BEACON TRANSCRIPT – Cyclosporiasis is currently catching the attention of health officials across the country. The disease, caused by the Cyclospora parasite, has infected several people across the United States. About 88 Cyclosporiasis cases were reported during 2016. That number has more than doubled in 2017, to 206. What is puzzling the U.S. Centers for Disease Control is finding the cause of the outbreak.

What is Cyclosporiasis?

When the Cyclospora parasite infects a host, it causes the onset illness known as Cyclosporiasis. The CDC draws attention to the fact that the disease can catalyze a variety of problematic symptoms, including diarrhea, stomach cramps, vomiting, and more. It can be caught by consuming food or water contaminated with the parasite. However, it cannot be transmitted from person to person.

According to the CDC website, “People living or traveling in countries where Cyclosporiasis is endemic may be at increased risk for infection.”

Since travel is at a high volume during summer months, people are at an increased risk of acquiring the parasite over this season.

The Current Cyclosporiasis Cases Scare and Testing and Prevention

The infection has so far been identified in patients across 27 U.S. states. Most of the jump in cases compared to last year occurred over the summer. In 2015, a high increase in the number of cases was quickly traced to contaminated cilantro crops. Unfortunately, investigators have yet to track down a single source, this time around.

Authorities want medical facilities to test for the illness immediately if patients experience multiple symptoms of an infection. However, the process is not easy. The Health Alert Network reports that doctors must “specifically order” for the test as it is not detected in normal pathogen screenings. Concerning treatment, many Cyclosporiasis cases are responsive to antibiotics.

While officials have no specific instructions on avoiding a probable source of the outbreak, they do want people to take precaution. If they experience related symptoms to the illness, they should seek medical attention. With prevention procedures, it becomes easier to help halt the spread of Cyclospora until a cause can be identified.

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BEACON TRANSCRIPT – After helping with the founding of the company in 2009, Travis Kalanick, Uber’s CEO, released a statement where he announced his resignation. It seems that several company investors have persuaded Kalanick to take such a decision, and he agreed, only to allow the company to grow.

Investors asked Kalanick to resign from the CEO position

Uber is currently one of the most popular transportation companies, with activity operating all over the world. The company managed to grow so much over the past few years thanks to Kalanick, who is also one of the founders. However, the last months’ events, together with the company investors, were enough to convince the CEO to resign.

In a public letter called “Moving Uber Forward”, Uber’s investors requested Kalanick to step down. After the letter was published, he consulted with the other members of the Uber board, as well as with some of the investor, and made a decision. He declared he would resign, but only to allow the company to grow.

Uber has faced many accusations this year

In his statement, Kalanick revealed that he was doing everything only that the company should prosper. Also, he said that the only reason why he made this decision was because the investors asked him, and he thought that everything would come at Uber’s benefit.

After his resignation, the company board also released a statement where they declared that Kalanick had always put Uber’s interests first. However, his departure would allow them to start a new chapter in the company’s history.

Throughout this year, Uber had to face several negative events, including accusations of sexual harassment and discrimination. Also, Waymo filed an intellectual property lawsuit against the company, which attracted a lot of media attention. Although the former CEO claims these events did not influence his decision, we might make a guess that they played a small part in the process.
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BEACON TRANSCRIPT – Has your child unknowingly made any purchases while playing games? Now you have a chance to get your money back. Amazon will be offering refunds to all people whose children have made in-app purchases without their parents’ permission.

After the Federal Trade Commission litigation, Amazon will refund more than $70 million. Those concerned are people with children under 18 who might have made purchases without knowing that they would be charged for them.

If your child made Amazon purchases without permission, you get your money back

Therefore, if your child was younger than 18 and made such a purchase between November 2011 and May 2016, Amazon agrees to give your money back. They are making everything easier, as they are already sending emails to people who could be in this situation. Sign in on your Amazon account and check the Important Messages tab.

If you haven’t received such a message, you can apply for a refund yourself. You could still be eligible, as Amazon hasn’t managed to find all people whose children have made purchases without consent. Then, the company will verify your request and inform you if it suits their requirements.

Clients must be notified before any transaction is made

In April 2016, this frequent issue was brought to court, and it discovered that many children end up buying in-app items without having the permission of their parents. Amazon did not impose any parental consent policy on these items, as it didn’t realize actual credit card charges would be made.

Then, Amazon and the Federal Trade Commission decided to end this litigation, so any unauthorized purchase would be refunded. Thomas Pahl, the FTC Bureau of Consumer Protection director, blames this practice.

“This case demonstrates what should be a bedrock principle for all companies — you must get customers’ consent before you charge them.”

This is not the first time when the TFC dealt with such unauthorized charges. They faced a similar case in 2014, when Apple and Google customers also received refunds for purchases made by kids without parental consent.
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McDonald’s is among the group of fast food chains that understood that consumers are becoming more aware of what they are eating. This is why the company decided to phase out some of its artificial ingredients as a test. The operation developed in quiet while clients have been actually serving in the past few months a healthier vanilla ice cream without their knowledge.

The Healthier Vanilla Ice Cream Is Now in Almost All U.S. McDonald’s Restaurants

McDonald’s is on a spree of eliminating artificial ingredients. The chain of fast food restaurants started off with corn syrup in buns and artificial preservatives in its Chicken McNuggets. As of this year, the company implemented a new change. This time, the improved menu item was the vanilla ice cream.

It was actually in the fall of 2016 when McDonald’s made a public statement according to which it is going to back away from artificial elements in its edible products as much as possible. As such, the vanilla ice cream recipe did no longer receive artificial colors and preservatives. This alteration has also improved 60% of the desserts displayed in McDonald’s menus. According to the press release, almost all U.S. fast food restaurants performed this change.

Panera and Chipotle Are Already Ahead of the Fight against Synthetic Ingredients

Even the McCafe share syrup of chocolate and strawberry received a healthier alternative than that of a corn syrup that is high in fructose. Moreover, whipped toppings that add texture to shakes have no longer artificial preservatives, flavors or colors. The senior director of menu innovation at McDonald’s, Darci Forrest, explained this series of changes as a way to comply with the needs of their customers.

“We’ve been raising the bar at McDonald’s on serving delicious food that our customers can feel good about eating.”

McDonald’s is not alone in the fight to extinguish the dominance of artificial ingredients on the market. Earlier this year, Panera was the first company that eliminated all synthetic elements in its menu completely. Chipotle is another brand that followed the same path.

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Beacon Transcript – The Washington Post has reportedly announced that it will be expanding its newsroom by adding new members as the newspaper also reported a profitable year.

The newspaper industry is not at its highest point. Over this past few years, it has been on a slow decline. One of the reasons seems to be the rise of the Internet. More readers seem to be turning towards digital platforms.

As such, subscription and advertising retail are falling. And the traditional industry is slowly declining. However, the Washington Post seems to be defying this trend.

The Washington Post is a daily newspaper. It is the most widely circulated paper in the Washington D.C. area. As it was founded in 1877, it is also the oldest extant paper.

The newspaper was formerly owned by the Graham family or the Graham Holdings Company.

Back in 2013, they sold it to Nash Holding LLC. This is a holding company established by Jeff Bezos. The Washington Post acquisition was valued at $250 million.

Bezos is the founder, CEO, and chairman of Amazon.com. He is an investor, philanthropist, and technology entrepreneur.

The Washington Post seems to be defying market expectations following the acquisition. As most newspapers are facing potential difficulties, the Post is turning in profits.

Not only that, but it will also be expanding. Recent media reportedly obtained a staff memo. Earlier this month, Fred Ryan, a Post publisher, sent out a memo.

In it, he pointed out some facts and offered future plans. According to it, the Washington Post is looking to develop its new initiatives in 2017. It will also be turning in a profitable 2016.

Ryan is reported to have stated as follows. Thanks to the Post’s team, the company will be turning a profit as it is also growing.

As the Post’s newsroom was bigger this year when compared to the last, it will reportedly continue to grow. Media estimated approximate over 60 new newsroom positions. As such, The Washington Post could come to boast with about 750 newsroom members.

This would bring it closer to the current market leader. The New York Times currently has a newsroom staff of around 1,300.

The Washington Post will be creating a new investigative team. This will be a “rapid-response” team. They will also be reportedly adding to its video and breaking news staff. Other newsroom areas could also come to benefit.

According to the reported memo, this year has brought quite some advantages. It was said to have reinforced the team’s faith in a viable journalism business model.

This will be the base for next year’s initiatives. It will be the source of the additional funding necessary in such projects.

The Washington Post memo pointed out a few of the newspapers’ 2016 developments. It reported about 100 million monthly unique visitors. This was the value registered in the United States. Some 30 million more can be added from around the world.

The Post’s outreach has also increased. It was estimated to have raised by about 50 percent over this past year. As such, the newspaper’s reach has expanded at both a national and international level.

Subscriber numbers also marked an increase. Since January, they have seen a 75 percent rise. As such, the subscription revenue is said to have more than doubled.

Following the Bezos acquisition, the Post also increased its technological properties. As such, it improved its website and analytics.

The aforementioned Ryan went to offer some details earlier in 2016. According to him, The Washington Post has become a “media and technology” company. Ryan also stated that Bezos, the new owner, gave the green light towards new initiatives.

This should help the Post find new ways to engage readers, expand its newsroom, and also the engineering team.

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