If a sound-trapping fluid on Earth really does behave like a black hole, its behavior could offer insight into the famous information paradox.
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Intro Video
Sunday, June 30, 2019
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Microsoft's Ebook Apocalypse Shows the Dark Side of DRM
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Saturday, June 29, 2019
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5 Winning Ways Entrepreneurs Can Build a Great Customer Service Team
Growing a company from a concept to a revenue-generating business is not for the meek and mild. It takes more than a winning product and a masterful marketing plan to ensure long-term success. Building a great team around your product is an entrepreneurial skill you’ll rely upon throughout your career. One team essential to the success of your business is your customer service team. Here are five crucial components to building a great customer service team.
5 Ways to Build a Great Customer Service Team
1. Develop a multi-pronged approach to improving the return-on-investment of your customer support department. Not every customer is on social media regularly. From in-person to email to telephone support, understand which communication platforms are best for your customers.
2. Understand the need not just to solve problems and answer questions, but to exceed customer expectations. A trained robot can do the basics; you want your customer service team to leave a lasting positive impression in the minds of your customers. Think of your customer support team as a sales driver. What tools and resources can you offer your support team that will allow them to go above and beyond what a customer expects? Enable your support team members to turn one-time customers into loyal brand advocates.
3. Timing is essential if you want to build a well-honed customer support team. You might think a next business day response is satisfactory, but every moment counts to consumers. What can you do to ensure customers receive a timely response to their queries? From a 24/7 social media support team to an on-demand mobile application for customer support, design your team for success to ensure customer loyalty.
4. Build consumer feedback into your customer support team’s design. Offer anonymous surveys and feedback polls after every customer interaction to ensure your team is on the right track. Dig into feedback results hunting for opportunities your company can capitalize on. Are there recurring requests and responses? Can you develop upon those responses to build added features into your business’ offerings? The ability to discover growth opportunities from consumer feedback is one of the savviest moves you can make as a business owner.
5. Incorporate customer service into the core culture of your business. From your developers to your administration department, hire, and train, based upon an understanding that customer excellence is a top priority. Businesses built upon the customer “WOW” factor will outlast and outperform others within their sector. The ability to turn a customer into a brand ambassador is a highly underrated sales tool.
Developing superior customer service as a core competency in your company’s culture is a brand strategy sure to deliver long-lasting results. From decreased customer acquisition costs to employee turnover and increased sales, brand builders who focus on excelling at customer support are increasing the longevity of their businesses.
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Black-Owned Event Planning Business on Succeeding In the Space
According to IBIS, a global business intelligence provider, the party and event planning industry has grown by 2.9% over the past five years, reaching revenues of $5 billion in 2019. Lily Ehumadu is the owner of Lily V Events, a Philadelphia-based events planning company. In this interview, Ehumadu provides her insights into the events industry for those interested in opportunities in this unique business space.
Black Enterprise: What led to your career in event planning?
Lily Ehumadu: Once I graduated from law school, I handed my parents my degree and set out to pursue my dreams of interior decorating. I absolutely loved doing that and became somewhat good at it. So good, in fact, that a room I designed got featured on the-then HGTV web show, Rate My Space.” Soon after that, all my friends were getting married and asked me to decorate their reception halls similar to how I did their houses and that is how I really started in event planning.
How does one go about gaining planning experience?
I think the first thing to have is passion. The passion to create, passion to serve, and passion to deliver. Once you have this mix, you are well on your way. In addition, you have to be a very organized person to plan any event to precision. The details matter and close attention to those details go a long way. The experience comes with time; we learn every day from our experiences and apply them to become better at what we do.
Event planning is a business. What are the key elements of a successful business?
- Adequate planning – just the way we plan our clients’ events, we also have to plan for our business and a lot of folks don’t do that. Itemizing your goals and setting margins of reach was key for me when starting out.
- Market strategy – completely understand how you stay on message and maximize your outreach to maintain sustainable growth.
- A customer service approach. We, as planners, are here to serve, serve, and serve. A client is all nerves on their big day regardless of what type of event it is, and it is our job to ensure the best service is delivered.
- Team building. I always say if you want to expand, you have to grow within. Seeking new talent is key for us and this is the way we have been able to expand to other major cities like New York and Atlanta.
Should an event planner focus on one event type or broaden their range of events to accept?
I get this question a lot, and I always say if you are an event planner—your job is to plan events. It’s that simple. This is where passion comes in. For me, I love to plan all things events, so I plan all events from weddings to corporate functions, to album release parties.
Now, if you have a passion for a particular niche area, for example, weddings, and this is your forte, I say go for it and stay in your focal area. It all comes down to the individual and what they have a passion for.
What fabulous weddings/events are you working on this summer?
We have a couple of NBA and NFL athlete weddings and they are going to be epic, stay tuned.
Where do you see Lily V events five years from now and how can interested readers contact you?
I see us expanding nationwide. We already have three offices in Philadelphia, New York, and Atlanta and looking to move into Miami and LA in the next five years.
What are three key pieces of advice you have for event planners?
- Build a relationship with your client. It is the only way to get to know them and tap into those specials moments you can highlight at their event.
- Always remember the reason why you started especially in those moments when self-doubt comes in. The reason you started will always pull you out of the shadows.
- Self-care is also very key. Take out time for yourself so you don’t get drowned with work, no one wants a tired event planner.
Black Enterprise Contributors Network
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Flint prosecutors discuss fresh probe after charges dropped against officials
Two weeks ago prosecutors in Flint, Mich. dropped charges against the eight people involved in the Flint water scandal.
After the shocking decision prosecutors sat down with residents of Flint on Friday to explain their decision in a public forum.
READ MORE: Prosecutors drop Flint water charges, promise fresh probe
According to The Associated Press, Flint residents were frustrated, shocked, and saddened to learn that prosecutors must now look at hundreds of mobile devices and millions of documents that the previous investigative team never touched.
About 100 residents showed up to Union City Hall on Friday night to hear from Michigan Solicitor General Fadwa Hammoud and Wayne County Prosecutor Kym Worthy about dismissing the charges against former state health director and other government officials.
“We have received information that is absolutely relevant to our investigation that we have never had before,” said Hammoud, who took over the investigation of Flint’s lead-contaminated water in January following the election of Dana Nessel, a Democrat who succeeded Republican Attorney General Bill Schuette, AP reported.
Although charges have been dropped in the three year long investigation, they still have the opportunity to refile criminal charges against water scandal-linked officials, writes The Detroit News.
Hammound claims her team has to review over 200 million documents that her team has uncovered in a month, these include search warrants that the previous team never retrieved in three years.
But many residents had mixed emotions about the investigation basically starting over. Some were thankful, agreeing that the last investigation was going nowhere, while some worried the statute of limitations for felony crime, misconduct in office, could expire in nine months.
Whistleblower Arthur Woodson said the defendants who pleaded no contest, “got less time for poisoning over 98,000 people than somebody stealing a slice of pizza. People have died. … I have PTSD. It’s hard to trust. But what I heard here today: Y’all have been totally honest.”
Another resident, Marijoyce Campbell, was tearful when explaining herself, AP said. “I cannot believe something like this can happen,” she said. “Please, please tell me some heads are going to roll, that somebody is going to pay for all this murder, all this criminal activity.”
READ MORE: Judge allows Flint residents to sue federal government for water crisis
The water crisis came about when lead from old pipes leaked into drinking water in 2014 and 2015 due to a lack of corrosion-control treatment.
Four of the eight defendants in the case were facing involuntary manslaughter charges, including, former state Department of Health and Human Services Director Nick Lyon.
The post Flint prosecutors discuss fresh probe after charges dropped against officials appeared first on theGrio.
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4-year-old Maleah Davis’ death ruled a homicide
Four-year-old Maleah Davis of Houston died due to homicidal violence, medical examiners determined, according to Houston’s ABC 13.
Maleah’s body was found in a bag hundred’s of miles away from her Houston home in Arkansas.
The Harris County Institute of Forensic Science released Maleah’s cause and death manner as a homicide on Friday, according to the television news outlet.
READ MORE: Local Texas baseball team honors Maleah Davis with financial donation instead of symbolic gesture
Although Maleah’s death has been ruled a homicide the exact cause of her death has not been disclosed.
Even though developments in this case have seemed slow, Houston police Chief Art Acevedo said the investigation has a lot of factors and wants the public to patient with police while they solve Maleah’s murder.
“Do not confuse not having an update with the case not proceeding,” Acevedo said during a news conference Friday, the news station writes.
Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner, also joined Acevedo Friday at the press conference and said he expects new developments to happen in the coming weeks.
“Maleah died a violent, brutal death,” Turner said. “Somebody or bodies are responsible for it. You want to make sure that the people are properly charged. And I think that’s going to be the next step.”
The accused killer is Derion Vence, the ex-fiance of the Maleah’s mother. When he spoke to ABC 13 in May, he assured them “Nothing bad happened to Maleah,” Vence said.
However, thats not what local activist Quanell X said Vence told him while visiting him in jail. X told police Vence said, he’d accidentally killed the child and dumped her body in southwest Arkansas. A roadside crew there accidentally hit the bag containing Maleah’s body with a mower, scattering her remains, according to Chron.
Maleah went missing on May 4 and was found on May 31.
Maleah’s mother has also suffered much backlash over whether she knowingly knew Vence would harm her daughter, which she denied.
Her body has since been flown back to Houston and was buried in a private service last weekend.
The post 4-year-old Maleah Davis’ death ruled a homicide appeared first on theGrio.
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5 Bad Habits to Avoid to Become a Successful Entrepreneur
A know-it-all attitude. Giving up at the first sign of trouble and criticizing the ideas of others. These are some ways entrepreneurs sabotage their success with bad habits. A successful entrepreneur achieves by avoiding a few bad habits. If you’re an entrepreneur with a lust for life and the heart of a business-building hustler, consider breaking the following five practices and watch your career flourish.
5 Bad Practices a Successful Entrepreneur Avoids
Not Taking Responsibility
One of the first bad habits you need to break is not taking responsibility. Whether it is a lousy decision influencing your company’s performance or a choice you have made personally, failing to take responsibility is a sign of weakness. If you want to earn the respect of your peers (and potentially angel investors), stop shucking responsibility, and be strong enough to own up to imperfections and bad choices.
Failing to Learn
It can be a giddy experience to be an entrepreneur. You are building a company out of nothing and enjoying the freedom of being your own boss. However, being the boss doesn’t mean you already know everything. Leaders who continue to learn throughout their career are destined for much greater success than those who make no effort to continue to learn.
Agreeing to Unnecessary Meetings
Entrepreneurs who agree to too many meetings are far less productive than those who also use email or text messaging. Face-to-face meetings aren’t necessary most of the time; questions and answers can just as easily be handled via instant messaging or email. The next time someone asks to meet to pick your brain or get your input, ask yourself whether a meeting truly is necessary. If successful tech moguls like Mark Cuban can use email instead of meetings, don’t you think the same could be right for you?
Multitasking
You would think multitasking is suitable for your productivity as an entrepreneur, but the opposite is true. Attempting to do too many things at once means you’re not giving your full attention to any specific task. You are much better off concentrating on one task at a time and giving it your all before moving on to other duties demanding your attention.
Procrastinating
Procrastinating is another evil sin if you want to be a successful entrepreneur. Putting off tasks you dread can have a significant impact on your daily work output. When you have a dreaded task hanging over your head, you are less likely to dive into other duties with full force. Get your least favorite tasks over with at the beginning of your day and the remainder of your business day will be much more productive and positive.
Breaking bad habits isn’t easy. It takes time and discipline and a willingness to be tough on yourself when necessary. The rewards are definitely worth the effort, though, both personally and professionally.
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Kamala Harris hit in new birther movement
A new birther movement erupted Thursday and Friday on Twitter after a Trump enthusiast claimed that Sen. Kamala Harris (D-Calif.) isn’t Black enough to be elected president.
Ali Alexander tweeted that Harris doesn’t represent U.S. Blacks because her father was born in Jamaica. Although Harris was born in Oakland, Calif., she is an American of both Jamaican and Indian decent.
READ MORE: Top 5 winning moments from Sen. Kamala Harris during her first 2020 Democratic Debate
According to Huffington Post, the “birtherism” attack began after Donald Trump Jr. retweeted and later deleted Alexander’s tweet, saying, “Kamala Harris is *not*an American Black. She is half Indian and half Jamaican. I’m so sick of people robbing American Blacks (like myself) of our history…”
The jab at Harris appeared soon after Thursday night’s Democratic Presidential debate where Harris slammed former Vice President Joe Biden, saying he had a hand in not integrating schools in California, causing her to be bused far away for school, The Grio reported.
Alexander, a “black activist,” claims Harris is not being Black enough because she has no ancestors who suffered through slavery or during the civil rights movement.
Elizabeth Warren is not Native American
Robert Beto O'Rourke is not a Mexican
and
Kamala Harris has no ancestors who suffered American Slavery, the Civil War, nor Jim Crow (aka Black American history and experience)
— Ali Alexander (@ali) June 28, 2019
Alexander is known to be a far-right political operative and conspiracy theorist, according to Huffington Post. Alexander has also gone by the name Ali Akbar and Abdul Razaq Akbar.
Almost immediately after posting, Akbar, using the alias Ali Alexander said his tweets “went viral.” This was due to the same tweets word for word being posted on several twitter accounts that BuzzFeed reported as “bots”.
But the damage was already done, Social media researcher Caroline Orr took screenshots of what twitter was saying about Harris’ lack of Blackness.
A lot of suspect accounts are pushing the “Kamala Harris is not Black” narrative tonight. It’s everywhere and it has all the signs of being a coordinated/artificial operation. #DemDebate2 pic.twitter.com/DTeB2qWJnm
— Caroline Orr (@RVAwonk) June 28, 2019
The claims of Harris not being Black enough run parallel with the racist “birtherism” claims Donald Trump made against President Barack Obama. Both Harris and Obama have Black fathers who weren’t born in the U.S.
READ MORE: Kamala Harris pressed to get more personal about why she’s running for president
The Huffington Post reported, in an interview earlier this year Harris said, “This is the same thing they did to Barack, this is not new to us.” She added that “powerful voices” are “trying to sow hate and division among us. We need to recognize when we’re being played.”
Harris aide Lily Adams chimed in on Donald Trump Jr.’s retweet to The New York Times on Friday saying, “This is the same type of racist attack his father used to attack Barack Obama,” she said. “It didn’t work then and it won’t work now.”
And of course, supporters had a lot to say about the trumped up birther claim.
Y’all.
Kamala Harris is both Black and Indian. That does not make her any less Black or any less Indian.
Her parents being born somewhere else doesn’t make her any less American.
Y’all gotta read a book or something because this is exhausting. All of y’all aren’t bots.
— Brittany Packnett (@MsPackyetti) June 29, 2019
The post Kamala Harris hit in new birther movement appeared first on theGrio.
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‘Go back to Africa’: Racists in Arizona community target Black foster children
A white doctor is working to combat racism in her Scottsdale, Ariz., neighborhood after she, her husband, and African-American foster sons were targeted by racists.
Lisa Sproat, an oncologist, told several media outlets that the family found a note and photo taped to the door about 12:15 p.m. Thursday. The black-and-white photo shows a crowd of people protesting, she said. One of the people in the photo is seen holding a sign that says, “Go Back to Africa, Negroes,” according to AZ Central.
READ MORE: Kanye West associate sued for allegedly scamming eyewear brand
Sproat believes the attack was sparked by the family’s decision to foster two young African-American children. Her husband is also Black, according to AZ Family.
“I suspect that this is spurred by having more African American people in our community,” Sproat told AZ Central.
“The community we live in talks about how tolerant we are … but in this gated community, we have hate crimes,” she told the news outlets.
Sproat is not letting this issue just go, Scottsdale police have confirmed that she filed a police report about the incident. She also attended a community meeting on Thursday and is making plans to turn the spotlight on the community.
These plans include proposing community education and even possibly sponsoring a community run designed to take a stand against racism.
On Friday Sproat held a rally with about 50 others outside of a McDowell Mountain Ranch community center, in Scottsdale. This was another effort to shine light on how to combat racism in the community.
READ MORE: Drugs were a factor in the death of Toni and Tamar Braxton’s niece, autopsy reveals
“Racism isn’t gone, and it is active and it is not latent, and we need to talk about it,” she said.
Sproat plans to adopt the young Black children, but also has two older white children who were shocked by the incident.
“This was the first time that they had ever seen something like that,” she said.
The post ‘Go back to Africa’: Racists in Arizona community target Black foster children appeared first on theGrio.
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Myspace Employees Used to Spy on Users
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