Author: knjohn

VW Said to Pay Diesel Owners Up to $7,000, Fund Clean-Air Grants | Bloomberg

~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

Volkswagen AG will pay owners of its polluting diesel cars up to $7,000, and agree to fund a grant program to offset air pollution, under a $10 billion settlement being negotiated for submission to a federal judge next week, people familiar with the talks said.

VW will provide cash payments worth between $1,000 and $7,000, depending on the vehicle’s age and other factors, to compensate consumers, the people said. All spoke on the condition they not be identified because U.S. District Judge Charles Breyer, who is supervising the settlement discussions, has imposed a gag order.

Read More

EU referendum: How is the US (not) like the EU? | BBC News

~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

As the Brexit referendum debate approaches its day of judgement, many Americans have been left with a number of questions.

What is Brexit? What happens if the UK votes to leave? And, uh, what do the letters EU stand for again?

So here are some basics. The EU is the European Union. The people of the United Kingdom may – or may not- want to leave.

Like the US, the EU has a flag. They both have their own currencies. They control their external borders and their citizens have an unlimited right of movement within their internal borders. They regulate immigration.

And, perhaps, the forces that have led the UK to consider withdrawing from the EU could also be at play in the US.

No, seriously. Here are handful of ways the EU and the US are similar enough to merit such consideration, and a few reasons why they aren’t.

Read More

No Money? No Problem—Here Are 10 Ways to Bootstrap Your Business | All Business

~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

Steve Jobs said, “If you really look closely, most overnight successes took a long time.” This is true for any business. Most successful businesses start very small, and go through a lot before they come to the attention of the public.

A very good example is the seeds sown by Jobs and Steve Wozniak to grow what would eventually become Apple Inc. The startup had no investors and made do with the little funding they could get for a VW microbus and HP calculator.

This is bootstrapping–and it is the best way to start a new business. Despite what most people think, you don’t need a lot of money to fund a startup. In fact, most successful entrepreneurs have used their own money to start their businesses.

Read More

To Help Local Entrepreneurs Succeed, Corporations Must Ditch The Visitor Mentality | Inc.com

~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

In March, the Center for an Urban Future released “Breaking Through: Harnessing the Economic Potential of Women Entrepreneurs”–a comprehensive report that explores the impact women-led companies have had on economies across the United States, while also outlining ways we can empower and inspire the future growth of women-led businesses. The report was made possible with support from Capital One’s Future Edge initiative, a five-year, $150 million effort to help more American workers and entrepreneurs get the skills, tools and resources they need to succeed in the 21st century. In previous Inc.com posts, I’ve shared insights from the report, specifically, how New York City’s economy stands to benefit from the growing number of women-owned businesses.

When I learned Capital One was bringing this conversation to The Dallas Entrepreneur Center in early May, I jumped at the opportunity–eager to learn more about the impact women business owners are having in the local Dallas-Fort Worth (DFW) market. Why is a conversation about women entrepreneurship important in DFW? According to the report, women entrepreneurs and business owners in North Texas are leading the way:

Read More

Does the Sun Rotate? | Live Science

~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

That giant flaming star in the sky does rotate, but moves at a much slower pace than the Earth.

It takes 24 hours for the Earth to make a full rotation, but since the sun isn’t a solid object like a planet, its rotation is harder to pinpoint.

“Since the sun is a ball of gas/plasma, it does not have to rotate rigidly like the solid planets and moons do,” according to NASA.

Read More

YouTube Is Introducing New Ways to Help Small Businesses Make Better Video Ads | Adweek

~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

YouTube wants to turn video ads on its platform into a DIY possibility for small- and medium-sized businesses.

Today, Google is launching three ways for SMBs to create video ads for YouTube that are—at least for the most part—free. With a new app called YouTube Director, the video juggernaut is helping businesses with little or no marketing budget create commercials on their own. The app includes a number of templates, music and editing tools and is free to use.

According to Diya Jolly, Google’s director of product management, the biggest struggle smaller businesses face on YouTube is the lack of quality of their videos.

Read More

Santa Barbara-Area Homeowners Forced to Flee Growing Sherpa Wildfire | NBC News

~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

A wind-whipped wildfire was advancing near the coast of Santa Barbara, California, Friday as it ripped through some 4,000 acres — more than doubling overnight — and forced homeowners to flee, fire officials said.

About 140 homes and ranches were at risk in the coastal canyons of an area that hasn’t seen such a dramatic burn in 60 years.

An estimated 1,200 firefighters were battling the blaze Friday morning, and were able to contain about 5 percent of it, according to Cal Fire.

Hundreds of homeowners were being called to evacuate late Thursday in the communities of El Capitan, Refugio, Venadito and Las Flores canyons, the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office said.

Read More

Russia to Remain Banned From Olympics After Doping Scandal | ABC News

~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

Russian track-and-field athletes will remain barred from international competition over a doping scandal, the world athletics’ governing body announced today before this summer’s Olympics in Brazil.

After meeting in Vienna, the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) decided not to reinstate Russia’s track and field federation, which has been suspended from international competitions after it was implicated in an elaborate alleged state-sponsored doping cover-up in November.

Russia is the first country to be excluded from the Olympics over doping. Its track-and-field athletes are banned from the Rio de Janeiro Games.

Read More