Sarcasm can promote creative thinking

Share to Twitter Share to Linkedin Topline Florida’s GOP-controlled legislature voted overwhelmingly Thursday to allow people to carry concealed firearms anywhere in the state without a permit—a bill which, if signed into law by Gov. Ron Desantis (R), will make Florida the 26th state with such laws. Key Facts Florida’s Senate voted 27-13 Thursday to pass the bill , which would do away with Florida’s requirement under state law to obtain a concealed weapons permit and undergo background checks and firearms training in order to carry a concealed gun. Florida’s house had passed the bill by a vote of 76-32 last week. If signed into law, gun owners would only need to hold a valid ID to carry a concealed weapon, with a $25 fine for failing to do so. Florida would also become the 26th state to pass a law allowing permitless concealed carry, according to the U.S. Concealed Carry Association, amid a wave of GOP-led initiatives to loosen … [Read more...] about Florida On Track To Let Residents Carry Concealed Guns Without Permits—Joining 25 Other States

Share to Twitter Share to Linkedin The Federal Trade Commission often issues warnings for consumers about scams of all kinds. They are raising the alarm about phony treatments and cures for Alzheimer’s disease and dementia, sending letters to the companies that advertise these fake products. We can understand why people who desperately want a cure for a disease that is currently not curable will look to the internet for promises. Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias create a long, sad, expensive journey for elders and their families. We address these every day at AgingParents.com, working with these families. No one wants to hear from doctors that there is no treatment to fix the disease and that no drug company has a cure. Denial leads folks to find a way to cope with the sad truth. Desperation for relief is an invitation to manufacturers who create false hope for those affected. Memory Supplements You may see the ads on TV or the internet … [Read more...] about Beware Of Fake “Treatments” Or “Cures” For Dementia

After an early morning police raid, Chinese Christian refugees in Thailand now face imminent deportation back to China and persecution, human rights advocates told the Daily Caller News Foundation. Thai police are allegedly transporting the 63 members of the Shenzhen Holy Reformed Church, also known as the Mayflower Church, to Bangkok to be repatriated to the People’s Republic of China, Deana Brown , 68, founder of Freedom Seekers International, told the DCNF while in Thai custody. Along with church members, Thai police also arrested and confiscated the passports of Brown and fellow Texan, Stacy Nichols, 51, who’d both just arrived in Patayya, Thailand, for a week-long visit with the congregation on Thursday, Brown said. In October 2019, the Mayflower Church, led by Pastor Pan Yongguang, fled religious persecution at the hands of the CCP. After a vote, the church decided to resettle in Jeju Island, South Korea, where a travel visa would not be required for Chinese citizens, … [Read more...] about Over 60 Christian Dissidents Detained In Thailand Facing Imprisonment, Torture If Deported To China

Share to Twitter Share to Linkedin Topline Billionaire GOP megadonor and onetime ally to former President Donald Trump Ronald Lauder, met with Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis recently as the likely 2024 GOP presidential candidate pitches himself as the adult in the room to wealthy donors amid increasingly incendiary rhetoric from Trump. Key Facts Lauder met with DeSantis, who is widely expected to announce a run for president in early summer, at his Long Island estate several months ago, Politico reported , citing two unnamed sources familiar with the meeting. The reported meeting comes after Lauder—heir to Estée Lauder who has known Trump for decades and helped fund his 2020 reelection bid—said through a spokesperson in November that he will not donate to Trump’s 2024 campaign, though he did not say whom he would support in 2024 and did not comment to Politico on the recent DeSantis meeting. DeSantis is reportedly targeting wealthy New … [Read more...] about Billionaire Ex-Trump Ally Ronald Lauder Met With Ron DeSantis As He Courts Wealthy Execs On Trump’s Turf, Report Says

Share to Twitter Share to Linkedin Topline Sam Bankman-Fried entered a not guilty plea to new federal charges Thursday, according to reporters present at the Manhattan federal court, sticking true to his style and donning an on-brand, unusually casual getup. Key Facts Bankman-Fried, who pleaded not guilty to eight criminal counts in January related to fraud at his cryptocurrency exchange FTX and trading firm Alameda Research, entered the same plea for five additional charges Thursday, including a fresh bribery count for allegedly paying off a Chinese official $40 million in 2021. Photographs of the former billionaire Thursday show him wearing a blue suit and brown loafers, his typical courtroom outfit, but with his own casual touch, keeping his white dress shirt untucked and letting his polka dot tie flop in the wind while entering the courthouse. Bankman-Fried apparently made a slight wardrobe change while in the courtroom, exiting … [Read more...] about Sam Bankman-Fried Pleads Not Guilty To New Bribery Charge—In An Untucked Dress Shirt (Photos)

Share to Twitter Share to Linkedin Topline House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) brushed off a question about whether the GOP would take any formal action in response to the Nashville school shooting on Thursday, echoing others in the party who have said legislation will not solve gun violence—a sentiment that has enraged Democratic lawmakers, as well as a substantial slice of the electorate. Key Facts McCarthy said, “I don’t think one piece of legislation solves this,” in response to a reporter’s question during an unrelated press conference on Thursday, adding, “We’ve got to deal with mental illness.” McCarthy on Wednesday, in his first comments on the shooting at a private Christian school that left three 9-year-olds and four adults dead, said lawmakers need to “see all the facts” before taking action. McCarthy’s statements parrot those made by other GOP members in recent days, including Rep. Tim Burchett (R-Tenn.), who said Monday, … [Read more...] about McCarthy Says Legislation Won’t Solve Gun Violence In Wake Of Nashville Shooting

Share to Twitter Share to Linkedin A new rule under SECURE 2.0 creates a great opportunity for IRA owners 70 ½ or older with charitable inclinations to get a prospective valuable tax benefit and keep cash flow. The current law allows a charitable distribution from an IRA for individuals age 70 ½ or older (irrespective of the new Required Minimum Distribution of age 73) to make a distribution of up to $100,000 a year directly to a qualified charity. This is called a Qualified Charitable Distribution, or QCD, and they are fantastic opportunities on their own. Now, SECURE 2.0 has introduced a provision that allows a ‘split-interest’ gift, which gives the IRA owner a tax break and provides continuing cash flow. Why a QCD is a great idea. QCDs have a lot of advantages over a conventional charitable deduction. 1. A QCD is eliminated from income, and not treated as an itemized deduction. Thus, a donor can use the standard deduction or other itemized … [Read more...] about SECURE 2.0’s New Rule On IRAs And Charity Can Really Pay Off

Share to Twitter Share to Linkedin If you live in the United States and are of a certain age, you're probably feeling pretty good about yourself when you separate out your recyclables. But, as much as it was drilled into us as kids that recycled plastic, glass, and cardboard would save the planet, it's pretty apparent that we need to do more. Based on this 2010 study from the USDA Americans generate, on average, 219 pounds of food waste per person, per year. That number hasn't improved in the 13 years since, with some reports tipping the scales at 242 pounds. That's over 200 lbs. of uneaten, expired, and leftover food per person that ends up in landfills, generating methane. Not to mention all the trash bags that you end up tossing. How many times a month do you end up tossing a half-full trash bag out because food scraps generate a toxic cloud that escapes from the can whenever you open the lid? Composting is one of the easiest options to do … [Read more...] about One Month With Lomi—Turn Food Waste Into Something Useful

Share to Twitter Share to Linkedin Written by Enrique Esclusa, Co-Founder & Co-CEO, Assemble How do you decide what to pay an employee? This is a simple and important question with a complex answer. With a volatile labor market, global inflation, and the continued rise of distributed work, it has never been more difficult to answer this question. Traditionally, HR teams have primarily relied upon two sources of data to inform decisions: salary datasets, compiled and distributed by third-party consultants such as Radford and Mercer; and candidate data collected by recruiters asking prospective employees about their salary expectations. Now, advances in legislation and technology are changing the way companies think about and handle compensation. In many states such as California, it is now illegal to ask candidates about their salary. Additionally, the rise of pay transparency laws have open-sourced new insights about what organizations are … [Read more...] about Real-Time Market Compensation Data Is Not A Panacea

Share to Twitter Share to Linkedin The popular AI image generator Midjourney halted free trials late Wednesday, leading many news outlets to blame fake photos of Donald Trump getting arrested and Pope Francis wearing a white coat , two images that recently went viral. But that’s not the reason Midjourney says it’s stopping free trials of the service. Midjourney CEO David Holz broke the news about the end of free trials on the company’s Discord channel, citing “extraordinary demand and trial abuse,” but that term “abuse” apparently confused a lot of news outlets, which assumed it had something to do with all the fakes that have recently gone viral. Holz, who tried to clarify things on Thursday, told The Verge that it was a “ misunderstanding .” The abuse Holz referenced was people creating multiple accounts in order to get around the free trial limits for the number of images that people could create. Specifically, a large influx of new users from … [Read more...] about AI Image Creator Midjourney Halts Free Trials But It Has Nothing To Do With The Pope’s Jacket