Metaverse Meet Wally World: Take $50 Off The HP Reverb G2 Headset At Walmart Laptop Mag
Metaverse, Meet Wally World: Take $50 Off The HP Reverb G2 Headset At Walmart – Laptop Mag https://collincountynewsonline.com/metaverse-meet-wally-world-take-50-off-the-hp-reverb-g2-headset-at-walmart-laptop-mag/
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The HP Reverb G2 VR headset is an advanced tech tool for both SteamVR and Windows Mixed Reality, and you’ll find big discounts this week from a few online retailers in an attempt to keep up with Amazon’s Prime Early Access deals.
At the moment, you can grab the HP Reverb G2 on sale for $349 at Walmart (opens in new tab). With an original MSRP of $599 from HP, that’s a hefty savings of $250, which should leave some extra coin in your pocket to snag a few VR games on Steam. For more pixel-pushing deals, stop by our Amazon October Prime Day 2022 deals hub.
Since the HP Reverb G2 remains tethered to your laptop, you won’t get the same wireless VR experience as with the Meta Quest 2 goggles. Still, if you like the flavor of Steam PC games, now might be a good time to invest in this VR headset. Thanks to a four-camera array built into the headset (and 2160 pixels per eye), the Reverb G2’s tracking is virtually seamless, and its ergonomics are excellent.
Not so fast! Once you pull the trigger on this VR platform, you’ll need a capable PC to meet the Reverb G2’s minimum requirements, including an Intel Core i5, i7, Intel Xeon E3-1240 v5 CPU or higher (or an AMD Ryzen 5 CPU or newer). The PC must also have 8GB of RAM and a supported GPU (e.g. an Nvidia GeForce RTX 3070 graphics card).
In short, you’ll need one of the best gaming laptops or workstations (such as the HP ZBook Fury 17 G8) to run this cutting-edge hardware, and we’ve got you covered in that department too, since Prime Day is relatively riddled with laptop deals.
Swing by our October Prime Day 2022 gaming deals hub for even more dynamic discounts.
As a mild-mannered mobile tech journalist and molecular mixologist, TJ has over a decade of detail-driven storytelling under his belt. Conversely, as a seasoned outdoor athlete, he’s forever fascinated by every shade of green on this beautiful planet. When TJ’s not coddiwompling through New York City or the metaverse, he can be found field-testing futuristic fitness tech from his living room while crafting Dr. Seussian poetry inside a tattered moleskin.
With Three Absolutely Amazing Colors Honor Play 6C Has Been Introduced In China The Tech Outlook
With Three Absolutely Amazing Colors, Honor Play 6C Has Been Introduced In China – The Tech Outlook https://collincountynewsonline.com/with-three-absolutely-amazing-colors-honor-play-6c-has-been-introduced-in-china-the-tech-outlook/
One of the most affordable 5G smartphones in the world has been introduced by Honor in China.
Here is a complete breakdown of the features and cost of the Honor Play 6C.
The HONOR Play 6C sports a side-facing fingerprint scanner, a thick bottom bezel, and a waterdrop notch.
It looks slick, and the rear includes two cutouts for cameras. The device sports a 6.51-inch HD+ LCD screen with a 20:9 aspect ratio and a refresh rate of 90Hz, measuring 720×1600 pixels.
It comes in three different colors: Titanium Silver, Aurora Blue, and Magic Night Black.
The Play 6C has a dual rear camera arrangement with a 13MP (f/1.8) primary camera and an unnamed secondary camera with an LED flash. It has a front-facing 5MP (f/2.2) selfie camera. The Play 6C is powered by a Snapdragon 480 processor, up to 8GB of RAM, and 128GB of storage.
The tablet already has MagicUI 5.0, an interface built on top of the Android 12 OS. The device’s internal 5,000mAh battery enables 22.5W quick charging. Connectivity options include a 3.5mm connector, Wi-Fi 5, Bluetooth 5.1, GPS, a Type-C port, and 5G.
The HONOR Play 6C is offered in 6GB/128GB and 8GB/128GB models, with prices of CNY 1,099 (about Rs. 12,800) and CNY 1,299 (roughly Rs. 15,100), respectively. The smartphone is presently offered for purchase in China on the company’s official website.
Crypto Market Shows No Signs Of Positive Movement Is Uptober A Myth? NewsBTC
Crypto Market Shows No Signs Of Positive Movement, Is ‘Uptober’ A Myth? – NewsBTC https://collincountynewsonline.com/crypto-market-shows-no-signs-of-positive-movement-is-uptober-a-myth-newsbtc/
The crypto market woes from September look to have spilled onto October and going against the historical trend of October being a rather bullish month. September had seen the crypto market close with muted performances, but there has not been much change for the new month. Almost two weeks into the month, and it is starting to look like the much-awaited “Uptober” will disappoint investors.
Poor performances All-Around
All of the indexes in the crypto market are seeing poor performances from market participants. The first two weeks of the month have come back with negative movement and the declines have continued. The size of a cryptocurrency has not mattered either since they have all suffered closely similar fates.
The Small Cap Index came out as the worst performing for the first two weeks of October with -4.7%. This is understandable given small cap altcoins have been known to take movements a couple of steps further; recoveries run higher and declines run lower.
Large Cap coins followed as the second-worst performer in the same time period with returns of -2.4%. A bit more surprising given that they closely follow bitcoin price but it did not fall too much behind the Mid Cap Index which saw a decline of -2.1%.
Market performance remains bad | Source: Arcane Research
Bitcoin emerged as the best performer for this time period with only -1.5% in losses. It also follows the trend that investors are turning more towards bitcoin during this time and taking advantage of the decline in price.
Crypto Market Deviates From Norm
All of the performances highlighted above only go to show that the crypto market is not performing as expected. Even though investors are moving back into bitcoin, the market share of stablecoins is still on the rise, so there is still a flight to safety among investors.
Total market cap below $900 billion | Source: Crypto Total Market Cap on TradingView.com
For the last week, the crypto market dominance of bitcoin fell by another 0.20%, and ETH fell 0.24%, with recorded losses from others in the top 10 such as BNB, ADA, and SOL. Most of this lost dominance went to stablecoins such as USDT, USDC, and BUSD, all of which saw an increase in their dominance.
Crypto market sentiment still remains low in the extreme fear territory, which suggests that there is no expected recovery in the market during this time. Unless there is a reversal in this move to stablecoins, the market will continue to see negative rates.
Featured image from NASDAQ, charts from Arcane Research and TradingView.com
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U.S. Home Heating Bills Expected To Surge This Winter -EIA Reuters
U.S. Home Heating Bills Expected To Surge This Winter -EIA – Reuters https://collincountynewsonline.com/u-s-home-heating-bills-expected-to-surge-this-winter-eia-reuters/
The Skyline of New York City is seen covered by clouds during the pass of a winter storm as it is seen from Weehawken, New Jersey, U.S., February 25, 2022. REUTERS/Eduardo Munoz/File Photo
Oct 12 (Reuters) – U.S. consumers can expect to pay up to 28% more to heat their homes this winter than last year due to surging fuel costs and slightly colder weather, the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) projected in its winter fuels outlook on Wednesday.
Nearly half of U.S. households rely on natural gas for heat, with the average winter heating cost expected to rise to $931, up by 28% from last year, EIA said.
The average cost to heat a home with gas last winter was $724, far cheaper than other major sources of heat.
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U.S. gas prices at the Henry Hub benchmark were up about 75% this year as soaring global prices feed demand for U.S. exports due to supply disruptions and sanctions linked to Russia’s Feb. 24 invasion of Ukraine.
Electricity is the primary heating source for about 40% of homes. It is more expensive than gas at an estimated $1,359 per household this winter – but that is just a 10% increase from last winter.
Less than 12 million homes rely on heating oil or propane – about 9% of the roughly 130 million U.S. households – but those fuels will remain the most expensive sources of heat this winter with cost increases of 27% to $2,354 for heating oil and 5% to $1,668 for propane.
Homes that rely on heating oil are concentrated in the Northeast, while the biggest propane users are in the Midwest.
EIA said residential costs will rise to $15.95 per thousand cubic feet (mcf) for gas, $2.32-$3.45 per gallon for propane, 14.8 cents per kilowatt-hour (kwh) of electricity and $4.54 per gallon for heating oil.
That compares with last winter’s residential costs of $13.02/mcf for gas, $2.30-3.33 per gallon for propane, 14.0 cents per kWh of electricity and $3.90 per gallon for heating oil.
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Reporting by Scott DiSavino Editing by Marguerita Choy and Nick Zieminski
Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.
Todays Postdocs Tomorrows Mentors | MIT News | Massachusetts Institute Of Technology MIT News
Today’s Postdocs, Tomorrow’s Mentors | MIT News | Massachusetts Institute Of Technology – MIT News https://collincountynewsonline.com/todays-postdocs-tomorrows-mentors-mit-news-massachusetts-institute-of-technology-mit-news/
Laura Maiorino arrived in Cambridge in late 2019, one of more than 1,400 postdoctoral scholars from around the world who join MIT each year to launch their careers in the company of other outstanding researchers. Within months, of course, the pandemic struck: labmates were working in shifts and taking meetings over Zoom.
“Even connecting within your research group was hard, and trying to find a network and community beyond your group was almost impossible,” Maiorino says. For many, the MIT Postdoctoral Association (PDA) has been a lifeline, organizing small community events and fostering a sense of belonging.
So when the Office of the Vice President for Research (VPR) hosted a luncheon this fall in recognition of National Postdoc Appreciation Week, it was perhaps the first time in three years that so many MIT postdocs had actually gathered in one place. With the patio doors thrown open at Morss Hall, the Walker Memorial ballroom, more than 500 postdocs met at last. A tradition at MIT, this year’s appreciation lunch on Sept. 19 marked 20 years of advocacy by postdocs at the national level.
In remarks delivered alongside deans and dozens of faculty, Vice President for Research Maria Zuber praised postdocs’ contributions to the MIT community. “Key research discoveries in the sciences, engineering, humanities, and business would not happen without the hard work and ingenuity of postdocs,” she said. “We’re grateful for the skills, creativity, and determination that you bring to your research and to MIT.”
The MIT PDA’s organizing in recent years has led to the creation of the Postdoc Initiative Grants and the Buddy Program, which was celebrated with an MIT Infinite Mile Award this year.
With Zuber’s full support, PDA leaders also developed an award program to honor faculty who model outstanding mentoring of MIT postdocs. As outgoing vice president of the PDA, Maiorino joined with new PDA President Ben Borer at the luncheon to announce the inaugural recipient of the Excellence in Postdoctoral Mentoring Award: Muriel Médard.
The NEC Professor of Software Science and Engineering in the Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science (EECS), Médard was nominated by current and former postdocs whose careers at MIT and beyond have been sustained by her attentive guidance. Whether supporting postdocs’ individual research goals by fostering new collaborations, or arranging mock interviews for those entering the job market, she was committed to seeing them thrive, nominators say.
“The idea [of the award] was to find a way to celebrate the role of postdocs and recognize that they’re poised to become the next wave of leaders in their fields,” says Maiorino, who is engaged in immuno-engineering research at the Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research. “Faculty really have the ability to make or break a career. That has an immediate impact on the postdoc, because it enables them to become independent, pursue their career path, and find their next job, but it’s also an opportunity to model what good mentorship is.”
The alternative, she says, is bleak. “Having a poor mentor has two outcomes — people become disengaged and move away from whatever path they were on, or they become terrible mentors when their time comes. That’s a cycle we would like to break.”
As it turned out, the nominations poured in.
“We had many faculty, more than 30, who were nominated with wonderful letters from current and previous postdocs, and ideally you’d want to highlight all of them,” says Christopher Kinsley, a postdoc affiliate and former treasurer of the PDA, who is now based at the University of California at Berkeley. “It was overwhelming. These were letters that had clearly taken a lot of time to put together, with anecdotes about what a big difference mentors had made to their time as a postdoc and beyond.”
The nominations were reviewed by the PDA, working closely with Ann Skoczenski, director of postdoctoral services in the Office of the VPR, and by the Faculty Postdoc Advisory Committee.
“It was lovely, the response that we had,” Kinsley says. “We sometimes don’t think to stop and reflect — we can get so busy — and thank the people who’ve helped us to get somewhere. It gives you a chance to do that.”
Common themes were evident in the letters. Great mentors listened and set clear expectations. They used their networks to open doors for others. They created an inclusive environment where members of the research group all felt empowered to speak up. They acknowledged the stress of pursuing a research career and made room for trainees’ personal lives. They made time for technical discussions, but also encouraged a big-picture view of where the field was headed, fostering independent thinking.
“That’s the most important professional skill for the postdoc to develop in this phase — the ability to develop and execute an independent research plan,” Maiorino says. “If you are known as a good mentor, people will be more willing to join your lab and seek you out.”
The recipient of the annual Excellence in Postdoctoral Mentoring Award receives funds for a celebratory lunch with their research group and is invited to deliver a seminar for the MIT postdoctoral community on the topic of mentoring.
“The main aspect of good mentoring, in my opinion, is not necessarily to provide nuggets of wisdom,” Médard comments, “but mostly to try to support mentees in what they wish to achieve, which may be quite different from one to another. The best outcome of a good mentoring relationship is if your mentee seems then called to be a mentor. Does a postdoc become a manager or professor who is supportive of the people in their group? Was the experience with a mentee a limited interaction, or did it help engender a new strand of positive interactions between that mentee and others? If the latter, then the mentoring was successful.”
Médard was previously recognized with the 2013 MIT EECS Graduate Student Association Mentor Award, the first year that award was given. More than 25 postdocs, over 40 master students, and over 20 doctoral students have benefited from her guidance and leadership.
The nomination period for the Excellence in Postdoctoral Mentoring Award will reopen in early 2023, with the recipient to be announced during next year’s Postdoc Appreciation Week.
Parx Casino Sues Pennsylvania Skill Gaming Company, Alleges Machines Illegal – Casino.Org News https://collincountynewsonline.com/parx-casino-sues-pennsylvania-skill-gaming-company-alleges-machines-illegal-casino-org-news/
Posted on: October 12, 2022, 01:02h.
Last updated on: October 12, 2022, 01:03h.
Parx Casino is the richest gaming property in Pennsylvania, but the Bensalem venue believes it would be generating more revenue if it weren’t for unregulated skill gaming machines operating throughout the commonwealth.
“Pennsylvania Skill” machines are found in various businesses across the commonwealth. The richest casino in Pennsylvania, Parx Casino, contends in a lawsuit that the devices are illegal. (Image: Facebook)
Georgia-based Pace-O-Matic (POM) and its Pennsylvania subsidiary Miele Amusements are the leading manufacturer and distributor of the controversial gaming terminals in Pennsylvania. “Pennsylvania Skill,” as the games are branded, look and operate closely to traditional slot machines found inside Pennsylvania’s legal casinos.
Skill games have the same spinning reels and ringing sounds as slots. But they differ in that the player must identify a winning payline. A slot machine automatically pays out on a winning spin.
Parx Casino, owned and operated by Greenwood Gaming and Entertainment, filed the lawsuit against POM in the Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas. The casino alleges that POM’s products are nothing more than cleverly designed slot machines, and as such, the games are operating outside of the state’s existing regulatory framework on gambling.
Lanham Act Allegations
Pennsylvania courts continue to mull a lawsuit regarding the legality of POM’s machines. POM argues that since there’s an element of skill involved, the terminals do not constitute gambling apparatuses and therefore fall outside the scope of the state’s Gaming Act.
Parx attorneys contend that the machines are banned under state law because they are unregulated gambling devices. The casino also alleges unfair competition, tortious interference with a legal, regulated industry, and negligence per se.
Parx cited the Lanham Act — also known as the federal Trademark Act of 1946 — in its lawsuit. The Lanham Act is a federal statute of US law that bars activities that infringe on trademarks, trademark dilution, and false advertising.
The Pennsylvania Crimes Code makes it illegal to intentionally or knowingly make, assemble, set up, maintain, sell, lend, or lease ‘any slot machine’ except as permitted under the Gaming Act, the State Lottery Law, Bingo Law, or the Local Option Small Games of Chance Act,” attorneys representing Parx Casino alleged in the lawsuit.
The lawsuit contends that the Gaming Act defines slot machines to include traditional slot machines but also “skill slot machines” and “hybrid slot machines.”
The skill component of POM machines, Parx’s legal team maintains, does not supersede the terminals’ element of chance in determining the outcome.
“Pennsylvania Skill-branded slot machines are illegal gambling devices, and they are represented to be games of skill when they are not,” the lawsuit continued. “Consideration is required to play, the machines employ random number generators, there is a reward for successful play, and the results of play are not predominantly determined by skill.”
The lawsuit concluded by alleging that skill games are “essentially the same” as licensed slot machines.
Costly Decision
POM has maintained that its terminals have been a lifeline for struggling small businesses amid the pandemic. Revenue from the games is split between the host establishment and the manufacturer and distributor.
“They’re not illegal,” Michael Barley, chief public affairs officer for POM said last month. “Every dollar that’s made, over 92% of it is staying in the commonwealth, staying in small business.”
The machines are not taxed nor regulated to assure players of fair play or a minimum payout, as are casino slots. The Pennsylvania Lottery believes skill games have hurt lottery sales by more than $650 million since 2017.
Parx’s lawsuit is seeking financial damages from POM.
“As a direct and proximate result of POM’s wrongful conduct, Parx Casino has suffered and will continue to suffer a great risk of financial losses, permanent irreparable harm, and other continuing harm,” the lawsuit ended.
Complete Super 32 Preview & Predictions FloWrestling
Complete Super 32 Preview & Predictions – FloWrestling https://collincountynewsonline.com/complete-super-32-preview-predictions-flowrestling/
There’s nothing quite like Super 32. This year’s field includes over 60% of the nation’s 280 top-twenty-ranked wrestlers. That group includes eight of 14 #1’s and six weights where the two highest-ranked wrestlers at the weight could square off for the number one spot. Here’s everything you need to know about the contenders at each weight along with seeds (completed by Willie Saylor), a synopsis of each weight, and our predictions which are sure to be blown up by deep fields of hungry competitors.
2022 Defense Soap Super 32 Challenge
106 lbs (13 Top 20’s)
#1 Christian Castillo, Valiant College Prep, AZ
#3 Seth Mendoza, Mt. Carmel High School, IL
#5 Dominic Munaretto, St. Charles East High School, IL
#7 Keanu Dillard, Bethlehem Catholic, PA
#8 Aaron SEIDEL, Northern Lebanon, PA
#12 Tyler Dekraker, Blair Academy, VA
#14 Abram Cline, Granite Hills High School, CA
#15 Matthew Dolan, Spring Mills High School, WV
#17 Davis Motyka, Wyoming Seminary, PA
#18 Rocklin Zinkin, Buchanan High School, CA
#19 Lincoln Sledzianowski, Bishop McCort, PA
#20 Carter Pearson, Southeast Polk High School, IA
Honorable Mention
Aydan Thomas, Stillwater High School (OK) | Ayden Dodd, Perrysburg High School (OH) | Ayden Smith, Notre Dame Green Pond High School (PA) | Cadell Lee, Brooke Point (VA) | Caden Smith, Robinson Secondary School (VA) | Cole McFarland, Haverford high school (PA) | Colyn Limbert, Medina Buckeye (OH) | Darren Florance, HARPURSVILLE (NY) | Dominic Deputy, Chestnut Ridge (PA) | Hudson Loges, Blair High School (NE) | Ignacio Villasenor, CHCE (CO) | Jason Goodin, Edmond North (OK) | Jayden James, Delbarton (NJ) | Joseph Uhorchuk, Signal Mountain High School (TN) | Kole Davidheiser, Faith Christian Academy (PA) | Lawson Eller, New Prague (MN) | Mason Rohr, Massillon Perry (OH) | Max Tancini, Perkiomen Valley HS (PA) | Michael Romero, Innovations Learning Academy (CA) | Nathan Rioux, Avon High School (IN) | Nico Fanella, Indiana Area High School (PA) | Paul Kenny, CBA (NJ) | Revin Dickman, Brownsburg (IN) | Trey Beissel, Hastings High School (MN) | Tyler Garvin, Rising Sun High School (MD) | Tyler Harper, Norwalk High School (IA)
106 Seeds
1) Christian Castillo 2) Seth Mendoza 3) Domenic Munaretto 4) Michael Romero 5) Keanu Dillard 6) Aaron SEIDEL 7) Tyler Dekraker 8) Paul Kenny 9) Antonio Mills 10) Tyler Garvin 11) Carter Pearson 12) Ayden Smith 13) Aidan Carmody 14) Davis Motyka 15) Matthew Dolan 16) Dale Corbin
106 Synopsis
Until last week, the story of this weight was a potential showdown between U17 World silver medalist #1 Christian Castillo and Fargo champ #2 Jayden Raney, but with Raney moving up to 113 lbs, we’ll have to wait to see that one. Now, the two highest-ranked guys are Castillo and #3 Seth Mendoza whose rivalry has been excellent. Castillo won their last two meetings in the best-of-three series at U17 World Team Trials, but Mendoza beat Castillo at Super 32 last year and in the 2021 Fargo finals. These two always seem to meet in big moments, and the Super 32 finals would be a fitting stage for a rubber match.
#1 Castillo vs #3 Mendoza round 2 at U17 Trials
Castillo and Mendoza will have to contend with eleven other ranked wrestlers and a massive group of accomplished guys outside the top 20. U17 World champ Dominic Munaretto will look to establish himself among the nation’s elite as will freshmen Keanu Dillard, who just knocked off PIAA champ Aaron Seidel, Fargo AA Tyler Dekraker, Rocklin Zinkin, and Sledzianowski.
Watch #3 Seth Mendoza and #5 Dominic Munaretto roll at a St. Charles East workout this fall
Keep an eye on eighth graders Paul Kenny, Michael Romero, and Ignacio Villasenor. In the last few weeks, all three have ranked wins. Paul Kenny knocked off #17 Motyka at Ultimate Club Duals, Romero beat #12 Dekraker at Journeymen, and Villasenor beat #18 Zinkin and #19 Sledzianowski at Elite 8 Duals.
Prediction: 1) Christian Castillo 2) Seth Mendoza 3) Dominic Munaretto 4) Keanu Dillard 5) Aaron Seidel 6) Michael Romero 7) Tyler Dekraker 8) Ignacio Villasenor
113 lbs (14 Top 20’s)
#1 Anthony Knox, SJV, NJ
#2 Bo Bassett, Bishop McCort, PA
#2 (106) Jayden Raney, Union County High School, KY
#7 Nathan Desmond, Bethlehem catholic, PA
#10 (120) Leo DeLuca, Blair Academy, NJ
#11 Brandon Morvari, Simley High School, MN
#12 Moses Mendoza, Gilroy High, CA
#13 Nathan Carrillo, St. John Bosco High School, CA
#14 Edwin Sierra, Poway, CA
#15 Sebastian Degennaro, Jensen Beach High School, FL
#16 Louie Gill, Reynolds, PA
#17 Dru Ayala, Fort Dodge Senior High School, IA
#18 Jake Knight, Bettendorf High School, IA
#20 (120) Adrian DeJesus, DePaul, NJ
Honorable Mention
Anthony Rossi, Hunterdon Central Regional High School, Flemington, NJ (NJ) | Blake Beissel, Hastings High School (MN) | Bryson Terrell, Bradley Central High School (TN) | Bryson Valdez, Aztec High School (NM) | Cameron Stinson, Mallard Creek High (NC) | Canon Acklin, Collinsville Oklahoma (OK) | Cash Donnell, Piedmont High School (OK) | Colin Martin, Stanton River Highschool (VA) | Dan Jones, Delbarton (NJ) | Declan Koch, Neenah High School (WI) | Drew Davis, Chatham Glenwood HS, IL (IL) | Ethan Rivera, Lake Highland Prep (FL) | Isaiah Adams, Avon High School (CT) | Jace Hedeman, Union High School (IA) | Jacob Bond, Baylor School (GA) | Jake Hockaday, Brownsburg (IN) | Jaxson Rosselli, Olentangy Liberty High School (OH) | Johnny Green, Aurora High School (OH) | JR Leuer, Starpiont (NY) | Keyan Hernandez, Billings West High (MT) | Kody Tanimoto, All Saints Episcopal School (TX) | Logan Lau, Mid Pacific Institute (HI) | Luke Sirianni, Abington Heights (PA) | Marcello Milani, St. Mary’s Preparatory (MI) | Marco Alarcon, Don Bosco Prep (NJ) | Mason Taylor, West Holmes (OH) | Reid Spurley, Dodgeville (WI) | Ronnie Ramirez, Pounders (CA) | Teague Strobel, West-Oak High School (SC) | Timothy Koester, Bettendorf High School (IA) | Tyler Washburn, Palmetto Ridge High School (FL) | Vincent Paino, St Joseph Regional High School (NJ)
113 Seeds
1) Anthony Knox 2) Bo Bassett 3) Leo DeLuca 4) Adrian DeJesus 5) Nathan Desmond 6) Moses Mendoza 7) Louie Gill 8) Jayden Raney 9) Jayden James 10) Nathan Carillo 11) Edwin Sierra 12) Ethan Rivera 13) Sebastian Degennaro 14) Jay Peace 15) Dan Jones 16) Cameron Stinson Acklin
113 lbs Synopsis
One of the biggest developments leading into Super 32 a year ago was Anthony Knox’s last-minute weight change from 113 lbs to 106 lbs for a showdown with Bo Bassett. The match materialized in fantastic fashion, and we could see it again this year, now with the #1 spot in the country on the line.
#1 Anthony Knox vs #2 Bo Bassett in the 2021 Super 32 Finals
To get to Knox, Bassett will likely have to navigate some combination of 15-seed Dan Jones, #16 Louie Gill, #12 Moses Mendoza, and #10 (up at 120 lbs) Leo DeLuca. Knox and DeLuca are good friends, so a DeLuca semifinal win over Bassett would set up a final with a lot of wrestling room familiarity.
Knox’s path to the finals could include Fargo AA Cameron Stinson in the round of 16, #2 (at 106 lbs) Jayden Raney in the quarterfinals, and either #20 (at 120 lbs) Adrian DeJesus or #7 Nate Desmond in the semis.
The biggest development to the field at 113 lbs is Jayden Raney’s addition to the weight after moving up from 106 lbs. He competed at 113 lbs this weekend at the AWA Duals where he went 6-0 with three falls, two techs, and a major. His Fargo title and insane unbeaten streak suggest he’s a real contender at the weight as is 2021 Fargo champ DeLuca.
#11 Brandon Morvari, #17 Dru Ayala, and #18 Jake Knight are all unseeded which means that a trio of landmines will be scattered throughout the bracket with the goal of blowing up the seeds.
Prediction: 1) Anthony Knox 2) Bo Bassett 3) Leo DeLuca 4) Jayden Raney 5) Nate Desmond 6) Brandon Morvari 7) Moses Mendoza 8) Nathan Carrillo
120 lbs (13 Top 20’s)
#1 Jax Forrest, Bishop McCort, PA
#2 Luke Lilledahl, Wyoming Seminary, MO
#3 Alan Koehler, Prior Lake, MN
#4 Kale Petersen, Green County, IA
#5 Marcus Blaze, Perrysburg High school, OH
#6 Gauge Botero, Faith Christian Academy, PA
#7 Jake Crapps, Cass High School, GA
#8 Vinny Kilkeary, Greater Latrobe, PA
#11 Jordyn Raney, Union County High School, KY
#12 Cooper Hilton, Apex, TN
#14 Draegen Orine, Wyoming Seminary, MO
#16 Noah Nininger, Staunton River High School, VA
#17 Jackson Blum, Lowell, MI
Honorable Mention
Ashton Jackson, Laporte high school (IN) | Billy Townson, Poway High School (CA) | Blake Gioimo, Prairie high school (IA) | Brady Roark, Seneca (MO) | Cael Nasdeo, Williamsport (PA) | Caio Aron, College Park (TX) | Caleb Uhorchuk, Signal Mountain High School (TN) | Chase Quenault, Delbarton (NJ) | Christian Fretwell, Lake Gibson (FL) | Colin Bradshaw, Steinbrenner High School (FL) | Dean Houser, Daniel Boone Area High School (PA) | Ethan Uhorchuk, Signal Mountain High School (TN) | Isaiah Schaefer, Evansville Mater Dei High School (IN) | Jacob Jones, Rancho Bernardo High School (CA) | Landon Bainey, West Branch (PA) | Landon Reaux, Southside Highschool (LA) | Lucas Fye, Bald Eagle Area (PA) | Luke Reitter, Council Rock High School South (PA) | Mason Gutenberger, Belgrade High School (MT) | Mason Ziegler, Quakertown (PA) | Matthew Marlow, Northport (NY) | Maximus Riggins, Bondurant-Farrar High School (IA) | NIKADE ZINKIN, CLOVIS HIGH (CA) | Parker Sentipal, Burgettstown (PA) | Porter Matecki, whitfield high school (MO) | Sam Herring, Bishop McCort (PA) | Tyler Chappell, Seneca Valley (PA) | Xavier Ortega, Howell High School (NJ)
120 Seeds
1) Jax Forrest 2) Luke Lilledahl 3) Vinny Kilkeary 4) Jake Crapps 5) Marcus Blaze 6) Alan Koehler 7) Gauge Botero 8) Kale Petersen 9) Jordyn Raney 10) Cooper Hilton 11) Jackson Blum 12) Noah Nininger 13) Sam Herring 14) Cael Nasdeo 15) Christ...
Disney Raises Prices On Tickets Genie Plus Line-Cutting Service The Washington Post
Disney Raises Prices On Tickets, Genie Plus Line-Cutting Service – The Washington Post https://collincountynewsonline.com/disney-raises-prices-on-tickets-genie-plus-line-cutting-service-the-washington-post/
When Disney launched its new tool that lets visitors avoid long lines for rides last year, fans griped that they were being forced to pay for a perk they once got free.
Now, most visitors will have to pay even more for the privilege. Cue a new round of complaints about “money grubbing” and “nickel and diming.”
“Every time this happens, fans go online to vow that they won’t return to Disney again,” Robert Niles, editor of Theme Park Insider, said in an email. “And maybe they don’t, but plenty of other visitors do keep coming to the parks, allowing Disney to keep bringing in more and more revenue. I expect this price increase to result in the same.”
Disney’s parks in Florida and California rolled out new prices on Tuesday for the Genie Plus service, which allows guests to avoid lengthy waits. How much will the cost go up? That depends where you’re going, which day you’re visiting and — in California — when you buy the add-on.
At Walt Disney World in Florida, the world’s busiest theme park complex, the price used to be $15 regardless of the day. For October, the cost will vary between $15 and $22, depending on how busy the four parks are on a particular day. After this month? No one is saying.
Admission has been based on demand for several years, with the slowest days priced at $109 for a one-day, one-park ticket and busier dates climbing to $159; those prices did not change in Florida. That means a family buying tickets for a visit in the slow season in late August can expect to pay far less than someone visiting during the popular winter holidays.
The company encourages guests to check the My Disney Experience app on the day of their visit, which is the only time Florida guests can purchase Genie Plus. That means park goers there won’t know how much they’ll need to spend until they’re on vacation — though steeper admission on busy days could be a hint that the service will also be on the pricier end.
Disney charges for faster access to a handful of its most popular rides separately from Genie Plus; those “individual Lightning Lanes” were already priced variably. Deadline reported that the price range to skip the lines of some of those attractions would expand to include higher fees on busier days.
The change is meant to “continue managing strong demand,” Walt Disney World said.
I opened up a question box on my Instagram stories to see how people were feeling about today’s Disney Parks updates.
With hundreds of replies so far, the words I’m seeing repeated most are
Stressed, Exhausted, Frustrated, Anxious, Annoyed, Complicated, Tired and Overwhelmed.
— carlye wisel (@carlyewisel) October 11, 2022
At Disneyland Resort in California, the cost of Genie Plus now starts at $25, according to its website. That’s up from $20. The Los Angeles Times reported that the price will be $25 when purchased with a ticket or package in advance but variable when visitors buy it after entering the park.
Disneyland also increased the price of admission on its busiest days to $179. The L.A. Times said the highest-priced ticket was previously $164; the paper reported that a two-day ticket that used to cost $255 is now $285.
“I’m not surprised by these price increases,” Len Testa, president of the theme-park trip-planning site Touring Plans and co-author of the Unofficial Guides to Walt Disney World and Disneyland, said in an email. “Disney CEO Bob Chapek’s comments on the last earnings call and subsequent investor meetings were pretty clear: they’re going to increase prices until demand falls off.”
Disney parks, experiences and products reported $7.4 billion in revenue for the quarter that ended July 2, a 70 percent improvement from the previous year. It was $7.2 billion in the first fiscal quarter, when Chapek said the company’s domestic parks and resorts “achieved all-time revenue and operating income records despite the omicron surge.”
During an earnings call in August, Chapek said about half of the people who visit the parks “buy up” to the product. And last month, Josh D’Amaro, chairman of Disney parks, experiences and products, said at a conference that Genie Plus was “doing phenomenally well” and selling more than executives expected.
He said that in surveys of guests who have bought the product, as well as those who have shelled out for a separate line-skipping option for the highest-demand rides, 70 percent say they will make the purchase again.
“So we know we’re on to something with this,” he said. “It was a change to the system. So there’s going to be some reaction to it, which we would expect. But we know when a guest does buy it, they’re getting what they paid for, and they’re feeling really good about it.”
But Leslie Harvey, founder of the site Trips With Tykes and co-founder of the Disneyland with Kids Facebook group, said some fans are frustrated because they are having to spend more for an experience that they feel is not worth the higher price. On a recent trip, she said she had “never seen so many animatronics broken on rides.”
75% of the people complaining about Genie+ today, will pay for Genie+ at peak pricing… and because of that, Disney will continue to increase the price. Call it a money grab if you want, but, don’t forget that you’re enabling it.
— The #1 Disney Dude (@1DisneyDude) October 11, 2022
“People are always upset any time there’s a Disneyland price increase,” she said.
She added: “Some people really do feel priced out.”
Testa said Disney observers noted years ago that the company “had essentially abandoned the middle class,” targeting instead the top-earning 1 percent to 20 percent of American households.
“I think the big concern Disney’s going to face next is that at those premium prices, consumers are going to expect a premium experience,” he said in his email. “And we’ve started to see families say things like, ‘For the kind of prices Disney’s charging to see their replica of St. Mark’s Square in EPCOT, I can bring my whole family to the real Italy for a week.’ So I think that’s the new big concern for them.”
Jacob Rees-Mogg Blames Bank Of England Over Market Turmoil BBC
Jacob Rees-Mogg Blames Bank Of England Over Market Turmoil – BBC https://collincountynewsonline.com/jacob-rees-mogg-blames-bank-of-england-over-market-turmoil-bbc/
Media caption,
Jacob Rees-Mogg blames interest rates rather than the mini-budget for fall in pound and market turmoil
By Beth Timmins
Business reporter, BBC News
Business secretary Jacob Rees-Mogg has blamed recent market turmoil on the Bank of England’s failure to raise interest rates in line with the US.
He claimed the turmoil is not linked to the mini-budget in which the government laid out tax cutting plans without explaining the economic impact.
“It’s much more to do with interest rates than it is do with a minor part of fiscal policy,” he told the BBC.
But economists and some MPs said the plans had worried investors.
After the mini-budget, the pound plunged and government borrowing costs surged.
“What has caused the effect in pension funds… is not necessarily the mini-budget. It could just as easily be the fact that the day before the Bank of England did not raise interest rates as much as the (US) Federal Reserve did,” he said.
“Jumping to conclusions about causality is not meeting the BBC’s requirement for impartiality” he said, after a suggestion the chancellor’s actions had been the trigger for the fluctuations in the value of the pound and government bonds.
At the first PMQs since the mini-budget, Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer accused Prime Minister Liz Truss of “ducking the question” when asked whether she agreed with the business secretary.
Ms Truss said the government had taken “decisive action”, adding “as a result of our action… we will see higher growth and lower inflation.”
Deutsche Bank’s chief UK economist Sanjay Raja told MPs the mini-budget on 23 September was the “straw that broke the camel’s back”.
He said the “trade shock” because of Brexit is a factor, and added: “You throw on the 23 September event, you’ve got a side-lined financial watchdog, you’ve got lack of a medium-term fiscal plan, one of the largest unfunded tax cuts we’ve seen since the early 1970s, it was kind of the straw that broke the camel’s back.”
The Resolution Foundation’s Torsten Bell said it was clear the huge package of cuts, which was downgraded to £43bn after Mr Kwarteng’s U-turn on the top rate of income tax, should not have happened in the current financial climate.
He also said the sacking of the Treasury’s top civil servant Sir Tom Scholar had contributed.
“Yes, firing Treasury civil servants isn’t a good idea, that hasn’t helped, side-lining your fiscal watchdog hasn’t helped,” he told the MPs.
Image source, Getty Images
Image caption,
Experts believe Mr Kwarteng will have to row back on more of his tax cuts or drastically cut public spending.
He added that after Chancellor Kwasi Kwarteng announced a plan that “dumped fiscal orthodoxy”, then vowed to bring forward further tax cuts, it was “no surprise to any of us that this is where you end up”.
“This is what happens if you aren’t paying attention,” he said. “It was always going to be hard but it was exactly because it was always going to be hard that you don’t do this.”
Head of Multi Asset at Royal London Asset Management, Trevor Greetham, told the BBC that the risk of a recession has increased because of the market turmoil, which he said he believed was linked to the mini-budget.
“There is frustration that hard-won credibility for the UK market has been lost,” he added.
“And if you read some of the commentary from overseas, it is pretty damning at the moment.”
Professor Jagjit Chadha, director of National Institute of Economic and Social Research (Niesr) agreed that the market turmoil was a result of the “undermining” of the “cooperative arrangement” between UK’s leading financial institutions.
Should governments announce major tax cuts again without consulting the UK’s top financial bodies, Professor Chadha warned that a “succession of higher interest rates and higher deficits” would result.
Professor Chadha told the Commons Treasury Committee that the “real danger” seen after the mini-budget was “obviously on the back of what can only be described as guerrilla tactics against our independent economic institutions over the summer – the Treasury, the Bank of England and the Office for Budget Responsibility”.
Gerard Lyons, an economist who advised Liz Truss and Kwasi Kwarteng during the leadership contest, speaking on the BBC’s World at One programme admitted that the mini-budget “misread” the country’s financial situation.
However, he argued that everything that has happened was not “solely due to the mini-budget” but also down to parts of the financial system that were vulnerable to interest rates going up.
The Bank of England has warned interest rates could rise again after the value of the pound plummeted, following the government’s decision to cut taxes and borrow more.
After the market turmoil, it stepped in with an emergency bond-buying intervention designed to stabilise the economy but said this scheme would end on Friday.
Bank of England Deputy Governor Ramsden said he was “acutely” aware that millions of households and businesses were experiencing “real hardship”. Mr Ramsden added that “many” of the policy actions were “adding to the difficulties caused by the current situation”.
Prime Minister Liz Truss has said the promised tax cuts will boost UK economic growth and therefore help pay for themselves.
The chancellor has also committed to publishing an independent forecast of the UK’s economic prospects by the OBR, the independent budget watchdog, at the same time as his economic plan – something he declined to do with his mini-budget.
Meanwhile, the UK economy unexpectedly shrank by 0.3% in August, according to new figures from the Office for National Statistics.
Take Steps (Literally) To Prevent Dementia Kevin MD
Take Steps (Literally) To Prevent Dementia – Kevin MD https://collincountynewsonline.com/take-steps-literally-to-prevent-dementia-kevin-md/
A recent study out of England found that walking just under 10,000 steps a day reduces a person’s risk of developing dementia by 50 percent. Pick up the pace to a “brisk” walk (over 40 steps per minute), and that risk goes down even further. Perhaps most strikingly, the authors found that even a low number of daily steps was associated with a reduced risk of dementia.
The walking study is the latest finding in a long line of research that links exercise to our brain health. In fact, some authors have suggested that through a brain-healthy lifestyle, an individual may reduce their lifetime risk by 70 percent. I’ve found that the health interventions that benefit the brain and the whole body are the most impactful. Get physically active. Mentally stimulated. Socially connected. Lower your blood pressure, your cholesterol, and your blood sugar.
You don’t have to be a brain expert to know that healthy habits lead to healthy living. But it’s nice when a brain expert offers quantifiable reminders. So, here are a few:
Walk. Cardiovascular health has been linked to better brain health. Improving your cardio fitness does not need to be strenuous or difficult. It can be as easy as walking for 30 minutes a day. Check your pulse rate at the end of your walks and track it over a month. See the number fall? That’s a good indication that your heart (and your brain) are benefitting from your efforts.
Eat well. Reducing your sugar, blood pressure, and cholesterol not only improves heart health but brain health, as well. That’s because high blood sugar levels and high blood pressure cause blood vessels in the brain to affect thinking and memory.
See your doctor. Many physicians are equipped with resources for our aging population – especially for cognition and brain health. Your primary care physician can provide tools and education to guide patients with baseline assessments and screenings. This means your doctor is better informed than ever to help you identify early signs of cognitive decline – and direct you to the help you might need.
Forgetting a name from time to time or misplacing your keys does not mean you are on the road to Alzheimer’s disease. As we get older, it is natural for our brains to get a little slower (if also a little wiser). However, should your cognitive problems get worse over time or interfere with your day-to-day life, it might be time to see a specialist.
Several neurological diseases cause a progressive decline in memory, thinking, reasoning, personality, or behavior. Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s disease, Lewy body disease, and others all fall under the umbrella term “dementia.” If you’re over the age of 65, you are at increased risk of developing dementia. In fact, it is estimated that 50 percent of people have changes in the brain that could lead to dementia. That is why taking steps to lower your risk is so important.
Nine thousand eight hundred and twenty-six of them, to be exact.
Aaron Ritter is a psychiatrist, Hoag Memorial Hospital Presbyterian’s Pickup Family Neurosciences Institute.
Image credit: Shutterstock.com
Bally Sports Midwest, 101 ESPN Release 2022-23 Broadcast Schedule – Ozark Radio News https://collincountynewsonline.com/bally-sports-midwest-101-espn-release-2022-23-broadcast-schedule-ozark-radio-news/
ST. LOUIS – The St. Louis Blues, along with broadcast partners Bally Sports Midwest and 101 ESPN, announced today the team’s broadcast schedule for the 2022-23 season.
Bally Sports Midwest will televise 69 regular-season games in its 26th season as the home of the Blues. The remaining 13 Blues games will air as part of the NHL’s national TV package. Regular-season coverage starts Saturday (Oct. 15) at 6 p.m. with an extended one-hour pregame show leading into the 7 p.m. season opener at Enterprise Center.
Bally Sports Midwest is widely available on cable providers such as Spectrum (Channel 824) as well as satellite and streaming TV providers throughout the region. Blues programming also streams live on the Bally Sports app and BallySports.com for fans who sign in with their pay-TV login and password. For channel numbers and additional information on how to watch the Blues this season, please visit stlouisblues.com/watch or BallySports.com.
In addition, there’s a new option to watch Blues hockey: Bally Sports+. The new stand-alone streaming service launched Sept. 26. For more information or to sign up for Bally Sports+, visit BallySportsPlus.com.
The Bally Sports Midwest broadcast team will continue to feature John Kelly as the play-by-play announcer and Darren Pang as lead analyst. When Pang fulfills national TV responsibilities, former Blues defenseman Jamie Rivers will fill in as analyst alongside Kelly. Hall-of-Famer Bernie Federko and Rivers will serve as analysts on the Blues Live pregame and postgame shows as well as intermission reports.
Blues local TV ratings have ranked in the top five among U.S. NHL teams each of the last nine seasons, including No. 2 in 2021-22, according to Nielsen Media Research.
In its fourth season as the Blues radio partner, 101 ESPN will broadcast every game on the radio, 101espn.com and the 101 mobile app, or one of the Blues’ 17 affiliates throughout Missouri, Southern Illinois and Paducah, Kentucky.
Chris Kerber and Joey Vitale will return to call the action on 101 ESPN.
Each game on 101 ESPN will feature a one-hour pregame show as well as extended postgame shows with great guests and analysts to breakdown Blues games, as well as big news from around the NHL.
As the Blues’ Flagship station, 101 ESPN produces 17 regularly-scheduled weekly segments featuring call-ins from Head Coach Craig Berube on The Fast Lane and Robert Thomas on The Opening Drive, “The Blues Booth” with a Blues broadcaster every weekday morning at 8:15, and Rivers and 105.7 The Point’s Donny Fandango bring fans the “Last Minute Blues Podcast” twice a week while “Blues Rewind” will air once a week at 6 p.m. on 101 ESPN.
Fans will also hear additional weekly Blues content throughout the Hubbard family on KSHE, The Point, The Arch & WIL.
Upland Achieves The Platform Moment For The Metaverse And Web3 EIN News
Upland Achieves The Platform Moment For The Metaverse And Web3 – EIN News https://collincountynewsonline.com/upland-achieves-the-platform-moment-for-the-metaverse-and-web3-ein-news/
Co-Founder & Co-CEO at Upland – Author – Contributor Open Metaverse Alliance for Web3 (OMA3)
Upland’s Metaverse Neighborhood
C3 Venture Capital Managing Partner Stefan Schutze
It is official! In Q3/2002 Upland.me, Inc. has delivered 3rd party developer tools, car racing (Alpha), and metaventures (player-owned and operated shops).
SAN FRANCISCO, CA, USA, October 12, 2022 /EINPresswire.com/ — It is official! In Q3/2002 Upland.me, Inc. (Upland) has delivered 3rd party developer tools, car racing (Alpha), and metaventures (player-owned and operated shops), expanding its leading market position in the metaverse space. It is available via the web, iOS, and Android and is currently live in 20 US cities, Rio de Janeiro and Porto (Portugal) and can be played from anywhere in the world.
What is Upland?
Upland started as a “property trading game” (think Monopoly) developed on the blockchain and evolved today into a platform where creators, developers, entrepreneurs, and brands launch their own experiences and applications (think “iOS” for the metaverse).
It is one of the largest blockchain-based metaverses mapped to the real world with over 300k “landowners” with various game engagement points and surging up to 150K daily active users. Essential to Upland’s value proposition is to provide tools and features for the “entrepreneurial metaverse” where players can create and run their metaventures, like selling “outdoor decor”, collectibles, virtual cars, and other creations.
Upland is a strong proponent of the open metaverse and has developed an NFT gateway that allows users to import and export NFTs from and to other blockchains, such as virtual cars, digital art, avatars and more. To date, they have sold over Four Million NFTs.
How it all started?
Upland is a globally distributed organization. Its headquarters are in Silicon Valley, founded in 2018 by three serial entrepreneurs. Dirk Lueth is also the author of the Amazon bestseller book “Navigating the Metaverse“; initiator and co-founder of the Open Metaverse Alliance for Web3 http://oma3.org/, and his two partners, Mani Honigstein and Idan Zuckerman.
Started as a small venture, Upland is now 130-member strong and includes its R&D teams located in Eastern Europe and South America. Other team members are also from across Europe and the US. Partnerships for Upland include Tilia, NFLPA, FC Porto, Hyperloop, and others. In a recent interview with Funding & Disrupting, the Co-Founder Lueth shares how the rapid growth of Upland surprised him. He tells how Upland was challenged with the young technology of blockchain and to manage the growth of its platform when it initially began to soar. However, with time and constant effort, Upland is keeping pace with its growth.
Some Investor Talk
Upland’s main investor is C3 Venture Capital (“C3”), a venture capital company focused on managing early-stage venture funds which invest in exceptional technology companies worldwide. C3’s mission is, among other things, to accelerate growth, development and especially the adoption of blockchain technology.
Funding by C3 Venture Capital
Towards this mission, C3 manages the C3 VC Fund, which Blocks funds partly. One offers developers and entrepreneurs the funding they need to create community-driven businesses leveraging crypto and blockchain. C3 VC Fund focuses on early and growth-stage technology companies. C3 primarily focuses on businesses using US Blockchain technology.
C3 is managed by C3 Management GmbH, operates worldwide, and is in Frankfurt, Germany. They are currently in the process of raising their second investment fund with limited availability remaining.
Overall Outlook
The investment of C3 in the emerging technology of Upland is a partnership to be seen. These two companies are currently at the top of their game, and this funding is yielding even better results. C3 funded Upland, which uses US Blockchain during an early stage. In an interview, the Managing Partner of C3, Stefan, told how Upland did not even have enough documents for verification, but Upland’s strong business idea convinced investors of their product.
Upland is launching its third-party developer portal with an innovative idea, critical mindsets, and an ever-evolving team. This portal will allow users to explore Upland’s features like never before. We are waiting for more information and updates about the same.
For more information about Upland’s metaverse platform moment for the metaverse and web3 please contact Dirk Lueth at https://www.linkedin.com/in/dirklueth/
For more information about C3 Venture Capital contact Stefan Schuetze at www.linkedin.com/in/stefanschuetze
Dirk Lueth
Upland
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29 Best Prime Day Coffee Maker Deals 2022 To Keep The Caffeine Flowing Starting At $22 Architectural Digest
29 Best Prime Day Coffee Maker Deals 2022 To Keep The Caffeine Flowing, Starting At $22 – Architectural Digest https://collincountynewsonline.com/29-best-prime-day-coffee-maker-deals-2022-to-keep-the-caffeine-flowing-starting-at-22-architectural-digest/
Calling all coffee lovers—another Amazon Prime Day sale means another bunch of Prime Day coffee maker deals to take advantage of. Everyone has their beverage of choice, whether it’s a cup of coffee or mug of tea, and the Clever team is devoutly dedicated to finding all the products that will help you start your morning off right.
There are programmable single-serve machines and even some new takes on the classic drip coffee maker. There are milk frothers and travel tumblers for iced coffee and office days. We‘re keeping tabs on all the best Amazon Prime Day deals on coffee makers and coffee accessories. So grab your brew of choice, Prime members—you’re going to need it to stay on top of how quickly items sell out during the two-day Prime Early Access Sale.
Best Prime Coffee Maker Deals & Espresso Machine Deals
For those looking for the perfect excuse to FINALLY splurge on one of the most classic pod coffee makers out there, this Prime Day coffee maker deal is just for you. Shop now to get the Keurig K-Elite for 42% off the standard price.
Keurig K-Elite Coffee Maker, Single Serve K-Cup Pod Coffee Brewer
Prime Day’s the perfect excuse to splurge on a kitchen gadget like that’ll have you whipping up coffee like a professional barista. And you can get started on those barista dreams with this Calphalon espresso machine that’s 25% less than its normal price, making this one of the best Prime Day coffee maker deals out there. It has a 15-Bar Italian pump, 30 grind settings, a removable water reservoir, and pre-programmed settings for single and double shots of espresso.
Calphalon Espresso Machine with Coffee Grinder
A staple name in the kitchen appliance space, it makes sense that KitchenAid would have “coffee brewers” in the rolodex of gadgets and cookware they produce. This 12-cup coffee maker features a 29-hole showerhead that helps to more evenly coat your ground coffee and give you the best coffee every morning, plus it’s currently 18% off.
KitchenAid KCM1208DG Drip Spiral Showerhead Coffee Maker
Another automatic espresso machine option from the retailer Breville, this model has an internal burr grinder, a Digital Temperature Control that offers quick heat-up time, and micro foam texturing, among other features. It’s available in stainless steel, black, and blue, and is currently available for 18% off.
Breville Barista Touch Espresso Machine
Ninja is a well-known brand in the kitchen gadget space. Many know them for their air fryers and blenders, but they’ve also got a few coffee makers on the market. For a versatile machine that can handle both coffee pods and ground coffee, try this Ninja coffee maker that’s 35% off and can make servings by the mug or in a glass carafe.
Ninja CFP201 DualBrew System 12-Cup Coffee Maker, Single-Serve for Grounds & K-Cup Pod Compatible, 3 Brew Styles, 60-oz. Water Reservoir & Carafe, Black
A classic in the drip coffee maker world, this Mr. Coffee coffee machine can make up to 10 cups and brews at 205 degrees Fahrenheit for an especially rich taste. Get it now for 20% off.
Maybe the good old, standard programmable coffee machine you’ve had since you moved into your dorm room finally bit the dust and you’re looking for a new one that can help get that job done. If you’re interested in sticking to the basics, then, luckily for you, you can snag the Calphalon Coffee Maker for $35 off. While it’s pretty much in line with your average drip coffee maker, this machine also features a larger showerhead to help facilitate consistent water distribution and lights up when you need to clean it.
Calphalon Coffee Maker, Programmable Coffee Machine with Glass Carafe, 14 Cups, Stainless Steel
As luck would have it, one of our favorite stovetop espresso makers, this classic tiered design from Alessi, is also on marked down during the Prime Early Access sale. We’d strongly recommend giving the Italian design a trend for a taste of the simple life: pour your espresso or coffee beans in the top chamber, fill with water and let it brew. Just don’t try it on an induction stove!
Alessi Pulcina Stove top Coffee Maker, 6 cups, Black
Another one of our favorite espresso makers on deal during the Amazon Prime Early Access Sale is also one of the simplest: the Aeropress. Brew a solid cup in under two minutes and enjoy.
AEROPRESS Coffee and Espresso Maker
Another Nespresso machine our contributor Lauren Jospeh named the best pod maker on the market is on sale during Amazon’s early Black Friday sale. Lauren called the Essenza Mini “an excellent choice that consistently yields great espresso,” and while it might not be the deepest discount around, it’s nice to know you’re getting a tried and true machine.
Nespresso Essenza Mini Coffee and Espresso Machine by DeLonghi
Save 25% on this easily programmable espresso machine.
Nespresso VertuoPlus Coffee and Espresso Machine by Breville, Ink Black
A handsome gadget like this De’Longhi espresso machine should have you feeling like a professional barista. It’s easy to clean and has adjustable controls to customize each setting to your personal preference.
De’Longhi EC680M Espresso, Stainless Steel, Metallic
Seamlessly switch up your brew preference, whether you need a single cup of coffee or a whole pot, with this well-loved model from Hamilton Beach. You can also adjust brew strength with a touch of a button and there’s a spout designed for travel mugs, all for $52 during the Early Access Sale.
Hamilton Beach 2-Way Brewer Coffee Maker, Single-Serve and 12-Cup Pot, White (49933)
One of most coveted gifts for coffee lovers for its heat retaining carafe, the Technivorm Moccamaster, is currently a cool $20 off. You’ll have to pay full price for one of the chic color combos, but we think style and great coffee are worth a splurge.
Technivorm Moccamaster 53941 KBGV Select 10-Cup Coffee Maker, Polished Silver, 40 ounce, 1.25l
For something without all the bells and whistles, a classic pour over maker from Bodum is also the pinnacle of reliability.
Bodum 11571-109 Pour Over Coffee Maker with Permanent Filter, Glass, 34 Ounce, 1 Liter, Cork Band
KitchenAid Semi-Automatic Espresso Machine and Automatic Milk Frother Attachment – KES6404
Get yourself an espresso machine that does both (brew coffee and froth milk that is).
Best Prime Day Coffee Accessories
Digital design editor Zoë Sessums called using her Fellow grinder for the first time “instant joy.” For a consistent grind, slim profile, and less mess, we’d snag this 23% off lightning deal while it lasts.
Fellow Ode Brew Grinder – Electric Burr Coffee Grinder, 31 Settings for Drip, French Press, Cold Brew, Small Footprint, Matte Black
For those trying to minimize their waste and don’t want to constantly purchase k-cup pods for their Keurig, these reusable coffee filter pods are currently on sale for 25% off. They’re compatible with most Keurig coffee makers and comes with coffee scoop to efficiently filling the pod.
Reusable K Cups Coffee Filter Pod for Keurig 1.0 & 2.0 Machines
A sale event like the Early Access Sale is also the perfect opportunity to treat yourself to small kitchen accessories like a coffee grinder or fun new travel tumbler. Or perhaps you’ll be taken with a milk frother like this model from PowerLix, which can add an extra little touch to your morning lattes and cappuccino.
A lot of these coffee makers can brew directly into your mug or coffee tumbler, so you can grab your coffee and go. So while you’re carefully selecting your new machine, make sure to also grab a new travel mug like this one from Contigo that keeps your drink warm or cold and has an autoseal to prevent spills.
Contigo Autoseal West Loop Stainless Steel Travel Mug
Even if you don’t drink tea or make your coffee using a French Press, moka pot, or AeroPress, an electric kettle is a kitchen appliance-must. This COSORI kettle lights up as it boils and then automatically turns off 30 seconds after it’s finished heating up.
COSORI Electric Kettle with Stainless Steel Filter and Inner Lid
If cold brew is always your move, this at-home coffee maker will be your new favorite kitchen gadget. It has a touch screen that makes it easy to choose settings, and will prep your coffee in only 20-minutes.
Instant Cold Brew Coffee Maker
Keep your coffee steaming as long as you need with this mug and cup warmer set from COSORI. It has a digital display and a lid that will keep your joe from splashing around when you’re taking a big gulp.
COSORI Coffee Mug Warmer & Mug Set
For tea-drinkers or lovers of pour over coffee who want to imbue an extra bit of style into their brewing, this gooseneck kettle from COSORI will look especially sleek on your countertop–especially knowing you got it for a discount during October Prime Day. On top of its look, the COSORI is extremely practical—with a variety of different functionality options available as well as the ability to keep the desired temperature for an hour.
COSORI Electric Kettle Gooseneck with Temperature Control
Upgrade your coffee game to elite status with these double-walled espresso cups, one of our favorite kitchen deals this time around. The glasses hold two-ounces of liquid and keep your hands cool and coffee warm.
JoyJolt Javaah Double Walled Espresso Glasses Espresso Cups (Set of 2)- 2-Ounces
This best-selling BrüMate mug is an ideal pick-up for coffee lovers who are always on-the-go. It’s leak-proof, designed for hot or cold beverages, and even comes in 14 stylish colors.
BrüMate Toddy – 16oz 100% Leak Proof Insulated Coffee Mug with Handle & Lid – Stainless Steel
Now that you’ve secured your equipment (which you snagged at a discount!), we figure you’ll want to treat yourself to some qua...
Crypto Ecosystem Becomes More Developed Thus Less Decentralized: Morgan Stanley Seeking Alpha
Crypto Ecosystem Becomes More Developed Thus Less Decentralized: Morgan Stanley – Seeking Alpha https://collincountynewsonline.com/crypto-ecosystem-becomes-more-developed-thus-less-decentralized-morgan-stanley-seeking-alpha/
TU IS
Morgan Stanley analyst Sheena Shah argued Wednesday that the cryptocurrency ecosystem is becoming more centralized, though the underlying blockchains remain decentralized.
That’s partly because the “reliance of the running of a large portion of the blockchain on a single or small group of cloud service providers becomes a non-negligible risk to consider,” Shah wrote in a note to clients.
For instance, 65% of ethereum’s (ETH-USD) nodes are hosted by a cloud provider, with Amazon Web Services accounting for half of them, the note said. And problems could emerge if service providers decide to censor certain participants or crypto products, or if there are lengthy server outages.
“The crypto ecosystem has evolved over recent years with many applications, code, services and companies feeding into the underlying decentralized blockchains, which we would argue is causing parts of the broader crypto ecosystem to become less decentralised and more dependent on individual services,” Shah explained.
As part of ether’s (ETH-USD) centralization issue, 60% of the blockchain’s validators are managed by just four companies, Shah pointed out. Note that since ether’s transition to Proof-of-Stake from Proof-of-Work in mid-September, transactions have been approved by validators, canceling out the need for miners as part of the software update.
Another reason why the crypto world is becoming less decentralized is because the ecosystem has developed crypto-focused, regulation-friendly products that attract users, hence it’s “starting to look more like the centralised banking world,” the note said. TradFi is simultaneously rolling out crypto products to offer services such as custody for their clients. The Bank of New York Mellon (BK), for example, recently allowed some of its U.S.-based clients to hold and transfer bitcoin (BTC-USD) and ether (ETH-USD).
SA contributor The Digital Trend believes ether is the No. 1 commodity to hold for the next 10 years.
Services Food Boost U.S. Producer Prices; Some Relief Could Be On The Way Reuters.com
Services, Food Boost U.S. Producer Prices; Some Relief Could Be On The Way – Reuters.com https://collincountynewsonline.com/services-food-boost-u-s-producer-prices-some-relief-could-be-on-the-way-reuters-com/
Producer price index increases 0.4% in September
PPI excluding food, energy, trade rises 0.4%
Producer prices up 8.5% year-on-year; core PPI gains 5.6%
WASHINGTON, Oct 12 (Reuters) – U.S. producer prices increased more than expected in September, but underlying goods prices posted their weakest reading in nearly 2-1/2 years as supply chains improved further, offering some hope in the battle against inflation.
The report from the Labor Department on Wednesday also suggested that producers could be struggling to pass on higher prices, with a measure of changes in margins received by wholesalers and retailers barely rising last month. Prices for intermediate goods and services also increased moderately.
“Inflation is all about pass-through costs at the lower level of production, so this report counts as some relief for beleaguered consumers who face runaway inflation on the goods sitting on store shelves,” said Christopher Rupkey, chief economist at FWDBONDS in New York.
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“The Fed’s war on inflation hasn’t been won yet, but at least the costs of goods at the producer level have stopped rising at a rate that looked out of control earlier this year.”
The producer price index for final demand rebounded 0.4% last month. Data for August was revised lower to show the PPI falling 0.2% instead of dipping 0.1% as previously reported. Economists polled by Reuters had forecast the PPI rising 0.2%.
A 0.4% rise in the price of services accounted for two-thirds of the increase in the PPI in September. Services climbed 0.3% in August. More than a quarter of the rise in September was driven by a 6.4% surge in hotel and motel accommodation prices.
There were also increases in the costs of food and alcohol retailing, portfolio management, machinery and vehicle wholesaling, oil and gas well drilling services as well as hospital inpatient care. But prices for long-distance freight fell, as did fuels and lubricants retailing and consumer loans.
Prices for transportation and warehousing services slipped 0.2%, falling for a third straight month and also benefiting from the loosening of bottlenecks in supply chains. Margins for final demand trade services edged up 0.1%.
Goods prices increased 0.4% after declining 1.1% in August. A 1.2% jump in the price of food accounted for 60% of the increase in goods. Food prices were boosted by a 15.7% surge in the cost of fresh and dry vegetables. There were also increases in the prices for pork and chicken eggs.
Energy prices rose 0.7%, driven by diesel fuel, residential natural gas and home heating oil. But wholesale gasoline prices fell 2.0%. Excluding food and energy, goods prices were unchanged. This was the weakest reading for the so-called core goods since May 2020, and followed a 0.2% gain in August.
Core goods rose 7.5% in the 12 months through September, slowing from an 8.1% increase in August.
Annual core goods prices have been decelerating since peaking at 10.2% in April. Prices for processed intermediate goods ticked up 0.1%, while services rose 0.3%.
“The prospect for disinflation in the goods sector in coming months remains intact,” said Sarah House, a senior economist at Wells Fargo in Charlotte, North Carolina. “And further back in the pipeline, price growth for intermediate goods and services continues to trend lower and corroborate our view that the worst of inflation is likely over, even if price growth is likely to remain elevated for a while yet.”
Stocks on Wall Street edged up. The dollar was steady against a basket of currencies. U.S. Treasury prices rose.
SUPPLY CHAINS EASING
In the 12 months through September, the PPI increased 8.5% after advancing 8.7% in August, reflecting the improvement in supply chains as well as a retreat in commodity prices from the highs seen in the spring.
But oil prices have likely bottomed following last week’s decision by the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries and allies to cut crude production. Russia’s war against Ukraine poses an upside risk to commodity prices.
Data on Thursday is likely to show consumer prices picking up in September, according to a Reuters survey of economists, paving the way for the Federal Reserve to raise interest rates by 75 basis points next month for the fourth time this year.
Financial markets have almost priced in a rate hike of three-quarters of a percentage point at the U.S. central bank’s Nov. 1-2 policy meeting, according to CME’s FedWatch Tool. The Fed has since March raised its policy rate from near zero to the current range of 3.00% to 3.25%.
Excluding the volatile food, energy and trade services components, producer prices also rose 0.4% in September.
The core PPI increased 0.2% in August. In the 12 months through September, the core PPI rose 5.6% after a similar gain in August. Inflation by all measures is running well above the Fed’s 2% target.
“Improvements in supply chains have cooled core goods prices, but price pressures everywhere else are a reminder that supply chain healing is insufficient to bring down overall price inflation,” said Will Compernolle a senior economist at FHN Financial in New York.
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Reporting by Lucia Mutikani; Editing by Chizu Nomiyama, Andrea Ricci and Jonathan Oatis
Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.
City Technology Advisory Council: Work Session | News | Thecheyennepost.com The Cheyenne Post
City Technology Advisory Council: Work Session | News | Thecheyennepost.com – The Cheyenne Post https://collincountynewsonline.com/city-technology-advisory-council-work-session-news-thecheyennepost-com-the-cheyenne-post/
The Cheyenne City Council will hold a work session on Friday, October 14, at noon, in the Municipal Building’s Council Chambers (2101 O’Neil Ave.).
The purpose of the work session is to receive information from the City Technology Advisory Council and a presentation related to Open Data Share: Advancing Cheyenne as a Smart City.
The meeting is available to watch remotely. A Zoom link is available below and at www.cheyennecity.org/ecm. Live streaming video will also be on the City’s Facebook and YouTube pages, in addition to Spectrum local access Channel 192.
No public comment will be taken during the work session and no other business will be conducted.
Work Session – Technology Advisory Council Meeting
(October 14 at 12 pm)
URL: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81729791367?pwd=WXo5MENDNmtwOS9PMzhxOW11VFBLUT09
Password: WS10142022
Call in Access: 669-900-6833
Webinar ID: 817 2979 1367
Passcode: 4114577584
Is Candy Based On A True Story? Heres What Inspired The Jessica Biel Crime Drama Goodtoknow
Is Candy Based On A True Story? Here’s What Inspired The Jessica Biel Crime Drama – Goodtoknow https://collincountynewsonline.com/is-candy-based-on-a-true-story-heres-what-inspired-the-jessica-biel-crime-drama-goodtoknow/
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Some viewers have never heard of Candy Montgomery and her alleged crime, leading them to ask what the Disney+ series is based on.
Crime-drama series Candy is making waves for many reasons on Disney+ currently, the first being its all-star cast. Jessica Biel stars in the titular role of Candy, with multi-award winning Melanie Lynskey taking the role of her neighbour, Betty. Pablo Schrieber – of American Gods and Orange Is The New Black fame – has a main role, and Biel’s husband Justin Timberlake is also putting in an appearance. Another reason the show is grabbing attention is because viewers are unsure if it’s based on a true story, or something else entirely. Here we share everything we know about the source material for the series, and answer other burning questions like where Candy Montgomery is now (opens in new tab).
Another crime drama making the news is the Jeffrey Dahmer story on Netflix (opens in new tab). Viewers were left wondering how did Jeffrey Dahmer get caught (opens in new tab), after his killing spree went unchecked for decades. The series didn’t address what happened after he was apprehended, also leading to questions around how did Jeffrey Dahmer die (opens in new tab), and how old he was when it happened – the answer is as shocking as his life story. As someone who played a part in Dahmer being caught, we delve into the life of Tracy Edwards now (opens in new tab) – outlining his part in the capture and who exactly he is.
Is Candy based on a true story?
Yes, Candy tells the true story of Candy Montgomery who was accused of murdering her lover’s wife Betty Gore with an axe, on June 13, 1980.
Candy Montgomery and her husband Pat were living in Collin County, Texas in 1977, with their son and daughter. According to The Independent (opens in new tab), Pat Montgomery worked at technology company Texas Instruments, and Candy was a homemaker. According to reports at the time, Candy was bored in her role as housewife, and sought excitement in her life. Neighbours Betty and Allan Gore had met at college and married in 1970 – they’d had their first child – a daughter – just before moving to Collin County.
Both families were very involved with the church, and first met properly in the summer of 1978, while playing church volleyball. Allan and Candy began a few weeks of flirtation, before admitting their attraction to each other. An affair began in December 1978. When Betty and Allan had their second daughter in July 1979, Allan called a halt to the affair, saying he wanted to work on his marriage to Betty.
On June 13, 1980, Allan Gore was working away and became concerned when he couldn’t get hold of Betty. He called Candy, who reported she had seen Betty earlier that day and hadn’t noted any problem. Still concerned for his wife’s whereabouts, Allan enlisted another neighbour, Richard Parker, to visit his house and see whether Betty’s car was in the garage. Parker took friends Jerry McMahan and Lester Gayler with him. It was Gayler who discovered Betty’s body in the utility room, although he first noticed the “oceans” of blood before seeing her body. Betty had been struck by an axe 41 times.
A bloody footprint found at the scene suggested someone of small stature – a child or a woman, had been present when Betty died. Candy told police Betty and Allan’s eldest daughter Alisa had stayed at her house overnight, and she had entered Betty’s house on the morning of her death to collect Alisa’s swimsuit ready for a swimming lesson. This she said, would account for her footprints being in the house. Allan admitted to detectives that he and Candy had been having an affair. She then became the main suspect in the homicide and was arrested June 27, 1980, and charged with Betty’s murder.
(Image credit: Dom Slike/Alamy)
Was Candy Convicted?
No, Candy Montgomery was found not guilty of murdering Betty Gore, on October 30, 1980. She argued she had killed Betty in self-defence, and was acquitted.
When Candy was initially arrested, it was noted while changing into prison clothes that she had multiple bruises to her body, and a cut to her toe. Her lawyers didn’t deny she had murdered Betty, instead arguing for self-defence. Her attorney called upon Dr Fred Fason, a psychiatrist who practiced hypnosis, to give opinion on the case. Fason said hypnosis sessions with Candy revealed childhood trauma and clear memories from the day Betty died.
The trigger of Candy’s rage towards Betty was reported to be related to an altercation between the two women, where Betty told Candy to “shhhhh”. This allegedly resurfaced a traumatic childhood memory of Candy’s mother shushing her, triggered by being shushed by Betty. Candy was already angered by being shushed when collecting Alisa’s swimsuit from Betty, when Betty then confronted Candy about the affair with Allan as she’d managed to find out about it.
During the confrontation Candy alleged Betty attacked her with an axe which struck her toe. A struggle followed, with Candy managing to grab the axe and using it to end the fight. She pushed Betty away from her, then brought the blade down on the back of Betty’s head. Candy put her bruises and toe wound down to being attacked physically and with an axe by Betty, adding fuel to her self-defence argument. It took the jury 3 hours to find her not guilty of murder.
(Image credit: Everett Collection Inc/Alamy)
Did Betty Gore’s baby survive?
Yes, Betty Gore’s daughter Bethany was a year old at the time of Betty’s death and despite being left unattended all day on the day she died, remained safe and well.
According to Bustle (opens in new tab), Lester Gayle who found Betty’s body, said “A little old baby raised its head up out of the crib, out of the baby bed”. He continued “It began to cry. It’d been there all, nearly all day, hadn’t been fed or nothing.” Alisa was still with Candy’s family, having slept at her house the two nights prior to the attack, only Bethany remained with Betty on the day of the crime.
Allan Gore later lost custody of both children, who went to live with Betty’s parents in Kansas. Neither Alisa or Bethany have made public comment on their mother’s murder being dramatised.
(Image credit: Dom Slike/Alamy)
Candy: Rotten Tomatoes
On review aggregator site Rotten Tomatoes (opens in new tab), Candy currently has a critic rating of 71%, and an audience score of 71%.
Jessica Scott from Film Cred (opens in new tab) said “Fans of true crime will likely enjoy Candy — the undeniably fascinating story coupled with a clever, if occasionally convoluted, narrative structure makes for compelling binge-watching. Based on the performances alone, it’s an easy series to recommend”.
Brad Newsome from the Sydney Morning Herald (opens in new tab) added “Biel and Lynskey are both utterly compelling, and the faithful period detail of the production and wardrobe design give things a slightly elevated and unsettling feel”.
However, Steve Murray from ArtsATL (opens in new tab) was less than impressed, saying “Candy doesn’t seem to know whether it’s a piercing drama or a condescending satire of small-town values. (It punches down, a lot.) It winds up in a dramatic no man’s land.”
Janelle Ureta of Tell-Tale TV (opens in new tab) agreed, adding “Despite the stacked call sheet and knock-it-out-of-the-park performances, Candy fails to deliver the psychological thrill it should”.
Related True Crime Features:
The Anthrax Attacks on Netflix: Who was responsible and how many people died? (opens in new tab)
Where is Hunter Moore now? The revenge porn criminal from Netflix’s The Most Hated Man on the Internet (opens in new tab)
Where is Charlotte Laws now? The Revenge Porn activist from Netflix’s The Most Hated Man on the Internet (opens in new tab)
Where is Anthony Templet now? The son from Netflix’s I Just Killed My Dad (opens in new tab)
Where is Ronaiah Tuiasosopo now? Manti Te’o’s catfish from Untold: The Girlfriend Who Didn’t Exist (opens in new tab)
Where is Warren Jeffs now and is the FLDS still active? Your questions answered about Keep Sweet: Pray and Obey (opens in new tab)
What happened to John McAfee? His death, prison time and net worth explained (opens in new tab)
Where is Janice McAfee now? Everything to know about John McAfee’s wife (opens in new tab)
Where is Victoria Smith now from Netflix’s I am a Killer? (opens in new tab)
Where is Lori Vallow Daybell now? The woman from Netflix’s Sins of our Mother documentary (opens in new tab)
Video of the Week
Perspective | How To Deal With An Airline Or Hotel Chatbot And How To Get A Human The Washington Post
Perspective | How To Deal With An Airline Or Hotel Chatbot — And How To Get A Human – The Washington Post https://collincountynewsonline.com/perspective-how-to-deal-with-an-airline-or-hotel-chatbot-and-how-to-get-a-human-the-washington-post/
If it feels like you’re talking to a robot when you contact your airline, car rental company or hotel, it’s because you probably are.
During the pandemic, the travel industry rushed to build contactless customer service systems to handle inquiries. It may have gone too far.
Chatbots and form responses generated by artificial intelligence are more common than ever, experts and travelers told me by email. They allow companies to save money by hiring fewer call-center employees and speeding up the resolution process. And while there are advantages for companies, customers aren’t always making a connection with the new technology.
A client survey conducted by Zendesk, which provides customer service communications, found that conversations increased across several channels that relied on automation last year. The highest growth is on social media (up 32 percent) and on WhatsApp (up 370 percent).
“Self-service,” says Mike Gozzo, Zendesk’s senior vice president of product, “is the future of customer service.”
That bothers travelers like Kent Sharrar, an airline worker based in Phoenix. He recently had interactions with chatbots at a car rental company and a hotel that left him with an empty feeling. Both quickly addressed his query with an automated apology and an offer of compensation.
“But my goal is not to get compensation,” he says, after a rental car in poor condition and a charge from a canceled hotel room. “It’s to smooth out the bumps in the road for future experiences.”
So what caused the rise of automation in travel? First, the pandemic forced many travel companies do a top-to-bottom review of their customer service systems. They wanted to cut costs as travel slowed significantly and ensure minimum contact between customers and employees. Then there was the Great Resignation, which led to large-scale customer service problems last summer. For many companies, implementing AI was the solution.
“Bots don’t call in sick, and they don’t resign,” says Matt Edic, chief experience officer at IntelePeer, a provider of automation systems.
How do you know if you’re dealing with an automated system? “Usually, the service itself may make it clear that it is a bot,” explains Rajeev Shrivastava, CEO of VisitorsCoverage.com, a travel insurance marketplace. But if it doesn’t, you can usually figure it out quickly because of the speed of the response (it’s faster than a human) and the type of response (it’s scripted and doesn’t make typos).
Chatbots can test your patience. Matthew Carter, an attorney based in Las Vegas, recently contacted his online travel agency to inquire about a reservation and said it quickly became evident that he was talking to a computer program.
“At one point, I mentioned the airline I was using — Peach Airlines in Japan,” he says. “And she responded, ‘Is Peach your travel agent?’ I was genuinely flabbergasted. Supposedly she had the flights pulled up in front of her. So either she wasn’t paying attention, or she was clueless.”
But there are also benefits to automation. A carefully programmed chatbot can efficiently deliver information and answer basic questions, says Steve Schwab, CEO of Casago, a vacation rental company. And best of all, it’s always on.
“It guarantees a response,” he says. “No matter the time.”
Automated systems can also fix some problems much faster than a person, says Gadi Shamia, CEO of Replicant, a contact center automation company. “For example, automation can handle rescheduling for a passenger who missed their flight,” he says. “That gives an agent more time to help a family book hotel accommodations when their red-eye is canceled.”
Still, I worry about over-automation and losing the personal touch. I’ve seen too many gibberish responses generated by AI.
“People like talking to people, not robots,” says Francois Gouelo, CEO of Enso Connect, a provider of AI services for the hospitality industry. “That’s why it’s important to not only implement automation solutions in hospitality businesses but build an entire guest experience strategy, planning how technology complements the human capital.”
In other words, don’t forget the people.
If you’re stuck in a conversation with a bot that doesn’t know the difference between “Peach” the airline and “Peach” your travel agent — and believe me, you’ll know when you are — there are ways to get a person.
Words like “representative,” or “agent,” or even “help” can send your case to a real human. If you’re dealing with a scripted reply by email and need to get a response, you may need to start a new conversation with a manager by email to override the system.
Automation seems to be an unstoppable trend. Tausif Khiani, a vice president in charge of hospitality at consulting firm Capgemini Americas, says his research confirms that hospitality brands increased customer engagement levels with A.I. and chatbots. But enough is enough.
“The next generation of travelers want the ability and choice to interact with both people and technology,” he says. “The key is to switch between the two seamlessly.”
What’s the solution? Sharrar, the airline employee from Phoenix, thinks more human staff — not fewer — is the answer.
Maybe, he says, you can overdo the automation. Maybe we’ll find out during the upcoming holiday travel season.
IOTech Partners With King Steel To Provide Industry 4.0 Capabilities To Smart Manufacturing Products IoT Business News
IOTech Partners With King Steel To Provide Industry 4.0 Capabilities To Smart Manufacturing Products – IoT Business News https://collincountynewsonline.com/iotech-partners-with-king-steel-to-provide-industry-4-0-capabilities-to-smart-manufacturing-products-iot-business-news/
Through its plug-and-play edge software platform, IOTech will deliver connectivity solutions and more to King Steel’s Award-Winning Injection Moulding Machines NexCell®.
IOTech, the edge software company, today announced it is partnering with King Steel Machinery Co., LTD to provide Industry 4.0 capabilities and connectivity to smart manufacturing equipment.
King Steel selected IOTech’s industrial edge software platform to deliver real-time data acquisition, data storage, data visualization and analytics for its award-winning NexCell® Injection Moulding Machines.
IOTech plug-and-play edge platform software allows users to create industrial applications that leverage the latest advances in AI, analytics and inferencing technologies. The edge platform enables easy data acquisition from an extensive range of industrial OT devices/sensors to efficiently act on the data. Transformed data or processing results can then either be sent to any SCADA or IT/Cloud endpoints for further processing/storage. Alternatively, commands can be sent back to the connected OT devices.
“We’re pleased that King Steel selected IOTech’s edge software to enable its Industrial 4.0 capable smart manufacturing offerings,” said Keith Steele, CEO of IOTech.
“We make it easy for our partners and customers to connect their equipment and manage their data regardless of the communication standards used. It provides them the ability to create future-proof solutions that can be easily evolved as needed.”
IOTech’s advanced OT connectivity solutions provide simplified integration with a broad range of industrial devices and enable the acquisition of real-time machine data at very low latencies. Initially, King Steel requires integration with Modbus and Siemens S7 endpoints supported by the King Steel equipment. Normalized multi-device access is provided in form an Industry 4.0 data layer based on the OPC UA standard with support for both client/server and publish/subscribe communication models.
“It’s our pleasure to partner with IOTech to provide Industry 4.0 capabilities to our customers,” said Jim Chen, General Manager of King Steel. “Through IOTech’s edge computing solution, we are able to create an optimum product and service that brings significant value to our customers.”
Longer Healthy Lives More Likely In Countries With Strong Health Inclusivity Says Worldfirst Global Stud PharmiWeb.com
Longer, Healthy Lives More Likely In Countries With Strong Health Inclusivity Says Worldfirst Global Stud – PharmiWeb.com https://collincountynewsonline.com/longer-healthy-lives-more-likely-in-countries-with-strong-health-inclusivity-says-worldfirst-global-stud-pharmiweb-com/
Longer, healthy lives more likely in countries with strong health inclusivity says worldfirst global study
• First global benchmark for measuring countries’ health inclusivity
• Inaugural Index places UK top, followed by Australia, France, Germany, Sweden
• Highest scoring countries empower people and communities with education, tools and services to help them take control of their own health
• Countries’ wealth and health expenditure do not guarantee greater health inclusivity
11 October, 2022: People living in countries which successfully prioritise ‘health inclusivity’ – whether policies, systems and cultures give everyone in society the chance to optimise their health – are more likely to live healthy lives for longer. That’s according to a world-first global study, published today.
Commissioned by Haleon, a global leader in consumer health, and devised by researchers at Economist Impact, the inaugural Health Inclusivity Index (HII) benchmarks 40 countries on the presence, coverage and effectiveness of inclusive healthcare systems, processes and policies.
The Index finds that the United Kingdom has the most inclusive approach to healthcare at a national policy and programme level, closely followed by Australia, France, Germany and Sweden. Other countries in the top ten include South Korea, Canada, Israel, Thailand and Switzerland.
The lowest scoring countries for health inclusivity are India, Honduras, Egypt, Algeria and Bangladesh.
The Index demonstrates the levers governments, policymakers and others can use to address health inequity and promote inclusion, particularly for vulnerable and marginalised people and communities. As the Index measures health inclusivity inputs rather than disparities in outcomes, in some countries, people’s perceived experiences may reveal a gap between policy and practice.
According to the Index, countries’ wealth and health expenditure do not guarantee greater inclusivity in health. While universal health coverage is necessary, it is not sufficient to ensure inclusivity.
Countries with the highest overall scores equip individuals and communities with the tools they need to take control of their own health. Eight of the top 10 ranking countries achieved their highest scores for the metric of ‘People and Community Empowerment’, where the presence of initiatives like health literacy programmes and community outreach enable people to proactively manage their own health.
Brian McNamara, Chief Executive Officer, Haleon, said:
“Everyone should have the opportunity to live in good health, but millions of people continue to face barriers. The inaugural Health Inclusivity Index highlights the barriers which lead to the vulnerable and marginalised being held back from and less included in opportunities for better everyday health.”
“Raising awareness and creating a global benchmark are vital first steps in addressing health inequity, but this is just the start. We are also collaborating with industry, government, academia and other healthcare stakeholders to improve health inclusivity. This work is part of our commitment to empower millions of people a year to be more included in opportunities for better everyday health, empowering 50 million a year by 2025.”
Nine of the 12 countries ranking highest for health inclusivity also score highest for healthy life expectancy. This suggests an inclusionary approach to healthcare may lead to people spending a greater proportion of their lives in good health.
For policymakers, this finding highlights the critical role health inclusivity has to play. Many countries are facing a spiralling challenge of health not keeping pace with increases in life expectancy. Consequently, people are living in poor health for a longer proportion of their lives, impacting personal wellbeing and piling more pressure on overburdened healthcare systems.
Half of all countries studied lacked a strategy, policy or action plan to promote oral health. With a number of diseases and health conditions associated with poor oral health, the Index recommends that oral health assistance is actively included within universal health coverage systems, as seen in Brazil, for example.
David Napier, Professor of Medical Anthropology at University College London and one of the principal advisors to the Economist Impact’s Global Health Inclusivity Index, said:
”The Index rightly recognises the fact that health is largely made or lost outside the formal health sector. It brings together critically important data in domains whose importance has been largely undervalued because that data is hard to get. I believe that the indicators on People and Community Empowerment will emerge as the most important part of the Index. It is here that even cash-strapped countries can make progress, for empowering individuals and communities to manage their own health provides people with options that they may not otherwise have thought of or considered feasible.”
David Humphreys, Global Practice Leader, Health Policy, Economist Impact, added:
“We’re delighted to work with Haleon to launch the first of its kind Health Inclusivity Index. Motivated by the heightened attention from the pandemic around equity in health, the tool aims to support policy makers and advocates in identifying what levers countries can pull to both improve and make more equitable health outcomes.
“The Index is ambitious in scope – linking concepts such as the social determinants of health, health in all policies, universal health coverage, cultural competency, personal agency and community empowerment. We look forward to expanding the breadth and reach of the index over the coming years, and also leveraging the output to drive and measure meaningful change.”
The full global findings of the Health Inclusivity Index can be found here.
Barcelona Vs. Inter Milan Odds Picks How To Watch Stream: Oct. 12 2022 UEFA Champions League Prediction CBS Sports
Barcelona Vs. Inter Milan Odds, Picks, How To Watch, Stream: Oct. 12, 2022 UEFA Champions League Prediction – CBS Sports https://collincountynewsonline.com/barcelona-vs-inter-milan-odds-picks-how-to-watch-stream-oct-12-2022-uefa-champions-league-prediction-cbs-sports/
The 2022 UEFA Champions League continues with FC Barcelona hosting Inter Milan on Wednesday on Paramount+. The two teams play in Group C along with Bayern Munich and with the German side off to a perfect start, only one of these two European giants will advance to the knockout round. Inter Milan is currently second in the table with six points, while Barcelona is third with three points. You can catch all the action when you stream the match live on Paramount+.
Kickoff from Camp Nou in Barcelona, Spain is set for 3 p.m. ET. The latest Barcelona vs. Inter Milan odds from Caesars Sportsbook list Barcelona as the -215 favorite (risk $215 to win $100) on the 90-minute money line, with Inter Milan the +550 underdog. A draw is priced at +360, and the over/under for goals is set at 3.5. Wednesday’s match will be streamed live on Paramount+ with their MUST-HAVE Premium plan.
Paramount+ is the only place to watch every minute of every UEFA Champions League match this season. Sign up now to get a 7-day free trial. A subscription also gives you access to other sports content including the UEFA Europa League, Italian Serie A, NWSL, NFL on CBS, and countless movies and shows. Get it all free for 7 days when you sign up right here.
How to watch Barcelona vs. Inter Milan
Barcelona vs. Inter Milan date: Wednesday, Oct. 12
Barcelona vs. Inter Milan time: 3 p.m. ET
Barcelona vs. Inter Milan live stream: Paramount+
UEFA Champions League picks for Inter Milan vs. Barcelona
Before you tune in to Wednesday’s match, you need to see the UEFA Champions League picks from soccer insider Jon Eimer. Eimer is a high-volume bettor who has vast knowledge of leagues and players across the globe. Since joining SportsLine, he has covered the English Premier League, Serie A, the FA Cup and much more. He is 243-225-7 overall on his soccer picks in 2022, including an astounding 37-20-1 on Premier League predictions for a profit of more than $1,400 for $100 bettors.
For Barcelona vs. Inter Milan, Eimer is picking FC Barcelona on the money line combined with under 4.5 total goals for a -110 payout. With Inter Milan earning a 1-0 victory in the reverse fixture, Barcelona is facing elimination with a loss on Wednesday. Eimer expects the home side to put out their best available 11 and play with conviction.
The Catalonians have only conceded one goal in eight La Liga matches this season and have won their last seven games in league play to move to the top of the table. Xavi will be expecting that same defensive solidity to provide the basis for a critical match on Wednesday and Barcelona will have history on their side as well.
Barcelona has five consecutive victories over Inter Milan at Camp Nou and Inter is currently ravaged by injuries. Romelu Lukaku’s status remains up in the air and the club has had issues finding consistent scoring with Lukaku playing in just three of the first 12 matches across all competitions.
How to watch, live stream UEFA Champions League on Paramount+
Now that you know what to pick, get ready to watch the UEFA Champions League. Visit Paramount+ now to see UEFA Champions League action, your live local CBS sporting events, some of the world’s top soccer matchups and much more.
VC-Backed Metaverse App BUD Launches On Polygon With Airdrop And Token-Gated Gameplay Features AccessWire
VC-Backed Metaverse App BUD Launches On Polygon With Airdrop And Token-Gated Gameplay Features – AccessWire https://collincountynewsonline.com/vc-backed-metaverse-app-bud-launches-on-polygon-with-airdrop-and-token-gated-gameplay-features-accesswire/
Following a $36.6 million Series B, ex-snap engineers tap Polygon for long-awaited web3-based, user-generated content metaverse platform BUD
SINGAPORE / ACCESSWIRE / October 12, 2022 / BUD, the global virtual UGC (user-generated content) and Web3 gaming platform that allows everyone to create and share their own 3D interactive experiences for free, today launches on Polygon, an Ethereum scaling platform onboarding millions to Web3. Following the integration, BUD will launch an upcoming NFT airdrop which provides access to ongoing token-gated gameplay features using Polygon infrastructure.
BUD recently added a new airdrop feature, allowing any project, creator, and artist to airdrop anything on their communities – which saw the number of its active wallet users skyrocket from around 5,000 to over 80,000, a roughly 1,500% increase in just a few days. BUD users don’t need a coding background or skills and can let their imagination run wild thanks to a highly accessible drag-and-drop interface.
The platform’s utilization of token-gated experience attempts to resolve long-standing issues native to Web3 gaming, allowing creators and brands to create their own parameters around entry to an experience or game zone. BUD also plans to launch a collection of 1,000 special Gold BUD Passes which will enable access to special events, unique avatars, unique NFTs, and more. By making access to games and features exclusive to NFT holders, BUD engenders customer loyalty, secures long-term engagement, and prevents the likelihood of bot accounts becoming prevalent on the platform – a problem that has plagued many Web3 games.
“We are excited to welcome BUD to Polygon’s thriving, diverse, and inclusive ecosystem,” said Urvit Goel, Head of Global Games Business Development at Polygon Studios. “Since BUD’s mission fully aligns with Polygon’s own vision of a world in which communities and creators thrive, unconstrained by artificial borders and archaic regulations.”
Founded by two former Snap engineers, Risa Feng and Shawn Lin, in 2019, BUD lets users create bulbous 3D characters, cutesy virtual assets, and richly colored experiences.
To date, BUD users have already created over 15 million custom experiences, such as gamified virtual spaces that other people can join. Since its launch, last November, innumerable assets, including costumes and accessories, have been traded more than 150 million times on BUD’s marketplace – without any monetization on the app’s behalf so far.
Thanks to being inclusive and truly free to use, BUD has already claimed its place among the top 10 consumer apps in nearly 40 countries across North America, Southeast Asia, and South America.
Rise Feng, co-founder of BUD, said: “Polygon is the blockchain best-equipped to handle our rapidly growing user base and process the wealth of transactions and interactions triggered on BUD on a daily basis. Polygon’s speed, efficiency, and commitment to environmental goals – which sees its NFTs minted without incurring any carbon output – makes it the best home for BUD.”
The Singapore-based start-up recently closed a $36.6 million Series B funding round led by Sequoia Capital India and with participation from ClearVue Partners, NetEase, Northern Light Venture Capital, as well as existing investors such as GGV Capital, Qiming Venture Partners, and Source Code Capital. Shortly before that, the startup also secured a Series A extension in February, bringing the total amount of funds raised to more than $60 million.
For more information, please contact:
Cryptoland PR | http://cryptolandpr.com/
[email protected]
About Polygon
Polygon is the leading blockchain development platform, offering scalable, affordable, secure and sustainable blockchains for Web3. Its growing suite of products offers developers easy access to major scaling solutions, including L2 (ZK Rollups and Optimistic Rollups), sidechains, hybrid, stand-alone and enterprise chains, and data availability. Polygon’s scaling solutions have seen widespread adoption with 53,000+ decentralized applications hosted,1.94B+ total transactions processed, 164M+ unique user addresses, and $5B+ in assets secured. The network is home for some of the biggest Web3 projects such as Aave, Uniswap, OpenSea and well-known enterprises including Meta, Stripe and Adobe. Polygon is carbon neutral with the goal of leading the Web3 ecosystem in becoming carbon negative.
If you’re an Ethereum Developer, you’re already a Polygon developer! Leverage Polygon’s fast and secure txns for your dApp, get started here.
Website | Twitter | Ecosystem Twitter | Developer Twitter | Studios Twitter | Telegram | LinkedIn | Reddit | Discord | Instagram | Facebook
SOURCE: Polygon
A Disney Princess Picks The Best Disney Products On Sale For Prime Day Yahoo Philippines News
A Disney Princess Picks The Best Disney Products On Sale For Prime Day – Yahoo Philippines News https://collincountynewsonline.com/a-disney-princess-picks-the-best-disney-products-on-sale-for-prime-day-yahoo-philippines-news/
Now’s the time to nab Disney gifts at a discount — from classic tees to upscale accessories. (Photo: Amazon)
Before I transitioned to beauty and style writing, I was “friends with” some pretty impressive royals at a theme park you might have heard of (see below for a shot of me and my pal Goofy). So, you could say I know a thing or two about Disney products.
For fans, nothing makes a better gift than a little slice of Disney. Right now, during Amazon’s Prime Day Early Access Sale there are some awesome goodies on sale — just right for holiday presents. Didn’t know about the Prime Day Early Access Sale? It was a surprise! This deal extravaganza — which ends today — is an opportunity for consumers to get a head start on holiday shopping, especially with inflation concerns, notes BlackFriday.com‘s shopping expert, Lisa Davis.
You need to be an Amazon Prime member to take advantage of the sales, so if you’re not, sign up for a free trial, which also gives you complimentary shipping. Now let’s get shopping! Hope you find some magic in my princess-approved picks.
First thing’s first: Every Disney fan needs a Mickey Mouse shirt. This officially licensed super-soft tee has a pre-washed, vintage look. Nearly 1,000 Amazon shoppers have blessed it with a five-star rating, many of them commenting on its high quality. “Bought this for my 6’5 son who is big and tall. Fits perfectly,” one reviewer said. “He has worn it about once a week since I bought it, 3 months ago, and it still looks brand new.”
Move over kids, this Lego art is for adults! If you’re someone like Brad Pitt who loves Legos (seriously, Brad Pitt loves Legos!), this set is for you. Delight your inner child, get that creativity flowing and create a bright poppy piece for your wall.
“This was my second Lego ‘art’ set. I made the Mickey and kept it. I ordered the second one so I could make the Minnie,” a five-star reviewer shared. “Fun to put together — especially if you enjoy puzzles — and fun to keep. It comes with its own frame.”
This colorful tee brings the classic words of Cinderella’s fairy godmother into the 21st century. A great gift for someone you want to inspire, or a perfect top to wear on your next trip to the Disney parks (or anytime you’re daydreaming while you should be cleaning).
Many Amazon shoppers said it was a big hit on vacation: “I had so many people stop me while at Disneyland to tell me they loved my shirt It’s more of a fitted t shirt. I went for a size up and it fits perfect.”
How cute is this Minnie mini? The compact backpack (9 inches high) pays homage to Mickey’s main squeeze with adorable embellishments (note the ears, polka dots and bow). Shoppers appreciate the fact that this little carryall is customizable: “Ordered this for our Disney trip, and I loved it,” one said. “I liked that we could change it from a backpack to a purse if we wanted. Great quality, and it’s super soft.”
What do you get for the girl who has everything? If she’s already got gadgets and gizmos aplenty, how about this gorgeous watch? With a two-tone stainless steel bracelet and an inscription on the back that reads “Sea the real me,” it’s a perfect present for the Little Mermaid fan who’s all grown up. Catch it now, while it’s $150 off!
Since Disney owns Marvel, technically, Captain America, Spiderman, and the rest of the gang are Disney princes. The superhero fans in your life will light up when they see this set of four fun graphic tees. You’ll light up when you see the discounted price! One reviewer said it’s perfect: “Awesome quality and fits nicely.”
The kids on TikTok tell me Squishmallows are the new beanie babies. If you have a family member on the younger end of Gen Z, it’s highly likely they’ll love this adorable stuffed Mickey. More than 1,000 people gave this sweet plush a five-star rating, too!
One said that this is perfect for Mickey fans of all ages: “Trust me, the Mickey Mouse Squishmallow is not just for kids. My son started collecting Squishmallows, and I loved how soft they are. So when I saw this one on Amazon, I had to treat myself. I love cuddling up with it while watching a movie, and I think I’ll start taking this with me on road trips to use as a pillow. Highly recommend for any Mickey Mouse fan of any age!”
I feel like luggage was not this chic when I was little, but I have to let it go. This two-piece Frozen set is not just cute; it’s also practical. The shell construction on the suitcase maximizes packing capacity. And the backpack has a dedicated spot for a little princess’ favorite stuffed toy.
One reviewer called it the perfect luggage for kids: “The kids (4 and 6) loved the design! The backpack fit what we needed them to carry (tablet, headphones, snack) and the stuffy holder on the front was perfect.”
Star Wars monopoly has Family Game Night written all over it. The kids (or adults) can play as Star Wars characters who turned to the dark side: Darth Vader, Kylo Ren, Asaj Ventress, The Emperor, Darth Maul, or the Grand Inquisitor. Not into intergalactic space fighting? There’s also a Little Mermaid version on sale.
Let’s face it, the playroom needs this Mickey chair. Amazon shoppers love that it’s both adorable and an easy gift as it comes fully assembled: “Purchased this for my 2-year-old grandson for Christmas, and he loves it! Just the right size, durable and soft. Doesn’t take up a lot of space in his room. Fits right beside his bed. On Christmas day we removed it fully assembled from the box.”
The reviews quoted above reflect the most recent versions at the time of publication.
See all of our Prime Early Access Sale coverage, here. Shop the top early Prime Day deals on Yahoo Life, get the best Prime Day tech advice on Engadget, learn about Prime Day trends on In the Know, and check out Prime Day car deals on Autoblog.
Originally published October 12, 2022, 9:59 AM
Crypto.com Chooses Paris For European Headquarters U.S News & World Report Money
Crypto.com Chooses Paris For European Headquarters – U.S News & World Report Money https://collincountynewsonline.com/crypto-com-chooses-paris-for-european-headquarters-u-s-news-world-report-money/
(Reuters) – Cryptocurrency platform Crypto.com will set up its European regional headquarters in Paris, the Singapore-based company said on Wednesday.
The firm will invest 150 million euros ($145.7 million) in France to support the establishment of its market operations, it said in a statement, adding it will hire local talent in the fields of compliance, business development and product.
The cryptocurrency exchange platform, which has more than 50 million users worldwide, received regulatory approval by the French market authority last month, allowing it to offer products and services to customers in France.
Crypto.com also got regulatory approval in the United Kingdom and Italy earlier this year.
In May, cryptocurrency exchange Binance said it had registered with France’s market regulator, with Binance France’s general manager David Prinçay adding it was now seeking a formal licence to open a regional headquarters in France.
($1 = 1.0299 euros)
(Reporting by Elena Vardon, Editing by Louise Heavens)
Copyright 2022 Thomson Reuters.
Biden Downplays Risk Of Major U.S. Recession Amid IMF Warning The Washington Post
Biden Downplays Risk Of Major U.S. Recession Amid IMF Warning – The Washington Post https://collincountynewsonline.com/biden-downplays-risk-of-major-u-s-recession-amid-imf-warning-the-washington-post/
As banks and international financial organizations warned of the possibility of a global recession, President Biden said he does not foresee one in the United States, but he acknowledged the prospect of a minor downturn.
“I don’t think there will be a recession,” Biden told CNN’s Jake Tapper in an interview that aired Tuesday. “If it is, it will be a very slight recession,” he added. “Look, it’s possible. I don’t anticipate it.”
Biden’s take came as the International Monetary Fund, a global lender, downgraded its outlook for the world economy and warned of “storm clouds” gathering — among them “persistent” inflation, the fallout from the Ukraine war and a slowdown in China’s property market impacting the global economy.
The chief executive of JPMorgan Chase, Jamie Dimon, also told CNBC this week that the United States is likely to tip into recession “six to nine months from now,” despite at the moment “actually still doing well.” He added: “This is serious stuff.”
A recession is technically defined as two quarters, or six months, of negative economic growth. However, the National Bureau of Economic Research, the official arbiter of U.S. recessions, looks for other signs such as “significant” and widespread declines across the economy, including in the employment rate, consumer spending and other factors.
Biden, however, said financial experts often throw around predictions. “Every six months they say this,” he said, but it “hadn’t happened yet.”
“We’re in a better position than any other major country in the world — economically and politically,” he continued. “We still have real problems,” he added, but he said recent legislation such as the nearly $2 trillion American Rescue Plan and Inflation Reduction Act has accomplished a lot.
As international head winds continue to weigh on the world economy, the 190-member IMF forecast that global growth would slow from 6 percent in 2021 to 3.2 percent in 2022 and 2.7 percent in 2023 — the weakest growth since 2001, it said Tuesday, except for the global financial crisis and the acute phase of the coronavirus pandemic.
“The three largest economies, the United States, China and the euro area, will continue to stall,” Pierre-Olivier Gourinchas, the IMF’s chief economist, told reporters. “In short, the worst is yet to come, and for many people, 2023 will feel like a recession.”
Gourinchas said that countries accounting for a third of world output are expected to “contract” this year or next. In the United States, he tweeted, rising interest rates could slow growth to 1 percent in 2023 down from 1.6 percent this year.
Globally, he wrote, “inflation remains the most immediate threat to current and future prosperity by squeezing real incomes & undermining macro stability.” He urged central banks around the world to “keep a steady hand with monetary policy firmly focused on taming inflation.”
This morning, I presented our analysis of the global economy. Russia’s war in Ukraine, the cost-of-living crisis & slowdown in China are the primary reasons we are downgrading growth to 3.2% in 2022 & 2.7% in 2023. https://t.co/rV7PnlIg55 (1/5) pic.twitter.com/XZLSWB5jq6
— Pierre-Olivier Gourinchas (@pogourinchas) October 11, 2022
Biden said he knows that families are worried about the rising cost of energy and medication and are looking for “breathing room,” with the economy set to be a major focus of the upcoming midterm elections.
U.S. job growth slowed again in September, a sign that the labor market may be cooling from its red-hot peak earlier this year, even though it remains an area of strength for a U.S. economy bracing for a downturn. The Federal Reserve has also hiked interest rates five times since March, moving at an aggressive pace to curb inflation and balance the economy. Nevertheless, some financial experts warn that a recession and financial pain are in store for American families and businesses.
As the war in Ukraine rumbles into its eighth month, the decision by a coalition of oil-producing nations led by Russia and Saudi Arabia last week to slash oil production by 2 million barrels per day, in a rebuke to Biden, has also deepened fears of a global recession. The White House said Tuesday that Biden is reevaluating the U.S. relationship with Saudi Arabia following the OPEC Plus announcement.
Auvik Acquires SaaS Management Security PC Management Tools ChannelE2E
Auvik Acquires SaaS Management, Security, PC Management Tools – ChannelE2E https://collincountynewsonline.com/auvik-acquires-saas-management-security-pc-management-tools-channele2e/
by Joe Panettieri • Oct 12, 2022
Network management software provider Auvik, backed by private equity firm Great Hill Partners, has acquired Saaslio and Boardgent. Auvik gains SaaS application discovery and remote desktop management capabilities, respectively. Financial terms of the deals were not disclosed.
This is technology M&A deal number 891 that ChannelE2E has covered so far in 2022. See more than 2,000 technology M&A deals involving MSPs, MSSPs & IT service providers listed here.
The acquisitions align with Auvik’s earlier acquisition of WiFi management software provider MetaGeek, the buyer said.
Auvik Acquisitions: What MSP Partners Potentially Gain
Saaslio is the SaaS discovery solution that enables MSPs to uncover, manage, and secure their clients’ SaaS ecosystems, the seller said.
Saaslio, founded in 2020, is headquartered in Indianapolis, Indiana. The company has five employees listed on LinkedIn. The company raised $430,000 in pre-seed funding, according to Crunchbase.
In some ways, Saaslio’s software may compete against Augmentt and SaaS Alert — two startups that offer SaaS application security solutions to MSPs.
Meanwhile, Boardgent was founded in 2019 and has eight employees listed on LinkedIn. The company’s software allows MSPs and IT departments to monitor, support and secure their computers.
Auvik, founded in 2011, has 267 employees listed on LinkedIn. The company originally positioned its software for MSPs, but Auvik has expanded its base to all types of IT teams — including corporate IT departments.
Private equity firm Great Hill Partners invested $250 million in Auvik in July 2021. That deal represents a majority stake in the cloud-based network management software provider.
Auvik Expands MSP Software, IT Management Portfolio
The acquisitions may position Auvik to compete more directly against entrenched endpoint management and RMM (remote monitoring and management) software tools from ConnectWise, Kaseya (owner of Datto), N-able, NinjaOne, and upstarts such as Atera and Syncro.
Describing how Auvik’s MSP partners and IT customers will benefit from the deals, Auvik said its evolving product line will “give IT departments the ability to easily identify, isolate and resolve issues impacting the end-user experience—an area not covered by traditional endpoint management and RMM tools—at the network, application, and endpoint levels.”
In a prepared statement about the acquisitions, Auvik CEO Marc Morin said;
“An organization’s ability to be productive is paramount anywhere. Auvik is working to support distributed-first organizations that need a centralized tool to monitor and manage the modern work environment. Auvik, Saaslio, and Boardgent have a similar approach to the market and how we value our clients. We believe that the combination of our deep expertise in network monitoring and management, experienced workforces, proprietary technologies, and innovative solutions allows our unified company to deliver the ultimate network monitoring platform.”
Added John Harden, founder of Saaslio:
“The advent of SaaS productivity apps has enabled the work-from-anywhere trend and lessened reliance on VPN connectivity, further complicating the work IT teams must do to keep end-users productive. Now, Saaslio and Auvik will provide IT professionals visibility and centralized control beyond the office firewall and into SaaS applications and issues facing end-users.”
Concluded Ricardo Polo Jaramillo, CEO of Boardgent:
“Much like Auvik, we want to enable IT pros to quickly resolve any end-user impacting issues. By joining forces, IT teams can now have the ability to diagnose and resolve end-user experience issues as they arrive, no matter where they sit on the new network.”
Texas Officer Arrested For Allegedly Bringing Phone Into Inmates Cell WFAA.com
Texas Officer Arrested For Allegedly Bringing Phone Into Inmate’s Cell – WFAA.com https://collincountynewsonline.com/texas-officer-arrested-for-allegedly-bringing-phone-into-inmates-cell-wfaa-com/
A North Texas officer has been placed under arrest after bringing a cell phone into an inmate’s cell, according to the Collin County Sheriff’s Office.
Author: wfaa.com
Published: 4:43 PM CDT October 11, 2022
Updated: 4:43 PM CDT October 11, 2022
Yes You Can Still Travel On A Budget During Inflation MySA
Yes, You Can Still Travel On A Budget During Inflation – MySA https://collincountynewsonline.com/yes-you-can-still-travel-on-a-budget-during-inflation-mysa/
I heard a podcast last week about how runaway inflation in Argentina has caused everyone to party more. Why? When inflation gets really bad, there’s no reason to save cash for a later date since it will only get less valuable. So Argentines tend to spend their paychecks as soon as they come in, filling bars and restaurants and generally living for the moment. It’s macroeconomic YOLO.
U.S. inflation is not as bad — or as chronic — as Argentina’s. And prices for many travel expenses have actually begun falling. Airfare prices dropped 9% month-over-month, according to September Consumer Price Index data. Yet it could be some time before prices for anything, including airfare, hotels and rental cars, regain any semblance of stability.
Two-thirds of Americans cited “cost” as the most important factor affecting fall trip planning, according to a recent Tripadvisor survey. Yet, despite inflation, half of respondents plan to travel more this season than they did during the same period in the previous year. So travelers aren’t delaying or canceling their plans so much as trying to keep them within budget.
What should us budget-conscious travelers do? Throw up our hands and party like Argentines?
Know how travel prices have been changing
It’s easy to talk about “travel inflation” like it’s some monolithic force, but it’s just the law of supply and demand playing out like it always does. And it hasn’t been affecting every aspect of travel the same way.
At first glance, you might think the dark blue line in the chart above represents the hubbub around airfare this summer. But that line represents the cost of renting a car, which has become somewhat less expensive in the last few months, yet remains 46% higher than pre-pandemic rates.
Hotels and airfare, while more expensive than they were throughout much of the pandemic, have nearly come back to baseline. And “food away from home” (e.g., restaurant food) has steadily and sneakily crept up to 17% above pre-pandemic prices, according to September CPI data.
What does this mean for travel budgeting? Your intuitive sense of how much it will cost to rent a car in Hawaii — or order a steaming plate of loco moco — are probably wrong. And your worst-case expectations for the price of airfare and hotels are probably overblown.
It also means that it will be easier to trim budgets by reducing plans that depend on rental cars or eating out. Booking a hotel room with a kitchen might not be cost-effective under normal circumstances, but it could be this year. And visiting a destination with good public transportation, like a European city, will avoid those eye-watering rental car prices.
Lock in flexible prices
Trying to figure out whether now is a good time to book travel to avoid future price hikes is like trying to figure out whether it’s a good time to buy stocks. The truth is that nobody knows. Yet travel bookings differ from investments in one crucial way: They can often be canceled or rebooked if prices drop.
Flexible travel bookings can help you travel more cheaply. For example, let’s say you’re planning a trip later this fall and are pondering whether to book a hotel now or wait to see if prices drop. The reality is that you can do both: Book a flexible room rate now, lock in the price, then cancel and/or rebook if prices drop.
It’s a tails-you-win, heads-you-win situation. If prices go up, you’ll have snagged a lower rate. If prices go down, you can modify your booking and save. The same logic applies to rental cars and air travel, assuming the bookings are flexible.
Watch out for “flexible” bookings that carry restrictions or other limitations. And don’t go wild booking every flight and expecting to cancel them later for your money back. Airfare refunds are often issued as vouchers or travel credit, not cash.
Use those points and miles
My colleague and I just crunched hundreds of data points comparing the cost of travel using points and miles versus cash and found something surprising: The per-point value for most travel rewards programs actually went up in 2022. Meaning points and miles are actually deflating while cash prices inflate.
(More accurately, cash prices have gone up while point and mile prices have remained less affected, which has had the mathematical effect of driving up the relative value of points and miles.)
The point is, it’s a good time to use points and miles, especially those of programs that still use an award chart. Award charts keep the price of points relatively stable, and differ from programs that use dynamically priced awards that are tied to the cash value of a given redemption.
Hyatt hotels, for example, offers a screaming 2.8 cents-per-point value in our 2022 valuations, up from 1.9 cents per point in 2021. This jump in value is largely due to its award chart. Marriott, meanwhile — which eliminated its award chart earlier this year — hangs steady at 0.7 cents per point year-over-year.
In terms of budgeting, it’s always a good idea to compare the value of points to the cost in dollars. But in general, as long as cash prices are high, consider using rewards.
Skip the stress
Will travel prices keep dropping? Will car rentals ever be affordable again? Honestly, we don’t know. And unless you’re the type who budgets their travel down to every last cent, you don’t need to try to optimize every last travel expense.
Inflation may be on an upward trajectory, and though travel prices may be up across the board, that doesn’t mean you should blow your savings on a vacation to the Maldives. Your dollars aren’t about to be as worthless as toilet paper. We’re not at the Argentine YOLO stage … yet.
The article Yes, You Can Still Travel on a Budget During Inflation originally appeared on NerdWallet.
Priciest Home Sales In Brookville Long Island Business News
Priciest Home Sales In Brookville – Long Island Business News https://collincountynewsonline.com/priciest-home-sales-in-brookville-long-island-business-news/
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134-2 Wheatley Road Brookville / OneKey MLS photo
By: David Winzelberg October 12, 2022
Priciest home sales in Brookville (11545)
September 2022
The three highest-priced home sales in Brookville last month ranged from $2.1 million to $2.43 million.
The priciest Brookville home sold in September was a 6-bedroom, 6.5-bath colonial on 2 acres at 134-2 Wheatley Road that sold for $2.43 million. It was listed by Aileen Murstein of Douglas Elliman Real Estate and sold by Xiao Zheng and Lei Shi of Jamie & Connie Real Estate Group.
An 8-bedroom, 6.5-bath colonial on .46 acres at 88 Swan Court fetched $2.1 million. It was listed and sold by Limor Karudo and Elimor Kochavi of Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Laffey International Realty.
At 5 Heather Hill Road, a 5-bedroom, 4.5-bath colonial on 2.87 acres went for $2.1 million. It was listed by Michael Pesce, Ronald Lanzillotta and Robert Barnes of Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Laffey International Realty and sold by Vivian Scalia-Dash of Douglas Elliman Real Estate.
Source: OneKeyMLS.com
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Dubai Business Women Council Organizes Health And Wellness Forum ZAWYA
Dubai Business Women Council Organizes Health And Wellness Forum – ZAWYA https://collincountynewsonline.com/dubai-business-women-council-organizes-health-and-wellness-forum-zawya/
Health and Wellness Forum urges to overcome work and life pressures by investing in mental health.
Forum is in line with Dubai’s ongoing efforts to be a healthy and safe city that provides residents with welfare and wellness.
Forum recommends maintaining a healthy lifestyle and adopting practices that reduce work stress.
Forum is part of DBWCFORUMS initiatives aimed at raising awareness among women and entrepreneurs about the importance of mental health as a key to success.
Dubai: The Dubai Business Women Council (DBWC) has organized a special edition of the “Holistic Health and Wellness Forum” at the headquarters of Dubai Chambers, bringing together more than 65 participants as well as leaders of the business community and companies in Dubai.
The event came in conjunction with Mental Health Awareness Month and in celebration of World Mental Health Day, which falls on October 10 of every year. It is also in line with Dubai’s mandate to support health and wellness and create a healthier work environment.
The forum discussed the importance of mental health in boosting productivity in the workplace as well as the need to maintain a healthy lifestyle, and adopt practices that reduce work pressure and its challenges, as well as its negative impacts on everyone’s life and health.
The conference was organized in collaboration with “Beyond Mindful Living,” and in partnership with support partners including Mind Resilience Training and Claudia Sidoli, Personal Trainer of the Mind, Success & Confidence Coach, and Corporate Educator & Elevator.
The forum brought together an elite group of speakers and experts with expertise in the field of health and medical care and treatments for trauma therapies, where they spoke about the need to invest in mental health, overcome psychological workplace issues, and innovate in safe work settings.
During the event, it was unanimously agreed that mental health is an essential element in defining everyone’s future and that it is a shared personal and institutional responsibility, with the participants calling for investing in mental health and creating an ideal business environment away from psychological constraints.
Speakers emphasized the need to educate the public about the dangers of stress and anxiety as well as their detrimental effects on various personal and professional aspects. They also emphasized the importance of not underestimating the psychological challenges related to work environment and its pressures.
Forum activities
The event started with a talk by Scott Armstrong, Founder of “Mentl”, in which he spoke about the importance of mental health, followed by the first panel discussion, which was moderated by Claudia Sidoli.
The session involved the participation of Rebecca McGowen, Wellness and Benefits Director at Beneple, Nancy Debban, Training and Talent Development Consultant, and Scott Armstrong, where they discussed the importance of mental health in workplace.
The first session was followed by a talk with Bahar Wilson, founder of Beyond Mindful Living, who stressed the need to overcome the vicious cycle of procrastination.
Entitled “Entrepreneurs Mental Health and Burn Out,” the second session brought together Lara Al Saad, Career empowerment coach, Dina Bisharat, Team and Leadership Coach, and Hiba Khayata , Career Services Manager, Career and life Coach at American University of Sharjah. The session was moderated by Sami Khoury, founder and Mindset Trainer at Mind Resilience Training.
Chris Haill, founder of MindForce, also took part in the forum where he spoke about the future and progression of mental health in the UAE. Also, during the forum, a talk entitled “Maximize your peak performance: Brain and Body” was delivered by Dr. Shai Efrati, Co-Founder Aviv Scientific & Professor at Tel Aviv University – Aviv Clinics Dubai
The third and final panel session discussed how to deal with grief and trauma. It was attended by Dr. Saliha Afridi, Managing Director of the Lighthouse Arabia, Dr. Mary Thompson, Clinical Director at Vivamus, and Bahar Wilson, founder of Beyond Mindful Living. The session was moderated by Mélanie Lapointe, Learning & Development Specialist, Partnership Manager, and Consultant DE&I.
The forum comes in line with the council’s ongoing efforts to spread awareness about techniques that help alleviate psychological pressures and the hardships of daily life. It also aims to help the participants pursue and adapt to their professional lives and achieve success on both personal and professional levels.
It is also a part of the #DBWCFORUMS initiative, which aims to increase the awareness of women, entrepreneurs, and workers of both genders in the business community on a variety of topics that improve and hone their skills and support them in maintaining an ideal, more-balanced, healthy life away from work obligations and pressures in line with international best practices.
Established in 2002, under the umbrella of the Dubai Chamber of Commerce, the Dubai Business Women Council is the UAE’s leading platform for the personal and professional development of business women in the Emirate of Dubai.
It aims to support businesswomen and entrepreneurs in taking the first steps in the world of business. The Council plays an important role in enhancing the contribution of businesswomen to the country’s economy and promoting economic development in all sectors of the business community.
-Ends-
For further information, please contact:
Mustafa Taha
Misbar Communications
mustafa@misbar-me.com
Ali Elgendy
Misbar Communications
ali@misbar-me.com
Mahmoud Soliman
Misbar Communications
mahmoud.soliman@misbar-me.com
