Business News Events - Page 3

PlatinumPearl · 12-21-2020, 11:07 AM

Zoox Reveals Autonomous Ride-Sharing Boxcar With No Steering Wheel

img Zoox

Long before Amazon acquired the self-driving startup Zoox in June, the Bay Area-based company was prototyping its own custom-designed and built self-driving taxi from the ground up. On Monday, it finally publicly showed off the new car.

While still a prototype and with no set dates for the fleet to hit the road, the Zoox electric robotaxi reimagines the entire premise of a car. While many self-driving car companies — like Aurora (also Amazon-backed) and Waymo — are modifying existing vehicles with sensor and computer technology, Zoox has been developing a new idea of what an autonomous vehicle looks like.

Even with Amazon now in charge, Zoox is sticking to its ride-sharing goals. "We’re reinventing personal transportation," Zoox CEO Aicha Evans said in a Zoom interview after the Monday reveal. "It's always what we’ve been about." She did concede that "down the line," Zoox could play a part in moving packages and other services that Amazon is known for.

But for now, Zoox has a new look for post-COVID-19 taxi service. It starts with removing the steering wheel and the usual driving pedals and seat. Instead of the typical car set-up, it's a bidirectional vehicle with two benches facing each other. It can carry four passengers, who can interact with the robo-vehicle through a touchscreen and the Zoox smartphone app that riders use to order the vehicle.

With touch controls for music and climate for your seat, each passenger can have their own experience. The ride may be a trip with a group, or you could be mixed in with strangers. Again, this idea is supposed to take off once the pandemic is (hopefully) behind us.

The cars will be serviced at hubs where the dual-battery vehicles will also be wirelessly charged. Zoox says the charge lasts for 16 hours of driving.

img zoox

The concept is similar to Cruise's Origin, which was unveiled at the beginning of this year as a driverless, steering wheel-less box for ride-sharing in San Francisco.

Don't expect to see the Zoox taxis on the road anytime soon. The company is still testing the autonomous technology on modified Toyota vehicles on public roads in Las Vegas, San Francisco, and throughout the Bay Area. But Evans expects to target those same locations once the Zoox robotaxis start taking off.

[Video, cannot display click on the article link below to view.]

Instead of "Ubering"somewhere, Zoox wants to become the verb that means to get around, no driver necessary.

Source: mashable.com
Website: https://mashable.com/article/zoox-ro...PQPCPfZ1jIBkCE
Date: December 14, 2020

PlatinumPearl · 01-03-2021, 07:18 PM

Adobe Officially Ends Flash Support, Recommends Uninstalling Immediately

Adobe in 2017 announced plans to end support for its Flash browser plug-in at the end of 2020. Now that it's officially 2021, support for the software has ended, and Adobe will begin blocking content from running in Flash Player beginning on January 12.

Flash's elimination should not heavily impact users because many popular browsers have already moved away from the format. Additionally, iPhone and iPad users are not affected by the change, as iOS and iPadOS have never supported Flash.

Apple co-founder and former CEO Steve Jobs offered his "Thoughts on Flash" in a 2010 open letter, criticizing Adobe's software for its reliability, incompatibility with mobile sites, and battery drain on mobile devices. Jobs also said that Adobe was "painfully slow to adopt enhancements to Apple's platforms" and further innovation from Apple would not be hindered by a "cross platform development tool."

In the past, Adobe's Flash Player had continually suffered from vulnerabilities that exposed Mac and PC users to malware and other security risks that caused vendors like Microsoft and Apple to work tirelessly to keep up with security fixes.

Since Flash Player will no longer receive updates, Adobe recommends that all users immediately remove the software "to help protect their systems."

Source: macrumors.com
Website: https://www.macrumors.com/2021/01/02...P9EkxRpR_6D4qU
Date: January 2, 2021

Bèsame* · 01-14-2021, 03:42 PM

Target plans ahead...Big news from Target this week: We’re keeping our stores closed on Thanksgiving again in 2021, which we shared yesterday alongside our holiday 2020 sales results.

Target Provides Update on Holiday Sales

MINNEAPOLIS - January 13, 2021

For the November/December period compared with last year:Comparable sales grew 17.2 percent, reflecting comparable store sales growth of 4.2 percent and comparable digital sales growth of 102 percent.Traffic increased 4.3 percent and average ticket increased 12.3 percent.The company continued to gain market share in all five of its core merchandise categories. Sales growth was strongest in Home and Hardlines.Sales on same-day services (Order Pick Up, Drive Up and Shipt) grew 193 percent.Drive Up grew more than 500 percent.Shipt grew more than 300 percent.Approximately 95 percent of Target’s sales were fulfilled by its stores.

Good job Target. Also good to know stay at home, shop on line worked..for some!

PlatinumPearl · 01-14-2021, 06:15 PM

YouTube rival Rumble is Suing Google for at Least $2 Billion, Saying the Search Giant Abuses its Monopoly Power.

Rumble has become popular with conservatives, who say they are suppressed by Big Tech. Business Insider

* The Canadian video-sharing platform Rumble is suing Google over claims the tech giant is "unfairly rigging its search algorithm" to preference YouTube videos in its search results.

* Rumble is a direct rival to YouTube that has become popular with conservative US figures who say they are being censored by established tech platforms.

* The lawsuit indicates that Google and other major tech players may face antitrust headaches from smaller, conservative-friendly rivals.

* Rumble's lawsuit accuses the tech giant of "willfully and unlawfully created and maintained a monopoly in the online video-sharing platform market."

The video-sharing site Rumble has accused Google of "unfairly rigging its search algorithm" to favor YouTube's videos in search results, marking the tech giant's latest in a series of antitrust headaches.

Rumble, based in Toronto, filed a lawsuit in California on Monday claiming that Google had unfairly cost it viewers and advertising revenue because of its search algorithms and preinstallation of the YouTube app on Android devices.

"Google, through its search engine, was able to wrongfully divert massive traffic to YouTube, depriving Rumble of the additional traffic, users, uploads, brand awareness and revenue it would have otherwise received," the complaint said.

Google has faced a string of antitrust actions over its search dominance the past few years, drawing attention from US authorities, European Union legislators, and market competitors alike.

Rumble has become popular with conservatives in the past year or so, encouraged by Republican Rep. Devin Nunes and others. The company says it has more than 2 million creators using the site.

Influential right-wingers in the US have taken an aggressive stance against established US tech firms such as Facebook, Google, Apple, and Amazon, a position lately intensified by the platforms teaming up to essentially block the right-wing social-messaging platform Parler.

Currently Rumble's list of most watched videos includes the conservative political commentator Dan Bongino, the Fox News host Sean Hannity, and the conservative YouTubers Diamond and Silk. Its CEO, Chris Pavlovski, regularly posts updates on Twitter about right-wing figures joining the platform.

In its complaint, Rumble alleges that Google "willfully and unlawfully created and maintained a monopoly in the online video-sharing platform market in at least two ways."

"First," it added, "by manipulating the algorithms by which searched-for-video results are listed, Google insures that the videos on YouTube are listed first, and that those of its competitors...are listed way down the list...

"Second, by pre-installation of the YouTube app as the default online video-sharing app on Google smart phones, and by entering into anti-competitive, illegal tying agreements with other smartphone manufacturers to do the same."

The firm indicated it was seeking damages of at least $2 billion.

Rumble's complaint comes shortly after Parler sued Amazon.

Amazon had hosted Parler's service on its cloud service, AWS, but booted the firm off after the US Capitol riot last week. Parler argued in its subsequent suit that Amazon was behaving anticompetitively. Parler's lawsuit indicates that sites and apps banned or penalized by the US tech giants over violent speech are willing to use the emerging antitrust sentiment in court.

A Google representative told The Wall Street Journal: "We will defend ourselves against these baseless claims."

Rumble and Google did not immediately respond to requests for further comment from Business Insider.

Get the latest Google stock price here.

Source: businessinsider.com
Website: https://www.businessinsider.com/rumb..._medium=social
Date: January 12, 2021

PlatinumPearl · 01-16-2021, 10:52 AM

Razer Smart Mask: Project Hazel - Official CES 2021 Reveal

PlatinumPearl · 01-19-2021, 12:09 PM

Bill Gates Now Owns The Most Farmland In America

homoe · 01-19-2021, 06:23 PM

This interview was VERY good....

GeorgiaMa'am · 02-02-2021, 08:04 PM

Jeff Bezos will no longer be Amazon's C.E.O. as of July 2021. He is handing over the reins to Andy Jassy. However, Bezos will become the Executive Chairman of Amazon's board of directors.

https://www.nytimes.com/2021/02/02/t...os-amazon.html

PlatinumPearl · 03-17-2021, 04:28 PM

Bernie Sanders rips into Jeff Bezos: 'You are worth $182 billion ...
why are you doing everything in your power to stop your workers' from unionizing?'

* Bezos declined Sanders' invitation to testify at a hearing, but the senator had harsh words for him.

* Sanders criticized Amazon's countering of a union drive in Alabama despite the CEO's record wealth.

* The hearing included testimony from a pro-union worker at Amazon's Bessemer warehouse.

At a hearing on Wednesday morning, Sen. Bernie Sanders spoke critically about Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos, who declined Sanders' invitation to testify, and Elon Musk, the two wealthiest men.

"Bezos and Musk now own more wealth than the bottom 40%. Meanwhile, we're looking at more hunger in America than at any time in decades," Sanders said in his opening remarks at the Senate Budget Committee hearing, which was titled The Income and Wealth Inequality Crisis in America.

"If he was with us this morning, I would ask him the following question ... Mr. Bezos, you are worth $182 billion — that's a B," Sanders said. "One hundred eighty-two billion dollars, you're the wealthiest person in the world. Why are you doing everything in your power to stop your workers in Bessemer, Alabama, from joining a union?"

The unionization push being voted on at Amazon's Bessemer fulfillment center has been the focal point of a high-profile labor dispute between the behemoth "everything store" and the Retail, Wholesale, and Department Store Union. Amazon has aggressively pushed its workers to vote against unionization, launching a campaign called "Do It Without Dues" to encourage workers to stick to the status quo.

Sanders pointed out the disparity between Bezos' wealth growth during the pandemic and the struggles of rank-and-file workers.

"Jeff Bezos has become $77 billion richer during this horrific pandemic, while denying hundreds of thousands of workers who work at Amazon paid sick leave," he said.

Jennifer Bates, an employee at the Bessemer warehouse who testified at Wednesday's hearing, said the unionization efforts were an attempt to "have a level playing field." Bates cited tough working conditions, long hours, and a lack of job security as major drivers of the unionization efforts.

"Amazon brags it pays workers above the minimum wage," she said. "What they don't tell you is what those jobs are really like. And they certainly don't tell you what they can afford."

When asked what having a union would mean to her and her coworkers, Bates said it would result in their voices being "amplified" and a "sense of empowerment, "and not just at the Amazon in Bessemer but all over the country."

"We take employee feedback seriously, including Ms. Bates's, but we don't believe her comments represent the more than 90% of her fulfillment center colleagues who say they'd recommend Amazon as a great place to work to friends and family," an Amazon spokesperson told Insider. "We encourage people to speak with the hundreds of thousands of Amazon employees who love their jobs, earn at least $15 an hour, receive comprehensive healthcare and paid leave benefits, prefer direct dialogue with their managers, and voted Amazon #2 on the Forbes best employers list in 2020."

While much of the hearing was devoted to the Amazon unionization fight, which will be decided at the end of March, Sanders said "Amazon and Jeff Bezos are not alone" and decried the "corporate greed" that drives income inequality.

Others who testified at the hearing included former Labor Secretary Robert Reich, who said unions were important and cited the steep decline in union membership since the labor heyday of the mid-1900s.

Sanders has been a vocal critic of Amazon, while President Joe Biden has taken a softer approach in referencing the union drive. In a statement earlier in March, Biden condemned "anti-union propaganda" from large companies but stopped short of naming Amazon.

Source: businessinsider.com
Website: https://www.businessinsider.com/bern...n-union-2021-3
Date: March 17, 2020

homoe · 03-17-2021, 05:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by PlatinumPearl

Bernie Sanders rips into Jeff Bezos: 'You are worth $182 billion ...
why are you doing everything in your power to stop your workers' from unionizing?'

* Bezos declined Sanders' invitation to testify at a hearing, but the senator had harsh words for him.

* Sanders criticized Amazon's countering of a union drive in Alabama despite the CEO's record wealth.

* The hearing included testimony from a pro-union worker at Amazon's Bessemer warehouse.

At a hearing on Wednesday morning, Sen. Bernie Sanders spoke critically about Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos, who declined Sanders' invitation to testify, and Elon Musk, the two wealthiest men.

"Bezos and Musk now own more wealth than the bottom 40%. Meanwhile, we're looking at more hunger in America than at any time in decades," Sanders said in his opening remarks at the Senate Budget Committee hearing, which was titled The Income and Wealth Inequality Crisis in America.

"If he was with us this morning, I would ask him the following question ... Mr. Bezos, you are worth $182 billion — that's a B," Sanders said. "One hundred eighty-two billion dollars, you're the wealthiest person in the world. Why are you doing everything in your power to stop your workers in Bessemer, Alabama, from joining a union?"

The unionization push being voted on at Amazon's Bessemer fulfillment center has been the focal point of a high-profile labor dispute between the behemoth "everything store" and the Retail, Wholesale, and Department Store Union. Amazon has aggressively pushed its workers to vote against unionization, launching a campaign called "Do It Without Dues" to encourage workers to stick to the status quo.

Sanders pointed out the disparity between Bezos' wealth growth during the pandemic and the struggles of rank-and-file workers.

"Jeff Bezos has become $77 billion richer during this horrific pandemic, while denying hundreds of thousands of workers who work at Amazon paid sick leave," he said.

Jennifer Bates, an employee at the Bessemer warehouse who testified at Wednesday's hearing, said the unionization efforts were an attempt to "have a level playing field." Bates cited tough working conditions, long hours, and a lack of job security as major drivers of the unionization efforts.

"Amazon brags it pays workers above the minimum wage," she said. "What they don't tell you is what those jobs are really like. And they certainly don't tell you what they can afford."

When asked what having a union would mean to her and her coworkers, Bates said it would result in their voices being "amplified" and a "sense of empowerment, "and not just at the Amazon in Bessemer but all over the country."

"We take employee feedback seriously, including Ms. Bates's, but we don't believe her comments represent the more than 90% of her fulfillment center colleagues who say they'd recommend Amazon as a great place to work to friends and family," an Amazon spokesperson told Insider. "We encourage people to speak with the hundreds of thousands of Amazon employees who love their jobs, earn at least $15 an hour, receive comprehensive healthcare and paid leave benefits, prefer direct dialogue with their managers, and voted Amazon #2 on the Forbes best employers list in 2020."

While much of the hearing was devoted to the Amazon unionization fight, which will be decided at the end of March, Sanders said "Amazon and Jeff Bezos are not alone" and decried the "corporate greed" that drives income inequality.

Others who testified at the hearing included former Labor Secretary Robert Reich, who said unions were important and cited the steep decline in union membership since the labor heyday of the mid-1900s.

Sanders has been a vocal critic of Amazon, while President Joe Biden has taken a softer approach in referencing the union drive. In a statement earlier in March, Biden condemned "anti-union propaganda" from large companies but stopped short of naming Amazon.

Source: businessinsider.com
Website: https://www.businessinsider.com/bern...n-union-2021-3
Date: March 17, 2020

....

........

homoe · 03-17-2021, 05:54 PM

~~~
Perhaps to make sure Amazon workers are paid and treated fairly until they can unionize, Philanthropist Mackenzie Scott, Bezo's ex wife & her new hubby, could donate funds through their giving pledge!

If he won't do the right thing maybe she will, considering she wouldn't have half that amount of money made off the worker's backs at Amazon!

homoe · 09-16-2021, 05:41 AM

DoorDash’s Latest Move Is Another Healthy Reminder That It Is, In Fact, a Giant Parasite!

The delivery app is suing NYC over a law that would give restaurants access to customer data — showing once again that it cares about the wellbeing of restaurants about as much as any bloodsucker cares about its host.

DoorDash is yet again showing that it sees restaurants as merely a supplier in its relationship with diners, despite more and more customers seeing companies like DoorDash as an unfortunate middleman between them and restaurants. The delivery app — the largest in the country — is suing New York City over a new law that would require it to share customer data with restaurants, claiming that it is a violation of the First Amendment.

https://www.eater.com/2021/9/15/2267...ta-nyc-lawsuit

homoe · 09-26-2021, 04:23 PM

Brett Molina, USA TODAY Fri, September 24, 2021, 10:45 AM

If you're planning to get toilet paper, paper towels or bottled water on your next Costco shopping trip, you might find there's a limit to how much you can buy. You can blame supply-chain issues and the rise of the delta variant.
During the retailer's quarterly earnings call Thursday, Costco chief financial officer Richard Galanti cited supply chain issues such as port delays, container shortages and COVID disruptions for the limits on purchases.

Galanti also cited a spike in demand linked to the delta variant, which has quickly spread across the U.S.

12-21-2020, 11:07 AM	#1
PlatinumPearl Member How Do You Identify?: Femme, Human Preferred Pronoun?: She, Her Join Date: Jul 2017 Location: Canada Posts: 1,116 My Photo Gallery Thanks: 948 Thanked 2,355 Times in 863 Posts Rep Power: 21474844	Zoox Zoox Reveals Autonomous Ride-Sharing Boxcar With No Steering Wheel img Zoox Long before Amazon acquired the self-driving startup Zoox in June, the Bay Area-based company was prototyping its own custom-designed and built self-driving taxi from the ground up. On Monday, it finally publicly showed off the new car. While still a prototype and with no set dates for the fleet to hit the road, the Zoox electric robotaxi reimagines the entire premise of a car. While many self-driving car companies — like Aurora (also Amazon-backed) and Waymo — are modifying existing vehicles with sensor and computer technology, Zoox has been developing a new idea of what an autonomous vehicle looks like. Even with Amazon now in charge, Zoox is sticking to its ride-sharing goals. "We’re reinventing personal transportation," Zoox CEO Aicha Evans said in a Zoom interview after the Monday reveal. "It's always what we’ve been about." She did concede that "down the line," Zoox could play a part in moving packages and other services that Amazon is known for. But for now, Zoox has a new look for post-COVID-19 taxi service. It starts with removing the steering wheel and the usual driving pedals and seat. Instead of the typical car set-up, it's a bidirectional vehicle with two benches facing each other. It can carry four passengers, who can interact with the robo-vehicle through a touchscreen and the Zoox smartphone app that riders use to order the vehicle. With touch controls for music and climate for your seat, each passenger can have their own experience. The ride may be a trip with a group, or you could be mixed in with strangers. Again, this idea is supposed to take off once the pandemic is (hopefully) behind us. The cars will be serviced at hubs where the dual-battery vehicles will also be wirelessly charged. Zoox says the charge lasts for 16 hours of driving. img zoox The concept is similar to Cruise's Origin, which was unveiled at the beginning of this year as a driverless, steering wheel-less box for ride-sharing in San Francisco. Don't expect to see the Zoox taxis on the road anytime soon. The company is still testing the autonomous technology on modified Toyota vehicles on public roads in Las Vegas, San Francisco, and throughout the Bay Area. But Evans expects to target those same locations once the Zoox robotaxis start taking off. [Video, cannot display click on the article link below to view.] Instead of "Ubering"somewhere, Zoox wants to become the verb that means to get around, no driver necessary. Source: mashable.com Website: https://mashable.com/article/zoox-ro...PQPCPfZ1jIBkCE Date: December 14, 2020

01-14-2021, 03:42 PM	#3
Bèsame* Practically Lives Here How Do You Identify?: Femm Preferred Pronoun?: She Relationship Status: ☀️☀️☀️ Join Date: Sep 2012 Location: Closer to the waves Posts: 14,805 My Photo Gallery Thanks: 28,413 Thanked 39,606 Times in 10,232 Posts Rep Power: 21474862	Target plans ahead...Big news from Target this week: We’re keeping our stores closed on Thanksgiving again in 2021, which we shared yesterday alongside our holiday 2020 sales results. Target Provides Update on Holiday Sales MINNEAPOLIS - January 13, 2021 For the November/December period compared with last year:Comparable sales grew 17.2 percent, reflecting comparable store sales growth of 4.2 percent and comparable digital sales growth of 102 percent.Traffic increased 4.3 percent and average ticket increased 12.3 percent.The company continued to gain market share in all five of its core merchandise categories. Sales growth was strongest in Home and Hardlines.Sales on same-day services (Order Pick Up, Drive Up and Shipt) grew 193 percent.Drive Up grew more than 500 percent.Shipt grew more than 300 percent.Approximately 95 percent of Target’s sales were fulfilled by its stores. Good job Target. Also good to know stay at home, shop on line worked..for some! __________________ kisses A kiss is a whisper in your mouth. Can I borrow a kiss? I promise to give it back.

01-14-2021, 06:15 PM	#4
PlatinumPearl Member How Do You Identify?: Femme, Human Preferred Pronoun?: She, Her Join Date: Jul 2017 Location: Canada Posts: 1,116 My Photo Gallery Thanks: 948 Thanked 2,355 Times in 863 Posts Rep Power: 21474844	Rumble Sues YouTube For At Least 2 Billion YouTube rival Rumble is Suing Google for at Least $2 Billion, Saying the Search Giant Abuses its Monopoly Power. Rumble has become popular with conservatives, who say they are suppressed by Big Tech. Business Insider * The Canadian video-sharing platform Rumble is suing Google over claims the tech giant is "unfairly rigging its search algorithm" to preference YouTube videos in its search results. * Rumble is a direct rival to YouTube that has become popular with conservative US figures who say they are being censored by established tech platforms. * The lawsuit indicates that Google and other major tech players may face antitrust headaches from smaller, conservative-friendly rivals. * Rumble's lawsuit accuses the tech giant of "willfully and unlawfully created and maintained a monopoly in the online video-sharing platform market." The video-sharing site Rumble has accused Google of "unfairly rigging its search algorithm" to favor YouTube's videos in search results, marking the tech giant's latest in a series of antitrust headaches. Rumble, based in Toronto, filed a lawsuit in California on Monday claiming that Google had unfairly cost it viewers and advertising revenue because of its search algorithms and preinstallation of the YouTube app on Android devices. "Google, through its search engine, was able to wrongfully divert massive traffic to YouTube, depriving Rumble of the additional traffic, users, uploads, brand awareness and revenue it would have otherwise received," the complaint said. Google has faced a string of antitrust actions over its search dominance the past few years, drawing attention from US authorities, European Union legislators, and market competitors alike. Rumble has become popular with conservatives in the past year or so, encouraged by Republican Rep. Devin Nunes and others. The company says it has more than 2 million creators using the site. Influential right-wingers in the US have taken an aggressive stance against established US tech firms such as Facebook, Google, Apple, and Amazon, a position lately intensified by the platforms teaming up to essentially block the right-wing social-messaging platform Parler. Currently Rumble's list of most watched videos includes the conservative political commentator Dan Bongino, the Fox News host Sean Hannity, and the conservative YouTubers Diamond and Silk. Its CEO, Chris Pavlovski, regularly posts updates on Twitter about right-wing figures joining the platform. In its complaint, Rumble alleges that Google "willfully and unlawfully created and maintained a monopoly in the online video-sharing platform market in at least two ways." "First," it added, "by manipulating the algorithms by which searched-for-video results are listed, Google insures that the videos on YouTube are listed first, and that those of its competitors...are listed way down the list... "Second, by pre-installation of the YouTube app as the default online video-sharing app on Google smart phones, and by entering into anti-competitive, illegal tying agreements with other smartphone manufacturers to do the same." The firm indicated it was seeking damages of at least $2 billion. Rumble's complaint comes shortly after Parler sued Amazon. Amazon had hosted Parler's service on its cloud service, AWS, but booted the firm off after the US Capitol riot last week. Parler argued in its subsequent suit that Amazon was behaving anticompetitively. Parler's lawsuit indicates that sites and apps banned or penalized by the US tech giants over violent speech are willing to use the emerging antitrust sentiment in court. A Google representative told The Wall Street Journal: "We will defend ourselves against these baseless claims." Rumble and Google did not immediately respond to requests for further comment from Business Insider. Get the latest Google stock price here. Source: businessinsider.com Website: https://www.businessinsider.com/rumb..._medium=social Date: January 12, 2021

01-16-2021, 10:52 AM	#5
PlatinumPearl Member How Do You Identify?: Femme, Human Preferred Pronoun?: She, Her Join Date: Jul 2017 Location: Canada Posts: 1,116 My Photo Gallery Thanks: 948 Thanked 2,355 Times in 863 Posts Rep Power: 21474844	Razer Smart Mask Razer Smart Mask: Project Hazel - Official CES 2021 Reveal

01-19-2021, 12:09 PM	#6
PlatinumPearl Member How Do You Identify?: Femme, Human Preferred Pronoun?: She, Her Join Date: Jul 2017 Location: Canada Posts: 1,116 My Photo Gallery Thanks: 948 Thanked 2,355 Times in 863 Posts Rep Power: 21474844	Bill Gates Bill Gates Now Owns The Most Farmland In America

01-03-2021, 07:18 PM	#2
PlatinumPearl Member How Do You Identify?: Femme, Human Preferred Pronoun?: She, Her Join Date: Jul 2017 Location: Canada Posts: 1,116 My Photo Gallery Thanks: 948 Thanked 2,355 Times in 863 Posts Rep Power: 21474844	Adobe Flash Adobe Officially Ends Flash Support, Recommends Uninstalling Immediately Adobe in 2017 announced plans to end support for its Flash browser plug-in at the end of 2020. Now that it's officially 2021, support for the software has ended, and Adobe will begin blocking content from running in Flash Player beginning on January 12. Flash's elimination should not heavily impact users because many popular browsers have already moved away from the format. Additionally, iPhone and iPad users are not affected by the change, as iOS and iPadOS have never supported Flash. Apple co-founder and former CEO Steve Jobs offered his "Thoughts on Flash" in a 2010 open letter, criticizing Adobe's software for its reliability, incompatibility with mobile sites, and battery drain on mobile devices. Jobs also said that Adobe was "painfully slow to adopt enhancements to Apple's platforms" and further innovation from Apple would not be hindered by a "cross platform development tool." In the past, Adobe's Flash Player had continually suffered from vulnerabilities that exposed Mac and PC users to malware and other security risks that caused vendors like Microsoft and Apple to work tirelessly to keep up with security fixes. Since Flash Player will no longer receive updates, Adobe recommends that all users immediately remove the software "to help protect their systems." Source: macrumors.com Website: https://www.macrumors.com/2021/01/02...P9EkxRpR_6D4qU Date: January 2, 2021

01-19-2021, 06:23 PM	#7
homoe Practically Lives Here How Do You Identify?: Butch Relationship Status: ..... Join Date: Nov 2009 Location: 30 minute ferry ride from Seattle Posts: 38,565 My Photo Gallery Thanks: 20,811 Thanked 33,589 Times in 14,919 Posts Rep Power: 21474889	Melinda Gates on David Letterman's My Next Guest Needs No Introduction.. This interview was VERY good....

02-02-2021, 08:04 PM	#8
GeorgiaMa'am Infamous Member How Do You Identify?: High Femme Ma'am Preferred Pronoun?: Ma'am Relationship Status: widowed - involved, poly Join Date: May 2010 Location: Georgia Posts: 5,707 My Photo Gallery Thanks: 37,220 Thanked 27,254 Times in 5,164 Posts Rep Power: 21474856	Jeff Bezos will no longer be Amazon's C.E.O. as of July 2021. He is handing over the reins to Andy Jassy. However, Bezos will become the Executive Chairman of Amazon's board of directors. https://www.nytimes.com/2021/02/02/t...os-amazon.html __________________ -GeorgiaMa'am It's been so lonely without you here Like a bird without a song Nothing can stop these lonely tears from falling . . . 'Cause nothing compares, nothing compares 2 U - Prince

03-17-2021, 04:28 PM	#9
PlatinumPearl Member How Do You Identify?: Femme, Human Preferred Pronoun?: She, Her Join Date: Jul 2017 Location: Canada Posts: 1,116 My Photo Gallery Thanks: 948 Thanked 2,355 Times in 863 Posts Rep Power: 21474844	Bernie Sanders Vocal About Jeff Bezos Bernie Sanders rips into Jeff Bezos: 'You are worth $182 billion ... why are you doing everything in your power to stop your workers' from unionizing?' * Bezos declined Sanders' invitation to testify at a hearing, but the senator had harsh words for him. * Sanders criticized Amazon's countering of a union drive in Alabama despite the CEO's record wealth. * The hearing included testimony from a pro-union worker at Amazon's Bessemer warehouse. At a hearing on Wednesday morning, Sen. Bernie Sanders spoke critically about Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos, who declined Sanders' invitation to testify, and Elon Musk, the two wealthiest men. "Bezos and Musk now own more wealth than the bottom 40%. Meanwhile, we're looking at more hunger in America than at any time in decades," Sanders said in his opening remarks at the Senate Budget Committee hearing, which was titled The Income and Wealth Inequality Crisis in America. "If he was with us this morning, I would ask him the following question ... Mr. Bezos, you are worth $182 billion — that's a B," Sanders said. "One hundred eighty-two billion dollars, you're the wealthiest person in the world. Why are you doing everything in your power to stop your workers in Bessemer, Alabama, from joining a union?" The unionization push being voted on at Amazon's Bessemer fulfillment center has been the focal point of a high-profile labor dispute between the behemoth "everything store" and the Retail, Wholesale, and Department Store Union. Amazon has aggressively pushed its workers to vote against unionization, launching a campaign called "Do It Without Dues" to encourage workers to stick to the status quo. Sanders pointed out the disparity between Bezos' wealth growth during the pandemic and the struggles of rank-and-file workers. "Jeff Bezos has become $77 billion richer during this horrific pandemic, while denying hundreds of thousands of workers who work at Amazon paid sick leave," he said. Jennifer Bates, an employee at the Bessemer warehouse who testified at Wednesday's hearing, said the unionization efforts were an attempt to "have a level playing field." Bates cited tough working conditions, long hours, and a lack of job security as major drivers of the unionization efforts. "Amazon brags it pays workers above the minimum wage," she said. "What they don't tell you is what those jobs are really like. And they certainly don't tell you what they can afford." When asked what having a union would mean to her and her coworkers, Bates said it would result in their voices being "amplified" and a "sense of empowerment, "and not just at the Amazon in Bessemer but all over the country." "We take employee feedback seriously, including Ms. Bates's, but we don't believe her comments represent the more than 90% of her fulfillment center colleagues who say they'd recommend Amazon as a great place to work to friends and family," an Amazon spokesperson told Insider. "We encourage people to speak with the hundreds of thousands of Amazon employees who love their jobs, earn at least $15 an hour, receive comprehensive healthcare and paid leave benefits, prefer direct dialogue with their managers, and voted Amazon #2 on the Forbes best employers list in 2020." While much of the hearing was devoted to the Amazon unionization fight, which will be decided at the end of March, Sanders said "Amazon and Jeff Bezos are not alone" and decried the "corporate greed" that drives income inequality. Others who testified at the hearing included former Labor Secretary Robert Reich, who said unions were important and cited the steep decline in union membership since the labor heyday of the mid-1900s. Sanders has been a vocal critic of Amazon, while President Joe Biden has taken a softer approach in referencing the union drive. In a statement earlier in March, Biden condemned "anti-union propaganda" from large companies but stopped short of naming Amazon. Source: businessinsider.com Website: https://www.businessinsider.com/bern...n-union-2021-3 Date: March 17, 2020

03-17-2021, 05:54 PM	#11
homoe Practically Lives Here How Do You Identify?: Butch Relationship Status: ..... Join Date: Nov 2009 Location: 30 minute ferry ride from Seattle Posts: 38,565 My Photo Gallery Thanks: 20,811 Thanked 33,589 Times in 14,919 Posts Rep Power: 21474889	Jeff Bezos’s Ex-Wife, Philanthropist Mackenzie Scott..... ~~~ Perhaps to make sure Amazon workers are paid and treated fairly until they can unionize, Philanthropist Mackenzie Scott, Bezo's ex wife & her new hubby, could donate funds through their giving pledge! If he won't do the right thing maybe she will, considering she wouldn't have half that amount of money made off the worker's backs at Amazon!

09-16-2021, 05:41 AM	#12
homoe Practically Lives Here How Do You Identify?: Butch Relationship Status: ..... Join Date: Nov 2009 Location: 30 minute ferry ride from Seattle Posts: 38,565 My Photo Gallery Thanks: 20,811 Thanked 33,589 Times in 14,919 Posts Rep Power: 21474889	DoorDash’s Latest Move Is Another Healthy Reminder That It Is, In Fact, a Giant Parasite! The delivery app is suing NYC over a law that would give restaurants access to customer data — showing once again that it cares about the wellbeing of restaurants about as much as any bloodsucker cares about its host. DoorDash is yet again showing that it sees restaurants as merely a supplier in its relationship with diners, despite more and more customers seeing companies like DoorDash as an unfortunate middleman between them and restaurants. The delivery app — the largest in the country — is suing New York City over a new law that would require it to share customer data with restaurants, claiming that it is a violation of the First Amendment. https://www.eater.com/2021/9/15/2267...ta-nyc-lawsuit

09-26-2021, 04:23 PM	#13
homoe Practically Lives Here How Do You Identify?: Butch Relationship Status: ..... Join Date: Nov 2009 Location: 30 minute ferry ride from Seattle Posts: 38,565 My Photo Gallery Thanks: 20,811 Thanked 33,589 Times in 14,919 Posts Rep Power: 21474889	And once again, Costco placing purchase limits on toilet paper, other products due to COVID-related demand.. Brett Molina, USA TODAY Fri, September 24, 2021, 10:45 AM If you're planning to get toilet paper, paper towels or bottled water on your next Costco shopping trip, you might find there's a limit to how much you can buy. You can blame supply-chain issues and the rise of the delta variant. During the retailer's quarterly earnings call Thursday, Costco chief financial officer Richard Galanti cited supply chain issues such as port delays, container shortages and COVID disruptions for the limits on purchases. Galanti also cited a spike in demand linked to the delta variant, which has quickly spread across the U.S.