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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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.
Tipping Point: Is It Time to Rethink Gratuity in Restaurants? | Entrepreneur
American diners really give it to their servers. In New York City and Los Angeles, tips at independent eateries average 22 percent of the check, a big jump from a generation ago, when 15 percent was the norm, according to restaurateurs. Waiters and bartenders often earn more than $50 an hour.
And that has to stop, say a growing number of restaurant owners. Bottom-line necessity and common sense are uniting small family-owned cafes with the country’s most expensive chef-owned dining rooms in a move to abolish tipping.
Planning for Growth | Lydia Mehit
2015 was a growth year for CBPS. We connected with new referral sources for clients, celebrated one year in our new office and expanded our list of services. We are now formulating our plan for 2016 and beyond.
Sometimes you are so busy in your business that you don’t have time to step outside and view it. Stepping back from the business helps you gain clarity. In 2015, we took time to put a marker down and articulate where we wanted to go. Although things didn’t turn out exactly as planned, we still booked more work in 2015 than in previous years.
