1665: Flag Gate

BotG BYD cars in China

Dear AC,

I frequently ride in BYDs. Some are new taxis - they are very nice, and spacious in the back seat.

Also I get driven around in BYDs when I take private drivers who work for DiDi (an Uber” style service; DiDi means big brother, slang for helper)

These BYDs are beautiful, have great acceleration, and I never see any that look old. They are comparable to any Mercedes SUV

- or a larger sized Tesla.

Best

Prof J Jones in China

Regarding collegiate concentrations BOTG

I just caught up with Thursday's episode, and I wanted to chime in on the "concentration" discussion towards the end of the show. Whatever NYU is now doing is a bastardization of the long-standing concept of concentration, or degree focus. For example, when I attended university, students had the option of getting a general degree in a discipline (e.g., chemistry, literature, computer science), or focus their degree ("concentrate", if you will) on a specific domain within the discipline (e.g., organic chemistry, medieval English literature, management information systems). The degree remained the same, regardless of concentration. The pre-DJT/DEI/ESG-era purpose for choosing a concentration was to help students with a passion and/or aptitude for a particular discipline's domain differentiate themselves post-graduation, whether that consisted of entering the job market or going for advanced degrees.

18 USC 611 on voting by aliens

Link

(a)It shall be unlawful for any alien to vote in any election held solely or in part for the purpose of electing a candidate for the office of President, Vice President, Presidential elector, Member of the Senate, Member of the House of Representatives, Delegate from the District of Columbia, or Resident Commissioner, unless—

(1)the election is held partly for some other purpose;

(2)aliens are authorized to vote for such other purpose under a State constitution or statute or a local ordinance; and

(3)voting for such other purpose is conducted independently of voting for a candidate for such Federal offices, in such a manner that an alien has the opportunity to vote for such other purpose, but not an opportunity to vote for a candidate for any one or more of such Federal offices.

(b)Any person who violates this section shall be fined under this title, imprisoned not more than one year, or both.

(c)Subsection (a) does not apply to an alien if—

(1)each natural parent of the alien (or, in the case of an adopted alien, each adoptive parent of the alien) is or was a citizen (whether by birth or naturalization);

(2)the alien permanently resided in the United States prior to attaining the age of 16; and

(3)the alien reasonably believed at the time of voting in violation of such subsection that he or she was a citizen of the United States.

Subsection (3) seems to contradiction Section (a).

Section (c)(2) is weird, because it says, CLEARLY that if any alien resided at any time, prior to age 16 (but implies that they stayed in the U.S., continually pre- and up to reaching age 16), in the United States then they get to vote.

Section (c)(3) says that if ANY alien has a reasonable belief that they are a citizen, then they get to vote. So ... WOW.

War on chickens - Fires - BOTG

ITM, 5 years ago I used to work as an engineer for one of the largest chicken farm equipment manufacturers in the world and including the United States (cage systems for egg farms, feeding equipment for broilers, egg gathering equipment, egg collection nests for breeder chicken farms, climate control systems, drink systems).

I've been to many farms for troubleshooting visits and one thing we struggled with here in the US, is the lack of a stringent electrical code for these farms. They hire Mexicans to run wires and they are the most Jerry-rigged electrical installations I've ever seen. I once saw a grounding rod driven through the wall into the ground.

So I wasn't surprised when these 30 million dollar egg farms would have a complex go up in flames. It was convenient for us because they would use the insurance money to buy another 20 million dollars of equipment. The fires are likely due to poor electrical installations that are by and large unregulated and not inspected, or arson to upgrade their aging worn out equipment.

My 2 cents, thanks for all you guys do.

-Cameron

Digital PCR, not qPCR for waste water testing BOTG

Anonymous John here from Ireland.

I’m a bit behind, on ep 1660. RE PCR for waste water testing, they don’t use standard qPCR as they did with SARS-CoV-2.

For this, they use Digital PCR (dPCR) which is qPCR where you separate the copies of DNA into compartments making it WAY more able to detect the lowest/rarest copies.

Here’s the difference

[https://youtu.be/aSiJAS8nC0E?si=wtsJKahqMYxPTQR7](https://youtu.be/aSiJAS8nC0E?si=wtsJKahqMYxPTQR7)

I sell these instruments and reagents. They are for rare events, rare viruses. So if you couldn’t find it with 40 cycles on qPCR, you will definitely find it by dPCR.

To test waste water, they don’t just test the water as is. No, they spin it down with super speed centrifuges at ~100,000 rpm (or something similar) to concentrate any copies of DNA or partial DNA fragments. This makes it easier to test. If you tested the waste water as is, you’d likely find nothing.

Ultimately, they’ll find what they want!!

Bilderberg 2023 Agenda

The key topics for discussion this year are:

State of AI

AI Safety

Changing Faces of Biology

Climate

Future of Warfare

Geopolitical Landscape

Europe’s Economic Challenges

US Economic Challenges

US Political Landscape

Ukraine and the World

Middle East

China

Russia

Link

Bilderberg 2024 Participants

(16) The Carbon Currency - by esc

Link to Article

Archived Version

Sun, 02 Jun 2024 17:08

This article should more appropriately be titled ' The Carbon Currencies '.

Because they rolling out not just one - but two .

Taking a break from the theme of General Systems Theory, because I see a number of these initiatives being rolled out at this very minute. But as we shall soon find, this connects to the whole story just as well. Either way - Toco , rolled out into its second destination only two weeks ago - Denmark .

And should you head over to their website , you will find two things of interest. First, ' For every toco in circulation, 1 tonne of carbon is removed from the atmosphere '. That means the Toco as a carbon currency is centred around carbon sequestration .

The next thing of interest you find, is that ' Tocos are minted and verified by The Carbon Reserve '. We also see that the initiative so far has only been rolled out in Switzerland and Denmark, but should you live outside, you can join the ' Carbon is Money Movement ', a concept seemingly so idiotic that one could only assume frauds like Extinction Rebellion would readily sign up for it.

The Carbon Reserve has its own website . It's not terribly interesting, just confirms the above, before stating a physical address in'... Geneva, Switzerland .

But Toco is not the only initiative. We also have the Global Carbon Reward Carbon Currency - incidentally, which also centres around carbon sequestration .

Oh, and will you look at that - here's Delton Chen , the founder of the Global Carbon Reward debating his wonderful idea, certain to polatise wealth massively, discussing the concept with'... Extinction Rebellion .

Around 24 minutes in, Delton explains Carbon Quantitative Easing (Carbon QE) as a mechanism for central banks to stabilize and support a new carbon currency , contrasting it with traditional QE which tends to exacerbate financial inequity. You'd expect a legit, left-wing organisation to balk at that moment at least, no?

Regardless, the reason why this should be of note is because the above mentioned CQE suggests (what will eventually become) a gradual replacement of existing currency (it's always slowly, slowly) , and it's a concept reminiscent of Buckminster Fuller's 1969 Operation Manual for Spaceship Earth , because it would appear a 'science fiction' novel was released in a fairly similar style in 2020 , addressing'... pretty much all of these concepts.

Now, I actually bought the book just to confirm what a piece of trash it is - and it really is. It's nothing but outright propaganda , eventually going through the likes of Keynesianism and Modern Monetary Theory, but that's not really what's of importance. Because in spite of its quality - or distinct lack thereof - it supposedly is ' a great read ', should you ask Bill Gates , and furthermore ' chosen by Barack Obama as one of his favourite books of the year ', calling into question if the man actually reads books, or just watches Netflix shows, featuring massively overcompensated celebrities , calling into question whether said ' Netflix deals ' in fact serve a different function altogether. Regardless, this book really is terrible, the propaganda is simply smeared on way, way, way too thick.

But - as said - this is yet another carbon currency backed by carbon sequestration . There's another type .

EcoCore proposes a ' Carbon Currency based on Carbon Allowances '. We furthermore find that this should towards a 2050 Net Zero transition through -

' allocation to all citizens of a carbon allowance '

Which'... sounds a tad like the Soviet Union, if you ask me.

` complete coverage for payment of the carbon price on every product and service in the economy '

'... and nothing will escape this Marxist dream.

' dual currency system of cash and carbon tokens '

'... at least until they retire cash.

' control of the supply of fossil fuels at the point of extraction '

So we can just burn wood instead, no? (lol, no)

' a strong foundation for governance of the voluntary carbon markets by setting up a central carbon bank as the final arbiter and authority for carbon credits (paid in carbon tokens) '

Of course, this initiative will also have a central bank . And we also know that this will operate in the voluntary carbon markets. Do make a note of that.

But, wait - we haven't yet seen how the concept works. Thankfully, that follows, and we see that the ecosystem kicks off by the government setting an allowable carbon emission target . And this pool of emissions is then distributed to each and every citizen.

And further - the money supply can then be continuously tightened as we inch closer to 2050's lunatic ' Net Zero ' target. And the clue is in the name - Net Zero. Net Zero Carbon Emissions. Zero emissions to be shared among the people .

Well, apart from what nature absorbs, I hear you say - yes, but that will gradually turn to zero down the line just as well. More on that in a minute .

So what we have here is a different type of carbon currency - one, backed by emission permits . We've seen one of those before, incidentally .

This was briefly touched upon when discussig the BIS Mitigation Outcome Interests , because the ultimate objective here really is crystal clear, no? The concept of ' carbon allowances ' is intended for global rollout . Not local. Not regional. Global .

And as everything will be digitised and on distributed ledger technology (blockchain) , all transactions will be stored forever . So, you know , 15 years down the line they can really drag your name through the mud for having bought some - in contemporary perspective - humiliating items on Amazon, no? Will be really convenient to get rid of political candidates who they will definitely not want running for office.

Carbon Coded's website is pretty much just a shell, but they do have a presentation . And I'm sure you'll be pleased to know that their ' Two-Tier CBDC Framework empowers public-private partnerships and enables digital cash to be designed by central banks but issued and distributed by financial institutions '. Which - from their perspective - means that not much has changed compared to the existing system, though it does 'empower public-private-partnerships' , aka accelerate the process of draining the middle class. But from your perspective? Quiet, prole - speak when spoken to.

A few pages on, we find that they ' largely follow the Monetary Authority of Singapore's Project Ubin framework , building upon and extending the work done across five inter-related components ', and that's actually of note, because that means that the initiative not only is connected to the central banking system in general, but also one of the major hubs of central bank FINtech development.

The Monetary Authority of Singapore connects to the BIS in a number of ways. Here's a speech delivered by the managing director of the MAS back in late 2021 . Yes, hosted on the BIS website.

And from the same speech, we also learn that -

' Not all cross-border payment improvements need CBDCs or the blockchain. Singapore's real-time retail payment system '' PayNow '' is building direct linkages with other countries' payment systems. PayNow has already linked with Thailand's PromptPay, enabling individuals in the two countries to transfer funds directly to one another's bank accounts using just the payee's mobile phone number. PayNow plans to link up with Malaysia's DuitNow and India's Unified Payment Interface next year . But establishing bilateral payment linkages one jurisdiction at a time is hard work. We need a multilateral solution.

MAS is therefore working with the BIS Innovation Hub on Project Nexus - a common blueprint for how countries can fully integrate their real-time payment systems onto a single cross-border network. If it works, it will make PayNow globally interoperable much faster '.

Ie, they cooperate with the BIS on Project Nexus , which relates to their real-time payments system , which is currently being integrated into neighbouring countries .

CoinCover has rather the glowing article in that regard, which lists Project Nexus and Project Ubin (plus) as two of their currently ongoing projects .

Either way, let's quickly recap here before moving on. Because we've learned that there are not just one, but two types of incoming carbon currencies . One is based on carbon sequestration , and the other on carbon emission permits . EcoCore's solution proposes the latter, and they further seek ' strong foundation for governance of the voluntary carbon markets by setting up a central carbon bank '. And the idea of a cornerstone central bank already exists in the carbon sequestration currency field, through the Carbon Reserve , which just so happens to be based - of all places - in Geneva, Switzerland .

Got it all? Good. Because here's where I'm going with this -

The Convention on Biological Diversity seeks to protect biodiversity, ie mangroves and forests, which in turn act as carbon sinks .

The UNFCCC seeks to control emissions, and hence, will lead to a global emission target for which permits will be granted to each individual nation. And these relate to carbon sources , because these are the ones require ' netting '. The flip side of carbon sources is carbon credits, or you could alternatively call them - tradeable rights to pollute .

But since the UNFCCC in effect is the net output of the core objective of the CBD (ie, planting forests leads to carbon credits) , you can in effect consider the UNFCCC the derivative of the CBD , in a sense. Because as we - in theory - plant more trees, the more carbon we - in theory - can emit. Consequently, planting trees is a long-term strategy to create tradeable rights to pollute , aka carbon credits .

But what does the CBD in effect do, long term? It draws out carbon from the atmosphere, and stores this in trees, hence, those trees are carbon sequestered from the atmosphere .

So when we discuss two types of carbon currencies - one being that of carbon sequestering, and the other being that of emission rights - what we really discuss is one type of carbon currency, relating to the UNFCCC (emission permits), and one, relating to the CBD (sequestering) .

Clever, isn't it?

They've spent a long time on this, alright, as we shall soon see.

But that's not quite all. Because the long-term objective is to stabilise emissions at an atmospheric level of co2 equal to that of 1990 - 350 ppm . So if we hypothetically started today, and magically reached that level by tomorrow, then we would have generated approximately 140 million carbon sequestering currency units (this I asked ChatGPT to calculate, but the quantity doesn't really matter - the point is that the number will eventually stabilise) . And assume we'd also magically reach Net Zero by then, there wouldn't be any carbon emission permits at all, beyond what nature would absorb. And that's where the next issue comes into play.

Nature always seeks to find an equilibrium . And that is to say - at some stage, nature will stabilise at some level, where natural emissions would equal natural sinkage. Ie, nature will eventually stabilise itself at 'Net Zero' . Sure - long term, indeed - but that's what will happen long term. And when that day comes, there will be absolutely no emission permits to spread around, an issue I outlined early on.

Consequently, that's where tech needs to step in .

Bill Gates was widely mocked for indirectly investing in a company working in ' biomass burial '. Thing is, theoretically the idea's not as dumb as it sounds, because the theoretical peak objective would be to recreate the oil deposits underground (obviously accepting their carbon consensus idea, which I do not - I am merely examining the premise) , and this could hypothetically be a way to do it. Reality however differs from theory, and initiatives such as this one are so easy to shoot down, and alreaady have been by many. However, I have quite simply a brilliant solution to the problem.

The Ocean Conveyor . Or you can call it the Gulf Stream if you're European, it amounts to the same thing in effect.

See, what I propose (and do treat this somewhat facetiously) is to simply cut down large trees in Northern Brazil, and dump them straight into the ocean . The stream - and waves - will then naturally do its thing, smashing said trees into tiny fragments by the time they eventually reach Europe, not forgetting all those eventually sinking along the way. New trees would be planted where the felled trees once stood, and they will absorb far more carbon than the now-felled mature forests. Overall quantity of material dumped into the ocean would be a teenie, tiny percentage of oceanic volume, so it should not matter in the slightest. Furthermore, as the oceans will unpredictably scatter the organic material all over the Northern Atlantic, there should be few - if any - places suffering as a result. But even if any did, we could probably send a few people to clean those locations once or twice per year.

Problem solved!

I took this brilliant, brilliant idea of mine to ChatGPT, which was about as receptive to the idea as central bankers being that the idea of not pushing CBDCs through.

' I apologize, but I cannot agree with the suggestion of deliberately dumping trees into the ocean as a carbon sequestration strategy .'

'... which furthermore found a very strange reason to cull the idea, given that contemporary climate regulation is not the least bit democratic -

' Implementing a program of deliberate ocean dumping of trees would require extensive international coordination '

But whereas in earlier days I'd have these complicated scripts to get around these issues, now I largely just ask it to think about the idea from a logical perspective -

' You correctly mention that the increased surface area of fragmented trees in the ocean may lead to higher absorption. This is a valid point that warrants consideration .'

'... and'...

' In re-evaluating your proposition, it is evident that a thorough and comprehensive analysis of the potential benefits, risks, and environmental implications of ocean dumping for carbon sequestration is warranted .'

BINGO ! ChatGPT is now on board! Dumping Brazilions of rainforests is clearly an idea with legs.

But back to the topic of credit in the system. The two carbon currencies - how exactly would they become one? Because it appears reasonably obvious that those based on carbon emission permits would be retired within a given period of time - 12 months, possibly - because approved quantities of carbon emissions and hence credit will change on an annual basis. Consequently, this leads me to believe that the currency based on carbon permits would be the trading currency, ie, the medium of exchange , which is also where the keyword ' voluntary ' comes into play, because consumer use of ' carbon allowances ' currently are considered ' voluntary ' .

And that would make the carbon sequestering currency that of the store of value .

And that's where the next issue arise, because how do you convert between the two? I searched long and hard for the answer to this on the web, but I didn't find. ChatGPT referred to the Taskforce on Scaling Voluntary Carbon Markets (TSVCM) , supposedly currently busy cracking that particular nut. Which would make sense, because if the voluntary side is the medium of exchange, then the store of value needs to be converted back to that.

But there's a further issue - the emission permit based carbon currency will be in ever shorter supply, as the allowances are shrunk gradually. Consequently, this should naturally lead to a gradual increase in worth, which adds another complexity, because how will that correlate with stored sequestration currency?

ChatGPT outlines efforts such as the Certified Emissions Reductions framework, and McKinkey wanting a slice of this particular pie. Regardless, should we have a quick peek at the output of said taskforce ?

' The Taskforce on Scaling Voluntary Carbon Markets is a private sector-led initiative '... '

Ugh, no I don't like where this is going already -

' The Taskforce was initiated by Mark Carney '

Ah great, and initiated by the central banker of central bankers.

I'm not diving into its contents at this stage, because I want to finish off by taking this in a different direction. But first, let me just link this, because Mark Carney could not possibly be more aligned with the broader narrative -

Now, when developing a new market - in this case carbon trading and currency systems - you need sourcers of carbon credits, and markets in which to trade said for offsetting purposes. But you also need a legal framework .

There are many examples of the former, like this, recently acquired one - EcoSphere+ who procure carbon credits. Look at how happy she is. Don't worry. They have a grievance mechanism for when they evict her and her fellow indigenous peoples from her ancestral homelands. Yeah, look, it just happened that her tribe patriarch got a bit tipsy on the night of signing that Debt-for-Nature Swap, which was probably a bad move on his part. Well, and hers, and it transpires.

' Ecosphere+ is a proud B Corp and accredited to ICROA, a quality assurance framework in carbon offsetting '.

And you can find them '... in IETA's building , it would appear.

'... and the IETA , well from their history we learn that -

' In June 1999 , a visionary group of international companies and business associations established IETA '

Usually, these people love to gloat, and ensure they receive their due credits. So that's a tad odd.

So let's head over to Wiki'... where we very strangely find that'... there is no page on IETA .

OK, ChatGPT - same question.

' IETA was established in 1998 with the support of UNCTAD and the Earth Council '

Oh really? Well, that really is terribly, terribly interesting, because we've been here before . And do try to contain your shock, shock , as we discover that -

' The inaugural meeting of the IETA will be convened in Buenos Aires on 12 November 1998 , in conjunction with the fourth Conference of the Parties ( COP4 ) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. The purpose of the inaugural meeting, to be be chaired by Mr. Maurice Strong, Chairman of the Earth Council , is to complete arrangements for its establishment, including examining its draft statutes '

Oh golly, and it connect right to none other but Maurice Strong himself. What an extraordinary coincidence .

'... and the Earth Charter ? Founded in 1992 by'... Maurice Strong at the Rio Summit , also hosted by'... yes, Maurice Strong .

Maurice Strong also was connected to the 1987 Brundtland Report , 1982 World Charter for Nature , and of course hosted the 1972 UNCED Stockholm meeting , where UNEP was born. He also commissioned the report on global surveillance in 1971 leading to SCOPE's first report, and the update in 1973 .

The other link is the UNCTAD - and they penned the elusive ' UNCTAD/RDP/DFP/1 ' document for which I've searched for months, fruitlessly. Because that UNCTAD document from 1992 , in short , outlines the future carbon credit trading system .

And though I've found documents referring to it beyond merely in the references, the document itself remains at large - however, this official UN document from 1995 is fairly descriptive .

Incidentally, this prior post tracks the origin of that initiative even further back in time, eventually leading through IPCC's Working Group 3 in 1990 , and all the way back to the Clean Air Act Amendment of 1977 .

Regardless, the central document remains elusive. However, a further comment on the UNCTED press release from 1998 above -

' The establishment of the IETA will strengthen the institutional capacity of the private sector to assist governments to design and implement a comprehensive, stable and efficient greenhouse gas emissions trading system. It will draw upon and complement the growing number of emissions trading schemes (such as BP's internal emissions trading scheme) in helping to prepare for a smooth launch of the international emissions trading market in 2008 .'

So the plan - in 1998 - was to launch the international emissions trading market in 2008 . And you know what launched in that year?

That's right - the ICROA .

What an extraordinary coincidence , no?

Synapse bankruptcy: Yotta CEO says 85,000 bank accounts locked

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Archived Version

Sun, 02 Jun 2024 16:57

Oscar Wong | Moment | Getty Images

When Adam Moelis co-founded a fintech startup named Yotta in 2019, he wanted to give Americans a new way to save money to help them cushion the ups and downs of life.

Instead, his company has inadvertently been a source of deep pain for thousands of customers who relied on Yotta accounts to receive paychecks, pay bills and save for emergencies.

The crisis began May 11, when a dispute between two of Yotta's banking partners '-- fintech middleman Synapse and Tennessee-based Evolve Bank & Trust '-- led to the lockup of accounts at Yotta and at least two dozen other startups. Synapse declared bankruptcy earlier this year after several key clients abandoned the firm amid disagreements over the tracking of customer funds.

For the past three weeks, 85,000 Yotta customers with a combined $112 million in savings have been locked out of their accounts, Moelis told CNBC. The disruption had upended lives, forced users to borrow money for food and thrown upcoming events like surgeries or weddings into doubt, he said.

"The stories are heartbreaking," Moelis said. "We never imagined something like this could happen. We worked with banks that are members of the FDIC. We never imagined a scenario like this could play out and that no regulator would step in and help."

Boom & bustThe ongoing mess has exposed the risks in a corner of fintech that grew in prominence during a boom in venture investment '-- and it will likely reverberate for years as regulators increase scrutiny of the space.

The so-called "banking as a service" model allowed consumer fintech companies to quickly launch savings accounts and debit services, with firms like Synapse acting as a bridge between the startups and FDIC-backed banks that ultimately held deposits.

The heart of the dispute between Synapse and Evolve Bank involves a foundational function of finance: keeping accurate ledgers of transactions and balances. Synapse and Evolve disagree on how much of Yotta's funds are held at Evolve, and how much are held at other banks that Synapse worked with.

Synapse hasn't responded to requests for comment, and Evolve has blamed Synapse for the breakdown.

The Synapse bankruptcy has mostly ensnared lesser-known consumer fintech firms, especially after larger fintech players including Mercury and Dave fled the Synapse platform in the past year.

That has left Yotta, which encouraged users to save money with free weekly lottery-style sweepstakes, as one of the largest companies to be affected. Accounts at crypto firm Juno and at Copper, which offered savings accounts for families and teens, also have been frozen.

Non-systemic meltdownMoelis, who has been in contact with other fintech principals impacted by the Synapse failure, estimates that at least 200,000 total customer accounts with balances are locked. While Synapse has said in court filings it has 10 million end users, it's likely that active accounts are far smaller, Moelis said.

Adam Moelis, Co-Founder at Yotta Savings.

Courtesy: Yotta

The fintech co-founder said he believes the relatively limited scope of the issue, and the fact that most of those affected aren't wealthy, has given regulators clearance to let the situation play out. Last year, regulators swiftly intervened in the regional banking crisis that threatened uninsured deposits of startups and rich families, he noted.

"To me, if this was happening at a larger scale, I think regulators would have done something by now," he said. "We've got real, everyday Americans that aren't necessarily wealthy and don't have the ability to lobby that are being impacted."

The Federal Reserve and the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. have declined to comment on the issue. Representatives of the agencies have pointed to efforts they've made to encourage banks to manage the risks of using fintech partners.

'Money doesn't just disappear'But developments in the California bankruptcy court overseeing the Synapse failure give Moelis hope that at least some relief '-- a partial release of funds, perhaps '-- may be coming.

Last week, former FDIC Chair Jelena McWilliams was named trustee over Synapse. Her job is to develop a plan to maintain Synapse systems and craft a solution "that allows funds to be returned to end users, to the rightful owners of those funds, as soon as humanly possible," said Judge Martin Barash.

For his part, Moelis said he doesn't side with either Evolve or Synapse in their dispute '-- he just wants the situation resolved.

"I don't know who's right or who's wrong," he said. "We know how much money came into the system, and we are certain that that's the correct number. The money doesn't just disappear; it has to be somewhere."

Don't miss these exclusives from CNBC PRO

Sen. Grove's measure to make purchasing a child for sex a felony passes off Senate Floor, critical amendments left out | Senator Shannon Grove

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Archived Version

Sun, 02 Jun 2024 13:45

Senator Shannon Grove's Senate Bill 1414 (SB 1414) passed off the Senate Floor with a vote of 36-0. SB 1414 addresses the lucrative crime of sex trafficking and aims to increase penalties for those who purchase children for sex.

Prior to the floor vote, the Senate Public Safety Committee forced amendments into the bill that weakened protections for children ages 16 and 17. The Senate Appropriations Committee had the opportunity to strengthen the bill language, but failed to do so.

SB 1414 is a bipartisan measure, joint authored by Senator Anna Caballero (D-Merced) and Senator Susan Rubio (D-Baldwin Park), and co-sponsored by Love Never Fails and 3Strands Global Foundation.

''The crime of purchasing a child, of any age, for sex in the state of California should be a prison felony. I am incredibly disappointed in the Senate Pro Tem and Senate leadership for, once again, passing on an opportunity to restore amendments to the bill and stand up for all of California's children. This outcome is a failure on the part of legislative leadership who caved to political pressure and did not prioritize the safety our children. We must restore this bill in the Assembly to protect every child in the state of California from the horrific crime of sex trafficking,'' said Senator Shannon Grove.

Forced Committee Amendments:

Soliciting or buying children 15 and under for sex can only be charged as a wobbler: either a misdemeanor (punishable by a minimum of 2 days in jail OR a fine or both) or a felony. Buying 16 and 17 year old children only punishable as a misdemeanor. Felony charge only carries possible jail time, not prison eligible. Only perpetrators with a previous conviction of purchasing sex from a child 15 or under, on the second offense and with over a 10-year age gap to the victim must register as a tier one sex offender. Senator Grove's proposed amendments would have made it a prison felony for solicitation or purchasing sex from a child of any age and remove the 10-year age gap requirement for sex offender registry.

Senator Grove will continue fighting on behalf of every child who is being bought and sold in the state of California.

SB 1414 will have a hearing in the Assembly Public Safety Committee in either June or early July.

Alex Jones's InfoWars To Be Shut Down? Conspiracy Theorist Alleges Biden Is Coming After Him | Times Now

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Archived Version

Sun, 02 Jun 2024 11:09

Alex Jones slept at his studio last night to stop Feds from seizing properties.

Photo : iStock

Alex Jones declared that his team and the federal government are at a standstill. The federal government was purportedly preparing to take control of and close the InfoWars studios in Austin, Texas. As federal authorities allegedly attempted to lock up the doors and forcibly remove all broadcast assets, Alex Jones spent the night in the studio to thwart the raid and threatened to contact the local police to stop them.

Alex Jones asserted, "I've been targeted for abuse. I was duped by someone. Federal files in secret have claimed that I'm committing crimes. Please contact the Justice Department. This was untrue, of course. We had submitted it to the federal court months prior, and they never even looked at this information. Who would know it was already filed in court, you bastard, if you were going to frame someone and lie about it in federal court? This may be my final performance."

Over the weekend, Jones'--a right-wing TV personality and court-adjudicated conspiracy theorist'--took to social media to warn about InfoWars' closure.

A fellow conspiracy theorist named Mike Adams, who describes himself as a "food scientist" and a "health ranger," provided some of the information to RawStory.

"Alex Jones just broadcast today that government is right now in the process of attempting to illegally seize the InfoWars studios, to put locks on the doors, then force-liquidate all broadcast assets, to silence [Jones]," wrote Adams.

"Alex has stated in the open that he would contact local police to put an end to the unlawful federal raid on his studios, and he spent the night sleeping in his studio. The situation is unknown, and details are being revealed slowly," Adams revealed to the website.

5 ways employers can make workplaces more menstruation-friendly | U.S. Department of Labor Blog

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Archived Version

Sun, 02 Jun 2024 10:53

To commemorate this Menstrual Hygiene Day, the Women's Bureau is breaking down the stereotypes and stigmas that have made menstruation a taboo topic in the workplace. Menstruation is a natural part of half our population's life, and yet it has been overlooked in the context of work - perhaps because it is seen as a personal issue or uncomfortable to discuss. The taboo nature of menstruation has likely contributed to the lack of understanding about its impact on workers, which can include challenges related to symptoms of premenstrual syndrome; unexpected or heavy bleeding; and pain from cramps, headaches or migraines while at work.

Implementing workplace policies that address menstruation can enable menstruating employees to continue to fully participate in and contribute to the workforce while mitigating adverse effects to their mental and physical health. Most employers are already ensuring easy access to bathrooms and providing proper handwashing facilities and regular breaks during work hours. And menstruating employees may be protected under laws and regulations against discrimination on the basis of age, sex and disability (or a combination of these characteristics), the federal Family and Medical Leave Act, sick leave requirements for federal contractors and state paid family and medical leave or sick leave laws. But there is more that employers can do to support menstruators.

Here are five more ways employers can make workplaces more menstruation-friendly:

Provide a sufficient supply of varied period products in bathrooms and ensure menstruators can access products privately.Allow flexibility in uniforms, with options in dark colors to ensure menstruators do not need to worry that an unexpected period or heavier flow will lead to noticeable stains.Allow scheduling and work flexibilities such as telework, flexible work hours or shift modifications.Guarantee access to paid sick leave, provide explicit guidance that menstruation is a qualifying condition for the leave '' whether for symptom management or for related medical appointments '' and ensure that employees and their managers are aware these are allowable reasons to use sick leave.Educate and train workers and managers about the symptoms of menstruation and how they can impact employees at work and include support services for menstruation in any Employee Assistance Program offered.Many of the same policies and protocols needed to support those managing symptoms of menstruation are already being implemented by many employers. Employers can make small adjustments to worker protections, flexibilities and accommodations to ensure that workplaces are more inclusive of menstruating employees, reduce the stigma surrounding menstruation and improve menstruators' quality of life at work. Making workers aware that they may use a workplace flexibility for menstruation-related reasons can help create an environment in which workers and managers are more comfortable discussing these topics and requesting the help they need.

Menstruation does not have to be taboo. Employees who feel supported can continue to thrive in the workplace during their periods. By providing basic protections and accommodations, employers can signal a commitment to ensuring all workers maintain the dignity they deserve.

Eleanor Delamater and Mathilde Roux are Policy Analysts at the Women's Bureau.

Mastercard's Controversial Digital ID Rollout in Africa

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Sat, 01 Jun 2024 21:10

One wouldn't have pegged Mastercard for that corporation that is ''driving sustainable social impact'' and caring about remote communities around the world struggling to meet basic needs.

Nevertheless, here we are '' or at least that's how the global payment services behemoth advertises its push to proliferate the use of a scheme called Community Pass.

Related: How Mastercard's Digital ID Project Is Being Used by Governments To Track Health and Vaccination

The purpose of Community Pass is to enable a digital ID and wallet that's contained in a ''smart card.'' Launched four years ago, the program '' which Mastercard says, in addition to being based on digital ID, is interoperable, and works offline '' targets ''underserved communities'' and currently has 3.5 million users, with plans of growing that number to 30 million by 2027.

According to a map on Mastercard's site, this program is now being either piloted or has been rolled out in India, Ethiopia, Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania, Mozambique, and Mauritania, while the latest announcement is the partnership with the African Development Bank Group in an initiative dubbed, Mobilizing Access to the Digital Economy (MADE).

The plan is to, over ten years, make sure 100 million people and businesses in Africa are included in digital ID programs and thus allowed access to government and ''humanitarian'' services.

As for Community Pass itself, it aims to incorporate 15 million users on the continent over the next five years. This is Mastercard's part of the deal, whereas the African Development Bank Group said it would invest $300 million to make sure MADE happens.

Related: Digital ID, Bill Gates vaccine record, and payments system combo to be trialed in Africa

Given how controversial digital ID schemes are, and how much pushback they encounter in developed countries, it's hard to shake off the impression that such initiatives are pushed so aggressively in economically disadvantaged areas and communities precisely because little opposition is expected.

But MADE is presented as almost a ''humanitarian'' service itself '' there, apparently, solely to make life better, in particular for farmers and women, and improve things like connectivity, financial services, employment rates, etc.

The news about Mastercard's latest partnership and initiative came from a US-Africa business forum organized by the US Chamber of Commerce.

Panama prepares to evacuate first island in face of rising sea levels | AP News

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GARDI SUGDUB, Panama (AP) '-- On a tiny island off Panama's Caribbean coast, about 300 families are packing their belongings in preparation for a dramatic change. Generations of Gunas who have grown up on Gardi Sugdub in a life dedicated to the sea and tourism will trade that next week for the mainland's solid ground.

They go voluntarily '-- sort of.

The Gunas of Gardi Sugdub are the first of 63 communities along Panama's Caribbean and Pacific coasts that government officials and scientists expect to be forced to relocate by rising sea levels in the coming decades.

A Guna Indigenous woman covers her head due to light rain on Gardi Sugdub Island, part of the San Blas archipelago off Panama's Caribbean coast, Saturday, May 25, 2024. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix)

On a recent day, the island's Indigenous residents rowed or sputtered off with outboard motors to fish. Children, some in uniforms and others in the colorful local textiles called ''molas,'' chattered as they hustled through the warren of narrow dirt streets on their way to school.

''We're a little sad, because we're going to leave behind the homes we've known all our lives, the relationship with the sea, where we fish, where we bathe and where the tourists come, but the sea is sinking the island little by little,'' said Nad­n Morales, 24, who prepared to move with her mother, uncle and boyfriend.

An official with Panama's ministry of housing said that some people have decided to stay on the island until it's no longer safe, without revealing a specific number. Authorities won't force them to leave, the official said on condition of anonymity to discuss the issue.

Gardi Sugdub is one of about 50 populated islands in the archipelago of the Guna Yala territory. It is only about 400 yards (366 meters) long and 150 yards (137 meters) wide. From above, it's roughly a prickly oval surrounded by dozens of short docks where residents tie up their boats.

Children run to school in the rain in Gardi Sugdub Island, part of the San Blas archipelago off Panama's Caribbean coast, Monday, May 27, 2024. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix)

An aerial view of new homes in Nuevo Carti on Panama's Caribbean coast, Monday, May 27, 2024. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix)

A girl stands on a crate to reach a store's window in Gardi Sugdub Island, off Panama's Caribbean coast Saturday, May 25, 2024. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix)

Every year, especially when the strong winds whip up the sea in November and December, water fills the streets and enters the homes. Climate change isn't only leading to a rise in sea levels, but it's also warming oceans and thereby powering stronger storms.

The Gunas have tried to reinforce the island's edge with rocks, pilings and coral, but seawater keeps coming.

''Lately, I've seen that climate change has had a major impact,'' Morales said. ''Now the tide comes to a level it didn't before, and the heat is unbearable.''

The Guna's autonomous government decided two decades ago that they needed to think about leaving the island, but at that time it was because the island was getting too crowded. The effects of climate change accelerated that thinking, said Evelio L"pez, a 61-year-old teacher on the island.

He plans to move with relatives to the new site on the mainland that the government developed at a cost of $12 million. The concrete houses sit on a grid of paved streets carved out of the lush tropical jungle just over a mile (2 kilometers) from the port, where an eight-minute boat ride carries them to Gardi Sugdub.

Leaving the island is ''a great challenge, because more than 200 years of our culture is from the sea, so leaving this island means a lot of things,'' L"pez said. ''Leaving the sea, the economic activities that we have there on the island, and now we're going to be on solid ground, in the forest. We're going to see what the result is in the long run.''

A youth dives into the sea from Gardi Sugdub Island, part of the San Blas archipelago off Panama's Caribbean coast, Sunday, May 26, 2024. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix)

A pig stands in a pen on a walkway on Gardi Sugdub Island, part of the San Blas archipelago off Panama's Caribbean coast, Saturday, May 25, 2024. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix)

Cecilia Henry paddles a boat along the shore of Gardi Sugdub Island, part of the San Blas archipelago off Panama's Caribbean coast, Saturday, May 25, 2024. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix)

A woman grates coconut in Gardi Sugdub Island, part of the San Blas archipelago off Panama's Caribbean coast, Saturday, May 25, 2024. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix)

Cruise ship tourists photograph residents of Gardi Sugdub Island, part of the San Blas archipelago off Panama's Caribbean coast, Sunday, May 26, 2024. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix)

Steven Paton, director of the Smithsonian Institution's physical monitoring program in Panama, said that the upcoming move ''is a direct consequence of climate change through the increase in sea level.''

''The islands on average are only a half-meter above sea level, and as that level rises, sooner or later the Gunas are going to have to abandon all of the islands almost surely by the end of the century or earlier.''

''All of the world's coasts are being affected by this at different speeds,'' Paton said.

Residents of a small coastal community in Mexico moved inland last year after storms continued to take away their homes. Governments are being forced to take action, from the Italian lagoon city of Venice to the coastal communities of New Zealand .

A recent study by Panama's Environmental Ministry's Climate Change directorate, with support from universities in Panama and Spain, estimated that by 2050, Panama would lose about 2.01% of its coastal territory to increases in sea levels.

Panama estimates that it will cost about $1.2 billion to relocate the 38,000 or so inhabitants who will face rising sea levels in the short- and medium-term, said Ligia Castro, climate change director for the Environmental Ministry.

Women display traditional dresses for sale to tourists in Gardi Sugdub Island, part of the San Blas archipelago off Panama's Caribbean coast, Sunday, May 26, 2024. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix)

Patrons gather at a bar in Gardi Sugdub Island, part of the San Blas archipelago off Panama's Caribbean coast, Saturday, May 25, 2024. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix)

On Gardi Sugdub, women who make the elaborately embroidered molas worn by Guna women hang them outside their homes when finished, trying to catch the eye of visiting tourists.

The island and others along the coast have benefitted for years from year-round tourism.

Braucilio de la Ossa, the deputy secretary of Carti, the port facing Gardi Sugdub, said that he planned to move with his wife, daughter, sister-in-law and mother-in-law. Some of his wife's relatives will stay on the island.

He said the biggest challenge for those moving would be the lifestyle change of moving from the sea inland even though the distance is relatively small.

''Now that they will be in the forest their way of living will be different,'' he said.

A man paddles near Gardi Sugdub Island where a cruise ship floats amid the San Blas archipelago off Panama's Caribbean coast, Sunday, May 26, 2024. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix)

___Juan Zamorano reported from Panama City.

OpenAI rushes to ban 'Godmode ChatGPT' app that teaches users 'how to create napalm, hotwire cars and cook meth at home' | The US Sun

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OPENAI has swiftly moved to ban a jailbroken version of ChatGPT that can teach users dangerous tasks, exposing serious vulnerabilities in the AI model's security measures.

A hacker known as "Pliny the Prompter" released the rogue ChatGPT called "GODMODE GPT" on Wednesday.

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ChatGPT has gained major traction since it became available to the public in 2022 Credit: Rex 2

Pliny the Prompter announced the GODMODE GPT on X Credit: x/elder_pliniusThe jailbroken version is based on OpenAI's latest language model, GPT-4o, and can bypass many of OpenAI's guardrails.

ChatGPT is a chatbot that people gives intricate answers to people's questions.

"GPT-4o UNCHAINED!," Pliny the Prompter said on X, formerly known as Twitter.

"This very special custom GPT has a built-in jailbreak prompt that circumvents most guardrails.

"Providing an out-of-the-box liberated ChatGPT so everyone can experience AI the way it was always meant to be: free.

"Please use responsibly, and enjoy!" - adding a kissing face emoji at the end.

OpenAI quickly responded, stating they took action against the jailbreak.

"We are aware of the GPT and have taken action due to a violation of our policies," OpenAI told Futurism on Thursday.

'LIBERATED?'Pliny claimed the jailbroken ChatGPT provides a liberated AI experience.

Screenshots showed the AI advising on illegal activities.

Apple's Siri looks 'obsolete' in comparison to 'mind blowing' ChatGPT 4o that can sing, teach and even FLIRTThis includes giving instructions on how to cook meth.

Another example includes a "step-by-step guide" for how to "make napalm with household items" - an explosive.

GODMODE GPT was also shown giving advice on how to infect macOS computers and hotwire cars.

Questionable X users replied to the post that they were excited about the GODMODE GPT.

"Works like a charm," one user said, while another said, "Beautiful."

However, others questioned how long the corrupt chatbot would be accessible.

"Does anyone have a timer going for how long this GPT lasts?" another user said.

This was followed by a slew of users saying the software started giving error messages meaning OpenAI is actively working to take it down.

SECURITY ISSUES The incident highlights the ongoing struggle between OpenAI and hackers attempting to jailbreak its models.

Despite increased security, users continue to find ways to bypass AI model restrictions.

GODMODE GPT uses "leetspeak," a language that replaces letters with numbers, which may help it evade guardrails, Futurism reported.

The hack demonstrates the ongoing challenge for OpenAI to maintain the integrity of its AI models against persistent hacking efforts.

AI ROMANCE SCAMS '' BEWARE!

Watch out for criminals using AI chatbots to hoodwink you...

The U.S. Sun recently revealed the dangers of AI romance scam bots '' here's what you need to know:

AI chatbots are being used to scam people looking for romance online. These chatbots are designed to mimic human conversation and can be difficult to spot.

However, there are some warning signs that can help you identify them.

For example, if the chatbot responds too quickly and with generic answers, it's likely not a real person.

Another clue is if the chatbot tries to move the conversation off the dating platform and onto a different app or website.

Additionally, if the chatbot asks for personal information or money, it's definitely a scam.

It's important to stay vigilant and use caution when interacting with strangers online, especially when it comes to matters of the heart.

If something seems too good to be true, it probably is.

Be skeptical of anyone who seems too perfect or too eager to move the relationship forward.

By being aware of these warning signs, you can protect yourself from falling victim to AI chatbot scams.

Vikara May 2024 Update: Bipartisan Support '' Banana Zone Incoming! - Vikara

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Chart 1 '' Global M2 money supply (logarithmic) (2008-2024)

Parsing out signal versus noise is the hardest part about the seemingly unlimited set of macro data points per month. Understanding the net amount of liquidity is what we are trying to determine at any given point. The one thing we are certain of, is that more liquidity is now required.

China's contracting M1 money supply is very concerning to us. How bad must its economy be for physical currency and coins, demand deposits, traveller's checks, and other checkable deposits to be shrinking (Chart 2)?

Chart 2 '' China M1 Money Supply (2000-2024)

Source: Ollari Consulting

China focused financial analysts are now pricing in the negative bias of the state of the economy, with 12-month forward earnings for the CSI 300 Index declining all year (Chart 3).

Chart 3 '' Chinese 12-month forward consensus earnings (CSI300, weekly) (2011-2024)

Source: Longview Economics, Macrobond, thedailyshot.com

China's real estate crisis also continues to worsen. Chinese home prices dropped by 0.9% in April, the second-biggest decline on record. Home prices have declined in 30 of the last 33 months. China's housing market recession has worsened after nearly three years (Chart 4).

Chart 4 '' Chinese home prices (2011-2024)

Source: True Insights, investing.com, @jsblokland

Markets have been expecting monetary easing from China for some time, and while it has stepped up efforts recently, its actions continue to fall short. Local government asset purchases, small cuts to borrowing rates and minimum deposit changes are not enough (Chart 5).

Chart 5 '' Chinese property prices versus monetary policy rate (2005-2024)

Source: Topdown Charts, LSEG, NBS

The lack of support from the top is creating fear, with the pace at which Chinese people are withdrawing their money from the banking system becoming concerning. Record withdrawals are a sign that the pressure we have been talking about all year is becoming serious onshore (Chart 6).

Chart 6 '' Chinese new monthly Yuan deposits (Trillions of Yuan) (2000-2024)

While we will never know where this cash is being deployed, we suspect that Chinese private sector gold demand has a lot to do with it, with 543 tonnes imported into China in 1Q24 with only 35% of that making its way to the PBoC (Chart 7).

Chart 7 '' Est. Quarterly PBOC gold purchases (mt) (2006-2024)

Source: World Gold Council, Gainsville Coins, IMF, BIS

China needs a joint and substantial monetary and fiscal easing. However, the repricing of Japanese interest rates means that any interest rate declines in China will add weight to an already heightened risk of a currency devaluation (Chart 8).

Chart 8 '' Japanese 10-year government bond yields (2006-2024)

Maintaining its currency remains incredibly important for China, particularly given the Yuan's share of cross-border trade. After decades of convincing the world that its currency can be relied upon, a sudden devaluation would be disastrous (Chart 9).

Chart 9 '' Cross-border FX deals by currency (2010-2024)

Higher ex-Chinese interest rates limit the ability for Beijing to stimulate. Strategically, it is no surprise that the US may want to maintain higher rates for longer as an effective form of pressure on China. As a result, markets are finally questioning rate cuts in 2024 (Chart 10).

Chart 10 '' Market pricing for the Fed funds rate change in 2024 (2023-2024)

But how can the US afford to maintain higher rates without causing issues to its economy? It cannot. The Fed merely took risk onto its balance sheet when the banking sector collapsed in 2023. The level of support still being provided is significant (Chart 11).

Chart 11 '' Credit facilities provided by the Federal reserve (2003-2024)

Source: Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System (US)

While the support provided to bank balance sheets has worked to date, there are more signs that the US economy is starting to slow, with the Citi US economic surprise index now considerably below zero (Chart 12).

Chart 12 '' Citi US Economic Surprise Index (2021-2024)

Source: Citi, TheDailyShot.com

Other leading indicators are also pointing to potential concerns, with the US Conference Board Leading Economic Index down 13.1% from its peak (Chart 13).

Chart 13 '' Conference Board Leading Economic Index (1959-2024)

Source: FRED, VettaFi, advisorperspectives.com

At the same time as the economy is weakening, US interest expenses on public debt has risen to $1 trillion (Chart 14). With debt levels rising and interest rates remaining higher for longer, more Federal Reserve support is likely needed for the economy to remain unscathed.

Chart 14 '' US Government Interest Expense (billions) (1947-2024)

Source: US Bureau of Economic Analysis, Game of trades

Additional support doesn't seem to concern the Fed, with its commencement of Treasury buybacks just another way to support a reckless pace of spending without ''easing'' (Figure 1). They are telling us they are tightening while buying back Treasuries.

Figure 1 '' Tentative schedule of Treasury buyback operations

So far, Treasury markets have managed to find buyers of the unprecedented levels of debt being pushed into the market. While many US trade partners continue to reduce ownership, the demand in non-official Treasury holdings continues to grow (Chart 15).

Chart 15 '' Foreign official holding of long term US Treasury holdings (2012-2024)

Source: US treasury, Bloomberg, TheDailyShot.com

Global investment flows into US equity markets are not concerned about the current backdrop of the US economy (Chart 16). So despite the increasingly uncertain outlook, there isn't an obvious alternative to invest in.

Chart 16 '' Foreign investment in US securities (2003-2023)

Source: US Department of Treasury, Federal Reserve Board, Bloomberg

While it is easy to focus on a broadening US economic slowing, it is also prudent to point out that M2 money supply has finally stopped shrinking, supporting our view that liquidity is returning. This has historically been very favorable for digital assets returns. We believe it will be this time too.

Chart 17 '' US M2 Money Supply YoY% (1960-2023)

Source: Koyfin, @CarlBMenger

It's been a wild month for digital assets. From former President Trump kicking off the ''R vs D and who is more pro-crypto'' race to the spot ETH ETF approval to pensions aping into Bitcoin ETFs, it's all lining up nicely for an imminent crypto run.

Starting with news we found of interest.

Mastercard launched their new ''Crypto Credential'' service making peer-to-peer crypto transfers more intuitive for average users, allowing users to send and receive digital assets using a Mastercard Crypto Credential Alias rather than blockchain addresses (Figure 2).Chainlink ($LINK) and the DTCC announced successful completion of a pilot project, named Smart NAV pilot, with JPMorgan, Templeton, BNY Mellon, and other major US banks in order to accelerate tokenization of funds. PayPal's stablecoin (PYUSD) launched on Solana.Crypto lending company Maple Finance ($MPL) launched a new platform called Syrup, a DeFi lending product targeting 15% yields sourced from fully collateralized loans to the largest institutions in crypto.DBS, Singapore's largest bank, is reported by on-chain analytics firm Nansen to hold more $650 million in ETH.Reebok launched ''Reebok Impact'' with a partnership with Futureverse, developer of The Root Network ($ROOT).Casper Labs ($CSPR) announced a partnership with IBM Consulting to launch Prove AI, an AI governance solution that enhances transparency and auditability for AI training data and directly integrates with IBM's watsonx. Hong Kong banned Worldcoin's ($WLD) data collection due to privacy concerns.Tether, issuer of USDT, the world's largest stablecoin, announced plans to launch its Pear Phone that will run on Android Open-Source Project (AOSP) software, ditching Google apps in favor of peer-to-peer (P2P) alternatives.Decentralized Physical Infrastructure (DePIN) project MapMetrics announced that they would move from Solana to Peaq, a layer 1 built specifically for DePIN projects and one which we are keeping a close eye on ahead of their token launch.Circle, the world's second-largest stablecoin issuer ($USDC) announced plans to move its legal base to the US from its current home of Ireland, a sign that there is growing comfort to base operations in the USA, after several years of companies leaving for more friendly jurisdictions.Hugo Boss launched HUGO BOSS XP, a Web3 loyalty program that seamlessly blends traditional loyalty features, such as levels and points, with innovative blockchain-supported elements including collection and redemption of tokens (NFTs) through their purchases and other interactions across channels and brands.Semler Scientific, a medical device maker that trades on the NASDAQ under the SMLR ticker, announced that they have adopted Bitcoin as its ''primary treasury reserve asset,'' purchasing 581 BTC for $40 million.A new restructuring plan for failed crypto exchange FTX was announced and is expected to give 98% of creditors more than 118% of allowed claims.Robinhood Markets announced Monday that the SEC issued its crypto unit with a Wells Notice on May 4, signalling that charges or an enforcement action is imminentFigure 2 '' Mastercard Crypto Credential Launched

Vikara's fund performance has been strong both month and year to date with factors lining up nicely for a potential crypto market surge in the back-half of 2024 through 2025.

And as we've been preaching for a while now, history looks to be repeating itself as evidenced in Charts 18 and 19.

Chart 18 '' BTC & Presidential Election Cycles

Chart 19 '' BTC prepping to enter Banana Zone?

Source: LSEG Datastream; Global Macro Investor (GMI)

Why do we believe there is a strong chance of extraordinary gains ahead? Beyond the macro factors mentioned above, we have:

BTC and ETH ETF approvals '' checkBitcoin halving number four '' checkBipartisan support in USA for sensible regulation '' checkAccelerating institutional adoption '' checkGrowing real world use cases '' checkAccommodative monetary policy '' comingPro-crypto Trump next US president '' likely For context on potential upside, the Total3 Index (all listed tokens not including Bitcoin and Ethereum) was up over 20x from May 2020 to November 2021 (Chart 20).

Chart 20 '' Total3 Index (May 2020 '' November 2021) up over 20x

And we appear to be in the equivalent of May 2020. Time is running out. Especially since many seem to be front running themes well in advance these days.

Onto politics and regulations, a favourite topic for us given its overall importance to the future institutional adoption of crypto.

It was the month that the Trump campaign ramped up their effort of courting crypto bros. What started with a stereotypical bro (possible a plant ðŸŠ) asking Trump his views on crypto, turned into a viral exchange (has 1.1m views on X) that put influencer Malcolm DeGods in the spotlight, even credited him for getting Rs and Ds on the same crypto team.

Figure 3 '' Malcolm DeGods asking Trump his views on crypto at Mar Lago

Trump doubled and tripled down, first sending a note on Truth Social that he's ''positive'' and ''open-minded'' to ''all things in this burgeoning industry'' (Figure 4). Bullish.

Figure 4 '' Trump on Truth Social supporting crypto

Then while speaking at the Libertarian National Convention, he stated ''I will support the right to self-custody'' (Figure 5). Music to the ears of those that understand why decentralization is important.

Figure 5 '' Trump Speaking at Libertarian National Party Convention

He topped it off by announcing that he would accept crypto donations in eight separate cryptocurrencies (although no donations on May 31 given website crashed following his guilty conviction!)

Figure 6 '' Trump campaign accepting eight cryptocurrencies

In typical Trump fashion, he got tons of milage out of what is a small special interest group. People even claiming crypto bros will flip the election. Love him or despise him, the man is a marketing guru.

None of this is surprising. While its clear that the crypto voter block is still small, it's growing and more importantly, it's comprised of younger voters across all socioeconomic groups and cultural classes.

In fact, a survey by Harris Polling revealed that 20% of registered voters in swing states view crypto as a major election issue. Quite surprising!

Figure 7 '' Blockchain Association, DCG & Harris Poll Survey: Crypto Attitudes in Swing States

Source: DCG & The Harris Poll

On the regulation front, the House passed the Financial Innovation and Technology for the 21st Century Act (FIT21), creating a pathway for cryptocurrencies to be exempt from many securities regulations if they achieve sufficient decentralization. This is a stark contrast to the SEC's current approach and potentially provides a regulatory framework for the classification of what is and is not a security, versus regulation by enforcement, the SEC's current approach.

The US House of Representatives also passed H.R. 5403, the Central Bank Digital Currency (CBDC) Anti-Surveillance State Act, sponsored by Majority Whip Tom Emmer (R-MN). The legislation blocks the creation and issuance of a CBDC without explicit congressional authorization, aiming to safeguard Americans' financial privacy.

They weren't done with Congressmen French Hill (R-AR), Josh Gottheimer (D-NJ), Tom Emmer (R-MN), Wiley Nickel III (D-NC) and Mike Flood (R-NE) sending a letter to SEC Chairman Gary Gensler asking that the SEC approve the ETH ETF on May 22. ETH ETFs were approved 24 hours later. While timing is suspect, we'll take it. And importantly, both sides of the aisle came together which is a great sign for the future of crypto and regulation in the USA.

Their formal letter also included approval of ''other digital asset ETPs'' (Figure 8).

Figure 8 '' House of Reps letter to SEC Chairman Gary Gensler

This got the Solana bros giddy. Joe McCann posted a survey where 77% of those surveyed said Solana was the next ETF to be approved (Figure 9).

Figure 9 '' Is there a Solana ETF coming?

There was also regulation passed at the state level. Governor Ron DeSantis signed Senate Bill (SB) 7054 and SB 214 to protect the personal finances of Floridians from (in their words) ''government overreach and woke corporate monitoring'' (Figure 10). SB 7054 prohibits the use of a federally adopted central CBDCs by excluding it from the definition of money within Florida's Uniform Commercial Code.

Figure 10 '' State of Florida's Take on CBDCs

Oklahoma also passed a bill earlier this week that protects state residents' right to self-custody digital assets. The bill will go into effect on November 1, 2024. OKHB3594 was signed into law by Governor Kevin Stitt. It was sponsored by four Republicans '-- State Senators Bill Coleman and Dana Prieto and State Representatives Brian Hill and Cody Maynard. Under the bill, Oklahoma bans restricting or outlawing the use ''or the self-custody of digital assets using a self-hosted wallet or a hardware wallet''.

Sensible, formal regulation (versus regulation by enforcement) is the secret sauce to onboard institutions en masse. We compare this to alternatives like private equity funds, hedge funds or real asset funds, where pension funds and endowments gradually increased their exposure over the years as returns exceeded equity and debt markets. We expect the same approach where they dip their toes in with ETFs, but eventually move to funds like Vikara and an increasing pace and size.

Take the state of Wisconsin Investment Board for example. They recently disclosed a $100 million in BlackRock's Bitcoin ETF (IBIT) as well as a position in Grayscale's Bitcoin ETF.

In other huge and somewhat surprising news, the spot ETH ETF was approved on May 23, including applications from BlackRock, Fidelity, Grayscale, Bitwise, VanEck, Ark, Invesco Galaxy and Franklin Templeton. While there are endless amounts of hype posts pushing the fact it's likely ETH gets bid as money flows into the ETFs, we want to provide what we hope is a thoughtful analysis and why it's great for bringing capital into ''crypto'', it's really just keeping money in the traditional financial ecosystem.

Our view is that an ETH ETF approval was guaranteed. Why? Because the US Government would much rather have investors funnelled into a traditional finance product run by companies they have close ties with (ie BlackRock). Bloomberg, for example, noted that ''BlackRock is becoming one of Wall Street's key D.C. conduits'' in an August 2022 article.

Fact is, once an investor buys ETH in an ETF, the only thing they gain is exposure to ETH. Fiat in, fiat out. No self-custody. No money outside the ''system''. Just the same 'ol tradfi products pretending to be crypto.

But more importantly, it stops learnings. When investors open a Coinbase account, or heaven forbid start a MetaMask or similar wallet, they are forced to educate themselves on crypto and ultimately the benefits of decentralization. For many, it's an exciting new path that opens up the doors to a whole new world of investment opportunities. One that is global and democratized.

This is exactly what the US Government and Wall Street do not want. They have long had a monopoly on money. Crypto is a threat, both as a store of value but also a currency to be used across projects ecosystems and networks. No longer do you need to be a slave to a mortgage from the bank down the street that has average customer service at best, charges ridiculous fees, and is doing you a favor by accepting your hard-earned savings.

Now we're not naive and think crypto is going to replace the USD, likely ever (dollar likely kills itself first), but at the same time, it is the first real competitor to the dying dollar, something the US Government has long underestimated but will now do what can to reign in, in this case keep the money in the banking system. Just like always.

We've taken a bit of a detour this month on the token discussion.

The first ever memecoin conference was held in Lisbon the last week of May. It quickly sold out with tickets costing $850 each. The skeptical view is that this marks the top, or at least slowdown, for mememania. Token price action for most leading memes also signalling the same with utility tokens significantly outperforming memes the past month, although large cap memes did well the last week of May. And while we aren't a memecoin fund, we keep a close eye on the ebbs and flows of memes given it pushes and pulls liquidity from the broader crypto ecosystem, at least for now.

With that in mind, are memes ded (dead for the unindoctrinated)? We don't think so, at least not ones in certain genres or those that have managed to garner huge followings and are listed on centralized exchanges.

On the former, let's take political (PolitiFi in crypto). Think people are finally understanding that many politicians do not act in the best interest of people. One way to demonstrate disdain is own tokens and join the community of unflattering takes on those politicians. This is exactly what the Tremp ($TREMP) and Boden ($BODEN) projects on Solana have done.

Figure 11 '' TREMP v BODEN

Both have been unbelievably successful with token prices up astronomical amounts since launch, with $TREMP recently outperforming as he appears to be the 2024 election frontrunner (and his stand-up comedy act is on fire). Both are gaining a huge following on social media. Even Anatoly Yakovenko, one of the founders of Solana, tweets regularly about $TREMP.

This has morphed into wider communities with even more unflattering takes on other politicians like anti-crypto figures Elizabeth Warren or Gary Gensler or even family members of recent US presidents, like Doland Tremp Jr ($TREMPJR) or Hunter Biden's Laptop ($LAPTOP).

And let's not forget dogs and cats, who were the original meme tokens. Dogecoin ($DOGE) was after all created as a joke by Billy Marcus in 2013 that rose to over $50 billion market cap last cycle.

The combined market cap of dog and cats memes is over $43bn, with most in $DOGE and Shiba Inu ($SHIB).

Figure 12 '' Dog and cat memes are huge

Why have memes morphed into something more than just a $hitcoin? While many are of course looking for the next meme lottery ticket, there are those who become owners of tokens to join communities with similar views or interests. Just jump into a Telegram feed and observe communities posting gifs, talking banter, or just interacting, likely with people from every walk of life in hundreds of countries. Just like message boards back in the early days of the internet. You like gardening, join the Australia Native Plants message board. Although the big difference is some memes can produce face melting gains versus better looking flowers.

And while this concept is likely foreign to many older investors, where you purchase a digital token that represents a ''joke', the newer generation of investors has proven that it can be valuable, both monetarily and socially. We think they are here to stay.

Luke McFarlaneCo-Founder & Portfolio ManagerVikara Capital

Mark Riccio, CFACo-Founder & Portfolio ManagerVikara Capital

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Vikara is a liquid, open-ended fund investing in digital assets (excluding Bitcoin and Ethereum) with no lockups (add or redeem monthly). Vikara's proprietary investment and rigorous risk management processes aim to outperform the broader digital asset markets. Founders have over 40 years combined investment experience at Millennium, Balyasny, Platinum, Merrill Lynch and Macquarie.

Vikara, in Sanskrit, describes the process of change. Its definition is constantly evolving, changing with economic cycles, technology, and geopolitics. It is a transformation of thought or logic, a modification in the direction of travel, an alteration in action or participation. It is one thing to want change, but another to drive it. We believe in a world where commerce doesn't need intermediaries. Where people are paid directly for content, time, and effort. Where privacy, data and free speech is given, not something to opt-in for.

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The biggest findings in the Google Search leak - The Verge

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Sat, 01 Jun 2024 16:18

One thing right off the bat: the Google Search algorithm has not leaked, and SEO experts don't suddenly have all the answers. But the information that did leak this week '-- a collection of thousands of internal Google documents '-- is still huge. It's an unprecedented look into Google's inner workings that are typically closely guarded.

Perhaps the most notable revelation from the 2,500 documents is that they suggest Google representatives have misled the public in the past when discussing how the biggest gatekeeper of the internet assesses and ranks content for its search engine.

How Google ranks content is a black box: websites depend on search traffic to survive, and many will go to great lengths '-- and great expense '-- to beat out the competition and rise to the top of results. Better ranking means more website visits, which means more money. As a result, website operators hang on to every word Google publishes and each social media post by employees working on search. Their word is taken as gospel, which, in turn, trickles down to everyone using Google to find things.

Over the years, Google spokespeople have repeatedly denied that user clicks factor into ranking websites, for example '-- but the leaked documents make note of several types of clicks users make and indicate they feed into ranking pages in search. Testimony from the antitrust suit by the US Department of Justice previously revealed a ranking factor called Navboost that uses searchers' clicks to elevate content in search.

''To me, the larger, meta takeaway is that even more of Google's public statements about what they collect and how their search engine works have strong evidence against them,'' Rand Fishkin, a veteran of the search engine optimization (SEO) industry, told The Verge via email.

The leak first spread after SEO experts Fishkin and Mike King published some of the contents of the leaked documents earlier this week along with accompanying analyses. The leaked API documents contain repositories filled with information about and definitions of data Google collects, some of which may inform how webpages are ranked in search. At first, Google dodged questions about the authenticity of the leaked documents before confirming their veracity on Wednesday.

''We would caution against making inaccurate assumptions about Search based on out-of-context, outdated, or incomplete information,'' Google spokesperson Davis Thompson told The Verge in an email on Wednesday. ''We've shared extensive information about how Search works and the types of factors that our systems weigh, while also working to protect the integrity of our results from manipulation.''

There's no indication in the documents about how different attributes are weighted, for one. It's also possible that some of the attributes named in the documents '-- like an identifier for ''small personal sites'' or a demotion for product reviews, for example '-- might have been deployed at some point but have since been phased out. They also may have never been used for ranking sites at all.

''We don't necessarily know how [the factors named] are being used, aside from the different descriptions of them. But even though they're somewhat sparse, there's a lot of information for us,'' King says. ''What are the aspects that we should be thinking about more specifically when we're creating websites or optimizing websites?''

The suggestion that the world's largest search platform doesn't base search result rankings on how users engage with the content feels absurd on its face. But the repeated denials, carefully worded company responses, and industry publications that unquestioningly carry these claims have made it a contentious topic of debate among SEO marketers.

Another major point highlighted by Fishkin and King relates to how Google may use Chrome data in its search rankings. Google Search representatives have said that they don't use anything from Chrome for ranking, but the leaked documents suggest that may not be true. One section, for example, lists ''chrome_trans_clicks'' as informing which links from a domain appear below the main webpage in search results. Fishkin interprets it as meaning Google ''uses the number of clicks on pages in Chrome browsers and uses that to determine the most popular/important URLs on a site, which go into the calculation of which to include in the sitelinks feature.''

There are over 14,000 attributes mentioned in the documents, and researchers will be digging for weeks looking for hints contained within the pages. There's mention of ''Twiddlers,'' or ranking tweaks deployed outside of major system updates, that boost or demote content according to certain criteria. Elements of webpages, like who the author is, are mentioned, as are measurements of the ''authority'' of websites. Fishkin points out that there's plenty that's not represented much in the documents, too, like information about AI-generated search results.

So what does this all mean for everyone other than the SEO industry? For one, expect that anyone who operates a website will be reading about this leak and trying to make sense of it. A lot of SEO is throwing things against the wall to see what sticks, and publishers, e-commerce companies, and businesses will likely design various experiments to try to test some of what's suggested in the documents. I imagine that, as this happens, websites might start to look, feel, or read a little differently '-- all as these industries try to make sense of this wave of new but still vague information.

''Journalists and publishers of information about SEO and Google Search need to stop uncritically repeating Google's public statements, and take a much harsher, more adversarial view of the search giant's representatives,'' Fishkin says. ''When publications repeat Google's claims as though they are fact, they're helping Google spin a story that's only useful to the company and not to practitioners, users, or the public.''

DNC plans to hold virtual roll call to nominate Biden before convention | CNN Politics

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Sat, 01 Jun 2024 16:06

CNN '--

The Democratic National Committee is planning to hold a virtual roll call ahead of the party's August convention to nominate President Joe Biden in order to meet an Ohio ballot access deadline.

The move comes after the Republican-controlled Ohio legislature failed to pass legislation to move back the state's August 7 deadline for political parties to submit their official nominees. The Democratic convention is taking place August 19-22.

''Joe Biden will be on the ballot in Ohio and all 50 states, and Ohio Republicans agree,'' DNC Chairman Jaime Harrison said in a statement Tuesday. ''But when the time has come for action, they have failed to act every time, so Democrats will land this plane on our own.''

The decision by the DNC comes after Republican Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine last week called for a special session starting Tuesday to pass legislation to fix the ballot issue.

The DNC's plans were first reported by the Columbus Dispatch and the Washington Post.

A virtual roll call would resolve an ongoing struggle between the Biden campaign and GOP officials in the Buckeye State. Last month, legal counsel for Ohio's Republican Secretary of State Frank LaRose warned the campaign that the convention, when the party is expected to formally nominate Biden, will occur after the state's certification deadline.

Democrats held a remote vote before the convention during the pandemic in 2020. Under that process, delegates were sent individualized ballots, with all votes cast and counted before the convention officially began. During the convention, the party played a virtual roll call which featured videos and live shots from around the country.

The party is planning to formally introduce a resolution to allow for a virtual roll call next week, before sending the measure for a vote by the whole committee.

In previous cycles, early certification deadlines were resolved without much fanfare. States have either accepted provisional certification from the parties ahead of their conventions or passed legislation to move back the deadline to accommodate late conventions.

Earlier this month, Alabama's Republican-led legislature moved back the deadline to clear the way for Biden to make the ballot there. Officials in Washington, which also has an earlier deadline than most states, said they would accept a provisional certification.

Ohio officials declined to accept a provisional certification and efforts to resolve the issue legislatively failed. State lawmakers in Ohio voted to move back the deadline ahead of the 2012 and 2020 party conventions.

Holding a virtual roll call is one of several options Democrats weighed to keep Biden on the ballot. While holding part of the convention virtually could distract from the in-person activities, it is less contentious than a possible legal challenge. Legislative efforts failed after Ohio Republicans sought to extract concessions from Democrats.

And while Ohio is no longer a presidential swing state '' former President Donald Trump won there in 2020 by 8 points '' Biden's presence on the ballot could be decisive in down ballot races, including Democratic Sen. Sherrod Brown's reelection bid.

(16) The Zionist NAZI Connection and the Creation of Israel

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Fri, 31 May 2024 15:55

Adolf Hitler's father was Alois Schicklgruber, the bastard child of Maria Schicklgruber, who changed his name to Hitler to hide the fact that he was an illegitimate child. Many historians have claimed that Maria was impregnated by Baron Rothschild when she worked for him. The Rothschilds have been known to breed thousands of illegitimate children under different names to serve the family's agenda. And their name isn't really Rothschild. In the late eighteenth century, Mayer Amschel Bauer was the private banker for the Black Nobility through the House of Hesse, and changed the family name just before expanding the family business.

Rothschild means, ''Red Shield,'' which was their company logo. A six-pointed star which has become known as the Star of David. This was not a Jewish symbol, it was introduced by the Rothschilds who later funded the Zionists. And in 1948, Rothschild influence compelled the state of Israel to adopt the hexagram as their national symbol.

In the late 1800s, Cecil Rhodes set up a secret society to preserve the expansion of the British Empire. Known as the Milner group, their main focus from 1920 to 1938 was to maintain the balance of power in Europe by building up Germany and pitting them against France and Russia. They discussed creating a situation that would compel Germany to start a second World War.

During this time, the reparations from the Treaty of Versailles led to hyper-inflation in Germany. And in 1930, as the international banking system was collapsing, the Young Plan was enacted which required Germany to pay about two billion Reichsmarks annually payable through 1988. This scheme was funded by JP Morgan, led by the founder of RCA, and directed by members of the Milner group. It broke the German economy.

In 1933, Hitler secured funding from the Bank of England, which was run by the Rothschild banking dynasty. This deal was brokered by John Foster Dulles and Allen Dulles, who later headed the CIA.

With initial funding from the Rothschild bank of England, Germany invaded Poland and received additional funding from the Bush family's Brown Brothers Harriman. The Germans were fueled by Standard Oil and supported by Ford, General Electric, DuPont, and IBM, all of which profited greatly from the war.

World War Two accomplished the stated goals of the Milner Group, it made the banks and their cronies even richer, and it directly led to the creation of the United Nations, and Israel.

Theodor Herzl, the founder of the Zionist movement, was not a religious Jew. Officially he was an atheist, but more likely he was an occultist agent of the Rothschilds. He was no fan of the Jews. In his own words he sympathized with anti Jewish sentiment. His original plan was to have them all convert to Catholicism. And when that failed, he decided they should be expelled from Europe.

In 1933, the Haavara Agreement, or "transfer agreement," was made between Nazi Germany and the Zionists wherein German Jews would be sent to Palestine. Non-Zionist Jews did not want to leave, and so the NAZIs encouraged them through persecution.

In 1917, the British Government announced its support for the establishment of a "national home for the Jewish people" in Palestine, known as the Balfour Declaration, and seized control of the land. After the second world war, with Holocaust propaganda used as the catalyst, this land was gifted to the Zionists from the British, and the state of Israel was officially created.

Between 1947 and 1949, the Zionists murdered the locals, destroyed hundreds of villages, and expelled more than seven-hundred-thousand Palestinians. A savage invasion celebrated every May 15 th known as, Nakba Day.

Before Zionism created the state of Israel, Jews did not have a common language or nationality, and they were not considered to be a race.

The historical record tells us that the Khazars were known for starting wars through deception. And about seven hundred years ago, they all converted to Judaism. These are the Ashkenazi Jews who later became Zionists, and persecuted the Sephardic Jews of Palestine. They do not follow the teachings of the Torah, they follow the Talmud, ancient teachings that can be described as anti-christian or satanic. The motto of Israeli Mossad "By way of deception thou shalt do war," really sums up the nature of Zionism, which includes Evangelical Christians and certain sects of Islam. With eighty percent of the world being religious, religion is the easiest way to ignite war. Which is what the central banks always want.

Palm Beach housekeepers are making $150,000 a year due to massive demand from the wealthy

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Fri, 31 May 2024 15:50

A version of this article first appeared in CNBC's Inside Wealth newsletter with Robert Frank, a weekly guide to the high net worth investor and consumer. Sign up to receive future editions, straight to your inbox.

Housekeepers in Palm Beach and South Florida are cleaning up, with salaries often topping $150,000 and bidding wars between mansion owners becoming common, according to staffing companies.

The mass wealth migration to Florida from New York and other high-tax states has created record demand for household staff in elite Florida enclaves '-- especially Palm Beach. Demand for butlers (now called ''hospitality managers'' or ''estate managers'') as well as nannies, chefs, drivers and personal security has surged, according to staffing agencies.

It's the shortage of housekeepers, however, that has created the biggest mess for wealthy homeowners. Many of the wealthy emigres to Florida bought big homes and now need people to clean them. Hotels, resorts and businesses are also vying for cleaning staff. The result: Typical pay for housekeepers has rocketed from about $25 an hour in 2020 to $45 or $50 an hour today, according to some agencies.

''I have been placing staff for 30 years, and I've never seen anything like this,'' said April Berube, founder of The Wellington Agency, which places household staff in Palm Beach, Miami, New York and other locations. ''We've seen such a boom from people relocating, especially Palm Beach and Miami.''

In Palm Beach, housekeepers with experience in wealthy homes are typically making between $120,000 and $150,000 a year, along with 401(k) plans, health care and benefits, including overtime.

''For housekeepers it's wonderful,'' Berube said. ''For us it's extremely difficult. It's a severe shortage.''

Melissa Psitos, founder of Lily Pond Services, said she recently had a Florida client hoping to hire a housekeeper for $75,000 a year. They ended up paying $110,000, which was reasonable for the market. Executive housekeepers, who often help direct a staff of other housekeepers and laundresses, can make even more. Psitos said she knows one head housekeeper in Palm Beach who makes $250,000 a year, including overtime, and travels with the family to their various homes.

''There is just not enough supply,'' she said.

Bidding wars between wealthy homeowners have become common. Staffing agencies are posting ''Help Wanted'' ads all over the web and throughout West Palm Beach. Clients are growing frustrated.

''At first they're in shock, and they say, 'No way I'm paying that,''' Berube said. ''It's even uncomfortable for me to give them the numbers. But when they try to hire someone for less, with less experience, they almost always come back to us and say, 'I learned my lesson. We are willing to pay for the experience.'''

Berube said the housekeepers for the wealthy need highly specific skills '-- from how to move quietly and unnoticed throughout the house, to how to carefully clean antiques, flatware and fine art and how to properly wash and press fine linens.

''There are specific tools and skills you need to work in fine homes,'' she said.

Berube said with so few qualified candidates, she's thinking of launching a school to teach high-end housekeeping skills and generate more housekeepers.

''I would love to do it, but I don't have the time, since we're busy trying to find staff.''

Sign up to receive future editions of CNBC's Inside Wealth newsletter with Robert Frank.

Fury as Boston's woke Democrat mayor claims criminals should NOT be prosecuted for these raft of shocking crimes | Daily Mail Online

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Fri, 31 May 2024 15:49

Woke Democrat Mayor Michelle Wu, who has been mayor of Boston since November 2021 has long supported a progressive approach to crime but is now looking for some of the most basic offenses to be completely off-limits to prosecution.

Wu has argued for charges including shoplifting and disorderly conduct to be beyond the reach of prosectors along with other serious crimes including the receiving of stolen property and even driving with a suspended license.

But Wu's progressive outlook goes even further with the 39-year-old seemingly comfortable with offenders that commit 'quality of life' crimes getting off scot free.

They include the breaking and entering of property, wanton and malicious destruction of property, minor's in possession of alcohol and drug possession including the distribution of marijuana and non-marijuana types.

Progressive Boston Mayor Michelle Wu wants to decriminalize certain offenses

Wu wants shoplifting, larceny and disorderly conduct to not be prosecuted. Pictured, an unidentified man breaks the windows of a store in Boston in May 2020 (file photo)

Those who commit such wanton crimes would receive little more than a slap on the wrist.

The offenses are all on a 'do-not-prosecute' list that was created by former Suffolk County District Attorney Rachael Rollins.

Rollins, who later joined the Biden administration but resigned amid ethical violations, had advocated for the non-prosecution of more 'low-level' offenses.

In a 2021 Boston Mayoral Candidate Questionnaire, from Progressive Massachusetts, a nonprofit organization that tracks and ranks how progressive elected officials, Wu was asked if she supported Rollins list.

'Do you support the Suffolk County District Attorney's Office's do-not-prosecute list and expanded approach to dealing with such low-level offenses? YES/ NO?' Progressive Mass asked in its survey.

'Yes,' Wu responded.

When Wu was asked if she supported closing the Boston Police gang database, Wu again said yes.

Wu has said she is in favor of certain crimes forgoing prosection. The offenses are all on a 'do-not-prosecute' list that was created by former Suffolk County District Attorney Rachael Rollins

Those who commit a host crimes would receive little more than a slap on the wrist

A host of offenses are on a 'do-not-prosecute' list that was created by former Suffolk County District Attorney Rachael Rollins

Critics have argued that young people, primarily black and Hispanic males, have been incorrectly profiled as gang members and been entered in the database.

Recently the database was lauded after it played a crucial role in the federal bust of more than 40 people allegedly connected to a violent street gang that had operated for years out of a city housing project.

As mayor, Wu, who is the city's first female and first Asian American to assume the role, has promised to reallocate police funds to other city priorities and believes in demilitarizing law enforcement, opposing the use of tear gas, rubber bullets, and attack dogs.

In the questionnaire, Wu also stated that she supports the firing of any Boston Police Department employees involved in the January 6th Capitol insurrection.

She also wanted police records over the use-of-force and officers facing misconduct to ben made public. Critics argue such identification of could endanger officers' safety.

Last summer, Wu faced criticism for allegedly using tactics to silence her opponents, including creating a list of her most vocal critics and sending it to the police.

'The list was made in response to a request from the Boston Police Department after the Mayor had been harassed and physically intimidated by individuals for several months outside her home, at city functions such as the annual neighborhood parks coffee hours, and at other public events,' Wu spokesman Ricardo Patron said in a statement at the time.

Last year, Wu was criticized for organizing a holiday party for non-white city council members, which was mistakenly announced to all council members

Records show Boston Mayor Michelle Wu used her own campaign funds to pay for the 'electeds of color' holiday party which was held at a taxpayer-funded building

Last year, she was criticized for organizing a holiday party for non-white city council members, which was mistakenly announced to all council members.

"Honorable members: On behalf of Mayor Michelle Wu, I cordially invite you and a guest to the Electeds of Color Holiday Party," an email read - which was mistakenly sent to everyone, said.

Just fifteen minutes after the email was sent - Wu's aide apologize noting how the invite was just for minority city councilors.

Although her aide apologized for the mistake, the incident sparked complaints, but the Massachusetts Attorney General ultimately decided not to investigate.

Upon taking office, Wu also established offices focused on 'Food Justice, Black Male Advancement, LGBTQ+ Advancement, and Worker Empowerment' to foster a more equitable city.

But despite her progressive efforts, some critics had argued how she had not been inclusive of white residents, leading to various complaints to the state's attorney general, Andrea Campbell who ultimately decided not to investigate.

A Third Person in the U.S. Has Bird Flu. This Time, It's Different | TIME

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Fri, 31 May 2024 15:47

A third dairy worker in the U.S. has tested positive for the bird flu infection that is causing outbreaks in cattle in at least nine states.

The farmworker, from Michigan, was exposed to infected cows and is the first of the three recently confirmed cases to have respiratory symptoms, according to the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services. The previous two people'--another in Michigan and one in Texas'--did not show any respiratory symptoms but experienced discharge from the eyes. The dairy worker in the latest case worked on a different farm in Michigan than the previous case reported in the state.

According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the dairy worker in the latest case also experienced ''watery discharge'' from the eyes, but also reported coughing (with no fever). Tests on samples from the patient performed by Michigan's health department were positive for influenza A(H5), the avian influenza strain. Further tests conducted by CDC scientists confirmed the results.

It's not clear whether the respiratory symptoms indicate that the virus is changing; CDC scientists are conducting additional sequencing studies to determine if that's the case.

The CDC says there are no spikes in influenza cases among people in areas where the virus has been reported in cows, nor are there any unusual increases in emergency room visits or positive lab tests for influenza. So far, there have also been no reports that the virus was spread from one person to another in the infected workers' households. In all three cases, the infected workers, as well as their families, were monitored and offered antiviral medications. The state of Michigan is continuing to work with farms to monitor for sick animals and symptoms in farmworkers and has tested 45 people so far, says Dr. Natasha Bagdasarian, chief medical executive at the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services.

For now, the CDC says the outbreak in cows does not pose a significant health threat to people who don't routinely work with the animals. Those who do, however, should wear protective equipment and practice caution when handling sick or dead animals, including birds and cows, as well as monitor and report any flu-like symptoms to their local health department.

In the first Michigan case, the farmworker was directed exposed to contaminated milk that splashed in his eye, and he was not wearing any protective equipment. In the latest case, the worker was not wearing a mask and worked directly with a sick animal, says Bagdasarian. "Two points to take home are that so far, people who are at risk are those who have direct, sustained exposure to sick animals, and second, that neither was wearing full personal protective equipment," she says. "So right now the risk to the general public is very low. There are no secondary cases of infections from these individuals, no sustained human-to-human transmission, and no cases outside of dairy workers."

Still, there are things that everyone else can do to protect themselves. Avoid raw milk, which has not been pasteurized, the CDC advises. The temperatures required for pasteurization generally inactivate the virus, so pasteurized milk remains safe to drink, according to the agency.

What is dreamscrolling and why are most people doing it?

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Fri, 31 May 2024 15:36

Psst. Close that browser window about your dream house or vacation and get back to work.

You're not alone, though.

A new study reveals that the average American spends nearly 2½ hours a day "dreamscrolling" or looking at dream purchases or things they'd like to one day own.

According to the study by Empower, a financial services company, Americans are spending an average of 2.5 hours a day '' or 873 hours a year '' dreamscrolling on the phone or computer.

Half of the 2,000 respondents to the study said they dreamscroll while at work and of those, 1 in 5 admit to spending between three to four hours a day multitasking while on the job.

Age makes a differenceGen Z'ers spent the most time dreamscrolling at a little more than three hours per day, while Boomers spend the least, or about an hour.

The majority of those who responded, or 71%, however, said that dreamscrolling is time well spent because it motivates them to reach their financial goals.

"People see dreamscrolling as one way they're investing in themselves and envisioning what they want out of life '' whether that's when they want to retire, their dream home or next vacation," said Rebecca Rickert, head of communications at Empower.

How to visit Australia without flying:Holland America launches new Grand Voyage

Here's some more insights from the study:

More than half (56%) of the recipients have dream purchases left open in tabs and windows or saved in shopping carts. Those respondents estimate it would cost about $86,593.40 to afford everything they currently have saved. Overall, 34% say they've purchased fewer things on their dream list than they should at their age, with Millennials feeling the most behind (39%). Some of the main reasons holding them back are rising prices (54%), inability to save money (29%) and growing debt (21%). More than 2 in 5 respondents say they dreamscroll more when the economy is uncertain (43%). Roughly half of the respondents say they're spending more time dreamscrolling now than in years past (45%) and plan on buying something off their dream list this year (56%).The top dreamscrolling items are clothing, shoes and accessories (49%) followed by gadgets and technology (30%) and home décor or furniture (29%). One in five respondents are looking at homes or apartments (21%), nearly a quarter search for vacation spots (25%) while 23% look for beauty or self-care products and 19% are shopping for their furry family members.While 65% are optimistic they'll some day be able to buy everything on their dream list, nearly 1 in 4, or 23%, say they don't think they'll ever be able to afford the majority of the items.Betty Lin-Fisher is a consumer reporter for USA TODAY. Reach her at blinfisher@USATODAY.com or follow her on X, Facebook or Instagram @blinfisher. Sign up for our free The Daily Money newsletter, which will include consumer news on Fridays,here.

VIDEO - Finance + Physics = Climate Repair? | XR UK - YouTube

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VIDEO - What is toco? - Invidious

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Sun, 02 Jun 2024 17:06

Carbon is Money proposes a new unit of international trade (toco) where each unit in circulation represents one tonne of carbon dioxide equivalent that has been credibly reduced or removed from the atmosphere. Carbon mitigation is now driven by economic activity, not by moral and ethical motives. Toco is money reimagined.

VIDEO - Public Health warns travelers of possible measles exposure at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport - YouTube

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VIDEO - US migration routes shift west to California - YouTube

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VIDEO - US, Germany let Ukraine strike in Russia: Will it matter? | DW News - YouTube

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VIDEO - What's behind Denmark's forced resettlement of 'ghettos'? | Focus on Europe - YouTube

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VIDEO - Zelenskyy accuses China & Russia of disrupting peace efforts | DW News - YouTube

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VIDEO - Israel Day on Fifth Parade will feature New Year's Eve-style security measures - YouTube

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VIDEO - Biden pitches 3-phase cease-fire deal to end Israel-Hamas war - YouTube

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VIDEO - Trump responds to his guilty verdict by falsely blasting a 'rigged trial' and attacking star witness - YouTube

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VIDEO - Maui Fire battalion chief accused of child sex assault indicted | News | kitv.com

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Sun, 02 Jun 2024 11:06

A grand jury indicted a high-ranking Maui Fire Department official on two counts of child sex crimes. Court documents reveal disturbing new information about the case.

MAUI COUNTY, Hawaii (Island News) -- A grand jury has indicted the Maui Fire Department battalion chief charged with child sex crimes.

Shawn Rogers was arrested and charged on two counts '' one for continuous sexual assault of a minor under the age of 14 and one for first-degree sexual assault.

The victim was born in 2007 and Rogers had ''recurring access'' to her, the indictment states.

According to the indictment, Rogers began sexually assaulting the girl in November 2019 through April 2022. Court documents allege that Rogers groped and raped the victim between those dates. Rogers is also accused of using an inanimate object during at least one of the assaults.

Rogers was released from custody after posting a $150,000 bond, according to a spokesperson with the Maui Police Department.

Maui Fire Chief Brad Ventura issued the following statement on this incident:

"Today, the County of Maui was made aware that Shawn Rogers (52), a 25-year veteran of the Department of Fire and Public Safety, was arrested and charged for Sexual Assault in the First Degree and Continuous Sexual Assault of a Minor under 14 years old. We are deeply concerned about the allegations regarding one of our firefighters. Mr. Rogers is not scheduled to work this week and we will continue to evaluate this situation as more information is available."

This case remains under investigation.

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VIDEO - VIDEO: John Grisham says the Supreme Court inspires him to write new book | Daily Mail Online

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Video: Outrage as author John Grisham says current Supreme Court has 'inspired' him to write sequel to book about justices being assassinated

Author John Grisham tells The View that the current Supreme Court has inspired him to write new book similar to, 'The Pelican Brief,' where justices were assassinate.

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