Anna Garraway

Don’t Miss! Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 4 Drops To $871 In Killer Prime Early Access Deal – Laptop Mag https://bexarcountynewsonline.com/dont-miss-samsung-galaxy-z-flip-4-drops-to-871-in-killer-prime-early-access-deal-laptop-mag/ Home News (Image credit: Future) Amazon’s Prime Early Access Sale is kicking off, and the discounts are already pouring in. In fact, we’ve spotted a killer deal on the amazing Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 4, as it’s now down to its lowest price yet. Right now, You can pick up the foldable Galaxy Z Flip 4 for $871 on Amazon (opens in new tab). That’s down from a $1,059 price tag, and that’s not all. The model in this deal comes packed with 256GB of storage, meaning you’re getting even more bang for your buck. If you’re looking to check out one of the best foldables on the market, this deal is just for you. It’s one of the best Prime Early Access smartphone deals around.  What’s not love about this foldable gem? The Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 4 boasts a 6.7-inch Dynamic AMOLED 2x display with HDR10+ support, a slick 1.9-inch cover screen, the latest Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 chipset for speedy performance, and fantastic cameras that include Flex Mode, allowing users to transform the foldable into a chair-like posture when taking photos. In our Galaxy Z Fold 4 review, we noted its beautifully engineered form factor, compact and pocketable design, and decent battery life stretching to over 8 hours. As a cherry on top, the Galaxy Z Flip 4 harkens back to the golden age of flip phones when we’d satisfyingly slam our clamshell devices shut with an air of “cool aggression.” What’s more, it’s a fairly pocketable device. Unfolded, the Galaxy Z Flip 4 is 0.2 inches thick. Folded, it bulks up to 0.6 inches. It weighs 6.6 ounces. We’re fans of Samsung’s latest foldable, and if you’re in the mood to start flipping some phones (the right way), this Galaxy Z Fold 4 deal is just for you.  Darragh Murphy is fascinated by all things bizarre, which usually leads to assorted coverage varying from washing machines designed for AirPods to the mischievous world of cyberattacks. Whether it’s connecting Scar from The Lion King to two-factor authentication or turning his love for gadgets into a fabricated rap battle from 8 Mile, he believes there’s always a quirky spin to be made. With a Master’s degree in Magazine Journalism from The University of Sheffield, along with short stints at Kerrang! and Exposed Magazine, Darragh started his career writing about the tech industry at Time Out Dubai and ShortList Dubai, covering everything from the latest iPhone models and Huawei laptops to massive Esports events in the Middle East. Now, he can be found proudly diving into gaming, gadgets, and letting readers know the joys of docking stations for Laptop Mag.

Mooners And Shakers: Major Bitcoin Move Expected As Crypto Market Awaits CPI Data; Huobi Pumps – Stockhead https://bexarcountynewsonline.com/mooners-and-shakers-major-bitcoin-move-expected-as-crypto-market-awaits-cpi-data-huobi-pumps-stockhead/ US dollar up, stocks down, crypto kinda flat (okay trending slightly down). As far as the latter is concerned, it hasn’t been going too badly over the past few days and has actually been outperforming major stock benchmarks. Investors and traders on the digital side of the coin are more used to seeing the crypto market overreact to stock market dips and plunge even harder. That said… Markets are on a knife’s edge this week. And that’s partly because more numbers are coming our way from the US Bureau of Labor Statistics – October 13, 8.30am EDT (11.30pm AEDT) to be precise. It’s the updated Consumer Price Index (CPI) inflation data, which will have the usual bearing on how the Fed treats its next rate-hiking move – to be announced on November 2. How’s that going to play out, then? Crypto Twitter is in guess mode, although consensus at least seems to be on the idea that an end to the recent flat trading for Bitcoin and pals is imminent and a big move in either direction is coming. (Although that was also predicted based on the jobs/employment data last week.) So this week, another CPI data is coming. Is it Pumptober or Pumpsover? — CryptoBusy (@CryptoBusy) October 10, 2022 Market has been sideways for a month Volatility reaching levels which have historically preceded a big move CPI/inflation data on Thursday If the range finally breaks, I’d give it some time & space before jumping in Longer consolidation = bigger expansion Up or down? Yes. — Cred (@CryptoCred) October 10, 2022 The BVOL points to a big Bitcoin move Some analysts have been highlighting what’s known as the BVOL this week, which is the Bitcoin Volatility Index. It’s actually an ERC20 (Ethereum-based) token that attempts to track the implied volatility of Bitcoin. Umlaut-sporting chart obsessors Michaël van de Poppe and Alex Krüger point out in recent tweets (below) that there have been three previous moves for the BVOL below a specific level (25), which all triggered big volatility and HUGE moves. Twice bullish, once utterly rubbish. (Two outta three ain’t bad, right?) The BVOL has just moved under this level again. Which way will it go? The UN has reportedly been calling for the Fed to soften its rate-hiking stance. That gives the tiniest of fractionalised hope for risk markets. The overall horrible macroeconomic climate and desperate situation in Eastern Europe doesn’t. A very big move is on the horizon for #Bitcoin, as $BVOL drops sub 25. Historically, that’s a guaranteed recipe for massive volatility. 1; crash to $3K in 2018. 2; break above $4K to $14K in 2019. 3; break above $10K in 2020 (kickstart bull 2021). C/ @krugermacro pic.twitter.com/QvKXT9Ql28 — Michaël van de Poppe (@CryptoMichNL) October 10, 2022 Core CPI this coming Thursday above or below consensus by 0.2% or more would do it. — Alex Krüger (@krugermacro) October 9, 2022 Onto some general daily crypto price action. Top 10 overview With the overall crypto market cap at US$966 billion, down 1.6% since this time yesterday, here’s the current state of play among top 10 tokens – according to CoinGecko. XRP is the biggest daily mover in the majors, down more than 6%. It’s still up 11.5% on a weekly timeframe, though and has been clearly outperforming the top coins of late (SEC lawsuit, hope for positive outcome/settlement soon, yada yada). True story this $XRP #xrpthestandard @Ripple pic.twitter.com/CC808Z83RG — Luke Thomas (@DEarthshaker) October 10, 2022 Uppers and downers: 11–100 Sweeping a market-cap range of about US$7.3 billion to about US$394 million in the rest of the top 100, let’s find some of the biggest 24-hour gainers and losers at press time. (Stats accurate at time of publishing, based on CoinGecko.com data.) DAILY PUMPERS • Huobi (HT), (market cap: US$673 million) +24% • TerraClassicUSD (USTC), (mc: US$416 million) +23% • Tokenize Xchange (TKX), (mc: US$1 billion) +10% • Maker (MKR), (mc: US$883 million) +10% • Chain (XCN), (mc: US$1.52 billion) +2% Alright then, what’s up with crypto exchange Huobi’s token HT? Why’s that one going slightly ballistic today? It’s reportedly because the founder of Ethereum-code copycat TRON (TRX) has taken a major stake in Huobi Global. TRX is currently a top 15 crypto with a market cap of US$5.79 billion. Huobi Global is the owner of the eighth-largest crypto exchange by trading volume and is headquartered in Seychelles, although has close ties with both Korea and Singapore. Tron founder Justin Sun is reportedly the real buyer of Huobi in a deal valued at $1 billion@shaliniX0 reportshttps://t.co/gxDyh1R5JA — Blockworks (@Blockworks_) October 10, 2022 The only thing Sun, however, has officially confirmed at this stage is an advisory role with Huobi. DAILY SLUMPERS • Chiliz (CHZ), (market cap: US$1 billion) -12% • Ethereum Classic (ETC), (mc: US$3.3 billion) -10% • Ethereum Name Service (ENS), (mc: US$417 million) -10% • Lido DAO (LDO), (mc: US$893 million) -9% • Rocket Pool (RPL), (mc: US$427 million) -8% Around the blocks A selection of randomness and pertinence that stuck with us on our morning moves through the Crypto Twitterverse… pic.twitter.com/lAPPfQXAGG — OVEX.io (@OVEXIO) October 10, 2022 Smart money/dumb money confidence spread has crossed above 0.5 Similar occurrences produced an average annualized return of 55.1% on the S&P 500 since 2000 Are we going to see a massive rally? pic.twitter.com/ci18EEbe1U — Game of Trades (@GameofTrades_) October 7, 2022 #Bitcoin and Halvings in terms of timing, this current cycle ressembles the last one a lot. This chart is merely descriptive, but depicts the repetitive nature of #Bitcoin sentiment phases very well pic.twitter.com/JtJ4y5vjnR — Stockmoney Lizards (@StockmoneyL) October 10, 2022 This indicator has never failed to represent a historical #Bitcoin buying opportunity. And it’s currently doing so for the 5th time in BTC history pic.twitter.com/B2JX3sP2lw — Stockmoney Lizards (@StockmoneyL) October 8, 2022 JUST IN: I still own Bitcoin, says Billionaire Paul Tudor Jones — Bitcoin Archive (@BTC_Archive) October 10, 2022

‘Thrilled At How I’ve Delivered:’ U.S. Rep. Moore, Opponent Jones Talk Abortion, Ukraine During Ogden Debate – Salt Lake Tribune https://bexarcountynewsonline.com/thrilled-at-how-ive-delivered-u-s-rep-moore-opponent-jones-talk-abortion-ukraine-during-ogden-debate-salt-lake-tribune/ Moore said he has achieved goals while in Washington, and that he hopes to be an “optimistic, positive conservative voice for the next generation of Americans.” (Leah Hogsten | The Salt Lake Tribune) Utah’s U.S. 1st Congressional District incumbent Rep. Blake Moore, right, and challenger Rick Jones, left, discussed issues affecting northern Utah during the 1st Congressional District general election debate at the Val A. Browning Center on the campus of Weber State University in Ogden, Oct. 10, 2022.   | Oct. 11, 2022, 2:02 a.m. | Updated: 2:51 a.m. Republican U.S. Rep. Blake Moore and Democrat Rick Jones faced off during a debate at Weber State University’s campus in Ogden, butting heads over inflation, local growth and abortion. The House District 1 debate was the second of five congressional debates put on by the Utah Debate Commission. Moore touted his progress during his freshman term in Washington, while Jones voiced his support for abortion rights and the Biden administration’s approach to bolstering Ukraine. Jones said during his opening statement he views voter suppression and gerrymandering as focuses of his campaign. Jones said he’s running to “advance American ideals,” which he feels the country is losing sight of. Moore said he’s fulfilled goals like supporting Hill Air Force Base and reversing the “debt culture” in Washington during his term. He said he wants to be an “optimistic, positive conservative voice for the next generation of Americans.” “I’m thrilled at how I’ve delivered on those things,” Moore said. Abortion and health care were just two of the topics discussed during Monday’s debate. “Definitely abortion, in certain circumstances, can be a real health care issue for women,” Jones said. He also said it doesn’t seem feasible to criminalize abortions. Moore said he “won’t apologize” for “protecting life,” but added there need to be protections in place for women in need. On health care, Jones said he’s been in favor of expanding Medicaid for years, believing it would be one way to reduce costs. Moore touted telehealth as a way to reduce costs, saying the county should embrace the lessons learned during the COVID-19 pandemic. In his closing statement, Jones took a shot at Moore’s residency in Salt Lake City, saying it’s “quite distressing” to District 1 constituents that their elected official doesn’t live within the boundaries. “I am the one candidate who actually lives in the district,” said Jones, who lives in West Haven. Following the debate, Moore told reporters that the barb was expected. He added, “(Jones) can’t take away the fact that I’m from Ogden.” “My goodness, I grew up rollerblading right outside these front doors,” Moore said, gesturing toward the street entrance of the Val A. Browning Center where the debate took place. He added that he’s just a block away from the district’s new boundaries, which now include parts of Salt Lake City. Moore, who is seeking reelection for the first time as a member of the U.S. House of Representatives, easily fended off two Republican primary challengers in June, earning 58% of the vote. The three other members of Utah’s U.S. House delegation also easily won their primary bids. Moore’s campaign has raised well over $1 million this year alone, while Jones had raised less than $5,000 as of last month, meaning he hasn’t raised enough money to file a report with the Federal Election Commission. Jones, though lesser known, has been on northern Utah ballots in the past. He twice ran for a spot in the Legislature, once in 2006 and again in 2018 and lost both times. Jones moved from Michigan to Utah to attend Brigham Young University in the 1970s. He later moved to Weber County where he managed a dairy farm for 14 years. He’s mainly a piano teacher nowadays, but he has worked as an adjunct professor at Weber State and holds a master’s degree in economics from the University of Utah. The Utah Debate Commission will host two more U.S. House debates later this week. House District 4 candidates will debate Wednesday at the University of Utah, and House District 2 candidates will square off Friday at Southern Utah University. A fifth and final debate will take place next Monday between U.S. Sen. Mike Lee and opponent Evan McMullin.

Live News Updates: Asia Markets Follow US Lower On Interest Rate And China Tech Curb Fears – Financial Times https://bexarcountynewsonline.com/live-news-updates-asia-markets-follow-us-lower-on-interest-rate-and-china-tech-curb-fears-financial-times/ Choose your subscription Trial Try full digital access and see why over 1 million readers subscribe to the FT For 4 weeks receive unlimited Premium digital access to the FT’s trusted, award-winning business news Digital Be informed with the essential news and opinion MyFT – track the topics most important to you FT Weekend – full access to the weekend content Mobile & Tablet Apps – download to read on the go Gift Article – share up to 10 articles a month with family, friends and colleagues Print FT print edition delivered Monday – Saturday along with ePaper access Delivery to your home or office Monday to Saturday FT Weekend paper – a stimulating blend of news and lifestyle features ePaper access – the digital replica of the printed newspaper Team or Enterprise Premium FT.com access for multiple users, with integrations & admin tools Group Subscription Premium Digital access, plus: Convenient access for groups of users Integration with third party platforms and CRM systems Usage based pricing and volume discounts for multiple users Subscription management tools and usage reporting SAML-based single sign-on (SSO) Dedicated account and customer success teams Or, if you are already a subscriber Sign in Are you a student or a professor? Check if your university has an FT membership to read for free. Check my access

Prime Early Access Sale: 3 Gaming Gear Deals Not To Miss – Screen Rant https://bexarcountynewsonline.com/prime-early-access-sale-3-gaming-gear-deals-not-to-miss-screen-rant/ Prime Early Access Sale day commences on the 11th of October, ending on the 12th. If you are wanting to be super organized for Christmas or just fancy a brilliant bargain that you won’t be able to get throughout the rest of the year, then Prime Early Access Sale day is a great time for you. You need a Prime membership in order to qualify for the discounted prices, if you’ve been weighing up the possibility of signing up for one now would be a great time. If you are an avid gamer and on the market for a new piece of gaming gear, then there are plenty of deals to be had. Let’s take a look at the top 3 gaming gear deals that you will not want to miss. Cop an absolute steal with this Razer DeathAdder V2 Mini Gaming Mouse First up with a mammoth saving of $35 is the Razer DeathAdder V2 Mini Gaming Mouse. The usual price of $49.99 has been slashed down to $14.99! Razer is one of the biggest name in gaming hardware and the DeathAdder V2 mini mouse is a brilliant quality entry level gaming mouse that feels really professional. The ergonomically designed mouse has been designed for maximum efficiency and is a perfect design for a palm grip and is well utilized with claw or fingertip style gaming. The built-in infrared light beam registers every click with an industry leading 0.2 milliseconds response time. The DeathAddver V2 also has a sensor with 8,500 DPI with impressive accuracy, which tracks every movement with pinpoint accuracy. If you’ve been on the market for a new gaming mouse, now is the time. Buy the Razer DeathAddver V2 Mini Gaming Mouse on Amazon Hear every movement in surround sound with these ASUS TUF Headphones The ASUS TUF Gaming H3 Wired Headset is a great headset regardless if on sale or not. The Virtual 7.1 surround sound will allow you to hear even the most minute movement in game and will give you a great advantage against the people you are playing against online. The sound quality and clarity of these headphones are incredibly good, they are well-balanced with a super accurate bass response and results in a fully immersive experience whilst gaming. The unidirectional microphone eliminates any unwanted noise bleed and are actually Discord certified due to its quality. There are control buttons on the ear cup which gives quick access to volume levels and there is a microphone mute button, a lifesaver if you work remotely with a noisy dog barking in the background during an online work meeting. A price drop from $39.99 to $22.99 means these headphones won’t stick about for too long. Buy the ASUS TUF Gaming H3 Wired Headset on Amazon Feel completely immersed with the AOC C24G1A Curved Gaming Monitor Curved gaming monitors are an essential if you want to have the most immersive gaming experience possible. With a 24″ monitor capable of 1920 x 1080 Full HD Resolution the AOC C24G1A Curved Gaming Monitor will give you a high definition gaming experience that is fully immersive that looks fantastic. What is even more fantastic is the fact that this is coming down from $179.99 to $151.99. This monitor supports a refresh rate of 165Hz, twice the refresh rate of standard monitors, which is ideal for FPS style games and will give you a competitive edge against fellow gamers. Curved monitors are a brilliant option for gaming as they wrap around your field of vision, putting you front and center in the game. You’ll experience ultra smooth gameplay as the AMD FreeSync Premium Technology equipped in this monitor ensure that the GPU’s and the monitor’s refresh rate are synchronized. What this means, in less jargonistic terms, is the monitor is super smooth, fluid gaming experience at the highest performance possible. The AOC G24G1A Curved Gaming monitor will slot into any gamer’s set up thanks to the height adjustable stand that can pivot, tilt and swivel allowing you to position it perfectly. Buy the AOC C24G1A Curved Gaming Monitor on Amazon

Advocates Push For More Catalytic Converter Regulations Amid Sharp Rise In Thefts – FOX 29 https://bexarcountynewsonline.com/advocates-push-for-more-catalytic-converter-regulations-amid-sharp-rise-in-thefts-fox-29/ Advocates push for more catalytic converter regulations amid sharp rise in thefts  FOX 29

X Most Underrated Road Trips In The World – Worldatlas.com https://bexarcountynewsonline.com/x-most-underrated-road-trips-in-the-world-worldatlas-com/ If you’re a road trip enthusiast, then you’ve likely already explored the most popular routes, such as Route 66 or the Pacific Coast Highway, but what about the less-traveled roads? Whether it’s dangerous road conditions or just a really well-kept secret, there are countless spectacular road trips around the world that don’t bring huge crowds. Adventure awaits you on your next vacation through the most underrated road trips in the world. Montana Highway 212 to Lamar Valley, United States Highway 212, also known as the Beartooth Highway mountain pass in Wyoming and Montana. Image credit melissamn via Shutterstock If you’re looking for wildlife, a road trip through Lamar Valley won’t disappoint. The valley is home to many animals, including; bears, bison, wolves, pronghorns, badgers, bald eagles, osprey, deer, elk, and coyotes. On the other side of Lamar Valley is Yellowstone National Park. If you start in Minneapolis, it’s a couple of days’ drive to Lamar Valley, and if you want to take in the sights along the way, you may want to plan a whole week. Be sure to plan your drive through the valley during the early morning hours for the best wildlife sightings. Pack your binoculars; pullouts line the road for viewing. The section from Red Lodge to Cooke City, called the Beartooth Highway, is one of the most winding mountain roads on this list and is only open to travelers from May to September. Foothills Parkway, United States Foothills Parkway in Smoky Mountains. Image credit Djaustin88 via Shutterstock Built as a scenic route through Tennesse’s Great Smokey Mountain National Park with stunning views of the Great Smokey Mountains and Cumberland Mountains, is the Foothills Parkway. Even though the road project started in 1944, it’s still under construction with only two stretches of the road accessible to the public. The longer route is 33 miles, connecting US 129 and US 321. The parkway doesn’t take long to drive, but be sure to stop at the look-outs along the way and enjoy the scenery. With the changing color of the leaves, it’s an absolutely stunning drive in the fall months. Crowsnest Highway, Canada Crowsnest Pass, Canada Image credit: Christian Wadstein via Unsplash If you’re doing a road trip across Canada, you’ll likely choose the Trans Canada Highway which runs from the Pacific Coast on the west to the Atlantic Ocean on the east. Branching off from the main highway, however, are many side roads and highways that traverse some of the most scenic areas of Canada. One of those highways is the Crowsnest Highway, spanning the southern portion of both provinces of Alberta and British Columbia. The drive will take you through winding mountain roads with stunning views of the Rocky Mountains. This is a route best traveled in the summer months, as you must have winter tires from October to April and the road is frequently closed during severe weather. Darling River Run, Australia Darling River, Australia Image credit: Antonov14 via Creative Commons Looking for an outback adventure where there’s no off-roading? If you’re in Australia and want an underrated trip, you have to travel the Darling River Run. It runs along the third-largest river in Australia, the Darling River. If you want a leisurely road trip, it will take you a minimum of four days to drive the full route which takes you through multiple national parks. At the end of the road is the river-port of Wentworth which is well worth a visit for the wine tours, waterfalls, and water skiing. Timmelsjoch Alpine Pass, Austria Ötztal Alps, Italy Image credit: Michal Pech via Unsplash If you ever find yourself in Austria or Italy, driving the Timmelsjoch Alpine pass is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to traverse the high Alpine Mountains between Austria and Italy. The Timmelsjoch Alpine pass is the highest pass of the Otztal Alps and is only open from June to October.  This one definitely isn’t for the faint of heart, with narrow lanes and hairpin twists and turns. For the best road conditions, start in Austria off of the Inntal Autobahn A12. The Austrian side is wider and better maintained, but there is a small toll. The drive should only take a couple of hours, and if you drive into Italy, be sure to check out the South Tyrol vineyards. The Adriatic Highway, Croatia Bay of Kotor, Montenegro Image credit: Faruk Kaymak via Unsplash The Adriatic Highway, part of the European route E65, is a scenic route along the eastern coast of the Adriatic Sea. This is a road trip you will want to spread out over a few days, or maybe even a week to take in all the beauty of the surrounding landscape. This long highway passes through Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Montenegro, but the best views and road conditions are through Croatia. While many of the other road trips on this list take you through mountain ranges, this road promises endless views of the open sea. It can be a bit of a treacherous drive in sections, so take your time, as the road winds along cliffs with sheer drops to the ocean below. Suhua Highway, Taiwan Suhua Highway, Taiwan Image credit: Fred Hsu via Creative Commons Taiwan is a stunning country to explore, but it is often lower on the list of Asian countries for tourists to visit. The Suhua Highway is one of the most scenic routes in Asia, running along Taiwan’s east coast. The ocean-side drive takes two to three hours and provides amazing views of the Pacific Ocean. Despite its breathtaking scenery, the road is dangerous to drive due to tight turns and falling rocks. June through August are usually the worst months for typhoons and earthquakes, so it’s best to plan this trip around the weather. Araku Valley, India Andra Pradesh, India Image credit: babusyams via Pixabay For a nature lover’s adventure, head to Araku Valley in India, with rushing streams, spectacular waterfalls, picturesque forests, and endless coffee plantations. You can drive straight through the valley in about three hours, but you’ll want to take your time to fully enjoy all the sights. A must-see local attraction is the Borra Caves, one of the largest caves in the country. For the best weather, plan your trip between December and February. Jelenia Góra Valley, Poland Śnieżne Kotły, Poland Image credit: Jacek Halicki via Creative Commons While Krakow or Warsaw may be the more popular cities in Poland, Jelenia Góra is a gorgeous city that is often overlooked. Only a four to five-hour drive from either Krakow or Warsaw, and nestled in the center of forests and mountains sits this valley town. Cieplice is the oldest thermal spa resort in Poland; the hot springs provide the perfect relaxation after a long day’s drive. While you’re in the area, be sure to check out Karkonosze National Park which boasts the highest peaks in the Sudetes. Hit the Open Road There are countless road trips around the world just waiting for you to discover. If you’re looking to avoid the crowds of tourists, then you’ll want to check out one of these underrated road trips of some of the world’s most scenic routes. When driving in a new country, be sure to plan ahead, and check out the driving rules and requirements for rental vehicles. Rachel Baird October 10 2022 in Places

AP Top Business News At 10:08 P.m. EDT – WTMJ https://bexarcountynewsonline.com/ap-top-business-news-at-1008-p-m-edt-wtmj/ Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

La Crosse Students Get A Taste Of Medical Field During ‘Wisconsin Science Festival’ Visit From Local Health Experts – News8000.com – WKBT https://bexarcountynewsonline.com/la-crosse-students-get-a-taste-of-medical-field-during-wisconsin-science-festival-visit-from-local-health-experts-news8000-com-wkbt/ October 10, 2022 8:37 PM Posted: October 10, 2022 8:37 PM LA CROSSE, Wis. (WKBT) – It’s Wisconsin Science Festival Week. Kids at Northside Elementary School got a taste of the medical field. Doctors, nurses, and other staff from Gundersen Health System taught students about germs, vaccines, and anatomy. Kids also got to go inside an ambulance and check out the St. Clare mobile clinic. Dr. Robyn Borge, the Chief of Medical/Clinical Staff at Gundersen Health System, hopes these experiences stick with the students. “We’re providing education on healthy eating, healthy living, good hand washing, even a little gross anatomy,” said Dr. Borge. “We hope to maybe inspire some of our young kids to consider fields of medicine down the road.” The group will be traveling to a few other schools during Wisconsin Science Fest Week. COPYRIGHT 2022 BY NEWS 8 NOW/NEWS 8000. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. THIS MATERIAL MAY NOT BE PUBLISHED, BROADCAST, REWRITTEN OR REDISTRIBUTED.

Chiefs-Raiders Roughing The Passer: Current, Former NFL Players React To Shocking Call On Chris Jones – CBS Sports https://bexarcountynewsonline.com/chiefs-raiders-roughing-the-passer-current-former-nfl-players-react-to-shocking-call-on-chris-jones-cbs-sports/ Throughout NFL history, there have been some very controversial roughing the passer calls. On Monday night, another one was added to the list of penalties that probably should not have been penalties. In the AFC West matchup between the Kansas City Chiefs and Las Vegas Raiders, a second-quarter call left fans in the stands booing and people at home, including NFL players, questioning how to properly tackle a quarterback, given the roughing the passer penalties getting called recently. Let’s first take a look at the play that everyone will be discussing tomorrow, especially if this game ends up being a close one. Chiefs defensive tackle Chris Jones broke a tackle and found his way to the Raiders’ Derek Carr, sacking the quarterback and taking the ball from him all in one swift movement. Jones secured the ball as he went down, taking Carr to the ground with him. The strip sack looked clean to most everyone watching, but the referees made a controversial roughing the passer call that reversed the fumble and gave the Raiders a first down. Chiefs fans were visibly and audibly upset at the call, booing until the clock hit zero in the first half. The Raiders went on to score a field goal on the drive to go up 20-7. Immediately following the call, NFL Twitter shared their opinions, with current and former players giving their thoughts on what they just saw. NFL Hall of Fame head coach Tony Dungy acknowledged that the league needs to protect the quarterback, but as many have said, it is taking it too far.  “Terrible” is a word a lot of people have used to describe the call, including the legendary Lawrence Taylor. Sean Payton also weighed in: Richard Sherman noted that you cannot brace the fall with two hands when one is holding the football. Micah Parsons called the league “terrible” for the call. Former quarterback and current CBS Sports reporter Danny Kanell noted that the NFL Players Association needs to bring up the issue to make a change. Here are some more reactions from around the NFL:

Rimaunangis Token ($RXT) Showcases Metaverse Based On World Food Chain And Food Production Stability – StreetInsider.com https://bexarcountynewsonline.com/rimaunangis-token-rxt-showcases-metaverse-based-on-world-food-chain-and-food-production-stability-streetinsider-com/ News and research before you hear about it on CNBC and others. Claim your 1-week free trial to StreetInsider Premium here. Dubai, United Arab Emirates–(Newsfile Corp. – October 10, 2022) – Rimaunangis Token ($RXT) was the Main Sponsor of the World’s largest Metaverse Event with Trescon. The world’s largest Metaverse event was held in Dubai by Trescon. Image 1 To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit: https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/8831/140047_94e8295784523a76_001full.jpg Image 2 To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit: https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/8831/140047_94e8295784523a76_002full.jpg The world’s largest metaverse event was held at one of the largest hotels in Dubai, namely the Address Dubai Marina Hotel. During the event, Rimaunangis ($RXT), the owner of the first world agricultural Metaverse in Malaysia, was present as a co-host sponsor. The company from Tbilisi – Georgia was very happy to be able to attend the event. Image 3 To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit: https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/8831/140047_94e8295784523a76_003full.jpg Image 4 To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit: https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/8831/140047_94e8295784523a76_004full.jpg The number of metaverse developers, tokens, engines, governments, private companies, private equity, and venture capital made this event very extraordinary. On the occasion, Rimaunangis explained the importance of converting Metaverse into the real world, otherwise it would be just a game without proper monetization. With a vision to create a strong Food Chain in the World, Rimaunangis introduced a new concept of a real metaverse in Play to Earn. The game in a different world will make real money in the meta world and the real world. Image 5 To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit: https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/8831/140047_94e8295784523a76_005full.jpg In addition, Rimaunangis will be the main link in the distribution of food in the real world. Starting with livestock and agriculture businesses, now Rimaunangis is strengthening itself with a digital ecosystem that allows everyone to invest and invest in the world’s food chain. The ultimate goal is Food Security for the whole world, and connecting the whole world through real, affordable, and easily accessible food for everyone. To join Rimaunangis, visit: Website : https://www.rimaunangis.world Rimaunangis Token has been registered in : CoinMarketCap : https://coinmarketcap.com/currencies/rimaunangis/ Coin Gecko: https://www.coingecko.com/en/coins/rimaunangis Also currently undergoing the CERTIK Audit Process: https://www.certik.com/projects/rimaunangis-digital-llc Contact details: Rimaunangis Digital LLC Tbilisi – Georgia PIC : Dato Abdul Haadi Azhar (CEO) Email : [email protected] To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/140047

Black Mirror’s 12 Most Disturbing Episodes Ranked – Looper https://bexarcountynewsonline.com/black-mirrors-12-most-disturbing-episodes-ranked-looper/ × Cookies help us deliver our Services. By using our Services, you agree to our use of cookies. Learn More. Netflix Everything in our world is constantly evolving. That rule applies not just to living species but technology as well. This can be a beautiful thing, but given that we never know what exactly the future has in store for us, it can also be extremely anxiety-inducing. “Black Mirror” exploits this anxiety, as the series presents viewers with upsetting possibilities for the next stages of our society and the technology that might define it. While our modern-day gadgets and inventions are typically advertised to us as tools for bettering our society, “Black Mirror” reminds us that there’s often something more sinister at play, and these technologies can just easily be used for evil — even when they start out with the best of intentions. Forcing audiences through a never-ending revolving door of high-tech dystopias, “Black Mirror” is one of those shows that stays with you long after it ends. Whether they’re futuristic dystopian hellscapes or semi-realistic commentaries on our modern world, the episodes never fail to get under the skin. They prey on your worst fears and keep you up at night. Though some episodes of “Black Mirror” hit harder than others, some are twisted enough to make even the most stable-stomached viewers turn away in terror or disgust. With Season 6 of “Black Mirror” still in limbo, it’s been a while since we’ve got our daily dose of dystopian terror, so to tide us over here are 12 of the most disturbing episodes of the series, ranked. Warning: This article contains spoilers for each episode. 12. Nosedive Netflix Starting off the countdown is the Season 3 premiere “Nosedive,” starring Bryce Dallas Howard as Lacie and written by “Parks and Recreation” greats Rashida Jones and Michael Schur. While the episode was written by comedy all-stars, it’s far from laughable. “Nosedive” takes place in a society where people rate every interaction they have with any other person, whether it be a boss, a close friend, or a random stranger they nod hello to on the street. These ratings are constantly updated into a composite score. It’s like a Yelp review or credit score, but for your entire personality, and it’s visible to everyone. This affects the way others see and treat you, as well as the snap judgments they make before ever meeting or speaking to you, with real-world logistical consequences. These can be little things like getting snubbed by those with higher ratings, but as we see as Lacie’s ratings plummet, it can also mean losing access to resources like transportation and housing. This episode may not be as dystopian or ominous as many of the others in the traditional “Black Mirror” sense, as there are no deaths, torture, or gore. However, it’s disturbing in a darker way because it’s also not as futuristic or far-fetched as those episodes. In fact, in today’s social media-dominated world, it’s basically the reality we’re already living in, and if you’ve seen the episode, you know that reality isn’t as bright and sunny as it may appear. 11. Arkangel Netflix Directed by Jodie Foster, “Arkangel” is a brilliant commentary on helicopter parenting, premised on a semi-futurist microchip that parents can have implanted in their children, giving them access to a wide range of intrusive functions, from tracking location and vital signs to censoring what their child sees and feels. While this technology presents itself as a revolutionary way to monitor a child’s safety and well-being, it ends up having the reverse effect. For example, a mom censoring her child from seeing blood leads to the child repeatedly stabbing themselves in an attempt to see whatever it is that’s being blurred from their vision. The mom also shields the child from a scary dog in the neighborhood. At first, the child walks past the barking blur with hesitance, but as the child grows, we see them walk past without paying the animal any mind, oblivious to the danger right in front of them. This episode demonstrates — in a bone-chilling way — how the natural parental inclination to shield your child from the evils of the world is not necessarily the most practical one, as they may never develop the skills to handle danger. It’s also just an extreme invasion of privacy, as demonstrated when the mom taps into her daughter’s vision as a teenager and sees her losing her virginity from the daughter’s point of view. Commentary aside, that image alone is more than enough to earn “Arkangel” a spot on this list. 10. Crocodile Netflix Crocodiles are a species that have particularly adept memories (via Heavy). While this might be an evolutionary strong suit for these scaly creatures, it’s perhaps not a feature of humans that should be enhanced much further, as demonstrated by this episode’s “Black Mirror” tech — the ability to playback your memories. The episode opens with the character of Mia as she is out with her boyfriend, indulging in some coordination-altering substances. On their drive home, they hit a biker and, in a panicked state, hide the body. A full 15 years later, Mia’s now ex-boyfriend decides he wants to come clean. At this point, Mia has built a successful career, as well as a loving family. She has too much to lose, panics again and ends up murdering her ex. Unfortunately, a car accident occurs right outside Mia’s hotel the same night, and an insurance agent pays her a visit with an order to extract her memories as a witness. Mia can’t oblige unless she wants to go to prison for murder, so now she’s forced to murder the insurance agent and the newborn baby she didn’t realize was in the room until the deed had been done. However, Mia leaves one witness — a guinea pig — and the episode ends with police arresting Mia as she attends her child’s play.  The final twist of the knife? The baby was blind, meaning she killed him for nothing, a devastating addition to an already devastating episode. 9. White Bear Netflix “White Bear” opens on a woman, Victoria, who has just woken up with no memory. After exiting the house she finds herself in, she’s chased by a man, but no one around her reacts or answers her calls for help. She eventually comes upon two strangers who explain to her that a signal is being broadcast over the radio, turning most people into zombies and leaving anyone unaffected to do whatever they like, including hunting down and murdering people for fun. After a journey to the radio station to destroy this signal, the episode takes a sharp turn and reveals that this is all a staged setup. Walls around the station expose a hidden audience who have been watching her ever since she woke up. It turns out she’s a prisoner who helped her boyfriend kidnap and murder a young child, and this harrowing ordeal is her daily punishment. The episode ends with her memory being wiped and prepped to start the whole shebang all over again. What’s so disturbing about this episode is that it’s hard to know whether or not to feel bad for Victoria. She did a terrible, unforgivable thing deserving of strict punishment, but if her memory is wiped and she doesn’t remember it, is she really the same person anymore? Even if she is, it’s hard not to ask if this is a suitable punishment. Beyond that, are we complicit in her torture by watching the episode? 8. Playtest Netflix In “Playtest,” a man named Cooper runs out of money while traveling. He decides to partake in a trial with SaitoGemu, a company that will pay him to try their new immersive horror experience. While he is told that nothing in the game can actually hurt him and he can say the safe word to be extracted at any moment, it quickly becomes an inescapable nightmare. Connor is chased by monsters and stabbed with knives that, contradictory to the info he was given, cause actual pain. It’s not just classic scary movie monsters, though, but personal demons too, as he begins to lose his memories, mimicking his father’s devastating battle with Alzheimer’s. Connor is eventually removed from the game, and SaitoGemu apologizes for the traumatic mishap. He goes home, but it’s clear something’s still not right upon seeing his mother. Even though he’s in the room with her, she keeps saying she needs to call Cooper, apparently not recognizing him. It’s then revealed that Cooper never left the game, as the episode cuts to him still in the demo room, dead in his seat as his phone rings. The game operator explains to their boss that Cooper was instructed to turn his phone off, and the call must have interfered with the demo. They note for their files that his official cause of death was a phone call from his mother. Most unsettling of all, his last word was “Mom” — whimpered in his final moments. 7. Men Against Fire Netflix “Men Against Fire” is premised on the notion that everything is not always as it seems. The episode follows a military soldier named Koinange, aka Stripe, as he and his team go on missions to hunt down and exterminate roaches, humans who have been turned into pale, sharp-teethed mutants due to biological warfare. As a reward for killing roaches, soldiers sometimes have sexual experiences, visions, and dreams fed to them through a “Men in Black” type flash technology that transmits these visuals to an optical transmitter in their head. However, throughout the episode, Stripe experiences glitches in his vision that distort not only these fantasies but also his day-to-day visuals of external reality. It’s eventually revealed that these fantasies are not the true function of the transmitter. They’re just a cover-up for their actual purpose — to make humans appear to be grotesque monsters to the soldiers so they don’t feel as bad about killing them. While the soldiers believe they are heroes saving t...

First Mover Asia: Influencer Logan Paul’s ‘Bumblebee’ NFT Is Worth More Than $10; Bitcoin Dips Late But Remains Over $19K – CoinDesk https://bexarcountynewsonline.com/first-mover-asia-influencer-logan-pauls-bumblebee-nft-is-worth-more-than-10-bitcoin-dips-late-but-remains-over-19k-coindesk/ James Rubin is CoinDesk’s U.S. news editor based on the West Coast. Good morning. Here’s what’s happening: Prices: Bitcoin’s late dip doesn’t shake it from its $19K perch. Insights: What is Logan Paul’s “Bumblebee” NFT worth? Probably more than some observers thought. Catch the latest episodes of CoinDesk TV for insightful interviews with crypto industry leaders and analysis. And sign up for First Mover, our daily newsletter putting the latest moves in crypto markets in context. ● Bitcoin (BTC): $19,050 −2.0% ● Ether (ETH): $1,280 −3.3% ● CoinDesk Market Index (CMI): 936.68 −2.7% ● S&P 500 daily close: 3,612.39 −0.7% ● Gold: $1,678 per troy ounce −1.3% ● Ten-year Treasury yield daily close: 3.89% +0.005 Bitcoin, ether and gold prices are taken at approximately 4pm New York time. Bitcoin is the CoinDesk Bitcoin Price Index (XBX); Ether is the CoinDesk Ether Price Index (ETX); Gold is the COMEX spot price. Information about CoinDesk Indices can be found at coindesk.com/indices. Bitcoin’s Late Dip Doesn’t Shake It From Its $19K Perch Bitcoin continued its recent sedentary lifestyle on Monday, and the trend seems likely to continue, at least until the next inflation report later this week. The largest cryptocurrency by market capitalization spent much of the day trading sideways before a late dip took it down roughly 2% over the past 24 hours and recently trading at $19,050. BTC has held steady between $19,000 and $19,500 for much of the past four days as investors wait for convincing evidence that inflation is slowing meaningfully – or not. This Thursday, the Bureau of Labor Statistics latest Consumer Price Index (CPI) is widely expected to show a slight decrease from last month’s 8.3 reading, hardly enough to sway current U.S. central bank, monetary hawkishness and allay fears of a harsh recession. Both events would hurt riskier assets, including crypto. “I suspect that inflation will remain quite high,” Octavio Marenzi, CEO and founder of management consultancy Opimas, told CoinDesk TV’s First Mover program. He added: “That is going to tie the Fed’s hands. They are going to have to carry on increasing interest rates, which is going to weigh down crypto markets. So on Thursday, we’re not going to see much good news for crypto markets.” Ether was recently trading just under $1,300, a more than 3% drop from Sunday, same time. Other major altcoins were solidly in the red after a late afternoon dip with CHZ and ETC recently off more than 13% and 10%, respectively, and SUSHI and the popular meme coins DOGE and SHIB both down over 8%. The CoinDesk Market Index (CMI), a broad-based market index that measures the performance of a basket of cryptocurrencies, was recently down about 0.1%. Equity markets continued their now, four-day streak of woe with the tech-focused Nasdaq declining 1% and the S&P 500 and Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA) dropping a few fractions of a percentage point. The Nasdaq, which plunged into bear market territory months ago, meaning it fell at least 20% from its previous high, reached a 15-month low, according to Dow Jones Market data. Treasury yields, which have followed an inverse course to cryptos, rose. Brent crude oil, a measure of energy markets, was recently trading at about $96 per barrel, roughly flat, despite the latest rumblings from Russia’s unprovoked invasion of Ukraine – a Russian missile barrage on Kyiv and other major cities. The conflict continues to figure heavily in global, macroeconomic uncertainty. Concerns about Chinese consumer spending and U.S. cuts in semiconductor exports to the country offered additional, unsettling news Monday. Meanwhile, crypto news was mixed. As CoinDesk reported, a record number of Brazilian companies purchased crypto in August. But in an interview with CNBC Monday, legendary hedge fund manager Paul Tudor Jones retreated from his previous bitcoin bullishness. Jones said that he had “a minor allocation to bitcoin” little more than two years after saying he had committed 1% to 2% of his multi-billion portfolio to the digital asset. Jones compared troubling inflation to “toothpaste.” “Once you get it out of the tube, it’s hard to get it back in.” The Fed, he said, “is furiously trying to wash that taste out of [its] mouth … If we go into recession, that has really negative consequences for a variety of assets.” Biggest Gainers Biggest Losers What Is Logan Paul’s ‘Bumblebee NFT’ Really Worth? NFTs aren’t exactly the blue-chip investment their supporters hoped them to be. But did YouTube star Logan Paul really watch his $623,000 investment in a bumblebee-styled non-fungible token called K4M-1 #03 evaporate to $10 as claimed? Paul certainly lost a lot of money, but not nearly as much as it seemed. According to DappRadar, Paul’s NFT is worth around $7,272, or 5.51 ether (ETH). The valuation underscores the subjective nature of NFT pricing, even in the current down market. (ON1 Force) DappRadar’s NFT estimates can be controversial. NFT Twitter got angry about its valuation of Three Arrows Capital’s Starry Night wallet. But there’s not really a universal way to value NFTs, and in the end DappRadar’s valuation turned out to be higher than Nansen’s. “Our algorithm calculates what is the price of an NFT, which is consistent with the historical sales data. It is not precisely predicting, but finding a price that makes sense for the current market conditions. This methodology allows the investor to evaluate how good the trade price is, while also assessing the importance of the sale within the collection’s market,” a DappRadar spokesperson told CoinDesk earlier via email. Overall, DappRadar puts Paul’s NFT collection at just under $1 million. In December 2021, Paul tweeted that he had spent $2.645 million assembling his NFT collection. Now, it’s worth about 37% of what he paid for it. While most of the NFTs in the collection have had double-digit losses, there are also some double-digit gains. Nansen puts the wallet’s value at 394 ETH, or approximately $515,000. (Nansen) Either way, Paul seems to be a shrewder NFT investor than Three Arrows Capital, which saw its Starry Night portfolio fall to 0.04% of what was paid for it. In case you missed it, here is the most recent episode of “First Mover” on CoinDesk TV: Crypto markets started the week down as market observers await new economic reports this week: September’s Consumer Price Index (CPI), corporate earnings and the International Monetary Fund’s World Economic Outlook. Opimas CEO and founder Octavio Marenzi joined the markets discussion. Binance Chief Communications Officer Patrick Hillmann joined “First Mover” with the latest following last week’s $100M exploit. First Mover previews CoinDesk’s I.D.E.A.S. 2022 conference on the future of crypto and Web3 investments. Record Number of Brazilian Companies Bought Crypto in August: According to the South American country’s tax authority, 12,053 companies reported purchasing crypto during the month. Lawmakers Overwhelmingly Back EU’s MiCA Crypto Law in Committee Vote: The landslide support paves the way for the landmark crypto licensing regulation to take effect in 2024. Ethereum Scaling Tool Polygon Launches its zkEVM Public Testnet: The company continues to be targeting the mainnet going live sometime in early 2023. Bitcoin Mining Difficulty Surges to All-Time High, Putting Additional Squeeze on Miners: The difficulty gauge rose 13.55% from the last adjustment roughly two weeks ago, the largest-such move since May 2021. Back to Square One? Circle’s USDC Market Cap Drops Below $50B for First Time Since Terra’s Collapse: USDC’s utility has taken a hit in the wake of Binance’s decision to consolidate order books and Circle’s decision to freeze addresses associated with Tornado Cash. Sign up for Crypto for Advisors, our weekly newsletter defining crypto, digital assets and the future of finance. By signing up, you will receive emails about CoinDesk product updates, events and marketing and you agree to our terms of services and privacy policy. DISCLOSURE Please note that our privacy policy, terms of use, cookies, and do not sell my personal information has been updated . The leader in news and information on cryptocurrency, digital assets and the future of money, CoinDesk is a media outlet that strives for the highest journalistic standards and abides by a strict set of editorial policies. CoinDesk is an independent operating subsidiary of Digital Currency Group, which invests in cryptocurrencies and blockchain startups. As part of their compensation, certain CoinDesk employees, including editorial employees, may receive exposure to DCG equity in the form of stock appreciation rights, which vest over a multi-year period. CoinDesk journalists are not allowed to purchase stock outright in DCG . James Rubin is CoinDesk’s U.S. news editor based on the West Coast. James Rubin is CoinDesk’s U.S. news editor based on the West Coast.

Opinion | Putin Wanted To Terrorize Us With Kyiv Airstrikes. It Didn’t Work. – The Washington Post https://bexarcountynewsonline.com/opinion-putin-wanted-to-terrorize-us-with-kyiv-airstrikes-it-didnt-work-the-washington-post/ Iuliia Mendel is a journalist, the author of “The Fight of Our Lives,” and a former press secretary for Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. It all started around 8 a.m. on Monday. My husband and I were going about our usual morning routine. I was making an omelet and coffee when we heard the first explosions. We rushed to the window, not able to believe this was happening again (even though the air-raid sirens had already been wailing for an hour and a half). When we opened the window, we heard rolling thunder, even though the sky in Kyiv was completely clear. The sound of exploding missiles always reminds me of the sounds of a storm, but it is far more menacing knowing that death is coming, not rain. I searched online to figure out what had happened, and whether my relatives and friends were okay. We realized we had to get dressed quickly and prepare to go to the shelter. Soon, there were more explosions. Only the cats remained calm. I ate the omelet quickly, despite my sour stomach. I got a call from my cousin Oleksandra Mendel, who is 24. She left her home in Kherson village back when the Russians came and, since then, she’s been living with my grandmother in downtown Kyiv. She told me that she’d been heading home from the train station in a cab when she heard the whistling of a missile. It hit about a block away with a tremendous explosion — and was soon followed by a second one. The driver stopped and they both jumped out, joining the frantic crowd of people on the street looking for a place to hide. “I couldn’t tell where the missile had hit,” she told me. “We didn’t know if the attack was over, if there would be other missiles.” In the end, she and her taxi driver got back in the car and drove away. She spent the next three hours in a bomb shelter. Despite the Kremlin’s efforts to terrorize our people, their reaction has been extraordinary. The citizens of Kyiv are scared, it’s true. You can’t not be scared. But at the same time, they haven’t given into hysteria. The German ambassador to Ukraine, who spent hours in bomb shelters on Monday, too, tweeted: “With hundreds of Kyivans in a shelter. I am amazed at the calm that prevails here while Russia is shelling playgrounds in the center of Kyiv.” Monday’s attacks gave some of us flashbacks to when the war started back in February. But this time, the situation feels very different. While we can’t get used to the fact that someone is trying to kill us just because of who we are — no one could ever get used to that — now we know we can fight back. We understand that our enemy is doing this because he is desperate. People are determined to go about their lives. When the invasion began, everything shut down. But today, many of the shops have stayed open. Grocery stores, coffee shops, even a beauty salon in my building — they all kept working. The city of Kyiv and the surrounding regions had blackouts on Monday, some for a few hours, others longer. Later in the day, when it seemed that the attacks were over, I visited a maternity hospital outside of town. My friend Maryna gave birth to a daughter there three days ago, and she is still there recovering. She was worried but still in a state of absolute happiness. She moved to the European Union when the war started but decided to come back to Ukraine to have her baby. Monday morning, she didn’t hear the explosions. When the doctors invited her to go downstairs to the bomb shelter, she declined. The elevators weren’t working because of the lack of power, and she didn’t have the energy to make the trek. So she and her baby girl just stayed in their room, hoping that everything would be all right. (The mayor of Kyiv said that at least five health-care buildings were damaged during Monday’s missile strikes.) Earlier in the day, I ran into two people who decided get out of Kyiv because of the attack. One person was talking on the phone near the entrance to my building; I heard him say “it’s time to leave.” Someone had piled up a bunch of luggage in the entryway. I got into the elevator with a neighbor, who said he was very angry and wanted to blow up the Kremlin. He told me that he and his family were leaving for the countryside for a few days, believing there would be more attacks soon. “The Russians are shelling residential buildings,” he said. “It’s terror!” He was right. The mood among civilians is that they want to put a stop to this terror — and the only way to do that is by stopping the war. Everything we have is under attack. Our loved ones have been killed, wounded and terrorized. Parts of our country have been occupied, subjected to lawlessness and state-orchestrated violence. Our very existence has been doubted and attacked. So people have good reason to be angry. They want all of this to stop. They are under incredible stress. But they are not hopeless or desperate. “We have to be patient,” is how my cousin Oleksandra put it to me. “This is [Vladimir] Putin’s final death agony and we are about to win. This is happening because we have successes on the battlefield, so we must be patient and believe in our army.” This morning, when the missile hit, she was returning from the southern front line on a train. Her husband serves in the military there. This is the atmosphere in Kyiv. People are angry, and they’re not going to give up.

Nobel-Worthy Research Paves The Way For New Quantum Technologies | News | CORDIS | European Commission – Cordis News https://bexarcountynewsonline.com/nobel-worthy-research-paves-the-way-for-new-quantum-technologies-news-cordis-european-commission-cordis-news/ JavaScript is disabled on your browser. CORDIS website requires JavaScript enabled in order to work properly. Please enable JavaScript. JavaScript est désactivé dans votre navigateur. Le site web de CORDIS nécessite l’activation de JavaScript pour fonctionner correctement. Veuillez activer JavaScript. JavaScript está desactivado en su navegador. El sitio web de CORDIS requiere tener activado JavaScript para funcionar correctamente. Por favor, active JavaScript. JavaScript ist in Ihrem Browser deaktiviert. Für die fehlerfreie Verwendung der CORDIS-Website muss JavaScript aktiviert sein. Bitte aktivieren Sie JavaScript. JavaScript è disabilitato sul tuo browser Il sito web di CORDIS prevede che JavaScript sia abilitato per funzionare correttamente. Si prega di abilitare JavaScript. Obsługa JavaScript jest wyłączona w Twojej przeglądarce. Aby witryna CORDIS działała poprawnie, obsługa JavaScript musi być włączona. Włącz obsługę JavaScript.

10 Best YouTubers For Gaming Video Essays, According To Reddit – Screen Rant https://bexarcountynewsonline.com/10-best-youtubers-for-gaming-video-essays-according-to-reddit-screen-rant/ Although video games can be mindless fun at times, some of the biggest releases of the later half of this year have included The Last of Us: Part 1 and the upcoming God of War: Ragnarök, titles that serve to highlight video games as an art form to rival traditional media. When it comes to what makes games like these work, YouTube has any gaming enthusiast covered. From essayists who focus on the storytelling element of video games like Jacob Geller to ones that go in-depth to take apart the mechanical side of creating video games like Game Maker’s Toolkit or even GDC, these are the channels that Reddit thinks fans should be checking out. GDC When most people think of video essays, they tend to think of channels where a single person presents their thoughts on a variety of topics but GDC is a little different. The name stands for Game Developers Conference and the YouTube channel presents clips and full talks from professionals. Redditor rebilax13 comments that you can “never go wrong with GDC” as you get to “hear from the industry themselves.” Whilst analysis from an outsider is always interesting, there’s something about hearing developers, artists, and producers talk about their own methods of bringing video games to life that’s uniquely insightful. Writing On Games Focusing on game design and what makes video game narratives so powerful, Writing on Games presents video game essays and reviews in a sharp and engaging style that has won the channel many fans over the years. That includes Redditor Party_McFly710 who rates them as a top channel when it comes to “general story analysis” for video games. Whilst the channel isn’t afraid to criticize games for their shortcomings, a lot of their videos involve going in-depth and taking apart exactly why highly-rated games like The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, Elden Ring, and The Last of Us are so effective. Even better, Writing on Games generally draws attention to small details and game elements that most people would never pick up on. Matthewmatosis Well-researched, well-edited, and interesting video essays often take a lot of time to put together, which is why they aren’t always easy to find. For those who don’t mind infrequent uploads, Matthewmatosis provides just that, presenting videos that very obviously have a ton of thought and time put into them. Redditor GhettoRussianSpy says they “wholeheartedly recommend” the channel and calls it “thought-provoking.” Whereas some channels attempt to make videos about the most relevant game to ensure views, it’s obvious that Matthewmatosis simply pursues whatever interests him at that time, presenting a fascinating dissection of Death Stranding nearly a year after Hideo Kojima’s divisive title was released. Raycevick For retrospectives on awesome older video games, there are few channels that do so as effectively and entertainingly as Raycevick. Redditor Malix82 recommends the channel for “lengthy deconstructions” of exactly how and why a game once “made waves” or came to be perceived the way it is. With his “… x Years Later” series, which includes “Metro Exodus… 3 Years Later” and “Need for Speed: Most Wanted… 13 Years Later,” Raycevick uses the advantage of hindsight to look at games from a different perspective to usual and sometimes even challenge people’s perceptions. Along with covering a wide range of games from different periods, Raycevick offers something for everyone. Noah Caldwell-Gervais There are plenty of channels that offer extremely long-form and comprehensive video essays on games but very few go to the extremes of Noah Caldwell-Gervais whose “Thorough Look” series has episodes that break the 5-hour mark. It’s not just quantity he provides though as, according to Redditor Frittenbudenpapst, “His analysis, critique and description of games is just stellar.” “Whilst his almost-exclusive use of gameplay footage might not appeal to those who like more flashy and visually engaging video essays, it helps him to effectively capture the feel of the games he talks about and that’s something his fans appreciate. This is especially true as he often talks about games where the atmosphere is one of the most important elements. Whitelight Tongue-in-cheek humor and sharp critiques go hand-in-hand in Whitelight’s video essays, which often take on critically-lauded or critically-panned games and offer an interesting take. Whilst it’s not a channel for fans who like their video essays to be completely serious, there are good reasons why Redditors like BrandalfFTW consider him one of “the best.” For example, despite taking a more humorous approach to the YouTube format, Whitelight’s critiques tend to be fairly balanced, taking into account arguments for and against the games he takes on. Whilst no viewer is likely to agree with all of his opinions, that’s a part of the charm of Whitelight’s channel. Hbomberguy Though Hbomberguy takes on everything from politics and conspiracy theories to TV shows, some of his most popular and most compelling videos are those where he simply discusses video games. Redditor AMtheVile is one fan who says they “really like” his video game content. Though his approach to video games can be divisive, often taking extreme stances on beloved video game franchises like The Elder Scrolls and the Fallout series and presenting his views in an over-the-top, impassioned way, the level of effort he puts into making his videos well-researched and visually interesting is something anyone can appreciate. Ahoy With the description on YouTube reading simply “Insightful gaming videos,” Ahoy manages to perfectly capture why fans love the channel’s video essays so much. Although not exclusively about video games, with many historical videos as well, their visually striking and perfectly composed video game essays easily rival that of completely game-focused channels. That’s why Redditor GustavGarlicBread calls them “amazing” at what they do, adding that they have “extremely clean editing, and original music to top it all off.” Whilst this means uploads are infrequent, each essay has so much originality that they’re more than worth the wait. Presented by British video game journalist and game developer Mark Brown, Game Maker’s Toolkit aims to deliver exactly what the channel name promises which is to help with the viewer’s understanding of how games are made. Though this technical approach of drawing attention to how games are crafted is great for budding game developers, it’s also fascinating as a fan of games too. One of those fans is Redditor nas1992 who comments that the channel is their “favorite” when it comes to gaming video essays. Rather than focusing on a specific game in each video, Brown nearly always dedicates each one to a particular, and usually small, aspect of game design, providing a much more technical perspective. Jacob Geller Though he does consider specific elements of game design in his gaming video essays, the unique appeal of Jacob Geller’s YouTube channel is that they often provide deep and interesting reflections on the thematic story elements of great games. For fans of the story-telling side of video game creation, there are few better than Geller. Redditor Frosch90 recommends the channel for anyone “into a more intellectual and “artsy” approach to games.” Taking in a variety of sources that go far beyond what most YouTube video essays consider, Geller’s approach is just as thorough as those on the more technical side of video games which helps make each one a treat to watch. NEXT: 10 Best YouTube Channels For Film Video Essays, According To Reddit

How Will Renovation Plans Affect Brackenridge Park’s Rich History? KSAT Explains – KSAT San Antonio https://bexarcountynewsonline.com/how-will-renovation-plans-affect-brackenridge-parks-rich-history-ksat-explains-ksat-san-antonio/ Whether it is Easter camping or just an afternoon picnic, San Antonians have a long history with Brackenridge Park. The centrally located green space offers miles of nature trails, the Sunken Garden Theater, the Japanese Tea Garden, the Witte Museum, and the San Antonio Zoo. But one area, in particular, is the center of a debate between San Antonio’s Parks and Recreation Department and a group of local advocates. Rendering of the two areas expected to be renovated with the 2017 Bond Project. (ksat12) While centuries of history surround the entire 349-acre park, the highlighted portions (phases one and two) in the rendering above are the focus of this story. The question at hand is: Can the city preserve the park’s rich history while protecting its fragile nature? The Beginning “The evolution of the park mirrors the evolution of the city itself. Other parks in other cities take a vacant lot somewhere outside… you put a park there and that’s pretty much it. Here, the past, it’s always present and it can be recovered again as it will be on this new restoration,” says historian Lewis Fisher. Mr. Fisher sits on the board of the Brackenridge Park Conservancy and is also the author of a newly released book, Brackenridge: San Antonio’s Acclaimed Urban Park. Book cover, Brackenridge: San Antonio’s Acclaimed Urban Park – Lewis F. Fisher (Trinity University Press) (ksat12) The Conservancy says Brackenridge Park has been “an oasis for humans for over 12,000 years, spanning back to indigenous people who found water, food, and shelter here…” For the purpose of this story, we begin in the late 1800s. Oldest industrial building in Bexar County Nestled in a thicket of large mature trees on a bend of the San Antonio river sits quietly an abandoned structure. Pumphouse No. 1 is the oldest industrial building in Bexar County and still stands today. Erected in 1878, the pumphouse is what Mr. Fisher refers to as one of the most visually interesting areas in the park. Pumphouse No. 1 in Brackenridge Park. (October 2022) (ksat12) The pumphouse was built when the acequia (irrigation) system became outdated. As more development happened in the region, the acequias, which are gravity fed, could not take water uphill… but the city was growing uphill. Turbines in the pumphouse forced thousands of gallons of water miles uphill to what is now the San Antonio Botanical Gardens. From there, the water would flow downhill and into the growing city. During that time, the pumphouse had arches that the water would flow under. Over the years, those arches were filled in and a road was built over the now-empty canal, known as the “raceway.” Today, the raceway is dry and sits full of concrete and debris. The city’s renovation plans aim to restore the raceway and the pumphouse and allow water to flow naturally through the system once again. Giant arches are also covered by stone and pavement. With the 2017 bond project renovations, the magnificent arches would once again see light. Left: Image of raceway and back of pumphouse in Brackenridge park, 2022) Right: Rendering of what the raceway and pumphouse would look like after the 2017 Bond Project renovations. (KSAT) Spanish dam built in 1776 The history continues further north in the park, near the Hildebrand entrance. In 1776, the Spanish dam was built in what is known as the upper labor to divert water from the San Antonio River. The area was later turned into a lily pond before it began to crack and dry up. Today, the dam is not visible, instead, buried under feet of dirt to preserve it. Rare glimpse of the Spanish dam exposed. It is now covered with dirt for preservation. Courtesy: Trinity University Press (ksat12) Rendering of the upper labor dam post-renovations. (ksat12) The renovation plans will restore part of the dam. Massive trees Surrounding all of these inanimate historic structures… are historic living structures. The hundreds of giant, decades-old trees keep families shaded during hot summer activities at the park and provide a habitat for the numerous bird species that call Brackenridge home. Seventy-seven of these trees are slated to be cut down under the latest renovation plans. Advocates, like nature photographer Alesia Garlock and certified arborist Zsigmund Nyiri say there must be another way. “You’re removing how many trees from a park? We need those trees,” said Garlock. “I really thought that that was something that would never come to fruition,” said Nyiri. The City of San Antonio says… there simply is not. “We get the pain that this is causing. We wish there was another way,” says Ross Hosea with the Parks and Recreation Urban Forestry and Trails Division. Hosea is also a certified arborist. “It’s a tough decision and it’s one that we don’t take lightly,” he said. The Plans: Previously and Now The Parks and Recreation Department secured the first major round of funding ($7.75M) to renovate Brackenridge park through the 2017 bond project. To date, $9.15M has been allocated to the project. The first round of plans was released to the public during a public meeting in March 2022. Note: You can find recordings and slideshows from previous public meetings here. More than 100 trees were slated to be chopped down in the original plans. Ten of them were heritage trees, meaning larger than 24 inches in diameter. The rest were considered dead or invasive. Sample renderings show how the root systems of trees intervene with the historic Lambert Beach walls. The two are competing for the same exact spot. Sample rendering shows tree roots and walls competing for the same space. (Public meeting 1) (ksat12) “If nothing is done, the tree is always going to win,” says Jamaal Moreno, a landscape architect with the City of San Antonio Public Works Department. The walls have since been temporarily shored up and the area is not accessible to the public. “In order to rehabilitate those walls, from a construction method perspective, it is necessary to remove some trees,” says Homer Garcia, City of San Antonio Parks and Recreation Director. Exposed tree roots show the deterioration of the historic Lambert Beach walls while city crews work to make temporary fixes to the area. (ksat12) Following the first public meeting, pushback from the community began. “There was a call to action that we look at and reevaluate the proposed plan for tree removals,” says Garcia. In February 2022, protests were held in the park to halt the Historic Design and Review Commission’s vote. The public feedback lead city officials back to the drawing board several times. The Parks and Recreation Department held its final public meeting for Phase One of the project on August 31, 2022. Rendering of tree canopy in renovation area. Red dots represent tree removal, blue dots represent tree relocations and green dots represent trees staying in place. (ksat12) The plans presented during that meeting reveal a detailed map of the existing tree canopy and a comparison to what the area would look like post renovations. “We’ve been able to provide an update, a revised plan that would decrease the number of trees removed, specifically in the Phase One area and also Phase Two,” says Garcia. In total, 267 trees are tagged to be part of the removal/relocation process. 77 of those will be removed, including 8 heritage trees. Planting new trees is also part of the plan. A city ordinance requires three trees to be planted for every heritage tree that is removed. “If tree(s) are approved to be removed, mitigation will be at 1:1 unless heritage-size which are mitigated at 3:1 (with the exception of species listed in table 523-2, column B, row 1 which will be mitigated at 1:1) and are to be maintained by the project applicant.” – Unified Development Code, Article V, Division Three Landscaping and Tree Preservation More than 200 new trees will be planted in the area. As for the structures, the plans for Phase One remain the same: To renovate the pumphouse into a modern version of what it once was Create a new cultural plaza near the pumphouse Reopen the raceway to water flow Restore the lily pond and the old Spanish dam Restore the Lambert Beach walls YOU CAN REVIEW THE MOST RECENT PLANS HERE What Comes Next? So when could parkgoers see these changes? That answer has yet to be determined. The plans still have to get city, state, and federal approval. “Now, Phase One where we’re at right now is finishing the detailed design for that. And then we would move forward through the permitting process, beginning with the Texas Historical Commission and, of course, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers,” says Garcia. The price tag for this renovation project is also unclear. Until the plans are approved, bids for construction cannot begin. As mentioned above, $9.15M has been allocated to the project, but $2.5M more is expected to come with the 2022 bond. There are also plans for a second round of renovations, plans not yet seen by the public eye. “We know that in the spring we would get into the detailed design for Phase Two based on again, the public engagement process and those plan concepts based on that public input,” says Garcia. But there are other costs to balance as well. “Managing the temperature, managing pollution, the environmental benefits, the recent studies on mental health in relation to being in green spaces,” says Nyiri. Find more like this on the KSAT Explains page. Copyright 2022 by KSAT – All rights reserved.

Baby Boomers Helping Lead Travel’s Resurgence – TravelPulse https://bexarcountynewsonline.com/baby-boomers-helping-lead-travels-resurgence-travelpulse/ Baby Boomers—the retirement-age generation affectionately nicknamed the “grey tsunami”—are surging back to travel now that the two-year-long tide of COVID-19 concerns is receding. That is, at least, according to new data released by global travel insurance and specialty benefits company Seven Corners, which found that more Baby Boomers are buying travel insurance policies this year than did in 2021, with plan sales more than doubling over last year. Trending Now Current economic conditions being what they are, it only makes sense that the older, wealthier generation is at the forefront of travel’s resurgence since many of these folks born between 1946 and 1964 had likely saved up to travel in their retirement years and the pandemic-prompted floodgates have finally reopened. With the travel sector continually looking to forecast future industry trends, Seven Corners’ data helps shed some light on the ways in which Baby Boomers are shaping the return of tourism. Boomers Are Buying More Travel Insurance Seven Corners’ report indicates that more Boomers are purchasing travel insurance policies for their trips, with sales data reflecting an impressive 54-percent year-over-year increase in this age group. Gen Z (born between 1997 and 2012) travelers accounted for the second-highest increase in plan sales at 37 percent, followed by Gen X with 22 percent growth and Millennials with just three percent. “Some of the more modest increases may be partly because those generations simply continued to travel at steadier rates during and immediately after the pandemic,” said Seven Corners’ product marketing strategist Angela Borden. “The number of baby boomers who traveled in 2020 dropped quite significantly, more so than other age groups. To see them rebounding at this pace bodes well for the travel industry.” As for the other reasons that Baby Boomers, in particular, may be flooding back to travel at an accelerated rate, Seven Corners identified two key factors. Firstly, the number of active Boomers remains high and constitutes a significant percentage of the U.S. population. The 2020 U.S. Census estimated that 73 million Americans fall into this age group; and, in 2019, AARP reported that 46 percent of the U.S. population was 50 years or older. And then there’s the fact that this older generation has greater purchasing power than others. Having more disposable funds and more free time available to them means that Boomers are able to do more traveling than the younger generations. With many of them already being fully or semi-retired, or at least having earned more vacation days available, they’re also more likely to venture farther from home on longer trips. Senior couple on the phone and computer. (Photo via DragonImages / iStock / Getty Images Plus) Europe Beckons To Boomers Seven Corners’ data also revealed that American Boomers a returning to Europe this year as their overall preferred destination, with the top two most sought-after countries being Italy and the United Kingdom (U.K.). Actually, when all generations are considered together, Italy comes in as the most popular destination for 2022—quite a shift from 2021’s most popular destination, Turks and Caicos. In fact, last year’s most popular destinations among U.S. travelers were quite a bit closer to home: Mexico, Turks and Caicos, and Costa Rica. Much of the reason for this had to do with these countries’ level of accessibility in terms of airlift and maintaining less rigorous restrictions amid the pandemic (or, in Mexico’s case, none at all). But, the E.U. and its member nations relaxed and eventually eliminated their travel requirements in 2022, making them again attractive to international visitors. For the latest travel news, updates and deals, be sure to subscribe to the daily TravelPulse newsletter here.

Networking For Businesses – Tunbridge Wells Borough Council https://bexarcountynewsonline.com/networking-for-businesses-tunbridge-wells-borough-council/ Find details below on local and regional business groups and networks that can support your business and help it thrive: Royal Tunbridge Wells Together (RTWT) RTWT is the business improvement district (BID) for Royal Tunbridge Wells. It focuses on delivering projects and promoting the town. If you are a business in Royal Tunbridge Wells town centre, please make use of the marketing, training and joint projects run by the BID. To find out more, visit the Royal Tunbridge Wells Together website. The TN Card The TN Card is a loyalty card for businesses operating within the TN postcode. When a business joins, it is added to the extensive local directory on the TN Card’s app and website. It costs nothing for a business to sign up to the directory and TN Card, but you must provide generous awards for TN Card members. To find out more and list your business today, visit The TN Card website. Kent Invicta Chamber of Commerce Kent Invicta Chamber of Commerce covers Kent and Medway, offering advice, support, networking, events and promotion for your business. Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) The Federation of Small Businesses provides a network and support services to help your small business thrive. Networking focuses on virtual and in-person events; while support services range from: skills and training, news updates, legal, financial, hr and insurance advice, and policy advocacy. To find out more and join today, visit The Federation of Small Businesses website. Kent International Business Kent International Business rounds up the best export events for Kent business including those from the Department of International Trade. For rural businesses in and around Cranbrook, try The Hub in Stone Street, a privately owned enterprise which also provides food and entertainment.

Don’t Take Any Chances – Butler County Times-Gazette – Butler County Times Gazette https://bexarcountynewsonline.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.

Minnesota Seeing Positive Results In O’Connell’s Offense – Bally Sports https://bexarcountynewsonline.com/minnesota-seeing-positive-results-in-oconnells-offense-bally-sports/ Oct 9, 2022; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Minnesota Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell looks on before the game against the Chicago Bears at U.S. Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeffrey Becker-USA TODAY Sports MINNEAPOLIS — As Kirk Cousins opened Sunday with a team-record 18 consecutive completions, star wide receiver Justin Jefferson was the focal point of a Minnesota Vikings offense that scored touchdowns on its first three possessions. Jefferson caught eight of Cousins’ passes during that stretch, but there was no forcing the ball to Minnesota’s top playmaker. Jefferson found plenty of open space against the Chicago Bears, and six other players had receptions during the quick start. The Vikings are starting to see more results in the offense engineered by new coach Kevin O’Connell. “We’ve got a long way to go, five games in, but we’re really seeing some of our philosophy come to life,” O’Connell said. Minnesota eventually pulled out a 29-22 victory late, scoring the winning touchdown with 2:26 remaining after a 17-play, 75-yard drive. It capped the most consistent effort of the season for Cousins, Jefferson and the Vikings in their new offensive system. Cousins finished 32 of 41 for 296 yards passing. Jefferson set a career high with 12 catches for 154 yards. In all, eight players had receptions. Dalvin Cook added 18 carries for 94 yards, rushing for 5.2 yards per carry. Minnesota had four straight drives in the middle of the game go for fewer than 40 yards, but finished with a season-high 429 total yards. “It’s never going to be perfect, and today there were some times we stubbed our toe,” Cousins said. “But for much of the game, we played at a very high level. I also felt a lot of the success in the first half was just a really good plan by our coaches, putting us in some pretty good positions to be effective and kind of putting the wind at our back for us.” Much of the Vikings’ offense includes holdovers from the previous regime, with the belief O’Connell could elevate their play. After not playing in the preseason, there were growing pains. Sunday showed those pains might be subsiding. Not only are O’Connell and the offensive staff finding ways to scheme Jefferson open, but the entire offense is contributing. “We’ve got some guys that have played a lot of football together and learned a lot along the way about each other,” O’Connell said. “The scheme is one thing, but what allows a lot of that to come to life is my comfort not only in Kirk as our quarterback, but those guys up front to give him enough time, and then our guys’ execution.” The success Sunday wasn’t due to big plays. Minnesota only had two longer than 16 yards. Instead, Cousins methodically dissected Chicago’s defense. “I respect the man’s game,” Bears safety Eddie Jackson said of Cousins. “You give him something, he’s going to take it. He’s going to take advantage of it and that’s what happened.” O’Connell credited Cousins for adjusting after Chicago made changes defensively. “You don’t have to throw it over people’s heads all the time to generate explosives,” O’Connell said. “Some people just won’t allow that, and that’s when we kind of have to lock into a mode of all five eligibles coming to life, attacking coverage within depth, and our guys just have done a tremendous job.” WHAT’S WORKING With the win, the Vikings took the lead in the NFC North at 4-1, one game ahead of Green Bay. Perhaps most importantly, Minnesota has now swept its division opponents at home. The first division road test is Week 14 at Detroit and the season ends at Green Bay and Chicago. WHAT NEEDS HELP The Bears scored on both of their trips into the red zone. The Vikings have allowed touchdowns 76.92% of the time opponents have reached the red zone, tied for the third-worst mark in the NFL entering Monday night. STOCK UP The offensive line has seen a dramatic turnaround this season. Cousins has only been sacked eight times in five games this season, the seventh-lowest total in the league. According to Pro Football Focus, left tackle Christian Darrisaw has graded out as the second-best tackle in the league among players with at least 50% of his team’s snaps. Right tackle Brian O’Neill is 12th among tackles. Garrett Bradbury is the ninth-rated center and left guard Ezra Cleveland is the 11th-rated guard. Rookie right guard Ed Ingram is 31st of 62 guards. STOCK DOWN A week after a standout special teams performance, the units had a step back Sunday. Greg Joseph missed both of his field-goal attempts, going wide right from 53 yards and having a 51-yard attempt blocked. Punter Ryan Wright’s lone attempt went just 15 yards. Also, Jalen Reagor fumbled on a punt return, though it was recovered by Minnesota. INJURED CB Andrew Booth Jr. (quadriceps) and WR Jalen Nailor (hamstring) were held out of Sunday’s game. … RB Ty Chandler broke his thumb and is likely to miss time. … CB Akayleb Evans is in the concussion protocol. … O’Connell said S Lewis Cine was back at the team’s facilities today after returning from London following surgery to repair his broken leg. KEY NUMBER 42.9% — After going 12 of 15 on third down Sunday, Minnesota is seventh in the NFL in third-down percentage. NEXT STEPS The Vikings are back on the road and face Miami, which is unsettled at quarterback due to the concussion status of starter Tua Tagovailoa, and Teddy Bridgewater, the former Minnesota starter, left Sunday’s game after being put in the new league concussion protocol. Rookie Skylar Thompson was 19 of 33 for 166 yards after replacing Bridgewater.

NBCU’s Shopping Push Takes Bravo To Metaverse And Beyond – Yahoo Life https://bexarcountynewsonline.com/nbcus-shopping-push-takes-bravo-to-metaverse-and-beyond-yahoo-life/ NBCUniversal’s “One Platform” shoppable TV initiative plans to take Bravo beyond mere commerce and television. On Monday, the company revealed that this week’s BravoCon 2022 in New York will traverse multiple consumer experiences in the real, digital and virtual worlds. This year’s Bravo Bazaar will offer fans of “Real Housewives,” “Top Chef,” “Below Deck” and other shows more than 60 brands at its on-site event, with transactions powered by NBCUniversal checkout, while others explore an “enhanced” metaverse version. Staged with recreations of sets from favorite shows and studded with shoppable products, the virtual event, which launched last year, will be four times larger this time. TRESemmé, a featured brand partner, will also sponsor a real-world salon with products that people can shop in-person and online. More from WWD Scenes from Decentraland’s Metaverse Fashion Week 2020 Holiday Gift Ideas: Google’s Top Searched Beauty, Home and Tech Gifts Inside the Jacquard by Google Exhibit in Paris “NBCUniversal has a keen pulse on the wants and needs of the Bravo fandom,” said Evan Moore, senior vice president of commerce partnerships at NBCUniversal Advertising & Partnerships division. “By embedding shoppable experiences within key moments where fans are living out the Bravo life — whether it’s at BravoCon, online across our properties, or in the metaverse with the enhanced Bravo Bazaar — we can drive genuine connection and impact for our partners that transcend the screen and the shows.” The list of Bravo-approved brands includes Lashaholics, Literie Candles and Verishop brands, plus others spurred by the network’s stars such as Sewing Down South, LoverBoy and CaraGala. Products and services span retail, beauty, apparel and home decor, among other categories. At TRESemmé’s BravoCon Salon, event attendees can “achieve Bravolebrity-styled hair,” according to Jessica Grigoriou, the hair care brand’s head of beauty marketing and Salon & Masstige portfolio director. The salon and shopping opportunity goes beyond the Con as well. “We’re excited to extend these shoppable experiences to Bravo fans around the world using QR code technology on-site within the salon and on-air utilizing a Live Look In on Bravo and a branded bar on ‘Watch What Happens Live,’” she explained. Altogether, according to NBCU, “Bravoholics” everywhere will be able to shop for their favorite looks and styles. It’s an ambitious move, but the company has plenty of reason to be optimistic. In previous research the company noted that consumers engaged with its Commercial Innovations were 88 percent more likely to remember relevant brands, and 79 percent were less likely to change channels. Shopping activations, specifically, showed twice the efficacy of traditional advertisements. The media giant, apparently emboldened by the numbers, seems to be doubling down on shopping and expanding it even beyond the initiative’s original premise. Introduced in 2019, the company’s shoppable TV initiative began with QR codes on TV screens to funnel viewers into its e-commerce storefront. Over time it added to its lineup of shows, sporting events and products, eventually turning its attention to the metaverse. Last year’s virtual Bravo Bazaar preceded other announcements — most recently, it introduced new augmented reality features for immersive ad experiences and partnerships with virtual platforms such as Shop the Scenes, which will launch a “Today” show holiday pop-up. NBCU is betting on its passionate TV fan base to power it all. Indeed, fan communities have become a major priority for commerce platforms in general, especially given their propensity to drive activity and shopping in the virtual world. However, the metaverse is only one facet of BravoCon. Indeed, the multiplatform effort blends broadcast TV with real world, online and immersive virtual experiences, comprising a strategy that’s akin to an amplified version of omnichannel retail. But instead of merely fusing physical and digital platforms, the quadruple play adds more literal dimensionality to the equation. The takeaway: While some platforms and brands may still struggle with omnichannel retail or mull over their place in the metaverse, there’s a multiverse of shopping that’s already underway. Click here to read the full article.

Beyond Local: Only Vet In Northern Alberta Town Retiring After Almost 50 Years – St. Albert TODAY https://bexarcountynewsonline.com/beyond-local-only-vet-in-northern-alberta-town-retiring-after-almost-50-years-st-albert-today/ Dr. Rob Ostrander has been treating animals in Boyle since opening his practice back in 1976. BOYLE — It’s a hard blow to the rural community of Boyle as well as the many people who travelled from as far as away as Fort McMurray and Edmonton, but the only veterinarian in town is closing his doors.  It’s not without some heartache and sleepless nights, knowing the community they love, the pets they’ve treated from newborn, as well as the many large livestock in need will be without nearby help, but it’s time, said Liz Ostrander, clinic manager and wife to Dr. Rob Ostrander.  “I think the thing that I’m not looking forward to the most is the difficulty of knowing that people will still need, more than ever before, veterinary service,” said Liz in an Oct. 6 interview. “And yet, here we are right now, bowing out.”  It’s been 48 years and six months since Rob graduated from veterinary school, most of which he spent working in the Boyle area, but for the young man from Picton, Ontario, he was a fixture in town every summer for five years as he went through vet school, working at Amisk Lake Estates, which was owned by his father.  “I drove an old red truck and I guess the community figured out who I was and that I was a vet student,” he said.  The elder Ostrander, Dean, was a pilot, moving from military to commercial, and while flying for Wardair Canada he frequently flew over Amisk Lake before buying the property. It was also Dean who introduced his son to Liz.  “His father thought he was maybe too shy to get a date on his own, so he asked all the stewardesses if they’d go on a date with him,” recalled Liz, who was a head stewardess for Wardair at the time. “They all said no, and I think I was the last one he asked, and I thought, ‘Why not, I like to go out.’”  And while the first date went well, it was a while before she heard from Rob again, but when she did, it was the end of flying to exotic locales and the start of looking after exotic animals like cattle and dogs.  Rob graduated from the Guelph, Ontario vet school in April 1974 and the two were married at the end of August then set off to Edson for his first job as a vet and Liz became the receptionist but Boyle never forgot the young man in the red truck and a group of farmers formed a cooperative to buy a building to entice him to come.  “We were looking at Hanna, but it boiled down to Boyle,” said Liz, adding they opened the doors on Sept. 7, 1976.  It was Eric “Alf” Stromberg who made sure the Ostranders had everything they needed at the clinic, building everything from gadgets to furniture for them.  “He was a saint,” said Rob. “We wouldn’t have survived without him.”  The couple was on a shoestring budget, eventually growing their family with four children, so it took a while to find success, but it was Stromberg who made a small plaque with a miniature Dutch wooden shoe and a leather string tied around it for luck and the words, “From a shoestring to a success” emblazoned on it.  “We ran the clinic out of our home for the first eight years,” said Liz.  Small animals, even swine, came to the house, larger animals were done on the farms and Rob travelled between Slave Lake and Boyle under a government program to offer veterinary services in remote locations.  “We had the opportunity to buy the Thorhild clinic,” Liz said. “We spent 10 years in Thorhild, two days a week.”  Then they expanded to Lac La Biche in 1995, so Rob was working in Thorhild, Boyle, and Lac La Biche, as well as any farm calls he had to make. Eventually they sold the other two clinics and as of 2007 were in Boyle full time.  “There were different people that would drive for me so I could catch some winks,” he said. “A lot of the time you’re doing those calvings out in barns and at that time of year it’s cool, so you get out in the cool air, and it helps wake you up.”  And over the years he’s expanded his skills by working on bison, alpacas, a fawn, a coyote, and even a snake.  “This young man came in with a box with a snake in it,” Liz recalled. “He kind of chucked the box at me and asked if we could fix his snake’s eye.”  However, it’s Betsy, a little Calico cat, who is living proof of his dedication to caring for creatures great and small, as she mews for attention from her kennel in the back of the clinic.  “She was dropped off at the door in a box and I took one look and thought, ‘Dr. O is going to have to euthanize her,’” Liz said.  The kitten had a badly broken jaw and other injuries, but the good doctor methodically helped her recover and after three surgeries there is no sign of her previous trauma. It’s something to be proud of but it’s also wistful, knowing there won’t be anyone to help the next kitten.  “We advertised for eight years,” Liz said, adding several people kicked the tires, but no one wanted to take it over.  What can be returned is being packed up and what can be sold to other clinics, like x-ray machines, is sold and the doors will be locked for the last time Oct. 13.  “It’s just a chapter in our life that we need to close,” she said. “But we’re looking forward to other things. I’d like to volunteer, get involved and see more of our grandchildren.”  Clients who need their animals’ files sent to another vet can call 780-213-9213 or e-mail [email protected]  [email protected]

Crypto’s Downturn Is About More Than The Macro Environment – Cointelegraph https://bexarcountynewsonline.com/cryptos-downturn-is-about-more-than-the-macro-environment-cointelegraph/ Crypto’s downturn is about more than the macro environment  Cointelegraph

Analysis | What Todd Akin And Roy Moore Can Tell Us About Herschel Walker – The Washington Post https://bexarcountynewsonline.com/analysis-what-todd-akin-and-roy-moore-can-tell-us-about-herschel-walker-the-washington-post/ It’s a situation Republicans have confronted way too many times for Mitch McConnell’s liking over the past decade or so: A candidate running in a closely watched, competitive race is suddenly enmeshed in a personal scandal late in the campaign. This time, it’s Herschel Walker. And as always the question is: Will it matter? A more apt question is will it matter enough. It’s tempting to say these things no longer matter at all, especially after Donald Trump won the presidency in 2016 despite the “Access Hollywood” tape. Trump initially was left for dead by many in his party, but then he pulled a massive political shocker. Trump recently contended that the electorate’s view of personal moral failings has shifted so substantially that Walker’s problems aren’t the dealbreaker they once were — at least before Walker was accused of paying for an abortion. That might still be true. But a look at recent history suggests that these things have almost always mattered at least somewhat. Just how much depends on many variables, including: what the alleged offense is how vital the election is/whether it’s federal when the alleged offense occurred/was revealed how people felt about the politician before that Perhaps the most clear-cut and fairly recent example of a scandal instantly and unambiguously sinking a politician was Rep. Todd Akin (R-Mo.). Before his comments about “legitimate rape” in August 2012, he had led Sen. Claire McCaskill (D-Mo.) in the seven most recent polls of their race. But within days of the remark, the same pollsters showed McCaskill overtaking him. And her ultimate 16-point margin of victory was bigger than in any of the polls. Late that same election cycle, Indiana GOP Senate candidate Richard Mourdock decided to offer his own thoughts on pregnancy resulting from rape. He said that when it happens, it’s “something that God intended.” The race had been polling tight before those Oct. 23 comments, but Rep. Joe Donnelly (D-Ind.) quickly overtook Mourdock and won by six points. Given that the GOP won Missouri and Indiana by nine and 10 points, respectively, in the presidential race that year, there’s little doubt that these comments inflicted substantial damage. The other key example of a controversy apparently costing the GOP a Senate seat is the 2017 race in Alabama. This time, though, the scandal concerned the candidate’s personal conduct: The Washington Post reported that GOP candidate Roy Moore had pursued teenage girls decades earlier while he was in his 30s — including two who alleged sexual abuse. Moore’s Democratic opponent, Doug Jones, hadn’t led in any polls of the race to that point, but suddenly a Fox News poll showed him up eight points, and a Washington Post-Schar School poll showed him up three. Jones won by 1.5 points — in deep-red Alabama. Other examples are a little more difficult to parse but carry some lessons. In 2007, Sen. David Vitter’s prostitution scandal didn’t appear to have much political impact; a poll conducted the next month showed two-thirds of Louisianans still approved of him. And Vitter (R-La.) was reelected three years later by a whopping 19 points. But he did ultimately lose a 2015 governor’s race in which the prostitution issue was raised extensively — again, in a red state. South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford (R) was revealed to have had an extramarital affair in 2009, and there were some signs of voters souring on him a bit (one poll showed 50 percent wanted him to resign). But he opted to stay in office and maintained a strong approval rating. He was also elected to Congress just four years after the scandal broke — albeit by only nine points in a district Mitt Romney had carried by 18 points the year before. Perhaps the most analogous situation to Walker’s is the one Rep. Scott DesJarlais (R-Tenn.) found himself in, at the tail end of the 2012 campaign. DesJarlais was revealed to have urged a mistress to have an abortion — among other messy problems. As you might have heard, DesJarlais is still in Congress a decade later. But there are real signs that it hurt; his margin of victory that year was just 12 points, despite Romney carrying the heavily conservative district by 32 points the same day. And DesJarlais won his primary two years later by just 38 votes. Indeed, if DesJarlais had been dealing with an electorate like the others on this list, it’s quite possible he would’ve lost. The final key example we’ll cite is one my colleague Paul Kane broached this weekend. Democrat Cal Cunningham, like Walker, was someone his party was counting on to help it retake the Senate in 2020. Then he was revealed to have engaged in an extramarital affair. The impact here is less obvious — Kane notes that Cunningham led both before and after the disclosure in nearly every poll — but his lead narrowed to the point where it was anyone’s ballgame on Election Day. And Sen. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) was reelected by two points. Why did that apparently have less impact? As the Sanford and Vitter examples suggest, it’s probably in part because of the perceived severity of the offense — an affair versus advocating an abortion or expressing extreme views on rape and pregnancy. (Sanford and Vitter also likely benefited from not having to face voters until years later.) It was also a federal race in which voters might be more concerned about losing 1 of 100 votes for their preferred side. Both of these factors also probably accrued to Trump’s benefit — the importance of the presidency and Trump’s conduct being about what he argued was mere “locker room talk.” Walker’s situation presents a whole host of variables that make it difficult to directly compare. The details are similar to what happened with DesJarlais: Both men espoused strongly antiabortion views; this time, too, the alleged abortion is also merely the latest in a series of ugly personal revelations about the candidate’s personal life. (For Walker, this includes reports about his having multiple children with different women he had not previously spoken about publicly.) Walker is also an obviously bad candidate, even aside from his personal issues — giving incoherent answers in interviews, and previewing his performance at an upcoming debate by saying, “I’m not that smart” and predicting that his opponent would “embarrass” him. It’s possible that the fallout from this latest scandal could be a death-by-a-thousand-cuts-type situation. But the evidence of the alleged abortion is less cut-and-dried — in DeJarlais’s case, there was a transcript of the congressman talking about the abortion — and Walker had already managed to remain competitive despite the previous revelations. (Walker denies paying for the abortion.) His race is also arguably more pivotal to control of the Senate than Akin’s and Mourdock’s races were in 2012, when Democrats went into Election Day with a six-seat majority. And Walker surely benefits from goodwill left over from his time as a Heisman Trophy winner at the University of Georgia. The question seems to be less about Walker suffering the same kind of collapse as Akin and Mourdock and more about whether it costs him enough to lose an already tight race, ala Cunningham. Of course, unlike in the pre-Trump era, Republicans now appear more willing to tolerate candidates behaving immorally than Democrats — if they even believe the incidents happened in the first place.

Wake Tech And N.C. A&T University Sign Technology Education Partnership – Wake Tech Newsroom https://bexarcountynewsonline.com/wake-tech-and-n-c-at-university-sign-technology-education-partnership-wake-tech-newsroom/ X Wake Tech and N.C. A&T University Sign Technology Education Partnership X Wake Tech and N.C. A&T University Sign Technology Education Partnership X Wake Tech and N.C. A&T University Sign Technology Education Partnership X Wake Tech and N.C. A&T University Sign Technology Education Partnership X Wake Tech and N.C. A&T University Sign Technology Education Partnership X Wake Tech and N.C. A&T University Sign Technology Education Partnership X Wake Tech and N.C. A&T University Sign Technology Education Partnership Previous Next 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.

Aristocrat Gaming™ Appoints Joe Kaminkow As Chief Innovation Officer – PR Newswire https://bexarcountynewsonline.com/aristocrat-gaming-appoints-joe-kaminkow-as-chief-innovation-officer-pr-newswire/ , /PRNewswire/ — Aristocrat Gaming today announced that Joe Kaminkow has taken on a new, expanded position with the company as Chief Innovation Officer. In this role, Kaminkow will help drive innovation across Aristocrat enterprise, including in new gaming products and mobile game genres, while further growing the Group’s capabilities and fostering world-class talent. The appointment extends Kaminkow’s long association with Aristocrat Gaming, dating back to his initial appointment as SVP of Game Development in 2013.  Joe Kaminkow has been named Chief Innovation Officer for Aristocrat Gaming. Kaminkow will report to the Chief Product Officer of Aristocrat Gaming, Matt Primmer, while working with teams across Aristocrat Gaming, Pixel United, and Anaxi (Aristocrat’s Online RMG business).   “We are delighted that someone of Joe’s caliber will be working full-time across the company to champion innovation, helping us to further penetrate growth opportunities and develop even more outstanding talent within our business,” said Hector Fernandez, CEO of Aristocrat Gaming. “As a valued colleague and contributor to our success for almost a decade, Joe’s brilliance and creativity is well-known to us at Aristocrat Gaming and across the industry. In this newly dedicated role, we look forward to Joe’s focused efforts to help our teams take their product portfolios to the next level.” Kaminkow previously served as Chief Creative Officer at Zynga, where he led development of social games, and was the original creator of several successful game titles. Joe holds over 130 patents throughout the fields of game design, operations, and networks, and has either created or contributed game design intellectual property to more than 1,500 games across multiple game formats and markets. “I am thrilled to expand my commitment to Aristocrat in a dedicated, full-time role, enabling me to devote my creative energies to all areas of the Group’s ongoing growth and success,” Kaminkow said. “I have been so impressed with the talent and drive of our employees over the past nine years and am excited to help Aristocrat take its next steps forward.” About Joe Kaminkow Joe Kaminkow is a renowned game designer who is widely credited as pioneering the use of licensed brands and bringing new cabinet form factors to the casino floor. He has been inducted into the Pinball Hall of Fame, the American Gaming Association’s Hall of Fame, and the EKG Hall of Fame, as well as being named a “Top Ten Most Influential Person in Gaming” by Strictly Slots Magazine.  Kaminkow has created some of the industry’s most successful slot games, along with several hit free-to-play, mobile social casino games.       About Aristocrat Gaming Aristocrat Gaming is part of Aristocrat Leisure Limited (ASX: ALL), a global games leader with more than 6,500 employees. The company is licensed in over 300 gaming jurisdictions, operates in more than 90 countries, and offers a unique blend of products and services. The company is the leading designer, manufacturer, and distributor of Class III games as well as Class II Innovations for American casinos and emerging markets. The company’s mission is to bring joy to life through the power of play. Its values are rooted in creativity and technology, and the company has a rich history of innovation that has shaped the gaming industry over many decades. For further information, visit the company’s website at www.aristocratgaming.com. Media Contact: Oriana Branon, [email protected] SOURCE Aristocrat Technologies Inc.

Judge Orders Bexar County To Add Dozens More Polling Sites – San Antonio Express-News https://bexarcountynewsonline.com/judge-orders-bexar-county-to-add-dozens-more-polling-sites-san-antonio-express-news/ A state district judge on Monday ordered Bexar County elections officials to add more polling places for the Nov. 8 general election than they had proposed. Visiting Judge Martha Tanner granted a temporary injunction sought by the Texas Organizing Project, which sued county officials last week because they had proposed setting up 259 polling locations — fewer than the more than 300 the county operated following a similar lawsuit in 2020. TOP, a liberal activist group, asked Tanner to order the county to open as many as 388 polling places for this November’s election, but county lawyers balked at that figure as “excessive.” Bexar County Elections Administrator Jacque Callanen told Commissioners Court on Sept. 6 that her office was proposing 259 locations. Later, she told a local TV news program that the county would add eight more, bringing the total to 267, after concerns were raised over whether fewer polling sites would discourage minority voters from casting ballots on Election Day. By Monday, the county’s number of planned polling places had grown to 270. County lawyer Catherine Wilson argued that it would suffice, and that the county’s plan would not violate Texas election law. Wilson and one of Callanen’s deputies, James Huerta, argued that county officials had taken into account minorities in drafting their 2022 election game plan. They said it would not be feasible or practical to add more voting places because it would require more equipment and election judges. Bexar County moved to a countywide polling place system in 2019, meaning voters can vote at any polling site no matter where they live, instead of having to vote only in their assigned precinct. In Tanner’s order Monday, the judge sided with TOP, saying the election department’s methodology violates the Texas Election Code “by allowing for the operation of as few as 259 countywide polling locations, which is fewer than ‘50 percent of the number of precinct polling places that would otherwise be located in the county for that election.’” The order said elections officials’ revised plan — to open 267 sites — also could violate the elections code. The order said the county should instead “adopt a methodology for choosing countywide polling locations that, absent a lawful combination of election precincts by the (Bexar) Commissioners Court, includes operating a minimum of 388 Election Day polling locations on November 8, 2022 from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.” The Texas Civil Rights Project successfully sued in 2020 to keep Bexar County from closing some voting locations that year. Texas law requires the number of countywide polling places to be no less than “50 percent of the number of precinct polling places that would otherwise be located in the county for that election.” The county has 776 precincts. In court, Wilson said there are 236 precincts with fewer than 750 registered voters. By combining those with fewer than 750 registered voters, and subtracting them from 776 precincts, the total is 540. Dividing that number in half — following guidance from the Texas Secretary of State — results in 270 polling places, Wilson argued. But Tanner agreed with Texas Civil Rights Project lawyer Joaquin Gonzalez, representing the Texas Organizing Project, argued for halving 776 — for a total of 388 polling sites. Huerta, a program manager in the elections office, testified that if the county was forced to have the 302 polling places it had in 2020, “that would be difficult to accomplish” so late “in the ballgame.” “The election has already started in our eyes,” Huerta said. “Even though early voting and election day haven’t arrived yet, we’ve already pushed the ‘Go’ button on our end.” He said 27,000 mail-in ballots have been sent out and ballots have been printed. “For us to start over, in my opinion, will mess with the integrity of the election,” Huerta said. Wilson also said lining up election judges has been difficult because of the rough-and-tumble political climate, and the possibility of aggressive, partisan poll watchers has resulted in some election judges in previous elections refusing to serve again. “Because of the political climate and security involved in schools, it’s been difficult to obtain locations,” Huerta testified. guillermo.contreras@express-news.net| Twitter: @gmaninfedland

The Festive Story Behind National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation – Looper https://bexarcountynewsonline.com/the-festive-story-behind-national-lampoons-christmas-vacation-looper/ × Cookies help us deliver our Services. By using our Services, you agree to our use of cookies. Learn More. 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,”...

ASX Chooses Google Cloud To Power Product Innovation – Tech Business News https://bexarcountynewsonline.com/asx-chooses-google-cloud-to-power-product-innovation-tech-business-news/ Australian Securities Exchange (ASX) has selected Google Cloud as its preferred cloud partner to build its data product innovation strategy. ASX has migrated its data and analytics footprint to Google Cloud, enhancing its capabilities to inform product innovation and extend access to insights for ASX and its local and global customers.  The data difference DataSphere is ASX’s data science and commercialisation platform, providing access to data, analytics, and innovation for ASX and its partners. ASX is leveraging Google Cloud’s industry-leading data and analytics technologies, to drive actionable insights from the platform, with scale and security at the core. ASX’s deep ecosystem of financial data will provide its partners with access to unique datasets; deeper, machine learning-based insights; end-to-end governance; and tools to build, commercialise, and distribute new financial models to their customers. Dan Chesterman, group executive, Technology and Data, Chief Information Officer at ASX says Data is central to our strategy—financial markets depend upon reliable, timely and relevant data “We operate critical infrastructure that underpins both the Australian and New Zealand financial markets, so having access to best-in-class technology is critical.” “Our collaboration with Google Cloud enables us to make data and insights accessible in a flexible and scalable environment. It will help us bring new products and services to market faster.” said Chesterman ASX is currently building new products with its debt, equities and futures market data, and investigating opportunities to collaborate on product development with Google Cloud. ASX’s technology transformation The migration to Google Cloud, supported by implementation partner Servian, forms part of ASX’s broader business and technology transformation. The exchange is in the process of renewing several core platforms which will see the average age of the core equity market technologies drop from over 20 years to an average of less than five years. Through this modernisation, ASX has introduced contemporary technology patterns and is digitising more parts of its business to deliver an improved customer experience.  “As one of the world’s top-10 listed exchange groups, ASX is transforming how financial markets deliver value by harnessing the power of data,” said Alister Dias, vice president, Google Cloud, Australia and New Zealand.  “By partnering with Google Cloud, ASX is fast-tracking its product innovation, by unifying their vast data estate and accelerating insights for all of their partners and truly unlocking the value of data and analytics.” said Dias Sharpening focus on skills and training To support ASX’s continued investment and effort in securing, developing, and nurturing the best industry talent, Google Cloud and Servian have also delivered customised training and enablement plans for employees to empower them in building the cloud and digital skills required to run DataSphere with Google Cloud technology. The enablement is continuing with the co-design of a cross-ASX training program that will provide employees with an opportunity to learn and apply the latest technologies to their jobs. The outcome will be a workforce rich in cloud experience and poised to accelerate the exchange’s technology ambitions. Austech Media Austech Media is Australian press release distribution and publishing organisation dedicated to the technology industry. Incorporating distribution of technology news and events