Clark County News Now

The Weekend Planner With St. Joe Today! | News/Talk/Sports 94.9 WSJM – News/Talk/Sports 94.9 WSJM https://clarkcountynewsnow.com/the-weekend-planner-with-st-joe-today-news-talk-sports-94-9-wsjm-news-talk-sports-94-9-wsjm/ A big weekend ahead and Daniele from St. Joe Today is planning our weekend for us and Fall Fest is happening in St. Joe and a lot of breweries in the area celebrating Oktoberfest. Plus Lars Petzke from Re/Max by the Lake joins us to talk about what they love about being a part of Fall Fest and how you can enjoy a giant balloon walk through on Saturday morning! Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 11:59 — 21.9MB) | Embed Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Google Podcasts | Spotify | Amazon Music | iHeartRadio | Stitcher | Email | RSS | More

Meet So-Hee Woo, Creator Of The Kid LAROI’s Metaverse Set – Alternative Press https://clarkcountynewsnow.com/meet-so-hee-woo-creator-of-the-kid-larois-metaverse-set-alternative-press/ Los Angeles’ Fairfax, a time-honored destination for streetwear and youth culture, is a fitting neighborhood to hear So-Hee Woo talk about her AR set design for alternative-rock singer KILLBOY. She arrives in custom-made jeans, which she repurposed with giant vinyl stickers of hand-designed Doberman Pinschers, then painted in head-turning pink and red. Not even five minutes into the interview, Woo gasps over a ping from her phone; her friend has sent her a link to test Pinterest’s new invite-only collage-making app. Woo excitedly unlocks Shuffles’ features, quickly pulling objects from her photo library to create a collage that frankly looks artful for something done in 30 seconds. Nimbleness and curiosity are pivotal to all of Woo’s creative endeavors. Read more: How Blazzy brought more awareness to the dangers of fentanyl with a T-shirt “It can be horrible,” she says. “It can be the worst thing you’ve ever made. But just try. It expands your mind on how to do things.”  As the current Head of XR Design at Encore, Woo makes “live music videos,” a hotly debated term that she personally loves to use to describe her mixed reality sets for artists’ virtual concerts. As the music industry inches toward acceptance of the metaverse as an extension of an artist’s identity, Woo likes to teach new converts and curious storytellers how to embrace the term.  “Some people hate [the term] ‘live music videos’ because then it feels less live and more manufactured,” Woo explains. “I like it because how you imagine the medium feels more similar [to a music video]. It doesn’t have to be constrained to the physical world.” attachment-img_6093 loading… [Photo via So-Hee Woo] For Encore, an interactive live music streaming app co-founded by Kid Cudi, Woo has built mixed reality sets with artists such as the Kid LAROI, Trippie Redd, $NOT, KYLE and Oliver Tree for their virtual shows. Some of her most vibrant collaborative work to date required modeling 3D heads to float in outer space, designing a cartoonish hellscape that abruptly cuts to raining dollar bills and dressing an electroluminescent stage against an ‘80s “retro sunset”-inspired backdrop. The visuals evoke the energy of a Hype Williams house party set while still presenting a new way for artists to reinforce their taste and style. The best part of it all: Any artist can make one on their own in-app. Though the experience is an exciting piece of the pie, it’s still many artists’ first time interacting with the metaverse when they step into Encore’s tiny green space to perform. As a result, what often happens is an “AR yard sale,” a term that Woo coined to describe all the littered design objects slapped onto an AR space when artists run amok with their new canvases. Yet augmented reality still abides by familiar visual principles: creating a background versus foreground, centering subjects for focus and having a purpose. Woo reminds artists of this as they start to build their sets. “[Artists] have been creating digital stuff for a really long time with music and album covers and music videos,” Woo says. “In AR, the principles are still similar. It’s just expanding that a lot more.” attachment-img_6091 loading… [Photo via So-Hee Woo] Self-proclaimed to have been “super addicted” to the concept of physical goods, Woo thought she was going to make tangible products after she graduated with a major in industrial design. After a brief stint creating instruments for the medical industry, Woo attended graduate school to further study industrial design with a focus on speculative design, which taught her how to cast what she thinks the future might look like, then take steps to address the problems set in the future. Still, Woo was craving some utility in her work.  “I needed a balance,” Woo says. “My grad program used to be problem-setting, but the industrial design mind in me focused on problem-solving. To me, just problem-setting was almost too emotional. Everything always feels broken.”  During her thesis, Woo met with early innovators behind Encore and worked as a contractor to help them define their lane in extended realities. Inspired by the opportunity to expand on its use for the future, she took a position as the team’s first Head of XR Design to lead one-off video productions, tech research and development, and now the democratization of the digital tool in the music and creator industry. attachment-img_6092 loading… [Photo via So-Hee Woo] For as long as the metaverse needs an articulate definition, the job offers the balance that Woo was seeking through her academic pursuits. “A lot of people think the metaverse is undefined because it’s not fully immersive yet,” Woo explains. “This is the problem-setting part. [The metaverse] is a concept we are trying to shape: What are we going to do between now and what it actually is? When we have defined that, we better have made some good decisions along the way.”  In hopes of defining the future of the metaverse through a healthy and humane framework, Woo believes it is important to bring more laypeople, from musicians to other creators, into AR through accessible language — ultimately to teach them that anyone can do what she does. In her downtime, she enjoys creating “how-to” TikToks to give sneak peeks into the manageable, no-cost (outside of a smartphone) work that goes into building sets. She also makes videos to unpack the emotional and psychological facets of the metaverse. “I offer a unique perspective because I am not that technical,” she says. “I am still a designer and artist. I still have my core beliefs and values of what I want to say, and AR just helps me show it.”  Woo’s core piece of advice for anyone who wants to start? Ask yourself what is the easiest way to get motivated.  “That’s more important than what type of software to use,” she says. “If you think it would be really funny to make an AR snail climb along your forehead and have him high-five you on the way down, you learn the technology that way, and that is so much more useful. That’s your first step to the next thing.”

Singapore Tech Show Attendees Go Crazy After $6 Mystery Boxes, Police Probes Online Retailer – Tech Times https://clarkcountynewsnow.com/singapore-tech-show-attendees-go-crazy-after-6-mystery-boxes-police-probes-online-retailer-tech-times/ John Lopez, Tech Times 15 September 2022, 11:09 am Attendees of a Suntech Singapore Tech Show go frenzy for piles of mystery packs priced at $6 each. Hundreds of bargain hunters rush to get their hands on parcels containing mystery items in a few snapshots first shared by The Strait Times. This particular incident caught the attention of Singaporean authorities, citing several violations. COMEX 2022 Attracts Bargain Hunters in Singapore After being trapped at home for the duration of the pandemic, bargain hunters are now on a mission to seize the next opportunity for the best tech deals, and cool product finds. This tech show, which took place on Sept. 1 to 4, was one of the first face-to-face conventions held in Singapore following the COVID outbreak. Read Also: Singapore Banks’ Kill Switch Now Required-Helping Account Owners Avoid Possible Online Scams COMEX 2022 is a technology show with the best deals on gadgets, laptops, TVs, desktops, and more. It includes activities and booths showcasing the best tech deals available today. Some of the event’s participating brands include Acer, Alienware, Apple, Asus ROG, Huawei, and more tech companies. Constellar organized the consumer technology event. One of the event’s most popular booths belongs to a retailer who sells unclaimed mystery packs containing tech goodies for as little as SG $6. People who enjoy surprises can order mystery boxes online from various sellers. A mystery box is a surprise package that is frequently distributed with a particular theme or brand. The items in the box stand for a specific amount. For instance, you can purchase a mystery box online for as low as $5 and receive $100 worth of goods. This Singaporean retailer follows the mystery box trend by including tech products. The booth also offers an interesting deal: buy 10 parcels and get two mystery boxes for free. The parcels are unclaimed, according to a report from MS News, which cited booth operator The Auction House, also previously managed The Heist Singapore. Additionally, package contents include a variety of goodies for bargain hunters, including toys, power banks, and earbuds. Tech Show Bargain Violates SG Law, Says Police In Singapore, new laws on social gambling was implemented on Aug. 1. The mystery boxes fall under one of the provisions of the new gambling laws, according to a report by The Strait Times. Authorities said with the new policy, the Singaporean government anticipates technological and gambling trends and respond to new gambling products and services. The new laws also require private establishments to obtain licenses before offering gambling services like betting and lotteries. Mystery parcels, which are said to be a form of a public lottery, are prohibited in Singapore. Last Aug. 13, police confirmed to The Strait Times that a report had been filed and that a probe is currently underway to determine if The Auction House is guilty of violating gambling laws. Although the contents of a mystery box are unknown, there is a chance that buyers will receive products worth more than the selling price. This is what authorities are emphasizing. Related Article: Chinese Man Sentenced to Four Weeks in Jail in Singapore for Using His Co-worker’s TraceTogether Token ⓒ 2022 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Tags:

Compound Crypto Price Prediction 2022 – Will COMP Recover? – Cryptonews https://clarkcountynewsnow.com/compound-crypto-price-prediction-2022-will-comp-recover-cryptonews/ Compound (COMP) crypto has pumped 4.56% today following the successful finalization of the Ethereum merge earlier this morning.  As a result the price of Compound is now trading at a steady $56.67 and could be making headway back to the $60 price levels.  Will Compound crypto pump?  At the time of writing this article Compound crypto is trading within a symmetrical triangle pattern. Because Compound crypto was in a downtrend prior to the formation of this triangle, it could be considered as a bearish continuation chart pattern, though I don’t think this will be the case as it seems like Compound may have bottomed out.  Following the Terra Luna crypto crash in May 2022, Bitcoin nosedived through the 200-week moving average and caused havoc across the entire crypto markets in the following month.  This is where Compound (COMP) crypto potentially bottomed out hitting a low of $26.25. Holders who were lucky enough to have scooped up that dip on the 18th June 2022 would now still be up by a generous 115%.  COMPOUND/U.S. DOLLAR – Daily Time Frame.  As we can see the trajectory of Compound has been very bullish since the lows of June 2022.  If Compound (COMP) crypto can maintain bullish price momentum there is a good chance that we might retest the resistance trendline of the symmetrical triangle at $68.22.  A successful breakout backed by a large amount of trading volume could indicate that Compound (COMP) crypto might try to retest a key resistance level at $81.36 followed by the next technical target of $93.22. Compound (COMP) is still significantly down from the all-time high of $913 set on the 10th of May 2021. The overall reduction in price has amounted to a staggering 93.57%. The current low prices of Compound (COMP) crypto could serve as lucrative to the patient long-term investor. Bear markets tend to be long and slow, but do offer strong opportunities where many major blue-chip cryptocurrencies are in an undervaluation reaccumulation phase.  Upon failure of breaking through the $68.22 resistance level a bearish scenario is that Compound (COMP) crypto retests a lower support range at $52.44 followed by the support trendline of the symmetrical triangle at $46.49.  The relative strength index still looks healthy in contrast to the price, though I always favor dollar collar cost averaging in at RSI levels below 30. As we can see from the price chart displayed above both of the oversold positions on the daily time frame provided traders with big returns.  Compound Crypto Video Analysis Compound (COMP) crypto now has a $415 million market capital following the recent pump in the crypto market. According to Coinmarketcap COMP has also reclaimed the top 100 crypto position and is ranked #87. Whilst I do not think Compound crypto will achieve any new all-time highs this year, I speculate that there is a lot of room for growth in the long-term future where a 10x might be possible. An exciting cryptocurrency known as Tamadoge is pending to hit the crypto markets later this year where we could also see exponential growth similar to Compound crypto once it goes to public sale.

U.S. Stocks Drop As Investors Eye Next Fed Meeting – The Wall Street Journal https://clarkcountynewsnow.com/u-s-stocks-drop-as-investors-eye-next-fed-meeting-the-wall-street-journal/ By Joe Wallace Updated Sept. 15, 2022 11:45 am ET U.S. stocks dropped on Thursday morning as investors looked to the next Federal Reserve meeting and the odds it will have to take tougher action to combat inflation than many had hoped.  The three major indexes fell, rose and then fell again in erratic trading. Most recently, the S&P 500 was down 0.9% after data showed a strong economy that could encourage the Fed to keep raising interest rates at a rapid pace. The tech-focused Nasdaq Composite dropped 1.4%, while the Dow Jones Industrial Average slipped 0.2%. Continue reading your article with a WSJ membership View Membership Options Already a member? Sign In

Cracking The Carbon Removal Challenge | MIT News | Massachusetts Institute Of Technology – MIT News https://clarkcountynewsnow.com/cracking-the-carbon-removal-challenge-mit-news-massachusetts-institute-of-technology-mit-news/ By most measures, MIT chemical engineering spinoff Verdox has been enjoying an exceptional year. The carbon capture and removal startup, launched in 2019, announced $80 million in funding in February from a group of investors that included Bill Gates’ Breakthrough Energy Ventures. Then, in April — after recognition as one of the year’s top energy pioneers by Bloomberg New Energy Finance — the company and partner Carbfix won a $1 million XPRIZE Carbon Removal milestone award. This was the first round in the Musk Foundation’s four-year, $100 million-competition, the largest prize offered in history. “While our core technology has been validated by the significant improvement of performance metrics, this external recognition further verifies our vision,” says Sahag Voskian SM ’15, PhD ’19, co-founder and chief technology officer at Verdox. “It shows that the path we’ve chosen is the right one.” The search for viable carbon capture technologies has intensified in recent years, as scientific models show with increasing certainty that any hope of avoiding catastrophic climate change means limiting CO2 concentrations below 450 parts per million by 2100. Alternative energies will only get humankind so far, and a vast removal of CO2 will be an important tool in the race to remove the gas from the atmosphere. Voskian began developing the company’s cost-effective and scalable technology for carbon capture in the lab of T. Alan Hatton, the Ralph Landau Professor of Chemical Engineering at MIT. “It feels exciting to see ideas move from the lab to potential commercial production,” says Hatton, a co-founder of the company and scientific advisor, adding that Verdox has speedily overcome the initial technical hiccups encountered by many early phase companies. “This recognition enhances the credibility of what we’re doing, and really validates our approach.” At the heart of this approach is technology Voskian describes as “elegant and efficient.” Most attempts to grab carbon from an exhaust flow or from air itself require a great deal of energy. Voskian and Hatton came up with a design whose electrochemistry makes carbon capture appear nearly effortless. Their invention is a kind of battery: conductive electrodes coated with a compound called polyanthraquinone, which has a natural chemical attraction to carbon dioxide under certain conditions, and no affinity for CO2 when these conditions are relaxed. When activated by a low-level electrical current, the battery charges, reacting with passing molecules of CO2 and pulling them onto its surface. Once the battery becomes saturated, the CO2 can be released with a flip of voltage as a pure gas stream. “We showed that our technology works in a wide range of CO2 concentrations, from the 20 percent or higher found in cement and steel industry exhaust streams, down to the very diffuse 0.04 percent in air itself,” says Hatton. Climate change science suggests that removing CO2 directly from air “is an important component of the whole mitigation strategy,” he adds. “This was an academic breakthrough,” says Brian Baynes PhD ’04, CEO and co-founder of Verdox. Baynes, a chemical engineering alumnus and a former associate of Hatton’s, has many startups to his name, and a history as a venture capitalist and mentor to young entrepreneurs. When he first encountered Hatton and Voskian’s research in 2018, he was “impressed that their technology showed it could reduce energy consumption for certain kinds of carbon capture by 70 percent compared to other technologies,” he says. “I was encouraged and impressed by this low-energy footprint, and recommended that they start a company.” Neither Hatton nor Voskian had commercialized a product before, so they asked Baynes to help them get going. “I normally decline these requests, because the costs are generally greater than the upside,” Baynes says. “But this innovation had the potential to move the needle on climate change, and I saw it as a rare opportunity.” The Verdox team has no illusions about the challenge ahead. “The scale of the problem is enormous,” says Voskian. “Our technology must be in a position to capture mega- and gigatons of CO2 from air and emission sources.” Indeed, the International Panel on Climate Change estimates the world must remove 10 gigatons of CO2 per year by 2050 in order to keep global temperature rise under 2 degrees Celsius. To scale up successfully and at a pace that could meet the world’s climate challenge, Verdox must become “a business that works in a technoeconomic sense,” as Baynes puts it. This means, for instance, ensuring its carbon capture system offers clear and competitive cost benefits when deployed. Not a problem, says Voskian: “Our technology, because it uses electric energy, can be easily integrated into the grid, working with solar and wind on a plug-and-play basis.” The Verdox team believes their carbon footprint will beat that of competitors by orders of magnitude. The company is pushing past a series of technical obstacles as it ramps up: enabling the carbon capture battery to run hundreds of thousands of cycles before its performance wanes, and enhancing the polyanthraquinone chemistry so that the device is even more selective for CO2. After hurtling past critical milestones, Verdox is now working with its first announced commercial client: Norwegian aluminum company Hydro, which aims to eliminate CO2 from the exhaust of its smelters as it transitions to zero-carbon production. Verdox is also developing systems that can efficiently pull CO2 out of ambient air. “We’re designing units that would look like rows and rows of big fans that bring the air into boxes containing our batteries,” he says. Such approaches might prove especially useful in locations such as airfields, where there are higher-than-normal concentrations of CO2 emissions present. All this captured carbon needs to go somewhere. With XPRIZE partner Carbfix, which has a decade-old, proven method for mineralizing captured CO2 and depositing it in deep underground caverns, Verdox will have a final resting place for CO2 that cannot immediately be reused for industrial applications such as new fuels or construction materials. With its clients and partners, the team appears well-positioned for the next round of the carbon removal XPRIZE competition, which will award up to $50 million to the group that best demonstrates a working solution at a scale of at least 1,000 tons removed per year, and can present a viable blueprint for scaling to gigatons of removal per year. Can Verdox meaningfully reduce the planet’s growing CO2 burden? Voskian is sure of it. “Going at our current momentum, and seeing the world embrace carbon capture, this is the right path forward,” he says. “With our partners, deploying manufacturing facilities on a global scale, we will make a dent in the problem in our lifetime.”

In Our View: Evictions Show Need To Stabilize Rental Market – The Columbian https://clarkcountynewsnow.com/in-our-view-evictions-show-need-to-stabilize-rental-market-the-columbian/ The Columbian Published: September 15, 2022, 6:03am The easy way to reduce evictions is for residents to pay their rent or mortgage. But nothing has been simple about the pandemic economy, and efforts to keep people in their homes will be studied for years to come. Shortly after COVID-19 arrived in the United States, the federal government issued a ban on evictions for failure to pay, a ban that was struck down by the Supreme Court in August 2021. Many states, including Washington, implemented their own moratoriums while still allowing evictions for reasons other than failure to pay. This was necessary, given the initial economic shock of the pandemic. With an unprecedented number of workers going without paychecks because of mandated business shutdowns, governments and advocacy groups worked to provide rent assistance to help avoid mass evictions. Congress appropriated nearly $47 billion for emergency rental assistance as part of early pandemic relief packages. Now, with assistance subsiding and eviction moratoriums having expired, the lessons of the response are coming into focus. In Clark County, The Columbian reports, eviction filings this year are running 5.2 percent lower than the 2016 level. That is a good sign, but it is far short of the statewide trend, where eviction filings are about half as common as in 2016. As reporter Kelsey Turner notes: “About 10.9 percent of Washington’s eviction cases occur in Clark County, even though the county has only about 6.6 percent of the state’s population.” Eviction rates are an indicator species for the broader economy. They reflect affordability in a region and often are a harbinger of larger trends; when the economy takes a downturn, low-income and hourly workers often are the first to feel the pinch. The pandemic has altered that formula, leading to uncertainty about why Clark County’s eviction rate is higher than most areas in Washington. The answer likely is related to the ongoing influence of a tight rental market. With demand outpacing supply, landlords are more willing to seek evictions, confident that a replacement renter is available. All of that is a microcosm of issues that will be studied for quite some time: Were eviction moratoriums warranted and effective? Was rental assistance helpful? For people who faced unexpected job loss thanks to an unforeseen virus, government intervention provided a lifeline. But, as The Columbian argued editorially last October: “Landlords also have needs, particularly mom-and-pop operators who form a large percentage of landlords and are dependent on rental income.” Many landlords missed out on rent payments during the height of the pandemic, and they were not allowed to increase their rates. Experts say that is leading to sharp increases now in an effort to recover lost income. While we can empathize with renters facing increasing costs and job insecurity, landlords also have mortgages and other bills to pay. Nationally, statistics say eviction rates are roughly at pre-pandemic levels. But Clark County’s experience demonstrates the need to stabilize the rental market throughout the country. For areas that are desirable and attract new residents, quickly rising rental rates point out the need for more housing. As Forbes reports: “Affordable rental housing is a multifaceted problem that touches everything from supply to government intervention.” Such intervention was essential two years ago. But its impact is still being assessed.

Schiphol Airport Chief Quits After Summer Of Travel Chaos – Spectrum News https://clarkcountynewsnow.com/schiphol-airport-chief-quits-after-summer-of-travel-chaos-spectrum-news/ AMSTERDAM (AP) — The CEO of Amsterdam’s Schiphol Airport has quit after a summer that descended into chaos and flight cancellations amid staff shortages in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic. “I’ve done my very best, but we’re not there yet. I do hope it gets better soon,” CEO Dick Benschop said in a statement released by the airport Thursday, after he told the board of his decision on Wednesday night. He said he was stepping down “to give Schiphol the space to make a new start. I do not want attention on me to become an obstacle for Schiphol.” The busy aviation hub on the outskirts of Amsterdam has been hit by huge queues and piles of unclaimed baggage over the summer vacation months as air travel roared back after the pandemic. The surge in demand for air travel came after airlines and airports had slashed jobs during the aviation slump during the pandemic. Jaap de Winter, chairman of the Schiphol board, said he and board members “respect and understand Dick’s decision” and will be looking for a successor. ___ Follow all AP stories on the pandemic at https://apnews.com/hub/coronavirus-pandemic. Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.

South Carolina Home To New Europastry Production Facility – Food Business News https://clarkcountynewsnow.com/south-carolina-home-to-new-europastry-production-facility-food-business-news/ COLUMBIA, SC. —Europastry plans to invest $23 million to establish a facility in Laurens County in South Carolina that will produce an assortment of brioche bread products. Operations are expected to begin by the end of November. The Coordinating Council for Economic Development in South Carolina approved a $150,000 rural infrastructure fund grant to Laurens County to assist with the costs of building improvements in the Hunter Industrial Park. “Laurens has become a strategic location, allowing the company to expand its footprint in the US,” Europastry said. “The new plant will start up operations soon, and more details will be provided in the following weeks.” Europastry has other US production plants in Ronkonkoma and Bayport, NY, and New Brunswick, NJ. Based in Barcelona, Spain, and active in 80 countries, Europastry in the 2021 fiscal year had sales of €845 million ($845 million).

Islamic Solidarity Fund For Development (ISFD) Funds Maternal, Neonatal, And Child Health In Tajikistan – African Business https://clarkcountynewsnow.com/islamic-solidarity-fund-for-development-isfd-funds-maternal-neonatal-and-child-health-in-tajikistan-african-business/ The Islamic Solidarity Fund for Development (ISFD) (https://ISFD.IsDB.org), with IsDB representatives and other donors visited Tajikistan in support of the country’s health sector. The visit focused on the “Improving Neonatal and Child Health (MNCH) in the Republic of Tajikistan’’ project which is funded by ISFD in addition to the Abu Dhabi Fund for Development (ADFD), the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF), the King Salman Humanitarian Aid, Relief Center (KSRelief), and the Qatar Fund for Development (QFFD).  The project is implemented through the Lives and Livelihoods Fund (LLF) and executed by the Republic of Tajikistan’s Ministry of Health and Social Protection of Population (MHSP). The project aims at saving the lives of mothers and their newborns and children under 5 years of age in four districts of the Khatlon region with a population of nearly 5 million.  The Project components include, i) Provision of equipment, medical supplies, and development of health facilities infrastructure; ii) Development of institutional and human resource capacity through inter-related studies and training courses; iii) Mobilization of community and support to awareness campaigns. By 2030, the planned impact of this project include: reducing maternal mortality from 45 to 25 per 100,000 live births (LB), under 5 years mortality from 43 to 25 per 1000 LB, infant mortality from 34 to 20 per 1000 LB, and neonatal mortality from 19 to 16 per 1000 LB. On 5th September, the donors’ representatives, including ISFD, visited 2 districts in the Khatlon region namely Danghara, and Norak where they followed on project implementation on the ground. The visit focused on rural health centers and health houses benefitting from equipment and training, as well as the construction and renovation sites for the Danghara polyclinic and the Norak Central District Hospital. The ISFD and other donors also interacted with the local communities and sought their opinion about the services provided under the project within these densely populated and yet geographically challenging environments. Dr. Hiba Ahmed, Director General for Islamic Solidarity Fund for Development (ISFD) stated: “Despite being still in the implementation phase, the LLF project in Tajikistan has made remarkable forward steps towards enhancing maternity conditions and reducing child mortality and morbidity rates in the Khatlon Region. The project complements the country’s efforts in developing an effective health sector that can realize the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG), especially Goal 3 of “ensuring healthy lives and promoting well-being for all at all ages”.  ISFD looks forward to seeing the project being fully implemented with positive and far-reaching impacts on the lives of beneficiaries, especially those living in rural areas and the hard-to-reach communities.” Dr. Hiba Ahmed also expressed the appreciation of ISFD and IsDB to the Government of Tajikistan, the different stakeholders, and ministries supporting this very important project, especially the Ministries of Finance, Health, and Economic Development & Trade. The country’s hospitality made this visit a great success. Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Islamic Solidarity Fund for Development (ISFD). This Press Release has been issued by APO. The content is not monitored by the editorial team of African Business and not of the content has been checked or validated by our editorial teams, proof readers or fact checkers. The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.

New England Patriots News 9/15/22 – – Pats Pulpit https://clarkcountynewsnow.com/new-england-patriots-news-9-15-22-pats-pulpit/ Daily news and links for Thursday If you buy something from an SB Nation link, Vox Media may earn a commission. See our ethics statement.

Sologenic Originals: Own A Unique 3D Avatar For Metaverse & Gaming – GlobeNewswire https://clarkcountynewsnow.com/sologenic-originals-own-a-unique-3d-avatar-for-metaverse-gaming-globenewswire/ DUBAI, United Arab Emirates, Sept. 15, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — After an eventful Q2 with various ecosystem updates and new components, Sologenic announced the launch of its flagship original NFT collection. A limited batch of 14 avatars professionally 3D-modelled by the Anonymous Astronauts team for use in metaverse and gaming applications. Driving the marketplace catalogue into utility-based NFT use cases, the collection of unique characters will include an asset package for each holder to render and use their 3D avatar in multiple online experiences. The downloadable package will include a full-body high-resolution render of the avatar in the form of an FBX File; a format often used for game development and animation projects. “In an era driven by online experiences, having an online identity that reflects our personality is fundamental. Avatars become our identity in the virtual world, an extension of our personality that can now be captured in a 100% unique and customizable character as an NFT,” Favio Velarde (Sologenic’s Head of Growth) With the launch of the Original Series, Sologenic is introducing an on-chain solution for owner-exclusive content, very similar to token gated features commonly used on Discord community servers. The asset package will only appear as available on the page of each NFT to the verified wallet that owns it. Additionally, individual object files of the avatar’s clothing and accessories will be provided as Sologenic aims to release clothing NFT collections for the avatars in partnership with well-known brands with the aim to improve and excel in the customization of the virtual avatar online. Considering the recent news about the XLS-20 amendment set to unlock native NFT functionalities on the XRPL, the Sologenic team is prepared and remains in constant improvement by working on new features for the NFT Marketplace to remain the best platform for minting and trading digital collectables on the Ledger. About Sologenic Sologenic is disrupting the asset trading industry by offering: Tokenized Securities, Crypto Assets and NFTs in a decentralized ecosystem. The Sologenic Development Foundation is formed by independent developers who maintain, build and expand the Sologenic ecosystem. More information can be found on www.sologenic.org Contact Favio Velarde press@sologenic.org A video accompanying this announcement is available at: https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/3ec09081-c8dc-42cb-b4d9-8c85ea0c2cb7 Sologenic Originals The most exclusive NFT collection of avatars lands on the XRPL.

Zoo Boise Will Welcome Nerdy Guests For Free On Saturday – 107.9 LITE FM https://clarkcountynewsnow.com/zoo-boise-will-welcome-nerdy-guests-for-free-on-saturday-107-9-lite-fm/ Looking for a fun way to kill some time before the Boise State home opener on Saturday, September 17? How about a FREE visit to Zoo Boise on the way to the tailgate lot?  There’s been a crack in the multiverse bringing two of Boise’s favorite attractions together to host a very special year of the Boise Comic Arts Festival! Founded by the Boise Library!, the comic arts festival has always been a completely FREE, family-friendly celebration of comics and the enormous fandoms that they’ve launched. As a new venue for the comic arts festival, Zoo Boise is keeping with the tradition by offering all guests free admission on Saturday, September 17 beginning at 10 a.m. The only thing that guests need to do to redeem their free admission is to register for Saturday’s events on Eventbrite. After registering, you’ll be able to pick up your entry wristbands outside the Zoo gates when you arrive at the event.  At 17 acres, Zoo Boise will be the hub for BCAF X’s cosplay competitions, presentations, performances and Artists’ Alley, some of the most popular things happening during the three-day event.  I typically don’t write in the first person anymore because the internet trolls told me I shouldn’t, but when writing about the Boise Comic Arts Festival, I absolutely have to throw in my two cents. Those of you who spend time with me on the radio or social media know that I’m a huge nerd and that I started getting into conventions about four years ago. I was late to the party and didn’t attend the Boise Comic Arts Festival until 2019 when they hosted their event at JUMP. I was blown away by this event! It has so many of the components that people pay big money to see in Seattle, Portland or Salt Lake City…for FREE. The library and its partners have done such a great job putting this event together and it’s one of those local events that more people should know about!  Michelle Heart, Townsquare Media Michelle Heart, Townsquare Media loading… So what do you have to look forward to this year? In total, the event is three days long. Friday, September 16 is Librarians & Educators days which offers a curriculum on how to use comics as a tool in the classroom to inspire creativity, empower young readers and enhance what’s already in the lesson plan. The courses will be held at the Idaho State Museum. Click here to see the schedule and register for free.  Sunday’s programming includes panels, workshops and gaming events at both the Boise Public Library on Capitol and the Idaho State Museum. You can see the schedule here.   As for Saturday? There’s a lot going on at Zoo Boise, but we pulled some of the highlights that you should make time to see if you can! Things to See at Boise Comic Arts Festival – Saturday, September 17 There is A LOT going on over the three-day convention, but we pulled some highlights to check out on Saturday at Zoo Boise! Check out the full event schedule here. Look At the Amazing Costumes You Missed at Boise’s 2022 Gem State Comic Con The second annual Gem State Comic Con took place at Expo Idaho on Saturday, April 9. 35 Nerdy Photos of the Costumes You Missed at Meridian’s Cosplay Meet-Up

Bitcoin, Ethereum, Crypto News And Price Data – CoinDesk https://clarkcountynewsnow.com/bitcoin-ethereum-crypto-news-and-price-data-coindesk-5/ “First Mover,” CoinDesk TV’s flagship show, gives investors the top global market, business and regulatory news stories impacting digital assets. Hosted by CoinDesk’s Christine Lee, Lawrence Lewitinn and Emily Parker, “First Mover” features daily dispatches from CoinDesk reporters and partners around the world and high-profile guests including top newsmakers, influencers, analysts, traders and trend watchers at crypto exchanges.

U.S. Consumer Watchdog Plans To Regulate ‘buy-Now, Pay-Later’ Companies – Reuters https://clarkcountynewsnow.com/u-s-consumer-watchdog-plans-to-regulate-buy-now-pay-later-companies-reuters/ Signage is seen at the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) headquarters in Washington, D.C., U.S., August 29, 2020. REUTERS/Andrew Kelly Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com Sept 15 (Reuters) – The U.S. Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) plans to start regulating “buy-now, pay-later” (BNPL) companies like Klarna and Affirm Holdings (AFRM.O) due to worries their fast-growing financing products are harming consumers, the agency said on Thursday. The watchdog, which does not currently oversee BNPL companies or products, will issue guidance or a rule to align sector standards with those of credit card companies, it said. The agency also said it would implement appropriate supervisory examinations. The development will be a blow for the sector, which is already under pressure due to rising funding costs and lower American consumer spending during soaring inflation. read more Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com It also marks a major offensive for CFPB director Rohit Chopra, who has pledged to scrutinize tech-driven companies as they increasingly encroach on the traditional financial sector. “In the U.S., we have generally had a separation between banking and commerce, but as big tech-style business practices are adopted in the payments and financial services arena, that separation can go out the door,” he told reporters. PANDEMIC POPULARIZED BUY-NOW, PAY LATER COMPANIES BNPL services, which allow consumers to split purchase payments into installments, exploded in popularity as Americans turned to online shopping during the coronavirus pandemic. Providers charge online retailers a fee for each transaction. Following an inquiry last year, the CFPB found that BNPL providers Affirm Holdings, Block’s (SQ.N) Afterpay, Klarna, PayPal (PYPL.O) and Australia’s Zip Co (ZIP.AX) originated a combined 180 million loans in 2021, totaling $24.2 billion, a more than 200% increase from 2019. read more The CFPB in its report, however, said it was concerned their products could pose risks to consumers, highlighting a lack of standardized disclosures across the five companies surveyed and the potential for consumers to become overextended. In particular, the CFPB said because BNPL providers do not give data to credit reporting agencies, lenders might have an incomplete picture of a borrower’s liabilities, including BNPL loans at rival companies. The agency also pointed to customer data collection as a consumer risk, and said it would start identifying data surveillance practices BNPL companies should avoid. In a statement, a spokesperson for Affirm said its top priority is “empowering consumers by providing a safe, honest and responsible way to pay over time with no late or hidden fees.” “Today represents a big step forward for consumers and honest finance, and we are encouraged by the CFPB’s conclusions following their review,” the spokesperson said. A spokesperson for Klarna said the company “is committed to financial wellbeing and protecting consumers through industry innovation and proportionate regulation.” The other BNPL providers included in the CFPB’s December inquiry did not immediately respond to requests for comment. The CFPB was created in the wake of the 2008 financial crisis to crack down on predatory lenders, such as mortgage companies and payday lenders. While the agency has not traditionally overseen BNPL companies, Chopra told Reuters in July he believes he has the power to regulate companies’ activities when they are similar to those of traditional financial services firms. BNPL companies are likely to fight that assertion, however. Share prices of public “buy-now, pay-later” companies have been under pressure this year, with Affirm down more than 75% and Zip down 79%. Klarna’s valuation plunged around 85% in July. read more Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com Reporting by Hannah Lang in Washington; Editing by Michelle Price, Josie Kao and Jonathan Oatis Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Hughes To Provide High-Throughput Internet Service Through ISRO Satellites – The Indian Express https://clarkcountynewsnow.com/hughes-to-provide-high-throughput-internet-service-through-isro-satellites-the-indian-express/ Home Technology Tech Hughes to provide high-throughput internet service through ISRO satellites Hughes Communications India has launched what it claims is India’s first high-throughput satellite internet service aimed at connecting remote regions of the country. The new service should be able to provide high-speed internet to remote locations and enable solutions like Wi-Fi hotspots for community internet access, backhaul to extend mobile network reach and satellite internet for small businesses. (Illustrative image)(Image credit: Pixabay) Hughes Communications India (HCI) has launched India’s first commercial high-throughput satellite (HTS) broadband service. Hughes will provide the HTS broadband using the Indian Space Research Organisation’s (ISRO’s) GSAT-11 and GSAT-29 satellites. You have exhausted your monthly limit of free stories. To continue reading,simply register or sign in Already have an account? Sign In You need a subscription to read on. Buy one for as low asRs. 2.50 per day. *Conditions Apply Already a subscriber? Sign In This premium article is free for now. Register to continue reading this story. Already have an account? Sign In This content is exclusive for our subscribers. Subscribe to get unlimited access to The Indian Express exclusive and premium stories. This content is exclusive for our subscribers. Subscribe now to get unlimited access to The Indian Express exclusive and premium stories. Already a subscriber? Sign In “With the new HTS capabilities powered by ISRO satellites, we are confident that HCI will continue to deliver excellent quality satellite broadband services and further enhance the connectivity experience that accelerates India’s digital transformation. With its inherent advantages and ubiquitous nature, the new HTS service will play a pivotal role in extending broadband connectivity to the remotest locations, difficult to reach otherwise, and create economic opportunities to boost the local economy,” said S Somanath, ISRO Chairman, in a Hughes press statement. The new service should be able to provide high-speed internet to remote locations and enable solutions like Wi-Fi hotspots for community internet access, backhaul to extend mobile network reach and satellite internet for small businesses. “Available countrywide, HTS broadband from Hughes underscores our long-standing commitment to bridging the digital divide, delivering multi-megabit high-speed broadband at affordable rates. This new broadband service will address connectivity gaps, improve network performance, and support the high bandwidth requirements of government organisations, financial companies, cellular operators, mining and energy companies, among other businesses, large and small, helping to connect India to a limitless future,” said Partho Banerjee, president and managing director, HCI, in the press statement. Elon Musk’s SpaceX offers a similar service with Starlink, which uses a constellation of low-Earth Orbit (LEO) satellites to provide high-speed satellite internet connectivity. Starlink had plans to expand its business to India and even registered a business unit in India before it hit regulatory roadblocks. It is unclear whether Hughes’ two-satellite solution will offer internet connectivity as fast as Starlink, which offers median speeds of around 90 Mbps in the regions where it is available. © IE Online Media Services Pvt Ltd First published on: 15-09-2022 at 07:06:56 pm

Clark County And The State Of Nevada Move Forward With Funding To Address The Affordable Housing Crisis – Las Vegas Weekly https://clarkcountynewsnow.com/clark-county-and-the-state-of-nevada-move-forward-with-funding-to-address-the-affordable-housing-crisis-las-vegas-weekly/ Clark County officials have approved nearly $120 million to support the development of affordable housing in Southern Nevada. The “historic” funding is expected to lead to the construction of about 3,100 affordable housing units for low-income families and seniors. According to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), “affordable” means tenants are paying no more than 30% of income toward rent, utilities and other expenses like repairs. With rents and the cost of living having climbed since the pandemic, the need for affordable homes is more urgent than ever. And while it’s good news for funding recipients and the tenants who will eventually move in, Las Vegas and Nevada still have a long way to go. As of May, the National Low Income Housing Coalition named the Las Vegas metropolitan area as having the “most severe” affordable housing shortage of the 50 largest metropolitan cities in the country. Nevada was also at the top of the list of states with the worst shortages. County officials estimate a statewide shortage of 85,000 affordable housing units for families earning less than 50% of area median income, which is less than $36,200, according to HUD. Earlier this year, commissioners approved plans to help create 600 apartments for low-income families and seniors. “We are pursuing long-term solutions to the affordable housing challenges we face in our region to help ensure that more of our residents have a place to call home,” county chairman Jim Gibson said in a statement following the county board’s approval of the funding. WHEN CAN PEOPLE MOVE IN? While the county looks into lasting solutions to the dearth of affordable housing supply—including a Community Land Trust and more money for permanent supportive housing projects—the 10 developers awarded the $120 million are working on getting shovels in the ground. “From a developer’s perspective … we understand that the need is severe in our community,” says Waldon Swenson, vice president of corporate affairs for Nevada HAND. “We’re doing everything we can to ensure that we’re building responsibly, but also as quickly as possible.” The nonprofit broke ground in February 2021 on Decatur Commons, a 480-unit development for families and seniors earning 30-80% of area median income. As construction wraps up by the end of this month, the development already has a waitlist of 3,700 people wanting to move in. It takes about two years on average from the time financing is secured to occupancy, Swenson says. But the time frame can vary, depending on how long it takes to secure other requirements for subsidized housing including zoning and land (which local jurisdictions can facilitate), along with financing. The federal Low Income Housing Tax Credit, administered by the Nevada Housing Division, is one of the most used and, according to advocates, most important tools for financing development and preservation. (The county’s most recent round of funding was largely gap financing to supplement those tax credits.) As the state’s largest affordable housing developer (responsible for 25% of Southern Nevada’s market, Swenson says), Nevada HAND was awarded more than $36 million in county funding for more than 600 units spanning over five projects. Currently, it has more than 900 units under construction or rehabilitation, including family and senior housing. On a sliding scale, tenants pay an average of $733 monthly rent, Swenson says. Nevada HAND and advocates agree that greater investment in affordable housing programs is needed to make a meaningful impact on the shortage. “The tools in the affordable housing toolbox—such as the Low Income Housing Tax Credits and long-term rental assistance—do work. They’re under-invested,” Swenson says. “If we can invest in those programs … in an adequate way, we can truly move the needle and start to dramatically close the gap between the need and what we currently have.” CLOSING THE GAP At the state level, Gov. Steve Sisolak announced $500 million for affordable housing projects in early 2022. Home Means Nevada, the American Rescue Plan-funded initiative received approval from the state Interim Finance Committee in April for a first round of funding at $250 million. The Nevada Housing Division, the agency in charge of reviewing applications and recommending awardees to the state, is aiming to have a determination by October on which applications will be funded. “The division has engaged an affordable housing accounting firm to review the financial aspects of the applications for new development and preservation,” a spokesperson said in a statement. The Southern Nevada Regional Housing Authority (SNRHA) is ready to hear back regarding 20 applications totaling about $300 million submitted to the Home Means Nevada program. The authority manages more than 2,100 public housing units and administers federal programs including Section 8 and project-based vouchers. In addition to local and state funding to beef up Southern Nevada’s affordable housing inventory, SNRHA Executive Director Lewis Jordan says, increasing the state’s federal allocation of Section 8, also known as housing choice vouchers, is a priority. Unlike development, which can take years, vouchers can help eligible tenants cover rents and thereby provide more immediate relief to those who are struggling right now. Currently, HUD allocates about 12,500 vouchers on a once-annual basis for Southern Nevada—not enough to meet the need in the region, which has grown exponentially in recent decades, Jordan says. “We’ve been at that number for quite a while,” Jordan says. “Twenty years ago, the region had about 400,000 people. Now, we have about 2.4 million people in the region that we serve, while we’re still getting 12,500 vouchers to administer … We’ve spoken to a number of folks in [Washington,] D.C., about just examining that process.” Jordan adds that one of the challenges with housing choice vouchers is making sure landlords will accept them—“an ongoing conversation we’re having with elected officials. “We’re in the process of developing a more structured landlord partnership where we can offer landlords incentives for them to take Section 8 vouchers and things of that nature,” he says, adding that it will take collaboration with local jurisdictions to make that happen. Nevada HAND, which provides its own property management for about 8,000 residents, serves as an example of what affordable housing solutions can look like when the whole toolbox is used—vouchers, development incentives, local and state funding and community partnerships. “Each of our communities has on-site resident services built into the cost of rent,” Swenson says, adding that those services, like internet and computer labs, are intended to connect residents with resources such as pandemic rental assistance and food banks, to help them attain financial stability. “Over the last three years, 10% of family residents who left went on to purchase their first home,” he says. “Construction and rehabilitation are essential … But when we see success through our resident services moving people to home ownership or market-rate housing, that frees up the unit for someone else who’s in need.” Click HERE to subscribe for free to the Weekly Fix, the digital edition of Las Vegas Weekly! Stay up to date with the latest on Las Vegas concerts, shows, restaurants, bars and more, sent directly to your inbox!

California Coronavirus Updates: Sacramento County To Host Behavioral Health Career Fairs – Capital Public Radio News https://clarkcountynewsnow.com/california-coronavirus-updates-sacramento-county-to-host-behavioral-health-career-fairs-capital-public-radio-news/ Wednesday, September 14, 2022 | Sacramento, CA Find an updated count of COVID-19 cases in California and by county on our tracker here. Latest Updates Sacramento County to host behavioral health career fairs California to end weekly COVID-19 testing of state workers Wealthy countries have once again left African nations to deal with another outbreak with less resources Court rehears fight over vaccine mandate for federal workers First US death due to monkeypox confirmed in Los Angeles  Americans give failing marks to US health care system, according to poll COVID-19 By The Numbers Wednesday, September 14 3:00 p.m.: Sacramento County to host behavioral health career fairs Sacramento County officials will host career fairs on Thursday and Friday to hire more behavioral health professionals. The county has experienced a severe shortage of behavioral health workers as demand for their services has increased during the pandemic. The county is looking for qualified candidates to serve as mental health counselors, psychiatric nurses and therapists, among other positions, officials announced in a news release. County managers are expected to interview and hire people on the spot. The career fairs on both Thursday and Friday will be held at 9310 Tech Center Drive in Sacramento. Thursday’s fair will run from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m., and Friday’s fair will run from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. 11:15 a.m.: California to end weekly COVID-19 testing of state workers To better align state COVID-19 guidance with the most current federal recommendations, the California Department of Public Health is ending COVID-19 policies that require weekly testing for unvaccinated persons in high-risk workplaces and schools. In a press release, they detailed that workers at health care facilities, schools and other congregate settings will no longer be required to get those weekly tests done. The changes take effect on Sept. 17. However, the state’s vaccination and booster requirements for employees in health care, correctional health and adult residential settings remain in effect. In addition, changes to the vaccine-or-test policy regarding state workers will be announced separately by CalHR. State public health leaders still urge all individuals to say up-to-date on the COVID-19 vaccine to protect themselves from severe illness and slow the spread of the virus. Omicron subvariants are still emerging, meaning an updated booster shot is an essential tool against severe illness, hospitalization, long COVID and death. California expects to receive more than 1 million doses of the updated booster and will have ample supply to meet demand. The state has also distributed another round of 10 million at-home tests to K-12 schools. It continues to support additional testing resources for schools, including school and community testing sites, some of which offer COVID-19 treatments. 10:20 a.m.: Wealthy countries have once again left African nations to deal with another outbreak with less resources The monkeypox outbreak is subsiding in Europe and parts of North America, as reported by the Associated Press. Many scientists are now calling for resources to be redirected to stopping epidemics in Africa, where the once-rare disease has been established for decades. The U.N. health agency designated monkeypox as a global emergency in July and appealed to the world to support African countries so that the catastrophic vaccine inequity that plagued the COVID-19 outbreak wouldn’t be repeated. However, little has changed on the continent months later. No rich countries have shared vaccines or treatments with Africa. Some experts fear interest in funding critical questions like the search for monkeypox’s animal reservoir may soon evaporate. Tuesday, September 13 11:45 a.m.: Court rehears fight over vaccine mandate for federal workers The question of whether the Biden administration can require federal employees to get vaccinated against COVID-19 has been argued in an appeals court in New Orleans for a second time. As reported by the Associated Press, earlier this year, a three-judge panel of the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals upheld the Biden requirement. But the full appeals court decided to rehear the case. The administration argued Tuesday that the president has the same authority as the CEO of a private corporation to require that employees be vaccinated.  Opponents say the policy is an unconstitutional encroachment on federal workers’ lives and that Biden lacks the authority to impose it. 11:01 a.m.: First US death due to monkeypox confirmed in Los Angeles  A hospitalized Los Angeles County resident with a compromised immune system has died from monkeypox. According to the Associated Press, it’s believed to be the first U.S. fatality from the disease. LA County health officials announced the cause of death on Monday and said it was confirmed via autopsy. No other information on the patient was released. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention tracks monkeypox cases and has not confirmed any U.S. deaths. LA County officials said they worked with the CDC on their case. A CDC spokesperson confirmed the cooperation but did not immediately respond when asked if this was the first U.S. death. Monkeypox is spread through close skin-to-skin contact and prolonged exposure to respiratory droplets. It is not a sexually transmitted disease. Monday, September 12 11:39 a.m.: Americans give failing marks to US health care system, according to poll A majority of adults in the U.S. say health care is not handled well in the county, according to a new poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research. The poll reveals public satisfaction with the U.S. health care system is remarkably low, with fewer than half of Americans saying it’s handled well in general. Only 12% say it’s handled extremely or very well. Americans have similar views about health care for older adults. Overall, the public gives even lower marks for the handling of prescription drug costs, the quality of care at nursing homes and mental health care. A majority of Americans, roughly two-thirds, were happy to see the government step in to provide free COVID-19 testing, vaccines and treatment. Roughly 2 in 10 were neutral about the government’s response. The government’s funding for free COVID-19 tests dried up at the beginning of the month. And while the White House said the latest batch of recommended COVID-19 boosters will be free to anyone who wants one, it doesn’t have money on hand to buy any future rounds of booster shots for every American. 11:27 a.m.: Teacher shortages are here, and pandemic money is hoping to fill in the gaps Everywhere, it seems, the return to school has been shadowed by worries of a teacher shortage. According to the Associated Press, the U.S. education secretary, has called for investment to keep teachers from quitting. A teachers union leader has described it as a five-alarm crisis. In reality, there is little evidence to suggest that educators are leaving in droves. Certainly, many schools have struggled to find enough educators, but the challenges are related more to hiring, especially for non-teaching staff positions. Schools flush with federal pandemic relief money are creating new positions and struggling to fill them at a time of low unemployment and stiff competition. Friday, September 9 11:04 a.m.: You have questions about COVID-19 testing? We have answers. It’s the new school year for just about everyone attending school in the U.S. Maybe you’re one of the millions of Americans who have started mingling with peers in the doors and suddenly find yourself sniffling and wondering if you have COVID-19. Or maybe you’re just getting back from summer vacation, and the back of your throat at a worrisome itch. You consider taking an at-home rapid test but have many questions, such as — how many times should you test for a definitive result? How infectious are you if the positive line is faint? NPR posed these questions to some experts: Dr. Abraar Karan, infectious disease researcher at Stanford; Meriem Bekliz, virologist at the University of Geneva; and Dr. Preeti Malani, professor of medicine at the University of Michigan. Here’s what they said. 10:30 a.m.: Jehovah’s Witnesses resume in-person evangelizing after stopping for two years due to the pandemic Jehovah’s Witnesses have resumed knocking on doors again after a 30-month hiatus due to the coronavirus pandemic. According to the Associated Press, from coast to coast, members of the Christian denomination fanned out in cities and towns last week to share literature and converse about God for the first time since March 2020. Members have continued evangelizing during the pandemic through letters and phone calls, but they missed in-person interactions. Some say it’s a more effective way of getting their message out. In the words of one Witness, door-knocking evangelizing “feels Christ-like.” Thursday, September 8 12:57 p.m.: Tech CEO convicted of fraud over misleading COVID-19 and allergy testing kits A Silicon Valley executive who prosecutors said lied to investors about inventing technology that tested for allergies and COVID-19 using only a few drops of blood was found guilty of health care fraud. According to the Associated Press, the U.S. Department of Justice said that a federal jury convicted Mark Schena of Los Altos of defrauding the government after his company billed Medicare $77 million for fraudulent coronavirus and allergy tests. Prosecutors say the 59-year-old touted that his Sunnyvale-based company, Arrayit Corporation, had the only laboratory in the world tha...

Business News | Insidenova.com – Inside NoVA https://clarkcountynewsnow.com/business-news-insidenova-com-inside-nova-2/ The Business Voice is produced in partnership with the Northern Virginia Chamber of Commerce In its fifth decade, Great American Restaurants isn’t slowing down. Instead, it’s launching two new concepts and expanding on a third in a large complex on Leesburg Pike in Tysons. The successful restaurant group knows what works, but it continues to push itself in new directions in its ques… Virginia’s new Economic Resilience and Recovery Program aimed at addressing impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic will give Northern Virginians a new tool in helping get back to work. As businesses shut down, unemployment rose and people stayed home due to COVID-19, nonprofit organizations found themselves in a tenuous position. They faced an increased need for their services while sources for funding became uncertain. Four area nonprofits shared with The Business Voice h… In February, only about 5% of the nation’s workforce performed their jobs remotely, according to statistics released by the U.S. Census Bureau. By mid-June, that number had jumped to 62%. With all that’s changed, two things remain the same: the people committed to doing good in and for our community, and your Chamber’s commitment to recognizing and celebrating them. The efforts of these individuals, businesses, and nonprofits mean a lot to all of us, so we asked a few of the … In June, at its annual Greater Washington Good Business Awards, the Northern Virginia Chamber of Commerce honored four individuals for their purposeful and outstanding community leadership. Here we offer you the opportunity to get to know the Lifetime Achievement Honoree, F. Kevin Reynolds, … Read more When Navy veteran Brad Halsey worked for the Stanford Research Institute, now SRI International, in the early 2000s, he noticed that, while researchers were doing good work for the military, none of that research and technology was going to the battlefield. Meanwhile, U.S. forces were being … Why is it important to get a business education? That’s an easy question for the new dean of the George Mason University School of Business. Matt McQueen, Chief Communications and Engagement Officer at Peraton, began his year as Chair of the Northern Virginia Chamber of Commerce in June. The Business Voice talked with him about his vision for the Chamber, its biggest challenges and opportunities, and how working in a funeral home… Before you take off for summer vacation, don’t forget to pack (or download!) one or two of these 10 terrific books on leadership. Each comes highly recommended by a top business leader in our region, and all are guaranteed to provide unique insights and resources for seasoned leaders.  Real-time social media posts from local businesses and organizations across Northern Virginia, powered by Friends2Follow. To add your business to the stream, email cfields@insidenova.com or click on the green button below. Most Popular Articles on InsideNoVa

Inspiring Action To Keep People On HIV Treatment (By Paul Bhuhi And Annika Lindorsson Krugel) – African Business https://clarkcountynewsnow.com/inspiring-action-to-keep-people-on-hiv-treatment-by-paul-bhuhi-and-annika-lindorsson-krugel-african-business/ Download logo By Paul Bhuhi, Managing Director, Vantage Health Technologies and Annika Lindorsson Krugel, Client Director, Vantage Health Technologies. To end HIV in our lifetime, collaboration will be the driving force. We regained a sense of the power of collaboration again this year, when after nearly two years of being grounded thanks to COVID-19 and confined to online meetings and email exchanges, we could hold in-person, dynamic roundtable events with multifaceted stakeholders again to discuss the core challenges in HIV treatment management. There really is no substitute for true interpersonal synergy – we got together to share learnings and co-created solutions. We left with a renewed optimism and passion for the job at hand: together we can achieve the UNAIDS 95-95-95 HIV treatment and care targets, and together we can minimize the burden of disease! Recent roundtable sessions in both Abuja, Nigeria and Kampala, Uganda, focused on the common and pressing challenge in HIV treatment and care programs, of how we retain patients on their HIV treatment. In public health speak we ask: how do we achieve the ‘second 95’ on the HIV epidemic control continuum? This is an essential tenet of HIV management, because for people to live healthy lives and stop the transmission they must be virally suppressed and that means they need to stay on long term treatment.  While great strides have been made in both countries, there is always more to learn and more to do. That is where the power of in-person collaboration brought together four groups of stakeholders – namely government, donors, implementers and medical experts – whose collaboration is integral to differentiated service delivery and continuous quality improvement so that people living with HIV can continue to have positive health outcomes and live healthy lives. Together we discussed our shared challenges, dreamed into a better future and co-created solutions. Here are a few key insights and reflections: Too many people are dropping off HIV treatment Latest data from Uganda National HIV programs, for example, shows patients dropping off treatment or ‘loss to follow up’ at clinics, where 21% of people drop off treatment in the first six months, and up to 30% of people drop off treatment within the first two years.*  Similarly trends in Nigeria have shown significant improvement in retention but more needs to be done. The reason for individuals dropping of treatment is multifaceted  Stakeholder have interconnected challenges to improve patient outcomes: Governments need to commit to solving lack of capacity, overdependence on donor funding, poor coordination, and deteriorating infrastructure. Donors need commitment from governments, delivery on infrastructure and good quality data from their health systems. Implementers on the ground can face several barriers ranging from workforce attrition, industrial strikes, resource constraints, technology support and access to connectivity. All these ultimately lead to a worse outcome for patients often facing high costs of transport, long waiting periods and hidden costs which means these patients are more likely to fall off their HIV treatment.  Patient stigma is still a problem Central to the patient is often stigma which continues to be a massive obstacle to seeking treatment throughout their lives. Patient rights and privacy need to become the center of shifting the conversation. So, what can be done to increase patient retention? The challenges are multifaceted and patient outcomes must be at the heart of what we do. This group of stakeholders together across borders, programs and roles brought us to some very focused actions and themes that, scaled-up, could lead to improved retention and better outcomes for the patient. One of the major themes we see across programs is sustainability. It was uplifting to see that across the countries we visited there was resounding support for strong coordination between government, funders, implementing partners, civil society, and other relevant actors for effectively working towards achieving patient retention and to strengthen the broader health systems and epidemic control.​  While there may not be a silver bullet, the following are key success factors and trends that enable retention: We must use technology to inspire action Technology is another hot topic especially in retention and reaching the final 95 target of viral suppression. As we have found in our current work across Africa, using Artificial Intelligence (AI) and predictive analytics, it has become possible to identify high-risk patients who are more likely to fall off treatment due to missing appointments or not collecting medication. As one of the delegates said, “we simply don’t have the resources to call or personally reach out to everyone”. By having this data, AI can guide programs on where to focus their resources and develop outreach and communication strategies to reach these patients and ensure they remain on treatment. We support a large HIV program in Southern Africa, and it has shown that reaching out to these patients via SMS, telephone call or home visits has significantly improved appointment attendance. It all comes down to how technology can help to guide where that action should be focused.  Retention is a dynamic, moving thing This is where AI becomes even more important as actions and strategies can be molded around data driven analytics. Technology can also be the backbone to ensuring patient data remains private and protected. With the right security protocols in place, patients will be less exposed and therefore able to maintain their right to fair access and privacy. As one of our attendees who has used technology extensively said, “The project has demonstrated the effectiveness of proactive tracking of people living with HIV and has made us understand the importance of the tracking interventions we are implementing. It has broadened our minds and we already have plans to scale up to more facilities.”​ The other major theme is around differentiated care and service delivery. We need to meet the patients where they are and understand their challenges better. Improved facility care, welcoming the patients without discrimination and stigma, creating shorter waiting periods, and ensuring there are no hidden costs that cause them to go off treatment, are all problems we can solve if we work together. And as we gather more and more people together from across health programs that we work in, we always walk away with a sense of togetherness. Our vision is a world where access to good health enables people to flourish. From interactions on the ground, we can tell you that although it may seem challenging and difficult, it is a shared vision across borders and there is most certainly a drive to keep reaching for that vision. *Uganda Ministry of Health (2020) “Implementation Guide for Differentiated Service Delivery Models of HIV and TB Services in Uganda” Uganda AIDS Commission, 2021 Fact Sheet Distributed by APO Group on behalf of BroadReach. Media contact: Jennifer Kingwill  [email protected] About the authors: Paul Bhuhi, Managing Director, Vantage Health Technologies: With over 30 years’ experience in senior executive roles, Paul helps companies through digital transformation, consulting, advisory, innovation and building effective go-to-market models. Paul has been a partner at KPMG, a Managing Partner at Hewlett Packard and an Executive Partner at IBM, as well as owned and run recruitment and training services companies, leading these businesses at both a regional and global level. Paul is passionate about the Vision and Mission of Vantage and how technology can be used to drive change and create a better world where access to good health enables people to flourish. Annika Lindorsson Krugel, Client Director, Vantage Health Technologies: Annika has accumulated 17 years of experience across civil society and the public- and private sectors where she has led a range of complex initiatives focusing on the people elements of technology implementations. Annika’s top priority is the success of her clients, and she uses her ability to think empathically, conceptually and creatively to craft and deliver user-centric solutions to ensure this promise is met. About BroadReach Group and Vantage Health Technologies: BroadReach Group (https://BroadReachcorporation.com/Vantage/) is a group of social impact businesses focused on harnessing innovation and technology to empower human action. Since 2003 BroadReach Group has worked in over 30 countries to support governments, international NGOs, public and private sector to improve health outcomes for their populations. In South Africa alone, during the COVID-19 period BroadReach supported two South African provinces to oversee and manage their COVID-19 outbreaks over a population of 15 million people.  Vantage Health Technologies – a BroadReach Group company, created the Vantage platform which uses Artificial Intelligence (AI) and analytics to provide health leaders and workers with personalised data insights and step-by-step next best actions to guide impact at scale. The combination of AI and human action makes true health equity.  For more information visit www.VantageHealth.tech.   This Press Release has been issued by APO. The content is not monitored by the editorial team of African Business and not of the content has been checked or validated by our editorial teams, proof readers or fact checkers. The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.

Today In Sports History: Sept. 15 | News | Wfmz.com – 69News WFMZ-TV https://clarkcountynewsnow.com/today-in-sports-history-sept-15-news-wfmz-com-69news-wfmz-tv/ In 1978, Muhammad Ali becomes the first three-time heavyweight champion with a unanimous 15-round decision over Leon Spinks. See more sports moments from this date. 1973: Triple Crown winner Secretariat keeps on winning Updated 10 min ago 1973 — Three-year-old Secretariat wins the Marlboro Cup Invitational Handicap in the then-world record time of 1:45 2-5 for 11/8 miles. Triple Crown winner Secretariat, right, leads Riva Ridge on way to victory in the $250,000 Marlboro Cup event at Belmont Race Track in Elmont, New York on Sept. 15, 1973. Ron Turcotte is up on Secretariat and Riva Ridge is being guided into second place by jockey Eddie Maple. (AP Photo) AP FILE 1973: Archie Griffin starts NCAA record string of 31 games rushing for at least 100 yards Updated 10 min ago 1973 — Archie Griffin of Ohio State starts his NCAA record string of 31 games of rushing for at least 100 yards, leading the Buckeyes to a 56-7 rout of Minnesota in Columbus. Ohio State’s Archie Griffin picks up some of his game-high 163 yards in 30 carries during the game with Michigan at Ann Arbor, Nov. 26, 1973. (AP Photo) AP FILE 1978: Muhammad Ali becomes first three-time heavyweight champion Updated 10 min ago 1978 — Muhammad Ali becomes the first three-time heavyweight champion with a unanimous 15-round decision over Leon Spinks at the Superdome in New Orleans. Referee Lucien Joubert goes to break up a Clinch between Muhammad Ali, left, and Leon Spinks in their heavyweight title match at New Orleans? Superdome on Friday, Sept. 15, 1978. Ali defeated Spinks in a 15-round unanimous decision, becoming the first man to gain the heavyweight crown three times. (AP Photo) AP FILE 2002: Sam Hornish Jr. wins his second straight IRL title Updated 10 min ago 2002 — Sam Hornish Jr. wins another incredible race at Texas Motor Speedway, and his second straight IRL title. Hornish side-by-side with Helio Castroneves for many of the last 25 laps in the season-ending Chevy 500, crosses the finish line 0.0096 seconds — only a few inches — ahead of the other driver in contention for the season championship. Hornish wins his IRL-record fifth race of the season and becomes the first driver to win two IRL championships. In this Sept. 15, 2002, file photo, 2002 Indy Racing League Champion Sam Hornish Jr., holds up his fingers signifying his two consecutive IRL championships following his Chevy 500 win, Sunday Sept. 15, 2002, at the Texas Motor Speedway in Fort Worth, Texas. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez, File) AP FILE 2012: Ryan Blaney becomes youngest winner in NASCAR Trucks history at 18 years, 8 months Updated 10 min ago 2012 — Ryan Blaney becomes the youngest winner in NASCAR Trucks history at 18 years, 8 months, taking the caution-filled race at Iowa Speedway in his third series start. Blaney, the son of Sprint Cup driver Dave Blaney, breaks the age record of 20 years, 18 days set by Kyle Busch in 2005 at Charlotte. Ryan Blaney smiles as he answers questions during a news conference after practice for a NASCAR Truck Series auto race at Kentucky Speedway in Sparta, Ky., Friday, Sept. 21, 2012. (AP Photo/Garry Jones) AP FILE 2013: Aaron Rodgers throws for career-high 480 yards in win over Washington Updated 10 min ago 2013 — Aaron Rodgers throws for a career-high 480 yards and James Jones has a career-best 178 yards receiving in Green Bay’s 38-20 win over the Washington Redskins. Green Bay Packers’ Aaron Rodgers throws his towel to some fans after an NFL football game against the Washington Redskins Sunday, Sept. 15, 2013, in Green Bay, Wis. The Packers won 38-20. (AP Photo/Mike Roemer) AP FILE 2013: Peyton Manning becomes third QB in NFL history to reach 60,000 passing yards Updated 9 min ago 2013 — Denver’s Peyton Manning passes for 307 yards and two touchdowns in the Broncos’ 41-23 win over the New York Giants. Manning (60,256) becomes the third quarterback in NFL history to reach 60,000 career passing yards, joining Brett Favre and Dan Marino. Denver Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning (18) shakes hands with his brother New York Giants’ Eli Manning (10) after an NFL football game Sunday, Sept. 15, 2013, in East Rutherford, N.J. The Broncos won the game 41-23. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II) AP FILE 2017: Cleveland’s 22-game winning streak stopped by Kansas City Royals Updated 9 min ago 2017 — Cleveland has its AL record run stopped at 22 straight games as the Indians are beaten 4-3 by the Kansas City Royals, who become the first team to conquer the defending league champions since Aug. 23. The Indians came within four of matching the overall record held by the 1916 New York Giants. Cleveland Indians’ Francisco Lindor, left, slides safely into second base for a steal as Kansas City Royals’ Whit Merrifield is late with the tag in the fifth inning of a baseball game, Friday, Sept. 15, 2017, in Cleveland. (AP Photo/David Dermer) AP FILE

Can OSHA Regulate The Metaverse? – Health & Safety – United States – Mondaq https://clarkcountynewsnow.com/can-osha-regulate-the-metaverse-health-safety-united-states-mondaq/ 15 September 2022 Holland & Knight To print this article, all you need is to be registered or login on Mondaq.com. We’re supposed to stand more and sit less. That’s good advice for your health, but maybe not always when you’re wearing a virtual reality (VR) headset, which present certain workplace health and safety issues. The most obvious hazard is getting too carried away and, e.g., crashing through your television set. But there are other potential risks. Some are short-term such as headaches, neck aches, nausea and eye discomfort. Others may be longer term, including concerns about myopia brought on by the disconnect between a screen inches from your eyes yet depicting virtual objects miles away. Very, very smart people are working on that one. Can the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) regulate these potential risks? Perhaps some more than others. The principal risk is one we’re all aware of: disorientation followed by a fall or a crash. OSHA can likely regulate this hazard under the “general-duty clause,” a broad provision of law that requires employers to maintain a workplace free of serious recognized hazards. Where VR sets are used, employers need to make sure that employees are secure in their space and can’t hurt themselves or others. When it comes to problems brought on by wearing the headset, such as headaches, neck pain or back pain, that is arguably an ergonomics issue and thus less susceptible to OSHA regulation. OSHA attempted to require attention to ergonomics in the workplace at the end of the Clinton Administration, but that effort was reversed by Congress. Ever since, OSHA has relied on the general-duty clause for ergonomic hazards. Conceivably, VR headsets that fit poorly, are too heavy or are worn too long could become a hazard under the general-duty clause, but an official OSHA standard on the subject could be legally difficult. How about other common complaints, like eye strain, headaches, dizziness or nausea? The general-duty clause only covers hazards likely to result in death (not applicable) or “serious physical harm.” The kinds of complaints described above may not meet that threshold, especially if they’re not recurring or require medical treatment. However, if the complaints continue, if they result in lost work time or if they are indicators for more serious health problems caused or exacerbated by too much VR time, then OSHA might be able to step in under the general-duty clause. Consider, too, VR headsets’ effects on employees’ eyes and ears. OSHA doeshave a standard requiring employers to protect employees from certain levels of noise exposure, regardless of resultant harm. And there’s also the potential claim that VR time resulted in damage to eyes or ears, though it may be difficult for OSHA – or an employee in a civil suit – to prove that any consequent diminishment in hearing or vision was brought on by extended use of a VR headset, when the earphone market is growing 20 percent per year and the average American adult stares at screens for at least 11 hours per day. Finally, OSHA recordkeeping requirements might apply to VR injuries and illnesses. Every employer must report workplace deaths and certain extremely serious injuries and illnesses. This includes injuries and illnesses that happen while working from home. Many low-risk industries are exempt from recording other injuries and illnesses – though industries of every kind are embracing VR and other metaverse technologies. The content of this article is intended to provide a general guide to the subject matter. Specialist advice should be sought about your specific circumstances. POPULAR ARTICLES ON: Employment and HR from United States EEOC Updates Guidance Concerning COVID-19 Testing Sheppard Mullin Richter & Hampton As more employees return to the workplace after the Labor Day holiday, employers should be aware of the U.S. Equal Opportunity Commission’s updated COVID-19 Guidance.

The Search For Intelligent Life Is About To Get A Lot More Interesting – The New York Times https://clarkcountynewsnow.com/the-search-for-intelligent-life-is-about-to-get-a-lot-more-interesting-the-new-york-times/ Listen to This Article Audio Recording by Audm To hear more audio stories from publications like The New York Times, download Audm for iPhone or Android. When the space shuttle Atlantis lifted off from the Kennedy Space Center on Oct. 18, 1989, it carried the Galileo in its cargo bay. Arrayed with scientific instruments, Galileo’s ultimate destination was Jupiter, where it would spend years in orbit collecting data and taking pictures. After it left the shuttle, though, Galileo headed in the other direction, turning toward the sun and circling around Venus, in order to slingshot around the planet and pick up speed for its journey to the outer solar system. Along the way, it flew around Earth too — twice, in fact, at altitudes of 597 and 188 miles. This gave its engineering team an opportunity to test the craft’s sensors. The astronomer Carl Sagan, a member of Galileo’s science team, called the maneuver the first flyby in our planet’s history. It also allowed him to contemplate what a spacecraft might find when looking at a far-off planet for signs of intelligent life. There was plenty to see. Our technology creates an intriguing mess. Lights blaze, and heat islands glow in paved-over urban areas. Atmospheric gases ebb and flow — evident today not only in rising concentrations of carbon dioxide and methane, but also in clouds of floating industrial byproducts. Sometimes there are radiation leaks. And all the while, billions of gadgets and antennas cast off a buzzing, planetary swarm of electromagnetic transmissions. Would other planets’ civilizations be like ours? Would they create the same telltale chemical and electromagnetic signs — what scientists have recently begun calling technosignatures — that Galileo detected? The search for intelligence beyond Earth has long been defined by an assumption that extraterrestrials would have developed radio technologies akin to what humans have created. In some early academic papers on the topic, dating to the late 1950s, scientists even posited that these extraterrestrials might be interested in chatting with us. “That played into this whole idea of aliens as salvation — you know, aliens were going to teach us things,” Adam Frank, an astrophysicist at the University of Rochester, told me recently. Frank points out that the search for signals from deep space has, over time, become more agnostic: Rather than looking for direct calls to Earth, telescopes now sweep the sky, searching billions of frequencies simultaneously, for electronic signals whose origins can’t be explained by celestial phenomena. At the same time, the search for intelligent life has turned in a novel direction. In 2018, Frank attended a meeting in Houston whose focus was technosignatures. The goal was to get the 60 researchers in attendance to think about defining a new scientific field that, with NASA’s help, would seek out signs of technology on distant worlds, like atmospheric pollution, to take just one example. “That meeting in Houston was the dawn of the new era, at least as I saw it,” Frank recalls. NASA has a long history of staying out of the extraterrestrial business. “Everybody was sort of there with wide eyes — like, ‘Oh, my God, is this really happening?’” The result, at least for Frank, has been a new direction for his work, as well as some money to fund it. He and a few astronomy colleagues around the country formed the group Categorizing Atmospheric Technosignatures, or CATS, which NASA has since awarded nearly $1 million in grants. The ambition for CATS is to create a “library” of possible technosignatures. In short, Frank and his colleagues are researching what could constitute evidence that technological civilization exists on other planets. At this stage, Frank stresses, his team’s work is not about communicating with aliens; nor is it meant to contribute to research on extraterrestrial radio transmissions. They are instead thinking mainly about the atmospheres of distant worlds, and what those might tell us. “The civilization will just be doing whatever it’s doing, and we’re making no assumptions about whether anybody wants to communicate or doesn’t want to communicate,” he says. This line of inquiry might not have been productive just a few years ago. But several advances have made the search for technosignatures feasible. The first, thanks to new telescopes and astronomical techniques, is the identification of planets orbiting distant stars. As of August, NASA’s confirmed tally of such exoplanets was 5,084, and the number tends to grow by several hundred a year. “Pretty much every star you see in the night sky has a planet around it, if not a family of planets,” Frank says; he notes that this realization has only taken hold in the past decade or so. Because there are probably at least 100 billion stars in the Milky Way galaxy, and an estimated 100 billion galaxies in the universe, the potential candidates for life — as well as for civilizations that possess technology — may involve numbers almost too large to imagine. Perhaps more important, our tools keep getting better. This summer, the first pictures from the new James Webb Space Telescope were released. But several other powerful ground- and space-based instruments are being developed that will allow us to view exceedingly distant objects for the first time or view previously identified objects in novel ways. “With things like J.W.S.T. and some of the other telescopes, we’re beginning to be able to probe atmospheres looking for much smaller signals,” Michael New, a NASA research official who attended the 2018 Houston conference, told me. “And this is something we just couldn’t have done before.” As Frank puts it, more bluntly: “The point is, after 2,500 years of people yelling at each other over life in the universe, in the next 10, 20 and 30 years we will actually get data.” Image Credit…Illustration by Somnath Bhatt In July, when NASA released the first batch of images from the Webb telescope, we could glimpse remote corners of the universe with newfound clarity and beauty — a panorama of “cosmic cliffs,” 24 trillion miles tall, constructed from gas and dust, for instance. The images were stunning but also bewildering; they defied description. What could we even compare them to? Webb was reaching farther in distance and into the past than any telescope before it, collecting light from stars that in some cases required more than 13 billion years to reach us. We will need to acclimate ourselves to the task of constantly looking at — and interpreting — things we’ve never seen before. The Webb telescope can look near as well as far. During its first year, about 7 percent of its time will be spent observing our own solar system, according to Heidi B. Hammel, an interdisciplinary scientist who worked on the telescope’s development. Webb can analyze the atmospheres of nearby planets like Jupiter and Mars using its infrared sensors. These capabilities can also be directed at some of the closest Earth-size exoplanets, like those surrounding the small Trappist-1 star, 40 light-years away. One goal of that focus is to discern a biosignature — that is, an indication that life exists (or has existed) on those worlds. On Earth, a biosignature might be the discarded shell of a clam, the fallen feather of a bird, a fossilized fern embedded in sedimentary rock. On an exoplanet, it might be a certain ratio of gases — oxygen, methane, H₂O and CO₂, say — that suggest the presence of microbes or plants. Nikole Lewis, an associate professor of astronomy at Cornell University whose team has been approved for 22.5 hours of Webb observation time this year to look at Trappist-1e, one of seven planets circling the Trappist-1 star, told me that well before declaring the discovery of a biosignature, she would have to carefully determine the planet’s atmosphere and potential habitability. “First, we have to find out if there’s air,” she says, “and then we can ask, ‘OK, what’s in the air?’” She estimates that it would take three or more years of observing a system to be able to say there’s a biosignature. Biosignatures and technosignatures point the same way: toward life. But for now, they are being pursued by two separate scientific communities. One reason is historical: The study of biosignatures — which began in the 1960s, within the new discipline of exobiology — has been receiving support from NASA and academic institutions for decades. But “technosignature” was coined only recently, in 2007, by Jill Tarter, a pioneering figure in astronomy who has spent her career conducting searches for alien transmissions. Jason Wright, a professor of astronomy and astrophysics at Penn State who is a member of Frank’s CATS group, says he thinks of Tarter’s idea as a “rebranding” of the search for extraterrestrial intelligence, which has long been relegated to the scientific fringe. “When Jill coined the phrase,” Wright told me, “she was trying to emphasize that NASA was looking for microbes and slime and atmospheric biosignatures, but technosignatures were really under the same umbrella.” Any search for biosignatures on a distant planet, Wright contends, would logically overlap the search for technosignatures, once it became time to explain unusual observations. Does a telescopic reading suggest a life-sustaining atmosphere? Or is it possibly a sign of technology, too? Scientists looking for biosignatures, in other words, may encounter marks of technology as well. Wright, Frank and the rest of the CATS team are thus interested in atmospheric markers that would probably never occur naturally. One recent group paper, for example, written primarily by Jacob Haqq-Misra, a CATS member who works at the nonprofit Blue Marble Space Institut...

Ethereum Completes The ‘merge’ That Will Make Its Crypto Transactions Greener – Yahoo Finance https://clarkcountynewsnow.com/ethereum-completes-the-merge-that-will-make-its-crypto-transactions-greener-yahoo-finance/ Ethereum has completed its much-anticipated “Merge” to a far more energy efficient method of minting new tokens, the cryptocurrency’s co-founder Vitalik Buterin tweeted. Ether will no longer be minted by “proof-of-work” that uses powerful computers to solve cryptographic tasks. Instead, they’ll be created using “proof-of-stake” methods that require users called validators to stake tokens for the chance to approve transactions and earn a small reward. Until today, mining Ethereum has required powerful banks of computers to solve difficult math problems. That not only consumed huge amounts of energy, but made Ethereum difficult to scale and costly for small transactions. It also concentrated power into the hands of a few, something that’s anathema to the decentralization ethos of crypto. With the new system, the more a validators stakes, the larger the chance of winning a reward. But everyone gets at least something, as all staked ether earns interest (around 5.2 percent), making it more like buying a bond or putting it in a bank (apart from the wild market volatility, of course). The minimum stake amount required to be a validator is 32 ether (around $50,000 right now), though individuals can do pooled staking with trusted third-party validators to meet that level. The Merge got its name because the Ethereum blockchain has combined with a parallel network that’s now been running for almost two years in a proof-of-stake test, but it’s just one step in the transformation. “We still have to scale, we have to fix privacy. To me the Merge symbolizes the difference between an early stage Ethereum and the Ethereum we’ve always wanted,” said Buterin during a livestreamed Merge party. Ether started the day going up, but has since dropped a few percent from yesterday. It remains to be seen if the the Merge will live up to its promise of transforming crypto, as there are still a lot of questions around regulation, Ethereum forks and more. There’s also the risk of scams (as usual in crypto), with the risk of transactions from the old chain being copied to the new one, among others.

U.S. Railroads Reach Tentative Deal With Workers, Averting A Strike – Reuters https://clarkcountynewsnow.com/u-s-railroads-reach-tentative-deal-with-workers-averting-a-strike-reuters/ A Union Pacific rail car is parked at the Canadian Pacific Railway (CP Rail) Toronto Yard in Scarborough, Ontario, Canada March 20, 2022. REUTERS/Chris Helgren/File Photo Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com WASHINGTON, Sept 15 (Reuters) – Major U.S. railroads and unions secured a tentative deal after 20 hours of intense talks brokered by the Biden administration to avert a rail shutdown that could have hit food and fuel supplies across the United States. U.S. President Joe Biden announced the deal in a statement early Thursday morning, calling it “a win for tens of thousands of rail workers who worked tirelessly through the pandemic to ensure that America’s families and communities got deliveries of what have kept us going during these difficult years.” The tentative deal now goes to the unions to be voted on, according to a person familiar with the negotiations. Even if those votes fail, a rail shutdown that could have happened as soon as midnight Friday has been averted for several weeks, this person said. Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com A rail shutdown could freeze almost 30% of U.S. cargo shipments by weight, stoke inflation, cost the U.S. economy as much as $2 billion per day and unleash a cascade of transport woes affecting the U.S. energy, agriculture, manufacturing, healthcare and retail sectors. Biden administration officials hosted labor contract talks into the night on Wednesday aiming to secure an agreement with the unions which represent 115,000 workers. Biden himself called U.S. Labor Secretary Marty Walsh and the negotiators around 9 p.m. to advance talks, according to a person aware of the negotiations who said they lasted 20 hours. Failing to reach a deal before the deadline of one minute after midnight on Friday would have cleared the way for legal worker strikes. Negotiations between railroads including Union Pacific (UNP.N), Berkshire Hathaway’s (BRKa.N) BNSF, CSX (CSX.O), Norfolk Southern (NSC.N) and Kansas City Southern and a dozen unions had stretched for more than two years, leading Biden to appoint an emergency board to help break the impasse. Shares of U.S. railroad operators rose between 2.4% and 2.9% in pre-market trade. Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com Reporting by Trevor Hunnicutt in Washington, Jahnavi Nidumolu and Aishwarya Nair in Bengaluru; Editing by Jason Neely, Devika Syamnath, Shounak Dasgupta and Heather Timmons; Editing by Catherine Evans Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Bill Gates And Others Back New Cooling Technologies – ACHR NEWS https://clarkcountynewsnow.com/bill-gates-and-others-back-new-cooling-technologies-achr-news/ This website requires certain cookies to work and uses other cookies to help you have the best experience. By visiting this website, certain cookies have already been set, which you may delete and block. By closing this message or continuing to use our site, you agree to the use of cookies. Visit our updated privacy and cookie policy to learn more. This Website Uses Cookies By closing this message or continuing to use our site, you agree to our cookie policy. Learn More This website requires certain cookies to work and uses other cookies to help you have the best experience. By visiting this website, certain cookies have already been set, which you may delete and block. By closing this message or continuing to use our site, you agree to the use of cookies. Visit our updated privacy and cookie policy to learn more.

Robert Stowe Obituary (1933 – 2022) – Culpeper, VA – Legacy.com https://clarkcountynewsnow.com/robert-stowe-obituary-1933-2022-culpeper-va-legacy-com/ Robert Marion Stowe, aged 89, was called to heaven on Saturday September 10, 2022. Robert was born on May 9, 1933 in Clark County, Virginia. He spent his childhood in Henry County, Virginia with his mother and younger brother. At the age of 21, Robert married and moved to Fredericksburg shortly thereafter, where he would reside for the remainder of his life. As a younger man, Robert enjoyed shooting pool and playing softball, where he earned the nickname “Stove Pipe “, because of his tall and lean figure on the pitcher s mound. Robert retired from Hilldrup and Virginia Taxi Company, where he made many life-long friends of his co-workers and people he hired. In 1985, Robert became the founding President of the Fraternal Order of Eagles Aerie #4123, where he served as President for multiple terms, bringing together a community of men and women who would go on to grow the local aerie, and thereby provide support to many local charitable organizations, as well as college scholarships to students of area schools. Robert was a devout member of Hollywood Church of the Brethren, where he forged many lasting and significant friendships that would serve him well in the final years of his life. Robert was a devoted fan of Washington DC Football and Baseball, win or lose, and, when he was able, he greatly enjoyed socializing with his friends on Saturday nights at the Eagles and fishing in the Outer Banks. He was also an avid reader. Robert was preceded in death by his father Walter Stowe and Mother Viola Clarke, his youngest daughter, Rita Carol Stowe, his oldest grandson Robbie Stowe, and wife Pauline Rakes Stowe. Robert will be remembered and missed by many, including his daughter Sue Wegner, granddaughter Lauren Ashley Ritter (John), and great grandchildren Lillian and Lincoln, his son, Roger Stowe and grandchildren Chris Stowe (Lori), Angie Cudd (Marshall), and great grandchildren Destinei, Diamond, Dylan, Kaleb, Haley, Cierra, Noah, Jacob and Levi, his great, great grandchildren EIani, Eliyanah, Mileena, Jameson and Deacon, and by his youngest son, Justin Stowe and granddaughter, Isabella. He is also survived and will be missed by his loving brother, Marshall Stowe (Nancy), his devoted nephew, Tony Rakes (Ashley), his best friend, Jackie Waller, and many cherished cousins, nieces, and nephews. Services will be held on Thursday, September 22nd at 1:00 pm at Hollywood Church of the Brethren, with viewing one hour prior to service. A private burial will follow at Oak Hill Cemetery. Services will conclude with an open reception and honorary Eagles Funeral Ritual at the Fraternal Order of Eagles #4123, located at 21 Cool Springs Road, Fredericksburg, Virginia. The family has requested, in lieu of flowers, donations be made to Hollywood Church of the Brethren, 225 Ferry Road, Fredericksburg, VA 22405. Found and Sons Funeral Chapel of Fredericksburg is handling the arrangements. Published by Legacy on Sep. 15, 2022. Legacy.com reports daily on death announcements in local communities nationwide. Visit our funeral home directory for more local information, or see our FAQ page for help with finding obituaries and sending sympathy.

Shock As Woman Gives Birth On American Airlines Flight: ‘Welcome Baby Air’ – Newsweek https://clarkcountynewsnow.com/shock-as-woman-gives-birth-on-american-airlines-flight-welcome-baby-air-newsweek/ A series of extraordinary videos about a woman giving birth on an American Airways flight from New York to the Dominican Republic have gone viral on TikTok. In one of the videos, which has had more than 1.6 million views and is captioned “Welcome baby air,” user Kendalee Rhoden films her sister after she gave birth to a son, who she describes as “premature“. Her sister can be seen being escorted off the plane as the other passengers clap in support. @pinkangel876 In another video the sister of the new mother can be seen asking for help to find three of the four women who helped deliver the baby. “If you know them please send them this video, we just wanted to say thank you, we really appreciate you for all the hard work you did that day because we know how things really could have went left, thank you very very very much…we know its not easy to deliver a baby on an airplane”. In the same video, the new-born can be seen being introduced to the pilots as they take pictures. @pinkangel876 Speaking to Newsweek American Airlines stated: “On Sept. 7, American Airlines flight 2443 from New York (JFK) to Punta Cana (PUJ) declared an emergency before landing due a medical emergency on board. First responders met the flight upon landing and the customer was taken to a local hospital for further evaluation.” On their website American Airlines provide guidance on traveling internationally or over water while pregnant. “Clearance from a special assistance coordinator is required for international travel or travel over water: Within 4 weeks of your due date (travel also requires a physician’s note stating that you’ve been examined within the past 48 hours and you’re fit to fly) 7 days before or after your delivery (travel also requires a passenger medical form to be completed by your physician).” A stock image of a pregnant woman. A woman gave birth on an American Airlines flight from New York to the Dominican Republic. Getty Images One TikToker Gloria Kim commented: “Question tho I was told couldn’t get on the plane after a couple of weeks I think 8m or so how did it happen?” Another user La’Trice Lunba commented: “The doctor say 32 weeks but if you don’t say nothing…they don’t ask…you good.” The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists say on their website: “For healthy pregnant women, occasional air travel is almost always safe. Most airlines allow pregnant women to fly domestically until about 36 weeks of pregnancy. “Your ob-gyn or other health care professional can provide proof of your due date if you need it. If you are planning an international flight, the cut-off for traveling may be earlier. Check with your airline.” TikTokers had some ideas for names for the baby. User pet45 commented, “You should name [the baby] Sky,” while KayBTrip said, “Awww welcome to the world baby Air, you’re definitely gonna love telling your birth story one day. Congratulations mommy.” User momsanta84 wrote: “That’s why you are not supposed to fly in late pregnancy hahaha but [the baby’s] name should be Sky.”

Byju’s Reports Widening Losses After Prolonged Audit Delay – The Indian Express https://clarkcountynewsnow.com/byjus-reports-widening-losses-after-prolonged-audit-delay-the-indian-express/ Byju Raveendran, founder and chief executive officer of Think and Learn Pvt., speaks during the Credit Suisse Asian Investment Conference in Hong Kong, China, on Tuesday, March 26, 2019. (Photo: Bloomberg) Indian education provider Byju’s finally released audited financial statements after months of delay, but the disclosures are unlikely to resolve the swirl of controversy around the country’s most valuable startup. The company reported a 13-fold widening in losses in the year through March 2021, with net losses swelling to 45.7 billion rupees ($575 million) as it boosted spending to bolster growth. Sales were little changed from the previous 12 months however, at 24.3 billion rupees. Byju’s blamed the performance on changes in accounting practices that led it to defer revenue to subsequent years. It also released unaudited numbers for the year through March 2022 and the following four months showing significant sales growth. The ballooning losses alarmed investors who in the past two years watched Byju’s acquire a plethora of businesses — perhaps too many. The startup needs to shed non-core assets to streamline the number of its consumer-facing services as well as hold costs in check without resorting to layoffs, said Saurabh Daga, an analyst with London-based consultancy GlobalData Plc. Byju’s should weather the downturn fine if it takes those steps, given its leadership position and the longer-term potential of online education in a geographically fragmented country, he said. “Byju’s will likely have to undergo a massive rejig of its business,” Daga said. It “will have to initiate strong measures related with streamlining its product offerings, shedding off the businesses or apps which do not align with its core offerings, as well as overhauling its current business development and sales processes.” Byju’s has been under regulatory pressure to report financial statements after missing a deadline for doing so by several months. The company has also faced delays with securing more funding and completing a planned merger with a blank-check company in the US after a global technology rout hit valuations. “The audit delays were initially on account of multiple acquisitions; later, the auditors changed the revenue recognition model so that meant re-working the revenues,” founder Byju Raveendran said in an interview. “Lastly, because of the attention our audit got in the last three months, Deloitte went deeper into the numbers. The numbers have been passed without conditions.” The startup’s funding hurdles have triggered renewed concerns about India’s consumer technology industry, where public valuations on major players from Zomato Ltd. to Paytm have plummeted this year. Raveendran injected $400 million into his company this year as he sought to convince other backers of its growth potential. The accounting changes mean Byju’s now recognizes revenue when subscribers actually submit their recurring payments, rather than upfront, Raveendran said. Based on unaudited numbers, sales in the year ending March 2022 increased fourfold to almost 100 billion rupees. In the following four months, revenue reached 45 billion rupees and sales are set to grow at a more than 50% clip this year, Raveendran said. The company’s plan to list in a US stock market through a merger with a special purpose acquisition company is “on complete pause” following a slump in technology valuations, he said. “We will observe how things will change over the next 6-12 months,” he said. “Conversations are at a standstill because the IPO market is shut.” The company has struggled to complete a planned funding round of $800 million — committed capital of nearly $300 million from investors Sumeru Equity Partners and Oxshott Capital Partners hasn’t come in, Raveendran said, adding he didn’t know if the funds would arrive. Byju’s was most recently valued at $22 billion, according to market researcher CB Insights. Backed by Bond Capital, Silver Lake Management, Naspers Ltd. and Tiger Global Management, Byju’s has sought to expand abroad through big acquisitions. It offered more than $1 billion to buy US-listed edtech company 2U Inc., even as it initially pushed back payments to take over test-preparation provider Aakash Educational Services, Bloomberg News has reported. After spending more than $2 billion on acquisitions since the start of the pandemic, Byju’s will now take “a measured approach” toward takeovers, Raveendran said. Still, he said potential targets are set to become more attractive in the next 12 months. About 25% of Byju’s revenue comes from outside India, he said. Raveendran, the son of educators, founded his eponymous startup in 2015. Byju’s, whose parent company is formally known as Think & Learn Pvt, is the largest of a crop of startups that over the past decade have thrived on India’s growing mobile connections and investment from abroad. The company benefited from the pandemic as students stayed home and people sought to upgrade their skills. Even as schools have reopened, Raveendran is predicting further growth for online education as customers have gotten accustomed to remote studying. “Learning at home is seeing strong growth even after schools have gone back to in-classroom learning,” he said. “Many higher education startups are scaling extremely well.”

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