">
Wikinews interviews candidate for New York City mayor Vitaly Filipchenko

Wednesday, June 16, 2021

In early May, Wikinews extended an invitation to Vitaly Filipchenko, an independent candidate in the 2021 New York City mayoral election, set to take place November 2nd, alongside other candidates. Filipchenko answered some questions about his policies and campaign during a phone interview.

Filipchenko, registered on the New York City Campaign Finance Board as Vitaly A. Filipchenko, is the first Russian candidate for New York City mayor, being born in Tomsk, Siberia in 1973, according to news agency Sputnik. He has since naturalised as a United States citizen. According to the web site, Filipchenko has been educated in road construction and maintenance and owns a moving services company; he describes himself on his web site as a “small business owner”. On his web site’s platform page, he says that “[m]y English may not be perfect – but my platform is.”

Incumbent Democrat mayor Bill de Blasio, who won re-election in the 2017 New York City mayoral election by 66.5%, cannot run for a third term under term limits. As of April 28, 22 candidates are currently running, the majority of whom are also Democrats. Ahead of the June Democratic primary for New York City mayor, a poll conducted May 23 and 24 by WPIX and Emerson College of 12 Democratic candidates with a margin of error of 3.2 per cent has former commissioner for the New York City Department of Sanitation Kathryn Garcia and Borough President of Brooklyn Eric Adams leading with 21.1% and 20.1%, respectively.

Retrieved from “https://en.wikinews.org/w/index.php?title=Wikinews_interviews_candidate_for_New_York_City_mayor_Vitaly_Filipchenko&oldid=4673651”
Filled Under: Uncategorized

By Ed Sneineh

When it comes to insurance needs restaurants are similar to all other businesses in the way that the owners are exposed to liability that can potentially put those owners under the risk of losing their properties and wealth. The following is a brief discussion summarizing the areas that restaurant owners need to worry about when it comes to protecting their wealth and property.

A. Property Insurance issues. Restaurant owners may own buildings or business property that need proper coverage:

(1) Building Coverage: If the restaurant owner owns the building, building coverage may be needed to protect the property from perils such as fire, collapse, smoke, etc. Depending on the location, age, and other factors, building may be covered at Replacement Cost (better) or Actual Cash Value -ACV- (Replacement Cost minus Depreciations.) The proper amount of coverage varies based on square footage. In Chicago, it costs between $100 to $170 per square foot to replace a commercial building.

(2) Restaurant Equipment: Will cover the value of the equipment that is owned by the business. Equipment can also be insured based on either Replacement Cost or ACV.

(3) Business Personal Property (content and inventory) such as food inventory.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UqfgirfJZjQ[/youtube]

(4) Physical Damage on business auto. If business owns a vehicle that requires physical damage (comp and collision) coverage can be obtained on both ACV or Stated Value (in stated value approach the business owner sets the value of the vehicle to be insured.)

(5) Business Income / Extra Expense. Provide coverage for the extra expense/ income of the business in the event of destruction of business by a covered loss. There is either a time limit, or an amount limit, or both for this coverage.

(6) Crime. It provides the businesses the protection from loss of money, securities, or inventory resulting from crimes (robbery, theft, etc.)

B. Liability Coverage. Restaurant owners may be subject of lawsuit due to negligent acts of the business or its employees. The following should be areas of concerns to the business owners of restaurants:

(1) Commercial General Liability (CGL) provides fundamental coverage for business owner against lawsuits resulting from incidents such as consumers’ slip and fall [premises liability], use of harmful food [product liability], or lawsuits brought against the offenses of the restaurant (or its employees) against the reputation of other people or businesses in the course of advertising [personal & advertising injury]. CGL also provides additional property damage to rented premises [fire legal liability] and coverage for bodily injury suffered by others on the premises of the insured, even though the insured was not negligent.

It is very important that restaurant owners disclose all aspects related to their business, such as yearly revenues, if the business provides catering or not, and if the business restaurant provides delivery or not. Additional important concerns to insurance companies include consumption of liquor, use of live entertainment, availability of dance floor, and other factors related to unusual services. These factors can affect the qualification for certain coverages and the premium that is charged to the policy.

(2) Liquor Liability. Dram shop laws provides for someone who has been injured by an intoxicated individual to sue the liquor establishment that sold/ served the alcoholic beverages to the intoxicated individual. If the restaurant serves liquor on the premises, then dram shop or liquor liability is necessary. Each state has certain minimum limits for liquor liability. In Illinois it is set at $300,000 each occurrence.

(3) Commercial Auto Insurance: If the restaurant owns a vehicle (for delivery, catering, or any other reason) the business owner may need to make sure that enough and appropriate coverage is purchased to protect the business.

(4) Hired and Non Owned Auto. Provides auto liability coverage for any vehicle rented by the restaurant business, or vehicles that are being used for running the business but are not owned by the restaurant owner (ie vehicle owned by someone other than the restaurant or its owner, while making a delivery.)

(5) Workers Compensation Provides coverage for injured workers, regardless of fault, if their injuries are work related. This is a mandatory coverage by the state in Illinois.

About the Author: Ed Sneineh is the founder of Insurance Navy, a commercial and personal insurance with several locations in Illinois. The agency provides online business insurance quotes as well as auto insurance quotes from several top rated carriers such as the Travelers, the Hartford and many more.

Source: isnare.com

Permanent Link: isnare.com/?aid=698573&ca=Finances

">
Internet pirates want their own nation

Monday, January 15, 2007

This article features in a News Brief from Audio Wikinews:

The Pirate Bay, a file-sharing website based in Sweden, seeks to purchase its own island nation in an attempt to escape copyright laws. A group of people has launched a campaign to collect money via the Internet to acquire a former British sea platform situated in the North Sea, six miles (9.6 kilometers) off the British coast.

The Pirate Bay states that the platform, named Sealand, will give users an easy way of sharing files protected by copyright in other nations. According to the statement made on the website, those who invest in purchasing Sealand will receive citizenship in it.

The platform was occupied in 1967 by the associates and family members of Paddy Roy Bates, a former radio broadcaster and former British Army Major, who now form its royal family. Prince Roy and Princess Joan Bates and their son Prince Regent Michael are willing to sell the platform for £65m. The royal family claims that it is independent and outside of any country’s jurisdiction.

The sovereign status of the platform is disputed. The Government of the United Kingdom extended the territorial waters from 3 to 12 nautical miles after 1987, placing Sealand in its jurisdiction. However, Prince Roy simultaneously expanded the territory of Sealand and claimed continued independence. (See Sealand on Wikipedia.)

Hired estate agents from Spain estimate the price of the floating island to be about 504 million pounds. The Swedish website mentioned that it was looking for alternatives to acquire Sealand. It also mentioned that if the “Internet-pirate” community is not able to buy Sealand, it will look for another small place to claim as its own.

The Pirate Bay website was closed for some time in May 2006 due to Swedish police raids. The site was later re-opened from the Netherlands before moving back to Sweden.

Retrieved from “https://en.wikinews.org/w/index.php?title=Internet_pirates_want_their_own_nation&oldid=1977268”
Filled Under: Uncategorized
">
Japan to use renewable energy

Tuesday, August 16, 2011

A new law which seeks to utilise reusable energy and minimise cost impact on consumers is under development in Japan. The new law, which would be effective from July 1 next year, would seek to reduce Japan’s dependency on nuclear power.

The new legislation would urge power utilities to cut costs by purchasing renewable energy from outside companies and private businesses. Japan’s decision has been referred to as opening the door on renewable energy, which currently only contributes to six percent of Japan’s energy sources.

Politicians have amended the bill, allowing the revised bill to pass through parliament later this month. Prime Minister Naoto Kan who is pushing for the bill to be passed in return for his resignation, has stated that the ‘feed-in-tariff on renewable energy will be set at a fixed price so that utilities are limited to purchasing electricity from renewable power generators. Kan hopes that this will encourage more business and private corporate partners to enter into the renewable energy market.

“As a medium-term revolutionary energy and environmental strategy, we have decided to start a thorough review of nuclear power policy and draw a roadmap for a reduction of the dependence on nuclear power” Mr Kan said.

Large companies are concerned about the new legislation as it will continue to affect profit margins which are low due to power shortages and high priced exports. The bill was changed to reduce the surcharge for large power companies after complaints from the Japanese steel industry. If the scheme is launched then consumers will face an increase on electricity bills as utilities can pass their costs onto end-users. Despite the governments promise to cap the surcharge for the next ten years, there is no reference to it in the revised bill.

Lawmakers hope that by adding a provision requiring utilities to streamline their operations, the impact on consumers will be minimized.

A third party group will be set up within the under the Agency for National Resources and Energy to ensure that the setting of fixed prices are fair and just.

Retrieved from “https://en.wikinews.org/w/index.php?title=Japan_to_use_renewable_energy&oldid=3977977”
Filled Under: Uncategorized
">
Electronic voting disputed in France

Wednesday, April 18, 2007

In France, voting has traditionally been a low-tech experience: voters isolate themselves in a booth, put a pre-printed sheet of paper indicating their candidate of choice into an envelope. After officials verify the voter’s identity, the voter drops the envelope into the ballot box and signs the voting roll. French electoral law rather strictly codifies the proceedings. Since 1988, ballot boxes must be transparent so that voters and observers can witness that no envelopes are present at the start of the vote and that no envelopes are added except those of the duly counted and authorized voters. Candidates can send representatives to witness every part of the process. In the evening, votes are counted by volunteers under heavy supervision, following specific procedures.

In the past, voting machines, though authorized by law, were scarce. But this year, during presidential elections (the first round was April 22, the second is on May 6), the country is shaken by controversy about the machines intended to count about 1.5 million votes.

As in the United States, there is a group of academic computer scientists that oppose voting machines. They argue that voting machines replace a public, easily understandable counting process, where large-scale fraud would entail large-scale corruption, by an opaque process where votes are counted by machines that voters have to blindly trust. Voting machines have to be approved by the Ministry of the Interior, but this approval is based on confidential reports by private companies. Opponents to the machines point out that the Ministry was long held by Nicolas Sarkozy, who happens to be the leading candidate. Opponents also list a number of weaknesses and discrepancies that have occurred in other countries using voting machines.

All main political parties except UMP, Mr Sarkozy’s ruling party, oppose the voting machines. Some citizens have filed for court injunctions against the voting machines. Opponents have given detailed instructions that voting witnesses should check whether the machines correspond exactly to an approved type, including software versions, and fulfill all legal conditions. In a sign of the frenzy over the issue, on April 12 the Ministry of the Interior issued a last-minute authorization for a specific model (hardware, firmware). The stakes are high: votes on unapproved machines should be canceled by the Constitutional Council for the official count.

The opposition has crystallized on the Paris suburb of Issy-les-Moulineaux. Issy’s mayor, André Santini is a well-known technophile; his city organizes a “World E-Gov Forum”. Here too, last minute fixes are at work. The machines delivered to the city are of a yet-to-be-approved type. The manufacturer, the American company ES&S voting systems, is now delivering older 2005 machines. Le Monde reports that other municipalities have already replaced their recent machines by an older, approved, model.

Proponents of the machines, such as the French company France Élection, claim they are being defamed and dispute the competence of their critics. Elected officials supporting the machines claim the machines save on paper, time, and the need to find volunteers to count votes.

Retrieved from “https://en.wikinews.org/w/index.php?title=Electronic_voting_disputed_in_France&oldid=717325”
Filled Under: Uncategorized

Skip hire and waste recycling is readily available to every business and individual within the UK and gets rid of all types of reasons regarding not getting rid of waste in the best responsible solution. Help are at hand so we are able advice businesses and individuals pick the appropriate dimensions of a skip hire for the rubbish even if the contents could be for waste recycling and/or dump, presuming its appropriate.Typically, skip and recycling hire businesses supply varying sizes of skips which range from all the classically-sized skips which sit out the front of properties which in most cases are being renovated, to roll on and roll off skips that provide for great mountains of commercial waste. Domestic-sized skips typically keep about 50 trash bags of materials and should it be situated on a main road, a permit has to be granted from the local council.Waste recycling is big money now a days that could be how so many roadside manhole covers are being stolen, cut up and sold on to iron mongers for reuse. It is ironic that the drive to recycle metals has now created a targeted market for Stealing metal manhole covers.Builders, whenever contemplating skip hire, often purchase a larger size than the average household-sized skip and recycling hire, however only if the skip may be situated on private property. To accommodate the wider skips, in tighter gaps, it’s usually not likely to obtain the council approval. In general, all these larger skips fit about eighty-five typical rubbish bags of waste though your next one up are huge enough to contain a enormous two hundred and thirty typicalsized bags of wsate. For very big waste management work, building companies when thinking about skip hire are way more likely to prefer to manage their waste management by utilising the vast roll on roll off skips.Waste recycling involves a number of fundamental fields and top of the list is typical dry waste recycling which includes paper, newspaper, cardboard, plastic bottles and aluminium drink cans. In general, these waste products can be collected altogether and then split for easy waste recycling.Offices that have big amounts of paper recycling, normally A4 are advised not to mix the waste business paper with other types of paper and card as waste business paper could be recycled into recycled paper.Properly taken care of, glass could be one of the waste recycling products that could be practically 100% recyclable. Attention in dividing the various varieties of glass bottles to ensure clear glass remains with clear glass and brown glass stays with brown glass and green glass stays with green glass.Waste recycling of metals remains big business now a days, as mentioned above, because the costs of most metals has now increased to such a level that it’s worth robbers taking copper from rooftops or even coils of copper wiring, steel from the highways such as manhold covers and lead from churches. Sadly, you’ll see those that work in waste recycling that don’t check carefully at the origin of the metals sold for recycling waste.Gold recycling has got a excellent deal of interest in recent months because gold has now elevated in value considerably. Nowadays, there’s quite a few tv commercials offering that individuals send their gold valuables to specialist gold waste recycling companies for cash in return. One thing is certain about this type of waste recycling is that the owner of the gold jewellery will receive a very small % of the gold’s real value and even then it is not likely to come close to the original retail buying cost. Any individual thinking about gold waste recycling to make a bit of money should think of other forms of selling first.It might be a clich? but the saying: “where there’s muck there’s brass” has never been a more relevant assessment. Since property slowing down, skip hire for the disposal of rubble,old kitchens and bathrooms might have decreased yet waste recycling of glass, paper and metal has now for sure been a growing trade.

">
High winds in Texas cause property damage and utilities loss for many

Sunday, December 23, 2012

Wind storms swept across a large part of Texas on Wednesday, leaving property damaged and many homes without power.

Downed lamposts and trees were reported in multiple locales. One media source reported overturned playground equipment in the city of Rockwall. Winds up to 40 miles-per-hour (mph) were reported over much of the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex. Approximately 9,500 people within Tarrant and Dallas counties were without electrical power as late as Thursday afternoon.

Late Wednesday evening, the National Weather Service reported winds at Dallas Love Field up to 66 mph. The city of Edgewood recorded wind speeds up to 70 mph during the storm; three homes, two barns and two business buildings sustained damage. A home in Chandler was damaged when a tree was toppled during the storm (see photo at left).

Dust from as far away as west Texas covered vehicles and other property early Thursday morning in the eastern part of the state. A car wash manager in Tyler told media his business cleaned about three hundred cars on Thursday, busier than usual even for holiday season.

Retrieved from “https://en.wikinews.org/w/index.php?title=High_winds_in_Texas_cause_property_damage_and_utilities_loss_for_many&oldid=2714893”
Filled Under: Uncategorized

June

12

International participants showcase different industry cultures at 2008 Taipei Game Show

">
International participants showcase different industry cultures at 2008 Taipei Game Show
Posted by Admin , No Comments

Friday, January 25, 2008

B2B Trade Area of Taipei Game Show, criticized by trade buyers last year, but accompanied with 2008 Taiwan Digital Content Forum, moved to the second floor at Taipei World Trade Center for world-wide participants with a better exchange atmosphere this year.

Not only local OBMs (Softstar Entertainment, Soft-World International Corp., International Games System Corp., …, etc.) but also companies from New Zealand, Canada, Japan, Hong Kong, and South Korea showcased different specialists with multiple styles. Especially on South Korea, participated members from G? Trade Show (Game Show & Trade, All-Round, aka Gstar) showcased gaming industry of South Korea and the G? upcoming at this November with brochures.

In the 2-days Digital Content Forum, world-class experts not only shared industry experiences, members from Taiwan Gaming Industry Association also discussed and forecasted marketing models for gaming industry. With participations from governmental, industrial, and academical executives world-wide, this forum helps them gained precious experiences of digital content industry from several countries.

According to the Taipei Computer Association, the show and forum organizer, the digital content industry in Taiwan was apparently grown up recent years as Minister of Economic Affairs of the Republic of China Steve Ruey-long Chen said at Opening Ceremony yesterday. Without R&Ds from cyber-gaming, and basic conceptions from policies and copyright issues, this (digital content) industry will be fallen down in Taiwan. If this industry wanted to be grown up in sustainability, gaming OBMs in Taiwan should independently produce different and unique games and change market style to market brands and games to the world.

Retrieved from “https://en.wikinews.org/w/index.php?title=International_participants_showcase_different_industry_cultures_at_2008_Taipei_Game_Show&oldid=621950”
Filled Under: Uncategorized
No Comments

June

12

Dying Canadian infant moved to U.S. hospital for medical treatment

">
Dying Canadian infant moved to U.S. hospital for medical treatment
Posted by Admin , No Comments

Tuesday, March 15, 2011

A thirteen-month-old Canadian infant dying from a unknown neurological condition was transferred Sunday night from a Canadian hospital, where he had received treatment since October 2010, to a U.S. hospital. In January, a Canadian Superior Court judge had ruled that the Canadian hospital could remove the infant’s breathing tube against the parents’ wishes and issued a do-not-resuscitate order.

‘Now that we have won the battle against the medical bureaucracy in Canada, the real work of saving Baby Joseph can begin.

According to court documents, Joseph Maraachli, known as “Baby Joseph”, has been repeatedly diagnosed as in a vegetative state with no hope of recovery after suffering an episode of “seizure activity” at age six months. At that time, an MRI showed “a reduction in brain size associated with cells dying from metabolic stress.” He stopped breathing in October and was hospitalized at Ontario’s London Health Sciences Centre (LHSC) where he remained until Sunday. A panel of five pediatric clinic and three neurology physicians subsequently concluded that “there will be no recovery and no treatment options exist for this progressive neurodegenerative disorder.”

The infant’s parents, Moe Maraachli and Sana Nader, wanted Joseph to receive a tracheotomy, which combined with mechanical breathing devices, would allow him to be transferred home, his family acting as care givers. Several years previously, the Maraachli’s daughter had died of a similar neuro-degenerative condition. They used their daughter, Zina, as an example. After doctors performed a tracheotomy on her, she returned home for several months before returning to die at the hospital. This time hospital refused to perform a tracheotomy on Joseph because there was no hope of recovery. After the judge ruled in the hospital’s favor in January, pressure against the hospital intensified and the hospital received threats.

The case has generated controversy primarily from groups such as the Terri Schiavo organization, Priests for Life (PFL), and the American Center for Law & Justice who represents the parents. The parents transferred the infant to the Cardinal Glennon Children’s Medical Center in St. Louis, Missouri to obtain a second opinion. PFL nation director, Father Pavone, traveled to Canada Sunday night to aid in the transfer. He said in a press release: “After around-the-clock negotiations, this really became a race against time.”

After successfully moving Joseph to the St. Louis hospital, Father Pavena said, “Now that we have won the battle against the medical bureaucracy in Canada, the real work of saving Baby Joseph can begin.”

Retrieved from “https://en.wikinews.org/w/index.php?title=Dying_Canadian_infant_moved_to_U.S._hospital_for_medical_treatment&oldid=1199712”
Filled Under: Uncategorized
No Comments

June

12

Orchard Credit Card Take Advantage Of The Benefits

By Morgan Hamilton

It’s not surprising that Orchard credit cards from HSBC finance have become one of the fastest growing credit cards in the United States. With policies to make the consumer swoon, they have taken their rightful place among the country’s credit card elite. If you are a consumer thinking about adding a card to your credit repertoire, you could do a lot worse than HSBC finance and their line of Orchard credit cards. Here’s a few reasons why Orchard credit cards are leading the way into the new millennium.

Free Online Bill Pay

In today’s internet driven world, more and more companies and people are turning away from snail mail and paper checks as a way of doing business. That way of paying bills is outdated, outmoded, and frankly far too slow. It wastes money, time, stamps, and checks. The much preferred way is to pay your bills online, but not every company offers this option. Orchard credit cards do, and this is just another reason why they refuse to be left behind in the race for credit card supremacy.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9kAUzJjCYqM[/youtube]

Protection Against Theft And Loss

Orchard credit cards have a strict policy that protects their customers should they lose their credit card or have it stolen. Lost and stolen credit cards can cause a world of difficulty for the credit card owner. Fraudulent charges can appear, and without a solid policy in place, you may find yourself jumping through hoops so as not to be responsible for the charges. Thankfully, Orchard Bank understands that this is no way to run a business in the 21st century. For this reason, there is a zero liability policy in place, which should comfort the worried consumer thoughtful on matters of identity theft, card theft, and lost cards.

Mastercard Accepted Around The World

With an Orchard Bank Mastercard, you can be assured of rarely running into the problem of having your card declined because the business doesn’t accept the card. If you have an American Express card or a Discover card, you may have found this isn’t the case. Nearly every company that accepts credit cards to begin with, accepts Mastercard. This can assure you that whether you find yourself in Topeka, London, or Rome, you won’t be left out in the cold with only your billfold to pay for purchases.

Worldwide Cash Access

If you are in a place where Mastercard is accepted, you will also have access to cash advances through the Orchard credit card. This can come in very handy if you are faced with an activity or purchase that must be paid for in cash. Orchard credit card rates for cash advances are reasonable (though cash advances are never the best idea if you can avoid them), and it is for this reason among the others listed above that the Orchard credit card has taken the country by storm.

About the Author: Morgan Hamilton offers expert advice and great tips regarding all aspects concerning Orchard Credit Cards. Get the information you are seeking now by visiting

getqualitycreditcards.com/issuers/hsbc

Source:

isnare.com

Permanent Link:

isnare.com/?aid=190522&ca=Finances

Filled Under: Property Investment