DBS The Sandbox Partner To Build Sustainable Metaverse Space Retail Banker International
DBS, The Sandbox Partner To Build Sustainable Metaverse Space – Retail Banker International https://bentoncountynewsnow.com/dbs-the-sandbox-partner-to-build-sustainable-metaverse-space-retail-banker-international/
DBS BetterWorld will help visitors learn about current environmental, social and governance concerns. Credit: Geralt from Pixabay.
Singapore-based financial services group DBS has collaborated with The Sandbox, a subsidiary of Animoca Brands, to venture into the metaverse space.
The partners will introduce an interactive metaverse experience, dubbed DBS BetterWorld, for visitors.
As part of this, DBS will buy a 3×3 plot of LAND, a unit of virtual real estate in The Sandbox metaverse.
The space will feature immersive elements to highlight the need for building a sustainable world.
DBS BetterWorld will serve as the bank’s additional engagement platform that leads visitors to The Sandbox to learn about current environmental, social and governance (ESG) concerns.
Under the latest agreement, DBS will purchase carbon offsets to make production on DBS BetterWorld carbon neutral.
To further develop meaningful concepts on the platform, the bank will partner with government, community, business and technology sectors.
Additionally, DBS plans to promote DBS BetterWorld through its digital platform LiveBetter.
This will enable customers to opt for an eco-conscious lifestyle including donating for initiatives focused on sustainability and investing in sustainability-themed funds.
According to DBS, it is the first Singaporean bank to tap the metaverse to benefit its customers and the community at large.
DBS CEO Piyush Gupta said: “Metaverse technology, while still evolving, could also fundamentally change the way banks interact with customers and communities.
“Our partnership with The Sandbox and Animoca Brands marks the start of an exciting collaboration as we push the boundaries of what is possible in the metaverse.”
The Sandbox COO and co-founder Sebastien Borget said: “We welcome DBS to The Sandbox as the first bank in Singapore to step into the open metaverse and join our efforts to create the SingaporeVerse, a neighbourhood on our virtual map that will bring the culture of Singapore to life in the metaverse in a very engaging, equitable, inclusive way that is open to all. ESG issues are important to us.” So far, DBS and DBS Foundation have supported nearly 800 social enterprises improve their businesses, and committed over $7.14m (SGD10m) to fund nearly 100 social enterprises.
The Best Grills Gear And Goods For Outdoor Cooking Maxim Maxim
The Best Grills, Gear And Goods For Outdoor Cooking – Maxim – Maxim https://bentoncountynewsnow.com/the-best-grills-gear-and-goods-for-outdoor-cooking-maxim-maxim/
Feast on the ultimate gear guide to outdoor cooking and entertaining.
There have never been more options for outdoor cooking, but it can be hard to separate the gimmicks from the gold. This guide will help you live your best outdoor cooking life, from pizza slinger to pitmaster to wood-oven wizard.
Large Big Green Egg
(Big Green Egg)
If you’re just looking to grill some steaks and burgers, there are lower-cost alternatives, but if you want to seriously improve your cooking skills, the Big Green Egg is outdoor cooking grad school––a grill, an oven, a pizza oven, and a smoker. Plus, it looks great compared to most backyard grill setups. The Big Green Egg is an investment, but it does more than other grills and will last much longer, especially if you live in a place where high humidity or saltwater air is prone to rusting out other grills.
The thick ceramic walls are so efficient that you can cook for hours and only burn through a small amount of charcoal. I filled it with a load of BGE Oak & Hickory Charcoal and smoked a pork shoulder for nine hours, then closed the upper and lower vents to quickly shut down the fire. The next day more than half of the charcoal was still pristine, and I could’ve cooked the same charcoal load for another nine hours.
Be sure to get the convEGGtor or half-moon convEGGtors for indirect cooking of things like ribs, brisket and pulled pork. The pizza stone is another must accessory, as is the Egg Genius––a small computer-controlled fan that attaches to the lower vent and takes all the guess work out of air flow control to maintain a certain temperature. Using the companion app with the Genius, you can control the temperature of the egg, monitor the temperature of your meat, and set alerts to tell you when your meat reaches target temperature. $999
Gozney Dome Wood-Fired Oven
(Gozney)
With the Dome, Gozney brings a residential version of their commercial wood-fired ovens, adding a more pro-level option alongside their well-regarded compact Roccbox pizza oven. The Dome lets you take your wood-fired cooking beyond pizza and is large enough for steaks, roasts, and even a whole chicken. You can get a wood-only version for $300 less, but the dual fuel allows you to use hardwood charcoal, wood, or even propane for when you don’t have time to get a fire going.
The temperature gauge makes it easy to monitor the internal temperature—even if you’re cooking with wood or hardwood charcoal—and has an integrated meat probe. When cooking pizza on the Dome, there’s plenty of room to adjust the distance to the open flame for the perfect crust. Using cast-iron roasting pans with steaks and vegetables will give anything you cook a nice char and a woody flavor. The entire set up with the stand, fold-out side tables, and shelving make this a patio centerpiece to channel your inner Wolfgang Puck. $1,799
REC-TEQ RT-B380 Bullseye Wood Pellet Grill
(REC-TEQ)
If I had to use one grill daily, it would be the Rec-Teq Bullseye. It has the ease and instant start-up of a gas grill with the flavor of hardwood smoke. Even within my Southern, owning-every-grill-under-the-sun in-laws, it’s number one on their list. While the build is not as robust as some more expensive grills on this list, it’s the most affordable and it does everything. Ribs and wings cooked low are smoky and delicious, but you can turn it up to “Riot” mode for a 749-degree char on your steak.
The griddle top is a great addition and works like a giant cast-iron skillet—perfect for sautéing, cooking hibachi style, or getting a better char on a steak than you can get with the grates. This is the only grill on which I was able to create a true Pittsburgh style rare, charred on the outside and rare inside. The Bullseye is extremely easy to use—just a couple of button pushes to get exactly what you want, whether a smoky 225-degrees or a white-hot 749 or somewhere in between. If you’re used to tinkering with your grill constantly, get ready to have extra time on your hands (just don’t tell your significant other). $399
Breeo X-Series 24 Fire Pit
(Breo)
Breeo X-series fire pits are perfect for those who want a fire to sit around in the colder months and one to cook on during warmer months. Plus, they look great in your yard after they develop a nice patina. They are built like tanks, and the 24 is the perfect size for both socializing and cooking. A key feature is Breeo’s smokeless design, which dramatically reduces the amount of smoke it puts out by promoting optimal air flow under the fire.
You can order it with a wide lip around the top edge that serves as a griddle surface, and when hot, it becomes concave so that any grease will channel into the fire rather than your yard or patio. The optional cooking grate is easy to install on the fly, height adjustable, and sturdy enough to load up with steaks, chops, chicken or even a cast-iron skillet.
Just bear in mind that because the coals are at the bottom of the fire pit, you can’t get the grate as close to the coals as you can with an asado grill. For enjoying the fire when you’re not cooking on it, Breeo’s X Series Chair looks great next to the pit, and it’s made of poly lumber that is impervious to the elements. $579
For fire pit cooking, Cutting Edge Firewood’s cooking wood comes in different varieties—like pecan, oak, hickory, or maple—so you can control exactly what wood flavor your food picks up. Prices vary
Ooni Karu 12 Multi-Fuel Pizza Oven
(Ooni)
If you’re interested in getting into pizza cooking for the first time, the Ooni Karu 12 is a great entry point. The legs fold in and the chimney is removable so you can pack it into your vehicle easily. In my testing, I found the Karu works best with a mix of hardwood charcoal, such as Fogo Super Premium, and Cutting Edge Firewood Mini Pizza Cuts. With an adapter (sold separately) it can also work with propane, allowing you to ditch the chimney for a far more svelte cooking setup.
Having the option to get it up and running fast with propane when you don’t have time to mess with wood or charcoal is a nice convenience. And between the three fuel modes you will always have some way to heat the Karu, no matter where your adventures take you. The only downside to the light weight and portability is that the heat retention is not as good as heavier and thicker-walled ovens, so you’ve got to keep the fuel going to maintain optimal temperature for pizza. $399
B.B. Prime Salamander Broiler
B.B. Prime
Salamander broilers are the secret to that steakhouse crust while keeping a medium rare center. This propane broiler has a 1,500-degree heat element that will give you that crust in seconds. There’s a lower tray for melted butter so you can dredge a fillet through it to maximize the crust, and a warming tray up top that works great for buns if you’re making burgers on it, which cook in seconds per side. I found that the best way to use this was to smoke a steak low, and at the very end, put it on the BB prime for a crust à la Ruth’s Chris. $399
Fuego F24C Gas Grill
(Fuego)
Gas grills are boringly boxy and tend to take up too much space for what they do, but the Fuego fixes that. The circular grill offers plenty of surface area for grilling and the round shape optimizes both grilling space and storage for your propane tank. Design-wise, if you appreciate a grill that doesn’t look like every other grill out there, the Fuego has its own personality. The small footprint makes it ideal for an apartment balcony or small porch, but unlike other “small” grills, grilling can be done at normal height and with the capacity to cook for a group. $599
Magma Crossover Series Modular Grill
(Magma)
If you want to seamlessly move from backyard cooking to tailgating or camping, the Magma crossover series is designed around flexibility. You buy a base “firebox” with one or two burners, and then you can configure it however you want: Use a hitch mount for your vehicle, get a quad-pod and make it free-standing, and then add accessories to use the firebox in different applications.
There’s a pizza oven, a griddle top, a traditional gas grill top, and a steel plancha top. I tried out the pizza oven and the griddle top and that covered everything. You can use the pizza oven as an all-purpose oven, and the griddle not only makes killer pancakes and eggs, but also gives your steak a perfect char. $399
PK300 Charcoal Grill
(PK Grills)
PK Grills are made of cast aluminum that is hand poured, giving them excellent heat retention and an incredibly long rust-free lifespan. PK (originally Portable Kitchen) has been making charcoal grills since the 1950’s, and the PK300 is their flagship grill—blending a modern wheeled carriage with a retro grill capsule that evokes the original.
The frame of the carriage is extremely sturdy and well designed, and the vents have precise marking lines so you can consistently dial in your air flow for longer cooks and follow recipes that require specific airflow measurements. It comes with grates for grilling and smoking, and if you buy one currently, they’ll throw in a stainless-steel griddle top for searing and sautéing, meaning you can cook nearly anything on a PK300. While it’s not a small grill, it detaches easily from the wheeled carriage making it easy to load into the back of your SUV or truck bed for travel. $559
Zwilling Kramer Damascus Chef’s Knife
(Zwilling)
Bob Kramer is a legend in the world of knife making. His handmade blades sell for tens of thousands of dollars and have been prized by chefs such as Anthony Bourdain, Thomas Keller, and Mario Batali, among others. Kramer partnered with Zwilling to create a line of knives that are up to his standards, but obtainable for those without Keller or Batali’s knife budget.
“Zwilling was willing to go th...
South Korea Has Tracked USD 1bn Worth Of Fraudulent Crypto Transactions This Year Cryptonews
South Korea Has Tracked USD 1bn Worth Of Fraudulent Crypto Transactions This Year – Cryptonews https://bentoncountynewsnow.com/south-korea-has-tracked-usd-1bn-worth-of-fraudulent-crypto-transactions-this-year-cryptonews/
Source: Daniel Bernard/Unsplash
A staggering USD 1 billion worth of fraudulent crypto-related transactions has been identified in South Korea in the first half of 2022, new data shows.
According to Asia Kyungjae, the figures were compiled by the Korea Customs Service and made public by the lawmaker Kang Byung-won.
The data records all crypto-related transactions flagged as fraudulent by customs officials from 2017 to June 2022.
The figures show that customs officials have flagged a total of over USD 2.8 billion crypto-linked transactions since 2017. Over USD 1 billion of this figure has been flagged in the first half of this year (January to June). This dwarfs the figure for the entirety of 2021 (USD 600 million). However, this is likely due to the fact that the customs service has stepped up its policing of the sector in the past year as part of what it has termed a “crackdown” on crypto-related fraud.
All of these transactions involve cross-border fiat bank or wire transfers – or instances whereby individuals have been caught carrying banknotes to and from overseas locations.
Customs officials appear to have indicated that in many cases, the money has been linked to over-the-counter crypto trades and “kimchi premium” trading. The latter refers to scenarios whereby the price of bitcoin (BTC) and other tokens is higher in South Korea than elsewhere in the world. In cases like these, some traders have sought to buy “cheaper” BTC abroad and then dump coins on domestic exchanges – for profits of up to 30%.
The kimchi premium has become a kimchi bonus: At the time of writing (UTC 9:00am), token prices are trending lower in South Korea than elsewhere (Source: screenshot/https://cryprice.com/)
This kind of transaction violates South Korean foreign exchange law – and both customs officials and prosecutors have been waging war on suspected perpetrators.
USD 1bn in Fraudulent Crypto Transactions – Political Backlash Incoming?
Kang is an MP for the Democratic Party, which has a large majority in the National Assembly. He is also a member of the Assembly’s Political Affairs Committee.
He and other lawmakers have indicated that they will push for legislative change – and Kang called on regulators to respond.
Kang was quoted as stating:
“It is necessary to strengthen the crackdown on [crypto crime] by finding a way to allow the financial authorities, such as the Financial Services Commission and the Financial Supervisory Service, to work directly with investigative agencies. We also need to improve our technical capabilities [to help fight crime like this].”
Dow Futures Rise As Wall Street Looks Ahead To Key Inflation Data Later This Week CNBC
Dow Futures Rise As Wall Street Looks Ahead To Key Inflation Data Later This Week – CNBC https://bentoncountynewsnow.com/dow-futures-rise-as-wall-street-looks-ahead-to-key-inflation-data-later-this-week-cnbc/
Stock futures rose Monday as Wall Street looks ahead to key inflation data to be released this week.
Dow Jones Industrial Average futures were up 71 points, or 0.2%. S&P 500 futures were up 0.4%, and Nasdaq 100 futures gained 0.5%.
The moves came after a winning week for U.S. stocks, as all three major averages snapped a three-week losing streak. The Dow added 2.6% on the week, while the S&P 500 gained 3.7%. The Nasdaq Composite was 4.1% higher.
Stocks have been volatile ahead of the September meeting of the Federal Reserve, where the central bank is expected to deliver its third consecutive 0.75 percentage point rate hike in an effort to combat high inflation.
Wall Street investors had been looking for signs that the size of future rate hikes might be smaller as inflation cools off, Fed Chair Jerome Powell last week reiterated that he is “strongly committed” to bringing down inflation.
The European Central Bank announced its own large rate hike last week, which has helped cool the U.S. dollar’s recent rise.
“We see the relief in equity prices and the recent broad Dollar correction continue into the week, as markets eye short-term peak central bank hawkishness and positioning is relatively defensive,” Citi strategist Ebrahim Rahbari said in a note to clients.
This week, investors are looking ahead to the August consumer price index report, scheduled to be released Tuesday. The report is one of the last pieces of data on inflation the Fed will see ahead of its September meeting. Retail sales and industrial production reports will be released Thursday.
Inflation has peaked, says JPMorgan
JPMorgan pointed to falling gas prices as indication that inflation will slow in coming months. “In terms of inflation outlook, we expect a further confirmation of a peak, and a move lower, as US gasoline prices are down 20% from highs, and Brent has stalled below $100,” the firm said Monday in a note to clients.
Energy prices have been a key driver of inflation after Russia’s invasion sent global energy prices surging.
The national average for a gallon of regular gasoline hit a record above $5 in June. But since then, a retreat in oil prices has brought down prices at the pump. The national average stood at $3.716 on Monday, according to AAA.
“[F]alling commodity prices might be welcomed, as they work to reduce one of key headwinds, the inflationary pressure,” the firm added.
— Pippa Stevens
Weakening earnings will likely weigh on stocks, Adam Parker says
Corporate earnings estimates are still too high, and that presents more downside risk for stocks, according to TriVariate Research founder Adam Parker.
The second quarter earnings season was a mixed bag for Wall Street, with notable weakness in parts of the retail and tech sectors even as overall numbers largely held up. However, that bright side may soon disappear, Parker said.
“The key things to watch will be any signs of margin erosion or inventory builds in the October earnings season. Our suspicion is that a combination of estimate reductions and a hawkish Fed will make for choppy and a potentially lower equity market over the coming weeks,” Parker wrote in a note to clients on Sunday.
Parker’s base case for downside risk is around 3,700 on the S&P 500, which would be about a 7% decline from here.
— Jesse Pound
Disney shares higher in premarket trading
Activist investor and Third Point hedge fund manager Dan Loeb indicated in a tweet that he’s going to no longer push Disney to spin off ESPN.
Loeb’s reversal comes after he took about a $1 billion stake in Disney in the second quarter. Disney’s shares have rallied about 16% the last three months. Disney CEO Bob Chapek told journalists at this weekend’s D23 Expo that he has big plans for ESPN.
The shares were up another 0.7% in premarket trading Monday.
—Jeff Cox
Biden administration to broaden curbs on U.S. semiconductor exports to China, report says
The White House has plans to expand curbs on U.S. shipments to China of chips used for artificial intelligence and chipmaking tools, Reuters reported citing people familiar with the matter.
According to the report, the Commerce Department aims to publish regulations based on ruled communicated to KLA, Lam Research and Applied Materials. Shares of the three chipmakers dipped in the premarket.
A Commerce Department spokesperson declined Reuters’ request to comment on specific regulations, but note that it is “taking a comprehensive approach to implement additional actions…to protect U.S. national security and foreign policy interests.”
The White House, Applied Materials, KLA and Lam did not immediately respond to CNBC’s comment requests.
—Fred Imbert
It’s time to buy Carvana, Piper Sandler says
Piper Sandler upgraded struggling Carvana shares to overweight from neutral, saying the stock is too cheap for investors to ignore.
“We know that rising interest rates are a risk, and we know that bankruptcy is a real possibility. But CVNA is now 1/10th as valuable as it was 12 months ago, and after running a detailed sensitivity analysis, we think many realistic scenarios suggest that CVNA is grossly undervalued,” analyst Alexander Potter said in a note.
Carvana shares popped 7% in the premarket.
CNBC Pro subscribers can read the full story here.
—Sarah Min, Fred Imbert
Euro climbs to 3-week high against the U.S. dollar
European markets rise
European stocks advanced on Monday, following a positive trend set at the end of last week and overnight in Asia-Pacific markets.
The pan-European Stoxx 600 climbed 0.9% in early trade, with retail stocks adding 2.7% to lead gains as almost all sectors and major bourses entered positive territory. Health care stocks fell 0.3%.
European stocks took heart last week from the hawkish tone struck by the European Central Bank on monetary policy. Policymakers opted for a record hike to interest rates as they try to rein in record high inflation in the 19-member euro zone. The momentum for stocks and the euro continued on Monday.
– Elliot Smith
Traders see 90% chance of another 75-basis-point Fed hike in September: FedWatch
The probability of the U.S. Federal Reserve hiking interest rates by another 75 basis points at its September meeting moved to 90%, according to the CME Group’s FedWatch tracker of fed funds futures bets.
That’s up from last week’s 82% probability for a three-quarter point hike.
The chance for a 50-basis-point hike now stands at 10%, FedWatch showed.
–Jihye Lee
CNBC Pro: Sterling has been tanking versus the dollar. Here’s how low it could go, according to the pros
U.S. to broaden curbs on chip and tool exports to China, Reuters reports
The U.S. Department of Commerce plans to publish new regulations related to restricting exports of chipmaking equipment to Chinese factories that produce advanced semiconductors, Reuters reported, citing people familiar with the matter.
The rules will be based on letters sent to KLA, Lam Research and Applied Materials earlier this year, when they were informed that government-issued licenses would be needed to sell such equipment to buyers that make chips with sub-14 nanometer processes.
The new regulations would likely include additional actions against China, sources told Reuters, adding they could be changed and published later than expected.
—Jihye Lee
CNBC Pro: Goldman reveals the ‘sweet spot’ for its favorite oil stocks — and gives one 35% upside
Oil prices slip after volatile week
Oil prices were lower Sunday after energy markets whiplashed last week. Prices have been weighed down by rising interest rates and the potential curbed demand due to Covid lockdowns in China.
West Texas Intermediate fell 0.29% to $86.54 a barrel. Brent crude dipped 0.17% to $$92.68 a barrel.
Last week, oil prices rose slightly when Russia’s Vladimir Putin threatened to halt oil and gas exports to Europe if price caps are imposed. In addition, a small cut to OPEC+ oil output plans also supported prices.
Still, oil prices fell on the week.
—Carmen Reinicke
Stock futures are higher ahead of inflation report Tuesday
Stock futures rose Sunday night as Wall Street looked to continue last week’s rally ahead of a key inflation report set to be released Tuesday.
Dow Jones Industrial Average futures rose 91 points, or 0.29%. S&P 500 and Nasdaq 100 futures climbed 0.32% and 0.41%, respectively.
—Carmen Reinicke
Purdues Most Innovative Status Reaches 5 Years In U.S. News & World Report Rankings Purdue University
Purdue’s ‘Most Innovative’ Status Reaches 5 Years In U.S. News & World Report Rankings – Purdue University https://bentoncountynewsnow.com/purdues-most-innovative-status-reaches-5-years-in-u-s-news-world-report-rankings-purdue-university/
Ever moving forward to provide opportunities for students, university continues to show well in annual lists
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – Striking business-research partnerships that boost the state’s economy and address real-world needs while producing job-ready graduates, Purdue University continues to rank among the most innovative schools in the nation.
Purdue, whose graduates earn an average starting wage of $62,452 – straight out of college – is the nation’s No. 7 Most Innovative school (No. 3 among public universities) in the newest U.S. News & World Report Best Colleges rankings.
The new U.S. News & World Report undergraduate ranking extends Purdue’s streak to five consecutive years as a top-10 Most Innovative school in the nation. Only Arizona State University, Georgia State University, Carnegie Mellon University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Stanford University and Elon University rank ahead. Purdue tops Georgia Institute of Technology, California Institute of Technology and Johns Hopkins University in the top 10.
“We couldn’t be prouder that, once again, Purdue has been recognized as one of the country’s most innovative universities,” said Jay Akridge, provost and executive vice president for academic affairs and diversity. “Boilermakers are innovators, and you can be sure that we are focused on delivering an even more impactful residential learning experience to our students going forward as we continue to seek pioneering solutions to the world’s most difficult challenges.”
This newest ranking adds to an impressive list of recent Purdue rankings. Just last week, Purdue was ranked for the second straight year No. 6 internationally in utility patents in a report from the Intellectual Property Owners Association and the National Academy of Inventors. In August, the university was voted No. 4 in Morning Consult’s “Most Trusted Universities” study. Smart Asset named Purdue No. 1 in-state and 12th nationally for Best Value Colleges. Purdue is ranked the third-best college campus for freedom of speech in the just-released free speech rankings by The Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression (FIRE)/College Pulse.
Within the last year, Purdue has extended partnerships with Rolls-Royce, enhanced hypersonics research and put its stamp on the semiconductor industry, which is essential to the nation’s competitiveness. The university has opened new pathways of study to help address global semiconductor/microchip shortages that are affecting everyday life. It also struck a partnership with MediaTek, a leading global fabless chipmaker, to open the company’s first semiconductor chip design center in the Midwest, to be housed on Purdue’s campus. SkyWater Technology chose Discovery Park District at Purdue adjacent to Purdue’s campus.
The $1 billion, 400-acre Discovery Park District at Purdue is bustling, with new housing, well-paying jobs and learning and research opportunities.
The U.S. News & World Report rankings were released Monday (Sept. 12). At No. 51 overall among all colleges and No. 18 among public universities, Purdue is again well represented.
In internships, Purdue is No. 7.
Purdue’s College of Engineering is No. 9 among schools with doctoral programs and has numerous specialty areas among the best. Industrial/manufacturing remains second, with aeronautical and astronautical fifth, mechanical sixth, civil seventh, electrical ninth and computer 10th. Environmental engineering is 11th, materials 13th, chemical 15th and biomedical 29th.
“We are proud of the whole list of exciting rankings for the university. In particular, it is a reflection of the dedication by our faculty and staff and the quality of our students that Engineering retains the top-10 undergraduate ranking while growing significantly to become the largest in that distinguished group,” said Mung Chiang, Purdue’s president-elect and executive vice president for strategic initiatives, who served as dean of the College of Engineering until July 1 of this year.
Agricultural and biological engineering, administered by the College of Agriculture and shared with the College of Engineering, is ranked second.
“The agricultural and biological engineering faculty, staff and students continue to build an incredible department that is nationally and world renowned for the difference it makes in critical areas of discovery and innovation,” said Karen Plaut, the Glenn W. Sample Dean of Agriculture.
Purdue’s computer science programs in the College of Science moved up two spots, to 16th in the rankings. Its cybersecurity program is seventh; software engineering 10th; and programming, data analytics and computing systems all 13th. The artificial intelligence programs are 19th.
Computer science at Purdue continues its rapid rise, moving up two spots from last year to No. 16 overall, bolstered by the recent addition of new majors in artificial intelligence and in data science. Cybersecurity remains a leading area of strength at Purdue, rising two places to seventh, along with software engineering, ranked 10th. Artificial intelligence moves up five places to 19th, and data analytics is ranked for the first time, at 13th, along with programming and computing systems.
Patrick Wolfe, Purdue’s Frederick L. Hovde Dean of Science and Miller Family Professor of Statistics and Computer Science, said, “We are enormously proud of having generated so much sustained momentum across the data and computational sciences at Purdue — and even more so to have done this while expanding our enrollments substantially, providing opportunities for many more of the best and brightest students to join us here for their studies. Our continued progress is a reflection not only of major strategic investments we’ve made and continue to make but also, even more strongly, the exceptional efforts of our faculty, staff and proud alums.”
The School of Management is 30th among business schools, with its production/operations management program at No. 9 and supply chain management/logistics at 12. Analytics is 17th, management 30th and finance 36th.
In nursing, Purdue gained eight spots to No. 112. In other rankings, Purdue is No. 26 in best schools for veterans and 46th in undergrad research. Purdue Global is listed as among the best for economic diversity.
Writer/Media contact: Jim Bush, jsbush@purdue.edu
Sources: Jay Akridge, Mung Chiang, Patrick Wolfe, Karen Plaut
Brockton-Area Real Estate Sales For Aug. 1-5 2022 Enterprise News
Brockton-Area Real Estate Sales For Aug. 1-5, 2022 – Enterprise News https://bentoncountynewsnow.com/brockton-area-real-estate-sales-for-aug-1-5-2022-enterprise-news/
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The New-Age Givers – Fortune India https://bentoncountynewsnow.com/the-new-age-givers-fortune-india/
When Marico founder Harsh Mariwala decided to step down from day-to-day operations in 2014, he was already running Marico Innovation Foundation and Ascent to support entrepreneurship. His next goal was involvement in basic education and healthcare. Around this time, his daughter, Raj Mariwala, was also looking to enter philanthropy. She, however, was not interested in healthcare or education but mental health, having dealt with the stigma of learning disability during her student life. “I struggled through school not knowing I had learning disability,” says Raj Mariwala, director, Mariwala Health Initiative. Though the idea of supporting mental health causes didn’t excite her father much, he was not opposed to it either. “He acknowledged mental health was hardly getting funding and Indians were increasingly facing mental health issues,” she says.
But the biggest challenge for those who work in this space is to get people to accept that they are facing a mental health issue. That is why she decided to be hands-on instead of merely signing cheques for NGOs. Not only did she talk to people from various sections of the society (sex workers, farmers, LGBTQ community members, gender-violence victims) and helped them accept their mental health concerns, she also decided to spend time with companies and government bodies to convince them to implement policies around mental well-being. She is also helping NGOs in the space raise funds and providing them technical know-how and marketing support. Mariwala Health Initiative has partnered with 33 NGOs for 37 projects in 20 states over past seven years.
Raj Mariwala represents the new generation of philanthropists who are moving away from traditional cheque-book philanthropy of the earlier generation. For example, it’s no longer about building a school but also ensuring that the children learn from latest teaching methods. Not just that. It’s also about collaborating with governments and NGOs to ensure that the initiative impacts as many children as possible. “New-age giving is all about making a change as opposed to just giving back to society,” says Rishi Agarwal, managing director, FSG, which partners with foundations and companies to make a difference in people’s lives.
“Earlier, givers were focused on building schools and hospitals, as access was critical. New-age givers have realised that access is not an issue any more and it’s the quality of delivery that has to be improved. They are letting governments take care of access,” says Deval Sanghvi, partner and co-founder, Dasra, which partners with family foundations and philanthropists to shape their vision.
These new-age givers are not necessarily part of legacy family foundations. While the group includes the likes of Mariwala or Rumana Hamied of Cipla Foundation, it also has start-up founders such as Zerodha’s Nikhil Kamath and Nithin Kamath, Zomato’s Deepinder Goyal, Ola’s Bhavish Agarwal and Sirona Hygiene’s Deep Bajaj. So, while Zerodha brothers’ Rainmatter Foundation funds impact-driven start-ups by supporting NGOs and organisations that support climate change initiatives and create livelihoods, Goyal of Zomato intends to educate children of delivery partners through Zomato Foundation. Sirona Hygiene’s Deep Bajaj is looking to alleviate ‘period poverty’ and get rid of gender inequalities. Agarwal’s Ola Foundation is focusing on economic empowerment of women and financial literacy.
The Trigger
There has been considerable action in the social sector in the Covid-19 era. One reason is economic inequality created by the pandemic, which pushed close to 200 million Indians into poverty, but at the same time made the rich richer. Number of individuals with wealth of more than ₹1,000 crore rose 20% from 828 in FY20 to 1,000-plus in FY21 as their cumulative net worth rose 50% from ₹60 lakh crore to ₹90 lakh crore. Cumulative wealth of UHNIs in ₹50,000 crore-plus net worth bracket rose 80% compared with 45% and 30% rise in number of people in ₹10,000-50,000 and ₹1,000-10,000 crore brackets, respectively. Number of affluent households rose from 280,000 to 391,000, and number of HNI households from 5,000 to 8,000, between 2015 and 2021.
However, the good news is that a large number of rich want to give back to society. This is behind the popularity of initiatives such as Living My Promise (enables people with income of ₹1 crore and above to contribute to charity) and Young India Philanthropy Pledge (it encourages people with a net worth of over ₹1,000 crore to pledge money for charity). The net result is massive build-up of social capital. India’s social sector expenditure has grown at 12% a year over past five years from ₹10 lakh crore to ₹17.5 lakh crore, as per Bain Capital-Dasra India Philanthropy Report 2022. It rose 20% in FY21. Most of this rise is due to government expenditure —public funds (Central and state) account for 93% spending, up from 90% five years ago. Past two years have also seen four times growth in ultra high net-worth individual (UHNI) donations outside the mandated corporate social responsibility (CSR) commitments.
The biggest problem in the world, says Nithin Kamath, CEO, Zerodha, is wealth concentration. “If wealth is concentrated with a few people, it won’t be sustainable. We said wherever there is concentration, people have to do a lot more to give back. The society has to feel that wealth creation is for greater good. It’s not right for us to keep money in bank in a country like ours where so many earn less than ₹100 a day.”
Newer Strategies
But donating money is just a start. What sets new-age givers apart is their desire to make real change. Unlike the legacy givers, who signed cheques for causes (often for communities where they lived), the newcomers are more involved in decision-making. Indian philanthropists have started differentiating between outcomes and outputs, says Gaurav Gupta, partner and Asia head, Dalberg. “Instead of saying I have funded 100 meals, I am looking at nutritional outcomes for 100 children. There is more maturity in giving today.” Dalberg is an advisory firm that enhances social impact of companies.
“Most new-age foundations have two-three staff members. They are agile and are, therefore, able to do much more,” says Sanghvi. The focus is on creating playbooks for giving and replicating them across geographies. “The new-age funders are looking at smarter and economical solutions as well as new models such as mixing of grants with lending,” says Naghma Mulla, CEO, EdelGive Foundation.
They are also taking up causes that are broader in scope. For instance, Kamath brothers’ Rainmatter Foundation first started investing in impact-driven start-ups such as Solar Square (solar power), Zero Circle (trying to turn seaweed into plastic), Akshayakalpa (organic farming) and Organic Mandi. Kamath says he has never asked the founders about return on investment. The foundation also supports not-for-profit farming collectives such as Swayam and finds ways to showcase their produce on platforms of investee companies Akshayakalpa and Organic Mandi. The idea is to be cause- and platform-agnostic for supporting livelihoods across geographies. “One of our investments is open-source platform Frappe. Most not-for-profits don’t have a tech stack for internal purposes. We customised it in such a way that it can be used free of cost,” says Kamath.
Sanghvi of Dasra compares new-age givers with private equity players that invest in multiple businesses. When Amira Shah Chhabra, director, Harish and Beena Shah Foundation, took over her family (former owners of Signet Excipients) foundation some years ago, she preferred investing in Giving Circles (which covers livelihood generation, gender equality, health, education), created by Dasra, as she first wanted to understand how the development sector works. “We were able to work with 50 non-profits. We gave grants from ₹10 lakh to crores,” says Shah. The wide range of causes she supported taught her that most issues are connected. “In education, you need toilets in school, and that, in turn, improves both sanitation and menstrual hygiene,” she says. The Harish and Beena Foundation, started in ’80s to fund education of children of employees, is creating a fund for taking up multiple causes.
Rumana Hamied, managing trustee, Cipla Foundation, says multi-cause approach is the future. “Givers have to overlook scale and measurement to make a real impact. Philanthropic capital is more flexible and subject to less scrutiny,” she adds. While Cipla Foundation focuses on palliative care, Hamied also heads her family’s foundation through which she supports vulnerable children. Her work includes getting girls back to school, mainstreaming disabilities and protecting children from violence and trafficking.
There are also philanthropists such as Deep Bajaj of Sirona, who focus their giving around their business. The company contributes ₹1 from sale of each unit to its foundation, which focuses on menstrual hygiene and gender equality.
Collaborative Approach
While new-age givers want to have skin in the game, they have no qualms about admitting they don’t know much about the development sector and are happy to collaborate with NGOs and industry partners such as Dasra or EdelGive Foundation. “They are willing to look at multiple models such as running own projects or joining an NGO or a collaborative like Giving Circles. There is a lot of discussion around changing the system and more openness to partnering with governments and thinking about where policy can be impacted,” says Neera Nundy, partner and co-founder, Dasra.
So, for an issue like mental health, which comes with a lot of societal stigma, Mariwala found it more effective to collaborate with organisations already working in the space. “Our first partner, for instance, was a national hel...
I Had The Face Drop: Major Health Issue Taking Hold In The Top End NT News
‘I Had The Face Drop’: Major Health Issue Taking Hold In The Top End – NT News https://bentoncountynewsnow.com/i-had-the-face-drop-major-health-issue-taking-hold-in-the-top-end-nt-news/
‘I had the face drop’: Major health issue taking hold in the Top End
Carlie Preece is one of thousands of Territorians who have survived a stroke. So why is the NT at higher risk of experiencing ill-health outcomes?
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‘I had the face drop’: Major health issue taking hold in the Top End
Carlie Preece is one of thousands of Territorians who have survived a stroke. So why is the NT at higher risk of experiencing ill-health outcomes?
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C-N Makes Semis | News Sports Jobs Escanaba Daily Press
C-N Makes Semis | News, Sports, Jobs – Escanaba Daily Press https://bentoncountynewsnow.com/c-n-makes-semis-news-sports-jobs-escanaba-daily-press/
GLADSTONE — The same match up as a year ago went the opposite way Saturday at the Rock volleyball tournament in Gladstone.
In the championship match, Houghton and Kingsford faced off, and claiming revenge for last year’s loss, Houghton toppled Kingsford 2-0 (25-18, 25-23) to bring the Rock home.
“We came last year and lost to Kingsford in the finals, so this was kind of a redemption round for us,” Gremlins coach Blaire Zenner said. “So, I was super excited we were able to play them again and take care of business here today.
“I think the entire match against Kingsford was the highlight for everybody. It was a team effort. We knew that it was going to be the toughest of the day with the tempo Kingsford plays, and we were able to control most of the game. We just tried our best to make the smart plays.”
With matches in the tournament being best of three for expediency, Kingsford — already down a set — fought back to take its second lead (18-17) of the match on an ace from Jenna Viau.
“We were serving a little more aggressive (in the second set),” Flivvers coach Jaclynn Kreider said. “We got some points out of that, which helped. We were also attacking the ball. I feel like where we struggled in both of those sets in the championship match was where we weren’t attacking. We were sort of second guessing ourselves, and we had some unforced errors. You can’t give a team like Houghton points — you have to make them work for it. We got a little bit anxious.”
However, the Flivvers immediately gave up the lead with a serve into the net just after, but an error on the Gremlins’ side, a net violation, returned the opportunity to Kingsford to force a third set. Then, a Houghton return into the net put the Flivvers up 20-18.
The Gremlins made their own rally, turning a Flivvers out of bounds return into a 23-20 advantage on the back of a four-point run from Stella Wickstrom.
“(Maintaining composure with changing leads) was one of areas where we struggled with last year, and we weren’t able to convert that into a win,” Zenner said. “So, today, to see that same situation, and for us to push through and end up on top was tremendous.
“Stella Wickstrom made the all-tournament team and was a big part of our front row. Jiani Tang also played a huge part on our back row as well as Bryn Lamppa and Clea Ollanketo.”
A timeout recentered the Flivvers, and a spike from Maddy Kreider tied the second set at 23.
Houghton then employed a timeout of its own, leading to a spike from Danica Ryynanen to regain possession, and an ace from Laney Johnson sealed the match and the title.
The Gremlins had smoother sailing in the first set, Clea Ollanketo helming a six-point run early to put some distance between themselves and the Flivvers.
Kingsford cut its deficit in the middle to just one (17-16) thanks to a kill from Kailey Sundquist and a short run — and an ace — from Maddy Kreider.
“Every set that we played in it, it was a different girl that stepped up,” coach Kreider said. :We had different servers that took charge of the game at different times. We really worked a new set in with one of our middles, and I think she did a great job today. That was Kailey Sundquist. She was playing a little injured today as well, so I feel that if there’s anyone we put to the test today, it was her.”
The Gremlins pulled away shortly after on kills from Wickstrom and Bryn Lamppa.
To reach the championship match, Kingsford toppled Menominee and Houghton knocked out Carney-Nadeau (25-10, 25-19).
The Gremlins ended the first set against the Wolves with an eight-point run, and two aces, from Johnson, and a five-point run, including three aces, from Tang gave Houghton an early advantage.
The Wolves cut their deficit to 10-8 on an ace from Samantha Kedsch — who was named to the all-tournament team, but it was as close as they would come to a lead.
“We were just aiming to play the best ball we could at Carney,” Wolves coach Steve Kedsch said. “We just wanted to rebound (From a down match Thursday). I’m pretty proud of how the girls fought today. We went up against some bigger schools and some competition that was very tough for us, but we continued to play hard.
“I think some of our back row players that don’t get a lot of recognition did very well today. Gracie DuPont had a good first half today. Marissa Thompson … stepped in and did a good job pass servicing today and played some good defense.”
Carney hosts Florence, Wis. Monday, Kingsford hosts Menominee Tuesday and Houghton hosts Negaunee Thursday.
Carney-Nadeau
Aces — Thompson 4, DeGrave 3, Kedsch 3, Laurila 2, Lenca 2; kills — Lenca 13, Laurila 12, DeGrave 11, Jackson 8, Kedsch 3; assists — Kedsch 42; digs — Kedsch 17, Thompson 16, Laurila 14, DeGrave 14, Lenca 10, Laurence-Smits 9, DuPont 8, Jackson 8
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MoneyNeverSleeps: Metaverse Infrastructure | ETH Merge | Big Rounds From Wayflyer And Alloy Irish Tech News Irish Tech News
MoneyNeverSleeps: Metaverse Infrastructure | ETH Merge | Big Rounds From Wayflyer And Alloy – Irish Tech News – Irish Tech News https://bentoncountynewsnow.com/moneyneversleeps-metaverse-infrastructure-eth-merge-big-rounds-from-wayflyer-and-alloy-irish-tech-news-irish-tech-news/
Pete Townsend and Eoin Fitzgerald dive into the shortcomings of Metaverse graphics through the lens of Metaverse deep-thinker Matthew Ball and his new book on the Metaverse, what’s up with the Ethereum Merge, the big fundraisings of Irish unicorn Wayflyer and Techstars grad Alloy, the death of ING’s Yolt, Block’s Cash App’s small-dollar lending milestone, and old friend Bradley Tusk takes his super-charged regulatory advisory into crypto and DAOs (decentralized autonomous organizations).
This episode of MoneyNeverSleeps is sponsored by Philip Lee, one of Ireland’s fastest-growing corporate law firms and expert advisors at the heart of the Dublin and London start-up, fintech and crypto communities.
KEY QUOTE:
Pete Townsend on the long arc of development required for the Sci-Fi version of the Metaverse to come to life:
“One of the example’s from Matthew Bell’s ‘Metaverse’ book points to how most video game developers set the bar of latency, which is the delay between your controller instructing something and it actually happening in the game, at 10 to 20 milliseconds.
“The quickest, you can possibly send a message of any kind between New York and Hong Kong is 45 milliseconds. So the world’s infrastructure and fiber optics are not there yet to be able to support what is the Ready Player One and Snow Crash visualizations of what the metaverse really is, and there’s a lot of work left to do.
“There’s going to be a ton of money going into the companies that are building the infrastructure that will enable the Metaverse to actually happen. It is such a massive, massive market and a huge opportunity.”
STORIES WE COVERED:
When Metaverse (Life in Color, 1-Aug-22)
After $177 Billion in Investment, Why Do Metaverse Graphics Still Suck? (Decrypt, 27-Aug-22)
Ethereum’s Big Moment Is Coming With ‘The Merge’ What It Means for Crypto (5-Sep-22)
Wayflyer secures €254m in debt financing from Credit Suisse (Irish Times, 1-Sep-22)
Fintech startup Alloy leans on fraud prevention to land new $1.55B valuation (TechCrunch, 1-Sep-22)
KlimaDAO Engages Tusk Strategies to Push Congress to Write DAOs Into Law (Decrypt, 4-Sep-22)
ING pulls the plug on Yolt, shutting down its open banking operation (AltFi, 30-Aug-22)
Cash App Now Originates 1m Small-Dollar Loans A Month (Fintech Business Weekly, 21-Aug-22)
LINKS:
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Check out our MoneyNeverSleeps website
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Follow Eoin Fitzgerald on Twitter
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Youre Likely Paying Less For These 7 Items Including Clothing Chicken Wings And Air Fare PennLive
You’re Likely Paying Less For These 7 Items, Including Clothing, Chicken Wings And Air Fare – PennLive https://bentoncountynewsnow.com/youre-likely-paying-less-for-these-7-items-including-clothing-chicken-wings-and-air-fare-pennlive/
After months of rising prices, some relief appears to be on the horizon.
Consumers, who have been hit with record-high costs for goods and serves due to rising inflation and interest rates, are paying less for a handful of staples.
According to the July Consumer Price Index, consumer prices rose 6.3% from a year earlier after posting an annual increase of 6.8% in June, the biggest jump since 1982. Experts say the numbers suggest inflation may be easing.
While many prices are still higher than a year ago, the report is welcome relief to consumers who have been getting squeezed lately.
Here’s a look at several categories where prices are actually dropping:
After soaring in 2021, chicken wing prices have finally dropped. File photo by Dan Gleiter | dgleiter@pennlive.com
Chicken wings
Good news for football fans this season – chicken wing prices have dropped to pre-pandemic levels.
According to the latest figures from the Department of Agriculture’s price index, wholesale prices of a pound of wings fell to about $1.68 in July, down from a high of $3.25 in May 2021. It’s the lowest price since May 2020, according to the report.
Demand for chicken boomed during the pandemic as more people turned to takeout and quick service foods like wings. By 2021, wing prices skyrocketed, forcing some restaurants and bars to temporarily remove them from menus. Some restaurants, including national chain Wingstop, made do by introducing bone-in and boneless chicken thighs.
Lumber
Pondering a home project? After skyrocketing lumber prices two years ago, a slowing housing market due to higher mortgage rates has led to lower lumber prices.
Markets Insider reports lumber prices recently fell as much as 4% to $465 per thousand board feet.
That’s a big drop from the record high of $1,733 per thousand board feet in 2021, and actually puts the price more in align with traditional pricing in the range of $200 to $600 per thousand board feet.
Travel
If you’ve been thinking about a getaway, now might be the time to book a flight.
Domestic airfares are expected to drop by 40% after the Labor Day holiday into early fall, reports Hopper, a travel booking platform.
Round-trip domestic airfare is expected to run around $238 on average, or about $142 cheaper than the highest rates this summer. International fares also will drop but not quite as severely at about 19% or an average of $754 roundtrip, which is about $179 cheaper than summer fares.
Furniture
As people stuck closer to home during the pandemic many purchased new furniture to refresh their living spaces. Now, spending is shifting to activities outside of the home and that has left many furniture retailers with extra inventory.
Bloomberg reports data from the Commerce Department shows furniture wholesale inventories are piling up as sales dropped for a second month. It said the government reported wholesaler furniture sales dropped 2.9% in June and stockpiles rose 2.6%.
Recently, home furniture supplier Coaster Fine Furniture announced in a letter sent to dealers it is rolling back prices by about 10%, according to Furniture World, an industry publication. As with many suppliers, Coaster had raised prices to compensate for supply chain issues and higher freight rates.
As shipping issues have eased, many furniture suppliers are paying less for ocean freight, something they are willing to pass along to dealers.
Gas prices rose this year to all-time highs but have started to come down. File photo by Dan Gleiter | dgleiter@pennlive.com
Gas
Anyone who owns a car sees notices prices dropping at the pumps.
Here in central Pennsylvania, the average price is about 34 cents lower than a month ago and hovering at the $4.21 a gallon mark. AAA recently said gas prices are falling “due primarily to stable oil prices and fewer drivers than usual fueling up.”
The pace of declines is certainly slowing down as oil prices have bounced up slightly, but the West Coast and Northeastern U.S. are areas that still may see gas prices decline, while the South and Midwest see the drop fade and potentially slight increases,” said Patrick De Haan, head of petroleum analysis at GasBuddy.
“In addition to falling gasoline prices, the average price of diesel has fallen below $5 per gallon for the first time since March, likely helping to cool off aggressive inflation numbers.
Thus far, Mother Nature has spared us from disruptions from hurricanes, but that remains a wild card as we head into the peak of hurricane season.”
Electronics
After consumers bought gadgets in record numbers during the pandemic, experts say habits have shifted as people are spending money on experiences, such as concerts and vacations. Many are also cutting back on discretionary spending due to high gas and food prices.
As a result, items such as televisions and computers are piling up on store shelves. Retailers such as Walmart, Target Corp. and Best Buy are marking down prices on consumer electronics if they want those inventories to move, Jason Benowitz, senior portfolio manager at Roosevelt Investment Group, recently told Reuters.
He added the retailers are in competition, not with each other but for essentials such as food and fuel.
Many clothing retailers are stuck with a glut of inventory as shoppers made fewer apparel purchases due to rising prices. Now many stores are slashing prices to get rid of merchandise. AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes
Clothing
Need some new duds? Luckily for you, retailers, left with a glut of clothing as consumer demand dropped due to higher prices, are slashing prices to clear inventory.
Abercrombie & Fitch and American Eagle Outfitters reported steep jumps in inventory levels, up 45% and 46%, respectively, from a year ago, according to CNBC. Retailers, including Target, Walmart and Gap, have announced price reductions to get rid of the backlog.
“The increasing levels of food and fuel inflation are affecting how customers spend,” said Walmart CEO Doug McMillon in a news release earlier this summer. “Apparel in Walmart U.S. is requiring more markdown dollars.”
In some cases, retailers like the Gap misjudged shopper’s needs and purchased too many of the wrong items, including active wear, which many shoppers stocked up on in record numbers during the pandemic. Gap reported net sales dropped 8% from a year earlier to $3.86 billion.
“In the near-term, we are taking actions to sequentially reduce inventory, rebalance our assortments to better meet changing consumer needs, aggressively manage and reevaluate investments, and fortifying our balance sheet,” said Katrina O’Connell, Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer, Gap Inc., in a news release.
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Is ApeCoin The Next Cryptocurrency To Explode On APE Staking Launch Cryptonews
Is ApeCoin The Next Cryptocurrency To Explode On APE Staking Launch – Cryptonews https://bentoncountynewsnow.com/is-apecoin-the-next-cryptocurrency-to-explode-on-ape-staking-launch-cryptonews/
ApeCoin appears set to pump in the coming days and weeks ahead of staking for APE going live.
The coin has made steady gains in the last seven days, up 15% on the week and 7% in the last 24 hours, with more growth expected after Horizen Labs announced they would hold a Twitter Spaces on the subject on September 22.
It remains unclear when exactly staking will go live, with some holders expressing annoyance and disappointment on social media that it hasn’t happened yet.
However, the general sentiment on APE is now bullish and the market could see more growth both pre- and post-staking going live, with investors rushing to buy up the coin and then take it off the market.
What is ApeCoin and the Bored Ape Yacht Club?
The Bored Ape Yacht Club (often referred to as BAYC) is one of the premier NFT collections in crypto.
Despite billions being drained from the NFT market and many collections in the red, the cheapest BAYC is still on sale for 72 ETH (approx. $125,000) and during the NFT bull run last summer, multiple Bored Apes sold for tens of millions of dollars.
The collection has a number of celebrity backers, with Eminem, Snoop Dogg, Madonna, Jimmy Fallon and many others.
The BAYC universe also includes other collections – the Mutant Ape Yacht Club and Bored Ape Kennel Club – which are secondary collections and go for significantly less but are still highly sought after.
ApeCoin is an ERC20 token that acts as that the governance token within the APE Ecosystem and the ApeCoin Decentralized Autonomous Organization (DAO), it is a community-driven initiative allowing holders to vote on ideas, projects and other tasks within the ecosystem.
It also allows holders exclusive access to other things such as merchandise, events, premium games and services and we named it among our top 10 best new cryptos to buy.
APE reached an all-time high of $25 in May and although it’s price has dropped significantly, it has remained in the top 40 coins by market cap based on the desirability of the Bored Ape ecosystem and the strength of the community, despite its general lack of utility compared to some projects.
What is APE Staking?
The ApeCoin DAO has released full details on what staking will entail.
But in summary, ApeCoin will be distributed to all Bored Ape and Mutant Ape holders that stake their NFTs plus APE coin. It offers great incentive for holders of the NFT to buy more APE with the sole intention of staking it and the more that do the higher the rewards will be.
However, for holders to generate max returns they have to hold a set amount of APE (10,094 for BAYC and 2,042 for MAYC) and many holders do not earn close to that.
Twitter user Ouroboros Capital has broken down APE staking, NFT holder wallets and the potential amount BAYC and MAYC holders could earn and concluded that APE will become a must buy for them soon.
Not only will that see increased demand but once staking goes lives, the supply of the coin is set to be sucked out of the market.
One alternative coin with similar growth potential in the coming weeks is Tamadoge.
The project is currently enjoying an extremely successful presale and has raised almost $15 million in just over a month, with around just 15% of the presale allocation remaining.
Biden Executive Order To Fund U.S. Biomanufacturing Industry Reuters
Biden Executive Order To Fund U.S. Biomanufacturing Industry – Reuters https://bentoncountynewsnow.com/biden-executive-order-to-fund-u-s-biomanufacturing-industry-reuters/
U.S. President Joe Biden speaks to media before boarding Air Force One as he departs for Washington from New Castle, Delaware, U.S., September 11, 2022. REUTERS/Joshua Roberts/File Photo
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WASHINGTON, Sept 12 (Reuters) – President Joe Biden will sign orders on Monday to push more government dollars to the U.S. biotechnology industry, aimed at reducing dependence on China for materials to generate clean energy, weave new fabrics and inoculate populations against the COVID-19 pandemic.
The executive order allows the federal government to direct funding for the use of microbes and other biologically derived resources to make new foods, fertilizers and seeds, as well as making mining operations more efficient, administration officials said.
They did not provide any specifics on how much money would be available, where it would come from or how it would be allocated. Further details are expected at a White House summit on the topic Wednesday.
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The U.S. federal government is already a source of funds to biotechnology research and development (R&D) through the National Institute of Health, the U.S. Department of Agriculture and other agencies. Overall U.S. funding for R&D has dropped as a percentage of gross domestic product since a peak in the 1950s, a trend Biden has pledged to reverse.
Potential applications range from the biodiesel fuels made by Renewable Energy Group to the COVID vaccines made by Pfizer-BioNTech (PFE.N), (22UAy.DE) or the genetically modified seeds made by Corteva Inc (CTVA.N).
“Other countries, including and especially China are aggressively investing in this sector, which poses risks to U.S. leadership and competitiveness,” said an administration official who declined to be named previewing Biden’s actions.
Biden will discuss the order in Boston Monday, as he speaks about the “Cancer Moonshot,” an effort to spur research, create new treatments and cut the death rate from that disease. read more
Biomanufacturing has been used to generate cancer treatments, including those derived from plants or using re-engineered immune cells.
Biden also will name Dr. Renee Wegrzyn, a longtime science adviser and who most recently served at the biotech company Ginkgo Bioworks Holdings Inc, (DNA.N) as the first director of the Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health, a U.S. government-run biomedical research group.
“Today, we have many of the building blocks needed to make significant progress treating cancer, but we must come together to deliver on the promise,” said another administration official.
Biden’s son Beau died of brain cancer in 2015 at age 46, something the president has said helps inform his passion for the project.
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Reporting by Trevor Hunnicutt; Editing by Heather Timmons and Aurora Ellis
Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.
Biden To Announce New Support For US Biotech Production The Associated Press En Español
Biden To Announce New Support For US Biotech Production – The Associated Press – En Español https://bentoncountynewsnow.com/biden-to-announce-new-support-for-us-biotech-production-the-associated-press-en-espanol/
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden is launching a new initiative to encourage biotech production and research in the U.S., the latest move by the White House to boost domestic industry.
Biden on Monday signed an executive order implementing the initiative and later, in remarks at the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library in Boston, will address how biotech can help fight cancer. On Wednesday, the Democratic president’s administration will host a summit and announce new investments from several federal agencies, according to a White House fact sheet.
The initiative will seek to boost biomanufacturing in pharmaceuticals but also in other industries such as agriculture, plastics and energy. A senior administration official wouldn’t say how much funding will be announced Wednesday.
Biomanufacturing processes can program microbes to make specialty chemicals and compounds, the fact sheet said. Biomanufacturing can be used to make alternatives to oil-based chemicals, plastics and textiles.
The executive order follows bipartisan legislation Biden signed last month that provided $52 billion to subsidize the production of semiconductors, construction of new chip plants and research and development in the United States.
That legislation was intended to reduce the U.S. economy’s reliance on semiconductors made overseas, particularly in Taiwan, and to respond to greater efforts by China to develop its own chip industry.
Biden touted the benefits of the semiconductor law on Friday, in a stop in Columbus, Ohio, where chip giant Intel has broken ground on a new $20 billion factory.
The administration official, who wasn’t authorized to speak publicly and insisted on anonymity, said the White House wants to support manufacturing biotech products that are developed in the U.S., rather than seeing American innovations produced abroad.
“We’re aiming to expand domestic biomanufacturing capacity so that more of what’s invented in America is made in America,” the official said. “Other countries, including and especially China, are aggressively investing in this sector, which poses risks to U.S. leadership and competitiveness.”
COLA Social Security Payment Schedule 2022 Millions To Get Huge New $4194 Direct Payment In Days See E The US Sun
COLA Social Security Payment Schedule 2022 — Millions To Get Huge New $4,194 Direct Payment In Days – See E… – The US Sun https://bentoncountynewsnow.com/cola-social-security-payment-schedule-2022-millions-to-get-huge-new-4194-direct-payment-in-days-see-e-the-us-sun/
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Updated: 2:30 ET, Sep 12 2022
MILLIONS of Americans will see direct payments from the Social Security Administration (SSA) worth up to $4,194 this month.
Retirees can receive a maximum monthly Social Security check of $4,194, earning on average $1,657.
The Social Security Administration makes payments on the second, third, and fourth Wednesdays of each month – meaning this month’s first round comes on Wednesday, September 14.
When you get paid depends on the day of the month that your birthday falls on.
For this month, the schedule for payment drops is as follows:
September 14 if your birthday is between the 1st and 10th
September 21 if your birthday is between the 11th and 20th
September 28 if your birthday is the 21st or later
Read our COLA blog for more news and updates…
Cutting costs: refinancing
While low-interest rates have played a role in driving up inflation, you might be able to use that to your advantage by refinancing.
Refinancing can lower your mortgage payment significantly, which could be helpful to Americans on SSI who need financial relief.
Plus, low-income owners can save up to $3,000 annually by refinancing.
However, keep in mind that keep in mind that mortgage rates have been on the rise recently.
Medicare benefits extended
The Medicare Part A trust fund, which helps seniors pay for inpatient hospital care, was previously set to start getting cut in 2026.
However, a new annual Trustees Report from the Social Security Administration showed that the program will be able to provide full benefits now until 2028.
The report attributed the changes to a strong economic rebound and “disability incidence rates”.
“Changes were made to near-term economic data and assumptions reflecting that the recovery of employment, earnings, and GDP from the 2020 recession has been faster and stronger than projected in last year’s report,” the trustees said.
Four changes every year
There are at least four changes that occur every year when it comes to Social Security:
Cost-of-living adjustments
Earnings test limit
The value of a work credit
Social Security tax limit
What will happen in 2034?
An annual report from the SSA shared pessimistic news.
It’s estimated in 2034, the Social Security Trust Fund will not have enough money to pay recipients.
The SSA said it doesn’t expect to halt payments but rather monthly benefits will be reduced unless changes are made.
What was the 2021 COLA?
The 5.9 percent cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) for 2022 is a big jump from the 1.3 percent COLA in 2021.
The significant increase was driven by a rise in inflation over the past year.
Will inflation subside?
With this move, Fed Chairman Jerome Powell hopes to ease inflation by making it more expensive to borrow money.
“The Committee seeks to achieve maximum employment and inflation at the rate of 2 percent over the longer run,” according to an FOMC statement.
Professor of economics and public affairs at Princeton and former vice chairman of the Fed, Alan Blinder, wrote in a recent op-ed for the Wall Street Journal that inflation won’t be here much longer.
“One day, hopefully soon, food and energy prices will level off and the supply chain problems will dissipate,” Binder said.
He added that inflation will fall just as fast and theatrical as it grew.
Experts from Morningstar agree and are predicting higher inflation for the rest of the year but that it will lessen in the coming years as prices are already peaking in most sectors.
Bill could extend SS benefits for 75 years
Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont and Senator Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts proposed a bill in June to prevent the depletion of Social Security until 2096, according to CNBC.
Each beneficiary would receive an additional $200 per month.
The payroll tax would be increased for earners making over $250,000.
Children of disabled parents would be able to receive benefits up until 22.
“This bill has no chance whatsoever of receiving a single Republican vote in either House,” Senator Mitt Romney, a Republican from Utah told reporters.
“So it will not be passed.”
COLA could change to fit the elderly
Democratic Congressman John B. Larson of Connecticut proposed a bill last fall that would base the COLA amount on necessary purchases elderly people make.
Larson told ThinkAdvisor months ago that the House Ways and Means Social Security Subcommittee could see progress “soon,” but so far no action had been taken.
“We are in the process of working toward markup,” he said at the time.
Bipartisan agreement on Social Security reform
Some studies have shown increasing taxes on the wealthy, raising the payroll as well as raising the retirement age, and trimming benefits for high earners, could help eliminate 95 percent of the shortfall to prevent Social Security depletion.
A survey of more than 2,500 registered voters at the University of Maryland’s Program for Public Consultation found a sample of most Americans agreed.
Over 80 percent of all voters surveyed agreed more earners should be subject to payroll tax and receive fewer benefits.
75 percent thought the retirement age should be raised.
More modestly, 59 percent of Republicans and 71 percent of Democrats favored increasing the minimum monthly benefit for someone who has worked 30 years from $951 to $1,341.
53 percent of Republicans and 56 percent of Democrats favored increasing benefits for those over 80 by about five percent.
What are spousal benefits?
Spousal benefits are given to those who are 62 or older and can start collecting spousal benefits once the worker files for their retirement.
These Social Security payments are based on your partner’s earnings record.
Many retirees and their spouses depend on these Social Security benefits and have been paying into the system for years.
When it’s your time to claim, it’s important to make sure you are receiving your full amount.
What happens when your spouse passes away?
When a spouse passes away, the impacted widow or widower can claim a $255 lump sum payment.
Additionally, it’s possible your monthly benefit can increase if you were earning less in Social Security benefits than your deceased spouse.
How much will Americans receive with expected COLA?
Using the eight percent figure that is expected for an increase, the new average monthly Social Security payments could look something like this, according to Marca:
Retired worker: 1,791 dollars
Retired worker’s spouse: 908 dollars
Elderly widow: 1,679 dollars
Disabled widow: 883 dollars
Disabled worker: 1,467 dollars
Lawmakers reintroduce SS legislation
Senator Mazie Hirono of Hawaii and Representative Ted Deutch of Florida reintroduced legislation that would strengthen Social Security.
The bill is called the Protecting and Preserving Social Security Act and ensures that seniors continue receiving benefits from Social Security programs.
Additionally, it would extend the Social Security as the projected depletion of the OASI and DI Trust Fund Reserves from 2035 to 2052.
The bill would also reduce the federal deficit by roughly $12.3trillion by the end of the 75-year projection period
COLA Increase throughout the decade
According to Better Benefits, The Consumer Price Index for all Urban Consumers is used to determine the annual Social Security COLA.
Since 2021 the metric has risen on average 2.19 percent per year. Social Security payments have also risen at 3.08 percent a year.
Based on those calculations it’s estimated average Social Security payments could be $2,112 by 2030.
Millions of renters impacted by price increases
A survey from Freddie Mac found that nearly one in five renters whose rental costs rose in the past year feel they might miss a payment.
The study also found that rents have now outpaced raises for a third of renters who received a raise.
This is greatly impacting the housing market as more than half of the renters in the past 12 months said they are now less likely to buy.
Highest minimum wage
Currently California totes the highest minimum wage at $15, however, this only applies to businesses with 26 or more employees.
Connecticut and Massachusetts will join California with the highest minimum wage of $15 when they raise theirs to the total in 2023.
If Washington DC was a state their minimum wage would be the highest as they currently pay workers a minimum of $15.25.
SS Benefit Eligibility Screening Tool, conclusion
While none of the questions are very tough, you should be prepared to provide some information before completing the questionnaire, such as:
Work-related annual earnings.
Other sources of annual income
All of your assets’ total value.
Date of beginning of disability
BEST, according to DisabilityBenefitsCenter.org, isn’t a Social Security Disability application. Your responses are kept fully private. You won’t be asked for your name, social security number, or contact information at all
SS Benefit Eligibility Screening Tool, continued
To utilize the BEST, you must first complete a questionnaire regarding the advantages you may be eligible for.
The choices are as follows:
Disability assistance
Family benefits
Insurance
Medicare
Retirement
Spouse & widow(er)
Supplemental Security Income (SSI)
Veterans benefits
SS Benefit Eligibility Screening Tool
A Benefit Eligibility Screening Tool (BEST) is a collection of questions on the Social Security Administration’s website that might help you figure out if you’re eligible for Social Security Disability benefits.
It also assists you in determining the Social Security Disability benefits you are likely to be eligible for.
It takes around 10 minutes to complete ...
RESTAURANT WEEK: Eat Local Win A Trip To Mexico Volume One
RESTAURANT WEEK: Eat Local, Win A Trip To Mexico – Volume One https://bentoncountynewsnow.com/restaurant-week-eat-local-win-a-trip-to-mexico-volume-one/
Events Food+Drink
fill your Passport at 10 restaurants in 60 days to qualify for big prizes
V1 Staff | September 12, 2022
The Iberostar Quetzal Resort in Cancun, Mexico.
The only thing better than going out to eat with friends is going out to eat while earning a chance to win a trip for two to sunny Cancun, Mexico. That’s the opportunity you’ll have during Restaurant Week and beyond through our Dining Passport Program.
The grand prize is a four-night stay for two people at the Iberostar Quetzal, an all-inclusive resort along the white sand beaches of Playa del Carmen. The trip includes roundtrip airfare from Minneapolis to Cancun as well as private transportation between the airport and the resort. Combined the trip has a $3,500 value, and comes courtesy of MouseTrekker (www.mousetrekker.us), a Chippewa Valley-based online travel agency.
As you might guess from the name, MouseTrekker was inspired in part by a certain cartoon mouse. “It basically came about because we both love to travel, and I am a huge Disney fan, and I found a way to combine the two and help people plan their Disney trips,” said Staci Altuzar, who co-owns the business with her husband, Mario.
Visit 10 different participating establishments and have them stamp or sign your passport proving you visited.
MouseTrekker soon expanded beyond connecting travelers with Disney theme parks, cruises, and other destinations to include helping with vacations to Mexico, too. These include trips to the Iberostar Quetzal, a 350-room, family-friendly resort that boasts white sand beaches, turquoise Caribbean waters, and lush green jungles.
MouseTrekker can help travelers rest easy by navigating both travel arrangements and frequently changing COVID-era protocols. “We’re trying to take the stress off of you so you can have the perfect vacation,” Altuzar said.
Now that your imagination is on a Mexican beach, how do we get the rest of you there? Simply stop in to eat at any of the nearly 30 participating restaurants during Restaurant Week (listed in the back of this guide) and pick up your passport, which you can only get during Restaurant Week. After that, you have until Nov. 16, 2022 (60 days) to visit 10 different participating establishments and have them stamp or sign your passport proving you visited.
If you can’t make it to all 10, don’t worry: If you make it to at least five, there are tons of prizes to be won as well! (Check out chippewavalleyrestaurantweek.com/contests for an updated list of prizes.)
Completed (or half-completed) passports must be mailed or turned in to Volume One, 205 N. Dewey St., Eau Claire, WI 54701, by Nov. 16, and the winner will be randomly selected on Friday, Nov. 18. Additional details are printed on the passport itself. So go out, eat well, and win big!
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Squandering Nations Money Has Become Acceptable Phenomenon Togbe Afede Ghana Business News
Squandering Nation’s Money Has Become Acceptable Phenomenon – Togbe Afede – Ghana Business News https://bentoncountynewsnow.com/squandering-nations-money-has-become-acceptable-phenomenon-togbe-afede-ghana-business-news/
Togbe Afede
Togbe Afede XIV, the Agbogbomefia Paramount Chief of Asogli State, has bemoaned the plundering of the nation’s resources by its duty-bearers, calling on them to consider the nation’s present economic status and avoid excessive spending to protect the public purse.
He said although the founding fathers and the present constitution directed leadership to secure progress and development, the high living cost and sinking economy had become the nation’s portion.
Addressing the grand durbar of the Asogli Yam Festival on Saturday, Togbe Afede, who is also an investment accountant, said the nation would require truthful leadership to consolidate the tenets of governance.
He called on leaders to avoid what he called, “deceit but admit the reality and show concern for the plight of the people.
“Those who fought for our independence thought we were going to rule ourselves, but the dream of self-governance has eluded us. We have not been able to deliver as our people wanted.”
The traditional ruler, also the executive chairman of World Trade Centre, Accra, lamented how political leadership continued to be institutionalised as an avenue for personal gain.
He said: “Leaders are concerned about politics and not development. They are only concerned about how to secure and retain power, and not the development of the nation. The money outlook is affecting leadership and has made governance a matter of life and death.
“Everyone is seeking to rob the nation’s resources, and those who steal the nation’s wealth cannot bring development. It is very challenging, and we must fight against it.
“Stealing the nation’s money has become part of us. People do not take national projects seriously.”
Togbe mentioned the payment of gratuitous emoluments and the present procurement regimes, all which he said milked the nation and should be reconsidered.
He said the citizenry had a greater role to play in realising the needed development and called for the commitment to unity and hard work, which he said was, “very important.”
Togbe Afede said, the theme for the festival, “Lets eschew greed and corruption,” would help deliberate on the nation’s current disposition.
An anti-corruption day celebration, youth empowerment forum, and a summit of chiefs, counts among a novelty introduced as the festival returned from a three-year break.
Mr John Dramani Mahama, former President, who graced the durbar, commended Togbe Afede for rebranding the festival and giving it an international appeal.
There was a display of Asogli culture at the festival; and the festival brought together the various divisions in a mega procession that emptied the Ho community into the Jubilee Park.
Togbe Adzi Lakle Howusu, Awafiaga, (warrior division) of Asogli State, in a welcome address, recounted the struggles to establish the State, and appealed to all to study history in order to help sustain peace and unity.
Sugandh Rajaram, Indian High Commissioner, congratulated the “friendly people of Asogli,” and commended the chiefs for enforcing peace and unity.
He said agricultural and rural activities remained common grounds for both Ghana and India and assured the traditional rulers that technology exchanges would continue for mutual benefits in the areas of education, renewable energy and water supply among others.
Nana Kpebu Awusi VI, President of the Abeadze Traditional Council and a former Vice President of the National House of Chiefs, praised Togbe Afede’s commitment to the advancement of the chieftaincy institution.
“On record, I can boldly say that you are one of the most revered chiefs in Ghana. Your passion to enhance socio-economic development is praiseworthy and should be given the needed support,” he stated.
Present at the durbar were political and religious leaders, heads of civil and corporate bodies, and leaders from Ewe communities across West Africa.
Source: GNA
Amgen Says Lumakras Pill Cuts Risk Of Lung Cancer Progression By 34 Pct Al Arabiya English
Amgen Says Lumakras Pill Cuts Risk Of Lung Cancer Progression By 34 Pct – Al Arabiya English https://bentoncountynewsnow.com/amgen-says-lumakras-pill-cuts-risk-of-lung-cancer-progression-by-34-pct-al-arabiya-english/
Amgen Inc’s Lumakras pill reduced the risk of disease progression in patients with advanced lung cancer by 34 percent compared with chemotherapy in a clinical trial, the company said on Sunday.
There was no significant difference in overall survival between the two treatments in the confirmatory study required by US regulators as a condition of accelerated approval for Lumakras. But Amgen said the trial was not designed to detect a survival difference.
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The company is also testing whether the drug could be effective against lung cancer earlier in the disease, and said last month a small study of Lumakras combined with immunotherapy found high rates of liver toxicity and that further study was needed.
More detailed results from the 345-patient study, including median progression-free survival — the length of time until the cancer begins to worsen — will be presented on Monday at the annual meeting of the European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO) in Paris.
Wall Street analysts, such as Michael Yee at Jefferies, have said investors expect a modest benefit of around two months for the Amgen drug over chemotherapy.
Amgen said 33 percent of Lumakras trial patients experienced serious side effects such as diarrhea and elevated liver enzymes, compared with 40 percent of chemotherapy patients.
The medication is designed to target a mutated form of a gene known as KRAS that occurs in about 13 percent of non-small cell lung cancers, the most common form of the disease, and less frequently in some other solid tumors.
“We are offering the choice of a pill … versus chemotherapy that means going to the hospital,” Amgen oncology head Jean-Charles Soria told Reuters.
Lumakras was approved by the US Food and Drug Administration last year under an accelerated pathway for advanced lung cancer patients with KRAS mutations whose disease has worsened after treatment with chemotherapy or other medicines.
The agency also asked Amgen to study a lower dose of Lumakras, known chemically as sotorasib. The company said those results are expected in the fourth quarter of this year.
The FDA is slated to make an approval decision on a potential rival KRAS-targeting drug, Mirati Therapeutics Inc’s adagrasib, by mid-December.
Mirati in May said adagrasib shrank tumors in 44 percent of advanced lung cancer patients in clinical trials, but also caused serious side effects in 43 percent of them.
At the ESMO meeting this week, Amgen is also presenting early data from a trial of Lumakras in combination with other cancer drugs for patients with colorectal cancer.
Read more: UAE approves lung cancer drug Lumakras following US FDA approval
Labor Day 1973 Explosion Rattled North Bloomfield Residents | News Sports Jobs Warren Tribune Chronicle
Labor Day 1973 Explosion Rattled North Bloomfield Residents | News, Sports, Jobs – Warren Tribune Chronicle https://bentoncountynewsnow.com/labor-day-1973-explosion-rattled-north-bloomfield-residents-news-sports-jobs-warren-tribune-chronicle/
If you ask anyone from North Bloomfield or from the surrounding areas what they were doing 49 years ago on that Labor Day Monday morning, Sept. 3, 1973, most can easily recall where they were.
About a mile outside of town, my father sat up in bed. The first thing he thought of was the boiler at the high school must have exploded. Having absolutely nothing left of a favorite restaurant, pizza shop, pool hall, service garage and gas station was the last thing on the minds of folks who were woken up around 6:15 in the morning.
It was that day that the landscape of our rural community forever changed. The Colonial Inn, a tavern and restaurant that was located on the southwest corner of states Route 87 and 45, exploded. This explosion in turn leveled the other two buildings — a service garage and gas station.
Debris covered the center of the community and road graders and snow plows had to be used to clear the road. Across the street at Brownwood, windows were blown out and shards of glass were pulled from the wood siding for a few years afterward.
Built in the 1820s as a private home, the Colonial Inn often was referred to as the “Brownwood Twin.” The federal-style facade matched up against the 1819 Brownwood home across the street. It is unknown when it first became a tavern and restaurant, but township directories from the 1930s and photos from the early 1940s show it as “The Elms.”
Almost as soon as the last piece of debris was pulled from the electric wires in at the main intersection, the conspiracy theories were making their rounds.
“It was a mob hit!”
“The Youngstown Teamsters had to make a point!”
“The phone lines were cut — that’s the work of Detroit!”
Well, the truth is, the cause remains undetermined. While stories of dynamite still get circulated, the kitchen inside the Colonial was fueled by propane. I don’t know if the phone company determined that someone climbed the poles and cut the wires, or if they were simply sheared clean from the force of the explosion.
The southwest intersection never recovered. Today, one parcel has overflow parking for the used car lot and the other parcel is vacant.
The loss of the Colonial was, in reality, the start of something sad for our community in the 1970s. About the same time frame, the historic Brownwood estate across the street was obtained by a museum. It in turn removed original furniture, original wallpaper from 1819 and moved three buildings from the farm. It did however leave the windows blown out.
Welchman’s Hardware, the earliest commercial building in Bloomfield was then torn down. Ms. Welchman passed away, and her business was sold at auction. We believe her hardware store dated from the 1830s. It was owned by her father and her grandfather before that. At that time, it was a cabinet and furniture shop. Top of the line beds, dressers, cabinets, and of course, coffins, were always on hand.
In less than 10 years, Bloomfield lost seven historic structures. Once these buildings are gone, they never come back. This sounds like an obvious statement, but it reinforces the need for historical preservation.
When the quaint buildings with character are gone and dollar stores with their box facade take their place, it is like the fingerprints of your community are sanded off. I’m glad to see a turnaround locally with strong preservation efforts on multiple fronts. If we don’t save our own history, who will?
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Jing X Équité Webinar Answers Luxurys Burning Questions On The Metaverse Jing Daily
Jing X Équité Webinar Answers Luxury’s Burning Questions On The Metaverse – Jing Daily https://bentoncountynewsnow.com/jing-x-equite-webinar-answers-luxurys-burning-questions-on-the-metaverse-jing-daily/
Recently, we kicked off the first edition of the Jing Daily x Équité webinar series about the luxury metaverse. More than 500 people registered — including representatives of some of the most iconic luxury brands such as Hermès and Audemars Piguet — indicating the extreme relevance of the topic. As the Q&A portion was rich with questions that keep luxury managers up at night, I decided to dedicate this Future of Luxury column to answering them.
Where do you see luxury brands and the metaverse in the next five years, 10 years? Will this be a sustainable trend?
The metaverse is the next, more immersive iteration of the internet. In its full expression it will allow a seamless and fluid transition between the physical and the digital. Today’s technologies, notably the Meta Quest 2 and ByteDance Pico Neo 3 Pro Eye, are a leap ahead of previous devices. However, we are probably still three to five generations of hardware, processor, camera, sensor, and software updates away from VR and AR not just becoming mainstream but being as intuitively usable and convenient as today’s phones.
So the question is not about if, but when — and whether a three to five year horizon is realistic from today’s perspective. Once devices are smaller, more powerful, and much easier to use, they will replace the smartphone, at least in part, and become our day-to-day devices. This is why the metaverse is not a trend but a structural change in the market. In the webinar I strongly urged the audience to get familiar with today’s technology so that they can understand its potential and limitations. I spend at least an hour a day in VR, host conferences in the metaverse, and use apps in my everyday life, from work to workouts. Some are amazing, some need significant work. Therefore, being in the metaverse today will allow the managers of luxury brands to successfully manage the future and generate relevant ideas.
Should brands adopt a different personality in the metaverse to connect with the younger generations? Or should they stay on brand with their image in the non-metaverse world?
I am a radicalist when it comes to brand storytelling. Today, brands have too many personalities and messages, making it almost impossible for them to become relevant with Gen Z. I recently analyzed a few legacy brands that tried hard to be young at all costs, e.g. through integrations into games like Call of Duty which did not feel on brand. Basically, if it feels weird, then it probably is, especially for a digitally native generation.
The most critical exercise brands should do right now is to audit their brand story and reduce their message to one, which is expressed from a rational and an emotional perspective. It’s an unbelievably difficult process, especially from the inside, because there is a tendency to add too many elements to the positioning. This does not work with Gen Z and in a metaverse reality where the breakthrough of messages towards audiences has become increasingly challenging as the experience becomes more immersive and channels more closed. Preparing this way for the metaverse will give brands a jumpstart in today’s world and generate significant competitive advantage.
Do you imagine luxury companies and fashion houses investing more on building internal teams to work specifically in the metaverse? If so, are there any examples of good ones you have noticed staffing up?
I dislike the idea of creating internal silos. This was the fundamental mistake many brands did in the early days of digitization. It is the responsibility of the entire management team, including the CEO, to become part of the metaverse transition. It’s a holistic approach that has to start with an overhaul in brand messaging and a seamless experience creation between the digital and the physical. Of course, it makes sense to have internal or external experts on board; however, creating siloed, dedicated teams increases the risk that these teams will try to internalize all the decision power on metaverse projects. The overall company strategy will not have been affected strongly enough. Web3 needs a holistic approach that integrates all levels and all departments within an organization. It is the biggest shift that companies have to manage over the next decade.
Do you see any potential downsides of more luxury companies and brands overinvesting in the metaverse? Does it alienate the traditional core demo?
Today there are too many projects that are simply deployed in order to “also have a metaverse project.” In most cases that we analyze, I miss strategy and clarity on the endgame. Often millions of dollars are wasted in initiatives that have no audience, the wrong audience, or no relevance and impact. Why would anyone visit your virtual real estate on Sandbox? You better create something of high relevance or desirability. Why would you want to build a presence on Roblox when many of the users may be far younger than your target?
In June, Givenchy Parfums launched a beauty house on Roblox, which included virtual makeup stations, a photobooth, and a swimming pool. Photo: Givenchy
Instead, technologies that are scalable today, like 3D e-commerce experiences that can be deployed on any normal website, may be much more game changing for now. I think having a presence in today’s metaverse can be a good investment but only if you follow a few criteria: Is what we do relevant for our audience? Do we have an audience (don’t be surprised that often virtual reality spaces cater to an audience of one or sometimes zero, lacking relevance or the right concept)? And if yes, do we have the right audience in terms of age, demographics, and interest? Lastly, do we have a (brand-)story that is reflected in the initiative that entices people to interact? Never just go into the metaverse with your brand without being extremely strategic and intentional. Too much is on stake: your brand equity in the eyes of Gen Z.
Register for part two of the Jing Daily x Équité webinar series here
Named one of the “Global Top Five Luxury Key Opinion Leaders to Watch,” Daniel Langer is the CEO of the luxury, lifestyle and consumer brand strategy firm Équité, and the executive professor of luxury strategy and pricing at Pepperdine University in Malibu, California. He consults many of the leading luxury brands in the world, is the author of several best-selling luxury management books, a global keynote speaker, and holds luxury masterclasses on the future of luxury, disruption, and the luxury metaverse in Europe, the USA, and Asia. Follow @drlanger
Dell XPS 13 Plus: More Than Just A Design Statement (Review) Gadgetguy.com.au
Dell XPS 13 Plus: More Than Just A Design Statement (Review) – Gadgetguy.com.au https://bentoncountynewsnow.com/dell-xps-13-plus-more-than-just-a-design-statement-review-gadgetguy-com-au/
The competition for premium thin and light notebooks has never been higher. Dell has responded with a bold redesign of its flagship ultrabook, and challenges some tried and true laptop conventions. So, did Dell stick the landing with the XPS 13 Plus or is it just a case of form over function? Let’s find out.
Design
The XPS 13 Plus has quite a unique, futuristic design. Its near borderless display and edge-to-edge keyboard sit above a capacitive LED function button row, and the seamless glass palm-rest houses an invisible haptic trackpad. While this design may seem like it could be difficult to use, in practice, that’s far from the case.
The decision to use capacitive LED buttons as opposed to physical keys for the function row is likely the most divisive. Smartly, the media keys are displayed by default, which is handy since most people use the function row keys to adjust the volume, display brightness and keyboard backlight. Simply pressing the Fn key switches to the standard F1 through to F12 keys. You can also lock the F keys in place by holding Fn + Esc if that’s your preference.
The capacitive buttons are fine enough for infrequent tasks such as changing the volume but the lack of haptic feedback means there’s no tactile feel, forcing you to take your attention away from the screen and look at what you’re pressing. It’s something that will likely only bother a limited subset of users such as programmers and designers who regularly rely on function keys for shortcuts in certain applications.
The keyboard is one of the best we’ve used, particularly for a device this thin and light. Dell has put every last millimetre of space to use so that there’s no gaps between the keys while retaining nice large keycaps. Coupled with a generous 1mm of travel, the keys have an excellent bounce-back that make the keyboard a dream to type on. The way the gapless keys spill all the way to the edges of the laptop also looks incredibly slick.
The XPS 13 Plus comes in either a graphite or platinum colour
Continuing on with the futuristic theme, the haptic touchpad is embedded into a single piece of glass running across the entire section beneath the keyboard. There’s no markers to tell you where the touchpad begins and ends but I didn’t find this to be an issue. The touchpad is directly under the spacebar, which is where you would expect it to be, and the surface area is large and every bit as responsive as a traditional touchpad. Without any demarcation for its edges, I did find my hands naturally resting on the touchpad more often, but the 13 Plus’ palm rejection feature meant I never encountered any issues with accidental presses.
In another nod to minimalism, the power button is completely unmarked and blends seamlessly into the keyboard. The power button houses the fingerprint reader and the webcam is also ‘Windows Hello’ enabled for fast sign-in.
The 720p webcam performs better than average for video calls but it’s a noticeable step down in quality when compared to the 1080p webcam you find in Microsoft Surface devices.
Ports and connectivity
The XPS 13 Plus comes with just two physical ports, both of which are USB-C and support Thunderbolt 4. Frustratingly, there is no headphone jack but Dell does include a USB-C to 3.5mm adapter in the box. I wish that Dell found a way to include a headphone jack as, unlike on smartphones, using wireless headphones on a Windows notebook isn’t a seamless experience. I also personally prefer to use wired headphones when I’m on a laptop because I know I’m going to work away for hours on end and I don’t want to have to think about keeping both the laptop and headphones charged.
Using the headphone adapter means I have to use up one of two ports, and if I’m charging my laptop with the other port, then carrying around yet another dongle just so I can use something as simple as an external drive is not ideal.
The XPS 13 Plus boats a unique futuristic design
Display
The XPS 13 Plus comes with three different 13.4-inch display options. The base config has a 1920 x 1200 (FHD+) non-touch LCD or you can spend a bit extra and go for either the touch-enabled 3456 x 2160 (3.5K) OLED display or a 3840 x 2400 (UHD+) LCD display. I reviewed the UHD+ model, which is really sharp at this size and the screen visibility holds up well when outdoors thanks to the effective anti-reflective coating and the bright 500 nits rated display. The screen is also DisplayHDR400 compliant but I would recommend going for the OLED screen if your typical laptop usage consists of a healthy dose of watching movies and tv shows.
Unfortunately, there’s no option of a refresh rate higher than 60Hz. If you’re coming from a laptop that has a faster refresh rate such as 90Hz or 120Hz, switching to a slower 60Hz display will take some getting used to.
Battery life
One of the key selling points of thin and light notebooks is the battery life. Sadly, this is an area where the XPS 13 Plus drops the ball, averaging between 4 to 5 hours of actual real world use with the screen set to 60% brightness. That’s a far cry from the 8 hour average you get from other Windows ultrabooks such as Microsoft’s own Surface Laptop 4 and further still from Apple’s M2 MacBook Pro and Air, both of which netted more than 12 hours of runtime.
Worse still, is the machine doesn’t exactly sip power when the lid is closed and not in use, chewing through 15% of battery after just 12 hours of sleep.
Dell does offer some additional power profiles via its ‘My Dell Power Manager’ app but we mainly ran the laptop in its default ‘optimised’ profile since the other modes such as ‘Quiet’ or ‘Cool’ didn’t yield a substantial enough improvement in runtime in our testing.
The included 60W charger is nice and small at least and provides up to 80% charge in just one hour.
Performance
Dell set out to deliver pro-level performance in a compact design and, as far as benchmarks go, it definitely lives up to it.
In Geekbench 5, which is a CPU-foused benchmark, the 13 Plus netted a solid 1701 in single core and an impressive 9,525 in multi-core thanks to the beefy Intel Core i7-1280P. The multi-core score outperforms every other 13-inch notebook we’ve tested to date and even some larger 14-inch notebooks such as the Surface Laptop Studio and the Razer Blade 14.
It should be noted that for the purposes of benchmarking, I switched the battery profile to ‘Ultra performance’ mode, which kicks up the surface temperature and fans to the limit as it increases clock speeds and the power draw to the 28W maximum available on the chip.
Switching the battery profile down to ‘optimised’, which makes the machine much quieter, still delivers an impressive Geekbench 5 score of 1,643 single core and 7,655 multi-core.
The CPU speeds are helped along by the fast DDR5 RAM and PCIe 4.0 internal SSD, which delivered a whopping 7081 MB/s read and 6249 MB/s write speeds in CrystalDiskMark, making it the fastest internal drive we’ve tested on any laptop to date.
Intel’s Iris Xe integrated graphics aren’t the strongest going around but achieve about what you would expect for a notebook this thin and light. However, this means playing most AAA games is off the table.
Problems and fixes
While the benchmark numbers are great, I encountered some significant performance drops during my review period in which I used the unit as my daily driver for a month. 4K videos stutter and freeze during playback while multitasking between applications and browser windows also suffer from notable slowdown from time to time. The fans kick up quite a bit when this occurs and the laptop would get fairly hot to the touch.
The other issue I encountered is that audio would cut out on a regular basis and switching the audio output to a different device over USB-C such as an external monitor’s onboard speakers, external DAC or even headphones, simply wouldn’t work. I tried multiple reinstalls of Windows and updating to the latest drivers but the issues were still there.
Recently, there was a driver update released from Dell that, according to the update log, was supposed to fix the audio problem, but in my testing it failed to fix the issue. Judging by the amount of comments left online from owners pointing out similar performance and audio issues, this doesn’t appear to be an isolated incident.
Eventually, I did a fresh install of Windows instead of using the default recovery of Dell’s version of Windows and without installing any of Dell’s drivers or software. This requires a number of extra steps to get working but after doing so, I didn’t experience any of the performance stutters or audio issues, which again suggests that Dell’s drivers are the culprit.
The Verge also recently reported that Dell is recalling models of the XPS 13 Plus with OLED displays due to a problem with the adhesive used that can cause the display to become loose.
All that is to say Dell appears to be having some quality control issues with the Dell XPS 13 Plus.
The XPS 13 Plus will turn heads at any coffee shop
GadgetGuy’s take
The XPS 13 Plus looks incredible and boasts some impressive power under the hood to match. There is a lot to like and it is certainly easy to carry around. However, the battery life simply isn’t up to the mark and Dell’s quality control, particularly when it comes to its drivers, resulted in issues with audio and performance. While it appears this may be rectified with a future software fix, the XPS Plus is difficult to recommend in its current state.
Dell’s XPX 13 Plus is well designed, light and packs a powerful powerful punch, however, it needs better battery life and polish to take the ultra-portables crown.
Positives
Slick new design is a showstopper
Packs a lot of ...
Aussies Already Lost $242M To Investment And Crypto Scams In 2022 Cointelegraph
Aussies Already Lost $242M To Investment And Crypto Scams In 2022 – Cointelegraph https://bentoncountynewsnow.com/aussies-already-lost-242m-to-investment-and-crypto-scams-in-2022-cointelegraph/
People over 55 and under 64 years of age represent the largest age bracket who have fallen prey to scams.
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Australians have continued getting duped by investment and crypto-related scams, losing 242.5 million Australian dollars to scammers so far in 2022, according to Scamwatch’s latest data.
From January to July of this year, the majority of all funds lost to scams of all types were investment scams, which range from romance baiting scams to classic Ponzi schemes and cryptocurrency scams.
The figure is already 36% higher than the figures across all of 2021, which revealed that Australians lost 178.2 million AUD to investment scams in the year.
Source: Scamwatch
It’s a threat that has prompted consumer advocates to push for banks to shoulder more responsibility for reimbursing scams to “drive greater investment in stopping fraud.”
According to a Sept. 8 report from the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC), advocacy groups are pushing for reforms requiring banks to check the recipient’s name matches the account name when money is transferred online.
“The key reform is to shift that liability from individual consumers to banks when it comes to scam losses,” Consumer Action Law Centre chief executive Gerard Brody said.
“They [banks] ask you for the account name, but they don’t actually check.”
However, banks want more customers to take up the optional PayID technology, which allows customers to see the name attached to a BSB and account number.
Brody said it was clear the optional system forcing consumers to be solely responsible for preventing scams isn’t working.
Australian authorities appeared to have stepped up scrutiny over the crypto space amid a rise in crypto scams, hacks, and the general market downturn.
On Sept. 11, Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC) commissioner Sean Hughes reportedly urged investors to understand that investing in crypto assets is a form of “extreme risk-taking.”
“We want to be very clear and unambiguous in our messages to consumers entering the market,” ASIC commissioner Sean Hughes told a Governance Institute conference, as reported by local media, adding:
“We think that crypto assets are highly volatile, inherently risky and complex.”
In August, the Australian Federal Police set up a dedicated team to monitor crypto-related transactions, after previously calling cryptocurrency an “emerging threat” amid a rise in criminal activity surrounding the technology.
Related: ‘Far too easy’ — Crypto researcher’s fake Ponzi raises $100K in hours
The month also saw the new Australian Labour government announce its stance on crypto regulation, while crypto exchange Binance Australia also announced in August they were tightening the onboarding processes for new users to protect people flagged as most vulnerable to financial crypto crime.
Asia-Pacific Markets Rise; Japan Travel Stocks Gain On Border Easing Reports CNBC
Asia-Pacific Markets Rise; Japan Travel Stocks Gain On Border Easing Reports – CNBC https://bentoncountynewsnow.com/asia-pacific-markets-rise-japan-travel-stocks-gain-on-border-easing-reports-cnbc/
Traders see 90% chance of another 75-basis-point Fed hike in September: FedWatch
The probability of the U.S. Federal Reserve hiking interest rates by another 75 basis points at its September meeting moved to 90%, according to the CME Group’s FedWatch tracker of fed funds futures bets.
That’s up from last week’s 82% probability for a three-quarter point hike.
The chance for a 50-basis-point hike now stands at 10%, FedWatch showed.
–Jihye Lee
North Asian refiners to be supplied full allocation of Saudi crude in October, Reuters reports
At least three North Asian refiners have been notified by Saudi Aramco that they will be supplied full contractual volumes of crude in October, Reuters reported, citing people with knowledge of the matter.
In their first reduction in four months, Saudi Arabia has reduced the official selling prices to Asian buyers for the month.
Brent crude futures sank 1.50% to $91.45 per barrel, while U.S. West Texas Intermediate dropped 1.60% to $85.40 per barrel.
— Lee Ying Shan
Japan travel stocks jump on reports of dropping group travel rule
U.S. to broaden curbs on chip and tool exports to China, Reuters reports
The U.S. Department of Commerce plans to publish new regulations related to restricting exports of chipmaking equipment to Chinese factories that produce advanced semiconductors, Reuters reported, citing people familiar with the matter.
The rules will be based on letters sent to KLA, Lam Research and Applied Materials earlier this year, when they were informed that government-issued licenses would be needed to sell such equipment to buyers that make chips with sub-14 nanometer processes.
The new regulations would likely include additional actions against China, sources told Reuters, adding they could be changed and published later than expected.
—Jihye Lee
Economic consultancy downgrades growth forecasts for New Zealand
Economists at the New Zealand Institute for Economic Research downgraded the growth outlook for the country, citing continued high inflation and interest rates.
They now expect the annual gross domestic product for 2022-2023 to grow 2.5%, lower than its previous forecast of 2.9%.
GDP for 2023-2024 is now expected to grow 1%, a steep downgrade from its earlier prediction of a 1.9% increase published in June, while the 2024-2025 forecast was revised to 1.5% from 2.1%.
—Jihye Lee
CNBC Pro: Sterling has been tanking versus the dollar. Here’s how low it could go, according to the pros
Yen intervention likely won’t be effective: National Australia Bank
A unilateral intervention on the Japanese yen from the government is unlikely to be effective, according to National Australia Bank — after officials over the weekend said the government needs to take steps to address the excessive declines in the yen.
“If the [Bank of Japan] really wants to stop JPY’s decline, then they need to make changes to their ultra-easy policy, the pressure is building,” he wrote in a Monday note. a currency strategist at National Australia Bank
The yen last traded at 142.55 against the dollar.
—Abigail Ng
CNBC Pro: Goldman reveals the ‘sweet spot’ for its favorite oil stocks — and gives one 35% upside
Oil prices fall on prospects of weakening demand
Oil futures dropped on demand concerns due to extended Covid measures in parts of China, alongside the potential of continued interest rate hikes globally.
“Oil consumption is particularly sensitive to Covid lockdowns since transportation, the major use of oil, is heavily restricted,” Commonwealth Bank of Australia analyst Vivek Dhar wrote in a note, adding China accounted for up to 16% of global oil demand last year.
— Lee Ying Shan
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Tokyo Museum Honours Floppy Disks E-Bikes As Future Technology Heritage Asianews.network
Tokyo Museum Honours Floppy Disks, E-Bikes As Future Technology Heritage – Asianews.network https://bentoncountynewsnow.com/tokyo-museum-honours-floppy-disks-e-bikes-as-future-technology-heritage-asianews-network/
September 12, 2022
TOKYO – The National Museum of Nature and Science announced that it has newly registered 18 items, including the electric power-assisted bicycle and the 3.5-inch floppy disk, as part of the future technology heritage, a list of science and technology items that have influenced life and culture and should be passed on to future generations.
The future technology heritage registry began in 2008, and the latest additions bring the total number of registered items to 343.
The e-bike was commercialized for the first time in the world by Yamaha Motor Co. and is regarded as a breakthrough in the bicycle market. The bicycle is equipped with a motor to assist pedaling and was legally categorized as a vehicle that did not require a driver’s license. After developing prototypes and other models, the company began nationwide sales in 1994.
Other selected items include the world’s first 3.5-inch floppy disk, developed by Sony around 1980 as a recording medium for word processors, and the NE20, the first domestically produced jet engine developed by IHI Corp. around 1945.
The museum in Ueno Park, Tokyo, will exhibit a display panel about the items newly registered as the future technology heritage from Tuesday to Sept. 25.
Gaming Sector Loses 2176 Workers Y-O-Y In Q2 Macau Business
Gaming Sector Loses 2,176 Workers Y-O-Y In Q2 – Macau Business https://bentoncountynewsnow.com/gaming-sector-loses-2176-workers-y-o-y-in-q2-macau-business/
As of the end of the second quarter of this year, the number of full-time employees in the gaming industry stood at 53,592, a decrease of 3.9 per cent year-on-year, with the average income also declining by 1.8 per cent, according to the latest data published by the Statistics and Census Bureau (DSEC).
Results of the Survey on Human Resource Demand and Salary in the Gaming Industry for the Second Quarter of 2022, which excludes gambling junket promoters and those who work for gaming promoter associates, shows that the number of full-time employees in the gaming sector stood at 53,592 as of the end of the first half of this year, a decrease of 2,176 staff year-on-year.
The number of dealers was 24,093, a decrease of 550 compared with the same period last year.
Meanwhile, the average salary of full-time employees in the gaming industry (excluding bonuses) in June 2022 was MOP23,270 (US$2,878), down 1.8 per cent year-on-year, while the average salary of dealers stood at MOP19,370, down 2.9 per cent year-on-year.
Only 19 job vacancies were recorded in the gaming industry at the end of the second quarter, down 37 job positions year-on-year, the DSEC survey results shows.
“The number of job vacancies has fallen to ‘almost zero’, reflecting that the demand for manpower in the gaming industry remains low due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic”, the statement noted.
Also, the number of newly hired employees in the gaming sector was 143 in the second quarter of 2022, with some 816 workers having resigned.
Total gross gaming revenue for the first eight months of the year stands at MOP28.8 billion (US3.58 billion), 53.4 per cent less than a year ago and just 14.5 per cent of pre-COVID January-to-August 2019.
Latest official data shows Macau’s overall unemployment rate stood at 4.1 per cent in the May-July period of 2022, the highest level since the September-November period of 2005, while the jobless rate for local residents even reached 5.4 per cent in the May-July period of 2022, the highest since such data was available in 2008.
