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Amazon Workers Begin First Ever Strike In UK – Scottish Business News https://bentoncountynewsnow.com/amazon-workers-begin-first-ever-strike-in-uk-scottish-business-news/ Coventry Amazon workers are making history, says GMB Union  AMAZON workers at a Coventry warehouse will become the first in the UK to take part in a formal strike ballot.  Hundreds of workers will today begin voting on whether to walk out in anger over the company’s 35 pence per hour pay offer.  The ballot closes on 19 October, with any industrial action likely to take place in November,  Amazon workers across the UK have staged informal protests in anger at a three per cent pay offer from the company.   Last September, Amazon reported paying £492m in tax the previous year – despite UK revenue soaring to £20.6billion in the pandemic. [2]  Amanda Gearing, GMB Senior Organiser, said:  “These Amazon worker will be the first ever in the UK to take part in a formal strike ballot – they’re making history.  “They’re being offered 35p an hour during the worst cost of living crisis in a generation – and that’s from a company worth more than £1 trillion.  “Understandably, they are furious.  “Amazon can afford to do better. It’s not too late to avoid strike action; get round the table with GMB to improve the pay and conditions of workers.”

25+ Things To Do In CT This Weekend – CT Insider https://bentoncountynewsnow.com/25-things-to-do-in-ct-this-weekend-ct-insider/ Joseph Tucci Sep. 15, 2022 This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate 1of5 Visitors to the Big E in Springfield, Mass. on Sep. 23, 2021. Lisa Nichols/Hearst CT MediaShow MoreShow Less 2of5 The annual Milford Irish Festival in Milford, Conn., on Friday Sept. 5, 2019. Christian Abraham / Hearst Connecticut MediaShow MoreShow Less 3of5 Two Roads Brewing Company held their eighth annual Ok2berfest on Saturday, Sept. 18 and Sunday, Sept. 19, 2021 in Stratford, Conn. The homage to Germany’s Oktoberfest featured authentic German music, German-style beers, food and games. Were you SEEN? Vic Eng / Hearst Connecticut Media GroupShow MoreShow Less 4of5 Oxen at The Four Town Fair. Four Town Fair / contributedShow MoreShow Less 5of5 The Big E and the 5th Annual Garlic Festival at Olde Mistick Village are sure to whet Nutmeggers’ appetites this weekend. Here are some things to do in CT this weekend: Big E Springfield, Mass. Mini donuts from The Donut Family at the Big E on Sept. 23, 2021. Lisa Nichols/Hearst CT Media The Big E, New England’s largest agricultural fair, runs from Sept. 16 to Oct. 2 this year at 1305 Memorial Ave. in West Springfield, MA. Guests can enjoy delicacies like waffle-topped milkshakes and triple-decker grilled cheeses. More information on the Big E here. Two Roads Ok2berfest Stratford Two Roads Brewing Company held their eighth annual Ok2berfest on Saturday, Sept. 18 and Sunday, Sept. 19, 2021 in Stratford, Conn. The homage to Germany’s Oktoberfest featured authentic German music, German-style beers, food and games. Were you SEEN? Vic Eng / Hearst Connecticut Media Group The 9th annual Two Roads Ok2berfest will be filled with German music and German-style beers. It will be held at 1700 Stratford Avenue on Saturday and Sunday. More information about the Two Roads Ok2berfest here. The Guilford Fair Guilford The Guilford Fair invites visitors to enjoy events like cattle shows, pony rides and music on Sept. 16 – 18 at 111 Lovers Lane.   Some of the musicians who have been announced are Double Vision, Bruce in the USA and American Honey. Orange Country Fair Orange Orange, Connecticut -Sunday, September 22, 2019: The antique tractor pull during the 2019 Orange Country Fair Sunday in Orange. Peter Hvizdak/Hearst Connecticut Media The Orange Country Fair, which started in 1898, will be returning on Sept. 17 and 18 at 525 Orange Center Road, according to its website. Several shows will be taking place at the fair, including an antique car show and several animal-themed events.  New Haven Grand Prix, APizza Feast New Haven Riders take part in the New Haven Grand Prix in downtown New Haven, Conn., on Friday Sept. 13, 2019. The annual race is a fundraiser for the Connecticut Cycling Advancement Program (a charitable 501(c)(3) organization). Christian Abraham / Hearst Connecticut Media The New Haven Grand Prix invites cyclists to return to Chapel Street after a two-year hiatus on Friday. During the Prix, there will also be an “APizza Feast,” featuring vendors like Abate’ Apizza, Ooni Oven Pizza Makers, Michelina’s Apizza and Szabo’s Seafood. More information on the New Haven Grand Prix and APizza Feast here. 43rd Annual Watertown Fall Festival Watertown The Watertown Fall Festival brings activities like bouncy houses and face painting to Veterans Memorial Park on Saturday. More information about the festival here. Four Town Fair Somers Oxen at The Four Town Fair. Four Town Fair / contributed The Four Town Fair is considered to be one of the oldest continuous agricultural fairs in Connecticut, having started in 1838 or 1839, according to its webpage. It will be celebrated from Sept. 15 through 18 at 56 Egypt Road in Somers. The fair has livestock shows, car shows, rides and will provide a venue for performers like David Garrity. Milford Irish Festival Milford The annual Milford Irish Festival in Milford, Conn., on Friday Sept. 5, 2019. Christian Abraham / Hearst Connecticut Media The Milford Irish Festival will return to Fowler Field after a two-year hiatus on Friday and Saturday. Guests will be able to enjoy Irish music and dancing, and can purchase products from local vendors.  More information about the Milford Irish Festival here. Alice Cooper Wallingford PHOENIX, ARIZONA – DECEMBER 04: Musician Alice Cooper performs on stage during Alice Cooper’s 19th Annual Christmas Pudding Fundraiser at Celebrity Theatre on December 04, 2021 in Phoenix, Arizona. (Photo by Daniel Knighton/Getty Images) Daniel Knighton/Getty Images Rock star Alice Cooper, who is known to draw his inspiration from horror movies, will be performing at the Toyota Oakdale Theatre on Sunday. More information about Alice Cooper here. Styx and REO Speedwagon with Loverboy Bridgeport TEMECULA, CA – JULY 17: (L-R) Musicians Tommy Shaw, Chuck Panozzo, James “JY” Young, and Ricky Phillips of Styx perform on stage at Pechanga Casino on July 17, 2016 in Temecula, California. (Photo by Daniel Knighton/FilmMagic) Daniel Knighton/FilmMagic Styx, known for hits like “Mr. Roboto” and “Come Sail Away,” will be joining REO Speedwagon on the stage of the Hartford HealthCare Amphitheater on Friday. More information about Styx and REO Speedwagon here. POP 2000 Tour Stamford LAS VEGAS, NEVADA – JUNE 05: Recording artist Chris Kirkpatrick of ‘N Sync performs during “An Evening to Save Lives: Music For Life” at the Westgate Las Vegas Resort & Casino on June 05, 2021 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Bryan Steffy/Getty Images) Bryan Steffy/Getty Images The POP 2000 tour features famed musicians like Chris Kirkpatrick of NSYNC, O-Town, Ryan Cabrera and LFO. They will be performing at the Palace Theatre on Friday.  More information about the POP 2000 tour here. Al Di Meola Fairfield US jazz pianist-composer-bandleader Chick Korea’s guitarist Al Di Meola performs on stage on July 13, 2008 during the XII Jazz Festival in Valencia’s Palau de la Musica. AFP PHOTO/ DIEGO TUSON (Photo credit should read DIEGO TUSON/AFP/Getty Images) DIEGO TUSON/AFP/Getty Images Honey Harvest Festival Stamford A bee buzzes on a chunk of honeycomb at the Honey Harvest Festival at Bartlett Arboretum in Stamford, Conn. Sunday, Sept. 19, 2021. Tyler Sizemore / Hearst Connecticut Media The Honey Harvest Festival celebrates the sweet food on Sept. 18 at Bartlett Arboretum & Gardens and educates guests about the crop as well as the role bees play in the ecosystem. The event will be filled with vendors like Biscuit and Bones, Cloudy Lane Bakery and Pink Moon by Brooke, according to its event page. Guests will be able to enjoy live music and food trucks as well. Seymour Pumpkin Festival Seymour A scene from a previous Seymour Pumpkin Festival Hearst Connecticut Media file This festival, which has been running for over 50 years, aims to bring the Seymour community together at French Memorial Park on Sept. 18.  Guests will be able to enjoy food vendors and crafts, aimed at the whole family, according to its website. GNACC Healthy Living Festival Norwich Health-related businesses will be gathering at the Dodd Stadium to teach guests about healthy living on Saturday. More information about the GNACC Healthy Living Festival here. Newtown Arts Festival 2022 Newtown The Newtown Cultural Arts Commission held its annual Newtown Arts Festival the weekend of Sept. 17 to 19, 2021. The celebration of the arts featured live music and food from local vendors, as well as art and dance exhibits and activities. Were you SEEN? Vic Eng / Hearst Connecticut Media Group The Newtown Arts Festival will bring together 60 local artists, six dance schools and have a wine and beer garden. It runs at the Fairfield Hills Campus all weekend. More information about Newtown Arts Festival 2022 here. 6th Annual Art of Work Gala Winsted The gala will feature musical performances by gospel singer Theresa Thomason as well as a collection of murals. It takes place at the American Mural Project on Saturday.  More information about the 6th Annual Art of Work Gala here. 5th Annual Garlic Festival at Olde Mistick Village Mystic Olde Mistick Village’s garlic festival on Saturday and Sunday offers guests plenty of garlic-themed food as well as non-garlic options. More information about Olde Mistick Village’s annual garlic festival. International Coastal Clean Up by Mystic Aquarium Mystic Water and trail at Bluff Point State Park  in Groton. Joe Amarante / Hearst Connecticut Media Mystic Aquarium is inviting volunteers to help clean up Bluff Point State Park on Saturday. The aquarium’s goal is to remove 5,000 pounds of marine debris from local shorelines. More information about International Coastal Clean Up here.  Vintage Radio & Communications Museum of Connecticut’s Swap Meet Windsor The 24th Annual Connecticut Renaissance Festival Lebanon The Connecticut Renaissance Faire kicked off its 23rd season Labor Day Weekend 2021 at the Lebanon County Fairgrounds in Lebanon, Conn. The recreation of a 16th-century harvest festival featured magic, comedy, jousting and more.  Adriana Morga/ Hearst Connecticut Media The renaissance festival has over 80 storefronts and entertainment options like sword swallowing, jousting and fire breathing. It runs at the Lebanon Fairgrounds until Oct. 16. More information about the 24th Annual Connecticut Renaissance Festival here. Explore a corn maze All across the state Photography by PETER HVIZDAK ph1148 #4974 Middlefield, Connecticut – September 26, 2009: Marcus Bulmer of Virginia with his daughter Samantha, 8, as they use a map together to find their way in the Lyman Orchards Corn Maze. Bulmer is visiting relatives in Durham. Peter Hvizdak Hearst Connecticut Media Farmers around the state have begun to open up corn mazes in a variety of pa...

Here Is The Latest Pac-12 Conference Sports News From The Associated Press – The Lawton Constitution https://bentoncountynewsnow.com/here-is-the-latest-pac-12-conference-sports-news-from-the-associated-press-the-lawton-constitution-2/ UNDATED (AP) — The 25th-ranked Oregon Ducks play their second ranked opponent of the season when No. 12 Brigham Young makes its first trip to Autzen Stadium since 1990 on Saturday. Oregon has won 29 straight nonconference home games, the second-longest active streak in FBS, including seven against ranked teams. Bo Nix had five touchdown passes against Eastern Washington last week after throwing two interceptions in the opener vs. Georgia. BYU won all five games against Pac-12 teams last season, including two against ranked teams. Jaren Hall is 7-1 as a starting quarterback against ranked teams. UNDATED (AP) — Perhaps no team in the Pac-12 has worked the transfer portal harder than Southern California. The Trojans have 33 players who previously played at other four-year universities on their roster, including starting quarterback Caleb Williams.  About half the starting QBs for the 131 Football Bowl Subdivision teams in this season’s openers didn’t initially attend their current schools. That includes 32 of the 65 Power Five teams, with 19 of those being first-year transfers. Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Louis Vuitton’s Metaverse-Related Trademark Registrations Offer Valuable Insight – World Trademark Review https://bentoncountynewsnow.com/louis-vuittons-metaverse-related-trademark-registrations-offer-valuable-insight-world-trademark-review/ More and more IP practitioners are wrestling with the question of whether to recommend that their clients file trademarks such that they are protected when it comes to the metaverse and non-fungible tokens (NFTs). While some are still reluctant to treat this issue seriously, the rising number of trademark applications in this metaverse mean that such they need to start paying proper attention or risk being left behind. The adoption of metaverse technologies is still at an early stage, but it is envisaged as an independent virtual economy, enabled by digital currencies, and embracing Web 3.0 features such as NFTs. Therefore, increasing number of brands are preparing themselves to provide virtual goods and services. An NFT – according to the definition provided in a proposed regulation on markets in crypto-assets by the European Parliament and the Council ― is a digital representation of a value or a right that uses cryptography for security and is in the form of a coin or a token or any other digital medium, which may be transferred and stored electronically using distributed-ledger technology or similar technology. That definition is slightly different to that recently presented by the EUIPO, which is narrower and more strict. This claims that NFTs should be treated as unique digital certificates registered in a blockchain, which authenticate digital items but are distinct from those digital items. The EUIPO has presented its guidance on trademark applications for metaverse and NFT-related goods and services, and indicated that virtual goods are proper to Class 9 because they are treated as digital content or images. However, the term ‘virtual goods’ lacks clarity and precision, so must be further specified by stating the content to which the virtual goods relate (eg, downloadable virtual goods, namely, virtual clothing). For the office, the term NFT alone is not acceptable – the type of digital item authenticated by the NFT must be specified. So far, there has been no equivalent communication from the Polish Patent Office, so it is reasonable to assume that it will follow the EUIPO’s guidelines. Polish IP practitioners can look to applications filed with the EUIPO or USPTO as there have only been a few filed with the Polish IP office. However, even in these few applications interesting patterns are beginning to emerge. Four trademark applications have been filed for Louis Vuitton Malletier (applications: Z.544393, Z.544399, Z.544392 and Z.544395) and one for Off-White LLC (Z.541790) related to the metaverse. The four applications of the French fashion brand were filed in Classes 9, 35, 36, 41 and 42. In each class, there are examples of virtual goods or services. Some terms from the list of goods and services relating to Louis Vuitton’s marks are particularly intriguing. For example, in Class 35 the company has registered under: rental services of virtual goods, characters or places, digital collectibles or non-exchangeable tokens, online in virtual, augmented or mixed reality environments. The applicant is known for selling goods, but as we understand, in the metaverse it will also provide rental services and these will not only relate to goods, but also to virtual characters and places. The trademark application owned by Off-White LLC was filed in Classes 9, 35, 41 and 42. There are also animated and non-animated characters but these appear in Classes 9 and 42 as part of downloadable computer software for creating, producing and modifying digital, animated and non-animated designs and characters, as well as servicing non-downloadable computer software for creating, producing and modifying digital animated and non-animated designs and characters. If we look for trademarks related to NFTs filed with the Polish Patent Office, we see the five applications mentioned above, as well as two other marks. The first is a word sign FREEVERSE filed by Freeverse SL (application: Z.542966) and the other, purely figurative, was filed by Visa International Service Association (Z.535643). However, in these two applications, there are not many NFT-related goods or services. The only service related to NFTs in the latter application concerns the financial exchange of virtual currency, in terms of NFTs in Class 36. Freeverse SL has two services in Class 42: non-transferable token design; development of NFTs. In the list of goods and services of the four Louis Vuitton applications, NFT is listed alone. Following the latest EUIPO communication, it shall not be accepted as such. We are curious as to whether the Polish Patent Office will follow the EUIPO’s communication and will request that lists of goods and services be amended. So far, out of all the applications discussed, only one has been registered – that of Visa International Service Association. We will monitor the Polish Patent Office’s register carefully to see if other applications are registered and if any new applications related to the metaverse and NFTs arise. We hope that brands will soon decide to file marks related to virtual reality, and we will have the opportunity to create a list of virtual goods and services. This is an insight article whose content has not been commissioned or written by the WTR editorial team, but which has been proofed and edited to run in accordance with the WTR style guide.

What Is Gimbal? The Best Camera Accessory Guide For Beginners – Tehcno Chops https://bentoncountynewsnow.com/what-is-gimbal-the-best-camera-accessory-guide-for-beginners-tehcno-chops/ Filmmakers across the world are a fan of the best handiest invention that ever happened in the equipment industry for them, the gimbal. These gadgets are an amazing thing for them because it assists them in executing some outstanding shots for their films. Gimbals have made it easier for many DoPs, cinematographers, and videographers out there to shoot a smooth and refined movie. Keep reading this article, and you will get to know much more about this awesome camera accessory which will come in handy for you in the future: What is Gimbal? We will kick off with some basics; for many people out there, think, what is a gimbal? Back in the day, in the film studios, there were steadicams and dolly tracks to execute tracking shots in a smoother way. For this, skilled operators were always required to get these shots done. Recently, a new accessory came out on the market, and it was called a gimbal. This accessory lets the user take some smooth tracking shots very well. The icing on the cake for this accessory is its price. It is affordable, and any filmmaker who’s on a budget and doesn’t want to break his bank, then invest your money in this accessory. The dolly and steadicams cost a leg and an arm for many people out there. Gimbals are compact and easy to use. They have the ability to hold any camera on them, and then they will be assisted by computer algorithms to keep the shots steady and smooth. There will be no shakiness in the shots, and the execution will come out beautiful. It is really a revolution for the filmmakers and videographers out there. Gimbals come with a camera mount and motion detectors on them. They sense unwanted movements, and once they have sensed the movement, the gimbals use an algorithm to control its rotations and turns and act on it as it happens. Therefore, the footage comes out stable because the camera avoids the shakiness in it. Moreover, these gimbals have high-sensing sensors inside them to tell the difference between an intentional pan from the user and an unwanted movement of the camera. Gimbals from renowned brands are quiet. They aren’t noisy because of the brushless motors inside them, which adjust the camera. It is an ideal thing why you should get a gimbal for your short films or montages. Let’s take an example, you are out there, filming a short film, and you want some stabilized shots for your film. When you are shooting, your camera tilts forward when you make the camera move. Gimbal’s very own motion sensor sends the movement data to the computer. It will send an algorithm for the arm. This algorithm will be all about the counter movement that how much it needs to keep it smooth and avoid shaking. The shot that will come out will be stable. What’s interesting about this is that all of this processing of the data happening inside the computer will be done in a split second. It is no doubt an incredible technology that gets things done in seconds. For the clockwise tilt, the algorithm of the gimbals will tell it to roll the axis to move counter-clockwise to keep the mounted camera stable. Users can deliberately pan the camera, and still, the gimbals will read their intentional camera movements using a different algorithm. Since you are pretty much aware of how gimbal works, now we will tell you how to set up your own gimbal and use it. How Do I Set Up A Gimbal? People with DSLR cameras, mirrorless cameras, smartphones, and GoPros can get a gimbal and attach their devices to it. Firstly, you have to pick the right camera for your device. Before purchasing the gimbal, make sure you have to know if the gimbal supports your DSLR camera or mirrorless camera. Companies who roll out gimbals have a list of their supported devices. Always do your research first before buying a gimbal. Once you know which gimbal is perfect for your camera, you can set it up. In addition to this, if you are good with setting up tripods, then this will look familiar to you. You will learn how to set up a gimbal step-by-step below: Camera-ready: First off, ensure that your camera is all set for the shoot. Check the battery, memory card, and other settings are correct before mounting the camera. Now that the camera is ready, loosen the adjustable arms so you can mount your camera conveniently. Setting up the camera: Setting your camera on the baseplate and screwing it tight. Do not let it be loose, or else the camera will fall off the gimbal. Users have to ensure that the base plate is in a straight direction. Take your time to line up this important component. Calibration: Once the camera is set up on the gimbal, you will have to calibrate the weight distribution. Users have to make adjustments to pitch arms. For the 3-axis gimbals, the camera should not tilt in the forward or backward direction. Also, it shouldn’t roll clockwise or counter-clockwise. It has to be magnificently still on the tripod. Turn on your camera and start your gimbal. Once you have turned on both of them, the camera will start to adjust itself for a perfect balance. Activating functions: Now that you are all set with the setup of the camera and calibrations, now you have to follow the gimbal’s instructions to activate its functions. It means that the camera will be following your hand movements. It is an ideal feature for tracking shots and panning shots. For instance, if you want the camera to be tilting forward and backward as per your movements, for this, you have to press the joystick button twice. Gimbals from different brands have their own combinations of buttons and key bindings that users have to press for whichever action they want for the camera. For your convenience, make sure that you experiment on your own at first, so you can know how to handle this gimbal. 2-Axis Gimbals vs. 3-Axis Gimbals: It is crucial for you to note the difference between the two-axis and three-axis gimbals. Putting it in simple words, three-axis cameras have a stabilized tilt, pan, and roll axis. Meanwhile, the two-axis gimbals have to stabilize the pan and roll axis. So it is safe to say that three-axis gimbals are better because they will give you more stability. Furthermore, it totally depends on the user and on their needs. It will be an important deciding factor on which one is superior. Two-axis gimbals are lighter because they have only two motors inside them; also, they eat up less juice for this same reason. Also, if you think that the three-axis gimbals are expensive or not, yes, they are. The price depends on some key factors: What are the goals of the user for the gimbal What will be their use, and what’s your budget for the projects Another thing that you should consider is the level of stability you are looking forward to. If you want some Hollywood-level footage, then the three-axis gimbal will be your best bet. However, if you are on a budget and don’t want a higher-level accessory, then the two-axis is good enough for you. Still, you will get your shots to stabilize smoothly.  Things To Consider Before Purchasing A Gimbal: There are some things that you need to consider before purchasing a gimbal. Let’s take a look at those things: Batteries: Gimbals are powered in very different ways. Some of them use alkaline batteries, which have to be changed regularly. The other type uses lithium-ion batteries, which can always be charged once you drain them. Of course, many individuals will go for the second type because it’s a real deal, though. However, it totally depends on you and your decisions. You can get the one which suits your preferences. Weight: Weight is one of the most important things that you have to consider before purchasing a gimbal. The reason is that you can’t always pick a heavy and huge gimbal just to shoot footage. You will get tired if you are on an all-day shoot. Any more weight combined with your camera mounted on a gimbal will tire your arms pretty quickly if you are holding the camera for a long period. However, you have to make sure that your gimbal is lightweight and made up of good quality materials. Software Compatibility: Before you head to a website and place an order for your gimbal or simply go out to get your gimbal, make sure that you do some research on what software programs these gimbals use. Ensure that it is compatible with your camera, smartphone, computer, etc. By doing this, you will be able to get more out of the gimbal. There are some things that are way easier if your gimbal is fully compatible with your smartphone. It will assist you in controlling the camera movement, or you can decide when you want the recording starts through your phone. These features come in handy for many filmmakers! Accessories: The last thing you should consider is that if you want a gimbal for professional usage, that will allow you to use accessories on it. It means you can mount accessories on it. It is an amazing thing if you are that person who likes to mount tripods on their gimbals, put them on the floor for dolly-style shots, mount them on extension poles, etc. Gimbals That You Can Buy: We have some gimbals that are listed below. Make sure that you check them out: Under $50: Fantaseal DSLR Camera Camcorder Phone Stabilizer: Vloggers assemble! This DSLR stabilizer is an incredible thing for your videos. You can get this gimbal to shoot your footage in a more smooth and more steady way. Users have to use two hands to handle this stabilizer whenever they are shooting videos from it. It has lightweight, and it’s perfect for shooting low-angle shots. Users can attach their cameras, smartphones, or both at the same time. It has an ergonomic grip. It is an ideal option for beginners who have just started filmmaking and want to shoot some smooth footage. Features: We...

Wirex Launches 2022 Rising Women In Crypto Power List In Partnership With The Cryptonomist – PR Newswire https://bentoncountynewsnow.com/wirex-launches-2022-rising-women-in-crypto-power-list-in-partnership-with-the-cryptonomist-pr-newswire/ Part of Wirex’s Women in Crypto campaign aiming to recognise women in the crypto industry Returns for third year in partnership with The Cryptonomist To recognise women with unique achievements, Wirex introduced three additional awards Launching the same day as live event with six highly respected females from the crypto sector presenting , /PRNewswire/ — Wirex, the leading payments platform, has announced the launch of the 2022 Rising Women in Crypto Power List initiative following last year’s success. In partnership with major crypto publication, The Cryptonomist, Wirex has opened nominations to find the 13 most prominent female leaders working in the crypto sphere. The Power List was launched in 2020 as a part of Wirex’s Women in Crypto campaign. It aims to recognise females working in the space, celebrate their achievements, and demonstrate to others the opportunities that lie in the crypto sector for males and female alike. The campaign aligns with Wirex’s core mission to make crypto more inclusive. They’ve brought crypto into everyday life for over 5 million customers, having been the world’s first company to develop a crypto-enabled debit card and crypto rewards scheme, Cryptoback. Since launch, the Power List has received nearly 600 nominations from more than 50 countries. With the crypto and blockchain sectors evolving at an astronomical rate, it’s vital for Wirex to develop the Power List each year to reflect these changes. For 2022’s Power List, Wirex introduced three additional awards to recognise women in a specific way: Social media influencer of the year – for those using the power of social media to influence others Newcomer of the year – for someone that’s been in the crypto sector for less than three years Young Ukrainian of the year – showing the company’s support and solidarity following the Russian government’s invasion of Ukraine Lottie Wells, Senior PR & Events Manager, who has been involved in the campaign since inception, commented: “Our core goal is to empower everyone to benefit from crypto, and it’s clear that female employees play a vital role in this. Now in its third year, the Women in Crypto campaign has had an overwhelmingly positive response from the industry for celebrating females working in the sector.” She explained how the campaign has grown: “In 2021, we launched our first live event, and this year, we’ve added three more awards to Power List. The company is proud to have an above industry average gender split, many of whom are from Kyiv, and so we’ve introduced a new award to recognise a Ukrainian woman achieving incredible things in the crypto space.” Entries this year are open from 15th September until the 18th October. A renowned panel of judges will decide the 13 finalists who will be announced on the 8th November. Individuals can nominate themselves or someone they know, with judging criteria based on their achievements, potential, influence, ambition, leadership skills and innovation, and prizes awarded in crypto. The Power List will launch on the same day as Wirex’s event, ‘Women in Crypto: How will Web 3 and the Metaverse affect you?’ which will be livestreamed from tech accelerator, Level39 on 15th September, 5pm BST. It will feature quick-fire presentations from 6 female crypto leaders, who will demystify the idea of the metaverse and Web 3 and give unique insights into how it affects everyday users. Throughout the campaign, Wirex will release a series of new, exciting content to educate women about the opportunities within the crypto sector. This includes an article about what it’s like to work in crypto amidst war, the inside scoop on working in Wirex’s various departments, and educational content about getting started in the crypto and DeFi space. To nominate yourself or someone you know for the Power List, visit: https://wirexapp.com/women-in-crypto To register for a free ticket to the livestream, sign up at: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/women-in-crypto-how-will-web-3-and-the-metaverse-affect-you-livestream-tickets-391543606467  To view the new and unique content on the Women in Crypto blog, visit: https://wirexapp.com/blog/category/women-in-crypto-0009 T&Cs can be found here: https://community.wirexapp.com/t/join-our-2022-women-in-crypto-event/38919 Notes to editors: About WirexWirex is a worldwide digital payment platform and regulated institution that has forged new rules in the digital payments space. In 2015, the firm developed the world’s first crypto-enabled payment card that gives users the ability to seamlessly spend crypto and traditional currencies in real life. Wirex was created in 2014 by CEOs and co-founders Pavel Matveev and Dmitry Lazarichev, who identified the need to open up the esoteric world of cryptocurrencies and make digital money accessible for everyone. With the core aim of making it as easy as possible to use digital assets in everyday life, Wirex provides a trusted and cost-effective service for crypto and traditional currency transactions by incorporating the next generation of payments infrastructure integrated with cryptocurrency blockchains. With over 5 million customers across 130 countries, the company offers secure accounts that allow customers to easily store, buy and exchange multiple currencies instantly at the best live rates on one centralised mobile app. Quick and simple crypto transfer options are available, as well as the freedom to spend 150+ traditional and cryptocurrencies in more than 80 million locations around the world using the Wirex card. Wirex continues to develop the product in line with market developments, whilst adhering to regional regulations and securing appropriate licensing where it exists. A proven industry pioneer, Wirex launched their own native utility token, WXT, and introduced the world’s first crypto reward programme, Cryptoback, which earns cardholders up to 8% back in WXT for every transaction they make. To reflect the growth of the metaverse, throughout 2021, the company has expanded their product to enable mainstream access to DeFi. Starting with the launch of their popular X-Accounts feature, offering unprecedented levels of interest, Wirex has continued to add to their DeFi arsenal with the release of the non-custodial Wirex Wallet and a partnership with Nereus, a decentralised liquidity market provider.  Wirex is based in London, with offices in Singapore, Kyiv, Dallas, Dublin and Atlanta. With over $5bn worth of transactions processed already and rapid expansion into new territories, including the US, Wirex is uniquely placed to support and promote the mass adoption of a cashless society through creative solutions.   Starting from February 2022, Wirex donates all the revenue earned from in-app transactions to Ukraine humanitarian efforts. The company’s largest office is based in Kyiv and Wirex stands with everyone affected by the war. As a long supporter of democratising access to crypto, Wirex’s ‘Women in Crypto’ campaign was created in 2020 and endeavoured to recognise talented female leaders working in the sphere. With the core aim of celebrating women in the crypto sector and encouraging others to get involved, they launched the ‘Rising Women in Crypto Power List’, asking for nominations of women that had done incredible things in the crypto sector. Having a large percentage of female employees at the company, this initiative is close to their hearts and they hope to continue for years to come. | wirexapp.com | About The Cryptonomist We are happy to announce a media partnership with The Cryptonomist for this year’s Women in Crypto campaign. The Cryptonomist is a punctual and rigorous information site to offer news and updates to its readers, but also authoritative in having opinions and making a disclosure on the most innovative aspects of the crypto economy. It aims to become the most authoritative online newspaper in Italian and English and narrate an economic and technological revolution that conquers more and more spaces and consents compared to traditional models of production and exchange.  Written in a simple and captivating way, The Cryptonomist also provides videos and insights on the most current topics made by leading experts in the field. The Cryptonomist is also a marketing agency, helping crypto and fintech companies and start-ups to advertise their projects. With more than 1 million readers per month, the publication is leading the Italian and Swiss media market. | https://en.cryptonomist.ch/ | SOURCE Wirex

U.S. Senate To Grill SEC’s Gensler Over Climate, China And Crypto – Reuters https://bentoncountynewsnow.com/u-s-senate-to-grill-secs-gensler-over-climate-china-and-crypto-reuters/ U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) Chair Gary Gensler testifies before a Senate Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs Committee oversight hearing on the SEC on Capitol Hill in Washington, U.S., September 14, 2021. REUTERS/Evelyn Hockstein/Pool Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com WASHINGTON, Sept 15 (Reuters) – An aggressive regulator is critical to maintaining the United States as the “gold standard” for capital markets, U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) chair Gary Gensler will tell the U.S. Senate Banking Committee on Thursday. Gensler will appear before the panel for its regular oversight duties, but the hearing comes at a time of Republican frustration over his agenda. They claim he has overstepped his authority with a broad assault on U.S. capital markets and adopted a hostile stance toward the financial industry. Republican representative Tom Emmer told Reuters in July that, under Gensler, the SEC had “politicized rulemaking and discouraged good faith cooperation.” Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com But in prepared testimony released ahead of the hearing, Gensler insisted his new rules are critical to the predominant status of U.S. markets. “As markets have evolved, our rules have continued to evolve as well,” he said. “I think we should do everything we can to maintain and enhance that gold standard of our capital markets.” CLIMATE RULE CONCERNS Republicans are especially concerned about a draft SEC rule requiring public companies to disclose climate-related risks, including greenhouse gas emissions. Corporate groups say it is onerous and exceeds the agency’s authority. Gensler is likely to be grilled on the climate rule, especially in light of a recent Supreme Court decision to curb the Environmental Protection Agency’s power, which some legal experts say undermines the SEC’s authority on the rule. read more But Gensler said the rule would provide needed clarity and consistency to an issue important to investors and being disclosed by some companies under disparate frameworks. CRYPTOCURRENCY CRITICISMS Republicans will also pressure Gensler on what some see as his increasingly hawkish stance on cryptocurrency oversight, said Isaac Boltansky, director of policy research for brokerage BTIG. Gensler made headlines last week when he said crypto companies may need multiple SEC registrations and split their operations into separate legal entities. read more Senator Pat Toomey, the senior Republican on the committee criticized Gensler’s approach in July. “What is the SEC doing now to help ensure the crypto community gets the regulatory clarity it has repeatedly asked for? They deserve answers now, not later.” In his prepared testimony, Gensler said such “disaggregation” could enhance investor protections and guard against conflicts of interest. He added that SEC staff was working with traditional market intermediaries interested in entering the crypto market, and urged Congress to not inadvertently undermine existing investor protections while crafting cryptocurrency legislation. U.S.-CHINA AUDIT DEAL Gensler also struck a cautious tone on a recent deal between U.S. and Chinese officials on auditing U.S.-listed Chinese firms, noting the accord is meaningful only if U.S. officials actually are permitted to fully investigate Chinese auditors. If not, roughly 200 companies would still face the prospect of trading restrictions in the United States, he warned. read more “There was a fair amount of fanfare after the agreement in August, but there are still some real questions about how the agreement will work and some understandable skepticism on Capitol Hill about its prospects for success,” said Boltansky. Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com Reporting by Michelle Price and Pete Schroeder; Editing by Josie Kao Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Ethereum Blockchain Slashes Energy Use With ‘Merge’ Software Upgrade – Dunya News https://bentoncountynewsnow.com/ethereum-blockchain-slashes-energy-use-with-merge-software-upgrade-dunya-news/ Technology Ethereum blockchain slashes energy use with ‘Merge’ software upgrade Ethereum was born in 2013. 15 September,2022 02:48 pm LONDON (Reuters) – The Ethereum blockchain has undergone a major software upgrade, drastically reducing its energy usage, its inventor and co-founder tweeted on Thursday. The new system will use 99.95% less energy, according to the Ethereum Foundation. The upgrade, which changes how transactions occur and how ether tokens are created, could give Ethereum a major advantage as it seeks to surpass rival blockchain bitcoin. “We believe this is a significant moment that will lead to ETH outperforming the broader crypto market for some time,” said Richard Usher, head of over-the-counter trading at London-based crypto firm BCB Group. Most blockchains devour large amounts of energy and have come under fire from environmentalists and some investors. Before the software upgrade, which is known as the Merge, a single transaction on Ethereum used as much power as an average U.S. household uses in a week, according to researcher Digiconomist. With the software upgrade, Ethereum has moved from a “proof of work” system, in which energy-hungry computers validate transactions by solving complex maths problems, to a “proof of stake” system, where individuals and companies act as validators, using their ether as collateral, to win newly created tokens. “Happy merge all,” inventor Vitalik Buterin said in a tweet. “This is a big moment for the Ethereum ecosystem.” Ethereum was born in 2013. Proponents say it will form the backbone of much of the widely hyped but still unrealised “Web3” vision of an internet where crypto technology takes centre stage in applications and commerce. It powers platforms involving crypto offshoots such as decentralised finance and non-fungible tokens, and is used in so-called “smart contracts” – blockchain-based covenants seen as having use in traditional finance and other industries. The cryptocurrency ether was little changed at $1,608 as of 0857 GMT. Investors bet ahead of Merge that the upgrade would bolster the price of the ether token. Ether has gained about 85% from its June lows, outperforming larger rival bitcoin’s 15% gain. Overall, however, cryptocurrencies have suffered this year, with bitcoin and ether both down by around 55%. Ether took market share from bitcoin ahead of the Merge, and now accounts for about a fifth of the $1 trillion crypto market. Bitcoin’s share has dropped to 39.1% from this year’s peak of 47.5% in mid-June. In addition to energy consumption, high costs and slow transaction times are key issues facing the Ethereum network. Merge will not immediately tackle these problems, though some analysts say it lays the ground for Ethereum’s expansion. The bolstering of Ethereum’s environmental, social and corporate governance (ESG) credentials “would be good for regulatory-driven institutions that want to start to explore the Ethereum ecosystem,” said Marc Arjoon, ethereum research analyst at digital asset manager CoinShares. ‘ ; var i = Math.floor(r_text.length * Math.random()); document.write(r_text[i]);

India Calls For Online Gaming Crackdown Over Gambling Fears – Asia Financial https://bentoncountynewsnow.com/india-calls-for-online-gaming-crackdown-over-gambling-fears-asia-financial/ September 15, 2022 An Indian government panel said the country should create a regulatory body for online gaming to tackle gambling and addiction issues An Indian government panel said the country should create a regulatory body for online gaming to crack down on gambling and addiction. The confidential draft report calls for the creation of a new regulatory body under India’s IT ministry to determine which online games qualify as games of skill and which are closer to chance-based gambling. India needs a new federal online gaming law, it said, which will provide regulatory flexibility “with punishment provisions, along with blocking powers, for the government against prohibited gaming formats”. The much-awaited report is seen as shaping the future of the mobile gaming industry in India, estimated to be worth $5 billion by 2025, from $1.5 billion this year. It comes amid rising concerns over gaming addiction and “inconsistent state laws” disrupting business. Skill Versus Gambling Simply defining games has been contentious. India’s Supreme Court says the card game rummy and certain fantasy games are skill-based and legal, but at least one state court classified games such as poker as chance-based, or akin to gambling, which is banned in most states. Though the panel considered only online skill games, and not gambling, which is handled by states, it noted that many offshore betting and gambling websites that are illegal in India have become popular among Indian users. The new legal framework would apply to both free and pay-to-play skill games. “On the aspect of prohibiting games of chance being played online, the proposed Digital India Act can include it in the list of prohibited user harms that will not be permitted,” the report stated. A senior government source said that although the federal government could classify chance-based games as harmful, it would let states make the final call on whether to allow gambling. India’s Booming Gaming Industry A 2020 report by Indian trade group FICCI and consulting firm EY stated that of 65 billion Indian rupees ($817 million) garnered by online gaming industry the previous year, transaction-based gaming, including real-money, contributed 71%, or 46 billion rupees. Endorsements by top Indian cricketers and other marketing efforts have boosted the appeal and investor interest of real money gaming apps. Dream11 commands a valuation of $8 billion, while Mobile Premier League is valued at $2.5 billion, PitchBook data shows. By 2021, there were 95 million paying gamers in India. The government report noted that the proliferation of such games among the youth had led to addiction that often caused financial losses, with some reported cases of suicides. The report calls for laws and rules to include so-called “de-addiction measures” such as periodic warnings and advisories and fixing deposit and withdrawal limits. It also calls for “responsible advertising”. For online games such as fantasy cricket on Dream11, paid contests remain the popular attraction. Users can create their teams by paying as little as 14 rupees (17 US cents), with a total prize pool of 7 million rupees ($88,000) up for grabs by winners. The top ranking performer can take home 275,000 rupees ($3,462). After receiving suggestions from India’s revenue department, the government panel stated that online gaming companies should be required to report any “suspicious transactions” to the government’s Financial Intelligence Unit. Reuters, with additional editing from Alfie Habershon Read more: Concern on Impact of Deadly E-Scooter Showroom Fire in India Vedanta Picks Modi’s State for $20bn India Chips Plant India Says Russian Oil Imports Help Its Inflation Fight Alfie Habershon Alfie is a Reporter at Asia Financial. He previously lived in Mumbai reporting on India’s economy and healthcare for data journalism initiative IndiaSpend, as well as having worked for London based Tortoise Media.

She Was Only In Paris For Three Days. She Met The Love Of Her Life On The Metro. – CNN https://bentoncountynewsnow.com/she-was-only-in-paris-for-three-days-she-met-the-love-of-her-life-on-the-metro-cnn/ (CNN) — Andye was only in Paris for three days. On day one, she jumped aboard the Metro train that would change her life forever. It was September 2016. Andye, born in Haiti and brought up in the US, was 25 and finishing up a Master’s degree in Amsterdam, in the Netherlands. She was in that in-between phase of a degree when studies are over, but graduation is still to come. “I decided, ‘I’m just going to travel for a month and then come back to Amsterdam,'” Andye tells CNN Travel. Andye planned a month’s adventure exploring Italy, Greece, Egypt and India. On her way back, she returned via Paris to visit a close friend, Seyna, who lived in the French capital and was looking after some of Andye’s belongings. “I got on the Metro to head back to my friend’s house where I’d dropped off my suitcases,” Andye recalls to CNN Travel. “And that’s where he got on.” “He” was Steven, a 26-year-old Master’s student originally from the Central African Republic studying in Paris and working part-time in a school. (Andye and Steven have asked that only their first names be used for privacy reasons.) When Steven boarded the train, the carriage was already full of travelers. He was one of several passengers standing. Meanwhile, Andye was sitting, her traveling backpack on her knee and her headphones on. Steven noticed her right away. “I found her really beautiful,” Steven tells CNN Travel. A few stops went by, the carriage emptied out, seats freed up and Steven ended up sitting opposite Andye. He kept glancing her way. She seemed to be looking at him too. Their eyes kept meeting. Andye also noticed Steven amid the crowds of travelers. “We just kept looking at each other,” she recalls. “He would turn around to look at me, and I would look away, and we just kept on doing that for like a good 15 minutes, just staring at each other and looking away.” As the train sped underground the Parisian streets, Steven tried to think of a polite way to broach conversation with the girl with the backpack. He wanted to speak to her, but he was also conscious of respecting her space and privacy. Meanwhile, Andye was silently fantasizing about the stranger opposite her. She recalls being struck by his “calming energy.” “He had really nice, muscular arms. I was like, ‘Wow, he looks like someone I could really get a nice hug from.'” As these thoughts flashed through Andye’s mind, they were followed by another, sinking realization. “I was like, ‘What if he’s my husband, but I’ll never know? Because I’m going to get off this train without ever speaking to him.'” “Then, at some point — when our eyes finally caught each other, and neither of us turned back — I saw his lips move. So I removed one of my headphones.” Metro meet-cute Steven and Andye started chatting when they were on the same Paris Metro train in September 2016. @DyeTravels In French, Steven was suggesting Andye could move her heavy-looking backpack onto the now vacant seat next to her. Andye, who is fluent in French, replied that it wasn’t necessary — the bag wasn’t heavy. “Then, somehow, I just did not put on my headphones back, because I kind of was hoping that we would keep on talking,” says Andye. “And then the conversation continued.” Steven asked if Andye was a student — because of the backpack — and she told him about her studies. Steven explained he was also working towards a Master’s degree. “At some point, I had to get off the train to transfer, and he asked if he could get off with me. And I said, ‘You can do as you please.'” As they got off the train together, Steven offered to help carry her backpack. “I felt a bit nervous because I didn’t know him and I thought about how he could probably run away with my bag,” says Andye. “But my gut felt comfortable enough to allow him to take it.” The two waited for the next subway station together, Steven holding the backpack. Then they got on the next train together and sat next to one another. “We just kept on talking,” says Andye. “That’s when we realized that we actually were doing our Master’s in the same field of study. We were both studying sustainable development, and we started talking about that a bit.” When the train arrived at Andye’s stop, Steven got off with her, handed her the backpack. They exchanged numbers, then Steven asked if he could give her a hug goodbye. Andye agreed. “I thought that was so weird, because in France people just do the kisses on the cheek, they don’t hug,” recalls Andye. “I was like, ‘Wow, what if this guy is a mind reader? Because earlier I was just thinking I could get a really nice hug from him.'” After their hug, the two went their separate ways. Steven, glancing at his phone, realized his Metro detour had made him late for work. Meanwhile, Andye reunited with her friend Seyna and immediately shared details of her Metro meet-cute. Later that evening, Steven messaged Andye and nervously waited for a reply. “When she responded, I screamed and ran to my cousin,” says Steven, recalling announcing that Andye was the woman he would marry. Andye and Steven messaged back and forth all evening, trying to figure out if they could meet up again before Andye returned to Amsterdam. She had a tight schedule, and at first suggested it would be easier to meet in a few weeks — after graduation she planned to return to Paris for a week before she headed home to the US. “Even if we see each other for just a quick second, I really want to see you before you leave,” wrote Steven in response. Eventually, the two settled on meeting for a quick dinner on Andye’s last evening. Steven wanted to impress Andye and take her to a swanky restaurant, but Andye wanted to make sure she wouldn’t be late home, given she was traveling the next day. They settled on a casual fast food spot, right next to the Metro stop where they’d parted the first time. As Andye was getting ready for the date, Seyna teased her about her romantic Metro meeting and the subsequent date plans. “She was really giddy about me going on the date,” Andye laughs. When they saw one another again, both Andye and Steven felt excited. “I felt butterflies in my stomach,” says Steven. “We did the usual French greeting with one kiss on each cheek AKA ‘la bise,'” recalls Andye, who remembers trying to temper her excitement, given her imminent return to the US. Inside the restaurant, the two settled into conversation quickly. “We started talking and getting to know each other a bit,” recalls Andye. Steven was straightforward with Andye, explaining he was looking for a relationship. “I thought that was like, ‘Whoa, first date, like you’re doing too much for me.’ But I appreciated his sincerity,” says Andye. “We kept on talking and I got, again, that kind of like, calm feeling being around him.” Andye’s original plan to keep the evening short no longer seemed so important. She suggested they go into the center of Paris to a bar. Later, Steven accompanied Andye back to her friend’s apartment. Outside the door, they kissed. Then Steven returned to where he lived, further into the suburbs of Paris. It was later than he’d realized, and trains had stopped running, so he walked most of the way. Steven says he didn’t mind, he was just caught up in the excitement and romance of the evening. Meanwhile, Andye excitedly told Seyna about the date and how well it went. “Then the next day I left to go to Amsterdam, but we kept in touch. He was messaging me the whole time I was in Amsterdam,” recalls Andye. Long distance Andye went back to the US, but she stayed in touch with Steven. @DyeTravels After graduation, Andye returned to Paris for a brief stopover before her return to the US. Once again, she arranged to meet Steven at the Metro stop by Seyna’s apartment. The two hopped on the train together and went for a stroll along the Champs Élysées, through the Trocadéro area and towards the Eiffel Tower. Andye and Steven tried to see each other as much as they could during those few days, often riding the Metro together. On one of these journeys, Steven turned to Andye and said he didn’t want her to return to the US. “Why?” asked Andye. “Because I love you,” said Steven. “How can you love me? You don’t even know me!” said Andye. Andye boarded her flight to the US at the end of September, with no imminent plans to return to Europe. “We didn’t make plans to meet up, we kind of held hope that we were gonna see each other again, at some point,” says Andye. “We decided that we’re going to keep in touch, and just keep writing to each other and talking,” says Steven. Three months later, Andye started working with an international organization based in Washington DC. She soon learned the role involved business travel, mostly to Guinea. Serendipitously, flights often included a layover in Paris. In March 2017, six months after their first Metro encounter, Steven and Andye reunited at Charles de Gaulle airport for Andye’s 24-hour stopover. In the intervening months, the two had been in constant communication. But it wasn’t the same as finally seeing one another in person again. “Wow, this person actually exists,” Andye remembers thinking. “We talked a lot, we hugged a lot,” says Steven of their reunion. But before long they were saying goodbye again. Andye’s role involved traveling to West Africa every three months or so. She figured that each time, she would try to incorporate a Paris layover. But Steven felt guilty that Andye was the one always traveling — he didn’t have a visa to travel to the US, so he couldn’t reciprocate the trips. “It was getting complicated,” he says. “Because it was always Andye who would have had to travel, I thought it would have been even more complicated later on in the process.” Steven...

Patagonia: Billionaire Boss Of Fashion Retailer Gives Company Away – BBC https://bentoncountynewsnow.com/patagonia-billionaire-boss-of-fashion-retailer-gives-company-away-bbc/ By Daniel Thomas Business reporter, BBC News Image source, Campbell Brewer Image caption, Yvon Chouinard founded Patagonia in 1973 The billionaire founder of the outdoor fashion retailer Patagonia says he has given away his company to a charitable trust. Yvon Chouinard said that under a new ownership structure, any profit not reinvested in running the business would go to fighting climate change. This will amount to around $100m (£87m) a year, he claimed, depending on the health of the company. Patagonia sells hiking and other outdoor clothing in over 10 countries. Founded in 1973, its estimated revenue was $1.5bn this year, while Mr Chouinard’s net worth is thought to be $1.2bn. “Despite its immensity, the Earth’s resources are not infinite, and it’s clear we’ve exceeded its limits,” the entrepreneur said of his decision to give up ownership. “Instead of extracting value from nature and transforming it into wealth, we are using the wealth Patagonia creates to protect the source.” The Californian firm was already donating 1% of its annual profits to grassroots activists and committed to sustainable practices. But in an open letter to customers, the apparently reluctant businessman said he wanted to do more. He said he had initially considered selling Patagonia and donating the money to charity, or taking the company public. But he said both options would have meant giving up control of the business. “Even public companies with good intentions are under too much pressure to create short-term gain at the expense of long-term vitality and responsibility,” he said. People who have donated their wealth Microsoft founder Bill Gates this year vowed to “drop off” the world’s rich list as he made a $20bn donation to his philanthropic fund. The tech boss, who is thought to be worth $118bn, had pledged to give his wealth away to charity in 2010 but his net worth has more than doubled since then. Last year the boss of the Hut Group, which owns a range of online beauty and nutrition brands, donated £100m to a charitable foundation after becoming a billionaire when his firm was listed. Matthew Moulding said of his newfound wealth that he “couldn’t even comprehend the numbers” and was trying to make a difference. In 2019, Julian Richer who founded hi-fi chain Richer Sounds handed over 60% of the business to staff Instead, the Chouinard family has transferred all ownership to two new entities. The Patagonia Purpose Trust, led by the family, remains the company’s controlling shareholder but will only own 2% of its total stock, Mr Chouinard said. It will guide the philanthropy of the Holdfast Collective, a US charity “dedicated to fighting the environmental crisis” which now owns all of the non-voting stock – some 98% of the company. “Each year the money we make after reinvesting in the business will be distributed as a dividend to help fight the crisis,” Mr Chouinard said.

World Lymphoma Awareness Day 2022: Lifestyle Changes To Lower Risk Of Lymphoma – NDTV https://bentoncountynewsnow.com/world-lymphoma-awareness-day-2022-lifestyle-changes-to-lower-risk-of-lymphoma-ndtv/ World Lymphoma Awareness Day 2022: Staying active lowers risk of lymphoma Significance & theme Every year on September 15, World Lymphoma Awareness Day (WLAD) is observed to raise awareness of lymphoma, a kind of cancer that is becoming more widespread. It is an international project run by the Lymphoma Coalition. In order to increase public knowledge of all lymphoma subtypes in terms of symptom detection, early diagnosis, and treatment, WLAD was established in 2004. This year’s theme is “We Can’t Wait to address the ways the pandemic has affected people living with lymphomas.” The above discusses a delay in receiving treatment and care, a reluctance to seek medical attention, a delay in diagnoses, and a greater strain on the mental health of lymphoma patients and caregivers. What is Lymphoma? Lymphocytes, which are immune system cells that fight infection, are where lymphoma, a type of cancer, first appears. These cells can be found in the bone marrow, lymph nodes, spleen, thymus, and other organs. Lymphocytes alter and overgrow when you have lymphoma. Lymphoma can come in two different forms. Different kinds of lymphocyte cells are involved in Hodgkin’s and Non-lymphoma. Hodgkin’s Every form of lymphoma develops at a unique rate and reacts to therapy in a unique way. The prognosis for lymphoma varies based on the type and stage of the disease, and it is relatively curable. Your doctor can assist you in determining the best course of action given the kind and stage of your condition. In addition to smooth treatment in most cases, prevention of lymphoma is also possible. Certain changes in habits and lifestyle can significantly lower one’s risk of developing lymphoma. In this article, we list lifestyle changes that can help lower the risk of lymphoma. Lifestyle changes to lower the risk of lymphoma: 1. Maintain the right weight Obesity may be a major factor in the development of many diseases. This might include lymphoma. Make sure to maintain the right weight to lower your risk of developing lymphoma and various other chronic diseases. 2. Inculcate physical activity The term physical activity means any muscle-driven movement that involves the use of energy. Depending on your age group, you may require more or less exercise, but individuals between the ages of 18 and 64 should engage in at least 150 minutes per week of daily exercise. 3. Eat healthy foods Consume a variety of foods, such as fruits, vegetables, legumes, nuts, and whole grains. Eating a healthy diet also ensures your body weight is maintained. In addition to this, it also lowers the risk of various other chronic diseases and also improves our immunity. 4. Avoid certain foods It is critical to watch what you consume. While eating junk food and processed food can make you gain weight, many ‘healthy’ substitutes might not be the best choice. It is best to conduct appropriate research and pay attention to the meals you are eating. Avoid foods high in red meats, salt, sugar, etc. 5. Stay clear of HIV Having HIV infection has been proven to be one of the causes of Hodgkin’s lymphoma and even non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma. Practicing protected intercourse, avoiding used needles, etc. are all habits and measures that ensure the prevention of HIV. In conclusion, making small yet healthy life choices can lower the risk of lymphoma and various other types of cancer. In fact, a healthy lifestyle can lower your risk of numerous chronic diseases besides cancer. Disclaimer: This content including advice provides generic information only. It is in no way a substitute for a qualified medical opinion. Always consult a specialist or your own doctor for more information. NDTV does not claim responsibility for this information.

Here Is The Latest SEC Sports News From The Associated Press – Fort Bend Herald https://bentoncountynewsnow.com/here-is-the-latest-sec-sports-news-from-the-associated-press-fort-bend-herald/ UNDATED (AP) — New No. 1 team Georgia opens Southeastern Conference play against South Carolina. Quarterback Stetson Bennett and the defending national champions have been dominant so far. They’ve outscored Oregon and Samford by a combined 82-3. The Gamecocks are led by Oklahoma transfer Spencer Rattler. They’re coming off a loss to No. 10 Arkansas. South Carolina’s challenge got even bigger with the season-ending ACL injuries to linebackers Jordan Strachan and Mo Kaba. In another big SEC game, 24th-ranked Texas A&M tries to rebound against No. 13 Miami. UNDATED (AP) — Nick Saban doesn’t have to give his players a history lesson. The Alabama coach need only point to last weekend’s Sun Belt Conference stunners ahead of Saturday’s game against Louisiana-Monroe, incidentally the architect of the most humbling loss of his tenure in Tuscaloosa. His current players weren’t out of elementary school at the time in 2007. The second-ranked Crimson Tide  tumbled from the top spot after barely surviving against Texas. It comes on the heels of a huge week for ULM’s Sun Belt Conference brethren, who pulled off upsets of Texas A&M, Notre Dame and Nebraska. KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Coach Josh Heupel’s 15th-ranked Tennessee Volunteers have one final chance to work out remaining problems before diving into the Southeastern Conference portion of the season. Part of the Vols’ challenge is not overlooking Akron on Saturday night to a looming home game against No. 18 Florida. Heupel says the challenge each week is the Volunteers themselves. Tennessee is coming off a 34-27 overtime road win at then-No. 17 Pittsburgh. The Vols (2-0) survived mistakes by the offense and special teams thanks to a defense that rose to the challenge to escape with the big victory. Akron is coming off a 52-0 rout by then-No. 14 Michigan State. Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Metaverse Hits TV Biz: Shows Featuring Avatars, Virtual Reality On Rise – 코리아타임스 https://bentoncountynewsnow.com/metaverse-hits-tv-biz-shows-featuring-avatars-virtual-reality-on-rise-%ec%bd%94%eb%a6%ac%ec%95%84%ed%83%80%ec%9e%84%ec%8a%a4/ MBN’s music show “Avatar Singer” invites artists to perform anonymously through avatars. Courtesy of MBN Music, dating shows incorporate metaverse technology By Lee Gyu-lee Metaverse, a term referring to a fictional, immersive world facilitated by virtual and augmented reality (VR, AR) technologies, has been considered to be the next big tech trend over the past couple of years, especially with the COVID-19 pandemic opening up the contactless era. Many industries, ranging from gaming and social media to banking and retail, have been on their toes to implement the technologies and incorporate metaverse technology into their business. Expanding its presence, metaverse is now hitting the TV business, with networks running series that feature related technologies like virtual avatars and VR or AR. Local network MBN debuted a big-budget project, “Avatar Singer,” which began airing on Aug. 26. The new program, which prides itself as the first metaverse music show in Korea, invites recognized musicians to perform and compete with each other. But there is one twist: the musicians perform through a digital avatar on stage. Hiding their real identity, the competitors perform through their virtual avatars, which imitate their dancing, singing and even facial expressions in detail. The avatars come to the stage to perform in front of an audience and a group of panel cast members, who must try to guess which artist is behind each avatar. The production team revealed that each episode of the 15-part show cost about 1 billion won ($717,000) to make. A scene from MBN’s music show “Avatar Singer” / Courtesy of MBN “Actualizing AR and VR (on a show), as the first in the country, is one of the toughest technologies to make use of,” Kim Yoon-sung, the executive producer of the show, said during a press conference for the program late last month. “The quality of the technology used in the production is extremely high. We’ve developed it for a year with about 200 staff. We’ve had the biggest budget among Korea’s reality shows.” Another local network, TV Chosun, is also gearing up to roll out a new music show that features virtual humans. “Ava Dream,” which is slated to premiere on Oct. 3, follows a similar format to the MBN show. It invites 24 singers, who are referred to as Dreamers, to create a virtual version of themselves to perform, while also presenting a collaborative act with his or her avatar. While comedians Lee Yong-jin and Yoo Se-yoon will be the hosts, actress Yoo In-na, comedians Yang Se-hyung and Lee Jin-ho, and singer Kim Hyeon-Cheol will star as the “dream catchers” to guess the artists. A poster for TV Chosun’s music show “Ava Dream” / Courtesy of TV Chosun Metaverse is also finding its way into dating reality shows, which have grown very popular. JTBC’s four-part reality show, “Love In,” which ran from Aug. 23 to Sept. 13, adopted a rather unfamiliar concept of dating in a virtual space. A group of singles, each isolated in separate rooms, go on blind dates with each other for three days through an avatar. Without actually knowing what the other person looks like, the participants must interact only through their virtual selves, while trying to find a true connection. However, despite the uniqueness of incorporating metaverse in TV shows, the programs have had rather disappointing outcomes, failing to win the hearts of viewers. “Avatar Singer,” despite the excitement the production team expressed at the press conference, kicked off with a 1.4 percent rating, which even fell to 0.8 percent for the second episode. The JTBC’s dating show also failed to create a buzz, seeing a devastatingly low viewership rating of 0.4 percent for most of its episodes. Pop culture critic Ha Jae-keun said that there still are many limitations in making a show with metaverse-related technology. “Metaverse itself has several limitations to be incorporated into the entertainment industry. TV shows, to begin with, have to be set on an easy-to-follow concept and star celebrities in person to take part in something that draws the audiences’ empathy,” he told The Korea Times. “But when it starts involving digitalized, computer-related concepts, it gets complicated and twists the flow which makes it harder to capture the audiences’ interest. And as the quality of the technology is still not up to the top standard, it tends to bring down the quality of the show a little bit.” The critic added that despite the lack of success with the shows, adopting new technology on TV programs could be a meaningful experiment for the networks. “It seems a bit overwhelming to make such shows. But from the networks’ perspective, as they have to keep on trying new things for their shows, this is an experiment to take in this new keyword,” Ha noted. “So it was a difficult circumstance to get a good viewership rating and it could just be viewed as a nice effort to make such an attempt.”

How Long Do Gaming PCs Last? [Full Guide] – Tech4Gamers https://bentoncountynewsnow.com/how-long-do-gaming-pcs-last-full-guide-tech4gamers/ How long do gaming PCs last? This is a straightforward query that anyone can ask. You must be aware as a computer operator that the age of your gaming computer depends entirely on the mechanism’s quality.  Naturally, the lifespan of a gaming computer is two to three years. Your computer can last for eight years if you utilize it carefully.  A gaming computer is a specific kind of personal computer built for playing video games. Computer engineers have created a “gaming pc” as a remedy for this situation because video games often require a lot of space to run.  The latest gaming computer is not like a typical computer. With the addition of quality-focused components like high-core CPUs and video cards, one can turn a normal pc into a gaming pc.  Most gaming computers were built with extreme computing powers when overlaps were present. A gaming computer that is ideal for playing video games is essentially a more advanced version of a standard computer.  Sometimes gaming computers need to be upgraded. Its essential components determine how long it will last. People do choose a high-quality PC over a laptop for gaming because of the latter’s disadvantage of durability.  A computer is more resistant to accidental situations than a laptop. Also, you may rapidly and affordably repair a damaged or broken PC component. A gaming PC can last longer than you might imagine in this way. Related: How long does it take to build a PC? How Long Do Gaming PCs Last? Here is how a Gaming PC Looks – Image from our DeepCool CK560 Article. This question lacks a definite response till now. For instance, some people would want a PC upgrade every year or perhaps more frequently, but others might go five years without one.  You’ve probably heard people say that gaming PCs depreciate with time, but you’ve never seen any concrete evidence to support this claim.  Here is the outcome of the research to understand the precise figures: A gaming PC that cost $2,226 ten years ago is now only worth about $438, a 400% decrease. Not all parts, though, lost value at the same pace. Because some components, like cases, will keep their worth better than others, the rate of depreciation varies. On the other hand, CPUs are continually being updated, and Moore’s Law predicts that a CPU that is ten years old will be considerably slower than the most recent CPU. It’s better to know how much each component depreciated over the course of ten years in addition to the overall depreciation of the PC throughout that time.  As you can see, when compared to the other components, the GPU, CPU, and RAM all significantly decreased in value. Given that they receive the most updates and have the most effects on gaming performance, the value loss is to be expected. According to research, you should probably upgrade your GPU and CPU before upgrading your RAM when it’s time for an upgrade. Unexpectedly, these components appeared to depreciate more than the motherboard or hard drive. Last but not least, according to research, your PSU will retain its worth the best. Here, we mostly discuss the longevity of four popular gaming PC categories.  Low-end Gaming PCs: Gaming computers of this type have a 2 to 3-year lifespan. Then you have to upgrade them. Although they are the least expensive, they have the lowest specifications. You can play lower-end games on a simple gaming PC. You may play these devices’ most recent video games at modest resolutions and graphics settings. However, when playing, you could experience lags occasionally.  Mid-end Gaming PCs: They endure for 3 to 5 years. Then, in order to support the newest games, you must upgrade them. Mid-end gaming PCs have stronger specifications than basic gaming devices. Thankfully, they are still reasonably priced. You can perform more tasks and can play more difficult games with them. High-end gaming PCs: They last 7 to 10 years on average. To play the most recent games after this time, you must upgrade some components. Although they are the most expensive, they feature the best specifications. High-end gaming PCs can give you the best possible gaming experience.  Pre-built Gaming PCs: Pre-built gaming computers typically survive 4 to 5 years. The precise figure varies based on your PC’s specifications and the games you play. Pre-built gaming computers often cost less than custom-built computers. Even yet, it can be challenging to locate a pre-built PC that offers the same performance for the same cost as a custom-built PC. Gaming PC Parts Lifespan Now, we will take a look at all individual parts of PC, and how long they last.  Graphics Cards The life of a GPU might end up in 5 years if you use it to an extreme level, but if you use it moderately, it might even work 7 years or more. Gaming with a high level of demand will wear a card more than regular computing. The actual worrisome point is that in 3 to 5 years, a GPU might become an inferior and out-of-date technology.  Why, then, 5 years? Will your GPU simply send you a message saying, “Sorry buddy, but I’ve had enough!”? Not quite, but some indications begin to appear when your system is about to fail.  A GPU’s gradual aging and obsolescence is oftentimes a more serious issue than its abrupt failure. In the IT sector, particularly in the gaming industry, and in the evolution of technology, 5 years is a long time. Think about the visual differences between Red Dead Redemption (2018) and Dragon Age: Inquisition (2014) to get an idea of how wide that gap may be. Dragon Age: Inquisition is a stunning game with some spectacular graphics in action, but the characters have a bit of a wooden appearance, their facial features are a little flat, and their general movement and animations look very “video game” like. A game like Red Dead Redemption 2 features characters that are occasionally impossible to tell apart from actual people of real life. They genuinely behave like people, moving, speaking, and walking. Given the stark visual contrasts between these two example games, you would be surprised that a GPU could even manage that jump. After considering this straightforward comparison and the GPU that was used to run them, it should be evident that GPUs frequently reach their limit sooner rather than later.  Processors The CPU is one of a computer’s most dependable components. The CPU won’t often malfunction unless one of its important parts, such as the hard drive, power supply for the system, or CPU fan, does. Usage and heat have an impact on a CPU’s lifespan. It ought to survive at least seven to ten years, if not more.  Although video games and other rendering and processing applications need greater horsepower daily, most processors are deemed outdated after 10 years. Also, CPUs are becoming so quick and effective that you might only need to replace your processor after three or four years. Mismanaged thermals are essentially the only factor that is regularly observed to shorten the lifespan of processors. Not just your CPU but every component in your computer can be slowly worn out by excessive heat. The performance of graphics cards, power supplies, and even solid-state storage drives improves with cooling.  By making sure that you have adequate cooling and lots of airflow, you can easily extend the lifespan of all of your components, including processors. Less heat build-up leads to less wear and tear. CPU Coolers CPU Coolers have two major kinds: Air coolers with Heatsink and a fan or 2x fans AIO Liquid Cooler With Radiator and fans  Life Span of Liquid Cooler: Liquid cooling is the preferred option for PC enthusiasts who like to tweak their computers and make them seem very beautiful.  When it comes to aesthetics and temperature, liquid coolers are the best kind of CPU cooler.  A liquid CPU cooler looks terrific and performs a great job of keeping your CPU cool.  There are two different sorts of liquid coolers to watch out for when discussing liquid cooling. Keep in mind, there are various AIO Sizes, including 480mm, 360mm, 280mm, 240mm, & 120mm. AIO liquid cooling is first. All-in-one liquid cooling is known as AIO. Although they are more expensive than the majority of air CPU coolers, these coolers are relatively simple to install and reasonably priced for a conventional liquid cooler. Before requiring any significant maintenance or replacement, an AIO cooler should last for about 5 to 6 years. This is due to the fact that these coolers are already built to endure a lot and are entirely sealed, eliminating the need to replace the liquid coolant.  Then there are your personalized liquid coolers. These CPU coolers look considerably cooler and can cool your PC down to very low temperatures, but they require a little more maintenance than an AIO cooler.  These coolers will require maintenance every one to three years, but they shouldn’t require complete replacement for another four to five years.  Many individuals still like these coolers despite the fact that they require far more maintenance. The Life Span of Air Cooler: Air coolers last forever until or unless the base plate does not catch rust. Since a CPU cooler’s heatsink is merely a piece of metal that doesn’t need to process anything, it should endure for hundreds of years. It won’t wear out unless you attempt to do something to it. Motherboards A motherboard often has a lengthy lifespan. A motherboard can live for up to 20 years or even longer if it is taken care of properly and maintained clean. The motherboard itself should continue to function flawlessly even when the hardware connected to it becomes outdated, necessitating an upgrade to the newest gear.  Similar to a pet, how you care for your motherboard will determine how long it lasts. Typically, you can anticipate your board working for 7 to 10 years.  Y...

SEC Chair Gary Gensler Has A ‘Flexible’ Way For Tokens To Register – Is This Good News For Crypto? – Cryptonews https://bentoncountynewsnow.com/sec-chair-gary-gensler-has-a-flexible-way-for-tokens-to-register-is-this-good-news-for-crypto-cryptonews/ Gary Gensler. Source: A video screenshot, Youtube/U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission Gary Gensler, Chair of the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), is intensifying the regulator’s work on extending regulation over the crypto industry. In his latest testimony at the U.S. Senate, the official declared he has a ‘flexible’ way for tokens to register with the agency, but his previous crypto-skeptical comments indicate crypto industry players could have a different view on the SEC’s approach.  Gensler told the U.S. Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs that among “the nearly 10,000 tokens in the crypto market” he believes that “the vast majority are securities.” “Thus, I’ve asked the SEC staff to work directly with entrepreneurs to get their tokens registered and regulated, where appropriate, as securities. Given the nature of crypto investments, I recognize that it may be appropriate to be flexible in applying existing disclosure requirements,” he said. Gensler also suggested that the SEC could intensify its cooperation with legacy finance players interested in entering the cryptosphere, potentially increasing institutional adoption. “I also have asked staff to work with firms that have been operating in other well-regulated markets that want to enter the crypto market. Such traditional financial intermediaries have expressed an interest in providing services to investors in the crypto market and to do so in compliance with time-tested investor protection rules,” he said. The latest development comes shortly after, earlier this month, Gensler said in a speech that, as, in his view, many crypto tokens are securities, it means that many ‘crypto intermediaries’ are transacting in securities and as a result have to register with the SEC. “Our fundamental goal is to provide investors with the protections and disclosures they deserve — and that are required by law,” the official said. In the aftermath of the May 2022 terraUSD (UST) stablecoin crash, the SEC has also launched a series of inquiries into the activities of various crypto exchanges, seeking to determine whether the companies have adequate safeguards in place to prevent insider trading.

United States Announces Additional Humanitarian Assistance For The Syrian People – US Embassy Rome https://bentoncountynewsnow.com/united-states-announces-additional-humanitarian-assistance-for-the-syrian-people-us-embassy-rome/ Press Statement Antony J. Blinken, Secretary of State September 14, 2022 At today’s Syria Political-Humanitarian Briefing at the UN Security Council, Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield, U.S. Representative to the United Nations, announced more than $756 million in additional humanitarian assistance to continue our unwavering support for the Syrian people. This funding is in addition to the nearly $808 million announced by Ambassador Thomas-Greenfield in Brussels earlier in the year. Through the generosity of the American people, the U.S. government has provided nearly $15.7 billion in humanitarian assistance since the start of the 11-year Syrian crisis. U.S. assistance benefits many of the 14.6 million people inside Syria in need of humanitarian assistance, as well as 5.6 million Syrian refugees and generous host communities in Turkey, Lebanon, Jordan, Iraq, and Egypt. The United States has stressed the importance of unimpeded access for humanitarian actors across all of Syria. We firmly support implementation of all aspects of UN Security Council Resolution 2642, including the unimpeded delivery of aid. The UN cross-border humanitarian aid mechanism is a lifeline for millions inside Syria, and its continued operation is paramount to their survival. Cross-border deliveries ensure that life-saving aid including food, medicine, and other relief supplies reach people throughout northwest Syria, who rely on this aid to survive. We appreciate those countries that continue to generously welcome Syrian refugees and highlighted the danger and U.S. policy against premature or coerced refugee returns to Syria prohibited under international law. The United States remains the world’s largest humanitarian donor to the Syrian people. The assistance announced today will support humanitarian partners providing clean water, food, hygiene and relief supplies, shelter, protection services, and critical health and nutrition assistance. After more than a decade of conflict, the needs of displaced Syrians remain dire. The international community needs to join in ensuring continuity of funding so life-saving assistance reaches those most vulnerable. The United States will continue working with allies and partners to achieve a solution to the Syrian conflict in line with UN Security Council Resolution 2254. Only a political solution can end over a decade of loss and suffering in Syria, and give all Syrians the security, stability, and prosperity they deserve. The United States’ support for the Syrian people remains steadfast. By U.S. Mission Italy | 14 September, 2022 | Topics: News | Tags: Humanitarian Assistance

Battery Percentage In IOS 16: How To Enable The Feature – The Indian Express https://bentoncountynewsnow.com/battery-percentage-in-ios-16-how-to-enable-the-feature-the-indian-express/ A few years ago with the release of the iPhone X, Apple removed one of the most useful features from iOS – the ability to see the battery percentage in the status bar. Those who wanted to check the remaining battery percentage had to open the Control Center to do so. But last month, iOS 16 beta 5 brought back the much-requested toggle. Thankfully, the battery percentage option made its way to the stable version of iOS 16, but some have been wondering how they can enable the feature while others are perplexed as to why their device has no such option. Here, we will take a look at how to enable the feature and which devices can show the battery percentage in the status bar itself. How to enable battery percentage in iOS 16 Enabling the status bar battery percentage indicator is pretty easy. Just open the ‘Settings’ app, head over to the ‘Battery’ section and you will see the ‘Battery percentage toggle’. Simply turn it on and you will be able to check the remaining battery from the status bar itself. If you own an iPhone 8, iPhone SE 2nd generation, iPhone SE 3rd generation or an iPad, the battery percentage is always visible. Unfortunately, the feature is unavailable on iPhone XR, iPhone 11, iPhone 12 mini and iPhone 13 mini right now. But according to a recent report by MacRumors, iOS 16.1 might bring the battery percentage toggle to these unsupported devices. Until then, you can view the battery percentage on these devices either by opening the Control Center or by adding the Battery widget to the home screen or today view.

Factbox: India Panel Recommendations For Booming Online Gaming Industry – Reuters India https://bentoncountynewsnow.com/factbox-india-panel-recommendations-for-booming-online-gaming-industry-reuters-india/ The words “India online gaming regulations” are displayed in front of an Indian flag in this Illustration taken September 14, 2022. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com NEW DELHI, Sept 15 (Reuters) – India should create a regulatory body to classify online games as based on skill or chance, introduce rules to block prohibited formats and take a stricter stance on online gambling, a government panel said in a report seen by Reuters. read more The much-awaited report is seen as shaping the future of the mobile gaming industry in India, estimated to reach $5 billion by 2025, from $1.5 billion currently. Here are some of the highlights of the panel’s proposed regulatory framework recommendation in its draft report: Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com * The federal government should consider enacting a separate law to regulate online gaming as a “long-term measure”. As an “interim measure”, until such a new law is enacted, the industry can be regulated through rules drafted under India’s existing IT law. * India’s IT ministry would act as the central ministry for online gaming, except for e-sports and games of chance. * Any new legal framework should apply to both real money and free games of skill, including esports, online fantasy sports, card games and such other casual games that may impose significant impact. The rules would apply to both gaming companies in India and those operating outside but targeting Indian users. * Creation of a regulatory body for online gaming industry, which among other things will determine what qualifies as a game of skill, and certify different gaming formats. * Inclusion of provisions for a “Code of Ethics” for the gaming publishers; have due diligence of online gaming platforms, including a robust greivance redressal mechanism and mandatory know-your-customer norms. * Any online gaming platform offering real money online games to Indian users should have a legal entity incorporated under Indian law. Provide blocking powers for the government to deal with unregistered online gaming platforms. * Have a three-tier dispute resolution mechanism, consisting of gaming platform, self-regulatory organizations of gaming platforms and an oversight committee led by an appropriate ministry. Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com Reporting by Aditya Kalra in New Delhi. Editing by Gerry Doyle Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Dell Sharp Bridge (Walla Walla County) – HistoryLink.org https://bentoncountynewsnow.com/dell-sharp-bridge-walla-walla-county-historylink-org/ Dell Sharp Bridge (Walla Walla County) By Jeff Creighton Posted 9/14/2022 HistoryLink.org Essay 22538 One of the earliest concrete reinforced arch bridges in Washington was the Washington Street Bridge over the Spokane River, built in 1907 and 1908. This formidable span was the first of many in Spokane over the course of the following two decades, hence the moniker City of Bridges. The concrete arch became popular in the early twentieth century and endured until 1940, when cheaper, stronger building materials became available. The Dell Sharp Bridge, built in Walla Walla County in 1914, is an example of the early concrete steel-reinforced structures that graced the landscape across Eastern Washington and beyond. Dell Sharp exemplifies the early stylistic designs of Danial Luten and Charles Huber, among others, who prided themselves in a definitive styling, even though such utilitarian structures were often hidden in rural parts of the country and rarely seen. Walla Walla County Walla Walla County was formed on April 25, 1854. The county was created from Clark and Skamania counties and originally encompassed all of Eastern Washington, Idaho, and approximately one fourth of Montana. The county seat was placed at Waiilatpu, the former location of the Whitman Mission, on the claim of a settler named Lloyd Brook. The treaty Council at Walla Walla in May 1855 and the Treaty Wars that followed prevented the county infrastructure from being fully organized. On January 19, 1859, the Territorial Legislature passed an act creating a true infrastructure for Walla Walla County, and the City of Walla Walla was chosen as the county seat. Over the next 16 years, Walla Walla County would be subject to several downsizing events. Present day Walla County is bounded on the east by Columbia County, to the north by the Snake River and Franklin County, to the west by Benton and Franklin counties and the Columbia River, and to the south by the state of Oregon. The land that would become Walla Walla County was one of the earliest areas between the Rocky Mountains and the Cascades to be permanently settled by non-Natives, and for that reason it is sometimes referred to as the cradle of Pacific Northwest history. Agriculture is the most significant industry in the county, especially the cultivation of wheat, onions, and wine grapes. The Concrete Arch in Eastern Washington The Dell Sharp Bridge is one of few extant county constructed bridges before World War 1. The concrete dual span structure mimics those types designed and constructed by famed bridge builder Daniel B. Luten (1869-1946). The 108-year-old span [as of 2022] has been deemed eligible for inclusion on the National Register of Historic Places, under Criteria C, as a bridge that maintains a great deal of architectural integrity as to its feeling, its setting, and is an example of the workmanship during the period of construction. The Dell Sharp Bridge came during a period of rampant bridge-building in Eastern Washington, primarily in Spokane between 1907 and 1929. One of the first multi-span concrete arch bridge constructed in the state was the Washington Street Bridge in 1907 and 1908. From that point on, the concrete arch bridge became the norm. Other bridges include Monroe Street, Post Street, and Latah Creek, all within the City of Spokane. During this period of bridge building a so-called “steel consortium” within Spokane’s city council tried without success to sway public opinion toward steel bridge construction. One unforeseen event helped scuttle their efforts. The long-debated East Olive Bridge was initially to be built of steel, primarily because it could be built much faster than a concrete structure. But because of construction delays, the construction timeline was delayed a year. One major problem was that the bridge had to be manufactured in Pittsburgh and then shipped west for erection, a time-consuming process. It was reported that because of delays, the low-water period had passed, making it impossible to begin pier foundation work on schedule. The contractor, Burrell Bridge and Construction Company, was forced to withdraw its bid, as costs would surely rise in a year’s time; both the East and West Olive Avenue bridges would eventually be built in the concrete reenforced manner. The Mission Street Bridge, another concrete arch structure, also was well on its way to completion. Dell Sharp: Walla Walla County Walla Walla County also took part in the move from wood/steel to concrete. The Flathers Bridge, located 4.2 miles east of Dell Sharp on highway 125, also was constructed in 1914. In 1920, the single-arch Evans Bridge spanned Dry Creek on Sapolil Road. As late as 1930, another concrete arch bridge, known as the Main Street Bridge, was built over the Touchet River in Walla Walla. Constructed as utilitarian, Dell Sharp mirrors many such county bridges built in the early twentieth century, not just in Washington, but across the nation. Local lore traces the Dell Sharp name to Friedel DeForest Sharp (1858-1930), a local farmer who lived just northeast of the bridge. During construction, “Del” hosted the crew until completion of the bridge, so the crew decided to name it Dell Sharp (spelled ‘Sharpe’ on the historical marker attached to the bridge). By 1920, Friedel Sharp had moved to Seaside, Oregon. According to the Dell Sharp Bridge file, the bridge design may have been influenced by engineer Daniel B. Luten, who specialized in earth-filled, concrete arch bridges; it has been said that Luten designed more than 20,000 bridges, including 2,000 in Indiana alone. Luten was responsible for a unique concrete arch design that focused on major stress points that would make the bridge lighter as well as stronger. Luten arch bridges show up in 47 U.S. states. Luten also was notable for initiating lawsuits against companies that constructed similar concrete arch designs, claiming patent violations and demanding royalty payments of 10 percent. Constructed by the Walla Walla County Road Department, the Dell Sharp Bridge spans the Touchet River, just north of the Pettyjohn/Sharp road junction, and south of Hwy 124. The structure is 155 feet in length (excluding approaches), and 19 feet curb to curb (width). Guard rails (walls) are 36 inches in height and rest upon curbing of varied height. Concrete coping is situated at the approach walls and over the center piers. The bridge was constructed as a dual concrete/steel rib arch with closed spandrels. There is one large concrete wing wall located on the upstream face (east) at the north approach, a feature that was added at a later date (1917). Rip rap material consisting of an automobile and combined harvester carcass is located at the south approach. Concrete slab pieces have been utilized for stabilization at the south approach, west, downstream facing. The road deck is concrete and oil. The bridge is unadorned, in keeping with so-called “cookie cutter” type bridges that have been prolific over the past 100 years. Between 1900 and 1940, the concrete arch was the bridge of choice nationwide, and Luten apparently wanted to cash in. In Kansas, Luten sued just about every engineering/building firm that had built similar arch bridges. From the years 1913-1920, newspapers across the country covered the ongoing litigation brought by the engineer, not only in Kansas, but in Nebraska, Indiana, Iowa, California, and Oklahoma, among others. Attorney General Dexter T. Baxter of Nebraska could boast in 1916 that he prevented “Luten from collecting 10 per cent royalty upon all re-enforced concrete bridges built in Nebraska, thus saving thousands of dollars for the taxpayer …” (The Alliance Herald, 1918). As Larry Jochims wrote: “Because it was virtually impossible to build a reinforced concrete arch bridge without using one of his patents, the royalty costs for bridge companies, states, counties and municipalities became burdensome. The company was continuously involved in litigation throughout the Midwest. A number of lawsuits charging patent infringement were filed in Kansas by Luten’s attorneys against local units of government. The issue was not settled until 1918 when the state attorney general successfully argued that Luten’s patents were invalid, and the cases were dismissed” (Jochims 1985). It is unknown whether Dell Sharp is a Luten-designed bridge. A search of commissioner proceedings in Walla Walla County shows bids being called for in July 1914. The project was awarded to Charles G. Huber of Seattle for the cost to the county of $8,560 for the concrete structure (the quote for a steel span was more expensive). The other three bids were from Omaha Structural Steel Works, Portland Bridge and Iron Works, and Illinois Steel Bridge Co. Huber was awarded the contract in August 1914. There was an apparent uproar between commissioners and county engineer Lew Loehr, having to do with whether or not the bridge should be constructed of steel or concrete. This was common during the era, and became quite contentious between the steel supporters and concrete supporters. In 1917, Huber also won the bid to construct the emergency concrete wing wall at the northeast abutment of the bridge, which is still standing. Charles G. Huber Charles Gillan Huber (1876-1943) was born in St. Thomas, Franklin County, Pennsylvania. Not much is known about his early years, but age 24 in 1900 he was working as a draftsman in St. Thomas. By 1910, he was residing in Seattle, in a rooming house, with his employment listed as engineer. By 1930, he was living in Portland City, Oregon, listed as a “guest” in a hotel/rooming house, and working as a building contractor. In the 1940 census he was in business for himself and living at the Hotel Governor in Portland City, at age 65. Two years later, Huber ...

What You Should Prioritize When Choosing Your Holiday Destination – IOL https://bentoncountynewsnow.com/what-you-should-prioritize-when-choosing-your-holiday-destination-iol/ The summer season is here and many are excited to finally celebrate the holiday season. With that being said, here are five tips shared by experts on how to choose the perfect hotel for you this summer Story continues below Advertisement Family, friends, fun and sun Picture: Any Lane/Pexels Spending quality time with the people we love should be a priority; because if there’s anything the pandemic has taught us, it’s that we can lose our loved ones in a blink of an eye. Therefore, the holiday season is a good time for friends and family to reconnect and genuinely check up on each other. Marius Earle, General Manager of Radisson Blu Hotel, Durban Umhlanga. says that its important to take into consideration what works for the family, ‘’from ugogo and umkhulu to baby Lethabo.” Health and healing In order to live a healthy life, physically, emotionally, and mentally, taking a break should be a key factor in taking the step to better health. According to a statement in Everyday Health, Vacations are more than just ‘luxury’, vacations play a critical role in our long-term health. Story continues below Advertisement ‘’A large body of research shows that vacations are linked to better health outcomes, like lower rates of heart disease; reduced stress, depression, and anxiety; improved productivity; and overall higher life satisfaction,’’ stated by American Psychological Association. In South Africa, particularly we have access to many tourist attractions, from beaches to mountain destinations. People looking to meet their daily 10 000 steps target can enjoy a guided hike or simple, quality time on the beach, walking the pets or enjoying your favourite ice cream. Story continues below Advertisement And if you’re looking to wine down, there is a selection of wine farms. Groot Constantia wine farm is a historic site for oenophiles the world over. Picture: Trần Long/ Pexels Culture and Food Picture: Adam/Pexels One of the things people enjoy about travelling is the people, culture and of course, the various flavours and dishes in each place. Story continues below Advertisement Leonie Andereya, General Manager at Radisson RED, V&A Waterfront Cape Town says that one of places to experience culture and colour is in Bo kaap; Named after its population rooted in Malaysian, African, Indian, and Sri Lankan culture, the neighborhood has developed into a blend of styles and identities,’’ she adds. If you’re in the mood for an adventure, explore by foot and tour its mosques—including South Africa’s oldest—and visit landmarks, historic restaurants, and stores. A vacation without retail therapy is not a vacation. Work while you play With remote visas taking over the world, people prefer workplaces that enable them to work from wherever they are, even if they are on vacation. The 2022 Workplace Everywhere report from Ivanti reveals that 71% of the employees they surveyed would choose to be able to work from anywhere over a promotion or a pay increase. So choosing a destination where you can work while playing is vital. Read the latest issue of IOL Travel digital magazine here. %

AP Business SummaryBrief At 12:10 A.m. EDT – Federal News Network https://bentoncountynewsnow.com/ap-business-summarybrief-at-1210-a-m-edt-federal-news-network/ As ‘buy now, pay later’ plans grow, so do delinquencies NEW YORK (AP) — A growing number of American shoppers have jumped at the chance to use “buy now, pay later” loans to pay for new sneakers, electronics, or luxury goods in installments. Companies such as Affirm, Afterpay, Klarna and PayPal have built popular financial products around these short-term loans, particularly for younger borrowers, who are fearful of never-ending credit card debt. But as the… READ MORE As ‘buy now, pay later’ plans grow, so do delinquencies NEW YORK (AP) — A growing number of American shoppers have jumped at the chance to use “buy now, pay later” loans to pay for new sneakers, electronics, or luxury goods in installments. Companies such as Affirm, Afterpay, Klarna and PayPal have built popular financial products around these short-term loans, particularly for younger borrowers, who are fearful of never-ending credit card debt. But as the industry continues to rack up customers, delinquencies are climbing.  Inflation is squeezing consumers, making it tougher to pay off debts. Some borrowers don’t budget properly, particularly if they are persuaded to take out multiple loans, while others may have been credit risks to begin with. Freight-rail strike could knock out commuter service too ARLINGTON, Va. (AP) — A looming freight rail strike could disrupt numerous commuter rail services across the country as well. Commuter rail services in Chicago, Washington, D.C., Seattle, the San Francisco Bay Area and elsewhere would be forced into full or partial shutdowns because they use tracks owned by the freight railroads. Big commuter rail systems in the New York metro area are unaffected. A trade group representing commuter rails said the systems can do little but wait to see whether railroads and unions can settle their differences. A strike could begin as soon as Friday if no deal is reached. Driven by consumers, US inflation grows more persistent WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. inflation is showing signs of entering a more stubborn phase that will likely require drastic action by the Federal Reserve, a shift that has panicked financial markets and heightens the risks of a recession. Some of the longtime drivers of higher inflation — spiking gas prices, supply chain snarls, soaring used-car prices — are fading. Yet underlying measures of inflation are actually worsening. And the ongoing evolution of the forces behind an inflation rate that’s near a four-decade high has made it harder for the Fed to wrestle it under control. US wholesale inflation declines in August to still-high 8.7% WASHINGTON (AP) — Inflation at the wholesale level jumped 8.7% in August from a year earlier, a slowdown from July yet still a painfully high level that suggests prices will keep spiking for months to come. The government also said that on a month-to-month basis, the producer price index — which measures inflation before it reaches consumers — declined 0.1% from July to August, the second straight monthly decline.  Yet the better readings mostly reflect plunging gas prices and don’t necessarily point to a broader slowdown in inflation. On Tuesday, the government reported that consumer inflation was rampant across much of the economy in August. 1 rail union rejects deal, 2 accept ahead of strike deadline OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Members of one union have rejected a tentative deal with the largest U.S. freight railroads, while two ratified agreements and three other unions remained at the bargaining table just days ahead of a national strike deadline. A strike would intensify snarls in the nation’s supply chain that have contributed to rising prices. But the IAM agreed to delay any strike by its members until Sept. 29 to allow more time for negotiations and to allow other unions to vote. Amtrak has already cancelled a number of its long-distance trains this week, and it said the rest of its long-distance trains would stop Thursday ahead of the strike deadline. EXPLAINER: Rail strike would impact consumers, businesses A strike by railroad workers would have wide-ranging impact on consumers, commuters and businesses. That’s why business groups are telling Congress to block a strike if necessary. And the Biden administration on Wednesday continued to put pressure on the railroads and unions to settle their differences. So how did negotiations in the freight-rail industry get to this breaking point? Here are some questions people are likely to have about the standoff, along with answers about what it means for the economy. From carmakers to refiners, industries brace for rail strike Carmakers say buyers might not get the vehicle they want on time, commuter rail lines could see service disrupted, and shipments from everything from oil to livestock feed could be disrupted. Those are just a few of the wide-ranging impacts a walkout by U.S. rail workers would have on the country’s industries and economy. A strike could happen if the railroads and unions can’t settle their differences before an early Friday walkout deadline. Samsung sets goal to attain 100% clean energy by 2050 SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — Samsung Electronics says it’s shifting away from fossil fuels and aiming to entirely power its global operations with clean electricity by 2050. That’s a challenging goal that experts say could be hampered by South Korea’s own modest climate change commitments. South Korea-based Samsung is a top producer of computer memory chips and smartphones and, by some estimates, the biggest energy consumer among hundreds of global companies that have joined the “RE100” campaign to get 100% of their electricity from renewable sources. Samsung’s plan drew praise from investors but some also expressed concern that the company’s announcement Thursday came at a time when South Korea is dialing back on its climate targets. Asian shares mostly higher after wobbly gains on Wall St Asian shares are mostly higher after modest gains on Wall Street. Shanghai’s benchmark lost 1% while other markets advanced. Japan reported a record trade deficit for the month of August, driven by high costs for imports of energy and other commodities and a weak yen. Trading was tentative Wednesday in New York a day after the market’s worst drop in two years, which was set off by fears that higher interest rates could cause a recession. The S&P 500 added 0.3% Wednesday. A report on inflation at the wholesale level showed prices are still rising rapidly, echoing a report on inflation at the consumer level a day earlier. NFL on Prime Video latest foray by leagues into streaming The NFL is set to make its debut with a streaming service on Thursday night. Amazon Prime Video will show the Los Angeles Chargers’ game against the Kansas City Chiefs. It’s the highest-profile of a series of deals between sports leagues and streaming services. NHL games will be shown on both ESPN+ and Hulu. Major League Baseball has deals with Apple TV+ and Peacock. Industry experts say viewers are becoming more comfortable with streaming games and advances in technology have made it seamless. Copyright © 2022 . All rights reserved. This website is not intended for users located within the European Economic Area.

Long Life: FG Advises Nigerians On Healthy Choices – THE AUTHORITY NEWS – THE AUTHORITY NEWS https://bentoncountynewsnow.com/long-life-fg-advises-nigerians-on-healthy-choices-the-authority-news-the-authority-news/ By Hassan Zaggi The Federal Government has advised Nigerians to be mindful of the choices they make so as to prevent themselves from common diseases and early preventable-deaths. The Director Public Health at the Federal Ministry of Health, Dr. Salma Anas Kolo, gave the advice at the bia-monthly media briefing in Abuja, yesterday. She noted that the health ministry, over the years have been working hard to ensure that Nigerians imbibe good health choices to enable them live long. Dr. Salma advised Nigerians to take their nutrition habit seriously, avoid smoking, excessive alcohol intake  and sedentary lifestyle. While charging Nigerians to be mindful of the choices they make, she said: “When we talk about healthy lifestyle, it is all about what we do and the choices we make. The choices you make about what you eat, your attitude towards your environment, the lifestyle you adopt including the way you spent your money. “If you spent your money taking alcohol, they are choices you make, you can spent your money smoking Indian hemp, they are choices that you make. But we should know that every choice you make have an impact on your health and this is why we want to inform Nigerians to adopt healthy lifestyle.” She emphasised the importance of drinking water, sleep and exercise regularly, stressing: “Of course, I will start by saying drink a lot of  water. Water is supposed to be priceless. Nigerians should drink adequate water to ensure that they are well hydrated at all times whether it is during the cold or hot weather to maintain their hydration. “Ensure adequate sleep minimum of 8 hours per day. It is very important and very critical so that you can refresh yourself. “Exercise is very important and we must exercise ourselves, at least 30 minutes walk per day. If you cant do it everyday, most days of the week, you should walk to ensure that you are living healthy.” Speaking specifically on eating habit, Dr. Salma said: “In terms of our eating habit which is very important and very significant, most Nigerians will say they have access only to carbohydrate foods, but Nigerians know that we have a lot of fruits, vegetables and we can also balance with different varieties of protein. “So, its not just quantity because the most quantity you get is mostly from carbohydrate but that quality is vital which we can get from vegetables, minerals and you balance it also with some healthy fat.” While giving strong warning on the use of Shisha, Dr. Salma said: “We use this opportunity to advise Nigerians to avoid the use of Shisha. Most of us who are working, we need to have a work life balance. You have to be alive before you can work.” On child malnutrition, she said: “Nigeria constitutes, unfortunately, over 50 per cent of the burden of child malnutrition in Africa and 50 per cent of children that die under 5 years, are due to malnutrition. “Nutritious food is very important. It is very important we have balance diet for our children. “You can use locally available materials to achieve a balance diet for our children under 5 years old.  We must start life with breast milk. We still emphasise the first 6 months of life should be exclusive breast feeding and then complemented with quality food for the next two years.” On his part, the Director, Port Health Services (PHS) at the Federal Ministry of Health, Dr. Geoffrey Okatubo, disclosed that his department had continued to heighten surveillance for all infections diseases in the country’s Ports, particularly for COVID-19, Monkey pox,  Carribbean Congo haemo fever and Marburg Disease.  According to him, Port Health Services tracks passengers coming into the country. “With current outbreak of Marburg Disease and Carribbean Congo our data shows that 96 % of passengers at the country airports are fully vaccinated. “Between July to August, 422 fake cards have been detected and handed over. We therefore advice that vaccination cards should be gotten at the approved health facilities.” He, however, reiterated that the Port Health Services is committed to effectively manage the borders health security.

Red Dragons Shut Out T’Birds 4-0 | News, Sports, Jobs – Evening Observer https://bentoncountynewsnow.com/red-dragons-shut-out-tbirds-4-0-news-sports-jobs-evening-observer/ BEMUS POINT — Maple Grove (4-1-1, 3-0-0) kept the clean sheet against Chautauqua Lake (2-1-1, 1-1-1) for a 4-0 Chautauqua-Cattaraugus Athletic Association Central Division victory on Wednesday. Ryan Lockwood opened the scoring in the second minute on pass from Eli Moore and then Moore added a goal of his own in the 18th minute as the Red Dragons took a 2-0 lead into halftime. Moore scored again in the 49th minute from Keegan Rishel, and Drew Oste netted the final tally from Matt Trim in the 59th minute. RED RAIDERS DOWN HUSKIES JAMESTOWN — Jamestown (2-2-0, 1-2-0) scored the lone goal to defeat Olean (0-3-0, 0-7-0) in West Division play 1-0 at Strider Field. Lincoln Carpenter broke the standstill with 14:08 remaining in the game when he found an opening in the field. Carpenter took his shot from about 25 yards out and it was strong enough to give Jamestown its first league victory of the season. Evan Sharpe made five saves in net to keep Olean off the board. GATORS DOMINATE MARAUDERS Dunkirk (0-4-0, 0-2-0) suffered an 11-0 West Division loss to Allegany-Limestone (5-1-0, 3-0-0) at Karl Hoeppner Field. The Gators high-octane offense was led by Eric Spring with five goals. Dunkirk goalie Greg Orcutt made 26 saves in the effort. CARR NETS 5 FOR BEARS FREWSBURG — Zack Carr scored five goals and added an assist as Frewsburg (2-2-2, 1-1-1) defeated North Collins (2-2-0, 1-2-0) in Central Division play 6-0. In the first minute, Carr assisted Garett Brink to help the Bears to an early 1-0 lead. From there, it was all Carr who scored twice in the first half and added another three in the second half. Assisting Carr were Brink twice and Braydon Lobb two times. GOLDEN COUGARS WIN BIG SOUTH DAYTON — Falconer/Cassadaga Valley (2-3-1, 1-1-1) cruised past Gowanda/Pine Valley (0-5-0, 0-3-0) in East Division play 6-1. The Golden Cougars benefited from five different goal scorers as Alex Reynolds scored twice and Jacob Ansell, Austin Main, Haydn Myers and Roger Markham all scored once. Adam Dossey picked up three assists and Gabe Lundmark added one. WOLVERINES TOP BLACK KNIGHTS SILVER CREEK — Westfield/Brocton (3-3-0, 2-1-0) topped Silver Creek/Forestville (2-3-0, 0-3-0) in Central Division action 5-1. The Wolverines scored two first-half goals from Carson Swanson and Aiden Gatto and then Danny Bratton added a third to build a 3-0 lead. The Black Knights added a tally in the 56th minute when Alex Procknal found the back of the net to make it 3-1. That would not be enough to mount a comeback as Swanson responded five minutes later and Aiden Covert added the fifth and final goal in the 79th minute. EAGLES SHUT OUT WARRIORS SALAMANCA — Ellicottville (4-1-1, 3-0-0) shut out Salamanca/Cattaraugus-Little Valley (0-5-0, 0-3-0) in East Division action 7-0. Sam Edwards and Cameron Mendell both scored twice to power the Eagles’ offense while Bryan Grundy, William Benatovich and Owen Doherty added one goal each for the Eagles. When not scoring, Edwards was picking up assists as he had three of them while EJ Doherty and Aiden Harrington set up the other two goals. PORTVILLE COMES BACK, BEATS CARDS RANDOLPH — Portville (4-2-1, 2-0-1) scored two late goals to come back and defeat Randolph (4-2-0, 2-1-0) in East Division action 2-1. Cooper Freeman gave Randolph a 1-0 lead at halftime when he found the back of the net off a free kick with nine seconds left. Randolph held onto that lead until the 62nd minute when Michael Cole brought Portville even at 1-1. Mario Pascucci completed the second-half comeback in the 76th minute to win 2-1. Kyle Senn made two saves for Randolph and Troy VanSickle made four saves for Portville. Today’s breaking news and more in your inbox

S.Korea Will Not Rule Metaverse With Game Laws: Science Ministry – Forkast News https://bentoncountynewsnow.com/s-korea-will-not-rule-metaverse-with-game-laws-science-ministry-forkast-news/ Image: Envato Elements South Korea will issue a guideline for regulating the metaverse instead of applying existing law on video games, the Ministry of Science and ICT (MSIT) announced at a government briefing on Wednesday. See related article: S.Korea’s science ministry announces ethical principles for the metaverse Fast facts The guideline that will be used to better promote and disentangle the metaverse from video games will be prepared within this year. “We will not make the mistake of regulating a new service with an existing law,” said Park Yoon-kyu, director-general of the Office of ICT Policy under the MSIT, while acknowledging some elements of the metaverse compare with traditional video games. There is ongoing debate in South Korea on whether to designate the metaverse as a video game. South Korea currently bans online or mobile games from adopting cashable reward systems, including those using blockchain technology, to prevent excessive speculation. Recently Ifland, a local metaverse under SK Telecom, adopted a point reward system that certain users can liquidate. SK Telecom told Forkast that its metaverse is not affected by the game restrictions in Korea. The announcement is part of the first discussion under the new cross-ministerial committee overseeing the digital data industry. See related article: South Korea places $185M bet on the metaverse subscribe to our newsletter Get the best of Forkast delivered to your inbox daily

A Slightly Smarter Breath Of Fresh Air – Newstalk ZB https://bentoncountynewsnow.com/a-slightly-smarter-breath-of-fresh-air-newstalk-zb/ Never have we been more concerned with air quality. Justifiably so; once upon a time it might have just been dust, pollen and pollution we were worried about, now of course there are a fair few new airborne threats we’re pretty leery of. And that’s before you get to most people’s preference to live in an environment free of cooking and pet smells. Well… that’s certainly my preference, anyway. I don’t mind the cooking smells when I’m actually cooking – but waking up to them the next day? Not so much. So my initial thought is; surely I can “gadget” my way out of this?… Samsung agrees. It has an entire range of AX5000 domestic air purifiers available and I’ve been cranking up the AX60T5080 at my place in an effort to clean up my act – or at least my air. Getting it out of the box was a bit of a mission; it weighs over 10 kilos and is pretty tightly packed in there. The good news is, once out of the box it’s effortless to move around as it rests on four almost frictionless casters. Actually, compared to most of my other gadgets this one requires very little setup at all; a few bits of sticky plastic to be removed, a filter to be unpacked and reinstalled, plug it in and you’re pretty much good to go. Yes, although this is technically a smart device, it doesn’t have to be. I switched it on and was immediately presented with a set of illuminated controls on a clear (but not intrusive) display showing me the relevant data about the air in my home I was about to clear. There’s also a status LED strip that sums everything up in a glance; cool, calm blue means all systems normal, red is a warning you’re breathing all kinds of bad stuff. If you decide you’d like to be able to access the AX60T5080 remotely, or you’d like to take advantage of some of its automated scheduling capabilities, that’s where Samsung’s SmartThings app comes into play. Pairing with my phone was straight-forward enough, although slightly tedious – not quite the one-touch NFC bump Samsung offers on its smart TVs. Once you’ve added the air purifier to your list of SmartThings devices you can monitor the air quality, turn it on and off from you phone and set up schedules for it to run – different times on different days if you like. The SmartThings app now even has a dedicated Pet Care setting, co-ordinating appliances like TVs and air purifiers to keep your fur babies company and free of weird smells while you’re out of the house. But technically, what does the AX60T5080 actually do? Well, there are three layers of filter, easily accessed by removing the relatively stylish magnetic front cover. Firstly, there’s a washable (and vacuumable) pre-filter for all the big bits, like pollen and pet dander. Then there’s an activated carbon filter to soak up any harmful gases. This is attached to a genuine HEPA layer which takes care of ultrafine dust and even bacteria. Unfortunately, filters are the downside of air purifier ownership – they don’t last forever and need replacing regularly. The carbon/HEPA filter for the AX60T5080 retails for about $130 – something to keep in mind if you’re planning on adding air purification to your budget. However, at least being a “smart” device, you’ll be notified exactly when the filter is due to be switched out – you don’t have to do it based on a purely arbitrary “recommended” period. The other main feature of the AX60T5080 is its three-way airflow system; it blows clean, filtered air from a big vent at the top and two smaller vents on either side. This means your up-to 60 square-metre room is freshened up pretty damn quick, although I’ve found it also means you’re subjected to quite a draft if you’re sitting anywhere near it while it’s operating. Fine in summer. Not so fun on a cold night in winter. I’d prefer some way to vary the airflow – obviously you can increase or decrease it but you can’t divert it away from one vent to another. You can set the AX60T5080 to sleep mode though. This turns off the LED display and reduces fan noise to an almost imperceptible 21dBA – essential for bedroom use. Which might be right where you want it if you suffer from asthma, severe allergies or just super-annoying hay fever like I do, especially at this time of year. Dust, pollen and other nasties make many people’s lives a misery but consistent use of an appliance like this can dramatically improve things – which might also mean a dramatic reduction in the amount of medication required to treat symptoms. (Suddenly that filter doesn’t sound so expensive after all) There are two sensors built into the side of the AX60T5080 – one for particles and one for gases. You’d be surprised how often dangerous gases can build up to high levels in your air-tight, sealed-up, cosy little home – especially if you have an internal garage. It’s not just engine pollutants that can sneak their way in, as I already mentioned, stale cooking smells and pet odours are no fun for anyone and too much CO2 can lead to drowsiness and even headaches. We use gas for cooking and I often get alerts from my indoor weather station to warn me about CO2 levels around dinner time. The carbon filter in the AX60T5080 is all over it. I see stark differences in these readings every time I use it. Has it miraculously cured my hay fever yet? I don’t think Samsung would be bold enough to make any such medical claims but there’s definitely something about coming home to a room full of fresh air. If you’re prone to a nose full of trouble like me, you have even more serious respiratory concerns, or maybe you just can’t stand waking up to the smell of last night’s takeaways, Samsung could have the smart solution you’re looking for. Click here for more information and pricing on the Samsung AX60T5080 air purifier with Wi-Fi.

Craig Wright Tells Court He ‘Stomped On The Hard Drive’ Containing Satoshi Wallet Keys – CoinDesk https://bentoncountynewsnow.com/craig-wright-tells-court-he-stomped-on-the-hard-drive-containing-satoshi-wallet-keys-coindesk/ OSLO, Norway — Craig Wright told a Norwegian court on Wednesday that he “stomped on the hard drive” that contained the “key slices” required to grant him access to Satoshi Nakamoto’s private keys, making it “incredibly difficult” to cryptographically prove he is the creator of Bitcoin – a title he has claimed but failed to prove since 2016. Wright’s inability to back up his claims with acceptable evidence is the issue at the center of his trial in Norway, one of two simultaneous legal battles between Wright and crypto Twitter personality Hodlonaut (real name Magnus Granath) over a series of tweets Hodlonaut – then, a public school teacher with roughly 8,000 Twitter followers – wrote in March 2019, deeming Wright a pretender and calling him a “scammer” and a “fraud.” Wright previously attempted to prove he was Satoshi in 2016 by demonstrating “proof” that he controlled Satoshi’s private keys – first, in private “signing sessions” with Bitcoin developer Gavin Andresen and former Bitcoin Foundation Director Jon Matonis (Andresen later said he’d been “bamboozled” by Wright and Matonis went on to work for a company owned by Wright), and later, in a public blog post offering “proof” that was thoroughly debunked by several well-known cryptography experts. In Norway, however, Wright is no longer attempting to convince the court he is Satoshi with cryptographic evidence – partly because he claims to have intentionally destroyed his only proof shortly after attempting suicide in May 2016, following his signing session with Andresen, and partly because he now claims cryptographic proof is inconclusive and that “identity is not related to keys.” Destroying the hard drive, Wright told the court, was “the only way” to avoid being forced to prove his identity cryptographically – something he said he “refused” to do because it would give his critics “the easy way out.” “I didn’t want to encourage the arguments that you need keys,” Wright said animatedly when asked by Hodlonaut’s lawyer, Ørjan Haukaas, whether he destroyed the hard drive on purpose. “Yes, you could say this is a risk, but I think it’s the most important thing I’ve done in my life.” Instead of signing, Wright aims to leverage his academic achievements (which, like many of his other claims, are also widely debated), career history, mountain of patents, and his relationships with “100 people” – including Andresen (“What proves [I am Satoshi] is my time talking to Gavin,” Wright said) – to confirm he is Satoshi “the traditional way”.” Wright told District Court Judge Helen Engebrigtsen that his ultimate motive was to get judges to “understand” that they could seize bitcoin from criminals via court order. “The whole point I’m trying to make, and that I’m going to make, is that Bitcoin is not encrypted.” “There’s a lot of misinformation from BTC maximalists that want to go back to drug markets, porn…I want it known that these lies, these slanderous accusations about how law enforcement can’t take bitcoin from criminals are wrong,” Wright said, his voice raised and hands waving. When Haukaas asked Wright if he believed that, if a judge declared him to be Satoshi, he could get a court order granting him access to Satoshi’s supposed trove of 1.1 million bitcoins that he “lost” along with the keys, Wright quibbled with the figure (“Satoshi never had 1.1 million bitcoins,” he said) but seemed to agree. “They were stolen,” Wright said. “I’m taking action to have the thieves not benefit; thieves should not benefit from stolen property.” Wright told the court a little thing like not having Satoshi’s keys wouldn’t stop him from accessing Satoshi’s coins, if a judge such as herself was amenable. “Bitcoin is like a paper ledger. If you make a mistake in an accounting ledger, you can always update it…any alteration including having a court order that reassigns bitcoin can always be done, but it has to be a public thing such as a court order.” (The logistics of how the Bitcoin blockchain works would make such a court order not only unenforceable, but extremely difficult to implement from a technological standpoint. The only other way to move the coins would be to use the private keys Wright claims to have destroyed.) Attempting to debunk the debunkers In addition to his testimony about destroying his alleged access to Satoshi’s keys, Wright also spent a significant amount of time on the stand responding to his attorney Halvor Manshaus’ questions about the legitimacy of the “arguments from the internet” that featured heavily in Haukaas’ opening statements on Monday. Particular attention was paid to an article by Jameson Lopp, published in Bitcoin Magazine in 2019, that debunks various pieces of evidence put forward by Wright to “prove” he is Satoshi. Manshaus went over each of Lopp’s arguments showing inconsistencies between Wright’s story and the Satoshi history, and asked Wright to comment, chuckling softly as he read each one aloud. Wright told the court that Lopp’s account was biased by his financial interests in Bitcoin. “He founded a company that is funded and supported by people who need small blocks and the Lightning Network,” Wright said. “The entire value of his company will go away if Bitcoin scales.” Overall, Wright said that Lopp’s points were “basically fluff that have no weight whatsoever.” Wright handwaved away accusations that he’d forged documents or submitted false evidence, dismissing discrepancies as the results of opening files in different versions of various software, an errant employee managing his blogs and sneaking in sentences without his knowledge, hacking or – as in the case of the controversial “Jean-Paul Sartre blog post,” in which Wright attempted to publicly “prove” he was Satoshi – that he didn’t actually want to prove anything and so bungled it on purpose. “I have never changed any documents or manipulated any documents,” Wright said, when Manshaus asked him directly if the accusations had any truth. “No, I have never, ever in my life instructed a third party to manipulate or change documents.” Wright denied he’d exaggerated his academic credentials (he claims to have at least “a couple” of PhDs): “If anything, I deflate my academic credentials, I’ve never told anyone how many I actually have.” Responding to Lopp’s point that Wright had made earlier statements at odds with Satoshi’s quote that he was “better with code than with words,” Wright said: “I can write at a level that most people can’t understand, and I can code even better.” Feeling misunderstood was a theme that emerged more than once during Wright’s testimony. When talking about the overwhelming negative reaction to the Sartre blog post, Wright told the judge: “I am too much of a smartass for my own good. I have figured out after this that practically no one in information technology knows who Sartre is, let alone that he turned down a Nobel prize, let alone that he was an existentialist.” Manshaus also asked Wright to tell the court about the emotional impact of Hodlonaut’s tweets and the #CraigWrightIsAFraud hashtag. Wright said that, prior to March 2019, he had no idea who Hodlonaut was. “I don’t remember the exact time, I was at work at the time, and it was pointed out to me,” Wright testified. “My mother and other people had responded over Whatsapp asking why don’t I do something about these nasty people.” Wright said he tried to do something – he complained to Twitter, which he said yielded no results except the eventual deletion of his account. “Jack Dorsey is one of the funders of…Digital Currency Group, Jack Dorsey saw what was happening [on Twitter]…and closed down my account.” Wright added (DCG is the parent company of CoinDesk). A DCG official did not immediately return a request for comment or confirmation of the claim that Dorsey funds it in any way. However, Wright told the court, before his account was deleted, he received an influx of nasty DMs, some threatening physical violence to his family. He said he’d never received DMs of such an aggressive nature before Hodlonaut’s March 2019 tweets (though later, in cross examination, he admitted he’d been sent similar DMs at least two years before – “I try not to remember them.”) Manshaus asked Wright whether the prevalence of the #Faketoshi hashtag, which predated Hodlonaut’s tweets, as well as other bigger names in the crypto space calling Wright a scammer and a fraud meant that Hodlonaut’s tweets were okay. “No,” Wright said. “If lots of people get behind a false idea, that doesn’t make it right. Lots of people supported Hitler and enabled him, that doesn’t make it right.” At the end of Wright’s testimony, he complimented the judge on the style of Norwegian legal proceedings. “I quite like the court process here. It’s much better than people interrupting in American courts and all that stuff,” Wright said, smiling. Hodlonaut takes the stand Hodlonaut also testified on Wednesday, taking roughly three hours on the stand to tell the court about his life and career, his history in the Bitcoin community, and his March 2019 tweets. Speaking in Norwegian, Hodlonaut told the judge that, though he’d been interested in Bitcoin since 2013, he’d never cared much about the mystery of Satoshi’s identity. “Personally, I’ve never worshiped Satoshi. I have an enormous respect for that person or persons that are behind the Satoshi Nakamoto name…It’s clear that Bitcoin was an attempt to separate banks from money…I greatly admired that,” Hodlonaut said. “I read articles by Satoshi. He came across as a humble, nice person that seemed to be very committed to his project.” Hodlonaut told the judge that he first heard of Wright in 2015. “It was at a conference that [cryptogr...

U.S. Figure Skater Ilia Malinin Lands First Quad Axel In Competition – The Washington Post https://bentoncountynewsnow.com/u-s-figure-skater-ilia-malinin-lands-first-quad-axel-in-competition-the-washington-post/ Ilia Malinin, the 17-year-old figure skater from Vienna, Va., who has quickly captivated the sport with an array of seemingly effortless jumps, became the first skater to ever land a quadruple Axel in competition Wednesday night at the U.S. International Figure Skating Classic in Lake Placid, N.Y. Malinin, who had previously landed the elusive jump in practice, led with the quad Axel during his free skate routine, hitting it in a far corner of the ice. The sparse crowd in the nearly-empty arena immediately seemed to know what he had done and roared loudly as he completed the jump. His performance Wednesday helped him get past a disappointing sixth-place finish in short program and win his season-opening event. “It felt really good. When I’m practicing it, it’s pretty easy for me to figure out how to get the right timing and everything to have it be a good attempt,” Malinin said of completing the jump (via U.S. Figure Skating). “To do it in competition is a different story because you have nerves and pressure that can get in the way of that. So I have to treat it like I’m at home and it feels pretty good … I had an idea for trying it for a little while now. March or April was when I really started to work on the technique and try to improve it … [Yuzuru Hanyu] definitely inspired me to try it here.” The quad axel was one of five quads, Malinin tried in a free skate routine that also included a triple Lutz-triple Axel combination near the end. He fell on a quad Lutz attempt but landed all of his other jumps. He finished the free skate in first place with a score of 257.28. While Malinin is the first to land a quad Axel, he is not the first skater to attempt the trick in competition. Most famously, Japan’s legendary skater Yuzuru Hanyu tried it during the Beijing Olympics but stumbled after not properly rotating the jump. Malinin is widely seen as the next great U.S. male skater, regularly posting stunning videos of himself practicing some of skating’s most difficult jumps on an Instagram account quadg0d. He nearly forced his way onto the United States Olympic team with a silver medal at last January’s U.S. Figure Skating Championships, only to lose out when team officials chose to go with the experience of Nathan Chen, Vincent Zhou and Jason Brown.

International Game Technology PLC Announces Completion Of Sale Of Italian Commercial Payment Business To PostePay S.p.A. – PR Newswire https://bentoncountynewsnow.com/international-game-technology-plc-announces-completion-of-sale-of-italian-commercial-payment-business-to-postepay-s-p-a-pr-newswire/ , /PRNewswire/ — International Game Technology PLC ( NYSE:IGT) (“IGT”) today announced that its wholly owned subsidiary IGT Lottery S.p.A. has completed the sale of its Italian proximity payment business to PostePay S.p.A. – Patrimonio Destinato IMEL for €700 million. The negotiated sale price represented an enterprise value of €630 million and approximately €70 million of net unrestricted cash. The business held approximately €140 million in unrestricted cash at the closing. The increase in unrestricted cash is primarily attributable to timing of vendor payments and operating cash flows generated since December 31, 2021. IGT will use the proceeds from the transaction primarily to pay transaction expenses and reduce debt. UBS AG acted as lead financial advisor and fairness opinion provider to IGT, UniCredit S.p.A. acted as financial advisor to IGT. Advant-Nctm acted as legal advisor to IGT and KPMG acted as financial due diligence and tax advisor to IGT. About IGT IGT ( NYSE:IGT) is a global leader in gaming. We deliver entertaining and responsible gaming experiences for players across all channels and regulated segments, from Lotteries and Gaming Machines to Sports Betting and Digital. Leveraging a wealth of compelling content, substantial investment in innovation, player insights, operational expertise, and leading-edge technology, our solutions deliver unrivalled gaming experiences that engage players and drive growth. We have a well-established local presence and relationships with governments and regulators in more than 100 countries around the world, and create value by adhering to the highest standards of service, integrity, and responsibility. IGT has approximately 10,500 employees. For more information, please visit www.IGT.com. Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking Statements This news release may contain forward-looking statements (including within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995) concerning IGT and its consolidated subsidiaries (the “Company“) and other matters. These statements may discuss goals, intentions, and expectations as to future plans, trends, events, dividends, results of operations, or financial condition, or otherwise, based on current beliefs of the management of the Company as well as assumptions made by, and information currently available to, such management. Forward-looking statements may be accompanied by words such as “aim,” “anticipate,” “believe,” “plan,” “could,” “would,” “should,” “shall,” “continue,” “estimate,” “expect,” “forecast,” “future,” “guidance,” “intend,” “may,” “will,” “possible,” “potential,” “predict,” “project” or the negative or other variations of them. These forward-looking statements speak only as of the date on which such statements are made and are subject to various risks and uncertainties, many of which are outside the Company’s control. Should one or more of these risks or uncertainties materialize, or should any of the underlying assumptions prove incorrect, actual results may differ materially from those predicted in the forward-looking statements and from past results, performance, or achievements. Therefore, you should not place undue reliance on such statements. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements include (but are not limited to) the factors and risks described in the Company’s annual report on Form 20-F for the financial year ended December 31, 2021 and other documents filed from time to time with the SEC, which are available on the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov and on the investor relations section of the Company’s website at www.IGT.com. Except as required under applicable law, the Company does not assume any obligation to update these forward-looking statements. You should carefully consider these factors and other risks and uncertainties that affect the Company’s business. All forward-looking statements contained in this news release are qualified in their entirety by this cautionary statement. All subsequent written or oral forward-looking statements attributable to International Game Technology PLC, or persons acting on its behalf, are expressly qualified in their entirety by this cautionary statement. Contacts Phil O’Shaughnessy, Global Communications, toll free in U.S./Canada +1 (844) IGT-7452 and outside U.S./Canada +1 (401) 392-7452 Francesco Luti, Italian media inquiries, +39 06 5189 9184 James Hurley, Investor Relations, +1 (401) 392-7190 SOURCE International Game Technology PLC

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