Anna Garraway

Sally (McClelland) Sweatman | News, Sports, Jobs – Evening Observer https://bexarcountynewsonline.com/sally-mcclelland-sweatman-news-sports-jobs-evening-observer/ Sally (McClelland) Sweatman Sally (McClelland) Sweatman, 75, of Tampa, Fla., passed away on June 29, 2022, at home surrounded by family. She was born May 7, 1947, in Dunkirk, N.Y. Residing in Tampa, Fla., since 1983, she worked for decades in the accounting industry. Sally was a thoughtful and loyal friend that was always up for do-ing anything with her friends and family. Daughter of the late William “Pete” and Margaret “Marge” (Drake) McClelland, she was preceded in death by her son, Timothy Sweatman; and sister, Susan (McClelland) Sinare. Sally is survived by her daughter, Shannon Sweatman; her brother, Fred McClelland; and several nieces and nephews. Visitation will be held Saturday, Oct. 8, 2022, from 10-11a.m., at the LARSON-TIMKO Funeral Home, 20 Central Ave., Fredonia, N.Y., where a memorial service will follow at 11 a.m. Interment will be in Willowbrook Cemetery. Sally was a passionate reader and the family asks that memorial donation be made in the form of a book to your library. Online condolences may be made at larson timkofuneralhome.com. Arrangements by David J. Dengler.

PwC Hong Kong Partners With Metaverse Developer TerraZero – Auganix https://bexarcountynewsonline.com/pwc-hong-kong-partners-with-metaverse-developer-terrazero-auganix/ In General XR News October 5, 2022 – TerraZero Technologies Inc., a developer of immersive experiences for the metaverse,  has recently announced that it has entered into a collaboration agreement with PwC Hong Kong (PwC). TerraZero’s business model is focused on metaverse product and service development, metaverse experience creation and deployment, and platform development. Together, PwC and TerraZero will devise a go-to-market strategy to help businesses across all sectors attain, reclaim and invite new audiences and to engage with them in new ways through immersive 3D experiences. The two firms will collaborate to market each other’s services to companies in Hong Kong looking to create experiences across a variety of metaverse platforms.­­­­ “The Metaverse will provide opportunities for all, from consumers to sole proprietors, small and medium-sized businesses, enterprise organizations and governments. There must be secure solutions for all,” said TerraZero CEO, Dan Reitzik. “TerraZero’s strengths are in creating engagement, community and usability solutions which bridge the real world and the metaverse,” added Reitzik. “We are particularly excited about both decentralized metaverse worlds and what TerraZero is creating for private environments: where companies, entrepreneurs, artists and content creators of all kinds can safely conduct transactions and KYC processes, manage their brand IP, and more – all within an environment which brands can completely control themselves. This is the vision we will follow as the metaverse continues to grow and major entities enter the space.” As well as public Metaverse experiences with B2B, B2G and B2C applications, PwC will work with TerraZero to explore new ways in which companies can build privately hosted metaverse experiences. These will have the enterprise level safety, privacy and security features that big brands need in order to interact and transact with their customers in ways that build trust with users. “In addition to creating engaging experiences for customers and delivering sustained outcomes, it is important that companies can manage the risks around user privacy, data security, cyber, payments, tax and financial crime,” added Peter Brewin, Partner, PwC Hong Kong. “TerraZero’s solutions, combined with PwC’s digital expertise in these areas, provide a tool kit for businesses to build experiences that their users can trust.” To learn more about PwC’s views on the metaverse’s implications for business, click here. To find out more about TerraZero and its solutions for metaverse experiences, click here. Image credit: TerraZero / PwC Sam Sprigg Sam is the Founder and Managing Editor of Auganix. With a background in research and report writing, he has been covering XR industry news for the past five years.

Cost Of Living: The People Using Solar Panels And Turbines To Reduce Bills – BBC https://bexarcountynewsonline.com/cost-of-living-the-people-using-solar-panels-and-turbines-to-reduce-bills-bbc/ Image caption, Richard Sanders is one of just four permanent residents at the Othona Community By Laurence Cawley BBC News, East At the eastern edge of England, where the River Blackwater meets the North Sea, a small community whose size oscillates with the seasons lives without any connection to the National Grid. The Othona Community at Bradwell-on-Sea in Essex has just four permanent residents, including wardens Richard Sanders and his wife, Debbie. Mr Sanders describes the 20-acre (8-hectare) Othona site as a “Christian community that is open to all faiths and none”. “We have a mixture of people who have been coming since the ’50s or ’60s and people coming along for the first time,” he said. “The ethos is worship, study and play, and people here get to meet others that they might not normally come across.” Image caption, As a location off both the electricity and gas grids, the Othona Community is in a tiny minority During the busier summer months, the retreat can have up to 60 people living there. As a location off both the electricity and gas grids, the Othona Community is in a tiny minority. Figures from the energy regulator Ofgem suggest the number of fully off-grid households across the UK could be between just 500 and 2,000. So how is Othona powered? BBC Powering Othona 25kwSolar array plus a second, older, 5kw array and solar thermal tubes which help heat the water. 5kwWind turbine with plans lodged for a newer 25kw turbine on site. Source: Richard Sanders “We’re right on the edge of nowhere,” Mr Sanders said. “So we’ve just developed from a place with no electricity, to a place with some generators, to a place with a wind turbine and solar panels. “We’ve always been a place where people have to think about their use of resources. In the earlier days we used to have to tell people not to use two hairdryers at once or it would collapse the system. “My feeling is that going on the grid would kill this being the sort of place where you think about energy rather than take it for granted. “Being off-grid is an opportunity for people to think about alternatives and the fact that there are alternatives.” Image caption, There remains one hair dryer at the community – a quirky reminder that not long ago two hairdryers in use at the same time would collapse the retreat’s electrical system The vast, commercial-style kitchen now runs on electricity rather than gas. Not having to pay the current price of gas is a relief to Mr Sanders. “I wouldn’t like to be paying the kinds of prices there are for gas now for the amount we use,” he said. “I mean, we still use the diesel [for the back-up generator] and that’s gone up, but not as much as the gas. “Even the price of the wood pellets that we use for the boiler have gone up – I suspect because people are using that if they can as an alternative to gas.” The centre is hoping to add a second wind turbine capable of 25kw in the near future, meaning they can do away with the back-up generator altogether. And while the centre is connected to the water mains, it also has its own sewage system dating back to the 1980s in which fluid waste is filtered through reed beds and into a pond, which doubles as the centre’s fire hydrant [solid waste is taken away by tanker]. Image caption, The half-tonne (79-stone) hot water tank at the centre gets heated with wood pellets The centre also has a small orchard and a group of hens that lays a handful of eggs daily. “People enjoy what is grown on site – so tomatoes and cucumbers in the summer, and we’ve got a lot of squashes at the moment and a few varieties of potato. “There was, in the 1970s, an attempt to become fully self-sufficient and they had cows, more chickens and a pig and ploughed the fields, but it turned out people were spending more time looking after animals than looking after people, and primarily we are about looking after people.” Image caption, Dr John Packman and his wife Caroline did not originally plan to self-build an eco home About 90 miles (145km) north of Bradwell-on-Sea, Dr John Packman and his wife Caroline live in their self-built home near Southwold in Suffolk. The couple did not set out to self-build an eco home. Rather, their hands were forced by circumstance – in this case, buying a house so rotten and damaged it proved to be unsalvageable. “What I’ve learned from building something new and from scratch is that the fundamentals are so simple, really,” said Dr Packman. “The key thing is orienting the house with the sun,” he said. “We’ve got a big roof on the south side and it is glazed on the south side with a big overhang which helps keep us cool in the summer, but on a winter’s day, when the sun is low, you can get up to 20C (68F) because of the solar gain.” Image caption, Both Dr Packman and Stephen West use a Tesla Powerwall to manage the storage of their solar-powered electricity On the roof of the Packman home are 20 solar panels which, rather than being placed on top of the roof, were installed instead of tiles. Together they produce 4kw of power and feed into a Tesla battery system which, when it senses a coming storm, can fill up on energy from the grid if needed. The couple live in an area overseen by UK Power Networks, which covers London, the East and South East. The energy operator said about 150,000 of its household customers (less than 2% of the total) fed electricity back into the grid, primarily from solar panels. Dr Packman said new builds made it much easier to be more self-sufficient. The floor of the couple’s timber-framed home has been insulated with specially treated recycled paper and the water is heated using an air source heat pump. The toilets of their home are flushed using rainwater harvested from the roof. “Doing stuff with the existing housing stock is difficult,” said Dr Packman. “It is expensive and difficult and needs government initiatives and support.” Image caption, Peter Chisnall, a trustee of environmental charity En-form, said people were wasteful when it came to energy Demand for photovoltaic (PV) panels is rampant, according to Peter Chisnall, a trustee at the Colchester environmental charity En-form. Suffolk County Council is just one of the local authorities that runs a Solar Together scheme, which buys solar panels in bulk for interested residents. “They announced the latest round recently and they had about 7,000 people register, which is phenomenal,” Mr Chisnall said. “People are thinking about this now.” And yet, he said, perhaps the first step towards greater self-sufficiency is not putting up solar panels or harnessing the power of the wind, but simply using less energy in the first place. Image caption, Mr Chisnall said although worthwhile, making existing homes more energy efficient could prove costly and disruptive “The one good thing about the cost of living crisis, perhaps, is that it is making us think about our energy use,” said Mr Chisnall, whose home has a 4kw PV system that has generated about 30,000kwh of energy in the past 10 years. “We are very profligate. “If you think of your energy bills, 80% of what you pay usually is on heating and the other 20% is your lights, your gadgets and all of those other things. “If you want to reduce that as much as you can then you want to look at super insulating your house, reducing thermal bridges and making it as airtight as possible.” An advocate for Passive House standards, which result in ultra-low energy buildings, Mr Chisnall said making existing homes more energy efficient could prove costly and disruptive. For a typical three bedroom semi-detached home, he said, the cost of adding various energy saving measures could cost £25,000 – £30,000. There are various grants available, however, to help meet those costs. “Ideally it should be a whole-house retrofit, even if staged over several years,” he said. “But even if some of the measures can be installed it will help.” Image caption, Stephen West’s 1980s home in Hethersett, Norfolk, has solar panels but he is still reliant on gas Stephen West’s 1980s home in Hethersett, Norfolk, is an example of the type of successful retrofit Mr Chisnall mentions. He installed two sets of solar panels seven years ago and, in 2019, connected the panels to a Tesla Powerwall – a rechargeable lithium-ion battery. “It was about not spending as much money as well as not using as much power from the grid,” he said. “This last year they have paid for themselves, so from now until 2035 it is all profit and that profit increases depending on energy prices.” He has had low-emission windows installed, super-insulated wherever possible, replaced the gas oven with an electric one and bought an electric car. He had wanted an air source heat pump but was told his radiators were too small to work in his home. “It is the practicalities of it because the house is just not designed for it,” he said. “I would love to get off gas. There are systems I could use, but I can’t fit them in.” Image caption, Mr West can monitor the energy production and use within his home via mobile devices The solar panels have saved Mr West about £12,500 during the last seven years. However, he still faces an increase in energy costs. The cost of gas is about to rise from 7p to 10p per kilowatt hour (kWh). And he continues to pay the electricity standing charge despite the fact that during the brighter months he is not using any electricity from the grid. “I would love to start again with a Passive House, I would love to do that.” Photography: Laurence Cawley Find BBC News: East of England on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. If you have a story suggestion email eastofenglandnews@bbc.co.uk The BBC is not responsible for the content of exte...

Crypto News: Big Eyes Coin Raises $3.55 Million While Polygon And BNB’s Surge – APN News https://bexarcountynewsonline.com/crypto-news-big-eyes-coin-raises-3-55-million-while-polygon-and-bnbs-surge-apn-news/ Checking if the site connection is secure www.apnnews.com needs to review the security of your connection before proceeding.

U.S. Imports Of Kazakh Crude Tumble After Russia’s Ukraine Invasion – Reuters.com https://bexarcountynewsonline.com/u-s-imports-of-kazakh-crude-tumble-after-russias-ukraine-invasion-reuters-com/ An interior view shows a new pumping station of the Caspian Pipeline Consortium (CPC) near the city of Atyrau, Kazakhstan October 12, 2017. REUTERS/Mariya Gordeyeva HOUSTON, Oct 5 (Reuters) – U.S. imports of Kazakhstan crude have dropped two-thirds since February, a Reuters analysis of U.S. Customs data showed, a decline spurred by pipeline and terminal outages and worries about the status of exports from a Russian port. The decline highlights the changing oil flows since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. U.S. buyers imported about 4.3 million barrels of Kazakhstan’s CPC Blend, down from 13.2 million in the same period a year ago. Refiners increased purchases of Middle East crude, particularly Basra Medium, as CPC fell. Traders initially this year shunned CPC oil out of fear that loadings from Russia’s Novorossiysk port might be barred. They were not, but terminal equipment repairs, oilfield and pipeline maintenances have cut shipments and volumes. Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com Chevron, which owns a 50% stake in Kazakh oil producer Tengizchevroil, PBF Energy’s (PBF.N) Delaware City refinery and Valero have purchased CPC crude since the Ukraine crisis. PBF has not, however, received any cargoes since May. Chevron and PBF did not immediately reply to requests for comment. Chios, a Greek-flagged vessel chartered by Chevron, loaded CPC crude at Novorossiysk and was signaling discharge this month at El Segundo, California, according to Refinitiv Eikon vessel tracking data. Chevron operates a refinery there. Aristofanis was the latest vessel to discharge CPC crude in the United States, according to U.S. customs data. The Marshall Islands-flagged tanker was chartered by Valero Energy (VLO.N) and discharged crude at Long Beach and Benicia in California. Aigeorgis, another Valero-chartered vessel that according to Refinitiv Eikon is carrying CPC Blend crude, also signaled Benicia as its destination. It has been anchored off the southern California coast for about three weeks. Valero and CPC Pipeline Consortium did not reply to a request for comment. U.S. authorities in June allowed an oil tanker traveling from Russia to New Orleans to unload after checking whether the cargo was Russian. A source familiar with the matter had said the shipment was of Kazakh oil products. Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com Reporting by Arathy Somasekhar in Houston; Editing by Josie Kao Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Pexip Strengthens Strategic Focus On Video Innovation USA – English – USA – PR Newswire https://bexarcountynewsonline.com/pexip-strengthens-strategic-focus-on-video-innovation-usa-english-usa-pr-newswire/ , /PRNewswire/ — Pexip, a leading global video technology company, announces a stronger focus on its strategic business area: Video Innovation. This is part of the company’s ambition to enable large organizations to build new solutions, integrate video into workflows, and innovate with Pexip’s Video Platform as a Service (VPaaS).  “We’re here to push the boundaries of video and unlock its full potential for our customers,” says Leighton Hughes, Vice President, Global Business Development – Innovation, Pexip. “Video Innovation is a move that builds on our previous success in enabling customers’ digital workflows. As part of this, we aim to extend our market reach, help customers create new sources of value, and solve transformation challenges with video technology, all while continuing to deliver the best-in-class flexibility and scalability for which we are known,” he adds. Growth areas for Pexip Video Innovation Pexip’s focus on Video Innovation is underpinned by the company’s organizational structure, which now includes a new business unit with dedicated technical and commercial resources across the Americas, EMEA, and APAC. This team is targeting three strategic areas for growth: video-enabled extended reality, healthcare, and customer & citizen engagement. Extended reality: enabling frontline workers with video and wearable technology in the field and providing access to experts and critical support. Healthcare: bringing video technology to virtual waiting rooms, telehealth solutions, healthcare devices like “exam cams,” and advanced solutions for seminars and therapy sessions. Customer & citizen engagement: powering video connections for virtual courtroom hearings, customer contact centers, retail services, banking, and more.  “More and more digital solutions require video, and with our Video Innovation focus, we are delivering the video platform from which these solutions can be built,” explains Jordan Owens, Vice President, Architecture, Pexip. “Imagine the first responder who can connect to the specialist from the road or the expert who can remedy a problem at a remote job site through wearable technology. Video is changing how we approach digital transformation, and our job is to help our partners and customers achieve even more with our technology inside.” Pexip’s video technology is ready to go everywhere Pexip takes a partnership approach to Video Innovation, offering video technology integration, reseller agreements, strategic alliances, as well as shared offerings and collaboration opportunities. Pexip has been delivering video technology solutions to the world for nearly a decade and is known for its enablement of secure collaboration across systems, platforms, and external partners. Key features: Open: Pexip is built as a platform, enabling customers to create solutions for their processes. Extendable: Pexip integrates easily with third parties to ensure a seamless user experience. Trusted: Pexip prioritizes security at every step of development, and its solutions adhere to the strictest security standards in the world and have been accredited accordingly. Pexip Marketplace coming soon As part of its Video Innovation focus, Pexip plans to launch its own marketplace for partner solutions and offerings in Q4 2022. Here, customers can browse applications built with Pexip and access developer resources, including the API library, plugins, a community forum, and more. For more information on Pexip Video Innovation, visit pexip.com/video-innovation.  This information was brought to you by Cision http://news.cision.com https://news.cision.com/pexip-as/r/pexip-strengthens-strategic-focus-on-video-innovation,c3641874 SOURCE Pexip AS

Press Release Enter The Metaverse/Blockchain Gaming. – The Cryptonomist https://bexarcountynewsonline.com/press-release-enter-the-metaverse-blockchain-gaming-the-cryptonomist/ The Cryptonomist is proud to announce Enter The Metaverse and Blockchain Gaming in partnership with Tech Circus. Tech Circus is a global educational networking events company seeking to bridge the gap between Web 2 and Web 3.0 via IRL and online, worldwide events. Tech Circus is bringing the virtual world to London November 28th and 29th 2022 to explore the Metaverse and Blockchain Gaming. The conference is hosted in 155 Bishopsgate, located minutes from Liverpool Street Station, a stylish and contemporary venue with an established reputation for customer service, hospitality, and superb conference facilities. Over 20,000 square feet in the centre of London, with a single floor of modern, ample scale space for up to 600 delegates, 50 exhibition stands, and an adjacent networking ‘galleria.’ The day will feature keynote speakers like Sebastian Borget, Co-founder of the Sandbox, Sarojini McKenna, Co-founder of Alien Worlds, Dirk Leuth, Co-founder of Upland.ME and Robby Yung, CEO of Animoca Brands (with more to come). Sponsored by Alienworlds and Algorand. This fully catered conference experience will include: Two days of hyper-focused talks, exclusive interviews, and in-depth panels covering Metaverse and Blockchain Gaming’s hottest topics. Expo stands for brands pitching the latest tools and products to help you get ahead of the competition in the virtual world. Complimentary breakfast and lunch. Plenty of time to chill out with Drinks, yoga, and meditation rooms (maybe not all at the same time) In-person executive networking opportunities with the biggest brands and businesses in NFT’s, Crypto, Web 3, Blockchain Gaming and Metaverse. Exclusive prizes from our partners like NFT’s, Cryptocurrency giveaways, and virtual plots of land. Join us and meet with the industry elite, network with the most prominent businesses and brands in London, and listen to a full day of Masterclasses on the tech, growth, and application of the Metaverse and Blockchain Gaming from the experts. Tickets for these events are limited and selling out fast, so secure your seat now! Get a ticket to both events for a special reduced price! Buy your ticket at: https://techcircus.io/en/events/enter-the-metaverse-london-2 Join us on Discord at https://discord.gg/mN6ReWyCgQ Or follow along on Twitter @TechUnchained_

Grey Forest Requests Law Enforcement Presence From Bexar County Sheriff’s Office – FOX 29 https://bexarcountynewsonline.com/grey-forest-requests-law-enforcement-presence-from-bexar-county-sheriffs-office-fox-29/ Grey Forest requests law enforcement presence from Bexar County Sheriff’s Office  FOX 29

American Express Travel Is Right On Point For Certain Millennial Travelers – Skift Travel News https://bexarcountynewsonline.com/american-express-travel-is-right-on-point-for-certain-millennial-travelers-skift-travel-news/ A majority of American Express’ new customers — 60 percent — in the second quarter belonged to the Generation Z and millennial generations, a metric very much noticed at subsidiary American Express Travel. “Their mindset around culturally impactful travel is helping to shape what we do,” Audrey Hendley, president of American Express Travel, told Skift last week. American Express Travel, the leisure travel business that handles cardmembers’ vacations and pleasure trips, became the sixth largest U.S. travel agency in 2021, overtaking Flight Centre and Internova. That ranking is from Travel Weekly’s 2022 Power List, which pegged American Express Travel at $4.9 billion in 2021 sales. This figure was just 71 percent of the travel agency’s 2019 numbers, but parent company American Express reported that in April cardmembers’ total travel and entertainment spending, including for hotels, flights, car rentals and cruises, as well as restaurants and concerts, rose to 108 percent of the 2019 mark. That was the first time travel and entertainment spending through American Express eclipsed pre-pandemic levels. “We have seen the demand for travel rebound faster and stronger than what we expected,” Hendley said. One signal of that rebound is the recovery of the company’s elongated booking windows, which many travel companies saw shrink to a fraction of their pre-pandemic lengths as uncertainty and disruption took their toll. “We’re seeing advanced bookings being very, very strong,” Hendley said. “So one of the measures that I look at is 120-plus days out from today. Versus the same time in 2019, those 120-day-plus bookings are up 40 percent for U.S. card members.” The trip mix has reverted to pre-pandemic levels of 70 percent domestic and 30 percent international, she said, adding, “And that’s kind of back to what we would’ve seen in the past, as travel continues to surge.” American Express Travel and Amex Global Business Travel Many people confuse American Express Travel, the leisure travel agency that’s part of public credit card company American Express, with the larger American Express Global Business Travel ($7.1 billion in 2021 sales), which became a public company in its own right in at the end of May. The two businesses had been part of the same parent company until 2014 when American Express spun out Amex Global Business Travel into a privately held joint venture. The two companies have a tight relationship, and American Express owns 35 percent of Amex Global Business Travel, now formally known as Global Business Travel Group. That stake is down from 40 percent before the business travel company’s stock market debut. Among the tie-ins, American Express licenses its brand to the business travel group, and American Express and the Global Business Travel Group conduct joint negotiations with airlines, hotels and car rental companies to wrangle sometimes-exclusive deals, including private airfares, as well as significant discounts and perks such as late checkouts or hotel upgrades. The Value Proposition Those deals are part of the reason many cardmembers are attracted to American Express Travel, which touts its roughly 100 years in the travel industry, despite some weaknesses (we’ll discuss further below). American Express Platinum cardmembers, according to American Express Travel, “can enjoy exclusive savings on premium class fares on over 20 participating airlines” when booking international trips at AmexTravel.com. Business Platinum cardmembers who book first and business class seats partially or wholly with points through American Express Travel receive 35 percent of these points back, the company said. Luxury lodging benefits from 2,000 hotels around the world include 5x membership rewards points for Platinum cardmembers when they book on AmexTravel.com, and they can pay for these stays with points on that portal, as well. “I book all my travel with Amex,” said Marcus Baldwin, 27, who’s in the tech industry, in a Twitter direct message. “I think the hotel prices are compelling and I like the added perks I get from the hotels program (including Fine Hotels + Resorts and The Hotel Collection). “I also think the peace of mind of dealing with a travel company that knows me based on my card membership. I like being able to use points to pay with travel also.” Baldwin’s one cited disappointment is he would like to see American Express Travel add the ability to book Amtrak tickets. Allen Walton, 34, the founder of FlyGuyTravel and a Richardson, Texas resident, said in a phone call that he booked around half a dozen hotel stays through American Express Travel over the last year, including an upcoming reservation at a Hilton’s Conrad Bangkok in Thailand, and he’s generally found the rates “way better” than booking directly with the hotel or Booking.com, or even compared to group rates in one instance when he was attending an event. Travel Agents and Mix of Booking Channels American Express Travel has around 7,000 travel agents, or travel consultants in company parlance, in 23 countries, and the planning and booking experience can be hybrid. Hendley of American Express Travel said the agency attempts to provide a cross-channel experience so disclosing to this reporter a percentage of online or offline bookings might be misleading, and a “disservice” to each. “So you could go online, and you could start your booking there and then you have something a little bit more complicated or something you want to talk about,” Hendley said. “And you might then say, forget that. I’m going to call you on the phone. You might start on the phone and you might say, you know what? I need to look around and see what other hotels are in the location, and you go back to the online.” Walton, the Texas entrepreneur, said he booked a stay using the American Express Platinum card’s concierge service, but reserved the wrong dates. In trying to modify the booking, he said the customer service was “not great” because the concierge service agent told him she couldn’t cancel an American Express Travel booking, and redirected Walton back to the travel agency’s non-Platinum cardmember customer service. On the other hand, Danielle Nuzzo, 38, a communications professional at Trust & Will in San Diego, California, raved in a Twitter direct message about her experience booking her honeymoon, including using Amex points for the flights, through American Express Travel six years ago. “They had a lot of knowledge of specific hotels and villas to book in Sri Lanka and the Maldives,” Nuzzo said. “They were super helpful on which hotel and even the villa number to book in the Maldives for the best sunset view.” Nuzzo’s American Express travel consultant even came to the rescue with a visa on short notice. “Well one thing that was overlooked was a tourist visa, which was needed for Sri Lanka,” Nuzzo said. “So the day before our flight, while in Dubai, we realized we don’t have a visa but once we contacted our agent she was able to get it sorted out very quickly and we were on the flight the next day. “ Nuzzo said the couple communicated with the American Express Travel agent for the honeymoon trip “mostly by phone and email communication.” “I’m wondering if they have an app now that you could direct-message your agent for quicker responses?,” asked Nuzzo, who counts herself solidly as a millennial. If there are some gripes at times about American Express Travel’s customer service, it should be pointed out that American Express took top honors for customer satisfaction in the J.D. Power 2022 U.S. Credit Card Satisfaction Study for the third year in a row. There Are Millennials and Then There Are Other Millennials Nuzzo’s reference to whether American Express Travel has a mobile app raises the issue of how American Express Travel relates to younger travelers. American Express Travel doesn’t have a dedicated mobile app, and when cardmembers seek to book travel in the American Express app they get pushed to an American Express Travel mobile website. American Express Travel’s Hendley said the company’s customers — and not just the ones who skew younger — seek experiential travel — and during the second quarter 60 percent of American Express’ new customers in the U.S. were Generation Z or millennials. Hendley said American Express Travel found that 81 percent of its customers expressed the sentiment that it was “very important” that they feel like they are contributing to local economies when they travel. “And this is very meaningful to people, and it’s not just what you would think in terms of millennials,” she said. “It’s across the board in terms of what customers want. They want to be in local places, they don’t want the one size fits all.” American Express Travel doesn’t have a great mobile experience, and it doesn’t offer short-term rentals during an era where many people are looking to travel, work, and live in new places beyond hotels. Hendley pointed out that its Fine Hotels + Resorts program offers “a lot of properties that have onsite villas, and properties that have multiple bedrooms and kitchens in different destinations.” If American Express Travel indeed wants to appeal to customers in the current era, after the pandemic reshaped the travel environment, doesn’t it need to offer more vacation rentals at a minimum? Calling it “an interesting trend,” Hendley said the company knows a lot of customers are interested in short-term rentals. “We’re watching the ways people are traveling, and I just want to make sure that if we ever did that, that we made sure that we were innovating and being very differentiated in the marketplace,” Hendley said. It would be easy to envision an American Express Trave...

Seattle DJC.com Local Business News And Data – News – CoreStack – Seattle Daily Journal Of Commerce https://bexarcountynewsonline.com/seattle-djc-com-local-business-news-and-data-news-corestack-seattle-daily-journal-of-commerce/ Oct 05, 2022 BCRA Hull McElroy Isaiah McElroy has joined BCRA from BLRB Architects and brings nearly five years of construction administration and architectural design experience to the firm. He is a Washington State University graduate where he earned a Bachelor of Science in Architecture Studies. He previously worked in the education market and will be supporting BCRA’s multifamily residential and retail markets at the firm’s Tacoma office. Jessica Hull also joined BCRA, from Thomas Architecture Studios, where she primarily worked on multifamily residential projects following the completion of a Master of Architecture program at Washington State University. She is a current member of the Olympia Heritage Commission. Though her previous experience is in architectural design, she is interested in exploring interior design concepts and will have the opportunity to support the interiors department through BCRA’s retail market. She is also based in the Tacoma office. DLR Group Vander Ploeg DLR Group has promoted Michael Vander Ploeg to regional workplace leader, focusing on the Northwest region. In his new role, Vander Ploeg will advance the growth of DLR Group’s workplace market sector across Oregon and Washington, guiding a team of integrated design and engineering professionals. He will continue innovating the future of the workplace with existing client partners while sparking new partnerships in DLR Group’s focus areas, including science+technology, mass timber, and sustainable design and development. Vander Ploeg is currently researching new ways to collect sensor data from built environments to make them more sustainable, enjoyable, and healthier. In addition to this research, he is working on methods for fabricating new prototype spaces and interactive design installations that engage technology clients with the communities in which they live and work. FSi Kelly FSi announced the addition of Rex Kelly to its engineering office in Spokane. Kelly brings an EIT and a BS in Mechanical Engineering from Boise State University. Kelly will focus on energy modeling and supporting Inland Northwest client projects with plumbing and HVAC design. MG2 Unzelman MG2 recently announced the promotion of Wendy Unzelman to chief financial officer. Unzelman has more than 35 years in finance and accounting, serving most recently as the firm’s vice president of finance. In her new role, she will be responsible for the financial strategies that support the firm’s short and long-term business growth. In her fourteen years at MG2, she has strengthened accounting processes to improve the quality of data and reporting her team provides. Unzelman joined MG2 in 2008 as controller, taking on greater and greater responsibility, including financial planning and analysis, budgeting and forecasting, and succession planning. She was promoted to vice president of finance in 2018. Earlier in her career, she was a CPA in the public accounting firm Yergen & Meyer (now Moss Adams) with a specialty in audits. Unzelman is a graduate of Southern Oregon University and earned a Bachelor of Science in Biology. She is a past president of the Seattle/Bellevue area chapter of the Washington State CPA Society and is Lean certified. In addition to elevating Unzelman, MG2 promoted eighteen employees in the firm’s Seattle office. Tracy Schneider was promoted to associate director, public relations, Dallas Dyer, was promoted to program manager, Bonnie James is now BIM account manager, Emily Walker is now marketing manager, Katie Bartman is now HR generalist, Lauren Muller has been promoted to marketing coordinator, Colleen Hannah has been promoted to studio administrator 2 and Angelique Brown to contract specialist. Brittany Hazzard has also been promoted to contract specialist. Sarah Simchuk, in now associate 5, Crystal Fairley is associate 4, Alina Pinchuk is associate 4, Elise Braun is associate 3, Savannah Moller is associate 3, Tehilla Ben Gershom is associate 2, Jessica Bone is associate 2, Katie Fenn is associate 2 and Sruthi Sundaresan is associate 2. Parametrix Baker John Baker has joined Parametrix as a senior construction manager based in Puyallup. He has over 30 years of experience in construction management working with government, petroleum, aerospace, manufacturing, and pharmaceutical clients. Baker comes to Parametrix from Akana. He specializes in field project supervision, project management, regulatory compliance, and quality control for construction, environmental, and health and safety projects. His project experience includes serving as construction inspector for Metro’s Central Waste Transfer Facility Stormwater Treatment System project. The Riley Group Angel Chou Charlie Chou has joined The Riley Group’s geotechnical engineering department as a licensed project geologist. He began his career in 2016 working in the environmental and storm water pollution sectors after earning his Bachelor of Science in Geology from California State University, Fullerton. Chou later expanded his hands-on field experience by working on a variety of complex geology projects which included exploration and collection of data for tidal and infiltration studies. During this time, he also performed site-specific historical research for Phase I ESAs and aided in environmental report preparation and documentation. In 2020, he received a Master’s in Applied Geosciences from the University of Washington, after which he dedicated himself to the geotechnical engineering sector. Currently his work includes performing geotechnical construction monitoring services on large scale residential plats and infill projects. This work generally consists of performing compaction testing, monitoring of pile installation soil nails/tiebacks, and completing foundation/footing observations. Chou is a certified erosion and sediment control lead. In this role and generally during construction activities, he directs temporary erosion control measures and best management practicesto retain sediment and water onsite. He works directly with the site owner, contractor, and subcontractors to coordinate these efforts. Lastly, he is adept in performing sieve, moisture, proctor, and Atterberg Limit tests in the RGI soil laboratory. Sam Angel has also joined RGI, as a senior staff geologist, within the company’s geotechnical department. He has over three years of experience providing geotechnical, environmental, and hydrogeologic consulting services in the Pacific Northwest and is actively pursuing professional licensure. Originally from Missoula, Montana, Angel began his career working on Phase I and Phase II environmental site assessments in his hometown. Currently, his expertise is in construction, involving exploration geology during design phases and construction monitoring. He earned his Bachelor of Science in Geosciences while attending Pacific Lutheran University, and his Master’s in Applied Geosciences from the University of Washington. During his graduate program, Angel focused in slope stability and drafted a landslide inventory and shallow/deep landslide susceptibility models for the Port Gamble S’Klallam Tribe. He uses his strong academic background in exploration work and in making recommendations during construction earthwork. Moda Health Moda Health, founded in Portland in 1955, will begin offering medical plans in the state of Idaho. Moda Health currently serves communities in Oregon, Alaska, and Texas. In Idaho, the company will offer individual, family, medicare supplement and group medical plans. Moda Health is partnering with the Saint Alphonsus Health Alliance network; the Patient Quality Alliance network, a comprehensive network of hospitals and physicians throughout Southeast Idaho; and Minidoka Memorial Hospital, along with other local providers. Open enrollment for Moda’s individual/family medical plans begins Oct. 15 and runs through Dec. 15. Avalara Avalara, a provider of tax compliance automation for businesses of all sizes, announced that independent proxy advisory firm Institutional Shareholder Services has recommended that shareholders vote “For” the pending transaction with Vista Equity Partners at the company’s upcoming Special Meeting of Shareholders scheduled for October 14, 2022. The recommendation supports the Avalara board’s unanimous recommendation that shareholders vote “For” the transaction. The transaction is expected to close in the second half of 2022, subject to customary closing conditions, including approval by Avalara shareholders. Goldman Sachs is serving as exclusive financial advisor to Avalara, and Simpson Thacher & Bartlett and Perkins Coie are acting as legal counsel. Headquartered in Seattle, Avalara has offices across the U.S. and around the world in Brazil, Europe, and India. DexCare Seattle-based DexCare has been selected to participate in Amazon Web Services’ Health Equity Initiative, a $40 million, three-year commitment, supporting organizations in developing solutions to advance health equity. Through the initiative, AWS offers AWS credits and customized technical expertise to selected organizations around the world that want to use AWS services to improve health outcomes and health equity in any of the following areas: 1) increasing access to health services for underserved communities; 2) addressing social determinants of health; and 3) leveraging data to promote more equitable and inclusive systems of care. DexCare will use the grant from AWS to build customized dashboards for use by health systems across the country to measure, track, and trend progress towards increased access for medically underserved communities. The initiative is occurring in tandem with the rol...

Under Pressure: Tips For Planning And Preparing Quick, Healthy And Affordable Meals – IOL https://bexarcountynewsonline.com/under-pressure-tips-for-planning-and-preparing-quick-healthy-and-affordable-meals-iol/ Please enable cookies. You are unable to access iol.co.za Why have I been blocked? This website is using a security service to protect itself from online attacks. The action you just performed triggered the security solution. There are several actions that could trigger this block including submitting a certain word or phrase, a SQL command or malformed data. What can I do to resolve this? You can email the site owner to let them know you were blocked. Please include what you were doing when this page came up and the Cloudflare Ray ID found at the bottom of this page. Cloudflare Ray ID: 75545b62bb33aa82 • Your IP: 170.39.76.27 • Performance & security by Cloudflare

Today In History | News, Sports, Jobs – Escanaba Daily Press https://bexarcountynewsonline.com/today-in-history-news-sports-jobs-escanaba-daily-press/ Today in History Today is Wednesday, Oct. 5, the 278th day of 2022. There are 87 days left in the year. Todayís Highlight in History: On Oct. 5, 1953, Earl Warren was sworn in as the 14th chief justice of the United States, succeeding Fred M. Vinson. On this date: In 1892, the Dalton Gang, notorious for its train robberies, was practically wiped out while attempting to rob a pair of banks in Coffeyville, Kansas. In 1947, President Harry S. Truman delivered the first televised White House address as he spoke on the world food crisis. In 1958, racially-desegregated Clinton High School in Clinton, Tennessee, was mostly leveled by an early morning bombing. In 1983, Solidarity founder Lech Walesa was named winner of the Nobel Peace Prize. In 1989, a jury in Charlotte, North Carolina, convicted former P-T-L evangelist Jim Bakker of using his television show to defraud followers. (Although initially sentenced to 45 years in prison, Bakker was freed in December 1994 after serving 4 1/2 years.) In 1994, 48 people were found dead in an apparent murder-suicide carried out simultaneously in two Swiss villages by members of a secret religious doomsday cult known as the Order of the Solar Temple. ; five other bodies were found the same week in a building owned by the sect near Montreal, Canada. In 2001, tabloid photo editor Robert Stevens died from inhaled anthrax, the first of a series of anthrax cases in Florida, New York, New Jersey and Washington. In 2005, defying the White House, senators voted 90-9 to approve an amendment sponsored by Republican Sen. John McCain that would prohibit the use of ìcruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishmentî against anyone in U.S. government custody. (A reluctant President George W. Bush later signed off on the amendment.) In 2011, Steve Jobs, 56, the Apple founder and former chief executive whoíd invented and master-marketed ever sleeker gadgets that transformed everyday technology from the personal computer to the iPod and iPhone, died in Palo Alto, California. In 2015, the United States, Japan and 10 other nations in Asia and the Americas reached agreement on the landmark Trans-Pacific Partnership trade deal. In 2018, a jury in Chicago convicted white police officer Jason Van Dyke of second-degree murder in the 2014 shooting of Black teenager Laquan McDonald. (Van Dyke was sentenced to 81 months in state prison.) In 2020, President Donald Trump staged a dramatic return to the White House after leaving the military hospital where he was receiving an unprecedented level of care for COVID-19; Trump immediately ignited a new controversy by declaring that despite his illness, the nation should not fear the virus. Ten years ago: A month before the presidential election, the Labor Department reported that unemployment fell in Sept. 2012 to its lowest level, 7.8 percent, since President Barack Obama took office; some Republicans questioned whether the numbers had been manipulated. Five years ago: Hollywood executive Harvey Weinstein announced that he was taking a leave of absence from his company after a New York Times article detailed decades of alleged sexual harassment against women including actor Ashley Judd. The National Rifle Association and the White House expressed support for controls on ìbump stockî devices like those that apparently aided the gunman behind the Las Vegas attack; the NRA later said it was opposed to an outright ban on the devices. California Gov. Jerry Brown signed legislation extending protections for immigrants living in the United States illegally; police in California would be barred from asking people about their immigration status or taking part in federal immigration enforcement activities. One year ago: A former Facebook employee, data scientist Frances Haugen, told a Senate panel that the company knew that its platform spread misinformation and content that harmed children, but that it refused to make changes that could hurt its profits. Work at all of the Kellogg Companyís U.S. cereal plants came to a halt as roughly 1,400 workers went on strike. (The strike would end in December after workers voted to ratify a new contract.) A Russian actor and a film director rocketed into space on a Russian Soyuz spacecraft to make the worldís first movie in orbit during a 12-day stay on the International Space Station. Todayís Birthdays: Actor Glynis Johns is 99. College Football Hall of Fame coach Barry Switzer is 85. R&B singer Arlene Smith (The Chantels) is 81. Singer-musician Steve Miller is 79. Sen. Benjamin L. Cardin, D-Md., is 79. Rock singer Brian Johnson (AC/DC) is 75. Blues musician Rick Estrin is 73. Actor Karen Allen is 71. Writer-producer-director Clive Barker is 70. Rock musician David Bryson (Counting Crows) is 68. Astrophysicist-author Neil deGrasse Tyson is 64. Memorial designer Maya Lin is 63. Actor Daniel Baldwin is 62. Rock singer-musician Dave Dederer is 58. Hockey Hall of Famer Mario Lemieux is 57. Actor Guy Pearce is 55. Actor Josie Bissett is 52. Singer-actor Heather Headley is 48. Pop-rock singer Colin Meloy (The Decemberists) is 48. Actor Parminder Nagra (pahr-MIHNí-da NAHí-grah) is 47. Actor Scott Weinger is 47. Actor Kate Winslet is 47. Rock musician James Valentine (Maroon 5) is 44. Rock musician Paul Thomas (Good Charlotte) is 42. Actor Jesse Eisenberg is 39. TV personality Nicky Hilton is 39. Actor Azure Parsons is 38. R&B singer Brooke Valentine is 37. Actor Kevin Bigley is 36. Actor Joshua Logan Moore is 28. Actor Jacob Tremblay is 16. Today’s breaking news and more in your inbox

Nvidia Launches Omniverse Cloud Service For The Industrial Metaverse – CDOTrends https://bexarcountynewsonline.com/nvidia-launches-omniverse-cloud-service-for-the-industrial-metaverse-cdotrends/ Nvidia has announced its first software-as-a-service solution for artists, developers, and enterprises to work on the industrial metaverse using the processing capabilities of its data centers to design and publish metaverse applications. The Nvidia Omniverse Cloud is a comprehensive suite of services backed by Nvidia OVX for graphics and physics simulation, Nvidia HGX for AI workloads, and Nvidia Graphics Delivery Network (GDN) to deliver high-performance, low latency metaverse graphics at the edge. Industrial metaverse Nvidia’s vision is a wide-ranging one that envisions leveraging its enterprise GPUs and global infrastructure to power new services that researchers, developers, and designers can use to create the metaverse. Nvidia is also pushing the Universal Scene Description (USD) standard, which is used to share 3D scenes and facilitate the exchange of data between virtual worlds and the physical realm. Richard Kerris, vice president of the Omniverse at Nvidia, compared USD to HTML: “The next evolution of the internet called the metaverse will be extended with 3D. [The] traditional internet that we know today connects websites described in HTML and viewed through a browser. The metaverse is going to be the evolution of that internet connecting virtual 3D worlds using USD.” Nvidia says roboticists can train, simulate, test, and deploy AI-enabled intelligent machines with increased scalability and accessibility with USD. Moreover, autonomous vehicle engineers can generate physically based sensor data and simulate traffic scenarios to test a variety of road and weather conditions for safe self-driving deployment. Moving into the future Marketing services organization WPP joined various partners at Nvidia’s announcement to launch its automotive marketing services on Omniverse Cloud to deliver custom, advanced 3D content, and experiences to leading automotive brands. “The industry expectation for what great automotive content looks like, in any channel, has increased dramatically in the past few years,” said Stephan Pretorius, chief technology officer at WPP. “With Omniverse Cloud, we are changing the way we build, share and consume automotive content – bringing sustainable, low-emission production to our customers.” Other partners include Siemens, a leader in industrial automation hardware and software, and RIMAC, a pioneer in electric vehicle technologies. “The metaverse, the 3D internet, connects virtual 3D worlds described in USD and viewed through a simulation engine,” said Jensen Huang, founder, and CEO of Nvidia. “With Omniverse in the cloud, we can connect teams worldwide to design, build, and operate virtual worlds and digital twins.” Image credit: iStockphoto/Thinkhubstudio

James Bond At 60: Britain’s Bulletproof Cultural Export Is Ripe For Another Rebirth – The Guardian https://bexarcountynewsonline.com/james-bond-at-60-britains-bulletproof-cultural-export-is-ripe-for-another-rebirth-the-guardian/ It’s the 60th anniversary of James Bond and the right time for all TikTok to be going crazy for “James Bond chord guy” – Jord, or @jrw21 – who’s got 1.4m views and climbing for his hilarious guitar tutorial on how to play the James Bond Chord, E minor with a major 7th and 9th, first used in the soundtrack for the first Bond film, Dr No, which premiered on 5 October 1962. The tense, unresolved chord, says Jord, usually follows Bond saying something cool and then Jord himself demonstrates in a surreally broad Sheffield accent: “Oh Mr Goldfinger, yeah. Come in. We’ve got space for you to have a haircut. Come on, sit down here. Fuckin’ jokin, dickhead. I’m not really a barber. I’ m fuckin’ James Bond. Short back and blow your fuckin’ ’ead off? TWAT!” And then that eerie chord …. Nothing demonstrates the phenomenal survival potency of the canonical 007 movie brand over 60 years, like that viral video. Somehow secret agent Bond, that preposterous dinner-jacketed imperial throwback, has persisted into 21st century popular culture as the exemplar of nonchalant alpha-maleness, evolving in such a way as to absorb and assimilate all the irony and objection that has been thrown his way. It is the most bulletproof action franchise of all, whose basic unitary identity has carried on for six decades. Like Doctor Who, Bond has survived by regenerating – from Connery to Lazenby to Moore to Dalton to Brosnan to Craig – but Doctor Who doesn’t have the continuity or international recognition (or not quite). Like Sherlock Holmes or Hercule Poirot or Miss Marple, 007 is an addictive returning persona, but those legendary sleuths, however feted in the cinema, never had 007’s single movie marketplace dominance. Forgiven by the Beatles … Sean Connery in Goldfinger. Photograph: United Artists/Allstar Harry Potter had a staggering run in tandem with the books’ appearance: but Daniel Radcliffe has now grown up. Tom Cruise’s Mission: Impossible movies and his Top Gun revival are colossal box office hits but even the Cruise can’t last for ever. Yet Bond carries on, apparently endlessly rebooting. But now, after the great apocalyptic ending of No Time to Die, the new Bond has to be finessed or retconned somehow. They must choose a new pope of luxury watch wearing and sexual banter from the various cardinals now assembling in Vatican City of Eon’s offices in London’s Piccadilly: Tom Hardy? Regé-Jean Page? Tom Hiddleston? Idris Elba? We do know that Eon are not looking for someone in their 20s. Gen Z is out. Brooklyn Beckham need not apply. James Bond’s appearance in the cinema was and continues to be a cash cow for Eon productions (now bought out, with MGM, by Amazon) and a global cultural phenomenon. It was a consolatory declinist fantasy for Britons, essentially the second world war action man of Ian Fleming’s conception in the books whose derring-do is cleverly presented as “secret” in a postwar world where Old England doesn’t count for as much. And yet, when Dr No was released in cinemas in 1962, Britain still had quite a few imperial possessions, including Hong Kong, Grenada, Kenya, Malawi and Qatar. And Sean Connery’s Bond became the standard bearer for that new detumescent paradox of British prestige: soft power. Bond was a great ambassador for British style, British class. And throughout the Connery-Lazenby-Moore years, international air travel and consumer gadgets were still not commonplace, at least not for the pennypinched, IMF-humiliated Brits who lapped it all up, and so Bond was a delicious Walter Mitty reverie which floated on to the present. 007 … Lashana Lynch in No Time to Die. Photograph: MGM/Nicola Dove/Allstar Soft power was the thing. And the irony was that this essentially conservative establishment figure became Britain’s soft power standard-bearer into the 1960s and beyond alongside those long-haired caterwauling non-establishment layabouts that Bond detested: British pop stars. In Goldfinger, Bond declares that drinking Dom Perignon ’53 above the temperature of 38 degrees fahrenheit is as bad as listening to the Beatles without earmuffs. That was a stuffy and pompous thing for Bond to say, but The Beatles really forgave him: Paul McCartney wrote one of the great Bond themes with Live and Let Die and Ringo Starr married Barbara Bach, who was, in the toe-curlingly sexist language of the time, a “Bond girl”. And so Bond carried on; through the eras of Reagan-Thatcher, the fragile special relationship, 9/11, the “war on terror”, the 2012 London Olympics (in which Daniel Craig’s Bond co-starred with the Queen) and now the Brexit retreat into Fortress Britain, he somehow aligned himself with the exo-skeletal inhumanity of Arnold Schwarzenegger’s Terminator and the wised-up ordinariness of Matt Damon’s Bourne, slightly modifying his style to accommodate these eddies in fashion. And in the last Bond movie, No Time to Die, in which the 007 title is given to a new agent, stylishly played by Lashana Lynch, there is even some mockery of Bond’s obsolete attitudes, his ageing and his dodgy knee. Modified style … Daniel Craig in No Time to Die. Photograph: MGM/Universal Pictures/Eon/Danjaq/Nicola Dove/Allstar Will the new Bond send himself up? I don’t think so. When Danny Boyle was hired to direct No Time to Die, he reportedly got himself fired from the project because he and writer John Hodge wanted to re-imagine the script and chuck some new ingredients into the Coca-Cola formula. Eon chiefs Barbara Broccoli and Michael G Wilson balked. The point is that the audience and the pundits can do the re-imagining and the ironising but Bond himself plays it straight, with a few teases and quirks. I have myself been one of those (many) people asking Eon if they might refresh the Bond brand by going back to basics or pre-basics and dramatise the original non-gadget Bond from the 1950s Ian Fleming novels. Well, the movies need the luxury and the glamour so that won’t fly, not even in a streaming TV series. But what about a prequel series imagining the dashing young M’s own adventures at the end of the war and then in rationing-hit London? That would leave the central icon untouched. Either way, Bond’s tux will probably come back from the dry cleaners good as new or thereabouts.

‘New Frontier’ Of Crypto Laundering Involves Cross-Chain Bridges And DEXs: Elliptic – Cointelegraph https://bexarcountynewsonline.com/new-frontier-of-crypto-laundering-involves-cross-chain-bridges-and-dexs-elliptic-cointelegraph/ Curve, Uniswap, 1inch, and the Ren bridge were the top platforms of choice for laundering illicit crypto, according to Elliptic. 605 Total views 24 Total shares New research from blockchain analytics and crypto compliance firm Elliptic has revealed the extent to which cross-chain bridges and decentralized exchanges (DEXs) have removed barriers for cybercriminals. In an Oct. 4 report titled “The state of cross-chain crime,” Elliptic researchers Eray Arda Akartuna and Thibaud Madelin took a deep dive into what they described as “the new frontier of crypto laundering.” The report summarized that the free flow of capital between crypto assets is now more unhindered due to the emergence of new technologies such as bridges and DEXs. Cybercriminals have been using cross-chain bridges, DEXs, and coin swaps to obfuscate at least $4 billion worth of illicit crypto proceeds since the beginning of 2020, it reported. Around a third of all stolen crypto, or roughly $1.2 billion, from the incidents surveyed, was swapped using decentralized exchanges. Delving further into the details, the report noted that more than half of the illicit funds it identified were swapped directly through two DEXs — Curve and Uniswap, with the 1inch aggregator protocol coming a close third. A similar amount (around $1.2 billion) has been laundered using coin swap services which allow users to swap assets within and across different networks without having an account. “Many are advertised on Russian cybercrime forums and cater almost exclusively to a criminal audience,” it noted. Sanctioned entities are increasingly turning to such technologies in order to move funds and carry out cyber-attacks, according to Elliptic. “Wallets connected to groups eventually sanctioned by the United States – including those used by North Korea to perpetrate multi-million-dollar cyberattacks – have laundered more than $1.8 billion through such techniques.” In a June report on virtual asset risks, global money laundering, and terrorist financing watchdog, the Financial Action Task Force (FATF), also fingered cross-chain bridges and “chain hopping” as a high risk. Related: $2B in crypto stolen from cross-chain bridges this year: Chainalysis The Ren bridge was mentioned as a top choice for crypto laundering with the vast majority of illicit assets, or more than $540 million, passing through it. “Ren has become particularly popular with those seeking to launder the proceeds of theft,” it said. One potential solution to mitigate crypto theft was proposed by Stanford researchers last month. It involves an opt-in token standard called ERC-20R that provides the option to reverse a transaction within a set time period.

Hong Kong’s Hang Seng Pops 6% On Return To Trade; Asia Markets Rise After U.S. Stocks Rallied – CNBC https://bexarcountynewsonline.com/hong-kongs-hang-seng-pops-6-on-return-to-trade-asia-markets-rise-after-u-s-stocks-rallied-cnbc/ People cross a street in Causeway Bay, Hong Kong. Marc Fernandes | Nurphoto | Getty Images Shares in the Asia-Pacific traded higher on Wednesday after U.S. stocks rallied for a second day. Hong Kong’s Hang Seng index surged around 6% on its return to trade after a holiday Tuesday. The Hang Seng Tech index soared 7.4% higher. The Nikkei 225 in Japan rose 0.45%, pushing above the 27,000 level, while the Topix added 0.37%. In South Korea, the Kospi was up 0.15% and the Kosdaq gave up early gains to fall 1.5%. Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 was up 1.72%. MSCI’s broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan rose 2.37%. On the economic front, inflation in South Korea slowed slightly in September, according to official data released Wednesday. Mainland China markets remain closed for the Golden Week holiday, and India’s stock market is also shut for a holiday. On Wall Street overnight, stocks soared overnight in the U.S. for a second session. The Dow Jones Industrial Average jumped 825.43 points, or 2.8%, to 30,316.32. The S&P 500 advanced nearly 3.1% to close at 3,790.93, and the Nasdaq Composite was 3.3% higher to end at 11,176.41. “There is no denying incoming U.S. economic data is having a hand in equity, bond and currency moves so far this week,” wrote Ray Attrill, head of FX strategy at National Australia Bank. The U.S. Job Openings and Labor Turnover report sprang a “big downside surprise” that couldn’t be ignored, he wrote. It’s the “first meaningful sign of some cracks” in the labor market, though it is still very tight, he added. — CNBC’s Tanaya Macheel and Alex Harring contributed to this report. Shares of TSMC jump after Morgan Stanley says it’s a ‘top pick’ TSMC’s shares in Taiwan jumped as much as 5.13% after Morgan Stanley named the world’s largest chip maker as the top pick in a note which predicted a semiconductor cycle recovery in the second half of 2023. The investment bank said TSMC is an industry leader with pricing power. The company’s U.S.-listed stock also rose about 5% overnight. — Abigail Ng CNBC Pro: Bank of America reveals its global picks for this quarter, giving one stock over 100% upside Interest rate rises, soaring energy prices and political turmoil in some parts of the world have battered stocks going into the final quarter of this year. To help investors navigate the volatility, Bank of America has revealed its top “short-term stock recommendations” for the next quarter, which they expect to “significantly outperform” their peers. CNBC Pro subscribers can read about five of their stock picks here. — Ganesh Rao BYD’s Hong Kong shares pop after September sales jump, deal with transport firm CNBC Pro: Market is heading toward the ‘best week of the year,’ pro says — and names 2 stocks to play it Market veteran Phil Blancato, whose firm has more than $4 billion in assets under management, said he expects next week to be a “turnaround week” for markets. Investors should take the chance to “jump into the market,” he said, as he named two stocks to take advantage of the rally ahead. Pro subscribers can read more here. — Zavier Ong New Zealand dollar gains after central bank hikes rates by 50 basis points The New Zealand dollar strengthened against the U.S. dollar after the Reserve Bank of New Zealand raised interest rates. The official cash rate now stands at 3.5%, after the central bank increased rates by half a point to “maintain price stability and contribute to maximum sustainable employment,” according to an official statement. The kiwi dollar gained as much as 0.86% against the greenback, and last traded about 0.5% higher at $0.5762. — Abigail Ng Core inflation in South Korea may peak in October, BofA Securities says South Korea’s core inflation, which excludes food and energy prices, could peak in October as demand slows due to higher prices and rising interest rates, said Kathleen Oh, Korea economist at BofA Securities. Core CPI came in at 4.1% in September compared to a year ago, up slightly from August’s 4%. “Even after it peaks, I think the slowdown of the inflation is going to be quite gradual, so that the overall level of prices will be elevated for at least next six or nine months ahead,” she told CNBC’s “Squawk Box Asia.” Headline inflation may have peaked in July since oil prices have fallen, she added. — Abigail Ng CNBC Pro: This isn’t the market bottom, Morgan Stanley says, naming 3 things that have to happen first There’s unlikely to be a sustainable market bottom unless three conditions are met, according to Morgan Stanley. “We … remind readers that the last few innings of every bear market are very challenging to trade as volatility becomes extreme,” they wrote. “None of the conditions we have been looking for to call an end to this bear market are in place.” Pro subscribers can read more here. — Weizhen Tan South Korea inflation eased slightly in September Consumer prices in South Korea rose less than expected in September from a year ago, official data showed. The CPI print came in at 5.6%, compared with 5.7% that economists polled by Reuters predicted. Prices rose 5.7% in August. September’s reading marks a second month of softening in inflation, and the slowest growth in four months. — Abigail Ng Dollar index falls back to 110 One factor helping equity markets on Tuesday could be a slightly weaker dollar, which is falling for the fifth-straight day. The DXY US Dollar Currency Index was down 1.5% in afternoon trading at 110.06. The index was trading as high as 114.78 last week, when there was concern about a failure of the UK government bond market. The British pound and the euro were each more than 1% against the dollar on Tuesday. The greenback was also down against the Japanese yen. —Jesse Pound, Gina Francolla

Facebook Winds Down Its Newsletter Service | Technology News – The Indian Express https://bexarcountynewsonline.com/facebook-winds-down-its-newsletter-service-technology-news-the-indian-express/ Facebook is shuttering its Bulletin subscription service, ending its attempt to compete with Substack and other newsletter services. Facebook, which is now part of the parent company Meta, has contacted writers within the program to tell them that the Bulletin platform will be wound down early next year. “Bulletin has allowed us to learn about the relationship between creators and their audiences and how to better support them in building their community on Facebook,” the company confirmed in a statement Tuesday. “While this off-platform product itself is ending, we remain committed to supporting these and other creators’ success and growth on our platform.” The program began in June last year, aiming to attract independent writers when more were looking to leave publications and have a direct relationship with their readers and take home all of their own revenue. It was looking to mimic the success that Substack, another newsletter platform, had with enticing writers to build their own newsletter brands. A note at the time from executives said Bulletin would support writers with a suite of publishing and subscription tools, as well as services like legal resources and design. “Our unique ability to help talented people find and connect with the audiences and markets they need to flourish gives independent journalism a greater opportunity to thrive,” wrote Campbell Brown, vice president of news partnerships, and Anthea Watson Strong, product manager for news. Bulletin began with a group of established writers and high-profile names, including Malcolm Gladwell, James Hamblin and Erin Andrews, as well as up-and-coming writers. It also offered support to local news writers through a $5 million commitment. Some of the deals were in the six figures. The contracts, some of which were for two years and go into 2024, will be paid in full, according to two people with knowledge of the decision. The writers are able to take their content and subscriber lists with them. Meta had previously specified that it would not take a cut of subscription revenue “until at least 2023.” There were signs in July that the program would not last much longer. Facebook executives told employees that month that the company was shifting resources away from its news offering and Bulletin and toward projects that focused on the creator economy, as first reported in The Wall Street Journal. Other newsletter projects have also suffered in recent months. Substack laid off 14% of its staff in June. It had discussed raising more funding last year, but shelved the plan. This article originally appeared in The New York Times.

Necessary Steps To Consider Before You Start Online Gaming – Intelligent Living https://bexarcountynewsonline.com/necessary-steps-to-consider-before-you-start-online-gaming-intelligent-living/ With the improvement of technology, video games have evolved. You can play them right from your devices like smartphones, laptops, etc., which means you can play these online games with people across the world, which makes it a fun game. Would you wish to opt for an online video games bandwagon? Before immersing yourself in it, you must consider certain factors. Of course, to play online games and enjoy them, you must familiarize yourself with the basic rules. Therefore, this article provides a list of things you should know before you begin online video gaming. Internet Connection When playing video games, an internet connection is a must, regardless of whether you are a beginner, amateur, or professional. Having a stable high-speed connection for all online games would be best. If your intent connection service provider is expensive yet offers moderate connection, it is vital to switch to better connectivity. In an overall view, you need a faster internet connection and high latency for smooth playing of your online games. Choose the Best Online Game That Suits You Numerous gaming websites offer a wide range of games online. But, you cannot just pick one that is trendy but rather choose a game that suits you. Evaluate your interests, and then select your ideal game accordingly. Depending on your test, for example, if you enjoy casino games, you will get games like slots, including situs slot online, poker, and more. You can further research more games until you find one you love. Don’t Overspend Many, if not all, online betting websites will entice you to pay so that you win, and this statement has drawn several gamers into trouble. You may end up overspending, trying to save the money you lose while gaming, or on the verge of making more profit. In voiding excess expenditure, always set a target of the amount you want to use and ensure you stick to it. Be Careful Online Although online gaming is fun, some people disguise to be players but with ill motives. You may come across hackers, imposters, and even scammers as part of cybercrime. To save yourself from these issues, ensure to be careful how you interact with personal information because identifying imposters may be tricky. Avoid clicking suspicious links that may lead you to fall prey to any danger. Familiarize With the Game After you identify the online game, such as situs slot online, to engage in, ensure to learn the ropes instead of diving into gaming. Gamers with little or no experience should first stick to tutorials of the beginner level. Still, the experienced ones can look for thought games in higher ranks. As a beginner, always stick to the levels that match your skills, learn slowly and progress steadily. That way, you will have fun and earn experience with time. If you plan to join the online gaming world, it is vital to keep all the above tips in mind, especially if you are a beginner. Following them will help you get the hang of the game, making your experience more enjoyable.

Grey Forest Requests Law Enforcement Presence From Bexar County Sheriff’s Office – WOAI https://bexarcountynewsonline.com/grey-forest-requests-law-enforcement-presence-from-bexar-county-sheriffs-office-woai/ Grey Forest requests law enforcement presence from Bexar County Sheriff’s Office  WOAI

Domestic Air Volume Still Down By 25% – Travel Daily https://bexarcountynewsonline.com/domestic-air-volume-still-down-by-25-travel-daily/ 4ʖ;hÉé;~¾­iT8»jï-‘K–Z˜ü,r0Uèö!@ZgC‘l÷Il05Õ^4ûL®k/*hm:~×_+©”Õ9͉gòA3b™ƒzŽª•ÅRü B±]Yõ ? Ø~’x¹kÌAÅUÁp{8Ô»%ÿ& ‹Â[Qø§á¤Ðs…®Dí‡lÐl€Š¶²AƒÀIºÆi6_U—Ò؄’ šç iE­ˆ{í]¸À¾^XDŽìlЀró5ïYJt {P,ýâ‡Éh_ÁÛôg‘Ïè|¸N,¢rÛã*Éÿᒯ9æ@¯6Ùvޔ0蛀°Oy÷ŸûTv@6’M½o^`!Œ‘ªá•!•òkeÁÜ@}ýú³pô(ÓÆêý­’M´ðÔmÅ­Íì3z”ç^ÈáÂQ‡w¾oEÔýNM+· C%ʃÓ[Ÿ }”W“ÙǝC/Ûpu?¼n®1Gœ¦å3m¾ß¥æuOL¯ã:$gD)›7,ƒV7{OãW¿ø î容åêqUUZGzä|nÛd Æ±‹a{Œ½?#eÞü‹š‡Ãˆìüá:y¾æå0w„`fðåaôùx(+4©«|þ´rkóæxTµ5±©(@8˜%}ޝy$ñ(Ãþg@L1 Ɏ†¤pná$]ß°F¨¬ÎÛ7ªæå˜_ŠèBAq¬„÷M‰BÏt˜^ÑØñʤÚxÈi0oP)w‡ƒ–u:ƒÓݲ1#W{-„-VÝï»!Á‘­x 4ԝÈߞ…j¬y~ˆx+ïÛn³m§˜æa 4¨Ëpêà®kÇo…(‡‚kqO}êÕ Ïú¢ ÑvBævHB×b·wùŠShÜ¿P¶mE­¾É™°u™yFð„ÆÒÛÙúÕûšòÅW³í˜¯Þt‚ÖWOÀã~õhà—|õb¶‹ÙW£¦¾Lf×ûÀl–2’Ífù4k6ËéëKÌfF­uÁS ÕÜzuu¥×_½m‹çÌ|õ¾™(£†’+ÔÜÉ5#ô(r‰ËÐá0ìx¯žî‚eÂ-^bb ÏBymQÂ+¯óüò÷ê ‡;v:Å×8ÚQŽñi0üøEl¸A}§I÷TR°ø°ãã-wí!V¢þPøw Óc|t12·ü1ÎVŸ©R8bÔkݹv’ Û#q¤;ìޖnɶßi݅¬ª¹Ž&wqšïg‘üv:¢ï‡ôéZuÎ-¿¿»ìõçu”$û{¶Fò‡Èm(èi›ZÜ¿)ô‡Ö5º Ǻ¥X=².ěOF–!’v`ç/N`êqg“J÷Ôh¢5ß÷Д€1k{ß±î‘Ufô4WäŒÁsâlÙº+DkßVÜú»=”C}¢üéÞh¨_¿î#ï‹ú¢FÓì?¹ Ñ~ÿþ¼‹~ÃoyN‡^+^ëÖtú”qØ9o„¬jQ£gêވ’kw0ђWÈý§‚Q›Ú Ÿ¼é}¡,N“؉Bâ§NÂHè¤I¦ùÁ!¹™ÿÛ×󜞛ޗ0ôÃÈ £„EÎÏÅpÖbtHV÷ã·Š}Ÿ}눲dUÀüŸ_‰&¯Äè |’gYsGd ’Iüôhòé1zLÁ™â‡þ°•Yûpa3£4Ž¡9ÛixÃäëúÐÈnÉï$ yè Œ#‡]®à-ZsÄãcq+Y荒N~|ÜË+Äx)#Ü

Zonta ADK Teams Up With Local Business For Fundraiser | News, Sports, Jobs – The Adirondack Daily Enterprise https://bexarcountynewsonline.com/zonta-adk-teams-up-with-local-business-for-fundraiser-news-sports-jobs-the-adirondack-daily-enterprise/ LAKE PLACID — Zonta ADK announced Tuesday that the group is partnering with a local business this month to raise awareness about domestic violence. The club is also hosting two annual events. For the entire month of October, Zonta ADK is partnering with Pure Placid to help bring awareness and raise funds for the Zonta Says NO to Violence Against Women Campaign. Through this campaign, Zonta members and allies aim to advocate for those who have suffered gender-based violence. Proceeds from the sale of a specially-created “Zonta Says No” candle will go towards projects that assist women in need, including the bulk donation of menstrual products to area food pantries, microgrants to local women and educational opportunities for women and girls in need, such as local scholarships. On Sunday, Oct. 16, the club will once again hold its annual Free the Girls bra drive. From noon to 2 p.m., the club will collect gently used and new bras of all sizes and styles in the parking lot at St. Agnes School in Lake Placid to help women rescued from sex trafficking who seek to reintegrate into “normal” life. With the bras collected, women in countries such as El Salvador, Mozambique and Costa Rica will start their own businesses selling the bras in the second-hand market with the help of the nonprofit Free the Girls. Zonta ADK’s third annual Halloween Decorating Contest is also happening this month. Entry is free and should feature indoor or outdoor Halloween decorations. Details can be found on the Zonta ADK Facebook page. Entrants must simply “like” the club’s Facebook page and email a photo of their decorations to adirondacks@zontadistrict2.org before Oct. 22. Winner will be the “fan favorite” as voted on the Zonta Club’s Facebook page between Oct. 23-25. The prize must be picked up in Lake Placid and cannot be mailed. Zonta Club of the Adirondacks is a charitable organization with the mission of advancing gender equality. Today’s breaking news and more in your inbox

A Garden Grows At Belmont Park – Past The Wire https://bexarcountynewsonline.com/a-garden-grows-at-belmont-park-past-the-wire/ Bringing Fresh Vegetables To The Backstretch  ELMONT, N.Y. – “Just look at this lovely garden,” said Stella Cardenas, surveying one of the newest and most vibrant additions to the Belmont Park backstretch: a community vegetable garden.  “Getting this far has taken teamwork, love … and a lot of water.” Leading a quick tour of the fenced-in 72-by-14-foot plot of land, tucked against a small hill just south of Hall of Fame trainer Todd Pletcher’s barn 35, Cardenas, who is the Backstretch Employee Service Team’s (B.E.S.T.) outreach worker and case manager, points out the highlights. There are two kinds of tomatoes – large and cherry – and zucchinis. There are three kinds of peppers – hot, medium and green bell. A few feet away are eggplants, a patch of green beans, and a variety of herbs, including parsley, mint and cilantro. The bounty and splash of color would do a farm stand proud. “Look how far we’ve come with some work and a few seeds,” Cardenas said. “Our hope is this will become the model for creating better nutrition here.” The planting of a community garden is the focus of that model: a crucial part of a pilot program underway at Belmont Park to deliver an array of home-grown vegetables to backstretch families while encouraging a more nutritional diet through workshops. On the agenda is a program to incorporate a few of the vegetables from the garden in menus to be offered at the backstretch cafeteria.  The garden is actually two 36 ft. x 7 ft. plots planted side by side on land recommended by the New York Racing Association, Inc. (NYRA) because it’s fairly central, close to residential dorms, and can be easily watered by a nearby pump. So, on a muggy day in June, a team from B.E.S.T., the Northwell Health Community Outreach and Community Relations group and Fidelis Care, with shovels in hand, broke ground. Advising them was Northwell Community Relations Program Manager Margaret Schmitt, known as the “Farm lady of Long Island” and formerly of F & W Schmitt’s Family Farm in Melville. The NYRA team then enclosed the garden with fencing. NYRA also regularly waters the property. “When Northwell and B.E.S.T. asked for our help in identifying a suitable piece of property, we didn’t hesitate for a second,” said NYRA Senior Vice President, Operations & Capital Projects Glen Kozak. “This is a good idea that will benefit a lot of people who work on the backstretch. We’re more than happy to contribute.” Gardens aren’t new to the backstretch. Look carefully and you’ll see random tomato vines in the nooks and crannies of Belmont Park barns. The Belmont Child Care Association also sports a vegetable garden at its day care center, Anna House, for the children to learn about healthy eating.  The new garden at Belmont Park fits right into role in the growing holistic approach to healthcare at the track, marking another step forward in Northwell’s emerging relationship with the New York backstretch community. That relationship kicked off in 2020 when Northwell began providing COVID-19 testing for backstretch workers at Belmont Park, and followed in 2021 with dispensing COVID-19 vaccine. More than 90 percent of the hundreds of backstretch workers based at Belmont are vaccinated, which is well above the New York State average.  “From the vaccine program, we got to know some of the backstretch workers and learn about their lives,” said Northwell Corporate Community Relations Regional Manager Patty McColley. “But we wanted to do more than just give vaccines. We wanted to make a difference in the lives of backstretch workers and help them tackle in some cases, high blood pressure and diabetes. It’s helping people in the community to become healthier and more self-sufficient. This is an issue that’s near and dear to our hearts.” Northwell’s Clinical Program Manager and registered dietitian nutritionist Anastasia Schepers agreed, calling the garden a “win-win” – a “link between food and health and a way to promote health and prevent disease.” In early 2022, Northwell’s connection to the backstretch community moved ahead another notch when it assumed the management of Belmont Park’s 1,000-square-foot heath care clinic. Staffed with four rotating Northwell physicians, the Northwell Health/B.E.S.T. Health Care Clinic treats people’s aches and pains, as always, but now takes a more holistic approach to health care by advocating healthy living and preventive care.  “This community collaboration has been years in the making,” said Vice President of Community Relations at Northwell Health Edward Fraser. The clinic also added free screenings for breast and colon cancer, a mental health therapist and classes on ergonomics led by a Northwell physical therapist. “We’re taking a real approach to community medicine and health care on the backstretch,” said B.E.S.T. Executive Director Paul Ruchames. “The clinic for instance is here to deal with the injuries, which it has always done. But what we’re seeing are more people coming in for physicals, and more people interested in learning how to adopt a healthier lifestyle. The planting of the vegetable garden moves the needle ahead even further.” So even as the fall weather turns colder, the Northwell/B.E.S.T. heath care team are formalizing their plan for the vegetable garden next spring. Upwards of 20 backstretch volunteers are sighed up to help plant next year’s garden with all of them set to take home some of the harvest. Coordinating with several Northwell hospitals and with the cafeteria staff at Belmont, it is planning healthy, low sodium menus to serve in the cafeteria as well as the cooking workshops.  “It’s important to create a feeling of ownership with the vegetable garden said Schepers. “To change habits takes time, but we’re confident that we’ll succeed. A lot of good things – and healthy, nutritious food – are ahead for the men and women who work on the backstretch at Belmont Park.” NYRA Cares Feature Story Photo by NYRA

U.S. Biathlon Names Interim CEO | News, Sports, Jobs – The Adirondack Daily Enterprise https://bexarcountynewsonline.com/u-s-biathlon-names-interim-ceo-news-sports-jobs-the-adirondack-daily-enterprise/ Longtime Olympic governing body leader Jack Gierhart was named the interim chief executive officer for U.S. Biathlon on Sept. 26. Gierhart will oversee the organization on an interim basis as current President and CEO Max Cobb transitions to the secretary general of the International Biathlon Union, beginning Oct. 17. Gierhart will work with the U.S. Biathlon staff to maintain consistency of programs through the 2022-23 season while supporting the board of directors in the search for a new CEO. “Under Max’s leadership we have established a strong athletic and administrative staff team,” board Co-chair Bob Hall said in a statement. “U.S. Biathlon is fortunate for Jack’s willingness to step in and provide continuity. He is well respected in the Olympic sports community and will be able to both lead our staff and represent us with the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee.” Gierhart has an extensive background in sport management. He was a key leader at U.S. Sailing. He started as a marketing director and rose to leader of the organization as the CEO for a decade. He recently completed a nine-month stint as the interim CEO of USA Fencing. “Max, the staff and the U.S. Biathlon board have built a strong, focused organization with an exciting vision for the future of Biathlon here in the U.S.” Gierhart said. “I’m excited to help the team continue serving the biathlon community and pursuing its 2030 strategy, while also working to ensure the next leader has a clear roadmap and can be productive on day one.” Over the past decade U.S. Biathlon has been growing in both its program footprint in the U.S. and with international results. Multiple athletes have achieved success in World Championships, the IBU World Cup Biathlon and international junior events. At the same time, biathlon clubs have been growing across the country, according to U.S. Biathlon. In his interim role, Gierhart is expected to have a presence where he is needed, including at the organization’s office in New Gloucester, Maine, as well as the team’s training base in Lake Placid. The U.S. Biathlon Board of Directors is conducting a national search to recruit a permanent CEO. Today’s breaking news and more in your inbox

‘Paperback Metaverse’ Exhibit Combines Books And AR – VRScout https://bexarcountynewsonline.com/paperback-metaverse-exhibit-combines-books-and-ar-vrscout/ Visitors scan paperback novels using their smartphones to unlock AR-powered NFTs. ADAPTATIONS: LAND, an environmentally-conscious mixed media art exhibit, kicked off yesterday in San Fransisco. Running now through November 13th, the gallery offers visitors the chance to immerse themselves in a number of thought-provoking installations. This includes ‘Paper Metaverse,’ a unique augmented reality (AR) exhibit by Nick Philip of the art collective Imaginary Foundation that blends cutting-edge technology with paperback books. Surrounded by classic literature, visitors scan real paperback novels using their smartphones to unlock AR-powered NFTs. “This installation uses the forgotten pages of yesterday’s novels to tell a collection of stories for tomorrow’s shifting reality,”said the Imaginary Foundation on Facebook. “By contrasting an environment built from thousands of upcycled paperback novels with a dynamic layer of augmented reality activated NFTs, the Paperback Metaverse fuses the physical, the virtual, and the sculptural.” Those lucky enough to find themselves in San Fransisco can check out Paperback Metaverse along with a number of other unique mixed media installations at The Drawing Room Annex, 780 Valencia Street SF. The gallery is open Tuesday-Sunday from 11-7pm as well as Fridays & Saturdays from 11-9pm. For more information visit here. Image Credit: Imaginary Foundation About the Scout Kyle Melnick Kyle is a writer for VRScout also working in new media production. He’s also a part-time bounty hunter.

Today In History: October 5, Truman Speaks On TV – Las Vegas Sun https://bexarcountynewsonline.com/today-in-history-october-5-truman-speaks-on-tv-las-vegas-sun/ Published Tuesday, Oct. 4, 2022 | 9 p.m. Updated 15 minutes ago Today in History Today is Wednesday, Oct. 5, the 278th day of 2022. There are 87 days left in the year. Today’s Highlight in History: On Oct. 5, 1953, Earl Warren was sworn in as the 14th chief justice of the United States, succeeding Fred M. Vinson. On this date: In 1892, the Dalton Gang, notorious for its train robberies, was practically wiped out while attempting to rob a pair of banks in Coffeyville, Kansas. In 1947, President Harry S. Truman delivered the first televised White House address as he spoke on the world food crisis. In 1958, racially-desegregated Clinton High School in Clinton, Tennessee, was mostly leveled by an early morning bombing. In 1983, Solidarity founder Lech Walesa (lek vah-WEN’-sah) was named winner of the Nobel Peace Prize. In 1989, a jury in Charlotte, North Carolina, convicted former P-T-L evangelist Jim Bakker (BAY’-kur) of using his television show to defraud followers. (Although initially sentenced to 45 years in prison, Bakker was freed in December 1994 after serving 4 1/2 years.) In 1994, 48 people were found dead in an apparent murder-suicide carried out simultaneously in two Swiss villages by members of a secret religious doomsday cult known as the Order of the Solar Temple; five other bodies were found the same week in a building owned by the sect near Montreal, Canada. In 2001, tabloid photo editor Robert Stevens died from inhaled anthrax, the first of a series of anthrax cases in Florida, New York, New Jersey and Washington. In 2005, defying the White House, senators voted 90-9 to approve an amendment sponsored by Republican Sen. John McCain that would prohibit the use of “cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment” against anyone in U.S. government custody. (A reluctant President George W. Bush later signed off on the amendment.) In 2011, Steve Jobs, 56, the Apple founder and former chief executive who’d invented and master-marketed ever sleeker gadgets that transformed everyday technology from the personal computer to the iPod and iPhone, died in Palo Alto, California. In 2015, the United States, Japan and 10 other nations in Asia and the Americas reached agreement on the landmark Trans-Pacific Partnership trade deal. In 2018, a jury in Chicago convicted white police officer Jason Van Dyke of second-degree murder in the 2014 shooting of Black teenager Laquan McDonald. (Van Dyke was sentenced to 81 months in state prison.) In 2020, President Donald Trump staged a dramatic return to the White House after leaving the military hospital where he was receiving an unprecedented level of care for COVID-19; Trump immediately ignited a new controversy by declaring that despite his illness, the nation should not fear the virus. Ten years ago: A month before the presidential election, the Labor Department reported that unemployment fell in Sept. 2012 to its lowest level, 7.8 percent, since President Barack Obama took office; some Republicans questioned whether the numbers had been manipulated. Five years ago: Hollywood executive Harvey Weinstein announced that he was taking a leave of absence from his company after a New York Times article detailed decades of alleged sexual harassment against women including actor Ashley Judd. The National Rifle Association and the White House expressed support for controls on “bump stock” devices like those that apparently aided the gunman behind the Las Vegas attack; the NRA later said it was opposed to an outright ban on the devices. California Gov. Jerry Brown signed legislation extending protections for immigrants living in the United States illegally; police in California would be barred from asking people about their immigration status or taking part in federal immigration enforcement activities. One year ago: A former Facebook employee, data scientist Frances Haugen, told a Senate panel that the company knew that its platform spread misinformation and content that harmed children, but that it refused to make changes that could hurt its profits. Work at all of the Kellogg Company’s U.S. cereal plants came to a halt as roughly 1,400 workers went on strike. (The strike would end in December after workers voted to ratify a new contract.) A Russian actor and a film director rocketed into space on a Russian Soyuz spacecraft to make the world’s first movie in orbit during a 12-day stay on the International Space Station. Today’s Birthdays: Actor Glynis Johns is 99. College Football Hall of Fame coach Barry Switzer is 85. R&B singer Arlene Smith (The Chantels) is 81. Singer-musician Steve Miller is 79. Sen. Benjamin L. Cardin, D-Md., is 79. Rock singer Brian Johnson (AC/DC) is 75. Blues musician Rick Estrin is 73. Actor Karen Allen is 71. Writer-producer-director Clive Barker is 70. Rock musician David Bryson (Counting Crows) is 68. Astrophysicist-author Neil deGrasse Tyson is 64. Memorial designer Maya Lin is 63. Actor Daniel Baldwin is 62. Rock singer-musician Dave Dederer is 58. Hockey Hall of Famer Mario Lemieux is 57. Actor Guy Pearce is 55. Actor Josie Bissett is 52. Singer-actor Heather Headley is 48. Pop-rock singer Colin Meloy (The Decemberists) is 48. Actor Parminder Nagra (pahr-MIHN’-da NAH’-grah) is 47. Actor Scott Weinger is 47. Actor Kate Winslet is 47. Rock musician James Valentine (Maroon 5) is 44. Rock musician Paul Thomas (Good Charlotte) is 42. Actor Jesse Eisenberg is 39. TV personality Nicky Hilton is 39. Actor Azure Parsons is 38. R&B singer Brooke Valentine is 37. Actor Kevin Bigley is 36. Actor Joshua Logan Moore is 28. Actor Jacob Tremblay is 16.

SEC Chair Gensler Insists Most Crypto Tokens Are Securities — Says ‘the Law Is Clear’ – Regulation Bitcoin News – Bitcoin News https://bexarcountynewsonline.com/sec-chair-gensler-insists-most-crypto-tokens-are-securities-says-the-law-is-clear-regulation-bitcoin-news-bitcoin-news/ The chairman of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), Gary Gensler, has reiterated that most crypto tokens are securities, emphasizing that “the law is clear on this.” However, the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) has asked Congress for authority over crypto spot markets and several bills have been introduced in Congress this year to provide the CFTC with the necessary authority. SEC Chairman Gary Gensler on Crypto Regulation The issue of which federal agency should regulate the crypto market has gained much attention recently. While the chairman of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), Gary Gensler, has said that the majority of crypto tokens are securities and should fall under the purview of his agency, many people and lawmakers believe that it should be the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) that regulates the crypto sector. Moreover, three bills have been introduced in Congress this year to make the CFTC the regulator of the crypto markets. In an interview with CNBC Monday, Gensler responded to a question about who should regulate the crypto sector. The SEC chief explained: Our agency is an agency that oversees this basic bargain. When a group of entrepreneurs is raising money from the public and the public is anticipating a profit, they need disclosure — full, fair, and truthful disclosure, and that’s the core bargain in our capital markets. The SEC chairman continued: “You get to take the risk but the person raising money or the persons raising money has to disclose various information to you. That’s how our capital markets work best, and the SEC is very good at this and that’s what we do.” He emphasized: The law is clear on this. I believe based on the facts and circumstances, most of these tokens are securities. On Monday, at the Financial Stability Oversight Council (FSOC) meeting, presided by Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen, Gensler reiterated: “Of the nearly 10,000 tokens in the crypto market, I believe the vast majority are securities. Offers and sales of these crypto security tokens are covered by the securities laws. Given that most crypto tokens are securities, it follows that many crypto intermediaries are transacting in securities and have to register with the Securities and Exchange Commission in some capacity.” Regarding the SEC collaborating with the CFTC, Gensler stressed: To the extent that crypto intermediaries may need to one day register with both the SEC and the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC), I would note we currently have dual registrants in the broker-dealer space and in the fund advisory space. Meanwhile, the CFTC has asked Congress for authority over the crypto cash market. CFTC Chairman Rostin Behnam explained last week that since the CFTC is a derivatives regulator, it does not currently oversee cash markets. Therefore, he has asked Congress for “cash authorities, so that we can go in the bitcoin cash market, the ether cash market, and the other digital commodity token [markets],” the CFTC chief explained last week. He also said that the SEC and CFTC will have to “figure that out legislatively” because crypto is a new asset class. “There are different components and characteristics of this asset class as opposed to traditional asset classes,” Behnam said, adding: “We have to rely on 70-year-old case law to determine what’s a security, what’s a commodity.” Who do you think should regulate the crypto market, the SEC or the CFTC? Let us know in the comments section below. Kevin Helms A student of Austrian Economics, Kevin found Bitcoin in 2011 and has been an evangelist ever since. His interests lie in Bitcoin security, open-source systems, network effects and the intersection between economics and cryptography. Image Credits: Shutterstock, Pixabay, Wiki Commons Disclaimer: This article is for informational purposes only. It is not a direct offer or solicitation of an offer to buy or sell, or a recommendation or endorsement of any products, services, or companies. Bitcoin.com does not provide investment, tax, legal, or accounting advice. Neither the company nor the author is responsible, directly or indirectly, for any damage or loss caused or alleged to be caused by or in connection with the use of or reliance on any content, goods or services mentioned in this article.

Border Patrol Agent Fatally Shoots Migrant In U.S. Custody – The Washington Post https://bexarcountynewsonline.com/border-patrol-agent-fatally-shoots-migrant-in-u-s-custody-the-washington-post/ The FBI is investigating the fatal shooting of a man in U.S. custody Tuesday inside a Border Patrol station near El Paso, according to the bureau and U.S. Customs and Border Protection. Jeffrey R. Downey, the FBI special agent in charge in El Paso, said the bureau responded Tuesday afternoon to a shooting involving a Border Patrol agent and “a person detained” at the Ysleta Border Patrol Station. “One person was taken into custody and was transported to a local hospital for medical treatment,” Downey said in a statement. “At this time, the FBI can confirm the person has died from his injuries.” Neither the FBI nor CBP provided information about the man’s nationality or the circumstances of the shooting. CBP said the agency’s Office of Professional Responsibility is also reviewing the incident, and El Paso Police Department officers responded to the scene. “Additional information will be shared when it becomes available,” CBP said in a statement confirming the man’s death. As of Sept. 14, CBP had recorded 17 use-of-force incidents by agency personnel using their firearms during the government’s 2022 fiscal year, according to the agency’s most recent statistics. There were 15 such incidents in 2021. In February, a Border Patrol agent fatally shot a Mexican man, 32-year-old Carmelo Cruz Marcos, in a remote Arizona canyon near the Mexican border. Prosecutors who reviewed the case declined to bring charges against the agent, saying he acted in self-defense. Border Patrol stations are secure facilities used to process and detain migrants who are taken into custody after entering the United States illegally. Agents staffing the facilities typically carry their firearms at all times.

Morgantown, West Virginia-Based Neurowired Aims To Advance Human-Robotic Technology In Commercial Space – WV News https://bexarcountynewsonline.com/morgantown-west-virginia-based-neurowired-aims-to-advance-human-robotic-technology-in-commercial-space-wv-news/ Your Bulletin Board Listings Area listings from Your Bulletin Board with regular updates WV News Daily News from around the State and World. What you need to know for today! Don’t Miss it! WV News Weekly Find out what’s happening around the state with this weekly email alert sent every Thursday evening! WV Obituaries Sign up to get our statewide obits delivered to your inbox daily. State Journal Newsletter Sign up to receive our daily newsletter about all things business and politics in West Virginia. Morgantown Daily Newsletter Morgantown News Delivered Each Day! Morgantown News Weekly Morgantown News Delivered to Your Inbox Each Week! WV Special Offers Special offers from businesses around your area. Expert WVU, College and High School Sports Update Get the latest headlines on local WVU, College and High School sports! Breaking News Get latest breaking news from around the state when it happens. Exponent Telegram Daily Newsletter Daily News, Sports and Events from The ET. WV Biz & Gov (less frequent) Sign up for the only WV Government and Business newsletter delivered each week! WV New’s Most Popular Stories of the Week This week’s most popular news from around the State. Don’t Miss it! Blue Gold Newsletter Daily updates from Blue Gold News for WVU sports. Fairmont Daily Newsletter Daily News, Sports and Events for Marion County. Fairmont News Weekly Weekly Fairmont news emailed every Thursday evening! Garrett County Daily Newsletter Daily News, Sports and Events for Garrett County and surrounding areas. Garrett Republican Weekly Find out what’s happening in Garrett County with this weekly email alert! Jackson Daily News Update Get the Jackson Star & Herald Delivered to your email everyday! Jackson Star and Herald Weekly Get the Jackson News Weekly delivered to your inbox! Mineral News & Tribune Daily Update Daily news from the Mineral News & Tribune delivered to your email! Mineral News & Tribune Weekly Update Get the news for Mineral County, Keyser and Frankfort delivered to your email on Tuesdays and Fridays! Preston County Daily Newsletter Daily News, Sports and Events for Preston County. Preston News Weekly Weekly email alert sent every Tuesday and Friday afternoon for Preston County! River Cities Daily Newsletter Get the River Cities Tribune & Register Delivered to your email everyday! River Cities Weekly Newsletter Get the River Cities Tribune and Register Delivered to your email less frequently! Weston Democrat Daily Daily News, Sports and Events for Weston and Surrounding areas. Weston Democrat Weekly Weekly newsletter for Weston. WVHired.com Sign up for local job offers sent to your inbox.

Civil Rights Group Sues Bexar County Over Closing Polling Places – San Antonio Express-News https://bexarcountynewsonline.com/civil-rights-group-sues-bexar-county-over-closing-polling-places-san-antonio-express-news/ A progressive nonprofit group is suing Bexar County over its decision to close more than 40 polling places ahead of the November election. The county has approved 259 polling places for Election Day, about 129 fewer than the Texas Organizing Project alleges is required by the Texas Election Code. 2020 FLASHBACK: Elections Department has one week to add 18 new polling sites By comparison, in 2018 and 2020, the county had 302 polling places open. The suit, filed in state district court in Bexar County, seeks a court order to increase the number of polling places to 388. Bexar County moved to a countywide polling place system in 2019, meaning voters can vote at any polling site no matter where they live, as opposed to voting in their assigned precinct. The nonprofit, represented by the Texas Civil Rights Project, has sued successfully over the issue before. In 2020, a district court judge ruled in their favor, forcing the county to open 18 additional polling places three weeks before Election Day. “It is unacceptable that the County turned its back on that promise, especially after the legal action that was required in the 2020 election,” said Joaquin Gonzalez, senior supervising attorney for TOP’s voting rights program. “By closing polling locations, Bexar County is not only making it harder for certain communities to cast their ballots, but it is also doing so in clear violation of the law. It’s time to ensure that all voters in Bexar County, no matter their zip code, can vote safely and easily.” Texas law requires that the number of countywide polling places must be no less than “50 percent of the number of precinct polling places that would otherwise be located in the county for that election.” That is where the nonprofit and the county’s interpretations diverge. Bexar County elections administrator Jacque Callanen did not immediately respond to a request for comment, but in the past, her office has argued for a different baseline number of polling places. While she acknowledges there are 776 precincts in the county, she says the correct comparison would be to the amount of polling sites that were previously open. “You have to work with poll sites, and at our largest we had 303,” she said at a Sept. 6 commissioner’s court meeting, according to the suit. Callanen reportedly told TV station KENS5 that the county planned to open eight more locations, but she has not responded to a letter from the nonprofits asking for confirmation of the number of Election Day locations it will add. In 2020, the county calculated the number of polling places “based on a theoretical, but unlawful, ability to combine certain precincts,” according to District Judge Karen Pozza’s order. Pozza wrote that closing polls confuses voters and dampens turnout: “Evidence shows that an increase of .25 miles to a polling location can lead to a decrease in turnout of up to 5 percent.” taylor.goldenstein@chron.com

Inflation, Rising Prices Causing 79% Of Holiday Travelers To Change Their Plans – Bankrate.com https://bexarcountynewsonline.com/inflation-rising-prices-causing-79-of-holiday-travelers-to-change-their-plans-bankrate-com/ ON THIS PAGE Jump to Open page navigation The holiday season is an opportunity to slow down, connect with friends and family or even take a much-needed vacation. But according to a new Bankrate survey, a substantial portion of travelers are rethinking their excursions this year. Of the 43 percent of U.S. adults planning to travel this holiday season, about eight in 10 of those travelers (79 percent) are changing their plans this year due to inflation and rising prices, the survey found. Here is what others say they will be doing, and how you can get the most travel bang from your bucks. How holiday travelers will change their plans Holiday travelers will be adjusting those plans in several ways. The most popular money-saving tactics include: Traveling for fewer days (26 percent) Engaging in less expensive activities (25 percent) Opting for cheaper accommodations and destinations (25 percent) Taking fewer trips (24 percent) Traveling shorter distances (23 percent) Escalating airfare and gas prices are a factor in many of those decisions. In fact, 23 percent of travelers say they will drive rather than fly to their holiday destinations. Conversely, 12 percent are opting to fly instead of drive. People are also turning to their credit cards to cut costs, with 22 percent of travelers saying they will use accumulated rewards to fund holiday travel, including miles, points and other loyalty programs. “Using credit card rewards, frequent flier miles and hotel points can save you a lot of money,” says Bankrate.com senior industry analyst Ted Rossman. “Many people have amassed a lot of these and haven’t traveled much the past few years, so it’s a good time to cash them in. They won’t get more valuable over time.” Inflation’s impact across income groups Household income is a major factor in who is making the majority of the holiday travel adjustments. This is not surprising, since inflation primarily impacts people who earn less. An August 2022 Gallup poll found that 74 percent of lower-income Americans are experiencing either severe or moderate financial hardship, compared to 56 percent of the population as a whole. Bankrate’s survey found that 86 percent of holiday travelers with annual household incomes under $50,000 will change their plans due to inflation and rising prices. That doesn’t mean people with higher incomes aren’t affected: 79 percent of the holiday travelers earning between $50,000 and $79,999 say they are changing their holiday plans due to inflation and rising prices. For those earning between $80,000 and $99,999, it’s 77 percent. For households earning $100,000 or more, it’s 70 percent. Expecting young people for the holidays? You may have to go to them If you’re hosting the festivities this year, you may want to prepare for fewer faces around the table — or to visit them instead. This is especially true if you’re expecting guests from younger generations. According to Bankrate’s survey, younger people are more apt to say inflation is driving their holiday travel plan changes. Gen Zers and millennials are most likely to change their plans because of rising costs, with 82 percent of each age group saying so. People from older generations are also feeling the financial pinch, though. The survey found that 78 percent of Gen Xers and 73 percent of boomers cite inflation as the reason for tweaking their holiday travel plans. If you want to maximize attendance at holiday festivities this year, consider gathering near your youngest family members to eliminate some of the financial strain on those most likely to experience it. Holiday pre-planning is trending Higher travel prices and increased travel disruptions are only adding to the stress many Americans are feeling. Looking ahead, 32 percent of holiday travelers say the expenses will strain their budgets, 31 percent are worried their travel plans will be disrupted, and 22 percent say they feel pressured to spend more than they’re comfortable. The good news is there is still time to prepare and get the best deals. “Travel costs have surged, so it’s important to plan ahead and factor these expenses into your overall holiday budget,” says Rossman. “Airline fares are up 28 percent over the past year. Lodging away from home, on the other hand, is only up 1 percent. I suggest making airplane and hotel reservations earlier than in previous years, since demand will probably outpace supply. This summer, air travel was particularly messy as consumers unleashed pent-up demand and the industry couldn’t keep pace.” Some consumers have already started to get ahead of the costs by booking in advance. Among holiday travelers requiring travel reservations, 16 percent booked before September, and 15 percent planned to book in September. The highest portion, 22 percent, will make their reservations in October, and 21 percent will book in November. Just 11 percent will book in December. A sizable 16 percent of the respondents, though, said they didn’t know what they would do. Holiday travelers will be careful with credit So how will consumers pay for their holiday travel expenses? The survey found 49 percent of holiday travelers plan to pay (or have already paid) with a debit card or cash, 38 percent with credit cards that will be paid in full before interest accrues, 21 percent with rewards points, 18 percent with credit card(s) paid back over time and 8 percent with buy now, pay later services. If you’re wondering how you can ease the financial pressure of travel this holiday season, remember that a great travel credit card can come to the rescue. Many come with built-in perks and benefits that can reduce expenses, such as free checked bags and travel insurance that can save you from the high cost of flight delays and cancelations. This may also be the ideal time to open a new card. Consider one that comes with a valuable sign-up bonus. You can book your travel plans to meet the minimum spend and get the rewards bonus to pay for something else that you need.  A 0 percent APR intro offer can be perfect if you want to have the flexibility of paying off your travel expenses for a year or more with no interest added. With the unpredictability of inflation, the right credit card (used responsibly) can take you where you want to go — into 2023 and beyond. Methodology: Bankrate.com commissioned YouGov Plc to conduct the survey. All figures, unless otherwise stated, are from YouGov Plc. The total sample size was 2,455 adults, including 1,055 who anticipate traveling for the holidays and 829 who require travel reservations. Fieldwork was undertaken between September 7-9, 2022. The survey was carried out online and meets rigorous quality standards. It employed a nonprobability-based sample using quotas upfront during collection and then a weighting scheme on the back end designed and proven to provide nationally representative results.