Author: Davide E

The longest argument I’ve ever had with a Dispatch colleague came on a Friday evening a few months ago. And no wonder. Logically, Friday nights are prime time for squabbles among political junkies. For most of the population, it’s the opposite. The last thing a normal human wants to do to unwind at the start of the weekend is talk politics. But nerds like me (and you, dear reader) are a breed apart. We spend all week in mounting annoyance at the news and opinion we’ve been mainlining and then, finally free of professional duties, the resentments we’ve been nursing…

The stadium felt stuffy before the game even started. Players grabbed ice to cool down. Amy Steele thought she would be substituted 30 minutes into the game, but she returned to the court after halftime.While walking through the stadium’s parking lot after the game, she collapsed, and eight years later, she still hasn’t fully recovered from the heat stroke.Steele played professional netball, a type of basketball popular in Australia, Britain and other countries, for more than 10 years before calling time on her career in 2016.Instead of hours of intense exercise, she can only take walks or do light yoga.…

Venetian Bay, a huge community in New Smyrna Beach, will soon begin charging customers to use the shops and restaurants in the town center, according to merchants. Thomas Greiner, owner of Happy Deli, a sandwich shop in Venetian Bay, said he has been operating at the location for almost 10 years. “We live here, we work here,” Greiner said. “We can’t afford to keep paying more and more just to get customers to come.” Greiner said customers have never had to pay for parking before, but in the coming weeks, the developer plans to charge everyone $2.50 an hour. Merchants…

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) headquarters in Washington, DC, USA, Sunday, May 22, 2022. The Federal Reserve raised interest rates by 50 basis points earlier this month, and its chairman signaled he plans to raise rates by a similar amount at its June and July meetings. Photo by Joshua Roberts/BloombergBloomberg News A federal court has dismissed a lawsuit brought by two banking trade associations and private banks challenging the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau’s data collection rules on small business lending, marking a major victory for the bureau and giving it greater authority to enforce fair lending practices for small…

U.S. companies ordered less commercial equipment last month, according to the latest government data. Figures released by the Commerce Department on Monday (August 26) showed that the value of core capital goods, usually seen as a proxy for spending on military equipment and equipment excluding aircraft, fell 0.1% in July, following a revised 0.5% increase in the previous month. Orders for durable goods rose 9.9%, but fell 0.2% excluding transportation equipment. Orders for computer, communications and electrical equipment, automobiles and auto parts fell, the data showed. “A variety of factors increasing uncertainty about the sustainability of economic growth and consumer…

Since she was 12 years old, Emma Echols has worked as a babysitter, a chef and a convenience store manager.Echols lives in Alabama. She’s never made much money and has always lived frugally, but rent and transportation alone cost her $1,000 a month. She started receiving Social Security early and receives $1,056 a month, 25% less than she would have received if she had waited until the federal retirement age of 67.But to pay the remaining bills, she still works part-time as a bus driver, making $26 an hour.”I don’t think I’ll ever be able to retire, but I’m grateful…

According to Laura Mae Martin, executive productivity advisor at Google, not all hours in a day are created equal.In his book, Uptime: A Practical Guide to Personal Productivity and Happiness, Martin explains that everyone has different periods of high and low energy.”Some people are night owls, and some people thrive at 5 a.m.,” she says. “It’s just built into our system.”To uncover these biological clocks, the first question she asks executives in coaching sessions is, “If you had a day tomorrow with no meetings, no interruptions, no set commitments, but you still had a ton of stuff to do, how…

Cardiologist joins Franciscans at Dyer, Crown Point Dr. Asad J. Torabi, an interventional cardiologist, is now part of the Franciscan Physician Network and works with DyerCrown Point, according to the release. Torabi attended medical school and completed his residency and fellowship at the Indiana University School of Medicine in Indianapolis.”His clinical interests include coronary artery disease, aortic stenosis, mitral regurgitation, structural heart disease and sports cardiology,” the press release stated. He accepts patients at Franciscan Physician Network Cardiology Dyer (2150 Gettler Street, Suite 400) and Franciscan Physician Network.Cardiology Crown Point, 12750 St. Francis Drive, Suite 320. Call 219-865-0893 (Dyer) or…

It’s no secret by now that corporate environmental, social and governance (ESG) efforts have become highly politicized. The latest example is a letter sent by the U.S. House of Representatives Judiciary Committee on July 30 to some 130 institutional investors, asking them to explain the rationale for their ESG goals. The letter, which suggests that participation in certain climate initiatives may violate U.S. antitrust laws, highlights the challenge facing businesses today of balancing sustainability goals and stakeholder demands with political rhetoric. Today, the news is full of ESG initiatives failing to gain significant support in proxy votes, a decline in…

When Joseph Loria was laid off in January 2023, he asked for a job where he wasn’t subject to the whims of his employer.”In the startup world, it’s not about being ‘too old,’ but about using your age and experience as an asset,” said Loria, 61.According to data from Gusto, a payroll service company for small businesses, nearly a quarter of new businesses founded in 2023 were in the professional services industry. Additionally, about 35% of businesses founded by people aged 55 or older in 2023 were in the professional services industry. To collect the data, Gusto surveyed 1,345 new…