US prisoner release: Nearly 6,000 drug inmates to go free | BBC News

The US will release nearly 6,000 people jailed for drug crimes in the coming days, an effort to reform policies that led to mass incarceration.

About 3,400 inmates were already confined in places like halfway houses.

Another 1,700 of the inmates are not US citizens and will possibly face deportation.

The changes come as part of an effort to reverse long jail terms for non-violent offenders, who make up about half of the federal prison population.

Many of these prisoners were released from federal custody on Friday. The rest will be released by Tuesday.

Read More

How Well are You Managing Your Cash Flow? | Small Biz Trends

We’ve all heard the saying, “Cash is King.”

While the words may be cliché, they’re also true — particularly for the small business. Without a cushy safety net or direct line to a big bank’s lending department, survival often hinges on your ability to effectively manage the delicate balance of cash in and cash out.

When there’s no cash on hand, everything is tough. Paying salaries, paying bills, buying supplies, not to mention making the investments needed to grow to the next level. If you’re looking for tips on managing your business cash flow, below are seven to think about.

Read More

Angel investor: don’t drop out of school | Business Insider

Quitting school to operate a startup is all the rage these days. Billionaire venture capitalist Peter Thiel even has a special fellowship that encourages young people to do that.

Most startup-minded students quit college, not high school, following in the footsteps of Bill Gates or Mark Zuckerberg.

But teenagers are getting into tech at earlier and earlier ages. Writing apps and participating in hackathons are standard ways of getting internships at hot employers like Google and Facebook.

Read More

China to End One-Child Policy, Allowing Families Two Children | The New York Times

BEIJING — China’s Communist Party brought to an end the decades-old “one child” policy on Thursday, when leaders announced that all married couples would be allowed to have two children in a bid to reverse the rapid aging of the labor force.

The announcement came after the party’s Central Committee concluded a four-day meeting in a heavily guarded hotel in western Beijing where the committee approved proposals for China’s next five-year development plan, which starts next year.

“Improve the demographic development strategy,” said the official communiqué, or summary, of the meeting issued through the Xinhua news agency. “Comprehensively implement a policy that couples can have two children, actively taking steps to counter the aging of the population.”

Read More

5 Ways to Instantly Connect With Anyone You Meet | Entrepreneur

How we communicate largely determines what we experience in life. It influences how much money we make, every relationship we have and where we go in our career.

Our income can be limited if we are unable to pitch our product to a client, ask for a desired salary in an interview or request a raise from management. On the other hand, the depth of our relationships will be constrained if we don’t have the confidence to approach new people or have the ability to resolve conflict and express ourselves.

Read More

No One Works When It’s Hot, So Climate Change Is Going To Ruin The Economy | Fast Company

The slowing down of life on a hot summer day isn’t your imagination. Economic literature is full with examples of how productivity comes to a crawl—even in America’s over-air conditioned society—when the temperatures climb above a given tipping point.

Consider that the number of cars rolling off U.S. auto assembly lines decreases during heat waves. Or that American children have scored lower on math tests that are given when the thermometer rises above 79 degrees. One study found that weekdays above 86 degrees have cost an average of $20 a person in lost economic performance in the U.S. And if temperatures above 85 degrees are sustained over a growing season, yields for crucial crops like corn and soybean in the U.S. drop substantially—a worrisome economic and global food security outcome in a predicted future of hotter summers.

The many trillion dollar question is what happens when all of these individual effects become more frequent as the world’s thermostat rises. How much will climate change cost? And how will it change the economic landscape of the places that aren’t affected by heat-related productivity losses now, but will be soon.

Read More

The Difference Between Being a Franchise Owner and an Entrepreneur | Getentrepreneurial

There is a big difference between being an entrepreneur and owning a franchise. When considering purchasing or starting a small business it is wise to understand the differences so that you can make good choices for your situation. A franchise has much less control over product, strategy and marketing, but has less risk. An entrepreneur controls their fate but does not have the advantage of brand recognition and a ready-made market.

Leadership

An entrepreneur dreams and dream and creates a business from it. This includes feasibility studies, market studies, start-up strategy, funding, strategic planning and business planning. The entrepreneur has tremendous latitude to develop the business according to their own vision and subsequently to respond to the market for the product. The owner develops the leadership for the business and in the end controls the critical decisions.

Read More

10 Twitter Marketing Mistakes You Need to Stop Making | Business News Daily

Social media is a great free tool that businesses can — and should — take advantage of. Twitter, especially, is one of the best platforms for actively engaging with your brand’s audience, but if you make the wrong moves, you could find yourself tweeting into the void, or worse, offending potential customers.

Business News Daily asked social media experts about the 10 worst things brands and businesses can do on Twitter. Tweet your way to the top by avoiding these major mistakes.

1. Don’t oversell your brand.

“One of the biggest mistakes that brands can make on Twitter is being too brand-centric in their messaging, and forgetting what social media is about — community! Though it may seem counterintuitive to increasing brand awareness, the most successful social media marketing programs focus more on sharing third-party articles and building relationships within communities, rather than only sharing your brand’s messaging and driving [traffic] to your website. A good rule of thumb is to stick to 80 percent third-party content/community engagement, and 20 percent brand-related posts.” – Ginny Torok, social media consultant and digital marketing director, IDMD

Read More

Weekly Economic Update | LAEDC

v.19 n. 44 – Released October 27, 2015

This Week’s Headlines:

• California Home Sales and Median Prices
• Events of Interest
  • October 30: 2015-16 South Bay Economic Forecast Conference
  • November 12: LAEDC 20th Annual Eddy Awards

Aquabook Customizable Water Bottle | Cool Business Ideas

There are plenty of ways to carry around good old H2O. Thing is all those plastic bottles are destroying our planet. We decided to make a change with aquabook. Made in Germany, aquabook makes staying hydrated on the GO super easy. Its A5 flat design can fit into any bag, briefcase or purse, yet it holds a whopping 25 oz. / 750 ml of liquid!

Read More