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Have What You Do That Brings Income Especially If You’re In A Relationship — Actress Omoni Oboli Tells Her Gender
~0.2 mins read

Nollywood actress, Omoni Oboli has pleaded with ladies to ensure that that generate a source of income to increase their self worth in their relationships.

She emphasized on the need for ladies not to sole rely on their partners for financial assistance, but to instead make their own money.

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Healthwatch
Winter Hiking: Magical Or Miserable?
~3.4 mins read

Winter hiker, viewed from waist down, wearing blue snowpants and walking on a snowy trail between pine trees

By midwinter, our urge to hibernate can start to feel constricting instead of cozy. What better antidote to being cooped up indoors than a bracing hike in the crisp air outdoors?

Winter backdrops are stark, serene, and often stunning. With fewer people on the trail, you may spot more creatures out and about. And it's a prime opportunity to engage with the seasons and our living planet around us, says Dr. Stuart Harris, chief of the Division of Wilderness Medicine at Massachusetts General Hospital. But a multi-mile trek through rough, frosty terrain is far different than warm-weather hiking, requiring consideration of health and safety, he notes. Here's what to know before you go.

Winter hiking: Safety first

"The challenge of hiking when environmental conditions are a little more demanding requires a very different approach on a winter's day as opposed to a summer's day," Dr. Harris says. "But it gives us a chance to be immersed in the living world around us. It's our ancient heritage."

A safety-first attitude is especially important if you're hiking with others of different ages and abilities — say, with older relatives or small children. It's crucial to have both the right gear and the right mindset to make it enjoyable and safe for all involved.

Planning and preparation for winter hikes

Prepare well beforehand, especially if you're mixing participants with vastly different fitness levels. Plan your route carefully, rather than just winging it.

People at the extremes of age — the very old or very young — are most vulnerable to frigid temperatures, and cold-weather hiking can be more taxing on the body. "Winter conditions can be more demanding on the heart than a perfectly-temperatured day," Harris says. "Be mindful of the physical capabilities of everyone in your group, letting this define where you go. It's supposed to be fun, not a punishing activity."

Before setting out:

  • Know how far, high, and remote you're going to go, Dr. Harris advises, and check the forecast for the area where you'll be hiking, taking wind chill and speed into account. Particularly at higher altitudes, weather can change from hour to hour, so keep abreast of expectations for temperature levels and any precipitation.
  • Know if you'll have access to emergency cell coverage if anything goes wrong.
  • Always share plans with someone not on your hike, including expected route and time you'll return. Fill out trailhead registers so park rangers will also know you're on the trail in case of emergency.
  • What to wear for winter hikes

    Prepare for extremes of cold, wind, snow, and even rain to avoid frostbite or hypothermia, when body temperature drops dangerously low.

  • Dress in layers. Several thin layers of clothing are better than one thick one. Peel off a layer when you're feeling warm in high sun and add it back when in shadow. Ideally, wear a base layer made from wicking fabric that can draw sweat away from the skin, followed by layers that insulate and protect from wind and moisture. "As they say, there's no bad weather, just inappropriate clothing," Dr. Harris says. "Take a day pack or rucksack and throw a couple of extra thermal layers in. I never head out for any hike without some ability to change as the weather changes."
  • Protect head, hands, and feet. Wear a wool hat, a thick pair of gloves or mittens, and two pairs of socks. Bring dry spares. Your boots should be waterproof and have a rugged, grippy sole.
  • Wear sunscreen. You can still get a sunburn in winter, especially in places where the sun's glare reflects off the snow.
  • Carry essentials to help ensure safety

  • Extra food and water. Hiking in the cold takes serious energy, burning many more calories than the same activity done in summer temperatures. Pack nutrient-dense snacks such as trail mix and granola bars, which often combine nuts, dried fruit, and oats to provide needed protein, fat, and calories. It's also key to stay hydrated to keep your core temperature normal. Bonus points for bringing a warm drink in a thermos to warm your core if you're chilled.
  • First aid kit. Bandages for slips or scrapes on the trail and heat-reflecting blankets to cover someone showing signs of hypothermia are wise. Even in above-freezing temperatures, hypothermia is possible. Watch for signs such as shivering, confusion, exhaustion, or slurring words, and seek immediate help.
  • Light source. Time your hike so you're not on the trail in darkness. But bring a light source in case you get stuck. "A flashlight or headlamp is pretty darn useful if you're hiking anywhere near the edges of daylight," Harris says.
  • Phone, map, compass, or GPS device plus extra batteries. Don't rely on your phone for GPS tracking, but fully charge it in case you need to reach someone quickly. "Make sure that you have the technology and skill set to be able to navigate on- or off-trail," Harris says, "and that you have a means of outside communication, especially if you're in a large, mixed group."
  • Source: Harvard Health Publishing

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    Investopedia
    Bitcoin Falls As Mt. Gox Repayment Roils Crypto Market
    ~1.4 mins read

    Prices for major cryptocurrencies, as well as shares of Coinbase Global (COIN) and MicroStrategy (MSTR), slumped Friday as collapsed crypto site Mt. Gox began paying back creditors.

    Nobuaki Kobayashi, the trustee for the Mt. Gox bankruptcy estate, said that the estate “made repayments in Bitcoin and Bitcoin Cash to some of the rehabilitation creditors through a part of the Designated Cryptocurrency Exchanges etc. in accordance with the Rehabilitation Plan.”

    He noted that other creditors would be “promptly” repaid when certain conditions were met, among them that they can be made “safely and securely.”

    Bitcoin (BTCUSD) was trading around $55,700, down roughly 2.4%, as of 10:45 a.m. ET Friday. Ether was off about 3.4%.

    Mt. Gox was once the world’s biggest crypto exchange, at one point handling 70% of bitcoin transactions. A hack attack in 2014, which resulted in the loss of an estimated 740,000 bitcoin, led to the firm’s demise.

    The anticipation of the Mt. Gox news, which Kobayashi signaled last month would happen in July, had already begun to roil the crypto market. Today’s announcement sent bitcoin to its lowest level in five months.

    The impact has also been felt at Coinbase, which reported it had $935 million in revenue from customer crypto trading in the first quarter, double what it was in the fourth quarter. MicroStrategy said in its first-quarter financial report that it owned 214,400 bitcoin.

    Coinbase shares were down about 5% to $213.87 as of 10:45 a.m. ET Friday, while MicroStrategy fell more than 6% to $1,220.11. Still, shares of Coinbase and MicroStrategy have surged about 23% and 93% year-to-date.

    Do you have a news tip for Investopedia reporters? Please email us at tips@investopedia.com

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    Investopedia
    EU Reportedly Set To Warn X For Failing To Combat Dangerous Content
    ~1.3 mins read

    The European Union (EU) is expected to level a formal warning against X, the Elon Musk-owned social media network formerly known as Twitter, for failing to combat dangerous content, according to a report.

    Thierry Breton, Internal Market Commissioner of EU enforcement arm the European Commission, is expected to announce a potential violation of the Digital Services Act (DSA), according to the report. Such a move could result in a fine of up to 6% of X’s revenue if the platform doesn’t return to compliance. 

    Asked for comment, X responded via email to , "Busy now, please check back later."

    This week, the European Commission accused Meta Platforms' (META) practice of "pay or consent" advertising on Instagram and Facebook of violating the new Digital Markets Act (DMA), and charged Apple (AAPL) with its own DMA violation for unfairly restricting how developers can seek payments.  

    Microsoft (MSFT) has also been warned of a potential violation of EU antitrust rules by bundling Teams with its other Office products, the Commission announced last week. 

    The DMA, which went into effect in March, was passed to curb the power of tech "gatekeepers" including Apple, Microsoft, Meta, Alphabet, Amazon (AMZN), and TikTok parent ByteDance. 

    The DSA, meanwhile, obligates online platforms to be more transparent about how they collect data, and outlines how to deal with illegal content and disinformation.

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    Instablog9ja
    Rapper Lil Durk’s 10-year-old Son Allegedly Sh+t His Stepfather In Defence Of His Mother During A Domestic Disp¥te
    ~0.8 mins read

    A footage surfaced on the internet, on Saturday, July 6, 2024, of Lil Durk‘s 10-year-old son allegedly sh@oting his stepfather during a domestic disp¥te with his mother.

    The video of the incident which reportedly happened on Monday, July 1, shows the child taking a g¥n from the man identified as Reezy’s hip during the alt£rcation before sh@oting him.

    Reezy’s explained the incident in an IG post staying that he was not the aggr£§sor.

    “As y’all can see I was not the aggressor and y’all also can see how I still had my g¥n on my hip he gr+bbed my g¥n off my hip following his moms lead and tried to sh@ot me and then actually sh+t me. I advise y’all see it before they take it down #buildawareness,” he wrote.

    He also shared Police paper work showing that the 10-year-old is being handled by the Homicide office and the Department ent of Child services while he is recuperating in the hospital. The 10-year-old and his siblings are to be taken from their mother ‘s custody by the DCS.

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    Investopedia
    US Job Growth Slowed In June As Unemployment Rate Rose To 4.1%
    ~1.2 mins read

    Job growth in the U.S. slowed in June from the previous month, while the unemployment rate ticked up to 4.1%.

    U.S. employers added 206,000 jobs in June, according to data released Friday by the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Economists surveyed by the and expected the jobs report to show 200,000 new positions added in June, with the unemployment rate staying at 4%.

    The BLS also said it had revised lower the jobs growth figures for the previous two months. The May jobs figures was cut by 54,000 to 218,000, while the April number was cut by 57,000 to 108,000.

    Average hourly wages increased by 0.3% in June from the previous month, and were higher by 3.9% from the same month last year, both of which met economist forecasts. 

    Treasury yields fell following the release of the BLS report, as investors assess the possibility that the jobs numbers will help give the Federal Reserve confidence to consider cutting its benchmark interest rate in the coming months.

    Some Fed officials have said now that inflation is moving lower, they are looking more closely at the labor market, as sudden shifts in unemployment levels could move the central bank to act more quickly on interest rate cuts.  

    Earlier this week, the ADP employment report showed that private-sector job growth in June slowed for the third consecutive month.

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