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‘Free Doobie On Your Pillow!’: Cannabis Friendly Vacation Rentals Are Becoming More Popular – Business Insider Africa https://bentoncountynewsnow.com/free-doobie-on-your-pillow-cannabis-friendly-vacation-rentals-are-becoming-more-popular-business-insider-africa/ Cannabis tourism is a $17 billion industry, reports say. BudandBreakfast.com is a site for travelers to search for stays offering a cannabis friendly experience.The cannabis industry is expected to hit $42 billion in legal sales in the next five years, according to reports. A niche corner of the travel industry is getting increasingly popular among tourists who want to experience a cannabis friendly getaway. As marijuana use becomes more widely accepted, travelers can go to BudandBreakfast.com to find accommodations in cities where the drug is legal. The company, founded in 2013, features 2,000 active listings of cannabis-friendly lodging on its sitein places like Chicago, New York, Hawaii, and Jamaica. Like Airbnb, owners can list their home or business for guests. While some simply specify that they permit cannabis use on the property, others offer unique marijuana-infused experiences. “We get dozens of bookings per day now,” founder Sean Roby said. “We have places that are booked out six months in advance.” Thanks to legal recreational use in 19 states, cannabis tourism is a $17 billion industry, according to data from Forbes. As this one-of-a-kind style of travel takes off, content creators are taking notice. Washington bed-and-breakfast owner Nicole Butler offers her guests cannabis candy upon check-in, then meals and snacks for the “munchies,” CNBC reports. According to Butler, business is booming and the former hairstylist now manages the bed-and-breakfast full time. “I’ve really just tried to give people what they’re used to, just with the added element of cannabis,” said Butler. Marijuana friendly tourism is still evolving, but doesn’t seem to be slowing down. Legal cannabis sales are projected to hit $42 billion in 2026, according to data obtained by CNBC. FOLLOW BUSINESS INSIDER AFRICA Our newsletter gives you access to a curated selection of the most important stories daily. Thanks for signing up for our daily insight on the African economy. We bring you daily editor picks from the best Business Insider news content so you can stay updated on the latest topics and conversations on the African market, leaders, careers and lifestyle. Also join us across all of our other channels – we love to be connected! Unblock notifications in browser settings. %

Transparency As Antidote To Conflict Of Interest – Business Standard https://bentoncountynewsnow.com/transparency-as-antidote-to-conflict-of-interest-business-standard/ Far from being a hindrance to our practice, transparent disclosure of conflict of interest is a powerful tool that has helped us gain clients’ trust Topics BS Opinion | Personal Finance  | Mutual Funds Harsh Roongta  Last Updated at September 25, 2022 21:10 IST Minesh, a client, had a couple of crores of rupees invested in financial assets like bonds, mutual funds, and shares. But around two-thirds of his investment kitty was invested in a residential flat whose value had grown manifold over a decade. TO READ THE FULL STORY, SUBSCRIBE NOW NOW AT JUST RS 249 A MONTH. Key stories on business-standard.com are available to premium subscribers only. Already a premium subscriber? LOGIN NOW SUBSCRIBE TO INSIGHTS MONTHLY Select ANNUAL Select Best Offer SMART ANNUAL Opt for auto renewal and save Rs 300 Select What you get on Business Standard Premium? Subscribe to Business Standard Premium Exclusive Stories, Curated Newsletters, 26 years of Archives, E-paper, and more! First Published: Sun, September 25 2022. 21:10 IST

Health Notes | Health | Chronicleonline.com – Citrus County Chronicle https://bentoncountynewsnow.com/health-notes-health-chronicleonline-com-citrus-county-chronicle/ Though there is no cure for CKD, the kidney health experts at World Kidney Day note that treatment can slow or halt the progression of the disease. That underscores the importance of learning to recognize potential signs of kidney disease. MetroCreative Post a comment as anonymous Welcome to the discussion. Keep it Clean. Please avoid obscene, vulgar, lewd, racist or sexually-oriented language. PLEASE TURN OFF YOUR CAPS LOCK. Don’t Threaten. Threats of harming another person will not be tolerated. Be Truthful. Don’t knowingly lie about anyone or anything. Be Nice. No racism, sexism or any sort of -ism that is degrading to another person. Be Proactive. Use the ‘Report’ link on each comment to let us know of abusive posts. Share with Us. We’d love to hear eyewitness accounts, the history behind an article. Thank you for reading! Please purchase a subscription to read our premium content. If you have a subscription, please log in or sign up for an account on our website to continue. There are no services available.

MLB DFS: Top DraftKings And FanDuel Daily Fantasy Baseball Picks, Lineup Advice For Sunday, Sept. 25, 2022 – CBS Sports https://bentoncountynewsnow.com/mlb-dfs-top-draftkings-and-fanduel-daily-fantasy-baseball-picks-lineup-advice-for-sunday-sept-25-2022-cbs-sports/ The Oakland Athletics turned in the most surprising result of Saturday’s games with an improbable 10-4 win against the New York Mets, who started pitching ace Jacob deGrom. The A’s might have found something special late in the year with outfielder Conner Capel, but can you trust him in your MLB DFS lineups again on Sunday? Capel finished a double short of hitting for the cycle, and has a .500 batting average with a 1.420 OPS since coming to Oakland in late September. Oakland faces another tough pitching matchup as they continue their series against the Mets on Sunday in Max Scherzer. Another A’s youngster in the MLB DFS player pool to consider is infielder Jordan Diaz, who has also hit .500 with a 1.146 OPS over his last four games after getting called up to the team on Sept. 18. Before you make your MLB DFS picks for Sunday, be sure to check out the MLB DFS advice, strategy and projections from SportsLine daily Fantasy expert Mike McClure. McClure is a daily Fantasy pro who has won over $2 million in his career. And when it comes to daily Fantasy baseball, McClure is at his best. Recognized in the book “Fantasy Football (and Baseball) for Smart People: How to Turn Your Hobby into a Fortune” as a top MLB DFS player, McClure’s proprietary projection model simulates each game 10,000 times, taking factors such as matchups and recent results into account. This allows him to find the best values on every site. On Saturday, McClure highlighted Padres third baseman Manny Machado as one of his top MLB DFS picks on DraftKings and FanDuel. The result: Machado went 2-for-4 with a double and two RBI to return 18 points on DraftKings and 25.4 points on FanDuel. Anybody that included him in their lineups was well on the way to a profitable day. Now, as the 2022 MLB regular season winds down, McClure has locked in his top MLB daily Fantasy picks for Sunday, September 25. Head to SportsLine now to see them. McClure’s top MLB DFS picks for Sunday, September 25, 2022 One of McClure’s top MLB DFS picks for Sunday is Astros outfielder/designated hitter Yordan Alvarez, who is listed at $6,300 on DraftKings and $4,400 on FanDuel. Alvarez went 2-for-3 with an RBI and a run on Saturday against Baltimore, and over his last 15 games, he has hit .385 with six home runs and 13 runs batted in. This season, he has set a career-high for home runs (37) and walks (77), and is 10 RBI shy of finishing with a career best in that category as well. On Sunday, the Astros wrap up their series at Baltimore, who will send starting pitcher Austin Voth to the mound. In five games against the Orioles in 2022, Alvarez has a .357 average with five hits, five walks and just two strikeouts. This season, Alvarez has hit 20 home runs and 64 RBI against right-handed pitchers like Voth. Another part of McClure’s optimal MLB DFS strategy includes stacking Alvarez with Houston outfielder Kyle Tucker ($5,100 on DraftKings and $3,900 on FanDuel). Tucker went 2-for-5 on Saturday with a double and an RBI. Over his last 13 games, he has been particularly strong, and has hit .308 with four doubles, five home runs, 15 RBI and a 1.019 OPS. Tucker was in the lineup the last time the Astros faced Voth and the Orioles, and finished 2-for-3 with two doubles and a run. In road games this season, Tucker’s batting average is 13 points higher than at home, and 43 points higher against right-handed pitchers like Voth than lefties. Tucker is a left-handed batter and pulls his hits 32.2 percent of the time, which should favor him at Camden Yards, which has a shallow right field corner of 318 feet. How to set your MLB DFS lineups for Sunday, September 25, 2022  McClure is also targeting an undervalued player who is set to explode for huge numbers on Sunday. The stars are aligning for him to return tournament-winning value and he comes at a price that won’t break the bank. You can only see who it is here. So what are the top MLB DFS picks for Sunday? And which player is a must-roster? Visit SportsLine now to see DFS millionaire Mike McClure’s complete player pool and picks for FanDuel and DraftKings, and cash in big on MLB DFS.

Christina Aguilera Files For NFT And Metaverse Trademarks – NFTevening.com https://bentoncountynewsnow.com/christina-aguilera-files-for-nft-and-metaverse-trademarks-nftevening-com/ Recently, Christina Aguilera, the American singer-songwriter, filed for various NFT and metaverse trademarks. Put simply, this shows the star’s interest in stepping into the space in somewhat. The trademarks include NFTs, virtual concerts and metaverse games. Currently, she hasn’t got them yet but is in the process of filing for them. Christina Aguilera has shown her interest in the NFT and metaverse space through this trademark filing. The Trademark Files When somebody files for a trademark, it means that they wish to sell or provide certain goods or services. In Christina Aguilera‘s case, doing this means that she will be able to sell, market, and license her trademark. The trademarks were filed last week, on September 16th, with the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) by Three Wishes IP LLC, whom she has worked with previously on her ‘in real life’ recording and performing trademarks. A list of the goods and services for which Christina Aguilera and Three Wishes have filed are as follows: NFTs Crypto collectibles Downloadable virtual goods, namely art, avatars, clothing, jewelry, and other merchandise Entertainment services, such as musical performances, music concerts and virtual appearances in the metaverse Online, non-downloadable games in the metaverse and other virtual environments. This is the singer’s first move into web3. It shows a clear intention that she wishes to get involved in the space, despite not mentioning anything about her ongoings in the industry. About Christina Aguilera Christina Aguilera is an American singer/songwriter, as well as producer, actress, businesswoman and TV personality. Her ongoing singing career started in 1993, and she picked up fame in the late ’90s and early ’00s through the ‘revival of teen pop,’ which she is often credited for. In total, the 41-year-old has won 228 awards, being nominated for 517. Some of the most notable include several Grammys, several Billboard number 1 singles, 4 Billboard Music Awards, 2 Brit Awards and many, many more. Additionally, with estimated sales of over 90 million records, Christina Aguilera is recognized as one of the World’s best-selling music artists. All investment/financial opinions expressed by NFTevening.com are not recommendations. This article is educational material. As always, make your own research prior to making any kind of investment.

VITURE One XR Glasses: Smart Glasses, Not So Smart Design – TechRadar https://bentoncountynewsnow.com/viture-one-xr-glasses-smart-glasses-not-so-smart-design-techradar/ VITURE’s One XR Glasses had a lot of promise but some design issues severely impact the image quality. Considering they set you back nearly $500 these issues are inexcusable, making this new-age gadget a tough one to recommend. Pros + Convenient private portable display + Work with a range of devices including Steam Deck + Look like normal shades Cons – The image is blurry at the edges – Glasses didn’t sit right for us – The price is too high for what you get VITURE One XR Glasses: One-minute review The VITURE One XR Glasses are like a portable projector for your face. Slap them on, connect them to a compatible smartphone, laptop, or games console and their full-HD OLED displays will virtually project a 120-inch screen before your eyes. We say virtually project as onlookers won’t be able to see the screen floating in mid-air that you can see. Instead, these AR glasses provide you with a private personal home-cinema experience complete with surround sound – and you can take them anywhere you go. However, while the glasses promise a lot they don’t really deliver thanks to their lacking design. They don’t quite sit right on your face, meaning too much light can be let in and spoil the experience. In addition, the edges of the image can get quite blurry, making playing games and watching shows a bit of a challenge. If VITURE can release new nose clip options and a better cover that helps block out more light from the wearer’s surroundings then these could be a fairly nifty gadget. Unfortunately, as they are right now the One XR Glasses aren’t a pair of smart specs that we can recommend. VITURE One XR Glasses: Price and availability The VITURE One XR Glasses are available to buy in four different packages The most basic is buying the glasses on their own, which costs $479 (around £425 / AU$720). Taking things up a gear is the Dock Pack, which includes the glasses and a mobile dock so you can use the glasses with your Nintendo Switch and other HDMI-compatible devices; it’s $568 (around £500 / AU$855). Alternatively, you could nab the Cloud Pack for $588 (around £520 / AU$885) and swap the dock for a neckband that allows you to stream TV shows and games to the glasses over Wi-Fi. Or, if you want it all, you can get the Ultimate pack for $677 (around £599 / AU$1,019). The Steam Deck connected to the VITURE XR Glasses. (Image credit: Future) We were sent the Cloud Pack and definitely think this one is the best value for money of the four options – the dock seems useful but the neckband is what makes the glasses feel like they’re a portable projector rather than just an AR monitor for your phone or Steam Deck. That said, these prices feel pretty darn high for what you’re getting, but that’s an issue we’ve noticed with AR glasses in general. The tech is a bit too new for it to come at an affordable, mainstream price yet, so prices like $477 are roughly what you can expect to pay right now. Value score: 2/5 VITURE One XR Glasses: Design Whether you pick the black, white, or blue model, you’ll find there are a lot of similarities between the VITURE One XR glasses and other AR specs on the market like the Nreal Air AR glasses. Just like Nreal’s offering they look like a fairly normal – albeit chunky (coming in at 78g / 0.17lbs) – pair of shades with interchangeable and adjustable nose clips. The wired connection is placed at the end of one of the arms too, though VITURE has opted for a slightly different placement (on the side rather than the tip) and to use a magnetic pogo pin instead of a USB-C port. It works just as well though; the connection is secure and never came loose while we were using the glasses. The glasses also come with a plastic cover for the lenses to help stop light coming through the lenses, just like the Nreal Airs. However VITURE doesn’t just copy its rival, and the first improvement it makes is to the glasses’ regular lenses. VITURE’s glasses use mirrored lenses instead of simply dark tinted ones, which better hide the internal screens from onlookers. In addition, it adds controls to the glasses themselves, with a button on the left arm that lets you control volume, brightness, and a few other settings. You’ll also find dials on the top of each lens that let your correct the image between 0D and -5.0D to help you see what’s being displayed if you’re near-sighted. Unfortunately, for all the improvements, the VITURE Glasses also take a few steps back. The biggest problem with the design is that the glasses don’t dominate enough of your vision – there’s a lot of space around the side of them that lets light and distractions get in the way of your immersed experience. On top of that, we noticed that the picture always looked a little blurry, especially at the periphery where the most distractions were. Part of this is caused by the lenses not being quite large enough, but the nose clips also bear some of the blame. While there are three clips to choose from in the box they aren’t quite malleable enough, so we couldn’t alter their shape at all and make the glasses sit properly. To get around this we’d love to see VITURE release some better nose clips, and potentially look at a plastic cover that could surround the glasses – turning them from glasses to something more like goggles. When we help the glasses in the right place and cup our hands around the specs to block out more light the issues became much less noticeable. The power cable never came loose while we were wearing the glasses. (Image credit: Future) On top of these issues, the dials for near-sightedness, while a neat concept, fall a little short as they could still keep some players excluded. Nreal included an add-on for its AR glasses that could be outfitted with any kind of prescription lenses, a feature that could have worked just as well for VITURE. Moving past the glasses, the neckband is generally great. The 170g electronic is comfy to wear and the connector cable is the perfect length – long enough to reach the glasses but not so long that it leaves too much excess lying around. The only downside is the controller placement. It sits with the buttons facing your chest meaning you can’t actually see what you’re pressing – so you’ll need to memorize the layout before putting the glasses on. Design score: 1/5 VITURE One XR Glasses: Performance To put VITURE’s glasses through their paces we used them to play Stray and Marvel’s Spider-Man: Remastered on the Steam Deck. Stray is a game chock full of dusky city streets, with levels where the only illumination is from neon lights and bioluminescent matter. Despite being filled with generally darker scenes the VITURE glasses put their 5000:1 contrast ratio to good use and helped keep the game’s objects fairly well defined instead of a mess of indiscernible dark blobs. Meanwhile, the daytime streets of New York City and Spidey’s cartoonishly bright red, blue and white suit were rendered pretty well too. We would have liked some of the brighter colors to pop more but this full-HD OLED screen with 1800 nits of brightness still made sure that swinging from digital skyscrapers didn’t lose much of the magic. To help make everything look as great as it can we’d recommend turning the glasses up to high brightness and wearing them in a fairly dark room with the lights off or at least dimmed – the same sort of setup we’d recommend for a projector. Even in this ideal setting, you won’t get an experience that’s on par with one of the best OLED TVs, nor one of the best 4K projectors, but it’ll be about as good as a mid-range projector. For something that you can take with you and wear on your face that’s not half bad. The VITURE Neckband turns these glasses into a projector instead of just a glorified monitor. (Image credit: Future) The image latency seemed fine too, there were no noticeable input delays, so we could still pull off Spidey’s web-slinging combat combos without issue. But, as we mentioned above because of the specs’ design we did face some issues with the outer edges of the image being blurry. This wasn’t always a problem if the subject was in the center of the screen, but if we needed to read an in-game menu or pay attention to something at the edge we couldn’t tell what was going on. Over time the blurry image also gave us a headache, limiting the length of time we could stay immersed in each session. Audio-wise these glasses house some pretty solid Harmon speakers that provide spatial audio for whatever you’re playing or watching. However, if you have a pair of great headphones lying around we’d suggest using those instead.  The VITURE One XR’s speakers didn’t have enough oomph to provide the majesty that’s required by some tracks – like the heroic orchestral tracks that play in the background of Marvel’s Spider-Man. This left the audio feeling a little empty at times, something which we easily fixed using a pair of cans. Performance score: 2/5  VITURE One XR Glasses: Features The VITURE One XR glasses are compatible with any device that supports video output through a USB-C port. This means you can hook them up to your Steam Deck, Apple MacBook Pro 13-inch (M2, 2022), iPad Air (2022), and many of the best Windows laptops and Android smartphones, to name just a few devices. That said, we’d recommend checking your devices are indeed usable with these glasses before you buy. Case in point, despite being Google’s top-of-the-line phone the Google Pixel 6 isn’t compatible as it doesn’t support video output through its USB-C port. One device they are compatible with is the VITURE neckband, which effectively turns the VITURE One XR Glasses into a portable projector with the Android 11 TV OS. Beyond being able to access apps like Netflix and YouTube, you can access game strea...

This Week On Crypto Twitter: Outrage As SEC Claims All Ethereum Transactions Happen In USA – Decrypt https://bentoncountynewsnow.com/this-week-on-crypto-twitter-outrage-as-sec-claims-all-ethereum-transactions-happen-in-usa-decrypt/ Illustration by Mitchell Preffer for Decrypt The price of Ethereum was reeling this week after predictions that the merge would be a “buy the rumor, sell the news” scenario largely played out. Over on Crypto Twitter, people continued to discuss the network this week after U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) Chief Gary Gensler redoubled his offensive against crypto, also aimed at Ethereum.  It’s becoming increasingly evident that Gensler views Ethereum as a security. And on Monday, when the agency filed a federal lawsuit against crypto influencer Ian Balina, it put out an even more extreme view: that the U.S. government has jurisdiction over all Ethereum transactions, according to the SEC’s logic, because most of the network’s validator nodes are clustered in the U.S.  Crypto Twitter went ape. And we don’t mean Bored Ape.  Information science and business professor Adam Cochran argued that the SEC had an easy win, and just shot itself in the foot.  2/2 Rather than take on a simple case, the SEC is trying to use this to set precedent claiming that ALL OF CRYPTO is under SEC’s jurisdiction. This is an absolutely unacceptable overstep that will have to be pushed back against aggressively. — Adam Cochran (adamscochran.eth) (@adamscochran) September 19, 2022 Balina, the defendant, tweeted that he’s risen to the challenge:  Excited to take this fight public. This frivolous SEC charge sets a bad precedent for the entire crypto industry. If investing in a private sale with a discount is a crime, the entire crypto VC space is in trouble. Turned down settlement so they have to prove themselves. pic.twitter.com/lVaqnnsLgT — Ian Balina (@DiaryofaMadeMan) September 19, 2022  International NFT Day It wasn’t all Gensler, prices and merge hangover. The Ethereum community also inaugurated the first ever International NFT Day on Tuesday. The day was marked by various organizations in the space, including NFT art market OpenSea and blockchain games developer/NFT company Dapper Labs. Over on the hashtag #NFTDay, people and bots alike commemorated by flaunting their NFT pics and advertising scams.  1/ GM! We’re stoked to join @dapperlabs and many others in celebration of the first ever International NFT Day, on the 5th anniversary of the ERC-721 proposal! As the first NFT marketplace, #NFTDay means a lot to us, and we’re humbled to be a part of this history. — OpenSea (@opensea) September 20, 2022 Through the ERC-721 token standard, Ethereum played a pivotal role in the development and spread of NFTs, an invention which brought the concept of fungibility into the digital world, enabling multimillion dollar sales of digital art for the first time in history. Each NFT represents the sale and the scarcity of the artwork on an immutable blockchain ledger, so even if people right-click and save your unique million-dollar image, they won’t have ownership of it.  On Tuesday, the top NFT collection by sales over a 24-hour period was Gods Unchained, a new crypto-based collectible card game (CCG) developed by Immutable. Think of it as blockchain’s answer to “Magic: The Gathering.” Immutable co-founder Robbie Ferguson could barely conceal his glee.  Today, Gods Unchained is still doing hefty trade in second place.  Elsewhere… Crypto market intelligence company Messari shared a quote from former Ethereum co-founder Charles Hoskinson, who now heads competitor Cardano. Pretty cringe if true. Hoskinson is known for not holding back criticism of his former project. On merge day last week, he posted a meme likening the upgrade to a nightmare. When someone tweeted him asking where Cardano’s technology stands in relation to Ethereum, the CEO replied with: “​​About three years ahead on research, two on engineering. They will one day figure out that slashing is a really really bad idea.” Finally, Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeney, whose online video game store launched its first NFT game last week, was not happy about Apple’s new rules for app developers working with NFTs.  Stay on top of crypto news, get daily updates in your inbox.

U.S. Officials Are Now Preparing For All The Ways Putin Could Escalate The War. – Salt Lake Tribune https://bentoncountynewsnow.com/u-s-officials-are-now-preparing-for-all-the-ways-putin-could-escalate-the-war-salt-lake-tribune/ U.S. officials are now preparing for all the ways Putin could escalate the war. (Nanna Heitmann | The New York Times) Russian conscript soldiers watch a tank biathlon at the annual Army International Games near Moscow, Aug. 21, 2022. By David Brooks | The New York Times   | Sep. 25, 2022, 4:00 p.m. The world shifted this week. Vladimir Putin showed that he knows how deeply wounded he is. He knows that his rule is under existential threat if Russia is completely humiliated in Ukraine. He also showed the world that his strategy in this context is to escalate. He is signaling that his best bet for survival is to cast the war against Ukraine as a struggle against the entire West. He’s like a wounded tiger, who in desperation, and knowing his strength is weakening, decides to go on the attack. This week, I learned a bit about how U.S. officials are thinking about this situation. Putin’s wounds are now pretty obvious. U.S. intelligence officials believe it is unlikely that the Russian army in Ukraine will simply collapse. But they do believe that Russian forces are running out of steam and being badly beaten. I’m told that somewhere between 80,000 and 110,000 Russian troops have been killed or wounded in the past seven months. Russia has lost 50% of its prewar military tanks. It’s lost 20% to 30% of its infantry fighting vehicles and a tenth of its advanced fighter planes. The Russians have also burned through huge amounts of precision munitions. Morale is awful. Over the past weeks, most Russian forces have been on the defensive or falling back. This terrible situation has induced not humility in Putin but audacity. In his speech to the Russian people this week, he portrayed the operation in Ukraine as a defensive measure against Western forces that want to divide and destroy Russia. He signaled that he considers Crimea part of Russia and will regard eastern Ukraine as part of Russia too. He’ll view attacks in those regions as attacks on Russia itself, especially if they are made by Ukrainian forces using American weapons. The crucial passage in his speech was this: “In the event of a threat to the territorial integrity of our country and to defend Russia and our people, we will certainly make use of all weapon systems available to us. This is not a bluff.” U.S. officials are now preparing for all the ways Putin could escalate the war, if he pretends Russia itself is being invaded. He could lob missiles onto American installations in Poland and elsewhere in Central and Eastern Europe. He could escalate in space by destroying satellites. He could launch a missile strike against a NATO ally. And of course he could use a tactical nuclear weapon — perhaps on a Ukrainian town, on a Ukrainian military unit or just in an open field — to show he means business. The intent would be to intimidate the West into ceasing all support for Ukraine. U.S. officials don’t seem to know whether Putin will or won’t use nukes, but they are taking the possibility quite seriously. In their communications with the Russians, they are trying to convey that any use of nuclear weapons would put the world in a very different place. They are not talking about what their contingency plans are in such a circumstance, but they imply they are grave. Overall, U.S. strategy is to help the Ukrainians defeat the Russian invasion, but slowly. The idea is to hit a series of singles, not go for a crushing home run. U.S. officials don’t want to self-deter — that is, be intimidated by Putin’s threats. One the other hand, they don’t want to trigger him into doing something rash. They don’t want Götterdämmerung, a situation in which a desperate Putin decides to pull the whole world down around him. They are trying to control the pace of the war so that Russia is pushed back from Ukraine gradually. Controlling the pace of a war sounds really hard, but the weather will help. By late October and November, Ukraine turns muddy, and it is difficult to launch offensive operations. Over time, and maybe next year, the Ukrainians can gradually take advantage of their advantages: They are fighting to defend their homeland; they have a flexible, decentralized command structure; their air defenses have mostly prevented the Russians from doing combined air and land operations; and they have much better intelligence, thanks to Western assistance. The West will continue to supply Ukraine with weapons, maybe even including tanks and advanced fighter planes. Those systems are apparently on the table. The influx of up to 300,000 new Russian troops will probably not alter the basic momentum of the war. They will be ill trained and ill coordinated, and it’s hard to see how the conscripts’ morale would be any better than the morale of the troops already bogged down there. You don’t make a stupid war better by making it bigger. The first American hope is that Putin will eventually do a cost-benefit analysis and conclude that his best option is to negotiate. The second American hope is that the Ukrainians will also do a cost-benefit analysis. They will realize that while they are winning the war, it is also nearly impossible to physically dislodge the Russian troops who are dug in in eastern Ukraine. They too will decide to negotiate. If that happens, a territorial settlement will be reached, and the global rules-based international order will be reestablished. My parting thought is that too much of Western strategic thinking ignores the Ukrainians themselves — what they desire. They are winning, passionate and filled with righteous indignation, and seem to be thirsting for the kind of maximalist victory that they apparently feel is within their grasp — including getting Crimea back. Why should the heroes of this conflict settle for a tepid, incremental approach and a partial win, and what happens if they won’t? The Ukrainians’ efforts have demonstrated that liberal democracy and human dignity are causes people are still willing to fight and die for. They are showing that these ideas have great power. Unfortunately, tyrants are sometimes more dangerous when they are losing. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh) New York Times columnist David Brooks, at the University of Chicago, Jan. 19, 2012. David Brooks is a columnist for The New York Times.

California Parts Manufacturer Moving To Rockwall Technology Park – Rockwall County Herald Banner https://bentoncountynewsnow.com/california-parts-manufacturer-moving-to-rockwall-technology-park-rockwall-county-herald-banner/ The Rockwall Economic Development Corp. (REDC) announced Monday that it has recruited Integrated Defense Products (IDP) to relocate its headquarters to the Rockwall Technology Park. IDP is a family owned business currently based in Oxnard, California. The company serves as a machine shop specializing in manufacturing parts for the defense, firearm, aerospace, and medical industries, among others. Brandon Buschold, president of IDP, first discussed a potential relocation to Rockwall with the REDC in October 2021 after exploring the benefits of conducting business in Texas. “Texas is politically, by nature, an extremely business friendly state, “said Buschold. “With a highly skilled workforce, ongoing trade programs, reasonable cost of living, and a lower overall tax burden, IDP will be strategically positioned to focus its efforts in building a stronger team while continuing its focus on new technologies.” IDP is developing a 21,000-square-foot facility on a 2.51-acre parcel adjacent to State Highway 276 in Phase I of the Rockwall Technology Park. The facility will have considerable space for the company’s CNC milling and turning machines as well as dedicated areas for assembly, quality control, shipping and receiving, offices, common areas, and employee break rooms – all within a temperature-controlled facility. IDP has committed to adding at least $7 million in new taxable value to the Rockwall community, primarily a result of the new building and taxable equipment. “IDP is another great addition to the Rockwall Technology Park,” said REDC President Phil Wagner. “I’m confident that not only will the company benefit our local economy by expanding the tax base and creating jobs, the leadership at IDP will become familiar faces in the community. We have already had conversations with Brandon and other members of the Buschold family about partnering with local schools on career and technical education and using their expertise to promote the trades.” The company will be looking to employ nearly 40 workers upon build out and ramp up of operations. Of those individuals, an estimated 25-30 will be hired from the local workforce. Although Buschold believes Rockwall-area workers have demonstrated their talent due to the amount of successful manufacturers in a close proximity, he said it is never too early to pay attention to the workforce pipeline. “It’s imperative that we always keep an eye on the future. Without any real focus on our youth, there will be a lack of innovation and ultimately, no torch to pass on,” said Buschold. “In many cases, our children grow up without any understanding of how things are made. We will focus on getting our youngsters more involved in manufacturing. By training students and being involved in trade school programs, we hope to excite our local youth to want to start a career path in manufacturing, engineering, and production fields.” IDP TM held a ceremonial groundbreaking at its new headquarters site on Sept. 14. Links Construction, based in Denton, is serving as the general contractor. Construction will likely be completed in Spring 2023. For more information on the company, visit idptm.com. Since 1996, the Rockwall EDC has actively worked to retain, expand, and recruit industry to Rockwall. The mission of the Rockwall Economic Development Corp. is to broaden and diversify the tax base through new business attraction, land acquisition and development, progressive infrastructure, corporate business expansion, and job creation. For more information about the Rockwall EDC, call 972-772-0025 or visit RockwallEDC.com.

‘Sextortion’ Crimes Involving Boys On The Rise, FBI Reports – Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette https://bentoncountynewsnow.com/sextortion-crimes-involving-boys-on-the-rise-fbi-reports-northwest-arkansas-democrat-gazette/ FAYETTEVILLE — The FBI and local police are reporting an increase in “sextortion” crimes in Northwest Arkansas, with young boys increasingly being targeted. Mark Grimm, special supervisory agent for the FBI office in Fayetteville, said the increase in schemes targeting young males reflects a national trend. He said the predators persuade victims to provide sexual videos or photos and then rely on threats and embarrassment to coerce their victims into providing money. “It’s not just in Arkansas, it’s national,” Grimm said. “Particularly with young men, the fraud really succeeds if the subject is embarrassed.” Grimm said a typical scheme begins with the predator posing as a young girl and trying to establish a relationship with the victim online or on social media. If they can persuade the target to provide a sexual image then the extortion begins. “They turn around and use that image or video and the threat that they’ll make it public,” Grimm said. “They demand the target provide them with gift cards or information for bank accounts they have access to.” Grimm said he couldn’t discuss specific cases but said the FBI and local police in Northwest Arkansas are seeing more and more reports of the crime. Recent arrests in Benton and Washington counties show some of the earmarks of this type of crime. In Benton County, Matthew Nance is currently being held in the Benton County Jail in connection with rape and sexual extortion. Court records indicate the victims in those crimes were young girls. Other court records show search warrants for social media accounts used by Nance found IP addresses with locations in Africa. Grimm said “a lot” of the sextortion crimes reported show links to African criminal enterprises also active in cyber fraud, banking fraud and other internet crimes. In Washington County, Coleton Russell of Vian, Okla., was arrested Aug. 31 in connection with sexual extortion. Sexual extortion under Arkansas law is a Class B felony with penalties of five to 20 years in prison and a fine of up to $15,000. Prosecuting Attorney Matt Durrett said Russell’s case showed similarities to the types of cases the FBI is reporting. According to the criminal information filed in Russell’s case during November and December 2021 that he “with the purpose to coerce the victim to engage in sexual conduct or sexually explicit conduct … communicated a threat to harm the reputation of the other person, or produce or distribute a recording of the other person engaged in sexually explicit conduct or depicted in a state of nudity.” Court records show the victim in the case is a juvenile. Russell was released from the Washington County Detention Center Sept. 1 on $15,000 bond. Durrett said some cases may be handled in state courts but others are taken up by federal courts. Connor Hagan, public affairs officer for the FBI office in Little Rock, said federal law states any person who forces or persuades a minor to engage in sexually explicit conduct can face up to 30 years in prison. Additionally, Hagan said, most sextortion crimes also involve the use of a computer, which is an additional offense that can be punished by up to 10 years in prison and fines of up to $250,000. According to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, the reports the organization receives show how sextortion is changing. Since 2016, according to information on the center’s website, the CyberTipline has received 262,573 reports of online enticement, the category that included sextortion. Between 2019 and 2021, the number of of reports involving sextortion more than doubled. The center also reports in the past the dominant motive of offenders was to get more explicit images of a child but in reports from early 2022, 79% of the offenders were seeking money. Grimm said the use of social media platforms by the predators in these cases make it essential that parents, guardians and other adults are available to the victims and open to communication. Victim services providers agreed communication is the key to preventing or minimizing these crimes. Casey Atwood, program director at the Children’s Safety Center of Washington County, said she’s aware of the recent increase in sextortion cases targeting young boys. “I know that it is happening,” Atwood said. “It’s a growing trend. Technology is ever-evolving and kids are getting access at younger and younger ages.” Atwood said that parents need to replace or modernize the antiquated “birds and the bees” conversation about sex and discuss the risks kids are facing today. “Parents and guardians need to get out of the window of having a once-in-a-lifetime talk about the birds and the bees and have conversations about things they’ve seen or heard about in today’s world. Some people may be afraid that they’re putting ideas in kids’ heads. Don’t worry, they’re already being exposed to all those things.” Atwood said the center website has a list of crisis hotlines and community resources. Gretchen Smeltzer is executive director of Into the Light, a nonprofit organization providing services to victims of child sex trafficking. Smeltzer said she has also seen reports of the trend of young boys being targeted in sextortion crimes. She also said communication is vital. “We would encourage parents to have a ‘preemptive’ talk with their boys about it,” Smeltzer said. “That this is an issue that is going on and to let them know that they’re not going to be in trouble if they tell you about it. Taking away that barrier of embarrassment and fear. Being non-judgemental is going to help open the doorway for a child to feel safe and to share what has happened to them.” Smeltzer said Into the Light has resources available online and through a hotline. She said the group makes informational presentations to individuals and to groups.

What Lingering Effects Has The Shutdown Had? – Spectrum News https://bentoncountynewsnow.com/what-lingering-effects-has-the-shutdown-had-spectrum-news/ When the border between the U.S. and Canada closed during the COVID-19 pandemic, upstate communities along the border had to deal with a big loss of revenue from Canadian travelers. On this episode of In Focus, president and CEO of Visit Buffalo Niagara Patrick Kaler speaks with JoDee Kenney about the shutdown and the lingering effects it’s had. Niagara Falls is a big vacation destination, but pre-pandemic, the area saw a lot of routine traffic too — people coming over to go shopping at the outlets, to see a Bills game, to get dinner, or just to see different sites in Buffalo. That’s all decreased dramatically, but Kaler says Visit Buffalo Niagara has been implementing a digital campaign to try and encourage more people back to the area — not just from Canada, but domestic travelers as well. Kaler also discusses the efforts of local politicians to get the remaining COVID-related restrictions on travel removed, saying a return to the ease of pre-pandemic travel will make a big difference for the region.  You can watch the full interview with president and CEO of Visit Buffalo Niagara Patrick Kaler in the video player above. And be sure to tune in for a look inside the biggest issues impacting Upstate New York, on In Focus with JoDee Kenney — every Sunday on Spectrum News 1. %

Courbit-Led Group Offers 20 Euros A Share For M6 Stake, Bloomberg Reports – Reuters https://bentoncountynewsnow.com/courbit-led-group-offers-20-euros-a-share-for-m6-stake-bloomberg-reports-reuters/ A view shows French television group M6 headquarters in Neuilly-sur-Seine, near Paris, France, May 21, 2021. REUTERS/Sarah Meyssonnier/File Photo Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com Sept 25 (Reuters) – French media mogul Stephane Courbit and his investor partners are said to have offered 20 euros ($19) a share for Bertelsmann SE & Co.’s (BTGGg.F) stake in television company Groupe M6 (MMTP.PA), Bloomberg News reported on Sunday. The offer is a 39% premium to Friday’s closing price of 14.43 euros per share, and values the 48% stake around 1.22 billion euros. Czech billionaire Daniel Kretinsky also made an offer for the stake, the report said, citing a person familiar with the matter. Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com Reuters could not immediately reach Courbit for comment. RTL declined comment while M6 did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Reuters reported last week that a consortium of high-profile French entrepreneurs including billionaire Rodolphe Saade, Courbit of TV production group Banijay and investor Marc Ladreit de Lacharriere was in pole position to clinch a deal. Italian broadcaster MediaForEurope , meanwhile, joined forces with French billionaire Xavier Niel to submit a non-binding offer for a controlling stake in M6 (MMTP.PA), two sources familiar with the matter said on Friday. In March 2021, when Bertelsmann confirmed talks to sell its stake, French media reported that RTL’s stake was worth 1.5 billion euros ($1.48 billion), valuing all of M6 at about 3 billion euros. Initial cash offers for RTL’s 48.3% stake in M6 were expected by last Friday afternoon after a planned tie-up between the company and fellow French broadcaster TF1 collapsed the previous week. ($1 = 1.0320 euros) Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com Reporting by Jaiveer Singh Shekhawat in Bengaluru; Editing by Emelia Sithole-Matarise Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

How To Find Fulfillment In Retirement. Here Are Ideas, Tips – Desert Sun https://bentoncountynewsnow.com/how-to-find-fulfillment-in-retirement-here-are-ideas-tips-desert-sun/ opinion Ray Matlock Smythe  |  Special to The Desert Sun Years ago, people used to call Palm Springs “God’s waiting room.” This was supposed to be a funny comment about all the retired people who come to live in the desert. Today we realize that Palm Springs and the other desert cities are full of vibrant retirees who are living life to the fullest. Retirement does not mean sitting in the house all day but reinventing yourself and taking on new adventures. I taught a class on retirement in 2019 for the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at the Cal State campus in Palm Desert. One of the ideas that I really emphasized was making new goals when you retire. It is so important to find new interests and new activities. Malcolm Forbes once said, “Retirement kills more people than hard work ever did.” He is right. Men especially can find retirement a challenge. When they were working, they had friends they saw every day and a purpose for living. When males retire, they often feel lost about what to do with the rest of their lives. So, it is imperative to make plans when you retire. When I was putting my class together, I thought about asking people for ideas. I decided to write Dear Abby as she has been giving advice to people for decades. Well, on May 20, 2019, around 6 p.m. I got a phone call. I picked up the phone and it was Dear Abby on the line! I was shocked to say the least. We talked for about 10 minutes. She was wonderful. The first thing Abby said was, “Have a plan when you retire. Make plans or goals. “This dovetailed with what I was saying. Having no goals leaves you wandering around the house doing nothing. One of my favorite quotes is, “The purpose of life is a life of purpose.” You must have a reason to get out of bed in the morning even when you are retired. Everyone still needs purpose when they are retired. The second thought Abby talked about was exercise. She spoke about it being good for your heart, but also a way to fight depression. I agree. I have said in previous columns that we have a neighborhood walking group. It has been in existence for about two decades. After doing a walk you feel invigorated, and it is hard to be depressed. Let’s face it, the world is a scary place right now so anything we can do to help our mental health is great. Of course, there are plenty of gyms out there, tennis courts and pickleball courts. The important thing is to keep moving. Abby stated it was important to keep your social contacts. I agree with this idea. Many studies have been written about getting older and longevity. People who stayed active socially lived longer. Having a support group of friends and neighbors is critical to healthy living. Again, pick up the phone and invite someone over for a drink or a cup of coffee. People love to be invited and don’t care what you serve. We are social animals, and we need each other.  Volunteering can be very rewarding. However, only volunteer in an organization for which you feel a passion. There are so many places to volunteer here in the desert.  The last thing Abby suggested was adopting a dog from a shelter as they can be wonderful companions. We adopted two rescue dogs a year ago and they are wonderful. I think they know how lucky they are to be in a loving home.  Abby’s thoughts and ideas are excellent. She continues to give great advice about living well.  M. K. Soni said it best: “Retire from work, but not from life.”  Ray Matlock Smythe is a retired teacher/author. He just published “Coping With Grief – My Personal Journey of learning to Overcome Sorrow. He can be reached at Rayme49@aol.com.

Library News: Week Of Sept. 25, 2022 – The Globe | News, Weather, Sports From Worthington, Minnesota – The Globe https://bentoncountynewsnow.com/library-news-week-of-sept-25-2022-the-globe-news-weather-sports-from-worthington-minnesota-the-globe/ WORTHINGTON — The Nobles County Library, 407 12th St., Worthington, is open from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Thursday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday and 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday. The Adrian Branch Library, 214 Maine Ave., Adrian, is open from noon to 6 p.m. Monday through Thursday, noon to 5 p.m. Friday and 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday. Friends of the Library Book Club: The next meeting is 6 p.m. Sept. 26, at the Worthington library. The group will discuss “The Last House on the Street,” by Diane Chamberlain. All are welcome to attend. Fall Book Sale: Oct. 5-8, Nobles County Library program room (basement), Worthington. There are a large amount of items this time, so please mark your calendars. Come look through a variety of adult fiction and non-fiction, young adult books, paperbacks, children’s books, audiobooks, CDs and DVDs and more. The book sale is open to the public and not restricted to library card users. After-School Programming at the Nobles County Library in Worthington begins this week. Please stop by the library or call (507) 295-5340 to sign up your children. Participants are responsible for their own ride to and from the library. Sept. 26: Just Gurlz (Girls Grades 5-9), until 4:45 p.m. Sept. 27: After-School Program (Grades K-5), until 4:45 p.m. Sept. 29: Story Time (Toddlers & Preschoolers), 10 to 11 a.m. Oct. 3: Wii (Grades 5-9), until 4:45 p.m. (Schedules will be distributed.) Oct. 4: After-School Program (Grades K-5), until 4:45 p.m. New Books for adults: “Righteous Prey” by John Sandford, “Home Sweet Christmas” by Susan Mallery, “1989” by Val McDermid, “Love Your Home Again” by Ann Lightfoot & Kate Pawlowski, “The Bad Angel Brothers” by Paul Theroux, “Home to Brambleberry Creek” by Elizabeth Bromke and “A Truth to Lie For” by Anne Perry. New Books for Children: “Big Nate, Blow the Roof Off!” by Lincoln Peirce, “Odder” by Katherine Applegate, “Mayor Good Boy Goes to Hollywood” by Dave Scheidt and Miranda Harmon, “Reina Ramos Works It Out!” by Emma Otheguy, “The Crayons Trick or Treat” by Drew Daywalt and Oliver Jeffers and “Going on a Ghost Hunt” by Dianne Moritz. New Audiobooks: “P Is for Peril” by Sue Grafton and “Dinners with Ruth: A Memoir of Friendship” by Nina Totenberg. Want to see more new items? Sign up to receive a complete list of new items weekly from the Nobles County Library! Visit nclibrary.org and sign up for Wowbrary! (toward the bottom of the homepage). Once you sign up, you will receive an e-mail every Wednesday morning of everything new at the library. New Library App: Download the Aspen LiDA app and login using your library card number. From there you can browse the Nobles County Library’s collections, see new materials, manage your library account, search and download electronic resources, store your library card digitally and much, much more. Author visits in Worthington Kate Swenson, author of “Forever Boy: A Mother’s Memoir of Autism and Finding Joy” and blog “Finding Cooper’s Voice,” will speak from 6 to 7 p.m. Oct. 6. Adrian Lee, author of supernatural books, “How to Be a Christian Psychic”, “Mysterious Minnesota”, “Mysterious Midwest” and more, will speak from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. Oct. 24. Kathie Hendricks “Kate Henry”, Luverne author of children’s books “Backyard Hockey”, “Please Don’t Eat the Cupcakes” and more, will present a children’s program from 3:30 to 4:30 p.m., and an adult program from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. Nov. 8. Watch our Facebook page and nclibrary.org for updates and future events!

China’s First Metaverse Major Set Up At A Jiangsu University To Train More Talents In Line With The Needs Of Related Sectors – Global Times https://bentoncountynewsnow.com/chinas-first-metaverse-major-set-up-at-a-jiangsu-university-to-train-more-talents-in-line-with-the-needs-of-related-sectors-global-times/ China’s first metaverse major set up at a Jiangsu university to train more talents in line with the needs of related sectors A visitor interacts with the virtual figure Banzhao at the 2022 World Metaverse Conference. Photo: IC China’s first metaverse major was set up at a university in East China’s Jiangsu Province in the hope of training more talents in line with the needs of enterprises in metaverse-related sectors.  The School of Artificial Intelligence (School of Future Technology) of Nanjing University of Information Science & Technology in Nanjing, Jiangsu, renamed its Information Engineering Department to Metaverse Engineering Department on Friday, becoming the first university department named after the metaverse in China.  Pan Zhigeng, dean of the School of Artificial Intelligence (School of Future Technology), told the Global Times on Sunday that the renamed department will be integrated with more metaverse-related courses and disciplines to train more talents in line with the needs of enterprises in metaverse-related sectors.  According to Pan, the metaverse is the integration of a vast range of technologies and applications such as Internet of Things (IoT), block chain, artificial intelligence and smart healthcare. Talents trained at the department can meet the demands of companies in a variety of sectors including smart healthcare, smart education and digital tourism.  The new department will also cooperate deeply with metaverse-related enterprises to further promote the integration of education and production, Pan said, noting that the department is also planning to jointly train students of master’s degrees, PhD holders and postdoctoral fellows with The Hong Kong Polytechnic University.  The renamed department immediately sparked heated discussions online with many internet users wondering about what courses will be offered and what kind of talents will be trained.  According to Pan, it is expected that more talents with specific skills needed by metaverse-related sectors will be trained.  The School of Artificial Intelligence is determined to establish three research teams including the Metaverse Research Institute, the Smart Meteorological Research Institute and the Smart Medical Research Institute.  Among them, the Metaverse Research Institute co-established with Yalong Intelligent Equipment Group Co this August will be focused on the smart education sector.  For some scenarios where physical operation cannot be conducted, such as aircraft cockpit, the working environment can be simulated through technology to improve training efficiency.  Besides, since tombs have become more and more expensive in recent years, people can sweep the tomb in the metaverse in the future, Peng said.

Get Ready To Take On Some Parademons With Hot Toys New Batman Tactical Batsuit Collectible — GeekTyrant – GeekTyrant https://bentoncountynewsnow.com/get-ready-to-take-on-some-parademons-with-hot-toys-new-batman-tactical-batsuit-collectible-geektyrant-geektyrant/ Inspired by Zack Snyder’s Justice League, Hot Toys has a new Batman Tactical Batsuit ⅙ scale collectible figure, featuring a head sculpt with interchangeable eyes and lower face pieces to capture Ben Affleck’s likeness. The Batsuit has battle-damaged details and comes with interchangeable goggles. Accessories include screen accurate Parademon gun, Batarangs, grapple guns, and multiple Bat gadgets. The whole thing comes on a Parademon themed base. I think the figure looks pretty cool in general, but I hate the lower face with the teeth bared. It just looks really over the top to me, but the other facial expression pieces look good and that Parademon gun looks sick. You can preorder yours now from Sideshow for $300.

‘It’s Not Priced In’—Crypto Braced For $300 Million Game-Changer As The Price Of Bitcoin, Ethereum, BNB, XRP, Solana, Cardano And Dogecoin Swing – Forbes https://bentoncountynewsnow.com/its-not-priced-in-crypto-braced-for-300-million-game-changer-as-the-price-of-bitcoin-ethereum-bnb-xrp-solana-cardano-and-dogecoin-swing-forbes/ Bitcoin, ethereum and other major cryptocurrencies are still struggling despite a wave of bullish announcements (and an eye-popping bitcoin price prediction). Subscribe now to Forbes’ CryptoAsset & Blockchain Advisor and successfully navigate the volatile bitcoin and crypto market The bitcoin price has again crashed under $20,000 per bitcoin, dragged lower by an increasingly hawkish Federal Reserve that’s hit the market like a “sledgehammer,” while the ethereum price has suffered in the aftermath of its long-awaited merge upgrade in part due to a serious regulator warning. Now, as BNB, XRP, solana, cardano and dogecoin traders desperately seek direction, blockchain researchers have warned ethereum’s historic shift from bitcoin’s proof-of-work to the more energy-efficient proof-of-stake could result in former ethereum miners dumping 245,000 ethereum worth over $300 million on to the market. Want to stay ahead of the market and understand the latest crypto news? Sign up now for the free CryptoCodex—A daily newsletter for traders, investors and the crypto-curious MORE FROM FORBESBitcoin ‘Next Logical Stop’-Saylor Makes Huge $10 Trillion Crypto Price PredictionBy Billy Bambrough AFP via Getty Images Ethereum’s upgrade, completed this month after years of preparation, means the ethereum network is secured and transactions confirmed by ethereum holders “staking” their coins instead of relying on miners. “Miners dumping their ethereum is an overhang that we’ll have to get through over the coming months in order to resume up-only mode, but it will happen,” Lucas Campbell, editor of the Bankless newsletter, wrote this week. Data from blockchain researcher OKLink appears to show ethereum miners have already begun selling off their $300 million ethereum reserves, it was reported by Coindesk. “Mining pools have dropped almost 17,000 ethereum in the last seven days alone,” Alex Kuptsikevich, FxPro senior market analyst, wrote in an emailed note, warning that despite the market climbing off lows earlier in the week “the technical picture does not yet point to a break in the downtrend” and “widespread monetary policy tightening leads us to expect further pressure on markets.” On top of a potential ethereum sell-off, markets are also coming to terms with the U.S. Federal Reserve’s series of huge interest rate hikes as it battles to bring soaring inflation under control, sending shockwaves through financial markets. This week, the Fed made its third 75 basis point increase in a row despite warnings it could trigger a crash larger than the 2008 financial crisis with Fed chair Jay Powell telling reporters, “we have got to get inflation behind us. I wish there were a painless way to do that.” Sign up now for CryptoCodex—A free, daily newsletter for the crypto-curious MORE FROM FORBES‘It’s Dangerous’-JPMorgan CEO Issued A Serious Bitcoin, Ethereum And Crypto Warning After Huge $2 Trillion Price CrashBy Billy Bambrough Forbes Digital Assets Meanwhile, the Biden administration sent a stark warning to the bitcoin and crypto industry in the wake of its massive $2 trillion crash and the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) chairman Gary Gensler warned ethereum’s upgrade could mean the cryptocurrency becomes regulated as a security. “Regulation is at the top of the agenda for most of the sector now, and this has been thrown into particularly sharp relief in recent months,” Timo Lehes, the cofounder of decentralized finance (DeFi) infrastructure provider Swam Markets, said in emailed comments.

Houston Newsmakers: Largest Murder Trial In US History One Reason Behind Clemency Efforts For Convicted Camp Logan Soldiers – KPRC Click2Houston https://bentoncountynewsnow.com/houston-newsmakers-largest-murder-trial-in-us-history-one-reason-behind-clemency-efforts-for-convicted-camp-logan-soldiers-kprc-click2houston/ Uprising in segregated Houston kills 17 and results in 19 hangings The August 24th headlines tell the horrific story of what happened the prior night. (Houston Chronicle/Memorial Park Conservancy) A church in San Antonio had to be used for the Court Martial of the Camp Logan soldiers because it was the only venue large enough for this trial. (National Archives) Largest murder trial in United States history The trial of 64 Camp Logan soldiers remains the largest murder trial in U.S. history and this trial in combination with subsequent Courts Martials is one of the reasons behind efforts for clemency. “All 118 soldiers in these three back-to-back Capitol Murder trials were represented by one defense representative who was not a lawyer, said South Texas College of Law Professor Dru Brenner-Beck. “That was legal in 1917 but it certainly was not intended to be implemented in these types of trials.” Law Professor Dru Brenner-Beck, South Texas College of Law (KPRC) Brenner-Beck, along with author and Historian John Haymond has worked on the clemency petition now waiting for a decision by the Secretary of the Army. “Trying to write this is a delicate process because we’re trying to give resonance for voices from 105 years ago, whose stories have been either misrepresented or neglected altogether,” Haymond said. Bishop James Dixon II, President Houston Chapter, NAACP (KPRC) NAACP partners with South Texas College of Law for Clemency request Eleven of those killed on the night of August 23rd of 1917 were White Houstonians. Some of the Camp Logan soldiers were surely responsible but advocates say the segregated and extreme treatment by Whites was the spark that caused it. Bishop James Dixon II, President of the Houston Chapter of the NAACP says the challenge then and now is to find a fair and legal way to treat the accused. We have the opportunity to do now is right the wrong in history on behalf of their families and their legacies, “ he said of the Camp Logan soldiers. “Their lineages have been forever tarnished by this American atrocity.” Pvt. T.C. Hawkins, one of first 13 Camp Logan Soldiers hanged on December 11th 1917 (Jason Holt) Camp Logan descendent fights for clemency Jason Holt was a little boy when he first heard the stories about his relative who had been hanged in Texas in 1917. As an adult and an attorney, he now is one of those fighting to clear the name of Private 1st Class T.C. Hawkins and the others convicted. “People now are beginning to understand that what took place on that fateful evening and the resulting trial and court martial really was a miscarriage of justice,” he said on Houston Newsmakers with Khambrel Marshall. Attorney Jason Holt, descendent of Camp Logan hanged soldier Pvt. T.C. Hawkins (KPRC) Holt is one of several descendants of Camp Logan soldiers who says the extreme segregation and treatment of Black soldiers in 1917 Houston led to violence and to the subsequent unjust trials. Hear more about what he and others are saying about the clemency process and hopes to right what they say is a wrong on this week’s Houston Newsmakers. Houston Newsmakers with Khambrel Marshall–every Sunday at 10 a.m. right after ‘Meet the Press.’ · Dru Brenner–Beck, Law Professor, South Texas College of Law · https://www.stcl.edu/news/dru-brenner-beck-to-join-full-time-stcl-houston-faculty-in-fall-2022-law-school-continues-to-expand-international-military-law-expertise/ · John Haymond, Historian-Author · https://www.jhaymondhistory.com/ · Bishop James Dixon II, President Houston Chapter, NAACP · https://naacphouston.org/ · Jason Holt, Descendent, Camp Logan solider, Pvt. Thomas C. Hawkins · https://www.csglaw.com/biographies/jason-holt Copyright 2022 by KPRC Click2Houston – All rights reserved.

What Kroger, Walmart, Target Learned From China’s Alibaba About Grocery’s Future – CNBC https://bentoncountynewsnow.com/what-kroger-walmart-target-learned-from-chinas-alibaba-about-grocerys-future-cnbc/ Now going on 140 years in business, Cincinnati-based Kroger sped up its push into digital retailing during the pandemic, and grocery store chain isn’t looking back.       Kroger has adopted an omnichannel strategy, integration of offline or in-store sales with online orders and logistics. It’s a concept that originated in China in 2016 when founder Jack Ma of e-commerce giant Alibaba coined the term “New Retail” and proceeded to open 300 high-tech Freshippo-branded supermarkets in 27 Chinese cities. This “New Retail” model has been “cut and pasted from businesses that worked in China,” said Michael Zakkour, founder of digital commerce and retail consultancy 5 New Digital in New York. “We are seeing it with Kroger, Target and Walmart. They looked at the New Retail model born in China for complete integration of offline and online channels,” he said. “Same-day delivery, restaurants in store, app-driven sales and QR codes are all bright spots in every single one of them, and all happened first in China.” At first, the highly competitive and fragmented U.S. food retailing business was slow to catch on. But the action was jumpstarted when Amazon bought Whole Foods Market in 2017 and began introducing several advanced technologies to streamline in-store shopping, a shift that also spread to large retailers Walmart and Target. “You just can’t be a 1990s grocer. You have to be courageous, break things, and quickly adapt,” said Yael Cosset, senior vice president and chief information officer at Kroger, who is leading its tech and digital initiatives. In a nod to Alibaba, he said the Chinese e-commerce company “has done a fantastic job in reinventing the retail model, a convergence of brick and mortar with e-commerce in an online and offline world.” SHANGHAI, CHINA – MAY 17: Shoppers wait in line to checkout at an Alibaba Hema Fresh store on May 17, 2022 in Shanghai, China. China News Service | China News Service | Getty Images Cosset has been spearheading introduction of the omnichannel shopping experience. Kroger’s new retailing links together shopping, e-commerce and logistics: automated fulfillment centers bag groceries; vans make same-day deliveries to households; data analytics provide an early read on customer trends; mobile apps distribute customer promotions and coupons; on-premise “ghost kitchens” prepare meals for in-store pickup or van delivery; QR codes handle payments online at self check-outs; and large online fulfillment centers and warehouses rely on robots for packing, sorting and loading orders. New automated fulfillment centers are a critical part of the technology effort. These centers use AI and robotics to replace labor-intensive work of sorting and bagging groceries for delivery, while on-site employees handle such operations as engineering and inventory management. “When you look at retail, there are two big enablers: tech and data science, and secondly, supply chain logistics and fulfillment,” Zakkour said. “The lesson that American retailers are learning is that their operations can be more efficient with higher margins when retail and e-commerce are seamlessly integrated.” Zakkour credited Kroger for being one of the more progressive U.S. retailers in implementing this omnichannel approach. Competitors Walmart and Target are spending heavily, even in a slowing economy, and with technology a focus among current capex investments.  “A company that doesn’t have a laser beam focus on tech that Kroger does is vulnerable,” said Jim Russell, principal at investment firm Bahl & Gaynor in Cincinnati.  “These digital trends continue to roll forward, and Kroger is delivering very strong results in the pandemic and post-pandemic period.” Digital grocery shopping took off during Covid, as customers favored e-commerce, eating at home, and prepared meals. Kroger’s digital business scaled to more than $10 billion in 2020, and has grown by 113 percent during the past two years. Building on this momentum, Kroger aims to double its digital revenues by the end of 2023. Kroger digital sales gained by 8 percent in the second quarter of 2022, while in-store and online combined gained 5.8 percent from a year earlier. Supermarkets had been lagging other sectors in e-commerce with three to four percent of total sales but tripled during the pandemic, according to McKinsey, which predicts that e-commerce will represent 18 percent of supermarket sales within the next three to five years. “We are finding out now how well this digital shift is working at Kroger,” Russell said. He pointed out that “half of Kroger’s app stores are bringing in incremental business and half are cannibalizing in-store sales.”  Total company sales rose 4.1 percent in 2021 to $137.9 billion, and Kroger is expecting a gain in the range of 4 percent to 4.5 percent for 2022.    Under a Restock Kroger initiative begun five years ago, the grocer combined physical and digital experiences, a strategy that has required major, long-term investment in robotics and supply chain management, as well as data analytics to understand and predict customer habits, and to personalize marketing.   “We are leveraging data to engage with customers through digital channels such as apps and web site logins to make the customer interactions relevant, and bring to life personalized shopping experiences,” Cosset said. He pointed out that large stores can lose the personal connection with customers that a local shop provides. But by using data and technology, Kroger can link better to customers and personalize ads and promotions online. Cosset joined Kroger in 2015 when the grocery chain acquired the U.S. assets of its partner, London-based data science company dunnhumby, where he held leadership posts. Kroger created 84.51° as a new business out of dunnhumbyUSA, serving Kroger and other clients including Procter & Gamble, Coca-Cola and Tesco. Cosset began leading Kroger’s digital growth strategy and e-commerce in 2017, and was promoted in 2019 to also take charge of technology, and his role expanded again two years ago to include oversight of the grocer’s data insights unit 84.51°.   Another acquisition that proved key to the new strategy was U.K.-based grocery e-commerce company Ocado Group, which Kroger bought in 2018 and partnered with to bring its home delivery platform to the U.S.. Kroger opened its first three Ocado-run centers near Cincinnati, Atlanta and Orlando in 2021, and this year has added Dallas and Wisconsin. Several more locations are planned. These giant hubs can handle thousands of online orders daily, and smaller facilities in spoke locations provide last-mile deliveries from delivery vans that can handle 20 orders at a time. “Grocery in the U.S. has been behind the curve historically relative to the U.K., France and Germany,” said Hilding Anderson, head of retail strategy, North America, at Publicis Sapient.  “U.S. consumers were too slow and grocers were focused on survival. It took Covid for the U.S. to catch up with retailing trends.”

Northwest Arkansas Divorces – Arkansas Online https://bentoncountynewsnow.com/northwest-arkansas-divorces-arkansas-online-3/ The following divorces granted were recorded Sept. 15- 21 in Benton and Washington County clerks’ offices. BENTON COUNTY 22-191. Brenna Neumann v. David Neumann 22-680. Alyce Burns v. Marvin Burns 22-785. Jose Simental v. Gloria Simental 22-802. Samuel Torres Luna v. Arianna de la Torre 22-879. Maria Pichardo v. Carlos Pedraza 22-932. Daniel McCarty v. Bethanne McCarty 22-964. Mickey Wilbur v. Hayley Wilbur 22-996. Michael Bligh v. Debra Kaufman 22-1061. Amy Ridler v. Jordan Wallin 22-1110. Jose Teran v. Gabriela Teran 22-1115. Mark Matayo v. Brittany Matayo 22-1139. Paul Brown v. Desiree Brown 22-1157. Robert Luellen v. Misty Luellen 22-1160. Leia Mackey v. Gareeno Mackey 22-1255. Susi Poteet v. James Poteet 22-1263. Adrianna Gates v. David Gates 22-1266. Kathy Lowery v. Haywood Lowery 22-1267. Janice Calvert v. Steven Calvert 22-1275. Israel Moreno v. Blanca Torres 22-1278. Courtney Bittle v. Jason Bittle 22-1281. Alexander Wegner v. Anna Wegner WASHINGTON COUNTY 20-1554. Maria Anderson v. Greg Anderson 21-1373. Cliff Farmer v. Susan Farmer 22-353. Shannon Stearman v. Travis Stearman 22-389. Curtis Hornor v. Jessica Hornor 22-403. Tyler Underwood v. Courtney Underwood 22-482. Elizabeth Cash v. Troy Cash 22-497. Sharna Arthur v. Robert Arthur 22-500. Shannon Heath v. Louis Mack 22-568. Nickie Benjamin v. Joe Benjamin 22-665. John Beck v. Stacy Beck 22-738. Kerri Johnson v. Michael Johnson 22-903. Laura Powers v. Jamie Powers 22-1036. Jennifer Aunspaugh v. James Aunspaugh 22-1062. Brenda Proctor v. Delbert Proctor 22-1084. Darren Pettigrew v. Amanda Leming 22-1184. Dakota Thomas v. Karla Thomas 22-1198. Cherokee Ketzler v. Dillan Ketzler

Golfing, Swimming, Hiking: Gaylord Tornado Didn’t Stop Outdoor Tourism – MLive.com https://bentoncountynewsnow.com/golfing-swimming-hiking-gaylord-tornado-didnt-stop-outdoor-tourism-mlive-com/ GAYLORD, MI – On a cool morning in northern Michigan, a pack of elk lay in the grass soaking up beams of sunlight cutting through the clouds. Fred Tolley, whose ringtone is an elk bugle sound, peered through the fence at Gaylord’s City Elk Park. “I always make a stop here,” he said on his road trip from Ohio to the Upper Peninsula. Jennifer Lawson sat on a bench nearby holding a mug of hot coffee. “It’s just so peaceful. And right now, it’s mating season, can you hear?” she said as an elk bugled. This was a much quieter scene than four months ago when a tornado with 150 mph winds whipped through Gaylord killing two people, injuring dozens, and leaving a trail of destruction in its wake. “At least a big chunk was spared,” said Lawson, a hometown tourist who left Gaylord more than two decades ago. “That’s huge for this area, which depends so heavily on tourists. They’ve got to get back on their feet right away.” The city of Gaylord maintains a herd of elk for visitors to observe. It’s one tourism draw in the city that’s “all outdoors.” (Photo by Rose White | MLive) The May 20 twister struck the northern Michigan town only a week before the summer tourism season kicked off on Memorial Day weekend. But Gaylord bounced back. “We’ve made tremendous progress, but it did not have any effect on travel and tourism,” said Paul Beachnau the executive director of the Gaylord Area Convention and Tourism Bureau The tornado carved a path through Gaylord, destroying homes in the Nottingham Forest Mobile Home Park, crashing into box stores in the busy M-32 business district and battering a neighborhood four blocks north of downtown. The rest of town was largely untouched. Related: ‘We’re open’: Gaylord welcomes summer tourists only days after destructive tornado Casey Buckleitner was standing in the back of White Birch Outfitters when the tornado struck only a few blocks away. “I don’t think besides that week, 10 days afterwards, we didn’t really have much disruption in business,” he said, noting overall sales were up at his clothing and outdoor gear store this summer. About a mile east of downtown Gaylord, the storm knocked down several trees at the Otsego Resort. But minor property damage didn’t stop 83-year-old ski and golf club from hosting a wedding the next day. “There was debris that we had to pick up. We worked as a team, we got all that picked up and it looked beautiful for the wedding,” owner Kathie Vollmar said. Brothers Corey and Lance Harmer were prepping for a May 23 soft launch of their new restaurant Marmalade & Co. when they heard the twister roar through town like a freight train. They rushed to the basement, and their Main Street breakfast restaurant emerged unscathed. “As far as the tornado, I don’t think it affected us,” Corey Harmer said. Brothers Lance and Corey Harmer opened Marmalade & Co. about a week after a tornado swept through Gaylord. Despite the setback, they said it’s been a busy summer. (Photo by Rose White | MLive) For Gaylord tourism, it’s “all outdoors.” The northern Michigan town of about 4,200 people draws tourists to its 90 lakes, winding trails, more than a dozen golf courses and herd of elk. It’s also home to breweries, restaurants and a wildlife museum. Key to Gaylord’s economy, tourism supports nearly 12% of Otsego County’s employment. Visitor spending peaked pre-pandemic at $107 million, state data shows, while still bringing $102 million to Otsego County in 2020. After two years of the COVID-19 pandemic, the tornado almost dealt another blow. But with help from an estimated 1,500 volunteers clearing debris, a $1.5 million tornado relief fund and a waning pandemic, Beachnau said it was the first normal summer in years. “Gaylord is a very welcoming community. We’re very much like helping your neighbor out. And that came through loud and clear from such a tragedy,” Beachnau said. Related: Dozens of cats were lost in tornado debris. One Gaylord woman is rescuing them. This summer, Gaylord celebrated its 100th anniversary as a city. Thousands showed up to the Big Ticket Christian music festival. And large crowds attended the 57th annual Alpenfest. “The only word I can describe it: Everything feels more normal,” Beachnau said. Even though the Harmer brothers pushed back the opening of Marmalade & Co by a week, it was still a busy summer for the new downtown Gaylord eatery. Corey Harmer said weekday lulls were followed by “crazy” weekends packed with tourists. “People seem to be coming more downtown,” he said. “For a few years, downtown was just dead. And it seemed like this summer more people are starting to get back into that downtown routine.” Otsego Resort, founded in 1939, had minor property damage from the May 20 tornado. But some downed trees didn’t stop the ski and golf resort from hosting a wedding the day after the storm. (Photo by Rose White | MLive) At the sprawling 4,000-acre Otsego Resort, Vollmar said a slight drop in hotel bookings was counterbalanced by a 15% jump in tee times this summer. But as the resort transitions to its busy winter season, Vollmar is concerned about staffing levels. “I’m very nervous. Because of the winter, we are just slammed here — just slammed every weekend,” she said. Even though about 44% of the city’s hotel room sales take place in June, July and August, according to a Petoskey News opinion column written by Beachnau, Gaylord also thrives in the winter. Tucked into a snowbelt, Beachnau called Gaylord the “best winter vacation destination in the state of Michigan” because of its skiing, snowshoeing, snowmobiling and dog sledding. And after the pandemic and the tornado, the Farmer’s Almanac delivered some good news: An “unreasonably cold, snowy” year for the Great Lakes. “We’re expecting a very robust winter season,” Beachnau said. More on MLive: Gaylord tornado was Michigan’s first EF3 since Dexter twister in 2012 His dad built the house by hand in 1945. Then a tornado struck. ‘Pitch in and lend a hand’ Gaylord community cleans up after tornado ravages city Note to readers: if you purchase something through one of our affiliate links we may earn a commission. %

2023 Will Bring Historic Changes For Retirees On Social Security – 69News WFMZ-TV https://bentoncountynewsnow.com/2023-will-bring-historic-changes-for-retirees-on-social-security-69news-wfmz-tv/ Social Security can go a long way toward making retirement more affordable, but with inflation continuing to surge, it’s getting harder for retirees on a fixed income to make ends meet. Fortunately, relief could be on the horizon. Next month, the Social Security Administration (SSA) will announce the cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) for 2023. The COLA is an increase in benefits aimed to help Social Security maintain its purchasing power. Annual COLAs are normal, and retirees will receive a small boost in benefits most years. However, next year’s adjustment will be historic, and beneficiaries can expect a much larger-than-average raise. Image source: Getty Images. What will the COLA for 2023 be? We won’t know the official COLA until October, as the SSA will wait until the September inflation data is released before it makes its announcement. However, nonprofit organization The Senior Citizens League estimates that the COLA for 2023 could be around 8.7%, according to the latest consumer price index (CPI) data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. That’s an increase of around $144 per month for the average retiree. For context, the COLA generally increases around 1% to 3% most years. This year, beneficiaries received a 5.9% raise, which was one of the largest in recent history. An 8.7% COLA would be the highest since 1981. Other ways this could impact your benefits A record-breaking COLA doesn’t just mean an increase in benefits each month. The annual COLA affects several aspects of Social Security, and there are a few differences you may notice in 2023: A higher maximum benefit amount: In 2022, the most you can receive from Social Security is $4,194 per month. But because this number changes each year to account for cost-of-living changes, a higher COLA means there will likely be a higher max benefit for 2023. Increased maximum taxable earnings limit: If you haven’t yet retired, the maximum income subject to Social Security taxes is $147,000 per year. This limit also changes yearly because of inflation, so it will likely increase after next year’s COLA. This means higher earners will have more of their income subject to taxes. A higher earnings limit: If you continue working after claiming Social Security and you haven’t yet reached your full retirement age (FRA), your benefits may be reduced if your income exceeds the annual earnings limit. In 2022, that limit is $19,560 per year (assuming you’re still under your FRA). But with a higher COLA comes a higher earnings limit, which means you’ll be able to earn more without facing reductions. Increased spousal and divorce benefits: The COLA doesn’t just apply to retirement benefits. If you’re receiving other types of Social Security — such as spousal benefits, divorce benefits, or Supplemental Security Income (SSI) — you’ll receive a boost in 2023 as well. The COLA affects most areas of Social Security, so whether you’re already retired or planning to start claiming benefits soon, expect quite a few changes in 2023. How to prepare for next year’s COLA The new COLA won’t take effect until January 2023, and there’s nothing you need to do between now and then. The changes will take place automatically, so you won’t need to apply for the increase. With inflation surging, a higher benefit amount can go a long way toward making everyday essentials more affordable. Just by understanding all the ways that next year’s COLA will affect your benefits, you can ensure you’re as prepared as possible. The $18,984 Social Security bonus most retirees completely overlook If you’re like most Americans, you’re a few years (or more) behind on your retirement savings. But a handful of little-known “Social Security secrets” could help ensure a boost in your retirement income. For example: one easy trick could pay you as much as $18,984 more… each year! Once you learn how to maximize your Social Security benefits, we think you could retire confidently with the peace of mind we’re all after. Simply click here to discover how to learn more about these strategies. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.

Seniors Home Health Care Crisis Deepened By Covid Labor Shortage – The Washington Post https://bentoncountynewsnow.com/seniors-home-health-care-crisis-deepened-by-covid-labor-shortage-the-washington-post/ While more elderly seek home care to age in place, low-wage workers are finding easier jobs with equal or better pay in retail and restaurants September 25, 2022 at 8:00 a.m. EDT Acey Hofflander, 85, shares sections of the daily newspaper with her husband, Tom, 88, in their Richfield, Minn., home on September 14. (Annabelle Marcovici for The Washington Post) RICHFIELD, Minn. — Racked with nausea and unable to leave the bathroom, Acey Hofflander muttered in confusion. Her husband tried to press a damp washcloth against her neck, his hands trembling and weak from Parkinson’s disease. “What’s happening? What’s going on?” Acey mumbled. Their roles had unexpectedly reversed. At 85, Acey is the healthy one, the organized, energetic caregiver for husband, Tom, 88. But when a grueling day of showering, dressing, feeding and transporting him to medical appointments pushed Acey beyond exhaustion in July, she wound up in the emergency room — a health crisis the Hofflanders blame in large part on a lack of professional, in-home care. Amid a national shortage of home-care workers that deepened during the covid-19 pandemic, the couple spent much of this year on a private agency list waiting to be assigned a professional home-care aide. But over four months, from April to August, no aides were available, leaving Acey to carry the load on her own. Many nights — after an hour-long bedtime routine that included giving Tom his pills and pulling on his Depends before tucking him into his recliner — she lay sleepless in bed. “He needs a lot of care, and it’s wearing, not only physically but mentally,” Acey said in one of several interviews. “It makes you worried about what’s going to happen. How long can I do this?” The Hofflanders’ story is becoming increasingly common as the country’s shortage of home-care workers worsens, jeopardizing the independence of a generation of elderly Americans who had banked on aging in place rather than spending their twilight years in nursing homes. Polls say an overwhelming majority of people older than 50 want to remain in their homes as long as possible, and studies have shown aging in place can promote quality of life and self-esteem. But Acey Hofflander’s health scare — she stayed in the hospital overnight with a form of migraine — reveal the dangers when elderly people are forced to go it alone. The shortage predates the pandemic but has been exacerbated by it, according to industry and government experts. Demand for home services spiked as lockdowns, uncontrolled infections and deaths frightened people away from nursing homes, where the number of residents declined nationally from about 1.3 million in 2019 to 1.1 million in 2021 and has only partially rebounded in 2022. At the same time, because of the tight labor market, the low-paid workers have quit for less taxing jobs in Amazon warehouses and as Uber drivers. The lack of services also is affecting disabled people under 65 years old who are dependent on others for daily needs. The result is that an increasing share of elderly and disabled people are living at home but having difficulty finding the help they need to do it safely. A fall or an exhausted caregiver could mean they are forced into a nursing home or a bedroom in their adult child’s home. “The crisis is real and won’t be quickly fixed. The shortage of health care workers is like nothing we’ve seen before,” said Ruth Martynowicz, chief operating officer for Michigan-based Trinity Health At Home, part of a large Catholic health system. Trinity Health At Home said recently it was turning away 250 home-care requests per week across its 11-state network, which is mostly in the Northeast and Upper Midwest. The shortage of workers is threatening the option of aging at home for people up and down the economic scale — whether they qualify for government Medicaid, have medical conditions that qualify for Medicare coverage, or must pay out of pocket. “I often worry about where families are turning right now,” said Vicki Hoak, chief executive officer of the Home Care Association of America, which represents 4,000 home care agencies across the country. Many of its members had been turning away 30 to 40 requests for care per month, she said: “We have that increased need, yet we are having to turn away people because we don’t have staff.” In Minnesota, where the Hofflanders live, the state’s long-term care industry has been hit especially hard. The state economic agency estimated at the end of 2021 that there were at least 7,200 vacant home-care jobs in the state, and state industry leaders said the number likely is closer to 9,000. Workers at the lower rungs of the home-care industry — mostly women and people of color — are among the lowest paid in the United States. The median pay for personal care aides was just $14.27 an hour in 2021, according to PHI, a nonprofit that publishes annual reports on the national home-care workforce. Workers can earn equal or higher wages at Home Depot or McDonald’s — performing jobs that are a lot easier than bathing, dressing and feeding seniors. “Fast food is trying to find workers and retail is trying to find workers and they are all trying to pull from the same labor pool,” said Kezia Scales, senior director of policy research at PHI. Industry representatives said there are no quick fixes. National trade associations and individual state groups are lobbying to block spending cuts for home care under Medicare while advocating for higher compensation so workers can be paid higher wages. Industry leaders also are examining ways to make home care work a rung in a health-care career ladder. They say extra pay could be allocated for people who receive training for dementia. Because up to a third of home-care workers were born outside the United States, industry groups have urged Congress to consider special temporary visas. In the meantime, the worker shortage is having a widespread effect. Large home-care chains, small companies and local nonprofits are all struggling to find staff, agency representatives said in interviews. Even after recruits survive background checks and are trained, they sometimes quit after two weeks, said Cher Kuechle, who runs a Home Instead franchise in Edina, Minn. “This is a very thankless job and people don’t really need to do it. There are other options to make money,” said Osagie Edison, assistant living director of Anchor House, a small home-care agency in Crystal, outside Minneapolis. Edison said he was trying to hire six additional home care aides over the summer. But potential applicants know they can make better wages driving for Uber or UPS, he said. Every week he gets calls from “desperate” family members and case managers who have been waiting as long as six months for a caregiver. He is forced to tell them he does not have enough staff. “Sometimes I don’t even respond,” Edison said. “They know what’s going on.” PHI estimates that the home-care workforce nationally numbers around 2.6 million. About 1 million more home-care workers will be needed by 2030 as the baby-boom generation finishes aging into retirement — what demographers call the “Silver Tsunami.” Policymakers have long recognized that America’s patchwork system of home care is insufficient, a source of anxiety for families across the nation. More than 90 percent of the estimated 5 million who received care from home health agencies in the United States in 2018 required help with bathing, dressing, using the toilet, walking and getting in and out of bed, according to the Centers for Disease Control’s National Center for Health Statistics. More than two-thirds needed help eating. The Biden administration in 2021 sought $400 billion in new spending for home- and community-based care, channeled through Medicaid, to states. Access to care would have been expanded and workers would have received raises and benefits. The Democratic-controlled House pared that to $150 million. But the plan collapsed when Democrats failed to muster enough Senate votes for the ambitious Build Back Better legislation. Disabled people under 65, some of whom have lived their entire lives dependent on others for daily care, also are encountering a lack of in-home help, advocates said. After the pandemic hit, Minneapolis resident Antonietta Giovanni lost the home-care aide who had cared during the day for her son, who is 29 and has autism. Loss of the paid help meant Giovanni could no longer do her outside work as a disability advocate and interpreter. But even after vaccines and testing became widely available, she was not able to find a replacement caregiver. The state pays her to be her son’s aide for 40 hours per week, although she said she takes care of him many more hours than that. “It has been two years of a very challenging journey, very overwhelming,” she said. She secured the help of a new aide earlier this year, but that aide left after four months to seek a job in a group home for the disabled, where the pay is better. “I shouldn’t be mad at them, because it’s not their fault,” she said. “People have to do the best for their families.” A disabled Minnesotan, Lee Ohnesorge, 57, who was paralyzed in a motorcycle accident in 1993, needs help with basic needs for several hours in the morning and several hours in the evening, including what he calls his “bowel and bladder routines.” He was admitted to a nursing home earlier in the pandemic because he had developed bedsores. After seven months, he was healed and ready to return to his apartment. But it took him another two months to find a home-care aide — so he was stuck in the nursing home, waiting and calling around. Eventually he found someone and moved home. But the aide was unreliable — ...

Faces Of Fall: Sept. 25, 2022 | Sports | News-Gazette.com – News-Gazette https://bentoncountynewsnow.com/faces-of-fall-sept-25-2022-sports-news-gazette-com-news-gazette/ MABRY BRUHN Monticello girls’ cross-country ➜ Her favorite athlete is … Tara Davis. ➜ Her favorite team is … the St. Louis Cardinals. ➜ If she could attend any one sporting event in person, it would be … the Summer Olympics. ➜ Her favorite sport besides cross-country is … track and field. AARON HENDRON Centennial boys’ cross-country ➜ His favorite athlete is … Ramiz Imtiaz. ➜ His favorite team is … Illinois basketball. ➜ If he could attend any one sporting event in person, it would be … an NCAA basketball final. ➜ His favorite sport besides cross-country is … basketball. ADIN PORTWOOD Milford boys’ golf ➜ His favorite athlete is … Kevin Durant. ➜ His favorite team is … the Chicago Cubs. ➜ If he could attend any one sporting event in person, it would be … the NBA Finals. ➜ His favorite sport besides golf is … basketball. FRANCIE WILLIAMSON St. Thomas More girls’ cross-country ➜ Her favorite athlete is … Allyson Felix. ➜ Her favorite team is … Illinois basketball. ➜ If she could attend any one sporting event in person, it would be … the Olympics. ➜ Her favorite sport besides cross-country is … rowing.

Neal Stephenson’s Lamina1 Drops White Paper On Building The Open Metaverse – VentureBeat https://bentoncountynewsnow.com/neal-stephensons-lamina1-drops-white-paper-on-building-the-open-metaverse-venturebeat/ September 23, 2022 12:00 PM Lamina1 dropped a white paper on building the open metaverse. Image Credit: Lamina1 Interested in learning what’s next for the gaming industry? Join gaming executives to discuss emerging parts of the industry this October at GamesBeat Summit Next. Register today. Neal Stephenson‘s Lamina1 blockchain technology startup dropped a white paper today on building the open metaverse. It’s quite the manifesto. In the document, the company said its mission is to deliver a Layer 1 blockchain, interoperating tools and decentralized services optimized for the open metaverse –– providing communities with infrastructure, not gatekeepers to build a more immersive internet. (Stephenson will be talking about the open metaverse in a fireside chat at our GamesBeat Summit Next 2022 event on October 25-26 in San Francisco. Use Dean50 code for a discount). The effort includes some new original content: Under active early-stage development, Neal Stephenson’s THEEE METAVERSE promises a richly-imagined interactive virtual world with an unforgettable origin story, the paper said. Built on the Lamina1 chain, creators will come to experience Neal’s vision and stay to develop their own. Stay tuned for more details, the paper said. Lamina1 said the metaverse represents the evolution of our lives online –– graduation to rich 2D and 3D worlds in which we fluidly create, explore, socialize and transact. As we usher in this bold new era of content creation and participation, we must revisit the centralized business models of Web2 to empower creators and consumers with greater agency, ownership and privacy. A creative community that is free to innovate and transact will give rise to a thriving economy. Lamina1 delivers critical infrastructure to enable the trillion-dollar economy of the open metaverse. “The strength of the Lamina1 technical foundation will be validated by the ability of our very own maker, Neal Stephenson, to deliver his inspired and principled vision of what the Open Metaverse can be. We employ story as a powerful tool to contextualize and drive the creative and technical development required to build a virtual universe imbued with humanity,” the white paper said. In the paper, Stephenson said, “Inexorable economic forces drive investors to pay artists as little as possible while steering their creative output in the directions that involve the least financial risk.” The aim is to correct the sins of the past. The paper said that Web2 introduced a period of rapid innovation and unprecedented access to entertainment, information and goods on a global scale. Streamlined tools and usability brought creators and innovators to the web en masse to build digital storefronts, engage and transact with their customers. Owning and controlling that growing ecosystem of content and personal data became a primary, lucrative initiative for major corporations. Consumer behavior, recorded on centralized company servers, offered constant, privileged insight into how to monetize human emotion and attention, Lamina1 said. The sins included: Digital disruption, followed by corporate opportunism, reset the value of creative IP and negatively impacted the creative process Agencies and intermediaries siphoned revenue from makers Data was harvested, sold, commoditized and misused Naivety and convenience were exploited Family photos became session bait for an insatiable ad model Peter Vessenes (left) and Neal Stephenson are the founders of Lamina1. At its best, Web3 envisions a better world through the thoughtful redesigning of our online lives, instituting stronger advocacy for our interests, our freedom and our rights, the company said. Much as Web2 flourished with the maturity of tools and services that offered creators and consumers ease of use, the open metaverse will benefit from open protocols for payments and data, and a set of interoperating decentralized services to support virtual worlds. Lamina1 will be the rallying point for an ecosystem of open source tools, open standards and enabling technologies conceived and co-developed with a vibrant community of creators. “We are makers. We are builders,” the company said. “We are passionate about the potential of Lamina1 to change the way we make and monetize the next generation of content, and we share the needs and interests of our fellow Open Metaverse enthusiasts. We invite you to join us in building the most powerful network of creative people on the planet.” The report noted the progress of games toward the metaverse with hundreds of millions going online. Worldwide, spending on virtual goods reached an estimated $110 billion in 2021, with nearly 30% attributed to the virtual outfitting of our virtual selves. It also gave a nod to McKinsey, which predicted that the metaverse will have a $5 trillion value by 2030. At the same time, Lamina1 said we’ve witnessed an empowering movement among creators and consumers concerning data privacy, transaction and asset ownership. The near-ceaseless news of data misuse is driving new consumer awareness of the liberal data and privacy practices of mega-platforms. Those using these services are increasingly becoming aware (and wary) of how their virtual identities will be stored, tracked, and commoditized online –– with 74% of U.S. internet users saying they are more concerned about their online privacy than they have been at any point in time. Further, Lamina1 said that in a world where today’s biggest platforms propose to take nearly half of all sales revenues on digital assets and experiences made by creators in the metaverse, many are looking for alternative pathways to monetization and publishing in this new online era. Case and point — the past two years have seen unprecedented growth in Web3, with creators turning to NFTs to provide them direct access to their markets. In 2021, collectors sent over $41 billion to online marketplaces and more than $37 billion in the first half of 2022. Ethereum’s ability to provide Web3 features to creators (though limited), alongside security and anonymity for consumers, expanded the market nearly 200x between 2020 and 2021, with NFT sales skyrocketing from $100 million to $18 billion. Last year, the direct marketplace OpenSea drove nearly 60% of those transactions, but NFTs are also increasingly being used to create and monetize entire virtual worlds. To fully realize the needs and intricacies of an ever-expanding metaverse, the next era of digital ownership will need to include deeper integrations of persistent digital objects, virtual real estate and interoperability services that expand upon the basics and have direct consideration of the needs of those building it, Lamina1 said. As this new digital economy crystallizes, so does the potential to reimagine the financial systems and foundational structures that fuel it. In its early stages, the success of this movement depends on the conviction of companies, creators and consumers to demand something different. Lamina1 said it approaches the open metaverse with a multi-pronged approach: Layer 1 blockchain, metaverse-as-a-Service (MaaS), community economic participation and incentives and original content. Jamil Moledina’s signed copies of Neal Stephenson books. Lamina1 said it uses a high-speed Proof-of-Stake (PoS) consensus algorithm, customized to support the needs of content creators –– providing provenance for creatorship and enabling attributive and behavioral characteristics of an object to be minted, customized and composed on-chain. “We chose to start with Avalanche, a robust generalized blockchain that delivers the industry’s most scalable and environmentally-efficient chain for managing digital assets to date. This starting point provides Lamina1 with a flexible architecture and an extendable platform to support our goals in data storage, interoperability, integration incentives, carbon-negative operation, messaging, privacy, high-scale payments and identity,” the white paper said. Lamina1 said its metaverse services work will explore creating a metaverse browser and it will align itself with the Metaverse Standards Forum. To enlist community support, the company isn’t aligning with Big Tech. “We march waving the pirate flag at the front of the cultural movement, asking both creators and consumers to join the fight for greater agency and ownership –– the fight for an economy that is imagined, produced and owned by its creators,” Lamina1 said. “It’s going to be hard, and it’s going to take heart, but the upside of providing a maker direct access to their market is staggering.” The paper added, “At Lamina1, we believe two things will power expansion and growth in the metaverse –– a straightforward and principled approach to serving a diverse, open and self-sustaining community of makers, and a powerful ecosystem of content and experiences that will drive fans and funding directly to the platform.” As for the roadmap, the company revealed the following, subject to change: 2022 V1 Litepaper Release September 2022 Engine/web SDK & Wallet Alphas October 2022 Testnet November 2022 Browser MVPAlpha December 2022 EVM + ⍺ December 2022 Initial Studio Demos December 2022 2023 Engine/web SDK & wallet Betas January 2023 Blockchain Recompose January 2023 Original Game Pre-Production Begins Q1 2023 Betanet Q1 2023 MaaS MVPAlpha Q1 2023 Studio Launches Q2/3 2023 Mainnet Q2/3 2023 GamesBeat’s creed when covering the game industry is “where passion meets business.” What does this mean? We want to tell you how the news matters to you — not just as a decision-maker at a game studio, but also as a fan of games. Whether you read our articles, listen to our podcasts, or watch our videos...

Sunday 7: Mac Jones Likes ‘cool Gray Area’ Of Patriots’ Evolving Offense – WEEI https://bentoncountynewsnow.com/sunday-7-mac-jones-likes-cool-gray-area-of-patriots-evolving-offense-weei/ 1 – As the Patriots’ new offense continues to evolve and grow under Mac Jones’ leadership, the second-year quarterback clearly thinks an aspect of his successful production in college at Alabama could benefit New England as well: RPOs. Run-pass option plays are essentially built as run plays aside from an option the quarterback has to throw to certain receiver if he feels confident it will be a positive, productive play and better than simply handing to the running back. Jones ran RPOs nearly 20 percent of the time he was passing the ball at Alabama, completing 73-of-78 of those option throws for 890 yards with 10 touchdowns and no interceptions. “I like those plays,” Jones acknowledged this week after the Patriots sprinkled some RPO looks into the Week 2 win in Pittsburgh. “I think every offense has some of them, in some way, shape or form. They’re good plays. But we have to be able to do a lot of things. Like I always say, there’s different types of plays – short, medium, long, play-action, RPO, gadget. So there’s different buckets you put them in and you want to be able to do all of them. So yeah, I like RPOs. They’re cool.” Jones noted that RPOs “put stress on a defense,” something he observed when Alabama coach Nick Saban would “explode” in practice at his Tide players trying to defend the look. “So there’s a lot of cool gray area there from an offensive perspective,” Jones said, advocating for RPOs to be at least a complementary part of the Patriots’ attack. “Other teams were doing them too around the league, and having good production. So I think, like I said, every offense has their core plays and you don’t necessarily want your RPOs to be your core plays, which they’re not. But it’s always good to have that extra flavor you can have in there. Like you said, it’s a run, it’s a pass, what is it? So I think they’re always good.” 2 – While RPO snaps involve Jones reading the would-be pass option while putting the ball in the gut of the running back for the potential handoff, offensive linemen treat the play as a simple run. The swift nature of the play design allows for them to fire out with a run block without fear of getting downfield, without fear of being flagged for a penalty. So RPOs are basically much ado about nothing for linemen, save for some wasted success. “You always feel like when they do throw the ball it was probably your best block, right,” Patriots center David Andrews joked, seemingly also in favor of RPOs. “If the look’s not great it’s kind of an easy fix in my opinion. You maybe don’t have to change the play, there is an answer to it already built in. As offensive linemen it’s a way to do different things but you are only thinking about one thing – run blocking. I think they’re good. They can be a good addition. They can be a good tool. But, always, I ran a few of them in college and stuff, and always feel like they throw the ball when it’s your best block.” 3 – There has been a lot of talk of so-called 50-50 balls as part of the Patriots passing game, even going back to training camp practice action when newcomer DeVante Parker declared that those thrown his way are actually 80-20 plays in his favor. In the Week 1 loss in Miami, a 50-50 in the end zone on the opening New England drive resulted in a Dolphins interception. A week later in Pittsburgh, Nelson Agholor made an incredible catch in the second quarter for a 44-yard touchdown on a 50-50 ball, a key play in the Patriots’ win. “I think we want to give all of our playmakers a chance,” Jones explained of what he’s described as a different philosophy in the passing game. “A lot of our plays there’s a certain read on it. I do like the freedom to be able to do that. I did that a lot in the past. It’s great. I think 50-50’s a slight term, it’s like oh it can go either way. But it’s hard to defend when you’re one-on-one and there’s not a lot of people around you. So, I know it’s hard on the defender, and obviously they can make good plays too. So, it can go either way. But we definitely trust the guys and we’ve worked on it a lot. You’ll have to have time to be able to do that with the offensive line which we have. Just want to continue to grow with that. Sometimes they look close but then eventually they’re going to be really open. So, it just depends on the play.” 4 – NFL quarterbacks are under scrutiny at all times. From coaches. From media. From fans. It’s the nature of the position. One might argue that it’s why they make the really, really big bucks. Of course much of the criticism thrown the way of quarterbacks like Jones comes from people who, quite frankly, probably don’t know what they are talking about. At least that’s how Patriots captain Devin McCourty seems to see it. “I will say first and foremost, overall there’s not many people who watch football who understand how to play quarterback,” McCourty said. “I think no matter what, including you. He would be crazy if he built his career off of what people write and say about him. Because for one there’s not many people who’ve played the position at a high level and can do that consistently. So I think no matter what in this league you come out, you play as a rookie, you have success as a rookie, you go out there and do good things…it sucks to say, but everyone is waiting to write bad things about you. That’s just how everything works. But I think he knows that in this building every guy in that locker room believes in him.” 5 – The Patriots have a familiar face on the practice squad who’s apparently doing good things on the practice field. Former longtime New England starting right tackle Marcus Cannon returned to the team via the practice squad Sept. 13 and has already impressed, earning recognition as one of the Patriots’ practice players of the week for the work leading up to last Sunday’s win in Pittsburgh. A 2011 fifth-round pick out of TCU who overcame cancer on his way to the NFL, Cannon started 69 of 115 games played in New England from 2011-19. He sat out the 2020 season due to Covid and then started all four games he played in Houston a year ago before landing on IR with a back injury. Now back in Foxborough, it sounds like a case of “when” not if Cannon will find his way back onto the game field for a Patriots team that traded away some of its offensive line depth last week by dealing Justin Herron to the Raiders. “Marcus has had a great attitude. Comes in, works really hard. Just wants to do it the right way,” Belichick said. “Not come in and jump in but come in and start at the beginning. Work on his fundamentals, work on the lifting, all the preparation things that go into being a good football player. You start at the bottom work his way up. That’s really the way to do it is build a good foundation. Didn’t have training camp but he can use the time that he has now to put that in place. So when he does play, he’ll be, I think, able to hit a higher ceiling than trying to skip all those steps and just start playing. He has a great attitude, had a good week of practice, was impressive out there. So he’s good.” 6 – Belichick obviously knows a little something about elite kickers. Adam Vinatieri jumpstarted the Patriots dynasty with his game-tying kick in the Snow Bowl against the Raiders — considered to be the greatest kick in NFL history – and is expected to be inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame for his Super Bowl-winning work in New England and Indianapolis. Stephen Gostkowski and, now, Nick Folk have also played at an incredibly high level in New England under Belichick’s watch. But Sunday at Gillette Stadium, Belichick and Co. will get a visit from not only the best kicker in the game today but arguably the best in the history of the game. Baltimore’s Justin Tucker really is just that good. “He’s reset that position by probably a pretty decent amount,” Belichick said of Tucker. “This isn’t like being 200th of a second under the world record. This guy’s really reset the bar. No miss kicks, accuracy is very good, distance, range. He really shortens the field. He makes the field about 10 yards shorter than most everybody has it. Not just with his leg strength, but the fact of his accuracy and how good he is from long range as well.” 7 – Prediction Time: The Patriots and Ravens probably qualify as an NFL rivalry thanks primarily to splitting four postseason battles from 2010-2015. New England actually has an 8-2 record against Baltimore in the regular season under Belichick’s watch. None of that will matter on Sunday. New England’s home opener will be about two things – a new test against Lamar Jackson for a Patriots defense that’s played relatively well to open the season and an opportunity for Mac Jones to face what statistically is the NFL’s worst pass defense. Jackson has seemingly been a man on a mission since failing to reach a contract extension with the Ravens this offseason, and while he still makes key plays with his legs his ability to pass and read defenses has gone to the next level. Jackson will put plenty of stress on the Patriots’ defense, even if the doesn’t really have the luxury of a running game to help him out. The question is whether Jones is ready to keep up if a shootout develops against a team averaging more than 30 points per game with New England having scored just 24 points total in two weeks of action. While Baltimore has some big names and big money on its pass defense, Joe Flacco and Tua Tagovailoa both threw for more than 300 yards in the first two weeks against it. The most likely scenario here is that New England scores more points and makes more plays through the air as the offense continues to evolve. Unfortunately for them, the defense probably also gives up more plays and points as well. Health concerns fo...

What Is Scalping In Crypto, And How Does Scalp Trading Work? – Cointelegraph https://bentoncountynewsnow.com/what-is-scalping-in-crypto-and-how-does-scalp-trading-work-cointelegraph/ Although cryptocurrencies are known for their volatility, they give traders various opportunities to pocket and reinvest the gains. Scalp trading is a crypto strategy that helps scalpers to take risks and make the most of frequent price fluctuations by observing price movements. This article will discuss scalping, how it works in cryptocurrency, the advantages and disadvantages of scalp trading in crypto, whether it is complicated and how much money you need to engage in it. What is scalp trading? Crypto scalp traders target small profits by placing multiple trades over a short period, leading to a considerable yield generated from small gains. Scalpers step in for highly liquid and significant volume assets that result in greater interest owing to the news. Scalping strategies require knowledge of the market even though it is a short-term trading strategy. To capture the difference between supply and demand, scalpers use a spread, which involves buying at the bid price and selling at the asking price. If traders are prepared to accept market prices, this approach permits making a profit even when orders and sales are not changed. How does scalp trading work? Charting, speed and consistency are the critical elements that make scalping possible. For instance, scalpers use technical analysis and various value gaps caused by bid-ask spreads and request streams.  Scalpers generally operate by creating a spread, or buying at the bid price and selling at the asking price, so that value distinguishes between the two value centers. Crypto scalpers try to hold their positions for a brief time, reducing the risk associated with the tactic. Additionally, traders that utilize scalp trading techniques must respond quickly to capitalize on the minutes — or even seconds — of short-term volatility. In this manner, scalpers can reap benefits over time continuously. But how do crypto scalpers make money? The different scalp trading tools used by crypto scalpers to reap gains include leverage, range trading, and the bid-ask spread, as explained below: Leverage: Leverage describes how much traders contribute from their pockets to increase their margin. Some scalpers use this method to increase the size of their position. Range trading: Scalp traders who engage in range trading watch for trades to close inside predetermined price ranges. For instance, some scalpers utilize a stop-limit order, which executes the trade at future market values. Bid-ask spread: By employing this strategy, scalpers can take advantage of the significant price discrepancy between the highest bid and lowest ask. Arbitrage: By purchasing and selling the same asset in different marketplaces, arbitrage scalpers can benefit from the price difference. How to set up a crypto scalping trading strategy? To set up a crypto scalp trading strategy, follow the simple steps below: Choose the trading pairs: Considering the volatility and liquidity of crypto assets, choose a trading pair that suits your risk-return investment profile. Select a trading platform: While selecting a trading platform that offers your chosen trading pair, consider various aspects like trading fees, interface, customer service, etc. Choose scalper bots: The foundation of scalping is speed; therefore, those who trade utilizing software are constantly in the lead. Also, the manual management of an investment portfolio is typically time-consuming and error-prone. Try various trading strategies: Before scalping, ensure you understand your strategy well by trying different trading techniques, as mentioned in the section above. Related: The most common crypto metrics: A beginner’s guide Advantages and disadvantages of scalp trading All trading strategies have pros and cons, and scalping is no exception. For instance, the risk in scalping is low due to the smaller position sizes involved. Moreover, crypto scalpers do not try to take advantage of significant price moves. Instead, they struggle to take advantage of small moves that occur frequently.  However, because the rewards from each trade are so little, scalpers search for additional liquid marketplaces to increase the frequency of their trades. According to economists, being optimistic about scalping may not be beneficial. For example, there isn’t a single tested method that ensures success in at least 90% of scalp trading situations. Similarly, if something seems too good to be true, it probably is—especially in crypto trading. Furthermore, scalping frequently requires advanced analytical skills, although traders do not necessarily need to be patient with consistent price fluctuations. In addition, please bear in mind trading fees, which may be high, depending upon your trading volume. Scalp trading vs. day trading In contrast to long-term hodling, day trading encourages the trader to concentrate on minute price changes. So, how is day trading different from scalp trading? Related: Day trading vs. long-term cryptocurrency hodling: Benefits and drawbacks A scalping trader holds a financial asset for less than 5 minutes and can typically maintain a deal for 2 minutes. On the other hand, day traders hold trades for several hours.  Moreover, crypto scalpers open 10s or 100s of trades daily to reap significant gains. In contrast, day traders are limited to a small number of daily trades. In addition, day traders occasionally rely on fundamental analysis, whereas scalping requires knowledge of technical analysis.  Scalp trading is also different from swing trading as scalpers hold trades for a few seconds to minutes, whereas swing traders typically maintain their positions for a few days to weeks, even months.  Additionally, swing trading involves reasonable monitoring and current knowledge of news and business events, whereas scalping necessitates constant monitoring throughout the trading session. Is crypto scalp trading worth it? Developing your ability to interpret charts and expanding your understanding of various crypto trading tactics are the keys to becoming a good crypto scalper.  In general, scalp trading can be aggressive and demanding and may be highly draining for untrained brains. Because the return from each trade is too small, more substantial capital is required to produce meaningful outcomes.  And, of course, as there is a “no one size fits all” crypto trading strategy, one should utilize the techniques that best fit their risk-return portfolio. A lack of confidence in one’s abilities while dealing with risky assets may prove unproductive in the long run.  The most crucial lesson for scalpers to learn is likely risk management. Compared to choosing entry and exit points, choosing how to manage risk can have a much more significant impact on the financial performance of the investment portfolio. Purchase a licence for this article. Powered by SharpShark.

Joint Statement On The U.S.-Romanian Bilateral Defense Relationship – Department Of Defense https://bentoncountynewsnow.com/joint-statement-on-the-u-s-romanian-bilateral-defense-relationship-department-of-defense/ On September 24, 2022, U.S. Assistant Secretary of Defense for International Security Affairs Celeste Wallander and Romanian State Secretary Simona Cojocaru met in Romania to discuss a range of bilateral defense and regional security issues.  The two leaders recognized the 25th anniversary of the U.S.-Romania strategic partnership, shared views on Black Sea security, and lauded NATO’s unified response against Russia’s war of choice in Ukraine.   Both leaders noted Ukraine’s recent battlefield successes in the Donbas region and condemned Russian President Vladimir Putin’s recent escalatory rhetoric.    Assistant Secretary Wallander re-affirmed the United States’ Article 5 commitment to the Eastern Flank and thanked Romania for hosting a significant number of U.S. rotational forces.   Both leaders also marked the historical significance of the NATO Summit in Madrid and stressed the need for Allies to continue investing in combat-credible forces to defend the Alliance and deter Russian aggression.     While aboard a Romanian naval vessel on the Danube River, Assistant Secretary Wallander and State Secretary Cojocaru joined a group of policy and military experts to discuss Black Sea security, and observed river barges and cargo ships ferrying vital Ukrainian grain exports to the global market.    The following day, both leaders visited Romania’s 86th Air Base in Borcea, where they met with members of a Romanian F-16 squadron supporting NATO combat air patrols and Black Sea air policing operations.

James Cameron Praises Tech Role In Super/Natural – Longview News-Journal https://bentoncountynewsnow.com/james-cameron-praises-tech-role-in-super-natural-longview-news-journal/ James Cameron has praised the role advancing technology has played in his new nature series ‘Super/Natural’. The ‘Avatar’ filmmaker has produced the documentary series – which is narrated by Benedict Cumberbatch – for National Geographic and he admitted some of the footage used the show would never have been captured a few years ago. He told CNET: “The way they were using the racer drones to fly through the forest and move with the animals, it was really combining bits of tech that are advancing. “You’ve got the high-speed cameras [which] are getting smaller. You’ve got probe lenses, now the optics are getting better. And by using different coatings they can make them sensitive to ultraviolet, which people weren’t necessarily looking at, or infrared and so on. Ultra low-light cameras have always been of interest to me because in the deep ocean there’s no light. “If you want to see the bioluminescence and you want to see the strategies deep-ocean animals use around vision, some of them have eyes this big because there’s so few photons down there. [You need] low-light cameras and high-speed photography. We love that.” James joked people’s “superpower” now is having the technology to see the sights and hear the sounds that animals do. He added: “We’re getting up to very, very high frame rates, watching a stonefish take its prey in 16 milliseconds. It’s so fast you can’t even see it with your eye. But then we’re able to slow it down to extend our human perception. “Our superpower is that we use technology to look at all the spectra and all the sound frequencies that animals use. They had to do it the hard way through millions of years of evolution. We’re able to do it in a much shorter cycle of of tech evolution.”

IHSA FOOTBALL WEEK 5 RESULTS | The Voice Of LaSalle County Since 1952! – 1430wcmy.com https://bentoncountynewsnow.com/ihsa-football-week-5-results-the-voice-of-lasalle-county-since-1952-1430wcmy-com/ Friday’s Scores ALAH 42, Tri-County 6 Aledo (Mercer County) 48, ROWVA/Williamsfield co-op (BKB) 28 Andrew 14, Lincoln Way Central 7 Antioch 49, Grayslake North 6 Argo 27, Oak Lawn Community 10 Auburn 32, PORTA-Ashland-Chandlerville Central 6 Aurora Christian 27, Chicago Christian 0 Barrington 27, Schaumburg 14 Batavia 35, Glenbard North 6 Belleville East 33, Alton 14 Belvidere North 49, Belvidere 13 Bismarck-Henning 60, Fithian Oakwood 21 Brooks Academy 18, Curie 14 Brother Rice 43, De La Salle 7 Burlington Central 24, Crystal Lake South 20 Byron 30, North Boone 6 Cahokia 46, Carbondale 6 Calhoun/Brussels Co-op 33, Carrollton 8 Carlinville 34, Staunton 21 Carmi White County 38, Fairfield 12 Carterville 42, Anna-Jonesboro 7 Casey-Westfield 12, Lawrenceville 6 Catlin (Salt Fork) 47, Georgetown-Ridge Farm 0 Centralia 16, Belleville (Althoff Catholic) 7 Champaign Centennial 7, Danville 0 Chicago (Noble Charter/C. Bulls) 34, Lincoln Park 12 Chicago Academy 21, Prosser 12 Chicago Mt. Carmel 41, St. Ignatius 17 Chicago Perspectives/Joslin 28, Richards 12 Clifton Central 53, Watseka (coop) 0 Coal City 31, Lisle 0 Colfax Ridgeview 33, El Paso-Gridley 7 Collinsville 43, Mattoon 3 Columbia 24, Freeburg 0 Crete-Monee 48, Joliet Catholic 42 Crystal Lake Central 37, Dundee-Crown 24 Cumberland 38, Arcola 28 Decatur Lutheran (LSA) 58, Milledgeville 56 Decatur St. Teresa 49, Clinton 7 Deerfield 24, Vernon Hills 21 Downers North 49, Proviso West 0 Downers South 46, Proviso East 28 Du Quoin 50, Pinckneyville 14 Dunlap 49, East Peoria 0 Dupo 43, Carlyle 28 Dwight 33, Momence 28 Edwardsville 70, Belleville West 0 Effingham 48, Taylorville 13 Elgin 48, West Chicago 20 Elk Grove 28, Buffalo Grove 14 Elmwood-Brimfield 48, Warsaw West Hancock 22 Eureka 42, Gibson City-Melvin-Sibley 0 Fairbury Prairie Central 54, Illinois Valley Central 7 Fenger 18, Bowen 12 Forreston 46, Galena 14 Genoa (Genoa-Kingston) 58, Rock Falls 6 Glenbard East 42, Streamwood 8 Glenbard South 47, Bartlett 6 Glenbrook South 31, Niles West 0 Greenfield-Northwestern 48, Winchester (West Central) 12 Greenville 41, Litchfield 12 Hall 66, Mendota 45 Hampshire 12, McHenry 8 Harrisburg 42, Massac County/Joppa-Maple Grove Co-op 0 Harvey Thornton 33, Thornridge 0 Hersey 41, Prospect 34 Highland 35, Triad 0 Highland Park 29, Niles North 6 Hillcrest 22, Thornton Fractional South 13 Hinsdale Central 22, OPRF 19 Hinsdale South 27, Berwyn-Cicero Morton 17 Hoffman Estates 45, Conant 44 Homewood-Flossmoor 20, Bradley-Bourbonnais 17 Hononegah 39, Rockford East 16 Hope Academy 40, Ottawa Marquette 25 Huntley 37, Algonquin (Jacobs) 20 IC Catholic 75, Aurora Central Catholic 6 Jacksonville 51, Springfield 14 Johnston City 43, Flora 15 Kaneland 41, Ottawa 14 Kankakee 56, Thornwood 6 Lake Forest 35, Zion Benton 7 Lake View 20, Senn 0 Lake Zurich 23, Warren Township 14 Lanark (Eastland)-Pearl City 40, Dakota 36 LeRoy 33, Fieldcrest 14 Lemont 44, Tinley Park 6 Lena-Winslow 54, Fulton 32 Libertyville 41, Waukegan 8 Lincoln Way West 36, Stagg 0 Lincoln-Way East 42, Bolingbrook 32 Lisle (Benet Academy) 20, Marian Catholic (Chicago Heights) 14 Machesney Park Harlem 42, Freeport 24 Macomb 58, Farmington 7 Madison 24, Tremont 14 Mahomet-Seymour 55, Charleston 14 Maine South 43, Glenbrook North 0 Maine West 42, Maine East 0 Manteno 38, Streator 22 Marengo 43, Harvard 10 Marist 42, Marmion 0 Maroa-Forsyth 42, Pittsfield 12 Mascoutah 49, Jerseyville Jersey 14 Metamora 54, Canton 20 Metea Valley 17, Waubonsie Valley 7 Milford/Cissna Park Co-op 48, Alden-Hebron 20 Minooka 18, Oswego 8 Moline def. Rock Island Alleman, forfeit Monticello 45, Pontiac 0 Montini 38, Leo 14 Morris 49, LaSalle-Peru 7 Mount Vernon 32, Marion 20 Mt. Carmel 64, Olney (Richland County) 28 Mt. Sterling (Brown County) 6, Beardstown 0 Mt. Zion 41, Lincoln 14 Murphysboro/Elverado 36, Herrin 6 Naperville Neuqua Valley 14, Naperville Central 7 Naperville North 38, DeKalb 21 Nashville 44, Alton Marquette 7 Nazareth 45, Carmel 24 New Trier 17, Evanston Township 10 Niles Notre Dame 33, St. Viator 7 Normal Community 35, Bloomington 7 Normal University 35, Eisenhower 0 Normal West 20, Richwoods 0 North-Mac 38, Hillsboro 0 Oak Forest 34, Blue Island Eisenhower 25 Oak Lawn Richards 49, Shepard 24 Orion 27, Erie/Prophetstown 7 Oswego East 21, Aurora (West Aurora) 3 Palatine 31, Fremd 7 Pana 35, Piasa Southwestern 21 Paxton-Buckley-Loda 65, Rantoul 6 Payton 45, Kennedy 8 Pekin 14, Morton 7 Peoria Notre Dame 40, Granite City 14 Plainfield Central 30, Joliet West 22 Plainfield East 41, Joliet Central 6 Plainfield North 24, Yorkville 0 Plainfield South 42, Romeoville 6 Pleasant Hill (P.H.-Western Coop) 50, North Greene 26 Polo 44, Kirkland Hiawatha 32 Prairie Ridge 27, Cary-Grove 16 Princeton 56, Kewanee 7 Princeville 52, Lewistown 6 Quincy 42, Galesburg 14 Quincy Notre Dame 35, Breese Mater Dei 14 Red Bud 45, Sparta 0 Reed-Custer 41, Peotone 0 Rich Township 40, Chicago Heights (Bloom Twp.) 0 Richmond-Burton 49, Plano 6 River Ridge 52, Rockford Christian Life 28 Riverside-Brookfield 35, St. Edward 7 Robinson 27, Newton 14 Rochester 27, Chatham Glenwood 14 Rock Island 68, United Township High School 35 Rockford Boylan 41, Rockford Auburn 0 Rockford Lutheran 27, Oregon 6 Rockridge 28, Monmouth-Roseville 14 Rolling Meadows 34, Wheeling 6 Roxana 28, Salem 7 Rushville-Industry 30, Illini West (Carthage) 14 Sacred Heart-Griffin (Springfield) 52, Decatur MacArthur 0 Sandburg 34, Lockport 3 Sangamon Valley/Tri-City Co-op 21, Cerro Gordo-Bement Coop 6 Seneca 35, Gilman Iroquois West 0 Sesser-Valier-Waltonville 50, Christopher-Ziegler-Royalton 6 Shelbyville 46, Warrensburg-Latham 0 Sherrard 26, Morrison 22 Simeon 56, Hubbard 0 South Elgin 52, Aurora (East) 20 St. Bede 2, Riverdale 0 St. Charles North 35, Geneva 20 St. Joseph-Ogden 42, Nokomis 12 St. Laurence 31, DePaul College Prep 24 St. Rita 27, St. Patrick 0 Stanford Olympia 34, New Berlin/Franklin/Waverly Co-op 15 Stark County 33, Monmouth United 0 Sterling 40, Geneseo 0 Sterling Newman 27, Bureau Valley 0 Stevenson 35, Mundelein 6 Stillman Valley 42, Rockford Christian 0 Sullivan-Okaw Valley Co-op 26, Macon Meridian 0 Sycamore 34, Rochelle 0 Tolono Unity 41, Bloomington Central Catholic 14 Tri-Valley 50, Heyworth 14 Tuscola 13, Moweaqua Central A&M 0 Unity/Seymour Co-op 44, Triopia/Meredosia-Chambersburg/Virginia Co-op 14 Vandalia 48, Gillespie 6 Vienna-Goreville 20, Edwards County 6 Villa Grove/Heritage 42, Argenta-Oreana 0 Washington 49, Bartonville (Limestone) 0 Waterloo 40, Bethalto Civic Memorial 0 Wauconda 40, Grayslake Central 7 Wheaton North 28, Lake Park 7 Wheaton Warrenville South 27, St. Charles East 0 Williamsville 41, Athens 12 Willowbrook 35, Leyden 7 Wilmington 56, Herscher 20 Winnebago 29, Dixon 25 Woodhull-AlWood (Ridgewood) 38, Freeport (Aquin) 32 Woodstock 27, Woodstock North 20 Saturday’s Scores Amboy-LaMoille 44, Orangeville 0 Benton 45, West Frankfort 20 Camp Point Central 28, Jacksonville Routt 0 Chicago (Back of the Yards) 16, Gage Park 0 Chicago (C. Military Academy-Bronzeville) 30, Chicago Washington 14 Chicago (Christ the King) 50, Walther Christian Academy 6 Chicago (Hansberry College Prep) High School 46, Chicago (Noble Street Charter/Rauner) 6 Chicago (Lane) 24, Whitney Young 15 Clemente 32, Foreman 6 Durand/Pecatonica 16, Knoxville 7 Dyett 18, Chicago Vocational 8 Eldorado 22, Hamilton County 13 Evergreen Park 28, Reavis 21 Glenbard West 48, Addison Trail 14 Lindblom 58, Chicago (Solorio Academy) 24 Loyola 41, Fenwick 7 Morgan Park 22, Kenwood 13 Paris 42, Marshall 12 Red Hill 59, OPH 14 Schurz 58, Von Steuben 36 South Fork/Edinburg/Morrisonville Co-op 50, Metro-East Lutheran 8 Springfield Southeast 28, Springfield Lanphier 6 St. Francis 69, Champaign Central 14 Stockton 64, West Carroll 8 York 27, Lyons 14 ___ Some high school football scores provided by Scorestream.com, https://scorestream.com/