Latest news with #Phones
Miami Herald
22-05-2025
- Business
- Miami Herald
Amazon CEO shares surprising info on a new customer trend
Ever since President Donald Trump announced news of his tariffs on April 2, a day the administration calls "Liberation Day," a wave of fear has swept across the country as both consumers and business owners have grappled with what the new levies mean for them. In the business sector, companies that previously relied heavily on China and other international countries for exports scrambled to redirect their supply chains to other countries. Apple, for instance, announced it would move its manufacturing of Phones to India, a move that prompted open disdain from Trump after CEO Tim Cook announced it. Don't miss the move: Subscribe to TheStreet's free daily newsletter Other businesses simply had to tell their customers that prices would be going up. Walmart made that move this week, saying prices would go up in May and then "much more" in June. This also earned President Trump's anger, causing him to post on his social media network Truth Social that the retailer should "eat the tariffs." Related: Walmart just made major strides in key area where Amazon excels Naturally, all these messages from some of the biggest retailers in the world are having a negative effect on consumers. New York Fed President John Williams said in an interview with Bloomberg that businesses are reporting a slowing of consumer spending as people steel themselves for what's to come. Amazon CEO Andy Jassy just weighed in on this topic during Amazon's annual shareholder meeting on April 21, and what he shared was surprising, to say the least. While many businesses are already reporting on customer behavior changing around spending, Jassy says that Amazon has not seen the same problem. "We have not seen any attenuation of demand at this point," Jassy said during a Q&A held during the meeting. "We also haven't yet seen any meaningful average selling price increases." Related: Amazon quietly develops creepy new technology One part of this may be due to the "strategic forward inventory buys" Jassy spoke about the company making in April in order to stock up on goods. While some of Amazon's third-party sellers have increased prices, Amazon told CNBC in a statement that "fewer than 1% of the items studied saw an increase in price." Earlier in May, Amazon reported it was considering displaying tariff costs on certain items. This also angered President Trump, who called Amazon founder Jeff Bezos to discuss the issue. Trump later told reporters that Bezos "solved the problem very quickly." Consumers are understandably shaken about the prospect of prices going up, especially when retailers as big as Walmart announce that tariffs will drive up prices on their products. Amazon has an advantage here: by reassuring customers that prices are not going up, the company will naturally attract people who don't want to pay more. This may mean that longtime Walmart shoppers consider signing up for an Amazon Prime account instead. The two companies are often neck-and-neck in terms of revenue, although in February 2025, Amazon surpassed Walmart with $187.8 billion in sales, beating Walmart's $180.5 billion. Prior to this, Walmart had been the top revenue generator every quarter since 2012. The situation might just give Amazon an edge over Walmart. And it would present Walmart with another big problem beyond grappling with tariffs. Related: Amazon makes wild move shoppers did not expect The Arena Media Brands, LLC THESTREET is a registered trademark of TheStreet, Inc.
Yahoo
16-05-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
YMCA raising awareness and supporting Water Safety
HONOLULU (KHON2) – It was last year when Gov. Josh Green had established Hawaii Water Safety Day. Honolulu park video surveillance could expand This year, we are acknowledging it once again because we have very uncomfortable statistics. Hawaii has the second highest drowning rates in the nation. Drowning is the leading cause of death for Hawaii children 1-15 years of age. So, to learn more about this and to see what is taking place to improve these stats, we are hear at YMCA Nuuanu branch with Leigh Ann Landreth, VP of Marketing & Healthy Living and Aquatics Expert at YMCA of Honolulu. Being that this is Hawaii Water Safety Day, what is YMCA doing to help to bring awareness to this and to hopefully better the statistics? 'Well, as you know, water safety is a year around priority but during national and local water safety awareness month, its a great time to elevate and uplift this topic,' says Landreth. 'Another statistic is that nation wide, 88% of child drownings happen with an adult nearby. And in response to that, YMCA launched its 'Phones Down, Eyes Up' campaign. You can find out more at We are asking folks to go to the website, take the pledge, and when you do, you get to access to free resources including Water Watcher badges as well free graphics for your phone screen lock to just help remind parents to stay vigilant around the water.'Bringing back to swimming lessons, I didn't know that YMCA was the one who created group swimming lessons back in 1909 and you continue to do that. So, what are you doing today? 'That's right, we have been teaching people how to swim for over 100 years now at the YMCA,' says Landreth. 'We offer swim lessons for ages 6 months and up and financial assistance is available. People can find out more and sign up for a swim lesson at I understand, too, that there has been some recent donations which will help financially for some families, but tell us a little bit about this because its good to know that through negative circumstances, something positive comes from it. 'Absolutely, so the YMCA offers a unique program and its called 'Safety Around Water,' the SAW program and that program is designed to, within 5 lessons, help a child know what to do when they fall in the water unexpectedly and the skills include floating and getting back to the wall safely,' says Landreth. 'So, we did have a very generous donor who came forward to help fund a SAW session right here at our Nuuanu location this summer in July. Unfortunately, this family lost their niece at just 3 years old. Her name is Juliette Ortega and they lost their niece years ago in a drowning accident at her birthday party, so this family just wanted to help prevent that tragedy from happening to other kids by sponsoring a SAW program and to inspire others to make a donation if they are able to do so.' Download the free KHON2 app for iOS or Android to stay informed on the latest news Click here to learn more about Hawaii Water Safety Day. Click here to learn what other opportunities and services are available here at the YMCA. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
12-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
What is a Wind Phone? New Stone Mountain art piece helps callers heal
The Brief A new public art piece installed near Stone Mountain Park is helping provide a source of healing to anyone in the community going through loss. Kelly Campbell installed the Wind Phone in her front yard while dealing with the death of her father. The whole helps people cope with loss by making the intangible something you can physically grasp in your hand. STONE MOUNTAIN, Ga. - A new piece of public art in Stone Mountain Village has many people asking the same question - what is a Wind Phone? Kelly Campbell knows loss, but the death of her father during the COVID-19 pandemic hit differently. Campbell told FOX 5's Billy Heath that she felt so many things were left unsaid and wanted to find a way to deal with those emotions. While listening to a podcast, she learned about Wind Phones and how people around the world use them to cope by making the intangible something you can physically grasp in your hand. What we know The website describes the concept, originally created by Itaru Sasaki in Japan as follows: "A wind phone is connected to nowhere and everywhere at once. It's where those grieving can connect with their loved ones who died, letting their words be carried through the wind. Wind Phones are profoundly powerful as a source of comfort, hope, and support." Kelly has found this to be true. She constructed the phone over a six-month period after her wife Danielle gave the OK for the art installation. Originally, the phone was for use by her close family in her backyard, but Campbell decided she wanted to provide a source of healing to her neighbors and community as well. Campbell's home sits along East Mountain Street just outside of Stone Mountain Park, and hundreds of people hike into the park past her house each week. What they're saying She says the response has been overwhelmingly positive. "I'll hear our dogs barking, and I look out the window and see somebody holding their little kid up to the phone, and it just warms my heart to know that other people use it and get to experience what I experience." Campbell's neighbor, Starla Harris, was one of the first people to use the wind phone. Harris has experienced several deaths in her family in recent years and picked up the phone to speak with her father. "I read both signs and thought, well let me give it a shot. You know, I know I'm not going to hear my dad's voice on the other end, but I had a lot to say to him," Harris said. "I thought, let me just tell him my current events and tell him I miss him. When I hung up the phone, I broke down." Harris is incredibly thankful to her neighbor for crafting the phone and made sure to let her know how much the phone impacted her. What you can do If you want to learn more about wind phones or locate one near you, the website has several resources. The Source FOX 5 photojournalist Billy Heath reported this story out of Stone Mountain.
Sky News
07-03-2025
- Politics
- Sky News
Government accused of 'gutting' potential bill to ban children from social media
The government has been accused of "gutting" a potential landmark bill to stop children "doom scrolling" after its proposals were watered down. Labour MP Josh MacAlister had originally planned for his Safer Phones legislation to include a ban on the devices in classrooms, a well as raising the "digital age of consent" at which social media can be used to 16. But in the face of ministerial opposition, the bill now just calls for chief medical officers to review the evidence on screen-based harms within a year - before deciding if there should be higher age restrictions on access to apps such as TikTok and Snapchat. Former Tory education secretaries hit out at the changes during a debate on the bill's second reading in the Commons on Friday, which ended with the bill being adjourned for further consideration until July. Kit Malthouse, who held the post under Liz Truss, said the bill is a "hollowed out gesture" and accused the government of "capitulating to big tech". "I will be speaking not to celebrate progress, but to lament the gutting of what could have been a landmark bill," he said. He also acknowledged his own party's past failures in getting the legislation passed, adding: "This government, sadly like the last... has dithered, diluted and capitulated. "What remains, I'm afraid, is a hollowed out gesture and an opportunity missed." 4:12 Damien Hinds, who was education secretary under Theresa May and an education minister under Rishi Sunak, praised Mr MacAlister's campaigning but called the current version of the bill a "huge missed opportunity". He said that while the Conservative's Online Safety Bill"made very good progress" on protecting children from harmful content, "we have a lot more to do on the topic of time and the addictiveness of social media". Tory MP Sir Ashley Fox claimed nothing in the bill requires legislation and the watered-down proposals "could all be achieved by a minister just deciding to ask the chief medical officer to produce a report or the minister to produce a plan". He asked: "What has happened to the legislative action that was clearly in earlier drafts in his legislation?" Responding, former teacher Mr MacAlister said the bill had to be changed to "secure explicit government backing". He said the bill had been written "to achieve change rather than just highlight the issue". "That is why the bill before us is narrower than where I started when this campaign began six months ago," he added. Changing the law 'not a big bang event' Mr MacAlister has brought forward the legislation using the Private Members Bill (PMB) mechanism, which allows backbench MPs to propose changes to the law. PMBs are rarely successful without government backing. Introducing his bill - officially known as the Protection of Children (Digital Safety and Data Protection) Bill - Mr MacAlister said reducing smartphone harms in law relies on a "process" not one "big bang" event. He said that the average 12-year-old spends 21 hours a week on their smartphone, which is "the equivalent of four full days of school teaching per week". "This is a fundamental rewiring of childhood itself and it's happened in little over a decade," he said. Many countries have already taken steps to strengthen laws on children's phone usage. The French and Norwegian governments have set a 15-year age limit while last year Australia passed a world-first law banning under 16s from having social media accounts. It is understood that Technology Secretary Peter Kyle wanted to make sure the Online Safety Act, which was passed by MPs in 2023 and is being implemented in stages this year, is completed first before any potential social media ban. This intends to protect young people from illegal and harmful content with fines for tech companies who break the rules. The government has opposed a smartphone ban in schools, saying this should be up to headteachers. Most young people say social media causes harm Ahead of the debate, extensive polling of young people aged 16-24 showed that 62% of this age group say social media does more harm than good. Four in five also said they would try to keep their own children off social media for as long as possible. Half of this generation, who grew up with smartphones, agree they spent too much time on their phones and social media during childhood. Has Trump influenced the government? Speaking during the debate, technology minister Chris Bryant said he was "not going to make arguments against action" and "everybody accepts that action is inevitable in this field". He said the task the governent faces is "harnessing the good" of social media while losing what is bad, as children who are struggling with their sexuality or are neurodivergent can benefit from certain apps. However, he admitted he had "no role" in negotiating with Mr MacAlister or Downing Street about changing the contents of the bill, leading to Mr Malthouse raising a point of order over whether the relevant minister had been put foward to take questions. Mr Malthouse also asked whether Donald Trump had influenced the "filleting of this bill" as it would upset US tech firms. Mr Byrant accused him of "subscribing to conspiracy theories", adding: "I haven't taken into consideration anything Donald Trump might think in this field."
