Business

___ Meta oversight board urges changes to VIP moderation system LONDON (AP) — Facebook’s quasi-independent oversight board says an internal system that exempted high-profile users, including former U.S. President Donald Trump, from some or all of its content moderation rules needs a major overhaul. The report released Tuesday by the Oversight Board said the system “is flawed in key areas which the company must address.” The board opened its review after The Wall Street Journal reported that the system was being abused by many of its elite users, who posted material that would result in penalties for ordinary people, including for harassment and incitement of violence. Meta has agreed to respond to the report within 90 days. ___ Holmes’ former partner faces sentencing in Theranos case SAN JOSE, Calif. (AP) — A former Theranos executive learns Wednesday whether he will be punished as severely as his former lover and business partner for peddling the company’s bogus … [Read more...] about Business Highlights: Meta oversight, Theranos sentencing

New York (CNN Business) Philadelphia Cream Cheese is launching a non-dairy version of its signature spread. The plant-based cream cheese is now available at grocery stories in Atlanta, Houston, Miami and other locations in the Southeast, with a wider rollout planned for summer 2023. The new variety is made with coconut oil and faba bean protein among other ingredients, and is designed to mimic the experience of eating traditional cream cheese. Philadelphia's non-dairy cream cheese has a suggested retail price of $6.49, compared to $4.57 for traditional. The brand's owner Kraft Heinz ( KHC ) , has been focusing on driving growth by innovating within its powerhouse products like Philadelphia, including by launching plant-based alternatives, where the company sees room for growth. "Plant-based has been outpacing the overall categories within all of dairy for quite some time," said John Crawford, VP of client insights for dairy at IRI. … [Read more...] about Philadelphia is launching a plant-based cream cheese

TOKYO — At age 36, Hello Kitty may be running out of product lives. That is the fear of executives at the Sanrio Corporation, the Japanese company that created the cute, cartoonish white cat in 1974, and groomed her into a global marketing phenomenon worth $5 billion a year. In Japan and around the world, Hello Kitty has been licensed over the years for products that include dolls, clothes, lunch boxes, stationery, kitchenware, a Macy’s parade balloon and even an Airbus owned by Taiwanese airline EVA Airways. But amid signs that Hello Kitty’s pop-culture appeal is waning, especially at home, where sales have shrunk for a decade, the company has struggled to find its next-generation version of adorable. Sanrio’s other flops include Spottie Dottie, a pink-frocked Dalmatian, and Pandapple, a baby panda. Even the moderately successful My Melody (a rabbit) and TuxedoSam (penguin) show no signs of achieving global Kitty-ness. “We badly need something else,” said Yuko Yamaguchi, who … [Read more...] about In Search of Adorable, as Hello Kitty Gets Closer to Goodbye

President Joe Biden’s Department of Labor has fined U.S. farm companies for allegedly misusing the H-2A visa-worker program to swindle American and foreign workers. But Biden’s progressive deputies are also backing a congressional expansion of the H-2A program that would cripple the ability of many rural Americans to get fair-market wages. On November 28, Mississippi Today reported the labor department fined 11 farms for their exploitation of the H-2A program: “The allegations made by Mississippi Delta farmworkers are alarming,” Wage and Hour Division District’s Jackson director, Audrey Hall, said in a statement. “The outcome of these investigations confirms that employers denied many farmworkers their lawful wages and, in some cases, violated the rights of U.S. workers by giving temporary guest workers preferential treatment.” … Agents found employers paid local workers lesser wages per hour than their foreign counterparts for the same type of jobs; failed to disclose … [Read more...] about Democrats, Business Ally to Expand H-2A Visa Workers in Agriculture Jobs

NEW YORK (AP) — Digital media company BuzzFeed is cutting 12% of its workforce, citing worsening economic conditions. The New York company, which made the announcement in a regulatory filing on Tuesday, did not disclose how many workers it was letting go. According to the data firm FactSet, BuzzFeed has 1,522 employees, which would mean roughly 180 of them would be laid off. Advertisers, on which BuzzFeed relies, have broadly pulled back spending to address rising costs. Spending on advertising is typically among the most elastic items in a company's budget and is often the first place to see cuts. “In order for BuzzFeed to weather an economic downturn that I believe will extend well into 2023, we must adapt, invest in our strategy to serve our audience best, and readjust our cost structure,” Jonah Peretti, co-founder and CEO, wrote in a letter to staff. Social media and other companies who rely on digital advertising have also recently announced layoffs, including Facebook … [Read more...] about BuzzFeed cuts 12% of staff citing worsening econ conditions

0 Business Developers recently held a groundbreaking ceremony for a 31-story apartment building planned in Milwaukee's Third Ward. John Quinnies , Patch Staff Posted Reply MILWAUKEE, WI — Construction has begun on a new 31-story building in Milwaukee's Third Ward with plans to bring over 300 apartments alongside ground-level retail, developers at Hines announced Monday. It will be the first multi-family high-rise in its neighborhood, developers said, and when complete, one of the tallest buildings in Wisconsin. Located at 333 Water Street, the project will be surrounded by an existing food and entertainment scene and nearby retail, Hines said, not to mention the Milwaukee Public Market. The building is expected to create 333 new luxury rental units alongside over 22,000 feet of indoor and outdoor amenities. “The Historic Third Ward is the preeminent urban dining, shopping, and entertainment district in Milwaukee, and … [Read more...] about New High-Rise Apartments Begin Construction In Milwaukee’s Third Ward