text stringlengths 80 124k | date_download stringdate 2022-04-02 20:48:07 2023-07-31 23:59:06 | source_domain stringclasses 387
values | url stringlengths 21 528 |
|---|---|---|---|
- Voicemod, which is based in Valencia, on Wednesday released 20 humanlike characters, ranging from a 20-something woman to an elderly man.
- Users can change their voice to that of several it to several different voices, from a high-pitched female speaker to a baritone male voice.
- Used by more than 40 million people, Voicemod's tech can be used by people in the social app Discord to speak with each other in voices other than their own while playing games.
An artificial intelligence firm in Spain has unveiled a number of "AI humans" that allow people to modify their voices in video games — in real time.
Voicemod, which is based in Valencia, on Wednesday released 20 humanlike characters, ranging from a 20-something woman to an elderly man. The voices are trained on voices from professional human voice actors.
In a demonstration of the tech on a call with CNBC, Voicemod's CEO Jaime Bosch showed himself speaking regularly and changing it to several different voices, from a high-pitched female speaker to a baritone male voice.
Feeling out of the loop? We'll catch you up on the Chicago news you need to know. Sign up for the weekly Chicago Catch-Up newsletter here.
Gamers can download the app on their Apple Mac or Windows PC and incorporate Voicemod's technology as a "virtual microphone" that sits in between the microphone application they're using to start speaking through the alternative personas.
Voicemod, which counts talent from leading technical universities in Valencia and Barcelona, has been working on voice synthesis and interactive audio features since 2014, with many of its employees specializing in music technology and audio.
Used by more than 40 million people, Voicemod's tech can be used by people in the social app Discord to speak with each other in voices other than their own while playing games.
Money Report
"We have an amazing creativity community using this mainly to have fun, enjoy it with their friends and have a sense of belonging," Bosch said in an interview with CNBC.
"One of the biggest use cases I love the most is shy people — we have some people who write to us saying I wasn't able to really socialise with people who are now able to do that."
It's a milestone in the world of conversational AI. While many of today's AI algorithms allow people to submit text and receive something AI-generated back, the feat of ensuring this is done in real time is much harder.
The technology requires a significant amount of computing power. And producing and patenting the proprietary algorithm models behind it takes a lot of investment, and talent.
To that end, Voicemod has raised $23 million in cash from several venture capitalists including Leadwind and Bitkraft Ventures.
Bosch is also no stranger to the risks surrounding how the technology can end up being abused — voice-changing technology could be used to imitate leading political figures or scam people, for example.
"This is something I think of every single day, something we're thinking about in the company every single day when it comes to the creation of voices," he said.
The company is close to finishing a "watermarking" solution that can identify whether voices have been generated using modification systems. It is also in discussions with other firms about standardization of such systems and ensuring voice-changing tech is released safely.
"One thing is, clear laws will come," Bosch said. "We know Europe is working on that. The reality is that, usually, companies go faster than the laws."
WATCH: Cannes Lions 2023: AI won't make markets lazy — TBWA CEO | 2023-06-21T15:38:05+00:00 | nbcchicago.com | https://www.nbcchicago.com/news/business/money-report/these-a-i-humans-are-letting-gamers-modify-their-voices-in-real-time/3165421/ |
Another Emeril's Bistro Will Be Part of the Dining Experience on Carnival Jubilee
MIAMI, Dec. 28, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Bam! Carnival Cruise Line announced today that renowned chef and restauranteur Emeril Lagasse will serve as its Chief Culinary Officer. A restaurant concept created by Lagasse, Emeril's Bistro, is already popular on two of Carnival's most innovative ships, Mardi Gras and Carnival Celebration, and now the famous chef's culinary talents will be utilized fleetwide. In conjunction with this announcement, Carnival also announced that Carnival Jubilee will also feature an Emeril's Bistro when it arrives in Galveston, Tex. in December 2023. To see a video of Lagasse sharing the news, click here.
"Food is key to the fun of a Carnival cruise," said Christine Duffy, president of Carnival Cruise Line. "Emeril's restaurants on our two new ships have been a great addition to our dining offerings and guests rave about the food, which will also be on Carnival Jubilee come next December. With Emeril's culinary expertise and broader profile on our ships, along with our wildly popular partnership with Food Network star Guy Fieri, Carnival will feature two iconic talents in the food and dining industry across our fleet."
As Chief Culinary Officer, Lagasse will support Carnival's skilled chefs with guidance on food trends and techniques as well as advise on future menu items and dining concepts. Guests will also see his input on the menus of main dining rooms fleetwide, including entrées designated as "Emeril recommends" picks.
"I've been creating and operating restaurants for many years but developing my restaurants with Carnival and learning about the cruise industry has been an exhilarating experience. I love Carnival's focus on food and fun and the many great dining options they offer their guests. I'm looking forward to building on our success at sea with Carnival's exceptional culinary team," said Lagasse.
Lagasse is a James Beard Award winner, known for his mastery of Creole and Cajun cuisine and one of New Orleans' most respected chefs. In addition to his acclaimed restaurants across the country, he has been welcomed into homes nationwide for decades through his popular cookbooks and television cooking shows, including his current show "Emeril Cooks," which debuted on Roku earlier this year.
Carnival offers its guests outstanding choices in casual and fine dining, and the last several months have been filled with awards from Cruise Critic, Travel Weekly, The Points Guy, Good Housekeeping and Reader's Digest that recognize the great value and dining options – many of which are fully inclusive with standard bookings. Fieri's Guy's Burgers is the first stop for many guests after they board their cruise, and his fleetwide offerings have been expanded to include Guy's Pig & Anchor Bar-B-Que Smokehouse on newer ships joining the fleet.
To celebrate Lagasse's new role, Duffy has invited him to join her in New York this weekend, where Carnival is sponsoring the countdown clock, and serving as a musical sponsor, for the famous Times Square ball drop. Carnival's integration with the iconic New Year's Eve Celebration in New York City will also serve as one of the first launching points of Carnival's new "Choose Fun Together" marketing campaign. The new ads highlight those special moments of fun that can only happen when people come together on a Carnival cruise – because we are our most fun selves when we choose fun – together. In that spirit, Duffy and Lagasse will flip the switch on the New Year's Eve countdown clock together.
The event also coincides with the cruise line's line expansion of operations in New York City, with year-round departures from the Manhattan Cruise Terminal on board Carnival Venezia beginning in June.
For additional information on Carnival Cruise Line and to book a cruise vacation, call 1-800-CARNIVAL, visit www.carnival.com, or contact your favorite travel advisor or online travel site.
Carnival Cruise Line, part of Carnival Corporation & plc (NYSE/LSE: CCL; NYSE: CUK), is proud to be known as America's Cruise Line, for carrying more Americans and serving more U.S. homeports than any other. Since its founding in 1972, Carnival has continually revolutionized the cruise sector, making a cruise vacation an affordable and popular option for millions of guests. Carnival operates from 14 U.S. and two Australian homeports and employs more than 40,000 team members representing 120 nationalities. Carnival currently operates 24 ships and is in an exciting period of growth, with Carnival Celebration and Carnival Luminosa, which began guest operations in November, and three additional ships joining the fleet by 2024.
View original content to download multimedia:
SOURCE Carnival Cruise Line | 2022-12-28T17:50:00+00:00 | wagmtv.com | https://www.wagmtv.com/prnewswire/2022/12/28/carnival-cruise-line-names-emeril-lagasse-chief-culinary-officer/ |
Cool, dry start to the weekend, wet weather expected Sunday
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (WBRC) -A ridge of high pressure along the Gulf Coast drifting east toward Georgia will maintain our dry, cool conditions for the beginning of the weekend. A southerly wind flow will help bring mild conditions this afternoon with highs approaching 60-degrees. a weather shift will begin tomorrow with an active weather pattern setting up by Sunday afternoon and wet weather along with flooding concerns will return.
Scattered to widespread moderate to heavy are expected with the greatest concerns for localized flooding in areas to the south. Rain will move from west to east across the state beginning in Northwest Alabama early tomorrow morning and spreading across most of the area during the morning. Heavy rain and thunderstorms are expected but no widespread Severe Storms are anticipated.. Rainfall accumulation totals between 1-2″ which would produce the concerns for localized flooding. Rain will likely continue through the afternoon but diminish during the late afternoon and early evening Sunday.
By Monday morning the rain will be east of the region leaving dry conditions and mild temperatures. The chances for rain return Tuesday with the wet weather pattern continuing through Friday as more moisture continues to be transported over the region, but still no organized thunderstorms are expected. The rain activity will not be continuous but will rather occur in several waves across the region. Several additional inches of rain are possible which, when combined with this weekend’s rains will produce concerns for localized and river flooding.
Colder temperatures and drier will move into the region leading to diminishing rain chances by Friday and Saturday with cooler temperatures by week’s end.
Get news alerts in the Apple App Store and Google Play Store or subscribe to our email newsletter here.
Copyright 2023 WBRC. All rights reserved. | 2023-01-28T13:49:27+00:00 | wbrc.com | https://www.wbrc.com/2023/01/28/saturday-morning-weather/ |
Aldi Trophy Room
Look, times are tough and the cost of living is only going up. Sydneysiders are being hit hard when it comes to scrounging a few coins together. Enter Aldi's bougie cheese and wine pop-up in the CBD. For two nights on Friday, July 15 and Saturday, July 16, you can sample the wares of everyone's favourite bizarro world. Yep, that's right, the land of Special Buys, knock-off chips, and the comfiest check-out chicks in Australia is opening a cheese and wine bar for two days only. They'll be serving up their award-winning (ya-huh) Aussie wines from McLaren Vale and Margaret River in real-life wine glasses as well as fancy platters of triple cream brie, sharp manchego, and soft blue vein cheese. You'll even get a tasty gin on arrival. The hook? Everything is being served at cost price. That means serious savings for you, seriously. A glass of wine will set you back just 83 cents, $1.29 for the gin, and up to 90 cents for the cheese. That's insane! Sessions run from 5-6:30pm and 7:30-9pm on each night and can be booked here. Squeezing every penny? Check out Sydney's best cheap eats here. | 2022-07-08T14:46:26+00:00 | timeout.com | https://www.timeout.com/sydney/restaurants/aldi-trophy-room |
GRAPHIC DETAILS: Veterinarians forced to euthanize nearly 30 dogs in animal cruelty case
NICHOLLS, Ga. (WALB/Gray News) - A woman is under arrest after police found multiple dogs living in deplorable conditions in a Georgia home.
Nicholls Police Department Chief Jamie Merritt said officers responded to a home regarding an animal complaint where they located seven adult dogs and 21 puppies at the residence.
WALB reports the home’s back door was open when officers arrived and found several adult dogs bleeding and hairless, covered with fleas.
Police said they found some animals deceased and dismembered.
According to authorities, three litters of puppies, some a few days old, were also found in the home with conditions so poor that the adult dogs were eating the puppies because they were without food.
Merritt said officers took the 28 animals to a veterinarian for assistance, but the team was forced to put the dogs down due to their health conditions.
Nicholls police reported Carol Dukes is facing eight counts of animal cruelty charges in the incident.
An arrest report showed she was already in jail since July 8, after being charged with a criminal trespass bench warrant, possession of meth and having a controlled substance.
Authorities said their animal cruelty investigation continues.
Copyright 2022 WALB via Gray Media Group, Inc. All rights reserved. | 2022-07-22T20:55:29+00:00 | wymt.com | https://www.wymt.com/2022/07/22/graphic-details-veterinarians-forced-euthanize-nearly-30-dogs-animal-cruelty-case/ |
SAN JOSE, Calif., Feb. 22, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The Atsign Company, ("Atsign"), a technology company that makes it easy to secure the privacy of individuals, organizations, and things on the Internet, announced today that it has won a 2023 IoT Global Award for Securing IoT and was also named the 2022 IoT Security Champion by the IoT Security Foundation ("IoTSF").
"It's an honor to win these two prestigious awards," said Kevin Nickels, Co-founder & Chief Product Officer. "And it's incredibly validating to see the capabilities of our tech recognized by these IoT industry experts."
About the IoT Global Awards
The IoT Global Awards is a prestigious awards program honoring the most innovative companies, products and individual talent in 11 IoT industry categories.
Each year an independent and qualified panel of judges selects 11 of the very best corporations, companies, start-ups and business leaders from the IoT sector, from hundreds of applications.
Learn more at: iotglobalawards.com/winners
About the TechWorks Awards
The IoTSF IoT Security Champion Award honors organizations who have demonstrated IoT security excellence in protecting their customers, business and the wider connected ecosystem. The award judges were impressed by Atsign's innovative zero-trust solution that addresses many aspects of the IoT security challenge.
The award was sponsored by 5V Tech.
Learn more at: iotsecurityfoundation.org/atsign-named-iot-security-champion-award-winner-2022
About Atsign
Atsign's open-source, patent pending, edge-to-edge encryption technology was developed to make connected experiences smarter, safer, and simpler for people and the Internet of Things.
Learn more at Atsign.com.
View original content to download multimedia:
SOURCE Atsign | 2023-02-22T12:41:35+00:00 | wymt.com | https://www.wymt.com/prnewswire/2023/02/22/atsign-recipient-two-iot-security-awards/ |
NEW YORK, Dec. 5, 2022 /PRNewswire/ --
If you own shares in any of the companies listed above and would like to discuss our investigations or have any questions concerning this notice or your rights or interests, please contact:
Joshua Rubin, Esq.
Weiss Law
305 Broadway, 7th Floor
New York, NY 10007
(212) 682-3025
(888) 593-4771
stockinfo@weisslawllp.com
Apollo Endosurgery, Inc. (NASDAQ: APEN)
Weiss Law is investigating possible breaches of fiduciary duty and other violations of law by the board of directors of Apollo Endosurgery, Inc. (NASDAQ: APEN), in connection with the proposed acquisition of APEN by Boston Scientific Corporation. Under the terms of the merger agreement, APEN shareholders will receive $10.00 in cash for each share of APEN common stock owned. If you own APEN shares and wish to discuss this investigation or your rights, please call us at one of the numbers listed above or visit our website: https://www.weisslaw.co/news-and-cases/apen
Abiomed, Inc. (NASDAQ: ABMD)
Weiss Law is investigating possible breaches of fiduciary duty and other violations of law by the board of directors of Abiomed, Inc. (NASDAQ: ABMD), in connection with its proposed tender offer by Johnson & Johnson. Under the tender offer, ABMD shareholders will receive $380.00 in cash, reflecting an enterprise value of approximately $16.6 billion, and a non-tradeable contingent value right (CVR) entitling the holder to receive up to $35.00 for each share of ABMD common stock owned. If you own ABMD shares and wish to discuss this investigation or your rights, please call us at one of the numbers listed above or visit our website: https://www.weisslaw.co/news-and-cases/abmd
Benefitfocus, Inc. (NASDAQ: BNFT)
Weiss Law is investigating possible breaches of fiduciary duty and other violations of law by the board of directors of Benefitfocus, Inc. (NASDAQ: BNFT), in connection with the proposed acquisition of BNFT by Voya Financial, Inc. Under the terms of the merger agreement, BNFT shareholders will receive $10.50 in cash for each share of BNFT common stock owned. If you own BNFT shares and wish to discuss this investigation or your rights, please call us at one of the numbers listed above or visit our website: https://www.weisslaw.co/news-and-cases/bnft
Freshworks Inc. (NASDAQ: FRSH)
Weiss Law, a national shareholder rights law firm, is investigating possible breaches of fiduciary duty and violations of the federal securities laws by, among others, the Board of Directors and senior officers of Freshworks Inc. (NASDAQ: FRSH) concerning misleading statements and omissions connected with the company's initial public offering ("IPO"). If you own FRSH shares and wish to discuss this investigation or your rights, please call us at one of the numbers listed above or visit our website: https://www.weisslaw.co/news-and-cases/frsh
View original content to download multimedia:
SOURCE Weiss Law | 2022-12-05T21:54:47+00:00 | kwtx.com | https://www.kwtx.com/prnewswire/2022/12/05/shareholder-alert-weiss-law-reminds-apen-abmd-bnft-frsh-shareholders-about-its-ongoing-investigations/ |
Senate votes to end Covid-19 emergency, 3 years after initial declaration
By Ali Zaslav, Phil Mattingly and Manu Raju, CNN
The Senate on Wednesday passed a bill that would end the national Covid-19 emergency declared by then-President Donald Trump on March 13, 2020.
The final vote was overwhelmingly bipartisan, 68-23. The joint resolution, which cleared the House earlier this year, now heads to President Joe Biden’s desk.
The vote comes on the heels of two other successful efforts led by Republicans in approving legislation rescinding Biden administration policies.
A White House official said in a statement to CNN that while the President “strongly opposes” this bill, the administration is already winding down the emergency by May 11, the date previously announced for the end of the authority.
Still, the official noted, if the Senate passed the measure and it heads to Biden’s desk, “he will sign it, and the administration will continue working with agencies to wind down the national emergency with as much notice as possible to Americans who could potentially be impacted.”
The White House said in January that Biden “strongly opposes” the GOP resolution to end the Covid-19 emergency, according to its statement of administration policy, but did not threaten a veto.
While the lack of an explicit veto threat left the possibility of Biden signing the measure a clear, if not likely, option, Biden’s ultimate decision to sign the bill marked another moment where House Democrats have privately voiced frustration that the lack of clarity — or outright messaging mishap — from the White House left lawmakers in a lurch.
House Democrats largely voted against the bill when it was brought to the floor in February except for 11 Democrats who joined Republicans in support. A separate White House official noted that the Senate vote comes after several weeks when the Biden administration has had time to accelerate its wind-down efforts — and just a little over a month before they’d announced the emergency would end.
But it also comes after the administration drew blowback from House Democrats after sending what lawmakers viewed as mixed signals over how the president planned to respond to a Republican-led resolution that would block a controversial Washington, DC, crime bill, which opponents criticized as weak on crime. The president ultimately did not veto the measure.
The measure was able to succeed in the Senate by a simple majority through the Congressional Review Act, which allows a vote to repeal regulations from the executive branch without breaking a filibuster at a 60-vote threshold that is required for most legislation in the chamber.
The-CNN-Wire
™ & © 2023 Cable News Network, Inc., a Warner Bros. Discovery Company. All rights reserved. | 2023-03-30T01:40:13+00:00 | localnews8.com | https://localnews8.com/politics/cnn-us-politics/2023/03/29/senate-votes-to-end-covid-19-emergency-3-years-after-initial-declaration/ |
"Outdoor play builds confidence, curiosity, creativity and caring – everything Highlights is about." – Highlights CEO Kent Johnson
COLUMBUS, Ohio, April 4, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Highlights for Children (Highlights), a global brand dedicated to publishing content and creating experiences that foster joyful learning, announced today that it has acquired Tinkergarten, a company which provides research-backed, play-based outdoor learning experiences to children six months to 8 years of age. This acquisition reflects Highlights' belief in the power of play and hands-on learning in preschool education and beyond.
Tinkergarten was founded in 2012 by Meghan Fitzgerald and Brian Fitzgerald, with the mission of helping kids develop critical skills such as problem-solving, creativity and empathy through purposeful outdoor play. Their innovative curriculum, remote teacher training mode and on-demand service are designed to inspire a love of nature and a passion for learning. They have grown and trained a technology-enabled network of teachers to bring families together in local greenspaces for classes in all 50 states; and deliver training and curriculum directly to families at home. Tinkergarten has been recognized as one of the most innovative companies in early childhood education by Fast Company.
Highlights for Children, including its flagship magazine, Highlights, has been a trusted source of Fun with a Purpose for over 75 years. With the acquisition of Tinkergarten, Highlights is expanding its early childhood education offerings, which include preschool magazine High Five; Superkids, an evidence-based English language arts curriculum crafted for grades K–2; Explore It Kit subscription boxes; and ABC 123, a Handwriting Readiness Resource Kit.
"Tinkergarten's innovative approach to play-based learning aligns perfectly with our mission to help children become their best selves," said Kent Johnson, CEO of Highlights. "Play is the urgent work of childhood, and more research emerges every month that outdoor experiences help to build resiliency, self-regulation, focus and emotional well-being."
"With Highlights' footprint and expertise, we will expand our product offerings, reach and impact, so we can bring the power and joy of outdoor learning to even more families," said Brian Fitzgerald, Co-Founder and CEO. Meghan Fitzgerald, Co-Founder and Chief Learning Officer of Tinkergarten added, "We're thrilled to join forces with Highlights, a company that so clearly shares our educational values and passion for promoting learning and well-being for all children."
The acquisition of Tinkergarten is effective immediately, and both companies will work together to integrate their resources and offerings. The Tinkergarten team will continue to operate under the leadership of Meghan and Brian Fitzgerald.
Founded in 1946, Highlights exists to help children become their best selves --- curious, creative, caring and confident. We foster joyful learning with our three popular magazines Highlights (ages 6-12), High Five (ages 2-5), and Hello (ages 0-2); Zaner-Bloser's research-based instructional programs; and other offerings including book clubs, books, famous Hidden Pictures® puzzles, gear, activity kits, hand-writing readiness instruction, crafts and clothing.
Media Contact: Hillary.Bates@Highlights.com
View original content to download multimedia:
SOURCE Highlights for Children | 2023-04-04T11:20:43+00:00 | kalb.com | https://www.kalb.com/prnewswire/2023/04/04/highlights-children-acquires-tinkergarten-expanding-its-commitment-early-childhood-education/ |
MICHIGAN CITY, Ind., Aug. 15, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- The Purple Heart Foundation, a non-profit organization that assists veterans-in-need, announced it has partnered with the Military Makeover television show to renovate and remodel an entire home for a veteran and his family. The show will air on Lifetime TV, and the renovations will be at no cost to the veteran.
"We are excited about the opportunity to work with the Military Makeover team and help Michael and his family," said Steve Ruckman, CEO of the Purple Heart Foundation. "This project aligns perfectly with our mission to enhance the quality of life for honorably discharged veterans in need. Together, we are helping to change this family's life. We are proud of this project and the work we do for our nation's veterans."
Michael Stupar, a retired U.S. Army Staff Sergeant and his family were chosen for this home improvement project. Stupar was wounded in Iraq in 2004 while taking enemy fire on a recovery mission. His transition to civilian life has been complicated due to recent family tragedies and health issues.
The Stupar family episodes will be airing at 7:30 am EDT/PDT on Lifetime TV. The episodes will air August 12 through September 15th. Tune in every Friday morning for a new episode.
The Military Order of the Purple Heart Service Foundation is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that raises funds to support our nation' s veterans and their families. Active for over 65 years, it funds programs, services, research efforts and more. Its mission is to enhance the quality of life of Purple Heart recipients and other honorably discharged veterans and their families.
For More Information Contact:
Aristides Rodriguez
(703) 635-3531
arodriguez@purpleheartfoundation.org
View original content to download multimedia:
SOURCE Purple Heart Foundation | 2022-08-15T19:18:11+00:00 | wcjb.com | https://www.wcjb.com/prnewswire/2022/08/15/purple-heart-foundation-is-partnering-with-military-makeover-show-their-new-season/ |
NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg addresses the attendees on the second day of the meeting of NATO Ministers of Foreign Affairs, in Bucharest, Romania, Wednesday, Nov. 30, 2022.
From left, Slovenia's Foreign Minister Tanja Fajon, Norway's Foreign Minister Anniken Huitfeldt, United States Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Canada's Foreign Minister Melanie Joly and Germany's Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock attend the second day of the meeting of NATO Ministers of Foreign Affairs, in Bucharest, Romania, Wednesday, Nov. 30, 2022.
NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg attends the second day of the meeting of NATO Ministers of Foreign Affairs, in Bucharest, Romania, Wednesday, Nov. 30, 2022.
Sweden's Foreign Minister Tobias Billstromthe talks journalists on second day of the meeting of NATO Ministers of Foreign Affairs, in Bucharest, Romania, Wednesday, Nov. 30, 2022
Finland's Foreign Minister Pekka Haavisto talks to journalists on the second day of the meeting of NATO Ministers of Foreign Affairs, in Bucharest, Romania, Wednesday, Nov. 30, 2022.
NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg, right, gestures next to Turkey's Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu before a family photo in Bucharest, Romania, Tuesday, Nov. 29, 2022. NATO doubled down Tuesday on its commitment to one day include Ukraine, a pledge that some officials and analysts believe helped prompt Russia's invasion this year. The world's largest security alliance also pledged to send more aid to Ukrainian forces locked in battle with Russian troops.
North Macedonia's Foreign Minister Bujar Osmani, right, and NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg attend the second day of the meeting of NATO Ministers of Foreign Affairs, in Bucharest, Romania, Wednesday, Nov. 30, 2022.
Bosnia Herzegovina Foreign Minister Bisera Turkovic, left, and NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg attend the meeting of NATO Ministers of Foreign Affairs in Bucharest, Romania, Wednesday, Nov. 30, 2022.
Britain's Foreign Secretary James Cleverly, left, greets Bosnia Herzegovina Foreign Minister Bisera Turkovic during the second day of the meeting of NATO Ministers of Foreign Affairs in Bucharest, Romania, Wednesday, Nov. 30, 2022.
Georgia's Foreign Minister Ilia Darchiashvili attends the second day of the meeting of NATO Ministers of Foreign Affairs in Bucharest, Romania, Wednesday, Nov. 30, 2022.
NATO allies vow to back Moldova, Georgia, and Bosnia
Moldova’s Foreign Minister says that apart from Ukraine, his country has been hit hardest by Russia’s invasion of its neighbor, as NATO offered fresh support to three countries shaken by the effects of Russia’s 10-month-old war
By STEPHEN McGRATH and LORNE COOK - Associated Press
NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg addresses the attendees on the second day of the meeting of NATO Ministers of Foreign Affairs, in Bucharest, Romania, Wednesday, Nov. 30, 2022.
Andreea Alexandru - stringer, AP
From left, Slovenia's Foreign Minister Tanja Fajon, Norway's Foreign Minister Anniken Huitfeldt, United States Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Canada's Foreign Minister Melanie Joly and Germany's Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock attend the second day of the meeting of NATO Ministers of Foreign Affairs, in Bucharest, Romania, Wednesday, Nov. 30, 2022.
Andreea Alexandru - stringer, AP
NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg attends the second day of the meeting of NATO Ministers of Foreign Affairs, in Bucharest, Romania, Wednesday, Nov. 30, 2022.
Andreea Alexandru - stringer, AP
Sweden's Foreign Minister Tobias Billstromthe talks journalists on second day of the meeting of NATO Ministers of Foreign Affairs, in Bucharest, Romania, Wednesday, Nov. 30, 2022
Vadim Ghirda - staff, AP
Finland's Foreign Minister Pekka Haavisto talks to journalists on the second day of the meeting of NATO Ministers of Foreign Affairs, in Bucharest, Romania, Wednesday, Nov. 30, 2022.
Vadim Ghirda - staff, AP
NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg, right, gestures next to Turkey's Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu before a family photo in Bucharest, Romania, Tuesday, Nov. 29, 2022. NATO doubled down Tuesday on its commitment to one day include Ukraine, a pledge that some officials and analysts believe helped prompt Russia's invasion this year. The world's largest security alliance also pledged to send more aid to Ukrainian forces locked in battle with Russian troops.
Vadim Ghirda - staff, AP
North Macedonia's Foreign Minister Bujar Osmani, right, and NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg attend the second day of the meeting of NATO Ministers of Foreign Affairs, in Bucharest, Romania, Wednesday, Nov. 30, 2022.
Andreea Alexandru - stringer, AP
Moldova's Foreign Minister Nicu Popescu attends the meeting of NATO Ministers of Foreign Affairs in Bucharest, Romania, Wednesday, Nov. 30, 2022.
Andreea Alexandru - stringer, AP
Bosnia Herzegovina Foreign Minister Bisera Turkovic, left, and NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg attend the meeting of NATO Ministers of Foreign Affairs in Bucharest, Romania, Wednesday, Nov. 30, 2022.
Andreea Alexandru - stringer, AP
Britain's Foreign Secretary James Cleverly, left, greets Bosnia Herzegovina Foreign Minister Bisera Turkovic during the second day of the meeting of NATO Ministers of Foreign Affairs in Bucharest, Romania, Wednesday, Nov. 30, 2022.
Andreea Alexandru - stringer, AP
Georgia's Foreign Minister Ilia Darchiashvili attends the second day of the meeting of NATO Ministers of Foreign Affairs in Bucharest, Romania, Wednesday, Nov. 30, 2022.
BUCHAREST (AP) — Apart from Ukraine, Moldova has been hit hardest by Russia’s invasion of its neighbor, the Moldovan foreign minister said Wednesday, as NATO offered fresh support to three countries shaken by the effects of Moscow’s 10-month-old war.
Nicu Popescu told The Associated Press in an interview in Romania’s capital that “we want to be expanding our cooperation with partners who support Moldova ... that includes the European Union (and) NATO.”
That support for Moldova — as well as Georgia and Bosnia — came from NATO allies also on Wednesday when the three countries’ foreign ministers met with their NATO counterparts to discuss how the world’s biggest security organization could help them in the face of political, energy and territorial uncertainty precipitated by the war.
NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said after talks that the allies discussed shared security concerns with the three countries which he said are facing Russian pressure. Stoltenberg said alliance members agreed to help train and improve the three nations’ security and defense institutions.
“If there is one lesson learned from Ukraine it’s that we need to support them now ... when we have seen developments going in the absolutely wrong direction as we saw with the invasion of Ukraine,” Stoltenberg said at the Palace of the Parliament in Bucharest.
Russia’s war in Ukraine has had a particularly troubling effect on Moldova, Ukraine's neighbor, which is currently facing a severe energy crisis due to its reliance on Russian imports.
In recent weeks it has suffered massive power outages as a result of Russian strikes on Ukraine’s energy grid. Moldova’s Soviet-era energy systems remain interconnected with Ukraine, which is why the Russian missile barrage caused the lights to go out.
Russian missiles have also traversed Moldova's skies, missile debris has landed on its soil, and in April blasts occurred in the country’s Russian-backed breakaway region of Transnistria — where Moscow bases around 1,500 troops.
“Every week there is something new, there’s a new negative effect of this war on us,” Popescu said. “Last week ... almost 80-90% of the country was plunged into darkness for most of a day. This is a really, totally unacceptable, very aggressive Russian campaign that targets Ukraine but also in complete disregard of our security.”
Moldova was granted EU candidate status in June, the same day as Ukraine, and is constitutionally neutral, but “neutrality does not mean demilitarization, we need the military means and all the other means to defend our country, to defend our peace, to defend our people from aggression,” Popescu added.
Stoltenberg told reporters on Wednesday that Bosnia — which has long been wracked by political instability, Russian interference, and ethnic tensions — is “important for stability in the whole of the Western Balkans.” Protests rocked the Bosnian Serb half of the ethnically divided country last month after some voters alleged that a pro-Russian Bosnian Serb leader rigged an election in the Serb entity, Republika Srpska.
Bosnian Foreign Minister Bisera Turkovic said her country, where a government is in the process of being formed following the elections, “is very concerned about the future.”
“We have proxies, or we had the proxies, in our government, Russian proxies. So division in the country is deep and we hope that we will be able to overcome it. NATO’s presence is extremely important for Bosnia-Herzegovina because it is a guarantor of our security,” she said.
NATO has promised Georgia that, like Ukraine, it will join the 30-nation alliance one day, but Russian troops swept into Georgia after that pledge was made 14 years ago. A breakaway Georgian region has this year threatened to hold a referendum on joining Russia.
An international aid conference in Paris last week co-chaired by France, Germany and Romania raised more than 100 million euros ($103 million) to support Moldova, Europe’s poorest country. Earlier this month, the EU also pledged the country 250 million euros (nearly $258 million) in aid.
“We are working with all the partners ... and that is helping us,” Popescu said Wednesday. “At the same time, the truth is that between now and April (we) still have quite a lot to go in ensuring that we’ll be having an uninterrupted supply of gas and electricity.”
Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
We welcome comments, however there are some guidelines:
Keep it Clean: Please avoid obscene, vulgar, lewd,
racist or sexual language. Don't Threaten:
Threats of harming another person will not be tolerated. Be
Truthful: Don't lie about anyone or anything.
Be Nice: No racism, sexism or any sort of -ism
that is degrading. Be Proactive: Report abusive
posts and don’t engage with trolls. Share with Us:
Tell us your personal accounts and the history behind articles. | 2022-11-30T21:49:24+00:00 | hjnews.com | https://www.hjnews.com/world/nato-allies-vow-to-back-moldova-georgia-and-bosnia/article_db37ea9d-c96a-5fc1-81d3-70d556ab5385.html |
Establishes an Industry Leading Repair Option for its Fast-Growing Diagnostic Imaging Division and a Long Term Partnership with Creative Foam
TAMPA, Fla., May 5, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Probo Medical ("Probo"), a leading global provider of medical imaging equipment, parts, repair and service, announced today that it has completed its acquisition of the MRI coil repair operation from Creative Foam, Inc., a Fenton, Michigan based solutions provider specializing in the design, engineering, and manufacturing of a range of solutions in the transportation and healthcare markets.
The acquisition allows Probo Medical to offer a wider array of complex MRI coil repairs in-house to complement its repair capabilities in other diagnostic imaging modalities. Additionally, Probo has entered into a long-term partnership with Creative Foam for re-foaming of MRI coils, which Creative Foam will continue to provide to its customers.
"Creative Foam has long been an industry leader in MRI system coil repair," said Michael Asmer, CEO of Probo Medical, LLC. "The synergies this acquisition provides greatly enhance Probo's ability to serve our growing diagnostic imaging repair segment. Adding this level of expertise to our existing, world-class ultrasound sales, service and repair capabilities fits squarely within the value proposition we provide to our customers needing to buy, service and repair their equipment."
"Probo is the perfect partner for Creative Foam to bring the coil repair business to the next level delivering increased customer satisfaction. We are looking forward to continuing the relationship with Probo with our core product line up. This is clearly a win-win for both parties," said Koen F Devits, President and CEO Creative Foam.
Probo Medical plans to relocate all MRI coil repair operations to its Tampa, Florida based headquarters. Creative Foam will maintain its name and facility in Bremen, Indiana, where they will continue to provide solutions for the transportation and healthcare industries.
About Probo Medical
Probo Medical is a diversified supplier of refurbished diagnostic imaging equipment sales, service, rental, repair and installation of a vast array of imaging equipment, including ultrasound, c-arm, x-ray, mammography, fluoroscopy, MRI and CT. For more information about Probo Medical, visit http://www.probomedical.com/.
Contact: Adam Walter, Probo Medical
Email: awalter@probomedical.com
View original content:
SOURCE Probo Medical | 2023-05-05T15:41:20+00:00 | kcbd.com | https://www.kcbd.com/prnewswire/2023/05/05/probo-medical-completes-acquisition-creative-foams-mri-coil-repair-operation/ |
Newmark's New York Multifamily Capital Markets group closes $315.3 million in one month spanning property types and lenders
NEW YORK, Sept. 27, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Newmark announces that the firm's New York Multifamily Capital Markets group closed eight transactions totaling $315.3 million in the month of August and has transacted approximately $3.1 billion since the beginning of 2022. Newmark's Multifamily Capital Markets Executive Managing Directors Bill Weber and Henry Stimler, along with Senior Managing Director of Capital Markets Strategies Ari Schwartzbard, worked on behalf of the firm's clients to secure the financings.
"The current interest rate environment has caused many lenders and sellers to reassess their strategies. However, by embracing a creative approach to financing, we were able to instill confidence in our clients spanning a variety of lenders and product types," said Stimler. "We view ourselves as an extension of our clients' ambition and work to help them grow their portfolios, source deals and drive revenue, delivering financing solutions to meet their goals."
The latest transactions to close during August's market volatility covered a broad spectrum of property types and included several types of lenders totaling $315.3 million:
- A $115 million partial return of equity provided by Mack Capital for the 300-unit multifamily asset Alas Over Lowry in Denver, CO, which allowed the sponsor to recoup a large portion of their equity in a volatile market.
- A $40.5 million refinancing of a bridge loan by Korean lender, KB Kookmin Bank, for a 324-unit multifamily property Laurelwoode in Magnolia, TX, where Newmark connected the client with The Related Companies for $8 million in preferred equity on top of the senior loan. The pairing of a low-cost mortgage with preferred equity capital resulted in a blended cost of capital below market rate deals.
- A $29 million origination loan provided by JP Morgan for the 309-unit multifamily property West End in Kansas City, KS for which the sponsor was organized as a Delaware Statuary Trust.
- A $32.7 million origination loan provided by Freddie Mac for a 224-unit multifamily property Glen at Cypress Creek in North Lauderdale, FL. Newmark, as a licensed seller servicer, underwrote the agency financing in the transaction.
- A $31.1 million loan for the 230-unit student housing portfolio in the Sunbelt by A10 Capital. The team procured strong financing in an asset class that many lenders find challenging in this environment.
- A $23.5 million acquisition loan for Crosspoint Apartments in Ohio, where Newmark acted as a delegated lender for Fannie Mae.
- A $20 million acquisition loan provided by JP Morgan Asset Management for a multifamily asset, the Palms at Clear Lake in Texas.
- A $23.6 million acquisition loan was provided by boutique lender Stifel Bank for Greenhill, an Ohio multifamily property.
"The market has been volatile because of large changes in interest rates over a short period of time," said Weber. "However, with the right mix of lenders and client goals, we were able to secure approximately $3.1 billion in transactions on behalf of our clients since the beginning of the year."
In addition to the August transactional volume, since the beginning of 2022, the New York Multifamily Capital Markets Group has also completed notable transactions including: sourcing a $360 million acquisition loan from lender KKR for the off-market sale of the Dasmen Residential multifamily portfolio to Harbor Group International; securing a $405 million acquisition financing from lender Benefit Street for the off-market multifamily portfolio sale from Cedar Grove Capital to GVA Real Estate Group; a $119 million origination financing from Korean lender KB Kookmin Bank for mixed-use asset Galvin at Twin Brooks; and a $66.7 million acquisition financing of EISAI NJ, a single tenant, triple-net lease office transaction.
According to Newmark Research, investor appetite in multifamily surged in 2Q22 with $86.3 billion in sales volume, representing a 42.4% year-over-year increase and the third largest quarterly sum in history. Total returns through 2Q22 averaged 24.4% on an annualized basis, a 450-basis point increase from 2021. While inflation reached 9.1%, a level not seen in over 30 years, real returns for multifamily rose to 15.3% – significantly outpacing inflation, as has been the case over the past 40+ years, with the exceptions of the early 1990's recession and the Great Recession.
About Newmark
Newmark Group, Inc. (Nasdaq: NMRK), together with its subsidiaries ("Newmark"), is a world leader in commercial real estate, seamlessly powering every phase of the property life cycle. Newmark's comprehensive suite of services and products is uniquely tailored to each client, from owners to occupiers, investors to founders, and startups to blue-chip companies. Combining the platform's global reach with market intelligence in both established and emerging property markets, Newmark provides superior service to clients across the industry spectrum. Newmark generated revenues of nearly $3.2 billion for the twelve months ending June 30, 2022. Newmark's company-owned offices, together with its business partners, operate from approximately 170 offices with over 6,500 professionals around the world. To learn more, visit nmrk.com or follow @newmark.
Discussion of Forward-Looking Statements about Newmark
Statements in this document regarding Newmark that are not historical facts are "forward-looking statements" that involve risks and uncertainties, which could cause actual results to differ from those contained in the forward-looking statements. These include statements about the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on the Company's business, results, financial position, liquidity and outlook, which may constitute forward-looking statements and are subject to the risk that the actual impact may differ, possibly materially, from what is currently expected. Except as required by law, Newmark undertakes no obligation to update any forward-looking statements. For a discussion of additional risks and uncertainties, which could cause actual results to differ from those contained in the forward-looking statements, see Newmark's Securities and Exchange Commission filings, including, but not limited to, the risk factors and Special Note on Forward-Looking Information set forth in these filings and any updates to such risk factors and Special Note on Forward-Looking Information contained in subsequent reports on Form 10-K, Form 10-Q or Form 8-K.
View original content to download multimedia:
SOURCE Newmark Group, Inc. | 2022-09-27T22:14:13+00:00 | witn.com | https://www.witn.com/prnewswire/2022/09/27/multifamily-lending-continues-face-economic-headwinds/ |
NEW YORK, Aug. 19, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Jakubowitz Law announces that a securities fraud class action lawsuit has commenced on behalf of shareholders of Amazon.com, Inc. (NASDAQ: AMZN).
To receive updates on the lawsuit, fill out the form:
https://claimyourloss.com/securities/amazon-com-inc-loss-submission-form-2/?id=30971&from=4
This lawsuit is on behalf of all persons or entities that purchased or otherwise acquired shares of Amazon common stock between July 30, 2021, and April 28, 2022, inclusive.
Shareholders interested in acting as a lead plaintiff representing the class of wronged shareholders have until September 6, 2022 to petition the court. Your ability to share in any recovery doesn't require that you serve as a lead plaintiff.
According to a filed complaint, Amazon.com, Inc. issued materially false and/or misleading statements and/or failed to disclose that: 1) defendants knew or recklessly disregarded that the Company's infrastructure and fulfillment network investments substantially outpaced demand; 2) those investments were a massive, self-imposed, undue drain on Amazon's financial condition; 3) contrary to defendants' public statements and undisclosed to investors, defendants had already implemented cutbacks to Amazon's fulfillment capacity by July 2021; and 4) as a result of defendants' misrepresentations and omissions, Amazon's common stock traded at artificially inflated prices during the class period.
Jakubowitz Law is vigorous in pursuit of justice for shareholders who have been the victim of securities fraud. Attorney advertising. Prior results do not guarantee similar outcomes.
CONTACT:
JAKUBOWITZ LAW
1140 Avenue of the Americas
9th Floor
New York, New York 10036
T: (212) 867-4490
F: (212) 537-5887
View original content:
SOURCE Jakubowitz Law | 2022-08-19T10:03:34+00:00 | newschannel10.com | https://www.newschannel10.com/prnewswire/2022/08/19/amzn-shareholder-alert-jakubowitz-law-reminds-amazon-shareholders-lead-plaintiff-deadline-september-6-2022/ |
A Cheektowaga man accused of possessing and disseminating child pornography was arrested Monday by state police.
Troopers said 29-year-old Bryan J. Slattery is facing felony charges of promoting a sexual performance by a child and possessing a sexual performance by a child.
The Bureau of Criminal Investigation in Clarence, along with the Troop A Computer Crimes Unit, conducted an Internet Crimes Against Children investigation in Cheektowaga during which it was determined that Slattery possessed and disseminated child pornography.
The Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force exists to identify those who attempt to lure children they meet online for sex or those who disseminate child sexual abuse material online.
Slattery was taken to Buffalo Central Booking and will be arraigned at a later time.. | 2023-02-08T00:32:53+00:00 | buffalonews.com | https://buffalonews.com/news/local/crime-and-courts/cheektowaga-man-accused-of-sex-crimes-against-children/article_e5a3b8cc-a719-11ed-8b6b-bb4b3721c0b9.html |
SAN ANTONIO – Three teens are in custody and two of them are facing capital murder charges for a deadly double shooting in September, an arrest affidavit states.
Curtis Ray Wilson, 17, and Aiden Cantu, 18, are charged along with an unidentified minor in the shooting deaths of 16-year-old Omar Neal and 17-year-old Devin Taylor at the Alsbury Farms Apartments near Noblewood Drive on Sept. 18.
According to an arrest affidavit, investigators arrived to find shell casings in the street and a vehicle, which turned out to be stolen, at a gas station parking lot across from the shooting. Witnesses told officers that the vehicle’s tire hit a curb while the suspects were trying to flee, causing damage to both the front wheel well and tire, forcing the suspects to abandon it.
Surveillance video from a nearby gas station captured images and helped police identify the suspects.
Police said the two teen victims, Neal and Taylor, were both taken to an area hospital, but later died from their injuries. | 2022-10-25T15:33:31+00:00 | ksat.com | https://www.ksat.com/news/local/2022/10/25/teen-suspects-face-capital-murder-charges-in-deadly-double-shooting/ |
Ohio Sen. JD Vance (R) will force the Senate to vote Tuesday on a resolution to overturn the District of Columbia’s police accountability law, which Republican lawmakers say has contributed to rising crime in the nation’s capital.
The vote follows a successful effort by Senate and House Republicans in March to overturn a new D.C. sentencing reform law that would have reduced the maximum sentences for some crimes such as carjacking and robbery.
President Biden signed the resolution blocking the implementation of that law even though his administration had previously expressed opposition to it.
Now Republicans are setting their sights on D.C.’s new police accountability law, which extends policing reforms enacted temporarily after the killing of George Floyd by a Minneapolis police officer.
It bans chokeholds, discourages aggressive police pursuits, requires police to use de-escalation and makes body camera footage more available to the public.
“Congress must exert our constitutional authority to keep our nation’s capital safe,” Vance said in a statement. “It’s a disgrace that the capital of the most powerful nation on earth has become so dangerous, but this sad reality is exactly what we should expect when far-left activists are calling the shots. For the good of every American who lives in or visits this town, I urge my colleagues to support my disapproval motion.”
Vance told reporters Monday that he hadn’t yet spoken to any Democratic colleagues but hopes to pick up bipartisan support.
All Senate Republicans are expected to vote for the resolution once Vance moves to discharge it from the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee.
“I understand a lot of Democrats have concerns about the criminal justice system but what D.C. has done has increasingly gone in a direction that has alienated a number of Democrats,” Vance said, noting that the bill to overturn D.C.’s criminal sentencing reform law passed by a vote of 81 to 14.
“I think you’ll see it with our vote too,” he said, predicting a crossover of Democratic votes. “I’ve heard a lot of quiet concern with what D.C. is doing and I think that will manifest itself in some votes.”
The D.C. Police Union has endorsed the disapproval resolution, which passed the House last month by a vote of 229 to 189.
Crime has risen in the District in the past year.
Homicides have risen by 9 percent compared to the same point in 2022. Car thefts are up by more than 100 percent.
Sen. Roger Marshall (R-Kan.) said on the Senate floor Tuesday that “the city’s crime crisis” has hit a “fever pitch.”
“Our nation’s capital had 223 homicides. Car jackings have tripled. This year, so far violent crime is up by double digits,” he said.
Senate Republican Whip John Thune (S.D.) noted “there were Democrat votes earlier when we had the DC [crime] bill on the floor earlier.” | 2023-05-16T18:05:39+00:00 | everythinglubbock.com | https://www.everythinglubbock.com/hill-politics/vance-to-force-senate-vote-to-overturn-new-dc-policing-law/ |
CA Marine Warnings and Forecast for Friday, April 14, 2023
_____
SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY
URGENT - MARINE WEATHER MESSAGE
National Weather Service Eureka CA
242 AM PDT Fri Apr 14 2023
...SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 9 AM PDT THIS
MORNING...
* WHAT...Northwest winds 10 to 20 kt and seas 5 to 8 feet.
* WHERE...Cape Mendocino to Pt Arena out 10 nm and Cape
Mendocino to Pt Arena 10 to 60 nm.
* WHEN...Until 9 AM PDT this morning.
* IMPACTS...Conditions will be hazardous to small craft.
PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...
Inexperienced mariners, especially those operating smaller
vessels, should avoid navigating in hazardous conditions.
_____
Copyright 2023 AccuWeather | 2023-04-14T10:39:53+00:00 | ourmidland.com | https://www.ourmidland.com/weather/article/ca-marine-warning-and-forecast-17896943.php |
BEIJING, July 11, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- When it comes to rapid domestic development and global ascendance, there is hardly any parallel to what China has achieved over the past decade. In a poll conducted by the Global Times Research Center in 2012, over half of foreign respondents viewed China as a "world power." But Chinese people were humbler, with only 34.9 percent of Chinese respondents to a 2014 survey seeing their country as a world power, despite China's rise to become the world's second-largest economy.
However, a decade later, with growing interactions with the world and remarkable domestic development, Chinese people, especially the Generation-Z, have become increasingly confident. Most Chinese youths no longer blindly admire the West and have started to see the outside world, especially the West, on an equal footing. Beyond the growing confidence of the country as a major power, Chinese people are now starting to think about how China should reshape the world.
Through in-depth analysis on the survey results conducted by the Global Times Research Center over the past 10 years, the Global Times aims to explore why Chinese people are becoming more and more confident.
Being humble is quite a traditional characteristic of the Chinese people ingrained in Chinese culture, and the surveys done by the Global Times Research Center in past 10 years just found that when most foreigners considered China to be a world power, most Chinese still couldn't believe their country was powerful enough to make such a claim. Surveys and interviews with experts and voluntary participants revealed that Chinese people held stricter standards for their own country, and they didn't want to admit to success lest they appeared conceited or arrogant.
The questionnaire in 2012 had covered eight countries including 7,045 interviewees aged 18-64 from the US, the UK, Germany, Japan, Russia, India, South Africa and Brazil, and 19 percent of them believed "China has already become a super power in terms of comprehensive national strength," and 34 percent of them believed China was a "world power."
At the end of 2011, the Global Times Research Center surveyed people from major cities across China, and among them there were only 14.1 percent interviewees who considered China a world power while 51.3 percent of them said "China is not yet a world power" and 33.4 percent of them said "China is not a world power at all."
Zhang Yiwu, a professor at Peking University, said "this is normal. Because foreigners could see China's growing global influence more clearly and directly than Chinese people who live in China," and the most crucial reason is that China still got many problems and difficulties that need to be solved amid the process of its fast development, so Chinese people have higher expectations and stricter demands toward their own country.
Jin Canrong, associate dean of the School of International Studies at the Renmin University of China, said "Quite a number of Chinese netizens hold their country to very high standards, wishing for China's welfare system and per capita income to surpass those of Switzerland and Denmark, for the industrial capability and product quality to surpass those of Germany and Japan, for the military strength to surpass that of the US and Russia; and for the ecological environment protection level to surpass that of New Zealand…and as long as China can't deliver these, they would freely complain online all the time and downplay the concrete achievements of the country."
"They are impatient for their wishes to be satisfied. To be honest, such demands are not very realistic, and it can't help the Chinese people to better understand China's international status," he noted.
However, such high demands from the netizens have to some extent encouraged the Communist Party of China and the Chinese government to endeavor toward a fast-paced and high-quality development to satisfy the Chinese people, and this is the reason why China was able to reach so many achievements, especially in past decade, said analysts.
This has been reflected in the Global Times surveys too. In 2013, a year after the 18th National Congress of the CPC, the survey showed that more and more Chinese people have been more confident and optimistic than the previous years.
The 2013 survey covered 1,539 samples from seven major cities across the country. It shows that 40.4 percent of the interviewees believed that the economy would "keep growing year-on-year in next five years," while in 2012, 32.5 percent had the same opinion. In 2013, less people believed China would experience an economic downturn or that the economy would fluctuate up and down in following five years.
The successful governance of the new leadership, after the 18th National Congress of the CPC, boosted confidence in the economy, and the effective reforms in politics, the military and people's living standards were also reflected in the survey by the Global Times. In 2013, 74.3 percent of the interviewees said the living standard had improved, an increase of 1.3 percent over 2012. And 68.7 percent of them believed the Chinese military was able to defend the country from invasion by other major world powers in 2013, a 0.7 percent year-on-year increase.
In 2013, 72 percent of the interviewees believed that "China could continue marching on the path of socialism with the Chinese characteristics," which saw a 4.3 percent increase over 2012.
Two years later, the trend was getting increasingly clear. According to a 2015 survey focusing on Chinese people's expectations toward their country's development which covered 2,203 samples from 16 Chinese cities across countries, 86.1 percent of participants declared that "China is marching on the right path for development" while 73.7 percent of them agreed with the statement: "Although Chinese economic growth is slowing down, it's reasonable to keep the growth rate at around 7 percent."
The survey also showed that 86.2 percent of the interviewees believed that China would achieve significant or major progress in the fields of science and technology in the following 5 years, and in recent years, due to China's key achievement in 5G technology and other cutting edge sci-tech areas, the country has remarkably changed and improved the way of life for its own people.
Finally, 68.1 percent of the interviewees believed that their living standards would improve within the following 5 years. Based on their confidence about the country's development, most Chinese interviewees also showed high optimism on the future international status of the country.
From 2015 to 2021, the Chinese interviewees of the Global Times survey showed optimism toward China's development in the international context, with 90 percent of them holding this kind of view. In 2019, the proportion of optimistic interviewees dropped to 80 percent because of the trade war and the Hong Kong turmoil, and later, due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, this proportion dropped to 78.5 percent in 2021.
But Chinese citizens are still much more optimistic than most people in other countries.
It's time to be confident
The Global Times survey of 2021 showed that more and more Chinese people have stopped looking up to the West. Approximately 90 percent of young Chinese participating in the survey conducted from April 9 to April 12, from a total of 1,281 responses covering 129 cities in the country, believe that China should not "look up to the West" anymore.
Chinese analysts said the sustainable and fast development of China is the core reason why more Chinese are becoming increasingly confident.
The survey showed also that 37.2 percent of the participants five years ago, still believed they should "look up to the West," but now, only 8.1 percent of these people hold the same view. About 48.3 percent of the participants see the West as an equal now.
In the past decade, Chinese people's confidence toward their country has risen remarkably, and they are getting a much clearer understanding about China's status in the world. All these changes are based on the stable trend of China's development and the increasing inclusiveness and openness of the country after the 18th National Congress of the CPC. Indeed, the level of integration between China and the international community is significantly improving.
View original content:
SOURCE Global Times | 2022-07-11T14:04:50+00:00 | kcbd.com | https://www.kcbd.com/prnewswire/2022/07/11/global-times-surveys-10-years-chinas-gen-z-shows-confidence-viewing-west/ |
WASHINGTON (AP) — Nine military officers who had worked decades ago at a nuclear missile base in Montana have been diagnosed with blood cancer and there are “indications” the disease may be linked to their service, according to military briefing slides obtained by The Associated Press. One of the officers has died.
All of the officers, known as missileers, were assigned as many as 25 years ago to Malmstrom Air Force Base, home to a vast field of 150 Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missile silos. The nine officers were diagnosed with non-Hodgkin lymphoma, according to a January briefing by U.S. Space Force Lt. Col. Daniel Sebeck.
Missileers ride caged elevators deep underground into a small operations bunker encased in a thick wall of concrete and steel. They remain there sometimes for days, ready to turn the launch keys if ordered to by the president.
“There are indications of a possible association between cancer and missile combat crew service at Malmstrom AFB,” Sebeck said in slides presented to his Space Force unit this month. The “disproportionate number of missileers presenting with cancer, specifically lymphoma” was concerning, he said.
Sebeck declined to comment when contacted by email by the AP on Saturday, saying the slides were “predecisional.” In the slides, he said the issue was important to the Space Force because as many as 455 former missileers are now serving as Space Force officers, including at least four of the nine identified in the slides.
In a statement to the AP, Air Force spokeswoman Ann Stefanek said that “senior leaders are aware of the concerns raised about the possible association of cancer related to missile combat crew members at Malmstrom AFB."
Stefanek added: “The information in this briefing has been shared with the Department of the Air Force surgeon general and our medical professionals are working to gather data and understand more."
Non-Hodgkin lymphoma, which according to the American Cancer Society affects an estimated 19 out of every 100,000 people in the U.S. annually, is a blood cancer that uses the body’s infection-fighting lymph system to spread.
For comparison, only about 3,300 troops are based at Malmstrom at a time, and only about 400 of those are assigned either as missileers or as support for those operators. It is one of three bases in the U.S. that operate a total of 400 siloed Minutemen III ICBMs, including fields at Minot Air Force Base in North Dakota and F.E. Warren Air Force Base in Wyoming.
The median age for adult non-Hodgkin lymphoma is 67, according to the National Institutes of Health. The former missileers affected are far younger. Officers are often in their 20s when they are assigned duty watch; the officer who died, who was not identified, was a Space Force officer assigned to Schreiver Space Force Base in Colorado with the rank of major, a rank typically achieved in a service member's 30s. Two of the others are in the same Space Force unit with the rank of lieutenant colonel, which is typically reached in a service member's early 40s.
It’s not the first time the military has been alerted to multiple cancer cases at Malmstrom. In 2001 the Air Force Institute for Operational Health investigated the base after 14 cancers of various types were reported among missileers who had served there, including two cases of non-Hodgkin lymphoma.
But the review found the base was environmentally safe and that "sometimes illnesses tend to occur by chance alone.” The report lamented that the list of those diagnosed had been collected because it “perpetuates the level of concern.”
The discovery of new cases comes as the U.S. government has shown more openness to acknowledging the environmental hazards, or toxic exposures, troops may face while serving.
In her statement to the AP, Air Force spokeswoman Stefanek said, "We are heartbroken for all who have lost loved ones or are currently facing cancer of any kind.”
It was not clear whether some of the nine officers identified in the January briefing slides, whose diagnoses occurred between 1997 and 2007, overlap some of the cases identified in the Air Force’s 2001 investigation. It's also not known if there were similar reports of cancers at other nuclear silo bases or whether that is being investigated by the Air Force.
“Missileers have always been concerned about known hazards, such as exposure to chemicals, asbestos, polychlorinated biphenyls, lead and other hazardous material in the work environment,” Sebeck said in the January slides. “All missileers should be screened and tracked for the rest of their lives.”
Last year President Joe Biden signed the PACT Act, which greatly expanded the the types of illnesses and toxic exposures that would be considered presumptive — meaning a service member or veterans would not face an uphill battle to convince the government that the injury was tied to their military service in order to received covered care. | 2023-01-23T01:11:32+00:00 | lmtonline.com | https://www.lmtonline.com/news/article/Military-probing-whether-cancers-linked-to-17734755.php |
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — The Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department is looking for a man they say shot two people earlier in April.
Officers said they found the two victims along Remount Road off West Boulevard on Sunday, April 9, around 11 p.m. Detectives identified the suspect as 29-year-old Dominique Gantt as the suspect.
Gantt has warrants out for his arrest for attempted murder, discharging a firearm within city limits, and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. He stands at 5 feet 6 inches tall and weighs about 200 lbs. He's known to go by the street names "Domo" and "Domo Beezy".
Anyone who knows of his whereabouts should call 9-1-1. Tips can also be left with Crime Stoppers online or by calling 704-334-1600.
PODCASTS FROM WCNC CHARLOTTE
Flashpoint is a weekly in-depth look at politics in Charlotte, North Carolina, South Carolina, and beyond with host Ben Thompson. Listen to the podcast weekly.
SUBSCRIBE: Apple Podcasts || Spotify || Stitcher || Google Podcasts
Locked On is the leading podcast network for local sports and is owned by WCNC Charlotte's parent company TEGNA.
Listen to Locked On here.
Wake Up Charlotte To Go is a daily news and weather podcast you can listen to so you can start your day with the team at Wake Up Charlotte.
SUBSCRIBE: Apple Podcasts || Spotify || Stitcher || TuneIn || Google Podcasts
All of WCNC Charlotte's podcasts are free and available for both streaming and download. You can listen now on Android, iPhone, Amazon, and other internet-connected devices. Join us from North Carolina, South Carolina, or on the go anywhere. | 2023-04-21T21:50:17+00:00 | wcnc.com | https://www.wcnc.com/article/news/crime/cmpd-shooting-suspect-crime-local/275-18f9b513-6396-47c9-9d7a-a52517655e0e |
Texas man arrested for returning stolen items, police say
Published: Jan. 18, 2023 at 1:56 PM CST|Updated: 36 minutes ago
PARIS, Texas (KXII) - A Bogata man was arrested for theft after he stole items from the shelf of a store and returned them to the store, as if he had purchased them.
According to a press release, 42-year-old Shane Cooper was arrested on Tuesday night in the 3800 block of Lamar Ave. for theft.
Police said after reviewing Cooper’s criminal history, they found at least one other conviction for theft, so the charge was enhanced to a felony.
Cooper was booked and later transferred to the Lamar County Jail.
Copyright 2023 KXII. All rights reserved. | 2023-01-18T20:32:02+00:00 | kxii.com | https://www.kxii.com/2023/01/18/texas-man-arrested-returning-stolen-items-police-say/ |
TUCSON, Ariz. (KGUN) — Douglas Station agents stopped a truck with fake license plates and a large group of migrants, according to Border Patrol Tucson Sector Chief John R. Modlin.
On Wednesday, agents stopped a pickup truck near Douglas, Ariz.
Chief Modlin says two children were among the group of 13 migrants.
Douglas Station agents stopped a #PickUp truck with fake license plates after suspected migrants were seen entering it near Douglas, AZ, Wednesday. Thirteen migrants were arrested, including two small children crammed dangerously into the cab with no regard for their safety. pic.twitter.com/zOhHQCFDXI
— John R. Modlin (@USBPChiefTCA) March 12, 2023
A field training unit from Ajo Station arrested four people, according to Chief Modlin.
The Unit found the SUV Tuesday evening, on FR-1, writes Chief Modlin.
While investing the vehicle, agents noticed a foot underneath a blanket.
A total of three migrants were arrested, along with a U.S. citizen who was driving the SUV.
The Ajo Station Field Training Unit arrested a U.S. citizen driver and three migrants on FR-1 Tuesday evening. The agents discovered the migrants when a foot was observed under a blanket in the back of the SUV.
— John R. Modlin (@USBPChiefTCA) March 13, 2023
Great work from our new agents! #HonorFirst pic.twitter.com/TYAuv20Pqb
——-
Marcos Icahuate is a digital content producer for KGUN 9.
Marcos joined the KGUN team in September 2022. He previously worked on digital content in Southern California's Imperial County where he was raised. Share your story ideas and important issues with Marcos by emailing marcos.icahuate@kgun9.com. | 2023-03-13T20:50:13+00:00 | kgun9.com | https://www.kgun9.com/news/local-news/13-migrants-found-in-truck-with-fake-license-plates |
Franchise Signing Marks First since Joining Unleashed Brands
DALLAS, Aug. 11, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- XP League, an emerging youth esports franchise brand, has signed an owner with connection to the professional esports community as one of its first franchisees since joining Unleashed Brands, a fast-growing parent company of youth enrichment franchise brands. South Florida entrepreneur Jennifer Vilela will launch the brand's first Florida franchise this fall.
Jennifer has spent almost 20 years as a successful realtor and is mother to professional Fortnite player Jake, AKA BullyWYD. Jennifer's involvement with esports doesn't end there, she currently sits on the advisory board for COPE (Coalition for Parents in esports), an organization aimed at providing more knowledge to parents in the esports world and sees the amazing opportunities owning a youth esports franchise can bring to young gamers.
As a single mother of four boys, Jennifer has always had a deep passion and drive to help children and provide them with tools to have a successful and positive future, including working in the foster care industry. Choosing to launch a youth esports franchise like XP League is something Jennifer is not only excited for, but she says the inclusiveness of the XP League model will allow her to continue work on a broader scale to help many children achieve success.
"Gaming is not going away. I love that it's being acknowledged as a sport and there are so many college opportunities out there. XP League is amazing since we are bringing a team environment, coaching and education to the sport, which is what sold me on opening a franchise," said Jennifer. "So many towns are eager for esports to be in their communities and trying to figure out how to make it work. There is so much demand for these programs right now."
Opening her location in Palm Beach County, Florida, Jennifer expects her son, Jake, will be involved in the business, likely coaching higher-level high school students and that eventually some of her other children, ages 13, 15 and 22, will also be involved in the franchise, making this a family business.
Launched in 2020, XP League helps students with an interest in esports to further their passion at a competitive level like traditional sports. Each league offers a nine-week seasonal program including one practice and one match a week. Each team is led by a coach who focuses on teaching resiliency, teamwork and sportsmanship in addition to gaming skills. By integrating these values into the core format of its programming, kids see the positive reward as an exciting part of the overall experience.
"We are thrilled to welcome Jennifer to our franchise family with her extensive business knowledge and background in understanding professional gaming and how it can lead to tremendous opportunities for kids," said Jay Melamed, CEO and Brand President. "We feel fortunate Jennifer chose our brand to align with during this exciting time of growth for esports programs."
Jennifer expects a mid-October start with the first season to start Nov. 28.
To continue to grow the industry and impact more kids, XP League is seeking individuals who are committed to their mission and who are ready to make a positive change in their community. Franchisees don't need to be an expert in esports or have a ton of familiarity with the industry. The program provides coaching guides and all tournament management is done at the corporate level. With notable recognition of the larger esports community, XP League comes with a positive reputation for anyone interested in investing. The initial investment for interested franchisees ranges from $37,800 - $73,660. For more information about owning an XP League franchise, visit https://franchise.xpleague.com/.
XP League is the first-to-market youth esports league franchise that bridges the gap between conventional youth athletics and competitive esports. XP League provides an innovative program that fosters social skills and sportsmanship through a positive, certified coach-led structure. Launched in September 2020, XP League has quickly grown to become the first and largest esports franchise concept the U.S. and Canada.
Unleashed Brands, currently includes portfolio brands Urban Air, Snapology, The Little Gym, XP League, Class 101 and Premier Martial Arts. and was founded to curate and grow a portfolio of the most innovative and profitable brands that help kids learn, play and grow. Over the last 10 years, the team at Unleashed Brands has built a proven platform and know-how for scaling businesses focused on serving families. Its mission is to impact the lives of every kid by providing fun, engaging and inspiring experiences that help them become who they are destined to be. For more information, please visit www.UnleashedBrands.com.
View original content to download multimedia:
SOURCE XP League | 2022-08-11T15:47:36+00:00 | wymt.com | https://www.wymt.com/prnewswire/2022/08/11/esports-franchise-xp-league-debut-brand-florida-with-mom-pro-gamer/ |
June 3, 1952 - Jan. 9, 2023
EL PASO — Kathy L. Armstrong, 70, of El Paso, IL, passed away at 7:15 p.m. on Monday, January 9, 2023, at Apostolic Christian Home of Roanoke.
She was born on June 3, 1952, in Fairbury, IL, a daughter of James William Chester and Eula Mae Sinnett Bowen. She married Henry Armstrong on October 16, 1971, in El Paso. He survives.
Also surviving are her children: Karl (Julie) Armstrong of Freeburg, IL; Angela (John) Piccolo of Spring Valley, IL; Amanda (Chad) Hesterberg of Gifford, IL; two sisters: Alice Caudle of Pekin, IL; Ann Gamber of Koshkonong, MO; ten grandchildren. She was preceded in death by an infant son, her parents, and one sister, Linda DeLee.
Kathy was a hair stylist for 34 years retiring in 2003.
Kathy was a member of Grace Fellowship Church in El Paso,, where memorial services will be held at 10:30 a.m. on Monday, January 16, 2023. Pastor Josh Gates will officiate. Visitation will be held on Sunday, January 15, 2023 from 2:00 - 5:00 p.m. at Ruestman-Harris Funeral Home in El Paso. Inurnment will follow services at Secor Cemetery in Secor. Ruestman-Harris Funeral Home in El Paso is handling arrangements for the family.
Memorial contributions may be made to Grace Fellowship Church in El Paso or CommUnity Well in El Paso.
Online condolences may be sent to the family at www.ruestmanharrisfuneralhome.com. | 2023-01-11T19:38:29+00:00 | pantagraph.com | https://pantagraph.com/obituaries/kathy-l-armstrong/article_11b5eb36-80df-54f2-ab53-51a7cd060dfe.html |
ANKARA, Turkey (AP) — Turkey summoned the Swedish ambassador on Monday after images that allegedly insulted President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and served as Kurdish militant propaganda were projected on the Turkish Embassy building in Stockholm, Turkey’s state-run news agency reported.
Anadolu Agency said Ambassador Staffan Herrstrom was summoned to the Turkish Foreign Ministry, where officials condemned the incident, called for an investigation and renewed a demand for Stockholm to take “concrete steps” against groups that Turkey considers to be security threats, according to Anadolu Agency.
Sweden and Finland abandoned their longstanding policies of military nonalignment and applied for NATO membership this year after Russian forces invaded Ukraine in February.
But NATO-member Turkey has not yet endorsed their accession, which requires unanimous approval from existing alliance members.
Erdogan’s government is pressing the two countries to crack down on individuals it considers to be terrorists, including supporters of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party, or PKK, and people the government suspects of orchestrating a failed 2016 coup in Turkey.
Earlier this month, Sweden’s new prime minister, Ulf Kristersson, visited Turkey and pledged to work toward countering “terrorism” threats to Turkey. | 2022-11-21T17:13:24+00:00 | sfgate.com | https://www.sfgate.com/news/article/Turkey-summons-Swedish-envoy-over-images-17601196.php |
CHICAGO, Feb. 22, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- USG Corporation ("USG"), an industry-leading manufacturer of building materials and innovative solutions, announces that the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi) approved its 2030 emission reduction targets. USG is one of just a few companies in the U.S. building-product sector that has signed onto SBTi, and the approval is a significant step towards the company's commitment to building a sustainable future.
"USG is committed to using sustainability as a lens to think about our products, our processes, and our impact on the world," said Chris Griffin, President and CEO, USG Corporation. "Our heritage is one of responsibility and environmental stewardship. We are intensely focused on innovating and manufacturing in a manner that minimizes environmental impact while preserving natural resources for future generations. As we look toward building a more sustainable future, I am incredibly proud of our 2030 Sustainability goals and the approval of our ambitious SBTi targets."
Transforming its footprint by reducing emissions is one of four sustainability goals that the company announced in 2022. USG's other goals include enhancing customer well-being by creating healthier and more sustainable products, delivering a circular economy with the creation of recycling programs for jobsite waste, and putting people first by ensuring a physically safe and healthy work environment for all employees.
"When it comes to sustainability, USG is an industry leader with a proactive approach to climate change," Griffin adds. "There is much work to be done, but we acknowledge our duty in acting sustainably at all levels to ensure a greener future."
Science based targets are targets aimed at reducing greenhouse gas emissions. USG has signed on to reduce carbon emissions from manufacturing (Scope 1 and 2) at the WB-2°C (well below 2°C) level, which equates to a 30% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by 2030. USG has also committed to reducing carbon emissions associated with purchased raw materials and services, transportation and waste generation (Scope 3) by 15% within the same period.
About USG Corporation
USG Corporation is an industry-leading manufacturer of building products and innovative solutions. Headquartered in Chicago, USG serves construction markets worldwide through its Gypsum and Ceilings businesses in the U.S., Canada, and Latin America. USG wall, ceiling, flooring, sheathing, roofing, and interior finishing products enable customers to build outstanding spaces where people live, work and play. For additional information, visit www.usg.com
About SBTi
With the goal of a low-carbon economy in mind, SBTi is a program for companies to make a public commitment to play their part in meeting the requirements to reduce global warming. The initiative is a collaboration among the Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP), the United Nations Global Compact (UNGC), World Resources Institute (WRI) and the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF). The SBTi call to action is one of the We Mean Business Coalition commitments. For additional information, visit www.sciencebasedtargets.org
Contact:
USG Corporation
Kathleen Prause
(312) 436-6607
kprause@usg.com
View original content to download multimedia:
SOURCE USG Corporation | 2023-02-22T15:06:52+00:00 | live5news.com | https://www.live5news.com/prnewswire/2023/02/22/usg-advances-its-commitment-sustainable-future-with-approval-its-science-based-targets-initiative-sbti-targets/ |
OLYMPIA, Wash. (AP) _ The winning numbers in Monday evening's drawing of the Washington Lottery's "Lotto" game were:
13-17-20-24-28-42
(thirteen, seventeen, twenty, twenty-four, twenty-eight, forty-two)
Estimated jackpot: $1,300,000
OLYMPIA, Wash. (AP) _ The winning numbers in Monday evening's drawing of the Washington Lottery's "Lotto" game were:
13-17-20-24-28-42
(thirteen, seventeen, twenty, twenty-four, twenty-eight, forty-two)
Estimated jackpot: $1,300,000 | 2022-08-23T04:32:17+00:00 | sfgate.com | https://www.sfgate.com/lottery/article/Winning-numbers-drawn-in-Lotto-game-17391098.php |
Grease Monkey & SpeeDee Oil Change Modernize Auto Aftermarket Repair Industry with Design & Technology Enhancements
GREENWOOD VILLAGE, Colo., June 22, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- FullSpeed Automotive®, one of the nation's largest franchisors and operators of automotive aftermarket repair facilities and home to flagship brands Grease Monkey® and SpeeDee Oil Change & Auto Service®, is unveiling its highly anticipated new store models that emphasize an enhanced customer experience while improving efficiency for franchisees who are driving nationwide expansion. FullSpeed continues to inch closer to its development goal of 1,000 units by the end of 2023. Beta tests of the new store models will begin this year and roll out systemwide in 2023.
The appearance of facilities in the auto aftermarket repair industry has been largely untouched for years, making FullSpeed's all new models for both Grease Monkey and SpeeDee a revolutionary move in an effort to modernize the industry. The 'Store of the Future' models were designed by renowned design firm Studio|H2G from Detroit, Michigan. These instantly identifiable façades help both brands stand out from the competition while featuring all new slogans: Done Fast. Done Right. (Grease Monkey) and Full Service. Total Trust. (SpeeDee).
FullSpeed Automotive aims to bring its flagship brands to life via these new store models by ensuring that every touchpoint—digital and physical—creates a cohesive experience for customers. Key features of the new prototypes include new express lanes with a 15-minute stay-in-the-car model; clear and directional signage on the parking lot to bring ease to the consumer; all new comfortable lounge areas and patio seating with refreshments and entertainment for units that already provide additional services; plus, state-of-the-art technology and artificial intelligence that will educate, inform, and streamline the customer experience.
"Our customers are looking for great service and high-quality care, and they want to feel comfortable and at ease when visiting our brands," said Kevin Kormondy, Chief Executive Officer of FullSpeed Automotive. "Our new store designs offer all of that and more. We're completely innovating the industry with an all-new look and feel while elevating the guest experience and providing fast but quality service. The design and guest experience communicate excellence, sophistication, and quality workmanship. We look forward to testing this year and rolling out systemwide at the start of 2023."
The new instantly identifiable look is a departure from the typical design of many oil change facilities that are hard to differentiate. Square footage of the new models will vary depending on real estate as the model is extremely flexible to fit existing storefronts of varying sizes, but all new units coming out of the ground will consist of approximately 1200-1500 total square feet with three express bays. As land and construction costs continue to rise, the new models prove immensely valuable as they fit on smaller property sizes and are value engineered, drastically reducing costs.
"While customer experience is at the forefront of every strategic decision, we anticipate the flexible, new store models to be a real source of attraction for eager and sophisticated franchisees who want to bring our brands to their region of choice across the U.S.," said Ron Stilwell, Chief Development Officer of FullSpeed Automotive. "When franchising, it's critically important to ensure that the cost of build works well with the economic model and provides a great ROI for years to come. We feel we've achieved that with these new prototypes, saving money and construction costs while maximizing operational efficiencies to drive franchisee profitability."
FullSpeed Automotive is looking to bring on qualified and engaged individuals seeking single, multi-unit, and conversion opportunities. When franchisees invest with FullSpeed Automotive brands, they're investing in an organization with a strong culture, solid systems, and proven business models backed with 70+ years of experience in providing quality car care in the industry.
For more information on FullSpeed Automotive and the company's flagship brands, visit greasemonkeyfranchise.com and speedeeoilfranchise.com or call 800-364-0352.
FullSpeed Automotive® is a leading automotive aftermarket services platform offering oil changes, tire sales and rotations, brake services, car washes, and other ancillary services through multiple brand formats that target several desirable segments of the service market. The company's strategic geographic footprint of 730-plus franchised and company-owned locations provide density in high growth markets. The company's flagship brands include Grease Monkey® and SpeeDee Oil Change & Auto Service®. In 2022, both Grease Monkey and SpeeDee were included in Entrepreneur's prestigious Franchise 500 ranking. FullSpeed is headquartered in Greenwood Village, Colorado. For more information, go to fullspeedautomotive.com.
View original content to download multimedia:
SOURCE FullSpeed Automotive | 2022-06-22T15:19:09+00:00 | kcbd.com | https://www.kcbd.com/prnewswire/2022/06/22/fullspeed-automotive-reveals-revolutionary-new-store-models-set-fuel-growth-amp-maximize-customer-experience/ |
Chiefs beat the Eagles 38-35 for second Super Bowl victory in 4 years
GLENDALE, Ariz. (AP) — Harrison Butker kicked a 27-yard field goal with 8 seconds left after Patrick Mahomes broke off a 26-yard run on a gimpy ankle, lifting the Kansas City Chiefs to a 38-35 win over the Philadelphia Eagles in the Super Bowl on Sunday night.
Mahomes limped off the field after aggravating a right ankle injury just before halftime, but returned to lead Kansas City to its second Super Bowl win in four years.
The NFL MVP also had a key run on his bum ankle in the Chiefs’ win over Cincinnati in the AFC championship game.
Kansas City benefited from a defensive holding call against Philadelphia on its final drive, allowing it to run out the clock before Butker’s kick. Jerick McKinnon had a clear path to the end zone but took a knee at the 1-yard line.
___
AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl and https://twitter.com/AP_NFL
Copyright 2023 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. | 2023-02-13T03:28:56+00:00 | kwch.com | https://www.kwch.com/2023/02/13/chiefs-beat-eagles-38-35-second-super-bowl-victory-4-years/ |
BEIJING (AP) — Travelers arriving in China will spend less time in quarantine under changes to sweeping anti-virus controls announced Friday to reduce disruptions to the economy and society.
The announcement came as an upsurge in COVID-19 cases prompted Beijing to close parks and impose other restrictions. The country reported 10,729 new cases, and more than 5 million people were confined to their homes in the southern manufacturing hub of Guangzhou and the western megacity of Chongqing.
With the bulk of Beijing’s 21 million people undergoing near-daily testing, another 118 new cases were recorded in the sprawling city. Many city schools switched to online classes, hospitals restricted services and some shops and restaurants were shuttered with their staff taken to quarantine. Videos on social media showed people in some areas protesting or fighting with police and health workers.
“It has become normal, just like eating and sleeping,” said food service worker Yang Zheng, 39. “I think what it impacts most is kids because they need to go to school.”
Demands for testing every 24 to 48 hours are “troublesome,” said Ying Yiyang, who works in marketing.
“My life is for sure not comparable to what it was three years ago,” Ying said.
Family trips out of Beijing can be difficult if the mandatory smartphone app that keeps track of the user’s virus test status and whereabouts doesn’t show the green code that authorizes travel back to the Chinese capital, Ying said.
“I just stay in Beijing,” Ying said.
Numerous villages on the capital’s outskirts are home to blue-collar workers whose labor keeps the city running, with many living in dormitory communities. Taxi and ride-sharing drivers said they were avoiding the areas so as not to be placed in quarantine themselves.
Lockdowns in Guangzhou and elsewhere were due to end by Sunday, but authorities have repeatedly extended such restrictions with no explanation. Chinese leaders had promised on Thursday to respond to public frustration over the severe “zero-COVID” strategy that has confined millions to their homes and severely disrupted the economy.
Incoming passengers will only be quarantined for five days — rather than the previous seven — at a designated location, followed by three days of isolation at their place of residence, according to a notice from the State Council, China’s Cabinet.
It wasn’t immediately clear when or where the rules would take effect and whether they would apply to foreigners and Chinese citizens alike.
Relaxed standards will also be applied to foreign businesspeople and athletes, in what appeared to be a gradual move toward normalization.
Airlines will no longer be threatened with a two-week suspension of flights if five or more passengers test positive, the regulations said, potentially providing a major expansion of seats on such flights that have shrunk in numbers and soared in price since restrictions were imposed in 2020.
Those flying to China will only need to show a single negative test for the virus within 48 hours of traveling, the rules said. Formerly, two tests within that time period were required.
Macau will also cut its hotel quarantine period from seven days to five days, followed by three days of isolation at one’s residence, for arrivals from Hong Kong, Taiwan and overseas starting from Saturday, authorities there said.
“Zero-COVID” has kept China’s infection rate relatively low but weighs on the economy and has disrupted life by shutting schools, factories and shops, or sealing neighborhoods without warning. With the new surge in cases, a growing number of areas are shutting down businesses and imposing curbs on movement. In order to enter office buildings, shopping malls and other public places, people are required to show a negative result from a virus test taken as often as once a day.
With economic growth weakening again after rebounding to 3.9% over a year earlier in the three months ending in September, forecasters had been expecting bolder steps toward reopening the country, whose borders remain largely closed.
Business groups the policies discourage foreign executives from visiting, which has prompted companies to shift investment plans to other countries. Visits from U.S. officials and lawmakers charged with maintaining the crucial trading relations amid tensions over tariffs, Taiwan and human rights have come to a virtual standstill.
Last week, access to part of the central city of Zhengzhou, home to the world’s biggest iPhone factory, was suspended after residents tested positive for the virus. Thousands of workers jumped fences and hiked along highways to escape the factory run by Taiwan’s Foxconn Technology Group. Apple Inc. later warned customers would have wait longer for deliveries of its new iPhone 14 model.
China confirmed Friday that President and ruling Communist Party leader Xi Jinping will make a rare trip abroad next week, but it has given little indication of backing off on a policy the party has closely associated with social stability and the avowed superiority of his policies. | 2022-11-11T21:45:28+00:00 | cbs42.com | https://www.cbs42.com/news/health/ap-health/ap-china-reports-10000-new-virus-cases-capital-closes-parks/ |
CLARENCE, N.Y. — A New York State Police car was hit while parked on the shoulder of the I-90 so the trooper could help a disabled vehicle on Monday night.
A trooper was parked behind a car on the left shoulder of the westbound I-90 between the Pembroke and Depew exits around 7:30 p.m. It had its emergency lights activated.
Quinten Simet, 25, of Hamburg was driving on I-90 West when he lost control of his vehicle because he was driving too fast and struck the trooper's car, according to the state police.
Trooper Jobity was in the car at the time and was taken to Erie County Medical Center for non-life-threatening injuries. He was treated and released.
Simet was issued a traffic ticket. He was not injured. | 2023-02-28T22:18:39+00:00 | wgrz.com | https://www.wgrz.com/article/news/local/new-york-state-trooper-car-hit-while-helping-a-disabled-vehicle-on-thruway-pembroke-and-depew/71-6b773628-283c-4bfc-8cac-5777a803aa27 |
RAWLINS – The Rawlins City Council continued the discussion concerning the Glenn Addition water rate increase during the meeting on Tuesday, Dec. 20.
Local residents first spoke up about the recent increase in the water rates at the Glenn Addition during the public comment portion of the city council meeting on Tuesday, Dec. 6.
On the same day of the meeting, Rawlins community relations coordinator Mira Miller sent out a press release concerning the increase.
“The Glenn Addition is unique within our community. It is a section of agriculture land owned by many different people. However, they are all served by one master meter. When the water rates were studied and ultimately increased, it was found that the Glenn Addition, as a whole, uses approximately 450,000 gallons per month, totaling $1,566 per month. If this is divided by the 56 corrals, this is an averaged use charge of $28/month,” Miller stated.
Included in the bill is the $28 averaged use charge, the $29.48 water base rate, the $12 landfill maintenance fee and the $6 recycling fee; which totals $75.48 per month.
Now, the Glenn Addition bills are $75 per month.
During the Dec. 20 meeting, finance director and interim city manager Tom Sarvey said that he was able to meet with the owners of the corrals from the Glenn Addition on the Friday night prior to that meeting.
“I feel that we had a very positive talk with each other,” Sarvey said.
Sarvey also shared the rates from the study that came through the consultant.
“If you look at the old rates, we used to charge a monthly minimum of $14. That was the old rate and that’s all that was billed, as far as water went to the owners at the time, plus the landfill and the recycling at the time.” he said. “The $14 was just the monthly minimum before.”
Sarvey also said, “When the water rate study was done, we took the rates that went through a master meter that went to a plant edition. We have a master mater that all of the water would flow through. It went toward the addition.
“So, the original rates that we set were for the flow, which hadn’t been charged till now because as I said, it was just a monthly minimum.”
During the Dec. 6 meeting, resident Austin Thomas said that she was not made aware of the increase until she saw the press release released on Facebook a little under an hour prior to the city council meeting.
Miller said that aside from posting on Facebook, the information is also posted on the city’s website, www.rawlinswy.gov.
Thomas also mentioned the issues with water main breaks.
“We’re paying this increase yet nothing is getting fixed. Why? Where does the money go?” she said.
Mayor Terry Weickum addressed Thomas’ question.
“It takes a while to collect the money to fix the problem,” Weickum said.
Additionally, the charges at the Glenn Addition are now more in line with the rest of the community.
Miller stated that in the past, the Glenn Addition was charged only for the water base rate, landfill maintenance fee and recycling maintenance fee.
“Although a jump from $32 per month to $75 per month is a big increase, this is in line with the city’s commitment to provide a reliable water system and to have the cost of service divided fairly,” Miller stated.
During the Dec. 20 meeting, a petition from the Glenn Addition owners to “immediately repeal the rate increase for the following negotiation that is supported by the residents of Rawlins” was presented.
In the petition, the users/owners of the Glenn Addition asked that a $40 credit be issued to all 56 of the owners/payers of the Glenn Addition. They requested that it be applied to the January bill in order to offset/correct the bill that was sent out in December.
The petition states, “That would be a total cost of $2,240. We offer the following options moving forward in lieu of charging $75.”
The first option proposed in the petition is a total flat rate fee per lot at the Glenn Addition and the removal of the $6 recycling fee and $12 landfill fee from all of the future bills.
The second option proposed in the petition is that the rate be figured based off of a split 450,000 gallons making it 225,000.
“...since the Glenn Addition has a shared meter, with serious questions being raised about the validity of the 450,000 gallons used in the initial math equation,” the petition states.
Resident Thomas also represented the Glenn Addition users/owners during the discussion of the petition.
“The Glenn Addition owners and the petitioners have both been willing to come to terms,” Thomas said. “After speaking with Mr. Sarvey, I really think we can come to an agreement. I really like the idea of readjusting and estimating.”
Resident Barbara Dorrell also spoke up during the Dec. 20 meeting concerning the Glenn Addition water rate increase.
“In past years, there have been discussions about water rate increases. The city has always allowed for a minimum 25% reduction from the meter readings, due to the poor infrastructure that we have available down there,” Dorrell said. “It’s no one’s fault. That’s just saying that as a consumer of water, it’s not my responsibility for the infrastructure. My responsibilities are from the tap on.”
No action was taken on the matter during the city council meeting.
The next meeting is set for Tuesday, Jan. 3, at 7:30 p.m. | 2022-12-21T23:43:54+00:00 | wyomingnews.com | https://www.wyomingnews.com/rawlinstimes/glenn-addition-water-rate-increase-discussion-continues-residents-voice-concerns-during-rawlins-city-council-meeting/article_9b08c574-817a-11ed-811e-17f4c957650b.html |
SHENZHEN, China, July 28, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- VAPORESSO, a renowned vaping brand showcased its new technology today at the 2022 Las Vegas Champs Trade Show with the new LUXE X kit. This year's Las Vegas Champs Trade Show has attracted smoke and vape shops, dispensaries, glass blowers, online marketers, and counter-culture industry professionals from around the world.
Several vape enthusiasts, retailers, wholesalers and distributors have taken notice of VAPORESSO at the expo. Putting innovation, reliability and style into the vape market, the LUXE X has especially captured customers' attention.
Channeling vapers' needs, the LUXE X ensures a more accurate, powerful and 50% longer-lasting flavor delivery, thanks to VAPORESSO's newly developed COREX heating technology.
The LUXE X is clear like crystal in appearance yet solid in build. The sleek transparent design shows users what they're getting under the hood, while with three layers of coating, the casing is durable enough to withstand any abuse. The device also boasts futuristic adaptability, with DTL vaping support in a small package.
"We're happy to meet many of our lovely customers and partners here in the US. We take pride in supplying quality, innovative and stylish ENDS devices to our American retailers and customers." Said GTM Director of VAPORESSO, Kevin Chan. "With a focus on future innovation and users' needs, we look forward to continuing our success in the US market."
About VAPORESSO
VAPORESSO was created in 2015 and is dedicated to establishing a smoke-free world while raising the quality of life for its users. Based on its continuous innovation, strict quality control, and substantial commitment, VAPORESSO creates products that can fit all levels and styles of vapers.
Contact information
media@vaporesso.com
View original content to download multimedia:
SOURCE VAPORESSO | 2022-07-28T15:03:00+00:00 | waff.com | https://www.waff.com/prnewswire/2022/07/28/vaporesso-shines-las-vegas-champs-trade-show-with-futuristic-luxe-x/ |
The day Christopher Nolan called Cillian Murphy about his new film, “Oppenheimer,” Murphy hung up the phone in disbelief.
The Irish actor, though a regular presence in Nolan films going back almost two decades, had always been a supporting player. This time, Nolan wanted him to lead.
“He’s so understated and self-deprecating and, in his very English manner, just said, ‘Listen, I’ve written this script, it’s about Oppenheimer. I’d like you to be my Oppenheimer,’” Murphy, 46, told The Associated Press earlier this year. “It was a great day.”
For Murphy, it is never not exciting to get a call from Nolan. It’s just hard to predict if he’s going to. He knows there are some movies he’s right for and some movies he isn’t.
“I have always said publicly and privately, to Chris, that if I’m available and you want me to be in a movie, I’m there. I don’t really care about the size of the part,” he said. “But deep down, secretly, I was desperate to play a lead for him.”
Murphy first met Nolan in 2003. He was brought in to screen test for Batman — not just the movie, the character. Murphy knew he wasn’t right for the Dark Knight, but he wanted to meet the man who’d directed “Insomnia” and “Memento.” They hit it off and Murphy got to tap into a sinister intensity to play the corrupt psychiatrist Dr. Crane/Scarecrow, who would go on to appear in all three films. Nolan would also call on Murphy to be the conflicted heir to a business empire in “Inception” and a traumatized soldier in “Dunkirk.”
“We have this long-standing understanding and trust and shorthand and respect,” Murphy said. “It felt like the right time to take on a bigger responsibility. And it just so happened that it was a f—ing huge one.”
Soon after the phone call, Nolan flew to Dublin to meet Murphy and hand him a physical copy of the script, which he devoured right there in Nolan’s hotel room. It was, he said, the best he’d ever read.
Then the scale of it started to sink in.
This would be a film about the charismatic and controversial theoretical physicist who helped create the atomic bomb. Oppenheimer and his peers at Los Alamos would test it on July 16, 1945, not knowing what was going to happen. There was a non-zero chance that the heat from the explosion could set off a chain reaction that would ignite the atmosphere and literally set the world on fire.
It didn’t, but several weeks later the United States would drop those bombs on the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, killing tens of thousands of people and leaving many with lifelong injuries. Soon, the United States was at work to strengthen its nuclear arsenal, developing plans to work on an even more catastrophic weapon: the hydrogen bomb.
As Nolan has said, “Like it or not J. Robert Oppenheimer is the most important person who ever lived.”
“Oppenheimer,” which opens in theaters on July 21, features a starry cast including Emily Blunt as Oppenheimer’s wife Kitty, Matt Damon as the man who hired Oppenheimer for the job at Los Alamos, Robert Downey Jr. as a founder of the Atomic Energy Commission and many more rounding out the pivotal players in and around this tense moment in history.
“You realize this is a huge responsibility. He was complicated and contradictory and so iconic,” Murphy said. “But you know you’re with one of the great directors of all time. I felt confident going into it with Chris. He’s had a profound impact on my life, creatively and professionally. He’s offered me very interesting roles over and I’ve found all of them really challenging. And I just love being on his sets.”
Murphy continued: “Any actor would want to be on a Chris Nolan set, just to see how it works and to witness his command of the language of film and the mechanics of film and how he’s able to use that broad canvas within the mainstream studio system to make these very challenging human stories.”
Over the years, Murphy has come to appreciate that with Nolan there’s always something deeper to discover than what’s literally on the page. “Dunkirk,” he recalled, was only 70 pages and there wasn’t much to his character, not even a name.
“He said, ‘Look, let’s figure it out together and you and me can find an emotional journey for the character.’ And we did it. We did it out in the water on that boat. That comes from trust and respect,” Murphy said. “I’m really proud of that performance.”
As with all Nolan endeavors, secrecy around “Oppenheimer” is vitally important. Murphy loves the “old-fashioned approach” that builds interest and anticipation.
“There’s an awful lot to talk about when we can talk freely,” Murphy said with a smile.
The difference from other Nolan originals, even “Dunkirk,” is that “Oppenheimer” is rooted in historical fact and actual transcripts. You can read the book it’s based on, Kai Bird and Martin J. Sherwin’s Pulitzer Prize-winning “American Prometheus: The Triumph and Tragedy of J. Robert Oppenheimer.” You can watch the 1981 documentary “The Day After Trinity” on The Criterion Channel.
And you can try to parse Nolan’s words for clues. He’s talked about recreating the Trinity test, the fascinating paradoxes, the twists, turns and ethical dilemmas; for him, the story is cinematic and both dream and nightmare. But ultimately, it’s something that just needs to be seen.
“The question will be how Chris presents it,” Murphy said. “I think people will be very surprised and wowed by what he does. Anything I say will just seem a bit lame as compared to seeing this in an IMAX theater.”
The time for discussions will be after the movie comes out. But Murphy did offer up that they worked hard to get Oppenheimer’s look right, from the narrow silhouette to the pipe and the porkpie hat. Oppenheimer, he said, “seemed aware of his own potential mythology.” But, again, those conversations will have to wait.
“I’m really proud of the movie and I’m really proud of what Chris has achieved. This was, for sure, a special one, certainly because of the history with me and Chris. We were not walking around the set high-fiving, but it did feel special.” Murphy said. “It’s an event every time he releases a film, and rightly so. Whether I’m in them or not, I always go to see his movies.”
___
A version of this story first moved on May 3, 2023. It’s being sent again in advance of the film’s release next week. | 2023-07-13T15:13:39+00:00 | nwahomepage.com | https://www.nwahomepage.com/science/ap-science/ap-in-oppenheimer-cillian-murphy-finally-gets-to-lead-a-christopher-nolan-film/ |
Ben Shelton 2023 French Open Odds
After bowing out in the round of 32 of the Gonet Geneva Open in his last tournament (losing to Marco Cecchinato), Ben Shelton will start the French Open versus Lorenzo Sonego (in the round of 128). Shelton's odds are +35000 to take home the trophy from Stade Roland Garros.
Find all the latest odds for the 2023 French Open and place your bets with a new user bonus from BetMGM.
Shelton at the 2023 French Open
- Next Round: Round of 128
- Tournament Dates: May 21 - June 11
- Venue: Stade Roland Garros
- Location: Paris, France
- Court Surface: Clay
Watch live sports without cable! Sign up today for a free trial to Fubo!
Shelton's Next Match
Shelton will play Sonego in the round of 128 of the French Open on Sunday, May 28 at 5:00 AM ET.
Shelton is currently listed at +190 to win his next contest versus Sonego. Check out the latest odds for the entire field at BetMGM.
Ben Shelton Grand Slam Odds
- French Open odds to win: +35000
Want to bet on Shelton? Head to BetMGM using our link for a bonus bet special offer for new players!
Shelton Stats
- Shelton last played on May 21, 2023, a 5-7, 6-2, 2-6 defeat by No. 83-ranked Cecchinato in the Round of 32 of the Gonet Geneva Open.
- In 16 tournaments over the past 12 months, Shelton is yet to win a title, and his record is 11-16.
- Shelton has a record of 2-6 on clay over the last 12 months.
- In his 27 matches over the past year, across all court types, Shelton has averaged 28.7 games.
- Over the past 12 months, Shelton has played eight matches on clay, and 24.5 games per match.
- Over the past 12 months, Shelton has been victorious in 16.4% of his return games and 82.7% of his service games.
- As far as serve/return winning percentages on clay over the past year, Shelton has won 73.7% of his games on serve, and 18.6% on return.
Not all offers available in all states, please visit BetMGM for the latest promotions for your area. Must be 21+ to gamble, please wager responsibly. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem, contact 1-800-GAMBLER.
© 2023 Data Skrive. All rights reserved. | 2023-05-27T04:12:37+00:00 | kwch.com | https://www.kwch.com/sports/betting/2023/05/21/ben-shelton-french-open-betting-odds/ |
(The Hill) – The FBI search of Mar-a-Lago has answered one lingering question about Attorney General Merrick Garland: Yes, he’s willing to directly investigate Donald Trump.
But the unprecedented search of the former president’s home raises a number of questions about the breadth of the probe, the timing of the search, what investigators were seeking and what it means for Trump.
What Trump referred to as a “raid” of his home was the FBI execution of a search warrant approved by a federal judge after prosecutors were able to provide probable cause that a crime had been committed and that evidence would likely be found during the search.
But aside from a reported focus on White House documents in Trump’s possession, little is known about the investigation that prompted the extraordinary step or where it might lead.
It’s unclear what was seized in the search or whether the Department of Justice (DOJ) has found evidence to support charging Trump himself. Still, the execution of a search warrant on Trump’s property is the first public confirmation that the former president is linked to an active criminal investigation by federal law enforcement, a development that Garland had been unwilling to reveal.
“This was not a search conducted in the pro shop. It’s a search conducted in the former president’s residence and office…The former president is a target of this investigation,” said Jeff Robbins, a former federal prosecutor and congressional investigative counsel.
“This is something which no doubt has been worked on for weeks, if not months, has been drafted and reviewed by a squadron of FBI agents and personnel reaching up to the top levels of the FBI, reviewed by a squadron of Department of Justice prosecutors reaching up to the very highest level of the Department of Justice. And it’s fair to assume that it is an uncommonly specific showing of probable cause.”
In January, Trump handed over 15 boxes of materials to government records keepers amid concern he may have violated the Presidential Records Act.
Then, in June, Justice Department investigators, including a senior counterintelligence official, returned to him and were shown a basement room that contained government records, including some that had classified markings, according to multiple reports.
Trump and his allies in Congress have dismissed the FBI search as politically motivated.
In an interview with a conservative media outlet on Tuesday, Christina Bobb, an attorney representing Trump who was present at Mar-a-Lago during the search, said the former president’s legal team had been cooperating with DOJ in its inquiry and insisted that Trump had done nothing wrong.
“They’re going to have a hard time proving that he actually even knew anything was in the boxes or anywhere else,” Bobb said in an appearance on the Right Side Broadcasting Network.
“I don’t think there was anything of substance that was removed as far as the documents go. I think this is a case where DOJ and the FBI under the Biden administration is just trying to criminalize and really prosecute their predecessor which is something we see in dictatorships and third-world countries.”
What the search warrant was targeting and what materials were seized by the FBI are questions that could be answered by reviewing the warrant that authorized the agency to search Trump’s property, but attorneys representing the former president did not respond to requests for a copy of the document or details about its contents.
Trump’s attorneys could seek to challenge the basis for the warrant, but any court proceedings could reveal additional information about what DOJ was seeking.
Trump himself compared the search to Watergate, writing in a statement that “here, in reverse, Democrats broke into the home of the 45th President of the United States.”
But former prosecutors pushed back against that narrative.
“Is it unprecedented that a president or former president is the target of a criminal investigation that results in a search warrant being executed at his residence? Yes, that is absolutely unprecedented. But, on the other hand, the evidence of criminality is also unprecedented,” Robbins said.
Robbins pointed to other determinations that Trump was likely involved in criminal activity: a Georgia investigation into Trump’s efforts to pressure the secretary of state there to “find” more votes, as well as a ruling from a California-based federal judge who in March found it was more likely than not that Trump committed crimes in his effort to stay in power.
“Now you have a totally separate federal judge — separate from the first one — who has found that there is probable cause to believe that the former president has committed a very specific federal crime or number of crimes,” he added. “That does not have any indicia of a witch hunt.”
It remains to be seen whether the search will lead to criminal charges against the former president or anyone in his immediate orbit, but former prosecutors noted there are serious penalties for violating public records laws.
“Highly classified information is treated that way because of its extreme sensitivity. There is a whole range of material that is really a crown jewel, national security, high-consequence sequence. And if that’s what a person carried away rather than leaving it in the hands of the government and complying with the Presidential Records Act, that’s a gravely serious matter,” said John Barrett, a former federal prosecutor who worked for the independent counsel investigating the Iran-Contra scandal and also served in the DOJ inspector general’s office.
The Justice Department has been facing public scrutiny for months over whether it is actively investigating Trump as a House committee probing the Jan. 6, 2021 attack on the Capitol has presented a wide-ranging case that the former president engaged in criminal conduct in his efforts to overturn the 2020 election.
It’s unclear whether there is any overlap between the DOJ’s investigation into White House records that may have been stored at Mar-a-Lago and the separate investigations into the Jan. 6 riot and a scheme to present a fake slate of Electoral College electors who sought to swing the election to Trump.
Even if the warrant had nothing to do with DOJ’s Jan. 6 probe, the search could provide fodder for additional search warrants.
“If agents are authorized by a warrant to enter the premises, then they are entitled to seize not only the items that are specified in the warrant but also any contraband they can see in plain view. If they stumble upon documents that appear to be evidence of another crime, they may be able to obtain a second warrant to obtain them,” Barbara McQuade, a former federal prosecutor wrote in an op-ed in USA Today.
“If once inside the safe, agents found documents or other items that incriminated Trump in, say, an election fraud scheme, they could potentially use that information to get another warrant.”
Barrett said next steps for the Justice Department depend on what investigators found in their search.
“Are there leads here? Are there next investigative steps to be taken? Are there witnesses to interview? Is this material probable cause in some way to arrest somebody or to search some other location? Or is this exonerating or not evidence of criminal activity? In which case, it might be a basis to sort of shut something down or wind something down. All of those things are possible,” he said.
Other close aides to Trump might also be weighing their own next steps.
“If you are the lawyer for, in no particular order, Mark Meadows, John Eastman, Jeffrey Clark, Rudy Giuliani and others known or unknown, you now have to take quite seriously the Justice Department’s interest in prosecuting crimes,” Barrett said.
“These individuals certainly are in some potential jeopardy, and a lawyer has to advise their client that there is something — there is an approach — and that approach would be reaching a deal.”
The search could result in some fallout for Garland. Republicans are threatening serious oversight of DOJ should they seize majorities in Congress following the midterms, while a handful have demanded a briefing as early as Friday from him and FBI Director Christopher Wray.
But Garland has been unwilling to reveal any information about the Justice Department’s investigations, and it’s unlikely the full scope will be revealed unless prosecutors have an opportunity to lay it out in court.
“Only Garland and company know what’s behind the curtain,” Barrett said. | 2022-08-09T23:46:35+00:00 | ksn.com | https://www.ksn.com/news/politics/fbi-search-makes-clear-trump-is-target-of-probe/ |
VERIFY’s mission is to answer your questions and help viewers understand what’s true and what’s false. Our viewers sent us so many great questions this past year, via social media, text, email, and through our website.
From whether the U.S. would run out of diesel fuel in 25 days to if you should use hydrogen peroxide to treat wounds, the VERIFY team fact-checked hundreds of viewer questions this year.
To look back on 2022, the VERIFY team reviewed the most-read stories featuring questions that came straight from our viewers. Here’s a look at the top five stories:
In April, multiple headlines and several social media users claimed that a proposed bill in California would allow people to kill their babies up to seven days after birth. VERIFY viewer Cierra texted our team to ask if these claims were true.
VERIFY found that California Assembly Bill 2223 (AB 2223) does not allow people to kill their babies up to seven days after birth. Instead, the bill eliminates requirements for a coroner to investigate deaths related to or following suspected self-induced or criminal abortions in the state of California. AB 2223 also prohibits using a coroner’s statements on a fetal death certificate for prosecution in civil or criminal cases.
These requirements are from an earlier time when “abortion was an offense in the California Penal Code, provisions which were repealed more than two decades ago,” Farah Diaz-Tello, senior attorney and legal director for If/When/How: Lawyering for Reproductive Justice, said.
AB 2223 was signed into law by California Gov. Gavin Newsom on Sept. 27, 2022.
On Oct. 27, Fox News host Tucker Carlson claimed that “by the Monday of Thanksgiving week,” or in 25 days, “there will be no more diesel” in the U.S. Several VERIFY viewers, including Robert, asked if the U.S. would run out of diesel fuel in 25 days.
VERIFY found the metric the TV host and others were citing came from U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) data. For the week ending Oct. 21, EIA data showed the U.S. had 25.9 days’ worth of supply of diesel fuel.
But oil experts told VERIFY that number did not mean the U.S. would run out of diesel fuel in under a month. Instead, the metric measures the days’ worth of supply if U.S. refineries stopped producing oil and the industry stopped importing it from other countries. It’s calculated by taking U.S. inventory and dividing it by daily demand, Houston-based oil expert Andy Lipow explained.
“We will not run out of diesel in 25 days unless we simply stopped producing or importing and drew down inventory. I know of no government agency predicting the country will run out of diesel by Thanksgiving,” Lipow told VERIFY.
Patrick De Haan, head of petroleum analysis at GasBuddy, agreed with Lipow. He said claims that the U.S. would run out of diesel fuel in 25 days are “completely inaccurate,” explaining that the number is “used as an industry benchmark to look at overall supply and demand balances.”
Social Security provides people with an income when they retire or can’t work due to disability. Those who are retired can typically start receiving their Social Security benefits as early as age 62.
In July, some people on social media claimed that Social Security payments would increase as much as 10% in 2023. Ruby and other VERIFY viewers asked our team if Social Security recipients would see a bigger increase than normal in their checks next year.
The Social Security Administration (SSA) adjusts benefit amounts every year to account for inflation through a cost-of-living adjustment (COLA). The COLA is calculated based on the percentage increase in the Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers (CPI-W), an inflation gauge measured by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). It measures the average change over time in the prices that workers are paying for a “basket of consumer goods and services.”
On Oct. 13, SSA announced that its 2023 cost-of-living adjustment will be 8.7%, the highest since 1981.
FBI agents took 11 sets of classified records from former President Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate during a search on Aug. 8, court records revealed.
Trump later claimed that the documents were “all declassified” in a post on Truth Social, his social media platform. Many VERIFY viewers, including Beverly and Carole, asked whether the president can declassify documents while in office.
The U.S. classification system has three levels: top secret, secret and confidential. A sitting president has wide-ranging authority to classify and declassify certain documents, but former presidents do not have authority over classification and declassification.
Current presidents can classify documents as long as they can “make a plausible argument that it is related to national security.” On the other hand, the president “doesn’t have to give any reason for declassifying” information, according to Kel McClanahan, executive director of the National Security Counselors.
“He can just say, ‘I decide that this should be declassified,’ and it’s declassified,” McClanahan said.
However, Richard Immerman, a historian and professor at Temple University, told VERIFY that presidents generally follow an informal protocol when declassifying documents.
Hydrogen peroxide is a chemical that is often used for cleaning, disinfecting and stain removal. It is also commonly used as an antiseptic to treat cuts, scrapes or other minor skin wounds.
Several people on social media have claimed that hydrogen peroxide should not be used to clean wounds because it can be irritating to the skin. VERIFY viewer Jehu asked whether these claims are true.
The Cleveland Clinic, Mayo Clinic, and Houston Methodist all warn against using hydrogen peroxide to treat or clean wounds because it can irritate the skin.
“Hydrogen peroxide has fallen out of favor as a wound cleanser. Studies have found that it irritates the skin. It may prevent the wound from healing, doing more harm than good,” Sarah Pickering Beers, M.D., a family medicine specialist at the Cleveland Clinic, said.
A blog post on Houston Methodist’s website explains that hydrogen peroxide can kill “normal cells within the wound, including healthy skin cells and immune cells, and slow down blood vessel formation.”
“Hydrogen peroxide is actually detrimental to wound healing. It prevents healing rather than promoting it,” said Michael Yaakovian, M.D., a surgeon and wound care specialist at Houston Methodist. "When you have an open wound, you don't have that normal skin barrier there protecting you anymore. This exposed area of tissue then becomes vulnerable to infection.” | 2022-12-28T16:42:21+00:00 | wfmynews2.com | https://www.wfmynews2.com/article/news/verify/top-5-verify-viewer-questions-of-2022/536-2b5f6ba2-acb7-4613-a756-3834bbdd95dd |
EAST MEADOW, Long Island (WPIX) – A New York pediatrician is being hailed a hero after he prevented 14 people from potentially being poisoned to death from a carbon monoxide gas leak.
Dr. John Zaso, who doubles as a volunteer firefighter in the Long Island hamlet of East Meadow, used his skills from both jobs to diagnose that the family of one of his young patients was actively suffering carbon monoxide poisoning. He helped to dispatch his own fire department to the family’s home.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, carbon monoxide (CO) is an odorless, colorless gas produced when a fossil fuel is burned. The CDC says CO “can cause sudden illness and death.”
Zaso said he got an urgent call from the mother of a 3-week-old infant patient of his late Monday night. The mother said her baby appeared sick and mentioned that a number of the family members in their house had started feeling sick within the past several hours. Fourteen people, all related, were living in the home.
“First thing I said immediately was ‘open your windows get out of the house and call 911,’” Zaso recalled.
The mother told him that she would call 911 and evacuate their home, but when Zasso grabbed the dispatch radio he uses as a firefighter, he said he never heard the call for help come through. So he called the mother back immediately.
“I said ‘get out of the house now’ in some colorful language,” Zaso said. “I then called and had the fire department dispatched to the scene.“
Zaso helped dispatch first responders from the East Meadow Fire Department, along with Nassau County’s ambulance bureau and police. He also went to the scene himself. He and his team found deadly levels of carbon monoxide in areas of the family’s home.
“Without any protection, within 30 seconds you’re disoriented and unconscious at that level,” Zaso said, regarding how toxic the basement air had become.
Because of Zaso’s quick response, no one died. Eleven of the 14 people in the home were hospitalized to be treated for carbon monoxide poisoning.
Zaso said had he not followed up, the family of 14 likely would have gone to bed and died in their sleep.
“They wouldn’t have woken up in the morning. They would’ve asphyxiated in their sleep,” Zaso said.
The family is doing better and is grateful to him and the other first responders who helped them, Zaso said.
If there’s one thing to take away from this story, Zaso said, it’s to ensure everyone has working CO detectors on every level of their home. | 2023-03-15T14:43:08+00:00 | cenlanow.com | https://www.cenlanow.com/national/new-york-doctor-uses-firefighter-training-to-save-family-of-14/ |
Miguel Cabrera Player Prop Bets: Tigers vs. Orioles - April 30
Published: Apr. 30, 2023 at 11:25 AM EDT|Updated: 46 minutes ago
Miguel Cabrera -- 1-for-4 in his most recent game -- will be in action for the Detroit Tigers versus the Baltimore Orioles, with Kyle Bradish on the hill, on April 30 at 1:40 PM ET.
In his previous game he had a one-hit showing (1-for-4) against the Orioles.
Miguel Cabrera Game Info & Props vs. the Orioles
- Game Day: Sunday, April 30, 2023
- Game Time: 1:40 PM ET
- Stadium: Comerica Park
- Live Stream: Watch this game on Fubo!
- Orioles Starter: Kyle Bradish
- TV Channel: BSDET
- Hits Prop: Over/under 0.5 hits (Over odds: -189)
- Home Runs Prop: Over/under 0.5 home runs (Over odds: +850)
- RBI Prop: Over/under 0.5 RBI (Over odds: +190)
- Runs Prop: Over/under 0.5 runs (Over odds: +180)
Looking to place a prop bet on Miguel Cabrera? Check out what's available at BetMGM and sign up with this link!
Miguel Cabrera At The Plate
- Cabrera is batting .189 with three doubles and three walks.
- Cabrera has had a base hit in nine of 15 games this season, and multiple hits once.
- He has not homered in his 15 games this season.
- Cabrera has had an RBI in three games this year.
- He has not scored a run this season.
Ready to play FanDuel Daily Fantasy? Get in the game using our link.
Miguel Cabrera Home/Away Batting Splits
Orioles Pitching Rankings
- The pitching staff for the Orioles has a collective 9.4 K/9, the 10th-best in the league.
- The Orioles have the 14th-ranked team ERA among all MLB pitching staffs (4.27).
- Orioles pitchers combine to give up 29 total home runs at a clip of 1.1 per game (to rank 14th in baseball).
- The Orioles will send Bradish (1-1) to make his fourth start of the season. He is 1-1 with a 6.30 ERA and nine strikeouts in 10 2/3 innings pitched.
- In his last appearance on Tuesday, the righty went 2 1/3 innings against the Boston Red Sox, giving up seven earned runs while surrendering eight hits.
- The 26-year-old has an ERA of 6.30, with 8.1 strikeouts per nine innings, in three games this season. Opponents are hitting .333 against him.
© 2023 Data Skrive. All rights reserved. | 2023-04-30T16:11:56+00:00 | wnem.com | https://www.wnem.com/sports/betting/2023/04/30/miguel-cabrera-mlb-player-prop-bets/ |
Carlos Santana is recovering after he was hospitalized Tuesday night. The legendary guitarist passed out on stage during a performance in Michigan.
Santana, 74, was performing at the Pine Knob Music Theatre in Clarkston, Michigan, when he collapsed and was quickly attended to. Videos taken by concertgoers showed that he was conscious and waving to fans while wheeled off stage.
Michael Jensen, Santana's publicist, confirmed to ET Tuesday evening that the acclaimed musician "was overtaken by heat exhaustion and dehydration."
Jensen shared that the artist "was taken to the emergency department at McLaren Clarkston for observation and is doing well."
Santana's manager, Michael Vrionis, announced via Jensen's statement that Santana's planned show for Wednesday at The Pavilion at Star Lake in Burgettstown, Pennsylvania, will be postponed to a later date.
According to reports, as well as videos posted to social media, Santana was about 20 minutes into his performance when he sat down on a drum riser, then fell backward as medical personnel rushed to his aide.
The musician is currently on his summer-long Miraculous Supernatural 2022 Tour, alongside Earth, Wind & Fire. The tour launched on June 17 and is scheduled to go through August.
RELATED CONTENT: | 2022-07-06T12:54:53+00:00 | 9news.com | https://www.9news.com/article/entertainment/entertainment-tonight/carlos-santana-hospitalized-after-collapsing-onstage-from-exhaustion-and-dehydration/603-26224431-6731-4a06-8c32-273ba3964cf9 |
Boat crashes into jetty on Cape Cod, teen girl found dead in water
DENNIS, Mass. (AP) — A 17-year-old girl has died in a boating accident on Cape Cod, state police said.
The boat crashed into a jetty at Sesuit Harbor in Dennis on Friday night, according to a statement from state police in Massachusetts.
The initial reports were that there were some injuries, and at least one occupant of the boat was missing.
The Coast Guard, the state Environmental Police, the Barnstable County Dive Team and the Sandwich Fire marine unit initiated a joint search effort and the girl’s body was recovered off Cold Storage Beach at about 11:30 p.m., the statement said.
Her name was not made public.
The Cape and Islands District Attorney’s Office as well as environmental and local police are investigating.
No other details were released.
Copyright 2023 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. | 2023-07-22T13:14:25+00:00 | wafb.com | https://www.wafb.com/2023/07/22/boat-crashes-into-jetty-cape-cod-teen-girl-found-dead-water/ |
Magic Johnson's career pivot Published October 22, 2022 at 5:57 PM EDT Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Listen • 8:11 After a decorated career in the NBA, pro-basketball player Earvin "Magic" Johnson turned to being an entrepreneur. He explains that pivot to Jay Williams, host of NPR's The Limits. Copyright 2022 NPR | 2022-10-22T23:17:06+00:00 | delawarepublic.org | https://www.delawarepublic.org/2022-10-22/magic-johnsons-career-pivot |
'Unite Georgia' Program to Address Unmet Needs of Nearly 700,000 Veterans
ATLANTA, Nov. 11, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- The Georgia Department of Veterans Service (GDVS), the state's agency dedicated to advising, counseling, and assisting Georgia's veterans and their families in receiving their rightful benefits, and Unite Us, the nation's leading technology company connecting health and social care, are partnering to help Georgia's veterans and families address their unmet needs through a coordinated care network called Unite Georgia.
The GDVS received a grant for $6.1 million through Georgia's State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds' Negative Economic Impact grant program. Negative Economic Impact grants help address financial challenges caused by the COVID-19 pandemic and are intended to aid in speeding the recovery of the employment, tourism, travel, and hospitality sectors, as well as other industries.
The Unite Georgia coordinated care network will enable veterans and their families to connect directly to the resources they need in a matter of days instead of weeks or months, setting them on a path toward success. The network is statewide with over 720 programs available and growing each day. Partners in the network are connected through Unite Us' shared technology platform, enabling them to send and receive secure, electronic referrals, address people's social needs, and improve health across communities.
The Unite Us Platform securely connects the veteran population to much-needed resources and services, such as assistance with veterans benefits, employment, education, and mental and behavioral health programs. The solution also allows the GDVS to see where Georgians need the most help, track hot spots for needs, and make future plans to improve available services through community partnerships.
"Unite Us makes it simpler for Georgia's veterans and their families to find care wherever they are," said Georgia Department of Veteran Service Commissioner Patricia Ross. "If you're currently serving, recently separated from military service, or have been out for years—help is available through a robust network of community partners."
This new program will initially be available through the 54 GDVS veterans field service offices located throughout the state. Following the launch, Unite Us will also work with the Technical College System of Georgia (TCSG) and the state's Workforce Boards to expand access to services. There will also be an assistance request component for veterans to individually ask for support and get connected to resources.
"Our vision is to build a world of connected communities working together to improve the health and well-being of veterans," said Anthony Fulton, State Network Director at Unite Us. "The Unite Georgia network delivers the ability for government agencies, healthcare providers, and community-based organizations to better address people's needs in a secure and efficient ecosystem."
Nonprofits, community-based organizations, and other providers who want to connect their clients and patients to services within the network can reach out on uniteus.com/contact/.
The Georgia Department of Veterans Service (GDVS) is not part of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, but is an agency of Georgia's state government created for the purpose of advising, counseling, and assisting Georgia's veterans and their families in receiving their rightful benefits under the vast and complex framework of veterans' laws. The GDVS mission, to serve Georgia's veterans and their families in all matters pertaining to veterans benefits, falls into two basic tasks: informing veterans and their families about veterans' benefits, and directly assisting and advising veterans and their families in securing the federal and state benefits to which they are entitled.
The GDVS has offered assistance to Georgia's veterans and their families for nearly 100 years. The department serves the state's nearly 700,000 veterans and their families in all matters pertaining to veterans benefits, including applying for the federal and state veterans benefits they have earned at no cost. The state also offers help through a robust appeals division, 2 war veterans homes, 2 veterans memorial cemeteries, and coordinating services across state agencies to veterans.
Veterans or their family members should contact their local field office to schedule an appointment. Locate a veterans service office near you at: https://veterans.georgia.gov/field-offices.
Unite Us is a technology company that builds coordinated care networks of health and social service providers. With Unite Us, providers across sectors can send and receive secure, electronic referrals, track every person's total health journey, and report on tangible outcomes across a full range of services in a centralized, cohesive, and collaborative ecosystem. Unite Us' dedicated team builds authentic, lasting partnerships with local organizations to ensure their networks have a solid foundation, launch successfully, and continue to grow and thrive. This HITRUST-certified social care infrastructure helps communities transform their ability to work together and measure impact at scale. Follow Unite Us on LinkedIn, Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.
Media Contacts:
Charlotte May
Georgia Department of Veterans Service
cmay@vs.state.ga.us
(404) 656-5933
Jaquetta Gooden
Unite Us
jaquetta.gooden@uniteus.com
(808) 485-9086
View original content to download multimedia:
SOURCE Unite Us | 2022-11-11T15:56:28+00:00 | kswo.com | https://www.kswo.com/prnewswire/2022/11/11/unite-us-georgia-department-veterans-service-team-up-expand-coordinated-care-network-streamline-access-services-georgia/ |
When Dominion Voting Systems sued Fox News over the lies the conservative cable network had broadcast in 2020 about the election tech company, the enormous $1.6 billion damage claim jumped out.
The trial begins next week in Delaware and two of the biggest questions facing the jurors will be whether Fox and its executives are liable for broadcasting the lies and, if so, whether $1.6 billion is a remotely realistic amount to ask for.
Denver-based Dominion said that it went to herculean efforts to make Fox News aware of both the falseness of what was being said on air and the damage it did to Dominion.
"The evidence will show that Dominion was a valuable, rapidly growing business that was executing on its plan to expand prior to the time that Fox began endorsing baseless lies about Dominion voting machines," said a Dominion spokesperson in a statement. "Following Fox's defamatory statements, Dominion's business suffered enormously, and its claim for compensatory damages is based on industry-standard valuation metrics and conservative methodologies. We look forward to proving this aspect of our case at trial."
The company says its employees and offices have faced years of violent threats due to baseless conspiracy theories that Dominion's equipment changed votes for then-President Donald Trump to his opponent, Joe Biden in 2020.
Fox's legal filings have pushed back against Dominion's damage claims, arguing "that figure has no connection to Dominion's financial value as a company." A 2018 estimate by the Penn Wharton Public Policy Initiative at the University of Pennsylvania put the privately-held company's annual revenues at about $100 million.
Damages often 'can't be proven with mathematical precision'
If the jury finds Fox liable in the case, the jury can award compensatory damages for actual losses suffered by Dominion - including reputational harm and loss of value to the privately-held company. (The jury could also award Dominion punitive damages to punish Fox for its behavior.)
Dominion will also have to show the comments were made with "actual malice." Under that standard, Dominion's attorneys will have to convince a jury that Fox either knowingly broadcasting something false and damaging to the election tech firm's reputation - or willfully disregarded facts it should have known disproving those statements.
"You're talking about economic damages and economic disturbance, and so emotional feelings, hurt feelings, emotional damages, those kinds of things typically are not going to enter into the calculation," said Len Niehoff, a professor at the University of Michigan 's law school.
A report commissioned by Dominion and filed with the court laid out about a billion dollars worth of damages the company says it has experienced. Dominion says it has lost $16 million in profits, more than $70 million in potential business, $14 million in legal, security and other expenses and more than $900 million in value due to the conspiracy theories tied to the 2020 election.
But Niehoff says making the case for monetary damages can be challenging because of the complexity in connecting the dots between a business loss and why the loss happened.
"These are things that very often can't be proven with mathematical precision. It can be very hard to show that people who didn't do business with you didn't do it for this reason as opposed to for some other reason," he said.
For Dominion that means demonstrating that state and local governments aren't using its equipment specifically because of lies and conspiracy theories and not other business factors.
A mixed picture for the impact on Dominion
The company is sure to point to the recent actions by Shasta County's Board of Supervisors in northern California, which recently cited baseless conspiracy theories in canceling its contract with Dominion.
Shasta County supervisor Patrick Henry Jones, who brought forward the motion to cancel the contract, said he researched Dominion's machines and said he couldn't rely on the mainstream media for information about their accuracy.
"When anyone comes forward and says there is no election fraud, the mainstream media supports those claims."
Jones said trust in the company "doesn't exist within Shasta County."
In an interview with NPR, Joanna Francescut, the assistant county clerk who runs the Shasta county elections office, said many voters in the rural and heavily pro-Trump county easily accepted the lies about Dominion. "After they realized, you know, Trump lost, it was blamed on the voting system."
Dominion's legal filings lay out multiple instances in which it says its contracts across the country were canceled or not renewed that it blames on the lies that circulated after the 2020 election.
Still, it's unclear whether what's happening in places like Shasta is the tip of the iceberg for Dominion or an outlier.
According to an analysis provided to NPR by the election security group, Verified Voting, Dominion has actually seen a net increase in jurisdictions using Dominion equipment since 2020. The nonprofit monitors election equipment contracts around the country.
For example in 2020, 1,161 jurisdictions used Dominion election day tabulation equipment. Verified Voting's analysis says 1,861 jurisdictions will use Dominion equipment in 2024. That said, there's been a net loss in the total number of registered voters who will vote with Dominion's machines in upcoming elections.
"So I think what's notable is that you can have many jurisdictions, some of which are quite small," said Verified Voting CEO Pamela Smith about the discrepancy.
She said it's not necessarily surprising that jurisdictions have stayed with the company despite the false claims.
"Most jurisdictions don't change their voting systems like every couple of years, right? They change them 10 years, 15 years." She said a lot of that is due to the huge cost and administrative challenges of switching election equipment vendors.
But she said it is very difficult to predict what could happen to Dominion's business years into the future, for instance if a jurisdiction shuts Dominion out of the bidding process.
"Where previously they had an okay relationship, or a state might say, 'well, we're gonna go with this brand and then find out, oh, on second thought, we're not because the pushback is really hard.' I suspect there's a lot of that and more than what actually shows on the surface," said Smith.
While an increase in business is to some degree at odds with seeking monetary damages, Dominion can still make the case that its growth has been thwarted, Niehoff said
"Dominion could have an argument that, although their business statements have gone up, it hasn't gone up as much as it would've gone up, but for the defamatory statements."
Fox says the damage claims are a money grab
For its part, Fox News calls Dominion's claims nothing more than a money grab by its private equity owners, State Street Capital Partners. It contends that its reporting is protected by the First Amendment, and Fox News was reporting on newsworthy utterances by the president of the United States and members of his team.
Fox News said in recent court filings that Dominion could not possibly suffer the damage amount it is requesting.
"Staple Street Capital Partners paid a small fraction of that amount to acquire a controlling interest in Dominion only four years ago. And even under the most optimistic projections, Staple Street has never estimated Dominion's value as a business to be anywhere near $1.6 billion."
Fox has asked the court not to award any damages to Dominion and said the claims are not based on any financial metrics, but instead on the assumption it will be completely out of business by 2031.
Dominion's damage claims assume that it "is not going to gain any new customers, not a single new customer is going to walk in the door. In addition, for the existing customers, they are not going to get any new business from existing customers after 2024," said Scott Ahmad, an attorney representing Fox News, in a recent court appearance.
Citing Dominion financial records it has received, Fox also says that 2022 was Dominion's second strongest year in terms of revenues.
Breaking up with an election vendor isn't easy
In a sign that Shasta County might be an outlier, many other conservative jurisdictions around the country are sticking with Dominion, despite voter distrust.
In rural Fremont County, Colorado, Justin Grantham recently renewed his country's contract with Dominion. Grantham is a Republican and leads the Colorado County Clerks Association. He said audits consistently show that the Dominion machines accurately count ballots, and the cost and training to switch just wouldn't be feasible.
"You're talking about learning how to use the system, learning how to program the ballots in the election, learning how to just figure out the tabulation and the software and the hardware," he said.
Grantham said training election judges and staff on new equipment would be another huge undertaking.
"You're talking massive training requirements for something that's used, oh gosh, once a year in the odd years and two to three times in the even years."
Grantham and other election professionals say the true impacts of the 2020 conspiracy theories on Dominion's business may not be known for years when current voting machine contracts come due, and if officials in conservative counties face political pressure to look elsewhere for their equipment.
Copyright 2023 CPR News | 2023-04-14T09:18:36+00:00 | kunm.org | https://www.kunm.org/npr-news/2023-04-14/the-math-behind-dominion-voting-systems-1-6-billion-lawsuit-against-fox-news |
DETROIT -- The Detroit Tigers acquired left-handed pitcher Lael Lockhart from the Los Angeles Dodgers in exchange for cash considerations on Saturday.
Lockhart was assigned to Class AA Erie.
Lockhart, 25, is a Texas native who was a two-way player in college at Houston and Arkansas. He was drafted by the Dodgers in the ninth round in 2021.
He pitched well last year at Class A (advanced) Great Lakes, posting a 3.16 ERA and striking out 85 in 77 innings. But he struggled this spring at Double-A Tulsa with an 11.40 ERA in 15 innings.
It’s the second minor trade made by the Tigers this month.
On Tuesday they sent outfielder Jonathan Davis to the Miami Marlins for outfielder Brady Allen. Davis was promoted immediately to Miami’s big-league club and hit a home run in his first game. Allen was assigned to Class A (advanced) West Michigan. | 2023-05-27T21:37:48+00:00 | mlive.com | https://www.mlive.com/tigers/2023/05/tigers-acquire-left-handed-pitcher-from-dodgers.html |
MILAN (AP) — The Milan clubs are set to meet again in another Champions League semifinal a decade after their last encounter in the final four of Europe’s elite club competition.
Inter Milan drew 3-3 against Benfica on Wednesday to complete a 5-3 aggregate victory over the Portuguese team. That came a day after AC Milan prevailed against Napoli in their quarterfinal.
After Nicolò Barella’s opener for Inter, Fredrik Aursnes restored some hope for Benfica shortly before halftime. But Lautaro Martínez and substitute Joaquín Correa netted in the second half to help Inter reach its first semifinal since José Mourinho led it to the treble of the Champions League, Serie A and Italian Cup in 2010.
Inter nevertheless managed to relinquish a two-goal lead as António Silva and Petar Musa netted late on for Benfica.
“Obviously I am happy, and I am happy for the boys because it is an important and historic achievement,” Inter coach Simone Inzaghi said. “We’ve come a long way, from a very, very difficult group.
“With regards to the goals, their forward did well on the second goal and on the third goal we heard a whistle and so several players stopped. Of course I would have wanted to have won 3-2 and I’m more disappointed for the boys but we were already through to the semifinal and there was that whistle that we heard on the bench too … we would have deserved the win.”
The Nerazzurri will face its city rival in a repeat of the 2003 semifinal. AC Milan won that on away goals and went on to beat Juventus in the final.
“It’s a very special match, we know what it means to play a match of this sort,” Inter forward Martínez said. “Now we have to pick up points again in Serie A and then we’ll think about the Champions League.
“I play this sport to win everything.”
Real Madrid will face Manchester City in the other semifinal after the English team drew 1-1 at Bayern Munich on Wednesday to advance 4-1 on aggregate.
Both Inter and Benfica came into the match at San Siro on a poor run of form.
Inter had only won one of its past eight matches in all competitions — the first leg in Lisbon — while Benfica had lost three straight matches for the first time since the 2018-19 season.
Inter had been criticized for not making the most of its numerous goalscoring opportunities — and had only scored two goals from open play in its past seven matches.
But the Nerazzurri took the lead with their very first chance, in the 14th minute, as Barella rode a tackle and played a one-two with Martínez before curling a delightful effort into the top left corner.
Benfica faced an uphill task and Inter was yet to concede in the knockout stage. The Nerazzurri had the ball in the back of the net again in the 33rd minute but it was disallowed for a slight nudge by Martínez on Gilberto.
Moments later, Barella did well to acrobatically clear a cross with Benfica top goalscorer Gonçalo Ramos lurking.
However, a defensive lapse saw Benfica get back into the quarterfinal seven minutes from the break as Aursnes got in front of Denzel Dumfries to head in Rafa Silva’s cross from the right.
Buoyed by that goal, Benfica continued to press but it was Inter that scored in the 65th minute, to all but put the outcome beyond doubt.
Henrikh Mkhitaryan cut a pass in from the left to Federico Dimarco, who crossed for the easiest of finishes as Martínez prodded it into the roof of the net from point-blank range.
And Correa capped a brilliant night for Inter by curling in off the right post two minutes after coming off the bench.
António Silva headed in a free kick for the visitors with four minutes remaining to add some respectability to the scoreline, before Musa drilled through a sea of legs in stoppage time to at least end Benfica’s losing run.
“We are disappointed because I think at the start we showed that we still believed we could reach the semifinal,” Benfica coach Roger Schmidt said. “We started very well but after the first goal it was difficult because that makes everything even more difficult.
“I think our team showed a very good attitude today, very good focus and very good mentality … we tried to push in the second half but then we conceded a goal and I think we were also not very lucky with the decisions.”
___
More AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports | 2023-04-20T13:25:27+00:00 | cbs42.com | https://www.cbs42.com/sports/inter-advances-past-benfica-sets-up-milan-semifinal-in-cl/ |
ENGLEWOOD, Colo., June 30, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Lightwave Logic, Inc. (NASDAQ: LWLG), a technology platform company leveraging its proprietary electro-optic (EO) polymers to transmit data at higher speeds with less power, today announced that CEO Dr. Michael Lebby was again invited to co-chair the Photonic Integrated Circuits (PIC) International Conference that took place June 28-29, 2022 in Brussels, Belgium.
The 6th PIC International conference built on the success of its predecessors, with industry-leading insiders delivering more than 30 presentations spanning four sectors. Attendees at the two-day conference gained an up-to-date overview of the status of the global photonics industry and had the opportunity to meet many other key players within the community. Over the two days, the conference sessions were not only popular, but they were also fully packed with standing room availability only.
At the conference, Dr. Lebby led an invited talk entitled, "Enabling lower power consumption optical networking using high speed, low power polymer modulators", focusing on the issue of reducing power consumption in datacenters and optical networks. He also contributed to a panel session, "Hybrid PICs technology challenges and solutions," on the need for hybrid integration addressing the volume production of 3D and 2.5 integrated electronic and photonic integrated circuits (PICs) based on the utilization of large silicon foundries. This included a discussion on the use of silicon photonics with hybrid technologies such as electro-optic polymers, polymer based plasmonics, silicon nitride and III-V laser sources.
"This presentation centered on power consumption, a huge topic of discussion at major optical communication conferences, and for the industry in general," said Dr. Lebby. "The latest performance of polymer modulators is extremely exciting with very low voltages and extremely small footprints. For datacenter operators, increasing power efficiency and decreasing power consumption is imperative to the bottom line of a facility. This factor was conveyed by a number of speakers over the two days of the PIC conference. The exciting news is that our technology platform of electro-optic polymer modulators is now poised to address power consumption with their inherent high speed and very low power properties."
For more information on the PIC International conference, please visit the event website at www.picinternational.net.
About Lightwave Logic, Inc.
Lightwave Logic, Inc. (NASDAQ: LWLG) is developing a platform leveraging its proprietary engineered electro-optic (EO) polymers to transmit data at higher speeds with less power. The company's high-activity and high-stability organic polymers allow Lightwave Logic to create next-generation photonic EO devices, which convert data from electrical signals into optical signals, for applications in data communications and telecommunications markets. For more information, please visit the Company's website at lightwavelogic.com.
Safe Harbor Statement
The information posted in this release may contain forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. You can identify these statements by use of the words "may," "will," "should," "plans," "explores," "expects," "anticipates," "continue," "estimate," "project," "intend," and similar expressions. Forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those projected or anticipated. These risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, lack of available funding; general economic and business conditions; competition from third parties; intellectual property rights of third parties; regulatory constraints; changes in technology and methods of marketing; delays in completing various engineering and manufacturing programs; changes in customer order patterns; changes in product mix; success in technological advances and delivering technological innovations; shortages in components; production delays due to performance quality issues with outsourced components; those events and factors described by us in Item 1.A "Risk Factors" in our most recent Form 10-K and Form 10-Q; other risks to which our company is subject; other factors beyond the company's control.
Investor Relations Contact:
Lucas A. Zimmerman
MZ Group - MZ North America
949-259-4987
LWLG@mzgroup.us
www.mzgroup.us
View original content to download multimedia:
SOURCE Lightwave Logic, Inc. | 2022-06-30T14:13:57+00:00 | live5news.com | https://www.live5news.com/prnewswire/2022/06/30/lightwave-logic-ceo-dr-michael-lebby-chairs-6th-pic-international-conference-belgium/ |
Senate Democrats’ campaign arm is investing $7 million for field organizing efforts ahead of next month’s Georgia runoff election between Sen. Raphael Warnock (D) and Republican Herschel Walker.
The Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee (DSCC) announced in a release on Thursday that the spending will fund direct voter contact programs to expand on Warnock’s previous organizing effort.
“We know talking directly to voters through a strong, well-funded ground-game is critical to winning in Georgia, and we’re wasting no time in kick-starting these programs in the runoff,” said Sen. Gary Peters (Mich.), the DSCC chair.
The release states organizers will emphasize to voters the importance of participating in the runoff and the contrast between Warnock and Walker on the issues, as well as helping Georgians make and complete their plan to vote.
The DSCC spent more on direct voter contact programs than independent expenditures this cycle for the first time in recent history, according to the release.
Warnock leads Walker after Tuesday’s general election by almost 1 percent of the vote, but he fell short of reaching the majority he needed to win reelection outright. A Libertarian candidate won just more than 2 percent of the vote.
Warnock and Walker now advance to a runoff scheduled for Dec. 6 that could decide which party wins control of the Senate for the next two years.
Senate races in Nevada and Arizona remain too close to call after Tuesday’s vote. | 2022-11-10T17:03:29+00:00 | wearegreenbay.com | https://www.wearegreenbay.com/hill-politics/senate-democrats-spending-7m-on-georgia-runoff/ |
ASU+GSV Summit 2023 was held successfully in San Diego, USA, providing a platform for global education professionals to share forward-looking insights and foster international collaboration. The event brought together thousands of academic and industry experts and business leaders from around the world, who participated in forums, exhibitions, roadshows, immersive experiences, and more.
WuKong Education, a leading international K-12 online education brand, was invited to participate in recognition of its remarkable growth and industry influence in recent years.
SAN DIEGO, April 20, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- April 17th - 19th, the ASU+GSV Summit was held in San Diego, USA. The event brought together 7,100 in-person attendees, including business leaders such as Bill Gates and K-12 leaders from the education industry, as well as outstanding education technology companies such as Chegg, WuKong Education, and BYJU's.
WuKong Education's founder Vicky Wang, co-founder Nicky Shang, and Head of Marketing of North America Rebecca Deng represented the company, sharing insights on product development and business growth strategies with EdTech leaders from around the world.
With over 300,000 users in 118 countries and regions worldwide, WuKong Education has gained widespread attention for its remarkable growth and industry influence. The company's Teaching and Research Team consists of experienced teachers from top universities such as Harvard, Oxford, and Columbia. Aligned with ASU+GSV's theme of "Brave New World: Imagining a new era in which all people have equal access to the future," WuKong Education prides itself in being a leading solutions provider on increasing the access of high-quality Chinese and math courses through its innovative platform and network of 3,000+ certified teachers.
During the summit, WuKong Education showcased its unique curriculum, which incorporates the leading Inquiry-Based Learning method that encourages students to learn through exploration in the classroom. Founder Vicky Wang explained, "From the design of the teaching syllabus and teacher training program to the interactive activities in the live class session, the essence of Inquiry-Based Learning is reflected through carefully crafted classroom design. Students' passion for learning is truly ignited, making children the masters of their own learning journey."
As a leader in the online education industry, WuKong Education is dedicated to driving education innovation and bridging the gap of equal access to mathematical and language learning for K-12 children worldwide. WuKong Education's participation at ASU+GSV Summit 2023 highlights the company's continued commitment in promoting education equity and excellence. Its vision of providing quality education for all students continues to fuel its growth and success in the industry.
View original content:
SOURCE WuKong Education | 2023-04-20T17:22:48+00:00 | kmvt.com | https://www.kmvt.com/prnewswire/2023/04/20/wukong-education-attends-asugsv-summit-2023-partner-bridging-gap-equal-access-mathematical-language-learning/ |
BEIJING, Jan. 6, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- A news report from China Daily
Every late autumn, a row of migrant birds flying over the skyline of Nanjing, East China's Jiangsu province, has become a familiar view for residents in recent years.
The birds' destination is Nanjing Yangtze River Xinjizhou National Wetland Park in Jiangning district.
"With the improvement in ecology, the park has continuously seen new wild birds, such as white spoonbills and cormorants resting in the wetland," said Li Quanwen, a staff member at the wetland park.
In 2021, the wetland park observed 23,962 newcomers of anas formosa, which is on the list of wildlife under State protection. The bird is sensitive to environmental changes and human disturbance. This can be used as an indicator to evaluate the quality of the wetland's environment.
"Birds choose their home. The wetland park is now a depopulated zone that provides birds with a safe environment and enough food such as fish and shrimp," Li said.
Located on the upper reaches of the Yangtze River's Jiangsu section, the park consists of five islands, namely Xinji, Xinsheng, Zaisheng, Zimu and Zihui, spanning a total of 26.7 square kilometers. It is China's first beach-type wetland along the Yangtze River.
More than 20 years ago, the park, popular among birds, used to be a production area that accommodated nearly 4,000 people. In 2000, the local government relocated the residents for ecological and wetland restoration.
After 10 years of effort, the park has restored more than 800 hectares of wetland, growing from 1,063.5 hectares before construction to 1,876 hectares. In 2011, the wetland began its pilot construction as a national wetland park due to the well-restored environment and was officially approved as a national one in 2016.
Currently, the water quality of the lakes surrounding the wetland park is rated as Grade II. The largest one, boasting the storage capacity of 2 million cubic meters of water, has water quality above Grade II, which serves as a water source for an emergency and can deliver three days of water needs for residents in Jiangning district.
Greater protection offers more species a chance to survive. According to the park, since 2016, the number of bird species has increased from 103 to 215, and vascular plant species have grown from 354 to 555. Between 2019 and 2021, the number of waterfowl regularly inhabiting the wetland increased from 20,000 to more than 50,000 each year.
Wetlands and ecology protection are high on China's agenda as the country has been promoting green development. China is host to 13 of the world's 43 international wetland cities, which are accredited by Ramsar Convention due to good performance in wetlands protection, making it the country with the most such cities. In June, China came up with its first wetland protection law, marking a new stage of law-based wetlands protection in China.
Nanjing has advanced its ecological protection as it is a major part of the Yangtze River. Li said: "Harmony between nature and human beings requires long-term efforts in environmental protection. We will continue to protect and cherish this 'green jewel land' for creatures."
View original content to download multimedia:
SOURCE China Daily | 2023-01-06T15:48:02+00:00 | wlox.com | https://www.wlox.com/prnewswire/2023/01/06/rare-birds-swooping-rest-green-sanctuary/ |
SAN FRANCISCO, July 13, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Hagens Berman urges investors in Hannon Armstrong Sustainable Infrastructure Capital, Inc. (NYSE: HASI) who have suffered significant losses to submit your losses now.
Visit: www.hbsslaw.com/investor-fraud/HASI
Contact An Attorney Now: HASI@hbsslaw.com
844-916-0895
Hannon Armstrong (NYSE:HASI) Investigation:
The investigation focuses on the propriety of Hanon Armstrong's accounting, including its reported earnings and cash flows.
Hanon Armstrong's financial reporting came into question on July 12, 2022, when investment research firm Muddy Waters released a scathing report, accusing the renewable energy REIT, which invests in wind and solar projects, of misleadingly inflating GAAP earnings.
Specifically, Muddy Waters alleges Hanon Armstrong overstates its bottom line three ways: "1) Through a loophole in the arcana of accounting for renewables subsidies, HASI books non-cash unrealizable income relating to third parties' tax credits that will be reversed; 2) HASI produces non-cash income by manipulating the discount rate it applies to residual assets to implausibly low levels, thereby inflating its gains on securitizations; and, 3) HASI books interest income from non-cash 'Paid in Kind' ('PIK') interest payments, which are essentially IOUs from stressed borrowers."
As a result, Muddy Waters contends that Hanon Armstrong's reported GAAP income and operating cash flow is misleadingly high.
On this news, HASI shares declined sharply.
"We're focused on investors' losses and determining whether Hanon Armstrong engaged in accounting misconduct," said Reed Kathrein, the Hagens Berman partner leading the investigation.
If you invested in Hanon Armstrong and have significant losses, or have knowledge that may assist the firm's investigation, click here to discuss your legal rights with Hagens Berman.
Whistleblowers: Persons with non-public information regarding Hanon Armstrong should consider their options to help in the investigation or take advantage of the SEC Whistleblower program. Under the new program, whistleblowers who provide original information may receive rewards totaling up to 30 percent of any successful recovery made by the SEC. For more information, call Reed Kathrein at 844-916-0895 or email HASI@hbsslaw.com.
About Hagens Berman
Hagens Berman is a global plaintiffs' rights complex litigation law firm focusing on corporate accountability through class-action law. The firm is home to a robust securities litigation practice and represents investors as well as whistleblowers, workers, consumers and others in cases achieving real results for those harmed by corporate negligence and fraud. More about the firm and its successes can be found at hbsslaw.com. Follow the firm for updates and news at @ClassActionLaw.
Contact:
Reed Kathrein, 844-916-0895
View original content to download multimedia:
SOURCE Hagens Berman Sobol Shapiro LLP | 2022-07-13T13:50:51+00:00 | kalb.com | https://www.kalb.com/prnewswire/2022/07/13/hagens-berman-national-trial-attorneys-encourages-hannon-armstrong-hasi-investors-with-losses-contact-firms-attorneys-firm-investigating-possible-securities-law-violations/ |
Former director of Bay City’s public safety charged
BAY CITY, Mich. (WNEM) - The former director of the Bay City Department of Public Safety has been charged following a citizen complaint.
Michael Cecchini, 56, was placed on administrative leave after the city received a complaint from a resident about an incident that happened on Sept. 17.
In a video obtained by TV5, Cecchini appears to jab an 18-year-old man with his flashlight. As the video continues, Cecchini admits to hitting the man with his flashlight.
The Michigan Attorney General’s Office alleges Cecchini used his badge, while off-duty and at his personal residence, to confront three teenagers who were riding rented electronic scooters in an apartment parking lot.
“Cecchini threatened the riders with physical violence and arrest before hitting one of the youths in his lower chest area with the butt of the flashlight he was carrying. A verbal altercation between the two continued until police were called to the scene. One of the teens recorded most of the incident on a personal cell phone,” the Attorney General’s Office said.
Shortly after being placed on administrative leave, the city announced Cecchini’s retirement.
On Jan. 23, Attorney General Dana Nessel announced Cecchini has been charged with assault and battery, which is a misdemeanor.
“No one is above the law, and members of law enforcement should not expect special treatment when they abuse their authority,” Nessel said.
Cecchini will be arraigned on Jan. 26.
Copyright 2023 WNEM. All rights reserved. | 2023-01-23T15:01:06+00:00 | wnem.com | https://www.wnem.com/2023/01/23/former-director-bay-citys-public-safety-charged/ |
The Supreme Court ruled Monday that a federal court can't consider new evidence to support arguments in ineffective counsel cases. The evidence must be introduced at the state level.
Copyright 2022 NPR
The Supreme Court ruled Monday that a federal court can't consider new evidence to support arguments in ineffective counsel cases. The evidence must be introduced at the state level.
Copyright 2022 NPR | 2022-05-23T21:41:09+00:00 | mainepublic.org | https://www.mainepublic.org/2022-05-23/supreme-court-rules-in-ineffective-counsel-case |
Continued Partnership with OnePlus Introduces New Super Frame Rate and Picture Quality Engine on Smartphones, Featuring Pixelworks' Low Latency MEMC and Low Power Super-Resolution Technologies
SHANGHAI, Jan. 4, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Pixelworks, Inc. (NASDAQ: PXLW), a leading provider of innovative video and display processing solutions, today announced the newly launched OnePlus 11 flagship smartphone China version incorporates the Pixelworks X7 visual processing chipset and delivers a first of its kind solution, which was jointly developed and tuned by the two brands. By leveraging Pixelworks' core technologies, including the first ultra-low latency MotionEngine®, low power super-resolution and industry leading professional color calibration, the OnePlus 11 smartphone redefines the visual boundary between virtual and real worlds, while also establishing a new level of visual excellence for mobile gaming.
The OnePlus 11 smartphone is one of the first smartphones to utilize the Snapdragon® 8 Gen 2 Mobile Platform from Qualcomm Technologies, Inc. In terms of display, the smartphone sports a 6.7-inch 2K curved display with the real LTPO 3.0 technology and supports refresh rates of up to 120 Hz. In terms of camera, it features a triple-camera setup with a 50MP primary sensor, a 48MP ultra-wide lens, and a 32MP telephoto lens. The smartphone also incorporates a 5000mAh battery and supports 100W fast charging.
Driven by a pioneering commitment to gaming and display performance, OnePlus introduced its long-awaited Super Frame Rate and Picture Quality Engine on the newly released OnePlus 11 smartphone. Following extensive planning and coordination, this new solution provides upgraded and consistently stable high frame rate and superior picture quality across a growing number of games, ushering in a new era of visual excellence for mobile gaming. Through cooperation with gaming engine partners, OnePlus utilizes its exclusive and self-developed HyperBoost gaming engine to help the smartphone's processor better allocate and manage resources needed for the games. Additionally, Pixelworks' professional rendering chipset optimizes the processed gaming data to ensure that game content runs seamlessly on the smartphone at high frame rate and with high resolution.
As a key element of OnePlus' Super Frame Rate and Picture Quality Engine solution, the Pixelworks X7 visual processing chipset contributes further technical integration and visual optimization to the display pipeline. The number of high frame rate games powered by Pixelworks low-latency MEMC technology has now exceeded 100 titles. The technology has also brought comprehensive 120fps smooth gaming experience to consumers and set a new benchmark in the industry. The low power super-resolution technology uses an advanced algorithm to achieve image super-resolution reconstruction, generating high-resolution game graphics with clearer texture and richer details, surpassing the picture quality of the original game content. In addition, the chipset also maintains a consistently high standards in terms of SDR2HDR, color and brightness calibration, bringing users visual enjoyment with authentic picture quality and great eye-comfort. Coupled with the joint tuning efforts of Pixelworks and OnePlus, the OnePlus 11 smartphone succeeds in supporting both high frame rate and high picture quality simultaneously in top games, such as Glory of the King, Game for Peace and Genshin Impact. The resulting end performance overcomes historical systems-level limitations to uniquely deliver the full converged advantages of both 120 fps and a 2K resolution screen.
Specific to the excellent visual display qualities enabled by the Pixelworks X7 visual processor, it provides the OnePlus 11 smartphone with the following advanced capabilities:
Ultra-Low Latency MotionEngine® Technology – Driven by advanced algorithms and innovative architecture, the technology supports ultra-low latency frame interpolation that can boost the frame rate of original content to as high as 120fps while maintaining comparable smoothness of picture quality. Further, the technology ensures minimal latency as low as 10ms, which is well beyond the range of human perception. This function has been optimized for over 100 popular mobile games, including Glory of the King, Game for Peace, League of Legends, Genshin Impact and Sky: Children of Light.
Low Power Super-Resolution – Pixelworks' visual processing technology leverages newly advanced algorithms to improve picture quality by boosting content resolution from low to high resolution, making it possible for smartphones to empower lower picture quality games with excellent visual quality on screens capable of displaying at higher refresh rates. With the boosted resolution, sharper and enhanced outlines of game characters and scenes look more authentic and smoother than the those displayed in native resolution. This mode has now been applied to multiple notable games, such as Genshin Impact, Glory of the King, League of Legends, Cross Fire, QQ Speed, Sky: Children of Light, Game for Peace and Moonlight Blade.
AI Always-On HDR – Converts source SDR (Standard Dynamic Range) content to HDR (High Dynamic Range) content in real-time. This function improves the color saturation and contrast of images, producing a more detailed and vivid display to human eyes. Based on AI display functions, this technology utilizes scene detection to intelligently adjust display parameters according to the scenes of different games to ensure smooth, real-time transitions from SDR to HDR.
Absolute Color Accuracy – Each OnePlus 11 smartphone is factory calibrated with Pixelworks' patented and high-efficiency calibration technology, producing an average Delta E value (an indicator of color accuracy) less than 1, which enables consumers to enjoy real-to-life color for all apps and content covering 100% P3 and sRGB color gamuts. By leveraging the 3D LUT method, Pixelworks visual processing technology conducts advanced color calibration to comprehensibly and precisely manage numerous display attributes, including hue, saturation and brightness, making the color displayed on the screen look as vivid as what human eyes detect in the '3D space'. Additionally, Pixelworks technology compensates for the color saturation to guarantee the consistent and most true-to-life experience for human eyes in different color modes and lighting conditions.
Adaptive Brightness Calibration – Ensures the display's gamma value is always at 2.2 (best standard tested by image and video processing professionals) in different color modes to achieve the most true-to-life experience for human eyes when users view content on a mobile device's screen. Even in low brightness, this Pixelworks solution adapts the gamma curve to compensate for brightness to ensure the consistent color appearance of content displayed on the screen.
"The mobile gaming market is constantly evolving as gamers continue to demand better gaming experiences." said, Li Jie, President of OnePlus China. "It requires rich game content, as well as great visual delights, to create an excellent gaming experience. Visual effects of games rely on the integration of content design, image design, hardware rendering and advanced display panels. In other words, game publishers, game engine developers, smartphone manufacturers, hardware technology providers and other partners in the gaming ecosystem must work together in order to deliver the most realistic and intense visual appeal. As part of establishing an improved collaboration mechanism, we proposed cooperation on the Super Frame Rate and Picture Quality Engine, and we are very pleased to enlist Pixelworks' help in getting the most out of the technology. Working together, we believe we are ushering in a new era of super-high picture quality for mobile games."
"We congratulate the OnePlus team on their release of the OnePlus 11 smartphone!" said Ting Xiong, President of Pixelworks China. "OnePlus' meticulous attention to the user experience and relentless pursuit of innovation are truly impressive. Pixelworks has long been committed to engaging avid gamers in similarly enjoyable visual experiences when playing AAA games on mobile devices instead of on PCs. We believe that OnePlus shares the same goal. With more and more Chinese game publishers seeking to extend their success abroad, games have transcended their role as mere outlets of entertainment. In fact, some outstanding games have gradually started to become cultural icons. As we aim to improve the displaying of game content on mobile devices with superb visual technologies and help bring exceptional games to a wider audience, we also look forward to continued cooperation with OnePlus and other gaming ecosystem partners on innovate technologies and solutions. We're excited to embark on the journey to optimize gaming experiences on mobile devices together."
OnePlus is a pioneering and performance-oriented brand under OPPO. The company brings together a group of engineers who dare to challenge the limits of the industry, pursue cutting-edge technologies, and pay attention to quality details. OnePlus sticks to its "Never Settle" mantra and provides technology enthusiasts with exquisitely designed devices featuring ultimate performance, specially designed texture, and flagship user experience.
Pixelworks provides industry-leading content creation, video delivery and display processing solutions and technology that enable highly authentic viewing experiences with superior visual quality, across all screens – from cinema to smartphone and beyond. The Company has more than 20 years of history delivering image processing innovation to leading providers of consumer electronics, professional displays and video streaming services.
For more information, please visit the company's web site at www.pixelworks.com.
Note: Pixelworks, MotionEngine and the Pixelworks logo are trademarks of Pixelworks, Inc. Qualcomm and Snapdragon are trademarks of Qualcomm Incorporated, registered in the United States and other countries. Qualcomm Snapdragon is a product of Qualcomm Technologies, Inc. and/or its subsidiaries. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.
View original content to download multimedia:
SOURCE Pixelworks, Inc. | 2023-01-04T10:31:49+00:00 | kfyrtv.com | https://www.kfyrtv.com/prnewswire/2023/01/04/pixelworks-powers-oneplus-11-smartphone-redefine-visual-excellence-mobile-gaming/ |
ANDOVER, Vt. (AP) — Volunteers pulled out their snow shovels Wednesday to clear inches of mud after torrential rain and flooding inundated communities across Vermont, trapping people in homes, closing roadways and littering streets and businesses with debris.
The water drained off most streets in the state capital of Montpelier, where the swollen Winooski River flooded basements and ground floors, destroying merchandise and furniture across the picturesque downtown. Other communities cleaned up as well from historic floods that were more destructive than Tropical Storm Irene in many places. Dozens of roads remained closed, and thousands of homes and businesses are damaged.
But with people still being rescued, high water still blocking some roads and new flash flood warnings issued with more rain on the way, the crisis is far from over, according to state Public Safety Commissioner Jennifer Morrison.
“Vermonters, keep your guard up, and do not take chances,” she said.
Morrison said urban search and swift water rescue teams came to the aid of least 32 people and numerous animals Tuesday night in northern Vermont’s Lamoille County, bringing the total to more than 200 rescues since Sunday, and more than 100 evacuations.
Volunteers turned out in droves to help flooded businesses in Montpelier, a city of 8,000, shoveling mud, cleaning, and moving damaged items outside. “We’ve had so much enthusiasm for support for businesses downtown that most of the businesses have had to turn folks away,” said volunteer organizer Peter Walke.
Similar scenes played out in neighboring Barre and in Bridgewater, where the Ottauquechee River spilled its banks, and in Ludlow, where the Black River sent floodwaters surging into several restaurants co-owned by chef Andrew Molen. He said Sam’s Steakhouse is likely closed for good after the water inside reached nearly 7 feet (more than 2 meters) high.
“The only thing that’s probably gonna be salvageable is the silverware, and even then, after being in that muck for so long, you wash everything, do you really want to put that on the table? It’s pretty intense what happened,” Molen said.
Another of his restaurants, Mr. Darcy’s, had a couple feet of water inside, damaging the foundation. But Molen said he hasn’t focused on cleaning up yet, because the first order of business has been making sure local residents and first responders stay fed. His crew has been cooking at one of the restaurants that remains functional and using ATVs through standing water to bring the meals to a local community center.
Gov. Phil Scott toured the disaster areas with Deanne Criswell, administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, whose teams began aerial and on-the-ground damage assessments a day after President Joe Biden declared an emergency and authorized federal disaster relief.
The total cost of the damage could be substantial. According to to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, even before these floods, this year has seen 12 confirmed weather/climate disaster events with losses exceeding $1 billion in the United States.
“I think we all understand we are now living through the worst natural disaster to impact the state of Vermont since (the flood of) 1927,” U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders said. “What we are looking at now are thousands of homes and businesses which have been damaged, sometimes severely. We’re looking at roads and bridges, some of which have been wiped out and will need basic and fundamental repairs.” The 1927 floods killed dozens of people and caused widespread destruction.
Scott said floodwaters surpassed levels seen during Tropical Storm Irene, which killed six people in Vermont in August 2011, washing homes off their foundations and damaging or destroying more than 200 bridges and 500 miles (805 kilometers) of highway.
Atmospheric scientists say destructive flooding events happen more frequently now because clouds carry more water as the atmosphere warms, and the planet’s rising temperatures will only make it worse.
New York ‘s Hudson River Valley also was hit hard, along with towns in southwest New Hampshire and western Massachusetts.
Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey got a bird’s eye view in a helicopter ride to the small town of Williamsburg on Wednesday, where roads were washed out and some people had to be rescued from their homes. Even after two days of receding waters, the Connecticut River retained a muddy brown hue and farmland along the river remains saturated, she said.
Much of that water was carrying debris including entire trees, boulders and even vehicles south through Connecticut to Long Island Sound. Major waterways including the Connecticut River overflowed their banks, and were expected to crest Wednesday at up to 6 feet (2 meters) above flood stage, closing roads and riverside parks in multiple cities.
By mid-day Wednesday, all the rivers in Vermont had crested and water levels were receding, although at least one was 20 feet (6 meters) above normal, said Peter Banacos, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service. Thunderstorms, gusty winds and hail were forecast for Thursday and Friday in Vermont, but Banacos said they’ll blow through quickly enough that more flooding isn’t likely.
One death was blamed on the storm — a woman whose body was found after she was swept away in Fort Montgomery, New York.
About 12 Vermont communities, including the state capital, were under a boil water alert, but at least they were reachable again after being marooned by high water. The American Red Cross of Northern New England supported shelters in Rutland, White River Junction and Barre, where the city auditorium had 58 evacuees Wednesday morning, compared to more than 200 on Tuesday.
Many people were passing through to recharge their phones and get something to eat, said John Montes, regional disaster officer. Red Cross volunteers from across the Northeast were helping with disaster assessment and handing out clean-up kits to homeowners ahead of the next rains.
This flooding was catastrophic for Bear Pond Books, a 50-year-old store in Montpelier, said co-owner Claire Benedict. Water about 3 1/2 feet deep ruined many books and fixtures. Staffers and volunteers piled waterlogged books outside the back and front doors on Wednesday.
“The floor was completely covered with soaked books this morning,” she said as they cleared out the mud. “It’s a big old mess.”
Ludlow Municipal Manager Brendan McNamara said his town also suffered catastrophic damage. The water treatment plant was out of commission, the main supermarket and roadway through town were closed, the Little League field and a new skate park were destroyed and he said he couldn’t begin to estimate how many houses and businesses were damaged.
“We just really took the brunt of the storm,” McNamara said. But he said his town will recover. ”Ludlow will be fine. People are coming together and taking care of each other.”
___
Associated Press contributors include Kathy McCormack in Concord, New Hampshire; Pat Eaton-Robb in Hartford, Connecticut; Michael Hill in Albany, New York; and Mark Pratt, Michael Casey and Steve LeBlanc in Boston. | 2023-07-13T03:15:25+00:00 | valleycentral.com | https://www.valleycentral.com/news/national-news/ap-us-news/ap-vermont-slowly-turns-to-recovery-after-being-hit-by-flood-from-slow-moving-storm/ |
HARDCOVER FICTION
1. “Happy Place” by Emily Henry (Berkley)
2. “Simply Lies” by David Baldacci (Grand Central Publishing)
3. “In the Lives of Puppets” by T.J. Klune (Tor)
4. “Small Mercies” by Dennis Lehane (Harper)
5. “Hello Beautiful” by Ann Napolitano (Dial)
6. “Tomorrow, Tomorrow, and Tomorrow” by Gabrielle Zevin (Knopf)
7. “You Shouldn't Have Come Here” by Jeneva Rose (Blackstone)
8. “It Ends with Us” by Colleen Hoover (Atria)
9. “The Way of the Bear” by Anne Hillerman (Harper)
10. “Hang the Moon” by Jeannette Walls (Scribner)
11. “Dark Angel” by John Sandford (G.P. Putnam’s Sons)
12. “Romantic Comedy” by Curtis Sittenfeld (Random House)
13. “Night Angel Nemesis” by Brent Weeks (Orbit)
14. “Remarkable Bright Creatures” by Shelby Van Pelt (Ecco)
15. “Where Are the Children Now?” by Clark/Burke (Simon & Schuster)
HARDCOVER NONFICTION
1. “The Wager” by David Grann (Doubleday)
2. “Y'all Eat Yet?” by Miranda Lambert (Dey Street)
3. “Letters to Trump” by Donald J. Trump (Winning Team)
4. “Outlive” by Peter Attia (Harmony)
5. “The Light We Carry” by Michelle Obama (Crown)
6. “Comedy Bang! Bang!” by Scott Aukerman (Abrams)
7. “Soul Boom” by Rainn Wilson (Hachette Go)
8. “Collecting Confidence” by Kim Gravel (Thomas Nelson)
9. “Israel” by Tara-Leigh Cobble (Bethany House)
10. “You Can’t Joke About That” by Kat Timpf (Broadside)
11. “The Creative Act” by Rick Rubin (Penguin Press)
12. “Love and Lemons Simple Feel Good Food” by Jeanine Donofrio (Avery)
13. “The Wisdom of the Bullfrog” by William H. McRaven (Grand Central Publishing)
14. “Tasting History” by Max Miller (Simon Element)
15. “I’m Glad My Mom Died” by Jennette McCurdy (Simon & Schuster)
MASS MARKET PAPERBACK
1. “Sparring Partners” by John Grisham (Vintage)
2. “Scent of Truth” by Valerie Hansen (Love Inspired Suspense)
3. “Their Amish Secret” by Patricia Johns (Love Inspired)
4. “Tunnel Creek Ambush” by Kerry Johnson (Love Inspired Suspense)
5. “The Quilter's Scandalous Past” by Patrice Lewis (Love Inspired)
6. “Texas Ranch Target” by Virginia Vaughan (Love Inspired Suspense)
7. “Crime Scene Witness” by Dana R. Lynn (Love Inspired Suspense)
8. “Riding Shotgun” by Barb Han (Harlequin Intrigue)
9. “Cold Case Chase” by Maggie K. Black (Love Inspired Suspense)
10. “Alaskan Wilderness Murder” by Kathleen Tailer (Love Inspired Suspense)
11. “Casing the Copycat” by Nicole Helm (Harlequin Intrigue)
12. “The Rancher's Sanctuary” by Linda Goodnight (Love Inspired)
13. “The Baby Inheritance” by Tina Radcliffe (Love Inspired)
14. “Rising Tiger” by Brad Thor (Pocket)
15. “Wyoming Mountain Hostage” by Juno Rushdan (Harlequin Intrigue)
TRADE PAPERBACKS
1. “The Last Thing He Told Me” by Laura Dave (S&S/Rucci)
2. “It Starts with Us” by Colleen Hoover (Atria)
3. “Never Never” by Hoover/Fisher (Canary Street)
4. “King of Wrath” by Ana Huang (Bloom)
5. “Heart Bones” by Colleen Hoover (Atria)
6. “The Housemaid” by Freida McFadden (Grand Central Publishing)
7. “Icebreaker” by Hannah Grace (Atria)
8. “Twisted Love” by Ana Huang (Bloom)
9. “Things We Hide from the Light” by Lucy Score (Bloom)
10. “Run, Rose, Run” by Patterson/Parton (Grand Central Publishing)
11. “The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue” by V.E. Schwab (Tor)
12. “Crying in H Mart” by Michelle Zauner (Vintage)
13. “The Four Winds” by Kristin Hannah (Griffin)
14. “The Stranger in the Lifeboat” by Mitch Albom (Harper)
15. “The It Girl” by Ruth Ware (Scout) | 2023-05-04T17:36:34+00:00 | lmtonline.com | https://www.lmtonline.com/entertainment/article/us-best-sellers-books-pw-18078947.php |
Star striker Karim Benzema out of World Cup with thigh tear
DOHA, Qatar (AP) — Defending champion France’s World Cup hopes took a huge blow with the news that star striker Karim Benzema is out of the tournament after tearing a muscle in his left thigh during training on Saturday.
“Karim Benzema is out of the World Cup,” the French soccer federation (FFF) said. “After hurting the quadriceps on his left thigh the Real Madrid striker is forced to give up on taking part in the World Cup.”
Benzema was participating in his first full training session with Les Bleus when he had to come off after feeling some pain in his left thigh, the FFF said.
“He went for an MRI scan in a hospital (clinic) in Doha, which unfortunately confirmed a tear,” the FFF said, adding that he will need three weeks to recover.
Benzema addressed his fans after the news emerged.
“I’ve never given up in my life but tonight I have to think of the team, as I have always done,” Benzema posted on his Instagram account. “So reason tells me to give my place to someone who can help our squad have a great World Cup. Thanks for all your messages of support.”
France coach Didier Deschamps said: “I’m very sad for Karim who had made this World Cup a major objective,”
Benzema had hardly played at all in recent weeks and this was his first full training session with Les Bleus.
Since winning the Ballon d’Or last month, Benzema has played fewer than 30 minutes for Madrid, after coming off the bench in a Champions League game.
France faces Australia on Tuesday in Group D, then Denmark four days later and Tunisia on Nov. 30.
It is a crushing blow for Benzema, only the fifth Frenchman to win the Ballon d’Or award and the first since Zinedine Zidane, his idol, in 1998.
The hugely talented Benzema, who is of Algerian descent, came through Lyon’s renowned youth academy and scored the first of his Champions League goals as an audaciously gifted 17-year-old. He’s now fourth all-time with 86.
Benzema was France’s top scorer at the 2014 World Cup but did not play in France’s victorious 2018 World Cup campaign because he was still exiled from the team for his alleged role in a sex-tape scandal with then-France teammate Mathieu Valbuena.
The fallout from the sex-tape scandal led to a dramatic fall from grace for Benzema. He faced a nationwide deluge of vitriol and scathing criticism, including on the political level. It led to a long exclusion from the national team from Oct. 2015 until his recall by Deschamps in May last year.
With his relationship with Deschamps repaired he scored freely for France, with 10 goals in 16 games since coming back to reach 37 overall, and formed a great partnership with Kylian Mbappe.
He won the hearts of French fans and cemented his place in the affections of Madrid’s equally demanding supporters. Benzema won five Champions League titles and has moved up to second place in the famed Spanish giant’s all-time scoring list with 329 goals.
At last year’s European Championship, Benzema looked sharp and was France’s top scorer with four goals.
Earlier this week Benzema gave reassuring news in an extract of an interview with L’Equipe’s television channel, which was set to air on Sunday.
“I’m fine. I had a bit of pain but no tear and no serious injury. I could have played (for Madrid) but I wasn’t at 100%,” he told L’Equipe’s TV channel this week.
Now Benzema joins the list of big names injured shortly before the World Cup — like Bayern Munich’s Sadio Mane and Germany’s Timo Werner. Not to mention Benzema’s own teammates, Paul Pogba, N’Gole Kante and Christopher Nkunku.
Deschamps has seen his squad riddled with injuries.
Nkunku was injured just minutes before the end of the team’s last training session on Tuesday evening and replaced in the squad by Randal Kolo Muani on Wednesday.
Deschamps is already missing midfielders Pogba and Kante, who helped France win the World Cup four years ago.
Deschamps has an anxious wait to see if his best central defender, Raphael Varane, is fit to face Australia — exactly a month since he limped off for Manchester United with a hamstring injury.
Fellow World Cup winner and central defender Presnel Kimpembe pulled out Monday after failing to sufficiently recover from a six-week layoff following a hamstring injury.
Even without Benzema, France still has a strong attack to face Australia. France is likely to start with Olivier Giroud as the central striker, flanked by 2018 World Cup star Mbappe and either Barcelona’s Ousmane Dembele or veteran Antoine Griezmann.
Giroud has scored 49 goals for France, Griezmann has 42 and the 23-year-old Mbappe already has 28. Dembele has been in fine form for Spanish league leader Barcelona this season.
Deschamps has until Monday — the eve of the Australia game — to call up a replacement for Benzema to his 26-player squad. Monaco striker Wissam Ben Yedder, who has three international goals, could be an option.
But Deschamps already has ample forward backup with Bayern Munich winger Kingsley Coman, Marcus Thuram and Kolo Muani.
Benzema would have turned 35 the day after the World Cup final. If France reaches it, he won’t be there to play in Qatar, just like four years ago in Russia.
___
AP World Cup coverage: https://apnews.com/hub/world-cup and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports
Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission. | 2022-11-19T23:48:57+00:00 | kob.com | https://www.kob.com/news/us-and-world-news/star-striker-karim-benzema-out-of-world-cup-with-thigh-tear/ |
BOISE, Idaho (AP) — Religious organizations have long been involved in the debate over Idaho’s strict abortion laws, with Catholic priests, evangelical Christian groups and others frequently lobbying lawmakers and filing legal briefs in support of abortion bans.
Now The Satanic Temple is also weighing in. The Salem, Massachusetts-based group, which doesn’t believe in a literal Satan but describes itself as a ” non-theistic religious organization,” sued Idaho in federal court late last week contending that the state’s abortion bans infringe on the rights of members who may want to practice the temple’s “abortion ritual.”
“Our members hold a sincere religious belief that they can and should have an abortion,” in cases of unwanted pregnancies, W. James Mac Naughton, the attorney representing The Satanic Temple, said in a phone interview Wednesday. The organization filed similar lawsuits in Indiana last month and in Texas last year, and Mac Naughton said he wouldn’t rule out filing additional lawsuits in other states.
Forcing people to abide by one religious belief — that life begins at conception — and denying them the right to practice a different one — that everyone has the right to control their own body — violates religious freedom, he said.
“Abortion is a tricky enough issue as it is, but it just gets all inextricably intertwined with religious beliefs,” Mac Naughton said.
The Satanic Temple, dubbed TST in the lawsuit, is separate from the Church of Satan, which was founded in the 1960s. Founded in 2013, the Satanic Temple advocates for secularism and considers Satan a literary figure who serves as a metaphor for defending personal sovereignty against religious authority.
The Satanic Temple’s religious tenets include beliefs that people should have control over their own bodies, that the freedoms of others should be respected, and that scientific facts shouldn’t be distorted to fit personal beliefs.
The organization also has something it calls a “Satanic abortion ritual,” that includes the process of a person reminding themselves that their body is inviolate, undergoing the abortion and then reciting a personal affirmation.
In the lawsuit, the organization says some of its members in Idaho are “involuntarily pregnant women.” Each woman has a property right to her own uterus, the organization said, and that right — including the ability to remove a “protected unborn child” from the uterus — can’t be legally taken by the state without compensation.
The temple also contends that Idaho subjects involuntarily pregnant women to involuntary servitude by forcing them to provide an embryo or fetus with oxygen, nutrients, antibodies, body heat and other services, during gestation. Finally, the organization claims the state wrongly discriminates against many pregnant people by only allowing abortion for those who were subjected to rape or incest, and not allowing it for people who became pregnant accidentally.
The Idaho Attorney General’s spokesman Scott Graf declined to comment on the lawsuit because the office has a policy against commenting on pending litigation.
At least 21 states including Idaho, Indiana and Florida have enacted laws barring undo government interference in religious freedom, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures.
The laws are not identical, but they frequently state that governments cannot interfere with an individual’s ability to exercise religious freedom without a compelling government interest. When there is a compelling reason, the interference with the person’s religious freedom must be carried out in the least restrictive way.
Spiritual beliefs surrounding abortion and other reproductive health issues are often nuanced, however, even within individual religious groups. The ACLU also sued in Indiana last month, saying the abortion ban violates Jewish theological teachings as well as theology allowing abortions in some circumstances by Islamic, Episcopal, Unitarian Universalist and Pagan faiths.
In June, a synagogue sued over Florida’s law banning many abortions after 15 weeks’ gestation, saying the law prohibits Jewish women from practicing their faith free of government intrusion. | 2022-10-06T20:15:14+00:00 | wdtn.com | https://www.wdtn.com/news/u-s-world/ap-us-news/ap-the-satanic-temple-takes-aim-at-idaho-indiana-abortion-bans/ |
Caught on camera: K9 chases a suspect after high-speed chase and crash
By Lacey Beasley
Click here for updates on this story
FOLEY, Alabama (WALA) — Exclusive video showed one of several suspected shoplifters being taken into custody Friday following a high-speed chase and crash on the Baldwin Beach Express.
Foley Police said five to six people made a run for it after their car wrecked near U.S. 90, and it was captured on surveillance video.
Video showed a woman running behind a building and scrambling to jump the fence. She barely made it over, and a K-9 was hot on her trail. The officer threw it over the fence, and in the next frame, she laid on the ground and surrendered to police.
Another officer took her in cuffs, lifted her up, and stuck her in the back of a cruiser.
According to Foley police, she is one of at least five suspects.
This is what happened leading up to this at Baldwin Beach Express and U.S. 90.
Police said a pursuit ended with the suspects’ car crashing, and witnesses said an innocent driver was also hit.
Neighbors saw some of the suspects jump out and run.
Captured on surveillance is the same woman with the long, blue braid bolting, and a different frame showed a person and what appears to be a child running behind a camper.
The owner of that camper said they tried to break-in.
“They were hiding on the backside of the camper,” said Shasta Ellison. “I have two doors, so on the back door to my bedroom, the door was pulled, and as far as it was pulled out, you could tell they were trying to get in it.”
Fortunately, Ellison was not home when everything unfolded, and nothing was stolen or damaged.
Foley police tell FOX10 News they will release more information Saturday.
Please note: This content carries a strict local market embargo. If you share the same market as the contributor of this article, you may not use it on any platform. | 2022-12-24T22:35:42+00:00 | localnews8.com | https://localnews8.com/cnn-regional/2022/12/24/caught-on-camera-k9-chases-a-suspect-after-high-speed-chase-and-crash/ |
With the regular season coming to a close Sunday, the Ravens know they’ll face the Cincinnati Bengals in the AFC’s wild-card round next weekend. They also know who they’ll play in 2023.
In addition to their six games against the AFC North — three at home and three away against the Pittsburgh Steelers, Cleveland Browns and Cincinnati Bengals — the Ravens will face the AFC South, NFC West and the runners-up in the AFC East and NFC North.
Under the NFL’s scheduling rotation, the Ravens will host the Houston Texans, Indianapolis Colts, Los Angeles Rams, Seattle Seahawks, Miami Dolphins and Detroit Lions. They’ll play road games against the Arizona Cardinals, Jacksonville Jaguars, San Francisco 49ers, Tennessee Titans and Los Angeles Chargers.
The Lions finished in second place in the NFC North thanks to their 20-16 upset win over the Packers on “Sunday Night Football,” while the Dolphins finished second behind the Buffalo Bills in AFC East after beating the New York Jets on Sunday to earn their first postseason berth since 2016.
Next season will mark the first time the Ravens will play at San Francisco since a 2015 meeting that served as a rematch of Baltimore’s victory in Super Bowl XLVII. The Ravens will also make their first trip to Los Angeles’ SoFi Stadium, the site of last year’s Super Bowl and Monday night’s College Football Playoff national championship, for a game against the Chargers.
With the Texans coming to M&T Bank Stadium, the Ravens are also expected to host one of the league’s highest drafted rookies. Although Houston lost out on the top overall pick to the Chicago Bears with a victory over the Colts on Sunday, the franchise is expected to pick a quarterback — perhaps Alabama’s Bryce Young, Ohio State’s C.J. Stroud or Kentucky’s Will Levis — with the No. 2 selection.
Home: Bengals, Browns, Steelers, Texans, Colts, Rams, Seahawks, Dolphins, Lions
Away: Bengals, Browns, Steelers, Cardinals, 49ers, Jaguars, Titans, Chargers
()
Join the Conversation
We invite you to use our commenting platform to engage in insightful conversations about issues in our community. We reserve the right at all times to remove any information or materials that are unlawful, threatening, abusive, libelous, defamatory, obscene, vulgar, pornographic, profane, indecent or otherwise objectionable to us, and to disclose any information necessary to satisfy the law, regulation, or government request. We might permanently block any user who abuses these conditions. | 2023-01-09T04:53:23+00:00 | bostonherald.com | https://www.bostonherald.com/2023/01/08/ravens-2023-schedule-home-games-vs-dolphins-lions-road-games-vs-49ers-chargers-highlight-slate/ |
VENTURA COUNTY, Calif. (KTLA) — Six people are in custody and a seventh is being sought by authorities after California Fish and Wildlife game wardens busted an alleged poaching ring that spanned several years and involved the cooperation of a local grocery market.
They’re called the E-Bike Crew, a group of six men who are believed responsible for dozens of illegal kills of local wildlife.
On Monday, Ventura County District Attorney Erik Nasarenko announced that 21 charges have been filed against the men, including allegations of forgery, conspiracy, receiving of stolen property, animal cruelty and possession of an untagged bear.
The investigation into the illegal poaching activities spanned more than a year.
The men involved, identified in public records as Martin M. Bravo, Martin Bravo Sr., Jaime Mendoza Avila, Walfre Lopez y Lopez, Gilberto Lopez Hernandez and Cristian Lopez Perez, are accused of working in concert together to fraudulently obtain California hunting tags, licenses and other entitlements.
The group allegedly worked with the cooperation of Juventino Reyes Guerrero, the operator of a Fish and Wildlife licensing desk located within Lizette’s Market in Piru.
From June 2019 to October 2021, the men allegedly falsified and reprinted hunting tags to allow them to skirt California hunting regulations and harvest more animals than legally allowed. Their motivation, court documents allege, was profit, personal gain and, simply, entertainment.
California has restrictions on the number of animals that can be taken throughout the year. The restrictions exist to protect California’s wildlife species and prevent over-hunting, which can cause devastating results for the local ecosystem.
For example, California law prohibits more than two deer hunting tags to be issued per year.
While printing legal tags for the group, Reyes Guerrero reportedly regularly re-printed tickets, blaming it on poor print quality. In reality, game wardens allege, Guerrero was giving the men involved in the poaching group additional tags.
Each reprinted ticket is tracked through the state’s Automated License Data System. During the time that the alleged crimes took place, no licensed dealer in the state of California had more reprinted tickets than Lizette’s Market, authorities said.
A warden began taking notice of the scheme after coming across the group while on patrol in the Los Padres National Forest in northern Ventura County. The men were riding electric bicycles with their firearms on their person. One of the men received a warning for riding with a live round in the chamber of his gun.
One of the men, who documents identify as Mendoza Avila, spontaneously told the warden that they were part of the “E-Bike Crew from Oxnard.”
They group would ride their bikes across Ventura County and parts of Santa Barbara County, hunting animals and then using their e-bikes and trailers to transport them from where they fell.
Over the next year, that warden would receive several complaints and tips alleging that the same E-Bike Crew was responsible for multiple illegal kills, including some that took place in local wildlife sanctuaries and on a restricted oil field.
On one occasion, a Fish and Wildlife officer contacted several members of the group and found that some of their tags were only partially filled out. State law requires that these tags be filled out completely to prevent the same tag being used for multiple kills. It was just one of the examples of the group playing coy with their hunting tags, authorities allege.
The group was coordinated, wore camouflage and communicated via radio.
But the alleged poachers were not coordinated enough to avoid detection. They were spotted numerous times on camera as they hunted illegally in the Sespe Condor Sanctuary, which is closed off to the public because it’s a nesting ground for the endangered California Condor.
Investigators were able to get a clear idea of all the men involved in the poaching activity and later identified the source of their hunting tags as Lizette’s Market.
Additional tags were also found to have been printed and reprinted at a Walmart in Oxnard.
In total, 64 tags were found to have been reprinted and more than 120 tags were never reported.
Reyes Guerrero, who operates Lizette’s Market, is accused of printing and reprinting the tags under his stepdaughter’s name. When contacted, the stepdaughter told investigators she had no idea about the operation.
It was later found that the poaching group and their associates accounted for 100% of all reprints at Lizette’s Market, Fish and Wildlife said.
On Dec. 8, 2021, search warrants were issued at locations across Ventura County that were associated with members of the E-Bike Crew.
During the search, officials recovered dozens of trophies, antlers and animal skulls that were believed to have been harvested illegally. Among them was a skull of a mountain lion, whom Martin M. Bravo allegedly tried to pass off as a bobcat skull. Hunting mountain lions is strictly prohibited in California.
At Bravo’s home, they also recovered metal slashing weapons that can be affixed to the feet of chickens, which are often associated with cock fighting, another illegal activity in California.
Bravo also allegedly admitted to killing a bear that was in the process of being taxidermized. The bear was never reported.
Freezers that were searched were also found to be filled with various animal meats, including both deer and bear — the bulk of which was believed to be obtained illegally.
Lizette’s Market was also among the locations searched. Physical and electronic evidence of the reprinting scheme was obtained during that search, officials said.
During interviews with the accused members of the E-Bike crew, many of the participants admitted to killing more than the legally allowed number of animals, improperly using the hunting tags and discussing how to get reprinted tags. Several of them also admitted to exchanging and bartering illegally obtained animal parts and meat.
The owners of Lizette’s Market denied knowingly participating in the scheme, court documents state.
Review of text message and WhatsApp conversations also shed light on the process and revealed many of those involved in the scheme discussed the illegal activity openly with one another.
In the summary findings of the investigation, Fish and Wildlife officials say the group was responsible for an undetermined number of illegal kills over the years, including dozens of deer and several bears, and either simply didn’t report the kills or used fraudulent tags in an attempt to cover their tracks.
“With the reprint scheme enacted, the Wildlife Trafficking Organization (WTO) was allowed to go into the surrounding wilderness areas in and around Ventura County and provided the means to illegally kill any game animal at any given time with a safeguard in place in the event the group was confronted by law enforcement. The execution of this scheme has resulted in a significant loss to wildlife resources within the county, the deprivation of lawful hunting opportunity for law abiding citizens, and the illegal commercialization of native wildlife for personal gain or profit,” the arrest warrant states.
Martin M. Bravo and his father, Martin Bravo Sr., Jaime Mendoza Avila, Gilberto Lopez Hernandez, Cristian Lopez Perez and Juventino Reyes Guerrero were arraigned on Monday and remain in custody with bail set at $200,000. Walfre Lopez y Lopez has not yet been located and has an active arrest warrant.
The men are due back in court on Wednesday in Ventura County Superior Court. | 2022-12-09T06:02:55+00:00 | wate.com | https://www.wate.com/news/nexstar-media-wire/major-animal-poaching-ring-busted-by-ca-fish-and-wildlife/ |
(Our Auto Expert) – Hyundai unveiled its latest electric vehicle model, the Ioniq 6, as the second addition to its Ioniq line-up dedicated to battery EVs.
Let’s start with what powers. The Ioniq 6 is powered by Hyundai’s cutting-edge Electric-Global Modular Platform technology, which provides an eco-friendly driving experience. But it’s not all about the tech – this sedan also looks amazing. With unique exterior design themes called “Ethical Uniqueness,” the Ioniq 6 will certainly make a statement on the road.
One of the most impressive things about the Ioniq 6 is its driving range. Thanks to its aerodynamic design and 77.4-kWh battery pack (there’s also a smaller 53.0-kWh option), the Ioniq 6 can travel up to 361 miles on a single charge. That’s more than enough for a long road trip without worrying about running out of power.
The Ioniq 6 sedan has Hyundai’s lowest drag coefficient of 0.21, catapulting to a clear advantage of being energy efficient and allowing for an increased driving range.
This shares a platform with the Ioniq 5, with single- and dual-motor configurations and two battery-pack options. Customers can select from two motor layouts, one with rear-wheel drive and one with all-wheel drive.
Inside the Ioniq 6 is a practical personal space called the ‘Mindful Cocoon,’ which raises the bar of comfort and usability thanks to advanced features and forward-thinking stylistic solutions. The cabin shows a modern aesthetic with lounge-like comfort, really focusing on spaciousness and a quiet ride. It offers space for five across two rows of seating and features a quiet cabin, with several layers of sound-deadening material sandwiched between the floor and the carpeting. Both a 12.3-inch digital gauge cluster and a 12.3-inch infotainment screen are offered, using the same software as other Hyundai models that incorporate Blue Link for connectivity and link with smartphones using either Apple CarPlay or Android Auto.
Hyundai is attempting to compete with the Tesla Model 3 with its latest EV model, offering a more luxurious interior than the Model 3 and featuring more onboard technology than Hyundai’s gas-powered Sonata and Elantra sedans. Hyundai’s Prophecy concept inspires the Ioniq 6’s styling, and the EV model is as quick as it is futuristic and stylish. With its low center of gravity, the Ioniq 6 gives a planted feel in corners. Steering-wheel paddles allow the driver to select different modes of regenerative braking on the fly.
Hyundai is taking the fight to its competition with the Ioniq 6. This electric sedan is perfect for those looking for style, comfort, and power in their eco-friendly vehicle. Social media users who follow automotive trends can expect more updates on this exciting new model.
With its sleek design and powerful performance, the Ioniq 6 will surely become a fan favorite in the electric vehicle market. Be sure to watch for it at your local Hyundai dealership. | 2023-04-24T16:39:27+00:00 | wearegreenbay.com | https://www.wearegreenbay.com/automotive/hyundai-takes-aim-at-tesla-and-vw-with-the-new-ioniq-6/ |
‘Jackass’ star Bam Margera charged with punching brother
WEST CHESTER, Pa. (AP) — “Jackass” star Bam Margera punched his brother in the face during an altercation at their home in the Philadelphia suburbs, then took off on foot, Pennsylvania State Police said Monday in announcing criminal charges.
An arrest warrant was issued for Margera, 43, and police said they were looking for him.
State police said they were called to the Chester County home in response to a reported domestic disturbance shortly before 11 a.m. Sunday. Margera’s brother, Jesse Margera, told police that Bam Margera had pounded on and kicked his locked bedroom door that morning, and punched him in the eye, nose and ear during a later confrontation in the kitchen, according to court documents.
Jesse Margera said he’d also found a threatening handwritten note signed “Bam,” a police affidavit said.
Margera, who also starred in the MTV reality series “Viva La Bam,” fled the property on foot through dense woods before troopers got there, the affidavit said.
Bam Margera is charged with simple assault, harassment, and four counts of terroristic threats. Court documents did not list an attorney for Margera.
Copyright 2023 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. | 2023-04-24T20:47:13+00:00 | wafb.com | https://www.wafb.com/2023/04/24/jackass-star-bam-margera-charged-with-punching-brother/ |
HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) — Connecticut has paused granting prison commutations in the wake of an uproar over a drastic rise in the number of inmates having their sentences reduced, the governor announced Thursday.
Conservative lawmakers and victims’ rights advocates had called for the suspension of commutations and a review of the state’s Board of Pardons and Paroles policies after it was revealed that 71 commutations were granted in 2022. Just three were approved between 2017 and 2021.
Those getting sentence reductions included 44 convicted murders, who had an average of 15 years shaved off their sentences, according to lawmakers.
Gov. Ned Lamont, a Democrat, last week replaced the chairman of the parole board and on Wednesday met with leaders of the Legislature’s Judiciary Committee to discuss how the commutations were being handled.
“During the meeting, the leadership of the board informed participants that it has paused the commutation process pending an expeditious review of its policies and processes,” he said in a statement.
Republicans applauded the decision.
“We continue to push for an open and transparent process where every victim, lawmaker, prosecutor and defense attorney has input on how this commutations policy should be revised,” said state Sen. Heather Somers, of Groton. “ We need to decide collectively what that policy is — what is fair, what is just, and what is right.”
Richard Sparaco, the board’s executive director, said the board would review aspects of its policy that drew criticism, including protocols for notifying victims and a rule allowing people denied commutation to reapply after three years, according to Hearst Connecticut Media.
A statement on the board’s website said it would resume accepting commutation applications “within the next few months.” | 2023-04-20T22:49:35+00:00 | seattletimes.com | https://www.seattletimes.com/nation-world/nation/connecticut-pauses-prison-commutations-amid-uproar/?utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=Referral&utm_campaign=RSS_nation-world |
WASHINGTON – As the National Archives became aware of classified documents in President Joe Biden's old office in Washington, Archives officials also took custody of papers that had been shipped to a law office in Boston by the president's personal attorney, according to emails released Friday.
No classified documents were believed to be in the Boston documents. But the emails show Archives officials were concerned enough to take them into their possession.
“Pat, we would like to pick up the boxes that are in your Boston office and move them to the JFK Library. Would it be possible to do that tomorrow?” Archives General Counsel Gary Stern wrote to Pat Moore, one of Biden’s lawyers handling the preservation of the documents, in a Nov. 8, 2022, email.
That note was among a series of emails released under a Freedom of Information request from The Associated Press and more than two dozen other entities. The notes do not go into detail on why the Archives would have sought the material that was sent to Boston. But a person familiar with the matter said Moore had been packing up papers at the Penn Biden Center, a Washington think tank where Biden had an office, that could be of use for a potential future presidential library, mostly personal details about Biden's family.
Moore had sent the boxes to Boston, where his law offices were located, and as he continued to sort through other boxes at the Washington-based think tank he came across a classified document, said the person, who had knowledge of the investigation but was not authorized to speak publicly and spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity.
Since the November discovery, Biden's attorneys have uncovered other documents and so has the FBI, which searched his Wilmington and Rehoboth Beach, Delaware, homes as well as the Penn Biden Center, the think tank affiliated with the University of Pennsylvania. Biden has turned over records voluntarily and agreed to the searches.
Discovery of the classified documents touched off a special counsel probe by the Justice Department.
In a Nov. 7, 2022, email, Stern advised Moore to “ensure that the boxes in your office in Boston remain secure in a locked space and are not accessed by anyone.” But no classified records appear to have been discovered in the boxes, according to the person.
The White House Counsel’s Office had no comment on the material in Boston. Biden's personal lawyers didn't respond to a request for comment.
The dozens of pages of emails between the National Archives and Biden’s lawyers released on Friday were mostly on arranging logistics for Archives staff to take custody of material from the Penn Biden Center.
After the news first surfaced about Biden documents, former Vice President Mike Pence said he also had found classified information at his home, and the FBI on Friday discovered an additional document with classified markings after he allowed them to search his home in Indiana. Archives officials have asked administrations going back to the Reagan presidency to comb through their records to make sure there are no more classified records or other items that should belong with the Archives.
Occasionally, former officials from various levels of government discover they are in possession of classified materials and turn them over to the authorities at least several times a year, the AP has reported. It’s been a problem off and on for decades, from presidents to Cabinet members and staff across multiple administrations stretching as far back as Jimmy Carter.
But the issue has taken on greater significance since former President Donald Trump insistently retained classified material at his Florida estate, prompting the unprecedented FBI seizure of thousands of pages of records last year.
Biden has said he was surprised by the presence of classified documents. He said the items were “to the best of my knowledge … from 1974, stray papers.”
“There may be something else. I don’t know,” Biden told PBS NewsHour’s Judy Woodruff earlier in the week. | 2023-02-11T16:37:57+00:00 | local10.com | https://www.local10.com/news/politics/2023/02/10/archives-wanted-boston-biden-docs-not-believed-classified/ |
WASHINGTON, Aug. 12, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards, Inc. (CFP Board) announced that it has imposed an interim suspension of the CFP® certification against Vincent J. Camarda, which is effective as of August 5, 2022.
On July 11, 2022, CFP Board filed a Motion for Interim Suspension Order pursuant to Article 2.1.a.1 of CFP Board's Procedural Rules requesting the Disciplinary and Ethics Commission (DEC) issue an Interim Suspension Order against Mr. Camarda. On June 9, 2022, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) filed a Complaint against Mr. Camarda and two co-defendants in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York (Case No. 2:22-cv-03421) concerning a securities offering that raised more than $75,000,000 from more than 200 investors. The SEC's Complaint alleges that Mr. Camarda recommended and sold the securities of an issuer without disclosing to the investors the fact that he and his company were in debt to that issuer and thus had a conflict of interest. The SEC alleges that this operated as a fraud on those investors, in violation of Sections 206(1) and (2) of the Investment Advisers Act of 1940. In addition, the SEC alleges that Mr. Camarda violated the registration provisions of the federal securities laws and sold the securities without proper registration. Press reports described the SEC's suit against Mr. Camarda and his co-defendants. A Hearing Panel of the DEC reviewed the matter on August 4, 2022, and then granted the Motion and issued the Interim Suspension Order on August 5, 2022, after determining that CFP Board Counsel demonstrated by a preponderance of the evidence that Mr. Camarda's conduct poses a significant threat to the public or significantly impinges upon the reputation of the profession or the CFP® certification marks. Under the Interim Suspension Order, the right of Mr. Camarda to use the CFP® marks is suspended pending CFP Board's completed investigation and possible further disciplinary proceedings.
An interim suspension is a suspension of a CFP® professional's certification and trademark license during the pendency of proceedings. A Respondent subject to an Interim Suspension Order must not use the CFP® certification marks or state or suggest that Respondent is a CFP® professional while the Interim Suspension Order is in effect. An Interim Suspension Order is a temporary sanction and does not preclude CFP Board from imposing a final sanction. An Interim Suspension Order will remain in place until the DEC or, if an appeal is filed, CFP Board's Appeals Commission, issues a final order. CFP Board Counsel may vacate an Interim Suspension Order if a criminal conviction, civil liability or professional discipline is vacated or reversed or if Respondent provides sufficient evidence indicating that Respondent was not the subject of a criminal conviction, civil liability or professional discipline. A Hearing Panel of the DEC may issue an Order to vacate an Interim Suspension Order upon a successful Petition to Vacate an Interim Suspension Order by Respondent.
The basis for this decision also may be found on CFP Board's website at CFP.net/verify. At that website, CFP Board provides the public with:
- The ability to check on any individual's CFP Board disciplinary history and CFP® certification status.
- Links to other sources of information about CFP® professionals that may be more recent or that may contain information that has not led to CFP Board discipline and does not appear on CFP Board's website. This information may include customer disputes, disciplinary actions taken by a regulator or employer, certain criminal matters and certain financial matters (such as bankruptcy proceedings and unpaid judgments or liens).
- Links to the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority Inc.'s (FINRA's) BrokerCheck and the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission's (SEC's) Investment Adviser Public Disclosure databases for individuals who are subject to FINRA or SEC oversight.
CFP Board's Enforcement Process
As part of their certification, CFP® professionals make a commitment to CFP Board to abide by CFP Board's Code of Ethics and Standards of Conduct (Code and Standards) or its predecessor, the Standards of Professional Conduct (Standards), which included the Code of Ethics and Professional Responsibility, Rules of Conduct and Financial Planning Practice Standards. CFP Board's Procedural Rules set forth the process for investigating matters and imposing sanctions where violations have been found.
CFP Board enforces its ethical standards by investigating alleged violations and, where there is probable cause to believe there are grounds for sanction, presents a Complaint containing the alleged violations to CFP Board's DEC. The DEC meets at least six times a year to review any matter in which CFP Board has alleged that a CFP® professional has violated the Code and Standards or its predecessor Standards. The DEC functions in accordance with the Procedural Rules and reviews all matters on a case-by-case basis, considering the details specific to an individual case. If the DEC determines there are grounds for sanction, then it may impose a sanction. DEC orders may be appealed by a CFP® professional or CFP Board pursuant to the Procedural Rules.
In certain circumstances, such as when a CFP® professional is in default due to failure to acknowledge receipt of a Notice of Investigation or file an Answer, CFP Board staff must deliver an Administrative Order of Suspension, Temporary Bar, Revocation or Permanent Bar. Administrative Orders also are subject to appeal.
More information on CFP Board's enforcement process can be found at CFP.net/ethics/enforcement.
ABOUT CFP BOARD
Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards, Inc. is the professional body for personal financial planners in the U.S. CFP Board sets standards for financial planning and administers the prestigious CFP® certification – one of the most respected certifications in financial services – so that the public has access to and benefits from competent and ethical financial planning. CFP Board, along with its Center for Financial Planning, is committed to increasing the public's awareness of CFP® certification and access to a diverse, ethical and competent financial planning workforce. Widely recognized by the public, advisors and firms as the standard for financial planning, CFP® certification is held by nearly 93,000 people in the United States.
View original content to download multimedia:
SOURCE Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards, Inc. | 2022-08-12T14:39:02+00:00 | kcbd.com | https://www.kcbd.com/prnewswire/2022/08/12/cfp-board-imposes-interim-suspension-vincent-j-camarda-amityville-new-york/ |
BIDDEFORD, Maine — The Biddeford Police Department is searching for a missing Biddeford juvenile last seen Sunday evening, as stated in a news release.
Jacoby M. Muise, 14, is reportedly 5'11" and 145 pounds with brown hair and blue eyes.
Authorities say Muise may be wearing black sweat pants, a blue Champion sweatshirt, and white sneakers. Muise reportedly has a blue and white tie-dyed Boston Red Sox baseball cap with him.
Muise has ties to the Bridgeton area, the news release states.
Police ask those who may have any information regarding Muise's location to please contact the Biddeford Police Department at 207-282-5127. | 2022-06-22T01:54:21+00:00 | newscentermaine.com | https://www.newscentermaine.com/article/news/local/police-search-for-missing-biddeford-teen-maine/97-83c0f512-ba33-4f2a-98f6-aa144b379bdb |
Starbucks announces plans to speed up service
Published: Sep. 15, 2022 at 10:07 AM CDT|Updated: 30 minutes ago
(CNN) - Your Starbucks order is going to get a lot quicker.
Starbucks told investors Tuesday it’s taking big steps to upgrade and speed up service, including new systems and machines.
For example, baristas will be able to make a Frappucino in just 36 seconds, down from 87 seconds.
Starbucks also says it is going to offer new incentives for non-union employees, including student loan support, savings accounts and more sick time.
The company also plans to open 2,000 new stores by 2025 with a focus on drive-thrus and delivery-only locations.
Copyright 2022 CNN Newsource. All rights reserved. | 2022-09-15T15:38:12+00:00 | ksla.com | https://www.ksla.com/2022/09/15/starbucks-announces-plans-speed-up-service/ |
KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Pressure on Russian President Vladimir Putin mounted on the battlefield and in the halls of global power as Ukrainian troops pushed their counteroffensive Saturday to advance farther into Ukraine’s partly recaptured northeast.
At a high-level summit in Uzbekistan, Putin vowed to press his attack on Ukraine despite recent military setbacks but also faced concerns by India and China over the drawn-out conflict.
“I know that today’s era is not of war,” Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi told the Russian leader in televised comments as the two met Friday in Uzbekistan.
“Today the biggest concerns facing the world and especially the developing countries are the problems of food security, fuel security, fertilizers; and we must find some way out and you too must contribute to that,” Modi stressed.
At the same summit a day earlier, Putin acknowledged China’s unspecified “questions and concerns” about the war in Ukraine while also thanking Chinese President Xi Jinping for his government’s “balanced position” on the conflict.
The hurried retreat of Russian troops this month from parts of a northeast region they occupied early in the war, together with the rare public reservations expressed by key allies, underscored the challenges that Putin faces on all fronts. Both China and India have maintained strong ties with Russia and had sought to remain neutral on Ukraine.
Xi, in a statement, expressed support for Russia’s “core interests” but also wanted to work together to “inject stability” into world affairs. Modi said he wanted to discuss “how we can move forward on the path of peace.”
On the battlefield, Western defense officials and analysts said Saturday that Russian forces were apparently setting up a new defensive line in Ukraine’s northeast after Kyiv’s troops broke through the previous one.
The British Defense Ministry said the new front line likely is between the Oskil River and Svatove, 150 kilometers (90 miles) southeast of Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second-largest city.
The new line emerged after the Ukrainian counteroffensive punched a hole through the war’s previous front line, allowing Kyiv’s soldiers to recapture large swaths of land in the northeastern Kharkiv region that borders Russia.
After the Russian troops retreated from the city of Izium, Ukrainian authorities discovered a mass grave site, one of the largest so far discovered. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says more than 440 graves have been found at the site but that the number of victims is not yet known.
Zelenskyy said the graves contained the bodies of hundreds of civilian adults and children, as well as soldiers, and some had been tortured, shot or killed by artillery shelling. He cited evidence of atrocities, such as a body with a rope around its neck and broken arms.
Ukrainian forces, in the meantime, are crossing the Oskil River in the Kharkiv region and have place artillery there, the Washington-based Institute for the Study of War said Saturday. The river, which flows south from Russia into Ukraine, had been a natural break in the newly emerged front lines since Ukraine launched its counteroffensive about a week ago.
“Russian forces are likely too weak to prevent further Ukrainian advances along the entire Oskil River,” the institute said.
Videos circulating online Saturday indicated that Ukrainian forces were continuing to retake land from Russian forces in the country’s embattled east, although their veracity could not be independently verified.
One video showed a Ukrainian soldier walking past a damaged building then pointing at a colleague hanging the blue-and-yellow Ukrainian flag over a mobile phone tower. The soldier identified the seized village as Dibrova, just northeast of the city of Sloviansk in Ukraine’s Donetsk region.
Another video showed two Ukrainian soldiers in what appeared to be a bell tower, with one saying they had retaken the village of Shchurove, just northeast of Sloviansk.
The Ukrainian military and the Russians did not immediately comment on the two villages.
Elsewhere in Ukraine, Russian forces kept pounding cities and villages with deadly missile strikes and shelling.
A Russian missile attack early Saturday started a fire in Kharkiv’s industrial area, said Oleh Syniehubov, the regional governor. Firefighters extinguished the blaze.
Syniehubov said remnants suggested the Russians fired S-300 surface-to-air missiles at the city. The S-300 is designed for striking missiles or aircraft in the sky, not targets on the ground. Analysts say Russia’s use of the missiles suggest they may be running out of some precision munitions.
Shelling of the nearby city of Chuhuiv later Saturday killed an 11-year-old girl, Syniehubov reported.
In the southern Zaporizhzhia region, a large part of which is occupied by the Russians, one person was wounded after the Russian forces shelled the city of Orikhiv, the region’s Ukrainian governor Oleksandr Starukh reported on Telegram. He said Russian troops also shelled two villages in the region, destroying several civilian facilities.
Explosions were also reported Saturday in Russian-occupied parts of Zaporizhzhia. Russian-installed official Vladimir Rogov said on Telegram that at least five blasts were heard in the city of Melitopol. The city’s Ukrainian mayor, Ivan Fedorov, said the explosions took place in a village south of the city, where the Russian troops had relocated some military equipment.
Ukraine’s central Dnipropetrovsk region also came under Russian fire overnight, according to its governor, Valentyn Reznichenko. “The enemy attacked six times and launched more than 90 deadly projectiles on peaceful cities and villages,” he said.
Meanwhile, Ukraine’s atomic energy operator, Energoatom, said a convoy of 25 trucks has brought diesel fuel and other critical supplies to the endangered Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant — Europe’s largest, which was shut down a week ago amid fears that fighting near it could result in a radiation disaster.
The trucks were allowed through Russian checkpoints on Friday to deliver spare parts for repairs of damaged power lines, chemicals for the operation of the plant and additional fuel for backup diesel generators, Energoatom said.
The six-reactor plant was captured by Russian forces in March but is still operated by Ukrainian engineers. Its last reactor was switched off Sunday after repeated power failures due to shelling put crucial safety systems at risk.
The International Atomic Energy Agency reported Saturday that one of the nuclear plant’s four main external power lines had now been repaired. The plant had been relying on three back-up power lines, and before that on power generated by one of its own reactors, which has since been shut down.
The Russian military on Saturday accused Ukraine of renewed artillery shelling of the power plant. Ukrainian authorities did not immediately address the claim.
In Russia, one person was killed and two others wounded Saturday by Ukrainian shelling, according to Vyacheslav Gladkov, governor of the Russian border region of Belgorod. The claim could not be verified.
___
Karl Ritter in Kyiv contributed to this report.
___
Follow AP war coverage at https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine | 2022-09-17T16:33:06+00:00 | wdtn.com | https://www.wdtn.com/news/ap-top-headlines/ap-pressure-on-russian-forces-mounts-after-ukraines-advances/ |
Mercury has developed an online quiz to help drivers determine if they are ready for the summer travel season
LOS ANGELES, June 27, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Mercury Insurance (NYSE: MCY) announces the release of its new interactive online quiz that helps drivers prepare their vehicles for a safe summer road trip season. This quiz is designed to test drivers' knowledge of vehicle safety and maintenance, along with tips that will help them ensure their vehicle is in good working condition before heading out on the open road.
"Road trips are a popular summer tradition for many, but it's important to make sure your vehicle is ready for a safe and enjoyable journey," said Kevin Quinn, Vice President of Auto Claims at Mercury Insurance. "We encourage all drivers to take preventive maintenance measures during the planning stage of their vacation so that their vehicle is prepared for the journey."
The online quiz covers a range of topics, including how to prepare your home and vehicle as well as tips on how to handle common road emergencies.
Quinn also offers the following recommendations to consumers preparing for an upcoming road trip:
- Secure your home. Before driving off, make sure to lock all doors and windows and activate your alarm system.
- Prep your vehicle. Check your brakes for damage or wear. Monitor your oil level and keep track of how many miles you've driven since your last oil change. Keep in mind that older vehicles may need more frequent oil changes.
- Plan ahead if traveling in an EV. Make sure your vehicle is fully charged before departing and map out charging stations along your desired route.
- Stock an auto emergency kit. Your kit should include:
Test your knowledge and see if your vehicle is prepared for the summer. Visit http://mcy.news/quiz-announcement.
About Mercury Insurance
Mercury Insurance (NYSE: MCY) is a multiple-line insurance carrier predominantly offering personal auto, homeowners, renters and commercial insurance through a network of independent agents in Arizona, California, Georgia, Illinois, Nevada, New Jersey, New York, Oklahoma, Texas and Virginia, as well as auto insurance in Florida. Mercury writes other lines of insurance in various states, including commercial, business owners and business auto, landlord, home-sharing, ride-hailing and mechanical protection insurance.
Since 1962, Mercury has provided customers with tremendous value for their insurance dollar by pairing ultracompetitive rates with excellent customer service. Mercury has earned "A" ratings from A.M. Best and Fitch, as well as "Best Auto Insurance Company" designations from Forbes and Insure.com. For more information visit www.MercuryInsurance.com or follow the company on Twitter or Facebook.
View original content to download multimedia:
SOURCE Mercury Insurance | 2023-06-27T17:28:33+00:00 | kcrg.com | https://www.kcrg.com/prnewswire/2023/06/27/mercury-insurance-helps-drivers-prepare-their-vehicles-road-trip-season/ |
Editor’s Note: To honor the work of area advocates for unity, tolerance and equal rights in the Harrisburg region, PennLive is shining a light on members of the LGBTQ+ community who are helping advance the movement for full equality.
Rich Askey: president of the Pennsylvania State Education Association.
BIO:
Rich Askey has spent 32 years teaching music mostly in the Harrisburg School District.
An educator and union leader, Askey has been a tireless advocate for the LGBTQ+ community, for diversity, equity, and inclusion, and for creating safe spaces for students. He is a member of the Board of Directors of the ACLU of Pennsylvania.
Askey serves on the Governor’s Advisory Commission on LGBTQ Affairs. A graduate of the Westminster Choir College in Princeton, N.J., Askey has served as an actor, singer, musical director, and board member for Theatre Harrisburg and has performed with several choirs in the Harrisburg area.
What does Pride Month mean to you?
Pride Month is a time to celebrate our community and reflect on our history. It’s a month full of opportunities to tell our stories and re-energize ourselves for the advocacy that is needed to attain our goals.
What is the top challenge now for the LGBTQ+ community?
As a community, it is time for us to focus on our younger siblings. The insertion of culture wars into our schools is a devastating development for all marginalized youth in schools. Schools should be a safe place for every child and be an environment that lets every student know their worth.
One book recommendation for LGBTQ+ readers and allies?
“All Boys Aren’t Blue: A Memoir-Manifesto,” by George M. Johnson. A wonderfully written non-fiction book that tells the trials and triumphs of growing up as a queer, Black person. | 2023-06-28T10:20:51+00:00 | pennlive.com | https://www.pennlive.com/news/2023/06/a-tireless-advocate-for-safe-spaces-for-students-and-teachers-rich-askey.html |
US names mixture of fentanyl, veterinary drug ‘emerging threat’
(AP) - The U.S. has named a veterinary tranquilizer as an “emerging threat” when it’s mixed with the powerful opioid fentanyl, clearing the way for more efforts to stop the spread of xylazine.
The Office of National Drug Control Policy announced the designation Wednesday, the first time the office has used it since the category for fast-growing drug dangers was created in 2019.
Dr. Rahul Gupta, director of the drug policy office, said xylazine has become increasingly common in all regions of the country.
It was detected in about 800 drug deaths in the U.S. in 2020, most of them in the Northeast. By 2021, it was present in more than 3,000 fatalities — with the most in the South — according to a report last year from the Drug Enforcement Administration.
“We cannot ignore what we’re seeing,” Gupta said. “We must act and act now.”
Xylazine was approved for veterinary use in 1971. Sometimes known as “tranq,” it has been showing up in supplies of illicit drugs used by humans in major quantities in only the last several years.
It is believed to be added to other drugs to increase profits. Officials are trying to understand how much of it is diverted from veterinary uses and how much is made illicitly.
The drug causes breathing and heart rates to slow down, sometimes to deadly levels, and causes skin abscesses and ulcers that can require amputation. Withdrawal is also painful.
While it is often used in conjunction with opioids, including fentanyl and related illicit lab-made drugs, it’s not an opioid. And there are no known antidotes.
Gupta said his office is requesting $11 million as part of its budget to develop a strategy to tackle the drug’s spread. Plans include developing an antidote, learning more about how it is introduced into illicit drug supplies so that can be disrupted, and looking into whether Congress should classify it as a controlled substance.
Gupta said it needs to be available for veterinary uses even amid crackdowns on the supply used by people. He also said systems to detect the drug and data about where it’s being used need to be improved.
The Drug Policy Alliance, a group that advocates for reducing the harm done by drugs, applauds parts of the Biden administration’s plan, including looking for antidotes to reverse overdoses and developing quick tests to determine whether xylazine is present. But the group is wary of trying to stop it through law enforcement action. It asserts that crackdowns on prescription opioids and heroin created the condition for fentanyl and now xylazine to overtake some drug markets.
“Focusing on supply-side interdiction will only dig us deeper into this crisis and inevitably result in more loss of life,” Maritza Perez Medina, director of the group’s office of federal affairs, said in a statement.
The drug is part of an overdose crisis plaguing the U.S.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that more than 107,000 people died from overdoses in the 12 months that ended Nov. 30, 2022. Before 2020, the number of overdose deaths had never topped 100,000.
Most of the deaths were linked to fentanyl and other synthetic opioids. Like xylazine, they are often added to other drugs — and users don’t always know they are getting them.
___
This story was initially published on April 12. It was updated on April 13 to correct that the Drug Policy Alliance advocates for reducing the harm done by drugs.
Copyright 2023 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. | 2023-04-14T02:37:51+00:00 | kcbd.com | https://www.kcbd.com/2023/04/12/us-names-mixture-fentanyl-veterinary-drug-emerging-threat/ |
LONDON (AP) — A few concerns were raised when Brazil midfielder Casemiro completed his move to Manchester United in August.
Would he still have enough motivation after nine trophy-filled years at Real Madrid?
Could he adapt quickly enough to the English game?
Was a 30-year-old defensive midfielder really worth $60 million and a reported weekly wage of $435,000?
The answers, without doubt, have been yes, yes and absolutely yes.
Take away Erling Haaland and the signing that had the biggest impact in English soccer this season is surely Casemiro, who — in the words of his coach — has exceeded expectations “by far.”
“He keeps surprising you,” United manager Erik ten Hag said. “He’s such a brilliant football player.”
If there’s one player Ten Hag would want to have available for the FA Cup final against Manchester City on Saturday, it’s Casemiro.
Quite simply, the difference with and without him is huge.
Casemiro started 24 of United’s 38 league games this season, and was a substitute in four others. According to statistics compiled by the Who Scored website, United conceded an average of less than a goal a game when Casemiro was in the team and 1.5 goals when he wasn’t.
He made 3.2 tackles per game in the Premier League, the third highest behind Fulham’s Joao Palhinha and Leeds’ Tyler Adams.
United conceded 57 goals in the league last season. With Casemiro stationed in front of the defense, that number was down to 43 this season as United secured a return to the Champions League and all the riches that brings.
So, yes, Casemiro really was worth it.
Ten Hag noted upon arriving at United at the end of last season that a leader in central midfield was the biggest thing missing in a team which had been getting by with an oft-maligned “McFred” (Scott McTominay and Fred) axis.
“We studied this and we searched for this — it was not easy because there aren’t many in the profile who fits to the standard of Manchester United,” Ten Hag said, before listing what Casemiro brings. “We know him as very good with organization, anticipation, winning duels, fighting and keeping the team together. But in possession, his passing distribution and finishing is very important.”
More than that, his winning mentality — fostered at Madrid, where he won five Champions League titles and the Spanish league three times — is something United had been missing in the post-Alex Ferguson era.
It has that now and it’s mostly because of the arrival of Casemiro and another former Madrid player, Raphael Varane.
“The pressure is something we are used to playing with. And we need the pressure — it’s not that kind of pressure that limits you,” Varane said.
“Sometimes quality is not enough — you need the motivation, character, passion on the pitch, because in the top level in the Premier League, there are good players in any team. But to play in this kind of clubs you need something else … something different, that character to fight, to assume the responsibility, to never hide on the pitch, to be ready to face every challenge you can.”
That’s the mentality City has built under Pep Guardiola, who — after seven years in charge — has a team on the brink of winning the Premier League-FA Cup-Champions League treble. It’s a feat only achieved once in English soccer before, by Man United in 1999.
Casemiro is one of the few players in the current United team who could slot into City’s lineup and not look out of place.
Often a player for the big occasion at Madrid, Casemiro stepped up for United by scoring the opening goal in its 2-0 win over Newcastle in the English League Cup final at Wembley Stadium in February.
And he has been key in the final stretch of the season in helping United qualify for the Champions League with a third-place finish in the league, notably with an acrobatic volley to score a crucial winner at Bournemouth.
Two red cards — one for grabbing an opponent by the neck in an on-field melee against Crystal Palace and the other for a reckless tackle — have blotted his campaign and caused him to miss seven matches in total through suspension. He left the field in tears after the second sending-off and was defended by Ten Hag, who preferred to criticize the standard of refereeing rather than the indiscipline of Casemiro.
It’s Casemiro’s defensive duties that will be most important against City on Saturday because he’ll need to keep a leash on attacking center midfielders Ilkay Gundogan and Kevin De Bruyne while also playing a part in stopping the supply line to Haaland.
Casemiro’s teammates are sure that won’t be beyond him.
“He can control a game great for us,” United defender Victor Lindelof said, “with or without the ball.”
___
More AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports | 2023-06-02T14:59:41+00:00 | wivb.com | https://www.wivb.com/sports/ap-sports/casemiros-winning-mentality-crucial-to-man-uniteds-hopes-in-fa-cup-final/ |
GREENSBORO — Triad Health Project is officially Ron Johnson's "million dollar" baby.
The attorney just surpassed the $1 million mark in total money raised through the agency's annual winter fundraising walk that helps keep the doors open.
"That's a lot of money to someone who worked in a cotton mill to pay his way through college," Johnson said when he realized what he had done.
One of the group's founders, Johnson started raising money three decades ago through the annual walk now named in his honor for the nonprofit group, which is a comprehensive HIV/AIDS service, support and education organization that serves over 2,000 people each year and operates on a shoestring budget.
Johnson crossed the $1 million mark with more than a week left before this year's Ron Johnson Red Ribbon Advocacy Walk is held at LeBauer Park Dec. 3. The agency provides services countywide.
People are also reading…
"It's been a love letter to us and our clients and community," Adriana Adams, the nonprofit's executive director, said of Johnson raising $1 million through the walks. "That support has really kept our agency afloat because annually we depend on this walk to round out our budget every year."
Bob Page of Replacements, Ltd., who also donated a home in a leafy community for Higher Ground, the agency's day center, is a close second.
Still, Adams is hoping for an uptick in individuals and teams taking part — online and on-site registration are available — with a $200,000 goal this year.
Since the first walk in 1992, thousands of participants from the community have made the miles-long event a yearly tradition. This year the 1.2-mile walk through downtown starts and ends at LeBauer Park.
The walk and Dining with Friends, the agency's other big event, are more than just successful fund-raisers, they're a way to educate the community about AIDS and HIV. The walk attracts many students, a group Triad Health Project targets in its educational outreach.
Johnson, who is involved with projects throughout the community, such as the Women's Resource Center's annual "Men Can Cook" fundraiser, also donates his own money. Johnson only talks about how much he's raised in hopes that it will draw attention to the cause. He continues to have a vested interest in seeing the agency continue to provide a safety net in the community.
The grassroots THP was an early response to AIDS and HIV, which were disproportionately affecting gay men.
In 1987, THP received hospital referrals from the Moses Cone Infectious Disease clinic. A single employee began seeing new clients at a rate of about one per month. The next year, AIDS cases reached 106,994 in the United States. At that time, THP served 24 clients on a $20,000 budget. In 1991, the group received a "National Points of Light" award from the Bush administration.
While the AIDS virus is no longer a death sentence for people who get proper care, statistics show new infections at alarming rates, particularly among the poor, minorities and young people between the ages of 13 to 24. The infection rate intersects with a number of social ills — homelessness, hunger, the lack of education and health care.
Case managers connect people to medicine, housing, food and other barriers to living healthier, which they say helps prevent the spread of AIDS and HIV. The agency also provides free pregnancy and infectious disease testing for anyone and operates a day center that provides educational resources and support for people infected and affected by AIDS and HIV.
Johnson was roped in by a few friends who had begun meeting around kitchen tables on Sunday afternoons about a new illness that seemed to disproportionately affect gay men. The talk turned to what needed to be done to help those living with and dying from AIDS in their community — who were also being shunned. They contacted Johnson, an estate planning attorney, about setting the group up as a nonprofit.
"They had the vision for the agency, but needed help with getting an organization going," said Johnson, who did the work of incorporating Triad Health Project.
One of the group's first fundraisers would be the charity walk.
He's raised money over the years by letting friends, family and even clients know he was collecting pledges. In the early years, it was about $8,000 a walk. A few years ago he raised $100,000.
"One of my clients was joking with me," Johnson said. "They said, 'It's cheaper to pay your bill than to support your causes.' "
He has an 85% success rate with about 300 different donors each year. In the early years, some people gave cash donations because they didn't want their names on checks written to the agency.
It was his client, Aileen Oldham, the late founder of Leon's Beauty School and a chain of hair salons, who got a friendly competition started with Johnson. She took what was then called the Winter Walk on with a passion. Oldham had been an early public supporter of the organization from when files were stored under the bed of one of the founders.
With Oldham's staff behind her, she had previously sponsored a Cut-A-Thon that raised $7,000 — the most substantial sum the group had raised to date, Johnson said.
She was also the top fundraiser for the Winter Walks in 1992 and 1993. Johnson was the second-highest fundraiser in 1993. Oldham challenged him to beat her at fundraising next time, knowing THP would be the real winner. She died before the third Winter Walk. Johnson has walked in her honor — and been the top fundraiser — every year since and now the walk bears his name.
He continues to take part in the run/walk, calling it not only a significant fundraising event but an important educational event. And every year he wants someone to beat him.
Just as Oldham challenged him, Johnson is challenging others this year. The agency budgets money for bus passes because that's often the only transportation a client might have. It did not occur to him that bus passes would be a top priority.
"People don't realize it costs a lot of money to run a program like THP," Johnson said. "And for many people, it's their lifeline." | 2022-11-25T18:41:17+00:00 | greensboro.com | https://greensboro.com/news/local/hes-raised-1m-for-aids-hiv-program-see-what-drives-this-greensboro-attorney/article_425c5ff8-69f6-11ed-918a-e7413810794e.html |
NORTH CONWAY, N.H., June 27, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate The Masiello Group, a trailblazer in New England real estate, recently celebrated the grand opening of their new real estate office with a ribbon cutting in early June. The new office is located on 3631 White Mountain Highway just north of North Conway Village in Intervale.
The Masiello Group is a second-generation family company helping real estate owners and buyers throughout New England since 1966. With more than 35 offices throughout Northern New England, Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate The Masiello Group is the largest residential real estate firm north of Boston and is the only company in the region to offer a complete spectrum of real estate services, including mortgage, title, home warranty, homeowner insurance, and relocation services.
The Masiello Group's CEO, Chris Masiello, is actively helping to shape the future of the real estate industry through his hands-on expertise as well as his promise to both personally and professionally strive to always be better. Chris is a 35-year veteran in real estate and is a nationally recognized expert and leader in business operations, marketing, relocation and homeownership services.
"At The Masiello Group's North Conway office, you will find the personalized touch you would expect within a small community, plus the full range of integrated offerings our team offers including mortgage financing, home warranty, relocation, and closing services" said Masiello. "Best of all, you'll be working with the area's most experienced real estate agents who are steadfastly committed to providing clients with a quality experience."
Contact Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate The Masiello Group at 603-446-6810 or find then online at www.masiello.com/north-conway-nh.
With more than 35 offices throughout Northern New England, Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate The Masiello Group is the largest real estate firm north of Boston and is the only company in the region to offer a complete spectrum of home services, including mortgage, title, home warranty, homeowner insurance, and relocation services. The Masiello Group was recently named a Top 25 Broker by Realogy Leads Group in recognition of its excellent performance and customer satisfaction. In January 2022, Swanepoel Power 200 recognized Chairman and CEO Christopher J. Masiello as one of the most influential leaders in the residential real estate industry. For more information, visit www.masiello.com.
View original content to download multimedia:
SOURCE Better Homes and Garden Real Estate The Masiello Group | 2022-06-27T18:29:33+00:00 | ksla.com | https://www.ksla.com/prnewswire/2022/06/27/ribbon-cutting-celebrates-opening-new-real-estate-office/ |
The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety found that compact cars don’t protect rear occupants well in its latest front-crash test, the insurance industry-funded agency announced Thursday. The 2023 Honda Civic and 2023 Toyota Corolla sedans earned “Acceptable” ratings, while the 2023 Kia Forte, 2023 Nissan Sentra, and 2023 Subaru Crosstrek rated “Poor.” No car earned the top rating of “Good.”
“In all the small cars we tested, the rear dummy ‘submarined’ under the seat belt, causing the lap belt to ride up onto the abdomen and increasing the risk of internal injuries,” IIHS President David Harkey said in a statement.
It’s not just small cars that have failed to meet the criteria for the new moderate front overlap test. The majority of three-row SUVs and small crossovers tested received “Poor” ratings.
The updated test revises the front-crash test that started in 1995 and launched the IIHS into the role it serves today as the most comprehensive and up-to-date independent automotive crash-test agency. The NHTSA’s NCAP five-star rating system currently does not evaluate driver-assist technology nor does it update its crash tests once the majority of vehicles meet compliance. The IIHS’s Top Safety Pick+ designation has become the standard-bearer for automotive safety.
The moderate front-overlap test simulates a head-on collision of two vehicles of similar weight traveling at just under 40 mph. Revamped last year, the new test evaluates passenger protection in a front crash to rear passengers. The new test uses a dummy in the driver seat sized like the average adult male and another dummy sized like a small woman or 12-year-old child positioned in the seat behind the driver, where protection has lagged recently.
Historically, rear-seat occupants were cushioned from front crashes by the front seats and the front crumple zone. Since model year 2007 onward, however, the IIHS found that fatal injury is 46% higher for belted occupants in the rear seat than those in the front seat.
The rear seat hasn’t become any more unsafe, but safety advances to front-seat occupants have grown due to airbags, restraint technologies, and other areas of focus that the IIHS wants to see applied to the rear seats. The IIHS says the back seats remain the safest for young children who are more likely to be injured than protected by an airbag when riding in the front passenger seat.
The IIHS noted that all five small cars tested provided good protection to the driver. Rear-seat passengers didn’t fare as well. In addition to the submarining, the Forte, Sentra, and Crosstrek—the three vehicles rated “Poor”—showed moderate or high risk of head, neck, and chest injuries to the dummies.
The rear occupant portion of the crash tests is not included in the criteria for Top Safety Pick designations. But the IIHS keeps challenging automakers to better protect vehicle occupants, so it could be considered in the future. Last year, for instance, the IIHS instituted a tougher side-impact test to reflect the faster speeds and heavier, taller vehicles proliferating on modern roadways.
Related Articles
- Jeep Cherokee 4WD recalled again for 2-speed transfer case issue
- Volvo recharges 2024 XC40, C40 electric SUVs with more range
- “Do Not Drive,” BMW urges owners of older 3-Series, 5-Series
- Honda Accord vs. Toyota Camry: Compare Sedans
- Honda Civic vs. Hyundai Elantra: Compare Cars | 2023-05-11T18:30:37+00:00 | texomashomepage.com | https://www.texomashomepage.com/automotive/internet-brands/iihs-most-small-cars-fail-to-protect-rear-passengers-in-a-crash/ |
WASHINGTON (AP) — Federal Reserve officials were divided earlier this month on whether to pause their interest rate hikes at their upcoming meeting in June, according to the minutes of their May 2-3 meeting released Wednesday.
“Several (policymakers) noted if the economy evolved along the lines of their current outlooks, then further policy firming after this meeting may not be necessary” — Fed parlance for a pause — the minutes said.
At the same time, “some” officials said that the persistence of high inflation meant that “additional (rate hikes) would likely be warranted at future meetings.”
Yet in the language used in the minutes, “several” is considered to be more than “some,” suggesting that those favoring a pause may have the upper hand.
In addition, Chair Jerome Powell and the officials closest to him have signaled in speeches over the past week that they're likely to support a pause in rate hikes at their next meeting in mid-June.
The Fed raises its key rate to lift the cost of mortgages, auto loans, credit card borrowing and business loans. By making borrowing more expensive, the Fed seeks to slow growth and inflation. Fed officials have raised their benchmark rate for 10 straight meetings, to about 5.1%, a 16-year high.
Wednesday's minutes also underscored the unusually uncertain economy that Fed officials are assessing as they consider their next policy moves. The officials remained unsure about how severely the collapse of three large banks in the past two months might lead to a pullback in lending. And the conflict over the federal government's debt limit could trigger a recession if President Joe Biden and House Republicans fail to agree by sometime in early June to raise the debt limit and avoid a first-ever default on Treasury securities.
At the Fed meeting this month, officials “generally expressed uncertainty about how much more” they should raise interest rates, the minutes said.
That divergence has pointed to a likely compromise: Instead of an indefinite pause to rate hikes, the officials may back a so-called “skip”: Under this scenario, the Fed wouldn’t raise rates at the June meeting but would signal that it remains open to future hikes if inflation stays too far above its 2% target in the coming months.
Though that possibility wasn’t explicitly discussed at this month's meeting, the minutes said that “some” officials wanted to make clear that any signal that the Fed would pause its hikes in June “should not be interpreted as signaling either that” the central bank would cut rates soon “or that further increases in the target range had been ruled out.”
At a news conference after the Fed officials met on May 3, Powell said there had been a discussion about forgoing rate increases at future meetings, though he wouldn’t say how many officials had favored doing so.
“There’s a sense," Powell said then, "that we’re much closer to the end of this than to the beginning. We feel like we’re getting close or, maybe even there.”
Also Wednesday, Christopher Waller, a member of the Fed’s Board of Governors, suggested that inflation remains too high and hasn’t made much progress toward the Fed’s 2% target. As a result, Waller indicated, it’s too soon to say what the Fed should do at its next meeting in mid-June.
It’s not yet clear, he said, if the Fed’s key rate is high enough to slow borrowing, spending and inflation.
“I do not support stopping rate hikes unless we get clear evidence that inflation is moving down towards our 2 percent objective,” Waller added. “But whether we should hike or skip at the June meeting will depend on how the data come in over the next three weeks.” | 2023-05-24T19:12:41+00:00 | ourmidland.com | https://www.ourmidland.com/business/article/a-june-pause-in-rate-hikes-would-be-a-close-call-18117109.php |
Ravens agree to 1-year deal with Odell Beckham Jr.
OWINGS MILLS, Md. (AP) — The Baltimore Ravens agreed to a one-year contract with Odell Beckham Jr., boosting their flagging wide receiver group while the team’s quarterback situation remains far from certain.
The Ravens announced the move Sunday. The 30-year-old Beckham did not play last season following ACL surgery.
Beckham joins a Baltimore team that used the franchise tag on quarterback Lamar Jackson, who has asked to be traded. Even with Jackson, the Ravens’ passing game was limited by a lack of production from their wide receivers. Rashod Bateman played only six games last season, and aside from tight end Mark Andrews, no Baltimore player managed even 500 yards receiving.
Beckham has five 1,000-yard seasons, but none since 2019 with Cleveland. In his most recent season on the field in 2021, he caught 44 passes for 537 yards and five touchdowns in 14 games for the Browns and Rams.
No matter who the quarterback is, when Beckham is at his best, he’s a major threat capable of producing dazzling highlights. Since debuting with the New York Giants in 2014, he has 880 catches for 7,367 yards and 56 TDs.
___
AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl and https://twitter.com/AP_NFL
Copyright 2023 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission. | 2023-04-10T00:26:22+00:00 | kob.com | https://www.kob.com/sports-stories/ap-football/ravens-agree-to-1-year-deal-with-odell-beckham-jr/ |
Beautiful finishes boast this one level 2171 sq foot home located in Wheat Ridge Estate. This 4-bedroom, 2-bathroom home is located on a 2-acre lot with 360-degree views of beautiful mountains, city lights, and Montana's Big Sky. Granite countertop waterfall feature, custom cabinets in kitchen and bathrooms, with timber features inside and outside. Oversized covered patio out back to relax or entertain. Tiled walk-in shower in en suite, vaulted ceilings, and stainless-steel appliances. Beautiful backsplash and custom lighting are featured in this brand-new build. Minutes away from Canyon Ferry Lake, airport, and Highway 12. New Construction and ready for you! Taxes are based on land only. Completion day is close!
4 Bedroom Home in East Helena - $675,000
Related to this story
Most Popular
Faith Johnson and eight other finalists were judged on their gown, fitness, talent and answers to onstage questions.
The death of an inmate found dead in a cell at the Lewis and Clark County Detention Center earlier this month is under investigation.
New trial tentatively set for Jan. 8.
The Montana Department of Revenue sent out property appraisal notices this month.
On Monday the defense rested in the trial for the 2011 killing of John Michael “Mike” Crites, which began on June 1 | 2023-06-24T06:59:30+00:00 | helenair.com | https://helenair.com/4-bedroom-home-in-east-helena---675-000/article_f25ebcb8-05aa-56e7-99ea-f0e020790d71.html |
BROWNSVILLE, Texas (ValleyCentral) — In its first game of the season, the Texas Southmost College Men’s Soccer team delivered a big win.
The Scorpions defeated South Texas College 10-0 in the season opener on Sept. 10, according to the school’s media release.
Mario Zamora is entering his third season as head coach. In 2019 they reached nationals, in 2020 the season was canceled and last season they reached regionals against strong competition from Division I schools.
“We had a really good pre-season, so the team was anxious to play our first game as a team,” said Coach Zamora said. “Seems like it’s a great connection with the team, a lot of communication as well.”
TSC will play their home opener on Sept. 17 at 3 p.m. at Scorpion Field against Trinity University.
“Our game on Saturday should be a really good game. We beat that school 5-4 last season. It went back and forth with goals. Now they are coming here to our place so we’re expecting to put on a good show,” said Coach Zamora. | 2022-09-16T20:36:01+00:00 | valleycentral.com | https://www.valleycentral.com/news/local-news/scorpion-soccer-opens-season-with-a-big-victory/ |
Flight canceled amid bad weather? What you need to know about rebooking, refunds and more
The Associated Press
WASHINGTON (AP) — Amid peak summer travel, thousands of air travelers faced flight cancellations and delays this weekend as thunderstorms rolled in across the U.S. East Coast and Midwest.
In addition to bad weather, a technology failing also contributed to to airline disruptions. The Federal Avaiation Adminstration briefly paused operations at Washington, D.C.-area airports Sunday evening due to a problem with the communications system at a major air traffic control facility. Departures resumed after repairs were completed.
Beyond D.C., a chain of flights were also delayed or halted at other major travel hubs — including New York, Chicago and Atlanta — as thunderstorms moved across the country.
Nearly 2,000 U.S. flights were canceled on Saturday and Sunday combined, according to flight tracking service FlightAware, and more than 850 U.S. flights had been canceled as of 11:15 a.m. ET Monday. Thousands of additional travelers experienced delays.
Staying calm — and knowing your rights — can go a long way if your flight is canceled, experts say. Here’s some of their advice for dealing with a flight cancellation:
MY FLIGHT WAS CANCELED. WHAT NEXT?
If you still want to get to your destination, most airlines will rebook you for free on the next available flight as long as it has seats, according to the U.S. Department of Transportation.
If you want to cancel the trip, you are entitled to a full refund, even if you bought non-refundable tickets. You’re also entitled to a refund of any bag fees, seat upgrades or other extras.
Kurt Ebenhoch, a consumer travel advocate and former airline executive, has stressed that travelers are eligible for a refund, not just vouchers for future travel. If you do take a voucher, make sure you inquire about blackout dates and other restrictions on its use.
CAN I ASK TO BE BOOKED ON ANOTHER AIRLINE’S FLIGHT?
Yes. Airlines aren’t required to put you on another airline’s flight, but they can, and sometimes do, according to the DOT. Jeff Klee, CEO of CheapAir.com, previously recommended researching alternate flights while you’re waiting to talk to an agent. Agents are typically under a lot of pressure when a flight is canceled, so giving them some options helps.
Ebenhoch also suggested looking for alternative airports that are close to your original destination.
IS THE AIRLINE REQUIRED TO GIVE ME A HOTEL ROOM, OR OTHER COMPENSATION?
No. As announced last month, the Biden adminstration is seeking to require that airlines compensate travelers and cover their meals and hotel rooms if they are stranded for reasons within the carrier’s control — but, as of now, each airline still has its own policies about providing for customers whose flights are canceled, according to the DOT.
Many airlines do offer accommodations, so you should check with their staff. The DOT also has an online dashboard that allows travelers to compare cancelation and delay policies of major carriers.
I’M FACING A LONG WAIT TO REBOOK. WHAT SHOULD I DO?
If someone in your traveling party is at a higher level in a frequent flier program, use the number reserved for that level to call the airline, Ebenhoch said. You can also try calling an international help desk for the airline, since those agents have the ability to make changes.
HOW CAN I AVOID THIS IN THE FUTURE?
Ebenhoch said nonstop flights and morning flights are generally the most reliable if you can book them. If you’re worried about making it to the airport in time for a morning flight, he said, consider staying at a hotel connected to the airport the night before. And consider flying outside of busy dates.
Klee recommended comparing airlines’ policies on the DOT’s service dashboard. He also suggests reserving multiple flights and then canceling the ones you don’t use, as long as the airline will refund your money or convert it into a credit for a future flight.
ARE FLIGHT CANCELATIONS TRENDING LOWER IN 2023?
Flight cancellations trended lower throughout the spring of 2023 than last year, according to data from the FAA.
Industry officials argue that carriers have fixed problems that contributed to a surge in flight cancellations and delays last summer, when 52,000 flights were nixed from June through August. Airlines have hired about 30,000 workers since then, including thousands of pilots, and they are using bigger planes to reduce flights but not the number of seats.
Still, officials warn of lingering staffing shortages, notably among key air traffic controllers. The FAA is training about 3,000 more controllers, but they won’t be ready for this summer’s travel. The agency resorted to nudging airlines to reduce flights in the New York City area this summer, and it opened 169 new flight paths over the East Coast to reduce bottlenecks.
In a government audit published last week, the Transportation Department’s Office of Inspector General found that the FAA has made “limited efforts” to have adequate staffing at critical air traffic control facilities, noting that the agency “continues to face staffing challenges and lacks a plan to address them, which in turn poses a risk to the continuity of air traffic operations.” | 2023-06-26T17:21:38+00:00 | localnews8.com | https://localnews8.com/news/ap-national/2023/06/26/flight-canceled-amid-bad-weather-what-you-need-to-know-about-rebooking-refunds-and-more/ |
SIOUX CITY, IOWA (KCAU)- Attached are the highlights and scores from our local high school teams that played in the NSAA State championship games at Memorial Stadium in Lincoln, NE on November 22nd.
CLASS C-1
#2 Pierce 42, #1 Aurora 14
CLASS C-2
#3 Norfolk Catholic 23, #12 Cedar Catholic 0 | 2022-11-23T01:11:34+00:00 | siouxlandproud.com | https://www.siouxlandproud.com/sports/nebraska-high-school-state-championship-highlights-and-scores-11-22-22/ |
NEW YORK, June 6, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Clayton Dubilier & Rice ("CD&R") today announced that it has committed $4.25 million in grants in each of the next two years, for a total commitment of $8.5 million, to 15 non-profit organizations having a direct impact on workforce development in New York City.
The grants were made by the CD&R Foundation (the "Foundation"), created in 2021 to help meaningfully formalize and expand the Firm's philanthropic, service, and educational efforts. Since its inception, the Foundation has committed approximately $17 million of unrestricted, multi-year grants to nearly 30 organizations in New York City and London identified as CD&R's Talent Solution Partners ("TSP"), which work to advance opportunity for underserved and underestimated talent through educational and professional development.
"The CD&R Foundation is proud to support these 15 impactful organizations and the dynamic executives who lead this important work. These organizations are providing untapped talent access to industry-informed skills training, wraparound support services, employer networks, and ongoing professional development throughout the entire talent life cycle—all of which place them on the path to upward economic mobility. We are inspired by the positive impact they are making in the lives of the talent they serve," said CD&R Foundation President, Randy Moore.
The organizations were selected in partnership with CD&R's New York Foundation Grants & Service ("FGS") council which consists of CD&R partners and employees. This 11-member council is a key part of the Foundation's governance body, with responsibility for reviewing applications, interviewing nonprofit CEOs, and ultimately recommending a slate of TSPs with associated grant quantum for the Foundation Board of Director's approval.
"We believe that CD&R broadens its reach by empowering our employees to become action ambassadors," said Don Gogel, Chairman of both CD&R and the CD&R Foundation. "Governance structures like the FGS council deepen our impact by supporting employees' hands-on understanding of the organizations and talent we aim to serve, as well as effective volunteer strategies to tackle pervasive workforce issues."
"Following an extensive four-month evaluation process, which included significant education to raise our awareness of the challenges facing the talent populations our TSPs serve, we are pleased to have chosen a group of organizations that align with the CD&R Foundation's goal of enabling 'Equity through Opportunity,' said CD&R Partner and FGS councilmember, Stephen Shapiro. "These organizations empower high school students, out-of-school youth/young adults, women, immigrants, and the justice-impacted, while driving college completion and facilitating access to jobs which provide economic access and upward mobility."
Details on the Foundation and mission statements for each of the second cohort New York City TSPs can be found below and at the following link: www.cdr-inc.com/cdr-builds#cdr-foundation.
- Brooklyn Workforce Innovations (BWI) empowers low- and moderate-income people by helping them gain access to living-wage employment opportunities and career paths, and developing programs that counter prevailing market inequalities and contribute to a broader movement for economic justice.
- Center for Employment Opportunities (CEO) is the largest reentry organization providing comprehensive employment services to people recently released from incarceration. CEO currently operates in 31 locations and is dedicated to ensuring that justice-impacted job seekers have opportunities to achieve social and economic mobility.
- Commonpoint Queens's mission is to sustain and enhance the quality of individual, family and communal life throughout the borough of Queens, through services to people of all ages, ability levels, stages of life, and backgrounds.
- Comprehensive Youth Development partners with New York City public high schools to prepare at-risk young adults, ages 14-24, secure a successful future for themselves and their families by developing their capability to graduate from high school and make informed decisions about higher education and careers.
- COOP Careers helps overcome underemployment through digital skills training and peer connections.
- Drive Change supports formerly justice-involved young people (age 18-25yrs), creating quality employment pathways to support their economic and emotional wellbeing, working at the intersection of re-entry and hospitality (food service), running both direct service and systems change programs.
- Emma's Torch's mission is to empower refugees, asylees, and survivors of human trafficking through culinary education and workforce development.
- Goddard Riverside invests in people and strengthens communities within the social justice framework to fulfill its mission of creating a fair and just society where all people can make choices that lead to better lives for themselves and their families.
- Hot Bread Kitchen's mission is to create economic opportunity for immigrant women and women of color through food entrepreneurship programs, job skills training and placement, and an ecosystem of support in New York City.
- JobsFirstNYC creates and advances solutions that break down barriers and transform the systems supporting young adults and their communities in pursuit of economic mobility. They bring together—effectively and efficiently—community, corporate, human, organizational, private, and public resources to connect young adults and their communities to better economic opportunities.
- The Knowledge House's mission is to empower and sustain a talent pipeline of technologists, entrepreneurs, and digital leaders who will uplift their communities out of poverty.
- Non-Traditional Employment for Women (NEW) prepares, trains, and places women in careers in the skilled construction, utility, and maintenance trades that support New York.
- The Opportunity Network's mission is to ignite the drive, curiosity, and agency of underrepresented students on their paths to and through college and into thriving careers.
- Paraprofessional Healthcare Inst. (PHI), the nation's leading authority on the direct care workforce, helps transform eldercare and disability service, fostering dignity, respect, and independence for all who receive and provide care.
- Project Basta's mission is to close the employment gap for first-generation students of color and change the face of workforce leadership.
About Clayton, Dubilier & Rice
Clayton, Dubilier & Rice is a private investment firm with a strategy predicated on building stronger, more profitable businesses across a broad range of industries, including Industrials, Healthcare, Business Services, Consumer, Technology and Financial Services. Since its inception in 1978, CD&R has managed the investment of more than $40 billion in over 100 companies with an aggregate transaction value of more than $175 billion. For more information on CD&R, please visit www.cdr-inc.com and follow the Firm's activities through LinkedIn and @CDRBuilds on Twitter.
View original content to download multimedia:
SOURCE Clayton, Dubilier & Rice | 2023-06-06T19:27:56+00:00 | mysuncoast.com | https://www.mysuncoast.com/prnewswire/2023/06/06/cdampr-foundation-supports-15-non-profit-organizations-latest-grants-advance-economic-opportunity-employment-new-york-city/ |
A report by researchers at the University of Connecticut offers new insight into how often police officers use physical force to arrest or detain people.
Since 2019, law enforcement agencies have been required to report all use-of-force incidents, such as hitting, kicking, or tackling subjects to subdue them, deploying pepper spray, using a stun gun or pointing a firearm.
In a report released Thursday, researchers at UConn offered a first glimpse into what those reports describe, but cautioned against drawing significant conclusions because of widespread discrepancies in how police reported the data.
Initial figures from about 60 police departments show officers used force in over 1,200 incidents over two years, amounting to about 1% of all arrests.
Ken Barone, associate director of UConn’s Institute for Municipal and Regional Policy, and one of the authors of the report, said although the new data have limitations, the collection process should signal to the public that Connecticut is making strides toward greater transparency and accountability for law enforcement.
“This report helps to set up questions that we know we need to answer in the future and hopefully gives the public an understanding of the commitment we've made in Connecticut to be more transparent around policing data,” Barone said.
By the numbers
The average number of submitted reports per department was 21. Agencies in Bridgeport, Waterbury, New Haven and Hartford, and the Connecticut State Police, reported the highest number of incidents, though the authors of the report say that isn’t surprising, given the size of the populations they patrol.
About one third of incidents involved someone who fled from police, and the vast majority of subjects were reported to be unarmed, according to the report.
With regard to demographics, close to half of all incidents involved people between the ages of 18 and 30, and the largest share of reported use-of-force incidents involved people police identified as Black (38%), followed by white (33%) and Hispanic (20%).
“When compared to population demographics in Connecticut, this would suggest a significant racial and ethnic disparity in the application of force,” the report reads. “However, if compared to arrest data, the disparity shrinks substantially. In 2019 and 2020, approximately 34% of the people arrested were Black, 21% were Hispanic, and 44% were White.”
In the vast majority of incidents, police reported using verbal commands to try to subdue subjects. The other most common forms of control methods reported by police were pressure point/control holds, and “takedown” maneuvers, in which officers bring the subject to the ground.
Researchers determined that at least 16% of officers in 2019 and 12% of officers in 2020 displayed a firearm, but in most cases didn’t fire it.
Chokeholds, which have engendered significant controversy following the deaths of George Floyd and other subjects in police custody, were infrequent. Police reported using a chokehold or restraint to the neck area 10 times in two years.
No standardized reporting process
A criminal justice reform bill passed by lawmakers in 2019 requires the state to collect data on use-of-force incidents by police officers. Soon after the initiative began, however, researchers from UConn discovered wide variations in how police classify use-of-force incidents.
The law required police to report “physical force that is likely to cause serious physical injury,” and provided examples, such as using a chokehold or discharging a firearm, but it gave departments discretion over how to interpret that standard.
As a result, the authors of the UConn report caution against comparing data from different departments, as some reported incidents involving force that may not have been reported by others.
Many also missed the reporting deadline. The report includes data from only 55 municipal police departments, four special police departments, and the Connecticut State Police. Many others have since filed reports that will be incorporated into future analysis by UConn.
The process is expected to improve this year. Lawmakers modified the law two years ago to standardize the reporting process. Since July 1, 2022, all police departments have been required to complete a new, electronic reporting form. The Police Officers Standards and Training Council also specified which incidents rise to the level of filing a report.
“We should view this report as a step in the right direction,” Barone said, “and sort of giving folks a taste of the type of information that we will be more thoroughly collecting in the future.”
'What is the right response?'
The report also highlights the significant share of people who police deemed to be either "emotionally disturbed" or "suicidal.” They account for close to 40% of all subjects against whom force was used.
In the future, Barone said it will be important for the state to explore how many of those people identified by law enforcement as in mental health distress ended up committed to the hospital, as opposed to arrested and brought back to a police station.
“The question becomes for policymakers what is the right response?” Barone said. “Is our law enforcement the right response for people in mental health crisis? In some cases they very well might be, but I think this is something, to me, that stood out in the report, as the state really needs to better understand this moving forward.”
Cheshire Police Chief Neil Dryfe, president of the Connecticut Police Chiefs Association, said collecting use of force data will benefit law enforcement agencies by allowing them to better understand how practices compare across departments.
The numbers can also help provide a clearer picture of how frequently force is used, Dryfe said.
“It's very rare that that force is used in any police encounter,” he said. “When we do use force, it usually doesn't result in serious injury to either the police officer or the subject of the use of force. And … if you really start looking at the number of cases that actually involve deadly physical force, it's a tiny, tiny fraction of the encounters that officers are having with the public every single day.” | 2022-08-18T20:25:22+00:00 | nepm.org | https://www.nepm.org/2022-08-18/report-gives-first-look-at-use-of-force-by-connecticut-police |
CANNES, France (AP) — Most in the film industry thought Ethan Coen was done with making movies. Ethan did, too.
But on Sunday, Coen will premiere his first documentary, “Jerry Lee Lewis: Trouble in Mind,” at the Cannes Film Festival, a movie that was unknown until last month’s festival lineup announcement. The film, which A24 will distribute later this year, is a blistering portrait of the rock ‘n’ roll and country legend, made almost entirely with archival footage, with riveting extended performances instead of talking heads.
It’s Coen’s first film with his brother Joel, with whom he for three decades formed one of the movies’ most cohesive and unshakable partnerships. But they have lately gone separate ways; last year, Joel made “The Tragedy of Macbeth,” a movie he suggested his brother would never have been interested in. Ethan is now also prepping with his wife, the editor Tricia Cooke (who cut many of the Coens’ films as well as “Trouble in Mind”), a lesbian road-trip sex comedy they wrote together 15 years ago.
“Jerry Lee Lewis: Trouble in Mind” started with their longtime collaborator T-Bone Burnett, who in 2019 recorded a gospel album with the 86-year-old Lewis. The film, as Coen and Cooke noted in an interview ahead of their Cannes premiere, touches on some of the more complicated parts of Lewis’s legacy. (He married his 13-year-old cousin in his early 20s, Lewis’ then third marriage.) But it mostly brings alive the staggering force of the musical dynamo behind “Whole Lotta Shakin’ Goin’ On,” “Great Balls of Fire” and “Me and Bobby McGee.”
___
AP: Many thought you, Ethan, were no longer interested in moviemaking. What changed?
COEN: What changed is I started getting bored. I was with Trish in New York at the beginning of the lockdown. So, you know, it was all a little scary and claustrophobic. And T-Bone Burnett, our friend of many years, approached us — actually, more Trish than me — to ask if we wanted to make this movie basically on archival footage. We could do it at home.
COOKE: It was like a home movie project. We’re both huge fans of his music. I had some issues with other parts of Jerry Lee’s life. I was like, “I don’t know if I want to touch that.” But it ended up being a lot of fun. Honestly, T-Bone came to us like two weeks into the pandemic, so it was a life saver.
AP: Ethan, what was it that had sapped your desire to make movies?
COEN: Oh, nothing happened, certainly nothing dramatic. You start out when you’re a kid and you want to make a movie. Everything’s enthusiasm and gung-ho, let’s go make a movie. And the first movie is just loads of fun. And then the second movie is loads of fun, almost as much fun as the first. And after 30 years, not that it’s no fun, but it’s more of a job than it had been. Joel kind of felt the same way but not to the extent that I did. It’s an inevitable by-product of aging. And the last two movies we made, me and Joel together, were really difficult in terms of production. I mean, really difficult. So if you don’t have to do it, you go at a certain point: Why am I doing this?
COOKE: Too may Westerns.
COEN: It was just getting a little old and difficult.
AP: When you say “difficult,” did it have to do with the ecosystem of the industry?
COEN: Not at all, though that’s obviously changed from beyond recognition from where we started at. But, no, it was the production experience and having been doing it for — I don’t know how many years, maybe 35 years. It was the experience of making a movie. More of a grind and less fun.
AP: Has something switched back for you then, since you’re preparing to make a film together this summer?
COEN: Again, it’s all kind of circumstance. We finished this one quite a while ago and we were still sitting around. We had this old script and we thought, “Oh, we should do that. That would be fun.” That’s the movie we’re preparing.
COOKE: I don’t want to speak for Ethan, but I know for myself, at some point, I stopped cutting, pretty much, because my priorities changed. And now our kids are grown and we still get along and have fun making things together. Joel and Ethan, we had written a few of these things, and they were always like, “We’ll put them in a drawer. The kids will find them one day.” Now we’re here like, OK, let’s do that. Let’s open up that draw and see if someone wants to make this movie.
AP: Do you expect, Ethan, that you and Joel will continue to go your separate ways in moviemaking?
COEN: Oh, I don’t know. Going our own separate ways sounds like it suggests it might be final. But none of this stuff happened definitively. None of the decisions are definitive. We might make another movie. I don’t know what my next movie is going to be after this. The pandemic happened. I turned into a big baby and got bored and quit, and then the pandemic happened. Then other stuff happens and who knows?
AP: Did you always conceive of “Trouble in Mind” as archival-based, no talking heads?
COEN: The movie has a history preceding our involvement. It was originally conceived as being more on the gospel session T-Bone produced with Jerry Lee in 2019. Along the way, they compiled a lot of archival footage. The archival footage kept piling up. It seemed to make more sense to make it about Jerry Lee than this particular session. We pushed it maybe even further that way.
COOKE: When T-Bone brought it to us initially he described what he wanted as a tone poem. I don’t think we did that. (laughs)
COEN: Yeah, that sounds a little fruity.
COOKE: But we did from the beginning not want just a bunch of talking heads, especially if they weren’t Jerry Lee’s.
COEN: T-Bone was explicit about wanting the movie to start with that performance on “The Ed Sullivan Show” of “She Woke Me Up to Say Goodbye.” And he wanted it to finish with “Another Place, Another Time.” And we went “Oh (expletive), that’s great.” He said the whole performances. We said, “Oh, great. So you’re talking about, like, a good movie.”
AP: You each have worked overwhelmingly in fiction film. Had you often pondered making a documentary? Do you watch a lot of docs?
COOKE: I had made a short documentary years ago called “Where the Girls Are” on the Dina Shore golf tournament. In general, we both love documentaries. Frederick Wiseman and the Maysles and Pennebaker and Barbara Kopple. All of those older documentarians.
COEN: Why are they all old?
COOKE: We’re old.
COEN: Did you see the Beatles documentary? That was fantastic. Goddamn.
AP: The more distance we get from the films and music of mid-century America, the more it seems to me that was such a fertile period of creation that will never be repeated. Like: Wherever Jerry Lee Lewis came from is not a place anyone comes from anymore.
COEN: I totally agree. It’s like, yeah, it’s all gone now.
COOKE: Things aren’t discovered the same way. For Jerry Lee, when he was young, going to a blues club was nothing he had access to before and it became this incredible passion. Everything now is so large, so global — not that that’s necessarily a bad thing — but it doesn’t feel like it has the same passion as it did in the ‘30s, ’40s, ’50s.
AP: When you see him performing, his arms going up and down like pistons, he’s such a dynamo that you can’t help watching and wondering where he came from.
COEN: Musicians are freaks. I mean it in the best possible way.
COOKE: He talks about the Pentecostal Church. It’s almost like he’s overcome with this passion for playing. I just remember being mesmerized when we first started watching the footage.
COEN: Sifting through the archival footage was a once-in-a-lifetime blessing but also a curse. Because he did his share of (expletive) stuff, too.
AP: What’s your personal thresholds in the behavior of an artist and the art they make? “Trouble in Mind” pointedly doesn’t seek to cast judgement.
COEN: If it’s a good movie, that’s why it’s good. What are we supposed to make of that? Right. That’s a permitted question. That’s what makes the movie interesting. How do you put that magnetic performer together with that flawed person? It’s kind of like — I mean none of the Beatles married their 13-year-old cousin — but it’s kind of like the Beatles movie and why it’s so thrilling. You go: Wow. These are both huge cultural figures and smaller-than-life human beings. That’s what’s mind blowing.
Jerry Lee is much the same. I don’t think any sane person is going to ask to embargo the music because his character had certain flaws. Who imposes that choice? All glory to T-Bone for presenting us with the opportunity and saying that it’s going to be about Jerry Lee, about this musician, and it’s not going to be about talking heads telling us what to think about Jerry Lee or about us editorializing, telling the audience what to think about Jerry Lee. All of those things are not recipes for making a good movie and no service to Jerry.
___
Follow AP Film Writer Jake Coyle on Twitter at: http://twitter.com/jakecoyleAP
___
For more Cannes Film Festival coverage, visit: https://apnews.com/hub/cannes-film-festival | 2022-05-21T21:31:46+00:00 | wjhl.com | https://www.wjhl.com/news/national/ethan-coen-on-his-jerry-lee-lewis-doc-and-filmmaking-return/ |
North Dakota lawmakers are considering crafting new term limits for themselves and setting the same for all executive branch officials in a proposal that would override restrictions voters approved last fall.
The House Industry, Business and Labor Committee on Wednesday heard House Concurrent Resolution 3019 by Rep. Jim Kasper, R-Fargo. The measure would have to pass the House of Representatives and the Senate and be approved by voters next year to take effect.
Lawmakers during the hearing extensively questioned the 2022 term limits committee chairman over the measure's provisions, and its campaign funding, spending and relationship to the national group, U.S. Term Limits, which seeks term limits on Congress. Lawmakers also asked about what they called misrepresentation of the measure to voters, as to whom the term limits would apply.
People are also reading…
Last year, 63% of voters approved the term limits for eight cumulative years each in the House and the Senate. The governor cannot be elected to more than two four-year terms. Term limits are not retroactive, meaning the service of current officeholders does not count against them.
Notably, the measure's language also bars the Legislature from proposing amendments to alter or repeal the term limits; only citizens are able to do so. Kasper, who was first elected in 2000, said he "would love to have this in court," calling the 2022 measure flawed and unconstitutional.
The House panel amended the resolution to impose term limits of 12 consecutive years each in the House and Senate, with at least a four-year break before those lawmakers could run to serve again for another 12 consecutive years. Members who completed serving partial terms would be eligible to serve 12 more consecutive years.
The same limits would apply to all elected executive branch officials, such as the attorney general and secretary of state.
"The people of North Dakota have spoken. They said they want term limits, so this is a modification of the current term limit law. This is not a throwing out of term limits. It's just a modification," Kasper told the House panel.
The committee gave the amended resolution an 11-3 "do pass" recommendation, with a House vote likely next week.
Lawmakers opposed Measure 1 last year for reducing institutional knowledge in the Legislature. Gov. Doug Burgum supported the measure.
The measure also was mired in petition fraud allegations that reached the state Supreme Court, which ordered a public vote on the measure that the then-secretary of state had initially rejected.
Measure chairman
Measure Chairman Jared Hendrix opposes Kasper's resolution, calling it unconstitutional and saying a potential lawsuit would be a "frivolous expenditure of state funds."
He called Kasper's proposal "effectively not term limits," amounting to "48 years between both chambers."
Hendrix said the measure "could be worth supporting" if amended to bring the other statewide officeholders in line with the term limits voters approved for the governor and the Legislature.
He also said the Legislature could put to voters whether to abolish the prohibition on legislative proposals to change the term limits.
"You could come back if that were to pass by the people, and then you could tackle the term limits in the Legislature in two years," Hendrix told the House panel.
Committee Chair Scott Louser, R-Minot, commended Hendrix "for coming before the committee and standing for what you believe."
More days
Kasper also introduced House Concurrent Resolution 3020 for annual legislative sessions, which the House panel amended to give the Legislature 100 days for meeting every two years, with an additional 20 days if approved by a two-thirds majority vote of the House and Senate. Days to reconvene and reconsider a governor's veto wouldn't count.
Right now the Legislature can meet for up to 80 days every two years. Kasper said he brought 3020 to enable more experience for new lawmakers in the term limits era.
"Current law, without this bill, we could have annual sessions by just doing it," Kasper said. "But what this is saying is if we're going to go to annual sessions, we're going to need a little bit larger than potentially 40 days each year, so this is saying we can have biennial sessions or the leadership can decide we're going to have annual sessions."
The committee gave 3020 an 8-6 "do pass" recommendation. | 2023-03-08T23:59:19+00:00 | bismarcktribune.com | https://bismarcktribune.com/news/state-and-regional/govt-and-politics/north-dakota-lawmakers-consider-new-term-limits-in-wake-of-voter-passed-measure/article_e4bff948-bdcb-11ed-b809-ef1582266f61.html |
Tiger Woods undergoes ankle surgery
4 Min Read
Tiger Woods announced Wednesday that he has undergone another surgery on the right leg that was severely injured in his 2021 car accident.
Woods’ latest procedure was a fusion of the subtalar joint “to address his post-traumatic arthritis from his previous talus fracture,” according to a statement released on Woods’ Twitter account. The subtalar joint is located just below the ankle joint, between the talus bone and heel bone, according to footcaremd.org.
A subtalar fusion is “appropriate for diseased joints that can’t be replaced,” according to the site. “Once a fusion heals together, it acts as one unit and can restore function and provide significant pain relief.”
No timetable was given for Woods’ return. The surgery was performed by Dr. Martin O’Malley at HSS Sports Medicine in New York City. The statement said O’Malley declared the surgery a success.
Woods was most recently seen at the Masters, where he had to withdraw in the midst of the third round because of plantar fasciitis, an inflammation of the tissue that runs across the bottom of the foot and connects the heel bone to the toes. Videos posted to social media showed Woods limping badly when play was suspended at Augusta National due to inclement weather. Woods had 28 holes remaining in the tournament when the third round was called for the day.
“I can’t imagine him trying to go 27-plus holes (in one day) around here,” his caddie, Joe LaCava, told the New York Post before the tournament. LaCava also described Woods as “pretty banged up.”
“He still has the power, the swing speed, the shots and the length to contend,” LaCava added. “The injury is devastating, but if he could take a cart he could contend tomorrow.”
Woods has competed in five tournaments since his car crash in Southern California. He has made the cut in four of those starts but has completed 72 holes just twice. He played four rounds in his surprise return to golf at last year’s Masters Tournament and at this year’s Genesis Invitational. He withdrew from the 2022 PGA Championship, missed the cut at The Open at St. Andrews and also withdrew from this year’s Masters. Jason Day said at Augusta National that Woods had to withdraw from last year’s PGA Championship because “a screw went through the skin.” Woods shot a second-round 69 at Southern Hills to make the cut but then fired a 79 in the third round before withdrawing.
“He looked like he was laboring pretty hard yesterday,” Day said on the final day of this year’s Masters. “It was obviously difficult to watch because he had to come back out and then play through all (the rain and cold Saturday) morning, and then he had to take a little bit of a break and come back out and play again. It didn't look like, it wasn't the perfect conditions for him to be able to at least get through the round. It's disappointing, but that's just kind of, I think, where we're at with how his body is right now.”
Plantar fasciitis also forced Woods to withdraw from his Hero World Challenge in December, which he intended to play until the pain in his foot made it impossible.
Woods impressed in his 2023 debut at Riviera, though, opening with a 69 and shooting 67 in the third round. He said in his pre-tournament press conference at Augusta National that his mobility was “not where I would like it” but said his memories at the Masters, which he has won five times, inspired him to play. He admitted in that news conference that he did not know how many more appearances at Augusta National were in his future. Woods had to have major surgery on his right leg after his 2021 car accident. The upper and lower portions of his tibia and fibula were broken in multiple places and his ankle bones also suffered damage.
“I’m very lucky to have this leg,” Woods said at this year’s Masters. “It’s mine. Yes, it has been altered and there’s some hardware in there, but it’s still mine. It has been tough and will always be tough. The ability and endurance of what my leg will do going forward will never be the same. I understand that.
“That's why I can't prepare and play as many tournaments as I like, but that's my future, and that's okay. I'm okay with that.” | 2023-04-20T10:34:47+00:00 | pgatour.com | https://www.pgatour.com/article/news/latest/2023/04/19/tiger-woods-undergoes-ankle-surgery-masters |
Which funny Halloween costume for kids is best?
Halloween can be a scary time, especially for kids who are learning to face and conquer their fears. What is a better way to fight fear than by spreading laughter? Wearing a funny costume can make everyone’s Halloween a happier one.
If you want a durable and high-quality costume that is particularly silly, the Inflatable Alien Costume is the top choice. Kids can look like they are being picked up by an alien and give their friends a chuckle.
What to know before you buy a funny Halloween costume for kids
Some Halloween costumes are specifically designed to be funny, but remember that a silly outfit isn’t necessarily needed to make people smile. Kids who are already the class clown don’t have to dress as one to make others laugh.
How to choose a funny Halloween costume for kids
A funny children’s Halloween costume can make everyone chuckle, but it’s important that the child wearing the costume is laughing the hardest. Pick out or create an outfit that celebrates the things that personally bring your child joy.
Iconic characters from movies, television and games can serve as inspiration for a funny outfit. If there isn’t a specific person or character that your kid would like to emulate, consider a costume that serves as a play on words. For a random example, your child could wear a plastic tube and boxing gloves to introduce themselves as “the straw that broke the camel’s back” or another witty punchline. Unlike most Halloween costumes, funny costumes don’t need to be some kind of person, animal or machine to get a unique and fun idea across.
What to look for in a funny Halloween costume for kids
Durability
Kids will get more use out of a costume made of durable material that is built to last, even when handled roughly or worn at multiple Halloween events. A good costume is not only fun for kids to play while wearing, but it also has to stay in one piece while kids go trick-or-treating around the neighborhood. If a funny costume has moving parts or accessories, it’s especially important that it won’t fall apart.
Humor
Not all jokes are universally funny. Everyone’s individual sense of humor should be celebrated and enjoyed, but there is a time and place for funny costumes. Not all outfits are appropriate for all occasions. Consider where a kid will be wearing the costume, the age of the other children at the event and make sure that the humor is acceptable for the event.
Imaginative
The best funny costumes give kids the opportunity to be creative and imaginative when they go trick-or-treating. Try combining more than one idea, especially themes that might not usually go together, for a funny end result. Two normal costumes that are not typically combined could be put together for a very imaginative and funny end result.
How much you can expect to spend on a funny Halloween costume for kids
Great costumes can be found or put together for under $30. Depending on the complexity and materials, funny costumes for kids could cost about $30-$100.
Funny Halloween costume for kids FAQ
Should a funny costume stand out?
A. It is easier for a funny costume to achieve its goal if it is visually distinct and does not blend in with the crowd. Of course, a costume should not be too big for a child to comfortably and safely move around while wearing.
What funny costumes should kids avoid?
A. Humor is subjective and a matter of personal taste, but some outfits are probably better avoided depending on the event. If a kid needs a funny costume for a Halloween event at a school or religious organization, outfits that would be funny and appropriate will be different from the limitless possibilities that a costume could be while trick-or-treating. Consider the time, place and ages of the children before wearing costumes that feature any controversial humor.
What’s the best funny Halloween costume for kids to buy?
Top funny Halloween costume for kids
What you need to know: This is a high-quality inflatable suit that’s fun for kids who like aliens.
What you’ll love: Kids can wear comfortable clothing under the blow-up suit and easily move around. The costume comes in a few different sizes and the material is strong and durable, making it difficult for kids to accidentally cause damage. The suit self-inflates quickly using four AA batteries or by connecting a portable power bank with the USB cord.
What you should consider: Some customers have accidentally received the wrong sizes or defective suits.
Where to buy: Sold by Amazon
Top funny Halloween costume for kids for the money
What you need to know: This is an affordable costume that’s a funny option for kids who love dinosaurs.
What you’ll love: This costume includes a hat to go with the main suit. The built-in fan keeps the costume inflated on its own when powered with four AA batteries. The battery pack can be clipped to a belt, and kids can wear normal clothing under the inflatable outfit to safely run around in the costume. The costume comes in a few varieties, depending on the size or color desired.
What you should consider: Some customers have had trouble getting the fan to work, especially for long periods of time.
Where to buy: Sold by Amazon
Worth checking out
What you need to know: A magical, inflatable costume, it’s perfect for kids who love fantasy.
What you’ll love: This costume is available in two sizes, depending on the age of the kid. The air pump can be powered by a portable power bank or four AA batteries. The costume has a built-in pocket for storing the battery pack to keep a kid’s pockets free for other items. Kids can wear their favorite comfortable clothing under the inflatable suit.
What you should consider: Some customers have reported receiving the suit with missing parts or faulty components.
Where to buy: Sold by Amazon
Want to shop the best products at the best prices? Check out Daily Deals from BestReviews.
Sign up here to receive the BestReviews weekly newsletter for useful advice on new products and noteworthy deals.
Elliot Rivette writes for BestReviews. BestReviews has helped millions of consumers simplify their purchasing decisions, saving them time and money.
Copyright 2022 BestReviews, a Nexstar company. All rights reserved. | 2022-09-10T22:07:12+00:00 | mytwintiers.com | https://www.mytwintiers.com/reviews/br/apparel-br/holiday-br/best-funny-halloween-costume-for-kids/ |
Season 10 of “Vanderpump Rules” brought drama, betrayal and more. Fans can expect no different with part 2 of the Reunion airing Wednesday, May 31 on Bravo at 9 p.m. with the whole cast rehashing the drama they lived during the show.
The reunion show will air over the next 3 weeks on Wednesdays for an hour beginning at 9 p.m. on Bravo, with the reunion finale airing June 7.
Lisa Vanderpump, Ariana Madix, James Kennedy, Katie Maloney, Lala Kent, Raquel Leviss, Scheana Shay, Tom Sandoval, and Tom Schwartz all be returned for season 10, bringing more drama and antics. Newcomers included James’s girlfriend Ally Lewber, Charli Burnett and Kristina Kelly, who appeared on the show off and on in earlier seasons.
“Vanderpump Rules” season 10 reunion part 1 premieres on Bravo at 9 p.m., May 24. You can watch it on FuboTV (free trial) and DirecTV Stream (free trial).
Where to find Bravo
You can find which channel Bravo is on by using the channel finders here: Verizon Fios, AT&T U-verse, Comcast Xfinity, Spectrum/Charter, Optimum/Altice, DIRECTV and Dish.
For those without cable, watch with these streaming services
You can watch it on Fubo, an entertainment streaming service that offers 100+ channels and a 7-day free trial. You can also stream it on DirecTV Stream.
About the Show
According to Bravo’s official synopsis, “Lisa Vanderpump first gained fame as a cast member on “The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills,” but her full-time job is as co-owner and boss at West Hollywood, Calif., restaurant SUR, which stands for Sexy Unique Restaurant. Vanderpump balances her motherly instinct with her shrewd business sense to maintain control over the restaurant’s wild group of employees who are working at the eatery while pursuing their dreams. Drama seems to be part of the job for the employees at SUR, who tend to date -- and, in most cases, subsequently break up with -- their fellow co-workers.”
More about FuboTV
FuboTV offers and 7-day free trial and starts at $70 per month for access to MTV and more than 120 other news, entertainment and sports channels under the Pro Plan; you can also upgrade to the Elite package ($80 monthly) which includes more than 180 channels and over 130 events in 4K. Both plans let you record TV shows, movies, games and more and watch on unlimited screens.
More about DirecTV Stream
Get $30 off your first two months when you sign up for a new DirecTV Stream subscription, which starts at $70 per month The streamer offers MTV and more than 65 sports, entertainment and news channels under its Entertainment package ($70 monthly). Other plans offer over 90 to 140 channels, with prices ranging from $84 to $140 per month; you can also add on HBO Max, Starz, Showtime and other channels to add to your options for movies and TV. | 2023-06-01T11:41:21+00:00 | pennlive.com | https://www.pennlive.com/life/2023/06/how-to-stream-vanderpump-rules-season-10-reunion-part-2-without-cable-53123.html |
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden will make a week-long, three country trip next month for a quartet of summits—including one that could potentially put him in the same room as China’s Xi Jinping and Russia’s Vladimir Putin.
White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre announced Friday that Biden will first travel to Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt on Nov. 11 for the COP 27 climate conference before heading to Phnom Penh, Cambodia, to participate in the U.S.-ASEAN Summit of Southeast Asian leaders and the East Asia Summit. He’ll then head to Bali, Indonesia for the Group of 20 summit, a gathering of leaders from most of the world’s largest economies.
The president’s overseas travel begins just days after the pivotal midterm elections in the United States, which will determine which party controls the House and Senate.
The G-20 summit could also offer Biden his first opportunity as president to meet face-to-face with his Chinese counterpart, Xi, and potentially puts him in the same room with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Saudi Arabia’s crown prince, Mohammed bin Salman. The prince, who often is referred to by his initials MBS, is the de facto leader of the oil rich kingdom.
Putin, Xi and MBS have yet to announce their travel plans.
Biden and Xi travelled together in the U.S. and China when both were vice presidents and have held several calls since Biden became president in January 2021. But the U.S.-China relationship has become increasingly fraught.
The U.S. president has taken China to task for human rights abuses against the Uyghur and other ethnic minorities, squelching democracy activists’ voices in Hong Kong, coercive trade practices, its military provocations against democratic, self-ruled Taiwan and differences over Russia’s prosecution of its eight-month -old war against Ukraine
Xi’s government, meanwhile, has criticized the Biden administration’s posture toward Taiwan—which Beijing looks to eventually unify with communist mainland China— as undermining China’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.
White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said earlier this week that U.S. and Chinese officials were working to arrange a meeting of the leaders but one has not yet been confirmed. Biden on Wednesday at the start of a meeting with Defense Department officials underscored the “responsibility to manage increasingly intense competition with China.”
“We must maintain, as I said, our military advantage, but we’re making it clear that we don’t seek conflict,” Biden said.
It’s less likely that Biden would hold one-on-one meetings with Putin or MBS.
The Biden administration organized the international community to hit Moscow with a barrage of sanctions following the Russian invasion of Ukraine and has pledged more than $40 billion in economic and military assistance to assist Ukraine and its neighbors impacted by the war.
Biden and Putin held a face-to-face meeting in Geneva, Switzerland, in June 2021, months before Russia began massing troops along Ukraine’s border. They last spoke by phone in February, with Biden warning Putin that Russia would face “severe costs” if he moved forward with the invasion.
Biden announced earlier this month that there would be “consequences” for Saudi Arabia after the Riyadh-led OPEC+ alliance moves to cut oil production. The White House also said it is reevaluating its relationship with the kingdom in light of the oil production cut that White House officials say will help Russia, another OPEC+ member, pad its coffers as it continues its nearly eight-month war in Ukraine.
Vice President Kamala Harris will travel separately to Bangkok, Thailand, to attend the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Leaders’ meeting Nov. 18-19, and then visit Manila, the Philippines, the White House said. | 2022-10-29T11:04:18+00:00 | qcnews.com | https://www.qcnews.com/news/world-news/ap-biden-to-head-to-cambodia-egypt-indonesia-for-summits/ |
WARSAW, Poland (AP) — In the Latvian capital of Riga, an obelisk that soared high above a park to commemorate the Soviet Army’s capture of that nation in 1944 was toppled last week. It crashed into a pond to the cheers of those watching.
Days earlier in Estonia, a replica of a Soviet tank with the communist red star was removed by cranes and trucked away to a museum — one of up to 400 destined for removal. And in Poland, Lithuania and Czechia, monuments to the Red Army have been coming down for months, a belated purge of what many see as symbols of past oppression.
Russia’s war on Ukraine has given a renewed push to topple the last remaining Soviet monuments in nations that regained their sovereignty from Moscow more than three decades ago. These countries now belong to NATO and the European Union and are staunch supporters of Ukraine.
At the end of the communist era, when Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia regained their independence from the Soviet Union and Poland and its neighbors rejected Moscow-backed communism, those nations began renaming streets and purging the most hated symbols, including statues of Soviet founder Vladimir Lenin and other communist bosses. Many of these relics are now housed in museums.
In Warsaw, authorities in 1989 quickly toppled a monument to Felix Dzerzhinsky, a Polish aristocrat who organized the Soviet secret police after the 1917 Bolshevik revolution. Under his rule, the Cheka, the forerunner of the KGB, was responsible for a wave of terror.
Such changes followed the reforms of Mikhail Gorbachev, the last Soviet leader, who died in a Moscow hospital on Tuesday at the age of 91.
But memorials to Soviet soldiers or their role in defeating Nazi Germany remained in many places, met with indifference or respect for the ordinary soldiers who died fighting Adolf Hitler’s brutal regime.
The war in Ukraine, however, has triggered memories of how some of those soldiers also raped local women and carried out other war crimes.
Krista Sarv, the research director for the Estonian History Museum, said after statues of Lenin and other leading communists were toppled in the 1990s, people could largely ignore the other memorials. But views changed suddenly after the Russian invasion of Ukraine on Feb. 24, and now the memorials “scream loudly about occupation and annexation.”
Karol Nawrocki, the head of Poland’s Institute of National Remembrance which is overseeing the removal of the monuments, says “before our eyes, history has become a living experience.”
“Dressed in the uniforms of the Russian Federation, with Lenin and Stalin in their heads and hearts, Russian soldiers ‘liberate’ Ukraine by murdering women, children and killing soldiers,” Nawrocki said.
“Let it be clear: There is no place in the Polish public space for any commemoration of the totalitarian communist regime and its people,” he added.
A 2016 decommunization law had already called for a purge of communist symbols and names, but some municipalities did not have the money for that, so the institute has stepped in to help. Since February, the Polish institute has identified 60 monuments for removal — and has toppled more than 20.
In Lithuania, a number of remaining Soviet memorials have been removed since the spring to little protest. But in Latvia and Estonia, which have sizeable Russian minorities, the removals have stirred greater emotions, with local Russians — and the Russian government — seeing it as an offense against their war heroes.
Dmitry Prokopenko, a Russian-speaking Latvian who opposed removing the Riga obelisk, said his grandparents fought and a great-grandfather died in the fight “for freedom against the Nazis.” To him, the memorial honored their sacrifice.
“Latvia is a land where Latvians and Russians live together,” he said. “I think that one part of the state, one part of the country, should respect also the rights of the other part.”
The Russian Foreign Ministry on Tuesday released a lengthy statement denouncing the demolition of Soviet monuments in the Baltic countries as “barbaric” and threatening Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia with retaliatory measures.
In apparent slap against Poland, Belarus last week reportedly leveled a memorial containing the graves of Polish wartime soldiers.
Polish officials declared that action barbaric, given that Poland has a policy of not disturbing the graves of Soviet soldiers. Rafal Leskiewicz, a historian with the Polish remembrance institute, explained “as Christians, we treat graves as holy ground. It doesn’t matter who is in the graves.”
In some cases locals support keeping Red Army memorials because of its role in defeating Nazi Germany. Some fear the erasure of historical memory, or see an affront to their own ancestors who fought alongside the Soviets.
In Poland’s northern city of Gdansk, there’s been a heated debate about a Soviet T-34 tank on Victory Avenue, and the city has decided not to remove it. The tank commander was a Polish lieutenant, and Polish soldiers played a key role in freeing the former German city of Danzig from the Nazis.
In an open letter, two descendants of wartime Polish soldiers expressed their indignation at the removal of monuments.
They recalled that Polish soldiers died fighting with the Soviets to free Poland from the Nazis and that the Soviet victory resulted in Poland receiving a swath of defeated Germany’s territory and cities including Gdansk and Wroclaw. They also noted it was the Red Army that liberated Auschwitz, Majdanek and many other Nazi death camps.
“Had it not been for the victory of Polish and Soviet soldiers in May 1945, Poland might not have existed at all,” said the letter by magazine editor Pawel Dybicz and historian August Grabski.
But many other Poles note that World War II broke out after Soviet Union and Nazi Germany agreed secretly in 1939 to carve up Poland and the Baltic states. Only after Germany betrayed and invaded the Soviet Union did the Red Army begin to fight the Germans.
Even before Russia’s war in Ukraine, the monuments have been a source of tensions.
In 2007, the relocation of a World War II monument of a Red Army soldier in Tallinn, Estonia, sparked days of rioting.
In 2013, an artist put up a statue depicting a Soviet soldier raping a pregnant woman next to the Gdansk tank. The unauthorized sculpture was quickly removed. After Russia invaded Ukraine, a different artist covered the tank with a large hand-sewn Ukrainian flag to protest what he called the “tyranny” of Russian President Vladimir Putin.
In March, as Poland was figuring out a timetable for taking down Soviet monuments, a resident of the northern city of Koszalin took matters into his own hands. He drove an excavator onto a cemetery and toppled the statue of a Soviet soldier being hugged by a girl.
Nawrocki says the official removal of Soviet monuments in Poland is progressing at “a very fast pace, but it is a matter that should have been settled long ago.”
___
Follow all AP stories on the impact of the war in Ukraine at https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine. | 2022-08-31T14:55:32+00:00 | wric.com | https://www.wric.com/news/u-s-world/ap-statues-topple-as-europe-purges-communist-monuments/ |
Extended stretch of cool days ahead
SHREVEPORT, La. (KSLA) - Our latest cold front is ushering in a pattern change that will bring much cooler weather to the ArkLaTex for an extended period of time. After drying out this weekend expect to see another wet day as we start off next week.
Areas of rain and showers will continue into this evening with temperatures gradually falling back through the 50s and 60s. Overnight the rain will begin to wrap up after midnight with dry conditions expected by daybreak. Temperatures will continue to fall into the 30s and low 40s by morning.
We’ll be partly cloudy, cool and dry on Saturday. Temperatures will only reach the low to mid 50s which is about 15 degrees below average for this time of year.
Sunday will see mostly sunny skies, but continued cool conditions. We’ll see a frosty start in the morning with temperatures around freezing. By afternoon we’ll warm back into the low to mid 50s.
Another rain maker will arrive at the start of next week. Widespread wet weather is expected to settle in across the area by Monday afternoon with temperatures remaining cool in the upper 40s to low 50s.
We’ll dry out on Tuesday, but cloudy skies and cool conditions will remain. Highs once again will struggle to make it much above 50.
More cool weather is expected the second half of the week. Highs will stay in the low to mid 50s with morning lows mostly in the 30s. A few showers are possible Thursday, but overall rain chances look low at this point.
Have a great weekend!
Copyright 2022 KSLA. All rights reserved. | 2022-11-11T22:02:13+00:00 | ksla.com | https://www.ksla.com/2022/11/11/extended-stretch-cool-days-ahead/ |
WA Marine Warnings and Forecast for Saturday, September 3, 2022
_____
GALE WARNING
URGENT - MARINE WEATHER MESSAGE
National Weather Service Seattle WA
245 AM PDT Sat Sep 3 2022
...SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY IN EFFECT UNTIL 8 AM PDT THIS MORNING...
...GALE WARNING IS CANCELLED...
* WHAT...West winds 15 to 30 kt easing.
* WHERE...Central U. S. Waters Strait Of Juan De Fuca and East
Entrance U. S. Waters Strait Of Juan De Fuca.
* WHEN...Until 8 AM PDT this morning.
* IMPACTS...Conditions will be hazardous to small craft.
PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...
A Small Craft Advisory means that wind speeds of 21 to 33 knots
and/or seas 10 feet or higher are expected to produce hazardous
wave conditions to small craft. Inexperienced mariners,
especially those operating smaller vessels should avoid
navigating in these conditions.
...SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY NOW IN EFFECT UNTIL 8 AM PDT THIS
MORNING...
* WHAT...South winds 15 to 25 kt easing.
* WHERE...Northern Inland Waters Including The San Juan Islands.
_____
Copyright 2022 AccuWeather | 2022-09-03T10:48:22+00:00 | lmtonline.com | https://www.lmtonline.com/weather/article/WA-Marine-Warning-and-Forecast-17417184.php |
Director John Waters has helmed many cult classics including “Hairspray,” “Polyester,” and “Pink Flamingos.” His newest project is a novel called “Liarmouth: A Feel Bad Novel.” Waters talks about the surprising film from the 1940s that inspired decades of outrageous work.
The Treat: Filmmaker and novelist John Waters on the film that shocked and titillated him as a young boy
Hey! Did you enjoy this piece? We can’t do it without you. We are member-supported, so your donation is critical to KCRW's music programming, news reporting, and cultural coverage. Help support the DJs, journalists, and staff of the station you love.
Here's how:
- Sign-up for our newsletters.
- Become a KCRW member.
- Subscribe to our Podcasts.
- Donate to KCRW.
- Download our App.
Credits
Guest:
- John Waters - author, 'Liarmouth: A Feel Bad Novel' | 2022-06-04T11:59:46+00:00 | kcrw.com | https://www.kcrw.com/culture/shows/the-treatment/rothaniel-girls5eva-and-the-surprising-film-that-jump-started-john-waters-career/the-treat-filmmaker-and-novelist-john-waters-on-the-film-that-shocked-and-titillated-him-as-a-young-boy?utm_source=KCRW&utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=kcrw-news-rss |
Boston Bruins top NHL season points mark, beating Washington Capitals 5-2
Brad Marchand and Tyler Bertuzzi had power play goals and the Boston Bruins broke the NHL points record with a 5-2 victory over the Washington Capitals on Tuesday night in their regular-season home finale.
Under chants of “We want the Cup!” the Bruins’ won their seventh straight to push their points total to 133, one more than the 1976-77 Montreal Canadiens. Those Canadiens played in an era without overtime and shootouts.
The Bruins broke the mark a game after setting the NHL victory’ record with 63 on Sunday at Philadelphia, breaking a tie with the 1995-96 Detroit Red Wings and 2018-19 Tampa Bay Lightning.
Tomas Nosek, Garnet Hathaway and Jake DeBrusk also scored for Boston on Tuesday night in win No. 64.
A night after reaching 60 goals in season for the first time, David Pastrnak posted his 50th and 51st assists. Linus Ullmark finished with 19 saves, with left the game with just over nine minutes left with an undisclosed issue. Marchand and Patrice Bergeron added assists.
When the playoffs begin the Bruins will have home-ice advantage throughout in pursuit of the franchise’s first Stanley Cup championship since 2011.
Nick Jensen and Tom Wilson scored for the Capitals. Charlie Lindgren had 33 saves, including a one-handed, gloveless save on Pastrnak early in the third period.
Wilson narrowed what had been a two-goal deficit to 3-2 in the third before Nosek found Hathaway cutting toward the net for his 13th goal.
The Bruins got their first power play of the game with 12:24 left in the second after Matt Irwin was called for a cross-check on Taylor Hall.
Less than a minute later Boston turned it into a 1-0 lead when David Pastrnak gathered a pass from Patrice Bergeron, immediately drew some defenders in the middle of the ice and flipped it to bottom of the right faceoff circle to Marchand, who finished off his 21st goal of the season. It was his first goal in 17 games after having last scored in a loss to Edmonton on March 9.
Boston was on the power play again after Tom Wilson was called for roughing Charlie McAvoy with just under seven minutes to play in the period.
The Bruins made it 2-0 when Bertuzzi found himself in perfect position to rebound a shot by Pastrnak and push through his eighth goal of the season.
Jensen trimmed the margin to a goal with 4:53 left in the period, when his wrist shot appeared to clip McAvoy and trickle by Ullmark for Jensen’s fifth goal of the year of the year. | 2023-04-12T02:28:19+00:00 | wmur.com | https://www.wmur.com/article/boston-bruins-top-nhl-season-points-mark/43570953 |
Commvault's customers can now benefit from the simplicity, security, and scalability of Commvault's enterprise-grade Metallic Data Protection as a Service (DPaaS) for Salesforce production and sandbox environments
TINTON FALLS, N.J., July 13, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Commvault (NASDAQ: CVLT) today announced it has launched Metallic: Salesforce Backup, Recovery & Sandbox Seeding - Unlimited Storage on Salesforce AppExchange, providing customers with dedicated protection for their Salesforce cloud data, expanding upon native capabilities to offer extended retention, data isolation, sandbox masking and seeding, rapid recovery tools, and more. Metallic: Salesforce Backup, Recovery & Sandbox Seeding - Unlimited Storage offers broad-ranging coverage across Salesforce Sales Cloud, Financial Services Cloud, Service Cloud, and Health Cloud to help safeguard data from deletion, corruption, and ransomware attacks.
Metallic: Salesforce Backup, Recovery & Sandbox Seeding - Unlimited Storage is currently available on AppExchange at https://appexchange.salesforce.com/appxListingDetail?listingId=a0N4V00000HDcS6UAL&tab=e
Metallic: Salesforce Backup, Recovery & Sandbox Seeding - Unlimited Storage
With a multi-layered security approach, Metallic: Salesforce Backup, Recovery & Sandbox Seeding - Unlimited Storage provides enterprise-grade protection, including robust security standards and built-in zero-trust access controls for production and sandbox environments. In addition, it features ease of management with a single pane of glass approach, enabling businesses to comprehensively protect their Salesforce data alongside their other critical workloads.
"Availability on AppExchange leverages Salesforce's central marketplace to create a fast and direct method for Salesforce developers and admins to access solutions that secure, protect, and defend their environments in the face of cyberthreats," said Param Kumarasamy, Vice President of Product Management, Commvault. "Our solution provides the critical tools that protect these environments, as well as a wide breadth of workloads, helping customers reduce downtime and rapidly recover from attack while leveraging advanced, hardened, and proactive security controls."
"Salesforce plays a critical role in our day-to-day operations and the potential of losing that data was too high a risk for us. We needed a solution that went beyond the standard data management package to take us to the next level of protection," said Jason Kehl, Senior Vice President of Engineering & Data Science, Vectra. "This app was the answer. With a single platform design that makes it seamless to manage not only our Salesforce data, but all workloads across our infrastructure, as well as the highest level of security offered by any cloud-based data management solution, we can rest assured that our data is in good hands. The addition of Metallic on AppExchange means that Salesforce has thoroughly tested and approved the solution, providing another layer of confidence."
"Metallic: Salesforce Backup, Recovery & Sandbox Seeding - Unlimited Storage is a welcome addition to AppExchange, as it accelerates business transformation for customers by delivering hardened security, robust coverage, and comprehensive control, all through a single, simplistic platform, in a data protection as a service environment," said David Lee, Vice President of Product Management, AppExchange. "AppExchange is constantly evolving to connect customers with the right apps and experts for their business needs."
Metallic: Salesforce Backup, Recovery & Sandbox Seeding - Unlimited Storage enables customers to learn more about this solution, watch demo videos, download product-specific resources, read reviews, register for a free 30-day trial, and more. Users can also request additional information on Metallic solutions.
About Salesforce AppExchange
Salesforce AppExchange, the world's leading enterprise cloud marketplace, empowers companies, developers and entrepreneurs to build, market and grow in entirely new ways. With more than 7,000 listings, 11 million customer installs and 117,000 peer reviews, AppExchange connects customers of all sizes and across industries to ready-to-install or customizable apps and Salesforce-certified consultants to solve any business challenge.
Additional Resources
Salesforce, AppExchange, Sales Cloud, Financial Services Cloud, Service Cloud, Health Cloud and others are among the trademarks of salesforce.com, inc.
About Commvault
Commvault (NASDAQ: CVLT) is a global leader in cloud data protection. Our industry-leading platform redefines the next generation of data protection as the only solution with comprehensive data protection, proactive data defense, advanced ransomware protection, and a single view across all your data. This lets you secure, defend, and recover your data, applications, and production workloads – on-premises, in the cloud, over SaaS, or spread across hybrid and multi-cloud environments. The result is early warning of attacks, active defense to reduce the impact of intrusion, and rapid, accurate recovery of your data. Simply put, Commvault is data, protected. For over 25 years, more than 100,000 organizations have relied on Commvault to keep their data secure and ready to drive business growth. Learn more at www.commvault.com or follow us @Commvault.
View original content to download multimedia:
SOURCE Commvault | 2023-07-13T13:39:32+00:00 | kcbd.com | https://www.kcbd.com/prnewswire/2023/07/13/commvault-announces-metallic-salesforce-backup-recovery-amp-sandbox-seeding-unlimited-storage-salesforce-appexchange-worlds-leading-enterprise-cloud-marketplace/ |
Mahalo for supporting Honolulu Star-Advertiser. Enjoy this free story!
Josh Green became Hawaii’s ninth governor Monday in an inauguration filled with pomp and promise.
“Huliau,” or new beginnings, was the theme for Green and new Lt. Gov. Sylvia Luke at the Neal S. Blaisdell Arena ceremony.
Several speakers said the new Green-Luke administration coincides with the latest eruption of Mauna Loa and the arrival of snow atop Mauna Kea.
Green and Luke were greeted with standing ovations following their separate swearing-in ceremonies presided over by Hawaii Chief Justice Mark E. Recktenwald.
“This moment is a new beginning for our state, and I am honored to serve as your
governor for the next four years,” Green told an estimated audience of about 700.
Luke was sworn in with her hand on a
Bible given by her mother, Yunja Moon, who flew in from Georgia. It is inscribed, “To my loving daughter Eun Jung. I love you Lord, You are my strength. Psalm 18:1.”
Green and first lady Jaime Green were joined by their children, Maia and Sam. There was a sweet moment when the children led the audience by citing the Pledge
of Allegiance.
Green recognized his parents, John and Natasha, his “baby brother Ben” and his fifth grade teacher, who all came in for the inauguration.
Before his first speech as governor, Green said he first had to get to work fixing a teleprompter by adjusting it.
The inauguration and a subsequent private ball were paid for by a Hawaii nonprofit called the Huliau Steering Committee created to fund the events. Any leftover proceeds will be donated to the Washington Place Foundation and Hawaii Foodbank, Green’s spokesperson said.
In his speech, Green promised to follow up on his early work as a Hawaii island doctor serving the homeless and poor out of a Kau clinic; partnerships developed during a 2019 emergency medical mission to Western Samoa that he organized in the face of a devastating measles epidemic; and work with builders to create more “kauhale” tiny-home communities and to build affordable homes across the islands to help kupuna and the middle class.
Green also pledged to:
>> Resolve by the end of the year a technical dispute over the release of $50 million in grants-in-aid to nonprofit groups that were appropriated by the Legislature last session. The money would go to organizations including the Hawaii Blood Bank, Hawaii Foodbank, Domestic Violence Action Center, Aloha Medical Mission, Hawaiian Humane Society, Institute for Human Services and Special Olympics Hawaii, and “to pay for social workers and mental health workers to support local families, to provide food for children who are going hungry and to create safe places for victims of sex assault to seek shelter,” Green said.
>> Following up on the Legislature’s record funding of $600 million to the state Department of Hawaiian Home Lands, Green said he will “empower” DHHL to “once and for all keep our commitments to the Hawaiian people, and house the thousands of Hawaiian families on the waiting list.”
>> “We’ll use scholarships to pay down the loans that social workers, nurses and doctors have, so that they can afford to live in Hawaii provide care for our families who need it the most.”
>> “We’ll eliminate regressive taxes like the tax on food and medicine, which hits poorest families the worst, to make Hawaii affordable for those struggling to survive from paycheck to paycheck.”
>> “And we’ll find a way to restore justice for those who have lost their way and been forgotten by the legal system but do not deserve to be lost forever.”
>> “Hawaii will lead on climate change when others just talk or refuse to act. We’ll reach our ambitious renewable-energy goals in the coming years, by aggressively approving a range of renewable-energy projects in our state.”
“Hawaii can lead on the biggest challenges facing our country and our planet in the 21st century,” Green said. “We can set an example for the whole world on the issues of housing, homelessness, poverty and climate change if we truly come together and commit to putting our values of ohana and aloha into practice — and make them a reality for everyone in Hawaii.”
The ceremony included three county mayors, legislators from both political parties and newly elected U.S. Rep. Jill Tokuda, who will represent rural Oahu and the neighbor islands when she takes office in
January.
Senate President Ronald D. Kouchi (D, Kauai-Niihau) said in a statement:
“As we look forward to this period of Huliau or new beginnings, I look forward to working with Gov. Josh Green, Lt. Gov. Sylvia Luke, and their new administration. With many challenges facing the state, it is my hope that our three branches of government can work
collaboratively towards a common goal of improving the quality of life for the people of Hawaii.”
A procession included five of Green’s predecessors: former Govs. George Ariyoshi, John Waihee, Neil Abercrombie, Linda Lingle and David Ige, who wrapped up two terms and eight years in office with Green’s inauguration.
Noticeably absent were former Gov. Ben Cayetano, who was hospitalized earlier this year with heart issues, and former first lady Vicky Cayetano, who was beaten by Green in August following a bitter Democratic campaign for governor.
The ceremony began at
11 a.m., and the swearing-in ceremony was scheduled for noon, in accordance with the state Constitution.
But the events ran far ahead of schedule, and so the Royal Hawaiian Band and their singers had to play longer than expected — concluding with a set of Christmas songs — before Green and Luke could be sworn in at the appointed hour.
As the band played on, at one point singer Kala‘i Stern quipped, “This extended concert by the Royal Hawaiian Band has been brought to you by the clock.” | 2022-12-06T11:21:29+00:00 | staradvertiser.com | https://www.staradvertiser.com/2022/12/06/hawaii-news/new-hawaii-gubernatorial-leadership-takes-the-reins/ |
This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Draymond Green believes that he’s the NBA’s best at playing defense.
Except on Twitter. There, he plays offense.
This explains why, on Friday night between Games 1 and 2 of the NBA Finals, the Golden State forward opened up his Twitter page and let the 1.7 million people who follow him there know what he was thinking.
“Let me guess…. Go to the gym Draymond you suck? I’ve been there already! How about Go watch film y’all Took an L? did that last night and today and will watch more later… SHUT UP!!” he wrote, followed by four crying-laughing emojis.
Thing is, he wasn’t really responding to anyone. He didn’t quote-tweet somebody’s hot take or reply to somebody who directed a comment his way. Green simply presumed that complaints were out there after he struggled and the Warriors lost Game 1 of the title series to the Boston Celtics on Thursday night.
“To be honest with you, I don’t really read my Twitter, so I was just saying stuff that I know people would say,” Green said Saturday. “I don’t really read people’s tweets. If I’m going to tweet, sometimes you may go to Twitter and see a couple things, but I didn’t read anything. I just know how people are. I know what trolls do, and those are the things that they would say.”
NBA Twitter isn’t a village, but closer to a metropolis these days. LeBron James has 51.4 million followers by himself, the league account has 37.5 million, and the league generated 5 billion views — 32% more than last year at this time — across its social platforms just through the first three playoff rounds this season.
And Green is one of the few players — Brooklyn’s Kevin Durant is famously another — who will engage with those complaining about him, disagreeing with him or just trying to be a troll.
“It’s the world we live in — clickbait headlines, who can get the most views, who can say the most outlandish thing,” Green said. “That’s just the world we live in. That’s what makes this sport what it is, though.”
Warriors guard Stephen Curry has roughly 10 times the Twitter following that Green has, though tends to use his platform in a different way. Through Saturday, Curry’s only tweet in the span of about three weeks was a retweet of Warriors coach Steve Kerr’s emotional plea for change following a school shooting in Uvalde, Texas, last month.
Curry acknowledged that there are some instances where criticism can be inspiring. But he also indicated that he doesn’t run to the comments after a loss seeking fuel to motivate him for the next game.
“Never really gets to me as much in terms of it changing anything other than expectations that I have for myself out there on the court, or again, the standard that I set for myself in terms of how I’m supposed to play,” Curry said. “At the end of the day, it’s just about winning the basketball game. If we go out there and do that on Sunday, I’m sure whatever the noise is will be a little bit more favorable for us.”
Green doesn’t just use Twitter to let his thoughts be known. He’s a podcaster and signed a deal earlier this year to be an analyst for Turner Sports, even while remaining an active player.
Here’s a little secret: Green might often disagree with the trolls, or what he imagines they're saying, but he doesn’t mind them out there making noise. Deep down, he views it all as a compliment.
“There will always be noise, but there’s only noise when you’re great,” Green said. “There’s only noise when someone wants to hear that noise. Nobody’s talking about some of these teams that are at home that didn’t make the playoffs. There is no noise. No one cares.”
___
More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports | 2022-06-05T07:28:34+00:00 | expressnews.com | https://www.expressnews.com/sports/article/On-Twitter-Warriors-Green-likes-playing-some-17220428.php |
In the aftermath of the devastating earthquake in Turkey and Syria, thousands of volunteer software developers have been using a crucial Twitter tool to comb the platform for calls for help — including from people trapped in collapsed buildings — and connect people with rescue organizations.
They could lose access as soon as Monday unless they pay Twitter a monthly fee of at least $100 — prohibitive for many volunteers and nonprofits on shoestring budgets.
“That’s not just for rescue efforts which unfortunately we’re coming to the end of, but for logistics planning too as people go to Twitter to broadcast their needs,” said Sedat Kapanoglu, the founder of Eksi Sozluk, Turkey’s most popular social platform, who has been advising some of the volunteers in their efforts.
Nonprofits, researchers and others need the tool, known as the API, or Application Developer Interface, to analyze Twitter data because the sheer amount of information makes it impossible for a human to go through by hand.
Kapanoglu says hundreds of “good Samaritans” have been giving out their own, premium paid API access keys (Twitter already offered a paid version with more features) for use in the rescue efforts. But he says this isn’t “sustainable or the right way” to do this. It might even be against Twitter’s rules.
Monday is the deadline Twitter set for shutting off free access to its API, an added challenge for the thousands of developers in Turkey and beyond who are working around the clock to harness Twitter’s unique, open ecosystem for disaster relief.
“For Turkish coders working with Twitter API for disaster monitoring purposes, this is particularly worrying — and I’d imagine it is similarly worrying for others around the world that are using Twitter data to monitor emergencies and politically contested events,” said Akin Unver, a professor of international relations at Ozyegin University in Istanbul.
The new fees are just the latest complication for programmers, academics and others trying to use the API — and they say communicating with anyone at the company has become essentially impossible since Elon Musk took over.
The API paywall is Musk’s latest attempt to squeeze revenue out of Twitter, which is on the hook for about $1 billion in yearly interest payments from the billionaire’s acquisition, completed in October.
It’s not just disaster relief groups that are concerned. Academic and non-governmental researchers for years have used Twitter to study the spread of misinformation and hate speech or research public health or how people behave online.
Rebekah Tromble, director of the Institute for Data, Democracy, and Politics at George Washington University, used the Twitter API to track conversations on Twitter to see what kinds of tweets elicited attacks from trolls — and what got them to go away — in one study.
“With so little information from Twitter about the practicalities of this new policy, the specifics of it, we just don’t know where to go. We have no way to do the planning. And for many of us who are in the field, running programs, running projects that have real world consequences, that’s pretty scary,” she said.
Twitter wasn’t alone but was unique among social media companies in making its API open and free. TikTok, for instance, is working on it now but so far has not released its API. Facebook's is more limited because it is very protective of the data it collects.
Tromble said social platforms like YouTube, Facebook, Instagram and others are taking steps to increase researcher access and transparency — largely due to new European regulations. Twitter, on the other hand, is moving in the opposite direction.
“They’ve gone from in a first in class to absolute dead last," she said.
It costs money to maintain an API. As a private company, Twitter is free to charge for its tools. But researchers and developers say it wouldn’t take much for Musk to carve out exceptions for academic research and nonprofits.
“No other technology has changed society as quickly and as profoundly as social media. Having access to the thoughts and emotions of other people worldwide, that’s a fundamental change to society,” said Kristina Lerman, a computer science professor at the University of Southern California who studies misinformation. “And you can’t understand it without access to data, access to observe.”
Takeshi Kawamoto, a Japanese software developer who runs a popular earthquake alert bot with more than 3 million followers, created the account back in 2007 as a hobby.
There are an incredible number of such bots on Twitter — useful, friendly or quirky accounts set up by people or group with a specific interest. There are weather bots, tools that combine long Twitter threads into one easy-to-read file, bots that send quotes from famous books or people, bots that remind you to stand up and stretch at random intervals during the day, bots that insert a little bit of nonsense and weirdness into your Twitter scrolling.
The earthquake bot Kawamoto created didn’t take off until the devastating 2011 earthquake, tsunami and nuclear disaster that hit Japan, when people turned to it for information about quakes and aftershocks.
Kawamoto was ready to shut down the bot when Twitter first announced it was going to charge for API access. Paying $1,200 a year for an account that is decidedly not making a profit was not going to be possible. Last week, Twitter announced that it would make a small exception to offer “write-only” API access for free to accounts that send less than 1,500 tweets a month.
This might help, but Kawamoto says the 1,500 limit will present a problem after a big earthquake with a lot of aftershocks. He would like to ask Musk to allow accounts to post more than 1,500 tweets on a pay-as-you-go basis.
So far, Twitter has offered no other exceptions, although it’s possible that Musk will see one of the many tweets from developers working on earthquake relief who have been pleading for a solution.
For Mark Sample and his small army of Twitter bots, such as one that would send carefully curated quotes from Herman Melville’s “Moby Dick” at random intervals, it’s too late. The Moby Dick bot, as well as one that sent out computer clip art from 1994 and one called “weird satellite” have all left Twitter. Some have moved to Mastodon, the social platform that some discouraged Twitter users have been migrating to.
Sample’s bots were part of “weird Twitter,” a quirky subculture of Twitter that peaked in the mid-2010s and included strange, fun, nonsensical bots sending bursts of randomness into people’s feeds.
“I’m kind of going through a mourning process, kind of grieving. The API...Twitter was doing something that none of the other social media platforms did, which is kind of like having this open playground,” said Sample, a professor of digital studies at Davidson College in North Carolina. “I mean, there were ways that people could take advantage of it and and distort things and and use it and malevolent ways. But it was also this terrific playground for hobbyists and creative people. None of the other social media platforms had that. In some way in the API when the only thing Twitter had going for it, the only thing that really set it apart.”
For Sample, the breaking point was not the API announcement. It came last fall when Musk began mass firing Twitter workers and going after journalists who questioned or criticized him, he said. Building apps for a platform when someone just shut it all down on a whim, he said, is "not a good use of our time and creative energy.”
“I mean, it had a good run. It’s like 15 years or whatever. So it’s a pretty good run. And maybe it’s time for something else.” | 2023-02-13T18:56:09+00:00 | expressnews.com | https://www.expressnews.com/business/article/twitter-s-plan-to-charge-for-crucial-tool-prompts-17781574.php |
Subsets and Splits
No community queries yet
The top public SQL queries from the community will appear here once available.