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Explaining Travel Terms | Travel | Nrtoday.com – NRToday.com https://dentoncountynewsonline.com/explaining-travel-terms-travel-nrtoday-com-nrtoday-com/ 1 of 2 Lions Park, Noosa Heads, Australia Courtesy Waren Brasse via unsplash.com Ocean and beach views of Samaná in the Dominican Republic. Courtesy of Zen Zeee via Unsplash.com Travel Leaders / Fly Away Travel Sep 25, 2022 1 hr ago 0 1 of 2 Lions Park, Noosa Heads, Australia Courtesy Waren Brasse via unsplash.com Ocean and beach views of Samaná in the Dominican Republic. Courtesy of Zen Zeee via Unsplash.com Like any business, travel has its share of unfamiliar terms. Part of the job of a Travel Leaders travel advisor is to explain all of the language that comes with planning a trip, so that you know exactly what you’re getting. This content is provided by Travel Leaders / Fly Away Travel, located at 1445 W. Harvard Ave. in Roseburg. Call 541-672-5701 for information. Post a comment as anonymous Welcome to the discussion. Keep it Clean. Please avoid obscene, vulgar, lewd, racist or sexually-oriented language. PLEASE TURN OFF YOUR CAPS LOCK. Don’t Threaten. Threats of harming another person will not be tolerated. Be Truthful. Don’t knowingly lie about anyone or anything. Be Nice. No racism, sexism or any sort of -ism that is degrading to another person. Be Proactive. Use the ‘Report’ link on each comment to let us know of abusive posts. Share with Us. We’d love to hear eyewitness accounts, the history behind an article. Click for water temperature

New Little Rock Federal Reserve Leader Looks To Convene, Connect – Talkbusiness.net https://dentoncountynewsonline.com/new-little-rock-federal-reserve-leader-looks-to-convene-connect-talkbusiness-net/ Matuschka Lindo Briggs, who was named in June as Vice President and regional executive for the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis’ Little Rock branch, is down with Arkansas hospitality. “The hospitality is overwhelming. I will say the big surprise is the food. I’m a foodie and the food is good in Arkansas, no matter where you are and just driving through the state. So I really like the way the state has welcomed me, opened their arms to me. It’s really, really meant a lot to me.” Briggs was named to the Little Rock post the summer and succeeded Robert Hopkins, who retired after 38 years. She joined the Fed in 2015 and has held a variety of roles ahead of her current assignment. She has spent her time in Arkansas so far meeting and networking across the state. Finding ways to convene and connect people for the purpose of storytelling is an important part of her job in conveying anecdotal information to the St. Louis central bank. “…Data and research is so important to the fed, but there is a lag to that,” she said. “I have been traveling [Arkansas] and there is a lot of good stuff happening in the Natural State, but I also need to understand the pain points and the challenges because what I do is I take all that information. I share it with our researchers. I share it with President [James] Bullard to help them inform monetary policy.” Briggs background as a storyteller is strengthened by her former media credentials. After growing up as a self-proclaimed “Air Force brat,” the Panama-born executive came of age in middle America. She graduated from Williams Woods College in Fulton, Missouri with a bachelor’s degree in journalism and communications, earned an MBA from Washington University in St. Louis, and worked in Des Moines, Iowa for an NBC affiliate. “I was really in the thick of rural America. I was doing stories on seed corn, feed corn, soybean reporting. Gradually, I came out and started doing general reporting, health reporting and political reporting. So I do feel that it has brought me full circle into storytelling, which is what I do here,” Briggs said. The Federal Reserve Bank has two primary goals: stable prices and maximum employment. Briggs hopes that the information she’s helping provide and the relationships she’s developing will advance those objectives. “My goal is to help maximize the quality of participation for the economy of this state. When I’m talking and listening to people, that’s something that I’m really hearing about a lot – is there are a lot of jobs and we really need to help with that job growth. However I can do that and talking to people, understanding, and I’m a convener. If I can get leaders at the Fed or leaders within the state to work together and help with that job growth, I’m excited to do that. I’m a convener, I’m a connector, and I’m a storyteller. That’s really my role,” she said. You can watch Briggs’ full interview in the video below.

Health Notes | Health | Chronicleonline.com – Citrus County Chronicle https://dentoncountynewsonline.com/health-notes-health-chronicleonline-com-citrus-county-chronicle/ Sep 25, 2022 17 min ago 0 Though there is no cure for CKD, the kidney health experts at World Kidney Day note that treatment can slow or halt the progression of the disease. That underscores the importance of learning to recognize potential signs of kidney disease. MetroCreative Post a comment as anonymous Welcome to the discussion. Keep it Clean. Please avoid obscene, vulgar, lewd, racist or sexually-oriented language. PLEASE TURN OFF YOUR CAPS LOCK. Don’t Threaten. Threats of harming another person will not be tolerated. Be Truthful. Don’t knowingly lie about anyone or anything. Be Nice. No racism, sexism or any sort of -ism that is degrading to another person. Be Proactive. Use the ‘Report’ link on each comment to let us know of abusive posts. Share with Us. We’d love to hear eyewitness accounts, the history behind an article. Thank you for reading! Please purchase a subscription to read our premium content. If you have a subscription, please log in or sign up for an account on our website to continue. There are no services available.

What Channel Is Bears Vs. Texans On Today? Time, TV Schedule For NFL Week 3 Game – Sporting News https://dentoncountynewsonline.com/what-channel-is-bears-vs-texans-on-today-time-tv-schedule-for-nfl-week-3-game-sporting-news/ The start of every new NFL season brings renewed hope and optimism to fans of all 32 franchises. But just two weeks into the 2022 campaign, it seems Chicago and Houston are still stuck in limbo. The Bears and Texans both came into the season in the midst of a rebuild, with new head coaches entering the fray to try and turn around their fortunes. After both teams showed promising signs in Week 1, they lost their Week 2 matchups to reset expectations for the year. For Chicago, a rainy season-opening win over the 49ers sparked excitement for the season ahead. A debut victory for head coach Matt Eberflus over a San Francisco team expected to make a playoff run was an impressive way to start the campaign. But things came crashing back to Earth last week in a deflating loss to their rivals, the Green Bay Packers. Aaron Rodgers and Co. tore the Bears apart yet again, cruising to a 27-10 win at Lambeau Field. Justin Fields threw the ball just 11 times in Week 2, an obvious sign that Eberflus still doesn’t fully trust the second-year quarterback. However, a favorable matchup against the Texans seems like a good opportunity to air it out more in Week 3. MORE: TV coverage, channels, scores for every NFL Week 3 game today Houston battled Indianapolis to a tie to open its season, but dropped a close game to the Broncos last Sunday to fall to 0-1-1.  Head coach Lovie Smith is making his return to Soldier Field, where he spent nine years in the same role for the Bears from 2004-2012. He’ll be encouraged by some positive signs in the first two weeks of the season, but the Texans still remain winless heading into Week 3. Davis Mills has been uninspiring in his first full season as the starting quarterback in Houston, with the team’s passing game struggling. The Texans defense kept Russell Wilson and the Broncos in check last time out, though, holding them to just 16 points. That will give the team some hope of springing an upset in Chicago on Sunday.  Can the Bears get back on track with a win in Week 3, or will the Texans secure their first victory of the season at Soldier Field? Here’s everything you need to know to watch Bears vs. Texans this Sunday, including kickoff time, TV channels and the full NFL schedule for both teams. MORE: Watch live NFL games all season with fuboTV (free trial) What channel is Bears vs. Texans on today? TV channel (national): CBS TV channel (Chicago): WBBM TV channel (Houston): KHOU Live stream: Paramount+, fuboTV (US) | DAZN (Canada)  Bears vs. Texans will be broadcast regionally on local CBS affiliate channels. Andrew Catalon and James Lofton will be on the call from Chicago. You can find the Bears’ home broadcast on SiriusXM channel 226, while the Texans’ away broadcast will air on channel 384. Viewers in the United States can stream Bears vs. Texans on fuboTV, which offers a free trial. In Canada, viewers can watch Browns vs. Panthers with a subscription to DAZN, which includes every NFL game. Bears vs. Texans start time Date: Sunday, Sept. 25 Kickoff: 1 p.m. ET (12 p.m. CT) Bears vs. Texans is set to get underway from Soldier Field in Chicago at 1 p.m. ET (12 p.m. local time).  Chicago Bears schedule Week Date Opponent Kickoff time TV 1 Sept. 11 vs. 49ers 1 p.m. ET Fox 2 Sept. 18 at Packers 8:20 p.m. ET NBC 3 Sept. 25 vs. Texans 1 p.m. ET CBS 4 Oct. 2 at Giants 1 p.m. ET Fox 5 Oct. 9 at Vikings 1 p.m. ET Fox 6 Oct. 13 vs. Commanders (Thursday) 8:20 p.m. ET Amazon Prime 7 Oct. 24 at Patriots (Monday) 8:15 p.m. ET ESPN 8 Oct. 30 at  Cowboys 1 p.m. ET Fox 9 Nov. 6 vs. Dolphins 1 p.m. ET CBS 10 Nov. 13 vs. Lions 1 p.m. ET Fox 11 Nov. 20 at Falcons 1 p.m. ET Fox 12 Nov. 27 at Jets 1 p.m. ET Fox 13 Dec. 4 vs. Packers 1 p.m. ET Fox 14 BYE       15 Dec. 18 vs. Eagles 1 p.m. ET Fox 16 Dec. 24 vs. Bills (Saturday) 1 p.m. ET CBS 17 Jan. 1 at Lions 1 p.m. ET Fox 18 Jan. 7 OR Jan. 8 vs. Vikings TBD TBD Houston Texans schedule Week Date Opponent Kickoff time TV 1 Sept. 11 vs. Colts 1 p.m. ET CBS 2 Sept. 18 at Broncos 4:25 p.m. ET CBS 3 Sept. 25 at Bears 1 p.m. ET CBS 4 Oct. 2 vs. Chargers 1 p.m. ET CBS 5 Oct. 9 at Jaguars 1 p.m. ET CBS 6 BYE       7 Oct. 23 at Raiders 4:05 p.m. ET CBS 8 Oct. 30 vs. Titans 4:05 p.m. ET CBS 9 Nov. 3 vs. Eagles (Thursday)  8:15 p.m. ET Amazon Prime Video 10 Nov. 13 at Giants 1 p.m. ET CBS 11 Nov. 20 vs. Commanders 1 p.m. ET Fox 12 Nov. 27 at Dolphins 1 p.m. ET CBS 13 Dec. 4 vs. Browns 1 p.m. ET CBS 14 Dec. 11 at Cowboys 1 p.m. ET Fox 15 Dec. 18 vs. Chiefs 1 p.m. ET CBS 16 Dec. 24 at Titans (Saturday) 1 p.m. ET CBS 17 Jan. 1 vs. Jaguars 1 p.m. ET CBS 18 Jan. 7/8 at Colts TBD TBD

Global Tech Players And The Wider Metaverse Community Gather To Discuss And Showcase The Potential Of This New Immersive World – Government Of Dubai Media Office https://dentoncountynewsonline.com/global-tech-players-and-the-wider-metaverse-community-gather-to-discuss-and-showcase-the-potential-of-this-new-immersive-world-government-of-dubai-media-office/ The Dubai Metaverse Assembly is organized by Dubai Future Foundation under the patronage of HH Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed on 28-29 September at the Museum of the Future and AREA 2071 The first-of-its-kind event hosts over 300 global experts and more than 40 organizations discussing, exploring and shaping the future of metaverse Over 25 renowned speakers from Meta, Binance, Mastercard, The Sandbox, Polygon, Bedu, PWC, Accenture, BCG Digital Ventures, Decentraland, Mastercard and more HE Omar Al Olama:The Dubai Metaverse Assembly is a global platform convening technology experts and the wider metaverse community to map out opportunities and harness the potential of this promising virtual world Dubai Metaverse Assembly will be organized by Dubai Future Foundation (DFF), under the patronage of H.H. Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai, Chairman of the Executive Council and Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the DFF, on 28-29 September at the Museum of the Future and AREA 2071. The first-of-its-kind regional event will host 300 global experts and more than 40 organizations specialized in metaverse and virtual worlds applications. As one of the region’s largest specalised events, the flagship event will explore the digital economy and identify how governments, businesses and communities can unlock the unlimited potential of the metaverse to create a bolder future. More than 30 local and international leaders including international metaverse academics, designers, builders and specialists in virtual education, e-commerce, medicine, art, gaming, events, NFTs and other digital assets will speak at the two-day event. Additionally, the event will host speakers from renowned global organizations such as Meta, Binance, Mastercard, The Sandbox, Bedu, PWC, Accenture, BCG Digital Ventures, Decentraland, Mastercard among others. His Excellency Omar Sultan Al Olama, Minister of State for Artificial Intelligence, Digital Economy and Remote Work Applications, Deputy Managing Director of Dubai Future Foundation noted that the “Dubai Metaverse Assembly”, hosted in Dubai this week, serves as a global platform convening technology experts and the wider metaverse community from around the world to map out opportunities and harness the potential of this promising virtual world. His Excellency added: “The specialized event is a first for the region and a unique opportunity to exchange knowledge and ideas on the best solutions, projects and industries likely to benefit from the metaverse’s vast potential. Through this inaugural event, we highlight the extraordinary potential of this immersive world to accelerate economic growth, drive innovation and create a fundamentally better future for humanity.” Comprehensive Program More than 25 sessions, meetings, and workshops will take place across the Museum of the Future and AREA 2071 at Emirates Towers during the Dubai Metaverse Assembly. They will cover a broad gamut of topics: from building robust and scalable metaverse infrastructure to creating robust, business-friendly regulation and providing government services in the digital world. What major technology and private-sector companies should do to develop an industry that may exceed $30 trillion in 15 years will also be tackled when the world’s leading metaverse experts converge on Dubai. Ziad Traboulsi, Director, Business Engineering at Reality Labs at Meta, commented: “We are excited to participate in the Dubai Metaverse Assembly and look forward to discussing the metaverse amongst a highly engaged and tech savvy audience. Although nothing beats being together in person, when it is not possible, the metaverse will get us closer, because interactions in the metaverse will feel more like those we have in our daily lives. Along with others, we are building the metaverse to be something that billions can benefit from.” Keith Jordan, Vice President of Innovation at Mastercard Labs, Mastercard; a unique lab committed to delivering high-impact, customer-centric experiences said: “We look forward to welcoming leaders and futurists from across the globe as we explore the countless ways our realities will change as we enter the metaverse. Emerging worlds present limitless possibilities, and Mastercard is proud to drive the acceleration of these technologies as we support Dubai’s ambitions to become one of the world’s top 10 metaverse economies.” Mastercard Labs will host a dedicated session on how shopping, banking and gaming are shaping the metaverse and how these will live side-by-side with the physical world. Mark Zaleski, Managing Director and Partner at BCG Digital Ventures, the world’s leading business builder with a mission to invent, launch, and scale game-changing businesses, stated: “Dubai is globally recognized as a leading city of the future, and we see so much potential to unlock a wave of innovation and help businesses across the city embrace digital technology. The metaverse is at the heart of this digital transformation, and we’re excited by the opportunity to help businesses in Dubai leverage the virtual world to seize a competitive advantage. I’m delighted to join the conversation at this inaugural Dubai Metaverse Assembly Conference.”   Alex Chehade, Executive Director and General Manager of Binance MENA, said: “I am looking forward to connect with peers, metaverse experts and enthusiasts at the Dubai Metaverse Assembly, which will provide a fantastic forum to bring the regional and international metaverse community together and stimulate the debate around virtual ecosystems.” Alex added: “I am also keen to learn others’ points of view and share my own insights into the role that the decentralized world will play in the future of the digital economy. Regulation will substantially influence the possibilities of virtual worlds and their applications in the future, and therefore shaping stable, progressive regulatory frameworks is essential to build further trust and innovation in our industry and drive long-term growth.” Chehade concluded: “Binance remains committed to supporting and contributing to these objectives, and we see the Dubai Metaverse Assembly as an ideal platform to do so.” Sebastien Borget, COO & Co-Founder of The Sandbox, an open Metaverse which launched a Dubaiverse virtual neighborhood, said: “Our vision has always been to empower local creators and allow them to benefit from their creativity and monetize their times and skills the way they want. The Sandbox is progressively becoming a digital nation without frontiers needs to bring culturally rich and immersive experiences – and we are proud Dubai leads the way into this direction.” Sandeep Nailwal, Co-Founder, Polygon, the leading blockchain development platform, offering scalable, affordable, secure and sustainable blockchains for Web3 said: “At Polygon we are working to realize the true potential of web3 technology for millions of users. The tools being built today will improve quality of life for people around the world while ushering in a new technological and industrial digital era. We are building a Web3 future that promotes equality amongst users, fostering self-sovereignty and free expression to meaningfully advance the human experience with blockchain technology.” Abdelrahman Mohamed, Co-Founder MetaCon Global, a one-of-a-kind “metaverse into reality” pop culture convention, commented: “While the metaverse is still in its early days and we are yet to fully unfold its potential or predict the ultimate impact it will have, we already recognize that it holds great promise to unlock the biggest opportunities yet for modern business since the creation of the internet. In short, we are looking at the metaverse and web3 redefining the way in which people work, learn, socialize, and live. And so, we are proud to be standing at the helm, alongside DFF, on this pivotal journey of discovery and learning into web3. In line with the vision of our leaders, the Dubai Metaverse Assembly is the perfect platform to foster effective public and private partnerships and real-life collaborations to address some of the most critical challenges and innovate a more sustainable future for all.” David Clark-Joseph, Vice President of Investments at Pixelynx, the music metaverse gaming platform founded by groundbreaking electronic musicians and technology visionaries, said: “The Dubai Metaverse Assembly, organized by the DFF, brings together the innovators that will articulate our communal vision for the metaverse. This will be a foundational aspect of the future and together we are building that foundation. We approach this vision of the future with a focus on music and experience – the potential for music to evolve in the metaverse can’t be understated and Dubai can be central in these developments.” Catherine Zhou, Global Head of Ventures, Digital Partnerships and Innovation, HSBC, said: “The Metaverse and Web 3 technologies, such as blockchain, tokenization and smart contracts, have the potential to transform how financial services organizations interact with customers, as well as driving the development of new products and services. The Dubai Metaverse Assembly provides an essential forum for many different types of organizations to discuss how to unleash this new era of innovation, including working with governments and regulators to make it safe for consumers.” Samuel Hamilton, Creative Director of Decentraland, said: “We are excited to be at the Dubai Metaverse Assembly, where we’ll be representing the decentralized developers and engineers who are building...

Get Ready To Take On Some Parademons With Hot Toys New Batman Tactical Batsuit Collectible — GeekTyrant – GeekTyrant https://dentoncountynewsonline.com/get-ready-to-take-on-some-parademons-with-hot-toys-new-batman-tactical-batsuit-collectible-geektyrant-geektyrant/ Inspired by Zack Snyder’s Justice League, Hot Toys has a new Batman Tactical Batsuit ⅙ scale collectible figure, featuring a head sculpt with interchangeable eyes and lower face pieces to capture Ben Affleck’s likeness. The Batsuit has battle-damaged details and comes with interchangeable goggles. Accessories include screen accurate Parademon gun, Batarangs, grapple guns, and multiple Bat gadgets. The whole thing comes on a Parademon themed base. I think the figure looks pretty cool in general, but I hate the lower face with the teeth bared. It just looks really over the top to me, but the other facial expression pieces look good and that Parademon gun looks sick. You can preorder yours now from Sideshow for $300.

This Week On Crypto Twitter: Outrage As SEC Claims All Ethereum Transactions Happen In USA – Decrypt https://dentoncountynewsonline.com/this-week-on-crypto-twitter-outrage-as-sec-claims-all-ethereum-transactions-happen-in-usa-decrypt/ Illustration by Mitchell Preffer for Decrypt The price of Ethereum was reeling this week after predictions that the merge would be a “buy the rumor, sell the news” scenario largely played out. Over on Crypto Twitter, people continued to discuss the network this week after U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) Chief Gary Gensler redoubled his offensive against crypto, also aimed at Ethereum.  It’s becoming increasingly evident that Gensler views Ethereum as a security. And on Monday, when the agency filed a federal lawsuit against crypto influencer Ian Balina, it put out an even more extreme view: that the U.S. government has jurisdiction over all Ethereum transactions, according to the SEC’s logic, because most of the network’s validator nodes are clustered in the U.S.  Crypto Twitter went ape. And we don’t mean Bored Ape.  Information science and business professor Adam Cochran argued that the SEC had an easy win, and just shot itself in the foot.  2/2 Rather than take on a simple case, the SEC is trying to use this to set precedent claiming that ALL OF CRYPTO is under SEC’s jurisdiction. This is an absolutely unacceptable overstep that will have to be pushed back against aggressively. — Adam Cochran (adamscochran.eth) (@adamscochran) September 19, 2022 Balina, the defendant, tweeted that he’s risen to the challenge:  Excited to take this fight public. This frivolous SEC charge sets a bad precedent for the entire crypto industry. If investing in a private sale with a discount is a crime, the entire crypto VC space is in trouble. Turned down settlement so they have to prove themselves. pic.twitter.com/lVaqnnsLgT — Ian Balina (@DiaryofaMadeMan) September 19, 2022  International NFT Day It wasn’t all Gensler, prices and merge hangover. The Ethereum community also inaugurated the first ever International NFT Day on Tuesday. The day was marked by various organizations in the space, including NFT art market OpenSea and blockchain games developer/NFT company Dapper Labs. Over on the hashtag #NFTDay, people and bots alike commemorated by flaunting their NFT pics and advertising scams.  1/ GM! We’re stoked to join @dapperlabs and many others in celebration of the first ever International NFT Day, on the 5th anniversary of the ERC-721 proposal! As the first NFT marketplace, #NFTDay means a lot to us, and we’re humbled to be a part of this history. — OpenSea (@opensea) September 20, 2022 Through the ERC-721 token standard, Ethereum played a pivotal role in the development and spread of NFTs, an invention which brought the concept of fungibility into the digital world, enabling multimillion dollar sales of digital art for the first time in history. Each NFT represents the sale and the scarcity of the artwork on an immutable blockchain ledger, so even if people right-click and save your unique million-dollar image, they won’t have ownership of it.  On Tuesday, the top NFT collection by sales over a 24-hour period was Gods Unchained, a new crypto-based collectible card game (CCG) developed by Immutable. Think of it as blockchain’s answer to “Magic: The Gathering.” Immutable co-founder Robbie Ferguson could barely conceal his glee.  Today, Gods Unchained is still doing hefty trade in second place.  Elsewhere… Crypto market intelligence company Messari shared a quote from former Ethereum co-founder Charles Hoskinson, who now heads competitor Cardano. Pretty cringe if true. Hoskinson is known for not holding back criticism of his former project. On merge day last week, he posted a meme likening the upgrade to a nightmare. When someone tweeted him asking where Cardano’s technology stands in relation to Ethereum, the CEO replied with: “​​About three years ahead on research, two on engineering. They will one day figure out that slashing is a really really bad idea.” Finally, Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeney, whose online video game store launched its first NFT game last week, was not happy about Apple’s new rules for app developers working with NFTs.  Stay on top of crypto news, get daily updates in your inbox.

Defender Reggie Cannon Joins Lengthy US Soccer Injury List – The San Diego Union-Tribune https://dentoncountynewsonline.com/defender-reggie-cannon-joins-lengthy-us-soccer-injury-list-the-san-diego-union-tribune/ Right back Reggie Cannon will miss the United States’ last World Cup warmup against Saudi Arabia on Tuesday because of a strained left groin strain, the latest in the Americans’ long injured list. The U.S. Soccer Federation said Sunday that Cannon is expected to be sidelined for several weeks. The 24-year-old from Chicago, who is with the Portuguese club Boavista, played the second half of Friday’s 2-0 loss to Japan at Düsseldorf, Germany. Sergiño Dest started for the U.S., which also had right backs Joe Scally and DeAndre Yedlin on the bench. Cannon has one goal in 28 international appearances and was part of the U.S. teams that won the 2021 CONCACAF Gold Cup and Nations League. The U.S. also is missing Tim Weah, Yunus Musah, Chris Richards, Antonee Robinson, Zack Steffen, Cristian Roldan and Cameron Carter-Vickers because of injuries. Coach Gregg Berhalter said Friday it was unclear whether Christian Pulisic will recover from an unspecified injury in time to face the Saudis in Murcia, Spain. Miles Robinson will miss the World Cup because of a torn Achilles. Back in the World Cup after failing to qualify for the 2018 tournament, the U.S. opens against Wales on Nov. 21, plays England in a Black Friday matchup four days later and closes group play on Nov. 29 against Iran. Berhalter plans to announced his World Cup roster on Nov. 9, five days before the deadline to submit it to FIFA. Saudi Arabia played a 0-0 draw against World Cup-bound Ecuador on Friday in Murcia. ___ More AP sports: https://apnews.com/hub/sports and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

GM’s Commitment To Electric Cars Still Has Skeptics – HT Tech https://dentoncountynewsonline.com/gms-commitment-to-electric-cars-still-has-skeptics-ht-tech/ General Motors joined forces with the Environmental Defense Fund to recommend tougher emissions rules for passenger vehicles. In a surprise move, General Motors Co. this week joined forces with the Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) to recommend tougher emissions rules for passenger vehicles. But skeptics remain unconvinced by the company’s professed commitment to going green, citing GM’s history of battling tougher fuel economy rules. GM and the EDF are recommending that the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) establish standards ensuring at least 50% of new vehicles sold by 2030 are zero-emitting while achieving a 60% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions, a roadmap that matches up nicely with GM’s plan to make all of its own models electric by 2035. But the automaker has made promises before only to later move away from them, says Dan Becker, director of the Safe Climate Transport Campaign at the Center for Biological Diversity. Becker cites GM’s commitment to backing California’s right to set its own clean-air rules, which it later walked back by supporting former President Donald Trump’s lawsuit to end the state’s exemption. “They have reneged in really big ways,” Becker says. “I think they want to be seen as making clean cars, but they don’t really do it.” Kristen Siemen, GM’s chief sustainability officer, says the electric push is real: The EVs are coming, and GM wants government rules that give all automakers a clear path to get there. The company’s Chevy Bolt EV has been on the market for six years, and GM has already spent a chunk of its $35 billion budget to bring 30 electric vehicles to market by 2025. “We’re committed,” Siemen says. “The plans are very much aligned with our product plan.” While GM’s biggest push to reduce greenhouse gas emissions comes from its electrification plan, Siemen says the automaker will also improve fuel economy for its internal-combustion vehicles. Government data show that the fuel economy of GM’s pickups and large SUVs has been stable since 2018, but it hasn’t improved much for the largest engines. GM isn’t alone in its balancing act — legacy carmakers are in a pickle. On one hand, they need to push into electrification to meet future regulations and because, as Tesla Inc. has proven, EVs are growing in popularity. But to fund that conversion, they have to build roomy gasoline-fueled vehicles that often get the poorest fuel economy. For now, automakers are mostly selling electric luxury vehicles with price tags of $42,000 and above. GM has the Bolt EV for under $30,000 and will build a bigger, roomier Cheverolet Equinox starting at $30,000 next year. “Going forward, if you look at our EV portfolio, it covers every price point and every segment,” Siemen says. But GM’s flip-flop on California has Becker dubious about the automaker’s desire to follow through. In 2011, the company committed “not to contest” California’s waiver that allows the state to set its own fuel economy and emissions rules. Former GM CEO Dan Akerson said so in a signed letter to the US Department of Transportation. GM later joined Trump’s lawsuit to eliminate the waiver. Then, with Joe Biden in office in 2021, GM withdrew from the litigation. “Because of GM’s track record, I am really skeptical,” Becker says. The Union of Concerned Scientists takes a similar view. “GM, like many other automakers, has been an opponent of strong standards in the past, so we’ll be watching closely to see the substance of their promises,” Dan Anair, director of the Clean Transportation Program at UCS, said in an email. “EPA needs to quickly move ahead with the next round of standards so we can cut emissions in the years to come. Strong standards are the one thing that will ensure GM and all automakers make the emission reductions that are needed.” GM proposed just that. Now the company needs to deliver.

Response Personnel Called To Grass Fires Near West Lincoln – KOLN https://dentoncountynewsonline.com/response-personnel-called-to-grass-fires-near-west-lincoln-koln/ Lancaster County, Neb. (KOLN) -Response personnel were called to a pair of grass fires near west Lincoln on Saturday. The incidents were called in at around 4:20 p.m. near 6501 W. A Street and 10950 W. Denton Road. According to LSO, no damage was caused to the residents or buildings in the area. The Milford Fire Department, Garland Fire Department, Pleasant Dale Fire Department and Hallam Fire Department responded to the incidents. LSO requests that individuals avoid the area for the time being as response personnel deal with the incident. This is an ongoing story. Keep up to date with 1011now.com. Copyright 2022 KOLN. All rights reserved.

Golfing, Swimming, Hiking: Gaylord Tornado Didn’t Stop Outdoor Tourism – MLive.com https://dentoncountynewsonline.com/golfing-swimming-hiking-gaylord-tornado-didnt-stop-outdoor-tourism-mlive-com/ GAYLORD, MI – On a cool morning in northern Michigan, a pack of elk lay in the grass soaking up beams of sunlight cutting through the clouds. Fred Tolley, whose ringtone is an elk bugle sound, peered through the fence at Gaylord’s City Elk Park. “I always make a stop here,” he said on his road trip from Ohio to the Upper Peninsula. Jennifer Lawson sat on a bench nearby holding a mug of hot coffee. “It’s just so peaceful. And right now, it’s mating season, can you hear?” she said as an elk bugled. This was a much quieter scene than four months ago when a tornado with 150 mph winds whipped through Gaylord killing two people, injuring dozens, and leaving a trail of destruction in its wake. “At least a big chunk was spared,” said Lawson, a hometown tourist who left Gaylord more than two decades ago. “That’s huge for this area, which depends so heavily on tourists. They’ve got to get back on their feet right away.” The city of Gaylord maintains a herd of elk for visitors to observe. It’s one tourism draw in the city that’s “all outdoors.” (Photo by Rose White | MLive) The May 20 twister struck the northern Michigan town only a week before the summer tourism season kicked off on Memorial Day weekend. But Gaylord bounced back. “We’ve made tremendous progress, but it did not have any effect on travel and tourism,” said Paul Beachnau the executive director of the Gaylord Area Convention and Tourism Bureau The tornado carved a path through Gaylord, destroying homes in the Nottingham Forest Mobile Home Park, crashing into box stores in the busy M-32 business district and battering a neighborhood four blocks north of downtown. The rest of town was largely untouched. Related: ‘We’re open’: Gaylord welcomes summer tourists only days after destructive tornado Casey Buckleitner was standing in the back of White Birch Outfitters when the tornado struck only a few blocks away. “I don’t think besides that week, 10 days afterwards, we didn’t really have much disruption in business,” he said, noting overall sales were up at his clothing and outdoor gear store this summer. About a mile east of downtown Gaylord, the storm knocked down several trees at the Otsego Resort. But minor property damage didn’t stop 83-year-old ski and golf club from hosting a wedding the next day. “There was debris that we had to pick up. We worked as a team, we got all that picked up and it looked beautiful for the wedding,” owner Kathie Vollmar said. Brothers Corey and Lance Harmer were prepping for a May 23 soft launch of their new restaurant Marmalade & Co. when they heard the twister roar through town like a freight train. They rushed to the basement, and their Main Street breakfast restaurant emerged unscathed. “As far as the tornado, I don’t think it affected us,” Corey Harmer said. Brothers Lance and Corey Harmer opened Marmalade & Co. about a week after a tornado swept through Gaylord. Despite the setback, they said it’s been a busy summer. (Photo by Rose White | MLive) For Gaylord tourism, it’s “all outdoors.” The northern Michigan town of about 4,200 people draws tourists to its 90 lakes, winding trails, more than a dozen golf courses and herd of elk. It’s also home to breweries, restaurants and a wildlife museum. Key to Gaylord’s economy, tourism supports nearly 12% of Otsego County’s employment. Visitor spending peaked pre-pandemic at $107 million, state data shows, while still bringing $102 million to Otsego County in 2020. After two years of the COVID-19 pandemic, the tornado almost dealt another blow. But with help from an estimated 1,500 volunteers clearing debris, a $1.5 million tornado relief fund and a waning pandemic, Beachnau said it was the first normal summer in years. “Gaylord is a very welcoming community. We’re very much like helping your neighbor out. And that came through loud and clear from such a tragedy,” Beachnau said. Related: Dozens of cats were lost in tornado debris. One Gaylord woman is rescuing them. This summer, Gaylord celebrated its 100th anniversary as a city. Thousands showed up to the Big Ticket Christian music festival. And large crowds attended the 57th annual Alpenfest. “The only word I can describe it: Everything feels more normal,” Beachnau said. Even though the Harmer brothers pushed back the opening of Marmalade & Co by a week, it was still a busy summer for the new downtown Gaylord eatery. Corey Harmer said weekday lulls were followed by “crazy” weekends packed with tourists. “People seem to be coming more downtown,” he said. “For a few years, downtown was just dead. And it seemed like this summer more people are starting to get back into that downtown routine.” Otsego Resort, founded in 1939, had minor property damage from the May 20 tornado. But some downed trees didn’t stop the ski and golf resort from hosting a wedding the day after the storm. (Photo by Rose White | MLive) At the sprawling 4,000-acre Otsego Resort, Vollmar said a slight drop in hotel bookings was counterbalanced by a 15% jump in tee times this summer. But as the resort transitions to its busy winter season, Vollmar is concerned about staffing levels. “I’m very nervous. Because of the winter, we are just slammed here — just slammed every weekend,” she said. Even though about 44% of the city’s hotel room sales take place in June, July and August, according to a Petoskey News opinion column written by Beachnau, Gaylord also thrives in the winter. Tucked into a snowbelt, Beachnau called Gaylord the “best winter vacation destination in the state of Michigan” because of its skiing, snowshoeing, snowmobiling and dog sledding. And after the pandemic and the tornado, the Farmer’s Almanac delivered some good news: An “unreasonably cold, snowy” year for the Great Lakes. “We’re expecting a very robust winter season,” Beachnau said. More on MLive: Gaylord tornado was Michigan’s first EF3 since Dexter twister in 2012 His dad built the house by hand in 1945. Then a tornado struck. ‘Pitch in and lend a hand’ Gaylord community cleans up after tornado ravages city Note to readers: if you purchase something through one of our affiliate links we may earn a commission.

Cool Kids Cafe Enters Third Year In The Coffee Business. – Tacoma News Tribune https://dentoncountynewsonline.com/cool-kids-cafe-enters-third-year-in-the-coffee-business-tacoma-news-tribune/ Goodman Middle School’s built-in coffee shop, the “Cool Kids’ Cafe,” offers daily drinks and baked goods for sale by students in Peninsula School District’s Options program. The Options program teaches job and life skills to students in grades 6-8. It is designed to give students with disabilities the skills they will need to be employed in the future so that they can live successfully on their own, teacher Bryn Miller told The Gateway. The cafe just entered its third year in business with 23 students who spend second period fully running the cafe. Each student has a food handler card through the Washington State Department of Health. The cafe is located in the Options classroom at Goodman, open to the staff and parents who are volunteering in the school. Students at Goodman are given the choice of hot chocolate or apple cider when they have been nominated for excellent work by their teachers. Skills in the cafe go beyond making coffee. “We are learning real life skills and building our confidence as we prepare for life after school,” Goodman educator and cafe manager Kari Hyatt told The Gateway. Hans Cagabcab delivers a hot chocolate to a classroom along with partner Kate Buerer as part of the Cool Kids Cafe project at Goodman Middle School in Gig Harbor, Washington, on Thursday, Sept. 15, 2022. Tony Overman toverman@theolympian.com How the Cool Kids Cafe works By being a part of the cafe, the students are learning how to make food and coffee, create resumes, write cover letters and do interviews, Hyatt said. They’re also learning customer service, teamwork, advertising, technology, recipes, math skills, how to handle money and budget, social skills, communication, and safety, Hyatt said. Before students are able to rotate through the different roles in the cafe, they go through a full application process. “After submitting an application and recommendation letters, they will complete an over-the-phone interview,” Hyatt said. Students then work in a buddy system to complete their training. Upperclassmen show the new students how the cafe runs. “I like being a barista,” Mackenzie White told The Gateway. “Off of our menu our most popular drink is a latte. I make it a lot.” White, an eighth grader at Goodman, is a barista trainer. This is White’s second year at the cafe. “Here at the Cool Kids Cafe, our motto is: ‘Because we can do hard things,’” paraeducator Elaine Krejci told The Gateway. Each step of taking an order, completing the transaction, making a drink or baked good, and delivering the item to the customer is fully done by the students. Kate Buerer carefully carries a latte as she and partner Hans Cagabcob and paraeducator Meagan Crum they make a delivery from the Cool Kids Cafe at Goodman Middle School in Gig Harbor, Washington, on Thursday, Sept. 15, 2022. Tony Overman toverman@theolympian.com “This one starts every morning by coming in and opening the cafe for us,” Hyatt said about eighth grade student Hans Cagabcab, as he delivered a drink Thursday. “He gets a pot of coffee started, counts and justifies the cash register.” Profits go back into the cafe to purchase cooking materials and ingredients they use everyday. The cafe also receives support from the community. Harbor Greens donates dough for the students to bake their in-house pretzels and bagels, two of their most popular items. Panera Bread has also come into the classroom to show students best practices when baking, Krejci said. Math teacher Bryn Miller helps Justin Carnahan and Gavin Shank prepare blueberry muffins in the Cool Kids Cafe at Goodman Middle School in Gig Harbor, Washington, on Thursday, Sept. 15, 2022. Tony Overman toverman@theolympian.com “We’re baking blueberry muffins today. While we bake, students are learning about measurements, proper directions,” Miller said. Hyatt and Miller both previously worked at Hawkins Middle School in the North Mason School District with a similar program, before moving to the Peninsula School District. Cool Kids Cafe swag Students who are not on shift spend class time working on employment skills, or on the design crew creating merchandise. The cafe sells t-shirts and sweatshirts to staff, students, parents and the public. Customers can order them online by visiting http://wa-peninsula.intouchreceipting.com The cafe occasionally hosts events throughout the school year. Last year they provided lunch for staff, Krejci said. Kate Buerer and Hans Cagabcab wait for the hallway to clear as they deliver a hot chocolate from the Cool Kids Cafe at Goodman Middle School in Gig Harbor, Washington, on Thursday, Sept. 15, 2022. Tony Overman toverman@theolympian.com Last school year, students at the Cool Kids Cafe also made deliveries next door to teachers at Harbor Heights Elementary. This is something they hope to start again in the coming weeks, once students are fully trained. Some students already know what they want to do next, after finishing school. “We also take the time to discuss our dreams and what steps we need to take to achieve them,” Hyatt said. “We have some kids who want to stay in the food and beverage industry and others who want to be engineers.” The skills learned in the cafe can help them get their first job, Krejci said. “Everyone here is such an important part of making the cafe run everyday. We’re always looking for additional adult help for anyone that wants to come work at the coolest place with the best kids,” Hyatt said. The cafe looks for volunteers who have experience with the design machine, Cricut, as well as making coffee and working with students. “We are really needing people who are interested in getting a job as a paraprofessional,” Miller told The Gateway. Those interested can check the Peninsula School District website for job openings.

Seniors Home Health Care Crisis Deepened By Covid Labor Shortage – The Washington Post https://dentoncountynewsonline.com/seniors-home-health-care-crisis-deepened-by-covid-labor-shortage-the-washington-post/ While more elderly seek home care to age in place, low-wage workers are finding easier jobs with equal or better pay in retail and restaurants September 25, 2022 at 8:00 a.m. EDT Acey Hofflander, 85, shares sections of the daily newspaper with her husband, Tom, 88, in their Richfield, Minn., home on September 14. (Annabelle Marcovici for The Washington Post) RICHFIELD, Minn. — Racked with nausea and unable to leave the bathroom, Acey Hofflander muttered in confusion. Her husband tried to press a damp washcloth against her neck, his hands trembling and weak from Parkinson’s disease. “What’s happening? What’s going on?” Acey mumbled. Their roles had unexpectedly reversed. At 85, Acey is the healthy one, the organized, energetic caregiver for husband, Tom, 88. But when a grueling day of showering, dressing, feeding and transporting him to medical appointments pushed Acey beyond exhaustion in July, she wound up in the emergency room — a health crisis the Hofflanders blame in large part on a lack of professional, in-home care. Amid a national shortage of home-care workers that deepened during the covid-19 pandemic, the couple spent much of this year on a private agency list waiting to be assigned a professional home-care aide. But over four months, from April to August, no aides were available, leaving Acey to carry the load on her own. Many nights — after an hour-long bedtime routine that included giving Tom his pills and pulling on his Depends before tucking him into his recliner — she lay sleepless in bed. “He needs a lot of care, and it’s wearing, not only physically but mentally,” Acey said in one of several interviews. “It makes you worried about what’s going to happen. How long can I do this?” The Hofflanders’ story is becoming increasingly common as the country’s shortage of home-care workers worsens, jeopardizing the independence of a generation of elderly Americans who had banked on aging in place rather than spending their twilight years in nursing homes. Polls say an overwhelming majority of people older than 50 want to remain in their homes as long as possible, and studies have shown aging in place can promote quality of life and self-esteem. But Acey Hofflander’s health scare — she stayed in the hospital overnight with a form of migraine — reveal the dangers when elderly people are forced to go it alone. The shortage predates the pandemic but has been exacerbated by it, according to industry and government experts. Demand for home services spiked as lockdowns, uncontrolled infections and deaths frightened people away from nursing homes, where the number of residents declined nationally from about 1.3 million in 2019 to 1.1 million in 2021 and has only partially rebounded in 2022. At the same time, because of the tight labor market, the low-paid workers have quit for less taxing jobs in Amazon warehouses and as Uber drivers. The lack of services also is affecting disabled people under 65 years old who are dependent on others for daily needs. The result is that an increasing share of elderly and disabled people are living at home but having difficulty finding the help they need to do it safely. A fall or an exhausted caregiver could mean they are forced into a nursing home or a bedroom in their adult child’s home. “The crisis is real and won’t be quickly fixed. The shortage of health care workers is like nothing we’ve seen before,” said Ruth Martynowicz, chief operating officer for Michigan-based Trinity Health At Home, part of a large Catholic health system. Trinity Health At Home said recently it was turning away 250 home-care requests per week across its 11-state network, which is mostly in the Northeast and Upper Midwest. The shortage of workers is threatening the option of aging at home for people up and down the economic scale — whether they qualify for government Medicaid, have medical conditions that qualify for Medicare coverage, or must pay out of pocket. “I often worry about where families are turning right now,” said Vicki Hoak, chief executive officer of the Home Care Association of America, which represents 4,000 home care agencies across the country. Many of its members had been turning away 30 to 40 requests for care per month, she said: “We have that increased need, yet we are having to turn away people because we don’t have staff.” In Minnesota, where the Hofflanders live, the state’s long-term care industry has been hit especially hard. The state economic agency estimated at the end of 2021 that there were at least 7,200 vacant home-care jobs in the state, and state industry leaders said the number likely is closer to 9,000. Workers at the lower rungs of the home-care industry — mostly women and people of color — are among the lowest paid in the United States. The median pay for personal care aides was just $14.27 an hour in 2021, according to PHI, a nonprofit that publishes annual reports on the national home-care workforce. Workers can earn equal or higher wages at Home Depot or McDonald’s — performing jobs that are a lot easier than bathing, dressing and feeding seniors. “Fast food is trying to find workers and retail is trying to find workers and they are all trying to pull from the same labor pool,” said Kezia Scales, senior director of policy research at PHI. Industry representatives said there are no quick fixes. National trade associations and individual state groups are lobbying to block spending cuts for home care under Medicare while advocating for higher compensation so workers can be paid higher wages. Industry leaders also are examining ways to make home care work a rung in a health-care career ladder. They say extra pay could be allocated for people who receive training for dementia. Because up to a third of home-care workers were born outside the United States, industry groups have urged Congress to consider special temporary visas. In the meantime, the worker shortage is having a widespread effect. Large home-care chains, small companies and local nonprofits are all struggling to find staff, agency representatives said in interviews. Even after recruits survive background checks and are trained, they sometimes quit after two weeks, said Cher Kuechle, who runs a Home Instead franchise in Edina, Minn. “This is a very thankless job and people don’t really need to do it. There are other options to make money,” said Osagie Edison, assistant living director of Anchor House, a small home-care agency in Crystal, outside Minneapolis. Edison said he was trying to hire six additional home care aides over the summer. But potential applicants know they can make better wages driving for Uber or UPS, he said. Every week he gets calls from “desperate” family members and case managers who have been waiting as long as six months for a caregiver. He is forced to tell them he does not have enough staff. “Sometimes I don’t even respond,” Edison said. “They know what’s going on.” PHI estimates that the home-care workforce nationally numbers around 2.6 million. About 1 million more home-care workers will be needed by 2030 as the baby-boom generation finishes aging into retirement — what demographers call the “Silver Tsunami.” Policymakers have long recognized that America’s patchwork system of home care is insufficient, a source of anxiety for families across the nation. More than 90 percent of the estimated 5 million who received care from home health agencies in the United States in 2018 required help with bathing, dressing, using the toilet, walking and getting in and out of bed, according to the Centers for Disease Control’s National Center for Health Statistics. More than two-thirds needed help eating. The Biden administration in 2021 sought $400 billion in new spending for home- and community-based care, channeled through Medicaid, to states. Access to care would have been expanded and workers would have received raises and benefits. The Democratic-controlled House pared that to $150 million. But the plan collapsed when Democrats failed to muster enough Senate votes for the ambitious Build Back Better legislation. Disabled people under 65, some of whom have lived their entire lives dependent on others for daily care, also are encountering a lack of in-home help, advocates said. After the pandemic hit, Minneapolis resident Antonietta Giovanni lost the home-care aide who had cared during the day for her son, who is 29 and has autism. Loss of the paid help meant Giovanni could no longer do her outside work as a disability advocate and interpreter. But even after vaccines and testing became widely available, she was not able to find a replacement caregiver. The state pays her to be her son’s aide for 40 hours per week, although she said she takes care of him many more hours than that. “It has been two years of a very challenging journey, very overwhelming,” she said. She secured the help of a new aide earlier this year, but that aide left after four months to seek a job in a group home for the disabled, where the pay is better. “I shouldn’t be mad at them, because it’s not their fault,” she said. “People have to do the best for their families.” A disabled Minnesotan, Lee Ohnesorge, 57, who was paralyzed in a motorcycle accident in 1993, needs help with basic needs for several hours in the morning and several hours in the evening, including what he calls his “bowel and bladder routines.” He was admitted to a nursing home earlier in the pandemic because he had developed bedsores. After seven months, he was healed and ready to return to his apartment. But it took him another two months to find a home-care aide — so he was stuck in the nursing home, waiting and calling around. Eventually he found someone and moved home. But the aide was unreliable...

NCCS Group Donates To Pantry | News, Sports, Jobs – Evening Observer https://dentoncountynewsonline.com/nccs-group-donates-to-pantry-news-sports-jobs-evening-observer/ After finding out that our local food pantry was in need of certain items, these local Northern Chautauqua Catholic School students asked their parishoners at St. Joseph’s church in Gowanda to collect items for the food pantry in Gowanda. The children were able to collect six bags of food during the month of August. The Gowanda Food pantry serves more than 200 families a month and year to date has served over 29,000 meals. How can you help out? Just like these youth did! Do you belong to a church or organization that would like to help their community? Please contact 716-532-6130 for more information. Today’s breaking news and more in your inbox

Alibaba Brings Luxury Shopping Into The Metaverse – Adweek https://dentoncountynewsonline.com/alibaba-brings-luxury-shopping-into-the-metaverse-adweek/ Alibaba Group is introducing new metaverse features to its interactive luxury shopping platform, making the Chinese ecommerce giant the latest retailer to invest further in virtual worlds. Enjoying your content? You Have 1 Free Article Left. Register to continue reading!

Sunday 7: Mac Jones Likes ‘cool Gray Area’ Of Patriots’ Evolving Offense – WEEI https://dentoncountynewsonline.com/sunday-7-mac-jones-likes-cool-gray-area-of-patriots-evolving-offense-weei/ 1 – As the Patriots’ new offense continues to evolve and grow under Mac Jones’ leadership, the second-year quarterback clearly thinks an aspect of his successful production in college at Alabama could benefit New England as well: RPOs. Run-pass option plays are essentially built as run plays aside from an option the quarterback has to throw to certain receiver if he feels confident it will be a positive, productive play and better than simply handing to the running back. Jones ran RPOs nearly 20 percent of the time he was passing the ball at Alabama, completing 73-of-78 of those option throws for 890 yards with 10 touchdowns and no interceptions. “I like those plays,” Jones acknowledged this week after the Patriots sprinkled some RPO looks into the Week 2 win in Pittsburgh. “I think every offense has some of them, in some way, shape or form. They’re good plays. But we have to be able to do a lot of things. Like I always say, there’s different types of plays – short, medium, long, play-action, RPO, gadget. So there’s different buckets you put them in and you want to be able to do all of them. So yeah, I like RPOs. They’re cool.” Jones noted that RPOs “put stress on a defense,” something he observed when Alabama coach Nick Saban would “explode” in practice at his Tide players trying to defend the look. “So there’s a lot of cool gray area there from an offensive perspective,” Jones said, advocating for RPOs to be at least a complementary part of the Patriots’ attack. “Other teams were doing them too around the league, and having good production. So I think, like I said, every offense has their core plays and you don’t necessarily want your RPOs to be your core plays, which they’re not. But it’s always good to have that extra flavor you can have in there. Like you said, it’s a run, it’s a pass, what is it? So I think they’re always good.” 2 – While RPO snaps involve Jones reading the would-be pass option while putting the ball in the gut of the running back for the potential handoff, offensive linemen treat the play as a simple run. The swift nature of the play design allows for them to fire out with a run block without fear of getting downfield, without fear of being flagged for a penalty. So RPOs are basically much ado about nothing for linemen, save for some wasted success. “You always feel like when they do throw the ball it was probably your best block, right,” Patriots center David Andrews joked, seemingly also in favor of RPOs. “If the look’s not great it’s kind of an easy fix in my opinion. You maybe don’t have to change the play, there is an answer to it already built in. As offensive linemen it’s a way to do different things but you are only thinking about one thing – run blocking. I think they’re good. They can be a good addition. They can be a good tool. But, always, I ran a few of them in college and stuff, and always feel like they throw the ball when it’s your best block.” 3 – There has been a lot of talk of so-called 50-50 balls as part of the Patriots passing game, even going back to training camp practice action when newcomer DeVante Parker declared that those thrown his way are actually 80-20 plays in his favor. In the Week 1 loss in Miami, a 50-50 in the end zone on the opening New England drive resulted in a Dolphins interception. A week later in Pittsburgh, Nelson Agholor made an incredible catch in the second quarter for a 44-yard touchdown on a 50-50 ball, a key play in the Patriots’ win. “I think we want to give all of our playmakers a chance,” Jones explained of what he’s described as a different philosophy in the passing game. “A lot of our plays there’s a certain read on it. I do like the freedom to be able to do that. I did that a lot in the past. It’s great. I think 50-50’s a slight term, it’s like oh it can go either way. But it’s hard to defend when you’re one-on-one and there’s not a lot of people around you. So, I know it’s hard on the defender, and obviously they can make good plays too. So, it can go either way. But we definitely trust the guys and we’ve worked on it a lot. You’ll have to have time to be able to do that with the offensive line which we have. Just want to continue to grow with that. Sometimes they look close but then eventually they’re going to be really open. So, it just depends on the play.” 4 – NFL quarterbacks are under scrutiny at all times. From coaches. From media. From fans. It’s the nature of the position. One might argue that it’s why they make the really, really big bucks. Of course much of the criticism thrown the way of quarterbacks like Jones comes from people who, quite frankly, probably don’t know what they are talking about. At least that’s how Patriots captain Devin McCourty seems to see it. “I will say first and foremost, overall there’s not many people who watch football who understand how to play quarterback,” McCourty said. “I think no matter what, including you. He would be crazy if he built his career off of what people write and say about him. Because for one there’s not many people who’ve played the position at a high level and can do that consistently. So I think no matter what in this league you come out, you play as a rookie, you have success as a rookie, you go out there and do good things…it sucks to say, but everyone is waiting to write bad things about you. That’s just how everything works. But I think he knows that in this building every guy in that locker room believes in him.” 5 – The Patriots have a familiar face on the practice squad who’s apparently doing good things on the practice field. Former longtime New England starting right tackle Marcus Cannon returned to the team via the practice squad Sept. 13 and has already impressed, earning recognition as one of the Patriots’ practice players of the week for the work leading up to last Sunday’s win in Pittsburgh. A 2011 fifth-round pick out of TCU who overcame cancer on his way to the NFL, Cannon started 69 of 115 games played in New England from 2011-19. He sat out the 2020 season due to Covid and then started all four games he played in Houston a year ago before landing on IR with a back injury. Now back in Foxborough, it sounds like a case of “when” not if Cannon will find his way back onto the game field for a Patriots team that traded away some of its offensive line depth last week by dealing Justin Herron to the Raiders. “Marcus has had a great attitude. Comes in, works really hard. Just wants to do it the right way,” Belichick said. “Not come in and jump in but come in and start at the beginning. Work on his fundamentals, work on the lifting, all the preparation things that go into being a good football player. You start at the bottom work his way up. That’s really the way to do it is build a good foundation. Didn’t have training camp but he can use the time that he has now to put that in place. So when he does play, he’ll be, I think, able to hit a higher ceiling than trying to skip all those steps and just start playing. He has a great attitude, had a good week of practice, was impressive out there. So he’s good.” 6 – Belichick obviously knows a little something about elite kickers. Adam Vinatieri jumpstarted the Patriots dynasty with his game-tying kick in the Snow Bowl against the Raiders — considered to be the greatest kick in NFL history – and is expected to be inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame for his Super Bowl-winning work in New England and Indianapolis. Stephen Gostkowski and, now, Nick Folk have also played at an incredibly high level in New England under Belichick’s watch. But Sunday at Gillette Stadium, Belichick and Co. will get a visit from not only the best kicker in the game today but arguably the best in the history of the game. Baltimore’s Justin Tucker really is just that good. “He’s reset that position by probably a pretty decent amount,” Belichick said of Tucker. “This isn’t like being 200th of a second under the world record. This guy’s really reset the bar. No miss kicks, accuracy is very good, distance, range. He really shortens the field. He makes the field about 10 yards shorter than most everybody has it. Not just with his leg strength, but the fact of his accuracy and how good he is from long range as well.” 7 – Prediction Time: The Patriots and Ravens probably qualify as an NFL rivalry thanks primarily to splitting four postseason battles from 2010-2015. New England actually has an 8-2 record against Baltimore in the regular season under Belichick’s watch. None of that will matter on Sunday. New England’s home opener will be about two things – a new test against Lamar Jackson for a Patriots defense that’s played relatively well to open the season and an opportunity for Mac Jones to face what statistically is the NFL’s worst pass defense. Jackson has seemingly been a man on a mission since failing to reach a contract extension with the Ravens this offseason, and while he still makes key plays with his legs his ability to pass and read defenses has gone to the next level. Jackson will put plenty of stress on the Patriots’ defense, even if the doesn’t really have the luxury of a running game to help him out. The question is whether Jones is ready to keep up if a shootout develops against a team averaging more than 30 points per game with New England having scored just 24 points total in two weeks of action. While Baltimore has some big names and big money on its pass defense, Joe Flacco and Tua Tagovailoa both threw for more than 300 yards in the first two weeks against it. The most likely scenario here is that New England scores more points and makes more plays through the air as the offense continues to evolve. Unfortunately for them, the defense probably also gives up more plays and points as well. Health concerns...

What Is Scalping In Crypto, And How Does Scalp Trading Work? – Cointelegraph https://dentoncountynewsonline.com/what-is-scalping-in-crypto-and-how-does-scalp-trading-work-cointelegraph/ Although cryptocurrencies are known for their volatility, they give traders various opportunities to pocket and reinvest the gains. Scalp trading is a crypto strategy that helps scalpers to take risks and make the most of frequent price fluctuations by observing price movements. This article will discuss scalping, how it works in cryptocurrency, the advantages and disadvantages of scalp trading in crypto, whether it is complicated and how much money you need to engage in it. What is scalp trading? Crypto scalp traders target small profits by placing multiple trades over a short period, leading to a considerable yield generated from small gains. Scalpers step in for highly liquid and significant volume assets that result in greater interest owing to the news. Scalping strategies require knowledge of the market even though it is a short-term trading strategy. To capture the difference between supply and demand, scalpers use a spread, which involves buying at the bid price and selling at the asking price. If traders are prepared to accept market prices, this approach permits making a profit even when orders and sales are not changed. How does scalp trading work? Charting, speed and consistency are the critical elements that make scalping possible. For instance, scalpers use technical analysis and various value gaps caused by bid-ask spreads and request streams.  Scalpers generally operate by creating a spread, or buying at the bid price and selling at the asking price, so that value distinguishes between the two value centers. Crypto scalpers try to hold their positions for a brief time, reducing the risk associated with the tactic. Additionally, traders that utilize scalp trading techniques must respond quickly to capitalize on the minutes — or even seconds — of short-term volatility. In this manner, scalpers can reap benefits over time continuously. But how do crypto scalpers make money? The different scalp trading tools used by crypto scalpers to reap gains include leverage, range trading, and the bid-ask spread, as explained below: Leverage: Leverage describes how much traders contribute from their pockets to increase their margin. Some scalpers use this method to increase the size of their position. Range trading: Scalp traders who engage in range trading watch for trades to close inside predetermined price ranges. For instance, some scalpers utilize a stop-limit order, which executes the trade at future market values. Bid-ask spread: By employing this strategy, scalpers can take advantage of the significant price discrepancy between the highest bid and lowest ask. Arbitrage: By purchasing and selling the same asset in different marketplaces, arbitrage scalpers can benefit from the price difference. How to set up a crypto scalping trading strategy? To set up a crypto scalp trading strategy, follow the simple steps below: Choose the trading pairs: Considering the volatility and liquidity of crypto assets, choose a trading pair that suits your risk-return investment profile. Select a trading platform: While selecting a trading platform that offers your chosen trading pair, consider various aspects like trading fees, interface, customer service, etc. Choose scalper bots: The foundation of scalping is speed; therefore, those who trade utilizing software are constantly in the lead. Also, the manual management of an investment portfolio is typically time-consuming and error-prone. Try various trading strategies: Before scalping, ensure you understand your strategy well by trying different trading techniques, as mentioned in the section above. Related: The most common crypto metrics: A beginner’s guide Advantages and disadvantages of scalp trading All trading strategies have pros and cons, and scalping is no exception. For instance, the risk in scalping is low due to the smaller position sizes involved. Moreover, crypto scalpers do not try to take advantage of significant price moves. Instead, they struggle to take advantage of small moves that occur frequently.  However, because the rewards from each trade are so little, scalpers search for additional liquid marketplaces to increase the frequency of their trades. According to economists, being optimistic about scalping may not be beneficial. For example, there isn’t a single tested method that ensures success in at least 90% of scalp trading situations. Similarly, if something seems too good to be true, it probably is—especially in crypto trading. Furthermore, scalping frequently requires advanced analytical skills, although traders do not necessarily need to be patient with consistent price fluctuations. In addition, please bear in mind trading fees, which may be high, depending upon your trading volume. Scalp trading vs. day trading In contrast to long-term hodling, day trading encourages the trader to concentrate on minute price changes. So, how is day trading different from scalp trading? Related: Day trading vs. long-term cryptocurrency hodling: Benefits and drawbacks A scalping trader holds a financial asset for less than 5 minutes and can typically maintain a deal for 2 minutes. On the other hand, day traders hold trades for several hours.  Moreover, crypto scalpers open 10s or 100s of trades daily to reap significant gains. In contrast, day traders are limited to a small number of daily trades. In addition, day traders occasionally rely on fundamental analysis, whereas scalping requires knowledge of technical analysis.  Scalp trading is also different from swing trading as scalpers hold trades for a few seconds to minutes, whereas swing traders typically maintain their positions for a few days to weeks, even months.  Additionally, swing trading involves reasonable monitoring and current knowledge of news and business events, whereas scalping necessitates constant monitoring throughout the trading session. Is crypto scalp trading worth it? Developing your ability to interpret charts and expanding your understanding of various crypto trading tactics are the keys to becoming a good crypto scalper.  In general, scalp trading can be aggressive and demanding and may be highly draining for untrained brains. Because the return from each trade is too small, more substantial capital is required to produce meaningful outcomes.  And, of course, as there is a “no one size fits all” crypto trading strategy, one should utilize the techniques that best fit their risk-return portfolio. A lack of confidence in one’s abilities while dealing with risky assets may prove unproductive in the long run.  The most crucial lesson for scalpers to learn is likely risk management. Compared to choosing entry and exit points, choosing how to manage risk can have a much more significant impact on the financial performance of the investment portfolio. Purchase a licence for this article. Powered by SharpShark.

Joint Statement On The U.S.-Romanian Bilateral Defense Relationship – Department Of Defense https://dentoncountynewsonline.com/joint-statement-on-the-u-s-romanian-bilateral-defense-relationship-department-of-defense/ On September 24, 2022, U.S. Assistant Secretary of Defense for International Security Affairs Celeste Wallander and Romanian State Secretary Simona Cojocaru met in Romania to discuss a range of bilateral defense and regional security issues.  The two leaders recognized the 25th anniversary of the U.S.-Romania strategic partnership, shared views on Black Sea security, and lauded NATO’s unified response against Russia’s war of choice in Ukraine.   Both leaders noted Ukraine’s recent battlefield successes in the Donbas region and condemned Russian President Vladimir Putin’s recent escalatory rhetoric.    Assistant Secretary Wallander re-affirmed the United States’ Article 5 commitment to the Eastern Flank and thanked Romania for hosting a significant number of U.S. rotational forces.   Both leaders also marked the historical significance of the NATO Summit in Madrid and stressed the need for Allies to continue investing in combat-credible forces to defend the Alliance and deter Russian aggression.     While aboard a Romanian naval vessel on the Danube River, Assistant Secretary Wallander and State Secretary Cojocaru joined a group of policy and military experts to discuss Black Sea security, and observed river barges and cargo ships ferrying vital Ukrainian grain exports to the global market.    The following day, both leaders visited Romania’s 86th Air Base in Borcea, where they met with members of a Romanian F-16 squadron supporting NATO combat air patrols and Black Sea air policing operations.

James Cameron Praises Tech Role In Super/Natural – Longview News-Journal https://dentoncountynewsonline.com/james-cameron-praises-tech-role-in-super-natural-longview-news-journal/ James Cameron has praised the role advancing technology has played in his new nature series ‘Super/Natural’. The ‘Avatar’ filmmaker has produced the documentary series – which is narrated by Benedict Cumberbatch – for National Geographic and he admitted some of the footage used the show would never have been captured a few years ago. He told CNET: “The way they were using the racer drones to fly through the forest and move with the animals, it was really combining bits of tech that are advancing. “You’ve got the high-speed cameras [which] are getting smaller. You’ve got probe lenses, now the optics are getting better. And by using different coatings they can make them sensitive to ultraviolet, which people weren’t necessarily looking at, or infrared and so on. Ultra low-light cameras have always been of interest to me because in the deep ocean there’s no light. “If you want to see the bioluminescence and you want to see the strategies deep-ocean animals use around vision, some of them have eyes this big because there’s so few photons down there. [You need] low-light cameras and high-speed photography. We love that.” James joked people’s “superpower” now is having the technology to see the sights and hear the sounds that animals do. He added: “We’re getting up to very, very high frame rates, watching a stonefish take its prey in 16 milliseconds. It’s so fast you can’t even see it with your eye. But then we’re able to slow it down to extend our human perception. “Our superpower is that we use technology to look at all the spectra and all the sound frequencies that animals use. They had to do it the hard way through millions of years of evolution. We’re able to do it in a much shorter cycle of of tech evolution.”

High-Flying Cardinals Top Greyhounds – Mount Airy News https://dentoncountynewsonline.com/high-flying-cardinals-top-greyhounds-mount-airy-news/ East Surry’s Folger Boaz (2) throws one of his 30 completions against North Surry. With a 300-yard passing performance against the Greyhounds, Boaz became East Surry’s all-time leader in career passing yards. Cory Smith | The News PILOT MOUNTAIN — East Surry improved to 6-0 on the season and 2-0 in Foothills 2A Conference play with a 63-24 win over North Surry. Everything clicked for the Cardinals early as they reached the end zone of each of their first five possessions while holding the Greyhounds scoreless for most of the first half. The visiting Hounds got on a roll late in the second quarter by returning a kickoff for a touchdown, then stopped East twice before halftime. North Surry scored on its first two drives of the second half, but wasn’t able to slow the East offense down as the Cards forced a running clock at the end of the third quarter. “Obviously we’ll never be satisfied with a loss, but I thought we came out of halftime and challenged our kids to fight through adversity. We as a team also wanted to finish strong for Ty,” said North Surry coach Jackson Smith. Greyhound junior Ty Gwyn went down with an injury during the second quarter and was carted off as a precaution. “We had a lot of young guys having to step up because of injuries and we just asked our seniors to take the second and put us on an upward trend heading into the rest of our conference play, and they did that. They left it all out there against a really good team with fantastic players and a really fantastic coaching staff.” It was a huge night for both passing offenses. East Surry’s Folger Boaz finished with a career-high 30 completions on 39 attempts (76.9%) for 300 yards. Boaz also tied a career high in passing touchdowns with seven. With Boaz’s fourth touchdown pass of the game, which went to Luke Brown for 42 yards, he became East Surry’s all-time leader in career yards passing. The previous record was set by Folger’s older brother Jefferson (Class of 2020) at 6,738 yards. “What an honor it’s been to coach both of them, and how special it is for them as competitive brothers to be No. 1 and No. 2,” said East Surry coach Trent Lowman. “Folger just broke the school’s all-time record set by his own brother, who just happened to be the NCHSAA Male Athlete of the Year, a state champion QB, and the holder of several NCHSAA records. That’s a pretty cool accomplishment.” Folger Boaz is already Surry County’s leader in career completions with 463. He trails Jefferson in career passing touchdowns by 18, and trails North Surry’s Chase Swartz (Class of 2020) in career yards passing by 118. Seven Cardinal players recorded receptions and five caught a touchdown pass. Kyle Zinn was the team’s leader in yards receiving with five catches for 72 yards. Luke Brown was next with three catches for 65 yards and two touchdowns, followed by Stephen Brantley with five catches for 59 yards and a touchdown, Colby Johnson with eight catches for 57 yards and a touchdown, Brett Clayton with three catches for 34 yards and two touchdowns, Matthew Keener with four catches for 10 yards, and Gabriel Harpe with two catches for 3 yards. Greyhound quarterback Colton Allen set a new career high for the second-consecutive week. Against East, the sophomore completed 13-of-30 passes (43.3%) for 264 yards, two touchdowns and one interception. Jahreece Lynch was North Surry’s leading receiver in what Smith called “hands down one of the most dominant high school performances I’ve ever seen.” Lynch caught 10 passes for 218 yards and two touchdowns. Five of his receptions were for at least 20 yards, and three were for 39 or more yards. Lynch also scored North Surry’s first touchdown of the game by returning a kickoff 76 yards through a minefield of Cardinal defenders. Makiyon Woodbury added one catch for 27 yards, Fisher Leftwich had one catch for 11 yards and Talan Vernon had one catch for seven yards. According to North Surry football guru Tyler Beamer, Friday’s performance marks Lynch’s third career game of at least 200 yards receiving. He set his career high with 232 yards against Surry Central in March 2021, then recorded 220 yards receiving against North Forsyth in October 2021. “We knew that Jahreece is a heck-of-a ballplayer, and we knew that stopping him was not going to be easy,” Lowman said. “He proved tonight why he’s got the attention that he has. He played an amazing game. “I think we walk away from this defensively realizing we’ve got to tighten up in the secondary and lock in to get better there.” The Cardinal defense started the game with a takeaway. After East scored first on a 9-play 4:55 drive, Will Jones picked off Allen’s first pass and returned it to the Greyhound 5-yard line. Boaz found Johnson the very next play, and Joshua Parker hit his first of six PATs to make it 14-0. East Surry added another takeaway early in the fourth quarter when Clayton forced a fumble that was recovered by Hatcher Hamm for a touchdown. The Cardinals contained North Surry’s running game and held the Hounds to 42 yards rushing on 31 attempts. Clayton led East with 4.0 sacks, and Hamm added one. Hamm and Zinn each added 2.0 tackles for a loss. Jake Simmons rushed 21 times for 57 yards for North Surry, and Allen recorded 10 carries for -15 yards and a 1-yard touchdown. Though the Cardinals elected to pass on more than 75% of their offensive plays, East also found success on the ground. Clayton had East’s only rushing touchdown by going for 73 yards to make it 21-0 in the first quarter. He was also the Cards’ leading rusher with 89 yards on two carries. Boaz added three carries for 76 yards, and Zinn had six carries for 60 yards. The Cardinals’ 225 yards rushing brought the team’s total yardage to 525 for the game. North Surry got on the board late in the first half. After East scored to go up 35-0, Lynch returned the ensuing kickoff 76 yards for a touchdown. East Surry went into the red zone on its next drive and looked to score when Boaz connected with Brown. North’s Zeke Moore chased Brown down, forced a fumble and recovered it himself. The Hounds had to punt deep in their own territory, but came up with another stop to get the ball back before halftime. However, a Brantley punt put North Surry on its own 4-yard line, so the Greyhounds elected to just run out the clock. North Surry opened the second half with an 11-play 3:14 drive that ended with Allen finding Lynch for a 6-yard touchdown. The Hounds converted on fourth down twice during the drive. Vernon nearly had the Greyhounds’ second kickoff returned for a touchdown after the Cards scored again, but East’s Daniel Villasenor saved a touchdown by dragging Vernon down on the Cardinal 17. North Surry used the excellent field position to set up an Allen rushing touchdown. The Greyhound offense got into a better rhythm after halftime and the Hounds scored on three of their first four second-half possessions. “I think it was a slow start,” Smith said. “We just had to find ways to get Jahreece Lynch the ball, and we did that and he did a lot of it on his own. I can’t describe the performance he put on. I know the scoreboard says otherwise, but he put on a historic performance for North Surry football and we’re hoping to really build on that. “We’re going to meet on Sunday and come up with ways we can cultivate the defense and the offense to put our kids in a better position to win.” The Cardinal offense continued to dominate in the third quarter. All three of East Surry’s third-quarter possessions ended with touchdowns, with Boaz connecting with Brantley, Brown and Clayton in the end zone. East Surry’s 525 yards of offense all came in the first three quarters. “We try to find things each week to get better at, so we had our things we wanted to get better at tonight and I feel like we did for the most part,” Lowman said. North Surry started the fourth quarter with the ball, then Hamm scored a 13-yard fumble recovery less than two minutes in. North was able to add another touchdown in the fourth, with Allen finding Lynch for a 39-yard TD pass, then Surry’s Vernon recovered an onside kick for the Hounds. Though the Greyhounds didn’t score again after Vernon’s recovery, Smith applauded his team’s resilience Friday night. “We fought for four quarters, and we’re going to continue to do that. We’re going to continue to hold our kids to that standard and try to put some more tallies in the win column,” Smith said. “They (East Surry) have every right to be at the top of that 2A poll. They have a fantastic coaching staff and personnel, and they have a lot of great things coming their way for the rest of the season. For us to come out in the second half and compete against them – that’s something we can build on.” Conference play continues next week for both teams. East Surry (6-0, 2-0 FH2A) hosts Wilkes Central (4-2, 2-0 FH2A) in a battle of two unbeaten FH2A teams. North Surry (1-4, 0-2 FH2A) looks to break into the win column in conference play when they host Forbush (1-4, 1-0 FH2A). Scoring North Surry – 0, 6, 12, 6 = 24 East Surry – 21, 14, 21, 7 = 63 1Q 7:05 ESHS 7-0 – Kyle Zinn 10-yard TD reception on Folger Boaz pass, Joshua Parker PAT 6:44 ESHS 14-0 – Colby Johnson 5-yard TD reception on Folger Boaz pass, Joshua Parker PAT 1:28 ESHS 21-0 – Brett Clayton 73-yard rush TD, Joshua Parker PAT 2Q 7:07 ESHS 27-0 – Brett Clayton 10-yard TD reception on Folger Boaz pass, PAT no good 4:36 ESHS 35-0 – Luke Brown 42-yard TD reception on Folger Boaz pass, Joshua Parker 2-point conversion rush 4:18 NSHS 35-6 – Jahreece Lynch 76-yard kickoff return for a TD, PAT no good 3Q 8:46 NSHS 35-12 – Jahreece Lynch 6-yard TD reception on Colton Allen pass, 2-point conversion no good 6:04 ESHS 42-12 – Stephen Brantley 22-yard TD reception on Folger Boaz p...

What It’s Like To Visit Saudi Arabia Now – CNN https://dentoncountynewsonline.com/what-its-like-to-visit-saudi-arabia-now-cnn/ (CNN) — I have seen countries change before, but I don’t think I’ve ever seen anything quite like the change taking place in Saudi Arabia. It is not like the fall of Soviet Europe, nor the upheaval recently witnessed in Sri Lanka. Saudi’s change is deliberate, deep-reaching and dramatic. It is difficult to visit Saudi Arabia without a host of preconceived ideas, stereotypes and prejudices creeping into what one expects. After all, the country has spent the last five decades shielding itself from the outside world — and until recently — making it very difficult for anyone to visit, unless they were on religious pilgrimage to Mecca. We’ve all heard about how women must be fully covered and veiled, no mixing of the sexes and a religious police force that is draconian and uncompromising. Frankly, it would be surprising if Western tourists wanted to go on vacation there — it’s hard to have a good time in that oppressive environment. So the decision by the nation’s leadership to blow hurricanes of fresh air through the country has turned the whole place on its head. As part of this change, Saudi is spending obscene sums of money creating new cities and tourist attractions — long-term planning for the post-oil world. In today’s Saudi there is only one constant: change at breakneck speed. It would be silly to go further without talking about the man behind these changes — Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman, better known simply as MBS. And no discussion of MBS can take place without reference to the controversy he generates. MBS is the architect of Saudi Arabia’s reforms. He is modernizing the economy at a phenomenal speed, and creating massive opportunities within the country, but he is also heavily criticized for Saudi Arabia’s human rights record. Many say he’s been selective in his reforms. While he famously changed laws allowing women to drive, critics say that there is still very little room for public dissent. The murder of Saudi dissident journalist Jamal Khashoggi makes the point: A US intelligence report says MBS was behind the killing in the Saudi embassy in Istanbul. MBS has consistently and resolutely denied ordering the murder but has said he bears responsibility as Saudi leader. I raise this now because it is the core of the contradiction that is Saudi today: MBS is lauded for making societal and economic reforms, giving new freedoms to millions of ordinary Saudis, yet there is this dark side to the reforms that offends Western values and prevents full-throated endorsement. US President Joe Biden experienced this contradiction when he visited Saudi in July, balancing needs for Saudi oil and economic force with trying to not appear too cozy with the man his office of national intelligence says approved the killing. It is a contradiction to be witnessed in so many ways by anyone visiting this amazing country The genie is out of the bottle There is one fact that everyone here reminds me of with a frequency bordering on a mantra: The majority of people in Saudi Arabia are under 30 (just over 40% are under 25!). Nowhere showcases that better than The Boulevard. This is a new entertainment district in the city, where young women can openly socialize with men and women can veil or not — their choice. (Yes I know, tradition and social pressure can force you to do things you don’t want to do, but we are talking about progress and societal progress is never neat and tidy.) In Saudi, I never expected to see men and women mixing together, DJs pumping out loud tunes and crowds swaying to the music. Yet there it is in front of my eyes. “This only happened in the past five years,” explains Rajaa Alsanea. A dentist by training, Alsanea is also the author of “Girls of Riyadh,” a fictional tale of four women and their complicated love lives which has been dubbed the Saudi “Sex and the City.” Al Masmak fortress. CNN Rajaa specializes in root canals — and like the dentistry she loves, she knows the difficulty of pain. She swam against the tide for so long that now she is rightly enjoying riding the waves of change. She doesn’t believe those changes could be reversed. She says, the “…genie’s not going back [in the bottle].” So how does this country, where the call to prayer still rings out loudly five times a day, negotiate massive change while being true to tradition and religious sanctity? Can you rebuild the house, without pulling it down around your ears? That’s Saudi Arabia’s conundrum: attempting to respect the country’s past while bringing in reforms designed to benefit local people and draw in tourists to a place that can feel undiscovered — a rare commodity in the modern age of travel. The country’s tourist destinations are here and waiting. The renovation of Riyadh’s imposing Al Masmak fortress, where the al Saud family began its rule of the country in 1932 is now a must for any visitor. As is the At-Turaif district — a UNESCO world heritage site which has been restored with such archaeological care and detail. In Saudi when they say “no expense spared” they are talking about a different league of spending. Alsanea took me for a ride in her car — women driving in Saudi is still a novelty, and while the headline fact is progress, there are still glaring anomalies. Women need guardian permission to marry or pass on citizenship. It is one of those “job half done” aspects of Saudi reform. Rajaa Alsanea, the author of “Girls of Riyadh.” CNN Alsanea’s book “Girls of Riyadh” is not a bodice ripper in the traditional sense, but in Saudi it is a big deal. “I think a female writing about women’s issues and love and the social life of everyday and the struggles of work, the struggles of tackling this life,” she says. She is effusive, too, about what is happening now in the country. “We’re very eager to learn,” she says, “…very eager to own this culture.” Time for coffee There is no legal alcohol in Saudi. Simple fact. Yes, there’s talk about whether hotels or restaurants or certain places for foreigners will be allowed to serve wine, beer and so forth in the distant future. After all, if you are intending to turbo charge your tourism industry, not having such libations puts one at great disadvantage against other destinations. Where Riyadh does excel is the sheer number of places for coffee. With no bars, Western-style coffee shops have sprouted everywhere over the last few years. It’s simple social economics: relax the rules and the coffee shops become the place to meet, although few are like MW Café. MW has a very unlikely owner, from the United States and with an incredible tale to tell. Mutah Beale was once known as the rapper Napoleon. He was a member of the group Outlawz founded by his friend, the late Tupac Shakur. Rapper turned coffee shop owner Mutah Beale. CNN “I was signed to Death Row records,” he explains. “This is the record company that was responsible for spreading gangster rap music in the 90s. They had Snoop Dogg, Dr. Dre, Tupac, Outlawz, so we was in the midst of this. And the people that was involved inside the studio were gang members… It was a very violent situation.” From gangster rap to Saudi Arabia? He grew tired of the life he was living, especially after Shakur was murdered in 1996. He says he spiraled out of control and was looking for something that would bring him peace. He found it through converting to Islam, moving to Saudi Arabia and completing the Hajj pilgrimage. He’s lived here for 11 years, and coffee has become his passion. “When I first came here, you couldn’t just sit outside and have a cup of coffee,” he says. “I enjoy these things now, you know what I mean? You have a lot of changes that I think make more people feel like…” he exhales loudly. “I can get on my bike now in my neighborhood and I can literally grab a coffee, grab a sandwich.” These might sound like small things. But they are actually major developments in a country that has lived a different way of life than the West and many parts of the Arab world for decades. ‘Our moment of enlightenment’ Abdulnasser Gharem. CNN To only see Riyadh will give a false sense of what’s going on. When I go to Asir Province, 900 kilometers (560 miles) from Riyadh, in the southwest, I see transition happening, but much more gently. For instance, in our hotel, there are separate tables for men, women and families. And while we can all sit together, there are few who are choosing to do so. Those who are unveiled are expats or Westerners. Here, I see Saudis thoughtfully digesting what is taking place and individually deciding what is the right pace for their lives. Al Muftaha is a haven for artists. CNN Asir’s capital, Abha, has long been a maverick. During times of intense conservatism in Saudi, and for centuries before, creative expression thrived here. It was here, at the city’s Al-Muftaha Arts Village, where the famous Saudi artist Abdulnasser Gharem came as a teenager to train at the feet of local elders. His work has since sold for hundreds of thousands of dollars at auction. Remarkably, the governor of Asir province, not the artists themselves, set up this space for creatives in 1989. Since then, the colony, which is funded by the government, has churned out art freely in a country bound by a strict religious code. It’s a classic example of Saudi contradiction. “In the whole country, it was… the only place where you can find art and music,” says Gharem as he shows us around the village where he made his name 30 years ago. “It was so difficult, to be honest, because we can feel the resistance from the society.” Gharem embodies the balance Saudi Arabia is trying to strike. As well as being a renowned and commercially successful artist, he was a lieutenant colonel in the Saudi Army, a position that is about as establishment as it gets. He believes the world c...

Sekondi-Takoradi Metropolitan Assembly Plants Fruit Trees At Apremdo Barracks – Ghana Business News https://dentoncountynewsonline.com/sekondi-takoradi-metropolitan-assembly-plants-fruit-trees-at-apremdo-barracks-ghana-business-news/ The Sekondi – Takoradi Metropolitan Assembly has organised a fruit tree planting exercise at the Myoyaung Barracks in Apremdo under the Twin-cities in Sustainable Partnership Project. The three-year project being run by the Assembly with a component for tree planting in homes, institutions and public places would contribute to fighting climate change and in securing urban food security. Mr Abdul Mumin Issah, the Metropolitan Chief Executive, during the exercise at the barracks, told Lieutenant Colonel Daniel Atobrah Bondah, the Commander, that the move was also to make the city very environmentally friendly and promote eating fruits. The move also supports the government’s Green Ghana Agenda to address environmental degradation, food security and the adverse effects of climate change on livelihoods at community level, the MCE added. Mr. Isaac Aidoo, the Project Coordinator, said one component of the Project was the planting of more than 10,000 fruit tree seedlings targeting schools, health facilities, government institutions, communities as well as homes. The focus of the Project in the next three years would be to strengthen transnational cooperation and enhancing the capacity of implementing cities to address the challenges of urban sprawl, unemployment and climate change in accordance with the 2030 on Sustainable Development. Lieutenant Colonel Daniel Atobrah Bondah, the sector Commander, was grateful for the exercise which he described as the beginning of a working relationship and partnership. “We are most of the time here at the barracks waiting for your call to work together for holistic development of the country and we are happy that the City head have shown the way”, he added. Lt Col. Bondah said environmental conservation was also paramount on the list of the military and said the exercise was timely and in order. Source: GNA

How ‘One PHC Per Ward’ Policy Threatens Lives Of Rural Dwellers In Oyo State – Leadership News https://dentoncountynewsonline.com/how-one-phc-per-ward-policy-threatens-lives-of-rural-dwellers-in-oyo-state-leadership-news/ Since the day Oluchi Chioma, 35, started attending antenatal care at Awotan Orisun Healthcare Centre, Onigbaketun Awotan, in Ido Local Government Area (LGA) of Oyo state, she had never missed her appointment, not just because she wants to know the condition of her unborn baby, but also because the health facility is the best one in Apete-Awotan-Ayegun and environs. “Who won’t love this clinic? To start with, the environment is serene, the health facility is spacious and there is never a time when there is no bed space, because the health facility has a lot of beds”, Chioma said. She added, “As for the health workers, they take good care of the community members, especially pregnant women. Drugs are never out of stock and the nurses are very friendly. So you can see the reason why I am eager to attend my antenatal and looking forward to giving birth to my bundle of joy at this PHC.” However, Chioma’s joy was recently cut short. Two months ago, the PHC was closed by the Oyo state government. The health facility, one of the best in Apete-Awotan-Ayegun, was ruled as not conducive to run as a health facility. The reason for the shutdown of the health facility is not far-fetched. “For years, there was no maintenance of the facility and with the heavy downpour that was accompanied with strong wind recently, the roof was blown away and the rain freely entered into the facility, destroying all the equipment, including the beds. “Instead of fixing it, the Oyo state government decided to close the health facility about two months ago and ever since then, my people have been finding it difficult to access healthcare services,” the chairman of Onigbaketun community, Ido Local Government Area (LGA), Oyo state, Kola Ola, told LEADERSHIP. “We cannot continue to live like this. Our children and pregnant women in this community need adequate healthcare services, which was provided to us at Awotan Orisun Healthcare Centre. Now that the government has shut down the facility, we are helpless,” a trader at Onigbaketun community, Mrs Balikis Adeyemi, said in an interview with LEADERSHIP. Mrs Adeyemi who has five children, said she used to patronise herbal medicine sellers, but she got to hear of Awotan Orisun Healthcare Centre from her friend. “Ever since I have been attending the PHC, my children have been healthy and okay. The cost of treatment at the PHC is even cheaper and more effective than herb treatment. Now that the government has closed the facility, we will have no other choice than to go back to using herbal drugs, because the nearest PHC (Apkete PHC) is far from where I live,” she explained. The community chairman said he wanted to renovate the health facility but he does not have the financial muscle to do it.  “We do not like the state of this PHC. We are helpless, however, because we do not have the financial muscle to renovate it. We are pleading with the government to put this place in order, so that our women and children can start accessing quality healthcare services,” he pleaded. Ola added that he does not know what government has in mind for the PHC. “We have not been able to sit with the commissioner for health or the Primary Health Care Board, (PHCB), Oyo state, to discuss this issue, but we are trying to see a way to book appointment with the agency.” The journey towards ‘health for all’ The poor health outcomes experienced by the people living in places like Onigbaketun Awotan was the main reason the federal government sets up the Primary Health Care Provision Fund (PHCPF) and the Midwives Service Scheme (MSS) in Nigeria. It would be recalled that President Muhammadu Buhari launched the BHCPF appropriated by the National Assembly for the first time in the 2018 budget since the National Health Act (NHAct) was enacted in 2014. The NHAct sets out the important drivers to guide disbursement of the BHCPF. These “Payment Gateways” are in three-fold and the Act states that 50 per cent (one half) of the Fund shall be disbursed through the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) and deployed towards the provision of the Basic Minimum Package Health Scheme (BMPHS) in eligible primary or secondary health care facilities. Forty-five per cent of the Fund is meant to be disbursed through the National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA) and deployed to strengthening Primary Healthcare Centres (PHCs) in eligible PHC facilities for the provision of essential drugs, vaccines and consumables; provision and maintenance of facilities, equipment and transport; and development of human resources: while five per cent shall be disbursed through a committee appointed by the National Council on Health (NCH) and deployed towards emergency medical treatment. Current contributions into the basket fund of the BHCPF includes N86 billion, of which about N56 billion has been disbursed to states as at June 2022, the secretary of the oversight committee of the Federal Ministry of Health, Dr Chris Isokpunwu, disclosed. To access the Fund, a section of the Act makes it clear that states have to pay 25 per cent, while the federal government pays 75 per cent. In Oyo state, for instance, LEADERSHIP findings showed that the state government paid a sum of N100 million as counterpart funding for the Basic Health Care Fund project and so far, about 351 PHCs, are eligible for BHCPF. In Akinleye LGA for instance, Aroro PHC, Ojoo PHC, Iroko PHC, Ikereku PHC, Pade Maternity centre, Akinyele PHC, Iwokoto health center and Ijaye PHC are eligible for BHCPF; In Ogbomoso South LGA, Ilogbo PHC, Alapata health post, Adebayo Alata PHC, Isoko health post, Lagbedu health post and Okeolla health post are eligible for BHCPF; For Saki east, the eligible PHCs are Araromi PHC, Arolu PHC, Model Our Owode and Isale Ola PHC; In Ibadan South West, Agbokojo, Bode PHC, Isale Osi, Kokosi PHC and Molete PHC, among others are eligible for the BHCPF; In Ido LGA, Akinware PHC, Akufo Health centre, Elebu PHC, Ilaju health post, Ladunni health centre, Omi-Adio health center and Apete health centre. Implementing PHCPF, MSS Scheme in Oyo State: Slow, but steady So far, through the PHCPF, funds have been disbursed to over 100 primary health facilities in Oyo state, even as some facilities have received second disbursement of about N600,000, LEADERSHIP findings (as at 28th of June, 2022) showed. A recent visit to primary health facilities like Isale-Osi PHC, Bode PHC, Molete PHC, Alata health center and Model Oje Owode PHC, (in July 2022) showed that N900,000 was paid to the PHC account as at November, 2021, and they have accessed about N600,000 of the BHCPF in June, 2022. For instance, at Isale-Osi PHC, Ibadan South West LGA, community health officer and an assistant officer in charge of Isale-Osi primary healthcare centre, Ibadan South west, Oyo state, Olayinde Abass told LEADERSHIP that prior to the fund, the PHC faced challenges like inadequate provision of essential drugs and poor maintenance of the facility. “So far, we have received from the BHCPF, N601,000 and we plan to use the funds to purchase essential drugs, to renovate the PHC, buy equipment like thermometer and stethoscope etc. We also need to print receipt and vouchers and carryout community mobilization/outreach programme. “If the fund keeps coming, we believe that it will improve healthcare delivery in Ibadan South west LGA, in that more people will be accessing healthcare services at the PHC,” Abass said. A visit to Molete PHC, Ibadan South West LGA, showed that the facility has received the sum of about N600,000 and part of the funds was used to fix the area for antenatal class and fix the beds, most of which were in bad shape. The Matron of Molete PHC, Mrs Folashade Yinka, told LEADERSHIP that the PHC is faced with challenges ranging from inadequate beds, lack of hospital equipment like syringes, lack of potable water (as they fetch water from well) to inadequate chairs for antenatal and immunization class. With the disbursement of the funds this year, the matron said parts of the N600,000 have been used to fix the bed springs, buy delivery couch, fix the antenatal area, buy chairs and bed lining, among others. On the MSS, Yinka said the Oyo state government has assigned one midwife to the health facility, while assuring that it will assign more midwives to the PHC as soon as possible, to assist the four workers there. She however appealed to government to provide borehole for them and put in more security in place to enable them work morning and night. A visit to Akinyele PHC, AKinyele LGA, revealed that the facility is one of the best in the LGA as government has ensured that there are enough drugs in the hospital. According to the WDC Chairman, Akinyele PHC, Mr. Toogun Sunkanmi, the government is trying its best to make sure that the PHC is in perfect condition. He told LEADERSHIP that his job is to take the needs of the PHC to the government and also to help educate the people (community) on the importance of using the facility for immunization of their children and other health care services. In Ido LGA, the secretary and director of Ido Local government Head Authority, Dr. Olugbade Omotado, told LEADERSHIP that the LGA consists of 10 wards and each ward has more the one PHC, adding that the government decided to attend to one PHC per ward. The others, including Awontan Orisun PHC, are not attended to and as a result are in bad state, a community member, in Ido LGA, Samson Amosun, told LEADERSHIP, while pleading with the government to renovate those centres as soon as possible, to save the lives of people living in those communities. In Ogbomoso South LGA, a visit to Adebayo Amao Alata PHC, 2022, showed that while the health facility is selec...

What Channel Is 49ers Vs. Broncos On Today? Schedule, Time For ‘Sunday Night Football’ In Week 3 – Sporting News https://dentoncountynewsonline.com/what-channel-is-49ers-vs-broncos-on-today-schedule-time-for-sunday-night-football-in-week-3-sporting-news/ A new face in a new place faces off against a familiar foe on Sunday night. Russell Wilson is playing his third game in Denver as the passer for the Broncos, but he has plenty of familiarity with the 49ers. As a former member of the Seahawks, Wilson owned the 49ers during his tenure in Seattle, amassing a 16-4 record versus his former NFC West rival. Wilson won’t just be facing a familiar foe, but a familiar quarterback, too. After Trey Lance exited Sunday’s game with a season-ending ankle injury, Jimmy Garoppolo re-entered and lead San Francisco to a big win over Wilson’s former team. MORE: Watch 49ers vs. Broncos live with fuboTV (free trial) Wearing the headsets is a battle for one of the best and one of the newest. Kyle Shanahan is looking to guide the Niners to another NFC Championship game, while new Broncos coach Nathaniel Hackett hasn’t exactly shown the propensity to lead a franchise to the promised land. But, it’s early yet. Here’s how to catch Hackett’s latest shenanigans on Sunday night: What channel is 49ers vs. Broncos on today? Game: 49ers at Broncos Date: Sunday, Sept. 25 TV channel: NBC Live stream: fuboTV | DAZN (Canada) NBC is the exclusive home to “Sunday Night Football” throughout the 2022 NFL season. With Al Michaels moving on to call “Thursday Night Football” on Amazon, Mike Tirico is the network’s new play-by-play man, while Cris Collinsworth stays in the color commentator role.  Melissa Stark is the network’s new sideline reporter, replacing Michele Tafoya. For those to choose to live stream “SNF,” fuboTV carries NBC and offers a free trial. fuboTV also carries ESPN, CBS, Fox and NFL Network, meaning that most local games will be accessible via the streaming service.  For viewers in Canada, 49ers vs. Broncos can be streamed via DAZN. What time is the 49ers vs. Broncos game on? Date: Sunday, Sept. 25 Start time: 8:20 p.m. ET As is custom for “SNF,” 49ers vs. Broncos kicks off at 8:20 p.m. ET.  The 49ers are visiting the Broncos, which means the game will kick off at 6:20 p.m. MT.  NFL live stream for 49ers vs. Broncos The 49ers vs. Broncos contest will be broadcast on NBC. That means those with a cable subscription will be able to stream the event free on NBCSports.com. Those without cable can stream via Peacock with a subscription. Cord-cutters can also stream “Sunday Night Football” with fuboTV, which carries NBC and offers a free trial. fuboTV also carries CBS, Fox, NFL Network and the ESPN family of networks, so users will be able to watch most of the locally broadcast NFL games. Other streaming options for 49ers vs. Broncos are as follows: Streaming option Cable subscription needed? Free? Cost Free trial? NFL App Yes Yes — — Yahoo! Sports App Yes Yes — — NFL+ No No $9.99/month Yes DirecTV Stream No No $49.99/month Yes fuboTV No No $69.99/month Yes Hulu Plus Live TV No No $69.99/month Yes Sling TV No No $35/month Yes YouTube TV No No $54.99/month Yes

E-Commerce Giant, Flipkart To Enter Metaverse This Diwali – YourStory https://dentoncountynewsonline.com/e-commerce-giant-flipkart-to-enter-metaverse-this-diwali-yourstory/ Read about this week’s developments, news, and trends in the Web3 ecosystem. Flipkart to soon enter the metaverse The Decrypting Story reported earlier this week that Flipkart is soon launching Flipverse, an interactive, metaverse-themed virtual shopping destination, in India.  Sources close to the development confirmed that the ecommerce player has teamed up with social media platform Meta and Ethereum scaling solution Polygon for the project. Flipkart is expected to make an official announcement of its Flipverse during Flipkart’s Big Billion Day sale. What is the Flipverse? The Flipverse shopping experience is expected to transform ecommerce from 2D static product catalogs into real-time experiences that enable users to ‘walk’ around a store, enjoying 3D-rendered store displays.  Flipverse will host games, contests, drops, NFTs, brand activations, product launches, and mystery boxes. It will also reportedly be accessible through any phone device or browser.  Metaverse as a Service Noting an opportunity to help brands build a presence in the metaverse, Anshul Agarwal and and Shrey Mishra co-founded XR Central, an interactive technology studio, in 2020, during the pandemic.  The Gurgaon-based startup offers ‘metaverse as a service’ by ideating, offering consultation, and preparing storyboards for companies to reach out to customers or connect with employees. How it works: The startup has launched MetaQube—a DIY no-code SaaS platform, where creators and enterprises can choose from a library of 3D templates, drag and drop them, upload their branding, add interactivity, and create a metaverse experience within minutes.  XR Central has already partnered with 25 brands, including SpiceJet, Mercedes Benz, Accenture, HCL, Siemens, Axalta, CESC, Forevermark, RP Goenka group, Lucknow SuperGiants, India Art Fair, and De Beers.  FTX in talks to raise $1B Crypto exchange FTX is reportedly in discussions with investors to raise $1 billion fresh capital in the next funding round at a valuation of $32 billion. As per media reports, the additional funds would be used to sign financial acquisitions during the bear market. Investors including Singapore’s Temasek, SoftBank’s Vision Fund 2 and Tiger Global have been backing the firm. Previous fundraises: In January, the crypto exchange raised $400 million in a Series C round and was valued at $32 billion. In October 2021, it raised $420.69 million in a Series B-1 round at a valuation of $25 billion. Prior to that, FTX announced a $900 million Series B raise in July 2021 that was later revised to $1 billion, with a valuation of $18 billion. Expert-built strategies for crypto investing  Founded in 2022 by Archit Nanda and Rachit Bansal, CoinMint helps users invest in curated cryptocurrency strategies put together by experts. CoinMint offers investors—amateur and seasoned alike—the option to let experts handle cryptocurrency investments on their behalf via curated portfolios. Investors can review these expert-curated portfolios and pick strategies that fit their risk profiles best. How it works: Accessible via a mobile app, CoinMint has a user-facing platform, as well as an expert-facing platform. Cryptocurrency experts and influencers use the strategy-builder platform to publish strategies, as well as rebalance their strategies from time to time, while the user-facing app helps people invest.  The platform will launch as early as next month. Crypto tax reporting app Binocs raises $4M Crypto taxation and Web3 portfolio tracking platform Binocs has raised $4 million in a Seed round led by BEENEXT. Firms such as Arkam Ventures, Accel, Saison Capital, Premji Invest, Blume Ventures, and Better Capital too participated in the round. Binocs intends to use the capital raised to expand its product, engineering, growth, and marketing teams. What does it do? Tonmoy Shingal and Pankaj Garg co-founded Binocs in July 2022 to simplify taxations and compliance for crypto investors. The firm helps crypto investors to simplify their accounting and aggregates various Web3-based investments such as NFTs, DeFi protocols, and smart contracts.

How Mark Zuckerberg Got Lost In A Bizarre Virtual World – The Telegraph https://dentoncountynewsonline.com/how-mark-zuckerberg-got-lost-in-a-bizarre-virtual-world-the-telegraph/ Every day, Mark Zuckerberg wakes up to a flood of bad news. “I look at my phone to get like a million messages,” he says. “It’s usually not good.” The founder of Facebook, now known as Meta, has been forced to grapple with a stream of crises that have beset the technology giant in recent years, raising fundamental questions about its future. Privacy scandals, internal dissent and high-profile departures are just some of the issues weighing on the Silicon Valley prince’s head.  In one of the biggest blows, Sheryl Sandberg, Zuckerberg’s chief operating officer and top lieutenant for 14 years, will leave this autumn. Sir Nick Clegg, the company’s most senior communicator, has departed sunny California to live in London again. “It’s almost like every day you wake up and get punched in the stomach. It’s like, okay, well f—,” Zuckerberg complained on a podcast last month. Mark Zuckerberg (left) with Sir Nick Clegg, the president for global affairs at Meta Platforms, and chief operating officer Sheryl Sandberg, who will leave the company this autumn Where other chief executives might throw in the towel, the computer programming prodigy has responded by fashioning his own alternative world instead – a bizarre, virtual space that he and others call “the metaverse”.  In this digital expanse, users will be able to meet loved ones, visit imaginary places and browse endless high streets, all without leaving their living room. Launching the metaverse will involve what is arguably the biggest shake-up ever at Facebook, which was originally conceived as a “hot or not” website in Zuckerberg’s Harvard dormitory 18 years ago but has grown to become a vast social network with more than 3.5 billion users. The company, which is worth more than $380bn, today controls an empire that also includes picture-sharing network Instagram and messaging service Whatsapp. It generates billions of dollars in profits each year. By ploughing tens of billions of dollars into the metaverse Zuckerberg is arguably risking it all, betting that in future people will want to spend more time – not less – immersed in digital worlds of his making.  The effort is set against a backdrop of waning interest in Facebook among critical younger users, with apps such as TikTok increasingly taking market share from Instagram. This summer, Meta reported its first ever fall in revenues after over 15 years of constant growth.  Dan Ives, a veteran Wall Street technology analyst, says: “Right now, I think it’s some of the darkest days that we’ve seen for Facebook. “With the metaverse, there’s so much scepticism. Zuckerberg and his team face some of the biggest fundamental challenges they ever have as a company.” Pull on a VR headset and you can quickly get a flavour of Zuckerberg’s vision for the metaverse. The goggles are a snug fit and weigh about a pound. Soon after powering them up, you can plug in to Meta’s new flagship platform: Horizon Worlds. In this hybrid between a video game and social network, users can wander through magical and science fiction worlds, castles and space stations, chatting and playing games. Mark Zuckerberg’s metaverse would give everybody an avatar of themselves Credit: Reuters/Facebook A new reality? But if Meta is to be believed, Horizon Worlds is just a flavour of what the metaverse will become.  While the early use cases for the metaverse have tended to be games, Meta’s argument is that one day this virtual environment will overlap with social media and daily life. Uses could range from holding work meetings inside digital conference rooms to attending virtual concerts and even shopping online using currencies that are only traded in the metaverse.  Brands such as Nike and Tiffany are already experimenting with their own forms of digital currency in the form of “non-fungible tokens”, a kind of tradeable, digital collectible. The bigger picture is a digital realm where games, e-commerce, TV, music and entertainment all combine into one experience.  This would allow you to quickly swap between apps that use VR, where you are fully immersed in a 3D digital experience, or augmented reality (AR), where the virtual world is overlaid on the real world – not unlike toggling between apps on your phone. Interactive holograms will be dotted through the real world, linking the physical realm to the metaverse. In Zuckerberg’s vision, Meta will be the leading metaverse company, selling the hardware you need to enter it and building the software that underpins everything. His decision to rebrand Facebook as “Meta” last year unleashed a wave of marketing jargon and gushing from start-up founders. “We’ll be able to feel present like we’re right there with people no matter how far apart we actually are,” Zuckerberg said at the time. “When I send my parents a video of my kids, they’re going to feel like they’re right in the moment with us, not peering through a little window. “That’s what we mean by an embodied internet. Instead of looking at a screen, you’re going to be in these experiences.” The word “metaverse”, a blend of “meta” (more than) and “universe”, was coined in the 1992 science fiction novel Snow Crash by Neal Stephenson. Characters put on VR goggles and jumped into a giant virtual city. Matthew Ball, a venture capitalist who has written extensively about the metaverse, says key elements include a massive number of users, an instantly rendered, persistent 3D world and an individual sense of presence. “A simpler way to think about the metaverse is as a live, shared and 3D version of the internet,” he says. Zuckerberg’s attempts to render this idea reality have been compared to the 2018 film Ready Player One, a science fiction story about a boy who escapes his mundane reality in the physical world to become a hero in the virtual metropolis of “Oasis”.  If Zuckerberg’s bet comes good, the prize could be enormous. Analysis commissioned by Meta claimed the technology could contribute $3 trillion to the global economy by 2030 and reach a billion people. Yet so far, his attempts to build his own Oasis have fallen far short of the concept’s utopian promise. The appearance of Meta’s metaverse is far behind Zuckerberg’s ambition and rudimentary compared to many pre-existing video games. All the strange avatars on Horizon Worlds appear without legs, with their torso, arms and heads simply floating in the air. Meta’s previews of the experience – caveated with disclaimers that the visuals are still being worked on – have involved Zuckerberg doing sitting interviews and playing cards with his friends.  In another example, a cartoonish “selfie” taken by the chief executive’s avatar in front of Eiffel Tower and Sagrada Família lookalikes in the metaverse was mocked for its low fidelity.  Even the Meta founder later admitted it was “pretty basic”. Metaverse cynics make comparisons to Second Life, an online world first launched in 2003. In Second Life, users interacted as avatars in a virtual version of the real world. Its early popularity led schools and colleges to open digital campuses in the game.  People held virtual weddings in Second Life. Countries opened functioning digital embassies and a virtual newspaper was bought and sold for LindenDollars – named for Linden Labs, the company behind it. The hype did not last. Second Life is still online, but only attracts around 40,000 active users at any given time.  The metaverse will rely heavily on VR, which is not new. Companies such as Atari, Sega and Nintendo also experimented with headsets during the 1980s and Nineties but they never took off.  Low quality graphics make for a stomach churning experience, and many users still complain VR makes them nauseous. Proponents argue that high definition screens and increasingly powerful processors have improved the experience dramatically in the last decade. In 2014, Facebook acquired Oculus, a VR company, for $2bn. Meta has since ploughed more cash into improving its headset devices and making them cheaper. The problem is that hardly anyone is still using them. Only about 600,000 households in the UK own a VR headset. For the most part users are male, older millennials, according to Digital Catapult.  This is, in no small part, down to the price of admission. Just to enter Zuckerberg’s digital world, consumers must fork out £400 for VR headsets such as Meta’s Quest 2. Other devices can be bought for as little as £50, but these are extremely limited in terms of graphics and battery life. “Ultimately this is still at an early stage and has some way to go before its mass market and is widely accepted,” says Paolo Pescatore, a consumer technology analyst at PP Foresight. Another issue is that the concept of the metaverse remains nebulous. Most technologists don’t agree on what it will actually look like and “even the name is confusing to the average person on the high street”, Pescatore says. Back in the real world Perhaps more concerningly, despite billions of dollars of investment, there is little so far to show for all Zuckerberg’s spending. Virtual reality (VR) is not yet widely adopted and many of Meta’s most ambitious projects for the metaverse remain years from reality. Its main effort so far – Horizon Worlds – has come in for ridicule. The service has only around 300,000 monthly users, Zuckerberg said in January, and Facebook has been forced to offer developers $10m to build experiences to go in its game.  Already, investors are beginning to baulk at the eye-watering costs. Meta lost $10bn on its “Reality Labs” division, which is spearheading the effort, last year. In the three months to June it burnt through another $2.2bn. Over the 12 months the company’s market value has more than halved as shareholders grow more sceptical. Met...

Russia Starts Developing Mechanism For International Crypto Payments – Finance Bitcoin News – Bitcoin News https://dentoncountynewsonline.com/russia-starts-developing-mechanism-for-international-crypto-payments-finance-bitcoin-news-bitcoin-news/ Financial authorities in Russia have begun work on a mechanism to facilitate the employment of cryptocurrencies for settlements with other nations amid sanctions. The country’s central bank and finance ministry have already agreed on a draft law regulating cross-border crypto payments. Regulators in Russia Move Toward Legalizing Use of Cryptocurrency in Foreign Trade Russian authorities intend to regulate the issuance, circulation, and various operations with digital assets, including international crypto payments, by the end of 2022. The Ministry of Finance, the Central Bank of Russia, and the Rosfinmonitoring agency, have taken on the task, the financial watchdog told the daily Izvestia. “The activities of organizations that will carry out exchange operations with digital currency, its transfer and storage, and providers of virtual asset services should be subject to regulation, including registration or licensing of such persons and their supervision,” Rosfinmonitoring explained and added that their responsibilities should also include combating money laundering. The current version of the bill “On Digital Currency,” put forward by the finance ministry earlier this year and revised with input from other authorities, provides for the establishment of domestic infrastructure for crypto asset trading. Now, Russian regulators have turned their attention to the settlement mechanism for cryptocurrency payments in foreign trade. Finance Ministry and Central Bank Agree on Law Allowing Cross-Border Crypto Settlements This week, Deputy Minister of Finance Alexey Moiseev unveiled that his department and the Bank of Russia have reached an in-principle agreement on new legislation authorizing international payments in cryptocurrency. Earlier in September, the two institutions concluded that Russia “can’t do without cross-border crypto payments” in the face of mounting sanctions. Quoted by the RIA Novosti news agency and the business daily Kommersant, the government official said: Now we have a bill already agreed with the central bank. It generally describes how to acquire cryptocurrency, what can be done with it, and how it can or cannot be used, in the first place in cross-border settlements. At the same time, according to a report by RBC Crypto, Moiseev admitted that the issue with “entry and exit to fiat” remains to be resolved. Then, experts will have to determine the minimum infrastructure that Russia needs to create in order to be able to implement such cryptocurrency payments. The finance ministry and the monetary authority have also agreed on a draft law concerning crypto mining that will legally define the activity. The deputy minister noted that the question of whether miners should credit the minted digital coins to wallets in the Russian Federation or abroad has so far been decided in favor of the second option. Tags in this story agency, bill, Central Bank, cross-border payments, Crypto, crypto payments, Cryptocurrencies, Cryptocurrency, Cryptocurrency Payments, draft law, finance ministry, Law, legalization, Legislation, mechanism, Payments, Regulation, Rosfinmonitoring, Russia, russian, Sanctions, settlement mechanism, Settlements Do you think Russia will legalize and regulate cross-border crypto payments by the end of the year? Tell us in the comments section below. Lubomir Tassev Lubomir Tassev is a journalist from tech-savvy Eastern Europe who likes Hitchens’s quote: “Being a writer is what I am, rather than what I do.” Besides crypto, blockchain and fintech, international politics and economics are two other sources of inspiration. Image Credits: Shutterstock, Pixabay, Wiki Commons Disclaimer: This article is for informational purposes only. It is not a direct offer or solicitation of an offer to buy or sell, or a recommendation or endorsement of any products, services, or companies. Bitcoin.com does not provide investment, tax, legal, or accounting advice. Neither the company nor the author is responsible, directly or indirectly, for any damage or loss caused or alleged to be caused by or in connection with the use of or reliance on any content, goods or services mentioned in this article.

US Eases Ban On Wild Bird Carcasses From Canada [column] – LNP | LancasterOnline https://dentoncountynewsonline.com/us-eases-ban-on-wild-bird-carcasses-from-canada-column-lnp-lancasteronline/ Local waterfowl hunters headed to Canada this fall can breathe a sigh of relief, thanks to an about-face by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. On Sept. 12, the department modified a total ban on importing wild bird carcasses declared Sept. 2 as a precaution to prevent the spread of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI). The modified rule allows harvested birds to be brought into the United States, provided certain precautions are taken. Avian flu has been spreading in wild and domestic birds all across Canada for the past year. Lancaster County endured a devastating three-month outbreak of the disease from April through June. A total of 4.2 million birds were killed on 17 poultry farms where the virus was confirmed in Lancaster and Berks counties, either by the flu or because of state-ordered, whole-flock euthanasia to prevent the virus from spreading. As a precautionary measure to keep avian flu from spreading from Canada to the U.S., the USDA on Sept. 2 announced American hunters traveling to Canada would not be allowed to bring any harvested birds back into the U.S. Waterfowl seasons in many Canadian provinces opened Sept. 1, and thousands of U.S. hunters travel north every year to chase ducks and geese. The carcass ban caused an uproar among U.S. waterfowling groups, who argued it made no sense to prevent carcasses from being brought back, when millions of live ducks and geese will migrate from Canada into the U.S. this fall. “We certainly understand and appreciate the importance of limiting the spread of (avian flu) in the U.S.,” Ducks Unlimited Senior Waterfowl Scientist Mike Brasher said in a news release. “But based on data from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and Canadian Wildlife Service, U.S. hunters and their harvested birds imported from Canada pose relatively minimal risks in this regard.” On Sept. 12, the USDA softened its position on hunter-killed bird carcasses. They can now be brought back into the U.S. provided the following precautions are taken: — A bird’s viscera, head, neck, feet, feathers, skin and one wing must all be removed. The other wing must be left on the bird for identification. — Carcasses must be rinsed before packaging and show no signs of contamination with blood, feces or dirt. — Carcasses must be imported in leak-proof plastic packaging stowed in a leak-proof cooler or container. — Carcasses must be chilled or frozen during transport into the U.S. Waterfowl are certain to be the most common birds brought back into the U.S. from Canada by traveling hunters, but USDA noted these rules apply to any wild birds shot by American hunters in Canada. USDA’s Sept. 12 rule revision was met with appreciation from waterfowling organizations. “We appreciate USDA’s willingness to hear the concerns from DU and revise this rule in a practical and scientific manner,” Ducks Unlimited CEO Adam Putnam said in a news release. “This revision is not only a win for American waterfowlers but also for the application of sound science. Now, waterfowlers who’ve already departed north of the Canadian border have clear guidance on how to limit the spread of HPAI and bring their harvested game birds back to the U.S. safely.” P.J. Reilly is an LNP | LancasterOnline outdoors writer. Email him at preilly@lnpnews.com.

Hawaii Geek Meet, Tech Events Offer Support, Funding For Local Startup Community – Hawaii News Now https://dentoncountynewsonline.com/hawaii-geek-meet-tech-events-offer-support-funding-for-local-startup-community-hawaii-news-now/ HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) – Local tech entrepreneur and journalist Ryan Ozawa talks about upcoming tech events. 9/25 Hawai’i Geek Meet: https://www.hawaiigeek.com The Hawaii Geek Meet is a casual, fun, free, family-friendly, grassroots gathering for people who are curious and have a passion that they love to share. Wander our “geek village” at Magic Island from 9am to 3pm and see what interesting and amazing things local groups and clubs are up to. 9/27: Hawaii Agriculture Conference: https://www.hiagconference.org/ Hawai’i’s agricultural sector presently reflects a highly diverse range of crops, production methodologies, business models, and markets – meeting a variety of opportunities, needs and demands. The AG2022 Conference is to explore, learn and network with Hawa’i’s agricultural leaders and affiliates. 9/27: Hawai’i Digital Government Summit: https://events.govtech.com/Hawaii-Digital-Government-Summit-2022.html Promoting best practices and spurring innovation in the public sector. After two years of virtual events, attendees this year can connect with peers from the government and industry sectors in-person to share ideas, best practices, and technology trends that have never been more important than they are now. 9/28: ThriveHI Remote Work Meetup: https://www.meetup.com/honolulu-startup-drinks/events/288447833/ A new event for people working remotely from Hawai’i for companies outside of the islands. Are you working West Coast hours and want to unwind after a long day? Come to Aloha Beer to network with others who work from Hawaii. 9/29: How to get Into Emerging Tech: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/how-to-get-into-emerging-tech-web3-arvr-ai-robotics-blockchain-tickets-408369613507 Overwhelmed by everything new in technology? This talk will cover exactly how you can maximize your time and take control of learning in small and tangible ways within the disruptive technologies, including Web3, NFTs, AI, AR/VR, and blockchain spaces. This is a beginner friendly event. 10/4: Hawai’i Annual Code Challenge (HACC): https://hacc.hawaii.gov A three-week open hackathon where teams work to build solutions for real Hawaii government problems, taking “reverse pitches” from a handful of departments that could use technology to improve delivery of services to the public. Several cash prizes for code and low-code based solutions. 10/24: Pacific Tech Conference: https://www.htdc.org/pacifictech/ Pacific Tech 2022 together Pacific region tech and engineering solution providers together with government customers, investors, prime contractors, federal SBIR/STTR program representatives, and other supporting agencies. Through the conference, innovative tech companies will have an opportunity to connect with potential customers, and learn how they can best leverage new funding and tech commercialization opportunities by various federal agencies. Copyright 2022 Hawaii News Now. All rights reserved.

Stroup: Paperwork – How Aptly Named – The Cross Timbers Gazette https://dentoncountynewsonline.com/stroup-paperwork-how-aptly-named-the-cross-timbers-gazette/ Last month I was all about the annoying survey seekers. This month I’m sorry to report my topic of conversation also makes my temper run quite short. This relentless sweltering weather, of course, plays a part but even that aside…I’m about to blow my cork! I am always very accommodating when the receptionist at the dentist’s or doctor’s office asks me to revise my health information. I understand their need for an update. It’s important that they keep those records straight. But recently I’ve been faced with seeing new physicians due to being referred for special medical conditions…nothing severe or radical. Just things my GP wasn’t equipped to tackle. This has brought about unrealistic expectations of me by the medical community. “It will be easier and save you time, Mrs. Stroup, if you fill out your new patient paperwork online.” On each occasion I hear these words my head begins to ache and my teeth begin to grind. I know all too well about ‘this is going to save you time.’ In fact, that’s one of my personal favorites. The 26-page new patient questionnaire (and they don’t tell you this part) will “time out” if you take too long between pages. Now this is really outrageous. Seriously, if you need to walk away because you have to go you better pray Mother Nature doesn’t take things too slow. The first time I lost all my information I was in disbelief at the invitation. There on the PC screen it said: “Welcome to Dr. Forms’ Practice ~ Please fill out these forms again.” Since I already had spent most of the day filling in blanks I wanted to curse but instead I just prayed. I prayed for the courage to get through the mire. This one part really confused me as to what it inquired. Back in the day when you were asked to select your gender you had TWO letters to choose from: either check A for female or B for male. Here it is 2022 and that ship has sailed. One practice had a rather extensive version of the ‘two letter’ option. It asked for your gender at birth as shown on your birth certificate. (I thought I just had for all that was worth!) Then followed: Gender Now Known As: LGBTQ+ (look it up). “Here are some letters for you, “OMG!” I can’t imagine what my grandmother would think if she happened upon this form she’d believe her eyes were on the blink! And by the time she’d looked them all up for sure her session would have timed out. So at last all the pages are complete ~ all ready for the doctor when you meet. But before you hit send you must sign. Sometimes you’re given a choice on the bottom line. If you’re prompted to use cursive you might just as well close your eyes. Drawing on the screen will take several tries and even at that it can’t be recognized. Typing your signature is acceptable on some questionnaires so why not all instead? Signing in print makes everything clear. One thing for certain that’s very clear to me Filling out paperwork in advance Isn’t that helpful to the patient I see! C. Stroup Cindy Stroup is a Double Oak resident and has been contributing to The Cross Timbers Gazette for over 30 years. Read her column each month in The Cross Timbers Gazette newspaper.