<a href="https://www.cnbc.com/marcel-schwantes/">By Marcel Schwantes </a>



Warren Buffett is no doubt one of the few business icons who can deliver the gift of wisdom and truth when we need it most. And those truths, when you really stop and consider them, are always spot-on.



In her biography of Buffett, &#8220;<a href="http://www.amazon.com/The-Snowball-Warren-Buffett-Business/dp/0553384619?tag=bisafetynet-20">The Snowball: Warren Buffett and the Business of Life</a>,&#8221; author Alice Schroeder writes about a time when Buffett gave a&nbsp;<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2a9Lx9J8uSs">presentation</a>&nbsp;at The University of Georgia. The students asked him about his definition of success.



When you&#8217;re nearing your end of life, your only measure of success should be the number of &#8220;people you want to have love you actually do love you,&#8221; he answered.



&#8220;I know people who have a lot of money, and they get testimonial dinners and they get hospital wings named after them. But the truth is that nobody in the world loves them,&#8221; said Buffett. &#8220;If you get to my age in life and nobody thinks well of you, I don&#8217;t care how big your bank account is, your life is a disaster.&#8221;



That&#8217;s right, a self-made billionaire says that the amount you are loved — not your wealth or accomplishments — is the ultimate measure of success in life.



<h4 class="wp-block-heading">To give and receive</h4>



Love is one of the most powerful emotions a human being can feel, and yet, we still live in an individualistic society of keeping up with the Joneses: We forge ahead with our business ventures and strategically plan our career paths in hopes of finding fame and fortune. We feel we&#8217;ve finally arrived at the top when we&#8217;re able to vacation twice a year to exotic islands and drop a European luxury car (or two) in the garage. We dream about having all of these things, love be damned.



&#8220;The problem with love is that it&#8217;s not for sale,&#8221; Buffett told the students. &#8220;The only way to get love is to be lovable. It&#8217;s very irritating if you have a lot of money. You&#8217;d like to think you could write a check: I&#8217;ll buy a million dollars&#8217; worth of love. But it doesn&#8217;t work that way. The more you give love away, the more you get.&#8221;



So how can we follow Buffett&#8217;s principle of success in a way where we can truly leave behind a legacy? The path of putting love into motion is a daring and courageous one, but here are a few ways to do it:



<h4 class="wp-block-heading">1. Be selfless and don&#8217;t expect anything in return</h4>



The laws of love are reciprocal. When we choose to love someone unconditionally by encouraging and believing in them, love comes back in full force through respect, admiration, trust and loyalty.



<blockquote class="wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow">&#8220;If you get to my age in life and nobody thinks well of you, I don&#8217;t care how big your bank account is, your life is a disaster.&#8221;-Warren Buffett, chairman and CEO, Berkshire Hathaway</blockquote>



What&#8217;s more, when we receive those things, we become more self-compassionate. A 2011<a href="http://psp.sagepub.com/content/38/9/1133.abstract"> study conducted by the University of California</a>found that self-compassion can increase motivation, willpower and the ability to recover from failure. Another study, published in 2007 in the <a href="http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S009265660600095X">Journal of Research in Personality</a>, concluded that people who have self-compassion are more likely to be happy, optimistic and show personal initiative.



<h4 class="wp-block-heading">2. Be empathetic</h4>



Empathy is one of most common traits of likable (or, as Buffett prefers to say, &#8220;lovable&#8221;) people. True empathy occurs when you&#8217;re able to step into someone else&#8217;s shoes and see their perspective.



Empathy also plays a major role in a person&#8217;s potential to influence others. In a&nbsp;<a href="https://www.ddiworld.com/global-offices/united-states/press-room/what-is-the-1-leadership-skill-for-overall-success">DDI study</a>&nbsp;of more than 15,000 leaders across 20 industries, researchers found that the ability to listen and respond with empathy was the most critical driver of a team&#8217;s overall performance.



<h4 class="wp-block-heading">3. Make work enjoyable and fun</h4>



When you enjoy work, you enjoy life. In Carol J. Loomis&#8217; biography of Buffett, &#8220;<a href="https://www.amazon.com/Tap-Dancing-Work-Practically-Everything/dp/1591846803">Tap Dancing to Work: Warren Buffett on Practically Everything</a>,&#8221; she mentions a quote from Buffett: &#8220;I love every day. I mean, I tap dance in here and work with nothing but people I like. There is no job in the world that is more fun than running Berkshire, and I count myself lucky to be where I am.&#8221;



The evidence here is clear: In positive and uplifting cultures where people share the same values, beliefs and norms, you&#8217;ll find a high-performing group of people who attract folks of the same kind.



<h4 class="wp-block-heading">4. Treat others the way they want to be treated</h4>



As children, we&#8217;re often taught the Golden Rule: &#8220;Treat others as you want to be treated.&#8221; But the Platinum Rule takes it to a whole new level: &#8220;Treat others the way&nbsp;they&nbsp;want to be treated.&#8221;



When we follow the Platinum Rule, we can be more certain that we&#8217;re respecting what they want, instead of projecting our own values and preferences. That doesn&#8217;t mean we should ignore the Golden Rule altogether, but we should realize its limitations given that every person and every situation is so different.



<h4 class="wp-block-heading">5. Follow your passion</h4>



If you want to have your dream career, you must follow your passion. It&#8217;s that simple. Many of us take our cushy paychecks and job security for granted, even though we might hate our jobs and would rather be doing something else — something we&nbsp;actually&nbsp;love.



As humans, doing what we love is a major contributor to true happiness in life. So if you don&#8217;t know what your passion is, it&#8217;s time to figure that out.



<a href="http://marcelschwantes.com/">Marcel Schwantes</a> is a speaker, executive coach and workplace strategist. As a leadership coach, he addresses the elements required to create human-centered workplaces that result in high-performing cultures. Schwantes is also the host of the &#8220;Leadership from the Core&#8221; podcast. Follow him on <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/marcelschwantes/">LinkedIn</a> and <a href="https://twitter.com/marcelschwantes">Twitter </a>.



This article was first published by CNBC https://www.cnbc.com/2019/02/13/billionaire-warren-buffett-says-this-is-the-only-measure-of-success-that-matters.html?recirc=taboolainternal and is republished with its permission.

Warren Buffett: This is your 1 greatest measure of success in life (and if you don’t have it, ‘your life is a disaster’)

<a href="https://www.cnbc.com/shawn-m-carter/">By Shawn M. Carter </a>



Coca-Cola, the parent company of popular soft drink Coke, has proven enduringly successful over the years: It ranked No. 6 on <a href="https://www.forbes.com/powerful-brands/list/#tab:rank">Forbes&#8217; list of the world&#8217;s most valuable brands</a> in 2018, with a whopping $57.3 billion value.



The company has gotten its share of celebrity endorsements, too:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2018/05/04/warren-buffett-used-to-drink-pepsi-and-other-surprising-facts.html">Warren Buffett says he&#8217;s a &#8220;Coke loyalist</a>,&#8221; and Berkshire Hathaway is a&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cnbc.com/berkshire-hathaway-portfolio/">longstanding investor</a>.



If you invested in the company 10 years ago, that decision could have paid off. According to CNBC calculations, a $1,000 investment in Coca-Cola in 2009 would be worth more than $2,800 as of Feb. 15, 2019.



While the company&#8217;s stock price has been largely steady over the past decade, though, <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2017/11/30/how-amazon-became-one-of-warren-buffetts-biggest-investment-regrets.html">any individual stock can over- or underperform</a>, and <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2018/04/03/avoid-these-4-investing-mistakes.html">past returns do not predict future results</a>.



<figure class="wp-block-image is-resized"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" src="http://cnbc.africa/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/Coca_Cola_-KO_chart-1.1550254805710.jpeg" alt="" class="wp-image-328439" width="665" height="446"/></figure>



CNBC: Coca-Cola stock as of Feb. 15, 2019



<a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2019/02/14/coca-cola-earnings-q4-2018.html">Shares fell Thursday</a>&nbsp;and were on track for their worst day since the Great Recession. The company&#8217;s stock price fell 7.5 percent and its net sales fell 6 percent. (Net sales still topped expectations.)



Chief executive officer James Quincey told analysts that currency fluctuations,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2018/12/19/fed-hikes-rates-by-a-quarter-point-.html">Federal Reserve interest rate hikes</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2019/02/14/77percent-of-americans-failed-this-4-question-quiz-on-taxes.html">changing tax rates</a>could be responsible for the stock&#8217;s slide. &#8220;Clearly, that is leading to an [earnings per share] growth that is not what we aspire to,&#8221; he said.



He expressed similar concerns at the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2019/01/23/coca-cola-ceo-more-uncertainty-is-the-biggest-issue.html">49th World Economic Forum in Davos</a>: &#8220;I think we are in the phase of 2019 where we are likely to see a little less growth. It is going to be a slightly tougher year in macroeconomic terms and we need to work our way through it.&#8221;



Some analysts&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cnbc.com/video/2018/10/02/pepsicos-biggest-problem-is-theres-no-growth-in-traditional-soda-expert-says.html">see problems facing the traditional soda market</a>&nbsp;overall. Ivan Feinseth, of financial firm Tigress Financial Partners, said on&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cnbc.com/squawk-box-us/">CNBC&#8217;s &#8220;Squawk Box,&#8221;</a>&nbsp;that &#8220;there is no growth in carbonated soda,&#8221; and that brands like Coke and longtime rival Pepsi need to get creative.



They&#8217;ll need to &#8220;continue to develop or acquire other alternatives,&#8221; Feinseth explains, like sparking water, flavored seltzers, teas and sports drinks, since &#8220;that&#8217;s where the growth is, in the niche beverage markets.&#8221;



Coca-Cola does offer products besides sodas, and it continues to diversify its portfolio. The company&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2018/12/11/coca-cola-ceo-ma-will-likely-slow-down-as-it-integrates-costa.html">made six new acquisitions in 2018</a>, among them&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2018/08/31/whitbread-to-sell-coffee-chain-costa-to-coca-cola.html">coffee chain Costa Coffee</a>. They&nbsp;<a href="https://www.coca-colacompany.com/packages/brands">also own popular beverage brands</a>&nbsp;Dasani, Minute Maid and Powerade.



And Quincey said on <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/squawk-on-the-street/">CNBC&#8217;s &#8220;Squawk on the Street&#8221;</a> that the company will take time to &#8220;absorb&#8221; the investments it made last year.



Jim Cramer, host of&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cnbc.com/mad-money/">CNBC&#8217;s &#8220;Mad Money,&#8221;</a>&nbsp;in January, suggested that worries about tougher years ahead could make the company a good buy, since&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2019/01/03/cramer-time-to-buy-recession-proof-stocks-like-clorox-pepsico.html">stocks like Coca-Cola and Pepsi</a>&nbsp;could do well during a potential downturn or&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2019/01/03/tech-shares-dive-after-hours-after-apple-warning-nasdaq-etf-loses-nearly-2-percent.html">in case of a stock market crash</a>.



&#8220;You buy the stocks of companies that do well in a recession — even though I don&#8217;t think we&#8217;re going into one — that are also bolstered by lower raw costs,&#8221; Cramer said. He specifically highlighted Coca-Cola and PepsiCo: &#8220;They&#8217;re the safety stocks. That&#8217;s what&#8217;s worth owning.&#8221;



For fiscal year 2019, Coca-Cola is&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2019/02/14/coca-cola-earnings-q4-2018.html">expecting organic revenue growth of 4 percent</a>. &#8220;We are being prudent in our outlook for 2019 given the multiple reductions in global economic growth outlook for 2018 and our experiences in some emerging and developing markets,&#8221; Quincey said.



If you&#8217;re looking to <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2018/10/11/when-the-stock-market-tank-dont-do-these-3-things.html">get into investing for the first time</a>, expert investors like Buffett and Mark Cuban <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2017/05/17/warren-buffett-and-tony-robbins-agree-on-the-best-way-to-invest-your-money.html">suggest you start with index funds</a>, which hold every stock in an index, offer low turnover rates, attendant fees and tax bills. They also fluctuate with the market to eliminate the risk of picking individual stocks.



This article was first published by CNBC https://www.cnbc.com/2019/02/15/if-you-put-1000-dollars-in-coca-cola-in-2009-heres-what-youd-have-now.html and is republished with its permission.

If you invested $1,000 in Coca-Cola 10 years ago, here’s how much you’d have now

JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) &#8211; South Africa’s struggling state-owned airline is to break into three business units as part of a restructuring plan, its Chief Executive Vuyani Jarana said on Monday.



Jarani said the firm &#8211; which has not made a profit since 2011 and was given a 5 billion rand bailout last year to shore up its balance sheet &#8211; will be split into domestic, regional and international business units, each with their own management.



Reporting by Olivia Kumwenda and Tiisetso Motsoeneng; writing by Emma Rumney; Editing by Kirsten Donovan

SAA to split into three – CEO

JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) &#8211; South African firm Bosasa has applied for voluntary liquidation after its lenders said they would close its accounts due to reputational risk, the firm said in a statement on Monday.



“The extensive reputational damage in the past few months, occasioned by negative media reports, has resulted in financial institutions determination that the&#8230; group poses a reputational risk for them as clients,” it said.



A former executive of Bosasa, now called African Global Operations, was arrested earlier this month alongside five others after testifying at a judicial inquiry that he bribed politicians and bureaucrats to secure government contracts for the company.



Reporting by Emma Rumney; Editing by Kirsten Donovan

South African firm Bosasa applies for liquidation after banks close accounts,what you need to know…

By Jared Jeffery, Political analyst, NKC African Economists



The
CEO of South African multinational telecommunications company MTN in Uganda,
Wim Vanhelleput, was deported on Thursday evening, February 14. 



He
becomes the fourth employee of the company to be deported in the last month as
the government piles pressure on MTN to list on the local bourse and
renegotiates its operating licence after 20 years. 



Authorities
have not given clear reasons for the deportations. 



Prior
to markets opening in Johannesburg on Friday, February 15, MTN issued a
statement saying it had not been notified of the grounds for the move. 



The
company’s group CEO, Rob Shuter, met with President Yoweri Museveni on the
sidelines of the World Economic Forum in Davos in January. Not much was
revealed about what they spoke about, but The East African quoted the president
as having said: “It is important that you float shares on the local stock
exchange to allow for local ownership now that the licence has been renewed.” 



The
newspaper also reports that the presidency issued a statement on January 23
stating that the dispute over the renewal of the licence had been resolved and
MTN had agreed to “spread its ownership to more Ugandans through a share
placement with the National Social Security Fund”. However, this statement was
not available on the State House website to confirm it and matters have clearly
not been resolved. 



It
appears Mr Museveni is taking a leaf out of Tanzanian President John Magufuli’s
book by forcing international companies to list on the stock exchange and
playing hardball with the renegotiation of agreements. However, the rhetoric
around events in Uganda is distinct from what we have seen in Tanzania. 



MTN
has been characterised as a ‘security threat’ whereas in Tanzania
multinationals are characterised as greedy companies that hinder development. 



These
different narratives speak to the sources of legitimacy for the leaders in each
country – in Tanzania Mr Magufuli gets his legitimacy from being clean and
bringing development, so his enemies must be greedy and hinder that aim. 



In
Uganda, Mr Museveni draws his legitimacy from having brought stability and
security, so his enemies must want incitement to violence and instability. 



In
July last year, MTN’s data centre was raided, reportedly by intelligence
services, an employee was taken and held for four hours and four of its servers
were disconnected. MTN subsequently laid a case of illegal intrusion against
those involved, but there has been no news of the case since. 



In
a letter on the incident, MTN wrote: “We are yet to determine the extent of
interruption to our network activities and the financial impact. It is also
possible that some data have been tempered with or illegally accessed and taken
from the premise (sic). The intrusion into the data was properly captured by
our closed-circuit television (CCTV cameras),” – so it seems they would have
solid evidence to support their case. 



Local
newspaper The Observer reported that one of the recent deportees, Italian Elsa
Mussolini (former general manager for mobile finance services), stated that she
was ejected from the country for inciting violence and funding opposition
member of Parliament (MP) Robert Kyagulanyi (Bobi Wine). The funding reportedly
took place during the campaign against the proposed social media tax that the
MP led. 



There
is clearly a lot going on between MTN and the Ugandan government: licence
renewals, stock exchange listings, data centre raids, opposition politician
funding, incitement to violence allegations, social media and mobile money
taxes, and possibly access to data on citizens. 



Aggressive
moves against multinationals on the continent are not a new phenomenon – MTN
has had its fair share of difficulties lately in Nigeria too. 



Taking
on international companies makes leaders look good, at least in the eyes of
some local citizens, but we also may be seeing a more regional phenomenon with
Mr Magufuli’s approach emboldening his neighbours. 



The
events do not bode well. With Mr Museveni facing mounting challenges to his
over three-decade rule in the run-up to elections in 2021, we could see more
erratic policies and fiery rhetoric over the next couple years.

MTN Uganda CEO deported, what you need to know

JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) &#8211; South Africa’s struggling state power firm Eskom suspended electricity cuts on Friday but said the power system remained vulnerable, after five days of rolling outages which weakened the rand and hurt businesses across the country. 



Eskom supplies over 90 percent of the power in Africa’s most industrialised economy but has been grappling with power station breakdowns and diesel shortages which have curbed its ability to run backup power sources.



President Cyril Ramaphosa, who faces a parliamentary election in May, has pledged to reform the utility by splitting it up and providing financial support but has ruled out privatisation.



The rand was on course for a loss of more than 3 percent against the dollar this week, largely because of Eskom’s woes, which risk derailing a sluggish economic recovery.



“Due to further improvement in generation performance and the notable strides made in replenishing water and diesel reserves, Eskom is not likely to implement load-shedding on Friday,” Eskom said in a statement, using a local term for power cuts.



Eskom started the power cuts on Sunday and intensified them to 4,000 megawatts (MW) of cuts on Monday in the worst outages South Africa has seen since 2014/15. The power cuts had been reduced to 2,000 MW by Thursday.



The power crisis has caused traffic gridlock in major cities as traffic lights stop working and frustration for ordinary South Africans.



Businesses like miner Harmony Gold are exploring strategies to reduce their dependence on Eskom.



The government has promised more details about how it will support Eskom’s balance sheet on Feb. 20, when the finance minister will deliver a budget speech in parliament. One of Eskom’s major issues is its unsustainable debt mountain of around 419 billion rand ($30 billion).



($1 = 14.1358 rand)



Reporting by Alexander Winning; Editing by Sherry Jacob-Phillips

After five days of #Loadshedding, South Africa’s Eskom suspends power cuts, here’s why

<figure>
 <img decoding="async" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/257146/original/file-20190205-86205-1ln8ara.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&#038;q=45&#038;auto=format&#038;w=754&#038;fit=clip" alt="File 20190205 86205 1ln8ara.jpg?ixlib=rb 1.1" />
 <figcaption>
 Sex with robots will increase, as technological developments produce new love interests.
 Shutterstock
 </figcaption>
 </figure>

By <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/neil-mcarthur-548397">Neil McArthur</a>, <a href="http://theconversation.com/institutions/university-of-manitoba-1113">University of Manitoba</a> and <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/markie-twist-683911">Markie Twist</a>, <a href="http://theconversation.com/institutions/university-of-wisconsin-colleges-and-the-university-of-wisconsin-extension-2074">University of Wisconsin Colleges and the University of Wisconsin-Extension</a>

Sex as we know it is about to change. 

We are already living through a new <a href="http://time.com/3611781/sexual-revolution-revisited/">sexual revolution</a>, thanks to technologies that have transformed the way we relate to each other in our intimate relationships. But we believe that a second wave of sexual technologies is now starting to appear, and that these are transforming how some people view their very sexual identity. 

People we refer to as “<a href="https://www.cbc.ca/radio/spark/spark-423-1.4988389/digisexuality-emerges-as-a-new-sexual-identity-1.4988400">digisexuals</a>” are turning to advanced technologies, such as robots, virtual reality (VR) environments and feedback devices known as <a href="https://motherboard.vice.com/en_us/article/ne55x8/teledildonics-patent-has-expired">teledildonics</a>, to take the place of human partners.

<figure class="align-left zoomable">
 <a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/257147/original/file-20190205-86210-11y8smf.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=1000&amp;fit=clip"><img decoding="async" alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/257147/original/file-20190205-86210-11y8smf.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=237&amp;fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/257147/original/file-20190205-86210-11y8smf.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=600&amp;h=771&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/257147/original/file-20190205-86210-11y8smf.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=30&amp;auto=format&amp;w=600&amp;h=771&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/257147/original/file-20190205-86210-11y8smf.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=15&amp;auto=format&amp;w=600&amp;h=771&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/257147/original/file-20190205-86210-11y8smf.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;h=969&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/257147/original/file-20190205-86210-11y8smf.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=30&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;h=969&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/257147/original/file-20190205-86210-11y8smf.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=15&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;h=969&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
 <figcaption>
 Neil McArthur is the co-editor of Robot Sex: Social and Ethical Implications, published in 2017 by MIT Press.
 
 </figcaption>
 </figure>

<h2>Defining digisexuality</h2>

In our research, we use the term <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/14681994.2017.1397950">digisexuality in two senses</a>. The first, broader sense is to describe the use of advanced technologies in sex and relationships. People are already familiar with what we call first-wave sexual technologies, which are the many things that we use to connect us with our current or prospective partners. We text each other, we use Snapchat and Skype, and we go on social apps like Tinder and Bumble to meet new people. 

These technologies have been adopted so widely, so quickly, that it is easy to miss what a profound effect they have had on our intimate lives. 

It is fascinating to study how people use technology in their relationships. Not surprisingly, in our research we can already see people displaying different attachment styles in their use of technology. As with their human relationships, people relate to their technology in ways that may be secure, anxious, avoidant or some (often disorganized) combination of the three.

There is a second, narrower sense, in which we use the term digisexuals for people whose sexual identity is shaped by what we call second-wave sexual technologies. 

These technologies are defined by their ability to offer sexual experiences that are intense, immersive and do not depend on a human partner. Sex robots are the second-wave technology people are most familiar with. They don’t exist yet, not really, but they have been widely discussed in the media and often appear in movies and on television. Some companies have previewed sex robot prototypes, but these are nothing close to what most people would consider a proper sexbot. They are also incredibly creepy. 

<h2>Refining sexbots</h2>

There are several companies, such as the Real Doll company, working on developing <a href="https://realbotix.com/">realistic sexbots</a>. But there are a few technical hurdles they have yet to overcome. Truly interactive artificial intelligence is developing slowly, for instance, and it is proving difficult to teach a robot to walk. More interestingly, some inventors have begun experimenting with innovative, <a href="http://goldsmiths.tech/sex">non-anthropomorphic designs for sexbots</a>.

Meanwhile, VR is progressing rapidly. And in the sex industry, VR is already being used in ways that go beyond the passive viewing of pornography. Immersive virtual worlds and multi-player environments, often coupled with haptic feedback devices, are already being created that offer people intense sexual experiences that the real world possibly never could. 

Investigative journalist Emily Witt has written about her experience with some of these technologies in her 2016 book, <a href="https://www.vogue.com/article/future-sex-emily-witt-interview">Future Sex: A New Kind of Free Love</a>.

<figure>
 <iframe loading="lazy" width="440" height="260" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/bypZPHhrAkQ?wmode=transparent&amp;start=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
 <figcaption>Sherry Turkle explores relational artifacts in a 1999 lecture at the University of Washington.</figcaption>
 </figure>

There is compelling evidence that second-wave technologies have an effect on our brains that is qualitatively different from what came before.

MIT professor <a href="http://www.mit.edu/%7Esturkle/">Sherry Turkle</a> and others have done studies on the intensity of the bond people tend to form with what she calls “relational artifacts” such as robots. Turkle defines relational artifacts as “non-living objects that are, or at least appear to be, sufficiently responsive that people <a href="http://web.mit.edu/sturkle/www/pdfsforstwebpage/ST_Relational%20Artifacts.pdf">naturally conceive themselves to be in a mutual relationship with them</a>.” Immersive VR experiences also offer a level of intensity that is qualitatively different from other sorts of media.

<h2>Immersive experiences</h2>

In a lecture at the <a href="http://www.virtualfutures.co.uk/">Virtual Futures Forum</a> in 2016, VR researcher <a href="https://www.gold.ac.uk/computing/people/pan-sylvia-xueni/">Sylvia Xueni Pan</a> explained the immersive nature of VR technology. It creates what she describes as a placement and plausibility illusion within the human brain.

As a result of its real-time positioning, 3D stereo display and its total field of view, the user’s brain comes to believe that the user is really present. As she says: “If situations and events that happen in VR actually correlates to your actions and relates personally to you, <a href="https://www.facebook.com/virtualfutures/videos/making-virtual-reality-immersive-dr-sylvia-xueni-pan-virt/1169622529755933/">then you react towards these events as if they were real</a>.”

<figure class="align-center zoomable">
 <a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/257145/original/file-20190205-86198-3lt27e.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=1000&amp;fit=clip"><img decoding="async" alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/257145/original/file-20190205-86198-3lt27e.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/257145/original/file-20190205-86198-3lt27e.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=600&amp;h=400&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/257145/original/file-20190205-86198-3lt27e.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=30&amp;auto=format&amp;w=600&amp;h=400&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/257145/original/file-20190205-86198-3lt27e.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=15&amp;auto=format&amp;w=600&amp;h=400&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/257145/original/file-20190205-86198-3lt27e.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;h=503&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/257145/original/file-20190205-86198-3lt27e.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=30&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;h=503&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/257145/original/file-20190205-86198-3lt27e.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=15&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;h=503&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
 <figcaption>
 As technologies such as virtual reality develop, more people will use them for sexual experiences.
 Shutterstock
 </figcaption>
 </figure>

As these technologies develop, they will enable sexual experiences that many people will find just as satisfying as those with human partners, or in some cases more so. 

We believe that in the coming decades, as these technologies become more sophisticated and more widespread, there will be an increasing number of people who will choose to find sex and partnership entirely from artificial agents or in virtual environments. 

And as they do, we will also see the emergence of <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2019/01/19/style/sex-robots.html">this new sexual identity we call digisexuality</a>. 

<h2>Sexuality and stigma</h2>

A digisexual is someone who sees immersive technologies such as sex robots and virtual reality pornography as integral to their sexual experience, and who feels no need to search for physical intimacy with human partners.

Marginal sexual identities almost invariably face stigma, and it is already apparent that digisexuals will be no exception. The idea of digisexuality as an identity has already received strong negative reactions from many commentators in <a href="https://www.thesun.co.uk/tech/5008805/sex-robot-craze-digisexuals-men-sleep-dolls/">the media</a> and <a href="https://www.louderwithcrowder.com/digisexual-robot-lovers/">online</a>.

We should learn from the mistakes of the past. Society has stigmatized gays and lesbians, bisexuals, pansexuals, asexuals, consensually non-mongamous people and practitioners of bondange/discipline-dominance/submission-sadomasochism (BDSM). 

Then, as time goes on, we have gradually learned to be <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/society/2016/jun/04/same-sex-relationships-gender-fluid-queer-kristen-stewart">more accepting of all these diverse sexual identities</a>. We should bring that same openness to digisexuals. As immersive sexual technologies become more widespread, we should approach them, and their users, with an open mind.

We don’t know where technology is going, and there are definitely concerns that need to be discussed — such as the ways in which our interactions with technology could shape our attitudes towards consent with our human partners. 

Our research addresses one specific piece of the puzzle: the question of how technology impacts sexual-identity formation, and how people with technologically based sexual identities may face stigma and prejudice. Yes, there are dangers. But whips and paddles can hurt too.<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/110690/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" style="border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0 !important; max-height: 1px !important; max-width: 1px !important; min-height: 1px !important; min-width: 1px !important; opacity: 0 !important; outline: none !important; padding: 0 !important; text-shadow: none !important" />

<a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/neil-mcarthur-548397">Neil McArthur</a>, Director, Centre for Professional and Applied Ethics, <a href="http://theconversation.com/institutions/university-of-manitoba-1113">University of Manitoba</a> and <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/markie-twist-683911">Markie Twist</a>, Professor, <a href="http://theconversation.com/institutions/university-of-wisconsin-colleges-and-the-university-of-wisconsin-extension-2074">University of Wisconsin Colleges and the University of Wisconsin-Extension</a>

This article is republished from <a href="http://theconversation.com">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/for-the-love-of-technology-sex-robots-and-virtual-reality-110690">original article</a>.

Sex with robots: Will more people turn to advanced technologies, such as robots, VR environments to take the place of human partners?

<a href="https://www.cnbc.com/karen-gilchrist/">By Karen Gilchrist</a> 



Young people are more optimistic than any other generation about their career prospects and the opportunities that lie ahead, despite the growing threat of job disruption.



That&#8217;s according to a new study from professional services site&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cnbc.com/quotes/?symbol=LNKD">LinkedIn</a>, which found that the majority (52 percent) of people aged 18 to 29 are hopeful that the employment landscape will improve over the coming years.



The findings, which are based on a survey of over 11,000 people in nine countries across Asia Pacific, point to greater caution among older workers, who believe they will be adversely affected by the shifting jobs landscape. Just two-thirds (41 percent) of those aged 50 to 60 say they think their career prospects would improve this year.&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cnbc.com/china/">China</a>&nbsp;was the only exception to that, with optimism at its greatest among older generations.



The findings reflect the wider uncertainties surrounding technology&#8217;s impact on the workforce, said Roger Pua, LinkedIn&#8217;s senior director of brand marketing and communications for Asia Pacific. However, he noted that employees of all ages can better prepare themselves by focusing on five key work skills.



<h4 class="wp-block-heading">1. Keep learning</h4>



As traditional careers find themselves up against the growing threat of automation, business leaders have become more vocal about the value of continuous learning — and LinkedIn is no different.



&#8220;Learning a new skill — or upskilling — is a great way to enhance the value you bring to an employer or your own business,&#8221; said Pua, who cited learning as his number one recommendation for young people looking to take the next step in their careers.



In a bid to respond to what it sees as growing demand for such development programs, LinkedIn has launched its own platform, LinkedIn Learning, which offers users a range of courses from speech-writing to software training. Meanwhile, longtime business icons, such as&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cnbc.com/bill-gates/">Bill Gates</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cnbc.com/warren-buffett/">Warren Buffett</a>, continue to espouse the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2018/03/27/warren-buffetts-key-tip-for-success-read-500-pages-a-day.html">value of good old-fashioned books</a>.



<h4 class="wp-block-heading">2. Maintain a network</h4>



While learning new skills is a vital aspect in your career development, ensuring they are recognized is almost as important, said Pua.



&#8220;It is unlikely that we can go far without help from others in our community,&#8221; he noted. &#8220;Along the same vein, helping others by lending a hand or giving advice will create a virtuous cycle.&#8221;



That&#8217;s something respondents to LinkedIn&#8217;s survey noted, with 85 percent saying they believe having the right connections is important for career progression.



Of course, networking does not come naturally to everyone, so it&#8217;s important to <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2018/07/02/5-networking-secrets-every-young-person-should-know.html">learn some skills to ease the process</a>. Sites like LinkedIn have also made it easier to engage with colleagues — for example, by liking or sharing a post — without the awkwardness of many traditional networking events.



<h4 class="wp-block-heading">3. Stay up-to-date</h4>



Part of building a strong professional network is about positioning yourself as someone people want to follow. That means staying up-to-date with your industry as it evolves and making sure that&#8217;s reflected in your online presence, said Pua.



Not only will that make you appear as a thought leader, but it will also make you more visible to colleagues and potential employers who may present you with new opportunities.



Start simply, by updating your online profile to reflect your most recent skills and experiences. You can then start actively posting and sharing on you LinkedIn profile, company network and personal blog to&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2019/01/02/this-1-new-linkedin-feature-can-help-you-find-your-dream-job.html">highlight the areas of your work and your industry that most interest you</a>.



<h4 class="wp-block-heading">4. Be adaptable</h4>



The jobs market continues to evolve, and it&#8217;s important to welcome that change and move in tandem with it, said Pua.



&#8220;As the pace of disruption brought about by technology continues to accelerate, the willingness to embrace change is key to continued career success and staying relevant,&#8221; he noted.



The majority of employees (81 percent) say they are open to those shifts, according to LinkedIn&#8217;s survey. However, using it to your advantage can be another matter. Try taking an active interest in your industry and reading up on any developments to ensure you stay ahead of the curve.



<h4 class="wp-block-heading">5. Strike the balance</h4>



Finally, while work is important, it&#8217;s just as crucial to be able to&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2018/11/19/why-nearly-40-percent-of-employees-are-so-burned-out-they-want-to-quit.html">strike the right balance to avoid becoming overwhelmed</a>.



That&#8217;s especially vital for today&#8217;s workforce as developments in technology mean the lines between traditional working hours and leisure time have become increasingly blurred.



&#8220;As work-life balance becomes an increasingly important aspiration for many people, the key is to find the level of balance or harmony that works for each one of us.&#8221;



This article was first published by CNBC https://www.cnbc.com/2019/02/14/linkedin-careers-advice-how-to-get-ahead-at-work.html and is republished with its permission.

Mastering these 5 skills will be key to career growth, according to LinkedIn

JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) &#8211; Struggling state-run power firm Eskom subjected South Africa to the worst power cuts in several years this week, after a decade of missteps when electricity sales stagnated and costs soared.



The outages expose the risks to Africa’s most industrialised economy from Eskom’s virtual monopoly and the failure of successive governments to take on labour unions and leftists in the ruling African National Congress (ANC) who oppose change.



President Cyril Ramaphosa appointed a new board at Eskom in 2018 and plans to split the utility, which expects to lose about 20 billion rand ($1.5 billion) this year and next. It doesn’t even earn enough to service its mountain of debt.



Analysts say bolder steps, not just a break up, are needed to rescue a firm that supplies 90 percent of the nation’s power.



But South African officials have ruled out selling Eskom and more borrowing will only bury the company deeper in debt, which leaves it up to the government to step in with a bailout.



Below are the challenges Eskom faces and possible solutions.



<h3 class="wp-block-heading">WHY ARE THE LIGHTS GOING OUT NOW?</h3>



Eskom’s power station performance has deteriorated steeply in part because of delays to critical maintenance work.



This week, around a third of Eskom’s 45,000 megawatt (MW) installed capacity was out of service because of plant-related problems, diesel shortages and planned maintenance.



Eskom has a plan to improve performance, such as overhauling units that have been shut down for long periods and fixing design flaws at two major power projects, Medupi and Kusile.



The aim is to lift the Energy Availability Factor, or the level at which capacity can be used, to 77 percent by late 2020 from below 70 percent now.



But long-term neglect means there are no quick fixes. “It will take years to sort out the problems that have built up,” said Chris Yelland, a Johannesburg-based energy analyst.



<h3 class="wp-block-heading">HOW CAN ESKOM FIX ITS COAL PROBLEMS?</h3>



More than 80 percent of Eskom’s power is produced from coal dug from South African mines. But spending on primary energy, mostly coal, has more than quadrupled in the past decade, reaching 85.2 billion rand in the year to March 2018. It has also faced supply shortages.



“Eskom’s coal procurement needs to be sorted out, with people brought in who understand mines and the quality of coal. Bribe-taking is still a big problem,” said Xavier Prevost, a senior analyst at XMP Consulting.



Eskom’s new management acknowledges its finances have been hurt by fraud and corruption and says it has investigated hundreds of instances of alleged wrongdoing.



Eskom’s supply problems were compounded by its decision to reduce investment in “cost-plus” mines, where it contributes to costs and receives a guaranteed volume and quality of coal.



Eskom’s new management has reversed that policy, pledging to invest up to 12 billion rand in cost-plus mines in the next five years. It has also signed more than 40 coal supply contracts.



<h3 class="wp-block-heading">IS IT TIME TO CUT THE WORKFORCE?</h3>



Eskom employs 48,000 people, after hiring about 12,000 additional employees in the past decade. A World Bank research report published in 2016 said two-thirds of employees weren’t needed.



Cutting jobs will be politically difficult for Ramaphosa before this year’s election, when he will have to rely on unions allied to the ANC if he wants to a decisive mandate.



But analysts say it is a case of when, not if, jobs will go.



Eskom has trimmed its executive management from 21 people to nine by combining roles. Eskom executives have also told investors they hope to gradually reduce staff numbers by a third, one investor has told Reuters.



<h3 class="wp-block-heading">WHAT ABOUT ESKOM’S DEBT MOUNTAIN?</h3>



Eskom’s debt pile, which stood at 419 billion rand at the end of September, is perhaps its greatest challenge. Eskom has been assigned a credit rating from S&amp;P Global of CCC+, deep into “junk” territory.



The debt was largely racked up to build Medupi and Kusile, two of the largest coal-fired power stations in the world which have suffered massive cost overruns.



Analysts say Eskom needs a bailout, a tough call for the government when its sovereign credit ratings are under pressure.



Last year, Eskom Chairman Jabu Mabuza urged the government to take on 100 billion rand of the utility’s debt.



Ramaphosa was initially cool on the idea but has since said the government would unveil measures to support Eskom’s balance sheet in a budget speech on Feb. 20.



Nedbank CIB analysts estimate a bailout of 150 billion rand would be required to cover Eskom’s liquidity shortfall, while 190 billion rand would put it on a more sustainable path.



<h3 class="wp-block-heading">WHY NOT JUST RAISE ELECTRICITY PRICES?</h3>



Eskom has eroded its capital base by selling power for many years below production costs. That remains the case even though average power prices have risen about fourfold since 2007.



The World Bank’s 2016 report found South Africa had some of the lowest electricity tariffs on the continent.



Eskom has applied to energy regulator Nersa for tariff increases of 17.1 percent in 2019/20, 15.4 percent in 2020/21 and 15.5 percent in 2021/22. But Nersa tends to grant much smaller increases than Eskom demands.



Nersa will respond to the latest requests by mid-March.



<h3 class="wp-block-heading">WILL SPLITTING UP ESKOM HELP?</h3>



Ramaphosa wants to split Eskom into entities responsible for generation, transmission and distribution, although they would still operate under the same Eskom holding company.



Analysts say that doesn’t go far enough.



“Separating within Eskom means the incentive issues and monopoly mindset will remain, and any upside from internal capital allocation being more transparent within entities may be limited,” said Peter Attard Montalto, head of capital markets research at Intellidex.



One option would be to remove the holding structure and make the public enterprises ministry the shareholder of all three, making each unit function more independently.



Another would be to break up the generation business into several smaller companies owning a mix of old and new power stations, which would compete with independent power producers to supply the cheapest electricity to the grid.



<h3 class="wp-block-heading">HOW TANGLED IS THE DISTRIBUTION NETWORK?</h3>



Eskom is responsible for distribution in some areas of South Africa, while municipal distributors are responsible in others. And all of them face problems collecting payments.



Eskom is owed more than 30 billion rand by municipalities and customers in the sprawling Soweto township on the outskirts of Johannesburg, a debt which continues to grow.



“Municipalities are dragging Eskom down,” analyst Yelland said. “The distribution sector needs to be rationalised into a much smaller set of efficient, viable businesses.”



($1 = 13.7369 rand)



Additional reporting by Sisipho Skweyiya in Johannesburg, Geert de Clercq in Paris and Karin Strohecker in London; Editing by Edmund Blair

How can South Africa’s struggling power utility Eskom turn the lights back on?

GoCompare has researched 31 OECD member countries (and South Africa) and ranked their varying costs of driving fines (with no added surcharges) based on:



<ul class="wp-block-list"><li>Speeding 21km/h (approx 13mph) over the limit </li><li>Using a mobile phone while driving</li><li>Driving a red light</li></ul>



Speeding



Based on the amount of money, in Rand, Poland is the cheapest country and Norway is the most expensive. South Africa is the 8th cheapest place to get a fine for speeding.



<ol class="wp-block-list"><li>Poland R 356,65</li><li>Lithuania R 463,72</li><li>Czech Republic R 607,63</li><li>Latvia R 618,23</li><li>Luxembourg R 757,28</li><li>Austria R 772,75</li><li>Portugal R 927,26</li><li>South Africa R1 000,00</li><li>Slovak Republic R1 081,77</li><li>Germany R1 081,77</li></ol>



However, if figures are based on percentage of earnings,
South Africa is rated just outside of the top 10 most expensive countries:



<ol class="wp-block-list"><li>Estonia, 31.75% (of average monthly salary)</li><li>Norway, 14.11%</li><li>United Kingdom, 11.53%</li><li>Hungary, 10.49%</li><li>Iceland, 9.91%</li><li>Sweden, 8.23%</li><li>Italy, 6.94%</li><li>Greece, 6.92%</li><li>Slovak Republic, 6.36%</li><li>Australia, 5.90%</li></ol>



&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;12. South
Africa, 5.09% 
 
Note: 



<ul class="wp-block-list"><li>The following data was calculated based on that the
 motorist committed the offence on a highway or motorway by driving 21 km/h
 above the maximum speed limit</li><li>The monthly average salary of a person in South Africa
 is R19 633</li><li>In South Africa, the average person would have to work
 1.49 days to pay back a speeding fine</li></ul>



 
Using a mobile phone while driving 
 
The fine for using a mobile phone in driving is particularly cheap &#8211; in value &#8211;
for South Africa, with the country being in the 10 cheapest countries to
receive this fine.



<ol class="wp-block-list"><li>Latvia, R 386,37</li><li>Hungary, R 475,54</li><li>Czech Republic, R 607,63</li><li>New Zealand, R 697,49</li><li>Poland, R 713,30</li><li>Austria, R 772,75</li><li>Slovak Republic, R 927,26</li><li>Ireland, R 927,26</li><li>South Africa, R 927,26</li><li>Estonia, R1 236,46</li></ol>



When basing the figures on
monthly average salaries, South Africa place in the middle of the rankings.



<ol class="wp-block-list"><li>Spain, 8.55%</li><li>Portugal, 8.45%</li><li>Lithuania, 8.10%</li><li>Israel, 7.87%</li><li>Greece, 6.92%</li><li>United Kingdom, 6.83%</li><li>Canada, 6.80%</li><li>Italy, 6.57%</li><li>Estonia, 6.35%</li><li>Slovenia, 6.08%</li></ol>



&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;14.&nbsp;South
Africa, 5.09% 
 
Note:



<ul class="wp-block-list"><li>In South Africa the average person would have to work
 1.55 days to pay back the above fine</li></ul>



Driving through a red light 
 
South Africa falls just outside the cheapest ten countries for a fine for
driving through a red light.



<ol class="wp-block-list"><li>Poland, R 356,65</li><li>Latvia, R 463,72</li><li>Lithuania, R 927,43</li><li>Finland, R1 012,25</li><li>Austria, R1 081,77</li><li>Portugal, R1 156,34</li><li>Ireland, R1 236,46</li><li>New Zealand, R1 307,72</li><li>United States, R1 320, 93</li><li>Germany, R1 390,98</li><li>South Africa, R1 500</li></ol>



 
South Africa again sit in the middle of the rankings when using monthly average
salary as a metric for measuring how much driver&#8217;s are out of pocket in each
country.



<ol class="wp-block-list"><li>Greece, 48.45%</li><li>Hungary, 17.48%</li><li>Estonia, 15.88%</li><li>Slovenia, 15.19%</li><li>Norway, 15.00%</li><li>Slovak Republic, 13.64%</li><li>Israel, 11.80%</li><li>Sweden, 8.81%</li><li>Spain, 8.55%</li><li>Czech Republic, 8.34%</li></ol>



&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;12.&nbsp;South
Africa, 7.64% 
 
How we worked out the data:



<ul class="wp-block-list"><li>For countries with fines relative to the offender’s income, it is assumed that the offender earned the country’s average monthly salary</li><li>A full list of sources is available <a href="https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/u/1/d/1qH-BLokurz3fg5hDJXuxAsdQcvBmvBJNpZhl2tG3vE4/edit?usp=sharing">here</a></li><li>Average annual and monthly salary data was sourced from the <a href="https://stats.oecd.org/Index.aspx?DataSetCode=AV_AN_WAGE">OECD</a> (National Currency Units for 2017)</li><li>The data represented in the analyses for Australia, Canada and the United States are samples based on fines incurred in the state of New South Wales (Australia), the province of British Columbia (Canada), and the city of Los Angeles (USA)</li><li></li></ul>



This content was provided by GoCompare. You can explore the full data-set here >> https://www.gocompare.com/car-insurance/harsher-penalties/#/

How do South African driving fines compare to the world?

<a href="https://www.cnbc.com/marianne-hayes/">By Marianne Hayes, Contributor, CNBC Make It </a>



Valentine&#8217;s Day is just around the corner, and it rarely comes cheap. Consumers are expected to spend $20.7 billion this year, according to the&nbsp;<a href="https://nrf.com/media-center/press-releases/fewer-consumers-celebrating-valentines-day-those-who-do-are-spending">National Retail Federation</a>. That&#8217;s about $161.96 per consumer, a six percent increase over last year&#8217;s $19.6 billion.



For some, Valentine&#8217;s Day is the holiday for love. For businesses, it&#8217;s an opportunity to hike up prices and capitalize on consumer spending. In other words, it&#8217;s one of the worst times of the year to splurge. But if you play your cards right, it&#8217;s more than possible to celebrate on a budget or, even better, leverage Valentine&#8217;s Day to&nbsp;earn&nbsp;money. Here&#8217;s how:



<h4 class="wp-block-heading">1. Book a staycation</h4>



Celebrating with a romantic getaway can add up fast. Hotel rooms are generally 25 percent more expensive on Valentine&#8217;s Day, according to the travel website&nbsp;<a href="https://www.hipmunk.com/tailwind/the-price-youll-pay-for-love-this-valentines-day/">Hipmunk</a>. Throw in airfare and things will start to get pricey. Instead, curb your spending by booking a staycation at a local hotel or cozy Airbnb.



Matt Schulz, chief industry analyst at&nbsp;<a href="https://www.comparecards.com/">CompareCards</a>&nbsp;suggests taking advantage of a sign-up bonus with a cashback card. Many promotions will offer you $100 or $150 back when you spend $500 in the first three months. &#8220;You can use that cashback bonus to put toward a hotel night or combine with other points to get yourself a jump-start on paying for a staycation.&#8221;



You can also earn additional points by putting your Valentine&#8217;s Day expenses on a&nbsp;<a href="https://www.magnifymoney.com/blog/earning-cashback/best-rewards-credit-cards-880921658/">rewards card</a>, then paying it off in full at the end of the billing cycle.



<h4 class="wp-block-heading">2. Skip the reservations and cook at home</h4>



The typical couple spends up to $170 on a romantic Valentine&#8217;s Day dinner, according to<a href="https://zagat.googleblog.com/2017/02/ValentinesDay2017.html"> Zagat</a>. That&#8217;s a lot of dough for one meal, not to mention the stress of scrambling for a reservation on one of the busiest nights of the year.



Whipping up a homemade meal in your kitchen can be just as special, and a whole heck of a lot cheaper. Instead of a five-course lobster dinner, consider recreating your first-date meal instead, or going with a budget-friendly recipe, like a decadent pasta dish with homemade bread. Top it off with some fruit and chocolate fondue.



Services like <a href="https://www.hellofresh.com/">HelloFresh</a> and <a href="https://www.blueapron.com/">Blue Apron</a> can also take the headache out of cooking without busting your wallet. Both offer free-trial periods, which you could use for Valentine&#8217;s Day before canceling. (Neat trick, right?)



<h4 class="wp-block-heading">3. Treat yourself with a DIY spa day</h4>



On average, most spas charge anywhere from $50 to $90 for a 45- to 60-minute massage, according to consumer resource site<a href="https://health.costhelper.com/massage.html">CostHelper.com</a>. And you can expect to shell out more if you live in a major metro area or throw in extra goodies like hot stones or a couples massage.



Going the DIY route can be just as romantic (and way cheaper). You can make your own bath bombs in 10 minutes for<a href="http://www.penniesintopearls.com/make-bath-bombs/">&nbsp;as little as $5</a>. From there, light a few candles, put on some music, and enjoy the ambiance of an at-home spa.



<h4 class="wp-block-heading">4. Sell unused gift cards</h4>



This is a pretty hands-off way to earn some extra money this Valentine&#8217;s Day, especially since more people are on the lookout for last-minute gifts. (Translation: Demand is higher around gift-giving holidays, with cardholders having the upper hand.) Sites like<a href="https://www.giftcardgranny.com/">&nbsp;GiftCardGranny</a>&nbsp;and<a href="https://www.giftcards.com/">GiftCards.com</a>&nbsp;are ideal platforms for offloading unwanted gift cards for a profit. At<a href="https://www.cardpool.com/">&nbsp;Cardpool</a>, average resale values range from<a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2018/12/20/how-to-swap-an-unwanted-gift-card-for-cash.html">below 70 to 90 percent</a>, depending on how popular the card is.



<blockquote class="wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow">&#8220;Demand is higher around gift-giving holidays, with cardholders having the upper hand.)&#8221;</blockquote>



On the flip side, those looking to save money on Valentine&#8217;s day gifts can use these sites to find gift cards on the cheap. It isn&#8217;t uncommon to find savings steeper than 50 percent off.



<h4 class="wp-block-heading">5. Pick up a side hustle</h4>



A solid side hustle is another way to pad your wallet ahead of Valentine&#8217;s Day, or even on the holiday. In fact, roughly 20 to 30 percent of the working-age population already engage in some type of independent work, according to a 2016 report by the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.mckinsey.com/featured-insights/employment-and-growth/independent-work-choice-necessity-and-the-gig-economy">McKinsey Global Institute</a>. And with Valentine&#8217;s Day being such a big date night, it&#8217;s also a prime time for raking in some extra cash.



<a href="https://www.uber.com/drive/partner-app/how-surge-works/">Uber</a>, for example, charges surge prices during peak times. Side hustlers who moonlight as babysitters will also have an easier time finding work on Valentine&#8217;s Day — it&#8217;s the second most&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2017/04/24/5-times-when-youll-pay-the-most-to-hire-a-babysitter.html">in-demand night for sitters</a>. In fact, most parents are willing to spend up to $19 per hour for a sitter, according to<a href="https://www.care.com/c/stories/14837/how-much-does-a-valentines-day-babysitter-cost/">&nbsp;Care.com</a>.



<a href="http://mariannehayes.com/">Marianne Hayes</a>is a freelance writer covering everything from personal finance to spiritual growth. Her work has been published in<a href="https://www.magnifymoney.com/">MagnifyMoney</a>, Cosmopolitan, Redbook, Good Housekeeping and Forbes. Follow her on Twitter <a href="https://twitter.com/hayesmarianne">@hayesmarianne </a>.



This article was first published by CNBC https://www.cnbc.com/2019/02/12/5-valentines-day-ideas-to-help-you-save-and-earn-extra-cash.html and is republished with its permission.

Here are 5 unexpected ways to help you save and earn extra cash this Valentine’s Day

<a href="https://www.cnbc.com/tom-huddleston-jr/">By Tom Huddleston Jr.</a>



A Los Angeles home that billionaire Tesla CEO Elon Musk bought in 2014 and transferred to his ex-wife is now on the market for roughly $4.5 million.



The home is <a href="https://hiltonhyland.com/property/2232-westridge-rd-los-angeles-ca-90049-us">listed</a> by real estate agency Hilton &amp; Hyland, which describes it as a &#8220;sleek, stylish&#8221; mid-century modern home in Los Angeles&#8217; Brentwood neighborhood. The house features floor-to-ceiling windows, a saltwater pool and spa, as well as views of the Pacific Ocean and the city.



<blockquote class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-captioned data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/BtCC5O4B1TH/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_medium=loading" data-instgrm-version="12" style=" background:#FFF; border:0; border-radius:3px; box-shadow:0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width:540px; min-width:326px; padding:0; width:99.375%; width:-webkit-calc(100% - 2px); width:calc(100% - 2px);"><div style="padding:16px;"> <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BtCC5O4B1TH/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_medium=loading" style=" background:#FFFFFF; line-height:0; padding:0 0; text-align:center; text-decoration:none; width:100%;" target="_blank"> <div style=" display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"></div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style=" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"></div> <div style=" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"></div></div></div><div style="padding: 19% 0;"></div><div style="display:block; height:50px; margin:0 auto 12px; width:50px;"><svg width="50px" height="50px" viewBox="0 0 60 60" version="1.1" xmlns="https://www.w3.org/2000/svg" xmlns:xlink="https://www.w3.org/1999/xlink"><g stroke="none" stroke-width="1" fill="none" fill-rule="evenodd"><g transform="translate(-511.000000, -20.000000)" fill="#000000"><g><path d="M556.869,30.41 C554.814,30.41 553.148,32.076 553.148,34.131 C553.148,36.186 554.814,37.852 556.869,37.852 C558.924,37.852 560.59,36.186 560.59,34.131 C560.59,32.076 558.924,30.41 556.869,30.41 M541,60.657 C535.114,60.657 530.342,55.887 530.342,50 C530.342,44.114 535.114,39.342 541,39.342 C546.887,39.342 551.658,44.114 551.658,50 C551.658,55.887 546.887,60.657 541,60.657 M541,33.886 C532.1,33.886 524.886,41.1 524.886,50 C524.886,58.899 532.1,66.113 541,66.113 C549.9,66.113 557.115,58.899 557.115,50 C557.115,41.1 549.9,33.886 541,33.886 M565.378,62.101 C565.244,65.022 564.756,66.606 564.346,67.663 C563.803,69.06 563.154,70.057 562.106,71.106 C561.058,72.155 560.06,72.803 558.662,73.347 C557.607,73.757 556.021,74.244 553.102,74.378 C549.944,74.521 548.997,74.552 541,74.552 C533.003,74.552 532.056,74.521 528.898,74.378 C525.979,74.244 524.393,73.757 523.338,73.347 C521.94,72.803 520.942,72.155 519.894,71.106 C518.846,70.057 518.197,69.06 517.654,67.663 C517.244,66.606 516.755,65.022 516.623,62.101 C516.479,58.943 516.448,57.996 516.448,50 C516.448,42.003 516.479,41.056 516.623,37.899 C516.755,34.978 517.244,33.391 517.654,32.338 C518.197,30.938 518.846,29.942 519.894,28.894 C520.942,27.846 521.94,27.196 523.338,26.654 C524.393,26.244 525.979,25.756 528.898,25.623 C532.057,25.479 533.004,25.448 541,25.448 C548.997,25.448 549.943,25.479 553.102,25.623 C556.021,25.756 557.607,26.244 558.662,26.654 C560.06,27.196 561.058,27.846 562.106,28.894 C563.154,29.942 563.803,30.938 564.346,32.338 C564.756,33.391 565.244,34.978 565.378,37.899 C565.522,41.056 565.552,42.003 565.552,50 C565.552,57.996 565.522,58.943 565.378,62.101 M570.82,37.631 C570.674,34.438 570.167,32.258 569.425,30.349 C568.659,28.377 567.633,26.702 565.965,25.035 C564.297,23.368 562.623,22.342 560.652,21.575 C558.743,20.834 556.562,20.326 553.369,20.18 C550.169,20.033 549.148,20 541,20 C532.853,20 531.831,20.033 528.631,20.18 C525.438,20.326 523.257,20.834 521.349,21.575 C519.376,22.342 517.703,23.368 516.035,25.035 C514.368,26.702 513.342,28.377 512.574,30.349 C511.834,32.258 511.326,34.438 511.181,37.631 C511.035,40.831 511,41.851 511,50 C511,58.147 511.035,59.17 511.181,62.369 C511.326,65.562 511.834,67.743 512.574,69.651 C513.342,71.625 514.368,73.296 516.035,74.965 C517.703,76.634 519.376,77.658 521.349,78.425 C523.257,79.167 525.438,79.673 528.631,79.82 C531.831,79.965 532.853,80.001 541,80.001 C549.148,80.001 550.169,79.965 553.369,79.82 C556.562,79.673 558.743,79.167 560.652,78.425 C562.623,77.658 564.297,76.634 565.965,74.965 C567.633,73.296 568.659,71.625 569.425,69.651 C570.167,67.743 570.674,65.562 570.82,62.369 C570.966,59.17 571,58.147 571,50 C571,41.851 570.966,40.831 570.82,37.631"></path></g></g></g></svg></div><div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style=" color:#3897f0; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:550; line-height:18px;"> View this post on Instagram</div></div><div style="padding: 12.5% 0;"></div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; margin-bottom: 14px; align-items: center;"><div> <div style="background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(0px) translateY(7px);"></div> <div style="background-color: #F4F4F4; height: 12.5px; transform: rotate(-45deg) translateX(3px) translateY(1px); width: 12.5px; flex-grow: 0; margin-right: 14px; margin-left: 2px;"></div> <div style="background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(9px) translateY(-18px);"></div></div><div style="margin-left: 8px;"> <div style=" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 20px; width: 20px;"></div> <div style=" width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 2px solid transparent; border-left: 6px solid #f4f4f4; border-bottom: 2px solid transparent; transform: translateX(16px) translateY(-4px) rotate(30deg)"></div></div><div style="margin-left: auto;"> <div style=" width: 0px; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-right: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(16px);"></div> <div style=" background-color: #F4F4F4; flex-grow: 0; height: 12px; width: 16px; transform: translateY(-4px);"></div> <div style=" width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-left: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(-4px) translateX(8px);"></div></div></div></a> <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BtCC5O4B1TH/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_medium=loading" style=" color:#000; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:normal; line-height:17px; text-decoration:none; word-wrap:break-word;" target="_blank">COMING SOON! 2232 Westridge Road is a sleek, stylish, mid-century boasting stunning ocean, city, and canyon views. Represented by David Kramer and Andrew Buss.</a> <p style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px; margin-bottom:0; margin-top:8px; overflow:hidden; padding:8px 0 7px; text-align:center; text-overflow:ellipsis; white-space:nowrap;">A post shared by <a href="https://www.instagram.com/hiltonhyland/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_medium=loading" style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:normal; line-height:17px;" target="_blank"> Hilton &amp; Hyland</a> (@hiltonhyland) on <time style=" font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px;" datetime="2019-01-24T21:12:45+00:00">Jan 24, 2019 at 1:12pm PST</time></div></blockquote> <script async src="//www.instagram.com/embed.js"></script>



The real estate agency posted a video on YouTube showing off the luxurious property. 



<iframe loading="lazy" width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/506ktoBya1E" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>



Musk and his now ex-wife, actress Talulah Riley, paid $3.69 million for the four-bedroom, three-bathroom home five years ago. Property <a href="https://losangeles.netronline.com/la-index.php?path=2017\02\07\20170155726.tif">records</a> show that Musk transferred ownership of the home to Riley in October 2016, the year that the couple <a href="https://people.com/movies/elon-musk-and-talulah-riley-divorced/">finalized their divorce</a>. (They were married in 2010.) 



Musk, who is the CEO of both Tesla and SpaceX, has a net worth of <a href="https://www.forbes.com/profile/elon-musk/#712d87b37999">$22.3 billion</a>, according to Forbes. He reportedly <a href="https://variety.com/2016/dirt/real-estalker/elon-musk-bel-air-mansion-1201888308/">owns several homes</a> in the Los Angeles area, including a mansion in the Bel Air neighborhood that Musk reportedly paid $24.25 million to buy in 2016. 



This article was first published by CNBC https://www.cnbc.com/2019/02/12/photos-elon-musks-former-la-mansion-is-on-sale-for-millions.html and is republished with its permission.

Elon Musk’s former L.A. home is on sale for $4.5 million — take a look inside

YENAGOA, Nigeria (Reuters) &#8211; A number of people were killed in a stampede at a rally in support of Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari, local officials from his party said on Tuesday, days ahead of an election in which he is seeking a second term.



The incident happened at an event in the southern city of Port Harcourt, which is in the country’s Niger Delta oil-production heartland.



Voters in Nigeria, Africa’s biggest democracy, will go to the polls on Saturday. Buhari’s main challenger in the race to govern the continent’s top oil-producing nation is Atiku Abubakar, a businessman and former vice president.



In a statement, Judith Amaechi, who runs the women and youth team in support of Buhari in the region for his All Progressives Congress (APC) party, expressed “deep shock over the death of APC members who were in a stampede”.



The statement, which did not specify the number of people killed, said it occurred after the rally.



Accidents sometimes occur at political rallies in Nigeria, which are often crowded. Last week, Buhari offered his condolences after supporters were killed in a stampede at a rally in the eastern state of Taraba.



Reporting by Tife Owolabi; Writing by Alexis Akwagyiram; Editing by Peter Cooney

Several killed at Buhari rally stampede days before Nigeria’s presidential elections

Press release



Key points:



» The
electricity system is currently under extreme pressure and the reserve margin
is likely to remain tight until at least the mid-2020s



» The country
will remain dependent on Eskom Holdings SOC Ltd (Eskom &#8211; B2 negative) for the
foreseeable future, although its importance could gradually diminish



» Further growth in renewables, embedded generation and new capacity in gas from the mid-2020s, could ease system pressure



For the full report read: http://cnbc.africa/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/Moodys-South-Africs-energy-market-report-12-Feb.pdf 



By Helen Francis, a Moody’s Vice President – Senior Credit Officer. 



Content provided by Moody&#8217;s

Moody’s warn that Eskom’s problems could persist till 2020

<a href="https://www.cnbc.com/tom-huddleston-jr/">By Tom Huddleston Jr.</a> 



Seven years ago, <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2018/12/19/this-company-brings-in-millions-of-dollars-selling-stuff-on-amazon.html">Larry Lubarsky was unemployed</a> and $100,000 in debt. Today, he&#8217;s a 38-year-old small business owner, running a company that brings in millions of dollars per year by selling thousands of different products on Amazon.



&#8220;I didn&#8217;t have a career, I didn&#8217;t have any money to my name,&#8221; Lubarsky tells CNBC Make It. &#8220;I was living with my mom, I was severely in debt, I couldn&#8217;t afford my phone, my car.&#8221;



His business selling products on Amazon &#8220;saved my life financially,&#8221; Lubarsky says.



Lubarsky buys a wide variety of products in bulk — from electronics and kids&#8217; toys to health and beauty supplies — and then he re-sells them on Amazon, all while trying to turn a tidy profit. He engages in a business model known as wholesale arbitrage, which sees him buying large quantities of products from wholesalers or large brands.



As Lubarsky previously told CNBC Make It, he might see a Nerf gun available for $10 each from a wholesaler, but the product is selling for $20 apiece on Amazon. In that case, he knows that he can make about $5 profit on each Nerf toy after paying the fees that Amazon charges its third-party sellers.



In 2017, Lubarsky&#8217;s business pulled in roughly $18 million in revenue, including a net profit of $4 million, from selling products on Amazon. Lubarsky only launched the business in 2014, and he brought in more than $3 million in that first year, he tells <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/make-it/">CNBC Make It</a>.



So, how does Lubarsky do it? Here are a few tips from Lubarsky that reveal the basics of how to be a third-party seller on Amazon.



<h4 class="wp-block-heading">Start with seed funding</h4>



First things first. You&#8217;ll need money to get started, so you can buy wholesale products to sell online. Lubarsky told CNBC Make It that he pitched his Amazon selling business to a few friends and family members before one friend believed in him enough to invest $60,000. Lubarsky spent about $10,000 of that amount on renting a small office space and on shipping supplies (to ship the products he&#8217;d sell on Amazon). He used the rest of the money of to buy his first batch of inventory, including almost 100 different wholesale products that he knew would sell well on Amazon and return a respectable profit.



<h4 class="wp-block-heading">How to get the products</h4>



Lubarsky relies on&nbsp;<a href="https://www.thebalancesmb.com/how-to-find-a-wholesale-distributor-2531713">wholesale companies</a>, or even large brands, that are willing to sell products in bulk for resale. It&#8217;s the best way to get a large quantity of products at a discounted price, he says.



&#8220;What I basically do is buy directly from big national distributors, or brands direct,&#8221; Lubarsky tells CNBC Make It. &#8220;I open wholesale accounts with them and I basically have access to their products and to their catalogs, and I go through all those tens of thousands of products that I can get my hands on.&#8221;



If you&#8217;re just getting started, though, Lubarsky&#8217;s advice is to stick with wholesalers, versus reaching out to large brands (like Hasbro, which makes Nerf toys) directly. &#8220;For someone new, it is probably easier to source product from large distributors and wholesalers than it is to approach brands directly,&#8221; he tells CNBC Make It, noting that larger retail brands are likely &#8220;being approached by five to 10 different e-commerce people, or Amazon sellers, a week&#8221; trying to establish relationships.



<h4 class="wp-block-heading">Do your research</h4>



Of course, Lubarsky&#8217;s business only works if people are actually willing to buy the products he buys in bulk — otherwise, he&#8217;s left with unsold inventory. In order to decide what to buy, Lubarsky and his employees research extensively using Amazon&#8217;s Fulfillment by Amazon (FBA)&nbsp;<a href="https://sellercentral.amazon.com/fba/profitabilitycalculator/index?lang=en_US">site</a>, which offers sales-tracking tools to third-party sellers that can tell Lubarsky how many units of a particular product are typically sold each day.



&#8220;First and foremost, I look for&nbsp;<a href="https://www.salesforce.com/blog/2014/01/sales-velocity-equation-gp.html">sales velocity</a>, because if I&#8217;m spending money I want to know that, no matter what, I can sell that product and get my money back,&#8221; Lubarsky says. For the most part, Lubarsky is unlikely to consider any product that is outside of the 50,000 top sellers on Amazon&#8217;s ranking. The second factor he considers is the expected return on his investment (or ROI). He wants any product he&#8217;s buying to give him at least a 30 percent ROI, so that if he buys something for $10 per unit, he&#8217;ll make about $3 on each sale. And Lubarsky requires a minimum of $3 profit per item, because otherwise the margin is too small to be worth the effort.



&#8220;I won&#8217;t take a 30 percent ROI on a $2 product,&#8221; he says, because the profit would only be 60 cents.



<h4 class="wp-block-heading">Plow profits back into the business</h4>



Getting a 30 percent return on a big investment might make you want to kick back and enjoy spending your profits. But Lubarsky says the only way to scale this type of business is to continuously reinvest, which means buying more and more inventory.



The $50,000 that Lubarsky spent on his first batch of inventory returned a $20,000 profit, for a total of $70,000, he says. He took that entire sum and bought even more inventory, which soon turned into a total of $100,000, and so on.



&#8220;When we started the business, we didn&#8217;t pay ourselves. We didn&#8217;t take a dollar for, I think it was like a year, maybe even upwards of a year and a half,&#8221; Lubarsky says. &#8220;We just kept selling stuff, taking the money, reinvesting it into new products.&#8221;



<h4 class="wp-block-heading">Roll up your sleeves</h4>



Of course, there&#8217;s nothing simple about starting and running any successful business — and, these are just Lubarsky&#8217;s tips on the basics of operating as a third-party seller on Amazon. But, if you&#8217;re looking to follow in the footsteps of someone like Lubarsky, he says his best advice is to be as dedicated to the venture as you would any other full-time business.



&#8220;For people who are completely new to the business and starting out with wholesale, my No. 1 piece of advice to you would be to understand that, like any business &#8230; it requires a lot of work,&#8221; Lubarsky says. &#8220;If you&#8217;re willing to put in that work and build a real business, and grind and hustle, then this business is for you. If you&#8217;re kind of looking for, like, a little side-hustle [or] side gig, wholesale — I&#8217;ll tell you right now — isn&#8217;t really the right thing for you.&#8221;



This article was first published by CNBC https://www.cnbc.com/2019/02/11/tips-for-making-money-on-amazon-from-a-seller-bringing-in-millions.html and is republished with its permission.

How to start a successful Amazon business, from a seller who’s making millions

HARARE (Reuters) &#8211; Zimbabwean Vice President Constantino Chiwenga is being treated in India for a minor ailment, a government deputy minister has said, days after a local news website reported that the retired general had gone to that country due to failing health.



The health of Chiwenga, 62, is closely followed in Zimbabwe because he is widely seen as the power behind President Emmerson Mnangagwa and the front-runner to succeed him. He led the coup that ousted long-time ruler Robert Mugabe in 2017.



A gaunt-looking Chiwenga was last seen in public last Tuesday, when he told state television he was not dying but gave no details about his condition. Since last year, Chiwenga’s hands have been visibly swollen with discoloured skin patches.



Information deputy minister Energy Mutodi said on Twitter Chiwenga “is recovering well from some minor abdominal ailment in Delhi, India.” He declined to make further comment.



His tweet was ridiculed by citizens in a country where government officials routinely seek medical help abroad while the public health system has collapsed and hospitals struggle to provide medicines to patients.



ZimLive.com, an online news agency, reported last Thursday that Chiwenga had been flown to India for treatment but did not say what he was suffering from.



Days earlier, a private daily newspaper had reported that Chiwenga had travelled to Cape Town, South Africa, for treatment, his second visit in four months.



Mnangagwa has dismissed rumours of a rift with Chiwenga. These gathered momentum after Mnangagawa promised action in response to a brutal security crackdown carried out against protesters last month while the president was abroad. Chiwenga was acting president at that time.



Reporting by MacDonald Dzirutwe

Here’s why Zimbabwean Vice President Constantino Chiwenga is receiving treatment in India

LAGOS (Reuters) &#8211; Nigeria’s gross domestic product grew 2.38 percent in the last quarter of 2018 compared with 2.11 percent in the same quarter a year before, the National Bureau of Statistics said on Tuesday. 



Nigeria’s economy emerged from recession in 2017 and has been recovering largely because of higher oil prices, though growth remains fragile. Gross domestic product grew by 1.93 percent overall in 2018, more than the 0.82 percent in 2017, the statistics office said.



A Reuters poll of analysts had forecast median growth of 2.1 percent for the Nigerian economy, saying growth was expected to slow as investors hold off before 2019 elections.



Nigerians vote on Saturday for a new president. Incumbent Muhammadu Buhari is hoping his record on corruption, security and boosting the economy can secure him a second four-year term in office.



The government had projected 2 percent growth for 2018. The World Bank has said Nigeria’s economy will grow slightly less than 2 percent this year as the approach of elections keeps foreign investors away.



Reporting by Chijioke Ohuocha; editing by Larry King

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Sex with robots: Will more people turn to advanced technologies, such as robots, VR environments to take the place of human partners?

Mastering these 5 skills will be key to career growth, according to LinkedIn

How can South Africa’s struggling power utility Eskom turn the lights back on?

How do South African driving fines compare to the world?

Here are 5 unexpected ways to help you save and earn extra cash this Valentine’s Day

Elon Musk’s former L.A. home is on sale for $4.5 million — take a look inside

Several killed at Buhari rally stampede days before Nigeria’s presidential elections

Moody’s warn that Eskom’s problems could persist till 2020

How to start a successful Amazon business, from a seller who’s making millions

Here’s why Zimbabwean Vice President Constantino Chiwenga is receiving treatment in India

Nigeria’s GDP grew 2.38 percent in Q4 of 2018, what you need to know

News Tips

Advertise With Us

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