milyon88 register online Published 4:58 pm Friday, November 22, 2024 By Data Skrive Saturday’s game that pits the No. 6 Purdue Boilermakers (4-1) against the Marshall Thundering Herd (3-1) at Mackey Arena has a projected final score of 81-71 (based on our computer prediction) in favor of Purdue, who is favored in this matchup by our model. Tipoff is at 12:00 PM ET on November 23. According to our computer prediction, Marshall should cover the point spread, which is listed at 19.5. The two teams are projected to go over the 149.5 over/under. Catch tons of live college basketball , plus original programming, with ESPN+ or the Disney Bundle. Place your bets on any men’s college basketball matchup at BetMGM. Sign up today using our link. Bet on this or any men’s college basketball matchup at BetMGM. Rep your favorite players with officially licensed gear. Head to Fanatics to find jerseys, shirts, hats, and much more. Not all offers available in all states, please visit BetMGM for the latest promotions for your area. Must be 21+ to gamble, please wager responsibly. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem, contact 1-800-GAMBLER .

Southwest Airlines Leadership in Spotlight as Rosen Law Uncovers IT Oversight Issues

The soaring stock market has helped fuel a bump in sales at luxury retailers in Toronto in December, but some brands that have been steeply increasing prices are experiencing headwinds, say experts. “The strong markets have made people feel more confident,” said Larry Rosen, CEO of Harry Rosen, citing strong December sales following a late start to the holiday season due to a later Black Friday than usual. “When people’s houses go up in price and people’s stock portfolios increase, it gives them a greater level of confidence, people are more free-spending and we’re certainly feeling a positiveness this December,” said Rosen. Holt Renfrew spokesperson Adam Grachnik said stores saw increased traffic in November and their strongest Black Friday and Cyber Monday in recent years. “More specifically, beauty and accessories are exceeding expectations the past few months, and it’s good to see the momentum continue,” said Grachnik. Darren Mason, president of Andrew’s, said sales at all three Toronto stores are positive and all channels are experiencing growth. “I believe the strength in the markets has helped offset the inflation effect made particularly worse by a low dollar ,” said Mason. Fashion — one of the pillars of luxury retailing — experienced a sluggish 2024 overall, according to a recent report by McKinsey & Company . In 2025, fashion industry growth is expected to remain low but increase slightly. “In particular, the industry will benefit from falling inflation and increased tourism in Europe, the resilience of high-net-worth individuals in the United States, and new growth engines in Asia (to counteract uncertainty around consumer spending in China, which is still recovering from the pandemic),” according to the report. “China will remain the region’s centre of gravity, but as the country is buffeted by macroeconomic headwinds, brands will pivot focus to other Asian markets, most notably Japan, Korea and India.” Fashion retailers have been feeling the brunt of the slowdown in the Chinese economy, and sales are down in the Japanese market as well. LVMH reported sales fell three per cent in the third quarter, and five per cent in the fashion and leather goods division, dominated by Louis Vuitton and Dior. Kering, the French luxury powerhouse that owns Gucci, reported a 16 per cent drop in the same quarter, with sales at Gucci itself down 25 per cent. Luxury and retail consultant Lanita Layton said some brands that have been increasing prices once or twice a year are beginning to experience pushback from some consumers, including investors in cryptocurrencies that have soared in value since the election of Donald Trump , who has signalled his support for the digital currencies. “People are starting to push back as to whether or not the quality is there for the prices they are charging,” said Layton. “They’re asking themselves: ‘How much is a bag or a pair of shoes really worth?’” While crypto investors often make headlines for top-end luxury purchases, research has shown they’re more likely to use profits to pay down their mortgage first. Shahin Zafar, who began investing in cryptocurrencies in 2017, is planning to exit his position in early 2025, pay off his condo, take a trip and get the car of his dreams, a BMW M4 convertible. “If I was in my 30s, I’d probably splurge, do something stupid,” said Zafar, 52. Ben Perrin, a Calgary-based Bitcoin investor since 2014, who now runs YouTube tutorials on the topic, said he’s not sure the run-up in cryptocurrency prices will trigger a wave of spending by investors. A lot of Bitcoin investors are in it for the long haul, and inflation has hit a lot of people hard, which would undermine the impulse to spend in an uncontrolled way, said Perrin. “Some people that had some disposable income to put away are going to be feeling good this holiday season, but I think there’s an awful lot of people that are also hurting right now, too.”

SEATAC, Washington — Background music is no longer an afterthought at many airports, which are hiring local musicians and carefully curating playlists to help lighten travelers’ moods . London’s Heathrow Airport built a stage to showcase emerging British performers for the first time this summer. The program was so successful the airport hopes to bring it back in 2025. Nashville International Airport has five stages that host more than 800 performances per year, from country musicians to jazz combos. In the Dominican Republic , Punta Cana International Airport greets passengers with live merengue music. Tiffany Idiart and her two nieces were delighted to hear musicians during a recent layover at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport . “I like it. There’s a lot of people here and they can all hear it,” said Grace Idiart, 9. “If their flight got delayed or something like that, they could have had a hard day. And so the music could have made them feel better.” Airports are also carefully curating their recorded playlists. Detroit Metro Airport plays Motown hits in a tunnel connecting its terminals. Austin-Bergstrom International Airport in Texas has a playlist of local artists compiled by an area radio station. Singapore’s Changi Airport commissioned a special piano accompaniment for its giant digital waterfall. Music isn’t a new phenomenon in airport terminals. Brian Eno’s “Music for Airports,” an album released in 1978, helped define the ambient music genre. It’s minimalist and designed to calm. But Barry McPhillips, the head of international creative for Mood Media, which provides music for airports and other public spaces, said technology is enabling background music to be less generic and more tailored to specific places or times of day. Mood Media – formerly known as Muzak – develops playlists to appeal to business travelers or families depending on who’s in the airport at any given time. It might program calmer music in the security line but something more energizing in the duty-free store. “We see it as a soundscape,” McPhillips said. “We design for all of these moments.” There’s a science to Mood Music’s decisions on volume, tempo, even whether to play a song in a major key versus a minor one, he added. “How do we want to affect their mood at that moment?” McPhillips said. “It’s not just like, ‘Here’s a load of songs.’ It’s a load of songs for that 10-minute segment, and then we move to the next 10 minutes.” At the same time, many airports are going low-tech, hiring local musicians to serenade travelers and give them a sense of the place they’re passing through. Chicago’s O’Hare and Midway airports have more than 100 live performances each year. Phoenix’s Sky Harbor International Airport began a live music program five years ago and now has two stages featuring local artists. Tami Kuiken, the manager of airport music in Seattle, said the Seattle-Tacoma airport launched its live music program about a decade ago after a city commissioner heard live music at the airport in Austin, Texas . “The idea was like, ’Man, why doesn’t Seattle have music? We’re a music city too,” Kuiken said. At first, the airport created a playlist featuring emerging artists along with famous ones like Pearl Jam . Then it decided to try live musicians for a 12-week trial. It was so successful that the airport now features live musicians daily and is building new performance spaces. “People’s anxiety levels are very high when they’re traveling,” Kuiken said. “The feedback that we started getting was that once they got through the checkpoint and they were greeted with music, all of a sudden their anxiety and stress levels dropped.” The programs also benefit musicians, who get paid to perform and gain wider exposure. When Colorado Springs Airport announced a live music program in March, more than 150 musicians applied. It now hosts two two-hour performances each week. David James, a singer and guitarist who plays at Seattle’s airport about once a week, said waking up in time for a daytime gig took some adjustment. But he’s gained new fans from all over the world. “I get really sweet responses from people all the time, saying, ‘That was so soothing to be able to just sit and listen to music in between flights,’” James said. “So it feels like it’s especially therapeutic for people.” Country stars like Blake Shelton and Keith Urban have come through Nashville’s airport and interacted with local musicians, said Stacey Nickens, the airport’s vice president of corporate communications and marketing. Shelton even gave one his guitar. Otto Stuparitz, a musicologist and lecturer at the University of Amsterdam who has studied airport music, said airports should think carefully about their selections. Music that’s meant to be actively listened to – like live music or catchy pop songs – can be very distracting in an already chaotic environment, he said. He has noticed some airports – especially in Europe -- turning off piped melodies altogether. But McPhillips said big spaces like airports can feel cold and unwelcoming without background music. “A well-crafted audio strategy is one that people aren’t particularly cognizant of,” he said. “They just know they’re having a good time and that it’s appropriate.” --DEE-ANN DURBIN and MANUEL VALDES/The Associated PressOracle Corporation's ( NYSE: ORCL ) stock has been my long-time favourite in the cloud space since I turned bullish on the stock in late 2020. The stock has also been among the first names that I rated as a high-conviction idea This idea was discussed in further detail in The Roundabout Investor. To find similar investment opportunities and learn more about how the roundabout investment philosophy could protect portfolio returns during market downturns, follow this link . Vladimir Dimitrov, CFA is a former strategy consultant within the field of brand and intangible assets valuation. 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Browns get 497-yard performance from QB Jameis Winston and lose anyway in season long gone sourRenuka Rayasam | (TNS) KFF Health News In April, just 12 weeks into her pregnancy, Kathleen Clark was standing at the receptionist window of her OB-GYN’s office when she was asked to pay $960, the total the office estimated she would owe after she delivered. Clark, 39, was shocked that she was asked to pay that amount during this second prenatal visit. Normally, patients receive the bill after insurance has paid its part, and for pregnant women that’s usually only when the pregnancy ends. It would be months before the office filed the claim with her health insurer. Clark said she felt stuck. The Cleveland, Tennessee, obstetrics practice was affiliated with a birthing center where she wanted to deliver. Plus, she and her husband had been wanting to have a baby for a long time. And Clark was emotional, because just weeks earlier her mother had died. “You’re standing there at the window, and there’s people all around, and you’re trying to be really nice,” recalled Clark, through tears. “So, I paid it.” On online baby message boards and other social media forums , pregnant women say they are being asked by their providers to pay out-of-pocket fees earlier than expected. The practice is legal, but patient advocacy groups call it unethical. Medical providers argue that asking for payment up front ensures they get compensated for their services. How frequently this happens is hard to track because it is considered a private transaction between the provider and the patient. Therefore, the payments are not recorded in insurance claims data and are not studied by researchers. Patients, medical billing experts, and patient advocates say the billing practice causes unexpected anxiety at a time of already heightened stress and financial pressure. Estimates can sometimes be higher than what a patient might ultimately owe and force people to fight for refunds if they miscarry or the amount paid was higher than the final bill. Up-front payments also create hurdles for women who may want to switch providers if they are unhappy with their care. In some cases, they may cause women to forgo prenatal care altogether, especially in places where few other maternity care options exist. It’s “holding their treatment hostage,” said Caitlin Donovan, a senior director at the Patient Advocate Foundation . Medical billing and women’s health experts believe OB-GYN offices adopted the practice to manage the high cost of maternity care and the way it is billed for in the U.S. When a pregnancy ends, OB-GYNs typically file a single insurance claim for routine prenatal care, labor, delivery, and, often, postpartum care. That practice of bundling all maternity care into one billing code began three decades ago, said Lisa Satterfield, senior director of health and payment policy at the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists . But such bundled billing has become outdated, she said. Previously, pregnant patients had been subject to copayments for each prenatal visit, which might lead them to skip crucial appointments to save money. But the Affordable Care Act now requires all commercial insurers to fully cover certain prenatal services. Plus, it’s become more common for pregnant women to switch providers, or have different providers handle prenatal care, labor, and delivery — especially in rural areas where patient transfers are common. Some providers say prepayments allow them to spread out one-time payments over the course of the pregnancy to ensure that they are compensated for the care they do provide, even if they don’t ultimately deliver the baby. “You have people who, unfortunately, are not getting paid for the work that they do,” said Pamela Boatner, who works as a midwife in a Georgia hospital. While she believes women should receive pregnancy care regardless of their ability to pay, she also understands that some providers want to make sure their bill isn’t ignored after the baby is delivered. New parents might be overloaded with hospital bills and the costs of caring for a new child, and they may lack income if a parent isn’t working, Boatner said. In the U.S., having a baby can be expensive. People who obtain health insurance through large employers pay an average of nearly $3,000 out-of-pocket for pregnancy, childbirth, and postpartum care, according to the Peterson-KFF Health System Tracker . In addition, many people are opting for high-deductible health insurance plans, leaving them to shoulder a larger share of the costs. Of the 100 million U.S. people with health care debt, 12% attribute at least some of it to maternity care, according to a 2022 KFF poll . Families need time to save money for the high costs of pregnancy, childbirth, and child care, especially if they lack paid maternity leave, said Joy Burkhard , CEO of the Policy Center for Maternal Mental Health, a Los Angeles-based policy think tank. Asking them to prepay “is another gut punch,” she said. “What if you don’t have the money? Do you put it on credit cards and hope your credit card goes through?” Calculating the final costs of childbirth depends on multiple factors, such as the timing of the pregnancy , plan benefits, and health complications, said Erin Duffy , a health policy researcher at the University of Southern California’s Schaeffer Center for Health Policy and Economics. The final bill for the patient is unclear until a health plan decides how much of the claim it will cover, she said. But sometimes the option to wait for the insurer is taken away. During Jamie Daw’s first pregnancy in 2020, her OB-GYN accepted her refusal to pay in advance because Daw wanted to see the final bill. But in 2023, during her second pregnancy, a private midwifery practice in New York told her that since she had a high-deductible plan, it was mandatory to pay $2,000 spread out with monthly payments. Daw, a health policy researcher at Columbia University, delivered in September 2023 and got a refund check that November for $640 to cover the difference between the estimate and the final bill. “I study health insurance,” she said. “But, as most of us know, it’s so complicated when you’re really living it.” While the Affordable Care Act requires insurers to cover some prenatal services, it doesn’t prohibit providers from sending their final bill to patients early. It would be a challenge politically and practically for state and federal governments to attempt to regulate the timing of the payment request, said Sabrina Corlette , a co-director of the Center on Health Insurance Reforms at Georgetown University. Medical lobbying groups are powerful and contracts between insurers and medical providers are proprietary. Because of the legal gray area, Lacy Marshall , an insurance broker at Rapha Health and Life in Texas, advises clients to ask their insurer if they can refuse to prepay their deductible. Some insurance plans prohibit providers in their network from requiring payment up front. If the insurer says they can refuse to pay up front, Marshall said, she tells clients to get established with a practice before declining to pay, so that the provider can’t refuse treatment. Related Articles Which health insurance plan may be right for you? California case is the first confirmed bird flu infection in a US child Your cool black kitchenware could be slowly poisoning you, study says. Here’s what to do Does fluoride cause cancer, IQ loss, and more? Fact-checking Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s claims US towns plunge into debates about fluoride in water Clark said she met her insurance deductible after paying for genetic testing, extra ultrasounds, and other services out of her health care flexible spending account. Then she called her OB-GYN’s office and asked for a refund. “I got my spine back,” said Clark, who had previously worked at a health insurer and a medical office. She got an initial check for about half the $960 she originally paid. In August, Clark was sent to the hospital after her blood pressure spiked. A high-risk pregnancy specialist — not her original OB-GYN practice — delivered her son, Peter, prematurely via emergency cesarean section at 30 weeks. It was only after she resolved most of the bills from the delivery that she received the rest of her refund from the other OB-GYN practice. This final check came in October, just days after Clark brought Peter home from the hospital, and after multiple calls to the office. She said it all added stress to an already stressful period. “Why am I having to pay the price as a patient?” she said. “I’m just trying to have a baby.” ©2024 KFF Health News. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.