U.S. Converts First Gas Station into Fully Electric Refueling Station

Written by adminSeptember 30, 2019
Technology

Takoma Park, Maryland is home of the very first fully electric converted refueling station in the country. This gas station decided to convert to fully electric after the owner’s daughter convinced him it was time to make a splash. As climate change activists are marching across the world, more people are making decisions such as this.

Depeswar Doley, the owner of the station, isn’t sure if this is a gamble that will work out in his favor. Still, it didn’t stop him from trying. Even when he spoke with a public city official about the idea, they didn’t immediately dismiss it offhand. Apparently, they’ve been having a difficult time negotiating with oil and gas companies. The way they structure contracts is never in the best interest of anyone but themselves.

Taking a deal home to his family, his daughter was all for it. She spoke with him about the environmental impacts currently going on. Oil and gas burning in cars is some of the biggest polluters of our air and is decisions like this that force people to make better environmental decisions.

“It’s good for the environment,” Doley said. “I’m not doing this just to nickel and dime, thinking about how much money I’m going to make — no. I know this is a good cause, and this is something new. What I’m doing, maybe it will encourage other businesses owners and encourage the electric car business.”

Social Change Using Electric Cars

Electric cars still aren’t a mainstay in our country. The vast majority vehicles bought are gas powered, but the technology is finally catching up so that these vehicles are cheaper to buy. The only question now is how to fill up. That’s difficult to do when, again, the vast majority of refueling stations are for gas vehicles.

Even then, it’s not so easy. It can take as long as 30 minutes or even much longer to refuel an electric car. This is much longer than what it takes to refuel the average gas vehicle. To staunch environmentalists, this is actually worth the time if it prevents more pollution from filling up our skies.

“Maryland is proud to be a national leader when it comes to clean and renewable energy, climate change, and the promotion of electric infrastructure and vehicles,” said Governor Larry Hogan. “This fully-converted, gas-to-electric charging station is a prime example of our administration’s commitment to the environment and transportation.”

“This thing is so new, we don’t know what’s going to happen,” Doley said. “It might flop, or it might work out — we have no clue at all. We’re just crossing our fingers, and in the back of my mind, I know this is something good for the environment.”

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Social Media Rules for Job Hunting

Written by adminSeptember 30, 2019
Life Style

As Americans, we love our social media. Everything we do, every life experience we have, every fun moment is captured. Our social media says a lot about who we are, even if some of it isn’t true. Let’s face it, we have an image to uphold whether that image is based on fact or little bit of fiction. What you may not realize is, your social media posts can come back to haunt you.

Around 70% of employers use social media to screen certain job candidates. CareerBuilder says around 57% of bosses found things in potential prospects social media that eventually led them to turn down an applicant. So, if you’ve ever been turned down for jobs before and wondered why, take a look at your Facebook and Instagram.

You’re being watched by everyone. What you post online can make or break your career. This can be anything from pictures, what you dress, whether you have any extremist political or religious views, and so much more. Every word in every picture is scrutinized. So, let’s take a look at some of the social media rules for job hunting.

1) Did You Have a Wild Night Out? Keep It Off Social Media!

We might think that there’s absolutely nothing wrong with going out one night and cutting it loose. We like to have fun! What we do at night outside of work hours should not be the business of employer. Yet, many scenarios have played out where an employer turned down the potential applicant due to “incriminating” pictures on social media.

We might think this is wrong, but imagine how it looks from their point of view. Would a serious employer want to hire someone that appears to be a party animal? Who seems to always be drinking? Again, this might not sound very fair, but it is from their point of view. The golden rule then is to be more conservative with what you post online.

2) Dirty Jokes Can Be a Potential Problem

We certainly understand that you have a sense of humor. Maybe your friends and family get it, but 40% of employers don’t find that dirty joke funny. In fact, it might lead them to believe that there is a deeper problem with hiring you. If you’re going to come in to work and say dirty jokes, that can lead to someone else filing for sexual harassment.

Not everyone has the same sense of humor you do. Whatever you do, don’t post it on your social media. Plus, we can see today how much things have changed. Jokes made 10 years ago are coming to surface today is costing people their jobs. With this being said, you should go through and clean out your social media. If they can find it, they most certainly will use it against you.

3) Don’t Boast About Drug Use

This point doesn’t even have to be about illegal drugs. If a potential employer sees you talking about how you’re on Vicodin, that can work against you. If you’re sharing a conversation about marijuana use, even if it’s legal in your state, you probably won’t get hired. Again, these are things you should keep to yourself and off your social media for very obvious reasons.

4) Don’t Trash the Boss

This is a big one. Even if it’s a previous boss, don’t get online and write a scathing criticism or review. You may want to really bad, but it can work against you in the future. A potential employer can look at that as a problem down the line if things don’t work out with you. You write a scathing review of them in the company? It may not be worth it to them.

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5 Reasons Why You Should Retire as Early as Possible

Written by adminSeptember 27, 2019
Real life

You may not think an early retirement isn’t for you. This is especially true if you got a late start to saving up for those golden years. Not having enough money can make retiring earlier a bit of an obstacle. Sure, it sounds nice, but being fully prepared is a hassle. The truth is, taking the dive earlier does have many more benefits than you might think

Let’s look at 5 reasons why you should consider retiring early:

1) Waiting for Retirement Can Cause More Risk

The reality that’s tough to handle about retirement is you don’t know how long you’ll life. Will you stay active and healthy? As people get up in age, they start to slow down. They have no choice but to retire earlier than they wanted. And the economy isn’t so straightforward. Employers might start looking to cut their workforce and the older folks and new hires usually go first. This is why you should be more aggressive about your retirement strategy and retire sooner rather than later.

2) Your Job Sucks

It’s not uncommon for people to hate their job. Maybe you even enjoyed it, but the same thing, day-after-day, can be tiring and frustrating. You’ve been working longer than most people, so you have more of a right to just be plum exhausted. People who hate their job often find that it impacts their physical health. They’re more likely to be overweight, suffering sleep problems, have more stress and depression. If you’re miserable and your job is making you that way, it’s time to get some rest and retire.

3) Retirement Doesn’t Mean You Can’t Be Productive

Retirement isn’t about vacations and lounging around the couch all day. You can still be very active in your retirement. Instead of working full time, cut back a little bit. Work part-time hours. You’ll have more free time and won’t have nearly as much stress. You can even take up hobbies you’ve been meaning to get into for a long time.

4) You Won’t Necessarily Run Out of Money

Having enough retirement funds to live on is the main reason why people work longer than they have to. They are afraid they won’t make it, especially as our lifespans keep growing. There are ways to invest money, like in fixed annuities, that have a great payout. It’s worth doing research on other options you might have.

5) Delaying Social Security May Be a Bad Idea

Social security is running out in the next however many years. They keep changing the story, but people are living longer and it’s draining the program. They say that if you delay collecting, you’ll have more saved and the checks will be larger. Collecting too early and your checks are smaller, making life more difficult. But that’s not always the case.

As the Social Security Administration has explained, “If you live to the average life expectancy for someone your age, you will receive about the same amount in lifetime benefits no matter whether you choose to start receiving benefits at age 62, full retirement age, age 70 or any age in between.” Yes, your checks will be smaller, but overall, you’ll get more of them to last the rest of your life. Again, it can be difficult to get past having smaller checks, but there are many other benefits that can outweigh this one potential con.

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Facebook is Testing Whether It’s Time to Get Rid of Likes

Written by adminSeptember 27, 2019
Life Style

In today’s modern age, most of us are so accustomed to the Facebook “like” button. We’ve all, at one time or another, liked someone else’s posts. We probably do it on the daily, as likes are considered the ‘chief currency’ of Facebook. If you post a picture or a status, you hope your friends and family will show their love and support by liking it.

And admit it…you get a little sad when you don’t get a like. That’s okay. Social media has really become the barometer for how we socially interact these days. Talking to one another in person is so overrated these days. Of course, just kidding here, but it almost seems like it sometimes. Especially if you have kids and see their faces plastered to their phones 24/7.

This sort of interaction can actually be detrimental to people’s health. Many new studies have come out recently discussing the impact of social media on our brain. It’s not good. We’re more depressed and feel lonelier than ever. That means we end up spending more time online looking for that person to talk to.

Even Facebook is starting to rethink how they do things. They were once so enamoured with the like button that they changed the logo outside their building to the “thumbs up.” But now, they’ve decided to start testing whether removing the like button will help. It won’t completely remove it, as in preventing you from liking pictures. Instead, it will hide the number of likes and shares from view.

A New Facebook?

Facebook wants to find out if removing the number of likes and shares any piece of content gets will actually improve your experience. They’re going to test this concept out in Australia first and pay close attention to whether it makes using Facebook much easier to do, and even less stressful.

“We are running a limited test where like, reaction, and video view counts are made private across Facebook. We will gather feedback to understand whether this change will improve people’s experiences,” a Facebook spokesperson said in a statement. They’ve already begun the process with Instagram in Canada and expanding outward to Ireland, Australia, and New Zealand.

“We are testing this because we want your followers to focus on the photos and videos you share, not how many likes they get,” an Instagram spokesperson said earlier this year. There can be sort of a pressure to accumulate likes and shares, creating adverse behavior that makes social media less fun for the rest of us. They also want to see if removing this part of the platform will create more or less engagement.

“Likes are powerful because they are immediate feedback,” Renee Engeln, a psychology professor at Northwestern University, previously told CNN Business. “In a way, likes give you the same kind of hit like a gambler gets at a slot machine.” In short: it’s addicting and not in a good way. We seek that instant gratification and it’s not good for our wellbeing.

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McDonalds Makes a Deal with Beyond Meat

Written by adminSeptember 27, 2019
Business

The biggest rage in the fast food industry as of late has been to appease the vegan and vegetarian crowds. Burger King’s recent slew of ads has been to promote their meatless Whopper they say tastes exactly like the real thing. The vote is still out on that premise, but the trend is growing. Even KFC got in on the move and started offering plant-based fried “chicken.”

McDonalds has been quiet on this new trend. Seeing how other fast food giants are jumping in, they decided to start testing the market for themselves. The company has now partnered with Beyond Meat to see if anyone has an appetite for what they call the P.L.T. or plant-lettuce-and tomato burger. The patty, of course, made from plants.

The test will only take place in a few select Canadian cities for the time being. There has been rumors in the market for awhile now that McDonalds was considering releasing a plant-based Quarter Pounder, Big Mac, or other items of the sort, like nuggets. Burger King’s meatless Whopper has been a commercial success so far, so it would appear as if McDonalds is behind and trying to catch up.

This isn’t Beyond Meat’s first run with a fast food giant. They’ve also made deals with Del Taco, Carl’s Jr, TGI Fridays, and Dunkin’. There are different types of plant-based burgers on the market. Impossible, the brand currently partnering with Burger King uses soy protein in their meatless patties. Another company, Incredible Burger, uses soy protein and is part of the Nestle family. McDonalds has an Incredible Burger deal in Germany, the burger called the “Big Vegan.”

Rolling Out Beyond Meat Everywhere?

Despite having already made a few big deals, Beyond Meat still has a bit of growth they can accomplish. Landing a broader contract with McDonalds would be like winning the lottery. Upon news of this limited new deal, Beyond Meat stock jumped 500%. If sales do well, then Beyond Meat could find its way into every McDonalds across the country.

Tyson and Kellogg are looking to create their own products and might sign a deal with Beyond Meat as well. Considering you can find these products in plenty of stores, it appears as if this company will have a lot of staying power. More people are deciding to eat less meat as it’s better for the environment.

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GM Reinstates Health Benefits for Striking UAW Workers as New Deal is Close

Written by adminSeptember 26, 2019
Business

It was reported last night that a new deal was “really close” between the UAW (United Auto Workers) and General Motors. As part of getting this close to finishing, GM agreed to reinstated worker’s health benefits. Currently, there are nearly 50,000 workers pounding the picket lines and demanding better benefits and a pay raise. It was announced when the strike happened that GM was cutting off their benefits, but now has decided against that move.

GM has released a statement saying that if any UAW workers have any insurance claim they wish to make, even while striking, they should do so. They will continue to provide their workers the coverage they need to get the help and treatments they need. Before, pulling their health benefits was a good tactic to get the workers back into the factory. Now, the optics behind were too much to bear.

Terry Dittes is the vice president of the UAW’s GM department. He said in a letter sent to GM that it was completely ‘irresponsible’ to terminate worker benefits. They would be “toying with the lives of hundreds of thousands of our UAW families.” In an attempt to improve the optics and soften the hearts of UAW workers, GM made the decision to return their benefits. Even if the strike continues for many weeks and/or months.

A Deal is Getting Close for UAW Workers

Not all benefits are being reinstated to the strikers, though. GM wanted to remind the workers that they are leaving behind great benefits while they decide to remain on the picket lines. Yet, the public seems to be firmly behind the UAW. In this day of social media, taking away people’s benefits is not a good look. GM has been blasted by everyone, including presidential candidates, who firmly support the workers.

“There is no doubt that (the) public … sees these actions of GM as a shameful act!” the letter from Terry Dittes continues. “Finally, it is time for GM to come to the bargaining table with an offer that reflects the hard work of our members who make you successful and will settle this strike on behalf of the hundreds of thousands of UAW families, and stop toying with our families’ health and well-being.”

Today marks the 11th day since the start of the strike. As they continue negotiations, hopefully the strike will be over and everyone can get back to taking care of their families.

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5 Unexpected Ways You Can Use Your Credit Card

Written by adminSeptember 26, 2019
Credit & Debt

Credit cards have a long history in our country. They date back to the early 1900s have been used mainly as specific store cards. For example, you can get a Sears card they gave you credit to use it at your local Sears store. Since that time, everything is changed. Credit became a viable way for companies to make money off of interest. It also allowed customers the convenience of purchasing things and paying for it later or through installments.

Now you can buy just about anything with your credit card. Let’s take a look at five unexpected ways you may not have known you can use your credit card.

1) Credit Cards Can Be Used to Pay Off Traffic Tickets

Courts will now use and accept credit cards as payment for traffic tickets. Just like with stores or other entities that deal with money, there’s always a risk of checks bouncing or payment getting lost in the mail. When you get a ticket, usually has to be paid within a certain amount of time, so timing is important. Paying with a credit card removes the risk. You get to pay your bill in a timely manner, the court gets the money everything is settled. You also get the peace of mind of getting a confirmation that the ticket was paid.

2) Pay People for Small Jobs

As a society we seem to be moving away from cash. Of course, you can always go to the ATM and pay a large fee to pull some money out. This happens if you want to pay her babysitter or if you want to pay someone to mow the lawn or do some other small job. You might even be an entrepreneur looking for an alternative way to accept money for your work. Now there are little devices you can connect to your cell phone. They allow you to swipe your credit card to receive or make a payment.

3) Pay to Park

Parking meters is the bane of many people’s existence. This is especially true if you live in a big city. If you don’t live in the big city and you’re just visiting, you may not be aware that you must have small change on your person to be allowed the privilege of parking. What happens if you don’t have some change to feed the meter? Luckily, many places are replacing old outdated meters with new smart meters that accept credit cards. You also don’t have to worry about the meter running out because you didn’t put enough change in. It will charge your card when you’re done.

4) Pay for Goods at Flea and Farmer’s Markets

This is sort of connected to point number two, as now places you might enjoy going to, like flea markets and Farmer’s markets, with usually a cash game. But thanks to the advancement of technology in those devices you can attach to your cell phone and an app, you can use your credit card to pay for purchases at these vendors.

5) Buy Legal Marijuana

As marijuana has become legalized in many states, and is even sold as a medical treatment in others, you could never use a credit card to purchase it, even legally. For the most part, banks are not allowed to accept or give financial services to marijuana companies. It’s still a federally banned substance, but now the doors are opening. Washington state and Colorado are just a few places that have legalized marijuana sales through use of a credit card.

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House Passes a Marijuana Banking Bill

Written by adminSeptember 26, 2019
Politics

Banks are federal entities that receive protection from the federal government. If your bank is FDIC protected, that means that the bank is insured and safe. That is also posed a problem for many marijuana businesses across the country. As many states are now legalizing marijuana, and many states that allow legal medical marijuana, the businesses that sold the marijuana legally were still not able to use a bank to save and secure their funds.

That’s because marijuana is still considered a federally banned substance. On Wednesday, the house officially passed a bill called the SAFE (or Secure and Fair Enforcement Act) that would give banks permission in the legal ability to finally offer financial services to legal cannabis companies. In short, these marijuana businesses could effectively start using a banking system to secure their funds.

This is a massive victory for the industry as a whole. The vote took place in the US House of Representatives and it was an overwhelming victory of 321 to 103. It was mostly Democrats who voted this through, led by Colorado Representative Ed Perlmutter. His state has legal marijuana for recreational use, so it was important for him to provide this growing industry the means using a federally backed bank.

The difficult part now is going to be how the Senate handles this bill. Still, even if it’s denied by the Senate, marijuana advocates still say this is a major win. To at least get one part of the government to embrace the industry really goes to show how far we’ve really come on this issue. Even as more states become legal, marijuana is still prohibited federally.

A Big Day for Marijuana Advocates

These types of battles are often won one day at a time. It’s little incremental pieces of the puzzle that get solved and put together, eventually leading to the thing become completed. Marijuana advocates have been fighting for decades to both legalize the plant, reduce restrictions, and even prevent people from going to jail simply for consuming marijuana.

While there’s been a lot of victory in individual states, to finally have some movement within the federal government is a huge jump. Kevin Murphy is CEO of Acreage Holdings, one of the largest marijuana companies in the country. He says that the SAFE Banking Act was “big day in history going forward with cannabis.”

“It’s a big deal because it’s the first meaningful step in recognizing the fastest growing industry in the United States,” he said. “It’s a legitimate business, it employs tens of thousands, and think about the hypocrisy we’ve lived with in this space — the IRS is willing to collect your taxes… but they’re not really willing to have banks bank the industry.”

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4 Secrets for Closing Sales

Written by adminSeptember 25, 2019
Business

Any new entrepreneur has the challenge of finding and locking down sales in order to gain attention in their specific niche.  As time goes on, closing on sales will become more natural to you, but for those of you who are just starting out, it can seem quite daunting.  The truth is, there is an art to closing. It requires building close business relationships and trust with your clients.  

Let’s face it: if potential clients don’t trust you, you’re going to have an incredibly difficult time getting them to engage with you.  They would instead rather spend their time, energy, and money on your competition who meets their need better than you do. In this chapter, we will take a look at a handful of tips to help build trust with potential clients so you have a better chance at closing the sale.  

Secret #1: Talk Less and Listen More

When you’re new to the game and trying to build a relationship, often times it can feel a bit forced.  You need sales. You want them to know all about your amazing product or service. How can you spread the word without actually talking about what you do?  But in reality, you can’t serve a client’s needs unless you actually know and understand what their needs are.

If you’re the one doing all the talking, how well are you listening to the needs of your customer?  And if you’re not listening, how can you provide their needs? The best way to approach any business deal is to ask questions and then listen.  Take notes. If you think you aren’t clear on something, ask more questions.  

Secret #2: Be Informative and Honest

Always give 110% of yourself in everything you do.  That includes being completely honest about what you can deliver.  Again, it’s not about talking and talking and talking. Once you listen to your customer’s needs, show them what you can do and how you provide them with value.  Be authentic and relatable.  

The sad truth is, there is too much dishonesty in every market.  Snake oil salesmen fill the landscape with promises they never deliver and mess it up for everyone else.  You can stand out in your market by being honest and living up to what you say you can deliver. Otherwise, you will gain a bad reputation and that is often too much for anyone to overcome.  Going above and beyond is always appreciated and will attract new customers.

Secret #3: Be True to Your Passion

Something potential customers love to see is passion.  Drive. Confidence. You absolutely LOVE what you do and can’t see yourself doing anything else.  It’s that attitude that will take you far versus seemingly like you’re only in it for the money or it’s just a job to you.

Have you ever gone to a fast food restaurant and seen the faces of the workers there?  There is no enthusiasm. All they care about is watching the clock so they can go home.  But every so often, you find one who is in a great mood. And that great mood is contagious, right?  It sticks with you for a while.  

You are a living example of the services you offer your clients.  What you offer potentially makes their lives more joyful and happy.  As we’ve discussed before, they want to buy from you because they are looking to avoid pain or achieve gain.  By meeting their needs, you’re making their lives better, safer, and more enjoyable.  

Secret #4: Follow Up is Important! 

We have already discussed the importance of building trust.  But trust is rarely gained after just one encounter. True relationships (business relationships included!) take time to develop.  So if you really want to motivate people to trust you and buy, be sure to follow up with them.  

This is especially true even if they already decided to buy.  What better way to show you care than to drop a note in the mail or to send an email?  Keeping the dialogue going shows you care that they are happy with your product or service

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McDonalds Uses Alexa to Fill 250,000 Jobs

Written by adminSeptember 25, 2019
Business

Of all the things people use Alexa for, like turning on the lights or playing a song, filling out a job application isn’t usually one of them. As companies look to become more technologically reliant, McDonalds wants to make it easier for people to apply for jobs. According to the mega fast food giant, using Alexa and Google’s Assistant for applying for a job is a first. It’s these types of innovations that will make it easier for people in the future.

The system they use is called Apply-Thru and people can ask Alexa or other voice-assistance programs for McDonalds jobs in the area. They can then use the device to fill out the application and send it to the restaurants. There’s even an “I’m lovin’ it” jungle that plays as the application is being sent.

“We must continue to innovate and think of creative, and in this case, groundbreaking ways to meet potential job-seekers on devices they are already using,” said McDonald’s Executive Vice President David Fairhurst. “Alexa has many of the qualities we look for on our teams — friendly, responsive and fun. I am looking forward to having our application process simplified with Alexa.”

Still, many cities across the country are facing a worker shortage. The economy is doing so well that each location is looking for hundreds of people to fill in. Over the past summer. McDonalds said they were looking for, in total, around 250,000 new jobs to be filled. Yet, more than ever, people are choosing work outside of flipping burgers for minimum wage.

Creating a Better Way to Apply for Jobs

The job shortage is really giving many companies like McDonalds fits. They are having a tough time finding workers. This is forcing them to find innovative ways to reach out, using technology people use every day. We recently did an article that talked about how Gen Z isn’t settling for burger flipping as their first job.

Instead, they’re learning how to use technology to make money and even start their career while in high school. Middle schoolers are starting YouTube channels and making tons of money. So, this is going to force the fast food industry as a whole to rethink the way they hire people, including offering more money as a starting wage.

Still, fast food is becoming more popular. Wendy’s recently made the announcement they plan to reintroduce breakfast as more companies are jumping into the breakfast wars. They all want their share of the growing breakfast market. Less people are eating at home and choose convenience over home-cooked.

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