South Korea Has Tracked USD 1bn Worth Of Fraudulent Crypto Transactions This Year Cryptonews
South Korea Has Tracked USD 1bn Worth Of Fraudulent Crypto Transactions This Year – Cryptonews https://dentoncountynewsonline.com/south-korea-has-tracked-usd-1bn-worth-of-fraudulent-crypto-transactions-this-year-cryptonews/
Source: Daniel Bernard/Unsplash
A staggering USD 1 billion worth of fraudulent crypto-related transactions has been identified in South Korea in the first half of 2022, new data shows.
According to Asia Kyungjae, the figures were compiled by the Korea Customs Service and made public by the lawmaker Kang Byung-won.
The data records all crypto-related transactions flagged as fraudulent by customs officials from 2017 to June 2022.
The figures show that customs officials have flagged a total of over USD 2.8 billion crypto-linked transactions since 2017. Over USD 1 billion of this figure has been flagged in the first half of this year (January to June). This dwarfs the figure for the entirety of 2021 (USD 600 million). However, this is likely due to the fact that the customs service has stepped up its policing of the sector in the past year as part of what it has termed a “crackdown” on crypto-related fraud.
All of these transactions involve cross-border fiat bank or wire transfers – or instances whereby individuals have been caught carrying banknotes to and from overseas locations.
Customs officials appear to have indicated that in many cases, the money has been linked to over-the-counter crypto trades and “kimchi premium” trading. The latter refers to scenarios whereby the price of bitcoin (BTC) and other tokens is higher in South Korea than elsewhere in the world. In cases like these, some traders have sought to buy “cheaper” BTC abroad and then dump coins on domestic exchanges – for profits of up to 30%.
The kimchi premium has become a kimchi bonus: At the time of writing (UTC 9:00am), token prices are trending lower in South Korea than elsewhere (Source: screenshot/https://cryprice.com/)
This kind of transaction violates South Korean foreign exchange law – and both customs officials and prosecutors have been waging war on suspected perpetrators.
USD 1bn in Fraudulent Crypto Transactions – Political Backlash Incoming?
Kang is an MP for the Democratic Party, which has a large majority in the National Assembly. He is also a member of the Assembly’s Political Affairs Committee.
He and other lawmakers have indicated that they will push for legislative change – and Kang called on regulators to respond.
Kang was quoted as stating:
“It is necessary to strengthen the crackdown on [crypto crime] by finding a way to allow the financial authorities, such as the Financial Services Commission and the Financial Supervisory Service, to work directly with investigative agencies. We also need to improve our technical capabilities [to help fight crime like this].”
Some Corporate Titans Are Coming Up Short On Supporting Voting And Democracy Watchdog Report Says CNBC
Some Corporate Titans Are Coming Up Short On Supporting Voting And Democracy, Watchdog Report Says – CNBC https://dentoncountynewsonline.com/some-corporate-titans-are-coming-up-short-on-supporting-voting-and-democracy-watchdog-report-says-cnbc/
Voters make their way to the Chastain Park Gymnasium to cast their ballots during the Georgia Primary Election Day in Atlanta, Georgia, U.S. May 24, 2022.
Alyssa Pointer | Reuters
A handful of massive corporations have received poor marks on how they have responded to a wide range of voting rights and democracy issues, including the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol, according to a new report from a corporate accountability group.
Accountable.US, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit corporate watchdog, is releasing its American Democracy Scorecard, which grades the top 100 companies within the Fortune 500. Accountable.US has links to the New Venture Fund, a massive 501(c)(3) nonprofit group that often funds progressive causes. The New Venture Fund spent over $440 million in 2020, according to its latest 990 filing form, including a $1.4 million donation to Accountable.US.
The group gave a harsh assessment of how U.S. corporate titans have handled voting rights and democracy. Over 60% of the companies assessed received a failing F letter grade, according to scores first shown to CNBC and set to be made public this week.
Many of the other companies Accountable graded didn’t fare much better. Another 16% received a D letter grade, 5% got a C and 13% received a B grade. None of the companies got an A letter grade.
The companies that received an F grade include Comcast, the parent company of NBCUniversal, AT&T, Home Depot, Pfizer, Boeing and Verizon. Those who received a B grade from Accountable include Tesla, Apple, Citigroup and Bank of America.
“Americans overwhelmingly say corporations should stand up for democracy, yet we’re seeing the vast majority of major companies failing miserably,” Kyle Herrig, the president of Accountable.US, said in a statement to CNBC. Herrig plans to send letters to the CEOs of the 10 lowest scoring corporations.
He plans to tell the CEOs they’re “currently failing to stand up for democracy” but that “it is not too late to get your priorities straight and begin aligning your values with the values shared by most Americans,” according to a letter addressed to AT&T CEO John Stankey.
The new scorecard could put further pressure on companies to alter both their plans for the 2022 midterm elections and overall engagement on voting rights legislation.
The group’s grading methodology focused on fourteen criteria, including whether the company has supported lawmakers that opposed voting-related legislation, and whether the business donated to campaigns of Republican lawmakers who objected to certifying the 2020 presidential election.
Representatives for the companies named in this story did not return requests for comment.
The scorecard comes amid a flurry of questions about what role companies should have as Congress considers how to respond to the Jan. 6, 2021 attack on the Capitol and restrictive state voting laws.
Senate Republicans voted to block a sweeping pair of voting-rights bills in January. Democratic Sens. Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona and Joe Manchin of West Virginia then joined the GOP in opposing changes to the chamber’s filibuster rules, which could have allowed Democrats to pass legislation on their own.
An NBC News poll from August showed that 21% of respondents said “threats to democracy” is the most important issue facing the country just months before the midterms, a higher share than chose any other issue.
The scorecard also arrives as the House select committee investigating the origins of the Jan. 6 attack by supporters of former President Donald Trump aims to have additional hearings in September.
Over 140 Republican lawmakers moved to object to the results of the 2020 election after the Jan. 6 riot. House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., later told Reuters that he “agreed with objections that were made to two states, especially because constitutional questions have been raised about changes to election processes and whether these changes were approved by their respective legislatures, as required in Article II.”
Accountable says that as of Aug. 19, its review of Federal Election Commission filings shows that corporate political action committees have donated over $20 million during the 2022 election cycle to lawmakers who opposed voting legislation such as the Democrat-led Freedom to Vote Act.
Many corporations after the Jan. 6 attack said their PACs would stop contributing to campaigns of the objectors, or to lawmakers on both sides of the aisle. Some businesses have resumed donating to those campaigns.
At least $5 million have gone from corporate PACs to 2020 election objectors this cycle, Accountable’s data shows.
For instance, Accountable says Home Depot got a F grade in part because of its donations to federal lawmakers who opposed voting legislation and objected to the 2020 election certification. The group’s data shows that the company PAC has donated at least $845,000 to members of Congress who opposed federal voting rights legislation.
The report says that the Home Depot company PAC has donated at least $360,000 to lawmakers who objected to certifying the results of the election. The company said after Jan. 6 that it was “pausing to take time to carefully review and reevaluate each of the members who voted to object to the election results before considering further contributions to them.”
Purdues Most Innovative Status Reaches 5 Years In U.S. News & World Report Rankings Purdue University
Purdue’s ‘Most Innovative’ Status Reaches 5 Years In U.S. News & World Report Rankings – Purdue University https://dentoncountynewsonline.com/purdues-most-innovative-status-reaches-5-years-in-u-s-news-world-report-rankings-purdue-university/
Ever moving forward to provide opportunities for students, university continues to show well in annual lists
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – Striking business-research partnerships that boost the state’s economy and address real-world needs while producing job-ready graduates, Purdue University continues to rank among the most innovative schools in the nation.
Purdue, whose graduates earn an average starting wage of $62,452 – straight out of college – is the nation’s No. 7 Most Innovative school (No. 3 among public universities) in the newest U.S. News & World Report Best Colleges rankings.
The new U.S. News & World Report undergraduate ranking extends Purdue’s streak to five consecutive years as a top-10 Most Innovative school in the nation. Only Arizona State University, Georgia State University, Carnegie Mellon University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Stanford University and Elon University rank ahead. Purdue tops Georgia Institute of Technology, California Institute of Technology and Johns Hopkins University in the top 10.
“We couldn’t be prouder that, once again, Purdue has been recognized as one of the country’s most innovative universities,” said Jay Akridge, provost and executive vice president for academic affairs and diversity. “Boilermakers are innovators, and you can be sure that we are focused on delivering an even more impactful residential learning experience to our students going forward as we continue to seek pioneering solutions to the world’s most difficult challenges.”
This newest ranking adds to an impressive list of recent Purdue rankings. Just last week, Purdue was ranked for the second straight year No. 6 internationally in utility patents in a report from the Intellectual Property Owners Association and the National Academy of Inventors. In August, the university was voted No. 4 in Morning Consult’s “Most Trusted Universities” study. Smart Asset named Purdue No. 1 in-state and 12th nationally for Best Value Colleges. Purdue is ranked the third-best college campus for freedom of speech in the just-released free speech rankings by The Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression (FIRE)/College Pulse.
Within the last year, Purdue has extended partnerships with Rolls-Royce, enhanced hypersonics research and put its stamp on the semiconductor industry, which is essential to the nation’s competitiveness. The university has opened new pathways of study to help address global semiconductor/microchip shortages that are affecting everyday life. It also struck a partnership with MediaTek, a leading global fabless chipmaker, to open the company’s first semiconductor chip design center in the Midwest, to be housed on Purdue’s campus. SkyWater Technology chose Discovery Park District at Purdue adjacent to Purdue’s campus.
The $1 billion, 400-acre Discovery Park District at Purdue is bustling, with new housing, well-paying jobs and learning and research opportunities.
The U.S. News & World Report rankings were released Monday (Sept. 12). At No. 51 overall among all colleges and No. 18 among public universities, Purdue is again well represented.
In internships, Purdue is No. 7.
Purdue’s College of Engineering is No. 9 among schools with doctoral programs and has numerous specialty areas among the best. Industrial/manufacturing remains second, with aeronautical and astronautical fifth, mechanical sixth, civil seventh, electrical ninth and computer 10th. Environmental engineering is 11th, materials 13th, chemical 15th and biomedical 29th.
“We are proud of the whole list of exciting rankings for the university. In particular, it is a reflection of the dedication by our faculty and staff and the quality of our students that Engineering retains the top-10 undergraduate ranking while growing significantly to become the largest in that distinguished group,” said Mung Chiang, Purdue’s president-elect and executive vice president for strategic initiatives, who served as dean of the College of Engineering until July 1 of this year.
Agricultural and biological engineering, administered by the College of Agriculture and shared with the College of Engineering, is ranked second.
“The agricultural and biological engineering faculty, staff and students continue to build an incredible department that is nationally and world renowned for the difference it makes in critical areas of discovery and innovation,” said Karen Plaut, the Glenn W. Sample Dean of Agriculture.
Purdue’s computer science programs in the College of Science moved up two spots, to 16th in the rankings. Its cybersecurity program is seventh; software engineering 10th; and programming, data analytics and computing systems all 13th. The artificial intelligence programs are 19th.
Computer science at Purdue continues its rapid rise, moving up two spots from last year to No. 16 overall, bolstered by the recent addition of new majors in artificial intelligence and in data science. Cybersecurity remains a leading area of strength at Purdue, rising two places to seventh, along with software engineering, ranked 10th. Artificial intelligence moves up five places to 19th, and data analytics is ranked for the first time, at 13th, along with programming and computing systems.
Patrick Wolfe, Purdue’s Frederick L. Hovde Dean of Science and Miller Family Professor of Statistics and Computer Science, said, “We are enormously proud of having generated so much sustained momentum across the data and computational sciences at Purdue — and even more so to have done this while expanding our enrollments substantially, providing opportunities for many more of the best and brightest students to join us here for their studies. Our continued progress is a reflection not only of major strategic investments we’ve made and continue to make but also, even more strongly, the exceptional efforts of our faculty, staff and proud alums.”
The School of Management is 30th among business schools, with its production/operations management program at No. 9 and supply chain management/logistics at 12. Analytics is 17th, management 30th and finance 36th.
In nursing, Purdue gained eight spots to No. 112. In other rankings, Purdue is No. 26 in best schools for veterans and 46th in undergrad research. Purdue Global is listed as among the best for economic diversity.
Writer/Media contact: Jim Bush, jsbush@purdue.edu
Sources: Jay Akridge, Mung Chiang, Patrick Wolfe, Karen Plaut
Red White And Blue Freedom Walk Brings Denton County Community Together To Honor 9/11 Victims Denton Record Chronicle
Red, White And Blue Freedom Walk Brings Denton County Community Together To Honor 9/11 Victims – Denton Record Chronicle https://dentoncountynewsonline.com/red-white-and-blue-freedom-walk-brings-denton-county-community-together-to-honor-9-11-victims-denton-record-chronicle/
LAKE DALLAS — Officials from Denton, Hickory Creek and Corinth carried their American flags as they walked to Lewisville Lake pedestrian bridge to meet city leaders from Lewisville and Highland Village.
Denton County leaders and community members on both ends waved their flags and cheered once both sides met at the midway point of the bridge.
Officials from Hickory Creek, Denton and Corinth carry flags as they walk across the Lewisville Lake pedestrian bridge to meet city leaders from the south side of the bridge on Sunday evening.
Juan Betancourt/DRC
Participants in the Red, White and Blue Freedom Walk on Sunday evening honored and remembered those who lost their lives in the 9/11 attacks 21 years ago.
Photos by Juan Betancourt/DRC
JUAN BETANCOURT can be reached via Twitter at @jbetancourt_15.
Most Enchanting Places For Fall Foliage In The USA Travel And Tour World
Most Enchanting Places For Fall Foliage In The USA – Travel And Tour World https://dentoncountynewsonline.com/most-enchanting-places-for-fall-foliage-in-the-usa-travel-and-tour-world/
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BGLs Burhill To Paris Bike Ride Raises Thousands For Ukraine Crisis Appeal Golf Business News
BGL’s Burhill To Paris Bike Ride Raises Thousands For Ukraine Crisis Appeal – Golf Business News https://dentoncountynewsonline.com/bgls-burhill-to-paris-bike-ride-raises-thousands-for-ukraine-crisis-appeal-golf-business-news/
An intrepid team of Burhill Group employees, led by company CEO Colin Mayes, has successfully completed a charity bike ride to Paris from Surrey-based Burhill Golf Club, raising nearly £10,000 to support the British Red Cross Ukraine Crisis Appeal.
The BGL Group were eager to take on this challenge to support the millions of people who have suffered so much in the past year, both in Ukraine, and trying to flee the war-torn country. All of the money raised during this challenge will be used to directly aid the humanitarian efforts in the country being led by the Red Cross.
Following the completion of the challenge, Mayes said: “We are absolutely thrilled to have completed this challenge, and more importantly, to have raised a phenomenal amount of money that will hopefully provide some help to those suffering in Ukraine.
“It’s been incredibly important to us all to do what we can to support the British Red Cross and we hope that this donation will help them to continue providing desperately needed aid. Personally, I am so proud of the group for taking this challenge head on, and for how passionately they continued to pursue further donations for this fantastic cause since we first set out to take on the challenge.”
The 300km-plus challenge got under way outside Burhill Golf Club on September 2, with a difficult 75-mile ride over the famous Ditchling Beacon to catch the ferry to France at Newhaven. Day two was the longest of the three planned, covering nearly 120km and around 2,400 feet of elevation. The team suffered five punctures and two mechanical issues before arriving at the overnight stop. The final day involved a 105km ride into Paris from the west, via the Palace of Versailles. The team approached the finish line at the base of the Eiffel Tower with a burst of energy and were greeted by the support team and a well-earned glass of Champagne.
Wearing the national colours of Ukraine on their jerseys, upon arrival the group of cyclists were recognised by a Ukrainian family who had just arrived in Paris, having fled their hometown of Odessa due to the invasion – a sobering reminder of why the team made the decision to take on this challenge.
The total amount raised for the British Red Cross Ukraine Crisis Appeal is currently £9,105. With donations still coming in, the cheque for the final total raised is to be presented to the British Red Cross in early October.
To make a donation to this worthy cause, click here.
Where Is Christine From Sister Wives Now That Shes No Longer With Kody? Reality Titbit Celebrity TV News
Where Is Christine From Sister Wives Now That She’s No Longer With Kody? – Reality Titbit – Celebrity TV News https://dentoncountynewsonline.com/where-is-christine-from-sister-wives-now-that-shes-no-longer-with-kody-reality-titbit-celebrity-tv-news/
For over a decade, TLC viewers have been given a glimpse into the lives of the Brown family on Sister Wives. Kody Brown had four wives when the show first started in 2010. He married fourth wife, Robyn, in season 1. Since then, there have been many changes to the Brown family. So, let’s take a look at where Christine from Sister Wives is now as season 17 airs.
Sister Wives season 17 premiered on TLC on Sunday, September 11th. Kody and his 18 children are still appearing on the show alongside, Meri, Janelle and Robyn. Over half of episode 1 of the 2022 series documented a conversation between exes Kody and Christine. Fans want to know more about Christine’s life now and where she lives.
Photo by Gabe Ginsberg/FilmMagic
What happened with Kody and Christine?
After 25 years together, Christine and Kody Brown split in November 2021 per ET Online.
The announcement came as a huge shock to viewers and many have been following the pair on social media to get updates on their relationship status.
Speaking to People in February 2022, Christine said that she and Kody were officially over: “Kody and I are divorced. We’re completely separate”.
Kody and Christine are parents to six children, Aspyn, Mykelti, Gwendlyn, Ysabel, Truely and Paedon.
OMG: Sister Wives fans won’t believe how much Kody Brown’s fortune has risen
Where is Christine from Sister Wives now?
Judging by Christine’s Instagram page in 2022 (@christine_brownsw), she’s enjoying life since her split. She has her own online show called Cooking With Christine on TLC and is still reaping the rewards of being a reality TV star.
Christine’s IG posts show her spending time with Janelle and writing about self-improvement and accountability.
The Sister Wives star has a beaming smile in the majority of her posts and promotes self-care on her page. She appears to be spending lots of time with her family and living a healthy lifestyle.
Where does Christine from Sister Wives live?
As of October 2021, In Touch Weekly reports that Christine is now living in Utah.
In Touch writes that Christine is living in the city of Murray in Utah, adding that she: “…listed her new address in the city of Murray on the mortgage deed of her former Arizona house obtained by In Touch.”
The Sun reported in October 2021 that Christine sold her Arizona home and moved into her current duplex in Utah after the split from Kody.
The report adds that Christine lives in a 3,490-square-foot portion of the two-story duplex which features three bedrooms and two bathrooms.
NO WAY: Is Meri Brown still married to Kody? Fans notice ‘split hints’ on Instagram
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MLB Power Rankings: Mets Braves Battle Atop NL East Standings USA TODAY
MLB Power Rankings: Mets, Braves Battle Atop NL East Standings – USA TODAY https://dentoncountynewsonline.com/mlb-power-rankings-mets-braves-battle-atop-nl-east-standings-usa-today/
With about 20 games left in the regular season, some of Major League Baseball’s playoff races look set to go down to the wire.
The New York Mets have 1½-game lead in the National League East entering Monday, pulling back two games in the days after they lost possession of first place after nearly five months on top. The Atlanta Braves have gone since 64-26 – a 115-win pace – since June 1 and managed to briefly overtake the Mets on Friday, before losing the last two of their weekend series in Seattle.
HOME RUN RACE: Mark McGwire thinks Judge will pass Bonds some day
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The AL Central race has also gotten more interesting, with the Cleveland Guardians holding a 2½-game advantage over the second-place Chicago White Sox, who have won seven of 10 – while the Minnesota Twins have fallen to third by losing eight of 10.
Here’s how USA TODAY Sports’ eight-person panel voted this week:
Rank (movement from last week)
1. Los Angeles Dodgers (–)
LA should clinch its eighth division title in nine years this week.
2. Houston Astros (–)
Lefty Will Smith has a 2.63 ERA in 15 appearances since joining Houston.
3. Atlanta Braves (+1)
Spencer Strider’s 13.65 K/9 is the best mark of any pitcher with at least 60 innings.
4. New York Mets (-1)
Fell out of first place for the first time since April 12 – but found themselves 1½ games up two days later.
5. New York Yankees (+1)
Aroldis Chapman, Zack Britton and Harrison Bader all set to begin rehab assignments.
6. St. Louis Cardinals (-1)
Entering Sunday, St. Louis was 47-24 at home and 35-34 on the road.
7. Tampa Bay Rays (–)
Shortstop Wander Franco returns after two months on the inured list.
8. Toronto Blue Jays (+1)
Eight games in seven days this week against AL wild-card rivals Tampa Bay and Baltimore.
9. Seattle Mariners (-1)
Seattle’s starters had a 1.95 ERA in the first nine games of September.
10. Philadelphia Phillies (+1)
J.T. Realmuto is the fifth catcher in history with a 15 homer, 15 steal season.
11. San Diego Padres (-1)
Juan Soto was hitting .224 with a .740 OPS through 31 games with San Diego.
12. Milwaukee Brewers (+2)
Matt Bush has six holds and two saves in 17 games trade to Milwaukee.
13. Cleveland Guardians (–)
Cleveland bullpen’s 2.34 ERA in the second half is the best in baseball.
14. Baltimore Orioles (-2)
Lost six of eight and enter Monday 5 ½ games back in the AL wild-card race.
15. Chicago White Sox (+1)
Makeup game at Cleveland on Thursday could play big role in deciding AL Central.
16. Minnesota Twins (-1)
Reliever Griffin Jax has given up one earned run in his last 13 appearances.
17. Boston Red Sox (–)
Boston is 19-40 against the AL East – and 49-32 against everyone else.
18. San Francisco Giants (–)
Joey Bart is hitting .288 (36-for-125) with 7 homers and an .822 OPS in his last 43 games.
19. Arizona Diamondbacks (–)
Zac Gallen’s 44⅓ scoreless inning streak comes to an end, breaking Brandon Webb’s club record.
20. Colorado Rockies (+4)
Rockies head to Chicago this week for two vs. White Sox, three vs. Cubs
21. Texas Rangers (-1)
Finally in the majors after injury derailed his season, top prospect Josh Jung homers in his first big-league at-bat
22. Los Angeles Angels (-1)
Patrick Sandoval’s last four starts: 1.33 ERA, 25 strikeouts, 4 walks in 27 innings.
23. Miami Marlins (-1)
Cy Young frontrunner Sandy Alcantara’s ERA has jumped from 1.92 to 2.43 in four starts.
24. Chicago Cubs (-1)
Marcus Stroman has a 3.28 ERA in 17 starts since May 1.
25. Cincinnati Reds (+1)
Joey Votto is Cincinnati’s Roberto Clemente Award nominee for the second year in a row.
26. Kansas City Royals (-1)
Rookie Vinnie Pasquantino reinstated from the injured list.
27. Detroit Tigers (–)
Eduardo Rodriguez has a 3.68 ERA in four starts after three months away.
28. Pittsburgh Pirates (+1)
Starting a 10-game road trip on Monday in Cincinnati.
29. Oakland Athletics (-1)
Ken Waldichuk looked good (3.60 ERA) in his first two big-league starts.
30. Washington Nationals (–)
Anibal Sanchez has a 1.71 ERA in his last five starts.
South Korean Man Sentenced To 4 Years For Sexual Metaverse Crimes Crypto Times
South Korean Man Sentenced To 4 Years For Sexual Metaverse Crimes – Crypto Times https://dentoncountynewsonline.com/south-korean-man-sentenced-to-4-years-for-sexual-metaverse-crimes-crypto-times/
A South Korean man has been sentenced to four years in prison for violating the ‘Act on the Protection of Children and Youth’. The man was found producing and storing sexually exploitative content involving minors he lured on the metaverse.
According to local media reports, the 30-year old lied about his age and met underage victims on a South Korean metaverse platform. He used his avatar and gifts to draw in the victims.
He then lured the victims to film and send images and videos of their bodies from last December to March this year.
Along with the jail sentence the offender has been ordered by the court to attend 80 hours of treatment programs for sex criminals. He is also banned from working in any entity related to teens or the disabled for seven years.
The content was not distributed or made for profit, according to the sentencing.
Read Also: South Korea’s MSIT Announces Ethical Principles for Metaverse
Author
Living by the phrase ‘as above, so below’, Stuti Mansata is an IT Engineer and an ardent lover of words with a knack for finance and everything crypto.
U.S. SEC Setting Up New Office To Look After Crypto Filings Cryptonews
U.S. SEC Setting Up New Office To Look After Crypto Filings – Cryptonews https://dentoncountynewsonline.com/u-s-sec-setting-up-new-office-to-look-after-crypto-filings-cryptonews/
Source: AdobeStock / Andriy Blokhin
The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) is set to create a new office to handle the review of company filings related to crypto assets. Named the Office of Crypto Assets, it will be under the SEC’s Division of Corporate Finance as part of its Disclosure Review Program (DRP).
In a press release, the SEC stated that assigning the review of filings involving crypto assets to its own office will enable the DRP to better focus resources and expertise on addressing the unique and evolving crypto assets-related filing review process.
Along with the Office of Crypto Assets, the SEC also announced an Office of Industrial Applications and Services which is to handle the review of filings related to non-pharma, non-biotech, and non-medicinal products companies currently assigned to the Office of Life Sciences.
Both offices are expected to come into operation this fall. According to Renee Jones, Director of the Division of Corporation Finance, the regulator expects the two offices to help the SEC in its efforts to protect consumers and promote capital formation in the two sectors that have had remarkable growth recently.
“The creation of these new offices will enable the DRP to enhance its focus in the areas of crypto assets, financial institutions, life sciences, and industrial applications and services and facilitate our ability to meet our mission,” Jones said.
The two offices will join seven existing industry-specific filings review units under the Division of Corporate Finances Disclosure Review Program.
SEC not relenting from inviting crypto firms to register with it
The announcement is coming shortly after SEC chairman, Gary Gensler, remarked that crypto projects and firms need to come under the supervision of the commission by registering.
While giving a speech at SEC Speaks organized by the Practising Law Institute, he noted that the vast majority of over 10,000 tokens in the crypto market are securities under the U.S.’s age-old Securities Act regardless of the new technology they are issued with.
“The investing public benefits when they receive disclosures and related protections about a project’s prospects and business. The investing public benefits when intermediaries are registered and overseen,” he added.
Back in May, the SEC’s Division of Enforcement increased the staff strength of its Crypto Assets and Cyber Unit by almost double. These moves have been coming on the back of massive volatility in the crypto market and a growing number of fraud cases in the crypto industry which the SEC is determined to get a hold of.
U.S. Abortion Clinic Moves Up The Street To Escape One States Ban Reuters
U.S. Abortion Clinic Moves Up The Street To Escape One State’s Ban – Reuters https://dentoncountynewsonline.com/u-s-abortion-clinic-moves-up-the-street-to-escape-one-states-ban-reuters/
A view along State Street in downtown Bristol where one half of the street is in Bristol, Virginia and the other in Bristol, Tennessee, U.S., August 30, 2022. When the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade ending the nationwide right to terminate a pregnancy, abortion services moved a mile up the road from Bristol, Tennessee to Bristol, Virginia, where abortion remained legal. REUTERS/Evelyn Hockstein
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BRISTOL, Va., Sept 12 (Reuters) – The women’s health clinic in Bristol, Tennessee, had a seemingly simple solution to continue providing abortions after its home state banned the procedure this summer: It moved a mile up the road to Bristol, Virginia, where abortion remained legal.
But relocating between the twin cities brought a host of challenges.
Bristol Women’s Health has faced logistical hurdles, legal concerns and local opposition since opening in late July across the state line, which runs through the cities’ shared main street. Its experience encapsulates the complicated new reality of abortion in America after the U.S. Supreme Court in June overturned the 1973 Roe v. Wade case, ending the nationwide right to terminate a pregnancy.
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Abortion laws now vary dramatically from one state to another, leaving many communities without any access to the procedure. That’s the case in Tennessee, one of about a dozen Republican-led states that enforced near-total bans on abortion after the court’s ruling.
No other clinic offered abortion services within 80 miles (130 km) of Bristol, an Appalachian mountain community known for its country music legacy. Diane Derzis, who owns the new facility, viewed the neighboring state as the logical place to move.
Abortion is still allowed in Virginia through the second trimester and into the third in limited circumstances. In a recent poll of state residents, half said they believed the state’s abortion laws were reasonable and should not be altered.
But many in Bristol, Virginia, where Republican Donald Trump won 68% of the vote in the 2020 presidential election, were unhappy to see an abortion clinic come to the city of about 17,000 people.
Some residents said they oppose abortion. More said they don’t want the din of anti-abortion protesters in their neighborhood, which is home to elderly residents and families with young children.
Chris Harber, whose yard is adjacent to the clinic’s driveway, said protesters had once lined the road leading to the clinic with large, graphic posters that he did not want his 8-year-old son to see.
“One of them said ‘child baby sacrifice center’ and had an arrow pointing there,” Harber, 34, said in an interview on his porch. “When he sees that he’s going to ask me, ‘what do they mean?’ I don’t want to have to explain that to him.”
Several others who live near the clinic said it had not been disruptive.
“It doesn’t bother me a bit,” said Ronnie Scott, 81, noting he disagrees with abortion but doesn’t like the government weighing in.
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Erika Schanzenbach leads the anti-abortion group “LifeBristol” and protested outside the Tennessee clinic for years.
She said when she learned of its move to Virginia, her group distributed hundreds of flyers around the new clinic’s neighborhood.
“What can you do to STOP this? Contact your city officials and tell them you do not want this in your city!” the flyers read.
Anthony Farnum, mayor of Bristol, Virginia, soon received dozens of calls, texts and emails from residents asking him to close the clinic. But the mayor explained he had no power to do so as long as Virginia permits abortion.
“I told folks it’s probably best to reach out to our state leaders,” he said.
Governor Glenn Youngkin, a Republican elected in 2021, has said he supports banning abortion after 15 weeks of pregnancy. The state might further restrict abortion if Republicans win the majority in the state Senate in next year’s elections and the party retakes full control of the legislature.
“That’s certainly a concern,” said Derzis, who also owns a clinic in Richmond, Virginia. “The hope is that women can speak for themselves on Election Day.”
Democrats across the country have seized on the threat to legal abortion to energize voters in this November’s midterm elections, warning that electing Republicans could lead to more state restrictions and possibly a national ban.
Tennessee’s current abortion law has created legal uncertainty for the new Bristol clinic.
Barry Staubus, the district attorney whose office oversees Bristol, Tennessee, said abortion providers could face legal trouble if they offer the two-part abortion pill regimen to a patient at the Virginia clinic and the patient takes the second pill back at home in Tennessee.
“That could potentially be the kind of situation that would require some litigation to determine whether or not there had been a violation of law,” Staubus said. “I hope that physicians are wise enough to avoid that and it doesn’t come up, but it may very well.”
The doctor who performed abortions at the Tennessee clinic is not currently doing so in Virginia due to the possible legal risks, Derzis said. He still provides other gynecological services in Tennessee, she said. Reuters could not reach him for comment.
Derzis, who previously owned the Mississippi clinic at the center of the Supreme Court case that led to Roe v. Wade’s overturn, said the clinic hired other doctors who are traveling from outside Bristol to provide abortions.
Stephanie Rosenwinge is part of a small staff that rushed to get the new clinic up and running in a matter of weeks. A sexual assault survivor, she escorted patients into the Tennessee clinic as a volunteer and now works part time answering phones at its Virginia location.
Despite the obstacles, she said she was grateful for the chance to help preserve abortion access in a place where her family has deep roots.
“I’m so dead set on making this clinic work,” Rosenwinge said. “It’s so very needed.”
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Reporting by Gabriella Borter Editing by Colleen Jenkins and Lisa Shumaker
Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.
Metas Upcoming Quest Pro VR Headset Leaked Before Launch Event The Indian Express
Meta’s Upcoming ‘Quest Pro’ VR Headset Leaked Before Launch Event – The Indian Express https://dentoncountynewsonline.com/metas-upcoming-quest-pro-vr-headset-leaked-before-launch-event-the-indian-express/
Just a month before Meta’s Annual Connect event, some images and a video of the company’s upcoming premium VR headset have surfaced online. Codenamed Project Cambria, the company shared a video of the new virtual reality last year and said it would be launched sometime in 2022.
Last month during Joe Rogan’s podcast, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg commented on the rumours and said that the new device will be launched during the Meta Annual Connect event.
Now, a recent report by The Verge indicates that in the comment section of a post on the Oculus Quest 2 Facebook group, a user named Ramiro Cardena shared some images and a video that shows what the new VR headset looks like.
The video starts with Cardenas removing a black headset with the name ‘Meta Quest Pro’ from the box along with an updated controller and a label that says ‘Not for resale- engineering sample’. This is in line with an earlier report by Bloomberg which suggested that the new VR headset codenamed Project Cambria will be named Meta Quest Pro.
It sports three cameras on the front with the controller ditching the hollow design in favour of a solid one. The report goes on to say that the person who stayed in the room has since claimed the headsets.
While the headset will reportedly feature a high-resolution colour display, hand tracking features and let users have eye contact with someone in virtual reality, hardware specifications are still unknown. Let us hope Meta gives us more information about the device’s capabilities during the Annual Connect event on October 11.
John Keith Breen | News, Sports, Jobs – The Review https://dentoncountynewsonline.com/john-keith-breen-news-sports-jobs-the-review/
TORONTO — John Keith Breen, age 56 of Toronto passed away Friday, September 9, 2022 at the Allegheny General Hospital, Pittsburgh.
He was born October 13, 1965 in Almont, Michigan the son of the late Charles Herbert Breen in 1982 and his mother Doris (Flanagan) Breen who survives. He was also preceded in death by a sister Sherry Breen in 1964 and a brother Stephen M. Breen in 2022.
John enjoyed hunting and working on automobiles and was an animal lover. He retired as owner of the RJ’s One Step Buck Shop.
In addition to his mother, Doris (Flanagan) Breen of Toronto he is survived by his son, Charles “Chaz” Breen of Toronto; daughters, Tamara Breen of Rayland and Nicole Stoddart of Toronto; grandchildren, Christian Breen, Stella Stoddart and Keelan Filby; brother, Randy (Michele) Breen of Almont, MI; sisters, Janice (Daryl) Denton of Mio, MI, and Lori (Rick) Roy of Bloomingdale along with many nieces and nephews.
Visitation for John will be held from 1-2 p.m. Wednesday, September 14 at the Clarke Funeral Home, Toronto. A celebration service of John’s life will follow at 2 p.m. Wednesday with Mr. John Keenan officiating. Interment will follow at the Sugar Grove Union Cemetery.
Memorial contributions in memory of John may be made to the Jefferson County Humane Society, P.O. box 233, Steubenville, OH 43952
To send condolences to the family, go to www.clarkefuneralhome.com
Shirlee Farina | Obituary | Gloucester Times Gloucester Times
Shirlee Farina | Obituary | Gloucester Times – Gloucester Times https://dentoncountynewsonline.com/shirlee-farina-obituary-gloucester-times-gloucester-times/
Gloucester – Shirlee Elizabeth (O’Toole) Farina (72) passed away peacefully on Sunday, September 4, 2022. Shirlee was born on January 5, 1950, in Lowell, MA, to the late James and Elizabeth (Wentworth) O’Toole and was the youngest of 10 siblings. At age 5, the Department of Welfare placed Shirlee in the foster home of the late Leland and Francis (Blynn) Page (Forbes) in Haverhill, MA. She became the foster sister to their children MaryAnn, Thomas and the late Leland (Butch) Page.
Shirlee graduated from Haverhill High School in 1967 and Addison Gilbert Hospital School of Practical Nurses in 1968. She started working at Addison Gilbert Hospital on her 19th birthday in 1969. In 1977, Shirlee married (now ex) Thomas Farina. They were blessed with a son, Andrew, in 1987. She treasured her son and “Mom” was her favorite title.
In 1999, Cancer (Multiple Myeloma) forced Shirlee into early retirement. After working 30 years at AGH, Shirlee had a deep compassion for the elderly and during retirement she spent time as a companion. She had always said that she hoped she enriched their lives as they did hers. Her love for animals, especially cats, led her to volunteering and serving on the board for Cape Ann Animal Aid for 35 years. Thought the years, Shirlee had adopted several cats that held a very special place in her heart. Family and friends were well imposed to her cat themed cards for all occasions. Aside from all the jobs Shirlee had over the years, the most important valued one was that of being a mother. Shirlee shared an unbreakable bond with her only son, Andrew.
When Andrew married Danielle in 2014, he became the stepfather to Danielle’s daughter, Peyton Ouellet. Shirlee fell in love with the both of them and treated them like they were her own and loved her newfound role of being a (step) Grandmother. In 2016, Shirlee’s first grandchild, Lexi was born. Shirlee was ecstatic and adored being called “Nene.” In 2022, her family grew even bigger when she welcomed her grandson, Maverick. She fell in love instantly and Maverick would always light up seeing his Nene’s infectious smile.
Shirlee always said her bags were already packed when the opportunity to travel came about. She enjoyed the sights of Florida, California, Mexico, Las Vegas, Aruba, Ireland and Iceland. In her later years, she became more adventurous in her travel by climbing the “Diamond Head,” Sun Sailing in Hawaii, flying by helicopter to the top of icebergs in Alaska, river rafting, horseback riding and floating among giant icebergs. Of all the places Shirlee traveled, she always expressed that living in Gloucester was like living in a vacation destination year-round.
In her leisure time, Shirlee enjoyed the beach, Bingo, going to the movies, cats, board games, cards, shopping (and returning!), finding a good bargain, making her famous cake for every birthday celebration and spending time with her family and many friends.
Famous for her gift of gab and practical frugality, Shirlee was also always ready to lend a helping hand to any charity, cause or friend. She will always be remembered for her sincere kindness, thoughtfulness and unwavering generosity.
Shirlee is survived by her son, Andrew; Daughter-In-Law, Danielle, three grandchildren Peyton, Lexi and Maverick; brother Thomas and his wife, Jeanette; sister MaryAnn; and many treasured friends.
A Celebration of Life will be held Wednesday, October 5 from 6 to 10 p.m. at The Elks in Gloucester. In lieu of flowers, Shirlee has requested a donation be made in her honor to the Cape Ann Animal Aid, 4 Paws Lane, Gloucester. Information, directions, condolences at www.campbellfuneral.com
Published on September 12, 2022
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VIETNAM BUSINESS NEWS SEPTEMBER 12 – VietNamNet https://dentoncountynewsonline.com/vietnam-business-news-september-12-vietnamnet/
Vietnam and India have substantial opportunities to cooperate in the automobile industry as Vietnam is accelerating FDI attraction in the sector, an official has said.
Nguyen Anh Tuan, Deputy Director of the Foreign Investment Agency (FIA) at the Ministry of Planning and Investment (MPI), pointed out that investment ties between Vietnam and India have yet to match their potential.
India’s investment accounts for only 0.2% of the total FDI in the Southeast Asian nation, he told the India-Vietnam Business Meet on Auto Sector held recently in Hanoi.
Indian Ambassador Pranay Verma said the 800-member Automotive Component Manufacturers Association of India (ACMA) wanted to explore investment opportunities in Vietnam.
Nguyen Thi Thu Ha, General Director of Invest Global, which offers consulting services, stressed that Vietnam has great potential to boost the auto industry, which is expected to significantly contribute to the national economy.
However, the number of Vietnamese suppliers in the sector remains limited, and only a few of them are part of the country’s supply chain for producers and assemblers.
A deal between the Vietnamese and Indian auto sectors would be reciprocal, Ha said, adding that a number of Indian firms are already operating effectively in Vietnam, such as Minda, Spark Minda and Star Engineering.
Dang Hoang Mai from the Vietnam Institute of Strategy and Policy for Industry and Trade said Vietnam has the potential to expand the market for electric vehicles as its car ownership is just 2.3%, equivalent to one tenth and one twentieth of Thailand and Malaysia, respectively.
Vietnam aims to attract major businesses and groups, with priority given to high-tech, support industries, innovation and digital economy, Tuan said, emphasising that it is suitable time for Indian investors to join the Vietnamese auto sector and its support industry.
Domestic cement consumption expected to rise as exports fall
The cement production industry expects to promote domestic consumption because it is finding difficult to boost exports.
Many cement companies with popular brands have programmes to stimulate consumption in the domestic market, including discount programmes.
In addition, from January 1, 2023, the export tariff for clinker products will be increased by between 5% and 10% to limit exports. This factor also forces domestic manufacturers to find ways to reduce selling prices and support customers to increase domestic clinker consumption.
The Department of Building Materials reported that the domestic cement selling price increased from 60,000 VND to 80,000 VND per tonne at the end of June 2022 due to the high cost of coal.
According to the Vietnam National Cement Association, the production cost of cement skyrocketed, but the export price of cement products did not increase, with cement exporters facing fierce competition.
In the third quarter of 2022, domestic cement consumption tended to increase, especially in the southern market. Cement prices keep stable, and they could reduce slightly.
The association said a series of expressway projects built in the 2022-2025 period are expected to be leverage to partially support the cement industry in reducing pressure on consuming cement products.
Forecasting the domestic cement market in the last months of 2022, experts say there is a positive signal of a significant increase in domestic cement demand, together with the Government’s requirement for strong disbursement for many public projects.
Vietnam’s garment exports to the UK increase
Viet Nam’s garment exports to the UK increased in August as Vietnamese enterprises take advantage of the UK-Viet Nam Free Trade Agreement (UKVFTA) to expand their presence in this market.
The latest data of the General Department of Vietnam Customs shows Viet Nam shipped US$92.4 million worth of garment products to the UK in August, up 3 per cent month-on-month and up 88.6 per cent over the same month in 2021.
Ending August, the country’s garment export reached $560.4 million, registering a year-on-year growth of 45 per cent.
The figure for the whole industry was $26.3 billion in the past eight months, up 24.3 per cent over the same period of last year.
According to Vietnam Textile and Apparel Association’s vice chairman Truong Van Cam, despite challenges in some main exporting markets, Viet Nam’s textile and garment industry is set to earn $45 billion in exports in 2022 compared to $40.3 billion last year.
Viet Nam is currently the world’s third largest exporter in this sector. Its main markets include the US, the Republic of Korea, Japan and Europe.
Supporting industry businesses, foreign buyers meet at sourcing fair
Local supporting industry companies should promote themselves and their products to foreign-owned manufacturing companies in Viet Nam seeking to source components within the country.
Speaking at a sourcing fair in HCM City last week, Vo Van Hoan, vice chairman of the city People’s Committee, said foreign firms in Viet Nam are increasingly looking to source components and parts locally, offering Vietnamese enterprises an opportunity to enter global supply chains.
But to grab that opportunity, they need to improve quality and offer competitive prices, he said.
The COVID-19 pandemic has severely disrupted global supply chains, leading to a slump in production activities, and this underlines the importance of having strong supply chains that do not depend too much on any one country, experts said.
Viet Nam is now attracting great attention from global buyers, including foreign firms operating locally.
Sam Hui, general manager of Global Sources, an international B2B sourcing platform company based in Hong Kong, told Viet Nam News recently that Viet Nam has the potential to be one of the most sought-after sourcing destinations for buyers world-wide.
A 2021 survey by the company found Viet Nam ranked the number one destination from where buyers plan to source from Asia, outside China, in the next 12 months, followed by India, Cambodia and Bangladesh.
Buyers said their top three pain points in sourcing from the country are product quality, choice of suppliers and delivery time.
Another 2021 survey by JETRO on Japanese investment in Asia and Oceania found that 55.3 per cent of Japanese businesses in Viet Nam wanted to expand their operations in the country in the next one to two years, the highest rate in Southeast Asia.
Le Nguyen Duy Oanh, deputy director of the HCM City Centre for Supporting Industries Development, said more and more buyers from the US and EU have come to the country to look for new sources of supply.
Experts said suppliers should also meet the requirements of buyers if they want to enter the global supply chain.
Buyers expect them to have good supply chain management, with a resource management system in place, they said. They must also develop their own supply system rather than relying entirely on China, they added.
Taiwanese investors ready to invest in Vietnam
A delegation of nine Taiwanese investors made a business trip to Vietnam to survey investment opportunities in many cities and provinces and intensify bilateral cooperation.
In the first trip of Taiwanese businesses to Vietnam since pandemic-induced lockdowns, a delegation from the island looked for investment opportunities across the country. They operate in semiconductors and electronic production for aviation, batteries, finance and several other sectors.
The business trip ran from September 4 to 10 and covered Hanoi, Bac Ninh, Quang Ninh, Haiphong, Nam Dinh, Thai Binh, and Ho Chi Minh City. Along with meeting local leaders, they also visited several industrial zones (IZs) to conduct field surveys.
The leaders of the localities are committed to creating favourable conditions for Taiwanese investors to invest in Vietnam.
In the first eight months, Taiwan was the seventh-largest foreign investor in Vietnam, with a total registered investment capital of over $780 million.
Last month, Taiwan-based Hon Hai Precision Industry, better known as Foxconn, issued plans to lease 50.5ha of land in Quang Chau Industrial Park in the northern province of Bac Giang to develop a new project, with an investment of $300 million.
Localities race to complete infrastructure for big gains
Many localities around the country are in a race to attract foreign direct investment via various channels including boosting infrastructure development.
Secretary of Binh Duong Party Committee Nguyen Van Loi and representatives of provincial authorities on August 24 surveyed the implementation of compensation and site clearance at a project on upgrading and expanding DT746 road. The road plays an important role in connecting Vietnam-Singapore Industrial Park III (VSIP3) with Ring Road 4, not only facilitating traffic but also opening up development space in the region.
The road goes through North Tan Uyen district and Tan Uyen town, which has impacted over 1,100 households. To date, the localities completed the land acquisition of almost 980 households.
Work on the factory is scheduled to begin this year and it will become operational in 2024 to help Danish-backed Lego Group expand its global supply chain. Its new facility has a total investment of more than $1 billion, rendering it one of the largest foreign-invested projects in Vietnam.
The other localities that have attracted the largest foreign-invested capital so far this year were Ho Chi Minh City ($2.7 billion), Bac Ninh ($1.75 billion), Thai Nguyen ($1.53 billion), and Haiphong ($1.21 billion). Some large-scale projects invested in these localities include the expanded Samsung projects in Ho Chi Minh City and Thai Nguyen, among others.
Building sufficient transport infrastructure has been a key factor in attracting new vent...
Campaign Calls For Warning Labels On Food High In Unhealthy Ingredients Bizcommunity.com
Campaign Calls For Warning Labels On Food High In Unhealthy Ingredients – Bizcommunity.com https://dentoncountynewsonline.com/campaign-calls-for-warning-labels-on-food-high-in-unhealthy-ingredients-bizcommunity-com/
Advocacy group Healthy Living Alliance (Heala) has rolled out a nationwide campaign titled ‘What’s in our Food?’, urging consumers to question what hidden ingredients can be found in pre-packaged foods. The media campaign is calling for bold front-of-package labels (FoPLs) alerting people that products are high in nutrients of concern such as in salt, sugar, and saturated fat.
Source: Supplied
Following global trends, South Africans are consuming an increasing amount of ultra-processed foods. Nutrients of concern contribute to non-communicable diseases such as diabetes, heart disease and some cancers. Worryingly South Africans have a 51.9% chance of dying from an NCD – diabetes, heart diseases and stroke being the most likely culprits – according to the NCD Countdown 2030. South Africa has one of the highest prevalence rates of diabetes in sub-Saharan Africa.
Demystifying nutrition labels
When shown images of foods with warning labels, parents indicated that they would buy fewer foods high in nutrients of concern that were labelled as “high in sugar, sodium, saturated fat” and switch to non-labelled healthier, foods. This is according to a study by researchers from the University of Limpopo, the University of Western Cape, and the University of North Carolina on parents’ food purchasing decisions and perceptions of unhealthy food.
The researchers noted that poor nutrition knowledge and affordability surfaced as some of the leading influencers of parental food selection.
Heala states that parents looking to make better health choices for their families are bombarded by confusing and overly technical nutritional information buried at the back of the tins, boxes, and bottles at the store, and that easy-to-read front-of-package labelling could translate the information consumers need to know into simple language.
The organisation wants “HIGH IN” front-of-pack warning labels to clearly identify products that are high in things like sugar, salt, saturated fat, to help consumers easily spot unhealthy foods.
Nzama Mbalati, Heala’s programme’s manager, says: “New research shows that warning labels on unhealthy packaged food would be a feasible and equitable policy to help South Africans identify and reduce purchasing of unhealthy food.
“While new draft legislation on packaging is waiting in the wings, there have been protracted delays, so Heala is urging consumers and community organisations, traditional leaders and NGOs to call for change. It is time to empower shoppers with the information they need to make the right decisions and protect their families’ health.”
Mbalati continues: “At the moment, one needs to be as informed as a dietician to know what the information at the back of a packet of food means. To empower consumers, we need front-of-package labels to help them identify what the industry is selling to them.”
Children most vulnerable
Makoma Bopape, senior lecturer at the University of Limpopo’s Department of Human Nutrition and Dietetics, is part of a team that completed a study on the efficacy of front-of-package labels in parental food purchasing. Bopape says the research indicates that children in both urban and rural settings are the most vulnerable consumers of ultra-processed foods.
“Increasing childhood obesity and poor eating habits have resulted in children as young as 12 being diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes, hypertension and related lifestyle diseases. Ultimately, poor eating is not only endangering the physical health of the younger generation but also impacting on their mental health as overweight children tend to become isolated and depressed,” she adds.
Bopape says that, while research showed that poor buying choices were also the result of lack of nutritional knowledge amongst parents and caregivers who were the main decision-makers when purchasing food for children, even consumers who were aware of nutrition-related issues quickly became discouraged when attempting to read food labels.
“People cannot make sense of what all of those numbers on food labels represent. We also found that a lot of people do not read labels because of lack of time. The ingredient list is long and few people can go through each and every item, so they end up looking for just one or two specific ingredients,” says Bopape.
Heala notes that its decision to ramp up its campaign this year is in line with the World Health Organization’s (WHO) recommendations that governments must legislate the use of easy-to-understand nutrition labels so that consumers think twice before placing foods that are high in sugar, salt or saturated fat in their shopping baskets. Front-of-package label regulations have already been implemented in at least 10 countries, including Argentina, Mexico and Chile.
Through its campaign, Heala encourages parents, caregivers, and ordinary citizens to join its call to The National Department of Health (NDoH) and sign its petition.
“Addressing non-communicable diseases needs legislative, regulatory and other measures agency to help save lives now. South Africa needs front-of-package labelling on its toolbox to help consumers make better choices and live healthier lives,” says Heala programmes head, Nzama Mbalati.
Labor Day 1973 Explosion Rattled North Bloomfield Residents | News Sports Jobs Warren Tribune Chronicle
Labor Day 1973 Explosion Rattled North Bloomfield Residents | News, Sports, Jobs – Warren Tribune Chronicle https://dentoncountynewsonline.com/labor-day-1973-explosion-rattled-north-bloomfield-residents-news-sports-jobs-warren-tribune-chronicle/
If you ask anyone from North Bloomfield or from the surrounding areas what they were doing 49 years ago on that Labor Day Monday morning, Sept. 3, 1973, most can easily recall where they were.
About a mile outside of town, my father sat up in bed. The first thing he thought of was the boiler at the high school must have exploded. Having absolutely nothing left of a favorite restaurant, pizza shop, pool hall, service garage and gas station was the last thing on the minds of folks who were woken up around 6:15 in the morning.
It was that day that the landscape of our rural community forever changed. The Colonial Inn, a tavern and restaurant that was located on the southwest corner of states Route 87 and 45, exploded. This explosion in turn leveled the other two buildings — a service garage and gas station.
Debris covered the center of the community and road graders and snow plows had to be used to clear the road. Across the street at Brownwood, windows were blown out and shards of glass were pulled from the wood siding for a few years afterward.
Built in the 1820s as a private home, the Colonial Inn often was referred to as the “Brownwood Twin.” The federal-style facade matched up against the 1819 Brownwood home across the street. It is unknown when it first became a tavern and restaurant, but township directories from the 1930s and photos from the early 1940s show it as “The Elms.”
Almost as soon as the last piece of debris was pulled from the electric wires in at the main intersection, the conspiracy theories were making their rounds.
“It was a mob hit!”
“The Youngstown Teamsters had to make a point!”
“The phone lines were cut — that’s the work of Detroit!”
Well, the truth is, the cause remains undetermined. While stories of dynamite still get circulated, the kitchen inside the Colonial was fueled by propane. I don’t know if the phone company determined that someone climbed the poles and cut the wires, or if they were simply sheared clean from the force of the explosion.
The southwest intersection never recovered. Today, one parcel has overflow parking for the used car lot and the other parcel is vacant.
The loss of the Colonial was, in reality, the start of something sad for our community in the 1970s. About the same time frame, the historic Brownwood estate across the street was obtained by a museum. It in turn removed original furniture, original wallpaper from 1819 and moved three buildings from the farm. It did however leave the windows blown out.
Welchman’s Hardware, the earliest commercial building in Bloomfield was then torn down. Ms. Welchman passed away, and her business was sold at auction. We believe her hardware store dated from the 1830s. It was owned by her father and her grandfather before that. At that time, it was a cabinet and furniture shop. Top of the line beds, dressers, cabinets, and of course, coffins, were always on hand.
In less than 10 years, Bloomfield lost seven historic structures. Once these buildings are gone, they never come back. This sounds like an obvious statement, but it reinforces the need for historical preservation.
When the quaint buildings with character are gone and dollar stores with their box facade take their place, it is like the fingerprints of your community are sanded off. I’m glad to see a turnaround locally with strong preservation efforts on multiple fronts. If we don’t save our own history, who will?
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X Metaverse Pro A Video-Centric Decentralized WEB3 Platform MarTech Series
X Metaverse Pro, A Video-Centric, Decentralized WEB3 Platform – MarTech Series https://dentoncountynewsonline.com/x-metaverse-pro-a-video-centric-decentralized-web3-platform-martech-series/
With the development of various websites, applications, and self-media, information dissemination in various forms, content or video, has considerable influence on society. Douyin, Kuaishou, Tencent Video, Youku, and other applications are widespread and occupy most of the traffic in the market. Live streaming and advertisement placement have become the primary revenue methods. X METAVERSE PRO was launched to break the monopoly brought by social media platforms.
Marketing Technology News: Leading Swiss Private TV Group CH Media Chooses Kaltura for New Streaming Service
Innovation in Internet Video
X METAVERSE PRO is a decentralized video platform based on blockchain. The key features are autonomy and sharing. It tries to innovate and transform Internet video from platform-led to creator-led. The platform allows anyone to upload videos and makes the ownership of videos open and transparent. Users can control their data and have the right to use and profit. They can get XMETA Token rewards based on the number of views and likes they get, which makes them more motivated. To produce high-quality works, readers can also gain purer content.
Governed by DAO, the project is initiated by a group of like-minded partners. The team members come from all over the world. The new internet shares a common passion. Among them, engineers account for the majority, the team is technically focused, and code development is more active. The team attracts quality projects and talent through frequent hackathons and developer events.
XMETA is the governance token of the platform, and its primary functions are staking, governance and payment. As a native asset on the X METAVERSE PRO chain, this Token participates in rewards for various roles. Access is by making high-quality contributions to the platform and community by becoming a founding member. That is to say, you can get XMETA by registering an account on the X METAVERSE PRO platform, posting videos, or watching videos.
Marketing Technology News: MarTech Interview with Ian Cohen, Founder and CEO at Lokker
The Next Generation of Web3 Internet
X METAVERSE PRO takes advantage of the traceability, immutability, anonymity, and other characteristics of the blockchain, aiming to achieve Web3, forming a new business model, which is expected to have a disruptive impact. First of all, the decentralization of the blockchain does not have a mandatory central control function, which can effectively remove third-party constraints and is jointly dominated by countless nodes. The second point is that it is traceable and non-tamperable, which can fully protect the system’s operational security and allow users to participate in the benefits in combination with the consensus mechanism. Finally, rely on anonymity to provide users with privacy protection and avoid data association by web trackers.
Based on the blockchain network, X METAVERSE PRO uses Web3 interactive technology to create a new generation of Internet of value, empowering creators to monetize their content directly without taking a share of the platform.
Overview of Platform Features
The X METAVERSE PRO platform opens the video upload function and sets various categories, such as technology, music, dance, food, cartoons, trendy games, and finance. Creators can sell the content as NFT and tokenize their channels. Anyone can invest in creators and earn a share of their income.
At the same time, the platform has launched several editing functions, integrating 3D, VR, modeling, and other visualization application technologies to facilitate users to edit independently and achieve more 3D model interaction. X METAVERSE PRO allows users to generate interactive interfaces for text, video, music, external links, and other functions through simple configuration, making videos more exciting and interactive. Users can develop online anytime, anywhere.
As a video-centric blockchain, X METAVERSE PRO, in addition to providing users with decentralized video services, allows developers and entrepreneurs to build video applications and allows creators to develop autonomous platforms. Creators publish and auction the NFTs generated by their videos, which can also be shared and crowdfunded in the community. From this point of view, X METAVERSE PRO is a powerful tool for creators to realize the creation and release of videos, which is an epoch-making communication and commercial closed-loop decentralized Web3 platform.
Marketing Technology News: Bad Reviews Aren’t Personal—They’re Data. Here’s How to Use Them
Representative of Creator Platform in the Web3.0 Era
The Internet empowers us to personalize and interact from a search-only Web1 to a read-write Web2. Following the trend of accessibility, content has become easier to find, produce and share. Web3 can better reflect the labor value of netizens and realize the balanced distribution of value, which people widely favor. In this Web3 revolution, X METAVERSE PRO is the pioneer of this practice, taking the lead in solving the problems of user information security and content ownership. Based on this surprising discovery, X METAVERSE PRO has a certain novelty in the field of content creation and video communication in the Web3 era and will play a more significant role in the Web3 mode in the future.
Dell XPS 13 Plus: More Than Just A Design Statement (Review) Gadgetguy.com.au
Dell XPS 13 Plus: More Than Just A Design Statement (Review) – Gadgetguy.com.au https://dentoncountynewsonline.com/dell-xps-13-plus-more-than-just-a-design-statement-review-gadgetguy-com-au/
The competition for premium thin and light notebooks has never been higher. Dell has responded with a bold redesign of its flagship ultrabook, and challenges some tried and true laptop conventions. So, did Dell stick the landing with the XPS 13 Plus or is it just a case of form over function? Let’s find out.
Design
The XPS 13 Plus has quite a unique, futuristic design. Its near borderless display and edge-to-edge keyboard sit above a capacitive LED function button row, and the seamless glass palm-rest houses an invisible haptic trackpad. While this design may seem like it could be difficult to use, in practice, that’s far from the case.
The decision to use capacitive LED buttons as opposed to physical keys for the function row is likely the most divisive. Smartly, the media keys are displayed by default, which is handy since most people use the function row keys to adjust the volume, display brightness and keyboard backlight. Simply pressing the Fn key switches to the standard F1 through to F12 keys. You can also lock the F keys in place by holding Fn + Esc if that’s your preference.
The capacitive buttons are fine enough for infrequent tasks such as changing the volume but the lack of haptic feedback means there’s no tactile feel, forcing you to take your attention away from the screen and look at what you’re pressing. It’s something that will likely only bother a limited subset of users such as programmers and designers who regularly rely on function keys for shortcuts in certain applications.
The keyboard is one of the best we’ve used, particularly for a device this thin and light. Dell has put every last millimetre of space to use so that there’s no gaps between the keys while retaining nice large keycaps. Coupled with a generous 1mm of travel, the keys have an excellent bounce-back that make the keyboard a dream to type on. The way the gapless keys spill all the way to the edges of the laptop also looks incredibly slick.
The XPS 13 Plus comes in either a graphite or platinum colour
Continuing on with the futuristic theme, the haptic touchpad is embedded into a single piece of glass running across the entire section beneath the keyboard. There’s no markers to tell you where the touchpad begins and ends but I didn’t find this to be an issue. The touchpad is directly under the spacebar, which is where you would expect it to be, and the surface area is large and every bit as responsive as a traditional touchpad. Without any demarcation for its edges, I did find my hands naturally resting on the touchpad more often, but the 13 Plus’ palm rejection feature meant I never encountered any issues with accidental presses.
In another nod to minimalism, the power button is completely unmarked and blends seamlessly into the keyboard. The power button houses the fingerprint reader and the webcam is also ‘Windows Hello’ enabled for fast sign-in.
The 720p webcam performs better than average for video calls but it’s a noticeable step down in quality when compared to the 1080p webcam you find in Microsoft Surface devices.
Ports and connectivity
The XPS 13 Plus comes with just two physical ports, both of which are USB-C and support Thunderbolt 4. Frustratingly, there is no headphone jack but Dell does include a USB-C to 3.5mm adapter in the box. I wish that Dell found a way to include a headphone jack as, unlike on smartphones, using wireless headphones on a Windows notebook isn’t a seamless experience. I also personally prefer to use wired headphones when I’m on a laptop because I know I’m going to work away for hours on end and I don’t want to have to think about keeping both the laptop and headphones charged.
Using the headphone adapter means I have to use up one of two ports, and if I’m charging my laptop with the other port, then carrying around yet another dongle just so I can use something as simple as an external drive is not ideal.
The XPS 13 Plus boats a unique futuristic design
Display
The XPS 13 Plus comes with three different 13.4-inch display options. The base config has a 1920 x 1200 (FHD+) non-touch LCD or you can spend a bit extra and go for either the touch-enabled 3456 x 2160 (3.5K) OLED display or a 3840 x 2400 (UHD+) LCD display. I reviewed the UHD+ model, which is really sharp at this size and the screen visibility holds up well when outdoors thanks to the effective anti-reflective coating and the bright 500 nits rated display. The screen is also DisplayHDR400 compliant but I would recommend going for the OLED screen if your typical laptop usage consists of a healthy dose of watching movies and tv shows.
Unfortunately, there’s no option of a refresh rate higher than 60Hz. If you’re coming from a laptop that has a faster refresh rate such as 90Hz or 120Hz, switching to a slower 60Hz display will take some getting used to.
Battery life
One of the key selling points of thin and light notebooks is the battery life. Sadly, this is an area where the XPS 13 Plus drops the ball, averaging between 4 to 5 hours of actual real world use with the screen set to 60% brightness. That’s a far cry from the 8 hour average you get from other Windows ultrabooks such as Microsoft’s own Surface Laptop 4 and further still from Apple’s M2 MacBook Pro and Air, both of which netted more than 12 hours of runtime.
Worse still, is the machine doesn’t exactly sip power when the lid is closed and not in use, chewing through 15% of battery after just 12 hours of sleep.
Dell does offer some additional power profiles via its ‘My Dell Power Manager’ app but we mainly ran the laptop in its default ‘optimised’ profile since the other modes such as ‘Quiet’ or ‘Cool’ didn’t yield a substantial enough improvement in runtime in our testing.
The included 60W charger is nice and small at least and provides up to 80% charge in just one hour.
Performance
Dell set out to deliver pro-level performance in a compact design and, as far as benchmarks go, it definitely lives up to it.
In Geekbench 5, which is a CPU-foused benchmark, the 13 Plus netted a solid 1701 in single core and an impressive 9,525 in multi-core thanks to the beefy Intel Core i7-1280P. The multi-core score outperforms every other 13-inch notebook we’ve tested to date and even some larger 14-inch notebooks such as the Surface Laptop Studio and the Razer Blade 14.
It should be noted that for the purposes of benchmarking, I switched the battery profile to ‘Ultra performance’ mode, which kicks up the surface temperature and fans to the limit as it increases clock speeds and the power draw to the 28W maximum available on the chip.
Switching the battery profile down to ‘optimised’, which makes the machine much quieter, still delivers an impressive Geekbench 5 score of 1,643 single core and 7,655 multi-core.
The CPU speeds are helped along by the fast DDR5 RAM and PCIe 4.0 internal SSD, which delivered a whopping 7081 MB/s read and 6249 MB/s write speeds in CrystalDiskMark, making it the fastest internal drive we’ve tested on any laptop to date.
Intel’s Iris Xe integrated graphics aren’t the strongest going around but achieve about what you would expect for a notebook this thin and light. However, this means playing most AAA games is off the table.
Problems and fixes
While the benchmark numbers are great, I encountered some significant performance drops during my review period in which I used the unit as my daily driver for a month. 4K videos stutter and freeze during playback while multitasking between applications and browser windows also suffer from notable slowdown from time to time. The fans kick up quite a bit when this occurs and the laptop would get fairly hot to the touch.
The other issue I encountered is that audio would cut out on a regular basis and switching the audio output to a different device over USB-C such as an external monitor’s onboard speakers, external DAC or even headphones, simply wouldn’t work. I tried multiple reinstalls of Windows and updating to the latest drivers but the issues were still there.
Recently, there was a driver update released from Dell that, according to the update log, was supposed to fix the audio problem, but in my testing it failed to fix the issue. Judging by the amount of comments left online from owners pointing out similar performance and audio issues, this doesn’t appear to be an isolated incident.
Eventually, I did a fresh install of Windows instead of using the default recovery of Dell’s version of Windows and without installing any of Dell’s drivers or software. This requires a number of extra steps to get working but after doing so, I didn’t experience any of the performance stutters or audio issues, which again suggests that Dell’s drivers are the culprit.
The Verge also recently reported that Dell is recalling models of the XPS 13 Plus with OLED displays due to a problem with the adhesive used that can cause the display to become loose.
All that is to say Dell appears to be having some quality control issues with the Dell XPS 13 Plus.
The XPS 13 Plus will turn heads at any coffee shop
GadgetGuy’s take
The XPS 13 Plus looks incredible and boasts some impressive power under the hood to match. There is a lot to like and it is certainly easy to carry around. However, the battery life simply isn’t up to the mark and Dell’s quality control, particularly when it comes to its drivers, resulted in issues with audio and performance. While it appears this may be rectified with a future software fix, the XPS Plus is difficult to recommend in its current state.
Dell’s XPX 13 Plus is well designed, light and packs a powerful powerful punch, however, it needs better battery life and polish to take the ultra-portables crown.
Positives
Slick new design is a showstopper
Packs a lot ...
Ethereum Upgrade Brings Risks For Ailing Crypto Lender Hodlnaut Bloomberg
Ethereum Upgrade Brings Risks For Ailing Crypto Lender Hodlnaut – Bloomberg https://dentoncountynewsonline.com/ethereum-upgrade-brings-risks-for-ailing-crypto-lender-hodlnaut-bloomberg/
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Technology News | Apple To Reportedly Bring IPhone Subscription This Year LatestLY
Technology News | ⚡Apple To Reportedly Bring IPhone Subscription This Year – LatestLY https://dentoncountynewsonline.com/technology-news-%e2%9a%a1apple-to-reportedly-bring-iphone-subscription-this-year-latestly/
Tech giant Apple is likely to bring out a monthly iPhone subscription bundle, with a package combining hardware and services like Apple One this year.
How Gamergate Led The Gaming Industry To Embrace More Diverse And Caring Values LiveWire
How ‘Gamergate’ Led The Gaming Industry To Embrace More Diverse And Caring Values – LiveWire https://dentoncountynewsonline.com/how-gamergate-led-the-gaming-industry-to-embrace-more-diverse-and-caring-values-livewire/
Video game developers have always sought to “find the fun” for their audiences and to provide players with exciting worlds to escape to. However, the cost of “finding the fun” was highlighted in 2014 when women in the games industry attempted to expose the misogyny in some games and in their communities.
In response, some members of the gamer community lashed out. In what became known as the GamerGate controversy, predominantly male activists sought to intimidate women in the industry with death threats and rape threats. These gamers expressed a desire to isolate the world of gaming from broader social mores.
GamerGate was a low point for the gaming world, seemingly confirming yet another poor stereotype. But in the eight years since GamerGate, the games industry has transformed. As game developers have become more diverse, so too have the people who play their games.
The things developers and players care about have changed too, heralding a new era of “values-conscious games” which explore a variety of topics, such as empathy, diversity and wellbeing. These are proving increasingly popular with existing and newfound audiences.
The gaming landscape has changed dramatically since 2014. Reports of violent video games causing real-world violent behaviour have been found to be greatly exaggerated.
Meanwhile, gaming showcases such as Wholesome Direct have grown rapidly, providing a platform for hundreds of “thoughtful, uplifting and compassionate” games that focus on “cosiness” rather than competition.
“Walking simulators” are a genre of game that focuses heavily on stories that unfold as characters walk around, with more emphasis on atmosphere and artistry than exciting gameplay. Games in the genre had previously been regarded as “notgames”, or games that value creativity over conventional game design, but their critical and commercial success challenges the notion of what games can be and shows that what players want from their games may be changing.
The ongoing success of Fortnite and Call of Duty, which are fairly traditional shooter games, demonstrates that “fun” is still alive and well in video games and that old gameplay formulas still appeal to many gamers. But it was Animal Crossing, where players plant trees and build homes on an island, that became known as the game of the pandemic by emphasising the importance of friendship and compassion.
Many popular games now foster a similar message, even if they also feature weapons and combat. The Last of Us: Part II, a game about the aftermath of a zombie pandemic, highlighted gay and trans characters and storylines. It sold 10 million copies.
Death Stranding, in which players traverse a post-apocalyptic America, focuses on the importance of connection. Life is Strange: True Colours, the latest in a game series in which teenagers discover and harness supernatural abilities, has even made a superpower out of empathy.
Values-conscious gaming
The notion of games being used as vehicles for good is nothing new. Games For Good, which aims to harness gaming’s popularity to achieve social good, was founded in 1998. However, in recent years, the ways in which games can achieve this have expanded significantly.
It’s not unusual to hear gamers state that a game fostered their empathy for a cause, encouraged them to get more active, or even changed their lives by approaching issues that they value in a uniquely immersive way. This is becoming even more important as the gaming community, almost half of whom are now women, continues to evolve.
Values-conscious game design is a growing field in academia that aims to satisfy the demands of this evolving audience. The field suggests that a focus on values really could help enable games to both “do good” and do well.
Values-conscious games aim to make people reflect on the content of the games they play, ask questions about their own lives, and examine their biases. Players have claimed that The Walking Dead, a zombie game based around moral decision-making such as whether to save a character or escape, was more engaging because it encouraged them to reflect on their choices and actions.
Some players expressly seek to challenge their own values through “dark play”, replaying a decision-making game in order to make different choices that explore difficult topics such as sexuality, power dynamics and societal taboos.
Changing values affects game developers too. As the average age of male game developers has increased, more games have come to explore the father-child relationship. Many developers also take part in “game jams”, which encourage them to tell their personal stories through games.
More importantly, developers from different backgrounds and with different perspectives now have a seat at the table. More women, nonbinary, genderqueer and transgender people are making games, with surveys finding that these made up 38% of developers in 2021 compared to 24% in 2014.
This increased diversity has led to game-based retellings of developers’ personal experiences, such as Nina Freeman’s Cibele, which details her first sexual relationship, or Zoe Quinn’s Depression Quest, a game inspired by her own lived experience of mental health issues.
Games for good
While some developers bristle when their work is classified as just another “empathy game”, it is nevertheless heartening to see how values-conscious games are meaningfully affecting the lives of their players. Players of Depression Quest, for example, cite the game as the reason they sought help for their struggles.
Positive outcomes can also come from the most unexpected of sources: Tetris has been shown to reduce flashbacks of traumatic memories, Bejewelled may reduce depressive symptoms and stress, and Pac-Man can help autistic children build social skills.
It’s clear that values-conscious gaming is not here to take the “fun” out of video games or to fan the flames of GamerGate. Instead, by presenting games as a medium for exploring the important things in our lives, value-conscious games provide a valuable opportunity for new demographics of developers to start making games, and new demographics of players to start playing them.
In 2022, games don’t just have to value fun. They can value empathy, mental health and an array of diverse and inclusive stories, among other things. The trend since GamerGate suggests a hunger for games that challenge players in fresh, new ways and speak to things that players care about. I, for one, can’t wait to play what’s coming next.
Adam Jerrett, Lecturer, Faculty of Creative & Cultural Industries, University of Portsmouth
This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.
Featured image: Yolanda Obeng / Unsplash
JOHN BREEN | News Sports Jobs The Steubenville Herald-Star
JOHN BREEN | News, Sports, Jobs – The Steubenville Herald-Star https://dentoncountynewsonline.com/john-breen-news-sports-jobs-the-steubenville-herald-star/
John Keith Breen, 56, of Toronto passed away Friday, September 9, 2022, at the Allegheny General Hospital, Pittsburgh.
He was born October 13, 1965, in Almont, Michigan, the son of the late Charles Herbert Breen in 1982 and his mother Doris (Flanagan) Breen who survives. He was also preceded in death by a sister Sherry Breen in 1964 and a brother Stephen M. Breen in 2022.
John enjoyed hunting and working on automobiles and was an animal lover. He retired as owner of the RJ’s One Step Buck Shop.
In addition to his mother, Doris (Flanagan) Breen of Toronto he is survived by his son, Charles “Chaz” Breen of Toronto; daughters, Tamara Breen of Rayland and Nicole Stoddart of Toronto; grandchildren, Christian Breen, Stella Stoddart and Keelan Filby; brother, Randy (Michele) Breen of Almont, MI; sisters, Janice (Daryl) Denton of Mio, MI, and Lori (Rick) Roy of Bloomingdale along with many nieces and nephews.
Visitation for John will be held from 1-2 p.m. Wednesday, September 14, at the Clarke Funeral Home, Toronto. A celebration service of John’s life will follow at 2 p.m. Wednesday with Mr. John Keenan officiating. Interment will follow at the Sugar Grove Union Cemetery.
Memorial contributions in memory of John may be made to the Jefferson County Humane Society, P.O. Box 233, Steubenville, OH 43952.
To send condolences to the family, go to www.clarkefuneral home.com.
Gabbi Garcia And Khalil Ramos Visit Michelin-Starred Restaurant In The US GMA Network
Gabbi Garcia And Khalil Ramos Visit Michelin-Starred Restaurant In The US – GMA Network https://dentoncountynewsonline.com/gabbi-garcia-and-khalil-ramos-visit-michelin-starred-restaurant-in-the-us-gma-network/
Gabbi Garcia and Khalil Ramos visit Michelin-starred restaurant in the US GMA Network
Eyes On Ebbing: Whats Next For Fort Smith (Editorial) Arkansas Business Online
Eyes On Ebbing: What’s Next For Fort Smith (Editorial) – Arkansas Business Online https://dentoncountynewsonline.com/eyes-on-ebbing-whats-next-for-fort-smith-editorial-arkansas-business-online/
Fort Smith (Shutterstock)
If, as is expected, Ebbing Air National Guard Base is chosen to train foreign pilots in the F-35 Lightning II fighter jet, the city of Fort Smith will see a transformation.
City Administrator Carl Geffken told Arkansas Business Assistant Editor Marty Cook that as many as 1,000 people may move to the area to participate in or support the new mission, providing as much as $1 billion in economic activity. “Our homebuilders are working to increase the housing supply, our schools are ready for the new students, and our community is ready to welcome them,” Geffken said.
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The Russian war on Ukraine is fueling interest from European countries in the F-35, said Col. Jeremiah Gentry, the commander of the 188th Fighter Wing of the Arkansas Air National Guard at Ebbing. And because Russian President Vladimir Putin is not likely to suddenly repudiate aggression toward his neighbors, that means the pilot training mission at Ebbing may last some time.
Queen Elizabeth II of England died last week. You may wonder why a business publication should be concerned, but the queen over her 70-year reign demonstrated exceptional leadership qualities, qualities that business leaders could learn from.
The first is the importance of doing one’s duty. The queen did her duty as leader of a constitutional monarchy with few public complaints, despite being sorely tested.
The second is recognizing error and addressing it. Queen Elizabeth was criticized in the wake of Princess Diana’s death in 1997 for failing to acknowledge the depth of public grief. The queen “pivoted,” as we say these days, and on the eve of Diana’s funeral delivered a speech praising the beloved princess, dispelling much of the hostility her apparent coldness had generated.
Most importantly, in terms she would recognize, the queen “fought the good fight, finished the race, kept the faith.”
Sustainable Champion EDNRE Food Garden EIN Presswire EIN News
Sustainable Champion – EDNRE Food Garden – EIN Presswire – EIN News https://dentoncountynewsonline.com/sustainable-champion-ednre-food-garden-ein-presswire-ein-news/
Home Sustainable Champion – EDNRE Food Garden
As countries around the world reopen its borders and commence the road to economic recovery, Tokelau’s Ministry of Economic Development, Natural Resources and Environment (EDNRE) had embarked on promoting a health lifestyles for all communities through its food garden initiatives.
With in-country lockdowns lifted the global pandemic has been stressful, however in Tokelau these lockdowns have been beneficial to some extent as its peoples have had the opportunity to spend more time in their food gardens, contributing a positive impact to the people’s health.
Back in 2020 as the world closed its borders to international travel and tourism, the EDNRE department distributed seeds in April to households on the island during the pandemic. This initiative was organised by EDNRE department for each household to have access to their own home food garden to improve healthy eating habits and enhancing food security through sustainable agriculture.
Despite the poor fertile soil conditions and harsh environmental conditions as compared to other island countries, but villages on each Nuku still managed to grow and provide seedlings for household gardens by using all the means of resources on the land and traditional knowledge. Families and organisations are now growing household gardens and not have to rely on imported vegetables as they are now reaping and eating from their own gardens.
The EDNRE’s agricultural activities are in alignment with Tokelaus National Strategic Plan (TNSP) 2021 – 2026: Strategic Goal 6 of the “To Strengthen Environment and Climate Change Resilience” by utilizing the soil to meet the overall vision of the TNSP of “Thriving Communities with Equal Opportunities for All”. While the EDNRE Strategic Plan 2022 – 2025 vision of “Environment Security is Strategic to Food and National Securities” cascades down to the communities to engage more in growing food gardens for improved healthy living.
Currently, EDNRE department has its own gardens and nursery on each nuku (village) – supply seedlings and technical advices for families and organization on agriculture and food security.
Source: Tokelau Department of EDNRE
Photo Credit: Tokelau Department of EDNRE
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Funerals | News, Sports, Jobs – Marietta Times https://dentoncountynewsonline.com/funerals-news-sports-jobs-marietta-times/
Nicholas Jon Farley –Family will greet friends on Tuesday (Sept. 13) at McClure-Schafer-Lankford Funeral Home from 2-4 and 6-8 followed by cremation.
Eleanor Eileen Gates Lee — Funeral, 10 a.m. today, Barlow Chapel of Cawley & Peoples Funeral Homes. Burial, Barlow Central Cemetery. Visitation, 3 – 6 p.m Sunday.
Edna Louise Clark Pennock Phillis — Funeral services will be held at 11 am on Tuesday, September 13, 2022 at Smith’s Chapel United Methodist Church, St. Rt. 83 Beverly, Ohio. Burial will be in Smith’s Chapel Cemetery. Friends may call 6-8 pm today at McCurdy Funeral Home in Beverly.
Robert Ray Ruse Jr. –A memorial service will be held at 1 pm today at Hadley Funeral Home Reno Chapel, 1021 Pike St., Marietta, OH 45750 with full military honors to be observed.
Jing X Équité Webinar Answers Luxurys Burning Questions On The Metaverse Jing Daily
Jing X Équité Webinar Answers Luxury’s Burning Questions On The Metaverse – Jing Daily https://dentoncountynewsonline.com/jing-x-equite-webinar-answers-luxurys-burning-questions-on-the-metaverse-jing-daily/
Recently, we kicked off the first edition of the Jing Daily x Équité webinar series about the luxury metaverse. More than 500 people registered — including representatives of some of the most iconic luxury brands such as Hermès and Audemars Piguet — indicating the extreme relevance of the topic. As the Q&A portion was rich with questions that keep luxury managers up at night, I decided to dedicate this Future of Luxury column to answering them.
Where do you see luxury brands and the metaverse in the next five years, 10 years? Will this be a sustainable trend?
The metaverse is the next, more immersive iteration of the internet. In its full expression it will allow a seamless and fluid transition between the physical and the digital. Today’s technologies, notably the Meta Quest 2 and ByteDance Pico Neo 3 Pro Eye, are a leap ahead of previous devices. However, we are probably still three to five generations of hardware, processor, camera, sensor, and software updates away from VR and AR not just becoming mainstream but being as intuitively usable and convenient as today’s phones.
So the question is not about if, but when — and whether a three to five year horizon is realistic from today’s perspective. Once devices are smaller, more powerful, and much easier to use, they will replace the smartphone, at least in part, and become our day-to-day devices. This is why the metaverse is not a trend but a structural change in the market. In the webinar I strongly urged the audience to get familiar with today’s technology so that they can understand its potential and limitations. I spend at least an hour a day in VR, host conferences in the metaverse, and use apps in my everyday life, from work to workouts. Some are amazing, some need significant work. Therefore, being in the metaverse today will allow the managers of luxury brands to successfully manage the future and generate relevant ideas.
Should brands adopt a different personality in the metaverse to connect with the younger generations? Or should they stay on brand with their image in the non-metaverse world?
I am a radicalist when it comes to brand storytelling. Today, brands have too many personalities and messages, making it almost impossible for them to become relevant with Gen Z. I recently analyzed a few legacy brands that tried hard to be young at all costs, e.g. through integrations into games like Call of Duty which did not feel on brand. Basically, if it feels weird, then it probably is, especially for a digitally native generation.
The most critical exercise brands should do right now is to audit their brand story and reduce their message to one, which is expressed from a rational and an emotional perspective. It’s an unbelievably difficult process, especially from the inside, because there is a tendency to add too many elements to the positioning. This does not work with Gen Z and in a metaverse reality where the breakthrough of messages towards audiences has become increasingly challenging as the experience becomes more immersive and channels more closed. Preparing this way for the metaverse will give brands a jumpstart in today’s world and generate significant competitive advantage.
Do you imagine luxury companies and fashion houses investing more on building internal teams to work specifically in the metaverse? If so, are there any examples of good ones you have noticed staffing up?
I dislike the idea of creating internal silos. This was the fundamental mistake many brands did in the early days of digitization. It is the responsibility of the entire management team, including the CEO, to become part of the metaverse transition. It’s a holistic approach that has to start with an overhaul in brand messaging and a seamless experience creation between the digital and the physical. Of course, it makes sense to have internal or external experts on board; however, creating siloed, dedicated teams increases the risk that these teams will try to internalize all the decision power on metaverse projects. The overall company strategy will not have been affected strongly enough. Web3 needs a holistic approach that integrates all levels and all departments within an organization. It is the biggest shift that companies have to manage over the next decade.
Do you see any potential downsides of more luxury companies and brands overinvesting in the metaverse? Does it alienate the traditional core demo?
Today there are too many projects that are simply deployed in order to “also have a metaverse project.” In most cases that we analyze, I miss strategy and clarity on the endgame. Often millions of dollars are wasted in initiatives that have no audience, the wrong audience, or no relevance and impact. Why would anyone visit your virtual real estate on Sandbox? You better create something of high relevance or desirability. Why would you want to build a presence on Roblox when many of the users may be far younger than your target?
In June, Givenchy Parfums launched a beauty house on Roblox, which included virtual makeup stations, a photobooth, and a swimming pool. Photo: Givenchy
Instead, technologies that are scalable today, like 3D e-commerce experiences that can be deployed on any normal website, may be much more game changing for now. I think having a presence in today’s metaverse can be a good investment but only if you follow a few criteria: Is what we do relevant for our audience? Do we have an audience (don’t be surprised that often virtual reality spaces cater to an audience of one or sometimes zero, lacking relevance or the right concept)? And if yes, do we have the right audience in terms of age, demographics, and interest? Lastly, do we have a (brand-)story that is reflected in the initiative that entices people to interact? Never just go into the metaverse with your brand without being extremely strategic and intentional. Too much is on stake: your brand equity in the eyes of Gen Z.
Register for part two of the Jing Daily x Équité webinar series here
Named one of the “Global Top Five Luxury Key Opinion Leaders to Watch,” Daniel Langer is the CEO of the luxury, lifestyle and consumer brand strategy firm Équité, and the executive professor of luxury strategy and pricing at Pepperdine University in Malibu, California. He consults many of the leading luxury brands in the world, is the author of several best-selling luxury management books, a global keynote speaker, and holds luxury masterclasses on the future of luxury, disruption, and the luxury metaverse in Europe, the USA, and Asia. Follow @drlanger
