Month: August 2015

If you're one of the tech-savvy "cord cutters" who has ditched your cable subscription in favor of live streams on your phone or computer, you may have been muttering a few unmentionables under your breath during the recent GOP debate. According to Mashable, users of the Fox News app were disappointed when they settled in to watch the much-anticipated first Republican Debate of the year, only to find an error message glaring back at them. As is usually the case on the internet, multiple other "unofficial" streams were available, though some more reliable than others. Most were taken down immediately by Fox News because of copyright issues. The problem is particularly troubling considering the robust infrastructure available to Fox when it comes to funding proper web development for thei...

Traditionally, when couples get married, they purchase their very first home together at the same time. These so-called "starter homes" have historically been inexpensive, allowing young couples to become accustomed to home ownership before moving on to a larger residence once they get better jobs or have children. However, with the U.S. housing market heating up fast -- and home prices steadily on the rise everywhere from San Jose, CA to Wellesley, MA -- it appears that the starter home might finally be a long-gone relic of the past. According to an August 17 WCPO article, today's home builders are constructing two types of homes: deluxe, luxury dwellings with mansion-like proportions and granite counter tops, or homes meant for families on government subsidies. As a result, there are ...

Lincoln Electric Co., manufacturer of welding products and a subsidiary of Lincoln Electric Holdings Inc., announced on August 19 that it would be purchasing a group annuity contract in order to reduce the company's pension obligations for outstanding payments. The announcement stated that Lincoln Electric is purchasing the group annuity contract from Principal Financial Group in order to settle $425 million worth of outstanding U.S. pension payments to former employees. According to Crain's Cleveland Business and Pensions and Investments, Lincoln Electric currently owes about $900 million to 1,900 U.S. retirees and beneficiaries who retired on or before June 1, 2015. The company has already paid $375 million toward pension payments in the past 10 years, Lincoln Electric stated in a pres...

The average size of a farm in the U.S. is about 450 acres -- plenty of space to grow bountiful amounts of crops that can support the business. However, farms have been struggling for ages with low prices and rising costs. Luckily, a new way of doing business may just be the solution they're looking for. Over the past couple years, the farm-to-fork -- or locavore -- movement sweeping the nation is giving farms the boost they need. "You're just seeing that farms are having difficulty covering their costs of production," Sarah Lloyd of the Wisconsin Farmers' Union told NPR. "The prices that are being paid to them in the market is not enough to cover their costs. One bright spot is you see people venturing into direct markets, and that's a way where they can have more control over their pric...

Driverless cars have been a trending topic as of late. Many companies have been extremely transparent about their plans to launch driverless cars, and have even publicized testing initiatives. While Apple has confirmed their plans in the past, those plans have been shrouded in secrecy and rumor. Take, for example, Apple's "Project Titan," -- an ultra-secret driverless car plan that has been the subject of much speculation. The Guardian, however, recently obtained public records that revealed Apple's driverless car plans are indeed underway, as the company has set its sights on various testing locations across the country. According to The Verge, the report states that Apple engineers convened with GoMentum, the former San Francisco naval base, to discuss plans with representatives. Th...