Montana Site Fouled By Copper Smelter To Get Final Cleanup 69News WFMZ-TV
Montana Site Fouled By Copper Smelter To Get Final Cleanup – 69News WFMZ-TV https://bexarcountynewsonline.com/montana-site-fouled-by-copper-smelter-to-get-final-cleanup-69news-wfmz-tv/
BILLINGS, Mont. (AP) — A subsidiary of London-based oil giant BP agreed to finish its cleanup of a 300-square mile (776-square kilometer) site in Montana that’s contaminated with arsenic and other pollutants from decades of copper smelting, and to repay the U.S. government $48 million in response costs.
Under a legal decree filed Friday in U.S. District Court, the Atlantic Richfield Company committed to finishing cleanup work in residential yards in the towns of Anaconda and Opportunity. It also will clean up soils in the surrounding hills and address the remaining piles of contaminated waste at the site.
Arsenic and toxic metals spewed from a 585-foot-tall smokestack in Anaconda for nearly a century and the pollution settled into the ground for miles around. It’s the toxic legacy of southwestern Montana’s mining days, when copper ore processed in Anaconda was used to electrify the United States.
Opportunity resident and former smelter worker Serge Myers, 77, said any additional cleanup work done under Friday’s agreement would be beneficial. But he remained disappointed the remediation plan being used won’t clean residential yards unless they contain more than 250 parts per million of arsenic — a level that Myers and other residents have said is arbitrary and still unsafe.
“There’s hot spots in some areas. Everybody knows that. I wish things had turned out differently where we really had more cleanup work than we had done,” said Myers, who worked at the smelter for 17 years.
The “Copper King” Marcus Daly and the Anaconda Copper Mining Co. began smelting copper ore from Butte in 1884. In 1977, ARCO purchased the Anaconda Co. and inherited vast lands polluted with arsenic, lead, copper, cadmium and zinc from ore-processing operations and stack emissions. Later, under the federal Superfund law, ARCO became retroactively liable for that contamination.
Three years after Atlantic Richfield shut down the Anaconda smelter in 1980, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency designated it as a Superfund site because of the risk to human health and the environment. The major concern was high concentrations of arsenic in the soil and water, a contaminant that can cause cancer and a range of other diseases.
Myers and others worried about health problems from the pollution had long complained that the EPA had botched the cleanup. A tentative deal to finish the work was first announced more than four years ago.
In 2020, the U.S. Supreme Court blocked an effort by homeowners near the smelter to do cleanup work without permission from the EPA. The homeowners wanted to force Atlantic Richfield to pay for the removal of more arsenic-tainted soil beyond what the EPA had ordered.
Atlantic Richfield previously said it had spent $470 million to clean the site under multiple federal orders. The remaining work is estimated to cost $83.1 million.
Montana U.S. Attorney Jesse Laslovich, who was born in Anaconda, said the towering smokestack at the site remains a symbol both of the hard work that built the community and contamination that lingered too long.
“Our water will be cleaner, our soils will be purer, our slag will be covered, and our future will be brighter because of this historic agreement,” Laslovich said in a statement.
The smokestack is now a state park that nobody can visit because of the pollution.
In 2021, Atlantic Richfield quietly settled a civil lawsuit filed in 2008 by 98 people in Opportunity and the community of Crackerville. They wanted restoration damages to pay for a more thorough cleanup than what was planned by ARCO under the federal Superfund law. Details of that agreement were not disclosed.
Friday’s agreement must be approved by a federal judge and also is subject to a 30-day public comment period. It was signed by representatives of Atlantic Richfield, the EPA, the U.S. Justice Department and Montana Gov. Greg Gianforte.
John Davis, a lawyer who has represented ARCO, did not immediately respond to a request for comment about the agreement, nor did representatives of BP.
Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
Slam Dunk For Healthy Living | Local News | Santafenewmexican.com Santa Fe New Mexican
Slam Dunk For Healthy Living | Local News | Santafenewmexican.com – Santa Fe New Mexican https://bexarcountynewsonline.com/slam-dunk-for-healthy-living-local-news-santafenewmexican-com-santa-fe-new-mexican/
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Sterlen Barr of Philadelphia, with Rapping About Prevention, shows children what your teeth could look like if they smoked at the Healthy Hoops health program on Friday targeting individuals with asthma and obesity at the Genoveva Chavez Community Center. Healthy Hoops focuses on healthy living, nutrition and fun with basketball.
Bernard Corey of New Castle, Del., huddles with kids Friday at the Healthy Hoops health program at the Genoveva Chavez Community Center. They talked to the children about the dangers of vaping and smoking. About 100 children from the Santa Fe Boys and Girls Club took part.
Jesse Vigil, 10, of Española dribbles with Coach Joe Richmond, ambassador of basketball for the Delaware Blue Coats, a 76ers G league affiliate, at the Healthy Hoops health program at the Genoveva Chavez Community Center on Friday.
Photo feature
Photos by Luis Sánchez Saturno The New Mexican
Sep 30, 2022
13 min ago
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1 of 3
Sterlen Barr of Philadelphia, with Rapping About Prevention, shows children what your teeth could look like if they smoked at the Healthy Hoops health program on Friday targeting individuals with asthma and obesity at the Genoveva Chavez Community Center. Healthy Hoops focuses on healthy living, nutrition and fun with basketball.
Bernard Corey of New Castle, Del., huddles with kids Friday at the Healthy Hoops health program at the Genoveva Chavez Community Center. They talked to the children about the dangers of vaping and smoking. About 100 children from the Santa Fe Boys and Girls Club took part.
Jesse Vigil, 10, of Española dribbles with Coach Joe Richmond, ambassador of basketball for the Delaware Blue Coats, a 76ers G league affiliate, at the Healthy Hoops health program at the Genoveva Chavez Community Center on Friday.
Sterlen Barr of Philadelphia, with Rapping About Prevention, shows the children what your teeth could look like if they smoked at the Healthy Hoops health program on Friday targeting individuals with asthma and obesity at the Genoveva Chavez Community Center. Healthy Hoops focuses on healthy living, nutrition and fun with basketball.
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Sports Planner For Saturday – The Republic https://bexarcountynewsonline.com/sports-planner-for-saturday-the-republic-2/
COMING UP
Indianapolis Colts
Sunday vs. Titans, 1 p.m. (FOX)
Thursday at Broncos, 8:15 p.m. (Prime Video)
Oct. 16 vs. Jaguars, 1 p.m. (CBS)
Indiana University football
Today at Nebraska, 7:30 p.m. (BTN)
Oct. 8 vs. Michigan, Noon (FOX)
Oct. 15 vs. Maryland, Noon (TBA)
Purdue football
Today at Minnesota, Noon (ESPN2)
Oct. 8 at Maryland, Noon (BTN)
Oct. 15 vs. Nebraska, Noon (TBA)
Notre Dame football
Oct. 8 at BYU, 7:30 p.m. (NBC/Peacock)
Oct. 15 vs. Stanford, 7:30 p.m. (NBC/Peacock)
Oct. 22 vs. UNLV, 2:30 p.m. (Peacock)
Cincinnati Reds
Today at Cubs, 2:20 p.m. (Bally Sports Indiana)
Sunday at Cubs, 2:20 p.m. (Bally Sports Indiana)
Monday vs. Cubs, 6:40 p.m. (Bally Sports Indiana)
Indy Eleven
Today vs. FC Tulsa, 7 p.m. (ESPN+/WNDY)
Oct. 8 vs. Charleston Battery, 7 p.m. (ESPN+/WNDY)
Oct. 15 at Birmingham Legion FC, 7:30 p.m. (ESPN+)
NASCAR
Sunday at Talladega, Ala., 2 p.m. (NBC)
Oct. 9 at Charlotte, N.C., 2 p.m. (NBC)
Oct. 16 at Las Vegas, 2:30 p.m. (NBC)
HIGH SCHOOL SPORTS TODAY
Volleyball
Jennings County at Shawe Memorial, 10 a.m.
North Putnam at Brown County, 12:30 p.m.
Boys soccer
Providence Cristo Rey at Hauser, noon
Columbus East at Jeffersonville, 1:30 p.m.
Girls soccer
Herron at Trinity Lutheran, 11 a.m.
Cross-country
Columbus East, Jennings County in Hoosier Hills Conference Meet at Seymour, 9 a.m.
Edinburgh in Johnson County Meet at Franklin, 9 a.m.
Columbus North, Brown County in Nike Valley Twilight at LaVern Gibson Championship Cross Country Course (Terre Haute), 6 p.m.
SPORTS ON TV TODAY
Auto racing
IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship: The Petit Le Mans, Noon (NBC)
NASCAR Camping World Truck Series: The Chevy Silverado 250, Playoffs-Round of 8, 12:30 p.m. (FS1)
NASCAR Xfinity Series: The Sparks 300, Playoffs-Round of 12, 4 p.m. (USA)
IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship: The Petit Le Mans, 7 p.m. (USA)
W Series: Round 6, Marina Bay Street Circuit, 4:40 a.m. Sunday(ESPN2)
College football
12 p.m.
Oklahoma at TCU, Noon (ABC)
Louisville at Boston College, Noon (ACC)
Illinois at Wisconsin, Noon (BTN)
Navy at Air Force, Noon (CBS)
Georgia State at Army, Noon (CBSSN)
Kentucky at Mississippi, Noon (ESPN)
Purdue at Minnesota, Noon (ESPN2)
Temple at Memphis, Noon (ESPNU)
Michigan at Iowa, Noon (FOX)
Kentucky at Mississippi, Noon (SEC)
Wake Forest at Florida State, 3:30 p.m. (ABC)
Virginia Tech at North Carolina, 3:30 p.m. (ACC)
Rutgers at Ohio State, 3:30 p.m. (BTN)
Alabama at Arkansas, 3:30 p.m. (CBS)
Fresno State at UConn, 3:30 p.m. (CBSSN)
Northwestern at Penn State, 3:30 p.m. (ESPN)
Iowa State at Kansas, 3:30 p.m. (ESPN2)
Miami (Ohio) at Buffalo, 3:30 p.m. (ESPNU)
Oklahoma State at Baylor, 3:30 p.m. (FOX)
Michigan State at Maryland, 3:30 p.m. (FS1)
Central Michigan at Toledo, 3:30 p.m. (NFL)
Texas A&M at Mississippi State, 4 p.m. (SEC)
LSU at Auburn, 7 p.m. (ESPN)
Cincinnati at Tulsa, 7 p.m. (ESPNU)
NC State at Clemson, 7:30 p.m. (ABC)
Indiana at Nebraska, 7:30 p.m. (BTN)
San Jose State at Wyoming, 7:30 p.m. (CBSSN)
NC State at Clemson (CFB with The Pat McAfee Show), 7:30 p.m. (ESPN2)
West Virginia at Texas, 7:30 p.m. (FS1)
Georgia at Missouri, 7:30 p.m. (SEC)
Georgia Tech at Pittsburgh, 8 p.m. (ACC)
UC Davis at Montana State, 10:15 p.m. (ESPNU)
Arizona State at Southern Cal, 10:30 p.m. (ESPN)
Stanford at Oregon, 11 p.m. (FS1)
Fishing
Bassmaster Elite Series: The 2022 Bassmaster College Classic Bracket, 8 a.m. (FS1)
Golf
DP World Tour: The Alfred Dunhill Links Championship, 7 a.m. (Golf Channel)
LPGA Tour: The Volunteers Of America Classic, 1 p.m. (Golf Channel)
PGA Tour: The Sanderson Farms Championship, 4 p.m. (Golf Channel)
DP World Tour: The Alfred Dunhill Links Championship, 6:30 a.m. Sunday (Golf Channel)
Horse racing
NYRA: America’s Day at the Races, 12:30 p.m. (FS2)
Breeders’ Cup Challenge Series: The Champagne Stakes and Miss Grillo Stakes, 4 p.m. (NBC)
NYRA: America’s Day at the Races, 6 p.m. (FS2)
Mixed Martial Arts
Bellator 286: Patricio Pitbull vs. Adam Borics (Featherweights), 10 p.m. (SHO)
MLB
Orioles at Yankees, 1 p.m., or Red Sox at Blue Jays, 3 p.m. (MLB)
Reds at Cubs, 2 p.m. (Bally Sports Indiana)
Athletics at Mariners, 4 p.m., or Red Sox at Blue Jays, 3 p.m. (MLB)
Mets at Braves or Rays at Astros, 7 p.m. (FOX)
Rockies at Dodgers or White Sox at Padres (joined in progress), 10 p.m. (MLB)
NBA
Preseason: Grizzlies at Bucks, 8 p.m. (NBA)
Preseason: Wizards at Warriors, 1 a.m. Sunday (NBA)
NHL
Preseason: Penguins at Sabres, 1 p.m. (NHL)
Preseason: Red Wings at Blackhawks, 8:30 p.m. (NHL)
Men’s rugby
NRL: Penrith vs. Parramatta, Grand Final, 4:25 a.m. Sunday (FS2)
Women’s rugby
NRL: Newcastle vs. Parramatta, Grand Final, 12:50 a.m. Sunday (FS2)
Men’s soccer
Premier League: Tottenham Hotspur at Arsenal, 7:30 a.m. (USA)
Serie A: Torino at Napoli, 9 a.m. (CBSSN)
Premier League: Chelsea at Crystal Palace, 10 a.m. (USA)
Premier League: Wolverhampton at West Ham United, 12:30 p.m. (USA)
Tennis
Tallinn-WTA Semifinal, 6 a.m. (Tennis)
Tel Aviv-ATP, Sofia-ATP, Tallinn-WTA Semifinals, 9 a.m. (Tennis)
Seoul-ATP Singles Final, 6 a.m. Sunday (Tennis)
The Mugglehead Technology Roundup: The Metaverse Is Real Edition Mugglehead
The Mugglehead Technology Roundup: The Metaverse Is Real Edition – Mugglehead https://bexarcountynewsonline.com/the-mugglehead-technology-roundup-the-metaverse-is-real-edition-mugglehead/
Mark Zuckerberg’s introduction of the metaverse was the mainstream realization of a project that’s been in the works for years. As with all new projects there have been detractors and doubt, and some of those arguments have some merit. The history of virtual reality, augmented reality and mixed reality are fraught with failures and setbacks. Is it all just vaporware? Some companies beg to differ.
Here’s a short list of companies taking advantage of NFTs and the metaverse.
Powerbridge Technologies gets onboard with soccer collectable NFTs
The NFT craze is beginning to slow down and took a serious hit during the advent of the crypto-winter, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t companies that see something valuable in these lines of code. It could also be that these companies are the long-tail late adopters long after the bubble has burst. It’s hard to tell.
Regardless, Powerbridge Technologies (NASDAQ:PBTS) acquired an exclusive right to offer soccer collectable NFTs on Ali Auction through a partnership with World Football Collection. Alibaba Group (NYSE:BABA) is behind Ali Auction, and has made it into one of the biggest online auction marketplaces, sporting over two million active users everyday. The auction benefits from being attached to the largest e-commerce platform in China with over 100 million users.
“I am thrilled that we have successfully launched our NFTs on Ali Auction. We will continue to strive and expand our new business in metaverse applications and NFTs, and we anticipate continuous growth from our new business,” said Stewart Lor, CEO of Powerbridge.
Powerbridge’s has its finger in a lot of pies. Its business is in multi-industry tech solutions. These range from software apps and services for global trade industry to intelligent devices for smart cities, and much more. Powerbridge is also up to its neck in the metaverse and smart offerings for travel and leisure, cryptomining and digital asset operations.
In this case, it’s involved in soccer NFTs. These NFTs launched on Ali Auction on Sept 20, 2020, and have since pulled in over 240,000 views from potential participants. The first batch of NFTs sold out entirely within the first hour of the auction.
Color Star new phone is your gateway to the metaverse
Color Star Technology (NASDAQ:CSCW) is entering the mobile industry through the development and manufacturing of a metaverse phone called DONO.
The DONO phone is an ESG-compliant, eco-friendly, with all of the sourcing for materials that go into making the phone completely mapped out over the lifespan of the device. Each phone will carry the Color Star logo along with the ColorWorld Metaverse software pre-installed.
“The mobile industry is our new business segment, and we are very excited and confident about developing this segment in the years to come. We are a technology company, and combined with our continuous development and optimization of our metaverse platform, our DONO phone will be a significant entry in the industry. While the public has been studying the features of our metaverse, we have been looking into user safety and protecting their privacy. Moreover, we will combine our metaverse with other services and businesses in order to widen our market. We are not your typical tech company. Here, everything is possible,” said Farhan Qadir, CEO of Color Star.
Color Star Technology is one of those mixed bag companies that gets as many fingers into as many different sectors as it can manage that are decently common on the fringes of the crypto-markets. In this case, it’s an entertainment and education company that provides online performances and online music education services. It runs through its subsidiaries, Color China Entertainment and CACM Group NY, and also it’s metaverse offering, Color World.
Now it’s apparently into technology and phones.
“Color Star is a technology company, so there are two things we value highly: one is software development, and the other is cyber security. Our upcoming DONO phone is aimed at the global market, and our priority is to ensure exceptional user safety and software stability. Our own Color World app will also introduce more people to the metaverse experience. We will provide more technology services and front-end projects in the future,” said Qadir.
The phone will also be highly resistant to tampering and hacks because of its tech and security. The team behind it will be providing full support in the development process, and the Color World platform will be on display to generate publicity for the phone.
DONO gives push-button connection to the metaverse, giving access to entertainment, collaboration, and educational content. The Color World app comes pre-installed, and users can visit new virtual locations, digital products, celebrity endorsement and other such things. The DONO will be unveiled in October at the 2022 Gulf Information Technology Exhibition in Dubai.
FaZe Clan optimizes in The Sandbox
FaZe Holdings (NASDAQ:FAZE) is a lifestyle and media platform that derives its value from gaming and youth culture. The Sandbox is a decentralized ‘metaverse’ or virtual gaming world, and a subsidiary of Animoca Brands. Faze Holdings is joining The Sandbox.
The specifics of this include a 12 x 12 plot of LAND named “FaZe World.” The company will this LAND to promote its lifestyle, products and culture. The two companies will come together to produce digital experiences for the community in The Sandbox through shared digital infrastructure, virtual events, games, and digital product releases. Essentially, this gives FaZe the chance to produce a gamified digital space where users can engage the brand, its talent and ultimately create new revenue options for FaZe.
“FaZe Clan has established itself through the power of the gaming and esports communities as a leading gaming, esports, entertainment, and culture brand. We’re thrilled to collaborate in bringing FaZe World to The Sandbox as we prepare to launch many exciting activations that put players and creators in control of the next phase of Internet culture comprising user-generated content, Web 3, metaverse, and gaming,” said Sebastien Borget, co-founder and COO of The Sandbox.
LANDS surrounding FaZe World will be available to the public for digital real estate purposes, giving fans of the brand a chance to be neighbours with the gaming and media organization. The Sandbox will sell LAND later this year and anticipates FaZe World going live in 2023.
The Sandbox is a curious creation. It’s part virtual real estate and part amusement park. The Sandbox embraces the idea of the metaverse as a consensual shared digital space where creativity and commerce meet. FaZe Clan is one of the largest gaming and lifestyle organizations, joining content creators and esports teams in The Sandbox. Over 400 existing partnerships are there, including Warner Music, Ubisoft, Tony Hawk, The Walking Dead, Snoop Dogg and more.
“FaZe Clan’s leadership position at the apex of gaming and youth culture presents an ideal opportunity to build bridges and lead the gaming community at large into the metaverse,” says Lee Trink, CEO of FaZe Clan. “Through FaZe World and our partnership with The Sandbox, our already digitally native fans can experience FaZe Clan in a new immersive way.”
Read more: The Mugglehead technology roundup: into the future edition
Read more: Super League Gaming extends branding options to Roblox metaverse
Orange Comet and AMC bring Anne Rice to NFTs and the metaverse
Orange Comet and AMC Networks (NASDAQ:AMCX) have expanded their partnership to launch NFTs and virtual environments for The Immortal Universe of Anne Rice. This is a metaverse-space. It will begin when Anne Rice’s Interview with the Vampire goes live on Sunday, October 2, on AMC and AMC+.
The two companies are expanding the scope for The Walking Dead NFT Collection to include the show’s expanding universe. This will include the upcoming The Walking Dead: Dead City spinoff starring Lauren Cohan and Jeffrey Dean Morgan.
“AMC Networks has a proven track record of producing shows that break through the pop culture noise and attract highly passionate and committed fans. As The Walking Dead Universe enters its exciting second chapter, and we embark on the launch of our next epic franchise with Anne Rice’s Interview with the Vampire, we’re excited to continue working with Orange Comet to deliver our viewers a world-class digital collectible experience that complements and enhances their favorite shows,” said Clayton Neuman, VP of games at AMC.
AMC Networks is a global entertainment company with a strong content base. Its brands include streaming services AMC+, Acorn TV, Shudder, Sundance Now, and more. Beyond streaming, its in-house studio, production and distribution arm is behind some of the biggest titles and brands known to a global audience, including The Walking Dead, the Anne Rice catalog and the Agatha Christie library.
Orange Comet is a Web 3.0 entertainment company dealing in NFTs and metaverse experiences. The company’s claim to fame includes attracting some of the world’s largest award-winning media creators, producers and artists to partner with its biggest brands, IP and talent. Its founders include Hollywood producer, Dave Broome, NFL Hall of Famer Kurt Warner and Grammy award-winning musicians Gloria and Emilio Estefan. Orange Comet runs its entire blockchain based operation on green severs to build a carbon-negative solution for the NFT space.
The NFT marketplace, OpenSea, hosts the NFTs for The Walking Dead and The Immortal Universe of Anne Rice. Additionally, The Walking Dead and Anne Rice products will come to life in a cinematic Metaverse environment.
“The first mint initiated a fan frenzy among dedicated supporters ...
Tesla CEO Elon Musk Showcases Humanoid Robot At Event Malay Mail
Tesla CEO Elon Musk Showcases Humanoid Robot At Event – Malay Mail https://bexarcountynewsonline.com/tesla-ceo-elon-musk-showcases-humanoid-robot-at-event-malay-mail/
A humanoid robot developed by Tesla, known as Tesla Bot or Optimus, is shown in a frame grab from the live video of Tesla’s AI Day streamed on August 20, 2022. ― Tesla/Handout via Reuters
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Saturday, 01 Oct 2022 10:04 AM MYT
SAN FRANCISCO, Oct 1 ― Tesla CEO Elon Musk showcased his much-touted humanoid robot ‘Optimus’ at the electric vehicle maker’s “AI Day” event yesterday.
The billionaire has said a robot business will be worth more than its cars, hoping to expand beyond self-driving cars that have not yet become a reality despite his repeated promises.
A prototype of the robot walked on stage and waved to the seated audience. A video of the robot carrying a box, watering plants and moving metal bars in the automaker’s factory was shown.
“Our goal is to make a useful humanoid robot as quickly as possible,” Musk said at the event being held at a Tesla office in Palo Alto, California.
“There’s still a lot of work to be done to refine Optimus and prove it.”
Musk said currently humanoid robots are “missing a brain,” saying they don’t have the intelligence to navigate the world by themselves, and they are also very expensive and made in low volume.
By contrast, he said, the Optimus will be an “extremely capable robot,” to be made in very high volume, probably, ultimately millions of units and is expected to cost much less than a car, at under US$20,000.
Musk is also expected to discuss Tesla’s long-delayed self-driving technology. In May, Musk said that the world’s most valuable car maker would be “worth basically zero” without achieving full self-driving capability, and it faces growing regulatory probes, as well as technological hurdles.
“There will be lots of technical detail & cool hardware demos,” Musk wrote on Twitter late on Wednesday, adding the event was aimed at recruiting engineers.
Tesla’s live demonstration record is mixed. Launches typically draw cheers, but in 2019 when Musk had an employee hurl a steel ball at the armored window of a new electric pickup truck, the glass cracked.
The key test for the robot is whether it can handle unexpected situations.
Musk announced Tesla’s plan for humanoid robots at its AI day in August last year and delayed this year’s event from August to have its robot prototype working, with a plan to start production possibly next year.
Tesla teased the unveiling of the bot on social media with an image of metallic robotic hands making a heart shape. But building human-like, versatile hands that can manipulate different objects is extremely challenging, said Heni Ben Amor, a robotics professor at Arizona State University.
Initially, Optimus, an allusion to the powerful and benevolent leader of the Autobots in the Transformers media franchise, would perform boring or dangerous jobs, including moving parts around Tesla factories or attaching a bolt to a car with a wrench, according to Musk.
“There’s so much about what people can do dexterously that’s very, very hard for robots. And that’s not going to change whether the robot is a robot arm or whether it’s in the shape of a humanoid,” Jonathan Hurst, chief technology officer at Agility Robotics, a humanoid robot firm, told Reuters.
Musk has said that in the future robots could be used in homes, making dinners, mowing the lawn and caring for the elderly, and even becoming a “buddy” for humans or a sex partner.
He is due at Friday’s event to give updates on Tesla’s much-delayed plan to launch self-driving cars, and on its high-speed computer, Dojo, which was unveiled last year and the company has said is integral to its development of self-driving technology.
Musk has said he expects Tesla will achieve full self-driving this year and mass produce a robotaxi with no steering wheel or pedal by 2024.
At an “Autonomy” event in 2019, Musk promised 1 million robotaxis by 2020 but has yet to deliver such a car. ― Reuters
US State Issues Order Freezing Crypto At Exchanges In Pig Butchering Scam Crackdown Regulation Bitcoin News Bitcoin News
US State Issues Order Freezing Crypto At Exchanges In Pig Butchering Scam Crackdown – Regulation Bitcoin News – Bitcoin News https://bexarcountynewsonline.com/us-state-issues-order-freezing-crypto-at-exchanges-in-pig-butchering-scam-crackdown-regulation-bitcoin-news-bitcoin-news/
The Delaware Department of Justice’s Investor Protection Unit has issued a cease and desist order against 23 entities and individuals involved in a popular cryptocurrency scam known as “pig butchering.” The order also freezes the accounts allegedly holding cryptocurrencies belonging to the victims.
Delaware Cracks Down on Pig Butchering Crypto Scam
The attorney general of the U.S. state of Delaware, Kathy Jennings, announced Wednesday that the Investor Protection Unit of the state’s Department of Justice (DOJ) has “issued a summary order to cease and desist against 23 entities and individuals involved in a cryptocurrency scam known as the ‘pig butchering scam.’”
Pig butchering crypto scams have recently become alarmingly popular. Victims of this type of scam “are groomed over time to make investments using cryptocurrency, only to find that what they thought was a safe investment was a scam,” the Delaware DOJ detailed. “The moniker stems from the scammers’ practice of ‘fattening’ the victims before absconding with their assets (‘butchering’).”
Attorney General Jennings stressed, “When victims lose money through cryptocurrency scams, including the pig butchering scam, it can be difficult to recover those funds,” adding:
Today’s order takes a first step toward protecting Delaware investors from the pig butchering scam by freezing funds at risk from further transfer by the wrongdoers.
The announcement details that the Investor Protection Unit received complaints from residents in the state. They explained that they were contacted online by unknown persons who urged them to invest in cryptocurrency. The scammers then encouraged them to invest more after showing large returns on initial investments.
However, the Delaware DOJ warned: “Ultimately, they were never able to withdraw the funds and their cryptocurrency disappeared. It is estimated that this international scam involves thousands of victims across the country with losses into the billions of dollars.”
Working with a data analytics company, the Investor Protection Unit traced cryptocurrency belonging to two Delaware complainants to a number of wallets on various crypto exchanges, the authority described.
The cease and desist order prohibits anyone or any entities affiliated with the wallets from withdrawing or transferring assets owned by the complainants, the Delaware Justice Department noted, elaborating:
This, in turn, prevents the exchanges holding the wallets from permitting parties to move the fraudulently obtained crypto, thus effectively freezing the accounts holding assets belonging to the Delaware victims.
Have you come across the pig butchering crypto scam? 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.
Cuba Makes Rare Request For U.S. Aid After Devastation From Hurricane Ian WSJ The Wall Street Journal
Cuba Makes Rare Request For U.S. Aid After Devastation From Hurricane Ian – WSJ – The Wall Street Journal https://bexarcountynewsonline.com/cuba-makes-rare-request-for-u-s-aid-after-devastation-from-hurricane-ian-wsj-the-wall-street-journal/
Hurricane Ian caused widespread damage in Cuba, including in Havana where a tree toppled onto a boat.Photo: Ramon Espinosa/Associated Press
Updated Sept. 30, 2022 9:28 pm ET
WASHINGTON—The Biden administration has received a rare request from Cuba’s government to provide emergency assistance following the devastating impact of Hurricane Ian, according to communications reviewed by The Wall Street Journal.
No exact amount was requested, and the U.S. was still trying to determine whether the government in Havana would supplement the request as it works to determine the extent of the damage, according to the email communications. The storm killed at least two people in Cuba and left the country without power.
Test Beds Workforce Critical To U.S. Technology Leadership TechTarget
Test Beds, Workforce Critical To U.S. Technology Leadership – TechTarget https://bexarcountynewsonline.com/test-beds-workforce-critical-to-u-s-technology-leadership-techtarget/
The CHIPS and Science Act allows the U.S. to invest in critical technologies such as quantum computing and artificial intelligence.
By
Makenzie Holland, News Writer
Published: 30 Sep 2022
The U.S.’s leading position in critical technologies can be bolstered through investments in technology test beds, workforce education and R&D, according to technology experts.
President Joe Biden signed the CHIPS and Science Act of 2022 into law earlier this year in a bid to increase U.S. investment in emerging technologies and compete with countries like China, which are funneling billions into semiconductor chip manufacturing, AI applications and quantum computing capabilities.
While the CHIPS Act does provide $52 billion to boost chip building domestically, the bulk of the $280 billion competition package will go to agencies such as the National Science Foundation (NSF) and National Institute of Standards and Technology to research and develop emerging technologies, including quantum computing and AI. Billions will also go to boosting education and developing a workforce for such technologies.
The U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation held a hearing Thursday to listen to technology experts discuss how to use CHIPS and Science Act funding to strengthen U.S. leadership in those critical technologies.
“To remain globally competitive and protect our future, investments such as the CHIPS and Science Act are critical to maintain our national security, to mitigate being outpaced by adversary nations whose primary goal is to relegate the U.S. to a second-tier technology nation,” said William Breckenridge III, director of high performance computing at Mississippi State University and a witness at the hearing.
Ensuring U.S. leadership in critical technologies
Committee chair Sen. Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.) pointed out during the hearing that international competition in emerging compute technologies is growing. Meanwhile, she said, the U.S. faces a shortage of quantum computing talent, with fewer than 5% of U.S. doctorate degree holders in relevant fields focusing on quantum science.
“The stakes are high,” she said. “Funding for [the CHIPS and Science Act] must not stop with the appropriations for chip manufacturing. America needs access to better chips. But it also needs the research and workforce to put those chips to use.”
Nancy Allbritton, dean of the University of Washington College of Engineering, said she’s encouraged by the passage of the CHIPS and Science Act, noting that “sustained federal investment in these programs is essential” for the U.S. to maintain its leadership. Allbritton was also one of a handful of witnesses who spoke during the hearing.
William Breckenridge IIIDirector, high performance computing, Mississippi State University
She said quantum science has enabled “groundbreaking” technologies, such as GPS, MRI and lasers for healthcare applications.
“The realization of quantum information science will fundamentally change the way we live and work,” she said.
To support continued advancements in quantum science, Allbritton supported appropriations to agencies such as NSF, which provides grants and funding to academic institutions for science education. She also supported increased federal investment in workforce development and education, accessible quantum test beds, fundamental quantum information research, and technology policy.
Jack Clark, co-founder of AI safety and research company Anthropic and another witness at the hearing, also supported investment in test beds across the U.S. for AI. Clark said AI test beds will help train a “new, diverse workforce in the art of assessing and deploying AI systems.”
“Testing and evaluating AI systems is fundamental to realizing their commercial applications and identifying any safety issues,” Clark said at the hearing. “Therefore, we must ensure that the National Institute of Standards and Technology is able to stand up AI test beds across America so local communities can take AI systems out of the lab and vigorously test and deploy them.”
He said that investment in experimental infrastructure for the development and testing of AI systems by academic and government users will also help advance the U.S.’s leadership in the technology as countries like China quickly close the gap on that leadership position.
“AI is a competitive technology, and China already rivals the U.S. in AI R&D,” Clark said. “In 2021, China published more AI research papers than the United States and filed more patents than any other country.”
Makenzie Holland is a news writer covering big tech and federal regulation. Prior to joining TechTarget, she was a general reporter for the Wilmington StarNews and a crime and education reporter at the Wabash Plain Dealer.
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Seneca Gaming Corporation Holds 2nd Annual Every Child Matters Walk WGRZ.com
Seneca Gaming Corporation Holds 2nd Annual Every Child Matters Walk – WGRZ.com https://bexarcountynewsonline.com/seneca-gaming-corporation-holds-2nd-annual-every-child-matters-walk-wgrz-com/
The Every Child Matters walk allowed people of the Indigenous community come together for remembrance and to help heal one another.
BUFFALO, N.Y. — Seneca Gaming Corporation and executives gathered Friday in Niagara Falls for their second annual Every Child Matters walk, bringing awareness of the tragedies that took place.
The event, which began at 5:30 p.m., featured special guest speakers with motivational speeches. After that, the walk took place.
People dressed in orange, making a visible and powerful statement to bring brightness.
The remains of roughly more than 1,000 children have been discovered on the grounds of three former residential schools in two Canadian provinces since May. Unmarked graves have even been discovered inside of the residential boarding schools.
The Every Child Matters walk allowed people of the Indigenous community come together for remembrance and to help heal one another.
“Beginning in the 1800s and lasting well into the 1990s, tens of thousands of Native American children were forced to attend residential schools across the United States and Canada, where they were forced to unlearn their names, unlearn traditional language and unlearn their culture. They were often the victims of physical abuse and sexual abuse,” a statement for the event said.
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San Antonios Spruce Power Plant Among Nations Most Toxic Polluters Analysis Of EPA Data Shows San Antonio Express-News
San Antonio’s Spruce Power Plant Among Nation’s Most Toxic Polluters, Analysis Of EPA Data Shows – San Antonio Express-News https://bexarcountynewsonline.com/san-antonios-spruce-power-plant-among-nations-most-toxic-polluters-analysis-of-epa-data-shows-san-antonio-express-news/
SAN ANTONIO — On a recent morning at Calaveras Lake, the J.K. Spruce Power Plant ’s smokestacks provided the backdrop for dozens of anglers fishing for red drum and catfish from the shoreline. Out on the water, others were casting from boats.
According to a new analysis of Environmental Protection Agency data, CPS Energy’s coal-fired Spruce plant discharged more than 72,000 pounds of toxic chemicals into the lake in 2020, including thousands of pounds of chromium compounds linked to cancer and respiratory issues.
The advocacy group Environment Texas called attention to the data in a report this week that ranked pollution from Spruce among the most toxic of any facility in the country. CPS released more than 5,600 pounds of chromium compounds into the lake in 2020, according to EPA’s log of the self-reported data, as well as thousands of pounds of other heavy metals such as nickel, copper and zinc, among others.
On ExpressNews.com: CPS to add 180 megawatts of solar as utility seeks to close aging power plants
“This information is alarming. A lot of people spend a lot of time on Calaveras Lake fishing, boating and hanging out,” said Luke Metzger, executive director of Environment Texas. “ CPS Energy needs to shut down the polluting coal plant as soon as possible and stop dumping toxic chemicals into the lake.”
Environment Texas didn’t test fish tissue from the lake to gauge potential toxicity. Metzger said the report this week is a first step meant to spur local officials to examine the hazard pollution from Spruce poses to visitors to Calaveras Lake and potentially to the area’s groundwater.
“The fact that it’s a coal plant next to a lake probably (warrants) scrutiny to make sure that people recreating here, people eating fish, aren’t being inadvertently exposed to pollution,” Metzger said. “The city absolutely should be doing more to study this issue.”
CPS Energy said it meets regulatory standards when it tests the groundwater near the coal plant, and the utility said it has third parties periodically study water quality in Calaveras Lake, which is in Southeast Bexar County.
“The water in our lake is safe” for visitors, CPS said in a statement. “We operate the lakes according to permits issued by the state and federal regulatory agencies that ensures they are protective of human health and the environment.”
CPS Energy’s four coal plants including Spruce 2, which was recently completed, on Calaveras Lake on Wednesday, Sept. 15, 2010. LISA KRANTZ/lkrantz@express-news.net
LISA KRANTZ, STAFF / SAN ANTONIO EXPRESS-NEWS
CPS uses the lake, which was developed in the late 1960s, to provide cooling water for Spruce and other nearby power stations. The reservoir contains some wastewater treated by the San Antonio Water System.
Chromium risks
A number of scientific studies on chromium in waterways show that “exposure can induce a variety of adverse effects in fish,” according to a 2009 study published by the National Institutes of Health.
A rough estimate based on research studies suggests 5,600 pounds of chromium dumped into Calaveras Lake — which has a surface area of 3,600 acres with a maximum depth of 45 feet — would not be lethal to fish or surpass the World Health Organization’s recommended threshold of 50 micrograms of chromium per liter of drinking water.
On ExpressNews.com: CPS Energy bills jump 43% in July to a record $254, but unpaid bills creating headaches for utility
But it’s not clear how much chromium CPS may have discharged into the lake over the years — and the utility also dumped tens of thousands of pounds of other metals such as manganese and barium into the lake in 2020.
In addition to water pollution, the coal plant emitted 5.9 million tons of carbon dioxide in 2020, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration. That made Spruce the sixth-highest emitter among more than 230 electric power plants in Texas .
CPS is crafting a generation plan for the rest of this decade that’s targeted mainly at replacing two half-century old power plants and figuring out what to do with the two-unit Spruce plant. CPS is likely to close the older Spruce 1 unit by 2028 and convert the newer and larger second unit to run on natural gas, which emits about half as much CO2 as coal.
In order to continue burning coal at the site, CPS is spending $50 million to build a three-acre pond near Spruce to hold the sludgy hazardous waste the coal-fired plant produces. The utility must complete the pond by September 2023 to avoid running afoul of an Environmental Protection Agency regulation.
On ExpressNews.com: Report: CPS hasn’t explored all options to close Spruce coal plant early
A group of residents in North Carolina raised concerns that nearby coal ash ponds were resulting in chromium and other substances seeping into well water used by homes in the area. But a study conducted by Duke University researchers found that coal ash ponds were probably not contaminating the groundwater. CPS said its own studies do not show a link between the coal ponds and pollution in Calaveras Lake.
The Spruce plant is CPS Energy’s largest power station. It generated 38 percent of CPS Energy’s annual electric production from 2017 through 2020, and it produced a $260 million profit margin for the utility in that span, according to CPS.
CPS wants to keep Spruce running in part because the utility still owes hundreds of millions of dollars in debt on the plant, which was commissioned in 2005 and began producing power in 2010.
CPS also says the plant is key to maintaining reliable power in the city, although Spruce broke down for nine days in May because of a tube leak and it wasn’t able to run for periods during Winter Storm Uri last year.
“The water is safe and fish are safe to consume,” CPS said in its statement.
diego.mendoza-moyers@express-news.net
Here Are The Standard Cancellation Policies For Each Major Cruise Line Travel Market Report
Here Are The Standard Cancellation Policies For Each Major Cruise Line – Travel Market Report https://bexarcountynewsonline.com/here-are-the-standard-cancellation-policies-for-each-major-cruise-line-travel-market-report/
Cruise line cancellation policies are as varied as the cruise lines themselves. Some cruise lines let clients cancel up to three months before sailing with no penalty. Others charge an administrative fee for a cancellation from the minute a cruise has been booked.
One universal truth does apply, though: the more expensive or longer the cruise, the less time people have to cancel their sailing with the least penalty.
To help advisors quickly and easily identify the cancellation policy for ocean-going cruise lines, Travel Market Report has rounded up each line’s standard policy.
This roundup does not include any special promotions that require either a non-refundable deposit or a non-refundable fare. Additionally, unless noted otherwise, cancellation charges are person.
In this article: American Cruise Lines | Azamara | Atlas Ocean Voyages | Carnival Cruise Line | Celebrity Cruises | Celestyal Cruises | Cunard | Disney Cruise Line | Holland America Line | Lindblad Expeditions | MSC Cruises | Norwegian Cruise Line | Oceania Cruises | Paul Gauguin Cruises & Ponant | Princess Cruises | Regent Seven Seas Cruises | Royal Caribbean | Scenic | Seabourn | Silversea Cruises | UnCruise Adventures | Viking | Virgin Voyages | Windstar Cruises
American Cruise Lines
Days Prior to Departure | Cancellation Charge
91 days or more | $250 per person (unless cancelled within 24 hours of booking)
90-46 days | 50% + $250 per person
45 days or less | 100% + $250 per person
Azamara
Days Prior to Departure | Cancellation Charge
121+ days | $75 per person
120-91 days | 25% of booked fare
90-61 days | 50% of booked fare
60-31 days | 75% of booked fare
30 days or less | 100% of booked fare
Atlas Ocean Voyages
Days Prior to Departure | Cancellation Charge
Deposit-91 days (Deposit – 121 days for Antarctica sailings) | $250 per person
90-76 days (120-76 days for Antarctica sailings) | 50% cancellation fee
75-46 days (same for Antarctica sailings) | 75% cancellation fee
45 days or less (same for Antarctica sailings) | 100% cancellation fee
Carnival Cruise Line
Days Prior to Departure | Cancellation Charge
Final payment – 56 days | Deposit amount
55-30 days | 50% of booked fare (or standard deposit, whichever is greater)
29-15 days | 75% of booked fare (or standard deposit, whichever is greater)
14 days or less | 100% of booked fare
COVID-19 Exception: If you, your family members living with you in the same household or a travel companion assigned to the same stateroom cancels a cruise booking due to testing positive for COVID-19 within seven days of embarkation, you and those traveling companions assigned to the same stateroom are entitled to an FCC for the amount paid to Carnival. To qualify for the FCC, you are required to notify Carnival within 24 hours or receiving a positive COVID-19 test result. Results must be presented to Carnival in an “acceptable” format – ie, a laboratory test record, digital certificate or healthcare record that indicates your full legal name, date of birth, type of test, date and time sample was taken, test result stating “POSITIVE” and laboratory, testing site, and/or healthcare provider details. Handwritten test results and photographs of at-home test results are not acceptable.
Celebrity Cruises
Days Prior to Departure | Cancellation Charge
For 1 to 4 Night Cruises (including holiday sailings)
74-61 days | 50% of total price
60-31 days | 75% of total price
30 days or less | 100% of total price
For cruises of 5 nights or longer (including holiday sailings & cruise/tours)
89-75 days | 25% of total price
74-61 days | 50% of total price
60-31 days | 75% of total price
30 days or less | 100% of total price
COVID-19 Exception: For cruises departing through November 30, 2022, Celebrity will provide a 100% refund (or FCC) for any guest and their traveling party, if any test positive for COVID-19 within 10 days prior to embarkation. To qualify for a refund or FCC, the person who has tested positive must present a verified positive test in a form acceptable to Celebrity.
Celestyal Cruises
Days Prior to Departure | Cancellation Charge
For 2022 Cruises
89-30 days | full deposit
29 days or less | 100% (minus port and service charges)
For 2023 Cruises
90 days or more | $60 per stateroom
89-30 days | full deposit
29 days or less | 100% (minus port and service charges)
Cunard
Days Prior to Departure | Cancellation Charge
For voyages of 30 nights or less on Queen Mary 2 and Queen Victoria, departing through February 23, 2023 (including World Voyage segments
89-61 days | 40% of full fare
60-31 days | 50% of full fare
30-15 days | 75% of full fare
14 days or less | 100% of full fare
For all other cruises or voyages of 30 nights or less on Queen Mary 2 and Queen Victoria, departing after February 23, 2023
129-90 days | 25% or deposit amount
89-61 days | 40% of full fare
60-31 days | 50% of full fare
30-15 days | 75% of full fare
14 days or less | 100% of full fare
For voyages of 31 nights or longer on Queen Mary 2 and Queen Victoria, departing through February 2023 (including World Voyages & World Voyage segments)
89-64 days | 50% of full fare
63-43 days | 75% of full fare
42 days or less | 100% of full fare
For all other cruises or voyages of 30 nights or less on Queen Mary 2 and Queen Victoria, departing after February 23, 2023
150-120 days | 20% or deposit amount
119-91 days | 40% of full fare
90-64 days | 50% of full fare
63-43 days | 75% of full fare
42 days or less | 100% of full fare
Disney Cruise Line
Days Prior to Departure | Cancellation Charge
For sailings that depart on or before March 31, 2023)
Cruises of 1 to 5 nights (excluding suites and concierge staterooms)
59-45 days | full deposits
44-30 days | 50% of vacation fare per guest
29-15 days | 75% of vacation fare per guest
14 days or less | 100% of vacation fare
Cruises of 6 nights or more (excluding suites and concierge staterooms)
59-56 days | full deposits
55-30 days | 50% of vacation fare per guest
29-15 days | 75% of vacation fare per guest
14 days or less | 100% of vacation fare
Suites and Concierge Staterooms
60 days or more | full deposits
59-56 days | 50% of vacation fare per guest
55-30 days | 75% of vacation fare per guest
29 days or less | 100% of vacation fare
For sailings that depart after March 31, 2023
Cruises of 1 to 5 nights (excluding suites and concierge staterooms)
89-45 days | full deposits
44-30 days | 50% of vacation fare per guest
29-15 days | 75% of vacation fare per guest
14 days or less | 100% of vacation fare
Cruises of 6 nights or more (excluding suites and concierge staterooms)
119-56 days | full deposits
55-30 days | 50% of vacation fare per guest
29-15 days | 75% of vacation fare per guest
14 days or less | 100% of vacation fare
Suites and Concierge Staterooms
90 days or more | full deposits
89-56 days | 50% of vacation fare per guest
55-30 days | 75% of vacation fare per guest
29 days or less | 100% of vacation fare
Holland America Line
Days Prior to Departure | Cancellation Charge
Voyages Up to 6 Nights
75-57 days | Full deposits
56-29 days | 50% of gross fare
28-16 days | 75% of gross fare
15 days or less | 100% of gross fare
Grand World, Grand Voyages, Segments of Grand World or Grand Voyages, 28+ Day Hawaii, Tahiti & Marquesas, Tales of the South Pacific, Amazon Explorer, Incan Empires (including segments), 30+ Day Transatlantic Voyages (including segments)
120-91 days | Full deposits
90-76 days | 60% of gross fare
75 days or less | 100% of gross fare
All Other Voyages of 7 Nights or Longer
90-76 days | Full deposits
75-61 days | 50% of gross fare
60-31 days | 75% of gross fare
30 days or less | 100% of gross fare
COVID-19 Exceptions: All cruises booked through September 30, 2022 that depart through December 31, 2022 can be canceled up to 30 days before departure through Holland America’s “Worry Free Promise” policy and receive a Future Cruise Credit in the amount of any non-refundable cancellation fees, with the remainder of what was paid for the cruise refunded to the original form of payment. Additionally, on these cruises a guest may cancel up to sailing date if they test positive for COVID-19 and receive the same remuneration.
Lindblad Expeditions
Days Prior to Departure | Cancellation Charge
For Departures through December 31, 2023 (National Geographic Venture, National Geographic Quest, National Geographic Sea Bird, National Geographic Sea Lion, National Geographic Endeavour II, National Geographic Islander II, Delfin, The Jahan, Lord of the Glens, Oberoi Philae, and Sea Cloud)
120 days or more | $350 (will be credited in the form of a Lindblad Expeditions Travel Certificate, which may be applied towards final payment on any future booking, no expiration date)
119-90 days | Advance payment cost (will be credited in the form of a Lindblad Expeditions Travel Certificate, which may be applied towards final payment on any future booking, no expiration date)
89-60 days | 25% of trip cost
59-45 days | 50% of trip cost
44 days or less | 100% of trip cost
For Departures Starting January 1, 2024 (National Geographic Venture, National Geographic Quest, National Geographic Sea Bird, National Geographic Sea Lion, National Geographic Endeavour II, National Geographic Islander II, Delfin, The Jahan, Lord of the Glens, Oberoi Philae, and Sea Cloud)
120 or more days | Advance payment cost (will be credited in the form of a Lindblad Expeditions Travel Certificate, which may be applied towards final payment on any future booking, no expiration date)
119-90 days | 50% of trip cost
89 days or less | 100% of trip cost
For Departures through March 31, 2024 (National Geographic Explorer, Na...
Fineland Living Services Group (HKG:9978) Has A Pretty Healthy Balance Sheet Simply Wall St
Fineland Living Services Group (HKG:9978) Has A Pretty Healthy Balance Sheet – Simply Wall St https://bexarcountynewsonline.com/fineland-living-services-group-hkg9978-has-a-pretty-healthy-balance-sheet-simply-wall-st/
David Iben put it well when he said, ‘Volatility is not a risk we care about. What we care about is avoiding the permanent loss of capital.’ When we think about how risky a company is, we always like to look at its use of debt, since debt overload can lead to ruin. As with many other companies Fineland Living Services Group Limited (HKG:9978) makes use of debt. But should shareholders be worried about its use of debt?
When Is Debt Dangerous?
Debt and other liabilities become risky for a business when it cannot easily fulfill those obligations, either with free cash flow or by raising capital at an attractive price. In the worst case scenario, a company can go bankrupt if it cannot pay its creditors. However, a more frequent (but still costly) occurrence is where a company must issue shares at bargain-basement prices, permanently diluting shareholders, just to shore up its balance sheet. Of course, plenty of companies use debt to fund growth, without any negative consequences. When we think about a company’s use of debt, we first look at cash and debt together.
Check out our latest analysis for Fineland Living Services Group
What Is Fineland Living Services Group’s Net Debt?
As you can see below, at the end of June 2022, Fineland Living Services Group had CN¥40.0m of debt, up from none a year ago. Click the image for more detail. But it also has CN¥114.2m in cash to offset that, meaning it has CN¥74.2m net cash.
SEHK:9978 Debt to Equity History October 1st 2022
A Look At Fineland Living Services Group’s Liabilities
We can see from the most recent balance sheet that Fineland Living Services Group had liabilities of CN¥297.1m falling due within a year, and liabilities of CN¥23.3m due beyond that. Offsetting these obligations, it had cash of CN¥114.2m as well as receivables valued at CN¥338.7m due within 12 months. So it can boast CN¥132.5m more liquid assets than total liabilities.
This luscious liquidity implies that Fineland Living Services Group’s balance sheet is sturdy like a giant sequoia tree. Having regard to this fact, we think its balance sheet is as strong as an ox. Succinctly put, Fineland Living Services Group boasts net cash, so it’s fair to say it does not have a heavy debt load!
But the bad news is that Fineland Living Services Group has seen its EBIT plunge 14% in the last twelve months. We think hat kind of performance, if repeated frequently, could well lead to difficulties for the stock. There’s no doubt that we learn most about debt from the balance sheet. But you can’t view debt in total isolation; since Fineland Living Services Group will need earnings to service that debt. So if you’re keen to discover more about its earnings, it might be worth checking out this graph of its long term earnings trend.
But our final consideration is also important, because a company cannot pay debt with paper profits; it needs cold hard cash. While Fineland Living Services Group has net cash on its balance sheet, it’s still worth taking a look at its ability to convert earnings before interest and tax (EBIT) to free cash flow, to help us understand how quickly it is building (or eroding) that cash balance. During the last three years, Fineland Living Services Group burned a lot of cash. While that may be a result of expenditure for growth, it does make the debt far more risky.
Summing Up
While it is always sensible to investigate a company’s debt, in this case Fineland Living Services Group has CN¥74.2m in net cash and a strong balance sheet. So we don’t have any problem with Fineland Living Services Group’s use of debt. There’s no doubt that we learn most about debt from the balance sheet. However, not all investment risk resides within the balance sheet – far from it. We’ve identified 4 warning signs with Fineland Living Services Group (at least 1 which is significant) , and understanding them should be part of your investment process.
Of course, if you’re the type of investor who prefers buying stocks without the burden of debt, then don’t hesitate to discover our exclusive list of net cash growth stocks, today.
Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team (at) simplywallst.com.
This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. We provide commentary based on historical data and analyst forecasts only using an unbiased methodology and our articles are not intended to be financial advice. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. We aim to bring you long-term focused analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Simply Wall St has no position in any stocks mentioned.
Valuation is complex, but we’re helping make it simple.
Find out whether Fineland Living Services Group is potentially over or undervalued by checking out our comprehensive analysis, which includes fair value estimates, risks and warnings, dividends, insider transactions and financial health.
View the Free Analysis
College Football Schedule Games 2022: What To Watch In Week 5 TV Channels Saturday Kickoff Times CBS Sports
College Football Schedule, Games 2022: What To Watch In Week 5, TV Channels, Saturday Kickoff Times – CBS Sports https://bexarcountynewsonline.com/college-football-schedule-games-2022-what-to-watch-in-week-5-tv-channels-saturday-kickoff-times-cbs-sports/
Plenty of intriguing games featuring title contenders headline the Week 5 slate as the calendar turns to October
Sep 30, 2022 at 8:00 pm ET • 3 min read
USATSI
The first Saturday in October is almost here and that means the landscape of college football will be dominated by the developing conference races as we approach the season’s midpoint. Saturday’s Week 5 slate brings us plenty of action with conference title race implications from noon ET through well past midnight, including a showdown in the SEC West where No. 2 Alabama heads to Fayetteville, Arkansas, to take on the 20th-ranked Razorbacks in the SEC on CBS Game of the Week.
Elsewhere in the SEC, No. 14 Ole Miss will host No. 7 Kentucky in a cross-division matchup that will serve as a measuring stick for each of the two upstart contenders. Meanwhile, a much-anticipated battle in the ACC Atlantic takes center stage in primetime as No. 5 Clemson hosts No. 10 NC State.
It’ll be a busy Saturday across the country, so here’s a handy viewer’s guide to help you navigate the action. All times eastern.
The best games
No. 4 Michigan at Iowa — noon on Fox, fuboTV (Try for free): Weird things happen in Iowa City, Iowa, when top-five opponents come to town, and the Wolverines will now step into the madness. Of course, if the Hawkeyes are going to spring the upset, they’ll probably have to score multiple touchdowns. That’s easier said (or written) than done.
No. 7 Kentucky at No. 14 Ole Miss — noon on ESPN, fuboTV (Try for free): Running back Chris Rodriguez Jr. will be back for the Wildcats, and will be facing a Rebels defense that has been one of the most pleasant surprises of the young season. Meanwhile, the Rebels boast one of the best running back duos in the country with Quinshon Judkins and Zach Evans. If you haven’t watched this rushing attack, get your popcorn ready.
No. 2 Alabama at No. 20 Arkansas — 3:30 p.m. on CBS, CBSSports.com, CBS Sports App (Free): The Razorbacks are in desperation mode after falling to Texas A&M last week but will have the chance to get back into the national picture if they can pull the upset on the Crimson Tide. Four of Alabama’s last five true road games have been one-score games, so don’t discount a nail-biter.
No. 9 Oklahoma State at No. 16 Baylor — 3:30 p.m. on Fox, fuboTV (Try for free): This rematch of last year’s thrilling Big 12 Championship Game will feature two teams that are unbeaten in conference play and could factor into the College Football Playoff race. The Cowboys were off last week, so they’ve had two weeks to prepare for revenge against Dave Aranda’s Bears.
No. 22 Wake Forest at No. 23 Florida State — 3:30 p.m. on ABC, fuboTV (Try for free): The Demon Deacons can’t afford another conference loss after falling to Clemson last weekend, and the defense will have a challenge on its hands against a Seminoles team that has been tough to match up with this year. This game will serve as a pivot point in the race for the ACC Atlantic title.
No. 10 NC State at No. 5 Clemson — 7:30 p.m. on ABC, fuboTV (Try for free): Clemson gained confidence last weekend when quarterback DJ Uiagalelei lit up Wake Forest’s defense, and now it looks like a complete football team. Meanwhile, the Wolfpack can make a big statement to the college football world if it can spring an upset in Death Valley.
Best of the rest
No. 18 Oklahoma at TCU — noon on ABC, fuboTV (Try for free)
Purdue at No. 21 Minnesota — noon on ESPN2, fuboTV (Try for free)
Texas Tech at No. 25 Kansas State — noon on ESPN+
Georgia State at Army — noon on CBS Sports Network, CBSSports.com, CBS Sports App
Oregon State at No. 12 Utah — 2 p.m. on Pac-12 Networks, fuboTV (Try for free)
Rutgers at No. 3 Ohio State — 3:30 p.m. on Big Ten Network, fuboTV (Try for free)
Northwestern at No. 11 Penn State — 3:30 p.m. on ESPN, fuboTV (Try for free)
Fresno State at UConn — 3:30 p.m. on CBS Sports Network, CBSSports.com, CBS Sports App
No. 17 Texas A&M at Mississippi State — 4 p.m. on SEC Network, fuboTV (Try for free)
No. 1 Georgia at Missouri — 7:30 p.m. on SEC Network, fuboTV (Try for free)
San Jose State at Wyoming — 7:30 p.m. on CBS Sports Network, CBSSports.com, CBS Sports App
Georgia Tech at No. 24 Pittsburgh — 8 p.m. on ACC Network, fuboTV (Try for free)
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I Watched A Metaverse Concert And This Is What It Was Like TODAY
I Watched A Metaverse Concert And This Is What It Was Like – TODAY https://bexarcountynewsonline.com/i-watched-a-metaverse-concert-and-this-is-what-it-was-like-today/
SINGAPORE — There was a “DJ” on a large, illuminated stage playing a remix of Coldplay’s hit A Sky Full of Stars, and there were dozens of “people” dancing to the beat.
The famed Supertrees from Gardens by the Bay appeared to tower over the venue, and they were pulsating with pink neon lights. The ground, too, was emanating light, and a building that looked like Marina Bay Sands stood in the distance.
This concert would have cost organisers and arm and a leg to host, taking up virtually the entirety of the Gardens by the Bay venue.
But the truth was, the organisers had not spent a single cent on renting out the space, or on any physical props, for that matter.
In fact, “I” was attending this concert, not in my own 28-year-old male self, but in pixels, as a young female avatar wearing hot shorts and a hoodie.
In other words, I was attending a concert in the metaverse.
A metaverse is a three-dimensional virtual world where people socialise, work and play, and in this case, the metaverse was akin to a gaming world, where I had a specific character that could walk around and interact with the 3D environment.
The idea of the metaverse puzzled me, being someone who hardly plays computer games.
So, when I heard that telecommunications company M1 was teaming up with Gardens by the Bay and e-gaming firm Electronic Sports Private Limited (ESPL) on Tuesday (Sept 27) to showcase a demo of a metaverse concert, I joined in on the fun.
GROWTH IN POPULARITY OF THE METAVERSE
It seemed like a concept for the distant future, up till I noticed that just last month, a couple had actually gotten married in the metaverse, which they said was the first marriage of its kind.
In fact, the metaverse has been a buzzword for over a year, ever since Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg renamed his Facebook company to Meta in October last year, signalling its big push into the metaverse.
Since then, various companies, both local and global, have delved into this concept.
For instance, DBS Bank last month collaborated with The Sandbox, a decentralised virtual gaming world, to acquire a unit of virtual real estate in The Sandbox metaverse.
Even governments have been delving into the metaverse. English language daily the Khaleej Times reported last month that the United Arab Emirates Ministry of Economy would have a new headquarters located in the metaverse, where anyone can visit.
Whether the popularity of the metaverse will continue to expand will depend on an “ecosystem” of different stakeholders, said Professor Lim Sun Sun, head of humanities, arts and social sciences at the Singapore University of Technology and Design.
For instance, technology such as 5G networks, the accessibility of immersive devices such as virtual reality (VR) headsets, and the variety of metaverse events have to develop at the same pace to sustain the growth of the concept.
“It speaks to the broader ecosystem, whether or not the metaverse environments are appealing, whether they are welcoming, whether the hardware becomes more comfortable, whether that sort of physiological experience of interacting with others (in the metaverse) becomes more palatable over time, and so on,” said Prof Lim.
BOTH A LIVE PERFORMANCE AND A VIDEO GAME
For the metaverse concert demo, members of the media were invited to Floral Fantasy, an indoor garden at Gardens by the Bay, where we could use several smartphones on display, which was to be our window to the metaverse.
This didn’t seem very special at first, as I initially thought that having a VR headset would make for a more immersive experience, by granting users a 360-degree view of the metaverse. However, I understood that not everyone would have a VR headset, so a smartphone could actually be the primary mode the metaverse is accessed in the future.
According to M1 and Gardens by the Bay, having the metaverse experience on a smartphone was a remarkable achievement in itself.
Deputy chief executive officer of Gardens by the Bay Lee Kok Fatt said that it is only with a 5G network that the metaverse can be experienced from the typical mobile devices.
“The content (of the metaverse) is very rich and heavy, so before the advent of 5G, it required users to download a very big file to access the user experience,” he said.
He added that Gardens by the Bay, M1 and ESPL will be working together to provide 5G connectivity at Gardens by the Bay’s indoor venues and this will make such metaverse events more accessible there.
What I found special about the metaverse was that it was a mashup between both a live performance and a video game.
The “live performance” came in the form of an actual DJ, Jasmine H Nera, who goes by the stage name DJ Red, playing at this demo event. Her physical self, however, was at another location within Gardens by the Bay, while her avatar was on the metaverse stage that I could see from the phone, behind a DJ console.
There was a “live chat” function, where I could type messages or questions to Ms Nera. I typed: “How will the metaverse benefit you?”
Ms Nera’s own physical face popped up on a large screen in the back of the metaverse stage and she was able to reply me, live.
“The convenience is there because it allows me to just stream from wherever I am… that provides me a great way to talk to my fans, especially the international fans, because they are not going to be able to fly in just for my show,” she said.
I found this function particularly distinct from a typical live performance, where performers would scarcely be able to respond to specific fans amid the chorus of screams. It added an intimate touch to the event.
And with the performance being viewed on a smartphone, it was a largely two-dimensional experience, with the sound quality itself the same as when watching a YouTube video. This paled in comparison to being at a live concert, as the feeling of jostling with the crowd and having live music blast out of large speakers could not be replicated.
On the other hand, the entire experience also felt like I was playing a video game, with my avatar’s movements around the metaverse space, from running around to jumping, controlled by me.
This was in theory supposed to give my avatar some degree of freedom in the concert venue. Sure enough, I could just weave between other partygoers and easily find myself at the front of the stage.
For now, there was also no way for me to change my avatar from a woman to a man, let alone customise the avatar’s appearance and clothing, but this was an option that will be added in later, the developers told me.
Other burning questions which I had were also addressed, namely, whether there was any safeguard against harassment or abusive behaviour in the metaverse. For instance, could an avatar run on stage and disrupt the show, or hurl vulgarities at other audience members?
Project Chair of ESPL Roland Ong said that while there is nothing to stop users from posting what they want, there is the possibility of having moderators on the platform, to ensure that anyone deemed to be abusive or disruptive to the performance can be booted out of the metaverse.
“Secondly, we can use software to catch words that are undesirable, so that they are censored right away,” he added.
Overall, it was an extremely novel experience, one that I would not mind doing again when the operating system is more refined and updated. It presents an opportunity for me to “attend” a performance without committing a lot of time and money, yet also allows for some degree of interaction that an online video cannot provide.
However, I can safely say that I would not want the metaverse to replace actual live performances, as there is a certain tangibility about them that is difficult to emulate.
THE AIM IS NOT TO REPLACE LIVE PERFORMANCES: M1, GARDENS BY THE BAY
My concerns that we were heading for an entirely virtual world bereft of “traditional” live performances were quickly assuaged, because the aim of testing out the metaverse was never to fully replace the real life concert experience.
Mr Ong from ESPL said that the metaverse will allow tourists the chance to “explore” Gardens by the Bay without flying down.
However, the end goal is still to attract people to visit the physical venue itself.
“(Gardens by the Bay’s) status as a global icon, we can use it to host local artists and showcase them to the world, that is another one of our objectives,” Mr Lee said.
Chief corporate sales and solutions officer from M1, Mr Willis Sim, said that other than cutting the costs of renting out large spaces, the metaverse provides concert organisers the opportunity expand their reach, by either holding an event entirely on the metaverse, or have hybrid events, where some of the audience is live, and another group is in attendance online.
“This will increase the revenue for the artists, the concert and the event organiser,” he said.
Members of the public, too, can hold their own metaverse events at Gardens by the Bay.
“If you book a wedding package, you can discuss with us right away, if you want an option to also make it available on the metaverse,” said Mr Ong.
Its Easy To Falsify Photo Geotags On Your IPhone To Keep Real Locations Secret Gadget Hacks
It’s Easy To Falsify Photo Geotags On Your IPhone To Keep Real Locations Secret – Gadget Hacks https://bexarcountynewsonline.com/its-easy-to-falsify-photo-geotags-on-your-iphone-to-keep-real-locations-secret-gadget-hacks/
Without realizing it, you may be giving away the GPS coordinates of your home, workplace, school, and other important or secret locations. Unless you’ve blocked the feature on your iPhone, location data is stored in almost every photo and video you take, and anyone you share the content with can find out where you are or were. But there are a few things you can do to safeguard the information.
When you opened up the Camera app for the first time, it asked you if it was OK to use your location when using the app, and you likely approved the request. And that’s perfectly fine. Tagging your photos and videos with location data helps you organize and keep track of important moments in your life, and it helps the Photos app create Memory videos for you, to name just a few benefits.
However, you may not remember that each image’s metadata stores the precise or approximate location where it was captured, or that anyone you share the image with can easily look up that information. You could even be sharing the GPS coordinates with hackers and the entire world if you upload content to services like DeviantArt, Flickr, Google Photos, and Unsplash.
Don’t Miss: Apple Photos Has 20 New Features for iPhone That Make Your Life Easier
Without Location Services disabled for camera apps, your iPhone doesn’t just use GPS networks to find your coordinates — it also uses Bluetooth connections, local Wi-Fi networks, and your cellular network. So even if you don’t have cellular or Wi-Fi coverage, location data could still be invisibly stamped on your images.
Jump to a section:
Disable Geotagging Altogether
Delete Geotags When Sharing
Delete Geotags Before Sharing
Fake Geotags Before Sharing
Option 1: Disable Geotagging Altogether
If you never want your iPhone to tag photos and videos with geographical information, you can disable Location Services for Camera and any other camera apps you use. To do so, go to Settings – Privacy (iOS 15) or Privacy & Security (iOS 16) – Location Services, then choose “Camera” or another app from the list.
From the app’s settings, you can:
Disable “Precise Location” to generalize recorded location data.
Change “While Using the App” to “Never” to disable the location access period.
Change “While Using the App” to “Ask Next Time Or When I Share.” When you open a new session in your camera app, it will ask you for location access. You can turn off Precise Location and choose “Don’t Allow” (to never let it access your location) or “Allow Once” (to have it ask the same question with every new session).
Option 2: Delete Geotags When Sharing
Since iOS 13, you can quickly remove the location from any picture or video you share from the Photos app. Once you open the share sheet, tap “Options” at the top, and toggle off the “Location” switch before sharing the content with any person or service. This even works when sharing multiple photos or videos with embedded geotags. If you don’t see the “Location” toggle, the content doesn’t have any location data in its Exif metadata.
Option 3: Delete Geotags Before Sharing
Since iOS 15, you can delete the geotags in your photos and videos from the Photos app, which comes in handy if you don’t plan on sharing the content just yet but know you probably will.
To delete the geotag of one photo or video:
Open the content, then swipe it up or tap the info (i) button to reveal the content’s metadata. Tap “Adjust” below the map, then hit “No Location.”
Open the content, tap the ellipsis (•••) icon, choose “Adjust Location” from the quick actions menu, then hit “No Location.” (This works on iOS 16 and later only.)
Open the content on iOS 15, tap the share icon, choose “Adjust Location” from the share sheet, then hit “No Location.” (This works on iOS 15 only.)
To delete the geotag of one or more photos or videos:
Hit “Select” from the grid view, choose the content, tap the ellipsis (•••) icon, choose “Adjust Location” from the quick actions menu, then hit “No Location.” (This works on iOS 16 and later only.)
Hit “Select” from the grid view, choose the content, tap the share icon, choose “Adjust Location” from the share sheet, then hit “No Location.” (This works on iOS 15 only.)
To revert back to the original location:
If you need the actual location back, use the same process above for single photos and videos.
Open the content, then swipe it up or tap the info (i) button to reveal the content’s metadata. Tap “Add a location” below the map, then hit “Revert.”
Open the content, tap the ellipsis (•••) icon, choose “Adjust Location” from the quick actions menu, then hit “Revert.” (This works on iOS 16 and later only.)
Open the content on iOS 15, tap the share icon, choose “Adjust Location” from the share sheet, then hit “Revert.” (This works on iOS 15 only.)
You cannot revert multiple photos or videos to the original location simultaneously, so you’ll have to do them individually if you have more than one that needs to be changed back.
Option 4: Fake Geotags Before Sharing
While removing the location data altogether when sharing photos and videos is quick and easy to do, you can also make it look like you were somewhere else. That way, if anyone looks up the content’s metadata, they’ll see a fake location instead of the real one. It could take them on a wild goose chase if they attempt to locate your whereabouts, favorite hangouts, or frequently visited locations.
It’s pretty much the same process to change the address for a photo or video in the Photos app as it is to delete it, as seen in Option 3 above, only you choose a specific location instead of “No Location.”
To falsify the geotag of one photo or video:
Open the content, then swipe it up or tap the info (i) button to reveal the content’s metadata. Tap “Adjust” below the map, then search for and select any location you want.
Open the content, tap the ellipsis (•••) icon, choose “Adjust Location” from the quick actions menu, then search for and select any location you want. (This works on iOS 16 and later only.)
Open the content on iOS 15, tap the share icon, choose “Adjust Location” from the share sheet, then search for and select any location you want. (This works on iOS 15 only.)
To Falsify the Geotag of One or More Photos or Videos:
Hit “Select” from the grid view, choose the content, tap the ellipsis (•••) icon, choose “Adjust Location” from the quick actions menu, then search for and select any location you want. (This works on iOS 16 and later only.)
Hit “Select” from the grid view, choose the content, tap the share icon, choose “Adjust Location” from the share sheet, then search for and select any location you want. (This works on iOS 15 only.)
To revert back to the original location:
If you need the actual location back, use the same process above for single photos and videos.
Open the content, then swipe it up or tap the info (i) button to reveal the content’s metadata. Tap “Adjust” below the map, then hit “Revert.”
Open the content, tap the ellipsis (•••) icon, choose “Adjust Location” from the quick actions menu, then hit “Revert.” (This works on iOS 16 and later only.)
Open the content on iOS 15, tap the share icon, choose “Adjust Location” from the share sheet, then hit “Revert.” (This works on iOS 15 only.)
You cannot revert multiple photos or videos to the original location simultaneously, so you’ll have to do them individually if you have more than one that needs to be changed back.
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Study: Hawaii Is Among Most Crypto-Obsessed States KHON2
Study: Hawaii Is Among Most Crypto-Obsessed States – KHON2 https://bexarcountynewsonline.com/study-hawaii-is-among-most-crypto-obsessed-states-khon2/
HONOLULU (KHON2) — Despite crypto interest being at an all-time low, Hawaii is among the Top 10 states that are still obsessed with digital currency, according to a new study. Finance website AtoZMarkets.com found that interest is over 80 times lower than the peak of early November 2021; analysis of Google Trends data also revealed that crypto interest in the last 12 months has reached an all-time low.
The study looked at which states still have their crypto obsession intact, despite the drop in online interest.
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Each state was given a total score determined by main crypto-oriented search terms over the last 12 months, including “bitcoin” and “cryptocurrency.” California was ranked as having the highest interest in crypto with a score of 675, followed by Nevada and New York. Hawaii was ranked as the seventh most crypto-obsessed state with a total score of 548, according to the study.
Top 10 Most Crypto-Obsessed States
State
Crypto
Bitcoin
Ethereum
Dogecoin
Cryptocurrency
NFT
Coinbase
Total Score
1. California
100
92
100
100
83
100
100
675
2. Nevada
91
100
84
87
87
89
79
617
3. New York
83
75
92
91
78
89
94
602
4. New Jersey
89
81
90
91
81
77
83
592
5. Florida
84
89
75
89
80
77
82
576
6. Washington
77
79
79
87
76
76
88
562
7. Hawaii
90
93
80
69
97
77
42
548
8. Utah
82
71
70
76
69
69
81
518
9. Massachusetts
74
76
81
67
65
77
75
515
10. Oregon
73
73
82
77
66
71
71
513
To see the full list, click here.
Hawaii’s crypto market almost took its last breath after House Bill 2108 was indefinitely deferred in early May. The bill would have established a program for the licensure, regulation and oversight of digital currency companies in the state. Without its passing, the Digital Currency Innovation Lab was scheduled to close for transactions on June 30 for both businesses and consumers.
Then on June 2, a two-year extension of the DCIL was announced. The news was a sigh of relief for the cryptocurrency companies participating in the pilot program. They can continue to do business in Hawaii without having to first obtain a state money transmitter license, at least until June 30, 2024.
Check out more news from around Hawaii
Those that choose to withdraw from the program will have to abide by the terms of the DCIL and wind down procedures starting on July 1 and concluding on Dec. 31.
U.S. Supreme Court Justice Jackson Embarking On First Term Says Her Appointment Inspires Pride Among Americans Reuters
U.S. Supreme Court Justice Jackson, Embarking On First Term, Says Her Appointment Inspires Pride Among Americans – Reuters https://bexarcountynewsonline.com/u-s-supreme-court-justice-jackson-embarking-on-first-term-says-her-appointment-inspires-pride-among-americans-reuters/
U.S. Supreme Associate Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson waves during a photo opportunity outside the U.S. Supreme Court following an investiture ceremony for Justice Jackson at the court in Washington, U.S., September 30, 2022. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque
Major race cases loom for first Black woman U.S. justice
Biden attends Jackson’s ceremonial swearing-in at court
Only one of justices to have worked as a public defender
Sept 30 (Reuters) – Liberal U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson said on Friday that her appointment as the first Black woman to serve on the court has inspired pride among Americans she has encountered
She hears arguments for the first time as the Supreme Court opens its new term on Monday and the conservative-dominated judicial body has shown an increasing willingness to exert its power on a range of issues.
Jackson did not discuss the court’s ideological split in remarks at the Library of Congress on Friday following her formal investiture, instead focusing on how historically marginalized communities benefit from seeing her elevation to the high court.
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“People from all walks of life approach me with what I can only describe as a profound sense of pride. And what feels to me like renewed ownership. I can see it in their eyes,” Jackson said. “They stare at me as if to say, ‘Look at what we’ve done … this is what we can accomplish if we put our minds to it.”http://www.reuters.com/”
Jackson and her eight new colleagues will consider a slate of important cases over the next nine months.
These involve race-conscious admissions policies used by colleges and universities to foster student diversity, voting rights, environmental regulation, LGBT and religious rights, the power of federal agencies – and even a dispute over Andy Warhol paintings.
“Given how the docket is shaping up, there’s no indication this is going to be a quiet term for Justice Jackson to join,” said law professor Allison Orr Larsen of the College of William & Mary in Virginia.
The court has a 6-3 conservative majority, with Jackson joining a liberal bloc that has been relegated to issuing strongly worded dissents in the most important decisions. For example, the court’s conservative majority powered rulings on back-to-back days in June overturning its 1973 precedent that had legalized abortion nationwide and expanding gun rights by declaring that the U.S. Constitution protects an individual’s right to carry a handgun in public for self-defense.
A Reuters/Ipsos survey conducted after those rulings showed a majority of Americans holding an unfavorable view of the court.
Jackson’s two fellow liberal justices, Elena Kagan and Sonia Sotomayor, during public appearances this summer raised concerns that the court was gambling with its hard-earned legitimacy among the public by appearing political.
“I do not think those sorts of concerns will be enough to persuade five of the right-wing justices in many of these cases to not simply leverage their raw power to obtain the ends that they are looking for,” Boston University School of Law professor Jonathan Feingold said.
‘WITHOUT FEAR OR FAVOR’
President Joe Biden, a Democrat, appointed Jackson to succeed now-retired liberal Justice Stephen Breyer. The Senate in April confirmed the federal appellate judge, despite broad opposition among Republicans. Mitch McConnell, the Senate’s top Republican, called Jackson the choice of the “radical left.”
“I decide cases from a neutral posture. I evaluate the facts, and I interpret and apply the law to the facts of the case before me, without fear or favor, consistent with my judicial oath,” Jackson told the Senate Judiciary Committee during her March confirmation hearing.
Jackson took an oath administered by Roberts on Friday in a ceremony attended by Biden, Vice President Kamala Harris, U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland, the other justices and retired Justices Breyer and Anthony Kennedy. Her formal swearing-in took place in June.
“Today for the first time Americans will see a Black woman serving on our nation’s highest court. This is a proud day for America, for our democracy, and in particular for women and Black women,” White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters.
The new term’s first month includes arguments in cases that present the conservative justices opportunities to limit the scope of a major environmental law, cripple an important civil rights law’s protections against racial discrimination in voting and end affirmative action admissions policies used by colleges and universities to increase their numbers of Black and Hispanic students.
The affirmative action litigation involves challenges to policies used by Harvard University and the University of North Carolina. Jackson, who earned undergraduate and law school degrees from Harvard and has served on its Board of Overseers, recused herself from the Harvard case but is set to participate in the North Carolina one.
While the liberal justices may play merely the role of dissenters in some cases, Jackson could help shape some decisions, particularly when her expertise comes to the fore. Her perspective on criminal justice issues is informed by past service both as a trial judge and as a public defender – a job none of the other sitting justices ever performed. Jackson also served on a commission that addressed sentencing guidelines for the federal judiciary.
“Those are all issues I suspect Justice Jackson would care about,” Larsen said.
Jackson joins the court amid an investigation ordered by Roberts into the May leak of a draft version of the abortion ruling, a disclosure he called a betrayal.
“That’s not a wound that’s going to heal quickly. The reality is that she’s stepping into a court that has endured a particularly difficult circumstance in the leak,” said Megan Wold, a former Alito law clerk now at the law firm Cooper & Kirk.
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Reporting by Nate Raymond in Boston; Additional reporting by Andrew Chung in New York and Jeff Mason in Washington; Editing by Scott Malone, Will Dunham and Cynthia Osterman
Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.
Nate Raymond
Thomson Reuters
Nate Raymond reports on the federal judiciary and litigation. He can be reached at nate.raymond@thomsonreuters.com.
House Approves Scaled-Down Bill Targeting Big Tech Dominance | News Sports Jobs The Adirondack Daily Enterprise
House Approves Scaled-Down Bill Targeting Big Tech Dominance | News, Sports, Jobs – The Adirondack Daily Enterprise https://bexarcountynewsonline.com/house-approves-scaled-down-bill-targeting-big-tech-dominance-news-sports-jobs-the-adirondack-daily-enterprise/
WASHINGTON — The House on Thursday approved sharply scaled-down legislation targeting the dominance of Big Tech companies by giving states greater power in antitrust cases and increasing money for federal regulators.
The bipartisan measure, passed by a 242-184 vote, pales in comparison with a more ambitious package aimed at reining in Meta, Google, Amazon and Apple and cleared by key House and Senate committees. That proposal has languished for months, giving the companies time for vigorous lobbying campaigns against it.
The more limited bill would give states an upper hand over companies in choosing the location of courts that decide federal antitrust cases. Proponents say this change would avert the “home-court advantage” that Big Tech companies enjoy in federal court in Northern California, where many of the cases are tried and many of the companies are based.
Many state attorneys general have pursued antitrust cases against the industry, and many states joined with the Justice Department and the Federal Trade Commission in their landmark lawsuits against Google and Meta (then called Facebook), respectively, in late 2020.
The bill also would increase filing fees paid by companies to federal agencies for all proposed mergers worth $500 million or more, while reducing the fees for small and medium-sized transactions. The aim is to increase revenue for federal enforcement efforts.
Under the bill, companies seeking approval for mergers would have to disclose subsidies they received from countries deemed to pose strategic or economic risks to the United States — especially China.
“We find ourselves in a monopoly moment as a country,” Rep. Lori Trahan, D-Mass., said before the vote. “Multibillion-dollar corporations have grown into behemoths, eliminating any real competition in their industries and using their dominance to hurt small businesses and consumers. Meta’s monopoly power has enabled it to harm women, children and people of all ages without recourse. Amazon has used its dominance to copy competitors’ products and run small businesses into the ground.”
The Biden administration, which has pushed for antitrust legislation targeting Big Tech, endorsed the bill this week.
Even in reduced form, the legislation drew fierce opposition from conservative Republicans who split from their GOP colleagues supporting the bill. The conservatives objected to the proposed revenue increase for the antitrust regulators, arguing there has been brazen overreach by the FTC under President Joe Biden.
Rep. Tom McClintock, R-Calif., described the FTC’s leader, Lina Khan, as a “a radical leftist seeking to replace consumers’ decisions with her own.”
Another California Republican, Rep. Darrell Issa, told his colleagues: “If you want to stifle innovation, vote for this.”
If Republicans win control of the House or Senate in the November elections, they are certain to try to crimp the activism of the FTC and to challenge its broader interpretation of its legal authority.
The broader antitrust package would restrict powerful tech companies from favoring their own products and services over rivals on their platforms and could even lead to mandated breakups separating companies’ dominant platforms from their other businesses. It could, for example, prevent Amazon from steering consumers to its own brands and away from competitors’ products on its giant e-commerce platform.
The drafting of that legislation marked a new turn in Congress’ effort to curb the dominance of the tech giants and anti-competitive practices that critics say have hurt consumers, small businesses and innovation. But the proposal is complex and drew objections to some provisions from lawmakers of both parties, even though all condemn the tech giants’ conduct.
Lawmakers have faced a delicate task as they try to tighten reins around a powerful industry whose services, mostly free or nearly so, are popular with consumers and embedded into daily life.
So with time to act running out as the November elections approach in about six weeks, lawmakers extracted the less controversial provisions on antitrust court venues and merger filing fees, putting them into the new bill that passed.
Lawmakers added the provision targeting foreign subsidies to U.S. companies. Republicans especially have vocally criticized the Chinese ownership of popular video platform TikTok.
In the Senate, Minnesota Democrat Amy Klobuchar is sponsoring similar legislation with Republicans Chuck Grassley of Iowa and Mike Lee of Utah.
“Effective antitrust enforcement is critical to ensuring consumers and small businesses have the opportunity to compete,” Klobuchar said in a statement Thursday. “Enforcers cannot take on the biggest companies the world has ever known with duct tape and Band-Aids.”
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The Biggest Gaming News For September 30 2022 TheGamer
The Biggest Gaming News For September 30, 2022 – TheGamer https://bexarcountynewsonline.com/the-biggest-gaming-news-for-september-30-2022-thegamer/
Hideo Kojima’s Stadia exclusive was turned down by Google and developers are trying to rescue their Stadia users.
It’s finally the end of another busy month for the gaming industry, but that doesn’t mean things are slowing down as we head into October. We’ve got all the fallout from yesterday’s Stadia announcement to cover, including news that Kojima’s Stadia exclusive game was reportedly cancelled due to it being only single-player.
We’ve also seen numerous developers announce that they’re trying to help its user transfer their games from the service, with one Red Dead Online player desperately hoping Rockstar will transfer their 6,000 hours of play time. For all the details, read on.
Google Reportedly Cancelled Hideo Kojima’s Stadia Exclusive Due To It Being Single-Player
We’ll start off with the Kojima news, as it has been reported that Kojima Productions had an exclusivity deal with Google only for the title to be cancelled for being a single-player experience. Stadia general manager Phil Harrison allegedly didn’t think there was much of a market for single-player games these days and scrapped the project. While we don’t know what happened to the project, it’s likely it could have been repurposed as a game called Overdose that is rumored to be in development for Microsoft and Xbox.
Hitman Dev Tells Stadia Players It’s Looking For A Way To Transfer Progress
With the announcement of Stadia’s shuttering, users have understandably been worried about what’s going to happen to their games and their saves. While Google has assured players will be completely refunded for all purchases made via the Stadia store, some fans are still miffed that all of their progress on Stadia is going to be erased. Several developers have come forward today saying that they’re looking into potentially transferring games and progress to other platforms, including Hitman developer IO Interactive, Ubisoft, and Bungie.
Red Dead Online Stadia Player With 6,000 Hours Begs Rockstar For Character Transfer
One user will be hoping that Rockstar will be added to that list soon, as someone that has racked up a whopping 6,000 hours on Red Dead Online is begging the developer to let them transfer their character to another platform. Rockstar has yet to respond as to whether it will be sorting out character transfers, but if it doesn’t then all those 6,000 hours will be for nothing once the service shuts down in January next year.
God Of War PC Port Studio Is Working On A “Flagship” Live Service Game With Sony
It’s not all about Stadia today though, as it was also revealed that the developers behind the PC port of God of War – Jetpack Interactive – are currently working on a “flagship” live-service title for Sony. We don’t know whether this title will be connected to God of War at all, but it does look like the company is ramping up plans to launch 10 live-service games by 2025.
Community Movie Announced, Donald Glover And Yvette Nicole Brown Not Attached
Finally, we have big news for fans of the TV series Community as its been announced that a movie has been ordered by streaming service Peacock. Joel McHale, Danny Pudi, Alison Brie, Gillian Jacobs, Jim Rash, and Ken Jeong are all set to return, with McHale also set to be an executive producer. Unfortunately, Donald Glover, Yvette Nicole Brown, and Chevy Chase aren’t currently confirmed to be reprising their roles.
Next: An Obituary For Overwatch
San Antonios Spookiest Haunted Locations And Urban Legends San Antonio Current
San Antonio’s Spookiest Haunted Locations And Urban Legends – San Antonio Current https://bexarcountynewsonline.com/san-antonios-spookiest-haunted-locations-and-urban-legends-san-antonio-current/
Terrell Castle, a.k.a. The Lambermont
Now home to a fancy wedding venue, this historic building was built for the influential Edwin Holland Terrell and fashioned after European castles. The property remained a source of pride until Terrell’s suicide in 1910 after years of suffering with syphilis. Unfortunately, his initial attempt failed, and it took him 10 days to die. Other tragic tales associated with the mansion include a contractor who threw himself from a balcony during construction, and a man who killed his wife and her lover when he caught them in bed together during World War II. Fortunately, the 12,000 square foot building is expansive enough to accommodate plenty of guests, so couples shouldn’t be too worried about ghastly wedding crashers.
Photo via Instagram / sunset.in.sa
Donkey Lady Bridge
You can’t live in San Antonio long without hearing a version of the city’s favorite creepy legend: the story of the Donkey Lady. Though there’s multiple variations of the story, one version goes something like this: In the 1950s, a young woman attempted to save her children from a house fire (that some say was lit by her sociopath husband) — but failed. The event left her horribly disfigured, with her fingers and toes melted together to create hoof-like nubs and her head warped into an elongated, donkey-like shape. She was promptly cast out of town and banished to live in the woods. Ever since, the Donkey Lady has roamed the woods of Bexar County, crying out for her children and generally pissed off. Want to meet her? It’s said if you go to the Old Applewhite Bridge in the Medina River Greenway, you may be able to hear her for yourself.
Photo via Google Maps
The Dancing Devil of El Camaroncito
According to this satanic tale, on Halloween 1975 a handsome man clad in white made quite the entrance at El Camaroncito Night Club. Legend says he was an amazing dancer, and wooed women left and right. As the night wore on, one of the women glanced down at the man’s feet and, instead of stylish shoes, saw that he had clawed chicken’s feet. Some people say she actually saw a goat’s cloven hooves. Either way, people claim he was the devil himself. The story goes that he fled to a bathroom and escaped through a window, leaving behind a cloud of smoke and a sulfuric smell. We’re not sure why Beelzebub himself would feel the need to sneak out like that, but whatever.
Photo via Google Maps
Gunter Hotel Room 636
With a story this grisly, it’s no wonder people claim this room at the Sheraton Gunter Hotel is haunted. The tale goes that a man named Walter Emmerick checked into the hotel under the alias “Albert Knox” in early 1965. Though he checked in alone, he was seen with a woman. A few days later, a maid entered the room to discover the man standing next to a blood-soaked bed. He then gathered the sheets and fled the room. Upon investigation, employees discovered that the entire room was covered in blood. Some say Emmerick butchered the woman in the room, while others allege that there wasn’t enough blood to substantiate that claim. Police later found the man at the St. Anthony Hotel, where he had killed himself. True crime fans and ghost hunters alike can get more details about the crime, and subsequent sightings of spirits, from a 2013 post on the hotel’s blog.
Photo via UTSA Libraries Digital Collection
The Ghost Tracks
You can’t talk about urban legends in San Antonio without covering the Ghost Tracks. This long-dispelled myth is still a local favorite, and has repeatedly been voted Best Urban Legend in the Current’s Best of San Antonio poll. As the story goes, you can park your car at this spot on the train tracks and get “pushed” forward by some spectral helpers. As a bonus, if you put flour on the back of your trunk, you might even see their little handprints. The push purportedly comes from wee ghosts of children who met an untimely end in the early 1900s when a train rammed into a bus at the location. However, in 2003, archivist Matt De Waelsche traced the story’s origin to a 1938 bus accident in Salt Lake City, Utah. Even worse, the tracks were “exorcised,” if you will, by a construction project. When Union Pacific added a second track to the intersection, they levelled out the elevation, removing the downward slant that vehicles would gently roll down when they were supposedly being “pushed” by the ghosts. Turns out it was just a trick of physics the whole time.
Photo via Google Maps
Gillespie Mansion, a.k.a. “Midget Mansion”
While its name certainly hasn’t aged well, this myth still endures. According to local legend, the Gillespie Mansion was located on the Northwest Side off Medical Drive. As the story goes, after a Navy Captain bought the house in the ’20s then moved away, a couple of unusually short stature — the Gillespies — moved in with their daughters, who were of average height. The home reportedly had lowered fixtures and ceilings to accommodate its occupants’ height. Though all versions of this tale have a grisly end, the details vary — some say the husband killed his family then committed suicide, while another version goes that a servant snapped after enduring abuse from the family, killing them with an axe and hiding them in a closet as well as setting the home on fire. Though it was a popular haunt for ghost-seekers for a while, it has since been demolished.
Photo via Flickr / Chester Paul Sgroi
Huebner-Onion Homestead
This historic homestead has an accompanying tragic tale, that of Joseph Huebner, who met his untimely end in the late 1800s. According to the story, Huebner really liked his liquor, but accidentally quaffed some kerosene instead of whiskey. When neighbors found him, they weren’t sure if he was dead or passed out drunk. The neighbors decided to inter him near a creek behind the home — possibly burying him alive. When Judge John F. Onion and his wife, Harriet, bought the homestead in 1930, it was already rumored to be haunted by Huebner’s restless spirit, with tales of strange noises coming from the property.
Photo via Google Maps
Big Bird
No, we don’t mean the friendly yellow muppet from Sesame Street — think more along the lines of a dinosaur. In the ‘70s, a slew of sightings of a massive airborne creature were reported in South Texas. The majority of the flap took place in 1975-76, where a so-called “Big Bird” was spotted in San Benito, Brownsville and the Alamo City. According to Jerome Clark’s book Unexplained, three San Antonio teachers claimed to see a giant creature with a wingspan of 15-20 feet that swooped over their car. In the scholarly spirit of their profession, they checked an encyclopedia once they reached their school, and came to the conclusion that it was a pterodactyl, the long-extinct flying reptile.
Photo via Wikimedia Commons / Archives of Pearson Scott Foresman
The Menger Hotel
The Gunter isn’t the only downtown hotel with ghostly occupants — there are sightings aplenty at the Menger, too. People say they see the spirit of Sallie White, a chambermaid who was shot by her husband in the 1870s because he thought she was being unfaithful. She’s been sighted wearing a uniform, holding fresh towels in her hands. There’s also the ghost of Capt. Richard King, founder of the famous King Ranch. He died at the Menger and has been seen wearing a bolo tie and black hat in the aptly named King Suite.
Photo via UTSA Libraries Digital Collection
Fang Baby of Old Pearsall Road
In a tale that supposedly originated in the 1960s, a group of young guys were driving down Old Pearsall Road after a night of drinking when they had a creepy encounter. The driver saw something in the road that looked like a toddler, which appeared to be hurt, with blood around its mouth. He swerved to avoid the maybe-baby, but didn’t stop. The friends argued about what it was, and the driver ultimately decided that they should just go home. However, once home, he felt guilty that he had possibly left a baby in the middle of nowhere. Armed with a cooler of beer, he went back to Old Pearsall Road. Unfortunately, he got a flat, and found two small puncture marks in the tire. After replacing the tire, he cracked a beer and chilled in his car for a while before falling asleep. A sharp pain in his neck woke him up, where he found the fanged baby in his lap with a bloody mouth and shirt.
Photo via Google Maps
How I Travel: Sandra Cisneros Packs Jewelry To Embody A Character Condé Nast Traveler
How I Travel: Sandra Cisneros Packs Jewelry To Embody A Character – Condé Nast Traveler https://bexarcountynewsonline.com/how-i-travel-sandra-cisneros-packs-jewelry-to-embody-a-character-conde-nast-traveler/
Someone must have told the legendary writer Sandra Cisneros that I’m calling her from Taiwan because she greets me with enthusiasm. “I just love Taipei because you can get a foot massage in a public place with a whole bunch of other people next to you and it doesn’t feel creepy. That is so civilized!” says the author of the classic novel The House on Mango Street, who resides in Mexico and has just released a new poetry collection, Woman Without Shame: Poems. “I bought a pair of Jimmy Choo shoes at the flea market there for 20 bucks. Woo-hoo! I’ve never worn them, but who cares? They look so nice you could put them on a cake.”
Cisneros was similarly ebullient when discussing her travels through Sarajevo, Istanbul, and Venice. Ahead, she shares the pieces she always packs, the feature she needs in a hotel room, and how Americans could behave a bit better when visiting Mexico.
All products featured on Condé Nast Traveler are independently selected by our editors. However, when you buy something through our retail links, we may earn an affiliate commission.
How she absorbs a new place:
I take notes. I love mistranslations. I take pictures of mistranslations, when things are translated into funny English. I take notes about how places make me feel. I was in Istanbul in May, and just the names of places are so beautiful. Everything sounds like poetry to me. I’m usually seduced by the sounds of words. I can’t always remember them unless I write them down. It’s all of the senses, but especially words. I’ve learned so few words in Turkish because they were always so complicated, but they’re beautiful. No wonder Rumi wrote poetry! It’s just the kind of place that is very conducive to poetry. But every place is conducive to poetry, because poetry’s about being very present in the moment and paying attention. That’s the same thing as a tourist, isn’t it?
Her approach to packing:
I telescope a lot of bags inside bags, or I have to have a bag that expands. Everything has to function three different ways. I like to travel with Mexican shopping bags inside my suitcases, and I don’t use a purse; I’ll use a flat cloth bag. The Mexican shopping bag is for all my books. I don’t understand people that travel with one little suitcase, because I don’t want to live with regrets. I want to take things home.
What she keeps in her carry-on:
I always have my laptop, and I carry a little basket with my jewelry that I wear to become “the author.” I don’t carry much jewelry if I’m just traveling as myself, but if I have to be “the author,” then I have my favorite turquoise cuff, or something that has to do with my culture. I always have a rebozo silk shawl or some silver Taxco earrings or bracelet, something that can empower me when I speak, but also educates the public about my culture.
AP Top Business News At 4:20 P.m. EDT – WTMJ https://bexarcountynewsonline.com/ap-top-business-news-at-420-p-m-edt-wtmj/
AP Top Business News at 4:20 p.m. EDT WTMJ
Thousands Of Refugees Seeking Permanent Visas Still Living In Uncertainty 9News
Thousands Of Refugees Seeking Permanent Visas Still Living In Uncertainty – 9News https://bexarcountynewsonline.com/thousands-of-refugees-seeking-permanent-visas-still-living-in-uncertainty-9news/
More than 30,000 refugees living in Australia are still on various temporary visas, limiting their ability to work, study, reunite with their loved ones and create stable lifestyles.
History repeated itself in Afghanistan after the Taliban returned to power in 2021, forcing thousands of Afghans, majority belonging to ethnic Hazaras, to dangerously flee their country in order to escape the looming genocide under the group’s regime.
Sajeda Zaki, a Hazara woman and law student at Victoria University, told 9news.com.au she arrived in Australia after leaving Pakistan with her mother and five siblings in 2016, reluctant to abandon her previous life and Hazaragi culture.
Sajeda Zaki (right), pictured here with her mother and father. (Supplied)
Her father was smuggled into Australia on a ship in 2009, where “all he could see was black ocean onboard a giant ship with hundreds of other terrified people”, fleeing Afghanistan to establish a better life for a family he would not see for seven years.
“Dad always tells me he came by boat for us, to have a better future for his children, even though he was told there was only a one-in-100 chance of surviving the trip to Australia,” Zaki said.
After being “overwhelmed by unhappiness” seeing people on temporary protection visas (TPVs) suffering mentally, Zaki began working with the Victorian Afghan Youth Association (VAYA) to communicate for refugees and rally for action to be taken by the Australian Government.
“I have a lot of friends who are on temporary visas and they suffer emotionally and mentally from not being able to reconnect with their families or build a permanent life in Australia,” she said.
Sajeda Zaki advocates for refugees in Australia, helping them navigate the visa and citizenship pathway. (Supplied)
Once Zaki was reunited with her father in 2016, she realised the importance of reuniting displaced people with their families.
She now assists individuals with filling out their paperwork to apply for permanent visas and citizenships.
“There are a lot of people who aren’t healthy, living in constant uncertainty and we are not seeing results from the government who are meant to be improving the rate of permanent visa processing,” she said.
“I want the people of Australia to know that refugees have the same emotions, dreams and plans as you do, the only differences are that we weren’t born here and that English isn’t our first language.”
‘Psychological damages’ from temporary visas
Asylum seekers who arrive in Australia irregularly, either by boat or plane and without a valid visa, are not counted in the government’s permanent Humanitarian Program and are not granted a permanent visa.
Under changes made to the Migration Act 1958 by the Abbott Government in 2014, refugees are granted one of two temporary visas – a three-year temporary protection visa (TPV) or a five-year safe haven enterprise visa (SHEV).
Hazara refugees rallying for permanent visas which will allow them to reunite with families. (Supplied)
In both cases, individuals holding temporary visas have to wait in uncertainty for at least three years before being allowed to re-lodge another application for protection at the end of their visa period.
Former Policy Officer with the Refugee Council of Australia (RCOA) and lawyer Shukufa Tahiri advocates for the human rights of refugees.
She told 9news.com.au the uncertainty of being on a temporary visa causes all sorts of “psychological damages” for already traumatised individuals.
“One of the key policy platforms from the Labor government during the last election was to grant permanent residency to current TPV holders, a commitment which they now need to honour,” Tahiri said.
“Thousands of individuals have held temporary visas for over 10 years and the uncertainty of remaining in limbo has meant extended trauma that should have been prevented many years ago.”
Shukufa Tahiri gathers information on policies and issues affecting the protection of refugees. (Supplied)
TPV and SHEV holders cannot travel outside of Australia to reunite with their families in developing countries, have limited access to state benefits such as Centrelink and Medicare, no access to emergency housing and limited ability to attend English classes or translation services.
Australia’s offshore resettlement component of the Humanitarian Program includes people who are proposed for resettlement by someone already living in Australia, usually a relative, which is one of the only pathways for separated families to reunite and settle in Australia.
Federal government urged to improve permanent visa processing
The Albanese government has stated processing the backlog of visa applications is an “urgent priority”, with those who have been waiting for permanent visas for years pleading for certainty.
Minister for Immigration, Citizenship and Multicultural Affairs Andrew Giles said in June the department was working through large numbers of older cases but noted reducing the backlog couldn’t happen overnight.
Immigration Minister Andrew Giles says Labor government is prioritising permanent visas for refugees. (AAP)
“The number of applications received in June 2022 is 6.5 per cent higher than May 2022 – over the same period, there was a 10.6 per cent increase in applications finalised,” Giles said.
“The former government devalued immigration, with the visa application backlog increasing to nearly 1,000,000 on their watch.
“The Albanese government is determined to reduce the backlog and restore the importance of the immigration function of our government.”
Tahiri is asking for more empathy from the government to reunite families through extended Humanitarian Programs, but admits not everyone seeking asylum will gain permanent protection right away.
“Our community is not saying that Australia is in a position to save everyone, but for people who are here, who have worked and lived in this community for 10 years and who have proven to be very valuable members of society, we need to give them permanency,” she said.
Poverty, oppression as Afghanistan marks one year of Taliban rule
The Last Run Medford News Weather Sports Breaking News Mail Tribune
The Last Run – Medford News, Weather, Sports, Breaking News – Mail Tribune https://bexarcountynewsonline.com/the-last-run-medford-news-weather-sports-breaking-news-mail-tribune/
Press operator Mike Seaney says goodbye to the Mail Tribune press before its last run Thursday. [Jamie Lusch / Mail Tribune]
A skilled team of press operators and production and distribution staff did their thing for the final time Thursday night.
Without them, nothing written or photographed by the Mail Tribune news staff over the past century could have made it into the hands of readers.
Most of the longest-running employees in the Mail Tribune pressroom have lived their lives around the daily news. As the presses were heating up one final time, carriers waited for their final stacks of newspapers and production facility employees stared down a final farewell to keepsakes, memories, inside jokes and the well-worn machinery of the pressroom.
Mailroom “kids” who climbed the ranks are now the bosses just a few years from retirement age. Karen Redfield, production department manager assistant, started as an ad inserter in 1991. Her sons, now adults, were 1 and 9. This week, her oldest, now 39, was set to be married Friday. A dozen flags that were hung in the press building windows when he left for the Navy weeks after 9/11 still filter the outside light.
“Everybody starts as an inserter, so that was what I did,” Redfield said, noting she had done everything from forklift driving and maintenance to managing pre-prints at the Ashland Daily Tidings.
“It was good because I was able to work at night while my babies were home sleeping. I’ve done everything in this building except for make a bale in the baler because they’re so heavy.”
Redfield said production facility employees weren’t entirely shocked at the announcement earlier this month that the Mail Tribune would cease printing the paper Sept. 30, after 134 years in print.
“We’re fairly pragmatic. Most of us are on the correct side of 50-plus, and we all understand that life goes to a certain point, and then you have new parts of life, and you have change,” she added.
Redfield said the increasing prevalence of digital newspapers in recent years has been a growing reminder that the days of print media were numbered. Still, Redfield and crew were proud of their devotion to putting out a quality product over the years, especially over the past two years.
“All of us across this entire building got to make a choice, and every one of our staff stayed during the entire pandemic and worked. Every shift. We were all in it together,” she said.
“We had every safety precaution we could do — masking and distancing — but we never missed a beat, never missed a paper. We knew we needed to protect ourselves for our families, but we also were committed to keeping it going for the community.”
She added, “The dedication of the people who work in the newspaper industry speaks for itself.”
Redfield recalled the ins and outs of putting out the daily paper, from massive Thanksgiving ad inserts and waiting for last-minute political headlines on too-close races. More recent changes included fewer print days, dropping in August 2021 from seven days to four.
Pressroom Manager Tim Grogan, in his navy blue pressman shirt — painters wear white, printers wear blue — was busily setting up Wednesday’s paper Tuesday night, too busy still “putting out a paper” to figure out what would come next.
Now 52, Grogan started “stuffing inserts” at age 17. He moved to Portland not long after, working in a print shop for just over a year before returning after production machinery had been moved, anticipating construction of the two “new” Mail Tribune buildings in downtown Medford in the early 1990s.
“It moved over to Bryan Way while I was gone, between ’88 and ’91. I started working in the mailroom again, with that inserting machine on Bryan Way. I did that until May of ’93 before I moved into the pressroom as a bottom level apprentice, making 60% what the other guys made,” said Grogan.
Former longtime press boss John Aldridge waited for what felt like an eternity before letting Grogan run the 30-ton, three-story press, a 1988 Goss Metroliner 2, once used by the Wall Street Journal.
“He felt very comfortable with the guys that knew what they were doing — having them do it. I was here for almost eight years before I ever got to run the press. Steve Wilson, one of the older guys here at the time who was our main press operator, he decided this one day that THIS was the day I was going to start running. Steve said, ‘OK, John, Tim’s gonna run the press today. So John comes walking down and said, ‘Tim’s gonna start this thing up. I’m gonna watch this.’ He was standing there with his arms crossed, and I was so nervous,” Grogan recalled.
“I started it up — didn’t blow out any webs — and started printing. I walked over, grabbed a paper and walked back to start doing my settings, and I heard John lean over to Steve and say, ‘He started it up like a professional!’
I said, ‘Well, I sat around and watched it being done for eight years!’”
Grogan said anyone in print media would have been remiss to have not expected eventual slowdown of printed papers. Whether creatively sourcing replacement press parts or watching ink and paper prices nearly double in recent years, Grogan understood that the old press would eventually go the way of the ancient Linotype sitting at the front of the building.
“A few years ago, I started almost joking that this is probably not going to be here long enough for me to retire from. And we never knew exactly when, but there was always that thought in the back of our minds. It was a bit of a surprise for it to all of a sudden just happen. But I fully understand why,” he said.
“I order all the newsprint and the ink and everything. Newsprint has gone, in only about two years, or not even quite that long, from less than $500 a metric ton to now almost $1,000. … There’s only one paper mill left to buy from where there used to be three.”
Grogan said he’d take some time to figure out “what next.”
“It’s been a great career. I’ve had a consistent job here for 31 years. … The thought of turning off the lights and leaving and never coming back, I’m not sure how that will feel. I don’t know how to be unemployed yet, but to think that papers could one day all just be digital, and nothing printed … doesn’t seem right.”
Matt Talley, youngest of four pressmen at the Mail Tribune, began as an “18-year-old kid” seven years ago, learning “to do everything from the ground up.” Setting up the first of three final papers Tuesday alongside pressman Bob Caldwell, he was nostalgic about “growing up” in the pressroom — and grateful for the experience.
“I feel content, to be honest. I checked everything off my list. I started as just a kid, and I get to say I was one of the last few people to print a newspaper in the valley,” he said.
“I’ve been here my whole adult life — used to pay for my grandfather’s subscription until he passed. … I’m really gonna miss this place.”
Heating up the presses on Thursday, pressmen Grogan, Talley, Bob Caldwell and Mike Seaney worked one last time, like a well-oiled machine. Longest tenured in the pressroom, Seaney was nostalgic about his roots with the paper. His father began in the 1950s, as a printer, using the old Linotype.
“My dad set the type and all that. And my mom — I was probably in her belly when she was delivering papers. I remember, when I was 16 or 17, Dale Erickson, who was in charge of circulation at the time, hollered at my mom and said, ‘When you gonna get that guy a job?’” Seaney said, noting that he started in circulation in 1977 and started in the pressroom in 1981.
Marking his 45-year anniversary in August, Seaney was sad but grateful to be present for the “final run.”
“I was planning on going until 67, but when they went to four days a week, I realized we were really losing circulation. In the heyday, we were around 30,000 subscribers. Fridays and Sundays it was even higher. Now we run about 8,000. We knew digital was taking over,” he said.
“Things have certainly changed a lot since I first came to work here, but I’m sure grateful for all the years that I’ve had … It’ll be a new adventure, hopefully.”
Reach reporter Buffy Pollock at 541-776-8784 or bpollock@rosebudmedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @orwritergal.
Karen Redfield, who started as an ad inserter in 1991, drives a forklift Wednesday at the Mail Tribune press building. [Jamie Lusch / Mail Tribune]
Mail Tribune pressroom Manager Tim Grogan starts the press Wednesday. [Jamie Lusch / Mail Tribune]
Matt Talley, youngest of four pressmen at the Mail Tribune, loads a plate on the press. [Jamie Lusch / Mail Tribune]
Papers fly off the press in downtown Medford. [Jamie Lusch / Mail Tribune]
The Mail Tribune press ran for its final time Thursday. [Jamie Lusch / Mail Tribune]
Tools of the trade. [Jamie Lusch / Mail Tribune]
Jeanne Ames, left, and Janis Bryan, production staff, load papers onto a pallet in the Mail Tribune production building. [Jamie Lusch / Mail Tribune]
Janis Bryan stacks papers. [Jamie Lusch / Mail Tribune]
Papers move along the gripper conveyors. [Jamie Lusch / Mail Tribune]
Papers move through the production process on gripper conveyors. [Jamie Lusch / Mail Tribune]
The Mail Tribune press ran for its final time Thursday. [Jamie Lusch / Mail Tribune]
The 1988 Goss Metroliner 2 was once used by the Wall Street Journal. [Jamie Lusch / Mail Tribune]
The Mail Tribune press ran for its final time Thursday. [Jamie Lusch / Mail Tribune]
Mail Tribune street boxes await new uses. [Jamie Lusch / Mail Tribune]
The final printed copies of Tempo make their way down the line Thursday evening. [Jamie Lusch / Mail Tribune]
Bob Caldwel checks on a paper during a press run.
Hadean Metaverse Company Sees Funding Become Proxy For U.S.-China Tech Fight Washington Times
Hadean, Metaverse Company, Sees Funding Become Proxy For U.S.-China Tech Fight – Washington Times https://bexarcountynewsonline.com/hadean-metaverse-company-sees-funding-become-proxy-for-u-s-china-tech-fight-washington-times/
The escalating competition between the U.S. and China for advanced technology has spread to the alternate reality metaverse, where the two global powers are fixated on the U.K.-based company Hadean.
Hadean has plans to create the infrastructure needed to build digital worlds, including things like a multidimensional land warfare simulator that it said in July it was making for the British army.
The company’s work lured funding from the U.S. intelligence community, via its strategic investment fund In-Q-Tel, and it also attracted the China-based tech titan Tencent.
The mutual interest raised concerns in the U.S. that taxpayers’ money could serve to build new tools for China. After learning of China’s big-tech play for the cutting-edge metaverse business, Sen. Marco Rubio said he has worked to prevent American dollars from creating new capabilities for China.
“We will continue conducting oversight to ensure that any investments by the IC are not also advancing the national security capabilities of our adversaries,” the Florida Republican said in a statement. “For too long, the Chinese Communist Party has successfully poached, stolen, or taken advantage of research and development performed by industry, academia, and the government funded by U.S. taxpayers or our allies.”
Hadean was initially set to collect a multimillion-dollar sum from a group of funders including In-Q-Tel and Tencent, according to reports. In-Q-Tel is a nonprofit contracted with the CIA that spends taxpayer dollars on private companies to help solve national security problems. Tencent is based in China, where the communist regime’s policies of military-civil fusion force cooperation between businesses and the government.
The initial funding plan for Hadean also included financing from the British government, according to the Telegraph in August. The National Security Strategic Investment Fund, a U.K. corporate fund similar to In-Q-Tel in the U.S., was also reportedly advising Hadean.
The Senate Intelligence Committee learned of the investment plan and privately pressed In-Q-Tel about its investment and about Hadean’s efforts to raise cash from other sources, according to a spokesperson for Mr. Rubio.
In-Q-Tel was not looking to partner with the Chinese tech giant. The fund told The Washington Times it invested in March 2021, before Tencent.
When Hadean announced its funding plans in September, the total amount of cash was higher than anticipated in previous reports, a new investor had emerged, and Hadean acknowledged taking less from Tencent than the Chinese company offered.
Hadean said it reached an agreement raising $30 million from a range of investors including In-Q-Tel and bolstered by an additional investor, Epic Games, the behemoth video game and software developer. Epic Games was already a Hadean investor and collaborator.
Hadean CEO Craig Beddis told TechCrunch his company ultimately took less from Tencent to become compliant with the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States, which is a federal government entity that reviews commercial transactions for national security problems.
Mr. Beddis did not answer The Washington Times about whether In-Q-Tel urged him to take less funding from Tencent, nor whether his company heard from the U.S. government directly. In-Q-Tel did not answer whether it encouraged Hadean to take less money from Tencent.
Hadean’s business may face further scrutiny in the U.S. The Senate Intelligence Committee is in contact with elements of the intelligence community performing oversight related to the Hadean investment, according to a spokesperson for Mr. Rubio.
Precisely what Hadean’s investors will receive remains to be seen, but Mr. Beddis said Hadean is working to enable its customers and partners to “build, run and monetise vast virtual worlds.”
“The funding will accelerate the development of our groundbreaking cloud computing technology which can be used to increase the scale, complexity and security of 3D environments and deliver a unique experience to users with no latency,” Mr. Beddis said in a statement. “It will also allow us to continue to innovate and make advancements that will overcome key challenges for the metaverse such as its massive computational demands or limitations in concurrent users.”
Tencent has big plans for virtual worlds. The company said on Wednesday it has explored building a “digital factory” with the help of an unnamed partner and the end result would rely upon cloud computing and digital twin, or virtual reality, technology.
“There will soon be a new connection that integrates digital and physical forms, transcending time and space,” said Tencent CEO Pony Ma on the company’s website detailing his plan for “Immersive Convergence.”
The CIA declined to comment for this story.
26 Best Gifts For Cousins In 2022 Cheap Cousin Gift Ideas Good Housekeeping
26 Best Gifts For Cousins In 2022 – Cheap Cousin Gift Ideas – Good Housekeeping https://bexarcountynewsonline.com/26-best-gifts-for-cousins-in-2022-cheap-cousin-gift-ideas-good-housekeeping/
Sure, you generally have a good idea of what to get your parents, your grandparents and even your brother and sister when it comes time to buy gifts for their birthdays and the holidays. But your cousins? That can be trickier, especially if you don’t see them as frequently as your other loved ones. On top of that, if you’re a part of a big family, trying to find the best gifts for an endless list of cousins with a wide range of interests and ages can easily get overwhelming.
But gift shopping for your cousins doesn’t have to exhaust you — or break the bank. We’re here to help with this list of cool and affordable gift ideas. Here, you’ll find budget-friendly personalized options, best-selling Amazon gift picks with free shipping, funny gag gifts and gift ideas that will delight even the pickiest relatives, so you can dial back the stress during the upcoming holiday season.
1
Heartfelt and Sentimental
Custom Typewritten Note Candle
Read More
2
Small Gift on a Budget
“Being Related to Me Is Really the Only Gift You Need” Card Maplelon
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3
Best Cousin Gift on Amazon
Energize Aromatherapy Shower Steamers Body Restore
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4
For the Cousin Who Has Everything
Redbubble Gift Card
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5
For the Cousin Who Is Practically Your Sister
“Love Makes Us Family” Charm Bangle WEAR FOR LOVE
Read More
6
Best Gift for Your Male Cousin
Personalized Beer Pitcher & Pint Glasses Personalization Mall
Read More
7
Functional and Affordable
Linen Wireless Magnetic Phone Charger
Read More
8
Best Personalized Gift for Cousins
Custom Wall Print MariAngShop
Read More
9
Funny Gift for Big Families
Cousin Superlatives Shirts FlawlessArtShop
Read More
10
Personalized Necklace WhiteCarnationDesign
Read More
Once you find the perfect gift for your cousin, don’t forget to check out more of our top gift guides for everyone on your list, including the best gifts for women, the best gifts for men and the best gifts for teens.
1
Heartfelt and Sentimental
Custom Typewritten Note Candle
2
Small Gift on a Budget
Maplelon
“Being Related to Me Is Really the Only Gift You Need” Card
3
Best Cousin Gift on Amazon
Body Restore
Energize Aromatherapy Shower Steamers
4
For the Cousin Who Has Everything
Redbubble Gift Card
5
For the Cousin Who Is Practically Your Sister
WEAR FOR LOVE
“Love Makes Us Family” Charm Bangle
6
Best Gift for Your Male Cousin
Personalization Mall
Personalized Beer Pitcher & Pint Glasses
7
Functional and Affordable
Linen Wireless Magnetic Phone Charger
8
Best Personalized Gift for Cousins
MariAngShop
Custom Wall Print
9
Funny Gift for Big Families
FlawlessArtShop
Cousin Superlatives Shirts
10
WhiteCarnationDesign
Personalized Necklace
11
Cozy Lavender Warming Booties
12
If Your Cousin Is Your BFF
opossumdeals
“I’ll Be There for You” Cousins Hoodie
13
For the Cousin Headed to College
Collegiate Pouches
14
Great Last-Minute Gift Idea
NEFF
Daily Beanie
15
Great Couples’ Gift
Carved With Love Personalized Coasters
16
Supports Small Business
CanDidArtAccessories
Scribble Earrings
17
For the Cousin Who Loves to Read
UncommonGoods
Banned Book Socks
18
iandgeco
Socks and Soap Gift Box
19
For Your Littlest Cousin
BlueGiraffeApparel
“Cousin Crew (For Life)” Onesie
20
Best Birthday Gift for Cousins
Crate Joy
Marshmallow of the Month Club
21
Funny Gift Under $20
AviiGifts
“I’d Walk Through Fire for You Cousin” Tumbler
22
Legendary Whitetails
Standard Buck Camp Flannel Shirt
23
For the Hostess With the Mostess
Little Flower Snack Bowls (Set of 6)
24
fenty beauty by rihanna
Gloss Bomb Universal Lip Luminizer
25
BluePoppyGallery
Sentimental Dictionary Art Wall Decor
26
Good Gift for Cousins of Any Age
Amazon
Echo Dot Smart Speaker
Annie O’Sullivan Assistant Editor Annie O’Sullivan (she/her) covers holiday, gift guide, travel, and lifestyle content at Good Housekeeping.
Quarters Big Crypto Bankruptcies Revealed Nearly $10 Billion Owed To Creditors The Wall Street Journal
Quarter’s Big Crypto Bankruptcies Revealed Nearly $10 Billion Owed To Creditors – The Wall Street Journal https://bexarcountynewsonline.com/quarters-big-crypto-bankruptcies-revealed-nearly-10-billion-owed-to-creditors-the-wall-street-journal/
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Stock Market Today, Sept. 30, 2022: Stocks Drop as Quarter Ends
Last Updated: Sep 30, 2022 at 5:06 pm ET
Follow The Wall Street Journal’s full markets coverage.
Wall Street Week Ahead: Investors Expect No Peace In U.S. Stocks Until Bond Gyrations Subside Reuters
Wall Street Week Ahead: Investors Expect No Peace In U.S. Stocks Until Bond Gyrations Subside – Reuters https://bexarcountynewsonline.com/wall-street-week-ahead-investors-expect-no-peace-in-u-s-stocks-until-bond-gyrations-subside-reuters/
NEW YORK, Sept 30 (Reuters) – Investors believe the feedback loop between U.S. stocks and bonds will likely be a key factor in determining whether the gyrations that have rocked markets this year continue into the last months of 2022.
With the third quarter over, both assets have seen painful sell-offs – the S&P 500 (.SPX) is down nearly 25% year-to-date and the ICE BofA Treasury Index has fallen by around 13%. The twin declines are the worst since 1938, according to BoFA Global Research.
Yet many investors say bonds have led the dance, with soaring yields slamming stock valuations as market participants recalibrated their portfolios to account for stronger-than-expected monetary tightening from the Fed.
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The S&P 500’s forward price-to-earnings ratio fell from 20 in April to its current level of 16.1, a move that came alongside a 140 basis point surge in the yield on the benchmark U.S. 10-year Treasury , which moves inversely to prices.
“Interest rates are at the core of every asset in the universe, and we won’t have a positive repricing in equities until the uncertainty of where the terminal rate will settle is clear,” said Charlie McElligott, managing director of cross-asset strategy at Nomura.
Volatility in U.S. bonds has erupted in 2022, with this week’s Treasury yield gyrations taking the ICE BofAML U.S. Bond Market Option Volatility Estimate Index (.MOVE) to its highest level since March 2020. By contrast, the Cboe Volatility Index (.VIX) – the so-called Wall Street “fear gauge” – has failed to scale its peak from earlier this year.
“We have emphasized … that interest rate volatility has been (and continues to be) the main driver of cross-asset volatility. Nevertheless, even we continue to watch the rates volatility complex with incredulity,” analysts at Soc Gen wrote.
Bond volatility expectations have risen to multi-year highs while the VIX has remained relatively muted
Many investors believe the wild moves will continue until there is evidence that the Fed is winning its battle against inflation, allowing policymakers to eventually end monetary tightening. For now, more hawkishness is on the menu.
Investors on Friday afternoon were pricing in a 57% chance that the U.S. central bank hikes rates by 75 basis point rates at its Nov. 2 meeting, up from a 0% chance one month ago, according to CME’s FedWatch tool. Markets see rates hitting a peak of 4.5% in July 2023, up from 4% a month ago.
Next week’s U.S. employment data will give investors a snapshot of whether the Fed’s rate hikes are starting to dent growth. Investors are also looking to earnings season, which starts in October, as they gauge to what degree a strong dollar and supply chain snafus will affect companies’ profits.
For now, investor sentiment is largely negative, with cash levels among fund managers near historic highs as many increasingly choose to sit out the market swings. Retail investors sold a net $2.9 billion of equities in the past week, the second largest outflow since March 2020, data from JPMorgan showed on Wednesday.
Still, some investors believe a turnaround in stocks and bonds may soon come into view.
The deep declines in both asset classes make either an attractive investment given the likelihood of longer-term returns, said Adam Hetts, global head of portfolio construction and strategy at Janus Henderson Investors.
“We’ve been in a world where nothing was working. Most of that agony is over, we think,” he said.
JPMorgan’s analysts, meanwhile, said high cash allocations may provide a backstop for both equities and bonds, likely limiting future downside.
At the same time, the fourth quarter is historically the best period for returns for major U.S. stock indexes, with the S&P 500 averaging a 4.2% gain since 1949, according to the Stock Trader’s Almanac.
Of course, dip buying has fared poorly this year. The S&P 500 has mounted four rallies of 6% or more this year, with each rebound sputtering out to be followed by fresh bear market lows.
Wei Li, Chief Investment Strategist at BlackRock Investment Institute, believes more jumbo rate hikes from the Fed may dent growth, while a slower pace of tightening could hurt bonds by making inflation more entrenched.
She is underweight developed market equities and fixed income, believing that “difficult choices” faced by central banks will spur more market ructions.
Equities may have further to fall than bonds given the high likelihood of a recession in 2023, said Keith Lerner, co-chief investment officer and chief market strategist at Truist Advisory Services.
“We think the upside for equities will be capped because there will be more earnings pain and more central bank tightening,” he said.
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Reporting by David Randall; Additional reporting by Saqib Iqbal Ahmed; Editing by Ira Iosebashvili, Jonathan Oatis and David Gregorio
Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.
Putin Russia And Ukraine War News: Live Updates The New York Times
Putin, Russia And Ukraine War News: Live Updates – The New York Times https://bexarcountynewsonline.com/putin-russia-and-ukraine-war-news-live-updates-the-new-york-times/
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President Vladimir V. Putin at the Kremlin in Moscow on Friday.Credit…Pool photo by Dmitry Astakhov
President Vladimir V. Putin on Friday asserted that Russia would take control of four Ukrainian regions and decried the United States for “Satanism” in a speech that marked an escalation in Moscow’s war against Ukraine and positioned Russia, in starkly confrontational terms, as fighting an existential battle with Western elites he deemed “the enemy.”
Speaking to hundreds of Russian lawmakers and governors in a grand Kremlin hall, Mr. Putin said that the residents of the four regions — which are still partially controlled by Ukrainian forces — would become Russia’s citizens “forever.” He then held a signing ceremony with the Russian-installed heads of those regions to start the official annexation process, before clasping hands with them and chanting “Russia! Russia!”
Mr. Putin’s address came against a backdrop of Russian embarrassments on the battlefield, where Ukraine’s forces have scored stunning victories in recent weeks in the east. Even as the Russian leader spoke, officials said the Ukrainian army had moved closer to encircling the Russian-occupied town of Lyman, a strategically important hub in the Donetsk region that lies inside the territory Mr. Putin is claiming.
Even by Mr. Putin’s increasingly antagonistic standards, the speech was extraordinary, a combination of bluster and menace that mixed conspiratorial riffs against the American-led “neocolonial system” with an appeal to the world to see Russia as the leader of an uprising against American power.
He referred to “the ruling circles of the so-called West” as “the enemy,” a word he rarely uses in reference to the West — and struck a tone of spiteful anger and defiance.
“Not only do Western elites deny national sovereignty and international law,” he said in the 37-minute address. “Their hegemony has a pronounced character of totalitarianism, despotism and apartheid.”
Western leaders have condemned Russia’s annexations as illegal, and the “referendums’’ that preceded them — purporting to show local support for joining Russia — as fraudulent. The Biden administration announced new sanctions in response to the Kremlin’s move.
President Biden was quick to denounce Mr. Putin’s actions to annex the four territories, saying they “have no legitimacy’’ and adding that “the United States will always honor Ukraine’s internationally recognized borders.’’
Ukraine’s government has rebuffed Mr. Putin’s claims and vowed to retake territory captured by Russia in the east and south. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky responded to Mr. Putin’s speech on Friday by announcing that he was fast-tracking his country’s application to the NATO alliance. In a video, he accused the Kremlin of trying to “steal something that does not belong to it.” “Ukraine will not allow that,” he said.
Mr. Putin insisted that Russia’s position on annexing the four territories was nonnegotiable, adding that the country would defend them “with all the forces and means at our disposal.”
“I call on the Kyiv regime to immediately cease fire and all military action,” he said, and for the Ukrainian government “to return to the negotiating table.”
“But we will not discuss the decision of the people of Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia and Kherson,” he went on, referring to the four Ukrainian regions being annexed. “It has been made. Russia will not betray it.”
Mr. Putin cast the conflict with the West in even more severe terms than in previous speeches, reeling off centuries of Western military actions to denounce the American-led world order as fundamentally evil, corrupt and set on Russia’s destruction.
“The repression of freedom is taking on the outlines of a ‘reverse religion,’ of real Satanism,” Mr. Putin said, asserting that liberal Western values on matters like gender identity amounted to a “denial of man.”
But Mr. Putin offered few new details on the matter that is now perhaps of greatest concern in Western capitals — whether, and at what point, he may be prepared to use weapons of mass destruction to force Ukraine to capitulate. His spokesman said earlier in the day that after the annexation of the four regions — a move that virtually no other country is expected to recognize — an attack on those regions would be treated as an attack on Russia.
Without saying so directly, Mr. Putin hinted that the role of nuclear weapons in war is on his mind. Describing the West as “deceitful and hypocritical through and through,” Mr. Putin noted that the United States was the only country to have used nuclear weapons in war. He then added: “By the way, they created a precedent.”
Valerie Hopkins and Oleg Matsnev contributed reporting.
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President Biden said during a news conference at the White House on Friday that the world would not recognize Russia’s annexation efforts.Credit…Pete Marovich for The New York Times
WASHINGTON — President Biden warned Russia on Friday that the United States and its allies would not be intimidated by its latest actions in Ukraine and said that the world would not recognize the sham referendum that President Vladimir V. Putin staged to justify seizing Ukrainian land.
Speaking at a news conference at the White House, Mr. Biden said the United States and its allies would continue to support Ukraine with military equipment and aid. He warned that anyone who supported Russia’s fraudulent claims to Ukrainian territory would also be subject to economic sanctions.
Earlier in the day, Mr. Putin announced in a bellicose speech that Russia would annex four Ukrainian provinces it had invaded. The Russian leader cast the war in Ukraine as an existential battle against the United States and its allies. He accused America of “Satanism” and of trying to impose its culture on the rest of the world.
“He’s not going to scare us or intimidate us,” Mr. Biden said. “He can’t seize his neighbor’s land and get away with it.”
The president also said that Mr. Putin should not dare to take his fight into NATO territory, underscoring the unity among the alliance.
“America’s fully prepared with our NATO allies to defend every single inch of NATO territory, every single inch,” Mr. Biden said, adding: “Mr. Putin, don’t misunderstand what I’m saying.”
The United States has been investigating leaks that emerged in the Nord Stream gas pipeline and while Mr. Biden said it is not clear exactly what had happened, he believed the damage was the result of Russia’s actions. The United States, he said, is now helping European countries to protect their critical infrastructure.
“It was a deliberate act of sabotage, and now the Russians are pumping out disinformation and lies,” Mr. Biden said.
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The Russian Central Bank headquarters in Moscow. Credit…Maxim Shemetov/Reuters
WASHINGTON — The Biden administration is enacting a round of new sanctions aimed at further crippling Russia’s defense and technology sectors and other industries, as well as cutting off more top officials and their families from global commerce, to punish Moscow for its efforts to annex parts of eastern Ukraine.
The Treasury and Commerce Departments will impose sanctions and export controls on any companies, institutions or people who “provide political or economic support to Russia for its purported annexation,” White House officials said on Friday.
“Make no mistake: these actions have no legitimacy,” President Biden said in a statement. “I urge all members of the international community to reject Russia’s illegal attempts at annexation and to stand with the people of Ukraine for as long as it takes.”
Antony J. Blinken, the U.S. secretary of state, said in a separate statement that “the United States unequivocally rejects Russia’s fraudulent attempt to change Ukraine’s internationally recognized borders”
“This is a clear violation of international law and the United Nations Charter,” he added. “In response, the United States and our allies and partners are imposing swift and severe costs.”
The moves fulfill longtime vows by the Biden administration to punish any move by Russia to annex captured Ukrainian territory. But just as those threats failed to deter President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia, it is unclear whether the new penalties — which compound a slew of crushing sanctions imposed in recent months — will blunt his determination.
The Treasury Department said as part of the broad announcement that it is enacting sanctions against 14 international companies for supporting supply chains of the Russian military.
The Treasury Department is putting nearly 300 members of the Parliament on a sanctions list, along with Elvira Sakhipzadovna Nabiullina, the governor of the Central Bank of Russia; Olga Nikolaevna Skorobogatova, the first deputy governor of the bank; Aleksandr Valentinovich Nova, a deputy prime minister; and relatives of members of the National Security Council. U.S. agencies had already put Russian security council members on lists.
The State Department also is imposing visa restrictions on more than 900 Russian officials.
The Commerce Department is adding 57 entities from Russia and the Crimea region of Ukraine, which the Russian military forcibly occupied in 2014, to what it calls the entity list, which limits commercial transactions. Officials also plan to try to ensure that companies outside the United States are restricted in the business they can do with those on the list. The Commerce Department now has 392 entities linked to Russia on the list.
The Biden administration was not alone in announcing punitive measures in response to Russia’s illegal annexation.
Britain’s Foreign Office on Friday announced a series of sweeping new sanctions on key services and placed a ban on 700 goods “that are crucial to...
