Google: You can pay as little as $1 to see fewer ads

http://money.cnn.com/2014/11/21/news/companies/google-no-ads-1/index.html?iid=SF_BN_River

   

According to the article, Google is working on a new service called “contributor” that can help users to see fewer ads on certain websites, in return users have to pay around $1 to $3.

However, the service won’t block other ads that the website might have. So far websites that have signed up include: Mashable, the Onion, Imgur, ScienceDaily, wikiHow and Urban Dictionary.

It’s said that Google is billing it as a way to make the Internet less dependent on advertising by giving users the chance to contribute a few dollars every month to the websites they visit the most. Part of the money will go to the websites that have signed up for the service, and part of it will go to Google.

Personally, I think this is not a good strategy since there have been so many free extension applications for browsers that have the same function as “Contributor".

America's Hidden Job Problem

Source

Although the unemployment rate has dropped from 7.2% to 5.8% in the past year, there are still issues with employment. Most of the people who have been employed have gotten part-time jobs, which sounds good but instead it is actually hurting them. To start, people on part-time jobs do not receive benefits: no paid sick leave, vacation days or even job training that would help them excel in their careers. They also do not have any medical or dental coverage of any sort, for that they have to pay out of pocket.
 Furthermore, they tend to be overworked and underpaid, and they work for less hours than they are willing, so the time they are not working they spend unemployed. Part-time workers get paid different than full-time workers for doing the same job.
Although I understand the difference between part-time workers and full-time workers, I think they should maybe give some sort of coverage for medical services, and have a quota for paid sick days, at least give them something back for their work.

Starbucks has decades of growth ahead

http://money.cnn.com/2014/11/19/investing/starbucks-growth-ahead-stock/index.html?iid=HP_River

The article talks about the rapid growth of Starbucks and the initiatives that they are taking to expand their brand and capture more market share in the future. Starbucks operates more than 20,000 stores worldwide. Starbucks added 1,599 stores to its worldwide footprint and comparable store sales rose 6%. That boosted revenue by 11% to more than $16.4 billion.

Starbucks' full-year adjusted earnings per share (EPS) grew 21% year over year to $2.66, helped by strong margin performance. The company also projected that adjusted EPS will reach $3.08 to $3.13 in 2015, which translates to 16% to 18% growth.

Not only by selling more pastry items, Starbucks also started selling of wine, beer, and small-plate appetizers at a few locations through the Starbucks Evening concept for some time now. This boosted their overall sales as well. In addition, Starbucks expanded its brand by offering more options for Tea, considering the huge market of Tea drinkers worldwide, for instance by introducing more Teavana branded beverages at their stores.

Starbucks also announced their plans to roll out mobile orders and pay functionality chainwide in 2015. Customers will be able to place orders in advance and pick up their orders without waiting in line. Starbucks describes it as the urban answer to the convenience of drive-through.

Beginning next year, Starbucks will also use this platform to offer delivery in some top urban markets. Schultz's vision is that a customer could place a standing food or drink order and have it delivered to his or her desk every day. If this concept takes off, it will represent a huge long-term differentiator -- and growth driver -- for Starbucks.

Owing to Starbucks’s great growth opportunities, many investors have already shown interest to buy stocks of Starbucks. If this trend continues and that Starbucks comes up with more digital and innovative ideas of serving its customers, it might not be too long that they capture maximum market share from their competitors and eventually gain monopoly power in the beverage market.

"The Economist Went Full Occupy Wall Street On Bankers"

http://www.businessinsider.com/economist-bankers-defame-capitalism-2014-11

The Economist, a traditionally pro-business and pro-capitalism has blamed the banking sector for defaming the name of capitalism. According to them, the banking sector is obscuring the market with complex bundles of products with long acronyms and it is no longer about the best product at the most competetive price, but how to confuse the consumer. This statement by The Economist was seen as similar to the Occupy Wall Street Movement, but was done by a traditionally pro-business publication.

What do you think about The Economist's statement that banking is becoming the face of capitalism and is destroying the practice of it?

Squeezed for Time

         http://www.economist.com/blogs/gulliver/2014/11/crowded-aeroplanes#comments

   In the article from Gulliver Business Travel, the author focuses his research on American Airlines supply and demand for flights in 2014. Flying is not the most enjoyable transportation service for many, and even worse when there are crowed flights. The first three quarters of 2014 witnessed record rates for filling seats on flights at 84.1% overall. This includes domestic and international flights. Since the majority of seats have been bought ahead of time, travelers hoping to catch a last minute flight or a stand by flight will most likely be disappointed. The increase in demand has also led to a shift upward in prices for airline travel.

            Five years ago, American Airlines decreased the carrying capacity and number of destinations for their flights. The decision allowed the airline to recover during the recession and helped produce profits. A decrease in fuel prices was also a contributing factor. Now, many consumers would like to the airline to increase their capacity and destination, which would cut back on their profits. Demand has been on the rise in 2014 and will be same in 2015. Spirit Airlines has even added 10 new destinations for 2015 to combat the demand. In the short run a move like this may take away from American Airlines business, but will be beneficial for consumers. Hopefully, the other airlines will follow suite and increase their capacity, which will lower prices for flights.

ISIS wants to mint its own jihadi coins

http://mashable.com/2014/11/13/isis-currency-design/#

Isis is in the news again not for their traditional threat related reputation but for minting their own currency. Although the full blown production hasn't actually begun, the Islamic group published several mock-up designs. The designs are engraved on gold, silver, and bronze coins. The gold coin has two different designs, the silver three, and the bronze one. The group published the future currencies on social media attracting many supporters. As the hype increased, so did the raised conflict of whether this currency will clash with existing currencies enforced on Muslims. Isis responded by stating their soon to be currency will “enslave and impoverish” them. Although the coins have different designs, the Diwan al-Mal treasury department of ISIS says the coins will inherit the market pricing of gold and silver. Laith Alkhouri, director of MENA Research and Analysis stated, “The proposed currency was entirely unrealistic…Without international recognition of the currency, it will have virtually no trading power.” Although this seems like a reasonable statement, many believe this to be untrue. The reason being that the currency in itself is gold and silver therefore despite what is engraved on the coin, shouldn't it still be worth market value? Alkhouri responded to related questions by stating that very few countries will recognize the currency as legitimate. Trading these coins will promote terrorism, moreover money laundering. Another question in the air relates to how ISIS is funding this entire process. The United States Treasury Department officials investigated into the Islamic group financially. They found that ISIS brings in approximately $1 million oil revenue daily, $20 million annually from kidnapping ransoms, and an unknown but projected large amount from both criminal acts and supporting donations. ISIS has no problem funding their entire organization even when the U.S. is trying to contest them financially. The Treasury Department’s David Cohen states, “Our efforts to combat its financing will take time… We have no silver bullet, no secret weapon to empty ISIS’s coffers overnight.” This seems to be the case as ISIS is financing their organization more than comfortably as they continue to commit criminal acts.  Do you think the Islamic State's new currency will be useless due to the lack of global recognition or will it useful, ultimately impoverishing other currencies already in use?

Black Friday: Not just the day after Thanksgiving anymore

http://www.cnbc.com/id/102178997

In preparation for the infamous, unofficial shopping day known as Black Friday, many consumers often make a list and check it at least twice weeks in advance.The trouble is, people who wait until Black Friday often miss out on the best deals, retail analyst Stacey Widlitz told CNBC this week. Many shoppers eagerly anticipate the day after Thanksgiving, with groups of friends getting together early in the morning, sometimes at even 5 a.m. They grab coffee and wait outside in the cold, hoping to snag special promotions and steep discounts. This year, however, new trends may spell the beginning of the end to the spectacle known as Black Friday. Retailers are offering deals way in advance, and more companies are using their websites to offer bargain-basement deals—a bonus for those seeking to avoid the crowds. "Last year Macy's made their best deals available days before Thanksgiving and so did Best Buy. 

Black Friday deals oftentimes involve very limited quantities, Widlitz added. "I surveyed people last year who waited in line for a promotion. There were only 100 available and these people were No. 130 in line." Not only were these shoppers disappointed, they failed to realize some Black Friday deals are really intended to grab your attention. Unless you're willing to wait on long lines, it's unlikely you'll actually get the item at the price.

All told, the takeaway for shoppers is fairly simple. Many retailers make their best deals available long before Black Friday, so the best bargains can be found well in advance. Businesses have the opportunity benefit greatly off of black Fridays in so many ways.  This article is about one of the ways. Offering sales days earlier than black Friday gives businesses even longer days to keep demand high for their products.  Even when people can't get the items that they really want on Black Friday, they still spend money and buy other items just because they feel the need to spend.  Ultimately, products being sold early at a cheap price will create more days of people going crazy for sales and businesses being able to sale more products than just one day of "Black Friday."   However, more consumers will be disappointed when they don't get the items they hoped for but with items being sold earlier they will have more opportunities if they recognize that they have to shop days before Black Friday. 

These 7 Cities Expose Exactly What Gentrification Is Doing to America

http://mic.com/articles/102004/these-7-cities-expose-exactly-what-gentrification-is-doing-to-america?utm_source=policymicTBLR&utm_medium=main&utm_campaign=social

This article focuses on how gentrification is not actually as great as it seems. At first gentrification looks as if a low-income neighborhood is getting an upgrade, but it soon becomes apparent that this upgrade is only for those who can afford the new cost of living in that neighborhood. This process displaces the poor and raises the prices of not just rent, but all goods sold in the neighborhood.

I think it is very important that people see how gentrification works, and how the correlation of race and income have an underlying influence in this issue.

A Higher Quit Rate Among Employees Actually Offers Hope

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/11/14/upshot/a-higher-quit-rate-actually-offers-hope.html?ref=economy&abt=0002&abg=1

Janet Yellen the Federal Reserve Chairwoman, suggested that the quit rate which is the proportion of workers who quit their jobs in a given month are worth focusing on. This is because the willingness of workers to quit their jobs is only when they are confident that they are likely to be rehired. 

The Fed sees this as very important as a higher quit rate suggests that the labor market is recovering. Even though it needs to be monitored because confidence workers are more likely to push for higher wages which might turn into inflation. 

On 12th November 2014, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that the quit rate peaked in September to 2%, which is was the level at the onset of the recession. The quit rate was at 1.8% over the past seven months even though business were hiring and the unemployment rate was falling sharply. This report suggests that the quit rate is now where you might expect it to be, given the unemployment rate. Both the quit rate and unemployment remain at levels that suggests that labor market recovery is unfinished work.