Things To Do In SW Florida

By BERNARD CONDON and DAVID FISCHER

MIAMI (AP) — Elon Musk fought court cases on opposite coasts Monday, raising a question about the billionaire that could either speed his plan to put self-driving Teslas on U.S. roads or throw up a major roadblock: Can this wildly successful man who tends to exaggerate really be trusted?

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In Miami, a Tesla driver who has admitted he was wrong to reach for a dropped cell phone moments before a deadly accident, spoke of the danger of putting too much faith in Musk’s technology — in this case his Autopilot program.

“I trusted the technology too much,” said George McGee, who ran off the road and killed a woman out stargazing with her boyfriend. “I believed that if the car saw something in front of it, it would provide a warning and apply the brakes.” read more

By ALAN SUDERMAN, Associated Press

As cryptocurrencies become more intertwined with the traditional financial system, industry heavyweights are racing for a long-sought goal of turning real-world assets into digital tokens.

“Tokenization is going to open the door to a massive trading revolution,” said Vlad Tenev, the CEO of the trading platform Robinhood at a recent James Bond-themed tokenization launch event in the south of France.

Advocates say tokenization is the next leap forward in crypto and can help break down walls that have advantaged the wealthy and make trading cheaper, more transparent and more accessible for everyday investors.

But critics say tokenization threatens to undermine a century’s worth of securities law and investor protections that have made the U.S. financial system the envy of the world. And Robinhood’s push into tokenizing shares of private companies quickly faced pushback from one of the world’s most popular startups.

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Looming over two cases threatening Musk’s car company is a single question: Can he be trusted? read more

By ANNE D’INNOCENZIO and MAE ANDERSON, Associated Press

NEW YORK (AP) — With summer in full swing in the United States, retail executives are sweating a different season. It’s less than 22 weeks before Christmas, a time when businesses that make and sell consumer goods usually nail down their holiday orders and prices.

But President Donald Trump’s vacillating trade policies, part of his effort to revive the nation’s diminished manufacturing base and to reduce the U.S. deficit in exported goods, have complicated those end-of-year plans. Balsam Hill, which sells artificial trees and other decorations online, expects to publish fewer and thinner holiday catalogs because the featured products keep changing with the tariff — import tax — rates the president sets, postpones and revises.

“The uncertainty has led us to spend all our time trying to rejigger what we’re ordering, where we’re bringing it in, when it’s going to get here,” Mac Harman, CEO of Balsam Hill parent company Balsam Brands, said. “We don’t know which items we’re going to have to put in the catalog or not.” read more

Dizziness, falls, loss of consciousness and pains in the arm, wrist and chest were among the conditions recorded in Florida’s quarterly report of theme-park injuries.

The document lists 12 incidents for the April-May-June timeframe, and it’s the first to include Epic Universe, which debuted May 22, and that park listed three injuries tied to roller coasters.

Two of the Epic injuries were associated with Stardust Racers, the park’s speediest, most intense experience. On June 22, a 63-year-old man reported dizziness and an “altered state of consciousness,” according to the report. Then, on June 24, a 47-year-old woman experienced numbness and a visual disturbance after Stardust. On May 5, a 32-year-old man experienced chest pain after riding Hiccup’s Wing Gliders coaster in the How to Train Your Dragon section of the park.

Magic Kingdom’s Disney Starlight parade prompts cheers, tears on opening night

On June 16, a 77-year-old man had chest pain after riding the Incredible Hulk Coaster at Islands of Adventure. read more

A year after a Hollywood onslaught at Comic-Con International, more than one big studio has decided to take a break.

In a new era of Hollywood belt-tightening, many experts say the expense of Comic-Con might not be worth it, especially as production of new projects has slowed. The big superhero film producers, DC Studios and Marvel Studios, have both reduced their output — emphasizing quality over quantity after a few box-office duds — so they also don’t have as much to show off.

There are still big projects taking over Comic-Con’s biggest space, the 6,500-seat Hall H: a new “Predator” movie, several “Star Trek” and “The Walking Dead” shows, DC Studios’ “Peacemaker” show and the new “Tron” movie. Hollywood stars will also be there, like actor Ryan Gosling and “Star Wars” creator George Lucas, for his first-ever appearance at the event.

Besides Hollywood, everything else is bigger. Advertising efforts are through the roof with San Diego Trolley wraps selling out, a near record number of building wraps splashed all over the Gaslamp Quarter, and the studios are spending thousands, if not more, on free activations throughout downtown. read more