ultimate fishing simulator codes
ultimate fishing simulator codes

Boston Celtics visit White House for NBA championship celebration
France's Macron announces fourth government of the year
Vancouver's Bench Accounting abruptly shuts down, with 600 jobs potentially lost VANCOUVER — Vancouver-based bookkeeping service Bench Accounting has announced its sudden closure, potentially putting hundreds of staff out of work. Canadian Press Dec 27, 2024 3:21 PM Share by Email Share on Facebook Share on X Share on LinkedIn Print Share via Text Message Vancouver-based bookkeeping service Bench Accounting has announced its sudden closure, potentially putting hundreds of staff out of work. The Bench Accounting logo is seen in an undated handout photo. THE CANADIAN PRESS/HO, *MANDATORY CREDIT* VANCOUVER — Vancouver-based bookkeeping service Bench Accounting has announced its sudden closure, potentially putting hundreds of staff out of work. The company that has described itself as North America's largest bookkeeping service for small businesses says on its website in a "notice of closure" dated Friday that the platform is "no longer accessible." The statement acknowledges that the closure is "abrupt and may cause disruption," and says the firm is committed to helping customers "navigate through the transition." Bench has previously said it had more than 600 employees and had received investor funding of US$113 million. It said it moved to Vancouver and changed its name to Bench in 2013, having started out in 2012 as 10sheet Inc in the U.S. Calls to Bench's Vancouver office went to voice mail and did not immediately receive a response. But the company's former CEO and co-founder Ian Crosby released a statement on social media on Friday, saying he was "very sad" about the closure. Crosby, who said he was ousted by the company's board about three years ago, said there was a lesson in the fate of the company. "I hope the story of Bench goes on to become a warning for VCs (venture capitalists) that think they can 'upgrade' a company by replacing the founder. It never works," he said. The University of British Columbia Sauder Business School alumni said he had been avoiding speaking publicly about Bench since his exit, but wanted to make a statement in light of the company's demise. He said that in 2021 he had been battling with some board members over their strategy for a "new direction" that he thought was a "very bad idea." " Rather than continuing to fight with me, they opted to just replace me, thinking that they could run the company better themselves," he said. "I was totally convinced that their approach would destroy the company. I opted to resign rather than fight." Other bookkeeping companies were quick to reach out to Bench's former clients, with rivals such as Acuity and Better Bookkeeping making reference to Bench's closure in social media pitches. A spokeswoman for B.C.'s jobs ministry said they were looking into a request for comment. This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 27, 2024. The Canadian Press See a typo/mistake? Have a story/tip? This has been shared 0 times 0 Shares Share by Email Share on Facebook Share on X Share on LinkedIn Print Share via Text Message More National News Man charged after Calgary Boxing Day robbery, car crash that killed 9-year-old girl Dec 27, 2024 3:32 PM 'Failure is not an option': Fire-torn Jasper entering new year with hope and anxiety Dec 27, 2024 2:50 PM LeBlanc and Joly offer little details about visit with Trump's team in Florida Dec 27, 2024 2:44 PM Featured Flyer
None
DALTILE HIGHLIGHTS 2024 NEW PRODUCT LAUNCHES -- END OF YEAR RECAP
CNBC Daily Open: Small- and mid-caps stole the limelight last week
Oliver Gray comes alive in the second half as Barrington beats Jacobs
Former TV host Ellen DeGeneres is done living in the United States. According to reports, DeGeneres and her wife Portia de Rossi have fled for England. They have already settled into their home in the Cotswolds. While that may sound like a surprise, PEOPLE reported that DeGeneres was house hunting in October. DeGeneres and her wife made this purchase prior to the 2024 presidential election. However, TMZ said they were "very disillusioned" with Donald Trump's victory over Kamala Harris. From TMZ: We're told the couple scooped up the place before the election ... but were "very disillusioned" with Trump's victory ... and, as one source put it, they immediately decided "to get the hell out." Ellen was among the high-profile donors for Vice President Harris, cutting a $3,300 check for her. She also endorsed Harris on social media after the VP was tapped to replace President Joe Biden on the ticket back in July. On Thursday afternoon, TMZ reached out to Karoline Leavitt for a comment on DeGeneres' departure from the United States. She quickly replied, "HAHAHA." Pool/Getty Images Last week, Leavitt was appointed Trump's White House press secretary. She'll be the youngest person to ever hold that position. Leavitt was an assistant press secretary during Trump's first term in office. Additionally, she served as a presidential writer. We'll see if DeGeneres fires back at Leavitt's comment. That probably wouldn't be a wise choice though. Related: Ellen DeGeneres Makes Decision On Living In U.S. After Trump's Win
Dr. Shaibu Hussieni, the Executive Director of the National Film and Video Censors Board, praised the Nollywood Creative Minds Forum (NCMF) for its role in fostering collaboration and strengthening networks within the Nollywood community. In his keynote address at the 6th Annual Gathering of NCMF, themed “In Pursuit of Better,” held in Lekki, Lagos, Shaibu highlighted the critical need for a focus on quality storytelling. He emphasized the importance of crafting authentic and engaging narratives that genuinely reflect African experiences while adhering to industry standards and ethical guidelines. He also encouraged the NCMF to embrace innovative technologies, techniques, and ideas as essential components for achieving excellence in filmmaking. To support this vision, Shaibu assured the Forum of the NFVCB’s commitment to providing valuable resources for filmmakers. This includes capacity-building programs, workshops, as well as plans to establish a Producers, Exhibitors, and Distribution Lab. He also mentioned initiatives to enhance access to funding, investment opportunities, and promote international collaborations. “I commend the leadership of the forum and encourage them to continue facilitating meaningful discussions on industry trends, challenges, and opportunities, all focused on shaping a bright future for Nollywood,” he stated.Intuit's EVP Laura Fennell sells $5.06 million in stock
President-elect Donald Trump’s designated debt-busters, Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy, last week wrote an op-ed in the Wall Street Journal providing the fullest accounting yet of their plans to cut “waste, fraud and abuse” — that most well-worn and oft-broken of political promises. Indeed, an omission from the dynamic duo’s piece suggests that they — and Trump — may have already trimmed their ambitions: Musk and Ramaswamy made no mention of Musk’s previous boasts that he’d slash “at least” $2 trillion in a single year from the federal budget. It’s a wonder that the aspiring oligarch and “super genius,” as Trump calls him, made the outlandish claim in the first place, including at Trump’s infamous preelection rally at Madison Square Garden. Perhaps he’s finally been schooled on the realities of fiscal policy. Yet neither did Musk and Ramaswamy disavow the $2-trillion promise. So it’s worth examining just why the goal is a mission impossible, and why the actions they say Trump will take are unlikely to significantly reduce federal debt. In fact, if we subtract Trump’s promised tax cuts from the projected revenue, annual deficits and the debt could well increase — just as they did during his first term, when his actions caused the national debt to balloon by $8.4 trillion over a decade. A little fiscal math: The federal budget for the fiscal year that began Oct. 1 is $6.8 trillion. Musk proposed to cut 30% of that. Which would be hard enough if the whole amount were on the chopping block. But roughly three-quarters of the $6.8 trillion is either politically untouchable (especially Medicare and Social Security, which Trump has vowed to leave unscathed) or legally off-limits (interest on the debt). That leaves just over a quarter of federal spending: $1.9 trillion in so-called “discretionary spending” that Congress controls annually through its budget process. But discretionary programs account for just about everything that the government does and that Americans expect it to do — including domestic spending and funding the military. A few examples: air traffic control, agriculture programs, disaster aid, education, courts, highways and other infrastructure, immigration, homeland security, law enforcement, national parks, the Pentagon and scientific research. (For those America First-ers who like to trash foreign aid: It’s less than 1% of spending, not the roughly 25% that many Americans tell pollsters they think it is.) In short, Musk’s aim to cut $2 trillion would require wiping out not just supposed waste, fraud and abuse but also all discretionary spending — even though Trump has said he wants to increase the defense portion. And still the cuts would come up short. Musk conceded “temporary hardship” would result, but Bloomberg News wrote that slashing so much “would require a level of austerity unprecedented since the winding down of World War II.” That’s probably an understatement. And consider this: Discretionary spending has been at “historic lows” as a share of the budget, according to the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office. That’s because it’s the piece of the federal pie that always gets sliced up whenever presidents and Congresses do whittle spending. Meanwhile, expenditures for health and retirement benefits for aging baby boomers are growing fast, as is interest on borrowing. Together with tax cuts, these drive up the debt. Another perspective: Contrary to claims from Presidents Reagan, George W. Bush and Trump, tax cuts do not pay for themselves by spurring economic activity. Extending Trump’s first-term tax cuts, as he’s promised, would add about $4 trillion to the debt over 10 years. (By contrast, much discretionary spending — for instance, on infrastructure, education and research — actually does bring economic benefits; it’s considered the “seed corn” for the nation’s physical and human capital.) The current year-end budget follies give a small glimpse into just how hard budget-cutting is. Congress is tussling as usual over farm spending, while considering an unanticipated expense — nearly $100 billion — for disaster aid after Hurricanes Helene and Milton. Skeptics be damned, Musk and Ramaswamy say. They’ll “cut the federal government down to size.” What size, you ask? They don’t say. For a half-century, no matter which party held power, annual federal spending has been about 21% of the size of the nation’s economy, the gross domestic product. And tax revenue has been roughly 17% of GDP. Hence yearly deficits and a growing debt. The consistency of annual spending levels across decades and parties shows that Americans seem to want a government of roughly that size. Spending in 2024 is nearly 24% of GDP. There’s room to cut, just not by $2 trillion. Musk and Ramaswamy also didn’t identify specifically what they’d cut, aside from three perennial conservative targets — Planned Parenthood, public broadcasting and foreign aid — that together add up to $2.3 billion, hardly even a rounding error relative to annual deficits. They broadly take aim at more than $500 billion in annual spending for programs that Congress hasn’t reauthorized formally. But big-ticket items in that category include veterans’ health programs, NASA and homeland security. Don’t hold your breath for those cuts. They contend that Trump would simply impound funds that Congress appropriates but he doesn’t want. Well, that’s illegal under the Nixon-era 1974 Impoundment Control Act. The law has stood the legal and political tests of 50 years’ time, but no matter, the Trump advisors wrote: “The current Supreme Court would likely side with” Trump. Maybe so, maybe not. Musk and Ramaswamy wrote more in their op-ed about cutting federal regulations than cutting spending. Repealing rules would allow for cost-saving “mass” firings in the government bureaucracy, they argued. But conservative economist Brian Riedl, a fellow at the Manhattan Institute, calculated that even large workforce reductions wouldn’t meaningfully pare the budget. And, he said, the government would likely end up hiring private contractors for some functions. In sum, as we say in math exercises, Trump’s numbers won’t add up to reduced deficits and smaller government. Again. @jackiekcalmesNone