The first ever photograph of a black hole has
been revealed by scientists on April 11, 2019.
Until
now we have only ever been able to imagine what a black hole might look like,
but now scientists from all over the world have worked together to take the
first ever picture of one.
Eight
observatories from all over the world linked together back in 2017 to form one
giant virtual telescope called the Event Horizon Telescope (or EHT for short).
The
EHT has captured an image of a ‘monster’ black hole, which sits around 54
million light years away from Earth, in a different galaxy called Messier 87.
The
black hole is three million times the size of the Earth, and spews out a hot
jet stream of particles that stretches for 5,000 light years.
A
black hole is a dying star that has collapsed inward under the pressure of its
own weight.
The
pull of gravity from its centre becomes so strong that even light can’t escape,
which is why it looks black.
It
essentially becomes a super massive ‘vacuum’ sucking in stars, planets or
anything that gets too close – a bit like when you pull the plug in the bath.
Black
holes are also invisible, technically speaking, which has meant it has been
very tricky for scientists to capture them on camera.
As
things get sucked into the black hole the radiation energy bursts out from
behind it, which the EHT team have used to help them take a picture, and is the
reason why it looks a bit like a silhouette.
Most galaxies are thought to have a supermassive black hole at their centre.
Mastering social media for marketing purposes is a daunting task—it’s even arguable that you cannot master it at all; only learn the tricks that work best and do what you can. Entrepreneurs, brand owners, and marketers have a lot to deal with between liking and commenting on other users’ posts, re-sharing material, following people, and not to mention the most important part: producing compelling content.
Fortunately, you do not have to travel the social media landscape alone. There are a variety of digital tools that can make your life significantly easier. Here are some of the best resources that can make your job less tedious and give you a boost towards achieving your online marketing goals: S
Hashtagsforlike
Creating content that
provides your followers (and potential followers) with information and
entertainment is time-consuming. Social media does not work like casting a reel
and hoping the fish come, though; you need to let people know that you exist
and give a little (or rather, a lot) in return. Unfortunately, once you have
spent so much effort in creating content, you may not feel like you have the
energy to reach out to and engage with other users.
Hashtagsforlikes can handle the tedious aspects of social media, specifically Instagram, for you. You still have creative control over your content, but SocialSteeze growth experts can handle targeting potential audience members by liking their posts, commenting on them, following and unfollowing strategic profiles, and more on your behalf. You’ll have much more time to focus on other aspects of your business when someone else is increasing your number of Instagram followers.
Canva
Most social media
platforms are highly visual places. Instagram and Pinterest rely heavily on
images and videos, and exciting pictures are excellent for capturing peoples’
attention on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and others. You see it all the time
yourself—but what if you are not a photographer, videographer, or have no
Photoshop experience?
It doesn’t matter. Tools like Canva enable you to create stunning images that can communicate your message in enticing ways. Canva is free to use, so even if you do not consider yourself a graphic designer, you can still generate high-quality social media content that resonates with your audience while distinguishing your brand from competitors.
Buffer
While you do not need to be on every social media platform (only those that make the most sense for your business), you are probably still on more than one. Do you find separately managing Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter accounts overwhelming and frustrating? You don’t need to stress, because resources like Buffer enable you to manage your various social media accounts from one place.
With Buffer, you can
schedule social media posts ahead of time and add external content to your
queue. There are numerous other post-scheduling tools out there, so what sets
Buffer apart is its unique analytics capabilities. Buffer can provide you with
insight into your audience demographics, how your posts perform, what kind of
content is most successful, what times of day are best to publish at, and more.
When you have a comprehensive look at which efforts are working and which are
not, you can adjust them accordingly.
Buffer Reply
Buffer also offers a feature called Buffer Reply. Keeping in contact with your followers is an essential part of building an engaged audience: you do not want followers that sit idly, but people who comment on your posts and ask questions. However, you might find it challenging to keep track of dozens of conversations across different platforms at once, so Buffer Reply puts them all into one convenient location, so interacting with your followers one-on-one becomes a streamlined process.
Quuu.co
Creating a constant
amount of intriguing content is challenging, so it’s understandable if you feel
creatively drained after a while. Fortunately, not everything you post needs to
be original—it’s even practical to share articles, images, and videos from other
creators, as long as you give them credit. Collecting external material to
share is known as “content curation,” but it can still be a time-consuming
process in itself.
While other content curation tools exist (the internet is vast, after all; you do not have time to skim it for whatever you think your followers will enjoy), Quuu automates content curation with your audience in mind—and hand-reviews each piece in-house, so that you are only sharing high-quality pieces that keep your accounts active while building your brand’s authority.
Using social media for marketing requires a significant amount of effort and energy. There are numerous factors to consider when establishing your brand and growing your audience—but you do not have to do everything the long way. What are your favorite tools that make managing social media accounts easier?
President Donald Trump says he has spoken to
Attorney General William Barr about tracing the origins of the inquiry that cleared
him of colluding with Russia.
The Republican president described the investigation by former FBI director
Robert Mueller as “an attempted coup”.
William Barr meanwhile said he believes US authorities did spy on the Trump
campaign.
US intelligence officials have previously said they were spying on the
Russians, not the Trump campaign.
Speaking to reporters at the White House on April 10, President Trump railed
against the Department of Justice inquiry into whether the Trump campaign had
conspired with the Kremlin to sway the 2016 election.
The investigation cleared him and his aides of collusion, making no
determination on whether they had tried to obstruct justice.
President Trump said: “This was
an attempted coup. This was an attempted take-down of a president. And we beat
them. We beat them.
“So the Mueller report, when they
talk about obstruction we fight back. And do you know why we fight back?
“Because I knew how illegal this
whole thing was. It was a scam.
“What I’m most interested in is
getting started, hopefully the attorney general, he mentioned it yesterday.
“He’s doing a great job, getting
started on going back to the origins of exactly where this all started.
“Because this was an illegal
witch hunt, and everybody knew it. And they knew it too. And they got caught.
And what they did was treason.”
While President Trump was flying off to Texas, William Barr was appearing
before the Senate Appropriations Committee.
The attorney general was asked whether spying occurred on the Trump campaign
during the 2016 White House race.
“I think spying did occur,”
he said.
“The question is whether it was
adequately predicated.
“I’m not suggesting it was not
adequately predicated, but I need to explore that.”
William Barr said he did not understand why intelligence officials chose not
to warn the Trump campaign that it could be vulnerable to infiltration.
He praised the “outstanding” FBI as a whole, but told the panel: “I think there was probably a failure
among the group of leaders.”
He added: “I feel I have an
obligation to make sure government power is not abused.”
President Trump and his conservative allies have repeatedly suggested the
Obama administration planted a mole in his presidential campaign to undercut
his candidacy.
The former Director of National Intelligence James Clapper was asked on ABC
in May 2018 if the FBI had indeed snooped on the Trump team.
James Clapper replied: “No, they were not. They were spying on – a term
I don’t particularly like – but on what the Russians
were doing.
“Trying to understand were the
Russians infiltrating, trying to gain access, trying to gain leverage and
influence which is what they do.”
The same day in an interview with CNN, James Clapper said: “The objective here was actually to
protect the campaign by determining whether the Russians were infiltrating it
and attempting to exert influence.”
According to the New York Times last year, the FBI sent an informant, an unnamed US academic who teaches in the UK, to speak to two low-level Trump aides, George Papadopoulos and Carter Page, after the agency became suspicious of the pair’s Russian contacts.
Benjamin Netanyahu is likely to secure a record
fifth term as Israel’s prime minister after almost complete results from the
country’s election suggested a new right-wing coalition.
The prime minister’s Likud party is expected to finish with the same number
of seats as former military chief Benny Gantz’s centrist Blue and White
alliance.
A coalition between Likud and smaller right-wing and religious parties could
control 65 of the Knesset’s 120 seats.
In a late-night speech to supporters Benjamin Netanyahu claimed a
“colossal victory”.
Exit polls had earlier predicted a tight race with no clear winner.
If he can form a new governing coalition, Benjamin Netanyahu could become
Israel’s longest-serving prime minister this summer, overtaking the country’s
founding father David Ben-Gurion.
However, the prime minister could be indicted in three corruption cases in
the coming months.
Benjamin Netanyahu told cheering supporters at Likud’s headquarters: “It will be a right-wing government,
but I will be prime minister for all.
“I’m very touched that the people
of Israel gave me their vote of confidence for the fifth time, and an even
bigger vote of confidence than previous elections.
“I intend to be the prime
minister of all citizens of Israel. Right, left, Jews, non-Jews. All of
Israel’s citizens.”
No party has ever won a majority in Israel’s parliament and it has always
had coalition governments.
President Hassan Rouhani of Iran met with Iraqi government officials in Baghdad.
Rouhani visited a Shia shrine in the heart of the capital of Iraq. Yet the president’s motives for visiting extended beyond tourism.
Reimposedsanctions on Iranian international trade led to Rouhani’s meeting with President Salih and Prime Minister Mehdi. In this meeting, Iran and Iraq nearly doubled their trade ties.
What led Iran to strengthen trade ties between the neighboring countries? And how will these new trade agreements affect US relations with Iraq? Learn the answers to these questions and more below.
Iran and Iraq Sign Agreements
The presidents came to agreements about oil, trade, health, agriculture and transportation routes.
Rouhani and Salih also agreed on bureaucratic reforms. These reforms aim to improve business relationships and transactions between Iran and Iraq. In a statement, the president of Iran thanked the Iraqi government for bypassing US-imposed sanctions.
Iran’s agreements with their neighbors in Iraq may be the only thing to save the country from economic implosion.
Iran’s Deteriorating Economy
Last year, Trump announced that the US was pulling out of the2015 nuclear deal.
This deal reduced sanctions on Iranian trade in exchange for the country’s agreement to cut back on nuclear ballistics. Trump claimed the original deal did nothing to curb Iran’s efforts to develop nuclear weapons.
Since the Trump administration’s decision, US-imposed sanctions have led Iran’s economy to deteriorate.
Iran has threatened to pull out of the nuclear deal if its economic benefits aren’t protected. But many European businesses are still shying away from Iranian investments.
At the same time, the Iranian oil market has decreased in profit and the Rial has dropped in value. Since Iran and Iraq already have a strong economic relationship, these new trade ties were inevitable.
Hopefully, Iran had a pay stub maker on hand for receipts, though, because Iraq may end up pulling out of these agreements.
The Impact on Iraq
Currently, Iraq is excused from US trade sanctions imposed on Iran. That leaves the country vulnerable now that they’re powerful trading allies with Iran.
Yet the Iraqi government must see some benefit to these new agreements. Benefits, one must assume, that will outweigh the cost of angering Trump.
Indeed, Iran and Iraq aren’t just partners in trade. Iran exerts considerable military and political influence over the neighboring country.
Senior officials from Iran often propose business to the Iraqi government and vice versa. During the Islamic State uprising in Iraq, Iran offered militant aide. Today, Iran continues to provide weapons and training to Iraqi paramilitary forces.
Some Iraqis worry that the paramilitary holds more allegiance to the Iranian government than to their home country.
What This Means on a Global Scale
From the EU’s declining investiture to a possible US fallout with Iraq, it is clear Iran’s economic troubles are making global waves. There’s no telling which global powers will get involved with the economic troubles in the middle east next.
The Trump administration has yet to respond to the new agreements between Iran and Iraq.
Read more about what’s going on in the world right now or visit our Economy and Politics page for more breaking news.
Bitcoin is a global phenomenon. Since it was created back in 2009, it has changed the world of financial transactions. It was designed as a peer to peer cashless system, with transactions recorded on a decentralized blockchain. No single entity controls the blockchain and there are no geographical or regulatory borders. This makes bitcoin – and blockchain – very attractive.
The Rise of Bitcoin
In the beginning, bitcoin was a novelty. It was practically worthless and for several years, nobody outside of tech circles really knew it existed. By 2011, the idea of decentralized cryptocurrencies was catching on and other cryptocurrencies began to emerge from the shadows. Today, there are numerous altcoins, including Ripple and Litecoin, but bitcoin is still the best-known.
Bitcoin has entered the mainstream and it is now possible to buy everyday things using bitcoin. All Shopify stores now have the facility to accept bitcoin as a payment option. You can add bitcoin to your Microsoft account, and if you fancy a last-minute vacation, CheapAir accepts bitcoin as payment for flights.
Trading Bitcoin
You can also trade bitcoin for monetary gain. Buy and sell bitcoin or trade in it via a CFD with easyMarkets.
So, where does bitcoin fit into the world of finance right now?
In a world without bitcoin, financial transactions are controlled by vast financial institutions. Major financial institutions like PayPal act as third-parties in most transactions that take place online and offline. They provide merchant accounts, payment processing, and everything else you need to send money from A to B. Dig a little deeper and you’ll see that money is generated and controlled by governments and banks.
Bitcoin Compliments Traditional Financial Transactions
Bitcoin offers another option. It is open and transparent. It has its own settlement network and all transactions can be verified. Bitcoin runs on a peer to peer network that operates online. It is available globally. To send or receive bitcoin, all you need is a bitcoin wallet and an internet connection. Because it eliminates third-party financial institutions, it is faster and cheaper in many cases.
Researchers from Imperial College in London have looked at how bitcoin fits in with traditional financial systems. They concluded that bitcoin has the potential to fulfill a lot of roles in a more effective way.
Online banking is becoming increasingly common, but a lot of people don’t trust the system. Tales of scams and fraud are rife, and banks often wash their hands of the problem, refusing to reimburse customers who have lost their money.
Bitcoin transactions on the blockchain are verified, so it is impossible to make a fraudulent transaction. Records cannot be altered, and hacks are very rare. This makes bitcoin a safer system.
The Downsides of Bitcoin
The biggest drawback of bitcoin is its extreme volatility. Whilst the bitcoin price peaked at nearly $20k in December 2017, it has since dropped dramatically. Today it is worth less than $5k. For this reason, it is unlikely that bitcoin will replace traditional banking anytime soon.
Nevertheless, major financial institutions are integrating blockchain technology into their own systems, so it is likely that in the future, bitcoin and the underlying blockchain will become a part of our everyday lives.
May is the time when we look at the mental health problems that are affecting the nation. Mental Health Awareness Month helps us realize that we have quite a ways to go when it comes to taking care of the mental health of us and people around us. Whether we are having problems with ourselves, a family member, or anybody in our lives, talking to an online counselor can help.
With that said, some people don’t want to see a therapist in person. That’s why online options have been growing in popularity. Here are some reasons why online therapy has been growing in popularity.
It used to be that a cell phone was a luxury item.
Nowadays, most have the ability to take out their phone and communicate with a
professional.
People communicate in different ways too. Some people love
to talk with their own voice, while others express themselves via text. Some
like a video conversation. Online counseling offers all three of those, and
odds are, you have a device that can perform every option possible. Most have
service that allows for an online video call. No longer do you have to deal
with stuttering video or a dropped call.
You Can
Find a Better Fit
There are many therapists out there, and not every therapist
is a good fit for you. Some therapists can be great at their job, but their
style just doesn’t click with you. You may have preferences with age, gender,
or type of therapy they offer. In real life, there are fewer options, it seems.
When it comes to online therapy though, there are a lot more options and more
ways to be matched up with a therapist who is right for you.
Therapy on
Your Schedule
With 24 hour jobs and people who make their own schedules,
a traditional therapist’s hours are sometimes not doable. Online therapy allows
you to be matched up with a therapist who has plenty of experience and can talk
to you on your schedule. This is great for people who work odd hours or college
students who just can’t seem to find enough time in the day. We say to try that
and see how it works for you.
We understand that some people need help right now. Maybe they are
having a massive panic attack and need a professional to remind them how to
calm down. Perhaps they are having an argument with their spouse and need
someone who can deescalate the situation. No matter the reason, life doesn’t
allow you to wait until the next day. Online therapy can connect you with a
therapist who can calm you down or help you recover when you’re at your weakest,
which is always important.
Therapy at
All Levels
There are online therapists for everyone. People who just
need someone to talk to, people who have mild depression, and even people who
have severe mental health issues can benefit. There are different therapists
for all levels of mental illness, and they provide various techniques that can
help you when you’re at your most vulnerable.
Seek Help!
If you are dealing with a mental health problem, talking
to a professional and receiving the right kind of help is the most important
thing you can do. We cannot stress that enough. Talk to a counselor, either in
person or online, and see how you can deal with all the problems life throws at
you.
Of all the money invested in startups annually, $130 billion came from venture funds in 2018. This was the first year that that number crossed the $100 billion dollar line. Venture funds have also raised record amounts, and deal sizes have surged. United States firms alone have invested 4x more money into startups than they did 15 years ago.
Venture capitalism is
changing, and the start of 2019 have made those shifts more apparent. For
starters, the world venture capitalism tends to be different depending on who
you ask—everyone from investors to startup founders have had different experiences,
and the perception of what’s happening in the industry varies. Some people
consider it a golden ticket to growth, while others believe today’s business
climate means it’s better left avoided. But regardless of differing perception,
one thing is clear: for emerging startups, VC funding is often the best (and
only) option. Here’s how the world of venture capitalism is changing in 2019.
A Shift in Power Change
One of the first changes
many have noted in venture capitalism is the slow but sure shift in power
change. “With the large majority of VC returns coming from a small number of
deals and more startup capital on the table, the power dynamic is shifting,”
says Miruna Girtu, who specializes in researching and writing on the startup
ecosystem. “Increasingly, we hear of startups picking their VCs rather than the
other way around.”
More Differentiation
Among VCs
With a slight shift in
power change noted, venture capitalists are continuously looking for ways to
differentiate themselves in a business sphere where the amount of VCs in the
startup world is surging. With so much competitive pressure, venture
capitalists are always looking for unique ways to tips the odds in their
portfolio’s favor.
“Today, venture capitalists need to have more than just capital,” says Lee Jacobs, a former partner at AngelList. “With so many other firms on the hunt, it’s important to distinguish your model and approach. Today’s VCs need to think about what makes their firms valuable and original; ask yourself, what can you bring to the table—besides capital—that others VCs cannot?”
There ae several ways VCs can set themselves apart from their competition, and some of those methodolgies were outline at a panel called, “The Shifting Funding Landscape.” Here are a few notable ways VCs are carving a unique approach:
Using thesis-based investing,
which analyzes how speficifc trends or industries will evolve over longer
periods of time, and matching potential investments to ensure they align
with their thesis model
Forming agencies to provide
functional and operational expertise to their investments. By offering
value-add services, VCs are able to attract more startups with a bigger
batch of benefits
Investing in scouts who keep
their eyes and ears open for the best potential startup investments
In-House Software
To aid the process of
discovering the companies most likely to yield a high ROI, some VC firms have
gone the extra mile to design in-house software. For example, InReach Ventures,
a Europe-based VC, designed an internal proprietary tool called DIG. DIG uses
data aggregation, workflow management, and automated proactive outreach to
increase the efficiency of their sourcing efforts.
“We have been in business for only 3 years, therefore, there’s still a lot to prove,” Roberto Bonanzinga and Karolina Kukielka, investors at InReach, told Forbes. “However, we have had some interesting validations of our unique model. For example, Shopify acquired our portfolio company Oberlo last year. When we invested in Oberlo, very few people knew that the company existed and we found them thanks to our unique data-driven approach.”
Motherbrain is another
data-driven tool employed by EQT Ventures. It was designed to filter out the
noise of the VC world and track and prioritize leads. According to its
Investment Lead, David Fogel, this allowed them to make faster investment
decisions.
A Team of Mentors &
Support
Some VC firms are
beginning to operate much like a long-term accelerator. This is because, to
accelerate the growth of their companies, they’re bringing in a diverse team of
startup specialists to help guide their investments. These specialist range in
talent, offering everything from everything marketing support to product design
and business intelligence.
One London-based fund
called Forward Partners has conducted research to prove that this approach to
helping startups grow has helped their portfolio of 50+ companies excel.
According to them, by helping their startups with the right guidance and
operational support, their portfolio companies are 4x more likely to reach
Series A with 55% higher valuation. Those services are also offered at
one-third of the typical costs.
President Donald Trump has the right
to keep his tax returns private and Democrats’ demands to see them are
“harassment”, his lawyer, William Consovoy, has said.
The lawyer’s statement hints at the
shape of a possible future legal battle over the issue.
On April 4, a Congressional tax
committee demanded to see six years of Donald Trump’s returns, saying it was
necessary to ensure accountability.
Unlike previous presidents, Donald
Trump has refused to publish his tax details.
On April 5, the president said he
believed that the law was “100% on my side”.
President Trump has maintained his
business interests during his presidency, prompting questions about possible
conflicts of interest. Questions also remain about his net worth, tax profile
and past financial dealings.
The Democrats gained control of the
House of Representatives in mid-term elections last year, giving them the
ability to launch investigations into President Trump’s administration and
business affairs.
William Consovoy said the tax
committee did not have a valid legislative reason to see President Trump’s tax
returns.
“His request is a transparent effort by one political
party to harass an official from the other party because they dislike his
politics and speech,” the
lawyer said of tax committee chairman Bill Neal.
William Consovoy said the request was a “misguided attempt” to
politicize tax laws and could also end up interfering with audits. He said the
US Treasury should not comply with the demand.
President Trump has in the past said that he is unable to release his tax
returns because they were being audited by the IRS.
However, the IRS has said that he could release the returns even if they are
under audit.
In February the president’s former lawyer Michael Cohen suggested during
testimony to Congress that Donald Trump’s taxes were not under audit during the
2016 presidential campaign – when Donald Trump said they were.
President Trump had not wanted to release the tax returns because the resulting scrutiny could have led to an audit and “he’ll ultimately have taxable consequences, penalties and so on”.
A recent analysis, published in Lancet,
found that people’s daily diet is a bigger killer than smoking and is now
involved in one in five deaths around the world.
According to the study, salt – whether in bread, soy sauce or processed
meals – shortened the highest number of lives.
Researchers say this study is not about obesity, but “poor
quality” diets damaging hearts and causing cancer.
An influential study shows that the food we eat is putting 11 million of us
into an early grave each year.
The Global Burden of Disease Study is the most authoritative assessment of how people are
dying in every country in the world.
The latest analysis used estimates
of countries’ eating habits to pin down how often diet was shortening lives.
The dangerous diets were those
containing:
Too much salt – 3 million deaths
Too few whole grains – 3 million deaths
Too little fruit – 2 million deaths
According to the study results, low
levels of nuts, seeds, vegetables, omega-3 from seafood and fiber were the
other major killers.
Salt
About 10 million out of the 11 million diet-related deaths were because of
cardiovascular disease and that explains why salt is such a problem.
Too much salt raises blood pressure and that in turn raises the risk of heart
attacks and strokes.
Salt can also have a direct effect
on the heart and blood vessels, leading to heart failure when the organ does
not work effectively.
Japan and China have curiously contrasting fortunes that reflect their
changing relationship with salt.
China consumes enormous amounts of salt with soy and other salty sauces
being a key part of the country’s cuisine.
The rising popularity of processed foods is introducing yet more salt to
their diet. It has the highest death rate because of salt of any country.
Bad diets
Whole grains, fruit and vegetables
have the opposite effect – they are “cardioprotective” and lower the
risk of heart problems.
Cancers and type 2 diabetes made up
the rest of the diet-related deaths.
No country is perfect and each favors
some part of a healthy diet more than others, but this is how far the world is
from an optimal diet.
When it comes to
delivering an education to our kids, it’s natural to assume that teachers play
the most significant role in schools nationwide. However, the education
infrastructure that exists in schools can also have a massive bearing on your
child’s personal and academic development, from the classrooms that they sit in
to the laboratories that they use.
In short, schools that have benefitted from investment and developed a comprehensive infrastructure are proven to deliver the best learning outcomes, while also leveraging economies of scale to achieve considerable cost savings.
In this article,
we’ll explore the importance of infrastructure further, while looking at how
this translates into superior facilities and a better learning experience for
children.
Investment in
Infrastructure can Boost Learning by 16%
According to one study that reviewed the holistic impact of classroom spaces on a child’s economic development, the various environmental and design elements of a school’s infrastructure combine to deliver improvements of up to 16% in students’ academic process.
In simple terms,
the design of education infrastructure can affect learning through three
interrelated factors; namely naturalness, stimulation and individualisation.
These relate to the air quality, colour combination and flexibility of specific
learning spaces, and investing in a scientific and strategic design will aid
the concentration and performance of students.
Of course, the
issue is that most schools in the UK are publicly funded, meaning that their
decisions tend to be made based on finance rather than the optimal design of
individual classrooms.
This represents something of a false economy, however, as developing the infrastructure of classrooms and investing more in this can directly benefits students.
2. The Provision of Hot Meals Aids Attendance and Academic Performance
Since 2014, every child in reception, year one and year two classes across England and Wales have been in receipt of a free hot lunch whilst at school. This is regardless of their household income, while this government-backed policy has improved the nutritional intake of children and triggered a sharp improvement in academic performance and exam results.
Historically, free
hot meals were only available to people based on their level of household
income, which in turn created an unfair social stigma for families who applied.
This could have a subsequent impact on a child’s social development and
attendance, which in turn damaged their academic performance over time.
This necessary investment into school’s kitchens and equipment can also improve efficiency from the school’s perspective. Providing meals on a larger scale leads to economies of scale and potential savings for the school.
The academic performance of the poorest kids in schools has also improved markedly, so while this demographic has not benefitted materially from the initiative they have revelled in a more inclusive environment.
3. The Benefits of Sports on Academic Performance
It’s well-known
that organised and well-structured youth sports provide various benefits for
children, which is why so many schools look to invest in infrastructure and
outdoor facilities for their students.
While many believe
that students who regularly practice sport are likely to see their academic
grades drop, the facts are those who engage in physical activity perform better
in the classroom and learn a number of critical life skills.
Sports require
memorisation, learning and repetition, for example, and the skills can be
directly applied to classwork and academic study. Athletes also tend to be
focused and determined, which are crucial qualities when looking to learn
complex topics and areas of study.
Make no mistake;
the positive experiences created by sport can play an active role in a young
student’s life, which is why investing in the relevant infrastructure can make
schools far more engaging.
The coworking space has always been home to the startup. Since its inception years ago, fledgeling businesses have flocked to these enclaves that have formed communities in and around New York City. The office space is cheap and the conversation lively, but the workspace provides businesses with the type of support not seen by other office formats.
The coworking space has evolved to the point that spaces offer professionals a variety of perks, and then the online community has expanded to include coworking wikis, which provide freelancers support and a platform for collaboration. Then, there are the white-shoe coworking spaces like Servcorp, a 5-star coworking space with 85 workstations nestled in One World Trade Center. Five-star coworking spaces do more for businesses than just reside in some of the most exclusive buildings in the world.
Keep reading to learn about what a 5-star coworking space can do for your business.
Significantly Reduce Overheads
One of the major features of a 5-star coworking space is that it can manage to provide businesses with all of the necessities of a corporate office without the excessive price tag. Excellent Wi-Fi is always appreciated but providing clean workspace in a prime location is very important to a world-class fit out. A 5-star coworking space should provide businesses with the basics plus perks but still be able to from a place of affordability.
Provide Professional Workspace
A 5-star office typically is furnished with the finest in corporate office furniture. The buildings are in excellent condition, as is the case of the WTC. Usually, the buildings have the latest in technology, and in the case of older, historic buildings, they are retrofitted for newer technologies.
These offices also tend to be located near historic or financial business districts. Whether they are a part of landmark financial districts or cultural enclaves that have been gentrified, they always give businesses access to concierge services and products. Ultimately, the receptionist and support staff all have been trained in excellent customer service and support.
Provide A Platform For Community
The coworking space also provides businesses with a platform to network with others. Again, the space’s initial mission was to provide start-ups with a platform to collaborate with others in a positive environment. Most communities provide a social platform, and whether they plan social events in the space or they bring experts into the community, most coworking spaces have an events calendar with opportunities for businesses to get together.
Provide Flexible Leasing
A world-class fit out really is determined by the details in the contract. The lease’s terms should reflect that the business is current as it relates to office space solutions, which means their leases are flexible enough for the times. For example, many coworking leases have forgone the protracted, lengthy leases for shorter ones that allow businesses versatility.
In exchange for leases that typically run anywhere between one year to seven, these coworking spaces have leases that run as short as a month. In addition, the leases transition easily into other formats if the renter decides coworking is not a good fit or if their business grows. Finally, if the leasing organisation has offices in other locations, then the leases are transferable, and the coworking professional can avail of the use of space in other locations if they need to travel.
Startup Success
The standard for a good coworking space goes up a level when the leasing organisation has a great grasp of what businesses need in the modern office. Five-star fit outs give businesses all of the essentials of modern-day work while making room for the extras that make work exciting. In NYC, there are numerous coworking spaces, and while many of them are engaging, finding the 5-star gem is the challenge.
Algeria’s President Abdelaziz Bouteflika
has decided to resign after weeks of mass protests, state media report.
The 82-year-old, who has been in
power for 20 years, had already dropped plans to seek a fifth term as
opposition to his rule grew.
The Algerian army had called for the
president to be declared incapable of carrying out his duties.
Abdelaziz Bouteflika suffered a
stroke six years ago and has rarely appeared in public since.
Car horns could be heard in the
streets of the capital, Algiers, as hundreds celebrated the announcement.
People waved Algeria’s national flags
and sang.
News of the resignation came in a statement carried on state news agency
APS.
The statement read: “The
president of the republic, Abdelaziz Bouteflika, has officially notified the
president of the constitutional council of his decision to end his mandate as
president of the republic.”
State TV then reported that this
would be with immediate effect.
According to the constitution, the Senate speaker should take over as
interim president until fresh elections are held. The chairman of the upper
house of parliament, Abdelkader Bensalah, is expected to become caretaker
president for three months until elections.
Pressure had been building since
February, when the first demonstrations were sparked by President Bouteflika’s
announcement that he would be standing for a fifth term.
Tens of thousands protested across
the country on March 1. Abdelaziz Bouteflika’s promise not to serve out a fifth
term if re-elected, along with a change of prime minister, failed to quell the
discontent.
Leaders of the protests also rejected President Bouteflika’s offer this week
that he would go by the end of his current term – April 28 – as not quick
enough.
It seems the powerful military agreed. Its chief, Lt. Gen. Ahmed Gaed Salah,
said on April 2: “There is no more
room to waste time.”
The protesters have also called for the whole political system, in which the
military plays a significant role, to be overhauled.
Many of the demonstrators are young and say they want a new system of
government.
There were accusations that Abdelaziz Bouteflika was being used as a front
by “le pouvoir” – a group of businessmen, politicians and military
officials – to retain their power.
Elections originally scheduled for April 18 were postponed and the governing
National Liberation Front (FLN) vowed to organize a national conference on
reforms.
The FLN has ruled Algeria since 1962, when the country won independence from
France after seven years of conflict.
Abdelaziz Bouteflika, who came to power in 1999, strengthened his grip after a bloody civil war against Islamist insurgents which left 150,000 dead.
Finding ways to expand your business is important. Solely relying on one product or service to make your living can lead to big problems in the future. This is why you need to focus on developing new products to add to your existing business.
Studies show that over95 percent of the new products launched each year will fail. Often times, things like a lack of market research are to blame for these failures. Instead of having to deal with the stress and worry of a failing product, you need to focus on conducting thorough market research.
Read below to find out about some of the mistakes you need to avoid when conducting market research.
Neglecting to Conduct Offline Surveys
One of the biggest mistakes most business owners make when conducting market research is relying solely on online methods. While taking surveys on social media platforms or even your website can provide a great deal of helpful information, you need to also take advantages of offline survey methods as well.
For years, business owners have used digital kiosks to collect information from consumers. Setting up one of these kiosks in areas where your existing products are sold is a great idea. With the help of this kiosk andoffline survey software, you can get a feel for what consumers think of your new product idea.
Failing to Provide Consumers With Accurate Product Details
Before you start the journey of expanding into new markets, you need to develop a plan of attack when it comes to market research. If you are developing a new product, drafting up a brief report on the details of this product is a must.
Failing to provide the consumers you are polling with accurate product information can make the feedback you receive nearly useless. You need to give the consumers you are polling lots of information about how the product is being designed to meet their needs. Often times, the product information you provide during the market research phase will help to create a buzz.
Figuring Out Who Your Competition Is
As the old saying goes, “there is nothing new under the sun.” This saying can be applied to the world of product development as well. While you may have a unique take on an older product, very rarely will you find something that is totally new.
Instead of going into this process blindly, your market research needs to include thorough research on your competitors in a particular market. Taking a look at how successful a competitor has been can help you figure out if you want to pursue the development of a particular product.
You will also need to take a look at how a competitor is marketing their product. Drawing inspiration from their marketing campaigns is perfectly acceptable. However, you need to avoid directly ripping off key elements of their advertising strategy.
Listen to Negative Feedback
Some business owners think that market research will only garner positive feedback. The reality is that you need to prepare yourself for negative comments from consumers about a particular product.
Listening to this negative feedback and using it to make a decision regarding the launch of a new product is a must. If you are getting far more negative feedback, then you may want to shelve your idea for a while. Going back to the drawing board and developing a new product is far less costly than putting a large investment into a product that isn’t successful.
Don’t Rush Through the Market Research Process
Taking the time to thoroughly research the potential market for your product is worth it. Rushing through this process can lead to mistakes being made. Working with professionals familiar with this type of research can be extremely helpful.
Former Vice-President Joe Biden is
being accused of inappropriate touching for second time in just three days, as
the leading Democrat mulls a White House bid.
The second woman, Amy Lappos, said
Joe Biden had touched her face with both hands and rubbed noses with her a
decade ago.
The allegation comes after another
woman, Lucy Flores, said on March 29 that Joe Biden kissed her on the back of
her head at a campaign event.
Joe Biden has said he did not
believe he has ever acted inappropriately.
The former Delaware senator, who
served as President Barack Obama’s vice-president between 2009 and 2017, is
seen as a possible front-runner in the race for the Democratic presidential
nomination.
Amy Lappos, a 43-year-old former
aide to a Democratic congressman, said Joe Biden touched her inappropriately at
a fundraiser in a private home in Hartford, Connecticut, in 2009.
The woman told Hartford Courant the then vice-president entered the kitchen to
thank a group of aides, before wrapping both hands around her face and pulling
her in to rub noses with her.
Amy Lappos called on Joe Biden not
to run for the White House, saying: “Uninvited
affection is not okay. Objectifying women is not okay.”
Lucy Flores was running as the Democratic candidate for Nevada’s lieutenant
governor in 2014 when Joe Biden flew in to support her bid.
As she prepared to go on stage, Joe Biden placed two hands on her shoulders
from behind, smelled her hair then planted “a big slow kiss on the back of
my head”.
Asked about the new allegation, a spokesman for Joe Biden referred reporters
to a statement he issued on March 31.
The statement read: “In my many
years on the campaign trail and in public life, I have offered countless
handshakes, hugs, expressions of affection, support and comfort. And not once –
never – did I believe I acted inappropriately.”
“But we have arrived at an
important time when women feel they can and should relate their experiences,
and men should pay attention. And I will,” it added.
Joe Biden and Barack Obama were known for their close friendship, often seen
playing golf and attending sports events together. Joe Biden even said that
Barack Obama offered him financial help when his son was ill.
For his vice president’s birthday in 2017, Barack Obama posted a photo of
the two of them on Twitter, writing that Joe Biden was his “brother and
the best vice president anybody could have”.
On April, a spokesman for Joe Biden also accused “right wing
trolls” of presenting harmless images of the former vice president
interacting with women over the years as evidence of inappropriate touching.
A number of candidates for the 2020 Democratic presidential nomination have
backed Lucy Flores.
Senator Elizabeth Warren said Joe Biden “needs to give an answer”,
and Senator Amy Klobuchar said that in politics “people raise issues and
they have to address them”.
Some supporters though have defended him. Cynthia Hogan, a former aide to the vice-president, told the New York Times that Joe Biden “treated us with respect and insisted that others do the same”. An ally of Joe Biden told CNN he was not reconsidering a run for the White House following the allegations but stressed he was yet to make a decision.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s
governing party, the AKP, has lost control of the capital, Ankara, in local
elections, in a blow to his 16-year rule.
According to figures published by Turkey’s state-run Anadolu news agency, the
main opposition party, the CHP, is also slightly ahead in the contest for mayor
of Istanbul.
The AKP party is challenging the result in both cities.
Municipal elections were held across Turkey on March 31 and an AKP-led
alliance won more than 51% of the vote.
The elections, considered a verdict on President Erdogan’s rule, have been
taking place during an economic downturn.
Following the vote’s preliminary results, Turkish lira has been losing value
recently and the economy went into recession in the last three months of 2018.
The AKP – Justice and Development Party – alleges “invalid votes and
irregularities in most of the 12,158 polling stations in Ankara”.
AKP’s general secretary Fatih Sahin said on Twitter: “We will use our legal rights to the fullest, and we will not
allow the will of our citizens to be altered in Ankara.”
The party says it will also
challenge the result in Istanbul – the largest city – and the eastern province
of Igdir.
Commenting on the results in a
speech on March 31, President Erdogan looked ahead to national elections in
2023: “We have a long period ahead
where we will carry out economic reforms without compromising on the rules of
the free-market economy.
“If there are any shortcomings, it is our duty to
correct them.”
More than 57 million voters were
registered to vote for mayors and councilors. Turnout was high at just under
85%.
According to officials, the
opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) candidate Mansur Yavas won in Ankara.
With almost all votes counted, he was on nearly 51% and the AKP’s Mehmet
Ozhaseki had won the support of just over 47%.
Both CHP and the AKP claim victory
in Istanbul, which has been in the hands of parties linked to President Erdogan
since 1994, when he was elected the city’s mayor.
The election commission said the
CHP’s Ekrem Imamoglu was leading there by less than 0.5%, but that the results
of more than 80 ballot boxes were being challenged. Results carried by Anadolu news
agency put the margin even narrower, at less than 0.25%.
The AKP had been saying its candidate, former PM Binali Yildirim, was ahead
by 4,000 votes. He later conceded his opponent had a narrow lead, only for the
AKP to again claim victory.
The third largest city, Izmir, went to the CHP.
This was the first municipal vote since Recep Tayyip Erdogan assumed
sweeping executive powers through last year’s presidential election.
The AKP, with its roots in political Islam, has won every election since
coming to power in 2002.
President Erdogan, whose two-month campaign included 100 rallies, said the
poll was about the “survival” of the country and his party.
With most media either pro-government or controlled by President Erdogan’s
supporters, critics believe opposition parties campaigned at a disadvantage.
Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s rallies dominated TV coverage.
The opposition pro-Kurdish Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP) said the
elections were unfair and refused to put forward candidates in several cities.
Some of the HDP’s leaders have been jailed on terrorism charges, accusations they reject.
Whenever you start a business, the first and foremost thing that comes in your mind is to earn the profit and make money — no matter what type of business you have. Whether you are a manufacturer or service provider, you want your business to run smoothly. You want to have profits all the times.
There is no need to mention that nowadays businesses run on websites and the internet more than having physical outlets. So you need to promote your business via websites.
Now a question arises that how can we bring millions of users to our websites to market our products. Higher the number of visitors to your websites, greater will be the reward. In this regard, LD Sydney SEO could be of great help.
Here are some techniques that will help out in increasing the traffic on your website:
Get Social
Blogging
Optimized SEO
Advertisement
Email Marketing
Using Long Tail Keywords
Let’s discuss these techniques one by one:
Get Social:
It is an era of being extrovert. If you want to achieve your goals than you have to connect with people. Linking with People who come from different backgrounds and have a different school of thoughts will bring several business opportunities for you. Nowadays becoming socially active has become easier. You can promote your product or service via some social medium. Twitter, in this regard, is the best way for short links. You can also use Instagram if images of your product can best describe themselves.
Blogging:
Blogging helps a lot in promoting your content. It has the ability to attract more viewers and audience. Let’s have an example. If you are doing some food relevant work, then you can post recipes from different regions. You can also add videos or images of your recipes.
If you invite other people to blog on your niche, it will also be more beneficial. By doing so, you will have more readers to your content. But you should be more cautious while inviting others for blogging as spams can harm your content.
Optimized SEO:
You need to maintain your content in a way that is more valuable for any search engine. You must keep this in mind that the quality and quantity of your work will improve your SEO. In order to optimize SEO, you can hire some expert. That manager will not only make your content valuable but will also enhance traffic to your web site. You can also do this on your own, but it requires plenty of skills.
Advertisement:
As the world has become a global village. It is just a blessing of fast means of communication. Use the latest methods and technology to advertise your work. It will respond promptly. In order to attract users to your website, you can place an advertisement for your business at different relevant websites. Some websites charge for this service, and some do this for free.
Email Marketing:
Email marketing has yet another important and valuable tool in attracting millions of people to your content.
Using Long Tail Keywords:
Long tail keywords are considered more precise and niche. Long tail keywords comprise of two or three words that are very specific to whatever you are offering. These words help internet users to get to your product or service more quickly. Using these words ensure valuable clients also.
Ukraine is voting in the first round of
presidential elections with current leader Petro Poroshenko seeking re-election
but the surprise front-runner is a comedian, Volodymyr Zelenskiy.
Petro Poroshenko and Volodymyr Zelenskiy, along with former PM Yulia
Tymoshenko, have expressed largely pro-European views during campaigning.
None of the pro-Russian candidates are seen as serious contenders.
If no candidate gets more than 50% on March 31, the top two will fight it
out in a second round on April 21.
A total of 39 candidates are on the ballot paper, but only the three
front-runners are considered to have any chance of victory.
President Poroshenko has significant powers over security, defense and
foreign policy and the ex-Soviet republic’s system is described as
semi-presidential.
The current leader, one of Ukraine’s wealthiest oligarchs, was elected in a snap
vote after former pro-Russian President Viktor Yanukovych was toppled in the
February 2014 Maidan Revolution, which was followed by Russia’s annexation of
Crimea and a Russian-backed insurgency in the east.
The next president will inherit a deadlocked conflict between Ukrainian
troops and Russian-backed separatists in the east, while Ukraine strives to
fulfill EU requirements for closer economic ties.
The EU says that about 12% of Ukraine’s 44 million people are
disenfranchised, largely those who live in Russia and in Crimea, which Russia
annexed in March 2014.
Separatist-controlled areas are boycotting the election.
Volodymyr Zelenskiy, 41, is aiming to turn his satirical TV show – in which
he portrays an ordinary citizen who becomes president after fighting corruption
– into reality.
He has done no rallies and few interviews, and appears to have no strong
political views apart from a wish to be new and different.
The comedian’s extensive use of social media appeals to younger voters.
Volodymyr Zelenskiy’s readiness to speak both Russian and Ukrainian, at a
time when language rights are a hugely sensitive topic, has gained him support
in Ukraine’s largely Russian-speaking east.
Opinion polls suggest Volodymyr Zelenskiy will have a clear lead over Petro
Poroshenko and Yulia Tymoshenko in the first round, and would retain it in a
run-off against either of them.
Petro Poroshenko, 53, aims to appeal to conservative Ukrainians through his
slogan “Army, Language, Faith”.
The current president says his backing for the military has helped keep the
separatists in eastern Ukraine in check. He also negotiated an Association
Agreement with the EU, including visa-free travel for Ukrainians. During his
tenure the Ukrainian Orthodox Church has become independent of Russian control.
However, Poroshenko’s campaign has been dogged by corruption allegations,
including a scandal over defense procurement, which erupted last month.
The third main contender is Yulia Tymoshenko, 58, who has served as prime
minister and ran for president in 2010 and 2014. She played a leading role in
the 2004 Orange Revolution, Ukraine’s first big push to ally itself with the
EU.
The front-runner among the pro-Russian candidates, Yuriy Boyko, says he
would “normalize” relations with Russia.
North Korea has labeled a break-in
at its Madrid embassy last month as a “grave terrorist attack”.
In its first official comment, the
North Korean government called for an investigation and said it was closely
watching rumors that the FBI had played a role.
On March 27, the Cheollima Civil
Defense (CDC), a group committed to ousting North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, said
it carried out the raid.
The group took computers and data
and said it gave its evidence to the FBI.
At least two international arrest
warrants have been issued for the main suspects.
Spanish authorities say one suspect,
named as Adrian Hong Chang, gained access by asking to see the commercial
attaché, whom he claimed to have met previously to discuss business matters.
His accomplices burst in once he was inside.
The CDC is accused of interrogating
the attaché and trying to persuade him to defect. When he refused, they left him
tied up in the basement.
Two other members of the break-in group were named as US citizen Sam Ryu,
and a South Korean, Woo Ran Lee.
Embassy staff were held hostage for several hours. One woman managed to
flee, escaping through a window and screaming for help. Concerned neighbors
quickly called the police.
When officers arrived, they were greeted by Adrian Hong Chang, posing as a
North Korean diplomat in a jacket with a Kim Jong-un lapel badge.
He told the police that all was well, and nothing had happened.
Most of the group later fled the embassy in three North Korean diplomatic
vehicles. Adrian Hong Chang and some others left later via the back entrance
using another vehicle.
They split up into four groups and headed to Portugal. Adrian Hong Chang – a
Mexican citizen who lives in the US – allegedly contacted the FBI to give his
version of events five days later.
CDC, also known as Free Joseon, is committed to overthrowing North Korea’s
ruling Kim dynasty.
A video posted on the group’s
website and YouTube page purports to show one of the intruders smashing
portraits of North Korea’s leaders inside the Madrid embassy.
The Cheollima Civil Defense first
came to prominence after taking credit for getting Kim Jong-un’s nephew, Kim
Han-sol, safely out of Macau after the assassination of his father.
Kim Jong-nam, the North Korean leader’s
estranged half-brother, was murdered at an airport in Malaysia in 2017.
Kim Han-sol has expressed his desire
to go back to North Korea, and has referred to his uncle as a “dictator”.
Sources close to the investigation reportedly told Spanish newspaper El País that the operation was planned
perfectly, as if by a “military cell”.
According to El País and El Confidencial, the attackers seemed to
know what they were looking for. Spanish authorities suspect US intelligence
agencies and their allies could have been involved in the attack.
El País even reports that two of
the group have links to the CIA.
The US has denied any involvement in the raid.
Reports say the attackers could have been looking for information on North Korea’s former ambassador to Madrid, Kim Hyok-chol, who was expelled from Spain in September 2017 over North Korea’s nuclear testing program.
Zuzana Caputova has become Slovakia
first female president after winning the second round of the vote.
The 45-year-old divorcee and mother
of two, who has almost no political experience, defeated high-profile diplomat
Maros Sefcovic, who was nominated by the governing party.
Zuzana Caputova framed the election
as a struggle between good and evil.
The election follows the murder of investigative
journalist Jan Kuciak last year.
The journalist was looking into
links between politicians and organized crime when he was shot alongside his
fiancée in February 2018.
In utilizing unorthodox working methods like hot-desking and on-the-go productivity, you have probably injected an appreciable degree of flexibility into your business operations. However, has all of this inflicted an adverse knock-on effect on your ability to take customer calls promptly?
Let’s crunch the numbers when it comes to missed calls
An analysis of 1,600 SME-based IT leaders and IT service users has revealed that, on average, just one missed call costs the business in question £1,200. If that business still doesn’t answer follow-up calls over a complete 24-hour period, the average loss can total £9,000.
Worse, according to the research, smaller, more resource-strapped businesses tend to be hit hardest by missed calls. Between April 2013 and March 2014, 63,400 companies with a worker tally of between 20 and 49 lost, overall, £36,518,400 as a consequence.
The effect that this negligence can have on customer loyalty is startling. One report from Business Insider reported 28% of people shedding “brand loyalty” in the wake of poor customer service. 78%, meanwhile, would be reluctant to shop again with a brand if their complaint was badly handled.
What’s to blame for missed calls?
It’s clear that, the longer a business fails to answer incoming calls, the more customers and custom it can lose. However, prime culprits for missed calls, it seems, include two ways of working that have apparently, on the whole, made businesses more productive: flexible working and hot-desking.
With research revealing that 77% of companies allow flexible working while 45% permit hot-desking, calls appear to face numerous barriers to reaching their intended recipients. Therefore, the onus very much needs to be on efficient call routing.
Four-fifths of workers are said to spend time away from the office, while over half rely on three different devices for communication during work. However, rest assured that your customers will not care how their calls are routed, only that those calls get through to the right people.
Potential remedies for the problem of missed calls
In turning to a telecoms provider, you could be pleasantly surprised by the range of call routing plans on offer. For example, it’s possible to have your phones rung in a particular order to ensure that, if the initial line is unavailable, the call can be moved onto another line, and so on.
You could alternatively have all of your firm’s phones ringing simultaneously in reaction to the same call. Outside the usual work hours, calls could even be forwarded with a bespoke routing plan; for example, a call typically meant for your office-based system can be redirected to your mobile.
Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel says the sudden move
to drop charges against actor Jussie Smollett over a hoax attack has made a
fool of the city.
The state’s attorney’s office maintains Jussie Smollett has not been
exonerated, while the actor’s lawyers say his record has been wiped clean.
Rahm Emanuel told ABC News: “They
better get their stories straight because this is actually making a fool of all
of us.”
Police maintain Jussie Smollett staged a racist and homophobic attack.
The actor has insisted throughout that he is innocent of all these
allegations.
Speaking on Good Morning America on March 27, Mayor Emanuel pilloried Jussie Smollett, saying he “abused the city of Chicago”.
“You have the state’s attorney’s
office saying he’s not exonerated, he actually did commit this hoax. He’s saying
he’s innocent and his words aren’t true.”
Rahm Emanuel says he wants the court records unsealed so that all the
evidence gathered by Chicago Police could be seen.
The mayor said he also wants prosecutors to explain why they made such a
sudden reversal.
He said police had evidence that Jussie Smollett had made up claims that he
was attacked on January 29 in downtown Chicago by two masked men who he claimed
shouted racist and homophobic slurs, poured bleach on him and put a rope round
his neck.
Illinois prosecutor Joe Magats made the decision to drop charges against
Jussie Smollett on March 26 in a move that blindsided police – but he maintains
that the TV actor is guilty.
He told CBS News: “Our priority
is violent crimes and the drivers of violence.
“Jussie Smollett is neither one
of those.”
He added that community service and a fine is a common outcome for such a
case. When asked if those penalties were sufficient for Mr Smollett, he said:
“I feel that it is.”
Tandra Simonton, a spokeswoman for the Cook County state’s attorney, told
NBC News: “The charges were dropped
in return for Mr. Smollett’s agreement to do community service and forfeit his
$10,000 bond to the City of Chicago.
“Without the completion of these
terms, the charges would not have been dropped.”
Police, however, have disagreed, with Supt Eddie Johnson saying if Jussie
Smollett “wanted to clear his name, the way to do that was in a court of
law so that everyone could see the evidence”.
A Chicago police union on Tuesday renewed calls for a federal inquiry
looking into what role the state’s prosecutor Kimberly Foxx, who recused
herself, played in the case.
In a statement to NBC, the Fraternal Order of Police said they are
“outraged…but not surprised”.
The union said Kimberly Foxx had “transformed the prosecutor’s office
to a political arm of the anti-police movement”.
The Fraternal Order of Police said their demand was based on reports of
texts between Kimberly Foxx and a former Obama aide about the case.
State’s Attorney Kimberly Foxx recused herself from the Smollett case last
month, citing a conflict of interest “based upon familiarity with
potential witnesses in the case”.
According to local media, attorney Tina Tchen, former chief of staff to
First Lady Michelle Obama, connected Kimberly Foxx with Jussie Smollett’s
family in the days following the alleged attack.
Earlier this month, the Chicago
Sun-Times reported that Tina Tchen had texted Kimberly Foxx on February 1
that Jussie Smollett’s family had “concerns about the investigation”.
Kimberly Foxx later told the Chicago Sun-Times that those worries were regarding leaked information about the case from “police sources”, and that the family felt the FBI would keep a “tighter lid on the information”.
Rockland County, New York, has declared a state
of emergency following a severe outbreak of measles.
The county, on the Hudson River north of NYC, has barred unvaccinated
children from public spaces after 153 cases were confirmed.
Violating the order will be punishable by a fine of $500 and up to six
months in prison.
The announcement follows other outbreaks of the disease in California,
Texas, Washington, and Illinois.
Vaccination rates have dropped steadily
all over the country with many parents objecting for philosophical or religious
reasons, or because they believe discredited information that vaccines cause
autism in children.
Rockland County Executive Ed Day
said: “We will not sit idly by while
children in our community are at risk.
“This is a public health crisis and it is time to sound
the alarm.”
According to the New York Times, the outbreak in Rockland
County is largely concentrate in the ultra-Orthodox Jewish community. It is
believed it could have spread from other predominantly ultra-Orthodox areas
around New York which have already seen outbreaks of measles.
Ed Day said health inspectors had
encountered “resistance” from some local residents, which he branded
“unacceptable and irresponsible”.
“They’ve been told <<We’re not discussing this,
do not come back>> when visiting the homes of infected individuals as
part of their investigations,”
he said.
According to the CDC, there are 314 cases of measles currently reported in the US, with nearly half of those coming from Rockland County. The authorities had been making steady progress in encouraging religious communities to immunize children but communication had broken down in the last month.
Over the years, you have probably heard a lot of crazy rumors about well-known brands. For example, that a popular fast food chain uses cow eyeballs to “beef up” its burgers or a taco joint puts sand filler in its meat.
If you are being totally honest with yourself, you might have talked about some of these rumors with friends and family members—after all, a juicy and wacky rumor about a company can be an interesting topic of conversation.
Of course, if you are a business owner, rumors are probably not as entertaining to hear or discuss—even if they are wild and untrue, like the cow eyeballs in the burgers, you still worry that people will believe them and will stop patronizing your business.
To help confront and deal with business rumors, please consider the following five approaches:
Outright Denial
One way to deal with untrue rumors about your company is the flat out denial approach. If there is scuttlebutt circulating on social media that your business is moving to Canada, firing all of its staff and/or adding cow eyeballs to your product line (what is it with people loving rumors about cow eyeballs?) you can immediately issue a strong denial on your social media pages. Unfortunately, though, denying the rumor may actually strengthen the association between your company and the untrue statement, because it can alert people who had not heard the rumor that this untruth is out there.
Deny and Educate, All At Once
A more effective way to confront business rumors is to deny the untruth by educating readers about your company and the way you really run things. Amway is a good example of a company that’s done this well. The direct sales company has been accused of being a pyramid scheme, but Amway is not a scam. Instead of ignoring the rumors, the company has been proactive about responding on its website and social media pages in a positive, productive and honest way.
Anticipate Rumors and Be Proactive
This tip is especially useful when there will be a major announcement coming up about your company. If you are planning to relocate, jump the rumor gun and issue a press release and/or statements on social media stating the facts. If you are going to expand your product line, make an announcement to your staff and on your company website. By being aware that rumors will start flying soon and being proactive with the truth, you should be able to avoid your staff and customers making untrue claims about your business plans.
Ask What People are Hearing
Another way to confront business rumors is to periodically ask people what they are hearing about your company. You can ask your employees if they have heard anything, as well as trusted vendors and possibly some of your regular customers. You can do this with the help of sophisticated software or free online survey tools. This approach should not only clue you in to rumors that you might not realize are circulating, but it will also help alleviate everyone’s fears and assure them that you care about their feelings.
Encourage the Doubting Thomas
Another way to confront a business rumor is by asking your customers and/or employees if they are 100 percent confident the rumor is true. In this scenario, you’d name the rumor and then ask the group for reasons why they think the rumor could be true. Doing so helps them voice their concerns and uncover the rumor’s fallacies. Unlike flat out denying the rumor, this approach lets the people who are spreading the rumor consider the information in a new way.
No Matter Which Approach You Use, Never Ignore It
While you might be tempted to ignore crazy rumors about your company, this head in the sand approach may come back to bite you. Rumors can spread like wildfire if they are not addressed, so as unpleasant and time-consuming as it might be to deal with rumors, it is important to use at least one of these tips to nip the untruth in the proverbial bud.
With nearly 60 million credit cards floating around the UK, it’s fair to say plenty of us are using multiple credit cards at once.
But how many is too many?
If you’re wondering about opening another
account, consider the pros and cons before you make a move.
Lower
your credit utilisation
Multiple credit cards, if used correctly, are great for your credit score. This is because of a feature called credit utilisation and how credit providers perceive it.
Credit utilisation is, in short, the percentage of credit you are using against your credit limit. For example, if you had a monthly credit limit of £1,000 and were using £800 a month, your utilisation would be 80%. £500 would be 50%, £200 would be 20%, and so on.
Where your provider is concerned, high
utilisation is bad news and will affect your credit score negatively. Providers
like to see utilisation of no more than 30% so, if you are close to your credit
limit on one card (indeed anything above 30%), it benefits you and your credit
score to spread the debt across several cards.
Spread
the spend
Speaking of spreading your debt, the same
process is beneficial to those struggling with a lot of debt on one card or
looking to spread out a purchase cost (and avoid high utilisation).
Where high interest debt is concerned, you
can use multiple cards to transfer a balance from a high interest account to a
new, 0% interest card or two in order to release the pressure on an account
building interest. It’s a temporary solution but saves you money in the long
run.
Back
yourself up
If credit cards are your main source of
payment, it’s worth having multiple cards so one can be used as a backup or for
emergency use.
This is useful if your card provider
freezes your main card, for example if it suspects fraudulent use, or an
unexpected payment comes up that needs dealing with immediately.
Reap
the rewards
Credit cards offer various incentives to
spend, and different credit cards offer different perks. An example would be a
percentage cashback amount on certain purchases across the month.
Using different cards on the right
purchases means you’re getting the most back from your spending.
Don’t
lose track
The big risk with multiple cards is that they
can, if mismanaged, rack up debt and harm your credit score.
The more cards you have, the easier it is
to lose track of both spending and repayments. Purchase frivolously and you may
spend more money than you have. Meanwhile, missing repayments can mean interest
and a hit on your credit score.
Whilst you’ll no doubt be looking for the best
interest deals and lowest charges, introductory offers do come to an end and
many cards come with an attached monthly fee.
If you’re running a handful of cards, such
fees and interest can add up, leaving you with unwanted costs at the end of the
month.
Fraud
risk
Just as it’s easy to lose track of your spending and repayments, it’s also harder to notice possible theft or fraud across multiple accounts if you’re not paying too much attention.
An unlikely occurrence, but another thing
you need to be on top of.
So, how
many cards?
The answer is no one really knows!
It depends on your current situation with outstanding debt and your future plans. More than anything your ability to responsibly manage your finances will be the determining factor in selecting the right number of credit cards for you.
