Chayil$ Design & Entertainment

Friday, 2 September 2016

Reekado Banks ft. Sarkodie - Oluwa Ni

Bang Bang (Official Music VIdeo) | Timaya | Afrobeats 2016 | Official Ti...

@chayil$

2Baba - Oya Come Make We Go [Official Video] ft. Sauti Sol

@chayil$

German-built Ford Focus: Outrageously fun

I don't know what's wrong with me. I didn't think I was going to like this, at least not this much. I mean, to be really honest, I'm too old for this sort of thing

Or maybe I'm not.

The Ford (F) Focus RS is a 350 horsepower, German-built, all-wheel-drive version of that nice, efficient American-made compact car you're probably familiar with. It's outrageously fun, and it's also just a really good car. While the excitement got me hooked, the underlying decency of the car won me over.

Yes, the Focus RS is blindingly quick and it makes a wonderful bubbly rumble when you step hard on the gas. And, yes, it has a "Drift Mode" that allows a driver to slide the car sideways on purpose. Also, yes, the ride is a tad firm.

But it also has a surprising level of refinement. Even at high speeds it stays amazingly composed. I found myself hitting triple-digit speeds without even really trying or, for that matter, noticing. At least, until I glanced down at the speedometer. Sure, I've had that sort of thing happen in German luxury cars -- but this was a Ford Focus.

Much of the credit for that goes to the car's aerodynamics. The Focus RS's tastefully understated rear wing -- understated compared with other rear wings I've seen -- is paired with a subtle front wing just under the grill. Together, they give the car a gentle push downwards as speeds increase. That counteracts the natural tendency for cars like this to get floaty as they go faster.

Even in its regular around-town driving mode, the ride is firm, but not uncomfortable. Push a button to put it into Sport mode and you feel the bumps even more but, still, it's not too bad. And the upside is you can take corners faster.

It's only in Track mode that things get uncomfortable, but a clear dashboard warning tells you this mode is strictly for the track. And, on a track, it is amazing. After driving a Focus RS for a weekend, I whipped another one -- equipped with optional high-performance tires -- around a race track north of New York City. Cranking it through turn after turn it felt as close to an all-out sports car as something based on an economy car ever could.

The all-wheel-drive system not only varies the amount of power it metes out to the front and back wheels, it also sends differing amounts of power to each back wheel as you turn helping to actually push the car through a curve. It makes a noticeable difference.

Only robots can handle these roads

Adding to the fun, the manual shifter -- the Focus RS is only available with a manual transmission -- flicks very enjoyably up and down and back and forth through all six gears. Meanwhile, the little turbocharged four-cylinder engine just loves to spin itself faster and faster, and it is such fun to let it.

Sure, there are other cars like this one out there -- ordinary compact cars tuned for performance. Volkswagen (VLKAF), Mitsubishi and Subaru (FUJHY) all make them. But this one, built in Europe by an American company and now newly available here in the States, is my favorite one yet. Welcome to the global economy.

http://money.cnn.com/2016/08/27/autos/ford-focus-rs-review/index.html?iid=SF_LN

+CNNMoney

+Ford Focus ST Club

@chayil$

Walmart cuts 7,000 jobs, promises to relocate workers

Walmart said Wednesday that it's cutting 7,000 positions.

The retail giant -- which employs about 2.3 million workers worldwide -- said in a statement that the cuts affect accounting and invoice jobs in its U.S. stores.

The company said affected employees will have the option to work in another role at Walmart.

Communications director Deisha Barnett said the company is "anticipating that associates move into new roles" rather than leave the company.

ANALYST RATINGS BY

Walmart said some people may have the opportunity to transition into higher paying roles -- like assistant store managers -- while other roles may pay less than their current salaries.

The transitioning process is expected to extend into 2017, a Walmart spokesperson said.

Barnett said the positions are being cut because Walmart is implementing a modernized system for bookkeeping and tracking inventory. New roles have opened up thanks to the pick up service Walmart launched last year, and CEO Douglas McMillion's focus on bettering customer service by putting more employees on the floor of its stores.

Walmart already cut some back office jobs at 500 stores in June in what Barnett called a "pilot program" to test out the transitioning process, and the company was "very happy" with the results.

Walmart could not immediately provide data about how many of those workers stayed with the company or took roles that paid more or less than their prior position.

Walmart (WMT) has been hit hard by competition from online shopping sites, particularly Amazon, and the company has announced store closures and job cuts multiple times over the past year.

But in 2016, Walmart has buckled down on revitalizing its business. It cut costs by shutting stores, given wage hikes that have boosted workers' morale, and recently acquired Jet.com -- an online retail site -- for $3 billion.

In Walmart's most recent earnings report earlier this month, the company reported that those moves have paid off.

It beat analysts' expectations by posting U.S. sales that grew by 3% from the same quarter last year, and earnings per share rose by 12%.

http://money.cnn.com/2016/09/01/news/companies/walmart-job-cuts/index.html?iid=SF_LN

+CNNMoney

+Walmart.COM

@chayil$

Countries with higher wages than U.S.

minimum wage

Samsung is recalling the Galaxy Note 7 worldwide over battery problem

Samsung is recalling millions of new Galaxy Note 7 smartphones worldwide after reports of the devices catching fire while charging.

The massive recall of one of Samsung's flagship devices is an embarrassing setback for the world's biggest selling smartphone maker. The Note 7 was unveiled just a month ago, and big rival Apple (AAPL, Tech30) is expected to show off its new smartphone next week.

Samsung (SSNLF) said Friday it had found a problem with the battery in some of the phones and was halting sales. In the coming weeks it will offer customers a new product for free to replace all 2.5 million Galaxy Note 7s that have been sold.

It's unclear what owners of the phones should do now. The company said it will take about two weeks to prepare the recall, and the date new products will be available will vary by country. People worried about their batteries should contact their nearest Samsung service center, it added.

South Korean news agency Yonhap had previously reported that there have been five claims around the world of Note 7s catching fire while charging. Unverified photos posted on social media showed charred devices.

Samsung, a giant South Korean company, said it had been alerted to 35 claims of faulty phones worldwide. It said it had so far found 24 devices with problems for every million sold.

U.S. mobile networks sell the Galaxy Note 7 for at least $850. At a news conference, company executives declined to comment on exactly how much replacing all the devices would cost.

"It is a big amount that is heartbreaking," said Koh Dong-jin, president of Samsung's mobile communications business.

samsung Koh Dong-jin — Koh Dong-jin, president of Samsung's mobile communications business, bows at the press conference

Samsung shares fell Thursday on reports of problems with the Galaxy Note 7 battery but closed 0.6% higher Friday before the recall was confirmed.

Samsung had the biggest share of the global smartphone market in the three months to June 30, according to research firm IDC. The South Korean company had 22%, ahead of Apple's 12%.

Samsung benefited from the popularity of the Galaxy S7, IDC said, and the Galaxy Note 7 was expected to keep that momentum going into the second half of the year.

The phone was well received by reviewers, drawing attention for several unique features such as an iris scanner, which allows users to unlock the phone with their eyes.

http://money.cnn.com/2016/09/02/technology/samsung-galaxy-note-7-recall/index.html

+CNNMoney

+Samsung Mobile

@chayil$