Hearings Planned On Proposed Expansion Of FM 6 | News | Heraldbanner.com Herald-Banner
Hearings Planned On Proposed Expansion Of FM 6 | News | Heraldbanner.com – Herald-Banner https://collincountynewsonline.com/hearings-planned-on-proposed-expansion-of-fm-6-news-heraldbanner-com-herald-banner/
The Texas Department of Transportation has announced that FM 6 is to be widened between State Hwy. 78 in Collin County to the Hunt County line.
A virtual public hearing will be posted beginning at 5:30 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 20 and will remain online through 11:59 p.m. Friday, Nov. 4. Although not a live event. The materials can be viewed at any time.
TxDOT has also scheduled an in-person meeting at 5:30 p.m. Oct. 20 at the Community High School Cafeteria, 440 N FM 1138 in Nevada.
TxDOT is proposing to improve a total of approximately 7.88 mile of FM 6 in Collin County, which would include the reconstruction of the existing two-lane rural roadway to a four — and ultimately six — lane divided highway. A continuous 10-foot shared use path would be constructed on the east and west sides of the proposed roadway alignment. The proposed project consists generally of four — and ultimately six — lanes with curb and gutter, plus a raised median. The roadway passes through the cities of Nevada and Josephine.
The existing FM 6 right-of-way width ranges from 60-feet to 100-feet wide throughout the length of the project. The proposed width is 140 feet.
The proposed project would, subject to final design consideration, require approximately 45 acres of additional right-of-way and potentially displace structures on commercial and/or residential properties. Relocation assistance is available for displaced persons and businesses.
Comments must be postmarked or otherwise received by Friday, Nov. 4, 2022 to: TxDOT Dallas District Office, Attn: Kibru Andargie, P.E., 4777 East Highway 80 Mesquite, Texas 75150.
Sort And Edit Vacation Photos In A Snap Part One Photofocus
Sort And Edit Vacation Photos In A Snap, Part One – Photofocus https://collincountynewsonline.com/sort-and-edit-vacation-photos-in-a-snap-part-one-photofocus/
Have you ever been on vacation and taken loads of photos, then suffer a case of total overwhelm to sort and edit them? Been there, done that. But help is available. You can now sort and edit all your vacation photos in a snap.
Culling with AfterShoot
First, use AfterShoot to cull your images. While AfterShoot was designed for portrait and wedding photographers, it can be used for other genres of photography too — travel, landscape and even food photography.
The powerful AI automatically filters out the best photos while you sit back and relax. It’s lightning-quick and easy to use, while still giving you complete control.
Using AfterShoot
Simply select your folder of images and import them into AfterShoot, then run through the various culling feature selections. Set how strict or lenient you wish to be for duplicates and blurred photos. Don’t worry — you can re-cull with stricter selections if you wish.
Even though this is super fast, it still gives you back some ‘me time,’ grab a cup of coffee, go for a walk. You will receive an email when AfterShoot has finished.
Sort your vacation snaps in Aftershoot
Time to edit
The next step is editing them all. Once you have selected and rated your images in AfterShoot, you can then save them to a folder or even import them into Lightroom. From there, why not check out Radiant Photo? I’ll cover that in part two.
Meanwhile, why not check out these articles for more tips and tricks on using Aftershoot?
How to rate your unrated photos with AfterShoot
Breezing through portrait photography workflow with AfterShoot
Using AfterShoot for a timesaving multi-genre workflow
Why you should try AfterShoot
Speed up your photo culling and get back to creating with AfterShoot!
Improve and speed up your workflow with AI-based culling. Have AfterShoot find your best images, along with duplicates and photos that are blurry or have subjects with closed eyes. Check out what AfterShoot can offer you today!
Tell your story with the second annual Visual Storytelling Conference!
Experience four days of interactive, online training sessions featuring a range of educational content with experienced photographers and content creators. This free event kicks off with a series of technical boot camps to build essential skills, followed by live, online sessions on photography, video, business and social media. Join live from March 10-13, 2022!
By shopping with our partners and affiliates, you help keep content on Photofocus free. Click here to learn more.
Julie Powell is a passionate photographer and educator, running online classes and workshops for still life, macro, food and portraits, based in Melbourne, Australia. Julie is also an award-winning digital artist and photographer who has a deep passion for fine art and conceptual photography, having exhibited in galleries in Europe, USA and Australia. See more of her work on her Website Juliepowellphotography.com or on social media.
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White House Unveils Artificial Intelligence Bill Of Rights Business News Castanet.net
White House Unveils Artificial Intelligence ‘Bill Of Rights’ – Business News – Castanet.net https://collincountynewsonline.com/white-house-unveils-artificial-intelligence-bill-of-rights-business-news-castanet-net/
Photo: The Canadian Press
Alondra Nelson, deputy director for science and society at the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy.
The Biden administration unveiled a set of far-reaching goals Tuesday to align artificial intelligence-powered tools with what it called the values of Democracy and equity, including guidelines for how to protect people’s personal data and limit surveillance.
The Blueprint for an AI Bill of Rights notably does not set out specific enforcement actions, but instead is intended as a White House call to action for the U.S. government to safeguard digital and civil rights in an AI-fueled world, officials said.
“This is the Biden-Harris administration really saying that we need to work together, not only just across government, but across all sectors, to really put equity at the center and civil rights at the center of the ways that we make and use and govern technologies,” said Alondra Nelson, deputy director for science and society at the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy. “We can and should expect better and demand better from our technologies.”
The office said the white paper represents a major advance in the administration’s agenda to hold technology companies accountable, and highlighted various federal agencies’ commitments to weighing new rules and studying the specific impacts of AI technologies. The document emerged after a year-long consultation with more than two dozen different departments, and also incorporates feedback from technologists, civil society groups, businesses and industry researchers.
The resulting non-binding principles cite academic research, agency studies and news reports that have documented real-world harms from AI-powered tools, including facial recognition tools that contributed to wrongful arrests and an automated system that discriminated against loan seekers who attended a Historically Black College or University.
The white paper also said parents and social workers alike could benefit from knowing if child welfare agencies were using algorithms to help decide when families should be investigated for maltreatment.
Earlier this year after the publication of an AP review of an algorithmic tool used in a Pennsylvania child welfare system, OSTP staffers reached out to sources quoted in the article to learn more, according to multiple people who participated in the call. AP’s investigation found that the Allegheny County tool in its first years of operation showed a pattern of flagging a disproportionate number of Black children for a “mandatory” neglect investigation, when compared with white children.
In May, sources said Carnegie Mellon University researchers and staffers from the American Civil Liberties Union spoke with OSTP officials about child welfare agencies’ use of algorithms. Nelson said protecting children from technology harms remains an area of concern.
“If a tool or an automated system is disproportionately harming a vulnerable community, there should be, one would hope, that there would be levers and opportunities to address that through some of the specific applications and prescriptive suggestions,” said Nelson, who also serves as deputy assistant to President Joe Biden.
OSTP did not provide additional comment about the May meeting.
Still, because many AI-powered tools are developed, adopted or funded at the state and local level, the federal government has limited oversight regarding their use. The white paper makes no specific mention of how the Biden administration could influence specific policies at state or local levels, but a senior administration official said the administration was exploring how to align federal grants with AI guidance.
The white paper also did not specifically address AI-powered technologies funded through the Department of Justice, whose civil rights division separately has been examining algorithmic harms, bias and discrimination, Nelson said.
Tucked between the calls for greater oversight, the white paper also said when appropriately implemented, AI systems have the power to bring about lasting benefits to society, such as helping farmers grow food more efficiently or identifying diseases.
“Fueled by the power of American innovation, these tools hold the potential to redefine every part of our society and make life better for everyone. This important progress must not come at the price of civil rights or democratic values,” the document said.
Socio-Demographic Factors And Healthy Lifestyle Behaviours Among Malaysian Adults: National Health And Morbidity Survey 2019 | Scientific Reports Nature.com
Socio-Demographic Factors And Healthy Lifestyle Behaviours Among Malaysian Adults: National Health And Morbidity Survey 2019 | Scientific Reports – Nature.com https://collincountynewsonline.com/socio-demographic-factors-and-healthy-lifestyle-behaviours-among-malaysian-adults-national-health-and-morbidity-survey-2019-scientific-reports-nature-com/
Abstract
This study aimed to investigate the association between socio-demographic factors and designated healthy lifestyle behaviours in a nationally-representative sample of Malaysian adults aged 18 years and above. Secondary data involving 7388 participants aged 18–96 years from the National Health and Morbidity Survey 2019, a national cross-sectional survey, was used in this study. A healthy lifestyle score (0–5 points) was calculated based on five modifiable lifestyle factors: non-smoker, body mass index � 25 kg/m2, physically active, moderate (or less) alcohol intake, and daily consumption of ≥ 5 servings of fruits and vegetables. Associations between socio-demographic factors and healthy lifestyle behaviours were examined using multinomial logistic regression adjusted for sampling design. About 30.6% of the participants met at least four out of the five healthy lifestyle factors. In multinomial model, subjects who were female (aOR = 3.26, 95%CI = 2.58, 4.12), of Chinese (aOR = 2.31, 95%CI = 1.62, 3.30 or other ethnicity (aOR = 1.44, 95%CI = 1.05, 1.98), and aged 18–30 years (aOR = 1.74, 95% CI = 1.12, 2.71) showed significant association with achieving healthy lifestyle compared to male, Malay and ≥ 61 years old as reference categories. Our results indicated that gender, age and ethnicity associated with healthy lifestyle behaviours. Information on the influence of socio-demographic factors on the prevalence of healthy lifestyles will facilitate the development of effective intervention strategies to improve the adaptation of healthy lifestyle practices.
Introduction
Healthy lifestyle habits are important for preventing disease, improving health, and maintenance of overall well-being throughout one’s life1. In general, healthy lifestyle habits include adopting a healthy diet, abstaining from smoking, maintaining a healthy weight, avoiding harmful alcohol consumption, and being physically active. Leading a healthy lifestyle also reduces one’s risk of developing major chronic diseases. While the aforementioned modifiable lifestyle factors are individually associated with a decreased risk of major chronic diseases and a longer life expectancy, several studies have found that combined healthy lifestyle habits have a greater impact on increased life expectancy than on their own2. Other studies have also found that a combination of healthy lifestyle factors is associated with improved survival3 and reduced risk of major chronic diseases, such as coronary heart disease, stroke, heart failure and diabetes4,5,6. Adherence to a combination of five healthy lifestyle factors reduced mortality risk by 61%3. In previous studies among adults in China7,8 and cancer survivors9, researchers looked into the effects of combined healthy lifestyle factors in lowering overall and cause-specific mortality. Using measures of healthy lifestyle, including exercise, diet, sleep, alcohol consumption, and smoking, it found that 7.7% of adults reported practicing five healthy behaviours10. In another study using European Social Survey data observed that around 5.8% of European adults achieving all five healthy behaviours. Finland with 9.2% and United Kingdom with 8.6% were those the highest prevalence while Hungary with 1.3% and Czech Republic with 1.9% were the lowest prevalence of five healthy behaviours11. To date, there have been no studies conducted in Malaysia focusing on the effects of combined healthy lifestyle factors. There is also a lack of information on the prevalence of healthy lifestyle habits or practices among Malaysian adults.
Numerous studies have established a link between the prevalence of adopting healthy lifestyle habits and socio-demographic factors. In Germany, it was found that healthy lifestyle habits differ according to socio-demographic characteristics such as age, sex and educational levels12. Other studies found that higher socioeconomic status was associated with combinations of healthy lifestyle habits, decreased risk of cardiovascular disease, and lower mortality rates13. Information on the influence of socio-demographic factors on the likelihood of leading a healthy lifestyle amongst the local population is important for public health policy development, as it identifies relevant target areas for appropriate individual- and population-level interventions.
In Malaysia, there are no nationally-representative studies on the prevalence of healthy lifestyle behaviours and its socio-demographic correlates in adult populations. The purpose of this study, therefore, was to assess the prevalence of healthy lifestyle behaviours based on data from the National Health and Morbidity Survey (NHMS)—a nationwide health study in Malaysia—and to identify socio-demographic factors associated with leading a healthy lifestyle in a nationally-representative sample of Malaysian adults.
Methods
Data and participants
This study utilized secondary data from NHMS 2019. The NHMS is a national survey coordinated by the Institute of Public Health, Ministry of Health Malaysia, and has been conducted annually since 2011. This study is a cross-sectional survey with the aims of determining Malaysians’ health status, monitoring disease trends, and assessing healthcare utilization in Malaysia. The NHMS 2019 employs a nationally representative sample of the non-institutionalised general population of Malaysians of all ages in Malaysia. This study employs two-stage stratified random sampling to ensure the resulting sample was representative of the country. The country’s population is stratified by urban and rural regions in each of the 16 states or federal territories, hence a total of 29 strata. The first stage involves systematic random sampling of Enumeration Blocks (EB) within each stratum. The second stage involves random sampling of twelve living quarters (LQ) within each selected EB. For the entire country of Malaysia, a total of 475 Enumeration Blocks (EB) were selected proportionate to the population size of each stratum. A total of 5676 LQs were selected from the selected EBs. Further details of the NHMS 2019 study have been described in the NHMS 2019 technical report14. Between July and October 2019, 14,965 participants were recruited (response rate of 87.2%). All participants signed an informed consent form.
For the present study, participants under the age of 18 years were excluded (n = 4493), as the study’s focus was on the adult population. Respondents with missing socio-demographic data and healthy lifestyle data were excluded (n = 3084). After these exclusions, 7388 respondents were included in the present analyses.
Assessment of lifestyle factors and socio-demographic variables
Body weight, height and body mass index (BMI) were determined. Body weight was measured in kilograms using a digital weighing machine (TANITA HD-319) and the height in centimetres was measured using SECA Stadiometer 213. The BMI was computed by dividing weight in kilograms by the squared height in metres. BMI was then classified according to the WHO BMI guidelines: (� 25 kg/m2 as underweight to normal weight, ≥ 25 kg/m2 as overweight or obese)15.
Four questions were used to assess fruit and vegetable consumption: (1) “In a typical week, how many days did you consume fruits?” (2) “Usually on the day you eat fruits, how many servings of fruits did you eat in a day?” (3) “In a typical week, how many days did you eat vegetables?” (4) “Usually on the day you eat vegetable, how many servings of vegetables did you eat in a day?” Food photographs were used to assist respondents in recalling the serving size of fruits and vegetables consumed. The photographs depicted a single serving of commonly consumed fruits and vegetables, including one slice of watermelon, one medium-sized orange, one cup of chopped raw leafy green vegetables and a half cup of other vegetables, cooked or chopped raw such as carrot. The total number of servings of fruits and vegetables consumed per day was calculated using responses to these four questions. Data from the first two questions were used to estimate respondents’ fruits intake. Another two questions were used to estimate respondents’ vegetable intake. The number of days in a week was multiplied by number of servings to estimate the number of servings per week that respondents consumed. Responses for the past 7-day questions were then divided by 7 to determine daily intake. The number of servings/day for fruits and vegetable intake were summed to estimate the servings of fruits and vegetables intake. The range of score was 0 to 12 servings/day. Based on the Malaysian Dietary Guidelines, consumption of ≥ 5 servings of fruits and vegetables per day was defined as adequate while consumption of � 5 servings of fruits and vegetables per day was defined as inadequate16.
The validated short version of the International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ) was used to assess levels of physical activity17. The IPAQ short form was developed to estimate overall physical activity levels through the assessment of three specific types of physical activity (low, moderate and vigorous-intensity activities) across a broad range of domains (home, at work, sitting, moderate leisure, vigorous leisure, transportation and other activities). Physical activity was quantified in terms of metabolic equivalents (MET minutes, or METs)18. The minutes and days of a week spent on low, moderate, and vigorous intensity activities were multiplied by 3.3, 4.0 and 8.0 respectively, to compute MET scores for each activity. The total physical activity score was calculated as the sum of all MET scor...
Faces Of Fall: Oct. 4, 2022 | Sports | News-Gazette.com – News-Gazette https://collincountynewsonline.com/faces-of-fall-oct-4-2022-sports-news-gazette-com-news-gazette/
Alayna Cutler, Arthur Christian, during the Faces of Fall 2022 shoot at the News-Gazette in Champaign on Saturday, August 6, 2022.
Robin Scholz/The News-Gazette
ALAYNA CUTLER
Arthur Christian School volleyball
➜ Her favorite athlete is … Harrison Bader.
➜ Her favorite team is … the St. Louis Cardinals.
➜ If she could attend any one sporting event in person, it would be … the World Series.
➜ Her favorite sport besides volleyball is … baseball.
Mollie Pollock, Tri-County, during the Faces of Fall 2022 shoot at the News-Gazette in Champaign on Saturday, August 6, 2022.
Robin Scholz/The News-Gazette
MOLLIE POLLOCK
Tri-County volleyball
➜ Her favorite athlete is … Jordyn Poulter.
➜ Her favorite team is … the Chicago Cubs.
➜ If she could attend any one sporting event in person, it would be … a college volleyball match.
➜ Her favorite sport besides volleyball is … softball.
Elena Poulosky, Urbana, Faces of Fall 2022 shoot at the News-Gazette in Champaign on Saturday, August 6, 2022.
Robin Scholz/The News-Gazette
ELENA POULOSKY
Urbana girls’ swimming and diving
➜ Her favorite athlete is … Sydney McLaughlin.
➜ Her favorite team is … the Washington Wizards.
➜ If she could attend any one sporting event in person, it would be … a track and field meet.
➜ Her favorite sport besides swimming is … soccer.
Macie Russell, Oakwood, during the Faces of Fall 2022 shoot at the News-Gazette in Champaign on Saturday, August 6, 2022.
Robin Scholz/The News-Gazette
MACIE RUSSELL
Oakwood/Salt Fork girls’ cross-country
➜ Her favorite athlete is … Yadier Molina.
➜ Her favorite team is … the St. Louis Cardinals.
➜ If she could attend any one sporting event in person, it would be … the Olympics.
➜ Her favorite sport besides cross-country is … track and field.
URUST GLOBAL Set Their Sight On Decentralised Metaverse AccessWire
URUST GLOBAL Set Their Sight On Decentralised Metaverse – AccessWire https://collincountynewsonline.com/urust-global-set-their-sight-on-decentralised-metaverse-accesswire/
VILNIUS, LITHUANIA / ACCESSWIRE / October 4, 2022 / Metaverse is undoubtedly becoming part of everyone’s future. While this is exciting, it does raise a philosophical question which is in whose hand that future will be? As our society values freedom above all else, it is necessary to keep the provisioning of Metaverse and its inclusion in the control of the people, as opposed to leaving it for a selected few Big Tech.
Fortunately, a Lithuania-based crypto startup named Urust Global knows the answer to this. Urust Global is the new player that recently joined the Web 3.0 landscape, and set out to leverage decentralization to tackle the afore-mentioned concern. They make a very strong vouch for the Decentralised Metaverse which is built atop the Decentralized Ledger Technology (DLT), and contest that it is the one and only Metaverse that will prevail.
The foremost and utmost holy grail of Urust Global is to bring forth the substratum for the Decentralized Metaverse. They focus on two key facets that are essential to all Metaverse interactions, which is Identity and Transaction.
Urust Global builds upon the Decentralised Identity mechanisms to provide each user with a consolidated ID which she can use to login to any Services and Apps in the Metaverse. More importantly, Urust Global provides a unified payment hub that handles both fiat and crypto currencies alike, regardless of its central-bank issuers nor its underlying chain. Their payment platform integrates Ripple Network, and thereby attains up to 300 times cheaper processing fee and 100,000 times faster processing time than conventional banks.
The platform is offering cross-chain swap service for crypto-currency live. This function supports swaps between cryptos belonging to the same chain via interfacing with the prominent AMMs, as well as atomic swaps between cryptos belonging to different chains. This is indeed very beneficial to DeFi users.
Their whitepaper and projected roadmap indicate they are working with Decentralized Identity Foundation, indicating they are on the forefront of the Web 3.0 landscape. It is also worth noting that they are planning to obtain Lithuania’s Electronic Money Institute license by 2024. If the team follows through with their plan, they will be a serious contender in the Web 3.0 and Metaverse realms.
We found the tokenomics of Urust Global rather straightforward, with a round of strategic offer (equivalent to private sale) followed by a fair launch. It seems that tokens offered to their strategic partners are subject to certain locking, to the tune of at least one-year. A more interesting bit is their attention paid towards the security issue. They already completed a proper audit prior to their offering, which is a good thing.
Media Contact:
– Website: https://urust.com/
– Email: [email protected]
– Twitter: https://twitter.com/UrustGlobal
– Telegram: https://t.me/URUST_Official
– Medium: https://medium.com/@UrustGlobal
SOURCE: URUST GLOBAL
Head Of PlayStation Studios Malaysia Gives Us An Office Tour And It Looks Amazing TechNave
Head Of PlayStation Studios Malaysia Gives Us An Office Tour, And It Looks Amazing – TechNave https://collincountynewsonline.com/head-of-playstation-studios-malaysia-gives-us-an-office-tour-and-it-looks-amazing-technave/
If you didn’t know about this, PlayStation actually has an office in Malaysia, and it looks pretty sick. The office was established in 2020, and its design revealed by the head of PlayStation Studios Malaysia, Hasnul Hadi, recently sparked a discussion.
The entrance alone is enough to amaze us without walking into the office. It sets the theme by following a futuristic vibe, with the iconic PlayStation symbols on the side. To enter the office, employees must go through the keycard authenticator where they’ll see an illuminating PlayStation logo. After entering, a huge LCD screen displaying a PlayStation Studios Malaysia logo can get found in the office lobby. Besides that, the pantry and the common area are also well-designed. Although it’s dark, we can see that the working spaces are equally cool.
Good night everyone , see you tomorrow pic.twitter.com/pnZy02PLFp
— Hasnul Hadi (@mistahasnul) October 3, 2022
Not only posting the office’s images, but Hasnul also took the chance to thank his colleagues for making all this possible. He also added that he finally got his business card. What do you think about PlayStation Studios Malaysia’s office? Drop a comment to let us know your thoughts, and stay tuned to TechNave.com for more local tech news.
Analyst Said Solana Can Bring In A Billion People To The Crypto Space Crypto News Flash
Analyst Said Solana Can Bring In A Billion People To The Crypto Space – Crypto News Flash https://collincountynewsonline.com/analyst-said-solana-can-bring-in-a-billion-people-to-the-crypto-space-crypto-news-flash/
An analyst believes Solana will attract more people to the Crypto world than a majority of networks.
Further, the Solana network will overtake Ethereum as the most adopted blockchain.
According to a crypto analyst, Ethereum’s major competitor, Solana, can bring a billion users to the crypto world. The analyst from InvestAnswers pointed out that the historical activities of the Solana network are exceeding its boundaries, hoping that the network will break the limits of the blockchain ecosystem soon. He notes that crypto enthusiasts should not regard the Solana network as a mere chain in the crypto space. The network has the potential to become the next most adopted network in the crypto industry. Notably, Ethereum has remained the top community technology that powers digital money, global payments, and building decentralized applications.
Russian computer engineer Anatoly Yakovenko and Indian Entrepreneur Raj Gokal co-founded the Solana Network. These crypto enthusiasts are determined to bring a billion people to their network. To achieve their aim, they are ready to test the blockchain’s limits. Assuredly, they are well-equipped to bring this proposal to existence. Web2 has recorded many crash cases recently, which are typical results of testing the limits of a system. It is a core developmental phase that prepares a system for better functionality.
In a closed discussion with the popular crypto analyst, he extensively discussed the plight of the Solana network:
…think about the chain. Think about the scale. Yes, the code needs improvement. Yes, stability is key. It’s still in beta. It’s still a very young chain, and the adoption is way beyond my wildest dreams as of March 2021. Did I think that [Solana would] be eating Ethereum’s lunch at this rate? Nope.
Major reasons Solana could bait in more people to the crypto space
The analyst had earlier predicted a bullish run for the Solana ecosystem. Earlier this year, Solana was named Ethereum’s number one competitor. In a YouTube video, he disclosed reasons Solana has a potential advantage over Ethereum in the crypto world. He believes SOL is a potential ETH killer, though it has one-twelfth of the ETH market cap, “it’s doing a lot of stuff.” The crypto analyst has also outlined why Solana remains strong-footed in the industry.
The strength of Solana, and the reason why I still like it, is that they have the most breadth of DApps [decentralized applications]of any chain out there. They have exponential adoption. Fast, inexpensive, scalable. Despite the outage… It also has Rust, the most preferred developing language that’s driving the most development activity on any chain. Sixty-five thousand [transactions per second]. No need for layer-2s and SOL DApps have more daily active users than Ethereum DApps, which is kind of staggering, because Ethereum has about 3,000 DApps and SOL has about 750.
Solana currently ranks as the 9th largest cryptocurrency by market cap, valued at $11,946,089,600. The coin trades at $33.64, gaining 3.71 percent in the last 24 hours.
Biden To Set New U.S. Guidelines On Reproductive Rights 100 Days After Roe V Wade Reuters
Biden To Set New U.S. Guidelines On Reproductive Rights, 100 Days After Roe V Wade – Reuters https://collincountynewsonline.com/biden-to-set-new-u-s-guidelines-on-reproductive-rights-100-days-after-roe-v-wade-reuters/
Bandanas hang along the White House fence as Women’s March activists protest in the wake of the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision to overturn the landmark Roe v. Wade abortion decision in Washington, D.C., U.S., July 9, 2022. REUTERS/Joshua Roberts
WASHINGTON, Oct 4 (Reuters) – U.S. President Joe Biden will announce new guidelines and grants to protect reproductive rights on Tuesday, and describe how abortion rights have been curtailed since the Supreme Court overturned the constitutional right to terminating pregnancies.
He will be speaking at a meeting of the reproductive rights task force, also to be attended by Vice President Kamala Harris, that is being held 100 days after the landmark Roe v. Wade judgment.
The meeting will focus on how millions of women cannot access abortion services and doctors and nurses are facing criminal penalties for providing such services, according to a White House official and a letter shared by the White House.
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The letter to the president was from Jen Klein, the head of the inter-agency task force on abortion access.
At the meeting, the president will also speak about new guidelines for universities from the Department of Education to protect students from discrimination on the basis of pregnancy and $6 million in new grants to protect access to reproductive healthcare services from the Department of Health & Human Services.
The letter from Klein said abortion bans have gone into effect in more than one dozen states since the court overturned the 1973 Roe v. Wade ruling on June 24. Nearly 30 million women of reproductive age now live in a state with a ban, including nearly 22 million women who cannot access abortion care after six weeks, it said.
The letter also notes efforts by Republican lawmakers such as Senator Lindsay Graham to issue a nationwide abortion ban.
Democrats are increasingly hopeful that the Supreme Court decision will boost voter support in November’s midterm elections.
A Pew Research Center poll in August showed abortion rocketing up as a priority for Democratic voters — from 46 percent in March to 71 percent.
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Reporting by Nandita Bose in Washington; Editing by Raju Gopalakrishnan
Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.
Lightspeed Appoints Former Google Executive As Chief Product & Technology Officer PR Newswire
Lightspeed Appoints Former Google Executive As Chief Product & Technology Officer – PR Newswire https://collincountynewsonline.com/lightspeed-appoints-former-google-executive-as-chief-product-technology-officer-pr-newswire/
Ryan Tabone joins Lightspeed to lead technology and product development as the Company continues to strengthen its leadership team
, /PRNewswire/ – Lightspeed Commerce Inc. (NYSE: LSPD) (TSX: LSPD), the one-stop commerce platform for merchants around the world to simplify, scale, and create exceptional customer experiences, today announced that the Company has appointed Ryan Tabone as its Chief Product & Technology Officer.
Ryan Tabone (CNW Group/Lightspeed Commerce Inc.)
“Ryan brings an impressive track record of tackling large-scale technology challenges while empowering product and technology teams to keep creativity and innovation at the heart of everything they do,” said JP Chauvet, CEO of Lightspeed. “The solutions Lightspeed provides are pivotal to the success of retailers and restaurateurs worldwide—and in today’s dynamic environment, they have never needed us more. Ryan will play a central role in ensuring the solutions we bring to market not only power their continued success but provide new resources to enable them to adapt to the unexpected.”
Tabone joins Lightspeed from Google, where he held a number of roles, among them being a founding member of the team that built Chromebook and most recently as the Vice President & General Manager of Google Pay and Google Finance. He has also served as an advisor and executive in residence for Other Bets, including Wing, Intrinsic, and more.
“I’ve spent my career focused on solving problems to create fundamental shifts in industries for the benefit of businesses and consumers,” said Ryan Tabone, Lightspeed’s Chief Product and Technology Officer. “Small and medium-sized businesses, in particular, spend a significant amount of time focused on the infrastructure of running their business, which pulls them away from doing what they love – bringing unique value to their customers. Lightspeed, with its portfolio of products, is uniquely positioned to dramatically simplify the commerce stack for these merchants. I am extremely excited by the opportunity to enable businesses across the globe to more efficiently and effectively serve their customers, both online and in person, reducing the effort it takes to grow and run their business.”
Throughout his nearly 15 years at Google, Tabone has overseen the development of various groundbreaking products, including Chromebook, G Suite, and Google Finance. Ryan earned a Bachelor of Science from Johns Hopkins University and a Master of Science in Electrical Engineering & Computer Science from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
About Lightspeed
Powering the businesses that are the backbone of the global economy, Lightspeed’s one-stop commerce platform helps merchants innovate to simplify, scale, and provide exceptional customer experiences. Our cloud commerce solution transforms and unifies online and physical operations, multichannel sales, expansion to new locations, global payments, financial solutions, and connection to supplier networks.
Founded in Montréal, Canada in 2005, Lightspeed is dual-listed on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE: LSPD) and Toronto Stock Exchange (TSX: LSPD). With teams across North America, Europe, and Asia Pacific, the company serves retail, hospitality, and golf businesses in over 100 countries.
For more information, please visit: lightspeedhq.com
On social media: LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, and Twitter
Forward-Looking Statements
This news release may include forward-looking information and forward-looking statements within the meaning of applicable securities laws (“forward-looking statements”), including information regarding Lightspeed’s leadership team, product offerings and planned product roadmap. Forward-looking statements are statements that are predictive in nature, depend upon or refer to future events or conditions and are identified by words such as “will”, “expects”, “anticipates”, “intends”, “plans”, “believes”, “estimates” or similar expressions concerning matters that are not historical facts. Such statements are based on current expectations of Lightspeed’s management and inherently involve numerous risks and uncertainties, known and unknown, including economic factors. A number of risks, uncertainties and other factors may cause actual results to differ materially from the forward-looking statements contained in this news release, including, among other factors, those risk factors identified in our most recent Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations, under “Risk Factors” in our most recent Annual Information Form, and in our other filings with the Canadian securities regulatory authorities and the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, all of which are available under our profile on SEDAR at www.sedar.com and on EDGAR at www.sec.gov. Readers are cautioned to consider these and other factors carefully when making decisions with respect to Lightspeed’s subordinate voting shares and not to place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements contained in this news release are not guarantees of future performance and, while forward-looking statements are based on certain assumptions that Lightspeed considers reasonable, actual events and results could differ materially from those expressed or implied by forward-looking statements made by Lightspeed. Except as may be expressly required by applicable law, Lightspeed does not undertake any obligation to update publicly or revise any such forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.
Media Contacts:
Canada:
Victoria Baker, NKPR – [email protected]
USA:
Jennifer Fugel, Newsmaker Group – [email protected]
Lightspeed Media Relations – [email protected]
Investor Relations:
Gus Papageorgiou, Lightspeed Investor Relations – [email protected]
SOURCE Lightspeed Commerce Inc.
Big Changes Are Coming For Royse City The Dallas Morning News
Big Changes Are Coming For Royse City – The Dallas Morning News https://collincountynewsonline.com/big-changes-are-coming-for-royse-city-the-dallas-morning-news/
Big changes are coming for Royse City The Dallas Morning News
The U.S. Dollar Is Crushing It Worldwide Making Travel Cheaper For Americans Travel Off Path
The U.S. Dollar Is Crushing It Worldwide Making Travel Cheaper For Americans – Travel Off Path https://collincountynewsonline.com/the-u-s-dollar-is-crushing-it-worldwide-making-travel-cheaper-for-americans-travel-off-path/
Last Updated 1 hour ago
The U.S. dollar has never been as strong as it is now.
In spite of the United States’ slower-than-expected post-Covid recovery and latest political imbroglios, the dollar has moved upwards while most of the competing currencies, including the Euro and the British pound, which have always been much stronger, fell hard. In simpler terms, the U.S. dollar is absolutely crushing it, making travel much cheaper for Americans.
While we will not focus on why the dollar is so strong right now, given the economic nature of the matter and the fact that we are a travel news website, one thing you should know is that the ‘extra demand’ for dollars resulting from the mass purchase of bonds, has further strengthened the world’s most traded currency.
Consequently, as investors opt for dollars instead of other currencies from more volatile markets, these tend to drop in value:
The Dollar Is Now Officially Worth More Than The Euro, And It Could Be Coming For The British Pound Next
As stated in a Guardian article published this week, UK travel is ‘on sale’ – that is, for Americans and/or those earning in U.S. dollars. Tour operators in Britain have classed September as their ‘best month’ in overall performance since 2019. This means that, during the pandemic era, no other month has had as many bookings.
Effectively, Americans are flying to the UK in their droves to benefit from the weaker pound (GBP). While last year it was trading at GBP 1.00 per USD 1.37, this year it’s reached the dollar has reached a historic high of USD 1.03 to the pound. Since September 25, a week ago, it has fluctuated between the 1.08 and 1.11 marks.
According to Lana Bennett, the chief executive of Tours International, interviewed by the British publication, the booking surge is ‘quite good news’ for British tour operators. As Bennett puts it, there’s ‘a lot more certainty, more keenness’ on Americans’ part to take advantage of the depreciated pound.
Elsewhere in Europe, the dollar is exchanged at an even better rate, with the Euro currently exchanged at a USD 0.98 rate on October 02, 2022. Earlier this year, we reported Europe’s multi-national currency had hit parity with the dollar for the first time in recent history – now, it is worth far less, performing worse than the pound even.
Dollars Go Furthest In These European Destinations
Across Europe, Americans may find it cheaper to book flight tickets and reserve accommodation, especially along Europe’s easternmost flank. While not all destinations in the continent use the Euro, most of them are part of the European Single Market, and their currencies are semi-pegged to it, increasing vacation options for Americans on a budget.
This year, the European country where the Euro is in use and Americans will get the best value for their buck is Montenegro, which ranked at number seven on Eurostat’s comparative list of price levels for consumer goods and services. Interestingly, Montenegro is neither in the EU nor uses the Euro legally, having unilaterally adopted the currency in 2002.
Other European destinations that will be favored by Americans looking not to splurge, in spite of the dollar’s excellent conversion rate, are:
Turkey
North Macedonia
Romania
Bulgaria
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Out of those, Turkey is the cheapest for Americans traveling to Europe/Western Asia and based on the liquidation of the Turkish Lira, this should come as no surprise. In late September, it was close to reaching an all-time low of TRY 20.00 to USD 1.00, and due to the Turkish President’s controversial economic approach, it may not recover anytime soon.
Asian And South American Become Cheaper Also
Elsewhere in the globe, Japan’s yen is also facing a strong depreciation, with USD 1.00 now buying JPY 144.55 – throughout the pandemic, it oscillated between 103 and 115 yen, proving Japan’s conservative measures in tackling the Covid crisis, which were only partially reverted recently, took a heavy toll on its tourism-dependent economy.
In Latin America, traditionally an affordable destination for U.S. citizens, Argentina takes the crown as the country with the most depreciated currency. At present, on September 10, USD 1.00 equals a whopping ARS 147.54, a sharp drop compared to the start of the year when the exchange rate averaged ARS 100.
Inflation is at a record-high worldwide, threatening to plunge the world’s leading economies into a crippling recession pit. While in the U.S., the situation isn’t much better, the power of the dollar has remained a constant in the life of Americans, unlike Europeans, Brits, the Japanese or Turks, who have seen their own markets struggle to uphold value.
Bottomline
Weaker currencies are surely not good news for locals, but the overall economic depression may benefit those who are earning U.S. dollars and planning on traveling internationally soon. We must remind you this article was written based on information available at the time, and that currency exchange rates are liable to change daily.
Read More:
Travel Insurance That Covers Covid-19 For 2022
South Korea, Lebanon, And Luxembourg Drop All Travel Restrictions Returning To Normal Tourism
Top Traveler Fails That Are Trending On Reddit
The U.S. Is The Last North American Country Of The Free World To Ban Unvaccinated Tourists
Google Maps Launches Cool New Feature For Travelers
This article originally appeared on Travel Off Path. For the latest breaking news that will affect your next trip, please visit: Traveloffpath.com
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How Disordered Eating Can Impact Brain Health According To Science EatingWell
How Disordered Eating Can Impact Brain Health, According To Science – EatingWell https://collincountynewsonline.com/how-disordered-eating-can-impact-brain-health-according-to-science-eatingwell/
Nearly 1 in 10 Americans have been or will be diagnosed with an eating disorder, according to the National Association of Anorexia Nervosa and Associated Disorders. While all forms of eating disorders—including bulimia, binge eating disorder, anorexia and orthorexia—impact the body and brain in different ways, research published in 2022 proves that anorexia nervosa, in particular, might have a surprisingly strong impact on not only the psychology of the brain but the physiology of it as well.
According to a May 2022 study in the journal Biological Psychiatry, individuals with severe anorexia have “sizable reductions” in three important parts of the brain: cortical thickness, subcortical volumes and cortical surface area. These shrinking spots hint at the loss of brain cells or a lack of connection between these brain regions.
What This Brain Health Study Found
By analyzing the results of nearly 2,000 brain scans of people with anorexia, those in recovery from anorexia and “healthy controls” with no eating disorder history, U.K. neuroscientists found a substantial link between brain size and shape and anorexia. Other studies have linked binge eating disorder, bulimia and obesity to some shifts in brain structure as well, but those with anorexia had reductions in brain shape and size twice to four times as large as those with other mental health conditions, including obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).
“The effects of anorexia nervosa have been largely focused on the physical effects of severe calorie restriction. But this study shows us that its impact on the body may decrease the size, and likely the amount of nerve cells in certain parts of the brain in just five years,” explains Ralph Esposito, N.D., a Greenwich, Connecticut-based naturopathic physician and scientific advisor to Athletic Greens. “This can impact cognitive function in those with anorexia nervosa, including their ability to identify and respond safely to the environment and their ability to focus.”
When our brain changes, it can make it harder to think, decide things, make plans and move ahead with a decision. This study found that living with anorexia for 1 to 13 years, depending on the individual’s age and the extent of restriction, is enough to alter the brain.
“People get ‘stuck’ in rigid thinking and ways of doing things because their brain doesn’t have enough nourishment to be flexible in its thinking,” adds Jillian Lampert, Ph.D., M.P.H., RD, LD, FAED, chief strategy officer of Accanto Health in St. Paul, Minnesota.
The other symptoms of these brain adjustments may vary but might include challenges with spatial awareness, proprioception and attention or focus. Individuals may have difficulty performing some physical actions in response to the environment or even feeling stable on their feet, Esposito says.
While this sounds stark, the researchers found that these cranial changes aren’t always permanent.
“We found that the large reductions in brain structure, which we observed in patients, were less noticeable in patients already on the path to recovery. This is a good sign because it indicates that these changes might not be permanent. With the right treatment, the brain might be able to bounce back,” Esther Walton, Ph.D., lead researcher and lecturer in the Department of Psychology at the University of Bath, tells University of Bath Communications.
How Individuals with (or Recovering from) Anorexia Can Protect Their Brains
Seeking treatment ASAP is the most important course of action, the research team agrees. The path to recovery often includes cognitive behavioral therapy, medication and, most crucially, weight gain. The aforementioned brain structure changes might be reversible, particularly the earlier they are reversed.
“With anorexia, which is characterized by inadequate nutritional intake, the semi-starvation results in people losing weight, decreasing muscle and bone mass, experiencing dehydration and losing tissue mass of other structures, like the brain,” Lampert says. “The body loses water, fat, muscle and tissue when it’s experiencing deprivation, like plants lose leaves when they aren’t watered enough. The loss of nutrition means the body has to conserve all the energy it can and get nutrition anywhere else it can, like bone, muscle and stored water. Basically, all of our stores get used up and our brain experiences a change in mass.”
Just like what happens when you water and nourish a plant—the leaves rebound, new ones grow, leaves that weren’t completely dry bounce back and the plant is healthy again—the same thing can happen when people with anorexia are renourished, Lampert adds. ICYMI, here are eight things that can happen to your body when you skip meals.
“Thankfully, the study suggests these changes are not permanent and can be reversed with renutrition. But we don’t know what this does to their risk for brain and mental health-related disorders as they age,” Esposito says.
“Renourishment,” the cornerstone of eating disorder treatment, gets people back to health by restoring hydration, bone health and tissue health. A September 2021 study in the Journal of Eating Disorders found that almost all of the structural changes in the brain, due to anorexia, can be resolved with the proper treatment and a healthy weight.
“People with severe anorexia can recover after years of being ill and have a quality life with a normal relationship with food and their bodies, a healthy weight and very slim chances that their brain is impacted long-term,” Lampert says. “Nutrition is the key—without it, there isn’t a way for the brain to get the fuel it needs to function. Recovery is possible at any stage of illness, and early detection and treatment is best. If you are concerned about yourself or someone else, reach out for professional help. Don’t wait!”
Expresso National And International Sports News Update At 1:30 Pm 4th October 2022 The Indian Express
Expresso National And International Sports News Update At 1:30 Pm 4th October, 2022 – The Indian Express https://collincountynewsonline.com/expresso-national-and-international-sports-news-update-at-130-pm-4th-october-2022-the-indian-express/
Expresso National and International Sports News Update at 1:30 pm on 4th October, 2022
You are listening to the Expresso Sports Update. Here is the latest news from the world of Indian and International Sports brought to you by The Indian Express.
“Let’s begin with news from the upcoming ICC T20 World Cup.
The Board of Control for Cricket in India has confirmed that Jasprit Bumrah has been ruled out of the upcoming T20 World Cup.
The statement read, “The BCCI Medical team has ruled out Team India fast bowler Jasprit Bumrah from the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup squad. The decision was taken following a detailed assessment and in consultation with the specialists,”
The 28-year-old had only recently returned to the India squad following two months off receiving treatment and rehabilitation from a stress fracture that he picked up during the India tour of England back in July this year. The same injury resurfacing had already made him miss the South Africa series. “
“In a bizarre turn of events, West Indies have dropped middle-order batter Shimron Hetmyer from their T20 World Cup squad after he missed his rescheduled flight to Australia, the Cricket West Indies (CWI) said in a statement.
Hetmyer’s original flight was postponed at his request due to family reasons, which meant he would have had to skip the first of two T20 warm-ups against Australia on Wednesday.
The 25-year-old left-hander has been replaced in the squad by Shamarh Brooks, a 34-year-old right-hander who has played 11 T20s for the West Indies and will fly out “as soon as possible” to join the squad in Australia.
West Indies play Australia on the Gold Coast and at the Gabba two days later.”
“In some football news,
After failing to secure a move away from Old Trafford in the summer, Cristiano Ronaldo is likely to leave Manchester United in January, as per the Telegraph.
The 37-year-old has become a benchwarmer for United, with Ten Hag handing him mere two starts since their 4-0 humiliation at Brentford in mid-August.
Ronaldo cut a frustrated figure while sitting on the bench during United’s 6-3 mauling at the hands of City in the Manchester derby. Despite making all of his five available substitutions, Ten Hag opted not to bring Ronaldo on “out of respect” for his “big career.”
Ronaldo has not found favour with manager Erik Ten Hag, who has preferred to leave the Portuguese on the bench more often than not”
“Riding on the brace from midfielder James Maddison, Leicester City ended their six-match losing run after their thumping 4-0 win over Nottingham Forest.
Maddison scored two — one being a curling free kick in off the far post — while Harvey Barnes and substitute Patson Daka, with a deft flick from Maddison’s cross.
Leicester scored three goals in 10 minutes from the 25th to damage Forest’s fragile confidence. Leicester also kept a first clean sheet of the season.
After securing a return to the league after a 23-year absence, Forest has been one of Europe’s highest spenders, bringing in a record 22 players at a cost of more than $150 million, but getting those players to gel is another story.”
“In some athletics news,
When Siva Subramani, the country’s best vaulter by a distance, lost his former coach Don Wilcox to Covid in May last year, he thought his career in athletics was all but over. The pain of losing Wilcox, whom Siva calls his backbone, was hard to process for the 26-year-old. He not only lost his focus but also his will to pursue the sport.
It was only apt that after rewriting his national record by clearing the bar at 5.31m and taking home the gold at the ongoing National Games, Siva dedicated his medal to his former coach. He clenched the medal in his hands as his eyes went moist while saying, “It’s for him. I miss him.””
“Meanwhile, in some hockey news, the Indian men’s team will tour Australia to play a five-match ‘Test series’ in November-December. The Indians, currently ranked fifth, will face the world number one Australians in five matches between November 26 and December 4 at the MATE Stadium in Adelaide. The second, third and fourth matches will be played on November 27, November 30 and December 3.
It will be the first time the two sides will be meeting since the Kookaburras beat India for the gold medal at the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham in August. The five-match ‘Test series will be invaluable outings for both sides in preparation for the 2023 Men’s World Cup to be held in Odisha in January next year. “
“And finally,
Top Indian professional golfers, including Olympian Udayan Mane and former Asian tour winners Rashid Khan and Khalin Joshi, will tee off at the TATA Steel PGTI Players Championship.
The Rs 50 lakh tournament will be held at the scenic Panchkula Golf Club for the fourth year in succession with the Pro-Am event set to be played on October 8. The event will feature PGTI regulars such as Order of Merit leader Ajeetesh Sandhu, defending champion Chikkarangappa, Manu Gandas, Yuvraj Singh Sandhu and Honey Baisoya, apart from Udayan, Rashid and Joshi.
Two-time Asian tour winner Rashid will be a top attraction after his runners-up finish at the Mercuries Taiwan Masters on Sunday.”
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Zorro Seller Mediawan Rights Creates Metaverse For Buyers Ahead Of Mipcom Deadline
‘Zorro’ Seller Mediawan Rights Creates Metaverse For Buyers Ahead Of Mipcom – Deadline https://collincountynewsonline.com/zorro-seller-mediawan-rights-creates-metaverse-for-buyers-ahead-of-mipcom-deadline/
EXCLUSIVE: This could be a first for the international TV distribution world.
France’s Mediawan Rights has launched a metaverse for buyers to access new catalog releases and connect with sales execs.
As the international production and sales markets continue grow and competition gets fiercer each year, distributors are under pressure to find better ways to reach acquisitions and co-productions executives.
Over the years, we’ve seen the development of digital rights management systems and digital trading platforms, and the Covid pandemic resulted in a shift to web-connected dealmaking that’s persisted despite markets reopening. Mediawan’s response to current market conditions has been to enter the Web3 world, though it will also still have a significant physical presence at Mipcom in two weeks.
The company’s virtual space, Metawan, will give users a choice of five rooms to explore: Documentary, Drama (split into Francophone and International), Unscripted and Animation. In each are new titles being launched at Mipcom in two weeks’ time.
Programs available to access include Rai Fiction and Eliseo Entertainment’s Stranded, an eight-part drama series about an exclusive ski resort that becomes cut off from the outside world after a massive avalanche traps its guests inside and they soon discover their predicament is part of a more complex mechanism that could explode at any moment.
NL Films’ Dutch title The Golden Hour; Darknet Shores (White Lion Films/Mediawan), That Dirty Black Bag (Palomar/Mediawan), Slice of Life (Mastiff), Euforia (Veranda/Mediawan), Gaïaland (Imagissime /Mediawan), Barnz Kids (La Station/Mediawan), Miraculous – Tales of Ladybug and Cat Noir (Method Animation/ZAG/Mediawan) and The Little Prince and Friends (Method Animation/Mediawan).
Valérie Vleeschhouwer, Managing Director of Mediawan Rights: “The distribution business has constantly been reinventing itself and integrating new skills over the last few years. We are proud to be the innovative with this new digital tool, which represents real added value for Mediawan Rights and its content.”
The news comes just over a month after Mediawan Rights boarded sales for buzzy upcoming Prime Video drama series Zorro. The reboot, which Secuoya Studios is producing in Spain, is the first live-action version of the masked vigilante’s story in two decades.
Mediawan Rights is the sales arm of Mediawan, which owns a fleet of European production operations such as Lagardère Studios, Makever and the French TV division of EuropaCorp and has a majority of the UK’s Drama Republic through a deal struck through its Mediawan & Leonine Studios venture. Mediawan also owns 25% of Leonine.
Mediawan is best known as owning the producers behind the original Call My Agent (Pour Dix Cent), though it doesn’t sell the rights internationally.
The 10 Best And Worst Gadgets In James Bond Movies We Got This Covered
The 10 Best And Worst Gadgets In James Bond Movies – We Got This Covered https://collincountynewsonline.com/the-10-best-and-worst-gadgets-in-james-bond-movies-we-got-this-covered/
Image via Eon Productions
To celebrate 60 years of James Bond movies, Amazon is adding the entire back catalog of 25 action-packed outings of agent 007 to its Prime Video service across various territories, from the Sean Connery beginnings all the way through to the modern Daniel Craig era.
Albeit a little more sparse in recent outings, one recurring focal point across the many years of Bond films has been the sheer assortment of gadgets the various Bond actors have been outfitted with.
There has always been consistent staples in Bond’s arsenal, with the likes of his always cutting edge and high tech watches and cars, but as we prepare to binge our way through hours upon hours of spy movies, we’ve put together ten of the best and worst unique gadgets seen in the franchise over the years, regardless of whether Bond has been on the giving or receiving end of use.
1. Best: Briefcase (From Russia with Love)
Image via Eon Productions
A simple and elegant design which most passers by wouldn’t take a second look at, this businessperson’s staple is packed to the brim, at least figuratively, with a whole host of lethal and handy tools for your average special agent. Its contents include an AR-7 rifle with concealed ammo and an easily accessible throwing knife, fifty gold sovereigns, and just for good measure, a nasty tear gas surprise for those nosy types who attempt to open the briefcase without following proper procedure.
2. Worst: Cigarette gun (You Only Live Twice)
Image via Eon Productions
This could simultaneously fall in the ‘so bad it’s good’ category, but smokers around the world can attest to the feeling of dry mouth they get from a cigarette. Imagine how it would feel to shoot a bullet out of your mouth – would you even have salivary glands left, let alone teeth? Sure, regardless of the implications on your oral health – you may be left wanting for one in the stereotypical situation of facing down a firing squad, but still, we’ll pass on this one.
3. Best: Jetpack (Thunderball)
It’s goofy, it’s dated, and Sean Connery looks like a numpty in that helmet. Yes to all of the above. However, there’s just a certain universal appeal about donning a jetpack to make a quick getaway, or, to the general public, a cruisy way to get from point A to point B while dodging peak hour traffic. There’s a good reason many Grand Theft Auto players still have the cheat code to acquire a jetpack firmly embedded in their brains.
4. Worst: Laser Polaroid (Licence to Kill)
Image via Eon Productions
In the same film that featured an equally ridiculous exploding alarm clock, we also saw this silly thing. On the surface, a regular old Polaroid camera. Point it, shoot it, and it instantly spits out a photograph. Give it a few shakes and it’s ready to stick on the fridge. Though in the case of this particular hoodwinking camera, its point, shoot, and murder your subject with a high-powered laser. It’s just goofy – and not in a particularly memorable way either.
5. Best: Dagger shoes (From Russia with Love)
Image via Eon Productions
These give would-be assassins quite the edge in hand to hand combat. The idea of the tables being fatally turned by an unexpected shin kick from these poison-tipped puppies is pretty high-stakes, and grim. Their debut in From Russia with Love looks rather clunky for its time, but their appearance would go on to inspire appearances in films outside of the Bond franchise, most notably in fan-favorite Batman flick The Dark Knight.
6. Worst: Mini scuba tank (Thunderball)
Image via Eon Productions
Although similar technology does now exist in real life, and this gadget came in handy for Bond in a pinch, it still seems particularly far-fetched that this stick about the same size as an icy pole can provide its user with four minutes of air. The mere fact that Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace took inspiration from this gadget meant that this little device was perhaps a little too space-age for a spy movie with a more modern, albeit technologically advanced setting. Then again, we had high praise for the jetpack that appeared in the same movie, so who are we to judge?
7. Best: Pen grenade (Goldeneye)
Image via Eon Productions
This thing is simply cool. Three clicks to activate its explosive power, and another three clicks if you change your mind. All housed in an inconspicuous writing utensil. It certainly manages to get Bond out of a pinch in an absolute nail-biter of a scene, during which a captive Bond carefully watches a nervous Grishenko click away at it, who is completely clueless of the explosive power. In what was very much a 50/50 gamble, Bond manages to knock the pen out of Grishenko’s hand, causing an explosion and creating enough of a distraction to make his escape.
8. Worst: Sony Ericsson Phones (Brosnan era onwards)
Image via Eon Productions
Sure, some of the features in these otherwise innocuous cellphones prove to be quite handy for the budding spy, particularly in the Brosnan era, in which they contained fingerprint analyzers and lock picks. Though by the time the brand was still getting plugged in the Craig era, it was pretty much a standard issue Sony Ericsson device with a fancy camera. The simple act of placing the brand has dated the films quite quickly, considering one flagship iOS or Android device today has enough computing power to blow several of these out of the water.
9. Best: Walther PPK (Skyfall)
Image via Eon Productions
At face value, the Walther PPK seen in Skyfall is a fairly ordinary handgun. What sets it apart is a pretty interesting biometric feature, in that it will only fire when it detects Bond’s palms wrapped around it. There’s been many an action movie where a singular gun trades hands multiple times over the course over a close-quarters struggle, which can be titillating, but this feature would ultimately leave any would-be villain short of the mark when they realize this gun only answers to one decision maker.
10. Worst: Alligator submarine (Octopussy)
Image via Eon Productions
Another which one could argue into the ‘so bad it’s good’ camp, but come on – seriously? I think the image says most of what needs to be said about why this one is just a little too far on the silly end of the spectrum.
Gambling & Crypto Heres What You Need To Know! The Olive Press
Gambling & Crypto – Here’s What You Need To Know! – The Olive Press https://collincountynewsonline.com/gambling-crypto-heres-what-you-need-to-know-the-olive-press/
More and more people are trading in cryptocurrencies and there are now hundreds of coins in circulation. It is therefore not surprising that the first crypto casinos or bitcoin casinos not on GamStop already exist. Where can you find them and what can you do there? In this page, you can read how you can trade and gamble in crypto well prepared.
The virtual new gold has been on the rise for years. Time and again the prices shoot through the roof. In addition to the first and best-known bitcoin, more and more alternative currencies, also known as altcoins, are emerging. The popularity of all these coins is only increasing as more and more people have access to crypto wallets. Some say this currency is going to replace our traditional money system.
Non GamStop casinos have also discovered the cryptocurrency and increasingly offer the possibility to gamble with crypto. There are actually three types of digital arcades: casinos where you can only gamble with crypto coins (crypto casinos), casinos where you can gamble with normal money and cryptocurrency and those in which you can’t gamble with crypto at all.
We are happy to tell you more about it, but first we will take you back in history. How exactly this trading is has virtual money become all the rage?
A Brief History of Bitcoin: From an Unknown Person’s Dream to Non GamStop Casinos!
Cryptocurrency owes its name to the term cryptography, a technique for sending data in an encrypted manner. As a result, this information is only readable by the sender and receiver of a message, who both have the key to decipher this data. As a result, this information is hidden from other parties as if it were. The oldest form of this cipher can be seen in ancient Egyptian pyramids, where different hieroglyphs were used to communicate. But throughout history there are countless examples where sender and receiver communicate in a secret way, in the hope that uninvited guests cannot trace the message.
With the advent of the internet, of course, came new methods of transmitting information and thus also encrypting it. The most important development is that of blockchain: this is a database in which encrypted information is stored in a chain of blocks. Each new block added to this chain contains all the information from the previous blocks, plus a little more. The blockchain is spread over a network of computers, where each connected computer (called a node) has an exact copy of the database. Because there is now not one database with one supervisor, but a lot of databases with a lot of supervisors, blockchain technology is virtually unbreakable by external parties, such as the financial authorities.
And that’s where bitcoins come in. This cryptocurrency was invented in 2008 by Satoshi Nakamoto. Nakamoto is the pseudonym of a hitherto unknown person, but presumes to be Japanese. He set up the first blockchain database that allows electronic money to be transferred between two parties without the intervention of a central authority, such as a bank. He also developed the first currency: Bitcoin.
Each transaction must be validated for authenticity by the sender and receiver. This development promises to be a turning point in current monetary relations, as banks, stock exchanges, governments and other financial institutions are sidelined. In addition, regular money transactions depend on third parties and are therefore vulnerable to, for example, hacks, while the Bitcoin blockchain is controlled decentrally (because it is copied on several computers in the network) and is therefore more difficult to hack. In addition, the users are anonymous, so not traceable. Gavin Andersen, Nakamoto’s successor, said: “Bitcoin is designed to bring us back to a people’s decentralized currency.”
Cryptocurrency & Non GamStop Casinos: How Bitcoin Opened Up a New Online Gambling World?
Bitcoins may promise a true revolution in monetary relations, but at the moment trading cryptocurrencies is especially interesting for investors and gamblers.
Since 2011, the crypto coins, including Bitcoin, have become increasingly popular and especially since 2014 they have grown enormously in value.
Since then, the number of different altcoins, the alternative coins, has been shooting up like mushrooms.
There is of course a lot of junk in between, but certain coins have the purpose of improving Bitcoin’s weaknesses or serve a completely different function and that can lead to great developments.
Two well-known altcoins are Ethereum and Cardano. For example, Ethereum belongs to the Ether network, which aims to use blockchain technology for applications other than just currency. On the other hand, Cardano is intended as a currency, but has a much higher transaction speed than ‘primordial father’ Bitcoin. In that regard, you can bet your money on whatever currency you are most confident in – it’s like gambling .
The number of wallets with which you can buy the stuff is also growing. For example, you can now quite simply download an app on your smartphone (a wallet, such as Bitvavo or Binance), register yourself there, transfer an amount of money to your account and then start your crypto adventure. Actually, these crypto wallets work just like the money wallets with which you can play at many casinos not on GamStop. The whole process is childlishly simple!
Because more and more people are trading in cryptos, it is therefore not surprising that more and more services make it possible to pay via this virtual payment method. For example, you could already order a pizza from Papa Johns and Domino’s with Bitcoin. Payment with the digital currency is also possible at the Overstock and Home Depot.
Outside Allies Help Republican U.S. Senate Candidates Close Gap With Democrats Reuters
Outside Allies Help Republican U.S. Senate Candidates Close Gap With Democrats – Reuters https://collincountynewsonline.com/outside-allies-help-republican-u-s-senate-candidates-close-gap-with-democrats-reuters/
WASHINGTON, Oct 4 (Reuters) – Republicans in the tightest U.S. Senate races are getting help from deep-pocketed allies who are unleashing a late advertising blitz, potentially neutralizing their Democratic rivals’ fundraising advantage heading into the Nov. 8 midterm elections.
Led by a fundraising group tied to Republican Senate leader Mitch McConnell, dozens of conservative organizations reported spending more than $104 million in September to help Republican candidates in seven Senate races widely seen as competitive, a Reuters analysis of federal disclosures found.
Democrats’ allies in the same races – spread across Arizona, Georgia, North Carolina, New Hampshire, Nevada, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin – have reported spending about $23 million last month, less than a quarter of the sum reported by Republican allies.
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Democratic campaigns have reported having bigger bank accounts in six of the seven states, ranging from New Hampshire where U.S. Senator Maggie Hassan had about $7 million more on hand than Republican challenger Don Bolduc in late August, to Arizona where U.S. Senator Mark Kelly had a $23 million advantage over Republican Blake Masters in mid-July. In Wisconsin, Republican U.S. Senator Ron Johnson had a $1 million advantage over Democrat Mandela Barnes in mid-July.
The outside spending – which has overwhelmingly funded ads – could make a difference in the final five weeks before the elections, when Republicans are favored to win control of the U.S. House of Representatives but the Senate is up for grabs.
Any of the seven races could tip the balance of power in the Senate, currently split 50-50 between Democrats and Republicans, with Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris holding the tie-breaking vote.
In Pennsylvania, more than $20 million in recent spending by Republican allies has fueled a barrage of attack ads against Lieutenant Governor John Fetterman, accusing him of being “dangerously liberal on crime.”
“They have been ubiquitous,” Chris Borick, a political scientist at Muhlenberg College in Allentown, Pennsylvania, said of the anti-Fetterman ads.
MONEY MATTERS
The advertising push could be hurting Fetterman’s standing among elderly voters, a demographic with a high turnout rate in midterms that also watches a lot of television, said Borick, who runs the college’s polling institute.
“Could the money matter in this and the other races? I think the belief is increasingly that it can,” Borick said.
A Muhlenberg College poll conducted Sept. 13-16 showed Fetterman up 49%-44% over Republican celebrity doctor Mehmet Oz. The gap was within the poll’s margin of error. But among voters age 65 and older, Oz had a commanding 54% to 40% lead.
Fetterman’s campaign reported having $5.5 million in the bank at the end of June, compared to Oz’s $1.1 million.
The Democrat’s big campaign account helped him respond with his own television ads defending his votes on Pennsylvania’s Board of Pardons to give some people in prison a “second chance” by commuting their sentence.
Across the seven races, the Republican advantage in recent spending by allies reflects in part wealthy donors seeking to even out the financial stakes.
In Arizona, Masters’s allies – including a group funded by his old boss and Thiel Capital founder, billionaire Peter Thiel – reported directly spending more than $12 million to support his campaign or to oppose Kelly. Kelly’s allies reported spending about $6 million to help his cause.
“Outside groups are making up the difference,” said Aaron Scherb, a lobbyist on campaign finance and election issues for Common Cause, a watchdog group that advocates for increasing transparency in campaign finance.
Under U.S. campaign finance rules, outside groups can spend unlimited amounts supporting candidates as long as the outlays are not coordinated with campaigns.
Much of outside spending comes from Super PACs, funding groups that include the McConnell-tied Senate Leadership Fund and the Everytown for Gun Safety Victory Fund, which advocates for tighter gun laws and has taken big checks from wealthy Democratic donors.
Super PACs face no limits on the size of contributions they can take from individuals or from other groups.
The Senate Leadership Fund, which has reported spending more than $60 million in September helping Republicans in the seven competitive Senate races, has received contributions of at least $10 million since December from hedge fund billionaire Ken Griffin, according to the Super PAC’s financial disclosures.
The groups behind the recent outside spending have yet to file comprehensive financial reports for September but are required by the Federal Election Commission to disclose large independent outlays soon after making them.
A notable absence in the Republican-aligned spending blitz is former President Donald Trump.
Trump’s Save America fundraising group has amassed more than $90 million after taking in close to one-fifth of online fundraising reported in the current election cycle by Republican online donation portal WinRed.
While Trump has held rallies supporting Oz and other Republicans, he has yet to report spending any money on ads supporting congressional candidates.
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Editing by Deepa Babington
Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.
TMA Systems Acquires Eagle Technology To Accelerate Expansion And Global Growth Business Wire
TMA Systems Acquires Eagle Technology To Accelerate Expansion And Global Growth – Business Wire https://collincountynewsonline.com/tma-systems-acquires-eagle-technology-to-accelerate-expansion-and-global-growth-business-wire/
TULSA, Okla.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–TMA Systems, a world-class provider of advanced Computerized Maintenance Management Systems (CMMS) and Enterprise Asset Management Solutions (EAMS) for over 30 years, announced today it has agreed to acquire Eagle Technology, a Wisconsin-based leader and developer of CMMS software serving enterprise clients globally in manufacturing, distribution and warehousing, transportation and logistics sectors. The Eagle acquisition is the first of what the company anticipates will be several future acquisitions as TMA expands beyond organic growth and leverages its $68 million strategic growth investment from Silversmith Capital Partners.
Global economic pressures are forcing organizations to have a more holistic view of their processes in order to achieve a greater return on their assets. TMA Systems’ acquisition of Eagle Technology will accelerate the pace of innovation on its platform, enabling greater predictive maintenance capabilities for all clients. Both companies have key IoT integrations with an expanded list of partners that facilitate real-time alert monitoring, perform continuous checks and diagnostics on key equipment, and expedite data-driven decisions to maximize asset life and reduce asset downtime. Combined, the two companies will deliver maintenance software interfaces and integrations that make it easy to connect to other applications and network systems resulting in more robust building automation.
“Together, TMA Systems and Eagle Technology will provide our clients with a more complete solution that aligns facilities maintenance and overall organizational goals,” said Mark Simner, TMA Systems CEO. “The acquisition of Eagle Technology solidifies our mission of helping companies reduce maintenance costs, optimize return on assets, enhance production capacity and improve time to value on a global scale.”
Eagle Technology has been a leader in CMMS for 30 years. Eagle Technology’s flagship product, Proteus MMX, helps maintenance staff plan and facilitate rapid interventions to prevent equipment failures and downtime. Eagle has forged strong integration with major IoT platforms that drives more effective maintenance programs and eliminates work effort. Over 150 clients have adopted and grown their footprint with Eagle, demonstrating the very high value and almost immediate ROI that clients see from this solution.
“Eagle Technology and TMA Systems share a vision to provide innovative and open solutions to our customers,” said Harshad Shah, CEO of Eagle Technology. “TMA Systems has been strong in delivering its solution to Education, Healthcare, and Government sectors while Eagle will help expand the company’s footprint into Manufacturing, Distribution Centers and Warehousing.”
TMA Systems is headquartered in Tulsa, Oklahoma and will add an office in Mequon, Wisconsin and Monterrey, Mexico through the acquisition. Eagle will continue Development, Sales/Marketing and Customer Service/Support operations in these areas.
About TMA Systems
For more than 30 years, TMA Systems has been recognized as a world-class provider of advanced Computerized Maintenance Management Systems (CMMS) and Enterprise Asset Management Solutions (EAMS). Worldwide, more than 1,500 TMA clients maintain in excess of 55,000 facilities, representing 4.5 billion square feet of space. TMA’s products, along with world-class services, are key reasons TMA is the preferred solution for facility professionals throughout the world. TMA’s advanced solutions meet or exceed the needs of education, healthcare, corporate, government, telecommunication, transportation, manufacturing, and retail organizations. For more information on TMA Systems, visit www.tmasystems.com.
About Eagle Technology
Since 1986, Eagle Technology, Inc. has focused on developing comprehensive Cloud-based (SaaS), Enterprise Asset Management (EAM) and Computerized Maintenance Management Systems (CMMS) Software. Eagle’s solutions help hundreds of factories and organizations improve maintenance operations, increase equipment uptimes and reduce maintenance costs across multiple industries including manufacturing, warehousing & distribution, transportation, logistics and more. Eagle has enjoyed a reputation as a pioneer in maintenance software technology. The company’s commitment to innovation and software development has resulted in some of the most important technological advancements (such as automatic generation of work orders upon receipt of Alarms) in the EAM/CMMS industry. Eagle Technology is headquartered in Mequon, Wisconsin.
About Silversmith Capital Partners
Founded in 2015, Silversmith Capital Partners is a Boston-based growth equity firm with $3.3 billion of capital under management. Silversmith’s mission is to partner with and support the best entrepreneurs in growing, profitable technology and healthcare companies. Representative investments include ActiveCampaign, Appfire, DistroKid, impact.com, Iodine Software, LifeStance Health, and Webflow. For more information about Silversmith, please visit www.silversmith.com or follow the firm on LinkedIn.
AppLovin Launches First NFT Marketplace For App Developers To Monetize Mobile Gaming Business Wire
AppLovin Launches First NFT Marketplace For App Developers To Monetize Mobile Gaming – Business Wire https://collincountynewsonline.com/applovin-launches-first-nft-marketplace-for-app-developers-to-monetize-mobile-gaming-business-wire/
PALO ALTO, Calif.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–AppLovin (NASDAQ: APP), the leading growth platform for developers, today announced its first NFT marketplace to launch in app stores through its subsidiary, OpenVessel Technologies, LLC. Vessel, which is currently live in Apple and Google Play app stores, enables mobile game developers to easily integrate non-fungible tokens (NFTs) into games to drive engagement and revenue.
“Vessel represents the next evolution in mobile game monetization, giving developers a new opportunity to monetize apps and drive meaningful engagement and growth,” said Rafael Vivas, AppLovin’s General Manager of New Initiatives. “The marketplace is live, and our engagement data shows that consumers are more than ready to take part in new ways to play and earn. By combining the consumer demand of NFT creation and purchasing with the high engagement levels associated with gaming, Vessel is showing strong potential as a new monetization stream for mobile games.”
An all-in-one marketplace and wallet, Vessel makes it easy for consumers to gain access to customized NFTs. Developers can allow users to securely buy, sell, and trade their NFTs and convert their earnings into cash. Vessel has cleared both the Apple and Google Play store reviews, meeting both app stores’ stringent guidelines.
Vessel is finding strong early interest with dozens of developers actively integrating the marketplace into their games to drive additional revenue. Using Vessel, Lion Studios integrated a NFT in-game event into its Match 3D game and saw strong engagement and meaningful average revenue per daily active user (ARPDAU) increases.
“NFTs have always had the potential to become a powerful tool for developers; all we had to do was simplify the idea so that our customers could understand the benefit,” said Randal York, Product Manager for Lion Studios who spearheaded the NFT integration for Match 3D. “Vessel gave us that ability and our audience embraced it. It was amazing to see a significant increase for in-app purchases for our NFT event compared to previous events.”
About AppLovin
AppLovin enables developers to grow their business. Businesses rely on AppLovin’s market-leading technologies to solve their mission-critical functions with a powerful, full stack solution including user acquisition, monetization and measurement. AppLovin is headquartered in Palo Alto, California with several offices globally.
Forward Looking Statements
This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. Forward-looking statements generally relate to future events or AppLovin’s future financial or operating performance. In some cases, you can identify forward-looking statements because they contain words such as “can,” “may,” “will,” “expect,” “plan,” “anticipate,” “intend,” “believe,” “potential,” or “continue,” or the negative of these words or other similar terms or expressions that concern AppLovin’s expectations, strategy, plans, or intentions. Forward-looking statements in this press release include, but are not limited to, statements regarding AppLovin’s launch and expectations for its NFT marketplace, Vessel, including how consumers and developers might use the marketplace. AppLovin’s expectations and beliefs regarding these matters may not materialize, and actual results are subject to risks and uncertainties, including changes in AppLovin’s plans or assumptions, that could cause actual results to differ materially from those projected or expected. These risks include changes in the overall economic and industry conditions; AppLovin’s ability to attract new clients or adoption of its new initiative Vessel; AppLovin’s ability to enhance its technology and platform; and changes in the laws, regulatory landscape or app store rules related to NFTs. The forward-looking statements contained in this press release are also subject to other risks and uncertainties, including those more fully described in AppLovin’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2021 and Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the fiscal quarter ended June 30, 2022. The forward-looking statements in this press release are based on information available to AppLovin as of the date hereof, and AppLovin disclaims any obligation to update any forward-looking statements, except as required by law.
Source: AppLovin Corp.
Kelly Meggs Wants Trial Delay To Depose Oath Keepers Member Law & Crime
Kelly Meggs Wants Trial Delay To Depose Oath Keepers Member – Law & Crime https://collincountynewsonline.com/kelly-meggs-wants-trial-delay-to-depose-oath-keepers-member-law-crime/
Left: Stewart Rhodes booking photo (via Collin County (Tex.) Jail). Right: Kelly Meggs is seen wearing a “MAGA” mask over his face and a shirt with the “Oath Keepers” logo in yellow (via FBI court filing).
A defendant in the Oath Keepers Jan. 6 seditious conspiracy case has filed a motion asking the judge to put the brakes on the trial so the defendant can take the deposition of one of the military-style group’s “longest tenured members.”
Kelly Meggs, the alleged leader of the Florida chapter of the Oath Keepers and one of five members whose trial is currently underway, filed a motion Sunday asking U.S. District Judge Amit Mehta to allow him to depose John L. Siemens, described in the filing as an Oath Keepers member who can testify as to the “lawful reasons” why some of the group’s top leaders were in Washington, D.C. on Jan. 6.
Meggs is facing trial alongside co-defendants Jessica Watkins, Kenneth Harrelson, Thomas Caldwell, and Oath Keepers founder and leader Stewart Rhodes. Four other co-defendants — Roberto Minuta, David Moerschel, Joseph Hackett, and Edward Vallejo — will go to trial in November.
They are accused of plotting to block the transfer of presidential power from Donald Trump to Joe Biden on Jan. 6, when Congress is required by the constitution to certify the Electoral College vote. According to federal prosecutors, the Rhodes and his accused co-conspirators communicated ahead of time as to how they planned to help keep Trump in power, allegedly going so far as to prepare a “Quick Reaction Force” to ferry a cache of weapons stored at a hotel in Virginia across the Potomac River to the Capitol that day.
The motion, filed by Meggs’ attorney Stanley Woodward, signals the defendant’s intent to argue that his presence in the capital that day was in line with what Oath Keepers members had done in the past: serve as “security” for high-profile gatherings of conservative and right-wing groups.
Woodward says that while the federal government describes the Oath Keepers as a “large but loosely organized collection of individuals, some of whom are associated with militias,” with a focus on recruiting former law enforcement and military, prosecutors left out some important details.
“Yet nowhere in the operative indictment does the government acknowledge that the Oath Keepers, including Mr. Meggs, had provided security services at numerous events including for Roger Stone in Florida, at protests surrounding the death of Breonna Taylor in Louisville, Kentucky, and in Washington, DC,” Meggs’ motion says.
Siemens’ testimony, the motion says, can support the defendants’ position that their decision to go to Washington was nothing less — or more — than what they had already done multiple times.
“Mr. Siemens is in a unique position as one of the longest tenured members of the Oath Keepers organization, with close association with co-defendant Rhodes on at least one occasion, who can speak to both the organization’s past security detail jobs as well as the lawful reasons for Mr. Meggs and his co-defendants’ presence on January 6, 2021 in Washington, D.C.,” the motion says. “Further, Mr. Siemens does not stand accused of any crimes relating to his involvement with the Oath Keepers, and therefore he can speak freely about the actions of the Oath Keepers without any fear of self-incrimination.”
Siemens emerged as a potential boon for the defense only recently, when Rhodes filed his Sept. 6 motion to substitute counsel.
“Siemens was Rhodes’ most important organizer for many Oathkeeper operations and events,” Rhodes’ attorney Edward Tarpley wrote in that motion, which Mehta largely rejected. “Prior attorneys promised to depose Siemens but did not do so.”
Woodward said that Rhodes’ investigator interviewed Siemens in May, and that a written summary of that interview says that Siemens can provide “significant background” on events where Oath Keepers have acted as a security force.
“Specifically, Siemens can testify that between October 2019 and November 2019, the Oath Keepers were recruited to assist with security details for Trump rallies in Texas and Mississippi,” the motion says. “Further, Mr. Siemens can testify that, because of the Oath Keepers’ reputation for providing a competent security detail, beginning in May 9, 2020, Mr. Siemens repeatedly provided the security detail for Allen West, then-chairman of the Republican Party of Texas.”
The motion continues:
In summary, Mr. Siemens’s testimony will corroborate the assertion that the Oath Keepers have long served to provide security services as well as disaster relief, including having provided security for rallies in Ferguson, Missouri and Louisville, Kentucky; assistance with Border Patrol Operations; engagement with local law enforcement as community liaisons, as well as hurricane and disaster relief in Houston and Puerto Rico. Mr. Siemens can also testify that the Oath Keepers have strict rules of engagement and a vetting process designed to ensure that members of the group abide by these rules, as well as the longstanding Oath Keepers policy to obey each state’s respective gun laws when the Oath Keepers travel to or perform any sort of security functions.
Woodward says Siemens’ testimony is “inherently material evidence” in the case, but that the man is unable to provide it in-person due to “multiple health issues” Siemens developed earlier this year. Although specifics of Siemens’ condition are redacted from Woodward’s filing, Rhodes described him in his Sept. 6 motion as being “in nurses’ care due to two recent strokes and two heart attacks.”
Woodward acknowledges the last-minute nature of the motion, but says that he has a solution: delaying the trial.
“To the extent the government opposes the taking of Mr. Siemens[‘] deposition because the trial in this matter is poised to begin, the appropriate remedy for any prejudice to the government is not to preclude the admission of Mr. Siemens testimony for Mr. Meggs’s benefit, but to continue the trial so as to allow the deposition to be taken at a time more convenient for the government,” Woodward proposes. “Nor can the government claim that defense counsel had an opportunity to previously propose the taking of Mr. Siemens’ deposition — defense counsel did not learn of Mr. Siemens’s existence until September 6, 2022, with the filing of Mr. Rhodes’s motion to substitute counsel. Moreover, defense counsel was unaware of the existence of the summary notes taken by Mr. Rhodes’s investigator until September 28, 2022, the same day they were provided to the government [emphasis in original].”
Woodward, who said that prosecutors do not appear to have made contact with Siemens regarding his role with the Oath Keepers, accuses the government of deliberately ignoring Siemens as a possible witness.
“The fact of the matter is that defense counsel has now repeatedly demonstrated to the Court that it has been the government’s investigative prerogative to avoid knowledge of the true purpose of the Oath Keepers’ presence in Washington, DC on January 6, 2021 — to provide a security detail at the ‘Stop the Steal’ rally that morning,” the motion says. “To whit [sic], the government has far greater access to potential witnesses and digital evidence in this case, should long have known of Mr. Siemen’s [sic] participation in the Oath Keepers, and yet to date has neither contacted him nor sought his knowledge of the Oath Keepers or its purpose in this investigation.”
Meggs isn’t the only defendant trying to postpone the trial: at the end of jury selection on Thursday, Caldwell’s attorney David Fischer told Mehta that he would be renewing the motion to change venue. Mehta, a Barack Obama appointee, has repeatedly rejected recent defense efforts to postpone the trial.
You can read Meggs’ motion, below.
[Image of Rhodes via Collin County (Tex.) Jail. Image of Meggs via FBI court filing.]
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Travelers Love This Amazon Crossbody Phone Purse Travel Leisure
Travelers Love This Amazon Crossbody Phone Purse – Travel + Leisure https://collincountynewsonline.com/travelers-love-this-amazon-crossbody-phone-purse-travel-leisure/
The RFID-blocking bag has been dubbed the “the perfect accessory to feel weightless and free from lugging around a purse while on vacation.”
Published on October 4, 2022
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Amazon
If you’re a minimalist traveler that prefers to just carry the essentials like a smartphone, wallet, and keys, rather than schlepping a bulky bag, the newest travel trend is for you. Everyone from fashion bloggers to TikTok creators have discovered cell phone purses, and they’re perfect for staying hands-free and traveling light. Luckily, Amazon shoppers have discovered the perfect one in the Peacocktion Crossbody Phone Purse.
Amazingly priced starting at $19, the faux leather purse is the perfect place to store your daily must-haves without weighing you down. It’s on-trend with its petite frame, which measures 7 inches by 3.7 inches by 1.1 inches. It fits the most recent iPhone, Samsung, and Android smartphone models within its main compartment and features a snap-button, envelope-style closure to keep its contents secure while you’re on the go.
Amazon
To buy: amazon.com, $19
On the back, you’ll find a discreet, RFID-blocking, six-slot card holder, which is also securely protected with a snap button closure so you don’t have to tote around your bulky wallet. Use this for IDs, event tickets, hotel room keys, and other important travel documents, as well as cash and credit cards.
The crossbody phone purse is also equipped with an adjustable shoulder strap that’s 28.5 inches when fully extended, allowing you to wear the travel purse as a shoulder bag or traditional crossbody. You can even remove it to alternate it with your favorite purse strap, or use the phone purse as a wallet, smartphone case, or travel organizer in your go-to bag.
Shoppers have their choice of 20 colors, ranging from stylish neutrals like black, brown, beige, and gray to bold hues such as red, violet, and yellow. If you’re a fan of texture, the wallet purse also comes in a crocodile embossed print that looks incredibly luxe and elegant. There are also two options that feature decorative floral and heart illustrations.
Amazon
To buy: amazon.com, $20
“This little bag is wonderful,” exclaimed a shopper. “ [It’s] so convenient for games and concerts. My phone fits perfectly, and [it] would also fit an iPhone 13 Pro Max. [There’s] plenty of room for [my] license and cards, and that area snaps closed.” Following their review, one customer commented that it’s “perfect for hands-free shopping and carrying my grandson.”
Another reviewer called the phone purse a “great find” and shared, “I needed something big enough to hold my cell phone and yet compact enough to fit in my purse. I got tired of not being able to easily find my phone because it always ended up in the bottom of my purse. This product fits the bill.” And, a shopper chimed in to add, “The strap is nice and long and it perfectly fits my iPhone 12 Pro Max with a Speck case on it with room [to spare]!”
Also vouching for its spacious interior, another buyer was happy to report that they “wear it with the strap as a crossbody and have my clip-on hand sanitizer attached, a package of travel tissues, a couple of dollars for the soda machine, a spare mask, and my phone all in this, and it’s perfect!” They also highlighted that they’re able to attach their badge to it, making it an ideal bag for work.
Amazon
To buy: amazon.com, $20
Several travelers also gave the bag their stamps of approval, with some dubbing it a “travel must.” One reviewer said they “used it every day” on a 10-day Alaskan cruise, adding that it “was the perfect accessory to feel weightless and free from lugging around a purse while on vacation.” Another traveler deemed it “perfect” for an upcoming trip to Europe because they won’t “have to lug around a big purse.”
Intrigued? We had a feeling you’d be. Whether you have a trip coming up or just need a new lightweight and compact everyday bag, the Peacocktion Crossbody Phone Purse is a good bet. Get one at Amazon for just $19.
At the time of publishing, the price started at $19.
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VIETNAM BUSINESS NEWS OCTOBER 4 – VietNamNet https://collincountynewsonline.com/vietnam-business-news-october-4-vietnamnet/
Czech Republic’s geology, mining technology introduced
The Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment’s General Department of Geology and Minerals held a workshop in Hanoi on October 3 to introduce the Czech Republic’s advanced technology in basic survey of geology and mining.
Speaking at the event, Deputy General Director of the department Nguyen Van Nguyen said Vietnam has so far received the Czech Republic’s assistance in making a map at scale of 1/50.000 and mineral survey.
The event affords both sides a chance to discuss the use of Vietnamese and Czech technologies in mineral mining and processing, he added.
Pavel Kaniva, Director of the Department of Raw Materials under the Czech Republic’s Ministry of Industry and Trade, said his country targets upgrading ties with Vietnam to a strategic partnership and expanding cooperation in various areas, including mining and geology survey technology.
Representatives from the European nation also shared experience in surveying and processing mineral resources in the world and suggested measures to deal with post-exploitation environment pollution.
Foreign newspapers highlight Vietnam’s economic outlook
Foreign newspapers have highlighted Vietnam’s impressive success after the World Bank (WB) forecast that its economy will lead Asia with a growth rate of 7.2% this year, up from the previous forecast of 5.3% in April.
Meanwhile, growth in Asia-Pacific was predicted at 3.2%.
According to WB experts, Vietnam’s success is the result of effective COVID-19 prevention measures, demographical advantages and a privileged position in the regional and global economic structure.
Japan’s Nikkei Asia said Vietnam’s GDP in the third quarter expanded by 13.67% year-on-year as exports to the US soared and personal consumption recovered. However, it also warned of falling exports to key markets and continued disruption of global supply chain as risks. Moreover, Vietnam also began producing semiconductor chips at home.
Reuters reported that FPT Semiconductor, a unit of Vietnam’s leading tech company FPT, launched its first line of semiconductor chips used for Internet-of-Things in medical devices. The company aims to supply 25 million chips globally by 2023.
Lexology also described Vietnam as an ideal destination to carry out semiconductor manufacturing. The Vietnamese semiconductor market is expected to grow by 6.52% during 2021 – 2025 as more foreign enterprises shifted production to Vietnam due to its strategic location and advantages in shipping, competitive labour and production costs. Vietnam can now benefit from 13 free trade agreements the country is a signatory to.
In tourism, The Star wrote that in the first nine months of this year, foreign tourist arrivals in Vietnam neared 1.87 million, marking a 16.4-fold rise from the same period last year.
Data from the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism showed that from January-September, the total number of domestic visitors hit around 87 million, which underpinned the sector’s growth.
Green Economy Forum & Exhibition 2022 to open in HCM City
The Green Economy Forum & Exhibition (GEFE) 2022 will take place in Ho Chi Minh City from November 28 to 30 to promote sustainable development cooperation between Vietnam and the EU via comprehensive dialogues, investment, transfer of expertise and technology, Deputy Minister of Industry and Trade Do Thang Hai told a press conference in Hanoi on October 3.
The event also aims to support Vietnam’s commitments at the 26th United Nations Climate Change Conference of the Parties (COP26) and the socio-economic development goals specified in its National Green Growth Strategy for the 2021-2030 period.
GEFE 2022 will bring together experts across sustainable business and governance for three days of conferences, exhibitions, and high-level B2B and B2G dialogue sessions, along with EuroCham Vietnam’s Green Business Awards and annual Gala Dinner.
The first day of GEFE 2022 will include a plenary conference, which will function as a forum for high-level dialogue between European and Vietnamese government representatives and business stakeholders to coordinate and hold discussions on green policy frameworks, national energy plans, and climate risks.
GEFE 2022’s three days will entail panel discussions and seminars on a broad theme, including energy and green financing on the first day, waste and sustainability on the second day, followed by innovation and entrepreneurship on the third and final day. Each day will be further divided into subtopics, covering more than 20 green sector subjects.
At the press conference, the Vietnamese Ministry of Industry and Trade’s Vietnam Trade Promotion Agency signed a Memorandum of Understanding on cooperation in trade promotion and investment in industry with the European Chamber of Commerce (EuroCham) to enhance links between Vietnamese and EU firms.
Additionally, EuroCham is cooperating with Schoolab to launch a Sustainable Innovation Lab at GEFF 2022.
Credit growth cap remains indispensable for macroeconomic stability
Businesses have faced difficulties in access to capital and commercial banks want to be able to lend freely to meet market demand. However, experts said the imposition of the credit growth cap is still necessary to keep the country’s macro economy stable in the short run.
The credit growth quota regime was officially deployed in 2011 when Vietnam’s economy was experiencing hyperinflation stemming from excessive money supply. The credit growth quota regime, putting a cap on the banking industry’s credit expansion, was announced by the State Bank of Vietnam (SBV) at the beginning of each year.
Based on the credit growth quota for the entire banking industry, the SBV will determine the credit growth for each commercial bank depending on its financial health, with indicators including capital, asset quality, governance, business performance results, liquidity and sensitivity to market risks. The SBV will consider other criteria related to its implementation in meeting policies and orientations of the Government and the SBV to give credit growth priority, such as reducing lending interest rates to support firms and people, focusing loans on business and production, and participating in supporting the handling of weak banks.
The SBV in early September raised the credit cap for 15 banks for the second time in 2022, of which Sacombank got a rise of 4%; Agribank, 3.5%; SHB, OCB and MBB, 3.2%; VIB, 3% and Vietcombank, 2.7%.
VNDirect Securities Company’s analysis division said the 15 banks account for about 80% of total outstanding loans of the whole banking industry. With an additional credit growth rate of 1-4%, VNDirect’s analysts estimate about 279 trillion VND was injected into the economy, compared to the end of August 2022.
However, not all banks were satisfied with the SBV’s credit growth quota allocation. Some banks said they ran out of the allocated quota from the end of June and applied for an expansion many times, but weren’t on the SBV’s approved list. They were concerned as the credit growth quota regime can mirror the subjective imposition by the SBV without properly attending to the development plan of each commercial bank, which doesn’t conform to the market-oriented economy and results in ‘ask-and-give’ deals. Meanwhile, commercial banks can map out their own credit growth targets based on their financial power and management capacity.
Businesses also disagreed with the tightening of the credit growth quota, saying it is unreasonable as the regime has been causing great difficulties for them in accessing loans and leading to the loss of opportunities for the country’s economic recovery and development.
Despite the latest credit growth quota extension, firms said it isn’t still easy to get bank loans as the capital remains restricted. Banks also said the SBV’s credit growth adjustment in September is still quite low compared to their expectations.
As most banks ran out of the credit growth quota allocated by the SBV at the beginning of the year for more than three months, the waiting list of customers to get loans is very long. Meanwhile, the additional quota is very limited so it will be difficult to finance all the loan borrowing applications dated before September. With the new profile, banks said they may still approve, but are not sure about the disbursement. Many customers have met all loan criteria and have been approved, but customers still have to queue to get loans as banks have no credit quota to disburse.
The SBV’s data showed by the end of August, credit increased by 9.91% against the end of 2021, much higher than the 7.42% rate in the same period last year. The surge proved that the capital demand of the economy was very large and will continue to rise, especially at the end of the year.
However, experts said the credit growth quota is designed to boost lending for some banks without encouraging excessive credit growth so the measure is necessary and effective in the short term to stabilise the macroeconomy and control inflation.
Binh Phuoc posts trade surplus of 1.16 billion USD
The southern province of Binh Phuoc enjoyed a trade surplus of 1.16 billion USD in the first nine months of this year, thanks to its effective implementation of socio-economic recovery and development measures post COVID-19.
The provincial People’s Committee said that the locality earned 3.14 billion USD from exports in January-September, up 9.53% year-on-year, and equal to 81.6% of the yearly plan.
In the period, the import turnover reached 1.98 billion USD, up 4% year-on-year and equivalent to 81.7% of the yearly target.
Binh Phuoc’s gross regional develop product (GRDP) grew by 9.01%, and budget revenue hit 11.5 trillion VND (481.2 million USD), up 27.5% year-on-year.
There are 9...
White House Rolls Out Plan To Fight Hunger Improve Health North Carolina Health News
White House Rolls Out Plan To Fight Hunger, Improve Health – North Carolina Health News https://collincountynewsonline.com/white-house-rolls-out-plan-to-fight-hunger-improve-health-north-carolina-health-news/
This is the first in a series, Seafood and A Healthy Diet, examining the role and sustainability of seafood in a healthy diet and is published in collaboration with Coastal Review Online.
By Jennifer Allen
Coastal Review
President Joe Biden last week introduced a plan to end hunger in the United States and increase healthy eating and physical activity by 2030.
The 44-page National Strategy On Hunger, Nutrition, And Health identifies what White House officials called “ambitious and achievable actions” the administration will pursue across five pillars: improving food access and affordability, integrating nutrition and health, empowering all consumers to make and have access to healthy choices, supporting physical activity for all and enhancing nutrition and food security research.
The strategy document was released Sept. 27 in conjunction with the White House Conference on Hunger, Nutrition, and Health held Sept. 28, in Washington, D.C.
The conference was the first such event in five decades, as Biden noted in his remarks. Richard Nixon had convened the first White House nutrition conference that “led to a transformational change that has helped millions of Americans live healthier lives for generations,” Biden said.
“Since that time, advances in research and medicine have taught us so much more about nutrition and health,” the president said, adding that he had convened the conference because he believed the advances will make America a stronger and a healthier nation.
Republicans pointed to an ongoing external review of the Food and Drug Administration’s food safety inspection practices, which was requested earlier this year by the agency chief in response to criticism regarding its oversight, and said the conference should have been more bipartisan.
“At a time when food prices continue to soar under record-high inflation rates, and while an external investigation into FDA’s food safety centers—ordered by FDA Commissioner Califf himself—remains underway, it is critical this process involve all appropriate policymakers and stakeholders in any policy goals emerging from the Conference,” top Republicans said Sept. 21 in a letter to the White House.
Key principles focus on access
The White House strategy is based on three key principles: Helping Americans access the food that will keep their families nourished and healthy, providing options and information needed to make healthy dietary choices, and helping more Americans be physically active, Biden explained.
According to the plan, nearly 40 million Americans lack nearby grocery stores with affordable and healthy food options and have no access to transit to get there. Oftentimes, those with limited access to affordable, nutritious food tend to be lower-income and people of color.
In 2021, one in 10 households experienced food insecurity, meaning their access to food was limited by lack of money or other resources. Nearly 4% of households experienced very low food security, which means they were skipping meals regularly or cutting back on how much they ate because they could not afford more food.
Diet-related diseases are some of the leading causes of death and disability in the U.S., according to the strategy. Findings show that 19 states – including North Carolina – and two territories have an obesity prevalence at or above 35%, more than double the number of states from 2018. One in 10 Americans have diabetes, one in three will have cancer in their lifetime, and more than four in 10 have high blood pressure, which is linked to heart disease and stroke.
Children in low-income families typically have fewer opportunities to be physically active because of lesser access to safe streets and playgrounds.
President Joe Biden speaks at the first White House Conference on Hunger, Nutrition, and Health in over 50 years. Credit: White House Facebook page
Hunger and diet-related diseases are not distributed equally. “These challenges disproportionately impact communities of color, people living in rural areas, people living in territories, people with disabilities, older adults, LGBTQI+ people, military families, and Veterans,” according to the plan.
Biden said the plan “recognizes the critical role that nutrition plays in our health and our healthcare system, and it acknowledges that we have to give families the tools to keep them healthy.”
The proposed actions under the plan’s five pillars for combating hunger and diet-related illnesses include increasing access to free school meals and food during the summer for more children, updating nutritional labeling, expanding incentives for fruits and vegetables for Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, recipients, increasing access to outdoor spaces, and providing more funding to research nutrition and food security policy, mostly on equity and access issues.
To help Americans learn to make healthy food choices, the plan proposes funding public education campaigns, nutrition education and support for Medicare recipients, expanding nutrition education for children and for older adults, offering low-income housing grantees nutritional assistant programs, and supporting regular updates to the Dietary Guidelines for Americans.
Biden said that more than 100 different organizations and businesses have committed more than $8 billion to help reach the plan’s goals.
Commitments include $2.5 billion invested in start-up companies developing solutions to hunger and food insecurity, and more than $4 billion is to be dedicated toward philanthropy to improve access to nutritious food, promote healthy choices and increase physical activity, according to an administration handout.
Among the organizations to commit is the Seafood Nutrition Partnership. The nonprofit focused on building awareness of the health and nutritional benefits of seafood said it will invest a minimum of $280,000 over the next eight years to improve public knowledge of essential nutrition that has been shown to improve brain health. The partnership plans an “eating for brain health” program to educate pregnant individuals on the nutrients required to reduce preterm birth risk and foster healthy early brain development. The group is to conduct research to measure and map Omega-3 fatty acid deficiencies across the country to prioritize the roll-out of its education programs to the areas of greatest need.
The Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina Foundation (disclosure: the BCBSNC Foundation is a NC Health News funder) has committed to launch a two-year, $3.5 million effort to increase access to healthy food and grow the “food is medicine” movement in the state. The foundation said it would fund and facilitate partnerships between health care providers and community-based organizations to provide a range of services from food vouchers to medically tailored meals.
Other organizations that have committed include AARP (disclosure: AARP is a NC Health News sponsor) and AARP Foundation to expand research on older adults’ access to SNAP and use the research to improve SNAP enrollment rates for older adults, and the Wave Foundation for an equity and climate marketplace to connect underrepresented food producers – people of color and women – with large-scale food service and retail outlets nationwide.
Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack called the national strategy a defining moment.
“It sets us on a path to end hunger, enhance nutrition, and improve health outcomes in this country. This strategy compiles recommendations from dozens of listening sessions held over the summer,” he said in a statement.
Public Health Institute Senior Vice President of Programs, Public Policy and Government Relations Matthew Marsom called the plan sustainable and effective and said it was grounded in research, focused on equity, and addresses the systemic causes of hunger, poor nutrition and diet-related chronic disease.
“The White House agenda acknowledges the upstream issues that contribute to food security, especially accessibility and affordability. It calls for addressing poverty by increasing the minimum wage, fully funding the childcare tax credit and expanding the earned income tax credit,” Marsom said. “It also underscores the role of culturally rooted practices as a critical piece of accessibility, including investing in a nutrition workforce that looks like, and comes from the communities it serves.”
The Alliance to End Hunger also commended the plan.
“This strategy is a beacon lighting the road we must now take,” Eric Mitchell, executive director of the Alliance to End Hunger, said in a statement. “We look forward to discussing these ideas and recommendations with the White House and Congress to promote greater equity, improve access to nutritious foods, and ultimately ensure that every American has food on the table every day.”
Developing recommendations
The Task Force on Hunger, Nutrition, and Health, a nongovernment, nonpartisan group, had worked through the summer to develop recommendations for the plan. “Informing the White House Conference: Ambitious, Actionable Recommendations to End Hunger, Advance Nutrition, and Improve Health in the United States,” was released Aug. 23 and provided to the White House ahead of the conference.
The task force noted in a press release that its recommendations had not been formally requested nor endorsed by the White House, but organizers applauded Biden’s leadership and the national strategy.
“The work to fix these issues cannot happen in a day, but guided by this national strategy and the non-partisan spirit of the Conference — supported by Congressional leaders from both sides of the aisle — it can and will happen,” organizers said. “We stand ready to support policymakers, industry...
Soccer Predictions Best Bets Today: Betting Tips Expert Picks For Games On Tuesday October 4 Sporting News
Soccer Predictions, Best Bets Today: Betting Tips, Expert Picks For Games On Tuesday, October 4 – Sporting News https://collincountynewsonline.com/soccer-predictions-best-bets-today-betting-tips-expert-picks-for-games-on-tuesday-october-4-sporting-news/
It’s all about the UEFA Champions League on Tuesday with eight matches on the slate.
Our best bets for four of the eight Champions League matches are outlined below, including two moneyline/goal total parlays.
The Tuesday slate has plenty of attractive matchups, including Inter-Barcelona and Liverpool-Rangers, but those two matches did not present much value to our experts.
Instead, they’re banking on goals in Ajax-Napoli and Eintracht-Tottenham, as well as Olympique Marseille and Bayern Munich’s Jamal Musiala to have standout performances.
MORE: Sporting News soccer betting guide
Ajax vs. Napoli prediction, best bet
Best Bet: Napoli to win & 2+ goals
Odds: +380 (Caesars)
Prediction (Win/Draw): Napoli
Napoli are on a roll, and have a chance to make it three wins from three in Champions League Group A, having already blasted Liverpool and Rangers. They score loads of goals, with Georgian wonderkid Khvicha Kvaratskhelia in spectacular form.
Ajax are in a slump, winless in their last three matches, but have gone way under their expected goals total in each of those three games. Both teams should find the back of the net, and the Italian side to come out on top. — Kyle Bonn
* = Napoli and Over 2.5 goals is available on Sports Interaction at 3.90.
Marseille vs. Sporting CP prediction, best bet
Best Bet: Marseille win & Under 3.5 goals
Odds: +190 / 2.90 (Sports Interaction)
Prediction (Win/Draw): Marseille
These two teams have been incredibly wonky, with Marseille looking great in Ligue 1 play but terrible in the Champions League, while Sporting have slipped in league play but they are perfect through two European games.
Something has to give, and expected goals (xG) can provide some insight.
Sporting have won their two UCL games by a combined 5-0 score, but registered under 1.0 xG in both games. Meanwhile, Marseille haven’t been great offensively, but are spectacular at the back and were unlucky to lose their Champions League games, with an early red card in one and bunch of chances missed in the other. This is a game where things regress to the mean on both sides. — Kyle Bonn
Pick
Caesars
(USA)
Sports Interaction
(Canada)
Marseille win & Under 3.5 total goals
—
2.90
Bayern Munich vs. Viktoria Plzen prediction, best bet
Best Bet: Jamal Musiala anytime scorer
Odds: +115
Prediction (Win/Draw): Bayern win
The most interesting angle in a match that is expected to be lopsided is the anytime scorer market, where there are six Bayern players listed at less than even money. Attacking midfielder Jamal Musiala is not one of them and that’s value.
The teenager has scored in six of the 11 matches in which he has played for Bayern this season, and two of his goal-less matches were cameos off the bench. Given this will be a game with few spaces for Bayern, the scoring edge should go to players who can create their own shot or make the ghosting run from midfield. Musiala excels at both. — Simon Borg
Eintracht Frankfurt vs Tottenham prediction, best bet
Best Bet: Over 2.5 total goals
Odds: -135
Prediction (Win/Draw): Tottenham
A combination of Tottenham’s counterattacking prowess and Eintracht’s desperation to come away with a home win should see goals exchanged between two talented attacks.
Mario Gotze is out for Eintracht, but they still have enough firepower to cause issues for an uncharacteristically leaky Spurs backline (nine goals conceded in their last six matches on 7.2 xG). Despite the recent stats, Spurs are capable of locking things down defensively on their day, which is a reason ‘Both Teams To Score’ at -155 is less attractive. — Simon Borg
Yesterday’s picks
Kyle predicted the goals would be flowing in the bottom-of-the-table clash in the Premier League. But a surprise corner-kick header by Elche, who only had five total shots in the match at Rayo Vallecano, torpedoed his clean sheet pick.
A stoppage time Udinese winner (2-1) and a shot that rang the post by Nottingham Forest’s Taiwo Awoniyi in a 4-0 loss (Forest mustered 1.10 xG) ruined the day for Borg.
Best Bets
or
Leicester-Nottingham Over 2.5 goals
(Kyle Bonn)
Rayo Vallecano clean sheet vs. Elche
(Kyle Bonn)
Leicester-Nottingham BTTS (Yes)
(Simon Borg)
Verona-Udinese Under 2.5 goals
(Simon Borg)
Soccer best bets records
Records below compiled since the first edition of this post on October 3, 2022.
Kyle Bonn
Simon Borg
Best Bets
(Won-Lost-Push)
50%
(1-1-0)
0%
(0-2-0)
Total Units
(+ Won / – Lost)
+0.69
-2.00
Match Predictions
(Correct picks)
50%
(1 of 2)
50%
(1 of 2)
Wow! Momo Becomes First Indian QSR Chain To Launch In Metaverse Devdiscourse
Wow! Momo Becomes First Indian QSR Chain To Launch In Metaverse – Devdiscourse https://collincountynewsonline.com/wow-momo-becomes-first-indian-qsr-chain-to-launch-in-metaverse-devdiscourse/
• It has opened all 3 brands: Wow! Momo, Wow! China and Wow! Chicken on the metaverse • The Outlets have been launched in the FESTIVEMVERSE – curated to celebrate all the festivals of the country round the year Wow! Momo Foods that operates with 3 Brands; Wow! Momo, Wow! China and Wow! Chicken, has launched its 3 outlets in the metaverse. The Brands are on a new Metaverse Platform called FESTEMVERSE – That curates Festivals of India across the year. Currently FESTEMVERSE is available for android users; soon to be available on IOS devices too. All the consumers need to do is download FESTEMVERSE from the pay-store or Apple App Store, create their avatar and plunge into the immersive experience of the platform. The brand aims to start trading from their METAVERSE STORES, by Dhanteras. Consumers can trade on Metaverse stores and convert NFTs and redeem it on physical outlets. Launched in August 2008, the multi-billion-rupee QSR chain currently has over 490 outlets in 23 Indian cities; aims to enter over 100 cities soon. The launch of the Wow! Momo, Wow! China and Wow! Chicken brands on metaverse; is first-of-its-kind in the Indian QSR space. Commenting on the announcement, Sagar Daryani, CEO & Co-founder, Wow! Momo Foods, said, “Its imperative to stay relevant and stay up to speed today; Metaverse is an investment for the future; whilst we are launch partners for FESTEMVERSE today; our aim is to grow this and at the same time also be part of all the popular metaverse platforms.” Muralikrishnan, CMO and Co-founder at Wow! Momo added that we have always pioneered every new initiative, to us Metaverse is a step that gets us closer to the modern consumer and closer you are to the consumer the stronger is your pull Last month, Wow! Momo had raised INR 125 Crores at a staggering valuation of INR 2125 Crores. Wow! Momo has been successful in creating a category and convert a small road-side snack into a formidable national brand across the country; similarly with Wow! China its redefining Desi Chinese taking it to the Pan-India audience and the recently launched Wow! Chicken aims at Indianizing fried & grilled chicken in the country. The company plans to take this brand across all major metros and Tier-1 and Tier 2s cities over the next 24 months. Also the ready to eat momo launched earlier has gone through a rechristening in terms of production technology & refreshed packaging! Soon to be available across all leading grocery chains and ecom platforms in the coming quarter.
(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Keilini Security Cameras Reviews: Does This Security Light Bulb Camera Work? Outlook India
Keilini Security Cameras Reviews: Does This Security Light Bulb Camera Work? – Outlook India https://collincountynewsonline.com/keilini-security-cameras-reviews-does-this-security-light-bulb-camera-work-outlook-india/
Security remains a national concern. While it is primarily the work of the government to protect the lives and properties of her citizens, we cannot afford to stand back and do nothing.
The economic situation appears to have a heightened incidence of robbery and other related crimes and there is no better time to be more involved in your security than now!
For a long, light bulb security cameras have been an innovative way to stay involved in the safety of yourself, your family, and your properties. However, recent technologies show us there is now a better way to go.
Traditional light bulb security cameras are expensive to acquire, take a lot of money and effort to set up and cost a fortune to keep in operation. In addition, they have had to move from one place to another and this can be quite unsettling if you do not intend to stay in a particular place for long.
This is why innovative light bulb cameras are the new deal. Amidst the variety of light bulb cameras in the market, there is one that is quickly gaining massive popularity in the United States, UK, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and the rest of the world, and it is the Keilini security camera.
This is an honest keilini security camera reviews. This article covers what you need to know about the Keilini security camera. Read on to find out if this keilini light bulb security camera is fake or not.
Visit Keilini Security Camera Official website Here To Make A Purchase
Keilini Light Bulb Security Camera, What is? (Keilini Security Camera Reviews)
Keilini security is an innovative light bulb security camera that serves as an effective home security system for keeping an eye on your property. It can use in homes and offices and is economic.
This light bulb security camera comes with an ultra-clear 1080P lens with a 3600 view. This camera comes with color-enabled infrared and white lights to enable night vision.
Besides these features, the keilini security camera light bulb also comes with two-way audio so you can hear and respond. In addition, keilini security camera system comes with screaming alarms to scare attackers away from your property. This might be appropriate and effective in the case of burglars.
Though the keilini light bulb security camera comes in as portable as a security light bulb camera, it is so dynamic and has many features. It has a motion detector and can signal you when motion is detected around your property. This way, you can use your keilini security camera light bulb to always keep an eye on every action that is taking place on your property.
Unlike regular home security systems, keilini security camera system comes in very easy to install and use. With Keilini, there is no need for batteries and wires and no need for any further installation. keilini security camera system fits into most bulb switches. After this, downloading the application is all that is left to do, and the app works on both IOS and android. It is also user-friendly.
On the side of cost, keilini security camera light bulb saves you a considerable amount of money. Apart from the reduced initial procurement cost, keilini security camera light bulb does not require any installation cost. Again, the cost of operating a keilini security camera system is insignificant when compared to traditional security systems where you have to pay for cloud storage, etc.
With a keilini light bulb security camera, you stand fewer chances of having your security system damaged by obnoxious criminals and a simple light bulb is well positioned as normal is usually positioned at high and natural positions.
When it comes to the quality of what is to be expected of a bulb cam in home security systems, Keilini can hardly be faulted. With high-quality visual and audio output, Keilini still comes in effective, portable, and easy to use.
Specifications of the keilini light bulb security camera (Keilini Security Camera Reviews)
Here are some technical facts about keilini security camera light bulb.
· 1080p HD video with IR day and night vision
· Advanced Motion Detection for Motion
· 360 degrees field of view
· 2 Way Audio System with ANC audio
· LED infrared
· Connect to a bulb plug for power and connectivity
· Installation: 15 minutes is the estimated installation time.
· Additionally, there was a Quick Start Guide.
· Dimensions: 6 inches by 2.7 inches
· User Guide
· Security Label
Click Here To Purchase Keilini Security Camera From The Official Website At Discounted Price Now
Features of keilini light bulb security camera (Keilini Security Camera Reviews)
Powerful Camera
Speaking on the camera quality of keilini light bulb security cameras, it is hard to say it without making it look like hype. Keilini light bulb cameras come in at 1080P panoramic images with a 360-degree view angle. It comes with four powerful infrared lights and four white LED lights.
With a Keilini light bulb camera, it does not matter if the action takes place during the day or at night, you will be able to get the best record of it.
Two-way Audio
Unlike some light bulb security systems that only allow you to see what is going on on your property, Keilini light bulb cameras allow you to hear as well. The two-way audio feature makes it even better. Not only can you hear what is going on, but you can also communicate with whoever is at the part of your property that is under Keilini security camera system’s surveillance.
With this feature, you now have a greater option to react to the activities on your property. You can either say hi to a loved one, stop a pet from causing damage or scare off a burglar.
High Compatibility
Some high-value products have problems with compatibility. Fortunately, this is not the case with the keilini security camera system. The Keilini light bulb camera is compatible with most bulb switches available.
Again, the app is compatible with both android and IOS devices and is readily downloadable.
Easy to Use and Install
The ease with the use of Keilini light bulb cameras is a remarkable feature. From the installation to the downloading of the app, to using the app, everything is so simplified that you can do everything yourself.
You do not require prior experience to use this product and should in case you need anything, keilini security camera system comes with a detailed manual that should take care of that.
Affordable
Compared to other security systems, the Keilini light bulb camera is pocket friendly. From purchase, through installation and operation costs, Keilini comes in as a dollar saver.
Keilini has zero installation costs. It does not require you to pay monthly cloud fees or anything of the sort. Again, the initial cost of a Keilini light bulb camera is surprisingly low for a product of its quality. This is due to the current price discount that is ongoing.
Quality
the keilini security camera light bulb is built with quality materials to not only give the best services in home security but also to stand the test of time.
The quality of the Keilini light bulb camera does not stop at the camera. The white lights, infrared lights, and everything are made with high-grade material. This makes the Keilini light bulb camera a brand in the light bulb security camera world that you can trust.
Numerous Smart Functions
In addition to the excellent features of the keilini security camera, it comes with many smart functions that make it stand out as a value-packed product.
The Keilini light bulb camera has motion detection, alarm functions, automatic notifications, and the like. These functions help stay abreast of all that goes on your property.
Continuous Video Record Option
Apart from keeping an eye on your property, you can also use the keilini security camera system to keep a continuous record of what goes on around your property especially when you are so busy.
Keilini light bulb camera comes with an SD card slot that securely stores its video record. This record can serve as pleasant memories, proof, or as investigation materials for the future.
Portable
Since the keilini security camera only requires plugging into a light bulb switch. You can easily take it with you if you have to move.
This is a cool feature for those who move often due to work or for other reasons.
Serves 24/7
Since the Keilini security camera comes in a light bulb, it does not require charging or any sort of battery refill.
Provided there is power in your bulb switch, keilini will serve you endlessly. This is helpful especially if you are the busy type.
Click Here To Purchase Keilini Security Camera From The Official Website At Discounted Price Now
How to Use keilini light bulb security camera (Keilini Security Camera Reviews)
To use keilini is as easy as you can imagine. I understand it is normal to expect technological gadgets with numerous functions to be difficult to operate but the reverse is the case with Keilini light bulb camera.
Here are the simple steps to set up a keilini light bulb security camera on your property.
· Open your keilini light bulb camera
· Download the app from the appropriate app store of your mobile device
· Scan the QR code on the camera to link the app to your keilini light bulb security camera
· Establish Wi-Fi connection
· Screw the camera into the desired location.
This is all you need to do to get a keilini light bulb security camera to help you keep an eye on your property.
What You Can Use keilini light bulb security camera
Like other light bulb security cameras, Keilini light bulb camera can be used for the following.
To survey entrance areas of a property such as house entrances, ce...
Cryptoverse: Trading Names In A Mind-Boggling Crypto Craze U.S News & World Report Money
Cryptoverse: Trading Names In A Mind-Boggling Crypto Craze – U.S News & World Report Money https://collincountynewsonline.com/cryptoverse-trading-names-in-a-mind-boggling-crypto-craze-u-s-news-world-report-money/
FILE PHOTO: A non-fungible token (NFT) displayed on the website of NFT marketplace OpenSea is seen through a magnifying glass, in this illustration picture taken February 28, 2022. REUTERS/Florence Lo/IllustrationReuters
By Lisa Pauline Mattackal and Medha Singh
(Reuters) – A new NFT trading craze where names are bought and sold for eye-popping sums is providing a multi-million-dollar lifeline for speculators shivering in the bleak crypto winter.
“Domain” names such as coin.crypto (which has sold for $100,000) and beer.eth (which fetched $39,000) are a new breed of NFTs that owners can use to replace the jumble of 16 random numbers and letters that form their digital wallet addresses.
It might seem a lot of money for the crypto equivalent of a custom car plate, yet backers say these names could become valuable real estate in the years to come with the advent of Web3, a much-hyped vision of a future internet built on blockchain.
Right now the trading market for these alternative assets is providing rich – and risky – pickings for some investors who are scooping up buzzy domains with the aim of flipping them for a profit in the secondary market on NFT platforms like OpenSea.
“We have domain names starting at as little as $5, we’ve had some sell for as much as $100,000,” said Matthew Gould, CEO Unstoppable Domains, which sells names ending in .crypto, .nft and .wallet on its website.
“The range is because there’s a definite perceived value difference between different words and lengths.”
The company has seen some bumper deals of late: for example wallet.crypto sold for $250,000 and earn.crypto went for $100,000, both in April.
Meanwhile the .eth names generated by the Ethereum Name Service (ENS), the biggest domain seller, were the fourth-most traded type of NFT on OpenSea in September, with total volumes rising 75% from a month ago to the equivalent of $12.5 million.
ENS domain names were topped by only NFTs (non-fungible tokens) from well-known collections such as CryptoPunks and Bored Ape Yacht Club. Trading in the comparatively new assets has grown apace even as the crypto winter has battered the NFT market.
Monthly registrations for .eth domain names jumped to over 433,000 in September, the highest in the past 12 months and a 5,000% surge from a year ago, according to Dune Analytics.
The domain names which command the highest value are often those with simple and short English words, terms referencing pop culture or Web3, and number sequences, according to experts, such as crypto.nft or 000.eth.
WHAT’S A NAME WORTH?
Crypto domains are still in their infancy, though. There is no guarantee they, or Web3, will live up to their promise, while the highly volatile nature of cryptocurrency and NFT markets suggest perils for the unschooled trader.
Questions also abound on the scalability of the technology, and the potential for confusion as competing domain providers issue similar names, potentially leading to the misrouting of funds, a report by Block Intelligence said.
Sasha Fleyshman, portfolio manager at investment firm Arca in Los Angeles, said domain names were likely to grow in popularity as crypto became more mainstream.
The 16-character alphanumeric addresses used for digital wallets “are not exactly user friendly, especially for non-crypto native people”, he added.
In an indication of some investor confidence that digital assets linked to .eth domain names will grow in value, the ENS project’s crypto token soared nearly 90% in the third quarter to $15.92 – though still a far cry from the $40 it was trading at the beginning of the year. Bitcoin ended the quarter mostly flat, struggling to stay above $20,000.
Yet many market players warn that it’s tough to value a domain name as it amounts to a speculative bet on what might be in demand in the future.
This weakens the case for institutional investment, Fleyshman said.
“From a fund perspective, it’s rather hard to make a fundamental investment into specific domain names,” he added. “It’s just not our wheelhouse to say which domains are going to accrue value and which ones are not.”
(1 ether = $1,330.20)
(Reporting by Medha Singh and Lisa Pauline Mattackal in Bengaluru; Editing by Tom Wilson and Pravin Char)
Copyright 2022 Thomson Reuters.
