1. **State the problem:** Simplify the expression $6 + 8 - 4 \times 6 + 8$. 2. **Recall the order of operations:** According to PEMDAS/BODMAS, multiplication is performed before addition and subtraction. 3. **Perform the multiplication first:** Calculate $4 \times 6 = 24$. 4. **Rewrite the expression:** $6 + 8 - 24 + 8$. 5. **Perform addition and subtraction from left to right:** - $6 + 8 = 14$ - $14 - 24 = -10$ - $-10 + 8 = -2$ 6. **Final answer:** The simplified value of the expression is $-2$.