#but… but the price…. but I need it…. send help or one hundred u.s. dollars

[baycitystygian]

frothing at the mouth because the cheapest version of mick’s book is one hundred fucking dollars

[ruminativerabbi]

Tuesday on the Mall

I rarely write about our nation’s press and news media outlets, but sometimes you just don’t know whether to laugh or to cry. Or both.

The front page of Wednesday’s New York Times website made no reference at all to the gigantic pro-Israel demonstration in Washington. It was mentioned, however, in “The Morning,” a daily news summary that the Times sends out to people like myself who subscribe to it, where the text reads, and I quote, “Tens of thousands joined a rally at the National Mall in Washington in support of Israel.” Tens of thousands? Any reasonable reader might wonder how many tens exactly. You can’t find out by clicking on the link, however: that leads to a story that is buried somewhere in the bowels of the website (and not visible to people who “just” type www.nytimes.com into their browsers to see what’s on today’s front page) which—I have to assume intentionally—merely repeats that “tens of thousands” had converged on the Mall, adding the helpful information that neither the U.S. Parks Department nor the Metropolitan Police Department provided any estimate of the size of the crowd.

Well, I was there. So was Joan. So were, by most estimates, something like 290,000 other people. Some estimated the crowd as over 300,000. Would any reputable newspaper refer to a number like that as “tens of thousands”? That’s something like saying that a new Rolls Royce costs “hundreds of dollars.” Yes, the price of a new Rolls is definitely some multiple of 100. (I just checked: the average price of a new Rolls is $435,000, or about 4350 hundreds of dollars.) But no one would reference the price of a Rolls that way and the Times should be ashamed of itself for going to such bizarre lengths to avoid saying just how many people its crackerjack reporters—a team so endlessly willing uncritically to estimate civilian casualties in Gaza based on information provided by Hamas—how many people its crackerjack reporters estimated were there on the Mall on Tuesday.

Okay, now that I have that off my chest I can write about the rally itself. Oddly described (in the Times and elsewhere, but for no obvious reason) as “a march,” the rally featured no one marching anywhere at all, just people in massive numbers gathering and staying put on the National Mall, the gigantic park space that stretches in our nation’s capital from the Capitol to the east and the Washington Monument to the west. The crowd was so large that we chose voluntarily to stay towards the back where there were gigantic television screens broadcasting the speakers and singers who were speaking and performing at the far eastern end of the Mall—where only invited guests with special blue bracelets could go. So we were fine with that—I’m not a huge fan of crowds and was more than happy just to be present in that place without needing to be all the way up front—and were content to hang back.

The speakers were a strange mix: some A-list politicians (Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, and Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, but not President Biden, Vice President Harris, or Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell), some much less well-known types (Republican Senator Joni Earnst of Iowa, for example, or Democratic Senator Jacky Rosen of Nevada), some Israeli singers I personally hadn’t ever heard of (but also Matisyahu, whom I at least had heard of), and a strange sprinkling of Hollywood types like Debra Messing and Tovah Feldshuh, whose presence at the podium seemed to baffle most of the people in my immediate area. There were also a large number of relatives—including parents and siblings—of the hostages being held in Gaza. The parents of Omer Neutra, a lone soldier from Plainview who graduated the Schechter School of Long Island in 2019, were front and center to demand the release of all the hostages being held by Hamas. As they surely well deserved to be and needed to be.

Several speakers stood out in my opinion, though, and, first among them, Democratic Representative from the Bronx Ritchie Torres who spoke, I thought, remarkably forcefully and clearly, calling unequivocally on Israel, and I quote, “to do to Hamas what America did to ISIS in the twenty-first century and what America did to the Nazis in the twentieth century.” That matches my sentiment exactly, so it was very satisfying to hear an ally generally identified as a progressive speaking so forthrightly and clearly on Israel’s behalf.

Next, I would like to mention Deborah Lipstadt, United States Special Envoy for Monitoring and Combatting Anti-Semitism. I’ve heard her speak before and I read with great interest and respect her 2019 book, Anti-Semitism: Here and Now, as well as her biography of Golda Meir and her 2011 analysis of the Eichmann Trial called just that, The Eichmann Trial. In her remarks on the mall, she spoke forcefully and clearly about the link between anti-Israelism and anti-Semitism. Because of her status as a senior official in the Biden Administration, her presence was especially important. And she could not have spoken more eloquently or more forcefully on Israel’s behalf.

Natan Sharansky spoke from Jerusalem via video hook-up, as did Isaac Herzog, the President of Israel. (President Herzog said he was speaking from the Kotel, but it looked as though his spectral presence must have been somehow suspended above it since there were no people visible on the ground and the giant stone blocks of the Kotel were weirdly visible through the president’s diaphanous body.) 

I was particularly interested in hearing the Reverend John C. Hagee speak. That he was invited at all surprised me—here is a super-conservative type who has made dozens of statements opposing women’s reproductive rights, the civil rights of LGBTQ people, and the right of American children to attend public schools in which they are not encouraged, including not even subtly, to embrace the Reverend’s own faith as their own. And yet, despite all the reasons he shouldn’t have been there, there he was. He spoke forcefully and clearly. He prayed aloud that God bless the State of Israel. He declared himself and his followers to stand “shoulder to shoulder with the Jewish people” and noted that, in the current conflict, “there is no middle ground. You are either for the Jewish people or you’re not.” And, sounding fully sincere (at least to me), he noted that “if a line has to be drawn,” then the world should “draw that line around both Christians and Jews, because we are one.” So that was all good. But it begs the question of what to do with allies who speak out forcefully for good with respect to Israel, who raises gigantic sums of money for Israel (about $100 million and only rising), but who support so much of what most of Israel’s most fervent American supporters abhor. I came away unsure how I felt: impressed that he came, pleased that he spoke so forcefully and so unambiguously about his support for Israel and the degree to which he feels that all Christians should be fully supportive of Israel’s efforts to annihilate Hamas in Gaza…and yet not at all ready to say that we should just look past the Reverend’s many abhorrent remarks with respect to so much that we believe to be right and just. I suppose I give the man a pass for the moment: he came, he spoke forcefully and forthrightly, he didn’t mention any topic except Israel, and then he sat down without abusing his invitation to speak.

The crowd was interesting in its own right: lots of regular-looking Jewish people (some with yarmulkes on their heads but most without), some super-Orthodox-looking types (but nowhere near enough, at least not in my opinion, given their actual numbers), some quirky sub-groups (Iranians for Israel was probably my favorite), some pro-Israel Christian groups (mostly behaving respectfully, some not so much), and pro-Zionist LGBTQ people draped in rainbow flags emblazoned with huge Stars of David.

Tuesday’s rally appears to have been the largest ever gathering of American Jews and could conceivably have brought together almost a full five percent of the entire Jewish population of the nation. And so let me wrap up by saying what Tuesday’s rally meant to me both as a Jew and as an American.

We all pay lip service to the freedoms enshrined in the Bill of Rights. But the power that inheres in those freedoms is rarely something we experience personally. The right to speak out, the right to assemble without interference, the right to protest…and to be protected by the authorities while protesting, the right to insist that public officials listen when people speak out—all those are things we learn about in high school and then mostly don’t think much about. And yet there we all were, all of us together and united and expressing ourselves as one without anyone having needed a permit to show up or a license to speak out. I don’t suppose high-school-me could have imagined about-to-retire me on the Mall last Tuesday embodying all those rights we had to memorize for the American History Regents exam. But there I was. And there Joan also was. Both of us were proud and happy to stand up for Israel and to be two among many, many others united in their disinclination to remain silent when Israel is under attack.

[thespacebetweenmyribs]

Hey girlies, gals and everyone with a uterus!

This is the information and resources masterpost

So in light of roe v. wade being over turned, I'm going to provide some info so you are safe

1. I have some great news, states cannot ban abortion pills.

A pill that is most commonly used is, mifepristone.

This is a common abortion pill that works 80 percent of the time. It's kinda expensive but you can find coupons to lower the prices but you can find it in your local CVS, Walmart, or any pharmacy.

misoprostol is also another pill for this. This stuff is costly. Like over a hundred dollars without insurance so I encourage you to be safe and get that pill by any means.

2. Delete that period tracker rn. Like seriously, your data is not protected and is public information, and the government can use that to track when you have last had your period, making it easier to throw you in jail if they suspect a miscarriage.

Resources: pros and cons

Aidaccess.org

Pros: they can send you the abortion pill if you are ten weeks or less. they can even send it to you if you live in a restricted state

Cons: you might have to get it from a doctor in Europe so please plan ahead because it could take awhile to ship.

They ship to the following states: Alaska, California, Colorado, Connecticut, DC, Idaho, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, New York, New Jersey, New Mexico, Nevada, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, Virginia and Washington.

This is where you can almost immediately receive what ever abortive you need from a u.s doctor

It costs 150 UD

Every where else, it's from a doctor in india

It costs 110 everywhere else

Shoutoutyourabortion.com

Pros: gives you updates on things that you can do to raise hell for our rights and just gen info

Cons: none

Reprolegalhelpline.org

Pros: you can chat about your health and seek information

Cons: just a helpline

Miscarriage and abortion hotline

Pros: helps with grief and other things

Cons: none

Remember!!!!! Keep your abortion on the down low and do not tell anyone that you cannot trust one hundred percent ⚠️⚠️⚠️⚠️

If you do need to talk about it, do not send a text and do not send an email. Only talk through encrypted messaging systems.

Whatsapp

Telegram and other apps like that are encrypted.

[jenniferrpovey]

ABC Test Explained

Okay, so apparently there are a lot of people who love the PRO Act.

For the most part, I love the PRO Act too. Unions are good. I’m not in a union (I’m in a guild, which is a different thing), but I could join two if I wanted to. In my specific situation, unions don’t benefit me.

But I want other people who DO need them to join them.

Unfortunately, something has been slipped into the PRO Act that is terrible in the same way SESTA/FOSTA was, except it’s not just for sex workers this time (not to diminish the impact on sex workers).

It’s called the ABC Test and there’s a move to make it the national standard for who is considered an independent contractor, across all industries.

It’s very simple. To pass the test, you have to meet all THREE of these criteria:

A. The worker is free from the employer’s control or direction in performing the work.

B. The work takes place outside the usual course of business of the company.

C. The worker is customarily engaged in an independent trade, occupation, profession, or business.

A. is pretty easy.

C. is mostly easy, but causes issues for publishing that I’ll explain later.

B. outlaws 90% of freelance work with NO workaround that I know of. (I have yet to consult a lawyer on this. Lawyers are expensive).

C primarily causes a problem for sensitivity readers. My last one was a college student who needed the extra money. Under this, I wouldn’t have been able to hire her. If you are looking for a very specific sensitivity reader, that will become illegal if this test is codified, because they will HAVE to be doing it regularly. That’s hard for if you want, say, an African-American asexual person. Multiple sensitivity readers probably won’t help. Also, if somebody has to be an employee, they also have to be a U.S. citizen or legal resident. So much for hiring a sensitivity reader in Finland to make sure your Finnish character acts like a Finn.

B. causes a problem for *everyone*. As an author-publisher, I would no longer be able to hire an editor or a cover artist. Which means I would no longer be able to produce quality books.

I would have to onboard my editor as an employee every time I needed her, pay her by the hour not by the word, then fire her when she was done.

I could get around cover art by purchasing pre-made art, which is buying IP.

It’s also possible that a court could rule that authors are employees of the publisher, which would be absolutely terrible because then the publisher owns the book. Publishers might have to get around this by not providing editing/feedback, and the author can’t hire an editor, and...

 Basically, this would absolutely destroy publishing. I can think of workarounds such as author’s cooperatives.

The point is that if you need somebody to run your business they must be an employee. Which makes absolute sense if that person is working for you 40 hours a week...or even 5 hours a week.

It’s an undue burden if they are working for you 30 hours a year. Or once ever for 5 hours.

The point is to make us hire people, but we can’t. Instead, the only option for me and other self publishers will be to let down our readers either by ceasing publication or by producing inferior work.

If you enjoy self published books, if you enjoy books by diverse authors, if you enjoy weird shit that the big publishers won’t take a risk on, then please contact your Representative and Senator.

Do not tell them to vote against the PRO Act unless there’s no other choice. Tell them to push for an amendment to either carve out exemptions to the ABC Test or replace it for a more sensible test.

Biden has already promised to sign this. (Consider contacting the White House too).

If you are an artist who ever does work for a publisher, if you are an author yourself, talk about how it will affect your business.

If you are a reader, talk about how it will affect publishing as a whole.

I realize this all sounds like a capitalist argument, but wouldn’t you rather have your favorite independent authors writing and not doing a ton of paperwork every time they release a new book...and wouldn’t you rather read books that had been edited by a person not the author?

To explain, if I have to onboard an editor as an employee, I have to:

1. Have them fill out a W-4 form.

2. Verify their immigration status.

3. Register them with the state. Brakes on! My editor is in a different state. I just got nexus in that state...which will last for years. Now I can’t sell books directly to people in that state without collecting sales tax. And I don’t even know HOW you do it when your employee is in a different state. This involves four different sets of paperwork.

4. Pay worker’s compensation, so if they get carpal tunnel working for me they’re covered. Given I can’t actually control their working conditions but am now liable for them.

5. Send them half a dozen OSHA and safety notices.

Then I have to have them track their time and bill me by the hour. Again, you can no longer charge by the word. I have to pay payroll taxes (which they normally do themselves for all of their projects at once).

Then when the project is DONE, I have to fire them, so I’m not paying worker’s comp until the next book is finished. Then do all of this AGAIN even if it’s the same editor.

This compares to one single tax form and a contract.

Then I have to do this all again for my cover artist.

Either my costs go up significantly, or I have to take workers’ comp out of the amount I’m paying them. So ONE of us loses a ton of money and BOTH of us waste a ton of time.

(My editor that I use will probably stop editing if this happens).

If I don’t do this, I could be fined $30,000...per violation...which would not just put me out of business but wipe out my savings.

If you value independent publishing, then please, again, tell your representative and senator how you feel about the ABC test.

Oh, and it also:

1. Destroys the owner-operator model of trucking. Prices on everything will go up and large companies that can employ their own drivers will benefit. I.e., straight into Bezos’ pocket.

2. May impact the ability of construction companies to hire subcontractors. It’s really murky at this point.

I’m going to have to consult a lawyer if this goes through and I may pay a few hundred dollars to find out I have to polish up my resume.

And how ridiculous this is has already been shown with AB5 in California. I want them to come up with a test which nails Uber, Door Dash, etc, but not entire industries.

[olko71]

New Post has been published on All about business online

New Post has been published on http://yaroreviews.info/2021/04/snarled-supply-chain-trips-up-small-businesses

Snarled Supply Chain Trips Up Small Businesses

An Oklahoma restaurant is paying nearly $200 for a case of gloves that normally costs $40. A medical-device maker in Colorado is tweaking the way it manufactures its products to offset higher plastic costs. A clothing wholesaler in Michigan has hundreds of hoodies it has yet to sell because winter was over by the time they arrived from Bangladesh.

The supply-chain disruptions rippling across the business world are taking a heavy toll on small U.S. companies, which have fewer resources to absorb or push back on price increases and less leverage to pass along the higher costs to customers.

Forty-four percent of small businesses reported temporary shortages or other supply-chain problems in March, according to a survey of roughly 800 companies by Vistage Worldwide Inc., a business advisory firm. A U.S. Census Bureau survey of small businesses, completed in early April, found supply-chain disruptions in wholesale trade, manufacturing and construction, among others.

Multiple forces are driving supply-chain woes, from coronavirus infections among employees and temporary business closures to increased demand as vaccines take hold and restrictions ease. A backlog at California ports, the temporary closure of the Suez Canal and weather-related problems have created additional challenges. Smaller companies typically have less sophisticated purchasing departments than larger corporations.

Staffing problems at freight depots have delayed shipments of Sealstrip’s tape products.

Nitrile gloves have been particularly hard to come by for Evan Kelamis, owner of Savoy, a Tulsa, Okla., restaurant with 35 employees. Some restaurant suppliers no longer stock the gloves; a case of 1,000 that sold for $40 before the pandemic now fetches as much as $185—if you can even buy them.

Mr. Kelamis says buying from local vendors and stockpiling has helped Savoy navigate shortages of pork, chicken and beef. He worries demand for bacon and other ingredients will jump as more restaurants reopen. “Seventy percent of bacon consumption is in a restaurant setting,” he said. “It’s one of the concerns we are preparing for.”

The current mismatch between supply and demand is a sharp turnabout for some companies. Resin distributor PolySource LLC had plenty to sell a year ago, said Grant John, chief executive of the Independence, Mo.-based company. “This year, you have the opposite,” he said.

PolySource, which sources half its products from North America and the rest from Asia, has created a color-coded guide to wait times for materials and substitute materials to help its 23-person workforce meet customers’ needs.

An average of 30 container ships a day have been stuck outside the Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach just waiting to deliver their goods. The backlog is part of a global supply-chain mess spurred by the pandemic that means consumers could see delivery delays for weeks. Photo Composite: Adam Falk/The Wall Street Journal

Prices have jumped for many in-demand materials. “If a steel supplier has even a little supply, they are raising prices knowing it will be difficult for them to replenish their stock,” said Matt Erfman, chief executive of Dakotaland Manufacturing, a Sioux Falls, S.D., contract metal manufacturer with about 150 employees. “It’s almost a straight-upward trajectory.”

Suppliers recently quoted Dakotaland a price of $1.10 a pound for 4-by-3-inch steel tubing that sold for 45 cents a pound last summer, said Mr. Erfman.

Dakotaland’s contracts allow it to pass along increased costs quarterly to major customers, but delays in raising prices have squeezed profit margins. “Hopefully, it washes out when things turn the other way,” Mr. Erfman said. “At this point, we don’t know when that might be.”

Sealstrip President Heather Chandler at company headquarters in Gilbertsville, Pa.

Sealstrip Corp., a Gilbertsville, Pa., maker of packaging products, has struggled to find steel storage drums and resins for manufacturing plastic films used in flexible packaging. Larger suppliers have boosted prices; some have invoked force majeure clauses that let them exit contracts due to unforeseen circumstances. Even wooden pallets for shipping are hard to find.

The cost of lumber to build crates and pallets has climbed by 50% to 100%, said Heather Chandler, president of the 40-person company, which sells resealable tape, machinery and other packaging supplies to big consumer-products companies.

“One of the biggest challenges of being a small company is we buy from billion-dollar companies and sell to billion-dollar companies,” making it difficult to fend off price increases or pass them on to customers, she said.

Transportation backlogs add to the headaches. It recently took five days for a pallet of adhesive tape to travel from Sealstrip’s Gilbertsville factory to a customer’s facility, about a two-hour drive away. “Things are sitting in freight depots because they are short on staff,” Ms. Chandler said.

Delays can be particularly troublesome for small businesses selling seasonal goods. B&S Activewear LLC, a Warren, Mich., clothing wholesaler, was still receiving shipments of zip-up hoodies and other winter apparel from Bangladesh in April, roughly two months later than expected.

Sealstrip has faced shortages of resin used in some of its plastic packaging—and even wooden pallets.

B&S has tried to speed up delivery by shipping goods via UPS Air Freight, at a cost of $8,000 for 72 boxes of T-shirts, more than 10 times the cost of sending the same items by boat. The year-old company sold most of the apparel at break-even after a prospective customer rejected the goods due to the delay, said Steven Gasparovic, the company’s director of U.S. operations.

Though smaller companies may have less sophisticated purchasing departments, they can sometimes be more agile.

MedSafety Solutions, a Centennial, Colo., maker of medical devices, began re-engineering its processes to reduce costs after supply shortages fueled cost increases of 10% or more for plastics used in the manufacture of needle products. “We are using investment dollars to improve efficiencies,” said Steve van Engen, chief executive of the 14-person company.

A Sealstrip employee worked at a slitter machine on Tuesday.

Other small companies are boosting inventory. After the 2020 hurricane season, assembly company Automation Systems LLC ordered an extra 20,000 pounds of plastic pellets, normally enough to last the Melrose Park, Ill., company nine months. One month later, prices surged due to the Texas freeze.

“They were jacking prices through the roof,” owner Carl Schanstra said. “I did it as a stability measure.” Mr. Schanstra has also placed blanket orders for steel, foam and other materials as much as 12 months ahead, instead of a more typical lead time of six months. Ordering early allows the 45-person company to lock in supply, but leaves little room to fine-tune orders or address concerns.

Global Supply Chain Woes

Write to Ruth Simon at ruth.simon@wsj.com and Dave Sebastian at dave.sebastian@wsj.com

Copyright ©2020 Dow Jones & Company, Inc. All Rights Reserved. 87990cbe856818d5eddac44c7b1cdeb8

[imuktadul-blog]

The Next Big Thing in Health Care Reform - Why Are People So Worked Up?

Why are Americans so aroused about health care reform? Statements like "don't touch my Medicare" or "everyone should have access to state of the art health care regardless of cost" are in my opinion uninformed and visceral responses that indicate a poor understanding of our health care system's history, its current and future resources and therefore the funding challenges that America faces going forward. While we all wonder how the health care system has reached what some ask as a crisis stage. Let's attempt to take a number of the emotion out of the talk by briefly examining how health care during this country emerged and the way that has formed our thinking and culture about health care. thereupon as a foundation let's check out the pros and cons of the Obama administration health care reform proposals and let's check out the concepts put forth by the Republicans?

Access to state of the art health care services are some things we will all agree would be an honest thing for this country. Experiencing a significant illness is one among life's major challenges and to face it without the means to buy it's positively frightening. But as we shall see, once we all know the facts, we'll find that achieving this goal won't be easy without our individual contribution.

These are the themes i will be able to touch on to undertake to form some sense out of what's happening to American health care and therefore the steps we will personally fancy make things better.

A recent history of yank health care - what has driven the prices so high? Key elements of the Obama health care plan The Republican view of health care - free market competition Universal access to state of the art health care - a worthy goal but tough to realize what can we do? First, let's get a touch historical perspective on American health care. this is often not intended to be an exhausted check out that history but it'll give us an appreciation of how the health care system and our expectations for it developed. What drove costs higher and higher?

To begin, let's address the American war . therein war, dated tactics and therefore the carnage inflicted by modern weapons of the age combined to cause ghastly results. Not generally known is that the majority of the deaths on each side of that war weren't the results of actual combat but to what happened after a battlefield wound was inflicted. to start with, evacuation of the wounded moved at a snail's pace and this caused severe delays in treating the wounded. Secondly, many wounds were subjected to wound care, related surgeries and/or amputations of the affected limbs and this often resulted within the onset of massive infection. So you would possibly survive a battle wound only to die at the hands of medical aid providers who although well-intentioned, their interventions were often quite lethal. High death tolls also can be ascribed to everyday sicknesses and diseases during a time when no antibiotics existed. In total something like 600,000 deaths occurred from all causes, over 2% of the U.S. population at the time!

Let's skip to the primary half the 20th century for a few additional perspective and to bring us up to more times . After the war there have been steady improvements in American medicine in both the understanding and treatment of certain diseases, new surgical techniques and in physician education and training. except for the foremost part the simplest that doctors could offer their patients was a "wait and see" approach. Medicine could handle bone fractures and increasingly attempt risky surgeries (now largely performed in sterile surgical environments) but medicines weren't yet available to handle serious illnesses. the bulk of deaths remained the results of untreatable conditions like tuberculosis, pneumonia, scarlatina and measles and/or related complications. Doctors were increasingly conscious of heart and vascular conditions, and cancer but that they had almost nothing with which to treat these conditions.

This very basic review of yank medical record helps us to know that until quite recently (around the 1950's) we had virtually no technologies with which to treat serious or maybe minor ailments. Here may be a juncture we'd like to understand; "nothing to treat you with means visits to the doctor if in the least were relegated to emergencies so in such a scenario costs are curtailed. the straightforward fact is that there was little for doctors to supply and thus virtually nothing to drive health care spending. A second factor holding down costs was that medical treatments that were provided were purchased out-of-pocket, meaning by way of an individuals personal resources. There was no such thing as insurance and positively not insurance paid by an employer. apart from the very destitute who were lucky to seek out their way into a charity hospital, health care costs were the responsibility of the individual.

What does health care insurance need to do with health care costs? Its impact on health care costs has been, and remains to the present day, absolutely enormous. When insurance for people and families emerged as a way for companies to flee wage freezes and to draw in and retain employees after war II, almost overnight an excellent pool of cash became available to buy health care. Money, as a results of the supply of billions of dollars from insurance pools, encouraged an innovative America to extend medical research efforts. More Americans became insured not only through private, employer sponsored insurance but through increased government funding that created Medicare and Medicaid (1965). additionally funding became available for expanded veterans health care benefits. Finding a cure for nearly anything has consequently become very lucrative. this is often also the first reason for the vast array of treatments we've available today.

I don't wish to convey that medical innovations are a nasty thing. consider the tens of many lives that are saved, extended, enhanced and made more productive as a result. But with a funding source grown to its current magnitude (hundreds of billions of dollars annually) upward pressure on health care costs are inevitable. Doctor's offer and most folks demand and obtain access to the newest available health care technology within the sort of pharmaceuticals, medical devices, diagnostic tools and surgical procedures. therefore the result's that there's more health care to spend our money on and until very recently most folks were insured and therefore the costs were largely covered by a third-party (government, employers). Add an insatiable and unrealistic public demand for access and treatment and that we have the "perfect storm" for higher and better health care costs. And by and enormous the storm is merely intensifying.

At now , let's address the key questions which will lead us into a review and hopefully a far better understanding of the health care reform proposals within the news today. is that the current trajectory of U.S. health care spending sustainable? Can America maintain its world competitiveness when 16%, heading for 20% of our gross national product is being spent on health care? What are the opposite industrialized countries spending on health care and is it even on the brink of these numbers? once we add politics and an election year to the talk , information to assist us answer these questions become critical. we'd like to spend some effort in understanding health care and checking out how we expect about it. Properly armed we will more intelligently determine whether certain health care proposals might solve or worsen a number of these problems. What are often done about the challenges? How can we as individuals contribute to the solutions?

The Obama health care plan is complex needless to say - I even have never seen a health care plan that may not . But through a spread of programs his plan attempts to affect a) increasing the amount of yank that are covered by adequate insurance (almost 50 million are not), and b) managing costs in such a fashion that quality and our access to health care isn't adversely affected. Republicans seek to realize these same basic and broad goals, but their approach is proposed as being more market driven than government driven. Let's check out what the Obama plan does to accomplish the 2 objectives above. Remember, by the way, that his plan was gone by congress, and begins to significantly kick-in starting in 2014. So this is often the direction we are currently taking as we plan to reform health care.

Through insurance exchanges and an expansion of Medicaid,the Obama plan dramatically expands the amount of usa citizens which will be covered by insurance .

To cover the value of this expansion the plan requires everyone to possess insurance with a penalty to be paid if we do not comply. it'll purportedly send money to the states to hide those individuals added to state-based Medicaid programs.

To cover the added costs there have been variety of latest taxes introduced, one being a 2.5% tax on new medical technologies and another increases taxes on interest and dividend income for wealthier Americans.

The Obama plan also uses concepts like evidence-based medicine, accountable care organizations, comparative effectiveness research and reduced reimbursement to health care providers (doctors and hospitals) to regulate costs. The insurance mandate covered by points 1 and a couple of above may be a worthy goal and most industrialized countries outside of the U.S. provide "free" (paid for by rather high individual and company taxes) health care to most if not all of their citizens. it's important to notice , however, that there are variety of restrictions that many Americans would be culturally unprepared. Here is that the primary controversial aspect of the Obama plan, the insurance mandate. The U.S. Supreme Court recently decided to listen to arguments on the constitutionality of the insurance mandate as a results of a petition by 26 states attorney's general that congress exceeded its authority under the commerce clause of the U.S. constitution by passing this element of the plan. the matter is that if the Supreme Court should rule against the mandate, it's generally believed that the Obama plan as we all know it's doomed. this is often because its major goal of providing insurance to all or any would be severely limited if not terminated altogether by such a choice .

As you'd guess, the taxes covered by point 3 above are rather unpopular with those entities and individuals that need to pay them. Medical device companies, pharmaceutical companies, hospitals, doctors and insurance companies all had to "give up" something that might either create new revenue or would scale back costs within their spheres of control. As an example, Stryker Corporation, an outsized medical device company, recently announced a minimum of a 1,000 employee reduction partially to hide these new fees. this is often being experienced by other medical device companies and pharmaceutical companies also . The reduction in good paying jobs within the se sectors and in the hospital sector may rise as former cost structures will need to be addressed so as to accommodate the reduced rate of reimbursement to hospitals. Over subsequent ten years some estimates put the value reductions to hospitals and physicians at half a trillion dollars and this may flow on to and affect the businesses that provide hospitals and doctors with the newest medical technologies. None of this is often to mention that efficiencies won't be realized by these changes or that other jobs will successively be created but this may represent painful change for a short time . It helps us to know that health care reform does have an impact both positive and negative.

[askpetethelibrarian]

Arrr! The Pirate Library

Yesterday, someone over at King Shot Press found himself in a little hot water over some tweets that were...not pro-piracy, I guess, but not AS anti-piracy as some people wanted. 

It turned into a whole thing. Because this is the internet, so one person’s opinion on piracy shatters too many worldviews or something. 

Frankly, it turned into a big mess. I wouldn’t want to get involved, until...

And when someone said “I honestly don’t see the difference with a library” I felt compelled to say a few things. And to ask myself: Why is checking out a book from the library different from piracy?

Before we get into it, however, I just want to say that the opinion of someone at King Shot isn’t something that induces anger in me. I think it’s an opinion that I agree with in some ways and disagree with in others, and I’m not looking to pile on here. After the library bit, I’ll share some of my opinion on piracy, in general. 

1. Scale

When piracy puts a book up online, an infinite number of people can download, possess, and read it simultaneously. 

When a library buys a print copy of a book, that’s obviously not true. That book can only go out a limited number of times (50 checkouts is usually too many for most books, physically). It can only be held by one person at a time. And, it can only be in any person’s possession for a limited period. 

When a library buys an ebook, similar rules will apply. Overdrive/Libby, the most popular library ebook service, does require us to buy licenses for every copy. Not every title, every copy. So, if we have two copies of something, we bought two. If we have one copy, only one person can have it out at a given time. 

Hoopla, another service, has a different model. We don’t buy individual licenses for individual items, and any number of people can have it at the same time. However, the time period is limited, and users are limited to a given number of titles per month. So, one can’t use library service to stockpile a bunch of books that they keep forever.

Piracy and borrowing might not look different from a user POV, but from a view that’s bigger than the individual, the difference is big enough to start having its own gravitational pull. 

2. Purchase

It certainly seems like I can check out something from the library for free, so what’s the difference between that and downloading it for free?

The library isn’t “free.” It’s a pre-paid service, meaning you’ve already paid for it, it’s just a matter of whether or not you make use of it. Much like a road, street lamp, or public park. You pay for those things, and then you choose whether or not to make good use of your money.

You’ve also paid for ebooks held by your library. Your tax money goes to the library, the library buys ebook services.

Now, in theory, SOMEONE paid for a copy of a book at some point before it was up for free online. So there’s a similarity here. However, let’s look more closely:

If a library buys a title and it’s very popular, they will buy more. Our system has a policy that says we’ll buy another copy of something for every 5 simultaneous requests placed. If 50 people requested The Martian when it came out, our guiding principle is that we should have at least 10 copies. 

There’s no such system in piracy. That one copy is all that’s ever purchased.

To cross over with the above argument about scale, let’s say that my library system bought 10 copies of The Martian. Consider that this is ONE library system serving a portion of one U.S. state. Even if we were overly generous, we could say we cover a quarter of the state. Multiply our purchase four times to cover Colorado, then multiply times 50 to cover the U.S., all of a sudden you’ve got 2,000 purchased copies of The Martian. This is very quick and dirty math, and it’s almost certainly a lowball. 

Also, you need to factor in that libraries will be replacing copies of books. So, in the 5 years or so since The Martian came out, the initial number has likely doubled. 

There’s another effect here. Once The Martian is a hit, you’d better believe libraries are all over Andy Weir’s next book, Artemis. Pre-orders play a big part in sales. Pre-orders count in the first week of a book’s sales, and large pre-orders help a book climb onto bestseller charts. 

You might not care about putting money in Andy Weir’s pocket, and I’m not here to argue about that (for THAT portion, see below). It does warrant talking about, however, in terms of the difference between pirating material and borrowing it from the library. The library is a positive factor in the economics of books. Piracy is not. 

3. Mutual Support

There is oftentimes an argument for piracy that’s about piracy being a positive force for folks who can’t afford books. Let me tell you why using your library is better. 

The library works like this: you support us, we support you. 

You come in, check out some stuff, and that gives us better stats to take to the local government and say, “See, this is important. The community needs this.”

When you pirate something, we lose out on those stats. We become less busy. The local government sees that the library needs less cash. And then, that economically destitute person who can’t afford books? Where do they go now? Piracy? Bad news, economically destitute people are far less likely to have a computer, an internet connection, and maybe even a place to plug a computer in if they DID have one. Oh, and they probably don’t have a fancy-ass e-reader either.

Piracy may be an option for some people who can’t afford books, but if you are concerned with the availability of books to all, the library is a better solution.

~

Let’s talk about some of my personal feelings on piracy, in general. 

We Hurt The Ones We Love

I spoke to a very well-known author. This author told me that they’ve had some contractual trouble with their publisher because this author’s books are VERY frequently pirated, which means that the books are popular, but the publisher won’t pay as much because they will have a hard time getting a return on their investment. 

Pirating material can have a ripple effect that makes it more difficult for the artists we love to put out more of the material we love. Some might see it as hurting a large, faceless company, but the truth is that we’re hobbling someone whose work we love. 

The Money Question

When talking about piracy, there’s always an element of class warfare going on. Why should someone pay the multi-millionaires like Metallica for an album they had to work 2 hours to afford? Why do I care if Harper Collins loses out on a few bucks?

I’m about to enter some uncomfortable territory because the stats are impossible to find. Because, frankly, piracy is something that many people wouldn’t admit to doing. It’s pretty difficult to get a good bead on this whole thing. I tried to find out whether or not piracy is a result of economics, and I could find no evidence supporting or denying that. What I will speak from is personal experience. Because that’s all I’ve got. 

Yes, there is probably some kid out there who is economically destitute and the only way he’s getting his hands on sweet books is through piracy. 

However, my personal experience tells me that a whole lotta piracy is committed by people who could afford the things they’re pirating and end up stockpiling things they never use. 

Let me put it like this: I don’t really have a problem with an individual sneaking into an art museum because they can’t afford to pay their way, and they really want to see the art. 

But I think it would be wrong, while sneaking into the art museum, to grab yourself something from the gift shop. Even something small you don’t need. 

My morality on this is somewhat flexible, and somewhat capitalistic. If you genuinely can’t afford books AND you’ve exhausted the options to come about them legitimately (libraries, friends, etc.) then I don’t think I’d have a problem. However, if you, like most people, justify the collection and hoarding of electronic files that you could afford to come by legitimately, you’re in a bad moral spot. 

Short version: If you are that person who can justify piracy because you pirate only that which you actually view, and you wouldn’t be able to experience art otherwise, you get a pass. But if you’re the person justifying it because someone else is probably too broke to buy books, therefore it’s okay for YOU to pirate, I respectfully disagree.

The Value of Art

Some piracy is justified through saying that pirated things don’t necessarily equate to income loss because they wouldn’t have been purchased anyway. In other words, maybe I would pirate a movie I would never actually pay to see. 

*Ahem*

Sure, like Speed Racer. Maybe I wouldn’t pay a single dollar to see it, but I would watch it for free. This means that the makers of the movie don’t really lose anything. Maybe I wouldn’t PAY for a new Metallica album, but I would listen for free. 

For books, I don’t know that this is nearly as applicable. Who is going to put in the effort to read a book that they wouldn’t pay the paperback price on? It’s not a passive medium the way movies and music are. The book isn’t just going to happen in front of you. You actually have to do some shit to get the information inside your head. 

The real issue on this point is that of de-valuing of art. 

Writing a book is hard work. Damn hard work. I think writers deserve to be paid for their work. 

There’s a long-standing tradition of de-valuing artistic work as work. Because artists aren’t out there busting concrete. 

But I’m here to tell you, art is work. It’s not a blast to sit down and type out a couple hundred thousand words, edit them, re-edit them, send them out for publication. No part of this is more fun than watching Speed Racer. 

The writers you want to read, while you’re enjoying a book, binge-watching something, doing whatever you like to do, they are working, many of them doing so in addition to their regular day jobs. Many of them in addition to being parents, partners, and doing all the same bullshit we all do every day. 

I also feel, in this time of plenty, that there’s really no need to watch movies you hate, listen to albums you don’t like, and read books that’re no good. If it’s not worth the cost of admission, it’s not worth your time either. Just leave it be and move onto something else you’d pay for.

[patlee]

Yeah. Just imagine.

Chad Curtis blocked me when I commented on his 2016 post at the time, but I felt his fact-averse “essay” was worth revisiting, now that we are two years in to a Trump presidency. As has become emblematic of the Trump presidency and his base, provable facts don’t matter. 

After becoming president, Donald Trump has made 7,546 false or misleading claims over 700 days, as researched and catalog by The Washington Post.

An Oxford University study found that Trump supporters share more fake news on social media than any other political group. This “essay” is no exception, with the demonstrable falsehoods beginning with the first sentence. I’d like to think Chad may have had a change of heart since then.

You can see Chad’s original post here.

Imagine an America where Hillary Clinton is President...

By Chad Curtis / November 3, 2016

If she can acquit the rapist of a 12 year old girl, knowing he was guilty, and laugh about it, what other atrocity will she actively pursue injustice on against the helpless?  

If she can look into the parent’s eyes of the fallen Benghazi soldiers, who she left for dead when they called hundreds of times for help, stand over their caskets and lie to them about what happened to their sons, saying “what difference at this point does it make??” what lie will she not tell?  

If she, behind closed doors to her rich donor friends, can call Hispanics “taco bowl voters,” and “needy latinos,” black Americans, “professional never do wellers and super predators that need to be brought to heel,” catholics “bastardized” actively working within the democratic party to overthrow the religion, Bernie Sanders supporters “basement dwellers and a bucket of losers,” Trump supporters, a “basket of deplorables and irredeemable,” Arab-Americans “sand n***ers” Bill Clinton’s rape accusers “looney toons and trash” with her top staffers saying she “hates everyday Americans” how can she lead a country of people she hates and detests so much?  

If she can hold such a corrupt organization as the Clinton Foundation, where donations in the multi-millions were illegally made by foreign dictators in exchange for power and influence in the U.S. State Department, all the while enriching herself to the point of being worth over 100 million dollars, under the mask of a “charitable foundation,” can you only imagine how she will use the White House on a grander scale for her own financial gain, while selling out the United States to foreign powers?

If she and her campaign can accept over 100 million dollars in donations from Wall Street and over 50 million dollars from middle eastern countries like Qatar, Saudi Arabia etc, that throw gays off buildings, behead them, believe its ok to rape women, and don’t allow them to drive or go to school, and refuse to give any of that money back, will she sell out any cause for a price? How can she possibly say she will stand up for gays and women?  

If she can fund Islamic terrorist groups and supply them weapons, and 20% of her campaign is funded by middle eastern countries like Saudi Arabia and Qatar, what possible outcome other than more attacks, more killings and bombings, and more broken American families can we expect under a Clinton Administration?  

If she can look into American parents’ eyes and say “it is the primary role of the state to teach, train, and raise children, parents play a secondary role,” what will she not do to continue to break down the family in our country?  

If she can break federal law and delete 33000 emails and destroy 13 phones with a hammer after being subpoenaed by U.S. Congress, and lie about it repeatedly, all the while colluding with the White House, department of Justice and attorney General to cover up her crimes, what national security matter will she not endanger us with by deliberately breaking the law and deliberately covering up?  

If she can say it is her “dream to have a hemispheric common market and open borders” what length will she not go to destroy U.S. sovereignty and cede our country to a one world government?  If her top aide Huma Abedin’s mom is the editor of a Muslim brotherhood magazine that promotes sharia law and death to America, along with Huma’s convicted pedophile husband, this in addition to her former KKK mentor, how bad can her judgment be? And how many others has she aligned herself with in her inner circle that hates America’s values?  

If she can stand on the DNC convention stage and smile at the American people, knowing she rigged the process, along with the DNC chairwoman, going all the way back to 2014, to ensure her win and silence the American people’s voice for Bernie Sanders, what else will she rig and who else will she silence, and who else will she collude with for her own gain?  

If she can cheat and accept questions from Donna Brazile prior to multiple debates to give herself an unfair advantage, how far will she go to break any rule or law necessary to get herself ahead? And how deep is the corruption within her own party?  

If she will intimidate and force her husband’s many rape victims to stay silent and keep them from coming forward, what other victims will she keep from justice and how can she possibly be a champion for women?    

If she will raise our taxes by 1.3 trillion dollars, despite literally losing 6 billion dollars while running the State department, and already being the highest taxed country in the world, and being 20 trillion in debt as a country, including raising taxes on the middle class, what will she not do to further strain hard working families financially and how else will she mismanage your hard earned money? Does she even care?    

If one of her biggest mentors is Robert Byrd, a former high ranking KKK member, whom she said was a man of "surpassing eloquence and nobility," how much of the KKK values does she support?  

If she can stand arm in arm with Barack Obama and break criminal law by sending Iran 400 million dollars to Iran as ransom for hostages, and lie to the American people about it, are there any limits to the lengths she'll go to further severe trust between the American people and government?    

If she can exploit a situation like the 2010 earthquake in Haiti, by stealing 14 billion dollars through the Clinton Foundation given for relief, instead funneling the money to themselves and their friends, while most citizens and kids still live in dire poverty and in tents, and the Haitian senate president saying “they are nothing but common thieves who should be in jail,” what depths will she go to enrich herself at the expense of others, even those in the worst possible situations?    

If she actively aligns herself with and supports terrorist groups like BLM, and doesn't seek support from America's largest police force, how far will law and order fall and how many officers will die because of her choice to empower terrorism and political correctness?    

If Hillary’s supervisor during the Watergate investigation in the 70’s says, "Hillary was a liar, she was an unethical, dishonest lawyer. She conspired to violate the Constitution, the rules of the House, the rules of the committee and the rules of confidentiality,” considering her recent lies about her emails etc, and focus on disbanding the 2nd Amendment, what 40 year personal record is more concerning than that?    

If she can say “the supreme court is wrong on the 2nd Amendment,” in a private speech to rich donors, what will stop her from doing everything in her power to rewrite the constitution and remove the right to bear arms?    

If her and her team can hire the mentally ill, paying them $1500 and an Iphone, to go to Trump’s rallies and incite violence, injuring many, throwing eggs on women and severely injuring police officers, and then blame Trump for the violence, what other disgusting tricks will she employ for her own personal gain?    

If 48+ people close to Clinton, like Vince Foster, Ed Willey, Suzanne Coleman and just recently Shawn Lucas have mysteriously died, when having opportunity to give incriminating evidence against her and her family, could it be that she will go to any lengths to protect her position of power?    

If she can say to an unborn baby just hours before being delivered and say “the unborn do not have constitutional rights,” you are not a person, we are going to mutilate and tear you out of your mother’s womb and kill you, and also say she wants to be the “planned parenthood president” and supporting partial birth abortions, who and what else will she kill with no remorse?  

What kind of country would allow this kind of person to be employed in government? Let alone be promoted? Let alone run for President?  

We should pray for America.  

A vote for Hillary Clinton is your signature on all of the above. Not voting is your signature on all of the above. A third party vote is your signature on all of the above, as a third party has no chance of winning.  

A vote for Donald Trump, with all his imperfections, is to stand in the gap against all of the above.  

A vote for Donald Trump, an imperfect person, is to put a renewed focus in our country on American independence, our 2nd Amendment, life, religious liberty, our constitution, leading from the front, on border safety and security, rebuilding our military, a constitutional supreme court, ethics reform in government including term limits on congress, on economic strength, smart trade, rebuilding our inner cities and school choice, removing common core, law and order, and on honoring and championing the only people standing in the gap between chaos and anarchy in our country and abroad, our police officers and military veterans.  

He is a billionaire who at 70, could be enjoying the fruits of his labor with his family, but instead has spent over 100 million dollars of his own money on his campaign and has endured the most intense media pile on in American political history, all because he wants to give back and fight to make America great again. He has not taken more than one day off in 18 months, traveling the country, working tirelessly, fighting for that cause.  

This election could be America’s last chance, to draw a line in the sand and start to push back against the corrupt Washington machine, driven by the Clinton’s for decades.  

This election is  

“We the people” and Donald Trump  

vs.  

The smug arrogance of the corrupt Washington establishment, donors and special interests, Wall Street, globalism, George Soros, open borders, corrupt democratic and republican insiders and elites, the liberal mainstream media, Hollywood, dishonest politicians, political correctness, everything Americans are sick of in our government, and the ultimate Washington insider mob boss, the most corrupt, criminal and dishonest person to ever run for office, a felon, Hillary Clinton – all working together to maintain their power, status, and money in a corrupt system.  

Americanism vs. Globalism.  

Trump wants to make America stronger than ever. Clinton wants us to cede to a global government, and sell our nation off piece by piece.  

“My highest duty as President is to protect our citizens and uphold the Constitution of the United States. It will be America first. Once again we will be a government of, by, and for the people. I will be America’s greatest defender and most loyal champion.” –DJT

“It is my dream to have a hemispheric common market and open borders.. we have been working to produce an unaware and compliant citizenry. Ignorant voters are our best key to win.” – HRC

This could be our last chance to take back our country. November 8 can be our new American Independence Day.  

We may not see an opportunity like this again in our lifetime.  

The most powerful weapon we have is our vote.  

As someone who wants this country to be great again, to stand for goodness again, for my kids and grandkids, I will be standing in the gap against all that this woman has proven to be on November 8, and voting for Donald Trump.  

Say what you will about Mr. Trump, he will fight for America. As should we all.

Please share.

You can see Chad’s original post here. 

[is6621]

Mall the Small Things -Kelsey Sullivan

In a span of just a few weeks, a number of retailers have announced store closings. In a CNBC article, as of March 1, more than 4,309 store closures have been announced by retailers so far this year. Victoria’s Secret, Gap, JC Penney and Tesla all announced store closures within the past 2 weeks - leaving hundreds of storefronts empty and hundreds of shoppers questioning. 

Victoria’s Secret plans to shut down 50 locations in 2019 - 4x more than their average twelve per year. Gap - 230 closures over the next two years and spinning off Old Navy, and JC Penney, between department stores and home and furniture locations, 27. And what’s a blog post without mention of our favorite social media guru, Elon Musk and Tesla - announcing they will move all sales online and close showrooms. But, don’t worry, you can buy a Tesla in the matter of a minute on your phone.  eMarketer predicts Amazon will control nearly 54% of all retail ecommerce by 2019.

Since the rise of online stores, like that of Amazon, many large retailers (as mentioned above) are left feeling bruised and broken. Sure, online shopping is all about convenience. Heck, as I sit here writing this blog, I have googled hairspray, cleaning spray, and a few other items I need but am too lazy to go out and pick up (move the car, lose the parking spot, fight the crowds, change out of my Sunday lazy attire, i can make up a number of excuses) to see if I can purchase online, cheaper, with the instant gratification of having by tomorrow. I stopped when my travel hairspray delivery date was Friday and came to my senses that i can just get tomorrow while at work with a quick trip to CVS. But, therein lies my point. Convenience is there, yes. but convenience still lies within the brick and mortar stores too.  Convenience, the key here, and highly valued but not the holy grail. 

PRO: In Store shopping - Personalized. Experience

In a nutshell, online shopping is a glorified google search. You are searching, scrolling, clicking thru and for results. Chat bots are there for you, but are they real? Can they tell if those jeans make your butt look nice, or if the shoulders on the blouse make you look boxy? Nope. They may provide customer service, but nothing like that you would get in store. Forget clothes for a second. What about big purchases? TVs, cameras, computers, appliances - are you going to trust a bot to help you find what’s best for YOU? No. Again, a better experience to be had in store, checking out the products, asking the pros, who are real-time and subject matter experts. Online, things like customer reviews and photos have helped bridge that gap, but having someone walk through your large purchase, with you in mind, now that is personalized. That is an experience. And back to my hairspray example, one of the main reasons people still believe in buying something in-store is more satisfying than online is because you’re able to get that item immediately. A Fluent survey found that the reason most likely to be cited for shopping in-store is the ability to see or try on items in person. According to a study by Autotrader, 88% of shoppers prefer to purchase a car in person. Maybe that’s for the test drive before, be as it may - buyers want to have that experience before the drop their hard earned dollars. 

As e-commerce continues to change the way retailers think about brick-and-mortar locations, it’s clear there are just too many of them. 

PRO: Online shopping. Convenience. 

There is no argument that online shopping is much more convenient. You can do in your robe, in between loads of laundry, dishes, or as your about to run out of paper towels. Outside of black Friday, the Internet is the only shopping experience that is there for you 24/7. You are not at the mercy of store hours, South Boston parking, Massachusetts pike traffic, or mother nature. Save time, save effort. Buying a gift? Even better - skip the step of wrapping, packing, and sending. 

CON: In store shopping: Price comparisons. Shopping the deals. 

For multichannel retailers - those who sell both in physical stores and online - pricing becomes tricky. Retailers all have different price matching strategies - some brick-and-mortars (Best Buy, Target, Staples) will match online prices in store upon customer request, while others (Home Depot, Bloomingdale’s and Macy’s) stand ground on a hard no. Self-matching would seem smart to most, appeasing customers and maintaining fairness - a strategy to earn higher profits according to Harvard Business School professor Elie Ofek. who found that price matching is not just a necessary evil; it can be a competitive tool and boost a company’s bottom line.” 

Shopping online gives us the opportunity to compare prices, vs. in store, we do not have as easy of access to. You forget the prices you’ve seen in the previous shops, so you can’t compare them. One of the biggest questions faced by brick-and-mortar retailers today is whether prices should be the same online and in stores. Macy’s reported a decline in store sales, resulting in a 10% stock price drop. But it’s these stores that have to continue to find ways to face and defeat disruption - ramping up web operations, but more importantly creating new reasons and values for customers to patronize stores. Price strategies are what can keep all retailers afloat and results in an immediate effect. Prices can be changed tonight and profits can start rolling in tomorrow morning. 

CON: Online Shopping. Scams, Fraud, Identity Theft, Phishing, Abuse. (all the things that scare you)

The Internet knows more about us that we do. Think about how many times a day you are entering personal information via your phone, your computer, your tablet. We are entering our credit card number like its our name in a drawing and simultaneously running the risk of our lives being hacked. Online shopping fraud was up 30% in 2017, while every year since seems to break records. As e-commerce grows, e-commerce fraud grows even faster. This is not to say do not shop online as it is not safe, but it is a caution so shop smart. Most online retailers have secure sites and have every security measure needed, but we just need to be more...aware. Not purchasing from shady sellers (mom and pop sites vs. Target.com). We have to question safety, quality, and lots of inconvenience spent dealing with the repercussions. 

 There is data to support that physical stores are still important to consumers. We are not ready to forego altogether. Stats from 2018 support the importance of physical retail environments include: 

 - According to google, 61% of customers would rather shop with brands that have a physical location than with brands that are online only. Also, nearly 80% of shoppers go in-store when there is an item they need or want immediately. 

- 57% of cusomers say that the closing of many department stores has negatively impacted their perception of ecommerce (Avionos)

- And then there’s Amazon, now with brick and mortar Amazon Go stores in three cities across the U.S. 

The in store experience allows customers to engage with the brand. At the end of the day, both in store and online shopping are important and relevant to consumers and therefore cannot be forgotten. The retail space is going thru an evolution of which is fueled by consumer behavior and expectations. To be successful, brands need to take steps to account for shopping wherever and whenever it happens. 

1. Be ready to capture at any stage of the journey

2. Create a seamless experience between both experiences

3. Use data to fuel and customize both experiences. 

To succeed in the modern world of retail, whether brick and mortar or internet, retailers need to embrace web AND in-store operations as unique operations and remember that at the end of the day, it’s all about what the customer wants. Adhere to my needs and price sensitives, and I will support you whether in store or online.

https://www.cnbc.com/2019/03/01/gap-victorias-secret-tesla-store-closures-hit-malls-in-the-middle.html

https://www.emarketer.com/content/the-pros-and-cons-of-in-store-and-digital-shopping-experiences

https://b2b.autotrader.com/oem/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/Car-Buyer-of-the-Future_NAS-Client-Presentation.pdf

https://www.digitalcommerce360.com/2018/04/24/e-commerce-fraud-rose-nearly-twice-as-fast-as-e-commerce-sales/

https://pubsonline.informs.org/doi/abs/10.1287/mksc.2017.1035

https://binaryic.com/knowledge-center/how-customers-prefer-to-shop-online-vs-in-store/

[xtruss]

US Asks Taliban to ‘Spare’ Its Embassy, Sends 3,000 Troops to Evacuate It

“The Empire Down to Pleading, Begging, and Bribing”

— Empire Woes | Dave DeCamp | August 13, 2021

In the meantime Herat and Kandahar have fallen to Taliban

The US is sending about 3,000 troops to Afghanistan to help evacuate some personnel from the US embassy in Kabul as the Taliban is making rapid gains across the country.

Pentagon spokesman John Kirby said the US is sending three infantry battalions that are due to arrive at the airport in Kabul within 48 hours. Additionally, an entire infantry brigade combat team is being sent to Kuwait to be put on stand by that could also be deployed to Afghanistan, and 1,000 troops are being deployed to Qatar to process visas for Afghan interpreters who worked for the US. In total, the US is deploying 8,000 troops to the Gulf and Afghanistan.

State Department spokesman Ned Price said the US would be “further reducing our civilian footprint in Kabul” but insisted that the embassy was not closing. He said there will be a “drawdown” of diplomatic personnel, but did not specify how many people are expected to leave. There are about 4,000 civilian personnel at the embassy, including 1,400 US citizens.

The US embassy in Kabul issued a warning to US citizens in Afghanistan on Thursday to leave the country immediately. “Given the security conditions and reduced staffing, the embassy’s ability to assist US citizens in Afghanistan is extremely limited even within Kabul,” a notice on the embassy’s website said.

— Source: Antiwar.com

As Afghanistan continues to fall apart at the seams, the Taliban invasion of Kabul appears imminent, and the odds of the Ghani government handling that attack are not good. This has the US considering what to do about its embassy there.

Early in the day, officials talked openly about the idea that the embassy would be relocated to the Kabul Airport, to make it easier to evacuate outright if the security situation gets any worse. The situation getting worse seems inevitable.

Indeed, the Biden Administration is sending some 3,000 troops to Kabul to facilitate the evacuation, and is planning to remove all but the core staff . The troops are scheduled to arrive within 48 hours.

Even that may not be enough, however, and negotiator Zalmay Khalilzad is turning to the Taliban to try to prevail upon them to spare the US Embassy from attack if and when Kabul gets hit.

The exchange here is that the Taliban would promise not to attack the embassy, and that the US would keep open the possibility of giving foreign aid to the Taliban government in the future. The US, of course, did provide aid to the Taliban before the invasion and occupation.

That this is publicly being put on the table at all is interesting, as US officials talking about the possible evacuation earlier in the day were insisting that if the Taliban took over Afghanistan “with guns” they’d never be eligible for US aid.

That’s not a total shock, as the US historically throws aid around to almost everyone for the sake of influence. Still, holding it out publicly to the Taliban mid-takeover underscores how cynically they view the fall of Afghanistan for the sake of aid. US law would frown upon sending aid to the Taliban militants after the takeover, but as has been the case after recent coups in places like Egypt, what the law says doesn’t always impact policy.

— Source: Antiwar.com

“Not Our Tragedy”: The Taliban Are Coming Back, and America Is Still Leaving

President Biden made it very clear this week that we’re out of Afghanistan, no matter what.

Regarding Afghanistan, the Biden Administration seems to have calculated that the President will not suffer politically from leaving behind an unwinnable war.Photograph by Alex Wong / Getty

At least Joe Biden is owning it. “I do not regret my decision,” the President said this week, as provincial capital after provincial capital in Afghanistan fell to the Taliban while the Afghan government—propped up by two decades of U.S. support—looked soon to suffer its long-predicted post-American collapse. “Afghan leaders have to come together. We lost thousands—lost to death and injury—thousands of American personnel. They’ve got to fight for themselves, fight for their nation,” Biden said on Tuesday, making it as clear as he could that he would not revisit his decision to pull out. America is finally, definitively, done with the war in Afghanistan after two decades, never mind the consequences.

The words from the Biden Administration in the face of this unfolding disaster have been strikingly cold. Biden himself, normally the most empathetic of politicians, did not address the predictable and predicted human tragedy that his April decision to withdraw the roughly thirty-five hundred U.S. troops remaining in Afghanistan has now unleashed. The White House press secretary, Jen Psaki, followed his comments by blaming the Afghan military, which the U.S. funded, trained, equipped, and built over twenty years, for its fate. “They have what they need,” she said. “What they need to determine is if they have the political will to fight back.” The State Department, for its part, put out the word that it was making a last-ditch diplomatic push to convince the Taliban that their government will be an international pariah if they take over the country by force. Does anyone think that will stop them?

There is, quite obviously, a calculation behind all this, which is that, after all this time and with more than enough blame to go around in both parties, Biden will not suffer politically from leaving behind an unwinnable war. Put bluntly, there is a strongly held belief in Washington that Americans simply do not care what happens in Afghanistan. Poll numbers back it up. Politicians in both parties, with notable exceptions, have generally supported Biden’s decision or at least have acquiesced to it, which leaves them either to second-guess Biden’s execution or simply to say nothing at all. (Cue the second-guesser himself, Donald Trump, whose exit deal with the Taliban Biden has largely stuck with, despite the Taliban’s failure to abide by its provisions. “It should have been done much better,” Trump said in a statement on Thursday, about the withdrawal. Of course he did.)

“The general sense seems to be, ‘Hey, look, we’ve spent a lot of blood and treasure there for twenty years, we’ve done a lot, there’s a limit to what any country can do,’ ” Richard Fontaine, a former foreign-policy adviser to the late Senator John McCain who now heads the Center for a New American Security, told me. “This is tragic, but it’s not our tragedy.” While Fontaine and I were talking on Thursday, the news came from the Associated Press that Herat, Afghanistan’s third-largest city and the gateway to the country’s west, had fallen to the Taliban. Hours later, Kandahar, Afghanistan’s second-largest city and the birthplace of the Taliban movement, had fallen as well. Kabul, the capital, will soon be encircled by the Taliban, who in a matter of weeks have taken control of twelve of the country’s thirty-four provincial capitals. By the time you read this, that number may well be higher. On Thursday afternoon, the State Department and Pentagon announced that the U.S. military is sending in some three thousand troops to help evacuate much of the U.S. Embassy staff from Kabul. Bitter irony of ironies—that was approximately the number of U.S. troops still deployed in Afghanistan when Biden decided to pull them out and perhaps insure the government falling to the Taliban in the first place.

None of this was a surprise, despite Biden’s embarrassing comment just last month that it was “highly unlikely” the Taliban would soon be “overrunning everything and owning the whole country.” Senior U.S. government officials knew what was coming, even if they hoped for better, or at least for more time until the Taliban onslaught—akin to the “decent interval” Richard Nixon sought between his own withdrawal from Vietnam and the inevitable victory of the North over the South. They were neither “clueless” nor “delusional,” as a person who has recently spoken with Biden’s advisers about Afghanistan put it to me. To those who were paying attention, there was a grim inevitability to the week’s events. The Pentagon has warned every one of the last four Presidents that an abrupt U.S. withdrawal would lead to some version of the Afghan military debacle we are seeing this week.

Still, in the four months since Biden’s decision was announced, I have been surprised by the lack of concrete debate and discussion about what the real consequences are of the pullout. Why? It’s hard to say for sure. Political calculation by both parties is part of it, undoubtedly, as well as the all-too-pressing problem of too much else terrible going on, with American democracy in crisis and a horrible summer coronavirus surge. But events on the ground do not wait for Washington, and this is the week that the consequences have started to reveal themselves. So, the question must be, and is starting to be, asked: What will come next from this disaster?

It is much easier to neither ask nor answer that question; it is easier to keep litigating the question of who is to blame for twenty years’ and two trillion dollars’ worth of war. Over two decades, there have been many, many rounds of this: George W. Bush botching Afghanistan because he decided to invade Iraq instead. Barack Obama botching Afghanistan because he decided to surge troops but then told the Taliban exactly when he would pull them back out. By the time Trump, eager to end the war but endlessly equivocating about how to do so, made what by most accounts was a terrible deal with the Taliban, in February of 2020, the multiple crises inside the United States meant that the deal received little to no attention in a capital consumed by impeachment, a pandemic, and economic collapse.

Biden himself was long a skeptic of what could be accomplished in Afghanistan, and when Obama debated the surge in 2009, Biden was on the losing side against it. This time, he made clear to his team that he would not bow to the generals. He even kept Trump’s Taliban negotiator, the former Ambassador to Afghanistan Zalmay Khalilzad, in place. In April, overriding the Pentagon recommendations and the fears of some of his advisers, Biden took the politically expedient course of declaring the “Forever War” ended on his watch. It is surely on Biden as much as on Trump how the pullout appears to have been organized: so rapidly that there were no plans in place to evacuate the twenty thousand Afghan interpreters who worked for the U.S., and without agreements secured in advance for regional bases from which to conduct the counterterrorism mission that the U.S. says it will continue. U.S. forces completed their withdrawal without major incident, but now come the urgent unanswered questions: Will the Taliban take Kabul by force? Will they march in before the upcoming twentieth anniversary of the 9/11 attacks, which were planned and launched by Al Qaeda from Afghanistan, and which prompted the U.S. war there in the first place? Is there any realistic chance remaining of a negotiated settlement between the Afghan government and the Taliban to prevent such an outcome?

When I spoke with a senior Biden Administration official late Thursday, those were the questions the White House was focussing on, after a day of grim news that made clear only bad scenarios remain. “There is a totally credible possibility of some kind of deal cut here. And I think there is a totally credible possibility that the Taliban, riding high on adrenaline and momentum and whatever else they’re on, enter the city violently,” the senior official told me. “Those are both credible possibilities, and we need to be prepared for both and operating effectively on both tracks. That’s what we’re doing with our deployment, and that’s what we’re doing with our diplomacy.”

When I spoke on Thursday with experts who have decades of Afghan experience between them about the week’s events, they were contemplating even more apocalyptic scenarios for what may come. “Is this going to be Biden’s Rwanda?” asked one longtime acquaintance, whom I met in Kabul in the spring of 2002, full of determination to build a modern, functioning state out of the post-Taliban, post-9/11 rubble. Or, perhaps, “Al Qaeda/isis 3.0”? The possibilities, from large-scale human-rights atrocities to a new center for international jihadist terrorism, are bloodcurdling.

I mentioned the fear of an “Al Qaeda/isis 3.0” to Peter Bergen, the journalist and author who has just released “The Rise and Fall of Osama bin Laden.” Bergen, who interviewed bin Laden in the nineteen-nineties in Afghanistan and whom I met there when I was sent by the Washington Post to cover the war in the immediate aftermath of the 9/11 attacks, told me that he thought the catastrophe in Afghanistan was very similar to the isis blitzkrieg into Iraq that followed the U.S.’s 2011 withdrawal. “The movie is exactly the same movie,” he said. “It’s basically the isis playbook.” Whether and when the Taliban roll into Kabul, it’s already clear that we are looking at a renewed and violent civil war. In short, he added, “It’s a fucking mess.” Which, come to think of it, is a pretty fair epitaph for this whole sorry affair.

— The New Yorker | August 13, 2021

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Stripe Is Most Valuable U.S. Start-Up, Worth $95 Billion: Live Updates Here’s what you need to know: A photo illustration of a Stripe logo on a smartphone.Credit…Pavlo Gonchar/Sipa, via Associated Press The payments company Stripe is worth $95 billion after a new round of funding, making it the most valuable start-up in the United States. The San Francisco and Dublin-based company said on Sunday that it had raised $600 million in new funding from investors including Sequoia Capital, Fidelity Management and Ireland’s National Treasury Management Agency. The investment nearly triples Stripe’s last valuation of $35 billion. The funding comes amid a surge in the adoption of digital tools and services in the pandemic as more people live, work and make purchases online. That has fueled a wave of investment into, and eye-popping valuations at, tech start-ups, as well as a frenzy of highly valued initial public offerings. Investors have valued Airbnb, the home rental start-up that recently went public, at $123 billion. Roblox, a kids gaming start-up, saw its valuation soar to $45 billion when it went public last week. Founded in 2010, Stripe builds software that enables businesses to process payments online. As more people have turned to online shopping in the pandemic, Stripe’s offerings have been in demand. It is the largest among a class of fast-growing, highly valued financial technology companies. Stripe is now processing hundreds of billions of dollars in payments each year across 42 countries, Dhivya Suryadevara, Stripe’s chief financial officer, said in an interview. “We are in a hyper-growth industry and within that, the company itself is experiencing hyper-growth,” she said. Ms. Suryadevara declined to share specifics on Stripe’s revenue or growth. Stripe “is experiencing hyper-growth,” Dhivya Suryadevara, the company’s chief financial officer, said.Credit…Richard Drew/Associated Press Stripe has been considered a candidate to go public. Coinbase, another financial technology start-up, filed to go public later this month in a transaction that some expect could hit $100 billion. Robinhood, a stock trading app, has also seen its valuation surge in the pandemic. Stripe said in an announcement that it planned to use the money to expand in Europe, including its office in Dublin. The company’s sibling founders, John Collison, 30, and Patrick, 32, were born in Ireland. In a statement, John Collison, Stripe’s president, said the company would focus heavily on Europe this year. “The growth opportunity for the European digital economy is immense,” he said. The company, which got its start working with start-ups and small businesses, will also invest in building more tools to help larger businesses handle payments. It counts 50 businesses that process more than $1 billion a year as customers. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen on Sunday said that inflation was “a small risk and I think it’s manageable.”Credit…Andrew Harnik/Associated Press Futures for the S&P 500 stock index fluctuated on Monday and indicated the U.S. benchmark index would open little changed after closing at a record high on Friday. Most European stock indexes were higher. The yield on 10-year Treasury notes fell by 0.02 percentage point to 1.61 percent on Monday. It reached as high as 1.64 percent on Friday, a level not seen since February 2020. Last week, President Biden signed into law a nearly $1.9 trillion stimulus package. On Friday, bond yields jumped again as investors considered whether the spending would be inflationary alongside an expected economic recovery as more Americans are vaccinated. But on Sunday, Janet L. Yellen, the Treasury secretary, pushed back against these concerns. “Is there a risk of inflation? I think there’s a small risk and I think it’s manageable,” she said on ABC. She added that she expected prices to rise over the spring and summer but only temporarily because of how much they fell last year. “We have had very well-anchored inflation expectations and a Federal Reserve that’s learned about how to manage inflation,” Ms. Yellen said. Analysts at Goldman Sachs raised their forecast for U.S. economic growth because of the large stimulus bill. They expect the gross domestic produce to increase 7 percent this year, while expecting unemployment to be slightly lower. Europe The Stoxx Europe 600 rose 0.4 percent, led higher by gains in health care and consumer stocks. Shares in Flutter Entertainment, a British betting and entertainment company, rose 7 percent after it confirmed that it was considering publicly listing shares of FanDuel, its U.S. sports betting website. The board of Danone, the French food company, said Monday it had removed its chairman and chief executive, Emmanuel Faber. Its share price rose as much as 5.8 percent. The shake-up comes after a monthslong campaign by activist investors, The Financial Times reported. Under Mr. Faber, Danone changed its legal status to be a purpose-driven company with a social mission of “health through food.” Danone’s water and dairy brands include Evian, Alpro and Silk. Asia Shares in Tencent were at their lowest in two months, dropping 3.5 percent on Monday after a loss of 4.4 percent on Friday. The Chinese tech company is facing a crackdown from antitrust regulators, Bloomberg reported. Gene Sperling at the White House in 2013.Credit…Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images President Biden has tapped Gene Sperling, a longtime top economic aide to Democratic presidents, to oversee spending from the $1.9 trillion relief package that the president signed into law last week and planned to promote across the country this week. Mr. Sperling was director of the National Economic Council under President Bill Clinton and President Barack Obama. In Mr. Obama’s administration, where he first served as a counselor in the Treasury Department, Mr. Sperling helped to coordinate a bailout of Detroit automakers and other parts of the administration’s response to the 2008 financial crisis. He advised Mr. Biden’s campaign informally in 2020, helping to hone the campaign’s “Build Back Better” policy agenda. He will serve as the White House American Rescue Plan coordinator and as a senior adviser to Mr. Biden. His appointment could be announced as soon as today. Mr. Biden is scheduled to give remarks on the implementation of his relief bill, known as the American Rescue Plan, on Monday afternoon. The White House press secretary, Jen Psaki, told reporters last week that Mr. Biden intended to appoint someone to “run point” on implementing the plan — a role that Mr. Biden held for the Obama administration’s $800 billion stimulus plan in 2009. Mr. Sperling did not respond to a message seeking comment. Friends have described him in recent months as eager to join the administration, and he had been mentioned as a possible appointee to head the Office of Management and Budget after Mr. Biden’s first nominee for that position, Neera Tanden, withdrew amid Senate opposition. His appointment was reported earlier by Politico. Mr. Sperling’s challenge with the rescue plan will be different than the one Mr. Biden faced in 2009, because the relief bill that Mr. Biden just signed differs starkly from Mr. Obama’s signature stimulus plan. The Biden plan is more than twice as large as Mr. Obama’s, and it centers on a wide range of payments to low- and middle-income Americans, including $1,400-per-person direct checks that Treasury officials started sending electronically to Americans over the weekend. It includes money meant to hasten the end of the Covid-19 pandemic, including billions for vaccine deployment and coronavirus testing. But the plans also have similarities, including more than $400 billion each in total spending for school districts and state and local governments. An administration official said Mr. Sperling would work with White House officials and leaders of federal agencies to hasten the delivery of the money, including partnering with state and local governments on their shares of relief spending from the bill. The Tesla car manufacturing plant in Fremont, Calif., remained open during the pandemic despite restrictions put in place by local officials.Credit…Jim Wilson/The New York Times More than 400 workers at a Tesla plant in California tested positive for the coronavirus between May and December, according to public health data released by a transparency website. The data provides the first glimpse into virus cases at Tesla, whose chief executive, Elon Musk, had played down the severity of the pandemic and reopened the plant, in Fremont, Calif., in May in defiance of guidelines issued by local public health officials. Automakers across the country halted production and closed plants for two months last year from mid-March until mid-May. After resuming production, other automakers publicly announced when workers had tested positive for the virus and halted production to prevent further infection among employees and to disinfect work areas. Tesla, however, has released little information about employee coronavirus cases. The data was obtained by the website PlainSite, which works to make legal and governmental documents publicly accessible. It showed that 440 cases were reported at the Tesla plant, which employs some 10,000 people. The number of cases rose to 125 in December from fewer than 11 in May. A year ago, after officials in California ordered manufacturing plants to close, Mr. Musk suggested on Twitter that the measure was unnecessary and that cases in the United States would be “close to zero.” He also called virus restrictions “fascist,” threatened to move Tesla out of California, and then reopened the plant a week before health officials said it was safe to do so. More recently, Mr. Musk has questioned on Twitter the effectiveness of Covid vaccines. The pharmaceutical industry is popular right now, which is perhaps unsurprising considering that the end of the pandemic depends on Covid-19 vaccines. Drug makers’ rapid response to the crisis has transformed public sentiment about the industry, moving it from one of the most reviled to one of the most respected, according to new data from the Harris Poll, reported first in the DealBook newsletter. A year of living in existential and economic fear created unlikely heroes. For the past year or so, the Harris Poll has monitored public sentiment in weekly surveys of more than 114,000 people. At the height of the emergency, more than half of respondents were afraid of dying from the virus and a similar share were afraid of losing their jobs. “Only in the past month, with vaccines rising and hospitalizations and deaths declining, is fear abating,” the report noted. Business generally got good grades during the pandemic. Many respondents cited companies as important to solving problems, where previously they were considered the cause of social woes. Two-thirds said that companies could do a better job coordinating the vaccine rollout than the government could. Approval ratings rose for many industries from January last year to February this year. But the reputation of the pharma industry — stained by its role in the opioid crisis and criticized for high drug prices — benefited the most. In January 2020, only 32 percent of respondents viewed the industry positively; late last month, that had almost doubled, to 62 percent. “The pharmaceutical industry’s ability to innovate and perform under intense pressure and in a time of crisis is the ultimate validation for any business,” said John Gerzema, the chief executive of the Harris Poll. Allison Herren Lee, the S.E.C.’s acting chair, will say that corporate disclosures on E.S.G. issues are a high priority.Credit…Erin Scott/Reuters Allison Herren Lee was named acting chair of the Securities and Exchange Commission in January, and she has been active since, especially when it comes to environmental, social and governance issues. The agency has issued a flurry of notices that such disclosures will be priorities this year. On Monday, Ms. Lee, who was appointed as a commissioner by President Donald J. Trump in 2019, is speaking at the Center for American Progress, where she will call for input on additional E.S.G. transparency, according to prepared remarks reviewed by the DealBook newsletter. The supposed distinction between what’s good and what’s profitable is diminishing, Ms. Lee will argue in the speech, saying that “acting in pursuit of the public interest and acting to maximize the bottom line” are complementary. The S.E.C.’s job is to meet investor demand for data on a range of corporate activities. “That demand is not being met by the current voluntary framework,” she will say. “Human capital, human rights, climate change — these issues are fundamental to our markets, and investors want to and can help drive sustainable solutions on these issues.” Ms. Lee will also argue that “political spending disclosure is inextricably linked to E.S.G. issues,” based on research showing that many companies have made climate pledges while donating to candidates with contradictory voting records. The same goes for racial justice initiatives, she will say. Although Ms. Lee is only the acting chief, she’s laying the groundwork for more action, based on recent statements by Gary Gensler, President Biden’s choice to lead the S.E.C. In his confirmation hearing this month, Mr. Gensler said that investors increasingly wanted companies to disclose risks associated with climate change, diversity, political spending and other E.S.G. issues. Not everyone at the S.E.C. is on board. Hester Peirce and Elad Roisman, fellow commissioners also appointed by Mr. Trump, recently protested the “steady flow” of climate and E.S.G. notices. They issued a public statement, asking, “Do these announcements represent a change from current commission practices or a continuation of the status quo with a new public relations twist?” Heather Kilpatrick lost her job last March and stayed home with her 3-year-old daughter in East Boston. She has just taken a new job that enables her to work remotely.Credit…Tony Luong for The New York Times In the year since the pandemic upended the economy, more than four million people have quit the labor force. They are not counted in the most commonly cited unemployment rate, which stood at 6.2 percent in February, making the group something of a hidden casualty of the pandemic. Now, as the labor market begins to emerge from the pandemic’s vise, whether those who have left the labor force return to work — and if so, how quickly — is one of the big questions about the shape of the recovery, Sydney Ember reports for The New York Times. For the legion of older workers who hope to return to work after the pandemic, a challenging path may lie ahead. Studies show that older people who leave the work force will have a more difficult time re-entering it because of age discrimination and other reasons. If that reality holds during the recovery, the number of older workers who have left the labor force — either because they could not find a job or because they retired early — could be one of the pandemic’s enduring consequences. One prevailing question is whether employers, as in the past, will look askance at those who have been out of the labor force for a significant time. Even in a tight labor market, long-term unemployed workers faced a stigma, said Maria Heidkamp, the director of the New Start Career Network, which helps older job seekers in New Jersey. “In addition to any age, race or gender discrimination that they may already encounter, there’s a lot of evidence that it is easier to get a job if you already have a job,” she said. Though employers may overlook any pandemic résumé gap, she said, “there’s no reason to think that that is going to be different for these people, who are on the sidelines right now who want to come back.” Still, many economists believe that the extraordinary number of people who have left the labor force will be more of a temporary blip than emblematic of a deeper structural issue. They expect that many who have left the labor force in the last year will return to work once health concerns and child care issues are alleviated. And they are optimistic that as the labor market heats up, it will draw in workers who grew disenchanted with the job search. A screenshot of Matt Granite during an Amazon Live video. Matt Granite, who goes by The Deal Guy, streams daily on Amazon Live, covering everything from kitchen gadgets to snowblowers. Under each video is a carousel display of the products he’s discussing. When a viewer clicks that item and buys it, Mr. Granite gets a cut, with commissions varying from 10 percent for luxury and beauty products to 1 percent for Amazon Fresh items. Mr. Granite’s YouTube channel still brings in more revenue through ad rolls and sponsorships, but he said the revenue and audience numbers for his Amazon Live videos have grown over the past year. This type of shopping, called e-commerce livestreaming, lets brand representatives, store owners, influencers — and really, just about anyone — stand in front of a smartphone and start a conversation with viewers who tune in, Jackie Snow reports for The New York Times. Amazon isn’t the only company trying out this type of hawking on an American audience. “Everybody is thinking about this,” said Mark Yuan, a co-founder of And Luxe, a livestream e-commerce consulting company based in New York. “But they are rushing to it because of the pandemic. Before they had a choice. Now they have no choice.” E-commerce livestreams are still a niche enterprise in the United States, but they are big business in China, where they drive about 9 percent of the country’s $63 billion online market. Kim Kardashian West went on a popular Chinese influencer’s stream and sold out her perfume stock within minutes after 13 million people tuned in. At least one Chinese college offers e-commerce livestreaming as a degree. Chinese retailers have also innovated during the pandemic lockdowns, with more streams focused on one-on-one consultations and store walk-throughs. Source link Orbem News #Billion #Live #StartUp #Stripe #Updates #valuable #worth

[newstfionline]

Tuesday, March 9, 2021

From Florida to ‘Frisco, Americans flock to movies, bars and ballparks after winter of worry (Reuters) From the crack of the baseball bat in Florida to clinking of cocktails in San Francisco bars, the sounds of spring are in the air as Americans start to return to many of the beloved pastimes they were forced to abandon 12 months ago. With cities and states loosening restrictions as new COVID-19 cases recede and the rollout of vaccines accelerates, people are enjoying a taste of their old lives again. Over the past weekend, New Yorkers watched movies on the big screen, San Franciscans dined indoors, and baseball fans cheered on their favorite big-league players as spring training resumed in Florida. In just one month, the mood in the United States has rebounded from an eight-year low to the highest level recorded by Reuters/Ipsos polls that date back to 2012. To be sure, the pandemic, which has killed more than half a million Americans, is far from over. In fact, some health experts are warning that a decline in new cases is leveling off and potentially more virulent variants are spreading just as restrictions ease.

US child benefits? (NYT) Obscured by other parts of President Biden’s $1.9 trillion stimulus package, which won Senate approval on Saturday, a mold-breaking child benefit plan has the makings of a policy revolution. Though framed in technocratic terms as an expansion of an existing tax credit, it is essentially a guaranteed income for families with children, akin to children’s allowances that are common in other rich countries. The plan establishes the benefit for a single year. But if it becomes permanent, as Democrats intend, it will greatly enlarge the safety net for the poor and the middle class at a time when the volatile modern economy often leaves families moving between those groups. More than 93 percent of children—69 million—would receive benefits under the plan, at a one-year cost of more than $100 billion.

Mexican camp that was symbol of migrant misery empties out under Biden (Reuters) A sprawling camp in the Mexican city of Matamoros, within sight of the Texan border, has since 2019 been one of the most powerful reminders of the human toll of former President Donald Trump’s efforts to keep migrants out of the United States. The camp has dwindled to just a few dozen in residents in recent days, after hundreds of asylum seekers living there were finally allowed to cross the border to press their claim to stay in the United States. President Joe Biden last month rolled back the program—known as the Migrant Protection Protocols (MPP)—that had forced asylum seekers to wait in Mexico. Biden’s wife, Jill, visited the camp during last year’s presidential campaign to witness the difficult conditions first hand. “If it hadn’t been for this camp, I don’t think they would have ever ended MPP,” said Honduran asylum seeker Oscar Borjas, one of the last remaining residents.

Meghan accuses UK royals of racism, says ‘didn’t want to be alive’ (Reuters) Meghan, the wife of Prince Harry, accused Britain’s royal family of raising concerns about how dark their son’s skin might be and pushing her to the brink of suicide, in a tell-all television interview that will send shockwaves through the monarchy. The 39-year-old, whose mother is Black and father is white, said she had been naive before she married into royalty in 2018, but that she ended up having suicidal thoughts and considering self harm after pleading for help but getting none. Meghan said that her son Archie, now aged one, had been denied the title of prince because there were concerns within the royal family about “about how dark his skin might be when he’s born”. Meghan declined to say who had aired such concerns, as did Harry. He said his family had cut them off financially and that his father Prince Charles, heir to the British throne, had let him down and refused to take his calls at one point. Buckingham Palace was not expected to give an immediate response to the interview, which aired in the early hours of Monday morning in Britain.

UK schools to reopen, backed by frequent virus testing (AP) British students, backed by a robust coronavirus testing program, are gearing up to return to school Monday after a two-month closure, in what Prime Minister Boris Johnson says is a plan to get the country “moving closer to a sense of normality.” The reopening of schools is the first step in the U.K. government’s plan to gradually ease COVID-19 restrictions as the country’s vaccination drive gains critical mass, with all restrictions lifted by June. As part of the plan, millions of high school and college students coming back to U.K. classrooms will be tested for the virus for the first few weeks. Authorities want to quickly detect and isolate asymptomatic cases in order to avoid sending entire schools home. High schools and colleges will be allowed to reopen in phases to allow for three rounds of testing. Students will then get kits so they can test themselves twice more at home.

US proposals on Afghanistan (Washington Post) Worried that Afghan peace talks are going nowhere, and facing a May 1 deadline for the possible withdrawal of all U.S. troops, the Biden administration has proposed sweeping plans for an interim power-sharing government between the Taliban and Afghan leaders, and stepped-up involvement by Afghanistan’s neighbors—including Iran—in the peace process. Along with the proposal, shared with both sides over the past week by U.S. envoy Zalmay Khalilzad, Secretary of State Antony Blinken warned Afghan President Ashraf Ghani that a U.S. departure remains under active consideration and could lead to “rapid territorial gains” by the Taliban. “I am making this clear to you so that you understand the urgency of my tone,” Blinken wrote in a three-page letter to Ghani sent to coincide with the proposal.

After historic whirlwind visit, Pope leaves Iraq for Rome (AP) Pope Francis on Monday wrapped up his historic whirlwind tour of Iraq that sought to bring hope to the country’s marginalized Christian minority with a message of coexistence, forgiveness and peace. The pontiff and his traveling delegation were seen off with a farewell ceremony at the Baghdad airport, from where he left for Rome following a four-day papal visit that has covered five provinces across Iraq. At every turn of his trip, Francis urged Iraqis to embrace diversity—from Najaf in the south, where he held a historic face-to-face meeting with powerful Shiite cleric Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, to Nineveh to the north, where he met with Christian victims of the Islamic State group’s terror and heard their testimonies of survival. In Iraq’s south, Francis convened a meeting of Iraqi religious leaders in the deserts near a symbol of the country’s ancient past—the 6,000-year-old ziggurat in the Plains of Ur, also thought to be the birthplace of Abraham, the biblical patriarch revered by Jews, Christians and Muslims. The gathering brought religious representatives across the country rarely seen together, from Muslims, Christians, Yazidis and Mandaeans. The joint appearance by figures from across Iraq’s sectarian spectrum was almost unheard-of, given their communities’ often bitter divisions. The pope called on them to work together and make peace.

Lebanon’s deadlock fuels seventh day of street protests (Reuters) Demonstrators burnt tyres to block main roads all over Lebanon for the seventh straight day on Monday in anger at more than a year of economic crisis and seven months of political paralysis. “We have said several times that there will be an escalation because the state isn’t doing anything,” said Pascale Nohra, a protester in Jal al-Dib.” Maronite Patriarch Bechara Boutros al-Rai hit out at the politicians in his Sunday sermon: “How can the people not revolt when the price of one dollar has surpassed 10,000 Lebanese pounds in one day, how can they not revolt when the minimum wage is $70?”

Saudi oil terminal targeted (Foreign Policy) The Saudi-led coalition in Yemen said it launched a number of airstrikes on the Yemeni capital Sanaa, in retaliation for an attempted strike on a key oil port. Houthi rebels claimed responsibility for a missile and drone attack on the major Saudi oil port of Ras Tanura on Sunday, although Saudi authorities reported no damage to the port’s facilities from the strike as missile defenses were engaged. Saudi state media blamed the attempted Houthi strike on the softer approach the Biden administration has taken to the Iran-aligned group, after it recently removed a terrorist label previously put in place by the Trump administration. Oil prices rose above $70 per barrel for the first time in 14 months as a result of the attack, with fears rising over threats to global oil flows.

At Dubai airport, travelers’ eyes become their passports (AP) Dubai’s airport, the world’s busiest for international travel, can already feel surreal, with its cavernous duty-free stores, artificial palm trees, gleaming terminals, water cascades and near-Arctic levels of air conditioning. Now, the key east-west transit hub is rolling out another addition from the realm of science fiction—an iris-scanner that verifies one’s identity and eliminates the need for any human interaction when entering or leaving the country. It’s the latest artificial intelligence program the United Arab Emirates has launched amid the surging coronavirus pandemic, contact-less technology the government promotes as helping to stem the spread of the virus. But the efforts also have renewed questions about mass surveillance in the federation of seven sheikhdoms, which experts believe has among the highest per capita concentrations of surveillance cameras in the world. In recent years, airports across the world have accelerated their use of timesaving facial recognition technology to move passengers to their flights. But Dubai’s iris scan improves on the more commonplace automated gates seen elsewhere, authorities said, connecting the iris data to the country’s facial recognition databases so the passenger needs no identifying documents or boarding pass.

An Island Stuffs Itself With Pineapple Smoothies, Pineapple Burgers and Pineapple Cake (WSJ) Like many people in Taiwan, Allen Hsueh has a newfound fervor for pineapple. The 38-year-old chef has come up with at least a dozen new recipes for his restaurant in Kaohsiung, called Pomme de Terre, including pork-wrapped pineapple with mozzarella cheese, red curry seafood with pineapple and spiced chicken breast and pineapple salad. The 20 spots for a special five-course, pineapple-inspired meal, scheduled later this month, filled up in a day. It’s not just an act of culinary bravery. These days, pineapple consumption is seen as an act of patriotism. Taiwan residents have been gobbling up the fruit since China—by far the island’s largest outside buyer—banned imports of their pineapples starting March 1, citing dangerous pests detected in recent shipments. The government of Taiwan—a democratically-ruled island that Beijing considers part of China—denied any infestation, saying 99.79% of its imported pineapples to China last year passed inspection. Instead, it issued a challenge to the island’s 24 million citizens, as well as its overseas friends, to snap up “freedom pineapples” as a form of protest and said it would support pineapple prices. The voracious response is now raising questions about whether there’s such a thing as too much of a good fruit.

Myanmar strike (Foreign Policy) At least 18 labor organizations have begun a nationwide strike across Myanmar, calling all workers “union and non-union alike” to join in work stoppages to protest the military coup. Local media report that troops have begun to occupy universities and hospitals, raising fears that wounded protesters may be subject to arrest.

Nun stands in front of Myanmar security forces to block them from shooting protesters (Reuters) A nun seen walking toward the police and begging them not to shoot has been hailed as a hero in Myanmar. Footage filmed by the Myitkyina News Journal on Feb. 28 showed a nun—whom local media identified as Sister Ann Roza—begging for police not to fire. She was later photographed on her knees, stopping the police from advancing. The nun told Myitkyina News Journal that she decided to risk her life for Myanmar’s citizens. “I can feel pain in my heart when protesters get hurt,” she said. “I can’t stand seeing them in pain.” More than 50 people have been killed since the military overthrew elected leader Aung San Suu Kyi on Feb. 1, according to the United Nations.

At least 20 dead, 600 wounded in Equatorial Guinea blasts (AP) A series of explosions at a military barracks in Equatorial Guinea killed at least 20 people and wounded more than 600 others on Sunday, authorities said. President Teodoro Obiang Nguema said the explosion at 4 p.m. local time was due to the “negligent handling of dynamite” in the military barracks located in the neighborhood of Mondong Nkuantoma in Bata. “The impact of the explosion caused damage in almost all the houses and buildings in Bata,” the president said in a statement.

[gabriellamontoya-blog1]

vision auto insurance company

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vision auto insurance company

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Request a Find an Insurance Agent Quote online. You’ll also have the ability of sending claims to any auto insurance quotes you receive. You ll find all the common ways to reduce the cost of car insurance in New York City: Get a car and name to add to the policy: Car insurance companies may also price drivers based on the size of your car. If you think your car might make that much to the car insurance rates, you aren’t alone. Compare car insurance rates from 20+ companies in one place and save on your policy The best way to find the cheapest car insurance rates after a crash is by comparing dozens of quotes. So, what’s the catch? Insurance companies try to track things (or people) to see how long an accident will take. The truth is, an underhanded attempt to keep rates low can have an adverse effect on your driving record. One of the best ways to keep rates low is by avoiding accidents or having high.

New Vision Insurance Agency

New Vision Insurance Agency, Inc. offers a wide selection of auto insurance coverage options and plans. In the event of a loss, you can expect a service plan similar to that offered by Nationwide or American Express, although American Express may not be available to you in all states. In short, if you’re looking to save hundreds or even thousands of dollars on auto insurance over the years, then you might want to consider buying a home insurance policy. If you already have a car insurance policy with a company like National Association of Birth Born Free (NABI) on your record, you’re in a much better position to save $8,000. But, if you’ve got a newer vehicle like a new driver in college, then you also need to add a few more policies or you’ll be facing significant financial difficulties in the event of a collision. When you buy a new car, you’ll have to choose what insurance your current car insurance covers. While many companies will.

How does vision insurance work?

How does vision insurance work? In general, vision insurance covers patients while they are undergoing treatment and is often underwritten by a company you follow that is licensed to offer vision insurance and the policyholder and their immediate family is the beneficiary to receive the death benefit when they die. Vision insurance typically covers out of sight treatment within the U.S. and is generally guaranteed to the face amount of the policy. Vision insurance also covers out-of-the-ordinary vision checks which are only available on certain policies. These include prescriptions, and some of my favorite out-of-age procedures. My vision insurance was terminated after a dispute between a number of independent consultants about how the policy was to be charged and I needed corrective eye care. After reading through all the above, I was extremely upset. I would recommend that if it is purchased, that if you are looking for eyeglasses, contact Optometrists. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but I believe when you are looking for eyeglasses, most.

New Vision Insurance Agency is an independent insurance agency, founded in 2006.

New Vision Insurance Agency is an independent insurance agency, founded in 2006. In an effort to help clients with vision issues, AVDA has partnered with several major providers to offer discounts on vision insurance for drivers. The policies available for individuals include some of the greatest providers in the state, including: The goal of this review is to give all members of our family and friends insight about the vision insurance product that will help make sure them and their parents get the coverage they need to keep themselves financially protected from major medical bills. The article will also cover questions and answers to some of the most frequently asked questions about vision insurance from our agents. The goal of this review will also cover some of the most common complaints and claims over the years. We will also be able to provide you complete information about the vision insurer and plan on getting the coverage you need. This information is designed to help you with your decision-making, and it is not intended to provide advice. Contact a local independent agent in the Trusted Choice network today for assistance concerning the insurance options that are available to.

Vision Insurance FAQ s

Vision Insurance FAQ s to help you make a decision. When searching online for the most appropriate auto insurance policy, it can take a bit of time to analyze every policy for a particular risk zone. However, knowing the average price of car insurance will save time, money and time when determining which is the best and cheapest based on your personal needs. We focus on auto insurance rates, not just driving records and credit. When looking into insurance policies, you also need to think about the types of coverage needed to meet your specific needs. This information could be your daily auto insurance expense and what your insurance company s specific coverage will look like. Because of that, it is important to understand the following car insurance companies have top-notch coverage. When choosing, what coverage you choose will save you money money in the long run. When determining the type of insurance policy that is best for you, look to find out the amount of you should be paying as a deductible. When determining auto insurance rates, remember to take into account.

How much does vision insurance cost?

How much does vision insurance cost? For example, some companies offer discounted rates that people with a medical condition may pay if they choose to go without. But for people experiencing vision problems, most companies see an increased risk.  For people experiencing vision ailments, most companies see increased risk. And people who get vision or vision-related insurance need to pay more to be properly covered.  Vision insurance will also cost more if the medical insurance and vision plan are broken down by your state of residence and the health insurance plan. Some plans cost much more than other policies. However, it’s important to compare plans when getting a plan. An eye exam costs around $20, and a short time after you’ll receive a medical exam is around $40. An MRI may cost less, but it’ll be expensive when you have health insurance for all of it. However, it’s important to have proper eyeglasses, prescription eyeglasses, and even glasses with a wide range of pupil sizes and.

Vision Insurance

Vision Insurance Company. Life insurance protects your family from a catastrophic financial disaster? You could be looking at more than 100 million death benefits, as well as money from $30 billion in annuity payments, as well as $100 billion in asset value. What s more, life insurance doesn’t have to be boring. We combine car insurance with life insurance or health insurance, so you can compare policies with that same goal. Why doesn’t pay insurance for my children? My boyfriend recently had a stroke. He needed life insurance to cover the cost of all the medical bills he was going through. This wasn’t the only thing life insurance could cover, but it had to be very expensive. So how does life insurance save a family? The answer is easy. There are few things that you can’t do. But you can start by making sure you have a life insurance policy. Here are some other things the insurance company you choose will pay for. So, do life.

Get the Discounts you deserve at New Vision Insurance Agency

Get the Discounts you deserve at New Vision Insurance Agency. We are committed to helping you ensure you have the right insurance policy in place to protect you and your family at the right price. At New Vision Insurance Agency we look forward to meeting you. We have served the Jacksonville, Florida area for over 40 years. From our offices at The First Auto and Home Insurance, First Auto Insurance Seminole Agency, One of our agents is always available to answer questions about your current insurance policy. We also offer auto, home/auto, and business insurance to customers. We value your privacy and look forward to meeting with you. We’re a team of experienced insurance professionals trained to guide you through the process of evaluating your insurance coverage needs. We take pride in being an independent insurance agency, meaning you can compare and buy from several well-known and trusted insurance companies. We want you to be a part of what we do. We represent the best insurance companies in Florida, so we know how to find the lowest prices. By comparing rates from multiple insurance.

Here s how insurtech is changing the insurance business

Here s how insurtech is changing the insurance business. For starters – We are changing the name – We are changing our branding, we are changing the app. We are we are making technology more transparent and fast and we are expanding our technology and mobile apps and we will be releasing an online API to our users in the near future –  We are looking to make the insurance business a more personalized experience by introducing that is easy to use and easy to manage. In a way, we like to see insurance companies who embrace the technology and will innovate by doing good, smart things.   We do not want them to take us on in the pursuit of profits – we want to create a way of protecting our customers like this one.” We think we have a very flexible product for different parts of the home buyer and we hope that they are able to do all of this – We’re just beginning a new chapter and expanding our technology and mobile apps for consumers and insurance providers that can take the risk..

Martin Insurance Agency

Martin Insurance Agency (the agency of Cigna). If you are buying a 2018 GMAC GMAC 4-door sedan you have the option to purchase the GMAC 4-door SUV or the GMAC 4-door sedan under your car insurance policy or an independent insurance firm that is not affiliated with the GMAC or GMAC. If they are not affiliated with the GMAC GMAC insurance rates may vary depending on the vehicle type of your car. AutoinsuranceEZ.com is a top savings referral service which enables consumers to quickly and easily request multiple competitive insurance quotes from optimally selected local insurance agents and companies using our proprietary consumer alignment technology. Our site does not provide quotes directly to consumers. AutoinsuranceEZ.com does not provide insurance and we do not represent any specific insurance provider. Copyright © 2010- AutoinsuranceEZ.com © AutoinsuranceEZ.com. All Rights Reserved. Inc | |.

[colemanaarohan1996]

insurance per mile

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insurance per mile

insurance per mile Pentax ($5,430) Safeco ($3,624) All-frequencies All-cause accidents All-cause accidents All-cause accidents All-cause accidents Total miles driven Road miles Total miles Locations Locations All All All 1125 4,000 1,100 1,100 3,000 3,500 3,500 2,400 1,900 1,400 2,750 1,700 2,700 2,800 2,800 All All 1125 4,000 1,100 1,100 4,000 2,400 2,750 1,700 2,750 1,700 2. insurance per mile. There are a variety of insurance companies to choose from for a $20k loan if you purchase a car, but a better deal is usually the best way to get the most out of a car, whether you are in a lager, sop joint, premium or convertible. But it’s difficult, and insurance is one thing, but driving insurance is a crucial business. There are two categories of driving insurance. If you need them for driving to work, if you need to hire a professional to tow the car, then some form of coverage is required. So, are you eligible? If you are an owner-occupier, or an entrepreneur, then the amount you need to buy to protect you should not exceed that of your spouse and may not be an option, however, if you are on an insurance policy, then the same standard applies for the person applying. Some people are legally responsible for accidents and others don’t. Therefore, you need to be able to. insurance per mile $1,800 deductible $400 annual deductible $300 annual deductible $300 $1,500 deductable $0 $250 $400 annual deductible Cheapest auto insurance for young drivers. Teachers’ Free is a free car insurance program from Farmers and covers both an active and retired teacher and a high school/college student with good grades. The program s parent company is Farmers Insurance Exchange, but it also helps people with parents in the event their child has been in a crash, but their school doesn’t provide car insurance on the family car. Uninsured motorist coverage. (UM coverage) In some states, Farmers offers UM coverage for bodily injury per person and bodily injury per accident, and per accident, and UM/UIM if the policy limits are low (50/100/50). Farmers offers UM/UIM if the policy limits are low (50/100/50). Farmers offers.

How Does Pay Per Mile Insurance Work?

How Does Pay Per Mile Insurance Work? On average, pay $973 per year for their auto policy. Is Full Throttle Car Insurance Required? While it is common for drivers to pay higher premiums for a newer ride to benefit from the car, other insurance providers require drivers to be more careful in the state where the ride is available. It might only be a few years that the state’s DMV issues regulations for new cars. How to Choose Insurance for your Car? Find this guide as we discuss the best full throttle insurance companies for your car. Find out how much is full throttle car insurance? With our auto insurance calculator, you can weigh the risks of a scenario or decide which company will deliver an offer with minimal coverage on the car. With full throttle car insurance, if your current insurance company has denied the claim within 20 to 50 days of your policy filing, you may be refunded the premiums. Full throttle car insurance has a few different coverage options. Full throttle car insurances also come with a number of benefits.

Pay-Per-Mile Insurance

Pay-Per-Mile Insurance Rates You may know car insurance from the simple advertisements on TV or radio. The Insurance Information Institute explains how car insurance companies advertise insurance rates and how you can qualify for a discount for a driver with a good driving record. There are several ways your car insurance company can influence your cost. But the most significant factor is the amount you pay each month (or per month). For example, you may choose to pay $30,000, $60,000 or $100,000 for a new car, instead of making sure you pay $30,000 for the average car insurance. When is the best time to change insurance? As is the case with all insurance, there are going to be price adjustments. You have to do your research. Most insurance rates are based on your driving history, personal characteristics and vehicle information, which can range from a low risk or a high risk or average driver. If you have a low driving record your rate may be lower. When is the best time to.

How to lower car insurance costs without losing coverage

How to lower car insurance costs without losing coverage. Before you buy any insurance, you need to know what coverage you need and what your vehicle is using to have coverage. The following are two examples. If you currently have coverage on your car, that coverage will be terminated until it is returned to the policyholder. The insurance company only has one way of knowing if your car is going to be worth a few hundred dollars if its going to be totaled. There is no way to get to a certain age on time, just take the cheapest car insurance rate that is available, and if the car is going to be worth a lot more than the average insurance rate, then you need to have a certain number of miles that will be driving. For example, if a 26-year-old male driver pays an average of $6,000 per year for car insurance, that will be enough money for an accident, and it wouldn t even be the vehicle s asking price (because a $300,000 Honda Accord, for instance, is not.

Is pay-per-mile insurance the right fit for me?

Is pay-per-mile insurance the right fit for me? If I run my own car for fun, I don’t think that will make as good a deal on my policy. My current insurer, State Farm, makes a good deal on this thing: $895 a year. When I’m driving, I drive my car to work every day, even if I can’t afford the deductible. My insurer will pay up to $200 for this premium if I’m at fault and only on a fixed income. But with your plan, I get to skip it, as well. My insurer has paid a lot for my own car. And because it is my car, I’ll be driving it to and from work. They don’t allow me to use it for anything else, such as towing or if I have a pet. I understand that no two insurance companies would set rates for their own purposes. So if I’m a member of a family who is looking to avoid the.

Companies Offering Pay-Per-Mile Auto Insurance

Companies Offering Pay-Per-Mile Auto Insurance for Drivers Across America Nationwide offers several different types of coverages available for your drivers in addition to basic liability coverage. However, in some states, it’s required or required-only protection for at least 90 days to be accepted for other insurance policies. As with most insurance choices, there’s no guarantee you will get paid for a non-payment of up-front fees. Most auto insurers require you to pay an insurance claim at the time of purchase. If you don’t pay a prior claim, your policy is not canceled. Your policy is available immediately after you buy your auto, but you also have the option to contact the insurance company if you have a claim. If you need to make one call you can do so online. This is not advisable in areas where you most likely can make a claim and will often not have the willingness to make a payment by day. You can send a note or email to your insurance provider, but in general you will need a.

The Best Way to Save on Car Insurance

The Best Way to Save on Car Insurance Our selection of top car insurance companies may be quite limited. That’s because these companies offer a wide variety of products and drivers. Our list of car insurance companies provides a list of the top choices in the country, but it’s still up to us to find the cheapest car insurance in the entire country. To help you find the cheapest car insurance for your coverage needs, we’ve prepared a list of our top picks for best car insurance companies in the U.S. . . All American’s comprehensive coverage covers a host of standard vehicle damage. It also provides coverage for the vehicle itself to a set price after a collision. And, if you hit another car or object it takes care of your repairs, according to All American. Because USAA offers an A++ rating with A.M. Best, you’ll be paying more for car insurance. The Hartford’s auto policy, for example, covers damages to two vehicles.

How much does Metromile auto insurance cost?

How much does Metromile auto insurance cost? The good news is that it can cost or less depending on your personal factors and how often you drive, depending on your vehicle, and how much you drive it. Your credit score is a that is affected as well. You may be able to save some and lower your car insurance rate in other ways which is why our free online quote tool (it can get you a quote online in less than 5 minutes). For example, if you are a lower income driver that doesn’t drive your car you can ask at a local agent if your vehicle is insured. Some car dealerships will put their own cars on the policy if the vehicle is sold to customers. So if you are a high-preferrable income driver you should not buy Metromile car insurance. It is always best to shop around and get the most affordable car insurance from car dealer insurance company. Some car dealerships will put their own vehicles on the insurance policy because the car is sold to other customers.

Where Can I Get Pay-Per-Mile Insurance?

Where Can I Get Pay-Per-Mile Insurance? You may be wondering when you can get paid per mile with your car insurance company. Most car insurance companies have different rules for how they look at mileage and how you are able to get paid on your policy. For example, some states allow you to get paid for your insurance policy on a regular basis. For other jurisdictions, you may be allowed to only get paid if you provide a mileage-based mileage rate. What do you need to get the most coverage for the lowest monthly rate? At first glance, the answer is pretty straightforward. Your car insurance policy is the only policy you have you own and that covers you for the times when you’re driving another person’s car. The other driver doesn’t really have an insurance policy because there’s not a company as easy a way of paying for claims. And you can’t sign a lot of paper to prove this as a passenger. Just like with any insurance policy, when you get it applied.

How does pay-per-mile car insurance work?

How does pay-per-mile car insurance work? The average price for an HOV insurance quote is $733 per month. A good example of the best price is $550 per month. Insurance premiums are the rate we pay to update our website with the latest insurance premiums. Since the average car is sold by a person at a rate that is far too high, most of us have heard that car insurance could cost too much.  Many drivers, especially young or single males pay very little for their insurance. To save the time, time and energy, this may mean buying more of the same car insurance providers to compare the cheapest possible quote from other insurers. So you are the next step to a great car that you own, and you need the in order to save on your premiums. The next step is to buy a new  to compare insurers.  Make sure your new car is a new build, and with a new or different driver. You’ll want to insure your new car because it is almost a new.

Who offers pay-per-mile auto insurance?

Who offers pay-per-mile auto insurance? What makes an auto policy more expensive than normal? Weigh those and other cons on why drivers across North Carolina can’t afford to pay more for insurance. The good news is there are some ways to make yourself less of a headache. The following tips can help you cut a curve when you are trying to balance premium costs and costs of insurance. Here are a few of the ways that might save you money. The best thing to do is buy the right policy at the right price. If you live in North Carolina, the minimum auto insurance requirements are high. Many drivers choose not to get full coverage and are driving without proof of financial responsibility. This means they will face fines, license suspension, suspension and revocation processes. It also means that in the event of an accident, the costs of repairs could quickly surpass what your policy will cover. If you live farther from work and work from home on weekend nights, take advantage of the low street parking. If you can afford to pay that extra.

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