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Rents in Manhattan are once again hitting new record highs, after cratering during the pandemic.The median monthly rent for a Manhattan apartment was a record $3,700 in February. That was up 24% from a year ago and up an unusually large 4.2% from January, according to a report from brokerage Douglas Elliman and appraisal firm Miller Samuel.“What we're seeing is a rapid rebound and an unprecedented climb in rental prices,” said Jonathan Miller, president and CEO of Miller Samuel. “In all categories, everything is going up.”Rise in bidding warsDemand is surging for rental apartments, which means the “pandemic pricing” deals offered just a year or two ago have now been replaced by bidding wars. The net-effective median rent, or the amount tenants pay after factoring in incentives from landlords, spiked by a record 28% from last year to $3,630 a month as these dried up. New leases with concessions, like one or two months of rent knocked off a yearlong lease, dropped from 41% a year ago to just 20% in February. The last time the net-effective rent was that high was in April 2020, at $3,540 a month, after the pandemic's onset but before the bottom fell out of the rental market. But the amount tenants paid in February was 7.1% higher than pre-pandemic rent in February 2020. Prices are rising across the board as many New York City businesses return to in-person work, boosting demand. A year ago, roughly 1% of new apartments leased at a rent higher than listed because of a bidding war, Miller said, which is close to a typical rate. But, in February, 18% of Manhattan apartments rented for more than the asking price.Short supply of apartments to rentThe inventory of rental apartments, which glutted the borough during the pandemic, dropped 81% in February from the year before. The vacancy rate, which was above 11% a year ago, dropped to just 1.32%.“It isn't an all-time record low in vacancy, but it is the lowest February since the financial crisis,” Miller said.February is typically one of the softest months for rentals, said Hal D. Gavzie, executive manager of leasing at Douglas Elliman. “And there was no inventory. We're hoping there is some inventory opening up.” Gavzie said many renters are facing a dilemma: accept a rent increase or find a new apartment. “Renters knew going into this that their concessions would end,” said Gavzie. “You knew you'd be able to take advantage of the deep discounts — in some cases discounts of 40%, 50% and lock in for a year or two. If that lease is coming up soon, the landlord may be offering the renewals at a 15% to 40% increase.”Gavzie's agents work with landlords that have large real estate portfolios and are reporting that renters are generally just sucking up the higher rents.“Overall, we've seen these tenants accepting the renewal,” he said. “The reason being: Where else are they going? Rents are going back to pre-covid levels and higher.”Source: Read Full Article

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The past 24 hours were once again filled with considerable volatility, although it failed to result in any significant directional change for Bitcoin and the majority of altcoins. The market is pretty much where it was yesterday, but there were some notable events. Bitcoin's Volatility Fails to Produce Directional Change Bitcoin's price might have calmed down at around $39,000 – at the time of this writing – but this doesn't mean that there was no volatility. Yesterday - March 10th - the US Bureau of Labor Statistics released the numbers for the Consumer Price Index, and it clocked in at 7.9% - the highest in decades. The CPI is widely used to gauge inflation, although many claim that actual numbers are much higher. In any case, the report usually ends up causing serious volatility in the markets, and this time was no exception. As CryptoPotato reported, the BTC price went from $39K to $40.3K, and then it crashed to $38,500 in a matter of minutes, creating a vicious hourly candle. Source: TradingView While the move left over $44 million liquidated positions in less than an hour, it failed to result in any significant directional change. Bitcoin's price is still chopping around $39,000. Stacks (STX) Soars 33% All in all, the broader cryptocurrency market is where it was yesterday, and there are no major moves from top altcoins, as seen in the heatmap below. Source: Quantify Crypto However, STX - the native cryptocurrency of the Stacks ecosystem - skyrocketed by more than 30% in the past 24 hours. This came as a result of the news that OKCoin will provide considerable financial support to the project. It also made STX the best performer in the past 24 hours, followed by Kadena's KDA (22%) and RONE (16.4%). On the other end of the spectrum, we have AR that's down 9% and SNX that's down about 8%. SPECIAL OFFER (Sponsored) Binance Free $100 (Exclusive): Use this link to register and receive $100 free and 10% off fees on Binance Futures first month (terms).PrimeXBT Special Offer: Use this link to register & enter POTATO50 code to receive up to $7,000 on your deposits.Disclaimer: Information found on CryptoPotato is those of writers quoted. It does not represent the opinions of CryptoPotato on whether to buy, sell, or hold any investments. You are advised to conduct your own research before making any investment decisions. Use provided information at your own risk. See Disclaimer for more information. Cryptocurrency charts by TradingView.

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Klaus Vedfelt/DigitalVision via Getty ImagesThings aren't great right now in the markets and that's because things aren't that great in the economy. Inflation was already real because of supply side constraints and it's become even more severe with the tensions around Russia. We said at the end of January that things could get really bad for the markets if Russia invades Ukraine. It was pretty amazing to us that no one else was talking about the very real commodity risks involved at the time. Our Ukraine Invasion Call (Seeking Alpha, VTS)With all the leverage that had been introduced into the system following COVID-19, that only persisted thanks to low-rate environments, the land is fallow and restructuring players like PJT Partners (NYSE:PJT) could finally see some love. The countercyclical business model is something that could garner it a higher multiple, and it could become a more fashionable exposure over M&A boom beneficiaries. Also special dividends would be in its future if some major restructuring issues have to be taken care of as rising input costs start putting a lot of pressure on industry. PJT Hasn't Been Doing Great If you look at other companies out there with major advisory focused businesses like Piper Sandler (NYSE:PIPR) and other even more pureplay advisors, all you see is incredible growth in revenue. Sales Growth (PIPR Q4 2021)Meanwhile, a look at the PJT figures tells you what all the CEOs of less specialized companies have been saying, which is that the restructuring environment isn't that great. A very accommodative environment has meant that the surge that happened in 2020, which was actually a bit limited by all the government support, was reversed in 2021, with restructuring a weaker business line for the time being. FY For PJT (Q4 2021 Pres PJT)Houlihan Lokey (NYSE:HLI) saw declines of almost 50% in its restructuring business, and similarly it was PJT's M&A based advisory business that cushioned results this year from an even worse decline. Travel expenses coming back online also didn't help the situation, where remote advisory being the norm actually saved the company from about $24 million annually in travel expenses pre-COVID. As a point of reference, our pre-COVID travel expense was approximately $2 million per month. PJT CFO Helen Meets This was part of the more accelerated declines in EBT in this 4th quarter on top of further gassing out of restructuring activity. Things Looking Up Nonetheless, PJT remains one of the best companies in terms of compensation ratios, and the Park Hill business is doing well, and it's also more countercyclical than strategic advisory businesses that are more M&A levered because it deals with placement and the PE buy-side. There will always be funds active in every environment, especially with all the dry powder accumulated by the wealthy in these last years. Quick Comp Look (VTS)On top of that, the declines in restructuring are likely to come to an end. Even before the invasion of Ukraine by Russia, we have been seeing a very hawkish push due to the obvious concern with inflation rates, that we believe had less to do with money printing in all honesty and more to do with the pandemic. The Fed and other banks are contemplating this move further with geopolitical tensions changing the equation, but these geopolitical tensions coupled with central banks being in a vice just mean that uncertainty has grown. Inflation from the supply side, the most malignant kind of inflation because it can lead to stagflation, continues unabated if not fanned into further frenzy. A leveraged system with cash flows being heavily threatened on the input side is going to put a lot of intermediate players within the industrial stack to really suffer. That's when PJT would step in. Final Remarks Expectations for PJT are already pretty good based on forecasts. Profits are expected to recover to 2020 levels, which were quite good already. Meanwhile, HLI and others are expected to see declines and things naturally calm down. Both have the same multiple around 14x on forward earnings. The difference is that HLI could end up declining a lot more than forecasts, with pretty much all forces turning against their M&A businesses from this current peak, while those same forces play in favor of PJT. Things could get really bad, and it makes sense that security in the face of increasing uncertainties and legitimate economic concerns should afford some premium to PJT over more cycle-levered players. Moreover, with the central banks simply unequipped to deal with supply side inflation, because monetary policy just isn't made for those sorts of issues really, the expectation of a mere recovery to 2020 levels may be too conservative, which would then mean a higher multiple should certainly be warranted. Regardless of the valuation discussion, the direction favors the trade of buying PJT. We are now seriously considering adding ourselves.

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On March 10th the MoonPay team contacted all customers to inform them that due to recent events in Eastern Europe they had suspended operations in Ukraine, Russia, and Belarus and are no longer working with customers with physical addresses in those regions. In an explanation of their recent decision, they noted that it was impossible for them to continue operating in these regions and adhere to the current sanctions in place by countries across the world, including the UK, EU, UK, and others. Founded less than three years ago, MoonPay's fiat-to-crypto on-ramp powers more than 250 wallets, websites, and applications in more than 160 countries and has processed more than $2 billion in transactions to date. In November 2021, the firm hit a $3.4 billion valuation off the back of a $555 million Series A funding round led by Tiger Global Management.MoonPay's foray into NFT servicesThe user-friendly payments infrastructure helps to bridge the world of crypto with traditional finance, providing solutions in the NFT space that make it easy for marketplaces like OpenSea, the largest NFT marketplace, to offer fast and safe ways to buy and sell digital assets.Available to any brand, creator, or marketplace, MoonPay's NFT Checkout classifies tokens as 'digital goods' leading to card approval rates that are multiples higher than standard crypto on-ramps. With other payment providers following suit it is the ease of connection that sees Moonpay succeed as an offering for NFT marketplaces.Although many cryptocurrency exchanges are resisting pressure from countries to ban Russian users on their platforms, the sanctions are now having an effect on both sides of the conflict. Coinbase, which publicly stood behind all of its users in the face of sanctions, nevertheless blocked 25,000 wallets addresses linked to what it believes are Russian individuals and entities engaged in illegal activity Monday.Non-US exchanges such as Binance and FTX have argued that preserving the access of Russians to crypto is crucial, considering their growing reliance on digital assets as the ruble plummets in the face of heavy US and European sanctions. Get your daily recap of Bitcoin, DeFi, NFT and Web3 news from CryptoSlateIt's free and you can unsubscribe anytime.Get an Edge on the Crypto Market 👇Become a member of CryptoSlate Edge and access our exclusive Discord community, more exclusive content and analysis. On-chain analysis Price snapshots More context Join now for $19/month Explore all benefits

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Fox News Flash top headlines for March 10Fox News Flash top headlines are here. Check out what's clicking on Foxnews.com.The federal judge presiding over the case of former Clinton campaign lawyer Michael Sussmann rejected his motion to “strike” the “factual background” section of Special Counsel John Durham's February filing Thursday. Sussmann's legal team last month filed a motion demanding that the court "strike" portions of Durham's Feb. 11 filing, including the “Factual Background” section, claiming it would “taint” a jury pool.“I'm not going to strike anything from the record,” US District Court for the District of Columbia Judge Christopher Cooper said Thursday during a status hearing. "Whatever effect the filing has had already passed." John Durham and Michael Sussmann. (Sussman photo from Perkins Coie)Durham, in a Feb. 11 filing with the “Factual Background” in question, alleged Sussmann provided two US government agencies with information from a tech executive that attempted to tie Donald Trump, who was a presidential candidate at the time, to Russia-based Alfa Bank. The tech executive has since identified himself as Rodney Joffe. Joffe is not named in Durham's filing and has not been charged with a crime.Durham alleged that Sussmann, Joffe and Joffe's associates "exploited" internet traffic about a "particular healthcare provider," Trump Tower, Trump's Central Park West apartment building and the Executive Office of the President of the United States in order to "an inference" ' and 'narrative'” tying Trump to Russia.Durham alleges Sussmann's “billing records reflect” that he “repeatedly billed the Clinton campaign for his work” on the Alfa Bank claims.Sussmann's legal team, in its motion to "strike" the claims, said Durham had "done more than simply file a document identifying potential conflicts of interest."“Rather, the special counsel has again made a filing in this case that unnecessarily includes prejudicial — and false — claims that are irrelevant to his motion and to the charged offense, and arely intended to politicize this case, inflame media coverage and taint the jury pool,” Sussmann's lawyers said. US Attorney John Durham, center, outside federal court in New Haven, Conn., after the sentencing of former Gov. John Rowland. (Bob MacDonnell/Hartford Courant/Tribune News Service via Getty Images)In a separate motion, Durham argued there was "no basis" to "strike" any part of his filing and pushed back against claims that his office "intentionally sought to politicize" the case. He defended the “additional factual detail” he included, which he argued is “central to proving” Sussmann's “alleged criminal conduct.” While he did not grant Sussmann's motion to strike, Judge Cooper on Thursday appeared to criticize the prosecution, saying the latest “dust-up” strikes him “as a sideshow.”Durham's original indictment alleges that Sussmann told then-FBI General Counsel James Baker in September 2016, less than two months before the 2016 presidential election, that he was not doing work “for any client” when he requested and held a meeting in which he presented "purported data and 'white papers' that allegedly demonstrated a covert communications channel" between the Trump Organization and Alfa Bank, which has ties to the Kremlin.Sussmann has also filed a motion to dismiss the case against him altogether.The next hearing is set for March 31.Source: Read Full Article

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On May 20, 2019, at approximately 4:52 pm, a man walked into the Call Federal Credit Union outside Richmond, Virginia, pointed a finger at the tellers and threatened to kill them and their unless he was given at least $100,000. He ultimately took almost $200,000 from the bank.To learn the identity of the robber, the FBI obtained a geofence warrant from a federal judge. This is a warrant served on a phone provider—or, in this case, on Google—compelling them to produce the location of and personal data about all users during a period of time (from a few minutes to a few hours) within a specific radius (the geofence.) As a practical matter, it is similar to what is called a “tower dump” where phone companies are compelled to produce records of all cell phones that were near a particular cell (or series of cell towers) at or near a particular point in time. The warrant called for production of location records that covered not only the bank but an adjacent church, a hotel and a residential neighborhood as well for a one-hour time period around the time of the robbery.In essence, both the tower dump and the geofence warrant compel production of intimate information over which users have only limited control—their location data. They also compel production of a potentially large volume of data regarding completely innocent individuals in an effort to find the one person (or persons) for whom the Court has found probable cause. More nefariously, geofence warrants can be used to, for example, identify individuals who attend a particular church, synagogue or mosque, go to a protest rally, frequent an AIDS clinic or an AA meeting. In fact, as long as the government can demonstrate probable cause with respect to any one person near the questioned location, they can get a warrant to get information on everyone at that location—at least for some discrete period of time.Many of these geofence warrants are directed to Google because Google collects—through various means—location data on a massive number of individuals. While the collection techniques, anonymity and specificity of data may be different, Google can collect location data on individuals based on their use of Android phones, their use of Google Maps, or their use of a wide variety of Google-related apps including photos. Deleting apps or turning off location services is, at best, an imperfect way to protect identity and location, and for some services—like driving apps (Google Maps or Waze)—location services are essential for the app to work. Suffice it to say that, unless you are both technically sophisticated and particularly diligent, the odds are pretty good that Google knows where you are. Right now. And last week. And a year and a half ago. It also knows who you were with and for how long. It can probably infer what you were talking about and certainly can infer what you might want to buy. That's the whole point.Location data reveals an awful lot about people—and even anonymous data collection can usually be reversed. If I know that an anonymous user was at the “Good Times” strip club from 11:00 pm to 2:00 am and then drove to 123 Main Street (where they go every night) it's not a stretch to infer that the owner or renter of 123 Main Street was the one at the strip joint. Add additional data (attending college classes, etc.) and we get a portrait of a Google user. What Google does not seem to have is the ability for users to specify the purpose for which Google can use the collected location data (eg, only to get me from point A to point B) and for real-time “right to be forgotten”—eg, when I get to point B, delete the location data. As a result, Google has a trove of location data averaging 120 data points per person per day.Google has a phased method of replying to geofence warrants; first providing law enforcement with anonymized data about everyone who is—or could have been—within the geofence within the specified time period. After that, the police provide a more detailed warrant focusing on a more narrow number of hits or targets and, finally, on the person or persons about whom they actually have probable cause. The cops link the geofence data with other databases to identify the target.The fact that we can determine identity from location is best illustrated by the fact that the FBI, using the geofence warrant on the bank location, narrowed the number of suspects from 19 people within the fence and then quickly identified Okello Chatrie as the robber.Pretty cool.Even though the first geofence warrant was served on Google in 2016, law enforcement agencies quickly learned that Google was a great repository for location data that could be used in a wide variety of criminal cases. From 2017 to 2018, the number of geofence warrants served to Google increased by more than 1,500 times; the following year, an additional 500% increase. In fact, a quarter of all warrants served on Google are geofence warrants.Don't [Geo]Fence Me InOn March 3, 2022, a federal district court in Richmond, Virginia considered the legality of such geofence warrants.Geofence warrants reveal a lot of information about a lot of people who did nothing wrong. They track people outside in public, inside in public buildings (like a bank) and also track their movements inside their homes, churches and hotel rooms. In previous cases, the US Supreme Court refused to allow the police to use infrared sensors to track suspected marijuana growers' movements within their house or use a beeper to track a bottle of "precursor" chemicals' movements within a building. Geofence data also includes both false-positive data (erroneously placing a person inside the geofence when they are not) and false-negative data (erroneously placing a person who is inside the fence on the outside). In fact, in the Richmond bank case, data points on individuals (identified as Mr. Blue, Mr. Green and Ms. Yellow—with no obvious nod to the movie Reservoir Dogs) popped into and out of the zone apparently at random. The police sought to justify the overreach of identifying persons who had no relationship to the criminal activity on the ground by claiming that, because of their location, they might be victims or witnesses. But that's not a justification to intrude on their privacy.At its core, the federal court noted, the problem with the geofence warrant was that “warrants, like this one, that authorize the search of every person within a particular area must establish probable cause to search every one of those persons. Here, however, the warrant lacked any semblance of such particularized probable cause to search each of its nineteen targets, and the magistrate thus lacked a substantial basis to conclude that the requisite probable cause existed…” The warrant was thus overbroad, lacked the requisite specificity required under the Fourth Amendment, and the results of the warrant needed to be suppressed.No Probable CauseWhile the police may have had probable cause to get the location data of the robber, they certainly didn't have probable cause to get the location data of the parishioner at the church, the resident of the home across the street, or the hotel within the radius of the geofence.But in a real sense, the normal rules of “search” and “seizure” and expectations of privacy established over the past 231 years since the ratification of the Fourth Amendment are difficult to apply to internet-based and remotely collected and stored databases. While a person certainly has a reasonable expectation of privacy with respect to their movements within their home, does the fact that they are broadcasting these movements (either deliberately or inadvertently) to a third party impact whether the court should consider that privacy interest “reasonable? ” I think so, but other courts might not. As to the question of whether the warrant was “specific” (warrants must both be supported by probable cause and specify the place to be searched and the thing to be seized), does specificity mean simply that the warrant describes that which it seeks (eg , all information related to persons who entered the geofence) or does it mean that it must call only for the production of records for which probable cause has been established? Most courtes would agree on the latter. As a practical matter, could the police have narrowed the warrant in a meaningful way to get what they needed without getting extraneous data? And does Okello Chatrie have standing to challenge the search of the parishioner's location?The federal court concluded that the geofence warrant was overbroad, lacked specificity and lacked probable cause. Specifically, however, the court noted “that it declines to consider today whether a geofence warrant may ever satisfy the Fourth Amendment’s strictures,” suggesting that additional privacy protections—including anonymity and minimization procedures to protect location data of those not involved in criminal activity— might save a future geofence warrant. This is not the first time a court has struggled with the legality of a geofence warrant (or a related tower dump), and it certainly won't be the last. So, next time you plan your armed bank robbery, here's a tip to the wise: Leave your Samsung Galaxy at home.

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Yoon Suk-Yeol – a member of the Conservative party – won the South Korean presidential election. The new political leader of the East Asian country has demonstrated a pro-crypto stance. Not long ago, he vowed to increase the minimum threshold for paying capital gains tax on profits from digital asset investments. South Korea to Become a Crypto Hub? The presidential election was one of the most contested in the history of South Korea. Yoon Suk-Yeol - a 61-year-old former prosecutor and a candidate of the Conservative party - secured a narrow victory over his opponent - the Democratic Party's Lee Jae-Myung. The election was also highly anticipated by the locals as 77% of the South Korean adults went to cast their ballots. In the aftermath, only 263,000 votes separated the two candidates. Yoon – known for his crypto-friendly viewpoint – labeled his win a "victory of the great South Korean people." In one of his recent appearances, he pledged to raise the minimum level for paying capital gains tax on earnings from cryptocurrency investments from $2,000 to $40,000. If implemented, South Korea could become an attractive destination for participants in the blockchain universe and even turn into a digital asset center. It is worth noting that Yoon's opponent - Lee Jae-Myung - has also shown affection towards the crypto sector. Earlier this year, he issued non-fungible tokens to fuel his political campaign. The collectibles depicted his image and served as a bond, allowing holders to exchange them with other individuals. Political Leaders Who Are Keen on Crypto Speaking of politicians who are pro-crypto, it is worth mentioning Francis Suarez and Eric Adams. The former is the mayor of Miami, who became the first politician to receive his salary in bitcoin instead of fiat currency. Apart from praising the merits of the cryptocurrency sector, Suarez is also a hodler as his stash includes BTC and ETH. Eric Adams – the recently elected mayor of New York City – is a keen advocate of the industry, too. Similar to Suarez, he vowed to get his first three paychecks in crypto. At one point, Adams even argued that children should study blockchain technology and digital assets at schools. The mayor praised New York as the “center of innovation,” where scientists work on self-driving cars, drone development, cybersecurity, and more. Cryptocurrencies are another technological innovation that young people need to embrace, he added. Featured image courtesy of The Korea Times SPECIAL OFFER (Sponsored) Binance Free $100 (Exclusive): Use this link to register and receive $100 free and 10% off fees on Binance Futures first month (terms).PrimeXBT Special Offer: Use this link to register & enter POTATO50 code to receive up to $7,000 on your deposits.

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HBO's hit series, Euphoria, premiered on the network in 2019, to fan and critical acclaim. The series examines present-day high school students struggling with love, identity, trauma, sex, and drugs. The series is raw and honest and depicts real issues that most teenagers face. The cinematography is stunning and adds a different, stylized element to the series, making it unlike anything that's ever been made about high school and teenage turmoil. RELATED: 10 Most Rewatchable Teen Dramas The series has been renewed for a third season, which won't come out anytime soon. While fans anticipate the next season, there are a few movies like Euphoria that can help tide them over during the long wait. SCREENRANT VIDEO OF THE DAY Updated on March 11th, 2022, by Hannah Saab: After the end of its second season, fans are unsurprisingly looking for more shows and films like Euphoria to fill their time. The popular teen drama's fanbase continues to grow, and along with it the demand for similar movies that tell thought-provoking narratives that represent youth culture in provocative ways. There's no shortage of movies like Euphoria that feature similar themes, characters, and stories. Cruel Intentions (1999) • Available to rent on Apple TV. This 90s twisted teen romantic drama Cruel Intentions is based on the French novel "Les Liaisons Dangereuses." Ryan Phillippe and Sarah Michelle Gellar star as stepbrother and stepsister, who abuse their fellow classmates' trust for their own entertainment and place a dangerous bet that Phillippe's character, Sebastian, can't sleep with good girl, Annette, played by Reese Witherspoon. Once the bet is placed, these characters' lives are changed forever. The way the movie tackles mature topics is similar to some of Euphoria's most controversial aspects, and while some of the things about the late 90s film have aged poorly, it's still worth seeing today. The Breakfast Club (1985) • Available to rent on Apple TV. The Breakfast Club It seems a little more wholesome compared to today's entertainment, but at the time of its release, it was a must-see for fans and critics alike because of its honest look at high school and what teenagers go through. In the movie, starring Molly Ringwald and Emilio Estevez, to name a few, a group of teens is forced to spend Saturday detention together. Being from different social groups, this initially seems like a nightmare for everyone involved, but actually ends up being the best thing that could happen to them. Fans who enjoy the more lighthearted scenes in Euphoria are bound to love this one. The Greatest Showman (2017) • Available to stream on Disney+. Zendaya has been a sought-after talent in the industry for years already. After the premiere of Euphoria in 2019, this actor became not only sought after but even more respected than she already was. RELATED: 10 Movies To Watch If You Liked The Greatest Showman The caliber of talent in this movie is unbelievable, with Zendaya leading the cast. For fans who love this actor and all of the different roles she can play, the musical movie, The Greatest Showman should be considered essential viewing. It showcases yet another impressive side of her in a completely different context. The Kissing Booth (2018) • Available to stream on Netflix. This Netflix teen romantic comedy stars one of Euphoria's breakout stars, Jacob Elordi, who plays Nate, one of the popular boys with a very angry side. Elordi plays a different type of teenager in The Kissing Booth, which also stars Joey King. In the film, Nate is the object of Elle's affection. When their high school puts on the annual kissing booth at their school fair, Elle and Nate finally get to see if there's a spark between them. It's definitely more wholesome than the kind of antics Nate pulls in the teen drama. Heathers (1989) • Available to stream on Amazon Prime. For fans of the HBO series who love a darker take on high school hierarchy, the late 80s film, Heathers, is the perfect movie for a night in with friends. This film stars a young Winona Ryder, Shannon Doherty, and Christian Slater. Heathers is about a group of popular girls, who are all named Heather, except for one. This clique of girls finds themselves facing a difficult and scary situation when a new student comes to town and starts killing off all the popular kids. It's a twisted and highly entertaining ride from start to finish, with a touch of humor that fans may be missing from Euphoria. Alex Strangelove (2018) • Available to stream on Netflix. Alex Strangelove is an coming-of-age feature film that tells the story of a teenager named Alex, who begins dating one of his closest friends, Claire, after helping her cope with her mother's cancer diagnosis. The two teens decide to lose their virginity to one another, but when Alex meets openly gay teenager Elliot at a party, he begins to question his own sexuality and his feelings for both Claire and Elliot. Like Euphoriait's a film that deals with hard-hitting topics that can be confusing for teenagers to navigate. American Beauty (1999) • Available to rent on Apple TV. American Beauty is another darker look at teenage years that fans of Euphoria are sure to love. It's a film with a lot of twists and turns and tells the story of a man, Lester Burnham, who is going through a mid-life crisis and finds himself falling for and obsessing over his teenage daughter's best friend, Angela. The film examines similar themes to that of Euphoria, Including sex, adolescence, conformity, and beauty. It also has highly stylized moments that are reminiscent of some of the teen drama's memorable scenes. Thirteen (2003) • Available to rent on Apple TV. This award-winning film is a lot like HBO's hit series in its raw and honest look at what it's like to be a teenager in current times. Thirteen, starring Evan Rachel Wood and Nikki Reed (who also co-wrote the movie), is based on Reed's real life as a teenager, and it sparked a lot of conversation upon its release because it wasn't the typical wholesome kids' movie. RELATED: 10 Coming Of Age Movies For Older Viewers, According To Reddit Instead, this film showed the darker side of growing up and encouraged parents to have those difficult conversations with their teenagers, much like Euphoria does today. The Bling Ring (2013) • Available to rent on Apple TV. The satirical crime drama The Bling Ring stars Emma Watson, Taissa Farmiga, and Leslie Mann and is based on the true story of a group of teenagers who formed a crime ring. They started burglarizing homes of the rich and famous in Los Angeles in the early 2000s. Fans of the HBO series will love this more light-hearted take on the trouble teenagers can get themselves into and will definitely want to research the true story this movie is based on, once they're done watching it. Carrie (1976) • Available to rent on Apple TV. This horror classic is one that every Euphoria fan must see because it also takes a dark look at high school, but in a totally different and terrifying way. Carrie stars Sissy Spacek as the title character, who is a teenage girl who is getting bullied at school. One day, Carrie realizes she has the power to move things with her mind. As she learns more about her new abilities, she also learns she can use them for both good and evil, and on prom night, after the popular kids pull a cruel prank on her, she decides to get revenge. The Half Of It (2020) • Available to stream on Netflix. The Half of It revolves around an initially lighthearted story about Ellie Chu (Leah Lewis), who finds herself writing love letters for Paul Munsky's (Daniel Diemer) crush, Aster Flores (Alexxis Lemiere). Things quickly become complicated when they find themselves tangled up in a love triangle none of them meant to form. Like Euphoria, the movie tackles important themes like gender identity and doesn't shy away from discussing religion's role in the way sexuality is perceived and accepted. Audiences who aren't fans of the teen drama's gritty depiction may enjoy this film's more amusing (but still meaningful) approach to those subjects. Girl, Interrupted (1999) • Available to rent on Apple TV. Those who are interested in the way Euphoria cartoons mental health will likely enjoy the chilling cult classic, Girl, Interrupted. It follows 18-year-old Susanna Kaysen (Winona Ryder) as she checks into a mental health facility and meets Lisa Rowe (Angelina Jolie), who becomes her closest friend during her stay. RELATED: 20 Movie Characters Who Accurately Portray Mental Illness Be warned, it's not a film for the faint of heart. The pyschological drama doesn't shy away from frightening (and sometimes questionable) depictions of mental health and the process of getting help and undergoing treatment. It arguably highlights a more cynical and grim perspective compared to the HBO show. Boyhood (2014) • Available to rent on Apple TV. Anyone who is a fan of the coming-of-age genre should see Boyhood at least once. It's centered on Mason Evans Jr.'s (Ellar Coltrane) experiences as he grows up and faces the various and familiar challenges that come with change, adolescence, and parents' imperfect relationships. Of course, what makes Boyhood stand out is the groundbreaking process behind it, as it actually takes place throughout several years and truly showcases the actors as they age from childhood up to their late teens. Like Euphoriathe film places viewers into young people's perspectives of all the complicated problems that come with growing up. Lady Bird (2017) • Available to rent on Apple TV. Often considered one of Greta Gerwig's best films, Lady Bird Tells the story of a Sacramento teen named Christine "Lady Bird" McPherson (Saoirse Ronan) who struggles with her relationship with her mother as she navigates the complicated experience of preparing for college. It's well-known for its poignant depiction of what it's like to grow apart from and out of what one is used to in search for bigger, more exciting things. The award-winning film is not as dark or gritty as Euphoriabut it does manage to evoke the same nostalgia and sadness for those who can empathize with its protagonist's story. The Perks Of Being A Wallflower (2012) • Available to rent on Apple TV. It's not an overstatement to say that The Perks of Being a Wallflower was one of the most culturally influential films of the early 2010s. The coming-of-age drama movie tells the touching story of Charlie Kelmeckis (Logan Lerman) who tries to fit in with other high schoolers, but thankfully meets friends like Sam Button (Emma Watson) who makes the task much less daunting. Audiences who appreciate Euphoria's thoughtful portrayal of mental health will likely be entertained by this movie, which doesn't shy away from more controversial themes as well. Plus, its rowdy cast of wild characters are easy to root for and fall in love with. NEXT: 10 Best Coming-Of-Age Movies On Netflix, Ranked By IMDb The Flash Movie Delay Raises A DCEU Multiverse Problem About The Author Mel Hall (316 Articles Published) Mel Hall is a writer, blogger, and lover of all things film, television, and theater. When Mel isn't in a theater watching the latest blockbuster or binging the newest hit streaming series from the comfort of their own home, they can be found reading a good book, knowing Hollywood will eventually and inevitably turn into a film or a limited series . More From Mel Hall

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The first 100,000 Jamaican citizens to use the country's new central bank digital currency (CBDC) known as Jam-Dex, will be given a free $16 payment in the hopes of promoting widespread adoption. Jamaican prime minister Andrew Holness first announced the news in a Facebook post on Thursday. The post received a mixed response as some Facebook users praised Holness for “embracing a digital future”, while others expressed concern about the motivations of the Jamaican government, accusing Holness of trying to “bribe” citizens into the federal banking system.According to the Jamaica Observer, approximately 17% of the Jamaican population is currently unbanked. While social media users postulate about government motives, the Observer Points out that remaining unbanked is both costly and time-consuming for poorer Jamaicans. It is hoped that this new payment incentive, among others, will encourage low and middle-income citizens to join the national banking system. The announcement comes as the Bank of Jamaica (BoJ) officially completed its 8-month long pilot program for Jam-Dex on Dec. 31 last year, and is expected to complete a national rollout as soon as next month. The BoJ further outlined that all Jamaicans with pre-existing bank accounts will be automatically eligible for Jam-Dex digital wallets.Jamaican Finance Minister Nigel Clarke said in a speech to the country's House of Representatives on March 9 that Jam-Dex must achieve widespread adoption by citizens and their businesses in order to be successful.According to the report provided by the BoJ on Feb. 17, the new digital currency will be called Jamaica Digital Exchange or Jam-Dex for short, and comes with its own logo and the following tagline, “no cash, no problem”. The BoJ expects the currency to be launched as soon as next month.The name “Jam-Dex”, was met with a great deal of criticism for both technical and aesthetic reasons. While the Jam-Dex is potentially making reference to the fact that currencies are “exchanged”, and that it is both “digital” and “Jamaican”, the terminology has created a good deal of confusion for many.Users on Twitter were quick to point out the obvious misnomer in the currency's namesake, as Jam-Dex is simply a digital currency whereas “DEX” in crypto parlance refers to a decentralized exchange, a place where cryptocurrencies are bought and sold.Despite China being one of the first countries to announce the development of its CBDC, the “digital yuan”, countries in the Caribbean have quickly become leaders in the adoption and proliferation of CBDCs — with Eastern Caribbean Central Bank (ECCB) having now rolled out its own CBDC, DCash to eight different member countries.Related: CBDCs will not impact private stablecoin market, says Tether CTOThe adoption of DCash however has been mired after a crash on Jan. 14 saw the central bank-backed digital currency go offline for nearly 2 months. It wasn't until Mar. 9 that the ECCB announced that DCash was once again fully functional, stating the reason for the crash was an “expiring certificate” on the Hyperledger Fabric that hosts the DCash ledger.Numerous other countries around the world are beginning to experiment with the implementation of CBDCs, with the Philippines announcing plans to launch Project CBDCPh as recently as Mar. 8. Iran, Kenya, and the European Union are also among the most recent countries to begin looking at introducing some form of CBDC.Source: Read Full Article

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FTX Europe – the European subsidiary of the US crypto exchange FTX –d with the music festival Tomorrowland collaborated. As part of the agreement, the trading venue will help its partner bring its “truly unique and magical events to the digital space by supporting their Web3, NFT, and crypto-related initiatives.” 'People of Tomorrow' to Jump in The World of Crypto The European affiliate of FTX – FTX Europe – joined forces with arguably the world's largest dance music festival – Tomorrowland. The crypto exchange will aid its associate's efforts in the Web3 and NFT space. Specifically, the festival vowed to bring the best from blockchain technology and implement it in its upcoming events. These include the annual iconic Tomorrowland in Belgium, Tomorrowland Winter, and the award-winning digital festival Tomorrowland Around The World. The collaboration will seek to release non-fungible tokens and Metaverse experiences to music fans. Tomorrowland's evolution to Web3 could create numerous options for festival-goers to purchase virtual tickets and engage with favorite performers in the near future. Sam Bankman-Fried – CEO and Founder of FTX – said, “It's exciting to see the continued blending of crypto, music, and events.” In his view, Tomorrowland's future initiatives will give attendees a “fun and interactive way to gain access to exclusive events.” Commenting on the matter was also Michael Beers – Founder of Tomorrowland: “Since day one, it's within the DNA of Tomorrowland to never stop pushing the boundaries of creativity and innovation, to create the most unique experiences and important moments for our global community, The People of Tomorrow. The evolution to Web3 opens a lot of possibilities for our endless imagination and also the opportunity to tighten the bonds of our community in the coming years.” Tomorrowland is a Belgian electronic dance music festival held in Boom, Flanders. Its first edition took place in 2005 when “only” 10,000 people attended it. Over the next decade, the event gained massive popularity as renowned DJs like Avicii, Armin van Buuren, Tiesto, David Guetta, and many others are the top performers on it. In 2018, Tomorrowland saw a record attendance of over 400,000 people. FTX And ​​Coachella Tomorrowland is not the first music festival that FTX has partnered with. Earlier this year, the exchange collaborated with The Coachella Valley Music & Arts Festival to introduce non-fungible token (NFT) collections to fans. The digital collectibles are separated into three categories: “Coachella Keys Collection,” “Sights and Sounds Collection,” and “Desert Reflections Collection.” The latter, which is the most valuable one, celebrates the festival's 20-year history. SPECIAL OFFER (Sponsored) Binance Free $100 (Exclusive): Use this link to register and receive $100 free and 10% off fees on Binance Futures first month (terms).PrimeXBT Special Offer: Use this link to register & enter POTATO50 code to receive up to $7,000 on your deposits.

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Multinational investment bank Goldman Sachs is now exploring the provision of bilateral crypto options, deepening its engagement with crypto derivatives trading for institutions. They will purportedly allow holders such as Bitcoin miners and hedge funds to either hedge their risks, or boost yields with customizable offerings. The Crypto Options Market The bank's plans were reported by sources familiar with the matter who chose to remain anonymous, according to Bloomberg. Apparently, Goldman is just one of multiple Wall Street Banks that have begun exploring these options. An 'option' is a financial instrument that gives investors the opportunity to purchase or sell a security or cryptocurrency at a predetermined price in the future. 'Call' options are those that give holders permission to buy the cryptocurrency, while 'put' options give permission to sell. Every options contract comes with an expiration date by which holders must choose whether to redeem it. However, they effectively let traders/investors benefit from an underlying cryptocurrency's volatility without being totally exposed to its risks. The market for these options contracts is available but currently dominated by crypto-native companies. Examples include crypto broker Genesis Global, crypto market maker GSR, and investment manager Galaxy Digital. However, a more traditional platform in the Chicago Mercantile Exchange (CME) will also offer micro Bitcoin and Ethereum options trading by the end of the month. Large Wall Street Banks have heretofore been held back from entering the crypto spot market due to regulatory uncertainty. Thankfully, President Biden's executive order signed on Wednesday is designed to organize research and regulatory authority of the industry among various federal bodies. According to SEC Chairman Gary Gensler, the crypto market should steadily move towards regulation in its aftermath. Regulation has also proven a roadblock for Binance after it was forced to stop its futures and options trading in Australia. Goldman's Crypto Involvement Goldman Sachs has had a lot to say about crypto and has involved itself with the industry in a few ways already. In July, the bank filed for a “DeFi” ETF that would closely track the performance of the decentralized finance space. That said, many of the firms it intended to track were not related to DeFi at all. In January, a former Goldman CEO told CNBC that crypto is definitely “happening” even if he doesn't fully understand it yet. However, the company now believes that even if adoption persists, it may not push the prices of crypto assets higher. SPECIAL OFFER (Sponsored) Binance Free $100 (Exclusive): Use this link to register and receive $100 free and 10% off fees on Binance Futures first month (terms).PrimeXBT Special Offer: Use this link to register & enter POTATO50 code to receive up to $7,000 on your deposits.

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By Rupert Darwall for RealClearEnergy Vladimir Putin's invasion of Ukraine marks the tip of the West's Period of Illusions. It was an period wherein Western elites obsessed about fixing local weather change as a result of the local weather disaster was way more harmful than problems with conflict and peace and the soundness of the worldwide system. They even satisfied themselves that local weather change causes conflict, so local weather change coverage might double as nationwide safety coverage; and, for a few years, the annual spherical of kumbaya UN local weather talks was the apogee of worldwide relations. In a BBC World Service interview, presidential local weather envoy John Kerry expressed concern in regards to the quantity of greenhouse fuel being emitted from the conflict in Ukraine. Kerry was simply getting warmed up with a string of platitudes that present him as a deluded local weather relic, unable to return to phrases with the fact that Putin has imposed on the world. RELATED: White Home Opposes Joe Manchin Invoice To Ban Russian Oil Imports “Equally importantly,” Kerry complained, “you're going to lose folks' focus,” as if the primary invasion of a sovereign European nation for the reason that Second World Conflict is an annoying distraction. Hopefully, Kerry continued, Putin would notice that Russia's land is thawing, and the folks of Russia are in danger. Kerry concluded with an expression of pure self-deception, saying he hopes Putin “will assist us to remain on monitor with respect to what we have to do for the local weather.” Keep on monitor? Russia has by no means hidden its intention to keep away from chopping its emissions. Russia's second Nationally Decided Contribution, submitted in November 2020 beneath the Paris local weather settlement, is to restrict its 2030 emissions to “not more than 70% of 1990 ranges.” The doc is cautious to keep away from pledging to chop or cut back emissions. The 1990 baseline yr was the final one earlier than the collapse of the extremely inefficient and closely polling centrally deliberate Soviet financial system. Thus, the 70% restrict really allows Russia to extend its emissions by 34% – and that's earlier than taking account of any adjustments in forestry and land use that may enable Russia to say credit score for unfavorable emissions. Regardless of Kerry's declare in regards to the thawing of their frozen north, Russians' indifference to local weather change predates Putin's rise to energy. Throughout the preparation of the Intergovernmental Panel on Local Weather Change's (IPCC) first evaluation report in 1990, Soviet scientists argued that warming may be helpful at northern latitudes. Help Conservative Voices! Signal as much as obtaining the most recent political information, perception, and commentary delivered on to your inbox. Yuri Izrael, the Soviet academician and chair of the IPCC's working group analyzing potential impacts of worldwide warming, emphasized the doubt and uncertainty of local weather change and disputed claims that it might be dangerous. At a 2005 convention on avoiding harmful local weather change organized by Britain throughout its G-8 presidency, Putin's former financial adviser, Andrei Illarov, challenged the premise of the convention. “Anybody who's frightened in regards to the prospect of worldwide warming is welcome to return and stay in Siberia,” Illarionov informed a journalist. Certainly, a powerful case may be made that Russian local weather scientists have a greater understanding of local weather science and the doubtless impression of rising ranges of carbon dioxide on international temperatures than their colleagues within the West. In testimony to Congress in 2016, John Christy, the Alabama state climatologist and director of the Earth System Science Middle on the College of Alabama in Huntsville, in contrast 102 climate-model simulations in opposition to noticed international temperature of the mid-troposphere from satellites and balloons (the troposphere is the bottom layer of the environment, as much as a top of round 33,000 toes). RELATED: Are We Nuts? American Vitality Is Key To Undermining Putin's Conflict On common, the fashions warmed the environment at a charge two-and-a-half instances sooner than what occurred in the true world. The one mannequin that produced simulations near observations was the Russian INM-CM4 local weather mannequin. Small surprise Russians are disinclined to consider there's a local weather disaster. With regards to the science of local weather change, there may be a few folks fairly as gullible and simpleminded as John Kerry. “I can keep in mind from once I was in highschool and school, some elements of science or physics may be robust – chemistry. However this isn't robust,” Kerry informed an viewers of college youngsters in Indonesia in 2014, when he was secretary of state. “That is easy. Youngsters on the earliest age can perceive this.” The science was “completely sure,” Kerry claimed. “Let me offer you an instance. When an apple separates from a tree, it falls to the bottom.” Distinction Kerry's simplistic analogy with this assertion within the IPCC's third evaluation report: “The local weather system is a coupled non-linear chaotic system, and due to this fact the long-term prediction of future local weather states shouldn't be doable,” the IPCC mentioned in 2001, earlier than it turned deeply politicized as it's now. There's, nonetheless, one space the place Kerry and Putin are prone to discover themselves in full settlement. Two years in the past, at a enterprise convention in Moscow, the Russian president denounced fracking as “barbaric,” claiming that fracking applied sciences “destroy the atmosphere.” A January 2017 Intelligence Neighborhood Evaluation on Russian actions in US elections famous that RT, the Russian state-owned information channel, ran anti-fracking programming that highlighted the alleged environmental and public well being harms of the follow. "That is doubtless reflective of the Russian authorities' concern in regards to the impression of fracking and US pure fuel manufacturing on the worldwide vitality market and the potential challenges to Gazprom's [the Russian state-owned energy company] profitability,” the evaluation concluded. RELATED: Rep. Jim Jordan Says 'Radical Left' Received't Let Biden Reverse 'Loopy' Vitality Insurance policies In June 2014, Kerry's predecessor as secretary of state complained in regards to the impression of Russian cash on financing “astroturf” environmental campaigns. “We had been up in opposition to Russia pushing oligarchs and others to purchase media. We had been even up in opposition to phony environmental teams, and I'm an enormous environmentalist, however these had been funded by the Russians to face in opposition to any effort, 'Oh that pipeline, that fracking, that no matter will likely be an issue for you,' and loads of the cash supporting that message was coming from Russia," Hillary Clinton mentioned. Putin understands the significance of vitality as a vital part of American strategic energy. John Kerry doesn't. That's the reason, to borrow from Lenin, Kerry acts as Putin's helpful local weather fool. Putin's invasion of Ukraine plunges the world into its gravest emergency for the reason that Cuban missile disaster sixty years in the past. It places into perspective the folly of these, like Kerry, who confuse imaginary crises with actual ones. Rupert Darwall is the writer of Inexperienced Tyranny. Rupert Darwall is a senior fellow at RealClearFoundation, researching points from worldwide local weather agreements to the combination of environmental, social, and governance (ESG) targets in company governance. He has additionally written extensively for publications on each side of the Atlantic, together with The Spectator, Wall Road Journal, Nationwide Evaluation, and Each day Telegraph. The opinions expressed by contributors and/or content material companions are their very own and don't essentially mirror the views of The Political Insider. !function(f,b,e,v,n,t,s)if(f.fbq)return;n=f.fbq=function()n.callMethod? n.callMethod.apply(n,arguments):n.queue.push(arguments);if(!f._fbq)f._fbq=n; n.push=n;n.loaded=!0;n.version='2.0';n.queue=[];t=b.createElement(e);t.async=!0; t.src=v;s=b.getElementsByTagName(e)[0];s.parentNode.insertBefore(t,s)(window, document,'script','//connect.facebook.net/en_US/fbevents.js'); fbq('init', '643288035726492'); fbq('track', "PageView");"@context":"http:\/\/schema.org","@type":"Article","dateCreated":"2022-03-11T05:22:15+00:00","datePublished":"2022-03-11T05:22:15+00:00","dateModified":"2022-03-11T05:22:23+00:00","headline":"John Kerry: Putin\u2019s Helpful Local weather Fool","name":"John Kerry: Putin\u2019s Helpful Local weather Fool","keywords":[],"url":"https:\/\/zbout.com\/politics\/john-kerry-putins-helpful-local-weather-fool\/","description":"By Rupert Darwall for RealClearEnergy Vladimir Putin\u2019s invasion of Ukraine marks the tip of the West\u2019s Period of Illusions. It was an period wherein Western elites obsessed about fixing local weather","copyrightYear":"2022","articleSection":"Politics","articleBody":" \r\n\nBy Rupert Darwall for RealClearEnergy\nVladimir Putin\u2019s invasion of Ukraine marks the tip of the West\u2019s Period of Illusions. It was an period wherein Western elites obsessed about fixing local weather change as a result of the local weather disaster was way more harmful than problems with conflict and peace and the soundness of the worldwide system.\n\nThey even satisfied themselves that local weather change causes conflict, so local weather change coverage might double as nationwide safety coverage; and, for a few years, the annual spherical of kumbaya UN local weather talks was the apogee of worldwide relations.\nIn a BBC World Service\u00a0interview, presidential local weather envoy John Kerry expressed concern in regards to the quantity of greenhouse fuel being emitted from the conflict in Ukraine. Kerry was simply getting warmed up with a string of platitudes that present him as a deluded local weather relic, unable to return to phrases with the fact that Putin has imposed on the world.\nRELATED: White Home Opposes Joe Manchin Invoice To Ban Russian Oil Imports\n\u201cEqually importantly,\u201d Kerry complained, \u201cyou\u2019re going to lose folks\u2019s focus,\u201d as if the primary invasion of a sovereign European nation for the reason that Second World Conflict is an annoying distraction. Hopefully, Kerry continued, Putin would notice that Russia\u2019s land is thawing, and the folks of Russia are in danger.\u00a0\u00a0\nKerry concluded with an expression of pure self-deception, saying he hopes Putin \u201cwill assist us to remain on monitor with respect to what we have to do for the local weather.\u201d Keep on monitor? Russia has by no means hidden its intention to keep away from chopping its emissions. Russia\u2019s second\u00a0Nationally Decided Contribution, submitted in November 2020 beneath the Paris local weather settlement, is to restrict its 2030 emissions to \u201cnot more than 70% of 1990 ranges.\u201d The doc is cautious to keep away from pledging to chop or cut back emissions.\nThe 1990 baseline yr was the final one earlier than the collapse of the extremely inefficient and closely polluting centrally deliberate Soviet financial system. Thus, the 70% restrict really allows Russia to extend its emissions by 34% \u2013 and that\u2019s earlier than taking account of any adjustments in forestry and land use that may enable Russia to say credit score for unfavourable emissions.\u00a0\nRegardless of Kerry\u2019s declare in regards to the thawing of their frozen north, Russians\u2019 indifference to local weather change predates Putin\u2019s rise to energy. Throughout preparation of the Intergovernmental Panel on Local weather Change\u2019s (IPCC) first evaluation report in 1990, Soviet scientists argued that warming may be helpful at northern latitudes.\n\n\n\nHelp Conservative Voices!\nSignal as much as obtain the most recent political information, perception, and commentary delivered on to your inbox.\n\n\n\n\n\n\nYuri Izrael, the Soviet academician and chair of the IPCC\u2019s working group analyzing potential impacts of worldwide warming, emphasised the doubt and uncertainty of local weather change and disputed claims that it might be dangerous.\u00a0\nAt a 2005 convention on avoiding harmful local weather change organized by Britain throughout its G-8 presidency, Putin\u2019s former financial adviser, Andrei Illarionov, challenged the premise of the convention. \u201cAnybody who's frightened in regards to the prospect of worldwide warming is welcome to return and stay in Siberia,\u201d Illarionov informed a journalist.\u00a0\nCertainly, a powerful case may be made that Russian local weather scientists have a greater understanding of local weather science and the doubtless impression of rising ranges of carbon dioxide on international temperatures than their colleagues within the West. In\u00a0testimony\u00a0to Congress in 2016, John Christy, the Alabama state climatologist and director of the Earth System Science Middle on the College of Alabama in Huntsville, in contrast 102 climate-model simulations in opposition to noticed international temperature of the mid-troposphere from satellites and balloons (the troposphere is the bottom layer of the environment, as much as a top of round 33,000 toes).\nRELATED: Are We Nuts? American Vitality Is Key To Undermining Putin\u2019s Conflict\nOn common, the fashions warmed the environment at a charge two-and-a-half instances sooner than what occurred in the true world. The one mannequin that produced simulations near observations was the Russian INM-CM4 local weather mannequin. Small surprise Russians are disinclined to consider there\u2019s a local weather disaster.\u00a0\u00a0\nWith regards to the science of local weather change, there may be few folks fairly as gullible and simpleminded as John Kerry. \u201cI can keep in mind from once I was in highschool and school, some elements of science or physics may be robust \u2013 chemistry. However this isn't robust,\u201d Kerry\u00a0informed\u00a0an viewers of college youngsters in Indonesia in 2014, when he was secretary of state.\n\n\u201cThat is easy. Youngsters on the earliest age can perceive this.\u201d The science was \u201ccompletely sure,\u201d\u00a0Kerry claimed.\u00a0\u201cLet me offer you an instance. When an apple separates from a tree, it falls to the bottom.\u201d Distinction Kerry\u2019s simplistic analogy with this assertion within the IPCC\u2019s third evaluation report: \u201cThe local weather system is a coupled non-linear chaotic system, and due to this fact the long-term prediction of future local weather states shouldn't be doable,\u201d the IPCC\u00a0mentioned\u00a0in 2001, earlier than it turned deeply politicized as it's now.\nThere's, nonetheless, one space the place Kerry and Putin are prone to discover themselves in full settlement. Two years in the past, at a enterprise convention in Moscow, the Russian president\u00a0denounced\u00a0fracking as \u201cbarbaric,\u201d claiming that fracking applied sciences \u201cdestroy the atmosphere.\u201d A January 2017 Intelligence Neighborhood Evaluation on Russian actions in U.S. elections\u00a0famous\u00a0that RT, the Russian state-owned information channel, ran anti-fracking programming that highlighted the alleged environmental and public well being harms of the follow.\n\u201cThat is doubtless reflective of the Russian Authorities\u2019s concern in regards to the impression of fracking and US pure fuel manufacturing on the worldwide vitality market and the potential challenges to Gazprom\u2019s [the Russian state-owned energy company] profitability,\u201d the evaluation concluded.\u00a0\nRELATED: Rep. Jim Jordan Says \u2018Radical Left\u2019 Received\u2019t Let Biden Reverse \u2018Loopy\u2019 Vitality Insurance policies\nIn June 2014, Kerry\u2019s predecessor as secretary of state complained in regards to the impression of Russian cash on financing \u201castroturf\u201d environmental campaigns. \u201cWe had been up in opposition to Russia pushing oligarchs and others to purchase media. We had been even up in opposition to phony environmental teams, and I\u2019m an enormous environmentalist, however these had been funded by the Russians to face in opposition to any effort, \u2018Oh that pipeline, that fracking, that no matter will likely be an issue for you,\u2019 and loads of the cash supporting that message was coming from Russia,\u201d Hillary Clinton\u00a0mentioned.\nPutin understands the significance of vitality as a vital part of American strategic energy. John Kerry doesn't. That's the reason, to borrow from Lenin, Kerry acts as Putin\u2019s helpful local weather fool. Putin\u2019s invasion of Ukraine plunges the world into its gravest emergency for the reason that Cuban missile disaster sixty years in the past. It places into perspective the folly of these, like Kerry, who confuse imaginary crises with actual ones.\nRupert Darwall is the writer of\u00a0Inexperienced Tyranny.\n\nRupert Darwall is a senior fellow at RealClearFoundation, researching points from worldwide local weather agreements to the combination of environmental, social, and governance (ESG) targets in company governance. He has additionally written extensively for publications on each side of the Atlantic, together with The Spectator, Wall Road Journal, Nationwide Evaluation, and Each day Telegraph.\n\n\n\n\n\nThe opinions expressed by contributors and\/or content material companions are their very own and don't essentially mirror the views of The Political Insider.\n\n!function(f,b,e,v,n,t,s)if(f.fbq)return;n=f.fbq=function()n.callMethod? n.callMethod.apply(n,arguments):n.queue.push(arguments);if(!f._fbq)f._fbq=n; n.push=n;n.loaded=!0;n.version='2.0';n.queue=[];t=b.createElement(e);t.async=!0; t.src=v;s=b.getElementsByTagName(e)[0];s.parentNode.insertBefore(t,s)(window, document,'script','\/\/connect.facebook.net\/en_US\/fbevents.js'); fbq('init', '643288035726492'); fbq('track', \"PageView\");\r\n\r\nSupply hyperlink ","publisher":"@id":"#Publisher","@type":"Organization","name":"Zbout","logo":"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https:\/\/zbout.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/Zbout.com__1_-removebg-preview.png","sameAs":["https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/ZboutOfficial\/","https:\/\/twitter.com\/zboutofficial"],"sourceOrganization":"@id":"#Publisher","copyrightHolder":"@id":"#Publisher","mainEntityOfPage":"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/zbout.com\/politics\/john-kerry-putins-helpful-local-weather-fool\/","breadcrumb":"@id":"#Breadcrumb","author":"@type":"Person","name":"Team - Zbout","url":"https:\/\/zbout.com\/author\/admin\/","image":"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https:\/\/thepoliticalinsider.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/2022.03.04-04.51-thepoliticalinsider-622243aebd82f.jpg","width":1920,"height":0

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The popular cryptocurrency exchange – CryptoCom – announced the airdrop of its non-fungible token collection in collaboration with the LA Lakers' star LeBron James. It is called “The Moment of Truth” and will be airdropped to 5,550 randomly selected viewers who scanned a hidden QR code. LeBron James NFTs to The Lucky Winners One of the top sports events in the USA – the Super Bowl – is among the most viewed matches of the year. It usually attracts numerous companies, which advertise their services. The 2022 edition was no exception, as many crypto platforms used the opportunity to present their services. CryptoCom, for one, released a 30-second commercial shortly before the match between the LA Rams and Cincinnati Bengals. In a recent announcement, the exchange revealed that 5,550 of those who found and scanned a hidden QR code that appeared in the video will win a limited edition LeBron James NFT. The basketball player himself took part in the commercial where he talked to his teenage self. Ben Lay – Creative Director at CryptoCom – explained why the company decided to work with the NBA player and release an NFT collection dedicated to him: “We wanted to immortalize this very human story about making big decisions. We were initially quite nervous to present the storyboard to him, as it touches on a very personal moment in his life. But he loved the idea instantly. LeBron James is an icon, but his history and upbringing is the reason we can all connect with him and what makes this story so powerful.” Another trading venue that advertised itself during the Super Bowl was Coinbase. Its ad consisted of a colorful bouncing QR code, which upon scanning, led viewers to the company's promotional website. James's Crypto Initiative Earlier this year, the NBA player partnered with CryptoCom to launch cryptocurrency educational programs for children. James revealed he will introduce the initiative in "I Promise School" – a public elementary school based in Ohio and supported by him. “Blockchain technology is revolutionizing our economy, sports and entertainment, the art world, and how we engage with one another. I want to ensure that communities like the one I come from are not left behind,” the sportsman stated back then. The school programs and training opportunities will also extend to students' families. With this approach, the basketball star aims to build more educated and stable families in Akron, where he grew up. SPECIAL OFFER (Sponsored) Binance Free $100 (Exclusive): Use this link to register and receive $100 free and 10% off fees on Binance Futures first month (terms).PrimeXBT Special Offer: Use this link to register & enter POTATO50 code to receive up to $7,000 on your deposits.

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By DON BABWIN and KATHLEEN FoodyCHICAGO (AP) — A judge ruling Jussie Smollett to 150 days in jail Thursday, branding the Black and gay actor a charlatan for staging a hate crime against himself while the nation struggled with wrenching issues of racial injustice.Smollett responded by defiantly maintaining his innocence and suggesting he could be killed in jail before being led from the courtroom. The sentence and Smollett's post-hearing outburst capped an hourslong hearing and more than three years of legal drama following Smollett's claim that he had been the target of a racist and homophobic attack that drew sympathy soon followed by scorn for the former star of the TV show "Empire."Smollett didn't make a statement when offered the opportunity earlier in the afternoon, saying he was listening to his attorneys' advice. But after Cook County Judge James Linn issued his sentencing decision, Smollett removed the face mask he wore throughout the hearing to proclaim himself innocent.He also loudly insisted that he was not suicidal, suggesting that “if anything happens” in jail, he did not take his own life.“If I did this, then it means that I stuck my fist in the fears of Black Americans in this country for over 400 years and the fears of the LGBT community,” Smollett said, standing up at the defense table as his lawyers and sheriff's deputies surrounded him. “Your Honor, I respect you and I respect the jury but I did not do this. And I am not suicidal. And if anything happens to me when I go in there, I did not do it to myself. And you must all know that.”As deputies led him from the courtroom, Smollett shouted out again."I am innocent," he yelled, raising his first. “I could have said I am guilty a long time ago.”The judge ruled smollett to 30 months of felony probation, with five months served in jail, and ordered that he pay $120,106 in restitution to the city of Chicago and a $25,000 fine.Special Prosecutor Dan Webb asked Linn to include “an appropriate amount of prison time” when sentencing the actor for his conviction on five counts of disorderly conduct.After the hearing, Webb said Smollett's actions undeniably hurt other people — and may continue to affect genuine victims of crime.“His conduct denigrated hate crimes,” he said. "His conduct will discourage others who are victims of hate crimes from coming forward and reporting those crimes to law enforcement."Smollett's attorneys wanted the judge to limit the sentence to community service, arguing that he had already been punished by the criminal justice system and damage to his career.Family members echoed those comments.“I ask you, judge, not to send him to prison,” his grandmother, 92-year-old Molly Smollett, told the court. She later added, “If you do, send me along with him, OK?”Smollett's attorneys also read aloud letters from other supporters, including the president of the NAACP, the Rainbow PUSH Coalition and LaTanya and Samuel L. Jackson that asked Linn to consider the case's effect on Smollett's life and career and to avoid any confinement as part of his sentence.Several supporters spoke about dreams that Smollett would be at risk in prison, specifically mentioning his race, sexual orientation and his family's Jewish heritage.Linn said he did consider those requests for mercy, along with Smollett's prior work and financial support of social justice organizations. But Linn also excoriated Smollett as a narcissist and pronounced himself asounded by his actions given the actor's multiracial family background and ties to social justice work.“The damage you've done to yourself is way beyond anything else than can happen to you from me,” Linn said. “You are now a permanently convicted felon.”A spokesman for the Cook County Sheriff's Office said Smollett “will be given a comprehensive medical, mental health, and security assessment and will be placed in appropriate housing,” the same process used for all people entering the jail.Before the sentencing portion of the hearing began, Linn rejected a motion from the defense to overturn the jury's verdict on legal grounds. Judges rarely grant such motions.Smollett faced up to three years in prison for each of the five felony counts of disorderly conduct — the charge filed for lying to police — of which he was convicted. He was acquitted on a sixth count.But because Smollett does not have an extensive criminal history and the conviction is for a low-level nonviolent crime, experts did not expect him to be sent to prison.Thursday's sentencing could be the final chapter in a criminal case, subject to appeal, that made international headlines when Smollett reported to police that two men wearing ski masks beat him, and hurled racial and homophobic slurs at him on a dark Chicago street and ran off .Cook County State's Attorney Kim Foxx also came under fire for her office's decision to prosecute Smollett before dropping the charges soon after. On Thursday, Foxx blasted a “relentless, organized and effective” push to circumvent her office's authority and continue to pursue a case against Smollett, while other serious crimes went unsolved or unresolved.“Just because we do not like the outcome should not mean we bully prosecutors and circumvent the judicial process to get it changed,” Foxx wrote in a column published by the Chicago Sun-Times. “Smollett was indicted, tried and convicted by a kangaroo prosecution in a matter of months.”Judicially appointed special prosecutors led the second case and Smollett was convicted in December. Witnesses at his trial included two brothers who told jurors Smollett paid them to carry out the attack, gave them money for the ski masks and rope, instructed them to fashion the rope into a noose. Prosecutors said he told them what racist and homophobic slurs to shout, and to yell that Smollett was in “MAGA Country,” a reference to the campaign slogan of Donald Trump's presidential campaign.Smollett, who knew the men from his work on the television show "Empire" that filmed in Chicago, testified that he did not recognize them and did not know they were the men attacking him.Unlike the trial, Linn agreed to let photographers and a television camera inside court for the hearing — meaning the public got to see and hear Smollett speak in court for the first time.___Check out the AP's complete coverage of the Jussie Smollett case.Source: Read Full Article

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If you talk to any cryptocurrency aficionado about DeFi, Dapps, DAOs, NFTs, they are unlikely to think of Bitcoin as the first relevant blockchain, but OKCoin wants to change that. Today, the Asian exchange announced a partnership with Stacks to bring the highlights of the WEB3 revolution to the Bitcoin blockchain – and the investment to achieve this is strong. OKCoin and Stack Work Towards a More Advanced, Capable Bitcoin Ecosystem As OKCoin explained on their social networks, they decided to provide $165 Million to a group of projects aimed at developing decentralized applications on Bitcoin. The project, which they are called The Bitcoin Odyssey, is supported by other venture capital firms such as Digital Currency Group, White Star Capital, GSR, among others. In an interview for CoinDesk —a crypto news outlet funded by Digital Currency Group— Alex Chizhik, head of listings at Okcoin, explained that the initiative would be jointly managed and would not be taken as an absolute hierarchical structure where all decisions are centralized: “We don't want to create a centralized fund that allocates dictated amounts. What we want to do is essentially create a matchmaking service between the top-tier VCs and projects.” Chizhik highlighted Bitcoin's potential as the most decentralized network in the entire ecosystem, asserting that exactly for this reason, it “should remain at the epicenter of crypto adoption.” However, it is worth noting that Bitcoin is not Touring-complete, ie, it is not capable of running dApps or supporting complex instructions in the same way a traditional computer would, so the Bitcoin ambitions of Stacks and OKCoin are indeed an odyssey. Markets React: Bitcoin Goes Down, Stacks Goes Up; Way Up Markets had mixed reactions to the news. Bitcoin has not yet been able to recover from its ongoing downtrend. Price of Bitcoin, 24-hour candlesticks. Source: Tradingview It has been hit hard by macroeconomic events, and although there was a breath of fresh air two days ago on the back of good news about the White House's “crypto-friendly” stance, a further drop made the news about the fund a “meh” ” event among cryptocurrency traders. In contrast, STX, Stacks' native token, spiked 75%, but corrected and closed the day with 28% growth against the dollar and 34% against BTC, showing that the hodlers of this cryptocurrency were indeed more enthusiastic and optimism despite the circumstances. Price of Stacks, 24-hour candlesticks. Source: Tradingview However, it is important to note that STX has a capitalization of just $1.5B, so price movements of this type are not that surprising. Currently, the token is trading at around $1.4. SPECIAL OFFER (Sponsored) Binance Free $100 (Exclusive): Use this link to register and receive $100 free and 10% off fees on Binance Futures first month (terms).PrimeXBT Special Offer: Use this link to register & enter POTATO50 code to receive up to $7,000 on your deposits.

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Advertisement &nbsp &nbsp The statistical analysis of the blockchain analytics company Santiment shows that Ethereum's price and the S&P500 Index are closely correlated. Ethereum's association with stocks is greater than that of Bitcoin as the former derives its demand from smart contracts and NFTs, while the latter is perceived as a store of value. The recent months have displayed the rapid decline in prices observed during February 17th-23rd. The depreciation of ETH and stocks equaled more than 25%. However, their prices increased in the following several days (until March 2nd) due to investors' growing optimism: the increase constituted up to 30%. Ultimately, the past week depicts the correction with stable prices of Ethereum-based tokens and S&P 500 stocks. In all these cases, the direction of price changes of ETH and stocks is the same. Santiment's analysts contrast it with the price movements of gold that has continued to appreciate sustainably in recent months. Gold is viewed as a risk-free asset suitable for long-term investments. In contrast, cryptocurrencies remain more risky investments for many individuals, making their price movements similar to stocks. The major macroeconomic factors, such as the Russia-Ukraine crisis and the Federal Reserve's policy affect investors' demand for ETH. Advertisement &nbsp &nbsp According to CoinMetrics, the correlation coefficient between BTC and ETH remains at a very high level of 0.9. The lower correlation between Bitcoin and S&P500 Index means that it also serves as a store of value for many holders. The reduced BTC price variations illustrate the growing number of long-term investors, pursuing the HODL strategy. Bitcoin also shows a closer relationship with gold as compared with Ethereum due to its limited supply and element of major investment portfolios. A part of the demand for hi-tech stocks also includes smart contracts and dApps that widely utilize Ethereum's network. Therefore, stocks and Ethereum's prices have followed the same cycles in the past months. Santiment's analysis confirms the formation of a more diverse crypto market with BTC, ETH, and other cryptocurrencies performing complementary functions. Ethereum and proof-of-stake tokens (such as Solana, Polkadot, and Avalanche) demonstrate higher variability and profit-generation opportunities but their long-term risks are also higher. In contrast, Bitcoin is mostly used for reducing risks and assuring the strategic portfolio's estimate. In the absence of clear bullish and bearish signals, the correlation between cryptocurrencies, gold, and the S&P500 Index may be one of the main factors that will affect the points of investors' entry when opening short and long positions.

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The Nordic-based financial technology firm – Lunar – closed a $77 million financing round. The organization reached a value of $2 billion and introduced a cryptocurrency trading platform. Lunar Dives Into The Crypto Industry The Danish company Lunar secured a $77 million Series D-2 funding round, bringing the series' total to $310 million. The investment was led by prominent financial backers such as Heartland, Kinnevik, Tencent, and IDC Ventures. Apart from the financing, via which Lunar surpassed a valuation of $2 billion, the firm revealed the launch of a blockchain arm and a cryptocurrency trading platform. Ken Klausen – Founder and CEO – raised hopes that the initiative will aid customers who struggle “to use multiple platforms for their needs.” “We are excited to bring crypto to our universe of banking, payments, and investments,” he emphasized. Initially, Lunar's users will be able to buy and sell Bitcoin (BTC), Ethereum (ETH), Polkadot (DOT), Dogecoin (DOGE), and Cardano (ADA). In addition, Klausen predicted that the future of money is closely connected to Web3 and the Metaverse. Lunar's platform will explore how “both crypto and blockchain technology can benefit our customers to enter the next level of payments and banking,” the exec outlined. Founded in 2015, Lunar stretches its services to Denmark, Norway, and Sweden. It received a European banking license in 2019 and currently has over 500,000 customers. The Crypto Environment in Scandinavia The Northern area of ​​Europe, where Lunar is headquartered, is rarely in the spotlight of the cryptocurrency industry. In Denmark, bitcoin and altcoins are allowed to be used as a payment tool, as an asset, and as a good. The government allows locals to use crypto to perform any legal activity, along with the exchanges that support it. However, the governor of Denmark's central bank - Lars Rohde - is not in favor of BTC. Last year, he called it “very speculative.” At the same time, he argued, “there is no stability and no guarantee from any side about the value of cryptocurrencies.” Norway treats digital assets the same as any other income or wealth when it comes to personal tax basis. It is safe to say that some of the politicians there are supporters of the sector. For one, Norway's Minister of Climate and Environment – ​​Sveinung Rotevatn is a bitcoin HODLer. Sweden, another nation part of the Scandinavian region, has directed its efforts towards launching a central bank digital currency (CBDC). Its government has already conducted some research on the matter as the e-krona is expected to see the light of day by 2026. SPECIAL OFFER (Sponsored) Binance Free $100 (Exclusive): Use this link to register and receive $100 free and 10% off fees on Binance Futures first month (terms).PrimeXBT Special Offer: Use this link to register & enter POTATO50 code to receive up to $7,000 on your deposits.