Latest news with #BenWalker
Otago Daily Times
07-08-2025
- Science
- Otago Daily Times
Student's self-deployable raft takes top prize
A Dunedin intermediate student's potentially life-saving invention has resulted in him beating much older pupils for the top prize at this year's science fair. Balmacewen Intermediate School student Ben Walker won the top award for his self-deployable raft for use in floods or tsunami. For his efforts, he was given the Best in Fair Award at the Aurora Energy Science and Technology fair this year. Fair convener Steven Sexton said it was the first time in about 10 years a year 8 student had been awarded best in fair. Ben's project stood out for its uniqueness to the judges. Aurora Energy Science and Technology Fair Best in Fair award winner Ben Walker, 13, with his self-deployable raft flood protection project ''flood buddy''. PHOTO: GERARD O'BRIEN His design featured a shipping container storage unit with four holes in it that would release an emergency raft when it filled with water if there was a flood, monsoon or tsunami. Ben said he saw the flooding in South Dunedin and in Texas on the news and wanted to come up with a solution for it. The design could be used at a base for rescuers to help survivors. He had to do a lot of calculations to control the weight of the craft and container and keep it cost-effective. He was proud to win because he put a lot of effort into the project. In the future, Ben wanted to become an engineer. This year, the science fair had about 280 entries from years 7-13 students from schools across Otago. The entries are on display at Tūhura Otago Museum until Sunday.
Daily Record
11-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Record
Lanarkshire pupils support charities through Youth and Philanthropy Initiative
Teams from four local schools were invited to showcase their successes at the programme's national celebration Pupils from four Lanarkshire secondary schools showcased their successes in earning grants totalling tens of thousands of pounds for local charities at a national event celebrating the Youth and Philanthropy Initiative (YPI). Groups from St Margaret's in Airdrie, Coatbridge High, Bellshill Academy and East Kilbride school St Andrew's & St Bride's were all on stage before 800 guests at the YPI national event in Perth to highlight the issues and good causes they have supported by taking part in the project to access grants from the Wood Foundation. The programme sees teams of pupils research the work of chosen charities and deliver pitches in a school competition with judges then choosing a winning team who earn £3000 to present to their good cause – with Carluke High being the latest to host their competition at the end of term and the donation going to the town's dementia hub. Both the Coatbridge and St Andrew's & St Bride's groups highlighted how parental addiction can affect young people and shared what help is available, while St Margaret's High shared a presentation on mental health triggers and the Bellshill Academy group focused on suicide prevention, taking inspiration from the format of game show The 1% Club. They were among 12 schools across Scotland invited to take part in the annual event, with the theme of 'be the change' and recognising pupils' work in 'taking time to understand the challenges faced by others, championing causes close to their hearts and demonstrating a genuine dedication to social responsibility'. Pupils also heard an inspiring keynote speech from Gladiators star Sheli McCoy and a performance by Scottish young live artist of the year Ben Walker. Run by the Wood Foundation as its 'flagship UK investment', YPI has seen pupils from 280 Scottish schools take part this year, with the combined total of their £3000 grants for local charities reaching £840,000 in the past year and £8.5 million since the scheme started in 2008. Chairman Garreth Wood said: 'The passion, empathy and commitment on display at this year's YPI national event were truly inspiring. It is our hope that this experience encourages young people to continue their involvement in their communities, whether through volunteering, advocacy or by remaining actively engaged in local initiatives.' Pupils at Carluke High staged their school's presentation final last term with groups of youngsters researching local community issues and giving engaging and persuasive presentations on local charities tackling the issues they are passionate about. Mairi McAllan, the Clydesdale MSP, joined the judging panel for the YPI final showcase, with the winning team promoting the work of St Andrew's dementia hub and earning the welcome donation for the good cause. She said; 'The standard of each presentation from pupils was very high, and it was incredibly tough to choose which team would win the prize of £3000 for their charity. My congratulations to the fab winning team and thanks to the school, YPI, Ms Henderson and Mr Duffy for inviting me along to take part.' * Don't miss the latest headlines from around Lanarkshire. Sign up to our newsletters here.
Yahoo
18-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
How Chase's new Sapphire Reserve credit card compares to rivals
JPMorgan Chase (JPM) is hiking the annual fee on its Sapphire Reserve card from $550 to $795 and adding perks like new spending bonuses. Yahoo Finance Senior Credit Card Writer Ben Walker joins Wealth to break down how the revamped card compares to Chase Sapphire Preferred, American Express (AXP) Platinum, and Capital One (COF) Venture X credit cards. To watch more expert insights and analysis on the latest market action, check out more Wealth here. Well, JP Morgan Chase unveiling the latest update to its Sapphire Reserve card on Tuesday. The changes include a hefty bump in its annual fee to $795. That's up from the prior $550. But with that extra money comes extra perks, including new credits, free status at IHG Hotels and additional perks after spending $75,000 in a year. So how do these changes stack up against other popular credit cards? For more on that, we have Ben Walker, Yahoo Finance senior credit card writer. So Ben, let's start by comparing this to a card many Chase fans hold, the Sapphire preferred card. What are the differences here? Because the preferred card, especially now, the annual fee is a lot less. Yeah, thanks for having me. I mean, the annual fee on the Sapphire preferred is $95 compared to the updated Sapphire Reserve, which is $795. That's a difference of $700. So that's the biggest difference you're going to find between these two cards. Um, I would recommend, just in general, or if we're talking about the vast majority of people, the Sapphire preferred is probably the better card because most people do not need to be paying $795 for a travel credit card. However, if you want premium benefits, including airport lounge access, then the difference, you know, in annual fees could make a lot of sense. The Sapphire Reserve also has a lot of new benefits. However, they could be a little complicated to use. So you have to look at those benefits and see how they align with your travel preferences. And do you think when the reserve card was in the 500s for the annual fee, did that make it worth it to choose a reserve over the preferred, or are you still a preferred guy? Uh, in general, still a preferred guy, but the Sapphire Reserve made a lot more sense for a lot more people when it was at the $550 annual fee. And that's just because the $300 flexible travel credit, you know, immediately cut out a lot of that annual fee. And then you could find a lot of value just by using, you know, the airport lounge access benefits. Yeah, good point there. Now let's compare the Chase Sapphire Reserve to some other travel cards. First, how does it stack up against the American Express Platinum card? Yeah, I would say the American Express Platinum card is probably, you know, the easiest comparison, uh, for premium travel credit cards, especially with the updates to the Sapphire Reserve and its annual fee. Um, so the Sapphire Reserve annual fee is 795, and the Amex Platinum is actually 695 right now. So the Amex Platinum has a little bit of an edge over the reserve in that regard. However, they both have tons of travel credits. They both have airport lounge access. You can transfer points to hotel and airline partners. Um, they're actually very similar cards in regards to their benefits. So I think it really comes down to, again, seeing how your travel preferences align with each card. For example, you know, if you prefer Chase Sapphire lounges compared to Centurion lounges, or if with the Sapphire Reserve new benefits you want that IHG Platinum Elite status compared to the Marriott or Hilton status on the Platinum. Interesting. And are there certain airline partners that either card has as well? Yeah, they have specific transfer partners. Um, you know, with Chase, one of the big ones is you can transfer your points to the World of Hyatt program. And that has consistently been one of the most popular transfer partners for getting a lot of value out of your points. And what about the Capital One Venture X card? How does the Chase Sapphire stack up? Yeah, just, uh, first off, looking at the annual fees, the Venture X has a $395 annual fee. Compare that to the new $795 annual fee on the Sapphire Reserve, and that's a $400 difference. So immediately, the Venture X is going to be more appealing to a lot of people who don't want to pay such a high annual fee. Um, I also would recommend the Venture X to more people who want a premium travel credit card because it's just a little more straightforward to use. Um, there is one big downside of the Venture X coming up. They have changes that, they're getting rid of the guest access, the complimentary guest access to airport lounges. Um, so that is a big change that the Sapphire Reserve will still have two complimentary guests to airport lounges, and that's a big, you know, pro in their favor. Um, but the Venture X still is a more straightforward card. Uh, the Sapphire Reserve, uh, really got to look at the benefits, see if you can actually use them every year to get the value out of them. Otherwise, you know, that 795 annual fee is not going to make sense for a lot of people. Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Yahoo
18-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
How Chase's new Sapphire Reserve credit card compares to rivals
JPMorgan Chase (JPM) is hiking the annual fee on its Sapphire Reserve card from $550 to $795 and adding perks like new spending bonuses. Yahoo Finance Senior Credit Card Writer Ben Walker joins Wealth to break down how the revamped card compares to Chase Sapphire Preferred, American Express (AXP) Platinum, and Capital One (COF) Venture X credit cards. To watch more expert insights and analysis on the latest market action, check out more Wealth here. Sign in to access your portfolio
RTÉ News
11-06-2025
- Sport
- RTÉ News
Battling Ireland fall to defeat against world No 1 Netherlands
Netherlands 2-0 Ireland Ireland fell to a 2-0 loss against world No 1 and Olympic champions the Netherlands in Amstelveen on Wednesday at they resumed their FIH Pro League season. Ireland played well for large spells, fashioning some good opportunities. However, the Dutch showed their ruthlessness streak to nick two goals that swung things in their favour, albeit they enjoyed the rub of the green for both. The Netherlands threatened from the off, with defender Lee Cole called into action almost immediately to clear the ball off the line. Ireland responded well, holding possession and managing to progress into the Dutch final third, with Ben Walker making his way into the circle, followed by a blocked shot from Alistair Empey. Thierry Brinkman thought he had broken the deadlock with a reverse stick shot but Ireland immediately opted to refer for backstick, which the video umpire agreed with chalking the goal off. Early Dutch pressure in the second quarter again forced Ireland onto the back foot, but Ireland continued to ask questions of their vaunted opponents, with incisive runs from Fearghus Gibson and Daragh Walsh providing chances. However, a controversial penalty corner for the Netherlands offered them a chance to open the scoring, which Luke Dommershuijzen dispatched to score his first senior goal. Ireland started the second half brightly. Positive play it the final third lead to a shot from Lee Cole inside the first minute, but his strike was deemed to be dangerous, and the Netherlands were given a free out. Patience in possession for Ireland continued to pay dividends, as Matthew Nelson attacked the circle and was unlucky to not get an outcome. The Netherlands, however, showed their goalscoring prowess to double their lead from their first chance of the second half, Steijn van Heijningen deflecting the ball into the net with the deftest of touches. They found a higher gear in the final quarter, though Ireland battled to the end. Ultimately the Dutch closed it out to extend their lead at the top of the nine-country FIH Pro League table to seven points. England are second, ahead of Belgium on goal difference. Ireland are bottom with one point from nine matches to date. Ireland will play the Netherlands in Amstelveen again tomorrow at 7pm.
