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Small Business Lifestyle

Ukrainian man sues Livermore couple, alleging he was forced to work without pay for 15 months [Video]

A Ukrainian man is suing a Livermore couple, saying they forced him to work on their home without pay for about 15 months, seized more than $2,100 in stipends from Catholic Charities, and kept his dog after kicking him out of their home.

Oleksandr Bulatov, 36, filed a civil lawsuit last week in U.S. District Court alleging that Kathryn and Michael Cook, of Livermore, “lured him into a predatory living and working situation under the pretense of an opportunity to earn good money for his two daughters in Ukraine.”

He arrived in Maine in November 2022 based on an agreement with Kathryn Cook, who sponsored him for immigration, according to the lawsuit. Bulatov is deaf and has limited English, and says the Cooks took advantage of his struggle to communicate through text messages and Google translate.

He also is suing Michael Cook’s cousin Chris Botka, who owns Maine Mountain Maple …

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Small Business Lifestyle

Elon Musk, Vivek Ramaswamy to lead new 'Department of Government Efficiency' [Video]

President-elect Donald Trump on Tuesday said Elon Musk and former GOP presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy will lead a new Department of Government Efficiency" which is not, despite the name, a government agency.The acronym DOGE is a nod to Musk's favorite cryptocurrency, dogecoin. Trump said in a statement that Musk and Ramaswamy will work from outside the government to offer the White House advice and guidance and will partner with the Office of Management and Budget to drive large scale structural reform, and create an entrepreneurial approach to Government never seen before. He added that the move would shock government systems.It's not clear how the organization will operate. It could come under the Federal Advisory Committee Act, which dictates how external groups that advise the government must operate and be accountable to the public.Federal employees are generally required to disclose their assets and entanglements to ward off any potential conflicts of interest, and to divest significant holdings relating to their work. Because Musk and Ramaswamy would not be formal federal workers, they would not face those requirements or ethical limitations.Musk posted on X: Department of Government Efficiency. The merch will be (fire emojis). Later he added: Threat to democracy? Nope, threat to BUREAUCRACY!!!Musk has been a constant presence at Mar-a-Lago since Trump won the presidential election.The president-elect has often said he would give Musk a formal role overseeing a group akin to a blue-ribbon commission that would recommend ways to slash spending and make the federal government more efficient. Musk at one point suggested he could find more than $2 trillion in savings nearly a third of total annual government spending.Trump had made clear that Musk would likely not hold any kind of full-time position, given his other commitments.I dont think I can get him full-time because hes a little bit busy sending rockets up and all the things he does, Trump said at a rally in Michigan in September. He said the waste in this country is crazy. And were going to get Elon Musk to be our cost cutter.Ramaswamy suspended his campaign in January and threw his support behind Trump.Trump said in his statement the two will pave the way for my Administration to dismantle Government Bureaucracy, slash excess regulations, cut wasteful expenditures, and restructure Federal Agencies."

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Small Business Lifestyle

BangShift.com This Engine Makes More Power Than Newbern Has Ever Had! HED Beer Money Engine Build, A Day At The Races, And More. [Video]

Newberns Drag and Drive Fox-body Mustang is cool, but the previous engine combo just didnt work out as well as he had hoped, so it was time for some newfound power from HED. HED stands for Harrell Engine and Dyno, and its home to horsepower in the Mooresville North Carolina area. Hes also neighbors with several other cool spots, including Custom by Bigun, where Newbern and Finnegan visited regularly. Hes not getting a complete HED powerplant, but hes got a pretty special shortblock and parts just like another famed Fox body runs.