We drank chilled beverage after chilled beverage to bring you the best coolers and ice chests for every situation.
from Wired https://ift.tt/2MTWOWF
via
Sunday, August 11, 2019
Saturday, August 10, 2019
Suzanne Shank’s Strategic Moves and Billion-Dollar Transactions Made Her Firm Among Wall Street’s Most Successful
Led by Suzanne Shank, multiple strategic moves are taking place at Siebert Cisneros Shank & Co., one of the largest black-owned investment banks in the country. Shank’s leadership is positoning the firm as an even more powerful player in the nation’s investment banking world.
As the company’s CEO and chairwoman, Shank has refitted SCS over the past decade. With dual headquarters in New York and Oakland, California, SCS is the top-ranked women-owned and minority-owned Wall Street firm along with the No. 1 minority and women-owned business enterprise senior-managing underwriter of municipal new issuance. The company is also on this year’s “BE 100s” list of America’s largest black-owned businesses.
[VIEW THE COMPLETE 2019 LIST OF THE NATION’S LARGEST BLACK-OWNED BUSINESSES]
Says Shanks: “Coming off of 2018, where we ranked second nationally among all firms as managing underwriters of negotiated municipal bonds, shows evidence of our strong sales and underwriting capabilities and the high regard the firm holds among both issuers and investors.”
Beyond public finance, SCS has expanded its footprint in corporate finance, participating in 198 debt and equity transactions since November 2015 for corporations such as Walmart, Delta, Comcast, and McDonald’s—deals valued at more than $517 billion.
SCS expects total U.S. municipal issuance to fall slightly in 2019, down 5% from last year. Shank says the elimination of advance refunding tax-exempt bonds as a result of tax reform legislation and the lack of a cohesive federal infrastructure initiative continue to suppress market volume.
Suzanne Shank
At SCS, Shank has publicly stated her firm plans to reach for even greater heights in 2019. As such, it has taken several steps recently to boost revenue and fee income by diversifying and expanding its operations. Those moves include:partnering with Henry Cisneros, the former U.S. Housing and Urban Development Secretary under President Bill Clinton, to help SCS fund the nation’s fast-decaying infrastructure via American Triple I Partners L.L.C. An SCS stakeholder, Cisneros is working with principals to launch the new infrastructure investment firm.
She has also brought aboard other top-flight talent like former New York City Comptroller and one-time New York City mayoral candidate William Thompson and Wall Street veteran John Rhea. And SCS Equity Partner Gary Hall last year became the first African American chairman of the Municipal Securities Rulemaking Board. The MSRB is the top regulator that supervises the nation’s multitrillion-dollar municipal securities market.
Over the years, SCS has had significant growth in the Lone Star state. In fact, last year the firm was ranked fifth as senior manager for negotiated Texas transactions with more than $1.8 billion in par amount.
Shank says her firm has also been buoyed through increased deal flow from major corporations accessing debt and equity markets. For instance, the firm participated in both the $8.1 billion Uber and $2.6 billion Lyft IPOs.
from Black Enterprise https://ift.tt/2z2LPSZ
via
Mellody Hobson: Shining A Light on Momentum Investing
Since 2013, the FAANG stocks—Facebook, Amazon, Apple, Netflix, and Alphabet (a.k.a. Google)—have grabbed headlines, and for good reason. In the past five years, this collection of tech behemoths has seen their stock prices shoot up anywhere from 121% to 663%. These five companies have a combined market cap of nearly $3.3 trillion. The extent to which they have reshaped the way we live is hard to overstate.But it is not just our lives that they have shaken up. Their recent stock performance can also help us understand a phenomenon called momentum investing.
John Waggoner of InvestmentNews.com best defined this strategy when he wrote, “In its simplest form, momentum simply means buying whatever is going up the most, and selling it when it loses steam.” Put another way, momentum measures how much a stock’s price has gone up or down relative to others over some time period—typically 12 months. Investors who embrace this approach operate under the premise that stocks that have performed well recently will sustain their positive trajectory, while those that have fared poorly over the same period will continue to do so.
When it comes to the momentum approach: the value of a stock is not solely determined based on the company’s underlying fundamentals. Instead, behavioral psychology plays a significant role. Recency bias causes people to expect recent performance will continue indefinitely. As a result, investors anchor to past stock prices, rather than adjusting based on a company’s fundamentals. Overreaction then follows, as the cycle becomes self-reinforcing and herd mentality takes over. Finally, confirmation bias—our desire to favor information that confirms our own beliefs—leads us to continue to support the trend, regardless of what the full data set is telling us. Together, these behavioral biases can lead investors to stray too far from traditional performance metrics and put themselves at the mercy of the crowd.
Indeed, while momentum can do well over sustained periods of time, there are inflection points whereby its performance can reverse dramatically and wipe out entire years of gains. Because momentum investing can get swept up in mania, there are considerable downside risks. As the famed value investor Howard Marks notes in his new book, “What’s the greatest source of investment risk? . . . [I]t comes when asset prices attain excessively high levels as a result of some new intoxicating rationale that can’t be justified on the basis of fundamentals and that causes unreasonably high valuations to be assigned.” None of this a critique of FAANG companies. They are incredibly successful businesses. But their recent market success shines a light on an investing strategy that can harm investors who have a fear of missing out. Remember, momentum does not only go in one direction.
from Black Enterprise https://ift.tt/31tnx0q
via
How Social Entrepreneurs Work With Koch Industries To Achieve Scale, Greater Impact
In the spacious ballroom at the scenic Renaissance Indian Wells Resort & Spa, roughly 20 miles outside of Palm Springs, California, retired NFL football superstar Deion Sanders puts forth his charge to the teeming audience. “Get in the game and provoke change,” he shouts. “Don’t take time for granted. The reason I liked sports because we have a clock to know how much time we have…”
Like a coach motivating players, he continued with his appeal: “When are we going to do it instead of just talking about it?… We can make a change…if we stand together.” As he closes, the room explodes with cheers.
Sanders was one of a phalanx of speakers who participated at the beginning of the year in the four-day retreat for social entrepreneurs and philanthropists which was once called the Seminar Network—rechristened in May as Stand Together—that’s organized in conjunction with The Charles Koch Foundation and The Charles Koch Institute. The objective of the semi-annual conference is to instruct nonprofit leaders on how to “grow, scale, and make a greater impact” as they meet their mission.
In fact, the former gridiron star who kicked off the meeting with Charles Koch–who runs the second largest private company in the nation–attended the event not only to deliver a pep speech but also to move forward the agenda of Dallas-based Urban Specialists, an organization that leverages the experience and credibility of ex-gang members, former offenders, and professionals to reduce gang violence and increase community opportunities through such measures as entrepreneurship. Sanders helps develop initiatives and lends his celebrity to provide exposure for the program, working closely with Founder and CEO Pastor Omar Jahwar, who joked during his fireside chat with U.S. Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah) and diversity specialist and comedian Karith Foster that when he was praying to gain significant support for his initiative, “I didn’t think it would be Charles Koch but here were are.” Urban Specialists is part of the Stand Together Catalyst Network, which currently has provided grants for more than 140 “high-impact” nonprofits across the country.
Officials say the organizations linked to Stand Together’s Catalyst Network have tackled some of the nation’s most pressing and relevant issues in six areas: addiction and mental health; financial empowerment and entrepreneurship; housing and homelessness; in-prison, re-entry and second chances; workforce development; and youth and education. Although all of the collaborations have not been with African American organizations, most deal with the challenges that continue to disproportionately affect multitudes of African Americans. Koch officials have been increasingly stressing partnership as a means to address these ills. Stand Together Chairman Brian Hooks told the audience: “When we unite people to solve problems, we’re able to accomplish things that were otherwise thought of as impossible. “
In fact, the Koch Foundation has developed the Courageous Collaborations Initiative, which “supports interdisciplinary research to overcome intolerance and discover new tools to empower individuals to engage across divides.” In short, not letting political and racial polarization, among other barriers, keep organizations and people from coming together to solve the nation’s most complex and urgent problems.
The greatest evidence that parties can cross the aisle to find solutions has been criminal justice reform. Over the past few years, liberal CNN political commentator and activist Van Jones has worked closely with Koch Senior Vice President and General Counsel Mark Holden on such issues as “Ban The Box,” the campaign to remove the question on job applications that asks if applicants have a criminal record. The two also worked with congressional Democrats and Republicans as well as the Trump administration on passage of the “FIRST STEP Act.” The legislation seeks to diminish mass incarceration through the potential reversal of seemingly pernicious, outdated mandatory minimum sentencing related to drug charges and create new avenues to promote rehabilitation and reduce recidivism.
New alliances have been formed around the legislation in recent months. For example, Johnny C. Taylor Jr., CEO of the Society for Human Resource Management, which represents employers of more than 60% of the U.S. workforce, announced a commitment to adjust recruiting practices to include those with criminal backgrounds. In a national initiative called “Getting Talent Back to Work,” Taylor shared at the conference details of a national pledge to give opportunities to qualified people with a criminal background and deserving of a second chance.
Taylor unveils new initiative to help ex-offenders.
In addition to SHRM and Koch Industries, organizations that signed the pledge included the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, National Restaurant Association, National Retail Federation, American Staffing Association, and more. “As a country, we are making improvements to the justice system,” Taylor asserts. “It’s our time as business leaders to reframe the conversation around nontraditional talent pools and embrace those with criminal backgrounds as job candidates.”
from Black Enterprise https://ift.tt/31vjbps
via
NFL player Darius Philon arrested after incident outside strip club
Arizona Cardinals’ starting defensive end Darius Philon was arrested Friday morning on suspicion of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon following an incident outside a strip club in Phoenix in May.
According to a report by TMZ, Philon was arrested and taken into custody at a Maricopa County Jail. The NFL player is being charged for alleged aggravated assault with a deadly weapon after reportedly threatening to shoot a woman outside of a strip club. A police report obtained by the media outlet details that back on May 17, the defensive end was accused of pointing a handgun at a dancer in the parking lot of VLive strip club around 2:15 a.m.
READ MORE: After 889 Days Colin Kaepernick tweets he’s ‘still ready’ to return to the NFL
According to TMZ, the alleged victim revealed to cops that the football player requested she and another female companion accompany him out to his vehicle, a white BMW, where Philon alleged he kept his money. While at his car, the player allegedly grabbed a black handgun and pointed it at the alleged victim’s chest, while asking, “which one of you wants a bullet?”
The alleged victim told cops she soon retreated to the club, and Philon drove away. However, he returned to the club the following night and asked the victim to leave with him. She claims that when she denied the request and attempted to walk away, Philon grabbed her by the arm and prevented her from leaving.
READ MORE: NFL player Adrian Peterson owes creditors millions despite earning $100 mil fortune
Following her decline, the dancer claims that Philon followed her around the club for approximately 30 more minutes before leaving.
Back in 2015, 25-year-old Philon was a 6th round draft pick. This year, Philon signed a two year, $10 million contract with the Cardinals after four seasons with the Los Angeles Chargers, according to Bleacher Report.
Philon is still currently behind bars and is set to appear before a judge on Saturday.
The post NFL player Darius Philon arrested after incident outside strip club appeared first on theGrio.
from theGrio https://ift.tt/31uOUXP
via
Two Black trans women fatally shot in South Carolina in two weeks
A South Carolina transgender community is currently in a state of high alert after the murder of the second transgender woman of color in just 15 days.
On Sunday, August 4, the body of 24-year-old Pebbles LaDime “Dime” Doe was found inside a parked car in a driveway in Allendale County, located near the Georgia border, according to NY Daily News. Doe had been shot to death.
Allendale County law enforcement agencies have declined to provide much information about the case. A coroner’s office representative told The Post and Courier on Thursday, “All I can say is I’m not releasing anything.”
Dime Doe’s aunt, Rhonda Doe, told WJBF, “They have hurt us in the worst way, the very worst way.”
Barbara Kolberg, a cousin of Doe, also told the local station that she had “always been a friendly person to everyone. The joy of anyone’s life.”
Chase Glenn, the executive director for Charleston-based LGBTQ advocacy organization Alliance for Full Acceptance, told The Post and Courier that Doe’s death reflects the heightened threat faced by the transgender community in South Carolina.
“We are sounding the alarm,” Glenn stated. “We are in an absolute state of emergency for black transgender women.”
Her death comes 15 days after Denali Berries Stuckey, another transgender woman of color, who was shot to death in South Carolina. On July 20, the 29-year-old Stuckey was found lying by the side of a road in North Charleston around 4 a.m.
READ MORE: Robin Thede wants Black women to feel seen on ‘A Black Lady Sketch Show’
Democratic Sen. Elizabeth Warren, a 2020 presidential hopeful, wrote on Twitter: “My heart aches for Pebbles LaDime Doe, Kiki Fantroy, and their loved ones. The murder of Black trans women is a crisis that we must call out—and address head-on.”
My heart aches for Pebbles LaDime Doe, Kiki Fantroy, and their loved ones. The murder of Black trans women is a crisis that we must call out—and address head-on. https://t.co/Cww2IdWBSw
— Elizabeth Warren (@ewarren) August 9, 2019
The post Two Black trans women fatally shot in South Carolina in two weeks appeared first on theGrio.
from theGrio https://ift.tt/2yUcgd6
via
Delta Airlines’ $1 Billion Goal To Help Minority Suppliers Take Flight
Scores of diverse entrepreneurs recently assembled at The Gathering Spot, the Atlanta-based private membership club and co-working space. They have come together for a program called “Runway to Opportunity,” an event organized by Delta Air Lines to help minority suppliers gain “the unique opportunity to learn best practices for business growth, sustainability, and development to facilitate partnerships with major corporations” such as the nation’s second-largest airline.
The program marked the 20th anniversary of Delta’s supplier program. And beyond the celebratory nature of that announcement, it served as another driver related to its 1By21 initiative—a commitment to expand its base of corporate-ready, diverse suppliers and grow them to size and scale in order to become the first air carrier to make the Billion Dollar Roundtable by 2021. That means Delta would join 28 major companies like AT&T, JPMorgan Chase, and Walmart in achieving $1 billion annual Tier-1 procurement spend with certified companies owned by African Americans and other ethnic minorities, women, veterans, members of the LGBTQ+ population or the disabled.
Chief Financial Officer Paul Jacobson told attendees: “That goal isn’t there as a ‘check the box’ exercise, but rather as just the beginning. That goal could be reached by having just a few large diverse suppliers but supplier diversity is more than that. We also have to have a strong pipeline of smaller, growing companies to support and fuel our vision.”
“As an executive leader of the supply chain organization, I feel a calling to be a steward of all that is entrusted to us, including our resources and our experiences. That is why we are here today,” Jacobson added. “We are here to pass along to you the knowledge and relationships with key Delta buyers and business leaders to try to make it easier for you to do business with Delta, and hopefully other large companies as well.”
After hearing opening remarks, the 200 or so attendees gained a big surprise—the guest keynote speaker was none other than NBA superstar-cum-mogul Earvin “Magic” Johnson, chairman and CEO of SodexoMAGIC, the 13-year-old food and facilities management partnership between Magic Johnson Enterprises and Sodexo as well as a longtime supplier of the airline. During the interactive, 40-minute session, Johnson gave entrepreneurs the opportunity to ask any business question as he stressed elements of his successful formula, which included constantly demonstrating patience, excellence, strategic focus, relationship building, and “over-delivering” for customers.
“Delta believes in supplier diversity and is directly investing in minority and women-owned companies. It starts at the top. Because it’s important to the CEO, it trickles down to everyone else,” he told the attendees. “Forums like ‘Runway to Opportunity’ are important to small business owners because it allows them the chance to get practical knowledge on how to work in and on their business, and drive value.”
Karmetria Burton, a 10-year Delta veteran who serves as its general manager, strategic programs for supply chain management, designed the program that would give suppliers practical knowledge, including how to engage in marketing, financial management, certification, and the RFP process. Moreover, Burton shared with the audience valuable measures such as the Supplier Development Academy, which was developed last year to provide coaching, mentorship, matchmaking, capital access, and a customized business curriculum for high-potential suppliers. Entrepreneurs must make a 12- to 18-month commitment to the program, which is managed by PPICW, a minority-owned consultancy led by Felicia A. Phillips and T. Renee’ Smith, who also served as speakers during BE’s FWD conference.
Burton says before you pursue contracting opportunities, “know your company’s value proposition. Make sure to evaluate the business, secure the business, and keep the business.”
-Editors’ note: This article originally appeared in the Summer 2019 edition of Black Enterprise Magazine. Order the magazine today.
from Black Enterprise https://ift.tt/2Tnzn9A
via
Accused sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein dies by suicide in jail cell
NEW YORK (AP) — Financier Jeffrey Epstein killed himself while awaiting trial on sex-trafficking charges in New York, officials said Saturday.
Epstein was found unresponsive in his cell Saturday morning at the Manhattan Correctional Center, according to a statement from the Federal Bureau of Prisons. The FBI is investigating the suicide. The Fire Department said it received a call at 6:39 a.m. Saturday that Epstein was in cardiac arrest, and he was pronounced dead at New York Presbyterian-Lower Manhattan Hospital.
READ MORE: Black NYC businesswoman seeks to unseat Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez in 2020
Epstein, 66, had pleaded not guilty and was facing up to 45 years in prison if convicted.
His arrest last month launched separate investigations into how authorities handled his case initially when similar charges were first brought against him in Florida more than a decade ago. U.S. Labor Secretary Alexander Acosta resigned last month after coming under fire for overseeing that deal when he was U.S. attorney in Miami.
More than 2,000 pages of documents were released Friday related to a since-settled lawsuit against Epstein’s ex-girlfriend by Virginia Giuffre, one of Epstein’s accusers. The records contain graphic allegations against Epstein, as well as the transcript of a 2016 deposition of Epstein in which he repeatedly refused to answer questions to avoid incriminating himself.
Sigrid McCawley, Giuffre’s attorney, said Epstein’s suicide less than 24 hours after the documents were unsealed “is no coincidence.” McCawley called on federal authorities to continue their investigation, focusing on Epstein associates who she said “participated and facilitated Epstein’s horrifying sex trafficking scheme.”
READ MORE: Family of woman who committed suicide after prison guards bet on her life awarded $860K
“The reckoning of accountability begun by the voices of brave and truthful victims should not end with Jeffrey Epstein’s cowardly and shameful suicide,” McCawley said in a statement. “The victims await the true justice they have sought and deserve.”
Other accusers and their lawyers reacted to the news with frustration that the financier won’t have to face them in court.
“We have to live with the scars of his actions for the rest of our lives, while he will never face the consequences of the crimes he committed the pain and trauma he caused so many people,” accuser Jennifer Araoz said in a statement.
Brad Edwards, a Florida lawyer for nearly two dozen other accusers, said that “this is not the ending anyone was looking for.”
READ MORE: R. Kelly’s current girlfriends pursuing careers in modeling and acting
“The victims deserved to see Epstein held accountable, and he owed it to everyone he hurt to accept responsibility for all of the pain he caused,” Edwards said in a statement.
A little over two weeks ago, Epstein was found on the floor of his jail cell with bruises on his neck, according to a person familiar with the matter who spoke on condition of anonymity. At the time, it was not clear whether the injuries were self-inflicted or from an assault.
Epstein’s death is likely to raise questions about how the Bureau of Prisons ensures the welfare of high-profile inmates. In October, Boston gangster James “Whitey” Bulger was killed in a federal prison in West Virginia where had just been transferred.
Cameron Lindsay, a former warden who ran three federal lockups, said the death represents “an unfortunate and shocking failure, if proven to be a suicide.”
“Unequivocally, he should have been on active suicide watch and therefore under direct and constant supervision,” Lindsay said. “When you have an inmate as high profile as Epstein, it’s absolutely imperative the warden set the tone with his or her leadership to ensure these kinds of incidents don’t happen.”
Epstein’s arrest drew national attention, particularly focusing on a deal that allowed Epstein to plead guilty in 2008 to soliciting a minor for prostitution in Florida and avoid more serious federal charges.
Federal prosecutors in New York reopened the probe after investigative reporting by The Miami Herald stirred outrage over that plea bargain.
But his lawyers maintained that the new charges brought by federal prosecutors in New York were covered by the deal and were improper. They said he hasn’t had any illicit contact with underage girls since serving his 13-month sentence in Florida.
Before his legal troubles, Epstein led a life of extraordinary luxury that drew powerful people into his orbit.
He socialized with princes and presidents and lived on a 100-acre private island in the Caribbean and one of the biggest mansions in New York. A college dropout, he became a sought-after benefactor of professors and scientists, donating millions of dollars in donations to Harvard University and other causes.
Still, it was never entirely clear how the middle-class Brooklyn math whiz became a Wall Street master of high finance.
The somewhat reclusive Epstein splashed into the news in 2002 after a New York tabloid reported he had lent his Boeing 727 to ferry former President Bill Clinton and other notables on an AIDS relief mission to Africa.
Magazine profiles followed and established Epstein’s reputation as a stealthy yet exorbitantly successful money man with a gilded social circle and as somewhat ascetic streak.
His friends over the years have included Donald Trump, Britain’s Prince Andrew and former Harvard law professor Alan Dershowitz.
But Epstein also enjoyed surrounding himself with much younger women, including Russian models who attended his cocktail parties and beautiful women he flew aboard his plane, according to a 2003 Vanity Fair profile.
The post Accused sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein dies by suicide in jail cell appeared first on theGrio.
from theGrio https://ift.tt/2ZLSWLe
via
Black home buyer finds Ku Klux Klan application during showing of cop’s house
A couple in Holton, Mich. by the names of Rob and Reyna Mathis were ready to place an offer on a five-bedroom home, previously owned by a police officer, until they stumbled upon an official application for the Ku Klux Klan, along with other racist memorabilia.
On Wednesday, August 7, Rob Mathis took to his Facebook page to upload a photo of the framed KKK application, which he took during his house tour, according to The Washington Post. Along with the image, Mathis had the following message in the caption.
READ MORE: Joe Biden under fire for saying poor kids ‘just as talented as white kids’
“My wife and I have been house shopping for a little over a month now; searching houses in Sterling Heights, GrandRapids, Hudsonville, and Muskegon,” Mathis began.
“Today we were looking at a house in Holton that we both agreed would be perfect, so we meet our realtor to see the house it’s beautiful. As we are walking to the house I’m seeing confederate flags on the walls the dining room table and even the garage. I’m thinking to myself as a joke I’m walking to the imperial Wizard of the Ku Klux Klan‘s house right now.”
Mathis continued, “So to my surprise as I walk into the bedroom there’s an application for the Ku Klux Klan in a frame on the wall and this home is an officer of the Muskegon Police Department. I immediately stopped my walk-through and informed the realtor that I am not writing an offer on this home and I am leaving now. I feel sick to my stomach knowing that I walk to the home of one of the most racist people in Muskegon hiding behind his uniform and possibly harassing people of color and different nationalities,” Mathis wrote.
“I’ve thought about this for a few hours now and I thought I would just share with you a picture of the application on the wall. To the officer, I know who you are and I will be looking at resources to expose your prejudice. As for now pictures speak 1000 words,” Mathis finished.
The owner of the home was identified as 48-year-old officer, Charles Anderson.
In response to the now viral post, the Muskegon police department posted their own statement to Facebook acknowledging the situation.
“The Muskegon Police Department has opened an internal investigation after a social media post was brought to our attention accusing an officer of being in possession of certain items associated with a white supremacy group. The officer was immediately placed on administrative leave, pending a thorough investigation,” the statement read.
“The City of Muskegon requests your patience as we thoroughly investigate this issue. Further information will be available upon completion of the investigation,” the statement concluded.
The post Black home buyer finds Ku Klux Klan application during showing of cop’s house appeared first on theGrio.
from theGrio https://ift.tt/2KH23qh
via
Rick Ross mentions Kanye West, R.Kelly in new album ‘Port of Miami 2’
On Friday, rapper Rick Ross dropped his latest album, Port of Miami 2, and did not shy away from calling out everyone from Kanye West to R.Kelly.
Released 13 years following his debut album, Port of Miami, the 15-track POM2 is Ross’ tenth full-length studio effort, according to Complex.
READ MORE: Kiki Layne, James Earl Jones, Rick Ross cast in ‘Coming To America 2’
On the track “Vegas Residency,” Ross calls out fellow rapper and friend Kanye West for his ongoing, public support of President Donald Trump. Ross raps: “Yo, watchin’ Kanye interview, feel like I wanna cry/ For every innocent brother charged with a homicide/ Went from battle raps to now we wearin’ M.A.G.A. hats/ Dade County, n***a, mansions up in Tamarac/ Never golfin’ with the Trumps and I give you my word/ Back to comin’ out the trunk, chargin’ 20 a bird.”
This isn’t Ross’ first time calling out the current POTUS in his music. Back in 2017, Ross rapped “I’m happy Donald Trump became president, because we gotta destroy, before we elevate.” The lyric was from his track “Apple of My Eye” off the album Rather You Than Me.
READ MORE: Rick Ross’ new memoir ‘Hurricanes’ to be released this fall
But Ross’ candid raps and willingness to call out musicians on POM2 did not end there. On his track “Big Tyme,” featuring producer-rapper Swizz Beats, Ross briefly addresses disgraced singer R.Kelly’s controversial career. On “Big Tyme,” Ross raps, “‘Surviving R. Kelly,’ registered pedophiles,” a reference to Lifetime network’s docuseries on the artist, which premiered earlier this year. The detailed series chronicled Kelly’s predatory behavior towards young women and girls throughout the course of his musical career. While Ross doesn’t necessarily elaborate further on the issue, he joins the likes of fellow rappers Meek Mill and Chance The Rapper, who have been vocal in the matter.
Port of Miami 2 is out now, and boasts features from Swizz Beats, Wale, Drake and more, according to The Fader.
Listen to the new album here.
The post Rick Ross mentions Kanye West, R.Kelly in new album ‘Port of Miami 2’ appeared first on theGrio.
from theGrio https://ift.tt/31s8HY0
via
Four of the Best Employee Productivity Apps
Employee productivity a little sluggish lately? A report from The Engagement Institute estimates that U.S. companies are losing as much as over half a trillion dollars in lost productivity every year. Even more—a third of employees report that they aren’t truly engaged in their job. Whether you are a boss or a worker bee, here are four excellent employee productivity apps that can help.
The Best Employee Productivity Apps
1. Deputy
If you’re in the services or food industry, you know how important it is to keep all shifts sufficiently staffed. However, planning shifts can become quite a chore. Lapses in scheduling could leave shifts understaffed or even critical roles unfilled. Poor shift planning can also affect customer service and staff burnout.
To help you manage staffing, you can use Deputy, an online scheduling software solution that allows you to schedule workers conveniently and effectively. Deputy lets you create staff schedules according to your needs and budget. It can even accurately and automatically create shifts based on forecasts and labor demand using historical data. Through optimized shifts, you can ensure that your business is amply resourced.
Employees receive notifications regarding shift assignments or changes. Deputy also includes time and attendance features to help record staff hours accurately. You can even instantly generate exportable timesheets for your payroll.
2. Jotform
Poor communication in the workforce is a productivity killer. Imagine people doing the wrong things just because instructions were poorly relayed or no instructions were given at all. This is why ticketing systems and job order forms are used to facilitate work requests, but dealing with that sort of manual paperwork can be tedious and wasteful.
To help you manage forms, you can use online and mobile form builder Jotform. It allows you to create custom forms including date, times, and job descriptions. It can even collect data on the go. So, no matter where your employees are, they can instantly get push notifications on their mobile device as soon as a form gets accomplished.
You can also use it for all your other form needs including transactions from external customers such as accepting orders and payments, subscriptions, registrations, and messaging.
3. ToDoist
Employees are faced with various tasks and competing priorities. Without proper task and time management, it’s easy for things to go out of control. Multitasking has been proven to make people less productive. Rather than forcing your staff members to multitask, you can encourage them to use to-do lists instead so that they can queue their assigned tasks accordingly.
ToDoist has been a go-to task management app for many users for quite some time. It allows you to create tasks using natural language. Users can set schedules for each task and toggle whether it is a one-time task or recurring. ToDoist also lets you organize tasks into projects and set priority levels which are helpful especially if employees have to work on various initiatives.
ToDoist also offers a business version that provides collaboration and file management features, allowing users to delegate tasks, manage projects, organize attachments, and integrate with other apps.
4. FocusMe
While technology can help workers be more productive, it can also be the cause of distractions as well. Modern workstations are designed to enable multitasking where users can access multiple windows and applications at the same time. An employee can have their email client, messenger app, and office productivity app running.
While this makes it easy for them to switch over from one window to the next, it’s also easy for an incoming email or a message to distract them from whatever they’re working on. If your network doesn’t have policies and restrictions, your workers may even be watching videos or playing games during work hours.
To help employees avoid distractions, you can adopt an app and website blocker like FocusMe. FocusMe runs on each workstation and encourages employees to focus mainly on work tasks by blocking all distracting applications and websites. Users can white list the essential applications they need during work—blocking all other potentially distracting applications.
Empowering Employees
Many businesses often fall into the trap of putting up restrictive policies in order to force employees to be productive. However, it’s common for such schemes to backfire since workers today value independence. They also appreciate if they are given some latitude on how they work. The idea behind adopting productivity-boosting apps is to allow you or your employees to better manage their own time, empower them and put them in situations where they can succeed. Their improved productivity will ultimately reflect on your business’ bottom line.
Black Enterprise Contributors Network
from Black Enterprise https://ift.tt/2KGU0K5
via
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)