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NEW YORK, June 27, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Juan Monteverde, founder and managing partner of the class action firm Monteverde & Associates PC (the "M&A Class Action Firm"), a national securities firm rated Top 50 in the 2018-2021 ISS Securities Class Action Services Report and headquartered at the Empire State Building in New York City, is investigating Zendesk, Inc. (ZEN), relating to its proposed acquisition by Permira & Hellman & Friedman LLC. Under the terms of the agreement, ZEN shareholders will receive $77.50 in cash per share they own. Click here for more information: https://www.monteverdelaw.com/case/zendesk-inc. It is free and there is no cost or obligation to you.
We are a national class action securities litigation law firm that has recovered millions of dollars and is committed to protecting shareholders from corporate wrongdoing. We were listed in the Top 50 in the 2018-2021 ISS Securities Class Action Services Report. Our lawyers have significant experience litigating Mergers & Acquisitions and Securities Class Actions. Mr. Monteverde is recognized by Super Lawyers as a Rising Star in Securities Litigation in 2013, 2017-2019, an award given to less than 2.5% of attorneys in a particular field. He has also been selected by Martindale-Hubbell as a 2017-2021 Top Rated Lawyer. Our firm's recent successes include changing the law in a significant victory that lowered the standard of liability under Section 14(e) of the Exchange Act in the Ninth Circuit. Thereafter, our firm successfully preserved this victory by obtaining dismissal of a writ of certiorari as improvidently granted at the United States Supreme Court. Emulex Corp. v. Varjabedian, 139 S. Ct. 1407 (2019). Also, in 2019 we recovered or secured six cash common funds for shareholders in mergers & acquisitions class action cases.
If you own common stock in ZEN and wish to obtain additional information and protect your investments free of charge, please visit our website or contact Juan E. Monteverde, Esq. either via e-mail at jmonteverde@monteverdelaw.com or by telephone at (212) 971-1341.
Contact:
Juan E. Monteverde, Esq.
MONTEVERDE & ASSOCIATES PC
The Empire State Building
350 Fifth Ave. Suite 4405
New York, NY 10118
United States of America
jmonteverde@monteverdelaw.com
Tel: (212) 971-1341
Attorney Advertising. (C) 2022 Monteverde & Associates PC. The law firm responsible for this advertisement is Monteverde & Associates PC (www.monteverdelaw.com). Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome with respect to any future matter.
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SOURCE Monteverde & Associates PC | https://www.mysuncoast.com/prnewswire/2022/06/28/shareholder-alert-mampa-class-action-firm-announces-an-investigation-zendesk-inc-zen/ | 2022-06-28T01:15:14Z |
Buffalo mass shooter to be arraigned on federal charges
BUFFALO, N.Y. (AP) — The white gunman charged with killing 10 Black people in a racist mass shooting at a Buffalo supermarket is scheduled for arraignment Monday on an indictment that could make him eligible for the death penalty if he is found guilty.
Along with hate crimes and weapons counts, the 27-count federal indictment handed up last week contains special findings, including that Payton Gendron engaged in substantial planning to commit an act of terrorism and took aim at vulnerable older people — specifically 86-year-old Ruth Whitfield, 77-year-old Pearl Young, 72-year-old Katherine Massey, 67-year-old Heyward Patterson and 65-year-old Celestine Chaney.
The Justice Department said a decision on whether to seek the death penalty against the shooter, who turned 19 in June, would come later.
Gendron, who livestreamed the May 14 attack, was arrested just outside the entrance of the Tops Friendly Supermarket after donning body armor and opening fire on weekend shoppers and employees in the parking lot and inside. Three people were wounded.
The store reopened to the public last week, two months after the attack.
Investigators say the shooter drove for more than three hours from his home in Conklin, New York, to a busy grocery store chosen for its location in a predominantly Black neighborhood, with the intent of killing as many Black people as possible. He was motivated, they said, by white supremacist beliefs which he described in online diary entries.
Gendron wrote as far back as November about staging a livestreamed attack, practiced shooting from his car and did reconnaissance on the store two months before carrying out the plans, according to the writings.
He arrived at the store wearing camouflage clothing and a tactical-style helmet fitted with a video camera.
The indictment seeks the forfeiture of an extensive arsenal recovered from Gendron’s car and home. It includes the Bushmaster XM-15 semi-automatic rifle used in the shooting and a 12-gauge loaded shotgun and loaded bolt-action rifle and ammunition taken from the car. Authorities seized additional ammunition and firearms accessories from his home.
The federal indictment charges Gendron with 10 counts of hate crimes resulting in death, three counts of hate crimes involving an attempt to kill three people and another hate crime count alleging Gendron tried to kill other Black people in and around the store. It also includes 13 counts of using a firearm in a hate crime.
Gendron also faces a parallel state prosecution on charges including hate-motivated domestic terrorism, murder and attempted murder as a hate crime. The domestic terrorism hate crime charge carries an automatic life sentence.
He has pleaded not guilty.
Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. | https://www.mysuncoast.com/2022/07/18/buffalo-mass-shooter-be-arraigned-federal-charges/ | 2022-07-18T11:54:52Z |
Company achieves public sustainability goals launched in 2017
Details progress toward ESG goals to 2025 and beyond, including key emissions
targets to drive the Company's journey to a net-zero carbon future
DOWNERS GROVE, Ill., June 23, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Univar Solutions Inc. (NYSE: UNVR) ("Univar Solutions" or "the Company"), a leading global commodity and specialty chemical and ingredient distributor and provider of value-added specialty services, today released its 2021 ESG report, which is available through the Univar Solutions website at https://www.univarsolutions.com/sustainability.
The report tracks Univar Solutions' progress against its ESG targets over the past year, including the successful completion of its initial five-year goals, launched in 2017, and ongoing progress toward its recently launched ESG goals to 2025 and beyond. Among other 2021 metrics, the Company reported the following:
- Reduced global Scope 1 and 2 carbon intensity by 39 percent (from a 2016 baseline), exceeding its reduction target of 15 percent;
- Continued enhancement of its industry-leading safety practices, resulting in 41 percent fewer recordable injuries, despite increased distribution volumes and warehouse activity;
- Reduced hazardous waste intensity by 45 percent through waste handling improvements throughout the year (as compared to 2016 baseline), significantly exceeding the reduction target set from our 2016 baseline;
- Introduction of environmental and social considerations into its supplier assessment process;
- EcoVadis engagement to assist with driving environmental and social improvements in its supply chain;
- A 36 percent reduction (from 2016) of significant releases, a tremendous outpacing of its original goal; and
- An increased number of Employee Resource Networks (ERNs), committed to empowering employees as part of its diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) actions.
"2021 was a particularly significant year in our sustainability journey as we marked major milestones in environmental sustainability, social impact and good governance, and met our first public sustainability goals set through this year," said David Jukes, president and chief executive officer. "Looking ahead, we intend to measure our steady progress toward our new set of goals for 2025 and beyond, as part of our continued efforts to build a better tomorrow for future generations. We remain steadfast in our commitment, and I'm pleased to see our business making such a strong start in the new, yet challenging and ambitious, chapter on our future sustainability journey."
Throughout 2021, Univar Solutions accelerated the integration of its new ESG goals across the Company globally. By incorporating sustainability into its operating strategies, processes and culture, Univar Solutions is well positioned to meet its future goals. Other notable highlights include mapping out, for the first time, Scope 3 emissions for its entire supply chain, thereby setting the path for broader emissions reduction actions; being recognized as a Best Place to Work for LGBTQ+ Equality by the Human Rights Campaign (HRC) Foundation, after achieving a score of 100 of the HRC Foundation's Corporate Equality Index; and increasing on-site generation of renewable electricity as part of the Company's commitment to achieve net-zero operational emissions by 2050.
"As a Company, we understand the importance of a measurable commitment to ESG, making a positive impact on the world around us," said Jen McIntyre, chief people & culture officer and executive ESG lead at Univar Solutions. "Managing ESG risks and opportunities is fundamental to our ability to adapt and grow, and we are proud to have consistently demonstrated our commitment to transparency and continuous improvement over the years."
"Our team has set an ambitious strategy to challenge our business and supply chain to create collective benefit in our value chain," said Liam McCarroll, global sustainability director. "Through our ESG goals to 2025 and beyond, and together with our employees, customers, suppliers, and other stakeholders, we will strive to deliver meaningful change for a more sustainable world."
For a complete review of Univar Solutions' progress to a more sustainable future, please see the full sustainability report at: https://www.univarsolutions.com/sustainability
About Univar Solutions
Univar Solutions (NYSE: UNVR) is a leading global commodity and specialty chemical and ingredient distributor representing a premier portfolio from the world's leading producers. With the industry's largest private transportation fleet and technical sales force, unparalleled logistics know-how, deep market and regulatory knowledge, formulation and recipe development, and leading digital tools, the Company is well-positioned to offer tailored solutions and value-added services to a wide range of markets, industries, and applications. While fulfilling its purpose to help keep communities healthy, fed, clean and safe, Univar Solutions is committed to helping customers and suppliers innovate and focus on Growing Together. Learn more at univarsolutions.com.
Forward-Looking Statements
This press release includes certain statements relating to future events and our intentions, beliefs, expectations, and predictions for the future, which are "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. Forward-looking statements are subject to known and unknown risks and uncertainties, many of which may be beyond the Company's control. These forward-looking statements are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from the expectations and assumptions. A detailed discussion of these factors and uncertainties is contained in the Company's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Potential factors that could affect such forward-looking statements include, among others: the ultimate geographic spread of the COVID-19 pandemic; the duration and severity of the COVID-19 pandemic; actions that may be taken by governmental authorities to address or otherwise mitigate the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic; the potential negative impacts of COVID-19 on the global economy and our customers and suppliers; the overall impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on our business, results of operations and financial condition; other fluctuations in general economic conditions, particularly in industrial production and the demands of our customers; significant changes in the business strategies of producers or in the operations of our customers; increased competitive pressures, including as a result of competitor consolidation; significant changes in the pricing, demand and availability of chemicals; our levels of indebtedness, the restrictions imposed by our debt instruments, and our ability to obtain additional financing when needed; the broad spectrum of laws and regulations that we are subject to, including extensive environmental, health and safety laws and regulations; an inability to integrate the business and systems of companies we acquire, including of Nexeo Solutions, Inc., or to realize the anticipated benefits of such acquisitions; potential business disruptions and security breaches, including cybersecurity incidents; an inability to generate sufficient working capital; increases in transportation and fuel costs and changes in our relationship with third party providers; accidents, safety failures, environmental damage, product quality and liability issues and recalls; major or systemic delivery failures involving our distribution network or the products we carry; operational risks for which we may not be adequately insured; ongoing litigation and other legal and regulatory risks; challenges associated with international operations; exposure to interest rate and currency fluctuations; potential impairment of goodwill; liabilities associated with acquisitions, ventures and strategic investments; negative developments affecting our pension plans and multi-employer pensions; labor disruptions associated with the unionized portion of our workforce; and the other factors described in the Company's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. We caution you that the forward-looking information presented in this press release is not a guarantee of future events or results, and that actual events or results may differ materially from those made in or suggested by the forward-looking information contained in this press release. In addition, forward-looking statements generally can be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as "may," "plan," "seek, "will," "expect," "intend," "estimate," "anticipate," "believe" or "continue" or the negative thereof or variations thereon or similar terminology. Any forward-looking information presented herein is made only as of the date of this press release, and the Company does not undertake any obligation to update or revise any forward-looking information to reflect changes in assumptions, the occurrence of unanticipated events, or otherwise, except as required by law.
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SOURCE Univar Solutions Inc. | https://www.wibw.com/prnewswire/2022/06/23/univar-solutions-publishes-2021-environmental-social-governance-esg-report/ | 2022-06-23T21:00:27Z |
NEW YORK, Sept. 13, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- InvestorsObserver issues critical PriceWatch Alerts for AKRO, PL, KSPN, NRBO, and ETNB.
To see how InvestorsObserver's proprietary scoring system rates these stocks, view the InvestorsObserver's PriceWatch Alert by selecting the corresponding link.
- AKRO: https://www.investorsobserver.com/lp/pr-stocks-lp-2/?symbol=AKRO&prnumber=091320221
- PL: https://www.investorsobserver.com/lp/pr-stocks-lp-2/?symbol=PL&prnumber=091320221
- KSPN: https://www.investorsobserver.com/lp/pr-stocks-lp-2/?symbol=KSPN&prnumber=091320221
- NRBO: https://www.investorsobserver.com/lp/pr-stocks-lp-2/?symbol=NRBO&prnumber=091320221
- ETNB: https://www.investorsobserver.com/lp/pr-stocks-lp-2/?symbol=ETNB&prnumber=091320221
(Note: You may have to copy this link into your browser then press the [ENTER] key.)
InvestorsObserver's PriceWatch Alerts are based on our proprietary scoring methodology. Each stock is evaluated based on short-term technical, long-term technical and fundamental factors. Each of those scores is then combined into an overall score that determines a stock's overall suitability for investment.
InvestorsObserver provides patented technology to some of the biggest names on Wall Street and creates world-class investing tools for the self-directed investor on Main Street. We have a wide range of tools to help investors make smarter decisions when investing in stocks or options.
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SOURCE InvestorsObserver | https://www.wibw.com/prnewswire/2022/09/13/thinking-about-buying-stock-akero-therapeutics-planet-labs-kaspien-holdings-neurobo-pharmaceuticals-or-89bio/ | 2022-09-13T13:06:19Z |
Five Decades of progress and leadership in cancer care and clinical research
FAIRFAX, Va., July 6, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Virginia Cancer Specialists is kicking off a yearlong celebration of 50 years of progress in cancer care and research, comprehensive cancer care, exceptional contributions to cancer research, and outstanding patient care.
Virginia Cancer Specialists will kick off a celebration of the landmark anniversary in July and continue throughout 2022 and 2023 at all ten offices throughout Northern Virginia and by showcasing its new Comprehensive Cancer Center in Fairfax, Virginia. In addition, the celebration will include 50th-anniversary web content, social media content featuring historical moments, a celebration, a 50th-anniversary video, and other events that will be announced throughout the year.
"In 1972, Virginia Cancer Specialists was founded with the mission of providing high-level oncology care in the community. Today, I am united with my 35 physician colleagues in medical, surgical, radiation oncology, and palliative care with nearly 500 employees as we celebrate 50 years of comprehensive, quality, and compassionate care," says Dr. Dipti Patel-Donnelly, Oncologist and Practice President, Virginia Cancer Specialists. "We're celebrating much more than the practice history. We're celebrating our providers, nurses, staff - and especially our patients who have allowed history to happen here at Virginia Cancer Specialists, "says Patel-Donnelly.
"Virginia Cancer Specialists has been an integral part of our community here for 50 years, making high-quality cancer care a reality while offering advanced and integrated solutions close to home." says Elise Powers, Executive Director, Virginia Cancer Specialists. "I am proud and humbled by our amazing team of clinicians, researchers, and everyone else who continually work together to shape the future of cancer care here in Northern Virginia. None of our accomplishments would have been possible without the contributions of those who came before us."
Dr. Arthur Kales founded a small practice dedicated to providing compassionate, state-of-the-art treatment for cancer and blood diseases in 1972, developing the groundwork for decades of research, new therapies, and future cures.
"The most important thing for our practice from day one has been patient care," said Dr. Kales. "I think we made patient care better for the community by really focusing on that."
Virginia Cancer Specialists has contributed to the local community in the Northern Virginia Region:
- Throughout its history, the Virginia Cancer Specialists Research Institute has contributed scientific breakthroughs in understanding cancer science and treating the disease across all types of cancer. The Institute is internationally renowned for its equal commitment to cutting-edge research, Phase I studies, and excellent patient care. Since 1997, the team has grown from a research staff of 3 to more than 70 in 2022. As a result, it has become the largest of its kind in the Mid-Atlantic region. It has actively enrolled over 3,400 patients in clinical cancer studies, including breast, lung, brain, blood, solid tumors, and more.
- In 2011 Virginia Cancer Specialists became one of the first community practices in the Northern Virginia area to integrate a Hereditary Risk Assessment Program in the overall comprehensive care of oncology patients. The program helps provide individuals with information about their genetic profiles and cancer risk, empowering patients to make the most informed medical and lifestyle decisions in their care.
- Since 2013, the Radiation Oncology program has grown to include the most advanced, cutting-edge treatments for cancer patients through state-of-the-art technologies and personalized care; it is also one of several centers in the United States that offers the highly targeted radioligand therapy for treatment of progressive, PSMA-positive metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer.
- Virginia Cancer Specialists now includes cutting-edge surgical programs for Breast, Musculoskeletal and Thoracic Surgery.
- Since building a collaborative Sarcoma Institute and Program in 2015 in the densely populated Northern Virginia and adjacent regions, our institute has become the leader in providing multi-disciplinary care for patients with sarcomas.
- At Virginia Cancer Specialists, we are committed to providing first-in-class care for our patients. Virginia Cancer Specialists was the first oncology practice in Northern Virginia to integrate expert Palliative Care for patients, beginning in 2005 and expanding services in 2014. Palliative care is concurrent, synergistic care, to help patients live better throughout their cancer journey.
"Over the last few decades, Virginia Cancer Specialists' researchers have helped lead the way in personalized cancer treatment using precision medicine, targeted treatments and becoming a world leader in the fight against cancer," says Dr. Alexander I. Spira, Co-Director, Virginia Cancer Specialists Research Institute, Director of Thoracic and Phase I Programs.
Virginia Cancer Specialists is the largest comprehensive private cancer practice in Northern Virginia. It features a world-class treatment team fighting cancer and diseases of the blood, offering access to the most current treatment protocols, clinical trials, and comprehensive care. Its fully staffed, comprehensive clinical research program also includes a dedicated research facility for Phase I clinical trials – the Virginia Cancer Specialists Research Institute, the largest of its kind in the Mid-Atlantic region. The practice offers medical oncology, radiation oncology, musculoskeletal tumor surgery, breast surgery, thoracic surgery, genetic counseling, palliative care, oncology nurse navigators, oncology infusion nurses, oncology pharmacists, social workers, dietitians, and laboratory technicians. Virginia Cancer Specialists is part of the US Oncology Network. This collaboration unites the practice with more than 1,400 independent physicians and research and data from thousands of cancer patients in clinical trials across the country. Virginia Cancer Specialists also participates in clinical trials through US Oncology Research, which has played a role in more than 100 FDA-approved cancer therapies. The Network is supported by McKesson Corporation, a global leader in healthcare solutions.
For more information on Virginia Cancer Specialists, visit: VirginiaCancerSpecialists.com
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SOURCE Virginia Cancer Specialists | https://www.wibw.com/prnewswire/2022/07/06/virginia-cancer-specialists-celebrates-its-50th-anniversary/ | 2022-07-06T13:44:33Z |
NORCROSS, Ga., June 13, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Seventy percent of employee partners at PruittHealth say PruittHealth is a Great Place to Work, according to their survey responses administered by Activated Insights. The certification process involved surveying nearly 12,000 employee partners from more than 90 post-acute skilled nursing and assisted living centers, as well as hospice and home health offices. The survey asks for employees' perceptions of their organization, including pride in the organization's community impact, belief that their work makes a difference, and whether they feel their work has special meaning, to name a few.
"I am excited to share our organization has received the nationally acclaimed Great Place to Work distinction. We were only able to achieve this certification because of our employee partners' positive feedback and dedication to PruittHealth and our mission," said Neil Pruitt, Jr., Chairman & CEO of PruittHealth. Pruitt continued, "Being named to this prestigious list proves our employee partners take pride in their work to deliver high-quality care."
The organization's survey results showed:
- 86% of respondents believe their work has special meaning and it's not "just a job" to them
- 85% of those surveyed said they are given a lot of responsibility
- 83% of employee partners feel they make a difference in their work
- 82% feel a sense of pride when they look at what they've accomplished at PruittHealth
For more information, visit pruitthealth.com/employment or email hireme@pruitthealth.com.
A family-owned organization for more than 50 years, PruittHealth provides a seamless network of post-acute care services and resources, offering skilled nursing care, home health care, end-of-life hospice care, therapy services, as well as pharmacy and infusion services across the Southeast. Our 13,000 employed partners serve approximately 24,000 patients daily in more than 180 locations in Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, and South Carolina. For more information about our commitment to caring, visit pruitthealth.com.
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SOURCE PruittHealth | https://www.mysuncoast.com/prnewswire/2022/06/13/pruitthealth-certified-great-place-work/ | 2022-06-13T20:43:54Z |
CALGARY, AB and MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif., June 6, 2022 /PRNewswire/ - Willow Biosciences Inc. ("Willow" or the "Company") (TSX: WLLW) (OTCQB: CANSF), a leading biotechnology company focused on revolutionizing industrial manufacturing of pure, consistent and sustainable ingredients along with Inscripta®, a global leader in automated, CRISPR-based gene editing technology, announced today that Willow has incorporated the Onyx Genome Engineering Platform into its strain engineering workflows.
Having previously been a part of Inscripta's early access program, Willow has a deep appreciation for the value that automated, parallel genome editing capability brings, especially to a lean biotech company. The integrated and intuitive interface of the benchtop Onyx instrument uses best-in-class gene editing technology, enabling scientists to rapidly perform multiplexed, whole genome CRISPR edits at the push of a button.
The Onyx platform will further accelerate Willow's genetic editing capabilities and throughput and positively impact timelines for the commercial development of its FutureGrown™ molecules and subsequent reduction in time to market. Incorporation of the Onyx platform into Willow's proven workflow will enable its team to engineer strains more rapidly, giving researchers back invaluable time to focus on intelligent library design and data analysis.
"Technology advancements such as next generation sequencing have enabled researchers to read genetic information at incredible speed and depth. Inscripta's technology now enables researchers to write genetic information with the same speed and with unparalleled precision, a combination that promises endless possibilities. Willow is thrilled to seamlessly integrate Inscripta's automated, high-throughput gene editing platform to shorten our development cycles and empower our scientists to effectively harness the tremendous potential of the entire genome" said Dr. Trish Choudhary, Vice President of Research & Development at Willow Biosciences.
"The future of the synthetic biology economy is dependent on both large and small companies innovating under increasing pressure to deliver better products, faster, and often with less resources. Willow is a great example of how a lean, yet highly innovative organization can rapidly integrate and utilize the Onyx platform," said Dr. Nandini Krishnamurthy, Vice President of Microbial Business Unit at Inscripta. "We are looking forward to working with the team at Willow to further increase their strain performance while shortening development timelines."
Willow develops and produces high-purity ingredients for the personal care, food and beverage, and pharmaceutical markets. Willow's FutureGrownÔ biotechnology platform allows large-scale production with sustainability at its core. Willow's R&D team has a proven track record of developing and commercializing bio-based manufacturing processes and products to benefit our B2B partners and their customers.
For further information, please visit www.willowbio.com.
Inscripta® is a life science technology company enabling scientists to solve some of today's most pressing challenges with the first benchtop system for genome editing. The company's automated Onyx® platform, consisting of an instrument, consumables, assays, and software, makes CRISPR-based genome engineering accessible to any research lab. Inscripta supports its customers around the world from facilities in Boulder, Colorado; San Diego and Pleasanton, California; and Copenhagen, Denmark.
To learn more, visit Inscripta.com and follow @InscriptaInc. Or contact
Michael B. Gonzales
Vice President, Marketing
michael.gonzales@inscripta.com
415.308.6467
This news release may include forward-looking statements including opinions, assumptions, estimates and the Company's assessment of future plans and operations, and, more particularly, statements concerning: Willow's ability to expand genetic editing capabilities and throughput and positively impact timelines for the commercial development of its FutureGrown™ molecules; and the business plan of the Company. When used in this news release, the words "will," "anticipate," "believe," "estimate," "expect," "intent," "may," "project," "should," and similar expressions are intended to be among the statements that identify forward-looking statements. The forward-looking statements are founded on the basis of expectations and assumptions made by the Company which include, but are not limited to: the success of Willow's strategic partnerships, including the development of future strategic partnerships; the financial strength of the Company; the ability of the Company to fund its business plan using cash on hand and existing resources; the market for Willow's products; the ability of the Company to obtain and retain applicable licences; the ability of the Company to obtain suitable manufacturing partners and other strategic relationships; and the successful implementation of Willow's commercialization and production strategy, generally. Forward-looking statements are subject to a wide range of risks and uncertainties, and although the Company believes that the expectations represented by such forward-looking statements are reasonable, there can be no assurance that such expectations will be realized. Any number of important factors could cause actual results to differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements including, but not limited to, risks associated with: the biotechnology industry in general; the success of the Company's research and development strategies; infringement on intellectual property; failure to benefit from partnerships or successfully integrate acquisitions; actions and initiatives of federal and provincial governments and changes to government policies and the execution and impact of these actions, initiatives and policies; competition from other industry participants; adverse U.S., Canadian and global economic conditions; adverse global events and public-health crises, including the current COVID-19 outbreak; failure to comply with certain regulations; departure of key management personnel or inability to attract and retain talent; and other factors more fully described from time to time in the reports and filings made by the Company with securities regulatory authorities. Please refer to the Company's most recent annual information form and management's discussion and analysis for additional risk factors relating to Willow, which can be accessed either on Willow's website at www.willowbio.com or under the Company's profile on www.sedar.com.
Any financial outlook and future-oriented financial information contained in this document regarding prospective financial performance, financial position, cash balances or revenue is based on assumptions about future events, including economic conditions and proposed courses of action based on management's assessment of the relevant information that is currently available. Projected operational information contains forward-looking information and is based on a number of material assumptions and factors, as are set out above. These projections may also be considered to contain future-oriented financial information or a financial outlook. The actual results of the Company's operations for any period will likely vary from the amounts set forth in these projections and such variations may be material. Actual results will vary from projected results. Readers are cautioned that any such financial outlook and future-oriented financial information contained herein should not be used for purposes other than those for which it is disclosed herein.
The forward-looking statements contained in this news release are made as of the date hereof and the Company does not undertake any obligation to update publicly or to revise any of the included forward-looking statements, except as required by applicable law. The forward-looking statements contained herein are expressly qualified by this cautionary statement.
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SOURCE Willow Biosciences Inc. | https://www.wibw.com/prnewswire/2022/06/06/willow-biosciences-incorporates-inscriptas-onyx-platform-expand-strain-engineering-capabilities-throughput/ | 2022-06-06T12:11:08Z |
Sheriff: Deputy ran stop sign in deadly crash that killed mother, daughters
GREEN POND, S.C. (WCSC/Gray News) - A South Carolina sheriff said an internal investigation into a May 8 deputy-involved crash that killed three women in Colleton County women is complete.
WCSC reports Charleston County Sheriff Kristin Graziano said there was “no doubt” that Deputy Emily Pelletier contributed to the crash that killed 53-year-old Stephanie Dantzler and her daughters, 28-year-old Shanice Dantzler-Williams and 22-year-old Miranda Dantzler-Williams.
“There’s no doubt about the facts. I think we all agree on the facts,” Graziano said. “She ran a stop sign and collided with, hit the vehicle that was driven by Shanice. She struck the vehicle, there’s no doubt about that.”
Graziano held a news conference Tuesday afternoon outside the family’s Green Pond home in Colleton County. She said she expects charges to be filed against Pelletier.
“I know charges are forthcoming. I just don’t know what they are,” she said.
The crash happened when the deputy responding to assist a driver whose vehicle had become disabled collided with the vehicle driven by Dantzler-Williams.
Pelletier was taken to an area hospital and later released. She was placed on administrative leave with pay as the sheriff’s office reviews the incident, which is standard for serious deputy-involved collisions.
As of Tuesday afternoon, Pelletier remained on administrative leave.
Graziano said she learned the South Carolina Highway Patrol recently completed its investigation into the crash and is compiling its final reports, but she said it troubled her when she saw the accident report which did not implicitly state that the Dantzler family was not to blame for the crash.
“We knew that hours after the accident, and it bothered me, and it troubled me a little bit that that information was not relayed on the piece of paper,” she said.
The sheriff also said the family did not get that information until two weeks after the crash.
“I also believe that speed was a contributing factor,” she said. “I don’t know the exact speed yet. We don’t have that information, but I know that it, based on what we saw, and I think we all agree on speed was a factor in this particular incident. These facts are undisputed, there’s absolutely no question about that. That has not changed.”
She said the sheriff’s office’s internal investigation is also complete, but she is waiting to receive the highway patrol’s findings before making “decisions and determinations on personnel regarding that collision.”
She said she has met with “every uniform” that drives a vehicle in Charleston County since the crash.
“Our hearts are broken as well for this family because they don’t deserve to be standing here,” Graziano said. “And you know, we are saddened by this, we absolutely are. I can’t change the facts. I can’t change the outcome, unfortunately. I wish I could say something, I absolutely wish I could, but when we’re responding to calls, we have a duty to uphold the law and to get where we need to go safely as possible when you call 911.”
Graziano said her agency’s protocols require, regardless of whether lights and sirens are activated, that her officers still must use due care.
Copyright 2022 WCSC via Gray Media Group, Inc. All rights reserved. | https://www.mysuncoast.com/2022/06/07/sheriff-deputy-ran-stop-sign-deadly-crash-that-killed-mother-daughters/ | 2022-06-07T21:26:26Z |
Acquisitions Propel Talent Systems As Leading Source for Reality TV Casting and Crew
LOS ANGELES, June 16, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Talent Systems®, the software provider for casting and auditioning that connects talent and their representatives with casting directors, has acquired the eTribez Casting Platform, becoming the leading source worldwide for reality television talent casting. It has also acquired Staff Me Up, the leading production crew professional network with a heavy focus on unscripted productions. With these additions, Talent Systems can provide unscripted shows with all of the tools they need to fully cast and crew their productions.
The eTribez Casting Platform, previously led by eTribez CEO Eli Abayan, has been used to cast some of the most recognizable reality shows around the globe, including "Survivor," "Big Brother," "Idol," "Love Island," and "MasterChef." Staff Me Up, led by CEO Jared Tobman, is the top professional network for hiring qualified crew members and creatives and also developed Coded for Inclusion, which works with diversity advocacy organizations and studios, including A+E Networks, Warner Bros. Discovery, Banijay Americas and Amazon Studios, to improve inclusive hiring for historically underrepresented groups.
"These acquisitions extend the Talent Systems offerings into the reality TV vertical through both talent casting and crew staffing," said Talent Systems Co-CEOs Alex Amin and Rafi Gordon. "We are also excited to continue to grow and support Coded for Inclusion in collaboration with the Staff Me Up team."
More than 8 million people have registered with the eTribez Casting Platform. This end-to-end software offers talent a secure front-end registration system, and helps casting directors, production companies, and networks manage the tens of thousands of applications one reality show may receive. Staff Me Up connects 350,000 crew freelancers to exclusive production jobs at more than 3,000 networks, studios and production companies, and its staff of nine will join the Talent Systems team.
Later this year, the eTribez Casting Platform will be rebranded under the Talent Systems portfolio while eTribez will continue to independently run its separate Production Management Platform. In the coming months, Staff Me Up will expand its hiring and networking platform, which currently focuses on unscripted crew, into scripted TV and film production.
For more information about Talent Systems, visit TalentSystems.com.
Talent Systems is the parent company of Cast It Systems, Casting Networks®, Spotlight, Casting Frontier, and Modasphere. These platforms, along with the eTribez Casting Platform and Staff Me Up, will continue to operate independently while leveraging each other's technology. More information about Talent Systems' portfolio of casting solutions can be found at https://www.talentsystems.com/about/.
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SOURCE Talent Systems | https://www.wibw.com/prnewswire/2022/06/16/talent-systems-acquires-etribez-casting-platform-staff-me-up/ | 2022-06-16T17:25:51Z |
PARIS (AP) — Hundred of firefighters backed by water-dropping planes battled a large forest fire Friday in southeastern France that has forced the evacuation of nearby villages.
Thirteen firefighters have been injured in Bordezac — the village where the fire started. Overall, 18 firefighters have been injured amid several forest fires that have burned for days in the region, according to France Info.
Unfavorable weather — drought, heat and strong winds — are complicating efforts to contain the blaze in the Gard region but its fire service said prospects were “more favorable” Friday. Other smaller fires have been extinguished.
The service said 880 hectares (2,100 acres) have burned so far in two different sites. More than 900 firefighters and two planes fought the flames in the region.
Near the Bordezac fire, villages were evacuated and roads closed. Laurent Joseph, a top official in the neighboring Bouches-du-Rhone region, told BFM TV that authorities expect to deal with the fire “for several days.”
The fire threaten the Cévennes, a mountainous region partially protected as a UNESCO World Heritage site that crosses a large section of southeast France.
The regional administration or prefecture on Friday banned people from entering several forests in the area until Monday, “to reduce the risk of new fires starting” while firefighters work to extinguish those still ablaze.
France’s national meteorological service put several neighboring areas on red alert Friday for fire risks and France’s Environment Ministry warned citizens in the area to pay careful attention to fire risks.
Wildfires have also hit other countries in Europe this summer, from Greece to Portugal. Scientists say climate change brings more drought and higher temperatures that make it easy for fires to start and spread. | https://cw33.com/news/international/ap-international/900-firefighters-battle-massive-fire-in-southeast-france/ | 2022-07-09T01:35:49Z |
Innovative Men's Grooming Brand Partners with Atlanta Barber Institute (ATLBI) to Help Fight the Cycle of Incarceration and Recidivism
ATLANTA, July 1, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Walker and Company, the makers of the award-winning men's grooming brand Bevel, is pleased to announce the creation and awarding of the first-ever 'Bevel 'Next Up' Scholarship' as a part of their ongoing anti-recidivism social impact initiative. The scholarship is intended to close the gap and help make dreams come true for barber school students that have been impacted by mass incarceration and recidivism.
Bevel first announced their commitment to combat mass incarceration through the Home for Good initiative in the Summer of 2021: a collection of focused efforts on fighting mass incarceration through three key pillars: Increasing continuing education, expanding access to job training for returning citizens, and joining anti-recidivism legislation. As the first year of the Home for Good initiative draws to a close, Bevel is excited to begin this next phase.
As a Black-founded and led company, Bevel prioritizes the needs of Black men, and is committed to combating the devastating effects mass incarceration and recidivism continue to have on the Black community. Bevel's 'Next Up' Scholarship will cover the cost of tuition for barber students enrolled in a formal barber education program. In addition, students will receive Bevel products, including the new Bevel Pro All-in-One Clipper & Trimmer, and additional resources (including mentoring) that they need to be their best as they enter the barber profession. The 2022 Bevel 'Next Up' Scholarships will be awarded to select students at the Atlanta Barber Institute (ATLBI).
"Bevel prioritizes the needs of Black men, from the products we use to how we move through the world," said Tristan Walker, Founder and CEO of Walker and Company Brands, the makers of Bevel. "Mass incarceration and recidivism continue to tear our community apart and restrict our ability to move freely, so I'm excited to announce Bevel's initiative to help end this cycle."
For more information on Bevel visit getbevel.com or follow Bevel on Instagram.
Contact: Bevel@firstandlastpr.com
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SOURCE Bevel | https://www.kxii.com/prnewswire/2022/07/01/bevel-launches-next-up-scholarship-battle-mass-incarceration/ | 2022-07-01T11:31:36Z |
NEW YORK, Aug. 5, 2022 /PRNewswire/ --
WHY: Rosen Law Firm, a global investor rights law firm, reminds purchasers of the securities of Missfresh Limited (NASDAQ: MF) pursuant and/or traceable to the registration statement and prospectus (collectively, the "Registration Statement") issued in connection with Missfresh's June 2021 initial public offering ("IPO" or the "Offering") of the important September 12, 2022 lead plaintiff deadline in the class action first filed by the firm.
SO WHAT: If you purchased Missfresh securities pursuant and/or traceable to the IPO you may be entitled to compensation without payment of any out of pocket fees or costs through a contingency fee arrangement.
WHAT TO DO NEXT: To join the Missfresh class action, go to https://rosenlegal.com/submit-form/?case_id=7370 or call Phillip Kim, Esq. toll-free at 866-767-3653 or email pkim@rosenlegal.com or cases@rosenlegal.com for information on the class action. A class action lawsuit has already been filed. If you wish to serve as lead plaintiff, you must move the Court no later than September 12, 2022. A lead plaintiff is a representative party acting on behalf of other class members in directing the litigation.
WHY ROSEN LAW: We encourage investors to select qualified counsel with a track record of success in leadership roles. Often, firms issuing notices do not have comparable experience, resources or any meaningful peer recognition. Many of these firms do not actually handle securities class actions, but are merely middlemen that refer clients or partner with law firms that actually litigate the cases. Be wise in selecting counsel. The Rosen Law Firm represents investors throughout the globe, concentrating its practice in securities class actions and shareholder derivative litigation. Rosen Law Firm has achieved the largest ever securities class action settlement against a Chinese Company. Rosen Law Firm was Ranked No. 1 by ISS Securities Class Action Services for number of securities class action settlements in 2017. The firm has been ranked in the top 4 each year since 2013 and has recovered hundreds of millions of dollars for investors. In 2019 alone the firm secured over $438 million for investors. In 2020, founding partner Laurence Rosen was named by law360 as a Titan of Plaintiffs' Bar. Many of the firm's attorneys have been recognized by Lawdragon and Super Lawyers.
DETAILS OF THE CASE: According to the lawsuit, the IPO Registration Statement featured false and/or misleading statements and/or failed to disclose that: (1) Missfresh provided false financial figures in its Registration Statement; (2) Missfresh would need to amend its financial figures; (3) Missfresh, among other things, had lesser net revenues for the quarter ended March 31, 2021; and (4) as a result, defendants' public statements were materially false and misleading at all relevant times and negligently prepared. When the true details entered the market, the lawsuit claims that investors suffered damages.
To join the Missfresh class action, go to https://rosenlegal.com/submit-form/?case_id=7370 or call Phillip Kim, Esq. toll-free at 866-767-3653 or email pkim@rosenlegal.com or cases@rosenlegal.com for information on the class action.
No Class Has Been Certified. Until a class is certified, you are not represented by counsel unless you retain one. You may select counsel of your choice. You may also remain an absent class member and do nothing at this point. An investor's ability to share in any potential future recovery is not dependent upon serving as lead plaintiff.
Follow us for updates on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-rosen-law-firm, on Twitter: https://twitter.com/rosen_firm or on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/rosenlawfirm/.
Attorney Advertising. Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome.
Contact Information:
Laurence Rosen, Esq.
Phillip Kim, Esq.
The Rosen Law Firm, P.A.
275 Madison Avenue, 40th Floor
New York, NY 10016
Tel: (212) 686-1060
Toll Free: (866) 767-3653
Fax: (212) 202-3827
lrosen@rosenlegal.com
pkim@rosenlegal.com
cases@rosenlegal.com
www.rosenlegal.com
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SOURCE Rosen Law Firm, P.A. | https://www.mysuncoast.com/prnewswire/2022/08/05/rosen-skilled-investor-counsel-encourages-missfresh-limited-investors-secure-counsel-before-important-deadline-securities-class-action-filed-by-firm-mf/ | 2022-08-05T22:53:49Z |
Communities in California and Nevada were recognized in the independent living, assisted living and memory care categories
NEWPORT BEACH, Calif., June 22, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Clearwater Living®, a real estate and property management company dedicated to the ownership, operation and development of high-quality senior living communities, announced today that all four of their eligible senior living communities have received "Best of" recognitions from U.S. News & World Report as part of their inaugural Best Senior Living ratings.
"Clearwater Living is humbled and honored to be recognized as a "best" in the independent living, memory and assisted care categories," said Danielle Morgan, president and chief operating officer of Clearwater Living. "Our team's sole focus is to provide the best care and lasting connections that foster pride and independence within our senior residents, and we are pleased that families now have a valuable resource to review as they navigate the important decision-making process of selecting senior living for themselves or a loved one."
U.S. News badges are widely recognized symbols of excellence and are awarded by an unbiased trust agent. U.S. News recently expanded their rankings to include the edition of Best Senior Living. The new rankings include Best Independent Living, Best Assisted Living, Best Memory Care and Best Continuing Care Retirement Communities (CCRC). These ratings offer comprehensive and transparent data to families trying to decide which senior living community would best fit their loved ones.
In order to participate in these rankings, residents of the senior living community, their family members or an appointed representative must participate in consumer satisfaction surveys. Components of the survey included evaluating the community, activities, food and dining, caregiving, management and staff.
Clearwater at Riverpark earned Best Independent Living for dedicating their time and effort into helping their senior residents live active and fulfilling lifestyles. The community in Oxnard offers 136 one- and two-bedroom apartment homes with resort-style community amenities such as a full-service restaurant and pub, on-site spa, fitness center, outdoor pool, theater, putting green, salon and concierge services. Riverpark's Savor Culinary program, which promotes unique culinary experiences to their residents, also recently earned the title of Showcase Community from Sodexo, making it one of two communities in California to receive this prestigious award.
Clearwater at Rancharrah earned both Best Assisted Living and Best Memory Care. The assisted living and memory care community in Reno, Nevada provides senior residents with top-notch care services in a beautiful and comfortable setting. The luxury community offers 129 apartment homes, diverse programs, amenities and events to help encourage physical, mental and social wellness. Residents and their guests are able to enjoy plentiful indoor and outdoor common areas including multiple culinary spaces, beautiful courtyards, a theater and learning center, fitness center and a poker den.
Clearwater at South Bay earned the Best Memory Care rating. The assisted living and memory care community in Torrance has made a lifelong commitment to making sure their senior residents live well. By offering services and resort-inspired amenities, seniors of varying needs can live engaged lifestyles with access to the care they need, including assisted living and memory care services. The beautifully landscaped campus offers a private courtyard, gardens, walkways and a putting green. The community's ideal location near the heart of Torrance provides an array of restaurants, shopping and additional medical services nearby.
Clearwater at Sonoma Hills earned the Best Assisted Living rating. The 3.5-acre community offers 90 assisted living and memory care apartment homes. The community's ideal location in the heart of Sonoma allows residents to obtain a balance of independence and support, helped along by Clearwater Living's personalized care plans for each resident. The beautifully landscaped community offers amenities such as walking paths, beautiful gardens, a dog park, outdoor sitting areas, a bocce ball court and a putting green. Additional social and learning activities can be found inside of their spacious common areas featuring multiple dining venues, a theater, art studio, poker den and fitness center.
Clearwater assisted living and memory care communities provide residents with personalized care plans that offer services such as medication coordination, wellness visits with a licensed nurse, assistance with daily living activities, onsite therapy services, complimentary transportation and 24-hour security. The Clearbrook Memory Support neighborhood has been specially designed for seniors with Alzheimer's or other memory impairments and provides easily navigated spaces and an adaptive atmosphere that helps residents keep their sense of independence.
About Clearwater Living
Clearwater Living® is committed to providing the most superior customer service and living experiences that celebrates individual relevance, from our residents and their families to our family of team members. Clearwater is growing through strategic acquisitions, development and operational management of senior living communities throughout the western United States. Every Clearwater Living community practices a holistic approach to successful aging and personalized care that improve the daily lives of residents. To learn more about Clearwater Living, visit ClearwaterLiving.com.
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SOURCE Clearwater Living | https://www.wibw.com/prnewswire/2022/06/22/us-news-recognizes-four-clearwater-living-communities-best-senior-living-ratings/ | 2022-06-22T17:24:34Z |
Josh Hart and JJ Redick prove that wine and tech are a powerful combination
NEW YORK, June 15, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- After a successful launch in both the Canadian and American markets, wine cellaring platform InVintory is seeing its expansion potential reach new heights, thanks to investment from two professional athletes - NBA stars Josh Hart and JJ Redick.
After using the InVintory platform themselves and seeing the benefits of it with regards to managing their cellars, tracking their bottles and viewing key data and insights into their wine habits, both athletes were hooked.
"InVintory has changed the game for wine collectors," says Hart. "I've tried different platforms and none even comes close. The ability to find bottles in my cellar within seconds is amazing."
Founded in 2018, InVintory offers a mobile and web app, with a free tier called Aspire, along with a paid in-app subscription called Prestige. The company has developed novel technology while staying true to the traditions and history of wine and taking the headache out of collecting so that wine can be enjoyed in the way that it's meant to be. It does all of this through its sleek interface allowing users to scan labels, upload bottles, categorize accordingly, and create memories and wishlists. Additionally, Prestige allows users even more advanced features, including patent-pending 3D bottle-finding technology, market values, and cellar analytics. A team of administrators and sommeliers will import anyone's collection from another app or spreadsheet, free of charge.
InVintory is not only reshaping how collectors engage with wine and track their bottles, but is now on a rapid growth trajectory. With this current fundraise, InVintory will build on its collecting platform and invest further in its community, expanding into the broader wine enthusiast and wine business segments.
"We are actively working on some exciting new features that will bring the world of wine together in a way that has never before been done," says CEO Jeff Daiter. "Ambassadors like JJ and Josh are such an asset to help propel us forward. They found InVintory organically, and therefore make the perfect investors and advocates."
"I am excited to be involved at such a pivotal moment for the business," says Redick. "As an avid wine collector, I have thoroughly enjoyed using the app. It's been really exciting to see how InVintory has grown, and I'm looking forward to helping it continue on this path."
InVintory is available on iOS and web. Prestige is priced at $9.99 per month, or $99 annually.
For more information, please visit www.invintorywines.com and @invintory.
InVintory is actively seeking investors. For inquiries, please contact jeffd@invintorywines.com.
InVintory was started in 2018 by father and son duo Jeff and Josh Daiter, in response to a direct need for a simple solution to track and find bottles in Jeff's personal wine cellar. The app consists of two products – Aspire and Prestige. The free Aspire tier offers a range of features to help collectors at every stage of their journey manage their collections, from scanning labels to add wines, creating custom tags to organize bottles, and capturing special moments in a memories journal. Prestige additionally offers advanced technology to create a 3D cellar replica and find bottles in an instant, as well as advanced analytics to obtain cellar valuation, track activity, and view collection breakdowns along multiple dimensions (among other features). The company currently has users in 140 countries and over two million bottles under management within the app, and that number only continues to grow, indicative of the vast potential of the wine market, which is valued at over $350 billion worldwide – larger than the digital music and fitness markets combined. InVintory is distinct in its strong commitment to presenting wine authentically, using modern technology to fortify the traditions of this storied industry.
Press Contacts:
Sarah Bresler / sarah@breslerpr.com
Taylor Foxman / taylor@theindustrycollective.org
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SOURCE InVintory | https://www.mysuncoast.com/prnewswire/2022/06/15/athletes-invest-wine-app-invintory/ | 2022-06-15T15:24:20Z |
PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP) — Three days before Elon Musk agreed to buy Twitter, the world’s richest man tweeted a photo of Bill Gates and used a crude term to make fun of his belly.
Playful, aggressive and often juvenile, Musk’s past tweets show how he has used social media to craft his public image as a brash billionaire unafraid to offend. They may also reveal clues as to how Musk will govern the platform he hopes to own.
“Look at the feed: It’s all over the place. It’s erratic. At times it’s pretty extreme,” said Jennifer Grygiel, a Syracuse University professor who studies social media and who recently assigned Musk’s tweets as reading material for their students. “It paints him as some sort of rebel leader who will take control of the public square to save it. That is a myth he has constructed.”
Musk joined Twitter in 2010 and now has more than 85 million followers — the seventh most of any account and the highest for any business leader. He had mused about buying the site before he agreed on Monday to pay $44 billion for Twitter, which he said he hopes to turn into a haven where all speech is allowed.
“I hope that even my worst critics remain on Twitter, because that is what free speech means,” Musk wrote in a tweet.
As the CEO of Tesla and SpaceX, Musk uses his Twitter account to make business announcements and promote his enterprises. He muses about technology and trade, but has also posted jokes about women’s breasts and once compared Canada’s prime minister to Hitler. He regularly weighs in on global events, as he did in March 2020 when he tweeted that “The coronavirus pandemic is dumb.”
He’s also used the account to punch back at critics, such as when he called a diver working to rescue boys trapped in a cave in Thailand a “pedo,” short for pedophile. The diver had previously criticized Musk’s proposal to use a sub to rescue the boys. Musk, who won a defamation suit filed by the diver, later said he never intended “pedo” to be interpreted as “pedophile.”
A few years ago, after software engineer Cher Scarlett criticized Musk’s handling of the cave incident, the tech billionaire fired back and she was soon being harassed by dozens of Musk’s online fans. He later deleted the posts, but not before Scarlett had to lock down her account because she was receiving so many hateful messages.
“It’s ironic to me that somebody who claims they want to buy Twitter to protect free speech has such thin skin,” she said. “He’s a very smart man, and when he replies to people that criticize him, he knows what he’s doing. To me that’s not championing free speech, it’s weaponizing free speech, and I think that’s what he’ll do owning this platform.”
Nineteen-year-old Jack Sweeney got Musk’s attention when he created an automated Twitter account that tracked the movements of Musk’s jet. Musk responded by offering Sweeney $5,000 to pull the account. When Sweeney refused, Musk blocked him on Twitter.
Sweeney said he’s worried he may get kicked off the site entirely if Musk’s takeover is approved. But he said he likes Musk’s free speech absolutism, and hopes he sees it through.
“He’ll make it more open, and I think that’s a good thing,” Sweeney said.
Musk’s use of Twitter has also led to problems for his own companies. In one August 2018 tweet, for instance, Musk asserted that he had the funding to take Tesla private for $420 a share, although a court has ruled that it wasn’t true. That led to an SEC investigation that Musk is still fighting.
More recently, Musk appeared to have violated SEC rules that required him to disclose that he’d acquired a 5% stake in Twitter; instead he waited until he had more than 9%. Experts say these issues aren’t likely to affect his Twitter acquisition.
Last year another federal agency, the National Labor Relations Board, ordered Musk to delete a tweet that officials said illegally threatened to cut stock options for Tesla employees who joined the United Auto Workers union.
Those tweets helped cement Musk’s reputation as a brash outsider, a workingman’s billionaire, Grygiel said. But that doesn’t mean he is equipped to run a social media platform with more than 200 million users, the professor added.
“Maybe he wants to burn it down,” Grygiel said. “I don’t know. But I do know that it shows that no one person should have this kind of power.” | https://cw33.com/technology/ap-technology/what-musks-past-tweets-reveal-about-twitters-next-owner-2/ | 2022-04-27T13:47:47Z |
DÜSSELDORF, Germany, June 27, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- The software provider Workbase (available at: https://www.workbase.com) is actively doing its part to protect the climate by making monthly donations.
Removing CO2 from the atmosphere is crucial to counteracting climate change, but progress is slow. A portion of Workbase's revenue therefore contributes to scaling new CO2 removal technologies, making an important contribution in the fight against the climate crisis.
"At Workbase, we believe that businesses can play a critical role in combating climate change. We are proud to fund CO2 removal for the next generation," says Nils Kröger, founder and CEO of Workbase.
That's why Workbase is part of Stripe Climate - a coalition of more than 25000 companies that are aware of their responsibility for our planet, and therefore determined to reduce CO2 emissions.
One company alone cannot stop climate change. Any voluntary addition to the donations made by our customers is therefore very welcome. Because climate protection concerns us all!
Stripe Climate raises funds from forward-thinking companies around the world to increase demand for carbon removal and to bring these technologies to the public's attention in the first place.
Stripe Climate consistently works with a multidisciplinary group of scientific experts to find, evaluate, and scale up the most promising carbon removal technologies.
Because research into new technologies is costly, early adopters like Workbase help bring promising research approaches to CO2 removal to scale quickly. More can be learned here: https://climate.stripe.com/ZtStJO
About Workbase
Workbase is a leading employee platform for mid-sized companies and corporations to efficiently train employees, increase productivity and systematically scale the business.
Contact
Nils Kröger
Phone: +49 (0) 1520 4907120
Email: press@workbase.com
Web: https://www.workbase.com
Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1848304/Workbase_Platforms_GmbH_Logo.jpg
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SOURCE Workbase Platforms GmbH | https://www.wibw.com/prnewswire/2022/06/27/workbase-employee-platform-supports-stripe-climate/ | 2022-06-27T17:02:42Z |
LiveMetric is launching LiveOne, an FDA-cleared wearable technology for health systems, health insurers, and self-insured employers to improve the care and treatment of people with hypertension and cardiovascular disease.
DENVER and LUXEMBOURG, June 30, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- LiveMetric, a leader in medical wearable technology, today announced the launch of LiveOne, the world's first 510(k) U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) cleared nano-sensor technology for monitoring blood pressure every 10 seconds. LiveOne is a wrist-worn, cuff-free solution that provides real time measurements to improve the care and treatment of people with hypertension and cardiovascular diseases. The non-invasive device requires no external calibration and continuously extracts the pressure waveform out of the radial artery. The LiveOne monitoring service will be available through health systems, health insurers, and self-insured employers for people with high blood pressure and cardiovascular disease.
"LiveMetric's wrist-worn, wearable blood pressure monitor is an amazing solution to the inconvenience of the current BP cuff and Holter monitor," said George Bakris, MD, Professor of Medicine at the University of Chicago, and Director of AHA Comprehensive Hypertension Center. "Its innovative design provides an affordable, daily monitor which empowers users to know their blood pressure from anywhere and at any time. The band makes it possible to evaluate not only a static 24-hr ABPM, but also to monitor BP over an entire week. It could also aid in our continuous research to improve diagnosis of secondary causes of hypertension that have variable BP increases."
"The LiveOne device is intended to combat the worldwide epidemic of hypertension by offering patients and providers meaningful, deeply personalized health information so action can be taken in real-time," said Kelly Benning, VP, LiveMetric. "With the same ease as wearing a watch, the LiveOne device will change how hypertension and cardiovascular disease are managed and treated by offering people a thorough understanding of how their lifestyle, behavior, and medication impact their blood pressure. We are focused on bringing this to millions of users across the channels of our customer-base."
A radical change to more than a century of monitoring blood pressure using cuffs, LiveMetric provides an urgently needed monitoring system to better evaluate and monitor people from anywhere and at any time. The LiveOne band, which can be used both day and night, provides an extensive volume of data points which enables clinicians and caregivers to easily evaluate trends and the likelihood of major events.
Please visit livemetric.com for more information.
About LiveOne
The LiveOne wearable is the world's first MEMS nano-sensor-based, CE and FDA-cleared device with medical accuracy highly correlated to the arterial line. LiveOne is predicated on a unique technological approach, applying an array of high-frequency nanosensors that senses and processes actual pressure, and uses proprietary machine-learning to extract blood pressure values from the shape of the pulse waveform. Unlike the traditional cuff, it is calibration-free, making it highly convenient and easy-to-use. The LiveMetric Platform provides decision support data to both payers and caregivers to improve patient outcomes and cost efficiency.
About LiveMetric
LiveMetric is an innovative leader in the care and treatment of hypertension and cardiovascular disease. Through the unique coupling of MEMS nano sensors with AI algorithms the LiveOne device provides BP measurements with unprecedented accuracy. The LiveMetric platform allows for third parties to manage a patient's condition through an easy integration to the LiveMetric platform. For more information, please visit livemetric.com
Media Contacts
Kelly Benning
Kelly.Benning@LiveMetric.com
(303) 990-2666
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SOURCE LiveMetric | https://www.kxii.com/prnewswire/2022/06/30/livemetric-receives-fda-clearance-its-watch-like-wearable-blood-pressure-monitoring-technology-long-awaited-revolution-cuff-free-hypertension-monitoring/ | 2022-06-30T15:46:51Z |
ROCKVILLE, Md., June 3, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Cambria Hotels, an upscale brand franchised by Choice Hotels International, Inc. (NYSE: CHH), continues to expand its sought-after, design-forward accommodations to popular markets across the country with the official start of construction on the Cambria Hotel Rehoboth Beach in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware. Expected to open in spring of 2024, the four-story, 114-room Cambria will mark the brand's first property in Delaware when it debuts.
Representatives from Choice Hotels and developer Pinnacle Hospitality Group, along with local dignitaries including, Scott Thomas, executive director, Southern Delaware Tourism; and Carol Everhart, president and CEO, Rehoboth Beach – Dewey Beach Chamber of Commerce attended a formal groundbreaking ceremony to commemorate the development milestone and express their excitement about the brand's entrance to the Rehoboth Beach community.
"The groundbreaking of the Cambria hotel in Rehoboth Beach represents another proud moment for the brand and is the fourth official groundbreaking in less than two weeks. This Rehoboth Beach milestone marks Cambria's entry into Delaware – and celebrates our continued collaboration with Pinnacle Hospitality as we grow the Cambria footprint throughout the region – but also because it commemorates yet another fantastic destination modern travelers who know and love the Cambria brand will soon have access to," said Janis Cannon, senior vice president, upscale brands, Choice Hotels. "The Delmarva Peninsula is a favorite vacation spot for those who call the Mid-Atlantic home, and we look forward to showcasing the town's vibrant culture and coastal charm through the new Cambria hotel."
Located at the intersection of John J. Williams Highway and Beebe Road, the Cambria Hotel Rehoboth Beach will be located just minutes from popular Delaware beaches, including Rehoboth Beach, Dewey Beach and Lewes Beach. After a day on the water, future guests will also be able to enjoy easy access to the city's award-winning boardwalk – home to an array of local boutiques and, restaurants, as well as the family-owned amusement park, Funland – and will be just a short drive from top area attractions, including Revelations Craft Brewing Company, Delaware Seashore State Park, Tanger Outlets, Jungle Jims Waterpark, Silver Lake and Gordon's Pond.
The Cambria Hotel – Rehoboth Beach will feature upscale amenities and approachable indulgences that appeal to modern travelers, including:
- Multi-purpose indoor and outdoor spaces for productive work or relaxation, including indoor and outdoor pools, as well as poolside cabanas, a tiki bar and outdoor fire pits for gathering.
- Area-inspired design and décor, as well as a local art collection reflecting the unique culture of Rehoboth Beach and the surrounding community.
- Contemporary and sophisticated guest rooms, complete with design forward fixtures, abundant lighting, plush bedding and private balconies.
- Immersive, spa-style bathrooms with Bluetooth mirrors.
- On-site dining featuring freshly made food, local craft beer, wine and specialty cocktails, as well as to-go options.
- 3,800 square feet of multi-function meeting and event spaces.
- State-of-the-art fitness center.
The Cambria Hotel – Rehoboth Beach was developed by Tauhid Islam of Pinnacle Hospitality Group, one of the largest hotel developers in Maryland, known for their extensive knowledge of coastal real estate development. The company is a partner in the Cambria Hotel Ocean City – Bayfront.
There are currently 60 Cambria hotels open across the U.S. in popular cities such as Chicago, Los Angeles, New York, New Orleans and Phoenix, with almost 70 hotels in the pipeline.
For more information on Cambria Hotels development opportunities, visit choicehotelsdevelopment.com/cambriahotels.
All Choice-branded hotels are participating in Commitment to Clean, an initiative that builds upon the strong foundation of Choice franchisees' long-standing dedication to cleanliness with enhanced training and best practices for deep cleaning, disinfecting and social distancing. Additionally, Cambria guests can limit their interactions with hotel staff by using the Cambria Contactless Concierge Service, a text messaging service for housekeeping requests, to-go food orders, meeting room requests and more.
About Cambria® Hotels
The Cambria Hotels brand is designed for the modern traveler, offering guests a distinct experience with simple, guilt-free indulgences allowing them to treat themselves while on the road. Properties feature compelling design inspired by the location, spacious and comfortable rooms, flexible meeting space, and local, freshly prepared food and craft beer. Cambria Hotels is rapidly expanding in major U.S. cities, with hotels open in Chicago, Los Angeles, New York, Pittsburgh, and Washington, D.C. There are over 130 Cambria properties open or in the pipeline across the United States, with 60 currently open. To learn more, visit www.choicehotels.com/cambria.
About Choice Hotels®
Choice Hotels International, Inc. (NYSE: CHH) is one of the largest lodging franchisors in the world. With nearly 7,000 hotels, representing nearly 600,000 rooms, in 35 countries and territories as of March 31, 2022, the Choice® family of hotel brands provides business and leisure travelers with a range of high-quality lodging options from limited service to full-service hotels in the upscale, midscale, extended-stay and economy segments. The award-winning Choice Privileges® loyalty program offers members benefits ranging from everyday rewards to exceptional experiences. For more information, visit www.choicehotels.com.
Forward-Looking Statement
This communication includes "forward-looking statements" about future events, including anticipated hotel openings. Such statements are subject to numerous risks and uncertainties, including construction delays, availability and cost of financing and the other "Risk Factors" described in our Annual Report on Form 10-K and our Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, any of which could cause actual results to be materially different from our expectations.
Addendum
This is not an offering. No offer or sale of a franchise will be made except by a Franchise Disclosure Document first filed and registered with applicable state authorities. A copy of the Franchise Disclosure Document can be obtained through contacting Choice Hotels International at 1 Choice Hotels Circle, Suite 400, Rockville, MD 20850, development@choicehotels.com.
© 2022 Choice Hotels International, Inc. All Rights Reserved
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SOURCE Choice Hotels International, Inc. | https://www.mysuncoast.com/prnewswire/2022/06/03/cambria-hotels-breaks-ground-first-property-delaware/ | 2022-06-03T16:09:12Z |
NEW YORK, Aug 31, 2022 /PRNewswire/ --The Gross Law Firm issues the following notice to shareholders of LifeStance Health Group, Inc.
Shareholders who purchased shares of LFST during the class period listed are encouraged to contact the firm regarding possible lead plaintiff appointment. Appointment as lead plaintiff is not required to partake in any recovery.
CONTACT US HERE:
https://securitiesclasslaw.com/securities/lifestance-health-group-loss-submission-form/?id=31257&from=4
CLASS PERIOD: This lawsuit is on behalf of all purchasers of LifeStance common stock pursuant and/or traceable to the documents issued in connection with LifeStance's June 10, 2021 initial public stock offering.
ALLEGATIONS: The complaint alleges that during the class period, Defendants issued materially false and/or misleading statements and/or failed to disclose that: (i) the number of virtual visits clients were undertaking utilizing LifeStance Health was decreasing as the COVID-19 lockdowns were being lifted, thereby flatlining LifeStance Health's out-patient/virtual revenue growth; (ii) the percentage of in-person visits clients were undertaking utilizing LifeStance Health was increasing as the COVID-19 lockdowns were being lifted, thereby causing LifeStance Health's operating expenses to increase substantially; (iii) LifeStance Health had lost a large number of physicians due to burn-out and, as a result, its physician retention rate had fallen significantly below the 87% highlighted in the initial public offering's registration statement, and LifeStance Health had been expending additional costs to onboard new physicians who were less productive than the outgoing physicians they were replacing; and (iv) as a result, LifeStance Health's business metrics and financial prospects were not as strong as the initial public offering's registration statement represented.
DEADLINE: October 11, 2022 Shareholders should not delay in registering for this class action. Register your information here: https://securitiesclasslaw.com/securities/lifestance-health-group-loss-submission-form/?id=31257&from=4
NEXT STEPS FOR SHAREHOLDERS: Once you register as a shareholder who purchased shares of LFST during the timeframe listed above, you will be enrolled in a portfolio monitoring software to provide you with status updates throughout the lifecycle of the case. The deadline to seek to be a lead plaintiff is October 11, 2022. There is no cost or obligation to you to participate in this case.
WHY GROSS LAW FIRM? The Gross Law Firm is nationally recognized class action law firm, and our mission is to protect the rights of all investors who have suffered as a result of deceit, fraud, and illegal business practices. The Gross Law Firm is committed to ensuring that companies adhere to responsible business practices and engage in good corporate citizenship. The firm seeks recovery on behalf of investors who incurred losses when false and/or misleading statements or the omission of material information by a company lead to artificial inflation of the company's stock. Attorney advertising. Prior results do not guarantee similar outcomes.
CONTACT:
The Gross Law Firm
15 West 38th Street, 12th floor
New York, NY, 10018
Email: dg@securitiesclasslaw.com
Phone: (646) 453-8903
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SOURCE The Gross Law Firm | https://www.kxii.com/prnewswire/2022/08/31/shareholder-alert-gross-law-firm-notifies-shareholders-lifestance-health-group-inc-class-action-lawsuit-lead-plaintiff-deadline-october-11-2022-nasdaq-lfst/ | 2022-08-31T10:41:11Z |
Three Networks -- JusticeCentral.TV, Recipe.TV, and Comedy.TV -- Launch on Cox Contour TV Nationwide
LOS ANGELES, May 4, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Byron Allen's Allen Media Group (AMG) television networks division, is proud to announce its launch of select television networks nationwide on the Cox Contour TV lineup.
The three Allen Media Group networks are:
- JusticeCentral.TV - A network dedicated to Emmy® Award-winning Judges and Emmy® Award-nominated court shows, legal news, and the world's biggest trials. (www.JusticeCentral.tv) – now live.
- Recipe.TV – An Emmy® Award-nominated network dedicated to famous chefs, amazing recipes, and delicious cuisine from around the world. (www.Recipe.tv) – now live.
- Comedy.TV - A network dedicated to today's funniest comedians, featuring a mix of live concert performances, talk and variety shows, sitcoms and movies. (www.Comedy.tv) – scheduled to launch on August 1, 2022.
These three Allen Media Group television networks are currently carried on major U.S. providers including Comcast, ATT/DirecTV, Spectrum, DISH, Verizon FiOS, and others. With the addition of Cox Communications' millions of subscribers that are located in 18 states, the Allen Media Group networks domestic linear distribution continues to expand rapidly and is the #1 fastest-growing basic network portfolio. Cox is the largest private telecom company in the U.S., and its Contour TV product operates within several key markets, including New Orleans, San Diego, Phoenix, and Las Vegas.
"Partnering with Cox Communications is another major step in the continued expansion of our Allen Media Group television networks Recipe.TV, JusticeCentral.TV, and Comedy.TV," said Byron Allen, Founder/Chairman/CEO of Allen Media Group. "We greatly appreciate the entire Cox Communications team for recognizing the value of these entertaining, informative, and engaging television networks, and we look forward to a long relationship with Cox Communications for years to come."
Suzanne Fenwick, Senior Vice President Content Acquisition of Cox Communications added, "We are delighted to add these AMG networks to our Contour TV lineup. Our priority is to add new, fresh content to keep our customers engaged and entertained."
About Allen Media Group / Entertainment Studios
Chairman and CEO Byron Allen founded Allen Media Group/Entertainment Studios in 1993. Headquartered in Los Angeles, it has offices in New York, Chicago, Atlanta, and Charleston, SC. Allen Media Group owns 27 ABC-NBC-CBS-FOX network affiliate broadcast television stations in 21 U.S. markets and twelve 24-hour HD television networks serving nearly 220 million subscribers: THE WEATHER CHANNEL, PETS.TV, COMEDY.TV, RECIPE.TV, CARS.TV, ES.TV, MYDESTINATION.TV, JUSTICE CENTRAL.TV, THEGRIO.TV, THIS TV, LOCAL NOW TV, and PATTRN. Allen Media Group will add its thirteenth network, THE WEATHER CHANNEL EN ESPANOL in 2022. Allen Media Group also owns THE GRIO, HBCUGO, SPORTS.TV and LOCAL NOW, the free-streaming AVOD service powered by THE WEATHER CHANNEL and content partners, which delivers real-time, hyper-local news, weather, traffic, sports, and lifestyle information. Allen Media Group also produces, distributes, and sells advertising for 68 television programs, making it one of the largest independent producers/distributors of first-run syndicated television programming for broadcast television stations. Allen Media Group International Television continues to extend its corporate branding and content around the globe. It currently has active license agreements and programming in South Africa, The United Arab Emirates, Australia, The Bahamas, Canada and New Zealand. With a library of over 5,000 hours of owned content across multiple genres, Allen Media Group provides video content to broadcast television stations, cable television networks, mobile devices, and multimedia digital. Our mission is to provide excellent programming to our viewers, online users, and Fortune 500 advertising partners.
Entertainment Studios Motion Pictures is a full-service, theatrical motion picture distribution company specializing in wide release commercial content. ESMP released 2017's highest-grossing independent movie, the shark thriller 47 METERS DOWN, which grossed over $44.3 million. In 2018, ESMP also released the critically-acclaimed and commercially successful Western HOSTILES, the historic mystery-thriller CHAPPAQUIDDICK and the sequel to 47 METERS DOWN, 47 METERS DOWN: UNCAGED. The digital distribution unit of Entertainment Studios Motion Pictures, Freestyle Digital Media, is a premiere multi-platform distributor with direct partnerships across all major cable, digital and streaming platforms. Capitalizing on a robust infrastructure, proven track record and a veteran sales team, Freestyle Digital Media is a true home for independent films.
In 2016, Allen Media Group purchased The Grio, a highly-rated digital video-centric news community platform devoted to providing African-Americans with compelling stories and perspectives currently underrepresented in existing national news outlets. The Grio features aggregated and original video packages, news articles and opinion pieces on topics that include breaking news, politics, health, business and entertainment. Originally launched in 2009, the platform was then purchased by NBC News in 2010. The digital platform remains focused on curating exciting digital content and currently has more than 100 million annual visitors. For more information, visit: www.entertainmentstudios.com
About Cox Communications
Cox Communications is committed to creating meaningful moments of human connection through technology. The largest private broadband company in America, we proudly serve seven million homes and businesses across 18 states. We're dedicated to empowering others to build a better future and celebrate diverse products, people, suppliers, communities and the characteristics that make each one unique. Cox Communications is the largest division of Cox Enterprises, a family-owned business founded in 1898 by Governor James M. Cox.
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SOURCE Allen Media Group | https://www.mysuncoast.com/prnewswire/2022/05/04/byron-allens-allen-media-group-television-networks-reach-carriage-agreement-with-cox-communications/ | 2022-05-04T20:15:35Z |
COLD SPRING HARBOR, N.Y., May 4, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Sex hormones play an important role in shaping an animal's behavior, and their influence starts early. Early-life hormonal surges help shape the developing brain, establishing circuitry that will influence behavior for a lifetime.
Hundreds of genes in the brain fall under the control of estrogen. Fluctuating levels of the hormone cause shifts in mood, energy balance, and behavior throughout life, in addition to sculpting developing neural circuits early on. These effects occur when activated estrogen receptors sit directly on a cell's DNA to turn genes on or off.
Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Assistant Professor Jessica Tollkuhn, graduate student Bruno Gegenhuber, and their colleagues, have been mapping exactly where estrogen receptors latch onto DNA inside mouse brain cells. They've looked at both males and females and compared the brains of adults to the still-developing brains of young pups. In the journal Nature, they report on the hormone receptor's targets in the brain and show that estrogen sets up physical differences in the brains of males and females during development.
Tollkuhn explains that estrogen is present in the brains of both males and females: some neurons make it themselves out of testosterone. In male mice, estrogen generated through a surge of testosterone that is released soon after birth shapes developing circuitry. As a result, certain brain regions are larger and contain more cells in males than they do in females—a difference that affects a range of behaviors in adulthood, including mating, parenting, and aggression.
"There's this critical period when the brain is developing and wiring up that it has to get this input in order to make these permanent changes in the brain wiring. This is a transient surge, but it seems to have extremely long-lasting effects on brain development."
Tollkuhn's team examined where estrogen receptors landed after this hormonal surge, focusing on a brain region called the BNST, which is larger in males than females in both mice and humans. They found a host of genes that were under estrogen's control, including many involved in neurodevelopment and neuronal signaling. And although estrogen itself remains in the brain for only a few hours, it seems that the hormone-controlled genes remain active for weeks.
Now that they know what genes estrogen is targeting in the brain, Tollkuhn's team plans to explore exactly how those genes mediate the hormone's diverse effects on brain development, behavior, and disease.
About Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory
Founded in 1890, Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory has shaped contemporary biomedical research and education with programs in cancer, neuroscience, plant biology and quantitative biology. Home to eight Nobel Prize winners, the private, not-for-profit Laboratory employs 1,100 people including 600 scientists, students and technicians. For more information, visit www.cshl.edu
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SOURCE Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory | https://www.kxii.com/prnewswire/2022/05/04/cold-spring-harbor-laboratory-discovers-how-hormones-define-brain-sex-differences/ | 2022-05-04T17:06:54Z |
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New machine learning-driven retention path™ technology identifies urgently needed actions and enables HR executives to take immediate steps to retain at-risk employees
SAN FRANCISCO, April 5, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Praisidio, the leader in talent retention management, today announced the general availability of Procaire 3.0, which includes new patent-pending retention path functionality. Retention paths, auto-generated by machine learning technology, feature curated groups of employees with similar risk factors and include specific retention recommendations. Support for user-defined retention paths is also provided.
Procaire 3.0's retention recommendation engine presents contextually effective recommendations which HR professionals may choose and track. Retention paths enable HR leaders to take immediate actions to significantly reduce voluntary employee attrition.
Additionally, Procaire 3.0 includes retention impact dashboards that reflect in real-time the cumulative business impact of implemented retention actions. Metrics shown include retention improvement, maker time increases, management one-on-one improvement, time in role decreases, etc.
"Procaire provides us early visibility into the causes of attrition, recommends retention activities, and measures the impact of our HR organization's proactive actions. With Procaire retention paths, we were able to identify the main causes of attrition with employees grouped into risk and cause cohorts, allowing us to target retention activities across the company," said Gail Jacobs, Head of Talent and HR Operations, Guardant Health.
"With Procaire retention paths, I was able to identify the main problems in my organization and help our employees. In one example, I helped my organization increase their weekly maker time significantly to reduce the risk of Zoom burnout" said Iga Opanowicz, Sr. People Generalist, Guardant Health.
Customers can use Retention Paths to address groups of employees with similar risk factors such as bias, burnout, stagnation, and disconnection. Moreover, critical employees are surfaced in high-risk cohorts or groups who report to high-attrition managers.
Ben Eubanks, Chief Research Officer of Lighthouse Research & Advisory, remarked: "Our research shows that employers struggle with retention because it's hard to know what specific steps to take. With Procaire retention paths, HR professionals now have the power of machine learning at their fingertips and can easily see the exact retention drivers for their best employees."
After retention actions are taken, Procaire helps ensure follow-up and follow-through via retention workflows and optimizes future recommendations by gauging action efficacy over time.
Procaire 3.0 is immediately available.
About Praisidio
Praisidio is a talent retention management company solving employee attrition. Praisidio's Procaire unifies enterprise and HCM data, applies advanced machine learning, reveals talent risks early in real-time, provides actionable insights, root cause explanations, comparisons, recommendations, and enables employee care at scale to improve employee engagement and retention materially. For more information, visit www.praisidio.com.
For media contact, please reach out at hello@praisido.com
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SOURCE Praisidio, Inc. | https://www.kxii.com/prnewswire/2022/04/05/praisidio-uses-machine-learning-identify-at-risk-employees-build-tailored-retention-plans-with-procaire-30/ | 2022-04-05T14:27:38Z |
SLOVIANSK, Ukraine (AP) — Anastasiia Aleksandrova doesn’t even look up from her phone when the thunder of nearby artillery booms through the modest home the 12-year-old shares with her grandparents on the outskirts of Sloviansk in eastern Ukraine.
With no one her age left in her neighborhood and classes only online since Russia’s invasion, video games and social media have taken the place of the walks and bike rides she once enjoyed with friends who have since fled.
“She communicates less and goes out walking less. She usually stays at home playing games on her phone,” Anastasiia’s grandmother, Olena Aleksandrova, 57, said of the shy, lanky girl who likes to paint and has a picture of a Siberian tiger hanging on the wall of her bedroom.
Anastasiia’s retreat into digital technology to cope with the isolation and stress of war that rages on the front line just seven miles (12 kilometers) away is increasingly common among young people in Ukraine’s embattled Donetsk region.
With cities largely emptied after hundreds of thousands have evacuated to safety, the young people who remain face loneliness and boredom as painful counterpoints to the fear and violence Moscow has unleashed on Ukraine.
“I don’t have anyone to hang out with. I sit with the phone all day,” Anastasiia said from the bank of a lake where she sometimes swims with her grandparents. “My friends left and my life has changed. It became worse due to this war.”
More than 6 million Ukrainians, overwhelmingly women and children, have fled the country and millions more are internally displaced, according to the U.N. refugee agency.
The mass displacement has upended countless childhoods, not only for those having to start a new life after seeking safety elsewhere, but also for the thousands who stayed behind.
In the industrial city of Kramatorsk, seven miles (12 kilometers) south of Sloviansk, the friendship between 19-year-old Roman Kovalenko and 18-year-old Oleksandr Pruzhyna has become closer as all of their other friends have left the city.
The two teenagers walk together through the mostly deserted city, sitting to talk on park benches. Both described being cut off from the social lives they enjoyed before the war.
“It’s a completely different feeling when you go outside. There is almost no one on the streets, I have the feeling of being in an apocalypse,” said Pruzhyna, who lost his job at a barber shop after the invasion and now spends most of his time at home playing computer games.
“I feel like everything I was going to do became impossible, everything collapsed in an instant.”
Of the roughly 275,000 children age 17 or younger in the Donetsk region before Russia’s invasion, just 40,000 remain, the province’s regional governor Pavlo Kyrylenko told The Associated Press last week.
According to official figures, 361 children have been killed in Ukraine since Russia launched its war on Feb. 24, and 711 others have been injured.
Authorities are urging all remaining families in Donetsk, but especially those with children, to evacuate immediately as Russian forces continue to bombard civilian areas as they press for control of the region.
A special police force has been tasked with individually contacting households with children and urging them to flee to safer areas, Kyrylenko said.
“As a father, I feel that children should not be in the Donetsk region,” he said. “This is an active war zone.”
In Kramatorsk, 16-year-old Sofia Mariia Bondar spends most days sitting in the shoe section of a clothing shop where her mother works.
A pianist and singer who wants to study art at university after she finishes her final year of high school, Sofia Mariia said there is “nowhere to go and nothing to do” now that her friends have left.
“I wish I could go back in time and make everything like it was before. I understand that most of my friends who left will never come back, no matter what happens in the future,” she said. “Of course it’s very sad that I can’t have all the fun like other teenagers do, but I can’t do anything about it, only cope with it.”
Her mother, Viktoriia, said that since the city has mostly emptied out, she manages to sell only one or two items per week.
But with the danger of shelling and soldiers plying the streets, her daughter is no longer allowed to go out alone and spends most of her time by her mother’s side in the store or at their home on the outskirts of Kramatorsk where the threat of rocket strikes is lower.
“I keep her near me all the time so that in case something happens, at least we will be together,” she said.
Of the roughly 18,000 school-age children in Kramatorsk before Russia’s invasion, only around 3,200 remain, including 600 preschoolers, said the city’s head of military administration, Oleksandr Goncharenko.
While officials continue to push residents to evacuate and provide information on transportation and accommodation, “parents cannot be forced to leave with their children,” Goncharenko said. When the school semester begins on Sept. 1, he said lessons will be offered online for those who stay.
In Kramatorsk’s verdant but nearly empty Pushkin Park, Rodion Kucherian, 14, performed tricks on his scooter on an otherwise deserted set of ramps, quarter pipes and grind rails.
Before the war, he said, he and his friends would do tricks in the bustling park alongside many other children. But now his only connection to his friends — who have fled to countries like Poland and Germany — is on social media.
He’s taken up other solitary activities just to keep himself busy, he said.
“It’s very sad not to see my friends. I haven’t seen my best friend for more than four months,” he said. “I started cycling at home so I don’t miss them as much.”
In Sloviansk, 12-year-old Anastasiia said she can’t remember the last time she played with someone her own age, but she’s made some new friends through the games she plays online.
“It’s not the same. It’s way better to go outside to play with your friends than just talking online,” she said.
Her best friend, Yeva, used to live on her street, but has evacuated with her family to Lviv in western Ukraine.
Anastasiia wears a silver pendant around her neck — half of a broken heart with the word “Love” engraved on the front — and Yeva, she said, wears the other half.
“I never take it off, and Yeva doesn’t either,” she said.
___
Follow the AP’s coverage of the war at https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine | https://cw33.com/news/international/ap-international/boredom-loneliness-plague-ukrainian-youth-near-front-line/ | 2022-08-16T00:46:13Z |
KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Ukrainian firefighters known for rescuing people from buildings hit by shelling in more than six months of war turned their attention over the weekend to a furry victim — a gray-and-white kitten.
The rescuers, wearing full firefighting gear, battled raging flames and smoke to pull the kitten out from under a metal chair in the rubble of a large wooden hotel-restaurant complex hit by a rocket in Ukraine’s second-largest city, Kharkiv, the country’s emergency services said Sunday on Facebook.
Video showed the firefighters petting and cuddling the feline as they carried it to safety.
“We found a beauty,” one of the firefighters said as the kitten wiggled around in a colleague’s arms.
Ukraine’s emergency services said the kitten’s paw needed medical attention.
“Heroes of our time,” the emergency services proclaimed of the firefighters. “They protect, work, save, treat … And we wish the cat a speedy recovery.”
___
Follow the AP’s coverage of the war at https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine | https://cw33.com/news/international/ap-international/ap-ukrainian-firefighters-rescue-kitten-from-burning-building/ | 2022-09-05T02:01:41Z |
NEW YORK (AP) — “Metropolis.” Bruce Lee. Woody Woodpecker. A pet cobra. All of these things have been inspirations behind Nicolas Cage performances — sometimes private homages that the actor has used like blueprints to build some of his most exaggerated, erratic and affecting characters.
A conversation with Cage, likewise, pulls from a wide gamut of sources. In a recent and typically wide-ranging interview ahead of the release of “The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent,”Cage touched on Picasso, Elia Kazan, Timothée Chalamet and Francis Bacon. A book of interviews with Bacon, “The Brutality of Fact,” for instance, helped Cage define his attraction to intense, even grotesque performance — “that which is not obviously beautiful,” he says — rather than naturalism.
“And I’ve kind of approached my public perception, as well as the way I design my film work, as an actor with that concept in mind — to not be afraid to be ugly in behavior or even in appearance,” says Cage. “To create a kind of taste that you have to discover.”
With more than 100 films, the 58-year-old Cage — an Oscar-winner (“Leaving Las Vegas”), an action star (“Con Air”) and the source of countless Internet memes for his most theatrical moments in films like “Face/Off” — has long been one of the most particular tastes in movies. Yet by being “an amateur surrealist,” as he refers to himself, Cage has emerged — even after resorting to a string of VOD releases to pay off back taxes and get himself out of debt — as one of Hollywood’s most widely loved stars. As “Unbearable Weight” director Tom Gormican says, “the sight of his face sort of makes people happy.”
But for even the mercurial Cage, “The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent,” which opens in theaters Friday, represents something different. In it, Cage plays himself. Or, rather, he plays a fun-house mirror version of himself that sometimes interacts with a younger version of himself. The movie is one big homage to Cage in which the actor somehow manages to both satirize perceptions of himself and act out those personas sincerely.
“The through line that’s always been there for me: No matter what I designed, and it has been a design whether it’s ridiculous — and it’s often ridiculous — or whether it’s sublime, it has to be informed with genuine emotional content,” says Cage.
“No matter how broad or what some folk like to call over the top, it had genuine feeling.”
But what to Cage constitutes over the top? This is the actor who, channeling Nosferatu in “Vampire’s Kiss,” gave one of the most bonkers recitals of the alphabet ever heard. He’s fond of answering: “Well, show me where the top is and I’ll tell you if I’m over it.”
“I grew up in a house where my mom would do things that if you put it in a movie, you would say that was over the top,” says Cage, whose mother, Joy Coppola, was a dancer and choreographer. His father, August Coppola, brother of Francis, was a professor of literature. “But what is the top? When you want to design something and you think about different styles — naturalism, impressionism, surrealism, abstract — then you start to look at it in a different way. It’s not going to be for everybody and it’s not necessarily going to sell tickets. But that’s OK.”
“Movies are a business and it was not without peril that I took this path, but it was important to me,” he adds. “I stuck by it and, sure, I got plenty of rotten tomatoes thrown in my face. But I knew that was going to happen so it wasn’t anything I didn’t expect.”
But what’s unusual about Cage is that many of those experiments HAVE sold tickets. A lot of them. Cage’s films account for nearly $5 billion in worldwide box office. Still, it’s been a while since he was front-and-center in a major studio film.
“The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent,” which Lionsgate premiered at South by Southwest to warm reviews, allows him to play around with the notion of a comeback. In the film, he’s desperate to score better parts than the birthday party he’s been offered $1 million to attend. The movie was an opportunity to wrestle — usually comically, sometimes physically — with his own exaggerated mythology.
“He would come up to me and say, (lowers voice) ‘Tom, there’s a guy who wears rings and leather jackets and he lives in Las Vegas and he would never say that line,’” recalls Gormican. “And I would go, ‘Oh, you mean you.’ He’d say, ‘Yes.’ And I’d be like, ‘Well, it’s not you. It’s a character based on you.’ And he’d go, ‘But he has my name.’ I was like, ‘Come on, man, just say the line.’”
“We’d have discussions about who understood Nick Cage more,” adds Gormican, laughing.
Gormican was initially turned down several times by Cage before a heartfelt letter finally convinced the actor to make the film. The issue was that Cage, even at his most outlandish, has never put quotation marks around his performances. He tends to invest fully in even the most unhinged characters. (Werner Herzog’s “Bad Lieutenant: Port of New Orleans” comes to mind.) Cage initially feared Gormican’s film would be self-mocking parody, and while it has those elements, Cage steers it in more unpredictable directions.
“Without mentioning names, there were some actors that came out of the gate that I thought were really sincere and profoundly emotional and honest in the beginning and then became too high on their own supply,” Cage says. “They started winking at the audience and, in my opinion, it lost the emotional connection. It’s a slippery slope when you make the decision that you want to be emotional and raw.”
The actor does reach some gonzo heights in the film. After one scene, Gormican was honored to hear Cage say: “That was the Full Cage. You got the Full Cage.” Another scene features the two Cages making out, after which the younger exclaims, “Nick Cage smooches good!”
Cage’s own exotic tastes — he once had to return a dinosaur skull he purchased that had been stolen from Mongolia — have contributed to his legend. But he insists that he is normal in his life so that he can be extreme in his work — and that some of his self-promotion, like an infamously nutty appearance on “Wogan,”was itself an act.
Cage last year married Riko Shibata, his fifth wife, and they are expecting a child. (Cage also has two grown sons; a sticking point in “Unbearable Weight” was that he not be shown as an absentee father — one fiction Cage wouldn’t permit.) After an unusually introspective press tour for the film, Cage is looking forward to returning to the desert outside Las Vegas, where he lives. He could use a break from “Nick Cage.”
But “The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent” wraps a chapter for the actor. He’s finally out of the red after making some 30 video-on-demand films over the last decade to pay off the IRS and his creditors. He makes no apologies for those films. They made him a better actor, he says.
“I was practicing. I managed to keep my access to my imagination at my fingertips. It was a much better way for me to get this financial crisis off my back than doing something like a Super Bowl commercial — and believe me they offered,” says Cage. “That was also a point for me, that I’m not a salesman, I’m an actor.”
Cage can also once again feel some mainstream momentum behind him. His performance in last year’s “Pig,” as a grizzled truffle hunter with a past, earned some of his best reviews in years. It was a more naturalistic performance than Cage is generally known for — and a reminder of his limitless range. Having started professionally at 15, Cage reminds that he’s been doing this a long time. To him, his path began, appropriately enough, with an audacious performance.
Cage’s father, the actor says, had a massive influence on him, exposing him to books, early films and paintings. But he could cut his son down with words.
“And I just wasn’t going to take it,” says Cage. “I knew that he thought more of me than he let on. I tricked him once and I did something that I’ve never done ever again. I lied. I said, ‘Dad, I wrote this song.’ And I played him Joe Jackson’s “Is She Really Going Out With Him?” And he believed me. He said, “Wow, Nicky, that’s incredible.” Then I got the positive affirmation that I needed to believe in myself. That was the one time a lie saved me.”
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Follow AP Film Writer Jake Coyle on Twitter at: http://twitter.com/jakecoyleAP | https://cw33.com/entertainment-news/ap-entertainment/nicolas-cage-faces-off-with-a-new-foe-himself/ | 2022-04-21T21:48:12Z |
DADEVILLE, Ala. (WRBL) – A 12-year-old girl escaped an alleged kidnapping at a mobile home where two decomposing bodies were found in Alabama.
Investigators are calling the girl who escaped early Monday morning a hero. They say the girl was restrained to bed posts inside the mobile home for more than a week and given alcohol to keep her in a drugged state. She escaped by chewing out of her restraints, damaging the braces on her teeth in the process, detectives say.
The man who lived at the mobile home, 37-year-old Jose Reyes, was arrested Monday, August 1, and charged with Kidnapping 1st Degree. Prosecutors expect to charge Reyes with two counts of Capital Murder, along with other charges, after their investigation revealed two decomposing bodies inside the residence.
Investigators believe the kidnapping occurred around July 24, with Reyes intending to inflict physical injury or sexual abuse. Tallapoosa County Sheriff Jimmy Abbett will not say how Reyes knew the child or if the child was related to the two individuals found dead inside the home. Their identities and cause of death have yet to be released. The child was not reported missing by any relatives
Abbett declined to say if her family had been located or not.
Reyes was located Monday in the Auburn area by U.S. Marshalls and taken into custody. He remains behind bars in Tallapoosa County, on no bond, pending the additional charges.
The investigation began Monday when the sheriff says the girl was seen by a motorist as the child walked along County Road 34 away from the mobile home. The motorist called 911, deputies arrived, and the little girl received medical attention. Court documents indicate deputies observed marks on the victim’s wrists indicative of being restrained.
Multiple law enforcement agencies then began an investigation at the mobile home and that’s when the bodies were located. The metal underpinning of the mobile home was ripped off, and it looks like investigators focused their attention along the ground under the mobile home.
Tuesday, yellow crime scene tape still surrounded the mobile home. Tallapoosa County Sheriff’s investigators remained at the scene. The FBI and Department of Homeland Security are also involved in the investigation. | https://cw33.com/news/nexstar-media-wire/girl-tied-to-bed-posts-in-home-with-two-dead-bodies-chewed-herself-free-from-restraints-investigators-say/ | 2022-08-03T18:44:52Z |
Sets in motion complex assembly process of India's first private sector quantum computer dedicated to research in Kolkata
Kolkata, India, April 20, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- The TCG group is planning to set up a one of its kind university in Kolkata. The group, led by Dr. Purnendu Chatterjee, has committed all the resources that would be required to realise the global scale research aspirations the proposed university has. As a first towards this the group has already set up a centre for translatable research in fundamental sciences. The proposed university will be unique in its concept as it will also be completely focused on translational fundamental research.
With a focus on collaborative research on a global scale, this university will also have its own Quantum Computer, again the first from the private sector in India. The computer, proposed to be dedicated to helping high-end research, is being installed in Kolkata. The complex installation process has already been initiated. Once fully operational, Kolkata can boast of being in step with its fame for striving to stay ahead of the rest in the field of the academic initiative.
The university will strive to:
- Create one of the best infrastructure facilities and onboard the best educators and researchers from across the globe, that will foster quality higher education, research, product development and industrial consultancy.
- Develop a network with the world's leading Universities, Research Institutions, and Industries that will synergize the collective efforts in contemporary education and research thrust areas and culminate in regional and global wellbeing.
- To act as the anchor university to the world's top university departments, research labs, innovation centres, and business incubators who would collocate and cooperate for mutually beneficial goals and objectives.
- To be agile and flexible in designing programs and operational constructs to keep pace with the ever-expanding world of knowledge while ensuring compliance with the regulatory guidelines.
The university has already resumed its journey as a research centre called TCG CREST with PhD scholars working in frontier technologies. It's working in the areas of Quantum Computing, Neurosciences, Cryptology, Data Driven Intelligence, and Sustainable Energy. The researches are being led by globally renowned scientists who have joined the initiative from institutions and universities like UC Berkeley which are known for their leadership in research efforts globally. They are all working on ideas that are translatable to industry use.
As an institution, the not-for-profit TCG CREST is especially dedicated to the three Ks: Knowledge Creation, Knowledge Application, and Knowledge Dissemination. The focus is on creating a strong network with highly-reputed knowledge centres throughout the world --- universities, research institutions, technology-driven global corporate entities, and academic communities. The goal is to inculcate a strong culture of continual knowledge exchange through: research, student exchange, faculty exchange, joint projects, collaborative workshops, and participative seminars.
Since translational research will be a prime focus area of TCG CREST University, it is envisaged that working opportunities for more than 200 research scholars will be created every year. It will eventually build up to a large critical mass for each of the focus areas sustaining at over 5000 at a steady state. As a part of the global innovation ecosystem, these research centres along with a university will help curate an intellectual property (IP) base with entrepreneurial opportunities and high-end jobs in the state. It will also provide a technology boost to the local Agro/Food Services sector and result in dramatic improvements in productivity across infrastructure, industry and Government sectors.
Media Contact:
Suparna Pathak - suparna@contentcrankers.com
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SOURCE TCG | https://www.wibw.com/prnewswire/2022/04/20/tcg-proposes-translational-fundamental-research-oriented-global-scale-university/ | 2022-04-20T15:51:54Z |
Boston-Based Real Estate Firm Celebrates 30 Years of Revitalizing Urban Communities and Investing in Quality of Life for Residents and Businesses Across New England
BOSTON, July 28, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Cathartes, a leading Boston-based real estate company that has a progressive focus on smart living, is celebrating 30 years of business at a time when the real estate industry is undergoing immense change due much in part to the long-term effects of the global pandemic. Cathartes has been at the forefront of multi-family development trends with a company vision that incorporates the creation of a healthy balance between life and work, as well as proactively anticipating the needs of modern, mobile and connected communities.
"We're thrilled to be celebrating our 30th anniversary and look forward to many more years of developing projects tailored to the needs of the communities across New England," said Jim Goldenberg, Principal of Cathartes. "The projects that Cathartes has done to date incorporate what we call Smart Living, a focus on wellness, community, sustainability and balancing work and home life. The pandemic did not create these trends but simply accelerated the demand for mixed-use, 'smart living' buildings."
"As the industry continues to try to keep up with the pivots of real estate needs, we've tried to stay in front of those evolving trends for many years and are positioned well for the next 30 years of business," said Jeff Johnston, Principal of Cathartes. "We couldn't be more proud of our work on projects such as Portwalk in Portsmouth New Hampshire, Harborwalk at Plymouth Station in Plymouth, MA and Orpheum in Dover, New Hampshire, among others and look forward to continuing to work with communities across New England."
As the Cathartes team continues to create environments that are steps ahead of the evolving needs of a rapidly-changing society, they believe the following industry trends will dictate real estate growth over the next few decades:
There will be a continued migration away from the large, congested metropolitan areas toward smaller, high quality of life, more affordable urban centers. New England cities such as Portland, Maine, Portsmouth, New Hampshire and Plymouth, Massachusetts are examples of these types of destinations that offer a quality urban experience, access to a great culture, restaurants and proximity to outdoor recreation.
Although higher interest rates will cool the residential market in the short-term, consumers will continue to find value in their houses because that is where they are spending the most time. The work from home trend is here to stay and as a result, activities like online exercise, take-out dining and the overall "live/work/play" model will require consumers' homes to provide more utility and therefore greater value.
Consumers will increasingly look beyond the house itself when evaluating a community in which to live. They will look for opportunities to live in a development that shares their sustainability, wellness, community and work/life values, which will in turn have greater influence in the buying or renting decision.
Urban environments with strong cultural infrastructure will always be in demand. While the growth of remote and hybrid work will reduce office demand in cities like Boston and New York, residential demand will only continue to grow. Office buildings, particularly older class B and C buildings, will convert to residential and add to the inventory. More residential inventory could offer more affordability, diversity and general appeal of our cities.
To learn more about Cathartes, visit www.cathartes.com.
Cathartes is a Boston-based private real estate firm with over 1.5 billion in investments across the Northeast. With every project, they strive to meet the evolving needs of an ever-changing society with purposeful spaces that promote smart living. Cathartes is currently planning and developing residential mixed-use projects in Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Maine. To learn more about Cathartes, visit www.cathartes.com.
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SOURCE Cathartes | https://www.wibw.com/prnewswire/2022/07/28/cathartes-leads-way-mixed-use-smart-living-growing-real-estate-trend/ | 2022-07-28T14:31:35Z |
NEW YORK (AP) — The Boss is hitting the road again, and the E Street Band band is coming with him.
The rockers announced Monday that they will begin an arena tour in February in the United States, followed by stadium shows beginning in April in Europe.
Details on the cities the rockers will visit in the U.S. will be announced later, but it’ll be the first time the group has toured since wrapping The River Tour in Australia in February 2017.
“After six years, I’m looking forward to seeing our great and loyal fans next year,” Springsteen said in a statement.
The European concerts will begin April 28th in Barcelona, the announcement said. Other stops in Europe will include Dublin, Paris, Rome, Amsterdam, Copenhagen with the last European show announced so far happening July 25 in Monza, Italy. Concerts in Britain and Belgium will also be announced later.
The North American dates will be split into two segments, with a second leg beginning in August.
The group’s last release was the 2020 album “Letter to You.”
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Online: brucespringsteen.net. | https://cw33.com/entertainment-news/ap-entertainment/bruce-springsteen-and-e-street-band-to-tour-in-us-europe-2/ | 2022-05-24T19:23:40Z |
TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — Tom Brady returned to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Monday, ending what has been described as an 11-day, prearranged break from training camp for personal reasons.
The seven-time Super Bowl champion didn’t address the media after practicing. Teammates and coach Todd Bowles said the 45-year-old quarterback was sharp throwing the ball and essentially took up where he left off when he left the team on Aug. 11.
“If anybody can get away with the 11-day break during training camp, it’s Tom,” tight end Cameron Brate said. “He came back, kind of firing on all cylinders again. We’re all excited he’s back and ready to move on.”
While he was away, Brady missed two preseason games that Bowles said the quarterback would not have played in even if he were with the team.
The coach said the break had been planned since well before the start of training camp last month.
“His presence is different, just the leader he is, the type of guy he is,” linebacker Lavonte David said. “It’s great to have a guy like that back. He came back ready to take off where he left off.”
In Brady’s absence, backup Blaine Gabbert and third-stringer Kyle Trask shared most of the snaps in practice and during preseason losses to the Miami Dolphins and Indianapolis Colts. Bowles said it has not been determined if — or how much — Brady might play in Saturday night’s preseason finale at Indianapolis.
The quarterback’s return comes as the Bucs continue to deal with injuries to an offensive line facing the prospect of entering the Sept. 11 season opener with at least two new starters. Center Ryan Jensen was lost to a knee injury on the second day of camp and left guard Aaron Stinnie suffered a season-ending knee injury against the Titans last weekend.
Bowles said the biggest thing Brady missed during his time away was some conditioning.
“He’s very familiar with the offense. So him coming back in, and us getting back to work, is kind of normal,” the coach said.
“Any time you have all your guys back, you feel good,” Bowles added. “Especially after the injury bug we’ve had lately, we’re glad to have him back.”
Stinnie, who was competing for the opening on the offensive line created by the surprise retirement of Ali Marpet, and linebacker Cam Gill (foot) were placed on injured reserve Monday.
Second-year pro Robert Hainsey is the leading option to open the season at center.
With Stinnie out, rookie Luke Goedeke and second-year pro Nick Leverett will compete for the left guard job, although there’s still a possibility the team could try to find outside help.
“We like our in-home options, but there has got to be a player available for us to like to add a player,” Bowles said. “We’re not just going to sign one to sign one.”
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More AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl and https://twitter.com/AP_NFL | https://cw33.com/sports/ap-sports/tom-brady-ends-11-day-break-rejoins-buccaneers-for-practice/ | 2022-08-23T13:04:19Z |
GUANGZHOU, China, May 26, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- CNFinance Holdings Limited (NYSE: CNF) ("CNFinance" or the "Company"), a leading home equity loan service provider in China, today announced its unaudited financial results for the first quarter ended March 31, 2022.
First Quarter 2022 Operational and Financial Highlights
- Total loan origination volume[1] was RMB2.3 billion (US$357.7 million) during the first quarter of 2022, representing a decrease of 17.9% from RMB2.8 billion in the same period of 2021.
- Total outstanding loan principal[2] was RMB9.6 billion (US$1.5 billion) as of March 31, 2022, as compared to RMB10.4 billion as of December 31, 2021.
- Total number of transactions[3] was 4,321 during the first quarter of 2022, representing a decrease of 15.1% from 5,092 in the same period of 2021.
- Total interest and fees income were RMB417.4 million (US$65.8 million) in the first quarter of 2022, representing a decrease of 1.8% from RMB425.1 million in the same period of 2021.
- Net income was RMB43.1 million (US$6.8 million) in the first quarter of 2022, compared to RMB85.6 million in the same period of 2021.
- Basic and diluted earnings per ADS were RMB0.63 (US$0.10) and RMB0.63 (US$0.10), respectively, in the first quarter of 2022, as compared to RMB1.25 and RMB1.19, respectively, in the same period of 2021.
Mr. Bin Zhai, Chairman and CEO of CNFinance, commented,"In the first quarter of 2022, China's economic growth has slowed down. Regional lockdowns caused by unexpected local outbreaks of COVID-19 have negatively affected our business. In response, the Company focused on stabilizing business operations and managing risks, and was able to deliver a stable performance. During the first quarter of 2022, we facilitated loans of RMB2.3 billion, and recorded revenue and net income of approximately RMB417 million and RMB43 million, respectively.
Going forward, we are likely to be continuously challenged by economic fluctuations. At the same time, we are also presented with huge opportunities as the government is now encouraging financial institutions to offer more support to MSEs. To seize such opportunities, we strive to upgrade our business model to an operation-oriented and asset-light model, under which we will act as the service provider and the manager of loans. At the same time, we will expand our business by diversifying our product portfolio, helping sales partners expand their business scale and reducing our own funding cost.
We have always stayed true to our mission of providing accessible, affordable and convenient financial services to MSE owners. With more supportive macro policies taking effect, we are confident that there will be another surge of capital demand from MSE owners. We believe we will be well-prepared to seize such opportunity and expand our business, increase our revenue and provide higher returns to our shareholders."
First Quarter 2022 Financial Results
Total interest and fees income decreased by 1.8% to RMB417.4 million (US$65.8 million) for the first quarter of 2022 from RMB425.1 million in the same period of 2021, primarily due to a decrease in the Company's interest income on loans.
Interest and financing service fees on loans decreased by 1.7% to RMB414.7 million (US$65.4 million) for the first quarter of 2022 from RMB422.0 million in the same period of 2021, primarily due to (a) lower average effective interest rates of outstanding loans, and (b) the decrease of average daily outstanding loan principal in the first quarter of 2022 as compared to the same period of 2021. The decrease in average daily outstanding loan principal was due to the lower loan facilitation volume in the first quarter of 2022 resulted from the lockdowns due to local outbreaks of COVID-19 in multiple cities within China.
Interest on deposits with banks decreased by 12.9% to RMB2.7 million (US$0.4 million) for the first quarter of 2022 from RMB3.1 million in the same period of 2021, primarily due to smaller average daily balance of time deposits.
Interest and fees expenses increased by 28.5% to RMB200.9 million (US$31.7 million) for the first quarter of 2022, compared to RMB156.3 million in the same period of 2021, primarily due to the increase in the outstanding principal of other borrowings as well as the funding costs from trust companies.
Net interest and fees income decreased by 19.5% to RMB216.5 million (US$34.1 million) for the first quarter of 2022, from RMB268.8 million in the same period of 2021.
Collaboration cost for sales partners, representing sales incentives paid to sales partners, decreased by 18.9% to RMB79.6 million (US$12.6 million) for the first quarter of 2022, compared to RMB98.1 million in the same period of 2021, primarily attributable to lower fee rate the Company paid to the sales partners resulted from lower average effective interest rates of outstanding loans.
Net interest and fees income after collaboration cost was RMB136.9 million (US$21.5 million) for the first quarter of 2022, representing a decrease of 19.8% from RMB170.7 million in the same period of 2021.
Provision for credit losses was RMB32.6 million (US$5.1 million) for the first quarter of 2022, as compared to a reversal of RMB17.2 million in the same period of 2021. The increase was due to the increasing economic uncertainties caused by lockdowns in reaction to local outbreaks of COVID-19 as well as the downward pressure faced by China's real estate market during the first quarter of 2022.
Net gains on sales of loans decreased by 17.0% to RMB7.8 million (US$1.3 million) for the first quarter of 2022 from RMB9.4 million in the same period of 2021.
Other gains, net increased by 129.5% to RMB17.9 million (US$2.8 million) for the first quarter of 2022 from RMB7.8 million in the same period of 2021, primarily due to the increase of Credit Risk Mitigation Position forfeited by the sales partners.
Total operating expenses decreased by 15.2% to RMB79.9 million (US$12.6 million) for the first quarter of 2022, compared to RMB94.2 million in the same period of 2021.
Employee compensation and benefits decreased by 12.0% to RMB43.1 million (US$6.8 million) for the first quarter of 2022 from RMB49.0 million in the same period of 2021, primarily attributable to smaller incentives paid to the employees resulted from lower loan origination volume during the first quarter of 2022.
Share-based compensation expenses decreased by 70.2% to RMB1.4 million (US$0.2 million) for the first quarter of 2022 from RMB4.7 million in the same period of 2021. According to the Company's share option plan adopted on December 31, 2019, approximately 50%, 30% and 20% of the option granted will be vested on December 31, 2020, 2021 and 2022, respectively. Related compensation cost of the option grants will be recognized over the requisite period.
Taxes and surcharges increased by 20.9% to RMB8.1 million (US$1.3 million) for the first quarter of 2022 from RMB6.7 million in the same period of 2021, primarily attributable to a increase in the non-deductible value added tax ("VAT"). The increase in VAT was attributable to the characterization of certain amounts as "service fees charged to trust plans" which are a non-deductible item. According to the PRC tax regulations, "service fees charged to trust plans" incur a 6% VAT on the subsidiary level, but are not recorded as an input VAT on a consolidated trust plan level. "Service fees charged to trust plans" was increased in the first quarter of 2022 compared to the same period of 2021 due to newly established trust plans.
Operating lease cost decreased by 14.6% to RMB3.5 million (US$0.6 million) for the first quarter of 2022 as compared to RMB4.1 million for the same period of 2021, primarily due to the continued development of the collaboration model that allowed the Company to further reduce the office leasing costs which previously used to rent offices to accommodate sales staff.
Other expenses decreased by 19.9% to RMB23.8 million (US$3.7 million) for the first quarter of 2022 from RMB29.7 million in the same period of 2021, primarily due to (a) a decrease in fees paid to local channels for introducing sales partners to the Company; (b) a decrease in travelling expenses and traffic expenses due to the lockdowns due to the local outbreak of COVID-19 in multiple cities in China.
Income tax expense was RMB15.4 million (US$2.4 million) for the first quarter of 2022, compared to RMB29.2 million in the same period of 2021, primarily due to decrease in taxable income in the first quarter of 2022 as compared to the same period of 2021.
Effective tax rate increased slightly to 26.3% for the first quarter of 2022 as compared to 25.5% for the same period of 2021.
Net income was RMB43.1 million (US$6.8 million) for the first quarter of 2022, compared to RMB85.6 million in the same period of 2021.
Basic earnings per ADS and diluted earnings per ADS were RMB0.63 (US$0.10) and RMB0.63 (US$0.10), respectively, in the first quarter of 2022, compared to RMB1.25 and RMB1.19, respectively, in the same period of 2021. One ADS represents 20 ordinary shares.
As of March 31, 2022, the Company had cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash of RMB1.7 billion (US$0.3 billion), compared to RMB2.2 billion as of December 31, 2021, including RMB1.2 billion (US$ 0.2 billion) and RMB1.5 billion from structured funds as of March 31, 2022 and December 31, 2021, respectively, which could only be used to grant new loans and activities.
The delinquency ratio for loans originated by the Company increased from 24.1% as of December 31, 2021 to 25.9% as of March 31, 2022. Under the collaboration model, the delinquency ratio for first lien loans increased from 29.1% as of December 31, 2021 to 30.3% as of March 31, 2022, and the delinquency ratio for second lien loans increased from 19.5% as of December 31, 2021 to 22.6% as of March 31, 2022. Under the traditional facilitation model, the delinquency ratio for first lien loans increased from 76.0% as of December 31, 2021 to 100.0% as of March 31, 2022, and the delinquency ratio for second lien loans increased from 75.8% as of December 31, 2021 to 100.0% as of March 31, 2022.
The delinquency ratio (excluding loans held for sale) for loans originated by the Company increased from 16.2% as of December 31, 2021 to 16.8% as of March 31, 2022. Under the collaboration model, the delinquency ratio for first lien loans (excluding loans held for sale) was 18.8% as of March 31, 2022 as compared to 18.9% as of December 31, 2021, and the delinquency ratio for second lien loans (excluding loans held for sale) increased from 14.1% as of December 31, 2021 to 15.9% as of March 31, 2022. Under the traditional facilitation model, the delinquency ratio for first lien loans (excluding loans held for sale) increased from 49.7% as of December 31, 2021 to 100.0% as of March 31, 2022, and the outstanding balance of second lien loans under the traditional facilitation model as of March 31, 2022 was nil.
The NPL ratio for loans originated by the Company increased from 9.4% as of December 31, 2021 to 10.4% as of March 31, 2022. Under the collaboration model, the NPL ratio for first lien loans increased from 12.5% as of December 31, 2021 to 13.8% as of March 31, 2022, and the NPL ratio for second lien loans increased from 6.0% as of December 31, 2021 to 7.1% as of March 31, 2022. Under the traditional facilitation model, the NPL ratio for first lien loans increased from 59.2% as of December 31, 2021 to 100.0% as of March 31, 2022, and the NPL ratio for second lien loans increased from 64.2% as of December 31, 2021 to 99.8% as of March 31, 2022.
The NPL ratio (excluding loans held for sale) for loans originated by the Company decreased from 2.1% as of December 31, 2021 to 1.8% as of March 31, 2022. Under the collaboration model, the NPL ratio for first lien loans (excluding loans held for sale) decreased from 3.0% as of December 31, 2021 to 2.4% as of March 31, 2022, and the NPL ratio for second lien loans (excluding loans held for sale) was 1.5% as of March 31, 2022 as compared to 1.4% as of December 31, 2021. Under the traditional facilitation model, the NPL ratio for first lien loans (excluding loans held for sale) increased from 14.4% as of December 31, 2021 to 100.0% as of March 31, 2022, and the outstanding balance of second lien loans under the traditional facilitation model as of March 31, 2022 was nil.[4]
Recent Development
US$20 Million Share Repurchase Program
On March 16, 2022, the Company's board of directors authorized a share repurchase program under which the Company may repurchase up to US$20 million of its ordinary shares in the form of American depositary shares (ADSs) during a period of up to 12 months commencing on March 16, 2022. As of March 31, 2022, the Company had repurchased an aggregate of approximately US$334 thousand worth of its ADSs under this share repurchase program.
Business Outlook
The extent to which the COVID-19 pandemic impacts the Company's results of operations will depend on future developments of the pandemic in China and across the globe, which are subject to changes and substantial uncertainty and therefore cannot be predicted. Based on the information available as of the date of this press release, we expect net income to be between RMB10 million and RMB50 million for the second quarter of 2022.
The above outlook is based on the current market conditions and reflects our current and preliminary estimates of market and operating conditions, which are all subject to substantial uncertainty.
Conference Call
CNFinance's management will host an earnings conference call at 8:00 AM U.S. Eastern Time on Thursday, May 26, 2022 (8:00 PM Beijing/ Hong Kong Time on the same day).
Dial-in numbers for the live conference call are as follows:
A telephone replay of the call will be available after the conclusion of the conference call until 11:59 PM ET on June 2, 2022.
Dial-in numbers for the replay are as follows:
A live and archived webcast of the conference call will be available on the Investor Relations section of CNFinance's website at http://ir.cashchina.cn/.
Statement Regarding Preliminary Unaudited Financial Information
The unaudited financial information set out in this earnings release is preliminary and subject to potential adjustments. Adjustments to the consolidated financial statements may be identified when audit work has been performed for the Company's year-end audit, which could result in significant differences from this preliminary unaudited financial information.
Exchange Rate
The Company's business is primarily conducted in China and all of the revenues are denominated in Renminbi ("RMB"). This announcement contains translations of certain RMB amounts into U.S. dollars at specified rates solely for the convenience of the reader. Unless otherwise noted, all translations from RMB to U.S. dollars are made at a rate of RMB6.3393 to US$1.00, the exchange rate set forth in the H.10 statistical release of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System as of March 31, 2022. No representation is made that the RMB amounts could have been, or could be, converted, realized or settled into U.S. dollars at that rate on March 31, 2022, or at any other rate.
Safe Harbor Statement
This press release contains forward-looking statements made under the "safe harbor" provisions of Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These forward-looking statements can be identified by terminology such as "will", "expects", "anticipates", "future", "intends", "plans", "believes", "estimates", "confident" and similar statements. The Company may also make written or oral forward-looking statements in its reports filed with or furnished to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, in its annual report to shareholders, in press releases and other written materials and in oral statements made by its officers, directors or employees to third parties. Any statements that are not historical facts, including statements about the Company's beliefs and expectations, are forward-looking statements that involve factors, risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements. Such factors and risks include, but not limited to the following: its goals and strategies, its ability to achieve and maintain profitability, its ability to retain existing borrowers and attract new borrowers, its ability to maintain and enhance the relationship and business collaboration with its trust company partners and to secure sufficient funding from them, the effectiveness of its risk assessment process and risk management system, its ability to maintain low delinquency ratios for loans it originated, fluctuations in general economic and business conditions in China, the impact and future development of COVID-19 pandemic in China and across the globe, and relevant government law, rules, policies or guidelines relating to the Company's corporate structure, business and industry. Further information regarding these and other risks is included in the Company's filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. All information provided in this press release is current as of the date of the press release, and the Company does not undertake any obligation to update such information, except as required under applicable law.
About CNFinance Holdings Limited
CNFinance Holdings Limited (NYSE: CNF) ("CNFinance" or the "Company") is a leading home equity loan service provider in China. CNFinance conducts business by collaborating with sales partners and trust company partners. Sales partners are responsible for recommending micro- and small-enterprise ("MSE") owners with financing needs to the Company and the Company introduces eligible borrowers to its trust company partners who will then conduct their own risk assessments and make credit decisions. The Company's primary target borrower segment is MSE owners who own real properties in Tier 1 and Tier 2 cities in China. The loans CNFinance facilitated are primarily funded through a trust lending model with its trust company partners who are well-established with sufficient funding sources and have licenses to engage in lending business nationwide. The Company's risk mitigation mechanism is embedded in the design of its loan products, supported by an integrated online and offline process focusing on risks of both borrowers and collateral and further enhanced by effective post-loan management procedures.
For more information, please contact:
CNFinance
E-mail: ir@cashchina.cn
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SOURCE CNFinance Holdings Limited | https://www.kxii.com/prnewswire/2022/05/26/cnfinance-announces-first-quarter-2022-unaudited-financial-results/ | 2022-05-26T11:10:05Z |
SMH named to U.S. News’ Best Hospitals list
SARASOTA, Fla. (WWSB) - Sarasota Memorial Hospital has made its way on to U.S. News’ 2022-2023 “Best Hospitals” list released today.
This year’s rankings place SMH among the 50 “Best Hospitals” in America for rehabilitation for people recovering from serious injuries and debilitating diseases and for specialized urology care.
SMH also garnered “high performer” ratings for a third specialty, gastroenterology and gastrointestinal surgery, as well as 15 widely performed procedures and conditions common among Medicare patients,
Here are additional rankings for procedures the hospital acquired:
• Abdominal aortic aneurysm repair (AAA)
• Aortic valve surgery
• Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)
• Colon cancer surgery
• Diabetes
• Heart attack
• Heart bypass surgery
• Heart failure
• Hip replacement
• Kidney failure
• Knee replacement
• Lung cancer surgery
• Prostate cancer surgery
• Stroke
• Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement (TAVR)
While the Best Hospitals’ specialty rankings are meant for patients with life-threatening or rare conditions who need a hospital that excels in treating complex, high-risk cases, U.S. News also rates hospitals as “high performing,” “average” or “below average” in 20 procedures and the conditions most common among patients 65 and older.
Of the nearly 5,000 hospitals U.S. News evaluates each year, SMH has repeatedly been ranked among the 50 Best Hospitals ranking in at least one specialty. And in Florida, SMH once again earned the #1 spot for the Sarasota-Bradenton-North Port region and #6 spot in Florida.
Now in its 33nd year, U.S. News’ annual “Best Hospitals” rankings are published at: http://health.usnews.com/best-hospitals/rankings
Copyright 2022 WWSB. All rights reserved. | https://www.mysuncoast.com/2022/07/26/smh-named-us-news-best-hospitals-list/ | 2022-07-26T16:30:07Z |
Biden speaks on actions to expand, improve trucking jobs amid supply chain issues
WASHINGTON (Gray News) - President Joe Biden gave remarks Monday on the administration’s Trucking Action Plan.
The effort, first announced in December, aims to improve access to trucking jobs and fair compensation and conditions, as well as helping ease supply chain issues contributing to inflation.
“2021 was the best year for trucking employment since 1994,” Biden said. “There are now 35,000 more trucking jobs than there were before the pandemic, but we all know we need to move faster, getting more people working in this industry that they can rely on and raise a family on.”
In a news release, the White House stated it has been working to streamline the process to get commercial drivers licenses and increase the number of registered apprenticeship programs. It also encouraged partnerships connecting veterans to trucking careers, among other initiatives.
Trucking moves 72% of goods in the U.S., the White House said. December-February marked the best 3-month stretch for hiring in the industry since the ‘90s.
Frontline truckers’ real wages grew last year despite elevated inflation, the administration said.
Other work is aimed at workplace safety, worker’s rights and ensuring trucking is a safe and inclusive industry for women, the White House stated.
Copyright 2022 Gray Media Group, Inc. All rights reserved. | https://www.mysuncoast.com/2022/04/04/biden-speak-actions-expand-improve-trucking-jobs-amid-supply-chain-issues/ | 2022-04-06T17:46:47Z |
NEW YORK, April 11, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Pomerantz LLP is investigating claims on behalf of investors of Gatos Silver, Inc. ("Gatos" or the "Company") (NYSE: GATO). Such investors are advised to contact Robert S. Willoughby at newaction@pomlaw.com or 888-476-6529, ext. 7980.
The investigation concerns whether Gatos and certain of its officers and/or directors have engaged in securities fraud or other unlawful business practices.
On January 25, 2022, post-market, Gatos issued a press release disclosing that "[d]uring the Company's resource and reserve update process for the Los Gatos Joint Venture ("LGJV") . . . the Company concluded that there were errors in the technical report entitled 'Los Gatos Project, Chihuahua, Mexico' with an effective date of July 1, 2020 (the '2020 Technical Report'), as well as indications that there is an overestimation in the existing resource model." Accordingly, "[o]n a preliminary basis, the Company estimates a potential reduction of the metal content of CLG's mineral reserve ranging from 30% to 50% of the metal content remaining after depletion" and advised that "the mineral resource and reserve estimates in the 2020 Technical Report should not be relied upon."
On this news, Gatos' stock price fell $7.02 per share, or 68.89% percent to close at $3.17 per share on January 26, 2022.
Pomerantz LLP, with offices in New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, Paris, and Tel Aviv, is acknowledged as one of the premier firms in the areas of corporate, securities, and antitrust class litigation. Founded by the late Abraham L. Pomerantz, known as the dean of the class action bar, Pomerantz pioneered the field of securities class actions. Today, more than 85 years later, Pomerantz continues in the tradition he established, fighting for the rights of the victims of securities fraud, breaches of fiduciary duty, and corporate misconduct. The Firm has recovered numerous multimillion-dollar damages awards on behalf of class members. See www.pomlaw.com.
CONTACT:
Robert S. Willoughby
Pomerantz LLP
rswilloughby@pomlaw.com
888-476-6529 ext. 7980
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SOURCE Pomerantz LLP | https://www.mysuncoast.com/prnewswire/2022/04/12/shareholder-alert-pomerantz-law-firm-investigates-claims-behalf-investors-gatos-silver-inc-gato/ | 2022-04-12T01:15:47Z |
Leading AI - based clinical intelligence company Kognitic innovates the precision medicine landscape through the release of PMx, a unique platform that delivers comprehensive and actionable data intelligence insights.
SOMERSET, N.J., June 7, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Kognitic ushers in the future of precision oncology with PMx, a powerful, fully-automated, and user-intuitive platform that delivers comprehensive and actionable data intelligence and insights for biomarker-driven oncology clinical trials.
Precision medicine shapes the future of patient care as one of the leading approaches for disease treatment and prevention, in the field of oncology. Speed and accuracy are critical for pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies as they conduct genetic studies, develop precision therapies, and design clinical trials to continue to advance public health.
PMx is at the forefront of this new frontier, providing a complete, dynamic view of oncology clinical trial data from worldwide registries as such data is released, annotated with sophisticated machine learning algorithms, and presented through easily customizable visuals.
Trusted by the world's largest and most successful healthcare and pharmaceutical companies, PMx is a turnkey solution that empowers data-guided decisions and accelerates product development. With biomarker-driven trend analytics and strategy delivered in real-time, companies can quickly and accurately uncover untapped spaces and patient segments for drug development, screening technology, companion diagnostics, and lines of therapy. Companies can leverage complete, competitive intelligence from PMx to optimize their precision medicine pipeline, innovating the clinical trials of tomorrow.
For more information or to book a demo, visit kognitic.com/pmx or send an email to info@kognitic.com.
Kognitic is a data intelligence and strategy company based in Morristown, New Jersey. As innovators of AI, Kognitic revolutionizes the healthcare market through the delivery of the most advanced data intelligence solutions for the world's largest and most successful pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies, using machine learning to derive insights into the competitive landscape, optimize site selection, recruitment strategy, and clinical trial design.
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SOURCE Kognitic | https://www.wibw.com/prnewswire/2022/06/07/pioneering-precision-medicine-introducing-kognitic-pmx/ | 2022-06-07T12:39:58Z |
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden excoriated “MAGA Republicans” and the extreme right on Monday, pitching personal Labor Day appeals to swing-state union members who he hopes will turn out in force for his party in November.
“The middle class built America,” Biden told a workers’ gathering at park grounds in Milwaukee. “Everybody knows that. But unions built the middle class.”
Later Monday, he flew to West Mifflin, outside Pittsburgh — returning to Pennsylvania for the third time in less than a week and just two days after his predecessor, Donald Trump, staged his own rally in the state.
The unofficial start of fall, Labor Day also traditionally starts a political busy season where campaigns scramble to excite voters for Election Day on Nov. 8. That’s when control of the House and Senate, as well some of the country’s top governorships, will be decided.
Trump spoke Saturday night in Wilkes-Barre, near Scranton, where Biden was born. The president made his own Wilkes-Barre trip last week to discuss increasing funding for police, to decry GOP criticism of the FBI after the raid on Trump’s Florida estate and to argue that new, bipartisan gun measures can help reduce violent crime.
Two days after that, Biden went to Independence Hall in Philadelphia for a prime-time address denouncing the “extremism” of Trump’s fiercest supporters.
Trump has endorsed candidates in key races around the country and Biden is warning that some Republicans now believe so strongly in Trumpism that they are willing to undermine core American values to promote it. The president said Thursday that “blind loyalty to a single leader, and a willingness to engage in political violence, is fatal to democracy.”
Trump responded during his Saturday rally that Biden is “an enemy of the state.” Republican National Committee Chair Ronna McDaniel tweeted Monday that Biden “is the most anti-worker president in modern history,” noting that high inflation had taken a bite out of American wages, income and savings.
During his address in Milwaukee, Biden said “Not every Republican is a MAGA Republican” but singled out those who have taken Trump’s “Make America Great Again” campaign cry to dangerous or hateful lengths. He highlighted episodes like last year’s mob attack on the U.S. Capitol.
He said that many in the GOP are “full of anger, violence, hate, division.”
“But together we can, and we must, choose a different path forward,” Biden said. “A future of unity and hope. we’re going to choose to build a better America.”
The crowd jeered loudly as the president repeatedly chided Republican Sen. Ron Johnson of Wisconsin for voting against a Democratic-backed measure meant to lower prescription drug prices. The president also suggested Johnson and other congressional Republicans were willing to undermine Social Security.
Unions endorsements helped Biden overcome disastrous early finishes in Iowa and New Hampshire to win the 2020 Democratic primary, and eventually the White House. He has since continued to praise the labor movement as president.
Mary Kay Henry, president of the 2 million-member Service Employees International Union, called Biden’s championing of unions heading into the midterm elections “critical” and said workers must “mobilize in battlegrounds across the country to ensure that working people turn out.”
“We’re really excited about the president speaking directly to workers about, if he had the opportunity, he’d join a union,” Henry said. She added: “This president has signaled which side he’s on. And he’s on the side of working people. And that matters hugely.”
In Pennsylvania, Biden addressed members of the United Steelworkers and noted that Trump is a “former, defeated president.”
Referencing Trump’s persistent, false claims of fraud in the 2020 presidential election, Biden said, “You can’t love the country and say how much you love it when you only accept one of two outcomes of an election: Either you won or you were cheated.”
Both of the perennial presidential battleground states Biden visited Monday may provide key measures of Democrats’ strength before November. With inflation still raging and the president’s approval ratings slightly better but remaining low, how much Biden can help his party in top races — and how much candidates want him to try — remains to be seen.
That was on display in Milwaukee, where Democratic Lt. Gov. Mandela Barnes is trying to unseat incumbent Johnson, but didn’t appear with Biden.
In the state’s other top race, Tim Michels, a construction executive endorsed by Trump, is attempting to deny Democratic Gov. Tony Evers a second term. Evers spoke at the labor event Biden addressed and briefly greeted the president backstage.
“We have a president who understands the challenges facing working families,” Evers told the crowd. He said Biden “hasn’t forgotten that working families matter, not just on Labor Day, but every single day of the year.”
Pennsylvania voters are choosing a new governor, with state Attorney General John Shapiro facing another Trump-endorsed Republican, Doug Mastriano, and a new senator. That race is between Democratic Lt. Gov. John Fetterman and Trump-backed celebrity heart physician Mehmet Oz. Fetterman spoke with Biden before both gave speeches in West Mifflin.
The Pennsylvania and Wisconsin races could decide which party controls the Senate next year, while the winner of each governorship may influence results in 2024′s presidential election. The stakes are particularly high given that some Trump-aligned candidates have spread his lies about widespread fraud that did not occur during the 2020 election. Judges, including ones appointed by Trump, dismissed dozens of lawsuits filed after that election, and Trump’s own attorney general called the claims bogus.
Vice President Kamala Harris paid tribute to organized labor in at breakfast meeting with the Greater Boston Labor Council, declaring “When union wages go up, everybody’s wages go up.”
“When union workplaces are safer everyone is safer,” Harris said. “When unions are strong, America is strong.”
___
Associated Press writer Wilson Ring contributed to this report. | https://cw33.com/news/politics/ap-politics/ap-biden-visiting-2-swing-states-as-midterm-crunch-time-begins/ | 2022-09-06T02:01:06Z |
NEW YORK, April 25, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Pomerantz LLP announces that a class action lawsuit has been filed against Rivian Automotive, Inc. ("Rivian" or the "Company") (NASDAQ: RIVN) and certain of its officers and directors. The class action, filed in the United States District Court for the Central District of California, and docketed under 22-cv-00829, is on behalf of a class consisting of all persons and entities other than Defendants that purchased or otherwise acquired Rivian common stock between November 10, 2021 and March 10, 2022, inclusive (the "Class Period"), and all persons and entities who purchased Rivian common stock pursuant and/or traceable to the Registration Statement (defined below) issued in connection with Rivian's November 2021 initial public offering (the "IPO"). This action asserts claims under Sections 10(b) and 20(a) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (the "Exchange Act") and Sections 11 and 15 of the Securities Act of 1933 (the "Securities Act") against Rivian and certain of the Company's officers and directors.
If you are a shareholder who purchased or otherwise acquired Rivian common stock during the Class Period, or pursuant and/or traceable to the Registration Statement issued in connection with the IPO, you have until May 6, 2022 to ask the Court to appoint you as Lead Plaintiff for the class. A copy of the Complaint can be obtained at www.pomerantzlaw.com. To discuss this action, contact Robert S. Willoughby at newaction@pomlaw.com or 888.476.6529 (or 888.4-POMLAW), toll-free, Ext. 7980. Those who inquire by e-mail are encouraged to include their mailing address, telephone number, and the number of shares purchased.
Rivian is a Delaware corporation with principal executive offices in Irvine, California, that designs, develops, and manufactures electric vehicles ("EVs"), including an electric SUV (the "R1S") and an electric pickup truck (the "R1T").
On October 1, 2021, Rivian filed a registration statement for the IPO on Form S-1, which, after several amendments, was declared effective on November 9, 2021 (the "Registration Statement"). On November 9, 2021, Rivian issued the prospectus for the IPO on Form 424B4, which incorporated and formed part of the Registration Statement.
In connection with the IPO, Rivian offered and sold 175,950,000 shares of its common stock at a price to the public of $78.00 per share, which included the exercise in full by the IPO underwriters of their option to purchase an additional 22,950,000 shares of the Company's common stock. The gross proceeds to the Company from the IPO were $13,724,100,000, before deducting underwriting discounts and commissions, and estimated offering expenses payable by the Company.
In the Registration Statement, Defendants represented, among other things, that Rivian had 55,400 combined preorders for the R1T and R1S, and that Rivian planned to "produce approximately 1,200 R1Ts and 25 R1Ss and deliver approximately 1,000 R1Ts and 15 R1Ss" by the end of 2021.
The complaint alleges that in the Registration Statement and throughout the Class Period, Defendants made materially false and/or misleading statements, as well as failed to disclose material adverse facts, about the Company's business and operations. Specifically, Defendants made false and/or misleading statements and/or failed to disclose that: (i) Rivian would not meet its 2021 production and delivery targets; (ii) Rivian's vehicles were underpriced and the Company would need to substantially increase prices; and (iii) as a result, Defendants' representations about the Company's business, operations, and prospects lacked a reasonable basis.
The truth about Rivian's production capabilities and business prospects began to emerge on December 16, 2021, when Rivian disclosed that it would fall "a few hundred vehicles short of [its] 2021 production target of 1,200 [vehicles]." In addition to admitting that production was lagging, Defendant Robert J. Scaringe ("Scaringe")—the Company's Founder, Chief Executive Officer, and Chairman—acknowledged that Rivian's vehicles were "very aggressively priced" and that, against "the backdrop of inflation," the Company was "look[ing] at [their] pricing."
On this news, Rivian's stock price fell $11.17 per share, or more than 10%, from a close of $108.87 per share on December 16, 2021, to close at $97.70 per share on December 17, 2021.
On January 10, 2022, Rivian confirmed that it had only "produced 1,015 vehicles by the end of 2021" and that only "920 vehicles were delivered by that date."
Additional corrective information surfaced on March 1, 2022, when Rivian announced that it would dramatically increase the starting price of the R1T by about 17% (to approximately $79,000 from $67,500), and the R1S by about 20% (to approximately $84,500 from $70,000). Notably, these price changes would apply not only to future orders, but also to existing preorders (many of which had been placed as long as three or more years prior). According to Defendant Jiten Behl ("Behl"), the Company's Chief Growth Officer, the price increases were the result of "inflationary pressure, increasing component costs, and unprecedented supply chain shortages and delays for parts (including semiconductor chips)."
In a swift and fierce backlash, media outlets reported that many Rivian customers reported that they had cancelled, or planned to cancel, their preorders as a result of the dramatic price hikes.
On this news, Rivian's stock price fell $8.35 per share, or more than 13%, from a close of $61.91 per share on March 1, 2022, to close at $53.56 per share on March 2, 2022.
Just two days later, on March 3, 2022, Defendants retracted aspects of the price increases, now announcing that preorders that had been placed before March 1, 2022, would not be subject to the new prices, and that customers who had cancelled their preorders could reinstate their orders at the original prices. Defendant Scaringe admitted that applying the price increases to existing preorders was "wrong" and "broke [customers'] trust in Rivian."
On this news, Rivian's stock price fell an additional $2.65 per share, or approximately 5%, from a close of $53.56 per share on March 2, 2022, to close at $50.91 per share on March 3, 2022.
Then, on March 10, 2022, Rivian announced disappointing financial results for the fourth quarter of fiscal year 2021, including revenue and adjusted losses per share that fell far below analysts' estimates. Additionally, while analysts had expected Rivian to produce 40,000 vehicles in 2022, Defendants disclosed that the Company expected to produce only 25,000 vehicles in 2022.
On this news, Rivian's stock price fell $3.11 per share, or approximately 7.5%, from a close of $41.16 per share on March 10, 2022, to close at $38.05 per share on March 11, 2022.
Critically, Defendants' December 2021 and March 2022 admissions corroborate allegations raised a week prior to the IPO by Laura Schwab ("Schwab"), a former Rivian executive who had sued the Company for gender discrimination and alleged that senior executives had been warned of production issues and that "it was clear that the [Company's] vehicles were underpriced, and each sale would result in a loss [for] the [C]ompany." Schwab also alleged in her November 4, 2021 lawsuit that she had reported her pricing concerns to other Rivian executives beginning in the spring of 2021, including Defendant Behl, who initially "brushed her off" but eventually agreed that the Company "would need to raise the vehicle prices after the IPO."
As of the time the complaint was filed, the price of Rivian common stock continued to trade below the $78.00 per share IPO price, damaging investors.
Pomerantz LLP, with offices in New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, Paris, and Tel Aviv, is acknowledged as one of the premier firms in the areas of corporate, securities, and antitrust class litigation. Founded by the late Abraham L. Pomerantz, known as the dean of the class action bar, Pomerantz pioneered the field of securities class actions. Today, more than 85 years later, Pomerantz continues in the tradition he established, fighting for the rights of the victims of securities fraud, breaches of fiduciary duty, and corporate misconduct. The Firm has recovered numerous multimillion-dollar damages awards on behalf of class members. See www.pomlaw.com
CONTACT:
Robert S. Willoughby
Pomerantz LLP
rswilloughby@pomlaw.com
888-476-6529 ext. 7980
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SOURCE Pomerantz LLP | https://www.wibw.com/prnewswire/2022/04/25/shareholder-alert-pomerantz-law-firm-reminds-shareholders-with-losses-their-investment-rivian-automotive-inc-class-action-lawsuit-upcoming-deadline-rivn/ | 2022-04-25T18:15:28Z |
New algorithms enable marketers to predict shopper revenue and profit for marketing and customer engagement programs
SEATTLE , July 19, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Retail data and analytics platform SoundCommerce, today released predictive Customer Lifetime Value (CLV) models which leverage machine learning algorithms to predict shopper revenue and bottom-line contribution profit for a brand's marketing and customer engagement campaigns. The new functionality is available as part of SoundCommerce Campaign and SoundCommerce Customer cloud software modules. In addition to measuring CLV as a contribution margin KPI, SoundCommerce enables retail marketers to see and act on accurate views of ad spend, revenue, Return on Ad Spend (ROAS), and profit impact of acquisition and retention marketing programs.
SoundCommerce's new functionality empowers retail marketers to measure and predict essential marketing metrics including shopper lifetime revenue (Customer Lifetime Sales - CLS) and shopper lifetime profit (Customer Lifetime Value - CLV.) With this, leading retail brands have market-leading abilities to:
- Evaluate & predict lifetime performance - Identify which digital acquisition and engagement marketing programs drive the highest CLS and CLV impact.
- Set CAC and retention cost thresholds - Determine optimal Customer Acquisition Cost (CAC) and retention costs that ensure marketing efforts are profitable, through the lens of total lifetime transactions.
- Analyze the lifetime value of segments and individual records - Measure the CLV and CLS of custom-built segments and individual customer records to answer questions such as "how does discounting strategy affect CLV; which products and categories drive highest CLV outcomes; and how do fulfillment and delivery latency affect CLV?"
"As retailers navigate ongoing and future market challenges ahead, visibility into the profit impact of marketing programs and actions is paramount. Optimizing decisions to achieve revenue goals is no longer sufficient. Retailers able to optimize for profit are those who will succeed," stated Eric Best, CEO & co-founder, SoundCommerce. "Our newest release empowers retailers with the ability to analyze past performance through the lens of lifetime revenue and profit, and better yet, to predict future campaign and customer value. This is an invaluable tool for retail marketers operating in an uncertain economic environment."
Predictive CLV is the latest addition to the company's data and analytics offering for marketers, which also delivers the following features:
- QueryBuilder: Empowers data exploration and activation among technical and non-technical users with a simple customer, order, and product segmentation UI.
- Campaign UTM Overrides: Gives retail marketers complete control to re-categorize campaign tracking data for holistic insight into historical campaign performance.
- Flexible Dashboard Filtering: Allows business users to explore data with zero technical support.
- Data Ownership: Allows users to send modeled data to external data warehouses or to layer-on business analytics tools for greater flexibility.
- Custom Visualizations: Allows retail marketers to create visualizations that meet unique business requirements.
- Direct Access to Data: Enables technical users to write custom SQL queries against the SoundCommerce data model.
For additional information on SoundCommerce visit www.soundcommerce.com.
SoundCommerce is an end-to-end retail data and analytics platform that connects and models marketing, operations, and merchandising data so retailers can optimize order and shopper profitability across all business functions. Built for retailers of any size or complexity, SoundCommerce transforms your unique data infrastructure into an easy-to-use, no-code environment that is accessible to everyone — no engineering degree required. With SoundCommerce, retailers have confidence that every decision and dollar drive profitable growth from first click to doorstep delivery. Founded in 2018, notable customers include: FTD Proflowers, Bed Bath & Beyond, Eddie Bauer, Bala, and Rainbow Shops.
Contact:
Kristine Szarkowitz
(206) 310-5323
kristine@soundcommerce.com
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SOURCE SoundCommerce | https://www.kxii.com/prnewswire/2022/07/19/soundcommerce-announces-predictive-customer-lifetime-value-functionality-optimize-marketing-operations-retailers/ | 2022-07-19T12:12:17Z |
Which brand makes the best iced coffee maker?
Iced coffee is an excellent way to drink a caffeinated beverage on a hot day, and many people enjoy drinking it throughout the year. Still, it can be an expensive habit if you buy individual drinks from coffee shops. Learning how to make iced coffee at home results in significant savings, but choosing the right iced coffee maker can be tricky. If you’re trying to decide between a Mr. Coffee or a Keurig, you must consider a few things first.
Mr. Coffee iced coffee maker
Mr. Coffee is a well-known manufacturer of drip coffee machines, but it also makes several that are ideal for iced coffee. This brand is known for affordable, intuitive coffee makers. Mr. Coffee has single-serve and batch-brewing options available.
Most of this brand’s iced coffee machines cost $30-$60. The brand has been in operation since 1970 and claims its machines are easy to use. Still, some people feel the low price comes at the cost of quality.
Mr. Coffee iced coffee maker pros
- Customization: Many come in numerous colors, such as black, burgundy and lavender.
- Versatility: They can make iced coffee or iced tea.
- Supplementary items: Some include reusable tumblers and other accessories.
- Ease of use: Most feature a single button required for operation. Some have an easy-to-use measurement system, so you always make the perfect cup. The coffee is usually brewed into a cylindrical pitcher that’s easy to clean.
- Compact: These usually don’t take up much space and are easy to store.
- Fast: Many brew a cup of iced coffee in less than five minutes.
Mr. Coffee iced coffee maker cons
- Flavor: Many brew hot coffee over ice, resulting in a watered-down beverage. You can offset this problem by brewing the coffee stronger, although getting the proper ratio can be tricky.
- Longevity: Some people’s machines broke after less than six months.
- Misleading: The brand claims its iced coffee makers use a “RapidChill” brewing process. In reality, the process is nearly identical to brewing a hot cup of coffee.
Best Mr. Coffee iced coffee makers
Mr. Coffee Iced and Hot Coffee Maker
This features an intuitive measuring system and comes with a reusable tumbler. Although some people felt its flavor wasn’t ideal, it can make hot and cold coffee. It’s affordable, compact and easy to use.
Sold by Amazon, Macy’s and Kohl’s
The intuitive design features only a single button. It comes in black, burgundy and lavender. You can brew iced coffee directly into the included tumbler. Still, some people were underwhelmed by its brewing capabilities.
Sold by Amazon
Keurig iced coffee maker
Keurig makes versatile machines that make coffee, tea, hot chocolate and even baby formula. Numerous K Cups are ideal for iced coffee, making Keurig an ideal choice for those who enjoy coffee over ice.
These usually cost between $150-$250 and may not be great for people who brew more than one cup of coffee at a time. Still, their flexibility and range of features make them a popular option.
Keurig iced coffee maker pros
- Multiple cup sizes: They allow you to brew cups between 4 and 12 ounces.
- Sleek design: Keurigs are known for their classy design that looks great in any kitchen.
- Perfect iced coffee: Many come with an iced coffee button that makes a stronger brew ideal for iced drinks. Most people were pleasantly surprised by the flavor.
- Digital display: Most have intuitive displays that make it easy to alter the brew settings.
- Adaptable: The wide selection of K Cups makes Keurigs ideal for those that like variety.
- Easy to use: Most people love that these allow you to brew without a mess at the touch of a button.
Keurig iced coffee maker cons
- Price: Keurigs are significantly pricier than standard coffee machines.
- Produces a lot of trash: Most K Cups are not eco-friendly, and you create trash each time you brew. Still, numerous refillable K Cups are available for those who want to cut down on waste.
Best Keurig iced coffee makers
The large water reservoir lets you brew eight cups of coffee before refilling the water. Most iced beverage lovers were impressed with the iced coffee setting. Many felt this was easier to set up and use than other Keurigs.
Sold by Amazon
This features a sleek design available in black, gray, green or white. It includes a 66-ounce water reservoir, although many felt it was wobbly and inconvenient.
Sold by Amazon
Should you get a Mr. Coffee iced coffee maker or a Keurig iced coffee maker?
Overall, Keurig is the superior brand for those who love iced coffee and are willing to spend the extra money. Mr. Coffee is an ideal choice for people who are still deciding whether they want to make iced coffee at home and for those who want to save money.
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Cody Stewart writes for BestReviews. BestReviews has helped millions of consumers simplify their purchasing decisions, saving them time and money.
Copyright 2022 BestReviews, a Nexstar company. All rights reserved. | https://cw33.com/reviews/mr-coffee-iced-coffee-maker-vs-keurig-iced-coffee-maker/ | 2022-05-04T16:55:56Z |
SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — As the war in Ukraine stretches into its seventh month, North Korea is hinting at its interest in sending construction workers to help rebuild Russian-occupied territories in the country’s east.
The idea is openly endorsed by senior Russian officials and diplomats, who foresee a cheap and hard-working workforce that could be thrown into the “most arduous conditions,” a term Russia’s ambassador to North Korea used in a recent interview.
North Korea’s ambassador to Moscow recently met with envoys from two Russia-backed separatist territories in the Donbas region of Ukraine and expressed optimism about cooperation in the “field of labor migration,” citing his country’s easing pandemic border controls.
The talks came after North Korea in July became the only nation aside from Russia and Syria to recognize the independence of the territories, Donetsk and Luhansk, further aligning with Russia over the conflict in Ukraine.
The employment of North Korean workers in Donbas would clearly run afoul of U.N. Security Council sanctions imposed on the North over its nuclear and missile programs and further complicate the U.S.-led international push for its nuclear disarmament.
Many experts doubt North Korea will send workers while the war remains in flux, with a steady flow of Western weapons helping Ukraine to push back against much larger Russian forces.
But they say it’s highly likely North Korea will supply labor to Donbas when the fighting eases to boost its own economy, broken by years of U.S.-led sanctions, pandemic border closures and decades of mismanagement.
The labor exports would also contribute to a longer-term North Korean strategy of strengthening cooperation with Russia and China, another ideological ally, in an emerging partnership aimed at reducing U.S. influence in Asia.
Russian Deputy Prime Minister Marat Khusnullin has said that North Korean construction companies have already offered to help rebuild war-torn areas in Donbas, and that North Korean workers would be welcomed if they come.
That’s a clear break from Russia’s position in December 2017, when it backed new U.N. Security Council sanctions, imposed on North Korea for testing an intercontinental ballistic missile, requiring member states to expel all North Korean workers from their territories within 24 months.
Russia now seems eager to undercut those sanctions as it faces a U.S.-led pressure campaign aimed at isolating its economy over its aggression in Ukraine, said Lim Soo-ho, a senior analyst at the Institute for National Security Strategy, a think tank run by South Korea’s spy agency.
“For Russia, the idea of employing North Korean workers for postwar rebuilding has real merit,” Lim said. “Large numbers of North Korean construction workers came to Russia in previous years, and demand for their labor was strong because they were cheap and known for quality work.”
Before the 2017 sanctions, labor exports were a rare legitimate source of foreign currency for North Korea, bringing hundreds of millions of dollars a year to the government.
The U.S. State Department earlier estimated that about 100,000 North Koreans were working overseas in government-arranged jobs, primarily in Russia and China, but also in Africa, the Middle East, Europe and South Asia.
Civilian experts say the workers earned $200 million to $500 million a year for North Korea’s government while pocketing only a fraction of their salaries, often toiling for more than 12 hours a day under constant surveillance by their country’s security agents.
While Russia sent home some North Korean workers before the U.N. deadline in December 2019, an uncertain number remained, continuing to work or becoming stuck after the North sealed its borders to fend off COVID-19.
North Korea could easily mobilize possibly several hundreds or even thousands of workers to Donbas if it decides to use the laborers who remained in Russia, said Kang Dong Wan, a North Korea expert at South Korea’s Dong-A University.
It’s not yet clear how lucrative Donbas would be for North Korea.
Russia is short of cash, battered by Western sanctions targeting its financial institutions and a broad swath of industries. North Korea likely has no interest in being paid in rubles because of worries about the currency’s purchasing power, which bottomed out during the war’s early days before Moscow took steps to artificially restore its value.
North Korea might be willing to be compensated with food, fuel and machinery, an exchange that would likely also violate Security Council sanctions, Lim said.
Hong Min, a senior analyst at South Korea’s Institute for National Unification, said North Korea could have bigger things in mind than short-term gains from labor exports.
“The United States’ strategic competition with China and confrontation with Russia have given North Korea breathing room as it steps up to join Moscow and Beijing in a united front to counter U.S. influence and promote a multipolar international system,” Hong said.
North Korea has already used the war in Ukraine to ramp up its weapons development, exploiting divisions in the Security Council, where Russia and China in May vetoed a U.S.-backed resolution to tighten sanctions on North Korea over its revived ICBM testing this year.
North Korea and Russia also see eye-to-eye on key policies.
North Korea has repeatedly blamed the United States for the Ukraine crisis, saying the West’s “hegemonic policy” justifies military actions by Russia in Ukraine to protect itself.
Russia, meanwhile, has repeatedly condemned the revival of large-scale military exercises between the U.S. and South Korea this year, accusing the allies of provoking North Korea and aggravating tensions.
Alexander Matsegora, Russia’s ambassador to North Korea, has backed its dubious assertion that its COVID-19 outbreak was caused by South Korean activists who flew anti-North Korean leaflets and other materials across the border with balloons.
Nam Sung-wook, a professor at the unification and diplomacy department of South Korea’s Korea University, is one of the few experts who sees the labor exports beginning soon.
Desperate to address its economic woes, North Korea might send small groups of workers to Donbas on “scouting missions” over the next few months and gradually increase the numbers depending on how the war goes, he said.
“Interests are aligning between Pyongyang and Moscow,” Nam said. “One hundred or 200 workers could eventually become 10,000.” | https://cw33.com/news/international/ap-international/ap-n-korea-may-send-workers-to-russian-occupied-east-ukraine/ | 2022-09-02T03:43:13Z |
9-year-old killed after being shot multiple times in apartment building
CHICAGO (WLS) - Two children were shot in a Chicago apartment building early Saturday.
A 9-year-old boy was killed after being shot a number of times, and a 6-year-old was grazed by a bullet.
The scene took place in Skokie around midnight. Some residents said they heard several rounds of bullets rattling through the neighborhood.
“I thought it was firecrackers,” Joel Rolnick said. “All I heard was just a bunch of pops. Pop pop, pop, pop, pop, pop, pop pop pop.”
Police attempted lifesaving measures on the 9-year-old boy when they arrived at the apartment. They said he later died from injuries he suffered in the shooting.
The 6-year-old who was grazed by a bullet is recovering at a nearby hospital.
The situation was a surprise to neighbors in the area.
“Any loss of life is pretty sad, and it’s pretty uncommon for the area for something like this to unfold, just unfortunate,” Josh Gordon said.
The circumstances around the shooting are still unclear.
“This is my regular walk,” Edward Donlon said. “I think it’s terrible, you know? It’s very sad.”
With an investigation underway, the residents said they’re tired of hearing about violence.
“I mean, the problem is, it is happening so much that you start to, you know, ‘Oh, it’s another one,’” Rolnick said. “Okay, you know, but it tears at the heart. It’s horrible.”
Police haven’t made any arrests or named any suspects.
Investigators asked the public to contact the Skokie Police Department if they have any information about the shooting.
Copyright 2022 WLS via CNN Newsource. All rights reserved. | https://www.mysuncoast.com/2022/05/15/9-year-old-killed-after-being-shot-multiple-times-apartment-building/ | 2022-05-15T17:57:09Z |
Harness STO Module Enables Developers to Deliver Highly Secure Applications, Accelerate Deployment Velocity and Minimize Rework
SAN FRANCISCO, Aug. 2, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Harness, the Modern Software Delivery Platform™ company, today announced the general availability of Harness Security Testing Orchestration (STO). The Harness STO module helps organizations deliver business value to their customers more quickly by increasing release velocity and security in deployments, reducing risk and bringing security to all aspects of the software delivery lifecycle (SDLC). Harness STO eases developer workload by automating security scanning and governance in software delivery. To get started with Harness STO, visit https://harness.io/products/security-testing-orchestration.
Standard application security testing practices were not necessarily built with either speed or transparency in mind. Organizations today recognize that increasing the velocity of software delivery through automation is critical to rapidly deliver value to customers. As DevOps continues to gain popularity for rapid software delivery, concerns regarding the speed to quickly identify and remediate application security vulnerabilities and associated risks have increased.
To address these concerns, leading organizations are adopting a DevSecOps approach, which encourages security automation throughout the entire release process and moves security earlier in the software delivery lifecycle (SDLC). While DevSecOps alleviates many late-stage security concerns and the related rework, it also 'shifts left' the work required by developers. As a result, developers need to balance the quality and speed at which they deliver features. Since there is significant time dedicated to running multiple security scanners, processing the large amounts of disparate data they create, and identifying, prioritizing and remediating the security vulnerabilities that are detected, this approach often slows down release velocity.
According to a recent Gartner® report on DevSecOps, "As DevOps continues to gain popularity for rapid delivery and innovation of IT-enabled capabilities, concerns about security increase. Security and risk management leaders must adapt security tools, processes and policies to the DevOps toolchain without slowing the development and release process. …DevOps practices encourage automation to achieve scale, but security has traditionally been manual, process-heavy and gate-driven — the antithesis of automation, transparency and speed."
* (Gartner Report ID # G00377293, "Integrating Security into the DevSecOps Toolchain")
The Harness STO module is fully integrated into the Harness Software Delivery Platform and is purpose-built to enable engineering and DevSecOps teams to deliver secure applications at high velocity. By automating the scanning, analysis, and prioritization that otherwise slows down the engineering team, Harness STO makes it possible to create and enforce application security policies for a single service or across the whole organization. Orchestrating application security scanners across software delivery and processing the output of the scanners to make it easy for engineers to remediate allows for both high application security and high delivery velocity. Harness STO integrates with leading open source and commercial security scanners and can be used with Harness CI/CD or other CI/CD tooling.
Harness STO eliminates the time consuming manual process of reviewing, synthesizing and acting on the volume of disparate data from multiple scanners. Harness STO normalizes, dedupes and correlates the security scanner data and provides a single dashboard with a prioritized list of actionable results to remediate potential code vulnerabilities. Additionally, Harness STO empowers teams to customize governance configuration and establish consistent policies and procedures using policy as code and the Open Policy Agent (OPA).
"As more organizations adopt a cloud-native approach, they must take steps to secure their SDLC. With Harness STO, entire organizations can embrace the DevSecOps approach without requiring developers to become security experts or slowing down deployments. Harness STO makes security a team sport by infusing security into all aspects of the SDLC," said Jyoti Bansal, CEO and founder of Harness.
Harness STO is generally available today and works seamlessly with Harness CI and CD as part of the Harness Software Delivery Platform or is available as a SaaS, on-prem or hybrid offering. For more information on Harness STO please visit https://harness.io/products/security-testing-orchestration.
*Gartner, Integrating Security Into the DevSecOps Toolchain, Mark Horvath, Neil MacDonald, Refreshed 4 March 2021, Published 15 November 2019
GARTNER is a registered trademark and service mark of Gartner, Inc. and/or its affiliates in the U.S. and internationally and is used herein with permission. All rights reserved.
Harness, the Modern Software Delivery Platform™, provides a simple, safe and secure way for engineering and DevOps teams to rapidly release applications into production. Harness uses machine learning to detect the quality of deployments and automatically roll back failed ones, saving time and reducing the need for custom scripting and manual oversight, giving engineers their weekends back. Harness Inc. is based in San Francisco. More on Twitter @harnessio and at harness.io.
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SOURCE Harness | https://www.wibw.com/prnewswire/2022/08/02/harness-accelerates-secure-software-delivery-with-general-availability-harness-security-testing-orchestration-sto/ | 2022-08-02T13:53:19Z |
Down Towns: T-wolves need lift in mood, production from star
By DAVE CAMPBELL
AP Sports Writer
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Karl-Anthony Towns has long stated his contentment with contributing in a variety of ways to Minnesota’s game even if he’s not scoring much. The problem for Towns and the Timberwolves is the three-time All-Star center also has stymied their success at times. Towns has 19 fouls in four postseason games this year. He was on the bench with his fifth foul for a nearly 4-minute stretch in the fourth quarter of Game 3 against Memphis. The Grizzlies surged past the Timberwolves for a 104-95 victory after trailing by 25 points late in the third. | https://localnews8.com/sports/ap-national-sports/2022/04/22/down-towns-t-wolves-need-lift-in-mood-production-from-star/ | 2022-04-22T21:17:19Z |
Reigning champ Garin beats No. 2 seed Fritz in Houston QF
HOUSTON (AP) — Reigning champion Cristian Garin has beaten No. 2 seed Taylor Fritz 6-2, 6-7 (5), 6-3 to reach the semifinals at the U.S. Men’s Clay Court Championship. Garin’s victory Friday allowed him to improve his career record at the tournament to 8-0. Fritz is the highest-ranked American man at No. 13 and had won nine of his past 10 matches, including a title at Indian Wells, California, last month. Garin claimed the Houston title in 2019, and the event wasn’t held either of the next two years because of the pandemic. Garin faces John Isner or Frances Tiafoe next. The other semifinal is Reilly Opelka against Nick Kyrgios. | https://localnews8.com/sports/ap-national-sports/2022/04/08/reigning-champ-garin-beats-no-2-seed-fritz-in-houston-qf/ | 2022-04-09T01:22:28Z |
- EY analysis shows how harsh lessons from the shale boom era have set the path for producers in the decarbonization era.
- 43 of 50 companies in the study report at least one scope of emissions, 33% of those companies report Scope 1 and 2, and at least one category of Scope 3 emissions.
NEW YORK, Aug. 17, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- US oil and gas producers recovered and reset in 2021, posting increased profits of $73.7 billion and $211.9 billion in revenues, with significant deal activity that drove $144.1 billion in capital expenditures (capex), according to the EY US oil and gas reserves, production and ESG benchmarking study. The study documents how the industry's 50 largest publicly traded exploration and production (E&P) companies (based on year-end 2021 US oil and gas reserves) responded to higher commodity prices in 2021 with an analysis of reserve and production information, as well as their environmental, social and governance (ESG) disclosures.
Higher commodity prices and increased pressure from investors for returns led independents to increase their share repurchases and dividend payments by 122% from $8.1 billion in 2020 to $18.1 billion in 2021. This trend in capital allocation was reinforced when reviewing development and exploration costs, which, as a percentage of netback (revenues less production costs), decreased from 64% in 2020 to 32% in 2021, according to the study. The integrated oil and gas companies (integrateds) in the study acted similarly, while also demonstrating a focus on decarbonization via their asset strategy, shifting assets to the larger independents.
"The resilience of the oil and gas sector is being tested — from economic and geopolitical uncertainty to access to capital and climate change. However, our historical studies show that E&P companies have learned significant lessons about operational excellence and capital discipline that will serve them well now and in the future," said Herb Listen, EY Americas Energy and Resources Assurance Leader. "The price improvement during 2021 enabled E&P companies to turn the corner toward significant cash flow, but the majority of companies tempered drilling activity, choosing instead to focus their capital allocation strategy on returning capital to investors and optimizing portfolios."
Oil and gas production remained materially flat year over year, growing to its highest level in the study period to 3 billion barrels and 13.9 trillion cubic feet (tcf) in 2021. Production costs per barrel of oil equivalent increased slightly (15%) due to higher commodity prices that impact production taxes and potential cost inflation. The companies in the study reported combined oil reserves of 31.8 billion barrels and combined gas reserves of 188.6 tcf, a 21% and 27% increase, respectively, compared with 2020. The increases were primarily driven by purchases of 3.5 billion barrels and the 4.6 billion barrels of extensions and discoveries in oil reserves, as well as 24.2 tcf of extensions in discoveries in natural gas reserves.
Record year for reserve acquisition with large independents as the biggest buyers
Nearing pre-pandemic levels, capex in 2021 totaled $144.1 billion, 136% higher than 2020. According to the study, 2021 was a record year for reserve acquisition, representing approximately $94 billion, or 65%, of total capex compared with development spending, which was at its lowest amount in the five-year study period at $41.7 billion. The integrateds decreased year-over-year development expenditures by about 25%, whereas the independents increased by about 14%.
"The energy transition and focus on managing emissions have caused oil and gas companies to rethink their portfolios," said David Johnston, EY US-West Region Strategy and Transactions Energy Leader. "The diversity of opinion about the future of oil and gas is evident by the three divergent strategies that are emerging. Working to rebalance their portfolio toward lower-carbon businesses, the integrated companies were big sellers, while smaller independents sold assets due to pressures from capital providers. The buyers have been the large independents looking for value and doubling down on the reality that oil and gas will be needed for decades to come."
ESG: moving from a compliance exercise to a catalyst for innovation
The study found that ESG matters remain high on the minds of management teams of the companies studied. Increasing six percentage points from 2020, 82% of all companies in the study published a sustainability or ESG report. Thirteen companies obtained third-party assurance of their reported ESG metrics, with only two of those companies obtaining reasonable assurance. Further, 43 of the companies reported at least one scope of greenhouse gas emissions, with 33% of those companies reporting at least one category of Scope 3 emissions in addition to their Scopes 1 and 2 emissions.
"More oil and gas companies will begin to embrace ESG and sustainability as a catalyst to innovation throughout their strategy and in operations, rather than view it merely as a compliance exercise," said Pat Jelinek, EY Americas Oil and Gas Leader. "While the approach companies take will look different, the intersection of digital technology and sustainability provides a tangible path to drive strategy and support ongoing resilience."
About the study
The EY US oil and gas reserves, production and ESG benchmarking study is a compilation and analysis of US oil and gas reserve and production information reported by publicly traded companies to the Securities and Exchange Commission and an analysis of certain publicly reported ESG disclosures, as applicable. It presents results for the five-year period from 2017 to 2021 for the 50 largest companies based on 2021 end-of-year US oil and gas reserve estimates.
EY | Building a better working world
EY exists to build a better working world, helping to create long-term value for clients, people and society and build trust in the capital markets.
Enabled by data and technology, diverse EY teams in over 150 countries provide trust through assurance and help clients grow, transform and operate.
Working across assurance, consulting, law, strategy, tax and transactions, EY teams ask better questions to find new answers for the complex issues facing our world today.
EY refers to the global organization, and may refer to one or more, of the member firms of Ernst & Young Global Limited, each of which is a separate legal entity. Ernst & Young Global Limited, a UK company limited by guarantee, does not provide services to clients. Information about how EY collects and uses personal data and a description of the rights individuals have under data protection legislation are available via ey.com/privacy. EY member firms do not practice law where prohibited by local laws. For more information about our organization, please visit ey.com.
This news release has been issued by Ernst & Young LLP, an EY member firm serving clients in the US.
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SOURCE EY | https://www.mysuncoast.com/prnewswire/2022/08/17/us-oil-gas-independents-seek-investor-favor-return-181-billion-shareholders-2021/ | 2022-08-17T12:17:27Z |
Life comes with lots of little annoyances, few of them littler or more annoying than mosquitoes. Just about everyone who spends any time outdoors will be bothered by the bloodsucking party poopers at one point or another.
Although it may seem difficult to avoid mosquitoes, there are several easy measures you can take to reduce or eliminate them from your yard and garden. The best control is prevention.
With the exception of those who live near a lake, marsh or swamp — or in densely packed neighborhoods — most of the blame for mosquito invasions usually falls on the property’s residents. Mosquitoes need only one-quarter inch of water to breed — and a female can lay hundreds of eggs at a time.
Inspect your property for standing water. Even the most diligent among us will likely find water collected in a children’s playset, tire, clogged gutter, pot saucer, overturned trash can lid or flying disc toy. Drain or dump water as you see it, even if the amount appears insignificant, and drill drainage holes in the bottoms of vessels like tire swings.
For water that’s intended to stand, such as in ponds and bird baths, the bacterium Bacillus thuringiensis israelensis (Bti) is a safe and effective way to kill mosquito larvae. Several strains of Bt are available, each targeting different insects, so be sure to buy the israelensis strain to target mosquitoes. The product is also effective against black flies and fungus gnats.
Bti comes in various forms, including donut-shaped briquettes called “Mosquito Dunks.” The floating rings offer 30 days of protection and “will not harm people, pets and other animals, aquatic life, or other insects, including honeybees,” according to the CDC.
If you don’t have a pond or bird bath, you can make a DIY mosquito trap: Add a handful of straw, hay or grass clippings to a (preferably dark-colored) pail filled with water, and let it sit for 1-2 days. Then add one mosquito dunk. For large infestations, tuck several buckets around the yard. The decomposing organic matter will attract the insects, which will lay eggs on the treated water. Replace water and add a fresh dunk every 30 days to thwart future generations of mosquitoes.
Mosquitoes also like to hunker down among weeds and overgrown vegetation. Keep the yard tidy.
Running a standing or box fan at high speed will significantly reduce mosquito activity on your porch, deck or patio. It works by literally blowing the insects away and dispersing our exhaled carbon dioxide, which would otherwise attract them. You’ll keep cooler, too.
Avoid using insecticidal foggers or sprays, which threaten essential pollinators and other beneficial insects while controlling only a small portion of the adult mosquito population. In addition, such applications would need to be repeated multiple times per season.
So-called “mosquito plants” and other plants marketed as repellents do, indeed, contain oils or chemicals that the insects find unappealing. But they’re not effective unless those compounds are released, such as by crushing the leaves. Merely having such a plant in the garden or a pot will not provide any benefit.
Various research studies have shown citronella candles containing lemongrass oil provide mild-to-moderate protection. The jury is out on whether the benefit can be attributed to the repellant properties of the active ingredient, the candle’s ability to mask the human scent or if the flame itself is the deterrent.
In case you’re wondering, mosquitoes do serve a purpose — as pollinators and bird food. Still, because the roles they serve in these areas are minor, eliminating them from your yard will not adversely affect the ecosystem.
Itchy welts aside, many of us live or vacation in areas where mosquitoes can transmit viruses like West Nile, Zika, dengue and chikungunya, and parasitic illnesses like malaria. Pets are at risk, too, with heartworm disease posing the most significant threat.
Wearing long sleeves and pants, reducing time spent outdoors between dusk and dawn, when mosquitoes are most active, and keeping up to date with pets’ heartworm prevention treatments will go a long way toward reducing mosquito bites.
And remember, you don’t live in a barn. Keep the door closed. | https://cw33.com/news/nexstar-media-wire/how-to-nix-mosquitoes-and-reclaim-your-yard-and-garden/ | 2022-08-17T15:46:50Z |
(NerdWallet) – The Biden administration announced plans for federal student loan relief last month. The plans include the cancellation of up to $10,000 in debt for borrowers who meet income requirements and up to $20,000 for Pell Grant recipients. Beyond cancellation, the proposal also extended the pause on loan repayment through the end of the year and introduced a new income-driven repayment plan aimed at lowering monthly payments.
For now, these plans are just, well, plans. And plans can change. Many experts expect the proposal to face legal challenges, so don’t make any big money moves just yet. Here’s what you can do now to prepare for relief, and what it could mean for your budget.
There’s still uncertainty
If the proposal moves forward unchanged, it could still take time for your budget to feel the effects. Loan forgiveness should be automatic for roughly 8 million people because they’ve already supplied income data, according to the Department of Education. The Biden administration aims to make an application available for everyone else by early October. Relief is estimated to come four to six weeks after completing the application.
“There’s still a lot of unanswered questions,” says Kyle Liseno, head of the student loan department at the nonprofit agency American Consumer Credit Counseling. “I’ve been telling people, just kind of stay tuned to studentaid.gov, which is the Department of Education website.” You can also sign up for application notifications on the Department of Education’s subscription page. The application deadline is Dec. 31, 2023. But borrowers are advised to apply before Nov. 15 of this year to get relief before the payment pause ends.
Here’s what could happen if relief withstands legal challenges
It could free up more money for expenses and goals
The newly announced relief plans could erase or reduce a substantial amount of your federal loan debt. (Private student loans are not covered.) The impact on your budget could be massive, especially during a time of heightened inflation and interest rates.
“$10,000 could be a great amount for someone, and it could really help them in terms of just getting back on their feet and getting rid of financial debt,” says Maggie Klokkenga, a certified financial planner in Morton, Illinois.
If you don’t qualify for forgiveness, you’ll still benefit from the pause on loan payments, which has been extended through Dec. 31, 2022 — interest-free. If you keep making payments during the pause, your balance will drop. If you hold off, you can put some of the money you previously spent on payments toward more urgent expenses, such as rent or high-interest debt.
But even if you’re eligible, you won’t be handed a $10,000 check. Klokkenga suggests looking at your previous student loan statements to remind yourself of the minimum payment amount. Then, you can allocate some or all of that amount (depending on how relief impacts your balance) toward saving for an emergency fund and other financial goals, “whether it’s vacation, short term, or whether it’s retirement, long term,” Klokkenga says. “And then you can still have some fun with it, but it’s not to say this is a windfall or that you just won the lottery.”
Liseno says he’s already seen many people pursue financial goals while payments have been paused. “All this deferment has shown that when student loans are off the table, young people are buying homes now. They’re buying cars. That money is going into the economy,” he says.
Think of what you would do with the extra cash if your $300 minimum monthly payment got slashed to $150. Or $0. Klokkenga says using an online tool, such as Utah State University Extension’s PowerPay, can help you create a debt payment or spending plan based on your student loan savings.
You might not feel a difference
Federal student loan payments have been on pause since March 2020. This latest extension should feel familiar.
The relief plan “is going to help a lot of Americans with … their future budgets,” Liseno says. “Because most people haven’t had to pay in almost three years.”
If you took advantage of the pause, you’ve likely already moved money around elsewhere in your budget. Or, if you’ve been responsibly socking the monthly payment amount away in savings, you’ll be accustomed to parting with that money if you still have a balance to pay come January.
Student loan relief plans are still up in the air. It may be tough to predict what will happen with your finances until there’s a clear resolution. In the meantime, stay on top of news and do your best to prepare for different outcomes. | https://cw33.com/news/nexstar-media-wire/what-student-loan-cancellation-could-mean-for-your-budget/ | 2022-09-18T18:57:17Z |
Firm joins leading public agencies in a commitment to increase equity in infrastructure as projects funded by the $1.2 trillion Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act take shape
STV unveils its 4-point action plan to support the Equity in Infrastructure Pledge an joins Advisory Council of the Equity in Infrastructure Project
NEW YORK, June 20, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- STV, a leader in engineering, architectural, planning and program and construction management services, today announced it has signed the Equity in Infrastructure Project (EIP) Pledge, becoming one of the first architecture, engineering and construction (AEC) firms to commit to advancing equity in infrastructure with a goal of increasing the number, size and percentage of historically underutilized businesses (HUBs) growing to prime contractors, participating in joint ventures or becoming equity participants.
STV is the first AEC firm to commit to the EIP Pledge by enhancing how it will engage with its clients, partners and communities through the following 4-point equity action plan:
- Growth: Create more opportunities for HUBs by advising clients how to package contracts to increase the number, value and proportion of both sub and prime contracting opportunities.
- Efficiency: Streamline administrative processes for HUBs by advising clients how to consolidate or eliminate administrative operations to boost HUB access to projects.
- Support: Back policy reforms that help build generational wealth for HUBs such as centralizing certification and removing contract value caps.
- Awareness: Promote, educate and connect clients and industry peers with EIP to raise awareness about the importance of equity in infrastructure and expand the number of signatories to the EIP Pledge.
"The public sector has a tremendous role in driving equity in infrastructure, but that doesn't mean the private sector has to sit on the sidelines. We must seize this historic moment of generational investment in our country's infrastructure as an equally historic opportunity to create generational wealth and expand access to sustainable work for those historically left out," said Greg Kelly, P.E., STV president and CEO. "STV is proud to commit to the Equity in Infrastructure Pledge, and we look forward to working with our clients and our industry peers as we deliver more equitable infrastructure projects in the future."
"As we make investments in long lasting infrastructure projects, we must choose to be intentional and take concrete action to ensure we also make lasting changes in people's lives by building generational wealth and closing the racial wealth gap," said Denver International Airport CEO and EIP Chair and Co-Founder Phillip A. Washington. "We applaud STV for backing up its commitment to equity with action."
In addition to taking the EIP pledge, STV will hold a seat on the EIP Advisory Council to promote broad industry engagement and commitment.
EIP exists to improve public contracting practices to create more prime, joint venture and equity contracting opportunities for HUBs, with the ultimate goal of reducing the racial wealth gap. Through its Pledge, EIP works to secure commitments from public agencies to increase the number, size and scope of contracts going to HUBs by facilitating access and reducing barriers to compete for business. EIP was founded in anticipation of the $1.2 trillion IIJA and to leverage infrastructure spending to build wealth in underserved communities.
As a leader in transportation and infrastructure, STV has a history of launching and executing unique programs to advance equity in its projects and transform the way the firm does business in its communities. Prior to taking in the EIP Pledge, STV proactively formed a joint venture with Arredondo, Zepeda and Brunz, LLC (AZ&B), a Dallas-based HUB, supporting the multi-billion dollar Dallas Fort Worth International Airport (DFW) Infrastructure Capital Program, which will provide the local, small business a direct pathway to larger projects and contracts in the future. For the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority, STV prepared a first-of-its-kind Gender Action Plan that studied the needs of female mass transit riders in its public transportation system. In addition, on behalf of the Connecticut Department of Transportation, STV is performing a Service and Fare Equity (SAFE) analysis, evaluating rail service and both past and potential future fare changes to determine whether these adjustments are discriminatory or inequitable to people of color or those with low incomes.
For more information about STV, visit www.stvinc.com.
Founded more than 100 years ago, STV is a leader in providing engineering, architectural, planning, environmental and program management and construction management services for transportation systems, infrastructure, buildings, energy, water and other facilities. The firm is ranked 35th in Engineering News-Record's Top 500 Design Firms survey and is 10th in its transportation category. For more information, visit the firm's website at www.stvinc.com.
The Equity in Infrastructure Project (EIP) seeks to improve public contracting practices by creating more opportunities for Historically Underutilized Businesses (HUBs) to build generational wealth and reduce the racial wealth gap by creating more prime, joint venture and equity contracting opportunities for these firms. EIP defines HUBs as including firms formally designated as DBEs, Minority and Women-Owned Business Enterprises (M/WBE), Small Business Enterprises (SBE), as well as any other business classification used locally in the United States intended to boost the participation of otherwise underutilized firms, which can vary by state, region, and municipality. Learn more about the EIP Pledge at www.EquityInInfrastructure.org.
Media Contacts:
Marissa Matteo
(215) 444-3406
marissa.matteo@stvinc.com
Yusef Robb
(323) 384-1789
yusef@tkcommunicationsllc.com
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SOURCE STV | https://www.mysuncoast.com/prnewswire/2022/06/20/stv-signs-landmark-equity-infrastructure-project-pledge/ | 2022-06-20T18:45:56Z |
A BYU student flashed a Pride flag at graduation to honor LGBTQ students like herself
By Scottie Andrew, CNN
When Jillian Orr walked across the stage to accept her degree in psychology from the Mormon-owned Brigham Young University, she was anxious — and not just with the usual pre-commencement, rest-of-your-life-ahead-of-you jitters.
Orr planned to use her final moments as an undergrad to honor herself and the other LGBTQ students at BYU like her who hadn’t felt comfortable being fully authentic on campus, instead feeling pressured to hide some or all aspects of their LGBTQ identities. In recent years, the school has made clear that it does not embrace gender and sexual diversity.
She took a breath, smiled and opened up her graduation gown to reveal a rainbow Pride flag, which one of her sisters had sewn into the gown’s lining.
It was a quiet moment of recognition for the years she spent hiding her LGBTQ identity at a school where, Orr said, she feared school administrators and classmates might have turned her in to the school’s Honor Code Office if they discovered she’d been in a same-sex relationship. The Honor Code Office may investigate reported students and choose to take action against students for perceived offenses, including expulsion from the university, according to BYU.
Orr said she didn’t intend her rainbow reveal, her younger sister’s suggestion, to stand as a rebuke to her alma mater.
“I wanted to do this to be honored, to be seen,” Orr told CNN.
To Orr, her faith and identity aren’t at odds
Orr said she had been comfortable at BYU until she felt attracted to another woman.
“I felt like I was forced to choose between my spirituality and sexuality,” Orr said. “It created this inner turmoil and despair, because they’re both so important to me.”
Orr spent time reconciling her bisexuality with the teachings of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, which holds that gay, lesbian and bisexual people can “fully and worthily participate in the Church” so long as they don’t act on their same-sex attraction. (The church holds that sex is “reserved for a man and woman who are married.”)
“I did keep it hidden,” she said of a past queer relationship. “The only people who knew were my immediate family. People I knew could turn me in if they knew. I never felt I was fully authentic.”
She felt confident, after speaking with her best friend and mentor, that her faith and her queerness weren’t at odds with each other.
“The church didn’t give me my relationship with God; the church didn’t give me my spirituality,” she said. “That was mine. I owned that.”
LGBTQ students were affected by honor code changes
In the last two years, LGBTQ students at BYU have seen their school seem to bend to inclusion, only to then double down on exclusion. In 2020, weeks before the pandemic would halt in-person classes, BYU administrators removed a passage from the university’s honor code that explicitly banned “homosexual behavior.” At the time, LGBTQ students were cautiously optimistic that this meant they could be more open about their relationships on campus.
Then came the apparent reversal: Two weeks after students celebrated what they believed was a major change to the honor code, the church clarified that “homosexual behavior” was still “not compatible” with the school’s values. Orr, who was on campus during the whirlwind of celebration and subsequent letdown, called the announcement a “kick in the knees.”
Orr said she was ready to “get to the finish line” and graduate so she wouldn’t have to shield her identity on campus, a process made easier when she was attending classes virtually. But, in a viral TikTok and in conversation with CNN, she recalled taking a quiz her senior year in which students were given a prompt about the actions of “one who truly loves LGBTQ people.” Orr said the answer she chose, which included unconditional love and acceptance, was marked incorrect.
“I had these courses that were causing me to betray myself through my own homework,” she said.
BYU did not immediately respond to multiple CNN requests for comment on the quiz and Orr’s actions on the graduation stage.
BYU students and alumni have supported Orr
Immediately after her graduation gown reveal, Orr said her fellow students were immensely supportive.
Matty Easton, the 2019 BYU valedictorian who used his graduation speech to come out, praised Orr for using the commencement stage to make a statement.
“BYU can prohibit speakers from coming out, but they can’t keep students from sharing their truth,” he tweeted late last month. “Feeling very inspired by this graduate using commencement to come out.”
Orr, who’s now a director of an after-school program for young people, said her spirituality is intact, but her relationship with the Mormon Church is fractured.
“I have a lot of gratitude and I have a lot of pain,” she said. “So, at this moment, I can no longer affiliate with a religion that is not all inclusive.”
As for the university, Orr said she doesn’t hold any ill will toward the school. She said she hopes it heeds the calls of its LGBTQ students and allies to better support them.
“I will give BYU space to change,” she said. “I think they’re capable of it.”
The-CNN-Wire
™ & © 2022 Cable News Network, Inc., a WarnerMedia Company. All rights reserved. | https://localnews8.com/news/national-world/cnn-national/2022/05/03/a-byu-student-flashed-a-pride-flag-at-graduation-to-honor-lgbtq-students-like-herself/ | 2022-05-03T16:32:49Z |
BEIJING, Aug. 11, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Origin Agritech Ltd. (NASDAQ: SEED) (the "Company" or "Origin"), an agriculture technology company, announced today that the company has signed a contract planting agreement with farming company Sichuan Yingdafeng Agriculture Tech Co., Ltd.
Under the terms of the agreement, Sichuan Yingdafeng will grow 100,000 mu (or 16,500 acres) of Origin's NEC corn for the 2023 growing season. Origin will provide the seed and planting support services and guarantees to purchase all the corn once harvested. The corn will be sold to end users based on long-term supply agreements signed with feedstock companies and hog farmers.
The corn will be grown in the Sichuan Province allowing Origin to expand geographically and supply the corn to hog farms in that region, thus improving logistics and limiting expensive shipping costs.
"I am excited to sign this deal with Sichuan Yingdafeng," said Dr. Gengchen Han, Origin Agritech's Chairman. "Origin anticipates doing more deals like this to dramatically increase the supply of its NEC to catch up with the huge growth in demand."
About Origin Agritech Limited
Origin Agritech Limited, founded in 1997 and headquartered in Zhong-Guan-Cun (ZGC) Life Science Park in Beijing, is a leading Chinese agricultural technology company. In crop seed biotechnologies, Origin Agritech's phytase corn was the first transgenic corn to receive the Bio-Safety Certificate from China's Ministry of Agriculture. Over the years, Origin has established a robust biotechnology seed pipeline including products with glyphosate tolerance and pest resistance (Bt) traits. For further information, please visit the Company's website at www.originagritech.com. The company also maintains a twitter account for updating investors on company and industry developments, which is @origin_agritech.
Forward-Looking Statements
This communication contains "forward-looking statements" as defined in the federal securities laws, including Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and as defined in the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements address expected future business and financial performance and financial condition, and contain words like "expect," "anticipate," "intend," "plan," "believe," "seek," "will," "would," "target," and similar expressions and variations. Forward-looking statements address matters that are uncertain. Forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance and are based on assumptions and expectations which may not be realized. They are based on management's current expectations, assumptions, estimates and projections about the Company and the industry in which the Company operates but involve a number of risks and uncertainties, many of which are beyond the company's control. Some of the important factors that could cause the company's actual results to differ materially from those discussed in forward-looking statements are: failure to develop and market new products and optimally manage product life cycles; ability to respond to market acceptance, rules, regulations and policies affecting our products; failure to appropriately manage process safety and product stewardship issues; changes in laws and regulations or political conditions; global economic and capital markets conditions, such as inflation, interest and currency exchange rates; business or supply disruptions; natural disasters and weather events and patterns; ability to protect and enforce the company's intellectual property rights; and separation of underperforming or non-strategic assets or businesses. The company undertakes no duty or obligation to publicly revise or update any forward-looking statements as a result of future developments, or new information or otherwise, should circumstances change, except as otherwise required by securities and other applicable laws. Although the Company believes that the expectations expressed in these forward-looking statements are reasonable, it cannot assure you that such expectations will turn out to be correct, and actual results may differ materially from the anticipated results. You are urged to consider these factors carefully in evaluating the forward-looking statements contained herein and are cautioned not to place undue reliance on such forward-looking statements, which are qualified in their entirety by these cautionary statements.
Media Contact:
Joe Ramelli
Director of Investor Relation
Phone: 310-845-6238
Email: joe@originagritech.com
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SOURCE Origin Agritech Limited | https://www.mysuncoast.com/prnewswire/2022/08/11/origin-agritech-signs-new-contract-planting-agreement-with-sichuan-yingdafeng-agricultural-tech/ | 2022-08-11T14:26:57Z |
CLAYTON, Mo., Aug. 17, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Olin Corporation's (NYSE: OLN) Winchester Ammunition Division announced today a $125,000 pledge to the Folds of Honor Foundation, which provides educational scholarships to the spouses and children of fallen or disabled service members of the U.S. armed forces.
"We are so grateful for the patriots at Winchester and for the company's generous support," said Lt. Col. Dan Rooney, founder and CEO of Folds of Honor. "Winchester recognizes and addresses the needs of the military families we serve. These students deserve our help, and we're thankful for Winchester's commitment."
The Winchester USA VALOR® collection of military-inspired ammunition pays tribute to our fighting forces while supporting Folds of Honor and providing support for the bearers of their legacy through educational scholarships.
"We are thankful for the opportunity to support the families of those heroes through our partnership with Folds of Honor," said Winchester President Brett Flaugher. "Winchester has proudly supported our U.S. Warfighters for more than 100 years on battlefields around the world and during times of peace."
Winchester remains steadfastly focused on our heritage of integrity, quality and reliability serving the U.S. Warfighter — in peace and in battle. You may learn more about our support of military and veteran causes at Winchester.com/USAValor.
About Olin Corporation
Olin Corporation is a leading vertically-integrated global manufacturer and distributor of chemical products and a leading U.S. manufacturer of ammunition. The chemical products produced include chlorine and caustic soda, vinyls, epoxies, chlorinated organics, bleach, hydrogen, and hydrochloric acid. Winchester's principal manufacturing facilities produce and distribute sporting ammunition, law enforcement ammunition, reloading components, small caliber military ammunition and components, and industrial cartridges. Visit www.olin.com for more information on Olin.
About Winchester Ammunition
Winchester is the largest small caliber ammunition enterprise in the world and the leader in delivering innovative ammunition products to hunters, sport shooters, law enforcement and the U.S. Warfighter. The 156-year-old Winchester brand is built on integrity, hard work and a deep focus on its loyal customers. Learn more about Winchester by visiting Winchester.com or connecting with us on Facebook at Facebook.com/WinchesterOfficial.
About Folds of Honor
Folds of Honor is a 501(c) (3) nonprofit organization that provides educational scholarships to the spouses and children of military members who have fallen or been disabled while serving in the United States armed forces. Its educational scholarships support private-school tuition or tutoring in grades K-12 as well as postsecondary tuition (two- or four-year college/university, technical or trade school). Since its inception in 2007, Folds of Honor has awarded more than 29,000 scholarships totaling more than $145 million in all 50 states. Among the students served, 41% are minorities. It is rated a four-star charity by Charity Navigator and Platinum on GuideStar. It was founded by Lt. Col. Dan Rooney, the only-ever F-16 fighter pilot and PGA professional, who is currently stationed at Eglin AFB, Florida, as a member of the 301st Fighter Squadron. For more information or to donate in support of a Folds of Honor scholarship, visit FoldsOfHonor.org.
2022-14
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SOURCE Olin Corporation | https://www.mysuncoast.com/prnewswire/2022/08/17/winchester-ammunition-commits-125000-folds-honor-educational-scholarships/ | 2022-08-17T21:22:28Z |
SAN DIEGO, Aug. 2, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Surglogs, the Nation's leading regulatory compliance platform for healthcare facilities, is expanding its operations to include an increased focus on clinical education.
As part of this new initiative Surglogs has recruited clinical specialist Jodi Thulstrup BA, RN, a clinical care nurse with decades of experience in her profession, to lead education programs as the company's new clinical nurse educator. With her appointment, the company is launching its own clinical education department.
Thulstrup obtained her bachelor's in Business Management from Arizona State University and her associates in nursing from Glendale College.
For the past 9 years, she has served as a clinical director for United Surgical Partners International. Thulstrup worked closely with ambulatory surgery center administrators and market clinical liaisons during her tenure, further expanding her area of expertise and knowledge in the ASC space. In addition, she has worked in various hospital settings including an emergency room nurse and an orthopedic joint program coordinator.
Thulstrup is a patient safety advocate who has dedicated much of her career to bridging the gap between traditional pen and paper, and cutting-edge digitization that many healthcare facilities continue to experience. Through her work with Surglogs, she will highlight the benefits of digitizing and streamlining compliance processes, survey preparations and explain how clinics can adopt modern technology.
"We're really excited to welcome Jodi to the Surglogs family. We know that her in-depth experience, as both a nurse and as an ASC director, will prove to be highly beneficial in educating clients on the benefits of digitization. She's demonstrated an ability to connect with clinic managers and we're certain she'll prove helpful to them," said Surglogs CEO Peter Zajac.
About Surglogs
Surglogs' easy-to-use digital platform enables healthcare facilities to maintain health and safety compliance standards and remain survey-ready at all times. Surglogs replaces cumbersome regulatory compliance paperwork and automates clinical workflows for greater efficiency, bringing peace of mind to healthcare staff and leadership.
Media contact:
Barbora Ilic
barbora@surglogs.com
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SOURCE Surglogs | https://www.mysuncoast.com/prnewswire/2022/08/02/surglogs-appoints-jodi-thulstrup-new-clinical-nurse-educator/ | 2022-08-02T14:27:58Z |
PITTSBURGH, April 8, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- "My husband had always used a lawn mower but after having problems with his knees he had difficulty getting on and off safely," said the inventor from Fort White Fla. "I thought of this idea to help provide assistance when entering or exiting the mower deck."
She created a prototype for PULL BAR that fulfills the need for a bar or handle device that could be affixed to any zero-turn riding lawn mower for safe entrance and exit. This invention provides an easy accessible component to hold onto, providing stability and safety. Additionally, this could help reduce slips, falls and potential associated injuries.
The original design was submitted to the Miami sales office of InventHelp. It is currently available for licensing or sale to manufacturers or marketers. For more information, write Dept. 20-JXA-117, InventHelp, 217 Ninth Street, Pittsburgh, PA 15222, or call (412) 288-1300 ext. 1368. Learn more about InventHelp's Invention Submission Services at http://www.InventHelp.com.
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SOURCE InventHelp | https://www.mysuncoast.com/prnewswire/2022/04/08/inventhelp-presents-riding-mower-assistant-jxa-117/ | 2022-04-08T17:32:19Z |
Is the reign of Apple’s Lightning port over?
Although rumors have been circulating for some time that Apple was moving away from its proprietary Lightning ports, a recent proposal may force the change. On June 7, 2022, lawmakers and countries in the EU agreed that the industry needs a standardized port so that all devices could use the same type of charging/data cable: a USB-C cable.
If these rules are approved by the European Council and European Parliament after the summer recess, it is expected that by fall 2024 all manufacturers of mobile devices will have to comply. The exception is laptops, which will have roughly till the beginning of 2026 to make the change.
What is USB?
USB is short for universal serial bus. It is how devices communicate, exchange data and receive power. For instance, if you want to import photos and videos from your digital camera to your computer, the cable you use to connect your camera to your desktop computer is a USB cable. However, that cable will likely have different connectors (or plugs) at each end. Also, the USB cable you use for your camera will have different plugs than the USB cable you use to charge your phone.
Why move to a standardized USB?
There are three types of USB connectors: USB-A, USB-B and USB-C. Each type is a different shape. There are also three sizes: regular, mini and micro. Plus, there are different USB versions, which each offer different speeds and functionality. Lastly, companies such as Apple have their own proprietary USB connectors, which may not accept other manufacturers’ cables.
All of this makes for a significant amount of confusion and waste. To streamline communication between devices, the EU has proposed that retailers and manufacturers cannot sell a product unless it has a USB-C port. This type of cable will handle every wired connection, whether it is for power or data. The move will greatly simplify wired connectivity between all devices.
Why is USB-C the best?
There are several reasons why the chosen standard is USB-C. First and foremost, it’s already well on its way to being the standard. Unless you’re buying an Apple product, finding a device that doesn’t already have a USB-C port is becoming difficult.
There are three primary reasons why USB-C has become so popular. The first is that the plug is smaller, thinner and it doesn’t have a top or bottom. It will fit and work no matter how you plug it in, which reduces frustration. Second, USB-C offers a larger power delivery to charge even large devices quickly, such as a laptop. Third, it is backward compatible with a variety of connection types. This is important for moving forward because it means there is less chance of losing everything that has come before.
Will my older devices become obsolete?
The good news is that while USB-C will be the only device option in the near future, your old devices will still work. In fact, current speculation is that Apple won’t even switch over until the deadline. So you will probably be able to purchase new, noncompliant devices for the next year or so.
Best USB-C accessories
A longer USB-C charging cable gives you more flexibility. You can use those inconvenient outlets that are just a little too far away for a regular-sized cord and not worry about your phone falling off a desk or laying on the floor while it is charging. This cable is 6.5 feet long.
This USB-C power adapter offers 20 watts of charging power, making it a top choice for fast charging at home or in the office. You get the most out of this model when pairing it with an iPad Pro, an iPad Air or an iPhone 8 or later. This model works with iPhone, AirPods, iPad and Apple Watch and only includes the charger cable which is sold separately.
This MacBook charger offers 118 watts of power, which means you can fully charge most laptops in under two hours. It has several built-in safety features that protect you and your equipment, such as temperature protection, short-circuit protection, overload protection and more. An extra-long charging cable is included with your purchase.
Sold by Amazon
Apple Watch Magnetic Fast Charger
For people looking for an effortless charging solution for their Apple watch. This USB-C magnetic charger can charge most watches up to 80% in under an hour. With the built-in magnets, you get perfect alignment every time, so you don’t have to worry about coming back in an hour to discover your device wasn’t even charging.
Anker is a trusted name in charging technology. This accessory, however, is a USB-C hub. It offers seven different types of ports and has pass-through charging that can deliver up to 85 watts of power to your laptop. The 18-month warranty provides peace of mind.
Sold by Amazon
If you still have headphones or earbuds with a 3.5 mm jack, this little adapter lets you use them with a USB-C port. It works with all devices that feature a USB-C port.
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Copyright 2022 BestReviews, a Nexstar company. All rights reserved. | https://cw33.com/reviews/br/electronics-br/cell-phones-accessories-br/iphone-owners-will-soon-have-to-embrace-usb-c-chargers-here-are-the-best-usb-c-accessories/ | 2022-06-23T00:16:00Z |
EVANSVILLE, Ind., July 21, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Escalade, Inc. (NASDAQ: ESCA, or the "Company"), a leading manufacturer and distributor of sporting goods and indoor/outdoor recreational equipment, today announced that it will issue second quarter 2022 results before the market opens on Thursday, August 4, 2022.
A conference call will be held Thursday, August 4, 2022, at 11:00 a.m. ET to review the Company's financial results, discuss recent events and conduct a question-and-answer session.
A webcast of the conference call will be available in the Investor Relations section of Escalade's website at www.escaladeinc.com. To listen to a live broadcast, go to the site at least 15 minutes prior to the scheduled start time in order to register, download, and install any necessary audio software.
To participate in the live teleconference:
To listen to a replay of the teleconference, which subsequently will be available through August 18, 2022:
Founded in 1922, and headquartered in Evansville, Indiana, Escalade designs, manufactures, and sells sporting goods, fitness, and indoor/outdoor recreation equipment. Our mission is to connect family and friends creating lasting memories. Leaders in our respective categories, Escalade's brands include Brunswick Billiards®; STIGA® table tennis; Accudart®; RAVE Sports® water recreation; Victory Tailgate® custom games; Onix® pickleball; Goalrilla™ basketball; Lifeline® fitness; Woodplay® playsets; and Bear® Archery. Escalade's products are available online and at leading retailers nationwide. For more information about Escalade's many brands, history, financials, and governance please visit www.escaladeinc.com.
This press release contains forward-looking statements relating to present or future trends or factors that are subject to risks and uncertainties. These risks include, but are not limited to: specific and overall impacts of the COVID-19 global pandemic on Escalade's financial condition and results of operations; the impact of competitive products and pricing; product demand and market acceptance; new product development; Escalade's ability to achieve its business objectives, especially with respect to its Sporting Goods business on which it has chosen to focus; Escalade's ability to successfully achieve the anticipated results of strategic transactions, including the integration of the operations of acquired assets and businesses and of divestitures or discontinuances of certain operations, assets, brands, and products; the continuation and development of key customer, supplier, licensing and other business relationships; Escalade's ability to develop and implement our own direct to consumer e-commerce distribution channel; Escalade's ability to successfully negotiate the shifting retail environment and changes in consumer buying habits; the financial health of our customers; disruptions or delays in our business operations, including without limitation disruptions or delays in our supply chain, arising from political unrest, war, labor strikes, natural disasters, public health crises such as the coronavirus pandemic, and other events and circumstances beyond our control; Escalade's ability to control costs; Escalade's ability to successfully implement actions to lessen the potential impacts of tariffs and other trade restrictions applicable to our products and raw materials, including impacts on the costs of producing our goods, importing products and materials into our markets for sale, and on the pricing of our products; general economic conditions; fluctuation in operating results; changes in foreign currency exchange rates; changes in the securities markets; continued listing of the Company's common stock on the NASDAQ Global Market and/or inclusion in market indices such as the Russell 2000; Escalade's ability to obtain financing and to maintain compliance with the terms of such financing; the availability, integration and effective operation of information systems and other technology, and the potential interruption of such systems or technology; risks related to data security of privacy breaches; and other risks detailed from time to time in Escalade's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Escalade's future financial performance could differ materially from the expectations of management contained herein. Escalade undertakes no obligation to release revisions to these forward-looking statements after the date of this press release.
Patrick Griffin
Vice President - Corporate Development & Investor Relations
812-467-1358
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SOURCE Escalade, Inc. | https://www.kxii.com/prnewswire/2022/07/21/escalade-announces-second-quarter-2022-results-conference-call-date/ | 2022-07-21T20:28:03Z |
-- Marks 33rd Consecutive Annual Dividend Increase --
ORLANDO, Fla., July 15, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- The Board of Directors of National Retail Properties, Inc. (NYSE: NNN), a real estate investment trust, declared a quarterly dividend of 55 cents per share payable August 15, 2022 to common shareholders of record on July 29, 2022. The 3.8% increase in the quarterly dividend marks the 33rd consecutive annual dividend increase. NNN is one of only three publicly traded REITs and 86 publicly traded companies in America to have increased annual dividends for 33 or more consecutive years.
Steve Horn, Chief Executive Officer, commented: "We are pleased to make 2022 our 33rd consecutive year of annual dividend increases. Our multi-year approach, disciplined capital deployment, and strong, flexible balance sheet have enabled us to, once again, withstand macroeconomic uncertainty and continue this impressive track record of consistent growth."
National Retail Properties invests primarily in high-quality retail properties subject generally to long-term, net leases. As of March 31, 2022, the company owned 3,271 properties in 48 states with a gross leasable area of approximately 33.5 million square feet and with a weighted average remaining lease term of 10.6 years. For more information on the company, visit www.nnnreit.com.
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SOURCE National Retail Properties, Inc. | https://www.kxii.com/prnewswire/2022/07/15/common-dividend-declared-by-national-retail-properties-inc/ | 2022-07-15T13:49:17Z |
ST. LOUIS, Aug. 3, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Spartech, a leading manufacturer of engineered thermoplastics and custom packaging solutions, is pleased to announce that John Alfano has been promoted to General Manager, Thin Gauge Sheet.
"John complements our goal of shaping the future of plastics through material strength and application expertise," said Spartech CEO John Inks. "His vast experience will help us continue to serve as a reliable and responsive partner to our valued customers."
In his new role, John will lead the Thin Gauge Business Team with a renewed emphasis on growing the Newark and Tufpak™ businesses. He will continue to manage the Newark, New Jersey plant and will also assist in overseeing the Ossipee, New Hampshire operation.
John joined Spartech in 2015 as Plant Manager of the Hackensack, New Jersey location. In 2017, he was given dual Plant Manager responsibility for the Hackensack and Newark, New Jersey plants. Prior to joining Spartech, John served eight years of active duty with the Marine Corps as a Logistics Officer. He graduated from the United States Naval Academy with a Bachelor of Science in Quantitative Economics with Subspecialty in Operations Research and Analysis.
John, his wife Michelle and their two (soon to be three) daughters will continue to reside in the Paramus, New Jersey area.
About Spartech
Headquartered in St. Louis, Missouri with a unique innovation center and 16 manufacturing facilities located throughout the United States, Spartech is a leading plastics manufacturer of engineered thermoplastic materials and specialty packaging products. Meeting exact standards for everything from food packaging to aerospace and automotive applications, Spartech continues to make a world of difference with sustainable, diverse, reliable, and innovative products including UltraTuf™, Royalite®, Korad™, PreservaPak™, and Polycast®. https://spartech.com
Media Contact:
For Spartech
Sheldon Ripson
sheldon@spokemarketing.com
636-751-5733
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SOURCE Spartech | https://www.mysuncoast.com/prnewswire/2022/08/03/spartech-announces-john-alfano-general-manager-thin-gauge-sheet/ | 2022-08-03T16:16:44Z |
Country
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Auto Loan Default Rate at Highest Level Since December 2020
NEW YORK, May 17, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- S&P Dow Jones Indices and Experian released today data through April 2022 for the S&P/Experian Consumer Credit Default Indices. The indices represent a comprehensive measure of changes in consumer credit defaults and show that the composite rate rose two basis points to 0.50%. The bank card default rate increased 25 basis points to 2.52%. The auto loan default rate rose two basis points to 0.58% while the first mortgage default rate was unchanged at 0.35%.
Two of the five major metropolitan statistical areas ("MSAs") showed higher default rates compared to last month. Miami had the largest increase, up four basis points to 0.80%. Chicago rose one basis point to 0.53%. Dallas fell four basis points to 0.52% while New York dropped two basis points to 0.78%. Los Angeles was one basis point lower at 0.38%.
The table below summarizes the April 2022 results for the S&P/Experian Consumer Credit Default Indices. These data are not seasonally adjusted and are not subject to revision.
The table below provides the index levels for the five major MSAs tracked by the S&P/Experian Consumer Credit Default Indices.
For more information about S&P Dow Jones Indices, please visit www.spglobal.com/spdji/en/.
ABOUT THE S&P/EXPERIAN CONSUMER CREDIT DEFAULT INDICES
Jointly developed by S&P Dow Jones Indices LLC and Experian, the S&P/Experian Consumer Credit Default Indices are published on the third Tuesday of each month at 9:00 am ET. They are constructed to track the default experience of consumer balances in four key loan categories: auto, bankcard, first mortgage lien and second mortgage lien. The Indices are calculated based on data extracted from Experian's consumer credit database. This database is populated with individual consumer loan and payment data submitted by lenders to Experian every month. Experian's base of data contributors includes leading banks and mortgage companies, and covers approximately $11 trillion in outstanding loans sourced from 11,500 lenders.
For more information, please visit: www.spindices.com/indices/indicators/sp-experian-consumer-credit-default-composite-index.
ABOUT S&P DOW JONES INDICES
S&P Dow Jones Indices is the largest global resource for essential index-based concepts, data and research, and home to iconic financial market indicators, such as the S&P 500® and the Dow Jones Industrial Average®. More assets are invested in products based on our indices than products based on indices from any other provider in the world. Since Charles Dow invented the first index in 1884, S&P DJI has been innovating and developing across the spectrum of asset classes helping to define the way investors measure and trade the markets.
S&P Dow Jones Indices is a division of S&P Global (NYSE: SPGI), which provides essential intelligence for individuals, companies and governments to make decisions with confidence. For more information, visit www.spglobal.com/spdji/en/.
ABOUT EXPERIAN
Experian is the world's leading global information services company. During life's big moments – from buying a home or a car, to sending a child to college, to growing a business by connecting with new customers – we empower consumers and our clients to manage their data with confidence. We help individuals to take financial control and access financial services, businesses to make smarter decisions and thrive, lenders to lend more responsibly, and organizations to prevent identity fraud and crime.
We have 17,800 people operating across 45 countries and every day we're investing in new technologies, talented people and innovation to help all our clients maximize every opportunity. We are listed on the London Stock Exchange (EXPN) and are a constituent of the FTSE 100 Index.
Learn more at www.experianplc.com or visit our global content hub at our global news blog for the latest news and insights from the Group.
FOR MORE INFORMATION:
Ray McConville
North America Communications
New York, USA
(+1) 212 438 1678
raymond.mcconville@spglobal.com
Annie Russell
Experian Public Relations
(+1) 714 830 7927
annie.russell@experian.com
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SOURCE S&P Dow Jones Indices | https://www.wibw.com/prnewswire/2022/05/17/samppexperian-consumer-credit-default-indices-show-fifth-straight-increase-composite-rate-april-2022/ | 2022-05-17T15:17:27Z |
GRANTS PASS, Ore., May 30, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- On Friday, May 20, Dutch Bros and its customers raised a record breaking $2.3 million during its 16th annual Drink One for Dane day. The funds will be donated to the Muscular Dystrophy Association (MDA), the leading non-profit organization in ALS research, care, advocacy, educational and professional programming.
"We are so grateful to the incredible Dutch Bros community for raising much needed funds for ALS research over the past 16 years in partnership with MDA. Their leadership, broistas, and customers are an extension of our legacy roots in ALS and of our MDA family. These funds are critical to our investment in ALS research and allow us to continue to strategically support our effort to find treatments and cures. Today, we have a robust pipeline of ALS drugs in testing or queued up for testing because of this funding. Thanks to Dutch Bros we are getting closer to bringing new drugs over the finish line and into the clinics for our families. MDA's legacy roots in ALS began with Lou Gehrig and his family, and continues with Dutch Bros, to honor co-founder Dane's life. They truly part of our MDA family and together we are changing the landscape of ALS," said Sharon Hesterlee, PhD, Chief Research Officer, MDA.
Every May, Dutch Bros locations rally for its annual Drink One for Dane day. Drink One for Dane began after Dutch Bros co-founder, Dane Boersma, was diagnosed with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS). The Boersma family and Dutch Bros started Drink One for Dane as a way to increase awareness of the disease, raise support for those affected, and to support research to find treatments and cures for ALS.
"The support communities show for Drink One for Dane continually blows me away," said Travis Boersma, executive chairman and co-founder of Dutch Bros. "Every person that rolled through a shop that day is truly making a massive difference in the lives of so many."
To date, Dutch Bros has raised more than $12.6 million to support MDA and their mission to end ALS.
*Total funds raised include contributions from a portion of the proceeds of franchisee and company-operated shops as well as additional donations from customers, community members, and vendors during the Drink One for Dane campaign.
About Dutch Bros
Dutch Bros Coffee is a drive-thru coffee company dedicated to making a massive difference one cup at a time. Headquartered in Grants Pass, Oregon, where it was founded in 1992 by Dane and Travis Boersma, it's now sharing the "Dutch Luv" with more than 570 locations in 13 states. Dutch Bros serves specialty coffee, smoothies, freezes, teas, an exclusive Dutch Bros Blue Rebel energy drink and nitrogen-infused cold brew coffee. Its rich, proprietary coffee blend is handcrafted from start to finish.
In addition to its mission of speed, quality and service, Dutch Bros is committed to giving back to the communities it serves. Through its Dutch Bros Foundation and local franchisees, the company donates several million dollars to causes across the country each year.
To learn more about Dutch Bros, visit www.dutchbros.com, follow Dutch Bros Coffee on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, & TikTok, and download the Dutch Bros app to earn points and score rewards!
About Muscular Dystrophy Association
Muscular Dystrophy Association (MDA) is the #1 voluntary health organization in the United States for people living with muscular dystrophy, ALS, and related neuromuscular diseases. For over 70 years, MDA has led the way in accelerating research, advancing care, and advocating for the support of our families. MDA's mission is to empower the people we serve to live longer, more independent lives. To learn more visit mda.org and follow MDA on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, TikTok, and LinkedIn.
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SOURCE Dutch Bros Coffee | https://www.wibw.com/prnewswire/2022/05/30/dutch-bros-raises-more-than-23m-one-day-help-end-als/ | 2022-05-30T13:26:20Z |
July 28 Marks Official Holiday Founded by America's Largest Indoor Waterparks
WISCONSIN DELLAS, Wis., July 25, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Kalahari Resorts and Conventions, home to America's Largest Indoor Waterparks, first partnered with National Day Calendar to officially recognize July 28 as National Waterpark Day in 2017. 2022 marks the fifth anniversary of the national holiday, and the family-owned resorts will celebrate with guests at its four properties in Wisconsin Dells, Wisconsin, Sandusky, Ohio, Pocono Mountains, Pennsylvania and Round Rock, Texas.
"Visiting a waterpark with your family and friends is the perfect way to celebrate summer," said Todd Nelson, CEO and owner of Kalahari Resorts and Conventions. "We are elated to celebrate five years of National Waterpark Days, and 22 years of creating lasting memories at our waterparks and resorts."
Guests visiting Kalahari Resorts in Wisconsin Dells, Wisconsin, Sandusky, Ohio, Pocono Mountains, Pennsylvania, and Round Rock, Texas on Friday, July 28, can expect a day full of fun activities and celebrations, including on-site DJs spinning new and classic summer tunes, National Waterpark Day-themed cocktails, exciting giveaways and family poolside activities.
In addition to America's Largest Indoor Waterparks, Kalahari Resorts also offers outdoor waterparks, premium dining experiences, a luxury spa and other family-friendly activities including virtual reality attractions, escape rooms, miniature golf, ropes courses and more.
Kalahari Resorts and Conventions is the ultimate destination for a summer family getaway with something for all ages, all under one roof. For more information on National Waterpark Day activities or to book your stay, please visit www.KalahariResorts.com.
Kalahari Resorts and Conventions in Wisconsin Dells, Wisconsin, Sandusky, Ohio, the Pocono Mountains, Pennsylvania and Round Rock, Texas, deliver a beyond-expectations waterpark resort and conference experience all under one roof. The authentically African-themed Kalahari Resorts, privately owned by the Nelson family, are home to America's Largest Indoor Waterparks. All Kalahari Resorts feature well-appointed guest rooms, the full-service Spa Kalahari, a fun-filled family entertainment center, on-site signature restaurants, unique retail shops and a state-of-the-art convention center. To learn more about Kalahari Resorts, members of the media are encouraged to visit KalahariMedia.com.
Media Contact:
Sara Hood
Call/Text: (262) 716-1928
Email: shood@jacobsonrost.com
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SOURCE Kalahari Resorts and Conventions | https://www.wibw.com/prnewswire/2022/07/25/kalahari-resorts-conventions-celebrates-fifth-annual-national-waterpark-day/ | 2022-07-25T14:35:22Z |
NEW YORK, April 11, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Pomerantz LLP announces that a class action lawsuit has been filed against C3.ai, Inc. ("C3.ai" or the "Company") (NYSE: AI) and certain of its officers. The class action, filed in the United States District Court for the Northern District of California, and docketed under 22-cv-01413, is on behalf of a class consisting of all persons and entities other than Defendants that purchased or otherwise acquired: (a) C3.ai Class A common stock pursuant and/or traceable to the Offering Documents issued in connection with the Company's initial public offering conducted on or about December 9, 2020 (the "IPO" or "Offering"); and/or (b) C3.ai securities between December 9, 2020 and February 15, 2022, both dates inclusive (the "Class Period"). Plaintiff pursues claims against the Defendants under the Securities Act of 1933 (the "Securities Act") and the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (the "Exchange Act").
If you are a shareholder who purchased or otherwise acquired C3.ai Class A common stock pursuant and/or traceable to the IPO; and/or securities during the class period, you have until May 3, 2022 to ask the Court to appoint you as Lead Plaintiff for the class. A copy of the Complaint can be obtained at www.pomerantzlaw.com. To discuss this action, contact Robert S. Willoughby at newaction@pomlaw.com or 888.476.6529 (or 888.4-POMLAW), toll-free, Ext. 7980. Those who inquire by e-mail are encouraged to include their mailing address, telephone number, and the number of shares purchased.
C3.ai operates as an enterprise artificial intelligence ("AI") software company. The Company offers a variety of software-as-a-service applications for enterprises and software solutions and integrated turnkey enterprise AI applications for oil and gas, chemicals, utilities, manufacturing, financial services, defense, intelligence, aerospace, healthcare, and telecommunications market segments. The Company also purports to have strategic partnerships with Baker Hughes related to oil and gas markets; FIS related to financial services markets; Raytheon; and AWS, Intel, and Microsoft.
The complaint alleges that the Offering Documents were negligently prepared and, as a result, contained untrue statements of material fact or omitted to state other facts necessary to make the statements made not misleading and were not prepared in accordance with the rules and regulations governing their preparation. Additionally, throughout the Class Period, Defendants made materially false and misleading statements regarding the Company's business, operations, and compliance policies. Specifically, the Offering Documents and Defendants made false and/or misleading statements and/or failed to disclose that: (i) C3.ai's partnership with Baker Hughes was deteriorating; (ii) C3.ai's was employing a flawed accounting methodology to conceal the deterioration of its Baker Hughes partnership; (iii) C3.ai faced challenges in product adoption and significant salesforce turnover; (iv) the Company overstated, inter alia, the extent of its investment in technology, description of its customers, its total addressable market, the pace of its market growth, and the scale of alliances with its major business partners; and (v) as a result, the Company's public statements were materially false and misleading at all relevant times.
On February 16, 2022, during pre-market hours, Spruce Point Capital Management ("Spruce Point") issued a report and strong sell research opinion regarding C3.ai (the "Spruce Point Report"). Specifically, Spruce Point alleged that it had uncovered, inter alia, "[e]vidence of a severely challenged partnership with Baker Hughes, a related-party and C3.ai's largest customer"; "[s]igns of problematic financial reporting and accounting regarding the Baker Hughes joint venture and a revolving door in C3.ai's Chief Financial Officer position"; that "[c]hallenges in product adoption and significant salesforce turnover make it unlikely that C3.ai will meet aggressive analyst estimates"; "[e]vidence of exaggerated or irreconcilable claims made by C3.ai[,]" including "numerous discrepancies" regarding "the value of and cumulative investment made by C3.ai in its technology, description of its customers, its total addressable market, the pace of its market growth and the scale of alliances with companies such as Microsoft, Hewlett Packard Enterprises, Google Cloud, Intel and Amazon Web Services"; and "[w]orrisome corporate governance practices and insider enrichment." As a result, Spruce Point "conservatively estimate[d] 40% - 50% downside risk to C3.ai's share price."
Following publication of the Spruce Point Report, C3.ai's stock price fell $1.01 per share, or 3.93%, to close at $24.70 per share on February 16, 2022.
As of the time this Complaint was filed, the price of C3.ai Class A common stock continues to trade below the $42.00 per share Offering price, damaging investors.
Pomerantz LLP, with offices in New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, Paris, and Tel Aviv, is acknowledged as one of the premier firms in the areas of corporate, securities, and antitrust class litigation. Founded by the late Abraham L. Pomerantz, known as the dean of the class action bar, Pomerantz pioneered the field of securities class actions. Today, more than 85 years later, Pomerantz continues in the tradition he established, fighting for the rights of the victims of securities fraud, breaches of fiduciary duty, and corporate misconduct. The Firm has recovered numerous multimillion-dollar damages awards on behalf of class members. See www.pomlaw.com
CONTACT:
Robert S. Willoughby
Pomerantz LLP
rswilloughby@pomlaw.com
888-476-6529 ext. 7980
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SOURCE Pomerantz LLP | https://www.mysuncoast.com/prnewswire/2022/04/11/shareholder-alert-pomerantz-law-firm-reminds-shareholders-with-losses-their-investment-c3ai-inc-class-action-lawsuit-upcoming-deadline-ai/ | 2022-04-11T23:27:03Z |
CHICAGO, Aug. 8, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- HUB International Limited (Hub), a leading full-service global insurance brokerage and financial services firm, announced today that it has acquired the assets of Intercontinental Growth Strategies, LLC (IGS). Terms of the transaction were not disclosed.
Located in Chicago, Illinois, IGS is a trade credit insurance brokerage helping clients grow sales safely and aggressively while protecting against any bad debt loss coming from bankruptcy or non-payment.
"We're excited for IGS to join us," said Seth Hopkins, Chief Marketing Officer & Property Casualty Practice Leader for Hub International Midwest Limited. "Their industry focus supports our Financial Institutions Specialty and Complex Risk practice by complementing and strengthening our existing capabilities."
About Hub's M&A Activities
Hub International Limited is committed to growing organically and through acquisitions to expand its geographic footprint and strengthen industry and product expertise. For more information on the Hub M&A experience, visit WeAreHub.com.
About Hub International
Headquartered in Chicago, Illinois, Hub International Limited is a leading full-service global insurance broker and financial services firm providing risk management, insurance, employee benefits, retirement and wealth management products and services. With more than 14,000 employees in offices located throughout North America, Hub's vast network of specialists brings clarity to a changing world with tailored solutions and unrelenting advocacy, so clients are ready for tomorrow. For more information, please visit www.hubinternational.com.
CONTACT:
Media: Marni Gordon
Phone: 312-279-4601
Marni.gordon@hubinternational.com
M&A: Clark Wormer
Phone: 312.279.4848
Clark.wormer@hubinternational.com
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SOURCE Hub International Limited | https://www.mysuncoast.com/prnewswire/2022/08/08/hub-international-expands-trade-credit-insurance-capabilities-with-acquisition-intercontinental-growth-strategies-llc-illinois/ | 2022-08-08T13:18:57Z |
Global tourism body says destination resilience is crucial to long-term sustainability
COVID-19 has impacted all destinations highlighting the need for better-preparedness for future risks
LONDON, June 14, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- The World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) today published a new report on practical guidelines and case studies to support destinations in becoming more resilient and sustainable at its Sustainability and Investment Forum taking place in San Juan, Puerto Rico.
The report, 'Enhancing Resilience to Create Sustainability in Destinations,' jointly created with ICF, WTTC's industry partner and a renowned global consultancy and digital services provider, provides practical, structured insights for destinations as they consider their resilience and sustainability.
Following the last two years of chaos brought on by the almost complete halt to international travel, no tourism destination has been untouched by the impact of COVID-19.
And, many destinations have also been affected by major shocks, such as extreme weather.
To support and guide destinations, this innovative analysis builds on real life case studies and presents a range of resilience actions for destinations before, during or aftershock events.
The report provides five elements destinations should focus on to build both resilience and long-term sustainability: environment, infrastructure, energy, economic, and societal resilience.
It offers four phases to analyze the shock and its aftermath: 'understand the risk,' 'prepare for shocks,' 'respond to shock' and 'longer term strategies.'
The report presents case studies illustrating how destinations that rely heavily on tourism, whether they are cities or islands, deserts or tropics, apply resilience awareness.
Puerto Rico is one of the destinations featured as a case study, highlighting the string of environmental crises and economic challenges that have made resilience a cornerstone of their tourism strategy.
Key learnings underline the importance of small businesses, identifying risks and implementing initiatives to handle any potential crisis.
Julia Simpson, WTTC President & CEO, said: "COVID has had a devastating impact, decimating the Travel & Tourism sector around the world. But it's certainly not the first shock to bring chaos to destinations and their citizens.
"This report allows destinations to understand how to better prepare, act, and plan for future risks, strengthening their resilience and long-term sustainability.
"The pandemic has taught us you can never be prepared enough. Destinations have learnt not only from their own experiences, and those of other countries as they recover and build back.
"Puerto Rico is an example of a destination that learned through COVID and natural disasters to become more inherently resilient."
John Wasson, ICF Chair & CEO, said: "For over half a century, ICF has been passionate about partnering with organizations all over the world to enact and institutionalize sustainable policies and practices.
"Today, we are proud to partner with WTTC to offer unique insights and practical guidance on developing adaptable sustainability plans that build long-term resilience, despite prevailing uncertainties and increasing extreme events."
Lastly, the report offers recommendations identified as key for destinations in their journey to improve their resilience: developing successful governance models, ensuring ownership and shared value, and preparation and processes for the next shock.
In 2019, the Travel & Tourism sector's contribution to GDP was 10.3% ($9.6 trillion), falling to 5.3% (nearly $4.8 trillion) in 2020 when the pandemic was at its height, and suffered a staggering 50% loss.
WTTC's latest EIR report also revealed that 2021 saw the beginning of the recovery for the global Travel & Tourism sector.
Its contribution to GDP climbed an impressive 21.7% year on year, to reach more than $5.8 trillion.
The sector saw a recovery of more than 18 million global Travel & Tourism jobs, representing a positive 6.7% rise in 2021.
While recovery is underway, more can be done to ensure the sector has a sustainable and inclusive future.
About the World Travel & Tourism Council
The World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) represents the global travel & tourism private sector. Members include 200 CEOs, Chairs and Presidents of the world's leading travel & tourism companies from all geographies covering all industries. For more than 30 years, WTTC has been committed to raising the awareness of governments and the public of the economic and social significance of the travel & tourism sector.
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SOURCE World Travel & Tourism Council | https://www.wibw.com/prnewswire/2022/06/14/wttc-publishes-new-report-destination-resilience/ | 2022-06-14T16:25:56Z |
PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP) — As the nation marked 1 million deaths from COVID-19 last week, the milestone was bookended by mass shootings that killed people simply living their lives: grocery shopping, going to church, or attending the fourth grade. The number, once unthinkable, is now an irreversible reality in the United States — just like the persistent reality of gun violence that kills tens of thousands of people every year.
Americans have always tolerated high rates of death and suffering — among certain segments of society. But the sheer numbers of deaths from preventable causes, and the apparent acceptance that no policy change is on the horizon, raises the question: Has mass death become accepted in America?
“I think the evidence is unmistakable and quite clear. We will tolerate an enormous amount of carnage, suffering and death in the U.S., because we have over the past two years. We have over our history,” says Gregg Gonsalves, an epidemiologist and professor at Yale who, before that, was a leading member of the AIDS advocacy group ACT UP. He made his comments in an interview last week, before the latest massacre at an elementary school in Uvalde, Texas, where 21 people were killed on Tuesday, including 19 children.
“If I thought the AIDS epidemic was bad, the American response to COVID-19 has sort of … it’s a form of the American grotesque, right?” Gonsalves says. “Really — a million people are dead? And you’re going to talk to me about your need to get back to normal, when for the most part most of us have been living pretty reasonable lives for the past six months?”
Certain communities have always borne the brunt of higher death rates in the United States. There are profound racial and class inequalities in the United States, and our tolerance of death is partly based on who is at risk, said Elizabeth Wrigley-Field, a sociology professor at the University of Minnesota who studies mortality.
“Some people’s deaths matter a lot more than others,” she lamented in an interview last week. “And I think that’s what we’re seeing in this really brutal way with this coincidence of timing.”
In the shooting in Buffalo, New York, on May 14, the alleged shooter was a racist bent on killing as many Black people as he could, according to authorities. The family of 86-year-old Ruth Whitfield, one of 10 people killed there in an attack on a grocery store that served the African American community, channeled the grief and frustration of millions as they demanded action, including passage of a hate crime bill and accountability for those who spread hateful rhetoric.
“You expect us to keep doing this over and over and over again — over again, forgive and forget,” her son, former Buffalo Fire Commissioner Garnell Whitfield, Jr., told reporters. “While people we elect and trust in offices around this country do their best not to protect us, not to consider us equal.”
In the handful of days after the shooting in Buffalo, a man 1,700 miles away in Texas legally purchased one AR-style rifle, then another, along with 375 rounds of ammunition, according to state senators briefed by law enforcement. He then carried out the attack on Robb Elementary. Just 10 days had passed.
The sense that politicians have done little even as the violence repeats itself is shared by many Americans. It’s a dynamic that’s encapsulated by the “thoughts and prayers” offered to victims of gun violence by politicians unwilling to make meaningful commitments to ensure there really is no more “never again,” according to Martha Lincoln, an anthropology professor at San Francisco State University who studies the cultural politics of public health.
“I don’t think that most Americans feel good about it. I think most Americans would like to see real action from their leaders in the culture about these pervasive issues,” said Lincoln, who spoke before the attack on the school in Texas, and who adds that there is a similar “political vacuum” around COVID-19.
The high numbers of deaths from COVID-19, guns and other causes are difficult to fathom and can start to feel like background noise, disconnected from the individuals whose lives were lost and the families whose lives were forever altered.
American society has even come to accept the deaths of children from preventable causes.
In a recent guest column published in The Advocate newspaper, pediatrician Dr. Mark W. Kline pointed out that more than 1,500 children have died from COVID-19, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, despite the “myth” that it is harmless for children. Kline wrote that there was a time in pediatrics when “children were not supposed to die.”
“There was no acceptable pediatric body count,” he wrote. “At least, not before the first pandemic of the social media age, COVID-19, changed everything.”
There are many parallels between the U.S. response to COVID-19 and its response to the gun violence epidemic, according to Sonali Rajan, a professor at Columbia University who researches school violence.
“We have long normalized mass death in this country. Gun violence has persisted as a public health crisis for decades,” she said last week, noting that an estimated 100,000 people are shot every year and some 40,000 will die.
Gun violence is such a part of life in America now that we organize our lives around its inevitability. Children do lockdown drills at school. And in about half the states, Rajan said, teachers are allowed to carry firearms.
When she looks at the current response to COVID-19, she sees similar dynamics. Americans, she said, “deserve to be able to commute to work without getting sick, or work somewhere without getting sick, or send their kids to school without them getting sick.”
“What will happen down the line if more and more people get sick and are disabled?” she asked. “What happens? Do we just kind of live like this for the foreseeable future?”
It’s important, she said, to ask what policies are being put forth by elected officials who have the power to “attend to the health and the well-being of their constituents.”
“It’s remarkable how that responsibility has been sort of abdicated, is how I would describe it,” Rajan said.
The level of concern about deaths often depends on context, says Rajiv Sethi, an economics professor at Barnard College who has written about both gun violence and COVID-19. He points to a rare but dramatic event such as an airplane crash or an accident at a nuclear power plant, which do seem to matter to people.
By contrast, something like traffic deaths gets less attention. The government last week said that nearly 43,000 people had died on the nation’s roads last year, the highest level in 16 years. The federal government unveiled a national strategy earlier this year to combat the problem.
Even when talking about gun violence, mass shootings get a lot of attention but represent a small number of the gun deaths that happen in the United States every year, Sethi said in an interview last week. For example, there are more suicides from guns in America than there are homicides, an estimated 24,000 gun suicides compared with 19,000 homicides. But even though there are policy proposals that could help within the bounds of the Second Amendment, he says, the debate on guns is politically entrenched.
“The result is that nothing is done,” Sethi said. “The result is paralysis.”
Dr. Megan Ranney of Brown University’s School of Public Health calls it a frustrating “learned helplessness.”
“There’s been almost a sustained narrative created by some that tells people that these things are inevitable,” said Ranney, an ER doctor who did gun violence research before COVID-19 hit, speaking before Tuesday’s Texas school shooting ended 21 lives. “It divides us when people think that there’s nothing they can do.”
She wonders if people really understand the sheer numbers of people dying from guns, from COVID-19 and from opioids. The CDC said this month that more than 107,000 Americans died of drug overdoses in 2021, setting a record.
Ranney also points to false narratives spread by bad actors, such as denying that the deaths were preventable, or suggesting those who die deserved it. There is an emphasis in the United States on individual responsibility for one’s health, Ranney said — and a tension between the individual and the community.
“It’s not that we put less value on an individual life, but rather we’re coming up against the limits of that approach,” she said. “Because the truth is, is that any individual’s life, any individual’s death or disability, actually affects the larger community.”
Similar debates happened in the last century about child labor laws, worker protections and reproductive rights, Ranney said.
An understanding of history is important, said Wrigley-Field, who teaches the history of ACT UP in one of her classes. During the AIDS crisis in the 1980s, the White House press secretary made anti-gay jokes when asked about AIDS, and everyone in the room laughed. Activists were able to mobilize a mass movement that forced people to change the way they thought and forced politicians to change the way they operated, she said.
“I don’t think that those things are off the table now. It’s just that it’s not really clear if they’re going to emerge,” Wrigley-Field said. “I don’t think giving up is a permanent state of affairs. But I do think that’s where we’re at, right at this moment.”
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Michelle R. Smith is an Associated Press reporter, based in Providence. Follow her on Twitter at twitter.com/mrsmithap | https://cw33.com/news/ap-top-headlines/covid-19-shootings-is-mass-death-now-tolerated-in-america-2/ | 2022-05-26T01:54:11Z |
BOSTON (AP) — Throughout the postseason, the Boston Celtics had played their best basketball away from home.
Not anymore.
Jaylen Brown scored 27 points, Jayson Tatum added 26 and the Celtics rode the energy of a raucous TD Garden crowd to beat back another third-quarter onslaught by Golden State in a 116-100 victory Wednesday night that gave them a 2-1 lead in the NBA Finals.
Marcus Smart added 24 points and helped fuel a defensive effort that held the Warriors to 11 points in the fourth quarter — third-fewest in a finals game in the shot clock era.
“Game 2, they brought the heat to us,” Smart said. “For us, that left a bad taste in our mouth because what we hang our hat on is effort on the defensive end and being a physical team. It definitely woke us up a little bit.”
Tatum said the fact the Celtics didn’t hang their heads after the Warriors’ third-quarter flourish is something they didn’t always do in the regular season.
“I think that’s when we are at our best when we respond to tough situations. We respond to teams going on runs and things like that,” he said. “I think we did that several times tonight.”
Boston improved to 6-4 at home, compared to 8-3 on the road this postseason. The Celtics haven’t lost two straight games since the end of March.
Stephen Curry led Golden State with 31 points and six 3-pointers. He had 15 points in a 33-25 third quarter by the Warriors but was hurt late in the fourth after Al Horford rolled into his leg on a loose ball. Curry said it was similar to a play during the regular season in which Smart dove into Curry’s legs while chasing a loose ball but “not as bad.”
“I got caught — obviously in some pain, but I’ll be all right,” Curry said. “See how it feels tomorrow and get ready for Friday.”
Klay Thompson broke out of a finals slump and finished with 25 points and five 3s. But the Warriors’ shooting couldn’t save them on a night the more athletic Celtics outmuscled them for a 47-31 rebounding advantage.
“When you allow a team to get comfortable, especially in their home — in front the home crowd, then it’s tough,” Warriors forward Draymond Green said.
Robert Williams III, who has been working his way back from knee surgery, finished with eight points, 10 rebounds and four blocks.
“We talked about it quite a bit, our group being resilient and being able to fight through a lot of things and at times when it’s most needed being able to lock down on defense,” Celtics coach Ime Udoka said. “We did in the fourth quarter,”
Game 4 is Friday in Boston.
Despite Curry’s noticeable limp after the play with Horford, Warriors coach Steve Kerr said it was not why he pulled him from the game in the closing minutes.
“The injury didn’t force him out of the game, but I took him out down 14 with two minutes left because we weren’t going to catch up,” Kerr said.
The previous 39 times teams have split the first two games of the finals, the winner of Game 3 went on to win the series 82% of the time.
Feeding off the energy of a Garden crowd that jeered Green throughout his miserable night in the first NBA Finals game in Boston since 2010, the Celtics started fast and led by as many as 18 points in the first half.
Coming off a Game 2 loss in which Boston turned the ball over 19 times, the Celtics’ ball movement was much crisper in the half court, which led to open perimeter shots, favorable 1-on-1 matchups and driving lanes..
It left the Warriors scrambling at times, which contributed to three foul calls on Curry in the opening 24 minutes.
But as well as Boston played, it had its early lead erased in the third quarter by a Warriors seven-point possession that included a four-point play by Curry when he drew a flagrant 1 foul on Horford and 3-pointer by Otto Porter Jr to put Golden State in front 83-82.
Boston recovered to take a 93-89 edge into the fourth, then outscored Golden State 23-11 in the quarter.
The Celtics led 56-39 before an 8-0 spurt in just 37 seconds by the Warriors trimmed the lead to 56-49 on a layup by Curry with 3:32 left in half. Boston flurried at the end of the half to take a 68-56 lead into halftime.
TIP-INS
Warriors: Shot 8 of 23 in the first period. … Were outscored 52-26 in the paint.
Celtics: Shot 57% in the first half (27 of 47. Including 8 of 18 from 3. … With two 3-pointers by Brown in the first quarter, he and Tatum became the first pair of teammates in Celtics history to each make 50 3-pointers in a single postseason.
SHOVING MATCH
Green was involved in tussles with Brown and Grant Williams in Game 2 – one that ended in a technical foul call on Green.
He had another brief run-in with Williams in the second quarter Wednesday when Williams knocked Green to the ground at midcourt.
A foul was called on Williams, but he and Green had a short face-off before being quickly separated by officials.
In third quarter, Green wound up on the ground fighting for a loose ball with Brown. This time Green was called for the foul.
FAST START
The Celtics hit three of their first four shots and scored 10 straight points to jump out to 10-2 lead.
Boston’s lead grew to 18-9 when a fast break ended with Curry picking up his second foul trying to contest Smart’s layup with 5:44 left in the quarter.
Curry stayed in the game and Golden State switched to zone, but it did little to slow Boston, which widened its advantage as high as 15 points. The Celtics took a 33-22 lead into the second period.
___
More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports | https://cw33.com/sports/ap-sports/celtics-beat-warriors-116-100-take-2-1-lead-in-nba-finals/ | 2022-06-09T23:35:03Z |
A pregnant Louisiana woman who alleges she was denied an abortion despite the fetus being diagnosed with a fatal condition says other women should not have to experience her plight.
Nancy Davis said she is planning to get an abortion in another state after a Louisiana hospital allegedly chose not to perform the procedure even though her baby was diagnosed with acrania, a rare congenital disorder in which a fetus' skull does not form inside of the womb.
Acrania is a lethal condition with death within the first week of life, according to the Fetal Medicine Foundation.
Davis' case reflects the confusion and wrenching decisions faced by mothers and health care professionals after the June 24 US Supreme Court ruling to overturn the constitutional right to an abortion.
Laws that ban abortion or severely restrict the procedure have subsequently gone into effect in about a dozen states -- Louisiana among them.
"I want you to imagine what it's been like to continue this pregnancy for another six weeks after this diagnosis," Davis said at a news conference on the steps of the Louisiana State Capitol in Baton Rouge. "This is not fair to me and it should not happen to any other woman."
Davis, who said she learned of the baby's fatal condition 10 weeks into her pregnancy, was joined at the news conference by the baby's father and her attorneys, including Ben Crump.
"The doctors told me that my baby would die shortly after birth," Davis said. "They told me that I should terminate the pregnancy. Because of the state of Louisiana's abortion ban they cannot perform the procedure. Basically, they said I had to carry my baby to bury my baby. They seemed confused about the law and afraid of what would happen to them if they perform a criminal abortion, according to the law."
In a statement last week, a spokesperson for Woman's Hospital in Baton Rouge, Caroline Isemann, said the hospital cannot comment on a specific patient but said navigating an unviable pregnancy is extremely complex.
"We look at each patient's individual circumstances and how to remain in compliance with all current state laws to the best of our ability," Isemann told CNN.
"Even if a specific diagnosis falls under medically futile exceptions provided by (the Louisiana Department of Health), the laws addressing treatment methods are much more complex and seemingly contradictory."
Crump called on the state to hold a special session of the Louisiana legislature to address the "public health catastrophe" created by "vague and confusing" abortion laws.
The attorney said Louisiana lawmakers have "inflicted unspeakable pain, emotional damage and physical risk" by stepping between his client and her doctors. He said other women and healthcare providers will endure a similar plight because state law has "created an environment of confusion and fear."
Isemann told The New York Times that Louisiana's multiple abortion bans, which use different terminology, complicate matters.
"There is currently no guidance on which law controls" the situation, she said, adding that the hospital was struggling to ensure that a doctor who terminates a pregnancy after a diagnosis of acrania was safe from prosecution.
The lawmaker who wrote the state's abortion law, state Sen. Katrina Jackson, told CNN affiliate WAFB that Davis should have been allowed an abortion based on a list of 25 exclusive exceptions from the Louisiana Department of Health.
"This woman is seeking a medical procedure for a pregnancy that is not viable outside of the womb," Jackson told WAFB.
It's unclear which state Davis will go to for the abortion.
"Davis and her family are very grateful to all of those who donated to her to be able to arrange for travel," Crump said. "By the time Ms. Davis has the procedure she needs next week, she would have carried this unsustainable pregnancy for an additional month and a half," with "risks and emotional tolls."
The father of the baby, Chedrick Cole, said, "From afar it's very easy to have an opinion about something but until you're actually in this situation and going through it, you don't understand how complex it is. I also want to say that we must continue to raise consciousness and awareness about situations like this because it's happening all over. ... And it's so much bigger than us and our family."
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Jerry Lee Lewis, Keith Whitley to join Country Music Hall of Fame
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Rock and Roll Hall of Famer Jerry Lee Lewis, the late country singer Keith Whitley and music executive Joe Galante will join the Country Music Hall of Fame.
Lewis, 86, nicknamed “The Killer,” wore a red sequined jacket and white shoes at Tuesday’s announcement, where he was introduced by duo Brooks & Dunn.
“I was wondering if they were ever going to induct me,” Lewis said at the press conference. “But they’ve come around and I was really glad and grateful for it.”
He found his initial fame under the guidance of Sam Phillips at Sun Records in Memphis, where he played alongside Elvis Presley, Carl Perkins, and Johnny Cash in the now famous Million Dollar Quartet. His energy and ego were showcased on his early rock hits like “Great Balls of Fire” and “Whole Lotta Shakin’ Goin’ On.”
Over the years, he’s been vocal about being snubbed from the Country Music Hall of Fame, saying he couldn’t understand not being recognized for his country records and contribution to the genre.
His career was nearly derailed over the scandal of his marriage to his 13-year-old cousin, Myra, and he faced a backlash from fans during a tour in England in 1958, when crowds became combative.
Lewis spent several years blacklisted before mounting a return to the country charts in the late ‘60s. He had top country singles like “What Made Milwaukee Famous (Has Made a Loser Out of Me),” “She Even Woke Me Up to Say Goodbye,” and “To Make Love Sweeter for You.”
Whitley had a short career, spanning just four years and seven months on the Billboard charts before his death at the age of 34 in 1989. But he found commercial breakthrough with hits like “When You Say Nothing at All” and “I’m No Stranger to the Rain.”
His widow, fellow country singer Lorrie Morgan, described during the press conference on Tuesday how much it meant to her family and their two children to have him inducted.
“Keith never knew how good he was,” said Morgan. “He would absolutely blown away if he were here today.”
Galante took the helm at RCA Nashville at age 32, the youngest person to ever lead a major label’s Nashville division. He would go on to sign artists like Clint Black, Kenny Chesney, Lorrie Morgan and Keith Whitley, Vince Gill, The Judds, Martina McBride and more.
Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. | https://www.wibw.com/2022/05/17/jerry-lee-lewis-keith-whitley-join-country-music-hall-fame/ | 2022-05-17T17:15:08Z |
SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — The $40 billion U.S. package of assistance for Ukraine as it tries to fend off Russia’s aggression is hitching a ride on a commercial flight to South Korea so it can be signed by President Joe Biden.
The Senate voted Thursday to finalize the new military and humanitarian assistance to Ukraine as Biden was making his way to the South Korean capital, Seoul. Biden is in Asia for meetings with the leaders of South Korea, Japan and members of the Indo-Pacific group known as the Quad.
A White House official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to comment publicly, said the bill was being flown to South Korea by a U.S. government official who was already planning to travel to the region on a commercial flight as part of the individual’s official duties. It was not clear when the bill would arrive, but the president was expected to sign it before he heads to Tokyo on Sunday.
For decades, bills that needed an urgent signature were routinely flown by White House aides to the president if he was abroad.
In 2005, President George W. Bush flew back to Washington from his Texas ranch to sign legislation requiring doctors to continue feeding a comatose Florida woman, Terri Schiavo, whose husband wanted to let her die.
An autopen was used for the first time for a bill signing in 2011, when President Barack Obama signed an extension of the Patriot Act into law while he was traveling in Europe.
He used the machine –- which was widely used at the time for mundane commercial and government purposes — because Congress took unexpectedly long to approve the renewal of that law. Its anti-terrorism powers were minutes from expiring at midnight East Coast time when Obama, in France, was awakened to sign the measure.
The Ukraine bill includes $20 billion in military aid that is expected to finance the transfer of advanced weapons systems, $8 billion in general economic support for Ukraine, nearly $5 billion in global food aid to address potential food shortages sparked by the collapse of the Ukrainian agricultural economy, and more than $1 billion in combined support for refugees.
___
Fram reported from Washington | https://cw33.com/news/politics/ap-politics/ukraine-aid-bill-hitching-ride-to-seoul-for-biden-signature/ | 2022-05-21T17:04:16Z |
The suspects in the shootings at a Uvalde, Texas, elementary school and a Buffalo, New York, supermarket were both just 18, authorities say, when they bought the weapons used in the attacks — too young to legally purchase alcohol or cigarettes, but old enough to arm themselves with assault weapons.
The Buffalo suspect was taken to a hospital last year for a mental health evaluation, but the incident didn’t trigger New York’s “red flag” law and he was still able to purchase a gun. The Texas suspect’s mother told ABC he gave her an “uneasy feeling” at times and could “be aggressive … If he really got mad.” But authorities say he had no known criminal or mental health history. The state has no such red flag law.
They are just the latest suspected U.S. mass shooters whose ability to obtain guns has raised concerns. In some cases shooters got guns legally under current firearms laws, or because of background check lapses or law enforcement’s failure to heed warnings of concerning behavior.
After the shootings, which together left 31 people dead, President Joe Biden renewed calls for stronger gun laws and questioned whether people as young as 18 should be allowed to purchase firearms. In the past, Biden has called for banning assault weapons and expanding background checks. Many Republicans oppose the measures.
A look at how suspects in mass shootings over a decade obtained guns, based on police accounts, court documents and contemporaneous reporting:
UVALDE, TEXAS: MAY 24, 2022. 21 DEAD.
Salvador Ramos legally purchased two guns in the days before the attack that killed 19 students and two teachers at Robb Elementary School — an AR-style rifle from a federally licensed gun dealer in the Uvalde area on May 17 and a second rifle on May 20. Ramos made the purchases just days after turning 18, the minimum age under federal law for buying a rifle. He also purchased several hundred rounds of ammunition. At least one of the rifles was a DDM4, made by Daniel Defense and modeled after the U.S. military’s M4 carbine rifle, though without the M4′s ability to switch to fully automatic or fire a three-round burst. “The idea that an 18-year-old kid can walk into a gun store and buy two assault weapons is just wrong,” Biden said hours after the shooting Tuesday. “What in God’s name do you need an assault weapon for except to kill someone?” Ramos was killed at the school by a Border Patrol team.
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BUFFALO, NEW YORK: MAY 14, 2022. 10 DEAD.
Payton Gendron legally purchased the Bushmaster XM-15 E2S used in the attack on Tops Friendly Market from a federally licensed gun dealer near his home in Conklin, New York, about 200 miles (320 kilometers) southeast of Buffalo. In a personal, online diary that surfaced after the attack, Gendron said he bought the AR-15-style weapon in January, bought a shotgun in December and received a rifle as a Christmas present from his dad when he was 16. Last year, Gendron was taken to a hospital for a psychiatric evaluation under a state mental health law after writing “murder-suicide” in response to a teacher’s question. New York is one of 19 states with red flag laws that allow courts to take guns from people posing immediate danger, but that didn’t happen with Gendron, who was 17 at the time. State police described his threat as “general in nature” and said it didn’t “specifically mention shooting or firearms.” After the shooting, Gov. Kathy Hochul signed an executive order underscoring the need for red flag interventions and said she would seek to bar people under 21 from buying some semi-automatic weapons in the state. A similar law in California was ruled unconstitutional. Gendron is charged with murder.
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SAN JOSE, CALIFORNIA: MAY 26, 2021. 9 DEAD.
Samuel James Cassidy legally purchased the three 9 mm handguns he used to kill co-workers and then himself at a Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority rail yard. He also stockpiled a dozen guns and 25,000 rounds of ammunition at his home, which he set ablaze before the shooting, and had high-capacity magazines that may have been illegal under California law, depending on when they were purchased. Santa Clara’s district attorney said authorities would’ve sought to take Cassidy’s weapons away under the state’s red flag law had U.S. Customs and Border Protection informed them of a “Significant Encounter” with Cassidy upon his return to California from a trip to the Philippines in 2016. Customs agents said in a report that Cassidy harbored “dark thoughts about harming” two specific people and had a memo book in which he expressed his hatred of the transit agency.
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BOULDER, COLORADO: MARCH 22, 2021. 10 DEAD.
Ahmad Al Aliwi Alissa bought a Ruger AR-556 pistol, a semi-automatic weapon with a capacity of up to 30 rounds, six days before the shooting at King Soopers grocery store, police said. Alissa was prone to sudden rage and was convicted of misdemeanor assault and sentenced to probation for attacking a high school classmate. Colorado has a universal background check law covering almost all gun sales, but that misdemeanor would not have prevented him from buying a weapon, experts said. Had it been a felony, federal law would’ve barred his purchase. Days before the shooting, a judge struck down city ordinances banning assault rifles and high-capacity magazines in Boulder, citing a state law prohibiting local gun bans. The NRA backed the lawsuit challenging the ordinances. A judge ruled last month that Alissa is mentally incompetent to stand trial.
___
ATLANTA: MARCH 16, 2021. 8 DEAD.
Robert Aaron Long purchased a 9 mm handgun just hours before going on a shooting rampage at three massage businesses in the Atlanta area, police said. A lawyer for the gun shop said it complies with federal background check laws. Georgia, like the majority of states, has no waiting period to obtain a gun. Long claimed to have a “sex addiction,” police said, and he spent time at an addiction recovery facility last year. Federal law bans guns for people who are “unlawful users of or addicted to a controlled substance” or who’ve been court-ordered to a mental health or substance abuse treatment facility, but doesn’t mention treatment for other compulsions as a barrier to ownership. Long is serving a sentence life without parole.
___
MIDLAND, TEXAS, AUG. 31, 2019. 7 DEAD.
Seth Aaron Ator purchased an AR-style rifle through a private sale, allowing him to evade a federal background check, and fired it indiscriminately from his car into passing vehicles and shopping plazas. He also hijacked a mail truck, killing the driver. Ator had been blocked from getting a gun in 2014 after his background check was flagged because a court determined he was mentally ill, according to a law enforcement official familiar with the matter. Private sales, which account for up to 40% of all gun sales according to some estimates, are not subject to a federal background check and private sellers aren’t required to determine if a buyer is eligible to own a gun. Ator was killed by police.
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DAYTON, OHIO: AUG. 4, 2019. 9 DEAD.
Connor Betts’ classmates said he was suspended in high school for compiling a “hit list” and a “rape list,” but authorities said nothing in his background prevented him from purchasing the AR-15-style pistol used in the shooting at Ned Peppers Bar. Ohio law requires that sealed records of any juvenile crimes be expunged either after five years or once the offender turns 23. Betts, who was 24 at the time of the shooting, bought the gun online from a Texas dealer. It was then shipped to a Dayton-area firearms dealer, in accordance with federal law. Betts was killed by police.
___
EL PASO, TEXAS, AUG. 3, 2019. 23 DEAD.
Patrick Crusius bought an AK-47-style rifle and 1,000 rounds of hollow-point ammunition online 45 days before he walked into a Walmart store and opened fire, killing 23 people and injuring two dozen others, before confessing that he had been targeting Mexicans, according to prosecutors. A Crusius family lawyer said his mother raised concerns about the purchase in a call to police on June 27. Police said she asked if Crusius, who was 21 at the time, was old enough to buy a gun. Police said she was assured he was and that he’d qualify if he passed a background check. Police said she expressed concern only about his safety and said she’d seen no recent change in his behavior. Crusius posted a racist screed online just before the attack and appeared to target Mexicans. He’s charged with capital murder in Texas and federal hate crimes and firearms offenses.
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VIRGINIA BEACH, VIRGINIA: MAY 31, 2019. 12 DEAD.
Former Virginia Beach city employee DeWayne Craddock legally purchased six firearms in the three years before he opened fire on a municipal building, including the two .45-caliber pistols used in the attack. An independent review of the shooting, commissioned by the City of Virginia Beach, found that Craddock displayed no warning signs or “prohibited behaviors associated with a pathway to violence,” and that he had no known history of mental health treatment. Craddock was killed by police. ___
THOUSAND OAKS, CALIFORNIA: NOV. 7, 2018. 12 DEAD.
Ian David Long, a former Marine machine gunner who served in Afghanistan, used a legally purchased .45-caliber pistol with an extended magazine in the shooting at the Borderline Bar & Grill. California tried to outlaw high-capacity magazines, but a federal judge reversed that after a pro-gun group sued. Months before the shooting, sheriff’s deputies called to Long’s home found him acting irrationally, but a mental health specialist didn’t feel he needed to be involuntarily committed. California has a red flag law, but there’s no indication authorities sought a court order to take away Long’s guns. Long killed himself.
___
PITTSBURGH: OCT. 27, 2018. 11 DEAD.
Robert Gregory Bowers had a carry license and legally owned the Colt AR-15 SP1 and three Glock .357 handguns police said he used to kill worshipers at Tree of Life synagogue. Bowers spent months posting rants against Jews on Gab, a social media site favored by right-wing extremists. He also posted photos of his “glock family.” Just before the attack, he posted a screed against a Jewish organization that resettles refugees, saying: “I can’t sit by and watch my people get slaughtered. Screw your optics, I’m going in.” None of the rhetoric appeared to raise red flags. His case is pending. ___
SANTA FE, TEXAS: MAY. 18, 2018. 10 DEAD.
Dimitrios Pagourtzis, a 17-year-old student, used a shotgun and a .38-caliber handgun that his father purchased legally and stored in a closet at their home, authorities said. It wasn’t clear if his father knew he’d taken the guns. Prior to the attack, Pagourtzis posted a photo on social media of a T-shirt with the phrase “Born to Kill” and had writings indicating he planned to attack his high school. A judge sent him to a mental health facility after ruling he was incompetent to stand trial.
___
PARKLAND, FLORIDA: FEB. 14, 2018. 17 DEAD.
Nikolas Cruz legally purchased a Smith & Wesson M&P 15 rifle in February 2017 from a licensed dealer a few miles from Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, authorities said. He’d been treated at a mental health clinic but hadn’t been there in more than a year. Federal law prohibits gun purchases if a court declares a person a “mental defective” or commits that person to an institution, but not if the person seeks treatment voluntarily. Cruz was 19 at the time of the shooting. He pleaded guilty in October and is scheduled to be sentenced next month. ___
SUTHERLAND SPRINGS, TEXAS: NOV. 5, 2017. 25 DEAD.
Devin Patrick Kelley’s history of domestic abuse barred him from buying guns. He was able to because information about his crimes was never entered into a federal database used for background checks. The Air Force failed to follow rules requiring that it inform the FBI about his conduct. Kelley purchased four guns, including an AR-15-style rifle found at First Baptist Church, from licensed Texas and Colorado dealers over a four-year span. Kelley killed himself. ___
LAS VEGAS: OCT. 1, 2017. 58 DEAD.
Stephen Paddock purchased 33 of the 49 weapons found in his hotel room and at his homes in the year before he opened fire on a country music festival. Paddock passed all background checks. His gradual accumulation of guns went undetected because federal law doesn’t require licensed gun dealers to alert the government about rifle purchases. Paddock killed himself. ___
ORLANDO, FLORIDA: JUNE 12, 2016. 49 DEAD.
Omar Mateen purchased an AR-15-style rifle, a Sig Sauer MCX, and a handgun from a licensed dealer on separate days about a week before the Pulse nightclub attack. He passed a background check and had a security license that allowed him to be armed while on duty. The FBI investigated Mateen in 2013 and 2014 over co-workers’ concerns that he’d spoken about ties to terrorist groups. Neither inquiry led to charges. Even if he’d been placed on a terrorism watch list, Congress in 2015 rejected attempts to prevent people on the list from purchasing guns. Mateen was killed by police.
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SAN BERNARDINO, CALIFORNIA: DEC. 2, 2015. 14 DEAD.
Syed Farook and his wife, Tashfeen Malik, used weapons the FBI said his neighbor, Enrique Marquez, legally purchased from a licensed dealer in 2011 and 2012. Marquez pleaded guilty to charges he conspired to provide support to terrorists and made false statements to acquire a firearm. He told investigators Farook asked him to buy the weapons because he would draw less attention. Farook and Malik were killed by police.
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ROSEBURG, OREGON: OCT. 1, 2015. 10 DEAD.
Christopher Harper-Mercer and his family members legally purchased the handguns and rifle used in the Umpqua Community College shooting from a licensed dealer. Investigators found six guns at the college and eight at an apartment. Neighbors said Harper-Mercer and his mother went target shooting together. Harper-Mercer killed himself after he was wounded by police.
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CHARLESTON, SOUTH CAROLINA: JUNE 17, 2015. 9 DEAD.
A drug arrest should’ve prevented Dylann Roof from purchasing the pistol he used at Emanuel AME Church, but a record-keeping error and background check delay enabled the transaction to go through. The FBI said a background check examiner never saw the arrest report because the wrong arresting agency was listed in state criminal history records. After three days, the gun dealer was legally permitted to complete the transaction. He was convicted and is on federal death row.
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WASHINGTON: SEPT. 16, 2013. 12 DEAD.
Aaron Alexis, a former reservist turned civilian contractor, passed background checks and legally purchased the shotgun used in the Washington Navy Yard shooting despite recent mental health treatment and a history of violent outbursts. He previously fired a gun in anger twice but wasn’t prosecuted in either case. Alexis was killed by police.
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NEWTOWN, CONNECTICUT: DEC. 14, 2012. 26 DEAD.
Adam Lanza used his mother’s weapons, including a .223-caliber semi-automatic rifle, in the massacre at Sandy Hook Elementary School. Lanza’s mother, whom he fatally shot before going to the school, also purchased the ammunition. Lanza killed himself. ___
AURORA, COLORADO: JULY 20, 2012. 12 DEAD.
James Holmes was receiving psychiatric treatment when he passed required federal background checks and legally purchased the weapons he used in his movie theater assault. As in the Parkland and Navy Yard cases, treatment alone did not prevent him from buying guns. He was convicted and sentenced to 12 life terms and thousands of years in prison.
___
Follow Michael Sisak on Twitter at twitter.com/mikesisak | https://cw33.com/news/politics/ap-politics/mass-shooters-exploited-gun-laws-loopholes-before-carnage/ | 2022-05-27T22:27:27Z |
Thirteen sexual assault victims of disgraced former USA Gymnastics team doctor Larry Nassar on Thursday filed claims against the FBI totaling $130 million.
All the agents involved in the Nassar investigation elected to "turn a blind eye" to the sexual abuse perpetrated on children by Nassar, accusing them of "negligence" and "wrongful acts" during the investigation, according to administrative tort claims seeking $10 million for each victim.
The filing targets the FBI Indianapolis and Los Angeles field offices specifically for failing to act properly on sexual abuse allegations against Nassar, the former Olympic doctor who sexually abused girls for decades.
The FBI declined comment on Thursday but referred to Director Christopher Wray's testimony before the Senate Judiciary Committee last September -- in which he called "the actions and inaction" of agents "inexcusable and a discredit to this organization and the values we hold dear."
By law, the victims must file the administrative claims with the government agency before they can file a civil lawsuit. The agency has six months to respond and potentially settle with the claimants before they can opt to file a lawsuit.
The claims are based largely on the findings of a scathing Inspector General's report released last July, disclosing in part that senior officials in the FBI Indianapolis field office failed to respond to the Nassar allegations, made numerous and fundamental errors when they did respond and violated multiple FBI policies when undertaking their investigative activity.
Nassar, the former longtime doctor for the USA Gymnastics team and Michigan State University, is serving a 60-year sentence in federal prison on child pornography charges.
He also was sentenced to a 40-to-175 year state prison sentence in Michigan after pleading guilty to seven counts of criminal sexual conduct.
Last month Sen. Richard Blumenthal and Sen. Jerry Moran in a letter called on Attorney General Merrick Garland to conduct a comprehensive review of all information related to Nassar, noting "to date there has been little to no action taken to hold those at DOJ, who should have protected Nassar's victims, accountable."
In September, Olympic gymnasts McKayla Maroney and Simone Biles in Senate testimony ripped the FBI and the Justice Department for how the agency mishandled abuse allegations and then made false statements in the fallout from the botched investigation.
At the time, Wray testified that he felt "heartsick and furious" once he learned the extent of the agency's failures.
Still, Wray painted the botched investigation as the product of "individuals" who "betrayed the core duty that they have of protecting people," rather than as being reflective of the agency as a whole.
Wray vowed to "make damn sure that everybody at the FBI remembers what happened here in heartbreaking detail."
In December, USA Gymnastics, the US Olympic and Paralympic Committee and their insurers agreed to pay $380 million in a settlement with the victims of Nassar.
The-CNN-Wire
™ & © 2022 Cable News Network, Inc., a WarnerMedia Company. All rights reserved. | https://www.albanyherald.com/news/larry-nassar-victims-seek-130m-in-claims-accuse-fbi-of-turning-blind-eye-to-abuse/article_317a2d69-514d-5b95-8945-3edd06df0352.html | 2022-04-21T22:09:48Z |
CHARLOTTE, N.C., Sept. 13, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Software Pricing Partners (SPP) announced today that a judgment has been entered by the U.S. District Court for the Western District of North Carolina against James H. "Jim" Geisman (case number 3:19-cv-00195), awarding SPP a permanent injunction against Geisman along with $779,114.60 and reasonable attorneys' fees and costs (in an amount to be determined later by the Court). As part of the judgment, the Court found Geisman liable for breach of his exit agreement, misappropriation of trade secrets under state and federal law, copyright infringement, violation of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act, and unfair and deceptive acts or practices.
"We have invested heavily in the creation of our trade secrets, methodology, processes and software because they deliver real value for the software companies who invest in us," said Chris Mele, Managing Partner of Software Pricing Partners. "This judgment acknowledges that our methods are not public knowledge, and our trade secrets lie at the core of enabling our clients to achieve such significant results."
Over the course of its three-year litigation, SPP presented evidence that Geisman–a former partner in the consulting firm, which develops and implements monetization strategies and models for software companies—downloaded, used and disclosed SPP's files containing trade secrets upon departing the firm in 2018. The Court stated as follows:
Geisman began downloading SPP's files containing trade secrets to his personal computer before exiting SPP. When (SPP) learned about the unauthorized downloads, Geisman assured SPP he would delete all SPP files. (Doc. No. 57 ¶¶ 44-46). Instead, Geisman attempted to download the SPP files containing trade secrets on numerous additional occasions, including after he left SPP. (Id. ¶¶ 47-50). He even used and disclosed SPP's trade secrets during his work with [a customer] for a profit. (Id. ¶¶ 92- 93). All the while he was representing to SPP that he did not take SPP files with him after his exit...Thereafter, he again represented to (SPP's) counsel that he did not take anything from SPP when he left even though he still had, used, and disclosed SPP's files. (Id. ¶ 63). In fact, in 2020, during the course of this litigation, Geisman had over 11,000 SPP files on his personal electronics. (Id. ¶ 51). Based on these facts, Geisman willfully and maliciously misappropriated SPP's trade secrets and SPP is entitled to reasonable attorneys' fees.
"I'm grateful that Judge Conrad held Geisman accountable for his wrongful conduct," said Mele. "I'm also very proud of our legal team. Their arguments in this case were outstanding."
"I strongly encourage all founders and executives to go the distance—to protect their legal rights—so we continue to build strong case law that will eliminate this kind of behavior. I sincerely hope this case helps ensure that those who disregard the law will pay a heavy price," said Mele.
SPP was also awarded a permanent injunction preventing Geisman from:
- Using and/or altering for use SPP's name or any trademarks, logos, or any of its other registered copyrights.
- Disclosing any confidential information that is not otherwise known or available to individuals or companies other than SPP and/or its current and former principals, employees, and agents, including any confidential information in the over 11,000 SPP files on Geisman's personal electronics.
- Using, disclosing, or disseminating the 134 specific files enumerated in SPP's Complaint (including any information, formulae, algorithms, etc. contained within those files) and the specific mathematical formula underlying SPP's pricing/discounting curve (including any underlying notes concerning the mathematical formula), even if the information otherwise is known solely by memory or in Geisman's head.
Geisman must also return or destroy files that contain SPP's trade secrets, mathematical formula, and any underlying notes concerning the mathematical formula.
On July 12, 2021, while the case in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of North Carolina was pending, Geisman filed for bankruptcy under Chapter 13 of the Bankruptcy Code in the case captioned In re James H. Geisman, Case No. 21-30257, in the United States Bankruptcy Court for the District of Massachusetts.
Software Pricing Partners was represented in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of North Carolina by Moore & Van Allen of Charlotte, NC.
SPP intends to vigorously protect and enforce its rights and ensure complete compliance with the Court's Order. To that end, we ask that software companies or individuals with information regarding Jim Geisman's use or disclosure of SPP's files or information to please contact J. Mark Wilson, Moore & Van Allen, at 704-331-1000.
Software Pricing Partners (SPP) helps software companies outmaneuver competitors by driving top-line growth, profitability and better valuations through more effective and inventive approaches to monetization. Since 1982, the firm has worked with hundreds of B2B software company clients, including some of the industry's most recognizable brands. Software Pricing Partners is headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina.
CONTACT:
Jessica Hover
Communica
419-244-7766
hover@thinkcommunica.com
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SOURCE Software Pricing Partners | https://www.kxii.com/prnewswire/2022/09/13/software-pricing-partners-awarded-damages-against-ex-partner-jim-geisman/ | 2022-09-13T20:17:35Z |
Prevalence of leasing among younger consumers, preference for CUVs, SUVs, and trucks to drive value gains
CLEVELAND, April 8, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- US consumer spending on motor vehicle (MV) leases is forecast to rise 1.3% per year in nominal dollars through 2025, according to Motor Vehicle Leasing: United States, a report recently released by Freedonia Focus Reports. Increased consumer leasing of crossover utility vehicles (CUVs), sports utility vehicles (SUVs), and trucks – which generally lease at a higher price point – will drive growth over the forecast period. Furthermore, those aged 18–34 years – the population cohort most likely to lease a car – will continue to fuel replacement demand for car leases, especially as they begin to start families, which often requires upsizing a vehicle to accommodate more passengers and luggage. Those in the 18-34 cohort will also be attracted to car leases due to the relatively low monthly payments compared to those of car loans, as this generation sustained long-term harm to wealth formation due to the 2007-2009 recession. People of this age group also tend to be technologically minded, making leasing more attractive for those seeking new MV features. Finally, with manufacturers continually expanding and improving the features installed in these vehicles, some consumers will choose the short term commitment of leasing so that they can more quickly update to the newest technology.
These and other key insights are featured in Motor Vehicle Leasing: United States. This report forecasts to 2021 and 2025 US personal consumption expenditures (PCE) on motor vehicle leases in nominal and real (inflation-adjusted) US dollars. Expenditures are segmented by vehicle type in terms of:
- automobiles
- CUVs, SUVs, and trucks
To illustrate historical trends, total PCE, the various segments, and price indexes by segment are provided in annual series from 2010 to 2020.
For the purpose of this report, trucks include light vehicles such as CUVs, pickup trucks, SUVs, and vans. Motorcycles are excluded from the scope of this report, as are medium- and heavy-duty trucks, and RVs (recreational vehicles).
PCE data include spending by nonprofit institutions serving households (e.g., the value of education services provided by nonprofit colleges or medical care provided by nonprofit hospitals). Consequently, the spending by such parties on motor vehicle leases is included.
More information about the report is available at:
https://www.freedoniafocusreports.com/Motor-Vehicle-Leasing-United-States-FF95043/?progid=91541
Each month, The Freedonia Group – a division of MarketResearch.com – publishes over 20 new or updated Freedonia Focus Reports, providing fresh, unbiased analysis on a wide variety of markets and industries. Published in 20-30 pages, Focus Report coverage ranges from raw materials to finished manufactured goods and related services such as freight and construction. Additional Services & Industries reports can be purchased at Freedonia Focus Reports or MarketResearch.com.
Analysis is intended to guide the busy reader through pertinent topics in rapid succession, including:
- total historical market size and industry output
- segmentation by products and markets
- identification of market drivers, constraints, and key indicators
- segment-by-segment outlook in five-year forecasts
- a survey of the supply base
- suggested resources for further study
Press Contact:
Corinne Gangloff
+1 440.842.2400
cgangloff@freedoniagroup.com
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SOURCE The Freedonia Group | https://www.wibw.com/prnewswire/2022/04/08/us-spending-mv-leases-rise-consumers-opt-larger-pricier-vehicles/ | 2022-04-08T19:11:26Z |
PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) – Oregon romance novelist Nancy Crampton Brophy, who once wrote a blog post on “How to Murder Your Husband,” was found guilty Wednesday of murdering her husband.
A Multnomah County jury found Crampton Brophy guilty of second-degree murder in the shooting death of Daniel Brophy in June 2018.
The jury began deliberating Tuesday morning, after the prosecution finished its final rebuttal arguments. County officials announced that the jury had reached its decision around 11:10 a.m. Wednesday.
Daniel Brophy, a chef, was found dead inside a kitchen at the Oregon Culinary Institute on June 2, 2018. Crampton Brophy was arrested on September 5, 2018. She’s been in jail ever since.
Brophy, a beloved chef and instructor at the Oregon Culinary Institute, was remembered by several of his former students and colleagues who testified during the trial as being knowledgeable in his field and a great instructor and mentor.
Detective Anthony Merrill, one of the lead detectives in the case, testified during the trial saying no leads pointed away from Crampton Brophy as a suspect.
Investigators say they never found the slide and barrel or gun that fired the two bullets that went through Brophy’s heart. Two casings were found near his body, but the slide and barrel from the handgun and ghost gun build kit found in Crampton Brophy’s possession did not leave markings on casings that matched those found at the scene.
However, Crampton Brophy admitted during the trial that she had purchased another slide and barrel. She said this gun part was for research and that it must have gone missing while people moved her belongings out of her house while she was in jail.
In their opening statement and closing arguments, prosecutors speculated that Crampton Brophy used this spare slide and barrel on another gun frame she possessed to commit the murder, then disposed of the slide and barrel to avoid it being found and used for evidence.
Detectives collected an assembled a Glock 19 handgun and a Glock 17 ghost gun build kit from Crampton Brophy. They determined Brophy was killed by some sort of a Glock handgun.
Prosecutors claimed the Brophys were facing financial ruin and that Crampton Brophy’s motive for killing her husband was to cash in on his life insurance policies and remove herself from debt. The fall before Brophy was killed, the couple had taken $35,000 out of Brophy’s 401K account — about half of its total amount — to pay down credit card debts and to catch up on the more than $8,000 they owed on their mortgage.
An expert witness for the prosecution said the Brophys were teetering on the edge of a financial cliff, but an expert witness for the defense said this 401K loan was a smart way to ensure they could keep their house, make improvements to it, and eventually sell it.
Surveillance video from businesses near the Oregon Culinary Institute, in Portland’s Goose Hollow neighborhood, showed what appeared to be Crampton Brophy in her gray minivan in the area at around the time Brophy was murdered. Brophy disarmed the alarm at the Oregon Culinary Institute at 7:22 a.m. and the gray van was seen driving away from the neighborhood at 7:29 a.m.
In her testimony, Crampton Brophy confirmed that was her in the van on the surveillance video. Previously, in her initial interview with police officers on the day of the murder, she told them she was in bed at home writing at the time her husband was killed. In her testimony, she said she must have driven to the Goose Hollow Neighborhood to write in a park or in her vehicle, but she claimed she had a “memory hole” of the exact events that took place that morning.
The defense brought in a psychologist who testified and explained that traumatic events can cause people to forget events that take place before the traumatic event, and that sometimes they reconstruct the memories in their brain. The psychologist said the tests she performed on Crampton Brophy showed she was not a psychopath.
After Crampton Brophy claimed she had a “memory hole” of that morning’s events, Deputy District Attorney Shawn Overstreet asked her if she could she be sure she didn’t go into the Oregon Culinary Institute.
Crampton Brophy replied saying, “I know I didn’t go in the building because I know I didn’t kill Dan. I know that for a fact.”
Witnesses who testified during the trial, who were close to the Brophys, said the two always seemed happy together and had an admirable relationship.
Crampton Brophy said her husband’s death was not part of their “plan” and that she would have been better off financially if he was still alive.
Crampton Brophy wrote a blog post in 2011 titled “How to Murder Your Husband.” In response to a motion filed by her defense team, Judge Christopher Ramras decided the blog post would not be admitted as evidence during the trial. | https://cw33.com/news/nexstar-media-wire/jury-finds-romance-novelist-guilty-of-murdering-her-husband/ | 2022-05-25T22:22:57Z |
CRESTWOOD, Mo. (KTVI) — Pikachu can’t help with this one. A man in Missouri is facing three felony charges — after police say he stole over $12,000 in Pokémon cards and other merchandise from a gaming store.
St. Louis County prosecutors charged Nicholas Garrison, 24, of Tulsa, Oklahoma, with second-degree burglary, stealing $750 or more and property damage from Yeti Gaming in Crestwood, Missouri. The burglary happened on Oct. 10, 2021.
Crestwood Police said that the items stolen included the thousands of dollars of items related to the Japanese franchise. During the burglary, windows and display cases, officers said. Property damages are estimated at $2,000.
Blood droplets inside the store were a DNA match to a known DNA sample of the defendant, according to officials. Garrison reportedly admitted to authorities that he entered the store illegally and took the merchandise because he needed money, per court documents.
Garrison is jailed on a $50,000 cash-only bond. | https://cw33.com/news/nexstar-media-wire/man-charged-after-12k-of-pokemon-cards-stolen/ | 2022-09-11T00:20:15Z |
The Yamazaki® Tsukuriwake Selection is a collection of four Yamazaki single malts that together make the composition of Yamazaki, the pioneer of Japanese Single Malt
CHICAGO, May 17, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- With the launch of the 2022 Yamazaki® Limited Edition Tsukuriwake Selection, the House of Suntory unveils a fundamental piece of its unrivaled craftsmanship and introduces the foundational pillars of Yamazaki Single Malt Whisky - Puncheon, Peated Malt, Spanish Oak and Mizunara. The collection honors Tsukuriwake, which means "artisanship through a diversity of making" and is embraced by the Founding House of Japanese Whisky.
From its launch in 1984, Yamazaki Single Malt Whisky has always been crafted to be revered for its profound and spiritual nature, its complexity and multi-layered nuance, consistently featuring the foundational pillars - Puncheon, Peated Malt, Spanish Oak and Mizunara. Innovation in Japanese Whisky is known to occur at the back end - in maturation or blending. But few understand the diversity of the whisky components that it takes to achieve this depth and gravitas. The House of Suntory's Tsukuriwake in Yamazaki uniquely prides itself in multiple strengths of non-peated and peated grain varieties, two types of wash backs, eight pairs with various shapes of pot stills and maturation in four different oak casks (French, Spanish, Japanese and American) with three cask size differences in American Oak. This makes Yamazaki Single Malt Whisky, a Single Malt quite like no other.
"What excited me most about this launch is that just one year before the 100th anniversary of Suntory Whisky, we can finally share the full story behind our Tsukuriwake way of whisky making, which was born from the Founding House of Japanese Whisky," says Suntory's Fifth-Generation Chief Blender Shinji Fukuyo. "The 2022 Yamazaki Limited Edition Tsukuriwake Selection honors the fact that greatness comes from diversity. And in doing so, we unveil what truly makes Yamazaki Single Malt Whisky the authority of Japanese Whisky."
The story of Yamazaki is the story of Japanese Whisky. In 1923, when Shinjiro Torii built Japan's first malt distillery in Yamazaki, he had no one with whom to exchange and broaden his malt repertoire. Being the Founding House of Japanese Whisky meant that the House of Suntory had no choice but to build its own approach to crafting whisky. Experimenting with a variety of grain types, wash backs, distillation methods, casks and blending techniques resulting in the House of Suntory's globally acclaimed Tsukuriwake style - artisanship through a diversity of making. Through years of experimentation, repeated trial and error, perseverance and persistence, it took three generations, three Master Blenders and five Chief Blenders to transform what happened out of necessity into one of the key signatures of the House of Suntory. Suntory continues to produce a depth and breadth of malt whisky components that keep pushing the boundaries of what Suntory Whisky can be.
The 2022 Yamazaki Limited Edition Tsukuriwake Selection, initially released in Japan in 2020, will be available in the next month in select global markets including the United States, the United Kingdom, Germany, France, Austria, Spain, Singapore, Taiwan, China, South Korea, Thailand and Australia. Each expression is bottled at 48% ABV and has a suggested retail price of $450 USD with the exception of the Mizunara bottling, which has a suggested retail price of $620 USD.
YAMAZAKI PUNCHEON
The Puncheon is considered as the "heart" of what makes Yamazaki Single Malt, Yamazaki.
The Yamazaki Puncheon Single Malt Whisky is comprised of meticulously selected malts aged exclusively in puncheons crafted by Suntory artisans from hand selected American oak. With a capacity of approximately 480 liters, these large casks allow malt whiskies to mature slowly, imbuing them with a complexity and vibrance. The Puncheon cask malt whiskies impart their subtle notes essential to the delicate base of the Yamazaki Single Malt.
Tasting Notes
Color: Pale gold
Nose: Green apple, mature pear, acacia honey with hint of vanilla
Palate: Clean, velvety and mild, with delicate butterscotch notes
Finish: Oaky woodiness with subtle sweetness
YAMAZAKI PEATED MALT
The Peated Malt is considered the "hidden accent" giving Yamazaki its complexity and lingering finish.
The Yamazaki Peated Malt is comprised of meticulously selected heavily peated malted barley that is masterfully blended to create the quintessential Yamazaki Peated Malt that is gentle and refined. The Peated malt whiskies impart their subtly smoky, earthy notes essential to the complexity of the Yamazaki Single Malt.
Tasting Notes
Color: Bright gold
Nose: Subtly smoky with green herbal notes
Palate: Gently peated with hints of earthiness, pineapple and citrus notes
Finish: Complex with lingering peatiness
YAMAZAKI SPANISH OAK
The Spanish Oak is considered as the depth-enhancer giving Yamazaki its quintessential multi-layered full flavor with mature fruity notes. The Yamazaki Spanish Oak is comprised of meticulously selected malt whiskies matured in the highest quality oak casks originating from Northern Spain. The Spanish oak cask malt whiskies impart a delicately rich and decadent palate with subtle acidity and fruity aromas, essential to the multi-layered flavor profile of the Yamazaki Single Malt.
Tasting Notes
Color: Rich reddish amber
Nose: Dried raisins and prunes, with hints of sundried tomatoes
Palate: Delicately rich and decadent with subtle acidity
Finish: Buttery with lingering acidity and hint of bitterness
YAMAZAKI MIZUNARA
Mizunara is a species of oak native to Japan and is considered the signature enhancer giving Yamazaki its quintessential Japanese character and elegance. Whiskies which undergo a long maturation in Mizunara casks take on a distinctive Japanese spiciness and incense-like flavor of sandalwood and agarwood. The Yamazaki Mizunara Single Malt Whisky is comprised of meticulously selected long-matured malt whiskies showcasing the rare, distinctive beauty of the hand crafted Mizunara casks. The Mizunara cask malt whiskies impart their enigmatic spicy notes essential to the signature taste of the Yamazaki Single Malt.
Tasting Notes
Color: Amber
Nose: Rich and elegant top note, custard cream, cinnamon
Palate: Gentle on the tongue, aromatic and round with spiced sweet notes
Finish: Distinctive deep woody notes reminiscent of Japanese incense
ABOUT HOUSE OF SUNTORY
Since 1923, Suntory has been renowned as the pioneer of Japanese whisky for its House of Master Blenders and for their Art of Blending. Founder Shinjiro Torii built Japan's first malt whisky distillery in Yamazaki, and the Suntory legacy continued with Torii's son and Suntory's second Master Blender, Keizo Saji, who continued to establish distilleries including the Hakushu distillery. As the generations of Suntory's master blenders carry on, Suntory Whisky remains committed to heritage and innovation. The House of Suntory has been named four-time Distiller of the Year at the International Spirits Challenge in London, UK (2010, 2012, 2013, 2014).
Suntory Whiskies are subtle, refined and complex. The portfolio includes two single malt whiskies: Yamazaki—Japan's N°1 Single Malt, multi-layered and profound, and Hakushu—verdant, fresh, and delicately smoky; and two blends: the noble blend, Hibiki—Japan's most highly awarded blended whisky and Suntory Whisky Toki.
whisky.suntory.com @suntorywhisky #suntorywhisky
ABOUT BEAM SUNTORY
As a world leader in premium spirits, Beam Suntory inspires human connections. Consumers from all corners of the globe call for the company's brands, including the iconic Jim Beam and Maker's Mark bourbon brands and Courvoisier cognac, as well as world renowned premium brands including Basil Hayden, Knob Creek and Legent bourbon; Yamazaki, Hakushu, Hibiki and Toki Japanese whisky; Teacher's, Laphroaig and Bowmore Scotch whisky; Canadian Club whisky; Hornitos and Sauza tequila; EFFEN, Haku and Pinnacle vodka; Sipsmith and Roku gin; and On The Rocks Premium Cocktails.
Beam Suntory was created in 2014 by combining the world leader in bourbon and the pioneer in Japanese whisky to form a new company with a deep heritage, passion for quality, innovative spirit and vision of Growing for Good. Headquartered in Chicago, Illinois, Beam Suntory is a subsidiary of Suntory Holdings Limited of Japan. For more information on Beam Suntory, its brands, and its commitment to social responsibility, please visit www.beamsuntory.com and www.drinksmart.com.
Enjoy Responsibly.
Yamazaki® Single Malt Japanese Whisky, 48% Alc./Vol. © 2022 Beam Suntory Import Co., Chicago, IL
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SOURCE Beam Suntory | https://www.mysuncoast.com/prnewswire/2022/05/17/birthplace-japanese-whisky-house-suntory-introduces-2022-limited-edition-yamazaki-tsukuriwake-selection/ | 2022-05-17T14:37:00Z |
WASHINGTON (AP) — The surging cost of energy pushed wholesale prices up a record 11.2% last month from a year earlier — another sign that inflationary pressure is widespread in the U.S. economy.
The Labor Department said Wednesday that its producer price index — which measures inflation before it reaches consumers — climbed at the fastest year-over-year pace in records going back to 2010 and rose 1.4% from February. Energy prices, which soared after Russia’s Feb. 24 invasion of Ukraine, were up 36.7% from March 2021.
The wholesale inflation report came out a day after the Labor Department reported that consumer prices last month jumped 8.5% from a year earlier — fastest annual clip since December 1981.
Under pressure to combat rising prices, the Federal Reserve raised ts benchmark short-term rate by a quarter-point last month and has signaled that it plans several more hikes this year.
Resurgent inflation isn’t just a U.S. phenomenon. The United Kingdom’s Office for National Statistics reported Wednesday that British consumer prices rose 7% in the 12 months that ended in March, the fastest pace in 30 years, pulled up by soaring energy costs.
An unexpectedly quick economic recovery from the pandemic recession of 2020 caught businesses by surprise. Their scramble to meet surging customer demand overwhelmed factories, ports and freight yards. The Ukraine war and draconian COVID-19 lockdowns in China have further disrupted supply chains over the past month.
“With a new wave of lockdowns in China and the war in Ukraine raging on … risks to the inflation outlook remain firmly to the upside,” economists Mahir Rasheed and Kathy Bostjancic of Oxford Economics wrote in a research report. | https://cw33.com/business/ap-business/producer-prices-surge-11-2-in-march-on-higher-energy-costs/ | 2022-04-13T19:46:40Z |
Revises Full-Year 2022 Guidance
NEW YORK, Aug. 9, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Thorne HealthTech, Inc. ("Thorne HealthTech", "Thorne" or the "Company") (NASDAQ: THRN), a leader in developing personalized, innovative solutions to help people live healthier, longer lives, today announced its financial results for the second quarter ended June 30, 2022.
Second Quarter Highlights:
- Net sales grew 30.7% year-over-year to $56.1 million, with direct-to-consumer (DTC) sales growth of 69.6%
- Gross profit grew 37.0% year-over-year to $31.4 million; gross margin increased 260 basis points year over year to 55.9%
- Net loss attributable to common stockholders of $5.6 million; adjusted EBITDA loss of $1.4 million
- Diluted loss per share of $0.11; adjusted diluted loss per share of $0.05
- Revised full-year 2022 guidance for projected net sales of $235 million to $242 million; adjusted EBITDA of $28 million to $32 million; and adjusted earnings per share (EPS) of $0.36 to $0.39; previously issued guidance for projected gross margin of 53% to 55% reaffirmed
"I am pleased to report record quarterly net sales, which grew 30.7% over the second quarter of last year, with continued gross margin expansion to 55.9% for the quarter," said Paul Jacobson, Thorne HealthTech's chairman and CEO. "We completed our largest marketing campaign to date to drive brand awareness and strengthen our long-term positioning as a leading provider of personalized solutions and supplements that empower individuals to live healthier longer and achieve peak performance."
Mr. Jacobson added, "While sales performance was solid across our portfolio, we have continued to experience disruptions in international end markets, mostly from the conflict in Ukraine and Russia. As a result, we no longer anticipate fully offsetting the disruptions with new business this year and are therefore reducing net sales and adjusted EBITDA guidance. Importantly, we expect our gross margin profile, the return of marketing spend to normal levels and SG&A leverage in the second half of 2022 to result in strong adjusted EBITDA growth, as reflected in our revised full-year guidance."
Net Sales
The following tables provide a summary of sales by channel for the three and six months ended June 30, 2022, compared to the three and six months ended June 30, 2021:
As of June 30, 2022, the number of active subscriptions grew 54.0% to 300,031, compared to 194,778 as of June 30, 2021.
For the three months ended June 30, 2022, the Company's annual life-time value (LTV) to customer acquisition cost (CAC) ratio was 1.8x, compared to 4.6x for the three months ended June 30, 2021. For the six months ended June 30, 2022, the Company's LTV to CAC ratio was 2.7x, compared to 5.2x for the six months ended June 30, 2021. The increases in CAC and resulting decreases in the LTV to CAC ratios for the three and six months ended June 30, 2022 were primarily due to increased marketing expenses from the Company's Redefining Healthy Aging Campaign that occurred during the second quarter of 2022.
Cost of Sales and Gross Profit
The following tables provide a summary of cost of sales and gross profit for the three and six months ended June 30, 2022, compared to the three and six months ended June 30, 2021:
Operating Expenses
The following tables provide a summary of select operating expenses for the three and six months ended June 30, 2022, compared to the three and six months ended June 30, 2021:
For the three and six months ended June 30, 2022, the increase in marketing expense as a percentage of sales over the comparable prior year periods was due to planned spend associated with the Company's Redefining Healthy Aging Campaign that occurred during the second quarter of 2022.
Net Income (Loss) and Diluted Earnings (Loss) Per Share
The following tables provide a summary of net income (loss) attributable to common stockholders, adjusted EBITDA, adjusted net income (loss), diluted earnings (loss) per share and adjusted diluted earnings (loss) per share for the three and six months ended June 30, 2022, compared to the three and six months ended June 30, 2021:
Important disclosures about, and reconciliations of, non-GAAP measures to their most directly comparable GAAP measures, including adjusted EBITDA, adjusted net income (loss) and adjusted diluted earnings (loss) per share are provided in the "Non-GAAP Financial Measures" section of this press release.
Financial Position
As of June 30, 2022, the Company had $27.8 million in unrestricted cash and cash equivalents and $2.1 million of debt outstanding, inclusive of $0.7 million attributable to finance lease liabilities.
Financial Guidance
In connection with reporting its first quarter results, the Company disclosed it was (i) impacted by higher than anticipated exposure of certain U.S. based distribution partners to end consumers in Ukraine and Russia and (ii) that its guidance assumed then-existing global business conditions would not further deteriorate. Since reporting first quarter results, the Company has experienced incremental disruptions in international end markets which are not expected to be fully offset by contributions from new business or improved international conditions this year. As a result, the Company is revising its full-year guidance ranges downward for each of net sales and adjusted EBITDA while reaffirming its previously issued gross margin guidance.
The following table presents the Company's (i) prior guidance, (ii) revised guidance, and (iii) the corresponding growth rates over full-year 2021 results at the low and high ends of the revised guidance ranges for each measure:
The Company's revised guidance assumes the following:
- Foreign exchange rates will remain in effect for the remainder of the year
- Marketing expenses of between 14% and 15% of net sales, a reduction compared to prior guidance, with remaining marketing expenses for the second half of 2022 weighted slightly higher in the third quarter than in the fourth quarter
- For adjusted net income and adjusted EPS, revised guidance also assumes (i) an estimated full-year adjusted tax rate of 10% and (ii) diluted weighted-average shares outstanding of 57.5 million as of December 31, 2022, down from the prior estimate of 62.0 million due to the dilutive effect of the Company's outstanding options and warrants on the projected number of diluted weighted average shares outstanding for the full-year
Webcast and Conference Call Details
The Company will host a conference call on Wednesday, August 10, 2022, at 8 a.m. (U.S. Eastern Time) to discuss its second quarter 2022 financial results. A live webcast of the call can be accessed by logging onto the investors section of the Thorne HealthTech website at https://investors.thornehealthtech.com. A replay will be available on the same website after the call.
In addition, the conference call can be accessed over the phone by dialing +1 844 200 6205 for U.S. callers, or +1 929 526 1599 for international callers, approximately 10 minutes prior to the start time. An audio replay will be available for 7 days following the call. To access the replay, dial +1 866 813 9403 (U.S.) or +44 204 525 0658 (International). The access code for the live call and replay is 713206.
About Thorne HealthTech
Thorne HealthTech is a leader in developing innovative solutions for delivering personalized approaches to health and wellness. As a science-driven wellness company that empowers individuals with the support, education, and solutions they need to achieve healthy aging – living healthier longer – Thorne utilizes testing and data to create improved product efficacy and to deliver personalized solutions to consumers, health professionals, and corporations. Predicated on the power of the individual, Thorne leverages artificial intelligence models to provide insights and personalized data, products, and services that help individuals take a proactive and actionable approach to improve and maintain their health over a lifetime. Thorne is the only supplement manufacturer that collaborates with Mayo Clinic on health and wellness research and content, and is trusted by more than five million customers, 46,000+ health-care professionals, thousands of professional athletes, and more than 100 professional sports teams and U.S. National Teams. For more information, visit Thorne.com.
Forward-Looking Statements
This news release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. All statements other than statements of historical facts contained in this news release, including, without limitation, statements regarding the conditions of our industry, our future results of operations and financial position, business strategy, development plans, expected research and development costs, regulatory strategy, product and service development, sales and marketing activities, international expansion efforts, timing and likelihood of success, as well as plans and objectives of management for future operations, are forward-looking statements. In some cases, you can identify forward-looking statements by terms such as "guidance," "may," "will," "should," "would," "expect," "plan," "anticipate," "could," "intend," "target," "project," "contemplate," "believe," "estimate," "predict," "potential" or "continue" or the negative of these terms or other similar expressions. Forward-looking statements contained in this news release include, but are not limited to, statements regarding financial guidance, market opportunity, ability to penetrate the market, expanded product offerings and expectations for growth. We have based these forward-looking statements largely on our current expectations and projections about our business, the industry in which we operate and financial trends that we believe may affect our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects, and these forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance or development. These forward-looking statements are current only as of the date of this news release and are subject to a number of risks, uncertainties and assumptions described in the section titled "Risk Factors" and elsewhere in Thorne HealthTech's filings made with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including our Annual Report on Form 10-K filed on March 16, 2022 and Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q, which we plan to file on or about August 10, 2022, and other SEC filings, copies of which are available free of charge on the SEC website at www.sec.gov. Because forward-looking statements are inherently subject to risks and uncertainties, some of which cannot be predicted or quantified, you should not rely on these forward-looking statements as predictions of future events. The events and circumstances reflected in our forward-looking statements may not be achieved or occur and actual results could differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking statements. Except as required by applicable law, we do not plan to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements contained herein, whether as a result of any new information, future events or otherwise.
Non-GAAP Financial Measures
To provide investors with additional information regarding its financial results, the Company has provided certain financial measures that are not recognized under U.S. generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP) in this press release, including: earnings or loss before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization (EBITDA), EBITDA margin, adjusted EBITDA, adjusted EBITDA margin, adjusted net income and adjusted diluted earnings (loss) per share.
The Company calculates EBITDA, a non-GAAP financial measure, as net income or loss excluding depreciation and amortization, interest expense and income taxes. EBITDA margin represents EBITDA as a percentage of net sales. The Company calculates adjusted EBITDA, a non-GAAP financial measure, by further excluding non-cash items for stock-based compensation expenses, change in fair value of warrant liability, loss on Drawbridge step acquisition, loss on Drawbridge Transaction, guarantee fees, income or loss from equity interests in unconsolidated affiliates and transaction costs related to mergers and acquisitions. Adjusted EBITDA margin represents Adjusted EBITDA as a percentage of net sales. The Company calculates adjusted net income or loss, a non-GAAP financial measure, as net income or loss excluding (i) stock-based compensation expenses, change in fair value of warrant liability, loss on Drawbridge step acquisition, loss on Drawbridge transaction, guarantee fees, income or loss from equity in unconsolidated affiliates and transaction costs related to mergers and acquisitions and (ii) utilizing an adjusted provision for income taxes based on the Company's estimate of applicable statutory rates.
EBITDA, EBITDA margin, adjusted EBITDA, adjusted EBITDA margin, adjusted net income (loss) and adjusted diluted earnings (loss) per share should be viewed as measures of operating performance that are supplements to, and not substitutes for, operating income or loss, net income or loss and other GAAP measures of income and loss. The Company has included EBITDA, EBITDA margin, adjusted EBITDA, adjusted EBITDA margin, adjusted net income or loss and adjusted diluted earnings (loss) per share in this press release because they are key measures used by the Company's management to evaluate and compare the Company's financial and operational performance over multiple periods, identifying trends affecting the Company's business, formulating business plans and making strategic decisions. In particular, the exclusion of certain expenses or income in calculating adjusted EBITDA and adjusted net income (loss) facilitates operating performance comparability across reporting periods by removing the effect of non-cash expenses and certain non-recurring variable charges. In addition, the Company believes that providing each of EBITDA and adjusted EBITDA and adjusted net income or loss, together with a reconciliation of net income or loss to each such measure, helps investors make comparisons between Thorne HealthTech and other companies that may have different capital structures, different tax rates and different forms of employee compensation. Each of EBITDA, EBITDA margin, adjusted EBITDA, adjusted EBITDA margin, adjusted net income or loss and adjusted diluted earnings (loss) per share has inherent limitations because of the excluded items, and may not be directly comparable to similarly titled metrics used by other companies.
The Company has not reconciled the forward-looking adjusted EBITDA and adjusted diluted earnings (loss) per share guidance included in this press release to the most directly comparable GAAP measures because this cannot be done without unreasonable effort due to the variability and low visibility with respect to certain costs, the most significant of which are incentive compensation (including stock-based compensation), certain fair value measurements, acquisition transactions and integration, tax items and others that may arise during the year, each of which are potential adjustments to future earnings. The Company expects the variability of these items to have a potentially unpredictable, and a potentially significant, impact on our future GAAP financial results.
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SOURCE Thorne HealthTech, Inc. | https://www.wibw.com/prnewswire/2022/08/09/thorne-healthtech-reports-second-quarter-2022-results/ | 2022-08-09T20:31:17Z |
NEW YORK, June 9, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Realio, a technology ecosystem for institutional-grade digital assets, announced today its plans to trade the Realio Security Token (RST) on tZERO ATS, the regulated alternative trading system operated by tZERO ATS, LLC, subject to completion of customary due diligence and onboarding.
Realio first announced in 2021 its intent to enable secondary trading on tZERO ATS of their Liquid Mining Fund ($LMX), which is currently being registered with the SEC under the Investment Company Act. With the addition of RST, this marks the second digital asset that Realio intends to trade on a regulated digital securities trading platform that offers continuous liquidity.
As a digitally native private equity company, Realio focuses on combining new, blockchain-enabled sources of yield with traditional securities through its tokenized products.
RST holders will participate in the equity returns generated by Realio Technology LTD and the Realio Network through tokenization and asset management fees, crowdfunding, transfer agent services, and interest earned from collateral assets, among other things. In addition, RST holders, through Realio Technology LTD, will soon have exposure to the realioVerse, Realio's metaverse project announced earlier this year.
"Enabling the secondary trading of RST on the tZERO ATS will provide our holders with a more frictionless, regulated trading experience and the benefit of added liquidity," said Derek Boirun, CEO and Founder of Realio. "We know that tZERO ATS offers many advantages over other digital security trading platforms, and we are excited at the opportunity to trade another security in our network on this leading liquidity platform for digital securities."
tZERO is a financial technology firm with the goal of democratizing access to private companies and assets. It offers institutional-grade solutions for issuers looking to digitize their capital table through blockchain technology, and trade on a regulated alternative trading system. tZERO, through its broker-dealer subsidiaries, democratizes access to private assets by providing a simple, automated, and efficient trading venue to broker-dealers, institutions, and investors.
"We look forward to continuing our collaboration with Realio and growing our digital security offering," stated David Goone, CEO of tZERO. "Our top priority continues to be to increase the assets trading on the tZERO ATS."
Realio Technology LTD is an end-to-end, blockchain-based SaaS platform for the issuance, investment, compliance, and life-cycle management of digital assets. Realio combines access to a decentralized (p2p) exchange with the features of a sophisticated issuance/investment platform to merge enterprise-grade blockchain solutions with institutional-quality investment vehicles. The platform satisfies the need for stringent securities regulations while allowing uniquely democratized access to investment products normally reserved for a select subset of institutional investors. RST is issued by Realio Network LTD, a British Virgin Islands company and the wholly-owning parent company of Realio Technology LTD. The Realio family of affiliated companies also includes LMX Token Issuer, a Delaware limited liability company and issuer of the Liquid Mining Fund token ($LMX).
tZERO ATS, LLC is a broker-dealer registered with the SEC and a member of FINRA and SIPC. More information about tZERO ATS may be found at https://brokercheck.finra.org/. Digital securities that trade on tZERO ATS are conventional uncertificated securities. Ownership of such securities is reflected on the traditional books and records of regulated market participants. The term "digital" refers to the blockchain technology elements of a security that are intended to enhance investor experience through added transparency.
This press release includes forward-looking statements about Realio, the Realio Network, and the RST token. These include statements about the planned services and features of the Realio Network and their capacity to deliver service fees and other revenue for the benefit of RST holders. The Realio Network is in the development stage; its ability to offer competitive technology solutions and achieve commercial acceptance remains subject to significant risks and uncertainties. In connection with listing on the tZERO ATS, a disclosure statement will be available containing material information about RST and the risks of investing in them. Potential purchasers should carefully read and consider the disclosure statement before purchasing RST.
This press release is neither an offer to sell RST nor a solicitation of offers to purchase RST.
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SOURCE Realio Network LTD | https://www.kxii.com/prnewswire/2022/06/09/realio-announces-its-plans-trade-realio-security-token-tzero-ats/ | 2022-06-09T15:34:37Z |
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden will confront a kaleidoscope of challenges when he travels to the Middle East this week, his first trip there since taking office. With the American wars in Iraq and Afghanistan in the rearview mirror, the United States is reassessing its role in the region at a time when its focus has shifted to Europe and Asia.
A look at some of the major issues that will be at play during Biden’s travels.
ISRAELI-ARAB COOPERATION
Biden will become the first U.S. president to travel directly from Israel, his first destination, to Saudi Arabia, his last stop before returning to Washington. The itinerary is a reflection of friendlier relationships between Israel and its Arab neighbors, a tectonic shift that is reshaping the region’s politics.
Under President Donald Trump, Israel normalized relations with countries such as the United Arab Emirates through the Abraham Accords. Although no one expects Israel and Saudi Arabia to announce formal diplomatic ties during Biden’s trip, more incremental steps could be taken, such as allowing Israeli commercial flights to cross over the kingdom en route to other countries nearby.
In addition, there’s already a surge in security cooperation being presided over by the U.S. military’s Central Command, which oversees operations in the region. John Kirby, a national security spokesman for the White House, said the nascent military partnership is intended to foster a regional air defense system that could protect against Iranian ballistic missiles and drones.
IRAN NUCLEAR DEAL
The threat of Iran is one of the primary incentives for Israel and Arab countries to work more closely together, and the issue will likely be a top focus for Biden’s meetings. Israel views Iran as its greatest threat, and Sunni Arab countries consider Shiite Iran as a dangerous competitor for regional power.
A key question is finding the best way to prevent Iran from developing a nuclear weapon, which it’s believed to be closer than ever to achieving. Biden wants to rejuvenate the nuclear deal that was reached by President Barack Obama in 2015 and abandoned by Trump in 2018, but negotiations appear to have stalled.
Israel, which is widely believed to be the only nuclear-armed state in the region but does not acknowledge having such weapons, was opposed to the deal. It didn’t like that the agreement limited Iran’s nuclear enrichment for only a set period of time, nor did it address Iran’s ballistic missile program or other military activities in the region. Now Israel is calling for increasing sanctions to pressure Tehran into agreeing to a more sweeping accord.
Biden is expected to visit one of Israel’s missile defense installations as he tries to reassure Israelis that the U.S. is committed to the country’s protection.
ISRAELI-PALESTINIAN CONFLICT
Even though Israel is building closer ties to Arab countries, there’s been no progress toward resolving its decades-long conflict with the Palestinians.
In fact, some Palestinians feel abandoned by Arab leaders who have reached their own deals with Israel through the Abraham Accords. That came without securing progress toward the Palestinians’ goal of an independent state in Israeli-annexed east Jerusalem, the occupied West Bank and Gaza, lands Israel seized in the 1967 Mideast war.
And there are increasing doubts that a two-state solution is even possible at this point because Israel has spent decades expanding settlements that are now home to hundreds of thousands of Jewish settlers. Israel blames the continuing conflict on Palestinian violence and the refusal of Palestinian leaders to accept past proposals that it says would have given them a state.
Biden plans to visit with Mahmoud Abbas, the head of the Palestinian Authority, in Bethlehem during his trip. But it’s unlikely that there will be an opportunity to prod either him or Israeli Prime Minister Yair Lapid to reopen talks. The Palestinian Authority, which administers parts of the occupied West Bank, has grown increasingly unpopular and autocratic in recent years. Lapid is a caretaker prime minister serving while Israel braces for another round of elections later this year.
HUMAN RIGHTS
Biden will likely be confronted with more fallout over the death of Palestinian-American journalist Shireen Abu Akleh, who was killed two months ago. An analysis overseen by the United States suggested that she was shot by Israeli soldiers who were conducting a raid nearby, but it stopped short of drawing a definitive conclusion. The murky outcome led to more anger than clarity.
The treatment of journalists will also be a focal point when Biden visits Saudi Arabia. U.S. intelligence believes that the kingdom’s crown prince, Mohammed bin Salman, likely approved the killing of Jamal Khashoggi, a U.S.-based writer for the Washington Post who was critical of the regime. The murder was carried out by agents who worked for the crown prince, and it took place inside the Saudi consulate in Istanbul in 2018.
Dozens of activists, writers, moderate clerics and economists remain imprisoned for their criticism of Mohammed bin Salman. The few who’ve been released, like blogger Raif Badawi and women’s rights advocate Loujain al-Hathloul, face yearslong travel bans and cannot speak freely. Some senior members of the royal family have been arrested or had their assets seized, and others were forced into exile.
Despite the crackdown, the crown prince has also been credited with reforms. Saudi Arabia looks and feels starkly different than just five years ago, when religious police still roamed the streets chastising women for wearing bright nail polish in malls, enforcing gender segregation in public places and ordering restaurants to turn off background music. Women can now drive, travel abroad without the permission of a male relative and attend sporting events in stadiums once reserved solely for men. Movie theaters and concerts, including one with pop star Justin Bieber, have government backing, a major change after decades of ultraconservative Wahhabi influence.
OIL PRODUCTION
Biden will likely face pressure to temper his criticism of Saudi Arabia’s human rights record to persuade the kingdom and its neighbors to pump more oil and alleviate months of sky-high prices at the gas pump.
Energy analysts say drivers shouldn’t get their hopes up. “If the public is looking for lower gasoline prices after this trip, I think they’re bound to be disappointed,” said Samantha Gross, director of the energy security and climate initiative at the Brookings Institution.
The Saudis, among the biggest energy producers in the world, are already producing near their full capacity of 11 million barrels of oil per day. And members of OPEC+ nations, including the Saudis, are likely to be cautious when it comes to demands from the U.S.
In 2020, as the coronavirus pandemic severely scaled back travel, Trump urged OPEC+ to scale back production as the U.S. oil industry wobbled. Now, as the Russian invasion of Ukraine has driven up prices, Biden wants OPEC+ to produce more even though there are fears of a global recession around the corner.
Elevated oil prices are simply good business for the Saudis, the de facto leader of OPEC+. The kingdom reported that the value of its crude exports were about a $1 billion per day in March and April, a 123% increase compared to the same period in 2021.
INDIA
Another partnership is also taking shape while Biden is traveling in the Middle East. He’ll be convening a virtual summit with the leaders of Israel, India and the United Arab Emirates under a new moniker — the I2U2.
It might seem like an unlikely collection of countries, but there are hopes for productive collaboration. Navdeep Suri, a former Indian ambassador to the UAE, said the initiative is intended to bring together Israeli technology, UAE capital and Indian skills.
“We are seeing a churn in the region and for India, it is better to be on the table rather than off the table,” he added.
Ned Price, a spokesman for the U.S. State Department, said there’s a lot of opportunity for deepening relationships.
“There are a number of areas where these countries can work together, whether it’s technology, whether it’s trade, whether it is climate, whether it’s COVID, and potentially even security as well,” he said.
Talmeez Ahmed, India’s former ambassador to Saudi Arabia, suggested there would be limits to security cooperation, and he’s skeptical about the new initiative.
Ahmed noted Israel has “said it is against Iran. There is no way India will join an alliance against Iran.”
___
Associated Press writers Aamer Madhani in Jerusalem, Ashok Sharma in New Delhi, Aya Batrawy in Dubai, Ellen Knickmeyer in Washington and Joseph Krauss in Ottawa contributed to this report. | https://cw33.com/news/politics/ap-politics/six-things-to-watch-during-bidens-trip-to-the-middle-east/ | 2022-07-12T14:22:30Z |
New Products Scheduled to Launch in November 2022
LYONS, Colo., July 25, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Leading all-natural body care company, Sierra Sage Herbs, makers of Green Goo®, Good Goo®, and Southern Butter® brands, announced today that it has secured a non-exclusive, private-label agreement with Health E-Commerce, parent brand to FSA Store, HSA Store, Well Deserved Health, and Caring Mill™ to produce its inaugural plant-based first-aid collection. As per the terms of the agreement, Sierra Sage Herbs will oversee and manage product development, supply chain, and production, while Health-E Commerce will make the collection available to the millions of consumers who are enrolled in tax-advantage health accounts.
The initial product offerings, which will be available in 1.82 oz. recyclable travel tins, include Burn Repair, First Aid, Pain Relief, Poison Ivy, and Tattoo Aftercare salves. The full, plant-based collection, which is also cruelty-free, will be offered as part of the Caring Mill product line. Health-E Commerce donates a portion of the proceeds from every Caring Mill purchase to Children's Health Fund.
More than 70 million Americans are enrolled in flexible spending accounts (FSAs) and health savings accounts (HSAs), which allow them to set aside pre-tax income to pay for qualified healthcare expenses, including products for everyday health and wellbeing. Health-E Commerce is the only family of online marketplaces that caters to this audience with exclusively eligible products, the industry's most comprehensive eligibility list, and educational tools and content.
"We're so proud to partner with the incredible team at Health-E Commerce to bring our plant-based first-aid collection to their customers," said Sierra Sage Herbs CEO and co-founder Jodi Scott. "As the leading online marketplace for FSA- and HSA-eligible products, Health-E Commerce is such an invaluable resource for individuals and families, and we couldn't be more excited to offer our all-natural first-aid solutions on their sites."
"Not only are FSA and HSA users invested in their health and wellbeing, but they have demonstrated a preference for all-natural products and for using their tax-free health funds to buy portable health products like first-aid treatments," said Susan Elliott-Bocassi, senior vice president of operations, Health-E Commerce. "We're excited to partner with a female-led company like Sierra Sage Herbs to bring consumers the best of both product categories with their all natural first-aid line."
The FSA Store plant-based first-aid collection is scheduled to launch in November 2022.
Committed to making the best all-natural, plant-based skincare products, Sierra Sage Herbs, now part of Creso Pharma, is on a mission to spread goodness, empower change, and redefine natural body care. Founded in 2008 by sisters Jodi and Jen Scott and their mother, Kathy Scott, the company's natural products brands, which are cruelty free and made in the USA, include Green Goo, Good Goo, and Southern Butter. These brands are sold across more than 100,000 points of distribution around the US, including Whole Foods, Walmart, Amazon, Target.com, CVS, Walgreen's, Rite Aid, Albertsons, and Kroger, among many others. A certified B Corp, Sierra Sage Herbs aligns and partners with charities, aid organizations, and causes both in the United States and around the world. To learn more, visit: www.sierrasageherbs.com.
Health-E Commerce is the parent brand to FSA Store, HSA Store, and WellDeservedHealth, a family of online marketplaces that serve the 70+ million consumers enrolled in pre-tax health and wellness accounts. The company also created Caring Mill, a popular private-label line of health products that benefits Children's Health Fund and enables customers to make a donation with each purchase. Since 2010, the Health-E Commerce brands have led the direct-to-consumer e-commerce market for exclusively pre-tax health and wellness benefits. Health-E Commerce plays an essential role in expanding product eligibility for important new categories within the list of eligible medical expenses.
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SOURCE Sierra Sage Herbs | https://www.mysuncoast.com/prnewswire/2022/07/25/female-founded-sierra-sage-herbs-announces-private-label-agreement-with-health-e-commerce-produce-companys-inaugural-plant-based-first-aid-collection/ | 2022-07-25T14:12:07Z |
- Raj Vazirani's board appointment continues the recent strategic partnership between StradVision and ZF to accelerate the Autonomous Driving perception technology space.
SEOUL, South Korea, Sept. 6, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- StradVision, an AI-based perception processing technology company for Autonomous Vehicles and ADAS, and technology company ZF Group (ZF) have announced the appointment of ZF's Raj Vazirani to StradVision's board of directors.
Raj Vazirani brings 20 years of experience within the ADAS and Autonomous Driving space, including prior background in the Telecom industry. His current role at ZF is Director of Radar, Camera Products, Electronics Engineering and Computer Vision Architecture – where he leads engineering of ADAS Sensors and Central Hardware development – and his education background includes a Bachelor in Electronics Engineering from Mumbai University and attending the Ashridge Executive Management Program at INSEAD Business School.
"I am excited to join the board of StradVision as we work together to further develop our perception expertise, in particular for higher levels of L3 and L4 autonomy, to provide various mobility solutions," said Raj Vazirani. "We look forward to future growth in the ADAS and AD space through world class AI-based perception technology."
Vazirani's new board appointment also elevates the recently established partnership between StradVision and ZF to accelerate the future of Autonomous Driving perception technology, which saw ZF acquire a 6 percent stake in StradVision to expand the portfolio of autonomous driving perception software. In addition, the partnership has strengthened ZF's global ecosystem for automated driving Level 3 and Level 4 systems.
"Our collaboration and strategic relationship with ZF have proven very beneficial as we both continue high ambitions for leading the perception space as well as the autonomous driving market," said Junhwan Kim, CEO at StradVision. "We're honored to have Raj Vazirani join our StradVision board, and we look forward to his collaboration, leadership and expertise as we continue to grow our global efforts."
StradVision has seen major business growth over the past year, including their new local subsidiary opening in Michigan and second German office opening. The company's SVNet powers the perception technology behind ADAS and autonomous driving, allowing vehicles to accurately detect and identify objects — such as other vehicles, lanes, pedestrians, animals, free space, traffic signs, and lights — even in poor lighting or harsh weather conditions. StradVision's SVNet software relies on deep learning-based perception algorithms, which requires a relatively small amount of memory and low power consumption. The software supports across 14+ hardware platforms by Qualcomm, Texas Instruments, Renesas and other chipset makers and provides the network to run deep learning-based perception software on V3H, TDA4VM, SA8155 and CV22.
ZF's portfolio of system solutions spans a variety of strategic technology fields, including the growing and evolving autonomous driving vehicle sector. Among these solutions are the company's high-performance computers such as the ZF ProAI; automotive software supporting ADAS and AD functions; sensors like camera, radar, and LiDAR; and smart actuators.
About StradVision
Founded in 2014, StradVision is an automotive industry pioneer in AI-based vision processing technology for Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS). The company is accelerating the advent of fully autonomous vehicles by making ADAS features available at a fraction of the market cost compared with competitors. StradVision's SVNet is being deployed on various vehicle models in partnership with OEMs and powers ADAS & Autonomous Vehicles worldwide and is serviced by over 300 employees in Seoul, San Jose, Detroit, Tokyo, Shanghai, Friedrichshafen, and Dusseldorf. StradVision has been honored with the Gold Award at the 2021 AutoSens Awards for Best-in-Class Software for Perception Systems, and the 2020 Autonomous Vehicle Technology ACES Award in Autonomy (Software Category). In addition, StradVision's software is certified to the ISO 9001:2015 for Quality Management System and ISO 26262 for Automotive Functional Safety.
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SOURCE StradVision | https://www.mysuncoast.com/prnewswire/2022/09/06/zf-groups-raj-vazirani-joins-stradvision-board-directors/ | 2022-09-06T16:08:44Z |
Prophix scored consistently above the overall sample, maintaining a perfect recommended score
MISSISSAUGA, ON, June 30, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Prophix Software, a global leader in Corporate Performance Management (CPM) software, today announced it has once again ranked in the top-right quadrant of both the Customer Experience and Vendor Credibility models in the Dresner Advisory Services' Wisdom of Crowds® Enterprise Performance Management Market (EPM) Study, while maintaining its perfect recommended score. Prophix was again ranked as a leader in Customer Experience Model and scored consistently above the overall sample in all measures, including Product Knowledge, Experience, Overall Usability, and Professionalism.
The Dresner Wisdom of Crowds® Study is a broad assessment of the EPM market, providing a comprehensive look at key user trends, attitudes and intentions. It includes an analysis of EPM and data-driven decision-making as well as the impact of artificial intelligence (AI) on EPM. Wisdom of Crowds® research is based on data collected on usage and deployment trends, products, and vendors. For each annual study, enterprise planning users at every level and spanning a wide array of industries contribute their opinion on topics related to their current and planned usage.
"We congratulate Prophix on another year of very strong ratings in our EPM Market Study," said Howard Dresner, Founder and Chief Research Officer at Dresner Advisory Services. "Vendor rankings are based solely on end user input, and with Prophix's scores consistently above the overall sample and best in class designation in several key metrics, the company has demonstrated continued focus on their customers."
Alok Ajmera, President & CEO, Prophix Software, said: "Through best-in-class customer service and support, intuitive software and a culture of integrity, Prophix is helping elevate finance teams to more strategic roles in their businesses. We're proud that our dedication to customers has led Prophix to once again be positioned as an industry leader in the Dresner EPM Market Study."
The Customer Experience model considers the real-world experience of customers working with EPM / CPM products on a daily basis, using a chart to showcase visually how these different products perform. Once again, Dresner positioned Prophix in the upper-right quadrant of the Customer Experience model—reserved for the highest-scoring vendors—earning Prophix the title of an "Overall Experience Leader."
The Vendor Credibility Model considers customer experience and feedback about their vendor. Prophix again placed in the top-right quadrant of this model and was named a "Credibility Leader."
The Detailed Score portion of the Dresner Study provides specific rankings for vendors across 33 different aspects as well as compares those rankings to previous performance. Across the board, Prophix scored above the overall sample.
You can view the full report here.
To empower mid-market companies to achieve their goals, Prophix provides an integrated, cloud-based platform to the Office of Finance; one that delivers planning, budgeting, reporting, forecasting and consolidation solutions. With Prophix, finance leaders improve profitability and minimize risk and put the focus back on what matters most – uncovering business opportunities. Prophix supports the future with AI innovations that adapt to meet the strategic realities of more than 2,600 active customers, globally, who rely on Prophix to deliver tangible business outcomes and transform the way they work. For more information, visit www.prophix.com.
Dresner Advisory Services was formed by Howard Dresner, an independent analyst, author, lecturer, and business adviser. Dresner Advisory Services, LLC focuses on creating and sharing thought leadership for Business Intelligence (BI), Performance Management, and related areas.
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SOURCE Prophix | https://www.wibw.com/prnewswire/2022/06/30/prophix-named-an-experience-amp-credibility-leader-dresner-wisdom-crowds-study-seventh-consecutive-year/ | 2022-06-30T14:07:41Z |
Project is the latest addition to the company's growing portfolio of zero-carbon power generation facilities
IRVING, Texas, April 13, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Vistra (NYSE: VST) today announced that its Brightside Solar Facility in Live Oak County, Texas, is online and generating electricity. The 50-megawatt solar photovoltaic (PV) project is part of the company's growing portfolio of zero-carbon power generation assets, known as Vistra Zero.
Brightside Solar Facility is the first of seven new renewable and energy storage projects that the company is bringing online across Texas over the next few years. The Texas-sized package of zero-carbon projects, all located within the ERCOT market, are part of a near $1 billion capital investment by Vistra first announced in September 2020.
"With Brightside and additional Vistra Zero projects poised to come online across Texas, our vision of transitioning our fleet to cleaner electric generation is becoming a reality," said Curt Morgan, CEO of Vistra. "As Texas continues its rapid rate of economic and population growth, Vistra is investing in the grid of the future while serving the needs of its customers who are increasingly seeking green alternatives. We're proud of our long history of powering Texas and look forward to continuing to strengthen the ERCOT grid with additional power to help build the sustainable future all Texans deserve."
Also expected online in spring 2022:
- DeCordova Energy Storage Facility, Hood County, TX – 260 MW/260 MW-hours
- Emerald Grove Solar Facility, Crane County, TX – 108 MW
Situated on 430 acres in Live Oak County, Brightside is comprised of 147,732 photovoltaic solar panels that can generate enough electricity to power approximately 25,000 average residences in the ERCOT market during normal grid conditions. Initial project construction began in January 2021. Brightside harnesses power from the sun, providing affordable, emission-free electricity while bolstering the reliability of the Texas electric grid.
Morgan continued, "With unmatched development, commercial, and operational teams, requisite capabilities, and access to capital, we are proud to be playing a leading role during this great energy transition. For 140 years, Vistra and its predecessor companies have generated affordable and reliable electricity. We take seriously our responsibly of providing an essential product, while balancing our commitment to the environment and the communities where we work and live. The way we produced power in 1882 looks very different now – but our commitment to our fellow Texans remains the same."
Brightside Solar Facility utilizes solar panel technology from First Solar; Burns & McDonnell provided engineering and construction expertise.
Vistra plans to grow its zero-carbon fleet to more than 7,300 MW by 2026. For more information on Vistra Zero, click here.
Vistra (NYSE: VST) is a leading Fortune 275 integrated retail electricity and power generation company based in Irving, Texas, providing essential resources for customers, commerce, and communities. Vistra combines an innovative, customer-centric approach to retail with safe, reliable, diverse, and efficient power generation. The company brings its products and services to market in 20 states and the District of Columbia, including six of the seven competitive wholesale markets in the U.S. and markets in Canada and Japan, as well. Serving nearly 4.3 million residential, commercial, and industrial retail customers with electricity and natural gas, Vistra is one of the largest competitive electricity providers in the country and offers over 50 renewable energy plans. The company is also the largest competitive power generator in the U.S. with a capacity of approximately 39,000 megawatts powered by a diverse portfolio, including natural gas, nuclear, solar, and battery energy storage facilities. In addition, Vistra is a large purchaser of wind power. The company owns and operates the 400-MW/1,600-MWh battery energy storage system in Moss Landing, California, the largest of its kind in the world. Vistra is guided by four core principles: we do business the right way, we work as a team, we compete to win, and we care about our stakeholders, including our customers, our communities where we work and live, our employees, and our investors. Learn more about our environmental, social, and governance efforts and read the company's sustainability report at https://www.vistracorp.com/sustainability/.
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SOURCE Vistra Corp. | https://www.kxii.com/prnewswire/2022/04/13/vistras-brightside-solar-facility-is-now-online/ | 2022-04-13T18:38:46Z |
TORTOLA, British Virgin Islands, June 8, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- BVI Finance welcomes today's announcement from the UK Government that it will work in collaboration and partnership with the newly-formed British Virgin Islands (BVI) Government of National Unity to implement reforms as recommended by the Commission of Inquiry (COI) Report, without direct rule from London.
Today's announcement provides certainty and stability for the Territory's financial services industry, which is operationally independent, meets the highest international regulatory standards, and continues to offer quality products and services around the globe.
Speaking at the press conference, the BVI Governor H.E John Rankin stated clearly that the COI was not an investigation into the BVI's financial services sector, which he reaffirmed "continues to comply with the best international standards."
The BVI's financial services industry has demonstrated strong growth in recent years despite the challenges of the global pandemic. As such, we are confident in the continued success and growth of the BVI as a leading global financial centre, with an established international talent pool, robust regulatory bodies, and unrivalled products and services.
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SOURCE BVI Finance | https://www.mysuncoast.com/prnewswire/2022/06/08/response-bvi-finance-uk-governments-decision-not-impose-direct-rule/ | 2022-06-08T19:48:00Z |
SAN FRANCISCO, June 10, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Casetext, the leading provider of A.I.-powered legal technology, and James Publishing, a trusted provider of practical law books, is excited to announce a partnership that will bring James' practice guides to the Casetext platform.
The partnership is part of Casetext's strategy to increase its content offerings, in line with the company's mission to enable greater access to justice by providing a comprehensive legal research platform to law firms and in-house legal departments of every size and budget. These guides will be accessible on Casetext at a cost-effective per book or complete collection subscription price.
James Publishing guides provide lawyers with time-saving tools, forms, and practice tips for both federal and state practice. In addition to state-specific guidance for California, New York, Illinois, Florida, and Texas, James Publishing has several titles with broad jurisdictional coverage, as well as publications focused on discreet practice areas such as employment law, criminal defense, and personal injury.
"By offering our clients affordable access to the high-quality practical guides produced by James Publishing, we are helping lawyers practice more efficiently," said Chris Lafferty, Senior Vice President of Content at Casetext. "We are thrilled to partner with James Publishing to provide greater value for our clients."
"Offering James Publishing treatises through Casetext is an exciting step forward for our company, which is still very much a traditional book publisher on the publishing side of the business," says Kara Prior, President of James Publishing. "The integration allows us to broaden the reach of our content to find new audiences, with the added bonus of being supported by cutting-edge legal research technology."
James Publishing is a leading affordable legal publisher. Since 1981, James Publishing has provided practical law books that are loaded with time-saving motions and pleadings, client letters, and step-by-step procedural checklists, pattern arguments, model questions, and practice tips.
For more information, visit www.jamespublishing.com.
Casetext builds the most advanced A.I. legal technology available on the market today. Launched in 2013, Casetext provides lawyers with innovative tools to streamline critical elements of legal practice. Casetext offers powerful technology for legal research, brief drafting, knowledge management, discovery, and more. Over 10,000 law firms—including 40% of Am Law 200 firms—rely on Casetext to improve the efficiency of their law practice.
For more information, visit www.casetext.com.
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SOURCE Casetext | https://www.mysuncoast.com/prnewswire/2022/06/10/casetext-announces-partnership-with-james-publishing-expand-secondary-sources/ | 2022-06-10T17:37:13Z |
Ex-CIA engineer convicted in massive theft of secret information
Published: Jul. 13, 2022 at 3:03 PM CDT|Updated: 31 minutes ago
NEW YORK (AP) — A former CIA software engineer accused of causing the biggest theft of classified information in CIA history has been convicted at a New York City retrial.
A jury reached the guilty verdict against Joshua Schulte on Wednesday in federal court in Manhattan.
Schulte chose to act as his own defense attorney, calling himself a scapegoat for an embarrassing public release of a trove of CIA secrets by WikiLeaks in 2017.
A mistrial was declared at his original 2020 trial after jurors deadlocked on the most serious counts.
Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. | https://www.wibw.com/2022/07/13/ex-cia-engineer-convicted-massive-theft-secret-information/ | 2022-07-13T20:35:55Z |
DETROIT (AP) — The Detroit Tigers are suddenly playing like the relevant team they were expected to be after aggressively making moves in the offseason.
Daz Cameron hit a go-ahead, two-run homer in the eighth inning and the surging Tigers held on to beat the slumping Minnesota Twins 3-2 Thursday.
Cameron’s 416-foot shot to left-center off Emilio Pagan (1-2) scored Eric Haase, who hit a one-out single for the Tigers.
Detroit has won seven of its last nine games to make up some ground as the fourth-place team in the AL Central after a 14-28 start.
“This is what we expected to do this season because we have a ton of talent, and filled a lot of voids with a totally different team,” Haase said. “We’re starting to find our stride and to do that with only one starting pitcher that we broke camp with is impressive.”
Jonathan Schoop has had a lot to do with the Tigers’ turnaround, hitting an RBI single in the first inning of the series finale to account for seven of their 10 runs over two-plus games.
Cameron lifted Detroit to its fourth win in the five-game series against Minnesota by clearing the fences in spacious Comerica Park with a shot that even center fielder Byron Buxton seemed to know he had no chance to catch.
“When he stopped running, the center fielder for them, I knew it was gone,” Detroit shortstop Harold Castro said.
Alex Lange (3-1) gave up two walks and struck out one in the pivotal eighth inning and Gregory Soto closed or his 10th save.
AL Central-leading Minnesota, the division’s only team with a winning record, has lost seven of 10.
“Every team goes through a stretch where the schedule gets tough,” Pagan said. “Everybody is banged up. It seems like across the league, there’s a lot of injuries right now. We’re not the only ones going through it.”
After getting shut out the previous two games, the Twins did finally score in Detroit.
Gio Urshela’s RBI double, which brought Nick Gordon home after he singled, in the third ended a 22-inning scoreless streak. Gordon hit a go-ahead double in the fourth inning, but the Twins could not keep a 2-1 advantage.
“We did a lot of things good,” manager Rocco Baldelli said. “We’ve just got to expand the lead when we get it.”
FOR STARTERS
Minnesota’s Chris Archer gave up one run on three hits. Detroit’s Alex Faedo allowed two runs on five hits and two walks.
BENCHED BAEZ
The Tigers gave SS Javier Baez a second straight day off to reset physically and mentally. Baez, who signed a six-year deal for $140 million deal in December, has his lowest batting average (.197) since he was a Chicago Cubs rookie in 2014 and has just three homers and 13 RBIs in 40 games.
TRAINER’S ROOM
Twins: RHP Sonny Gray, pulled from his last start, went on the 15-day injured list with a strained chest muscle. … OF Gilberto Celestino, who went on the COVID-19 list last Friday, tested negative for two straight days and is expected to join the team for its upcoming series in Toronto.
Tigers: LHP Eduardo Rodriguez, on the IL with a rib sprain since May 22, will join the team on its upcoming road trip and expects to pitch for Triple-A Toledo within a week. … OF Austin Meadows, on the IL with since May 16, has not had vertigo symptoms recently and feels great, according to manager A.J. Hinch.
UP NEXT
Twins: Open a three-game series at Toronto on Friday night, when RHP Chi Chi Gonzalez is expected to make his Minnesota debut against Blue Jays LHP Yusei Kikuchi (2-1, 3.48 ERA).
Tigers: Hit the road for a three-game set with the New York Yankees on Friday night with Detroit RHP Elvin Rodriguez (0-0, 6.17) and New York RHP Gerrit Cole (4-1, 3.12) scheduled to pitch.
___
More AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/MLB and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports | https://cw33.com/sports/ap-sports/daz-camerons-hr-in-8th-lifts-surging-tigers-past-twins-3-2/ | 2022-06-02T22:54:18Z |
Tiny Open House at Natchez Trace RV Campground on Saturday, June 4th
HOHENWALD, Tenn., May 31, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Natchez Trace Tiny House Village invites the public as its tiny doors open to show how fun it can be to vacation in a tiny house. Natchez Trace Tiny House Village is the latest in a series of unique accommodations Petite Retreats has launched across the country since 2016. The houses are part of Natchez Trace RV Campground, located about an hour southwest of Nashville in Hohenwald, TN, which offers plenty of family-friendly amenities and activities. Each of the six specially designed tiny houses at Natchez Trace measure 30 feet long, sleep two to six guests and come fully equipped with a kitchen, bathroom, satellite TV, and their own unique personality reflected in their design and décor.
All six tiny homes at the new Natchez Trace Tiny House Village were built by Tumbleweed Tiny House Company®. Tumbleweed tiny houses are certified green by TRA Certification. The homes meet the criteria for efficiency in resources utilized, indoor air quality, water and energy. In fact, their tiny houses exceed the highest category of efficiency under TRA Certification standards, Emerald, for energy, water and indoor air quality. Tumbleweed uses low-VOC products in all builds, mineral wool insulation, low flow plumbing fixtures, and air exchangers are installed in every unit. The tiny houses also have products and fixtures from IKEA® incorporated throughout, while being built under Tumbleweed's current TRA Certification standards. IKEA is a leader in sustainability, aiming to use only renewable or recycled materials by 2030.
"We are thrilled to open our newest tiny house village," said Petite Retreats' spokeswoman Pat Zamora. "Natchez Trace Tiny House Village represents the type of unique vacation rentals Petite Retreats offers and this open house provides a glimpse into the tiny experience available when guests visit," Zamora added.
Petite Retreats offers tiny houses among its variety of vacation rentals, including yurts, cabins, cottages, tents and teepees, across more than 180 RV resorts and campgrounds nationwide. The five other tiny house villages include Mt. Hood Tiny House Village outside Portland, OR, Leavenworth Tiny House Village east of Seattle, Tuxbury Tiny House Village north of Boston, Sunshine Key Tiny House Village in the Florida Keys, and two tiny houses near Sedona, Ariz. at Verde Valley RV Resort.
About Petite Retreats
Petite Retreats offers a collection of unique vacation accommodations across the U.S. Owned and operated by Equity Lifestyle Properties, Inc. (NYSE: ELS), Petite Retreats and its affiliates offer vacationers the opportunity to enjoy the outdoors in top vacation destinations, complemented with resort-style amenities. Petite Retreats' unique accommodations consist of tiny houses, cabins, cottages, yurts, tents and teepees. Visit www.PetiteRetreats.com for more information.
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SOURCE Petite Retreats | https://www.kxii.com/prnewswire/2022/05/31/petite-retreats-opens-sixth-tiny-house-village-first-tennessee/ | 2022-05-31T22:28:32Z |
Obama, Airbnb’s Brian Chesky launch $100M in scholarships
NEW YORK (AP) — The co-founder and CEO of Airbnb, Brian Chesky, has donated $100 million to the Obama Foundation to fund scholarships for students pursuing careers in public service and includes multiple stipends for travel.
The Voyager Scholarship will grant $50,000 to rising juniors to cover tuition costs over two years as well as a $10,000 grant and Airbnb credit to fund a summer experience designed by the student. Scholarship winners will also get an Airbnb credit worth $2,000 a year for 10 years after their graduation, which is in addition to Chesky’s donation a foundation spokesperson said.
“You’re going to find young people from every corner of this country who are going to be future change makers. There are leaders everywhere. We just have to find them,” former President Barack Obama said in a video announcement Monday. He and Chesky will meet with scholarship recipients at an annual conference to talk about service and leadership.
Travel engenders curiosity and cooperation, Chesky said, acknowledging that many students face financial burdens that discourage them from entering professions or fields oriented toward service.
“There are young people across the country who have a passion for public service, but can’t pursue it because of their student loan debt,” Chesky said. “We want to help reduce that burden.”
Chesky’s donation is the largest the Obama Foundation has received, tied with a $100 million donation from Amazon founder Jeff Bezos in November.
Some 43 million Americans carry student loans worth $1.6 trillion, according to federal figures. President Joe Biden promised to cancel $10,000 in federal student debt per person while campaigning but has not yet done so. He said in April that he is continuing to study what action to take on student loans.
The Voyager Scholarship has opened applications via the website Scholarship America for the first 100 students it will fund. Applicants must be entering their junior year of college at a four-year U.S. university and must be a U.S. citizen, permanent resident or have a deferred action status under the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals Program. The deadline to apply is June 14. Scholarship America is managing the application process, but the Obama Foundation will select recipients, a spokesperson for the foundation said.
Students must demonstrate a commitment to public service, which the program’s website defines broadly as including “careers in government, nonprofits or the private sector,” including occupations ranging “from community organizing to social work and from entrepreneurship to the arts.”
Chesky is a graduate of the Rhode Island School of Design and has spoken about his unexpected path to becoming an entrepreneur. Airbnb went public in December 2020 with a valuation of over $100 billion, a major comeback after its business was badly impacted by the onset of the coronavirus pandemic.
Chesky has signed a pledge to give the majority of his wealth away during his lifetime.
The Obama Foundation has recently funded community organizations working to close opportunity gaps for boys and young men of color as well as to fund girls’ education, according to its 2020 tax filings.
___
Associated Press coverage of philanthropy and nonprofits receives support through the AP’s collaboration with The Conversation US, with funding from Lilly Endowment Inc. The AP is solely responsible for this content. For all of AP’s philanthropy coverage, visit https://apnews.com/hub/philanthropy.
Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. | https://www.kxii.com/2022/05/16/obama-airbnbs-brian-chesky-launch-100m-scholarships/ | 2022-05-16T17:44:58Z |
Girl, 8, targeted by child predator on Roblox, mom says
WILMINGTON, N.C. (WECT/Gray News) – Roblox is a popular game among the younger generation, but many people have had problems with their children running into inappropriate content while using the app.
According to WECT, an 8-year-old girl in North Carolina was targeted by an online predator.
They asked for the girl’s phone number over the chat feature on Roblox, and the conversation got worse over text messaging.
The girl’s mother said she has parental controls on all the electronic devices her kids use, but it was a shock when she discovered the messages on her daughter’s phone.
“He kept asking her for hot videos, and I mean, she would send just like an innocent picture of herself or like an innocent video,” said Kaitlin Clarke, the girl’s mother. “But you could tell, like, he kept saying more, that wasn’t what he was looking for.”
Clarke said she hadn’t planned to get her daughter a cell phone at such a young age but decided to in an effort to keep her safe if she was in a scary situation.
“With the way everything in the world is these days, it’s like she needs a way to contact me or her dad or somebody if something happens,” Clarke said.
Experts with the FBI Charlotte Division said that it comes down to being aware of what your child is doing at all times.
Authorities advise putting strict privacy settings on their phones and tablets in addition to disabling any chat features on apps like Roblox.
“Inappropriate photos are not taken in the living room. They’re not taken in the bonus room,” said FBI Charlotte Division Public Affairs Specialist Shelley Lynch. “They’re taken in a child’s bedroom, or in the bathroom. Children really have to understand that they don’t know who they’re really talking to online.”
Experts recommend speaking with your child about the dangers of online predators so they are aware and can alert you if a problem arises online.
Copyright 2022 WECT via Gray Media Group, Inc. All rights reserved. | https://www.mysuncoast.com/2022/07/11/girl-8-targeted-by-child-predator-roblox-mom-says/ | 2022-07-11T14:19:03Z |
NEW YORK, Aug. 23, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- the Kleyman Law Firm, a law practice devoted exclusively to divorce and family law in New York City announced that its partner, Andriana Toscano, received the 2023 Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch in America recognition for her work as an NYC family and divorce lawyer.
Recognition in Best Lawyers is widely considered by both clients and legal professionals as a significant honor conferred on a lawyer by members of their profession. Based entirely on peer review, this coveted award is given to an attorney after surveying thousands of leading lawyers who are asked to weigh in on the skill, talent, and achievements of their peers in their respective practice. More than 1.6 million evaluations were analyzed resulting in less than 20,000 lawyers being selected by their peers to be included and commended for their outstanding work in the entire country.
"We are very proud of Andriana and this recognition is well deserved. She is a rising star and one of the top divorce lawyers in NYC right now," said Val Kleyman, founding partner and fellow divorce attorney at the Kleyman Law Firm.
Andriana Toscano has proven herself capable of guiding individuals, parents, children, and families through the toughest and highly contested family law matters. She is also recognized as a Top Rated Family Law Attorney in New York, NY by Super Lawyers Rising Stars in multiple years. Trusted by clients and colleagues, she and the rest of the Kleyman Law Firm cultivated reputations as leaders in their field and helped thousands of clients in complex cases of divorce and family law routinely representing high-profile clients such as artists, athletes, business executives, and celebrities.
"I'm very excited and honored to have received this recognition. I will continue to work hard to help my clients through the most difficult time of their lives. I'm thankful to my firm and my peers, who nominated me, and with whom I look forward to working in the future," said Andriana Toscano.
Andriana Toscano is a partner at the Kleyman Law Firm. Her Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch in America recognition can be viewed at https://bestlawyers.com/lawyers/andriana-toscano/356088. The Kleyman Law Firm is located at One Rockefeller Plaza, 11th Floor, New York, NY. For more info go to https://nyc-divorcelawyer.com, email: atoscano@kleymanfirm.com or call 212-401-1977.
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SOURCE Kleyman Law Firm | https://www.wibw.com/prnewswire/2022/08/23/andriana-toscano-named-2023-best-lawyers-ones-watch-america/ | 2022-08-23T12:03:16Z |
NEW YORK, June 22, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- The Gross Law Firm issues the following notice to shareholders of Digital Turbine, Inc..
Shareholders who purchased shares of APPS during the class period listed are encouraged to contact the firm regarding possible lead plaintiff appointment. Appointment as lead plaintiff is not required to partake in any recovery.
CONTACT US HERE:
CLASS PERIOD: August 9, 2021 to May 17, 2022
ALLEGATIONS: The complaint alleges that during the class period, Defendants issued materially false and/or misleading statements and/or failed to disclose that: (1) the Company's recent acquisitions, AdColony and Fyber, act as agents in certain of their respective product lines; (2) as a result, revenues for those product lines must be reported net of license fees and revenue share, rather than on a gross basis; (3) the Company's internal control over financial reporting as to revenue recognition was deficient; and (4) as a result of the foregoing, the Company's net revenues was overstated throughout fiscal 2022; and (5) as a result of the foregoing, defendants' positive statements about the Company's business, operations, and prospects were materially misleading and/or lacked a reasonable basis.
DEADLINE: August 5, 2022 Shareholders should not delay in registering for this class action. Register your information here: https://securitiesclasslaw.com/securities/digital-turbine-inc-loss-submission-form/?id=28883&from=4
NEXT STEPS FOR SHAREHOLDERS: Once you register as a shareholder who purchased shares of APPS during the timeframe listed above, you will be enrolled in a portfolio monitoring software to provide you with status updates throughout the lifecycle of the case. The deadline to seek to be a lead plaintiff is August 5, 2022. There is no cost or obligation to you to participate in this case.
WHY GROSS LAW FIRM? The Gross Law Firm is nationally recognized class action law firm, and our mission is to protect the rights of all investors who have suffered as a result of deceit, fraud, and illegal business practices. The Gross Law Firm is committed to ensuring that companies adhere to responsible business practices and engage in good corporate citizenship. The firm seeks recovery on behalf of investors who incurred losses when false and/or misleading statements or the omission of material information by a company lead to artificial inflation of the company's stock. Attorney advertising. Prior results do not guarantee similar outcomes.
CONTACT:
The Gross Law Firm
15 West 38th Street, 12th floor
New York, NY, 10018
Email: dg@securitiesclasslaw.com
Phone: (646) 453-8903
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SOURCE The Gross Law Firm | https://www.mysuncoast.com/prnewswire/2022/06/22/shareholder-alert-gross-law-firm-notifies-shareholders-digital-turbine-inc-class-action-lawsuit-lead-plaintiff-deadline-august-5-2022-nasdaq-apps/ | 2022-06-22T10:49:39Z |
MISGAV, Israel, May 31, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Biond Biologics Ltd., a private, clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company developing novel immunotherapies for cancer and a platform enabling the intracellular delivery of biologics, announced today that the company will be presenting a joint poster with Sanofi at the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) 2022 Annual Meeting taking place in Chicago, Illinois, June 3-7, 2022. The poster presents pre-clinical translational data including potential patient enrichment biomarkers for SAR444881 (BND-22).
The poster will be presented at:
Developmental Therapeutics—Immunotherapy
Date and Time: 06/05/2022, 8:00 AM - 11:00 AM
Abstract Title: Evaluation of pharmacodynamic and patient enrichment biomarkers for SAR444881, a first-in-class anti-ILT2 monoclonal antibody for cancer immunotherapy.
Abstract ID: 2571
About SAR444881 (BND-22),
Leukocyte Ig-like receptor B1 (LILRB1), also known as immunoglobulin-like transcript 2 (ILT2), is an inhibitory receptor expressed on various immune cells. ILT2 was shown to bind to classical and nonclassical MHC class I molecules and with the highest affinity to HLA-G. Inhibition of ILT2 signaling axis results in impairment of immune cell proliferation, differentiation, phagocytosis, cytotoxicity and cytokine secretion and may therefor serve as a novel target for anti-cancer immunotherapy. SAR444881 (BND-22) is a novel humanized IgG4 monoclonal antagonist antibody that selectively binds to ILT2, blocking its interaction with MHC I molecules, thus preventing the inhibition of ILT2 signaling.
"We previously demonstrated that SAR444881 has robust macrophage and lymphocyte-driven anti-tumor activity in in vitro and in vivo models. The poster presents a joint effort of Biond and Sanofi to explore the pharmacodynamic effect of ILT2 antagonism as well as to inform on combinatorial and patient enrichment strategies for SAR444881 clinical development", said Ilana Mandel, Ph.D., VP R&D at Biond Biologics.
About Biond Biologics
Biond Biologics is a clinical stage company focused on developing innovative therapies for novel oncology targets by uncovering immunoregulatory pathways and by enabling the intracellular delivery of biologics. Biond aims to translate high quality science and out-of-the-box disruptive thinking into transformational drugs for diseases with high unmet needs. The company's vision is to deliver innovative medicines to patients while fostering synergistic long-term collaborations with leading biopharmaceutical companies.
Biond's programs include, BND-67, a novel agent developed for attenuating CD28 shedding, overcoming PD-1 blockade resistance; an immune evasion mechanism discovered by Biond's scientists. The company is also developing BND-35 – an ILT3 blocking antibody, that targets suppressive myeloid cells in the tumor microenvironment. Biond partnered with Sanofi for BND-22, a multi-cell checkpoint inhibitor targeting ILT2.
In addition to its pipeline of immunotherapy agents, Biond is developing INspire – an innovative technological platform that enables the intracellular delivery of protein therapeutics, such as antibodies, proteins or enzymes, into cells.
Company contact:
Tal Sines
Business Development Director
Biond Biologics Ltd.
+972-53 952 0493
tal.sines@bionbio.com
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SOURCE Biond Biologics Ltd. | https://www.wibw.com/prnewswire/2022/05/31/biond-biologics-announces-joint-poster-presentation-with-sanofi-asco-2022-annual-meeting-presenting-pre-clinical-translational-data-sar444881-bnd-22/ | 2022-05-31T12:20:45Z |
ChenMed data, combined with UM/Jackson data
MIAMI, Aug. 24, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Multiple generations of the Chen family have graduated from the University of Miami and the Leonard M. Miller School of Medicine. And like the Miller School, the Chens have had a longstanding passion for reducing health disparities and improving the lives of residents in the most medically underserved communities.
The Chen Family Foundation is looking to expand that shared mission even further by donating $3 million to advance research through the Chen Family Endowed Chair to Advance Primary Care and Health Equity Research.
"The foresight, leadership, and dedication of Dr. Chris Chen and his family will propel the University forward in our pursuit of health equity," said University of Miami President Julio Frenk. "We are incredibly appreciative of their generosity and partnership."
The Chen Family Endowed Chair to Advance Primary Care and Health Equity Research will enable the Miller School's Department of Medicine to recruit a leader with extensive experience in primary and population health care that will allow UM to become the leader in primary care and medicine among academic institutions. Once aboard, that expert will be tasked with researching and improving the way primary care, and health equity, is delivered throughout South Florida.
"We are lucky to have Dr. Chris Chen's expertise as a partner and are excited about the establishment of this new chair, which will enhance the way we look at primary care and how we can make it accessible to all members of our community developing new models of compassionate delivery," said Roy E. Weiss, M.D., Ph.D., chair of the Department of Medicine, the Rabbi Morris I. Esformes Endowed Chair in Medicine and Endocrinology, the Kathleen and Stanley Glaser Distinguished Chair, and chief medical officer for ambulatory services for UHealth. "We are proud to be partnering on such an important health initiative that will ultimately benefit residents throughout our community and beyond."
In a way, the Miller School is like an extension of the Chen family. In addition to his father, Jen-ling Chen, Ph.D., M.D. '81, and younger brother, Gordon Chen M.D. '05, Chris Chen, M.D. '00, has other relatives who are Miller School alumni: Uncle Peter Chang M.D. '79; Uncle Kenneth Lo M.D. '82; sister-in-law (Gordon's wife) Jessica Lane Chen, M.D. '06. Dr. Chris Chen's roommate and Dr. Gordon Chen's brother-in-law, Jason Lane, M.D. '01.
The Chen family's mission to reduce health disparities is based on their Christian faith to serve and help others. That mission was intensified in 2003 after their struggle with the health care system. Chen's father, Jen-ling, was diagnosed with cancer and given only two months to live. He and his family say they experienced what it was like to be on the receiving end of fragmented and unsympathetic health care where the multiple specialists involved in his care did not collaborate, appointments had to be booked weeks in advance, and compassion seemed lacking.
Miraculously, Chen's father recovered and soon delved into a new mission; developing a method of delivering medical services that provided a superior level of care and positively impacted patients' lives, particularly in underserved communities.
"When we began building out ChenMed, we were very much aware of what the delivery system felt like from the other side of the glass," said Chris Chen, the CEO of ChenMed. "That drives many of our decisions: What would we want if we were in the patient's shoes? Our goal was to deliver superior patient outcomes and a positive patient experience to a typically underserved population during the most vulnerable time of their lives."
The result is ChenMed, a concierge-style health care practice that strives to be America's leading primary care provider, transforming the care of the neediest populations. It operates more than 100 primary care medical practices in 15 states, and with its emphasis on preventive care, the organization's hospital admission rate is 30 to 50 percent lower than the national average.
"This is why we are investing in the University of Miami," Dr. Chen said. "The unique UHealth, Miller School, and Jackson partnership that cares for one of the most racially and socioeconomically diverse populations in the U.S. is the perfect place to build the beachhead for this movement in academia."
The Chen endowment aligns with the Miller School's commitment to health equity and medical education. As home to one of the most diverse populations in the nation, the medical school is committed to treating patients respectfully across distinct cultures and ethnicities and furthering its mission to improve health equity.
Innovative community-based programs, many run by medical student-volunteers, provide thousands of South Florida residents with access to comprehensive care and services. And the Miller School's innovative NextGenMD curriculum trains today's physicians to go beyond traditional medical care and become specialists in preventive care, precision medicine, and personalized health care that focuses on understanding of the social determinants of health.
"We have prioritized creating an optimal learning environment for students of all backgrounds because we believe diversity in the classroom produces doctors who are better equipped to serve the patients who need them," said Henri R. Ford, M.D., M.H.A., dean and chief academic officer of the Miller School. "Health equity is one of the pillars of education that we teach at the Miller School and establishing this chair will help further that goal."
Dr. Chen credits that community focus with preparing him for his career. As a medical student, he and his classmates gained valuable training serving a much more heterogeneous demographic than they would encounter at other schools.
"Doctors who come out of programs with a strong urban presence, such as UM, do a great job of making people better," Dr. Chen said. "They have discovered that 85 percent of health care is about what lies outside the clinic — a person's genetic code, where they live, and their lifestyles and behaviors. We saw that daily at UM when dealing with patient challenges that have nothing to do with pills, procedures, specialists, and tests."
The Chen Family Mission Foundation strives for solutions for the marginalized, vulnerable and least-served. This begins with finding common ground, building a bigger table of trust, and encouraging rigorous conversations through robust, measurable social investment and actions. The Foundation represents three generations of Chen family members, who are compelled by their Christian faith to drive change in initiatives related to education, economic development, healthcare, youth development and spiritual enrichment.
The University of Miami Leonard M. Miller School of Medicine is an innovative institution that empowers students to transform lives and serve our global community. As the No. 1 NIH-funded medical school in Florida, the Miller School is advancing cutting-edge discoveries. From our leading genetics/genomics program, to our contributions in the field of cellular therapeutics, cancer care, immune therapies, and much more, the Miller School is at the forefront of advances in translational medicine and clinical care.
The Miller School is committed to recruiting and retaining seminal faculty, clinicians, and researchers who are leading scientific and social change. With more than 1,700 faculty members, our research programs are designed to support interdisciplinary, team-based scientists and physicians.
Medical education is the heart of our school, and we are shaping future physicians who will be well-equipped to advance groundbreaking research and become transformational leaders. Our dual medical degree program is the largest in the nation, and we continue to increase our class size and offerings to meet the ever-growing demand for health care providers. The most recent graduating Miller School class earned a 96% match rate, higher than the national average.
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SOURCE ChenMed | https://www.wibw.com/prnewswire/2022/08/24/um-family-physicians-establish-endowed-chair-further-health-equity-initiative/ | 2022-08-24T15:49:41Z |
WASHINGTON, May 31, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Vanda Pharmaceuticals Inc. (Vanda) (Nasdaq: VNDA) today announced participation at SLEEP 2022, to be held in Charlotte, North Carolina from June 4-8, 2022.
The following scientific posters will be presented:
June 7, 2022
Presenter: Dr. Sandra Paulina Smieszek, Head of Genetics
Poster Session Presentation Time: 5:15 PM – 7:15 PM ET
Title: "Enrichment of RAI1 genetic aberrations associated with sleep disturbances in SMS, in Autism Spectrum Disorder"
Poster Number: 007
Title: "A 10-week observational research study in individuals with delayed sleep-wake phase disorder (DSWPD) symptoms"
Poster Number: 028
Title: "A novel missense variant in Melanopsin associates with delayed sleep phenotype: whole-genome sequencing study"
Poster Number: 285
For more information on SLEEP 2022, please refer to https://www.sleepmeeting.org/.
About Vanda Pharmaceuticals Inc.
Vanda is a leading global biopharmaceutical company focused on the development and commercialization of innovative therapies to address high unmet medical needs and improve the lives of patients. For more on Vanda Pharmaceuticals Inc., please visit www.vandapharma.com and follow us on Twitter @vandapharma.
Corporate Contact:
Kevin Moran
Senior Vice President, Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer
Vanda Pharmaceuticals Inc.
202-734-3400
pr@vandapharma.com
Elizabeth Van Every
Head of Corporate Affairs
Vanda Pharmaceuticals Inc.
202-734-3400
pr@vandapharma.com
View original content:
SOURCE Vanda Pharmaceuticals Inc. | https://www.mysuncoast.com/prnewswire/2022/05/31/vanda-pharmaceuticals-announces-presentations-sleep-2022/ | 2022-05-31T22:43:20Z |
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Is $810 million worth $2?
That’s a good question, given it costs $2 to buy a Mega Millions lottery ticket that could pay off with an estimated $810 million prize — the nation’s fourth-largest jackpot — after the game’s next drawing Tuesday night.
ISN’T IT AN OBVIOUS QUESTION?
Not really.
To start with, your chance of winning the grand prize is minuscule, at one in 302.5 million. You have better odds of a smaller payoff, such as winning $1 million for matching five regular numbers but missing the Mega Ball. But even that is one in 12.6 million. To put that in perspective, your chance of dying in a car crash — something to consider as you drive to the mini-mart for a lottery ticket — is around one in 101 over a lifetime, according to the nonprofit National Safety Council.
As lottery officials note, players should think of their $2 bet as a chance to dream while accepting the reality they likely won’t be entering a new income tax bracket Tuesday night.
STILL, A SHOT AT $810 MILLION SEEMS WORTH $2
Ah, but even if you somehow beat the odds you are not going to get $810 million.
First, that’s the amount for winners who take the annuity option, paid over 30 annual payments. But winners nearly always opt for cash, which for this drawing would pay out an estimated $470.1 million.
And then there are federal taxes, which will slice 37% off that cash prize, so that would leave less than $300 million, though state taxes could cut into that amount as well, depending on where the winner lives. Still a fortune, but a smaller fortune. That also doesn’t account for the possibility that someone else will match the winning numbers, meaning they would need to divide even those smaller winnings in half or more, depending on the number of lucky players.
NEARLY $300 MILLION ISN’T CHUMP CHANGE
It is definitely a big paycheck.
To put that in perspective, consider that the median U.S. household income in 2020 was $67,500, meaning a lifetime of work at that rate would be less than 1% of even the smaller jackpot after taxes.
But sadly, if you had won that same prize a year ago, before the nation endured a year with an inflation rate of about 9%, your buying power would have been significantly higher.
BUT SOMEONE WILL WIN
Eventually, though the reason the grand prize has grown so large is because no one has matched all six numbers since April. That’s 28 consecutive drawings without someone hitting the jackpot.
With so many people playing now that the potential top prize is so large, it becomes increasingly likely that someone or multiple players will finally end that streak. Still, past prizes have grown larger, as the biggest payday was a $1.586 billion Powerball jackpot won in 2016.
Mega Millions is played in 45 states as well as Washington, D.C., and the U.S. Virgin Islands. The game is overseen by state lottery officials.
SO, IS IT WORTH GAMBLING $2
If you have fun dreaming of a massive windfall that most likely won’t actually blow your way, buy a ticket. But if you need to watch your money, consider keeping the $2 in your wallet. | https://cw33.com/news/is-810-million-worth-a-2-mega-millions-ticket-it-depends/ | 2022-07-26T16:06:52Z |
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (WATE) — Two students from the University of Tennessee are facing charges after one of them allegedly threw a campus food-delivery robot to the ground.
Patrick Callahan, 19, and Brock Garland, 20, both face one count of felony vandalism of over $2,500 dollars after the robot was damaged on the evening of April 29.
Incident reports say the students were retrieving Garland’s food order from the robot when they attempted to shove the robot’s antenna inside the top compartment. A video was also posted to social media, but appears to have since been deleted, allegedly showing Callahan picking up the robot and slamming it to the ground.
Data logs from the UT Office of Information Technology verified that the two students were in the exact area of the incident at the time it occurred. They were identified from social media posts by members of the Starship Technology crew, the company which owns and operates the robots used on college campuses across the country.
The replacement cost for the robot is $5,500.
A bonded arraignment has been scheduled for May 13.
The robots were only recently introduced on the campus and allow students and faculty to have groceries and food delivered directly from campus dining services. The electronic robots are operated autonomously using a mixture of computer vision and GPS, reaching a top speed of 4 miles per hour. | https://cw33.com/news/video-of-college-student-attacking-food-delivery-robot-leads-to-2-arrests/ | 2022-05-05T22:57:19Z |
- New Series B funding of $33 million will advance Sibel's FDA-cleared ANNE® One platform for home and hospital monitoring through global partnerships.
- Jon P. Otterstatter, ex-CEO and co-founder of Preventice, joins Sibel as its chairman of the board, and Matt Banet, PhD, cofounder of Sotera Wireless and toSense, joins Sibel as president.
- Dräger's previous convertible note changes to equity in Sibel, along with a renewed and deeper strategic partnership.
NILES, Ill., Aug. 4, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Sibel Health, an award-winning medical technology company spun out of the world-renowned John Rogers Research Group and the Querrey Simpson Institute for Bioelectronics at Northwestern University, has recently closed a $33 million Series B financing round, bringing Sibel's total funding to date to more than $50 million.
In addition, Sibel has announced two new executive appointments. Jon Otterstatter, the former CEO and co-founder of Preventice (acquired by Boston Scientific in 2021), will join as chairman of the board. Matthew Banet, PhD, a world expert in advanced body-worn sensors and previously the CTO and cofounder of toSense and Sotera, joins as president from Baxter International.
The funding round was led by the Steele Foundation for Hope—a private foundation seeking to fund solutions for humanity's hardest challenges with an emphasis on technology and innovation. Joe Exner, CEO of Steele Foundation for Hope, said, "Sibel was founded by the world's leading engineers and scientists. We invested in their ingenuity to advance bio-integrated sensors and wireless data collection to promote better care, especially for mothers and newborns in developing countries." Dräger, a leading medical and safety technology company, previous convertible note changes to equity.
With the funding, Sibel will scale up its FDA-cleared ANNE® One platform for global deployments across the entire continuum of care from the home to the hospital. "What makes us unique as a digital health company is that our product is vertically integrated—we believe that everything matters, from the adhesive we place on the skin to how the sensor fits on the body to the final alert a clinician sees for medical decision-making," said Steve Xu, MD, CEO and co-founder. "We're proud that our technology can be potentially deployed in both the neonatal intensive care unit and in the home for remote patient monitoring."
Steffen Protsch, president of monitoring at Dräger and Sibel board member, said, "As an early investor in Sibel, we have been impressed by the company's growth and technology over such a short period of time. We look forward to integrating and scaling their technology as part of Dräger's offerings to our hospital customers."
Since 2020, Sibel has seen a significant increase in revenue driven by partnerships with leading Fortune 500 companies and funding support from the U.S. military, the National Institutes of Health, and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. The appointment of new executives will accelerate Sibel's transition to scaled commercialization.
"I look forward to joining Sibel as chairman of the board in this time of rapid acceleration and growth," Otterstatter said. "The company's advanced wearable monitoring platform is industry-changing—the comprehensive suite of on-body sensors, best-in-class analytics, robust machine-learning algorithms and extensible software capabilities make the ANNE® One platform a very unique offering. I look forward to supporting Sibel's transition towards commercial scale." He continued, "Having led a team and a company that successfully developed and achieved commercial success with a breakthrough remote cardiac monitoring solutions, I am convinced that the ANNE® sensors are raising the bar for the market." John Rogers, PhD, the Louis Simpson and Kimberly Querrey Professor of Materials Science and Engineering at Northwestern University and Sibel co-founder, said, "It is exciting to see the research from my research group translate into a successful product with the potential to impact millions of lives worldwide, particularly in the area of neonatal and women's health."
About Sibel Health:
Sibel Health is an award-winning digital health company with a mission to deliver Better Health Data for All®. Based in the greater Chicago area with offices in Seoul (South Korea) and San Diego, the company's FDA-cleared ANNE® platform includes advanced wearable sensors, AI-enabled data analytics, and an integrated mobile software and cloud platform. Sibel's partnerships include some of the most respected healthcare organizations worldwide. For more information, please visit www.sibelhealth.com and follow us on LinkedIn.
About Dräger:
Dräger is an international leader in the fields of medical and safety technology. Its products protect, support, and save lives. Founded in 1889, Dräger generated revenues of around EUR 3.1 billion in 2021. The Dräger Group is currently present in over 190 countries and has more than 16,000 employees worldwide. Visit www.draeger.com for more information.
About Steele Foundation for Hope:
Founded in 2021, the Steele Foundation for Hope strives to find and fund lasting solutions for some of humanity's hardest challenges, with a strong belief that advances found through technology and innovation are key to improving quality of life.
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SOURCE Sibel Health | https://www.kxii.com/prnewswire/2022/08/04/sibel-health-raises-33m-series-b-funding-announces-new-executive-appointments-scale-advanced-wearable-sensors-remote-patient-monitoring-hospital-care/ | 2022-08-04T15:46:37Z |
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