OHA Confirms Second Pediatric Monkeypox Case | Government-And-Politics | Gazettetimes.com Corvallis Gazette-Times
OHA Confirms Second Pediatric Monkeypox Case | Government-And-Politics | Gazettetimes.com – Corvallis Gazette-Times https://bentoncountynewsnow.com/oha-confirms-second-pediatric-monkeypox-case-government-and-politics-gazettetimes-com-corvallis-gazette-times/
The Oregon Health Authority has identified a second pediatric case of monkeypox in Oregon.
Local public health officials confirmed that the case was not linked to school, child care or other community settings, according to a Sept. 21 news release. No cases of monkeypox have been reported in Linn or Benton counties.
“Pediatric monkeypox cases have happened around the country during the nationwide outbreak, and unfortunately Oregon is no exception,” said Dr. Dean Sidelinger, health officer and state epidemiologist at OHA. “As we have stated previously, this virus can affect anyone.”
Because the most common form of transmission is direct contact with the rashes, the risk of monkeypox spreading in school settings is low, Sidelinger emphasized.
It is not easily spread unless there is prolonged, skin-to-skin contact with an infected person.
As of Wednesday, the new pediatric case is among a total of 204 presumptive and confirmed cases of monkeypox in Oregon.
The cases are in nine counties: 141 in Multnomah; 24 in Washington; 22 in Lane; six each in Clackamas and Marion; two in Columbia; and one each in Coos, Hood River and Union.
The Oregon child was tested for monkeypox Sept. 14, and the test results were reported to public health Sept. 19.
To protect patient confidentiality, OHA is not disclosing the child’s sex, age, county of residence or how the child is believed to have acquired the illness. A pediatric case is defined as someone with the virus in the 0-17 age range.
OHA encourages vaccination against monkeypox for anyone who anticipates having, or has had, recent, direct, skin-to-skin contact with someone who has monkeypox.
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People who suspect they have monkeypox should contact their health care provider to let them know before being seen, as providers may recommend testing, according to OHA.
Those who don’t have a health care provider can call 211 or their local public health authority to get help finding a clinic or health care provider, the agency suggests.
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Vacation Rental Ruse: How An Idyllic Farmland Property Lured Many In The Chicago-Area For Thousands Of Dollars NBC Chicago
Vacation Rental Ruse: How An Idyllic Farmland Property Lured Many In The Chicago-Area For Thousands Of Dollars – NBC Chicago https://bentoncountynewsnow.com/vacation-rental-ruse-how-an-idyllic-farmland-property-lured-many-in-the-chicago-area-for-thousands-of-dollars-nbc-chicago/
It was branded as an outdoor adventure.
Only a three-hour drive southwest of Chicago, customers could escape to the town of Farmington, Ill., staying at an eight-bedroom, 30-acre lakeside vacation rental retreat.
Surrounded by open farm land, online advertisements for “Norris Outdoor Adventure” showed water slides, a rope swing, games for the kids, and even more reassuring, a smiling, friendly and relatable owner dedicated to their every need.
The rental was described as a dream find for many who were planning cross-country family reunions, even weddings at the space.
But the dream wasn’t a reality.
Instead, customers tell NBC 5 they had their reservations canceled, sometimes literally last minute as they were driving down to the property.
When customers called the owner for their refund, with contracts in hand laying out that very promise, they say the owner “ghosted” them, never to be heard from again.
For months, NBC 5 Responds has investigated how a single vacation rental outside of Peoria took many Chicago-area families for thousands of dollars, and the mysterious owner behind the listing that these customers say is to blame.
That owner dodged our calls, emails and requests for comment over many months, offering no insight into what happened.
The complaints have gotten the attention of law enforcement in Farmington, who confirmed to NBC 5 they are actively investigating many complaints involving the property and its owner.
Records obtained through Freedom of Information Act requests paint a picture of a mountain of debt and despair, all centered around the spacious and charming property many hopeful customers now believe they will never see in person.
It all started with one customer’s experience, and as NBC 5 continued to ask questions, the list grew to include many more.
News articles show “Norris Outdoor Adventure” opened at this property in 2018 on Dee Bee Road in Farmington, Ill.
Melissa Oskroba out of Naperville told NBC 5 earlier this year she discovered “Norris Outdoor Adventure” while surfing through the vacation rental website VRBO.
“We were super excited about it,” Oskroba said. “[Norris] checked off all of our areas: eight bedrooms, water, yard for the kids. Affordable.”
For five years now, Oskroba and seven other friends and their immediate families have gathered for Labor Day. But with the kids and attendance list growing each year, finding the right space proved to be harder than it sounds.
Clicking through the photos and videos of the property, Oskroba thought Norris seemed to be the perfect match for this cherished tradition. At $3,600 for three nights, and enough space for her entire party, Oskroba thought she hit the jackpot.
Photos shared online and taken by former customers show the lake amenities advertised at Norris Outdoor Adventure.
That’s when she said she met Amy Shymansky, the owner of the property, and she felt a connection.
“It sounded like I was talking to my mom,” Oskroba recalls, noting that the experience was seemingly going so well, “I was about to call her to start locking up future years of reservations.”
Oskroba paid in full for a reservation this past Labor Day 2022, and months went by before the first curveball.
That’s when Oskroba said Shymansky messaged to say she had yanked the property from VRBO so she could more closely vet her guests. But there was a silver lining: Shymansky would be listing the property herself, offering the same deal.
Oskroba, worried she couldn’t find a place in time with the same number of bedrooms and space for her family and friends, booked directly with Shymansky.
The deal included what Oskroba thought was protection: A contract with a clear cancellation policy, cancel a reservation 30 days or more prior to their reservation date, and they can expect a full refund.
Oskroba reserved the property through Shymansky, not giving it a second thought until weeks later, when she tried to pull up the listing online.
“It had that 404 no longer valid website message,” Oskroba said. “Then I started digging and within probably 15-20 minutes is when I came across Yelp that had a lot of complaints on there.”
Customers on the business review website Yelp complained of falling into a trap Oskroba feared she was already in.
“The owner has literally stolen my deposit for the use of this property,” one Norris customer wrote.
Another said the owner, “took our money and never responded when we contacted her for keys.”
“They will take your money, sign contracts, then ghost you,” a third customer wrote.
Oskroba said she was beside herself.
“I just started crying,” Oskroba said. “I was like, ‘Oh my gosh, what am I going to do?’”
Oskroba said she contacted Shymansky to formally cancel the reservation, but eventually, she too was ghosted. No more friendly contacts from the owner, and no word on her refund.
Melissa Oskroba of Naperville, Ill. is one of many Norris customers who tell NBC 5 Responds they are owed thousands of dollars in refunds.
Through her persistence, Oskroba decided to go another route: Find, organize and communicate with as many other Norris customers she could find online.
Oskroba said many got back to her, and eventually, someone in the group contacted NBC 5 Responds for assistance, saying they too were out big money, with no R&R to show for it.
Customers like Tinley Park grandmother Claudia Allred.
“I was determined,” Allred told NBC 5 Responds. “[Shymansky] is not going to keep my money!”
Allred’s family had stayed at Norris once before in 2020, so she booked again for the following year. She too felt charmed by Shmansky, remarking she was like a “best friend.”
But two days before her family was planning to make the second trip to the property in June 2021, Allred said Shymansky messaged her, canceling the reservation.
To date, Allred said she has received no refund.
Among the customers, NBC 5 also talked with two couples who were planning to have their weddings at the Norris property, but said they had their dream dates disappear, along with their deposits.
“It was the first place we looked at and we fell in love,” said Jay Rudisill of BlueGrass, Iowa.
Jay Rudisill and his now-wife, Karen, visited the Norris property in-person and walked away thinking “that was where we were going to have our wedding.”
The couple put down a $9,300 deposit, but as the months ticked by closer to their date, Jay Rudisill said Shymansky grew silent.
Karen and Jay Rudisill tell NBC 5 Responds they were planning to have their wedding at the Farmington, Ill. property, until Shymansky stopped speaking with them.
Seeing that as a red flag, the Rudisills decided to cancel their reservation, knowing they would likely have a fraction of their deposit taken. They said they never imagined it would be the full amount.
“I’ve given up hope that I will ever see that money again,” Jay Rudisill told NBC 5, after he said Shymansky stopped returning his calls, emails and even letters demanding his money back.
The couple eventually held their wedding on a relative’s property, but were left feeling scorned.
When Allred heard about the Rudisills, and other customers in the self-named Norris “support group”, she said she couldn’t believe how many people were allegedly owed money from Shymansky.
“I felt like, ‘Why, you dirty dog! You’re doing this to so many people!’” Allred told NBC 5.
NBC 5 confirmed through contracts and customers’ communication with Shymansky six individual Norris customers who had their reservations canceled before staying at the property, and who were collectively owed more than $24,000.
Some customers have taken Shymansky to court, where they prevailed and had to file liens on the Norris property in hopes of getting any of their money back.
Fulton County records show those liens have company, including a lien filed on the property by the IRS for more than $470,000.
While the support group of customers was chasing Amy Shymansky for answers, so was NBC 5 Responds.
For months, we tried contacting Shymansky by phone, through emails and by contacting many attorneys who have represented Shymansky in court over the years.
Eventually, Trygve Meade, Shymansky’s most recent counsel, told NBC 5, “I’m sorry, but I haven’t been authorized by my client to make any comment on this situation. As a result, I have to decline.”
At one point, some of the support group members of former Norris customers said Meade had contacted them personally, promising news would come about their refunds. But eventually, they said he too “ghosted them.”
One office that did return our calls was the Fulton County Sheriff’s Department, serving the idyllic farmland area where Norris Outdoor Adventure is located on Dee Bee Road.
A spokesperson said investigators have “received complaints [about] Norris Outdoor Adventure, and are conducting an investigation.”
The trouble for Shymansky continues.
NBC 5 Responds found a bench warrant active out of Peoria for Shymansky’s arrest, tied to an unrelated lawsuit and judgment not yet paid by the woman.
State records show that the business license for Norris Outdoor Adventure was “involuntarily dissolved” back in 2019, after the company failed to file annual reports with the Illinois Secretary of State’s office.
And most recently, court records show the former owner of the Farmington property, who sold it to Shymansky in a “contract for deed” transaction, prevailed in eviction court, with a Judge signing an eviction order forcing Shymansky to surrender and vacate the property by Aug. 26, 2022.
Shymansky is currently appealing the Judge’s decision.
Hearing this news hasn’t calmed the nerves of Shyma...
LIVE: India Reports 5443 New Covid Cases 933 More Than Previous Day Hindustan Times
LIVE: India Reports 5,443 New Covid Cases, 933 More Than Previous Day – Hindustan Times https://bentoncountynewsnow.com/live-india-reports-5443-new-covid-cases-933-more-than-previous-day-hindustan-times/
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Updated on Sep 22, 2022 09:32 AM IST
Breaking news today September 22, 2022: Get latest news, breaking news, latest updates, live news, top headlines, breaking business news and top news of the hour.
Get latest news, breaking news, latest updates, live news, top headlines, breaking business news and top news of the hour.
Welcome to hindustantimes.com updates platform where you can find breaking news from India and across the world. Find fast updates about the latest news as it breaks.
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Sep 22, 2022 09:32 AM IST
Monsoon withdrawal delayed due to low-pressure system rainfall: IMD
After monsoon retreated from west Rajasthan and Kutch on Tuesday, further withdrawal has been delayed due to rainfall associated with a low-pressure system, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said. Read more
Sep 22, 2022 09:20 AM IST
India reports 5,443 new Covid cases, 933 more than previous day; active caseload at 46,342
India on Thursday reported 5,443 new Covid-19 cases, 933 more than previous day, taking the active caseload at 46,342.
Sep 22, 2022 09:02 AM IST
100 PFI leaders detained in 10-state raids in largest-ever crackdown: 10 points
In the largest-ever crackdown, the National Investigation Agency, the Enforcement Directorate and the state police forces of the concerning states conducted raids across 10 states on Thursday morning, news agencies reported. Around 100 leaders of the Popular Front of India have been arrested so far, ANI reported. Read more
Sep 22, 2022 07:39 AM IST
On RJD leader’s ‘open ashram in 2025’ advice to Nitish, JD(U)’s Kushwaha says…
Rashtriya Janata Dal leader Shivanand Tiwari has advised Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar to open his “ashram” apparently meant to provide political training after handing over the top post to his deputy Tejashwi Yadav in 2025- when the next assembly elections in the state are due. Read more
Sep 22, 2022 05:39 AM IST
PM Modi’s practical attitude has key role in transforming US ties: Jaishankar
It has taken a “lot of effort” to overcome the “wariness… suspicion and caution” of the past when it comes to the relationship with the United States (US), and Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s background, lack of “ideological baggage” and practical attitude has played a key role, external affairs minister S Jaishankar said on Wednesday. Read more
Sep 22, 2022 05:37 AM IST
Russia not serious about ending Ukraine war, Zelensky says at UNGA
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said that Russia is not serious about ending the war in his country, which will soon enter the eighth month. Read more
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Top ECI officials to visit poll-bound Himachal, Gujarat
Published on Sep 22, 2022 09:05 AM IST
A nine-member Election Commission of India (ECI) team earlier reviewed poll readiness last week at a meeting with Gujarat’s chief electoral officer P Bharathi
Top poll watchdog officials will arrive in Himachal Pradesh on Thursday. (HT PHOTO)
Monsoon withdrawal delayed due to low-pressure system rainfall: IMD
Published on Sep 22, 2022 08:47 AM IST
Under the influence of these systems, widespread light/moderate rainfall with isolated heavy rain and thunderstorm/lightning very likely over Vidarbha and Chhattisgarh
59% of people evicted from homes in 2021 await compensation: Report
Published on Sep 22, 2022 08:47 AM IST
Housing and Land Rights Network’s report said the arbitrary acts of demolition of homes and structures of minority communities have compounded the vulnerabilities of women, children, older persons, and persons with disabilities
100 PFI leaders detained in largest-ever crackdown: 10 points
Published on Sep 22, 2022 08:47 AM IST
The raids were jointly conducted by the National Investigation Agency, the Enforcement Directorate and the state police forces and have been called the largest-ever raid. On Wednesday, the Karnakata government told Supreme Court about the role of PFI in the hijab row.
NIA, ED, state police raid PFI-SDPI leaders in 13 states for terror activites
Updated on Sep 22, 2022 09:04 AM IST
The NIA has picked up no less that 40 PFI leaders post raids with ED and State Police taking separate action. The planned and coordinated raids started at 3.30am with all the enforcement chiefs in their offices through the night.
Project location: Mumbai; walk-in interview: Chennai. Aaditya Thackeray asks why
Published on Sep 22, 2022 06:52 AM IST
Aaditya Thackeray said he has no problem with the walk-in interview for engineers for the Versova Bandra Sea Link project in Mumbai is being held in Chennai, but why not take local people, he asked.
‘Shinde has gone to perform Mujra in Delhi’: Uddhav on Vedanta-Foxconn fiasco
Published on Sep 22, 2022 06:36 AM IST
Thackeray’s remarks come at a time when the Shinde-Fadnavis government is facing the ire of the opposition for losing Vedanta-Foxconn semiconductor plant to Gujarat.
India slams Pakistan on minority rights: ‘Ironic that Islamabad even raises it’
Published on Sep 22, 2022 06:02 AM IST
Slamming Pakistan foreign minister Bilawal Bhutto’s comments on “Islamophobia in India”, India’s joint secretary at the UN Srinivas Gotru said, “For a country that has even stopped publishing its data to hide its shameful record, it is amazing that they have even brought up the subject.
LIVE: India reports 5,443 new Covid cases, 933 more than previous day
Updated on Sep 22, 2022 09:32 AM IST
Breaking news today September 22, 2022: Get latest news, breaking news, latest updates, live news, top headlines, breaking business news and top news of the hour.
Cabinet approves second tranche of PLI scheme to boost manufacturing of solar modules
Published on Sep 22, 2022 12:37 AM IST
New Delhi: The Union cabinet on Wednesday approved the second tranche of the Performance Linked incentive (PLI) scheme to boost manufacturing of solar photovoltaic (PV) modules in India, Union minister Anurag Thakur announced in a press briefing
Alert after dam gate opens due to ‘snag’ in Kerala
Published on Sep 21, 2022 11:56 PM IST
Security officials camping in the area noticed the snag at 2 am and immediately alerted officials of the two districts who took immediate measures to shift people in low-lying areas and issued an alert.
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What Happens To Our Joints As We Age? Health Digest
What Happens To Our Joints As We Age? – Health Digest https://bentoncountynewsnow.com/what-happens-to-our-joints-as-we-age-health-digest/
Doucefleur/Shutterstock
The University of Rochester Medical Center defines a joint as a meeting point for two or more bones. According to Healthline, most babies begin with 270 bones. By their late 20s or early 30s, when bone mass is approaching maximum density, an adult skeleton has about 206 bones — but can boast between 250 and 350 bones, with about 80 in the axial skeleton and 126 in the appendicular skeleton, per Healthline.
A 2022 study published in the journal StatPearls notes that besides bones, joints comprise other essential features like connective tissues, fluid, cartilage, and collagens. These components support everyday activities and make up the infrastructure that helps you stand and move (via Cleveland Clinic). The International Osteoporosis Foundation describes bones and other parts of the joints as living tissues consisting of cells, minerals, proteins, and vitamins. This means they can transform, grow and wear out.
So what happens to our joints as we age? Aging comes with many changes in the body and our joints aren’t an exception. Continue reading for a detailed guide on the changes to expect.
How does aging affect our joints?
nuiza11/Shutterstock
According to Mayo Clinic, muscles naturally lose strength, endurance, and flexibility as we age. This will, no doubt, take a toll on our joints. Connective tissues, which support and bind other tissues together, get less oxygen and become stiff (via Medline).
Another change you might experience is fluid inadequacy. WebMD describes this as the kidney’s inability to function optimally, leading to fluid imbalances, which can cause dehydration in seniors. A 2022 study published in the journal Frontiers in Nutrition notes that adequate water intake is essential to maintain bone health. Proper hydration supplies minerals like calcium and bicarbonate, which are essential for bone health, according to the study.
Cartilages that cushion your bones, allowing joints to grind smoothly against each other naturally, may also become stiff and naturally deteriorate as you age (via Healthline). That’s why arthritis, which limits the activities of 23.7 million adults in the United States, is more prevalent among the country’s older population, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
There’s also the issue of limited collagen. Medical News Today states that the body produces less collagen as you age. Collagen is known to provide strength and structure to your joints and other body systems.
How to protect aging joints
staras/Shutterstock
Aging is inevitable. While there’s nothing you can do about growing old, adopting healthy lifestyle habits can keep your joints in good shape as you get older (via Healthline). Movement is the golden rule of joint health, according to WebMD. Frequent exercise is a great way to uphold this golden rule. Harvard Medical School also highlights the importance of minimizing stress on your joints. For the most part, try not to make things hard for yourself. You can use adaptive aids to avoid unnecessary bending, stooping, or reaching.
According to Cleveland Clinic, quitting smoking is another wise lifestyle choice. The source states that smoking can increase inflammation and make it harder for muscle injuries to heal. The same applies to people with weight disorders since they may lack the muscle bulk to stabilize joints. This causes stress on the joints with each activity, per Cleveland Clinic.
Generally speaking, the importance of joints to the body’s optimal functionality can’t be understated. Although our daily habits might influence bone health as we age, a 2000 study published in the Journal of Endocrinology notes that genetic factors can regulate bone mineral density, so you can also be susceptible to arthritis and other joint-related conditions through no fault of yours. For this reason, it’s important to frequently engage health experts about your bone health as you age.
Steel Panther On The Prowl At Packard | News Sports Jobs Warren Tribune Chronicle
Steel Panther On The Prowl At Packard | News, Sports, Jobs – Warren Tribune Chronicle https://bentoncountynewsnow.com/steel-panther-on-the-prowl-at-packard-news-sports-jobs-warren-tribune-chronicle/
Steel Panther, a part-tribute / part-parody of ’80s hair metal, brings its Claus & Paws Holiday Party to Packard Music Hall on Nov. 29.
The band has released four albums, toured around the world and appeared on “Jimmy Kimmel Live.”
Tickets for the 8 p.m. show range from $29.75 to $69.75 and go on sale at 10 a.m. Friday at the Packard box office and through Ticketmaster. An online-only presale runs 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. today with the password: PACKARD.
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Metaverse Craze Hits Medical Education Field With Great Platform Value KBR
‘Metaverse Craze’ Hits Medical Education Field With Great Platform Value – KBR https://bentoncountynewsnow.com/metaverse-craze-hits-medical-education-field-with-great-platform-value-kbr/
Metaverse, often criticized for lacking in substance, is winning recognition for its value as a new educational platform in the medical field. Experts say it has a high potential for educating not just medical students but hospital staff and patients as well.
The experts made these and other points at the “2022 KoVAV META Connect Digital Healthcare & 4th Health and Medical Data Innovation Forum” jointly held by the Ministry of Science and ICT and the Ministry of Health and Welfare on Wednesday to emphasize the importance of metaverse in the medical field.
Park Seon-young, CEO of NEWBASE, a medical educational platform, said metaverse is one of the methods to overcome the limits of the existing medical educational environment.
“The traditional medical education had limitations due to patient safety and interactions, but digital simulation based on metaverse provides a good alternative to overcome such problems,” Park said. “Thanks to these advantages, I expect the use of medical metaverse to begin in the educational area.”
Park pointed out that students can learn in an environment free from legal and ethical problems. As there will be no medical consumables costs, the students can practice unlimitedly according to their levels, which will also help to prevent medical accidents.
“However, from the viewpoint of developers, the problem is that the target market is small but its development takes a long time and a lot of money,” CEO Park said. “Expanding the educational area and increasing the medical sense of substance is the main challenge facing the metaverse-based medical education in the future.”
NEWBASE CEO Park Seon-young said metaverse is the way to overcome the limitations of the existing medical educational environment. (Source: Captured from Youtube broadcast screen of KoVAC Health and Medical Data Innovation Forum)
Some experts took note of its potential for educating medical staff and patients.
Cha Won-cheol, head of the Digital Innovation Center at Samsung Medical Center (SMC), predicted that a “virtual hospital” applying the metaverse technology would serve as the educational platform.
“There are many education programs possible only when you enter the hospital, as training space and a space to test new skills. The educational effect is different when the medical staff only read the manual and when they actually enter the hospital,” Park said. “In this regard, metaverse, or virtual hospital, is a good way to implement a realistic education platform terminal.”
Park added that from the standpoint of patients, too, a virtual hospital using metaverse can be the guideline that patients not familiar with offline hospitals can rely on.
“We can also provide public lectures based on the trust that only the hospital has,” he said. “It provides a different experience from watching on ZOOM or YouTube.”
(Left photo) Cha Won-cheol, head of the Digital Innovation Center at Samsung Medical Center, predicted metaverse-based virtual hospital would serve as an educational platform. (Right photo) Kim Ki-tae, a division head at the Korea Health Industry Development Institute, said the government would help to create a metaverse ecosystem in the health and medical area. (Source: Captured from Youtube broadcast screen of KoVAC Health and Medical Data Innovation Forum)
The government also actively responded to the voices of the medical and industrial communities.
The government will spend 47.5 billion won ($33.9 million) for five years from 2023 to 2027 to conduct the “Project to develop medical technology based on virtual patients and virtual hospitals.” Its goal is to revitalize the health and medical metaverse ecosystem by materializing a successful virtual hospital model.
The government plans to solve unmet medical needs and secure industrial competitiveness by developing medical metaverse technology.
“As Korea enters a superaged society, it suffers from the shortage of medical workforce, wide gaps in healthcare access among regions, and infections within hospitals,” said Kim Ki-tae, a division head of the Korea Health Industry Development Institute. “The virtual hospital technology based on metaverse is drawing attention to solve these problems.”
However, the domestic metaverse-based medical services are mainly provided by small and midsize businesses, making it difficult to establish and commercialize platforms, Kim noted.
The government will establish metaverse hospital platforms, create a state-level technological base, and secure global competitiveness in close cooperation with hospitals and businesses,” he said.
First Mover Asia: Cryptos Yo-Yo After Hawkish Rate Hike; Ethers Price Is Down Regulators May Soon Be Circling. Whats Next For Post-Merge Ethereum? CoinDesk
First Mover Asia: Cryptos Yo-Yo After Hawkish Rate Hike; Ether’s Price Is Down, Regulators May Soon Be Circling. What’s Next For Post-Merge Ethereum? – CoinDesk https://bentoncountynewsnow.com/first-mover-asia-cryptos-yo-yo-after-hawkish-rate-hike-ethers-price-is-down-regulators-may-soon-be-circling-whats-next-for-post-merge-ethereum-coindesk/
Good morning. Here’s what’s happening:
Prices: Cryptocurrency prices climbed and then plunged following the Federal Reserve’s latest 75 basis point interest rate hike.
Insights: Four crypto experts weighed in on Ethereum’s future post-Merge.
Catch the latest episodes of CoinDesk TV for insightful interviews with crypto industry leaders and analysis. And sign up for First Mover, our daily newsletter putting the latest moves in crypto markets in context.
● Bitcoin (BTC): $18,483 −2.2%
● Ether (ETH): $1,254 −5.6%
● CoinDesk Market Index (CMI): $915 −2.9%
● S&P 500 daily close: 3,789.93 −1.7%
● Gold: $1,665 per troy ounce +0.0%
● Ten-year Treasury yield daily close: 3.51% −0.06
Bitcoin, ether and gold prices are taken at approximately 4pm New York time. Bitcoin is the CoinDesk Bitcoin Price Index (XBX); Ether is the CoinDesk Ether Price Index (ETX); Gold is the COMEX spot price. Information about CoinDesk Indices can be found at coindesk.com/indices.
Crypto Prices Sink During Seesaw Day
The Fed decreed and crypto markets scrambled, sending assets higher in the initial hours following the U.S. central bank’s latest, hefty interest rate hike, and then spiraling.
Bitcoin was recently trading at abut $18,500, a more than 2% decline over the past 24 hours, although the largest cryptocurrency by market capitalization dipped well below $18,400 at one point Monday (UTC), its lowest level since early June. A year ago, BTC’s price was more than double its current level.
Ether was recently changing hands at roughly $1,250, a roughly 5.5% drop from the previous day. The price of the second largest crypto by market value has been tumbling in the aftermath of last week’s Merge, the landmark technological overhaul of the Ethereum network as investors prioritize its potential, longer-term benefits over immediate price impact. Investors will soon be eyeing next year’s Ethereum’s “Shanghai” upgrade, which will allow users to withdraw staked ETH.
Other cryptos followed a similar price pattern, rising immediately after the rate announcement before plummeting, with EOS recently off more than 10% and YGG and ADA both down over 4%.
Crypto prices tracked major stock indexes, which also seesawed during the day, rising early before plunging post-announcement. The tech-heavy Nasdaq and S&P 500, which has a robust technology component, each dropped 1.7%, while the Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA) fell 1.8% as markets chewed over Federal Reserve comments indicating more harsh inflationary medicine to come. The declines did not sweep up exchange giant Coinbase and other crypto-exposed companies, which rose on the day.
The Fed raised interest rates a robust 75 basis points for a third consecutive time after the most recent price data showed inflation remaining stubbornly high and the economy slowing more gradually than the bank had hoped, including a still torrid job market. The consensus among officials involved in the latest policy decision is for the bank to raise rates a total of 1.25% at its two remaining Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) meetings this year.
The Fed hopes to lower inflation to 2% from its current, near four-decade high over 8%. “My main message has not changed at all,” Fed Chair Jerome Powell said during a press conference, referencing his speech at the Fed’s Economic Symposium last month in Jackson Hole, Wyoming. “The FOMC is strongly resolved to bring inflation down to 2% and we will keep at it until the job is done.”
The rate increase highlighted a day of concerning events for the global economy. Two-year Treasury yields, which have moved in opposite direction of crypto prices, soared over 4% following the Fed announcement, their highest level in 15 years. And home sales declined for a seventh straight month. With 30-year-fixed mortgage rates already soaring to 6% for the first time in almost 15 years, the drop-off should continue.
Meanwhile, Russian President Vladimir Putin ratcheted up macroeconomic uncertainty, announcing the call-up of 300,000 troops to bolster the country’s rapidly faltering invasion of the Ukraine. The unprovoked attack has affected energy prices and global supply chains.
Yet inflation and monetary policy remained central for most crypto investors and observers of the space. Riyad Carey, a research analyst at crypto data firm Kaiko noted “a sharper price reaction to the CPI release than to the [Ethereum upgrade] Merge.”
“I don’t foresee crypto, especially BTC and ETH, bucking the Fed’s influence any time soon,” he said.
Biggest Gainers
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Biggest Losers
What’s Next for Ethereum Post-Merge?
Last week’s Ethereum Merge drew 40,000 viewers to one popular viewing party but the long-awaited shift to a faster, more environmentally friendly proof-of-work protocol did little to impress many traders.
In a textbook sell-the-news scenario, they’ve sent ether prices tumbling more than 15% during the past week. The decline has dovetailed with plunging equity markets and rumblings about possible centralization of the Ethereum network in the Twittersphere.
“Lido and Coinbase alone represent just under 45% of total validation,” Paul McCaffrey, crypto strategist at KBW, highlighted in an email to CoinDesk. “Lido leads at 30.1% with ~ 4.16M ETH, followed by Coinbase at 14.5% with 2M ETH.”
Ether’s decline has raised fundamental questions about Ethereum’s future, and while optimism runs high about the platform’s potential long-run benefits, some prominent observers also have concerns that the Merge will create new obstacles.
A lure for ESG investors?
McCaffrey said he remained “in the bullish camp” over the medium-to-long term, as more network validators join the network and alleviate such concerns over time.
“The Merge represents a landmark industry event and has the potential to draw ESG investors into the mix who will appreciate the energy efficient angles and the opportunity ETH brings to the masses (especially the unbanked),” he explained.
Others shared the sentiment, stating that they viewed the Merge as a long-term indicator of strong fundamentals despite recent price hiccups.
“The Merge could be more of a longer-term playout in the price as the upgrade is likely to attract more institutions, which could benefit ETH/USD price over a longer term,” Austin Kimm, director of strategy at Choise, said. “Ethereum is still the granddaddy of all blockchains with approximately half of all tokens being created on and using the network.”
Elsewhere, Anto Paroian, executive director at the crypto hedge fund ARK36, told CoinDesk that Ethereum’s “big test” had only just begun.
“Although the proof-of-work and the proof-of-stake blockchains have successfully merged, only now would it be possible to discover the full impact of the Merge on the vast ecosystem of apps built on top of the Ethereum blockchain,” Paroian said, referring to the billions of dollars worth of cryptocurrencies locked up on Ethereum-based applications.
“This includes the DeFi space which is currently valued at around $56 billion. We should all be prepared for strong downside volatility in case of any glitches and previously unforeseen mishaps,” Paroian noted.
Apart from the near-term market and technological impact, some observers say ether is likely to receive legal scrutiny in the coming months due to the rewards that the network awards to users to run nodes, or specialized blockchain software, to process transactions on Ethereum.
“(There’s) the possibility of recognizing ETH as a security token. On the one hand, after the transition to PoS, the coin will have signs of security, such as, for example, the expectation of making a profit. And many financiers say that such an outcome is possible,” Serhii Zhdanov, CEO of crypto exchange EXMO, said in a Telegram message.
Zhdanov warned that such an outcome would create a “disaster for ordinary users,” one that could even see “delisting of its token from crypto exchanges” in the worst-case scenario.
In case you missed it, here is the most recent episode of “First Mover” on CoinDesk TV:
Joining “First Mover” to discuss the central bank’s policy meeting and his crypto markets outlook was Ben Emons of Global Macro Strategy. Also, the Blockchain Foundation’s Cleve Mesidor weighed in on crypto regulation, and Zappos founder and Golden State Warriors co-owner Nick Swinmurn talked about his new NFT-based prediction game, Play Hellebore.
Wall Street Bank CEOs Tell Congress They’re Unlikely to Finance Crypto Miners: The chief executives of Citigroup, Bank of America and Wells Fargo were questioned Wednesday at a congressional hearing.
Crypto-Linked Stocks Rally After Fed Rate Hike: Cryptocurrency-exposed stocks rose along with bitcoin and ether following the Federal Reserve’s announcement Wednesday to boost the interest rate 75 basis points.
Amid Market Rout, Crypto Miners Are Still Building: Crypto miners are still developing innovative data centers despite a souring market that has some miners struggling to survive.
Fed Hikes Rates to Highest Since 2007; Bitcoin Slides Toward $19K: This is the third consecutive time that members of the Federal Open Market Committee raised rates by 75 basis points, signaling how serious inflationary pressures have gotten in the U.S. The bitcoin market doesn’t like it.
U.S. Lawmakers Pile Pressure On Big Banks Over China Ties Taiwan Reuters
U.S. Lawmakers Pile Pressure On Big Banks Over China Ties, Taiwan – Reuters https://bentoncountynewsnow.com/u-s-lawmakers-pile-pressure-on-big-banks-over-china-ties-taiwan-reuters/
JPMorgan Chase & Co President and CEO Jamie Dimon attends a U.S. House Financial Services Committee hearing titled “Holding Megabanks Accountable: Oversight of America’s Largest Consumer Facing Banks” on Capitol Hill in Washington, U.S., September 21, 2022. REUTERS/Elizabeth Frantz
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WASHINGTON, Sept 22 (Reuters) – Top U.S. bankers came under pressure from lawmakers on Wednesday to take a tougher stance on doing business with China amid growing tensions between Washington and Beijing over Taiwan’s sovereignty and China’s human rights record.
During a hearing before the U.S. House Financial Services Committee, Republican congressman Blaine Luetkemeyer pressed bank chief executives on how they would respond in the hypothetical event of a Chinese invasion of Taiwan.
Lawmakers also asked the CEOs to condemn China’s “human rights abuses,” in a departure from previous hearings that tended to focus on domestic issues like housing and consumer protection.
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“We will follow the government’s guidance, which has been for decades to work with China,” said Bank of America (BAC.N) Chief Executive Officer Brian Moynihan. “If they change that position, we will immediately change it, as we did in Russia.”
JPMorgan & Chase (JPM.N) CEO Jamie Dimon and Citigroup CEO Jane Fraser both concurred, saying their banks would follow government guidance if China were to invade Taiwan.
The increased scrutiny underscores the challenges the country’s largest lenders increasingly face as they try to balance commercial interests with pressure from policymakers, activists and investors to take stances on environmental, social and governance issues.
Wall Street giants including JPMorgan, Goldman Sachs Group Inc and Morgan Stanley have sought in recent years to expand their businesses in China, the world’s second-largest economy. Authorities there have granted U.S. banks more ownership of their securities businesses despite rising geopolitical tension and economic competition between the two nations.
JPMorgan, which has been in China since 1921, serves Chinese and international corporations, financial institutions and government agencies. Last year it became the first foreign firm to fully own a securities venture in China.
Citigroup, which was the first U.S. bank to set up shop in China in 1902, last year applied for a mainland Chinese securities licence as part of its push to ramp up business in the market. read more
China has been carrying out military drills near Taiwan in recent weeks. After U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi visited Taipei, China fired missiles into waters near the island, though its activities have since scaled back. read more
China claims democratically ruled Taiwan as its own territory. Taiwan’s government rejects China’s sovereignty claims.
Congressman Luetkemeyer asked Fraser what Citigroup would do if a war over Taiwan broke out.
“It’s a hypothetical question,” Fraser said. “It’s highly likely that we will have a reduced presence.” Citigroup has a global reach that spans more than 160 countries.
When asked later by Republican Lance Gooden if she would condemn “ongoing human rights abuses in China,” Fraser hesitated. “Condemn is a strong word,” she said. “We certainly are very distressed to see it.”
JPMorgan’s Dimon also warned the United States had to compete with global Chinese banks, which have grown in size over the last few years to become the biggest in the world.
“I am going to do everything in my power to make sure we compete with the best Chinese banks in the world. It is very important for the future of America that America maintains its financial supremacy just like anything else.”
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Reporting by Lananh Nguyen and Pete Schroeder; additional reporting by Saeed Azhar; editing by Richard Pullin
Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.
JourneyTEAMs 10th Annual Business Technology Summit PR Newswire
JourneyTEAM’s 10th Annual Business Technology Summit – PR Newswire https://bentoncountynewsnow.com/journeyteams-10th-annual-business-technology-summit-pr-newswire/
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, /PRNewswire/ — Microsoft Partner, JourneyTEAM, is inviting business decision makers of all industries to join the Upcoming Business Technology Summit and learn how Microsoft Technologies can improve their businesses operations. This exclusive event on November 2nd and November 3rd 2022, is designed to help businesses reach their unique goals, decrease potential security risks, and most importantly, do so while reducing costs and saving money.
This year’s two-day, virtual event features over 30 breakout sessions, product offerings, and top insider tips from JourneyTEAM senior consultants to help you identify and implement the tools you need while keeping costs down. As JourneyTEAM specializes in all three Microsoft Clouds, the event sessions are broken up into these categories:
Business Technology Summit
Day 1 (November 2): Microsoft Business Apps Day (ERP, CRM, and Power Platform)
Day 2 (November 3): Modern Work and Microsoft Azure Day (Productivity, Collaboration, and Security)
JourneyTEAM’s Business Technology Summit provides an atmosphere for business leaders to create a customized digital transformation strategy for their business. JourneyTEAM consultants and developers have over 20 years of experience implementing Microsoft technologies within businesses of all sizes and aim to answer any questions you might have throughout the sessions. This event will specifically include:
30+ Technology Breakout Sessions covering hot topics like robotic process automation (RPA), embedding Power Apps inside other Power Platform tools, finding the pure-cloud directory path with Azure AD, and so much more (full agenda coming soon).
Discussions with JourneyTEAM experts about Microsoft Business Applications and hear the latest updates announced at Microsoft Ignite.
A deep dive into Microsoft 365’s suite of tools and how to use them best at your company.
Crucial and up-to-date Azure infrastructure insight to set up proper security protocols.
An in-person event at Top Golf in Salt Lake City, Utah. If attendees can’t attend the in-person portion, JourneyTEAM is shipping a care package full of goodies to enjoy while viewing the event virtually.
Eric Beins, COO of JourneyTEAM, shares: “Since I joined JourneyTEAM over 6 years ago I’ve witnessed the Business Technology Summit become one of the premier events covering Microsoft’s technology. It is geared directly to end users and clients by showcasing real-world scenarios. I have loved seeing the value of our sessions make a difference in our client’s day to day operations as they ask engaging questions that spark innovative solutions. Each year we continue to grow our knowledge and coverage of Microsoft’s Business Applications, Modern Workplace and Azure, and this event is an opportunity to share those learnings back to the community. It’s also a great time for catching up with friends, colleagues and customers to see how we can continue making a positive impact.”
In JourneyTEAM’s upcoming Business Technology Summit, business leaders are sure to gain powerful insights on how to reach their desired business outcomes using technology, while keeping costs low.
Register for this event today
, we can’t wait to see you there!
Moriah Spainhower
Content Manager
JourneyTEAM
801-565-9199
[email protected]
This release was issued through WebWire®. For more information visit http://www.webwire.com.
SOURCE JourneyTEAM
Marvel Games Will Not Have Its Own MCU ComicBook.com
Marvel Games Will Not Have Its Own MCU – ComicBook.com https://bentoncountynewsnow.com/marvel-games-will-not-have-its-own-mcu-comicbook-com/
Marvel video games will not have their own connected universe like the MCU. Marvel has pioneered something truly unique (or at least, it was at one point) with the Marvel Cinematic Universe. When Iron Man was released in 2008, not many people knew it was the anchor for what would become an interconnected universe with multiple superheroes. For four years, Marvel built up to The Avengers and then continued to expand with new characters such as Spider-Man, the Guardians of the Galaxy, and Ant-Man. It has been a roaring success thus far and shows no signs of slowing down, as it has led to some of the most successful films of all time.
When Marvel Games started to hone in on more premium games starring its heroes, many wondered if this would all lead to a video game version of the MCU. However, it seems like Marvel Games is adamantly against the idea. Marvel Game VP and creative director Bill Rosemann told GamesIndustry.biz that it is not mandating any kind of connected universe, as it wants the studios to have the freedom to tell the stories they want. Rosemann noted that it wants creatives to feel like they can make drastic moves in their story without it impacting someone else’s game.
“The world is, amazingly, very familiar and accepting of the multiverse,” Rosemann said. “We have all these different realities. Now they’re all real, and we want to give everyone the freedom to tell their story. We don’t want to say ‘you can’t blow up the moon, because this game over here by another studio needs the moon’. We want to give everyone the freedom and the clear lane to tell their story.”
EA recently confirmed it is working on a new Iron Man game, but it won’t stop there. EA also confirmed it has multiple Marvel games in the pipeline, but didn’t reveal what they would be. Of course, it’s possible that if a publisher or developer wanted to create its own universe of games (i.e. EA’s Marvel universe), it could do that. There are already questions of whether Insomniac’s Wolverine game will cross over with the developer’s version of Spider-Man.
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Vote Now: Who Should Be SBLives National Athlete Of The Week? (Sept. 11-17) Scorebook Live
Vote Now: Who Should Be SBLive’s National Athlete Of The Week? (Sept. 11-17) – Scorebook Live https://bentoncountynewsnow.com/vote-now-who-should-be-sblives-national-athlete-of-the-week-sept-11-17-scorebook-live/
There were scores of outstanding individual high school performances across the country last week.
Now it’s time to choose the best.
Here are the candidates for SBLive’s National High School Athlete of the Week for Sept. 11-17 as nominated by fans, readers and SBLive’s staff.
Read through the nominees and cast your vote at the bottom of the page. Voting will conclude on Sunday at 11:59 p.m and the winner will be announced Monday, Sep. 19.
If you would like to nominate an athlete, please email athleteoftheweek@scorebooklive.com or tag us on Twitter or Instagram at @SBLiveSports
SBLive National High School Athlete of the Week candidates
Tate Allen, Fairfield (Iowa) football
If every barn-burning finish has a hero, Allen was Farifield’s. He threw for 251 yards and a touchdown, as and ran for 106 rushing yards and two touchdowns in a 29-28 win over Knoxville.
Dante Avjian, Nampa (Idaho) football
Took five receptions for 192 yards and two touchdowns in a 45-23 win over Kuna.
Kaden Batieste, Natchez Cathedral (Mississippi) football
Finished with eight catches for 230 yards and two touchdowns in a 45-24 win over Pisgah.
Benji Bauer, Eisenhower (Pennsylvania) football
In a 46-34 win over Seneca, he ran the ball 21 times for 221 yards and five touchdowns. His five scores were a new school record.
Chase Brown, Flagstaff (Arizona) football
How’s this for a varsity starting debut? The freshman completed 15 of 18 passes for 405 passing yards and six touchdowns and no turnovers in a 59-12 win over Rio Rico.
Ben Dredge, Madison (Idaho) football
Rushed for 235 yards, and had scoring runs of 74 and 72 yards as part of his three rushing touchdowns. He added two passing touchdowns in a win over Thunder Ridge.
Sincere Edwards, Wekiva (Florida) football
Central Florida pledge logged four sacks and nine total tackles — two for loss – in a 25-13 win over West Orange.
Kyler Finney, Winnsboro (Texas) football
Finney completed 21 of 28 passes for 543 yards and five touchdowns in a 54-28 win over New Boston.
Kirk Francis, Metro Christian (Oklahoma) football
Francis passed for 355 yards and five touchdowns in a 41-21 win after crossing the Arkansas border to take on Prairie Grove with a 75 percent completion percentage.
Dennis Gaines, East Poinsett County (Arkansas) football
The junior rushed for 326 yards on 13 carries with 3 touchdowns (77,63 and 56 yards) in a 36-6 victory over Corning.
Cayden Gibson, Arizona College Prep (Arizona) football
Recorded eight tackles, a school record six sacks and a pass deflection. He recorded the game-winning play, logging — you guessed it — a sack.
Thomas Gotkowski, Ben Davis (Indiana) football
Gotkowski led the Giants past rival Warren Central behind three second-half touchdowns: a 51-yard run and TD passes of 33 and 68 yards. Finished with 469 total yards and five touchdowns.
Ben Hall, Southeastern (Alabama) football
Recorded five receptions for 295 yards and five touchdowns at receiver, then had six tackles, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery on defense to help fuel a 57-53 win over Holly Pond.
Justice Haynes, Buford (Georgia) football
No. 1 running back prospect in Georgia looked the part, recording 216 yards and three touchdowns in a win over Carver.
Chi Henry, Van Buren (Arkansas) football
The senior has sticky hands on either side of the ball. Caught six passes for 78 yards and a receiving touchdown, tying a school record (24) for career receiving touchdowns.
Josh Holst, Marengo (lllinois) football
How’s this for a contribution? The senior quarterback accounted for 427 yards and eight total touchdowns in a 69-48 win over Johnsburg. He threw four touchdown passes and ran for four more.
Diore Hubbard, Gahanna Lincoln (Ohio) football
Led Gahanna to its first-ever win — in thrilling 22-20 fashion — over Pickerington Central rushing for 211 yards on 38 carries.
Trey Leckner, Glacier Peak (Washington) football
Unstoppable against Ferndale, and that’s no exaggeration. The Washington State pledge scored a touchdown every time he caught the ball: five receptions for five touchdowns and 210 yards.
Arch Manning, Newman (Louisiana) football
The nation’s No. 1 quarterback completed 22-of-37 passes for 370 yards and four touchdowns, while adding a 35-yard TD run, leading the Greenies to a thrilling 54-52 win over Benton.
Colt Michael, O’Fallon (Illinois) football
Senior Missouri Southern commit may as well have put a cape on. He completed 24 of 37 passes for 390 yards and three touchdowns in the Panthers’ come-from-behind 32-31 win at Edwardsville.
Dante Moore, Detroit Martin Luther King (Michigan) football
Senior five-star quarterback Dante Moore came up big in Detroit King’s rivalry win over Cass Tech, 28-23, finishing 15-for-24 passing for 240 yards and three touchdowns. (Complete coverage here; stats here.)
Zane Palmer, Odessa (Missouri) football
In a shootout win over Oak Grove, 57-43, Palmer ran for seven touchdowns — four in the first half — on 32 carries, finishing with 364 yards.
Jaxon Potter, Santa Margarita (California) football
Tossed for 482 yards and five touchdowns and added 57 rushing yards and a touchdown on the ground in a 69-49 win over Los Alamitos.
Jamal Roberts, St. Mary’s (Missouri) football
Missouri recruit had a career day with 238 rushing yards and five touchdowns, including a kickoff return, in a 56-20 road win at Lutheran-St. Charles. He scored on the opening kickoff, as well as three times in the third quarter.
Editor’s Note: Our Athlete of the Week feature and corresponding poll is intended to be fun, and we do not set limits on how many times a fan can vote during the competition. However, we do not allow votes that are generated by script, macro or other automated means. Athletes that receive votes generated by script, macro or other automated means will be disqualified.
Vietnamese Fans Foot Big Bills For Football World Cup Tours VnExpress International
Vietnamese Fans Foot Big Bills For Football World Cup Tours – VnExpress International https://bentoncountynewsnow.com/vietnamese-fans-foot-big-bills-for-football-world-cup-tours-vnexpress-international/
By Thanh Thuy  September 21, 2022 | 04:43 pm PT
The official logo for the 2022 Qatar World Cup is seen on the Doha Tower, in Doha, Qatar, September 3, 2019. Photo by Reuters/Naseem Zeitoun
Travel agencies say tours to Qatar for the 2022 World Cup at prices ranging from VND170 to 320 million ($7,260-13,500) per person have nearly sold out.
Tran Thanh, 43, in Hanoi, a big fan of Argentine striker Lionel Messi, said that after he failed to book a hotel room in Doha, he contacted tour operators to buy a package to watch a match between Argentina and Mexico during the World Cup competition.
However, tour packages involving his favorite match were sold out, so he was considering watching another match.
A VnExpress survey found tour prices to Qatar during the World Cup season can cost up to VND320 million per person for a four-day itinerary, including entry tickets to watch a match.
Travel agencies said the prices include an itinerary to discover Qatar that costs VND150 million while the entrance fee to watch a World Cup match ranges from VND20 to 150 million depending on the match and seat position.
The prices are the highest ever for World Cup packages, the agencies acknowledged. In 2018 when the World Cup was held in Russia, a similar tour only cost VND80 to 100 million.
“The costs of hotel rooms, air tickets and visa fees were raised immediately after FIFA announced the World Cup would be held in Qatar. It was also very difficult for tour operators to reach an agreement with partners,” said Nguyen Hai, who is in charge of selling Qatar tours for Hanoi-based Dat Viet Tour.
“Due to limited hotel options, we had to pay a higher price for early reservation,” Hai added.
Despite expensive tour prices and willingness to foot big bills, many Vietnamese fans have not been able to book the tour desired.
Hai said that for each match, his company only provides a maximum of 25 seats; and some “hot” matches were sold out a few months ago, leaving many Vietnamese football fans disappointed.
A representative of HCMC-based tour operator Vacation Travel said that they had already sold out 15 tour packages to Qatar to watch the World Cup matches with prices starting at VND199 million per person.
HCMC-based agency Hong Ngoc Ha Travel has sold tours to more than 200 customers so far and they have transferred 100% of the ticket prices.
The reason many Vietnamese fans choose to buy a package tour is that booking a hotel on their own during the peak tourism season is next to impossible.
Ngo Tran Hai An, a freelance reporter who will cover the 2022 World Cup, said that he could not book a hotel room in Doha for the World Cup season.
“The capital Doha is quite small and most of the hotels are full. Some people have to go to Dubai to stay or rent a room, though this would be inconvenient and cost more, there is no other choice,” said An.
The 2022 World Cup will take place from November 20 to December 18 in Qatar. It is expected that nearly 2 million people will travel to Doha during the event.
Qatar had earlier announced all foreign nationals seeking to enter Qatar as visitors will need to carry a “Hayya” Card as of November 1, 2022.
Visitors must hold match tickets in order to qualify for the Hayya, which can be applied for online.
For foreign nationals entering Qatar as visitors, the Hayya card will serve as both an entry permit and a stadium access pass. In addition to holding FIFA tickets, foreign visitors will also need to confirm their accommodations in order to obtain a Hayya.
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Senate Candidates Square Off At Business Breakfast Mid Hudson News Website
Senate Candidates Square Off At Business Breakfast – Mid Hudson News Website https://bentoncountynewsnow.com/senate-candidates-square-off-at-business-breakfast-mid-hudson-news-website/
POUGHKEEPSIE – Mayor Rob Rolison and his Democratic opponent for the State Senate’s 39th District, Julie Shiroishi, had a brief debate at the Dutchess County Regional Chamber of Commerce breakfast in Poughkeepsie on Wednesday morning.
Rolison, a Republican who has been the mayor of Poughkeepsie since 2016, told the audience that “The one-party rule in Albany isn’t working,” when it comes to regulating business, creating energy policies, and keeping the public safe. Prior to becoming mayor, the lifelong Poughkeepsie resident served on the Dutchess County Legislature for 12 years, including a tenure as the body’s chairman.
Julie Shiroishi speaking to members of the Dutchess County Regional Chamber of Commerce.
Shiroishi, a Beacon resident since 2007, had a career in newspaper and book publishing until transitioning to a freelance writer to spend more time with her young children.
In 2019 she became the Chief of Staff for Assemblyman Jonathan Jacobson. Shiroishi stayed with Jacobson until May of this year when she decided to make her first run for public office. “It was a tremendous opportunity to have worked in state government,” Shiroishi said. “I’ve had the opportunity to see how state government works and I have had the opportunity to help constituents.”
Rolison blamed state policies for the rise in crime across New York. The mayor intimated that changing the laws would help reduce crime and giving businesses a chance to thrive in a safe environment. “There is a crime problem in this state,” he said, adding “bail reform has limited the capabilities of police officers to do their jobs of keeping the public safe.”
Shiroishi called on the need for changes in public education. The need, according to Shiroishi, is for middle-school students to be presented with opportunities and training that make them ready to enter the regional workforce when they graduate high school. “Too many people are graduating from college with hundreds of thousands of dollars of debt,” she said, noting that many jobs in the region do not require college degrees and still pay good wages.
The new 39th senate district includes the Dutchess County municipalities of Beacon, Beekman, East Fishkill, Fishkill, LaGrange, Pawling, City of Poughkeepsie, Town of Poughkeepsie, Union Vale, and Wappinger. In Putnam County, the district includes Philipstown and Putnam Valley. In Orange County, the Towns of Montgomery and Newburgh along with the City of Newburgh are in the 39th senate district.
Remarks By President Biden At The Global Funds Seventh Replenishment Conference The White House
Remarks By President Biden At The Global Fund’s Seventh Replenishment Conference – The White House https://bentoncountynewsnow.com/remarks-by-president-biden-at-the-global-funds-seventh-replenishment-conference-the-white-house/
583 Park Avenue
New York, New York
5:03 P.M. EDT
THE PRESIDENT: Well, friends, fellow leaders — Bill, thank you for that introduction — you know, I want to thank you all for being here — not that you’re here because we invited you; you’d be here no matter what. And, Bill, thank you for your incredible leadership and commitment to global health.
And to everyone participating in this conference — you know, to all of you — I want to thank you. Thank you for fighting for what counts. This is all about saving lives — there’s no ambiguity here — working with partners to ensure that all communities are healthy and strong — at least have a shot at being healthy and strong; that people everywhere can live in dignity.
It’s hard to re- — maintain your dignity when you look at your child and see that they are sick or ill with a disease that you can’t control. It’s difficult. It shocks you. And it deprives you of your dignity.
That’s why the United States is proud to be a founding member of the Global Fund.
And over the past 20 years, through our work together, it’s estimated that the Global Fund has saved, as you heard before, 50 million lives and dramatically — dramatically reduced the death rate of HIV, tuberculosis, and malaria in the countries where it’s working. (Clears throat.) Excuse me.
Today, we’ve seen some historic pledges to keep building on this incredible record: almost 1.6 billion — I think I got it right — euros from France; 1.3 billion from Germany; 1 billion dollars from Japan; 1.2 billion dollars from Canada;
750
[715] million euros from the European Commission; and significant increases from the private sector, Qatar, Republic of Korea, and from nations that themselves receive Global Fund grants, like Malawi and Niger, also contributed.
And as I pledged to all of you, the United States will donate $1 billion for every $2 billion committed by the rest of the world.
So that means we’re going to work — (applause) — that means we’re going to work with our partners in Congress to contribute another $6 billion to the Global Fund — (applause) — bringing — bringing the overall global pledge, as of today, to $14 billion.
With these incredible contributions, we’ve succeeded, through our mutual and continuing commitment, to deliver one of the largest fundraising in global health — fundraisers in global health history. And these billions are expected to deliver a 31-fold return on investment — 31-fold return on investment.
And in other words, for every dollar to fight these diseases, we expect $31 in health gains and economic returns, which also advances our progress toward meeting the goal of Sustainable Development Agenda.
So let’s challenge ourselves to keep going and do even more.
It’s an investment that will save another 20 million lives, reduce mortality from these diseases another 64 percent in the next four years.
It will support frontline health workers, improve — and, by the way, they deserve special, special, special thanks for what they’ve done, especially when it was much more dangerous than it is today. (Applause.)
It will improve surveillance capabilities; build stronger, more resilient health supply chains; and increase innovations to reach those most in need. And it’s going to help prevent and respond to gender-based violence, and advance sexual and reproductive rights and health outcomes for people around the world.
You know, as we — as we work together, the United States will also continue to advance our leadership through our own health investments in PEPFAR, the President’s Malaria Initiative, and efforts to fight TB — TB.
These investments, working in tandem and further amplifying the work of the Global Fund, have helped turn the HIV/AIDS around and develop the world’s first vaccine for malaria.
Here in the United States, where almost 1.2 million people are living with HIV, we’re implementing our new National HIV/AIDS Strategy to accelerate and strengthen our national response to the HIV epidemic. We’re putting equity at the core of our efforts.
We have to ensure that everyone — no matter who they are, who they love, where they come from — can access care and treatment they need, period. (Applause.) And, folks — and that they’re treated with the dignity they deserve.
Everyone should be able to lead a healthy, productive, and fulfilling life. That’s our goal.
So thank you all for stepping up, especially in a challenging global economic environment.
And I ask you to keep it going. Let’s finish this fight together. Now is the moment to accelerate our efforts to reduce health inequities and to address barriers to access, including gender and human rights barriers; to build a more inclusive healthcare systems to leave no one behind; to end AIDS, tuberculosis, and malaria for good.
Let’s demonstrate our collective power to take on challenges that matter most in people’s lives and deliver progress. We have so much — so much to do, so let’s get to work. And thank you all for all you’re doing.
God bless you all. (Applause.)
5:09 P.M. EDT
Montgomery Adds Safety Rules For School Sporting Events After Football Fight The Washington Post
Montgomery Adds Safety Rules For School Sporting Events After Football Fight – The Washington Post https://bentoncountynewsnow.com/montgomery-adds-safety-rules-for-school-sporting-events-after-football-fight-the-washington-post/
Montgomery County Public Schools announced more stringent safety protocols around athletic events Wednesday following a brawl that erupted at a football game last week.
Under the new rules, students and spectators will be required to remain in the stands during games, and reentry will not be allowed. The rules also prevent anyone from being admitted after halftime.
Students enrolled at one of the two schools competing will have to show a student ID or copy of their school schedule to attend a game. Students who don’t attend one of the two schools playing will have to be accompanied by an adult chaperone.
The new rules take effect Friday.
Schools Superintendent Monifa B. McKnight said Wednesday that the school system’s core values for athletic events are respect and sportsmanship.
“We recognize that when we see unruly, displeasurable behavior happening in our games, it’s contrary to those values,” McKnight said.
Some schools already had added extra security measures for sports events, Chief Operating Officer Brian Hull said Wednesday during a news conference. But a districtwide plan was created after a large fight at a football game between Northwest and Gaithersburg high schools Friday, Hull said. That fight led to four juveniles and a 19-year-old man being charged with assault.
Both football teams’ operations were suspended after the fight and will remain suspended until an investigation of the altercation concludes, school officials said. The investigation is expected to end Friday. Neither team will play Friday, officials said.
Gaithersburg Athletic Director William Gant has also filed assault charges against Northwest’s football coach, Travis Hawkins. Gant says Hawkins struck him during the brawl.
In Maryland, residents can file criminal charges against each other by submitting a signed statement to a court commissioner. Commissioners then determine whether there is probable cause to issue a charging document.
That is what happened in this case, according to court records. Gant submitted a complaint against Hawkins, and a court commissioner issued a criminal summons. It is not clear from court records whether Hawkins has been served with the complaint.
Prosecutors have the ability to dismiss such citizen-generated cases. In Montgomery County, the state’s attorney’s office runs a citizen complaint bureau that screens complaints to determine whether the office will prosecute the case or dismiss it, said Lauren DeMarco, a spokeswoman for the office.
A preliminary hearing is set for November, according to court records.
McKnight declined Wednesday to comment on Gant’s or Hawkins’s employment status or whether they had faced any disciplinary measures, saying that it was a personnel issue and under investigation.
“While the most recent situation brought us together today, we have and will continue to monitor the safety at all of our school events,” McKnight said.
McKnight said the guidelines were developed after meeting with principals, students, staff and police.
Under the plan, specific schools or the district as a whole can impose harsher rules — as part of a second and third tier of guidelines — if there are “additional behavioral concerns” or incidents.
In the second tier, only students from one of the schools competing and families of student-athletes could attend games. Crowd size could be limited and game times and days could be changed. Teams that engage in brawls could also be excluded from postseason competition or suspended for multiple contests, according to the guidelines.
The third tier — which is the most extreme — outlines that concession stands could be closed and only families of student-athletes and other participants (such as marching band members) could attend. In the most serious circumstances, no spectators would be permitted.
The safety protocols will be in place through the rest of the football season, officials said, but they could be extended into other athletic seasons — such as basketball — depending on the outcome.
Dan Morse contributed to this report.
The Metaverse Cryptocurrency And NFTs Set To Revolutionise Retail ChannelLife New Zealand
The Metaverse, Cryptocurrency And NFTs Set To Revolutionise Retail – ChannelLife New Zealand https://bentoncountynewsnow.com/the-metaverse-cryptocurrency-and-nfts-set-to-revolutionise-retail-channellife-new-zealand/
BigCommerce has released its Global Consumer Report: Current and Future Shopping Trends, a consumer survey designed to give retailers insight into current and emerging trends shaping the way consumers buy from brands.
According to the researchers, the metaverse, cryptocurrency and NFTs are poised to revolutionise commerce in some form or another, while personalised shopping experiences and incentives, such as free shipping and discounts, are key factors driving purchases. Fashion and apparel was by far the most popular category for online shoppers.
Key insights from the survey revealed:
More than half of consumers shop online at least once a week (55%), with fashion and apparel as the most purchased items. As for discounts, they prefer free shipping above anything else.
Consumers who use buy now, pay later (BNPL) do so because they say it helps to fit purchases into their budget.
Consumers want personalised shopping experiences and advertisements, and are most willing to share their email, gender and name with brands.
Honesty and transparency are the brand values consumers look for most, but providing fair wages and benefits to employees was a close second.
The majority of consumers (84%) rated sustainability as important when making a purchasing decision.
Almost half (46%) of consumers are willing to shop on the metaverse, and of those, 51% are interested in buying both virtual and physical goods.
Lisa Eggerton, Chief Marketing Officer at BigCommerce, says, “BigCommerce is powered by innovation that gives our merchants the competitive advantage to outperform their competition and thrive in the new era of ecommerce. These findings show technological advances are reshaping the shoppers journey and providing new and better ways for brands to engage with their customers. The future of commerce is here, and brands have a vibrant opportunity for remarkable growth.”
The report uncovered many consumers are shopping online multiple times per week, with 55% of respondents indicating they shop online at least once a week if not more. Of course this shouldn’t be that surprising considering people are shopping on Google more than a billion times a day.
As for what consumers are buying online, the report shows that fashion and apparel was by far the most popular category (80%), with electronics coming second (56%) and entertainment and media in third (55%).
When consumers were asked which payment methods they’ve used when shopping online, 16% said they’ve used BNPL. Helping consumers fit purchases into their budget was revealed as a primary reason for choosing BNPL. In fact, of those who’ve used BNPL, 34% were more likely to complete a purchase if BNPL was an option, while 49% would find it easier to complete a purchase if BNPL was an option.
Digging deeper into shopper motivations, the survey sought to understand how personalisation impacts the decision to buy, as well as what information consumers are willing to share in order to get a personalised shopping experience. 37% of respondents were willing to share data depending on what information was requested, while 30% said it depended on brand and 28% were not willing at all.
The survey also revealed that metaverse, cryptocurrency and NFTs are all poised to revolutionise commerce in some form or another. When it comes to metaverse shopping, consumers were about evenly split between willing (46%) and not willing (52%). Yet, a small percentage (2%) had already shopped on the metaverse.
Unlike the metaverse, the majority of consumers say they don’t have a good understanding of NFTs, with 26% saying they don’t even know what NFTs are. When asked which payment methods were used when shopping online, 5% of consumers said they have used cryptocurrency. While most people weren’t yet using cryptocurrency, of those who do, a strong majority (66%) preferred it as a payment method.
Eggerton concludes, “Our aim in sharing data from the Global Consumer Report is to help brands across these regions better understand consumer buying behaviours. Brands must put consumers at the heart of everything they do or risk losing market share.”
Apple Just Improved Messaging On Your IPhone With 26 New Must-Try Features Gadget Hacks
Apple Just Improved Messaging On Your IPhone With 26 New Must-Try Features – Gadget Hacks https://bentoncountynewsnow.com/apple-just-improved-messaging-on-your-iphone-with-26-new-must-try-features-gadget-hacks/
If you haven’t noticed yet, there are a lot of new features hiding in your iPhone’s Messages app, and some of them are things users have been requesting for a long time. While iMessage is getting a lot of attention by letting us edit and unsend messages, it’s only just the start of a pretty big update.
Some of the new tools and enhancements that come with iOS 16 take direct aim at messaging competitors like Messenger, Signal, Telegram, and WhatsApp, while others take advantage of other services available on iOS, like Siri, Dictation, and Focus. There’s carrier-specific spam reporting, more Memoji options, cool Siri tricks, helpful measurement conversions, and even a few secret actions that’ll be useful in any conversation.
Don’t Miss: Your iPhone’s Contacts App Just Got Its Biggest Update Ever
Most of these changes also appear on iPadOS 16 for iPad and macOS 13 Ventura for Mac, which are still in beta.
1. Edit Messages
You can now edit iMessages after sending them. It’s a helpful tool that can help you quickly correct spelling snafus, auto-correct mistakes, and other erroneous content without bombarding people with follow-up messages to explain the issue.
A message can be edited up to five times within 15 minutes of sending it. After five edits or 15 minutes, the option will disappear from the quick actions menu. When edited, an “Edited” label will appear under the message. You or the recipient can then tap “Edited” to view the history of changes.
It only works with iMessage, so you can’t correct anything in SMS chats. And recipients using older Apple software will see each edit as a separate iMessage.
Full Guide: How to Edit Your Sent iMessages to Fix Spelling Errors and Other Mistakes
2. Unsend Messages
Taking back a message you sent is another new feature. When you select “Undo Send” from the quick actions, it shows a “poof” animation that “pops” when the sound is on, disappearing from the conversation for good.
It only works in iMessage conversations, and you only have up to two minutes to unsend the message. When you unsend an iMessage, an alert will say “You unsent a message” where the message was. On the other end, it will say, “[Your Name] unsent a message.” Recipients using older Apple software will continue seeing the iMessage you attempted to take back.
Full Guide: How to Take Back iMessages You Already Sent So Your Recipients Never See Them
3. Mark Messages as Read or Unread
I’ve been waiting for this feature for a long time: the ability to mark messages as unread. That way, you don’t forget to return to that message or group of messages later when you have time to respond.
When you mark a message as unread, you only mark it unread on your end. So it’ll still say when you initially read the message if you have “Send Read Receipts” enabled. If you want to skip reading a message but wish to label it as read, you can do that too. The feature works for both iMessage and SMS/MMS texts.
To mark messages as read or unread, swipe right on the conversation from the list view (which previously would pin chats). You can also long-press a discussion and choose “Mark as Unread” or “Mark as Read,” which comes in handy for pinned conversations. And you can use the “Edit” button, pick “Select Messages,” choose the discussions, and hit “Read” or “Unread.”
If you have “Filter Unknown Senders” enabled in your Messages preferences, you’ll also see a new “Unread Messages” section when you tap “Filter” to switch between unknown and known senders.
Full Guide: How to Mark Texts and iMessages as Unread on Your iPhone, iPad, or Mac
4. Show and Recover Deleted Messages
Similar to Notes, Photos, and Mail, iOS 16 gives you a “Recently Deleted” section in the Messages app. It’s like a trash bin on your computer or email account, only for texts and iMessage.
Deleted messages will be wiped from Apple’s servers automatically after 30 days. You can manually erase deleted content sooner too. You can also recover messages if you accidentally delete something or change your mind.
Tap “Edit” in the conversations list, then “Show Recently Deleted” to view, delete, or recover content. If you have “Filter Unknown Senders” enabled in your Messages preferences, tap “Filter” and open the “Recently Deleted” folder.
Full Guide: How to Erase or Recover Deleted Texts and iMessages on Your iPhone, iPad, or Mac
5. Mark SMS/MMS as Spam
You could always report iMessages from unknown senders as junk to Apple, but you had to report SMS and MMS texts as junk to your carrier, which isn’t always the most straightforward task. Now, Apple’s included the “Report Junk” feature for SMS and MMS texts, which reports the message as spam to Apple and a supported carrier. Not all carriers support the feature, so if you don’t see it, that’s why.
6. Mention Suggestions
When you’d use the @ symbol to mention someone in a group chat — or even if you just spelled their name out without the @ sign — iOS 15 wouldn’t show you anything except the color change animation when you hit enter. You could also tap the name in the text field to show their profile picture. That all still applies on iOS 16, but now you’ll also see the person’s name and profile icon in the suggestions on the keyboard.
7. More Memoji Styling Options
If you like using Memoji, more customization options are available on iOS 16. Specifically, there are 14 new hairstyles, three updated hairstyles, nine new nose designs, a bonnet headwear option, and three new neutral lip colors.
Full Guide: Memoji Gets a Big Update on iOS 16 — Here’s Everything That’s New
8. New Expressions for Memoji Stickers
What kind of update would it be without something new for Memoji?! On iOS 16, six new expressive poses exist for all your custom Memoji. As long as you have “Memoji Stickers” enabled in your keyboard settings, these options will be available in their usual “Frequently Used” spot to the left of the emoji. You can also access them via the Memoji Stickers button in the app drawer.
9. Assign Any Memoji Sticker as a Contact Picture
Before, there were 12 unique sticker poses for Animoji and Memoji when using them as profile pictures for contacts or as your iMessage photo, but you couldn’t use any of the stickers available from Memoji Stickers. That’s no longer the case.
Now, you can use any of those unique poses for profile photos or any one of the available Memoji Sticker options. You’ll see the ones you’ve assigned to contacts in the Message app.
As before, you can change profile pictures for your contacts right from the Messages thread; Tap the user at the top of the conversation, choose “info,” then “Edit,” tap the profile image, and choose the Memoji you want. To change your iMessage photo, go to Settings – Messages – Share Name and Photo.
10. More Poses for Contact Pictures
Speaking of unique sticker poses for contact photos and profile pictures, there are three more unique poses available. While you won’t get to message them to people in chats, you can still assign the poses to your profile or a contact’s profile.
11. Unread Messages Alerts in the Contacts Widget
While it’s not a Messages-only feature, the updated Contacts widget will now tell you if you have any unread messages or missed FaceTime or phone calls from them.
More Info: Contacts Shows Unread Messages/Missed Call Alerts in the Widget
12. SharePlay While Messaging
Apple introduced SharePlay starting with iOS and iPadOS 15.1, which lets you share synchronized experiences in other apps with other people over FaceTime. Now, you can also share synchronized activities in other apps via Messages. You could watch a movie together, listen to music, play a game, and work out side by side while chatting in Messages, to name just a few examples, complete with shared playback controls.
To start a SharePlay, bring up the share sheet for the content, tap “SharePlay,” and choose the contacts to invite. Then, instead of tapping “FaceTime,” tap “Messages” and send the message. You’ll each see a “Start” button in the floating SharePlay controls when they join.
Don’t Miss: Every App You Can Use FaceTime’s SharePlay Feature with Right Now
Image via Apple
13. Richer Collaboration on Projects
Starting with iOS 16, you can work on projects more efficiently with coworkers, students, and collaborators from within Messages. To invite a person or group in Messages to collaborate on your project, you select them from the share sheet, then send the invite. Everyone in that chat gets immediate access to start working on the project in real time.
You’ll get notifications for any changes to the document you miss, and new activity will be at the top of the conversation in Messages. You can tap “Show” to jump to the document and see the changes. From the project, you can return to Messages or start a FaceTime call with everybody.
Richer collaboration via Messages works with Apple apps like Keynote, Numbers, Pages, Notes, Reminders, and Safari (for Tab Groups). Third-party developers can use Apple’s Messages Collaboration API to include support for the feature in their apps.
Image via Apple
While not yet available in the betas, Apple will also use Messages Collaboration in its new Freeform product. The new whiteboarding app will let everyone with access to a shared project make notes on a digital whiteboard canvas, draw diagrams, embed images, and more. It’s “coming later this year.”
14. New Audio Messages App
On iOS 15, you could record and send voice messages via the audio button in the text entry field of conversation. The option in the text entry field is now for dictation on iOS 16, and there’s a new app just for audio messages, available from the Messages app drawer.
A microphone button appears when you tap the icon...
Crypto Exchange FTX In Discussions For Up To $1B Capital Raise At $32B Valuation: Report CoinDesk
Crypto Exchange FTX In Discussions For Up To $1B Capital Raise At $32B Valuation: Report – CoinDesk https://bentoncountynewsnow.com/crypto-exchange-ftx-in-discussions-for-up-to-1b-capital-raise-at-32b-valuation-report-coindesk/
James Rubin is CoinDesk’s U.S. news editor based on the West Coast.
Crypto exchange giant FTX is in discussions with investors for up to $1 billion in fresh funding at a valuation of about $32 billion, CNBC reported Wednesday, citing sources with knowledge of the talks.
CoinDesk reported last week that FTX was seeking to raise money in parallel with evaluating acquisitions, adding that FTX was also looking to have itself valued at the same $32 billion valuation it won this year in an earlier funding round.
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James Rubin is CoinDesk’s U.S. news editor based on the West Coast.
James Rubin is CoinDesk’s U.S. news editor based on the West Coast.
Russian Mobilization May Spur U.S. To Accelerate Aid To Ukraine The Washington Post
Russian Mobilization May Spur U.S. To Accelerate Aid To Ukraine – The Washington Post https://bentoncountynewsnow.com/russian-mobilization-may-spur-u-s-to-accelerate-aid-to-ukraine-the-washington-post/
The United States signaled Wednesday that it wouldn’t be cowed by Russian President Vladimir Putin’s latest steps to escalate his war effort in Ukraine, vowing to continue to arm Kyiv for its advancing counteroffensive, even as Putin ordered up more forces for battle and threatened to use nuclear weapons.
President Biden, in an address to the U.N. General Assembly, said, “We will stand in solidarity with Ukraine. We will stand in solidarity against Russia’s aggression. Period.”
The comments came hours after Putin, in a speech aired early Wednesday, announced plans to mobilize about 300,000 Russian reservists for the front and hold “referendums” in occupied areas of Ukraine that could presage a broad annexation of Ukrainian land.
Should Russia’s territorial integrity and people be threatened, Putin warned, “We will certainly make use of all weapon systems available to us. This is not a bluff.”
The escalation, analysts said, represents an attempt by Moscow to freeze its gains in eastern Ukraine and deter further Western support for Kyiv, before losing any more occupied land to a Ukrainian force that has seized the initiative in recent weeks. It is also an effort by Putin to solve a troop numbers problem that is preventing Russia from conducting offensive operations and risking the further collapse of its positions on the battlefield.
Kyiv has said the orchestration of staged referendums and annexations will not prevent Ukrainian forces from taking back the country’s territory.
“Russia wants war — it’s true. But Russia will not be able to stop the course of history,” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said in a prerecorded address to the United Nations on Wednesday evening.
The White House said the flow of weapons to Ukraine would continue.
“We are going to continue to support Ukraine with security assistance and other financial aid, as the president said, for as long as it takes,” John Kirby, coordinator for strategic communications at the White House National Security Council, said in an interview with ABC News. “That is Ukrainian territory. It doesn’t matter what sham referendum they put in place or what vote they hold. It is still Ukrainian territory.”
Kirby decried Putin’s nuclear threat as irresponsible, warning of severe consequences if Moscow used such arms in the conflict. Kirby said the United States is monitoring Russia’s nuclear complex and sees no reason at this point for Washington to alter its strategic posture.
Kori Schake, the director of foreign and defense policy at the American Enterprise Institute in Washington, who visited Kyiv last week, said the Russian reinforcements would take months to train and deploy and wouldn’t necessarily alter the outcome of the war. She noted that Putin’s threats to use nuclear weapons do not register the same way in Ukraine, after months of combat, as they do in the United States.
“There, I was struck by the unanimity and attitude both among government people and among civil society that Russia using a nuclear weapon in Ukraine would not change the outcome of the war,” she said. “It would simply raise the costs.”
In response to Putin’s nuclear threat, European Union foreign policy chief Josep Borrell called an emergency meeting Wednesday evening of E.U. foreign ministers. He said he expects to issue an E.U. response to Putin’s statements at Thursday’s U.N. Security Council meeting on Ukraine, which Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov is scheduled to attend along with Secretary of State Antony Blinken.
“What President Putin announced today constitutes another major escalation in the unprovoked war,” Borrell told reporters at the United Nations. “It looked like he’s speaking in a measure of panic and desperation … by threat of using nuclear weapons, he’s trying to intimidate Ukraine and all the countries that support Ukraine. But he will fail. He has failed, and he will fail again.”
If Putin formally annexes the occupied territory his military holds, he could characterize future Ukrainian military operations as attacks on Russia itself, giving him license to take more extreme measures in response and again brandish the nuclear threat. Russian doctrine permits a nuclear response to a conventional attack that threatens the existence of the state.
Though Russian draftees are technically excluded from being sent to war zones such as Ukraine, they could be deployed to the occupied territories, should Moscow deem the lands part of Russia.
Putin’s nuclear saber rattling, analysts say, is an attempt to make Ukraine’s Western backers think twice about enabling Kyiv to inflict a resounding Russian defeat on the battlefield for fear of the possible consequences.
“It’s designed to get us to send less to Ukraine and certainly not to increase the amount of assistance we provide both in quantity and in quality,” said John E. Herbst, a former U.S. ambassador to Ukraine and director of the Atlantic Council’s Eurasia Center. He argued that the administration should provide long-range missiles, tanks, air defense systems and fighter jets — weapons the administration has so far refused to send — to ensure Ukrainian victory regardless of Russian threats.
Biden has declined to specify how the United States would respond to the use of a nuclear weapon in Ukraine, saying only: “It’ll be consequential. They’ll become more of a pariah in the world than they have ever been. And depending on the extent of what they do, will determine what response would occur.”
His administration has made averting any risk of a direct conflict with Russia a cornerstone of its policy response to the conflict. According to a congressional official familiar with the matter, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive deliberations, the United States will continue to provide Kyiv with more of the same weapons that have helped Ukraine make gains against Russian forces, but it isn’t immediately considering new types of weapons.
One senior U.S. official said it is unlikely that Putin’s announcement does anything other than “steel resolve for continued support” in defense of Ukraine within the administration.
The administration’s decision to supply Ukraine with High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS) significantly altered the situation on the battlefield this year in Kyiv’s favor. Previously, Ukrainian forces suffered territorial and personnel losses because they were outgunned by Russia’s longer-range artillery.
Putin’s partial mobilization will help placate nationalist hard-liners at home, who have been calling on the Kremlin to unleash the full force of Russia’s power against Ukraine. But the move also risks domestic discontent in other quarters, as Russia calls up reservists and sends them into a badly managed military campaign, in some cases against their will.
It’s a “sign of desperation,” said Dmitry Gorenburg, who studies Russian security issues for CNA, a defense research group in suburban Washington.
Gorenburg noted a confluence of several troubling factors for Putin in recent days, including the Russian military’s stunning rout in northeastern Ukraine, the lack of support for Putin during an international security summit last week in Uzbekistan, and building frustration with the Russian military’s failures among more extreme Russian nationalists.
Russia will probably use the additional forces in an effort to prop up units in Ukraine that already have suffered heavy combat losses, rather than attempting to build new units to deploy, Gorenburg predicted. Doing so, he said, can be accomplished more quickly and could help the Russian military dig in where it is, even if it is unlikely that it can go back on the offensive.
“I’m not convinced it will work everywhere,” Gorenburg said. “And even with relatively limited training, it will take some weeks to get people there.”
The result is an opportunity for Ukrainian forces to try to advance their counteroffensive as aggressively as possible before any Russian reinforcements arrive. The Ukrainians have been steadily chipping away at Russian defenses outside the southern city of Kherson and in the northern part of the Donetsk region.
Karen DeYoung contributed to this report.
War in Ukraine: What you need to know
The latest: Russian President Vladimir Putin announced a “partial mobilization” of troops in an address to the nation on Sept. 21, framing the move as an attempt to defend Russian sovereignty against a West that seeks to use Ukraine as a tool to “divide and destroy Russia.” Follow our live updates here.
The fight: A successful Ukrainian counteroffensive has forced a major Russian retreat in the northeastern Kharkiv region in recent days, as troops fled cities and villages they had occupied since the early days of the war and abandoned large amounts of military equipment.
Annexation referendums: Staged referendums, which would be illegal under international law, are set to take place from Sept. 23 to 27 in the breakaway Luhansk and Donetsk regions of eastern Ukraine, according to Russian news agencies. Another staged referendum will be held by the Moscow-appointed administration in Kherson starting Friday.
Photos: Washington Post photographers have been on the ground from the beginning of the war — here’s some of their most powerful work.
How you can help: Here are ways those in the U.S. can help support the Ukrainian people as well as what people around the world have been donating.
Read our full coverage of the Russia-Ukraine crisis. Are you on Telegram? Subscribe to our channel for updates and exclusive video.
Scientists At Americas Top Nuclear Lab Were Recruited By China To Design Missiles And Drones Report Says NBC News
Scientists At America’s Top Nuclear Lab Were Recruited By China To Design Missiles And Drones, Report Says – NBC News https://bentoncountynewsnow.com/scientists-at-americas-top-nuclear-lab-were-recruited-by-china-to-design-missiles-and-drones-report-says-nbc-news/
At least 154 Chinese scientists who worked on government-sponsored research at the U.S.’s foremost national security laboratory over the last two decades have been recruited to do scientific work in China — some of which helped advance military technology that threatens American national security — according to a new private intelligence report obtained by NBC News.
The report, by Strider Technologies, describes what it calls a systemic effort by the government of China to place Chinese scientists at Los Alamos National Laboratory, where nuclear weapons were first developed.
Many of the scientists were later lured back to China to help make advances in such technologies as deep-earth-penetrating warheads, hypersonic missiles, quiet submarines and drones, according to the report.
Scientists were paid as much as $1 million through participation in Chinese government “talent programs,” which are designed to recruit Chinese scientists to return to China. Such talent programs have long been identified as a source of concern, but U.S. officials said they had not previously seen an unclassified report that described the phenomenon in such detail, naming specific scientists and the projects they have worked on.
The talent transfer “poses a direct threat to U.S. national security,” said Greg Levesque, a co-founder of Strider and the lead author of the report. “China is playing a game that we are not prepared for, and we need to really begin to mobilize.”
Although a former Los Alamos scientist pleaded guilty in 2020 to lying about his involvement in a China recruitment program, most of the conduct described in the report appears to have been legal. Moreover, U.S. officials and experts say most Chinese scientists who immigrate to the U.S. remain here — and many have made significant contributions to U.S. defense technology.
But current and former U.S. intelligence officials said the Strider report shows how the Chinese government has been using talent recruitment programs to acquire insights into U.S. technology to help build a military that poses a significant threat to U.S. national security. The officials added that China’s hard-line turn under President Xi Jinping is sparking a re-evaluation of the long history of scientific exchange between the two countries.
“We have benefited enormously from the inflow of Chinese talent,” said Robert Daly, a China expert at the Wilson Center, a congressionally chartered nonpartisan research institute. “And I hope that we can continue to do that — it’s essential to the United States. But China is now developing weapons systems, capabilities, doctrines and, frankly, attitudes toward its own power that means we have to go back to the drawing board in some of these areas.”
In 2019, a bipartisan Senate report said China’s Thousand Talents Program and similar arrangements were a vector for China to exploit U.S. research.
“Through talent recruitment programs like the Thousand Talents, China pays scientists at American universities to secretly bring our knowledge and innovation back to China — including valuable, federally funded research,” FBI Director Christopher Wray said in a speech in 2020. “To put it bluntly, this means American taxpayers are effectively footing the bill for China’s own technological development.”
Los Alamos, where the atomic bomb was developed during World War II, is devoted to science and engineering in support of U.S. national security. But much of the research there is unclassified, and many foreign scientists work at the lab.
Workers at Los Alamos National Laboratory in Los Alamos, N.M.Los Alamos National Laboratory via AP file
Los Alamos officials referred questions to the Energy Department, which declined to address the report’s specific findings.
The Energy Department said in a statement to NBC News that America’s “national security and defense require fierce protection of critical technology development, even as we safeguard the open science research that underwrites the United States’ technology leadership.
“In response to growing research security threats, the Department of Energy has taken significant steps in recent years, including the adoption of rigorous vetting, counterintelligence reviews, and restrictions on participation in foreign talent programs,” the agency added. “The Department of Energy also implements procedures to ensure compliance with U.S. export licensing requirements, including those governing the release of controlled technology to foreign nationals in the United States.”
The Chinese Embassy in Washington did not respond to a request for comment.
The Strider report says that in 2019 the Energy Department adopted a rule prohibiting employees and contractors from participating in talent programs linked to China, Russia, Iran and North Korea. The rule appears to have reduced the brain drain, the report says.
The Justice Department in 2018 launched what it called the China Initiative, an effort to thwart China from stealing cutting-edge research. A series of cases blew up amid allegations of racial profiling, and the Justice Department abandoned the initiative last year. National security officials say the threat from Chinese espionage — and legal acquisition by China of U.S. intellectual property — persists, however.
Bill Evanina, who worked from 2014 to 2021 as the top counterintelligence official in the U.S. government, said he has seen many classified reports over the years documenting the problem of technology transfer through talent-poaching.
However, he said, “this is the first time where we have a comprehensive, open-source reporting that identifies the people, the places, the services and the organizations in China who are benefiting from that talent who once worked here at national labs.”
Evanina and other officials said Los Alamos is by no means an outlier — China is recruiting scientists at other national labs and major research centers across the U.S.
Citing public information posted on websites in the U.S. and China, the report includes specific information about a number of scientists.
For instance, according to the report, Zhao Yusheng received nearly $20 million in U.S. taxpayer grants during an 18-year career at Los Alamos, where he held a top-secret Q clearance and led a defense project developing bombs that can penetrate deep underground.
Then, in 2016, Zhao joined a talent program, Strider found, and left the U.S. for a job at a research center in China. The report notes that before that, while he was at Los Alamos, he hired another Chinese scientist who worked with him on the bomb research. That scientist filed a patent in China in 2007 for an “ultra thick penetrating warhead,” according to the report.
Zhao is now a vice president at China’s Southern University of Science and Technology, known as SUStech, which conducts defense research. He did not respond to requests for comment.
The Strider report found that 15 Los Alamos veterans work at SUStech, including the president, Chen Shiyi, who made major contributions to China’s hypersonic missile program. Chen did not respond to emails.
“No one can say this is not a national security issue,” Evanina said. “Because from hypersonics to acoustical capabilities and to warheads, we are perpetrating the ability for adversaries to utilize weapons against us. And that is hard for any American to swallow.”
Billionaire-Owned Timberwolves To Fight Income Inequality With Robo-Trading Stock App Racket Racket
Billionaire-Owned Timberwolves To Fight Income Inequality With Robo-Trading Stock App – Racket – Racket https://bentoncountynewsnow.com/billionaire-owned-timberwolves-to-fight-income-inequality-with-robo-trading-stock-app-racket-racket/
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Billionaire-owned Sports Teams to Fight Income Inequality with Fuckin’ App
The racial wealth gap in the Twin Cities is abysmal. In 2020, the median household income for local Black households was $40,785—about $35,000 lower than white ones, according to a report from the Minnesota Department of Employment & Economic Development. There are direct ways to address this galling income inequality, like taxing the living shit out of billionaire Glen Taylor and his wealth-hoarding ilk. Or there’s whatever bad-faith PR effort Glen’s two basketball teams just trotted out. Reported with maximum credulity by the Taylor-owned Star Tribune, “a new partnership focused on financial wellness” between the Timberwolves, Lynx, and Boston-based financial app Stackwell was unveiled Wednesday.
What is Stackwell? It’s a goddamn robo-investing stock app that cynically parades itself as a force for racial, economic, and social justice; the company just attracted $3.5 million in seed funding from a collection of ghouls in the sports, development, and VC worlds. Or, to hear Wolves COO Ryan Tanke tell it in this stirring quote: “We looked at the opportunity with Stackwell as another step forward. While there’s certainly been progress and we’re proud of our efforts to be part of that conversation, there’s still a lot of work to be done.” Now that’s a gifted C-suite orator. Anyway, read the entire story if you want to hear George Floyd’s murder invoked in a de facto press release for an app that has real potential to further enrich Stackwell CEO Trevor Rozier-Byrd, a 20-year Wall Street veteran, and his fellow investors.
This Year’s Halloween Panic: “Rainbow Fentanyl”
The prevalence of fentanyl on our streets is a serious problem, as Racket reported in April. And, like most serious problems, it is not best addressed by whipping up unnecessary panic—like, for instance, saying that an influx of brightly colored tablets are being marketed directly to children. We mention this because the Minnesota River Valley Drug Task Force has announced that they recently found three such pills that contained fentanyl in southern Minnesota. Dutifully taking the lead of the never sensationalist DEA, media outlets are calling this product “rainbow fentanyl” because that sounds scary.
The DEA contends that such pills are both new to the scene and marketed to kids. (The DEA, we should note, contended for years that mere physical contact with fentanyl was dangerous, a position that exactly 0% of health care professionals hold.) Experts with knowledge of illegal drug sales call bullshit on both claims. “My guess is that it’s a fairly superficial little marketing flourish,” UT-Austin harm reduction instructor Claire Zagorski told Salon. “I just don’t see the evidence that it’s meant as a very pointed way to capture the hearts and minds of small children.” But Halloween is coming up, and no one believes they put razor blades in apples anymore, so we need a new moral panic to peddle.
A Downtown Rebound
Downtown has rivaled Uptown, as far as over-discussed Minneapolis neighborhood pulses go, since the pandemic hit. Is it dead? Dying? Is it a crime-filled hellscape visited only by the brave, who venture beyond its borders with extreme caution and under duress, and also Vikings fans? Or is is not, actually? Of late, the discourse seems to be turning a corner into more hopeful territory. Last week, we got not one but two local stories about how downtown lunches are back, and the theory is that more workers will return now that Labor Day is behind us. (Work-life balance be damned!)
Here’s another, potentially better, way to get folks downtown: Have ’em live there rather than work there. That’s the thought driving real estate developer Sherman Associates, which announced last week that it has plans for $400 million worth of residential buildings on a block connecting the Mill District, the Central Business District, and the North Loop. The currently vacant office space will be demolished to make way for three new towers along Washington Avenue, which will include retail and restaurant space (and potentially other kinds of spaces, if there’s a demand for that). The plan is still very preliminary, but perhaps other developers will follow Sherman’s lead in our housing-strapped city, bringing people—and vibrancy—back to an area that’s been kinda culturally lackluster since long before COVID-19 hit.
Trainjacking!!!
You don’t hear much about trainjackings these days, which makes sense considering how far removed we are from cowboy times. Yet the rare trainjacking went down Tuesday just outside of Sauk Rapids, WJON reports. The details can only be described as nutty. At around 8 a.m., Sauk Rapids Police responded to an assault call, leading them to a stalled BNSF Railway train near Sartell. Officials say that a knife-wielding suspect—42-year-old Samuel Hohman—had burst into the locomotive and assaulted the engineer, who leapt from the speeding train to escape. The train lurched to a stop nearby; Hohman was arrested and booked into the Benton County Jail; the engineer was treated for non-life-threatening injuries at CentraCare-St. Cloud Hospital. How closely did the incident resemble the terrific 2013 sci-fi/action film Snowpiercer? Unclear, but still: wild stuff.
3 Stocks To Benefit From Travel Industry Spending Zacks Investment Research
3 Stocks To Benefit From Travel Industry Spending – Zacks Investment Research https://bentoncountynewsnow.com/3-stocks-to-benefit-from-travel-industry-spending-zacks-investment-research/
With inflation at a 40-year high, the travel industry will certainly not be immune to the effects this has on consumers. However, declining Travel Price Index numbers (TPI) was a bright spot for the travel industry. August TPI number declined by 1.8%, showing that the cost of travel away from home in the U.S had gone down.
Decreasing TPI numbers is a good sign for consumers and companies that benefit from travel and leisure services. Despite falling TPI numbers, many companies have been able to charge a premium for travel and leisure services due to the pent-up demand and delayed trips from the Covid-19 pandemic. This has also helped revenue by offsetting the cost of rising wages and other operating expenses.
Let’s take a look at three stocks that have a chance to fight inflation and experience growth from consumers who are seeking travel and leisure experiences.
Airbnb (ABNB – Free Report)
Airbnb is a leading platform for unique stays and experiences. The company provides a marketplace for connecting hosts and guests online or through mobile devices. Airbnb has become quite popular for vacation and travel experiences as people crave privacy and unique experiences outside of hotels.
ABNB currently sports a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy) with EPS estimate revisions on the rise. Airbnb earnings are expected to climb swing from an adjusted loss of -$0.57 per share to +$2.25 a share in 2022, based on Zacks estimates. Fiscal 2023 calls for another 23% earnings growth. Top line growth is expected as well, with sales set to jump 39% this year and another 15% in FY23 to $9.65 billion.
Image Source: Zacks Investment Research
Despite the stellar earnings growth outlook, ABNB is down -30% year to date. ABNB has underperformed the S&P 500’s -20%. However, the near-term earnings growth could propel the stock.
ABNB’s P/E of 51.9X is much lower than the high of 561.5X it saw earlier in the year and the median of 64.6X. Plus, ABNB’s price-to-sales ratio is starting to come down considerably, as shown in the above chart. We can see that ABNB’s P/S of 10.8X is well below the high of 33.3X it saw over the last two years and the median of 19.4X.
Airbnb’s Internet-Content Industry is also in the top 21% of over 250 Zacks Industries. Plus, the average Zacks Price Target of $142.93 offers 22% upside from current levels.
Also, investors historically want to look for companies that will disrupt an industry. Airbnb while not in the same breadth yet as Amazon or Apple, is helping usher in a new era for hospitality and travel lodging. The more intimate and at-home feeling of Airbnb properties provides a different experience for vacation travelers.
Hyatt Hotels (H – Free Report)
Even with inflation at 40-year highs, upscale hotel chains such as Hyatt have the advantage of pricing power and are able to benefit from premium prices in current market conditions
Hyatt stock has outperformed the benchmark YTD, with it down only -9%. And Hyatt is up +63% over the last two years to crush the S&P 500’s +17%.
Image Source: Zacks Investment Research
Hyatt Hotels currently trades around $87 a share, roughly 19% below its 52-week highs. At current levels Hyatt has a forward P/E of 131.5X, which is very high for a hotel chain. The industry average is 20.4X, but Hyatt is expected to have substantial earnings growth.
Hyatt Hotels currently lands a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy) with earnings swinging from an adjusted loss of -$5.24 per share to +$0.68 a share in 2022. Hyatt is regaining its pre-pandemic operations with earnings expected to jump 179% in FY23.
Top line growth is also expected to be up 89% this year and another 7% in FY23 to $6.13 billion. It is also important to note that estimate revisions have gone up in the last 60 days. Better yet, Hyatt’s projected revenue for this year and FY23 are now higher than its 2019 pre-pandemic revenue.
TripAdvisor (TRIP – Free Report)
TripAdvisor is one of the largest online travel research companies in the world, providing a platform for users to share reviews, ratings, and opinions on hotels, destinations, attractions and restaurants. The company also facilitates bookings between hotel suppliers and consumers using its web portals.
TripAdvisor’s platform has become important to consumers looking for reviews from other consumers that sought similar experiences. The site is beneficial in the decision-making process for travel planning.
TRIP is down -13% this year but its earnings growth shows that the company is getting back to pre-pandemic levels. Plus, over the last two years, TRIP is up a respectable +20% to outperform the benchmark.
Image Source: Zacks Investment Research
From the chart above we can see TripAdvisor’s sharp peak over the last two years. Wall Street began to ponder the premium it was paying for TRIP and the stock started to fall to compress its valuation alongside the broader market drop. Trading around $24 a share, TRIP has a P/E of 30.5X, much lower than the 183.1X high over the last two years. This is also getting closer to the industry average of 23.6X.
The earnings growth is starting to show TRIP is more reasonably valued than it was in the past. According to Zacks estimates, TRIP earnings are projected to swing from an adjusted loss of -$0.30 to +$0.81 a share in 2022. Fiscal 2023 earnings are expected to grow another 76%, with top line growth expected to climb 63% this year and another 16% in FY23 to $1.71 billion. TripAdvisor’s revenue is edging closer to pre-pandemic levels with FY23 projections expected to surpass 2019 revenue.
TRIP currently lands a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold) and the Internet-Commerce industry is in the bottom 36% of Zacks Industries. Despite being overvalued in the past, the company’s growth is starting to look more attractive. Plus, the average Zacks price target suggests 9% upside from current levels.
Bottom Line
The travel industry is certainly not immune to the ramifications of inflation. Instead of booking a flight and hotel for a vacation, consumers usually hold off on leisure spending amidst high inflation. However, higher-income consumers are still spending, with travel and leisure being a bright spot.
With that being said, gas prices also declined considerably in August by 10.5%. This was the strongest monthly decline since April 2020. Lodging fares and recreation remained virtually unchanged, but airfare declined 4.6% from July. The broader travel industry is slowly but surely edging back to pre-pandemic levels, presenting opportunities for investors to capitalize on the continued recovery.
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St. Louis Realtors Apologizes For Role In Racist Housing Practices St. Louis American
St. Louis Realtors Apologizes For Role In Racist Housing Practices – St. Louis American https://bentoncountynewsnow.com/st-louis-realtors-apologizes-for-role-in-racist-housing-practices-st-louis-american/
USA TODAY reported in 2019 that the St. Louis region remains one of the most segregated in America in terms of housing.
It cited a 24/7 Wall St. study that showed 38.3% of the area’s Black population live in Black neighborhoods, while Black residents comprised 18.3% of the region’s population.
Redlining, housing covenants and other discriminatory practices played a role in the divide, and in a landmark move St. Louis Realtors offered an apology for its role in creating the situation, which still exists today.
“The legacy of racism and discrimination is evident, and it needs to be addressed,” said Katie Berry, president of St. Louis Realtors.
“Our apology is not an indictment against an individual; rather, we as an organization understand that the region cannot move forward until there is an acknowledgment and understanding of the oppression and inequality within the real estate industry that has adversely affected people of color for generations.”
The lengthy written apology was released on Monday, and it is unique to the St. Louis area. The apology is not part of a nationwide Realtors campaign.
The apology states the local organization is “painfully aware of the historical discriminatory laws of the local, state, and federal governments, as well as the documented policies and practices of our national, state, and local Realtor organizations that perpetuated discrimination against the Black community and created barriers for the pursuit of property ownership.”
“Numerous historical events, laws, decisions, and initiatives reflect a history of explicit racial segregation and discrimination.
“We apologize for all of these actions. The discrimination to which the Black community was subjected to was part of a system designed to cause residential racial segregation, led by the federal government, supported by the banking system and the real estate industry, and driven by practices like redlining and the use of restrictive covenants.
The apology states that the polices “resulted in dual housing markets for white and Black families in the Metropolitan St. Louis area.”
St. Louis Realtors announced it has established a three-year “Reimagining St. Louis” plan to provide guidance on home ownership, financial literacy, and preserving assets. It includes promoting and supporting a mentorship program for African Americans interested in all aspects of the real estate industry.
A goal is “to benefit the communities that we harmed,” and the organization has hired Felicia Crawford-Randle as its first Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion director. She is directing implementation of the plan.
Will Jordan, executive director of the Metropolitan St. Louis Equal Housing & Opportunity Council [EHOC] called the apology “an important first step toward bridging the economic gap created by racist and restrictive real estate policies over the years.”
“Property is often the most valuable asset a person has. We are talking about generational wealth that African Americans never had the chance to build through no fault of their own. It’s important to realize that the only way we will make true progress toward equity and fairness in real estate is through strategic partnerships with financial institutions, among others, and a willingness to promote equal opportunity for all in the real estate industry.
Nate Johnson, president of the board of directors for the Metropolitan St. Louis Equal Housing and Opportunity Council, called the apology “historic in terms of accountability and proactivity,”
“For an organization that represents more than 9,000 members from across the real estate industry to publicly acknowledge past racial injustices while presenting a plan for solutions will hopefully serve as a wake-up call to others in the St. Louis region,” Johnson said.
“Racism in all forms is a complex topic, and mitigating its effects is a daunting task. But the work must be done, and I’m looking forward to working to make real progress in bridging economic gaps that have existed far too long.”
The St. Louis group is one of the largest real estate associations in the nation and its fifth oldest.
Isabella Rossellini 70 Says She Is too Old For Plastic Surgery: My Skin Will Not Sustain It Yahoo Life
Isabella Rossellini, 70, Says She Is ‘too Old’ For Plastic Surgery: ‘My Skin Will Not Sustain It’ – Yahoo Life https://bentoncountynewsnow.com/isabella-rossellini-70-says-she-is-too-old-for-plastic-surgery-my-skin-will-not-sustain-it-yahoo-life/
Isabella Rossellini has no regrets when it comes to her decision not to have plastic surgery in her 40s and 50s.
In a recent interview with Vulture, the Death Becomes Her actress revealed that she has never gone under the knife for cosmetic procedures.
“I feel ambivalent. I haven’t done any plastic surgery,” she said, admitting that she did consider it in the past but always backed out.
“Some day I woke up and said, ‘We have all these new technologies in surgery. Why don’t I take advantage of it? I’m going to call a plastic surgeon,’ Then when I started to call a plastic surgeon, I ran out of courage,” she said.
Her decision was based on a fear of succumbing to the patriarchal precedents.
“Most of the time, I have to say, I’m thinking, ‘Is this based on misogyny?’” she asked.
Now, Rossellini simply feels she has outgrown the need or desire for plastic surgery.
“I’m too old. I’m not going to do plastic surgery at 70; my skin will not sustain it. But in the years before — around 45 or 50 — I didn’t do it. Now I look back and say, ‘Maybe I was right,’ I think it is misogyny,” she said.
Despite her personal stance on having work done, Rossellini is not opposed to the concept of plastic surgery — it’s just for other people.
“I had a friend, for example, who always hated her nose. Luckily, she fell and broke her nose. She said, ‘I took advantage of it!’ So that I understand,” she said.
Currently, Rossellini runs Mama Farm in Brookhaven, New York, and finds that filler and other procedures simply don’t align with the genesis of her life at the moment.
“I always say, jokingly, because I run an organic farm and try to eat healthy, that I can’t reconcile eating organically and having Botox. How do you reconcile the two?” she says.
Beyond her penchant for healthy living, Rossellini enjoys serving as a representation for older women opting out of going under the knife for the illusion of youth.
“Meanwhile, I became old and I’m working with Lancôme. They hired me back, and a lot of people send emails and comments saying they feel represented by me. The photos are all about cosmetics and looking your best, and they’re very appreciative that there is a 70-year-old woman doing it and not even attempting to look like what I’m not. I think I was right not to do it,” she said.
And despite working in a notoriously vain industry, Rossellini has had no issue staying booked and busy without the help of cosmetic enhancements.
“I have many friends and relatives who have done plastic surgery, and I’m not against it. Also, I can gladly announce that even though I haven’t done it, I am still working all the time. The fear is that maybe if I don’t do plastic surgery, I’ll work less. But it hasn’t happened to me.
Wellness, parenting, body image and more: Get to know the who behind the hoo with Yahoo Life’s newsletter. Sign up here.
Govs Girls Use First-Half Goal To Survive Yankton The Capital Journal
Govs Girls Use First-Half Goal To Survive Yankton – The Capital Journal https://bentoncountynewsnow.com/govs-girls-use-first-half-goal-to-survive-yankton-the-capital-journal/
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Pierre’s Grace Richter during the Govs’ 1-0 win over Yankton on Tuesday.
Pierre’s Jasmine Jost with the ball against Yankton on Tuesday.
Pierre’s Gracelyn Taylor battles for the ball with two Yankton players.
The Pierre girls soccer team picked up a big win on the road versus Yankton on Tuesday, defeating the Bucks 1-0.
Pierre’s Margaret Maher attempts to kick the ball while playing Yankton on Tuesday.
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Pierre’s Grace Richter during the Govs’ 1-0 win over Yankton on Tuesday.
The Pierre girls soccer team picked up a big win on the road versus Yankton on Tuesday, defeating the Bucks 1-0.
Austin Nicholson
Sports Assistant Editor
Austin Nicholson graduated from Arizona State University with a bachelor’s degree in sports journalism from the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication. He moved to Pierre in 2022 and is from Maryville, Tennessee.
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Sports Metaverse Platform Gets $200M Injection Front Office Sports
Sports Metaverse Platform Gets $200M Injection – Front Office Sports https://bentoncountynewsnow.com/sports-metaverse-platform-gets-200m-injection-front-office-sports/
Sports-focused blockchain gaming platform LootMogul has secured a $200 million investment from alternative investment firm Global Emerging Markets.
LootMogul will use the capital to build metaverse gaming environments allowing fans to engage with athletes, teams, and brands via virtual “sport cities.”
LootMogul has partnered with more than 180 professional athletes in the U.S.
It is currently onboarding over 1.5 million high school and college athletes.
The platform will build more than 200 virtual cities with the investment from GEM.
It plans to have those cities available across multiple platforms, including Meta’s Oculus.
As part of the investment, GEM will give the California-based platform a share subscription facility of up to $200 million for 36 months following an equity exchange listing.
The transaction allows LootMogul to withdraw funds by issuing equity shares to GEM.
Blockchain and Metaverse Deals
Software and venture firm Animoca Brands recently raised $110 million, valuing the NBA Top Shot and blockchain gaming investor at more than $5 billion.
In July, metaverse builder Infinite Reality closed its deal to acquire esports and entertainment conglomerate ReKTGlobal, Inc. for $470 million, valuing the combined entity at $2.47 billion.
That same month, gaming-focused VC firm Konvoy Ventures raised $150 million for Konvoy Fund III, which will have 20% to 30% of its funds allocated toward blockchain-related games.
Transcript: Mac Jones Press Conference 9/21 Patriots.com
Transcript: Mac Jones Press Conference 9/21 – Patriots.com https://bentoncountynewsnow.com/transcript-mac-jones-press-conference-9-21-patriots-com/
QUARTERBACK MAC JONES
PRESS CONFERENCE
September 21, 2022
Q: After starting two games on the road, how nice is it to be back home?
MJ: I think we’ve done a good job preparing for the games, regardless of where they’re going to be and we’ve got to do that this week. We’re excited to get in front of our fans and go out there and play on our home field.
Q: Has anything changed for you coming off that first win? Is there a better atmosphere or is it kind of the same for you guys?
MJ: I think early in the season, we’ve played two games so far and you can’t focus on the results, you’ve just got to continue to stick to the process of what you do each week. Every player has their own routine and I like to stick to mine. Like I said, it’s a long year and you want to have the routine in place so that you can have that process. Obviously, you want to win every game. We won the last one and we just want to try to stack them again.
Q: The Ravens gave up 28 points in the fourth quarter, are there any areas you think you can exploit in that defense?
MJ: I think their defense is really good, they always have been. This year, they have a lot of really good players. I think that was a really interesting game for sure, but it was just a few plays. They did a really good job in their first two games overall and like I said, the players are there, the schemes are there, obviously, kind of a new scheme-ish. They’re trying to learn it, trying to communicate with each other, you can tell. Really, really good players, ball hawks in the secondary, good upfront, good at linebacker, so definitely have our plate full.
Q: How would you explain some of the bad tape, the plays from the past two games that you’d might want back or want to improve on?
MJ: There’s not really any bad tape. I think there’s things that you want to have back but if you win the game, you can sit there and complain about plays you wish you had back, but at the end of the day, you won, and that’s what’s important. It’s not about always winning super pretty all the time, it’s about winning, so that’s all I care about, all I’ve ever cared about. All the other stuff takes care of itself. Obviously, like I said, you want to put good plays stacked on top of each other and you need to have more consistency with that, but the really bad plays are coming down to a bit more slim. That’s the goal and you can do that each week and then improve. The wins will come and that’s the only thing that matters.
Q: In the process you talked about, are you in a position that you can just react to the offense or are you thinking a little too much more than you’d like to at this point?
MJ: I never really react to the offense, I react to the defense. Obviously, that’s your goal as the quarterback, it’s see what the defense does and react to it. I’ve always done that, when the ball is snapped, let go of everything and go out there and let it rip. I don’t really think I’m overthinking at all.
Q: Are you seeing signs that you’re going to find more easy throws?
MJ: I think every offense is different and we have really good skill players. They’ve done a good job and like you said, the players are really good in the NFL, so it’s not going to be a wide open play every time, but when it is, I need to hit them. There’s a few of those I wish I could have hit last week and that’s gone now, so all you can do is try and hit the ones this week. They’ve done a good job getting open. I like the hard throws, I like the easy throws, just whatever moves the ball down the field is good for me, and good for the offense. Obviously, we’ve actually moved it pretty well in terms of yardage and all that. Just knocking it in when we get down there and coming up with ways to get the ball in the endzone.
Q: People are asking this week, ‘is Mac improving or is he not’? People look at the standards of improvement as stats, are there other markings of improvement that you think people are missing?
MJ: I mean, every week you’re trying to improve. I’d say we improved from week one to week two and it’s not just me, it’s everybody. We all improved and got better. We got a lot of games and we got a big one this week. That’s all you can judge yourself on is your last game. We won our last game, so that’s all that matters and the next week is the next week. That’s all you can focus on. I’m not sure about the stats and stuff, I don’t really look at them. I don’t have much information there for you, the only one, like I said, it’s either a W or an L and that’s the only one that matters.
Q: At Alabama and a little bit last week you guys ran some RPOs. At Alabama that was a big thing for you. How much do you like that play? Do you hope that there’s more of them in the future for you guys here?
MJ: Good job watching film. No I think we did it a little bit. But I like those plays. I think every offense has some of them, in some way, shape or form. They’re good plays. But we have to be able to do a lot of things. Like I always say, there’s different types of plays – short, medium, long, play-action, RPO, gadget. So there’s different buckets you put them in and you want to be able to do all of them. So yeah, I like RPOs. They’re cool.
Q: Why do you like them?
MJ: I think it puts stress on the defense. I definitely learned in college just watching Coach [Nick] Saban sometimes explode at practice. Just knowing he’s trying to tell somebody to do something but his guy’s running a route but then it’s also a run. Is it a pass? So there’s a lot of cool grey area there from an offensive perspective. I’ve always, obviously we didn’t run them in high school, I ran the wing T. They were new to me at Alabama. I’ve seen teams run them on film. Some teams do it right. Some teams do it in interesting ways. You can’t really ever tell if it’s a RPO, or a play-action sometimes. It’s kind of an interesting play.
Q: Is that something you were able to bring to the table this offseason as you guys were getting ready for this year? It’s just something we haven’t really seen.
MJ: Yeah I think definitely. Other teams were doing them too around the league, and having good production. So I think, like I said, every offense has their core plays and you don’t necessarily want your RPOs to be your core plays which they’re not. But it’s always good to have that extra flavor you can have in there. Like you said, it’s a run, it’s a pass, what is it? So I think they’re always good. We just have to keep growing, growing from them. Learn how to do them and continue to figure it out early on. That’s kind of what early on in the season is for, figuring out what we want to do. Then once we find out what really fits, we’ll use that throughout the year.
Q: I wanted to follow up on something you actually said after the game. I think you were asked about the touchdown to Nelson [Agholor] and you talked about how it was sort of a 50-50 ball. You mentioned it was sort of a different philosophy than maybe last year, throwing to somebody who might be well covered, but just kind of trusting them to go make a play. Has that been a difficult philosophy to embrace for you?
MJ: No, I think it’s great. I think we want to give all of our playmakers a chance. A lot of our plays there’s a certain read on it. I do like the freedom to be able to do that. I did that a lot in the past. It’s great. I think 50-50’s a slight term, it’s like oh it can go either way. But it’s hard to defend when you’re one-on-one and there’s not a lot of people around you. So, I know it’s hard on the defender, and obviously they can make good plays too. So, it can go either way. But we definitely trust the guys and we’ve worked on it a lot. You’ll have to have time to be able to do that with the offensive line which we have. Just want to continue to grow with that. Sometimes they look close but then eventually they’re going to be really open. So, it just depends on the play.
Q: On some of those 50-50 plays maybe that’s a bit (inaudible) decisions you make pre-snap based on match-up or are those things you identify and come back to after awhile knowing you at least have a one-on-one as maybe a third, or your last read?
MJ: I think just for me, the biggest thing is, what’s the play and what’s the purpose of the play? As long as I know the purpose, I have the green light to do what I’m supposed to do. If I don’t know the purpose and we still call it, we’re probably just trying to see the play and there’s other reasons why we’re trying to do it. So for me that’s always been my thing is what do you want me to do as the quarterback to make this a successful play? You have to trust the coaches and allow them to work. That’s what they do really well, is scheme up things and put you in a good position. They’re never going to put me in a bad position. That’s their job. My job is to run what they’re doing and do it really well. So, we have confidence in it. We want to continue to grow and do things even better as players.
Assemblywoman Kelles And Advocates Push For Crypto-Currency Moratorium WENY-TV
Assemblywoman Kelles And Advocates Push For Crypto-Currency Moratorium – WENY-TV https://bentoncountynewsnow.com/assemblywoman-kelles-and-advocates-push-for-crypto-currency-moratorium-weny-tv/
ALBANY, NY (WENY) — Wednesday morning, Assemblywoman Anna Kelles and advocates called for Gov. Kathy Hochul to sign the crypto-currency moratorium bill that was passed back in June. And advocates who have pushed for this bill for more than a year emphasized that Climate Week is perfect and is the perfect time to sign it.
“There are so many people across the state who are watching this bill in particular. Voters who are watching this bill in particular. The only reason to not sign it then would be political and I think that message is important to watch for,” said Kelles.
The bill will essentially partially limit certain types of proof-of-work based crypto-mining operations in New York for two years. This would apply to any operations using “behind the meter” electricity generation using fossil fuels.
This does not impact existing operating crypto-mining operations, like Greenidge Generation in Yates County.
Last week Ethereum switched from energy-intensive proof-of-work mining to proof-of-stake, which uses less energy. Assemblywoman Kelles said this reduces Ethereum’s mining energy consumption by 99.95%.
Ethereum’s co-founder, Vitalik Buterin, estimated that global energy consumption could go down by 0.2% as a result.
“Although that sounds small, this is not even an entire industry. This is one fraction of one industry, and it had that profound of an impact,” said Kelles.
If Gov. Hochul signs the moratorium, New York would become the first state to ban certain cryptocurrency mining technology infrastructure.
2 U.S. Veterans Are Released By Russian Separatists In Prisoner Exchange NPR
2 U.S. Veterans Are Released By Russian Separatists In Prisoner Exchange – NPR https://bentoncountynewsnow.com/2-u-s-veterans-are-released-by-russian-separatists-in-prisoner-exchange-npr/
U.S. military veterans Andy Huynh, left, and Alexander Drueke. The two veterans, who disappeared while fighting Russia with Ukrainian forces on June 9, have been released after about three months in captivity, relatives said Wednesday, Sept. 21. Jeronimo Nisa/The Decatur Daily, left; and Lois “Bunny” Drueke/Dianna Shaw/AP hide caption
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Jeronimo Nisa/The Decatur Daily, left; and Lois “Bunny” Drueke/Dianna Shaw/AP
U.S. military veterans Andy Huynh, left, and Alexander Drueke. The two veterans, who disappeared while fighting Russia with Ukrainian forces on June 9, have been released after about three months in captivity, relatives said Wednesday, Sept. 21.
Jeronimo Nisa/The Decatur Daily, left; and Lois “Bunny” Drueke/Dianna Shaw/AP
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — Two U.S. military veterans who disappeared three months ago while fighting Russia with Ukrainian forces were among 10 prisoners, including five British nationals, released by Russian-backed separatists as part of a prisoner exchange mediated by Saudi Arabia, officials said Wednesday.
Alex Drueke, 40, and Andy Huynh, 27, went missing in the Kharkiv region of northeastern Ukraine near the Russian border June 9. They had traveled to Ukraine on their own and became friends because both are from Alabama.
Their families announced their release in a joint statement from Dianna Shaw, an aunt of Drueke.
“They are safely in the custody of the U.S. embassy in Saudi Arabia and after medical checks and debriefing they will return to the states,” the statement said.
Shaw said both men have spoken with relatives and are in “pretty good shape,” according to an official with the U.S. embassy.
President Joe Biden’s national security adviser Jake Sullivan welcomed the releases and thanked the governments of Ukraine and Saudi Arabia for their work to secure the detainees’ freedom. “We look forward to our citizens being reunited with their families,” he said in a tweet.
In a later statement, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said the United States “is appreciative of Ukraine including all prisoners of war, regardless of nationality, in its negotiations” and thanked Saudi government partners for securing the release of the 10 prisoners, including the two Americans.
The Saudi embassy released a statement saying it helped secure the release of 10 prisoners from Morocco, the United States, the United Kingdom, Sweden and Croatia. Shaw confirmed that Drueke and Huynh were part of the group.
The United Kingdom said five British nationals had been released, and lawmaker Robert Jenrick said one of them was Aiden Aslin, 28, who had been sentenced to death after he was captured in eastern Ukraine.
“Aiden’s return brings to an end months of agonising uncertainty for Aiden’s loving family in Newark who suffered every day of Aiden’s sham trial but never lost hope. As they are united as a family once more, they can finally be at peace,” Jenrick tweeted.
British Prime Minister Liz Truss heralded the news on social media.
“Hugely welcome news that five British nationals held by Russian-backed proxies in eastern Ukraine are being safely returned, ending months of uncertainty and suffering for them and their families,” she tweeted.
Moroccan media reported that the released prisoners included Brahim Saadoun, 21, who was sentenced to death in June after being accused of terrorism and trying to overturn the constitutional order. Captured by Russian-backed separatists in Ukraine, the court claimed he was a mercenary, while Saadoun’s father said he had enlisted in Ukraine’s regular army.
Russian state television had previously said Drueke and Huynh were being held by Russian-backed separatists in the Donbas region of eastern Ukraine. The U.S. does not recognize the sovereignty of the Donetsk People’s Republic and has no diplomatic relations with them, making it necessary for others to lead efforts to get the men released.
Drueke joined the Army at age 19 after the terror attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, and he believed he could help Ukrainian fighters because of his training and experience with weapons, Shaw said previously. Drueke left in mid-April.
Druke’s mother received a call from Saudi Arabia on Wednesday morning and an embassy worker handed the phone to the man, Shaw said.
“He got on the phone and said, ‘Hi mom, it’s your favorite child,'” she said.
Huynh moved to north Alabama two years ago from his native California and lives about 120 miles (193 kilometers) from Drueke. Before leaving for Europe, Huynh told his local newspaper, The Decatur Daily, he couldn’t stop thinking about Russia’s invasion.
“I know it wasn’t my problem, but there was that gut feeling that I felt I had to do something,” Huynh told the paper. “Two weeks after the war began, it kept eating me up inside and it just felt wrong. I was losing sleep. … All I could think about was the situation in Ukraine.”
Huynh told his fiance he wants a meal from McDonald’s and a Pepsi-Cola when he returns home, Shaw said.
The two men bonded over their home state and were together when their unit came under heavy fire. Relatives spoke with Drueke several times by phone while the two were being held.
