The Chicago Journal

Author Cheryl Moy Outlines A Step-By-Step Process to Self-Development in Her Books The Origami Balloon and Love Thyself

There is no shortage of wellness and coaching gurus in the arena of self-help and self-development. What there is a shortage of, however, is the aspect of human connection. Many personal empowerment books or even courses are all about teaching their listeners and readers how to rise to success, power, fame, or wealth. But more important than that is the question of how we rise above ourselves. This internal conversation with the most intimate parts of our being is what the author of “The Origami Balloon” and “Love Thyself,” Cheryl Moy, hopes to guide her readers through.

Although Cheryl says she has always been more of a reader than a writer, she also shares that “it has always been her dream to help young adults find their way and their truth.” As she joined coaching programs herself, she felt many of them offered nothing but a one-size-fits-all approach to healing. “I wasn’t learning anything because I was feeling the disconnect,” she confessed. And since the robotic one-stop fixes were far from able to help her in her healing journey, Cheryl set out on her own course towards self-betterment. With the goal of inspiring those who felt the same as her and wanted to follow suit, she drew up the stories of her voyage and published them as a book.

While her debut book, “The Origami Balloon,” is filled with anecdotes that aim to connect Cheryl to her readers, her second book, “Love Thyself,” is a collection of practices of self-love that she used in her childhood. “With those practices, I am leading the life I desire,” Cheryl says. Her upcoming 2023 coaching program alone is set to help people discover that “the scars from the past never have room to define us unless we give it space.” She hopes her books can be used as supplementary guides in her programs as she explains that they serve as a workbook, “a platform that will enhance the healing experience,” which allows readers to follow step-by-step directions in addition to the one-on-one sessions with her.

Those who are lost, scared of starting over, or simply have no idea where to even begin will find solace in the safe space that Cheryl has created. From the snippets of wisdom in her book and the guidance her coaching sessions provide, they can find a guiding light. Likewise, those looking for answers towards healing and self-acceptance walk next to her in their journey to unleashing their full potential. Because, in her own words, “we are powerful when we truly love ourselves for who we are.”

Even when she knows most people seeking guidance are young adults looking to find themselves, Cheryl also keeps an open palm for any person wanting to reach out for help. She reiterates that her work and coaching services are for men and women alike and just about anyone who “would like to find a piece of themselves that they knew they had, but were too scared to search for it.” After all, there is no such thing as ‘too late’ when it comes to figuring out who you are.​​

Jesse Deacon Jones, a certified nutritionist, shares his fitness journey

A certified nutritionist from the National Academy of Sports Medicine, Jesse Deacon Jones was an overweight kid hailing from a small farm town. Belonging to a blue-collared family, his father was a welder, while his mother was a nurse. From a very young age, he became obese and started to lose weight. Unfortunately, due to his degenerative knee disease, he was unable to do any cardio for more than a decade. Yet, he wanted to lose weight and fit in amongst the popular crowd. This is where he came up with a diet plan to lose weight without any cardio. 

Being a trainer and nutritionist helped him devise a strategy to monitor calories and lose weight. In fact, his degree in Communications from Boise State University allowed him to reach out to audiences far and large so they can benefit from his journey and experiences. “I have been fat and learned how to lose weight without any cardio. I lost 100 pounds and have kept it off effortlessly without staying hungry. I want to teach other people how they can do it too,” Jesse Deacon Jones shared. “I also started losing my hair and found out that the cure to stopping it from falling out and it is not what most doctors will tell you to do. I can show people how to stop their hair loss by not wasting their time or money on hospital visitations and expensive medicines,” he added. 

Moreover, Jesse has established an online learning portal, truthmsterclass.com, where you can learn about real, everyday problems and get practical solutions to those problems. Since the creator, himself, is someone who has gone through the process and understands the physical, mental and moral challenges of being obese and losing hair, he can be a true inspiration who talks from experience and not just theory. His years of knowledge, practice, and numerous trials and errors have been condensed into hour-long classes. The first two masterclasses are focused on fat loss and hair loss. And in the coming days, more categories will be available, including acne treatment, muscle building and other health and fitness-related topics people need help with. 

The masterclasses are for individuals who have tried other conventional methods to improve their lives or when the traditional advice has literally failed them. If they have tried everything to lose weight or stop hair loss for years without any success, then this is the right place for them. The benefit is to learn actual solutions to such problems instead of the popular or mainstream simple versions that have been fed to us for generations now. 

Jesse Deacon’s success rate has been 100 percent until now. He is not the only one who lost weight through his diet plan; his brother shed 100 lbs as well. Jesse’s achievements can be gauged by the fact that he went from an obese man to a ‘Men’s Physique’ competitor at 5 percent body fat. He doesn’t believe in offering the same run-around, eat less and move more solutions that everyone else does, but in fact, he focuses on a diet plan that doesn’t starve you and helps you lose weight at the same time. “Just give me one hour of your time, and you will gain over 20 years of knowledge,” Jesse Deacon Jones expressed. “I regret not starting my website earlier and thinking what I was doing wasn’t that important. On the contrary, the information I have can help people and transform their lives for the best; hence, I need it to get out there to the masses.”

Apart from that, Jesse emphasizes the importance of consistency and motivation in fleeting, which comes and goes. That is not the key to success. It is essential to remember that consistency is the key. It doesn’t matter how you feel or how busy you are when you have decided to achieve a goal and become the best version of yourself. For that, you have to stay focused. If you keep working hard, then the process only gets easier with time. 

This has been Jesse Deacon Jones’s biggest strength as well. He doesn’t give up. He keeps trying new things until he finds the right answer, and once he does, he follows it to the tee. He understands that quitting is always easier but if you are determined to change your current situation, giving up is not an option. All he did was found alternate ways that could work in his favor instead of dieting and exercising. If you are one of those who are not happy with your weight or worried about hair loss or acne, follow Jesse Deacon Jones’s guide and learn directly from the expert. 

Carvana faces bankruptcy after cutting workforce

Carvana, a renowned used car retailer, has been facing a cash crunch and could be facing bankruptcy.

The reports emerged from published reports and a bearish analyst’s call to slash its share-price target to a meager $1.

The news

During the mid-afternoon trading, Carvana stands at $4.60 a share, which is up on the day.

However, it is also down more than 40% from a week ago.

Carvana is best known for its unique auto vending machine concept.

The industry

In recent months, used car prices have fallen from record highs due to higher interest rates making used cars unaffordable for many potential buyers.

Carvana is one of the newer companies in the used car industry.

Losses

Although it hasn’t been around for long, the company has already lost money in most quarters since going public in 2017.

Initially, Carvana’s model aims for sales growth instead of short-term profitability.

However, the company’s losses widened even further amid the recent downturn in the sector.

Carvana reported a significant net loss of $1.5 billion in the first nine months of 2022.

The loss is higher than the $105 million net loss in the same period from last year.

The company’s cash on hand was $316 million in September, which is down 22% from the start of 2022.

However, its borrowing capacity increased.

Last month, the company announced it was cutting 1,500 jobs on slower car sales.

Read also: Amazon checkout traffic causes problems

Job cuts

In mid-November, Carvana announced it was cutting 8% of its workforce amid waning demand for used cars.

The slowed demand coincided with sky-high prices and supply shortages.

Demand for used cars diminished was affected by hybrid-working models and higher costs caused by higher interest rates.

As a result, consumers started rethinking their personal mobility options to adapt and trim their daily expenses.

CNBC was among the first to report the layoffs, citing an internal memo about the move.

The memo revealed that Carvana was facing economic headwinds from higher financing costs.

Additionally, the company failed to predict how the headwinds would all play out and their impact on Carvana’s operation.

In November, Carvana’s shares were down 7%, missing expectations for adjusted earnings in the last five quarters as expenses soared and used car demand dropped.

Debt concerns

Last Tuesday, Bloomberg reported that major holders of the company’s debt entered a cooperation agreement.

They mutually agreed to work together, giving them more leverage in negotiations with Carvana.

A day later, the company spoke with lawyers and investment bankers about options to manage its debt load amid solvency concerns.

Wedbush Securities analyst Seth Basham slashed his price target on the stock from $9 to $1 in a Wednesday note.

Basham explained that the fact that its debt trading is less than 50 cents in the dollar is a sign of a high likelihood of debt restructuring.

The restructuring could leave the equity worthless in case of bankruptcy; otherwise, the best case would have it highly diluted.

Company problems

Carvana entered the market a decade ago with the goal of disrupting the used car market.

It offered online car shopping, trade-ins, and distinctive car vending machines,

However, Basham spoke with CNN, telling them that Carvana’s problems are worse compared to other used car dealers.

He explained that the company expanded faster than the sales could support.

“They put the cart before the horse,” said Basham.

“They built infrastructure for a lot more sales than they’re currently doing. And that saddled them with a ton of excess capacity.”

Read also: Even used cars are becoming more unaffordable as CarMax suffers losses

Company statements

Carvana commented directly about the meetings with lawyers and bankers, saying it is not a party to the cooperation agreement among bondholders.

“Our message to our customers, shareholders, employees, and other stakeholders remain clear,” said the company.

“We are singularly focused on executing on the plan to profitability outlined in our third quarter shareholder letter, and we have substantial liquidity to get us there.”

“In no way do these reports change that strategy.”

However, the reports only addressed a sell-off in shares already underway.

So far in 2022, shares have been down 97% at the close of trading last Friday.

They dropped to an all-time low of $3.55 a share on Wednesday before closing at $3.83 a share, which was down 43% for the day.

References:

Carvana bankruptcy worries swirl around used car retailer

Carvana news: used car retailer cuts 1,500 jobs on slowing demand

Amazon checkout traffic causes problems

Amazon: Earlier Wednesday, thousands of customers were ready to complete their Amazon purchase when they encountered a system error.

When they went to the checkout page, a message appeared stating that an error had occurred.

The bug was a rare Amazon issue but has since been fixed.

What happened

Throughout the pandemic, Amazon has become a central shopping hub for thousands of users following the onset of the pandemic.

More than 9,000 users flooded the e-commerce site with reports early Wednesday morning, according to outage tracking website DownDetector.

Data from DownDetector showed that the most frequently reported problem occurred when users tried to pay on the checkout page.

Read also: Elon Musk briefly slipped to second wealthiest man

The error

At 9:30 in the morning on Wednesday, some customers who tried to check out their items received the following message:

“An error occurred when we tried to process your request. Rest assured, we’re working to resolve the problem as soon as possible.”

“If you were trying to make a purchase, please check Your Account to confirm that the order was placed,” the message continued.

“We apologize for the inconvenience.”

Customer reception

In the DownDetector forum, users complained about the checkout issue.

Meanwhile, other users have taken to Twitter to raise their concerns.

“Dang @amazon is down,” wrote one user. “I’m trying to cash out my cart.”

“Heads up @amazon is down for anyone trying to check out,” tweeted another.

“Seems like Bing, Amazon etc. down for some,” a user noted. “‘It’s not you, it’s us. Something unexpected went wrong on our end. We’ll resume service as soon as possible – ‘”

Others couldn’t believe the e-commerce site was down because previous checkout processes were so smooth.

“Is @amazon down? Keep getting a message saying they are experiencing high volumes,” a user said.

“Check back later. Never have I ever seen this.”

Read also: Apple upgrades iCloud security for user safety

Aftermath

It took the e-commerce site hours to resolve the issue entirely.

An Amazon spokesperson later confirmed that the company resolved the issue just before noon.

“We’re sorry that some customers may have temporarily experienced issues,” said spokesperson Betsy Harden in a statement.

“We have resolved the issue, and everything is now running smoothly.”

References:

Amazon’s checkout page stopped working for some users

Amazon down! Shoppers hit by irritating error that’s blocking online orders

Elon Musk briefly slipped to second wealthiest man

Elon Musk has long been known as the wealthiest man on earth, running the likes of Tesla, SpaceX and, most recently, Twitter.

However, his prestigious title could be transferred to another person, as happened recently.

The metric

On Wednesday, Elon Musk briefly slipped to second place on Forbes’ list of “real-time billionaires.”

The CEO of Twitter, SpaceX, and Tesla sat just behind Bernard Arnault for a moment.

On the same level as Musk, Arnault is the CEO of the French luxury brand LVMH.

He is also the creator of luxury products Hennessy Cognac and Louis Vuitton.

However, Forbes estimates Elon Musk’s net worth at $184.9 billion, which is higher than Arnault, who stands at $184.7 billion.

“The two men’s fortunes are nearly the same – separated by just $200 million,” Forbes noted.

“So it won’t be surprising if they continue to flip flop in Forbes’ rankings of the world’s wealthiest.”

Read also: Apple upgrades iCloud security for user safety

The drop

Forbes explained that thanks to the flat shares of LVMH, Bernard Arnault has risen in the rankings.

Meanwhile, Elon Musk witnessed a dramatic drop in Tesla’s stock price, down 56% in 2022.

Musk’s strategy of appealing with friendliness to right-wing influencers on Twitter could also affect Tesla’s stock.

The Tesla CEO’s net worth peaked at $320 billion last November, according to Forbes.

Stocks and shares

Elon Musk had to sell more than $4 billion worth of Tesla stock to fund his $44 billion Twitter buyout.

However, the social media company is facing issues like layoffs, and advertisers are wary of Twitter’s management.

Additionally, Musk sold $14.5 billion worth of Tesla stock earlier this year when he announced his deal to buy the social media platform.

Estimating Elon Musk’s net worth will not be easy.

Most of his money is tied up in his private businesses, including:

  • Rocket and internet firm SpaceX
  • Tunneling outfit The Boring Company
  • Neuralink is a company dedicated to installing computer chips in people’s brains

Competition

Despite his losses, Elon Musk still ranks above others on the Forbes list.

Indian billionaire Gautam Adani took third place with a net worth of $134.8 billion.

Meanwhile, Amazon founder Jeff Bezos is now worth about $111.3 billion.

Elon Musk tops the Bloomberg Billionaires Index with a net worth of $179 billion.

Bernard Arnault, with $165 billion, follows him.

However, according to Bloomberg calculations, Musk has already lost $13 billion.

The list is updated daily after the market closes.

Reference:

Elon Musk is on the verge of losing his world’s richest person title

Meta threatens to remove news content on FB

Meta, the parent company of Facebook, threatened to remove news content from its platforms on Monday.

The threat came after reports emerged that US lawmakers are adding a controversial pro-media legislation to the annual Defense Licensing Act.

Meta’s warning highlights the danger the Journalism Competition and Preservation Act (JCPA) poses to its business model.

The bill

Senator Amy Klobuchar introduced the legislation with support from more than a dozen lawmakers from the two political parties.

It would create a four-year exemption under US antitrust laws and allow news organizations to jointly negotiate with social media platforms for a greater share of ad revenue in exchange for news content.

Additionally, the legislation is one of many tech-focused antitrust laws waiting on Capitol Hill.

Read also: Meta set for change with workforce layoff

Response

Meta spokesman Andy Stone wrote a statement saying:

“If Congress passes an ill-considered journalism bill as part of national security legislation,” he started.

“We will be forced to consider removing news from our platform altogether rather than submit to government-mandated negotiations that unfairly disregard any value we provide to news outlets through increased traffic and subscriptions.”

Previous actions

Meta has already demonstrated that it intends to follow through with its threats.

A similar legislation was proposed and passed in Australia last year.

As a result, Meta has temporarily removed the ability for users to view and share post links on its platforms.

However, the social media giant changed course when Australia passed the law.

Read also: Meta to make changes after stocks fall 17%

The tech industry

Digital rights organization Fight for the Future has addressed the reports, saying multiple sources said efforts to include the JCPA in the annual defense bill were successful.

Additionally, the National Defense Authorization Act is included in the language of the JCPA.

Meanwhile, the tech industry is fiercely opposing the JCPA.

Furthermore, the bill has been criticized by more than two dozen civil society groups, often clashing with Big Tech on policy issues.

The groups wrote a letter to congressional leaders on Monday saying the JCPA could exacerbate disinformation and disinformation.

The law could allow news sites to sue tech platforms for restricting the publication of a story and intimidate them into moderating offensive or misleading content.

Additionally, the letter says the JCPA may favor large media companies over smaller, local and independent outlets, which have been hurt by falling digital advertising revenue.

The groups that signed the letter include:

  • The American Civil Liberties Union
  • The Electronic Frontier Foundation
  • The Wikimedia Foundation
  • Public Knowledge

Reference:

Meta threatens to remove news content over US journalism bargaining bill

Foxconn production is back, reviving iPhone city

Foxconn, Apple’s supplier, has announced plans to gradually restore manufacturing capacity at its sprawling campus in central China.

Covid-19 restrictions and worker protests hit the site two months ago.

Statement

Known as iPhone City, Foxconn has hundreds of thousands of employees.

The Taiwanese contractor said that they recently brought the factory’s epidemic situation under control.

“We have also started to recruit new employees,” the statement said.

“And [we] are gradually moving toward the direction of restoring production capacity to normal.”

The Foxconn statement says that the fourth quarter outlook likely aligns with market consensus.

Read also: Elon Musk wary of Twitter removal from Apple

Disruption

Continued supply disruption to Foxconn’s Zhengzhou campus is costing Apple more than $1 billion a week in lost iPhone sales, according to Wedbush Securities analyst Daniel Ives.

Ives estimates that Apple will be short on just over 10-15 million iPhones before the holiday season.

The disruptions came in October after workers left the campus over concerns about working conditions and food shortages.

The factory offered bonuses to employees due to worker shortages.

However, protests erupted in November when newly hired employees claimed management had not kept its promises.

As a result, employees clashed with security officers before the company offered them cash to quit and leave.

Analysts say the iPhone city’s manufacturing woes are speeding up Apple’s supply chain diversification outside of China.

Read also: Apple to see iPhone 14 models shipment setback

Production shift

According to The Wall Street Journal, Apple recently accelerated plans to move production out of China.

Additionally, the tech giant is telling suppliers to move Apple product assembly to other countries like India and Vietnam.

Daniel Ives wrote a report on Sunday, saying:

“The shift out of China will not be easy and come with clear logistical, engineering, and infrastructure hurdles as the aggressive move to India and Vietnam now begins with the Apple ecosystem alerted.”

If Apple acted aggressively, more than 50% of iPhone production could come from India and Vietnam by the 2025/2026 fiscal year.

Reference:

Foxconn says it’s restoring production at the world’s largest iPhone factory

New York tragedy with two children dead in stabbing

New York: According to police, disaster struck this weekend when two young brothers were stabbed to death in New York City.

The news

The two victims – a 3-year-old boy and an 11-month-old boy – were found Saturday night in an apartment building in the Bronx.

According to the New York Police Department, the boys were deemed unresponsive.

They also had several stab wounds on their neck and chest.

The police took the two boys to the hospital, where they both died.

Read also: Shooting in LGBTQ nightclub results in five dead

The calls

NYPD Deputy Chief Louis Dececglie told reporters that at around 7:30 pm, police responded to a call about an emotionally disturbed person.

New York police arrested the woman people were calling about and took her to the hospital by ambulance.

According to a statement from the NYPD, the woman was taken in for an examination.

Meanwhile, city records show that the apartment building where the victims were found is on the list of family shelters.

Deceglie said officers followed up after the initial call.

Read also: Itaewon police offices raided following Halloween crowd crush

Also, a family friend told police that the children were being cared for by their father.

Police received a second 911 call half an hour later.

“A second 911 call was received reporting to unresponsive babies not breathing at the same location,” said Deceglie.

“Patrol officers returned to the apartment, where they found an 11-month-old baby boy and a 3-year-old male unresponsive with stab wounds, multiple stab wounds.”

Although asked about the history of calls to 911 and how officers responded, police declined to comment.

Aftermath

According to New York police, the children’s 22-year-old mother is in their custody.

Although the investigation continues, the victim’s father is not in custody.

The mother has not been publicly named as a suspect.

In addition, police say she has not been arrested or charged.

Reference: 

A baby and a toddler were stabbed to death in New York City, police say

Cardi B shares mouthwatering payslip to shut troll up

Cardi B is like any other musician who performs for an award, and the rapper recently shared a paycheck with a large sum of money.

Though the post has been deleted, fans were able to grab a screenshot of it.

The payslip

For an artist of Cardi B’s status, it should be no surprise how much it would cost to have her perform at events.

The prize is generally treated with confidence.

However, a recent encounter with an online troll compelled her to share.

On Twitter, one troll said Cardi B recently performed in “someone’s backyard” during Art Basel, Miami’s famous arts festival.

The rapper snapped back when she shared a photo of how much she was paid for a 35-minute set.

“I got payed [sic] 1 million dollars to perform at this elite bankers event private event for 400 people and only for 35 minutes,” she tweeted.

“Think about that when you type about this Grammy winner.”

Read also: Bob McGrath, Sesame Street alumni, passed away

Takeoff tribute

Cardi B’s Miami gigs come after her touching tribute to husband Offset’s former Migos bandmate and cousin Takeoff.

In early November, Takeoff was shot in Houston.

He was the youngest of the Grammy-nominated rap trio from suburban Atlanta, along with Quavo and Offset.

Takeoff died after someone opened fire on a Houston bowling alley the trio was visiting.

Cardi B posted on Instagram.

“Takeoff your untimely passing has brought a great deal of pain and sorrow to so many lives,” she wrote.

“The impact you had in this world was so considerable and we have struggled to grasp this tragedy.”

“I am heartbroken but I am grateful for all the precious memories we got to share while you were here with us.”

Read also: Cocaine Bear trailer finally unleashed

Shooter update

Houston police announced last week that they arrested Patrick Xavier Clark, 33, and charged him with murder related to Takeoff’s death.

A second man was also arrested earlier in the week, but he is not believed to have fired the weapon.

Reference:

Cardi B brags that got paid $1 million to perform 35-minute set

TikTok a security concern according to FBI

TikTok: FBI Director Chris Wray has warned people about the popular short video-sharing app and national security concerns.

Wray reminded people that TikTok, a Chinese-owned company, is run by a government that doesn’t share the same values as the United States.

The news

On Friday, Chris Wray raised nationwide concerns about the app.

He revealed that the FBI is concerned with the Chinese control of the app’s recommendation algorithm.

Having control allows the Chinese to manipulate the content and use it to influence operations.

Additionally, Wray says China may use TikTok to harvest user data for traditional espionage operations.

Statements

Chris Wray’s warning came at the Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy at the University of Michigan last week.

“All of these things are in the hands of a government that doesn’t share our values and that has a mission that’s very much at odds with what’s in the best interests of the United States,” Wray told audiences.

“That should concern us.”

Moreover, the concerns expressed by the FBI director are similar to those raised during his congressional appearances in November.

Finally, Wray shared that it is part of an ongoing conversation in Washington.

Read also: TikTok one of the few tech companies to continue hiring

Concerns

The Trump administration previously threatened to ban TikTok in 2020 due to concerns about China’s influence.

Additionally, the administration pressured ByteDance to sell the app to a company in the United States.

Finally, US officials and TikTok are in talks for a deal to resolve the US security woes.

According to Wray, the process is taking place across US government agencies.

Negotiation

Brooke Overwetter, a TikTok spokeswoman, released a statement via email saying:

“As Director Wray has previously said, the FBI’s input is being considered as part of our ongoing negotiations with the US Government.”

“While we can’t comment on the specifics of those confidential discussions, we are confident that we are on a path to fully satisfy all reasonable US national security concerns and have already made significant strides toward implementing those solutions.”

Read also: Billy McFarland creates another “big” music festival

The company

Beijing-based ByteDance owns TikTok.

The statement from Friday said it was a private company.

It is also a reminder that TikTok is an American company bound by American laws.

During a Senate hearing in September, TikTok COO Vanessa Pappas answered questions from both sides.

She concluded that the company protects all US user data, noting that Chinese government officials do not have access to it.

“We will never share data, period,” said Pappas.

Reference:

FBI director raises national concerns about TikTok