Gold Leaving US Vaults: Signs of Upcoming Currency War and Armed Conflict

Peter KORZUN: Few people believe the US Treasury’s assurances that the 261 million ounces (roughly 8,100 tonnes) in official gold reserves that are stored in Fort Knox and other places are fully audited and accounted for. What if the vaults turn out to be empty? It’s wiser to bring your gold home while you can, rather than to just keep on wondering.
Read more: https://www.strategic-culture.org/news/2018/04/25/gold-leaving-us-vaults-signs-upcoming-currency-war-and-armed-conflict.html?source=Snapzu

This Week in Security News: Fines and Funding -

Welcome to our weekly roundup, where we share what you need to know about the cybersecurity news and events that happened over the past few days. This week, the SEC paid $35 million in fines following the 2014 breach, in which Russian hackers obtained the information of 500 million users. In addition, IoT research revealed...
Read more: https://blog.trendmicro.com/this-week-in-security-news-fines-and-funding/?source=Snapzu

T-Mobile and Sprint to merge, finally, strutting 5G clout

After years of off-and-on courtship, T-Mobile is acquiring Sprint in an all-stock, merger and acquistion deal worth $26-billion.
Read more: https://www.zdnet.com/article/t-mobile-and-sprint-to-merge-finally-strutting-5g-clout/?source=Snapzu

Ben Carson Saves HUD Housing From Icky Poor People

Too bad the poorhouse is going condo. By Doktor Zoom.
Read more: https://wonkette.com/633045/ben-carson-saves-hud-housing-from-icky-poor-people?source=Snapzu

Fashion brands steal design ideas all the time. And it’s completely legal.

Blame America’s outdated copyright laws.
Read more: https://www.vox.com/2018/4/27/17281022/fashion-brands-knockoffs-copyright-stolen-designs-old-navy-zara-h-and-m?source=Snapzu

How Jeff Bezos' parents reacted to the news their son was leaving Wall Street to start selling books on the internet

Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos called his parents in the mid-90s and told them he was leaving a cushy gig on Wall Street to sell books online.
Read more: https://www.businessinsider.de/amazon-ceo-jeff-bezos-parents-wall-street-2018-4?source=Snapzu

‘My Generation Is Never Going to Have That’

In Seattle’s red-hot housing market, a group of millennial techies is using data skills to alter the look, and affordability, of their adopted city.
Read more: https://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2018/04/26/seattle-housing-what-works-next-218058?cid=apn?source=Snapzu

Why Tech Companies Need a Code of Ethics for Software Development

In today's world, business is both driven and disrupted by software. From startups to government organizations to publicly traded companies, software is developed at a record-setting pace to run almost everything. This continuous evolution of technology has drastically changed how enterprises operate today. As the race heats up among companies looking to be first-to-market with the next best product or service, considerations about the implications these systems and gadgets may have on society often are overlooked.
Read more: https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/311410?source=Snapzu

Subway plans 500 U.S. store closings amid global growth

Subway Restaurants, the world’s most ubiquitous dining chain, will continue closing U.S. stores as it expands internationally. After peppering the nation with thousands of locations, closely held Subway is retrenching. This year, the sandwich purveyor is planning to shut about 500 more of its U.S. shops. Last year, more than 800 stores went dark, with the total U.S. count dropping to 25,908. It also closed restaurants in 2016.
Read more: http://www.spokesman.com/stories/2018/apr/25/subway-plans-500-us-store-closings-amid-global-gro/?source=Snapzu

Coke warns of pain from UK sugar tax, U.S. freight costs

Coca-Cola Co said on Tuesday it would take a hit in the second quarter from the introduction of a British sugar tax on soft drinks and rising freight costs in the United States, overshadowing modestly better than forecast results for the first three months of 2018.
Read more: https://www.reuters.com/article/us-coca-cola-results/coca-cola-sales-surge-after-diet-coke-reboot-idUSKBN1HV18Y?source=Snapzu

Patent ‘Death Squad’ System Upheld by U.S. Supreme Court

The U.S. Supreme Court upheld an administrative review system that has helped Google Inc., Apple Inc. and other companies invalidate hundreds of issued patents.
Read more: https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2018-04-24/patent-death-squad-system-upheld-by-u-s-supreme-court?source=Snapzu

Amazon will now deliver packages to the trunk of your car

New service in collaboration with GM and Volvo will launch in 37 cities in the US
Read more: https://www.theverge.com/2018/4/24/17261744/amazon-package-delivery-car-trunk-gm-volvo?source=Snapzu

White Judge Sentenced to Probation for Election Fraud in Same County Where Black Woman Received 5 Years

Right now, there is a black woman sitting in prison, reading about a Texas judge who was found guilty of the same crime she committed. She probably noticed that the judge was sentenced to five years’ probation in the same county that sentenced her to five years in jail. More than likely, she also noticed that she is black and the judge who was found guilty of turning in fake signatures to secure a spot in the Republican primary is white.
Read more: https://www.theroot.com/white-judge-sentenced-to-probation-for-election-fraud-i-1825479980?source=Snapzu

Apple’s purchase of Shazam is now under investigation by the EU

The EU has launched an investigation into Apple’s acquisition of music identification service Shazam. It’s concerned that the deal could shrink consumer options for mobile music streaming services within the EEA (European Economic Area).
Read more: https://www.theverge.com/2018/4/23/17270788/apple-shazam-acquisition-eu?source=Snapzu

Tesla's troubles are piling up — but the Elon Musk cult is still full of true believers

Tesla is beset by production problems and swimming in debt, its bonds are considered junk status, its stock has more people betting against it than any other major company. There are real concerns it won't be able to raise enough cash to keep going. But even with all its problems, there are still very good reasons to believe in the world's best known electric car maker.
Read more: http://www.cbc.ca/news/business/tesla-electric-vehicles-ev-environment-cars-emissions-1.4624510?source=Snapzu

HSBC to stop funding most new fossil fuel developments

Europe’s largest bank, HSBC, said on Friday it would mostly stop funding new coal power plants, oil sands and arctic drilling, becoming the latest in a long line of investors to shun the fossil fuels. Other large banks such as ING and BNP Paribas have made similar pledges in recent months as investors have mounted pressure to make sure bank’s actions align with the Paris agreement, a global pact to limit greenhouse gas emissions and curb rising temperatures.
Read more: https://www.theglobeandmail.com/business/industry-news/energy-and-resources/article-hsbc-to-stop-funding-most-new-fossil-fuel-developments/?source=Snapzu

Beyond Starbucks: How Racism Shapes Customer Service

It will take more than one day of training to eliminate unfair treatment.
Read more: https://www.nytimes.com/2018/04/20/opinion/starbucks-racism-customer-service.html?source=Snapzu

US religion is worth $1.2T/year, more than America's 10 biggest tech companies, combined

The largely tax-free religion industry is one of the biggest in America, worth $1.2 trillion/year, a number that includes religious "healthcare facilities, schools, daycare and charities; media; businesses with faith backgrounds; the kosher and halal food markets; social and philanthropic programmes; and staff and overheads for congregations."
Read more: http://the-atlantic.blogspot.com/2018/04/us-religion-is-worth-12tyear-more-than.html?source=Snapzu

World Bank recommends that countries eliminate minimum wage, dismantle wrongful dismissal rules and contractual protections for workers

A draft of the World Bank's annual flagship World Development Report says that its creditor-states (the poorest countries in the world) should eliminate their minimum wage rules, allow employers to fire workers without cause, and repeal laws limiting abusive employment contract terms. The bank argues that this is necessary to stop employers from simply investing in automation and eliminating workers altogether.
Read more: https://boingboing.net/2018/04/21/are-there-no-workhouses-4.html?source=Snapzu

'When you did nothing wrong, how do you react?': Men arrested at Starbucks feared for their lives

Robinson said he thought about his loved ones and how the afternoon had taken such a turn as he was taken to jail. Nelson wondered if he'd make it home alive.
Read more: https://www.smh.com.au/world/north-america/when-you-did-nothing-wrong-how-do-you-react-men-arrested-at-starbucks-feared-for-their-lives-20180419-p4zan0.html?source=Snapzu

U.S. Investigating AT&T and Verizon Over Wireless Collusion Claim

The Justice Department has opened an antitrust investigation into potential coordination by AT&T, Verizon and a telecommunications standards organization to hinder consumers from easily switching wireless carriers, according to six people with knowledge of the inquiry. In February, the Justice Department issued demands to AT&T, Verizon and the G.S.M.A., a mobile industry standards-setting group, for information on potential collusion to thwart a technology known as eSIM, said two of the people, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because the details are confidential.
Read more: https://www.nytimes.com/2018/04/20/technology/att-verizon-investigate-esim.html?source=Snapzu

The rise and fall of Elizabeth Holmes, who started Theranos when she was 19 and became the world's youngest female billionaire.

Elizabeth Holmes started Theranos at age 19 and became the world's youngest female billionaire. But 15 years later, she was charged with massive fraud.
Read more: http://www.businessinsider.com/theranos-founder-ceo-elizabeth-holmes-life-story-bio-2018-4#?source=Snapzu

To Understand the Future of Tesla, Look to the History of GM

Elon Musk, Alfred Sloan, and entrepreneurship in the automobile industry.
Read more: https://hbr.org/2018/04/to-understand-the-future-of-tesla-look-to-the-history-of-gm?source=Snapzu

Russian Businessman Releases 'Novichok' Line of Cooking Oil

A Russian entrepreneur has capitalized on the poisoning of a former Russian spy in Britain by releasing a brand of cooking oil named after the nerve agent that was allegedly used in the attempted assassination. London blames Moscow for poisoning ex-spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia in Salisbury last month with a Novichok-class nerve agent believed to have been developed in the Soviet Union. Russia denies responsibility and has accused Britain of whipping-up anti-Russian hysteria.
Read more: https://themoscowtimes.com/news/russian-businessman-releases-novichok-line-cooking-oil-61227?source=Snapzu

Just About Everyone with Bitcoin is Lying to the IRS

Bitcoin may have peaked in terms of value and public interest in 2017, but the cryptocurrency has been far less popular this tax season. According to a recent report, fewer than 100 people have reported bitcoin holdings so far.
Read more: https://gizmodo.com/just-about-everyone-with-bitcoin-is-lying-to-the-irs-1825275308?source=Snapzu

The ‘Terms and Conditions’ Reckoning Is Coming

Everyone from Uber to PayPal is facing a backlash against their impenetrable legalese.
Read more: https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2018-04-20/uber-paypal-face-reckoning-over-opaque-terms-and-conditions?source=Snapzu

Publisher Helps To Keep Sci-Hub In The Public Eye By Trying To Bully It Into Submission Using Ineffectual Legal Remedies

As Techdirt has pointed out a number of times, attacking the huge free online repository of academic papers, Sci-Hub, is wrong from a number of viewpoints. It's wrong because Sci-Hub is not a site aiming to profit from the labor of others, but is...
Read more: https://www.techdirt.com/articles/20180410/09430039600/publisher-helps-to-keep-sci-hub-public-eye-trying-to-bully-it-into-submission-using-ineffectual-legal-remedies.shtml?source=Snapzu

Jeff Bezos reveals Amazon has 100 million Prime members in letter to shareholders

Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos has released his latest annual shareholder letter. In the letter, Bezos stressed the importance of having high standards in running a business. By setting high standards, companies are able to live up to "ever-rising customer expectations," he said. "How do you stay ahead of ever-rising customer expectations? There's no single way to do it – it's a combination of many things. But high standards (widely deployed and at all levels of detail) are certainly a big part of it," Bezos wrote in the letter.
Read more: https://www.cnbc.com/2018/04/18/amazon-ceo-jeff-bezos-2018-shareholder-letter.html?source=Snapzu

The Quest for the Next Billion-Dollar Color

The trail may start with YlnMn, the first blue created in two centuries.
Read more: https://www.bloomberg.com/features/2018-quest-for-billion-dollar-red/?source=Snapzu

Rape victim outraged after Uber driver posted bail, fled country

A local woman is outraged after she says an Uber driver raped her and then left the country. That suspect was arraigned on Friday, posted bail and is believed to have fled the country. Boston 25 News would not normally identify victims of sexual assault, but Emily Murray insisted to our Bob Ward that she wants to be seen and be heard. She told him she wants everyone to know what happened to her, and how the system failed her.
Read more: https://www.fox25boston.com/news/rape-victim-outraged-after-uber-driver-posted-bail-fled-country/733742443?source=Snapzu

What Happens When Every Citizen Receives a Universal Basic Income

Later this year, Stockton, a city in California with a 25% poverty rate, will conduct an unusual experiment: Roughly 100 of its citizens will receive $500 a month for 12-18 months, with no work requirements and no strings attached. Researchers likely will regularly assess the recipients’ health, childcare arrangements, education, and general well-being in order to measure how this kind of financial leg up affects quality of life.
Read more: https://lifehacker.com/what-you-need-to-know-about-universal-basic-income-1825172737?source=Snapzu

How founders can write a quality blog post in 1 hour

We all need traffic. Targeted traffic to our sites that'll convert. SEO, PPC ads, organic social media posts, blogs, email newsletters, a culture manifesto — you name it, content must be produced. For us, content has been a major cornerstone of our growth and it's something we put a lot of time and energy in to.
Read more: https://baremetrics.com/blog/founder-writing?source=Snapzu

A flaw-by-flaw guide to Facebook’s new GDPR privacy changes

"Just click accept, ignore those settings." By Josh Constine.
Read more: https://techcrunch.com/2018/04/17/facebook-gdpr-changes/?source=Snapzu

A Casino Was Hacked Thanks To The Internet Of Broken Things & A Fish Tank Thermometer

For years we've documented how the internet of broken things industry and evangelists have contributed to a global privacy and security shitshow... By Karl Bode. (Apr. 16, 2018)
Read more: https://www.techdirt.com/articles/20180416/10152039639/casino-was-hacked-thanks-to-internet-broken-things-fish-tank-thermometer.shtml?source=Snapzu

Netflix programming binge pays off with subscriber surge

Netflix Inc’s blitz of original programs attracted a surprisingly high 7.4 million new customers from January to March, reassuring investors who are betting the video-streaming pioneer’s massive spending will fuel growth around the world.
Read more: https://www.reuters.com/article/us-netflix-results/netflix-programming-binge-pays-off-with-subscriber-surge-idUSKBN1HN2TW?source=Snapzu

It sure looks like Google is about to kill Inbox

It has been almost exactly three years since Google made its new email client available to the whole world. Inbox by Gmail was sold as a "completely different type of inbox, designed to focus on what really matters," and while I think this mission was a huge success, the client never really caught on the way Gmail itself did. Fast forward to today, Inbox has become stagnant and Gmail is being regularly updated to compete with modern email clients. In fact, with the recent revelation of an upcoming new Gmail design, including several features straight from Inbox...
Read more: https://www.androidcentral.com/it-sure-looks-google-about-sunset-inbox-gmail?source=Snapzu

Netflix Adds 7.4M Subscribers In First Quarter, Beating Expectations

The streaming giant's growth in the quarter was due mostly to its expansion into foreign markets. Netflix added 7.4 million new customers to its streaming service in the first quarter, besting the company's projection that it would add 6.35 million on a worldwide basis, the company said Monday. Netflix's growth in the quarter was due mostly to its expansion into foreign markets, as it added 5.46 million international subscribers while analysts expected roughly 5.02 million.
Read more: https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/netflix-adds-74m-subscribers-first-quarter-beating-expectations-1103153?source=Snapzu

Dick's Sporting Goods destroying unsold assault rifles

Dick's Sporting Goods is destroying its inventory of unsold assault rifles in the wake of its decision to quit selling the firearms. Retailers typically return unsold merchandise to the manufacturer, but Dicks is opting to destroy the weapons instead. "We are in the process of destroying all firearms and accessories that are no longer for sale as a result of our February 28th policy change," a spokeswoman told the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. "We are destroying the firearms in accordance with federal guidelines and regulations."
Read more: http://www.al.com/news/index.ssf/2018/04/dicks_sporting_goods_destroyin.html?source=Snapzu

Coinbase buys Startup giant, Earn.com, and makes Balaji Srinivasan its Chief Technology Officer (CTO) - Coinjournal

Coinbase has made headlines this week, buying one of the most well-funded startups in the cryptocurrency space, Earn.com which is being purchased by the wallet and exchange giant for over $120 million making Balaji Srinivasan the companies first CTO while the transition takes place. For a long time, Coinbase has sought to expand its involvement within the cryptocurrency and blockchain world. Having recently announced the creation of a venture capital fund for startup companies looking to develop their ideas.
Read more: https://coinjournal.net/coinbase-buys-startup-giant-earn-com-and-makes-balaji-srinivasan-its-chief-technology-officer-cto/?source=Snapzu

Starbucks to train workers on 'unconscious bias,' CEO says

Starbucks wants to add training for store managers on “unconscious bias,” CEO Kevin Johnson said Monday, as activists held more protests at a Philadelphia store where two black men were arrested when employees said they were trespassing. Johnson, who has called the arrests “reprehensible,” arrived in Philadelphia this weekend after video of the arrests gained traction online. He said he hopes to meet with the two men in the next couple of days and apologize to them face-to-face.
Read more: https://apnews.com/8496b53409bb404f9e07baa35cd1361f?source=Snapzu

Oracle tried to ally with Trump against Amazon

Oracle's co-CEO tried to persuade President Trump to not award a massive Department of Defense cloud contract to rival Amazon Web Services.
Read more: https://www.zdnet.com/article/oracles-cloud-business-in-the-time-of-trump/?source=Snapzu

New tomato variety resistant to many insects

A wild tomato from the Galapagos Islands has been discovered by scientists from Wageningen University & Research to be resistant to a wide range of pest insects. This variety is closely related to the cultivated tomato, making the resilience easier to interbreed into the latter and ultimately making it resistant to many different types of insects.
Read more: https://www.wur.nl/en/newsarticle/New-tomato-variety-resistant-to-many-insects-1.htm?source=Snapzu

It's time to boycott Amazon

Jeff Bezos has built an empire based on exploitation.
Read more: https://thenextweb.com/opinion/2018/04/16/its-time-to-boycott-amazon/?source=Snapzu

A Billionaire Toy Tycoon Bid a Whopping $890 Million USD to Save 300 Toys "R" Us Stores

Toys “R” Us has made headlines as of late with news of its bankruptcy proceedings and talk of impending U.S.-based liquidations in the coming weeks ahead. However, in a last-ditch effort to help save the drowning operations, billionaire toy tycoon Isaac Larian put up a bid totaling $890 million USD to keep over 300 stores throughout the U.S. and Canada from closing.
Read more: https://hypebeast.com/2018/4/toys-r-us-billionaire-tycoon-890-million-bid?source=Snapzu

South Korea's 'yogurt ladies' ride motorized fridges to bring your dairy fix

The fleet of delivery ladies used to have to drag along heavy carts all day.
Read more: http://abcnews.go.com/International/south-koreas-yogurt-ladies-ride-motorized-fridges-bring/story?id=54331118?source=Snapzu

Starbucks Apologizes After 2 Black Men Were Arrested While Waiting Inside Store

Starbucks apologized after a video of two black men being arrested while waiting in a Philadelphia Starbucks went viral. The two men were waiting inside the Starbucks location for a friend when they were asked to leave, CBS reported. The police were then called, and the two men were arrested. In a video posted to Twitter, other customers complained that two men hadn’t done anything wrong.
Read more: http://amp.timeinc.net/fortune/2018/04/14/starbucks-black-men-arrested-philadelphia?source=Snapzu

Are tourists at risk? Cancun murders spike as drug cartels wage a bloody turf war

Paradise has been overrun by violence. One of the most popular tourist destinations in Mexico has recently been transformed into one of the bloodiest high-profile battlegrounds in a turf war between drug cartels. Cancun, the party town on the beaches of the southeastern state of Quintana Roo, played host to 14 murders in one 36-hour span starting April 4, according to a translated version of a story from Mexican news outlet Notacaribe. Nine of the 14 were killed on April 4, making it the bloodiest single day in Cancun in more than a decade.
Read more: http://www.star-telegram.com/latest-news/article208720004.html?source=Snapzu

Farmers are using AI to help monitor cows

Is the world ready for cows armed with artificial intelligence? A Dutch companies new tool, 'The Intelligent Dairy Farmer's Assistant,' has found its way to North America.
Read more: http://www.cbc.ca/news/technology/cows-artificial-intelligence-1.4618981?cmp=rss?source=Snapzu

Wells Fargo faces $1 billion fine from loan abuses

Two U.S. regulators have proposed Wells Fargo & Co pay $1 billion in penalties to resolve probes into auto insurance and mortgage lending abuses at the third largest U.S. bank, overshadowing its first quarter results.
Read more: https://www.reuters.com/article/us-wells-fargo-results/wells-fargo-faces-1-billion-fine-from-loan-abuses-idUSKBN1HK1NI?source=Snapzu

Sustainable Link Building: Increasing Your Chances of Getting Links

Link building campaigns shouldn't have a start-and-stop date—they should be ongoing, continuing to earn you links over time. Join our guest host Paddy Moogan as he shares strategies to achieve sustainable link building and milk your content efforts for all they're worth.
Read more: https://moz.com/blog/sustainable-link-building?source=Snapzu