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<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?><rss version="2.0" xmlns:content="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/content/" xmlns:wfw="http://wellformedweb.org/CommentAPI/" xmlns:dc="http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/" xmlns:atom="http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom" xmlns:sy="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/syndication/" xmlns:slash="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/slash/" > <channel> <title>Alpha Leaders</title> <atom:link href="https://alphaleaders.co.uk/feed/" rel="self" type="application/rss+xml" /> <link>https://alphaleaders.co.uk</link> <description>Latest Entrepreneurs and Leaders News and Updates</description> <lastBuildDate>Thu, 02 May 2024 23:47:26 +0000</lastBuildDate> <language>en-GB</language> <sy:updatePeriod> hourly </sy:updatePeriod> <sy:updateFrequency> 1 </sy:updateFrequency> <generator>https://wordpress.org/?v=6.4.4</generator> <image> <url>https://alphaleaders.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/cropped-alph-icon-32x32.png</url> <title>Alpha Leaders</title> <link>https://alphaleaders.co.uk</link> <width>32</width> <height>32</height></image> <item> <title>Scuba boat captain given four year prison sentence in fire that killed 34 people</title> <link>https://alphaleaders.co.uk/scuba-boat-captain-given-four-year-prison-sentence-in-fire-that-killed-34-people/</link> <comments>https://alphaleaders.co.uk/scuba-boat-captain-given-four-year-prison-sentence-in-fire-that-killed-34-people/#respond</comments> <dc:creator><![CDATA[Press Room]]></dc:creator> <pubDate>Thu, 02 May 2024 23:47:25 +0000</pubDate> <category><![CDATA[News]]></category> <category><![CDATA[California]]></category> <category><![CDATA[federal court]]></category> <category><![CDATA[judge]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Legal]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Prison]]></category> <guid isPermaLink="false">https://alphaleaders.co.uk/scuba-boat-captain-given-four-year-prison-sentence-in-fire-that-killed-34-people/</guid> <description><![CDATA[<p>A federal judge on Thursday sentenced a scuba dive boat captain to four years in prison and three years supervised release for criminal negligence after 34 people died in a fire aboard the vessel. The Sept. 2, 2019, blaze was the deadliest maritime disaster in recent U.S. history, and prompted changes to maritime regulations, congressional reform and [...]</p><p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://alphaleaders.co.uk/scuba-boat-captain-given-four-year-prison-sentence-in-fire-that-killed-34-people/">Scuba boat captain given four year prison sentence in fire that killed 34 people</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://alphaleaders.co.uk">Alpha Leaders</a>.</p>]]></description> <content:encoded><![CDATA[<p></p><p>A federal judge on Thursday sentenced a scuba dive boat captain to four years in prison and three years supervised release for criminal negligence after 34 people died in a fire aboard the vessel.</p><div><p>The Sept. 2, 2019, blaze was the deadliest maritime disaster in recent U.S. history, and prompted changes to maritime regulations, congressional reform and several ongoing lawsuits.</p><p>Captain Jerry Boylan was found guilty of one count of misconduct or neglect of ship officer last year. The charge is a pre-Civil War statute colloquially known as seaman’s manslaughter. It was designed to hold steamboat captains and crew responsible for maritime disasters.</p><p>Family members pleaded with Judge George Wu to give Boylan the maximum 10-year sentence in an impassioned hearing. Many cried, and Robert Kurtz, father of the sole deckhand killed, Alexandra Kurtz, brought a small container with him up to the lectern to address Boylan and the court.</p><p>“This is all I have of my daughter,” he said.</p><p>Yadira Alvarez is the mother of 16-year-old Berenice Felipe, who volunteered at an animal shelter and dreamed of becoming a marine biologist, and was the youngest of the 34 victims killed on the boat.</p><p>“He’s not a victim. He is responsible for my daughter not being here,” Alvarez said, while sobbing in court. “Can you imagine my pain?”</p><p>During the hearing, Boylan’s attorney read a statement aloud to the court in which he expressed his condolences and said he has cried every day since the fire.</p><p>“I wish I could have brought everyone home safe,” the statement said. “I am so sorry.”</p><p>In determining a sentence, Wu said he took into account Boylan’s age, health, the unlikelihood of recurrence and the need for deterrence and punishment.</p><p>He said while Boylan’s behavior was reckless, the guidelines for sentencing would not warrant a 10-year sentence.</p><p>“This is not a situation where the defendant intended to do something bad,” Wu said.</p><p>The defense had asked the judge to sentence Boylan to a five-year probationary sentence, with three years to be served under house arrest.</p><p>Boylan’s appeal is ongoing.</p><p>Hank Garcia, whose son Daniel was among the victims, said he is not a vengeful person but he and other family members don’t want something like this to ever happen again.</p><p>“We all have a life sentence,” he told the court. “We are having a life sentence without these people that we love.”</p><p>The Conception was anchored off Santa Cruz Island, 25 miles (40 kilometers) south of Santa Barbara, when it caught fire before dawn on the final day of a three-day excursion, sinking less than 100 feet (30 meters) from shore.</p><p>Thirty-three passengers and a crew member died, trapped in a bunkroom below deck. Among the dead were the deckhand, who had landed her dream job; an environmental scientist who conducted research in Antarctica; a globe-trotting couple; a Singaporean data scientist; and a family of three sisters, their father and his wife.</p><p>Boylan was the first to abandon ship and jump overboard. Four crew members who joined him also survived.</p><p>“While today’s sentence cannot fully heal their wounds, we hope that our efforts to hold this defendant criminally accountable brings some measure of healing to the families,” U.S. Attorney Martin Estrada said in a statement.</p><p>Thursday’s sentencing was the final step in a fraught prosecution that’s lasted nearly five years and repeatedly frustrated the victims’ families.</p><p>A grand jury in 2020 initially indicted Boylan on 34 counts of seaman’s manslaughter, meaning he could have faced a total of 340 years behind bars. Boylan’s attorneys argued the deaths were the result of a single incident and not separate crimes, so prosecutors got a superseding indictment charging Boylan with only one count.</p><p>In 2022, U.S. District Judge George Wu dismissed the superseding indictment, saying it failed to specify that Boylan acted with gross negligence. Prosecutors were then forced to go before a grand jury again.</p><p>Although the exact cause of the blaze aboard the Conception remains undetermined, the prosecutors and defense sought to assign blame throughout the 10-day trial last year.</p><p>The government said Boylan failed to post the required roving night watch and never properly trained his crew in firefighting. The lack of the roving watch meant the fire was able to spread undetected across the 75-foot (23-meter) boat.</p><p>But Boylan’s attorneys sought to pin blame on Glen Fritzler, who with his wife owns Truth Aquatics Inc., which operated the Conception and two other scuba dive boats, often around the Channel Islands. They argued that Fritzler was responsible for failing to train the crew in firefighting and other safety measures, as well as creating a lax seafaring culture they called “the Fritzler way,” in which no captain who worked for him posted a roving watch.</p><p>The Fritzlers have not spoken publicly about the tragedy since an interview with a local TV station a few days after the fire. Their attorneys have never responded to requests for comment from The Associated Press.</p><p>With the conclusion of the criminal case, attention now turns to several ongoing lawsuits.</p><p>Three days after the fire, Truth Aquatics filed suit under a pre-Civil War provision of maritime law that allows it to limit its liability to the value of the remains of the boat, which was a total loss. The time-tested legal maneuver has been successfully employed by the owners of the Titanic and other vessels, and requires the Fritzlers to show they were not at fault.</p><p>That case is pending, as well as others filed by victims’ families against the Coast Guard for what they allege was lax enforcement of the roving watch requirement.</p><p>After the sentencing Thursday, Susana Solano, who lost three of her daughters and their father on the boat, said she and the other family members hoped the judge would listen to their pleas.</p><p>“I’m extremely disappointed,” she said. “It’s just heartwrenching.”</p></div><p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://alphaleaders.co.uk/scuba-boat-captain-given-four-year-prison-sentence-in-fire-that-killed-34-people/">Scuba boat captain given four year prison sentence in fire that killed 34 people</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://alphaleaders.co.uk">Alpha Leaders</a>.</p>]]></content:encoded> <wfw:commentRss>https://alphaleaders.co.uk/scuba-boat-captain-given-four-year-prison-sentence-in-fire-that-killed-34-people/feed/</wfw:commentRss> <slash:comments>0</slash:comments> </item> <item> <title>How to Go from Camera-Shy to Camera-Ready</title> <link>https://alphaleaders.co.uk/how-to-go-from-camera-shy-to-camera-ready/</link> <comments>https://alphaleaders.co.uk/how-to-go-from-camera-shy-to-camera-ready/#respond</comments> <dc:creator><![CDATA[Press Room]]></dc:creator> <pubDate>Thu, 02 May 2024 23:01:28 +0000</pubDate> <category><![CDATA[Innovation]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Business Ideas]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Business Models]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Business Plans]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Camera ready]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Camera shy]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Cameras]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Data & Recovery]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Devices]]></category> <category><![CDATA[digital camera]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Growth Strategies]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Operations & Logistics]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Personal Growth]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Science & Technology]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Success Stories]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Success Strategies]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Technology]]></category> <guid isPermaLink="false">https://alphaleaders.co.uk/how-to-go-from-camera-shy-to-camera-ready/</guid> <description><![CDATA[<p>You didn’t ask for it. You don’t want to do it. Getting in front of a camera is one of the most dreaded activities for many. It’s called being camera shy. But increasingly, the focus is on real people talking about their work rather than using paid spokespeople or unknown narrators. And today, it is [...]</p><p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://alphaleaders.co.uk/how-to-go-from-camera-shy-to-camera-ready/">How to Go from Camera-Shy to Camera-Ready</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://alphaleaders.co.uk">Alpha Leaders</a>.</p>]]></description> <content:encoded><![CDATA[<div><p>You didn’t ask for it. You don’t want to do it. Getting in front of a camera is one of the most dreaded activities for many. It’s called being camera shy. But increasingly, the focus is on real people talking about their work rather than using paid spokespeople or unknown narrators. And today, it is not just the leader of the business that needs to be ready for their “close-up” but those on the front lines. The designers. The researchers. The product experts. The people on the manufacturing floor. The customer service representative and others. This trend of using real people to tell stories has many benefits for businesses.</p><p>To begin with, it gives a face to the organization. The viewer gets to see people in action. Everyone loves to get a sneak peek, go behind the scenes and see how things are designed and made, hear about the challenges, and see the results. Of course, that means someone needs to be out front.</p><h2>Are you the right person?</h2><p>If asked to be on-camera, here are a few things to consider. First, do you have the experience to speak about the topic? Are you knowledgeable? Have you been directly involved in the area that will be covered? Are you aligned with the company’s views, and are you excited about what you do?</p><p>That might seem basic, but too often, individuals find themselves in a situation where they must talk about something they are not interested in, and that shows when you get in front of the lens.</p><p>Today, video case studies and product videos are critical to a company’s marketing efforts. You may be tapped because of your expertise, whether you are a technical or subject matter expert. People want to hear from engineers, developers and scientists. They like the perspective of the people who do the work over those who market and sell.</p><p>For recruitment videos, companies like to showcase a variety of individuals, from newer workers to more seasoned ones. If you have a story about rising through the ranks or a great passion for your work, you are the right person to be out front and center. People also love to hear from people who look and sound like them, so if you fit the demographic of sought-after potential employees, you go to the top of the list to be interviewed for your story.</p><p><b>Related: A Beginner’s Guide: 6 Ways to Use Video to Amplify Your Brand Presence</b></p><h2>Are you camera-friendly?</h2><p>Believe it or not, lots of people, even introverts, can be camera-friendly. The key is simply being yourself — not being concerned about how you look or overthink everything you say. The camera “likes” people who don’t put on a show or try too hard. If you are honest and relatable, the camera will be your friend.</p><p>Another quality that makes you camera-friendly is the ability to make complex things simple for others to understand. Can you tell a story as though you are explaining a concept or business initiative to a friend? If you have facts and a story that illustrates them, it is a powerful combination. Some people tend to use industry jargon or acronyms. Nothing turns a listener off faster than not understanding the content. Avoid using words that are not commonly understood. People who use simple, direct language can connect and command attention from an audience. And when it comes to language, less is more. Can you speak concisely about the topic? Not wander around or get sidetracked?</p><p>Over the years, numerous studies have emphasized the importance of non-verbal communication. As much as 80 to 90% of communication comes from our nonverbals. If it is that important in face-to-face communication, what happens when you are up close and personal with your audience on camera? Facial expression, eye contact gestures and tone of voice are amplified on camera. If you are not comfortable in your own skin, it shows. However, if your nonverbals are good and what you say matches how you look, you can deliver a powerful message.</p><p>Some of what makes people camera-friendly is hard to explain, but you know it when you see it. Viewers are drawn to attractive people, but that is not just about having good looks. I spend a lot of time interviewing people for corporate videos, and the ones that truly shine are attractive because they are comfortable and have a personality that is engaging. They are authentic, and it is obvious to all that they believe what they say. People who are engaged and excited about what they do are fun to watch.</p><h2>Are you ready?</h2><p>One of the biggest issues I have when interviewing or coaching people to be on camera is that they overprepare. They memorize. They want every word to be perfect. These people are usually terrible in front of the camera. Here is my simple advice if you want to get camera-ready.</p><p>You have been asked to be out front because of your knowledge. Write down three to four key points, and if needed, put them on one big notecard. Don’t try to sound smart. Just be yourself.</p><p>Think of a video opportunity as a conversation with someone you like. This is a chance to share what you know. No one speaks perfectly. If you make a mistake, correct it and move on. Most likely it will be fixed in the editing room, so you don’t need to worry.</p><p>Appearance is important. That means looking neat and wearing clothes that don’t distract from the message. Keep it simple: use solid colors and no flashy jewelry.</p><p>If you are asked to do regular video segments for your company, consider getting some training to be more comfortable with the camera. Learning simple things such as where to look, how to speak in soundbites, and more can amp up your performance.</p><p><b>Related: How to Have Confidence on Camera</b> </div><p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://alphaleaders.co.uk/how-to-go-from-camera-shy-to-camera-ready/">How to Go from Camera-Shy to Camera-Ready</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://alphaleaders.co.uk">Alpha Leaders</a>.</p>]]></content:encoded> <wfw:commentRss>https://alphaleaders.co.uk/how-to-go-from-camera-shy-to-camera-ready/feed/</wfw:commentRss> <slash:comments>0</slash:comments> </item> <item> <title>Today’s ‘Quordle’ Hints And Answers For Friday, May 3</title> <link>https://alphaleaders.co.uk/todays-quordle-hints-and-answers-for-friday-may-3/</link> <comments>https://alphaleaders.co.uk/todays-quordle-hints-and-answers-for-friday-may-3/#respond</comments> <dc:creator><![CDATA[Press Room]]></dc:creator> <pubDate>Thu, 02 May 2024 22:50:29 +0000</pubDate> <category><![CDATA[Innovation]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Quordle]]></category> <guid isPermaLink="false">https://alphaleaders.co.uk/todays-quordle-hints-and-answers-for-friday-may-3/</guid> <description><![CDATA[<p>Looking for Thursday’s Quordle hints and answers? You can find them here: Hey, folks! Hints and the answers for today’s Quordle words are just ahead. How To Play Quordle For any newcomers joining us, here’s how to play Quordle: Just start typing in words. You have four five-letter words to guess and nine attempts to [...]</p><p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://alphaleaders.co.uk/todays-quordle-hints-and-answers-for-friday-may-3/">Today’s ‘Quordle’ Hints And Answers For Friday, May 3</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://alphaleaders.co.uk">Alpha Leaders</a>.</p>]]></description> <content:encoded><![CDATA[<div><p><em>Looking for Thursday’s Quordle hints and answers? You can find them here:</em></p><p>Hey, folks! Hints and the answers for today’s <em>Quordle </em>words are just ahead.</p><h2 class="subhead-embed color-accent bg-base font-accent font-size text-align"><strong>How To Play Quordle</strong></h2><p>For any newcomers joining us, here’s how to play <em data-ga-track="ExternalLink:https://www.merriam-webster.com/games/quordle/">Quordle</em>: Just start typing in words. You have four five-letter words to guess and nine attempts to find them all. The catch is that you play all four words simultaneously.</p><p>If you get a letter in the right place for any of the four words, it will light up in green. If a word contains a letter from one of your guesses but it’s in the wrong place, it will appear in yellow. You could always check out the practice games before taking on the daily puzzle.</p><p><fbs-ad position="inread" progressive="" ad-id="article-0-inread" aria-hidden="true" role="presentation"></fbs-ad></p><p>Here are some hints for today’s <em>Quordle</em> game, followed by the answers:</p><h2 class="subhead-embed color-accent bg-base font-accent font-size text-align"><strong>What Are Today’s Quordle Hints?</strong></h2><ul><li>Word 1 (top left) hint — gently remind</li><li>Word 2 (top right) hint — violent showdown</li><li>Word 3 (bottom left) hint — dishonest or unscrupulous man</li><li>Word 4 (bottom right) hint — a spy or a substance that causes a chemical reaction</li><li>None of the words have a pair of repeated letters</li><li>Today’s words start with N, C, K and A</li></ul><h2 class="subhead-embed color-accent bg-base font-accent font-size text-align"><strong>What Are Today’s Quordle Answers?</strong></h2><p><strong>Spoiler alert! </strong>Don’t scroll any further down the page until you’re ready to find out today’s <em>Quordle</em> answers.</p><p>This is your final warning!</p><p>Today’s words are…</p><p>That’s all there is to it for today’s <em>Quordle</em> clues and answers. Be sure to check my blog for hints and the solution for Saturday’s game if you need them.</p></div><p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://alphaleaders.co.uk/todays-quordle-hints-and-answers-for-friday-may-3/">Today’s ‘Quordle’ Hints And Answers For Friday, May 3</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://alphaleaders.co.uk">Alpha Leaders</a>.</p>]]></content:encoded> <wfw:commentRss>https://alphaleaders.co.uk/todays-quordle-hints-and-answers-for-friday-may-3/feed/</wfw:commentRss> <slash:comments>0</slash:comments> </item> <item> <title>Coinbase revenue soars by 72% to $1.6 billion, smashing analysts’ predictions</title> <link>https://alphaleaders.co.uk/coinbase-revenue-soars-by-72-to-1-6-billion-smashing-analysts-predictions/</link> <comments>https://alphaleaders.co.uk/coinbase-revenue-soars-by-72-to-1-6-billion-smashing-analysts-predictions/#respond</comments> <dc:creator><![CDATA[Press Room]]></dc:creator> <pubDate>Thu, 02 May 2024 22:46:30 +0000</pubDate> <category><![CDATA[News]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Bitcoin]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Coinbase]]></category> <category><![CDATA[cryptocurrency]]></category> <category><![CDATA[earnings]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Ethereum]]></category> <guid isPermaLink="false">https://alphaleaders.co.uk/coinbase-revenue-soars-by-72-to-1-6-billion-smashing-analysts-predictions/</guid> <description><![CDATA[<p>The largest U.S. cryptocurrency exchange posted first-quarter revenue of $1.6 billion, a 72% increase quarter-on-quarter. Reported net income for Coinbase was $1.18 billion (or $4.40 per share) and was fueled by a boost in transactions thanks to the wider crypto market’s upswing. Consumer transaction revenue doubled from the previous quarter, reaching $935.2 million, and volume [...]</p><p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://alphaleaders.co.uk/coinbase-revenue-soars-by-72-to-1-6-billion-smashing-analysts-predictions/">Coinbase revenue soars by 72% to $1.6 billion, smashing analysts’ predictions</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://alphaleaders.co.uk">Alpha Leaders</a>.</p>]]></description> <content:encoded><![CDATA[<p></p><p>The largest U.S. cryptocurrency exchange posted first-quarter revenue of $1.6 billion, a 72% increase quarter-on-quarter. Reported net income for Coinbase was $1.18 billion (or<strong> </strong>$4.40 per share) and was fueled by a boost in transactions thanks to the wider crypto market’s upswing.</p><div><p>Consumer transaction revenue doubled from the previous quarter, reaching $935.2 million, and volume was up over 93%, to $56 billion. Meanwhile, institutional trading saw even greater increases, with revenue up 133% from the previous quarter, to $85.4 million, and more than doubling in volume to $256 billion. Bitcoin made up a third of both consumer and institutional transactions.</p><p>The figures, according to MSNBC, wildly beat analysts’ predictions of $1.34 billion in revenue and net income of $1.09 per share. Shares were down slightly in after-hours trading after gaining almost 9% to nearly $229 earlier on Thursday. A year ago, they traded for barely $51.</p><p>To put the earnings into greater perspective, during the first quarter of last year, the company reported losses of $78.9 million (or 34 cents a share). Moreover, this Q1, Coinbase’s EBITDA (earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization) was $1 billion—a number greater than all of last year.</p><p>“We made meaningful progress against our 2024 priorities of driving revenue, utility, and regulatory clarity,” the company wrote in a letter to shareholders that accompanied the quarterly report. “Our market share in U.S. spot and derivatives increased, we reached all-time highs on Coinbase Prime, and USDC market capitalization increased.”</p><p>Following its launch in August, Base, the company’s Ethereum layer-2 chain from which Coinbase collects fees, brought in $56.1 million. It also saw twice as many transactions as Ethereum, and developer activity on the network was up by 800%. That same month, Coinbase also announced it was getting a minority stake in Circle, the issuer of stablecoin USDC, which grew by 30% in market capitalization in Q1. As a result, Coinbase’s subscriptions and services revenue were up by a third, which included a 15% increase in stablecoin revenue.</p><p>While Coinbase may have diversified its revenue streams with Base and USDC, most of the recent gains are due to favorable market conditions. For instance, during this quarter, the price of Bitcoin increased by 57%, reaching an all-time high of $73,000, due to over $50 billion entering 10 spot exchange traded-funds that were approved on Jan 11. by the Securities and Exchange Commission.</p><p>However, the company’s transaction expenses grew by 73%, to $217 million. Looking forward to Q2, the company estimates its overall expenses to be as high as $890 million, driven primarily by the elevated expenses associated with higher trading volumes, such as customer support and infrastructure costs, the company said in the report. </p></div><p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://alphaleaders.co.uk/coinbase-revenue-soars-by-72-to-1-6-billion-smashing-analysts-predictions/">Coinbase revenue soars by 72% to $1.6 billion, smashing analysts’ predictions</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://alphaleaders.co.uk">Alpha Leaders</a>.</p>]]></content:encoded> <wfw:commentRss>https://alphaleaders.co.uk/coinbase-revenue-soars-by-72-to-1-6-billion-smashing-analysts-predictions/feed/</wfw:commentRss> <slash:comments>0</slash:comments> </item> <item> <title>In the Arts, Is It Breaking Big, or Selling Out?</title> <link>https://alphaleaders.co.uk/in-the-arts-is-it-breaking-big-or-selling-out/</link> <comments>https://alphaleaders.co.uk/in-the-arts-is-it-breaking-big-or-selling-out/#respond</comments> <dc:creator><![CDATA[Press Room]]></dc:creator> <pubDate>Thu, 02 May 2024 22:45:25 +0000</pubDate> <category><![CDATA[Business]]></category> <guid isPermaLink="false">https://alphaleaders.co.uk/in-the-arts-is-it-breaking-big-or-selling-out/</guid> <description><![CDATA[<p>The 11-foot sculpture looks like something out of a comic strip: a luxury handbag perched on skinny legs and matched with high-end sneakers. The work is by the Austrian-born artist Erwin Wurm, and it represents accessories from the collections of Lanvin, the French fashion house. “Desire” (the title of the sculpture) was commissioned by Lanvin [...]</p><p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://alphaleaders.co.uk/in-the-arts-is-it-breaking-big-or-selling-out/">In the Arts, Is It Breaking Big, or Selling Out?</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://alphaleaders.co.uk">Alpha Leaders</a>.</p>]]></description> <content:encoded><![CDATA[<div><div class="css-53u6y8"><p class="css-at9mc1 evys1bk0">The 11-foot sculpture looks like something out of a comic strip: a luxury handbag perched on skinny legs and matched with high-end sneakers. The work is by the Austrian-born artist Erwin Wurm, and it represents accessories from the collections of Lanvin, the French fashion house.</p><p class="css-at9mc1 evys1bk0">“Desire” (the title of the sculpture) was commissioned by Lanvin and unveiled in Beijing in early April. It will travel to six other Chinese cities, including Shanghai — where, in June, a Wurm solo exhibition opens at the Fosun Foundation: the nonprofit arm of the Fosun Group, Lanvin’s majority owners.</p><p class="css-at9mc1 evys1bk0">“I made this piece because it fit into my series,” Wurm, 69, said in a phone interview, referring to his “walking bag” sculptures, which parody women’s contemporary passion for handbags. “I reduce females to long legs and shoes and handbags. That’s a statement, but it’s a critical statement.”</p><p class="css-at9mc1 evys1bk0">The artist acknowledged that the Lanvin sculpture commission might appear to some as if “I created something for a brand,” but he said that he agreed to it, realizing that “it can be dangerous, or it can be good.”</p></div><aside class="css-ew4tgv" aria-label="companion column"/></div><div><div class="css-53u6y8"><p class="css-at9mc1 evys1bk0">When artists first started doing large-scale collaborations with brands a couple decades ago, Wurm noted, “everybody was shocked.” Today, he said, brands have become the modern-day versions of “the nobility or the kings or the pope: the people who gave commissions to the artists.”</p><p class="css-at9mc1 evys1bk0">“That’s our world,” he added.</p></div><aside class="css-ew4tgv" aria-label="companion column"/></div><div><div class="css-53u6y8"><h2 class="css-kypbrf eoo0vm40" id="link-44bad0bd">Worlds Colliding</h2><p class="css-at9mc1 evys1bk0">“Desire” is among the latest examples of the escalating overlap between art and the world of fashion and luxury. Artists are designing handbags and accessories for luxury brands. Luxury brands are building museums and putting on art exhibitions. Auction houses, which since the 18th century have been prestige marketplaces for fine art, are now selling bags, sneakers and streetwear.</p><p class="css-at9mc1 evys1bk0">For fashion brands, it’s a win-win: Associating with art elevates them from being seen as purely commercial ventures. The hope is that their high-end products will be likened to works of art.</p></div><aside class="css-ew4tgv" aria-label="companion column"/></div><div><div class="css-53u6y8"><p class="css-at9mc1 evys1bk0">The artists benefit financially and raise their profiles, becoming known to wider and more global audiences. Yet depending on the frequency and the extent of the collaborations, there are credibility hazards: the risk of being perceived as selling out for money.</p></div><aside class="css-ew4tgv" aria-label="companion column"/></div><div><div class="css-53u6y8"><p class="css-at9mc1 evys1bk0">Lanvin’s deputy general manager, Siddhartha Shukla, said brands nowadays were much more than the fashion and accessories collections that they brought out every season.</p><p class="css-at9mc1 evys1bk0">He noted that Lanvin, for example, was “a brand with an incredible heritage” which had moved into “urban culture, the world of rap artists and musical artists, the world of teenage TikTok creators, the world of K-pop stars.” The brand, he said, had “pervaded many of these subcultures,” and “must recognize that and must respond to it.”</p><p class="css-at9mc1 evys1bk0">Lanvin Lab — a division of Lanvin the company that started last year, after Shukla’s arrival — was designed to promote creative collaborations such as the sculpture commission from Wurm. </p></div><aside class="css-ew4tgv" aria-label="companion column"/></div><div><div class="css-53u6y8"><p class="css-at9mc1 evys1bk0">Yet on the whole, “for most of the 20th century, art and fashion were separate,” Don Thompson wrote in his 2021 book, “The Curious Economics of Luxury Fashion.” “Art was important, and fashion was frivolous.”</p><p class="css-at9mc1 evys1bk0">“Today, collaborations between brands and artists are common,” he added, describing a process academics and researchers have labeled “artification,” whereby “luxury fashion providers want to position their products closer to art, because art represents taste and culture.”</p><p class="css-at9mc1 evys1bk0">In a phone interview, Thompson gave an example. “If you were to spend $25,000 on a handbag, your friends would consider it shocking and frivolous,” he said. “If you spent $25,000 on a work of art, you are a collector, you’re a patron of the arts.”</p><p class="css-at9mc1 evys1bk0">“Fashion would like to absorb that view of what they do as something independent of commerce,” he added.</p><p class="css-at9mc1 evys1bk0">At the same time, Thompson said, “artists see paid collaborations the way that actors see paid commercials.” And given that the luxury goods industry is much bigger than the art industry, he noted, an artist’s work “gets displayed to a hugely bigger audience.”</p><p class="css-at9mc1 evys1bk0">Art itself has been produced in many multiples for a long time. It has “gone through a century of mass production,” said Daniel Birnbaum, a curator who is the artistic director of the digital art production platform Acute Art. He previously ran the Moderna Museet in Stockholm, and was the artistic director of the 2009 Venice Art Biennale.</p></div><aside class="css-ew4tgv" aria-label="companion column"/></div><div><div class="css-53u6y8"><p class="css-at9mc1 evys1bk0">“The introduction of photography and technologies of reproduction transformed not only how an art piece can reach an audience,” he said, but also just what an art piece is. “If it used to be that unique object, it could suddenly be in an edition of 40,” he added.</p><p class="css-at9mc1 evys1bk0">Mass production became all-pervasive with Andy Warhol, the Pop Art pioneer, who incorporated images from advertising, billboards, celebrity magazines and other mass media into his art. In the course of his lifetime, Warhol produced more than 9,000 paintings and sculptures and nearly 12,000 drawings, according to his foundation. Though they came in multiples, Warhol’s works are among the most costly and coveted in the world: His “Shot Sage Blue Marilyn” (1964) sold for $195 million in 2022.</p></div><aside class="css-ew4tgv" aria-label="companion column"/></div><div><div class="css-53u6y8"><h2 class="css-kypbrf eoo0vm40" id="link-6db642af">Dawn of a New Age</h2><p class="css-at9mc1 evys1bk0">Art and mass production have fused even more brazenly since the turn of the millennium, as more and more artists have started designing products for brands. Among the first brands to pioneer this practice was Louis Vuitton, especially under its then artistic director Marc Jacobs. In the Spring 2003 collection, the company released handbags and a range of other leather accessories with patterns designed by the Japanese Pop artist Takashi Murakami.</p><p class="css-at9mc1 evys1bk0">Murakami would go on to do three more collaborations with Vuitton. In his 2007-8 solo exhibition at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Los Angeles, he installed an actual Louis Vuitton shop with handbags on sale. The shop was “hard to categorize,” Jacobs said in 2008 in conversation with Interview magazine. “Isn’t that what the state of art is right now? It’s not so easy to define.”</p></div><aside class="css-ew4tgv" aria-label="companion column"/></div><div><div class="css-53u6y8"><p class="css-at9mc1 evys1bk0">Many other artists have since been enlisted by Louis Vuitton as designers for hire, including Richard Prince, Jeff Koons, and Yayoi Kusama.</p><p class="css-at9mc1 evys1bk0">Louis Vuitton’s parent company LVMH is also a longstanding sponsor of art exhibitions. In 2014, it opened the Fondation Louis Vuitton: a vast art space in western Paris designed by the architect Frank Gehry, which has programmed a series of blockbuster shows, such as the recent Mark Rothko retrospective, which drew 852,000 visitors.</p><p class="css-at9mc1 evys1bk0">The auction houses are catching the fashion bug, too, and since the turn of the millennium, they have started adding high-growth luxury categories to their sales. In 2023, Sotheby’s posted sales of $7.9 billion, almost a third of that total generated by luxury products (meaning jewelry, watches, handbags but also classic cars, real estate, sports memorabilia, streetwear and spirits).</p></div><aside class="css-ew4tgv" aria-label="companion column"/></div><div><div class="css-53u6y8"><p class="css-at9mc1 evys1bk0">Josh Pullan, head of the global luxury division at Sotheby’s, said luxury auctions were “an unbelievable entry point for new clients,” as half of the buyers and bidders at those auctions were new to Sotheby’s.</p><p class="css-at9mc1 evys1bk0">Sotheby’s has started mixing all of its sales categories in some of its auctions. A February sale called “The One” offered everything from Queen Marie Antoinette’s carved console table to Michael Jordan’s own Air Jordan sneakers.</p></div><aside class="css-ew4tgv" aria-label="companion column"/></div><div><div class="css-53u6y8"><p class="css-at9mc1 evys1bk0">Will the luxury side cannibalize the fine art side?</p><p class="css-at9mc1 evys1bk0">“No, I don’t think it’s a zero-sum game: I think it’s 100 percent complementary,” Pullan said. </p><p class="css-at9mc1 evys1bk0">What is certain is that the two worlds of art and fashion are absolutely not comparable in size. “The fashion world is much bigger, and much more powerful,” said Birnbaum, the London-based curator, noting that the world’s richest person (worth more than $200 billion, according to the Forbes annual ranking) was Bernard Arnault, the chairman and chief executive of LVMH.</p><p class="css-at9mc1 evys1bk0">Nonetheless, Birnbaum added, the artist is seen as important, and persistently being courted by brands. “There’s something in the signature itself: it still has that magnetism.”</p><p class="css-at9mc1 evys1bk0">The trick, he said, was to retain it. If artists who are “huge brand names” do too many fashion collaborations, “there’s a risk that they lose that magnetism, that magic.”</p><p class="css-at9mc1 evys1bk0">“It’s a risk for them,” he said. “It’s not a risk for art.”</p></div><aside class="css-ew4tgv" aria-label="companion column"/></div><p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://alphaleaders.co.uk/in-the-arts-is-it-breaking-big-or-selling-out/">In the Arts, Is It Breaking Big, or Selling Out?</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://alphaleaders.co.uk">Alpha Leaders</a>.</p>]]></content:encoded> <wfw:commentRss>https://alphaleaders.co.uk/in-the-arts-is-it-breaking-big-or-selling-out/feed/</wfw:commentRss> <slash:comments>0</slash:comments> </item> <item> <title>His Side Hustle Turned Full-Time Business Makes $10M+ a Year</title> <link>https://alphaleaders.co.uk/his-side-hustle-turned-full-time-business-makes-10m-a-year/</link> <comments>https://alphaleaders.co.uk/his-side-hustle-turned-full-time-business-makes-10m-a-year/#respond</comments> <dc:creator><![CDATA[Press Room]]></dc:creator> <pubDate>Thu, 02 May 2024 21:51:30 +0000</pubDate> <category><![CDATA[Living]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Business Ideas]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Career]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Growing a Business]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Leadership]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Luxury Watches]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Money & Finance]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Personal Finance]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Side Hustle]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Starting a Business]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Young Entrepreneur]]></category> <guid isPermaLink="false">https://alphaleaders.co.uk/his-side-hustle-turned-full-time-business-makes-10m-a-year/</guid> <description><![CDATA[<p>Michael Morgan, now the 25-year-old owner of Iconic Watch Company, sold his first Rolex Submariner when he was just 13 years old — a sale that came about primarily out of boredom. “When you’re 12, 13, you usually get bored of things very, very quickly,” Morgan tells Entrepreneur. “So within six months [of buying it], [...]</p><p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://alphaleaders.co.uk/his-side-hustle-turned-full-time-business-makes-10m-a-year/">His Side Hustle Turned Full-Time Business Makes $10M+ a Year</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://alphaleaders.co.uk">Alpha Leaders</a>.</p>]]></description> <content:encoded><![CDATA[<div><p>Michael Morgan, now the 25-year-old owner of Iconic Watch Company, sold his first Rolex Submariner when he was just 13 years old — a sale that came about primarily out of boredom. “When you’re 12, 13, you usually get bored of things very, very quickly,” Morgan tells <i>Entrepreneur.</i> “So within six months [of buying it], I knew that I wanted to sell [the vintage Submariner].”</p><p>How did a 13-year-old end up with a side hustle selling expensive watches? From a young age, just about eight or nine, Morgan says he had an appreciation for “old things.” It began with Porsches — “I could pick out everything about them.” But kids can’t go out and buy a car, so Morgan started to collect coins, stamps and fountain pens before turning his attention to watches.</p><p><sup>Image Credit: Courtesy of Iconic Watch Company. Michael Morgan. </sup></p><p>“I’d always liked watches,” Morgan recalls. “My dad had a couple of nice watches. When I was about 10 years old, I started to read about watches constantly. Pocket watches first. And much like coins, stamps and pens, I realized pocket watches are not really useful. And from there on, I spent most of my time reading about watches. [The book] <i>Vintage Rolex </i>became the focus.”</p><p><b>Related: He Started a Salty Backyard Side Hustle That Out-Earned His Full-Time Job and Now Makes Over $1 Million a Year: ‘Take the Leap’</b></p><p>Morgan pored over the pages of that book every day and ultimately bought his first vintage Rolex Submariner at age 12, trading a couple of watches he owned and using some savings to make the purchase that would kick off his side hustle. “I remember it cost me $3,500, which at the time seemed like a tremendous sum of money,” Morgan says.</p><p>Morgan listed the watch for an “optimistic” $5,500 on an online forum — and was somewhat surprised when the piece sold within two days for $5,200. That was when “the light bulb went off;” Morgan realized that his hobby could double as a serious money-maker. Although taking the business full-time wasn’t possible for the young entrepreneur then, he saw the venture as something fun that could help him buy more watches.</p><blockquote><p>“[When I said] ‘I’m actually 14 years old,’ he was blown away. And he actually ended up becoming a [regular customer].”</p></blockquote><p>A few years later, Morgan knew his watch-selling side hustle was the real deal. It already took up most of his time, and “school was definitely secondary.” Morgan sold watches during his lunch hour and regularly facilitated transactions in the $50,000-and-above range, he says. Despite the early successes, when he was starting out, Morgan didn’t like taking phone calls — because they would give away his age.</p><p>“I had this one client who was interested in buying two watches, so I knew that I had to do a phone call,” Morgan recalls. “I’m on the phone with him. I came off okay, and at the end, he asked me how old I was. I was like, <i>Oh god</i>. I told him [I was 14]. First, he thought it was a joke. [But when I said] ‘I’m actually 14 years old,’ he was blown away. And he actually ended up becoming a [regular customer].”</p><p>Although being a young entrepreneur wasn’t without its challenges, it did come with one major advantage — “a lot of people want to help you when you’re young,” Morgan says.</p><p><b>Related: When This Entrepreneur Couldn’t Decide What to Name His Business, He Started a $2,000-a-Month Side Hustle to Help — Now It Earns Over $10 Million a Year</b></p><p>By the time he was 18, Morgan had no interest in college, but his parents encouraged him to go. He ended up interviewing at the University of Southern California. The first conversation didn’t go well, Morgan admits; the interviewer asked vague questions that didn’t allow his entrepreneurial acumen to shine. But his father arranged a second interview so Morgan could discuss his business, and by the end of that meeting, Morgan says the interviewer was pitching USC to him. Morgan was excited to attend and enrolled, but by the time his junior year rolled around, balancing his workload as a student and business owner wasn’t sustainable — and he wanted to go all in on watches.</p><blockquote><p>“There’s probably 30 active people constantly searching [for vintage watches]. So competition has gotten extremely fierce.”</p></blockquote><p>These days, age isn’t Morgan’s biggest business challenge: That would be sourcing the vintage watches he sells. “The problem is we’re dealing with old watches, and there aren’t that many great pieces out there, and as time has gone on, there are more and more people searching,” Morgan explains. “When I first started, there were probably five to 10 major people in the U.S. actively buying vintage. [Now], there’s probably 30 active people constantly searching. So competition has gotten extremely fierce.”</p><p><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" alt="" class="lazyload" loading="lazy" role="presentation" src="https://assets.entrepreneur.com/images/misc/1714584634_MichaelMorgan2.jpg?width=1000" style="height:1167px; width:1000px" width="1000" height="1167"><sup>Image Credit: Courtesy of Iconic Watch Company</sup></p><p>Morgan says he’s gained a reputation for sourcing some of the rarest vintage watches — primarily Rolexes — and has flown across the world to acquire some of them. “A highlight would be finding the lowest serial number and possibly first known Rolex GMT-Master from 1955 found via an Instagram DM with history tracing to Walt Disney,” he notes. Morgan loves the chase and admits that “finding the next great watch is what gets [him] going every single day.”</p><p>Morgan’s dedication to the business has helped it flourish: He’s sold thousands of watches to clients across the globe, and since 2017, annual revenue has exceeded $10 million, with a primary focus on private sales. And one notable recent transaction? He sold a 1970 Rolex Cosmograph Daytona ref.6263 “Paul Newman” for $750,000 to a prominent collector in Asia.</p><p><b>Related: 3 Secrets to Starting a Small Business Side Hustle That Gives Your Day Job a Run for Its Money, According to People Who Did Just That — and Made Millions</b></p><p>Passion made it possible for Morgan to take his watch business from side hustle to a company that’s grossed more than $110 million, so the entrepreneur encourages all young, aspiring entrepreneurs to find theirs — and follow it into ventures of their own. “Take advantage of your passion if it can lead to a business,” Morgan says. “It’s a very fortunate opportunity to have. It makes all the hard work involved with running your own business that much more enjoyable.”</p><p><i>This article is part of our ongoing series highlighting the stories, challenges and triumphs of being a </i><i>Young Entrepreneur®</i>. </div><p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://alphaleaders.co.uk/his-side-hustle-turned-full-time-business-makes-10m-a-year/">His Side Hustle Turned Full-Time Business Makes $10M+ a Year</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://alphaleaders.co.uk">Alpha Leaders</a>.</p>]]></content:encoded> <wfw:commentRss>https://alphaleaders.co.uk/his-side-hustle-turned-full-time-business-makes-10m-a-year/feed/</wfw:commentRss> <slash:comments>0</slash:comments> </item> <item> <title>Alignment Healthcare Posts Loss Even As Medicare Advantage Enrollment Soars</title> <link>https://alphaleaders.co.uk/alignment-healthcare-posts-loss-even-as-medicare-advantage-enrollment-soars/</link> <comments>https://alphaleaders.co.uk/alignment-healthcare-posts-loss-even-as-medicare-advantage-enrollment-soars/#respond</comments> <dc:creator><![CDATA[Press Room]]></dc:creator> <pubDate>Thu, 02 May 2024 21:49:29 +0000</pubDate> <category><![CDATA[Innovation]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Alignment Healthcare]]></category> <category><![CDATA[John Kao]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Medicare Advantage]]></category> <guid isPermaLink="false">https://alphaleaders.co.uk/alignment-healthcare-posts-loss-even-as-medicare-advantage-enrollment-soars/</guid> <description><![CDATA[<p>Alignment Healthcare Thursday reported a net loss in its first quarter of $46.5 million as the provider of Medicare Advantage coverage to seniors experienced a 50% increase in health plan members. Alignment ended the first quarter with 165,100 members, which boosted total revenue 43 percent to $628.6 million. The revenue increase comes amid an intensely [...]</p><p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://alphaleaders.co.uk/alignment-healthcare-posts-loss-even-as-medicare-advantage-enrollment-soars/">Alignment Healthcare Posts Loss Even As Medicare Advantage Enrollment Soars</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://alphaleaders.co.uk">Alpha Leaders</a>.</p>]]></description> <content:encoded><![CDATA[<div><p>Alignment Healthcare Thursday reported a net loss in its first quarter of $46.5 million as the provider of Medicare Advantage coverage to seniors experienced a 50% increase in health plan members.</p><p>Alignment ended the first quarter with 165,100 members, which boosted total revenue 43 percent to $628.6 million. The revenue increase comes amid an intensely competitive market as the number of seniors enrolling in private Medicare Advantage plans hits an all-time high while more health insurers enter the market to sell such coverage.</p><p>And like its larger rivals in the Medicare Advantage business and more seniors in its plans, Alignment’s medical expenses were way up at $573.2 million compared to $396.3 million in the year-ago period.</p><p>The higher medical expenses kept Alignment from turning a profit since the company was founded in 2013 with the company reporting a first quarter loss of $46.5 million, or 25 cents a share, compared to a loss of $37.3 million, or 20 cents a share in the first quarter of 2023.</p><p><fbs-ad position="inread" progressive="" ad-id="article-0-inread" aria-hidden="true" role="presentation"></fbs-ad></p><p>But unlike some of its larger rivals, Alignment chief executive and founder John Kao said the company has “met or exceeded expectations across membership, revenue, adjusted gross profit and adjusted EBITDA, setting a solid foundation for achieving our full-year outlook.”</p><p>Alignment says it is able to compete with larger health insurers including CVS Health’s Aetna unit, Humana, UnitedHealth Group’s UnitedHealthcare and an array of Blue Cross and Blue Shield plans because its focus on quality and investing in technology to engage its members.</p><p>“Building on last year’s momentum, we reported strong first-quarter business results that set the foundation for achieving our full-year outlook,” said Kao said. “While our membership grew 50.5% year-over-year – far surpassing the industry – we also met our profitability expectations. The combination of both strong growth and margin results speaks to the discipline of our team and the quality of our member engagement, clinical operating model and product offerings. By focusing on serving seniors the right way, Alignment Healthcare continues to exemplify Medicare Advantage done right.”</p><p>Of the nation’s seniors eligible for Medicare, slightly more than half are choosing Medicare Advantage, plans that contract with the federal government to provide extra benefits and services to seniors, such as disease management and nurse help hotlines with some also offering vision, dental care and wellness programs. And in recent years, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services has allowed Medicare Advantage plans to cover more supplemental benefits, adding to their popularity among seniors.</p></div><p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://alphaleaders.co.uk/alignment-healthcare-posts-loss-even-as-medicare-advantage-enrollment-soars/">Alignment Healthcare Posts Loss Even As Medicare Advantage Enrollment Soars</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://alphaleaders.co.uk">Alpha Leaders</a>.</p>]]></content:encoded> <wfw:commentRss>https://alphaleaders.co.uk/alignment-healthcare-posts-loss-even-as-medicare-advantage-enrollment-soars/feed/</wfw:commentRss> <slash:comments>0</slash:comments> </item> <item> <title>American infrastructure cracks again as tanker fire shuts down Interstate-95 in Connecticut for days</title> <link>https://alphaleaders.co.uk/american-infrastructure-cracks-again-as-tanker-fire-shuts-down-interstate-95-in-connecticut-for-days/</link> <comments>https://alphaleaders.co.uk/american-infrastructure-cracks-again-as-tanker-fire-shuts-down-interstate-95-in-connecticut-for-days/#respond</comments> <dc:creator><![CDATA[Press Room]]></dc:creator> <pubDate>Thu, 02 May 2024 21:45:26 +0000</pubDate> <category><![CDATA[News]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Connecticut]]></category> <category><![CDATA[infrastructure]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Traffic]]></category> <guid isPermaLink="false">https://alphaleaders.co.uk/american-infrastructure-cracks-again-as-tanker-fire-shuts-down-interstate-95-in-connecticut-for-days/</guid> <description><![CDATA[<p>The major traffic artery linking New England with New York will be closed in Connecticut for days after a tanker fire damaged a bridge over Interstate 95, Gov. Ned Lamont said Thursday. The tanker truck filled with gasoline burst into flames in a three-vehicle crash Thursday on I-95 in southwest Connecticut, closing the East Coast’s [...]</p><p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://alphaleaders.co.uk/american-infrastructure-cracks-again-as-tanker-fire-shuts-down-interstate-95-in-connecticut-for-days/">American infrastructure cracks again as tanker fire shuts down Interstate-95 in Connecticut for days</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://alphaleaders.co.uk">Alpha Leaders</a>.</p>]]></description> <content:encoded><![CDATA[<p></p><p>The major traffic artery linking New England with New York will be closed in Connecticut for days after a tanker fire damaged a bridge over Interstate 95, Gov. Ned Lamont said Thursday.</p><div><p>The tanker truck filled with gasoline burst into flames in a three-vehicle crash Thursday on I-95 in southwest Connecticut, closing the East Coast’s main north-south highway and causing major traffic jams.</p><p>Lamont said there were no serious injuries in the 5:30 a.m. accident in Norwalk. But the crash caused damage to the bridge above it, which the governor said will need to be demolished and replaced.</p><p>THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. AP’s earlier story follows below.</p><p>HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) — A tanker truck filled with gasoline burst into flames in a three-vehicle crash on Interstate 95 in southwest Connecticut, closing the East Coast’s main north-south highway Thursday and causing major traffic jams.</p><p>Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont said there were no serious injuries in the 5:30 a.m. accident in Norwalk. But the accident occurred under a bridge, which the governor said likely will need to be replaced, making it unclear when the highway might reopen.</p><p>Text alerts were sent to residents of Connecticut, New York and New Jersey and trucking companies who use the main artery from New York into New England were notified to find alternative routes and means of travel, he said. U.S. Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg also was notified.</p><p>“I know what an incredible inconvenience this is for people and all I can ask you to do is stay away from that area as best you can,” Lamont said during a briefing in Hartford. “The traffic jams are horrendous.”</p><p>Traffic was backed up for dozens of miles (kilometers) during the morning rush hour and the crash left other highways and secondary roads in gridlock. The major alternate route in the area, the Merritt Parkway, cannot be used by trucks because the underpasses on that highway are too low.</p><p>The accident was reminiscent of last year’s deadly accident in Philadelphia along I-95 when a tractor-trailer carrying gasoline lost control and caught fire, destroying a section of the highway.</p><p>Thursday’s accident occurred under the Fairfield Avenue bridge. The <a rel="nofollow noopener" href="https://twitter.com/GovNedLamont/status/1786036623085604901/video/1" target="_blank" aria-label="Go to https://twitter.com/GovNedLamont/status/1786036623085604901/video/1" class="sc-330a5589-0 gPJZJS">overpass has been damaged</a> but did not appear in danger of collapsing, said Scott Hill, chief engineer for the Connecticut Department of Transportation.</p><p>But after engineers were sent to assess the damage, the governor’s office said Thursday afternoon that the bridge likely will need to be replaced. In the meantime, slow moving detours were set up, taking traffic off the highway and around the accident scene.</p><p>Lamont planned to provide an update on the status of the interstate at 5 p.m.</p><p>Utility crews were also working to replace downed wires and crews also needed to offload about 3,000 gallons (about 11,400 liters) of gasoline that remained on the tanker, which was carrying a load of about 8,500 gallons (about 32,000 liters) when it crashed, officials said.</p><p>“Gasoline can really heat up and heat the bridge up and cause the steel to deform,” Hill said. “Once we figure out everything that’s associated with the safety of the traveling public and what we can and can’t do, we’ll get more updates to you.”</p><p>Environmental crews were also working to clean up gasoline and firefighting foam. The Department of Energy and Environmental Protection said the runoff was contained to a retention pond and did not make it into the Norwalk River.</p><p>The crash came just over a year after a similar wreck on Interstate 95 in Connecticut that forced the closure of the highway.</p><p>In April 2023, another fuel truck caught fire after colliding with a stopped car on the Gold Star Memorial Bridge between New London and Groton. The fuel truck driver was killed. The crash shut down the southbound side of the bridge for hours, while the northbound side was closed briefly. The driver of the car was recently charged with negligent homicide.</p><p>——</p><p>Associated Press writer Dave Collins contributed to this report.</p></div><p><script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p><p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://alphaleaders.co.uk/american-infrastructure-cracks-again-as-tanker-fire-shuts-down-interstate-95-in-connecticut-for-days/">American infrastructure cracks again as tanker fire shuts down Interstate-95 in Connecticut for days</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://alphaleaders.co.uk">Alpha Leaders</a>.</p>]]></content:encoded> <wfw:commentRss>https://alphaleaders.co.uk/american-infrastructure-cracks-again-as-tanker-fire-shuts-down-interstate-95-in-connecticut-for-days/feed/</wfw:commentRss> <slash:comments>0</slash:comments> </item> <item> <title>Dave & Buster’s to Allow Betting on Arcade Games</title> <link>https://alphaleaders.co.uk/dave-busters-to-allow-betting-on-arcade-games/</link> <comments>https://alphaleaders.co.uk/dave-busters-to-allow-betting-on-arcade-games/#respond</comments> <dc:creator><![CDATA[Press Room]]></dc:creator> <pubDate>Thu, 02 May 2024 21:44:24 +0000</pubDate> <category><![CDATA[Business]]></category> <guid isPermaLink="false">https://alphaleaders.co.uk/dave-busters-to-allow-betting-on-arcade-games/</guid> <description><![CDATA[<p>The restaurant and arcade chain Dave & Buster’s is going to let customers bet on arcade games, according to an announcement on Tuesday. Customers will be able to digitally place cash bets at the arcades, where people play games like Skee-Ball, billiards and basketball shootouts. A technology company, Lucra, is teaming up with Dave & [...]</p><p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://alphaleaders.co.uk/dave-busters-to-allow-betting-on-arcade-games/">Dave & Buster’s to Allow Betting on Arcade Games</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://alphaleaders.co.uk">Alpha Leaders</a>.</p>]]></description> <content:encoded><![CDATA[<div><div class="css-53u6y8"><p class="css-at9mc1 evys1bk0">The restaurant and arcade chain Dave & Buster’s is going to let customers bet on arcade games, according to an announcement on Tuesday.</p><p class="css-at9mc1 evys1bk0">Customers will be able to digitally place cash bets at the arcades, where people play games like Skee-Ball, billiards and basketball shootouts.</p><p class="css-at9mc1 evys1bk0">A technology company, Lucra, is teaming up with Dave & Buster’s to provide the digital betting service.</p><p class="css-at9mc1 evys1bk0">Michael Madding, Lucra’s chief operating officer, said in an interview on Wednesday that the company’s product would be used for “skill-based” games at Dave & Buster’s, including “recreational activities for which the outcome is largely or entirely dependent on the knowledge, ability, strength, speed, endurance, intelligence of the participants and is subject to the control of those participants.”</p></div><aside class="css-ew4tgv" aria-label="companion column"/></div><div><div class="css-53u6y8"><p class="css-at9mc1 evys1bk0">Dave & Buster’s did not respond to requests for comment, and it was not clear which specific games customers would be able to place bets on, or when the company would roll out the betting product, which will be available to people enrolled in the Dave & Buster’s loyalty program.</p><p class="css-at9mc1 evys1bk0">Mr. Madding said that Lucra’s products are available to people 18 and older and that the company allows its partners and consumers to set limits “based on their needs and preferences.” “Our typical average contest size for Lucra’s technology is around $5 to $10,” he said.</p><p class="css-at9mc1 evys1bk0">On social media, people poked fun at the announcement, joking, for example, about whether customers might bet on such games as Skee-Ball. The age policies vary at each Dave & Buster’s location, but generally people under 18 years old can enter with a guardian.</p><p class="css-at9mc1 evys1bk0">Marc Edelman, a law professor and the director of sports ethics at Baruch College in New York, said there is a carve-out in gambling laws that allows for people who are engaging in a physical competition to compete for money in that competition. For example, professional golfers and tennis players pay an entry fee to compete and can win a cash prize.</p><p class="css-at9mc1 evys1bk0">“If two people are competing against one another in Skee-Ball, presuming that there is nothing unusual done in the Skee-Ball game and physical skill is actually going to determine the winner, there is no problem,” Professor Edelman said.</p></div><aside class="css-ew4tgv" aria-label="companion column"/></div><div><div class="css-53u6y8"><p class="css-at9mc1 evys1bk0">The trouble lies in people betting on others’ games. “If I am taking a bet on whether someone else will win a Skee-Ball game, or whether someone else will achieve a particular score in Skee-Ball, if I myself am not engaged in a physical competition, that very likely would be seen as gambling,” Professor Edelman said.</p><p class="css-at9mc1 evys1bk0">There are 164 Dave & Buster’s locations in North America, and it was not clear how many would allow betting.</p><p class="css-at9mc1 evys1bk0">Dr. Lia Nower, director of the Center for Gambling Studies at Rutgers University, said that she was concerned about children who go to Dave & Buster’s being exposed to people placing bets, which she said could lead to gambling addiction.</p><p class="css-at9mc1 evys1bk0">“The younger people begin doing these things and the more types of things they do, the more likely down the road they are to experience problems,” Dr. Nower said. “And so by allowing more and more of this to take place, we’re setting up our younger generation for problems that we have not put the safeguards in place to take care of.”</p></div><aside class="css-ew4tgv" aria-label="companion column"/></div><p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://alphaleaders.co.uk/dave-busters-to-allow-betting-on-arcade-games/">Dave & Buster’s to Allow Betting on Arcade Games</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://alphaleaders.co.uk">Alpha Leaders</a>.</p>]]></content:encoded> <wfw:commentRss>https://alphaleaders.co.uk/dave-busters-to-allow-betting-on-arcade-games/feed/</wfw:commentRss> <slash:comments>0</slash:comments> </item> <item> <title>How Should Entrepreneurs Incorporate AI Into Their Businesses?</title> <link>https://alphaleaders.co.uk/how-should-entrepreneurs-incorporate-ai-into-their-businesses/</link> <comments>https://alphaleaders.co.uk/how-should-entrepreneurs-incorporate-ai-into-their-businesses/#respond</comments> <dc:creator><![CDATA[Press Room]]></dc:creator> <pubDate>Thu, 02 May 2024 20:48:28 +0000</pubDate> <category><![CDATA[Innovation]]></category> <category><![CDATA[AI]]></category> <category><![CDATA[entrepreneurs AI]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Small Business]]></category> <guid isPermaLink="false">https://alphaleaders.co.uk/how-should-entrepreneurs-incorporate-ai-into-their-businesses/</guid> <description><![CDATA[<p>AI has had a number of transformative effect on people and businesses, but how do you use AI safely in your small business? This panel of industry insiders at Imagination in Action’s ‘Forging the Future of Business with AI’ Summit breaks down how entrepreneurs can be realistic about how they can use AI to grow [...]</p><p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://alphaleaders.co.uk/how-should-entrepreneurs-incorporate-ai-into-their-businesses/">How Should Entrepreneurs Incorporate AI Into Their Businesses?</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://alphaleaders.co.uk">Alpha Leaders</a>.</p>]]></description> <content:encoded><![CDATA[<div><p class="z_O4y" data-test="video description">AI has had a number of transformative effect on people and businesses, but how do you use AI safely in your small business? This panel of industry insiders at Imagination in Action’s ‘Forging the Future of Business with AI’ Summit breaks down how entrepreneurs can be realistic about how they can use AI to grow their business and help customers. </p></div><p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://alphaleaders.co.uk/how-should-entrepreneurs-incorporate-ai-into-their-businesses/">How Should Entrepreneurs Incorporate AI Into Their Businesses?</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://alphaleaders.co.uk">Alpha Leaders</a>.</p>]]></content:encoded> <wfw:commentRss>https://alphaleaders.co.uk/how-should-entrepreneurs-incorporate-ai-into-their-businesses/feed/</wfw:commentRss> <slash:comments>0</slash:comments> </item> </channel></rss> If you would like to create a banner that links to this page (i.e. this validation result), do the following:
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