t need to bring anybody,” Crosbie said Wednesday. “They could just direct the military personnel currently there to drive to the center of Nuuk and just say, ‘This is America now,’ right? And that would lead to the same response as if they flew in 500 or 1,000 people.”The danger in an American annexation, he said, lies in the “erosion of the rule of law globally and to the perception that there are any norms protecting anybody on the planet.”He added: “The impact is changing the map. The impact I don’t think would be storming the parliament.” Kim reported from Washington. Geir Moulson in Berlin, Mark Carlson in Brussels, and Ben Finley, Joey Cappelletti and Aamer Madhani in Washington contributed to this report. Stefanie Dazio and Seung Min Kim, Associated Press
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E-Commerce
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