UK politicians debate whether to ban Trump from the country | Mashable

January 18, 2016 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

LONDON — Members of Parliament have begun debating the issue of banning Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump from the UK.

The scheduled three-hour session was prompted by a petition to ban him from the country as well as a counter petition saying he should be allowed in, after he made a series of controversial remarks.

The debate is being led by Paul Flynn MP, a member of the Petitions Committee. It will be on the motion: “That this House has considered e-petitions 114003 and 114907 relating to the exclusion of Donald Trump from the UK.”

Morgan Stanley equities, fixed income changes | Business Insider

January 15, 2016 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

Morgan Stanley has shaken up its trading business.

The bank has put Sam Kellie-Smith, who used to run global equity trading, in charge of fixed income and commodities.

One way to read this? In appointing a stocks specialist to run bond trading, Morgan Stanley is making clear where its focus lies.

Withings Made a $100 Thermometer, And You’ll Probably Want To Buy It | WIRED

January 15, 2016 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

A THERMOMETER IS not a new proposition. Most people own one—likely of the stick-it-under-your-tongue variety—and by many measures, it’s a simple device people rarely think about until they’ve broken out in cold sweats. So it’s strange that this year at CES, amid the drones and smart gadgets of every stripe and still more drones, one of the hottest gadgets at the show was something that reads your temperature.

Walmart To Shut 269 Stores In Chain’s First Mass Closing; 16,000 Workers Affected | Forbes

January 15, 2016 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

Walmart announced its first ever mass store closing on Friday, with 269 stores worldwide set to close their doors.

Of these closures, 154 are in the U.S., including all of the company’s 102 smallest Walmart Express stores.

The Bentonville, Ark. big-box giant will abandon its Walmart Express format, focusing on existing Supercenters, its growing Neighborhood Market grocery chain and its e-commerce business, according to a statement.

Walmart said 16,000 employees will be affected by this decision, 10,000 of whom are in the U.S.

“More than 95 percent of the closed stores in the U.S. are within 10 miles on average of another Walmart, and the hope is that these associates will be placed in nearby locations,” said Walmart in its Friday news release.

Ex-Soldier Rob Lawrie Gets Fine But No Jail Time For Helping 4-Year-Old Migrant | NBC News

January 14, 2016 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

BOULOGNE-SUR-MER, France — A French court convicted a British ex-soldier Thursday of endangerment for trying to spirit a 4-year-old Afghan girl from a squalid migrant camp in Calais to family members in Britain, but dropped a tougher smuggling charge and handed him only a suspended fine.

The conviction appeared to be a symbolic punishment and a victory for Rob Lawrie, who apologized for what he called an “irrational” move. His case epitomized the clash between the heart and the law amid Europe’s record-breaking migrant influx.

What Martin Luther King’s ‘I Have a Dream’ Speech Teaches About Powerful Presentations | Inc.com

January 14, 2016January 14, 2016 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

Say you want to make a powerful presentation to your employees, your board, or your key customers. And say your goal is to share an inspiring vision–and stimulate meaningful change. What speeches should you study to prepare?

For sheer impact, it would be hard to top the “I Have a Dream” speech by Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. It was delivered in the summer of 1963 during the March on Washington, a rally for civil rights and against discrimination. Roughly 250,000 people gathered on the National Mall, in front of the Lincoln Memorial. More than 50 years later, the speech remains potent and moving. What’s more, the speech–along with the entire March on Washington–led to important policy changes, most notably the Civil Rights Act of 1964.

What Genetically Engineered Animal Will Land On Your Dinner Plate Next? | Co.Exist

January 14, 2016 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

It took two decades for the first genetically engineered animal to get approved for your dinner. Now that AquAdvantage salmon—with DNA engineered from three species—is moving forward, more genetically modified meat is likely to follow. But it’s not clear how long that will take.

Outside the United States, bacon might be next. Researchers at Seoul National University tweaked a gene in pigs that makes them super-muscly, yielding more pork per giant pig butt. Now, the scientists hope to sell their modified pig sperm to farmers in China, where engineered food can sometimes move to market more quickly.

No apologies as Iran releases U.S. Navy sailors | USA Today

January 13, 2016 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

The State Department expressed gratitude to Iran on Wednesday for releasing 10 U.S. sailors briefly detained after their two small boats drifted into Iranian waters but denied apologizing to the controversial Middle Eastern power.

“Absolutely ZERO truth to rumors that @JohnKerry apologized to Iran over Sailors. Nothing to apologize for,” State Department spokesman John Kirby tweeted.

Oil crashes to $30 a barrel | Money CNN

January 13, 2016 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

The dramatic crash in crude oil prices just got even more stunning. Oil plummeted below $30 a barrel on Tuesday for the first time since December 2003. The latest wave of selling leaves crude oil down 19% this year alone. It represents an incredible 72% plunge from crude oil’s June 2014 peak of almost $108.

“The fundamental situation for oil markets is much worse than previously thought,” Barclays commodities analysts wrote in a client note.

Twitter Introduces Hashtag Ads | Small Biz Trends

January 12, 2016 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

Twitter played a big role in making hashtag usage so widespread, and now the company is introducing an exclusive new ad format that utilizes the hashtag even further.

Called “conversational ads,” these ads are essentially promoted tweets. The Twitter hashtag ad will include call to action buttons with several custom hashtags the advertiser has created for their campaign. The buttons let you pick between hashtags under the tweet and then retweet the ad.