Month: February 2017

Like a popular slogan hints to, America certainly does run on coffee. The overall retail value of the U.S. coffee market is estimated to be $48 billion, with specialty coffee blends accounting for roughly 55% (and growing). Now, following a nationwide outpouring of support for the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), coffee lovers can support the organization simply by drinking a cup of coffee. Across the country, hundreds of coffee shops are participating in a charity event to support the ACLU as the organization continues its fight in court against President Donald Trump's temporary travel ban. During the first week of February, the ACLU had already raised $24 million, and that was before the coffee donation drive started. Spurge reports that California-based Peet's Coffee a...

Mohave County, Arizona may be finding itself on the positive end of some recent political turmoil. As one of the most Republican counties of the United States, many citizens are calling for tax breaks for the rich. One particular family has voiced its concerns. The Jandrews, avid Trump supporters, run a family-owned printing business in Lake Havasu City called Jet Printing. As a small business with only nine employees, they're hoping President Trump will come through and provide much-needed tax breaks. “You can’t keep taxing the rich because eventually, they ain’t going to want to pay,” says Richard Jandrews, head employee at Jet Printing. “What are they doing again? Oh yeah, moving away.” Richard's wife, Patricia, claims that she wants to be able to offer benefits to her employee...

Even though some people treat it as a luxury, dental care is necessary since a perfect smile conveys positivity to everyone around you. It also enables the local dentists to detect early warning signs of dental problems such as crooked back teeth. An experienced dentist should be able to determine and differentiate between a cavity and root canal symptoms, hence enabling them to decide the best form of treatment you require, like a bad teeth treatment to correct crooked teeth. Dental checkups may also be prompted by other circumstances, like in the event of an accident, your jaw or back molers teeth could be broken, causing bad bite teeth issues. In such a situation, you will need to schedule an emergency dentist visit to have it treated. It will enable you to maintain a healthy set of te...

A recent survey revealed that approximately 52% of respondents planned to vacation at a beach in the next 12 months, but vacation time in the U.S. is valued quite differently than in other parts of the world. Last year, 55% of American workers only used a fraction of their vacation time. In total, 658 million vacation days were left unused. That comes to a total of $61.4 billion in forfeited benefits. The massive loss in benefits prompted a national effort in order to encourage Americans to plan their vacations early in the year. The initiative was called National Plan for a Vacation Day, and it took place on January 21, 2017. Organizers of this event are aiming to help Americans declare all of their vacations for the remainder of the year. Research by Project Time Off, a U.S. Tra...

Nearly 90% of all imports to the U.S. arrive via ship; however, many also arrive directly from our neighbor to the south. Mexico is one of the United States' largest trading partners, and Arizona's largest, but that could all change soon. Since President Trump has been elected, there have been a number of questions regarding how the infamous wall along the U.S.-Mexico border will be paid for. While Trump insists that Mexico will pay for the wall, Mexican officials have been pushing back. On Wednesday, Jan. 25, Trump signed an executive order to commission the building of the wall. The very next day, serious developments were made when Mexican President Pena Nieto canceled his visit to Washington, and a White House spokesperson proposed that a 20% tax on Mexican imports would pay for ...

Approximately 46,300,000 U.S. households own dogs, but the vast majority of those dog owners keep their pooches inside during the frigid winter months. Wildlife in the American West hasn't been so lucky this season. Wildlife accidents have been increasing in frequency across multiple western states. Idaho, in particular, has seen some serious loss of life. Approximately 500 pronghorn antelope attempted to cross the frozen Snake River earlier this month but crossed a slick spot where many members of the herd slipped and fell behind. Idaho Fish and Game staff managed to rescue six of the antelope, but 10 had already been killed by coyotes, and another 20 had to be euthanized due to the severity of their injuries. Another instance of antelope death occurred in a small Idaho city wher...

Reported incidents of cargo theft decreased for the third consecutive year in 2016, but according to CargoNet data, the overall value of goods stolen increased 13.3% to $114 million. The United States saw approximately 1,614 incidents of shipping theft in 2016. These include instances of cargo theft, commercial vehicle theft, and supply chain fraud. There are an estimated 17 million shipping containers around the world, but only 6 million of them are in use. Each and every one of those 6 million containers is susceptible to theft while in transit. Many are concerned about the rising value of stolen goods. The total value of stolen cargo in 2016 is $114 million, which is much higher than the 2015 total of $100.5 million. Despite the negative outlook for businesses, Anthony Canale of C...