Five Top European States Young Americans Are Thriving

This article takes a look at the 25 best cities where you can retire on $3,000 a month. If you wish to skip our detailed analysis on navigating early retirement challenges, you may go to 5 Best Cities Where You Can Retire On $3,000 A Month. On Navigating Early Retirement Challenges John Lewis, 63, found […] This article takes a look at the 25 best cities where you can retire on $3,000 a month. If you wish to skip our detailed analysis on navigating early retirement challenges, you may go to 5 Best Cities Where You Can Retire On $3,000 A Month. On Navigating Early Retirement Challenges John Lewis, 63, found himself stepping into retirement earlier than planned. John has recently been diagnosed with atrial fibrillation (AFib), a type of cardiac arrhythmia occurring in the upper chambers of the heart. Frequent episodes of extreme fatigue, dizziness, and occasional heart palpitations made it increasingly difficult for him to perform effectively, ultimately leading to his resignation. However, John isn’t the only one retiring early this year. According to the Employee Benefit Research Institute, 46% of retirees surveyed in early 2023 say that they left the workforce earlier than they had originally planned. Similarly, many people in America have been retiring earlier than expected, often because of factors beyond their control. From being diagnosed with a major illness to changes in marital status and even disabilities, the gap between the expected retirement age and reality has been widening ever since 2005. Amidst such early retirements, rising inflation, and the uncertain future of social security funds, recent study by The Charles Schwab Corporation (NYSE:SCHW) has highlighted that the magic number for retirement in 2023 stands at $1.8 million. U.S. workers now perceive that they require at least $1.8 million to secure a comfortable retirement, with only 37% expressing confidence in achieving this financial goal. To put it in perspective, if you’re 50 years old today with no retirement savings, at a 3% annual return, you would need a staggering $7,956.17 a month for 15 years to accumulate the magic number. At 55 years old, you would need to put in $12,908.04 a month for 10 years. The more you delay saving up for retirement, the harder it’s going to be. For this reason, many financial advisors such as The Charles Schwab Corporation (NYSE:SCHW), Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS), and others suggest delaying retirement by just a few years to boost retirement savings. Delaying retirement has a lot of benefits. For starters, you have more time to save and invest. Second, delaying retirement also leads to a bigger social security payout, maximizing benefits up to 8% per year when you postpone beyond your full retirement age. Like Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) says, “it can pay to wait.” One also gets to enjoy other work benefits, something that one would have missed out on if retired. Despite the various factors that may prompt seniors to consider early retirement, it’s important to recognize that delaying retirement is not a viable choice for everyone. This is true, especially considering the significant contrast between the 8.7% cost-of-living-adjustment (COLA) announced in 2023, and the forthcoming COLA of 3.2%. It is true that inflation has been moderating, but the expenses incurred by seniors are consistently outpacing their COLAs. This raises concerns amongst retirees that the new COLA may not be enough, many of whom will be spending a big chunk of their social security paycheck on healthcare costs. Factor in expenses for gas, groceries, housing, and utilities, the average $50 increase is unlikely to make a substantial difference for retirees nationwide. Addressing the cost-of-living crisis during retirement can involve considering relocation to countries that offer a more budget-friendly lifestyle. Some of the best countries to live on a budget include Colombia, Ecuador, Paraguay, Mexico, and many others in Asia. For those looking for a balance between affordability and safety, Indonesia, Bulgaria, and Chile are some of the cheapest and safest countries to retire in. In addition to geographical solutions, there are alternative strategies that institutions such as The Charles Schwab Corporation (NYSE: SCHW) and Morgan Stanley (NYSE: MS) suggest taking up. These include coming up with a financial plan to spend less, increasing portfolio risk, adding income-oriented investments, and consulting a financial advisor. Pixabay/Public Domain Methodology To compile the list of best cities where you can retire on $3,000 a month, we went through our lists of countries having a cost of living between $2,000 to $3,000 such as Colombia, Portugal, Panama, Costa Rica, Poland, and others. Next, we selected cities with a cost of living around $2,500 or less, adding a monthly average of $500 as international health insurance cost. This gave us a list of cities with a cost of living of around $3,000. We then ranked our list on factors such as climate, amenities, and quality of life. Each city was scored out of 15 and ranked in ascending order from the lowest to the highest scores. Here are the best cities where you can retire on $3,000 a month: 25. San Jose, Costa Rica Insider Monkey Score: 10 Retiring to Costa Rica is quite straightforward, and anyone having a minimum pension of $1,000 can apply. In particular, its capital, San Jose, is one of the best places to retire to. Nestled in Central Valley, the city offers retirees a vibrant and active lifestyle along with all urban amenities. There is an amazing bus network, an outstanding medical system, and varied housing to suit individual needs and preferences. 24. Panama City, Panama Insider Monkey Score: 10 Panama is one of the easiest countries to retire to, offering a blend of natural beauty, diverse culture, and modern amenities. Retirees usually choose to live in Panama City, a haven offering stunning ocean views and a vibrant expat community. Expats can also buy real estate here, with the median listing home price in Panama City standing at $325,000 as of October 2023. 23. Asunción, Paraguay Insider Monkey Score: 10 One of the best places to retire in South America, Asunción in Paraguay is home to beautiful lakes, wetlands, and rain forests. It is also a safe and friendly city to live in, boasting the best housing options and a growing expat community. On average, rent for a one-bedroom apartment cost $700 only, leaving behind more than enough for groceries, utilities, entertainment, and healthcare. 22. Marrakech, Morocco Insider Monkey Score: 11 Retired couples often go to visit Marrakech on vacation and end up choosing it as their retirement home. Offering a nice blend of affordable living, pleasant climate, and rich cultural heritage, the city can be a nice place to call home. An individual retiree can rent a medium-sized apartment in the city for an average of $700, spending the rest on groceries, utilities, health costs, etc. 21. Warsaw, Poland Insider Monkey Score: 11 Poland is one of the best countries to retire on $3,000 a month in Europe. With the right budget and lifestyle, retirees can live on even half the amount (an average grocery basket costs less than $25 only). The capital city offers top-tier medical facilities, urban amenities, and delicious cuisine to its residents. 20. Heredia, Costa Rica Insider Monkey Score: 11 Also known as the “City of Flowers,” Heredia is one of the most historical cities of Costa Rica. Modern amenities, a growing expat community, and a reputable healthcare system make it one of the best cities where you can retire on $3,000. CAJA, the country’s government-provided system, costs $50 to $100 per couple only. 19. Nagoya, Japan Insider Monkey Score: 11 In 2022, 53,909 social security checks were drawn from Japan. A popular overseas retirement destination, there are many places in the country for retirees, such as the clean and green city of Nagoya, where retirees can have a pleasant time spending their golden years. 18. Almere, Netherlands Insider Monkey Score: 11 The young city of Almere is one of the best places to retire in the Netherlands. The infrastructure is well-planned, healthcare is excellent, and there is abundant natural beauty.  Notably, the scenic and relaxing Almere beach is an artificial gem for the retirees in the city. An individual can retire on a monthly average of $2,400, allocating the remainder to cover healthcare premiums. 17. Villach, Austria Insider Monkey Score: 11 The riverside city of Villach in Austria is known as the gateway to the Villach Alps and is one of the best cities where you can retire on $3,000. There is a growing expat community, vibrant nightlife, and charming festivities all year round. An individual expat retiree can expect to spend a monthly $641 on rent, spending the rest on groceries, utilities, entertainment, and healthcare premiums. 16. The Hague, Netherlands Insider Monkey Score: 11 The Hague in the Netherlands promises expat retirees a high quality of life, excellent healthcare, and a rich cultural heritage. Beautiful coastline, green spaces, and lots of parks make it one of the best cities where you can retire on $3,000. Rent for a one-bedroom apartment costs $1,240 only. 15. Coimbra, Portugal Insider Monkey Score: 12 Portugal’s riverfront city, Coimbra, is home to 141,396 people. The city boasts a small-town vibe, and is renowned for its intellectual environment, historical and cultural significance, and picturesque landscapes. The healthcare system is renowned, living is affordable, and there is a thriving expat community. Rent for a one-bedroom apartment in Coimbra is $711 on average, while expenses such as utilities, food, and entertainment cost $1,750. 14. Berlin, Germany Insider Monkey Score: 12 For those wishing to retire to Germany, Berlin is a nice option to consider. A one-bedroom apartment rents for an average of $1,355 in the city center. The city promises a vibrant cultural scene, quality healthcare, delicious cuisine, and lively nightlife. There are plenty of historical landmarks to explore as well. 13. Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia Insider Monkey Score: 12 Malaysia is one of the best countries to retire on $3,000 a month, or even less. Kuala Lumpur, in particular, is an attractive choice for retirees due to its exotic lifestyle, modern amenities, and well-developed healthcare system. Expats can also purchase real estate, except for properties valued below RM1 million ($213,106) in most of the major states. 12. Arequipa, Peru Insider Monkey Score: 12 Arequipa in Peru is known for its growing expat community, modern healthcare facilities, and rich cultural heritage. The city boasts mesmerizing colonial architecture as well, and is located near stunning natural landscapes. Retirees get to enjoy hiking, trekking, and other outdoor activities in the nearby Andes mountains. An individual retiree can live a luxurious lifestyle on $3,000, and even buy affordable properties starting at $200,000. 11. Krakow, Poland Insider Monkey Score: 12 From majestic churches to its historic town center, Krakow in Poland is another one of the best cities where you can retire at $3,000 a month. This is an ideal city to retire for those looking for a nice blend of history and culture. Rent for a one-bedroom apartment is $790 on average, and retirees spend the rest on utilities, groceries, and international healthcare insurance. 10. Medellin, Colombia Insider Monkey Score: 12 Medellin in Colombia is undoubtedly the best place for US expats to enjoy a high quality of living. From efficient infrastructure to friendly locals and plenty of green spaces, Medellin has a lot to offer retirees. 40% of Colombia’s best hospitals are in Medellin too. Learn more about why it’s the best place to retire here. 9. Porto, Portugal Insider Monkey Score: 12 One of the best cities to retire for US Citizens, Porto offers retirees top-quality healthcare, natural beauty, and a high quality of life. The climate is quite pleasant, the pace of life is relaxed, and there are unique dishes, such as Francesinha, to devour. For those planning to buy a property in Porto, the average home price in the city is $704,000. 8. Coronado, Costa Rica Insider Monkey Score: 12 The coastal city of Coronado in Costa Rica is home to beautiful beaches and lush landscapes. The healthcare system is quite reputable, the environment is safe to live in, and there is a growing expat community as well. The Pensionado Visa offers many discounts to retirees, making cost of living much affordable. For instance, seniors can avail reductions as much as 25% in restaurants, up to 50% off on entertainment, 20% off prescription medication, to name a few. 7. Braga, Portugal Insider Monkey Score: 12 From its rich culture and history to charming city life, retirees in Braga have much to explore and savor in the city. The city boasts some of the best gastronomy, beautiful beaches, and low crime rates as well. Housing in Braga is expensive, however. The average price of a home in Braga is $721,992, and average rent for a one-bedroom apartment is $665. 6. Bodrum, Turkey Insider Monkey Score: 13 Located on the Bodrum Peninsula, Bodrum is a city featuring stunning coastal landscapes, delectable Turkish cuisine, and a rich cultural heritage. The city has a growing expat community, as well as modern healthcare facilities. Retirees may also invest in real estate, with the median list home price for an apartment in Bodrum standing at TRY 9,481,136 ($331,987). Click to continue reading and see the 5 Best Cities Where You Can Retire On $3,000 A Month. Suggested Articles: 25 Best Cities Where You Can Retire On $1,500 A Month 17 Best Places to Retire in Europe for English Speakers 12 Best Asian Stocks To Buy Now Disclosure: The name, John Lewis, mentioned in this article is fictional and has been used in place of the real name to protect the individual’s privacy and confidentiality. 25 Best Cities Where You Can Retire On $3,000 A Month is originally published on Insider Monkey......»»

In this article, we will look into the 30 most expensive golf club memberships in the world. If you want to skip our detailed analysis, you can go directly to the 5 Most Expensive Golf Club Memberships in the World. The Golf Industry According to the National Golf Foundation 2022 report, golf is a thriving […] In this article, we will look into the 30 most expensive golf club memberships in the world. If you want to skip our detailed analysis, you can go directly to the 5 Most Expensive Golf Club Memberships in the World. The Golf Industry According to the National Golf Foundation 2022 report, golf is a thriving recreational activity in the US. Golf participation in the US increased by 12% in 2022, reaching 119 million people, as compared to 2021. In 2022, 41.1 million people played golf on and off-course. The number of golf players experienced a surge in 2022, with 3.3 million people playing golf for the first time, surpassing the previous highest record set in 2000 of 2.4 million. The growth can be attributed to the rising diversity of golf players and the increasing traction of off-course golf. Women’s participation in golf has increased, with 25% of women playing golf in 2022. There are around 16,000 golf courses in the 14,000 US golf facilities, of which 75% are open to the public. 6.2 million on-course participants of the sport are young adults aged 18 to 34. The rising number of golfers, and inclusive participation in the recreational activity is driving increased sales of golf equipment. According to a report by Mordor Intelligence, the golf equipment market is expected to reach $13.32 billion in 2023. The market is expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate of 5.78% and reach $17.64 billion by 2028. The growth can be attributed to the rising number of young golf players leading to an increase in equipment sales, growing disposable income, and increase in the number of professional golfers in the past few years.  The report by Mordor Intelligence cites a survey by NGF in 2021 which states that golf is played in 206 countries out of 251, with 38,000 golf courses in more than 82% of countries globally. Regionally, North America has the highest market share in the global golf industry. European countries are also partaking in the market growth by investing in infrastructural development and hosting sports events. Asia Pacific is expected to experience the highest growth with countries such as China, Japan, India, and Australia contributing to market growth. Japan experienced a rise in its golfing population from 8.93 million in 2018 to approximately 10.3 million in 2021, as reported by the Ministry of Economy, Trade, and Industry (METI). The regional growth is fueled by the surge in sports participation, increased media exposure, and growing investments in the golf industry, leading to its popularity among the youth. The growing popularity of golf is driving sales of golf equipment.  Major Players in the Industry The major players dominating the golf industry include Mizuno Corporation (OTC:MIZUF), Topgolf Callaway Brands Corp. (NYSE: MODG), and Adidas AG (OTC:ADDYY). Mizuno Corporation (OTC:MIZUF) is one of the leading companies in the golf industry. On October 16, the company launched a new line of irons, Mizuno Pro Irons. With the incorporation of game improvement technology into their irons, Mizuno Corporation  (OTC:MIZUF) has utilized advanced manufacturing techniques and design optimization for its new products. The new collection, Mizuno Pro 241/243/245 will be available in the US, Australia, and Europe from January 2024. Their presale will begin on January 8, 2024. The products will officially be launched on January 25. Talking about the new line, Director of R&D Mizuno Corporation (OTC:MIZUF), David Llewellyn said: “Other manufacturers have widely adopted Mizuno’s work to elevate the performance of elite player’s irons. What now sets Mizuno apart is the ability to apply precise manufacturing techniques learned at our long-standing forging plant in Hiroshima, Japan, to increasingly complex designs.” Topgolf Callaway Brands Corp. (NYSE:MODG) is among the top leaders dominating the golf industry. On October 23, the company announced the launch of its 4th Tennessee venue in Memphis. The venue will be launched on Friday, October 27. It will have features including 72 outdoor, climate-controlled hitting bays, a video wall, over 200 HDTVs, and a restaurant. According to a report by NBC, on October 6, Topgolf Callaway Brands Corp. (NYSE:MODG) launched its 81st venue in the United States and 91st worldwide, Topgolf Rhode Island. The venue is located in Cranston and has three stories with 102 climate-controlled hitting bays, top-notch tables in each bay, and Toptracer technology to track the flight path of golf balls, their distance, and other metrics. The new venue has already hired 400 employees, with more than 80 positions yet to be filled. Adidas AG (OTC:ADDYY) is among the largest sportswear manufacturers. On October 2, the company announced the launch of its new line of golf apparel for fall, Ultimate365 Tour Range. The collection features a wide range of pieces made from the latest material innovations, like Frostguard technology that will keep the golfers warm. It further utilizes WIND.RDY and COLD.RDY technologies to protect against harsh weather. The products include padded vests, jackets, pullovers, and warm pants among others. The new product line is now available for sale. Now that we have discussed the global golf industry and major companies in the space, let’s look at the 30 most expensive golf club memberships in the world. 30 Most Expensive Golf Club Memberships in the World Methodology To compile our list of the 30 most expensive golf club memberships in the world, we reviewed related articles featuring the most expensive golf courses in the world from sources including Forbes, Golf Circuit, Golflux, and Golf Industry Central. We then tabulated an initial list containing 45 entries. After that, we narrowed down our list to the 30 most expensive golf clubs by their membership initiation cost. Membership initiation fee is a one-time cost a member has to pay to get access to the club facilities and amenities. We comprehensively researched across the web and reviewed multiple publications from sources including Forbes, Golf Monthly, and Country Club Magazine among others, to obtain the membership initiation costs for the golf clubs in our list. We ranked the golf courses in ascending order based on their approximate membership initiation cost. 30 Most Expensive Golf Club Memberships in the World 30. Old Head Golf Links Approximate Membership Initiation Fee: $30,000 Old Head Golf Links is a renowned golf club located in Ireland. The club is ranked among the 30 most expensive golf club memberships in the world with a membership initiation cost of $30,000. Mizuno Corporation (OTC:MIZUF), Topgolf Callaway Brands Corp. (NYSE: MODG), and Adidas AG (OTC:ADDYY) are some of the major companies leading the golf market. 29. The Royal Melbourne Golf Club Approximate Membership Initiation Fee: $40,000 The Royal Melbourne Golf Club is an exclusive club located in Black Rock, Victoria, Australia. It is one of the oldest golf clubs in Australia with a membership initiation cost of $40,000. 28. Pinehurst No. 2 Approximate Membership Initiation Fee: $45,000 Ranked 28th on our list is Pinehurst No.2. It is a championship golf course located in Pinehurst, North Carolina. The golf club offers membership at an initiation cost of $45,000. 27. Merion Golf Club Approximate Membership Initiation Fee: $70,000 Merion Golf Club is an exclusive golf club located in Haverford, Pennsylvania. The club features two courses: the east course and the west course. It is ranked 27th on our list of the most expensive golf club memberships in the world with a membership initiation cost of $70,000. 26. Trump National Doral Miami Approximate Membership Initiation Fee: $75,000 Trump National Doral Miami is located in Doral, Florida. The private club is one of the most popular and prestigious clubs in the world with a membership initiation cost of $75,000. It is ranked 26th on our list. 25. TPC Sawgrass Players Stadium Course Approximate Membership Initiation Fee: $75,000 The TPC Sawgrass Players Stadium Course is located in the Southern United States, Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida. The TPC Sawgrass Players Stadium Course is a par-72 course. It is ranked 25th on our list and offers membership at an initiation cost of $75,000. 24. Bear’s Club Approximate Membership Initiation Fee: $90,000 Bear’s Club is a private club located in Jupiter, Florida. The 2019 Open Championship was held in the Bear’s Club. It is ranked 24th on our list of the most expensive golf club memberships in the world with a membership initiation cost of $90,000 23. Boca West Country Club Approximate Membership Initiation Fee: $90,000 Boca West Country Club is located in Boca Raton, Florida. It is an exclusive residential club with a high membership initiation fee of $90,000. It is ranked 23rd on our list. 22. Sunningdale Golf Club Approximate Membership Initiation Fee: $98,000 Sunningdale Golf Club is located in Berkshire, England. The prestigious club is a members-only exclusive club and has two golf courses. It ranks among the most expensive golf courses with a high membership cost of approximately $98,000. 21. Seminole Golf Club Approximate Membership Initiation Fee: $100,000 Seminole Club is a private beach club located in Juno Beach, Florida. The exclusive club offers membership to only a limited number of people. It has a high membership initiation fee of $100,000. It is ranked 21st on our list. 20. Golf de Morfontaine Approximate Membership Initiation Fee: $100,000 Golf De Morfontaine is a prestigious golf club in Morfontaine, France. It is one of the most popular golf clubs in Europe. It offers membership at a high cost of $100,000 and is ranked 20th on our list. 19. Shanqin Bay Golf Club Approximate Membership Initiation Fee: $100,000 The Shanqin Bay Golf Club is located in Qingdao, China. The private golf course costs $100,000 for membership. The Shanqin Bay Golf Club is ranked 19th on our list of the most expensive golf club memberships in the world. 18. Les Bordes Approximate Membership Initiation Fee: $106,000  Les Bordes is a prestigious golf club located in Sologne, France. The private member-only club offers membership at a high cost of approximately 106,000. It is ranked 18th on our list. 17. Whisper Rock Golf Club Approximate Membership Initiation Fee: $130,000  Whisper Rock Golf Club is a premium golf club located in Scottsdale, Arizona. The private club offers a variety of amenities at a membership cost of $130,000. It is ranked 17th on our list. 16. Winged Foot Golf Club Approximate Membership Initiation Fee: $150,000  Winged Foot Golf Club is a prestigious golf club founded in 1892 and located in Mamaroneck, New York. The club is open to members only. It has a membership cost of  $150,000 and is ranked 16th on our list. 15. Kiawah Island Ocean Course Approximate Membership Initiation Fee: $150,000  Kiawah Island Ocean Course is a public golf course located in Kiawah Island, South Carolina. The golf course features a variety of amenities and is ranked among the most expensive golf courses with a high membership cost of $150,000. 14. Ocean Reef Club Approximate Membership Initiation Fee: $150,000  Ocean Reef Club is located in Key Largo, Florida. The exclusive club was founded in 1957. Ocean Reef Club offers membership at a staggering cost of $150,000. It is ranked 14th on our list. 13. Baltusrol Golf Club Approximate Membership Initiation Fee: $150,000  Baltusrol Golf Club is one of the oldest and prestigious clubs in the United States located in Springfield, New Jersey. The Baltusrol Golf Club is ranked 13th on our list with a high membership cost of $150,000. 12. Congressional Country Club Approximate Membership Initiation Fee: $180,000  Congressional Country Club is an exclusive club located in Bethesda, Maryland. The club has two golf courses and is ranked 12th on our list. The Congressional Country Club offers membership at a whopping $180,000. 11. Cherokee Town and Country Club Approximate Membership Initiation Fee: $200,000  Cherokee Town and Country Club is an exclusive member-only club in Atlanta, Georgia. The initiation cost to join the club is $200,000. The club is ranked 11th among the most expensive golf club memberships in the world. 10. Oakmont Country Club Approximate Membership Initiation Fee: $200,000 Oakmont Country Club is a private club in Oakmont, Pennsylvania. The club has the privilege of hosting the US Open in 2016. It is ranked 10th on our list with a membership initiation fee of $200,000. 9. The Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St Andrews Approximate Membership Initiation Fee: $200,000 The Royal and Ancient Golf Club is an exclusive club located in St Andrews St Andrews, Scotland. The prestigious club is one of the oldest golf clubs in the world with a high membership cost of $200,000. The Royal and Ancient Golf Club is ranked 9th on our list. 8. Cypress Point Club Approximate Membership Initiation Fee: $250,000 Cypress Point Club is a private member-only club in Pebble Beach, California. It features an 18-hole championship golf course and is popular for its layout. The club ranks 8th on our list with a high membership cost of $250,000 7. Pebble Beach Golf Links Approximate Membership Initiation Fee: $250,000 Pebble Beach Golf Links is a public golf course in Pebble Beach, California. The golf course ranks 7th on our list of the most expensive golf club memberships in the world with a high membership fee of $250,000. 6. The Los Angeles Country Club Approximate Membership Initiation Fee: $250,000 The Los Angeles Country Club is one of the most popular golf and country clubs in the world, located in Los Angeles, California. It has the privilege of hosting the 2023 US Open on its north course. The Los Angeles Country Club ranks 6th on our list with a high membership initiation cost of $250,000. The golf industry is a growing market. Investors looking for exposure to the market can research prominent stocks including Mizuno Corporation (OTC:MIZUF), Topgolf Callaway Brands Corp. (NYSE: MODG), and Adidas AG (OTC:ADDYY).  Click to continue reading and see 5 Most Expensive Golf Club Memberships in the World. Suggested Articles: 12 Most Expensive Luxury RVs in the World in 2023 20 Greenest Countries in the World 20 Best Marketing Campaigns of All Time Disclosure: None. 30 Most Expensive Golf Club Memberships in the World is originally published on Insider Monkey......»»

In this article, we are going to discuss the 20 states that consume the most alcohol per capita. You can skip our detailed analysis of the economic cost of excessive drinking, the effect of taxes on alcohol consumption, and the CSR initiatives by various alcohol firms dedicated to promoting responsible drinking, and go directly to […] In this article, we are going to discuss the 20 states that consume the most alcohol per capita. You can skip our detailed analysis of the economic cost of excessive drinking, the effect of taxes on alcohol consumption, and the CSR initiatives by various alcohol firms dedicated to promoting responsible drinking, and go directly to 5 States that Consume the Most Alcohol per Capita.  By the 1930s, it was clear that Prohibition had become a public policy failure. The 18th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution had done little to curb the sale, production, and consumption of intoxicating liquors. And while organized crime flourished, tax revenues withered. With the United States stuck in the throes of the Great Depression, money trumped morals, and the federal government turned to alcohol to quench its thirst for desperately needed tax money and put an estimated half-million Americans back to work. In February 1933, Congress easily passed a proposed 21st Amendment that would repeal the 18th Amendment, which legalized national Prohibition. The end of Prohibition resulted in a financial windfall for the federal government, which collected more than $258 million in alcohol taxes in the first year after repeal. Those millions, which accounted for nearly 9% of the government’s tax revenue, helped to finance Roosevelt’s New Deal programs in the ensuing years. The Economic Cost of Excessive Drinking:  The top 10% of American drinkers, which equates to around 24 million people, consume an average of 74 alcoholic drinks each week. If you break that number out, that means they consume a little more than 10 drinks each day. Excessive drinking costs the United States almost $250 billion in 2010 (Latest figures available by the CDC). The federal government picks up roughly $100 billion of the tab, largely through Medicare and Medicaid payments. The median cost per state was $3.5 billion. Several evidence-based strategies can help reduce excessive drinking, including increasing alcohol excise taxes, limiting alcohol outlet density, and commercial host liability.  The Effect of Taxes on Alcohol Consumption:  Over the last two decades, a growing number of economists have examined the impact of alcohol beverage taxes and prices on alcohol consumption and heavy drinking. Several of these studies have focused on high-risk populations, such as youth and young adults, including college students.  This research, using a variety of different data and empirical approaches, has generally found that an increase in the prices of alcoholic beverages led to reductions in drinking, heavy drinking, and the consequences of alcohol use and abuse. These findings indicate that a rise in alcoholic-beverage taxes could be a highly effective option for reducing alcohol abuse and its consequences.  According to a study conducted by the NCD Advisory Council’s signature initiative working group, if countries of the WHO European Region were to introduce a minimum level of 15% tax on the retail price per unit of alcohol, regardless of the type of alcoholic beverage, it would save 133,000 lives each year.  Corporate Social Responsibility Initiatives:  Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV (NYSE:BUD) is the Largest Beer Producer in the World and the company launched its Global Smart Drinking Goals initiative in order to make a tangible contribution to reduce the harmful use of alcohol globally.  As part of the initiative, Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV (NYSE:BUD) has committed to investing at least $1 billion across its markets in dedicated social marketing campaigns and programs to influence social norms and individual behaviors to reduce harmful use of alcohol. Another goal is to ensure that low- or no-alcohol beer products make up at least 20% of the global beer volume of Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV (NYSE:BUD) by 2025. The company is collaborating with the City of Columbus, OH, to launch the first ever city-wide program in the U.S. to understand and help reduce the harmful use of alcohol.  The beer behemoth has been facing some headwinds in the U.S. market after the recent controversy regarding its best-selling brand Bud Light, which resulted in the iconic brand losing its crown as the Top-Selling Beer in America after nearly two decades. Though as we mentioned in our article – 17 Countries with the Highest Percentage of Non-Drinkers – billionaire Bill Gates’ portfolio managers decided to initiate a $96 million position in Anheuser-Busch during the second quarter.  Diageo plc (NYSE:DEO) has also committed to promote positive drinking through its ‘Society 2030: Spirit of Progress’ Action Plan. The plan aims to leverage the spirit giant’s marketing and innovation to make moderation the norm and reach 1 billion people with dedicated responsible drinking messaging. DRINKiQ is a dedicated responsible drinking online platform by Diageo plc (NYSE:DEO) that provides facts about alcohol, the effects of drinking on the body and the mind, and the impact of harmful drinking on individuals and society.  Warren Buffett initiated a position in the company in the first quarter of 2023 with 227,750 shares worth $39.51 million and his position in the company remained unchanged in the second quarter. In Q2, Diageo plc (NYSE:DEO) represented 0.1% of Berkshire Hathaway’s portfolio. The most prominent stakeholder in the company in Q2 was Markel Gayner Asset Management with 1.35 million shares, worth $234.23 million. Diageo plc (NYSE:DEO) ranks among the 12 Best Alcohol Stocks to Own According to Hedge Funds.  With that said, here are the U.S. States that Consume the Most Alcohol in 2023.  Ievgenii Meyer/Shutterstock.com Methodology:  To collect data for this article,, we have referred to the 2023 Surveillance Report by the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, looking for the States that Drink the Most Alcohol. Findings in this report are based on alcoholic beverage sales data collected by the Alcohol Epidemiologic Data System (AEDS) from the states or from the National Alcohol Beverage Control Association. The following states have been ranked by their per capita ethanol consumption in gallons, based on population ages 14 and older. The data collected in this report is for the year 2021.  20. California Ethanol Consumption per Capita: 2.72 gallons Excessive drinking during the Covid-19 pandemic increased alcoholic liver disease deaths so much that the condition killed more Californians than car accidents or breast cancer. California is the state where people drink the most in the U.S., with 88.59 million gallons of ethanol consumed in 2021.  Sacramento ranks among the Drunkest Cities in America in 2023.  19. Louisiana Ethanol Consumption per Capita: 2.74 gallons Invented in the 19th century in a New Orleans coffeehouse, a popular drink in the state is the Sazerac, a local variation of the cognac or whiskey cocktail. With over 31 breweries present in the state, beer is also a big part of the local culture. In New Orleans, the party hasn’t actually started in a long time simply because the party never ends and the bars never close.  18. Massachusetts Ethanol Consumption per Capita: 2.79 gallons Alcohol abuse costs Massachusetts at least $5.6 billion annually, while causing thousands of deaths and illnesses, according to a new analysis from Boston University researchers. Yet revenues from alcohol-specific taxes fall far short of repaying these costs, the report concludes.   17. Missouri Ethanol Consumption per Capita: 2.81 gallons Missouri is a major center of beer brewing and has some of the most permissive alcohol laws in the U.S. The Midwestern state is also home to Anheuser-Busch, the largest beer producer in the world. The beer giant’s St. Louis brewery is among the Most Famous Breweries in the US.  16. Oregon Ethanol Consumption per Capita: 2.82 gallons Despite its high alcohol consumption, Oregon has an extensive history of laws regulating the sale and consumption of alcohol, with also some extended periods of prohibition. Beer production in Oregon began in 1852 and the Beaver State ranks among the U.S. States With the Highest Beer Consumption per Capita.  15. Rhode Island Ethanol Consumption per Capita: 2.87 gallons Nearly 1 of every 5 Rhode Island adults (19.7%) reports binge drinking at least once a month. The same goes for high-school students, at 18.3%. Both are higher than their respective national average. Rhode Island currently has the 10th highest tax on wine at $1.40 per gallon, but the 41st highest tax on beer at $0.12 per gallon. This could be a possible point of prevention to decrease alcohol consumption. 14. Minnesota Ethanol Consumption per Capita: 2.92 gallons Recent data from the CDC found that over 1,100 Minnesotans died in 2021 as a result of binge drinking. That’s more than homicide and suicide combined.  Minnesota ranks among the Top Drinking States.  13. Alaska Ethanol Consumption per Capita: 2.92 gallons Alaska has a reputation as a hard-drinking state with simple tastes. However, the state’s alcohol preferences are changing and it’s drinking less beer, more liquor and more wine. It’s also drinking less mainstream beer and more craft beer. Many Native Alaskans also avoid alcohol addiction treatment because of the lack of integrating tribal customs and values into treatment.   12. Maine Ethanol Consumption per Capita: 2.97 gallons Though famous for its coffee flavored brandy, the Pine Tree State is home to over 90 breweries, with Portland as an important city in the American craft beer industry.  667 Mainers died due to alcohol related causes in 2021 – a 47% increase from 2019.  11. Florida Ethanol Consumption per Capita: 2.98 gallons Florida has a number of serious substance abuse issues, but high alcohol consumption continues to be a pervasive problem in the Sunshine State. On top of Florida’s drinking problems among residents, the Sunshine State’s tropical climate has also made it both a spring break destination and a year-round vacation spot. Miami is the top spring break destination in the United States, and Fort Lauderdale is ranked as the booziest spring break destination. 10. Wyoming Ethanol Consumption per Capita: 3 gallons Famous for its beautiful nature, including the famed Yellowstone Park, Wyoming is also popular for its moonshine. In the era of prohibition, the state was famous for producing some of the best moonshine in the country. Wyoming also has a budding craft beer culture, with over 40 micro-breweries present. 9. Colorado Ethanol Consumption per Capita: 3.06 gallons Colorado sits among the States with the Most Craft Breweries. There are 440 breweries in the Centennial State and together they produce over 834,000 barrels of beer, with a total economic impact of $2.42 billion.  The state is also home to the Brewers Association – the trade group that represents most of the craft breweries in the U.S. – and the Great American Beer Festival.  8. Vermont Ethanol Consumption per Capita: 3.13 gallons Vermont is home to a thriving spirits industry, producing a wide variety of products from vodka and maple liqueurs to gin and rye whiskey. The Green Mountain State also boasts over 60 breweries and some of the best-rated craft beers in the world.  7. Wisconsin  Ethanol Consumption per Capita: 3.15 gallons Wisconsin has one of the lowest alcohol tax rates in the country, resulting in lower retail and wholesale prices. Some of the drunkest counties in America are in Wisconsin and the state has 7 of the 10 U.S. cities that drink the most alcohol per capita. 6. North Dakota Ethanol Consumption per Capita: 3.3 gallons Beer is the most popular drink in North Dakota, with the state consuming almost 20.9 million gallons of the tipple in 2021. The heavy influx of oil workers over the last decade has also contributed to the Peace Garden ranking among the Drunkest States in America.  Click to continue reading and see the 5 States that Consume the Most Alcohol per Capita.  Suggested Articles: 15 Cheapest Legal Weed States to Live in 15 States That Produce the Most Wine Best Craft Beer Brands in Each U.S. State Disclosure: None. 20 States that Consume the Most Alcohol per Capita is originally published on Insider Monkey......»»

AI and junior bankers seem like they are on a collision course for each other that will lead to lasting impacts for the industry. PhonlamaiPhoto/Getty Images This post originally appeared in the Insider Today newsletter. You can sign up for Insider's daily newsletter here. Welcome back! We had some breaking news late Sunday: The Writers Guild of America reached a tentative agreement with Hollywood studios to end a 146-day strike. My colleagues have the latest on that here.As for today's edition, we're looking at how AI could upend the job of the junior banker, and the effect that'll have on Wall Street's traditional career path. What's on deck: Markets: An inside look at how a top hedge fund trains aspiring portfolio managers.Tech: Billionaire tech execs have enjoyed some of the biggest wealth increases in 2023. Business: LinkedIn has become one of the world's strangest social networks.But first, "pls fix."If this was forwarded to you, sign up here.The big storyJunior banker adjustmentAI is coming for junior banker jobs.iStock / Getty Images PlusPlenty of things in finance are complicated, but the way to get a job on Wall Street is not one of them.Aspiring financiers need to look no further than investment banks' analyst programs to get a foot in the door. The programs typically last two years and are a crash course in all things finance. Spots in analyst programs aren't easy to come by, often requiring an ultra-competitive internship the summer before. But a stint as an analyst opens the door to plenty of options, from pursuing an MBA, to working in venture capital, or jumping to a hedge fund or private-equity firm.But this crucial piece of Wall Street's ecosystem could be upended by the rise of artificial intelligence. Insider's Bianca Chan and Emmalyse Brownstein spoke to six finance professionals and an entry-level banker to understand how AI would impact younger bankers' roles. The bright side is the tech could automate analysts' busy work and potentially improve their grueling schedules. But it's a double-edged sword, as some speculated the tech could lead banks to trim down their analyst classes, creating even fewer opportunities to break into an already cutthroat industry. These potential changes come when big banks are having a tough go of it while their biggest competitors are thriving. Private credit players have filled the void left by banks pulling back on offering risky loans, making them an attractive career path. And private equity has gotten more aggressive in courting junior bankers, starting recruitment when they are only a few weeks on the job. If AI enables junior bankers to do more interesting work than managing Excel sheets or updating Powerpoints, that could go a long way to reinvigorating the role. Instead of being viewed as a stepping stone, analysts might be interested in staying at a bank for the long run. But if AI leads banks to reduce the size of their analyst classes, it could motivate competitors to tap into the young talent pool banks have long dominated. Buy-side firms have largely held off on going after college graduates, instead pointing them toward banks' analyst programs. But if those diminish in size, it could lead to a feeding frenzy for talent, upending the traditional Wall Street pipeline. Regardless of what direction things go, what's clear is the type of work AI excels at falls directly in junior bankers' wheelhouse. As a result, the two seem destined for a collision course, for better or worse.Read the full story here.3 things in marketsBefore the opening bell: US stock futures dip lower Monday, following a week of losses.Point72; Getty Images; Alyssa Powell/Insider1. How Steve Cohen's Point72 trains aspiring portfolio managers. LaunchPoint is the hedge fund's incubator for analysts hoping to eventually run money for the $30.6 billion firm. The program even includes a pitch session and dinner with Cohen.2. The Fed's war against inflation has been a boon for boomers. Many older Americans are sitting pretty, thanks to rising home prices and low-risk investments offering solid returns. More on how the challenges faced by millennials and Gen Z are benefiting boomers.  3. They were told to "sleep and breathe easier." Then the job cuts came. As embattled mortgage startup Better prepared to go public last month, its execs assured staff the company was on the right track. But the stock tanked, and two weeks later, the company laid more people off.3 things in techGoing back to a company that has cut workers isn't always easysorbetto/Getty Images1. Well, that's awkward. Some companies like Meta and Salesforce are looking to rehire people they laid off. For some workers, boomeranging is a complex decision. But similar to a romantic breakup, experts revealed that agreeing to try again will have a lot to do with how things ended.2. Techies are topping the list of billionaires who saw major wealth increases this year. Elon Musk, Mark Zuckerberg, Jeff Bezos, and other moneybag techies are among the mega-billionaires who experienced wealth surges this year.3. The 10 popular jobs that AI has some skills to replace. Roles include technicians, cashiers, and medical assistants. ChatGPT could already perform many of the skills needed in these roles with room for improvement down the road.3 things in businessXavier Lalanne-Tauzia for Insider1. It's not just you. LinkedIn has gotten really weird. Remote work has blurred the lines between work and life. Nowhere is it more apparent than on LinkedIn. And it underscores an awkward truth — nobody knows what it means to be professional anymore.2. The government could shut down within a week. It means many Americans could go without a paycheck. Flights could get delayed. Space research could be impacted. National Parks would be closed. And many other repercussions.3. The five ways Costco, Lowe's, Best Buy, and Tractor Supply are winning the battle against retail theft. Big, heavy merchandise means most of their goods are hard to steal easily. And they each also have limited self-checkout options.In other newsThese US states are the best and worst at tipping.Russia has improved its weapons and defense since invading Ukraine.The best and worst business class experiences on six different airlines.Here's how much money the CEOs at Ford, GM, and Stellantis make.CEO says Gen Z lacks workplace skills like debating and seeing different viewpoints due to social media.In pop culture news: Taylor Swift was spotted sitting next to Travis Kelce's mom at the Kansas City Chiefs game.Starbucks is rolling out a new system to streamline drink making.Air purifiers, gold bars, and more: Ranking the eight alleged bribes Sen. Bob Menendez and his wife took.What's happening todayFashion, turn to the left. Fashion, turn to the right. Paris Fashion Week kicks off today. Designers will show their Women Spring/Summer 2024 collections. Brands include Saint Laurent, Givenchy, and Hermés.National Lobster Day (part two). Today is the second National Lobster Day of the year. The first one is on June 15.Happy birthday, Donald Glover (aka Childish Gambino). Will Smith, Catherine Zeta-Jones, and Rosalía were also born on this day.For your bookmarksAvoid these scamsA man worries about his finances (stock photo).krisanapong detraphiphat/Getty ImagesFinance experts warn about the scams circulating TikTok. They include advice based on conspiracy theories and fake social security numbers.The Insider Today team: Dan DeFrancesco, senior editor and anchor, in New York City. Diamond Naga Siu, senior reporter, in San Diego. Hallam Bullock, editor, in London. Lisa Ryan, executive editor, in New York.Read the original article on Business Insider.....»»

AI and junior bankers seem like they are on a collision course for each other that will lead to lasting impacts for the industry. PhonlamaiPhoto/Getty Images This post originally appeared in the Insider Today newsletter. You can sign up for Insider's daily newsletter here. Welcome back! We had some breaking news late Sunday: The Writers Guild of America reached a tentative agreement with Hollywood studios to end a 146-day strike. My colleagues have the latest on that here.As for today's edition, we're looking at how AI could upend the job of the junior banker, and the effect that'll have on Wall Street's traditional career path. What's on deck: Markets: An inside look at how a top hedge fund trains aspiring portfolio managers.Tech: Billionaire tech execs have enjoyed some of the biggest wealth increases in 2023. Business: LinkedIn has become one of the world's strangest social networks.But first, "pls fix."If this was forwarded to you, sign up here.The big storyJunior banker adjustmentAI is coming for junior banker jobs.iStock / Getty Images PlusPlenty of things in finance are complicated, but the way to get a job on Wall Street is not one of them.Aspiring financiers need to look no further than investment banks' analyst programs to get a foot in the door. The programs typically last two years and are a crash course in all things finance. Spots in analyst programs aren't easy to come by, often requiring an ultra-competitive internship the summer before. But a stint as an analyst opens the door to plenty of options, from pursuing an MBA, to working in venture capital, or jumping to a hedge fund or private-equity firm.But this crucial piece of Wall Street's ecosystem could be upended by the rise of artificial intelligence. Insider's Bianca Chan and Emmalyse Brownstein spoke to six finance professionals and an entry-level banker to understand how AI would impact younger bankers' roles. The bright side is the tech could automate analysts' busy work and potentially improve their grueling schedules. But it's a double-edged sword, as some speculated the tech could lead banks to trim down their analyst classes, creating even fewer opportunities to break into an already cutthroat industry. These potential changes come when big banks are having a tough go of it while their biggest competitors are thriving. Private credit players have filled the void left by banks pulling back on offering risky loans, making them an attractive career path. And private equity has gotten more aggressive in courting junior bankers, starting recruitment when they are only a few weeks on the job. If AI enables junior bankers to do more interesting work than managing Excel sheets or updating Powerpoints, that could go a long way to reinvigorating the role. Instead of being viewed as a stepping stone, analysts might be interested in staying at a bank for the long run. But if AI leads banks to reduce the size of their analyst classes, it could motivate competitors to tap into the young talent pool banks have long dominated. Buy-side firms have largely held off on going after college graduates, instead pointing them toward banks' analyst programs. But if those diminish in size, it could lead to a feeding frenzy for talent, upending the traditional Wall Street pipeline. Regardless of what direction things go, what's clear is the type of work AI excels at falls directly in junior bankers' wheelhouse. As a result, the two seem destined for a collision course, for better or worse.Read the full story here.3 things in marketsBefore the opening bell: US stock futures dip lower Monday, following a week of losses.Point72; Getty Images; Alyssa Powell/Insider1. How Steve Cohen's Point72 trains aspiring portfolio managers. LaunchPoint is the hedge fund's incubator for analysts hoping to eventually run money for the $30.6 billion firm. The program even includes a pitch session and dinner with Cohen.2. The Fed's war against inflation has been a boon for boomers. Many older Americans are sitting pretty, thanks to rising home prices and low-risk investments offering solid returns. More on how the challenges faced by millennials and Gen Z are benefiting boomers.  3. They were told to "sleep and breathe easier." Then the job cuts came. As embattled mortgage startup Better prepared to go public last month, its execs assured staff the company was on the right track. But the stock tanked, and two weeks later, the company laid more people off.3 things in techGoing back to a company that has cut workers isn't always easysorbetto/Getty Images1. Well, that's awkward. Some companies like Meta and Salesforce are looking to rehire people they laid off. For some workers, boomeranging is a complex decision. But similar to a romantic breakup, experts revealed that agreeing to try again will have a lot to do with how things ended.2. Techies are topping the list of billionaires who saw major wealth increases this year. Elon Musk, Mark Zuckerberg, Jeff Bezos, and other moneybag techies are among the mega-billionaires who experienced wealth surges this year.3. The 10 popular jobs that AI has some skills to replace. Roles include technicians, cashiers, and medical assistants. ChatGPT could already perform many of the skills needed in these roles with room for improvement down the road.3 things in businessXavier Lalanne-Tauzia for Insider1. It's not just you. LinkedIn has gotten really weird. Remote work has blurred the lines between work and life. Nowhere is it more apparent than on LinkedIn. And it underscores an awkward truth — nobody knows what it means to be professional anymore.2. The government could shut down within a week. It means many Americans could go without a paycheck. Flights could get delayed. Space research could be impacted. National Parks would be closed. And many other repercussions.3. The five ways Costco, Lowe's, Best Buy, and Tractor Supply are winning the battle against retail theft. Big, heavy merchandise means most of their goods are hard to steal easily. And they each also have limited self-checkout options.In other newsThese US states are the best and worst at tipping.Russia has improved its weapons and defense since invading Ukraine.The best and worst business class experiences on six different airlines.Here's how much money the CEOs at Ford, GM, and Stellantis make.CEO says Gen Z lacks workplace skills like debating and seeing different viewpoints due to social media.In pop culture news: Taylor Swift was spotted sitting next to Travis Kelce's mom at the Kansas City Chiefs game.Starbucks is rolling out a new system to streamline drink making.Air purifiers, gold bars, and more: Ranking the eight alleged bribes Sen. Bob Menendez and his wife took.What's happening todayFashion, turn to the left. Fashion, turn to the right. Paris Fashion Week kicks off today. Designers will show their Women Spring/Summer 2024 collections. Brands include Saint Laurent, Givenchy, and Hermés.National Lobster Day (part two). Today is the second National Lobster Day of the year. The first one is on June 15.Happy birthday, Donald Glover (aka Childish Gambino). Will Smith, Catherine Zeta-Jones, and Rosalía were also born on this day.For your bookmarksAvoid these scamsA man worries about his finances (stock photo).krisanapong detraphiphat/Getty ImagesFinance experts warn about the scams circulating TikTok. They include advice based on conspiracy theories and fake social security numbers.The Insider Today team: Dan DeFrancesco, senior editor and anchor, in New York City. Diamond Naga Siu, senior reporter, in San Diego. Hallam Bullock, editor, in London. Lisa Ryan, executive editor, in New York.Read the original article on Business Insider.....»»

Saudi Arabia and Turkey rose in this year's US News & World Report power ranking, but other countries saw their positions fall. Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy (r) alongside US President Joe Biden, British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, and Lithuania's President Gitanas Nauseda, at the NATO Summit in Vilnius, Lithuania, in July 2023.Doug Mills/Pool via AP US News & World Report ranked the world's most powerful countries in 2023. The US remains No. 1, but some countries saw their positions rise or fall due to global instability. India and Saudi Arabia are among the countries that saw a jump in their rankings this year. The US, China, and Russia remained unchallenged as the world's most powerful countries in 2023, according to this year's global power rankings, published by US News & World Report.The rankings, part of the "Best Countries" study, polled 17,000 people about their thoughts on 87 different nations.The ranking assesses a country's influence based on respondents' perceptions of factors like political, economic, and military power.Here's how the world's 25 most powerful countries stack up:25. The NetherlandsAmsterdam, the Netherlands.Karl Hendon/Getty ImagesUS News noted that the Netherlands has been a policy trailblazer, including becoming the world's first country to legalize same-sex marriage.The headquarters of the International Criminal Court and the International Court of Justice are in The Hague, and the Netherlands was a founder-member of both the EU and NATO, and has been a very vociferous supporter of both organizations, it said.The ranking highlighted the country's strong international alliances, as well as its economic influence.Even so, while the Dutch have established what is widely seen as a tolerant society, concerns about immigration are becoming more prevalent among some politicians, the ranking noted.The country fell one spot compared to last year's ranking, from 24th to 25th.24. SingaporeSingapore.Taro Hama @ e-kamakura/Getty ImagesUS News said Singapore, dubbed one of "Asia's four economic giants," has experienced rapid growth, including through the country's thriving electronics and pharmaceutical industries.It noted that Singapore is among the world's richest nations due to its high GDP per capita and low unemployment rate. However, it said that constraints on available space and rapid population expansion add to worries about rising living expenses and income disparity.The country failed to make the top 25 in 2022 but returned to the list this year. The country ranked particularly highly for its economic influence and strength of its exports, though far less so for its military might.US News also pointed out that safety and security are key points of pride for the country, with Singaporeans subject to hefty penalties even for chewing gum and littering.23. SwedenA young fan waves the Swedish flag at the FIFA Women's World Cup.THOMAS SAMSON/AFP via Getty ImagesUS News said Sweden's commitments to human rights, public service, and sustainability have made it a respected leader in international affairs."Health care, as well as a college education, are free, and its people boast one of the longest life expectancies in the world," it said.It also noted Sweden's strong international alliances and economic influence, and that it has one of the biggest landmasses in the EU. The country rose one place compared to last year's ranking.22. QatarDoha, Qatar.ziadghasan/Getty ImagesUS News said Qatar is one of the world's wealthiest countries, thanks to its oil and natural gas reserves. As a result, Qataris, of which there are less than 3 million, enjoy a high standard of living.The report noted that manufacturing, construction, and financial services account for slightly more than half of the country's GDP, which has helped the economy weather the global decrease in oil prices.Qatar has developed itself as a research center, with many prestigious American colleges establishing satellite campuses on the outskirts of Doha, it added.The country's power ranking benefited particularly from its strong economic influence, as well as its international alliances and political influence.It rose one place compared to last year.21. SwitzerlandZurich, Switzerland.Allan Baxter/Getty ImagesSwitzerland is a small country but one of the world's wealthiest, according to US News.The country's robust economy is driven by low corporate tax rates, a highly developed service sector dominated by financial services, and a high-tech manufacturing industry, it said.Due to its long tradition of neutrality, Switzerland isn't a member of the EU and it did not support a side in either of the two world wars. However, US News noted that its neutral stance means Switzerland is a popular headquarters location for organizations like the International Committee of the Red Cross and the UN.The country has strong economic influence and international alliances, according to the ranking. Even so, Switzerland dropped one spot from last year's rankings.20. SpainThe Metropolis Building in Madrid, Spain.Sylvain Sonnet/Getty ImagesUS News noted Spain is a member of the EU, NATO, the UN, the OECD, and the World Trade Organization.It added that a resilient export market, as well as EU-funded restructuring effort in 2014, have helped Spain recover from a severe economic recession in 2009.But despite efforts to implement labor, pension, health, tax, and education reforms, about a quarter of Spain's population remains unemployed.Spain, which is seen as having strong international alliances, exports, and economic influence, fell one place compared to last year's rankings.19. BrazilThe statue of Christ the Redeemer overlooking Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.Christian Adams/Getty imagesUS News said Brazil is "the giant of the continent – both in size and in population."It highlighted the fact that Brazil's economic boom in the first decade of the 21st century made it one of the world's largest economies in terms of GDP, according to the International Monetary Fund.It also noted the country is one of the world's top tourist destinations, that its Amazon River is the world's second longest, and that its coastline stretches for more than 4,600 miles.However, US News noted the country is battling persistent poverty and corruption, affecting Brazil's social, economic, and political systems.The country's power ranking was boosted by its strong exports and economic influence.18. IranIranian flag on conference table.Jasmin Merdan/Getty ImagesIran has one of the largest economies in the Middle East, according to US News.The country has long attracted the attention of major world powers due to its strategic location, as well as its abundant oil and other natural resources, it said.But Iran's economy continues to be severely harmed by a legacy of isolation, according to US News, despite it sitting on 10% of the world's known oil reserves and being a founding member of OPEC.Its power ranking is heavily linked to its perceived military strength.17. AustraliaSydney, Australia.zetter/Getty ImagesAustralia is a prosperous country with a market-based economy and a relatively high GDP and per capita income, per US News.It noted Australia's involvement in international cooperation through institutions like the G20, the Commonwealth of Nations, and Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation.The country is seen as having strong international alliances and economic influence.  16. ItalyThe Colosseum in Rome, Italy.Matteo Colombo/Getty ImagesUS News noted Italy has the fourth-largest economy in the eurozone.The country is well-known for its historical cities, world-renowned cuisine, and geographic beauty, which makes it an ideal tourist destination, it said.But organized crime, corruption, slowing economic growth, and high young and female unemployment remain major problems, it added.When it comes to its power ranking, those surveyed pointed to its international alliances, economic influence, and strong exports.15. TurkeyTurkish flag on the back of a boat on the Bosphorus and a mosque on a hillside in Istanbul, Turkey.Darrell Gulin/Getty ImagesUS News said Turkey is expected to be one of the OECD's fastest-expanding members in the next years.Turkey, as well as being a founding member of the UN and the OECD, is a NATO member, it noted.But it also found the country faces regional fighting, terrorism, and political instability.Turkey rose two places compared to last year, when it was ranked 17th, but is still down one place from 2021.14. UkrainePresident of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy speaks during a press conference in Kyiv, Ukraine, September 6, 2023Getty ImagesUkraine, invaded by Russia last year, is a member of key international organizations such as the UN and the World Trade Organization, according to US News.The country's three largest economic sectors are services, industry, and agriculture, it said.Ukraine has gained substantial political and military support from Western allies like the US, UK, and EU member states since the full-scale Russian invasion in February 2022, and has been praised globally for its resistance to Russia.But Russia's invasion has decimated its population, cities, and industry, causing significant losses that it will likely take decades to recover from.Ukraine's perceived strong military was a major factor in its power ranking. It occupies the same position as in 2022.13. CanadaToronto, Canada.Posnov/Getty ImagesUS News said Canada is the fourth-largest producer of oil in the world and has the third-largest proven oil reserves.It noted the country is a "high-tech industrial society with a high standard of living."Dropping one place from 2022, those surveyed highlighted Canada's economic influence and strong international alliances.12. IndiaPeople in New Delhi, India.Amarjeet Kumar Singh/Anadolu Agency/Getty ImagesRising one place from 2022, US News noted that India is the world's largest democracy and has a fast-growing, diverse economy with a large, skilled workforce.The country has become an important center of information technology services, corporate outsourcing services, and software employees thanks to its educated, English-speaking workforce, it noted.It is also the second most populous country, behind China, it said.India's perceived power comes from its exports and economic influence. 11. IsraelSean Pavone/ShutterstockIsrael, despite its relatively small size, has played a significant role in global affairs, US News noted.Indicators like life expectancy, education, and per capita income, also show that the nation is highly developed, it said.However, its economy is among the most unequal in the Western world, with wide disparities between the rich and poor, it said.According to US News, the country is accused of violating human rights and is involved in continuing border disputes surrounding the occupied Palestinian territories.Israel dropped one place from last year's power ranking, with its strong military and political influence being the key attributes highlighted.10. United Arab EmiratesDubai Skyline and Jumeirah Open Beach.Jorg Greuel/Getty ImagesUS News noted that the United Arab Emirates' discovery of oil in the mid-20th century has rapidly transformed its economy.The UAE's per capita GDP is now comparable to that of major Western European nations, it said.The country has the most competitive economy in the Arab world, according to the World Economic Forum, US News noted.But the UAE dropped one spot from last year's ranking, overtaken by neighboring Saudi Arabia.9. Saudi ArabiaSaudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.Bertrand Guay/AFP via Getty ImagesSaudi Arabia is the world's largest oil supplier, accounting for an estimated quarter of global oil supplies, US News noted.It added that the country is an OPEC founding member and a member of the World Trade Organization, as well as other international bodies.Every year, millions of faithful Muslims from all over the world make the pilgrimage to Mecca, which is believed to be the birthplace of the Muslim prophet Mohammed and the cradle of Islam, it noted.Saudi Arabia moved up two spots compared to last year, when it ranked 11th, with particular attention paid to its economic and political influence.8. JapanKabukicho district, Tokyo, Japan.Getty ImagesUS News described Japan as one of the world's "most literate and technically advanced nations."It noted the country has the third-largest economy in the world, and is among the world's largest producers of vehicles, electronic equipment, and steel.Japan's economic influence was the fourth highest in the world, according to those surveyed.Its ranking hasn't changed from last year.7. FranceFrench President Emmanuel Macron.Antoine Gyori/Getty ImagesUS News noted France's economy ranks among the strongest in the world, with tourism playing a key role.It also said France is one of the most-visited countries on earth and is one of the world's top exporters of weapons."France is one of the world's oldest countries, and its reach extends around the globe through science, politics, economics and perhaps above all, culture," US News said.Its strong international alliances and economic influence were key to its power ranking, which was the same as in 2022.  6. South KoreaSouth Korean soldiers participate in a ceremony to mark the 71st anniversary of Armed Forces Day in October 2019.Jeon Heon-kyun/Pool via REUTERSUS News pointed to South Korea's strong military and strong exports for its position on the power ranking.The country is part of many international organizations, including the UN, G20, World Trade Organization, and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations Regional Forum.South Korea has "one of the world's largest gross national savings and reserves of foreign investment," US News said, while also highlighting its huge exports of cars and technology, with the country being home to the headquarters of Samsung, Hyundai, and Kia.US News described South Korea's "high-tech, service-based economy" as "a foreign investment success story," and said it now has one of the world's biggest economies.5. UKThe London skyline.GettyUS News said the UK has strong global influence due in part to its past, when it controlled the British Empire.It described the UK as "a highly developed nation that exerts considerable international economic, political, scientific and cultural influence."It also described London as "a major international financial center and one of the most visited cities in the world," and noted how the UK has many of the world's top universities.The UK is also part of the World Trade Organization, the G20, NATO, and the World Bank, and is a permanent member of the United Nations Security Council, but US News also said its "role on the global stage faces new questions" since it left the EU.4. GermanyCologne, Germany.Jorg Greuel/Getty ImagesGermany's strong international alliances and its strong economic influence were cited by US News for its high-ranking position, the same one it occupied in last year's ranking.It noted that Germany is "the most populous nation in the European Union" and "possesses one of the largest economies in the world," with Germany being one of the biggest importers and exporters on the planet. The country borders nine other countries, and it is part of major international organizations, including the UN, EU, NATO, and the OECD.Germany has also produced "some of the world's leading figures in the natural and social sciences, as well as the arts," US News said, and it also has a "highly skilled, affluent workforce."But it noted the country has some issues like an aging population.3. RussiaRussian President Vladimir Putin.ILYA PITALEV/SPUTNIK/AFP via Getty ImagesRussia retained its third-place spot in the US News power ranking despite struggling in its invasion of Ukraine, which it launched in February 2022.Russia's military has been grinding and has experienced some embarrassing setbacks, with the country also increasingly isolated.US News said that some of Russia's power comes from its huge size, which is "difficult to imagine," with Russia being the largest country in the world by landmass.Its standing is also boosted as it shares borders with so many countries, as well as sea borders with Japan and the US.US News pointed to Russia's big industries like oil and natural gas production, agriculture, fishing, and manufacturing, as well as the country's history as a major weapons exporter.It also pointed to Russia's contributions to culture with its many celebrated authors, and to science with its history of space exploration.Russia is also a member of major international organizations like the G20 and the World Trade Organization, as well as a permanent member of the United Nations Security Council, even though it has threatened to leave some of them.2. ChinaDuKai photographer/ Getty ImagesUS News noted how China is considered the second-largest country in the world by land mass and has the world's second-biggest economy.It said China has been one of the world's fastest-growing major economies since reforms in 1978, and its rapid economic growth is recognized for lifting millions of people out of poverty.But that growth has caused problems, US News noted, including growing inequality and pollution in the country and growing tensions with some other major countries like the US, which criticize its human rights record.China has nuclear weapons and is a member of major international organizations like the World Trade Organization and the United Nations Security Council, boosting its power ranking.1. USUS President Joe Biden.Chip Somodevilla/Getty ImagesUS News called the US the "dominant global power" and kept the country in poll position in its power ranking.It noted how the US has the world's largest economy in terms of GDP (at $25.5 trillion) and how it is also the world's "most technologically powerful" country. The US being the world's top producer of both oil and natural gas, as well as it having the world's biggest coal reserves, was also cited by US News.US News also mentioned the country's huge media industry with "global influence," its "significant exports" around the world, it being home to many of the world's top universities, and its leading role in international organizations like the UN and NATO.But it also noted some of the US' "domestic struggles,"  including polarized politics, firearm deaths, racial tensions, and income inequality.Read the original article on Business Insider.....»»

High-paying jobs have lured thousands of young people to Midland, Texas. It's strained the housing market and schools, but there are perks, too. Employees at The Tailgate, an entertainment venue in Midland, Texas.Alcynna Lloyd/ Insider Midland's booming oil and energy sector has brought thousands of millennials to the West Texas city. Insider spoke with five residents to understand how their presence has transformed Midland. They said the influx of homebuyers has strained the housing market and schools, but there are perks. From Baltimore to Florida, young people across the country have grown disenchanted with homeownership. A cocktail of higher home prices and mortgage rates, as well as surging consumer debt, have led many to believe it's out of reach.But some young people have found refuge in  Midland, a West Texas city in the Permian Basin that has become a mecca for young people hoping to get a slice of the American dream.Midland, a nearly five-hour drive west of the Dallas Fort Worth metroplex, is one of the few places in the US where millennials are dominating the real-estate market. According to researchers at the National Association of Realtors, more than half of the city's homeowners are between the ages of 22 and 40, as of 2021.With a bit of skepticism, I visited the desert city of 176,914 residents this summer to investigate how this was even possible. I met with almost a dozen people, including local politicians, business owners, lifelong residents, and new homeowners. I learned that Midland's thriving oil and energy industry and its high-paying jobs are behind the city's millennial homeownership success. I also discovered that the surge in millennial homebuyers has led to unintended consequences for the city, ranging from a housing shortage to the dire need for larger schools. In their own words, here are five Midland residents on how millennials have brought about both positive and negative changes to the city.Lori Blong, Mayor of MidlandMidland's mayor Lori Blong.Alcynna Lloyd/InsiderMidland Mayor Lori Blong is a millennial herself. The former teacher and Habitat for Humanity president grew up in the city and, like many of its residents, has ties to the oil industry. She and her husband are the co-owners of Octane Energy, a natural oil and gas company that launched in 2013.As a native Midlander, Mayor Blong, who was born in the early 1980s, has had a front-row seat to Midland's decades long population upsurge. "I think that people move to Midland from other states largely because we have such a business-friendly economy," Blong told me. "Midland specifically has a lot of well-paying jobs relative to the size of our community."Those lucrative jobs have not only elevated Midland's population and homeownership rate, but have also spurred a demand for additional businesses to cater to the city's residents."The young millennials that own homes are also raising families here," she said. "As mayor, it's a huge priority to find family-friendly opportunities for economic development."Yet, due to a significant segment of Midland's population working in the oil and energy sector, the city has shortfalls in employment across other sectors such as banking, hospitality, and entertainment. Blong said one of her objectives as mayor is to boost the city's workforce. "We just don't have enough people to do all the jobs that are needed here," she  said. "Whether in an oil field, or in retail, food, and beverage service, we have a great need for more workers."Ariel Herrera, 27, cofounder and co-owner of The TailgateAriel Herrera, the cofounder and co-owner of The Tailgate.Alcynna Lloyd/InsiderAriel Herrera, a former Austin resident, came to Midland in 2018 to work in the oil and gas industry. She's employed as a petroleum landman, which is someone who performs title work, as well as monitors contracts, transactions, and acquisitions. In 2022, Herrera along with cofounder Sean Elphick, opened The Tailgate, a live-music venue whose clientele mostly consists of millennials.In the past year, Herrera and Elphick have grown their business from a singular stage to a full-blown venue with a liquor license. In 2023, The Tailgate won $100,000 from Midland Development Corporation to support their business.Herrera said that her business' success partially stems from the need for more entertainment in Midland, especially as young people from different parts of the country relocate to the area.  "I would say there's not a lot to do here, especially for someone like me who is from Austin," Herrera told me. "However, there's been a few new things popping up like bars, restaurants and concert venues." Jacobe Kendrick, 39, team leader for the Bolt Real Estate Group at eXp RealtyReal-estate agent Jacobe Kendrick.Courtesy of Jacobe Kendrick.Jacobe Kendrick was born and raised in Midland. He has witnessed the city's evolution from a well-known high-school football hub to its current status as a popular destination for millennials.He told me that Midland's boom in young residents has ushered in more diversity."The city is totally different than it used to be, especially for someone like my dad," Kendrick told me. "He went to school in Midland when it was still segregated," he said. "These days, there's a lot more people and diversity in the city. Being a real-estate agent, Kendrick has also observed the impact millennials have had on the real estate market."A large segment of my clients are millennials," he said. "They either just got married, or they're about to have kids, or they're selling their first home to purchase another."According to Kendrick, the abundance of millennial homebuyers has led to an imbalance of supply and demand in Midland, which has reduced housing affordability. In July 2021, the median listing price in Midland was just $329,000, however in 2023, that price has jumped to $388,500, according to data from Realtor.com."Midland is experiencing a housing shortage," he said. "Six months' supply is considered normal for inventory and we haven't had more than three months of supply since I became a real-estate agent in 2015. It's led to prices consistently rising in the area."Christine Foreman, 50, public liaison with Region 18Christine Foreman in downtown Midland.Alcynna Lloyd/InsiderChristine Foreman has lived in Midland her entire life.  The mother of three works as a public liaison with Region 18, an education service center that assists Texas school districts in improving student performance. She also serves on several educational boards, and is a longtime volunteer with the Parents and Teachers Association.  Foreman told me that Midland's ongoing expansion has created more problems for its public schools. According to her, campuses are deteriorating, classrooms are full to capacity, and students lack fundamental resources such as access to WiFi.In 2021, Foreman pulled her own daughter out of Midland High School. "A couple of her school's classrooms had zero connectivity to the internet,'' Foreman told me. "She would waste an hour in a classroom not being able to do schoolwork, so we just let her stay virtual for the rest of the year."A May report  from Midland ISD shows that over the past 10 years, the district's  enrollment has increased by more than 4,500 students, and is forecasted to grow by another 4,300 in the next decade. That's not shocking considering the city's largest population demographic are children that are between the ages of zero and four years old, according to Mayor Blong, meaning the schools will be even more vital in the future.Michael Rohr, 26, business development associate at Trinity Mineral PartnersMichael Rohr in front of a Young Life community building.Alcynna Lloyd/InsiderIn 2020, Michael Rohr and his wife moved to Midland from Houston. The religious youth leader with Young Life chose the area for its strong career opportunities and close-knit community.He said that relocating to Midland has played a crucial role in his career achievements and that he has grown to love the city. "The residents of Midland are the most humble and hardworking people I've ever seen," he told me. "If you're a young adult, I don't think there is a better place to instill those qualities into somebody. It is a very competitive and entrepreneurial town."To keep these entrepreneurs satisfied, Rohr said the city is catering to them by creating more attractions, such as Centennial Park. The park, which was built in 2020 thanks to a community-wide effort, was inspired by Discovery Green in Houston and Klyde Warren Park in Dallas."Over the past couple of years, it's been fun to see more development happening in the city," he said. "Centennial Park is such a wonderful addition. If the city continues to develop, in the next five to 10 years,  it's just going to be more of a great place to live."Read the original article on Business Insider.....»»

After Years In The Wilderness, Conservative Christian Education Is Being Born Again Post-Pandemic Authored by Vince Bielski via RealClear Wire, Conservative Christian education is being born again.   Arcadia Christian Academy, which opened in Arizona on Aug. 8, is one of dozens of Christian micro-schools popping up across the country, offering a hybrid in-class and at-home education to keep costs down and the odds of survival up in an increasingly competitive K-12 sector. What’s more, many long-established Christian schools are growing their enrollment after years of stagnation.  The recent post-pandemic rebound in Christian education, prompted by parental anger over public school shutdowns and the expansion of school choice programs, comes after a prolonged period of plunging enrollment and shutdowns since the mid-2000s. Behind that decline were dismay over unaccredited schools and an emphasis on preaching the gospel over teaching rigorous courses, according to interviews with Christian school leaders, parents, and national associations, as well as religious education scholars and consultants.  They tell the story now of a Christian school movement with about 700,000 students in 8,000 schools that’s striving to leave behind its reclusive evangelical roots and reinvent itself for today, with STEM programs, AP classes, and classical “great books” curriculums.  The revamp, demanded by millennial parents and embraced by leaders of accreditation associations, is propelled by a combination of push-and-pull forces.  The push started with COVID. Public schools lost an estimated 1.2 million students during the pandemic. Upset over the long-term closure of classrooms, some parents also objected to what they observed their kids being taught during remote learning at home: Schools with a progressive tilt were teaching that gender is a fluid concept and that America is an inherently racist nation.  Evangelical schools have taken in a fair share of these public school refugees by appealing to the conservative views of parents. In their statements of faith, schools not only stress classic doctrine, such as the Bible as the word of God and the second coming of Jesus Christ. The statements also include the conservative Christian take on hot-button issues, such as it’s a sin to deny one’s biological sex.   “Alarmed that schools are embracing gender neutral ideology?” Arizona’s Dream City Christian School asks parents rhetorically on its homepage.  The pull factor – a major expansion of school choice programs – is now adding to the appeal of Christian schools. In addition to programs in 32 states that mostly provide taxpayer funding for the private education of low-income and special needs kids, eight states recently approved universal laws that make all students eligible for scholarships, regardless of family wealth. At Christian schools, these state-funded scholarships typically cover most if not all tuition, providing a powerful incentive for families that’s boosting enrollment.  But after the growth spurt, scholars and school leaders are asking a big question: Does it have legs or will it soon burn out?  New-wave Christian schooling faces plenty of headwinds. There’s competition for students from well-established Catholic schools, which have a superior academic track record, as well as rapidly expanding charter networks and homeschooling, says David Sikkink, a prominent scholar of religious education at Notre Dame. And there are the old-guard fundamentalist schools that resist accreditation and refuse to accept school-choice funding.  “Are Christian schools going to retain those parents who came at the end of COVID and continue to grow?” says Vance Nichols, head of Alta Loma Christian School in southern California. “That’s the question of the moment.” Flocking to Christian Schools  In Florida and Arizona, the answer to that question seems to be yes, thanks to new universal choice laws.  By removing income and other restrictions on receiving school choice funding, the universal laws have expanded the eligibility pool nationwide by about 4 million students, bringing the total to more than 13 million, according to the advocacy group EdChoice.  But the sweeping laws have also sharply divided school choice advocates, with prominent players like Chester Finn of the Thomas B. Fordham Institute objecting to ultra-wealthy families getting taxpayer dollars to send their kids to private schools.  Florida was already a wellspring of Christian education, with about 800 schools, when it approved a universal choice program in March. The new law is expected to dramatically boost the number of choice scholarships by as much as 40% to 350,000 students for the 2023-24 school year, says Doug Tuthill, president of Step Up For Students, which administers Florida’s five choice scholarship programs.  “A lot of bigger Protestant schools with middle- and upper-middle class students are definitely going to benefit from this expansion in demand for scholarships,” Tuthill says.  To meet demand in states like Arizona, where many Christian schools are full, educators are setting up micro-schools that enroll only about a hundred students. With students learning both in formal classrooms for a few days a week and at home for the rest, these hybrid schools keep operating costs down. To access a steady revenue stream, they are setting tuition below the choice scholarship maximum amount, allowing them to attract students with the enticing offer of a free ride. “Historically, the amount is able to cover all of our tuition costs,” which top out at $5,950, Arcadia Christian says on its website.  The new wave of micro-schools is enabled by entrepreneurial consulting groups like Soaring Education Services, which provides a one-stop shop of educational models and coaching for the Christian startups. The group, which is part of the Christian nonprofit Open Sky Education in Wisconsin, is helping launch seven micro-schools in seven states by 2024, says Jack Preus, Soaring’s national director.  “Demand for Christian schools is high,” Preus says. “Most of the growth in new schools is in micro and hybrid space.”  But traditional Christian schools are starting too. The Minneapolis-based Spreading Hope Network, which focuses on bringing a God-centered and rigorous liberal arts education to low-income urban youth, will have assisted 19 new schools and campuses get started through this year with the goal of opening 100 startups by 2032. Most of these schools are in states with choice programs, making it easier for students from poor families to afford the tuition, says Executive Director Dan Olson.  That’s true at the new campus at Pusch Ridge Christian Academy, serving mostly Latino students on the south side of Tucson. Latino pastors convinced Pusch Ridge to open the new campus after the public school district in 2020 approved a sex education program starting in the 5th grade over the objections of conservative parents, says Jonathon Basurto, principal of the new campus.  With all its low-income students certain to qualify for one or more of Arizona’s choice scholarship programs to cover the $13,000 tuition, the new Pusch Ridge campus has ambitious plans to grow from K-2 today to K-12 in 10 years.  “We are looking at a minimum of 500 students and up to 900,” Basurto says. “We have families driving 45 minutes to come to this Spanish-speaking school because it is Christian.” Christian Schools in Crisis  The growth in Christian education is a remarkable turnaround for a movement that suffered thousands of school closures in the 15 years before the pandemic. It was a period of “crisis” for the community, says Nichols, the school leader, who wrote his dissertation at the University of Southern California on the rash of failures.  The mid-2000s were the high-water mark for Christian schools. In 2006, the Association of Christian Schools International (ACSI), the largest of many Protestant education associations, counted almost 4,000 schools as members, or about half the U.S. total. Membership plummeted to 2,094 by 2022 amid the shutdowns before increasing by 45 schools this year, says Nichols, who is also an ACSI commissioner overseeing accreditation.  For Christian schools, which tend to enroll several hundred students, it was the biggest decline in their modern history. Nichols’ research shows that poor leadership, particularly by school boards, lackluster academics that didn’t meet the rising expectations of families for a rigorous education, and financial pressures from the Great Recession were major causes of the closures.  Many of the schools that shuttered in the last decade were the old-timers that remained attached to the original separatist ideology of Christian education. This took root in the 1950s when Baptist and other Christian churches began setting up hundreds of schools in response to sweeping changes in public education from Supreme Court orders that ended racial segregation and banned prayer in classrooms, according to studies of the period.  The main priority of these fundamentalist schools has been the cultivation of Christian morality and faith for the benefit of their communities. As for academics, they have practiced “good enough-ism,” or an education that’s good enough to get by in the real world, says Patrick Wolf, who studies private schools at the University of Arkansas.   “The churches were sold on the concept that all they had to do is to buy a curriculum in packets and parents could run the school without professionals,” says Howard Burke, executive director of the Florida Association of Christian Colleges and Schools, an accreditation agency. “They believed a godly mother could teach a child a Christian curriculum.”  Since then, many Christian schools have made big academic leaps forward. The best of them send students to Harvard, M.I.T., Vanderbilt, and West Point.  Alta Loma Christian, the school Nichols heads, is an example. In 2016, Nichols began introducing a serious STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) program, where students learn computer coding in early elementary grades. That’s partly why Alta Loma’s enrollment has grown from 240 to more than 300 students in a highly competitive private school market in San Bernardino County.  When Paul and Nuria Koszut were looking for a Christian school for their oldest son, they rejected several that seemed like a continuation of Sunday school until they found Alta Loma. “We did want a Christian foundation at a school but also a very strong academic program,” says Paul Koszut. “Alta Loma has both parts.”  Hundreds of Christian schools are also adopting a demanding classical liberal arts program, a rapidly growing trend in private education that focuses on fundamental truths and virtue through the reading of great works of literature and philosophy. In Illinois at the K-12 Classical Consortium Academy, a Christian hybrid school, seventh graders read Dante’s “Inferno,” one of a long list of classics in the middle and high school curriculum that includes “The Republic,” Plutarch’s “Lives,” Augustine’s “Confessions,” “Don Quixote,” and “The Communist Manifesto.”  “The academic bar has been lowered so significantly that students think they can’t read these great works,” says Jennifer Burns, who founded the school and is helping launch seven more classical Christian academies nationwide for Turning Point Academy. “We offer rigor not to break their spirit but to show them they can handle it.” Fundamentalist Education Lives On  But a smaller number of Christian schools continue to abide by orthodoxy. They criticize bigger and academically driven schools for “being not very Christian and tempted by worldly standards of success,” says Sikkink of Notre Dame.  The fundamentalist schools also don’t see the need for accreditation – a big priority for leaders in the movement – because it brings outside oversight and standards. As a result, these schools struggle to attract students and revenue and can’t afford to offer higher-level classes like calculus and physics. “Fundamentalist schools could use some financial help,” says Sikkink.  No one knows how many Christian schools are accredited, but only 39% of more than 2,100 ACSI schools have this stamp of academic approval by the association, which is making efforts to expand that number. In Florida, where Christian schools have had more state support to develop and improve, almost 80% are accredited by independent associations.   The unaccredited schools are more likely to use the overtly patriotic Christian textbooks from Bob Jones University Press and Abeka, which were mainstays in Christian education several decades ago. School leaders now criticize the textbooks for sugarcoating America’s transgressions, such as the treatment of America Indians and black slaves. While many schools have ditched these materials in favor of more politically balanced readings, the Bob Jones and Abeka brands continue to be used at about 40% of Christian schools, estimates Sikkink, who says the textbooks remain “an issue.”  The infusion of faith-based politics into the classrooms of evangelical schools is also concerning to education leaders. They aim to steer clear of accusations that Christian schools are a conservative training ground for America’s culture wars.  A Christian school in New England blurs the line between education and activism, according to research that kept the school anonymous as a condition of access to its classes. In a lesson on transgender issues, several articles given to students all concluded that the practice of gender reassignment is wrong and harmful to teens, a position in keeping with Christian dogma about the God-given sexual identities of men and women, according to the study of the school by Jeremy Alexander of Boston College. At the end of the lesson, the teacher stressed to students the importance of voting, particularly in local school board elections, where candidates who hold anti-Christian views on issues like gender identity can be defeated.  Scholars differ on whether just a handful or a significant chunk of schools are encouraging students to be political activists guided by the conservative Christian playbook. But they agree that schools shouldn’t tell students how to think and should instead present a range of views, on everything from economics to evolution, to prepare them for the debates and compromises that are essential to a democracy.  “I don’t think the overwhelming majority of Christian schools are trying to groom culture warriors, but some of them are,” says Alexander, who published a 2022 paper on this topic. “This isn’t how students should be taught to live in a pluralistic society.” Schools Built on Choice   Most schools benefiting from school choice are not Christian traditionalists. They shun the programs in fear that the government will try to control them despite a hands-off approach in most states. Instead, college-prep schools like Little Rock Christian Academy in Arkansas are opening their doors to state funding.  The PK-12 academy has steadily grown since 1977 to about 1,600 students, luring them with at least 18 AP classes and an average ACT test score well above the national average. The strong academic program in a Christian academy also brought Justin Smith, who holds a doctorate in education, to the school six years ago.  Smith, who heads Little Rock, says his board decided to participate in the state’s recently approved universal choice program after concluding it wouldn’t compromise the school’s Christian values with requirements other than accreditation, an award the school has already earned. As the program rolls out, increasing numbers of currently enrolled and new students will get $6,600 in funding for tuition and other expenses, reaching all students in the state by 2025.  The funding makes it easier for hardworking families to afford the tuition and stay enrolled, providing Little Rock with more stability. “It strengthens our families, and in turn, our school,” says Smith.  States like Arkansas that are just starting to expand choice programs can look to Florida to see what decades of taxpayer support for private schools can do.  So far, the biggest impact is in poor communities, where black and Latino churches have used the state funding to build and expand more than 200 schools over two decades, says Tuthill of Step Up For Students. The payoff has been the improved academic performance of underprivileged students, almost all of whom are on choice scholarships, and job growth that the schools generate in these communities.  “Show me a better anti-poverty program anywhere,” says Tuthill. “The churches are essentially running small businesses and the schools are thriving.”  Florida’s new universal program is now expanding scholarships to the middle and upper classes, benefiting schools like the high-performing Rocky Bayou Christian Academy in Niceville. It educates students from military, law enforcement, and wealthier families with a college prep curriculum inspired by the Dutch Reformed idea of schooling. “You worship God by learning,” says Superintendent Mike Mosley, who holds a Ph.D. in history. “We have 11 AP classes, including calculus BC and physics.”  Rocky Bayou has expanded from 730 students in 2021 to 1,100, partly because choice scholarships have made the tuition of about $10,000 affordable. With universal choice, the number of students on a state-funded scholarship will rise to 80%, which will allow Mosley to reduce his own school’s financial aid and redeploy it to upgrade the facilities and boost low teacher salaries. A new high school building is in the works that will push enrollment up to about 1,400.  Katie Williams, whose husband works in law enforcement, has four children at Rocky Bayou. During the pandemic, she pulled her two boys out of public school to teach them at home using a Christian curriculum that won her over. She now sends the boys and her two young daughters to Rocky Bayou to continue their Christian education.  “We would never be able to send our four children to Rocky without the choice scholarships,” says Williams, who pays only $400 a month in total tuition.  What will be the impact of more school choice funding on Christian education nationwide? Sikkink estimates that enrollment could grow by about 20% over time despite resistance from the fundamentalist wing and competition from other private schools.  “Christian schools have been reinventing themselves and it needs to continue to prepare our kids for their future,” says Nichols. “If we do this, we can prevent another downturn in the number of Christian schools.”  Tyler Durden Fri, 08/18/2023 - 22:20.....»»

America’s college towns tend to be some of the best places to live – not just for students, teachers, and academic staff, but for retirees, refugees from big cities, and anyone else looking for an environment providing intellectual stimulation, good restaurants and farmers’ markets, thriving arts and music scenes, and often access to national parks […] America’s college towns tend to be some of the best places to live – not just for students, teachers, and academic staff, but for retirees, refugees from big cities, and anyone else looking for an environment providing intellectual stimulation, good restaurants and farmers’ markets, thriving arts and music scenes, and often access to national parks or other recreational facilities.  Desirable college towns are usually affordable, with healthy economies and a young, well-educated population. They pride themselves on their history, bask in the accomplishments of college sports teams, and are often home to good art museums and landmark architecture. (These are the best American small towns for the arts.) To determine the best college towns in America, 24/7 Tempo developed an index based on 11 metrics measuring quality of life for college students in cities, villages, towns, and census-designated places, considering only those locations with populations of 5,000 or greater where at least 20% of residents are enrolled in a college or university. Click here to read about the 50 best college towns in America Click here for a detailed methodology The population of college towns tends to have attained a higher level of education than those in a typical U.S. city. All but two of the 50 best college towns on our list have a bachelor’s degree attainment rate higher than the national rate of 33.7%. Some even rank among the most educated cities in the country. (On the other hand, these are America’s least college-educated states.) Sponsored: Find a Qualified Financial Advisor Finding a qualified financial advisor doesn’t have to be hard. SmartAsset’s free tool matches you with up to 3 fiduciary financial advisors in your area in 5 minutes. Each advisor has been vetted by SmartAsset and is held to a fiduciary standard to act in your best interests. If you’re ready to be matched with local advisors that can help you achieve your financial goals, get started now......»»

Trans adults and families of trans youth are moving across the country to escape anti-trans bills. The Denis family is one of them. Amanda Denis and her daughter Olivia, 8.Courtesy of Amanda DenisAmanda Denis's daughter, Olivia, came out as trans when she was 4-and-a-half years old.The family has lived in Florida for 10 years. But a wave of anti-trans bills prompted them to move.They're planning on moving to Minnesota, a sanctuary state for trans people.In the past 10 years, Amanda Denis and her husband Travis have built a tight-knit community in northwest Florida, where their 8-year-old daughter Olivia can thrive and find support as a trans girl.But the Denis family now feels that their lives in Florida are about to be upended. A bill the state's Senate passed on Tuesday, which appears all but likely to be passed by a Republican-controlled House, could put limits on gender-affirming care for minors and potentially punish parents who help provide the treatment.If passed, Florida's SB 254 would grant the state's courts temporary emergency jurisdiction over custody enforcement proceedings if a parent has supported a child's gender-affirming care. It's left parents of trans children like the Denises fearing that the state could one day have a say on the custody of their kids. It would also limit Olivia's future access to healthcare. The bill would restrict funding and protections for healthcare providers that offer gender-affirming care to trans patients.Amanda told Insider she and her family feel their only recourse is to move out of the Sunshine State in six months and head to Minnesota — one of two US "sanctuary states" where lawmakers have vowed that trans kids will always have access to gender-affirming medical care, while shielding parents from child abuse investigations and custody battles for supporting their children."I thought the worst they would do is restrict gender-affirming care," Amanda said. But the mention of custody made her and Travis consider the monumental move.Olivia's mental health was in dangerBefore she came out, Olivia was barely four years old and suffering from mental health issues."She was a pretty severe self-harmer," Amanda said. "She was on Zoloft for mood."One night, Olivia told her mother, "My brain tells me I'm a girl." Initially, Amanda was confused. But her husband, Travis, was unfazed."He was able to calm me down," she said. "About four days later, my husband took Olivia to get a whole new wardrobe. He felt it was important for him to do that for his daughter."Three months later, "we were able to take her off of all the mood medication. She never wavered. We just follow her lead," Amanda said.Today, Olivia is 8 years old and thriving. She and her two siblings, Elijah, 10, and Amelia, 6, are homeschooled by their mother.The Denises put roots down in Florida. Olivia has a best friend named Carter, whose mother is Amanda's best friend, too. The children's grandparents also live nearby. But looking ahead at legislation like SB 254 has changed things. With their lease running out in August, the family decided to head to Minnesota.SB 254 threatens to remove transgender kids from the custody of their supportive parentsOn March 3, Florida state Sen. Clay Yarborough introduced SB 254, a bill that could remove transgender children from the custody of their supportive parents, specifically parents who give their children under the age of 18 gender-affirming healthcare. Gender-affirming healthcare includes hormone replacement therapy, like estrogen, testosterone, and puberty blockers, as well as gender-affirming surgery, which is extremely rare for anyone under 18, and mental health care. Studies have shown that providing this care is linked to lower rates of anxiety, depression, and suicidal ideations for trans youth.SB 254 also threatens to revoke the medical licenses of practitioners who provide gender-affirming care and places a ban on using state funds to provide the treatment. This would prohibit universities or health insurance plans for government workers from using public funds to provide gender-affirming care. Yarborough did not respond to Insider's request for comment.Florida's House is considering a similar bill that prohibits public expenditure on gender-affirming care, meaning it wouldn't be covered under state health insurance plans.The bills expand on Gov. Ron DeSantis' recent actions against gender-affirming care for youth. His administration in June pushed the state Board of Medicine to ban medicaid coverage of puberty blockers, hormone therapy, and surgery for patients of all ages. In February, the Board of Medicine expanded on the restrictions and banned gender-affirming care for minors, including in clinical trials."When they say 'gender-affirming care,' what they mean a lot of the times is you're castrating a young boy, you're sterilizing a young girl, you're doing mastectomies for these very young girls," DeSantis said in a May 2022 interview on Fox News contributor Lisa Boothe's podcast. He has also painted gender-affirming care as "mutilation of minors."DeSantis did not respond to Insider's request for comment. In a previous story about SB 254, representatives for DeSantis declined to comment on SB 254 until it makes its way to the Governor's desk.Anti-trans legislation's affect on 1.3 million trans children and their familiesAccording to the LGBT Movement Advancement Project, there 1.3 million trans children under the age of 18, but only 27% of them have families that are very supportive.ACLU of Florida said SB 254 "empowers the state to investigate families" who provide their children with gender-affirming care and "criminalizes" parents and doctors for providing the treatment.Olivia is only 8 years old, so it will be years before she needs hormone replacement therapy or potential surgeries. Amanda and her husband planned on traveling out of state when the time comes to give Olivia gender-affirming healthcare. They even planned on moving to Baltimore, Maryland, so they can stay relatively close to their family and friends. However, SB 254 changed the Denis' plans drastically.Amanda is aiming to raise $10,000 to be able to afford their moveTogether, Amanda and Travis make less than $50,000 a year to support a family of five. Travis is an Air Force veteran who works remotely for an insurance company, while Amanda works part-time at the childcare center of a local gym."Moving is not something we ever financially planned on," Amanda said.The Denis family currently rent their home in Florida, and their lease is up in August. Though it is unclear if the bill will pass, Amanda wants to move when their lease is up.Amanda and her husband each have credit scores in the 500s, which will make apartment-hunting in Minnesota even harder.Since the couple doesn't have savings or a lot of discretionary income, Amanda made a GoFundMe page to ask her community for support during this time."Olivia has two very large trans flags, but we cannot fly them publicly," Amanda said. "It's very important for me to be able to find a neighborhood where my daughter can be proud and not hide."Read the original article on Business Insider.....»»

A Nanny State Idiocracy: When The Government Thinks It Knows Best Authored by John & Nisha Whitehead via The Rutherford Institute, “Whether the mask is labeled fascism, democracy, or dictatorship of the proletariat, our great adversary remains the apparatus—the bureaucracy, the police, the military.” - Simone Weil, French philosopher It’s hard to say whether we’re dealing with a kleptocracy (a government ruled by thieves), a kakistocracy (a government run by unprincipled career politicians, corporations and thieves that panders to the worst vices in our nature and has little regard for the rights of American citizens), or if we’ve gone straight to an idiocracy.  For instance, an animal welfare bill introduced in the Florida state legislature would ban the sale of rabbits in March and April, prohibit cat owners from declawing their pets, make it illegal for dogs to stick their heads out of car windows, force owners to place dogs in a harness or in a pet seatbelt when traveling in a car, and require police to create a public list of convicted animal abusers. A Massachusetts law prohibits drivers from letting their cars idle for more than five minutes on penalty of a $100 fine ($500 for repeat offenders), even in the winter. You can also be fined $20 or a month in jail for scaring pigeons. This overbearing Nanny State despotism is what happens when government representatives (those elected and appointed to work for us) adopt the authoritarian notion that the government knows best and therefore must control, regulate and dictate almost everything about the citizenry’s public, private and professional lives. The government’s bureaucratic attempts at muscle-flexing by way of overregulation and overcriminalization have reached such outrageous limits that federal and state governments now require on penalty of a fine that individuals apply for permission before they can grow exotic orchids, host elaborate dinner parties, gather friends in one’s home for Bible studies, give coffee to the homeless, let their kids manage a lemonade stand, keep chickens as pets, or braid someone’s hair, as ludicrous as that may seem. Consider, for example, that businesses in California were ordered to designate an area of the children's toy aisle “gender-neutral” or face a fine, whether or not the toys sold are traditionally marketed to girls or boys such as Barbies and Hot Wheels. California schools are prohibited from allowing students to access websites, novels or religious works that reflect negatively on gays. And while Californians are free to have sex with whomever they choose (because that’s none of the government’s business), removing a condom during sex without consent could make you liable for general, special and punitive damages. It’s getting worse. Almost every aspect of American life today—especially if it is work-related—is subject to this kind of heightened scrutiny and ham-fisted control, whether you’re talking about aspiring “bakers, braiders, casket makers, florists, veterinary masseuses, tour guides, taxi drivers, eyebrow threaders, teeth whiteners, and more.” For instance, whereas 70 years ago, one out of every 20 U.S. jobs required a state license, today, almost 1 in 3 American occupations requires a license. The problem of overregulation has become so bad that, as one analyst notes, “getting a license to style hair in Washington takes more instructional time than becoming an emergency medical technician or a firefighter.” This is what happens when bureaucrats run the show, and the rule of law becomes little more than a cattle prod for forcing the citizenry to march in lockstep with the government. Overregulation is just the other side of the coin to overcriminalization, that phenomenon in which everything is rendered illegal and everyone becomes a lawbreaker. As policy analyst Michael Van Beek warns, the problem with overcriminalization is that there are so many laws at the federal, state and local levels—that we can’t possibly know them all. “It’s also impossible to enforce all these laws. Instead, law enforcement officials must choose which ones are important and which are not. The result is that they pick the laws Americans really must follow, because they’re the ones deciding which laws really matter,” concludes Van Beek. “Federal, state and local regulations — rules created by unelected government bureaucrats — carry the same force of law and can turn you into a criminal if you violate any one of them… if we violate these rules, we could be prosecuted as criminals. No matter how antiquated or ridiculous, they still carry the full force of the law. By letting so many of these sit around, just waiting to be used against us, we increase the power of law enforcement, which has lots of options to charge people with legal and regulatory violations.” This is the police state’s superpower: it has been vested with the authority to make our lives a bureaucratic hell. That explains how a fisherman can be saddled with 20 years’ jail time for throwing fish that were too small back into the water. Or why police arrested a 90-year-old man for violating an ordinance that prohibits feeding the homeless in public unless portable toilets are also made available. The laws can get downright silly. For instance, you could also find yourself passing time in a Florida slammer for such inane activities as singing in a public place while wearing a swimsuit, breaking more than three dishes per day, farting in a public place after 6 pm on a Thursday, and skateboarding without a license. However, the consequences are all too serious for those whose lives become grist for the police state’s mill. A few years back, police raided barber shops in minority communities, resulting in barbers being handcuffed in front of customers, and their shops searched without warrants. All of this was purportedly done in an effort to make sure that the barbers’ licensing paperwork was up to snuff. In this way, America has gone from being a beacon of freedom to a locked down nation. And “we the people,” sold on the idea that safety, security and material comforts are preferable to freedom, have allowed the government to pave over the Constitution in order to erect a concentration camp. We labor today under the weight of countless tyrannies, large and small, carried out in the so-called name of the national good by an elite class of governmental and corporate officials who are largely insulated from the ill effects of their actions. We increasingly find ourselves badgered, bullied and browbeaten into bearing the brunt of their arrogance, paying the price for their greed, suffering the backlash for their militarism, agonizing as a result of their inaction, feigning ignorance about their backroom dealings, overlooking their incompetence, turning a blind eye to their misdeeds, cowering from their heavy-handed tactics, and blindly hoping for change that never comes.  The overt signs of the despotism exercised by the increasingly authoritarian regime that passes itself off as the United States government (and its corporate partners in crime) are all around us: censorship, criminalizing, shadow banning and de-platforming of individuals who express ideas that are politically incorrect or unpopular; warrantless surveillance of Americans’ movements and communications; SWAT team raids of Americans’ homes; shootings of unarmed citizens by police; harsh punishments meted out to schoolchildren in the name of zero tolerance; community-wide lockdowns and health mandates that strip Americans of their freedom of movement and bodily integrity; armed drones taking to the skies domestically; endless wars; out-of-control spending; militarized police; roadside strip searches; privatized prisons with a profit incentive for jailing Americans; fusion centers that spy on, collect and disseminate data on Americans’ private transactions; and militarized agencies with stockpiles of ammunition, to name some of the most appalling. Yet as egregious as these incursions on our rights may be, it’s the endless, petty tyrannies—the heavy-handed, punitive-laden dictates inflicted by a self-righteous, Big-Brother-Knows-Best bureaucracy on an overtaxed, overregulated, and underrepresented populace—that illustrate so clearly the degree to which “we the people” are viewed as incapable of common sense, moral judgment, fairness, and intelligence, not to mention lacking a basic understanding of how to stay alive, raise a family, or be part of a functioning community. In exchange for the promise of an end to global pandemics, lower taxes, lower crime rates, safe streets, safe schools, blight-free neighborhoods, and readily accessible technology, health care, water, food and power, we’ve opened the door to lockdowns, militarized police, government surveillance, asset forfeiture, school zero tolerance policies, license plate readers, red light cameras, SWAT team raids, health care mandates, overcriminalization, overregulation and government corruption. In the end, such bargains always turn sour. We relied on the government to help us safely navigate national emergencies (terrorism, natural disasters, global pandemics, etc.) only to find ourselves forced to relinquish our freedoms on the altar of national security, yet we’re no safer (or healthier) than before. We asked our lawmakers to be tough on crime, and we’ve been saddled with an abundance of laws that criminalize almost every aspect of our lives. So far, we’re up to 4500 criminal laws and 300,000 criminal regulations that result in average Americans unknowingly engaging in criminal acts at least three times a day. For instance, the family of an 11-year-old girl was issued a $535 fine for violating the Federal Migratory Bird Act after the young girl rescued a baby woodpecker from predatory cats. We wanted criminals taken off the streets, and we didn’t want to have to pay for their incarceration. What we’ve gotten is a nation that boasts the highest incarceration rate in the world, with more than 2.3 million people locked up, many of them doing time for relatively minor, nonviolent crimes, and a private prison industry fueling the drive for more inmates, who are forced to provide corporations with cheap labor. A special report by CNBC breaks down the national numbers: One out of 100 American adults is behind bars — while a stunning one out of 32 is on probation, parole or in prison. This reliance on mass incarceration has created a thriving prison economy. The states and the federal government spend about $74 billion a year on corrections, and nearly 800,000 people work in the industry. We wanted law enforcement agencies to have the necessary resources to fight the nation’s wars on terror, crime and drugs. What we got instead were militarized police decked out with M-16 rifles, grenade launchers, silencers, battle tanks and hollow point bullets—gear designed for the battlefield, more than 80,000 SWAT team raids carried out every year (many for routine police tasks, resulting in losses of life and property), and profit-driven schemes that add to the government’s largesse such as asset forfeiture, where police seize property from “suspected criminals.” According to the Washington Post, these funds have been used to buy guns, armored cars, electronic surveillance gear, “luxury vehicles, travel and a clown named Sparkles.” Police seminars advise officers to use their “department wish list when deciding which assets to seize” and, in particular, go after flat screen TVs, cash and nice cars. In Florida, where police are no strangers to asset forfeiture, Florida police have been carrying out “reverse” sting operations, where they pose as drug dealers to lure buyers with promises of cheap cocaine, then bust them, and seize their cash and cars. Over the course of a year, police in one small Florida town seized close to $6 million using these entrapment schemes. We fell for the government’s promise of safer roads, only to find ourselves caught in a tangle of profit-driven red light cameras, which ticket unsuspecting drivers in the so-called name of road safety while ostensibly fattening the coffers of local and state governments. Despite widespread public opposition, corruption and systemic malfunctions, these cameras—used in 24 states and Washington, DC—are particularly popular with municipalities, which look to them as an easy means of extra cash. One small Florida town, population 8,000, generates a million dollars a year in fines from these cameras. Building on the profit-incentive schemes, the cameras’ manufacturers are also pushing speed cameras and school bus cameras, both of which result in heft fines for violators who speed or try to go around school buses. As I make clear in my book Battlefield America: The War on the American People and in its fictional counterpart The Erik Blair Diaries, this is what happens when the American people get duped, deceived, double-crossed, cheated, lied to, swindled and conned into believing that the government and its army of bureaucrats—the people we appointed to safeguard our freedoms—actually have our best interests at heart. The problem with these devil’s bargains is that there is always a catch, always a price to pay for whatever it is we valued so highly as to barter away our most precious possessions. We’ve bartered away our right to self-governance, self-defense, privacy, autonomy and that most important right of all: the right to tell the government to “leave me the hell alone.” Tyler Durden Tue, 02/28/2023 - 22:45.....»»

Newsom Twosome: Siebel Newsom's Films - Shown In Middle Schools - Feature Porn, Radical Gender Ideologies, And Her Husband Gavin By Adam Andrzejewski of Open the Books Substack FLOWCHART: How Jennifer Siebel Newsom used taxpayer dollars to trade with herself, her nonprofit organization, and her for-profit business. The organization refused to disclose how much of their screening revenues came from California public schools. California Governor Gavin Newsom and his wife, Jennifer Siebel Newsom, are the dream team. He runs the state and she’s a nonprofit founder, entrepreneur, and filmmaker. While her husband attends to state business, Siebel Newsom engages in her passion: advancing "gender justice” through her charitable nonprofit The Representation Project. According to tax documents the organization is “committed to building a thriving and inclusive society through films, education, and social activism.”   We previously reported that while the governor engaged in the highly unethical practice of soliciting 1,000 state vendors for $10.6 million in campaign cash, the first partner, Jennifer Siebel Newsom, solicited state vendors and the governor’s campaign donors for large gifts to her charity, The Representation Project. However, Newsom’s charity shouldn’t have been soliciting anyone for donations throughout most of 2022. Last week, our investigation broke the story that The Representation Project was not in compliance with the California Charitable Solicitation Act. Now, it’s clear that the charity spent last year engaged in big-money fundraising events with corporate executives and philanthropists – while its charitable filings were delinquent with the state. Then, the Newsom nonprofit scrambled to submit their proper registration. Working with the California Attorney General, a process that normally takes days or weeks was completed in hours. Screenshot from the state of California Department of Justice showing The Representation Project’s delinquent status. As of 1/12/2023, 10AM CT. So, just what does Jennifer Siebel Newsom’s charity do – with the full support of her husband, the governor, and underwritten by the wealthy California establishment? THE FILMS Siebel Newsom, through her non-profit The Representation Project, has released four films advocating gender justice. The films are leased for screenings to individuals, corporations, and schools, and come with their own lesson plans. Schools spend between $49-$599 to screen these movies to children. Jennifer Siebel Newsom is credited as a writer and director on each of these films. Two of the movies feature Gavin Newsom himself, and many of the lesson plan activities are oriented toward engaging children in social and political activism. Because of Gavin Newsom’s role in these films and because licenses are sold to schools which the governor is responsible for funding with tax dollars, auditors at OpenTheBooks.com felt the organization deserved further scrutiny. Who’s Watching? 2.6 million students in 5,000 schools According to The Representation Project’s Impact Report (2011-2021), the organization’s film curricula are being used in over 5,000 schools in all fifty states. The Representation Project claims over 11,200 copies of the curricula have been distributed, reaching more than 2.6 million students. Tax records show that since 2012 the nonprofit has generated $1,483,001 in film screening revenue, although it is unclear how much money came from schools versus other sources. We asked The Representation Project for the number of California schools that purchased a screening license and received no response.   Auditors at OpenTheBooks.com watched Newsom’s movies and read the lesson plans. What we found was, at times, shocking: sexually explicit images, political boosterism, and something called “The Genderbread Person.” SEXUALLY EXPLICIT IMAGES Screenshot from “age-appropriate” middle school curriculum video for Miss Representation; see full video here.  Miss Representation’s curriculum links to “age-appropriate” video clips in its K-12 lesson plans and says that the full film is rated PG-14. (Certainly, parents may still object to clips from the “age-appropriate” film like the animated, upside down stripper shown above).  The film features strong language and women dressed provocatively: Caroline Heldman, who is now executive director of Newsom’s non-profit, described women’s role in action movies as “the fighting fuck toy.” Actress Daphne Zuniga, famous for Melrose Place and film parody Spaceballs, suggested women should “tell those fuckers to get penis implants,” in response to being told to get plastic surgery.  Middle school children are served images of upside-down strippers with little left to the imagination (see above). Then, it gets worse. Newsom’s film The Mask You Live In features the website addresses of porn sites including Porn Hub, MassiveCams, BDSM.XXX, and Brazzers.com. The pornographic images displayed in the film are tagged with descriptions such as “domination,” “face fuck,” “kinky couples,” and “…dirty brunettes.” Newsom included images of naked or mostly naked women being slapped, handcuffed, and brutalized in pornographic videos. The pictures are graphic even when blurred. Screenshots of those scenes can be found HERE (VIEWER DISCRETION IS ADVISED). These jarring pictures are displayed with their corresponding porn website addresses – providing a roadmap for future exploration. The film seems to justify their harmful content by saying that “34% of youth online receive UNWANTED PORNOGRAPHIC EXPOSURE.” However, 100% of the youth (or anyone else) receive unwanted or unwarranted pornographic exposure by watching Newsom’s movies. In 2019, one parent filed a complaint about a screening of The Mask You Live In for his 12-year-old daughter’s class at Creekside Middle School in California. In an interview with The Sacramento Bee the father said, “Some of the images when slowed down were not blurred, and even when they are blurred, it is obvious what is going on. It is absolutely profane and disgusting.”  An investigation found a substitute teacher accidentally screened the full version of the film rather than an “age-appropriate” version. However, The Representation Project recommends the full version for ages 15+.  Siebel Newsom’s idea is to protect children from highly exploitative and disturbing sexual media content seems to involve showing it to them personally. BOOSTING GAVIN NEWSOM – THE COMPASSIONATE POLITICIAN Screenshot of then-Lieutenant Governor Gavin Newsom in Siebel Newsom’s film, Miss Representation. Gavin Newsom himself provides interview commentary for Miss Representation and The Great American Lie.  Newsom speaks three times in Miss Representation and is portrayed as a champion of women’s rights—see this example from the middle school curriculum video (18:37): “One of the first things I did when I came to San Francisco (as mayor) is I appointed a female police chief and appointed a female fire chief.”  Getting paid by schools to portray your politician husband as a standup guy to captive children in the classroom was such a winning idea, Siebel Newsom deployed it again in The Great American Lie. Here, Newsom makes five appearances to deliver political talking points, including:  At the end of the day a budget is a set of values, budget reflects your values.”  “This notion of interdependence—that we’re all in this together, that we all rise and fall together—is absolutely true.”  “We’re not bystanders in this world, we have the ability to step up and solve big problems, we have done that in the past, it’s just a question of prioritization, of political will.”  Siebel Newsom’s provided companion curriculum require student discussion of Gavin Newsom’s points and are told to vote, and help others vote, for politicians “who show empathy through their support care [sic] policies.” Activity from The Great American Lie curriculum for high school and college students. Students are asked to watch and discuss a clip of Gavin Newsom. Call to action from The Great American Lie curriculum for high school and college students. Students are told to vote and help others vote for candidates “who show empathy through their support care [sic] policies”  Overview: Jennifer Siebel Newsom makes a movie portraying Gavin Newsom as a politician that supports certain policies, and then in the movie’s curriculum advises students to vote and campaign for politicians that support those policies.   Schools, which receive funding from the state, pay The Representation Project to show this movie, and use taxpayer-funded class time to facilitate these lessons. In July 2022 Gavin Newsom signed a budget of $128 billion for state schools and community colleges.  THE GENDERBREAD PERSON Source: Genderbread Person activities from The Mask You Live In curriculum for middle and high school students.  Multiple lesson plans from The Representation Project promote radical notions of gender and sexuality. One such lesson for middle and high schoolers includes the “genderbread person,” who aims to show children how biological sex, “gender expression,” “sexual attraction,” and “gender identity” exist on a spectrum, which can be mixed and matched.  While kindergarteners are spared the genderbread person in their curriculum, they are offered similar lessons on “gender identity,” introducing genders other than “boy” and “girl.” LEFT-WING POLITICAL ACTIVISM – THE “PRIVILEGE WALK” Kids forced to watch The Representation Project films in schools aren’t just subjected to gender ideology, sexually explicit images, and Gavin Newsom’s one-liners. They’re being given a left-wing framework through which to see the world, and then prompted to conduct social and political activism.   In The Great American Lie curriculum, students are asked to do a “privilege walk,” divulging personal information in order to compare themselves to peers inside and outside the classroom. “Privileges” include being “a cisgendered man,” “white,” “born in the United States,” “straight,” and speaking English as a first language. Activity from The Great American Lie curriculum for high school and college students.  Speakers in The Great American Lie are clear about what “privilege” means—something you hurt other people with, something you should feel bad about, and something you should work to change.   Journalist Charles Blow, who is now a New York Times opinion columnist, said during the film: “We need to stop being blind to history, stop being blind to systems, understand that there are privileges and there are oppressions in society, and in fact they act like a see-saw. Your privilege is actually built on my oppression.”  Lawyer Bryan Stevenson followed up, encouraging viewers to feel “shame and sorrow:” “We actually have to engage in truth telling, we’re going to have to express some shame and sorrow about who we are and what we’ve done, we’re going to have to find the will to reconcile ourselves to a different future.”  The way to relieve this shame, according to the film, is through social and political activism, as Professor Niobe Way said: “If you don’t address the racism, sexism, homophobia, hatred―the hatred―we have in our culture, then you can’t start having a conversation about love, peace and understanding.”  Newsome and her non-profit recommends The Great American Lie for ages 11+. STUDY: The Student-to-Activist Assembly Line Curricula from the three available films advise diverse ways for students to become activists within their families and communities. Suggested activities include promoting The Representation Project social media campaigns, voting for candidates that “support the care economy,” and asking students to “market and host a screening” of The Representation Project films (while paying a screening fee to the organization).  (A) (B)  (C)  Calls to action in the curricula from (A) Miss Representation for middle and high schoolers, (B) The Mask You Live In for middle and high schoolers, (C) The Great American Lie for high school and college students   Jennifer Siebel Newsom produced, wrote, and directed all these films, but if her enthusiasm for cultivating young activists was not obvious enough, we need only listen to her conclusions.  In 2021 high school participants in The Representation Project’s film course joined a moderated panel with Siebel Newsom to discuss The Great American Lie.   One student stated: “There's no age limit for activism... the younger you are the easier it is for you to see these changes that need to be made.”  Siebel Newsom replied: “That’s great, thank you.”  SUMMARY – FOLLOW THE MONEY  The Representation Project not only solicits donors from big-money political supporters of Gavin Newsom, but also receives public tax dollars through schools to create a new generation of supporters and activists in the state’s—and country’s—schoolchildren. The Representation Project transforms public school expenditures into activist training expenses, and in the process exposes children to objectionable sexual content.   Various funding sources translate directly to financial gain for Jennifer Siebel Newsom.  Since The Representation Project’s founding she has collected $1,501,727 in salary. Her current title is Chief Creative Officer, and she also sits on the nonprofit’s board of directors. She is the top paid executive at her non-profit with a $150,000 annual salary between 2013 and 2021.   Siebel Newsom also founded a for-profit company, Girls Club Entertainment Inc., which contracts (with Newsom’s nonprofit) for the production costs associated with the movies and owns the license for Miss Representation.    According to tax records, the nonprofit (The Representation Project) has paid Girls Club Entertainment (Newsom’s for-profit company) $1,647,376 since 2012.   NOTE: We requested comments from Jennifer Siebel Newsom and her nonprofit, The Representation Project multiple times over the last couple of months. We also requested comment from Gov. Newsom. We never received any response. ADDITIONAL READING: The Representation Project, IRS Informational 990 Returns 2011-2021, hosted by Propublia Newsom Twosome: Jennifer Siebel Newsom’s Charity Is Out Of Compliance But Solicits Donations From State Vendors & Governor’s Campaign Donors | OpenTheBooks.Substack | January 12, 2023 California Gov. Gavin Newsom Reaped $10.6 Million In Campaign Cash From 979 State Vendors Who Pocketed $6.2 Billion | OpenTheBooks.Substack.com | August 2022 Historic Announcement– California’s Books Are Open – 201,000 Vendors Received $87 Billion In State Payments | OpenTheBooks.Substack.com | August 2022 Tyler Durden Sat, 01/21/2023 - 17:30.....»»

This week’s Intelligence Squared U.S. debate asks the question: Is Elon Musk Killing Twitter? Journalist Kara Swisher argues Yes. Investor Anthony Scaramucci argues No. Wired’s Steven Levy and Insider’s Monica Melton chime in as well with questions. Is Elon Musk Killing Twitter? Kara Swisher vs Anthony Scaramucci Debate Transcript Guests: Arguing Yes: Kara Swisher Arguing […] This week’s Intelligence Squared U.S. debate asks the question: Is Elon Musk Killing Twitter? Journalist Kara Swisher argues Yes. Investor Anthony Scaramucci argues No. Wired’s Steven Levy and Insider’s Monica Melton chime in as well with questions. Is Elon Musk Killing Twitter? Kara Swisher vs Anthony Scaramucci Debate Transcript Guests: Arguing Yes: Kara Swisher Arguing No: Anthony Scaramucci Moderator: John Donvan John Donvan: Hi, everybody, and welcome to Intelligence Squared. I’m John Donvan. And in this program, we are debating the impact that one man is having on the future of an enterprise you have all heard of. That enterprise is called Twitter. And the man, I know you’ve heard of him, is Elon Musk. if (typeof jQuery == 'undefined') { document.write(''); } .first{clear:both;margin-left:0}.one-third{width:31.034482758621%;float:left;margin-left:3.448275862069%}.two-thirds{width:65.51724137931%;float:left}form.ebook-styles .af-element input{border:0;border-radius:0;padding:8px}form.ebook-styles .af-element{width:220px;float:left}form.ebook-styles .af-element.buttonContainer{width:115px;float:left;margin-left: 6px;}form.ebook-styles .af-element.buttonContainer input.submit{width:115px;padding:10px 6px 8px;text-transform:uppercase;border-radius:0;border:0;font-size:15px}form.ebook-styles .af-body.af-standards input.submit{width:115px}form.ebook-styles .af-element.privacyPolicy{width:100%;font-size:12px;margin:10px auto 0}form.ebook-styles .af-element.privacyPolicy p{font-size:11px;margin-bottom:0}form.ebook-styles .af-body input.text{height:40px;padding:2px 10px !important} form.ebook-styles .error, form.ebook-styles #error { color:#d00; } form.ebook-styles .formfields h1, form.ebook-styles .formfields #mg-logo, form.ebook-styles .formfields #mg-footer { display: none; } form.ebook-styles .formfields { font-size: 12px; } form.ebook-styles .formfields p { margin: 4px 0; } Get Our Activist Investing Case Study! Get the entire 10-part series on our in-depth study on activist investing in PDF. Save it to your desktop, read it on your tablet, or print it out to read anywhere! Sign up below! (function($) {window.fnames = new Array(); window.ftypes = new Array();fnames[0]='EMAIL';ftypes[0]='email';}(jQuery));var $mcj = jQuery.noConflict(true); Q4 2022 hedge fund letters, conferences and more   Boy, have we heard of him and from him, especially since he became sole owner of Twitter last fall, paying $44 billion for it, firing half of its employees, and vowing for the 230 million users of Twitter to make it better. His words: "Twitter has extraordinary potential, I will unlock it." So, has Elon Musk done that or are the steps he's made so far a lot of missteps? That is what we are debating. To be more specific, the Yes/No question: is Elon Musk killing Twitter? We recorded this one before a live virtual audience. You will not hear them but just wanted you to know that they were there. So, let's get to the debate, starting with my introduction of our two debaters. So, let's meet our debaters. Arguing Yes, Elon Musk is killing Twitter, here is host of "On with Kara Swisher," co-host of the podcast "Pivot," and editor-at-large of New York Magazine, Kara Swisher. Kara Swisher: Thank you. John Donvan: And arguing No, that Elon Musk is not killing Twitter, we have the founder and managing partner of Skybridge, former White House communications director, and host of the podcast "Open Book," Anthony Scaramucci. Thanks for joining us. Anthony Scaramucci: Thank you. John Donvan: Before we start the debate, I'm interested in your personal connections to Elon Musk because you both know him. And you've both interacted with him. And we just, as a matter of curiosity, want to sort of get a sense of how you know him. So, Anthony, why don't you go first on that? Anthony Scaramucci: Well, you know, my one of my closest friends, Antonio Gracias, is on the board of two of his companies. So, it would be SpaceX and Tesla, he was an early investor in PayPal. And so, I'm gonna say that I know Elon tangentially. We've interacted a few times over the years, but I don't have a personal relationship with Elon. Obviously, I'm very impressed with him as an investor and as a business executive. John Donvan: And what about you, Kara? Kara Swisher: Oh, I've known him since the last century, actually, when he was at a company called X.com. It was a startup, he had had other startups, he had a sort of yellow pages directory company that he sold and made a little bit of money from, and then he moved on to X. And it was competing at the time with PayPal, and where they were quite big competitors. And I covered them for The Wall Street Journal. They merged and later sold to eBay. So, I've known him for a very long time. And while the rest of them went off and did other things, he started investing in lots of interesting things like space and cars, which was unusual, because everybody else was doing a dating service and something stupid with their money. And so, he was doing some interesting things. So, I knew him for a long, long time, and covered him while he was building these companies. And I've interviewed him, I don't know dozens of times and including many live appearances at some of my events. And we've texted and emailed over the years. John Donvan: So, for neither of you is he a distant figure, you both have some connection to him. So, let's get to the debate itself. We'll go in three rounds. And our first round is going to be comprised basically of opening statements and Kara Swisher again, you are arguing Yes, in answer to the question, is he killing Twitter? So, take three to four minutes to tell us why you're a Yes. Kara Swisher: Okay. Okay, I wrote something up. So, I hope you don't mind. I think the question is not is Elon killing Twitter, but is owning Twitter, killing Elon, essentially, at least the brand, which I think has seen more deterioration in the last six months than anyone I can think of. In doing so he's created the perfect storm of self-inflicted harm. He's shot himself in the foot and then the other foot and he went back to the first foot. And while it'd be easy to focus solely on his demented daily tweets spewing homophobic misinformation to bear-hugging despicables to firing people with the stylings of the very worst of robber barons, I think the only thing you can do here is follow the money which I'm going to focus on. First of all, he blew up a stable $5 billion ad business in a few months. It wasn't that good, but it was still $5 billion losing huge opportunities like the World Cup and the holiday season. The site’s ad experience is now like 2 a.m. on cable with a series of grifty ads and come-ons and more porn than ever, which some people might like. Number two, he adopted misguided advice from one of his dumber minions to focus the company on an enterprise software company. It's failed to launch anything stable or unable not to troll corporate clients. You saw that when they did Twitter Blue and everybody faked companies. He's gotten himself into class action lawsuits and how he cloddishly handled the firing of Twitter employees. As former Twitter Blue head Tony Hale wrote: "New York's hottest club is a Zoom call with the lawyers for the Twitter class action suit." It will be a drag on him and all his companies, even if he throws lawyers at it, as he always tends to do. He's been involved in lots of lawsuits over the years, this is a big one. He's allowed the conversation to get uglier by allowing 60,000 of the very worst to return to Twitter to, wait for it, improve the conversation. That's akin to Voldemort letting all the prisoners out of Azkaban prison. He said he would make decisions for these different people via a council which doesn't exist, never happened, and it turns out it's just him late at night mainlining Cheetos, Ozempic, and conspiracy theories. So, a group of managers making decisions managers are paid to make has been replaced by essentially one guy. According to internal sources, usage has started to decline among active users, which make up a small part of the population and a large percentage of the tweets. Mine, for example, have gone from a couple hours a day to under one and it's declining every single day. I only use it for marketing and nothing else now, which as a platform I used rather actively, including where I met Anthony Scaramucci, where I trolled him for quite a lot of time. And he has such a good sense of humor that he allowed me to do so, and we've become I think friends in some way. It's allowed competitors to emerge, like Mastodon, which has been compared to a waiter handing you a gun, pointing at a cow and saying, "Get dinner." So, he's given lots of opportunity for a number of competitors to get in here when Twitter could have dominated here with someone like Elon at the top. Speaking of nothing burgers, the Twitter files. Nine, he's taking other businesses with him. Tesla has owned a lion's share of the electric light vehicle registrations in the U.S. according to a number of different measurement services, but that's down 79% in 2020. There's a surge of competition including lower price models. One Wedbush Securities person wrote, "Musk must take a more-hands on approach in 2023 at the company, as a Twitter distraction along with the current demand situation it's falling off, is a perfect storm for the stock." Tesla stock is down 70%. Even though it's way ahead in EV production, in batteries. It has four plants globally. All kinds of competitors are now– he's leaving it open to competitors to launch models from Lucid and others. He's certainly trying to do so, but his eye is definitely off the ball there and they're facing the more competition they've ever had in a really bad economic environment. And lastly, follow the money. Let me read from Bill Cohan [William D. Cohan]. Just he just wrote a piece yesterday about this. 'The banks, Morgan Stanley and Bank of America will be reporting what it's doing with the debt it has,' the $13 billion in debt, 'and what the banks will be revealing, if I'm right,' this is according to Bill Cohan, 'is that thanks to the demand of the Federal Reserve, Wall Street's prudential regulator, the Twitter bank debt has been marked on the books of both Morgan Stanley and Bank of America at 50 cents on the dollar.' That means the $13 billion of Twitter debt is now worth about half that amount, or 6.5 billion thanks to a combination of rising interest rates and Twitter's shrinking EBITA, as well as questions about whether Elon will be able to make roughly $600 million of interest payment due on the Twitter bank debt in April. And following the logic here, if the bank debt is only worth half its face amount, it has now been recorded as such, it means Twitter equity, which is owned mostly by Elon and a bunch of his rich friends is virtually wiped out after a mere two months under Elon's rule. To put it bluntly, this is an astounding and virtually unprecedented outcome in the world of leveraged buyouts. But he is doing something about income inequality, I guess. Anyway, that's my argument. John Donvan: Thanks Kara, Kara Swisher. And now, the No answer comes from Anthony Scaramucci. Anthony, it's your turn. Anthony Scaramucci: Well, I'll start out by saying that if the definition of friendship is that you can be critical of somebody and still like and enjoy their personality, then we are definitely friends, Kara, because you have been very critical of me. And I do like and enjoy your personality. And I will say this, you've made my life more interesting as a result of our relationship. But I think the specific question, Is Twitter, dying, yes or no? And I'm going to say no, for several reasons. And the main reason is something that Warren Buffett has said long ago about businesses, if it's a high-quality business, even a very bad management team or bad decisions, the high-quality business can endure, they'll take the high-quality business any day. And I think the facts are indisputable about Twitter being a high-quality business in the following sense. It is a pervasive part of our Zeitgeist, now. It is the town square, proverbially. And I think there are more active users today if you look at their numbers. This is an important metric for social media, as we both know. In addition to that, things happen on Twitter. The interaction, the FTX debacle as an example, a lot of micro-journalists covered nuances to that story on Twitter. The World Cup, while not advertising there–and we'll get into the advertising in a second. Lots of the drama that played out in social media related to the World Cup happened on Twitter. And of course, most recently, the Damar Hamlin situation in the NFL, which my heart goes out to him and his family. And seems that he's doing well, also happening on Twitter. So, I think it's indisputable that we're talking more about Twitter as a result of Elon Musk, and the user base is up, you know, you and I both know, Twitter Spaces is a pretty effective medium today, sort of replaces Clubhouse, if you will. When Elon's on Twitter Spaces, there could be upwards to 100,000 people in that town square listening and potentially asking questions. So, you are bringing up things, though, that I think are true. And so, I do, I do want to validate those things. I think you said once on CNN, I was watching, that he may have spent $44 billion for a $7 billion company. That may or may not be true. I think the financials, if they're marking down the debt, certainly people believe that there's a deterioration in the financials. And both of us know, because of our years of experience, either on Wall Street or in journalism, that large scale corporations are typically risk averse. And they certainly don't want to be caught in a negative spotlight. And there's something that Elon Musk is doing right now, that would cause those people to pull away and I just want to spend one minute on it. And then we'll go back to the debate. And that is our discussion in Zeitgeist about free speech. Ultimately, you're either a believer of free speech or not, I know that you are a believer, you know, I am. I once worked for a president of the United States that called the press the enemy of the people. Of course, I had to write an op-ed in The Hill, responding to that saying, 'Mr. President, the press is not, in fact, the enemy of the people.' But what free speech actually does for our society is not only keeps our politicians honest, but it creates economic innovation. John Donvan: More from Intelligence Squared U.S. when we return. Welcome back to Intelligence Squared U.S., let's get back to our debate. Anthony Scaramucci: We teach our second-grade children that they can think and speak freely, they go on to create Facebook and Twitter and Google and Apple Computer. In societies where that free speech is suppressed, where they're not allowed to talk about their government, or certain potential dramatic things that are going on in this society. They get curtailed, and then they end up stealing our intellectual property rights. So, for me, what Elon Musk is doing, by opening it up. You mentioned 60,000 criminals coming out of the asylum, I think we've got a big problem in our society, right now, I grew up in a blue-collar neighborhood, lower middle-class neighborhood. And I can tell you, there's a very large group of people in our society now that feel left out. And if you're going to shut those people off on Twitter or shut those people off on other realms of social media, I think that's very long-term damaging, if anything, we have to embrace those people and figure out a way to bring them back into the social contract. And I think Elon Musk is trying to do that. I see him as a radical moderate, by the way, self-described in terms of my conversations with him. And I think it's early, we'll have to see how this thing plays out. But it's far from dead. In fact, if anything, it's more vital than ever. And over the next 6, 12, 36 months, I think we'll see really good progress ahead for Twitter. John Donvan: Anthony, I have a very quick question of clarification, when you say you think Twitter is more vital than ever, are you saying it's more necessary than ever? Or are you saying it's more thriving than ever? Anthony Scaramucci: Well, I think it's a combination. Certainly advertising, corporate advertising revenues are down. The business itself has been impaired. But if you look at social media data in terms of the usage and the vibrancy of the network, that, in fact, is up. And so, it's a mixed bag, but yes, I do believe it's more vital than ever. And I think he's going to figure it out. I think it's very early in the process of him taking the company. John Donvan: Alright, thanks, Anthony. So, thanks to both of you for your opening statements. And what I think I hear are two kinds of arguments about what we mean by the survivability and the viability of Twitter. One is an argument for the business for the numbers and the direction that's taking, and the other is a description of Twitter's vitality and vibrancy having to do with its place in the culture and its relevance, its appeal to people as a place to continue to go to as a kind of public square as it's been described. So those are two different framings. They do overlap, but I want to separate them just for the start of the conversation and start with the business argument that you made Kara. Kara, do you anticipate this company being on the road to bankruptcy? Is it that extreme? Kara Swisher: Well, he's talked about it himself. I didn't– not the one to say it. Who knows if he's telling the truth when he says that? Because he often just spouts out something just to cause, you know, and Anthony should know about this, just to say something to cause a news cycle to happen. So, he's talked about bankruptcy. I don't believe it will be bankrupt, because he's one of the world's richest people. I don't believe he's the world's richest man anymore because of what's happening here. But I do think that he has plenty of rich friends who will save him from disaster. But he does have to come up, at some point, you don't love throwing good money after bad, but he will come up with money over the next year at least to pay off these bank debts. I think the danger is that this bank debt goes on Wall Street, and it's bought up by an Apollo or someone else who were much tougher on. They don't want to have lunch with Elon Musk, as other rich people, as you noticed in the text tend to want to do including Sam Bankman-Fried wanted to sort of hang out with Elon. So, I think it depends on who gets a hold of this thing. If he's unable to– if this debt goes on the market, and if he's unable to pay his debt obligations– I don't think the latter is going to happen. But he certainly puts himself at risk. That said, he could buy the debt himself and throw more of his money at this thing, and then own it completely. So, there's ways that he can keep it in business. It's just, it never was a very good business. And now it's a really bad business. And as to Anthony's thing about vitality, it's a very small business, even though it gets the attention of the media and politicians. Most people do not live their lives on Twitter. And so, it's a very small business that has a very outsized profile because of the users who are on it. John Donvan: Anthony, your response to that? Anthony Scaramucci: Again, so you know, I always want to be fair to Kara and the facts. I think she's right about the size and scale of the business. You know, listen, I have– I think Kara has 1.4 million Twitter followers. I have a million Twitter followers. I am on Twitter; I do look at it. I do scroll through it, and I sometimes tweet, I think it would be impossible– and she would have to answer this better than me as a journalist. But I think most journalists would find it to be relatively impossible not to have access to that site, because there are things that are going on. Kara will remember this. There was someone in Pakistan that basically said on Twitter, 'I hear the rumblings of helicopter, there seem to be aircraft over my house.' Shortly thereafter, Osama bin Laden's house was invaded. And so, there's relevancy to Twitter, again, going back to the original premise: is Twitter dying or not? We can debate whether it's a large or small business, we can debate whether or not Elon Musk has impaired the business. But is it dying or not? I'm going to take the position that no, it is not dying, even if Elon Musk were to leave the business and we were to write a story about the abject failure of his management team, I think Twitter goes on to live. And I think Twitter has found its niche in the society where celebrities are on there, politicians are on there, average users are on there to gather information. John Donvan: And you think that that position is somewhat ironclad? You think that's unassailable, that that can't be changed by anything? Anthony Scaramucci: Well, nothing in our lives, unfortunately, is unassailable. But I do think that this has levels of resiliency as a result of the organic nature of Twitter over the last 15-ish years. Kara Swisher: On that, Anthony, I have a couple words for you: AIM, AOL, Yahoo, MySpace. You ever heard of ‘Oy?’ – Yo, excuse me– Yo, Peach. It goes on and on and on. And now unfortunately, the conversation has moved away from Twitter and so– it was a small conversation. It never took advantage of the opportunities that it had, because of a lot of reasons. It was badly managed before. But now it's sort of malevolently managed and so it's trying to take a business that it had and change it into something else. It is, you know, you don't want to use a rocket thing, but he's building the rocket in flight. And he's also doing things that are causing the rocket to go the other direction, which is downward. And so, you wonder how these decisions are being made and who they're being made by? And it turns out, it's just literally one guy and so that's a real problem when you don't have a team around. John Donvan: Why– What do you mean by downward? Kara Swisher: Well, I think, you know, you don't kill– I'm perplexed as to why you would insult advertisers when you have a very– an okay advertising business. It's certainly tiny in comparison– John Donvan: Remind listeners what exactly you're referring to? Kara Swisher: He started tweeting. Well, it was so random and so abrupt each time. When he got there, he started insulting advertisers, and told them– and said they were un-American not to– I think that was one of them. He had, like, there's so many. It's like Trump, there's so many I don't remember the last one he did. But he basically insulted advertisers and said they were woke if they didn't advertise on Twitter. It seems to me that they would advertise on you know, 'Satan.com,' if it would sell them a Fitbit. I just– I feel like advertisers will go anywhere. And so, he insulted them. And then they got him on a call with advertisers where he seemed to have been somewhat medicated in some fashion, where he was somewhat nice to them. And then the very next day, he insulted them again. And so, a lot of these people, they really don't want controversy. They just want to sell things, and they're not woke, they're capitalists. He did that with a– He's doing that very Trump-like in insulting people. Sometimes, it doesn't make any sense why he's doing it. And maybe Anthony can talk to this because he's been with someone who does that. It is a strategy to do that, on some level, is to create chaos almost continually. So, you take away– it's sort of jazz hands in a weird way. Anthony Scaramucci: Alright, so let me just respond to the AOL, MySpace. If we're taking that standard, then listen, everything, the Roman Empire, you know, you pick– Kara Swisher: The Roman Empire! Anthony Scaramucci: We can go– I mean, it did decline, Kara. So, you know what we do know– Kara Swisher: I did, I heard. I read that.   Anthony Scaramucci: You know, in General Electric, who had started in the Dow, I think it was out of the Dow for a few years in the 1920s, and was the longest tenured Dow member, is no longer part of the Dow. So, we do know that none of these businesses are eternal. I guess what I'm saying is, in the next half a decade to decade is Twitter dying, I think it's not dying. I think if anything, it will become more relevant. And I think ultimately, as he executes this plan, and whatever the erratic nature is of his personality, we can go back to the situation with Elon Musk in 2008, where he was on the verge of bankruptcy in two companies: SpaceX and Twitter. He was able to use his guile, his relationships to save those two companies. Those two companies propelled him to be the richest person in the world. We just went through one of the worst market environments in 50 years. At least the first half of 2022 was the worst since 1970. The entire year was the worst that we've had in stock market since 2008. The NASDAQ as we both know, is down 30%. So, Elon Musk's high-growth, Tesla stock down a lot, no surprise to me. If you're going to make the case that it's down even more as a result of his erratic behavior– If Elon Musk was listening to this and he asked me that as a friend, I would say, "Yes, it is." You've got to figure out a way to comport yourself better. You don't want to be accused of being Donald Trump, by anybody, just trust me. It's not a good comparison. Because ultimately, anybody that worked for Donald Trump knows about the insanity and knows about the instability. And so, Elon Musk is a brilliant guy. He's a brilliant visionary. You certainly know him better than me. John Donvan: Well, let me jump in. Anthony Scaramucci: Let just finish this one sentence. When I step back and look at his vision for the company, despite whatever missteps he's having right now, I'm making the bet on Elon Musk, this could be 2008 SpaceX and Tesla. Kara Swisher: What is that actual vision? Because a lot of these things he's doing– Listen, I had been very critical of Twitter for years and had suggested subscriptions, we've suggested something that was more of a value, you know, a value proposition that you could pay for that'd be worth it like Amazon Prime is. I certainly pay for it. I'm very happy paying for it, because it's worth it to me. I know a lot of his ideas are retreads of ideas that lots and lots of people have had, and he's unable to execute on any of these ideas. And everyone, because he's Elon Musk, thinks he's a genius and therefore, because he's good at rockets and cars, which are physical, and have physical aspects, that he's going to be fantastic at media. Media is hard. And this is a media company. And so, I think it's a very different situation. He's got to find another business or sell something that's worthwhile in order to make it a business. Or else it’s just a plaything for a rich person. John Donvan: Kara, you're somewhat answering the question I was going to ask both of you because Anthony was kind of alluding to this. That he has been highly unpredictable in the choices he made in terms of businesses to take on and the ways that he did that. And the question was going to be: could this be one more case of that? That it's looking sort of erratic at the moment, but he's pivoting? Obviously, he's floated ideas like the blue checkmark and then pulled it off and then put it back again, that he's responding to mistakes quickly, that that's kind of his way. And that there's something about him, this thing that you refer to as the genius that I think you think is overrated, but nevertheless, it's there. Kara Swisher: I don't think it's overrated. I think it's just you assume because someone is good– It's like saying, "I'm gonna be good at basketball because I'm good at journalism." It's just not the same. I'm not good at basketball, by the way. But you know, it's just one of these things that we just take it for granted. Steve Jobs, who really truly was a visionary, stayed in his lane and kept expanding from that. Now, he certainly said controversial things over the years. Mostly– his biggest– compared to Elon Musk, he parked badly. That's really pretty much the controversy around Steve Jobs. There's a bunch of them, but one of the things that's– He stayed within his lane, and you understood the daisy chain of what he was doing. Here, it's just, it's erratic. Let Kanye West on, kick him off, do this, do that, and everything is– nothing– everything is hypocritical to everything else. And so, it doesn't make– it becomes exhausting. Twitter was already exhausting. Now it's, I find– I am a very heavy Twitter user. I was– my numbers are going down from, again, a couple hours a day, to an hour a day to six minutes. John Donvan: Why is that? Kara Swisher: Because it's exhausting. I turned off comments on Twitter, because I suddenly started getting– I put up something around the shooting in Colorado. And I got the most repulsive group of comments, which I'd never gotten. And I don't need it. I don't. I don't have the time. John Donvan: Anthony, are you still tweeting as before? Anthony Scaramucci: You know, I'm a yes. I mean, the answer is: I'm tweeting as before. I'm probably– you know, I get yelled at by my wife staring at my phone too much, so I'm probably not looking at it as much as I used to. But I think Kara's bringing up an interesting point about a circle of competence. And if you're inside the circle of competence, you do way better. And if you're outside the circle of competence, you may do less better. And so, I just want to validate something that she's saying because she is right, the media is quite different. Because you get an image in the media, it is very hard to change or turn that image. Okay. And so, the media, the mainstream establishment media, has declared a personal foul on Elon Musk and a personal foul on Twitter. Okay, why are they doing that? That's what you have to ask yourself the question of: are they doing that because he's bringing back controversial characters? Whether it's Michael Flynn, Carpe Donktum, Donald Trump, is that the reason why they're doing it? Are they doing it because they don't like his personality and some of the things that he's saying? Okay, and I think, again, if I was on Elon's board, what I would be saying to him, "Hey, listen, it is a little bit different than rockets. And it's a little bit different than cars. Because if you're in the media business, whether you like it or not, the media is going to have a say about your business. You're going to have a constant slew of critics, analyzing and critiquing your business." But you guys asked about the vision, let me just give it in less than a minute. Because I did read through the PowerPoint presentation. And through Cathie Wood's fund– I just should also point this out: I am an investor, although it's a very small amount of money, in Cathie Wood's fund that's been directed towards Twitter. The vision for the company, and Kara may say this is a retread, but I at least find it interesting that he wants to broaden the base of the social media. He wants to be more inclusive as it relates to the free speech dynamic. And he eventually wants to create a 'super app,' which is somewhat similar to WeChat, where you could have a payment structure going through Twitter. And you could have other things going on inside of Twitter, in terms of way more robust, WhatsApp-like communication. And so, when I look at all those different things, and I look at the install base of Twitter, if he gets that right– John Donvan: Let me just– I want to jump in for a point of clarification, Anthony, because you've been arguing against the argument that Twitter is dying. What we're really arguing is whether Musk's impact on Twitter is good or bad for it, is driving it to higher or lower places. Anthony Scaramucci: Well, temporarily, it's driving it lower. I think Kara is right about that again. The question was, “Is it Twitter dying?” I'm saying no, it's not dying. John Donvan: No, no, the question is: is Musk killing Twitter? Anthony Scaramucci: Is Musk killing– Musk is temporarily hurting Twitter. But I believe that Musk will be an agent for formidable positive change. John Donvan: When he wrote– when he wrote his letter to the board last year, he wrote, "Twitter has extraordinary potential. I will unlock it." Do you think he is unlocking potential there now, Anthony? Anthony Scaramucci: But you see that– but you see this is the problem with our society, okay. We're– you know, you talk about technology? We're in 100,000-year-old pieces of machinery that haven't evolved in 100,000 years. My iPhone went from one to 14 in 15 years, but we think linearly. So right now, if he's not doing well, we think that's going to be the permanent state, the same way we thought in 2008 that Tesla and SpaceX were going out of business. John Donvan: Okay, I think that's a fair point. I want to take that very point to Kara. Kara Swisher: Tesla's not at a– Tesla is buoyed by this stock that is way out of line with the other stocks and there are competitors now catching up to him. He's still ahead. Let me be clear, they're still way ahead. But it's like Netflix. Right as Disney and others started getting involved in streaming– Anthony Scaramucci: No, no. But, Kara, I'm making the point that Tesla looked like it was out of business in 2008. Kara Swisher: Yes, but making those comparisons aren't the same thing. Let me just say, when you say 'super app,' let me give you an– Guess what the 'super app' is. TikTok, right now. New apps will come in and do this. 'Super apps' have never worked in this country. It works in China. It has never worked in this country. Do you trust Elon Musk with your payments, money? I don't. I would trust Apple with it. I would trust Amazon with it way before I would do that. Each of these companies has tried to do a 'super app' or is doing a version of it. It's another retread idea that is very difficult to pull off. Because you need people, you need people behind you. You need to build this up. You have to get people using it. Let me just tell you, young people are not flocking to Twitter to use their 'super app.' And they're not going to. They're using Snapchat for communications. They're using TikTok for entertainment. They're using Facebook less and less. John Donvan: Is that Musk's fault, though? Is that Musk's fault? Kara Swisher: No, it's just the– it's just the state of competition. Now he's in a state of competition in cars, where GM, Ford, Mercedes, Volkswagen, everybody is in now the business and now they're, you know, they're not doing as well as Tesla. But they will do as well as Tesla. John Donvan: This is Intelligence Squared U.S. More debate in a moment. John Donvan: Welcome back to Intelligence Squared U.S. I'm John Donvan. Let's get back to our debate. I want to go to the point that, Anthony, you made in your opening. You said, as sort of a side point, about the fact that Musk is saying that he wants to restore free speech to the platform. Critical of some of the people who were taken down, Kara– obviously describing them as 60,000 deplorables coming back to the site. But the fact is that– Kara Swisher: Despicables. John Donvan: –Despicables, I apologize. I want to talk about its impact as we head into a new election cycle. Where Twitter is in this process. Where we are and what Musk's challenge will be in moderating or not moderating. He's obviously not a free speech absolutist because– Even since he's taken over, he's kicked people or suspended people over the platform for criticizing him and for impersonating him. So, just how free speech-y is he, really, Anthony? And where does that– where does that take us and, you know, the role of Twitter in our political cycle right now? Anthony Scaramucci: You're the moderator. You're supposed to be impartial and indifferent to the to the question, but you're fortifying me right now. And so, just want to caution you about that, because what you're basically saying is the upcoming election, Twitter is going to have this unbelievable influence in the upcoming election. And I obviously believe that it will. And so here we are. Eighteen months from now, Twitter will be very vibrant and a very big part of the upcoming election. John Donvan: So, you're saying, I'm taking your side? Anthony Scaramucci: You're making my point, you're making my point, John, that Twitter is not dying. So, I just want you to go back to your impartial position that you are supposed to be in. But I thank you for making the point. John Donvan: Well done. Well played, Anthony. Anthony Scaramucci: But here we are right now. We're discussing this, okay. And so, there's big problems. Okay. We all know that there's robotic technology on Twitter, we know there's Russian and Chinese and other adversarial states– adversarial disinformation on Twitter. We know that there's got to be a cleanup of that. We also know that there's electioneering that's done on Twitter that's loaded with disinformation. Look at this guy, George Santos as an example. He's almost the apotheosis now of The Great Lie being manifested into an individual. But here's what I would say to everybody listening. Okay. We are a free speech country. It was grounded in free speech for a lot of different reasons. But the main one would be for all of us to be free. And a result of which, when you're in a free speech country, you do have qualifications. We do know the case law, about free speech, hate speech is not protected. A threat to the public is not really protected. You know, the debate about yelling fire in the theater would be an example of that. So, we know that there has to be guardrails on free speech that you brought up the fact that Elon Musk doesn't like people being critical of him. And so, he took some of them off the platform, and he deplatformed them. But if you remember, it was a– temporary deplatform. I think one thing we can say about Elon Musk and maybe Kara will agree or disagree. But when he gets things wrong, good entrepreneurs, typically when they get something wrong, they don't stay– Kara Swisher: –Why get it– Anthony, why get it wrong in the first place? It just seems like the peak of a man at night who had too much sugar. Like that's what happened. Anthony Scaramucci: That may be the case. And I ceded those points to you, that there's some managerial erraticism that's going on. And you are right about that. But I'm talking about the broader point about the vitality of Twitter, and what will Twitter look like in 2024 and 2028, etc. And I also bring up the point, is– even with the erratic behavior, does Elon Musk manifestly get things right? Is he a value generator for his investors and for himself? And you've made the point. Yes, and rockets. Yes, and cars. But likely not in the media– John Donvan: Anthony, let me jump in because to return to the point you were making that his commitment to, to make it very blunt, to allow people like Donald Trump back in after they were suspended and others– Kara Swisher: Who's not coming, who's not showing up. John Donvan: Who you said, were in your communities, that there's a sort of disconnect and disaffection with the wokeness that you said was, to some degree, you feel influencing the decisions that Twitter made prior to Musk's takeover. And I want to know, is the return of those individuals, and I'm not sure if I'm characterizing how you would put it correctly, but the broadening of the spectrum of allowed speech on the site, going to be one of the things that he makes better about Twitter? Anthony Scaramucci: I hope, I hope so. But let me say this, you okay, John? And I got this wrong. Donald Trump got it right. So, you should really listen. I grew up in an aspirational blue-collar family. Thirty-five short years later, those very same families, they went from economically aspirational, to economically desperational, okay? And we've left them out of the story. And they're very angry about it. And somebody like Donald Trump saw that. And he became an avatar for their anger. Now, he didn't offer any policy solution for them. But when he was sticking a finger in the eye of the media establishment, the political establishment, the business establishment, they loved it. And I'm just making the point that if you want a fairer, better, broader society, we have to get those people back into the fray. Kara Swisher: But you see, Anthony, the issue is– they're not– those people aren't on Twitter. They're not using Twitter, look at the– look at the recent election, rife with election denialism on that platform, on Twitter, and many other platforms. What did the voters do? They didn't vote for that. They voted out those people, the people that were screaming. Kari Lake screams on Twitter, didn't work for her, you know. Michael Flynn screams wherever he happens to be, didn't work for him. So, I don't think it has an impact. Because I don't think these people are using the platform. Anthony Scaramucci: Kara, you just made my argument even better then, because you're just saying that those people, them being brought back on Twitter, somebody like Michael Flynn, they're not really having that big of an impact. Kara Swisher: Now it isn’t because it's a tired product. That's what I'm arguing is that it's a product that's now noisy and angry. Anthony Scaramucci: I want to beat these people– I want to beat these people in the free marketplace of ideas. I want to beat Michael Flynn or Donald Trump in the free marketplace of ideas. You brought out that Donald Trump's not back on Twitter. He's not for a specific reason. He's getting paid on Truth Social not to be back on Twitter. John Donvan: Okay, we're wandering a little bit now from the topic of whether Musk is killing Twitter. And I have to break in, Anthony, because we need to move along– Anthony Scaramucci: –Go ahead. John Donvan: –to bring in some members of the press, media– Kara Swisher: –Okay. John Donvan: –to join the conversation now. So, I want to welcome Steven Levy. Thanks for joining us. Tell people who you are and then enter the conversation please with a question. Steven Levy: Yeah. Hi. This is a fascinating debate. I'm editor-at-large at Wired Magazine. I've been writing about technology for a long time, following Twitter for a long time. And so first for Kara, you know, to me– we ask is Elon killing Twitter. As a Twitter user, I'm super concerned about whether this is going to still be usable for me. And throughout Twitter's history, it really has been the users to shape how Twitter works. They invented all kinds of stuff like the reply, the retweet and other things. And I'm wondering whether Twitter, despite Elon, might not be some sort of cockroach, where the users can figure out how to get around whatever mischief he does and, you know, erosions he does to the platform. So, I'm wondering, you know, how do you respond to say, you know, look, as a user, there's a way I can kind of like, fix my– who I follow and other things change to make that happen? Kara Swisher: I think you can do that. Sure, sure. But because, like a lot of products, you know, from using stuff, I have a box full of products that I used to use that I don't use anymore. A lot of physical products, a lot of software products, that just became either onerous or difficult or something better came along. And so, I do think you can sit there and fiddle with it. But one of the dirty secrets of Twitter for media people, as you may know, as I know, having run sites is that it doesn't really give you much business and one of the reasons you want to use this is so that you get people to listen and read what you're doing. Maybe virtue signal to other journalists of what you're up to and things like that. But in general, if I had to look at the stuff which actually got me money, like made money as a journalist, it was always Apple podcasts for example, references from them, or Facebook or LinkedIn. Twitter was always way down on that scale. And so, the question is, do you realize, suddenly, that you're putting way too much work into something that doesn't give something back? And I do think the more exhausting it gets, and the easier that other competitors make things that are attractive, the more you move to them– it's the same thing with cars. As there's more choices for Tesla, Tesla's market share is going to inevitably and should go down, because people, you know, don't want the Tesla look. They want to be in a Porsche, they want to be in, like me, a Chevy Bolt, they want to have a lesser price of something. And so, I think he's opening it up to other competitors in a lot of ways and he's made the experience more difficult to use. And why would you want to do work arounds? He himself said it. He said it to advertisers that day when he was nice to advertisers. He said, if you use it for an hour, and you feel bad, why would you come to that product? Exactly. John Donvan: Okay. Thanks, Steven. And you had a question also for Anthony. Steven Levy: Yeah, another thing that's been going on in Twitter for a long time, and early in its time, and when it first began to take off, it was sort of an assumption that they would get a billion users, right, which is really what it takes for a social media site to break through and become successful more than what Kara says is an okay business. Now, they've never been able to do that. And it seems to me that what Elon is doing by, you know, sort of arguing for his subscriptions, which is a great way to kill the number of people you have, basically creating this privileged class, which is going to like flood your timeline, if you don't pay $8, you're not getting the whole experience. It seems to me between that and the things he does, which people just don't like and make your timeline more toxic, it's going to be even tough to keep what he has now, let alone build up to that billion, which would make it a successful enterprise. How do you answer that? Anthony Scaramucci: It's one or the other, right? He's either a cockroach, where he's going to survive the nuclear blast or these types of things. So, I'm just saying to me, maybe he's just an upsetting cockroach. You know, ultimately, you know, what you're looking at is a short-term window of the Elon Musk behavior as owner of Twitter. And I'm saying to you, if you look at Elon Musk's past behavior, as owner of SpaceX and Tesla, there were near death experiences of both those great companies. And he was able to figure it out and execute bold and grand visionary strategies for those companies. The question before us right now: is Elon Musk killing Twitter? And I'm saying Elon Musk may be hurting Twitter in the short term, but I think long term, if you look at his management skill set and his capability, he is going to regrow and create great vibrancy in Twitter. I'm saying three things. I'm saying that the business is incredibly durable. I cede that to Kara that it's smaller than he would like it to be, but it's incredibly durable. Number two, it's very relevant. We're already talking about 2024. And number three, his track record is such that I do not want to bet against him. And I believe he's going to create this free intellectual marketplace of ideas that's growing and very vibrant. It may not become the 'super app' that he wants, but I bet it could become a 'Superboy-ish' app, as opposed to a 'Superman-ish' app, and I'm betting on him. John Donvan: Want to bring in Monica Melton also to jump in with a question and can you tell folks who you are and go for it? Monica Melton: Hi, everyone. I'm Monica Melton, a senior tech editor at Insider Business, formerly Business Insider. Kara, you nicely laid out how Twitter may be killing Elon. While Anthony, you mentioned Elon sort of leveraging relationships to propel himself after 2008. But do either you think Elon's reputation not only as a techno king, but as a businessperson in general is being irreparably harmed by the chaos he's created at Twitter? How does he realistically come back from this moment? Kara Swisher: Well, I don't think anyone's irreparably harmed in this society, honestly. I mean, look, Bill Gates used to be Darth Vader, and now he's the biggest giver of philanthropy. I think people can recover their reputation. And there's a whole lot of forgiveness around certain business behavior. I mean, there's certain people that aren't– Harvey Weinstein's not coming back, but lots of people can, so I don't think it's irreparable. I just think that why do it? You know, he sort of styled himself after Iron Man, right? That's what he was trying to go for here. And I think that's a very pleasant way to think of him. And I think a lot of stuff he's done, as I've said, time and again, is visionary and really interesting. That said, there's something happening here there's something– some demons that follow this guy that he has to create controversy and contrarianism just for the sake of it. And I don't know his personal life. I don't know what's going on. But one of the people I interviewed who worked for him, Yoel Roth, said it was– when you deal with them 90% of the time, it used to be very reasonable. And I think Anthony's right, it was very reasonable and interesting and sometimes odd things, he'd say odd things off the top of his head. And then 10% of it was really quite mad, like angry for no reason, overly sensitive to criticism. That part seems to have grown enormously. Unless it's all a performative act, and the other parts seem to have died down. I wish he had just stuck with the part that made him that way. He was the one most capable of doing this. And what he's doing now makes no sense to me, and it's turned his brand into something that's really unattractive. It's having impact on Tesla. It's having impact on lots of things. John Donvan: I have to call for time, we're gonna wrap up this round. I want to thank Steven and Monica, for joining us in the conversation. In our final round, you each get 90 seconds to summarize your position or move it forward on why you're a Yes or why you're a No. Anthony, I'm going to let you go first. You're the No on the question of whether Elon Musk is killing Twitter. So take 90 seconds, please. Anthony Scaramucci: Well, you know, I'll probably take less than 90 seconds, because I think I've made my points and I'll make three last ones. We'll be looking at Twitter for the 2024 election, we certainly will be looking at what candidates are writing on Twitter. And we'll be looking for what journalists are potentially reporting or getting out onto Twitter first, because that seems to be a medium of delivery for journalists that are trying to break stories. Number two, I do believe Elon Musk is a very successful and very effective executor and manager. And despite his current erraticism, I think he's going to self-correct. And I think he's going to find his way to making that 'Twitterverse,' if you will, better. And the last point, I think it's the most important point, you can call it the 'cockroach theory' or whatever you want to call it.   This is a durable business; it may be smaller than he wants it to be. But it's a durable business, and it can take a lot of hits before it quote unquote, gets killed off. So Elon Musk is not killing Twitter. If anything, we'll be looking at Twitter, in the 2024 presidential election. Kara Swisher: I'm sure we'll be looking at that. I think the politicians will be the last people out the door, to turn out the lights there. They enjoy, they're narcissistic, and they get to yell at each other. It's a perfect medium for that. The question is, 'is it an actually good product?' And it is not as good a product as it was. And they have no signs of showing anything that's valuable to a vast majority of people, except for political journalists and politicians. And increasingly, celebrities are coming off of it. Journalists that don't have anything to do with politics are coming off of it. It's become somewhat of an amusement. Now it's become a more toxic amusement, it's like sort of watching stuff that– or eating stuff that isn't very good for you, at some point, you sort of feel sick, doing it. He's got to make it a great product. That's the only way out of this as it is with most things. If it's not a great product, it, like all the other bad products, will die as every other tech product has died over time. We're not using all those things because either something better came along, or the product just wasn't as good, it wasn't as enjoyable, wasn't as relevant. You have to be relevant to a vast amount of people to be successful. And when you say you can't do that? Whatever you think of the Chinese ownership of Tiktok, it's an incredibly enjoyable product. It's really fun to use. It's addictive. It's interesting, it's creative, and he's got to do those things. Instead, he wastes his time in some sort of weird personal vendetta against himself. That's really what's so sad about it, is that, you know, I sometimes feel like that he just– I feel like some days, he just needs a hug, so he could stop doing this and actually make something beautiful. He has done in the past. He's absolutely capable of it. I'm not so sure media is as easy as building a rocket. I know it sounds crazy. But he's got to really stop the nonsense and make a product that's worth it to people and worth paying for. It's a very basic thing of capitalism. This is not about wokeism. This is not about the mind virus and all these other tiresome, petty grievances against people, it's about making a great product and making a product that people want to pay for or use in some way that's enjoyable to them. And it's as easy as that. And so, and by the way, tech is the young eats its old. What's coming next is what's going to be the cool thing, not Twitter. Twitter's had enough lives. And we'll see if he can transform for a little while longer, but it's not going to be much longer. John Donvan: And that concludes our debate. And not only did I really, really enjoy this conversation, but the way that the two of you conducted it totally embodies what we aim for when we do these debates, the fact that the two of you could disagree, and still be so, not just respectful, but amicable with one another. We appreciate that you did homework on this and that you came and you actually listened to one another. So, thank you very much for being part of this debate with us. Anthony Scaramucci: Well, it's an honor to be here, John. Kara Swisher: Thank you. John Donvan: Thank you for tuning into this episode of Intelligence Squared, made possible by a generous grant from the Laura and Gary Lauder Venture Philanthropy Fund. As a nonprofit, our work to combat extreme polarization through civil and respectful debate is generously funded by listeners like you, the Rosenkrantz Foundation and friends of Intelligence Squared. Robert Rosencrantz is our chairman. Clea Conner is CEO. David Ariosto is head of editorial, Julia Melfi, Shea O'Meara, and Marlette Sandoval are our producers. Damon Whitmore is our radio producer, and I'm your host, John Donvan. We'll see you next time. This transcript has been lightly edited for clarity. Please excuse any errors......»»

Brands like Wawa and Whataburger are uncovering expansion potential in underserved markets and doubling down on value in 2023, according to Placer.ai. Placer.ai's most promising 2023 retailers and restaurantsPlacer.ai Data firm Placer.ai tracks where people shop, work, and live using their mobile phones. Their data shows the most promising retailers and restaurants for 2023. Chains with winning strategies are growing in underserved markets and giving shoppers value. Restaurants and retailers faced headwinds as they closed out 2022, with staffing challenges and rising inflation. But the chains well-positioned to succeed in 2023 are the ones that are expanding stores in underserved markets, capitalizing on shifts in consumer preferences, and doubling down on value pricing to appeal to bargain hunters, according to Placer.ai, a firm that uses mobile-phone data to track where people shop and eat. Chains with cult-like followings like Whataburger and Wawa are among the brands to watch in 2023,  Placer.ai said Tuesday. "While each company highlighted here is implementing a slightly different approach, these 10 brands have one thing in common – they all have a winning strategy for the coming year," the firm said.Here are the 10 brands to watch in 2023, according to Placer.ai.WhataburgerEric Gay/APWhataburger increased from 828 to 923 locations between 2019 to 2022, which has led to skyrocketing foot traffic, Placer.ai said. Visits to the 24-hour chain have been especially strong between 9 p.m and midnight. "The combination of Whataburger's cult status, its new focus on expansion, and its late-night hours in the context of a shifting dining landscape all bode well for the chain heading into 2023," Placer.ai said in its report.Hibbett SportsA new Kansas City Hibbett Sports store in 2021.Hibbett SportsAlabama-based Hibbett Sports, which sells footwear and clothes from brands like Nike, Adidas, and Puma, has seen year-over-year growth in nearly all months of 2022. This comes as the overall sporting goods space has experienced multiple headwinds in 2022, including rising inflation and reduced foot traffic. Hibbett's small-market growth strategy is a winner because stores are opening in "underserved areas with little to no competition," Placer.ai said.Boot BarnGetty ImagesBoot Barn is a Western-focused shoe and apparel retailer that has been successful by opening stores in areas retail executives previously considered to be "flyover states." Founded in Southern California in 1978, it now has 321 stores. "Boot Barn has deftly managed to reach a wide market segment, from farm workers to fashionistas alike. As the chain continues to grow into new markets, it seems poised for a successful 2023," Placer.ai said.Grocery OutletGetty ImagesGrocery Outlet often refers to itself as the "T.J. Maxx of food" as it sells a random assortment of national and regional grocery brands at discounted prices. Placer.ai said. That strategy has led to strong foot traffic as shoppers are responding to well-priced groceries of trusted brands. "And with the brand continuing to post impressive earnings and lean into on-demand ordering, 2023 is looking bright," Placer.ai said.Altar'd StateGetty ImagesAltar'd State is a rapidly growing women's fashion retailer. The chain has grown to 128 locations across 39 states since it launched in 2009. While originally positioned as a "modern Christian retail store," Placer.ai said the company has since evolved to a retail powerhouse in the South and Midwest as its "cozy-chic fashions" have become popular among young, career-focused women. Data shows higher-income households are also trading down to Altar'd State stores, Placer.ai said. Clothes tend to never exceed $150.Dave & Busters and Main Event EntertainmentGetty ImagesSo-called "eatertainment" venues, where dining is blended with family-fun activities like bowling, have been around for years. Brands like Dave & Busters suffered more than most restaurants at the onset of the pandemic, as they catered to big crowds. As such, they were shut down much longer. But now these venues are on the rise thanks to "kidults" looking for a combination of dining and experience, Placer.ai said. In June 2022, Dave & Busters bought rival Main Event Entertainment, creating a strong "eatertainment" portfolio that caters to families and singles seeking unique activities, Placer.ai said.Total Wine & MoreGetty ImagesTotal Wine & More has seen its nationwide visits skyrocket, with foot traffic up by double-digits for much of 2022 compared to 2019, Placer.ai said. The company has seen traffic spike in the Midwest, where it's continuing to open new stores in underserved markets. "The pandemic provided a boost to the chain as bars shuttered and home bars and ready-to-drink cocktails rose in popularity, and the company is continuing with expansion plans already set in 2019," Placer.ai said.WawaHollis JohnsonWawa has a loyal following of customers dubbed Wawaholics and is often credited for having the best convenience-store food offerings by culinary publications such as Food & Wine and Saveur. Loyalty is increasing. Between July and November 2022, the share of loyal customers – customers returning to a Wawa location more than twice in a given time period – increased by 4.5% when compared to the same period in 2019, Placer.ai said. "This juxtaposition of strong loyalty, expansion plans, and food that is celebrated by foodies and regular joes alike can help position the brand for success into the new year," Placer.ai said.Five BelowFive Below is opening new stores.Mary Meisenzahl/InsiderDiscount and dollar stores are thriving, including Five Below. The discounter sells a majority of items for $5 and under, with merchandise that appeals to tweens and teens, Placer.ai said. Traffic is up in the double digits compared to 2019 as the chain has grown to over 1,000 stores. Another 1,000 stores are planned by 2025. "As the company expands both its retail footprint and technological capabilities, its momentum should continue to increase into the new year," Placer.ai said.Bob's Discount FurnitureJim Davis/The Boston Globe via Getty ImagesThe home decor and furnishings industry is seeing a decline in monthly visits compared to 2019, with one exception: Bob's Discount Furniture. The company is embedding stores in areas with lower home values, which is helping the company to grow more effectively as home costs continue to increase, Placer.ai said. Value pricing and free coffee are giving Bob's an edge over rivals in 2023, Placer.ai said.Read the original article on Business Insider.....»»

“Beliefs about money are instilled in all of us at an early age,” says Dr. Katherine Elder, Ph.D. a clinical psychologist and co-founder of Delaware Psychological Services. “These early messages shape our relationship with money.” Likewise, we hear and witness our parent’s response to money. And often internalize their beliefs and habits as our own, […] “Beliefs about money are instilled in all of us at an early age,” says Dr. Katherine Elder, Ph.D. a clinical psychologist and co-founder of Delaware Psychological Services. “These early messages shape our relationship with money.” Likewise, we hear and witness our parent’s response to money. And often internalize their beliefs and habits as our own, she adds. “Beliefs range from needing to save every penny out of fear of not having more or a need to spend every penny because we do not typically have money,” Dr. Elder says. “When we want to improve our beliefs and therefore habits about money, we have to get to the root of our beliefs.” Moreover, a generational lack of finances leaves inadequate preparedness for life. if (typeof jQuery == 'undefined') { document.write(''); } .first{clear:both;margin-left:0}.one-third{width:31.034482758621%;float:left;margin-left:3.448275862069%}.two-thirds{width:65.51724137931%;float:left}form.ebook-styles .af-element input{border:0;border-radius:0;padding:8px}form.ebook-styles .af-element{width:220px;float:left}form.ebook-styles .af-element.buttonContainer{width:115px;float:left;margin-left: 6px;}form.ebook-styles .af-element.buttonContainer input.submit{width:115px;padding:10px 6px 8px;text-transform:uppercase;border-radius:0;border:0;font-size:15px}form.ebook-styles .af-body.af-standards input.submit{width:115px}form.ebook-styles .af-element.privacyPolicy{width:100%;font-size:12px;margin:10px auto 0}form.ebook-styles .af-element.privacyPolicy p{font-size:11px;margin-bottom:0}form.ebook-styles .af-body input.text{height:40px;padding:2px 10px !important} form.ebook-styles .error, form.ebook-styles #error { color:#d00; } form.ebook-styles .formfields h1, form.ebook-styles .formfields #mg-logo, form.ebook-styles .formfields #mg-footer { display: none; } form.ebook-styles .formfields { font-size: 12px; } form.ebook-styles .formfields p { margin: 4px 0; } Get The Full Henry Singleton Series in PDF Get the entire 4-part series on Henry Singleton in PDF. Save it to your desktop, read it on your tablet, or email to your colleagues (function($) {window.fnames = new Array(); window.ftypes = new Array();fnames[0]='EMAIL';ftypes[0]='email';}(jQuery));var $mcj = jQuery.noConflict(true); Q3 2022 hedge fund letters, conferences and more   Find A Qualified Financial Advisor Finding a qualified financial advisor doesn't have to be hard. SmartAsset's free tool matches you with up to 3 fiduciary financial advisors in your area in 5 minutes. Each advisor has been vetted by SmartAsset and is held to a fiduciary standard to act in your best interests. If you're ready to be matched with local advisors that can help you achieve your financial goals, get started now. An unhealthy relationship with food Many health and developmental consequences are associated with intergenerational child poverty. Due to the financial difficulties of impoverished families, many children do not receive the nutrients they need to develop correctly. A study of other OECD and high-income nations revealed that low-income children in Spain and France (nations with a lower child poverty rate per capita than the United States, which suggests similar or worse results would likely be found in the US) consume less fruit, vegetables, or protein than non-poor children on a daily basis. Children living in low-income homes also have an increased risk of iron deficiency anemia. There is also a link between child food insecurity, adult eating disorders, and obesity. For example, compared to their peers, low-income children are 21% more likely to be obese. Often, this is the result of unhealthy eating habits and food relationships, especially unhealthy food relationships. It is common for children in chronic poverty to grow up in homes without adequate food. In turn, this has adverse physical, emotional, and behavioral effects. Often, these children don’t eat a balanced diet or get the proper nutrition intake. And they may even develop an eating disorder in adulthood. Difficulties with cognitive and academic achievement “Research substantiates the negative effects poverty can have on a child’s brain including development, learning, and academic performance,” write Ashlee Loughan, MEd, and Robert Perna, Ph.D. “Numerous studies have documented that low-income children, as young as age two, perform worse across cognitive measures.” Using data from two national datasets, researchers found “that family poverty was significantly correlated with lower scores across cognitive and academic readiness in preschool-aged children (ages three to four).” Moreover, the result remained the same even after controlling for factors such as maternal education, family structure, ethnicity, birth weight, and gender. “As children enter and progress through school, the kids living in poor families continue to perform worse on indices of school achievement,” the authors add. “Specifically, poor children were twice as likely to have repeated a grade, to have been expelled or suspended from school, or to have dropped out of high school.” A learning disability was also more prevalent among poor children in elementary or high school than among non-poor children by 1.4 times. An insufficient level of social and emotional development The stressors associated with poverty can also affect young children’s social-emotional development, increasing their risk for behavioral and emotional issues, states the Center for the Study of Social Policy. In comparison with parents whose children do not experience poverty, parents of children experiencing poverty are twice as likely to report that their children are at risk for developmental delays. Only 48 percent of parents of children living in deep poverty reported that their children were “thriving” developmentally, compared with 72 percent of parents of children not living in deep poverty. Young children need a stable environment to flourish, and poverty makes it harder for caregivers to do so. In addition, stress and uncertainty in daily life and having limited resources to meet a child’s basic needs may negatively impact parents’ ability to parent successfully. Children who are exposed to poverty in childhood – whether cyclical or chronic – are more likely to struggle to escape poverty in adulthood. Thereby perpetuating an intergenerational cycle. Children who experienced poverty at least half of their childhood are 37 percent less likely to be consistently employed than children who didn’t experience poverty at all or experienced it for a shorter period. Poor psychological health Researchers at Cornell University found that impoverished children were more likely to engage in antisocial behavior, such as aggressive behavior and bullying, and to feel helpless than their middle-income peers. Poor kids also have more chronic physiological stress and more deficits in short-term spatial memory. “What this means is, if you’re born poor, you’re on a trajectory to have more of these kinds of psychological problems,” said Gary Evans, the author of the study and professor of environmental and developmental psychology at Cornell. The reason? It’s all about stress. “With poverty, you’re exposed to lots of stress. Everybody has stress, but low-income families, low-income children, have a lot more of it,” Evans said. “And the parents are also under a lot of stress. So for kids, there is a cumulative risk exposure.” Growing up in poverty increases the chances of being impoverished as an adult. For example, 40 percent of sons will earn the same as their fathers. “People walk around with this idea in their head that if you work hard, play by the rules, you can get ahead,” Evans said. “And that’s just a myth. It’s just not true.” Digital divide “Roughly a quarter of adults with household incomes below $30,000 a year (24%) say they don’t own a smartphone,” states the Pew Research Center. Most adults with lower incomes lack home broadband services (43%). They also lack a desktop or laptop computer (41%). American households with lower incomes are less likely to own tablets. Comparatively, each of these technologies is almost ubiquitous among adults in households earning $100,000 or more. Why’s this important? As a start, today’s students who develop tech skills are quietly gaining an advantage over those who don’t. Businesses operate differently now, from artificial intelligence to machine learning, and understanding technology helps children thrive in modern society. Aside from supporting technological understanding, coding skills also develop coveted transferrable skills. It is more important to know what questions to ask in an age of access to information than to know what the right answer is. Children learn technology skills in a project-centric way that encourages them to break complex problems into manageable chunks. This skill is increasingly needed in high-skilled professions and at top universities. Furthermore, they may not benefit from the secondary benefits of learning technology skills. Among these skills are problem-solving and logic. And the acquisition of new skills equips children with a development mindset, which improves their ability to learn. Poor living conditions lead to future health issues As a result of the decrease in rent prices in affordable housing areas, many impoverished families are forced to live there. Low-income housing areas are often situated in less desirable areas, have air pollution problems, and have structural health issues. Many lower-income areas contain asbestos, black mold, and lead — particularly in older homes. In addition, people living below the poverty line are exposed to 20% more vanadium and 18% more carbon. It has been found that these elements are linked to cardiovascular and lung diseases. The fact that some people cannot afford housing has caused them to become homeless is even more concerning. Even though children and families can end up homeless due to other circumstances, homelessness is more common among single-parent households and domestic abuse cases. Across America, 580,466 people were experiencing homelessness in January 2020. The vast majority were individuals (70 percent), followed by families with children (30 percent). Homelessness, however, is associated with severe trauma for 90% of families, causing long-term mental instability for children. When a child lives in a poverty-stricken area and is homeless, their safety may be compromised. Exposure to violence, incarceration, and victimization Due to exposure in the community and the social capital (often negative) gang affiliation offers, adolescents growing up in low-income urban areas are at increased risk of joining a gang or becoming involved in gang violence. One study even found that 89% of low-income children had been in a gang at some point in their lives. Affiliation is seen by some as a way to achieve a higher socioeconomic status. While others, however, feel there is no other option to preserve their safety. The mental consequences of being involved in gangs or just exposed to gang violence secondhand have been comparable to those experienced by child soldiers in other countries. In addition to these negative mental and emotional effects, there may be an increase in domestic violence and behavioral issues at school as a result. Gang involvement is also associated with drug and alcohol abuse and school dropout. The chances of an adolescent dropping out of high school are 30% greater once they join a gang. The risk of students dropping out of high school is already significant among children living in poverty, and gang activity only adds to it. Participating in gangs and dropping out of high school put these young people at a higher risk of being incarcerated or involved in juvenile justice. In low-income communities of color, mass incarceration is a significant obstacle to mobility and adversely affects low-income communities of color. Not on equal footing. A four-year college degree remains a solid financial investment, despite rising college costs and increasing student debt levels. On average, adults with a bachelor’s degree have better economic outcomes than those without. As a result, they tend to earn more money and accumulate more wealth, notes the Pew Research Center. However, college graduates do not reap the same economic benefits. Using data from the Federal Reserve Board, Pew Research Center finds that first-generation college graduates are not on an equal footing with their peers with college educations. Families with children who have a parent with a bachelor’s degree or higher have higher incomes and wealth than those whose first generation graduated from college. College completion rates are higher among adults with college-educated parents than adults without. Approximately 70% of adults between 22 and 59 with at least one parent with a bachelor’s degree or more education have their own bachelor’s degree. Conversely, a bachelor’s degree is only held by 26% of their peers without college-educated parents. Even if you’re lucky enough to attend college, many students will begin their professional careers burdened by financial anxiety and a mountain of student loan debt. “Many of today’s college students are not ready to take charge of their financial lives because they do not know how or even what to consider,” said Ray Martinez, co-founder and president of EVERFI. “Financial literacy, like all important lessons, must start early – long before the student takes a seat at college orientation and certainly ahead of entering the workforce.” You’re more likely to stay poor if you’re born poor “What’s the number one reason people are in poverty? Birth,” said Mark Bergel, CEO and founder of A Wider Circle in Silver Spring, Md. It is a non-profit program dedicated to helping people rise out of poverty. “By the time you are three years old in poverty, you have 30 million fewer words in your vocabulary than people in wealthier situations. You are already so behind that you don’t bother catching up,” said Bergel. This is the reality for over 12.7% of Americans, he said. As a result of the lack of access to educational resources, poverty becomes a multigenerational cycle. As a result, children are ill-equipped for the future. That leads to the child remaining poor like their parents. “We have trapped people in a system of poverty. We have blamed them for that, and we have pointed to the outliers of studies that say they don’t work,” said Dr. Georges Benjamin, the executive director of the American Public Health Association. “Trapping” occurs when people without financial knowledge lack the skills they need to succeed. If families don’t learn positive financial management methods, cycles will continue, and families will fail. FAQS What is generational poverty? Families suffering from generational poverty have experienced poverty for at least two generations. As a result, many aspects of a person’s life can be affected by it: physical, social, emotional, and psychological. How does poverty affect children? Poverty impacts children in many ways, including hunger, illness, insecurity, and instability, but they also have low academic achievement, obesity, behavioral problems, and difficulties with social and emotional development. As a result of increased stress, poverty has a detrimental effect on developmental outcomes. A person’s cardiovascular system, immune system, neuroendocrine system, and cortical system can be adversely affected by stress, which may impair their ability to learn and make decisions. What causes 70% of families to lose their wealth after the second generation? The transmission of generational wealth is an aspect of financial planning aimed at passing on stable, significant financial resources to the next generation, says David Kleinhandler. But can wealth really be taught? Many business people, professors, financial planners, and others would be very wealthy if knowledge alone were enough. Unfortunately, to become wealthy, you need a lot more than knowledge. Many traits are challenging to teach and pass on, such as discipline, hard work, and sacrifice. In order to achieve something better, the generation that earns the wealth must work hard and experience hardship. Achieving their goals requires diligent work and diligent saving. In time, their efforts pay off, and they can retire comfortably and pass on assets to their children. Their parents’ struggles demonstrate the importance of sacrifice and hard work to the next generation as they grow up. As adults, they may be more comfortable, but they remember the frugal aspects of their childhoods. As a result of their awareness, they make better choices regarding education and finances, which enables them to build upon their parents’ foundation. Previous generations never realized the challenges and sacrifices they endured. Their only understanding of life is a life of plenty, and they do not understand what it takes to maintain their lifestyle. In the second generation, 70% of wealthy families will lose all their wealth. And in the third, 90% will lose it. This can be attributed to a variety of reasons: Money is not spoken about among generations People of the previous generation fear laziness and entitlement in the next generation Money is often misunderstood and misused by many What is life amidst poverty like? It is exhausting to live in poverty, explains Andrea Fuller. In the face of poverty, there is despair and desperation. “Poverty crushes the soul, dreams, and hopes of people. Poverty is like being enclosed in a prison cell with no doors or windows,” Fuller adds. “It feels claustrophobic, as if there is no way out.” “Only the most resilient do not give up,” she continues. “Still, there is no guarantee that life will get better—and those in poverty know this all too well.” Either they become hardened, or they accept their fate. “You don’t live life, you don’t thrive—you survive,” says Fuller. “You wonder if you are predestined, like a caste in another country, to live out a life destitute of fulfillment — whether financial, professional, or just having a better life.” Article by Deanna Ritchie, Due About the Author Deanna Ritchie is a financial editor at Due. She has a degree in English Literature. She has written 1000+ articles on getting out of debt and mastering your finances. She has edited over 40,000 articles in her life. She has a passion for helping writers inspire others through their words. Deanna has also been an editor at Entrepreneur Magazine and ReadWrite......»»

Despite the current economic climate, and the eye-watering cost of living that has already affected millions of American households, a portion of younger adults are still finding it manageable to thrive financially even as financial anxiety persists. It’s not completely possible to ignore the major economic headwinds many Americans have experienced throughout the year. Skyrocketing […] Despite the current economic climate, and the eye-watering cost of living that has already affected millions of American households, a portion of younger adults are still finding it manageable to thrive financially even as financial anxiety persists. It’s not completely possible to ignore the major economic headwinds many Americans have experienced throughout the year. Skyrocketing inflation has sent consumer prices soaring, leaving consumers baffled over whether they will be able to cope with the increasing cost of living. In June 2022, the Consumer Price Index hit a red-hot 9.1%, the highest recorded in more than four decades. .first{clear:both;margin-left:0}.one-third{width:31.034482758621%;float:left;margin-left:3.448275862069%}.two-thirds{width:65.51724137931%;float:left}form.ebook-styles .af-element input{border:0;border-radius:0;padding:8px}form.ebook-styles .af-element{width:220px;float:left}form.ebook-styles .af-element.buttonContainer{width:115px;float:left;margin-left: 6px;}form.ebook-styles .af-element.buttonContainer input.submit{width:115px;padding:10px 6px 8px;text-transform:uppercase;border-radius:0;border:0;font-size:15px}form.ebook-styles .af-body.af-standards input.submit{width:115px}form.ebook-styles .af-element.privacyPolicy{width:100%;font-size:12px;margin:10px auto 0}form.ebook-styles .af-element.privacyPolicy p{font-size:11px;margin-bottom:0}form.ebook-styles .af-body input.text{height:40px;padding:2px 10px !important} form.ebook-styles .error, form.ebook-styles #error { color:#d00; } form.ebook-styles .formfields h1, form.ebook-styles .formfields #mg-logo, form.ebook-styles .formfields #mg-footer { display: none; } form.ebook-styles .formfields { font-size: 12px; } form.ebook-styles .formfields p { margin: 4px 0; } Get The Full Ray Dalio Series in PDF Get the entire 10-part series on Ray Dalio in PDF. Save it to your desktop, read it on your tablet, or email to your colleagues (function($) {window.fnames = new Array(); window.ftypes = new Array();fnames[0]='EMAIL';ftypes[0]='email';}(jQuery));var $mcj = jQuery.noConflict(true); Q2 2022 hedge fund letters, conferences and more   During the same time inflation was sending warning signs across the economy, motorists were paying on average $4.96 per gallon of regular gas, in some places such as California, gas prices hit a staggering $6.39 per gallon. Fortunately, since then, gas prices have substantially come down in recent months, but have seen going up by a couple of cents in the last few weeks. Pricier goods and expensive gas isn’t the only thing that’s been hurting American households. The Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) recently hiked its prime interest rate by another 75 basis points, marking the highest interest rates have climbed since the financial crisis back in 2007. Jerome Powell, Chair of the FOMC commented that the Federal Reserve will continue to increase the cost of borrowing until they have managed to push inflation down to its target 2% range. The aggressive rate hikes have been a major headwind for not just more financially secure adults, but more so for the younger generations of Americans who were hoping to purchase their first or second home this year. On the back of this, recent indicators have also revealed that the median rental price has also jumped by 4.8% in the past year. Increased consumer demand as people returned to cities, and higher operating costs have sent rental prices spiraling in the last few months. A Redfin rental report from May 2022 revealed that the median price rental price in the country surpassed the $2000 per month threshold for the first time, with the outlook showing possibilities of further increases in the near future. Americans, young and old are paying more for nearly everything these days, and it’s likely to remain this way for the next few years. As economic conditions uncontrollably deteriorate faster than experts predicted, younger Americans are finding it easier and more affordable to relocate abroad in the hopes of enjoying a more affordable lifestyle. While there are several top countries Americans are considering moving to, for many millennials in the U.S. allied European nations are providing them with more attractive jobs and financial opportunities. Recent statistics indicate that among non-European citizens that currently reside within the European Union (EU) 17% relocated for work purposes, 3% for education, and 39% for family-related reasons. Although there is no direct indication of how many of these non-EU citizens were American-born, it, however, paints a vivid picture of how European nations are allowing migrants better opportunities economically. Where in Europe Are Millennials Thriving? While there are countless well-known cities in the U.S.that can offer millennials a place to call home, many are choosing EU nations that allow them an affordable cost of living, financial security, and access to affordable housing. The onset of remote working and work-from-home jobs has only further pivoted many to consider moving abroad. While the odds may be stacked against them in a foreign country, the stronger dollar to Euro is also slightly helping play more in their favor as they settle abroad. On top of that, some of these countries on our list have favorable tax regulations, and overall can offer a better quality of life, something which many younger Americans are seeking amid the cost of living crisis. Let’s see which European states are the top places where young Americans are thriving. Switzerland For decades Switzerland has topped many lists as one of the most livable countries in the world, offering citizens a high quality of life and first-rate public services. While Switzerland isn’t part of the European Union, it still offers a unique European experience like no other with its picturesque scenery, and easy access to neighboring countries including Austria, France, Germany, Italy, and Liechtenstein. Popular cities for expats include Basel, Lausanne, and Zurich, which have been found to be among the best-performing hubs for political stability and urban development. While expats can enjoy better education and healthcare services often subsidized by the government, the cost of living is still more than what the average American could afford. Despite this financial challenge, the multicultural and diverse cities give American millennials a better opportunity to settle and perhaps start a family. Portugal As one of the smaller Western European states, Portugal has been ranked 48th among the 50 major economies in the world. The country has been slowly rebuilding its economy after experiencing major downturns during the first half of the 21st century, and in 2021, inflation was around 1.27%, while the U.S. Consumer Price Index (CPI) registered a 4.7% inflation rate. Like other countries across the world that currently offer remote workers a chance at applying for an Expat Visa, a similar visa allows expats to apply and reside within the country for up to two years. The program allows expats to apply for permanent residency within five years of living in the country, making it one of the easiest routes to European citizenship. Although the country has a lot to offer in terms of public services, such as affordable healthcare and education, the COVID-19 pandemic saw an additional 400,000 Portuguese residents being impoverished due to financial uncertainty. Although there are some challenges that the country will still need to resolve in the coming years, it’s undoubtedly one of the more affordable EU nations which have captured the attention of millennial expats. Iceland Although Iceland is not considered one of the most affordable countries in the world, the country has a lot to offer its residents in terms of public services and recreational attractions. The Nordic nation, which is also known as the land of Fire and Ice, partially due to its active volcanoes, and snow-topped mountain ranges has attracted a small community of expats who are able to afford their way around. Most recent figures revealed that in January 2020, roughly 15.2% of the country’s population was made up of legal immigrants and expats. While the country has a small population of just under 400,000, in recent times it’s become a lot more expat-friendly due to the free movement of people coming from continental Europe and other developed nations. If universal state-sponsored healthcare isn’t something that piques your interest, perhaps the 557 hiking trails, backpacking routes, and numerous camping sites will help decide to relocate a bit easier. Large-scale remote working has also meant that since 2020, the country now offers working-from-home professionals the opportunity to legally reside in the country before having to re-apply for the right to remain. Spain  Ranked as the fourth largest economy in the EU, and 14th globally, Spain has become an international hub for business, tourism, and expats looking to take advantage of the numerous economic benefits the country has to offer. Aside from having a substantially developed economy, the country recently witnessed a surge in international firms being headquartered within its borders, seeing more than 14,600 foreign firms setting up their business in the last few years. On top of this, foreign investors have also found that investment opportunities provide better and more lucrative financial well-being, as the government seeks to provide them with an innovative and progressive workforce. Millennials who reside here enjoy affordable housing, among other economic benefits. There is also a well-functioning healthcare system, and most recent government efforts have seen the country move to improve its tax regulations to attract middle-tier working professionals. Germany Being one of the largest and most progressive economies in the European Union, Germany has ample to offer its residents including universal healthcare, tuition-free schools, and some of the best public transportation the continent has to offer. Industry is one of the country’s strongholds, including automotive, mechanical engineering, chemical, and electrical industries. Like other countries around the world, Germany has been struggling to control soaring inflation which hit a piping hot 10% in September. In an effort to control the rampant running rate at which prices have been increasing, the government has unveiled a €200 billion plan to assist consumers in the fight against the cost of living crisis. Although economic conditions have been tumultuous, the government has been actively working to control uncertainty for residents. The country has a strong workforce and offers ample job opportunities for those in their respective professional fields. If you’re lucky enough to obtain a work or residence permit, it’s definitely worth the effort as many expats have found. The Changing Tide On the bright side, it’s starting to look as if consumers are changing their sentiment in terms of current economic conditions. Recent preliminary data compiled by the University of Michigan showed that the consumer sentiment index increased from 58.2 in August, to 59.5 for the first half of September. While a marginal increment, it remains higher than the 50 recorded in June of this year when the economy started to erode on itself. Although it may still take some time before conditions improve, there is a small enclave of Americans who have been able to thrive in current conditions, as these states not only offer better paying jobs with higher wages, but also a more affordable cost of living. Making a living as an American millennial means that a majority of jobs now offer more competitive salaries, work benefits, and the possibility of working from home or remotely. Although this sounds enticing, millennials are still found to be the most in debt generation in the country, as nearly 73% of them have some form of non-mortgage debt, with the average millennial owing close to $117,000. The high amounts of debt have only further burdened many younger millennials, making it harder for them to properly save for retirement, or put money aside for bigger ventures such as buying a house or property. Again, it comes to show that although millennials may be in a comfortable financial position to some extent, they’re still carrying major debt burdens that will take decades to finish repaying. The Bottom Line While countless factors have made the financial outlook increasingly challenging for millions of Americans, it’s clear that some countries offer them an opportunity to thrive under the current economic climate. With better-paying jobs, booming industries, and evergreen tax provisions, several foreign countries are allowing residents to enjoy a better quality of life even as the cost of living has sent shockwaves across the world. In due time, these and other nations may look to make dramatic changes to the way they attract and retain younger and more skilled workers to help uplift the local economy. Although this may take some time before successfully initiated, it just comes to show that younger Americans are continuously looking for better and more lucrative opportunities, even if this means they need to relocate to a different country. Perhaps this is all temporary, but the future outlook is presenting itself in a completely different way, leaving many young Americans to seek out new ventures that provide them with the financial and social security their older counterparts enjoyed in the decades before......»»

We took a look at Toys R Us over the years, from its swift rise, downfall due to e-commerce competitors like Amazon, and attempts at revitalization. Toys R Us was founded in 1948 by Charles Lazarus after he returned from World War II.AP Photo/Daniel Hulshizer Toys R Us is reopening inside Macy's stores around the country, just in time for the holiday shopping season.  The retailer closed its last two US stores in 2021, three years after the retailer filed for bankruptcy.  After dwindling sales during the coronavirus pandemic, the chain continued as an online retailer. Toys R Us is, once again, rising from the dead.The beloved toy store is reopening its doors once more, this time from inside select Macy's department stores across the US. The in-store shops are currently operating in Georgia, New Jersey, Illinois, Nevada, Louisiana, New York, Maryland, and Missouri, with more expected by October 15. The return of Toys R Us comes after the store closed its last two remaining stores in January 2021, after the coronavirus pandemic hit in-store sales. The brand previously struggled to make a comeback the year prior,  including teaming with Amazon to fulfill its orders. The beleaguered toy company first tried to make a brick-and-mortar return in 2019, after it was purchased by Tru Kids Brands, which went on to open holiday pop-up shops and relaunch a website in the retailer's name.Its revitalization efforts come after Toys R Us filed for chapter 11 bankruptcy in 2017 and — after failing to find a buyer to help refinance the company's mounting debt — ultimately shuttered and liquidated all 700-plus stores in an emotional farewell.We took a closer look at the history of the historic toy company over the years. Toys R Us was founded in 1948 by Charles Lazarus after he returned from World War II.The late Charles Lazarus stands in front of his Paramus, New Jersey, store, May 20, 1982.Mike Derer/APLazarus was inspired by what was then the emerging post-war "baby boom" and sought a way to capitalize.The company started as a baby goods and furniture store called Children's Bargain Town in Washington, DC.Toys R Us.Mario Tama/Getty ImagesIn the subsequent years, Lazarus began expanding into toys and the company officially adopted the name Toys R Us in 1957.Over the next two decades, Toys R Us played a significant role in putting iconic toys on the map for American youngsters, such as Mr. Potato Head.Former NBA player Allen Iverson holds up a Mr Potato Head toy.AP Photo/William Thomas CainLazarus was able to corner the market by buying and selling so many toys that he could negotiate more lucrative contracts than his competitors.The company was also known for bringing big names in for promotional events or philanthropic work, such as NBA Hall of Famer Magic Johnson.Magic Johnson at a Toys R Us event in 1992.AP Photo/Thomas KenzleKids and their parents would line up for hours to meet their favorite stars — and do a little shopping while they were there.In 1966, Lazarus sold the company to Interstate Sales to help finance a larger national expansion.President George H. Bush (left) and Charles Lazarus (right) in a Toys R Us store in 1992.AP Photo/FileAccording to Encyclopedia.com, he transitioned from chief executive to head the Toys R Us division, which was already thriving at profits of $12 million.In 1969, Toys R Us developed its beloved Geoffrey the Giraffe character.A young girl plays with a Geoffrey the Giraffe mascot at a New Jersey store.AP Photo/Seth WenigThe mascot became synonymous with the brand and its advertising campaigns over the decades.In 1974, parent company Interstate Sales filed for bankruptcy.A Toys R Us sign.Justin Sullivan/Getty ImagesLazarus handled the restructuring process, according to USA Today.Lazarus sold off struggling pieces of the business and got the company back on track.Toys R Us was founded in 1948 by Charles Lazarus after he returned from World War II.AP Photo/Daniel HulshizerIn 1978, it was able to file its initial public offering.In 1983, the company opened a clothing store spinoff called Kids R Us.Kid R Us storefront.AP Photo/Marty LederhandlerThe Toys R Us empire was steadily expanding.Lazarus eventually stepped down as chief executive in 1994.A child visits the opening of a Toys R Us store in Stockton, California, in 1990.Getty ImagesThe move signified a series of woes for the brand, including high executive turnover and the looming pressure of ecommerce.Building upon the success of Kids R Us, the company expanded into baby clothing with Babies R Us in 1996.Babies R Us and Toys R Us sign.AP Photo/Julio CortezThe stores saw success with selling baby-related merchandise.In the 1990s and early aughts, Toys R Us began expanding into major cities like New York.New York City pedestrians are blurred as they pass under the Toys R Us marquee on Broadway in 1990.AP Photo/Richard DrewIn the Big Apple, Toys R Us opened its iconic multi-story store with a fully functioning Ferris wheel in 2001.Around this time, Toys R Us and its spinoff brands began to experience mounting competition from fellow big-box stores like Walmart and Target.Toys R Us.Tom Pennington/Getty ImagesIn fact, according to The Associated Press, in 1998, Walmart had already surpassed the company as the top US toy seller.The mounting competition led to the eventual closure of Kids R Us.A liquidating Kids R Us store in 2004.Tim Boyle/Getty ImagesAll 146 Kids R Us stores were closed in 2003.In 2005, a conglomerate of private equity firms — including Bain Capital, Kohlberg Kravis Roberts, and Vornado Realty Trust — purchased Toys R Us for $6.6 billion, taking the company private in the process.Toys R Us.GettyAccording to USA Today, the plan was to boost Toys R Us sales and position the company for a stock offering that would allow investors to cash out.In an attempt to compete with the ecommerce boom, the company purchased Etoys.com and Toys.com in 2009.FAO Schwartz.Business Insider/Jessica TylerThat same year, it bought KB Toys and the famed New York City toy store, F.A.O. Schwarz.In 2010 the company registered once again to go public.Black Friday shoppers at Toys R Us in New York City.Stan Honda/AFP via Getty ImagesHowever, by 2013 it withdrew from the process due to sales slumps, according to USA Today.In 2015, Dave Brandon – formerly the CEO of Domino's Pizza — took over the helm of Toys R Us.Dave Brandon.AP Photo/Tony DingAccording to USA Today, Brandon marked the fourth CEO over the course of 16 years "tasked with turning the company around."Still, the company continued to struggle, especially during the 2016 holiday season.A Toys R Us employee.Joe Raedle/Getty ImagesAccording to Business Insider, the chain lost significant traction to ecommerce giants like Amazon, Target, and Walmart.The company officially filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in September 2017.A sale at Toys R Us.Richard Drew/AP ImagesThe chain hoped to gain control of its debt and continue to operate its 1,600 stores around the world as normal, according to the Washington Post.With its hopes for a financial savior ultimately dashed, Toys R Us announced in March 2018 that it would liquidate and permanently close all of its 700-plus stores across the US.A sign for a Toys R Us "everything must go" sale.AP Photo/Julio CortezAccording to Business Insider, the decision threatened the jobs of the 33,000 people employed by Toys R Us at the time.That same year, the company issued an emotional goodbye as it prepared to permanently shutter its Toys R Us and Babies R Us websites."We encourage you to stop by your local store and take full advantage of the deep discounts and deals available," the message read. "Thank you for your business and support over the years."It was later announced that gift-card holders could use any remaining funds at Bed Bath & Beyond stores, according to Business Insider.The CEO of the toy company MGA Entertainment issued a last-minute bid of $890 million to save the company.Toys R Us.Shannon Stapleton/ReutersHowever, the offer was ultimately rejected by Toys R Us.Throughout the rest of 2018, stores like Walmart began to position themselves to take over the void left behind in the market by Toys R Us.A Walmart Supercenter in New Jersey.Rachel Askinasi/Business InsiderThe chain strategized to overtake Toys R Us's legacy by adding mass amounts of baby-related products to its inventory.By the fall of 2018, abandoned Toys R Us stores had been temporarily converted into Halloween costume shops across the country.A forlorn Toys R Us store.Business Insider/Jessica TylerAccording to Business Insider, Halloween costume retailers Spirit Halloween and Halloween City set up shop in the abandoned stores but kept most of the remaining Toys R Us signage and wallpaper.Read more: Dead Toys R Us and Babies R Us stores are being resurrected as Halloween costume shopsIn February 2019, Toys R Us appeared to rise from the dead when Tru Kids Brands purchased the rights to the company.Toys R Us.Courtesy of Tru Kids BrandsTru Kids Brands also purchased the rights to the Geoffrey the Giraffe mascot with plans to revitalize it.Later that year, Tru Kids Brands announced it would open a series of holiday pop-up stores under the Toys R Us name.Toys R Us redesigned store rendering.Tru KidsThe stores would sell popular toys directly from manufacturers, meaning that any sales would directly go to the toy companies rather than Toys R Us.Read more: Toys R Us is officially back from the dead, but its new stores won't actually make any money selling toysIn October 2019, the company announced it was back online but with a catch — you couldn't actually buy anything directly from the Toys R Us site.An Elmo toy on the Toys R Us website.ToysRUs.comInstead, users would be directed to make purchases from Target's website.In fall 2019, empty Toys R Us stores were once again used for Halloween purposes — this time to host haunted houses.A store converted into a haunted house.Shoshy Ciment/Business InsiderThe haunted houses were a far cry from the joy-filled Toys R Us stores of the 1990s.In August 2020, it was confirmed that Toys R Us had ended its partnership with Target.The Toys R Us website.Toys R UsToys R Us would now partner with Amazon as its fulfillment partner, according to Business Insider.The coronavirus pandemic decimated in-store sales for many retailers, including Toys R Us.A Toys R Us storefront closed during the coronavirus pandemic.Andrew Chin/Getty ImagesCNBC reported in January 2021 that the retailer was facing hardships due to dwindling in-store sales amid the coronavirus pandemic. As a result, the chain's last two remaining stores in the US officially shuttered for good, bringing an end to a years-long ordeal to attempt to revitalize the brand.The final stores were in Texas and New Jersey, Bloomberg reported."Consumer demand in the toy category and for Toys 'R' Us remains strong and we will continue to invest in the channels where the customer wants to experience our brand," a Tru Kids spokesperson told CNBC.Read more: The last 2 Toys 'R' Us stores in the US have closed down after the COVID-19 pandemic hit salesIn August 2022, Toys R Us announced it was making yet another comeback, by opening in-store shops at Macy's around the country.Macy's Toys R Us homepageMacy'sThere are currently Toys R Us in-store locations at Macy's in nine states, with more to come by October 15, just in time for the holiday shopping season. Still, while Toys R Us technically still exists, the brand is a shadow of what it once was.Customers wait in line to enter Toys R Us in Times Square on Black Friday.Yana Paskova/ Getty ImagesGone are the days of shopping for the latest toys and gadgets at your local Toys R Us big-box store.Read the original article on Business Insider.....»»

Motto® Mortgage and wemloSM, have announced the appointment of industry veteran, Chris Erickson, as vice president of product and strategy for both brands. Erickson brings nearly two decades of experience in the financial services industry, previously serving as vice president of product management for Guaranteed Rate, head of product for Rental Property Solutions at CoreLogic,… The post Motto Mortgage and wemlo Name Chris Erickson Vice President of Product and Strategy appeared first on RISMedia. Motto® Mortgage and wemloSM, have announced the appointment of industry veteran, Chris Erickson, as vice president of product and strategy for both brands. Erickson brings nearly two decades of experience in the financial services industry, previously serving as vice president of product management for Guaranteed Rate, head of product for Rental Property Solutions at CoreLogic, assistant vice president and product manager for Mr. Cooper (previously Nationstar Mortgage) and holding various product management roles at CitiBank, Caliber and Primary Residential Mortgage, a release stated. Throughout his career, Erickson has been heavily involved in the end-to-end mortgage origination process, overseeing the strategic, tactical product management, and development of mortgage origination workflow solutions, the company stated. Motto and wemlo say his work has also been integral to building proprietary systems that create improved, simplified and easy-to-use platforms for end users. “We are thrilled to welcome Chris to the team to help propel the growth of these young, thriving brands,” said Ward Morrison, president and CEO of Motto Franchising, LLC and wemlo, LLC. “His extensive industry experience has allowed him to learn the challenges originators and consumers face in the home buying experience and he will work to develop solutions that improve and streamline the process for our franchisees and customers.” The release states that in his new role, Erickson’s primary responsibilities include product management, the procurement and advancement of technology solutions, and overseeing the training department and support teams for Motto Mortgage and wemlo. For the Motto Mortgage brand, Erickson’s primary focus is to ensure the product ecosystem for franchisees is streamlined. He will also work to introduce new technology to the mortgage broker network that will allow franchisees to build and scale their businesses more effectively. For wemlo, Erickson will focus on enhancing the existing loan processing platform to improve user experience and continue building unique and innovative technology solutions for the mortgage brokerage channel. “I’ve always prided myself on being a leader who turns ideas into action, leveraging my refined skill set to take a concept from ideation to go-to-market in the most effective way,” Erickson said. “I am excited to join the Motto and wemlo teams during this time of rapid growth and am honored to be leading the charge in the development of an origination platform that is poised to disrupt the mortgage industry.” For more information, visit www.MottoMortgage.com. The post Motto Mortgage and wemlo Name Chris Erickson Vice President of Product and Strategy appeared first on RISMedia......»»

Motto® Mortgage and wemloSM, have announced the appointment of industry veteran, Chris Erickson, as vice president of product and strategy for both brands. Erickson brings nearly two decades of experience in the financial services industry, previously serving as vice president of product management for Guaranteed Rate, head of product for Rental Property Solutions at CoreLogic,… The post Motto Mortgage and wemlo Appoint Industry Veteran Chris Erickson as New Vice President of Product and Strategy appeared first on RISMedia. Motto® Mortgage and wemloSM, have announced the appointment of industry veteran, Chris Erickson, as vice president of product and strategy for both brands. Erickson brings nearly two decades of experience in the financial services industry, previously serving as vice president of product management for Guaranteed Rate, head of product for Rental Property Solutions at CoreLogic, assistant vice president and product manager for Mr. Cooper (previously Nationstar Mortgage) and holding various product management roles at CitiBank, Caliber and Primary Residential Mortgage, a release stated. Throughout his career, Erickson has been heavily involved in the end-to-end mortgage origination process, overseeing the strategic, tactical product management, and development of mortgage origination workflow solutions, the company stated. Motto and wemlo say his work has also been integral to building proprietary systems that create improved, simplified and easy-to-use platforms for end users. “We are thrilled to welcome Chris to the team to help propel the growth of these young, thriving brands,” said Ward Morrison, president and CEO of Motto Franchising, LLC and wemlo, LLC. “His extensive industry experience has allowed him to learn the challenges originators and consumers face in the home buying experience and he will work to develop solutions that improve and streamline the process for our franchisees and customers.” The release states that in his new role, Erickson’s primary responsibilities include product management, the procurement and advancement of technology solutions, and overseeing the training department and support teams for Motto Mortgage and wemlo. For the Motto Mortgage brand, Erickson’s primary focus is to ensure the product ecosystem for franchisees is streamlined. He will also work to introduce new technology to the mortgage broker network that will allow franchisees to build and scale their businesses more effectively. For wemlo, Erickson will focus on enhancing the existing loan processing platform to improve user experience and continue building unique and innovative technology solutions for the mortgage brokerage channel. “I’ve always prided myself on being a leader who turns ideas into action, leveraging my refined skill set to take a concept from ideation to go-to-market in the most effective way,” Erickson said. “I am excited to join the Motto and wemlo teams during this time of rapid growth and am honored to be leading the charge in the development of an origination platform that is poised to disrupt the mortgage industry.” For more information, visit www.MottoMortgage.com. The post Motto Mortgage and wemlo Appoint Industry Veteran Chris Erickson as New Vice President of Product and Strategy appeared first on RISMedia......»»

Asylum Seekers Overwhelm Shelters In Portland, Maine Authored by Steven Kovac via The Epoch Times (emphasis ours), Facing an impending humanitarian crisis, Portland Family Shelters Director Mike Guthrie has a simple message to anyone who will listen, “We need help!” Families of asylum seekers warehoused outside of an overcrowded family shelter in Portland, Maine, on May 25, 2022. (Steven Kovac/Epoch Times) Guthrie, a hands-on, frontline worker in the effort to feed, clothe, and house a continuous flow of foreign nationals arriving in Portland by airplane or bus from the U.S. southern border, told The Epoch Times, “Our family shelter facilities, our warming room, and even area hotel space is at capacity. We have maxed out our community resources. “The time is coming when I’m going to have to look a dad in the face and tell him and his family that I don’t know where they’re going to sleep tonight.” The Portland Family Shelter is a complex of four rented buildings in various states of renovation located in the heart of downtown. Some of the structures are gradually being converted into small apartments where up to four families will share a single kitchen and bathroom. All four buildings are overflowing their present capacity. “The intake is greater and faster than we can process,” Guthrie said. Mike Guthrie, director of the family shelter in Portland, Maine, on May 25, 2022. (Steven Kovac/Epoch Times) To accommodate the stream of new arrivals, the family shelter program has in recent months placed 309 families (1,091 people) in eight hotels located in five neighboring municipalities spread over three counties of southeastern Maine’s prime tourist and vacation region. Those moves, with their attendant complications and problems, have resulted in some pushback from the local Mainers who fear their prized relaxed lifestyle may never be the same. And they resent not having a voice in any of it. “It’s just part of the state government’s plan to bring the slums to the suburbs,” said a Mainer from the resort and tourist community of Kennebunkport, a small town about 28 miles down the Atlantic coast from Portland. “The United States cannot rescue Africa.” Coming out of the Kennebunkport post office, long-time Mainers Virginia and Robert shared their opinions on what the locals see as the “invasion” of Maine by immigrants. Virginia commented, “We have sympathy for the asylum seekers, but resources are over-extended and now it’s going beyond Portland.” “Eventually, it’s going to impact our quality of life,” Robert said. A view of Dock Square in Kennebunkport, Maine, on May 25, 2022. (Steven Kovac/Epoch Times Pressures on Portland’s homeless shelter capacity last year inspired a York County community action group to obtain a federal grant to help house the city’s regular homeless population. The plan included renting half a dozen large motels in a three-mile corridor in the heart of southeastern Maine’s Atlantic-shore tourist region. Motels within walking distance of shopping opportunities were selected. The motels close in the off-season, so it appeared to some people to be a win-win arrangement. Included in the plan was the small, quiet, resort town of Wells, located about six miles from Kennebunkport. Though the program sheltered hundreds of individuals from the brutal Maine winter, the resulting wave of never-before-seen vandalism, burglaries, and other property crimes in the commercial district forced the city of Wells to evict every tenant for violations of several municipal ordinances. It is unclear where the evicted people were relocated. Homeless Victimized and Intimidated A motel in Wells, Maine, that was used to shelter the homeless of Portland on May 26, 2022. (Steven Kovac/Epoch Times) According to Captain Gerald Congdon of the Wells Police Department, the crimes were not committed by foreign asylum seekers, Wells residents, or by the many legitimate, disadvantaged, and debilitated people housed in the motel. “The perpetrators arrested were mostly ‘couch-surfers’ spending time with homeless friends staying legally at the motel. However, the bulk of grant-qualified motel dwellers had drug problems,” Congdon said. One small business operator, whose sweetshop was burglarized, told The Epoch Times, “The thieves were druggies in need of a fix. They came in through a window, stole the cash from the register, and took our digital scales. “These people were brought in around Christmastime. It was like an invasion. We never had a crime at our store before they came in and ruined things. “It’s not fair. We now think differently. They changed the whole landscape of how we do business. We don’t want to see them come back.” Congdon told The Epoch Times, “There was shoplifting at the bigger chain stores and car break-ins going after loose change in the strip mall parking lot. “A small bike shop was burglarized twice, losing thousands of dollars-worth of high-end bicycles—never happened to them in 42 years of business. “Our officers spent a lot of time on disturbance calls and enforcing warrants. We made quite a few arrests and recovered some stolen property. “The management of the area’s motels got tired of seeing us there. They were tired of their legitimate businesses being associated with crime. “The nice tenants, many of whom are truly deserving of help, were being victimized and intimidated. They were afraid to call us.” Congdon said his department was not consulted and was given no advance notice on the plan to bring hundreds of homeless people—including many known drug-addicts—into their city. The City of Wells was not compensated for the additional hours of policing. A broad, sandy, beach in the tourist region of southeastern Maine, on May 26, 2022. (Steven Kovac/Epoch Times) ‘Feeder Sources’ On May 1, a hotel in the resort town of Old Orchard Beach, located about halfway between Portland and Kennebunkport, evicted all of its residents for a different reason. This time, they were asylum seekers evicted in order to make room for the arrival of legally permitted temporary seasonal workers to lodge there. These special visa-holders make up the majority of the workforce needed by the region’s thriving hospitality industry. The asylum seekers were relocated to motels in three other southern Maine communities, according to Portland city officials. In Portland, 500 single asylum seekers are housed in a municipal shelter separate from the family shelter, according to a spokesperson for the city. It too is at capacity. Guthrie told The Epoch Times that city authorities have publicly notified what he calls “the feeder sources” at the southern border and in Washington D.C. about the immigration crisis unfolding in Portland. The city administration asked Border Patrol, Health and Human Services, and participating non-profits to stop sending asylum seekers to Portland until sufficient resources become available to adequately care for them. But the force of the city’s request was blunted when it announced immediately after the notification that it would not turn anybody away, acknowledged Guthrie. Maine Gov. Janet Mills in 2019. (Rebecca Hammel/U.S. Senate/Public Domain) Guthrie stated that the city asked Maine Gov. Janet Mills, a Democrat, to call out the National Guard to set up emergency shelters and feeding stations but has not yet received an answer. On June 2, in remarks before the Portland Regional Chamber of Commerce, Mills committed the state to building a new emergency shelter in the city and said she was working to create additional housing for asylum seekers in the area. She also spoke of the desirability of the in-migration as a source of labor to fill many existing job openings. Speaking of the migrants, Mills said, “We need the workforce here. We want them to be available for work. Some of them come with incredible skills and experiences that we can employ.” One long-time Maine resident, who visited the Portland Family Shelter to see the situation for himself, told The Epoch Times, “Mike Guthrie is like a man frantically trying to bail out a sinking rowboat, while his superiors continue to drill holes in it.” During the month of May, the family shelter took in 79 families consisting of 262 individuals with no slowdown in sight, Guthrie said. “220 people turned up in just 20 days. We’re trying to help anybody that comes to the door. Thus far, nobody coming to us has had to sleep outside but we can no longer guarantee shelter upon arrival,” he said. “We need the state of Maine to step in and create safe places for these people. We need a facility to be created and run like a FEMA camp. “Our legislators are talking about buying and renovating older apartments throughout the region that could house 140 families. That’s great in the long-term, but the problem is now! “At the rate things are going, we’d have those places filled in two months. Then what?” Guthrie asked. Portland’s pastors, church members, and its citizens have been stepping forward to do what they can. “Local churches and those in Cumberland are offering space for people to sleep and some Portland residents have even opened up their homes,” Guthrie said. A surge in asylum seekers crossing the border in the Rio Grande Valley has put a strain on the immigration system. Here, migrants are on the move, in Mission, Texas, on March 17, 2021. (Los Angeles Times via TCA) Where Are the Asylum Seekers Coming From? The vast majority of the new arrivals at the family shelter in Portland have come from Angola and the Congo in Africa, with some coming from Haiti in the Caribbean. They make the arduous and often dangerous journey any way they can—largely on foot. Guthrie told of a father and child who recently showed up at the shelter. “The man said that his wife, the young child’s mother, died on the way. She was swept away while crossing a river.” Guthrie explained that the route to Portland for most of the asylum seekers begins in chaos-torn western equatorial Africa. “They cross the Atlantic to South America. They go up through South America and then north through Central America, ending up in northern Mexico, from which they cross the southern border into the United States. “At that point, they present themselves to Border Patrol. “A new arrival tells Border Patrol ‘I am here to seek asylum. If I go back home, I will be killed. I fear for my life.’ That’s the difference between an asylum seeker and an immigrant,” he said. Those three short sentences guarantee a person’s admission for a lengthy stay in the United States as his or her claim is adjudicated. Guthrie went on to explain, “After some additional questioning, the individual is issued minimal paperwork by immigration authorities and told they will be contacted about a formal hearing on their asylum plea. They are then turned over to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.” Most are given cell phones. Public servants with the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS), and representatives of various American non-profit, philanthropic organizations, ask the asylum seekers where they want to go in the interior of the United States to await their asylum hearing. For many, their answer is “Portland.” “They are then put on buses or airplanes and sent on their way,” Guthrie said. Lobsterman Tucker Soule unloads a trap at Cape Porpoise near Kennebunkport, Maine, on May 23, 2022. (Steven Kovac/Epoch Times) Why Portland? Guthrie said that Portland is often recommended to people enroute to the United States by relatives who are already living in the city. “Once they get here, the majority of the new arrivals want to stay in Portland. They tell their relatives and friends about us,” he said. Jessica Grondin, the city’s director of communications and media, told The Epoch Times in a phone interview, “Portland is happy about and proud of our good reputation as a ‘Welcoming City.’ We presently have a large Somali population, as well as many Iraqis and Afghans who arrived here previously.” Grondin said that several busloads of asylum seekers recently shipped off to Washington D.C. by Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, a Republican, ultimately made their way to Portland. She stated that, along with the lack of housing, one of the biggest problems facing the city is a shortage of staff to care for the volume of new arrivals. Guthrie said that the influx asylum seekers has exceeded the city’s ability to offer basic services. “As we outgrow our past limits, we are being forced to prioritize what we are doing for these people. We are no longer able to help them connect with local immigration attorneys, nor help them learn English,” he said. Effective May 7, a policy change took effect forbidding the shelter’s staff from assisting asylum seekers in finding an apartment. “Instead, these folks, who are complete strangers to this community and speak no English, are being qualified for a state General Assistance housing voucher. “They are given a sample lease, a rental form, and an explanation of the GA process, and are then sent out on their own to find a place to live,” Guthrie said. While most of the new arrivals speak Portuguese, some speak French, Lingala, or another tribal language. Many are bilingual, but none speak English. Weary of waiting around, some of the French-speakers asked to be sent to Quebec, but the strict Canadian rules concerning COVID-19 prevented them from entering, Guthrie stated. Condition and Needs of Asylum Seekers Guthrie described the migrants’ situation, saying, “Understand, the majority of these people arrive here with no money. They spent their life savings during their trip and have to start over. They need everything. “They come from hot climates wearing summer clothes. We have given away about 97 percent of our clothing stock to help them cope with the colder weather here in Maine. “We have to keep many people outside during the day and then pack them into our warming room for the chilly Maine nights, or on rainy days,” he said. Fathers, mothers, and their numerous small children are kept outside all day long. They stand on the sidewalk across the street from the shelter or sit in an alley between two old houses passing the time until the next meal. The grimy concrete and stony gravel of the alley serve as furniture. There are no chairs or tables. They sit or recline on whatever is at hand, or on the bare dirt. The shade formed by the receding shadow of the walls of the surrounding old buildings is their only comfort. Antsy and bored small children have no toys with which to amuse themselves, except for one little boy who rides a plastic big-wheel tricycle around the alley. A small bathroom is available to people upon request in one of the shelter’s buildings, or at a nearby city-owned singles’ shelter around the block. “For showers, we team up with a local church that comes by with a bus and offers showers to any of them that want to go,” Guthrie said. When asked if the asylum seekers are Christians, Guthrie answered that many ride a bus to church services on Sunday morning. The shelter provides families with three meals a day, prepared off-site by “community partners.” “We pick up the meals and bring them here and serve them indoors. The food is decent. A typical lunch is a sandwich, salad, soup, granola bars, snacks, milk and water,” Guthrie said. Guthrie told The Epoch Times that the family shelter is providing standard baby formula for the young children, but one baby is intolerant to it. This infant requires a specialty brand that is hard to get—a fact that is upsetting to the mother and her child. The Maine Immigrant Rights Coalition (MIRC) is providing asylum seekers residing in hotels and motels with some culturally appropriate foods such as fufu (an African staple), goat meat, greens, chicken, and rice, he said. A lot of the accommodations do not have kitchens. According to Guthrie, the cost per motel room is between $250 and $350 dollars per night and rising as the tourist season begins. MIRC is part of a network of 85 statewide organizations involved in the care of the thousands of asylum seekers already here and those that are arriving daily. Guthrie said the state is footing 70 percent of the family shelter’s expenses, with the city making up the remaining 30 percent. But Guthrie says that getting the children into school is among the best assistance that can be provided. “The schools offer all kinds of different programs. They have community resource officers. They keep the kids busy while giving them two meals a day,” he said. More than 60 different foreign languages are spoken by students at Portland area schools, further complicating every task associated with education. When asked about the overall health condition of the asylum seekers, Guthrie replied, “They are exhausted and scared. They haven’t travelled a safe route. Though clearly traumatized, very few will talk about the details of their experience. Counselling is available if requested.” Teams of health care workers are performing what Guthrie calls “health outreach.” They have set up clinics at some of the motels to perform triage and make any necessary medical referrals. The city of Portland has a busy public health clinic helping to provide treatment, but some people with more serious conditions end up in emergency rooms. To overcome the language barrier, the city provides interpreters, and health care workers make use of cell phone translation apps. On the whole, Guthrie said most of the people under his supervision are physically “very healthy.” “Pregnancy is the families’ most urgent medical concern, and their most pressing medical need is OBGYN (obstetrics and gynecology) care,” he said. He also said there is some sickle cell disease among them. A young Angolan mother and child outside the family shelter in Portland, Maine, on May 25, 2022. (Steven Kovac/Epoch Times) City Hall allowed The Epoch Times access to several families being warehoused outdoors and a number of parents were eager to talk about their current plight. Speaking through an interpreter provided by the shelter, and in the presence of shelter director Guthrie, Samantha, a young Angolan woman with a 10-month-old baby on her hip and a toddler in tow, was not shy about sharing her dissatisfaction. When asked if her family’s basic needs were being met, Samantha replied, “We just need a place to sleep. We stay outside in the sun and the elements because there is not enough space for us indoors. There are not enough clothes for my family. “Being outside all day is not good for my baby. Some of us have caught colds. Some had fevers. Some were so sick they went to the hospital. “My son eats a special baby formula. I have to ration his feeding. “What we are fed is very different than what we are used to. We are receiving no culturally appropriate food. There was no way for us to take a shower for five days. “We endured a seven-month journey to come to this! We are not happy. Conditions are not good! We really need help.” When asked if she felt welcome, Samantha said with a look of disbelief, “No! I do not feel welcome. Look at us. We are outside.” A Congolese family seeking asylum in Portland, Maine, on May 25, 2022. (Steven Kovac/Epoch Times) Landry, a housepainter and electrician’s helper, brought his wife Sylvie, two-year-old daughter, and 12-month-old son to Portland from the Congo. When asked why he risked the journey, Landry answered, “I left my country because of political issues and insecurity. There we could be sure of nothing. Here, it’s different.” Sylvie said, “We came from Texas unprepared for this Maine weather. I am not happy for how I am living here. I don’t feel welcome!” Tyler Durden Sun, 06/05/2022 - 20:30.....»»