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BBB warns of holiday package scams
Published: Dec. 12, 2022 at 4:36 PM CST|Updated: 1 hour ago
WICHITA FALLS, Texas (KAUZ) - With millions of packages delivered each year, the Better Business Bureau is warning that con artists and thieves have developed many ways to steal from shoppers.
BBB officials have some advice to keep you from falling victim to a delivery scam this holiday season:
- Phishing: The first scams to look out for are phishing texts or emails that pose as official notices from delivery companies - don’t click on any links and instead go to the delivery carrier’s website directly or log in and use the retailer’s tracking tools
- Delivery Tags: Another delivery scam involves fake “missed delivery” tags - scammers place a note on your door that claims they are having challenges delivering a package to you and they ask you to call a phone number to reschedule your delivery, but it’s really a ruse to get your personal information. If you receive a missed delivery notice, examine the form carefully to make sure it is authentic and only then follow their instructions
- Package Theft: Another issue shoppers face is package theft - thieves snatch packages from doorsteps or lobbies of apartment or condo complexes; if you are having a valuable or fragile item delivered to your home, consider purchasing shipping insurance and always get tracking numbers for your purchases and check the shipping progress periodically
For more delivery scam tips, click here.
Copyright 2022 KAUZ. All rights reserved. | 2022-12-12T23:43:48+00:00 | newschannel6now.com | https://www.newschannel6now.com/2022/12/12/bbb-warns-holiday-package-scams/ |
UK home secretary won’t face investigation over speeding ticket meddling claims
By JILL LAWLESS
Associated Press
LONDON (AP) — U.K. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak says the interior minister won’t face investigation over allegations that she tried to pull strings after getting a speeding ticket. It’s an attempt by Sunak to lay to rest one of several ethics claims dogging the government. Sunak said Wednesday that the actions of Home Secretary Suella Braverman didn’t breach the code of conduct for government ministers. But Sunak said Braverman should have acted differently “to avoid giving rise to the perception of impropriety.” Braverman has faced claims that she asked civil servants to intervene on her behalf after she got a speeding ticket last year. She insists she never tried to ”avoid sanction” for the offense. | 2023-05-24T15:01:26+00:00 | krdo.com | https://krdo.com/news/ap-national-news/2023/05/24/uk-home-secretary-wont-face-investigation-over-speeding-ticket-meddling-claims/ |
In Celebration of International Fairy Day, The Hit Toy Line Expands the Magic of Finding Fairies Everywhere with a New Baby Fairy Finder, Fairy Pet Finders, and a Find The Glowing Fairies Roblox Game.
MONTREAL, June 24, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- WowWee®, a leading manufacturer of innovative consumer entertainment products and the makers of Fingerlings®, My Squishy Little Dumplings™ and more, today announced major expansions to its hit Got2Glow Fairies brand. To celebrate International Fairy Day today, WowWee is launching the Got2Glow Baby Fairy Finder™, two Got2Glow Fairy Pet Finders™, and a Find the Glowing Fairies Roblox game. Building off last year's success of the Got2Glow Fairy Finders™, the hit tech toy that put fairies at kids' fingertips and topped countless hot toy lists en route to becoming a 2022 TOTY Finalist for Collectible Toy of the Year, these enchanting additions make for even more magical experiences as kids explore and discover more virtual fairies than ever before!
The Got2Glow Baby Fairy Finder is a smaller variation of the original, with over 20 new baby fairies to find and collect. The all-new, more portable size makes it easier than ever for kids to bring their Baby Fairy Finder along for every adventure. For added magic, lights & sounds guide the way as it detects virtual baby fairies around you..
The enchantment continues with the Got2Glow Fairy Pet Finder, with 40+ fairy pets to collect in each jar and over 80 fairy pets to collect in total. Grow your collection by trading fairy pets with friends and unlock rare fairy pets using the Got2Glow Baby Fairy Finder. You can also bond with your new fairy pet companions via the on-screen buttons by giving them hugs, saying hello, and virtually feeding them.
All new Got2Glow Fairy Finder toys are compatible with one another and allow for trading of all different types of fairies. You can grow your collection to over 200 fairies by sharing across all finders. Transfer baby fairies from the Baby Fairy Finder into your Fairy Pet Finder, then watch as your Love Baby Fairy transforms into a Love Dog Fairy - or vice versa!
In addition, WowWee's Find the Glowing Fairies game by popular Roblox game creator Gamefam (Twilight Daycare and the forthcoming My Avastars: RP) is launching on Roblox today, expanding the Got2Glow universe beyond physical play. The online game will recreate the beloved real-life magic of finding fairies, with various in-game environments to explore and a variety of fairies to collect.
"We were inspired by the passion for our Got2Glow Fairy Finder and knew we had to continue building upon this excitement," said Sydney Wiseman, VP of Brand Development & Creative Strategy at WowWee. "We listened closely to our fanbase when expanding this line to ensure we provided even more magical play. Now the Got2Glow brand offers something for everyone - whether you want something more portable to take on the go, more fairies to collect and find, or desire a whole new type of fairy altogether. You can even find fairies in the metaverse, so we're truly delivering on our brand promise of experiencing the magic of finding fairies everywhere!"
Further adding to the Got2Glow universe, WowWee has tapped Striker Entertainment to build a lifestyle licensing program around the brand. The program will initially focus on publishing, home décor, health and beauty, and party goods.
The Got2Glow Baby Fairy Finder (MSRP: $24.99; Ages 5+) and both Got2Glow Fairy Pet Finders in turquoise and pink (MSRP: $44.99ea.; Ages 5+) are available for pre-order starting today on Amazon, and flying onto shelves at major retailers including Walmart and Target later this summer. For more information, please visit the Got2Glow website or join the conversation on social media by following @got2glowfairies.
WowWee® is a global innovator and industry leader in developing, marketing, and distributing hi-tech consumer robotic, toy, and entertainment products. Since its launch in 1988, WowWee has revolutionized the way consumers interact with robotics - fusing technology and imagination to deliver award-winning toys and gadgets such as Robosapien® and MiP®, The Toy Association's Innovative Toy of the Year (TOTY) in 2015. WowWee's Fingerlings®- the first-ever line of animatronic collectible toys - instantly skyrocketed in popularity, topping retail best-selling lists around the world, and won the 2018 Collectible Toy of the Year and overall Toy of the Year awards. The company won Plush Toy of the Year in 2020 for its licensed, official Pinkfong Baby Shark™ Song Puppets with Tempo Control, and Licensing International's Excellence Award for Best Toy of the Year ages 0-8. With offices in Montreal, San Diego, and Hong Kong, WowWee continues to innovate across the toy and entertainment categories. Please visit http://www.wowwee.com
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SOURCE WowWee | 2022-06-24T14:17:18+00:00 | kfyrtv.com | https://www.kfyrtv.com/prnewswire/2022/06/24/wowwee-multiplies-magic-got2glow-fairies-brand-with-new-fairy-finders-roblox-game-amp-more/ |
XR applications, AI/ML-driven intelligent RAN, system-level network energy savings are key features in 5G-Advanced to bring the mass market monetary opportunities for operators and lead to a long-term sustainable future
LONDON, July 6, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- The 3GPP approved the Release-18 package in December 2021, making the official start of 5G-Advanced with the planned freeze date in December 2023. Global technology intelligence firm ABI Research expects that 75% of 5G base stations will be upgraded to 5G-Advanced by 2030, five years after the estimated commercial launch. 5G-Advanced will bring continuous enhancements on mobile network capabilities and use case-based support to help mobile operators with 5G commercialization, long-term development of Artificial Intelligence (AI)/Machine Learning (ML), and network energy savings for a fully automated network and a sustainable future.
"In 5G-Advanced, Extended Reality (XR) applications will promise monetary opportunities to both the consumer markets with use cases like gaming, video streaming, as well as enterprise opportunities such as remote working and virtual training. Therefore, XR applications are a major focus of 3GPP working groups to significantly improve XR-specific traffic performance and power consumption for the mass market adoption," explains Gu Zhang, 5G & Mobile Network Infrastructure Principal Analyst at ABI Research. "Another noticeable feature is AI/ML which will become essential for future networks given predictive rapid growth in 5G network usage and use case complexities which can't be managed by legacy optimization approaches with presumed models. System-level network energy saving is also a critical aspect as operators need to reduce the deployment cost but assure network performance for various use cases."
The upgrade of 5G network infrastructure is expected to be faster in the consumer market than enterprises. ABI Research forecasts that 75% of 5G base stations will be upgraded to 5G-Advanced, while in the enterprise market the ratio is about half. 5G-Advanced devices per radio base station will quickly gain traction around 2024 to 2026 at the early stage of the commercial launch because devices will grow more aggressively than network deployments over the period.
"The commercial launch of 5G-Advanced will take two or three years, but the competition has already started," Zhang points out. "Taking AI/ML development as an example, industrial leaders such as Ericson, Huawei, Nokia, ZTE, and Qualcomm have trialed their solutions with mobile operators across the world. Ongoing development in this area will continue to bring improvements on traffic throughputs, network coverage, power saving, anomaly detection etc."
Different from previous generations, 5G creates an ecosystem for vertical markets such as automotive, energy, food and agriculture, city management, government, healthcare, manufacturing, and public transportation. "The influence on the domestic economy from the telco players will be more significant than before and that trend will continue for 5G-Advanced onward. Network operators and vendors should keep close to the regulators and make sure all parties involved grow together when the time-to-market arrives," Zhang concludes.
These findings are from ABI Research's 5G-Advanced and the Road to 6G application analysis report. This report is part of the company's 5G & Mobile Network Infrastructure research service, which includes research, data, and ABI Insights. Application Analysis reports present in-depth analysis on key market trends and factors for a specific technology.
About ABI Research
ABI Research is a global technology intelligence firm delivering actionable research and strategic guidance to technology leaders, innovators, and decision makers around the world. Our research focuses on the transformative technologies that are dramatically reshaping industries, economies, and workforces today.
ABI Research是一家国际科技情报公司，为全球科技领袖、创新人士和决策者提供实用的市场研究和战略性指导。我们密切关注一切为各行各业、全球经济和劳动市场带来颠覆性变革的创新与技术。
For more information about ABI Research's services, contact us at +1.516.624.2500 in the Americas, +44.203.326.0140 in Europe, +65.6592.0290 in Asia-Pacific, or visit www.abiresearch.com.
Contact Info:
Global
Deborah Petrara
Tel: +1.516.624.2558
pr@abiresearch.com
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SOURCE ABI Research | 2022-07-06T09:11:40+00:00 | ksla.com | https://www.ksla.com/prnewswire/2022/07/06/headline-5g-advanced-launch-2025-75-5g-networks-will-upgrade-by-2030/ |
Pre-Prime Day phone deals you can get today
While Prime Day doesn’t officially happen until July 11 and 12, the deals are already live. If you’re looking for a new phone, it’s an especially good time to be shopping for one. The discounts are good and you can take advantage of them today.
And if you are in the mood to save, there are scores of other early Prime Day deals you can take advantage of as well.
Last updated on July 6, 2023, at 2 p.m. PT
Shop this article: Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4, Motorola Razr Plus and Google Pixel 7
Best bargains on phones
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4 21% OFF
If you crave a luxury phone experience, this one is what you want. The Galaxy Z Fold 4 is a factory-unlocked Android smartphone that is S Pen compatible. It has a flex mode that lets it stand on its own and a foldable display that gives you big-screen capabilities.
Sold by Amazon
Motorola Razr Plus 15% OFF
This unlocked phone works with all major and prepaid carriers. Although it is a flip phone, you can access the most important features without opening the lid. The Flex View lets you stand your phone at a variety of angles to enjoy content hands-free.
Sold by Amazon
Google Pixel 7 16% OFF
This model features Google’s adaptive battery that can last for up to 24 hours. In emergencies, you can switch to Extreme Battery Saver so you get up to 72 hours per charge. Google’s unparalleled camera offers wide and ultra-wide lenses and zoom options while the built-in virtual private network protects your online activity.
Sold by Amazon
Google Pixel 6a 9% OFF
This version of the Google phone has the Google Tensor chip and a fast-charging all-day battery. The software for the 12-megapixel camera has a variety of useful tools, such as magic eraser, motion mode and portrait mode. The live translate feature is essential for private chats, messages, video captions and more.
Sold by Amazon
Samsung Galaxy A14 22% OFF
This has a 6.6-inch FHD+ display with a 400 pixels-per-inch density. It comes with 128 gigabytes of storage that is expandable with MicroSD cards. The back features a main, ultra-wide and macro camera, while the front has a 13-megapixel camera for versatility.
Sold by Amazon
TCL 40XL 12% OFF
This affordable phone works with most major carriers. It has a 6.75-inch screen with dual stereo speakers so you can fully enjoy streaming a movie. Under the hood, it’s powered by a MediaTek Helio processor and the Android 13 operating system for fast, efficient and reliable performance.
Sold by Amazon
Products to watch this Prime Day
- Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra
- Motorola Moto G Stylus
- Motorola Moto G Power
- Google Pixel 7 Pro
- Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 4
- OnePlus 11
- Google Pixel 7
- Umidigi Unlocked Cell Phone
- TCL Ion V
- Motorola Moto G Pure
- Samsung Galaxy A03 Core
Check out Prime Day deals here and be sure to bookmark this page to shop smart and stay in the loop on the best phone discounts of the Prime Day sale. Visit our Prime Day sale hub for more deals.
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Allen Foster writes for BestReviews. BestReviews has helped millions of consumers simplify their purchasing decisions, saving them time and money.
Copyright 2023 BestReviews, a Nexstar company. All rights reserved. | 2023-07-07T06:09:03+00:00 | wnct.com | https://www.wnct.com/reviews/br/electronics-br/cell-phones-accessories-br/best-early-phone-deals-for-prime-day-2023/ |
JEROME, Ariz. (AP) — Police in a old Arizona mining town that gets 1 million tourists annually are warning residents to stop yelling at visitors or they could face harrassment charges.
Jerome, population about 450, was once home to one of Arizona’s largest copper mines and is now an hub for artists. Tourists take in its scenic views and visit stores and bars along the winding mountain road that passes through it.
But Jerome police said on Facebook this week that it “has come to our attention that some people visiting our town on short visits and using lawful short term parking passes are being yelled at or having notes left on their cars by local residents.”
And it warned: “Yelling at, or leaving notes could, in some cases, constitute harassment under Arizona Revised Statutes.”
Jerome is about 110 miles (177 kilometers) north of Phoenix and was designated a National Historic District in 1967.
Residents who think people may have violated parking regulations were asked to contact police. | 2022-07-15T07:24:54+00:00 | krqe.com | https://www.krqe.com/news/weird/stop-yelling-at-tourists-say-police-in-arizona-destination/ |
HONG KONG, Jan. 15, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Akeso, Inc. (9926. HK) ("Akeso"), a commercial-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on developing and commercializing first-in-class and best-in-class innovative medicines globally, announced that the anti PD-1 monoclonal antibody drug Anniko® (penpulimab), co-developed by the Company with Sino Biopharmaceutical Limited (1177.HK) (together with its subsidiaries ''Sino Biopharm''), combined with chemotherapy as the first-line treatment of locally advanced or metastatic squamous non-small cell lung cancer (sq-NSCLC) has been granted marketing approval by the National Medical Products Administration (NMPA) of China.
The approval of new indication is based on a randomized, double-blind, multi-center phase III clinical trial (AK105-302, NCT03866993), with 350 locally advanced or metastatic sq-NSCLC patients who have not received prior systemic therapy. According to the trial results published on 2022 ESMO Immuno-Oncology, penpulimab combined with chemotherapy shows consistent efficacy benefits across all efficacy endpoints and significantly reduces the risk of disease progression and death.
- The median progression-free survival (mPFS) of the treatment group (7.6 months) is significantly superior to the placebo+chemo group (4.2 months).
- The objective response rate (ORR) of the treatment group (71.4%) is significantly higher than the placebo+chemo group (44%).
In terms of safety, the treatment group shows no difference in the incidence of adverse event (AE) and serious adverse event (SAE), which shows the favourable safety profile of penpulimab.
Lung cancer is a malignant tumor with high incidence and high mortality rate worldwide. The incidences of lung cancer around the world and in China have exceeded 2.2 million and 810 thousand respectively in 2020. NSCLC patients accounts for 85% of total lung cancer patients, and about 30% of NSCLC patients are sq-NSCLC. The NMPA's approval of Anniko® combined with chemotherapy as the first line treatment of locally advanced or metastatic sq-NSCLC will further expand its potential.
In April 2022, this therapy was included as Grade II recommendation in Guidelines for Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer Treatment (2022) of Chinese Society of Clinical Oncology (CSCO) and was included in Guidelines of Chinese Society of Clinical Oncology Immune Checkpoint Inhibitor Clinical Practice (2022).
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SOURCE Akeso, Inc. | 2023-01-16T01:32:55+00:00 | wlbt.com | https://www.wlbt.com/prnewswire/2023/01/16/china-nmpa-approved-anniko-penpulimab-first-line-treatment-locally-advanced-or-metastatic-squamous-nsclc/ |
TORREY PINES, Calif., Feb. 15, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- EpicentRx, Inc. ("EpicentRx"), a leading-edge, clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company that uses groundbreaking science to treat cancer and inflammatory-driven diseases, today announced that it has been selected for a poster presentation at the 2023 American Society of Clinical Oncology Genitourinary Cancers Symposium (ASCO) being held February 16-18 in San Francisco. The poster presents evidence of nephroprotective effects for RRx-001 in a 90 patient trial called QUADRUPLE THREAT where patients received cisplatin/etoposide + RRx-001 as treatment for small cell lung cancer (SCLC), high grade neuroendocrine cancers, HGNEC, non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), and ovarian cancer (OC).
Details on the company's poster presentation are below:
Abstract Title: Effect of RRx-001 on nephrotoxicity of cisplatin/etoposide in patients with solid tumors.
Session Title: Poster Session C: Renal Cell Cancer; Adrenal, Penile, Urethral and Testicular Cancers
Abstract Number for Publication: 657
Session Date and Time: Saturday, February 18, 2023: 12:30 PM - 2 PM
About RRx-001
RRx-001 is a highly selective NLRP3 inhibitor with vascular normalization and tumor associated macrophage polarization properties that resensitizes tumors to previously administered therapies. RRx-001 is under investigation in a Phase 3 trial for the treatment of small cell lung cancer (SCLC), and in a Phase 2 trial for protection against oral mucositis in first line head and neck cancer. It is also under development as a medical countermeasure for nuclear and radiological emergencies and as a treatment for neurodegenerative diseases like Parkinson's and ALS/MND.
About EpicentRx, Inc.
EpicentRx is a leading-edge clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company with a complementary pipeline of small molecules, novel drug delivery devices, and cancer selective virus platforms that target inflammatory diseases of significant unmet need. For more information visit www.epicentrx.com.
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SOURCE EpicentRx, Inc. | 2023-02-15T12:50:10+00:00 | kswo.com | https://www.kswo.com/prnewswire/2023/02/15/epicentrx-presents-poster-nephroprotective-effects-rrx-001-patients-with-solid-tumors-that-receive-cisplatinetoposide-2023-american-society-clinical-oncology-asco-genitourinary-cancers-symposium/ |
Capitol riot prosecutors ask for 2 months for Idaho woman
Hemphill’s attorney, Nathan Silver II, declined to comment on the case
BOISE, Idaho (AP) —Federal prosecutors say an Idaho woman who participated in the Jan. 6, 2021, siege of the U.S. Capitol should be sentenced to two months in jail and ordered to serve community service in part because it was her second time forcing entry into a capitol building.
Pam Hemphill of Boise pleaded guilty earlier this year to one misdemeanor count of parading, demonstrating or picketing in the Capitol Building. In exchange, prosecutors dropped three additional misdemeanor charges.
In a sentencing memo filed in Hemphill’s case on Wednesday, the federal prosecutors noted that just a few months earlier Hemphill was part of a group of protesters that forced their way into an Idaho Statehouse gallery with limited seating, shattering the window of a door in the process.
Hemphill and other members of the far-right group People’s Rights were at the Boise Capitol because they were angry over coronavirus-related restrictions, and Hemphill bragged about her actions in Boise while talking to other rioters at the U.S. Capitol last year as they sought to stop the certification of the 2020 presidential election.
“In fact, Hemphill may be the only defendant to be sentenced by the court so far who participated in not one, but two capitol building breaches within a year,” the federal prosecutors told the court.
Hemphill’s attorney, Nathan Silver II, declined to comment on the case.
Like many other defendants who have been charged in connection with the siege, Hemphill posted videos to social media sites that showed her in Washington, D.C., in the days surrounding the insurrection and at the Capitol when it was happening.
In one video, she compared breaking windows at the federal building to actions protesters at the Idaho Statehouse had taken. In another, she said she avoided getting into trouble after being found inside the Capitol by telling police that she became lost after being pushed into the building by the crowd. The videos were later removed.
“She encouraged others to come to the Capitol for a “WAR” on social media, even before she arrived, and further encouraged others out in Washington, D.C. on the evening of January 5 to ‘occupy the Capitol’ and break the glass like they did in Boise,” the prosecutors wrote.
Hemphill also lied to FBI agents when she was arrested, the prosecutors said, claiming she had been pushed into the Capitol by other rioters and saying she helped law enforcement officers keep rioters out of the Capitol.
The prosecutors asked the judge to sentence Hemphill to 60 days incarceration, three years of probation, 60 hours of community service and $500 in restitution. Hemphill is scheduled to be sentenced on May 18.
Copyright 2022 Associated Press. All rights reserved. | 2022-05-12T20:40:25+00:00 | kmvt.com | https://www.kmvt.com/2022/05/12/capitol-riot-prosecutors-ask-2-months-idaho-woman/ |
PARIS (AP) — With war singeing the European Union’s eastern edge, French voters will be casting ballots in a presidential election whose outcome will have international implications. France is the 27-member bloc’s second economy, the only one with a UN Security Council veto, and its sole nuclear power. And as Russian President Vladimir Putin carries on with the war in Ukraine, French power will help shape Europe’s response.
Twelve candidates are vying for the presidency — including incumbent and favorite President Emmanuel Macron who is seeking a new term amid a challenge from the far-right.
Here’s why the French election, taking place in two rounds starting Sunday, matters:
NATO
Russia’s war in Ukraine has afforded Macron the chance to demonstrate his influence on the international stage and burnish his pro-NATO credentials in election debates. Macron is the only front-runner who supports the alliance while other candidates hold differing views on France’s role within it, including abandoning it entirely. Such a development would deal a huge blow to an alliance built to protect its members in the then emerging Cold War 73 years ago.
Despite declaring NATO’s “brain death” in 2019, the war in Ukraine has prompted Macron to try and infuse the alliance with a renewed sense of purpose.
“Macron really wants to create a European pillar of NATO,” says Susi Dennison, Senior Fellow at the European Council on Foreign Relations. “He’s used it for his shuttle diplomacy over the Ukraine conflict.”
On the far-left, candidate Jean-Luc Melenchon wants to quit NATO outright, saying that it produces nothing but squabbles and instability. A NATO-skeptic President Melenchon might be a concern especially for Poland, which has a 1,160-kilometer border with territory now controlled by Russia.
Several other candidates want to see either diminished engagement with the alliance or a full withdrawal. Although unlikely, France’s departure from NATO would create a deep chasm with its allies and alienate the United States.
EUROPEAN COOPERATION
Observers say a Macron re-election would spell real likelihood for increased cooperation and investment in European security and defense — especially with a new pro-EU German government.
Under Macron’s watch, France’s defense spending has risen by €7 billion euros ($7.6 billion) with a target to raise it to 2% of gross domestic product — something that leaders including Putin are watching closely. In his second term, Macron would almost certainly want to build up a joint European response to Ukraine and head off Russian threats.
A FAR RIGHT ALLIANCE?
This election could reshape France’s post-war identity and indicate whether European populism is ascendant or in decline. With populist Viktor Orban winning a fourth consecutive term as Hungary’s prime minister days ago, eyes have now turned to France’s resurgent far right candidates — especially National Rally leader Marine Le Pen who wants to ban Muslim headscarves in streets, and halal and kosher butchers, and drastically reduce immigration from outside Europe.
“If a far-right candidate wins, it could create some sort of alliance or axis in Europe,” said Dennison, of the European Council on Foreign Relations. “Le Pen has been tweeting pictures of herself shaking hands with Orban in recent days. She is championing a Europe of strong nation states.”
That axis might include Poland’s President Andrzej Duda, a right-wing populist and ally of Donald Trump. It has alarmed observers.
“Over 30 percent of French voters right now say they are going to vote for a far right candidate. If you include Melenchon as another extreme, anti-system candidate — that’s almost half the entire voting population. It is unprecedented,” Dennison said.
Far right candidate Eric Zemmour has dominated the French airwaves with his controversial views on Islam in France and immigration.
However, even centrist Macron ruffled feathers in Muslim countries two years ago when he defended the right to publish cartoons of the prophet Muhammad. That came during a homage to a teacher beheaded by a fundamentalist for showing the cartoons to his pupils as part of a class on free speech.
A FRIEND OF AMERICA
The US often touts France as its oldest ally — and from Russian sanctions to climate change and the United Nations, Washington needs a reliable partner in Paris. France is a vital trans-Atlantic friend for America, not least for its status as continental Europe’s only permanent UN Security Council member wielding veto power.
Despite the bitter US-France spat last year over a multibillion deal to supply Australia with submarines — which saw France humiliated — President Joe Biden and Macron are now on solid terms.
“Macron is obviously the only candidate that has history and credentials in the US relationship. All the others would be starting from scratch at a time of great geopolitical uncertainty,” said Dennison..
Unlike Macron, an Elysee in the hands of Zemmour or Le Pen would likely mean less preoccupation with issues that the U.S. considers a priority such as climate change. “They might not prioritize the large economic cost of keeping the Paris Climate Agreement alive and the potential to limit global warming to 1.5%,” Dennison added.
MIGRATION IN THE CONTINENT
In light of a huge migrant influx into Europe last year, France’s position on migration will continue to strongly impact countries on its periphery and beyond. This is especially so because of its geographical location as a leg on the journey of many migrants to the U.K.
A migrant vessel capsized in the English Channel last November killing 27 people, leading to a spat between France and the U.K. over who bore responsibility The British accused France of not patrolling the coast well enough, yet Macron said this was an impossible task. Observers consider France not to be a particularly open to migrants within a European context and see Macron as a relative hardliner on migration.
But Le Pen or Zemmour would likely usher in tougher policies than Macron if they either emerges victorious, such as slashing social allocations to non-French citizens and capping the number of asylum seekers. Some candidates have supported a Trump-style construction of border fences.
____
Follow the AP’s coverage of the French election at https://apnews.com/hub/french-election-2022 | 2022-04-09T03:25:53+00:00 | pix11.com | https://pix11.com/ap-international/why-this-weeks-french-elections-matter-to-the-wider-world/ |
Sen. Mitch McConnell reelected as Republican leader, quashing challenge from Sen. Rick Scott
Sen. Mitch McConnell was reelected as Republican leader Wednesday, quashing a challenge from Sen. Rick Scott of Florida, the Senate GOP campaign chief criticized over his party's midterm election failures.
Retreating to the Capitol's Old Senate Chamber for the private vote, Republicans had faced public infighting following a disappointing performance in last week’s elections that kept Senate control with Democrats.
McConnell, of Kentucky, easily swatted back the challenge from Scott in the first-ever attempt to oust him after many years as GOP leader. Senators first rejected an attempt by McConnell's detractors to delay the leadership choice until after the Senate runoff election in Georgia next month.
The unrest is similar to the uproar among House Republicans in the aftermath of the midterm elections that left the party split over former President Donald Trump's hold on the party. House GOP Leader Kevin McCarthy won the nomination from colleagues to run for House speaker, with Republicans on the cusp of seizing the House majority, but he faces stiff opposition from a core group of right-flank Republicans unconvinced of his leadership.
On Wednesday, the senators first considered a motion by a Scott ally, Republican Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas, to delay the leadership votes until after the Dec. 6 runoff election in Georgia between Republican Herschel Walker and incumbent Democratic Sen. Raphael Warnock that will determine the final makeup of the Senate. Walker was eligible to vote in the leadership election but wasn't expected to be present.
There were 49 GOP senators expected to vote, including newly elected senators in town this week but not yet sworn into office and Alaska Sen. Lisa Murkowski, who was eligible even though her race against Republican Kelly Tshibaka hasn’t been called yet. No more than 10 Republican senators, among some of the most conservative figures and those aligned with Trump, were expected to join in the revolt.
Senators were also electing others in the Republican leadership. Democrats have postponed their internal elections until after Thanksgiving.
McConnell's top leadership ranks are expected to remain stable, with Sen. John Thune, R-S.D., as GOP whip, and Sen. John Barrasso, R-Wyo., in the No. 3 spot as chairman of the GOP conference. Montana Republican Sen. Steve Daines was expected take over the campaign operation from Scott.
The challenge by Scott, who was urged by Trump to confront McConnell, escalated a long-simmering feud between Scott, who led the Senate Republican's campaign arm this year, and McConnell over the party's approach to try to reclaim the Senate majority.
"If you simply want to stick with the status quo, don’t vote for me," Scott said in a letter to Senate Republicans offering himself as a protest vote against McConnell.
Restive conservatives in the chamber have lashed out at McConnell's handling of the election, as well as his iron grip over the Senate Republican caucus.
Trump has been pushing for the party to dump McConnell ever since the Senate leader gave a scathing speech blaming then-President Trump for the Jan. 6 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol.
Still, it represented an unusual direct challenge to McConnell's authority. He would become the longest-serving Senate leader in history when the new Congress convenes next year.
Scott and McConnell traded what colleagues said were “candid” and “lively” barbs during a lengthy private GOP senators lunch Tuesday that dragged for several hours. They sparred over the midterms, the quality of the GOP candidates who ran and their differences over fundraising.
During the luncheon, some 20 senators made their individual cases for the two men. Some members directly challenged Scott in McConnell’s defense, including Maine Sen. Susan Collins, who questioned the Florida senator’s management of the campaign arm, according to a person familiar with the meeting and granted anonymity to discuss it.
Among the many reasons Scott listed for mounting a challenge is that Republicans had compromised too much with Democrats in the last Congress — producing bills that President Joe Biden has counted as successes and that Democrats ran on in the 2022 election.
The feud between Scott and McConnell has been percolating for months and reached a boil as election results trickled in showing there would be no Republican Senate wave, as Scott predicted, according to senior Republican strategists who were not authorized to discuss internal issues by name and insisted on anonymity.
The feuding started not long after Scott took over the party committee after the 2020 election. Many in the party viewed his ascension as an effort to build his national political profile and donor network ahead of a potential presidential bid in 2024. Some were irked by promotional materials from the committee that were heavy on Scott’s own biography, while focusing less on the candidates who are up for election.
Then came Scott’s release of an 11-point plan early this year, which called for a modest tax increase for many of the lowest-paid Americans, while opening the door for cutting Social Security and Medicare, which McConnell swiftly repudiated even as he declined to offer an agenda of his own.
The feud was driven in part by the fraying trust in Scott’s leadership, as well as poor finances of the committee, which was $20 million in debt, according to a senior Republican consultant. | 2022-11-16T19:27:58+00:00 | koat.com | https://www.koat.com/article/sen-mitch-mcconnell-republican-leader-sen-rick-scott/41982076 |
RESTON, Va. (AP) _ Science Applications International Corp. (SAIC) on Monday reported fiscal first-quarter earnings of $73 million.
On a per-share basis, the Reston, Virginia-based company said it had profit of $1.29. Earnings, adjusted for amortization costs and costs related to mergers and acquisitions, were $1.88 per share.
The results surpassed Wall Street expectations. The average estimate of seven analysts surveyed by Zacks Investment Research was for earnings of $1.78 per share.
The information technology company posted revenue of $2 billion in the period, which also topped Street forecasts. Six analysts surveyed by Zacks expected $1.93 billion.
SAIC expects full-year earnings in the range of $6.90 to $7.20 per share, with revenue in the range of $7.43 billion to $7.55 billion.
_____
This story was generated by Automated Insights (http://automatedinsights.com/ap) using data from Zacks Investment Research. Access a Zacks stock report on SAIC at https://www.zacks.com/ap/SAIC | 2022-06-06T12:49:06+00:00 | ourmidland.com | https://www.ourmidland.com/business/article/SAIC-Fiscal-Q1-Earnings-Snapshot-17221890.php |
GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip — Gaza’s Hamas rulers on Tuesday released a video of a captive Israeli citizen it has held incommunicado since 2015, showing the man lying in a hospital bed while wearing an oxygen mask.
In the video, al-Sayid, 34, is seen lying in bed with a mask over his mouth and nose and what appears to be an oxygen canister next to him. He appears tired and dazed, but does not speak and there is no audio.
Other parts of the video show an intravenous drip next to the bed as well as an image of al-Sayid’s Israeli identification card. Al-Sayid is a member of Israel’s Bedouin Arab minority.
The video is titled, “Footage of the soldier in the army of occupation, Hisham al-Sayid, detained by the Qassam Brigades.”
There is no date on the video. But a TV screen in the video showed images of the Qatar Economic Forum, which was held in Doha last week.
Hamas is believed to be holding the remains of two soldiers killed during a 2014 war. Israel has pronounced the soldiers dead, though Hamas has never confirmed this. Hamas is also believed to be holding two Israeli civilians who wandered across the frontier, including al-Sayid. Rights groups say that both civilians suffer from mental illness.
The Islamic militant group has given no details on the conditions or whereabouts of its prisoners, and it has never allowed the Red Cross to visit them.
Late on Monday, after Hamas said one of its prisoner’s condition had deteriorated, Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett said Hamas was a “cynical and criminal terrorist organization that holds mentally ill civilians in violation of all international conventions and laws.”
Hamas has demanded the release of hundreds of Palestinian prisoners, including people convicted in deadly attacks, in exchange for the captive Israelis.
Israel and Hamas are bitter enemies that have fought four wars and dozens of smaller skirmishes since Hamas seized control of Gaza 15 years ago.
Israel and Egypt have maintained a tight blockade over the territory throughout that time. Israel says the closure is needed to prevent Hamas from building up its military capabilities, while critics say the policy amounts to collective punishment of Gaza’s 2 million Palestinian residents.
Israel says there can be no major moves toward lifting the blockade until the soldiers’ remains and captive civilians are released.
The prime minister’s office said Israel would continue working through Egyptian mediation to bring about the release of the captives. | 2022-06-28T15:29:37+00:00 | washingtonpost.com | https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/hamas-releases-video-of-captive-israeli-in-hospital-bed/2022/06/28/2a81bcf2-f6f1-11ec-81db-ac07a394a86b_story.html |
In Memorium Aug 16, 2022 1 hr ago 0 Facebook Twitter WhatsApp SMS Email Print Copy article link Save In Memory of Kathy Kriegel 0 Comments Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 Be the first to know Get local news delivered to your inbox! Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. Related to this story Most Popular MCHS Class of 1966 Reunion MCHS Class of 1966 Reunion | 2022-08-16T22:26:06+00:00 | globegazette.com | https://globegazette.com/announcements/salute/in-memorium/article_0daa90b4-1da6-11ed-adcc-6f705346f092.html |
McDonald’s and ‘The Masked Singer’ launch Happy Meal inspired by FOX show
FOX and McDonald’s are teaming up with a Happy Meal collaboration offering fans a new addition to the iconic kid’s meal featuring toys and experiences inspired by the network’s popular show "The Masked Singer."
According to FOX Entertainment, the ‘Masknificent’ Happy Meal program started Tuesday and features 12 plush toys based on fan-favorite characters from throughout the past 9 seasons of "The Masked Singer." Characters include Peacock, Thingamajig, Miss Teddy, Space Bunny and others.
In addition, customers will also receive a guessing game to play. Each toy comes in opaque wrapping with a special clue as to which character is hiding within.
"They won't just unbox, they'll unmask!," FOX Entertainment wrote in a statement.
A scannable code on the Happy Meal box will also direct families to an AR experience, where they can use their phones or tablets to design their own "Masked Singer" stage with filters and music, and then see a virtual concert starring their plush toy.
The Happy Meal collab will run through Monday, April 24, while supplies last.
This isn’t the first time "The Masked Singer" has collaborated with family-friendly companies.
RELATED: ‘The Masked Singer’: Moose, Scorpio sent home during ‘80s Night
Recently, "The Masked Singer" and "Sesame Street" teamed up for "Sesame Street Night," featuring muppet characters including Cookie Monster, Count Von Count, Big Bird, Oscar the Grouch and Elmo.
"Elmo will pretend to be a detective and look at all the clues very carefully," Elmo shared during the episode.
Host Nick Cannon and Big Bird in the "Sesame Street Night" episode on FOX. (Credit: Michael Becker/FOX ©2023 FOX Media LLC)
"The Masked Singer" is a top-secret singing competition in which celebrities face off against each other and appear in elaborate costumes with full face masks to conceal their identities.
The singers may attempt to throw off the crowd, but keen observers might pick up on tiny clues buried throughout the show. Each week, a singer is eliminated – and then reveals his or her true identity.
Watch all-new episodes of "The Masked Singer" on FOX Wednesdays from 8-9 p.m. ET/PT on FOX.
This station is owned by FOX Corporation. | 2023-04-05T17:26:20+00:00 | fox9.com | https://www.fox9.com/news/mcdonalds-the-masked-singer-happy-meal-inspired-by-fox-show |
JAKARTA, Indonesia, July 24, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Gold and Gemstone Mining, Inc. (OTC: GGSM; "the Company"), acquires Charter boat Saranya to meet tourism pent-up demand we continue to see for cruise vacations.
"We are excited about the addition of Saranya to our fleet, which reflects the strong position that GGSM has established in the U.S., the pent-up demand we continue to see for cruise vacations, and the overall plans by GGSM to optimize capacity and growth in key markets," said Rudi Khelces, CEO
Tourism Market to Reach USD 16.9 Trillion By 2030; The Emerging Notion of Adventure Tourism Reflects Strong Growth - Globe Newswire article Feb. 24, 2023
GGSM recently acquired the Saranya, a 10-passenger, plus 4 crew member liveaboard vessel to its fleet. The additional charter boat will allow the Company a greater ability to meet consumer demand for ocean expeditions.
The fully equipped, comfortable accommodations long-range motor yacht can deliver clients to the many locations along the archipelago that clients have requested.
Rudi Khelces, CEO, said, " Passengers were eager to get back to sailing the high seas; we are just beginning to continue our rapid pace of long-term potential double-digit sales increase of the Company."GGSM acquisitions of Yacht and Charter Boat expands our fleet and passenger capacity, for significant growth and solid revenue performance.
ABOUT GGSM CORPORATION
GGSM is a publicly-traded company engaged in the charter boat business in the Mentawai Islands and Beyond. The Kuda Laut's charter vessel is a Mentawai Surf Charter vessel to the World-Famous Mentawai Islands. The Kuda Laut has been chartering to the Mentawai, Telos, Nias, and Banyak Islands for over 25 seasons. From the Lagundri Bay in Nias, the Hinakos, the Bay of Plenty in the Banyaks, the Telos long rights, and the famous waves in the Mentawai, such as Rifles, No Kandui, Ebay, etc., in the Playground, to Telescopes, Bintang, Lances Right.
SAFE HARBOR STATEMENT
This press release contains forward-looking statements that can be identified by terminology such as "believes," "expects," "potential," "plans," "suggests," "may," "should," "could," "intends," or similar expressions. Many forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause actual results to be materially different from any future results implied by such statements. These factors include, but are not limited to, our ability to continue to enhance our products and systems to address industry changes, our ability to expand our customer base and retain existing customers, our ability to effectively compete in our market segment, the lack of public information on our Company, our ability to raise sufficient capital to fund our business, operations, our ability to continue as a going concern, and a limited public market for our common stock, among other risks. Many factors are difficult to predict accurately and are generally beyond the Company's control. Forward-looking statements speak only as to the date they are made, and we do not undertake to update forward-looking statements to reflect circumstances or events that occur after the date the forward-looking statements are made.
For More Information, visit https://ggsmglobal.com
Gold and Gemstone Mining, Inc., Investor Relations
Website: https://ggsmglobal.com
Media Enquiries:
Volha Zvalinskaya
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SOURCE Gold and Gemstone Mining, Inc. | 2023-07-24T16:20:01+00:00 | kwtx.com | https://www.kwtx.com/prnewswire/2023/07/24/gold-gemstone-mining-inc-announces-acquisition-charter-boat-saranya/ |
By KYLE HIGHTOWER
AP Sports Writer
FOXBOROUGH, Mass. (AP) — The NFL went 10 weeks and hundreds of kicks without a player returning a punt for a touchdown. Marcus Jones made the first of the season one to remember.
The New England rookie returned a punt 84 yards for a touchdown with 5 seconds remaining and the Patriots outlasted the stunned New York Jets 10-3 on Sunday.
Jones’ score was the lone TD of the game and broke a stalemate on a day when both offenses struggled to move the ball.
With only 26 seconds showing on the clock when the Jets lined up to kick, Jones thought Braden Mann might punt it out of bounds. Once he got it in his hands and made a few players miss, everything changed.
“Then I seen the punter and I was like, ‘If I make him miss, I should be able to go the distance.’”
He was right.
Jones’ TD was the second-latest game-winning score on a punt return in regulation since 1970, behind only DeSean Jackson’s 65-yarder for Philadelphia with no time remaining against the Giants in 2010.
It was the third straight win for the Patriots (6-4) and their 14th straight over New York. They also denied the Jets (6-4) a chance to move into first place in the AFC East this late in the season for the first time since 2010. Instead, New York dropped to last place.
“I’m in disbelief,” Jets cornerback D.J. Reed said. “It’s a tough loss.”
The Jets haven’t won in Foxborough since the 2010 playoffs when they knocked out the Patriots in the divisional round.
The Patriots moved the ball well at times, with Mac Jones completing 23 of 27 passes for 246 yards. But they were only 4 of 15 on third down and had only one field goal — with Nick Folk missing two attempts — despite getting inside the Jets 30 three times.
New York sacked Jones six times, but managed only 103 yards on offense and six first downs. Zach Wilson was just 9 of 22 for 77 yards, and Mann punted 10 times. In the second half, the Jets had just 2 yards on seven possessions.
Jets coach Robert Saleh said he thought their defense was “outstanding.” He likened the offense’s second-half effort to dog feces. But he said it wasn’t just on the second-year quarterback.
“We couldn’t run the ball. either, so there’s a lot of things that we got to look at to see if we can find some efficiency in the offense,” Saleh said. “It just wasn’t good enough.”
Back-to-back plays involving New York wide receiver Denzel Mims and New England cornerback Jonathan Jones kept the Jets alive late in the fourth.
First, Jones dived in front of Mims and dropped a near interception. Then, Jones was called for defensive holding on Mims, negating what would have been a sack by Mack Wilson.
But New York couldn’t move the ball with their new set of downs and were forced to punt.
“Complete domination. That’s kind of what what we wanted to do,” Patriots defensive lineman Deatrich Wise, Jr. said. “We wanted to stop the run and affect the pass. And I thought we did that.”
SMALL COMPANY
This was the first game in at least the last 40 seasons in which the first TD scored was a defensive or special teams TD in the final minute of the game.
SACK MAN
Patriots linebacker Matt Judon combined with Mack Wilson for a sack early in the third quarter and dropped Zach Wilson for a 9-yard sack on the first play of the fourth quarter to set a career high of 13 1/2 this season.
Only one player in Patriots franchise history has had more sacks in a season: Hall of Famer Andre Tippett, who had 18 1/2 in 1984 and 16 1/2 in 1985.
EARLY ACTION
Field goals by both teams provided all the scoring until the winning punt return.
The Patriots drove to the Jets 6 before settling for a 24-yarder by Folk.
Zach Wilson completed a 34-yard pass to Mims to set the Jets up on the Patriots 25. It stalled there, leading to a 45-yard field goal by Greg Zuerlein.
The Patriots had a chance to add points late in the second quarter when they drove to the Jets 7. But a holding penalty on Yodny Cajuste, followed by a sack on Mac Jones pushed the ball back to the 26. The series ended with Folk’s miss from 44.
INJURIES
Jets: LB Quincy Williams limped off with an ankle injury in the first quarter after combing on a tackle. He returned in the second quarter. … CB Michael Carter II left with a chest injury in the fourth quarter, but returned late. … CB Brandin Echols was able to walk off on his own power after being shaken up on a play in the fourth.
Patriots: C David Andrews left late in the first quarter with a thigh injury and didn’t return. He was replaced by James Ferentz. … LT Isaiah Wynn also left in the first and was ruled out with a foot injury. He was replaced by Trent Brown.
UP NEXT
Jets: Host the Chicago Bears next Sunday.
Patriots: At the Minnesota Vikings on Thanksgiving.
___
AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl and https://twitter.com/AP_NFL
Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission. | 2022-11-23T01:03:11+00:00 | wtmj.com | https://wtmj.com/sports/2022/11/20/marcus-jones-late-punt-return-lifts-patriots-over-jets-10-3-4/ |
Eagles’ Haven Wellness Center in Coral Springs recently received a $600,000 donation from State Rep. Christine Hunschofsky (D-Parkland) and State Sen. Tina Polsky (D-Boca Raton).
“With the trial of the shooter underway, being able to support the community with wellness services and therapeutic support was more important than ever. Eagles’ Haven and the entire Parkland/Coral Springs community are so grateful to Rep. Christine Hunschofsky and Sen. Tina Polsky for this life-changing appropriation of $600,000, representing 50% of our annual budget,” Sarah Franco, CEO of JAFCO, which runs Eagles’ Haven with funding from the Children’s Services Council, said in statement.
The wellness center opened in 2019 at 5655 Coral Ridge Drive, after the mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, and offers crisis intervention, licensed mental health clinicians, navigator services, wellness experiences and classes, all free of charge to students, parents and teachers.
“Eagles’ Haven is such an important resource for the greater Parkland community. This appropriation comes just in time when the federal funding was about to expire. Now these crucial mental health services will remain available thanks to the $600,000 in state funds to continue these services for the community,” Sen. Polsky said in a statement.
Visit eagleshaven.org. | 2022-09-08T21:00:18+00:00 | sun-sentinel.com | https://www.sun-sentinel.com/local/broward/fl-cn-eagles-haven-donation-20220908-uiqdbwfqpbgydbtuzhrkyghiu4-story.html |
WASHINGTON (AP) — For Jonathan Peter Jackson, a direct relative of two prominent members of the Black Panther Party, revolutionary thought and family history have always been intertwined, particularly in August.
That’s the month in 1971 when his uncle, the famed Panther George Jackson, was killed during an uprising at San Quentin State Prison in California. A revolutionary whose words resonated inside and out of the prison walls, he was a published author, activist and radical thought leader.
To many, February is the month dedicated to celebrating Black Americans’ contributions to a country where they were once enslaved. But Black History Month has an alternative: It’s called Black August.
First celebrated in 1979, Black August was created to commemorate Jackson’s fight for Black liberation. Fifty-one years since his death, Black August is now a monthlong awareness campaign and celebration dedicated to Black freedom fighters, revolutionaries, radicals and political prisoners, both living and deceased.
The annual commemorations have been embraced by activists in the global Black Lives Matter movement, many of whom draw inspiration from freedom fighters like Jackson and his contemporaries.
“It’s important to do this now because a lot of people who were on the radical scene during that time period, relatives and non-relatives, who are like blood relatives, are entering their golden years,” said Jonathan Jackson, 51, of Fair Hill, Maryland.
George Jackson was 18 when he was arrested for robbing a gas station in Los Angeles in 1960. He was convicted and given an indeterminate sentence of one year to life and spent the next decade at California’s Soledad and San Quentin prisons, much of it in solitary confinement.
While incarcerated, Jackson began studying the words of revolutionary theoreticians such as Karl Marx and Vladimir Lenin, who advocated class awareness, challenging institutions and overturning capitalism through revolution. Founding leaders of the Panthers, including Huey P. Newton and Bobby Seale, were also inspired by Marx, Lenin and Chinese Communist leader Mao Tse-tung.
Jackson became a leader in the prisoner rights movement. His letters from prison to loved ones and supporters were compiled in the bestselling books “Soledad Brother” and “Blood in My Eye.”
Inspired by his words and frustrated with his situation, George’s younger brother, Jonathan, initiated a takeover at the Marin County Superior Court in California in 1970. He freed three inmates and held several courthouse staff hostage, in an attempt to demand the release of his brother and two other inmates, known as the Soledad Brothers, who were accused of killing a correctional officer. Jonathan was killed as he tried to escape, although it’s disputed whether he was killed in a courtroom shootout or fatally shot while driving away with hostages.
George was killed on Aug. 21, 1971, during a prison uprising. Inmates at San Quentin prison began formally commemorating his death in 1979, and from there, Black August was born.
“I certainly wish that more people knew about George’s writings (and) knew about my father’s sacrifice on that fateful day in August,” said Jonathan Jackson, who wrote the foreword to “Soledad Brother” in the early ’90s, shortly after graduating from college.
Monifa Bandele, a leader in the Movement for Black Lives, a national coalition of BLM groups, says Black August is about learning the vast history of Black revolutionary leaders. That includes figures such as Nat Turner, who is famous for leading a slave rebellion on a southern Virginia plantation in August 1831, and Marcus Garvey, the leader of the Pan-Africanism movement and born in August 1887. It includes events such as the Haitian Revolution in 1791 and the March on Washington in 1963, both taking place in the month of August.
“This idea that there was this one narrow way that Black people resisted oppression is really a myth that is dispelled by Black August,” said Bandele, who is also a member of the Malcolm X Grassroots Movement, a group that raises awareness of political prisoners.
“And what we saw happen after the 1970s is that it grew outside of the (prison) walls because, as people who were incarcerated came home to their families and communities, they began to do community celebrations of Black August,” she added.
The ways of honoring this month also come in various forms and have evolved over the years. Some take part in fasting, while others use this time to study the ways of their predecessors. Weekly event series are also common during Black August, from reading groups to open mic nights.
Sankofa, a Black-owned cultural center and coffee shop in Washington that has served the D.C. community for nearly 25 years, wraps up a weekly open mic night in honor of Black August on Friday. The event has drawn local residents of all ages, many who have shared stories, read poetry and performed songs with the theme of rebellion.
“This month is all about resistance and celebrating our political prisoners and using all of the faculties that we have to free people who are in prison, let me say, unjustly,” emcee Ayinde Sekou said to the crowd during a recent event at Sankofa.
Jonathan Jackson, George’s nephew, also believes that there are largely systemic reasons as to why Black August, and his family history specifically, are not widely taught.
“It’s difficult sometimes for radicals who were not assassinated, per se, to enter into the popular discourse,” he said. “George and Jonathan were never victims. They took action, and they were killed taking that action, and sometimes that’s very difficult to understand for people who will accept a political assassination.”
Jackson hopes to honor his father’s and uncle’s legacy through documenting the knowledge of elders from that era, as a means of continuing the fight.
“We need to get those testimonies. … We need to understand what happened, so that we can improve on what they did. I think now is as good a time as any to get that done,” he said.
___
Associated Press writers Aaron Morrison and Terry Tang contributed to this report.
___
Almaz Abedje, a native of the D.C. area, is a member of AP’s Video Newsgathering team. Follow her on Twitter at https://www.twitter.com/almazabedje. | 2022-08-25T12:48:30+00:00 | kfor.com | https://kfor.com/news/national/ap-us-news/ap-black-august-uplifted-as-alternative-black-history-month/ |
MILWAUKEE, Wis. — Milwaukee Marathon announced Wednesday that it's bringing back its half marathon and 5K for the first time since 2019!
The half and 5K are scheduled for March 26, with the finish line to be set up outside of Fiserv Forum.
In a Facebook post, Milwaukee Marathon said it's been working with the city since 2019 to bring the race back but had issues that were out of its control. This year, however, the city approved Milwaukee Marathon's permit!
While the full marathon will not happen in 2023, the organization said it's working to bring it back for 2024.
Runners will be able to take the city on on-foot and explore areas like McKinley Park and the Deer District. The whole race is presented by the Milwaukee Bucks, hence the finish line being at Fiserv Forum!
Registration for the race is open now. Click here for more information. | 2023-02-08T20:43:47+00:00 | tmj4.com | https://www.tmj4.com/news/local-news/milwaukee-marathon-to-host-half-marathon-5k-this-march |
NEW YORK (AP) — A First Amendment group sued Texas Governor Greg Abbott and others on Thursday over the state’s TikTok ban on official devices, arguing the prohibition – which extends to public universities – is unconstitutional and impedes academic freedom.
The complaint was filed by The Knight First Amendment Institute at Columbia University, a free speech group in New York that’s suing on behalf a coalition of academics and researchers who study technology’s impact on society.
The lawsuit said the state’s decision to restrict access to TikTok on official devices, as well as on personal devices used to conduct state business, is comprising teaching and research. And more specifically, it said it was “seriously impeding” faculty pursuing research into the app – including research that could illuminate or counter concerns about TikTok.
Critics of TikTok have claimed the popular social media app, owned by Chinese parent company ByteDance, could push pro-Beijing propaganda on its platform or hand U.S. user data over to the Chinese government if compelled under the country’s national intelligence laws.
TikTok has long maintained it hasn’t handed over any U.S. data to the Chinese government and says it wouldn’t do so if asked. To fend off the accusations, the company is overseeing a project to store U.S. user data on servers maintained by the software giant Oracle. But the scrutiny hasn’t diminished.
Congress, the White House and other Western governments have banned TikTok use on official devices, citing espionage fears.
Texas implemented its own ban in December as a flurry of similar prohibitions were being put in place by dozens of states and several universities across the country. In June, Abbott signed legislation that codified the ban, which was first issued as an executive order.
In an interview, Jameel Jaffer, the Knight Institute’s executive director, said the group decided to sue Texas after speaking to different professors in the state who’ve been affected by the ban.
The complaint, filed in U.S. District Court for the Western District of Texas, cites one professor, Jacqueline Vickery, who has had to suspend or alter her research projects as a result of the ban. The lawsuit said the ban also precludes Vickery, a professor at the University of Northern Texas, from assigning students in-class work that requires them to access TikTok or pulling up certain videos for reference during class discussions.
University administrators have told Vickery that her applications for an exception will not be considered, according to the lawsuit, which also lists the school system’s chancellor and members of the board of regents as defendants.
“Concerns about data collection and disinformation on social media platforms, including TikTok, are legitimate concerns,” Jaffer said. “The question is whether this kind of ban is a sensible or constitutional response to those concerns. And it’s not.”
Jaffer said the group also sees the lawsuit as an opportunity to push back against larger efforts in Texas “to curtail academic freedom,” pointing to efforts to by state lawmakers to restrict tenure for university professors. Last month, Abbott also signed a bill that bans diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) offices at public colleges and universities.
The coalition group of researchers is asking the court to declare the ban a violation of the First Amendment for university faculty who seeking access to TikTok for research and teaching, and provide exemptions for its members.
A spokesperson for the governor’s office did not immediately reply for a request for comment. | 2023-07-13T16:44:43+00:00 | seattletimes.com | https://www.seattletimes.com/business/first-amendment-group-sues-texas-governor-and-others-over-the-states-tiktok-ban-on-official-devices/?utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=Referral&utm_campaign=RSS_nation-world |
Millions of Americans next month will see a decrease in federal food assistance. The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits that were boosted during the pandemic are going away.
Copyright 2023 NPR
Millions of Americans next month will see a decrease in federal food assistance. The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits that were boosted during the pandemic are going away.
Copyright 2023 NPR | 2023-02-20T10:50:39+00:00 | kvpr.org | https://www.kvpr.org/2023-02-20/millions-who-qualify-for-snap-food-assistance-are-about-to-lose-their-benefits |
ADAMS COUNTY, Colo. (KDVR) — North Metro firefighters said they were responding to an “oil and gas well” fire Tuesday afternoon in Adams County.
Billowing black smoke could be seen for miles from the fire at East 160th Avenue and Quebec Street.
“At this time the fire is contained on the site and there is no public threat,” North Metro Fire Rescue tweeted just before 5 p.m. About 20 minutes later, the fire department said the fire was out and crews were beginning to leave the scene.
Thornton and Brighton each assisted the fire response.
FOX31 is working to learn more about what led to the fire, which company was operating on the property and who owns the property. Check back here for updates. | 2022-10-11T23:55:55+00:00 | kdvr.com | https://kdvr.com/news/local/oil-and-gas-well-fire-160th-quebec-adams-county/ |
For Bat Out of Hell – The Musical grand opening images and b-roll, click here
For Bat Out of Hell – The Musical production images, click here
LAS VEGAS, Oct. 10, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Bat Out of Hell – The Musical celebrated its highly anticipated official opening in its brand-new, immersive theatre at Paris Las Vegas on Oct. 7, 2022. The sold-out audience filled with VIPs, rock fans and musical theatre enthusiasts alike were treated to an electrifying performance of back-to-back hit numbers from Jim Steinman and Meat Loaf's best-selling albums including "Bat Out of Hell" and "Bat Out of Hell: Back to Hell," punctuated by high-octane special effects, pyrotechnics and a colossal set. The 26-member ensemble, live band and larger-than-life choreography transported showgoers into an alluring post-apocalyptic city filled with forbidden love and rebellious youth.
"Jim Steinman and Meat Loaf's jaw-dropping songs soar with an unbelievable all-star cast. With motorcycles, explosions and driving choreography the 85-minute show fits beautifully into the Paris Theater," shared Jay Scheib, Director of Bat Out of Hell – The Musical. "I am so excited for Las Vegas to finally see the cast and crew's hard work, and Jim's dream come to life on stage."
Before curtain call, the cast of Bat Out of Hell – The Musical arrived to its new, permanent home on the Las Vegas Strip on custom motorcycles to pose for photos and greet fans. The special welcome moment marked the musical production's official arrival to Paris Las Vegas. After the 85-minute production and standing ovation, the cast, crew, producers, creative team and invited guests enjoyed a Bat Out of Hell-themed after party fit for a rockstar at Pool á París, nestled under the hotel's Eiffel Tower.
Bat Out of Hell brings to life the legendary ballads of Jim Steinman and Meat Loaf, uniquely capturing the magic and excitement of a musical with the untameable energy of rock n' roll. Bat Out of Hell – The Musical has book, music and lyrics by Jim Steinman, direction by Jay Scheib, musical supervision and additional arrangements by Michael Reed, with choreography adapted by Xena Gusthart, set and costume design by Jon Bausor, original costume designs by Meentje Nielsen, video design by Finn Ross, lighting design by Patrick Woodroffe, sound design by Gareth Owen, orchestrations by Steve Sidwell, original wig designs by Linda McKnight and casting by Louanne Madorma. Bat Out of Hell is produced by Michael Cohl, Tony Smith and David Sonenberg with executive producer Julian Stoneman and managed in Las Vegas by BASE Entertainment.
Bat Out of Hell – The Musical performs Tuesday – Sunday in the Paris Theater with tickets starting at $49 plus tax and applicable fees. A special VIP upgrade will be available upon checkout for those looking to elevate their entertainment experience. Tickets are available now and can be purchased at Ticketmaster.com and BatOutOfHellVegas.com. Connect with the show on Instagram @lvBatOfOutHell, Twitter @lvBatOfOutHell, Facebook @LVBatOutOfHell, YouTube @BatOutOfHell - Las Vegas and TikTok @lvBatOfOutHell.
About Bat Out of Hell – The Musical Cast and Band
The epic tale of rebellious youth and romance is performed by a powerhouse cast, hand selected by the all-star producers, including: Travis Cormier as the coveted starring role of Strat, the immortal leader of The Lost who first received mainstream recognition for his viral audition of "Dream On" on the Canadian version of "The Voice," Alize Cruz, a local Las Vegas entertainer who plays Raven, the stunning daughter and heiress to the Falco fortune, known for her previous roles in the touring productions of "Sound of Music," and "The Little Mermaid," entertainment veteran Travis Cloer, who takes on the role of Falco, the tyrannical ruler and father of Raven, known for his part in the Tony and GRAMMY Award-winning Broadway production of "Jersey Boys" and Anne Martinez as Sloane, wife of Falco and mother of Raven, seen on stages across the Las Vegas Strip for her roles in "Jubilee!," "Showstoppers," "Fantasy," "Zombie Burlesque," "50 Shades the Musical" and much more.
Cormier, Cruz, Cloer, and Martinez are joined on stage by an impressive roster of main characters such as: Mecca Hicks as Zahara, Je'Shaun Jackson as Jagwire, Freddy Lealoukoula as Tink, Mikayla Agrella as Valkyrie, best known for her live performance roles in "Anastasia: The Musical," and "Disney's Beauty and the Beast" and Jared Svoboda as Ledoux, previously seen in productions like "Chicago," "Newsies" and "The Little Mermaid," along with a supporting cast of singers, actors and dancers including: Matthew Ballestero as Markevitch, Kyle Becker as O'Dessasuite, Kris Bona as Esquivel, Connor Crowley as Denym, Mitchell Gray as Hoffman, Joe Hebel as Hollander, Waverly Jade as Kwaidan, Kyle Kuhlman as Goddesilla, Drew Lake as Bessamy, Ally Mendoza as Leibeswoosh, Paige Anne Mills as Mordema, Justine Rafael as Lunarrow, Jeffery Ricca as Vanveeteren, James Simpson as Astrogranger, Rachel Wirtz as Vilmos and Laura Wright as Scherzzo.
The production is also complemented by a live band of well-known guitarists, bassists and percussionists such as: Flint Hawes, famed musical director and conductor, Jake Langley, previously seen on tour with Bobby "Blue" Band, Donnie and Marie Osmond, Willie Nelson and The Righteous Brothers, Tyler Williams, former musical director who performed with Andrea Bocelli and in several Broadway productions, Chris Cicchino, former lead guitarist of "Rock of Ages," Alex Stopa, Las Vegas-based percussionist who has performed alongside Idina Menzel, Aretha Franklin and in "Wicked," "The Lion King" and Mary Poppins, Rachel Julian, whose performance credits include Las Vegas Philharmonic, "Lion King – Las Vegas" and "Hairspray," Dave Richardson, acoustic guitarist and New England folk musician and Angela Chan-Stopa, Las Vegas-based composer and lyricist.
About Michael Cohl
S2BN Entertainment is a diversified live entertainment company, founded by legendary promoter and producer Michael Cohl.
Michael Cohl's career spans over years as a Producer and Promoter for iconic entertainers, having worked with over 150 of the world's most recognized artists including Barbra Streisand, Oprah Winfrey, David Gilmour, The Rolling Stones, Pink Floyd, U2, Michael Jackson, Frank Sinatra and many more. Michael's strategies developed over decades are credited with revolutionizing the touring industry worldwide. Additionally, he's had significant experience in the exhibition world dating back to the original King Tut tour decades ago through Bodies: The Exhibition and Jurassic World: The Exhibition.
Cohl was previously the chairman of Live Nation, was inducted into the Canadian Rock n Roll/Music Hall of Fame, and has received a star on Canada's Walk of Fame. Among his many other awards, Cohl has also been honored with the Billboard Legend of Live Award, the TJ Martell Foundation Man of the Year Award, and a JUNO Award for Special Achievement.
Cohl is the founder and chairman of S2BN Entertainment who are currently developing, producing, and promoting over a dozen properties and entertainers from concerts to musicals and theatre to immersive exhibitions. Some highlights include an upcoming Genesis tour, The Pink Floyd Exhibition: Their Mortal Remains, Jim Steinman's Bat Out of Hell: The Musical, a Ghostbusters exhibition, and a series of new immersive exhibitions. Cohl recently joined forces with CTS Eventim giving him access to one of the strongest global networks of promoters and venues.
About Tony Smith
Tony entered the business as a rock concert promoter and building up a business that included tours by the Rolling Stones, Led Zeppelin and The Who amongst many others not least of which was the first live theatrical performances of the Monty Python touring show. In 1973 having become the largest concert promoter in the UK he sold his interest in the business to Harvey Goldsmith and started a management company and has been manager to Genesis, Phil Collins and Mike + The Mechanics for nearly 40 years and continues to do so. He also manages the interests of Nick Mason of Pink Floyd and together with others manages the continuing activities of Pink Floyd. In the past Tony has been closely involved with the management of Peter Gabriel, Julian Lennon, Peter Frampton and many others. He also managed the career of Stephan Elliott – director of Priscilla: Queen Of The Desert and was closely involved with him during the making of this movie and another Elliott movie Frauds. Tony started a music publishing company in 1975 – Hit & Run Music (Publishing) Limited and successfully built the publishing catalogue through the 80's and 90's. In 1999 Tony sold the company to EMI in a multi-million pound deal.
He is founder and owner of Hit & Run Productions and together with his business partner Hilary Shor produced Eye Of The Beholder directed by Stephan Elliott starring Ewan McGregor and Ashley Judd, which attained the No 1 Box Office in US. During 2005 Tony and Hilary also produced Children Of Men directed by Alfonso Cuaron and starring Clive Owen, Julianne Moore and Michael Caine. Children Of Men on its release in 2006 was received with critical and commercial success and was nominated for 3 Oscars and 3 BAFTAs.
Recently Tony co-produced the musical Rock Of Ages with Michael Cohl in London's West End to great acclaim and success and is currently producing the Bat Out Of Hell musical as well as continuing his management activities for Genesis, Phil Collins, Mike + The Mechanics and Pink Floyd as well as managing his extensive business interests.
About David Sonenberg
David Alan Sonenberg is an American music manager, and the founder of the music management company DAS Communications. Born and raised in New York, Sonenberg received a degree in Theater at Tufts University and a Juris Doctorate at Harvard Law School.
Sonenberg joined the entertainment law firm of Weissberger & Frosch where he represented Broadway and OffBroadway musical productions including Hair, Godspell and Cabaret. Sonenberg then established his own law firm and began DAS Communications Ltd., a fullservice entertainment management company located in New York City. DAS's first management project, Meat Loaf's Bat Out of Hell, set an industry record for a debut album with worldwide record sales to date of more than 60 million.
Clients of DAS Communications include Meat Loaf, Jim Steinman, Jimmy Cliff, Jimmy Iovine, The Spin Doctors, Joan Osborne, The Fugees, Lauryn Hill, The Black Eyed Peas, Fergie, John Legend, Kesha, The Pretty Reckless, Prince Royce and Sean Paul. To date, artists represented by DAS Communications have written, produced, and performed recordings with sales totaling in excess of 400 million records worldwide.
DAS Ventures Ltd., another of the DAS family of companies, entered into agreements with Yoko Ono and the Estate of John Lennon in 1997, which culminated in the launch of The John Lennon Songwriting Contest.
1997 also saw the release of Sonenberg's first film project, the acclaimed documentary When We Were Kings about boxer Muhammad Ali, for which Sonenberg received an Academy Award.
About BASE Entertainment
BASE Entertainment develops, creates, and manages live entertainment productions and venues in North America and worldwide. In addition to Jim Steinman's Bat Out of Hell – The Musical opening at Paris Hotel & Casino in 2022, BASE's current projects in Las Vegas include Criss Angel MINDFREAK, Criss Angel AMYSTIKA at Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino, MAGIC MIKE LIVE Las Vegas at SAHARA Las Vegas. Past productions in Las Vegas include Absinthe at Caesars Palace, Jersey Boys at the Palazzo, Phantom – The Las Vegas Spectacular at the Venetian, An Evening with Whitney: The Whitney Houston Hologram Concert, Rock of Ages at the Venetian, Peepshow at Planet Hollywood, Mat Franco: Magic Reinvented Nightly at the LINQ Hotel & Casino, Million Dollar Quartet at Harrah's, Wayne Brady at the Venetian and Stomp Out Loud at Planet Hollywood, among others. For more information, please visit BASEentertainment.com.
About Paris Las Vegas
Paris Las Vegas brings the passion and sophistication of the City of Light to the heart of the Las Vegas Strip, transporting guests to Europe's most romantic city. Distinctive for its dramatic 46-story replica Eiffel Tower with a free, nightly light show and authentic architectural reproductions, Paris Las Vegas features more than 2,900 recently renovated guest rooms and suites, including Burgundy Rooms. The resort offers an 85,000-square-foot casino; Caesars Race & Sportsbook at Paris Las Vegas; the two-acre Pool à Paris; Las Vegas' first rooftop bar and grill, BEER PARK, spanning 10,000 square feet; Voie Spa & Salon; two wedding chapels; unique French retail shopping located along the resort's Le Boulevard District and the opulent nightlife venue Chateau Nightclub & Rooftop. Guests may enjoy an electrifying performance from "Bat Out of Hell – The Musical," featuring the chart-topping hits of Jim Steinman and Meat Loaf in the Paris Theater. Restaurants include a distinctive array of fine cuisine such as Chef Joho's acclaimed Eiffel Tower Restaurant, French-bistro Mon Ami Gabi and internationally-renowned Gordon Ramsay Steak. Paris Las Vegas also offers quick service options like Brioche by Guy Savoy and a new location of Bobby's Burgers by Bobby Flay. Additionally, the resort is home to Lisa Vanderpump's second Las Vegas venue, Vanderpump à Paris, an all-new Nobu restaurant and The Bedford by Martha Stewart (coming soon). Featuring one of the largest ballrooms in Las Vegas, Paris offers 140,000 square feet of pillarless function space. Paris Las Vegas is operated by a subsidiary of Caesars Entertainment, Inc. (NASDAQ: CZR). For more information, please visit parislasvegas.com or the Caesars Entertainment Las Vegas media room. Find Paris Las Vegas on Facebook and follow on Twitter and Instagram. Must be 21 or older to gamble. Know When To Stop Before You Start.® If you or someone you know has a gambling problem, crisis counseling and referral services can be accessed by calling 1-800-522-4700 ©2021, Caesars License Company, LLC.
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SOURCE Paris Las Vegas | 2022-10-10T16:37:32+00:00 | wlox.com | https://www.wlox.com/prnewswire/2022/10/10/bat-out-hell-musical-goes-full-throttle-sold-out-opening-night-paris-las-vegas-oct-7/ |
Michael Penix Jr., who transfered from Indiana to Washington, has been named the Huskies' starting quarterback, coach Kalen DeBoer said Tuesday.
Penix won the job over sophomore Dylan Morris and redshirt freshman Sam Huard.
DeBoer, who is entering his first season as Washington's coach, was Penix's offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach at Indiana in 2019.
Penix played four seasons at Indiana before entering the transfer portal Dec. 5. He was the Hoosiers' starter for three seasons but struggled to stay on the field, suffering season-ending injuries each year, including ACL injuries in 2018 and 2020.
Penix played five games in 2021 before he separated an AC joint in his throwing shoulder. He finished the season with 939 yards passing, 4 touchdowns and 7 interceptions.
Morris started last season as the Huskies went 4-8, throwing for 2,458 yards, 14 touchdowns and 12 interceptions in 11 games.
Washington opens the season against Kent State on Sept. 3.
ESPN's Paolo Uggetti contributed to this report. | 2022-08-23T19:31:01+00:00 | espn.com | https://www.espn.com/college-football/story/_/id/34448258/washington-huskies-name-michael-penix-jr-starting-quarterback |
GREEN BAY, Wis. — Another former Packers star is headed to the New York Jets to play alongside Aaron Rodgers, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter.
Wide receiver Randall Cobb reportedly is expected to agree to a one-year deal with the Jets.
The news comes after Cobb walked off the field following the Packers' final game last season arm-in-arm with Rodgers.
A reunion: Former Packers’ WR Randall Cobb is expected to agree to a one-year deal with the New York Jets, allowing him to play with Aaron Rodgers in NY, per sources. The two men who walked off the field together in Green Bay now get to do more work to do together. pic.twitter.com/WoBpBbDweK
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) May 3, 2023
Cobb's move to the Jets does not come as a huge surprise. Prior to being traded to the Jets, Rodgers reportedly gave a list of players he would like to see by his side to the team, and that list included Cobb. There were also previous reports that the Jets were interested in acquiring Cobb.
Rodgers is also reportedly a huge reason Cobb returned to the Packers in 2021. He reportedly demanded Cobb's return as a contingency to his own return to Green Bay.
Now, the Jets offense consists of Rodgers, Cobb, and Allen Lazard who signed a 4-year-contract with the Jets earlier this year.
Since the start of his career, Cobb has spent 10 seasons with the Packers. He spent one season with Dallas and another with Houston. Now, he is adding New York to his resume.
The Jets aren't the only team making contract moves. One day before the Cobb news, the Packers and Jordan Love came to an agreement regarding a one-year extension to Love's contract.
It’s about time to watch on your time. Stream local news and weather 24/7 by searching for “TMJ4” on your device.
Available for download on Roku, Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, and more. | 2023-05-03T13:21:26+00:00 | tmj4.com | https://www.tmj4.com/sports/green-bay-packers/randall-cobb-to-sign-one-year-deal-with-ny-jets-report |
School bus with children aboard crashes into New York home
RAMAPO, N.Y. (AP) — Multiple injuries were reported Thursday when a school bus crashed into a house and another vehicle in a suburb north of New York City.
The crash happened just before 9 a.m. in the village of New Hempstead in Rockland County, according to Ramapo Police Sgt. Andre Sanchez.
Video broadcast by television news stations and photos posted on social media showed a yellow school bus resting against a house alongside an overturned car. A path of torn up ground and broken tree limbs stretched up a hill behind the bus. The impact appeared to have crushed the engine compartment on the bus and torn away part of the home’s siding.
News reports said several children and the bus driver were taken to hospitals for treatment. Police did not immediately release details on the severity of their injuries.
Copyright 2022 The Associated Press, Inc. All rights reserved. | 2022-12-01T17:06:29+00:00 | wymt.com | https://www.wymt.com/2022/12/01/school-bus-with-children-aboard-crashes-into-new-york-home/ |
PHOENIX (AP) — The Supreme Court has preserved a federal law giving preference to Native American families when it comes to adopting Native children in foster care. The court’s 7-2 ruling Thursday leaves in place the 1978 Indian Child Welfare Act, which aims to reverse centuries of government-sanctioned efforts to weaken tribal identity by separating Native American children from their families and raising them outside their tribal cultures.
Here are some things to know about the law and the issues around it:
—
WHAT WAS PURPOSE OF THE 1978 INDIAN CHILD WELFARE ACT?
The law requires states to notify tribes when adoption cases involve their members or children eligible for tribal membership, and to try to place them with their extended family, their tribe or other Native American families. It was enacted to address historic injustices: Before the law took effect, between 25% and 35% of Native American children were being taken from their families and placed with adoptive families, in foster care or in institutions. The majority were placed with white families or in boarding schools in attempts to assimilate them. A series of scandals involving the long-closed boarding schools shed light on government-sanctioned efforts to wipe out Native culture by cutting their hair and forbidding them from speaking their languages.
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HOW ARE TRIBAL LEADERS REACTING?
Native American leaders are celebrating the ruling as a huge win. A joint statement by Cherokee Nation Principal Chief Chuck Hoskin, Jr., Morongo Band of Mission Indians Chairman Charles Martin, Oneida Nation Chairman Tehassi Hill and Quinault Indian Nation President Guy Capoeman said they hope it will “lay to rest the political attacks aimed at diminishing tribal sovereignty.” Navajo Nation President Buu Nygren called it a victory for “all Indigenous children and all Indigenous Nations in the United States.” The Native American Rights Fund said 497 tribal nations, 62 Native organizations, 23 states, 87 members of Congress and 27 child welfare and adoption organizations signed onto Supreme Court briefs supporting the law.
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WHAT DOES THIS MEAN FOR THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN TRIBES AND THE U.S.?
Justice Neal Gorsuch set the ruling in the context of a sweeping history of the relationship between tribal nations and state and federal governments, noting that past Supreme Court rulings at times were confusing or contradictory. “Often, Native American Tribes have come to this Court seeking justice only to leave with bowed heads and empty hands,” Gorush said. “But that is not because this Court has no justice to offer them. Our Constitution reserves for the Tribes a place — an enduring place — in the structure of American life. It promises them sovereignty for as long as they wish to keep it. And it secures that promise by divesting States of authority over Indian affairs and by giving the federal government certain significant (but limited and enumerated) powers aimed at building a lasting peace.”
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WHAT WAS THE ARGUMENT AGAINST THE ACT?
Three white families and several Republican-led states including Texas claimed the law is based on race in violation of the equal protection clause and puts the interests of tribes ahead of what’s best for the children. They also argued that the law gives the federal government excessive power over adoptions and foster placements, which are generally overseen by states, and challenged whether Congress even has the authority to pass laws addressing Native American issues. The lead plaintiffs, Chad and Jennifer Brackeen of Fort Worth, Texas, adopted a Native American child after a lengthy battle with the Navajo Nation, one of the two largest tribes in the U.S. The couple wants to adopt the boy’s 5-year-old half-sister, who has lived with them since infancy; the Navajo Nation opposes it. Justices Clarence Thomas and Samuel Alito dissented, with Alito writing that the decision “disserves the rights and interests of these children.”
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WHAT HAPPENS NOW?
Justice Brett Kavanaugh cautioned in a separate concurring opinion that the court didn’t address the merits of whether the law provides an unconstitutional racial preference for Native foster and adoptive parents. “In my view, the equal protection issue is serious,” Kavanaugh wrote, and suggested the court should revisit the issue with plaintiffs found to have proper standing in a state court. Attorney Mathew McGill, representing the Brackeens, said he would press just such a claim. McGill runs the gaming practice for the Gibson Dunn law firm and successfully argued Murphy v. NCAA before the Supreme Court, which gave all states the ability to legalize sports betting to the detriment of tribal casinos around the country. | 2023-06-15T21:23:30+00:00 | seattletimes.com | https://www.seattletimes.com/nation-world/nation/things-to-know-about-the-supreme-court-ruling-upholding-the-indian-child-welfare-act/?utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=Referral&utm_campaign=RSS_all |
RENTON, Wash. (AP) — The Seattle Seahawks released cornerback Sidney Jones on Tuesday shortly after the NFL trade deadline passed.
Jones started 11 games last season and played well in those opportunities for the Seahawks. He was expected to be a starter this year, but injuries opened opportunities for others during training camp and rookie Tariq Woolen and Michael Jackson established themselves as the starters for the Seahawks.
Seattle expects to get promising second-year cornerback Tre Brown back in the next couple of weeks, and Jones’ chances of seeing the field were going to be even more limited.
Jones was a second-round pick by Philadelphia in 2017. He also spent one season in Jacksonville.
Seattle also released wide receiver J.J. Arcega-Whiteside from the practice squad and signed wide receiver Laquon Treadwell to the practice squad. Arcega-Whiteside was acquired by trade from Philadelphia during training camp but didn’t appear in a game for Seattle.
Treadwell was a first-round pick by Minnesota in 2016. He has 104 catches and five touchdowns in 70 career games. | 2022-11-02T05:55:01+00:00 | king5.com | https://www.king5.com/article/sports/seahawks-release-cb-sidney-jones-following-trade-deadline/281-019fa8a6-8b2c-454f-8528-3e13a55d8390 |
SEATTLE – Cannabis regulators have halted operations at several outdoor pot farms and processing facilities on a stretch of former fruit orchards in north-central Washington state after testing found high levels of chemicals related to a dangerous pesticide used decades ago.
The sweeping action announced Thursday night by the state Liquor and Cannabis Board renewed concerns about pesticides in marijuana and put dozens of people at least temporarily out of work just as they were preparing for spring planting.
“We are very concerned about the jobs and businesses, but we felt we needed to get a message out to our licensees and to take action for public safety,” said board spokesperson Brian Smith.
Over the last several months, officials collected samples from grow operations and processors along a nearly 5-mile (8-kilometer) stretch of the Okanogan River north of Brewster, a region of former orchards where fruit growers used the cancer-causing pesticide DDT before the U.S. banned it in 1972.
Marijuana growers in the area are now dealing with the legacy of soil contamination at the orchards. The results of tests at seven licensees showed high levels of DDE, a chemical that remains when DDT breaks down, the board said. Regulators decided to issue “administrative holds” on 16 producer licenses and two processing licenses in the area, forcing them to cease operations until further notice.
It wasn't clear how many businesses were affected, because each one can hold multiple licenses.
One of the businesses, large-scale grower Walden Cannabis, advertises its cannabis as “sustainably sungrown” and “pesticide-free,” but its plants apparently absorbed contaminants from the soil which then wound up in its products. CEO Anders Taylor said he was stunned by the board's action because it had not provided him test results or warned him that the administrative hold was coming.
He called it “completely arbitrary” and said he was trying to figure out if he would have to lay off his employees.
“Orchards used DDT for a generation, and that caused widespread contamination throughout the Pacific Northwest and the whole country, really,” Taylor said. “I'm still trying to process what this means."
Taylor said there are seven licensed grow operations on his property as well as processing operations, with roughly 50 workers in all.
According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, studies have shown that women with high amounts of DDE in their blood were more likely to give birth prematurely or to have a baby with a wheeze.
However, studies have focused on ingestion of the chemical, such as by eating fruit contaminated with pesticide residue; less is known about the effects of inhaling DDE.
Much of the marijuana grown in the area was sold wholesale to other processors. The Liquor Control Board said it is working with the growers and processors to identify which products the tainted cannabis wound up in so they can be tested off the shelf. Officials also asked affected companies to issue recalls.
Cannabis is known for its strong ability to remove contaminants from soil, and it has been studied for use in environmental cleanup. The levels of contaminants can be especially high in marijuana extracts and concentrates.
Due to marijuana's illegal status under federal law, states have largely come up with their own rules about pesticide testing for their cannabis markets, said Gillian Schauer, executive director of the Cannabis Regulators Association, which includes cannabis officials from 35 U.S. states and territories.
There is wide variety among the states about which pesticides are regulated and what their tolerance levels are; it was unknown how many require testing for legacy pesticides or their components, such as DDE.
Regulators in Vermont early this year pulled pesticide-contaminated pot from five retail stores after a customer reported feeling sick, and Nevada officials issued an advisory about widely available products possibly being tainted with an unapproved pesticide.
Over the years, Washington has halted the operations or destroyed product in dozens of cases where cannabis tested above accepted levels for pesticides, but those have involved the recent spraying of unapproved pesticides. This is believed to be the first time the Liquor and Cannabis Board has issued an administrative hold related to the legacy use of pesticides, and it is the first time it has issued a hold covering an entire geographic area rather than an isolated business, the board said in an email.
Washington was one of the first two states, along with Colorado, to legalize the use and sale of cannabis by adults in 2012.
Washington's Liquor and Cannabis Board has long conducted random tests for pesticides on products, including DDE, but they did not require producers to send in samples to state-certified labs for mandatory pesticide testing until last year. Washington was the only state with legal medical and recreational marijuana that had not already done so.
Under Washington's testing requirements, samples sent in by businesses are screened for 59 pesticides. For now, DDE is not one of them, but the board said it would begin making rules to require testing for DDE and a related compound, DDD, in cannabis products — though what form that testing might take and whether it would be required of all growers and processors was not clear.
Washington has also never required soil testing for outdoor marijuana farms. Jeremy Moberg, a licensed marijuana grower who owns CannaSol Farms in Okanogan County, north of the area targeted by regulators Thursday, said he nevertheless tested the soil at the former alfalfa farm he bought for his operation to make sure it was clean.
“I did due diligence, because I knew there was lots of toxic ground in this county due to the historical application of pesticides,” Moberg said. “People who did their due diligence did not buy land on old orchards.” | 2023-04-08T01:58:45+00:00 | local10.com | https://www.local10.com/health/2023/04/07/washington-shutters-pot-businesses-due-to-old-pesticide/ |
A lawsuit threatens to derail what would be the nation’s first publicly funded religious school, St. Isidore of Seville Virtual Catholic Charter School.
The application for St. Isidore of Seville Catholic Virtual Charter School was approved in June by Oklahoma’s Statewide Virtual Charter School Board. But ever since the application came to light, the school has faced looming legal challenges on the horizon.
Monday, nine Oklahomans and Oklahoma Parent Legislative Action Committee — a nonprofit public school advocacy group — came together to file a lawsuit in Oklahoma County’s District Court against the charter school board for its decision, represented in part by the Freedom from Religion Foundation and the American Civil Liberties Union.
At issue are concerns of discriminatory practices, such as students being treated differently for their religion, sexual orientation, gender identity or disability — as well as not providing adequate services for students with disabilities. The suit also lists concerns of student indoctrination, citing language from the school’s application, which says St. Isidore would be “evangelizing [the] mission of the Church.”
“The very idea of a religious public school is a constitutional oxymoron,” said Daniel Mach, director of the ACLU Program on Freedom of Religion and Belief. “Charter schools, like all public schools, must be open to all students, and they must be free from religious indoctrination. St. Isidore will be neither.”
The suit also refers to an improper management structure headed by the Archdiocese of Oklahoma City, which would violate board regulations.
Plaintiffs are asking the court to step in to block St. Isidore from operating as a charter school, stop the charter school board from entering into or implementing any contracts and prevent the state from funding St. Isidore.
State Superintendent Ryan Walters, who was named as a defendant in the lawsuit, issued a statement:
“It is time to end atheism as the state sponsored religion,” Walters said. “Suing and targeting the Catholic Virtual Charter School is religious persecution because of one’s faith, which is the very reason that religious freedom is constitutionally protected. A warped perversion of history has created a modern day concept that all religious freedom is driven from the classrooms.”
Questions still surround the legitimacy of the school board’s decision to approve St. Isidore’s application — brand-new board appointee Brian Bobek wasn’t eligible to vote at that time, according to the Attorney General’s Office. Without Bobek’s vote, the motion wouldn’t have passed.
The Statewide Virtual Charter School Board made headlines recently for voting to hire as its legal representation the Alliance Defending Freedom, a group designated by the Southern Poverty Law Center as a hate group. | 2023-07-31T21:34:23+00:00 | kosu.org | https://www.kosu.org/education/2023-07-31/oklahoma-lawsuit-threatens-to-detail-nations-first-publicly-funded-religious-school |
I was in a accident while delivering packages for FedEX? Is my only recourse workers compensation.
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About Fellerman & Ciarimboli
With more than 40 years of combined experience, the personal injury attorneys at Fellerman & Ciarimboli strive to provide the best service to clients in Philadelphia, Northeast Pennsylvania, and throughout the Keystone State. We’re dedicated to getting our clients every dollar that they deserve and not a penny less. We do this through hard work, attention to detail, keeping our clients informed, and making sure our clients’ voices are heard. We are confident that you and your family will be compensated for your pain and suffering. | 2023-03-22T13:14:25+00:00 | pahomepage.com | https://www.pahomepage.com/news/the-law-and-you/i-was-in-a-accident-while-delivering-packages-for-fedex-is-my-only-recourse-workers-compensation/ |
A rowdy and energetic crowd of Trump supporters eagerly awaited his arrival to Erie Insurance Arena.
When the former president finally arrived, he was met with roars and cheering.
Trump said his trip back to Erie will be the first of many as he looks to get back on the campaign trail.
The former president addressed many topics, including the recent indictment charges he’s facing.
“They waited two and a half, almost three years, so that they could bring this up right in the middle of my presidential election because it’s election interference. They’re crooked people,” Former President Trump said. “You know they’re not indicting me; they’re indicting you. I just happen to be standing in their way that’s all it is.”
Trump doubled down on his claims regarding the Biden family. . . Pointing the finger at recent investigations into international relations.
“Until the FBI, DOJ, and IRS hand over every scrap of paper they have on the Biden Crime Families corrupt businesses dealings. We have to know, and the public deserves to know,” Trump said.
Election reform was another talking point of the former president who is still saying that the 2020 presidential election was rigged.
Trump said if he returns to office, his goal is to have one day voting with only paper ballots.
Former President Trump was receiving support from all over Pennsylvania including U.S. Representative Mike Kelly.
“I’m asking you to put in your mouthpiece, pull down your helmet, tighten your chin strap, and let’s go out and win. Win, let’s go win, let’s go win! This is Trump Country; this is a Trump nation,” Representative Kelly said.
At Saturday night’s rally, Trump vowed tackle several issues including inflation, the housing market, wages, gas prices, defend Pennsylvania energy jobs and end a war on fracking amongst other things.
“And we will make America Great Again. Thank you, Pennsylvania,” Trump said.
Trump’s full speech can be watched here. | 2023-07-30T17:07:20+00:00 | pahomepage.com | https://www.pahomepage.com/news/state-news/former-president-trump-talks-indictment-election-fraud-more-in-return-to-erie/ |
WASHINGTON (AP) — The FBI investigators who searched Harold Martin’s Maryland property in the fall of 2016 found classified documents — including material at the top secret level — strewn about his home, car and storage shed.
Unlike former President Donald Trump, the former National Security Agency contractor didn’t contest the allegations, ultimately pleading guilty in 2019 and admitting his actions were “wrong, illegal and highly questionable.” But his expressions of contrition and guilty plea to a single count of willful retention of national defense information didn’t spare him the harsh punishment of nine years in prison.
The resolution of that case looms as an ominous guidepost for the legal jeopardy Trump could face as he confronts 37 felony counts — 31 under the same century-old Espionage Act statute used to prosecute Martin and other defendants alleged to have illegally retained classified documents. Even many like Martin who have pleaded guilty and accepted responsibility have nonetheless been socked with yearslong prison sentences.
“When they decide to pursue a willful mishandling case, it’s to send a message: that we take these cases very seriously,” said Michael Zweiback, a defense lawyer and former Justice Department prosecutor. “They almost always are seeking jail time.”
How much prison time the former president could face in the event of a conviction is impossible to say, with such a decision ultimately up to the trial judge — in this case, a Trump appointee who has already demonstrated a willingness to rule in his favor. It’s also hard to know the extent to which other factors — including the logistical and political complications of jailing a former president — might play a role.
The Espionage Act offense is punishable by up to 10 years in prison, though it’s rare for first-time federal offenders to get close to the maximum. But beyond the retention, prosecutors have also identified multiple aggravating factors in Trump’s alleged conduct, accusing him of seeking to enlist others — including a lawyer and aides — to hide the records from investigators and showing off some to visitors. Some of the other counts in the indictment, including conspiracy to obstruct justice, call for up to 20 years in prison.
Justice Department prosecutors in recent years have used the Espionage Act provision against a variety of defendants, including a West Virginia woman who retained an NSA document related to a foreign government’s military and political issues. Elizabeth Jo Shirley pleaded guilty in 2020 to a willful retention count and was sentenced to eight years in prison.
This month, a retired Air Force intelligence officer named Robert Birchum was sentenced to three years in prison after pleading guilty to keeping classified files at his home, his overseas officer’s quarters and a storage pod in his driveway.
Many defendants have pleaded guilty, rather than face trial, though not all have gone to prison. Trump — who also faces charges related to hush-money payments in New York state court — has shown no signs that he could be headed toward a plea deal, vigorously insisting he is innocent and personally attacking Justice Department special counsel Jack Smith hours after appearing in Miami federal court Tuesday.
Despite the details in the indictment, Trump does have some avenues to try to contest the charges.
For one thing, he’s drawn Judge Aileen Cannon, who sided with Trump last year in the former president’s bid to appoint a special master to conduct an independent review of the seized classified documents. Citing the “stigma” she said was associated with an FBI search of Trump’s home, she said a “future indictment” based on items that should’ve been returned to Trump “would result in reputational harm of a decidedly different order of magnitude.”
A three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit unanimously overturned her ruling, which was widely criticized by legal experts as extraordinary and unusually broad.
Over the next several months, Cannon will make decisions that will shape the trial, including how quickly it will happen and whether any evidence will be kept out.
Prosecutors also face the challenge in Florida — where Republicans have made steady inroads in recent years — of a jury pool likely to be more favorable to Trump than if the case were tried in overwhelmingly Democratic Washington, D.C.
Still, “I think that it might very well be that Jack Smith welcomes a Florida jury because if there is a conviction, it will be much harder to say, ‘Well, that jury was somehow anti-Trump,’” said Stephen Saltzburg, a George Washington University law school professor and former Justice Department official.
Experts anticipate Trump’s lawyers to echo the former president’s public remarks in trying to get the case dismissed by arguing he was entitled to have the documents and is the victim of prosecutorial overreach. Trump could also try to block prosecutors from being able to use key evidence, such as notes from his lawyer detailing conversations with the former president.
If the case gets to trial, experts say Trump’s attorneys may attempt what’s called “jury nullification” or try to convince jurors that he should be acquitted even if they believe Trump broke the law because the violation wasn’t serious enough to warrant charges and he is being singled out.
“The theme of the defense can be riddled with suggestions of unfairness and selective prosecution — basically trying to convince a jury that even if the former president did what the government says he did, none of this should have ever ended up in a criminal prosecution,” said Robert Mintz, a defense attorney and former Justice Department prosecutor.
Robert Kelner, a Washington criminal defense lawyer, said while an outright acquittal seems unlikely given the volume of evidence, a pathway for a mistrial exists if Trump attorneys can persuade even one juror to acquit on grounds that the president enjoyed the absolute authority to declassify information.
That authority ended the moment Trump left the presidency, but even so, “some jurors will likely find it hard to rationalize convicting him for something that he previously had the absolute authority (to do) simply because he didn’t file the right forms and do it at the right time,” Kelner said.
In the end, facing a mountain of evidence and the prospect of years in prison, Trump’s best hope may be a tactic he often pursues: Delay, delay, delay, said Cheryl Bader, a former federal prosecutor and head of Fordham University Law School’s Criminal Defense Clinic.
“His best defense may be to try to ride out the election cycle, be elected as president and therefore be in charge of the Justice Department before the case goes to trial,” she said.
_____
Richer reported from Boston. | 2023-06-16T13:12:36+00:00 | wjhl.com | https://www.wjhl.com/news/politics/how-much-prison-time-could-trump-face-past-cases-brought-steep-punishment-for-document-hoarders/ |
New study aims to set priorities for supporting health through food and agriculture by developing a National Roadmap for Responsive Agriculture Solutions
COLLEGE STATION, Texas, May 10, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Texas A&M's Institute for Advancing Health Through Agriculture (IHA) is spearheading a study that focuses on advancing the concept of responsive agriculture and is seeking experts and leaders in the agriculture-food value chain to serve one of its three committees. The committees, along with a recently named Task Force, will help develop a road map to achieve responsive agriculture, an agricultural system and food environment that supports health through nutrition while ensuring the system is economically robust and environmentally sustainable for future generations.
To help facilitate this effort, the IHA has partnered with the Chicago Council on Global Affairs' Center on Global Food and Agriculture (the Chicago Council) to organize and harness the synergy of these diverse and important committees toward this effort. The new study, titled "A National Roadmap for Responsive Agriculture Solutions," has already convened a nationwide expert Task Force to guide the development of a national roadmap on priorities that will enable responsive agriculture solutions across the nation. Over the next 18 months, the Task Force will be informed by three committees in the domains of 1) chronic disease reduction, 2) agricultural ecosystems and agriculture-food value chain and 3) securing nutrition equity.
The IHA is seeking experts and leaders to serve on these three committees from across the full spectrum of agriculture-food value chain, including researchers engaged in scientific research and applied agricultural technologies, decision-makers, public health professionals, food and agriculture related industry representatives, professional societies, consumers and policy and medical experts. The intent is to bring together experts who may not traditionally routinely interact or work collaboratively, yet collectively hold the synergistic and unique potential to advance responsive agriculture.
"A collaborative effort of this magnitude is essential to realize the concept of responsive agriculture. We believe that convening experts in this arena will pave the way by creating a roadmap to ultimately reduce diet-related chronic diseases," said Patrick Stover, Ph.D., director of the IHA and chair of the Task Force.
The Task Force is charged with guiding the development of a final consensus report—a roadmap for action with recommendations useful for various stakeholders across food and health systems, policymakers, funding agencies and decision-makers in the private and public sectors. The expected release date of the Responsive Agriculture Roadmap is mid- to late- 2024.
"With the Task Force, we can use science-driven solutions to improve human health by transforming the food system and environment to achieve equitable access through choices that promote health and nutrition through food," said Peggy Yih, managing director of the Center on Global Food and Agriculture at the Chicago Council and the Task Force staff study director. "The Chicago Council is incredibly excited to partner with the IHA to facilitate these efforts to enable responsive agriculture solutions to benefit the nation."
Task Force members include:
- Patrick Stover, Ph.D. (chair), IHA Director
- Regan Bailey, Ph.D., IHA Associate Director for Precision Nutrition
- Catherine Bertini, Chicago Council Distinguished Fellow
- Dan Gustafson, Ph.D., Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, Special Representative of the Director-General
- Scott Hutchins, former USDA Deputy Undersecretary for Research, Education, and Economics; Global R&D Leader for Dow AgroSciences (now Corteva AgriScience), retired
- A.G. Kawamura, Solutions from the Land Founding Co-Chair
- Elizabeth Parker, D.V.M., IHA Associate Director of International Programs and Strategic Initiatives
- Rebecca Seguin-Fowler, Ph.D., IHA Associate Director for Healthy Living
- Pam Starke-Reed, Ph.D., United States Department of Agriculture – Agricultural Research Service Deputy Administrator for Nutrition, Food Safety, and Quality
- Bernhard van Lengerich, Ph.D., Seeding The Future Foundation Founder and CEO, General Mills Inc. former Chief Science Officer
Nominations close on June 7, 2023. To learn more about the study, the Task Force, the charges for each of the committees, or the call for nominations, please visit https://iha.tamu.edu/responsive-agriculture-study/.
The United States Department of Agriculture Agricultural Research Service (USDA ARS) is funding the efforts for this study.
About Texas A&M Institute for Advancing Health Through Agriculture
The IHA is the world's first research institute to bring together precision nutrition, responsive agriculture, and behavioral research to reduce diet-related chronic disease in a way that considers environmental and economic effects. The institute partners with the USDA-ARS Responsive Agricultural Food Systems Research Unit, in which researchers work with other USDA-ARS programs and land-grant universities nationwide to bring big data, state-of-the-art sensors and computational systems approaches to responsive agriculture, precision nutrition, and behavioral research.
About the Chicago Council on Global Affairs
Founded in 1922, the Chicago Council on Global Affairs is a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization dedicated to increasing knowledge and engagement in global affairs. Our in-depth analysis and expert-led research influence policy conversations and inform the insights we share with our growing community. Through accessible content and open dialogue of diverse, fact-based perspectives, we empower more people to help shape our global future. Learn more at globalaffairs.org.
Media Contact
Kendall Bassett
Texas A&M University
Institute for Advancing Health Through Agriculture
kendall.bassett@ag.tamu.edu
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SOURCE Texas A&M Institute for Advancing Health Through Agriculture | 2023-05-10T20:37:45+00:00 | kwtx.com | https://www.kwtx.com/prnewswire/2023/05/10/texas-aampm-institute-advancing-health-through-agriculture-seeks-experts-support-study-responsive-agriculture/ |
COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Wilfried Nancy was hired Tuesday to coach Major League Soccer's Columbus Crew, replacing Caleb Porter.
Nancy was born in France and spent the last two seasons as coach of CF Montreal, which agreed to release Nancy and some of his assistants in exchange for compensation.
Montreal had a team-best 20 wins, nine losses and five draws last season, finishing second in the Eastern Conference.
Porter was fired in October, one day after Columbus failed to make the playoffs.
Porter had a regular-season record of 45 wins, 43 losses and seven draws in four seasons and won the MLS Cup in 2020. But the Crew missed the playoffs in his three other seasons.
___
AP World Cup coverage: https://apnews.com/hub/world-cup and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports | 2022-12-06T17:12:29+00:00 | daytondailynews.com | https://www.daytondailynews.com/news/ohio/nancy-hired-as-coach-of-mlss-columbus-leaves-montreal/5LBADM6AMBBZHHVI4THLMGEVJQ/ |
CHICAGO, Jan. 10, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Metafora, the leading consulting & software development firm for transportation, logistics, and supply chain businesses, has successfully completed a System and Organization Controls (SOC) 2 Type II audit, performed by Sensiba San Filippo, LLP (SSF).
Developed by the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA), the SOC 2 information security standard is an audit report on the examination of controls relevant to the trust services criteria categories covering security, availability, processing integrity, confidentiality and privacy. A SOC 2 Type II report describes a service organization's systems and whether the design of specified controls meets the relevant trust services categories, and assesses the effectiveness of those controls over a specified period of time. Metafora's SOC 2 Type II report did not have any noted exceptions and therefore was issued with a "clean" audit opinion from SSF.
Kevin Jenkins, Director of Technology at Metafora explains, "Metafora chose to pursue a SOC 2 Type II report as it's the most comprehensive - it not only independently verifies that we have the design of the controls in place, but also that they're operating effectively over a period of time. We want to give our clients the highest level of assurance possible when it comes to information security."
Steven Godfrey, Chief Delivery Officer at Metafora, adds, "As we begin to launch products, it is imperative that we are able to show our customers that we have the appropriate security controls in place to safeguard their data and information. We believe that SOC 2 compliance is the industry standard in this regard."
SOC 2 reports provide assurance over internal controls related to data security and privacy. Companies use SOC 2 reports to prove to internal and external stakeholders that they are securing data according to best practices. SOC 2 compliance is a requirement when considering a SaaS provider for security-conscious businesses.
Metafora is a business consulting and software development firm that exclusively serves the transportation, logistics, and supply chain space. Metafora partners with carriers, shippers, and freight tech vendors to help them optimize their business and develop tech strategy to fuel their growth.
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SOURCE Metafora | 2023-01-11T01:06:59+00:00 | wagmtv.com | https://www.wagmtv.com/prnewswire/2023/01/10/metafora-announces-soc-2-compliance/ |
Former Vice President Mike Pence in Iowa Wednesday will make his campaign for the GOP presidential nomination official. There are questions about how he'll go up against former President Donald Trump.
Copyright 2023 NPR
Former Vice President Mike Pence in Iowa Wednesday will make his campaign for the GOP presidential nomination official. There are questions about how he'll go up against former President Donald Trump.
Copyright 2023 NPR | 2023-06-07T10:41:00+00:00 | kpcc.org | https://www.kpcc.org/2023-06-07/mike-pence-will-celebrate-his-birthday-by-announcing-his-gop-presidential-bid |
LAS VEGAS (KLAS) — A strong earthquake earlier this week in Mexico triggered four-foot waves in Death Valley’s Devils Hole.
Measuring 7.6 on the Richter scale, Monday’s earthquake was centered about a hundred miles southeast of Guadalajara. Two people were killed in the Pacific coast state of Colima.
The quake hit at 11:05 a.m. PT Monday and it took 22 minutes to have an effect 1,500 miles away in Devils Hole in Death Valley National Park.
Devils Hole is a limestone cave hundreds of feet deep and is home to the endangered Devils Hole pupfish that depend upon algae growing on a shallow, sunlit shelf.
Video courtesy Ambre Chaudoin/NPS
The National Park Service said the water in Devils Hole began sloshing around and by 11:35, waves were reaching about four feet high. One member of the park service was able to capture video, seen above, of the so-called “desert tsunami.”
Monday’s waves stirred the sediment and rocks on the shallow shelf, according to the park service, and removed much of the algae growth. This will likely reduce the food available to the pupfish.
“The pupfish have survived several of these events in recent years,” said Kevin Wilson, National Park Service aquatic ecologist, in a Wednesday news release from the park. “We didn’t find any dead fish after the waves stopped.”
Earlier this month, remnants of Hurricane Kay, which made landfall in Mexico, caused waterfalls to form in Death Valley. The nation’s hottest and driest national park saw intense flooding due to the storm, blocking traffic and causing a tour bus to become stuck in soft sand.
The Associated Press contributed to this report. | 2022-09-22T12:50:25+00:00 | siouxlandproud.com | https://www.siouxlandproud.com/news/national-news/watch-mexico-earthquake-causes-desert-tsunami-in-death-valley/ |
- This first direct infrastructure investment in Japan by global investment group CDPQ will allow Shizen Energy to grow in Japan and in key international markets.
- With this announcement, Shizen Energy's fundraising initiatives total over JPY 74.4 billion (USD 502 million) this year.
TOKYO and MONTRÉAL, Oct. 24, 2022 /PRNewswire/ - Shizen Energy Inc. (Shizen Energy), a renewable energy leader in Japan, and CDPQ, a global investment group, are pleased to announce a JPY 20-billion (USD 135-million) investment in Shizen Energy. Shizen Energy and CDPQ have also agreed to a co-investment framework, which will involve potential investments of JPY 50 billion (USD 339 million) by CDPQ.
This investment by CDPQ will allow Shizen Energy to accelerate its ongoing renewable power plant development activities, business enhancement initiatives in energy digitalization, and human capital expansion in key markets. Following this transaction, CDPQ has obtained a seat on the Board of Directors of Shizen Energy.
In Japan, Shizen Energy will continue to develop a variety of renewable energy sources, including ground and roof-mounted solar power, agri-solar power, onshore and offshore wind power, small-scale hydroelectric power, and biomass power. In addition, Shizen Energy will conduct further research and development of its proprietary energy management systems to effectively utilize renewable energy. For its overseas projects, Shizen Energy will continue to accelerate on-site and off-site PPA in southeast Asia and Brazil and will aim to work on large-scale solar and wind power generation projects in partnership with leading local companies.
Emmanuel Jaclot, Executive Vice-President and Head of Infrastructure at CDPQ, said: "This transaction in Japan is an important milestone in the deployment of CDPQ's long-term Asia-Pacific infrastructure strategy. Japan has a crucial role to play in the decarbonation of Asia, and as an investor with deep experience in renewable energy, we are delighted to be working with the Shizen team to deliver on their ambitious plan for the energy transition."
Shizen Energy's Co-founders and Directors Ken Isono, Masaya Hasegawa, and Kenji Kawado stated: "We are very honoured to form this partnership with CDPQ, which has been moving toward sustainable management for decades and is currently investing in the realization of a decarbonized society from a long-term perspective. Shizen Energy has been striving to achieve its purpose of 'We take action for the blue planet', and we feel that even greater speed is required to resolve global warming and energy challenges. Through our collaboration with CDPQ, we will accelerate our global actions for the future of this Earth."
With "We take action for the blue planet" as its purpose, Shizen Energy will continue to tirelessly promote renewable energy to serve the needs of local communities and strive to build a sustainable society by using its expertise in renewable power development, operations & maintenance and digital solutions in Japan and overseas.
Founded in June 2011. With the company purpose of "We take action for the blue planet", the company's business includes development, financing, and asset management of renewable energy power plants using solar power, wind power, small-scale hydroelectric power, and biomass. Since 2016, the company has also been focusing on its overseas operations, expanding its development and power generation projects in areas such as Southeast Asia and Brazil. In 2019, the company also entered the energy tech business, offering micro-grid and VPP construction, smart charging and discharging services for EVs, and other services through its self-developed EMS (energy management system). Shizen Energy Group has been involved in more than 1 GW of renewable energy generation in Japan and overseas.
At CDPQ, we invest constructively to generate sustainable returns over the long term. As a global investment group managing funds for public pension and insurance plans, we work alongside our partners to build enterprises that drive performance and progress. We are active in the major financial markets, private equity, infrastructure, real estate and private debt. As at June 30, 2022, CDPQ's net assets totalled CAD 391.6 billion. For more information, visit cdpq.com, follow us on Twitter or consult our Facebook or LinkedIn pages.
CDPQ is a registered trademark owned by Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec and licensed for use by its subsidiaries.
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SOURCE CDPQ | 2022-10-24T06:18:47+00:00 | ksla.com | https://www.ksla.com/prnewswire/2022/10/24/shizen-energy-cdpq-announce-jpy-70-billion-usd-474-million-investment-by-cdpq-accelerate-energy-transition-japan-key-international-markets/ |
WASHINGTON (AP) — Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg sent a letter Sunday to the CEO of Norfolk Southern, warning that the freight rail company must “demonstrate unequivocal support for the people” of East Palestine, Ohio, and surrounding areas after a fiery train derailment led to the release of chemicals and residents expressing concerns about their health.
“Norfolk Southern must live up to its commitment to make residents whole — and must also live up to its obligation to do whatever it takes to stop putting communities such as East Palestine at risk,” Buttigieg wrote. “This is the right time for Norfolk Southern to take a leadership position within the rail industry, shifting to a posture that focuses on supporting, not thwarting, efforts to raise the standard of U.S. rail safety regulation.”
Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine said Friday that the chemicals that spilled into the Ohio River are no longer a risk, even as people in the community say they have constant headaches and irritated eyes. The state plans to open a medical clinic in the village of 4,700 to analyze their symptoms, despite repeated statements that air and water testing has shown no signs of contaminants.
Still, uncertainty persists about the consequences of a derailment that occurred roughly two weeks ago.
Peter DeCarlo, a professor of environmental health and engineering at Johns Hopkins University, told ABC News on Sunday that more testing is needed to determine which chemicals are present.
“We just don’t have the information we need to understand what chemicals may be present,” DeCarlo said. “We know it started as vinyl chloride, but as soon as you burn that all bets are off. You have a lot of chemical byproducts that can happen from a combustion process like that.”
Asked if he would move back to East Palestine if he were already living there, DeCarlo said: “I have two little boys. I would not.”
Norfolk Southern CEO Alan Shaw issued a statement on Saturday that he “returned to East Palestine today to meet with local leaders, first responders, and a group of Norfolk Southern employees who live in the area.”
“In every conversation today, I shared how deeply sorry I am this happened to their home,” Shaw said. The Atlanta-based company has created a website with updates, NSMakingItRight.com.
The transportation secretary’s letter on Sunday came across as a stern warning to Norfolk Southern, saying: “It is imperative that your company be unambiguous and forthright in its commitment to take care of the residents — now and in the future.”
Buttigieg said the National Transportation Safety Board is investigating the cause of the derailment and that the Federal Railroad Administration is also analyzing whether safety violations occurred and will hold Norfolk Southern accountable if violations did occur.
The Environmental Protection Agency has said the company must document the release of hazardous contaminants and outline cleanup actions.
But Buttigieg also said that Norfolk Southern and other rail companies “spent millions of dollars in the courts and lobbying members of Congress to oppose common-sense safety regulations, stopping some entirely and reducing the scope of others.” He said the effort undermined rules on brake requirements and delayed the phase-in for more durable rail cars to transport hazardous material to 2029, instead of the “originally envisioned date of 2025.”
The transportation secretary said the results of the investigation are not yet know, but “we do know that these steps that Norfolk Southern and its peers lobbied against were intended to improve rail safety and to help keep Americans safe.” | 2023-02-20T12:52:42+00:00 | qcnews.com | https://www.qcnews.com/news/politics/election/ap-buttigieg-warns-norfolk-southern-to-support-ohio-community/ |
SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — North Korea’s recent barrage of missile launches were the simulated use of its tactical battlefield nuclear weapons to “hit and wipe out” potential South Korean and U.S. targets, state media reported Monday, as its leader Kim Jong Un signaled he would conduct more provocative tests.
The North’s statement, released on the 77th birthday of its ruling Workers’ Party, is seen as an attempt to burnish Kim’s image as a strong leader at home amid pandemic-related hardships as he’s defiantly pushing to enlarge his weapons arsenal to wrest greater concessions from its rivals in future negotiations.
“Through seven times of launching drills of the tactical nuclear operation units, the actual war capabilities … of the nuclear combat forces ready to hit and wipe out the set objects at any location and any time were displayed to the full,” the North’s official Korean Central News Agency said.
KCNA said the missile tests were in response to recent naval drills between U.S. and South Korean forces, which involved the nuclear-powered aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan for the first time in five years.
Viewing the drills as a military threat, North Korea decided to stage “the simulation of an actual war” to check and improve its war deterrence and send a warning to its enemies, KCNA said.
North Korea considers U.S.-South Korean military drills as an invasion rehearsal, though the allies have steadfastly said they are defensive in nature. Since the May inauguration of a conservative government in Seoul, the U.S. and South Korean militaries have been expanding their exercises, posing a greater security threat to Kim.
The launches — all supervised by Kim — included a nuclear-capable ballistic missile launched under a reservoir in the northeast; other ballistic missiles designed to launch nuclear strikes on South Korean airfields, ports and command facilities; and a new-type ground-to-ground ballistic missile that flew over Japan, KCNA reported. It said North Korea also flew 150 warplanes for separate live-firing and other drills in the country’s first-ever such training.
Cheong Seong-Chang at the private Sejong Institute in South Korea said the missile launches marked the first time for North Korea to perform drills involving army units tasked with the operation of tactical nuclear weapons.
The North’s public launch of a missile from under an inland reservoir was also the first of its kind, though it has previously test-launched missiles from a submarine.
Kim Dong-yub, a professor at Seoul’s University of North Korean Studies, said North Korea likely aims to diversify launch sites to make it difficult for its enemies to detect its missile liftoffs in advance and conduct preemptive strikes.
KCNA said when the weapon launched from the reservoir was flying above the sea target, North Korean authorities confirmed the reliability of the explosion of the missile’s warhead, apparently a dummy one, at the set altitude.
Kim, the professor, said the missile’s estimated 600-kilometer (370-mile) flight indicated the launch could be a test of exploding a nuclear weapon above South Korea’s southeastern port city of Busan, where the Reagan previously docked. He said the missile tested appeared to be a new version of North Korea’s highly maneuverable KN-23 missile, which was modeled on Russia’s Iskander missile.
North Korea described the missile that flew over Japan as a new-type intermediate-range weapon that traveled 4,500 kilometers (2,800 miles). Some foreign experts earlier said the missile was likely North Korea’s existing nuclear-capable Hwasong-12 missile, which can reach the U.S. Pacific territory of Guam. But Kim, the professor, said the missile tested recently appeared to be an improved version of the Hwasong-12 with a faraway target like Alaska or Hawaii.
North Korea released a slew of photos on the launches. One of them showed Kim and his wife Ri Sol Ju, both wearing ochre field jackets, frowning while covering their ears. Some observers say the image indicated Ri’s elevated political standing because it was likely the first time for her to observe a weapons launch with her husband.
Worries about North Korea’s nuclear program deepened in recent months as the country adopted a new law authorizing the preemptive use of its bombs in certain cases and took reported steps to deploy tactical nuclear weapons along its frontline border with South Korea. This year, North Korea carried out more than 40 missile launches.
Some experts say Kim Jong Un would eventually aim to use his advanced nuclear arsenal to win a U.S. recognition of North Korea as a legitimate nuclear state, which Kim sees as essential in getting crippling U.N. sanctions on his country lifted.
Kim Jong Un said the recent launches were “an obvious warning” to Seoul and Washington, informing them of North Korea’s nuclear attack capabilities. Kim repeated that he has no intentions of resuming the stalled disarmament diplomacy with the United States now, according to KCNA.
“The U.S. and the South Korean regime’s steady, intentional and irresponsible acts of escalating the tension will only invite our greater reaction, and we are always and strictly watching the situation crisis,” Kim was quoted as saying.
Kim also expressed conviction that the nuclear combat forces of his military would maintain “their strongest nuclear response posture and further strengthen it in every way” to perform their duties of defending the North’s dignity and sovereign rights.
South Korean officials recently said North Korea maintains readiness to perform its first nuclear test in five years. Some experts say the nuclear test would be related to an effort to build warheads to be mounted on short-range missiles targeting South Korea.
“North Korea has multiple motivations for publishing a high-profile missile story now,” said Leif-Eric Easley, a professor at Ewha University in Seoul. “Kim Jong Un’s public appearance after a month-long absence provides a patriotic headline to mark the founding anniversary of the ruling Workers’ Party.”
“Pyongyang has been concerned about military exercises by the U.S., South Korea and Japan, so to strengthen its self-proclaimed deterrent, it is making explicit the nuclear threat behind its recent missile launches. The KCNA report may also be a harbinger of a forthcoming nuclear test for the kind of tactical warhead that would arm the units Kim visited in the field,” Easley said. | 2022-10-10T20:22:03+00:00 | wjhl.com | https://www.wjhl.com/news/international/ap-n-korea-confirms-nuke-missiles-tests-to-wipe-out-enemies/ |
PANAMA CITY, Dec. 14, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Copa Holdings, S.A. (NYSE: CPA) today released preliminary passenger traffic statistics for November 2022:
Given the irregular nature of the Company's operations starting in March 2020 due to the Covid-19 pandemic, we are comparing this traffic report to 2019 statistics.
Consolidated capacity (ASMs) came in 4.6% higher than in November 2019, while passenger traffic (RPMs) increased by 6.4%. As a result, the load factor for the month was 87.0%, 1.5 percentage points higher than in November 2019.
Copa Holdings is a leading Latin American provider of passenger and cargo services. The Company, through its operating subsidiaries, provides service to countries in North, Central, and South America and the Caribbean. For more information visit www.copaair.com.
CPA-G
PRESS RELEASE CONTACT: Daniel Tapia – Panamá
Director – Investor Relations
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SOURCE Copa Holdings, S.A. | 2022-12-15T05:05:23+00:00 | wcjb.com | https://www.wcjb.com/prnewswire/2022/12/15/copa-holdings-announces-monthly-traffic-statistics-november-2022/ |
The city's Parks Commission unanimously approved a handful of wildly popular summer events Monday night during its monthly meeting.
The commission approved a request from the City of Kenosha for use of Union, Veterans Memorial and Library parks for the annual Kenosha Civic Veterans Parade and related festivities on July 2. The city always holds its Independence Day parade the Sunday before July 4. The parade and related celebrations are expected to draw over 10,000 people to Downtown.
According to city documents, parade set-up would begin the morning of July 28. Take-down of any signage, portable restrooms and structures used would occur the morning of July 3.
The parade itself is set to take place from 1 to 3:30 p.m. The parade route begins on Seventh Avenue at Washington Road and heads south through Sixth Avenue before ending on the west side of Library Park, 711 59th Place.
The commission also approved a request from Kenosha YMCA for use of Library Park the morning of July 2 for the 45th Annual Firecracker Run/Walk, an event that draws hundreds to the area.
The event, which begins at 8 a.m., starts and finishes in Library Park. Participants will run or walk along Third Avenue to Southport Park, 7501 Second Ave., and then return to Library Park.
The request from the city for use of Veterans Memorial Park, 5220 Sixth Ave., on Thursdays between July 13 and Aug. 31 for the free Peanut Butter & Jam concert series was also granted. The lineup has not yet been released.
Commissioner Ald. Jan Michalksi called the series "one of the more popular summer activities that we have."
Lastly, a request from Peacetree Productions for use of Pennoyer Park, 3601 Seventh Ave., from Aug. 3 to 6 for the Peacetree Music Festival was also approved. The festival is set to include over a dozen bands this year. Event details have not yet been released.
"This is becoming a Kenosha tradition and it's always a great festival," said commissioner Ald. Kelly MacKay.
IN PHOTOS: Fourth of July weekend photos in Kenosha County
Zumba with Lili featured traditional Latin dancers during the Civic Veterans Parade on Sunday. Parade organizer Kris Kochman cite this parade entry as one of her favorites. | 2023-02-14T19:44:52+00:00 | kenoshanews.com | https://www.kenoshanews.com/news/local/govt-and-politics/kenosha-parks-commission-oks-summer-events-including-july-parade-firecracker-run-pb-jam-concerts/article_99a1a6ac-ac8a-11ed-a920-d3fe562dde1c.html |
The series “Black Ink Crew: LA,” rebranded from “Black Ink Crew: Compton,” continues with a new episode on Monday, June 5 at 9 p.m. ET on VH1.
Those without cable can watch the mid-season premiere of the show with a free trial through either DirecTV Stream, FuboTV or Philo.
After pondering a move to Los Angeles, owner Caeser Emmanuel has finalized his plans for the Black Ink Crew franchise to move to the West Coast,” FuboTV said in a description of the series.
“Tattoo visionary Danny ‘KP’ Kilpatrick heads up the venture, bringing together a team of talented artists for the first-ever tattoo shop in the city of Compton,” FuboTV added. “Viewers have a front row seat to the daily happenings at the shop as KP learns how to manage the business and his handpicked crew.”
“Drama ensues as the artists face pressure to succeed and fulfill not only their dreams but the dreams of their leader and his community,” according to FuboTV.
The new episode is titled “Keyed Up and Locked Out,” which FuboTV added in a description of the episode “A key issue threatens to lock up KP’s music plans and it’s up to Tim to find a solution; as Kat focuses on finding the perfect home for her family, Nelly zeros in on helping Nessie face her demons.”
How can I watch “Black Ink Crew: LA” without cable?
You can watch the series on FuboTV, on Philo and on DirecTV Stream, each of which offers a free trial for new users.
What is DirecTV Stream?
The streaming platform offers a plethora of content including streaming the best of live and On Demand, starting with more than 75 live TV channels.
What is FuboTV?
FuboTV is an over-the-top internet live TV streaming service that offers more than 100 channels, such as sports, news, entertainment and local channels.
What is Philo?
Philo is an over-the-top internet live TV streaming service that offers 60+ entertainment and lifestyle channels for the budget-friendly price of $25/month. | 2023-06-05T23:33:37+00:00 | masslive.com | https://www.masslive.com/tv/2023/06/how-to-watch-black-ink-crew-la-new-episode-for-free-on-monday-june-5.html |
Migrant laborers who built Qatar’s World Cup stadiums often worked long hours under harsh conditions and were subjected to discrimination, wage theft and other abuses as their employers evaded accountability, a rights group said in a report released Thursday.
The 75-page report by the London-based charity Equidem comes less than two weeks before the Gulf Arab nation hosts the world’s biggest sporting event, with over 1.2 million fans expected to descend on the tiny emirate for the monthlong tournament.
Under heavy international scrutiny, Qatar has enacted a number of labor reforms in recent years that have been praised by Equidem and other rights groups. But advocates say abuses are still widespread and that workers have few avenues for redress.
Qatari officials from the ruling emir on down accuse critics of ignoring the reforms and applying double-standards to the first Arab or Muslim nation to host the tournament.
Equidem says it interviewed 60 workers over a period of two years who were employed across all eight stadiums. All of them spoke to the group on condition of anonymity, fearing retribution.
Workers described illegal recruitment fees that left them deeply in debt before they even started; long working hours in the desert heat and other harsh conditions; nationality-based discrimination in which the most dangerous high-rise work was reserved for Africans and South Asians; unpaid wages and denial of overtime; and verbal and physical violence.
“Fans need to know how this came about, that the stadiums that they’re sitting in (were) built by workers, many of whom were in conditions of what we would call forced labor or other forms of modern slavery,” said Namrata Raju, the lead researcher on the report.
Workers said employers had various ways of avoiding accountability, with one describing how supervisors pulled the fire alarm and evacuated workers from a site before FIFA inspectors arrived.
Qatar bars migrant laborers from forming unions, striking or protesting, and workers said they feared retaliation — including losing their jobs or being deported — if they spoke out.
“The fear of reprisal is exceedingly high,” Raju said, with workers feeling as though “two sets of eyes” are on them because of surveillance by Qatari authorities and employers.
London-based Amnesty International and New York-based Human Rights Watch have documented similar abuses. They also say that while Qatar has dismantled much of its “kafala” system, which tied workers to their employers, many laborers still face retaliation if they try to quit their jobs or go to work for someone else. As a result, some work long hours under harsh conditions for months on end without being paid.
Migrant workers make up a large majority of Qatar’s population and around 95% of its labor force. They have built sprawling infrastructure at breakneck speed since Qatar won hosting rights in 2010, including the stadiums, a high-speed metro system, highways and hotels.
They will serve meals, clean rooms and sweep the streets during the monthlong World Cup. An earlier Equidem report found similar labor abuses at World Cup hotels.
Construction workers mainly hail from poor countries in Asia and sub-Saharan Africa. They typically live in shared rooms in labor camps and go years without returning home or seeing their families. They labor year-round, with reduced hours during the scorching summer months, when temperatures regularly exceed 40 degrees Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit).
Qatari authorities point to a number of steps they have taken to improve labor conditions, including enacting a minimum wage of around $275 a month, limiting the workday when temperatures soar and setting up a fund to compensate workers for wage theft and other abuses.
Asked to comment on the Equidem report, Qatar’s media office said authorities carried out over 3,700 inspections last month and have stepped up enforcement of labor laws, leading to a decline in violations.
“Equidem should encourage the respondents in its report to lodge complaints through the proper channels if they believe a law has been broken,” it said in a statement. “With this information, the Ministry of Labor will investigate companies and take the necessary corrective action, which often includes company closures and compensation for workers.”
The Supreme Committee for Delivery and Legacy, the government body organizing the World Cup, said the Equidem report was “littered with inaccuracies and misrepresentations.” It said reforms introduced since 2014 “have resulted in significant improvements in accommodation standards, health and safety regulations, grievance mechanisms, healthcare provisions, and reimbursement of illegal recruitment fees to workers.”
Raju said the scope of such reforms is limited by the lingering power imbalance between employers and workers.
“When a system of labor discriminates between a national and a non-national and has done so for years, it means that the entire system needs to start to shift, rather than changing one law here, one law there,” she said.
Rights groups worry that the power imbalance will endure and potentially worsen after the World Cup ends on Dec. 18 and the international spotlight moves on. Companies are expected to slash their payrolls once the fans depart, adding to the pressure workers face to stay in line.
Equidem and other rights groups have called on Qatar to enact further reforms and for Qatar and FIFA to set up a larger fund to compensate workers who faced abuses going back to 2010, years before the existing reforms were enacted. FIFA has said it is open to the idea, which enjoys the support of several federations.
Qatar says it is focused on strengthening its existing fund, which it says has paid out over $350 million this year in compensation for work-related incidents and unpaid wages.
Rights groups are also calling for the establishment of a genuinely independent and representative migrant workers center as a first step toward legalizing unions and other forms of collective action, but there appears to be little movement on that front.
Without urgent commitment on both, Equidem says, the World Cup “will leave a legacy of exploitation and unfulfilled promises.”
___
AP World Cup coverage: https://apnews.com/hub/world-cup and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports
___
Follow Joseph Krauss on Twitter at www.twitter.com/josephkrauss. | 2022-11-11T05:33:27+00:00 | kxnet.com | https://www.kxnet.com/sports/ap-rights-group-labor-abuses-widespread-at-world-cup-stadiums/ |
ATLANTA, Dec. 14, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Southern Company's Aerial Services and Mississippi State University's Raspet Flight Research Lab recently reached a milestone on a joint research project that will help expand Southern Company's use of unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) to map critical infrastructure, assess weather-related damage and conduct routine utility inspections.
At a proof-of-concept demonstration in Bay Minette, Ala., the team showcased the capabilities of a large UAS with integrated sensors to gather data that will contribute to the research project, flying 28 miles of transmission assets that included approximately 400 structures.
The team also used a helicopter with a high-resolution camera to capture footage and evaluate its sensor technology and to look at potentially transferring the technology to the large drone in the future.
"This research work is a game-changer," said Mississippi Power President and CEO Anthony Wilson, who chairs the Mississippi State University Foundation. "The data and knowledge we gain through this partnership will help improve safety and reliability, reduce costs and enable us to respond quicker should incidents in our system occur."
The collaboration between Southern Company and MSU will enable the use of larger, more sophisticated drones in pursuing beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS) operations approval from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) for the Southern Company system's inspection and mapping efforts.
"We are proud of the continued research partnership with Southern Company," said MSU Vice President for Research and Economic Development Julie Jordan. "Through investment in this technology, Southern Company is leading the way for broadscale industry adoption. This flight operation and remote sensing research illustrates the profound safety benefits UAS offer to the utility industry and supports not only Southern Company but the industries and citizens that rely on their services."
Next steps for the team are to determine on-board sensor systems that would enable drones to detect and avoid other aircrafts in surrounding airspace and enhance capabilities for communicating with drones from further distance.
Waiver enables remote inspection and mapping
Southern Company's UAS team also recently announced that the FAA has granted Southern Company approval to remotely launch and operate drones at Alabama Power's Plant Barry.
The waiver, the first of its kind obtained by the company, allows advanced BVLOS operations. Operators will use drones to map and inspect stacks, transmission lines and basins at Plant Barry. Compared to traditional manual inspection methods, remotely operated dock-based drones will help perform safer, more efficient recurring inspections of critical infrastructure.
About Southern Company
Southern Company (NYSE: SO) is a leading energy provider serving 9 million residential and commercial customers across the Southeast and beyond through its family of companies. Providing clean, safe, reliable and affordable energy with excellent service is our mission. The company has electric operating companies in three states, natural gas distribution companies in four states, a competitive generation company, a leading distributed energy infrastructure company with national capabilities, a fiber optics network and telecommunications services. Through an industry-leading commitment to innovation, resilience and sustainability, we are taking action to meet our customers' and communities' needs while advancing our commitment to net zero emissions by 2050. Our uncompromising values ensure we put the needs of those we serve at the center of everything we do and are the key to our sustained success. We are transforming energy into social, economic, financial and environmental progress for tomorrow. Our corporate culture and hiring practices have been recognized nationally by Forbes, The Military Times, DiversityInc, Black Enterprise, Fortune and the Human Rights Campaign. To learn more, visit www.southerncompany.com.
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SOURCE Southern Company | 2022-12-14T22:52:00+00:00 | kfyrtv.com | https://www.kfyrtv.com/prnewswire/2022/12/14/southern-company-msu-flight-lab-partnership-reaches-new-heights/ |
A man was hospitalized after an alligator bit him in the face at a Florida lake
An alligator bit a man's face while he was swimming in Lake Thonotosassa in Florida, according to officials.
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission received a call about the incident at around 3:45 p.m. Thursday, according to a statement shared with CNN. Lake Thonotosassa is in Hillsborough County, near Tampa.
The Hillsborough County Fire Rescue transported the 34-year-old victim to the hospital, the fish and wildlife commission said, adding that it dispatched a contracted alligator trapper to the lake and is continuing to investigate the incident.
Around 1.3 million alligators live in Florida, in all 67 counties, according to the commission. The agency recommends people stay away from alligators and avoid handling or feeding them. Nuisance alligators -- those that are 4 feet or longer and believed to pose a threat to people, their pets or property -- are trapped and killed by the agency through its Statewide Nuisance Alligator Program. A total of 9,442 nuisance alligators were killed in 2021, the commission says..
Video: Georgia police capture, relocate alligator
There have been at least three fatal alligator attacks in the U.S this year. In July, an elderly woman died after falling into a lake and being grabbed by two alligators in Florida. Another person was killed by an alligator near a retention pond in South Carolina's Myrtle Beach in June. And a Florida man was killed by an alligator while searching for Frisbees in a lake in late May. | 2022-08-08T09:35:44+00:00 | kcra.com | https://www.kcra.com/article/man-was-hospitalized-after-an-alligator-bit-him-in-the-face-at-a-florida-lake/40830946 |
GRAND RAPIDS, MI — Along with every Grand Rapidian’s favorite red panda couple, John Ball Zoo has added a few new furry and feathered faces ahead of its season opening this coming Friday.
This year, new bald eagles, a snow leopard, a sloth and a member of the raccoon family called a coati have joined the zoo.
The Grand Rapids zoo officially opens for the year on Friday, March 24, and will be open from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Monday through Friday in March and April. The zoo is open 9 a.m.-6 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday.
“We are so excited to welcome our community back for a new season,” said John Ball Zoo CEO Peter D’Arienzo in a prepared statement. “Along with new animals joining the zoo family, we’re looking forward to getting our community excited about conservation of wildlife and wild places. It’s always special to welcome back our families so they can continue learning, having fun and making memories at John Ball Zoo.”
Along with the new zoo animals, new goats and sheep have been added to Red’s Hobby Farm at the zoo following the retirement of eight older animals at the petting zoo last month.
Related: John Ball Zoo holds retirement party for goats, sheep ahead of season opening day
Familiar favorites like red pandas Wyatt and Wasabi, brown bears Yogi and Boo Boo, and the zoo’s Magellanic penguin colony are also on view for visitors.
The 2023 season at John Ball Zoo will include several special events, like the Grand Rapids Lantern Festival from April 19 to June 11 and the Conservation in Color RendeZoo party on June 9.
During the lantern festival, guests can enjoy handcrafted Asian lanterns created in the shapes of zoo animals, illuminating the zoo during the evening hours every Wednesday through Sunday. The lanterns tell a story about the intersection of wildlife and Asian culture in a first-of-its-kind display in Michigan.
Related: Habitat for giraffes, other animals from Africa part of Grand Rapids zoo’s major proposal
Tickets for the zoo can be reserved online at at jbzoo.org/tickets or purchased at the zoo entrance in person. Early season tickets are $14 for adults and $12 for seniors, children under 12, college students and military personnel. Children 2 and under get in free.
John Ball Zoo, at 1300 Fulton St. W, is home to more than 200 species of animals including monkeys, frogs, tigers, lions, penguins, bears and more.
More from MLive:
Michigan’s Best Local Eats: Tasty mile-high deli sandwiches at Matchbox Diner in Grand Rapids
Grand Rapids Whiskey Festival returns to connect lovers with over 250 ‘great flavors’ | 2023-03-20T17:27:51+00:00 | mlive.com | https://www.mlive.com/news/grand-rapids/2023/03/sloth-snow-leopard-join-john-ball-zoo-ahead-of-the-2023-season-opening-march-24.html |
CUTE: Animal Adventure Park welcomes 3 lion cubs
HARPURSVILLE, N.Y. (WBNG/Gray News) -- Animal Adventure Park in New York just added three new members to its family.
Jordan Patch, the owner of the Harpursville park, said African lioness Bisa gave birth to three healthy female cubs.
Each cub was weighed by staff members as part of their daily routine to see the progress of their growth and make sure they were in good health.
According to WBNG, each cub weighed more than 200 grams.
Patch said the cubs will be introduced to the rest of the lion pride within the next few months.
“As our cubs become more mobile and a little stronger, we can start doing controlled lion introductions,” Patch said. “This is done behind the scenes with our keepers.”
Currently, the cubs do not have names, but Patch said the park will ask for the community’s help in that process.
Animal Adventure Park was also home to April the Giraffe, who gained notoriety when the birth of her calf in 2017 was livestreamed. Her birth was watched by over one million viewers.
Copyright 2023 WBNG via Gray Media Group, Inc. All rights reserved. | 2023-04-06T00:37:13+00:00 | kwch.com | https://www.kwch.com/2023/04/05/cute-animal-adventure-park-welcomes-3-lion-cubs/ |
DALLAS — The women's basketball NCAA Tournament was chalk full of shocking upsets, drama, elite individual player performances, and colorful personalities - so it was no surprise to see the national championship give us a little bit of everything.
Kim Mulkey's LSU Tigers surprised everyone by defeating Iowa, 102-85, giving Mulkey her fourth championship and making her the first coach to win championships with two different teams.
LSU did it despite an outstanding performance from perhaps the most exciting basketball player on the planet right now, Caitlin Clark, who had 30 points and a championship record eight three pointers made. She finished the tourney as the all-time record holder in points, assists, and three pointers made - but her team fell short thanks to a balanced effort from the Tigers, as described by Locked on Women's Basketball host Isabel Rodrigues.
"The thing that stuck out to me is that, by halftime, [LSU forward] Angel Reese had taken two shots and the team as a whole had scored 59 points," Rodrigues told Peter Bukowski of Locked on Sports Today. "It was really those role players that came out of the woodwork and really made a difference."
The star for LSU was Jasmine Carson, who came off the bench to drop 21 points in the first half - helping the Tigers build an insurmountable 17 point halftime lead.
Iowa didn't go away, with a 15-2 run in the third quarter, but foul trouble for Clark (punctuated by a questionable technical foul call) put the Hawkeyes in a tough position and they were unable to complete what would have been the biggest comeback in NCAA Tournament history.
Instead LSU wins their first ever championship after multiple Final 4 appearances, and the 102 points dropped are the most ever in a title game.
The personality clash between Clark and Reese helped lead to record TV numbers for the championship game, with ESPN reporting 9.9 million viewers for Sunday's game - a 103% increase from last year.
Women's basketball has been on a steady rise, and this year's excitement should help the sport continue to grow in the coming years. | 2023-04-04T03:21:16+00:00 | 9news.com | https://www.9news.com/article/sports/locked-on/lo-national/locked-on-womens-basketball/angel-reese-and-lsu-topple-caitlin-clark-and-iowa-in-high-profile-womens-ncaa-championship/535-6e5db5a0-37e3-48a7-b7b3-d4da2464afbf |
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) _ The winning numbers in Monday evening's drawing of the Indiana Lottery's "Quick Draw Evening" game were:
03-07-11-14-19-24-29-36-43-44-48-49-54-61-65-66-71-73-74-77, BE: 11
(three, seven, eleven, fourteen, nineteen, twenty-four, twenty-nine, thirty-six, forty-three, forty-four, forty-eight, forty-nine, fifty-four, sixty-one, sixty-five, sixty-six, seventy-one, seventy-three, seventy-four, seventy-seven; BE: eleven) | 2022-06-28T04:01:25+00:00 | ourmidland.com | https://www.ourmidland.com/lottery/article/Winning-numbers-drawn-in-Quick-Draw-Evening-game-17270094.php |
HUALIEN, Taiwan (AP) — The U.S. government will hold trade talks with Taiwan in a sign of support for the island democracy that China claims as its own territory, prompting Beijing to warn Thursday it will take action if necessary to “safeguard its sovereignty.”
The announcement of trade talks comes after Beijing fired missiles into the sea to intimidate Taiwan after U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi this month became the highest-ranking American official to visit the island in 25 years.
Chinese President Xi Jinping’s government criticized the planned talks as a violation of its stance that Taiwan has no right to foreign relations. It warned Washington not to encourage the island to try to make its de facto independence permanent, a step Beijing says would lead to war.
“China firmly opposes this,” Ministry of Commerce spokesperson Shu Jueting said. She called on Washington to “fully respect China’s core interests.”
Also Thursday, Taiwan’s military held a drill with missiles and cannons simulating a response to a Chinese missile attack.
Taiwan and China split in 1949 after a civil war and have no official relations but are bound by billions of dollars of trade and investment. The island never has been part of the People’s Republic of China, but the ruling Communist Party says it is obliged to unite with the mainland, by force if necessary.
President Joe Biden’s coordinator for the Indo-Pacific region, Kurt Campbell, said last week that trade talks would “deepen our ties with Taiwan” but stressed policy wasn’t changing. The United States has no diplomatic relations with Taiwan, its ninth-largest trading partner, but maintains extensive informal ties.
The U.S. Trade Representative’s announcement of the talks made no mention of tension with Beijing but said “formal negotiations” would develop trade and regulatory ties, a step that would entail closer official interaction.
Being allowed to export more to the United States might help Taiwan blunt China’s efforts to use its status as the island’s biggest trading partner as political leverage. The mainland blocked imports of Taiwanese citrus and other food in retaliation for Pelosi’s Aug. 2 visit.
Taiwan’s Foreign Ministry expressed “high welcome” for the trade talks, which it said will lead to a “new page” in relations with the United States.
“As the situation across the Taiwan Strait has recently escalated, the U.S. government will continue to take concrete actions to maintain security and stability across the Taiwan Strait,” it said in a statement.
U.S.-Chinese relations are at their lowest level in decades amid disputes over trade, security, technology, and Beijing’s treatment of Muslim minorities and Hong Kong.
The U.S. Trade Representative said negotiations would be conducted under the auspices of Washington’s unofficial embassy, the American Institute in Taiwan.
“China always opposes any form of official exchanges between any country and the Taiwan region of China,” said Shu, the Chinese spokesperson. “China will take all necessary measures to resolutely safeguard its sovereignty.”
Washington says it takes no position on the status of China and Taiwan but wants their dispute settled peacefully. The U.S. government is obligated by federal law to see that the island has the means to defend itself.
“We will continue to take calm and resolute steps to uphold peace and stability in the face of Beijing’s ongoing efforts to undermine it, and to support Taiwan,” Campbell said during a conference call last Friday.
China takes more than twice as much of Taiwan’s exports as the United States, its No. 2 foreign market. Taiwan’s government says its companies have invested almost $200 billion in the mainland. Beijing says a 2020 census found some 158,000 Taiwanese entrepreneurs, professionals and others live on the mainland.
China’s ban on imports of citrus, fish and hundreds of other Taiwanese food products hurt rural areas seen as supporters of President Tsai Ing-wen, but those goods account for less than 0.5% of Taiwan’s exports to the mainland.
Beijing did nothing that might affect the flow of processor chips from Taiwan that are needed by Chinese factories that assemble the world’s smartphones and consumer electronics. The island is the world’s biggest chip supplier.
A second group of U.S. lawmakers led by Sen. Ed Markey, a Democrat from Massachusetts, arrived on Taiwan on Sunday and met with Tsai. Beijing announced a second round of military drills after their arrival.
Taiwan, with 23.6 million people, has launched its own military drills in response.
On Thursday, drills at Hualien Air Base on the east coast simulated a response to a Chinese missile attack. Military personnel practiced with Taiwanese-made Sky Bow 3 anti-aircraft missiles and 35mm anti-aircraft cannon but didn’t fire them.
“We didn’t panic” when China launched military drills, said air force Maj. Chen Teh-huan.
“Our usual training is to be on call 24 hours a day to prepare for missile launches,” Chen said. “We were ready.”
The U.S.-Taiwanese talks also will cover agriculture, labor, the environment, digital technology, the status of state-owned enterprises and “non-market policies,” the U.S. Trade Representative said.
Washington and Beijing are locked in a 3-year-old tariff war over many of the same issues.
They include China’s support for government companies that dominate many of its industries and complaints that Beijing steals foreign technology and limits access to an array of fields in violation of its market-opening commitments.
Then-President Donald Trump raised tariffs on Chinese goods in 2019 in response to complaints that its technology development tactics violate its free-trade commitments and threaten U.S. industrial leadership. Biden has left most of those tariff hikes in place.
___
McDonald reported from Beijing. | 2022-08-18T20:22:42+00:00 | fox59.com | https://fox59.com/news/national-world/ap-international/us-to-hold-trade-talks-with-taiwan-in-new-show-of-support-2/ |
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Local | 2022-07-05T23:07:56+00:00 | nbcmiami.com | https://www.nbcmiami.com/news/local/hialeah-pregnancy-clinic-vandalized/2798865/ |
Sloth steals the show during European rocket launch to Jupiter
(Gray News) – It was a big day last week for the European Space Agency as it launched its Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer, or JUICE, to explore our galaxy’s gas-giant planet.
However, many viewers of the launch from French Guinea online found themselves distracted by something much more terrestrial than the sights soon to be seen via JUICE.
A sloth, nicknamed Jerry by the internet, could be seen in the field just in front of the launch site and perfectly in the ESA camera’s view.
Despite the potential danger of being near or in a launch site while a launch is taking place, reports on Jerry seem to indicate that he was not injured and is doing just fine after the rocket took off.
With the success of JUICE’s launch, the ESA’s mission to explore Jupiter and its three ocean-bearing moons Ganymede, Callisto, and Europa is well on its way.
The ESA said it plans to examine all of these celestial bodies with a variety of remote sensing, geophysical, and in situ instruments.
The space organization said the mission will also try to determine if these planetary objects could make for possible habitats.
According to Ars Technica, the spacecraft will do three flybys around Earth before launching out to Jupiter by 2031. Once in orbit around Jupiter, the plan is to do dozens of flybys of the planet and its moons until 2034.
Copyright 2023 Gray Media Group, Inc. All rights reserved. | 2023-04-18T22:35:29+00:00 | kmvt.com | https://www.kmvt.com/2023/04/18/sloth-steals-show-during-european-rocket-launch-jupiter/ |
By MOGOMOTSI MAGOME
Associated Press
JOHANNESBURG (AP) — South African police are investigating the discovery of at least 21 bodies suspected of being illegal miners that were found near an active mine in the town of Krugersdorp, west of Johannesburg.
According to police, 19 bodies were discovered on Wednesday afternoon and two more were discovered on Thursday morning. Police said they suspect that the bodies were moved to the location where they were found, which is a privately-owned mine.
“We can confirm that this morning our search and rescue team went back to the scene and, as they were searching, they discovered two more bodies. They retrieved them from an open (mine) shaft,” police spokeswoman Brenda Muridili said Thursday.
Muridili said evidence found on the scene suggested the people did not die where their bodies were found but “no foul play” was suspected. The bodies would undergo autopsies, she said.
The Sowetan newspaper reported that the bodies were those of illegal miners who died when a tunnel at a different mine collapsed, although police declined to confirm that before the results of the autopsies. The Sowetan, quoting an unnamed illegal miner, said the bodies were moved so police wouldn’t find where the illegal mining was taking place.
The grim discovery is the latest in a series of incidents related to illegal mining in the Krugersdorp area. In July, eight female members of a film crew were raped and robbed at an abandoned mine in the area, where they were working on a music video shoot. The incident sparked violent protests against illegal miners in surrounding communities.
Last week, rape and robbery charges against 14 men, who are also suspected of being illegal miners, were withdrawn after police couldn’t link them to the rapes through DNA evidence. The men were arrested during police raids on the abandoned mine where the rapes took place.
Illegal mining is rife in South Africa, with miners known locally as “zama zamas” searching for gold at the many disused and abandoned mines in and around the Johannesburg region. Krugersdorp is a mining town on the western edge of Johannesburg.
Illegal mining gangs are considered dangerous by the police, are usually armed and are known to fight violent turf battles with rival groups. The trade is believed to be dominated by immigrants who enter illegally from neighboring countries Lesotho, Zimbabwe and Mozambique.
The 14 men who had rape and robbery charges against them dropped are accused of being in South Africa illegally and have been charged with immigration offenses.
Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission. | 2022-11-04T00:13:16+00:00 | wtmj.com | https://wtmj.com/ap-news/2022/11/03/police-21-bodies-found-at-mine-in-south-africa-4/ |
Journalist Justice Malala explains how Nelson Mandela and F. W. de Klerk kept the country on a path to peace after the 1993 assassination of Chris Hani. His book is The Plot to Save South Africa.
Copyright 2023 Fresh Air
Journalist Justice Malala explains how Nelson Mandela and F. W. de Klerk kept the country on a path to peace after the 1993 assassination of Chris Hani. His book is The Plot to Save South Africa.
Copyright 2023 Fresh Air | 2023-05-01T18:20:30+00:00 | kosu.org | https://www.kosu.org/history/2023-05-01/how-south-africa-nearly-descended-into-civil-war-instead-of-a-multi-racial-democracy |
CLEVELAND — The Yankees summoned in a reliever and made a minor trade before wrapping up their weekend series with the Guardians.
A familiar face was back in their clubhouse Sunday morning. Four days after coming up from Triple-A to make a second scoreless spot start, rookie left-hander JP Sears is back to pitch out of the bullpen as a replacement for injured reliever Ron Marinaccio.
The Yankees also lost some of their organizational pitching depth by dealing left-hander Manny Banuelos to the Pittsburgh Pirates for cash considerations.
Banuelos had been designated for assignment last week after spending a month with the Yankees as a long reliever. He pitched to a 2.16 ERA in four relief outings, allowing two runs over 8 1/3 innings.
Marinaccio was placed on the 10-day injured list after Saturday’s doubleheader sweep with right shoulder inflammation. He’ll be shut down from throwing for a few days, but may be ready to return in two or three weeks.
Sears returned with a 3-0 record and 12 2/3 scoreless innings on his big-league resume from three previous stints this season, the first two games as a reliever and the last two as a starter.
This stint could last until Domingo German or Jonathan Loaisiga return from the IL. German may be activated by next week while Loaisiga may be two weeks away from a return. After Monday’s off day, Miguel Castro is slated to return from paternity move. The Yanks likely will clear a roster spot for Castro by DFAing reliever Ryan Weber.
Manager Aaron Boone said Sears could pitch “in a number of different roles” as a reliever.
“Obviously he’s built up as a starter and he can start for us,” Boone said. “It could be in a longer relief on a day where we need a lot of innings, but it very much could be like an Marinaccio-type role, on a given day some high-leverage situation.
“I have a lot of confidence in him and where he’s at in his development and the season that he’s having, so we feel like we’re adding a guy that isn’t just a roster spot for us, but can absolutely impact for us in this stretch.”
Thank you for relying on us to provide the journalism you can trust. Please consider supporting us with a subscription.
Randy Miller may be reached at rmiller@njadvancemedia.com. | 2022-07-03T19:17:18+00:00 | nj.com | https://www.nj.com/yankees/2022/07/yankees-tweak-bullpen-again-make-deal-with-pirates.html |
NEW ORLEANS, July 1, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Former Attorney General of Louisiana, Charles C. Foti, Jr., Esq., a partner at the law firm of Kahn Swick & Foti, LLC ("KSF"), announces that KSF has commenced an investigation into Novavax, Inc. (NasdaqGS: NVAX).
On August 5, 2021, the Company disclosed another delay in filing the Emergency Use Authorization ("EUA") for its COVID-19 vaccine product candidate, NVX-CoV2373, from the third quarter of 2021 to the fourth quarter of 2021. Then, on October 19, 2021, Politico reported that anonymous sources stated that manufacturing issues could delay regulatory authorizations and approvals for NVX-CoV2373 until the end of 2022.
The Company has been sued in a securities class action lawsuit for failing to disclose material information, violating federal securities laws, which remains ongoing.
KSF's investigation is focusing on whether Novavax's officers and/or directors breached their fiduciary duties to the Company's shareholders or otherwise violated state or federal laws.
If you have information that would assist KSF in its investigation, or have been a long-term holder of Novavax shares and would like to discuss your legal rights, you may, without obligation or cost to you, call toll-free at 1-877-515-1850 or email KSF Managing Partner Lewis Kahn (lewis.kahn@ksfcounsel.com), or visit https://www.ksfcounsel.com/cases/nasdaqgs-nvax/ to learn more.
KSF, whose partners include former Louisiana Attorney General Charles C. Foti, Jr., is one of the nation's premier boutique securities litigation law firms. KSF serves a variety of clients – including public institutional investors, hedge funds, money managers and retail investors – in seeking to recover investment losses due to corporate fraud and malfeasance by publicly traded companies. KSF has offices in New York, California, Louisiana and New Jersey.
To learn more about KSF, you may visit www.ksfcounsel.com.
Contact:
Kahn Swick & Foti, LLC
Lewis Kahn, Managing Partner
lewis.kahn@ksfcounsel.com
1-877-515-185
1100 Poydras St., Suite 3200
New Orleans, LA 70163
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SOURCE Kahn Swick & Foti, LLC | 2022-07-02T04:17:33+00:00 | kxii.com | https://www.kxii.com/prnewswire/2022/07/02/novavax-investigation-initiated-by-former-louisiana-attorney-general-kahn-swick-amp-foti-llc-investigates-officers-directors-novavax-inc-nvax/ |
To close out National Rum Month, the world's most-awarded rum brand announces second installment in its limited-edition aged rum series with BACARDÍ Reserva Ocho Rye Cask Finish
HAMILTON, Bermuda, Aug. 29, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- BACARDÍ® rum is closing out National Rum Month with the exciting and highly anticipated launch of BACARDÍ Reserva Ocho Rye Cask Finish – the second installment in the BACARDÍ limited-edition cask finish series. Masterfully bringing the world's most-awarded rum brand to the forefront of artisanal rum innovation, the new aged rum offering rolls out nationwide this month as part of the brand's five-year collection – after last year's inaugural and sell-out release of BACARDÍ Reserva Ocho Sherry Cask Finish. An exclusive Cask Finish Series variant will debut every August through 2025, each year featuring a unique flavor profile from its intricate barrel aging and finishing processes.
Teeming with distinct notes of smokiness interlaced with wood, caramelized brown sugar, and subtle vanilla, BACARDÍ Reserva Ocho Rye Cask Finish has a deep, rich mahogany color filled with aromas of gingerbread, maple sugar, and a hint of spiciness. To complement the brand's flagship Premium rum, BACARDÍ Reserva Ocho, this year's variation is aged in American oak barrels for eight to 12 years and finished in rye casks during the final two months. The result is a velvety and luxurious liquid best enjoyed neat or on the rocks. Each limited-edition bottle of BACARDÍ Reserva Ocho Rye Cask Finish features a unique marque number and the year of production, as well as a higher proof of 90, or 45% ABV, which differs from the base spirit at 80 proof.
"In 2018, BACARDÍ set out to introduce a true, robust portfolio of premium rum offerings spanning four to over 12 years in age. As the leader in the rum category, we're always challenging ourselves to innovate, introducing new and unique expressions to bring more people into the sippable rum universe." said Lisa Pfenning, Vice President, BACARDÍ for North America. "Rum is in a unique position because it has a natural warmth that invites conviviality and connection, unlike other dark spirits on the market. Whether you're an experienced drinker or someone new to rum and dark spirits in general, you can easily celebrate that special occasion with BACARDÍ Reserva Ocho Rye Cask."
As a family-owned brand, BACARDÍ has been creating premium rums for centuries in collaboration with its deeply knowledgeable Maestros de Ron (Master Blenders), each carefully chosen and trained in seven generations of rum-making expertise. At the helm is Maestro de Ron, Astrophel "Troy" Arquiza, who assumed the prestigious role as global master blender in November 2021 following a more than two-decade tenure honing his craft as a rum blender with family-owned Bacardi. In keeping with the brand's commitment to heritage and innovation, Arquiza chose BACARDÍ Reserva Ocho as the base in the Reserva Cask Finish series to exemplify its roots as the original premium rum, dating back to the Bacardi family private reserve in 1862.
The new BACARDÍ Reserva Ocho Rye Cask Finish will be available in 750mL bottles with a 45% ABV for a suggested retail price of $32.99, available online and in stores nationwide, later this month.
To purchase BACARDÍ rum and cocktail kits, head to www.DrinkBACARDÍ.com, and for more information on BACARDÍ rum, visit www.BACARDÍ.com.
About BACARDÍ® Rum – The World's Most Awarded Rum
In 1862, in the city of Santiago de Cuba, founder Don Facundo Bacardi Massó revolutionized the spirits industry when he created a light-bodied rum with a particularly smooth taste – BACARDÍ. The unique taste of BACARDÍ rum inspired cocktail pioneers to invent some of the world's most famous recipes including the BACARDÍ Mojito, the BACARDÍ Daiquiri, the BACARDÍ Cuba Libre, the BACARDÍ Piña Colada and the BACARDÍ El Presidente. BACARDÍ rum is the world's most awarded spirit, with more than 1,000 awards for quality, taste and innovation. Today, BACARDÍ rum is made mainly in Puerto Rico where it is crafted to ensure the taste remains the same today as it did when it was first blended in 1862. http://www.BACARDÍ.com/
The BACARDÍ brand is part of the portfolio of Bacardi Limited, headquartered in Hamilton, Bermuda. Bacardi Limited refers to the Bacardi group of companies, including Bacardi International Limited.
LIVE PASSIONATELY. DRINK RESPONSIBLY.
©2022. BACARDÍ AND THE BAT DEVICE ARE TRADEMARKS.
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SOURCE BACARDÍ® | 2022-08-29T14:09:10+00:00 | kwtx.com | https://www.kwtx.com/prnewswire/2022/08/29/bacard-rum-unveils-new-limited-edition-premium-variant-with-release-bacard-reserva-ocho-rye-cask-finish/ |
Golfers teed off at a tournament that raises awareness about suicide prevention at the Golfmohr Golf Club in East Moline yesterday. The event was hosted by Foster’s Voice, which also works with local, state and national governments to ease the financial burden on people who are seeking help.
Watch the video for more on the tournament. For more information on Foster’s Voice, click here or visit their Facebook page. | 2023-07-23T17:57:25+00:00 | ourquadcities.com | https://www.ourquadcities.com/news/local-news/watch-fosters-voice-golf-tournament-raises-awareness-of-suicide-prevention/ |
If you break your arm, you go to the doctor, your insurance (usually) pays. Why is it so much harder to get health insurance to pick up the tab if you have a mental health breakdown?
That's the question President Joe Biden asked yesterday, as he touted new rules he says will get insurance to pay for mental health care more often.
The regulations are part of a proposed rule that would strengthen existing policies already on the books and close loopholes that have left patients with too few options for mental health care covered by insurance.
Biden specifically criticized the reauthorization process — where insurers make patients jump bureaucratic hurdles to get their care paid for.
"You get referrals to see mental health specialists," Biden said at a White House press conference Tuesday, "but when you make the appointment, they say, 'I can't see you until your doctor submits the paperwork and gets special permission from the insurance company.' Gimme a break."
A landmark law in 2008 called the Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act tried to fix the parity issues, but insurers found loopholes and ways to avoid paying for care.
For example, it might appear as though an insurer has a good list network of mental health professionals. But in fact many of those therapists and doctors won't take new patients, or are no longer practicing, or are too far away.
Or sometimes insurers would require paperwork to authorize treatment — repeatedly — in order to keep getting treatment. Some families NPR interviewed said the reauthorization could be almost daily.
Serious mental illness is often a life or death situation, but if insurance doesn't cover care, it's a huge out-of-pocket cost. Paying directly, without insurance, for something like inpatient substance abuse treatment can easily cost $100,000 — or more. So even families with resources often end up tapping every source of cash and credit they can.
A Michigan family NPR spoke to last year did just that, mortgaging their house and racking up a bill over $250,000 to care for her son who was suicidal. (NPR agreed not to use the family's last name because it would identify a minor with mental illness.) "All of our savings are gone. How are we going to send our kids to school? How are we going to, like what are we going to do, how are we going to recover from this? I don't know," said mom, Rachel. "Those thoughts in your mind — there's no space for that when you are just trying to keep your child alive."
Out of desperation, some families impoverish themselves to qualify for public insurance like Medicaid. Some forego care and let conditions worsen into a bigger crisis, or end up in the ER.
Here are the three policy changes in Biden's proposed rule:
The health insurance industry says it agrees with the administration's goals of achieving parity of coverage between mental and physical care, but says the problem is there are not enough physicians and therapists to go around.
"Access to mental health has been, and continues to be, challenging primarily because of a shortage and lack of clinicians," Kristine Grow, a spokesperson for America's Health Insurance Plans, said in a statement.
Copyright 2023 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org. | 2023-07-26T18:15:39+00:00 | wlrn.org | https://www.wlrn.org/npr-breaking-news/npr-breaking-news/2023-07-26/gimme-a-break-biden-blasts-insurance-hassles-for-mental-health-treatment |
MNJ's Advanced Technology Services offering helps customers maximize, optimize digital transformation efforts
BUFFALO GROVE, Ill., June 13, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- IT services provider MNJ Technologies announces the availability of its Advanced Technology Services suite, designed to solve real business problems and digital transformation initiatives through technology adoption. From cost-effective connectivity to cloud initiatives, from security to staff augmentation, ATS' goal is to drive business outcomes such as risk mitigation, cost optimization and operational efficiency.
"MNJ's professional services and staff augmentation capabilities help founders and business leaders save on IT costs and optimize IT operations," says Matt Ogden, chief technology officer of MNJ Technologies. "In a cloud-first, security-focused world, organizations are constantly looking for comprehensive solutions to help them reduce spend, drive business outcomes and maximize operational efficiency in areas such as cloud strategies, connectivity and cybersecurity insurance, for example. MNJ's consulting-led service offerings provide leaders with the tools they need to achieve these goals."
Just a few years ago, MNJ's business model was that of the traditional value-added reseller. However, the organization knew that in order to best serve its customers and position itself for future growth, it needed to expand its services capabilities, as well. The evolution of ATS has been in process since 2016, when MNJ purchased solution and services provider Equivoice. The purchase not only brought Competitive Local Exchange Carrier (CLEC) designation into the business, allowing the company to save customers money by wholesaling circuits, but also was the genesis of MNJ's services side of the business. This has allowed MNJ to vastly increase its value to clients through the provision of robust managed services, including areas such as security, connectivity, cloud, infrastructure and professional services. Customers now have a cost-effective, consultative and process-driven resource for the provision and ongoing management of complex IT solutions.
MNJ's Matt Ogden Leads the ATS Charge
MNJ entered 2022 determined to bring those services capabilities into full maturation and began the hunt to find the perfect executive to lead ATS. It didn't have to look far from home. It turns out that longtime customer Marathon Petroleum had the perfect match – Matt Ogden, who then led Enterprise Network Services at Marathon.
Marathon became an MNJ customer in 2008, only months after Ogden started at the company as Senior Advisor of Information Technology Services, working in server and network administration. Over the next decade and a half, Ogden worked his way into leadership roles by spearheading and managing several initiatives in conjunction with MNJ, including server standardization, WAN upgrades and cost optimization strategies for circuits that created a roadmap for long-term reduced spend while modernizing the organization's technology.
Ogden's vast experience managing complex IT environments and leading expansive IT teams was a perfect fit to vitalize and expand MNJ's ATS platform. His experience with end user computing, cybersecurity, networking and cloud computing has contributed greatly toward his successes serving clients at MNJ.
"At Marathon, I spearheaded those maturation and optimization initiatives through rigid standards, processes and policies," says Ogden. "Much of that translates over to MNJ. My goal here is to help us be more efficient so we can better manage our customers and our internal teams."
For his part, Ogden was enthusiastic about coming onto the MNJ team because, in part, of how personally the company approached relationships with customers and employees. IT services is a relationship-based business, and he felt MNJ excelled in that area, particularly when it came to connecting with engineering teams and technicians.
"Not only did I love MNJ's technology, but I came from a background of engineering and consulting work, so its consultative, customer success-driven approach to supporting clients was really attractive," says Ogden. "It's the kind of organization that makes me feel at home in a technology leadership role."
To learn more about ATS, visit https://www.mnjtech.com/.
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SOURCE MNJ Technologies | 2023-06-13T16:01:20+00:00 | uppermichiganssource.com | https://www.uppermichiganssource.com/prnewswire/2023/06/13/mnj-technologies-launches-it-services-suite-tech-veteran-matt-ogden-lead-initiative/ |
(The Hill) — Parents are noticing a troubling change in their children after using social media platforms like Facebook, TikTok, and Instagram, according to a new survey.
The survey of 2,035 American adults found that 50 percent of parents with children younger than 18 years old feel their child or children’s mental health has suffered in the last year because of social media use.
“Social media has the ability to increase anxiety and depression in children when used inappropriately, as well as potentially open them up to inappropriate sharing, hurtful language, bullying and more,” said Ariana Hoet, a pediatric psychologist at Nationwide Children’s Hospital.
The survey, conducted by The Harris Poll for the Nationwide Children’s Hospital, adds to the growing body of research linking social media use among children and depression, anxiety, addiction and poor body image.
Social media use among children, especially teenagers, has soared over the last two decades. In 2009, only about half of teens used social media every day but by 2022 95 percent of teenagers admitted to using social media, according to a poll from the Pew Research Center.
Some platforms like TikTok have introduced new safety measures for teen users like a 60-minute time limit. The company has also pledged to send teen users a weekly recap of their screen urging those users who spend more than 100 minutes a day on the app to consider curbing their screen time.
A handful of state lawmakers have also introduced legislation to limit children’s access to social media. Utah became the first state last month to pass a pair of bills aimed at changing how children interact with social media platforms.
The first bill signed into law requires parental consent before children can sign up for social media sites like Instagram and TikTok. While the second bars kids from using social media between 10:30 p.m. and 6:30 a.m. and requires age verification for anyone who wants to use social media in the state. | 2023-05-03T15:29:28+00:00 | wboy.com | https://www.wboy.com/news/national/half-of-parents-think-childrens-mental-health-worse-due-to-social-media-survey-finds/ |
Tenor saxophonist Davis and organist Scott had one of the great jazz partnerships in the late 1950s. A new anthology focuses on their Cookbook series of albums.
Copyright 2023 Fresh Air
Tenor saxophonist Davis and organist Scott had one of the great jazz partnerships in the late 1950s. A new anthology focuses on their Cookbook series of albums.
Copyright 2023 Fresh Air | 2023-02-02T19:31:33+00:00 | nprillinois.org | https://www.nprillinois.org/2023-02-02/eddie-lockjaw-davis-and-shirley-scott-heat-things-up-in-their-cookbook-sessions |
Learn more about the startup taking on the exploding "team retreats" niche in the $500B corporate travel market
NEW YORK, July 18, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Offsite, the marketplace and tech-enabled services provider saving time, money, and stress for remote and hybrid companies planning team retreats, today announced it has raised $3 million to help create more connected workforces through in-person experiences.
Since launching in 2021, Offsite has planned hundreds of team retreats in over 15 countries for clients ranging from hospitals to hedge funds, focused primarily on supporting startups such as LinkSquares, Airbyte, Metabase, 15Five, mParticle, Flex, and Rattle, as well as communities like Hampton, YPO, and LifeLabs Learning, and venture capital firms such as Greylock.
Offsites and team retreats are an exploding niche in a corporate travel market expected to surpass $500 billion by 2030. Demand for venues that can host all-hands meetings, department-level meetings, executive team retreats, sales kickoffs, and other types of "offsites" continues to rise. Offsite is uniquely positioned to serve a wide range of organizers who plan company events with their mix of end-to-end service and software.
Leading investors to-date include Forum Ventures and Automattic, with significant contributions from Right Side Capital, Integral, Splash Capital, and Genius Ventures. Over 60 angel investors have also participated including co-founders and CEOs from Remote, Vendr, Convene, 15Five, Gainsight, and ChartMogul, as well as domain experts like top executives from Airbnb, HubSpot, and Pendo.
Jared Kleinert, Offsite's Founder and CEO, was one of the first ten employees at 15Five, one of the leading employee engagement and retention platforms. Kleinert later became an award-winning author, TED speaker, and organizer of quarterly summits for New York Times bestselling authors, VC-backed startup founders, and other successful small business owners. As a result of these various experiences Kleinert found himself attending, speaking at, and facilitating offsites around the world over a decade leading up to the pandemic.
Kleinert shared, "During the pandemic, I was betting the decades-long shift to more decentralized workforces would accelerate, meaning the number of offsites planned by remote and hybrid teams in particular would grow exponentially (and the importance of those offsites would increase dramatically as a result). To-date, no one has developed a true 'one stop shop' experience to solve the logistical challenges of planning offsites or team retreats. After a couple years, we've developed a growing community of clients, partners, team members, and investors who believe in our vision for what a successful marketplace and platform could become in this space - which is both humbling and exciting!"
Offsite currently offers two main ways to plan your team retreat. Event organizers can:
- Search a curated, Airbnb-style marketplace with hundreds of offsite venues around the world or
- Purchase end-to-end retreat planning services for an affordable, per-person flat fee.
Offsite's marketplace has pre-negotiated discounts with properties on room blocks, meeting spaces, food and beverage, and more. Through the marketplace, event organizers can consolidate weeks of venue searching into a few clicks, and save 20% or more on some of the biggest budget line items for any offsite.
Offsite's end-to-end planning services include everything from flight-booking to venue selection, negotiating, and contracting, agenda creation, budget management, procuring travel visas, making restaurant reservations, and managing vendors such as activity providers, photographers, videographers, outside speakers and facilitators, ground transportation providers, event production staff, and more!
While the debate rages on about remote versus in-office work, it is undeniable that most companies are increasingly distributed, with ongoing needs for employees to intentionally connect for strategic planning, teambuilding, creative brainstorming, problem-solving, engaging customers, and more.
Mike Cardamone, CEO & Managing Partner at Forum Ventures, who is also joining Offsite's Board of Directors, added, "We think hybrid and more flexible work is here to stay for many industries, which will cause a decrease in spend for office space and an increase in the need for offsites, retreats and in person get togethers for teams to collaborate. As those dollars shift, we believe Offsite is well positioned to build a very big business providing world class experiences for these companies."
To learn more and begin planning your next team retreat, visit www.offsite.com
Contact:
hello@joinoffsite.com
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SOURCE Offsite Experiences Inc. | 2023-07-18T15:06:10+00:00 | kswo.com | https://www.kswo.com/prnewswire/2023/07/18/offsite-raises-3-million-reconnect-remote-hybrid-companies-through-in-person-experiences/ |
Mississippi cleans up after a deadly tornado, there are mass protests in Israel after the defense minister is sacked and jury selection is to begin Monday in the trial of a Grammy-winning musician.
Michel Martin is the weekend host of All Things Considered, where she draws on her deep reporting and interviewing experience to dig in to the week's news. Outside the studio, she has also hosted "Michel Martin: Going There," an ambitious live event series in collaboration with Member Stations. | 2023-03-27T09:32:16+00:00 | mainepublic.org | https://www.mainepublic.org/2023-03-27/morning-news-brief |
NEW BRUNSWICK, N.J. (AP) — Thousands of professors, part-time lecturers and graduate student workers at New Jersey’s flagship university went on strike Monday — the first such job action in the school’s 257-year history.
Classes were still being held at Rutgers as picket lines were set up at the school’s campuses in New Brunswick/Piscataway, Newark and Camden. Union officials had decided Sunday night to go on strike, citing a stalemate in contract talks that have been ongoing since July. Faculty members had voted overwhelmingly in favor of authorizing a strike last month.
Three unions, which represent about 9,000 Rutgers staff members, were involved in the strike: The Rutgers AAUP-AFT, which represents full-time faculty, graduate workers, postdoctoral associates and some counselors; the Rutgers Adjunct Faculty Union, which represents part-time lecturers; and the AAUP-BHSNJ, which includes faculty in the biomedical and health sciences at Rutgers’ medical, dental, nursing, and public health schools.
Union leaders said faculty members at the medical and other health sciences schools will continue performing essential research and patient care, but will curtail duties that don’t impact patient health and safety.
Rutgers President Jonathan Holloway said Sunday that he believed the two sides are close to an agreement, adding that the university will continue to negotiate. Union officials, though, said an agreement didn’t appear near. Democratic Gov. Gov. Phil Murphy has called for both sides to meet Monday in his office at the Statehouse. But it’s not clear if either side has accepted the offer.
“To say that this is deeply disappointing would be an understatement,” Holloway said.
Union leaders say they’re demanding salary increases, better job security for adjunct faculty and guaranteed funding for grad students, among other requests.
Holloway has said the university has offered to increase salaries for full-time faculty members, teaching assistants and graduate assistants by 12% by 2025. The university offered an additional 3% lump-sum payment to all the faculty unions that would be paid over the first two years of the new contract. | 2023-04-10T14:30:55+00:00 | seattletimes.com | https://www.seattletimes.com/business/thousands-of-rutgers-faculty-go-on-unprecedented-strike/?utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=Referral&utm_campaign=RSS_all |
President Joe Biden on Wednesday called on U.S. oil refiners to produce more gasoline and diesel, saying their profits have tripled during a time of war between Russia and Ukraine as Americans struggle with record high prices at the pump.
“The crunch that families are facing deserves immediate action,” Biden wrote in a letter to seven oil refiners. “Your companies need to work with my Administration to bring forward concrete, near-term solutions that address the crisis.”
Gas prices nationwide are averaging roughly $5 a gallon, an economic burden for many Americans and a political threat for the president’s fellow Democrats going into the midterm elections. Broader inflation began to rise last year as the U.S. economy recovered from the coronavirus pandemic, but it accelerated in recent months as energy and food prices climbed after Russia invaded Ukraine in February and disrupted global commodity markets.
The government reported on Friday that consumer prices had jumped 8.6% from a year ago, the worst increase in more than 40 years.
The letter notes that gas prices were averaging $4.25 a gallon when oil was last near the current price of $120 a barrel in March. That 75-cent difference in average gas prices in a matter of just a few months reflects both a shortage of refinery capacity and profits that “are currently at their highest levels ever recorded,” the letter states.
The American Petroleum Institute, which represents the industry, said in a statement that capacity has been diminished as the Biden administration has sought to move away from fossil fuels as part of its climate change agenda.
“While we appreciate the opportunity to open increased dialogue with the White House, the administration’s misguided policy agenda shifting away from domestic oil and natural gas has compounded inflationary pressures and added headwinds to companies’ daily efforts to meet growing energy needs while reducing emissions,” API CEO Mike Sommers said in a statement.
Sommers added, “I reinforced in a letter to President Biden and his Cabinet yesterday ten meaningful policy actions to ultimately alleviate pain at the pump and strengthen national security, including approving critical energy infrastructure, increasing access to capital, holding energy lease sales, among other urgent priorities.”
As Biden sees it, refineries are capitalizing on the uncertainties caused by “a time of war.” His message that corporate greed is contributing to higher prices has been controversial among many economists, yet the claim may have some resonance with voters.
Some liberal lawmakers have proposed cracking down on corporate profits amid the higher inflation. Sen. Bernie Sanders, a Vermont independent, in March proposed a 95% tax on profits in excess of companies’ pre-pandemic averages.
The president has harshly criticized what he views as profiteering amid a global crisis that could potentially push Europe and other parts of the world into a recession, saying after a speech Friday that ExxonMobil “made more money than God this year.” ExxonMobil responded by saying it has already informed the administration of its planned investments to increase oil production and refining capacity.
“There is no question that (Russian President) Vladimir Putin is principally responsible for the intense financial pain the American people and their families are bearing,” Biden’s letter says. “But amid a war that has raised gasoline prices more than $1.70 per gallon, historically high refinery profit margins are worsening that pain.”
The letter says the administration is ready to “use all reasonable and appropriate Federal Government tools and emergency authorities to increase refinery capacity and output in the near term, and to ensure that every region of this country is appropriately supplied.” It notes that Biden has already released oil from the U.S. strategic reserve and increased ethanol blending standards, though neither action put a lasting downward pressure on prices.
The president is sending the letter to Marathon Petroleum, Valero Energy, ExxonMobil, Phillips 66, Chevron, BP and Shell.
He also has directed Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm to convene an emergency meeting and consult with the National Petroleum Council, a federal advisory group that is drawn from the energy sector.
Biden is asking each company to explain to Granholm any drop in refining capacity since 2020, when the pandemic began. He also wants the companies to provide “any concrete ideas that would address the immediate inventory, price, and refining capacity issues in the coming months — including transportation measures to get refined product to market.”
There may be limits on how much more capacity can be added. The U.S. Energy Information Administration on Friday released estimates that “refinery utilization will reach a monthly average level of 96% twice this summer, near the upper limits of what refiners can consistently maintain.”
The letter says that roughly 3 million barrels a day of refining capacity around the world have gone offline since the pandemic began. In the U.S., refining capacity fell by more than 800,000 barrels a day in 2020. | 2022-06-15T16:21:01+00:00 | wcia.com | https://www.wcia.com/news/politics/ap-politics/biden-tells-oil-refiners-produce-more-gas-fewer-profits/ |
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP)Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 33 points, Josh Giddey had the seventh triple-double of his career and third of the season, and the Oklahoma City Thunder beat the Golden State Warriors 137-128 on Tuesday night.
The Thunder led by 15 points in the fourth quarter, yet still had to hold on at the end. They won their third straight in their quest for a playoff spot.
“You got to take punches to beat them because they (the Warriors) just keep throwing them, and they score in bunches and they do a great job of generating their own energy,” Thunder coach Mark Daigneault said. “You know, the game can be going poorly for them. And the next thing you know, it’s like an 8-0 spurt and they get themselves going. And they’ve done that for a decade.”
Giddey finished with 17 points, a career-high 17 assists and 11 rebounds.
“Guys are making shots,” he said. “I mean, it’s kind of that easy. I mean, I was just making the right play and, you know, 17 assists sounds great, but you give a lot of credit to your teammates. They were in the right spot a lot of tonight. They made shots, made some tough ones as well.”
Stephen Curry scored 40 points and made a season-high 10 3-pointers, but one he missed was costly. The Thunder led 135-128 with 47.1 seconds left, and a foul was called when Aaron Wiggins blocked his 3-pointer. The Thunder challenged, and it was determined that the block was clean. The Thunder won the midcourt tip and controlled the game from there.
“I thought we did a great job in the initial action forced him into a contested shot,” Daigneault said. “Wiggs did a really good job, but him and Lu (Dort) communicated that really well.”
Klay Thompson scored 23 points and Jonathan Kuminga added 21 for the Warriors. But the Warriors got behind early and trailed 68-64 at halftime.
“I felt we were a little disconnected in the first half several times, and so we talked about that at halftime and tried to get back out there and compete the second half,” Warriors coach Steve Kerr said. “There was definitely a disconnect in the first half and that cost us.”
Golden State’s Jordan Poole was called for a technical early in the fourth quarter. Oklahoma City’s Isaiah Joe missed the technical free throw, but Jaylin Williams dunked on Oklahoma City’s extra possession to put the Thunder up 111-106.
After a Warriors turnover, Joe made up for the missed free throw with a 3-pointer that put Oklahoma City up 114-106 and forced the Warriors to call timeout. The Thunder pushed the lead to 123-108 on a bank shot by Gilgeous-Alexander with seven minutes remaining.
TIP-INS
Warriors: Thompson attempted 10 3-pointers in the first half and made three. He finished 5 for 13 from 3-point distance. … F Andrew Wiggins sat out for personal reasons.
Thunder: G Jalen Williams sat out with a sprained right wrist. The rookie averages 13.3 points and shoots 52% from the field. … Jumped out to a 13-2 lead. … Rookie F Ousmane Dieng hit a deep 3-pointer at the end of the first quarter to put the Thunder ahead 40-30.
HALFCOURT SHOT
Rex Farmer of Edmond made a halfcourt shot during a break to win $20,000 from MidFirst Bank. Farmer, 31, told the Thunder he plans to use some of the money buy season tickets next year.
UP NEXT
Warriors: Visit the Memphis Grizzlies on Thursday.
Thunder: Visit the Phoenix Suns on Wednesday.
—
Follow Cliff Brunt on Twitter: twitter.com/CliffBruntAP
—
More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP-Sports | 2023-03-08T21:39:54+00:00 | kxnet.com | https://www.kxnet.com/scoreboard/gilgeous-alexander-giddey-lead-thunder-past-warriors/ |
Second Phase of Saginaw’s Home Rehabilitation Program Slated to Begin
March 31, 2023 8:00AM EDT
The City of Saginaw is preparing to launch the second phase of its Home Rehabilitation Program.
The initiative, funded through the American Rescue Plan Act, provides assistance to homeowners within the city to make certain repairs or replacements in their homes. The first phase launched in December, and helped homeowners install new furnaces. The City says that 48 homes have gotten new furnaces, and 157 more are still being worked on.
The second phase will focus on roof repairs and replacements. City Staff will give a presentation on the details of the second phase during the April 3 Saginaw City Council meeting at 6:30 p.m. to announce application dates and qualifications. | 2023-03-31T17:55:20+00:00 | wsgw.com | https://www.wsgw.com/second-phase-of-saginaws-home-rehabilitation-program-slated-to-begin/ |
50 million Americans are under a heat advisory and they should be cautious Published June 24, 2022 at 3:09 AM MDT Facebook Twitter Email Listen • 1:39 Sweltering temperatures and high humidity is hitting a large part of the US, affecting about 70 percent of Americans. Copyright 2022 NPR | 2022-06-24T09:45:43+00:00 | kunm.org | https://www.kunm.org/2022-06-24/50-million-americans-are-under-a-heat-advisory-and-they-should-be-cautious |
Purdue vs. St. John's (NY) Women's Basketball Predictions & Picks - NCAA Tournament First Four
Published: Mar. 16, 2023 at 2:38 AM CDT|Updated: 2 hours ago
Thursday's contest that pits the Purdue Boilermakers (19-10) versus the St. John's Red Storm (22-8) at Value City Arena has a good chance to be a tight matchup based on our computer prediction, which projects a final score of 66-64 in favor of Purdue. Tipoff is at 7:00 PM ET on March 16.
The Boilermakers are coming off of a 69-58 loss to Iowa in their last outing on Friday.
Purdue vs. St. John's (NY) Game Info
- When: Thursday, March 16, 2023 at 7:00 PM ET
- Where: Value City Arena in Columbus, Ohio
- How to Watch on TV: ESPN2
Use this link to get a free trial of fuboTV, where you can watch college hoops and other live sports without cable!
Purdue vs. St. John's (NY) Score Prediction
- Prediction: Purdue 66, St. John's (NY) 64
Purdue Schedule Analysis
- When the Boilermakers took down the Ohio State Buckeyes (No. 12 in the AP's Top 25) on January 29 by a score of 73-65, it was their signature win of the season so far.
- The Boilermakers have tied for the 31st-most Quadrant 1 wins in the country (four).
- When facing Quadrant 3 opponents, the Boilermakers are 9-1 (.900%) -- tied for the 13th-most wins.
Purdue 2022-23 Best Wins
- 73-65 on the road over Ohio State (No. 12/AP Poll) on January 29
- 71-65 over Oklahoma State (No. 42) on November 26
- 62-52 on the road over Illinois (No. 53) on January 26
- 76-71 on the road over Michigan State (No. 54) on December 5
- 87-78 at home over Syracuse (No. 55) on November 30
St. John's (NY) Schedule Analysis
- The Red Storm beat the No. 6 UConn Huskies in a 69-64 win on February 21, which was their signature win of the season.
- The Red Storm have three wins against Quadrant 1 opponents, tied for the 41st-most in the country.
- When facing Quadrant 2 opponents, St. John's (NY) is 5-1 (.833%) -- tied for the 32nd-most wins.
St. John's (NY) 2022-23 Best Wins
- 69-64 on the road over UConn (No. 6/AP Poll) on February 21
- 66-62 at home over Creighton (No. 14) on December 4
- 66-61 at home over Marquette (No. 35) on January 18
- 77-61 at home over DePaul (No. 62) on February 11
- 81-72 on the road over DePaul (No. 62) on January 21
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Purdue Performance Insights
- The Boilermakers are outscoring opponents by 5.5 points per game with a +160 scoring differential overall. They put up 70.7 points per game (73rd in college basketball) and give up 65.2 per contest (202nd in college basketball).
- Purdue's offense has been less productive in Big Ten contests this season, scoring 67.9 points per contest, compared to its season average of 70.7 PPG.
- The Boilermakers are averaging 74.6 points per game this season in home games, which is 8.6 more points than they're averaging in away games (66).
- Defensively, Purdue has played better at home this season, ceding 64.3 points per game, compared to 66.2 away from home.
- The Boilermakers have been scoring 65.5 points per contest in their last 10 appearances, an average that's slightly lower than the 70.7 they've scored over the course of the 2022-23 campaign.
St. John's (NY) Performance Insights
- The Red Storm have a +183 scoring differential, topping opponents by 6.1 points per game. They're putting up 65.5 points per game, 171st in college basketball, and are allowing 59.4 per outing to rank 59th in college basketball.
- In 2022-23, St. John's (NY) has averaged 63.1 points per game in Big East play, and 65.5 overall.
- At home the Red Storm are scoring 68.4 points per game, 6.0 more than they are averaging on the road (62.4).
- At home St. John's (NY) is conceding 57.8 points per game, 4.3 fewer points than it is away (62.1).
- The Red Storm are putting up 59.8 points per game over their previous 10 games, which is 5.7 fewer points than their average for the season (65.5).
© 2023 Data Skrive. All rights reserved. | 2023-03-16T23:57:04+00:00 | kalb.com | https://www.kalb.com/sports/betting/2023/03/16/purdue-st-john-s-ny-womens-college-basketball-picks-predictions-ncaa-tournament-first-four/ |
(The Hill) — Twitter CEO Elon Musk fired back on Sunday night after facing backlash for tweeting that his pronouns are “Prosecute/Fauci” earlier in the day.
“Elon, please don’t mock and promote hate toward already marginalized and at-risk-of-violence members of the #LGBTQ+ community,” Astronaut Scott Kelly, the twin brother of Sen. Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.), responded to Musk’s tweet. “They are real people with real feelings. Furthermore, Dr Fauci is a dedicated public servant whose sole motivation was saving lives.”
“I strongly disagree,” Musk replied. “Forcing your pronouns upon others when they didn’t ask, and implicitly ostracizing those who don’t, is neither good nor kind to anyone. As for Fauci, he lied to Congress and funded gain-of-function research that killed millions of people. Not awesome imo.”
Multiple Republicans, including Sen. Rand Paul (Ky.) and Rep. Jim Jordan (Ohio), have pressed Fauci on whether the National Institutes of Health has ever funded gain-of-function research at the Wuhan Institute of Virology, a claim Fauci has said is “entirely and completely incorrect,” as part of the Republicans’ claims that COVID-19 escaped from a lab in Wuhan, China.
House Republicans have repeatedly floated plans to investigate Fauci upon taking the House majority in January, a scenario Fauci has acknowledged. He has also indicated he will cooperate with any investigations.
Musk’s Sunday evening tweet is the latest attack against the nation’s top infectious disease doctor, who plans to step down from his government roles later this month.
The newly minted Twitter CEO also previewed plans to release internal files from the company’s internal systems showing how the social media platform grappled with pandemic-related decisions, dubbed the “Twitter Files.”
Musk at times has sparred with Fauci and infectious disease experts, calling concern over the virus “dumb” in the early days of the pandemic and ending Twitter’s policies about COVID-19 misinformation once he took over the company.
He later shared a meme on Sunday showing Fauci telling Biden, “Just one more lockdown, my king.”
“The woke mind virus is either defeated or nothing else matters,” Musk tweeted on Monday morning. | 2022-12-12T14:03:39+00:00 | mytwintiers.com | https://www.mytwintiers.com/news-cat/national-news/musk-fires-back-after-criticism-of-gender-pronouns-tweet-about-fauci/ |
FAIRBORN — Wright State athletic director Bob Grant was feeling upbeat after the Raiders notched their first NCAA tourney win at the First Four in Dayton last March and then gave No. 1 seed Arizona a challenge before losing by 17 in San Diego.
All five starters were returning, and the future looked radiant. Or so he thought.
Stars Tanner Holden and Grant Basile transferred to Power 5 schools — presumably for increased exposure and greater access to Name, Image and Likeness dollars — which put coach Scott Nagy and his staff in scramble mode.
They picked up a couple of transfers, but they couldn’t recover from those losses, finishing a ho-hum 18-15 this season.
“We leave San Diego last year, and we think, ‘Holy cow, we’ve got a loaded team coming back that could maybe do some damage in the (NCAA) tournament even,’” Grant said. “The next thing you know, through nobody’s fault, we don’t have that anymore.
“Grant leaves and Tanner leaves — and I genuinely love both of them. I don’t blame them one bit. But that was not possible before these huge changes in our business.”
The NCAA first overturned its longstanding transfer rule in April 2021, allowing players to join new teams without having to sit out a year.
Next came an even more foundation-shaking move. After losing a Supreme Court decision regarding its amateur rules in August 2021, the NCAA gave the green light to athletes to earn as much NIL income as they can, provided it doesn’t come from the schools themselves.
“This is a major paradigm shift in college athletics — to the point where I’d submit to you, not in a hyperbolic way, that if these rules existed 20 years ago, would the Butler story exist or would Gordon Hayward be playing at Purdue for $200,000?” Grant said.
The Raiders’ Horizon League rivals made two straight trips to the NCAA finals in 2010 and 2011 behind a late-blooming, future NBA star in Hayward.
“When you’ve got no-sit transfers — and a transfer portal that’s more like a dating app — and you start throwing around big money, it’s completely foreign to the way we’ve operated in history,” Grant said.
Asked if Basile and Holden profited financially, Grant said: “I don’t know for sure. But NIL is certainly a factor in the transfers we’re seeing around the country and the stories we’re hearing. The stories are playing out in social media where a donor says, ‘I’m so glad we just signed (Player X) to this contract.’
“It’s mind-boggling to think we’ve gotten here. But we’ve got two options at Wright State. We can bury our head in the sand and say, ‘This is not fair, it’s not good.’ Or we can go full bore ahead and not look back and figure it out like we always do.”
Wright State basketball players have advertised an NIL Club on their Twitter accounts, giving fans access to what they’re calling behind-the-scenes content for a minimal donation.
But for real life-changing money, schools need what’s known as collectives — collections of boosters who pool money together to distribute to athletes in the high-profile sports of football and men’s basketball.
At the start of 2023, there were 200 operating among 360 Division-I schools, and some are generating staggering sums.
The most aggressive, according to On3.com, is Tennessee’s Spyre Sports Group, which, as of last fall, was on target to raise about $25 million.
Ohio State also made the website’s list of schools with the 20 most ambitious collectives, coming in at No. 7.
Wright State can’t compete with big-time football schools that attract monstrous fan bases and deep-pocketed supporters, but Grant is planning to be on the cutting edge of what’s happening at the mid-major level.
He said a collective of former Raider basketball players is close to going public. He didn’t know what their fundraising goal would be, but he’s confident it’s substantial.
“In our landscape, collectives are as necessary as corporate partners and fans and great facilities and great coaches and a great culture,” Grant said.
“As the athletic director, we need to have that kind of support, and we’re going to have it.”
It couldn’t come at a better time. Raiders star player Trey Calvin has one year of eligibility left and said after last season that he planned to keep his options open.
When word about what’s afoot at Wright State reached him, it sealed his decision to stay.
“Obviously, it’s good news,” he said. “It did play a part in me coming back.
“NIL is becoming a big thing right now, and I’ve been here and been loyal to the program, so I am expecting a little bit of that. It’s tremendous.”
Grant said the collective will focus on basketball players, at least at the start, and indicated some will earn more than others. That likely means none of Calvin’s teammates should expect to make as much as him.
“I was joking around with a group of student-athletes, saying, ‘This is going to give you your first taste of what it’s like in a capitalistic society,’” Grant said. “You walk into any office building or factory, and everyone isn’t getting paid the same thing.
“More valuable employees are getting more, and less valuable employees are getting less. You have to manage that as a manager. Now, you’ve got to manage that as a coach and administrator.”
A key part of Grant’s job is to raise money for the athletic department. He’s had to be creative just to reach 14 men’s and women’s sports, which is the NCAA minimum for Division I.
A collective might end up competing for gifts from the same donor base, and Grant admitted “that is a concern.”
But he added: “It seems to be setting up well for us. The folks who are the main ones behind this collective are just getting to the level where they want to give back to their alma mater. They had a good experience here.
“We’ve not relied on these individuals for corporate partnerships, for seat-buying, for donations. In some ways, it’s opened up an avenue for new supporters for us.”
The NCAA passed legislation in October to allow schools to work with collectives, coaching them through the steps in being major fundraising entities.
Grant hopes all basketball players end up drawing checks, but they’ll first need to meet certain criteria.
“Student athletes who have proven to be, A, good citizens; B, good students; and C, meaningful contributors to their athletic team — that will be a three-prong litmus test to, ‘Are you going to get some NIL money through collectives?’” he said.
As enthused as Grant is over the developing income stream, he’s not happy to have been put in this position.
Abuses are widespread. NIL money is not allowed to go toward recruiting, but anyone looking at the 2022 college football class rankings can spot the newcomers to that list and know where much of those dollars are being directed (Hello, Texas A&M).
But Grant blames the NCAA for being slow to react over the years to free up more money for athletes. It did clear the way for annual cost-of-attendance stipends, which range from about $2,000 to $5,000, but that seems like a quaint concept now.
“It’s really decades of bad decision-making where our star soccer player from Beavercreek could not go back in the summer and run a soccer camp with his name on it and make $200 or $500,” Grant said.
“The absurdity of that — we told more student-athletes than I can count, ‘You can’t do this and you can’t do that because you can’t profit on your name, image and likeness,’ though every other student at the university can.
“Lawsuits start flying, and before you know it, it’s a complete 180. There were so many, in my opinion, off-ramps to fix it but were ignored. And now, it’s the Wild, Wild West, and we’re forced to deal with it.”
Nagy comes from the same old-school mindset as Grant. He bristled initially over the NIL, but he’s made his peace with it.
“Everybody understands that had those players stayed, we’d probably, in terms of talent, had one of the top mid-major teams in the country,” he said, referring to Basile and Holden.
“If somebody left again (in the future), I wouldn’t be shocked with the way these things are going. We hope those things don’t happen. We’re working hard to make sure they don’t in terms of relationships and the NIL. But schools at our level, you’ve got to figure out how to navigate it and fight.”
Grant insists Wright State won’t be reckless and will follow what few guardrails there are. And Nagy knows his part primarily is to keep NIL discussions out of recruiting.
“We don’t need it for that,” he said. “We’ve just had the best recruiting season we’ve ever had, and there was no NIL talk at all — other than we’re working on things. What we have to do is keep our players once we get them.”
The NIL world will keep evolving. Alabama coach Nick Saban is among those calling for standardized compensation across all schools.
Some believe colleges eventually will be free to pay of athletes out of their budgets.
“I’ve had people ask me, ‘This won’t continue, will it?’ I think absolutely it will. The toothpaste is not going back in the tube,” Grant said
“But I think there will be a market adjustment — maybe even a massive market adjustment. Some of the ridiculous things you heard early on, you’re not hearing as much anymore You’re going to see some collectives not work. You’re going to see promises made to kids — especially in recruiting, which shouldn’t be made anyway — that aren’t kept.”
The NCAA did cite Miami (Fla.) for an NIL infraction last month, handing out a minor penalty for a coach sending a few recruits in the direction of a collective.
But having been stung over losing the Supreme Court decision on amateurism, those in charge seem to have lost the will to intervene.
“I’m not even sure how you’d police it,” Grant said. “Maybe someone smarter than me will figure out a way to make this easier or more fair. In the meantime, we have to deal with it as it is now.
“Ultimately, do I like it? No. Are we going to hide from it or run from it or be afraid of it? No. Are we going to make it into something that’s to our advantage? Yes.”
About the Author | 2023-03-20T14:41:21+00:00 | springfieldnewssun.com | https://www.springfieldnewssun.com/sports/nil-changing-college-sports-but-wright-state-has-plans-to-stay-competitive/J6THP5X4BFE27AUJNVLF6JPJAE/ |
Luguentz Dort Player Prop Bets: Thunder vs. Clippers - March 21
Luguentz Dort and his Oklahoma City Thunder teammates will take the court versus the Los Angeles Clippers on Tuesday at 10:30 PM ET.
Let's look at Dort's prop bets, and some stats and trends to help you find good wagers.
Luguentz Dort Prop Bets vs. the Clippers
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Luguentz Dort Insights vs. the Clippers
- This season, he's put up 11.5% of the Thunder's attempted field goals, as he's averaging 11.8 per contest.
- He's taken 5.5 threes per game, or 14.7% of his team's shots from beyond the arc this season.
- The Thunder average the sixth-most possessions per game with 104.9. His opponents, the Clippers, have a middling offensive tempo, ranking 18th with 100.9 possessions per contest.
- Allowing 112.6 points per contest, the Clippers are the 10th-ranked squad in the NBA defensively.
- Conceding 43.2 rebounds per contest, the Clippers are the 14th-ranked team in the league.
- The Clippers are the 10th-ranked squad in the NBA, giving up 24.8 assists per contest.
- Conceding 12.2 made 3-pointers per game, the Clippers are the 13th-ranked squad in the NBA.
Luguentz Dort vs. the Clippers
Want another way to try to win cash prizes? Add Dort or any of his Thunder teammates to your lineup in FanDuel Daily Fantasy NBA contests. Use our link to sign up and get a great offer for new users. (See website for offer details, not available in all areas.)
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© 2023 Data Skrive. All rights reserved. | 2023-03-21T22:29:37+00:00 | kwch.com | https://www.kwch.com/sports/betting/2023/03/21/luguentz-dort-nba-player-prop-bets-thunder-vs-clippers/ |
Israeli President says he is ‘extremely pleased’ with Kanye West fallout after antisemitic remarks
By Sonnet Swire, CNN
Israeli President Isaac Herzog on Wednesday said he is “extremely pleased” with the “overwhelming reaction” to recent antisemitic comments from rapper and fashion designer Ye, also known as Kanye West.
“We’re all concerned by antisemitism all over the world. It’s antisemitism, it’s racist, it’s racism, xenophobia — these are the challenges of the era, but history teaches us, usually it starts with hating Jews, with blaming Jews, with terrible rhetoric that people say,” Herzog told CNN’s Wolf Blitzer on “The Situation Room” when asked about antisemitism in the United States and the situation surrounding West.
“And that’s why I’m extremely pleased, objectively, as an Israeli, and Jew, and human being — I’m extremely pleased to see this overwhelming reaction against the comments by Kanye West,” he continued.
Herzog’s response followed a bilateral meeting with President Joe Biden earlier Wednesday, during which the White House said Biden “condemned the persistent scourge of anti-Semitism,” and came amid a corporate backlash against Ye for antisemitic comments and wearing a shirt with the slogan “White Lives Matter.”
In the recent weeks, retailers, social media platforms, celebrities and fashion and entertainment companies have peeled away from business alliances with the rapper.
In early October, he wore a “White Lives Matter” t-shirt and dressed several Black models in clothing with the same phrase at his YZY runway show at Paris fashion week; the slogan has been linked by the Anti-Defamation League to the Klu Klux Klan.
Ye also recently said “I can say antisemitic sh*t and Adidas cannot drop me,” during a tirade against Jews on the Drink Champs Podcast, as well as threatened on Twitter to “Go death con 3 on JEWISH PEOPLE.”
Adidas and others have since ended partnerships with him.
Herzog told Blitzer on Wednesday that when it comes to antisemitism, “the lessons are clear.”
“It’s a global problem,” he said. “We see it in many places. We also assume that whenever you have an energy crisis, another economic crisis, the first ones to be blamed, unfortunately, throughout history, are the Jews. The lessons are clear.”
“We raised our voice loud and clear on this issue. It’s an issue of morality which goes way beyond any other issue of the relationship that we have with others nations. We raised our voice loud and clear on this issue. “
The-CNN-Wire
™ & © 2022 Cable News Network, Inc., a Warner Bros. Discovery Company. All rights reserved.
CNN’s Ramishah Maruf contributed to this report. | 2022-10-27T05:32:34+00:00 | localnews8.com | https://localnews8.com/politics/cnn-us-politics/2022/10/26/israeli-president-says-he-is-extremely-pleased-with-kanye-west-fallout-after-antisemitic-remarks-2/ |
NEW YORK (AP) — Trevor Bauer’s arbitration appeal of his unprecedented two-year suspension under Major League Baseball’s domestic violence policy has been scheduled to start May 23, a person familiar with the hearing told The Associated Press.
The person spoke Friday on condition of anonymity because the date was not announced.
The appeal will be heard by a three-person panel chaired by independent arbitrator Martin Scheinman. It will include one representative each from MLB and the players’ association.
Bauer was suspended by Commissioner Rob Manfred on April 29, a penalty that if unchanged will cost the Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher just over $60 million of his $102 million, three-year contract. Bauer immediately said he would challenge it.
A San Diego woman, whom the pitcher had met through social media, has alleged Bauer beat and sexually abused her last year. She later sought but was denied a restraining order. Los Angeles prosecutors said in February there was insufficient evidence to prove the woman’s accusations beyond a reasonable doubt.
Bauer, who hasn’t played since the allegations surfaced last summer and MLB began investigating, repeatedly has said that everything that happened between the two was consensual.
Bauer also has sued the woman in federal court, a move that came less than three months after prosecutors decided not to file criminal charges against him.
The lawsuit said “the damage to Mr. Bauer has been extreme” after the woman alleged that he choked her into unconsciousness, punched her repeatedly and had anal sex with her without her consent during two sexual encounters last year.
The pitcher has said the two engaged in rough sex at his Pasadena home at her suggestion and followed guidelines they agreed to in advance. Each encounter ended with them joking and her spending the night, he said.
Two women from Ohio also have accused him of sexual misconduct.
Bauer’s representatives have said the first Ohio woman’s allegation is “categorically false.” Bauer has said he had a “casual and wholly consensual sexual relationship from 2013-2018” with the other Ohio woman and that none of their encounters “ever involved a single non-consensual, let alone illegal, act.”
After winning his first Cy Young with the Cincinnati Reds in 2020, Bauer agreed to join his hometown Dodgers. He did not pitch after June 29 after being placed on administrative leave and finished with an 8-2 record and a 2.59 ERA in 17 appearances.
___
More AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/MLB and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports | 2022-05-14T15:54:34+00:00 | cbs42.com | https://www.cbs42.com/sports/ap-source-bauers-appeal-of-suspension-to-begin-may-23/ |
DALLAS (AP) — The Uvalde school district’s police chief was put on leave Wednesday following allegations that he erred in his response to the mass shooting at Robb Elementary School that left 19 students and two teachers dead.
Uvalde Consolidated Independent School District Superintendent Hal Harrell said that he put schools police Chief Pete Arredondo on administrative leave because the facts of what happened remain unclear. In a statement, Harrell did not address Arredondo’s actions as on-site commander during the attack but said he didn’t know when details of multiple investigations into the law enforcement response to the slayings would be revealed.
“From the beginning of this horrible event, I shared that the district would wait until the investigation was complete before making personnel decisions,” Harrell said. “Because of the lack of clarity that remains and the unknown timing of when I will receive the results of the investigations, I have made the decision to place Chief Arredondo on administrative leave effective on this date.”
A spokesperson for the Uvalde school district, Anne Marie Espinoza, declined to say whether Arredondo would continue to be paid while on leave.
Another officer will assume the embattled chief’s duties, Harrell said.
Col. Steven McCraw, director of the Texas Department of Public Safety, told a state Senate hearing on Tuesday that Arredondo made “terrible decisions” as the massacre unfolded on May 24 , and that the police response was an “abject failure.”
Three minutes after 18-year-old Salvador Ramos entered the school, sufficient armed law enforcement were on scene to stop the gunman, McCraw testified. Yet police officers armed with rifles waited in a school hallway for more than an hour while the gunman carried out the massacre. The classroom door could not be locked from the inside, but there is no indication officers tried to open the door while the gunman was inside, McCraw said.
McCraw has said parents begged police outside the school to move in and students inside the classroom repeatedly pleaded with 911 operators for help while more than a dozen officers waited in a hallway. Officers from other agencies urged Arredondo to let them move in because children were in danger.
“The only thing stopping a hallway of dedicated officers from entering Room 111 and 112 was the on-scene commander who decided to place the lives of officers before the lives of children,” McCraw said.
Sen. Paul Bettencourt told the state Senate hearing that Arredondo should have stepped down straight away.
“This man should have removed himself from the job immediately because, just looking at his response, he was incapable of it,” Bettencourt said.
Arredondo and his lawyer have declined repeated requests for comment from The Associated Press and did not immediately respond to an inquiry Wednesday about his leave.
Arredondo has tried to defend his actions, telling the Texas Tribune that he didn’t consider himself the commander in charge of operations and that he assumed someone else had taken control of the law enforcement response. He said he didn’t have his police and campus radios but that he used his cellphone to call for tactical gear, a sniper and the classroom keys.
It’s still not clear why it took so long for police to enter the classroom, how they communicated with each other during the attack, and what their body cameras show.
Officials have declined to release more details, citing the investigation.
Arredondo, 50, grew up in Uvalde and spent much of his nearly 30-year career in law enforcement in the city. He took the head police job at the school district in 2020 and was sworn in as a member of the City Council in a closed-door ceremony May 31.
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Find more AP coverage of the Uvalde school shooting: https://apnews.com/hub/uvalde-school-shooting | 2022-06-23T01:58:19+00:00 | wate.com | https://www.wate.com/news/national-world/uvalde-school-police-chief-on-leave-after-mass-shooting/ |
The folk singer, who died in 2014, was famous for his songs about working people, unions and social justice. In this 1984 interview, Seeger cited Woody Guthrie as one his most important influences.
Copyright 2022 Fresh Air
The folk singer, who died in 2014, was famous for his songs about working people, unions and social justice. In this 1984 interview, Seeger cited Woody Guthrie as one his most important influences.
Copyright 2022 Fresh Air | 2022-09-05T18:56:33+00:00 | kcbx.org | https://www.kcbx.org/2022-09-05/fresh-airs-summer-music-interviews-pete-seeger |
GALLATIN, Tenn. (AP) — Shortly after being sworn in last fall, the new majority of the Sumner County Commission in Tennessee acted to update one of its official documents. The new version said county operations would not only be orderly and efficient, but “most importantly reflective of the Judeo-Christian values inherent in the nation’s founding.”
It was an important moment for the 14 commissioners who had campaigned under the banner of the Sumner County Constitutional Republicans. The group had waged a political war on fellow Republicans they viewed as insufficiently conservative in this fast-growing region north of Nashville during a bitter primary a few months before.
Since taking control, that majority has halted plans for a new building, rejected federal grants and tried to give away a historical property, actions it said were in line with its commitment to fiscal responsibility, protecting property owners and managing growth. The group also has been involved in an escalating feud with the county’s election commission in ways that have prompted concerns about whether preparations for the 2024 presidential electin will be affected.
Those early moves have been cheered by their supporters. But some Republicans and community members say the commissioners are operating outside political norms, inviting lawsuits and jeopardizing elections and other county operations.
“What’s happened here is the Sumner County constitutional conservative Republican group, they don’t believe in government,” said Baker Ring, a Republican who is serving his fourth term on the county commission and is not aligned with the new majority. “They’re opposed to government. But now they are the government.”
The tensions are similar to those playing out in communities across the United States where conservative groups have been running candidates for local offices in recent years and sometimes winning majorities, upending the way local governments operate.
They have been motivated by pandemic restrictions, false claims related to the 2020 presidential election, disagreements over race and gender education, or a desire to reign in what they see as unaccountable bureaucracies, with a goal of taking control of school and library boards, county commissions and city councils.
With millions of Republican Party voters continuing to believe former President Donald Trump’s lies that the 2020 presidential election was rigged, many of the new majorities overseeing county governments are considering changes to how elections are run, from getting rid of voting machines to removing ballot drop boxes.
The pressure has led some local election officials around the country to quit. In a few cases, they have been replaced by people who promoted election conspiracy theories.
While their success at winning office has varied, the consequences when they do are becoming apparent in places such as Sumner County, where they can wield power — such as budgeting authority — that could have implications for how elections are run and votes are tallied.
“If we don’t fund it, you don’t get to do it,” one county commissioner, Jeremy Mansfield, told the election administrator and chair of the election commission during a contentious meeting last fall.
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Sumner County is just northeast of Nashville, where urban sprawl meets open land. Horse and cow pastures give way to planned communities with bucolic names like Durham Farms and The Retreat at Norman Farm that surround the main cities of Gallatin and Hendersonville.
Census figures show the county’s population, now nearly 204,000, grew 22% between the 2010 and 2020, driven in part by transplants from California and Texas who were lured by a mix of conservative politics, lower housing prices and no state income tax. The county is dominated by Republicans and backed Trump with 69% of the vote in 2020.
The growth has led to a need for more government services, including schools and teachers, while providing an opportunity for a right-wing element within the local Republican Party to gain power.
“They appeal to people who moved here from other states saying, ‘If we don’t get elected, our Sumner County will become like your county that you came from, and you don’t want us to become like you, so you need to vote for our people,’” said Ring, a semiretired high school government teacher. “And that works in a lot of parts of the county.”
Eight Republican commissioners were defeated in the May 2022 primary by challengers aligned with the Constitutional Republicans. That paved the way for the group to form the majority after an August general election in which less than 15% of registered voters cast ballots. Helping fuel the group’s rise were two property tax increases approved by the county commission over the past decade or so.
Ring did not have a primary challenger and has found himself called a “RINO” — Republican In Name Only — even though “for most of my life, I’ve been the most conservative person in the room.” He is among more than two dozen current and former local officials featured on a “Wall of Shame” that the Constitutional Republicans created on their website.
The group’s social media activity includes regular updates on what the commission is doing, along with frequent swipes against others in their party.
“The Republican party (GOP) is not your friend! They do not like us!” read one recent post.
“We exist to smoke out these Rinocrats,” said another.
Patrick Flowers, a Democrat who is on the board of a few Sumner County nonprofit organizations, said he was saddened by the discourse. He has seen lifelong conservative friends labeled as “left-wing Democrats” by the Constitutional Republicans group.
“The newly elected folks have this war mentality,” he said. “It’s not, ‘Let’s listen and talk.’ They think they have instructions from God, and there is no one who can change their opinion.”
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When the county’s election administrator came before the commission last fall seeking money to pay election workers for the November midterms, commissioners refused and pointed to money she still had in the bank.
The election administrator, Lori Atchley, has continued to ask, warning the commission that she is operating at a deficit because the workers had to be paid. Commissioners have not budged.
It was at that meeting that Mansfield, in his second term on the commission and an influential member of the Constitutional Republicans group, said two weeks of early voting, as required by state law, “just seems excessive for this county.” He has expressed support for changes to how elections are conducted, including using paper ballots filled out by hand that would be hand-counted in local polling places only on Election Day.
When a fellow commissioner said the county would soon be adding vote centers — polling places where anyone in the county can vote — Mansfield replied, “Well, we can always change that, too.”
Whether the county uses vote centers or has multiple early voting locations falls under the authority of the five state-appointed members of the county election commission, which hires the local election administrator. But county commissioners control funding, and the newly elected conservatives say the election budget is higher than comparable counties and that changes such as vote centers are hard to justify without proof they will increase turnout.
The election commission’s desire to move its operations to a larger building is at the center of another dispute between election officials and those now leading the county commission who say the move was never authorized and they want the space for other uses. Election officials say they only needed approval from the county mayor, which they received before the current commission took office. They say they already have been using the new location for storage, training sessions and meetings, and are asking the county for $300,000 to cover the costs of the move and the vote centers.
The election commission says the larger space and additional security it provides are needed to store the county’s new voting machines, which are larger and heavier than the current ones. Nevertheless, county commissioners voted in March to require the election operations to vacate the building.
The election commission responded by filing a lawsuit against the county, arguing the dispute and forced move “threaten the integrity of the 2024 election before a single vote has been cast.”
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Mansfield said he would not describe elections in the United States as secure or trustworthy and that he believes the local election administrator has contributed to an erosion of confidence in the community. Among other things, he pointed to a recent misdemeanor citation issued to Atchley over a private property dispute unrelated to her job.
“Elections should be about integrity and trust,” he said.
Atchley referred questions about the lawsuit to the election commission’s attorney and did not respond to a message seeking comment about the citation and Mansfield’s criticism. Tom Lee, the election commission’s lawyer, said members regard the citation as a “private matter.” There have been no reports of large-scale election problems in the county, and the state recently reappointed members of the election commission.
Commissioner Matthew Shoaf, one of the Constitutional Republicans elected last year, said concerns stem from election officials making purchases and signing contracts associated with the move to the larger building without authorization from the commission. He said he was surprised to see the election commission hire a lawyer and threaten a lawsuit before they had a chance to work through the disagreement.
Lee, the election commission’s lawyer, said election staff continues to work with the county as it seeks clarity from the court and prepares for the state’s presidential primary early next year.
“We filed our lawsuit because frankly we have plenty to do right now that is pressing business, and we need to be about that business,” Lee said. “We have a job to do, it’s an important job and we’re intent on doing it well.”
Shoaf would not talk specifically about the election commission’s lawsuit but said the elections department was not being treated any differently from other county departments when asked to justify their budget requests.
“Everybody says, ‘I’m fiscally conservative,’” said Shoaf. “Saying and doing are two different things.”
Both he and Mansfield described what they said were frustrations in the community with those who sat on the previous county commission.
“People want small government and government they can trust,” Mansfield said. “But they feel like they can’t trust government because locally they don’t feel the government has been responsible with the tax dollars they have been entrusted with.”
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Charlena Aumiller never imagined she would be attending so many meetings of the Sumner County Commission and its committees.
A lawyer who previously worked for the Tennessee Attorney General’s Office, Aumiller has become a local government watchdog. She has chronicled the county commission’s actions with regular posts on a public social media page and filed a lawsuit against the commission that claimed, in part, violations of the state’s open meetings law.
A Republican and mother of two, Aumiller said she became concerned about the rise of the Constitutional Republicans group during the pandemic and attempts to push their agenda in local schools.
“At one point, I was ignorant, totally oblivious with what is going on — whoever is in office, it’s all interchangeable. That’s because I believed there were safeguards,” she said. “What I am seeing, they don’t care about laws. They don’t care about rules. I have never seen anything so fragile as our government.”
Elected to his first term last year, County Commissioner Wes Wynne is a Republican and Christian, but he’s not part of the Constitutional Republican bloc and is concerned by the majority’s actions, citing the filing of four lawsuits since the new commissioners took office.
Wynne said he has been pushed aside, assigned to just one committee when others typically serve on three. He said he also has been targeted with an ethics complaint after questioning the qualifications of a person nominated to serve on a local board.
Wynne said he has been disheartened to see Christian values invoked by commissioners only to be followed by actions he views as questionable. He said he struggled over how he would vote on the Judeo-Christian question, seeing it as an unnecessary legal risk.
“You know, I’m sworn to do the business of the county but also I’m called, too, to follow the direction of God,” said Wynne, who ultimately abstained. “That was one that I felt was more of a gotcha-type of vote. If you support it, great. If you don’t, then we’re going to use that against you later.”
Wynne said he doesn’t understand why there’s been so much animosity between the county commission and election officials. He offered a motion that presented a compromise on using the larger building, but said it was ignored.
“So far, our commission has done a fabulous job at grinding every ax that they can find against people they don’t like,” Wynne said.
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The Associated Press receives support from several private foundations to enhance its explanatory coverage of elections and democracy. See more about AP’s democracy initiative here. The AP is solely responsible for all content. | 2023-05-21T18:00:32+00:00 | localsyr.com | https://www.localsyr.com/news/your-local-election-hq/ap-theyre-opposed-to-government-but-now-they-are-the-government-one-countys-hard-right-shift/ |
KHIMKI, Russia (AP) — American basketball star Brittney Griner testified Wednesday at her drug trial in Russia that a language interpreter translated only a fraction of what was said during her questioning and officials instructed her to sign documents without providing an explanation.
Griner was arrested at a Moscow airport in February. She acknowledged in court earlier this month that she had vape cartridges containing cannabis oil in her luggage when she arrived in Russia but contends she had no criminal intent and packed the cartridges inadvertently.
During her testimony, the Phoenix Mercury standout described making a grueling 13-hour flight to Moscow from Arizona while recovering from COVID-19. Griner said she still does not know how the cannabis oil ended up in her bag but explained she had a doctor’s recommendation for it and had packed in haste.
She recalled getting pulled aside at the airport on Feb. 17 after inspectors found the cartridges.
Along with the interpreter who provided an incomplete translation, Griner said she received neither an explanation of her rights nor access to a lawyer and was instructed to sign documents without an explanation of what they implied.
After hours of proceedings she did not understand, she was allowed to hand over her personal belongings to a lawyer before being led away in handcuffs, Griner said. She said she received only a cursory translation of the allegations during a Feb. 19 hearing where a court sanctioned her arrest.
Griner faces up to 10 years in prison if convicted of transporting drugs. Her trial started July 1, and Wednesday was her first appearance as a witness. The court outside Moscow held five previous sessions that were short, some lasting only about an hour.
It is unclear how long the trial will last, but a court has authorized Griner’s detention until Dec. 20. She went to Russia to play for a Russian team in the WNBA’s off-season.
During Tuesday’s court session of about 90 minutes, a Russian neuropsychologist testified about worldwide use of medicinal cannabis, which remains illegal in Russia. Griner’s defense team has submitted a U.S. doctor’s letter recommending the basketball player use medical cannabis to treat pain.
Griner testified Wednesday that she was suffering from pain from injuries sustained during her basketball career. She emphasized that cannabis oil is widely used in the United States for medicinal purposes and has less negative effects than some other painkillers
A Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson said last week that the legalization of cannabis for medical and recreational use in parts of the U.S. had no bearing on what happens in Russia.
The slow-moving trial and Griner’s five months of detention have raised strong criticism among teammates and supporters in the United States, which has formally declared her to be “wrongfully detained,” a designation sharply rejected by Russian officials.
Griner was arrested in February amid high U.S.-Moscow tensions ahead of Russia sending troops into Ukraine later that month. Some supporters contend she is being held in Russia as a pawn, possibly for a prisoner swap. American soccer notable Megan Rapinoe last week said “she’s being held as a political prisoner, obviously.”
Russian media have speculated that Griner could be exchanged for prominent Russian arms trader Viktor Bout, who is imprisoned in the United States, and that Paul Whelan, an American imprisoned in Russia for espionage, may also figure in an exchange.
U.S. officials have not commented on the prospects for such a trade. Russian officials have said no exchange could be discussed until the conclusion of the legal proceedings against Griner. | 2022-07-27T16:11:41+00:00 | wnct.com | https://www.wnct.com/news/international/brittney-griner-testifies-at-russia-drug-trial/ |
Voters in three states approved ballot measures that will change their state constitutions to prohibit slavery and involuntary servitude as punishment for crime, while those in a fourth state rejected the move. The measures approved Tuesday curtail the use of prison labor in Alabama, Tennessee and Vermont. In Oregon, “yes” was leading its anti-slavery ballot initiative, but the vote remained too early to call Wednesday morning.
In Louisiana, a former slave-holding state, voters rejected a ballot question known as Amendment 7 that asked whether they supported a constitutional amendment to prohibit the use of involuntary servitude in the criminal justice system.
The initiatives won’t force immediate changes in the states’ prisons, but they may invite legal challenges over the practice of coercing prisoners to work under threat of sanctions or loss of privileges if they refuse the work.
The results were celebrated among anti-slavery advocates, including those pushing to further amend the U.S. Constitution, which prohibits enslavement and involuntary servitude except as a form of criminal punishment. More than 150 years after enslaved Africans and their descendants were released from bondage through ratification of the 13th Amendment, the slavery exception continues to permit the exploitation of low-cost labor by incarcerated individuals.
“Voters in Oregon and other states have come together across party lines to say that this stain must be removed from state constitutions,” Oregon Sen. Jeff Merkley, a Democrat, told The Associated Press.
“Now, it is time for all Americans to come together and say that it must be struck from the U.S. Constitution. There should be no exceptions to a ban on slavery,” he said.
Coinciding with the creation of the Juneteenth federal holiday last year, Merkley and Rep. Nikema Williams, D-Georgia, reintroduced legislation to revise the 13th Amendment to end the slavery exception. If it wins approval in Congress, the constitutional amendment must be ratified by three-fourths of U.S. states.
After Tuesday’s vote, more than a dozen states still have constitutions that include language permitting slavery and involuntary servitude for prisoners. Several other states have no constitutional language for or against the use of forced prison labor.
Voters in Colorado became the first to approve removal of slavery exception language from the state constitution in 2018, followed by Nebraska and Utah two years later.
The movement to end or regulate the use of prison labor has existed for decades, since the time when former Confederate states sought ways to maintain the use of chattel slavery after the Civil War. Southern states used racist laws, referred to as “Black codes,” to criminalize, imprison and re-enslave Black Americans over benign behavior.
Today, prison labor is a multibillion-dollar practice. By comparison, workers can make pennies on the dollar. And prisoners who refuse to work can be denied privileges such as phone calls and visits with family, as well as face solitary confinement, all punishments that are eerily similar to those used during antebellum slavery.
“The 13th Amendment didn’t actually abolish slavery — what it did was make it invisible,” Bianca Tylek, an anti-slavery advocate and the executive director of the criminal justice advocacy group Worth Rises, told the AP in an interview ahead of Election Day.
She said passage of the ballot initiatives, especially in red states like Alabama, “is a great signal for what’s possible at the federal level.”
“There is a big opportunity here, in this moment,” Tylek said. | 2022-11-09T10:23:44+00:00 | wate.com | https://www.wate.com/news/nexstar-media-wire/slavery-rejected-in-some-not-all-states-where-on-ballot/ |
Under intense pressure from conservatives who accused the State Board of Education of attempting to “inject wokeness” into the way social studies are taught in Texas for the next decade, the board buckled Tuesday night and delayed — until 2025 — consideration of a new curriculum for that subject.
“The process we have as long as we are revising, editing, streamlining, I think it works pretty well. It doesn’t work as well when we ask them to create something new,” said Tom Maynard, a Republican from Florence. “Sometimes you’ve got to punt the ball.”
Board members, the majority of them Republicans, blamed themselves for failing to finish the curriculum rewrite this year as planned, rather than the work group of teachers and education experts who wrote it. Those working group members were selected and supervised by the board for the last year, and several members of the board thanked them and praised their work, saying it would be integrated into a future version of the social studies curriculum — whenever the board gets around to working on it.
The working groups turned in a draft over the summer, which was quickly praised by left-leaning groups as more inclusive and representative of disenfranchised groups than the 2010 iteration.
But the critics on the right who organized a campaign against the standards persuaded the board to bring that work to a halt.
Multiple members of the board said they received hundreds of phone calls and thousands of emails criticizing the standards.
Their messages to the board included: that the proposed standards are designed to indoctrinate Texas children as liberals, and they could inspire children to embrace LGBTQ+ identities by promoting discussions about them. They said lessons on race and discussions of “indigenous peoples” would incite racial tension and teach children to hate America. A number of speakers suggested in shadowy terms that the board was the subject of unseen political pressures aimed at liberal priorities.
Defenders of the proposed curriculum and some members on the board argued that the board was abdicating its duty to finish updating the curriculum this year.
“Reject the avalanche of falsehoods and misinformation in your inbox the last few weeks,” said Carisa Lopez, the political director for the Texas Freedom Network, a left-leaning watchdog group that has lobbied the state board on curriculum content for decades. “Don’t let those pushing a political agenda hijack your process at the 11th hour.”
Rowdy meeting tests board chair
The meeting continued to demonstrate how that passion and anger over culture-war issues in public education has bubbled up particularly at the local level for the last several years.
Those forces contributed to the intensity of discussion over the social studies curriculum the board had been considering for months, and the decision to scrap the drafts and delay for years could allow the board to take up the curriculum again in a less politically charged moment.
“Kicking the can down the road is, for me, shirking our responsibility of making hard decisions,” said Houston Republican Will Hickman, who pressed for a quicker timeline for rewriting the curriculum.
The State Board of Education has a long history of partisan fights over public education. Over the years, the board has made national headlines for its bitter arguments about Moses, about the origins of the Civil War, about the validity of evolution, about its characterization of slavery and for its heated 2010 discussions about social studies, the last time the board re-wrote the curriculum.
Board Chair Keven Ellis, a Lufkin Republican who was first elected in 2016, has served as the head of the state board since he was named by Gov. Greg Abbott in 2019. In his tenure, he has taken steps to turn the political temperature down, presiding over meetings in a measured tone, speaking slowly and insisting on close adherence to procedure and rules.
Tuesday’s meeting grew tense at times, with speakers occasionally drifting into the territory of conspiracy theories or racist musings or taking an angry tone toward the board. Those in the crowd sometimes broke into applause, which is forbidden in the boardroom.
Ellis repeatedly instructed the crowd to remain silent, at one point threatening to have them all thrown out of the meeting hall if the outbursts didn’t stop.
“Our students are watching us. This is important work we do here. This is a needed dialogue we have here,” Ellis said. “Let’s act as if our own children are watching us, and let’s have a respectful dialogue on this.”
He asked them to instead raise their hands silently if they agreed with a point, which one testifier later criticized as “jazz hands.”
A push from the Texas House
While Christian advocacy groups have opposed the direction of the state’s social studies rewrite since the drafts were unveiled in mid-July, with a smattering of activists testifying on the Aug. 1 public hearings before the state board, opposition from the right seemed to truly crystallize throughout the day on Tuesday.
Republicans and conservative activists in the state asked the board to delay passing the new curriculum past this year, when three more moderate Republicans on the board are likely to be replaced by more conservative members.
Southlake, in the Dallas-Fort Worth suburbs, has been ground zero for this movement in Texas, and Southlake activist Jolyn Potenza presented a petition with 317 names to the board calling for a stop to the curriculum revision.
The petition said the proposed curriculum is “slanted with a globalist view and not American exceptionalism.”
Another petition was presented by Patriot Mobile, a Christian conservative cell phone company that has spent heavily on campaign contributions to reshape school boards around the state. The petition included thousands of names, although none had phone numbers or other contact information, and it mirrored the Southlake petition, describing the curriculum as “radical” and “globalist.”
The term “globalist” has a long history associated with antisemitism, according to the Anti-Defamation League.
Republican elected officials in the state have basically been quiet about the TEKS revision. A spokeswoman for Gov. Greg Abbott said the governor does not interfere with independently elected boards.
On Monday, the right-wing legislative group the Texas Freedom Caucus wrote to the 15 state board members claiming the proposed curriculum would violate Texas law and warning them they would pursue legislation to overrule the board if the board continues on its current path.
“The proposed changes, Mr. Chairman, are unacceptable and in many cases illegal. We are watching these changes closely and will not hesitate to intervene during the next Legislative session, should the need arise, to protect Texas children from being further indoctrinated and taken advantage of. We demand the proposed changes be substantially amended before further action is taken,” the letter reads. | 2022-08-31T01:02:47+00:00 | expressnews.com | https://www.expressnews.com/news/legislature/article/State-board-scraps-new-Texas-social-studies-17408678.php |
Oath violated
Derrick Van Orden violated his military oath. He took an oath to support and defend the Constitution against enemies, both foreign and domestic, when he entered the U.S. Navy. He violated that oath.
Van Orden was at the Donald Trump “stop (start) the steal” rally on Jan. 6: Trump’s plot to steal the election away from the American public who elected Joe Biden president. Van Orden pledged allegiance to Trump, not our democratic republic. He was part of an enemy effort to stop the peaceful transfer of power after a free and fair election. A photo shows him at the Capitol on Jan. 6. He used campaign funds to join this insurrection.
Trump’s “stop the steal” is an illegal, unconstitutional movement to steal the 2020 presidential election from the American public using the baseless “Big Lie” that Biden won because of election fraud and irregularities. Van Orden knew by Jan. 6, 2021, that Trump had lost 15 of 16 “Big Lie” lawsuits, including in the U.S. and Wisconsin supreme courts.
Significantly, Wisconsin Federal District Judge Brett Ludwig, a Trump appointee, reviewed all of Trump’s claimed facts and dismissed his lawsuit on the merits, ruling that there was no basis for Trump’s claims and that Wisconsin’s election processes and results were correct. All swing states’ votes for Biden were validated by recounts and audits and electors confirmed by Jan. 6. Van Orden had no legitimate factual basis to dispute these results. Yet, he tried to disrupt the peaceful transfer of power resulting in the domestic enemy violent insurrection on our Capitol.
Van Orden chooses lies over facts. He should be prosecuted, not elected.
Mike O’Brien
Eau Claire
Climate woes
Due to climate change, the planet continues to heat up, stoking increases in wildfires, drought and raging storms.
The U.S. federal government, under the Biden administration, has been working to address climate change through strengthening clean car standards, supporting infrastructure changes to expand electric car availability, and providing subsidies for new electric car purchases. Considering that transportation is the worst source of climate pollution in the U.S., these efforts are to be lauded, but more can be done.
We need stronger long-term standards that will improve air quality, protect our health and save drivers money at the pump. Consumer Reports survey data indicates that 89% of adult U.S. drivers agree that automakers should continue to improve fuel economy for all vehicle types. Wisconsin could join the other 17 states and D.C. and enact standards stronger than the federal government’s existing plan, helping lead the nation to a zero-emissions future. Under the Clean Air Act, states can implement and follow standards stricter than the federal standards.
As an owner of an electric car — which we love — I recognize these cars are currently not affordable for many residents. Despite the long-term savings on gas and maintenance, the upfront costs, even with recently approved subsidies, keep these cars out of reach for far too many who may otherwise be interested. So, while electric vehicles are a necessary part of the plan to address climate change through reduced reliance on fossil fuels, increasing clean car standards now is an important step for climate change advocates.
Having stronger clean car standards will improve overall public health through cleaner air while saving money on gas. Contact your representatives today so Wisconsin can be added to the growing list of states with stronger fuel-economy standards.
Mary Canales
Eau Claire | 2022-08-24T06:21:19+00:00 | leadertelegram.com | https://www.leadertelegram.com/opinion/letters_to_editor/voice-of-the-people-08-24-22/article_bc9b3d4f-014d-54e8-8dfb-d099d12b832e.html |
The Savant Group proudly announces their participation in the Midland County Emergency Food Pantry’s Stop Hunger Challenge. The Savant challenge was a great success, amassing two truckloads of food donations.
The internal company competition was organized by Savant’s Corporate Services Team and was met with enthusiasm and comradery from employees across all departments who collected thousands of food and water items. Rebecca Cox, president of the Savant Group said, “My heartfelt thanks to everyone who donated during EFPN’s Stop Hunger Challenge. Your generosity will go a long way towards helping those who need some additional support. We hope that other companies will join us in promoting goodwill and giving back to our communities.”
As part of the EFPN’s challenge, an anonymous donor is incentivizing people to donate by offering to match in dollars the total amount of food items and funds received during the challenge period.
The mission of EFPN is to provide food assistance for those in need in Midland County and surrounding areas. Donations of both food items and money from the public is needed to accomplish this mission. | 2023-04-18T19:14:55+00:00 | ourmidland.com | https://www.ourmidland.com/news/article/savant-group-participates-stop-hunger-challenge-17904163.php |
Ursa Major's Advanced Manufacturing Lab in Youngstown, Ohio Cuts Time to Produce Rocket Engine Components from 6 Months to 1 Month
DENVER, July 13, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Ursa Major, America's only privately funded company that focuses solely on rocket propulsion, delivered its first copper-based 3D-printed rocket engine combustion chambers out of its additive manufacturing (3D-printing) lab in Youngstown, Ohio, compressing the production and delivery cycle to one month, compared to a minimum of six months using traditional manufacturing processes. These advanced copper alloy-based engine components will be tested for space launch and hypersonic applications.
"Speed is of the essence when it comes to producing rocket engines right now because lack of propulsion is causing a significant bottleneck in U.S. access to space and hypersonics testing," said Joe Laurienti, founder and CEO of Ursa Major. "The Ursa Major facility in Youngstown is playing a pivotal role in accelerating our customers' time to market in both commercial and government sectors."
The Ursa Major Advanced Manufacturing Lab began in October of 2021, with $3 million in federal financial support from U.S. Rep. Tim Ryan and Department of Defense-backed manufacturing innovation institute America Makes. The Lab's charter is to develop and test additive manufacturing (3D printing) processes and materials for Ursa Major's rocket engines, used for both space launch and hypersonic applications.
"Ursa Major's goal to help establish the U.S. as a global supplier of rocket propulsion is in line with our efforts to foster domestic innovation and manufacturing across industries in Ohio," said Rep. Tim Ryan. "I'm pleased that Youngstown is home to this state-of-the-art facility that will ultimately help the U.S. regain its leadership in space and hypersonic technologies."
The Youngstown-based facility is equipped with an EOS large-format laser powder bed fusion 3D printer designed to make on-demand components for Ursa Major rocket engines. It is located in the Youngstown Business Incubator, an internationally recognized program focused on the development of software and additive manufacturing companies in the region.
"This type of advanced additive manufacturing is a great example of the kind of American innovation that America Makes seeks to support," said John Wilczynski, Executive Director of America Makes. "Successful projects like this are part of a resurgence in American manufacturing that helps strengthen our domestic supply chain."
The existing supply chain for high temperature metal alloy components is limited, and it can take months to turn around a needed revision. The Advanced Manufacturing Lab accelerates the engine development process, allowing Ursa Major to rapidly iterate on design adjustments in-house to improve engine performance and reliability.
The Advanced Manufacturing Lab was critical to rapidly redesigning Ursa Major's "Ripley" from a 35,000 to 50,000-pound thrust engine in order to meet market demand. The technical lessons learned from Ripley and the methods and materials produced in this facility are now contributing to the development and testing of their two other rocket engine programs – the "Hadley," a 5,000-pound thrust, oxygen-rich staged combustion engine used in small launch and hypersonics, and the recently announced 200,000-pound thrust "Arroway" designed for medium and heavy launch.
3D printing allows Ursa Major to speed up engine production and apply improvements gleaned from testing in real time, lowering costs. Ursa Major's rocket engines are more than 80 percent 3D-printed by mass and primarily built and tested in its Berthoud, Colorado headquarters.
Ursa Major's flexible rocket engines can be used for a range of missions, from air launch to hypersonic flight to on-orbit missions with many restarts. The company's customers get to launch many years faster and without the development cost of building engines in-house. Ursa Major has built and tested more than 50 staged-combustion rocket engines to date and plans to deliver 30 customers by year's end. To date, Ursa Major engines have accumulated more than 36,000 seconds of run-time, far more than a typical engine is tested prior to first flight.
Connect with Ursa Major on LinkedIn, Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.
Ursa Major is America's only privately funded company that focuses solely on rocket propulsion, bringing high-performance, staged combustion engines to market for space launch and hypersonic applications. Ursa Major customers, ranging from "New Space" startups to enterprise-level aerospace leaders and the U.S. government, get to flight faster, more reliably, and cost-effectively. The company employs the most sought-after engineers from top space programs and universities and is backed by world-class investors including XN and Explorer 1 Fund. Headquartered in Berthoud, Colorado, Ursa Major was named one of the best places to work by Built in Colorado two years in a row. For more information, visit www.ursamajor.com.
Perch Partners for Ursa Major
mediateam@perchpartners.com
310.289.3515
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SOURCE Ursa Major | 2022-07-13T13:04:44+00:00 | wlox.com | https://www.wlox.com/prnewswire/2022/07/13/rocket-propulsion-companys-3d-printing-lab-delivers-first-rocket-engine-components/ |
Senior Danilo Fuentes’ first-half goal was enough to seal a 1-0 win for Elizabeth, No. 13 in the NJ.com Top 20, over Gov. Livingston in Elizabeth.
Senior Andy Alvarez assisted on Fuentes’ goal for Elizabeth (13-5), which has won five of its last six games. Elizabeth is seeded second in the North Jersey Section 2, Group 4 NJSIAA Tournament when it will host 15th-seeded Franklin on Wednesday in the first round.
Gov. Livingston (14-4-1), seeded third in the Central Jersey Group 2 Tournament, will host 14th-seeded Monmouth on Wednesday in the first round.
The N.J. High School Sports newsletter now appearing in mailboxes 5 days a week. Sign up now and be among the first to get all the boys and girls sports you care about, straight to your inbox each weekday.
To add your name, click here.As always, please report scores to njschoolsports.com. Thank you for relying on us to provide the journalism you can trust. Please consider supporting NJ.com with a subscription. | 2022-10-25T01:47:05+00:00 | nj.com | https://www.nj.com/highschoolsports/2022/10/boys-soccer-no-13-elizabeth-edges-gov-livingston.html |
NEW YORK (AP) — Bob LuPone, who as an actor earned a Tony nomination in the original run of “A Chorus Line” and went on to help found and lead the influential off-Broadway theater company MCC Theater for almost 40 years, has died. He was 76.
LuPone, brother of Broadway icon Patti LuPone, died Saturday following a three-year battle with pancreatic cancer, according to Matt Ross Public Relations.
“The MCC Theater community mourns the loss of our much loved and uniquely inspiring partner, colleague and dear friend, Bob LuPone, who lived fearlessly and with great curiosity, good humor, a boundless passion for connection, and a whole lot of heart. We will miss him deeply and always,” the theater company said in a statement.
LuPone's first professional job was in 1966, in the ensemble of the Westbury Music Fair’s production of “The Pajama Game” starring Liza Minnelli. He made his Broadway debut in the 1968 production of Noel Coward’s “Sweet Potato” and later appeared in "Minnie’s Boys," "The Rothschilds" and "The Magic Show."
LuPone was initially cast as Al in “A Chorus Line,” but convinced creator and director Michael Bennett to let him play Zach after the original actor left. LuPone would earn a best featured actor Tony nomination for the role.
Born in 1946 in Brooklyn, New York, LuPone graduated from The Juilliard School with a bachelor's degree in dance in 1968.
He was teaching an acting class at New York University when one of his students was Bernie Telsey. Together they would help form Manhattan Class Company in 1986 — known today as MCC Theater.
LuPone, Telsey along with third co-artistic director Will Cantler shaped MCC into a theatrical powerhouse, producing such Broadway-bound works as “Frozen,” “Reasons to be Pretty,” “Hand to God,” “School Girls; or the African Mean Girls Play,” “The Snow Geese,” “The Other Place” and the Pulitzer Prize- winning "Wit."
While serving as co-artistic director of MCC, LuPone also worked as an actor, appearing in “A View from the Bridge,” “True West” and “A Thousand Clowns,” all on Broadway. He was in the Chicago premiere of Sam Shepard’s “The Tooth of Crime and on TV was in “The Sopranos” “Sex and the City,” Guiding Light,” and “All My Children,” for which he received a Daytime Emmy nomination.
He also served as director of the MFA drama program at the New School for Drama from 2005 through 2011 and served as president of the board of directors of A.R.T/ New York.
LuPone is survived by his wife, Virginia; his son, Orlando; sister, Patti; and brother, William.
___
Mark Kennedy is at http://twitter.com/KennedyTwits | 2022-08-27T22:01:21+00:00 | sfgate.com | https://www.sfgate.com/entertainment/article/Bob-LuPone-who-helped-lead-MCC-Theater-has-died-17402529.php |
Russia steps up attacks in Ukraine as offensive gathers pace
KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Russia unleashed strategic bombers, killer drones and rockets in a barrage of attacks on Ukrainian targets early Friday, as a military push by Moscow that Kyiv says has been brewing for days appeared to pick up pace ahead of the one-year anniversary of its invasion.
The Kremlin’s forces focused their bombardments on Ukraine’s industrial east, especially the Luhansk and Donetsk provinces, the Ukrainian military said. Moscow-backed separatists have been fighting Ukrainian forces there since 2014.
But the barrage went further, taking aim at the capital, Kyiv. It also struck critical infrastructure in Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second-largest city in the northeast. Seven people were wounded there, two of them seriously, regional Governor Oleh Syniehubov said.
Air raid sirens went off across much of the country.
The bombardments could be an effort by Russia to soften up Ukraine’s defenses ahead of a ground assault, which Kyiv believes Moscow is planning in the east. There has been little change in battlefield positions for weeks.
Kyiv officials had anticipated a new Moscow thrust, especially in the east, as the Kremlin strives to secure areas it has illegally annexed and where it claims its rule is welcomed.
High-voltage infrastructure facilities were hit in the eastern, western and southern regions, Ukraine’s energy company, Ukrenergo, said, resulting in power outages in some areas. It was the 14th round of massive strikes on the country’s power supply, the company said. The last one occurred on Jan. 26 as Moscow seeks to demoralize Ukrainians by leaving them without heat and water in the bitter winter.
Zaporizhzhia City Council Secretary Anatolii Kurtiev said the city had been hit 17 times in one hour, which he said made it the most intense period of attacks since the beginning of the full-scale invasion on Feb. 24, 2022.
The Ukraine Air Force said Russia launched up to 35 S-300 anti-aircraft guided missiles on the Kharkiv and Zaporizhzhia provinces. Those missiles cannot be destroyed in mid-air by air defenses but they have a relatively short range so the Russians have used them for attacks on regions not far from Russian-controlled territory.
The Khmelnytskyi province in Western Ukraine was also attacked with Shahed drones, according to regional Gov. Serhii Hamalii.
Russia has in the past used Iranian-made Shahed drones to strike at key Ukrainian infrastructure and sow fear among civilians, according to Western analysts. They are known as suicide drones because they nosedive into targets and explode on impact like a missile.
The onslaught lent a sense of urgency to Ukraine’s pleas for more Western military support. The need prompted Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to make a rare — and daring — two-day trip abroad this week to press allies to grant Kyiv more aid.
Due to the threat of a missile attack, emergency power outages were enacted in Kyiv city, the Kyiv and Dnipropetrovsk regions, according to private energy operator DTEK.
The head of Kyiv City Administration, Serhii Popko, said that “there is a great threat of a missile attack” as Tu-95 strategic bombers are in the air, which can carry cruise missiles on board. The head of Kryvyi Rih city Administration confirmed that Russia had launched missiles and urged people to proceed to the shelters.
Moscow’s ambitions have narrowed since it launched its full-scale invasion, when the capital Kyiv and the installation of a puppet government were among its targets, and it is now focusing its efforts on gaining full control of the Donetsk and Luhansk regions, collectively known as the Donbas. Moscow-backed separatists have been fighting Ukrainian forces there since 2014.
Numerous battlefield setbacks, including yielding eastern areas it had initially captured, have embarrassed Russian President Vladimir Putin.
___
Follow the AP’s coverage of the war at https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine
Copyright 2023 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. | 2023-02-10T10:52:50+00:00 | kttc.com | https://www.kttc.com/2023/02/10/russia-steps-up-attacks-ukraine-offensive-gathers-pace/ |
Which weightlifting glove is best?
It’s hard enough to find the motivation and desire to exercise without adding the knowledge that weightlifting equipment is likely to give your hands blisters and calluses. Weightlifting gloves are a smart addition to your workout gear, and they’re more affordable than your standard gym membership.
One excellent pair of weightlifting gloves is the Grip Power Pads Elite Leather Gym Gloves. These high-quality, highly durable weightlifting gloves provide more support, stability and comfort during your weightlifting routine than almost any other weightlifting gloves available.
What to know before you buy weightlifting gloves
Machines to use with weightlifting gloves
Weightlifting gloves can be used for just about any machine in the gym that uses your hands to exercise your upper body. Common machines, pieces of equipment and exercise methods you can use with your weightlifting gloves are barbells, rowing machines, anything CrossFit or Olympic, powerlifting and even the classic pull-up.
This isn’t a full list by any means, but it can serve as a good start to finding the routine and gear that works best for you.
Weightlifting glove benefits
Weightlifting gloves have more benefits than just protecting your hands from calluses, cuts and blisters. They can also help you to keep a firmer grip on your gym equipment by absorbing sweat. By using materials like rubber, they can relieve the pressure on your hands, letting you lift more and lift heavier. Importantly, they can provide critical wrist support to prevent strain and other damage.
Types of weightlifting gloves
Weightlifting gloves come in all manner of shapes and sizes, including some that aren’t actually gloves at all.
What to look for in quality weightlifting gloves
Material
Weightlifting gloves can be made from any number of materials, including leather, silicone, Lycra, mesh and microfiber. They’re all meant to provide support and durability, and different materials provide varying levels of each. If you’re looking for the best, leather provides high durability and also molds to your grip over time.
Size
Weightlifting gloves come in numerous sizes, from extra-small to extra-large, and some one-size-fits-all as well. The perfect size for you should be tight enough that they don’t move but loose enough to let your fingers bend.
Padding
The padding of your weightlifting gloves can be made from different materials than the weightlifting glove itself. They can be of varying thickness and placed in different sections of the glove. Pick a glove with padding over the areas of your hand that see the most use based on your routines, with a thickness level that matches your desire to feel or not feel the equipment you use.
Ease of removal
It can be difficult to remove a sweaty and tight-fitting weightlifting glove from your hand, so many weightlifting gloves come with easy-remove options such as loops on the fingers that help you pull them right off.
How much you can expect to spend on weightlifting gloves
Weightlifting gloves can cost anywhere from a few dollars to upward of $100. Take care in your selection: cheap weightlifting gloves below $10 won’t last long, and weightlifting gloves between $10-$40 are usually just as good as expensive weightlifting gloves.
Weightlifting gloves FAQ
How do you know which size weightlifting gloves are right for you?
A. Measure the circumference of your dominant hand around the base of your fingers just below the knuckle, and don’t include the thumb. Pressing your hand flat against a solid surface can help you get a more accurate reading. Also keep in mind that men’s and women’s weightlifting gloves have different sizes. Pick the larger size if you’re somewhere between two options.
Can you wear different gloves, like cycling gloves, for weightlifting?
A. Yes, but generally, you should only do so if you’re trying out weightlifting to see if it’s something you want to commit to. That’s because different gloves are designed specifically for different activities. You won’t get the full benefit from using the wrong gloves, and you could damage them in situations they aren’t designed for.
What is the best weightlifting glove to buy?
Top weightlifting glove
Grip Power Pads Elite Leather Gym Gloves
What you need to know: These weightlifting gloves are extremely comfortable and provide ample support.
What you’ll love: Two removal options and several color and size options make these weightlifting gloves adaptable to everyone.
What you should consider: They have a strong chemical smell, but it dissipates quickly.
Where to buy: Sold by Amazon
Top weightlifting glove for the money
Grip Power Pads Cobra Grips Pro Weightlifting Gloves
What you need to know: The low price and solid quality make these the perfect entry-level weightlifting gloves.
What you’ll love: Rubber and leather options plus tons of colors give you a wide selection.
What you should consider: Not everyone likes their design.
Where to buy: Sold by Amazon
Worth checking out
Fit Active Sports Ventilated Weight Lifting Gloves
What you need to know: The smaller size of these weightlifting gloves makes them suitable for those with smaller hands.
What you’ll love: They’re perfect for more than just weightlifting, letting you keep them on as you go about your exercise routine.
What you should consider: Heavy use will noticeably wear the seams and padding down.
Where to buy: Sold by Amazon
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Jordan C. Woika writes for BestReviews. BestReviews has helped millions of consumers simplify their purchasing decisions, saving them time and money.
Copyright 2023 BestReviews, a Nexstar company. All rights reserved. | 2023-01-22T12:54:06+00:00 | krqe.com | https://www.krqe.com/reviews/best-weightlifting-glove/ |
Mason , Cynthia C.
Cynthia C. Mason passed away on May 5, 2023, after a ten-month struggle with the illness of overwhelming depression. She was born May 25, 1960, in Kingsport Tennessee. Cindy was a National Merit Scholar at Fairmont High School in Kettering, Ohio and a graduate in Nursing from Vanderbilt University. In her career she excelled in case management helping countless clients in the areas of Worker's Comp, Medical Records, and Elder Care. As a volunteer, Cindy served as a leader on the boards for Montgomery County Senior Resource Center, and the Dayton Visual Arts Center. In sports, Cindy was a champion triathlete competing in over 60 Sprint Triathlons over 20 years. In her surroundings, she had a superb tasteful knack of aligning colors and design for her beautiful home and gardens. In the kitchen, the delicious meals she prepared were second to none. Cindy and her father loved woodworking together. Her amazing personality was welcoming and caring to everyone. Cindy was a life long and devoted member of PEO and a leader of David's United Church of Christ Church in Kettering and a member of Knox Presbyterian Church in Cincinnati.
Cindy is survived by her devoted husband and partner of almost 23 years Jim Crosset, her beloved parents Steve and Lou Mason, her Aunt Marty Hassell (Ellen) her sister Pamela Denka (David), her brother Chris Mason (Diane) her nephew Zach Denka (Emily), her niece Rachel Evancho (Stephen), her niece Natalie Denka (Scot), her step-daughters Eden Crosset and Liela Crosset, great nieces Ava and Zoe, and great nephews Henry, George and Mason.
Services will be held at Knox Presbyterian Church in Cincinnati Ohio on May 24th, 2023 at 11 am. www.springgrove.org
Memorials can be made to:
Dayton Performing Arts Alliance,
126 N. Main St., #210, Dayton, OH 45402
https://donate2.app/dpa/give-today
NAMI Southwest Ohio
4055 Executive Park Dr # 450, Cincinnati, OH 45241
https://namiswoh.org/get-involved/donate/
Third Church
3358 McHenry Ave, Cincinnati, OH 45225
https://faithlife.com/tpc-fn/give | 2023-05-14T05:49:09+00:00 | springfieldnewssun.com | https://www.springfieldnewssun.com/obituaries/mason-cynthia/6QDQXS7QGBB4ZMRTSIJ4AA2D4E/ |
WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — Britain’s free trade agreements with New Zealand and Australia will come into force by the end of this month, the leaders from the three nations said Friday.
The announcement came while the prime ministers from the two Southern Hemisphere nations are in London for the coronation of King Charles III.
The deals are part of Britain’s efforts to expand its economic ties after it left the European Union. Both deals were first agreed to in 2021.
New Zealand officials say its deal will help boost sales of products like wine, butter, beef and honey, and will increase the size of its economy by up to 1 billion New Zealand dollars ($629 million).
New Zealand Prime Minister Chris Hipkins said it was a gold-standard agreement.
“The market access outcomes are among the very best New Zealand has secured in any trade deal,” Hipkins said in a statement.
British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said the deal with New Zealand reflected the close relationship between the nations.
“This deal will unlock new opportunities for businesses and investors across New Zealand and the United Kingdom, drive growth, boost jobs, and, most importantly, build a more prosperous future for the next generation,” Sunak said in a statement.
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said it would mean more market access for its exporters.
“So for beef, for our sheep products, for our seafood, for our other products it will mean much greater access to the British market,” Albanese told the Australian Broadcasting Corp. in an interview.
Albanese said it would also mean greater access for younger Australians to work in Britain and vice versa after the terms of a working holiday arrangement were expanded.
A similar scheme between New Zealand and Britain has also been expanded, increasing the length of working visas from two years to three years and the maximum eligible age from 30 to 35. | 2023-05-05T12:57:12+00:00 | wboy.com | https://www.wboy.com/news/world/britain-to-start-free-trade-with-new-zealand-and-australia/ |
NEW YORK, Aug. 29, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Attention Missfresh Limited ("Missfresh") (NASDAQ: MF) shareholders:
The Law Offices of Vincent Wong announce that a class action lawsuit has commenced on behalf of investors. This lawsuit is on behalf of persons who purchased or otherwise acquired Missfresh securities pursuant and/or traceable to the registration statement and related prospectus issued in connection with Missfresh's June 2021 initial public offering.
If you suffered a loss on your investment in Missfresh, contact us about potential recovery by using the link below. There is no cost or obligation to you.
ABOUT THE ACTION: The class action against Missfresh includes allegations that the Company made materially false and/or misleading statements and/or failed to disclose that: (1) Missfresh provided false financial figures in its registration statement and related prospectus issued in connection with the Company's June 2021 initial public offering; (2) Missfresh would need to amend its financial figures; (3) Missfresh, among other things, had lesser net revenues for the quarter ended March 31, 2021; and (4) as a result, defendants' public statements were materially false and misleading at all relevant times and negligently prepared.
DEADLINE: September 12, 2022
Aggrieved Missfresh investors only have until September 12, 2022 to request that the Court appoint you as lead plaintiff. You are not required to act as a lead plaintiff in order to share in any recovery.
Vincent Wong, Esq. is an experienced attorney who has represented investors in securities litigations involving financial fraud and violations of shareholder rights. Attorney advertising. Prior results do not guarantee similar outcomes.
CONTACT:
Vincent Wong, Esq.
39 East Broadway
Suite 304
New York, NY 10002
Tel. 212.425.1140
E-Mail: vw@wongesq.com
View original content:
SOURCE The Law Offices of Vincent Wong | 2022-08-29T11:01:34+00:00 | kalb.com | https://www.kalb.com/prnewswire/2022/08/29/class-action-alert-law-offices-vincent-wong-remind-missfresh-investors-lead-plaintiff-deadline-september-12-2022/ |
Minnesota wolf pups to be featured in new Disney+ series premiering on July 4
(FOX 9) - Wolf pups from the Voyageurs National Park area of Northern Minnesota will be featured in a new natural history series on Disney+, which premieres on Monday, July 4.
Tom Gable, the project lead with Voyageurs Wolf Project, told FOX 9 on Friday the wolves he and his team study in northern Minnesota will be featured in the new series "America the Beautiful." Gable says this is "super exciting," noting the series will share "the beauty of the wildlife of Voyageurs and Northern Minnesota with the world."
The Disney+/National Geographic team released the following trailer on social media on Friday featuring the Voyageurs wolf pups that will be in the series:
The Voyageurs Wolf Project team was contacted about the possibility of filming wolves in the area, and they worked with and assisted the film crew to help them capture the footage that was used.
"We are incredibly pleased to be able to help the film crew capture stunning footage of the wolves of Voyageurs," Gable told FOX 9. "And are very excited to see the series when it comes out."
Gable says the only footage he's seen is what was released in the trailer on Friday.
"We are super excited that we have been able to help out with the series and we had a lot of fun working with the film crew," Gable told FOX 9. "You often see wolves from Yellowstone or the arctic on nature documentaries but you never see wolves from Minnesota, in part, because observing wolves in the dense forests of Minnesota is tough."
"So we are very beyond excited that the wolves of Voyageurs and the Northwoods of Minnesota will be featured and shared with the world in this series," Gable added.
"America the Beautiful" is narrated by Michael B. Jordan and will begin streaming on Disney+ on July 4.
The Voyageurs Wolf Project is a research project through the University of Minnesota aimed at furthering understanding of wolf behavior, specifically how wolf spends their summer. | 2022-07-01T22:14:52+00:00 | fox9.com | https://www.fox9.com/news/minnesota-wolf-pups-to-be-featured-in-new-disney-series-premiering-on-july-4 |
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (QUEEN CITY NEWS) — The Carolina Panthers released their Spartanburg training camp schedule Thursday and also announced when fans can expect to see the No. 1 overall pick in the NFL Draft Bryce Young.
‘Best rookie group I’ve ever been around’: Panthers mandatory minicamp kicks off
Young and the rookies will report to Wofford College on July 22, veterans will report on July 25, and the first practice will be held on July 26. As per usual, a number of the practices at Gibbs Stadium will be open to the public and free, however, tickets still need to be acquired via Ticketmaster.
Charlotte Sports Live will be in Spartanburg with wall-to-wall coverage beginning on July 22.
More from CSL
📲 Download the QC News app to take Charlotte Sports Live and the latest news on the go.
The biggest storyline of the NFL’s offseason, Aaron Rodgers signing with the New York Jets, will take center stage on August 9 and 10 when the Panthers welcome New York for two joint practice sessions in Spartanburg. A list of items not permitted at practice can be found here.
New head coach Frank Reich, who has not yet said Young will be the starter, makes his regular season debut with the Panthers against the Falcons on September 10 in Atlanta (1 p.m., FOX Charlotte). | 2023-06-15T19:25:40+00:00 | qcnews.com | https://www.qcnews.com/nfl/carolina-panthers/panthers-training-camp-dates-set-joint-practices-with-aaron-rodgers-nyj/ |
The numbers are in: Are you the winner of the $685 million Mega Millions prize?
Video above: Couple talks about 15 years as official Pennsylvania Lottery witnesses
The Mega Millions jackpot increased to $685 million ahead of Friday night's drawing, giving lottery players a chance to ring in the New Year with an even larger bonus in their bank account.
The numbers for Friday's drawing were: white balls 1, 3, 6, 44 and 51, and the gold Mega Ball was 7.
There have been 21 straight drawings without a jackpot winner thanks to stiff odds of one in 302.6 million. That has allowed the top prize to grow steadily larger, week after week.
The estimated $685 million prize is for a winner who chooses to be paid through an annuity, with annual checks over 29 years. Nearly all winners opt for cash, which for Friday night's drawing would be an estimated $347.8 million.
The jackpot is the largest since a $2.04 billion Powerball prize was won Nov. 8 in California. A winner hasn't been announced for that record-setting payout.
Mega Millions is played in 45 states as well as Washington, D.C., and the U.S. Virgin Islands. | 2022-12-31T05:16:12+00:00 | wisn.com | https://www.wisn.com/article/december-30-2022-million-mega-millions-drawing/42370411 |
VANCOUVER, BC, July 14, 2022 /PRNewswire/ - B2Gold Corp. (TSX: BTO) (NYSE AMERICAN: BTG) (NSX: B2G) ("B2Gold" or the "Company") is pleased to announce its gold production and gold revenue for the second quarter and first half of 2022. All dollar figures are in United States dollars unless otherwise indicated.
- Total gold production in the second quarter of 2022 of 223,623 ounces (including 14,765 ounces of attributable production from Calibre Mining Corp. ("Calibre")), slightly above budget by 1% (2,154 ounces), and consolidated gold production of 208,858 ounces from the Company's three operating mines, in line with budget
- Consolidated gold revenue in the second quarter of 2022 of $382 million on sales of 205,300 ounces at an average realized gold price of $1,861 per ounce
- Fekola's mill throughput in the second quarter of 2022 was a quarterly record of 2.42 million tonnes, 8% above budget and 6% higher than the second quarter of 2021
- On July 3, 2022, the Economic Community of West African States ("ECOWAS") removed the economic, financial and diplomatic sanctions imposed on Mali earlier in 2022 following the interim Malian Government's announcement of a two-year transition to presidential elections and the promulgation of a new electoral law. As a result, Mali's borders with its neighbours are now open to normal commercial traffic and ordinary supply routes are once again available
- Total gold production in the first half of 2022 of 432,988 ounces (including 27,657 ounces of attributable production from Calibre), above budget by 3% (11,914 ounces), and consolidated gold production of 405,331 ounces from the Company's three operating mines, above budget by 2% (7,383 ounces)
- Consolidated gold revenue in the first half of 2022 of $748 million on sales of 400,400 ounces at an average realized gold price of $1,867 per ounce
- For full-year 2022, B2Gold remains well positioned for continued strong operational and financial performance and remains on track to achieve its total gold production guidance of between 990,000 - 1,050,000 ounces (including 40,000 - 50,000 attributable ounces projected from Calibre) with total consolidated cash operating costs forecast to be between $620 - $660 per ounce (see "Non-IFRS Measures") and total consolidated all-in sustaining costs ("AISC") (see "Non-IFRS Measures") forecast to be between $1,010 - $1,050 per ounce
- The Company remains in a strong net positive cash position and paid a second quarter dividend of $0.04 per common share (annualized rate of $0.16 per common share), one of the highest dividend yields in the gold sector
- The Company recently announced the acquisition of Oklo Resources Limited, which will provide B2Gold with an additional landholding of 1,405 km2 covering highly prospective greenstone belts in Mali, including Oklo's flagship Dandoko project (550 km2), located approximately 25 kilometres from each of the Fekola Mine and the Anaconda area. The transaction is expected to be completed in early September 2022
Total gold production in the second quarter of 2022 was 223,623 ounces (including 14,765 ounces of attributable production from Calibre), slightly above budget by 1% (2,154 ounces), and consolidated gold production from the Company's three operating mines was 208,858 ounces, in line with budget (see "Operations" section below). Compared to the second quarter of 2021, total consolidated gold production was higher by 6% (12,011 ounces), mainly due to record quarterly mill throughput achieved at the Fekola Mine in the second quarter of 2022. In addition, processed grade was higher at the Otjikoto Mine in the second quarter of 2022, due to significant waste stripping operations at both the Wolfshag and Otjikoto pits in the first half of 2021. Consolidated gold production from the Company's three operating mines is expected to be significantly weighted to the second half of 2022 primarily due to the timing of higher-grade ore mining.
For the first half of 2022, total gold production was 432,988 ounces (including 27,657 ounces of attributable production from Calibre), above budget by 3% (11,914 ounces), and comparable with the first half of 2021. Consolidated gold production from the Company's three operating mines was 405,331 ounces in the first half of 2022, above budget by 2% (7,383 ounces) and 1% (2,308 ounces) higher compared to the second half of 2021.
The Company is currently compiling its consolidated cash operating costs and consolidated AISC results for the second quarter of 2022, which will be released along with its second quarter of 2022 financial results after the North American markets close on Wednesday, August 3, 2022.
For full-year 2022, B2Gold remains well positioned for continued strong operational and financial performance and remains on track to achieve its total gold production guidance of between 990,000 and 1,050,000 ounces (including 40,000 and 50,000 attributable ounces projected from Calibre), with total consolidated cash operating costs forecast to be between $620 and $660 per ounce and total consolidated AISC forecast to be between $1,010 and $1,050 per ounce. Due to the timing of high-grade ore mining, consolidated gold production from the Company's three operating mines is expected to increase significantly to between 560,000 and 590,000 ounces during the second half of 2022. Based mainly on the weighting of production and timing of stripping, consolidated cash operating costs are expected to be between $760 and $800 per ounce in the first half of 2022, before significantly improving to between $490 and $530 per ounce during the second half of 2022. In addition, consolidated AISC are expected to be between $1,250 and $1,290 per ounce in the first half of 2022 before significantly improving to between $820 and $860 per ounce during the second half of 2022.
For the second quarter of 2022, consolidated gold revenue was $382 million on sales of 205,300 ounces at an average realized gold price of $1,861 per ounce, compared to $363 million on sales of 200,071 ounces at an average realized gold price of $1,814 per ounce in the second quarter of 2021. The increase in gold revenue of 5% ($19 million) was attributable to a 2.5% increase in the average realized gold price and a 2.5% increase in gold ounces sold.
For the first half of 2022, consolidated gold revenue was $748 million on sales of 400,400 ounces at an average price of $1,867 per ounce compared to $725 million on sales of 402,401 ounces at an average price of $1,802 per ounce in the first half of 2021. The increase in gold revenue of 3% ($23 million) was attributable to a 4% increase in the average realized gold price, partially offset by a 1% decrease in gold ounces sold.
Operations
Mine-by-mine gold production in the second quarter and first half of 2022 (including the Company's estimated 25% attributable share of Calibre's production) was as follows:
Fekola Gold Mine - Mali
The Fekola Mine in Mali continued its strong operational performance through the second quarter of 2022, producing 123,066 ounces of gold, in line with budget. In the second quarter of 2022, Fekola's processing facilities achieved record quarterly throughput of 2.42 million tonnes, 8% above budget and 6% higher than the second quarter of 2021, due to favourable ore characteristics and continuous optimization of the grinding circuit. The higher than budgeted mill throughput in the second quarter of 2022 was mainly offset by lower than budgeted mill feed grade (6%), as Fekola's low-grade stockpiles were used to provide additional unbudgeted mill feed required as a result of the higher than budgeted processed tonnes. Compared to the second quarter of 2021, gold production was higher by 8% (9,455 ounces), mainly due to higher mill throughput. Fekola's gold production is expected to be significantly weighted to the second half of 2022 when mining reaches the higher-grade portion of Phase 6 of the Fekola Pit.
For the second quarter of 2022, mill feed grade was 1.71 grams per tonne ("g/t") compared to budget of 1.81 g/t and 1.65 g/t in the second quarter of 2021; mill throughput was 2.42 million tonnes compared to
budget of 2.24 million tonnes and 2.29 million tonnes in the second quarter of 2021; and gold recovery averaged 92.4% compared to budget of 94.4% and 93.2% in the second quarter of 2021. In the second quarter of 2022, as noted above, the higher than budgeted mill throughput (8%) was mainly offset by lower than budgeted mill feed grade (6%), as Fekola's low-grade stockpiles were used to provide additional unbudgeted mill feed required as a result of the higher than budgeted processed tonnes. In addition, in the second quarter of 2022, low availability of lime led to reduced gold recoveries, however, all reagents are now available without constraint and operations continue normally.
For the first half of 2022, the Fekola Mine produced 224,714 ounces of gold, slightly above budget (901 ounces) and, as expected, lower by 6% (13,985 ounces) compared to the first half of 2021 mainly due to planned significant waste stripping and lower mined ore tonnage as Phase 6 of the Fekola Pit was developed in the first half of 2022.
The Company welcomes the recent announcement by ECOWAS of the removal on July 3, 2022 of the economic, financial and diplomatic sanctions imposed on Mali in January 2022. The sanctions were removed by ECOWAS after the interim Malian Government announced a two-year transition to presidential elections and promulgated a new electoral law. Mali's borders with its neighbouring countries have now re-opened to normal commercial traffic and ordinary supply routes are available. Throughout the period of the sanctions, the Fekola Mine continued to operate normally and meet its production targets while maintaining a good working relationship with the interim Government.
The low-cost Fekola Mine is expected to produce between 570,000 and 600,000 ounces of gold in 2022 at cash operating costs of between $510 and $550 per ounce and AISC of between $840 and $880 per ounce. Fekola's gold production is expected to significantly increase to between 350,000 and 370,000 ounces during the second half of 2022. Based mainly on the weighting of production and timing of pre-stripping, Fekola's cash operating costs are expected to be between $720 and $760 per ounce in the first half of 2022, before significantly improving to between $380 and $420 per ounce during the second half of 2022. In addition, Fekola's AISC are expected to be between $1,140 and $1,180 per ounce in the first half of 2022, before significantly improving to between $660 and $700 per ounce during the second half of 2022.
Masbate Gold Mine – The Philippines
The Masbate Mine in the Philippines continued its strong operational performance with second quarter 2022 gold production of 54,375 ounces, above budget by 2% (995 ounces), as processed tonnage (6% above budget) more than offset lower than budgeted processed grade (4%). Compared to the second quarter of 2021, gold production was lower by 4% (2,503 ounces) due to higher grade and recoveries in the second quarter of 2021.
For the second quarter of 2022, mill feed grade was 1.09 g/t compared to budget of 1.13 g/t and 1.17 g/t in the second quarter of 2021; mill throughput was 1.99 million tonnes compared to budget of 1.88 million tonnes and 1.86 million tonnes in the second quarter of 2021; and gold recovery averaged 78.4% compared to budget of 78.2% and 81.5% in the second quarter of 2021. In the second quarter of 2022, higher than budgeted mill throughput (6%) resulted from the continuous optimization of the grinding circuit whereas the lower than budgeted processed grade (4%) resulted from lower than budgeted mined grades at the bottom of the Montana Pit, where mining is expected to be completed by the end of July 2022. Processed grade was higher in the second quarter of 2021 (compared to the second quarter of 2022) due to mining of higher-grade zones of the Main Vein and Montana pits in the second quarter of 2021. Gold recoveries for processed ore were also higher in the second quarter of 2021 (compared to the second quarter of 2022) as mill recoveries outperformed Masbate's modelled mine plan recoveries in the second quarter of 2021.
For the first half of 2022, Masbate Mine's gold production of 114,139 ounces was well above budget by 6% (6,706 ounces) as a result of higher than budgeted mill throughput, and comparable to the first half of 2021.
In light of the Masbate Mine's positive production performance to date in 2022, it is now expected to produce between 215,000 and 225,000 ounces of gold in 2022 (original guidance range was between 205,000 and 215,000 ounces of gold), with cash operating costs of between $740 and $780 per ounce and AISC of between $1,070 and $1,110 per ounce. Masbate's gold production is scheduled to be relatively consistent throughout 2022.
Otjikoto Gold Mine - Namibia
The Otjikoto Mine in Namibia produced 31,417 ounces of gold in the second quarter of 2022, 2,027 ounces (6%) below budget. The lower than budgeted gold production in the second quarter of 2022 was due to a slower than planned ramp-up in development of the Wolfshag Underground mine, resulting in lower than budgeted mined grade. The Company recently appointed a new underground mining contractor and development rates in the Wolfshag Underground mine have recovered, with development ore now expected in the third quarter of 2022 and stope ore production commencing in the fourth quarter of 2022. As a result of this change in ore production timing, the 2022 annual production guidance range for Otjikoto has been revised to between 165,000 and 175,000 ounces of gold (original guidance range was between 175,000 and 185,000 ounces of gold). As expected, compared to the second quarter of 2021, gold production was higher by 17% (4,526 ounces) due to significant waste stripping operations at both the Wolfshag and Otjikoto pits in the first half of 2021.
For the second quarter of 2022, mill feed grade was 1.17 g/t compared to budget of 1.25 g/t and 0.99 g/t in the second quarter of 2021; mill throughput was 0.85 million tonnes compared to budget of 0.85 million tonnes and 0.86 million tonnes in the second quarter of 2021; and gold recovery averaged 98.4% compared to budget of 98.0% and 97.8% in the second quarter of 2021. As noted above, processed grade was lower than budget in the second quarter of 2022 due to delays in the development of the Wolfshag Underground mine and higher compared to the second quarter of 2021 due to significant waste stripping at both the Wolfshag and Otjikoto pits in the first half of 2021.
For the first half of 2022, the Otjikoto Mine produced 66,478 ounces of gold, in line with budget and 33% (16,545 ounces) higher than the first half of 2021.
The Otjikoto Mine is now expected to produce between 165,000 and 175,000 ounces of gold in 2022, with cash operating costs of between $740 and $780 per ounce and AISC of between $1,120 and $1,160 per ounce. For the second half of 2022, Otjikoto's gold production is expected to increase significantly to between 100,000 and 105,000 ounces. Based mainly on the weighting of the planned production and timing of pre-stripping, Otjikoto's cash operating costs are expected to be between $960 and $1,000 per ounce in the first half of 2022, before significantly improving to between $620 and $660 per ounce during the second half of 2022. In addition, Otjikoto's AISC are expected to be between $1,460 and $1,500 per ounce in the first half of 2022, before significantly improving to between $930 and $970 per ounce during the second half of 2022.
The Company is pleased with its second quarter and first half of 2022 production results as outlined in this news release. Based on a strong first half, the Company is on track to meet its annual gold production guidance for 2022 of between 990,000 - 1,050,000 ounces (including 40,000 - 50,000 attributable ounces projected from Calibre) with total consolidated cash operating costs of between $620 - $660 per ounce and total consolidated AISC of between $1,010 - $1,050 per ounce. The Company is currently compiling its consolidated cash operating costs and consolidated AISC results for the second quarter of 2022, which will be released along with its second quarter of 2022 financial results after the North American markets close on Wednesday, August 3, 2022.
The Company is continuing with a $33 million program for development of infrastructure for Phase I saprolite mining at the Anaconda area, including road construction. Based on the updated Mineral Resource estimate for the Anaconda area released in March 2022 and B2Gold's preliminary planning, the Company has demonstrated that a pit situated on the Anaconda area could provide selective higher grade saprolite material to be trucked to and fed into the Fekola mill. Subject to obtaining all necessary permits and completion of a final development plan, the trucking of selective higher grade saprolite material to the Fekola mill would increase the ore processed and annual gold production from the Fekola mill, with the potential to add an average of approximately 80,000 to 100,000 ounces per year to the Fekola mill's annual gold production. The plan to truck the selective higher grade saprolite material is not included in the Company's 2022 production guidance and the Anaconda area Mineral Resources have not been included in the current Fekola life of mine plan. Based on the updated Mineral Resource estimate and the 2022 exploration drilling results, the Company is completing a Phase II scoping study to review the project economics of constructing a stand-alone mill near the Anaconda area. Subject to receipt of a positive Phase II scoping study, the Company expects that the saprolite material would continue to be trucked to and fed into the Fekola mill during the construction period for the Anaconda area stand-alone mill.
The Company's ongoing strategy is to continue to maximize profitable production from its mines, further advance its pipeline of development and exploration projects, evaluate new exploration, development and production opportunities and continue to pay an industry leading dividend yield.
B2Gold will release its second quarter 2022 financial results after the North American markets close on Wednesday, August 3, 2022.
B2Gold executives will host a conference call to discuss the results on Thursday, August 4, 2022, at 10:00 am PST/1:00 pm EST. You may access the call by dialing the operator at +1 (778) 383-7413 / +1 (416) 764-8659 (Vancouver/Toronto) or toll free at +1 (888) 664-6392 prior to the scheduled start time or you may listen to the call via webcast by clicking here. A playback version will be available for two weeks after the call at +1 (416) 764-8677 (local or international) or toll free at +1 (888) 390-0541 (passcode 652410 #).
Bill Lytle, Senior Vice President and Chief Operating Officer, a qualified person under NI 43-101, has approved the scientific and technical information related to operations matters contained in this news release.
On Behalf of B2GOLD CORP.
"Clive T. Johnson"
President and Chief Executive Officer
For more information on B2Gold please visit the Company website at www.b2gold.com or contact:
The Toronto Stock Exchange and NYSE American LLC neither approve nor disapprove the information contained in this news release.
Production results and production guidance presented in this news release reflect total production at the mines B2Gold operates on a 100% project basis. Please see our Annual Information Form dated March 30, 2022 for a discussion of our ownership interest in the mines B2Gold operates.
This news release includes certain "forward-looking information" and "forward-looking statements" (collectively forward-looking statements") within the meaning of applicable Canadian and United States securities legislation, including: projections; outlook; guidance; forecasts; estimates; and other statements regarding future or estimated financial and operational performance, gold production and sales, revenues and cash flows, and capital costs (sustaining and non-sustaining) and operating costs, including projected cash operating costs and AISC, and budgets on a consolidated and mine by mine basis; the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on B2Gold's operations, including any restrictions or suspensions with respect to our operations and the effect of any such restrictions or suspensions on our financial and operational results; the ability of the Company to successfully maintain our operations if they are temporarily suspended, and to restart or ramp-up these operations efficiently and economically, the impact of COVID-19 on the Company's workforce, suppliers and other essential resources and what effect those impacts, if they occur, would have on our business, our planned capital and exploration expenditures; future or estimated mine life, metal price assumptions, ore grades or sources, gold recovery rates, stripping ratios, throughput, ore processing; statements regarding anticipated exploration, drilling, development, construction, permitting and other activities or achievements of B2Gold; and including, without limitation: B2Gold generating operating cashflows of approximately $625 million in 2022 which are expected to be significantly weighted to the second half of 2022; remaining well positioned for continued strong operational and financial performance for 2022; projected gold production, cash operating costs and AISC on a consolidated and mine by mine basis in 2022, including production being weighted heavily to the second half of 2022; total consolidated gold production of between 990,000 and 1,050,000 ounces in 2022 with cash operating costs of between $620 and $660 per ounce and AISC of between $1,010 and $1,050 per ounce; the potential upside to increase Fekola's gold production in 2022 by trucking material from the Anaconda area, including the potential to add approximately 80,000 to 100,000 per year to Fekola's annual production profile, and for the Anaconda area to provide saprolite material to feed the Fekola mill starting in late 2022; the timing and results of a Phase II study for the Anaconda area to review the project economics of trucking sulphide material to the Fekola mill as compared to constructing another stand-alone mill near Anaconda; the development of the Wolfshag underground mine at Otjikoto, including the results of such development and the costs and timing thereof; stope ore production at the Wolfshag underground mine at Otjikoto commencing in the fourth quarter of 2022; the potential payment of future dividends, including the timing and amount of any such dividends, and the expectation that quarterly dividends will be maintained at the same level; and B2Gold's attributable share of Calibre's production. All statements in this news release that address events or developments that we expect to occur in the future are forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are statements that are not historical facts and are generally, although not always, identified by words such as "expect", "plan", "anticipate", "project", "target", "potential", "schedule", "forecast", "budget", "estimate", "intend" or "believe" and similar expressions or their negative connotations, or that events or conditions "will", "would", "may", "could", "should" or "might" occur. All such forward-looking statements are based on the opinions and estimates of management as of the date such statements are made.
Forward-looking statements necessarily involve assumptions, risks and uncertainties, certain of which are beyond B2Gold's control, including risks associated with or related to: the duration and extent of the COVID-19 pandemic, the effectiveness of preventative measures and contingency plans put in place by the Company to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic, including, but not limited to, social distancing, a non-essential travel ban, business continuity plans, and efforts to mitigate supply chain disruptions; escalation of travel restrictions on people or products and reductions in the ability of the Company to transport and refine doré; the volatility of metal prices and B2Gold's common shares; changes in tax laws; the dangers inherent in exploration, development and mining activities; the uncertainty of reserve and resource estimates; not achieving production, cost or other estimates; actual production, development plans and costs differing materially from the estimates in B2Gold's feasibility and other studies; the ability to obtain and maintain any necessary permits, consents or authorizations required for mining activities; environmental regulations or hazards and compliance with complex regulations associated with mining activities; climate change and climate change regulations; the ability to replace mineral reserves and identify acquisition opportunities; the unknown liabilities of companies acquired by B2Gold; the ability to successfully integrate new acquisitions; fluctuations in exchange rates; the availability of financing; financing and debt activities, including potential restrictions imposed on B2Gold's operations as a result thereof and the ability to generate sufficient cash flows; operations in foreign and developing countries and the compliance with foreign laws, including those associated with operations in Mali, Namibia, the Philippines and Colombia and including risks related to changes in foreign laws and changing policies related to mining and local ownership requirements or resource nationalization generally, including in response to the COVID-19 outbreak; remote operations and the availability of adequate infrastructure; fluctuations in price and availability of energy and other inputs necessary for mining operations; shortages or cost increases in necessary equipment, supplies and labour; regulatory, political and country risks, including local instability or acts of terrorism and the effects thereof; the reliance upon contractors, third parties and joint venture partners; the lack of sole decision-making authority related to Filminera Resources Corporation, which owns the Masbate Project; challenges to title or surface rights; the dependence on key personnel and the ability to attract and retain skilled personnel; the risk of an uninsurable or uninsured loss; adverse climate and weather conditions; litigation risk; competition with other mining companies; community support for B2Gold's operations, including risks related to strikes and the halting of such operations from time to time; conflicts with small scale miners; failures of information systems or information security threats; the ability to maintain adequate internal controls over financial reporting as required by law, including Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act; compliance with anti-corruption laws, and sanctions or other similar measures; social media and B2Gold's reputation; risks affecting Calibre having an impact on the value of the Company's investment in Calibre, and potential dilution of our equity interest in Calibre; as well as other factors identified and as described in more detail under the heading "Risk Factors" in B2Gold's most recent Annual Information Form, B2Gold's current Form 40-F Annual Report and B2Gold's other filings with Canadian securities regulators and the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the "SEC"), which may be viewed at www.sedar.com and www.sec.gov, respectively (the "Websites"). The list is not exhaustive of the factors that may affect B2Gold's forward-looking statements.
B2Gold's forward-looking statements are based on the applicable assumptions and factors management considers reasonable as of the date hereof, based on the information available to management at such time. These assumptions and factors include, but are not limited to, assumptions and factors related to B2Gold's ability to carry on current and future operations, including: the duration and effects of COVID-19 on our operations and workforce; development and exploration activities; the timing, extent, duration and economic viability of such operations, including any mineral resources or reserves identified thereby; the accuracy and reliability of estimates, projections, forecasts, studies and assessments; B2Gold's ability to meet or achieve estimates, projections and forecasts; the availability and cost of inputs; the price and market for outputs, including gold; foreign exchange rates; taxation levels; the timely receipt of necessary approvals or permits; the ability to meet current and future obligations; the ability to obtain timely financing on reasonable terms when required; the current and future social, economic and political conditions; and other assumptions and factors generally associated with the mining industry.
B2Gold's forward-looking statements are based on the opinions and estimates of management and reflect their current expectations regarding future events and operating performance and speak only as of the date hereof. B2Gold does not assume any obligation to update forward-looking statements if circumstances or management's beliefs, expectations or opinions should change other than as required by applicable law. There can be no assurance that forward-looking statements will prove to be accurate, and actual results, performance or achievements could differ materially from those expressed in, or implied by, these forward-looking statements. Accordingly, no assurance can be given that any events anticipated by the forward-looking statements will transpire or occur, or if any of them do, what benefits or liabilities B2Gold will derive therefrom. For the reasons set forth above, undue reliance should not be placed on forward-looking statements.
Non-IFRS Measures
This news release includes certain terms or performance measures commonly used in the mining industry that are not defined under International Financial Reporting Standards ("IFRS"), including "cash operating costs" and "all-in sustaining costs" (or "AISC"). Non-IFRS measures do not have any standardized meaning prescribed under IFRS, and therefore they may not be comparable to similar measures employed by other companies. The data presented is intended to provide additional information and should not be considered in isolation or as a substitute for measures of performance prepared in accordance with IFRS and should be read in conjunction with B2Gold's consolidated financial statements. Readers should refer to B2Gold's Management Discussion and Analysis, available on the Websites, under the heading "Non-IFRS Measures" for a more detailed discussion of how B2Gold calculates certain of such measures and a reconciliation of certain measures to IFRS terms.
Cautionary Statement Regarding Mineral Reserve and Resource Estimates
The disclosure in this news release was prepared in accordance with Canadian National Instrument 43-101, which differs significantly from the requirements of the United States Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC"), and resource and reserve information contained or referenced in this news release may not be comparable to similar information disclosed by public companies subject to the technical disclosure requirements of the SEC. Historical results or feasibility models presented herein are not guarantees or expectations of future performance.
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SOURCE B2Gold Corp. | 2022-07-14T10:10:42+00:00 | mysuncoast.com | https://www.mysuncoast.com/prnewswire/2022/07/14/b2gold-reports-continued-strong-gold-production-q2-2022-with-total-gold-production-223623-oz-line-with-budget-track-meet-annual-guidance-990000-1050000-oz-total-gold-production/ |
Following Wednesday's destructive storm in Seminole, News 9's Caleb Califano went to the city as the community and crews begin the process of rebuilding.
At this time, crews are working to restore power in Seminole after many were left in the dark from the storms.
For a live look at OG&E outage map numbers, click here.
Seminole Public Schools announced they will be closed through Tuesday, May 10 as repair efforts continue from the damage of Wednesday night's severe storms.
You can read their statement below. | 2022-05-06T18:36:00+00:00 | news9.com | https://www.news9.com/story/627511e40e8860072ccb9619/crews-working-to-restore-power-in-seminole-following-destructive-tornado |
‘It’s brought back so much hope’: Paralyzed central Ky. deputy wants to be part of Neuralink trials
The company, founded by Elon Musk, hopes its brain implant could restore body control to people who are paralyzed.
LEXINGTON, Ky. (WKYT) - At his home in rural Fayette County, Jaime Morales often sits on his front porch to think.
“I’ve been wanting to walk again the second I felt I couldn’t move my legs,” he told WKYT’s Garrett Wymer.
It has been almost five years since Morales, a Scott County sheriff’s deputy at the time, was paralyzed after being hit by friendly fire while trying to arrest a fugitive.
He says he remembers a lot about that night - hitting the ground, waking up in the ambulance, waking up again in the hospital - and remembers realizing that he could not move his legs.
[RELATED COVERAGE | From trigger to trophy: Paralyzed first responder turns pain into purpose]
Even after years in a wheelchair, still:
“I’ve never had a dream where I’m in my chair,” Morales said. “Every dream I have up to this point, I’m always walking. I haven’t had one yet in a wheelchair. So it sucks when you wake up, you know? But now with this, it’s brought back - it’s brought back so much hope.”
That hope is because of a brain implant from Neuralink, a tech company started by Elon Musk in 2016. At a launch event in 2019, Musk laid out his vision to restore control of a person’s paralyzed body by using a brain chip.
“This, I think, has tremendous potential,” Musk said. “If you know somebody who has broken their neck, broken their spine, we can solve that with a chip.”
Last month, Neuralink said that the FDA approved it to begin human trials on the brain-computer interface. It is designed to allow people who are paralyzed to control a computer or mobile device and maybe someday, they even claim, to see or walk again.
Experts at the University of Kentucky say the technology is promising.
Neuralink is not the first to come up with a brain-computer (or brain-machine) interface. Theirs uses a robot to implant a chip and connect threads to the brain. An external link communicates via Bluetooth with an iPhone app.
“It is really revolutionary,” said Dr. Francis Farhadi, associate professor of neurosurgery at UK. “With brain-machine interface, we’re talking, really, about completely bypassing the spinal cord. You’re talking about the brain itself communicating with either prosthesis, robotic arm, wheelchair, mouse, you name it.”
The director of the Spinal Cord and Brain Injury Research Center at UK says he hopes to see some of those trials at his lab.
“We always need to temper expectations. But I think we’re starting to see maybe all the parts that are necessary to have change,” said Dr. John Gensel. “Neuralink and wireless connections between the brain and other parts of your body or computers and others, is a step in that direction, it’s a piece of the puzzle. And it’s an important one that will continue to move the field in the right direction. We just need to continue to develop the other pieces.”
Registration for trials is not currently open, but the patient registry is. It is an initial screening, asking questions about the medical conditions that could qualify people for the clinical trials - including quadriplegia or paraplegia.
Neuralink did not respond to a request for comment about the process for selecting trial volunteers.
“I think it’s time we cure spinal cord injury,” Morales said.
He says he signed up for the registry awhile back, when he first learned about the company while it was doing early tests on animals.
Those trials did come with some controversy.
An animal rights group filed a complaint that accused Neuralink of “botching surgeries” on animals, and a separate investigation is looking into whether the company has taken enough precautions to contain potentially hazardous pathogens.
Neuralink’s initial attempt at FDA approval was rejected for safety reasons, according to a Reuters investigation.
Morales knows that human trials of the chip could come with risks.
“The way I think of it is, I’ve already lost so much,” Morales said. “I’m willing to put myself in that situation.”
To the marine and law enforcement veteran, it is just another way to serve and protect.
He has posted videos on social media trying to catch the attention of Musk and Neuralink and get selected for trials.
Sitting on his front porch, Morales sighed.
“Just thinking about it...” his voice trailed off as he smiled.
Morales has ambitions of helping, but for now he is just hoping, as he can’t stop dreaming about what someday could be.
In the meantime, Morales is trying to raise money through Wheelchairs for Warriors for a new wheelchair after insurance denied his claim.
Copyright 2023 WKYT. All rights reserved. | 2023-07-06T00:24:59+00:00 | wymt.com | https://www.wymt.com/2023/07/05/its-brought-back-so-much-hope-paralyzed-central-ky-deputy-wants-be-part-neuralink-trials/ |
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