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A plan for Australia to end racism has been delivered, but some refugees 'wish they never came'ljubaphoto Top Line Summary and Update TriSalus Life Sciences ( NASDAQ: TLSI ) is a company I've covered multiple times now, most recently back in June where I offered a tentative Buy sentiment based on growing sales of a pair Analyst’s Disclosure: I/we have no stock, option or similar derivative position in any of the companies mentioned, and no plans to initiate any such positions within the next 72 hours. I wrote this article myself, and it expresses my own opinions. I am not receiving compensation for it (other than from Seeking Alpha). I have no business relationship with any company whose stock is mentioned in this article. Seeking Alpha's Disclosure: Past performance is no guarantee of future results. No recommendation or advice is being given as to whether any investment is suitable for a particular investor. Any views or opinions expressed above may not reflect those of Seeking Alpha as a whole. Seeking Alpha is not a licensed securities dealer, broker or US investment adviser or investment bank. Our analysts are third party authors that include both professional investors and individual investors who may not be licensed or certified by any institute or regulatory body.

Share Tweet Share Share Email The real estate market has historically been a playground for wealthy individuals and large corporations, leaving smaller investors on the sidelines. However, the advent of real estate crowdfunding has revolutionized this terrain, democratizing property investments and altering the way capital flows through the sector. By pooling resources through online platforms, investors now have access to lucrative property deals once reserved for the elite. What is Real Estate Crowdfunding? Real estate crowdfunding is a method of financing property projects by raising small amounts of capital from a large number of investors, typically via online platforms. These platforms serve as intermediaries, connecting property developers or owners with individual investors looking for opportunities in the real estate market. This investment model often involves two main categories: Equity Crowdfunding: Investors purchase shares in a property or portfolio and earn returns through rental income and appreciation. Debt Crowdfunding: Investors lend money to developers in exchange for fixed interest payments over a specified period. With relatively low entry points, often starting at $500 or $1,000, this approach has opened the door to a broader demographic of investors who previously lacked the resources to participate in real estate. The Rise of Real Estate Crowdfunding Platforms The rise of platforms like Fundrise, RealtyMogul, CrowdStreet, and others has been instrumental in driving the popularity of real estate crowdfunding. These platforms provide detailed project descriptions, risk assessments, and expected returns, empowering investors to make informed decisions. Some platforms specialize in residential properties, while others focus on commercial real estate, offering diverse options to suit various investment goals. Technology has played a pivotal role in the success of these platforms. Secure digital payment systems, data analytics, and AI-driven algorithms help match investors with opportunities that align with their risk tolerance and financial objectives. Furthermore, regulatory changes, such as the 2012 Jumpstart Our Business Startups (JOBS) Act in the U.S., have facilitated the growth of crowdfunding by allowing non-accredited investors to participate in equity-based investments. How Real Estate Crowdfunding is Changing Property Markets Real estate crowdfunding has introduced several transformative changes to the property markets, including increased accessibility, diversification, and innovation. Democratization of Real Estate Investment Traditionally, real estate investing required substantial capital, limiting participation to high-net-worth individuals and institutional investors. Crowdfunding platforms have lowered this barrier, enabling everyday individuals to invest in properties with minimal initial contributions. This democratization has not only expanded the pool of investors but has also diversified the types of properties that receive funding. Greater Market Efficiency By aggregating capital from a wide range of investors, real estate crowdfunding platforms streamline the funding process. Developers can access capital more quickly compared to traditional financing methods, reducing the time and effort spent on securing loans or negotiating with institutional partners. This efficiency benefits developers, investors, and the market as a whole by accelerating project timelines. Enhanced Diversification Opportunities Investors can spread their capital across multiple properties and markets, reducing the risks associated with investing in a single asset. Crowdfunding platforms often offer a mix of residential, commercial, and industrial projects in various geographic locations, allowing for greater portfolio diversification. Innovation in Property Development The influx of crowdfunding has sparked innovation in property development. Developers are now exploring niche markets and sustainable projects that may have been overlooked by traditional financiers. Examples include eco-friendly housing developments, co-living spaces, and mixed-use properties designed to cater to modern urban lifestyles. Data-Driven Decision Making Crowdfunding platforms provide investors with access to robust data, including historical performance metrics, market trends, and risk analyses. This transparency empowers investors to make data-driven decisions, fostering greater confidence and participation in the market. Benefits for Investors Real estate crowdfunding offers several advantages for individual investors, including: Accessibility: Low minimum investments allow participation from a broader demographic. Passive Income: Equity investments can generate rental income, while debt investments offer interest payments. Portfolio Diversification: Opportunities to invest in various property types and locations. Transparency: Detailed project information helps investors evaluate risks and rewards. Challenges and Risks Despite its benefits, real estate crowdfunding is not without challenges and risks: Illiquidity: Investments are often locked in for years, making it difficult to access funds quickly. Platform Risk: The success of an investment depends heavily on the reliability and credibility of the crowdfunding platform. Market Volatility: Economic downturns or fluctuations in property markets can impact returns. Lack of Regulation: While some countries have introduced regulations, others still lack robust frameworks to protect investors. Impact on Traditional Real Estate Financing The growth of real estate crowdfunding has disrupted traditional financing models, prompting banks and institutional investors to rethink their strategies. Some banks have begun collaborating with crowdfunding platforms to co-finance projects, while others have adopted similar technologies to enhance their offerings. Additionally, crowdfunding has created competition for venture capital and private equity firms, which now face pressure to offer more competitive terms to attract developers and investors. This competition has ultimately benefited the real estate market by increasing the availability of funding and reducing financing costs. The Future of Real Estate Crowdfunding As the sector matures, several trends are likely to shape its future: Global Expansion: Crowdfunding platforms are expanding into international markets, providing investors with opportunities in emerging economies. Increased Regulation: Governments are expected to introduce stricter regulations to protect investors and ensure market stability. Integration with Blockchain: Blockchain technology could enhance transparency and security, enabling tokenized real estate investments. Focus on Sustainability: Investors are increasingly prioritizing projects that align with environmental, social, and governance (ESG) principles. Conclusion Real estate crowdfunding has fundamentally changed the property market, making it more accessible, efficient, and diverse. By empowering individual investors and fostering innovation, this model has challenged traditional financing methods and reshaped the real estate landscape. However, as with any investment, due diligence and a clear understanding of risks are essential. As the sector continues to advance, it holds the potential to unlock even greater opportunities for investors and developers alike, paving the way for a more inclusive and dynamic real estate market. Related Items: active Investment , crowd funding , real estate Share Tweet Share Share Email Recommended for you Tokenized Asset Platforms: Making Real-World Assets Accessible via Blockchain Customizable Eabel Free-Standing Enclosures: Tailored Solutions for Every Industry Sustainable Real Estate Development: Innovations in Green Building Practices Comments

Some Atlantic City casino workers call on union boss to resign for opposing a smoking ban ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. (AP) — Workers pushing for an end to smoking in Atlantic City casinos say the main employee union has been won over by tobacco companies seeking allies in the fight against smoking restrictions. Wayne Parry, The Associated Press Dec 2, 2024 3:37 PM Dec 2, 2024 3:50 PM Share by Email Share on Facebook Share on X Share on LinkedIn Print Share via Text Message Donna DeCaprio, president of Local 54 of the Unite Here casino workers union, sits at her desk in Atlantic City, N.J. on July 17, 2023. (AP Photo/Wayne Parry) ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. (AP) — Workers pushing for an end to smoking in Atlantic City casinos say the main employee union has been won over by tobacco companies seeking allies in the fight against smoking restrictions. An official of a union involved in the anti-smoking push on Monday called for the head of the Atlantic City casino workers' union, Donna DeCaprio, to resign for failing to protect her members from the dangers of secondhand smoke. DeCaprio is president of Local 54 of the Unite Here union, which opposes a smoking ban on the grounds that so much business would be lost by smokers taking their money elsewhere that it could cause one or more casinos to shut down, costing thousands of workers their jobs. “She should be ashamed of herself,” said Ray Jensen, assistant director of United Auto Workers Region 9, which represents dealers at three Atlantic City casinos and is part of a lawsuit seeking to have the courts force an end to smoking in the gambling halls. “She should hand in her union card.” DeCaprio said her union supports the health and safety of its members, adding improvements to the workplace environment need to be made. “A balance needs to be reached that will both protect worker health and preserve good jobs,” she said. “We are protecting our members against multiple casino closures and job losses. The UAW is eager to sacrifice the entire casino industry and put 25,000 good jobs with benefits at risk.” DeCaprio said between 50% and 72% of all in-person casino revenue in Atlantic City comes from smoking sections, which occupy only 25% of the casino floor. She said her union “and the vast majority of the labor movement” support a proposal that would improve ventilation in casinos and prevent any employee from being assigned to work in a smoking section against their will. Whether to ban smoking is one of the most controversial issues not only in Atlantic City casinos but in other states where workers have expressed concern about secondhand smoke. They are waging similar campaigns in Rhode Island, Pennsylvania, Kansas and Virginia. Workers have been pushing for four years to end an exemption in New Jersey’s clean air law that allows smoking inside the nine casinos. They say they or their co-workers are becoming ill with cancer, heart disease and other conditions related to exposure to second-hand smoke. Gov. Phil Murphy, a Democrat, has said he will sign a bill to end casino smoking if it reaches his desk. The casinos, joined by Local 54, oppose that effort, saying it will cost Atlantic City thousands of jobs and lead to decreased tax revenue for state programs for senior citizens and the disabled. On Monday, the workers group that calls itself CEASE (Casino Employees Against Smoking’s Effects) filed an appeal of a court ruling in August that allowed smoking to continue in the nine casinos. The Casino Association of New Jersey declined to comment Monday. Attorney Nancy Erika Smith said as far back as 1993, tobacco companies targeted labor unions in the hospitality industry as potential allies to work against smoking bans in the restaurant and hospitality industries. That effort included the Hotel Employees and Restaurant Employees Union, a precursor of the Unite Here union. “HERE and the related AFL-CIO affiliates are critical allies which should be cultivated as supporters of the effort to prevent smoking bans,” a public relations firm wrote in a memo to Philip Morris Companies that was made public during several states' litigation against tobacco companies. The memo said having HERE “as an ally in this effort would be a very powerful voice.” As far back as 2001, HERE was part of a 12-member coalition including labor unions advocating for improved indoor ventilation instead of government-imposed smoking bans, according to another document cited in Monday's appeal. The anti-smoking campaigners cite a 2022 report by Las Vegas-based C3 Gaming, a consulting firm, showing that casinos that went smoke-free "appear to be performing better than their counterparts that continue to allow smoking.” ___ Follow Wayne Parry on X at www.twitter.com/WayneParryAC Wayne Parry, The Associated Press See a typo/mistake? Have a story/tip? This has been shared 0 times 0 Shares Share by Email Share on Facebook Share on X Share on LinkedIn Print Share via Text Message More Automotive US commits to $7.54 billion loan for Stellantis venture to build 2 electric vehicle battery plants Dec 2, 2024 7:46 AM Stock market today: Wall Street opens December near its record heights Dec 2, 2024 6:40 AM Stock market today: World shares are mixed as Chinese stocks get a boost from strong factory orders Dec 2, 2024 12:25 AM Featured FlyerPittsburgh Penguins goaltender Alex Nedeljkovic is scheduled to start Saturday’s home game against the Utah Hockey Club at PPG Paints Arena. Coach Mike Sullivan announced Nedeljkovic’s status approximately two hours before the opening faceoff. In 10 games this season, Nedeljkovic has a 3-3-3 record, a 3.17 goals against average and an .886 save percentage. Notes: • Penguins forward Kevin Hayes was activated from injured reserve Saturday evening. Sullivan labeled him as a “game-time decision.” An undisclosed injury has sidelined Hayes for the past eight games. Before his injury, Hayes had appeared in 14 games and scored four points (three goals, one assist) while averaging 9:27 of ice time per contest. • In a corresponding transaction, rookie forward Vasily Ponomarev was assigned to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton of the American Hockey League. Initially recalled Nov. 14, Ponomarev had primarily been deployed on the fourth line. In three NHL games, he had no points on four shots while clocking an average of 9:12 of ice time per contest. “He did some good things,” Sullivan said of Ponomarev. “It was a good experience for him to get those games. He can get a little bit stronger so he’s stiffer on pucks in the puck battles. Obviously, one the biggest challenges for a young player is just how fast things happen. Part of that learning process is just getting some experience so that you can process the game quickly so you can recognize where potential threats are when you’re on the defensive side and where opportunities are when you’re on the offensive side. That’s just part of the process that (Ponomarev) is going through.” • Penguins defenseman Matt Grzelcyk is available for Saturday’s lineup, according to Sullivan. During a 4-1 home loss to the Winnipeg Jets on Friday, Grzelcyk missed a handful of shifts during the second period after blocking a shot with his left foot. He completed the game but was hobbling a bit following the contest. • Penguins forward Sidney Crosby has scored 599 career goals. • This is the first meeting ever between the Penguins and Utah Hockey Club. Utah is primarily composed of former players, coaches and other assets from the now-defunct Arizona Coyotes franchise but, per the NHL’s decision, the history of the Coyotes franchise (which includes the original Winnipeg Jets franchise) did not transfer to Utah. • The Utah Hockey Club is scheduled to start goaltender Karel Vejmelka. In eight games this season, Vejmelka has a 1-5-0 record, a 2.37 goals against average and a .922 save percentage. Vejmelka is one of four right-catching goaltenders (i.e. silly siders) who have played a game in the NHL this season (compared to 72 left-catching goaltenders). The only other right-catching goaltender the Penguins have played this season is Charlie Lindgren of the Washington Capitals. He stopped 28 of 31 shots in a 4-2 home loss to the Penguins on Nov. 8.JERUSALEM (AP) — Israel unleashed its largest wave of airstrikes across Lebanon since agreeing to a ceasefire with Hezbollah last week, killing at least 11 people on Monday after the Lebanese militant group fired a volley of projectiles as a warning over what it said were Israeli truce violations . The projectiles were apparently the first time that Hezbollah took aim at Israeli forces after the 60-day ceasefire went into effect last Wednesday. The increasingly fragile truce aimed to end more than a year of war between Hezbollah and Israel — part of a wider regional conflict sparked by the devastating Israel-Hamas war in Gaza . In the United States, President-elect Donald Trump demanded the immediate release of Israeli hostages held by the Palestinian militant Hamas group in Gaza, saying on social media that if they are not freed before he takes office in January there would be “HELL TO PAY.” It was not immediately clear whether Trump was threatening to directly involve the U.S. military in Israel’s ongoing war in Gaza. The U.S. has given Israel crucial military and diplomatic support throughout the nearly 15-month conflict. Lebanon’s Health Ministry said an Israeli airstrike on the southern village of Haris killed five people and wounded two while another airstrike on the village of Tallousa killed four and also wounded two. Israel's military carried out a string of airstrikes late Monday against what it said were Hezbollah fighters, infrastructure and rocket launchers across Lebanon, in response to Hezbollah firing two projectiles toward Mount Dov — a disputed Israeli-held territory known as Shebaa Farms in Lebanon where the borders of Lebanon, Syria, and Israel meet. Israel said the projectiles fell in open areas and no injuries were reported. Hezbollah said in a statement that it fired on an Israeli military position in the area as a “defensive and warning response” after what it called “repeated violations” of the ceasefire deal by Israel. It said complaints to mediators tasked with monitoring the ceasefire “were futile in stopping these violations.” Before the Hezbollah projectiles, Israeli carried out at least four airstrikes and an artillery barrage in southern Lebanon, including a drone strike that killed a person on a motorcycle, according to Lebanese state media. Another strike killed a corporal in the Lebanese security services. Israel has said its strikes are in response to unspecified Hezbollah violations, and that under the ceasefire deal it reserves the right to retaliate. Lebanon’s parliament speaker, Nabih Berri, accused Israel of violating the truce more than 50 times in recent days by launching airstrikes, demolishing homes near the border and violating Lebanon's airspace. Officials in the U.S. — which along with France helped broker the truce and heads a commission meant to monitor adherence to the deal — played down the significance of Israeli strikes. White House national security spokesman John Kirby said, “Largely speaking, the ceasefire is holding.” “We’ve gone from dozens of strikes down to one a day maybe two a day,” Kirby told reporters, referring to Israeli strikes. “We’re going to keep trying and see what we can do to get it down to zero.” Under the deal, Iran-backed Hezbollah has 60 days to withdraw its fighters and infrastructure from southern Lebanon. During that time, Israeli troops are also to withdraw to their side of the border. In a post on his Truth Social site, Trump called for Palestinian militants to free all of the roughly 100 Israeli hostages still held inside Gaza , around two-thirds of whom are believed to be alive. If not, Trump said, “Those responsible will be hit harder than anybody has been hit in the long and storied History of the United States of America. RELEASE THE HOSTAGES NOW!” Hours earlier, the Israeli government confirmed the death of Omer Neutra, a dual U.S.-Israeli citizen, whose body is still believed to be held by Hamas in Gaza, according to the Israeli government. The Biden administration is mounting a last-ditch effort to try to restart talks between Israel and Hamas. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office declined to comment on Trump's post though President Isaac Herzog welcomed it. In Gaza, meanwhile, alarm is mounting over increasing hunger. The amount of food allowed in by Israel has plunged over the past two months, compounded by a decision Sunday by the United Nations to halt aid deliveries from the main crossing into the territory because of the threat of armed gangs looting convoys. Experts have already warned of famine in the northernmost part of Gaza , which Israeli forces have almost completely isolated since early October, saying they're fighting regrouped Hamas militants there. Displaced families have set up tents surrounded by piles of garbage on the streets of Gaza City. Bilal Marouf, 55, said he and 11 family members fled the Israeli offensive “barefoot and naked.” “We had nothing. Hunger and thirst killed us, and we did not have a single shekel, nor clothes, nor a mattress, nor a blanket,” he said, speaking near his tent. Israel’s campaign in Gaza, triggered by Hamas’ Oct 7, 2023 attack on southern Israel, has driven almost the entire population of the territory from their homes. Hundreds of thousands of Palestinians now live in squalid tent camps, relying on international aid. The Israeli military said it allowed 40 trucks carrying 600 tons of flour for the World Food Program to enter the southern Gaza Strip on Sunday night, as well as 16 other food trucks. Israel has said it is working to increase the flow of aid. November saw an increase in the average number of humanitarian trucks it let into Gaza, up to 77 daily from 57 the month before, according to official Israeli figures. But the levels are still nearly the lowest of the entire 15-month war. And the U.N. says less than half of that actually reaches Palestinians because Israeli military restrictions, fighting and robberies make it too dangerous to deliver the aid. The World Food Program was able to only deliver aid to some 300,000 Palestinians in November across the Gaza Strip due to ongoing Israeli military offensives and the looting of convoys, Carl Skau, WFP’s deputy executive director, said Monday. In a tent camp in the central Gaza town of Deir al-Balah, Palestinians lined up at makeshift mud ovens trying to buy a few loaves of flatbread for their families. With the price of flour mounting because of scarcity, the bakers — women displaced from further north — said they could bake less bread, and families could afford far less. “They divide them to their children, one loaf every day,” said one woman baker, Wafaa al-Attar. Abou AlJoud reported from Beirut. Associated Press writer Fatma Khalid in Cairo contributed to this report. Follow AP’s war coverage at https://apnews.com/hub/mideast-wars