Dont Take Any Chances Butler County Times-Gazette Butler County Times Gazette
Don’t Take Any Chances – Butler County Times-Gazette – Butler County Times Gazette https://dentoncountynewsonline.com/dont-take-any-chances-butler-county-times-gazette-butler-county-times-gazette/
Your health is the most important thing that you have, and you should always do your best to protect it. This’s why you should always schedule regular checkups with your doctor, even if you think that you’re healthy.
A checkup is a great way to prevent or diagnose diseases that could have lasting, harmful effects on your body. Even if you exercise regularly and eat healthy, it may not be enough. You ultimately need to ensure that you have a clean bill of health every six months.
The Department of Health and Human Services reiterates this idea with the following explanation: ‘By getting the right health services, screenings, and treatments, you are taking steps that help your chances for living a longer, healthier life. Your age, health and family history, lifestyle choices (i.e. what you eat, how active you are, whether you smoke), and other important factors impact what and how often you need services and screenings.’
This is an important point to understand, as your life literally depends on it.
Regular doctor checkups are especially important if you are over the age of 60, as this is when the onset of many debilitating diseases occur.
It’s not enough to visit the doctor only when you feel sick. You need to be regularly checked for cancer, diabetes or bone diseases that could ultimately affect the way that you live your life.
People who get a diagnosis for their illnesses earlier in the process have a much better chance of beating them and returning to live the healthy lifestyle that they have grown accustomed to.
Take your family’s history with medical problems into account as well when deciding how long to go between checkups. If there have been incidents with certain kinds of cancer, heart attacks, or blood diseases amongst your relatives in the past, your doctor needs to know about them so he can properly test for problems that might occur.
You must be especially cautious when there has been a history of chronic illness in your family because you have the predisposition towards acquiring harmful medical problems that could affect your process of aging.
If you frequently smoke tobacco or drink alcohol, it is imperative that you see your family physician at least every six months, if not more frequently. Tobacco and alcohol wreak havoc on your lungs, liver, heart, and many other vital organs that are very important to your health.
Lung or liver cancer are among the biggest repercussions that smoking or drinking can bring about. Short of quitting altogether, the next best thing that you can do for yourself is to visit your doctor on a regular basis to make sure that no problems have begun to arise.
Blood pressure and cholesterol are two other health problems that could arise out of not going to see your doctor on a regular basis. People with high blood pressure or high cholesterol don’t even have to be living unhealthy lifestyles for a problem to arise. Your doctor can do tests and order blood to be drawn so that the determination can be reached regarding whether you have one of these debilitating illnesses or not.
There really are a great deal of benefits to seeing your family doctor at least once a year, even if you are healthy. The piece of mind and reassurance that you get is worth the cost of the visit alone.
In addition, you are able to more quickly start the treatment process if you do have some kind of problem. Doctors are trained to give you the best in quality healthcare, so you would be best advised to get regular checkups in order to ensure that you are completely healthy.
Raiders Darren Waller: Exits With Hamstring Issue CBS Sports
Raiders’ Darren Waller: Exits With Hamstring Issue – CBS Sports https://dentoncountynewsonline.com/raiders-darren-waller-exits-with-hamstring-issue-cbs-sports/
By RotoWire Staff
Oct 10, 2022 at 8:59 pm ET • 1 min read
Waller (hamstring) is questionable to return to Monday’s game against the Chiefs, Vic Tafur of The Athletic reports.
Waller did not record a catch before exiting during the first half of Monday’s game with a hamstring injury. The star tight end was limited during practice this week with a shoulder injury, but he managed to return during last Friday’s walkthrough sessions. Waller came into Week 5 with 16 receptions (24 targets) for 175 yards and a touchdown through four games, and his absence could send more targets toward wideouts Davante Adams and Hunter Renfrow.
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Raiders’ Darren Waller: Only five targets
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Raiders’ Darren Waller: Finds end zone
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Raiders’ Darren Waller: Uneven Week 1 showing
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Hong Kong University Launches Metaverse Postgraduate Programme NFTgators
Hong Kong University Launches Metaverse Postgraduate Programme – NFTgators https://dentoncountynewsonline.com/hong-kong-university-launches-metaverse-postgraduate-programme-nftgators/
Quick take:
Hong Kong Polytechnic University has launched a metaverse postgraduate programme.
The one-year Master of Science in Metaverse Technology programme kicks off next September.
The programme aims to educate students about the nature of metaverses and the fundamental technology for building metaverses.
Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU) has launched the city’s first-ever metaverse postgraduate programme. The “Master of Science in Metaverse Technology” programme is set to begin September 2023, according to the PolyU website.
According to the course outline, the programme aims to educate students about the nature of metaverses and the fundamental technology for building metaverses.
The programme will be offered under the engineering faculty’s computing department and will run for a period of 12 months. Students will be learning among other subjects, “pursue careers in start-ups and big players in the metaverse industry” PolyU wrote on its website.
The metaverse is generally described as a 3D virtual space where people can interact with each other through gaming, virtual concerts and other experiential events. The burgeoning industry has become one of the most trending topics over the past 12 months, following the rebranding of Facebook to Meta Platforms.
Recent studies have estimated the metaverse could be worth trillions of dollars by the year 2030. This has initiated an insatiable demand from the mainstream with leading technology companies looking to pounce on the opportunity.
Hong Kong PolyU is not the first educational institution to launch a metaverse programme. Universities in the city have ramped up their programmes in a bid to prevent students from moving overseas.
In September, the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) announced the Web3 Carnival, a series of online discussions set to take place in November about the sector.
Though no clear definition yet, web3 enthusiasts describe it as the next generation of the internet, built on the decentralised ledger technology to democratise the web. Its popularity is driven by the rapid adoption of non-fungible tokens (NFTs), and decentralised apps.
In February, Ankara University became Turkey’s first higher education institution to offer a course on NFTs. In July, the University of Tokyo launched study programs in the metaverse under the university’s engineering department.
Earlier last month, the University of Houston launched its metaverse campaign with AI innovation Consortium, Nvidia and TechnipFMC. It is part of the university’s attempts to play a part in the industrial metaverse. Later in the month, Draper University and CEEK VR teamed up to launch a metaverse and VR hacker house.
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Second Amazon Prime Announced! Save On Dyson Dupes From Cordless Vacs To Airwraps 22 Words
Second Amazon Prime Announced! Save On Dyson Dupes From Cordless Vacs To Airwraps – 22 Words https://dentoncountynewsonline.com/second-amazon-prime-announced-save-on-dyson-dupes-from-cordless-vacs-to-airwraps-22-words/
Dyson is one of the best brands on the market. They make just about anything that has to do with air. From vacuums to air purifiers to hair curlers, they do it all. But the price tag on Dyson’s is a big one. Breville is another one of those products you see everywhere that looks unbeatable, but who can afford those espresso machines? And don’t even get me started on Yeezy’s! All the things we love seem to be priced out of our budget.
If you, like myself, find that everything you want is just too pricey, check out this great list below. It’s got all those awesome dupes you’re looking for on Amazon. Whether you’re trying to find makeup, gadgets, or kitchen equipment; we’ve got you covered!
You will love our editor’s curated product picks! FYI: We are an Amazon affiliate partner and may get a share of the sale of your purchase (at no cost to you).
Want That Perfect Curl At a Better Price? 13% OFF!
I know you’ve heard all about the Dyson Airwrap. There’s really no way to avoid seeing it — it’s everywhere. But you know what’s just as good and not nearly as expensive? This Revlon Styler. You’ll get those same great, bouncy, Instagram-ready curls, without breaking the bank or ruining your budget and save yourself hundreds!
In the Market for an Air Fryer? SAVE 31%!
If you’re looking for an air fryer, chances are you’ve considered the Cusinart model that everyone loves. Sure, it’s a great product, but the product that I’ve used (a brand whose products I’ve been using for years) is the Ninja Air Fryer. The same folks that make those amazing blenders make air fryers, too!
SAVE 34% Good Coffee Shouldn’t Cost an Arm and a Leg
One of the best decisions I ever made was to save myself a little more at Starbucks every morning and invest in this awesome Gevi espresso machine from Amazon. It’s got everything you need to get an at-home latte, done perfectly, and it’s a fraction of the cost of the Breviller espresso machines.
Home Security at an Affordable Costs. Use a Coupon to Save $7 Now!
With the advances in technology that happen every single day, it’s becoming easier, and cheaper, to have a home security system. Unfortunately some brands, like Blink, tend to be in the higher price range. But lucky for us budgeters, these Kasa cameras are budget-friendlier and just as effective at letting you keep an eye on your home.
SAVE 33%! Wake Up Right, for Less
The Hatch alarm clock has been all over social media, but have you heard about the Wake Up Alarm? It gives you that same gentle, natural wake up call, but you don’t have to worry about the price tag that comes with it. Great for kiddos and grown ups alike!
SAVE 15%! Wireless Headphones That Won’t Break the Bank
Apple AirPods Pros are nice and everything, but they’re just too expensive for most of us regular folk out here — especially for headphones that are pretty easy to lose, let’s be honest. Fortunately, these Skull Candy wireless headphones are far more affordable and just as good. But no need to stress if you lose one, you can replace it!
SAVE 37%! Hands Free Vacuuming, Affordably
The iRobot Roomba is everyone’s favorite. I can’t tell you how many people I know that have one. But you know what’s just as good, but half the price? This eufy by Anker robot vacuum. It cleans up all your spaces with very little effort on the part of the robot and no effort on yours!
Get the Lululemon Look for Way Less With These Dupes
Lululemon makes incredible clothing, there’s no argument there, but the price tag on the Align leggings…over $100?! That’s just not very doable for most. But these budget-friendly Lulu dupes? They’re all the best parts of the Align pants, for a far more affordable price range. Not to mention the 21,000 5-Star reviews on Amazon. You won’t cry if you get a hole in these, I’ll tell you that much!
Get 65% OFF! You’ve Got to Have a Great Chelsea Boot
There’s something about a good Chelsea boot that I just can’t resist. But they’re not cheap items, that’s for sure. Especially not if you’re eyeing the Sam Edelman Chelsea chunky-sole boot— they’re budget busters, for sure. Thankfully, this Soda Pilot pair is budget-friendly and fashion-forward. What more could you want?
20% OFF! Blend on a Budget
I love my Ninja blender! It does the job better than any other blender I’ve ever owned. Sure, there’s a lot of hype around the Vitamix, but it works just the same as the Ninja, and the Ninja is far more affordable. I would be lost without mine and I love giving it as a wedding present.
15% OFF! Take Your Tunes Everywhere
I don’t know about you, but I love taking my music with me everywhere. I love being able to play what I love out loud for everyone to hear, and who doesn’t love being the guy at the party with the speaker? But those JBL speakers? Not in my price range. Fortunately, this Bluetooth speaker is far more affordable and just as good. Save an extra $6 with this Amazon coupon!
23% OFF! Great Headphones
Yeah, sure, the AirMax’s look cool as heck! But who can actually afford that absolutely insane price tag? Not me, that’s for sure. If you’re like me, do yourself a favor and grab these Beats instead of crying over those unaffordable Apple headphones. They’re both great products, look dope, and that’s what matters!
SAVE 10% on These Affordable Makeup Blender Brushes
You don’t have to have the Artis Elites to have high-quality blending capabilities! These amazing blending brushes do an incredible job of blending out all your products and giving your face that airbrushed look. No need to spend hours in your mirror trying to make it all look just right. Save 10% with this Amazon coupon!
Slice Like a Pro and Get 28% OFF!
This is one of my favorite knives I’ve ever owned. It cuts so smoothly and so completely, you don’t have to worry about dragging it or tearing through your meats and veggies. Plus it’s made from high-end German steel. Don’t fool yourself with a Zwilling J.A. Henckels knife, do yourself a favor and get this Bekhic chef’s knife on Amazon instead for a much better price.
60% OFF! Work Out the Kinks
Sure, everyone has heard of a TheraGun. But you can work out muscle aches and pains with this incredible deep-tissue massage gun dupe. You want something that’s going to get right into those tight muscles. This massage gun is just as effective and it’s far more affordable than the name-brand option. You’ll love using this awesome tool after your daily workouts.
Never Run Out of Ice Again
You wouldn’t be able to tell a difference in the quality of ice between this Silonn ice maker and the much-loved GE Profile Opal ice maker. They both make a great cube of ice, but the Silonn is far more affordable and, in my opinion, a little easier to use and maneuver. Save $10 with this Amazon coupon!
Have You Ever Wanted to Walk on Clouds? Get 49% OFF!
via Amazon
These dupes for the Instagram sensations are an absolute must-buy. They’re the comfiest shoes I’ve ever worn, and that’s coming from a devoted Crocs lover. Sure, Yeezy’s are name-brand, but who can afford Yeezy’s in this economy? Plus, they’re almost always sold out. These on the other hand? Readily available and easy on the pocket.
34% OFF! Want a Dyson Supersonic HairDryer for Cheaper?
The Dyson supersonic hair dryer is great and all, there’s no way around that, but this Wavytalk Ionic dryer does a great job and it’s far more affordable! There’s no reason to spend the money for the name-brand product when you can get something like this and still make your wallet, and your hair, happy.
Need a Cordless Vacuum? Get 29% OFF!
Who doesn’t love the Dyson Cordless Cyclone vacuum? But this Britech Cordless Vacuum has been my go-to for a while now and it’s just as convenient and easy to use. I love using it even though cleaning is the worst. Sometimes, I even forget I’m doing the menial task of vacuuming because it’s just so fun to use.
Treat Your Hair, and Your Wallet, Right
Your hair does a lot throughout the day, especially if you use heat on it, and it needs a little help to stay thick, shiny, and healthy. If you’ve envied the Olaplex products that went viral on TikTok, you’ve got to try this Elizavecca hair treatment dupe! It’s a fraction of the cost for the same great, shiny feeling.
29% OFF! Looking for a Tarte Concealer Dupe?
I love cosmetics, but they don’t seem to be getting any cheaper, and the items I love need a refill soon. That’s why I love this e.l.f. concealer — it’s a dupe for everyone’s favorite Tarte contour concealer product, but it’s far more affordable. It’s a smooth and beautiful formula that gives you a clean finish every time.
15% OFF! Get Quality Sound for a Fraction of the Price of Bose
Assist makes a pretty terrific soundbar that can give you some quality acoustics throughout your living room, or TV room if you’re fancy, but helps you save a little money if you’ve looked at the Bose soundbar. No need to break the bank and rack up a giant credit card bill for great sound!
Live News Updates: Coinbase Says It Has Won Singapore Approval For Crypto Services Financial Times
Live News Updates: Coinbase Says It Has Won Singapore Approval For Crypto Services – Financial Times https://dentoncountynewsonline.com/live-news-updates-coinbase-says-it-has-won-singapore-approval-for-crypto-services-financial-times/
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U.S. Officials Plan To Push For Price Cap On Russian Oil At This Weeks IMF Meetings CNBC
U.S. Officials Plan To Push For Price Cap On Russian Oil At This Week’s IMF Meetings – CNBC https://dentoncountynewsonline.com/u-s-officials-plan-to-push-for-price-cap-on-russian-oil-at-this-weeks-imf-meetings-cnbc/
U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen talks to reporters during a news conference in the Cash Room at the Treasury Department on April 21, 2022 in Washington, DC.
Chip Somodevilla | Getty Images
U.S. Treasury officials plan to press ahead at this week’s IMF meetings with a cap on the price of Russian oil, despite Wednesday’s decision by OPEC+ to cut oil production that’s already driven gas prices higher.
Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen and Deputy Treasury Secretary Wally Adeyemo will discuss the cap with other world finance ministers at the annual meetings of the IMF and World Bank that run Monday through Sunday in Washington, D.C.
OPEC+, the international governing organization of oil exporting countries which counts Russia among its expanded membership, announced an expected output cut of 2 million barrels per day last week, a move the Biden administration reportedly tried to block amid rising fuel costs.
But the cutback has no bearing on the G-7’s strategy to deny Russia a substantial income source to continue funding its war in Ukraine by capping the price of the country’s oil, a senior Treasury official told reporters Monday.
“We’ve been working on the price cap for a number of months. We’re continuing to move forward with our coalition in the design and finalization of that and that would have been happening in any case,” the official said.
G-7 finance ministers announced the price cap last month.
Higher gas prices from the OPEC+ decision will be “felt particularly by low- and middle-income countries, which are already bearing the brunt of the increase in global energy prices,” the official said.
Adeyemo will is scheduled on Friday to brief member countries on the impact their sanctions have had on Russia’s military supply chains. The Deputy Treasury Secretary will also consult with senior officials from over 20 participating countries, including Canada, the U.K. and the E.U., on how to redouble those efforts, according to senior Treasury officials.
Yellen plans to call on the coalition to further restrict Russian President Vladimir Putin‘s access to capital and military equipment needed to continue the war in Ukraine.
After Russia launched coordinated missile strikes across Ukraine Monday, India and China, which have refrained from outright condemning Russia’s invasion, called for a peaceful resolution to the crisis. Each country has sought to distance itself from Putin even as they continue to support Russia by buying its oil.
Wake Tech And N.C. A&T University Sign Technology Education Partnership Wake Tech Newsroom
Wake Tech And N.C. A&T University Sign Technology Education Partnership – Wake Tech Newsroom https://dentoncountynewsonline.com/wake-tech-and-n-c-at-university-sign-technology-education-partnership-wake-tech-newsroom/
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Wake Tech and N.C. A&T University Sign Technology Education Partnership
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Wake Tech and N.C. A&T University Sign Technology Education Partnership
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Wake Tech and N.C. A&T University Sign Technology Education Partnership
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Wake Tech and N.C. A&T University Sign Technology Education Partnership
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Wake Tech and N.C. A&T University Sign Technology Education Partnership
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Wake Tech and N.C. A&T University Sign Technology Education Partnership
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Wake Tech and N.C. A&T University Sign Technology Education Partnership
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RALEIGH, N.C. (October 10, 2022) – Wake Tech and North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University today signed a technology education partnership agreement to foster new degree completion and career development opportunities for students in information technology and biotechnology programs.
As part of the agreement, N.C. A&T will have access to classroom and office space at the Lilly Science and Technology Center on Wake Tech’s RTP Campus for the purpose of supporting enrollment and advising. An executive office includes two branded first floor classrooms where NCAT will have scheduling priority and up to three third-floor faculty office spaces. The Lilly Center is also home to the new Wake Early College of Information and Biotechnologies and the degrees addressed in the new partnership align with the program areas offered through the Early College.
“North Carolina A&T and Wake Technical Community Colleges are national technology education leaders in our respective sectors, and this new collaboration will further the impact of both our institutions,” said Wake Tech President Dr. Scott Ralls. “When combined with our partnership with Wake County Public Schools on our RTP Campus, this new partnership creates an unparalleled technology education pipeline in the heart of one of America’s leading technology employment hubs.”
As October is recognized as Cybersecurity Awareness Month, A&T’s leadership in cybersecurity education and research through both its Center of Excellent in Cybersecurity Research, Education and Outreach and its College of Engineering consistently garners national recognition, including national designation as a Department of Defense (DOD) National Security Agency Cybersecurity Center for Academic Excellence. This past spring, A&T was among six historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs) chosen for the inaugural cohort of IBM’s virtual Cybersecurity Leadership Centers, which are designed to enhance opportunities for learning, application and professional development for students and faculty.
A&T’s College of Science and Technology (COST) – which houses its applied engineering technology, applied science and technology, biology, computer graphics technology and computer systems technology departments – boasts a U.S. News & World Report Top 20 national ranking for its online master’s program. COST also became the home of a new America’s Cutting Edge (ACE) regional machine tools workforce training center in concert with The Institute for Advanced Composites Manufacturing Innovation this spring. ACE is a joint initiative of the DOD and the Department of Energy to reestablish American leadership in the machine tool industry.
“North Carolina A&T’s commitment to creating innovative solutions that address the challenges and economic needs of our world calls for creating pathways to baccalaureate and graduate degrees for traditional and post-traditional learners,” said Chancellor Harold L. Martin Sr. “Our partnership with Wake Tech is critically important to achieving our mission as we work to enhance the human condition and facilitate economic prosperity for North Carolinians.”
This new connection between Wake Tech – the state’s largest community college – and A&T – the nation’s largest HBCU – establishes a pool of resources and opportunities along the North Carolina Innovation Corridor that ultimately benefit students and the state’s economy, reaffirming North Carolina’s rating by CNBC and Business Facilities magazine as the best state in which to do business.
Through recent collaboration between the two institutions on cybersecurity, computer programming and network management articulations, A&T has emerged as one of the leading transfer destinations for Wake Tech IT graduates. More than 5,200 students are enrolled in Wake Tech IT degree programs.
In addition to further development and refinement of existing articulation agreements, the two institutions are committing to the development of new articulation agreements in in information technology, computer engineering, and biotech and biological engineering.
They also will develop and expand co-admission programs to support Wake Tech students enrolled in articulated programs such as information technology, biotechnology, associate degrees in engineering, science and science teacher preparation, and other STEM programs.
Additionally, Wake Tech and A&T will develop jointly offered Level I/Level II apprenticeship programs in software development/software engineering, biotechnology-biopharma/biological engineering and other potential apprenticeship pathways such as cybersecurity and analytics; establish partnership and fundraising protocols for engaging Wake County technology employers and sharing the collective workforce development benefits of the Wake Tech/N.C. A&T Technology Education Partnership; and collaborate in planning for potential shared Cybersecurity and BioAgCenters in a new technology facility on the RTP Campus.
Wake Tech and A&T are among the 37 members of the Task Force on Higher Education and Opportunity that includes colleges and universities, McKinsey & Company and the Strada Education Network. The task force was launched in 2020 to address the challenges of the pandemic, support inclusive economic recovery, and reimagine the future of higher education in a changing world of work.
A&T is Wake Tech’s second co-location partnership. East Carolina University offers its Bachelor of Science in industrial technology at the Southern Wake Campus. ECU will eventually co-locate at Wake Tech’s Eastern Wake 4.0 site when it opens in 2024.
The Festive Story Behind National Lampoons Christmas Vacation Looper
The Festive Story Behind National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation – Looper https://dentoncountynewsonline.com/the-festive-story-behind-national-lampoons-christmas-vacation-looper/
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Warner Bros.
Out of the thousands of Christmas movies produced, only a handful have become so beloved that an annual viewing becomes part of the winter holiday traditions people celebrate every year. Of those few movies, “National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation” is probably the funniest and the most realistic depiction of the modern Christmas holiday season. Chevy Chase reprises his role as ultra-dad Clark Griswold from two travel-centric “Vacation” films. This time, he’s dead-set on and obsessed with the idea of staging the perfect family Christmas for his wife, Ellen, kids Audrey and Rusty, and their various, perpetually unimpressed in-laws and cousins. “Christmas Vacation” pokes holes in the fantasy of that special time of cheer, where it’s not always so full of cheer as it is stress, turmoil, tension, and destruction. “Christmas Vacation” is so funny and so popular because it’s just so relatable.
“National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation” is a modern movie classic and an iconic screen comedy, but making the film was as long and difficult of a journey as the Christmas season is for Clark Griswold. So put on that Santa hat, string up 25,000 twinkle lights, grab a moose-shaped cup of eggnog, and unwrap the festive story behind “Christmas Vacation.”
Why Christmas Vacation is a National Lampoon movie
Warner Bros.
“National Lampoon’s Vacation” was such a massive hit upon its release in 1983 — it out-earned “Superman III” — that Warner Bros. quickly and logically ordered a sequel, and “National Lampoon’s European Vacation” arrived in 1985. That was a strictly made-for-the-movies story, as opposed to the original “Vacation” and 1989’s “National Lampoon’ Christmas Vacation,” which were both based on short, fictional, very lightly autobiographical, comedic stories authored by screenwriter John Hughes and published in the titular National Lampoon humor magazine many years prior.
A story titled “Vacation ’58,” concerning a hilariously nightmarish road trip, ran in the publication in 1979, according to The Hollywood Reporter. A year later, per BrainstemBob, the Lampoon printed a holiday-themed sequel, “Christmas ’59.” It was the magazine’s publisher, Matty Simmons, who convinced Warner Bros. to not only make a third “Vacation,” but a Christmas-themed one based on Hughes’ sequel story, according to Rolling Stone.
It took a while for Christmas Vacation to find a director
Et Canada/Getty Images
John Hughes was the producer, screenwriter, and author of the source material for “National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation,” but he wasn’t interested in directing as he’d done with many of his other ’80s-era scripts. In 1988, he sent the screenplay and an offer to direct to filmmaker Chris Columbus, with whom he shared an agent, according to “John Hughes: A Life in FIlm.” Columbus was thrilled to take the job since he thought the script was funny, and he enjoyed Christmas movies. But after a couple of pre-production meetings with star Chevy Chase, Columbus realized that their personalities clashed. “It was fraught with pain and tension with Chevy Chase, but I needed the job desperately,” Columbus told Insider. “So it took everything in my power to convince myself to resign from ‘Christmas Vacation’ because I couldn’t make the movie with Chevy Chase.” Two weeks later, Hughes offered Columbus a directing gig on another Christmas movie, which he accepted: “Home Alone.”
As for “Christmas Vacation,” the director job eventually went to Jeremiah Chechik, marking his first feature film after working in commercials and music videos. According to The Flashback Files, Chechik landed the deal at Warner Bros. following a recommendation from legendary filmmaker, Stanley Kubrick, who said he liked Chechik’s beer commercials.
Christmas Vacation, not starring Leonardo DiCaprio or Christie Brinkley
Getty Images/Getty, Warner Bros.
Each of the four initial “National Lampoon’s Vacation” movies were filmed so far apart that filmmakers had to cast different teenage actors virtually every time they needed a Rusty and Audrey Griswold. Johnny Galecki inherited the role from Jason Lively and Anthony Michael Hall, but he wasn’t necessarily the filmmakers’ first choice for the role of the Griswolds’ younger child. A just-starting-out Leonardo DiCaprio auditioned to play Rusty. “I remember very vividly feeling that this kid was really special,” casting director Heidi Levitt told the American Film Institute. “He just immediately captivated you, but he wasn’t, like, goofy enough. He was very thoughtful.”
Another big casting could’ve been Christie Brinkley. The iconic 1980s supermodel made her film debut in the original “National Lampoon’s Vacation” in 1983 as “The Girl in the Ferrari.” She plays Clark Griswold’s dream woman that he keeps crossing paths with on the road trip. She passed on a role offered in “Christmas Vacation” upon the advice of her father. “He said, ‘Gee, I would hate to see you get typecast in that kind of ingenue role. You have so much more depth. I don’t think you should do it,'” Brinkley told Us Weekly of her decision, which she came to regret. “Of course, I should’ve because it’s so much fun to hang around with comedians.”
Not much of National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation was improvised
Warner Bros.
According to “National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation” director Jeremiah Chechik, John Hughes’ screenplay didn’t require a lot of on-set embellishment. “Very little” of the movie was improvised, he told The Flashback Files, adding that cue cards were strategically placed to help Chase nail his ranting monologue of insults directed toward his boss. Beverly D’Angelo (Ellen Griswold) told The Dinner Party Download that the scene was set up so that Chase could riff on the scripted material. “It was blocked in a way that would allow each of us to have around our necks a piece of rope that was attached to a big cue card,” D’Angelo said. “So we didn’t have the lines in order exactly.” Later in that same scene, when police break into the Griswold home in search of Clark’s kidnapped boss, everybody freezes and Ellen places her hand on her husband’s crotch. “I did that spur of the moment and told Chevy, just to see if anyone on set noticed,” D’Angelo told Rolling Stone. “No one mentioned it.”
Some of the other brief, notably funny bits in “Christmas Vacation” were conceived by the actors. Diane Ladd, as Clark’s mother, did her “knock knock, who’s there” bit at her audition and it was added to the movie. And Randy Quaid, who plays Cousin Eddie, improvised the part when he carelessly drops a giant bag of dog food onto a box of light bulbs while in Walmart with Clark.
Chevy Chase was injured while filming a pivotal scene
Warner Bros.
In one of the most famous scenes in “National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation,” Clark Griswold (Chevy Chase) thinks he’s finally got his home’s power grid-draining Christmas lights and decorations up and running, only for a snafu over plugs and switches to make him think he’s failed. This sends him into a comically vicious tailspin, kicking over and punching various plastic lawn decorations.
The retaliation on the Christmas lights fiasco wasn’t planned. In the midst of the chaos, Chase kicked and smacked his hand on the decorations. “That wasn’t in the script, but I was so angry I did it,” Chase told the Asbury Park Press. He connected with such force that he broke his pinky finger. “I thought it might melt or something, but no, it was a good, hard plastic.” According to Whosay, the take used in the final cut of the film, in which Clark punches a Santa Claus ornament, is the one on which he broke his finger. And then he kept on filming the scene, never breaking character. “I had to keep kicking. Because it hurt so much,” he said.
The squirrel sequence was tough to film
Warner Bros.
In a movie full of wild and zany sequences, the wildest and zaniest part in “National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation” might be when a squirrel shows up in the Griswolds’ outdoor-cut Christmas tree and runs all over the place, terrifying humans, agitating Cousin Eddie’s giant dog, and leading to lots of messes and property damage. Filming that scene was almost as chaotic as the scene itself. As “Christmas Vacation” was produced in the late 1980s, CGI technology wasn’t yet readily available, so filmmakers had to film the scene John Hughes wrote with a real, albeit trained, squirrel.
According to The Ultimate Rabbit, director Jeremiah Chechik and his crew intensely planned out and storyboarded the squirrel scene several days in advance. Meanwhile, the movie’s animal trainer worked with the squirrel to teach the animal its cues. But on the day the scene was supposed to shoot, Chechik learned that the squirrel had died overnight. On a tight schedule, they still had to film the scene that day and brought in a brand-new, totally unprepared squirrel performer who was lured into hitting its marks with treats. Chechik improvised the blocking and filming to make the scene happen.
Filmmakers had to work hard to keep the electrocution scene
Warner Bros.
John Hughes wrote the screenplay for “National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation” and served as a producer. He also used his significant clout in Hollywood, and within the Warner Bros. studio, to preserve material that he wrote and director Jeremiah Chechik shot that executives were insistent on deleting from the final cut of the movie.
The most shocking scene in “Christmas Vacation,” literally, is when the pet cat that senile Aunt Bethany brings as a gift to the Griswold home chews on a tree light wire and violently, graphically, electrocutes itself to death. “The studio was really against electrifying the cat,...
Exxon Mobil In Talks To Buy Oil & Gas Producer Denbury -Bloomberg News Reuters
Exxon Mobil In Talks To Buy Oil & Gas Producer Denbury -Bloomberg News – Reuters https://dentoncountynewsonline.com/exxon-mobil-in-talks-to-buy-oil-gas-producer-denbury-bloomberg-news-reuters/
Oct 10 (Reuters) – Exxon Mobil Corp (XOM.N) is considering a takeover of oil and gas producer Denbury Inc (DEN.N) and the talks are at a preliminary stage, Bloomberg News reported on Monday, citing people familiar with the matter.
Shares of Plano, Texas-based energy company Denbury jumped as much as 12% earlier on Monday, before paring some gains to close up about 7%, giving it a market value of about $5 billion.
Denbury is expected to be fetch a significant premium if it proceeds with the sale, making it a potentially sizable transaction.
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Denbury has been exploring options and is working with an advisor on a potential sale, sources familiar with the matter have previously told Reuters. Other potential buyers could include oil majors such as Chevron Corp (CVX.N), the sources said.
The company specializes in using carbon dioxide to extract oil from old wells and thus is seen as an attractive asset for oil majors and other large-cap energy companies that are starting to make bigger bets on the environmental, social and corporate governance (ESG) strategy.
Denbury emerged from bankruptcy in 2020 and its stock has performed strongly since then, thus providing an exit opportunity for its creditors who became shareholders in the company.
Denbury’s pipelines and storage potential on the Gulf Coast are also seen as attractive features for potential buyers.
Exxon declined to comment and Denbury did not immediately respond to Reuters’ request for comment.
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Reporting by Arunima Kumar in Bengaluru and David French in New York; Editing by Shinjini Ganguli and Chris Reese
Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.
Laredo Health Department To Receive $125K To Monitor Health Factors Laredo Morning Times
Laredo Health Department To Receive $125K To Monitor Health Factors – Laredo Morning Times https://dentoncountynewsonline.com/laredo-health-department-to-receive-125k-to-monitor-health-factors-laredo-morning-times/
Rep. Henry Cuellar will hold a press conference Tuesday to officially announce $125,000 in federal funding for the Laredo Health Department in its focus on social determinants of health in the community.
A media advisory states that the health department will use the funds to develop a plan for the city to address social determinants of health. This will include a focus on disease prevention, education, disease management and social connectedness.
Laredo has been deemed medically underserved for decades and with the pandemic highlighting the issues, some steps have been taken to address the situation. Earlier this year, the city hired a consulting service to help find solutions to the health care needs of the community.
Some issues including the difficulty of retaining health staff and the high number of uninsured residents in the community. The funding to the health department using federal fund may help develop a stronger response by the city in the immediate and distant future.
The release added that the goal is for the Laredo Health Department to reinforce existing cross-sector partnerships to improve mental and physical health outcomes for individuals in Webb County and Laredo, Texas.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, mental and physical health are equally important components of overall health. They state that mental illnesses are among the most common health conditions in the United States with over 50% of U.S. residents expected to be diagnosed with a mental illness or disorder at one point in their lifetime.
Furthermore, 1 in 25 U.S. residents live with a serious mental illness such as schizophrenia, bipolar disorder or major depression. An example given is the effect of stress on both the mind and the body that may increase health risks.
“For example, depression increases the risk for many types of physical health problems, particularly long-lasting conditions like diabetes, heart disease and stroke. Similarly, the presence of chronic conditions can increase the risk for mental illness,” the CDC states.
To help residents, the city health department has its Good Life-Buena Vida Program, that focuses on early detection of chronic disease such as diabetes, hypertension, high cholesterol and other chronic diseases to help prevent future complications and live a healthier life.
This is compounded by the department’s Healthy Living-Viviendo Mejor Program that helps resident learn more about diseases and self-management. The program provides free access to certified evidence-based curriculum developed by the University of Illinois at Chicago known as the Diabetes Empowerment Education Program.
Topics discussed include:
Understanding the Human Body.
Understanding Diabetes and its Risk Factors.
Monitoring your Body.
Health Management through Meal Planning.
Diabetes and Physical Activity.
Diabetes Complications, Identification and Prevention.
Learning about Medications and Medical Care.
Living with Diabetes by Mobilizing Family and Friends.
At the county, in 2021, a Webb County clinic was opened for employees and their dependents that would be an affordable option to circumvent costly visits to hospitals and clinics for minor issues. Beyond that, county employees had a dedicated and accessible COVID testing site, physicals, flu shots, a diabetes check and more for free. The services have no out-of-pocket expense for any employee or their families.
2560-Pound Pumpkin Wins California Contest; Sets Record | News Sports Jobs Warren Tribune Chronicle
2,560-Pound Pumpkin Wins California Contest; Sets Record | News, Sports, Jobs – Warren Tribune Chronicle https://dentoncountynewsonline.com/2560-pound-pumpkin-wins-california-contest-sets-record-news-sports-jobs-warren-tribune-chronicle/
Travis Gienger, right, from Anoka, Minn., watches as his winning pumpkin is lifted and weighed at the 49th World Championship Pumpkin Weigh-Off in Half Moon Bay, Calif., today. (AP Photo/Haven Daley)
HALF MOON BAY, Calif. (AP) — A horticulture teacher from Minnesota set a new U.S. record today for the heaviest pumpkin after raising a giant gourd weighing 2,560 pounds.
Travis Gienger, of Anoka, Minnesota set the new record and won an annual pumpkin-weighing contest in Northern California.
Gienger drove the gargantuan gourd for 35 hours to see his hard work pay off at the 49th World Championship Pumpkin Weigh-Off in Half Moon Bay, south of San Francisco.
Gienger, who also won the same contest in Northern California in 2020, broke a record set last week in New York where a grower raised a massive pumpkin weighing 2,554 pounds.
A grower in Italy holds the world record for the heaviest pumpkin. He grew a 2,702-pound squash in 2021, according to Guinness World Records.
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Is Metaverse Dualchain Network Architecture (DNA) Trending Lower Or Higher Monday? InvestorsObserver
Is Metaverse Dualchain Network Architecture (DNA) Trending Lower Or Higher Monday? – InvestorsObserver https://dentoncountynewsonline.com/is-metaverse-dualchain-network-architecture-dna-trending-lower-or-higher-monday-investorsobserver/
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Monday, October 10, 2022 05:35 PM | InvestorsObserver Analysts
Metaverse Dualchain Network Architecture receives an average long-term technical score of 57 from InvestorsObserver analysis. Our proprietary scoring system considers the trading patterns over the past several months to a year by analyzing the coin’s consistency, volatility, and where it is relative to long-term averages to determine whether it’s a strong buy-and-hold investment opportunity. Currently, DNA holds a superior long-term technical analysis score than 57% of crytpocurrencies. Long-term investors employing a buy-and-hold strategy will find the Long-Term Rank especially relevant when allocating their assets and may find additional value finding cyptos with a high short-term technical score to discover coins that have bottomed out.
InvestorsObserver is giving Metaverse Dualchain Network Architecture a 57 Long-Term Technical Rank. Find out what this means to you and get the rest of the rankings on Metaverse Dualchain Network Architecture!
Trading Analysis
DNA is currently -$0.0020978 (-97.51%) below its 100-day moving average price of $0.002151441 with its current price of $0.000053601. Meanwhile, Metaverse Dualchain Network Architecture is $0.0000194 (-32140441.46%) above its 52-week low price of $0.000034225 and -$0.01068209 (-93146.76%) below its 52-week high of $0.010735689. The current price relative to its moving average and 52-week high and low leads to an average long-term technical score of 57. Trends for the long-term trading history of Metaverse Dualchain Network Architecture suggest that traders are currently neutral on the coin. Metaverse Dualchain Network Architecture has a total market value of $1,079,726.99 with an low average daily volume of $326,247.65 worth of the currency exchanged over a typical 24 hour period. As of the past 24 hours, DNA’s volume is below its average with $48,696.98 exchanged in total.
Summary
Technical analysis of Metaverse Dualchain Network Architecture over the past year results in the crypto receiving a an average long-term technical score of 57 as its price movement in that time has given traders reason to be neutral on the coin in the long-term. Click Here to get the full Report on Metaverse Dualchain Network Architecture (DNA).
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Column: Digging Up The Most Boring Time Capsule In History Long Beach Post News Long Beach Post
Column: Digging Up The Most Boring Time Capsule In History • Long Beach Post News – Long Beach Post https://dentoncountynewsonline.com/column-digging-up-the-most-boring-time-capsule-in-history-long-beach-post-news-long-beach-post/
Chief Engineer Patrick Brown uses a sledgehammer to break up the concrete which a 1972 time capsule was placed in Long Beach Monday, October 10, 2022. Photo by Thomas R. Cordova.
The year 1972, like most years, wasn’t without interest. I know. I was there when it happened as a senior in high school.
You had “The Godfather” premiere, you had Nixon trouncing McGovern, you had the arcade release of the Pong video game, you had Apollo 17, the last manned mission to the moon, you had the Munich Massacre at the Olympics and The Troubles in Northern Ireland. Not to mention all the outdated gadgets that are now long gone, many of which have been made obsolete by today’s iPhone, as opposed to a 50-year-old rotary phone that couldn’t even help you navigate traffic.
The small crowd that attended a Monday afternoon opening of a time capsule buried at 100 Oceangate in Downtown in 1972 was largely filled with people who were alive 50 years ago when the capsule was buried in honor of the dedication of the Oceangate Tower and Plaza by the now-defunct Redevelopment Agency (RDA, as old-timers wistfully recall it).
As time capsules go, this one was horribly disappointing unless you’re a collector—an inordinately avid collector— of real estate and Port of Long Beach ephemera, because most of the items in the box (almost-dug-up in advance before workers struggled with the rest of the digging up on Monday) were scraps of paper relating to the first of the buildings to be erected at the Oceangate complex and its plaza, along with a smattering of photos and pamphlets that probably weren’t very interesting a half century ago and they haven’t grown more compelling while sitting in a box for 50 years.
The box featured a lot of things I have in my garage, souvenirs and miscellaneous trinkets. If I was better organized I might have thrown them out by now because they don’t exactly spark joy in me.
Instead of interesting items that may have been puzzling and amusing to people under the age of, say, 30, the mystery box contained an awful lot of Port of Long Beach documents along with a press kit from Oceangate developer Boise-Cascade, the RDA plan for the area, initially called West Beach Development, a handful of grant deeds, a lot of photo books and souvenir programs from the Historical Society of Long Beach and long-gone beauty contests and a tie from the Port of Long Beach to be given to the current executive director, Mario Cordero, who just happened to be in the audience along with City Manager Tom Modica, 9th District Councilman Rex Richardson and emcee Amy Bodek, former director of Development Services as well as former director of the Redevelopment Agency.
To say that the tie was the most interesting thing in the box does not mean it was an interesting tie.
There was a lot of speechifying in advance of the box-opening, which was almost as exciting as the main event. The highlight for me was a brief conversation with Brett Bixby, whose forebears once owned most of the land in Long Beach. He attended and assisted with the burial of the box in 1972 when he was 4, along with his little brother Grant (also in attendance) who was 1 and his older brother, the late Mark Bixby, who was 6.
He said he didn’t remember much about that day but that it seemed pretty cool. It’s funny how you sometimes remember things as having been cooler than they actually were.
Former Development Director Amy Bodek holds a redevelopment bond pulled from a 1972 time capsule in Long Beach Monday, Oct. 10, 2022. Photo by Thomas R. Cordova.
Julie Bartolotto, executive director of Historical Society of Long Beach, left, and Amy Bodek hold up a Port of Long Beach flag, one of many items pulled from a 1972 time capsule in Long Beach Monday, Oct. 10, 2022. Photo by Thomas R. Cordova.
Julie Bartolotto, executive director of the Historical Society of Long Beach, holds a 1956 Miss Universe Pageant brochure, one of many items pulled from a 1972 time capsule in Long Beach Monday, Oct. 10, 2022. Photo by Thomas R. Cordova.
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Crypto Receives Some Bad News From Friendly Portugal TheStreet
Crypto Receives Some Bad News From Friendly Portugal – TheStreet https://dentoncountynewsonline.com/crypto-receives-some-bad-news-from-friendly-portugal-thestreet/
The crypto industry is looking for good news much like the rest of the asset classes in these times of concern about the health of the economy.
For a long time, cryptocurrency evangelists have claimed that bitcoin (BTC), the largest digital currency, can be used to hedge against inflation, since you know exactly what the supply is.
But the current economic downturn has just erased that argument.
Indeed, soaring prices for goods and services have never been so high in 40 years but BTC fails to take advantage of it. Since January, BTC has lost 72.1% of its value compared to its all-time high of $69,044.77 set on Nov. 10, according to data firm CoinGecko.
BTC is currently trading around $19,250.
The Talents Are Leaving
Overall the crypto market has lost over $2 trillion since its November highs.
Cryptocurrencies, which are the public face of the crypto industry that wants to disrupt the traditional financial services sector, are now increasingly considered risky assets in the same way as the shares of technology groups. Basically, when there are doubts about economic growth, investors liquidate those assets that are bets on the future.
The craze around non-fungible tokens (NFTs), another side of the crypto industry, has also died down. The metaverse, the third element of the crypto trifecta, still fails to convince skeptics.
This new situation has completely upset the sector in recent months. The liquidity crisis which has also affected crypto lenders, hedge funds and exchanges has also revealed that transparency is still far from a principle in crypto.
All these problems weigh heavily on the sector which has recently recorded serial bankruptcies – Celsius Network, Voyager Digital, Three Arrows Capital -.
Many firms have also laid off hundreds of employees and frozen hiring. Since then, we have also witnessed a change of guard with the departure of founders of firms such as Michael Saylor, who is no longer CEO of MicroStrategy (MSTR) , or Jesse Powell who just handed over the reins at crypto exchange Kraken.
The hemorrhage of talents continues.
Brian Roberts, CFO of OpenSea, the Amazon of NFTs, has just announced that he has stepped down.
“Well it is time for me to come ashore from the ‘open seas’,” Roberts wrote in a post on LinkedIn on Oct. 7. “I remain incredibly bullish on web3 and especially OpenSea. The company is heads down building and I assure you, the best is yet to come.”
Big Slap from Portugal
Roberts, a former CFO of Lyft (LYFT) , didn’t even last a year in his job. He had been appointed in December 2021. He does not give the reasons for this departure.
In addition to talent departures, the industry is also in the crosshairs of regulators around the world.
The latest news is particularly bad.
Portugal, often seen as crypto-friendly, plans to start taxing gains from digital currencies purchased for less than a year.
Basically, the country will tax the earnings made by anyone holding digital currencies for less than a year. The tax rate is 28% according to a proposal that is part of the 2023 budget. It was unveiled on Oct. 10.
Crypto assets held for more than a year will remain tax-free.
Until now, the Portuguese government did not tax crypto gains unless they were made by professionals and companies.
You can read the draft of this proposal here. It’s in Portuguese.
The government also wants to create a 10% tax on crypto transfers and a 4% tax on commissions charged by brokers.
The proposals have yet to be approved, but it is a huge change that should thwart many industry players who were considering moving to the country for its pro-crypto politics. Indeed, in recent years, the country has welcomed crypto firms eager to take advantage of an absence of regulation.
In addition, the country, which wants to attract investors, offers a special program, known as the non-habitual resident (NHR) tax regime. The NHR provides a flat 20% tax on foreign residents’ income and full tax exemptions after 10 years of residence.
Cyber Attack Knocks Some U.S. Airport Websites Offline The Washington Post
Cyber Attack Knocks Some U.S. Airport Websites Offline – The Washington Post https://dentoncountynewsonline.com/cyber-attack-knocks-some-u-s-airport-websites-offline-the-washington-post/
Websites for a handful of U.S. airports, including those in Atlanta, Chicago, New York and Los Angeles, were taken offline during a cyberattack Monday, although officials said there was no effect on flight operations.
Managers at multiple airports said they notified the FBI and the Transportation Security Administration about the cyberattacks. In a statement, the FBI said it was aware of the incident but had no additional information. The TSA declined to comment, referring inquiries to individual airports.
The attacks were carried out by a group of pro-Russian hackers known as Killnet, according to John Hultquist, vice president for intelligence at Mandiant, an American cybersecurity firm. Killnet called for coordinated denial-of-service attacks on cyber targets from a list it posted on its Telegram channel — a list that included several major U.S. airports. Denial-of-service attacks occur when a target is flooded with traffic until it can’t respond or crashes.
Though highly visible, Hultquist characterized such attacks more as a “public nuisance” than serious security threats because they don’t target major internal systems that could affect an airport’s operations. Still, when they do take place, he said, they are effective in drawing public attention.
Officials at the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, which is charged with understanding, managing and reducing risks to the nation’s cyber and physical infrastructure, did not respond to request for comment Monday.
The Port Authority of New York/New Jersey said LaGuardia Airport’s website experienced a denial of service incident about 3 a.m. Monday that resulted in intermittent delays for those who tried to access the site.
“The Port Authority’s cybersecurity defense system did its job by detecting the incident quickly, addressing the problem in 15 minutes, and enabling us to alert others by notifying federal authorities immediately,” the agency said in a statement, adding that there was no effect to any Port Authority facilities.
At Denver International Airport, the attack began around 11 a.m., officials said.
Los Angeles International Airport managers said in a statement the airport’s website was partially disrupted, limited to portions of the public-facing site. They said the airport’s information technology team restored all services and is investigating the cause.
“No internal airport systems were compromised and there were no operational disruptions,” the statement said.
Flower Mound Closing Playground For Upgrades The Cross Timbers Gazette
Flower Mound Closing Playground For Upgrades – The Cross Timbers Gazette https://dentoncountynewsonline.com/flower-mound-closing-playground-for-upgrades-the-cross-timbers-gazette/
The town of Flower Mound over the weekend announced that it is closing the Peacock Park playground for weeks to install several upgrades.
Beginning Monday, crews will begin working on a new peacock-themed play structure for kids ages 5-12, according to a town news release. The new playground will include three twisting slides, multiple climbing structures, a new swing set and an educational panel depicting the life cycle of a peacock.
The closure is expected to last about three weeks, according to the town. Peacock Park is located at 3000 Old Settlers Lane.
Mark Smith
Mark Smith is the Digital Editor of The Cross Timbers Gazette.
ITravelInsured Travel Insurance Review: Pros Cons Rates And FAQ Business Insider
ITravelInsured Travel Insurance Review: Pros, Cons, Rates And FAQ – Business Insider https://dentoncountynewsonline.com/itravelinsured-travel-insurance-review-pros-cons-rates-and-faq-business-insider/
Insider’s experts choose the best products and services to help make smart decisions with your money (here’s how). In some cases, we receive a commission from our our partners, however, our opinions are our own. Terms apply to offers listed on this page.
Planning a vacation can be an exciting endeavor. Regardless of where and why you’re traveling, it’s vital to ensure that you’re protected if something goes wrong. And this is why travel insurance is important.
In this review of iTravelInsured travel insurance, a well-known name in the industry, we’ll share the company’s insurance offerings, look at premium costs, and let you know how to file a claim. We’ll also share a couple of comparisons between iTravelInsured and other reputable insurance companies.
On iTravelInsured’s website
On iTravelInsured’s website
Pros & Cons
Chevron icon
It indicates an expandable section or menu, or sometimes previous / next navigation options.
Check mark icon
A check mark. It indicates a confirmation of your intended interaction.
Six different plans to choose from
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A check mark. It indicates a confirmation of your intended interaction.
Cancel for Any Reason and Interruption for Any Reason coverage available
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A check mark. It indicates a confirmation of your intended interaction.
Specialized plans for missionaries, seniors, and students in a cultural exchange or study abroad program
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A dash. It often indicates an interaction to shrink a section.
Higher-end plans are on the expensive side
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A dash. It often indicates an interaction to shrink a section.
Travel Essential plan has lower coverage compared to comparable plans through some competitors
Highlights
Chevron icon
It indicates an expandable section or menu, or sometimes previous / next navigation options.
Six travel insurance plans to choose from
Travel LX plan is the most popular option, and includes up to $2,500 in trip delay coverage and the option to add CFAR insurance
Emergency medical coverage of up to $500,000 (primary or secondary depending on the plan)
Coverage for baggage delays, loss, missed connections, and more
Travel insurance plans from iTravelInsured
iTravelInsured offers six primary plans: Travel Lite, Travel SE, Travel LX, Travel LX Basic, Travel Sport, and Travel Essential. Each plan has different coverage limits and various types of protection.
Here’s a look at what you’ll get with each plan:
Determining which of these plans will best suit your needs will depend on your budget and which coverages matter most to you.
For example, the Travel LX plan offers the highest coverage limits but will also cost the most. In comparison, the Travel Lite plan is designed for budget-conscious travelers. Its coverage limits are lower than the other plans, but you’ll also pay less for your policy.
In addition to these six primary plans, iTravelInsured offers the following plans designed specifically for a specific type of traveler or group:
Multi-trip travel medical insurance plans
Travel medical insurance for missionaries and seniors
Medical insurance for students in a cultural exchange or study abroad program
International health insurance plans
Additional coverage options from iTravelInsured
iTravelInsured only offers two optional add-ons to its top-tier Travel LX plan. These include CFAR (cancel for any reason) and IFAR (interruption for any reason) coverage. And these add-ons must be purchased within 20 days of the initial trip deposit.
How much does travel insurance from iTravelInsured cost?
To get a quote from iTravelInsured, you can either go directly to its website or use an insurance aggregator like Squaremouth to compare your options more easily.
You’ll be asked to provide personal information, like your age and state of residence, along with trip-specific information, like trip costs, travel dates, and destination.
After entering your details, you’ll get an instant quote for the insurance plans available for your trip.
We ran some simulations to provide real-life examples of the costs associated with a travel insurance policy from iTravelInsured.
For the first example, we looked at premiums for a 45-year-old female living in Alaska, taking a two-week trip to Belize and spending $4,000 on the trip. The price ranges from around $90 to $417, depending on the level of coverage chosen.
Those prices represent between 2.25% and 10% of the total trip cost, which is a wide range. However, they’re still somewhat in line with industry averages of travel insurance rates: 4% to 8% of total trip costs.
For the next example, we looked at the the costs for the six different iTravelInsurance plans for a 30-year-old California resident traveling by plane to Iceland for two weeks. The trip cost is set at $6,000. The plan rates range from $136.35 to $529.94.
In the last example, we looked for coverage for a 55-year-old resident of Delaware traveling by plane to the United Kingdom for two weeks with a trip cost of $8,000.
In this example, the price for coverage ranges from about $203 to $1,041, with the Travel Essential plan being the least expensive and the Travel LX plan being the most costly. That makes sense, though, because you’ll get far more coverage with the LX plan than the Essential one. Though these prices are a bit outside of industry averages when looking at the lowest tier and top-tier plans, which range from 2.5% to 13% of total trip costs.
From these examples, you can see that the cost of coverage increases as the age of the traveler increases. Though that’s completely normal regardless of which insurance provider you’re dealing with.
How do I file a claim with iTravelInsured?
Claims with iTravelInsured will be handled through its claims center. You can contact customer service or the claims center 24 hours a day at 866-347-6673 or 1-866-243-7524, respectively.
Claims forms and information can be mailed to:
IMG iTravelInsured Claims
PO Box 3231
Farmington Hills, Michigan 48333-3231
You can also email claims to itravelclaims@imglobal.com.
Compare iTravelInsured vs AIG Travel Guard
We’ll look at a couple of different plans from both iTravelInsured and AIG Travel Guard to compare and contrast the coverage between the two companies.
We’ll start with iTravelInsured’s Travel Essential and AIG’s Essential plans.
AIG’s Essential plan covers trip cancellations with up to $100,0000 in coverage, up to $150,000 in emergency medical evacuation expenses, and up to $100 per day ($500 total) for delays of 12 or more hours, and coverage for lost or delayed baggage.
In comparison, iTravelInsured’s Travel Essential offers trip cancellation coverage of 100% of the trip cost, $0 of emergency medical evacuation coverage, up to $2,000 (with a $250 daily limit) for trip delays of 12+ hours, and no lost or delayed baggage coverage.
So in this instance, it’s pretty easy to decipher the main differences between these plans. And to see that you’ll get much better coverage with AIG’s Essential plan.
Now we’ll look at both of the highest-tier plans from each provider.
AIG’s Deluxe plan, the highest-tier option, provides trip cancellation coverage of up to $150,000, emergency medical evacuation coverage of up to $1,000,000, up to $200 per day ($1,000 maximum) reimbursement for travel delays of 12+ hours, and coverage for delayed or lost baggage.
iTravelInsured’s Travel LX plan provides trip cancellation coverage of 100% of the trip cost, up to $1,000,000 in emergency medical evacuation, up to $2,500 with a $250 daily limit )reimbursement for travel delays of 6+ hours, and relatively high limits on coverage for delayed or lost baggage.
In this instance, the Travel LX policy provides superior coverage. But it’s important to always get quotes for your particular situation to find the policy that best fits your needs and budget.
Read more: AIG Travel guard insurance review
Compare iTravelInsured vs Allianz travel insurance
Both iTravelInsured and Allianz offer various plans with varying levels of coverage designed for different types of travelers. These include single-trip plans and policies covering those who take multiple trips per year.
Allianz’s most popular single-trip option is the OneTrip Prime plan, which offers trip cancellation coverage up to $100,000, trip interruption coverage up to $150,000, emergency medical coverage for $50,000, coverage for baggage loss, theft, or damage up to $1,000, and up to $800 in travel delay coverage.
iTravelInsured’s most popular plan is the Travel SE plan, which provides trip cancellation coverage of 100% of trip costs, trip interruption coverage of 150% of trip costs, emergency medical coverage for $250,000 (primary coverage), coverage for baggage loss, theft, or damage up to $1,500 ($250 per item), and up to $2,000 ($125 daily limit) in travel delay coverage for delays of 12+ hours. Overall, it offers more coverage than Allianz in this example.
Again, it’s best to compare quotes using your personal and trip details to determine which policy is the best for you. Various factors will determine the final cost of any of these policies.
Read more: Allianz travel insurance review
Compare iTravelInsured vs credit card travel insurance
If you have a travel rewards credit card, check its insurance coverages before purchasing a travel insurance plan from iTravelInsured or another company. That way, you won’t be paying twice for coverage you might already have! Some basic insurance coverages, like primary rental car insurance, are offered through many travel rewards credit cards.
It’s worth considering whether the coverage offered through your credit cards is primary or secondary. Secondary coverage will only kick in after any other relevant tra...
Some Airport Websites Go Offline; Cause Being Investigated 69News WFMZ-TV
Some Airport Websites Go Offline; Cause Being Investigated – 69News WFMZ-TV https://dentoncountynewsonline.com/some-airport-websites-go-offline-cause-being-investigated-69news-wfmz-tv/
An apparently coordinated denial-of-service attack organized by pro-Russia hackers rendered the websites of some major U.S. airports unreachable early Monday, though officials said flights were not affected.
The attacks — in which participants flood targets with junk data — were orchestrated by a shadowy group that calls itself Killnet. On the eve of the attacks the group published a target list on its Telegram channel.
While highly visible and aimed at maximum psychological impact, DDoS attacks are mostly a noisy nuisance, different from hacking that involves breaking into networks and can do serious damage.
“We noticed this morning that the external website was down, and our IT and security people are in the process of investigating,” said Andrew Gobeil, a spokesman for Atlanta’s Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport. “There has been no impact on operations.”
Portions of the public-facing side of the Los Angeles International Airport website were also disrupted, spokeswoman Victoria Spilabotte said. “No internal airport systems were compromised and there were no operational disruptions.”
Spilabotte said the airport notified the FBI and the Transportation Security Administration, and the airport’s information-technology team was working to restore all services and investigate the cause.
Several other airports that were included on Killnet’s target list reported problems with their websites.
The Chicago Department of Aviation said in a statement that websites for O’Hare International and Midway airports went offline early Monday but that no airport operations were affected.
Last week, the same group of hackers claimed responsibility for denial-of-service attacks on state government websites in several states.
John Hultquist, vice president for threat intelligence at the cybersecurity firm Mandiant, tweeted that denial-of-service attacks like those aimed at the airports and state governments are usually short in duration and “typically superficial.”
“These are not the serious impacts that have kept us awake,” he said.
Such attacks instead tend to reveal insufficient attention by webmasters to adequate bulletproofing of sites, which now includes DDoS protection service.
Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
Why Im Ready To Work In VR And Embrace The Office Of The Metaverse Digital Trends
Why I’m Ready To Work In VR And Embrace The Office Of The Metaverse – Digital Trends https://dentoncountynewsonline.com/why-im-ready-to-work-in-vr-and-embrace-the-office-of-the-metaverse-digital-trends/
In the days leading up to the launch of the Quest Pro, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg has called the new headset a “great working device” — possibly even a laptop replacement. Gaming in VR is one thing — but socializing, living, and working there? It seems as if the broad consensus on the internet is: “no thanks.”
But not me. I’m ready and excited to move my working life into virtual reality, and from what we know so far, the Quest Pro just may be the device that fixes many of the current problems with trying to do so on current-gen hardware.
What’s better than a mouse?
Navigation is one of the main hang-ups with trying to work in VR at the moment. Work requires being as efficient as possible, which isn’t exactly what you’d call the current VR controls.
With a current Meta Quest headset, you’re stuck using the two controllers. They’re quite comfortable and accurate, but it feels a bit like typing with two fingers. You have the option of pairing a mouse and keyboard with a Quest 2, of course, or you can even put down the controllers and use your hands to interact with the environment. The variety is nice, but none of it is so different from what’s possible with a laptop or PC.
Replacing the mouse and keyboard, though, is no easy feat. As effective has touchscreens have become, most people feel that when it comes to getting real work done, the mouse (or pointer) and keyboard is still the most efficient.
The real innovation comes with eye tracking, which is a feature that is certain to be demonstrated with the Quest Pro at tomorrow’s Meta Connect event. With this new VR headset, you’ll be able to use your gaze to control guide input. This subtle difference could provide a dramatic boost in productivity.
Have you ever made the mistake of looking at one window or screen and beginning to type while another window is active? Your keystrokes and text will affect the active window. This can be disastrous if you have an app open that accepts keyboard commands. A few words that you thought would be typed into a document or text field could become a series of commands that send unfinished emails, merge layers, or delete documents.
With eye tracking, the Quest Pro should be able to avoid this nightmare. If eye tracking is used to identify the active window, gestures, button presses, and keyboard input will be sent to the window and app that you’re looking at. This is just one example of how a VR headset can be more intuitive since it has access to new forms of input and can work in a way that matches natural human interactions instead of forcing us to learn to do things the way the computer expects.
Are VR screens better than real computer monitors?
Screens are the next big hurdle with moving work into VR, but this is an area where the metaverse already has an advantage. Virtual screens remove all of the hassles of buying and setting up physical computer monitors. You can create several, large virtual displays at no extra cost and without requiring a large desk or wall mount to hold bulky screens. With a high-quality VR headset, you can use a multiscreen setup anywhere whether sitting, standing, or even lying down.
I’ve tried using a computer with three monitors, a MacBook with an iPad connected via Universal Control, and a computer with a phone as a secondary device. None really works ideally because they are physical objects with restrictions on size, location, and input. Breaking out of the old way of computing could easily provide us with a far better solution.
A VR headset’s virtual monitors behave more like floating windows in a 360-degree environment than regular screens. This provides the most flexibility possible to create displays in different aspect ratios and sizes. You can make a portrait screen for writing or formatting a print document, a landscape display for traditional computer work, or place a small screen nearby in your virtual space to design something that will be viewed on the screen of a phone or a watch.
Of course, most VR headsets at the moment lack the dynamic range and color fidelity of a high-quality computer monitor. That will improve over time, and Meta’s Quest Pro should offer a significant improvement in display quality since it is rumored to have mini-LED backlighting and a higher resolution than the Quest 2.
A VR headset also shows a slightly different image to each eye, providing depth to objects. Very few computer displays have this capability. This is a game-changing difference if you design real-world products or architecture, or if you work with 3D graphics.
With a Quest 2, you can create a 3D model by directly drawing and manipulating objects. You can ditch flat screens entirely and physically walk around a virtual building and get a sense of the flow and scale. Both virtual and augmented reality solutions are revolutionary in this regard, making concepts look and feel more real.
Virtual meetings might be better than reality
As videoconferencing has become a more and more important part of our online work lives, taking these meetings into VR has some very positive benefits. Nothing beats being face-to-face, sure, but when that’s not possible, it’s easy to see how meeting in VR beats standard video calls.
First off, even the fastest flight or work commute is painfully slow compared to teleporting to a virtual workspace, and Horizon Workrooms is just one example of how a team can come together to present and share ideas in a way that’s more personal than a video call by using VR headsets.
Right now, the problem is with avatars and tracking. There’s little benefit with the current technology, which doesn’t give you access to the full range of body language and facial expression needed to properly communicate. The technology is still evolving, and Meta’s current avatars have plenty of room for improvement, that’s for sure.
But avatars are rumored to get a big upgrade with the Meta Quest Pro, making your virtual presence feel more real. With eye and face tracking, your avatar will look more realistic than ever to others, showing your reactions and where you’re looking, just as if you were present. On the flip side, your view of the environment can be brighter, sharper, and more realistic with processor and display improvements. If there’s one part of work that feels best suited for the metaverse, it’s certainly meetings, and I can’t wait to have more interactive and engaging meetings with my colleagues in the future.
Drawbacks and solutions for working in VR
It’s not all good news when working in VR. Sharing in person is more difficult with a VR headset since no one can glance over and see your screen. That might be a good thing if you want to avoid distractions or are working on a sensitive project. Your screen is automatically private when wearing a VR headset and audio is quite muted to others when wearing a Quest even if you don’t have earbuds in. If you want to share your Meta Quest screen with others that are nearby, it’s easy to cast from your Quest to a TV, phone, tablet, or computer.
Remote meetings are easier to set up without VR, but the virtual environment has some advantages. Sometimes you might not feel like you are presentable for a work meeting, but your avatar will look as dapper as ever — even if you just rolled out of bed and are wearing pajamas.
The multiscreen advantage can also help with meetings since your virtual space has room for people, notes, reference material, a whiteboard, and more. You can even present three-dimensional art that would be difficult to experience with a traditional flat computer display.
Another concern with VR productivity is discomfort after only a few hours of wearing a headset. The Quest 2 is relatively light and isn’t a problem in the short term, but you’ll often notice an imprint on your face from the pressure of the headset. It can cause headaches and skin irritation. A lighter headset with better weight distribution that improves overall comfort will help.
Meta has already shared that it’s planning on using pancake lenses, which are thinner and lighter. This type of lens also features a larger sweet spot of sharp focus. Meta’s Quest Pro is also expected to have its battery mounted at the rear to balance the weight for greater comfort.
Lastly, mobility is greatly limited when wearing a current Quest VR headset even though you can trigger a passthrough view of your real room. The trouble is that you’re seeing through a low-resolution, black-and-white camera.
The Quest Pro will have a higher-resolution color passthrough camera, allowing you to travel around your physical room without the need to remove your headset. Rumors suggest Meta will offer a docking station for its next-generation headset that makes it quicker and easier to switch between wearing the Quest Pro and charging it so it’s ready to go at a moment’s notice.
Performance is the final piece of the puzzle. The Quest 2 is a relatively slow device when compared to your desktop computer, with most laptops putting it to shame in benchmarks. However, it was released in 2020, and the Quest 2 still tops the list of best VR headsets. It doesn’t lag when playing games, but when using the browser, some slowness is apparent. That’s where its age shows.
Meta’s Quest Pro will feature upgraded hardware meant for professionals, and rumors suggest its performance might be similar to that of a Chromebook or a tablet. That suggests the Quest Pro won’t reach the top levels of computing power, but it should have enough power to run most web apps with decent speed.
Whether that’s fast enough or not depends on your usage. I wouldn’t expect to edit 4K videos with a Quest Pro or use it to bulk-process RAW photos. But as a writer, I generally only need a computer that c...
When Vivo Phone Is Available In Just Rs 24990 With Flagship Feature And Cool Style You Cant Think Of Anything Else The Tech Outlook
When Vivo Phone Is Available In Just Rs 24,990 With Flagship Feature And Cool Style You Can’t Think Of Anything Else – The Tech Outlook https://dentoncountynewsonline.com/when-vivo-phone-is-available-in-just-rs-24990-with-flagship-feature-and-cool-style-you-cant-think-of-anything-else-the-tech-outlook/
With every passing day, phone brands are trying hard to bring something new to their customers. This strategy not only helps them to attract customers but also to compete with other brands in the market. The same is with the Vivo Y50 which has come into the market with flagship features and an affordable price. This article will take you through all the features and specifications of this phone.
Its iris blue back cover gives it a premium look and every time you look it looks new. If we talk about its screen it is 6.53 inches wide with a resolution of 2340 x 1080 Pixels and 395 PPI pixel density that will take care of your viewing experience. And if We talk about the camera, the back side houses a quad camera setup that has 13 MP + 8 MP + 2 MP + 2 MP. The front side has a notch on the top of it that has a 16MP camera that will take care of your selfie and vlogs. What makes it hassle-free is its 8GB RAM and 128 GB of internal memory. You would be able to use it for a longer duration because of its 5000mAh battery that comes with a fast charger. As far as the price is concerned it’s about Rs 24,990.
Bitcoin Falls To Start The Week As Investors Look Ahead To Inflation Data CNBC
Bitcoin Falls To Start The Week As Investors Look Ahead To Inflation Data – CNBC https://dentoncountynewsonline.com/bitcoin-falls-to-start-the-week-as-investors-look-ahead-to-inflation-data-cnbc/
Bitcoin on Monday fell to its lowest level in over a week as investors continued to digest strong jobs data from Friday that pushed risk assets including cryptocurrencies even deeper into the red.
The largest cryptocurrency by market cap was down by about 1.3% to $19,213.00, according to Coin Metrics. Earlier in the day it fell as low as $19,116.43. Ether fell about 1%, to $1,307.58, after falling as low as $1,297.07.
“Today there seems to be some jitters and derisking across all markets as we approach Thursday’s CPI release,” said Riyad Carey, a research analyst at Kaiko. “Bitcoin is moving closely with equities and I’d expect that to continue as there haven’t been many crypto-specific catalysts in recent weeks. I also expect significant volatility on Thursday, with a move up or down depending on the inflation figure.”
On Thursday the Bureau of Labor Statistics will release September’s consumer price index. Economists surveyed by Dow Jones expect headline CPI to show a 0.3% monthly increase and an 8.1% annual gain. Investors watch these updates closely for clues about the Federal Reserve’s next move in its fight to bring down inflation.
“We believe there is a building narrative that central banks are beginning to make policy errors,” James Butterfill, head of research at CoinShares, told CNBC, citing Bank of England interventions, concerns about the Fed dot plot and timid interest rate rises by the European Central Bank.
“Several of our clients have made the point that they don’t want to buy bitcoin right now, but as soon as the Fed pivots, they will add to positions,” he added. “Key data points to watch out for this week will be the CPI data beat/miss on Wednesday and the FOMC minutes, a whiff of dovishness is likely to be supportive for crypto assets.”
Despite the anxiety hanging over investors, cryptocurrencies’ volatility has been uncharacteristically low in recent weeks, though its correlation with stocks remains positive.
Bitcoin ended Sunday within the $19,000 level for the fourth Sunday in a row, according to Kaiko. The high volatility regime that the crypto market has endured since its big crash in June could be coming to an end, based on hourly returns, the data provider said in a research note Monday.
Bitcoin and ether’s hourly returns spiked 3% to 5% during the crypto credit crisis but have since reverted to around 1% to 2%, the note said.
Asian Refiners Snap Up US Crude As French Strike Dims Oil Demand Bloomberg
Asian Refiners Snap Up US Crude As French Strike Dims Oil Demand – Bloomberg https://dentoncountynewsonline.com/asian-refiners-snap-up-us-crude-as-french-strike-dims-oil-demand-bloomberg/
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War In Ukraine: Russias Forces Are Exhausted Says GCHQ Head Bbc.com
War In Ukraine: Russia’s Forces Are Exhausted, Says GCHQ Head – Bbc.com https://dentoncountynewsonline.com/war-in-ukraine-russias-forces-are-exhausted-says-gchq-head-bbc-com/
Image source, EPA
Image caption,
A destroyed tank near Izyum in the Kharkiv area of Ukraine
By Gordon Corera
Security correspondent, BBC News
Ukraine is turning the tide against “exhausted” Russian forces, the head of Britain’s GCHQ intelligence agency will say in a speech on Tuesday.
Despite the missile attacks on targets across Ukraine on Monday, Sir Jeremy Fleming will claim Moscow is running out of ammunition.
He will say President Vladimir Putin’s decision-making has proved “flawed”.
The intelligence chief will also assert that the UK and its allies are at a defining moment when it comes to China.
The director of the intelligence, cyber and security agency will say the costs to Russia of the war in Ukraine – in terms of both people and equipment – are “staggering” as early gains are now reversed.
“We know – and Russian commanders on the ground know – that their supplies and munitions are running out,” Sir Jeremy will say in his speech at the annual Royal United Services Institute security lecture.
He will argue that the mobilisation of prisoners and inexperienced men “speaks of a desperate situation” – and will also directly criticise President Putin as isolated and making mistakes.
“With little effective internal challenge, his decision-making has proved flawed. It’s a high stakes strategy that is leading to strategic errors in judgement.”
Sir Jeremy also claims the Russian people are now starting to understand the problems caused by what he describes as Putin’s “war of choice”.
“They’re seeing just how badly Putin has misjudged the situation,” he will say.
“They’re fleeing the draft, realising they can no longer travel. They know their access to modern technologies and external influences will be drastically restricted.”
In a speech in March, Sir Jeremy said intelligence had showed some Russian soldiers in Ukraine had refused to carry out orders, sabotaged their own equipment and accidentally shot down one of their own aircraft.
Image source, Getty Images
Image caption,
Sir Jeremy Fleming will warn against buying in Chinese technology with “hidden costs”
The bulk of his lecture on Tuesday focuses on China. He will describe the UK as being at a “sliding doors moment” in which different paths taken will define the future.
He argues the Chinese Communist Party is aiming to manipulate the technology that underpins people’s lives to embed its influence at home and abroad and provide opportunities for surveillance.
He will also warn that China is seeking to create “client economies and governments” by exporting technology to countries around the world, saying these countries risk “mortgaging the future” by buying in Chinese technology with “hidden costs”.
He will say this includes areas like: new standards for the internet which could provide tracking methods and greater government control; Chinese digital currencies – which could be used to monitor the transactions of users and try to evade the type of sanctions imposed on Russia; and plans for a Chinese satellite system, citing fears it could be used to track individuals.
Chinese control of these areas is not inevitable, he will say, adding: “Our future strategic technology advantage rests on what we as a community do next.”
16 Travel Apps That We Use On Every Vacation TravelAwaits
16 Travel Apps That We Use On Every Vacation – TravelAwaits https://dentoncountynewsonline.com/16-travel-apps-that-we-use-on-every-vacation-travelawaits/
When we got married over 40 years ago, the internet didn’t exist, and smartphones were confined to the realm of science fiction. So when we traveled, we had to rely on paper maps and guidebooks specific to our destinations.
Over the intervening years, smartphones have become part of our reality, and have evolved into indispensable travel tools upon which we rely for trip planning, destination details, booking accommodations, and spur-of-the-moment changes in the itinerary based on changing circumstances.
Today, there are so many clever and useful smartphone apps that it’s impossible to cover all the ones we use — so we’ll share some of our favorite and most utilized apps. We work exclusively with Apple devices because of their instant accessibility for people who are blind and vision impaired. Many of the apps we mention here are available for Android devices, but we’re not familiar with apps for this platform.
1. Travel Smart
When we travel overseas, we need to know that if we require medical attention we have adequate health insurance. We purchase an annual plan from Allianz that covers both of us. Claims that we have had to submit have been handled efficiently.
2. AirMed
Fortunately, we’ve never needed medical evacuation, but we have a friend that used the service of AirMed when his wife fractured a hip in Costa Rica. AirMed handled everything involved in a transfer to a hospital in the U.S.
3. SmartTraveler
SmartTraveler from the U.S. State Department is an essential app we consult before overseas travel, and sometimes while on the move, since it provides critical information on visas, safety and security, local laws, and how to contact the closest embassy or consulate in an emergency.
Pro Tip: You can use this app to confirm you can legally carry your medication (even prescription medication) to the countries you are visiting.
4. Waze
Many rental cars today have onboard navigation systems. The problem is that each brand of vehicle is different and may be awkward to program, particularly if you have to use your non-dominant hand to type on the screen. When renting cars in Europe, the navigation system is set up in the native language, so we rely exclusively on a smartphone for navigation.
Our app of choice is Waze, which actually uses Google maps as its base, but is crowdsourced for changes in road conditions in real time. A downside is if you lose cell signal, you also lose mapping capability.
Pro Tip: When traveling outside the U.S., it’s best to change out your SIM card for a local one. Using your U.S. SIM card in another country could be costly.
5. Rome2Rio
With Rome2Rio, you enter a starting point and a destination, and the app provides recommendations on different forms of transport that connect the two locations. For example, we were in Sicily on the night we learned Italy was closing its borders due to COVID. We used Rome2Rio to look at outbound destinations around Europe and to identify the airlines serving each city and the range of prices to expect.
Pro Tip: Download apps for the airlines you might use on your trip. They definitely helped during our evacuation from Italy by enabling us to consult several budget airlines flying from Sicily.
6. FlixBus
Moving between countries In Europe, we frequently travel overland because it is often less expensive than flying and you get to see the changing countryside en route. One-way car rentals are not practical, so we’ve used FlixBus because of their extensive network and reliability.
7. Trainline
We use trains much less than buses, but when we have chosen this mode of transport we have used Trainline to find schedules and approximate pricing. A reservation can also be completed using this app, but we prefer to go to the station to confirm schedules, pricing, and the need to reserve seats.
Pro Tip: We add subway and/or local bus apps as we travel to new cities.
8. Booking.com
We make many of our lodging arrangements through Booking.com prior to departure, but sometimes plans are more fluid, or we need to make last-minute changes. An example is being unable to negotiate several flights of stairs with a broken ankle.
Pro Tip: Sometimes we look for alternative arrangements using hotels.com, Airbnb, and Hotel Tonight.
9. NPS App
If you are a devotee of the National Park System in the U.S., they have a great app (NPS) where you can get information about many, if not all, national parks. We use this app to search for information by several different criteria including state and facilities available. Beyond providing basic information, there are self-guided tours for many sites.
10. Rick Steve’s Europe
This app has an extensive list of self-guided walking tours in cities and towns throughout Europe. We’ve used them in Florence and Venice and have really appreciated the detail provided.
11. Get Your Guide
The Get Your Guide app is a great source for finding guides that fit the type of walking or driving tour you are seeking. Each sets their own itinerary and the associated cost.
Pro Tip: Many cities are now developing their own walking or driving apps showcasing the highlights of their downtown or suburban areas. The VisitJax app for Jacksonville, Florida is just one example. Check with the local tourist office website to see whether your chosen city has an app.
12. XE
When traveling outside the U.S., it’s important to understand how much things cost, so having an app that will do currency conversion is essential. We use XE to help with this, but because of exchange rates and fees, the ultimate amount you pay may vary slightly from other currency conversion apps.
Pro Tip: Download apps for each of your credit cards and your bank to track charges and if necessary, pay bills online.
13. Global Tips
Tipping customs vary in different countries so. We use this app to ensure we fit in with local customs as much as possible.
14. NordVPN
We strongly advise against using any public Wi-Fi, especially when doing financial transactions. Using your phone’s data plan is far more secure. For an added level of security, we highly recommend using a virtual private network (VPN) app that anonymizes your connection and significantly reduces the risk of being hacked. There are free VPN apps, but we use NordVPN, a subscription that allows multiple devices for a single price.
15. Speak And Translate
When traveling, the ability to communicate is essential, but there are times when you won’t find someone who speaks any of the languages you know. When we were in China, the concept of using a translation app was introduced to us by a hotel clerk. You select your native tongue and the language of the other party then you ask your question verbally into the app and it provides immediate translation both verbally and in the local script.
Pro Tip: We also used Google Translate in China to crosscheck translations.
16. WhatsApp
To be able to communicate with friends and family while on international travel we use WhatsApp as an effective tool for video calls, voice calls, and texts using Wi-Fi and/or our data plan. The other party must also have the app on their smartphone.
Pro Tip: The time to test how it works is before you leave home.
