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☆ Airbnb has descended on America's small cities. Now locals must decide how to contain it.
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-24 | by ( Dan Latu | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +11 min

In cities both small and large, some locals are calling out short-term rentals for making housing more expensive. The same question is perplexing local governments and fueling impassioned locals to weigh in: What should we do about Airbnb-style, short-term rentals? Jacob Boomsma/Getty ImagesFor Bozeman Tenants United, it's simple math: Bozeman homes should be occupied by Bozeman residents first, before out-of-towners. Formed in 2020, Bozeman Tenants United surveyed Bozeman residents on the most pressing issues in local housing and landed on short-term rentals. Fire Thunder said the increase of short-term rentals and vacation-owned properties is just one harbinger of a concerning trend.

☆ Montana Republicans are trying to censure a transgender legislator for castigating them about a bill banning gender-affirming care for minors
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-20 | by ( Madison Hall | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Democratic Montana Rep. Zooey Zephyr is the state's first openly transgender legislator. Following her speech, Montana's Freedom Caucus demanded Zephyr be censured. Additionally, the caucus also misgendered Zephyr, the first openly transgender member of the Montana legislature, in the letter. House Minority Leader Kim Abbott, in a statement to the Helena Independent Record, admonished the Montana Freedom Caucus for disrespecting her colleague. "I stand by my accurate description of the devastating consequences of banning essential medical care for transgender youth," Zephyr wrote.

☆ Montana Republicans are appealing to anti-California sentiment to pass a slew of bipartisan pro-housing policies
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-14 | by ( Eliza Relman | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

Montana Republicans are aligned behind zoning reform and other pro-housing policies. And everybody in Montana is asking this question of, you know, how can we keep Montana feeling like Montana?" Preventing a 'California-style housing crisis'Montana's ultra-conservative GOP governor, Greg Gianforte, recently called the housing crisis "probably the number one issue faced by working Montanans." Conservative supporters of pro-housing policies in the state have successfully tied anti-California sentiment to anti-sprawl and pro-housing policies. "The fear is that in 25 years, we're going to have a California-style housing crisis," Cotton said.

☆ Montana's legislature has passed a statewide ban on TikTok
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-14 | by ( Lakshmi Varanasi | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

The bill bans TikTok on nearly all personal devices and also bars app stores from offering TikTok. The bill is pending a signature from Montana's governor, Greg Gianforte, but would go into effect in 2024. On Friday, Montana legislators voted in favor of a bill to ban TikTok within state lines. The bill is now pending approval from Montana's governor Greg Gianforte. Other groups like the American Civil Liberties Union are also protesting Montana's bill.

☆ Pilgrims flock to ancient Holy Land church as Palestinian congregation shrinks
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-13 | by ( Mohamad Torokman | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/5] Christian worshipers pray during Mass inside St. George Church, also known as the Church of the Ten Lepers, in Burqin, near Jenin, in the Israeli-occupied West Bank March 31, 2023. REUTERS/Mohamad TorokmanBURQIN, West Bank, April 13 (Reuters) - One of the world's oldest churches, built on top of a cave in the Israeli-occupied West Bank and festooned with golden icons, attracts thousands of Christian pilgrims every year. But the Church of the Ten Lepers' own congregation of Palestinian Christians grows ever smaller. The first church on the site, in the northern West Bank town of Burqin, was built more than 1,600 years ago to commemorate a miracle. Today, only about 70 Palestinian Christians remain in the town of 8,500 people, said Moeen Jabbour, its administrative manager.

☆ TikTok’s Next Big Ban Showdown Is in Montana
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-06 | by ( Stu Woo | Georgia Wells | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

TikTok’s campaign for survival in the U.S. runs through Montana. After state lawmakers last month advanced a bill to ban the popular video app for Montanans, TikTok quickly responded. Its chief operating officer called it a violation of Montanans’ free-speech rights. It hired lobbyists in Helena, the state capital. And it recruited local TikTok creators to star in newspaper and radio ads.

☆ H&M’s targets may call the peak on cost inflation
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-30 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

On Thursday, the $20 billion fast-fashion retailer said its sales rose by 3% year-on-year in the three months that ended in Feb. 28. More importantly, she is now targeting a 10% operating margin in 2024. The retailer’s operating margin halved in 2022 to 3.2% as the price of cotton, freight, staff and energy costs ate up a larger share of its revenue. Delivering a 10% operating margin next year would imply that she expects the worst to be over in terms of commodity-price inflation and a wider economic slowdown. H&M’s share price rose by 15% on Thursday.

Operating profit in the Swedish group's fiscal first quarter was 725 million Swedish crowns ($69.73 million) against a profit of 458 million crowns a year earlier. H&M's operating profit margin was 1.3%, up from 0.9% a year earlier. Helmersson said the company expects a gross margin recovery over the year and is making progress towards its goal of a 10% operating margin next year. Analysts at Credit Suisse said it would be "very challenging" for H&M to return to a 10% margin in 2024. H&M said net sales for March were expected to increase by 4% in local currencies compared with the corresponding period last year.

☆ 9 startup founders who banked with Silicon Valley Bank share where they're moving their money: 'We will not get caught like this again'
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-13 | by ( Samantha Stokes | Stephanie Palazzolo | Melia Russell | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +10 min

Silicon Valley Bank's failure has left startup founders scrambling for a new home for their money. Last Friday morning, the startup founder Mang-Git Ng zipped up the interstate before sunrise to a Silicon Valley Bank branch in St. Helena, in California's wine country. Ng's plight is similar to countless other founders following the failure of Silicon Valley Bank, who waited with bated breath over the weekend on whether they'd ever get their money back. DiversificationSilicon Valley Bank's collapse could forever change how startups stash their cash, at least two investors told Insider. Silicon Valley Bank had exclusivity clauses with some of its clients, according to a CNBC report, forcing them to use the firm for most or all of their banking services.

☆ Eliminate these 11 phrases that 'make people question your credibility,' says public speaking expert
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-12 | by ( Christina Helena | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Instead of using weak filler words, silence is sometimes best; it allows you to pause and think, while letting the audience process what you're saying. To build trust, avoid these 11 words and phrases that make people question your credibility and respect you less:This is the most common crutch word. This phrase makes you sound tentative and unsure of what you're saying — it's not a fact, but a thought. But using weak words like "just" minimizes your message by making your statement feel less important. But overdoing it can make you sound unsure or hesitant to take a strong stance at all.

☆ Nonalcoholic Beer Ad in Super Bowl Spotlights ‘Dry Economy’
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-10 | by ( Megan Graham | ) www.wsj.com time to read: +7 min

Heineken USA plans to run a 30-second Super Bowl ad for its Heineken 0.0 nonalcoholic beer, enlisting actor Paul Rudd as Marvel’s Ant-Man to make the pitch. Sales volume in low- and no-alcohol was $2.5 billion, while the overall U.S. alcohol market totaled $188.3 billion. Ad spending to promote nonalcoholic beer on national television, by comparison, totaled $9.7 million in January, up from $1.4 million in January 2019. Boisson Inc., a retailer of nonalcoholic beer, wine and spirits with 10 stores in New York and California, said it is increasing its marketing spending. SipSteady co-hosted a Dry Vibes event in January in Kansas City that included tastings of nonalcoholic beverages.

Forty-seven pro-democracy figures in Hong Kong have been accused of a conspiracy to commit subversion in a landmark political case. Benny Tai, 58, was a professor of law at the University of Hong Kong. Pro-democracy primary Pro-democracy candidates held a primary vote ahead of the upcoming Legislative Council election. The 47 defendants helped organize or participated in this event. New election rules announced China announced new rules for Hong Kong elections, limiting candidates to only those deemed loyal to Beijing.

☆ Truckers Expect an Inventory-Driven Rebound Later This Year
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-01 | by ( Liz Young | ) www.wsj.com time to read: +4 min

Trucking companies are pinning hopes for a rebound in freight demand on the second half of this year, saying their retailer customers expect to resume restocking after winding down inventories over recent months. Carrier executives say they are hearing from their shipping customers that they expect to return to a more normal ordering cycle this year and start moving bigger volumes closer to the fall shopping season following volatile retail spending and distribution in 2022 that left them overstocked. Inbound volumes at U.S. ports are also down, suggesting fewer goods from overseas are flowing into domestic freight networks. “Trucking is definitely down right now,” said Tom Nightingale, CEO of AFS Logistics, a Shreveport, La.-based logistics operator. She said on a Jan. 18 earnings conference call that the company “has good signals” from shipping customers that they plan to pick up their ordering in the second quarter.

☆ How these Black female entrepreneurs are building wealth
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-29 | by ( Macklin Fishman | Lindsey Jacobson | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

Share Share Article via Facebook Share Article via Twitter Share Article via LinkedIn Share Article via EmailHow these Black female entrepreneurs are building wealthThese four Black female entrepreneurs make thousands of dollars a year pursuing their passions. Wilglory Tanjong is the founder and CEO of Anima Iris, a luxury handbag brand whose purses are crafted by artisans in Senegal. Helena Faustin runs a food blog called That Nurse Can Cook where she shares Jamaican recipes. Domonique Brown is an artist and founder of DomoINK, an art and home decor business. Paulana Lamonier teaches Black Americans to swim at her swim school, Black People Will Swim.

"If you have a talent, harness that talent, learn as much as you can from it, and monetize that thing." Like Brown, Paulana Lamonier turned her passion into a business designed with Black Americans in mind. Lamonier said her business, Black People Will Swim, is a "call to action" to make the swimming space more inclusive. Lamonier hopes Black People Will Swim will allow "Black and brown people to see themselves and see that it's possible." Watch the video to learn more about how these Black female entrepreneurs are building wealth.

☆ H&M highlights fast-fashion gloom as luxury takes hit in China
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-27 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Shares in H&M, the world's No. 2 fashion retailer, fell as much as 6% in early trade after quarterly operating profit sank to 821 million Swedish crowns ($79.7 million) from 6.26 billion a year earlier. Zara has outperformed rivals after selling higher-priced garments and enticing shoppers who might have otherwise spent money at luxury stores. Disappointment over the impact of the China disruptions on its margins caused a record-breaking run in LVMH shares to briefly halt on Friday. The luxury industry is nevertheless expected to be one of the biggest winners from the loosening of restrictions that kept shoppers out of stores in China for months.

☆ Fashion retailer H&M's profit tumbles as costs bite
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-27 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Operating profit in the period, the world's second-biggest fashion retailer's fiscal fourth quarter, was 821 million crowns ($79.7 million) against 6.26 billion a year earlier and a mean forecast of 3.67 billion in a Refinitiv poll of analysts. The hit from quitting Russia, higher raw material, freight and energy costs, currency translation effects and the restructuring charge totalled around 5 billion crowns, Chief Executive Helena Helmersson said. H&M in September launched a drive to cut costs by 2 billion crowns annually, with savings from layoffs and other measures expected to start showing from the second half of 2023. The group flagged in November it would cut around 1,500 jobs and book a roughly 800 million crown restructuring charge in the fourth quarter for the programme. Britain's Superdry (SDRY.L) on Friday cut its profit forecast for this year as its wholesale business underperformed.

☆ Fashion retailer H&M's profit tumbles more than expected as costs bite
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-27 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Operating profit in the period, the world's second-biggest fashion retailer's fiscal fourth quarter, was 821 million crowns ($79.7 million) against 6.26 billion a year earlier and a mean forecast of 3.67 billion in a Refinitiv poll of analysts. The hit from quitting Russia, higher raw material, freight and energy costs, currency translation effects and the restructuring charge totalled around 5 billion crowns, Chief Executive Helena Helmersson said. H&M in September launched a drive to cut costs by 2 billion crowns annually, with savings from layoffs and other measures expected to start showing from the second half of 2023. The group flagged in November it would cut around 1,500 jobs and book a roughly 800 million crown restructuring charge in the fourth quarter for the programme. H&M proposed a dividend for 2022 of 6.50 crowns per share, unchanged from the year before, roughly matching expectations.

☆ I tried to guess if Apple audiobooks were narrated by AI or real people. It was harder than you'd think.
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-21 | by ( Beatrice Nolan | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

I listened to a mix of human narrators and AI voices in a blind test to guess which ones were real. The voice sounded vaguely familiar to some more neutral voice actors I had listened to before. I thought this was AI too, but my colleague who also heard it was insistent it was a human voice. Overall, it was relatively easy to tell which ones were narrated by an AI voice, but I didn't find the synthesized voices off-putting. Although the human voices were nicer to listen to, I'd also be happy opting for an AI audiobook if there wasn't another option.

[1/2] Climate activists Greta Thunberg, Helena Gualinga and Luisa Neubauer take part in a protest on the last day of the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos, Switzerland January 20, 2023. International Monetary Fund (IMF) Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva told the Davos audience that what had improved was the potential for China to boost growth and that the IMF now forecast Chinese growth of 4.4% for 2023. Wall Street executives in Davos said pessimism had eased as economies in the U.S. and Europe stayed resilient and China loosened its COVID-19 policies. For daily Davos updates in your inbox sign up for the Reuters Daily Briefing here. Reporting by Mark John in Davos; Editing by Alexander SmithOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Davos 2023: Greta Thunberg accuses energy firms of throwing people 'under the bus'
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-19 | by ( Maha El Dahan | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

DAVOS, Switzerland, Jan 19 (Reuters) - The world's most powerful activist confronted the man in charge of regulating global energy in Davos on Thursday, demanding an end to fossil fuel investments. Greta Thunberg urged IEA Executive Director Fatih Birol to stop the global energy industry and the financiers who support them from fuelling carbon investments. "As long as they can get away with it they will continue to invest in fossil fuels, they will continue to throw people under the bus," Thunberg warned. He also said he was less pessimistic than the climate activists about the shift to clean energy. Asked why she did not want to advocate for change from the inside, Thunberg said there were already activists doing that.

☆ How to speed up the transition to green energy, according to leaders at Davos
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-19 | by ( Freya Graham | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Leaders at Davos say government policy to incentivize the transition can push things forward. There's no 'silver bullet' solutionThe energy transition involves a huge variety of solutions coming together — renewable energy, electric vehicles, hydrogen technology, and nuclear power, to name a few, will all play a role. Andrés Gluski, CEO of energy company AES, said there isn't "one silver bullet" for the energy transition. Daniels said that while the US is using incentives to drive the energy transition, the EU is using rules and regulations. Ciorra also called China a champion of the electric transition, because "they are making this as a business."

☆ Greta Thunberg says Davos elite are prioritizing greed and short-term profits over people and the planet
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-19 | by ( Sam Meredith | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +6 min

watch nowSwedish climate activist Greta Thunberg on Thursday accused the political and business elite at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, of prioritizing self-interest and short-term profits over people and the planet. They are prioritizing self-greed, corporate greed and short-term economic profits above people and above planet." Thunberg said it was an "absurd" situation that the world seems to be listening to Davos delegates rather than those on the frontlines of the climate emergency. We were kettled by police and then detained but were let go later that evening," Thunberg said on Wednesday via Twitter. To be sure, the burning of fossil fuels such as coal, oil and gas, is the chief driver of the climate crisis.

☆ Climate activists Greta Thunberg and Vanessa Nakate share their message to Davos delegates
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-19 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

Share Share Article via Facebook Share Article via Twitter Share Article via LinkedIn Share Article via EmailClimate activists Greta Thunberg and Vanessa Nakate share their message to Davos delegatesAlongside IEA Executive Director Fatih Birol, climate activists Greta Thunberg, Vanessa Nakate, Helena Gualinga and Luisa Neubauer take part in a CNBC-moderated panel at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland.

☆ IEA chief Fatih Birol, Greta Thunberg and other youth activists discuss the climate crisis at Davos
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-19 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

Share Share Article via Facebook Share Article via Twitter Share Article via LinkedIn Share Article via EmailIEA chief Fatih Birol, Greta Thunberg and other youth activists discuss the climate crisis at DavosIEA Executive Director Fatih Birol takes part in a CNBC-moderated panel session at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, alongside climate activists Greta Thunberg, Vanessa Nakate, Helena Gualinga and Luisa Neubauer.

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