Whoever Controls Metaverse Will Control The World Says Top Dubai Official Khaleej Times
‘Whoever Controls Metaverse Will Control The World,’ Says Top Dubai Official – Khaleej Times https://bentoncountynewsnow.com/whoever-controls-metaverse-will-control-the-world-says-top-dubai-official-khaleej-times/
Dr Marwan Al Zarouni also stresses that compliance, safety, security are an important aspect
Published: Wed 21 Sep 2022, 11:55 AM
The first and the most economically viable use of metaverse right now revolves around gamification, said Dr Marwan Al Zarouni, Chief Executive Officer, Dubai Blockchain Centre, and Director of Information Services at Dubai Electronic Security Centre.
Dr Marwan Al Zarouni, CEO, Dubai Blockchain Centre
Dr Zarouni was speaking at the inaugural edition of the metaverse conference – Metavision – on Wednesday. Organised by Khaleej Times, the one-day is taking place at Al Habtoor Palace on Wednesday, September 21.
Senior public and private sector officials are attending the conference. The event will see thought leadership speeches, interactive sessions, panel discussions, AR/VR Installations and more.
Vinay Kamat, Editor-in-Chief, Khaleej Times
Vinay Kamat, Editor-in-Chief, Khaleej Times, welcomed the delegates and attendees to the inaugural event.
“Whoever controls the metaverse, will control the world,” Dr Al Zarouni said. However, he stressed that the metaverse is a huge world and compliance is an important aspect of it.
He said the metaverse strategy is focused on value creation and upskilling youth to align with the requirement of industries.
Highlighting the role of security and safety in the metaverse, he said the UAE has zero tolerance for harassing and bullying and this creates a healthy environment.
Touching upon the importance of seamless experiences, especially in the metaverse, he said a large number of those who experienced Dubai virtually are more likely to come rather than those who have not experienced it.
While speaking during a panel discussion about the role of women in the metaverse, Leila Hurstel, Chief Metaverse Officer, VerseEstate, said there are not many females in the metaverse field. “When I go to the conferences, I see just one or two females.”
During the long-day event, the speakers will discuss everything from cryptocurrency to non-fungible tokens (NFTs), experiential commerce, how governments should prepare for the metaverse, and the blending of the physical and digital worlds.
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Metavision event to highlight Dubai Metaverse Strategy
UAE offers unparalleled opportunities for high-net-worth individuals
Best Crypto To Buy NowMetaBlaze (MBLZ) Builds Gaming Metaverse With Play To Earn Bitcoin Ethereum Binance & More Cryptonews
Best Crypto To Buy Now—MetaBlaze (MBLZ) Builds Gaming Metaverse With Play To Earn Bitcoin, Ethereum, Binance & More – Cryptonews https://bentoncountynewsnow.com/best-crypto-to-buy-now-metablaze-mblz-builds-gaming-metaverse-with-play-to-earn-bitcoin-ethereum-binance-more-cryptonews/
Disclaimer: The text below is an advertorial article that is not part of Cryptonews.com editorial content.
A New Approach to P2E Crypto Game Development
Crypto investors and traders are constantly on alert for the shiny new projects and this article will explore why MetaBlaze is the best new cryptocurrency to buy now. Finding the best cryptocurrency to buy can be a daunting challenge. Rapid growth and change are a common trend in emerging tech industries. The world of cryptocurrency, especially play to earn crypto gaming is no different.
However, designing quality games takes time. AAA games can take years being conceived, and this is even before tangible development begins. This makes it challenging for game developers to keep their players interested and engaged in NFT games. Some of the most popular tokens in the crypto gaming industry, like Illuvium (ILV), have suffered severe price dumps due to investors losing patience with development.
How can project teams develop games to earn crypto while avoiding the seemingly inevitable rotation dump as investors jump to new projects? What can developers do to ensure their players and investors remain engaged and interested in their game? A revolutionary new platform has found the solution. Introducing MetaBlaze!
What is MetaBlaze?
MetaBlaze is a vivid and dynamic play to earn crypto ecosystem designed to be increasingly engaging and immersive. In the MetaBlaze game-world, a diverse range of interstellar factions compete for survival in Galaxia Blue. Enigmatic and dangerous, the Galaxia Blue universe was devastated in a cataclysmic event that rocked the very foundations of the galaxy.
The MetaBlaze universe features groundbreaking innovations that will revolutionize crypto gaming. Instead of drawing out game development over many years and testing player and investor patience, the MetaBlaze team has opted for a more exciting approach. Within the Blaziverse, MetaBlaze’s dedicated dApp (decentralized application,) players will be able to join a frequent stream of interlinked mini-series NFT games.
Blaziverse games promise to be diverse and captivating. Not only will they bring exceptional utility to MetaBlaze NFTs, they will also help to sustain momentum and excitement within the MetaBlaze community. Instead of waiting years to play a single game, MetaBlaze players will have the opportunity to explore an entire ecosystem of immersive games. The first installment in the series of games to earn crypto, MetaMinez, is just around the corner.
MetaBlaze NFTs are packed with utility, and will drive the story as players discover the rich and complex worlds of Galaxia Blue. As the universe deepens and more games are released, new utilities for MetaBlaze NFTs will be unveiled. However, the first generation are hinted to be invaluable. For example, MetaRoyals will earn perpetual royalties from every subsequent sale of other MetaBlaze NFTs, like MetaGoblins on the secondary market.
This revolutionary approach to developing a crypto gaming ecosystem is designed by the elite, doxxed team behind MetaBlaze. Combining decades of experience in the industry and passion for rewarding players, the MetaBlaze team is primed to usher in a new paradigm in blockchain gaming and reimagine the potential of play to earn crypto games.
MetaBlaze RPG
The MetaBlaze RPG is the ultimate AAA crypto gaming experience, will combine all aspects of the Blaziverse and develop a rich world of different factions and earning potential for players.
The jewel in the crown of the MetaBlaze ecosystem will be the ultimate game of the Blaziverse. Each game installment leads players to the cornerstone of the MetaBlaze universe. The MetaBlaze RPG is the complete crypto gaming experience and will combine aspects from all previous NFT games into an AAA title of epic proportions.
As the Magnum Opus of the MetaBlaze ecosystem, the MetaBlaze RPG will allow players to explore the untamed vastness of Galaxia Blue. Gamers will be rewarded for completing enthralling quests, building empires across the cosmos and forming powerful alliances with other passionate crypto gamers and investors alike.
Each character will be represented as a unique NFT that possesses unique characteristics, attributes and skill sets, that will help (or hinder) players as they forge for dominion and legacy in the living history of Galaxia Blue. Wars will be waged, empires will be built and toppled in this breathtaking space odyssey.
The Backbone of MetaBlaze: $MBLZ
At the heart of the player experience is the MetaBlaze economy, a revolutionary rewards system that aims to reward gamers for exploring the many regions of the Blaziverse. Unlike other NFT games in the crypto gaming industry, MetaBlaze has conceived a refreshing new angle on common play to earn crypto mechanics.
$MBLZ, the native token of the ecosystem, is the lifeblood of the MetaBlaze economy. It features unmatched utility in the Blaziverse dApp. What separates MetaBlaze from other games to earn crypto is that MetaBlaze games don’t reward players with $MBLZ. In the past, play to earn crypto games have been plagued by hyperinflationary native token rewards. These rewards have proven time and time again to be unsustainable, resulting in cascading sell pressure and ponzi death spirals.
To avoid this catastrophe, MetaBlaze concocted an inventive reward structure that pays out players with popular blue-chip cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin (BTC), Ethereum (ETH) and Binance (BNB). This abolishes sell pressure on the $MBLZ and helps to stabilize and support the ecosystem.
In addition, $MBLZ is deflationary and boasts a variety of creative burn mechanisms that work to permanently reduce its supply and naturally increase its value. All token contracts have also been audited by Certik to ensure investor security. Due to the wide-ranging utilities of the $MBLZ token, MetaBlaze promises to be a sustainable and rewarding ecosystem that retains its value regardless of wider market conditions.
The MetaBlaze Presale
A few final spots onboard the last ship for Galaxia Blue remain. So far, the $MBLZ token presale has been a resounding success. There is an informative article recently published guiding users on How to Buy MetaBlaze Presale. Despite general unrest in the global cryptocurrency market, MetaBlaze has successfully raised over $3 million USD through token sale to early community members.
Participating in the presale is advantageous for early supporters of the MetaBlaze ecosystem. $MLBZ is an essential part of the MetaBlaze experience and will be beneficial in all future NFT games. Joining the presale gives investors the opportunity to secure an allocation of $MLBZ tokens before they’re publicly traded on the open market.
To reward supporters, presale buyers are given an additional 5% token bonus and a discounted price and contributors purchasing $2,500 or more, will receive a MetaGoblin NFT, set to mint on OpenSea NFT Marketplace on October 15th. While $MBLZ will launch at a price of $0.0002, those who join the presale can snap up cheap tokens at a reduced price of $0.00015069. Don’t miss the chance to get your hands on discounted $MBLZ and visit https://metablaze.xyz/. Unite with over 2,000 other excited contributors investing in the future of play to earn gaming.
MetaBlaze aims to provide a stream of profound, enriching and immersive games that keep players coming back for more. While other titles in crypto gaming lose players due to tedious waiting periods, MetaBlaze offers continuous momentum and excitement. The dynamic and ever-changing Blaziverse is redefining what players expect from NFT games. Like a trail of breadcrumbs, interlinked Blaziverse games will help clear the path and build hype for the ultimate play to earn crypto experience, the MetaBlaze RPG.
Helpful Links:
Site: https://metablaze.xyz/
Whitepaper: https://metablaze.gitbook.io/docs/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/meta_blaze
Telegram: https://t.me/meta_blaze
Discord: https://discord.gg/wTZc9yCYRA
Tula Technology Receives PACEpilot Award From Automotive News Business Wire
Tula Technology Receives PACEpilot Award From Automotive News – Business Wire https://bentoncountynewsnow.com/tula-technology-receives-pacepilot-award-from-automotive-news-business-wire/
September 21, 2022 04:00 AM Eastern Daylight Time
SAN JOSE, Calif.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Automotive News has recognized Tula Technology’s Dynamic Motor Drive as a PACEpilot awardee, recognizing Dynamic Motor Drive as a groundbreaking innovation ready for implementation in the automotive industry.
Dynamic Motor Drive (DMD) is an advanced software controls technology that improves the efficiency of electric vehicles by operating the motor intermittently at optimal efficiency conditions. The technology is suitable for electric vehicles already in production and is particularly effective on vehicles that do not use costly and environmentally problematic rare earth magnets. The DMD control strategy is typically able to achieve 2-3 percent efficiency gains on motors that do not use rare earth magnets.
“We are thrilled to receive the PACEpilot award, our second PACE award from Automotive News,” said Scott Bailey, President and Chief Executive Officer of Tula Technology. “This recognition validates our team’s accomplishments as we continue introducing this groundbreaking technology to OEMs and Tier 1 suppliers.”
The 3rd annual PACEpilot program was presented by Automotive News. The competition was open to suppliers and startups that invented products, software/IT systems or processes and idea incubators that have the capacity to transform the automotive industry. The Automotive News PACEpilot program is leading the way in distinguishing global emerging innovators. Tula earned an Automotive News PACEpilot recognition following an extensive review by an independent panel of judges including a comprehensive written application and a virtual pitch session.
For complete details of the Automotive News PACEpilot program, visit www.autonews.com/pace.
About Tula Technology, Inc.
Silicon Valley-based Tula Technology provides innovative award-winning software controls to optimize propulsion efficiency and emissions across the mobility spectrum, including electric, hybrid, gasoline, diesel, and alternative fuel vehicles. Tula’s culture of innovation has resulted in breakthrough technologies and a robust global patent portfolio of more than 380 patents issued and pending. Tula Technology is a privately held company backed by Sequoia Capital, Sigma Partners, Khosla Ventures, GM Ventures, BorgWarner and Franklin Templeton. More information is available at www.tulatech.com.
Extra Funds Havent Solved Court Backlogs El Dorado News-Times
Extra Funds Haven’t Solved Court Backlogs – El Dorado News-Times https://bentoncountynewsnow.com/extra-funds-havent-solved-court-backlogs-el-dorado-news-times/
A state effort to bolster the ranks of public defenders and prosecutors has offered little relief to Pulaski County courts burdened by backlogs of felony cases, according to a circuit court judge.
Judge Cathleen Compton said Thursday that her court was still struggling to dispose of criminal cases that built up during the coronavirus pandemic. While state funds have allowed prosecutors and public defenders to hire additional part-time attorneys, Compton said the number of cases on her docket hasn’t changed significantly since officials approved the funding in March.
Three weeks earlier, shortly after state officials extended funding for the extra staff, Compton said her court was still swamped with cases.
“I just really hope that we get the extra help that we so desperately need,” she said during a Sept. 1 interview.
The extra funding was in response to the swelling of dockets in several Arkansas judicial districts during the pandemic, when judges were forced to put trials on hold. At the same time, as attorneys struggled to dispose of cases during the trial hiatus, new defendants continued to enter the system, adding to the backlog.
For prosecutors, the case backlog has meant potentially delaying justice for crime victims.
For some public defender offices, the stalled cases have pushed already high workloads far beyond the nationally recommended 150 felony cases per attorney per year. With caseloads reaching unprecedented levels during the pandemic, some public defenders worried they might not be able to effectively represent each of their clients.
Between March 1, 2020 and May 31, 2021, 58,840 felony criminal cases were filed statewide in Arkansas courts. As of mid-August, 15,471 of these cases had yet to be disposed of, according to data from the Administrative Office of the Courts contained in emails obtained by the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette.
In March of this year, to help deal with the backlog, the state granted the Arkansas Public Defender Commission and the state Office of the Prosecutor Coordinator $1 million apiece, allowing each to hire up to 45 part-time attorneys. Since the initial round of funding was only intended to last a few months, state officials in August approved an additional $4.5 million in federal coronavirus relief funds to extend the positions by a year.
As of Wednesday, the Office of the Prosecutor Coordinator had $316,181.68 of its original $1 million in state funding. The Public Defender Commission had $335,737.99 left, according to Scott Hardin, spokesman for the Department of Finance and Administration.
In some judicial districts, the funds have had a noticeable impact, allowing offices to offload significant numbers of aging cases onto newly hired part-time attorneys. But in other districts, the limits on the funding, pre-pandemic backlogs and a scarcity of attorneys interested in the temporary positions have left courts managing high caseloads with limited relief.
BACKLOGS STATEWIDE
Across Arkansas, the part-time positions have had mixed results in addressing the case backlog.
Since state officials approved the funding, prosecutors in 22 of the state’s 28 judicial districts have sent Mc-Mahan requests for part-time attorneys. After Pulaski and Perry counties, the Fourth Judicial District, which encompasses Washington and Madison counties, received the second-most part-time attorneys, with four approved positions. Two of these positions were filled as of late August.
The additional positions have made an appreciable difference in the caseloads of prosecutors in at least three districts, McMahan said in an interview late last month.
He pointed to the 13th Judicial District, which covers Union County, where two temporary attorneys were handling a total of around 150 cases that would have otherwise gone to staff attorneys. In Washington County, McMahan knew of one COVID-relief attorney who had disposed of roughly 250 cases.
“That’s quite a bit of progress,” he said.
McMahan noted that some candidates had reservations about accepting the part-time positions when the state only guaranteed funding for three months. Even now that the positions are guaranteed for an additional year, prospective hires may have concerns about accepting the job, he said.
To address the backlog, Prosecutor Nathan Smith hired two part-time attorneys thanks to the state funds. One of the attorneys has since left to work for Walmart — “the scourge of Benton County is that I train Walmart’s legal department,” said Smith — but the remaining attorney is managing 60 to 70 felony cases.
“That matters,” said Smith on Sept 13. “It puts us in the position of being able to handle the backlog and also deal with what’s coming in.” Prior to hiring the coronavirus-relief attorneys, Smith said, his attorneys would commonly handle 200 to 250 active felonies.
When Smith’s counterpart Jay Saxton, chief public defender, first heard of the plan to fund part-time attorney positions, he thought his office wouldn’t be able to find candidates given the state’s parameters.
But since then, he has managed to hire four part-time attorneys. One has left his office, but Saxton said the remaining attorneys “have been a dramatic help to us.” All four attorneys were highly experienced and capable of managing serious felony cases. Saxton estimated the part-time hires had disposed of at least 100 cases.
STRAIN ON PUBLIC DEFENDERS
Even with the part-time hires, however, Saxton said attorneys in his office were dealing with significantly more than the annual 150 felony cases per public defender recommended by the National Advisory Commission on Criminal Justice Standards.
Saxton said he wasn’t aware of any public defender office in the U.S. that is meeting the standard and said that his attorneys were capable of handling their caseloads.
But he noted that to maintain their workloads, he and his attorneys were having to visit clients in jail weekends and bring work home in the evenings.
“It’s just a normal habit for us,” said Saxton. “That’s not manageable over a long period of time. That’s why public defender offices lose their public defenders fairly quick, it’s because it’s a grueling job to have.”
In the Fourth Judicial District, which covers Washington and Madison counties, the public defenders office was allowed to hire four part-time attorneys.
Leana Houston, chief deputy public defender, said the caseloads had decreased since March but noted that attorneys were still struggling to manage serious felony cases such as murders. These cases, which can last months or years and require experienced attorneys, form the bulk of the case backlog in the Fourth Judicial District, according to Houston.
Earlier this year, Houston said, attorneys in her office were managing on average 300 felony cases. At one point, a public defender was handling 526 felonies, 30 of which could result in a defendant facing 10-40 years or life in prison.
During the past two years, Houston said, her office and the prosecuting attorney’s office in Washington County have seen turnover rates of more than 50%. With veteran attorneys leaving their posts, Houston said her remaining staff has had to manage the additional cases while training new hires.
Should You Book A Rental Car On Holiday? Drift Travel Magazine
Should You Book A Rental Car On Holiday? – Drift Travel Magazine https://bentoncountynewsnow.com/should-you-book-a-rental-car-on-holiday-drift-travel-magazine/
Photo Courtesy of Pixabay.com
If you’re all set to board the plane for your latest holiday expedition, make sure first to plan how you will travel once you arrive at your location.
Most tourists generally assume that the city’s public transportation is the way to go, but that isn’t always the best option. While public transport may save you money, it has many downsides when it comes to convenience and flexibility during your trip.
If you want a leisurely vacation strolling through quaint streets and exploring places at your own pace, a rental car is a much better option than public transport. It avoids the hassle and hurries that crowded public transport brings and gives you a better travel experience.
If you’re still wondering whether you should book a rental car on holiday, here are the top six benefits of car rentals to help you decide.
Greater Flexibility
Perhaps the biggest advantage of booking a car rental from a place like Go Rentals is that it allows you to be your own boss and have greater flexibility in traveling.
For starters, you can choose your travel times instead of following public transport schedules. Whether you want to hit the roads at a moment’s notice or sleep in after a long night, having a private vehicle gives you the flexibility to do whatever you like!
Another added benefit is that you can diverge from traditional tourist travel routes and create your own adventure. If you want a real, more personalized experience of the city you’re visiting, having a private rental allows you to head to whatever area that catches your eye. Just make sure you’ve got a handy navigation system, and explore away!
More Variety in Vehicles
Booking a rental car is the secret to a comfortable, customized travel experience that meets your unique needs. While public transport comes with limitations of space, comfort, and timings, renting a private vehicle allows you to choose the perfect car for your requirements.
If you’re traveling with a large group and have plenty of luggage on board, there are no limitations to the number of larger car options available. Similarly, there’s also great variety when it comes to budget and taste, and you can easily find a car that’s both affordable and convenient.
Private car rentals also offer different packages depending on how long you need the car. You can easily book an affordable vehicle for a couple of hours, a few days, or longer, according to the duration of your stay.
Here’s a quick guide to choosing the right rental car that fits your budget and travel plans.
Take Your Time Exploring
Exploring with public transport can often make your travel experience feel rushed, chaotic, and unnecessarily stressful. You have to divide your time between too many places and rush to bus stops, which can narrow down the list of places you want to explore. But with your own private rental, you can check out the sights in any order and take your time when exploring.
Whether you want to linger in the halls of a museum, visit old antique shops, or drive down the countryside, having a rental car is the best way to explore any area’s hidden gems with leisure.
Car rentals are also helpful if you’re unfamiliar with the public transport system of the place you’re visiting. Having your own car gives you a personalized, stress-free travel experience without worrying about timings and missed connections.
Affordability
While individual trips on public transport are pretty cheap, the total fares may be more expensive in the long run, especially if you need to travel to multiple areas. On the other hand, booking a rental car gives you the means to travel with greater convenience while staying within budget.
For example, you won’t have to pay hefty taxi or bus fares if you want to visit locations further than a planned sightseeing spot. Bus routes may also keep you tied down to a specific area where hotel rooms are on the pricier side. If you have a rental car, however, you have the flexibility to drive around and find cheaper accommodations away from tourist hotspots.
Safety
Traveling in an unfamiliar city always comes with safety concerns. Often, booking a rental car can prove safer than using public transportation.
As the rental car will always be parked outside wherever you stay, you won’t have to walk through unfamiliar locations to get to the bus stop or hire a taxi. Also, driving a car with a local license plate and GPS helps you blend in with the crowd and not stand out as a tourist, saving you from potentially unsafe encounters.
Pack Heavy? No Problem!
When traveling on public transport, you’ll have to narrow down your luggage and pack only the bare essentials. Even then, you might find yourself standing in a crowded bus with heavy bags on your shoulders.
Renting a private car allows you the freedom to pack as much as you want and keep your luggage near you throughout your travel. If you have a lot to carry, just make sure to choose a rental car that can accommodate your luggage and the number of people you’re traveling with.
Large rentals (such as trucks) are particularly handy if you’re traveling with children and have to pack strollers, travel beds, or feeding chairs. You can also try searching for rental cars with a baby seat — the possibilities are endless!
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More Specialized Banking System Would Transform The Country Economist Ghana Business News
More Specialized Banking System Would Transform The Country – Economist – Ghana Business News https://bentoncountynewsnow.com/more-specialized-banking-system-would-transform-the-country-economist-ghana-business-news/
On Sep 21, 2022 Last updated Sep 21, 2022
Ghana needs more specialised banks to drive the developmental agenda of the nation, Reverend Dr Samuel Worlanyo Mensah, an Economist has stated.
Rev Dr Mensah who is the Executive Director of the Centre for Greater Impact Africa said most of the local entrepreneurs and enterprises depend on the banks for startup capital and other financial assistance hence the need for specialized banks to support each sector.
He also urged the government to upscale steps to support industrialization and productivity by creating an enabling environment for the local people to be well established and be able to compete in the global market.
Rev. Dr. Mensah stated at the Ghana News Agency Tema Regional Office’s Industrial News Hub Boardroom Dialogue platform.
The GNA Tema Industrial News Hub Boardroom Dialogue is a media think-tank platform for state and non-state and commercial and business operators to communicate to the world and address global issues with Ghanaian expertise.
Rev. Dr. Mensah lamented that most banks in the country were running the normal universal banking activities, and most were not ready to help local entrepreneurs to stand on their feet.
He again said most of the small businesses have been left stranded because financial institutions that supported them had been dissolved.
He said the lack of a strong national development plan module to develop the country contributed to the economic crisis the nation is experiencing recently despite COVID-19 and the touted Russian-Ukraine war.
He said the government must plan in a way that, in the next ten to 15 years, it would raise solid entrepreneurs who could support the economy, reiterated that the banking and financial sector cleaning exercise was laudable at that time it was undertaken but unfortunately COVID-19 pandemic had revealed that the decision was not economically motivated.
Mr Francis Ameyibor, Tema Regional Manager of Ghana News Agency reiterated that the media landscape is going through rapid transformation, and the old system of institutions organizing face-to-face seat-in events at a big conference hall is passing away.
He said, “from now onwards don’t expect more invitations to seat-in events, newsroom managers must adopt new means for news gathering, and dissemination.”
Mr Ameyibor said: “Due to global communication and information transformation, state and non-state institutions that used to organize conferences, meetings, seminars and invite journalists to cover are rapidly resorting to the use of Zoom, Skype, and other web-based platforms for meetings.
“Now web-based meetings have come to stay and the old system of organizing a big conference is dead and gone, media practitioners should not be looking for event focus assignment again.”
Mr Ameyibor said GNA-Tema have moved ahead to set up parameters to engage strategic stakeholders consistently to prepare the ground to be more active and profitable to society.
Source: GNA
Take A Fresh Look At Oatmeal Its Not As Simple As You Think Jacksonville Journal-Courier
Take A Fresh Look At Oatmeal — It’s Not As Simple As You Think – Jacksonville Journal-Courier https://bentoncountynewsnow.com/take-a-fresh-look-at-oatmeal-its-not-as-simple-as-you-think-jacksonville-journal-courier/
Let’s admit it: Oatmeal is a total nerd. It lacks fashion sense — the color they named after it is somewhere on the drab side of beige. It’s often seen with Sesame Street’s Bert, who also loves bottle caps, paper clips and pigeons.
But when it comes to healthy eating, oatmeal and the oats from which it comes can definitely hang with the cool kids at the breakfast table.
“It has many, many good qualities,” said Candida Rebello, director of the nutrition and chronic disease research program at Louisiana State University’s Pennington Biomedical Research Center in Baton Rouge.
Extensive studies have associated oats and oatmeal with plenty of heart-healthy benefits, such as lowering cholesterol (both total and “bad” LDL cholesterol) and helping with weight control.
Oatmeal has a host of vitamins and minerals. Two examples: According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, a 1-cup serving of cooked oatmeal has about 1.8 milligrams of vitamin B1, or thiamin. That’s close to 15% of what an adult needs each day. It also has 1.36 mg of manganese, which is 59% of the daily recommendation for men and 76% for women. Manganese has roles in immunity, blood clotting and the way cholesterol and blood sugar are metabolized.
But that’s not what makes oats stand out, Rebello said. That same cup of cooked oatmeal has just 166 calories and nearly 4 grams of dietary fiber.
And the type of fiber is where oats start to distinguish themselves. It’s called beta-glucan. Put that in the conversation, and it’s like the scene in a movie where oatmeal takes off its glasses and everyone realizes just how beautiful it is.
Not literally. It’s a soluble fiber, which means it dissolves in hot water, where it thickens. “When you eat oatmeal, the kind of sliminess that you see — that comes from this viscosity that beta-glucan generates,” Rebello said.
That helps you feel full longer, she said. And it helps undigested food travel farther down your digestive tract, where it feeds the friendly bacteria living there.
Beta-glucan is abundant in oats and barley and has been shown “quite unequivocally” to help maintain healthy cholesterol levels, Rebello said.
Oats also are rich phytonutrients — plant-derived substances that may boost health. One class of such phytonutrients is avenanthramides, which are found only in oats. Avenanthramides may have antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects, although Rebello said their possible benefits are not as well-researched as those for beta-glucans.
Oats have been linked to heart-health benefits since the 1960s and come in many forms. The differences involve levels of processing. Oats grow in an inedible casing called a hull. Inside the hull is a seedlike groat. That groat is encased in bran.
“In other whole grains, like in wheat, you can remove that bran layer,” Rebello said. “But in oats, this groat is very soft, so that bran layer cannot really be removed.”
That means oats are almost always a whole-grain food, and those are a key part of a healthy eating pattern.
If oats are labeled “steel cut,” it simply means they were processed with a steel cutter, Rebello said. Rolled oats are steamed first, then pressed with a roller.
“If the roller crushes it into thinner flake, then you get quick-cooking oats,” she said. “If it is then rolled into an even thinner flake, you get your instant oats.”
Nutritionally, there is little difference between steel cut and rolled oats, Rebello said. Instant oats, however, have a higher glycemic index, meaning they raise your blood sugar faster.
When oats are ground to flour, the coarser portion is extracted and called oat bran. The beta-glucans will be concentrated in the flour rather than the bran, she said.
Oat milk is derived from oats and water, but processing may add ingredients such as sugar, salt, oil and more. Oat milk has some dietary fiber, Rebello said — commonly 2 grams per cup — but the amount of beta-glucan is rather small.
Unfortunately, Rebello ruled out sugar-filled oatmeal cookies as a healthy food (although she’s not averse to having one as a treat now and then).
How, then, to embrace oats?
“Just eat regular oatmeal,” she said. Half a cup of rolled oats cooks up quickly and will keep you full a long time.
Oatmeal with your favorite fruit can be a sweet way to start the day. Cook it in low-fat milk for creaminess and add unsalted nuts to bolster its heart-health value. If you’re time-pressed in the morning, try a healthy version of overnight oats, which can be prepared the night before.
It’s important to remember that no single food, even oats, can do it all, Rebello said, noting that if you eat a nutritious breakfast but then load up on sugar and fat the rest of the day, “that’s really not going to help you much.”
But you should go ahead and invite oatmeal into your breakfast club, Rebello said. “I definitely recommend eating oats.”
Bears Continue To Roll | News Sports Jobs Evening Observer
Bears Continue To Roll | News, Sports, Jobs – Evening Observer https://bentoncountynewsnow.com/bears-continue-to-roll-news-sports-jobs-evening-observer/
North Collins’ Breanna Kaczanowski (15) attempts to possess the ball away from Frewsburg’s Taytum Jimerson (21) during Tuesday’s CCAA Central Division girls soccer game in Frewsburg. OBSERVER Photo by Matt Spielman
FREWSBURG — Nine different players scored goals as Frewsburg continued to roll through Chautauqua-Cattaraugus Athletic Association Central Division play with a 12-0 shutout of North Collins on Tuesday.
Alexandra Hultberg had three goals and two assists while Aleah Bjork added two goals and three assists for the Bears (8-0-0, 3-0-0), who led 9-0 at halftime.
Brionna Dumaine had a goal and two assists; Kaydan Bush, Londyn Pigman, Taytum Jimerson and Ava Jimerson each had a goal and an assist; Ashlyn Samuelson had a goal; and Kealy Caflisch had an assist for Frewsburg.
The Eagles fell to 1-4-0 overall and 1-2-0 in the league.
WILSON LEADS WOLVERINES
Eagles’ Brooke Gabel kicks the ball away from the Bears’ Aleah Bjork. OBSERVER Photo by Matt Spielman
SILVER CREEK — Carley Wilson scored a pair of second-half goals as Westfield/Brocton beat Silver Creek/Forestville 4-0 in the Central Division.
Makartnee Mortimer opened the scoring on a penalty kick in the 20th minute. In the 38th minute, the Wolverines’ Aliyah Rivera scored from Cynthia Lopez.
In the 61st minute, Wilson scored from Colie Bundy and in the 70th minute, Wilson tallied from Naomi Ottey.
Emma Busuladzic made seven saves for Westfield/Brocton (4-3-0, 3-0-0).
PINE VALLEY/GOWANDA BLANKED
PORTVILLE — Meghan Lyle, Olivia Dean and Grace Gariepy each scored twice as Portville blanked Pine Valley/Gowanda 10-0 in the East Division.
Allison Smith, Leah Wyant, Teagan Kosinski and Jessica Daley also scored for the hosts, who led 5-0 at halftime.
Mackenzie Harmon and Courtney Whippo split goalkeeping duties for Portville (5-2-0, 4-0-0).
Destiny Lindquist made 15 saves for Pine Valley/Gowanda (0-6-0, 0-3-0).
HUSKIES EDGE DUNKIRK
OLEAN — Lauryn McCracken scored from Angelina Piede in the 50th minute to pull Dunkirk within a goal, but Olean pulled away for a 3-1 West Division victory.
Jez Fayson scored from Lily Schena in the 18th minute and the Huskies’ Emily Gibbons made it 2-0 from Olivia Kratts in the 24th minute.
After McCracken’s goal, Makayla Magro made it 3-1 from Fayson in the 64th minute.
Tayler Skelly made 16 saves for the Marauders (3-4-0, 0-3-0) and Emma Edwards made six saves for Olean (4-3-0, 2-2-0).
T’BIRDS TRIM MAPLE GROVE
BEMUS POINT — Ava Zarpentine and Jada Cole each scored for Chautauqua Lake in a 2-1 Central Division win over Maple Grove.
Lucy Gates made five saves for the Thunderbirds (4-1-0, 2-1-0).
The Red Dragons fell to 0-6-0 overall and 0-3-0 in the league.
MIMS’ GOAL HOLDS UP
JAMESTOWN — Karryne Mims scored in the 71st minute as Jamestown blanked Falconer/Cassadaga Valley 1-0 in the West Division.
Morgan Maloney made 15 saves in net for the Red Raiders (6-2-0, 3-2-0).
The Golden Cougars fell to 4-3-0 overall and 2-2-0 in the league.
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Girl Group AKB48s Producer To Launch Metaverse Idol; IEO In The Works Forkast News
Girl Group AKB48’s Producer To Launch Metaverse Idol; IEO In The Works – Forkast News https://bentoncountynewsnow.com/girl-group-akb48s-producer-to-launch-metaverse-idol-ieo-in-the-works-forkast-news/
Yasushi Akimoto, a Japanese music producer with a successful track record of promoting girl groups AKB48 and Nogizaka46, is jumping into a J-pop metaverse project with local crypto company Overs Co. Ltd.
Akimoto will serve as the general producer of the project that will launch a new idol band on the virtual platform in 2023.
While details regarding the new J-pop band is yet to be revealed, Overs announced that the metaverse will be financed through an initial exchange offering (IEO), where a company sells new cryptocurrencies through an established exchange to raise funds.
Overs will implement the IEO early next year and the metaverse idol group is planned to debut in winter of 2023.
In an earlier press release prior to Akimoto’s joining, Overs explained that the metaverse band will fulfill traditional activities as an idol group such as releasing music and holding concerts while utilizing blockchain technology and non-fungible tokens (NFTs) to engage with fans.
Japan’s leading producer and lyricist Akimoto has sold over 100 million copies globally in his 40-year musical career, the biggest hits being a series of girl bands known for their perky concept and having 40+ members.
The country rich with intellectual property (IP) is no stranger to simulated musical acts. A holographic artist generated by a voice synthesizer named Hatsune Miku remains one of the most influential acts in Japan.
Meanwhile, neighboring South Korea’s music scene is already heavily invested in the metaverse.
The self-proclaimed “metaverse K-pop girl group” Aespa, which has four human members with four CGI counterparts, had their latest release become the best-selling album by a female group in the history of Korean music.
HYBE Co., Ltd., the entertainment agency for BTS, has launched a Los Angeles-based joint venture with Dunamu, which operates South Korea’s Upbit crypto exchange. The joint venture, named Levvels, plans to service NFT and metaverse services that utilize K-pop IPs.
Other various industries in Japan appear eager to merge their products with the metaverse and virtual technology. Gaming giant Nintendo’s president said earlier this year that the metaverse is “of interest,” while locally dominant mobile carrier NTT Docomo announced plans to offer services in the metaverse in the near future.
40 Gifts For 8-Year-Olds – National Today https://bentoncountynewsnow.com/40-gifts-for-8-year-olds-national-today/
Choosing the best gifts for 8-year-olds can present unique challenges because they’re not kids, but they’re not yet teenagers, either. So, when trying to discern if they would play with toys, complete arts and crafts projects, or read a book instead of leaving them under their bed or in the corner of their room is no easy feat. There are some milestones to look out for when you shop for their gifts, such as becoming more independent, having a longer attention span for hours of entertainment and learning, and starting to develop their identity with a fixed idea of what activities they like or are “good at.” If you don’t know where to start, we’re here to help make your decision a little bit easier with our gift ideas that cover various categories of interest, from board games and STEM sets to things for outdoor physical activity.
Our Top 3 Picks
Best
Woom 5 Bicycle
It promotes regular physical activity and transportation to school or to run errands.
Buy It!
Also Great
Klutz LEGO Chain Reactions
It provides the tools for a fun experiment of creating a chain reaction machine.
Buy It!
Good on a Budget
Ridley’s 100 Knock Knock Joke Cards
They can get a kick out of these classic corny jokes and punchlines.
Buy It!
Christmas Gifts for 8-Year-Olds
Melissa & Doug Decorate-Your-Own Christmas Ornaments
Christmas is the time to gather with the family and spend quality time setting up the tree and dressing it with beautiful decorations — lights, tinsel, garland, and ornaments. You can make the family tradition more meaningful by asking the kids to add their creative flare to the decorations with this craft kit from Melissa & Doug. They can use metallic paints to color the two double-sided resin ornaments in the shape of a tree and ball. Also, the kit includes two ribbons for the kids to hang their unique hand-painted creations.
Get it from Amazon.
Guess in 10 Countries of The World Game
If the kids are into world trivia games, this game card set is a great gift option to play with family and friends. They will get six clue cards and 50 game cards with facts, clues, and buzzwords to read to the opponent team. If the opponent can guess what country is on the game card the other team is holding, they can keep the card, and the game continues until one player collects seven game cards to be the winner. Other game card versions include Foods Around The World, World of Sports, and Underwater Animals.
Get it from Amazon.
MasterMagic Magic Kit
We believe that children are fascinated with the world of magic that they want to learn the tricks behind it. Well, give them this Aspiring Magician Magic Kit as a Christmas gift. This magic kit has many different kinds of tricks the little magician can choose from, instructions, and materials they need to create an amazing magic performance for the family and friends. In addition to mastering intriguing illusions, the kit helps build their confidence, public speaking skill, and imagination.
Get it from Amazon.
Weiatas Kids School Backpack
8-year-olds appreciate a good new backpack for their Christmas gift, and this one has the style and function to bring anything they need for school. The bag has one main compartment large enough to fit their books and stationeries, one front pocket for small necessities, and two side pockets for water bottles and umbrellas. It features wide and padded shoulder straps and breathable mesh for the back panel, providing comfortable support when they carry the backpack. While the nylon oxford fabric makes it water-resistant, anti-scratch, and lightweight.
Get it from Amazon.
Birthday Gifts for 8-Year-Olds
Refasy Piggy Bank Cash Coin Can ATM
Get your kids to know the value of money and start saving their allowance with this modern ATM piggy bank. This ATM is password protected, has two slots for kids to deposit their money — the top slot for coins and the front slot for paper money — and can store up to 600 coins and 100 paper money. Kids can withdraw their money by entering the password using the number pad and then turning the knob to open the door. Choose from an array of charming colors that suit your kid’s personality or favorite shade.
Get it from Amazon.
National Geographic Earth Science Kit
Satisfy their curious minds and let them explore the wonder of earth science with this extensive kit from National Geographic. This gift features more than 15 high-quality and hands-on thrilling experiments, more than 10 rock and gem specimens, and a detailed learning guide for your kid’s entertainment. With one kit, your kids can have a fun learning experience and grow an interest in science and exploration.
Get it from Amazon.
YEEBAY Interactive Whack A Frog Game
This gift takes inspiration from one of the most classic and popular arcade games, Whac-A-Mole. The tabletop game comes in a frog-shaped board with buttons on the feet, a display screen to show the scores, and two hammers to hit the randomly lit-up frogs. Children can choose to play solo or with another player by sliding the switch on the side of the board. Moreover, the adorable plaything helps develop their fine motor skills, hand-eye coordination, attention span, and sense of cooperation.
Get it from Amazon.
My Arcade Pac-Man Pocket Player
Here’s another legendary arcade game kids can take and enjoy playing while on the road. The Pac-Man pocket player is a portable handheld game that is lightweight and compact for kids to hold and store easily in their bags. It has a full-color display screen with a built-in speaker and a headphone jack to give a delightful nostalgic gaming experience as they play through three types of Pac-Man games. Additionally, the included lanyard prevents loss or damage from dropping the device.
Get it from Amazon.
Unusual Gifts for 8-Year-Olds
Create Your Own Photo Flashlight
This unique device combines the features of a retro reel viewer, a flashlight, and a projector. The battery-powered photo flashlight comes in three colors — blue, white, and pink — and three starter reels — dinosaurs, space, and safari — that you can customize with your photographs using the redemption code. Just load the interchangeable reel on the slot and turn on the flashlight to project images onto the wall or any surface.
Get it from UncommonGoods.
Bitty Boomers Star Wars Mini Bluetooth Speaker
A Bluetooth speaker that is small enough to be an accessory clipped on their backpack or blast their favorite songs in their bedroom or bathroom. The mini speaker features a cute Baby Yoda shape with speaker holes on its head and can wirelessly connect to any Bluetooth device. It can play over four hours of music time and is rechargeable using the included micro USB cable.
Get it from Amazon.
Kid’s Hidden Wish Bracelet
The wish bracelet lets your kids wear their wishes, goals, favorite words of affirmation, drawings, or personal information as a pretty wrist accessory and take them anywhere they go. Your little dreamer can write on the included small pieces of paper, roll it up, then put it inside the cylinder compartment hidden within the screw cap clasp. Replace the note as often as they like so that each time they peek at the rainbow bracelet, they will remember what’s inside and feel happy.
Get it from UncommonGoods.
SRENTA Neon Tooth Saver
Last on our list of unusual gifts for 8-year-olds are these multicolored Neon Tooth Saver. When their teeth fall out, kids often want to store them somewhere safe as a keepsake and serve as a sentimental reminder that they’re growing up or to show them off to the dentist. The tooth container comes in three bright colors — green, yellow, and pink — so it’s easy for kids to spot, and the size is perfect to put under their pillow for when the tooth fairy comes.
Get it from Amazon.
STEM Gifts for 8-Year-Olds
ThinkFun Shape by Shape Pattern Game
The Shape By Shape is one of the perfect gifts for 8-year-olds who are into brainy games that test their minds. Inside the box are 14 puzzle pieces, 60 challenge cards, a game tray with a drawer for card storage, and a drawstring pouch. This gift can boost the kid’s conceptual thinking, visual perception, and spatial understanding when they match the red and yellow puzzle pieces to the images on the challenge cards.
Get it from Amazon.
Klutz LEGO Chain Reactions
This set gives 8-year-olds an entirely new perspective and way of playing with LEGO. Kids can turn their regular LEGO brick collection into a chain reaction machine that rolls, swings, drops, and pivots when combined with the additional components from the set. The instruction book has detailed explanations and instructions that they need to build 10 chain reaction machines with difficulty levels from easy to advanced. Your kids will have endless fun inventing and learning about the physics behind one thing that leads to another.
Get it from Amazon.
ThinkFun Gravity Maze Marble Run
Another gift we believe will entertain and educate any 8-year-olds about science and engineering is this Gravity Maze Marble Run. This STEM toy allows kids to build a maze path that carries the marbles from the start position to the target piece by strategically laying down or stacking the towers on the game grid following the drawing on the challenge card. Each challenge card has an indicator of difficulty level, from beginner to expert. Whether children play with the cards or make different maze paths, this gift will immerse them in hours of entertainment.
Get it from Amazon.
Educational Insights GeoSafari Motorized Solar System
Surprise your little astronauts on a trip around the solar system with this fascinating GeoSafari Motorized Solar System. The two-in-one set provides an opportunity to learn about planetary orbits, the constellations and introduces space exploration and astronomy at home. It consists of a mo...
What Crisis? High-Stakes Crypto Lending Looks Here To Stay Reuters
What Crisis? High-Stakes Crypto Lending Looks Here To Stay – Reuters https://bentoncountynewsnow.com/what-crisis-high-stakes-crypto-lending-looks-here-to-stay-reuters/
LONDON/WASHINGTON, Sept 21 (Reuters) – On May 11, Scott Odell, an analyst at British crypto lender Blockchain.com, instant messaged Edward Zhao of Three Arrows Capital asking that the Singapore hedge fund repay at least part of a $270 million loan.
Three Arrows had just taken a hit from the collapse of cryptocurrency Terra, raising doubts about its ability to repay. That was a worry for Blockchain.com since it had not taken collateral to secure the loan, court filings show.
“This is time sensitive so let’s sort if you’re available,” Odell said of the repayment.
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Zhao appeared lost for words.
“Yo,” he replied.
“uhh”
“hmm”
Three Arrows filed for bankruptcy in July and Blockchain.com told Reuters it had yet to recover a cent of its loan. The text exchange is among the affidavit documents filed by liquidators as part of the hedge fund’s liquidation proceedings. read more
Three Arrows did not respond to requests for comment. Odell declined to comment, while Reuters was unable to reach Zhao.
The loan was part of an opaque web of unsecured lending between crypto companies that left the industry exposed when cryptocurrency prices crashed 50% earlier this year, according to a Reuters review of bankruptcy court and regulatory filings, and interviews with about 20 executives and experts.
Institutional crypto lending involves lending cryptocurrencies as well as cash in return for a yield. By waiving the requirement for the borrower to put up collateral – such as stocks, bonds or more commonly other crypto tokens – lenders can charge higher rates and ramp up profits, while borrowers can generate cash quickly.
Blockchain.com has since largely ceased its unsecured lending, which had represented 10% of its revenue, chief business officer Lane Kasselman told Reuters. “We’re not willing to engage in the same level of risk,” he said, although he added the company would still offer “extremely limited” unsecured loans to top clients under certain conditions.
Unsecured lending has become common across the crypto industry, according to the review of filings and the interviews. Despite the recent shakeout, many of the industry insiders said the practice was likely to continue and could even grow.
Alex Birry, chief analytical officer for financial institutions at S&P Global Ratings, said the crypto industry was in fact broadly seeing a trend towards unsecured lending. The fact that crypto was a “concentrated ecosystem” raised the risk of contagion across the sector, he added.
“So if you are only lending to people operating in this ecosystem, and especially if the number of these counterparties are relatively limited, yes, you will see events such as the one we’ve just seen,” he said about the summer collapse of lenders.
CRYPTO BOOM AND BUST
Crypto lenders, the de facto banks of the crypto world, boomed during the pandemic, attracting retail customers with double-digit rates in return for their cryptocurrency deposits. On the flip side, institutional investors such as hedge funds looking to make leveraged bets paid higher rates to borrow the funds from the lenders, who profited from the difference. read more
Crypto lenders are not required to hold capital or liquidity buffers like traditional lenders and some found themselves exposed when a shortage of collateral forced them – and their customers – to shoulder large losses. read more
Voyager Digital, which became one of the biggest casualties of the summer when it filed for bankruptcy in July, provides a window into the rapid growth of unsecured crypto lending.
The New Jersey-based lender’s crypto loan book grew from $380 million in March 2021 to around $2 billion in March 2022, and it took collateral for just 11% of that $2 billion, the company’s regulatory filings show.
The lender collapsed after Three Arrows defaulted on a crypto loan worth more than $650 million at the time. Although neither party have said if this loan was unsecured, Voyager did not report liquidating any collateral over the default, while Three Arrows listed its collateral status with Voyager as “unknown”, the companies’ bankruptcy filings show. read more
Voyager declined to comment for this article.
Rival lender Celsius Network, which also filed for bankruptcy in July, offered unsecured loans too, court filings show, although Reuters could not ascertain the scale.
Since most loans are private, the amount of unsecured lending across the industry is unknown, with even those involved in the business giving wildly different estimates.
Crypto research firm Arkham Intelligence put the figure in the region of $10 billion, for instance, while crypto lender TrueFi said at least $25 billion.
Antoni Trenchev, co-founder of crypto lender Nexo, said that his company had turned down requests from funds and traders asking for unsecured loans. He estimated uncollateralized lending across the industry was “probably in the hundreds of billions of dollars”.
BULLISH ON BORROWING
While Blockchain.com has largely pulled back from unsecured lending, many crypto lenders remain confident about the practice.
Most of the 11 lenders interviewed by Reuters said they would still provide uncollateralized loans, though they did not specify how much of their loan book this would be.
Joe Hickey, global head of trading at BlockFi, a major crypto lender, said it would continue its practice of offering unsecured loans only to top clients for which it had seen audited financials.
A third of BlockFi’s $1.8 billion loans were unsecured as of June 30, according to the company, which was bailed out by crypto exchange FTX in July, when it cited losses on a loan and increased customer withdrawals. read more
“I think our risk-management process was one of the things that saved us from having any bigger credit events,” Hickey said.
Furthermore, a growing number of smaller, peer-to-peer lending platforms are seeking to fill the gap left by the exit of centralized players such as Voyager and Celsius.
Sid Powell, co-founder and CEO of unsecured crypto lending platform Maple, said institutional crypto lenders were more cautious after Three Arrows’ insolvency, but conditions have since normalized and lenders are now again comfortable lending unsecured.
Executives at two other peer-to-peer lenders, TrueFi and Atlendis, said they had seen an increase in demand as market makers continue to seek unsecured loans.
Brent Xu, CEO of Umee, another peer-to-peer platform, said the crypto industry would learn from its mistakes, and that lenders would fare better by extending loans to a more diversified range of crypto companies.
For example, that would include firms seeking to make acquisitions or to fund expansion, he added, rather than focusing on those making leveraged trades on crypto prices.
“I’m very bullish on the future of unsecured borrowing and lending,” Xu said.
MILLION DOLLARS OF BITCOIN
To be sure, many crypto loans are secured. Even then, though, the collateral is frequently in the form of volatile tokens that can quickly lose value.
BlockFi over-collateralized a loan to Three Arrows but still lost $80 million on it, the lender’s CEO Zac Prince said in a tweet in July. BlockFi said its lending to the hedge fund was secured with a basket of crypto tokens and shares in a bitcoin trust.
“A more traditional lender would likely want more than full collateral coverage on a loan backed by crypto, because in any given day the collateral value could swing by 20% or more,” said Daniel Besikof, a partner at Loeb & Loeb who works in bankruptcy.
“Lending a million dollars against a million dollars of bitcoin is riskier than lending against more traditional, stable collateral.”
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Reporting by Elizabeth Howcroft in London and Hannah Lang in Washington; Editing by Michelle Price and Pravin Char
Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.
Elizabeth Howcroft
Thomson Reuters
Reports on the intersection of finance and technology, including cryptocurrencies, NFTs, virtual worlds and the money driving “Web3”.
U.S. Canadian Warships Sail Through Taiwan Strait For 2nd Time In A Year Reuters
U.S., Canadian Warships Sail Through Taiwan Strait For 2nd Time In A Year – Reuters https://bentoncountynewsnow.com/u-s-canadian-warships-sail-through-taiwan-strait-for-2nd-time-in-a-year-reuters/
The USS Higgins is docked in the northern Israeli city of Haifa September 6, 2009. The destroyer is one of 18 American ships deployed globally with Aegis interceptor systems capable of blowing up ballistic missiles above the atmosphere. REUTERS/Baz Ratner/File Photo
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Second joint transit by the two nations’ navies since Oct 2021
China’s military says it monitored, warned the ships
Narrow waterway has been frequent source of tension
Sept 20 (Reuters) – A U.S. Navy warship and a Canadian frigate made a routine transit through the Taiwan Strait on Tuesday, the militaries of both nations said, at a time of heightened military tension between Beijing and Taipei.
The transit was the second in a month by a U.S. Navy ship, and the second jointly by the United States and Canada in less than a year, since October 2021. read more
While China condemned the mission, saying its forces “warned” the ships, recent years have seen U.S. warships, and occasionally those of allied nations such as Britain and Canada, routinely sail through the strait.
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Such trips anger China, which claims Taiwan over the objections of the island’s democratically elected government.
“Cooperation like this represents the centrepiece of our approach to a secure and prosperous region,” the U.S. Navy said in a statement.
The Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer Higgins and the Royal Canadian Navy’s Halifax-class frigate Vancouver made the transit through a corridor in the strait that is beyond the territorial sea of any coastal state, it added.
Canadian Defence Minister Anita Anand said that as a Pacific nation, her country was deeply committed to upholding global stability and prosperity in the Indo-Pacific region.
“Today’s routine Taiwan Strait transit demonstrates our commitment to a free, open and inclusive Indo-Pacific,” she said in a statement.
Taiwan’s foreign ministry welcomed the action.
“This operation though the Taiwan Strait is, even more, a concrete demonstration of the resolute opposition of democratic allies to China’s expansion attempts,” it said.
The Eastern Theatre Command of China’s People’s Liberation Army said its forces monitored the ships and “warned them”.
“Theatre forces are always on high alert, resolutely counter all threats and provocations, and resolutely defend national sovereignty and territorial integrity,” it said in a statement, employing its usual phrasing for such responses.
Taiwan’s defence ministry said the ships sailed north through the waterway and its forces observed the mission but “the situation was as normal”.
A visit to Taiwan early in August by U.S. House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi enraged China, which subsequently launched military drills near the island that have continued, although on a much reduced scale.
The narrow Taiwan Strait has been a frequent source of military tension since the defeated Republic of China government fled to Taiwan in 1949 after losing a civil war with the communists, who established the People’s Republic of China.
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Reporting by Idrees Ali; Additional reporting by Michael Martina, Ben Blanchard and Steve Scherer; Editing by Raju Gopalakrishnan and Clarence Fernandez
Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.
IPad Pro 2022 Models Tipped By Logitech Ahead Of Launch The Indian Express
IPad Pro 2022 Models Tipped By Logitech Ahead Of Launch – The Indian Express https://bentoncountynewsnow.com/ipad-pro-2022-models-tipped-by-logitech-ahead-of-launch-the-indian-express/
But ahead of the rumoured October event, Logitech updated the page for its popular Cyayon stylus mentioning that the digital pencil will support the upcoming iPad models. Logitech mentioned that its stylus will be compatible with iPad Pro 12.9-inch (6th gen) and iPad Pro 11-inch (4th gen) and said that the models are “coming soon,” according to 9to5Mac.
However, these listings do not give us any insight as to what the upcoming iPad Pro models will offer in terms of hardware. Unsurprisingly, Logitech has removed the listing from its page.
In case you are unaware, Logitech and Apple have been working closely with each other for years now. It is the reason why Logitech’s Crayon stylus offers the same features on iPadOS as the Apple pencil. Even the first version of the Logitech Crayon was announced at a special event back in March 2018.
Rumour mill has it that the upcoming iPad Pro models will be powered by Apple’s latest M2 chip, unchanged chassis and transition from a 3-pin to a 4-pin connector. Also, the known tipsters Ming-Chi Kuo and Ross Young suggested that the new iPad will consist of LCD and mini-LED models. Some leaks have also indicated that a pocket-friendly version of the iPad is also underway.
Area Volleyball Roundup For Sept. 20: Black Panthers Top Burke In Battle Of Ranked Foes Mitchell Republic
Area Volleyball Roundup For Sept. 20: Black Panthers Top Burke In Battle Of Ranked Foes – Mitchell Republic https://bentoncountynewsnow.com/area-volleyball-roundup-for-sept-20-black-panthers-top-burke-in-battle-of-ranked-foes-mitchell-republic/
Platte-Geddes’ Emerson Ringling (11) winds up for an attack with teammates Avery DeVries (8) and Regan Hoffman (2) looking on as Burke’s Piper Hanson set up a solo block attempt during a prep volleyball match on Tuesday, September 20, 2022, in Platte.
Landon Dierks / Mitchell Republic
PLATTE, S.D. — A huge night at the net helped Class A No. 3 Platte-Geddes defeat Class B No. 4 Burke in a battle of ranked foes in four sets on Tuesday night in high school volleyball action. Set scores were 25-22, 16-25, 25-9 and 26-24 in favor of the Black Panthers.
P-G’s Karly VanDerWerff had 14 kills, six blocks and 11 digs. Cadence Van Zee and Avery DeVries each had three blocks, with Van Zee had 11 kills and 18 digs and DeVries posting 38 set assists. Regan Hoffman had 13 kills, two blocks, 11 digs and three aces, and Hadley Hanson had 12 digs.
Burke had 15 kills from Adisyn Indahl, while picking up 10 kills and 12 digs from Kailee Frank. Ava Sargent had 11 set assists and 11 digs, while Elle Johnson added 17 digs for the Cougars, who dropped to 10-3 on the season.
Platte-Geddes (11-2) is back in action on Saturday, Sept. 24 at the Sanford Pentagon tournament in Sioux Falls, leading off with a match against Rapid City Christian. Burke faces Bon Homme and Chamberlain on Thursday in a triangular in Tyndall.
Nearly identical statistical production from Kate Miller and Erin Uecker helped Freeman get past Scotland in three sets on Tuesday. Miller and Uecker each had eight kills, a block and three aces, while Miller had 11 digs and Uecker had 10 in the home win.
Gracie Oakley had 14 kills and Mya Nuebel had five aces, nine kills and 21 digs for Parkston on Tuesday in a four-set win at Winner, improving the Trojans to 11-6. Cora Moss had a match-high 23 digs for Winner.
Hanson topped rival Bridgewater-Emery in five sets behind some large statistical efforts. Annalyse Weber had 11 kills and 15 digs, while Jersey Kampshoff had 33 digs and four aces. Jalyn Kampshoff had 29 set assists, as well. The Huskies had 16 assists, 20 digs and four aces from Oakley Weber.
Megan Reiner and Gracey Schatz had 12 kills, with 12 digs added from Schatz, while Hannah Stremick had 30 assists and five ace serves for Tripp-Delmont/Armour in a sweep of Andes Central/Dakota Christian in Armour.
Dani Deffenbaugh had 27 kills, three blocks and 10 digs for Kimball/White Lake as the Wildkats rallied out of a first-set hole for a 3-1 win over Corsica-Stickney. Payton DeLange had 11 kills, 14 digs and five aces for the Jaguars.
Cassidy Keiser had six aces and nine kills for Gregory in a home sweep over Todd County on Tuesday. Mya Determan had eight kills and four aces, as well.
Miranda Moravelz had six aces and Ellie Koenig added four more for Deubrook Area in a three-set sweep of Deuel on Tuesday night. The Dolphins finished with 15 aces as a team.
Piper Thompson had six aces and 27 digs for Howard, while Canyon Kidd added five aces. Kate Connor had a team-high 17 kills for the Tigers, who are now 10-4.
Daniela Lee had five total blocks to help Colman-Egan sweep Canistota on Tuesday, improving to 9-3.
It was a night for dual milestones for Northwestern’s volleyball squad. Ella Haven earned her 1,000th career kill, while fellow senior and setter Brooklinn Halvorson picked up career assist No. 2,000. Halvorson had 22 assists, 10 digs and five aces, while Haven had 18 kills as Northwestern won in three sets over Leola-Frederick to move to 11-5.
Kimball/White Lake’s Dani Deffenbaugh celebrates a Wildkats’ point against Burke in a volleyball match on Thursday, Sept. 1, 2022, at White Lake.
Adam Thury / Mitchell Republic
A couple of top Mitchell-area standouts recently reached notable career milestones.
For Kimball/White Lake, Dani Deffenbaugh picked up her 1,000th kill in her career as the Wildkats won four times at the Ipswich Tournament on Saturday. For the tournament, the 5-foot-9 senior outside hitter had 46 kills, and she is hammering kills at a rate of 4.5 per set before her season-best effort on Tuesday night with 27 kills.
Another top area hitter achieved 1,000 kills earlier this month, with Burke’s Adisyn Indahl reaching the milestone on Sept. 3 at the Gregory Tournament. She is now the third Cougar player all-time to reach the milestone, joining her sister Taylee (who now plays at Dakota Wesleyan) and Mandy Baxa. The 5-foot-6 senior Indahl entered the week with 1,092 kills and 1,597 digs in her career.
Tuesday’s statewide scores
Aberdeen Christian def. Waubay/Summit, 25-16, 14-25, 25-20, 25-23
Arlington def. Madison, 25-16, 25-18, 25-20
Britton-Hecla def. Waverly-South Shore, 25-15, 25-10, 25-19
Brookings def. Mitchell, 25-22, 25-19, 15-25, 21-25, 15-11
Chester Area def. Parker, 25-9, 25-4, 25-12
Colman-Egan def. Canistota, 25-21, 25-14, 25-7
Dakota Valley def. West Central, 25-8, 25-6, 25-10
Deubrook Area def. Deuel, 25-10, 25-9, 25-11
Elk Point-Jefferson def. Beresford, 25-22, 25-23, 25-12
Elkton-Lake Benton def. Baltic, 25-16, 25-18, 26-24
Faulkton Area def. Highmore-Harrold, 25-14, 25-16, 25-15
Florence/Henry def. Sisseton, 25-20, 25-7, 25-11
Freeman def. Scotland, 25-13, 25-12, 25-17
Garretson def. Dell Rapids, 25-23, 25-16, 25-19
Gregory def. Todd County, 25-14, 25-6, 25-13
Hanson def. Bridgewater-Emery, 25-16, 23-25, 25-21, 19-25, 15-2
Hitchcock-Tulare def. Iroquois/Lake Preston, 25-21, 18-25, 20-25, 25-18, 15-13
Howard def. Dell Rapids St. Mary, 25-21, 25-23, 22-25, 27-25
Huron def. Aberdeen Central, 25-22, 25-20, 25-22
Kimball/White Lake def. Corsica-Stickney, 16-25, 25-17, 25-21, 25-21
Lower Brule def. Sunshine Bible Academy, 25-17, 25-17, 24-26, 25-21
McCook Central/Montrose def. Flandreau, 20-25, 25-13, 25-10, 25-20
Miller def. Redfield, 25-23, 25-20, 25-17
Northwestern def. Leola/Frederick Area, 25-5, 25-5, 25-10
Parkston def. Winner, 25-12, 25-12, 22-25, 25-18
Philip def. White River, 28-26, 25-23, 25-15
Platte-Geddes def. Burke, 25-22, 16-25, 25-9, 26-24
Potter County def. Ipswich, 25-21, 16-25, 25-18, 25-19
Sioux Falls Lincoln def. Yankton, 25-16, 25-11, 25-16
Sioux Falls Lutheran def. Centerville, 25-12, 23-25, 25-16, 25-21
Sioux Falls O’Gorman def. Sioux Falls Jefferson, 25-16, 25-9, 23-25, 25-20
Sioux Falls Washington def. 25-15, 22-25, 25-14, 23-25, 15-12
Sioux Valley def. Milbank, 25-18, 25-14, 25-20
Spearfish def. Sturgis, 25-19, 25-9, 25-19
Tripp-Delmont/Armour def. Andes Central/Dakota Christian, 25-20, 25-15, 25-16
Viborg-Hurley def. Menno, 25-19, 25-13, 23-25, 25-21
Wall def. Lyman, 20-25, 26-24, 19-25, 25-13, 16-14
Wagner def. Bon Homme, 25-20, 25-14, 25-11
Warner def. Groton Area, 25-10, 25-15, 25-10
Webster Area def. Wilmot, 25-11, 25-18, 25-20
Wolsey-Wessington def. Sanborn Central/Woonsocket, 25-17, 25-10, 25-8
Our newsroom occasionally reports stories under a byline of “Mitchell Republic.” Often, the “Mitchell Republic” byline is used when rewriting basic news briefs that originate from official sources, such as a city press release about a road closure, and which require little or no reporting. At times, this byline is used when a news story includes numerous authors or when the story is formed by aggregating previously reported news from various sources. If outside sources are used, it is noted within the story.
Fall Travel: Beach Vacations You Can Take Without A Passport BET
Fall Travel: Beach Vacations You Can Take Without A Passport – BET https://bentoncountynewsnow.com/fall-travel-beach-vacations-you-can-take-without-a-passport-bet/
As the temperature starts to dip to the colder side, the temptation to pack a swimsuit and hit sandy shores is one that we understand. While there is nothing wrong with shorter days and cooler nights, who can resist the sugary sandy stretches of an island paradise?
However, if you don’t have a passport or it’s expired, you may think you are stuck only dreaming of a warm getaway. But no need to fret as enjoying a beach vacay sans a passport is possible. The only question is where to go. “Look for places that offer a different culture, like Hawaii or Guam,” says Richard Cantave, Chief Vacation Officer at Haitian Nomad. And forget about trying to figure out the best day to book for the best price; the rules have changed. The key is to set an alert, says Cantave.
Start by finding a flight based on your schedule. “Then go on Google Flights and set an alert for that flight, and you will receive daily reminders, so you can see if the price is going up or down,” he says. You can then book once the flight is in the range you want to spend.
Here is a list of places to add to your google flight alerts that you can travel to without a passport.
Florida
The Sunshine State has options far more than just a beach vacation, but if you are in the mood for sugary white sands, head to Siesta Key Beach, which has been voted one of the most beautiful beaches in the world. Or head to Key West in October, where you can check out Fantasy Fest every fall—a 10-day celebration with parades, pool parties, body painting, karaoke, and more.
While known for amusement parks like Disney World and Universal Studios in Orlando, you can opt to take in some history and tasty bites. Tampa offers Hyde Park or a trolley ride to the old Cigar Capital of The World Ybor City, where you will find the state’s oldest restaurant, Columbia, serving up Spanish-Cuban cuisine.
The only caveat is that hurricane season runs from June to the end of November. So consider getting flight and/or travel insurance. “I would not recommend anyone fly without some kind of insurance, especially with all of the delays right now,” says Cantave. While flight insurance can cover cancellations, you should also consider travel insurance for things like lost luggage. “But also, look into your credit card policies because some have certain travel insurance benefits,” he says.
Puerto Rico
While you may automatically think of San Juan when PR crosses your mind, this U.S. territory has much more to offer. For example, Flamenco Beach which is considered among the top ten beaches globally. However, it isn’t for those looking to party hard as it’s light on the luxury hotels, casinos, or crowds. Still, it is dreamy and as beautiful as a postcard. You may also want to check out Culebra, a small island surrounded by more than 20 cays filled with beautiful marine life, perfect for beach lovers and those who love to snorkel.
U.S. Virgin Islands
The USVI has three main islands: St. Thomas, St. John, and St. Croix, each with a unique vibe. As of June 1, all COVID-19 entry requirements were dropped, meaning passengers are no longer required to complete a screening portal. In addition to offering delicious food, the islands are also popular wedding and honeymoon destinations. For those looking for a bit of adventure, you can hike and enjoy the stunning views, dive in azure waters and glide through the tropical breeze as you windsurf. For an authentic experience, visit during Carnival, which takes place on all three of the main islands. This year St. Croix’s Carnival will commence in December and honors the Crucian Christmas and New Year.
Guam
Located in the North Pacific Ocean and 5,800 miles west of San Francisco is the beautiful crystal clear waters of the island of Guam. The climate stays constant, ranging from 70 to 90 °F making it a true tropical paradise. This exotic destination will keep you busy, but you can just relax and check out thriving coral reefs visible up to 150 feet at places like Tumon or Pitti Bomb. In addition to its stunning shores, you can indulge in its 4,000-year history by visiting one of its 130 historical sites, like the Pacific War Museum, where you can learn about the island’s essential key role in World War II.
California
The Golden State, as it’s been nicknamed since 1968, offers more than just earthquakes and Hollywood elite. It is also a place that has beautiful beach towns like Santa Cruz, Carmel-by-the-Sea, and Laguna Beach. Visit Santa Cruz for hiking in Cowell State Park, roller coaster rides at the Beach Boardwalk, fresh seafood, and shopping at the wharf, or take a 35-mile ride to Pigeon Point Lighthouse, the tallest lighthouse on the West Coast of the United States built in 1871 to guide ships.
If surfing, biking, libraries, and museums are more of your thing, then Carmel-by-the-Sea is the place for you. And while you can enjoy the sea caves of Laguna Beach, the city has more than 20,000 acres of protected wilderness to explore. So, in addition to flip flops, don’t forget hiking boots.
Hawaii
There couldn’t possibly be a round-up of passport-free beach trips without the mention of Hawaii. You can head to Haleiwa if you want to have your surfing skills tested as well as enjoy galleries and restaurants. Or there is Kauai, where there are breathtaking mountain views, sea cliffs, and sandy beaches. If freshwater rivers are more your speed, then Waikiki Beach, Oahu, is where you need to book your trip. Located on the south shore of Honolulu, the main strip of Kalakaua Avenue, is where you’ll be able to shop, dine and find entertainment.
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LIVE- BJP Threatens To Block Madhya Pradesh Leg Of Congs Bharat Jodo Yatra Hindustan Times
LIVE- BJP Threatens To Block Madhya Pradesh Leg Of Cong’s ‘Bharat Jodo Yatra’ – Hindustan Times https://bentoncountynewsnow.com/live-bjp-threatens-to-block-madhya-pradesh-leg-of-congs-bharat-jodo-yatra-hindustan-times/
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Updated on Sep 21, 2022 09:52 AM IST
Breaking news September 21, 2022 LIVE: Get latest news, breaking news, latest updates, live news, top headlines, breaking business news and top news of the hour.
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Sep 21, 2022 09:52 AM IST
Bengaluru | Barricades put up after a part of the Sumanahalli flyover caved in
Sep 21, 2022 09:40 AM IST
BJP threatens to block Madhya Pradesh leg of ‘Bharat Jodo Yatra’ over Cong leader’s alleged ‘anti-Brahmin’ remark
A Madhya Pradesh Congress leader’s alleged objectionable remarks about the Brahmin community have triggered a controversy with the BJP threatening to prevent Rahul Gandhi’s ongoing ‘Bharat Jodo Yatra’ from entering the state if the leader is not expelled from the party.
However, Madhya Pradesh Congress Committee media cell chairman KK Mishra, to whom the objectionable remarks have been attributed, claimed his comments have been “twisted” by the ruling party as they are rattled by the huge response Gandhi’s mass contact drive was getting across the country.
Sep 21, 2022 09:09 AM IST
India logs 4,510 fresh Covid cases in last 24 hours
India’s daily Covid-19 witnessed a spike of 4,510 fresh infections – as against 4,043 a day ago. The total number of active cases is now at 46,216.
Sep 21, 2022 08:14 AM IST
Delhi – 4 dead as truck mows down 4 people sleeping on the road divider
Delhi | At 1:51am, an unknown speeding truck mowed downc & injured 2 persons who were sleeping on the road divider, while crossing DTC Depot Redlight in Seemapuri. Two people died on the spot, one was declared brought dead & the fourth died during initial treatment: Police
Sep 21, 2022 07:17 AM IST
High alert in Kerala after two shutters of Parambikulam dam developed snags and opened on their own
High alert in Kerala after two shutters of Parambikulam dam developed snags and opened on their own. People living on the banks of rivers near the dam alerted and people living in low lying areas evacuated.
Sep 21, 2022 07:01 AM IST
Rahul Gandhi starts ‘Bharat Jodo Yatra’ on its 14th day from Kochi
Source: ANI
Congress MP Rahul Gandhi, along with party leaders and workers, resumes ‘Bharat Jodo Yatra’ on its 14th day from Kochi, reports ANI.
Sep 21, 2022 06:22 AM IST
Man sets himself on fire near Japan PM’s office
A man was taken to hospital unconscious after apparently setting himself on fire near the office of Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida on Wednesday, local media said.
Sep 21, 2022 06:07 AM IST
Twitter to depose Elon Musk in Delaware on Sept 26-27
Twitter Inc will question Elon Musk under oath in Delaware next week as part of the litigation in the billionaire’s bid to walk away from his $44 billion deal for the social media company.
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Sep 21, 2022 05:36 AM IST
‘Increased consequences’ if Russia annexes parts of Ukraine, warns US
There will be increased consequences if Russia were to annex parts of Ukraine, a senior U.S. State Department official said on Tuesday, as Moscow-installed leaders in occupied areas of four Ukrainian regions planned to hold referendums on joining Russia.
“We have made clear that there will be increased consequences. We have … a number of tools,” the official said.
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Monsoon withdraws from parts of southwest Rajasthan: IMD
Published on Sep 21, 2022 09:53 AM IST
Last year, the monsoon began its retreat after mid-October and it had withdrawn from the country by October 25, the seventh most delayed withdrawal since 1975
All SC constitution bench proceedings to be live-streamed from Sep 27
Updated on Sep 21, 2022 09:13 AM IST
Senior advocate Indira Jaising last week wrote to the CJI and his companion judges requesting the Supreme Court to begin live streaming of proceedings of matters of public and constitutional importance
What’s Ashok Gehlot’s next move ahead of Cong polls? ‘Persuade Rahul Gandhi’
Published on Sep 21, 2022 08:56 AM IST
Rajasthan chief minister Ashok Gehlot, at a late-night meeting, told his party MLAs that they will be called to Delhi if he decides the file he nomination for the election to the Congress president post.
‘Staying far no excuse for ignorance’: Srinagar police raps Owaisi
Updated on Sep 21, 2022 09:18 AM IST
In a tweet, the city police explained that Jamia masjid is “fully open” and only on three instances after Covid restrictions were lifted, the mosque was “temporarily shut” for Friday noon prayers owing to “inputs of terror attack or (to maintain) law and order situation.”
High alert in Kerala after Parabhikulam dam in Palakkad develops snags
Published on Sep 21, 2022 07:45 AM IST
Fishing and tour activities in all rivers in the two districts of Palakkad and Thrissur were restricted in view of the unexpected development.
‘No low where Sambit…?’ Cong on ‘Rahul Gandhi’s pic with hijab-clad girl’ row
Published on Sep 21, 2022 05:50 AM IST
Shashi Tharoor asked whether there is no low to which BJP spokesperson Sambit Patra won’t sink after the BJP leader on Tuesday accused Rahul Gandhi of minority appeasement as he had been clicked with a hijab-clad girl amid the ongoing Bharat Jodo Yatra.
LIVE- BJP threatens to block Madhya Pradesh leg of Cong’s ‘Bharat Jodo Yatra’
Updated on Sep 21, 2022 09:52 AM IST
Breaking news September 21, 2022 LIVE: Get latest news, breaking news, latest updates, live news, top headlines, breaking business news and top news of the hour.
Naga peace talks: Centre emissary, NSCN-IM hold informal meet
Published on Sep 21, 2022 12:48 AM IST
A seven-member delegation of NSCN-IM, the largest Naga rebel group, is currently on a visit to the national capital to resume the peace talks which were halted due to lack of consensus on a few core issues, particularly over the recognition of the Naga flag and constitution
Pune-based BORI offers online access to rare ancient books
Updated on Sep 21, 2022 12:45 AM IST
The institute is also transforming its online courses in languages, philosophy, science, arts, and medicine, among others, and will develop a mobile application for people who are interested in the courses
Discussed TN law and order with Shah, says EPS
Published on Sep 21, 2022 12:41 AM IST
Following the meeting with Shah, EPS told reporters in Delhi that the meeting was a courtesy call and that politics was not discussed. The leader of the opposition said that they discussed the prevailing situation in Tamil Nadu
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Funerals | News Sports Jobs Williamsport Sun-Gazette
Funerals | News, Sports, Jobs – Williamsport Sun-Gazette https://bentoncountynewsnow.com/funerals-news-sports-jobs-williamsport-sun-gazette/
CASE — Diane (Taylor) Case, Mansfield, 11 a.m. today, First Baptist Church, 7 Sherwood St., Mansfield.
LAMBERT — Jody E. Lambert, Forks Township, 11 a.m. today, St. Basil’s Church, Dushore. Visitation from 4 to 7 p.m. today, Homer Funeral Home, Dushore.
OELER — Connie M. Oeler, Loyalsock Township, 2 p.m. today, Spitler Funeral Home, 733 Broad St., Montoursville. Visitation from 1 to 2 p.m.
GUISER — Harold R. Guiser, South Williamsport, 4 to 7 p.m., today, Crouse Funeral Home, 133 E. Third St., Williamsport.
WARREN — John E. Warren Jr., Avis., 6 p.m. today, Frederick B. Welker Funeral Home, 125 N. Main St., Jersey Shore.
KEPNER — Violet Mae Kepner, Hughesville, 11 a.m. Thursday, McCarty-Thomas Funeral Home, 557 E. Water St., Hughesville.
MUZIC — William L. Muzie (Bill), 11 a.m. Thursday, Crouse Funeral Home, 133 E. Third St., Williamsport. Visitation from 10 to 11 a.m.
JACOBS — Lynn (Jake) Robert Jacobs, city, 6 to 8 p.m. Thursday, Williamsport Church of the Nazarene, 3200 Lycoming Creek Road, Williamsport.
Metavision Event To Highlight Dubai Metaverse Strategy Khaleej Times
Metavision Event To Highlight Dubai Metaverse Strategy – Khaleej Times https://bentoncountynewsnow.com/metavision-event-to-highlight-dubai-metaverse-strategy-khaleej-times/
One-day event to see thought leadership speeches, interactive sessions, panel discussions, AR/VR Installations and more
Published: Wed 21 Sep 2022, 12:28 AM
Last updated: Wed 21 Sep 2022, 12:29 AM
Experts will delve into the world of metaverse as Khaleej Times hosts Metavision in Dubai on September 21. The one-day event, which is being held under the endorsement of the UAE Ministry of Artificial Intelligence, will see thought leadership speeches, interactive sessions, panel discussions, AR/VR Installations and more.
It will bring together government officials, thought leaders and influencers, policymakers, private sector companies and startups, investors and enthusiasts.
The event being held at the Habtoor Palace Hotel will also see the Khaleej Times’ metaverse launch.
The digital world as we know it is being reshaped and it is more important than ever for businesses to reimagine their presence online.
The innovation hub of the world, Dubai, is making some serious inroads into the metaverse. A strategy announced by Dubai Crown Prince Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum recently aims to put the emirate among the world’s top 10 metaverse economies and make it a global hub for the metaverse community. The Dubai Metaverse Strategy aims to build on the emirate’s achievement of attracting more than 1,000 companies in the fields of blockchain and metaverse. The metaverse will support 40,000 virtual jobs and add $4 billion to Dubai’s economy in five years, according to Sheikh Hamdan.
Khaleej Times’ Metavision event will highlight the Dubai Metaverse Strategy, future of the metaverse, investments and technology, and ecosystem development. It will also take a deep dive into government and policy regulations.
Top experts at the event include Musab Obaid AlHammadi, project manager at the AI Office under the Prime Minister’s Office – Research and Infrastructure Section; Dr Marwan Al Zarouni, chief executive officer, Dubai Blockchain Centre; Leila Hurstel, chief metaverse officer, VerseEstate; Sebastien Borget, co-founder, Sandbox Metaverse Platform; and Ramana Kumar, CEO, Magnati, among others.
They will discuss everything from cryptocurrency to non-fungible tokens (NFTs), experiential commerce, how governments should prepare for the metaverse, and blending of the physical and digital worlds.
Other topics include gaming in the metaverse, buying virtual lands, virtual reality in healthcare, and how Web 3.0 is redefining the retail industry.
Lead sponsor for the event is Galadari Brothers; while strategic partners include Redington and Magnati. Networking partner is Kalandoor Group and ecosystem partner, Crypto Oasis. The event is supported by the Dubai Blockchain Centre.
Redington Gulf to participate
Redington Gulf, a leading digital distributor in the Middle East and Africa, is a big name at Metavision 2022.
The distributor is driving the charge to support partners and customers to accelerate their digital transformation objectives and fast-track their businesses into the future. This includes enabling its ecosystem to realize the infinite advantages of the metaverse, the next big opportunity that blends our physical reality with augmented and virtual reality (AR and VR).
Redington Value’s president Sayantan Dev said: “At Redington we understand that today the speed with which innovation takes place is phenomenal, however adoption rates don’t match the same pace. Our aim is to address this gap – what we call technology friction – and eliminate it globally by bringing digital innovation, disruptive technologies and world-class consulting and professional services closer to our partners and customers.
“As the distributor of Microsoft HoloLens 2 for the Gulf region, our ecosystem can leverage the strengths of our 15 plus years experience. Supporting and participating at Khaleej Times’ Metavision 2022 event shows our commitment to digital innovation and to the fact that metaverse is swiftly moving away from being a buzzword. We look forward to designing unique and end-to-end solutions with Microsoft HoloLens 2.”
Redington also boasts a robust Independent Software Vendor (ISV) ecosystem. Over the years, the distributor has undergone a great evolution. From being an ‘aggregator’ for innovative solutions and services, it became a ‘catalyst’ for partners to empower customers’ digital drives.
11 Shows Like Blindspot To Watch If You Miss Blindspot TV Guide
11 Shows Like Blindspot To Watch If You Miss Blindspot – TV Guide https://bentoncountynewsnow.com/11-shows-like-blindspot-to-watch-if-you-miss-blindspot-tv-guide/
Jaimie Alexander, Blindspot
Barbara Nitke/NBC/Warner Brothers
Make sure you check your… you know. NBC’s action-packed, elaborately plotted, and knowingly funny FBI conspiracy thriller Blindspot ended after 100 episodes on the dot in 2020 (it’s still available to stream on Hulu). The show tells the twisty tale of Jane Doe (Jaimie Alexander), who in the pilot wakes up naked in a duffel bag in Times Square. She has no memory of who she is, but she’s covered from head-to-toe in tattoos, each of which contains a clue about a crime that has to be solved by an FBI task force led by Kurt Weller (Sullivan Stapleton), the subject of one of Jane’s most prominent tats. Over the course of the show, Jane and Weller become teammates, then spouses, as the mystery of Jane’s past gets unraveled.
Jaimie Alexander’s body is probably glad the show is over — she did many of her own stunts, and suffered an unbelievable list of herniated disks, broken bones, and dislocated joints as a result — but the rest of us really miss it. If you’re still on the search for something that will thrill you like Blindspot, we have some recommendations for what to watch next. Our list includes female-fronted action shows, thrillers with a sense of humor, and long-running mysteries. Every show that should be on this list is, because we don’t have a… you know.
More recommendations:
These Are the Best Shows to Watch Based on Shows You Already Love
The Best Shows on Hulu
The Best Action Shows to Watch Right Now
Quantum Leap
Caitlin Bassett and Raymond Lee, Quantum Leap
Ron Batzdorff/NBC
This reboot of the beloved 1989-1993 sci-fi series claims Blindspot creator Martin Gero as its executive producer and showrunner, which gives it a bit of a Blindspot feel despite its different time-traveling premise. In 2022’s Quantum Leap, physicist Ben Song (Raymond Lee), a member of a team investigating the mysterious disappearance of the original series’ Dr. Sam Beckett (Scott Bakula, who chose not to return for the reboot), makes an unauthorized leap into the past. When he gets there, he has amnesia, and he needs the help of his team to figure out who he is and what his mission is in any given episode, but also the overarching question of why he jumped into the past in the first place. The amnesia element, the highly specialized and eccentric support team, and that fast-paced Martin Gero broadcast drama style will make Blindspot fans feel like they leapt into the right time and place.
Keep Breathing
Melissa Barrera, Keep Breathing
Ricardo Hubbs/Netflix
This Netflix limited series was created by a pair of Blindspot executive producers, the aforementioned Martin Gero and Brendan Gall. It’s about an emotionally stunted attorney from New York City named Liv (Melissa Barrera) who has to survive alone in the Canadian wilderness after her plane crashes. In order to, you know, keep breathing, she has to figure out how to get food, water, and shelter, as well as confront the inner pain and turmoil that has made her life a struggle. Gero and Gall are versatile writers, and it’s pretty cool how Keep Breathing is a totally different genre and structure than Blindspot but still has some feelings in common. Like Jane Doe, Liv is a tough, emotionally complex heroine who has to figure out who she really is and who she really wants to be.
The Equalizer
Queen Latifah, The Equalizer
Barbara Nitke/CBS
If you want a new show about a tough woman with a mysterious past leading a team of operatives as they fight for what’s right, check out CBS’ The Equalizer. Queen Latifah stars in the action packed-show as Robyn McCall, a former CIA agent who now uses her skills to get vigilante justice for people who have been failed by the system. Her allies include an NYPD detective (Tory Kittles) who’s the Jim Gordon to her Batman; a fun-loving, stylishly dressed sniper (Liza Lapira); and a cranky computer hacker (Adam Goldberg). The show is the second reboot of the Edward Woodward-led ’80s TV series of the same name — the first was Denzel Washington‘s Equalizer movie franchise. Queen Latifah doesn’t do the physically punishing stunts Jaimie Alexander did on Blindspot, but she does ride her own motorcycle, so that’s something.
Cypher
Martin Dingle Wall, Cypher
Roku
The Roku Channel’s first original scripted series could be a Blindspot spin-off or a mish-mash of Blindspot and The Blacklist. The crime thriller follows a cryptanalyst brought in by the FBI to break a code that turns out to be a master criminal hitlist, and the double crosses begin! While not quite at the level of quality of Blindspot or other network FBI thrillers — it is a free show on Roku, after all — Cypher definitely has the twists, action, and FBI offices with giant screens and glass walls to keep a fan of Blindspot happy. –Tim Surette
Hanna
Esmé Creed-Miles, Hanna
Christopher Raphael/Amazon Prime Video
Amazon’s original series Hanna is an adaptation of Joe Wright’s 2011 action film Hanna, which — based on the sheer amount of ass-kicking and government conspiracies — was clearly an influence on Blindspot. The 2019 series follows a similar trajectory as the film: A teen girl (Esme Creed-Miles) groomed and genetically enhanced to become a super assassin for a secretive CIA program gets loose and goes on a mission to find out what the heck is going on, snapping arms and dislocating the shoulders of anyone who gets in her way. But from Season 2 on, Hanna the show expands on the mythology of the film for a solid shoot-em-up with great character work at its center. Plus, thanks to Amazon’s deep pockets, Hanna is a globe-trotting show that films in exotic locations, just like Blindspot. It wrapped after three seasons in 2021. –Tim Surette
Absentia
Stana Katic, Absentia
Amazon
Castle‘s Stana Katic stars in this thriller series that has a similar setup to Blindspot. She plays an FBI agent who disappeared without a trace while pursuing a serial killer and was declared dead in absentia. Six years later, she is found living in a cabin in the woods with no memory of what happened in the time she was missing. And she’s implicated in a new series of murders. It has more of a psychological thriller bent than Blindspot, but if you loved Blindspot‘s amnesia plot, you’ll want to remember Absentia when you’re picking something to watch next.
Alias
Jennifer Garner, Alias
Norman Jean Roy, ABC via Getty Images
J.J. Abrams‘ classic action series that ran on ABC from 2001 to 2006 follows another ass-kicking female operative. Jennifer Garner became a star playing CIA double agent Sydney Bristow, who poses as a member of criminal organization SD-6 before becoming a full-fledged CIA agent who gets pulled deeper and deeper into a web of intrigue. The show’s gadgets, shadowy espionage conspiracies, and conflicted central character were all big influences on Blindspot.
The Blacklist
James Spader, The Blacklist
Will Hart/NBC
If you like Blindspot, chances are you’ve seen at least a few episodes of The Blacklist, too. But if you haven’t gotten obsessed with it yet, now’s as good a time as any to start. It’s the show most like Blindspot on this list, in terms of overall vibe (and title). Like Blindspot, it’s a show about an improbable ally helping the FBI solve crimes, in this case a most-wanted criminal mastermind named Raymond “Red” Reddington (James Spader). Red assists an FBI task force that’s not unlike Weller’s in exchange for immunity, but the real reason why he’s helping is still an active mystery even in Season 9. It’s a twisty and action-packed conspiracy thriller with a quirky sense of humor provided by Spader, who elevates the show from decent to wildly entertaining.
Burn Notice
Jeffrey Donovan, Burn Notice
Dan Littlejohn/NBC/NBCU Photo Bank via Getty Images
USA’s breezy seven-season action drama has a lot in common with Blindspot. It has an episodic case-of-the-week format and a quippy sense of humor, as well as broader season-long arcs about intelligence agencies and espionage and conspiracies and stuff like that. The charming Jeffrey Donovan stars as Michael Westen, a CIA operative who is suddenly and without explanation blacklisted from the agency and sent home to Miami, where he has to work as an unlicensed private investigator to make ends meet while trying to figure out who burned him and why. It boasts the most entertaining supporting character of any show on this list, Bruce Campbell‘s well-connected, wisecracking intelligence operative Sam Axe.
Scorpion
Elyes Gabel, Scorpion
Bill Inoshita, CBS
If you love Patterson (Ashley Johnson) and Rich Dotcom’s (Ennis Esmer) techno-hijinks, you should check out Scorpion, because it’s almost entirely that. The four-season CBS action drama follows a computer genius named Walter O’Brien (Elyes Gabel), who leads a team of super-smart scientists, hackers, and other assorted nerds as they carry out tech security missions for clients, most commonly the Department of Homeland Security, but also private individuals and businesses who need their expertise. It was conceived as a dramatic counterpart to the nerdy comedy The Big Bang Theory, and like Blindspot, mixes action, case-of-the-week conspiracies, and humor.
Strike Back
Strike Back
Liam Daniel/CINEMAX
If you enjoy Sullivan Stapleton’s gruff action heroics, you have to check out Strike Back, the wall-to-wall action series he shot and punched his way through before and during. Blindspot. Alongside Philip Winchester, he stars as ex-Delta Force operator Damien Scott. The British Cinemax series filmed all over the world and essentially rebooted in each of its ten seasons. S.S. was on the show from Season 2 through Season 5, and did even crazier stunts and action sequences than the ones he did on Blindspot.
Fear Of The Unknown Holds Back Tradfi Investors From Crypto Bloomberg Analyst Cointelegraph
‘Fear Of The Unknown’ Holds Back Tradfi Investors From Crypto — Bloomberg Analyst – Cointelegraph https://bentoncountynewsnow.com/fear-of-the-unknown-holds-back-tradfi-investors-from-crypto-bloomberg-analyst-cointelegraph/
Bloomberg crypto analyst Jamie Coutts believes it’s a “missed opportunity” that traditional asset managers choose not the educate themselves on crypto.
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Jamie Coutts, Crypto Market Analyst for Bloomberg Intelligence argues that “falsehoods” and “fear of the unknown” is what has been holding back traditional portfolio managers from investing in cryptocurrency.
Speaking to Cointelegraph during the Australian Crypto Convention over the weekend, Coutts argues there has been an ongoing “falsehood” that “there is no intrinsic value in blockchains.”
“These asset managers own stocks, like Amazon and Facebook […] which for the first several years these companies had no earnings,” explained Coutts, adding that Facebook in its infant stages “didn’t have profit […] or seen to have any intrinsic value.”
“Yet they could understand there is a network value here, that the network is growing, that the value of the asset accrues from how many people are using the products.”
Coutts believes that “although not all blockchains are cash generative assets, including Ethereum” there is certainly intrinsic value there.
However, the Bloomberg analyst said he couldn’t quite put his finger on why there was a hesitation to embrace cryptocurrency, ruling out lack of regulation as the reason.
“Regulation can’t be one of them. Let me just restate that. Regulation is always a concern, but BTC is regulated.”
Coutts said “there isn’t really a regulatory risk” as crypto became regulated “the moment” it became a taxable item that you had to “disclose to the tax authorities in whatever jurisdiction you’re in.”
Instead, Coutts said it could be “just the fear of the unknown,” adding that asset managers ignoring or choosing not educate themselves on cryptocurrency is a missed opportunity.
Coutts suggested that those hesitant to invest in cryptocurrency should look beyond the market volatility and focus on what cryptocurrency actually brings to the table.
“The best thing that we can do is understand the global trends that are taking place […] debasement and technological innovation, which crypto is at the intersection of. That provides the wind behind the sails of crypto as an asset class that should be considered for some allocation.”
Jamie Coutts speaking at the Australian Crypto Convention on Sept. 17
Last month, Swiss wealth management group Picket group advised against crypto investments “amid the recent industry turmoil.”
Picket Group CEO, Tee Fong, acknowledged that crypto is “an asset class that we cannot ignore” however doesn’t think there is “a place for private bankers and for private bank portfolios.”
Related: Does the Ethereum Merge offer a new destination for institutional investors?
Others suggest that institutional investors remain interested in crypto-related investments despite the market conditions.
Chief Investment Officer of Apollo Capital, Henrik Anderson, told Cointelegraph on Sept. 14 that although institutional interest has been slow in gaining momentum, there are many waiting on the sidelines, timing the market.
Anderson is optimistic about the future given that we’ve already “seen several of the major banks here in Australia taking an interest in digital assets,” with “ANZ and NAB” choosing to focus on “stablecoins and traditional asset tokenization rather than crypto investments specifically.”
Trump Ally Sues U.S. Justice Department Demands Return Of Seized Cellphone Reuters
Trump Ally Sues U.S. Justice Department, Demands Return Of Seized Cellphone – Reuters https://bentoncountynewsnow.com/trump-ally-sues-u-s-justice-department-demands-return-of-seized-cellphone-reuters/
Mike Lindell speaks ahead of former U.S. president Donald Trump’s rally in Youngstown, Ohio, U.S., September 17, 2022. REUTERS/Gaelen Morse/File Photo
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Sept 20 (Reuters) – My Pillow Inc’s chief executive, Mike Lindell, an ally of former President Donald Trump, sued the U.S. Justice Department on Tuesday seeking the return of his cellphone, which FBI agents seized last week.
In his suit in federal court in Minnesota, Lindell said the agents stopped him at a fast-food restaurant’s drive-through window and questioned him about his claims that the 2020 U.S. election was rigged.
The agents then produced a warrant and told Lindell to surrender the phone, according to the court filing. In addition to the return of his phone, Lindell wants to stop the Justice Department from accessing any data collected from the device, the filing showed.
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The FBI last week confirmed its agents were “at that location executing a search warrant authorized by a federal judge” but did not give other details. The FBI and the Justice Department did not immediately respond to requests for comment late on Tuesday.
Lindell told the media last week that FBI agents had asked him about Tina Peters, a Mesa County, Colorado clerk.
Peters, with whom Lindell has been linked, has been accused by state authorities of allowing an unauthorized person to break into the county’s election system in order to search for evidence that would validate Trump’s election conspiracy claims.
Lindell’s suit against the U.S. Justice Department, which also listed U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland and FBI Director Christopher Wray as defendants, alleged that Lindell’s constitutional rights were violated by the seizure.
After his phone was seized on Sept. 13, Lindell claimed in a podcast that the seizure prevented him from carrying out his business activities and from accessing his funds.
“Not only do I run five businesses off of it, I don’t use a laptop, I don’t use a computer, everything was on that phone,” Lindell said.
Separately, on Monday, a Minnesota federal judge ruled that Lindell must face a defamation suit brought by a voting machine company that Lindell falsely accused of rigging the 2020 U.S. election. read more
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Reporting by Eric Beech and Kanishka Singh; Editing by Gerry Doyle and Edwina Gibbs
Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.
Ivy Tech Sponsors ‘Big Green Smash’ – The Republic https://bentoncountynewsnow.com/ivy-tech-sponsors-big-green-smash-the-republic/
By Jana Wiersema | The Republic The interior of the new Moravec Hall, the main campus building for Ivy Tech Community College – Columbus.
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By Jana Wiersema | The Republic The interior of the new Moravec Hall, the main campus building for Ivy Tech Community College – Columbus.
Ivy Tech Community College Columbus will host a free community event from 3 to 7 p.m. Thursday that includes food trucks, a silent auction, games for kids, and more.
The event, called the Big Green Smash, will be held at the Ivy Tech Columbus campus, 4475 Central Ave. It is hosted by the college’s Student Government Association.
The Big Green Smash is open to all community members and students of Ivy Tech. In addition to food and games, a silent auction will raise money for Ivy Tech’s Student Emergency Relief Fund, which helps students with transportation, food security, mental health services, technology access, and childcare.
The new Ivy Tech Columbus main campus building, Moravec Hall, will also be available to view during the event.
Shanghai Siba Culture Media Group Announces The Reorganization Of Its Corporate Structure And A New Social Metaverse GlobeNewswire
Shanghai Siba Culture Media Group Announces The Reorganization Of Its Corporate Structure And A New Social Metaverse – GlobeNewswire https://bentoncountynewsnow.com/shanghai-siba-culture-media-group-announces-the-reorganization-of-its-corporate-structure-and-a-new-social-metaverse-globenewswire/
September 20, 2022 20:30 ET | Source: Meta48 Holdings Ltd.
Shanghai, China, Sept. 20, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — The Shanghai Siba Culture Media Group, which rebranded as the new Meta48 Holdings Ltd back in June, is representing the world’s largest youth idol girls group, the SNH48 Group, the company is re-imagining itself and the future of entertainment to celebrate their 10th anniversary.
As Meta48 Holdings Ltd., the Chinese company is transitioning its focus to Web 3.0 and XR Internet while developing an open metaverse for the users; the goal is idol development. The virtual hub provides a platform and growth system for real and virtual idols and idol groups. The new social metaverse will facilitate interaction across the categories of entertainment, fashion, lifestyle, and consumption.
The media group intends to combine its original business values with the goals of the digital metaverse amidst its reorganization and rebranding. From the entertainment of fans to visual entertainment and new brand consumption, the integration of the Shanghai Siba’s long-held values will remain unchanged as it steps into this new digital frontier.
Meta48 believes in becoming a globally-innovative enterprise group that combines an appreciation of technology with entertainment-based content creation and social interaction. Its slated meta-universe represents real value for users and offers a connective and interactive environment for all who partake in its creative process.
SNH48, the popular girl group represented by Siba, see themselves as the first O2O group working through the concept of “the process is the product.” With increasingly immersive trends permeating the Chinese entertainment industry, the adoption of Web 3.0 and XR Internet has enabled an era of incredible engagement and change. With the inception of Meta48, fan participation will usher in a transition to greater consumer co-creation, while real-world visuals interact with an XR internet-based virtual and real experience. For example, Seine River, a unit built by users of this company, will transition from content creation with users to creating assets and value with them across Meta48.
As Meta48 presents an immersive and interactive social platform, it will present co-creative opportunities for idol cultivation across fans of this community. Core assets will include virtual landscapes, virtual theaters, and real estate.
The current system’s offline theater development model is based on engagement and physical proximity. When mirrored in the metaverse model of Meta48, the system will offer a newly immersive experience for users through daily virtual theater performances and large-scale concerts. The platform would also enable handshake meetings, sporting events, fashion events, and other virtual interaction programs for fans in the Meta48 virtual theater. These experiences will be powered by idols and avatars via XR and VR technology.
Connectivity has become simple and systematic thanks to the integration of the existing theatrical model with the growing systems of the metaverse and their attending technologies. This digital refashioning also presents an exceptional opportunity for digital citizens and virtual idols to become part of a cultivation platform that promises exciting industry growth and transformation.
The Meta48 platform will base itself around various digital and virtual assets as well as a trading mechanism designed to make assets more accessible for users. The built-in market will offer a direct exchange system for those assets. This space, enabled by a Web 3.0 framework, will also encourage users to integrate personal digital collections, which can be created and operated across the virtual marketplace.
To achieve the goals of rebranding as Meta48, a complete virtual universe will include virtual cities and diverse social features and attractions for users. In these ways, Meta48 has taken up the mantle of redefining the entertainment industry in China for a new digital epoch, which includes ever-increasing interactivity through technology.
About Shanghai Siba Culture Media Group
The Shanghai Siba Culture Media Group is a major player in the Chinese entertainment industry that is presently transitioning to an open and immersive social metaverse. Rebranding its holding company to Meta48, it caters to idol development while offering virtual missions, assets, and elements via Web 3.0 and XR Internet.
Meta48 Website | SNH48 Group Website
Chilling Audio Of Scammer In Action – News.com.au https://bentoncountynewsnow.com/chilling-audio-of-scammer-in-action-news-com-au/
Chilling audio has been released of the moment a cunning and cruel scammer deceives a woman into handing over her banking details.
The man claimed he was from the Westpac fraud prevention team and was calling over a purchase made on the New Zealand woman’s card in Mexico.
The scammer maintained a cool and calm demeanour throughout the four-minute conversation as he meticulously executed his con.
The phone call was released by Westpac on Wednesday to help raise awareness following a recent spike in scam activity.
The scammer already had the woman’s credit card details but tried to pry a transaction approval code from her to make an online purchase.
He tried to elicit fear and urgency throughout the conversation by using the threat of a fraudulent transaction and repeatedly trying to verify his identity as a Westpac staff member.
“If you do want to check the authenticity of this call, you can check the number that I’m calling you from today,” he said.
“It’s on the back of your card.”
The man eventually claims he sent through a credit card cancellation code when in reality it was a password to complete an online purchase.
The woman relays the numbers to him but soon becomes distressed.
“Sorry, I’m just not comfortable,” she said.
“I’ll make a few inquiries with my personal banker too.”
The attempted scam failed after Westpac detected the suspicious transaction before any funds were sent, with the bank saying it demonstrated some of the warning signs customers should watch out for.
New data from Westpac shows the number of reported scams has increased by 33 per cent in the 12 months to July this year.
Westpac head of fraud Ben Young said scammers had become more sophisticated and difficult to detect, with impersonation scams among the most common targeting customers.
“We’ve seen a significant increase in cases where scammers are using software to mask their phone number with the number of a known business. This is a commonly employed tactic in impersonation scams known as ‘call spoofing’,” he said.
“These scams are incredibly challenging to detect because from the customer’s perspective, they appear to be getting a call from say Westpac when, in fact, it’s a scammer posing as a member of our fraud team calling from a completely different number.
“The scammer will then use personal information they’ve fraudulently obtained, like quoting the customer’s name or last few digits of their credit card, to convince them the call is genuine.”
In a bid to combat these scams, Westpac has teamed up with Optus to become the first private Australian business to block calls from scammers impersonating the bank.
More than 94,000 Westpac phone numbers have now been added to a “Do Not Originate” list to prevent scammers from impersonating the bank.
Mr Young said it was important for customers to look out for any red flags if they received a suspicious phone call.
“We urge Australians to remain cautious of any unexpected phone calls, text messages or emails from a known business and always consider what they’re asking you to do,” he said.
If ever in doubt, hang up and call back on a publicly listed number to ensure the call is genuine.”
IMPERSONATION SCAM RED FLAGS:
Unsolicited contact. They unexpectedly call, SMS or email you claiming to be from a reputable business.
They know personal information. They have often already fraudulently obtained personal details like your name, ending digits on your credit card or approximate location, which makes them appear legitimate.
They want you to action something. They will instruct you to complete an action while on the phone to them – like updating your banking details, increasing your daily payment limit, downloading an app or sending money to a “new” account.
They use spoofing software. They may use software to send a fake SMS that appears to be from the business they’re allegedly calling you from while on the phone with you to convince you the call is genuine.
Crypto Prices Will Nuke If 100 Bps Rate Announced At FOMC Meeting Cryptonews
Crypto Prices Will ‘Nuke’ If 100 Bps Rate Announced At FOMC Meeting – Cryptonews https://bentoncountynewsnow.com/crypto-prices-will-nuke-if-100-bps-rate-announced-at-fomc-meeting-cryptonews/
Two crypto experts shared their crypto price predictions heading into the FOMC meeting tomorrow at 2pm ET and Jerome Powell’s speech.
FOMC Crypto Price Predictions
With crypto prices falling in the past 24 hours – Bitcoin and Ethereum are down 3 to 4% – many traders are derisking, waiting on the sidelines and searching for crypto expert analysis online:
Crypto Chase
Crypto Chase (@Crypto_Chase, formerly @Chase_NL) has approximately 100,000 followers across Twitter and YouTube and correctly sold BTC at over $56k and ETH above $4k.
His FOMC prediction is for crypto prices to crash in a ‘giga nuke’ if a 100 bps rate hike is the outcome – which the market predicts has a 16% probability of happening.
If a 75 basis points hike is announced, he expects liquidity to be run in both directions – choppy price action and the usual ‘Darth Maul candle’ to stop out longs and shorts – before the long term crypto price move is decided by Fed chair Powell’s comments.
Trading Tank
Trading Tank (@TheTradingTank) posted a longer crypto prices forecast for his 7,700 followers across an eight tweet thread.
His analysis was that since core CPI and PPI data ‘came in hot’ and inflation was higher than expected, the stock and crypto markets may have sold off as a reaction to price in a 75 bps rate hike.
Similar to Chase Crypto, he expects a further sell off if a 100 bps hike is announced, potentially to test the lows (for the Bitcoin price, the $17,600 level hit in June) or crash further.
‘100bps would most likely create a sell-off and we could expect risk assets to test recent lows or maybe even break through. The actual economic effect of rate hikes does not fully materialize until 6+ months down the road, but investors behave as if they are immediate.’
However he also notes a 75 bps hike could improve sentiment and lead to a mid term crypto price rally – feeling like a ‘victory lap’ if it is in fact already priced in.
Following the FOMC meeting, next week will see the release of US GDP data and PCE inflation data which Trading Tank argues is ‘just as important’.
Bitcoin price chart over the past month pre FOMC meeting – daily timeframe
Earlier this week CryptoNews reported on a third crypto analyst’s price prediction, Ted Talks Macro. He also predicted that the markets have priced in a 100 bps rate and risk assets like Bitcoin will rally if 75 bps is announced.
FOMC Meeting Schedule
The next FOMC meeting following Wednesday is scheduled for November 1st – 2nd.
Find the full FOMC meeting calendar at federalreserve.org.
Boeing To Slash Nearly 150 Finance Jobs In U.S. Reuters
Boeing To Slash Nearly 150 Finance Jobs In U.S. – Reuters https://bentoncountynewsnow.com/boeing-to-slash-nearly-150-finance-jobs-in-u-s-reuters/
The Boeing logo is seen on the side of a Boeing 737 MAX at the Farnborough International Airshow, in Farnborough, Britain, July 20, 2022. REUTERS/Peter Cziborra/File Photo
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Sept 20 (Reuters) – Planemaker Boeing Co (BA.N) said on Tuesday it plans to cut about 150 finance jobs in the United States this year to simplify its corporate structure and focus more resources into manufacturing and product development.
The company will reduce staffing in its information technology and finance departments, Boeing said in an emailed statement to Reuters.
Boeing, which has dealt with engineering and production issues in the past, said it increased its workforce by about 10,000 employees earlier this year and ramped up hiring in its engineering and manufacturing departments to respond to the market demand.
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In the aftermath of two 737 MAX crashes in 2018 and 2019, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) pledged to scrutinize Boeing more closely and delegate fewer responsibilities to the company for aircraft certification.
Last month, the U.S. government approved the first Boeing 787 Dreamliner for delivery since 2021. read more
Boeing halted deliveries in May 2021 after the FAA raised concerns about its proposed inspection method. In September 2020, the FAA said it was investigating manufacturing flaws in some 787 jetliners.
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Reporting by Shivani Tanna in Bengaluru; Editing by Sherry Jacob-Phillips
Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.
The alien Goldfish Finds A Home | Technology News The Indian Express
The ‘alien Goldfish’ Finds A Home | Technology News – The Indian Express https://bentoncountynewsnow.com/the-alien-goldfish-finds-a-home-technology-news-the-indian-express/
An undated photo provided by Joschua Knüppe shows a reconstruction of Typhloesus, a fishlike predator that swam the waters of ancient Montana 330 million years ago. (Joschua Knüppe via The New York Times)
The early fossil record is littered with bizarre creatures that do not resemble anything living today. And few of those evolutionary enigmas are as perplexing as Typhloesus, an ancient sea animal so strange that paleontologists have referred to it as an alien goldfish.
The bloblike animal has defied taxonomic placement for nearly 50 years. Scientists weren’t sure whether the animal, which had a substantial tail fin and a gut often packed with the remains of early fish species, was more closely related to a worm, a jawless fish or something else entirely.
However, the discovery of a tooth-covered tongue in several Typhloesus fossils may bring these seemingly extraterrestrial animals down to earth. “It helps us find the branch of the tree of life that Typhloesus belongs to,” said Jean-Bernard Caron, a paleontologist at the Royal Ontario Museum in Toronto. “It’s no longer a problematic orphan.”
An undated photo provided by Joschua Knüppe shows a fossil of a Typhloesus, a fishlike predator that swam the waters of ancient Montana 330 million years ago. (Jean-Bernard Caron via The New York Times)
Caron and Simon Conway Morris, a paleontologist at the University of Cambridge, made the discovery while examining several Typhloesus specimens that had recently been added to the Royal Ontario Museum collection. Those fossils, which are only a couple of centimeters long, were dug up from the Bear Gulch Limestone in Montana, a 330 million-year-old fossil deposit.
When those fossilized creatures were living, this area was blanketed by a balmy bay and was home to sharks that sported swordlike spines, coelacanths and the oldest known ancestor to vampire squids. Local monsoons washed nutrients into the bay, sparking algal blooms that sapped oxygen from the water and kept scavengers at bay. Those conditions allowed myriad soft-bodied invertebrates to be preserved in incredible detail.
Because many of these ancient sea creatures are delicately imprinted onto the limestone, most of their identities are easy to deduce. However, Typhloesus has perplexed scientists since it was described in 1973. The vaguely fishlike critter was once believed to be a conodont, a jawless, eel-like vertebrate. But a closer inspection revealed that the conodont remains were inside an animal’s digestive tract. That led scientists to conclude that Typhloesus had snacked on conodonts.
When Caron stuck several of the newly gained specimens under a high-powered scanning microscope, he spotted a ribbonlike structure studded with recurved teeth on both sides, like the business end of a chain saw. Because the toothy apparatus is lodged within the animal’s gut, past analyses had mistaken these rows of tiny teeth for muscle tissue.
In a study being published Wednesday in the journal Biology Letters, the researchers describe the new structure as a radula, a tonguelike structure covered in teeth that snails and other mollusks use to scrape food into their mouths. The researchers hypothesize that the tooth-studded structure in Typhloesus was most likely attached to a retractable trunk. When Typhloesus approached an undulating conodont, its tooth-covered tongue would emerge to scarf down its meal.
The existence of Typhloesus’ toothy radula led the scientists to deduce that the alien goldfish was in fact a mollusk.
“It is a very exciting find to have a radula, because that is definitive,” said Christopher Whalen, a paleontologist at the American Museum of Natural History who studies cephalopods from the Bear Gulch and was not involved in the new study. “Just like how all vertebrates have a backbone, all mollusks have a radula.”
However, it is difficult to pin down what type of mollusk Typhloesus was. Caron proposes that the creature was similar to modern sea elephants. These gelatinous slugs swim through the water column and stick their radula through a trunklike proboscis to snag prey, a hunting style similar to what the new study proposes for Typhloesus. Although Typhloesus lacked eyes, its flexible body and large tail fin suggest it was an active swimmer that propelled itself through the water column as opposed to inching along the seafloor.
But Typhloesus fossils predate the rest of the swimming snail fossil record by over 100 million years. According to Whalen, that may be because these seagoing slugs lacked easily fossilized features like shells, which made them more maneuverable in the water. As a result, they are scarce in most fossil deposits.
Having a better grasp on Typhloesus’ identity can help paleontologists learn more about the evolution of mollusks, the second largest group of invertebrates on the planet today. According to Caron, the strangest creatures often have the most important tales to tell.
“The twists that life can give us are presented by these strange fossils,” he said. “They are enigmatic, but they reveal a lot of important evolutionary information.”
(Written by Jack Tamisiea)
