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Scientists Just Found Who’s Causing Global Warming Scientists Just Found Who’s Causing Global Warming Are you sitting down? Because there’s some news that might shock you. A recent study published in the journal Nature Climate Change has found that the richest 10 percent of the world population are responsible for an astonishing two-thirds of observable climate warming since 1990. Basically, that small ********* of the wealthiest among us contribute nearly seven times as much to extreme climate change as the entire lower-earning 90 percent of the planet. If that’s not enough to have you reaching for your pitchfork, the top 1 percent contribute 20 times as much to climate disasters as the bottom 99 percent. Since 2019, the research article notes, the “wealthiest 10 percent of the global population accounted for nearly half of global emissions” through “private consumption and investments, whereas the poorest 50 percent accounted for only one-tenth of global emissions.” The results were developed by fusing climate change models with economic data, which allowed researchers to zero in on rates of toxic emissions from various income groups throughout the globe. By linking climate change with the economy, they found the source of these emissions overwhelmingly skewed toward the top hoarders of wealth. “If everyone had emitted like the bottom 50 percent of the global population, the world would have seen minimal additional warming since 1990,” co-author Carl-Friedrich Schleussner said. “Addressing this imbalance is crucial for fair and effective climate action.” While the numbers are staggering, they’re far from shocking at this point. In the United States, the top 1 percent of households control 80 percent of company assets — the average person reading this has no way of ending the coal industry’s devastating reign over Appalachia, for example. That’s a decision to be made by shareholders and executives looming over us from the top of the pyramid. Rather, the article is just more confirmation of something we’ve known for years: the rich are the biggest threat to the climate by far. But while most studies on wealth and climate change hone in on consumption habits, this bit of research looks a little deeper under the hood at the system making this all possible. Instead of simply arguing that rich people consume more than the average pauper — a verifiable fact, to be clear — these researchers studied emissions through the flow of public and private investments, as well as global trade. This gives a much more complete picture of the actual cause and effect of Earth-melting pollution, following the key source of power in our capitalist world: property. The poorest among us, owning no factories, private jets, or oil rigs, are hardly a glimmer in the rearview mirror of the ultrarich as they race toward emission rates previously unseen by humankind. Climate change, being clearly tied to economic activity, is simply one of dozens of consequences of our chosen economic system — and as the old adage goes, “it all rolls downhill.” “To mainstream commerce, the Earth is both loot and dump,” wrote climate journalist George Monbiot. “Commercial activity, broadly speaking, consists of extracting resources from a hole in the ground on one side of the planet, inducing people to buy them, then dumping them a few days later in a hole in the ground on the other side.” Look no further for evidence of this than the ultrarich themselves. Measuring their wealth in increasingly fractured portfolios and webs of corporate spending, those who do own the factories hide their role in the changing climate through tall tales of consumer responsibility: recycle your plastics, buy an electric car, and use paper straws. Yet as the research clearly shows, none of these measures has a hope of making a dent in the grand scheme of climate emissions. Which isn’t to say we shouldn’t try — but that until the ultrawealthy are brought to heel, we have about as much chance of stopping climate change as BP has of stopping its next oil spill. That is, not very much at all. More on billionaires: Bill Gates Gives Up on Climate Change Source link #Scientists #Whos #Causing #Global #Warming Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Fortnite Galactic Battle Star Wars Battle Pass: How to get all rewards Fortnite Galactic Battle Star Wars Battle Pass: How to get all rewards Table of Contents Table of Contents How to get Fortnite Galactic Battle mini season Battle Pass All Fortnite Galactic Battle Star Wars Battle Pass items Fortnite Chapter 6 Galactic Battle has arrived, and this mini season brings back the popular Star Wars theme to the game that players have been waiting for. From Lightsabers to flying Starfighters, the island has now become a battlefield of Jedi vs. Sith and players are using powerful abilities that all merge in perfect harmony. When it comes to this season’s Battle Pass, it adds some of the iconic Star Wars characters in the game’s lore and also a Sith Lord with his thundering abilities. As always, this season’s Battle Pass is a great alternative if you want to get some skins in your locker and do not want to break the bank by spending loads on V-Bucks. Before you make the purchase, we’ll tell you about all the goodies that the new Battle Pass has to offer. How to get Fortnite Galactic Battle mini season Battle Pass Epic Games To obtain the Battle Pass for this Fortnite season, you must spend 1,000 V-Bucks. However, if you are a crew subscriber, you will receive the pass for free, along with three additional passes. You can progress over the pass by simply leveling up, with each level requiring you to acquire 80,000 XP. Furthermore, keep in mind that you’ll only be able to unlock a reward on a single page if you’ve leveled up and are eligible for the reward you want. You can also enable Auto Claim on your Battle Pass if you want to experience the old Fortnite gameplay of progressing linearly. If you want to unlock specific levels early, the 25 Battle Pass Reward Bundle costs 1,800 V-Bucks, while the Battle Bundle includes both the Battle Pass and 25 Battle Pass items for 2,800 V-Bucks. Alternatively, you can level up one at a time, each costing 150 V-Bucks. All Fortnite Galactic Battle Star Wars Battle Pass items Fortnite Galactic Battle pass is full of Star Wars characters and original characters inspired by the designs of the iconic franchise. Since this is a mini-season, there are only 7 pages in the pass as opposed to the standard 14 page structure. Furthermore, this Battle Pass will be available to progress until June 8, 2025 when Chapter 6 Season 3 arrives. Epic Games Here are all the items in the Battle Pass: Page 1 Jedi/Apprentice Evie (Outfit) Star Wars Main Title Theme (Jam Track) Electro Pairing Blades (Pickaxe) Feel The Force (Emote) Explorer Evie (Loading Screen) Choose Your Alignment (Wrap) Twin Blasters (Back Bling) Page 2 Sith Pairing Blades (Pickaxe) 100 V-Bucks (Currency) Dark Legacy (Loading Screen) Sith Blasters (Back Bling) Training Remote Trail (Contrail) 100 V-Bucks (Currency) Jedi/Apprentice Evie (Outfit) Page 3 ****** One X-Wing (Glider) 100 V-Bucks (Currency) Lil’ Resistance Bomber (Emote) ****** Squadron Dive (Contrail) ****** Leader (Wrap) Cantina Hangout (Loading Screen) Poe Dameron (Outfit) Page 4 S-Foil Scrapaxe (Pickaxe) 100 V-Bucks (Currency) Poe’s Model X-Wing (Back Bling) Targetting… (Emote) 100 V-Bucks (Currency) Poe’s Takeoff (Loading Screen) Resistance Poe (Outfit) Page 5 Mini Dogfight (Emote) Rebel Wookiee Lander (Glider) Wookiee Paw (Pickaxe) Wookiee Team Combat (Loading Screen) Where My Wookies At? (Jam Track) 100 V-Bucks (Currency) Wookiee Team Leader (Outfit) Page 6 Metal Team Mishap (Back Bling) Wookiee Fist (Pickaxe) 100 V-Bucks (Currency) Desert Dust-Up (Loading Screen) Homebase Banner (Banner Icon) 100 V-Bucks (Currency) Tarfful Team Leader (Outfit) Page 7 Force Lightning (Emote) Imperial Shuttle Dive (Contrail) 100 V-Bucks (Currency) Palpatine’s Cane (Pickaxe) Emperor’s Might (Wrap) Senate Repulsorpod (Glider) 100 V-Bucks (Currency) Emperor Palpatine (Outfit) In addition to the 7 pages, the Fortnite Galactic Battle pass includes two bonus pages. Once you’ve claimed all of the basic rewards, you’ll be able to collect extra goodies as you climb to Level 100. Bonus Page 1 rewards Imperial Holo (Back Bling) Poe Hammerin’ (Drums) The Empire Strikes Back (Emote) Wookiee Rebel (Wrap) Sith Dominance (Loading Screen) Chancellor Palpatine (Outfit) Bonus Page 2 rewards (Unlocks on May 15, 2025) Furthermore, this season’s Battle Pass also has General Grievous as the secret skin. Here are all the rewards you’ll be able to unlock from May 15 onwards. Page 1 rewards (Unlocks on May 15) To be announced General Grievous (Outfit) Page 2 rewards (Unlocks on May 15) Those are all the rewards you can unlock by earning XP throughout Fortnite Galactic Battle season. However, if you’re keen to know more about what’s been added this season, check out our article about everything new. Source link #Fortnite #Galactic #Battle #Star #Wars #Battle #Pass #rewards Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Pope Leo XIV celebrates Mass at tomb of St. Peter before greeting the masses for his noon blessing – AP News Pope Leo XIV celebrates Mass at tomb of St. Peter before greeting the masses for his noon blessing – AP News Pope Leo XIV celebrates Mass at tomb of St. Peter before greeting the masses for his noon blessing AP NewsPope Leo XIV at ******* Coeli: Never again war! ******** NewsIn 2022 interview, pope condemns Russia’s ‘imperialist’ invasion of Ukraine The Kyiv IndependentPope Leo XIV calls for peace in Ukraine, a Gaza ceasefire and release of hostages in Sunday appeal NBC NewsPope Leo XIV appeals to world powers for ‘no more war’ in first Sunday appearance CNBC Source link #Pope #Leo #XIV #celebrates #Mass #tomb #Peter #greeting #masses #noon #blessing #News Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

The 7 Best VR Flight Simulators The 7 Best VR Flight Simulators VR flight simulators offer some of the best, most immersive experiences around. Here are seven that you shouldn’t miss out on. Source link #Flight #Simulators Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content] For verified travel tips and real support, visit: [Hidden Content]

HP’s smallest gaming PC is on ***** today HP’s smallest gaming PC is on ***** today Gaming desktops are generally known as big and bulky machines, so if you want one but you don’t have much space, you should check out the HP Omen 16L. Its configuration with the Nvidia GeForce RTX 3050 graphics card is on ***** from HP itself with a $150 discount that slashes its price from $1,000 to a more affordable $850, but we’re not sure for how much longer. The offer may be gone as soon as tomorrow, so you’re going to want to take advantage of the savings for this gaming PC while they’re still online. Why you should buy the HP Omen 16L gaming PC The HP Omen 16L, which we tagged as one of the best gaming PCs of CES 2025, is the smallest gaming desktop that HP has ever made. The compact body doesn’t sacrifice performance though, with this configuration coming with the Nvidia GeForce RTX 3050 graphics card alongside the 14th-generation Intel Core i5 processor and 16GB of RAM that’s the best place to start for gaming, according to our guide on how much RAM do you need. These specifications will allow you to play the best PC games without any issues, though you may have to skip on the highest settings for the more demanding titles. The miniature design of the HP Omen 16L not only saves on space, but it also reduces power usage, while also helping keep temperature and noise levels down. The gaming PC still has a 512GB SSD though, for the space to install multiple AAA titles, and with Windows 11 Home out of the box, you can start doing so right after setting it up. HP is an excellent source of gaming PC deals, and the HP Omen 16L is a great choice for gamers with limited space. This configuration with the Nvidia GeForce RTX 3050 graphics card has an original price of $1,000, but it’s currently down to $850 for savings of $150 that you can spend on monitor deals and more video games. If you think the HP Omen 16L is the perfect gaming desktop for you, we highly recommend proceeding with the transaction for it right now as it would be a shame to miss out on the discount. Source link #HPs #smallest #gaming #***** #today Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content] For verified travel tips and real support, visit: [Hidden Content]

EVE Fanfest 2025 proved that EVE Online’s influence is undeniable EVE Fanfest 2025 proved that EVE Online’s influence is undeniable Table of Contents Table of Contents More than one game An emerging industry EVE Online’s legacy Heading into EVE Fanfest 2025, I deeply underestimated the impact of this sci-fi MMO from CCP Games. I’d seen headlines surrounding the game every couple of years, but generally still saw it as a game with a niche but passionate community, destined to only occasionally break out when some world record was broken or a major heist was pulled off. After spending some time in Iceland around EVE Fanfest earlier this month, though, the true impact of EVE Online and CCP Games started to sink in. I not only saw how passionate the community attending was, but I also saw EVE expanding with new games and a growing Icelandic indie scene that owes its current growth to EVE Online’s success. EVE: Vanguard is a promising shooter with the potential to garner a whole new audience, while Iceland’s indie game scene has the potential to be home to the next surprise indie hit. “EVE Forever” was a phrase thrown around a lot at EVE Fanfest. While it’s a catchphrase meant to energize fans who made their way out to Reykjavik for this BlizzCon-like event, it speaks to something *******. It suggests EVE in another sci-fi franchise that will have an undeniable legacy through the larger franchise and its impact on the emerging Icelandic video game industry. More than one game Although the EVE Online: Legion expansion was the centerpiece of EVE Fanfest this year, it was not the only game taking up time and attention on the show floor. On the second floor of the Harpa concert hall, where EVE Fanfest took place, players could check out EVE: Vanguard, a new MMO shooter that CCP Games London is developing. Vanguard is an extraction shooter like Arc Raiders or Marathon, where players drop onto planets, fight AI-controlled enemies and other players, and gather loot. Even in this deep-in-development state, Vanguard feels smooth to play with weapons that pack a punch and lean more into sci-fi concept than your typical extraction shooter weapons. It also leans into MMO elements with a “Bastion” system that sees players fight for control over certain groups of planets, inevitably leading to conflicts as player Bastions expand into each other. As someone who could never get themselves too deep into EVE Online because of how hardcore it was, EVE: Vanguard felt much more instantly approachable as a PC shooter. Its ideas of EVE Online connectivity and world persistence through the Bastion system also give it a leg up against more generically designed extraction shooters. It has even attracted developers like Senior Producer Jamie Stanton, who didn’t play much EVE Online before working at CCP, because they had faith in EVE as a franchise and its potential to draw people in. “I think the power of the EVE brand and the reputation that it has is going to draw in a lot of players who, even if they don’t want to play [EVE: Online], will want to be a part of that universe,” Stanton tells Digital Trends. CCP For those who don’t want to learn the ins and outs of a dense UI or play in Microsoft Excel as much as the game client, EVE: Vanguard will offer a much more appealing entry point to EVE when it launches in 2026. While I’m much less bullish on EVE Frontier, CCP’s Web3 survival MMO, it has also drawn a passionate audience participating in a hackathon at EVE Fanfest to help CCP build out that game. Toss in recent mobile games like EVE: Galaxy Conquest and EVE: Echoes, as well as a teased dice-based tabletop game, and by the end of the 2020s, EVE could have a fleet of popular games like it never has before. An emerging industry Even if you’ve never touched an EVE game or don’t plan to, you soon might find yourself playing an Icelandic indie game. Like CD Projekt Red helped jumpstart Poland’s video game industry over a decade ago, CCP did the same for Iceland’s local game dev scene. IGI chairman Halldór Kristjánsson discussed the history of Iceland’s game industry with me ahead of EVE Fanfest. For a long time, it was quite small outside of success stories like CCP and Plain Vanilla Games’ QuizUp. Then, in 2018, CCP Games was acquired by ****** Desert Online developer Pearl Abyss for $425 million. According to Kristjánsson, this had many downstream effects. Developers left CCP, eager to start or join independent studios, and more investment interest in such companies also popped up. Almost seven years after the acquisition, the effects of this are becoming clearer. World War 2 card game Kards, party game No Time to Relax, and survival MMO Pax Dei have come out and found modest success. More games are coming, and CCP let those devs demo them at EVE Fanfest 2025. I loved my time with Walk of Life, a follow-up to Porcelain Fortress’ No Time to Relax that doubles down on being a comedic life-sim party game. Gang of Frogs taps into the formula of games like Helldivers 2 and Risk of Rain 2 to offer up an entertaining roguelite co-op shooter where players control cartoonish frogs rather than soldiers. Island of Winds is a single-player puzzle adventure game inspired by Iceland’s history and volcanically formed landscapes. Finally, Dig In is a new World War 1 strategy game where players build out trenches and have to deal with the fact that orders aren’t instant, but delivered over time. I see breakout potential in these games. Walk of Life has a spark that could make it a Jackbox-like hit on Twitch, while Dig In can tap into the passionate history-driven strategy game audience. If any of the games I mention become a Balatro or Clair Obscur: Expedition 33-like breakout hit, their existence can be traced back to EVE Online in some way, shape, or form. The developers of these indie games were transparent about that fact as I spoke to them. Gang of Frogs‘ Lead Developer Ingólfur Halldórsson (previously a Software Engineer at CCP) went as far as to say, “I don’t think there’s any studio in Iceland that has not had some kind of personal connection to CCP,” and that was reflected by the the fact that ever Icelandic indie game developer I spoke to had at least one former CCP game dev on its staff, no matter the size of the studio. EVE Online’s legacy If you’re not deeply ingrained in EVE Online’s gameplay system and knowledgeable about the developer and player-influenced history of New Eden, then you may underestimate EVE’s impact. It draws a significant crowd of dedicated fans to a convention every year, has directly or indirectly influenced the creation of so many game studios throughout Iceland, and is gearing up to go even ******* and more mainstream thanks to games like EVE: Vanguard. At EVE Fanfest 2025, spirits seemed high about the future of EVE and the Icelandic game industry. Of course, it’s too early to tell just how high the ceiling is for these EVE spinoffs and Icelandic indie games. CCP’s track record with Vanguard-like shooters isn’t great, as it shuttered PS3 game Dust 514 and canceled another EVE shooter codenamed Project Nova. Indies like Gang of Frogs or Walk of Life have the potential to break out, but the worldwide indie game scene is more crowded than ever. In 2025, no game is a guaranteed hit, even if it is tied to a well-known IP or has ample financial backing. Still, CCP and the Icelandic game industry at large exude confidence and show growth at a time when many other parts of the video game industry are doing the exact opposite. Dig In design and Vitar Games founder Baldvin Albertsson pointed out that there isn’t much infighting because Iceland’s game industry is so young, and believes CCP’s effect on Iceland’s indie game scene shows the impact one studio can have on a “microscopic level.” While I’m not sure I’ll have the time to immerse myself in EVE Online‘s intricacies anytime soon, it’s more likely than ever that I’ll feel the effects of the game. Barring any unforeseen shifts at CCP, EVE will be a sci-fi franchise that’s impossible to ignore. And even if EVE Online and its spinoffs go away one day, EVE will live through all of the independent game studios CPP had a part in creating. If I ever return to EVE Fanfest, I won’t be underestimating it anymore. Disclaimer: Travel and accommodations for Digital Trends to attend EVE Fanfest were covered by Business Iceland. Source link #EVE #Fanfest #proved #EVE #Onlines #influence #undeniable Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content] For verified travel tips and real support, visit: [Hidden Content]

Storm crawling through Southeast will raise the risk for flooding, damaging thunderstorms Storm crawling through Southeast will raise the risk for flooding, damaging thunderstorms Storm crawling through Southeast will raise the risk for flooding, damaging thunderstorms Mother’s Day plans may have to be moved indoors, as a slow-moving storm will bring soaking rainfall and locally gusty thunderstorms to the region over the next few days, warn AccuWeather meteorologists. The flow around the storm will result in a nearly-continuous pull of moisture-rich air off the Gulf, heightening the risk of flooding from repeated downpours. While the rain is needed for some, it could be too much of a good thing, too quickly, as rain gauges can top 8 inches in spots by early in the new week. AccuWeather.com “Traveling to and from mom’s house could be slowed greatly by downpours,” said AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Dan Pydynowski. “That heavy rain can reduce visibility and lead to ponding on highways such as Interstates 10 and 20.” Two months’ worth of rain coming in two days In the wake of bringing heavy rain and flooding across the lower Mississippi Valley earlier in the week, downpours in association with the storm were spreading across the Southeast during the first half of the weekend. AccuWeather forecasters say it will not let up anytime soon. GET THE FREE ACCUWEATHER APP Have the app? Unlock AccuWeather Alerts with Premium+ After soaking the Gulf Coast states on Mother’s Day, the rain and thunderstorms will spread north into more of the Tennessee Valley, the Carolinas, Appalachians and mid-Atlantic through the early part of the week. In some areas, rain can fall at a rate of more than an inch per hour, overwhelming storm drains. Portions of nearly a dozen states from Louisiana to Florida and north to Virginia and West Virginia were forecast by AccuWeather to measure at least 2 inches of rain from the storm. The area most at risk for multiple inches of rain will be closer to the source of moisture, from northern Florida into far southeastern Alabama and southern Georgia, where the AccuWeather Local StormMax of 10 inches can occur. AccuWeather.com In a typical May, 3 to 4 inches of rain will fall across much of the Southeast, but this storm has the potential to drop double that amount in two days’ time or less, heightening the risk of flooding on streets, highways, poor drainage areas and along some streams and creeks. Despite unfortunately impacting Mother’s Day and other outdoor events, such as graduations, sporting events or vacations, the rain is much-needed for some. According to the latest U.S. Drought Monitor, released on Thursday, much of the Florida panhandle north to the eastern Carolinas and Appalachians were experiencing moderate drought conditions or worse. AccuWeather.com The area with the worst drought conditions-the Florida Peninsula-will unfortunately miss the lion’s share of the rain, but can see a few beneficial showers and storms into the new week. Flooding of a different variety can also occur as the storm moves north along the Eastern Seaboard through Tuesday, thanks to a flow off the Atlantic and a favorable moon phase. Coastal flooding around times of high tide can occur, impacting vulnerable spots along the coast, including Charleston, South Carolina. AccuWeather.com Thunderstorms can turn severe, as well It’s not just flooding rain that can occur in the Southeast into the new week, but a few localized damaging thunderstorms, as well, warn AccuWeather severe weather experts. Ingredients including plentiful moisture, atmospheric energy and cooler air in the upper atmosphere will come together to heighten this risk. “Heavy rain will not be the only hazard realized from some of the storms,” said Pydynowski. “A few of them can also contain isolated damaging wind gusts and hailstones.” AccuWeather.com After spawning waterspouts and tornadoes, as well as bringing gusty winds to the Florida panhandle on Saturday, thunderstorms are expected expand in coverage on Mother’s Day, encompassing metropolitan areas as far north as Birmingham, Alabama, and Savannah, Georgia. By Monday, millions more to the north around Metro Atlanta, and south around Orlando and Tampa, Florida, will be at risk for strong storms. While flooding downpours will remain the primary concern in any storm, an isolated or tornado or two cannot be ruled out. AccuWeather.com Drier, quieter weather will finally return to much of the Southeast by the middle of the week, beginning Wednesday in some areas, also accompanied by an increase in temperature as the heat that had been roasting portions of the West and nation’s midsection builds east. Want next-level safety, ad-free? Unlock advanced, hyperlocal severe weather alerts when you subscribe to Premium+ on the AccuWeather app. AccuWeather Alerts are prompted by our expert meteorologists who monitor and analyze dangerous weather risks 24/7 to keep you and your family safer. Source link #Storm #crawling #Southeast #raise #risk #flooding #damaging #thunderstorms Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content] For verified travel tips and real support, visit: [Hidden Content]

The best video game trailers of all time The best video game trailers of all time Table of Contents Table of Contents Dead Island Halo 3 Gears of War Assassin’s Creed: Revelations Super Smash Bros. Ultimate Final Fantasy 7: Remake The art of the video game trailer is a delicate one. A trailer needs to get people excited to play an upcoming video game, while ideally being representative of what that game will actually be. However, it has become clear that plenty of trailers — at least the ones without gameplay — are more interested in generating hype than being especially faithful. These are our first glimpses at the world, characters, and maybe even bosses of a game, but presented like a short film. Because trailers can be so different from what the final game becomes, we wanted to find the best video game trailers judged only on their effectiveness as trailers and not take into consideration how accurate or good the game they are advertising was. It is just as likely that a terrible game and one of the best games of all time will have an amazing trailer. After digging through the archives of hundreds of video game trailers from every console generation, we’ve come up with a list of the best video game trailers ever made. Dead Island Where else could we start than one of the most infamous trailers ever released? There had been plenty of “artsy” trailers before Dead Island, and we will talk about them later in this list, but something about this one felt different. The structure of the trailer mostly being shot in reverse of a family fighting — and losing — to survive against an oncoming zombie horde was gripping and emotional despite seeing how it would all end up from the start. It felt distinct from any other zombie game at the time, which were all about action or horror. Dead Island chose to feel more personal and melancholic. The soundtrack here alone still gives us chills. As a short film, it is a masterfully crafted and effective piece of media. If you were hoping the game would be anything like this trailer, though, then you could make a strong case for it being false advertising. Halo 3 The marketing cycle for Halo 3 was unreal. If you weren’t there to experience it, it is hard to describe just how ever-present this game was, even in the mainstream. The tagline for the game was simply “Believe,” and of all the trailers we got for the game, the one that we still think about shares that simple title. Instead of making a CGI, gameplay, or live-action trailer (which Bungie still did, of course), this trailer was made using a diorama. A sullen piano track guides the camera across various scenes, from exhausted, wounded, and terrified marines to Brutes getting blasted by explosives and Hunters tearing through human resistance. Despite there being no movement, it is incredibly dynamic and shows a deeper layer to this desperate war than you get behind the visor of a super soldier. We close on a shot of our hero, Master Chief, apparently defeated in the hands of a Brute. The only motion in the trailer is Chief lifting his head before “Believe” comes on screen. Perfect. Gears of War Before Dead Island, Gears of War was the first game to craft a trailer that ended up being a radical departure from the game. Yes, the world of Gears was incredibly dire and hopeless, but that emotion typically took a ********* to the bombastic firefights and macho banter between the tank-like characters. This trailer, on the other hand, painted the world as it would feel if it weren’t a video game. The cover of Mad World was used to incredible effect as Marcus wanders through a delapitated city, stalked by monsters. It really sells the feeling of desperation and hopelessness of that world where monsters are, in fact, real. The series would attempt to recreate this tone with its two sequels to various effect, but this first attempt was the one that inspired the trend. Assassin’s Creed: Revelations Say what you will about Ubisoft, but that company knows how to make a killer trailer. The Assassin’s Creed games, in particular, have had some of the most stunning and well-directed trailers of all time, with Assassin’s Creed: Revelations being the peak. Unlike the last few entries, which featured slow and mournful soundtracks, this one uses the upbeat tempo of a WoodKid track. It is another instance of showing the end first before cutting back to show an aged Ezio traveling across land and sea to where the series first began. After shrugging off an arrow, an action sequence that would make Zack Snyder blush kicks off to show the insane fight choreography and brutality of the combat. At the very end, we get the promise of the game tying everything back to the origins as Ezio sees a vision of Altair beside him while a noose is tied around his neck. Super Smash Bros. Ultimate Before every new Smash game, we always ask, “Who’s going to be in it?” Things were a little different when we learned about Super Smash Bros. Ultimate for the Nintendo Switch because we all assumed that we would be losing characters. After all, there was no way we could get the entire roster from Smash for Wii U, especially the guest characters like Snake, Ryu, and Cloud in Ultimate, right? Well, Nintendo left no room for doubt when it released the Everyone is here! trailer. It starts out slow, going over the classic characters we all expected and numbering them, but around halfway through, after confirming Cloud and Snake, it drops the bomb that “Everyone is here!” The trailer doesn’t just show us everyone from this insanely huge roster, but gives each character a moment to shine and show off their personality or moveset for a moment. No matter who you are a fan of, you get at least one moment to feel seen by this trailer. Super Smash Bros. Ultimate proved it was worthy of that subtitle with this trailer alone, and someone only got better with each character it added after the fact. Final Fantasy 7: Remake One of our favorite types of trailers are the ones we can’t quite place at first. We love those opening few moments as we search for clues and make guesses as to what it could be, or if it is just something completely new. That’s how the reveal for Final Fantasy 7: Remake was in 2015. At this point, fans had been jerked around back and forth on whether or not such a thing could even be done, so even when we saw the giant pipes running through a metropolotin city, we didn’t want to get our hopes up. The narration was likewise ambiguous. And then we saw the train and playground with that ominous bass chord sting leading to that trilling piano. If you weren’t there for it, we highly suggest looking up reactions to this trailer and watching the realization hit people once they realize that, yes, Final Fantasy 7: Remake is happening. Or, as the narrator concludes, “But let us embrace whatever it brings, for they are coming back. At last, the promise has been made.” It is hard to imagine another trailer speaking to any group of fans as strongly as this one for a long, long time. Source link #video #game #trailers #time Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content] For verified travel tips and real support, visit: [Hidden Content]

Key ChatGPT and Gemini features compared. Who did it better? Key ChatGPT and Gemini features compared. Who did it better? Table of Contents Table of Contents Search Shopping Deep research The AI industry has blossomed quickly in recent years, and several companies have been in steep competition with one another. Two brands that have especially been neck and neck are OpenAI and Google. These two companies have many services in common within the AI game. Notably, OpenAI has its ChatGPT chatbot and Google has its Gemini tool as flagship features; however, each brand has since launched additional AI services under their respective umbrellas. Here’s a rundown of the functions and features that ChatGPT and Gemini have in common, and which are ideal to use. Search OpenAI / OpenAI OpenAI launched ChatGPT Search in late October 2024 as a search engine feature within its chatbot that allows users to receive real-time answers to queries, such as sports scores, breaking news, and stock quotes. The feature is essentially the brand’s take on Google Search, which has notably been around since 1998. ChatGPT Search works by allowing you to ask questions in a prompt style and receiving search engine-style results. The company announced collaborations with several news organizations to source content, including The Associated Press, Axel Springer, Condé Nast, Financial Times, Hearst, News Corp, Reuters, The Atlantic, Time, and Vox Media. At the time, the launch also sparked rumors that OpenAI was considering building its own web browser; however, that development has not come to fruition. Meanwhile, Google Search relies on keywords to give you the results you desire. However, Google has since inundated the search engine with AI updates, allowing it to better process contextual sentences as prompts and return applicable results. Who does it better? Google Search I used a recent Denver Nuggets and Oklahoma City Thunder game to test the two engines and found Google Search to be more comprehensive overall. Using “thunder vs nuggets” as a keyword, I got an information smorgasbord from Google Search, including an information card at the top of the search on desktop with the final score of the game and other vital details, video highlights from YouTube, followed by links from the top sports publications and community pages such as Reddit. While ChatGPT Search gives a good text summary of plays, final scores, and past and future games, the multimedia aspect is missing. Google Search just feels more alive. Shopping Google Shopping / Google ChatGPT announced a shopping feature as an add-on to its search in late April 2025, where you can simply select the search icon and then input a query about the item you’re looking to purchase. The feature is available for ChatGPT free, Plus, and Pro users, but with some notable limitations for free users. I noted that images are optional for some searches, while I’ve seen the press images from OpenAI show image cards of the products similar to a Google Search layout. I only got a result with images when testing a search for a discontinued Bath and Body Works item called Velvet Sugar. All of my other shopping searches were text only on my free account. ChatGPT shopping consolidates purchase options to up to five selections and details pertinent information, including prices, discounts, style options, specifications, best shopping websites, and best locations to shop in the area. You can also click away to the webpages or ask ChatGPT more questions about any product on the list. In contrast, Google Shopping is another long-established feature, which launched in 2002 as Froogle. It has gone through many iterations, including its own AI updates, and provides you with several choices. I did another search for a slow press juicer, and under those results were filters, “masticating,” “electric,” “manual,” “commercial,” “on *****,” “nearby,” and other options. Scrolling down the page, you see options for horizontal juicers, vertical juicers, and budget-friendly juicers, among others. The discounted products were labeled by percentage, so narrowing down the many options became easier. Who does it better? Tie As I’m not quite the online shopping connoisseur, I see the benefits in both options. They both can be good for research and comparison. Though Google Shopping gets a plus for having images more readily available. I’d imagine the paid versions of ChatGPT Shopping will be more forthcoming with product images. Other reviewers have noted that ChatGPT Shopping gets a plus for not having sponsored ads within its layout. Deep research Gemini / Google Google launched its deep research tool in December 2024, introducing the feature to the consumer space as part of its paid Gemini Advanced AI chatbot tier, which costs $20. The feature is available across all tiers, with the free option having a usage limit of five reports per month. Deep research provides expert-level analysis of a topic after referencing dozens to hundreds of sources throughout the internet. Gemini runs deep research on its most advanced AI models available, which allows the feature to maintain its edge. The launch of Gemini’s deep research propelled other brands to release similar features of their own. OpenAI launched its deep research feature in February 2025, and the tool gained a lot of attention due to being priced alongside the $200 ChatGPT Pro tier. As the brand introduced its new reasoning models that powered the tool, it quickly expanded availability to ChatGPT Plus subscribers at $20 per month, and then to free users. Notably, free deep research users have a usage limit of five queries per month, while ChatGPT Plus users get 25 queries per month, and ChatGPT Pro users get 250 queries per month. Who does it better? Tie I tested both deep research features with a unique but implausible science-based question, posing, “What would happen if you spent five minutes on Venus wearing a spacesuit?” Notably, I have the free version of ChatGPT, but I have Gemini Advanced. The ChatGPT deep research query completed much faster; however, it was shorter overall. ChatGPT took a more creative flair, using its image generator to add prospective images of this potential fated space trip, including what it might look like on Venus and the “Newtsuit” that a person might wear to attempt a voyage. The ChatGPT paper has calculations throughout. As a science enthusiast, not an aficionado, they’re just gibberish to me, but we’re going to assume they mean something. The Gemini deep research query took much longer to complete, probably about seven minutes if I had to guess, but it is rather long and includes detailed mathematical calculation tables. Glossing over the paper, I noted that it also has detailed sections about the structure of the suit. It’s a lot more composed with several sections, breaking down the timing of events and details about the astronaut’s experience. Source link #Key #ChatGPT #Gemini #features #compared Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content] For verified travel tips and real support, visit: [Hidden Content]

A business owner tested if customers would pay more for American-made. The results were ‘sobering.’ A business owner tested if customers would pay more for American-made. The results were ‘sobering.’ “I’m big on just testing it out with real data and real purchases,” Afina founder Ramon van Meer said. “Not asking customers, not a survey, not even add-to-carts.”Ramon van Meer Afina founder Ramon van Meer wanted to see if people would buy a Made-in-USA version of his specialty shower head. He found it would cost three times as much to produce — and raised the ***** price by 85%. After several days of testing, a total of zero customers bought the USA model. As a small business owner, Ramon van Meer said he’s used to hearing people say they’d be willing to pay more for products made in America. When President Donald Trump ratcheted up tariffs on ******** imports by an additional 145%, van Meer decided to see if shoppers would put their money where their mouth is. “I wanted to know the answer and then use it for my own company,” the Afina founder told Business Insider. So the serial entrepreneur set about finding US suppliers to make his best-selling product: a specialized filtered shower head. Van Meer said his filters are made in the US, some additional materials are sourced in Vietnam, and the final product is made in China with a single supplier. To move everything over to the US, he said he had to find four to six separate suppliers who would handle various aspects of the production process. All told, he found it would cost three times as much to produce — more than the cost of simply paying the tariff. Armed with real numbers, he set out to do a test with two identical products, with the only difference being their origin and, critically, their price: visitors to Afina’s website were presented with the option of a ********-made item for $129 or a US-made version for $239. “I’m big on just testing it out with real data and real purchases,” van Meer said. “Not asking customers, not a survey, not even add-to-carts.” “When somebody has to pay for it, that’s the actual real data,” he added. After several days and more than 25,000 visitors, he said he sold 584 of the lower-priced shower heads and not one single purchase of a US-made version. The results from Afina’s A/B test, showing 0 purchases for the more expensive Made-in-USA version of its shower head.Afina In a blog post that went viral, van Meer called the results “sobering.” “We wanted to believe customers would back American labor with their dollars. But when faced with a real decision — not a survey or a comment section — they didn’t,” he wrote. Nowadays van Meer said he’s spending most of his time trying to shift production out of China to a country with a lower tariff rate. “Staying in China is not sustainable because even if they make a deal, we don’t know what’s going to happen,” he said. “The United States is also not an option, because there’s just no facilities that can make it.” Van Meer said Afina currently has enough inventory in its US warehouses to last until August, at which point he would have to start charging for the tariff. Asked whether he would roll that cost into the price or apply a surcharge, as other businesses have said they would do, van Meer said he hadn’t yet decided. “We’ll probably do testing,” he said. Read the original article on Business Insider Source link #business #owner #tested #customers #pay #Americanmade #results #sobering Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content] For verified travel tips and real support, visit: [Hidden Content]

Humble Bundle is selling $214 of Xbox Game Studios titles for $10 Humble Bundle is selling $214 of Xbox Game Studios titles for $10 The latest Humble Bundle gathers eight critically acclaimed from Xbox Game Studios and is selling them for $10. The bundle, which is simply titled Xbox Games Studio Bundle, contains PC Steam codes for eight games that were previously published under the Xbox Game Studios banner. It includes such titles as Remedy Entertainment‘s Quantum Break, Insomniac‘s Sunset Overdrive and Moon Studios‘ Ori and the Will of the Wisps. Whereas many Humble Bundles have multiple tiers with players getting more games the more they pay, the Xbox Games Studio Bundle has no tiers and is a single $10 / £7.80 payment. The bundle is also raising money for Gameheads, a tech training program that aims to “train youth of colour for the tech eco-system, and prepare them for college, career and civic life”. By default, 20% of the player’s money goes to the charity, with 60% going to Microsoft and 20% going to Humble. Players who want more of their share to go to charity have to locate the ‘Adjust Donation’ dropdown and look for the ‘Custom Amount’ tab, where they can move a slider to give up to 80% to charity. The full list of games included in the bundle is as follows: Age of Empires: Definitive Edition As Dusk Falls Battletoads Broken Age Ori and the Will of the Wisps Quantum Break Sunset Overdrive Wasteland 3 VGC’s Battletoads review called it a “brutally brilliant reboot worthy of the cult classic”, adding: “The slapstick humor is intentionally corny, but its characters end up being genuinely lovable, the plot is nonsensical but charmingly self-aware and doesn’t take itself seriously, and the soundtrack is absolutely ********. Battletoads isn’t just a worthy reboot, it’s one of the best beat-em-ups in a brilliant year for the genre. “Much like the NES original, Battletoads is an epic adventure with heaps of charm, fun combat and brutal challenge. While its fight system may be a little over convoluted, mastering it pays off with satisfying, hard-fought, snot-covered victory.” Source link #Humble #Bundle #selling #Xbox #Game #Studios #titles Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

BM Boys: the ********* sextortion network hiding in plain sight on TikTok | US crime BM Boys: the ********* sextortion network hiding in plain sight on TikTok | US crime A TikTok video shows a young man fanning out a stack of $100 bills. A second flexes his designer clothes. Another man posts a video of himself dancing and wearing a heavy gold chain. They boast to their eager followers about their path to wealth. “BM got me a new car,” states one caption on a video. “$5,000 in a few hours.” Unlike conventional social media influencers hawking travel, brands or recipes, their selling point is crime. The men are all based in Nigeria, and their get-rich-quick scheme is blackmailing other social media users – usually based in the United States and other western nations – by posing as potential female romantic interests and tricking their victims into sending nude photos. Then the threats of distributing the victim’s images and demands for money begin. The proclaimed scammers call themselves the “BM Boys”. “BM” means blackmail, and hundreds of young men in west Africa are now engaging in these schemes. The videos flaunting their lifestyles, publicized on TikTok to hundreds and sometimes thousands of followers, draw admiration and ambition from other young men who follow them and plead to be included in their scams. “Boss please can I come to learn [the] work please,” one follower commented on a popular BM Boy’s TikTok, which drew more than 2,000 likes. “I beg you [in] the name of God please. teach me work.” Some of the BM Boys’ accounts have garnered several hundred thousand followers. The Guardian has identified 22 TikTok accounts run by self-proclaimed BM Boys and also interviewed a 24-year-old ********* man who has been working as a blackmailer for eight years. He claims to have collected nearly $100,000 from his victims during that time. “For me, it’s an easy thing to do,” says the blackmailer, speaking on the condition of anonymity to discuss ******** activity. “Any day, any time, we are working on our phones because if you don’t work, you’re not going to eat.” Find victims on Instagram, flex on TikTok One of the primary demographics the BM Boys and others like them victimize is that of teenage boys in the US and elsewhere. In 2023 alone, the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) received 26,718 reports of financial sextortion of minors, surging from 10,731 in 2022. Since 2021, at least 46 American teen boys have died by suicide after being targeted in sextortion blackmailing scams. In 2024, Meta announced it had removed 63,000 Instagram accounts it said were associated with Nigeria-based sextortionists. Despite the crackdown, Instagram remains the platform of choice for blackmailers to identify and engage with their targets, the blackmailer and human trafficking experts interviewed said. TikTok, meanwhile, is where BM Boys flaunt their success and recruit newcomers to their profession. “Others are eager to participate and get in on this scam because they see how profitable it is. They show off the money and the gold, the luxurious clubs and travel that they’re doing,” says Paul Raffile, an expert in online exploitation. “They are using the platforms and this kind of influencer status in order to make money.” By appearing to live an enviable lifestyle, established sextortionists recruit new scammers, known as “chatters”, to work for them. The bosses likely take a cut of their profits, said Raffile. “These chatters are responsible for creating fake social media profiles, trawling the internet and making initial contact with potential victims,” said Raffile. “However, when it comes time to handle the actual transfer of funds – whether through Cash App, bitcoin wallets or other financial platforms – the boss steps in.” A TikTok spokesperson said: “We design TikTok to be inhospitable for those intent on causing harm to teens and we do not tolerate any content or behavior promoting sextortion.” Tips and tricks for blackmailing A crucial part of the scheme involves building trust by convincing targets they are interacting with attractive women or girls who appear to be based in the same country. As a form of professional development for wannabe blackmailers, some BM Boys post “BM Updates” on their TikTok accounts, tips and education for their followers to learn or refine sextortion techniques. “Millions of people want to get into it. If you don’t learn it, you’ll never be able to do it,” said the blackmailer, who frequently posts BM Updates to grow his following. BM Updates include copies of scripts to follow, pictures of girls to use for imitation, tutorials on hacking Facebook accounts and advice on which virtual private networks (VPNs) to use to disguise that they are based in Nigeria to evade detection. There are instructions on composing angry voice notes to compel their victims to hand over payments and advice on where to find these targets, including dating sites and community pages. To locate and connect with victims, perpetrators often engage in a tactic known as “bombing”, in which they mass-follow a large volume of individuals within specific online communities, such as people attending a school, following a sports team or keeping up with a celebrity. Blackmailers frequently share tips on which fanbases to target, pointing to followers of country music stars, Hollywood A-listers or popular television shows. “They do that for two reasons. They will try to scam whoever accepts their follow request. The other reason they do this is it makes their fake accounts seem more legitimate because now when you get that friend request, that has 20 mutual friends in common,” said Raffile. “Sometimes they’ll say something like, ‘Oh, I saw you in my suggestions, or my Instagram suggestions or people you may know.’” To appear more convincing as Americans, BM Boys consume US news, sports and pop culture content obsessively, the blackmailer said. Over thousands of attempts, the scripts and strategies have been refined into a high-pressure formula designed to lure victims into compromising situations quickly. In most cases, they’ll initiate the image exchange by sending a nude photo, often stolen from sites like OnlyFans, where sex workers create content, said Raffile. The blackmailer’s next step is to demand between $500 and $3,000 in exchange for not distributing the photo to the victim’s social media contact, he said. To scare them, he’ll edit their photo on to a newspaper page or TV news show image. skip past newsletter promotion A weekly dive in to how technology is shaping our lives Privacy Notice: Newsletters may contain info about charities, online ads, and content funded by outside parties. For more information see our Privacy Policy. We use Google reCaptcha to protect our website and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. after newsletter promotion “Sometimes I’ll call them and let them know they are talking to a man. When [the victim] sees his picture in the newspaper or TV news, he’ll be like, ‘Oh my god.’ He’s not going to block me,” he said. “I get my newspaper app and edit everything. I say, ‘It’s going to be seen on the ******** news on the TV.’” No remorse, only money Promoting the fruits of blackmail on TikTok does not come with compunction. The blackmailer interviewed said he is skeptical of reports that dozens of US teens have died by suicide after being targeted by sextortionists. “I don’t feel guilty because this is not the main reason why they commit suicide. I’m not sure it’s the BM that makes the kids kill themselves,” said the blackmailer. “If somebody says they will kill themselves to me, I think they are kidding.” He claims he was orphaned as a child when his mother died giving birth to one of his siblings, which leads him to treat sextortion as a job despite its emotional consequences. “I feel nothing when I get the picture [from the victim]. I have to survive as a living thing,” he said. The lack of remorse exhibited by BM Boys has been deeply traumatic for John DeMay and his family. In 2022, his son Jordan died by suicide at 17 after being targeted by three ********* men posing as a teenage girl on Instagram. Two of them, Samuel Ogoshi and his younger brother Samson Ogoshi, were extradited to the United States to face trial and are now serving sentences of 17 years and six months in a federal prison. When the judge handed down the sentences last September, he condemned the brothers for what he described as a “callous disregard for life”, referencing the fact that they continued their sextortion schemes even after learning that Jordan had taken his own life as a result of their actions. “They fired back up and were right back at their same antics, with the exact same script, doing the exact same thing, the exact same way, knowing that Jordan killed himself,” said DeMay. Experts say the balance between privacy and safety on children’s social media accounts must be different from that of adults, and that platforms should take stronger steps to protect minors. “You’re dealing with a youth. You’re dealing with someone who will be a little more impulsive. So they’re going to make a decision, and maybe a warning isn’t enough. In that case, maybe you need to intervene in behavior because you’re dealing with a vulnerable population,” said Lloyd Richardson, director of technology at the ********* Centre for Child Protection. Meta has enacted a number of changes in recent years to protect its youngest users. In a statement, the company says its systems notifies teen users when they are corresponding with someone in another country, regardless of a VPN, and blurs nude images sent from or to an underage account. A Meta spokesperson said in a statement: “Sextortion is a horrific crime. We work aggressively to fight it by removing networks of scammers, sharing information with other companies so they can take action too, and supporting law enforcement to prosecute these criminals.” Since September, Instagram has made accounts it identifies as belonging to teens private by default, preventing people they’re not connected to from viewing their followers. However, once a teen accepts a follow request, that person gains access to the follower list. Making follower lists inaccessible even to approved followers would further protect teens from being targeted by sextortionists, as would hiding their profiles in search, said Raffile. He added: “It shouldn’t be as easy as going into the Yellow Pages and pointing, ‘Here’s a teenage boy, here’s a teenage girl,’” DeMay said social media companies “have the capability of putting a lot of the safeguards that need to happen within the platforms to prevent this, but they’re choosing not to do it.” In the US, you can call or text the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline on 988, chat on 988lifeline.org, or text HOME to 741741 to connect with a crisis counselor. In the ***, the youth suicide charity Papyrus can be contacted on 0800 068 4141 or email pat@papyrus-***.org, and in the *** and Ireland Samaritans can be contacted on freephone 116 123, or email *****@*****.tld or *****@*****.tld. In Australia, the crisis support service Lifeline is 13 11 14. Other international helplines can be found at befrienders.org Source link #Boys #********* #sextortion #network #hiding #plain #sight #TikTok #crime Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content] For verified travel tips and real support, visit: [Hidden Content]

Costco customer makes eye-popping $600 profit after reselling a small item a year later: ‘Surprisingly easy’ Costco customer makes eye-popping $600 profit after reselling a small item a year later: ‘Surprisingly easy’ Finance influencer Humphrey Yang bought a small gold ingot for $2,359 at Costco in April 2024 and then sold it for an eye-popping $600 profit this past March. Costco isn’t just a place to save — customers can apparently invest as well. A finance influencer who bought a small gold ingot at the big box retailer sold the nugget nearly a year later for an eye-popping $600 in profit, according to a TikTok video with 6.5 million views. The TikToker, named Humphrey Yang, had reportedly purchased the one-ounce PAMP Suisse gold bar (yes they sell those there) for $2,359 from Costco in April 2024, per the clip. Humphrey Yang struck gold at Costco. Instagram/humphreytalks He then went and sold it this past March at the bullion dealer Witter Coin in San Francisco for a pretty penny. “I made a profit of $596 over the past 11 months or so,” gushed Yang while describing his earnings (pictured). Instagram/humphreytalks Costco outlet in Manassas, Va. Refrina – stock.adobe.com “Right now, we’re paying $2,955.42 [per ounce],” an employee told Yang, who agreed to the deal. The influencer found the offer more than reasonable given that the spot price — the price at which an asset is valued in the current market based on real-time supply and demand — was around $3,020 and dealers generally purchase at slightly below market value. The employee then handed the cash to Yang, who exclaimed “I made a profit of $596 over the past 11 months or so.” The exact figure was $595.43. He described the process as “surprisingly easy.” While the life hacker may have seemed like he had the Midas Touch, some TikTok viewers claimed that the Costco prospector might’ve pulled the trigger prematurely. “Gold price is probably gonna end up at 8k or something. Don’t sell yet,” urged one armchair financial advisor. Another wrote: “Wrong time to sell..” Since Yang hawked his ingot, the price of gold has soared to a staggering $3,300 per ounce with Goldman Sachs upping its year-end forecast for gold from $3,300 to $3,700, Yahoo Finance reported. The precious metal’s skyrocketing valuation came as spooked investors deployed this golden parachute over fears that President Trump’s tariffs could spur an economic downturn. In February, the president’s tariff plans even prompted some of the largest banks in the US and Britain to fly gold bars from London to New York City on commercial flights as a hedge against inflation. Source link #Costco #customer #eyepopping #profit #reselling #small #item #year #Surprisingly #easy Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content] For verified travel tips and real support, visit: [Hidden Content]

HP’s smallest gaming PC is on ***** today HP’s smallest gaming PC is on ***** today Gaming desktops are generally known as big and bulky machines, so if you want one but you don’t have much space, you should check out the HP Omen 16L. Its configuration with the Nvidia GeForce RTX 3050 graphics card is on ***** from HP itself with a $150 discount that slashes its price from $1,000 to a more affordable $850, but we’re not sure for how much longer. The offer may be gone as soon as tomorrow, so you’re going to want to take advantage of the savings for this gaming PC while they’re still online. Why you should buy the HP Omen 16L gaming PC The HP Omen 16L, which we tagged as one of the best gaming PCs of CES 2025, is the smallest gaming desktop that HP has ever made. The compact body doesn’t sacrifice performance though, with this configuration coming with the Nvidia GeForce RTX 3050 graphics card alongside the 14th-generation Intel Core i5 processor and 16GB of RAM that’s the best place to start for gaming, according to our guide on how much RAM do you need. These specifications will allow you to play the best PC games without any issues, though you may have to skip on the highest settings for the more demanding titles. The miniature design of the HP Omen 16L not only saves on space, but it also reduces power usage, while also helping keep temperature and noise levels down. The gaming PC still has a 512GB SSD though, for the space to install multiple AAA titles, and with Windows 11 Home out of the box, you can start doing so right after setting it up. HP is an excellent source of gaming PC deals, and the HP Omen 16L is a great choice for gamers with limited space. This configuration with the Nvidia GeForce RTX 3050 graphics card has an original price of $1,000, but it’s currently down to $850 for savings of $150 that you can spend on monitor deals and more video games. If you think the HP Omen 16L is the perfect gaming desktop for you, we highly recommend proceeding with the transaction for it right now as it would be a shame to miss out on the discount. Source link #HPs #smallest #gaming #***** #today Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content] For verified travel tips and real support, visit: [Hidden Content]

Overwatch developers have formed their own union to fight for a better industry Overwatch developers have formed their own union to fight for a better industry More than 200 Activision-Blizzard developers have formed a union called the Overwatch Gamemakers Guild-CWA (OWGG-CWA). Yesterday, the Communications Workers of America announced the formation of the new union, and said that Microsoft has already recognized and acknowledged it. The union’s founding members cited the multiple waves of layoffs that have hit the industry, crunch working conditions, and the success of other recently-formed unions as the motivating factors behind the OWGG-CWA. According to Frank Le Cocq, a VFX artist in the industry, “The massive layoffs in the video game industry, and at my own studio, became one of the first reasons I started to learn about how to organize to create a healthier workplace for everyone.” Le Cocq said that knowing the World of Warcraft team had successful navigated the process was encouraging for his team. More than 2,600 workers at Microsoft studios are part of unions with the CWA. Many of those workers have been directly impacted by the upheaval within different companies, such as the closure of three different EA-owned studios. Microsoft’s acknowledgement of the union is a good sign, but it doesn’t mean the group is in the clear. The union will need to decide what it wants to push for, and charting a course can be more difficult when the union consists of workers across a variety of disciplines. Blizzard Entertainment The Overwatch Gamemakers Guild includes developers from design, production, engineering, art, sound, and quality assurance. The Zenimax union that Le Cocq mentioned consists solely of QA staff. Jess Castillo, another union member, had this to say: “I’m organizing because I believe in this company, our teams, and the work we do together. Unionizing is about having a seat at the table so that we can work with leadership to build better, more sustainable working conditions. Ultimately, when we’re supported and thriving, we can deliver the best possible experiences to our players, which is what brought all of us here in the first place.” Source link #Overwatch #developers #formed #union #fight #industry Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Why it applies to other states, and what it means for the auto industry Why it applies to other states, and what it means for the auto industry What’s at issue? The California Air Resources Board passed a regulation in 2022 called Advanced Clean Cars II, or ACC II. It mandates that 35 percent of vehicles an automaker produces and delivers for *****, which can include vehicles wholesaled to dealers and not yet sold to retail customers, in the state for the 2026 model year must be zero-emission (electric vehicles, hydrogen fuel cell vehicles or plug-ins, though PHEVs only receive partial credit). Automakers face fines of up to $20,000 on each noncompliant vehicle, or they can purchase limited available credits from other automakers. Five other states — Oregon, Washington, New York, Massachusetts and Vermont — also follow the requirement starting with the 2026 model year, measuring the percentage of vehicles wholesaled in those individual states. In the 2027 model year, the regulation goes up to 43 percent, and five additional states and Washington, D.C., join at the higher percentage: Colorado, Delaware, New Jersey, New Mexico and Rhode Island. The requirement then rises 8 percentage points per model year until it requires all vehicles sold by an automaker in each state be ZEV in the 2035 model year and beyond. In April, Maryland’s governor delayed enforcement of the rules for that state until the 2029 model year through executive order. ACC II: Are states ready for ZEV mandates? Sign up for our daily First Shift morning newscast email for a quick video to start your day. Who’s involved? The mandate is a significant challenge for legacy automakers and their franchised dealers — especially those that have not been as aggressive as others in adding electric vehicles because of slower consumer adoption rates. Dealers within the ZEV states worry that automakers will limit their ability to sell vehicles that aren’t EVs to keep their potential penalties down. Dealers in non-ZEV states are likely to see their supplies of EVs and PHEVs greatly reduced, though they should see greater supplies of combustion-powered and hybrid vehicles than they might otherwise. What’s at stake? It depends on whom you ask. Dealers in ZEV states worry that the mandates will mean large numbers of lost sales because consumer EV adoption rates greatly lag the mandated wholesale percentages, and automakers may be reluctant to allocate sufficient numbers of the combustion-powered vehicles their customers may want to avoid stiff penalties. They fear consumers will instead buy from dealers in non-ZEV states where those vehicles will be more plentiful. Automakers worry the penalties for noncompliance in each ZEV state are so stiff they would lose money on nearly every combustion-powered vehicle they sold. Meanwhile, those concerned about the environment and air quality fear that industry backsliding on the mandate will further stymie broader adoption of cleaner vehicles and dissuade automakers from improving battery technology, range and other aspects. What’s happening now? Automakers, state dealer associations, individual dealers and industry groups are intensely lobbying the Trump administration, Congress and the ZEV states to eliminate or at least ease the mandate or lower the costs of noncompliance. Meanwhile, automakers are preparing their allocation strategies to maximize EV sales in the ZEV states starting this fall if their lobbying efforts fail. Environmental groups are lobbying to keep the mandates in place. Why it matters? Industry news has been dominated by the more immediate threat of tariffs, but the ACC II mandate, which begins grabbing hold in the fall in a number of states, is just as grave and perhaps more difficult to overcome. If consumer choice of new vehicles is limited by regulation only in certain states, will consumers in those states take their business elsewhere? How will dealers in ZEV states react if their new-vehicle sales drop dramatically? Will lobbying efforts bear fruit? Will the whole issue wind up in court? Send us a letter to the editor Have an opinion about this story? Tell us about it and we may publish it in print. Click here to submit a letter to the editor. Source link #applies #states #means #auto #industry Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content] For verified travel tips and real support, visit: [Hidden Content]

Zelensky calls Putin’s proposal ‘a positive sign,’ demands ceasefire Zelensky calls Putin’s proposal ‘a positive sign,’ demands ceasefire Yahoo is using AI to generate takeaways from this article. This means the info may not always match what’s in the article. Reporting mistakes helps us improve the experience.Generate Key Takeaways Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Sunday welcomed an offer from his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin for direct negotiations, but insisted that a ceasefire backed by European leaders should take effect on Monday. “It is a positive sign that the Russians have finally begun to consider ending the war,” Zelensky wrote on X. “The entire world has been waiting for this for a very long time. And the very first step in truly ending any war is a ceasefire.” The Ukrainian leader said “there is no point in continuing the killing even for a single day.” “We expect Russia to confirm a ceasefire – full, lasting, and reliable – starting tomorrow,” he added. On Saturday, French President Emmanuel Macron, ******* Chancellor Friedrich Merz, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk, visited Kiev. Together with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, they called for a 30-day ceasefire without preconditions, set to commence on Monday. The proposal has been backed by the US. Putin responded by calling for direct negotiations with Ukraine in Turkey on Thursday, but he did not respond to the ceasefire demand. Source link #Zelensky #calls #Putins #proposal #positive #sign #demands #ceasefire Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

‘Total reset’ with China sends market soaring ‘Total reset’ with China sends market soaring The crypto market soared dramatically on May 10 as President Donald Trump claimed that the U.S. had “a very good meeting” with China. Bitcoin soared to nearly touch the $105,000 price mark within an hour of Trump’s statement. However, it retreated to the previous zone within a few hours. Ethereum also neared the $2,600 mark within an hour of the statement before making a modest retreat. As per Kraken’s price feed, Bitcoin was trading at $103,927 at press time. Ethereum was trading at $2,539.07 at the time of writing, as per Kraken. Trump wrote on Truth Social that the two countries negotiated a “total reset” in a “friendly, but constructive” manner. He added that the U.S. would like to see China opening up to American business. “GREAT PROGRESS MADE!!!” However, the president didn’t reveal any specific details on the progress he claimed. The trade talks between the two countries began in Geneva, Switzerland, this weekend. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, Trade Representative Jamieson Greer from the U.S., and Vice Premier He Lifeng from China are holding the talks. This is the first time that officials from both countries are meeting since Trump imposed tariff hikes on Apr. 2. As of now, the U.S. levies a 145% tariff on ******** imports, and China levies a 125% tariff on U.S. imports. The escalations have led to a near trade embargo. China’s official state news agency, Xinhua, said on May 10 that the high-level meeting began at the request of the U.S. A “stable and constructive” relationship serves the interests of both nations and the world at large, it mentioned and added, “Trade wars and tariff battles yield no winners.” Source link #Total #reset #China #sends #market #soaring Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Maryland customers had checks and money orders altered and stolen after mailing them from local post offices Maryland customers had checks and money orders altered and stolen after mailing them from local post offices When you write out a check and put it in the mail, you expect it to arrive at its proper destination and to get cashed by its intended recipient. But a number of Maryland customers recently learned the hard way that this outcome isn’t always a given. According to WMAR-2 News, several people mailed checks and money orders from their local post offices only to learn that those payments were later altered and stolen. In fact, three customers reportedly had their checks stolen at two local post offices during the span of a few weeks. Don’t miss Darlene Mclean sent payments through the post office to cover her mortgage and a BJ’s credit card bill, but those money orders were altered and cashed by a criminal. Now, Mclean is struggling in the absence of those funds. “I’m without money. Mortgage not paid, and now they’re coming after me,” Mclean told WMAR-2 News. “I’m suffering from it. I’m depressed behind it. I can’t sleep. I’m really upset.” When you can’t trust the post office John Curtis, one of the customers who had money stolen, decided to mail payments from directly inside his local post office as opposed to simply dropping envelopes into a community mailbox. Little did he know that this seemingly safer option would backfire on him, as the $323 check that he had written to pay for his insurance was reportedly changed to $900 for “equipment.” “I put my policy number on the bottom, all of that was gone,” said Curtis, who wound up having to close his bank account and open a new one in order to re-route other payments and deposits. Curtis has a sick wife and has been in and out of the hospital himself, so this was the last thing he needed, he told WMAR-2 News. The three customers who fell victim to the theft reportedly mailed their payments at two different post offices — Windsor Mill and Arlington Station — all within a few weeks of each other. Angela Powell sent a $420 payment to her insurance company, but she learned the next day that it had been altered to $6,250 for a supposed “college fund.” “They took my check from Windsor Mill post office to SECU Bank in a matter of 24 hours.” Thankfully, Curtis and Powell were both reimbursed by their banks for the missing funds, but Mclean has not yet received reimbursement for her stolen money. Read more: BlackRock CEO Larry Fink has an important message for the next wave of American retirees — here’s how he says you can best weather the US retirement crisis Postal authorities reviewing the situation In response to WMAR-2 News’ request for comment, a spokesperson from the United States Postal Service (USPS) issued the following statement. “The Postal Service takes the security of mail seriously and always promptly refers allegations of mail thefts to the appropriate law enforcement agency. Mail thefts by anyone will not be tolerated.” The U.S. Postal Inspection Service, which investigates mail theft, also shared a statement with WMAR-2 News. “Our Baltimore Field Office was not aware of these complaints. The theft of mail and ensuring the sanctity of the US Mail-stream is of the utmost priority to the US Postal Inspection Service. We encourage customers to mail their checks from inside of the post office if possible, or before the collection time when utilizing the blue collection boxes.” Given that the three incidents of theft above occurred in close proximity to each other and within a short timeframe, there’s a question as to whether a postal service employee may have been the perpetrator. The USPS Office of the Inspector General is responsible for investigating complaints of internal mail theft. Following WMAR-2 News’ request for comment, a spokesperson could not confirm an active investigation but said the OIG would review the details of the situation. Now, the impacted customers say they’ll be making changes to the way they write their checks. Powell, who is very angry about the situation, said she’ll be writing out checks with ****** magic marker, which is harder to alter. “So I can’t mail anything without being in fear of someone taking what’s inside my personal belongings?” said Powell. “Just because it’s going through the postal service, it’s still mine. You have no right to go in my mail and take out what’s in it, and they still have one of my checks to this day.” Powell wants to press charges against the criminal who altered and cashed her check, but she’s reportedly waiting for her bank to produce images of the culprit committing the crime. Mclean, meanwhile, is working with the Maryland Volunteers Lawyer Service to work out a deal with her mortgage company. She’s now worried that her home could be foreclosed due to the missing payment. The U.S. Postal Inspection Service has also increased its monetary reward to $100,000 for anyone who can provide information on mail theft that leads to an arrest and conviction. How to avoid mail fraud Unfortunately, it appears to be all too easy for criminals to get away with washing and altering checks in the mail. Normally, a good way to prevent this would be to mail your checks from inside a post office instead of using an outdoor mailbox, but that unfortunately didn’t work for Curtis. He mailed his check from inside the post office and still had it stolen. That’s why it’s important to monitor your checking account regularly after writing checks. Or, better yet, see if you can send checks and payments directly from your bank. Checks sent through a bank still go through the postal system but can be harder to alter because of the way they’re printed. Also, when you send a check through your bank directly, there’s an electronic record of the original payee. So, even if the check is stolen, you have more protection since you can prove that fraud has occurred. If you can’t send checks directly from your bank, use a permanent ****** marker to write out your checks so they can’t be washed. Also, don’t leave blank spaces in the payee or amount lines. It’s also important to protect the checks you might be receiving as those can also be stolen and cashed. In fact, it’s a good idea to collect your mail as soon as it’s been delivered — you can even buy a mailbox sensor that sends an alert when your mailbox has been opened. You may also want to install a security camera in front of your home with a visual on your mailbox to deter or catch thieves. Additionally, you can sign up for Informed Delivery from the USPS, which sends you daily notifications by email of incoming mail and packages. If you’re heading out of town for a while, you can arrange to have your mail put on hold by the post office. You also shouldn’t hesitate to notify the USPS Office of the Inspector General if you think you’ve been a victim of mail fraud. What to read next This article provides information only and should not be construed as advice. It is provided without warranty of any kind. Source link #Maryland #customers #checks #money #orders #altered #stolen #mailing #local #post #offices Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content] For verified travel tips and real support, visit: [Hidden Content]

Berkshire now owns 5% of Treasury-bill market as Buffett waits for prey Berkshire now owns 5% of Treasury-bill market as Buffett waits for prey Berkshire Hathaway ‘s ownership of Treasury bills has grown so large that Warren Buffett’s conglomerate is now the fourth-largest holder in the world, owning about 5% of the entire bill market, according to an estimate from JPMorgan. The Wall Street investment bank estimated that Berkshire’s T-bill position has more than doubled over the past year, adding that the $314 billion stake as of the end of March accounted for 5% of all outstanding short-term government bills. Berkshire’s holding now surpasses foreign banks, the Federal Reserve, Local Government Investment Pools, offshore money market funds and stablecoin, JPMorgan said. Buffett is known to purchase Treasury bills at weekly Treasury auctions, sometimes in increments of $10 billion. The government sells T-bills in terms ranging from four to 52 weeks. While interest rates have dipped from multi-year highs reached last year, they are still **** enough to earn Berkshire billions of dollars in interest income on its gigantic pool of bonds every year. Treasury bills with maturities between one month and one year today all pay yields above 4%. At Berkshire’s annual meeting last weekend marking 60 years under Buffett’s control, the 94-year-old Oracle of Omaha reiterated his confidence that one day the mountain of cash equivalents will be deployed, stressing that it’s crucial to stay patient for good opportunities. “Every now and then you find something and occasionally, very occasionally, but it’ll happen again, I don’t know when. It could be next week, it could be five years off, but it won’t be 50 years off, we will be bombarded with offerings that we’ll be glad we have the cash for,” he told an arena full of shareholders on May 2. Buffett revealed that Berkshire almost put $10 billion to work recently, but ultimately didn’t pull the trigger. The Berkshire chief, who’s stepping down as CEO at the end of the year, noted that one problem in the investment business is that well-priced assets don’t come along in an orderly fashion. “We came pretty close to spending $10 billion, not that long ago, for example, but we’d spend $100 billion” if the right opportunity came along, he said. “I mean, those decisions are not tough to make when something is offered that makes sense to us and that we understand and offers good value.” Source link #Berkshire #owns #Treasurybill #market #Buffett #waits #prey Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Top Wall Street analysts suggest 3 stocks for solid growth potential Top Wall Street analysts suggest 3 stocks for solid growth potential The U.S. Federal Reserve recently announced its plan to keep interest rates steady, cautioning, “uncertainty about the economic outlook has increased further.” It noted that the risk of higher unemployment and elevated inflation have risen. Indeed, tariff wars have shaken global markets and knocked investor sentiment. Nonetheless, investors looking for attractive picks amid the ongoing volatility can track the recommendations of top Wall Street analysts, who have the expertise to select stocks with the potential to thrive despite short-term challenges. With that in mind, here are three stocks favored by the Street’s top pros, according to TipRanks, a platform that ranks analysts based on their past performance. Meta Platforms We start this week with Facebook and Instagram owner Meta Platforms (META), which surpassed analysts’ estimates for the first quarter of 2025, reflecting resilience in a tough macroeconomic backdrop. CEO Mark Zuckerberg said Meta is well-positioned to navigate any ongoing challenges. In reaction to the strong Q1 print, JPMorgan analyst Doug Anmuth reiterated a buy rating on META stock and boosted the 12-month price target to $675 from $610, saying that Meta remains his firm’s top pick. Noting the company’s Q1 beat and Q2 outlook, Anmuth said he believed the company’s artificial intelligence (AI) ad enhancements, such as Andromeda and GEM, are having a significant impact on its ability to make money from the technology. On the rise in Meta Platforms’ full-year capital expenditure guidance, the analyst said that he is OK with the increase, given that the company is delivering good results and tracking well on its AI roadmap. He added that Meta has a track record of generating returns on increased spending. Anmuth said that AI is fueling huge early gains in Meta’s advertising and engagement, with the analyst expecting notable progress soon in business messaging/agents and Meta AI. “We continue to believe that Meta is well positioned for a tougher macro environment given its scaled advertiser base, highly performant platform and vertical agnostic inventory,” Anmuth said. Anmuth ranks No. 49 among more than 9,500 analysts tracked by TipRanks. His ratings have been profitable 62% of the time, delivering an average return of 20.1%. See Meta Platforms Options Activity on TipRanks. Amazon Anmuth is also bullish on e-commerce and cloud computing giant Amazon (AMZN). Following the company’s Q1 results, the analyst reaffirmed a buy rating on AMZN and raised the price target to $225 from $220. Amazon reported better-than-expected Q1 2025 results but issued soft guidance for the second quarter, citing tariff woes. The analyst noted that the company’s Q1 revenue and operating income exceeded the higher end of prior guidance, while the second-quarter outlook reflected lower-than-feared macro and tariff-related impacts. Though Microsoft’s Azure outperformed Amazon Web Services (AWS) in the March quarter and AWS is currently capacity-constrained, the analyst continues to believe that growth can move higher in the second half of the year as more supply comes online. He added that Amazon is not witnessing any visible change in demand. Anmuth noted that the sequential deceleration in AWS revenue growth to 17% in Q1 2025 from 19% in the fourth quarter was offset by solid profitability. Notably, AWS’ operating margin touched an all-time high of 39.5% in the first quarter. The analyst said that while Amazon did not discuss all its mitigation efforts related to suppliers and geographic sourcing of products, it has taken measures to pull forward inventory because of the tariff wars. “Importantly, AMZN remains focused on broad selection, low pricing and fast delivery, and believes it typically emerges from uncertain macro periods with greater relative market share gains,” said Anmuth. See Amazon Insider Trading Activity on TipRanks. Roku Finally, let’s look at Roku (ROKU), a maker of streaming devices and other products, and a distributor of streaming services. While Roku delivered a modest revenue beat and reported a narrower-than-anticipated loss per share for the first quarter, shares declined as the company trimmed its full-year revenue outlook and issued lower-than-expected Q2 revenue guidance. Wedbush Securities analyst Alicia Reese highlighted that while Roku lowered its 2025 revenue outlook, it maintained Platform revenue and adjusted EBITDA guidance, crediting enhanced profit from its initiatives and anticipated revenue from acquiring Frndly TV. Roku last week agreed to buy Frndly TV, an affordable subscription streaming service that offers live TV, on-demand video, and cloud-based DVR (Digital Video Recorder), for $185 million in cash in a deal espected to close in the second quarter. Despite the impact of macroeconomic challenges, Reese believes that Roku is well-positioned within the relatively safe connected TV industry owing to increasing diversification of platform revenue. The analyst also highlighted that a more diversified business model is helping Roku deliver consistent results. Reese thinks that investors will appreciate Roku for its balanced approach as it grows internationally, improves its platform and enhances The Roku Channel’s ad capabilities, while focusing on expense discipline to drive free cash flow. “We expect Roku to benefit from its DSP (demand-side platform) partnerships, high-quality inventory, improved targeting sports-adjacent ads, and various price points across its platform to meet advertisers’ needs,” said Reese, reiterating a buy rating on ROKU stock with a price target of $100. Reese ranks No. 830 among more than 9,500 analysts tracked by TipRanks. Her ratings have been profitable 61% of the time, delivering an average return of 14.5%. See Roku Ownership Structure on TipRanks. Source link #Top #Wall #Street #analysts #suggest #stocks #solid #growth #potential Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content] For verified travel tips and real support, visit: [Hidden Content]

Trump considers weakening nuclear agency in bid for more power plants – The Washington Post Trump considers weakening nuclear agency in bid for more power plants – The Washington Post Trump considers weakening nuclear agency in bid for more power plants The Washington PostTrump tightens control of independent agency overseeing nuclear safety NPRScoop: White House seeks to hasten nuclear deployment AxiosDraft Executive Orders Aim to Speed Construction of Nuclear Plants The New York TimesTrump Team Weighs Expediting Nuclear Power Plant Construction Bloomberg Source link #Trump #considers #weakening #nuclear #agency #bid #power #plants #Washington #Post Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Coinbase aims to be world’s Number 1 financial service app in 10 years Coinbase aims to be world’s Number 1 financial service app in 10 years Brian Armstrong, CEO and Co-Founder, Coinbase, speaks during the Milken Institute Global Conference on May 2, 2022. in Beverly Hills, California. Patrick T. Fallon | AFP | Getty Images Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong said the crypto platform aims to become one of the biggest financial services companies in the world in a few years, aided by traditional players who continue adopting crypto at an accelerating rate. Asked on the company’s call with analysts this week if Coinbase plans to enter traditional finance, Armstrong said that rather than look backward, he “wants to look forwards and skate to where this opportunity is going.” “Today, we’re primarily focused on trading and payments … across our major customer groups: retail, small [and] medium sized businesses, institutions and developers,” Armstrong said on the quarterly earnings call Thursday. “In five- to 10 years, our goal is to be the number one financial services app in the world across those customer segments because we believe that crypto is eating financial services, and we are the number one crypto company,” he added. “All these asset classes – money market funds, real estate, securities, debt – these are all coming on chain.” Expanding platform Coinbase operates primarily as a cryptocurrency exchange. Over the years it has added other products and services focused on non-trading aspects of crypto for retail and institutional users alike – including payments via stablecoins, rewards through stablecoins and staking and custody for institutions. BlackRock, Stripe and PayPal are among more than 200 institutional customers for those services. This week, the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) cleared the U.S. banks that it regulates to buy and sell and act as custodian of crypto assets for customers, joining the Federal Reserve and Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) in rolling back restrictive crypto rules in the past two months. In 2023, all three agencies had cautioned banks against partnering with the industry or offering crypto services. As the Trump administration loosens regulatory constraints on crypto and Congress stands on the verge of passing stablecoin legislation later this year, traditional institutions have shown more interest in expanding into crypto-related services. In February, Bank of America CEO Brian Moynihan said the Charlotte-based lender could introduce a stablecoin if regulation allows. “We think that every major bank is going to be integrating crypto at some point … it’s technology to update the financial system,” Armstrong said. “We can power a variety of things for them. [For] some of them, it’s a custodial solution. Others are interested in having a stablecoin solution.” “We’ve seen some interest where banks and other companies will want to create their own stablecoin,” he continued. “Our view is that that’s not necessarily the best path because stablecoins have network effects. You want interoperability with other financial institutions to be able to settle payments and do all kinds of things.” Biggest driver Stablecoins have become Coinbase’s biggest driver of revenue after trading. In the first quarter, revenue tied to stablecoins soared 50% from the year-earlier ******* and 32% from the fourth quarter. Coinbase is a cofounder of the popular USDC stablecoin, has a 50% revenue sharing agreement with issuer Circle and also makes 100% of the interest earned by USDC products on the Coinbase platform. Armstrong has said Coinbase has a “stretch goal” to make USDC the number 1 stablecoin in the world, a position ccurrently held by Tether’s USDT. “If you can get shared economics, I don’t see why we wouldn’t see more of these banks partnering with USDC,” Armstrong said. “Regardless, we at Coinbase can help power infrastructure for all these folks that are coming into the industry … that’s a big part of our plan.” Don’t miss these cryptocurrency insights from CNBC Pro: Source link #Coinbase #aims #worlds #Number #financial #service #app #years Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Ukraine and European allies urge Putin to commit to 30-day ceasefire or face new sanctions – PBS Ukraine and European allies urge Putin to commit to 30-day ceasefire or face new sanctions – PBS Ukraine and European allies urge Putin to commit to 30-day ceasefire or face new sanctions PBSUkraine ceasefire call aimed at forcing Putin to reveal his war goals to Trump CNNEuropean Leaders Visit Ukraine and Press Russia for a 30-Day Cease-Fire The New York TimesEurope Threatens Nord Stream 2 Sanctions to Pressure Russia on Cease-Fire WSJTogether in Kyiv at the meeting of the Coalition of the Willing — five of us in person, joined online by leaders from over 30 countries, the EU, and NATO — we discussed what is urgently needed to achieve peace. The key outcome: a united and clear position on x.com Source link #Ukraine #European #allies #urge #Putin #commit #30day #ceasefire #face #sanctions #PBS Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Insiders at these companies are buying during the market stress Insiders at these companies are buying during the market stress Recent market volatility has led some chief executives and other insiders of certain names to buy shares, according to Bank of America. Stocks have had a rocky start to the year, facing pressure amid economic worries and shakiness around President Donald Trump’s plans to impose tariffs on goods from a slew of countries. The S & P 500 has fallen more than 3% in 2025. However, insiders have swooped in to snap up stocks as of late. “Positioning of active hedge funds and mutual funds gives insight into consensus among fundamental investors. But insider positioning can be considered the ‘smartest money,'” wrote Savita Subramanian, head of U.S. equity and quantitative strategy at Bank of America, in a note earlier this month. “Interestingly, extreme insider buying/selling has been a better contrary indicator since 2010, perhaps as insiders tend to support stocks by buying amidst a drop and/or they sell early into strength,” she added. Subramanian has found that over the past three months, meaningful insider buying has emerged at a number of companies, such as casino operator Wynn Resorts and cosmetics company Estee Lauder . Below are the top 10 S & P 500 companies where insiders have been snapping up shares. Wynn Resorts had the top insider buying as a percentage of its float – or shares available for trading by the public – at 0.53%. Billionaire Tilman Fertitta, CEO of Landry’s, recently increased his stake in the casino name, buying 400,000 shares over a few days in early April, according to a securities filing and Verity Data. This comes after the owner of the Houston Rockets previously increased his stake to 9.9% last year to become the company’s largest individual shareholder. Shares of Wynn Resorts are up 2% in 2025. The name is liked on Wall Street, with 15 out of 18 analysts rating it a buy or strong buy, per LSEG. Consensus price targets call for more than 20% upside. WYNN 1M mountain WYNN, 1-month Occidental Petroleum was also on the list with insider buying being 0.11% of its float in the past three months. Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway has been buying more shares of the Houston-based energy company. In fact, it bought 763,017 shares back in February for $35.7 million. Occidental posted first-quarter adjusted earnings that surpassed the Street’s estimates on Wednesday, landing at 87 cents a share, while FactSet consensus estimates called for 78 cents a share. Shares are off more than 14% in 2025, and analysts largely rate the stock hold. Consensus price targets call for 14% upside, per LSEG. OXY 6M mountain OXY, 6-month Franklin Resources , which was ranked sixth on the list, saw insider buying over the past three months at 0.04% of its float. Billionaire Charles Johnson, who retired as chairman of the company in 2013 , bought 100,000 shares in March for $2 million. Shares are up more than 3% in 2025. Most analysts rate the name hold, and consensus price targets call for the stock to slide about 7% from current levels, per LSEG. Source link #Insiders #companies #buying #market #stress Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]