In small business sentiment movements in the short term are not reliable. As the grand-daddy of small business sentiment survey from the National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB) shows , there are apparently random month-to-month movements…
The updated unified communications app formerly known as Lync, includes updated notifications, enhanced security features, synchronization of conversations across devices and updated emoticons as long as youre running the latest server software, Microsoft execs said….
Carnival Cruise Lines’ main entrance of their office building in Miami. Carnival says it would become the first American cruise company to visit the Caribbean island nation since the 1960 trade embargo. Alan Diaz/AP hide caption
itoggle caption Alan Diaz/AP
Carnival Corp. says it has received permission from the U.S. government to begin travel to Cuba, to provide “cultural, artistic, faith-based and humanitarian exchanges between American and Cuban citizens.” The cruises will operate under Carnival’s new “fathom” brand, which is dedicated to “social impact travel.” The Wall Street Journal reports Carnival is still working with Cuban authorities for approval of the plan.
In a statement, Arnold Donald, president and CEO of Carnival Corp., said, “We look forward to working with the Cuban authorities for their approval to help make the social, cultural and humanitarian exchanges between U.S. citizens and the people of Cuba a reality.” He continued, “We know there is strong demand from travelers who want to immerse themselves in Cuban culture, so this is a historic opportunity for us to enable more people to experience Cuban society.”
The trips won’t be traditional cruises. As NPR’s Greg Allen reported on All Things Considered, the guidelines allowing Carnival to conduct trips to Cuba say U.S. citizens aren’t allowed to travel there purely as tourists. “Travel must fall under one of 12 categories — for the purpose of journalism, education, religious activities, arts events and so forth,” Allen said. The Department of the Treasury has posted a full list of those 12 categories here.
Allen says Carnival’s trips to Cuba will try to “appeal to purpose-driven millennials, families with a social conscience and philanthropically-minded retirees.” And, the trips will be more expensive than traditional cruises, with seven-day itineraries starting at $2,990 per person, excluding taxes and other fees.
<iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/420915674/420973147" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no"> Carnival’s fathom brand, which will operate the Cuba trips, will also host seven-day voyages to the Dominican Republic starting in April 2016, focusing on social impact and cultural and educational exchanges.
As we’ve previously reported, the U.S. approved ferry service from Florida to Cuba this May, and in April, Airbnb, which allows customers to rent private rooms and homes, launched its service in Cuba. Earlier this month, President Obama announced the formal resumption of diplomatic relations between the U.S. and Cuba, with both countries agreeing to reopen embassies in Washington and Havana.
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One of the most visible risks facing corporations today is cybersecurity, but there are many others — and some that are just starting to emerge. To find out more about what is keeping the C-Suite…
Solar panels gather sunlight in Florida. John Raoux/AP hide caption
itoggle caption John Raoux/AP
The Obama administration hopes to make solar power more affordable for low- and middle-income Americans. It’s announcing a series of moves, including installing more solar energy units in federally subsidized housing, low cost loans for homeowners and a program to help renters.
The White House recently pledged that the U.S. would get 20 percent of its total electricity from renewable sources by 2030, about three times what it does now. The Washington Post reports the administration is concerned about what might be called energy inequality:
” ‘It’s very important not only that we achieve that goal, but how we get there as well,’ noted Obama senior adviser Brian Deese on a media call. ‘We know there are significant challenges in the scope and geographic reach of solar.’
“More and more voices of late are airing concerns about equal access to solar energy. ‘The rapid decline of solar panel costs in recent years has ushered in a solar boom that has not spread uniformly across the spectrum of U.S. household incomes,’ notes a recent paper from the George Washington University Solar Institute. ‘Despite being more vulnerable to energy costs, lower income Americans have lagged behind more affluent households in adopting solar and realizing its numerous benefits.’ “
The administration plans to train some 200 low-income people to get jobs in the solar industry. And states, local governments, industry and charities have pledged $520 million for investments in community solar programs.
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FOX Business: The Power to Prosper US equity markets fell on Monday, a day after the Greek people voted overwhelmingly in opposition of economic reforms demanded by the nation’s eurozone creditors. The Dow Jones Industrial…
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One of the classic laments of online learning is the lack of human interaction. Sure, you can attend class in your underwear, but you never get the connection of meeting your professors and classmates face-to-face….
Burt Shavitz, the eccentric co-founder of Burt’s Bees skin care products, has died at age 80. His bearded face is on your lip balm.
KELLY MCEVERS, HOST:
The Burt of Burt’s Bees has died. Burt Shavitz was an actual beekeeper who co-founded the company. Today, it’s a brand known around the world for lip balm, lotions and baby products. Shavitz died of respiratory complications yesterday in Bangor, Maine. He was 80 years old. As NPR’s Elizabeth Blair reports, he was an eccentric nature lover.
ELIZABETH BLAIR, BYLINE: Even though he’s the bearded, cap wearing face of the company, the real Burt Shavitz was not interested in lip balm or moisturizer and definitely not big business. His passions were bees, his golden retrievers and privacy. In the early years, he sold honey out of his van on the side of the road in Maine as he told filmmaker Jody Shapiro in the documentary “Burt’s Buzz.”
(SOUNDBITE OF DOCUMENTARY, “BURT’S BUZZ”)
BURT SHAVITZ: There was no company. My bees were the company. My truck was the company. My chainsaw was the company.
BLAIR: Then he met Roxanne Quimby. She was hitchhiking during the summer of 1984. She told NPR Burt the bee man, as he was known, offered her a ride in his pickup and the two began a romantic relationship.
ROXANNE QUIMBY: He’s kind of bizarre with his long, curly, flowing hair and very independent kind of a fellow, thinks for himself.
BLAIR: But she’s the one who thought about business. Quimby started making candles from Burt’s unused beeswax. They started making other products like soap and the lip balm, a big seller at crafts fairs. In the early days, Burt’s Bees was very do-it-yourself.
(SOUNDBITE OF DOCUMENTARY, “BURT’S BUZZ”)
QUIMBY: We had one high school boy and he was our accountant. He was on the math team, so he was qualified to do – run the accounting department. He was 14.
SHAVITZ: And made deposits.
QUIMBY: He made…
SHAVITZ: And wanted to wear a suit – and wanted to wear a white shirt and tie to work every day.
BLAIR: Clothes Burt Shavitz probably never wore himself. Shavitz was raised in Great Neck, N.Y. His father and grandfather were in the graphic arts business. In the 1960s, Shavitz worked as a freelance photographer, shooting images of the civil rights movement and artists for The New York Times and Life magazine. With a small inheritance from his grandfather, he bought land in Maine and became a beekeeper.
(SOUNDBITE OF DOCUMENTARY, “BURT’S BUZZ”)
SHAVITZ: And living on the land and having the opportunity to see the seasons is part of the joy of life as far as I’m concerned.
BLAIR: Shavitz and Quimby eventually parted ways and not happily. In 1999, she bought him out for $130,000, according to The New Yorker. She later sold most of her share to a private equity firm for more than $140 million. She reportedly gave Shavitz $4 million. Burt’s Bees was sold again to the Clorox Company for nearly a billion dollars. Today, the products are sold in over 50 countries. Shavitz was compensated for the use of his image on the label, and he was paid to make special appearances to promote the brand. On one such trip to Taiwan, Shavitz visited a beekeeper he knew there. Mariah Eckhardt, the marketing director of Burt’s Bees, says it was quite a sight.
MARIAH ECKHARDT: The rest of the people that were there were all covered in all of this kind of bee protective gear and he just kind of walked right in. And he would have hundreds of bees crawling on his hands, and he used to say you don’t need all this equipment if you know how to handle bees.
BLAIR: Burt Shavitz likely had enough money to live however and wherever he wanted. He preferred a remote cabin in the Maine woods.
(SOUNDBITE OF DOCUMENTARY, “BURT’S BUZZ”)
SHAVITZ: A good day is when no one shows up and you don’t have to go anywhere.
BLAIR: He was, to be sure, the reluctant face of a giant personal care products brand. Elizabeth Blair, NPR News.
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Target Corporation (NYSE:TGT) is in the midst of a major transformation amid its exit from the Canadian market. Earlier this year, the company unveiled increased cost-cutting plans, including thousands of employee layoffs. The big-box retailers…
