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Landing Pages: From Engagement To Conversion | By Christen Horner – Hospitality Net https://collincountynewsonline.com/landing-pages-from-engagement-to-conversion-by-christen-horner-hospitality-net/ At Expedia Group Media Solutions, we know how important it is to create effective display ads and ads that stand out. But what happens when a travel shopper clicks on an ad? Leading travel shoppers to an engaging landing page where they can quickly learn more and book their next trip is a crucial step in the path to purchase. In this post, we’ll discuss some of the options you have when you partner with us to deliver a compelling landing page as part of your campaign. Partner with experienced digital marketing experts Our team of digital marketing experts can help you design a landing page or microsite for each brand in your campaign. You’ll be able to provide input on the overall messaging and imagery and we’ll be sure to incorporate elements of your brand identity into the ads and landing pages. We can also help ensure there’s a clear connection between the message featured on the ad and the message on the landing page, because a consistent message can help instill confidence in the shopper and inspire them to book now or in the future. Your landing page leads with your critical marketing message at the top, followed with compelling headlines and descriptions that highlight the benefits of your brand. We’ll also offer guidance on where to put images, supporting copy, embedded content like video and select offers to help convert travel shoppers. For example, Fiji Airways utilized our display advertising in combination with a dedicated microsite to highlight the airline’s safety record and encourage travelers shopping on Expedia.com to consider Fiji for their next tropical getaway. At the top is an overview of Fiji Airways’ world-class service, safety record, and more. There’s also a selection of recommended flights and vacation packages to the Pacific Island nation. Source: Expedia Group Media Solutions Enhance the travel shopper journey with premium landing pages If you want to take your campaign a step further, you can opt for a bespoke premium landing page with tailored design from our award-winning Creative Partnerships team. We call these Travel Spotlights — premium landing pages containing captivating visuals and compelling editorial that encourage travel shoppers to explore and engage with your brand. Travel Spotlights are more immersive and interactive than standard landing pages and use versatile designs to help you build brand awareness. There are a variety of Travel Spotlights available — from inspirational articles and suggested itineraries to engaging quizzes and interactive video experiences. These custom landing pages let you put your strongest assets front and center and offer travel shoppers multiple paths to engage, explore and book. For example, Visit Panamá opted for a co-branded listicle that showcases 10 once-in-a-lifetime moments visitors can experience. Every item in the list offers a one-click option for travelers to start planning and booking their Panamanian vacation. Source: Expedia Group Media Solutions Landing page options for faster turnaround For more conversion-focused campaigns, you might consider a Property Detail page or Search Results page. These page types link the shopper directly to the booking path, which means fewer clicks to conversion. These pages are already live on our sites, and because you can make updates through the self-service Expedia Partner Central, you can launch a Property Detail or Search Results landing page quickly. No matter what your marketing goals are, our team of digital media experts will help you define and create the best landing page to meet your brand’s needs, making it easy for prospective visitors to imagine what it’s like to be at your hotel or destination. Contact us today and let us know what your travel marketing goals are and how we can help you meet your optimal return on ad spend. About Expedia Group Media Solutions Expedia Group Media Solutions is a global travel advertising platform that connects marketers with hundreds of millions of travelers across the Expedia Group brands. With our exclusive access to more than 70 petabytes of Expedia Group traveler search and booking data, we offer advertisers actionable insights, sophisticated targeting, and full-funnel results reporting. Our suite of solutions includes display, sponsored listings, audience extension, co-op campaigns, and custom creative campaigns – all designed to deliver on the objectives of our advertising partners and add value for travel shoppers on our branded sites globally. With a consultative approach and more than 20 years of travel and media experience, we help our advertising partners inspire, engage, and convert travelers for meaningful results. For more information, visit www.advertising.expedia.com. © 2022 Expedia, Inc., an Expedia Group company. All rights reserved. Trademarks and logos are the property of their respective owners. CST: 2029030-50 View source

Germany’s Biggest Gas Importer Uniper Is Nationalised After Huge Losses – Sky News https://collincountynewsonline.com/germanys-biggest-gas-importer-uniper-is-nationalised-after-huge-losses-sky-news/ The German government has said it will nationalise the country’s biggest gas importer, Uniper, as it battles massive losses from Europe’s energy crunch. The Finnish company that, until now, had controlled Uniper said Russia’s squeeze on supplies since the invasion of Ukraine meant that the unit had lost €8.5bn (£7.4bn) to date. The latest state intervention followed a rescue package agreed in July. The deal will see the German state take a majority stake from Fortum which, itself, is controlled by Finland’s government. Read more: Tough choices for Germany as coal power stations return to keep people warm this winter Financing of €8bn is to be made available to fund its work. Uniper’s losses have mounted as Russia has cut back natural gas supplies to European countries supporting Ukraine. Prices have soared for the fuel needed to heat homes, generate electricity and power factories, raising fears of business closures, rationing and a recession as the weather turns cold. Some factories in Germany are already operating below capacity in a bid to save money. The scramble for supplies saw Berlin take control of three Russian-owned oil refineries last week before an embargo on Russian oil takes effect next year.

World Alzheimer’s Day 2022: Improving Post-Diagnosis Care With COGNISANCE – News-Medical.Net https://collincountynewsonline.com/world-alzheimers-day-2022-improving-post-diagnosis-care-with-cognisance-news-medical-net/ To commemorate World Alzheimer’s Day, News-Medical speaks to Dr. Meredith Gresham, coordinator of COGNISANCE: Co-Designing Dementia Diagnosis And Post Diagnostic Care, about the project and post-dementia diagnosis care for patients and their families. We also feature comments from the project’s international partners on their work within the project.  Please can you introduce yourself, tell us about your scientific background, and what inspired your career in dementia research? As an Occupational Therapist with 30+ years of experience, I am passionate about assisting people in living well with dementia. Some people consider the “live well with dementia” idea corny at best and unrealistic at worst. However, there are large and growing amounts of research to indicate psycho-social and lifestyle interventions that will do just that – help you to live well and come to terms with a diagnosis, as well as live a full and meaningful life. The key, however, is getting a diagnosis in a timely fashion from a medical practitioner who will support you on the right path with information and resources to plan for the future and feel and be in control. That is what attracted me to COGNISANCE and what we are striving to do. But to achieve this, things must change! Can you tell us a bit about COGNISANCE? What are the aims and objectives of the project? Co-designing dementia diagnosis and post-diagnostic care (COGNISANCE) was a project brought about by pervasive and global issues with how a diagnosis of dementia is given without hope and the poor support received after diagnosis. In a global survey undertaken for the 2021 World Alzheimer Report (Alzheimer’s Disease International), 55% of people said they were given inadequate information at diagnosis, and 62% of healthcare practitioners believed that nothing could be done following the giving of a diagnosis. The Chief investigator is Professor Henry Brodaty AO, an old age psychiatrist researcher, policy advisor, and strong advocate for people with dementia and carers. At UNSW Sydney, he is Scientia Professor and Montefiore Chair of Ageing and Mental Health and Co-Director of the Centre for Healthy Brain Ageing. He has published extensively and serves on multiple committees for the state and Australian governments and WHO. COGNISANCE aimed to develop, test, implement and evaluate a global website tailored for each country involved and social marketing campaigns to change hearts, minds, and behaviors to improve how a diagnosis is communicated and the support available following diagnosis. To meet our aims, we used a five-step approach: Through surveys and interviews, we explored current experiences, barriers, and facilitators to dementia diagnosis and post-diagnosis support from the perspectives of persons with dementia, care partners, and health and social care professionals in each of our regions.  Based on this formative research, we co-designed an internationally adaptable set of web-based resources and key messages to support improvement in the communication of diagnosis and post-diagnostic support. Each country reviewed the context of dementia diagnosis and support, including policy, practice, and the nature of existing supports to devise a social marketing campaign named Forward with DementiaTM to communicate key messages, change help-seeking and help-giving behavior, challenge stigma, myths, and misconceptions about dementia. We are currently evaluating the project.   Lastly, we are just completing a ‘Playbook’ as a guide to describe the process and help other countries to produce public resources and campaigns to transform how a diagnosis of dementia is communicated, and the support offered after diagnosis. Alzheimer’s Disease International has estimated that three-quarters of people with dementia have not received a diagnosis. What is the current process of dementia diagnosis, and why is a diagnosis difficult to obtain? There are many reasons, including health resourcing in different nations. Our project addresses, in part, the fear of dementia. Some research has indicated that dementia has outstripped cancer as the most feared disease. Individuals with dementia, families, communities and even health professionals often feel nothing can be done. While there is no cure for most dementias, much can be done to treat and manage the symptoms and live a full and meaningful life after diagnosis. But, as I mentioned,  things have to change. Health professionals need to communicate a diagnosis of dementia with compassion and hope and provide patients with information and resources that will enable them to live well. People with dementia, families and friends need clear information and practical actions to live well today, plan for tomorrow, and challenge the stigma and misinformation that often accompanies a diagnosis. This year’s World Alzheimer’s Day theme is ‘Know Dementia, Know Alzheimer’s’ and focuses on post-diagnosis support. What is the current state of post-diagnosis support, and how can it be improved, both for the patient and their family? Our formative research for COGNISANCE indicated variability across our five participating countries regarding post-diagnostic support. Even with four out of five of our participating countries being developed nations (Australia, UK, Netherlands, Canada; Poland is our LMIC), up to one-third of people with dementia (91 people) and carers (300) we surveyed were dissatisfied with the information they received and less than a quarter of people with dementia and about a third of carers received a plan of care. Yet there is a plethora of information! COGNISANCE has codesigned a website (the international landing page) that gives a comprehensive guide to post-diagnostic support. The website has three sections for people with dementia, carers, and health care professionals tailored to meet their specific needs. Cognisance has given us the opportunity to collaborate internationally to meet the common goal of improving the experiences for people after a diagnosis of dementia. Being given a diagnosis of dementia can be overwhelming. People may not know the questions to ask or be able to get the information they need at the right time. We have worked closely with people living with dementia, carers, health care professionals, and organizations such as the Alzheimer’s Society to co-produce an online guide Forward with Dementia. People have told us that being able to have a one-stop shop for information and practical tools after a diagnosis is such a unique and valuable resource. “Did someone behind this have dementia? I think so, it’s so subtle and easy to use, you wouldn’t even want to come of it”. In the UK, you can personalize and save the information relevant to you, and it’s a resource that can be shared with family, friends, and health care professionals and used as an action planner to start conversations. “…With this I can select my own to-dos, so I am in charge”.​ Helping people to access good support at the right time is key to living positively with dementia, and Forward with Dementia has been developed with the people that it is for. We’re delighted that in the UK, we have funding from the NIHR through their three schools dementia program to further develop the guide for home care workers and to curate information for social care needs.” – Jane Wilcock, Senior Research Fellow, University College London.  Five sections follow the questions people have about dementia, starting with understanding the diagnosis, then coming to terms with dementia, managing changes, supporting wellbeing, and making plans and decisions. Each section contains a broad range of concise articles with curated links to external websites and tools for further information. But more than just information, Forward with Dementia provides key actions; it puts the information into practice for you. For example, the article on supporting someone to cease driving doesn’t just give information about driving; it gives you a balanced view of pros and cons to continuing driving, a link to a driving decision aid to help guide your thinking about stopping (or continuing) to drive, a link to a video about how to talk about driving cessation and an article about transport alternatives and advice about informing transport authorities and insurance companies. A box at the end of each article summarizes the actions to take. Image Credit: LightField Studios/Shutterstock.com For busy health professionals, there are just two sections. One on how to deliver the diagnosis compassionately and with hope, and secondly, how to deliver best practice and guideline-informed post-diagnostic support.  Importantly, we co-designed some key tools. One example is the ‘Patient information resource’ for doctors. This directly responded to our finding that people left the diagnostic appointment with nothing in their hands. Often shocked and distressed, there was nothing they felt they could turn to. This simple take-home information sheet is provided for download on the website. It takes the doctor seconds to fill out but provides the key information of the diagnosis, what the management should be, when, and who will provide follow-up and the key telephone numbers and websites for support. This is our Australian example. We’ve been providing free printed tear-off pads for diagnosticians during our campaign. During the COVID-19 pandemic, we have seen healthcare change. For the better, through the advent of telemedicine, and for the worse, as seen in the long waiting time for services. How has the COVID-19 pandemic impacted dementia diagnosis, and post-diagnosis support? COVID-19 was a huge disruption to diagnostic and other health services, particularly dem...

Downfall Of Canada’s Lambo Driving ‘Crypto King’ Reportedly Sees $35M In Losses – Cointelegraph https://collincountynewsonline.com/downfall-of-canadas-lambo-driving-crypto-king-reportedly-sees-35m-in-losses-cointelegraph/ A self-styled 23-year-old ‘Crypto King’ is facing a raft of demands among 140 of his investors as they try to claw back a collective total of $35 million from his company AP Private Equity Limited. According to a Sept. 20 CBC report, creditors are hard at work trying to unravel where all the money they allegedly gave Canadian Aiden Pleterski to make crypto and foreign exchange investments on their behalf ended up. A bankruptcy trustee’s report, creditors meeting minutes, court filings, and complaints made to Investigation Counsel PC reveal Pleterski owned 11 vehicles, leased four other luxury cars, regularly flew on private jets, and was living in a lakefront mansion costing $45,000 a month to rent. So far roughly $2 million worth of assets have been seized, among them two McLarens, two BMWs and a Lamborghini. Norman Groot, the founder of Investigation Counsel PC, a fraud recovery law firm claimed the “large lifestyle burn rate” still doesn’t “account for the amount of money that’s missing.” An initial lawsuit brought against Pleterski resulted in his assets and bank accounts being frozen, but that has now been superseded by bankruptcy proceedings. At this stage, it is the only recovery process for investors because bankruptcy proceedings take precedence over civil claims. Groot said that “the only other avenue available for investors would be to make reports to the Ontario Securities Commission and the police.” “Those processes are lengthy” he said adding, “The more time that goes by, the less likely there’s a recovery of evidence and less likely there’s a recovery of money.” Groot said the warning signs for investors of excessively high returns were there for all to see. “Five per cent interest [a week] is not available on the open market. A 23-year-old kid is unlikely to be the next Bill Gates talk to somebody who is conservative and get a second opinion.” Creditor Diane Moore invested $60,000 and said her investment contract gave her the lion’s share of a 70-30 split on any capital gains which were targeted at 10 to 20 per cent biweekly. “The whole thing was based on trust,” she said, claiming to be out of pocket $50,000. Pleterski’s lawyer Micheal Simaan has disputed the allegations and said his client has been cooperating fully with the bankruptcy process. According to Simaan his client started investing in crypto as a teen. His success during the bull markets prompted others to offer cash freely for investments in the hopes of striking it rich. Related: Bitcoin’s in a bear market, but there are plenty of good reasons to keep investing “Shockingly, it seems that nobody bothered to consider what would happen if the cryptocurrency market plummeted or whether Aiden, as a very young man, was qualified to handle these types of investments.” Pleterski claimed his investment company ran into trouble thanks to “a series of margin calls and bad trades,” possibly exacerbated by the market crash and ongoing crypto winter. He said tha all the money fronted by investors in late 2021 and early 2022 is gone. The trustee noted that they still needed to receive supporting evidence of the trades after requesting proof of transactions and bank statements.

The US Fills ASEAN Ambassadorial Posting After 5-Year Vacancy – The Diplomat https://collincountynewsonline.com/the-us-fills-asean-ambassadorial-posting-after-5-year-vacancy-the-diplomat/ Trans-Pacific View | Diplomacy | Southeast Asia The post has been filled by Yohannes Abraham, a former member of President Joe Biden’s National Security Council. U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris swears in Yohannes Abraham as the next U.S. ambassador to ASEAN in Washington, D.C., September 20, 2022. Credit: Twitter/Vice President Kamala Harris After an interregnum of more than five years, the United States government has finally appointed an ambassador to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). Yesterday, U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris swore in Yohannes Abraham, a former member of President Joe Biden’s National Security Council, into the post. Abraham is expected to take up the post immediately. “I had the privilege of swearing in Yohannes Abraham as our next Ambassador to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations,” Harris wrote on Twitter yesterday. “Thank you, Ambassador Abraham, for serving the White House with honor and taking on this new role. We wish you well.” Abraham was nominated to the post in May, an announcement that President Joe Biden made during the two-day U.S.-ASEAN Special Summit that was convened in Washington. As former chief of staff and executive secretary of the NSC, Abraham has worked closely with those in who have set the Biden administration’s policy toward Southeast Asia. Abraham’s appointment follows a more than five year vacancy in the Jakarta-based posting, which has lain empty since President Donald Trump took office in January 2017. As Aaron Connelly of the London-based Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS) pointed out on Twitter today, “Since the U.S. established a resident mission to ASEAN in Jakarta in 2011, the post of ambassador has been vacant (6 years, 6 months) more often than it has been filled (4 years, 11 months).” The position has since been filled by a string of charges d’affaires. Until recently, Washington’s frequent statements of commitment to Asia in general, and Southeast Asia in particular, have been undermined by the inability to confirm ambassadors to fill vacant posts. This has been less a question of political will than the petty partisan sniping of Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX), who vowed to block Biden’s State Department nominees until the government imposed congressionally mandated sanctions on the Nord Stream 2 pipeline running from Russia to Germany. These vacancies were especially marked in Southeast Asia, a region that lies at the crossroads of the “Indo-Pacific.” At one stage last year, the U.S. had no ambassador posted to Thailand or the Philippines, both of them long-standing treaty allies, nor in Singapore, perhaps the other most important U.S. partner in the region. It was also unrepresented in Brunei and Timor-Leste. All but one of the vacant Southeast Asian posts – the ambassadorship to Timor-Leste – has now been filled. According to the American Foreign Service Association (AFSA), the Senate confirmed Robert Godec as ambassador to Thailand in August, on the same day that it approved Abraham for the ASEAN posting. In May, it approved MaryKay Loss Carlson’s nomination as ambassador to the Philippines, along with nominees to posts in South Korea and Australia. These followed the confirmations of Caryn R. McClelland as ambassador to Brunei (December 2021), Marc Knapper as ambassador to Vietnam (December 2021), and Jonathan Kaplan as U.S. ambassador to Singapore (November 2021). Meanwhile, Donna Ann Welton has been nominated to serve in Timor-Leste, but has yet to be approved, according to AFSA. The Russian invasion of Ukraine, which prompted Germany to freeze Nord Stream 2 and the U.S. to impose sanctions on the company building it, has effectively removed the last remaining partisan bottleneck and allowed the remaining vacancies to be approved with relative ease. With the U.S. now well represented in Southeast Asian capitals, attention turns to the message that these envoys will be expected to deliver to the governments of the region: about U.S.-China competition, war in Europe, and other issues of regional and global import. As I noted in May, after the Senate’s confirmation of ambassadors to Manila, Seoul, and Canberra, a lot of questions remain about the shape of U.S. policy toward Southeast Asia – not least the question of U.S. economic engagement, another area in which domestic politics imposes limits on the Biden administration’s room for maneuver. But whatever message that Washington wishes to convey, it at least now has the personnel who can deliver it.

Prep Sports Roundup: Sept. 21, 2022 | Local Sports News | Havasunews.com – Today’s News-Herald https://collincountynewsonline.com/prep-sports-roundup-sept-21-2022-local-sports-news-havasunews-com-todays-news-herald/ Sep 20, 2022 11 min ago 0 Thursday 9/15 Girls’ Varsity Volleyball: Desert Edge defeats Havasu 25-16, 19-25, 25-19, 25-22 Welcome to the discussion. Keep it Clean. Please avoid obscene, vulgar, lewd, racist or sexually-oriented language. PLEASE TURN OFF YOUR CAPS LOCK. Don’t Threaten. Threats of harming another person will not be tolerated. Be Truthful. Don’t knowingly lie about anyone or anything. Be Nice. No racism, sexism or any sort of -ism that is degrading to another person. Be Proactive. Use the ‘Report’ link on each comment to let us know of abusive posts. Share with Us. We’d love to hear eyewitness accounts, the history behind an article. For the Arizona Cardinals and Las Vegas Raiders, the 2022 season started with a dud. The teams looking to build on playoff performances from last season struggled in their openers. The Cardinals got blown out at home by Kansas City and the Raiders fell on the road at the division rival Chargers. That’s put some added urgency on the game Sunday, when Arizona visits Las Vegas, given that no team that started the season 0-2 made the playoffs the past three seasons. BRISTOL, Tenn. (AP) — Chris Buescher closed out a bizarre first round of NASCAR’s … Drey Jameson pitched seven shutout innings in his major league debut and the Arizona Diamondbacks hit three home runs in a 4-0 victory over the San Diego Padres on Thursday night. Jameson, called up Thursday from Triple-A Reno, gave up two hits _ both by Brandon Drury _ and walked one. He struck out five _ including Juan Soto twice _ and got 10 groundouts. He threw 90 pitches, 62 for strikes. Kevin Ginkel, Joe Mantiply and Reyes Moronta finished the three-hitter. Ketel Marte, Emmanuel Rivera and Carson Kelly hit solo homers. The Padres’ lead over the idle Milwaukee Brewers for the final National League wild-card spot was reduced to 1 1/2 games.

Shopping In The Metaverse: 52% Of Aussie Consumers Would Try It – SmartCompany https://collincountynewsonline.com/shopping-in-the-metaverse-52-of-aussie-consumers-would-try-it-smartcompany/ Source: Shutterstock Australian shoppers are more willing to shop in the metaverse compared to their counterparts in US and parts of Europe, according to research released this week by BigCommerce. More than half of the Australian consumers included in the study (52%) said they would be willing to try metaverse shopping, while those in France were the least interested (35%). Overall, BigCommerce’s Global Consumer Report found 46% of consumers surveyed across Australia, the US, UK, Italy and France are willing to shop in the metaverse, and of those, 51% are interested in buying both virtual and physical goods. The report surveyed 4222 consumers, 527 of which were Australia, across a range of future and emerging retail trends. Get daily business news. The latest stories, funding information, and expert advice. Free to sign up. More than half of the consumers surveyed (55%) admitted they shop online at least once a week if not more. Fashion and apparel was the most popular category for online shoppers according to the report, with 80% of surveyed consumers digging deep into their pockets to keep up with the latest fashion trends. Electronics came in second at 56%, while entertainment and media were a close third at 55%. When it comes to discounts, the report found consumers prefer free shipping above anything else, while 84% of consumers rated sustainability as important when making a purchasing decision. Consumers were also asked which payment methods they’ve used when shopping online, with 16% stating they have used buy now, pay later (BNPL) services. Of those who have used BNPL, the majority were in the US, UK and Australia. Assisting consumers to fit purchases into their budget was revealed as a primary reason for choosing BNPL, with 34% of those who’ve used BNPL more likely to complete a purchase if that payment method was an option, while 49% confirmed they would find it easier to complete a purchase if BNPL was an option. Further statistics have revealed that people are shopping on Google more than 1 billion times a day.  BigCommerce chief marketing officer Lisa Eggerton said the Global Consumer Report showed just how much technology is changing the way consumers shop and “providing new and better ways for brands to engage with their customers”. “The future of commerce is here, and brands have a vibrant opportunity for remarkable growth,” she said. “Our aim in sharing data from the Global Consumer Report is to help brands across these regions better understand consumer buying behaviours. Brands must put consumers at the heart of everything they do or risk losing market share.” The report also mentioned honesty and transparency are the brand values consumers look for most, but providing fair wages and benefits to employees was a close second.

Lainey Wilson + Morgan Wade Confirmed For 2023 Hwy 30 Music Fest – Kezj.com https://collincountynewsonline.com/lainey-wilson-morgan-wade-confirmed-for-2023-hwy-30-music-fest-kezj-com/ Two major performers were recently added to this year’s Highway 30 Music Fest roster. And if these two stellar artists are any indication of what’s to come, this just may be the biggest event ever to hit the Twin Falls area. Morgan Wade Morgan Wade is a returning Highway 30 alum and will be just one of the many featured performers on Wednesday, June 21st’s exciting all-female lineup. Morgan is an insanely talented writer and vocalist, and I was thrilled to hear that she would be returning to the Highway 30 Stage in Filer, Idaho. If you like music that’s raw, unfiltered, and brilliantly composed from the heart, you’ll want to be sure you get tickets for Wednesday to see Morgan Wade Lainey Wilson Lainey Wilson is also no stranger to Highway 30 Music Fest and will be returning to Filer next year as the headlining performance on Wednesday, June 21st, 2023. Lainey has had a widely successful year with a string of hits and SIX recent CMA nominations including Album of the Year, Female Vocalist of the Year, Music Video of the Year, Musical Event of the Year, New Artist of the Year, and Song of the Year. Lainey will also be appearing in an upcoming season of Yellowstone on The Paramount Network. Buy Tickets: About Highway 30 Music Fest 2023 Highway 30 Music Fest is an annual four-day music festival in Filer, Idaho that started in 2009. The festival features a wide variety of musical genres, including rock, pop, country, and folk. This Southern Idaho summer staple boasts a lineup of talent featuring established icons to new artists and breakout stars. If you love music, food, and fun and are looking for a festive way to spend the better part of a week, be sure to check out Highway 30 Music Fest! 2023 Highway 30 Music Fest will take place June 21-24 2023 at the Twin Falls County Fairgrounds in Filer Idaho. You can find more information about the event, including travel and camping information and online ticket purchase at the Highway 30 Music Fest website. Pro tip: Tickets go fast, so I highly recommend getting yours sooner rather than later.  More performers announced soon Gordy and the Highway 30 is constantly refining the lineup and announcing new performers as they are confirmed. You can follow HWY 30 on social media for up-to-date announcements. LOOK: Things from the year you were born that don’t exist anymore The iconic (and at times silly) toys, technologies, and electronics have been usurped since their grand entrance, either by advances in technology or breakthroughs in common sense. See how many things on this list trigger childhood memories—and which ones were here and gone so fast you missed them entirely.

Seattle DJC.com Local Business News And Data – Technology – NYC Subway Cars Get Security Cameras – Seattle Daily Journal Of Commerce https://collincountynewsonline.com/seattle-djc-com-local-business-news-and-data-technology-nyc-subway-cars-get-security-cameras-seattle-daily-journal-of-commerce/ NEW YORK, N.Y. (AP) — Security cameras, which are already ubiquitous on New York’s streets, will soon be installed in all of the city’s nearly 6,400 subway cars as officials work to rebuild riders’ faith in the system’s safety. The Metropolitan Transportation Authority plans to put two cameras in each train car in a project expected to take three years to complete, Gov. Kathy Hochul said Tuesday as she announced the effort at a rail yard in Queens.   . . .

Korean Gaming Pioneer Kim Jung-Ju’s Teenage Daughter Becomes World’s Youngest Billionaire – Forbes https://collincountynewsonline.com/korean-gaming-pioneer-kim-jung-jus-teenage-daughter-becomes-worlds-youngest-billionaire-forbes/ Nexon founder Kim Jung-ju COURTESY OF NEXON Kim Jung-youn, the teenage daughter of the late Kim Jung-ju, the founder of Nexon who died in February at the age of 54, is the world’s youngest billionaire after inheriting a stake in the online gaming giant. Jung-youn and her older sister, Jung-min, inherited a 30.78% stake each in NXC, their father’s personal holding company, according to a regulatory filing earlier this month. NXC is the largest shareholder in Nexon, with a nearly 48% stake. Together with the sisters’ existing shares in NXC, their stakes in the company are worth $2.5 billion each. After deducting their inheritance tax bill, which Forbes calculates at over $1.5 billion each (South Korea has one of the highest inheritance taxes in the world), Jung-youn’s and Jung-min’s net worths are estimated at $1 billion each. Jung-ju’s wife, Yoo Jung-hyun, who was already a billionaire, inherited a 4.57% stake in NXC from her husband. Yoo, 53, helped Jung-ju start Nexon in 1994 and remains the largest shareholder in NXC with a 34% stake. She made her debut on the Korea’s 50 Richest list this year with a net worth of $3 billion. Not much is known about Jung-ju’s family. It has been widely reported that Jung-min and Jung-youn were born in 2002 and 2004, respectively. At 18 years of age, Jung-youn is the youngest current billionaire in the world. The person who previously held the distinction was Kevin David Lehmann of Germany, who turned 20 this month. His father, Guenther Lehmann, transferred a stake in German drugstore chain drogerie markt to his son when he was 14, but it remained under a trusteeship until his 18th birthday, which was in 2020. Jung-ju himself was famously media-shy. While Nexon is headquartered in Tokyo, he established NXC in Jeju, a resort island off the southern coast of the Korean peninsula. He retired from day-to-day management in 2006 and focused on philanthropy and other investments. Jung-ju was named as one of Forbes Asia’s 15 Heroes of Philanthropy last year for his donations to children’s hospitals. Before his death, Jung-ju was ranked the third-richest person in South Korea, right after pharmaceutical tycoon Seo Jung-jin and Samsung’s Jay Y. Lee, with a net worth of $10.9 billion. — With assistance by Jane Ho. MORE FROM FORBES MORE FROM FORBESThe World’s Youngest Billionaires 2021 Include A Teenager From Germany, A Crypto Magnate And A Stanford DropoutBy Ariel ShapiroMORE FROM FORBESForbes’ 35th Annual World’s Billionaires List: Facts And Figures 2021By Kerry A. DolanMORE FROM FORBESKorea’s 50 Richest 2022: Collective Wealth Falls Despite Economic Uptick, Only Eight See Fortunes RiseBy John Kang Follow me on Twitter or LinkedIn. Send me a secure tip.

High 5 Entertainment Is Coming To The Farm In Allen – Star Local Media https://collincountynewsonline.com/high-5-entertainment-is-coming-to-the-farm-in-allen-star-local-media/ Allen American Daily Headlines Have the latest local news delivered every morning so you don’t miss out on updates. Allen American e-Edition Receive our newspaper electronically with the e-Edition email. Allen American Local Sports Get the latest headlines on local sports! Carrollton Leader Daily Headlines Have the latest local news delivered every afternoon so you don’t miss out on updates. Carrollton Leader e-Edition Receive our newspaper electronically with the e-Edition email. Carrollton Leader Local Sports Get the latest headlines on local sports! Celina Record Daily Headlines Daily Headlines from Celina Record Celina Record e-Edition Receive our newspaper electronically with the e-Edition email. Celina Record Local Sports Get the latest headlines on local sports! Coppell Gazette Daily Headlines Have the latest local news delivered every afternoon so you don’t miss out on updates. Coppell Gazette e-Edition Receive our newspaper electronically with the e-Edition email. Coppell Gazette Local Sports Get the latest headlines on local sports! Flower Mound Leader Daily Headlines Have the latest local news delivered every afternoon so you don’t miss out on updates. Flower Mound Leader e-Edition Receive our newspaper electronically with the e-Edition email. Flower Mound Leader Local Sports Get the latest headlines on local sports! Frisco Enterprise Daily Headlines Have the latest local news delivered every afternoon so you don’t miss out on updates. Frisco Enterprise e-Edition Receive our newspaper electronically with the e-Edition email. Frisco Enterprise Local Sports Get the latest headlines on local sports! Lake Cities Daily Headlines Have the latest local news delivered every afternoon so you don’t miss out on updates. Lake Cities e-Edition Receive our newspaper electronically with the e-Edition email. Lake Cities Local Sports Get the latest headlines on local sports! Lewisville Leader Daily Headlines Have the latest local news delivered every afternoon so you don’t miss out on updates. Lewisville Leader e-Edition Receive our newspaper electronically with the e-Edition email. Lewisville Leader Local Sports Get the latest headlines on local sports! Little Elm Journal Daily Headlines Have the latest local news delivered every afternoon so you don’t miss out on updates. Little Elm Journal e-Edition Receive our newspaper electronically with the e-Edition email. Little Elm Journal Local Sports Get the latest headlines on local sports! McKinney Courier Daily Headlines Have the latest local news delivered every afternoon so you don’t miss out on updates. McKinney Courier e-Edition Receive our newspaper electronically with the e-Edition email. McKinney Courier Local Sports Get the latest headlines on local sports! Mesquite News Daily Headlines Have the latest local news delivered every afternoon so you don’t miss out on updates. Mesquite News e-Edition Receive our newspaper electronically with the e-Edition email. Mesquite News Local Sports Get the latest headlines on local sports! Plano Star Daily Headlines Have the latest local news delivered every afternoon so you don’t miss out on updates. Plano Star e-Edition Receive our newspaper electronically with the e-Edition email. Plano Star Local Sports Get the latest headlines on local sports! Rowlett Lakeshore Times Daily Headlines Have the latest local news delivered every afternoon so you don’t miss out on updates. Rowlett Lakeshore Times e-Edition Receive our newspaper electronically with the e-Edition email. Rowlett Lakeshore Times Local Sports Get the latest headlines on local sports! The Colony-Courier Leader Daily Headlines Have the latest local news delivered every afternoon so you don’t miss out on updates. The Colony-Courier Leader e-Edition Receive our newspaper electronically with the e-Edition email. The Colony-Courier Leader Local Sports Get the latest headlines on local sports!

Fall Travel: Beach Vacations You Can Take Without A Passport – BET https://collincountynewsonline.com/fall-travel-beach-vacations-you-can-take-without-a-passport-bet/ As the temperature starts to dip to the colder side, the temptation to pack a swimsuit and hit sandy shores is one that we understand. While there is nothing wrong with shorter days and cooler nights, who can resist the sugary sandy stretches of an island paradise? However, if you don’t have a passport or it’s expired, you may think you are stuck only dreaming of a warm getaway. But no need to fret as enjoying a beach vacay sans a passport is possible. The only question is where to go. “Look for places that offer a different culture, like Hawaii or Guam,” says Richard Cantave, Chief Vacation Officer at Haitian Nomad. And forget about trying to figure out the best day to book for the best price; the rules have changed. The key is to set an alert, says Cantave. Start by finding a flight based on your schedule. “Then go on Google Flights and set an alert for that flight, and you will receive daily reminders, so you can see if the price is going up or down,” he says. You can then book once the flight is in the range you want to spend. Here is a list of places to add to your google flight alerts that you can travel to without a passport. Florida The Sunshine State has options far more than just a beach vacation, but if you are in the mood for sugary white sands, head to Siesta Key Beach, which has been voted one of the most beautiful beaches in the world. Or head to Key West in October, where you can check out Fantasy Fest every fall—a 10-day celebration with parades, pool parties, body painting, karaoke, and more. While known for amusement parks like Disney World and Universal Studios in Orlando, you can opt to take in some history and tasty bites. Tampa offers Hyde Park or a trolley ride to the old Cigar Capital of The World Ybor City, where you will find the state’s oldest restaurant, Columbia, serving up Spanish-Cuban cuisine. The only caveat is that hurricane season runs from June to the end of November. So consider getting flight and/or travel insurance. “I would not recommend anyone fly without some kind of insurance, especially with all of the delays right now,” says Cantave. While flight insurance can cover cancellations, you should also consider travel insurance for things like lost luggage. “But also, look into your credit card policies because some have certain travel insurance benefits,” he says. Puerto Rico While you may automatically think of San Juan when PR crosses your mind, this U.S. territory has much more to offer. For example, Flamenco Beach which is considered among the top ten beaches globally. However, it isn’t for those looking to party hard as it’s light on the luxury hotels, casinos, or crowds. Still, it is dreamy and as beautiful as a postcard. You may also want to check out Culebra, a small island surrounded by more than 20 cays filled with beautiful marine life, perfect for beach lovers and those who love to snorkel. U.S. Virgin Islands The USVI has three main islands: St. Thomas, St. John, and St. Croix, each with a unique vibe. As of June 1, all COVID-19 entry requirements were dropped, meaning passengers are no longer required to complete a screening portal. In addition to offering delicious food, the islands are also popular wedding and honeymoon destinations. For those looking for a bit of adventure, you can hike and enjoy the stunning views, dive in azure waters and glide through the tropical breeze as you windsurf. For an authentic experience, visit during Carnival, which takes place on all three of the main islands. This year St. Croix’s Carnival will commence in December and honors the Crucian Christmas and New Year. Guam Located in the North Pacific Ocean and 5,800 miles west of San Francisco is the beautiful crystal clear waters of the island of Guam. The climate stays constant, ranging from 70 to 90 °F making it a true tropical paradise. This exotic destination will keep you busy, but you can just relax and check out thriving coral reefs visible up to 150 feet at places like Tumon or Pitti Bomb. In addition to its stunning shores, you can indulge in its 4,000-year history by visiting one of its 130 historical sites, like the Pacific War Museum, where you can learn about the island’s essential key role in World War II. California The Golden State, as it’s been nicknamed since 1968, offers more than just earthquakes and Hollywood elite. It is also a place that has beautiful beach towns like Santa Cruz, Carmel-by-the-Sea, and Laguna Beach. Visit Santa Cruz for hiking in Cowell State Park, roller coaster rides at the Beach Boardwalk, fresh seafood, and shopping at the wharf, or take a 35-mile ride to Pigeon Point Lighthouse, the tallest lighthouse on the West Coast of the United States built in 1871 to guide ships.  If surfing, biking, libraries, and museums are more of your thing, then Carmel-by-the-Sea is the place for you. And while you can enjoy the sea caves of Laguna Beach, the city has more than 20,000 acres of protected wilderness to explore. So, in addition to flip flops, don’t forget hiking boots. Hawaii There couldn’t possibly be a round-up of passport-free beach trips without the mention of Hawaii. You can head to Haleiwa if you want to have your surfing skills tested as well as enjoy galleries and restaurants. Or there is Kauai, where there are breathtaking mountain views, sea cliffs, and sandy beaches. If freshwater rivers are more your speed, then Waikiki Beach, Oahu, is where you need to book your trip. Located on the south shore of Honolulu, the main strip of Kalakaua Avenue, is where you’ll be able to shop, dine and find entertainment.

Chamber’s Youth Leadership Program Underway | Business News | Nonpareilonline.com – The Daily Nonpareil https://collincountynewsonline.com/chambers-youth-leadership-program-underway-business-news-nonpareilonline-com-the-daily-nonpareil/ The Council Bluffs Area Chamber of Commerce is working to grow the next generation of local professionals and leaders with its Youth Leadership Council Bluffs program, and this year’s class is just getting started. Youth Leadership Council Bluffs is an annual program offered to high school juniors in Pottawattamie County by the chamber, and its goal is to develop them into socially-minded, engaged members of the community with the hope of retaining them to live and work in the area once they begin their careers after secondary education or college studies. Last week, 30 students from Abraham Lincoln, Riverside, St. Albert, Thomas Jefferson, Treynor and Tri-Center high schools met up at Hitchcock Nature Center in Honey Creek for their first session of the year. It was a day filled with breaking the ice, learning about leadership and communication skills and working together during team-building exercises. One such activity had the group standing in a circle holding a length of rope. With the aid of one student above in the neighboring observation tower outside the Loess Hills Lodge and one student on the ground level, the group was tasked with turning the circle shape into a star with the students’ hands on the rope at all times. The first attempt broke down after a while, but with a different set of eyes and a new strategy, the group pulled it off and erupted in applause after seeing their results after the second try. The students also broke out into groups to put their creativity to the test. Each group used aluminum foil to shape into a product. The students were then tasked with writing an advertisement for their products and delivering a pitch to the class. Abraham Lincoln’s Molly Romano is part of this year’s leadership class, and she plays varsity volleyball for the Lynx. She said that now that she’s an upperclassman, she is responsible for setting a positive example for her younger teammates. Romano said she hopes Youth Leadership Council Bluffs will help her become a better leader on and off the court. Owen Wise from St. Albert is also in the program. He’s a multi-sport athlete, and he knows the importance of communication with his teammates. He said he’s looking forward to the opportunity to meet with local leaders and learn how to become an active member in the community using those very same communication skills. Lori Shields, vice president of communications and leadership development with the chamber, said Youth Leadership Council Bluffs is a nine month program, and the students meet for a full day once a month through May. She said the meetings are interactive, with the students getting out into Council Bluffs and surrounding communities to meet with government officials, business leaders and nonprofit representatives to get a look at how economic development and social and civic functions work. They’ll also learn about local heritage and history to give them a sense of identity from where they live. Shields said keeping a strong young population is important in any community. She said these aren’t just high school students, they’re also representatives of the future. They’re a new tax base that will be made up of professionals, entrepreneurs, homeowners or renters, employees and families, and Youth Leadership Council Bluffs works to show its students the opportunities in place in the surrounding communities to keep its young population strong. “The students are learning about different aspects of leadership,” she said. “This is important for the chamber because we are trying to build leaders in our community for the future. So we’re getting these students to be actively engaged in giving back and supporting our community, and understanding the concerns, challenges, issues and successes that it has.” Get the latest local business news delivered FREE to your inbox weekly.

Take A Fresh Look At Oatmeal — It’s Not As Simple As You Think – Jacksonville Journal-Courier https://collincountynewsonline.com/take-a-fresh-look-at-oatmeal-its-not-as-simple-as-you-think-jacksonville-journal-courier/ Let’s admit it: Oatmeal is a total nerd. It lacks fashion sense — the color they named after it is somewhere on the drab side of beige. It’s often seen with Sesame Street’s Bert, who also loves bottle caps, paper clips and pigeons. But when it comes to healthy eating, oatmeal and the oats from which it comes can definitely hang with the cool kids at the breakfast table. “It has many, many good qualities,” said Candida Rebello, director of the nutrition and chronic disease research program at Louisiana State University’s Pennington Biomedical Research Center in Baton Rouge. Extensive studies have associated oats and oatmeal with plenty of heart-healthy benefits, such as lowering cholesterol (both total and “bad” LDL cholesterol) and helping with weight control. Oatmeal has a host of vitamins and minerals. Two examples: According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, a 1-cup serving of cooked oatmeal has about 1.8 milligrams of vitamin B1, or thiamin. That’s close to 15% of what an adult needs each day. It also has 1.36 mg of manganese, which is 59% of the daily recommendation for men and 76% for women. Manganese has roles in immunity, blood clotting and the way cholesterol and blood sugar are metabolized. But that’s not what makes oats stand out, Rebello said. That same cup of cooked oatmeal has just 166 calories and nearly 4 grams of dietary fiber. And the type of fiber is where oats start to distinguish themselves. It’s called beta-glucan. Put that in the conversation, and it’s like the scene in a movie where oatmeal takes off its glasses and everyone realizes just how beautiful it is. Not literally. It’s a soluble fiber, which means it dissolves in hot water, where it thickens. “When you eat oatmeal, the kind of sliminess that you see — that comes from this viscosity that beta-glucan generates,” Rebello said. That helps you feel full longer, she said. And it helps undigested food travel farther down your digestive tract, where it feeds the friendly bacteria living there. Beta-glucan is abundant in oats and barley and has been shown “quite unequivocally” to help maintain healthy cholesterol levels, Rebello said. Oats also are rich phytonutrients — plant-derived substances that may boost health. One class of such phytonutrients is avenanthramides, which are found only in oats. Avenanthramides may have antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects, although Rebello said their possible benefits are not as well-researched as those for beta-glucans. Oats have been linked to heart-health benefits since the 1960s and come in many forms. The differences involve levels of processing. Oats grow in an inedible casing called a hull. Inside the hull is a seedlike groat. That groat is encased in bran. “In other whole grains, like in wheat, you can remove that bran layer,” Rebello said. “But in oats, this groat is very soft, so that bran layer cannot really be removed.” That means oats are almost always a whole-grain food, and those are a key part of a healthy eating pattern. If oats are labeled “steel cut,” it simply means they were processed with a steel cutter, Rebello said. Rolled oats are steamed first, then pressed with a roller. “If the roller crushes it into thinner flake, then you get quick-cooking oats,” she said. “If it is then rolled into an even thinner flake, you get your instant oats.” Nutritionally, there is little difference between steel cut and rolled oats, Rebello said. Instant oats, however, have a higher glycemic index, meaning they raise your blood sugar faster. When oats are ground to flour, the coarser portion is extracted and called oat bran. The beta-glucans will be concentrated in the flour rather than the bran, she said. Oat milk is derived from oats and water, but processing may add ingredients such as sugar, salt, oil and more. Oat milk has some dietary fiber, Rebello said — commonly 2 grams per cup — but the amount of beta-glucan is rather small. Unfortunately, Rebello ruled out sugar-filled oatmeal cookies as a healthy food (although she’s not averse to having one as a treat now and then). How, then, to embrace oats? “Just eat regular oatmeal,” she said. Half a cup of rolled oats cooks up quickly and will keep you full a long time. Oatmeal with your favorite fruit can be a sweet way to start the day. Cook it in low-fat milk for creaminess and add unsalted nuts to bolster its heart-health value. If you’re time-pressed in the morning, try a healthy version of overnight oats, which can be prepared the night before. It’s important to remember that no single food, even oats, can do it all, Rebello said, noting that if you eat a nutritious breakfast but then load up on sugar and fat the rest of the day, “that’s really not going to help you much.” But you should go ahead and invite oatmeal into your breakfast club, Rebello said. “I definitely recommend eating oats.”

What Crisis? High-Stakes Crypto Lending Looks Here To Stay – Reuters https://collincountynewsonline.com/what-crisis-high-stakes-crypto-lending-looks-here-to-stay-reuters/ LONDON/WASHINGTON, Sept 21 (Reuters) – On May 11, Scott Odell, an analyst at British crypto lender Blockchain.com, instant messaged Edward Zhao of Three Arrows Capital asking that the Singapore hedge fund repay at least part of a $270 million loan. Three Arrows had just taken a hit from the collapse of cryptocurrency Terra, raising doubts about its ability to repay. That was a worry for Blockchain.com since it had not taken collateral to secure the loan, court filings show. “This is time sensitive so let’s sort if you’re available,” Odell said of the repayment. Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com Zhao appeared lost for words. “Yo,” he replied. “uhh” “hmm” Three Arrows filed for bankruptcy in July and Blockchain.com told Reuters it had yet to recover a cent of its loan. The text exchange is among the affidavit documents filed by liquidators as part of the hedge fund’s liquidation proceedings. read more Three Arrows did not respond to requests for comment. Odell declined to comment, while Reuters was unable to reach Zhao. The loan was part of an opaque web of unsecured lending between crypto companies that left the industry exposed when cryptocurrency prices crashed 50% earlier this year, according to a Reuters review of bankruptcy court and regulatory filings, and interviews with about 20 executives and experts. Institutional crypto lending involves lending cryptocurrencies as well as cash in return for a yield. By waiving the requirement for the borrower to put up collateral – such as stocks, bonds or more commonly other crypto tokens – lenders can charge higher rates and ramp up profits, while borrowers can generate cash quickly. Blockchain.com has since largely ceased its unsecured lending, which had represented 10% of its revenue, chief business officer Lane Kasselman told Reuters. “We’re not willing to engage in the same level of risk,” he said, although he added the company would still offer “extremely limited” unsecured loans to top clients under certain conditions. Unsecured lending has become common across the crypto industry, according to the review of filings and the interviews. Despite the recent shakeout, many of the industry insiders said the practice was likely to continue and could even grow. Alex Birry, chief analytical officer for financial institutions at S&P Global Ratings, said the crypto industry was in fact broadly seeing a trend towards unsecured lending. The fact that crypto was a “concentrated ecosystem” raised the risk of contagion across the sector, he added. “So if you are only lending to people operating in this ecosystem, and especially if the number of these counterparties are relatively limited, yes, you will see events such as the one we’ve just seen,” he said about the summer collapse of lenders. CRYPTO BOOM AND BUST Crypto lenders, the de facto banks of the crypto world, boomed during the pandemic, attracting retail customers with double-digit rates in return for their cryptocurrency deposits. On the flip side, institutional investors such as hedge funds looking to make leveraged bets paid higher rates to borrow the funds from the lenders, who profited from the difference. read more Crypto lenders are not required to hold capital or liquidity buffers like traditional lenders and some found themselves exposed when a shortage of collateral forced them – and their customers – to shoulder large losses. read more Voyager Digital, which became one of the biggest casualties of the summer when it filed for bankruptcy in July, provides a window into the rapid growth of unsecured crypto lending. The New Jersey-based lender’s crypto loan book grew from $380 million in March 2021 to around $2 billion in March 2022, and it took collateral for just 11% of that $2 billion, the company’s regulatory filings show. The lender collapsed after Three Arrows defaulted on a crypto loan worth more than $650 million at the time. Although neither party have said if this loan was unsecured, Voyager did not report liquidating any collateral over the default, while Three Arrows listed its collateral status with Voyager as “unknown”, the companies’ bankruptcy filings show. read more Voyager declined to comment for this article. Rival lender Celsius Network, which also filed for bankruptcy in July, offered unsecured loans too, court filings show, although Reuters could not ascertain the scale. Since most loans are private, the amount of unsecured lending across the industry is unknown, with even those involved in the business giving wildly different estimates. Crypto research firm Arkham Intelligence put the figure in the region of $10 billion, for instance, while crypto lender TrueFi said at least $25 billion. Antoni Trenchev, co-founder of crypto lender Nexo, said that his company had turned down requests from funds and traders asking for unsecured loans. He estimated uncollateralized lending across the industry was “probably in the hundreds of billions of dollars”. BULLISH ON BORROWING While Blockchain.com has largely pulled back from unsecured lending, many crypto lenders remain confident about the practice. Most of the 11 lenders interviewed by Reuters said they would still provide uncollateralized loans, though they did not specify how much of their loan book this would be. Joe Hickey, global head of trading at BlockFi, a major crypto lender, said it would continue its practice of offering unsecured loans only to top clients for which it had seen audited financials. A third of BlockFi’s $1.8 billion loans were unsecured as of June 30, according to the company, which was bailed out by crypto exchange FTX in July, when it cited losses on a loan and increased customer withdrawals. read more “I think our risk-management process was one of the things that saved us from having any bigger credit events,” Hickey said. Furthermore, a growing number of smaller, peer-to-peer lending platforms are seeking to fill the gap left by the exit of centralized players such as Voyager and Celsius. Sid Powell, co-founder and CEO of unsecured crypto lending platform Maple, said institutional crypto lenders were more cautious after Three Arrows’ insolvency, but conditions have since normalized and lenders are now again comfortable lending unsecured. Executives at two other peer-to-peer lenders, TrueFi and Atlendis, said they had seen an increase in demand as market makers continue to seek unsecured loans. Brent Xu, CEO of Umee, another peer-to-peer platform, said the crypto industry would learn from its mistakes, and that lenders would fare better by extending loans to a more diversified range of crypto companies. For example, that would include firms seeking to make acquisitions or to fund expansion, he added, rather than focusing on those making leveraged trades on crypto prices. “I’m very bullish on the future of unsecured borrowing and lending,” Xu said. MILLION DOLLARS OF BITCOIN To be sure, many crypto loans are secured. Even then, though, the collateral is frequently in the form of volatile tokens that can quickly lose value. BlockFi over-collateralized a loan to Three Arrows but still lost $80 million on it, the lender’s CEO Zac Prince said in a tweet in July. BlockFi said its lending to the hedge fund was secured with a basket of crypto tokens and shares in a bitcoin trust. “A more traditional lender would likely want more than full collateral coverage on a loan backed by crypto, because in any given day the collateral value could swing by 20% or more,” said Daniel Besikof, a partner at Loeb & Loeb who works in bankruptcy. “Lending a million dollars against a million dollars of bitcoin is riskier than lending against more traditional, stable collateral.” Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com Reporting by Elizabeth Howcroft in London and Hannah Lang in Washington; Editing by Michelle Price and Pravin Char Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles. Elizabeth Howcroft Thomson Reuters Reports on the intersection of finance and technology, including cryptocurrencies, NFTs, virtual worlds and the money driving “Web3”.

U.S., Canadian Warships Sail Through Taiwan Strait For 2nd Time In A Year – Reuters https://collincountynewsonline.com/u-s-canadian-warships-sail-through-taiwan-strait-for-2nd-time-in-a-year-reuters/ The USS Higgins is docked in the northern Israeli city of Haifa September 6, 2009. The destroyer is one of 18 American ships deployed globally with Aegis interceptor systems capable of blowing up ballistic missiles above the atmosphere. REUTERS/Baz Ratner/File Photo Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com Second joint transit by the two nations’ navies since Oct 2021 China’s military says it monitored, warned the ships Narrow waterway has been frequent source of tension Sept 20 (Reuters) – A U.S. Navy warship and a Canadian frigate made a routine transit through the Taiwan Strait on Tuesday, the militaries of both nations said, at a time of heightened military tension between Beijing and Taipei. The transit was the second in a month by a U.S. Navy ship, and the second jointly by the United States and Canada in less than a year, since October 2021. read more While China condemned the mission, saying its forces “warned” the ships, recent years have seen U.S. warships, and occasionally those of allied nations such as Britain and Canada, routinely sail through the strait. Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com Such trips anger China, which claims Taiwan over the objections of the island’s democratically elected government. “Cooperation like this represents the centrepiece of our approach to a secure and prosperous region,” the U.S. Navy said in a statement. The Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer Higgins and the Royal Canadian Navy’s Halifax-class frigate Vancouver made the transit through a corridor in the strait that is beyond the territorial sea of any coastal state, it added. Canadian Defence Minister Anita Anand said that as a Pacific nation, her country was deeply committed to upholding global stability and prosperity in the Indo-Pacific region. “Today’s routine Taiwan Strait transit demonstrates our commitment to a free, open and inclusive Indo-Pacific,” she said in a statement. Taiwan’s foreign ministry welcomed the action. “This operation though the Taiwan Strait is, even more, a concrete demonstration of the resolute opposition of democratic allies to China’s expansion attempts,” it said. The Eastern Theatre Command of China’s People’s Liberation Army said its forces monitored the ships and “warned them”. “Theatre forces are always on high alert, resolutely counter all threats and provocations, and resolutely defend national sovereignty and territorial integrity,” it said in a statement, employing its usual phrasing for such responses. Taiwan’s defence ministry said the ships sailed north through the waterway and its forces observed the mission but “the situation was as normal”. A visit to Taiwan early in August by U.S. House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi enraged China, which subsequently launched military drills near the island that have continued, although on a much reduced scale. The narrow Taiwan Strait has been a frequent source of military tension since the defeated Republic of China government fled to Taiwan in 1949 after losing a civil war with the communists, who established the People’s Republic of China. Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com Reporting by Idrees Ali; Additional reporting by Michael Martina, Ben Blanchard and Steve Scherer; Editing by Raju Gopalakrishnan and Clarence Fernandez Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

PREP ROUNDUP | News, Sports, Jobs – The Steubenville Herald-Star https://collincountynewsonline.com/prep-roundup-news-sports-jobs-the-steubenville-herald-star/ Golden Bears sweep Creek WINTERSVILLE — The Oak Glen volleyball team went on the road and swept Indian Creek on Tuesday eveing, 25=21, 25-12, 24-23. Leading the way for the Golden Bears were Ashlyn Six and McKenzi Martin with 17 kills, Reecelyn Craig with four kills, Jersey Smith with 40 assists and four digs and Tia Vick with two blocks and four kills. For the Redskins, Tori Robertson finished with eight kills, two blocks and five digs, Camryn Ketron had two aces, seven kills and five digs, Katie Cottis tllied six kills and Reese Scott had 21 assists and six digs. Oak Glen is at Beaver Local on Thursday, while Indian Creek travels to East Liverpool on Thursday. Red Knights top Edison RICHMOND — After dropping the first set on the road at Edison on Tuesday, Toronto stormed back to win the next three sets and the match, 16-25, 25-22, 25-11, 25-22. Hannah Dobbs finished with 22 kills, six blocks, 20 digs, two aces and three assists, Callie Anderson had 12 kills and nine digs, Andrea Reeves racked up 38 assists, four kills, 11 digs and two blocks, Ashton Thomas tallied 12 blocks and five kills, Michelle Anderson finished with 23 digs, six kills and three aces, Riley Fisher had 18 digs and Chloe Fisher recorded four blocks. For Edison. Rebecka Evans recorded 12 points, two aces, 20 assists, eight kills and a dig, Hailey Teichman finished with 12 points, four aces, eight assists and five digs, Alexandra Ash had four points, an ace, 11 kills, and three blocks, Kendra Teichman tallied 10 digs, six points, and an ace, Audrey Scott collected 10 digs and two points, Ellie Joynson finished with three digs and two points and Olivia Huff closed with nine kills and had three blocks. Toronto will take on Catholic Central at home on Thursday, while Edison hosts Harrison Central on Thursday. Edison out-golfs Creek, Toronto RICHMOND — The Edison golf team won a tri match against Indian Creek and Toronto on Tuesday. The Wildcats shot a 191, just six shots better than Creek, while the Red Knights fired a 211. For Edison, Tristin Arnold was the medalist with a 44, while Ryan Dinger and Aiden Ferguson each shot a 48 and Luke Feralli fired a 51. Olivia Gibas led Creek with a 45, Logan Kuczykowski shot a 48, as did Noah Tweedy, and Tre Feist-Winland finished with a 56. Toronto got a 45 from Noah Karaffa, a 48 from Ty Suffoletta, a 53 from Gunnar Blood and a 65 from Cam Beker. Oak Glen putts Weir NEW CUMBERLAND — The Oak Glen golf team topped Weir High by 16 strokes on Tuesday, 189-205. For the Golden Bears, Colby Vega fired a 44, Brady Chaney and Preston Cole each shot a 48, Brasinn Provenzano finished with a 55 and Cooper Comm turned in a 59. The Red Riders were led by medalist Jude Smith with a 37, while Isaiah Smith shot a 48, Anthony Earley had a 59, Nico Dimetrious fired a 61 and Owen Totten recorded a 62. Oak Glen moves to 14-8-1 on the season and takes on Indian Creek today at Steubenville Country Club. From staff reports Today’s breaking news and more in your inbox

Girl Group AKB48’s Producer To Launch Metaverse Idol; IEO In The Works – Forkast News https://collincountynewsonline.com/girl-group-akb48s-producer-to-launch-metaverse-idol-ieo-in-the-works-forkast-news/ Yasushi Akimoto, a Japanese music producer with a successful track record of promoting girl groups AKB48 and Nogizaka46, is jumping into a J-pop metaverse project with local crypto company Overs Co. Ltd. Akimoto will serve as the general producer of the project that will launch a new idol band on the virtual platform in 2023. While details regarding the new J-pop band is yet to be revealed, Overs announced that the metaverse will be financed through an initial exchange offering (IEO), where a company sells new cryptocurrencies through an established exchange to raise funds.  Overs will implement the IEO early next year and the metaverse idol group is planned to debut in winter of 2023. In an earlier press release prior to Akimoto’s joining, Overs explained that the metaverse band will fulfill traditional activities as an idol group such as releasing music and holding concerts while utilizing blockchain technology and non-fungible tokens (NFTs) to engage with fans. Japan’s leading producer and lyricist Akimoto has sold over 100 million copies globally in his 40-year musical career, the biggest hits being a series of girl bands known for their perky concept and having 40+ members. The country rich with intellectual property (IP) is no stranger to simulated musical acts. A holographic artist generated by a voice synthesizer named Hatsune Miku remains one of the most influential acts in Japan. Meanwhile, neighboring South Korea’s music scene is already heavily invested in the metaverse.  The self-proclaimed “metaverse K-pop girl group” Aespa, which has four human members with four CGI counterparts, had their latest release become the best-selling album by a female group in the history of Korean music.  HYBE Co., Ltd., the entertainment agency for BTS, has launched a Los Angeles-based joint venture with Dunamu, which operates South Korea’s Upbit crypto exchange. The joint venture, named Levvels, plans to service NFT and metaverse services that utilize K-pop IPs. Other various industries in Japan appear eager to merge their products with the metaverse and virtual technology. Gaming giant Nintendo’s president said earlier this year that the metaverse is “of interest,” while locally dominant mobile carrier NTT Docomo announced plans to offer services in the metaverse in the near future.

Best Workspace Gadgets For Creative Professionals In 2022-2023 – RS Web Solutions https://collincountynewsonline.com/best-workspace-gadgets-for-creative-professionals-in-2022-2023-rs-web-solutions/ Every person’s desktop is as individual as a fingerprint. It is impossible to find twins, especially when we talk about the workplaces and tools used by creative professionals. Even the workspace and place of two office workers in the same company will differ from each other in the smallest things. When it comes to creative professionals, the workspace is not limited to a desk, chairs, and PC. There is always something unusual and interesting. If you are looking for devices that will help you optimize your workspace and reboot your productivity, then today there are many solutions and useful gadgets. Below you will find interesting devices and gadgets that can become an integral part of your workspace. Top 14 workspace gadgets for creative professionals in 2022-2023 Do you want to make your workspace as convenient as possible? Today there are some gadgets that can provide not only comfort, but even affect your productivity. Below are the top 14 gadgets to pay attention to in 2022-2023. Recommended for you: Top 10 Best Micro SD Memory Cards. 1. Key Light Air Lighting is something that many people forget about and thus neglect their health. Lighting also plays an important role in productivity, so a device like the Key Light Air should be a must-have. You will get intense illumination on your desktop without any harm to your eyes. You can connect your Mac, PC, iPhone, or Android to adjust the brightness and control the light from anywhere in your office. Also, the design of this lamp keeps your desk tidy as it doesn’t take up much space and there are no wires. 2. Twelve South HoverBar Duo Want to get the maximum view of your screen? With this device, it will be very convenient for you to work and embody your creative ideas. This stand allows you to adjust the position of your iPad to the position you want. Therefore, you can provide yourself with optimally comfortable working conditions. Twelve South HoverBar Duo is portable, durable, and stable. Therefore, it will be useful to you not only for work but also for leisure. For example, you can watch TV series or position your iPad so that you can watch your favorite content and cook dinner. 3. Chalkdown Standing Desk How about a makeover for your desktop? Chalkdown Standing Desk will become an incredibly functional assistant for your productivity. It also comes with an unusual design with the help of which every creative specialist will be able to organize the most convenient workflow. The material is environmentally friendly, it is stable but also quite flexible. At the same time, the low weight allows you to experiment with the place where you would like to install this table stand without any problems. There are 144 height adjustment options, which will create the most comfortable position. 4. The Wacom One Creative Pen Display Need a digital drawing device? Then Wacom One Creative Pen Display is what you need. You will get a 13-inch screen and a pen with different nibs. This device is suitable for drawing, creating graphic objects, photo editing, and so on. The process of using this graphic tablet will give you pleasure and make you feel like you are working on paper. By the way, you can use accessories from other brands for this device. The tool is compatible with PC as well as some Android devices, which will make your creative process convenient and productive. 5. reMarkable 2 Digital Tablet Wasting a lot of paper during your creative flow? Is the memory of your smartphone filled with hundreds of files that are your creative notes? It’s time to stop torturing your smartphone and wasting paper with the reMarkable 2 Digital Tablet. This Digital Tablet resembles a piece of paper that you can use to take notes. At the same time, everything that you write can convert to text and save to Google Drive and other services. By the way, this is a very convenient device for teamwork and brainstorming. This is a must-have for those who like to take notes and are looking for a digital alternative. 6. TRIO – Portable Dual & Triple Screen Laptop Monitor Multiple screens are what creative professionals dream about. This is a convenient option that also streamlines your workflow and increases productivity. The device from TRIO will be a godsend for all professionals who are engaged in creative activities, be it writing or photography. The tool will allow you to get additional screens for your laptop. Considering portability, you can use it anywhere. There is no doubt that this device will become an indispensable thing for your creativity. 7. DYSON TP01 purifying fan The air in your room is as important as the lighting you use. Too dry and dirty air in the room can easily become the reason for a headache and decreased productivity. Therefore, it is better to pay attention to a humidifier-purifier like the Dyson TP01 with a cooling function. It humidifies the air in winter and creates cool air masses in summer. At the same time, the device cleans the air all year round and is able to absorb 99.97% of pollution with a size of 0.3 microns. You will get a complete picture of the air conditioning. The device is also perfectly customizable so you can create the most favorable conditions in the room. 8. Blue Light Glasses Eye protection is something that every creative specialist should keep in mind. Such a problem can be encountered quite unexpectedly, but unfortunately, it can negatively affect both productivity and health. By the way, a headache is often one of the consequences. So, in order to protect your vision, you should pay attention to specialized glasses that protect your eyes from computer rays. For example, you can consider Blue Light Glasses. Although experts continue their research on how effective glasses with such lenses are, experts note a significant improvement when using such glasses. You may like: Top 10 Best Video Presentation Software for Windows and Mac. 9. SanDisk Professional G-Drive Large files are a pain for many modern professionals. Therefore, such a device as SanDisk Professional G-Drive can be real salvation when working with huge files. You’ll get transfer speeds up to 1050MB/s. But this is not the only advantage the gadget comes with. The device will allow you to store such files in complete safety. Even if you drop the device from a height of 3 meters, it will still be safe, along with the data stored with its help! The tool is also designed in such a way as to stay protected against water and dirt. 10. Mind Reader Comfy Rest Discomfort during work is something that can reduce productivity. Mind Reader Comfy Rest is designed specifically for those who spend too much time at their desks. It has multiple height levels, so you can adjust the height to suit your needs. Also, the convex surface allows you to massage your feet to relieve tension. This gadget can save you money on buying a new chair if you thought the seat was the problem. 11. Ember Temperature Control Smart Mug 2 Surely you have come across a situation when you prepared a cup of coffee or tea and suddenly get a creative insight. But when you return to your cup, everything is cooled down. A smart mug like Ember Temperature Control Smart Mug 2 can be a nice solution to keep your drink hot for a long time. Your coffee will be hot for up to 1.5 hours. At the same time, you can choose the temperature yourself and control the temperature directly from your smartphone. 12. Everlasting Comfort Seat Cushion Creative professionals spend a lot of time at the workplace, especially when they are truly inspired and engaged. However, even the most comfortable chair can’t provide maximum comfort when the creative process drags on for several hours. Everlasting Comfort Seat Cushion is able to relieve stress and deliver additional comfort. This pillow will provide you with the right body position to take the load off your spine. Therefore, if you encounter discomfort, solve this problem with the help of such a device. 13. Air Omni 6 in 1 charging station Charging stations have long become a must-have for everyone who seeks to provide themselves with the most comfortable and functional workplace. A notable feature of PITAKA Air Omni is that you can charge 6 devices at the same time. This station is compatible with many devices including iPhone. The design and construction of the device allow you to place it on the desktop organically. The device charges quickly, so it is definitely worth your attention. 14. Moon Pod Productivity also depends on proper rest. Haven’t you experienced that as soon as you relax and find yourself in complete comfort, inspiration and new ideas immediately come to you? Therefore, it is worth taking care to create a creative place for yourself and you can do this with the help of Moon Pod. This is an incredibly comfortable chair that will allow you to relax a bit and still continue to work. You may also like: Top 10 Best Internal Solid State Drives (SSD). Wrapping up As you can see, there are many interesting gadgets that can help you organize your workspace and optimize your creative work. Choose the devices that will become your assistants and help you stay inspired and productive day after day. This article is written by Christine Tomas from Howly. Christine is a tech expert, consultant, and aspiring writer. She writes for different news portals and thematic blogs for tech experts helping her stay at the heart of programming, and technology news and providing expert answers for any tech issues. Disclosure: Some of our articles may contain affiliate links; this means each time you make a purchase, we get a small commission. However, the input we produce is reliable; we always handpick and review all information before publish...

Ivy Tech Sponsors ‘Big Green Smash’ – The Republic https://collincountynewsonline.com/ivy-tech-sponsors-big-green-smash-the-republic/ By Jana Wiersema | The Republic The interior of the new Moravec Hall, the main campus building for Ivy Tech Community College – Columbus. ” href=”https://www.therepublic.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/129740383_web1_20220713cr-ivy-tech-moravec-4-use-this.jpg” By Jana Wiersema | The Republic The interior of the new Moravec Hall, the main campus building for Ivy Tech Community College – Columbus. Ivy Tech Community College Columbus will host a free community event from 3 to 7 p.m. Thursday that includes food trucks, a silent auction, games for kids, and more. The event, called the Big Green Smash, will be held at the Ivy Tech Columbus campus, 4475 Central Ave. It is hosted by the college’s Student Government Association. The Big Green Smash is open to all community members and students of Ivy Tech. In addition to food and games, a silent auction will raise money for Ivy Tech’s Student Emergency Relief Fund, which helps students with transportation, food security, mental health services, technology access, and childcare. The new Ivy Tech Columbus main campus building, Moravec Hall, will also be available to view during the event.

New Jersey Gaming Revenue Up 10% In August 2022 – TheSportsGeek.com https://collincountynewsonline.com/new-jersey-gaming-revenue-up-10-in-august-2022-thesportsgeek-com/ Please enable JS and disable any ad blocker

Big 12 Teams Finding Identities As Conference Play Looms – KVIA https://collincountynewsonline.com/big-12-teams-finding-identities-as-conference-play-looms-kvia/ By DAVE SKRETTA AP Sports Writer KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Kansas has managed to forge an identity for itself through its first three games — all wins, surprisingly enough — as an offensive-minded team capable of putting up big points without necessarily throwing the ball all over the yard. Kansas State has embraced the image of a physical, defense-first team that can barely score. The rest of the Big 12 is also trying to find its identity as six teams play their first league games Saturday — Iowa State with the eighth-ranked defense in the nation, TCU with the ninth-ranked offense or top-10 teams Oklahoma and Oklahoma State that have been brilliant on offense and shown some defensive chops as well. “Tough. Resilient. Edgy. Hungry. Never satisfied. I think those would be the best,” said first-year Sooners coach Brett Venables, when asked to describe his team. “I love the way we are developing. Our leadership and our mindset. These guys are super hungry, and they want you to coach them hard. When I say they are literally sitting on the edge of their seats in every meeting, I can’t say it any more clearly and truthful. And when we go to practice it is the same thing.” Venables, a longtime defensive guru who arrived from Clemson added: “We are still have a long way to go, but we are making steady improvement” The biggest surprise in the Big 12 through the nonconference portion of the season is undoubtedly the Jayhawks, and it’s not only because they’re 3-0 for the first time in more than a decade. They’ve been dynamic on offense behind Jalon Daniels, who may be the impressive quarterback in the league so far. The league’s offensive player of the week following another big performance in a win at Houston, Daniels is doing what would get a player on a national title contender in the Heisman Trophy conversation. He accounted for 281 yards and five touchdowns in the 48-30 win over the Cougars, pushing his TD total to 10 through the first three games. He is both the Jayhawks’ leading rusher with 244 yards and passer with 566 yards. “We have a lot of people who are able to make plays with the ball in their hands in our offense,” said Daniels, who was fighting for playing time a year ago but seized the starting job in fall camp. “I feel like (coordinator Andy Kotelnicki) realizes that, so I feel like he does a great job of being able to put guys in situations to be able to get the ball.” It’s not as if the Jayhawks have beaten up on soft competition to reach this point: They’re sitting atop the Big 12 by virtue of their overtime win at West Virginia and knocking down future conference foe Houston, which was expected to be a Top 25 contender. “It’s nice to see that our early start’s being recognized,” said Kansas coach Lance Leipold, whose team plays another 3-0 opponent in Duke on Saturday. “But shortly after that happens, you have to just keep your head down and focus on what you’ve got to get done and get better at.” There’s plenty for the Jayhawks’ rivals along Interstate 70 to get better at on offense. On defense? Kansas State has been nearly dominant. The Wildcats have yet to allow more than 17 points to any of their first three opponents, pitched one of the few shutouts in the opening weekend of college football and are allowing just 276 yards per game. But not even that wrecking-crew identity was enough to save Kansas State against Tulane last weekend. Adrian Martinez once again struggled at quarterback and offensive coordinator Collin Klein made plenty of head-scratching calls, resulting in a 17-10 home loss that left the Wildcats feeling wounded heading to Oklahoma on Saturday. Turns out establishing an identity doesn’t mean much if you don’t win. “Adversity has struck and how are we going to respond to that adversity — all of us, players, coaches — because we knew it was going to be a tough game,” Wildcats coach Chris Klieman said. “We knew that they were a good football team and we knew we had to play really well to beat these guys. We played hard but we did not execute well.” Iowa State, another defensive-minded team allowing 24.3 yards per game, has scratched together enough offense for a 3-0 start heading into its game against No. 17 Baylor on Saturday. And TCU has been stunningly efficient through two contests under coach Sonny Dykes, piling up 521.5 yards per game on offense heading into its trip to SMU this weekend. “We’re showing up ready to rock and roll,” said Cyclones coach Matt Campbell. “I feel from a physicality standpoint, from an attitude and effort standpoint, things that we have set as our corner stones of who we want to be. I like where we are at.” ___ More AP college football: https://apnews.com/hub/college-football and https://twitter.com/ap_top25. Sign up for the AP’s college football newsletter: https://tinyurl.com/mrxhe6f2

DeSantis’ Next Move? Flight Heads To Nashville — Not Biden’s Home – Tampa Bay Times https://collincountynewsonline.com/desantis-next-move-flight-heads-to-nashville-not-bidens-home-tampa-bay-times/ SAN ANTONIO — For most of Tuesday, officials in Delaware and members of the public checked the status of a charter flight that was supposed to travel from San Antonio to President Joe Biden’s home state. The plane’s scheduled flight plan bore the hallmarks of Gov. Ron DeSantis’ operation last week to fly 48 Venezuelan migrants from San Antonio to Martha’s Vineyard. It was chartered by the same company, Ultimate JetCharters, that arranged the two flights to Martha’s Vineyard last Wednesday on behalf of the state of Florida, and was one of the two planes used in that effort. After hours of delays, the plane finally took off Tuesday — only to head for Nashville and with no indication that any migrants were on board. Before the change, the flight’s ultimate destination had appeared to be a Delaware airport near Biden’s Rehoboth Beach vacation home, according to data posted on the website FlightAware. That followed a pattern: Former president Barack Obama owns a vacation home in Martha’s Vineyard, an island in Massachusetts. It’s not clear what happened and DeSantis’ office didn’t respond to questions. The flight would have been the second instance of DeSantis using Florida taxpayer money to send migrants from a state other than his own — Texas — to the Northeast. The governor has said his efforts are intended as a message about the record-breaking numbers of migrants crossing the southern border — which he and other Republicans blame on Biden. At a news conference Tuesday, DeSantis did not address rumors of the Delaware flight. He did, however, double down on his use of the charter flights, despite criticism from Florida Democrats that spending taxpayer money to transport migrants from Texas, rather than Florida, disregarded language approved in the state budget. Paying for flights out of Texas was necessary, DeSantis suggested, because authorities are not seeing “mass movements” of migrants into Florida but rather a trickle — making it harder to recruit people for trips north in large numbers. “If we just ignore the source, then you’re gonna have people trickling in[to Florida] 5, 10 a day, 20 a day,” DeSantis said. “I think that at the end of the day, what we’re doing is not the ultimate solution. I think it’s opening people’s eyes to the solution, which is, let’s have a secure border. Let’s have them remain in Mexico. Let’s take the cartels seriously.” In a statement, a spokeswoman for Delaware Gov. John Carney, a Democrat, said the state had been preparing “for the possibility of migrants arriving in Delaware unannounced.” The spokeswoman, Emily David Hershman, said state officials were working with community organizations “to make sure that migrants who arrive here have the support that they need” and were also coordinating with the federal government. Get insights into Florida politics Subscribe to our free Buzz newsletter Political editor Emily L. Mahoney will send you a rundown on local, state and national politics coverage every Thursday. You’re all signed up! Want more of our free, weekly newsletters in your inbox? Let’s get started. Explore all your options By Tuesday afternoon, those officials had told volunteers to stand down, according to the Delaware News Journal. The Delaware flight had been scheduled to travel Tuesday morning from a regional airport near Longview to Kelly Field in San Antonio, where the Martha’s Vineyard migrants boarded last week. Its flight plan then had it stopping in Crestview in the Florida Panhandle before touching down at Delaware Coastal Airport in the afternoon. The airport is about 40 minutes from Biden’s vacation home. There was little sign of activity at Kelly Field on Tuesday morning when Herald reporters visited. Some migrants said they had been lured onto the Martha’s Vineyard flights with promises of jobs and aid that turned out to be false. The Bexar County Sheriff’s Office announced Monday it was opening an investigation into whether any of the migrants were victims of a crime. San Antonio is in Bexar County. During an appearance on CNN Tuesday, Sheriff Javier Salazar didn’t name DeSantis but said that “people that may have been associated with him or employed by him or contracted by him … may have broken the law.” White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre called the possible flight to Delaware “a political stunt” at a daily press briefing. The migrants, who are seeking asylum and have legal status in the United States, “are fleeing persecution only to be used as a political pawn by the Florida governor,” Jean-Pierre said. Asked to comment on DeSantis’ actions by reporters, Biden responded with an invitation to his home state: “He should come visit. We have a beautiful shoreline.” Florida Democratic legislators have called on DeSantis to stop using state money for the relocations. Earlier this year, the Legislature passed a bi-partisan budget that authorized a $12 million program for removing “unauthorized aliens from this state.” But none of the migrants have set foot in Florida, except when their planes landed to refuel in the Panhandle on their way north. At a Monday news conference, Florida House Democratic Leader Evan Jenne of Dania Beach said the flights were “about politics, plain and simple,” according to the Tallahassee Democrat. State records show the Department of Transportation recently paid $1.565 million to a contractor with ties to the Panhandle for the relocation program. It’s not yet clear what role Oregon-based Vertol Systems Company Inc., which has operations in Destin, played in flying the migrants to Martha’s Vineyard. Vertol Systems has also received roughly $25 million in federal contracts since 2004, mostly from the Department of Defense, according to a review of a U.S. spending database. Most of the contracts were for flight training, the database shows. Sen. Chris Coons of Delaware on Tuesday called DeSantis’ decision to charter the flights “profoundly regrettable.” Coons, a Democrat, declined to say if he thought the action was illegal. “What they’ve done is certainly, I think, inhumane,” he said during an interview on MSNBC. “I’ll leave it to the sheriff in Texas who’s investigating this to conclude whether or not this was actually luring under false pretenses, the legal standard that amounts to human trafficking or kidnapping.” DeSantis had previously talked about busing migrants to Delaware, although he seemed to drop the idea. Republican Gov. Greg Abbott of Texas has bused migrants to Northeastern cities — including dropping some off at Vice President Kamala Harris’ residence in Washington, D.C. Abbott’s office told the Herald that Texas had sent more than 8,100 people to D.C., more than 2,600 to New York City and more than 675 to Chicago as of Monday. By Sarah Blaskey, Nicholas Nehamas and Alex Roarty. This is a breaking news story and will be updated. Times/Herald Staff Writers Ana Ceballos, Mary Ellen Klas, Lawrence Mower and McClatchy DC Staff Writers Ben Wieder and Michael Wilner contributed to this report.

European Businesses Are Rethinking Their Plans For A ‘closed’ China – CNBC https://collincountynewsonline.com/european-businesses-are-rethinking-their-plans-for-a-closed-china-cnbc/ Foreign direct investment from Germany to China grew by about 30% in the first eight months of the year from a year ago, China’s Ministry of Commerce said Monday. Vcg | Visual China Group | Getty Images BEIJING — European businesses in China are revaluating their market plans after this year’s Covid controls further isolated the country from the rest of the world, said Joerg Wuttke, president of the European Union Chamber of Commerce in China. China’s stringent Covid policy has restricted international travel, and business activity — especially after a two-month lockdown this year in Shanghai. The tough measures of the last two years initially helped China recover more quickly from the pandemic’s shock compared to other countries. But the policy increasingly contrasts with a world that’s increasingly relaxing many Covid restrictions. For European businesses, “we talk about a complete readjustment of our view on China over the last six months,” Wuttke told reporters at a briefing for the chamber’s annual China position paper, released Wednesday. He said the lockdowns and uncertainty for businesses have turned China into a “closed” and “distinctively different” country that might prompt companies to leave. So far, most companies haven’t left — only some very small ones, Wuttke said. But he pointed out the chamber isn’t able to survey businesses that decided not to enter China at all. I’ve been here on and off 40 years and I’ve never seen anything like this, where all of a sudden ideological decision-making is more important than economic decision-making. Joerg Wuttke president, EU Chamber of Commerce in China Foreign direct investment from the EU into China dropped by 11.8% in 2020 from a year earlier, according to the chamber’s position paper. More recent figures weren’t available. “While there are still ‘a select group of high-profile multinational companies ready to make billion dollar splashes,’ the trend of declining FDI is unlikely to reverse while European executives are heavily restricted from travelling to and from China to develop potential greenfield projects,” the paper said. China’s economy grew by 2.5% in the first half of the year, well below the official target of around 5.5%. Beijing indicated in late July the country might not reach that target. Meanwhile, authorities have showed little sign of removing the so-called dynamic zero-Covid policy. China has reduced quarantine time for international and domestic travelers. But sporadic lockdowns, whether of the tourist island of Hainan or the city of Chengdu, has kept business uncertainty elevated. Wuttke said he expects the earliest China could open its borders is late 2023, based on the time needed to vaccinate enough of the population. ‘Ideology trumps the economy’ European businesses that have remained in China increasingly face an environment in which “ideology trumps the economy,” the chamber’s position paper said in its executive summary. “I’ve been here on and off 40 years and I’ve never seen anything like this, where all of a sudden, ideological decision-making is more important than economic decision-making,” Wuttke said. “And maybe that’s also amplified by voices from the outside, America[n] sanctions, America cutting off China, so I can understand partly why self-reliance is so high on the agenda.” He was referring to China’s push in the last few years to build up its own tech and other industries. Meanwhile, among other measures, the U.S. has restricted its companies from supplying key components to Chinese tech companies such as Huawei. Read more about China from CNBC Pro The chamber did not specifically state what this ideology consisted of, but said China’s Covid policy embodies the country’s “move away from the rest of the world.” The policy has not changed despite many lengthy, candid conversations with Chinese government officials, Wuttke said. “I think these people, they are torn between what they see has to be done, could be done,” he said. “Then [there’s] a very stern, very clear directive from the top of, this is how it has to be, that’s the ideology. And how can you challenge ideology?” Chinese President Xi Jinping said earlier this month that the country has “continued to respond to Covid-19 and promote economic and social development in a well-coordinated way,” according to a paraphrase of his remarks shared by China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs. While Xi said “China has entered a new development stage,” he maintained that “China’s door of opening-up and friendly cooperation will always be open to the world,” according to the release. His remarks came during his first trip abroad since the pandemic began – to Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan – during which he met with leaders of several countries in the region. Over the last few years, the Chinese leader has sought to rally the country around the ruling Communist Party and his plans for the “great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation.” Xi is set to consolidate his power at a major political meeting next month. China’s big market Foreign businesses already in China are generally staying put for now. Even if China’s economy grows more slowly, its size and the low base “actually makes a convincing case [for foreign businesses], we’re still going to make it,” Wuttke said. Some, especially German auto giants, are investing more. For the first eight months of the year, foreign direct investment from Germany rose by about 30% from a year earlier — faster than the 23.5% pace recorded for the first seven months, China’s Ministry of Commerce said Monday. However, the ministry did not release updated figures for investment from the U.S., which official data showed had grown by about 36% in the first seven months of the year. Foreign businesses can still find specific areas of opportunity. China is improving local market access, albeit in areas where locals already dominate or are “desperate” for foreign investment, Wuttke said. “Otherwise, frankly, I would stop producing this paper.”

YouthZone Column: Understanding The Value Of A Living Wage – Glenwood Springs Post Independent https://collincountynewsonline.com/youthzone-column-understanding-the-value-of-a-living-wage-glenwood-springs-post-independent/ YouthZone is a family-first nonprofit organization dedicated to fostering positive youth development for teens and their families. We have been supporting 6- to 18-year-olds in the Western Slope of Colorado for 46 years, specializing in intervention, prevention and volunteerism. Through the dedicated support of our staff, sponsors, volunteers, donors and Board Members, YouthZone helps strengthen communities from Aspen to Parachute. Our leadership, alongside our Board of Directors, continue to work diligently in efforts to fundraise, invest wisely and grow our endowment. As a financiall-healthy nonprofit, we operate within our approved budget and prioritize additional unanticipated funding towards long-term sustainability through investment and endowment growth. We also prioritize investing in our current staff by increasing salaries and benefits to a livable wage and maintaining a competitive workplace in the valley. It takes both the professional skills of our internal team, as well as the generous external financial and volunteering contributions of our community to power YouthZone in our capability to unite and serve over 1,000 youth annually. A continued challenge is providing an ever-increasing adequate income and benefits for our team members, which, in turn, attracts highly-qualified professionals with competitive wages. YouthZone, like many other nonprofits, assiduously explores all opportunities to increase funding and utilize resources so that our professional staff can continue to flourish in our organization, support our community’s youth and families as well as receive a livable wage for their critical work. Therefore, our board voted to approve a significant raise across the organization in April 2022. This would increase current salaries toward livable wages in the Roaring Fork Valley and begin to attract new highly qualified staff at a competitive wage. Two of our board members, David Portman and Paula Busk Cross, would like to express their thoughtful consideration on this wage increase, share how YouthZone truly makes a difference and encourage you to become more active in your community, so that we can building a healthier tomorrow for everyone. “A living wage relieves the stress of looking for a second-income source or finding other ways to support one’s family financially. It gives our staff time to contribute to their community in ways beyond their career at YouthZone. This keeps our staff both living and serving in our community for a longer term,” Cross explains. She continues to clarify that, “Competitive wages and benefits attract and retain highly-skilled professionals to job openings because these things are highly desirable as the cost-of-living increases. “With a national staffing shortage and the influx of available positions, workers have negotiation power to increase compensation packages. The organizations that cannot keep up with this change will lose their skilled staff and not attract new ones. Those that can keep up will find their teams more productive, engaged and happier, overall. This is the goal of YouthZone’s staffing. We know that, when our team feels financially stable, they are making the largest positive impacts on our community.” Portman expresses why he voted to increase the wages: “YouthZone is a service-based organization, with our people being our most valuable resource. The impact of the work our team does daily is monumental. In some instances, their commitment to precious humans is the difference between life and death. “Hiring and retaining the right individuals is essential to carrying out our mission and positively impacting our community. It’s helpful knowing that YouthZone has a loyal and supportive donor base after 46 years that continues to support our mission. Voting in favor of the wage increase felt like the right thing to do.” Portman continues to explain how this helps our community youth and families: “Mental-health challenges amongst youth in our community are not going away. In fact, YouthZone’s services are in higher demand than ever before. Jami and her team do an excellent job managing an efficient budget and ensuring that we maximize the percentage of every dollar to positively impact our clients. Donor dollars largely fund the talented team that interact with clients daily. Our goal is to never turn anyone away and connect with youth earlier. To do this, we envision increased staffing needs over time.” At YouthZone, we built a nonprofit that supports parenting figures, families and adolescences. We offer parent counseling and education services, family resources and comprehensive assessment and advocacy to inspire healthy relationships between youth, families and communities. To learn more about how YouthZone can help, please call us at 970-945-9300. Support your community through volunteerism or financial contribution at http://www.youthzone.com . Jami Hayes is the Executive Director for YouthZone and has been working with youth and families throughout her career. Jami has spent the last 14 years working with the Roaring Fork School District, leading and working to improve the education experience for local families.

‘Fear Of The Unknown’ Holds Back Tradfi Investors From Crypto — Bloomberg Analyst – Cointelegraph https://collincountynewsonline.com/fear-of-the-unknown-holds-back-tradfi-investors-from-crypto-bloomberg-analyst-cointelegraph/ Bloomberg crypto analyst Jamie Coutts believes it’s a “missed opportunity” that traditional asset managers choose not the educate themselves on crypto. 1022 Total views 19 Total shares Jamie Coutts, Crypto Market Analyst for Bloomberg Intelligence argues that “falsehoods” and “fear of the unknown” is what has been holding back traditional portfolio managers from investing in cryptocurrency.  Speaking to Cointelegraph during the Australian Crypto Convention over the weekend, Coutts argues there has been an ongoing “falsehood” that “there is no intrinsic value in blockchains.” “These asset managers own stocks, like Amazon and Facebook […] which for the first several years these companies had no earnings,” explained Coutts, adding that Facebook in its infant stages “didn’t have profit […] or seen to have any intrinsic value.” “Yet they could understand there is a network value here, that the network is growing, that the value of the asset accrues from how many people are using the products.” Coutts believes that “although not all blockchains are cash generative assets, including Ethereum” there is certainly intrinsic value there. However, the Bloomberg analyst said he couldn’t quite put his finger on why there was a hesitation to embrace cryptocurrency, ruling out lack of regulation as the reason. “Regulation can’t be one of them. Let me just restate that. Regulation is always a concern, but BTC is regulated.” Coutts said “there isn’t really a regulatory risk” as crypto became regulated “the moment” it became a taxable item that you had to “disclose to the tax authorities in whatever jurisdiction you’re in.” Instead, Coutts said it could be “just the fear of the unknown,” adding that asset managers ignoring or choosing not educate themselves on cryptocurrency is a missed opportunity. Coutts suggested that those hesitant to invest in cryptocurrency should look beyond the market volatility and focus on what cryptocurrency actually brings to the table. “The best thing that we can do is understand the global trends that are taking place […] debasement and technological innovation, which crypto is at the intersection of. That provides the wind behind the sails of crypto as an asset class that should be considered for some allocation.” Jamie Coutts speaking at the Australian Crypto Convention on Sept. 17 Last month, Swiss wealth management group Picket group advised against crypto investments “amid the recent industry turmoil.” Picket Group CEO, Tee Fong, acknowledged that crypto is “an asset class that we cannot ignore” however doesn’t think there is “a place for private bankers and for private bank portfolios.” Related: Does the Ethereum Merge offer a new destination for institutional investors? Others suggest that institutional investors remain interested in crypto-related investments despite the market conditions. Chief Investment Officer of Apollo Capital, Henrik Anderson, told Cointelegraph on Sept. 14 that although institutional interest has been slow in gaining momentum, there are many waiting on the sidelines, timing the market. Anderson is optimistic about the future given that we’ve already “seen several of the major banks here in Australia taking an interest in digital assets,” with “ANZ and NAB” choosing to focus on “stablecoins and traditional asset tokenization rather than crypto investments specifically.”

Trump Ally Sues U.S. Justice Department, Demands Return Of Seized Cellphone – Reuters https://collincountynewsonline.com/trump-ally-sues-u-s-justice-department-demands-return-of-seized-cellphone-reuters/ Mike Lindell speaks ahead of former U.S. president Donald Trump’s rally in Youngstown, Ohio, U.S., September 17, 2022. REUTERS/Gaelen Morse/File Photo Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com Sept 20 (Reuters) – My Pillow Inc’s chief executive, Mike Lindell, an ally of former President Donald Trump, sued the U.S. Justice Department on Tuesday seeking the return of his cellphone, which FBI agents seized last week. In his suit in federal court in Minnesota, Lindell said the agents stopped him at a fast-food restaurant’s drive-through window and questioned him about his claims that the 2020 U.S. election was rigged. The agents then produced a warrant and told Lindell to surrender the phone, according to the court filing. In addition to the return of his phone, Lindell wants to stop the Justice Department from accessing any data collected from the device, the filing showed. Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com The FBI last week confirmed its agents were “at that location executing a search warrant authorized by a federal judge” but did not give other details. The FBI and the Justice Department did not immediately respond to requests for comment late on Tuesday. Lindell told the media last week that FBI agents had asked him about Tina Peters, a Mesa County, Colorado clerk. Peters, with whom Lindell has been linked, has been accused by state authorities of allowing an unauthorized person to break into the county’s election system in order to search for evidence that would validate Trump’s election conspiracy claims. Lindell’s suit against the U.S. Justice Department, which also listed U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland and FBI Director Christopher Wray as defendants, alleged that Lindell’s constitutional rights were violated by the seizure. After his phone was seized on Sept. 13, Lindell claimed in a podcast that the seizure prevented him from carrying out his business activities and from accessing his funds. “Not only do I run five businesses off of it, I don’t use a laptop, I don’t use a computer, everything was on that phone,” Lindell said. Separately, on Monday, a Minnesota federal judge ruled that Lindell must face a defamation suit brought by a voting machine company that Lindell falsely accused of rigging the 2020 U.S. election. read more Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com Reporting by Eric Beech and Kanishka Singh; Editing by Gerry Doyle and Edwina Gibbs Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Sports Planner For Wednesday – The Republic https://collincountynewsonline.com/sports-planner-for-wednesday-the-republic/ COMING UP Indianapolis Colts Sunday vs. Chiefs, 1 p.m. (CBS) Oct. 2 vs. Titans, 1 p.m. (FOX) Oct. 6 at Broncos, 8:15 p.m. (Prime Video) Indiana University football Saturday at Cincinnati, 3:30 p.m. (ESPN2) Oct. 1 at Nebraska, 7:30 p.m. (BTN) Oct. 8 vs. Michigan, Noon (TBA) Purdue football Saturday vs. Florida Atlantic, 7:30 p.m. (BTN) Oct. 1 at Minnesota, Noon (TBA) Oct. 8 at Maryland, Noon (TBA) Notre Dame football Saturday at North Carolina, 3:30 p.m. (ABC) Oct. 8 at BYU, 7:30 p.m. (NBC/Peacock) Oct. 15 vs. Stanford, 7:30 p.m. (NBC/Peacock) Cincinnati Reds Today vs. Red Sox, 6:40 p.m. (Bally Sports Indiana) Thursday vs. Brewers, 6:40 p.m. (Bally Sports Indiana) Friday vs. Brewers, 6:40 p.m. (Bally Sports Indiana) Indianapolis Indians Today vs. St. Paul, 1:35 p.m. Thursday vs. St. Paul, 7:05 p.m. Friday vs. St. Paul, 7:05 p.m. Indy Eleven Sunday vs. Loudoun United FC, 5 p.m. (ESPN+/WNDY) Sept. 28 at Atlanta United FC2, 7:30 p.m. (ESPN+) Oct. 1 vs. FC Tulsa, 7 p.m. (ESPN+/WNDY) NASCAR Sunday at Fort Worth, Texas, 3:30 p.m. (USA) Oct. 2 at Talladega, Ala., 2 p.m. (NBC) Oct. 9 at Charlotte, N.C., 2 p.m. (NBC) HIGH SCHOOL SPORTS TODAY Boys soccer Hauser at Irvington Preparatory Academy, 5:30 p.m. Girls soccer Madison at Jennings County, 5:30 p.m. Plainfield at Columbus North, 6 p.m. Boys tennis Jennings County at Seymour in HHC Tournament, 5 p.m. Edinburgh at Madison, 5 p.m. Columbus East at New Albany in HHC Tournament, 5:30 p.m. Oldenburg Academy at Hauser, 5:30 p.m. SPORTS ON TV TODAY Women’s college volleyball Missouri at Tennessee, 7 p.m. (ESPN2) Boston College at Syracuse, 8 p.m. (ACC) Georgia at Mississippi State, 8 p.m. (SEC) Texas at Kansas, 9 p.m. (ESPN2) Horse racing NYRA: America’s Day at the Races, 12:30 p.m. (FS2) MLB Nationals at Braves, Noon (MLB) Mets at Brewers (joined in progress), 3:30 p.m. (MLB) Red Sox at Reds, 6:30 p.m. (Bally Sports Indiana) Cardinals at Padres or Mariners at Athletics, 9:30 p.m. (MLB) Men’s soccer Leagues Cup: Chivas De Guadalajara at FC Cincinnati, 7 p.m. (ESPN) Leagues Cup: Club America at Nashville SC, 9 p.m. (ESPN) Women’s soccer NWSL: Washington at Angel City FC, 10:30 p.m. (CBSSN) Tennis San Diego-ATP, Tokyo-WTA, Seoul-WTA Early Rounds, 6 a.m. and 8:30 p.m. today and 6 a.m. Thursday (Tennis) Metz-ATP, San Diego-ATP Early Rounds, 8 a.m. (Tennis)

Meta-Reverse: Zuck Loses $71 Billion As Metaverse Struggles Continue – Medium https://collincountynewsonline.com/meta-reverse-zuck-loses-71-billion-as-metaverse-struggles-continue-medium-2/ The company has wiped out nearly all of its pandemic gains Mid Journey: Prompt, ‘Mark Zuckerberg sad’ Less than two years ago, Mark Zuckerberg stood amongst an elite group of ultra-wealthy individuals, with only Jeff Bezos and Bill Gates in front of him in the queue. His wealth — well, not paper wealth of course — had ballooned to $142 billion. At that…

Meet The Sharks And Guest Sharks Of ‘Shark Tank’ Season 14 – TheTealMango https://collincountynewsonline.com/meet-the-sharks-and-guest-sharks-of-shark-tank-season-14-thetealmango/ The Sharks will soon be returning to your TV screens with another exciting season! The 14th season of the business reality show Shark Tank will kickstart with a live event on September 23, 2022, Friday on ABC. We know all of you are pretty thrilled to learn more about the sharks and guest sharks who are set to crack a new wave of deals in the upcoming season of the show. So what are you waiting for? Keep scrolling down to know everything about the sharks and guest sharks of Shark Tank season 14. The show Shark Tank premiered on August 9, 2009. The reality show gives entrepreneurs a golden opportunity to present their business plans in front of investors and try to get hold of deals that will change their lives forever. Who are the sharks in ‘Shark Tank’ season 14? The show’s long-standing sharks Barbara Corcoran, Mark Cuban, Lori Greiner, Robert Herjavec, Daymond John, and Kevin O’Leary will be seen making some great offers and cracking a couple of good deals in the forthcoming season of the reality show. As per ABC, Shark Tank, “gives people from all walks of life the chance to chase the American dream and potentially secure business deals that could make them millionaires.” 1. Barbara Corcoran Barbara Corcoran is an American businesswoman, investor, syndicated columnist, and television personality. She has starred on the show Shark Tank since its debut in the year 2009. People think all Barbara does in the show is say, “I’m out.” When it comes to making offers, Barbara’s offers are pretty fair but conservative. She weighs the level of risk before getting involved in a deal. Back in the day, Corcoran worked as a waitress in Manhattan. At that time, her then-boyfriend Ramone Simone convinced her to work for a real estate company. Then, she wanted to be her own boss and she and her then-boyfriend Ramone co-founded the company Corcoran-Simone in the year 1973. Simone loaned her $1000 around the same time. Within the blink of an eye, their romantic relationship turned into a business partnership. Everything was going well for these two lovebirds but then, Ramone left Barbara for their secretary. They say, ‘success is the best revenge’ and Barbara proved them right. Soon after her split from her boyfriend Simone, she established her own company called The Corcoran Group. Over time, she build The Corcoran Group into a real estate empire and sold it for $70 million in the year 2001. 2. Mark Cuban Mark Cuban is a billionaire entrepreneur, television personality, and media proprietor. As per Forbes, he has an estimated net worth of $4.7 billion. Right now, he owns an NBA team and is also the co-owner of a media and entertainment company called 2929 Entertainment. Cuban was brought up in a family of Jewish immigrants. During his childhood days, he didn’t have much money. He stepped into the world of business at the young age of 12. At that point in time, he sold garbage bags and soon afterward he began selling stamps and coins to supplement his income. These days, many kids ask their parents to get them a pair of the latest basketball shoes but Mark had to work for it. And now, he is the owner of the Dallas Mavericks professional basketball team of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Cuban began his own company, MicroSolutions in 1983. In the early days, his company was a system integrator and software reseller. He bagged two million dollars in his kitty by selling MicroSolutions in 1990. Then, Cuban and his friends teamed up and founded Audionet. Later on, Audionet became Broadcast.com. He was able to amplify and build the company into $5.7 billion in Yahoo! stock. As an investor on Shark Tank, Mark is straightforward, he doesn’t step away from making jaw-dropping offers. His eyes light up whenever he sees a gadget or an app as he is a tech mogul and has great expertise in that sector. 3. Lori Greiner Lori Greiner is also known as the ‘Queen of QVC.’ She is the president and founder of For Your Ease Only, Inc. Back in the day, she was a playwright for some time and she sold jewelry. The turning point in her life came when she invented a plastic organizer that could hold 100 earrings. In the year 1996, her product was picked up by J.C Penney. At that time, Greiner thought of expanding her business and she switched to QVC. Soon afterward, she launched Clever & Unique Creations, one of the longest-running shows on the network in the year 2000. Lori joined the reality show Shark Tank in 2012. In the show, she was able to make some good deals and produce a few millionaires such as Linda Clark & Gloria Hoffmanand (Simply Fit Board: Core Workout Balance Board), Aaron Krause (Scrub Daddy), and Marc Newburger & Jeffrey Simon (Drop Stop). Even though Lori is a millionaire, she is humble and still remembers the time when she was hustling to survive in the business world. She likes to put her money into products that have mass appeal and are demonstrable and sellable. She uses her charm in order to sweet talk the entrepreneurs to pick her offer. Lori never brags about the money she has made to date, instead, she throws some light on the fact that how she has provided a helping hand to entrepreneurs to make their money and sell their products. 4. Robert Herjavec Robert was born in Communist Croatia. He and his family left the country when he was merely 8 years old. At that time, his father Vladimir was a manager in Croatia and he would often land up in jail because of his anti-communist sentiments. In a media interaction, Robert talked about his dad and said, “He’d drink a little too much and then say bad things about Communism, and got thrown into jail 22 times for being an anti-Communist.”  His dad was an immigrant so he didn’t know English and due to that, he didn’t get any good job. At that time, he worked as a janitor in the factory. To support his family financially, Robert also did many jobs such as working as a salesman, delivering newspapers, being a collections agent, and waiting tables. He began his IT career as a sales agent for Logiquest, he sold IBM mainframe emulation boards. After leaving Logiquest, Robert founded BRAK Systems, a Canadian integrator of Internet security software, from the basement of his home. He sold the company to AT&T Canada in March 2000 for $30.2 million. Then, he took a three-year-long gap to spend some time with his family. Herjavec founded The Herjavec Group in 2003 and it is one of Canada’s fastest-growing technology companies and it has been growing rapidly over time. Just like his fellow Shark Lori, Robert likes to put money into products that have a demonstration. He is one of the kings in cyberspace. His offers on the show Shark Tank are pretty fair and we have seen times where he has overpaid to get a deal. 5. Daymond John Daymond John was born in Brooklyn, New York City. He was raised in the Hollis neighborhood of Queens. He started working at the young age of 10 when his parents got divorced. At that time, he handed out flyers and waited tables to support his family’s meager income. John’s mom supported him throughout his ups and downs. She even permitted him to turn their house into a factory and let him mortgage it so he could expand FUBU (For Us, By Us), a much-celebrated global lifestyle brand. Even though he didn’t have capital in hand, he never gave up and kept working hard to achieve his goals. Daymond wanted to promote his brand in the market so he convinced rappers to wear his clothing line. At the end of the day, his masterstroke worked and this led to a sudden increase in demand for his brand in the market. Retailers began reaching out to Daymond to get a hold of a stock of his hot new merchandise. To date, FUBU has done more than $6 billion in sales. John has been on the show Shark Tank since the year 2009. He believes in handling business in a quick and straightforward manner. He doesn’t like people who are indecisive and try to beat around the bush. He is good at judging people and knows when something is fishy. Clothing is Daymond’s field of expertise. He managed to get FUBU from the streets of New York City to the international spotlight. He even has a couple of links to the world of entertainment and knows many artists such as Pitbull and LL Cool J. 6. Kevin O’Leary Terence Thomas Kevin O’Leary aka ‘Mr. Wonderful’ was born in Canada. He was brought up in the Town of Mount Royal, Quebec. His parents got divorced when he was a child. He bagged an honors bachelor’s degree in environmental studies and psychology from the University of Waterloo in 1977. Later on, he received an MBA in entrepreneurship from the Ivey Business School at the University of Western Ontario in 1980. Kevin started making money by promoting software. He began Softkey in the 1980s in a Toronto basement by taking a loan of $10,000 loan from his mother. Over time, his company started flourishing in the business world. Kevin’s company, Softkey which was later known as The Learning Company was bought by Mattel in 1999 for $4.2 billion. Then, he stepped into the mutual fund market. He co-founded O’Leary Funds Inc., in the year 2008. It is a mutual fund company focused on global yield investing. He sold his company to a private investment-management company owned by Canadian businessman W. Brett Wilson in 2015. Kevin O’Leary has been a part of the show Shark Tank right from the start. Kevin loves money more than anything. He is a cold-blooded shark and is not afraid to spit facts. He tries to find faults in the pitches of the entrepreneurs and indulges in proper arguments with them. In the past, he has even made a couple of entrepreneurs cry with his harsh criticism of their ideas. O’Leary likes to invest his money in products that have any link with the finance space. Throug...