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HELSINKI (AP) — Denmark’s foreign minister said Sunday the government will seek to make it illegal to desecrate the Quran or other religious holy books in front of foreign embassies in the Nordic country.
Foreign Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen said in an interview with the Danish public broadcaster DR that the burning of holy scriptures “only serves the purpose of creating division in a world that actually needs unity.”
“That is why we have decided in the government that we will look at how, in very special situations, we can put an end to mockery of other countries, which is in direct conflict with Danish interests and the safety of the Danes,” he said.
A recent string of public Quran desecrations by a handful of anti-Islam activists in Denmark and neighboring Sweden have sparked angry demonstrations in Muslim countries.
Løkke Rasmussen said the Cabinet of Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen is determined to find “a legal tool” to prohibit such acts without compromising freedom of expression, but he acknowledged that would not be easy.
“There must be room for religious criticism, and we have no thoughts of reintroducing a blasphemy clause,” he told DR. “But when you stand up in front of a foreign embassy and burn a Quran or burn the Torah scroll in front of the Israeli embassy, it serves no other purpose than to mock.”
His comments followed a statement issued late Sunday by the Danish government saying freedom of expression is one of the most important values in Danish society.
But, it added, the descreation of the Muslim holy book in Denmark has resulted in the nation being viewed in many places around the world “as a country that facilitates insult and denigration of the cultures, religions, and traditions of other countries.”
The government repeated its condemnation of such descecrations, say they are “deeply offensive and reckless acts committed by few individuals” and “do not represent the values the Danish society is built on.”
In Sweden, Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson said Sunday on Instagram that his government is analyzing the legal situation regarding desecration of the Quran and other holy books, given the animosity such acts are stirring up against Sweden.
“We are in the most serious security policy situation since the Second World War,” Kristersson said.
The Organization of Islamic Cooperation has called an emergency remote meeting Monday to discuss the Quran burnings in Sweden and Denmark. | https://www.wane.com/news/national-world/ap-international/ap-denmark-seeks-to-legally-prevent-burnings-of-quran-or-other-religious-scriptures/ | 2023-07-31T13:25:59 | 0 | https://www.wane.com/news/national-world/ap-international/ap-denmark-seeks-to-legally-prevent-burnings-of-quran-or-other-religious-scriptures/ |
EEIQ is Committed to Student Success at Davis College and EduGlobal College,
its Two Owned and Operated Colleges
MIDDLETOWN, Ohio, July 31, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- EpicQuest Education Group International Limited (NASDAQ: EEIQ), ("EpicQuest Education", "EEIQ" or the "Company"), a provider of comprehensive education solutions for domestic and international students seeking college and university degrees in the US, Canada and the UK, today announced that on July 19, 2023, Davis College and Northeastern University signed an Articulation Agreement (the "Agreement") whereby upon admission, Davis College students can transfer credits earned at Davis College to Northeastern University's College of Professional Studies Bachelor of Science programs.
"Our agreement with Northeastern University offers our students a pathway for achieving Bachelor of Science degrees in three distinct programs," said Diane Brunner, President of Davis College. "Northeastern University is widely regarded as one of the most prestigious universities in the US, and we are pleased to enter this agreement given their history of academic excellence and commitment to innovation. And while Davis College will begin to offer a four-year Bachelor of Science in Business degree in the Fall of 2023, we are pleased to provide our students with an academic pathway with Northeastern University as both schools are well aligned in providing elite career-oriented professional training."
As described in the Agreement with Northeastern University, Davis College students would be required to complete applicable Associate of Applied Business degrees. Upon admission to Northeastern University's College of Professional Studies programs, Davis College students would be able to transfer the credits earned at Davis College towards achieving Bachelor of Science degrees at Northeastern University's College of Professional Studies in Management, Digital Media and Communication, and Project Management. Northeastern University's College of Professional Studies has full discretion as to the acceptance of each Davis College student into these programs. The Agreement is effective beginning in Spring 2023 and will be in effect for an initial period of three years, and will be automatically extended unless terminated by either party.
About Northeastern University
Northeastern University is a prominent private research university located on an urban campus in Boston, and is a global research university as well as a recognized leader in experiential lifelong learning. Northeastern University's approach is to integrate real-world experience with education, research, and innovation that empowers its students. The university has one of the largest co-op programs in the world where students alternate periods of academic study with periods of professional employment related to their major. With more than 36,000 full-time and part-time students, Northeastern University offers undergraduate and graduate programs in 10 colleges and schools across its 14 campuses worldwide. Northeastern University is ranked #44 in the current US News annual ranking of top US universities, which can be seen online at https://www.usnews.com/best-colleges/rankings/national-universities. For more information about Northeastern University, please visit www.northeastern.edu.
About Davis College
Davis College was founded in 1858 and is a private career-training college located in Toledo, Ohio. Davis College offers a specialized professional career training curriculum in numerous fields, and its mission is to provide marketable skills that enhance the employability of its graduates. Davis College offers coursework flexibility to ensure program success as well as externship opportunities that provide its student population with real-world skill sets prior to graduation. In addition to its offering a four-year Bachelor of Science in Business degree, expected to begin in the Fall of 2023, Davis College has agreements with several four-year US universities for 'transfer pathways' that pave the way for its associate degree students to gain admission with the ability to transfer earned course credits. Davis College is accredited by The Higher Learning Commission and the Ohio State Board of Career Colleges and Schools with programs authorized by the Ohio Board of Higher Education. For more information, please visit www.daviscollege.edu/.
About EpicQuest Education Group International Limited
EpicQuest Education Group International Limited ("EpicQuest Education" or the "Company") provides comprehensive education solutions for domestic and international students seeking university and college degrees in the US, Canada and the UK. The Company owns and operates EduGlobal College, based in British Columbia, Canada, which focuses on English proficiency educational programming for students pursuing academic degrees. The Company operates and is a 70% owner of Davis College, a career training college located in Toledo, Ohio. In addition, the Company has a recruiting relationship with the Miami University Regional campuses, where it maintains residential facilities, a full-service cafeteria, recreational facilities, shuttle buses and an office for the regional campuses that provides study abroad and post-study services for its students; these facilities are not owned, maintained, operated or are a part of Miami University. The Company is also a recruiting agent for the University of the West of Scotland (through The Education Group (London) Ltd) and Coventry University, both of which are located in the UK. For more information, please visit www.epicquesteducation.com/.
Safe Harbor Statement
Certain of the statements made in this press release are "forward-looking statements" within the meaning and protections of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. Forward-looking statements include statements with respect to our beliefs, plans, objectives, goals, expectations, anticipations, assumptions, estimates, intentions, and future performance, and involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors, which may be beyond our control, and which may cause the actual results, performance, capital, ownership or achievements of the Company to be materially different from future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. All statements other than statements of historical fact are statements that could be forward-looking statements. You can identify these forward-looking statements through our use of words such as "may," "will," "anticipate," "assume," "should," "indicate," "would," "believe," "contemplate," "expect," "estimate," "continue," "plan," "point to," "project," "could," "intend," "target" and other similar words and expressions of the future.
All written or oral forward-looking statements attributable to us are expressly qualified in their entirety by this cautionary notice, including, without limitation, those risks and uncertainties described in our most recent Form 20-F and otherwise in our SEC reports and filings. Such reports are available upon request from the Company, or from the Securities and Exchange Commission, including through the SEC's Internet website at http://www.sec.gov. We have no obligation and do not undertake to update, revise or correct any of the forward-looking statements after the date hereof, or after the respective dates on which any such statements otherwise are made.
Contacts:
EpicQuest Education Group International Limited
+1 513-649-8350
info@epicquesteducation.com
Investor Relations:
Precept Investor Relations LLC
David Rudnick
+1 646-694-8538
david.rudnick@preceptir.com
Source: EpicQuest Education Group International Limited
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SOURCE EpicQuest Education Group International Limited | https://www.wbrc.com/prnewswire/2023/07/31/epicquest-educations-davis-college-announces-articulation-agreement-with-northeastern-university-ranked-by-us-news-top-50-us-university/ | 2023-07-31T13:25:59 | 1 | https://www.wbrc.com/prnewswire/2023/07/31/epicquest-educations-davis-college-announces-articulation-agreement-with-northeastern-university-ranked-by-us-news-top-50-us-university/ |
WASHINGTON (AP) — For more than a year, the U.S. economy has defied predictions of a forthcoming recession. It has withstood 10 interest rate hikes in 16 months from an inflation-fighting Federal Reserve. In June, America’s employers added a healthy 209,000 jobs.
Will the economy remain resilient? Can the Fed achieve a notoriously difficult “soft landing” — slowing growth just enough to tame inflation without causing a recession?
The Associated Press spoke recently with Gus Faucher, chief economist at PNC Financial Services Group. The conversation has been edited for length and clarity.
Q: The job market is cooling but remains strong. Does that suggest a soft landing?
A: What we have seen in the job market so far in 2023 is consistent with a soft landing. Over the past three months, we’ve added 244,000 jobs per month. That’s still too high from the Fed’s perspective but much better than what we had at the end of last year. Although it’s consistent with a soft landing, it’s also consistent with a story where job growth continues to slow, the economy continues to weaken and we get a recession at the end of 2023. We don’t know what the outcome will be. It’s more likely than not that we get a recession.
Q: When would a downturn begin?
A: A few months ago, we were seeing it starting in the second half of 2023. Now we’re seeing late 2023 or early 2024. The labor market is still holding up. Consumers are still in decent shape. But I do think we will continue to feel the impact of the Fed’s monetary tightening. By the end of this year or sometime early next year, those higher rates will be a significant drag on economic activity and lead to recession. But the economy has held up somewhat better than we were expecting.
The economy just can’t continue to add this many jobs per month. We just don’t have the labor force out there.
Q: Where is inflation headed?
A: We will see slowing inflation. If you go back to 2021, 2022, a lot of that inflation was coming on the goods side. Now, the inflation is coming on the services side. Services inflation tends to be stickier, and it tends to be more driven by what’s going on in the labor market. So the tight labor market is contributing to high services inflation. That will contribute to inflation remaining higher than the Fed would like in the near term. By the end of this year, early next year, we will see a significant softening in the labor market that will help bring inflation down to the Fed’s 2% target.
Q: Will the job market continue to favor workers over the longer term?
A: We have seen structural changes. The pandemic pushed forward a lot of retirements. You had people who were close to retirement in 2020 and planning on working a few more years. But when the pandemic came along, they decided to retire. The remaining workers have more bargaining power. Businesses are going to need to rethink a lot of things about pay, about benefits, about workplace flexibility. | https://www.seattletimes.com/business/insider-qa-an-economist-who-sees-a-recession-coming-despite-economys-resilience-so-far/?utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=Referral&utm_campaign=RSS_business | 2023-07-31T13:26:01 | 1 | https://www.seattletimes.com/business/insider-qa-an-economist-who-sees-a-recession-coming-despite-economys-resilience-so-far/?utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=Referral&utm_campaign=RSS_business |
Australia wasted no time in a match it needed to win to stay in the tournament instead of watching the rest play out on its home soil.
Hayley Raso scored a first-half brace and Mary Fowler put a goal back on the board after one was overturned by VAR to lead Australia to a 4-0 win over Canada at Melbourne Rectangular Stadium. The lack of a point eliminated Canada, the reigning Olympic champions, from the tournament.
Australia topped Group B with six points. Nigeria advanced with five points. Canada (four points) and Ireland (one) are eliminated. Canada is the first reigning Olympic champion to not reach the knockout round of the ensuing World Cup tournament.
The Matildas have been without superstar striker Sam Kerr, who sustained a calf injury on the eve of the tournament. Kerr said ahead of the match she was available for the contest, but how and when that availability would be used wasn't for anyone, particularly their opponent, to know. Kerr did not see any minutes with the match solidly in the host country's control.
Raso scored in the ninth minute on a low crossing strike from the right side. They kept the pressure on and nearly added another minutes later, but it was saved by Kailen Sheridan Fowler powered in a close strike in the 34th minute and while Sheridan was being looked at by trainers, officials went to VAR. The goal was disallowed due to an attacking player offside.
After a VAR check, the decision is no goal for Australia
— FOX Soccer (@FOXSoccer) July 31, 2023
Do you agree with the call? pic.twitter.com/E39GkGXZEe
Raso added it back 1:58 after the overturn call when she connected with a loose corner to go into the half, 2-0. Fowler secured her goal back in the 58th minute after one of Canada's best chances at a goal went high. Canada's first shot on target was in the 66th minute that Mackenzie Arnold saved off her foot. The Canadians came close again in the 88th that Sheridan tipped wide right.
Steph Catley scored on a penalty kick in stoppage time on a foul in the box on Katrina Gorry. It was the capper that brought the crowd to a roar.
Ireland 0, Nigeria 0
Nigeria is in the knockout stage for the third time in history and could play any of the teams in Group C. England, Denmark, China and Haiti are all in contention and will play on Tuesday morning.
Asisat Oshoala had two attempts on goal for Nigeria, but couldn't get past Irish keeper Onome Ebi, 40, became the first African footballer to play in six World Cups.
It was the first Women's World Cup point for Ireland.
Japan 4, Spain 0
Hinata Miyazawa scored a brace in the first half and Japan cruised over Spain, 4-0, to win Group C. Both sides had clinched spots in the knockout round heading into the match, but were playing for seeding.
Japan had only three touches in the Spain box in the first half, but led, 3-0, by the break. They possessed for 23% of the game, the lowest share of possession by a winning side at a Women's World Cup (since 2011).
Miyazawa broke through in the 12th minute off a pass by Jun Endo and put it low for the opening score. Riko Ueki, who turned 24 the day prior, added one in the 29th minute on another breakaway. It was deflected off a defender's boot into the ground and over goalkeeper Misa Rodriguez.
Miyazawa powered in her second from the right side to put Spain into a deep hole. And Mina Tanaka scored the final goal in the 85th minute with a curling shot into the back corner.
This was too nice by Mina Tanaka 🔥🇯🇵
— FOX Soccer (@FOXSoccer) July 31, 2023
Japan is running away with it vs Spain 😳 pic.twitter.com/48DfzGNOQd
Spain took more attempts on goal, 10-8, but only two were on target and none found the net. The completed 842 passes to Japan's 174 and completed eight crosses to Japan's one.
Japan outscored their three opponents, 11-0, and completed the group stage without conceding a goal for the first time in history. They will play Norway in the Round of 16. Both sides have won a World Cup previously: Japan in 2011 and Norway in 1995.
Spain will play Switzerland.
Zambia 3, Costa Rica 1
Zambia earned its first World Cup win in history with a 3-1 final against Costa Rica at Waikato Stadium in their final match of the tournament.
Lushomo Mweemba scored in the third minute on an corner kick for the early lead and Barbra Banda converted on a penalty kick in the 31st. It was her 1,000th Women's World Cup goal in tournament history.
Costa Rica had three yellow cards within the first 25 minutes, and yellows were later awarded to Zambia's Martha Tembo and Banda. In between, Costa Rica's Melissa Herrera cut the lead in half by collecting a loose corner to score in the 47th minute. It was the country's first goal of the tournament.
Herrera nearly equalized in the 69th, but was ruled offside. Rachael Kundananji put the match away for Zambia in stoppage time. | https://www.star945.com/news/national/womens-world-cup-day/HENZG2EIN66XB7VYFKR47HUSTM/ | 2023-07-31T13:26:01 | 0 | https://www.star945.com/news/national/womens-world-cup-day/HENZG2EIN66XB7VYFKR47HUSTM/ |
Just one drink a day can raise blood pressure, study says
(CNN) - Regularly drinking alcohol, even in small amounts, could raise your blood pressure, even in adults without hypertension, according to a new study.
The study says as little as one alcoholic drink increased blood pressure in men and women, including those with no existing blood pressure issues or conditions related to alcohol.
Researchers looked at data from seven studies conducted around the world between 1997 and 2021 involving more than 19,000 adults.
The study found that even less than one drink a day produced a small rise in systolic pressure over an average of five years.
It also found that small amounts of alcohol also raised the lower, or diastolic, blood pressure reading, but only in men.
Copyright 2023 CNN Newsource. All rights reserved. | https://www.wflx.com/2023/07/31/just-one-drink-day-can-raise-blood-pressure-study-says/ | 2023-07-31T13:26:03 | 0 | https://www.wflx.com/2023/07/31/just-one-drink-day-can-raise-blood-pressure-study-says/ |
ROANOKE, Va. – In addition to brutal heat this past Friday and Saturday, storms were in a league of their own as well. Clusters of storms that dived from northwest to southeast thrived off our uncomfortable heat and humidity.
Some of these produced damage in areas like Thaxton.
Others showed off with ominous cloud structures.
When all was over with, the beauty of the atmosphere came out to play. This was in the form of vibrant sunsets.
Kiana0202
Bright Sunset during the storm
It also showed up in the form of reassuring rainbows.
Ann Gibson
Sunset 7/29/23
No matter the face these storms wore, you guys knocked it out of the park by submitting your photos and videos through Pin It. Thank you for being a part of the weather story.
Send your pictures and videos here any time, and we’ll be happy to feature a few on air and online. | https://www.wsls.com/weather/2023/07/31/your-photos-severe-storms-roll-through-southwest-central-virginia-in-julys-final-weekend/ | 2023-07-31T13:26:04 | 0 | https://www.wsls.com/weather/2023/07/31/your-photos-severe-storms-roll-through-southwest-central-virginia-in-julys-final-weekend/ |
Myanmar’s military-led government extends state of emergency, forcing delay in promised election
BANGKOK (AP) — Myanmar’s military-controlled government has extended the state of emergency it imposed when the army seized power from an elected government 2 1/2 years ago, forcing a further delay in elections it promised when it took over. State-run MRTV television says the National Defense and Security Council extended the state of emergency for another six months because time is needed to prepare for the elections. The announcement amounted to an admission that the army does not exercise enough control to stage the polls and has failed to subdue widespread opposition to military rule. The opposition includes increasingly challenging armed resistance as well as nonviolent protests and civil disobedience, despite the army having a huge advantage in manpower and weapons. | https://kion546.com/ap-colorado/2023/07/31/myanmars-military-led-government-extends-state-of-emergency-forcing-delay-in-promised-election/ | 2023-07-31T13:26:04 | 1 | https://kion546.com/ap-colorado/2023/07/31/myanmars-military-led-government-extends-state-of-emergency-forcing-delay-in-promised-election/ |
Seminole woman suspected of hitting, killing bicyclist and fleeing turns herself in, police say
PINELLAS PARK, Fla. - A woman who is accused of ditching her car in a Publix parking lot after striking a bicyclist and leaving him for dead early Saturday morning has turned herself in to authorities.
Pinellas Park police say Anaya Millan hit William Rothey with her car as he was riding a bicycle along the paved shoulder of the roadway in the 11700 block of 66th St. in Pinellas Park shortly after 3 a.m. and fled the scene.
Police say Rothey was taken to an area hospital where he died.
The Pinellas County Sheriff's Office says it located Millan’s vehicle abandoned in the Publix parking lot at 7333 Park Blvd.
The Pinellas Park Police Department says Millan turned herself in to the Pinellas County Jail around 6:30 p.m. on Sunday.
She has been charged with leaving the scene of a crash involving death. | https://www.fox13news.com/news/seminole-woman-suspected-of-hitting-killing-bicyclist-and-fleeing-turns-herself-in-police-say | 2023-07-31T13:26:05 | 1 | https://www.fox13news.com/news/seminole-woman-suspected-of-hitting-killing-bicyclist-and-fleeing-turns-herself-in-police-say |
BARCELONA, Spain (AP) — Spanish government researchers said Sunday they had identified 357 foreign fighters who went missing during the Spanish Civil War (1936-1939), the conflict that foreshadowed World War II.
Researchers confirmed the names of 212 fighters from Germany, Austria and the Netherlands, according to a statement from the government Sunday. Some 102 are of German origin, 70 Austrian and 40 Dutch. It gave no information on how many people of other nationalities had been identified.
The identified combatants fought within the International Brigades, military units set up by the Communist International to fight against General Francisco Franco’s fascist forces. Some 40,000 foreign men and women joined up as volunteers, fighting alongside the forces of the democratic Second Spanish Republic and against the rise of fascism in Europe in late 1930s.
The findings are based on a year of research in records held in documentary archives in Spain and Russia. Researchers combed through the daily lists of casualties and missing soldiers compiled by officers in the International Brigades.
The names of private soldiers were frequently omitted from the lists, making the research process more difficult. These lists are held in the Russian State Archive of Socio-Political History, in Moscow. Researchers also dipped into the main archives on the Spanish Civil War located in Spain.
By cross-referencing documents, researchers were also able to identify the likely area where the soldiers died or were badly wounded. It is an important step toward locating their remains inside mass graves scattered across the country.
This research provides “very valuable information that gives us the opportunity to contact the families of the missing combatants and, in the future, to intervene in the mass graves that have been located,” said Alfons Aragoneses, head of the project.
All those identified were part of the Thälmann Brigade, a Communist unit made up largely of anti-Nazi Germans. The battalion was active on the Ebro River front in northeastern Spain between March and September 1938, the site of the longest and deadliest battle of the war.
The research is ongoing and it is funded by Catalan regional government, with the aim of contributing to the country’s historical memory. The second phase of the project will try to identify missing militiamen from Great Britain, Ireland, Canada and the United States. The final step would require opening the graves in search of bodies.
Historians estimate nearly 10,000 foreign volunteers died in combat on Spanish soil during the war. How many are still unidentified, buried inside graves, remains unknown.
The Spanish Civil War served as a testing ground for Hitler’s Germany and Mussolini’s Italy prior to World War II. This triggered an international outcry to try to save the Republic’s democratic government, which eventually succumbed to Franco in 1939. | https://www.wane.com/news/national-world/ap-international/ap-spain-identifies-212-german-austrian-and-dutch-fighters-who-went-missing-during-spanish-civil-war/ | 2023-07-31T13:26:06 | 0 | https://www.wane.com/news/national-world/ap-international/ap-spain-identifies-212-german-austrian-and-dutch-fighters-who-went-missing-during-spanish-civil-war/ |
Partnership Expands Access to Seizure First Aid Trainings for School Personnel
BOWIE, Md., July 31, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The Epilepsy Foundation today announced a five-year collaboration with Vector Solutions, the leading provider of training and software solutions for K-12 and higher education institutions, to offer the Epilepsy Foundation's Seizure Recognition & First Aid Certification training in the Vector Safety and Compliance Course Library. This agreement will provide an easy and convenient way for educators and school personnel, who are already contracted with Vector, to take the seizure first aid training to better serve their students.
There are 470,000 children living with epilepsy in the U.S. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the opportunity for academic success is increased when students with chronic health conditions have a safe and supportive learning environment.
"Our collaboration with Vector will give school personnel — who are required by state laws to take seizure first aid training — a place to do so easily and effectively through a familiar learning portal," said Brandy Fureman, Ph.D., chief outcomes officer, Epilepsy Foundation. "In addition, it will expand access to our seizure first aid training to school systems around the country using Vector's platform. Our end goal is to have a seizure safe nation where everyone who has a seizure feels safe, no matter where they are. This partnership is a stepstone toward that goal."
In 2018, Kentucky led the charge to pass the nation's first-ever law requiring school personnel to complete seizure recognition and first aid training. Since then, the Epilepsy Foundation, family advocates and partner organizations have been working to pass similar Seizure Safe Schools legislation nationwide. The model Seizure Safe Schools legislation has five components, one of which requires all school personnel, including school nurses and teachers, to complete training so that they can recognize and respond appropriately and efficiently to students experiencing seizures. To date, almost half of the states have passed some form of Seizure Safe Schools legislation.
For years, the Epilepsy Foundation has partnered with the CDC to build nationwide programs to ensure school personnel, first responders, seniors, caregivers, and the public are better trained to recognize seizures and administer first aid. The Epilepsy Foundation's seizure first aid trainings provide information to increase knowledge, skills, and confidence in recognizing seizures and safely administering seizure first aid.
"We are excited to collaborate with the Epilepsy Foundation to deliver its trainings through our online learning management system," said, Rob Buelow, General Manager of Education at Vector Solutions. "The safety and well-being of students is paramount and educators must be properly equipped to address the unique needs of all students. Through this partnership, K-12 and higher education staff across the nation will be empowered to serve their students and ensure their health and safety."
For more information about the Epilepsy Foundation's seizure first aid trainings, visit epilepsy.com/firstaid. The trainings will be available in the Vector platform later this summer and school administrators who have a current subscription will receive notification when the trainings are live.
About Epilepsy
According to the World Health Organization, epilepsy is the most common serious brain disorder worldwide with no age, racial, social class, national or geographic boundaries. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control & Prevention estimates that 3.4 million people in the United States are affected by epilepsy. Epilepsy is the underlying tendency of the brain to produce seizures which are sudden abnormal bursts of electrical energy that disrupt brain functions.
About the Epilepsy Foundation
With a network of partners throughout the United States, the Epilepsy Foundation is leading the fight to overcome the challenges of living with epilepsy. The Foundation connects people to treatment, support, and resources; leads advocacy efforts; funds innovative research and the training of specialists; and educates the public about epilepsy and seizure first aid. For more than five decades, the Epilepsy Foundation has shone a light on epilepsy to promote awareness and understanding, and to advocate for laws that matter to people with epilepsy, while also funding epilepsy research and supporting epilepsy investigators and specialists in their early careers. In partnership with the CDC, the Epilepsy Foundation has helped to improve access to care for people with epilepsy, expanded its digital reach and online resources in homes across the country, and trained more than 600,000 people in seizure recognition and first aid. The Epilepsy Foundation continues to focus on serving the epilepsy community through advocacy, education, direct services and research for new therapies. To learn more visit epilepsy.com or call 1.800.332.1000. Follow us on Facebook and Twitter.
About Vector Solutions for K-12 Education
Vector Solutions for K-12 Education is a leading provider of training, software and professional development solutions committed to creating safer, smarter and better school environments. Trusted by more than 5,000 K-12 districts in the United States, Vector's award-winning suite of products save administrators time, improve compliance, and streamline administrative processes. Vector trainings on imperative topics like safety and compliance; inclusive instruction; mental health and well-being; diversity, equity and inclusion; and cybersecurity enable students and teachers alike to make schools safer, more inclusive, and more effective places to work and learn. For more information about Vector Solutions for K-12 Education, visit www.vectorsolutions.com/k12.
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SOURCE Epilepsy Foundation | https://www.wbrc.com/prnewswire/2023/07/31/epilepsy-foundation-partners-with-vector-solutions-offer-seizure-first-aid-trainings-educators/ | 2023-07-31T13:26:06 | 1 | https://www.wbrc.com/prnewswire/2023/07/31/epilepsy-foundation-partners-with-vector-solutions-offer-seizure-first-aid-trainings-educators/ |
PRISTINA, Kosovo (AP) — Kosovo’s journalists on Monday protested against the government’s decision to suspend a private television station’s operations.
Authorities made the move last week because they said there were irregularities concerning the registration of Klan Kosova’s business license that violated the country’s constitution.
Scores of journalists and members of civil society organizations gathered in downtown Pristina in front of the main government building to protest the suspension of the broadcaster’s operations.
The demonstrators said it was a “politically motivated” action taken by the government of Prime Minister Albin Kurti. It was the first closure of a media outlet since the end of Kosovo’s 1998-1999 war, they said, holding a banner that read “Democracy dies in darkness.”
Last week, Kosovo’s Ministry of Industry and Trade suspended Klan Kosova’s license, after the documentation of its business registration in neighboring North Macedonia showed that its owners had named Kosovo’s municipalities as if belonging to Serbia, “which is a violation of our constitution,” according to a statement released Monday.
The journalist accused the government’s decision as “an open and unprecedented war … against the media,” urging owners of Klan Kosova to continue its legal fight at the court.
Klan Kosova’s editor-in-chief, Gazmend, Syla called the suspension “unfair.”
“We consider this a kind of pressure to stop us doing of what we are doing,” he told The Associated Press, adding they would challenge the government’s decision in court.
Last month, Kosovo’s Agency of Business Registration found the alleged fault and decided to suspend the operations of the television station, a move supported last week by the ministry.
The station has said it had already fixed the problems as requested.
Klan Kosova was launched in 2009 to become the country’s biggest private television station.
The embassies of France, Germany, Italy, the United Kingdom and the United States, and the European Union in Kosovo, expressed “their deep concern” about the suspension of Klan Kosova’s business license considering it “a disproportionate decision that will have repercussions on media plurality in Kosovo.”
Kosovo is a former province in Serbia, which doesn’t recognize Pristina’s 2008 declaration of independence. Kosovo’s sovereignty is backed by the U.S. and most EU nations, but not by Russia and China.
Serbia pulled out of Kosovo in 1999 after NATO bombed the country to stop the onslaught against ethnic Albanian separatists. At least 10,000 civilians, most of them ethnic Albanians, were killed in the conflict.
——-
Llazar Semini reported from Tirana, Albania. | https://www.seattletimes.com/business/kosovo-journalists-protest-governments-suspension-of-private-television-station/?utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=Referral&utm_campaign=RSS_business | 2023-07-31T13:26:07 | 0 | https://www.seattletimes.com/business/kosovo-journalists-protest-governments-suspension-of-private-television-station/?utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=Referral&utm_campaign=RSS_business |
A zoo in eastern China says its bears are just that, bears, and not people dressed up in costumes — a charge that was lodged after photos posted online appeared to show the animals standing like humans and waving to crowds.
The post went viral, and people pointed out the un-bear-like actions of what the zoo says are sun bears, The Associated Press reported.
“Some people think I stand like a person,” a posting written from the bear’s point of view and posted by the Hangzhou Zoo read. “It seems you don’t understand me very well.”
The zoo features an exhibit of the bears, who are native to Malaysia. They are the smallest bear species on Earth, about the size of a large dog, according to National Geographic.
The bears are 4 to 5 feet long and weigh between 60 and 150 pounds, according to The San Diego Zoo. They have a lifespan of between 25 and 30 years.
Despite their name, they are nocturnal animals.
Internet users pointed out that a photo posted online showed what zoo officials said was a bear standing upright on slender hind legs. It is not unusual for sun bears to stand on their hind legs.
Chinese zoo denies allegations star attraction is a man in a sun bear costume https://t.co/l6JyCclcV0
— ST Foreign Desk (@STForeignDesk) July 30, 2023
According to zoo-goers, the bear also tossed off a wave to the crowd, sparking suspicion, and appeared to have pants-like folds around its rear end, The Straits Times reported.
“Because of the way they stand, some people online question whether they are ‘humans in disguise,’” the newspaper Hangzhou Daily said.
According to the AP, other Chinese zoos have been accused of trying to pass off dogs dyed to look like wolves or African cats, and donkeys painted to look like zebras.
Zoo officials said they plan to invite journalists to take a look at the bears on Monday. | https://www.star945.com/news/trending/is-this-bear-chinese-zoo-denies-that-star-attraction-is-actually-man-bear-suit/HSBTH4FNWBFCLHGKQXKN5AZNTQ/ | 2023-07-31T13:26:08 | 0 | https://www.star945.com/news/trending/is-this-bear-chinese-zoo-denies-that-star-attraction-is-actually-man-bear-suit/HSBTH4FNWBFCLHGKQXKN5AZNTQ/ |
Police search for driver who intentionally hit 6 migrant workers; injuries aren’t life-threatening
LINCOLNTON, N.C. (AP) — Police in North Carolina say six migrant workers were intentionally hit by an SUV in a Walmart parking lot in North Carolina. Lincolnton Police say the workers were hit Sunday afternoon at a Walmart in Lincolnton in what appears to have been an intentional assault with a vehicle, but the motives of the driver are still under investigation. The workers were taken to a hospital with various injuries, but police say none of the injuries appear to be life-threatening. Police are asking the public for help identifying the driver and the vehicle, described as an older model black sport utility vehicle with a luggage rack. | https://kion546.com/ap-colorado/2023/07/31/police-search-for-driver-who-intentionally-hit-6-migrant-workers-injuries-arent-life-threatening/ | 2023-07-31T13:26:10 | 0 | https://kion546.com/ap-colorado/2023/07/31/police-search-for-driver-who-intentionally-hit-6-migrant-workers-injuries-arent-life-threatening/ |
Singapore hangs first woman in 19 years following conviction for trafficking heroin
Singapore executed a woman for the first time in 19 years on Friday, marking the city-state's second death by hanging this week for convicted drug traffickers.
Saridewi Djamani, 45, was sentenced to death in 2018 for trafficking nearly 31 grams of pure heroin, according to the Central Narcotics Bureau. The agency described the amount as "sufficient to feed the addiction of about 370 abusers for a week."
Despite calls from activists to end capital punishment for drug-related crimes, Singapore mandates the death penalty for anyone convicted of trafficking more than 500 grams of cannabis and 15 grams of heroin.
Two days before Djamani's execution, 56-year-old Mohammed Aziz Hussain was executed by hanging for trafficking approximately 50 grams of heroin, and another drug trafficker is set to be executed next week, the Associated Press reported.
SINGAPORE EXECUTES MAN WHO ALLEGEDLY CONSPIRED TO TRAFFIC 2 POUNDS OF CANNABIS
Buildings in Singapore, on Monday, June 5, 2023. Photographer: Ore Huiying/Bloomberg via Getty Images
Both Djamani and Hussain were given due process, according to the Central Narcotics Bureau, which allegedly includes appeals of their conviction and sentence, and petition for clemency.
The last known time a woman was hanged in Singapore was in 2004 when 36-year-old hairdresser Yen May Woen was executed for drug trafficking.
The city-state has been asked to do away with executions for drug offenses by human rights groups, international activists and the United Nations, all of whom say evidence shows that capital punishment does not deter illegal drug activity.
Singapore authorities disagree with those findings and insist the death sentences are important in slowing drug demand and supply, according to the AP.
WORLDWIDE EXECUTIONS INCREASED BY 53% IN 2022
Singapore authorities have ignored pleas from human rights groups, international activists and the United Nations to put a halt on executions for drug-related offenses. (MOHD RASFAN/AFP via Getty Images)
The execution set for Aug. 3 is for a former delivery driver convicted in 2019 of trafficking around 50 grams of heroin, according to Transformative Justice Collective, a Singapore group that advocates to abolish capital punishment.
The man maintained in his trial that he thought he was delivering contraband cigarettes for a friend he owed money to, adding that he trusted his friend, so he didn't check the bag's contents. Though the court determined him to be a courier, he still had to be given the death penalty under Singapore's laws, the group said.
If his execution takes place as scheduled, it would be the city-state's fifth this year.
Human rights groups say 15 people have been executed in Singapore for drug offenses since hangings resumed in March 2022, an average of one a month.
The Associated Press contributed to this report. | https://www.fox13news.com/news/singapore-hangs-woman-heroin-trafficking | 2023-07-31T13:26:11 | 0 | https://www.fox13news.com/news/singapore-hangs-woman-heroin-trafficking |
SUV driver intentionally hit 6 migrant workers, police say
Published: Jul. 31, 2023 at 8:26 AM EDT|Updated: 59 minutes ago
LINCOLNTON, N.C. (AP) — Six migrant workers were intentionally hit by an SUV in a Walmart parking lot in North Carolina on Sunday, police said.
The workers were hit at a Walmart in Lincolnton in what appears to have been an intentional assault with a vehicle, but the Lincolnton Police Department said in a statement posted on social media that the driver’s motives are still under investigation. The workers were taken to a hospital with various injuries, but police said none of the injuries appear to be life-threatening.
Police are asking the public for help identifying the driver and the vehicle, described as an older model black sport utility vehicle with a luggage rack.
Copyright 2023 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. | https://www.wflx.com/2023/07/31/suv-driver-intentionally-hit-6-migrant-workers-police-say/ | 2023-07-31T13:26:10 | 0 | https://www.wflx.com/2023/07/31/suv-driver-intentionally-hit-6-migrant-workers-police-say/ |
The Industry's Only End-to-End Platform Will Help Businesses Streamline the Compliance Journey
TAMPA, Fla., July 31, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- A-LIGN, the leading cybersecurity compliance solutions provider, announced today the groundbreaking news that its award-winning compliance automation platform, A-SCEND, will be available at no charge.
"We enable businesses to build trust with their customers – whether they are getting ready for their first audit or consolidating multiple audit frameworks. We are thrilled to enable more organizations to experience the power of compliance automation on our platform," said Giles House, Chief Marketing & Product Officer at A-LIGN. "A-SCEND is the only solution on the market backed by a team of experienced audit professionals that can provide end-to-end services to streamline the entire compliance lifecycle."
Businesses can now harness the power of A-SCEND's automation and audit-readiness capabilities to streamline their compliance efforts. With the platform, users can:
- Automate evidence collection for their audit with the click of a button by leveraging 90+ integrations
- Streamline policy management with industry-best-practice templates
- Complete a readiness assessment to find out how prepared they are for the next audit
- Receive a real-time health check of their compliance posture with the Compliance Hub, which tests controls against CIS benchmarks on a scheduled basis
This announcement comes at a time of remarkable growth for A-SCEND. The platform has been leveraged to collect over two million pieces of evidence for thousands of users, while achieving an 80+ NPS score. A-LIGN has made significant investments into the platform with notable SaaS industry veteran new hires including House as CMPO and Raya Cleary as VP Product.
To learn more about A-SCEND and get started today for free, visit https://www.a-lign.com/lp/a-scend-signup.
About A-LIGN
A-LIGN is the only end-to-end cybersecurity compliance solutions provider with readiness to report compliance automation software paired with professional audit services, trusted by more than 4,000 global organizations to help mitigate cybersecurity risks. A-LIGN uniquely delivers a single-provider holistic approach as a licensed CPA firm to SOC 1 and SOC 2 Audit services, accredited ISO 27001, ISO 27701 and ISO 22301 Certification Body, HITRUST CSF Assessor firm, accredited FedRAMP 3PAO, authorized CMMC C3PAO, PCI Qualified Security Assessor Company, and PCI SSC registered Secure Software Assessor Company. Working with growing businesses to global enterprises, A-LIGN's experts and its compliance automation platform, A-SCEND, are transforming the compliance experience.
CONTACT:
Abigail Rodrigues
abigail.rodrigues@a-lign.com
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SOURCE A-LIGN | https://www.wflx.com/prnewswire/2023/07/31/a-lign-sets-new-standard-compliance-automation-with-free-access-a-scend-software/ | 2023-07-31T13:26:11 | 1 | https://www.wflx.com/prnewswire/2023/07/31/a-lign-sets-new-standard-compliance-automation-with-free-access-a-scend-software/ |
ALHAMBRA, Calif., July 31, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Apollo Medical Holdings, Inc. ("ApolloMed," and together with its subsidiaries and affiliated entities, the "Company") (NASDAQ: AMEH), a leading physician-centric, technology-powered healthcare company focused on enabling providers in the successful delivery of value-based care, today announced an agreement to partner with IntraCare, an operator of a value-based primary care provider network and primary care clinics located predominantly in Texas with a growing presence in Oklahoma.
Headquartered in the Dallas-Fort Worth metropolitan area of Texas, IntraCare is aligned with over 425 providers managing the care of over 40,000 members. Like ApolloMed, IntraCare is on a mission to build a thriving healthcare ecosystem that promotes successful, independent physicians, strengthens the patient-physician relationship, and improves patient satisfaction and healthcare outcomes through quality, compassionate coordinated care.
ApolloMed's partnership with IntraCare is poised to accelerate access to high-quality, value-based care for seniors in three areas. First, ApolloMed's ACO will partner with IntraCare's primary care providers as part of the ACO REACH program, an attribution-based risk-bearing model designed to advance health equity and bring the benefits of accountable care to Medicare beneficiaries in underserved communities. In addition, ApolloMed will deploy its value-based care platform as the exclusive care enablement partner for IntraCare providers participating in the ACO REACH program. Finally, to further IntraCare's mission and growth, ApolloMed will lend IntraCare a $25 million senior secured convertible promissory note maturing in 2028. Guggenheim Securities, LLC acted as financial advisor to IntraCare in connection with the transactions.
Brandon Sim, Co-CEO of ApolloMed, stated, "We have admired IntraCare's demonstrated track record of successfully empowering local independent primary care practices in Texas and Oklahoma, a strategy which is aligned with and complementary to our success in our core markets. With this partnership, we are excited to build upon IntraCare's momentum and partner with their providers in our ACO, continuing to scale our Care Partners business. We also look forward to bringing our Care Enablement platform to these providers and will work closely with IntraCare's leadership team in continuing to expand upon their historical success while exploring additional avenues for collaboration down the road."
Anwar Kazi, CEO of IntraCare, added, "We are thrilled to be partnering with ApolloMed, a company that is aligned with IntraCare in its mission of empowering providers in the successful delivery of value-based care. We believe that joining forces with ApolloMed will enable us to accelerate the growth of our business as we look to continue expanding our affiliate network and owned clinic footprint within our existing geographic presence in Texas and Oklahoma."
About Apollo Medical Holdings, Inc.
ApolloMed is a leading physician-centric, technology-powered, risk-bearing healthcare management company. Leveraging its proprietary end-to-end technology solutions, ApolloMed operates an integrated healthcare delivery platform that enables providers to successfully participate in value-based care arrangements, thus empowering them to deliver high quality care to patients in a cost-effective manner.
Headquartered in Alhambra, California, ApolloMed's subsidiaries and affiliates include management services organizations (MSOs), affiliated independent practice associations (IPAs), and entities participating in the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services Innovation Center (CMMI) innovation models. For more information, please visit www.apollomed.net.
Forward Looking Statements
This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, such as statements about the Company's operational focus and strategic growth plans and expectations regarding its ability to successfully partner with third parties. Forward-looking statements reflect current views with respect to future events and financial performance and therefore cannot be guaranteed. Such statements are based on the current expectations and certain assumptions of the Company's management, and some or all of such expectations and assumptions may not materialize or may vary significantly from actual results. Actual results may also vary materially from forward-looking statements due to risks, uncertainties and other factors, known and unknown, including the risk factors described from time to time in the Company's reports to the Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC"), including without limitation the risk factors discussed in the Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2022, filed with the SEC and any subsequent quarterly reports on Form 10-Q.
FOR MORE INFORMATION, PLEASE CONTACT:
Investor Relations
(626) 943-6491
investors@apollomed.net
Carolyne Sohn, The Equity Group
(408) 538-4577
csohn@equityny.com
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SOURCE Apollo Medical Holdings, Inc. | https://www.wflx.com/prnewswire/2023/07/31/apollo-medical-holdings-inc-announces-partnership-with-intracare-advance-value-based-care-texas-oklahoma/ | 2023-07-31T13:26:12 | 0 | https://www.wflx.com/prnewswire/2023/07/31/apollo-medical-holdings-inc-announces-partnership-with-intracare-advance-value-based-care-texas-oklahoma/ |
SINGAPORE, July 31, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Asia Innovations Group (ASIG) announced today that its Technology Center of Excellence (TCE) is now fully operational after five months of rigorous testing and development. The TCE's official launch marks a significant milestone in ASIG's ongoing AI development.
The TCE is an AIGC-centric engineering shared services hub that unites a skilled team of technical specialists, product experts, project managers, and a Machine Learning Operations (MLOps) platform. Based on Ray Serve, MLflow, K8s and ASIG's self-built hybrid cloud, the MLOps platform has gathered an extensive assortment of both open-source and proprietary AI models, enabling engineers, product developers, and professionals in operations and marketing to seamlessly access the platform via API interfaces.
ASIG has been at the forefront of adopting AI and has heavily invested in AI technologies in recent years. By providing multimodal models and solutions for natural language processing and computer vision, the TCE has enabled ASIG to accelerate the development of AI technologies across a wide range of applications.
The TCE has strengthened ASIG's e-commerce capabilities by utilizing Stable Diffusion technology. With this technology, users can match clothes with models while streamlining image processing and reducing production costs. Even with granular features such as model head swapping and skin changing, AI image extraction is exceptionally fast, delivering 100 images in just five seconds. Additionally, SEO copywriting generates marketing content for 3C products by simply inputting keywords and SKU information, helping to reduce promotion costs, increase product exposure, and boost organic traffic.
The TCE has also enhanced Orbit, ASIG's new social discovery product, by incorporating large language models that enable users to engage in conversations and play games with Obi, an AI-powered chatbot. These models provide for other innovative features such as icebreaking during one-on-one chats between users, as well as an in-app text-to-image tool that allows users to produce captivating images that express their emotions, ideas, and thoughts in a creative and personalized fashion. In essence, these enhancements strengthen genuine connections and elevate the overall user experience on the platform.
"The TCE showcases our strong capabilities in AIGC application, as well as our unwavering commitment to create innovative, impactful products," said Ouyang Yun, Chairman and CEO of ASIG. "AI is not just a new technology, it has the power to better connect people and positively impact users worldwide."
Finally, the TCE increases ASIG's operational efficiency by providing AI-powered administrative and financial services internally. This strengthens the company's overall functionality and streamlines its processes.
About Asia Innovations Group
Asia Innovations Group (ASIG) is a global leader in the mobile social industry, serving over 700 million registered users in over 150 regions worldwide as of July 2023. With eighteen offices around the globe, ASIG leverages its proven record of innovation, cutting-edge technology, scalable infrastructure, and global insights with local expertise in emerging markets to deliver stakeholder value based on the most exciting trends and growth opportunities in the social marketplace. ASIG has built a comprehensive and diverse portfolio since its founding in 2013, including leading apps such as Uplive, the global live video platform; CuteU and Lamour, the dominant dating apps in emerging markets; as well as other fast-growing voice and game-based live social apps. ASIG continues to be focused on integrating emerging technologies, including the latest AI applications, into all of its products to achieve its mission of enriching people's lives through innovative and enjoyable social products that foster meaningful human connection.
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SOURCE Asia Innovations Group | https://www.wflx.com/prnewswire/2023/07/31/asigs-technological-center-excellence-advances-ai-applications-with-unparalleled-innovation/ | 2023-07-31T13:26:13 | 0 | https://www.wflx.com/prnewswire/2023/07/31/asigs-technological-center-excellence-advances-ai-applications-with-unparalleled-innovation/ |
SAN FRANCISCO, July 31, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Farallon Capital Management, L.L.C. (with its affiliates and exclusive sub-advisers, "Farallon") announced the final closing of its fourth US-focused opportunistic real estate fund structure, Farallon Real Estate Partners IV ("FREP IV"), raising in total over US$650 million of aggregate investor commitments, exceeding its original target of US$500 million.
Farallon has an extensive 30-year track record investing in commercial real estate and has deployed approximately US$7.4 billion of capital in 263 investments over that period. FREP IV's investment strategy will continue the Farallon Real Estate team's approach to investing in inefficient segments of the U.S. real estate market with a focus on industrial, multi-family, retail and office sub-sectors. FREP IV will employ a value- driven/opportunistic strategy while targeting equity, preferred equity, and distressed debt investments in relevant assets within the core sub-sectors.
FREP IV will be managed and operated by the 12 dedicated members of Farallon's Real Estate team led by Rocky Fried and Josh Dapice. Additionally, FREP IV will be supported by Farallon's global team and institutional infrastructure of over 200 operational professionals.
Limited partners in the fund structure consist of both existing and new investors, including endowments, public and corporate pension plans, insurance companies, family offices, and investment advisory firms.
"We are deeply appreciative of the support from our limited partners and look forward to deploying this new capital into what we believe to be a very attractive market. Farallon's long history of completing transactions throughout market cycles and its established global relationships position us to benefit from the current scarcity of capital in the U.S real estate markets," said Rocky Fried, Partner at Farallon and Head of US Real Estate.
Josh Dapice, Partner at Farallon, described the US real estate environment as one where "we believe we are in the early innings of a widespread correction that will lead to attractive acquisition opportunities, particularly as it relates to working with owners in need of flexible and creative capital solutions."
About Farallon®:
Farallon Capital Management, L.L.C. is a global institutional investment management firm founded in 1986. Farallon manages approximately $39 billion in capital and commitments for institutions, including college endowments, charitable foundations, pension plans and sovereign wealth funds, and high net worth individuals and family offices. Farallon is headquartered in San Francisco and has offices in New York, London, Singapore, Hong Kong, Tokyo and São Paulo. Farallon seeks investments across asset classes and around the world through a process of bottom-up fundamental research and analysis emphasizing capital preservation. More information about Farallon is available at www.faralloncapital.com.
Media Contacts
ASC Advisors
Taylor Ingraham / Steve Bruce
tingraham@ascadvisors.com / sbruce@ascadvisors.com
203 992 1230
Related Links
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SOURCE Farallon Capital Management | https://www.wbrc.com/prnewswire/2023/07/31/farallon-capital-management-closes-fourth-real-estate-fund-with-over-650-million-aggregate-investor-commitments/ | 2023-07-31T13:26:13 | 0 | https://www.wbrc.com/prnewswire/2023/07/31/farallon-capital-management-closes-fourth-real-estate-fund-with-over-650-million-aggregate-investor-commitments/ |
GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip (AP) — Several thousand people briefly took to the streets across the Gaza Strip on Sunday to protest chronic power outages and difficult living conditions, providing a rare public show of discontent with the territory’s Hamas government. Hamas security forces quickly dispersed the gatherings.
Marches took place in Gaza City, the southern town of Khan Younis and other locations, chanting “what a shame” and in one place burning Hamas flags, before police moved in and broke up the protests.
Police destroyed mobile phones of people who were filming in Khan Younis, and witnesses said there were several arrests. Dozens of young supporters and opponents of Hamas briefly faced off, throwing stones at one another.
The demonstrations were organized by a grassroots online movement called “alvirus alsakher,” or “the mocking virus.” It was not immediately known who is behind the movement.
Hamas rules Gaza with an iron fist, barring most demonstrations and quickly stamping out public displays of dissent.
The Islamic militant group seized control of Gaza in 2007 from the forces of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, prompting Israel and Egypt to impose a crippling blockade on the territory. Israel says the closure is needed to prevent Hamas, which does not recognize Israel’s right to exist, from building up its military capabilities.
The closure has devastated Gaza’s economy, sent unemployment skyrocketing and led to frequent power outages. During the current heat wave, people have been receiving four to six hours of power a day due to heavy demand.
“Where is the electricity and where is the gas?” the crowds shouted in Khan Younis. “What a shame. What a shame.”
Protesters also criticized Hamas for deducting a roughly $15 fee from monthly $100 stipends given to Gaza’s poorest families by the wealthy Gulf state of Qatar.
There was no immediate comment from the Hamas authorities. | https://www.wane.com/news/national-world/ap-international/ap-thousands-take-to-streets-in-gaza-in-rare-public-display-of-discontent-with-hamas/ | 2023-07-31T13:26:13 | 0 | https://www.wane.com/news/national-world/ap-international/ap-thousands-take-to-streets-in-gaza-in-rare-public-display-of-discontent-with-hamas/ |
More than a week after the death of singer Tony Bennett, his collaborator, Lady Gaga, has paid tribute to the crooner.
Gaga took to Instagram saying in part, “I will miss my friend forever. I will miss singing with him, recording with him, talking with him, being on stage together.”
The post also included a photo of the duo in an embrace.
Bennett died on July 21 after being diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease in 2016, E! News reported.
Gaga and Bennett met in 2011 when she performed at the Robin Hood Foundation gala, according to People magazine.
Bennett told the publication in 2016, “Ever since then, we’ve just been close. We just love performing with one another.”
He performed live one final time with Gaga at Radio City Music Hall in August 2021 in the concert “One Last Time: An Evening with Tony Bennett and Lady Gaga,” Variety reported.
They also released two albums — 2014′s “Cheek to Cheek” and 2021′s “Love for Sale.”
Gaga said, “I’ve been grieving the loss of Tony for a long time. We had a very long and powerful goodbye.”
She said that she and Bennett had a true friendship despite the 59-year age gap. Gaga is 37, Bennett was 96, People magazine reported.
“My real true friend. Our age difference didn’t matter -- in fact, it gave us each something neither of us had with most people. We were from two different stages in life entirely--inspired.”
She finished the long post simply with “I love you Tony. Love, Lady.”
©2023 Cox Media Group | https://www.star945.com/news/trending/lady-gaga-pays-tribute-tony-bennett/AWE6PBNMGVDKJAIPFPS4B46JFA/ | 2023-07-31T13:26:15 | 1 | https://www.star945.com/news/trending/lady-gaga-pays-tribute-tony-bennett/AWE6PBNMGVDKJAIPFPS4B46JFA/ |
Tim McGraw reveals the one thing he won’t do at his concerts: ‘I'm scared to death’
Tim McGraw revealed the one thing that fans should never expect to see at his concerts.
The 56-year-old country singer, who announced his upcoming "Standing Room Only" tour on Friday, told Entertainment Tonight that there will most likely be no pyrotechnics at any of his concerts.
"I'm not a big pyro guy. I'm scared to death. I know myself enough that I move around all over the place and sure enough I'll be standing right over one of those things when it goes off," the "1923" star quipped.
He added, "We don't need that. I'd light my a** on fire."
TIM MCGRAW, FAITH HILL CELEBRATE DAUGHTER MAGGIE'S BIRTHDAY IN NYC
However, McGraw said that concert-goers can expect a big show and he was excited for his fans to see what he had in store.
"It's the first time we've done an arena tour in a long time," the "It's Your Love" hitmaker said. "I'm looking forward to it. We've got some crazy spectacular production I'm looking forward to everybody seeing. This is probably one the coolest productions we've ever had. We're gonna blow it out."
The singer, who announced his "Standing Room Only" tour on Friday, said that his show will not feature any pyrotechnics. (Photo by Emma McIntyre/Getty Images for ABA)
McGraw told ET that his wife Faith Hill will likely attend some of the performances during his tour.
"She comes out occasionally and hangs out with us. She loves it," McGraw said. "She has fun on the side of the stage. If we had a camera on her, you'd see her dancing all night."
During his interview with Entertainment Tonight, the three-time Grammy Award winner joked that he was "the worst singer" in his family. McGraw and fellow country superstar Hill, who have been married for 26 years, share daughters Gracie, 26, Maggie, 24, and Audrey, 21.
Married for nearly 27 years, McGraw and his wife Faith Hill have three daughters, Maggie, Audrey, and Gracie. (Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images for WarnerMedia)
"All three of them are great singers," McGraw said of his daughters. "I'd love to do a song with all five of us at some point. I talk about it all the time and they're like, 'I ain't gonna sing with you, Dad.'"
He continued, "Maybe I'll talk them into it. Maybe they'll sort of grow out of that phase a little bit where they don't want to sing with me. They'll sing with Mom, but I'm probably not up to par with the rest of them."
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"I'm the worst singer in the family," McGraw added. It's true. I'm pretty good, but I'm the worst singer in the family."
McGraw joked that he is the "worst singer" in his family. (Kevin Mazur/Getty Images for TIME)
Grammy Award winner Carly Pearce is slated to be the opening act on the 30-date tour, which kicks off on March 14, 2024, in Jacksonville, Florida and will conclude in Phoenix, Arizona on June 27.
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"I always want to deliver the best possible concert I can for the fans," McGraw said in a statement to Billboard. "We’ve got some really special plans to make this the biggest and the best tour we’ve ever done."
The Louisiana native will release his 17th studio album "Standing Room Only on August 25. | https://www.fox13news.com/news/tim-mcgraw-standing-room-only-tour-2023 | 2023-07-31T13:26:20 | 0 | https://www.fox13news.com/news/tim-mcgraw-standing-room-only-tour-2023 |
RFK Jr. says he’s not anti-vaccine. His record shows the opposite. It’s one of many inconsistencies
By MICHELLE R. SMITH and ALI SWENSON
Associated Press
Democratic presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. rose to prominence during the COVID-19 pandemic because of his strident opposition to vaccines. Yet, he insists he’s not anti-vaccine. He has associated with influential people on the far right – including Tucker Carlson, Steve Bannon and Michael Flynn – to raise his profile. Yet, he portrays himself as a true Democrat inheriting the mantle of the Kennedy family.
As he challenges President Joe Biden, the stories he tells on the campaign trail about himself, his life’s work and what he stands for are often the opposite of what his record actually shows.
Though Kennedy’s primary challenge to a sitting president is widely considered a long-shot, he’s been sucking up media attention due to his famous name and the possibility that his run could weaken Biden ahead of what is expected to be a close general election in 2024. He’s drawn praise from Republican presidential candidates like Donald Trump and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis. Meanwhile, Trump supporters, including his longtime ally Roger Stone, have ginned up interest by floating a Trump-Kennedy unity ticket.
Debra Duvall, 62, who lives in Fort Myers, Florida, and said she serves on the Lee County GOP executive committee, described herself as a longtime Trump supporter, but said she’s torn for 2024.
“I’ll take Trump or RFK. Either one,” she said, explaining that she was drawn to both because she believes they can’t be bought.
That kind of support has demonstrated some of the contradictions in Kennedy’s candidacy. He has said he wants to “reclaim” the Democratic Party, while aligning himself with far right figures who have worked to subvert American democracy. He touts his credentials as an environmentalist, yet pushes bitcoin — a cryptocurrency that requires massive amounts of electricity from supercomputers to generate new coins, prompting most environmental advocates to loudly oppose it.
And though he peppers his speeches, podcast appearances and campaign materials with invocations of the Democratic Party legacies of his uncle President John F. Kennedy and his father Robert F. Kennedy, his relatives have distanced themselves from him and even denounced him.
“He’s trading in on Camelot, celebrity, conspiracy theories and conflict for personal gain and fame,” Jack Schlossberg, President Kennedy’s grandson, said of his cousin in an Instagram video earlier this month. “I’ve listened to him. I know him. I have no idea why anyone thinks he should be president. What I do know is, his candidacy is an embarrassment.”
Kennedy’s recent comments that COVID-19 could have been “ethnically targeted” to spare Ashkenazi Jews and Chinese people — which he denies were antisemitic but concedes he should have worded more carefully — also drew a condemnation from his sister, Kerry Kennedy.
The contradictions between what Kennedy says and his track record were nowhere more apparent than when he testified before a congressional committee this month at the invitation of Republican members.
Anti-vaccine activists, some who work for Kennedy’s nonprofit group Children’s Health Defense, sat in the rows behind him, watching as he insisted “I have never been anti-vaxx. I have never told the public to avoid vaccination.”
But that’s not true. Again and again, Kennedy has made his opposition to vaccines clear. Just this month, Kennedy said in a podcast interview that “There’s no vaccine that is safe and effective” and told FOX News that he still believes in the long-ago debunked idea that vaccines can cause autism. In a 2021 podcast he urged people to “resist” CDC guidelines on when kids should get vaccines.
“I see somebody on a hiking trail carrying a little baby and I say to him, better not get them vaccinated,” Kennedy said.
That same year, in a video promoting and anti-vaccine sticker campaign by his nonprofit, Kennedy appeared onscreen next to one sticker that declared “IF YOU’RE NOT AN ANTI-VAXXER YOU AREN’T PAYING ATTENTION.”
A close examination of Kennedy’s campaign finance filings shows that the anti-vaccine movement lies at the heart of his campaign.
Several of his campaign staff and consultants have worked for his anti-vaccine group Children’s Health Defense, including Mary Holland, the group’s president on leave, campaign spokeswoman Stefanie Spear, and Zen Honeycutt, who hosted a show for the group’s TV channel, CHD TV.
Children’s Health Defense currently has a lawsuit pending against a number of news organizations, among them The Associated Press, accusing them of violating antitrust laws by taking action to identify misinformation, including about COVID-19 and COVID-19 vaccines.
The campaign paid KFP Consulting, a Texas-based company run by Del Bigtree, head of the anti-vaccine group ICAN, and a leading voice in the movement, more than $13,000 for communications consulting, the AP found. Bigtree appeared to still be working for the campaign last week, when an AP reporter saw him helping facilitate a Kennedy event in New York.
Kennedy also has received substantial support from activists who have spread misinformation about the coronavirus and vaccines, including Steve Kirsch, an entrepreneur who has falsely claimed COVID-19 vaccines kill more people than they save, chiropractors Patrick Flynn and Kevin Stillwagon, and others.
Ty and Charlene Bollinger, who run an anti-vaccine business and who the AP has previously reported have had a financial relationship with Kennedy, gave more than $6,000. The couple, along with Kennedy’s communication consultant Bigtree, were involved in hosting a rally near the Capitol on Jan. 6, and Ty Bollinger has said he was among the people who crowded at the Capitol doors in an attempt to get inside, though he said he did not enter.
The couple is a part of the Children’s Health Defense lawsuit against AP and other media outlets.
American Values 2024, a super PAC supporting Kennedy, is run by close associates to Kennedy who have propped up anti-vaccine ideas — the former head of the New York chapter of Children’s Health Defense John Gilmore is its CEO and Kennedy’s publisher Tony Lyons is its co-chair.
The Kennedy campaign did not return emails seeking comment about a number of questions, including how he can say he is not anti-vaccine given his record and his support from anti-vaccine activists.
Kennedy’s run is also getting plenty of financial support from the right. A super PAC supporting Kennedy’s presidential run, called Heal the Divide PAC, has deep ties to Republicans, F ederal Election Commission records show.
The committee’s address is listed in the care of RTA Strategy, a campaign consulting firm that has been paid for its work to help elect Republicans including Georgia Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene and the former Georgia Senate candidate Herschel Walker.
The PAC’s treasurer, who works for RTA Strategy, is Jason Boles, a past donor to Trump and many other Republicans who includes “MAGA” and “AmericaFirst” in his bio on the platform X, formerly known as Twitter.
Kennedy denied knowing Boles or the Heal the Divide PAC when it came up at the congressional hearing, saying, “I’ve never heard of Mr. Boles, and I’ve never heard of that super PAC.”
But video available online shows he was a guest speaker at a Heal the Divide event just two days earlier. The video features a “Heal the Divide 2024” logo with clips of him speaking at length about plans to back the U.S. dollar with bitcoin and precious metals.
Kennedy says that as president, he would fight for government honesty and transparency, heal the political divide, reverse economic decline, end war and preserve civil liberties. He has made freedom of speech a major part of his platform, arguing that the government’s communication with social media companies unfairly censors protected speech.
Kennedy’s press office did not respond to several messages asking about his support from the far right.
It also did not respond to questions about whether his stance on bitcoin was at odds with being an environmentalist.
Kennedy lists the environment as one of six top priorities on his campaign website and has spent many years speaking against pollution and climate change as an environmental lawyer. Yet he has made supporting the energy-intensive cryptocurrency bitcoin a key part of his platform.
Bitcoin mining, the process of generating new coins, uses massive amounts of electricity — more than some entire countries use, said Scott Faber of the Environmental Working Group.
That’s because it works by tasking a network of supercomputers with solving complex mathematical puzzles — even as some other cryptocurrencies have adopted far more energy efficient mining methods.
“No one who claims to be an environmentalist could support a digital asset that needlessly consumes more electricity than all Americans use to power the lights in our homes,” Faber said. “In fact, bitcoin produces more climate pollution than any other digital asset.”
Despite the environmental downsides of bitcoin, some Democrats, including elected officials, have advocated for the currency.
Kennedy, for his part, told a crowd at Bitcoin 2023 that environmentalists like himself “will continue to pressure you to improve.” Online, he has promoted the argument that demand for bitcoin will boost investment in new renewable energy projects.
Regardless, his financial disclosure documents show he has already personally invested between $100,001 and $250,000 in bitcoin, and he promised at Bitcoin 2023 that he wouldn’t let the environmental argument hinder the currency’s use.
“As president, I will make sure that your right to hold and use bitcoin is inviolable,” he said.
During the past several years, Kennedy has cultivated his ties to the far right. He has appeared on Infowars, the channel run by Sandy Hook conspiracy theorist Alex Jones. He has granted interviews to Trump ally Steve Bannon and Tucker Carlson. After he headlined a stop on the ReAwaken America Tour, the Christian nationalist road show put together by former Trump national security adviser Michael Flynn, he was photographed backstage with Flynn, Charlene Bollinger and Trump ally Roger Stone.
Those appearances have led to goodwill on the right, and he has found enthusiastic support among a segment of Trump’s base, with some suggesting him as a potential vice presidential pick.
At a July 1 rally in the tiny town of Pickens, South Carolina, Adrian Palashevsky – a small businessman who described himself as more of a “libertarian” than a Republican – posited a unity ticket, with Kennedy as his top pick for Trump’s VP.
“I think they would get along just fine,” he said. “They’re both anti-establishment, and that’s why they’re under so much attack.”
DeSantis, one of Trump’s Republican challengers, has also indulged in praise for the fringe candidate, saying in a recent interview that while he wouldn’t make Kennedy vice president, he would consider appointing him to one of the federal agencies that regulates vaccine safety and protects public health.
“If you’re president, you know, sic him on the FDA if he’d be willing to serve, or sic him on CDC,” DeSantis said.
Not everyone is buying the Kennedy mystique.
At the annual meeting of the National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials in New York earlier this month, Kennedy leaned heavily on his family legacy, mentioning his father’s alliance with labor leader Cesar Chavez and his uncle’s work in Latin American countries.
But in his nearly 20-minute speech, he didn’t lay out any plan or policy proposals of his own, or talk about specific issues facing the Latino community. He spent most of his time telling a story about getting arrested with the Mexican American actor Edward Olmos in 2001, an attempt at relating with the community that disappointed both Republicans and Democrats in the audience.
Mario Ceballos, president of a PAC representing LGBTQ+ Latinos, said Kennedy’s speech — and the candidate’s conspiracy theory beliefs — saddened him.
“When I was living in Mexico, Kennedy was an American president that my whole family respected,” Ceballos said. “And what he is presenting are esoteric, dangerous options that are actually going to hurt the same people that his father and uncle wanted to help.”
___
Associated Press writers Jill Colvin in West Palm Beach, Florida, and Meg Kinnard in Pickens, South Carolina, contributed to this report.
___ The Associated Press receives support from several private foundations to enhance its explanatory coverage of elections and democracy. See more about AP’s democracy initiative here. The AP is solely responsible for all content. | https://kion546.com/ap-colorado/2023/07/31/rfk-jr-says-hes-not-anti-vaccine-his-record-shows-the-opposite-its-one-of-many-inconsistencies/ | 2023-07-31T13:26:20 | 1 | https://kion546.com/ap-colorado/2023/07/31/rfk-jr-says-hes-not-anti-vaccine-his-record-shows-the-opposite-its-one-of-many-inconsistencies/ |
First-of-Its-Kind Solution Helps Ensure Medicines Prescribed to Patients are Safe, Effective, and Appropriate, Tackling Growing Public Health Challenge Posed by Suboptimal Medication Use
FeelBetter's Pharmaco-Clinical Intelligence Aids in Proactively Identifying and Managing Polypharmacy-Related Risks, Reducing Preventable Deterioration and Hospitalizations
BOSTON and TEL AVIV, Israel , July 31, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- FeelBetter, the leading provider of medication management technology and pioneer of Pharmaco-Clinical Intelligence, today announced that it has raised $5.9 million in funding. Firstime Ventures and Shoni Health Ventures led the funding round with participation from Random Forest VC, The Group Ventures, and existing FeelBetter investor Triventures, bringing the Company's total funding to $8 million.
A growing public health concern for senior patients, many of whom have multiple chronic conditions, the simultaneous use of multiple medications paves the way for poor health outcomes, increased use of health services, and rising care costs. In the US alone, every year, suboptimal medication management results in 275,000 deaths and more than $528B in avoidable costs.
Launched in 2018, FeelBetter is tackling the challenges associated with suboptimal medication management among polypharmacy patients. Led by an interdisciplinary team of clinicians, clinical pharmacists, and technologists, FeelBetter has pioneered a new category of technology called Pharmaco-Clinical Intelligence. It combines novel pharmacology and clinical capabilities and is changing the polypharmacy paradigm on both an individual and population health level. A comprehensive solution powered by AI and machine learning capabilities, FeelBetter's Pharmaco-Clinical Intelligence drives proactive, personalized medication management, helping healthcare professionals ensure that their patients' medication regimens are safe, effective, and appropriate.
"FeelBetter's purpose-built technology makes it possible to deliver a more personalized, whole-patient approach to medication management – one that goes beyond a single illness, diagnosis, or point in time, and comprehensively focuses on each individual's care journey," said Liat Primor, FeelBetter's CEO and Co-Founder. "At a time when investors are especially selective about the types of bets they are taking, this round and vote of confidence from the world-class teams at Fristime Ventures, Shoni Health Ventures, Random Forest VC, Triventures, and The Venture Group, as well as angel investors, validates the need for and potential of our Pharmaco-Clinical Intelligence as a solution for the growing, global health challenge posed by suboptimal medication management."
Yoram Hordan, FeelBetter's CTO, COO, and Co-Founder, added: "The funding will enable us to expand our reach, further refine our solution, and empower more healthcare providers to deliver personalized, proactive care. Our Pharmaco-Clinical Intelligence, developed collaboratively by clinical and pharmacology experts alongside technology and machine learning specialists, seamlessly matches a patient's specific clinical and pharmacology data with their sequence of health events. This unlocks unparalleled accuracy in detecting at-risk patients both individually and population wide and enables new levels of precision in disease management and prevention."
Recognizing that a range of diverse factors can influence a senior patient's health status, FeelBetter's Pharmaco-Clinical Intelligence synthesizes and analyzes healthcare data from multiple sources to pinpoint patients at high risk of deterioration and preventable hospitalization due to suboptimal medication management. The SaaS solution also proactively suggests immediate and actionable interventions to reduce polypharmacy risks, and aids healthcare providers in monitoring patients' progress and measuring the impact of clinical interventions. Additionally, by using FeelBetter, provider organizations can more effectively and efficiently allocate resources to better serve patients, and minimize preventable, costly use of healthcare services.
"FeelBetter's algorithm has been trained on two decades of longitudinal clinical, pharmacy, claims, and lab data from hundreds of thousands of patients to find patterns in the complex connections and relationships between disparate data sources," said Michael Kerbis, Founding Partner, Random Forest VC. "When taken together, these patterns can capture the full picture of a patient's health journey, enabling FeelBetter to predict which individuals are at the greatest risk of adverse events related to suboptimal medication regimens and recommend timely clinical interventions to drive better health outcomes."
Eran Lerer, CEO and Managing Partner, Shoni Health Ventures, said: "From risk stratifying patients to preventing adverse events so patients can safely stay in their communities, FeelBetter offers a proven, end-to-end solution for the suboptimal medication management problem. It's a groundbreaking tool that is poised to change how the medical community approaches polypharmacy, and we're thrilled to take part in this important transformation."
Keren Kopilov, Partner, Firstime Ventures, added: "By incorporating the expertise of physicians and clinical pharmacists, as well as leveraging data from all relevant sources, FeelBetter provides a solution that is uniquely comprehensive. It intuitively fits into clinical workflows and enables optimized medication management at unparalleled speed and scale. We look forward to leveraging our expertise to support FeelBetter's mission and continued growth as it meets the tremendous opportunities ahead."
About FeelBetter
FeelBetter is the pioneer of Pharmaco-Clinical Intelligence, changing the polypharmacy paradigm on both an individual and population health level with a comprehensive solution designed to tackle the challenges associated with suboptimal medication management. Powered by AI and machine learning capabilities, FeelBetter's Pharmaco-Clinical Intelligence drives personalized medication management, helping healthcare professionals ensure that their patients' medication regimens are safe, effective, and appropriate. The technology pinpoints patients at high risk of deterioration and preventable hospitalization due to suboptimal medication management, and proactively suggests immediate and actionable interventions to reduce these risks. Provider organizations use FeelBetter to monitor their patients' progress and more proactively deliver the right follow-up care, as well as to efficiently allocate resources and minimize preventable, costly use of healthcare services.
Led by an interdisciplinary team of clinicians, clinical pharmacists, and technologists, FeelBetter is headquartered in Boston and Tel Aviv, Israel. Investors include Firstime Ventures, Shoni Health Ventures, Triventures, Random Forest VC, The Group Ventures, and GoodCompany Ventures. To learn more, visit feelbetter.healthcare.
Media Contact
Nicole Pariser
nicole@i-feelbetter.com
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BEIRUT (AP) — Lebanon’s embattled central bank governor stepped down on Monday under a cloud of investigation and blame for his country’s economic crisis as several European countries are probing his alleged financial crimes.
Riad Salameh, 73, ended his 30-year tenure as tearful employees took photos and a band played celebratory music with drums and trumpets as he left the building.
His four vice governors, led by incoming interim governor Wassim Mansouri, quickly pivoted to urge fiscal reforms for the cash-strapped country.
“We are at a crossroads,” Mansouri said at a news conference. “There is no choice, if we continue previous policy … the funds in the Central Bank will eventually dry up.”
Salameh kicked off his tenure as governor in 1993, three years after Lebanon’s 15-year civil war came to an end. It was a time when reconstruction loans and aid was pouring into the country, and Salameh was widely celebrated for his role in Lebanon’s recovery.
Now, he leaves his post a wanted man in Europe, accused by many in Lebanon of being responsible for the country’s financial downfall since late 2019.
It was a steep fall for a leader whose policies were once hailed for keeping the currency stable. Later, many financial experts saw him as setting up a house of cards that crumbled as the country’s supply of dollars dried up on top of decades of rampant and corruption and mismanagement from Lebanon’s ruling parties.
The crisis has pulverized the Lebanese pound and wiped out the savings of many Lebanese, as the banks ran dry of hard currency.
With the country’s banks crippled and public sector in ruins, Lebanon for years has run on a cash-based economy and relied primarily on tourism and remittances from millions in the diaspora.
Mansouri said previous policies that permitted the central bank to spend large sums on money to prop up the Lebanese state is no longer feasible. He cited years of spending billions of dollars to subsidize fuel, medicine, wheat and more to keep the value of the Lebanese pound stable.
He proposed a six-month reform plan that included passing long awaited reforms such as capital controls, a bank restructuring law, and the 2023 state budget.
“The country cannot continue without passing these laws,” Mansouri explained. “We don’t have time, and we paid a heavy price that we cannot pay anymore.”
The reforms Mansouri mentioned are among those the International Monetary Fund set as conditions on Lebanon in April 2022 for a bailout plan, though he did not mention the IMF. None have been passed.
France, Germany, and Luxembourg are investigating Salameh and his associates over myriad financial crimes, including illicit enrichment and the laundering of $330 million. Paris and Berlin issued Interpol notices to the central bank chief in May, though Lebanon does not hand over its citizens to foreign countries.
Salameh has repeatedly denied the allegations and insisted that his wealth comes from his previous job as an investment banker at Merrill Lynch, inherited properties, and investments. He has criticized the probe and said it was part of a media and political campaign to scapegoat him.
In his final interview as governor, Salameh said on Lebanese television that the responsibility for reforms lies with the government.
“Everything I did for the past 30 years was to try to serve Lebanon and the Lebanese,” he said. “Some — the majority —- were grateful, even if they don’t want to say so. And there are other people, well, may God forgive them.”
Salameh’s departure adds another gap in crisis-hit Lebanon’s withering and paralyzed institutions. The tiny Mediterranean country has been without a president for nine months, while its government has been running in a limited caretaker capacity for a year. Lebanon has also been without a top spy chief to head its General Security Directorate since March.
Lebanese officials in recent months were divided over whether Salameh should stay in his post or whether he should step down immediately in the remaining months of his tenure.
Caretaker Economy Minister Amin Salam wanted an immediate stepdown, given that the central bank chief had a “legal question mark.”
“I cannot explain anyone holding on to a person while a nation is failing unless there is something wrong or hidden,” Salam told The Associated Press. | https://www.seattletimes.com/business/lebanons-central-bank-governor-ends-30-year-tenure-under-investigation-during-dire-economic-crisis/?utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=Referral&utm_campaign=RSS_business | 2023-07-31T13:26:21 | 0 | https://www.seattletimes.com/business/lebanons-central-bank-governor-ends-30-year-tenure-under-investigation-during-dire-economic-crisis/?utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=Referral&utm_campaign=RSS_business |
Trader Joe’s has announced its third recall in recent days.
This time the stores have recalled Trader Joe’s Fully Cooked Falafel.
The falafel may contain rocks.
It was sold in several states across the country including:
- Alabama
- Arkansas
- Colorado
- Connecticut
- Florida
- Georgia
- Illinois
- Indiana
- Iowa
- Kansas
- Kentucky
- Louisiana
- Maine
- Maryland
- Massachusetts
- Michigan
- Minnesota
- Missouri
- Nebraska
- New Hampshire
- New Jersey
- New Mexico
- New York
- North Carolina
- Ohio
- Oklahoma
- Pennsylvania
- Rhode Island
- South Carolina
- Tennessee
- Texas
- Vermont
- Virginia
- Wisconsin
- Washington, D.C.
The falafel has been pulled from store shelves and destroyed. If anyone purchased it before the recall was issued, they’re being told to throw it away or return it to Trader Joe’s for a refund.
If you have questions you can call the company at 626-599-3817, Monday through Friday from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. PT or send an email.
This is the third recall the company has issued this month. Trader Joe’s recalled its Unexpected Broccoli Cheddar Soup due to bugs in the broccoli. The chain also recalled its Almond Windmill Cookies and Dark Chocolate Chunk and Almond Cookies due to rocks.
©2023 Cox Media Group | https://www.star945.com/news/trending/recall-alert-trader-joes-recalls-falafel-due-rocks/DSKSKA4F6RELFABDI636TV7J3U/ | 2023-07-31T13:26:20 | 0 | https://www.star945.com/news/trending/recall-alert-trader-joes-recalls-falafel-due-rocks/DSKSKA4F6RELFABDI636TV7J3U/ |
LOS ANGELES (AP) — When viewed through a wide lens, renters across the U.S. finally appear to be getting some relief, thanks in part to the biggest apartment construction boom in decades.
Median rent rose just 0.5% in June, year over year, after falling in May for the first time since the pandemic hit the U.S. Some economists project U.S. rents will be down modestly this year after soaring nearly 25% over the past four years.
A closer look, however, shows the trend will likely be little comfort for many U.S. renters who’ve had to put an increasing share of their income toward their monthly payment. Renters in cities such as Cincinnati and Indianapolis are still getting hit with increases of 5% or more. Much of the new construction is located in just a few metro areas, and many of the new units are luxury apartments, which rent for well north of $2,000.
Median U.S. rent has risen to $2,029 this June from $1,629 in June 2019, according to rental listings company Rent, which tracks rents in 50 of the largest U.S. metropolitan areas. Demand for apartments exploded during the pandemic as people who could work remotely sought more space or decided to relocate to another part of the country.
The steep rent increases have left tenants like Melissa Lombana, a high school teacher who lives in the South Florida city of Miramar, with progressively less income to spend on other needs.
The rent on her one-bedroom apartment jumped 13% last year to $1,700. It climbed another 6% to $1,800 this month when she renewed her lease.
“Even the $1,700 was a stretch for me,” said Lombana, 43, who supplements her teaching income with a side job doing educational testing. “In a year, I will not be able to afford living here at all.”
Lombana’s rent is now gobbling up nearly half her monthly income. That puts her in a category referred to as “cost-burdened” by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, denoting households that pay 30% or more of their income toward rent. Last year, the average rent-to-income ratio per household rose to 30%. This March, it was 29.6%.
Lombana hasn’t had any luck finding a more affordable apartment. While South Florida is one of the metropolitan areas seeing a rise in apartment construction, the units are mostly high-end and not a viable option.
That scenario is playing out across the nation. Developers are rushing to complete projects that were green-lit during the pandemic-era surge in demand for rentals or left in limbo by delays in supplies of fixtures and building materials. Nearly 1.1 million apartments are currently under construction, according to the commercial real estate tracker CoStar, a pace not seen since the 1970s.
Increasing the supply of apartments tends to moderate rent increases over time and can give tenants more options on where to live. But more than 40% of the new rentals to be completed this year will be concentrated in about 10 high job growth metropolitan areas, including Austin, Nashville, Denver, Atlanta and New York, according to Marcus & Millichap. In many areas, the boost to overall inventory will be barely noticeable.
Even within metros where there’ll be a notable increase in available apartments, such as Nashville, most of it will be in the luxury category, where rents average $2,270, nationally. Some 70% of the new rental inventory will be the luxury class, said Jay Lybik, national director of multifamily analytics at CoStar.
That will leave most tenants unlikely to see a big enough reduction in rent to make a difference, industry experts and economists say.
“I think we’re in a period of rent flattening for 12 or 18 months, but it’s certainly not a big rent decline,” said Hessam Nadji, CEO of commercial real estate firm Marcus & Millichap.
“We’re building a multi-decade record number of units,” Nadji said. “It’s going to cause some softening and some pockets of overbuilding, but it’s not going to fundamentally resolve the housing shortage or the affordability problem for renters across the U.S.”
The surge in rents has made it difficult for workers to keep up with inflation despite solid wage gains the past few years and exacerbated a long-term trend. Between 1999 and 2022, U.S. rents soared 135%, while income grew 77%, according to data from Moody’s Analytics.
Realtor.com is forecasting that rents will drop an average of 0.9% this year. But while down nationally, rents are still rising in many markets around the country, especially those where hiring remains robust.
In the New York metro area, the median rent climbed 4.7% in June from a year earlier to $2,899, according to Realtor.com. In the Midwest, rents surged 5.6% in the Cincinnati metro area to $1,188, and 6.9% to $1,350 in the Indianapolis metro area.
The current spike in apartment construction alone isn’t going to be enough to address how costly renting has become for many Americans.
“For the rest of the 2020s rents will continue to grow because millennials are such a big generation and we’re very much in the hole in terms of building housing for that generation,” said Daryl Fairweather, chief economist at Redfin. “It will take many good years of new construction to build adequate housing for millennials.”
The bigger challenge is building more work force housing, because the cost of land, labor and navigating the government approval process incentivize developers to put up luxury apartments buildings.
Expanding the supply of modestly priced rentals would help alleviate the strain from so many new apartments targeting renters with high incomes, “although additional subsidies will be needed to make housing affordable to households with the lowest incomes,” researchers at Harvard University’s Joint Center for Housing Studies wrote in a recent report.
Despite the overall pullback in U.S. rents, Joey Di Girolamo, in Pembroke Pines, Florida, worries that he’ll face more sharp rent increases in coming years.
Last year, the web designer left a two-bedroom, two-bath townhome he rented for $2,200 a month to avoid a $600 a month increase. This year, his rent went up by $200, a nearly 10% jump.
“That blew me away,” said Di Girolamo, 50. “I’m just kind of dreading what it’s going to be like next year, but especially 3 or 4 years from now.” | https://www.wane.com/news/national-world/ap-us-news/ap-a-boom-in-apartment-construction-is-helping-to-curb-rents-but-not-all-renters-will-benefit/ | 2023-07-31T13:26:25 | 1 | https://www.wane.com/news/national-world/ap-us-news/ap-a-boom-in-apartment-construction-is-helping-to-curb-rents-but-not-all-renters-will-benefit/ |
Want to live on a cruise ship? A 2-year trip around the world from Florida will cost you this much
ORLANDO, Fla. - A new cruise experience could be more affordable than the rent or mortgage you’re paying on land.
There’s a new option to live on a cruise ship while traveling the world.
"We’re excited!!" Barbara Violetta said. Violette is a retiree from The Villages and she is crazy for cruises. In fact, she has been on more than 70 cruises.
But now she’s gearing up for the voyage of a lifetime. "It’s a dream come true," she said.
She will be boarding a two-year cruise with Victoria Cruise Line. There are 214 ports in 115 countries on seven continents.
The ship is more than 750 feet long and about 100 feet wide. There will be 1,000 passengers on board.
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Passengers on board the Victoria Cruise Line consist of retirees and digital nomads – those who can work from home even if that home floats.
"Anybody who is working from home, who says it has to be a home fixed in the ground? Why can’t it be at sea?" Violetta said.
What is the cost for a trip like this?
"Those who have an inside cabin, will be paying about $2,400 a month per person," said Valerie Linderoth, a Victoria Cruises Brand Ambassador. "It’s actually pretty affordable."
While the price of $2,400 a month may not sound affordable at first, there are other factors to consider.
Rent paid monthly includes cooked meals, television, Wi-Fi, gym, pool, spa and access to doctors, nurses and a dentist on board.
"They do your laundry three times a week!" Violetta said. "Free laundry is done for us. No cleaning. No making your bed. There’s even a turndown service every day."
The $2,400 price tag is for one person in an inside cabin if you sign up for the 37-month option, which offers the biggest discount.
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But if you choose the 24-month option, it will cost you $5,119.
The 12-month option is $5,759 a month.
Whichever option you choose, it’s a long time to be away from home base, which is why Victoria Cruises allows passengers to take a break and pay just 30% of their rent while they’re gone.
"I have to take a break. My daughter is planning a wedding next year," Violetta said.
Some passengers said they plan to renew their stay indefinitely.
"We have quite a few people – about 70% – who are choosing to do the 37+ month and a lot of them are saying, "I’m gonna stay on this ship until the day I die," Linderoth said.
The cruise around the world sets sail December 1 from Fort Lauderdale, Florida. | https://www.fox13news.com/news/want-to-live-on-a-cruise-ship-heres-how-much-itll-cost-you | 2023-07-31T13:26:26 | 0 | https://www.fox13news.com/news/want-to-live-on-a-cruise-ship-heres-how-much-itll-cost-you |
NEW YORK, July 31, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- First Citizens Bank today announced that its Healthcare Finance business, part of the CIT division, provided a $50.3 million loan to a joint venture led by Rethink Healthcare Real Estate to refinance the Medical Pavilion at White Oak, an on campus medical office building located adjacent to the Adventist White Oak Medical Center in Silver Spring, Maryland.
Opened in 2019, the Medical Center is located approximately seven miles northeast from Washington D.C. in an emerging healthcare and life science hub off Interstate 95. The Pavilion, which is directly connected to the hospital and to covered parking, houses a comprehensive cancer center, primary care services, and cardiology and other specialists.
"Once again, we are pleased with the execution by First Citizens Bank's Healthcare Finance team in providing financing that supports our focus on maintaining high-quality medical office buildings and specialized care facilities," said John Winer, President & Chief Investment Officer, Rethink Healthcare Real Estate.
"We are delighted to again work closely with Rethink, who has a proven track record of developing and managing high quality medical office buildings and outpatient medical facilities in attractive markets," said William Douglass, who leads the bank's Healthcare Finance business.
"We are pleased to continue to grow our banking relationship with Rethink Healthcare Real Estate through the financing of this state-of-the-art, Class A medical office building," said Steven Reedy, a managing director for First Citizens Bank Healthcare Finance business.
Healthcare Finance, part of the First Citizens Bank's Commercial Finance division, provides comprehensive financing and banking solutions to middle market healthcare companies across the U.S. By using a client-focused and industry-centric model, Healthcare Finance can tailor its products and services to help clients meet their needs for capital.
About First Citizens Bank
First Citizens Bank helps personal, business, commercial and wealth clients build financial strength that lasts. Headquartered in Raleigh, N.C., and now celebrating the 125th anniversary of its founding, First Citizens has built a unique legacy of strength, stability and long-term thinking that has spanned generations. First Citizens offers an array of general banking services including a network of more than 550 branches in 23 states and commercial banking expertise delivering best-in-class lending, leasing and other financial services coast to coast. Parent company First Citizens BancShares, Inc. (NASDAQ: FCNCA) is a top 20 U.S. financial institution with more than $200 billion in assets. Discover more at firstcitizens.com.
MEDIA RELATIONS:
Ella Bristow
212-461-5322
Ella.Bristow@firstcitizens.com
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SOURCE First Citizens Bank | https://www.wbrc.com/prnewswire/2023/07/31/first-citizens-bank-provides-503-million-refinance-medical-pavilion-white-oak-campus-adventist-white-oak-medical-center/ | 2023-07-31T13:26:26 | 1 | https://www.wbrc.com/prnewswire/2023/07/31/first-citizens-bank-provides-503-million-refinance-medical-pavilion-white-oak-campus-adventist-white-oak-medical-center/ |
Tugs tow burning cargo ship to new location on North Sea while salvage crews ponder next steps
THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP) — The Dutch government says that a cargo ship carrying thousands of cars that has been burning on the North Sea for nearly a week has been towed further from the Dutch coast. It will remain there as salvage crews decide their next steps. The Ministry of Infrastructure and Water Management says the Fremantle Highway arrived Monday, earlier than expected, at an anchorage north of the Dutch islands of Schiermonnikoog and Ameland, thanks to favorable currents. A salvage team is planning to board the burning vessel “as soon as possible” to carry out an inspection. The ship carrying 3,783 new vehicles from Germany to Singapore has been burning since Tuesday. The cause of the fire has not been established. | https://kion546.com/ap-colorado/2023/07/31/tugs-tow-burning-cargo-ship-to-new-location-on-north-sea-while-salvage-crews-ponder-next-steps/ | 2023-07-31T13:26:26 | 1 | https://kion546.com/ap-colorado/2023/07/31/tugs-tow-burning-cargo-ship-to-new-location-on-north-sea-while-salvage-crews-ponder-next-steps/ |
NEW YORK — For much of the last two decades, including during the pandemic, technology companies were a bright spot in New York’s economy, adding thousands of high-paying jobs and expanding into millions of square feet of office space.
Their growth buoyed tax revenue, set up New York as a credible rival to the San Francisco Bay Area and provided jobs that helped the city absorb layoffs in other sectors during the pandemic and the 2008 financial crisis.
Now, the technology industry is pulling back hard, clouding the city’s economic future.
Facing many business challenges, large technology companies have laid off more than 386,000 workers worldwide since early 2022, according to the website layoffs.fyi, which tracks the tech industry. And they have pulled out of millions of square feet of office space because of those job cuts and the shift to working from home.
That retrenchment has hurt lots of tech hubs, and San Francisco has been hit the hardest with an office vacancy rate of 25.6%, according to Newmark Research.
New York is doing better than San Francisco — Manhattan has a vacancy rate of 13.5% — but it can no longer count on the technology industry for growth. More than one-third of the roughly 22 million square feet of office space available for sublet in Manhattan comes from technology, advertising and media companies, according to Newmark.
Consider Meta, which owns Facebook and Instagram. It is now unloading a big chunk of the more than 2.2 million square feet of office space it gobbled up in Manhattan in recent years after laying off around 1,700 employees this year, or one-quarter of its New York state workforce. The company has opted not to renew leases covering 250,000 square feet in Hudson Yards and 200,000 square feet on Park Avenue South.
Spotify is trying to sublet five of the 16 floors it leased six years ago in 4 World Trade Center, and Roku is offering one-quarter of the 240,000 square feet it had taken in Times Square just last year. X (formerly known as Twitter), Microsoft and other technology companies are also trying to sublease unwanted space.
“The tech companies were such a big part of the real estate landscape during the last five years,” said Ruth Colp-Haber, CEO of Wharton Property Advisors, a real estate brokerage. “And now that they seem to be cutting back, the question is: Who is going to replace them?”
Colp-Haber said it could take months for bigger spaces or entire floors of buildings to be sublet. The large amount of space available for sublet is also driving down the rents that landlords are able to get on new leases.
“They are going to undercut every landlord out there in terms of pricing, and they have really nice spaces that are already all built out,” she said, referring to the tech companies.
The tech sector has been a driver of New York’s economy since the late ’90s dot-com boom helped to establish “Silicon Alley” south of midtown Manhattan. Then, after the financial crisis, the expansion of companies like Google supported the economy when banks, insurers and other financial firms were in retreat.
Small and large tech companies added 43,430 jobs in New York in the five years through the end of 2021, a 33% gain, according to the state comptroller. And those jobs paid very well: The average tech salary in 2021 was $228,620, nearly double the average private-sector salary in the city, according to the comptroller.
The growth in jobs fueled demand for commercial space, and tech, advertising and media companies accounted for nearly one-quarter of the new office leases signed in Manhattan in recent years, according to Newmark.
Redmond-based Microsoft and Spotify declined to comment about their decision to sublet space. X and Roku did not respond to requests for comment. Meta said in a statement that it was “committed to distributed work” and was “continuously refining” its approach.
A few Big Tech companies are still expanding in New York.
Google plans to open St. John’s Terminal, a large office near the Hudson River in lower Manhattan, early next year. Including the terminal, Google will own or lease around 7 million square feet of office space in New York, up from roughly 6 million today, according to a company representative. (Google leases more than 1 million square feet of that space to other tenants.) The company has more than 12,000 employees in the New York area, up from over 10,000 in 2019.
Seattle-based Amazon, which in 2019 canceled plans to build a large campus in Queens after local politicians objected to the incentives offered to the company, has nevertheless added 200,000 square feet of office space in New York and Jersey City and Newark in New Jersey since 2019. The company will add roughly 550,000 square feet of office space later this summer when it opens 424 Fifth Ave., the former Lord & Taylor department store, which it bought in 2020 for $1.15 billion.
“New York provides a fantastic, diverse talent pool, and we’re proud of the thousands of jobs we’ve created in the city and state over the past 10 years across both our corporate and operations functions,” Holly Sullivan, vice president of worldwide economic development at Amazon, said in a statement.
And though many tech companies continue to let employees work from home for much of the week, they are also trying to woo workers back to the office, which could help reduce the need to sublet space.
Salesforce, a software company that has offices in a tower next to Bryant Park, said it was not considering subletting its New York space.
“Currently I’m facing the opposite problem in the tower in New York,” said Relina Bulchandani, head of real estate for Salesforce. “There has been a concerted effort to continue to grow the right roles in New York because we have a very high customer base in New York.”
New York is and will remain a vibrant home for technology companies, industry representatives said.
“I have not heard of a single tech company leaving, and that matters,” said Julie Samuels, president of Tech:NYC, an industry association. “If anything, we are seeing less of a contraction in New York among tech leases than they are seeing in other large cities.”
Fred Wilson, a partner at Union Square Ventures, said tech executives now felt less of a need to be in Silicon Valley, a shift that he said had benefited New York. “We have more company CEOs and more company founders in New York today than we did before the pandemic,” Wilson said, referring to the companies his firm has invested in.
David Falk, president of the New York tri-state region for Newmark, said, “We are right now working on several transactions with smaller, young tech firms that are looking to take sublet space.”
Many firms are still pulling back, however.
In 2017 and 2019, Spotify, which is based in Stockholm, signed leases totaling more than 564,000 square feet of space at 4 World Trade Center, becoming one of the largest tenants there. It soon had a space with all the accouterments you would expect at a tech firm — brightly colored flexible work areas, eye-popping views and table tennis.
But in January, Spotify said it was laying off 600 people, or about 6% of its global workforce. The company, which allows employees to choose between working fully remotely or on a hybrid schedule, is also reducing its office space, putting five floors up for sublet.
“On days when I’m by myself, I end up sitting in a meeting room all day for focus time,” said Dayna Tran, a Spotify employee who regularly works at the downtown office, adding that the employees who come in motivate themselves and create community by collaborating on an office playlist. | https://www.seattletimes.com/business/tech-firms-once-powered-new-yorks-economy-now-theyre-scaling-back/?utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=Referral&utm_campaign=RSS_business | 2023-07-31T13:26:27 | 1 | https://www.seattletimes.com/business/tech-firms-once-powered-new-yorks-economy-now-theyre-scaling-back/?utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=Referral&utm_campaign=RSS_business |
50% Off Glasses Sitewide from July 31 to August 14 for All
DTC Vision Products Startup Helps You See Easy with a New Pair of High-Quality, Impact-Resistant, and Anti-Scratch Handcrafted Glasses
New York, July 31, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- As the 2023 school year approaches, Hubble Contacts, the leading direct–to–consumer brand providing high-value and affordable daily contact lenses, eyeglasses, sunglasses, and other eye care accessories, is excited to announce the launch of its Back-to-School See Easy, See More campaign, celebrating the kickoff of the new school year.
Recognizing the immense dedication and effort put forth by teachers, Hubble Contacts wants to show appreciation and support for their essential role in shaping the future of our world.
Starting July 31, the first 100 teachers to submit a photo of their current teacher ID badge or LinkedIn profile URL to teachers@hubblecontacts.com will receive a promo code that can be redeemed for a free pair of high-quality, impact-resistant and anti-scratch handcrafted prescription glasses.
Teachers will receive a complimentary pair of Hubble's stylish, durable frames to help them see their students through the entire school year. This exclusive giveaway, valued between $78-$138, depending on the add-on features, will run for two weeks only or until supplies last.
Don't fret if you didn't get a pair of glasses in time, as Hubble Contacts has got everyone covered with a 50% off discount on all eyeglasses.
Hubble's handcrafted prescription eyeglasses start at just $78, making them an affordable and stylish choice for everyone. With features such as anti-reflective, anti-glare, anti-scratch, hydrophobic, and oleophobic coatings, along with optional add-ons like reader magnification and blue light filtering, Hubble's eyeglasses offer exceptional functionality and versatility.
Students, parents, or anyone looking for a new pair of glasses can use the promo code "BACKTOSCHOOL50" at checkout from July 31 through August 14 to take advantage of this offer.
"Back to school is the perfect time to invest in a new pair of eyeglasses. And at Hubble, we aim to make this buying experience as hassle-free and as affordable as possible for you," said Steve Druckman, CEO of Hubble Contacts. "This campaign is our way of showing our support in helping you cross a new pair of eyeglasses off your new school year checklist."
Hubble's frames are proudly designed in the U.S., meticulously crafted with premium materials, and come with a tri-fold Hubble frames case and microfiber lens cloth. The glasses feature impact-resistant lenses, durable barrel hinges, and padded temple tips, ensuring durability and comfort.
The See Easy, See More Back-to-School campaign will be promoted on Hubble Contacts website, Instagram, through email marketing and PR.
For more information, please visit Hubble Contacts' website at www.hubblecontacts.com or follow us on Instagram.
SEE EASY, SEE MORE BACK-TO-SCHOOL GIVEAWAY TERMS + CONDITIONS:
- Entries must be received by midnight Pacific Time on August 14, 2023 to be eligible.
- No purchase is necessary.
- Entrants must be teachers in the U.S.A. and at least 18 years old.
- One entry per person.
- Hubble employees and their family members are not eligible.
- Winners will be notified by email beginning July 31 through August 14, 2023, or until supplies last.
MEDIA CONTACT:
Hubble@lvpr.com
ABOUT HUBBLE CONTACTS:
Founded in 2016, Hubble Contacts is on a mission to create the easiest, most accessible, and most affordable contact lens and glasses buying experience in the world. Leveraging its vision care expertise and passion for customer service, Hubble offers high-quality, made-to-order daily wear contact lenses, eyeglasses, sunglasses, and other eye care accessories direct-to-consumers nationwide. To date, Hubble has sold over 400 million lenses.
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SOURCE Hubble Contacts | https://www.wflx.com/prnewswire/2023/07/31/attention-teachers-hubble-contacts-is-giving-away-free-eyeglasses-educators-this-back-to-school-season/ | 2023-07-31T13:26:31 | 0 | https://www.wflx.com/prnewswire/2023/07/31/attention-teachers-hubble-contacts-is-giving-away-free-eyeglasses-educators-this-back-to-school-season/ |
Women’s World Cup: Australia, Zambia, Japan win their matches on Day 11 | July 31, 2023
CHICAGO - The FIFA Women’s World Cup only happens once every four years, and whether you’re a soccer devotee or someone who just tunes in when the Cup comes around, you won’t want to miss the action. Never fear: We’ve got you covered.
Every day through the Final on August 20, FOX Digital will be breaking down the details on all the can’t-miss matches, players to watch and other essential details. What’s next: Some of the tournament’s most exciting teams fight for a ticket to the next round.
Watch the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup only on FOX and FS1.
Women’s World Cup matches on July 31, 2023
Day 11 of the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup features four matches.
- Costa Rica (0 wins, 2 losses, 0 draws) vs. Zambia (0-2-0) Final score: Zambia 3 Costa Rica 1
Watch the replay of Costa Rica vs. Zambia here
- Japan (2-0-0) vs. Spain (2-0-0) Final score: Japan 4 Spain 0
Watch the replay of Japan vs. Spain here
- Canada (1-0-1) vs. Australia (1-1-0) Final score: Australia 1 Canada 0
Watch the replay of Australia vs. Canada here
- Nigeria (1-0-1) vs. Republic of Ireland (0-2-0) Final score: Nigeria 0 Republic of Ireland 0
Watch the replay of Nigeria vs. Republic of Ireland here
For details on the results of concluded matches, scroll down to the ‘Soccer spoilers’ section.
Match spotlight: Canada vs. Australia (and Nigeria vs. Republic of Ireland)
Honestly, 75 percent of today’s matches could be called can’t-miss – apologies to Costa Rica and Zambia, but both teams have already been eliminated from advancing to the round of 16. So while we’re absolutely stoked to see the formidable teams from Spain and Japan square off, both countries are already guaranteed a spot in the next round; this match will determine which team wins group C. (If either team wins, they win the group; in the event of a draw, Switzerland will take all the marbles, based on goals. For more info, scroll down to the section titled "How does the elimination round work in the Women’s World Cup?")
And all that means that if you’re looking for suspense at the level of a sports movie in your daily World Cup viewing, you’ll want to keep your eyes trained to the day’s two group B matches – notably the showdown between the reigning Olympic champs from Canada and host country Australia’s mighty Matildas.
Neither Canada nor Australia, ranked 7th and 10th in the world respectively, have managed to rack up two wins in the group stage; the Canadians have an edge over the Aussies, as they’ve got one win and one draw. But while host countries have historically sailed through the first stage of the Women’s World Cup, the Matildas are teetering on the brink of elimination, thanks to an upset in their match against the ascendant Nigerian team (who also held the Canadians to a scoreless draw in their tournament opener).
So the Matildas have to win this one. If the match results in a draw, they’ll only make it through to the round of 16 if the Nigerian team loses or ties with the already-eliminated Irish side. So the big question is this: Will super-duper-star (and Aussie captain) Sam Kerr be healthy enough to play?
As for the Nigerians, they’ve got a shot to win group B… and they’re a lot of fun to watch, even if the Rep. of Ireland team is already out of the hunt. So sure, the big match of the day is between the Canadians and Australians, but you can safely consider both of these matches to be must-see TV.
RELATED: 8 teams that could stop USWNT from three-peating at 2023 World Cup
Players to watch on July 31, 2023
Australia: Sam Kerr, striker (hopefully?)
The captain of Australia’s Matildas is a soccer giant: She’s a LEGO! She made the cover of the FIFA video game series! She’s made celebratory backflips iconic! And per FIFA, she’s one of only three players to have scored more than three goals in a Women's World Cup game, racking up four goals in a match against Jamaica in the 2019 cup. There are few players in the world this exciting – or this much fun to watch. And due to an injury sustained in training at the 11th hour, we’ve yet to see a single Kerr backflip in this Cup. Fingers crossed that today’s the day!
Australia: Ellie Carpenter, right fullback
But even if Kerr doesn’t take the pitch, there are plenty of exciting players on the Matildas – like this Aussie standout. Carpenter is a seasoned veteran at the ripe old age of 23, as she started her pro career at age 15 and, FIFA notes, became "the youngest female footballing Olympian at 16." A reliable contributor to Olympique Lyonnais, Carpenter arrives at this Cup having recently recovered from an ACL injury; FIFA praises the energetic player for being "as adept defensively as she is offensively," and notes that she "was one of few full-backs – and Australians – in each of the last four editions of ‘The 100 Best Female Footballers in the World’ by The Guardian."
Canada: Christine Sinclair, forward
FOX Sports, who says the 40-year-old Canadian captain is "one of the greatest soccer players of all time," has some mind-bending stats that should make her importance clear: She "currently holds the record — in men's and women's soccer — with 190 international goals in more than 300 matches." She’s hoping to become the first player, male or female, to score in six editions of the Cup (Brazilian legend Marta is chasing the same record). Icons have a tendency to be iconic!
Costa Rica: Raquel Rodriguez Cedeno, forward
Portland Thorns star Cedeno, a.k.a. "Rocky," is her country’s all-time leading scorer. FOX Sports says she’s "in the prime of her career and a game-changer in central midfield," while FIFA calls her "the undisputed star of the Tica squad."
Republic of Ireland: Katie McCabe, midfielder/winger/wingback
This versatile player was named captain of the Irish in 2017 at the ripe old age of 21. A standout for the mighty Arsenal football club – this year she was named the Player of the Season for Arsenal, as well as delivering the score named Goal of the Season – she also scored the Irish side’s lone goal in the 2023 Cup (so far).
Nigeria: Asisat Oshoala, forward
The player FIFA calls "Africa’s all-time female GOAT" is not one to sleep on: the versatile Barcelona superstar and Ballon d'Or nominee has championship wins in her past, determination to spare and a mighty skill set. She’d been named CAF African Women’s Footballer of the Year a record five times, and FIFA notes that she’s somehow averaged roughly a goal per game in her four-plus seasons in Barcelona. Coach Randy Waldrum put it this way to FIFA: "When you have Oshoala, you have a chance against any team." Her thrilling goal against Australia in Nigeria’s second match of the tournament certainly backs up Waldrum’s argument.
Zambia: Barbra Banda, forward
The energetic captain of Zambia’s first World Cup-qualifying squad "exploded on to the world stage at the Olympic Games in 2021, scoring hat-tricks in Zambia’s opening two games of the tournament against the Netherlands and China PR," according to FIFA. Coach Bruce Mwape told the organization that Banda is "a fighter, a person who doesn’t like to lose, and one of our most dependable players".
Spain: Alexia Putellas, midfielder
This back-to-back Ballon d'Or winner is one of the best players on the planet, period. FIFA calls her a " skilful playmaker [who is] equipped with a mesmerizing left foot and an unerring ability to decisively affect matches by creating viable scoring opportunities for herself and her team-mates," while FOX Sports says that, like Beyoncé, Britney and Cher, "her one-name status as ‘Alexia’ is well-earned."
Japan: Saki Kumagai, defender
Japan and coach Futoshi Ikeda will be relying on this captain to steer the team toward victory – she’s the only member of the current Nadeshiko squad to play a role in Japan’s 2011 World Cup victory.
Where is the 2023 Women’s World Cup taking place?
The eyes (and cameras) of the world have turned toward host countries Australia and New Zealand.
In what time zone is the Women’s World Cup taking place?
Well, there's more than one time zone involved, as the battles for the Cup will take place in 10 stadiums in two countries. But suffice it to say that you're looking at times that are anywhere from 12 hours (for matches in Perth, Australia) to 16 hours (all New Zealand-based matches) ahead of EST.
That means some matches – like Nigeria vs. Canada, the first match of day two (July 21) – will be played early in the day locally but air on what's technically the evening before in the U.S. (in this case, July 20). Who said there's no such thing as time travel?
RELATED: Who could be the breakout star for this young, talented USWNT squad?
Where can you stream the FIFA Women’s World Cup?
We’re living in the future, baby! All matches will be live-streamed on FOXSports.com and via the FOX Sports app, and full replays will also be available. So if you’re not into watching soccer at 3 a.m., you’re covered!
How can I watch the FIFA Women’s World Cup on live TV?
The FIFA Women’s World Cup will air on FOX and FS1. The complete schedule awaits your perusal at FOXSports.com. In addition to all FIFA Women’s World Cup matches, head to your preferred FOX platform for game highlights, replays, stats, player stories, analysis and more.
How does the elimination round work in the Women’s World Cup?
Good question! As with the men’s World Cup, it’s a wee bit complicated. The 32 qualifying teams have been split into eight groups, each assigned a letter (A-H). In the first round, the groups compete against each other: each "side" (team) will participate in three in-group matches. A win is worth three points, a draw worth one point and a loss is worth (you guessed it) zero points.
At the end of the round, the top two teams (as determined by point total) in each group proceed to the knockout round. That’s 16 teams total.
RELATED: 2023 Women's World Cup betting primer: How to bet on soccer
When does Team USA play next?
After their July 27 draw with the Netherlands, Alex Morgan, Lindsay Horan and company will square off against Portugal on August 1.
Soccer spoilers: today's results
Nigeria vs. Republic of Ireland: Nigeria did just enough to hold Ireland to a scoreless tie at 0-0, a result that sends Nigeria on to the knockout round. Ireland's time in the Women's World Cup comes to a close.
Costa Rica vs. Zambia: Both teams had already been eliminated from contention prior to the match, but Zambia and Costa Rica put on a show nonetheless. Zambia pulled ahead at the very start with the country's first-ever World Cup goal, and extended its lead before the half. The Costa Rican squad came back in the second half with a goal to try and catch up, but they were unable to close the gap, which Zambia extended with a third goal in stoppage time.
Japan vs. Spain: Japan and Spain entered with two wins and thus made this match one to decide the winner of Group C. Surprisingly, one team had no issues, but it was not the betting favorite, as Japan raced out to a three-goal lead right before halftime. That would be all Japan needed and eventually led to a 4-0 win. Hinata Miyazawa scored the first goal for Japan and then collected her second right before the end of the first half. The impressive performance set Japan up to clash with Norway, which is coming off a decisive win of its own, in the Knockout Stage.
Australia vs. Canada: Hayley Raso gave the Australians the first goal of the match! Australia nearly doubled its lead, but Canadien keeper Kailen Sheridan made the save. Australia. — the host of the tournament — is the No. 10 ranked team in the world, according to FIFA, while Canada is ranked No. 7.
Watch this space!
Watch the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup only on FOX and FS1. | https://www.fox13news.com/sports/womens-world-cup-july-31-how-to-watch-stream-australia-canada-spain-japan-nigeria-ireland | 2023-07-31T13:26:33 | 0 | https://www.fox13news.com/sports/womens-world-cup-july-31-how-to-watch-stream-australia-canada-spain-japan-nigeria-ireland |
ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. (AP) — The discovery of four dead women in a drainage ditch just outside Atlantic City was shocking news in 2006.
International media flocked to the seaside gambling resort. More than 100 detectives and prosecutors were assigned to investigate. Casino guests worried about safety, and the victims’ fellow sex workers began carrying hidden knives.
But as the years passed, the public’s attention and fear faded, and the case of the “Eastbound Strangler” – so named for the direction the victims’ heads were facing – remained unsolved.
The arrest earlier this month of a man charged with killing three women whose remains were found on a Long Island beach in 2010 has breathed fresh life into another long-dormant case with obvious parallels; the Gilgo Beach serial killings involve a total of 11 victims, most of whom were young, female sex workers. Yet the recent breakthrough, and the rekindling of public interest, only highlights a painful truth: Many similar cases – like the one in Atlantic City — remain open.
The FBI would not say how many killings of sex workers in the U.S. remain unsolved. Media accounts and statements from local authorities show a long trail of open cases, from nine women whose bodies were found along highways in Massachusetts, to 11 found dead in New Mexico, and eight more found amid the crawfish farms and swamps of southern Louisiana. The killings of other sex workers in Chicago, New Haven, Connecticut and Ohio, among other places, also remain mysteries.
From the days of London’s Jack The Ripper in the 1880s, serial killers, particularly those preying on sex workers, have often gotten away with it, in part because their victims were easy targets living on the margins of society.
Gary Ridgway, the so-called Green River killer convicted of 49 killings in Washington state, said at during a 2003 court hearing in which he pleaded guilty that he chose sex workers as victims because he knew they would not be missed quickly, if at all.
“I picked prostitutes because I thought I could kill as many of them as I wanted without getting caught,” he said.
Two women were out for an afternoon walk near Atlantic City in November 2006 when they found a body in a ditch. They called police, who quickly found three others nearby.
The $15-a-night motel in Egg Harbor Township behind which the four bodies were found is long gone. It was torn down in an attempt to clear a seedy area known for crime, drugs and disturbances – and the murders of Barbara Breidor, 42, Molly Jean Dilts, 20, Kim Raffo, 35, and Tracy Ann Roberts, 23.
Because it is near the ocean, like Gilgo Beach, the location has prompted much speculation by amateur detectives about a single killer, but some other online sleuths have pointed out that oceanside areas are often the remotest locations after hours on the densely packed East Coast. Gilgo Beach is about 3.5 hours drive from Atlantic City.
Gone in New Jersey are the four small wooden crosses someone erected on the site, along with the folded-up paper note bearing a Biblical quote promising justice that someone left there on one of the anniversaries of the discovery of the bodies.
For families left behind, each new day without word in the case of their loved one brings fresh pain.
“I kind of lost hope that anyone was even searching for the killer anymore,” said Joyce Roberts, whose daughter Tracy Ann was one of the four Atlantic City-area victims. “The first six months, the prosecutor did get on the phone with me and told me they were working on it.
“Then it just fell off the radar,” she said. “It was like nobody cared anymore.”
That is a sentiment echoed by Phoenix Calida, a former sex worker from Chicago who now advocates for them through the Sex Workers Outreach Project.
“Police departments often refer to it as an ‘NHI’ case: No humans involved,” she said. ”You feel like the only way you’ll be remembered is when they catch the serial killer who killed you, and then they’ll make five movies about him and no one will remember your name.”
Massachusetts State Police are investigating “nine unsolved homicides possibly committed by the same person,” said David Procopio, a spokesperson for the agency. He said two additional missing persons cases may be homicides related to the other nine.
Gilbert Gallegos, a spokesman for the Albuquerque Police Department, said the New Mexico cases remain actively investigated, with “multiple detectives” working them. The 11 victims were all involved in drugs and prostitution, police said.
A reward of $100,000 has been offered for information leading to an arrest and conviction in the case, which involved two victims who were just 15 years old.
Despite the decade-long efforts of a local, state and federal task force, Louisiana has at least eight unsolved apparent homicide cases involving sex workers between the ages of 17 and 30. Their bodies were found in marshy areas in Jennings, a small town in the area known as Cajun Country, between 2005 and 2009.
Prosecutors in New York’s Suffolk County investigating the Gilgo Beach cases have been in touch with multiple law enforcement agencies, but District Attorney Ray Tierney would not say which ones.
“Everything is being examined and looked at, and this is an active investigation,” said Anthony Carter, Suffolk County’s deputy police commissioner. He would not say if his agency was investigating any connection between Heuermann and the Atlantic City murders.
Atlantic County Prosecutor William Reynolds said the four cases from the drainage ditch outside Atlantic City remain active, with detectives assigned to them, but would not say how many. He declined comment on the Long Island case “as we are not involved.”
Joyce Roberts, the victim’s mother, said no one from law enforcement has called her since the arrest was made in the Long Island cases.
Police in Las Vegas, where Heuermann owns a time share, said they are investigating whether Heuermann may be involved in cases involving the killings of sex workers there.
In the months immediately after the bodies’ discovery near Atlantic City, the local prosecutor’s office and a dozen other law enforcement agencies had 140 people assigned to the cases, Ted Housel, who was prosecutor at the time, said in 2008. By the first anniversary, the total had fallen to 85, and those investigators were also working other cases.
Calida, the former sex worker from Chicago, said women involved the sex trade are frequently robbed by people who know they’re carrying cash, and are sometimes coerced into sexual activity by police in return for not being arrested.
She said an attacker “knows you can’t or won’t report it. You’re an easy target and they know it.”
Three of her friends who were also sex workers in Chicago also turned up dead.
“You see someone, you become friends with them and then one day they’re suddenly just not there,” she said. “We’d all go out asking around and looking for them, and then a few days later a body would be found. There’s always this specific fear that it’s a serial killer. Sometimes we never even get a body back to bury. And we wonder: Will law enforcement take it seriously because it’s ‘just another sex worker?’”
___
AP writers Susan Montoya Bryan in Albuquerque; Steve LeBlanc in Boston; Julie Walker and Robert Bumsted in Suffolk County, New York; Sara Cline in Baton Rouge, Louisiana and Rhonda Shafner in New York contributed to this story.
Follow Wayne Parry on Twitter at www.twitter.com/WayneParryAC | https://www.wane.com/news/national-world/ap-us-news/ap-breakthrough-in-long-island-serial-killings-shines-light-on-the-many-unsolved-murders-of-sex-workers/ | 2023-07-31T13:26:32 | 0 | https://www.wane.com/news/national-world/ap-us-news/ap-breakthrough-in-long-island-serial-killings-shines-light-on-the-many-unsolved-murders-of-sex-workers/ |
UAE state oil firm moves up net zero climate target to 2045
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — A state-run oil giant in the United Arab Emirates says it has moved up its target for achieving net zero emissions in its operations to 2045. The UAE, which is an OPEC member and major oil producer, is preparing to host U.N. climate talks later this year. The Abu Dhabi National Oil Company, known as ADNOC, said Monday it is also committed to achieving zero methane emissions by 2030. Earlier this year, ADNOC earmarked $15 billion for an array of green initiatives, including the development of hydrogen power, carbon capture facilities and the planting of mangroves. The UAE will host the global climate talks known as COP28 from Nov. 30 to Dec. 12 in Dubai. | https://kion546.com/ap-colorado/2023/07/31/uae-state-oil-firm-moves-up-net-zero-climate-target-to-2045/ | 2023-07-31T13:26:33 | 1 | https://kion546.com/ap-colorado/2023/07/31/uae-state-oil-firm-moves-up-net-zero-climate-target-to-2045/ |
NEW YORK (AP) — Trucking company Yellow Corp. has shut down operations and is headed for a bankruptcy filing, according to the Teamsters Union and multiple media reports.
After years of financial struggles, reports of Yellow preparing for bankruptcy emerged last week — as the Nashville, Tennessee-based trucker saw customers leave in large numbers. Yellow shut down operations on Sunday, according to the Wall Street Journal, following the layoffs of hundreds of nonunion employees on Friday.
In an announcement early Monday, the Teamsters said that the union received legal notice confirming Yellow was ceasing operations and filing for bankruptcy.
“Today’s news is unfortunate but not surprising. Yellow has historically proven that it could not manage itself despite billions of dollars in worker concessions and hundreds of millions in bailout funding from the federal government,” Teamsters general president Sean O’Brien said in a statement. “This is a sad day for workers and the American freight industry.”
The Associated Press reached out to Yellow for comment on Monday. No bankruptcy filings had gone live as of the early morning.
The bankruptcy reports have renewed attention around Yellow’s ongoing negotiations with unionized workers, a $700 million pandemic-era loan from the government and other bills the trucker has racked up over time. Yellow, formerly known as YRC Worldwide Inc., is one of the nation’s largest less-than-truckload carriers. The company’s reported closure puts 30,000 jobs at risk.
Here’s what you need to know.
WHAT WOULD BANKRUPTCY MEAN FOR YELLOW?
According to Satish Jindel, president of transportation and logistics firm SJ Consulting, Yellow handled an average of 49,000 shipments per day in 2022. Last week, he estimated that number was down to between 10,000 and 15,000 daily shipments.
With customers leaving — as well reports of Yellow stopping freight pickups last week — bankruptcy would “be the end of Yellow,” Jindel told The Associated Press, noting increased risk for liquidation.
“The likelihood of them surviving and remaining solvent diminishes really by the day,” added Bruce Chan, a research director at investment banking firm Stifel.
Yellow declined to comment when contacted by The Associated Press on Friday. In a Wednesday statement to The Journal, the company said it was continuing “to prepare for a range of contingencies.” On Thursday, Yellow said it was in talks with multiple parties about selling its third-party logistics organization.
Even if Yellow was able to sell its logistics firm, it would “not generate a sufficient amount of cash to keep them operational on any sort of permanent basis,” Chan said. “Without a major equity injection, it would be very difficult for them to survive.”
HOW MUCH DEBT DOES YELLOW HAVE?
As of late March, Yellow had an outstanding debt of about $1.5 billion. Of that, $729.2 million was owed to the federal government.
In 2020, under the Trump administration, the Treasury Department granted the company a $700 million pandemic-era loan on national security grounds. Last month, a congressional probe concluded that the Treasury and Defense Departments “made missteps” in this decision — and noted that Yellow’s “precarious financial position at the time of the loan, and continued struggles, expose taxpayers to a significant risk of loss.”
The government loan is due in September 2024. As of March, Yellow had made $54.8 million in interest payments and repaid just $230 million of the principal owed, according to government documents.
Yellow’s current finances and prospect of bankruptcy “is probably two decades in the making,” Chan said, pointing to poor management and strategic decisions dating back to the early 2000s. “At this point, after each party has bailed them out so many times, there is a limited appetite to do that anymore.”
In May, Yellow reported a loss of $54.6 million, a decline of $1.06 per share, for its first quarter of 2023. Operating revenue was about $1.16 billion in the period.
A Wednesday investors note from financial service firm Stephens estimated that Yellow could be burning between $9 million and $10 million each day. Using a liquidity disclosure from earlier this month, Yellow had roughly $100 million in cash at the end of June, the note added — estimating that the company has been burning through increasing amounts of money through July.
“It is reasonable to believe that the Company could breach its $35 mil. liquidity requirement at any moment,” Stephens analyst Jack Atkins and associate Grant Smith wrote.
DID THE COMPANY JUST AVERT A STRIKE?
Last week’s reports of bankruptcy preparations arrived just days after a strike from the Teamsters, which represents Yellow’s 22,000 unionized workers, was averted.
A series of heated exchanges have built up between the Teamsters and Yellow, who sued the union in June after alleging it was “unjustifiably blocking” restructuring plans needed for the company’s survival. The Teamsters called the litigation “baseless” — with O’Brien pointing to Yellow’s “decades of gross mismanagement,” which included exhausting the $700 million federal loan.
On July 23, a pension fund agreed to extend health benefits for workers at two Yellow Corp. operating companies, averting a strike — and giving Yellow “30 days to pay its bills,” notably $50 million that Yellow failed to pay the Central States Health and Welfare Fund on July 15, the union said. While the strike didn’t occur, talks of a walkout may have caused some Yellow customers to pull back, Chan said.
“The financial struggles of Yellow are not related to the union and the contracts,” Jindel said, pointing to management’s responsibility around its services and prices. He added the union wages from Yellow are “lower than any competitor.”
WHAT WOULD HAPPEN IF YELLOW WENT UNDER?
As Yellow customers take their shipments to other carriers, like FedEx or ABF Freight, prices will go up.
Yellow’s prices have historically been the cheapest compared to other carriers, Jindel said. “That’s why they obviously were not making money,” he added. “And while there is capacity with the other LTL carriers to handle the diversions from Yellow, it will come at a high price for (current shippers and customers) of Yellow.”
Chan adds that we’re in an interesting time for the LTL marketplace — noting that, if Yellow liquidates, “the freight would find a home” with other carriers, which may not have been true in recent years.
“It may take time, but there’s room for it to be absorbed,” he said. | https://www.seattletimes.com/business/yellow-is-shutting-down-and-headed-for-bankruptcy-the-teamsters-union-says-heres-what-to-know/?utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=Referral&utm_campaign=RSS_business | 2023-07-31T13:26:34 | 1 | https://www.seattletimes.com/business/yellow-is-shutting-down-and-headed-for-bankruptcy-the-teamsters-union-says-heres-what-to-know/?utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=Referral&utm_campaign=RSS_business |
FREIT Board Committed to Protecting Value for All Stockholders
Highlights Kushner's Transaction Record with FREIT and Ongoing Litigation with Kushner
HACKENSACK, N.J., July 31, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- First Real Estate Investment Trust of New Jersey, Inc. ("FREIT" or the "Company") (OTCM: FREVS) today announced that its Board of Directors has unanimously adopted a stockholder rights plan (the "Rights Plan") following evaluation and consultation with the Company's legal and financial advisors.
The Rights Plan is similar to plans adopted by other publicly traded companies incorporated in Maryland and is intended to protect the long-term interests of FREIT stockholders and to enable them to realize the full potential value of their investment. The Rights Plan has a three-year duration and the rights will be exercisable only if any person (or any persons acting as a group) acquires 10% or more of FREIT common stock. This ownership limitation better aligns FREIT with the ownership limitation of other REITs.
The Rights Plan does not preclude the Board from considering an offer that recognizes the full value of the Company. Rather, the Rights Plan will reduce the likelihood that any entity, person or group gains control of FREIT without paying an appropriate control premium. Importantly, the Rights Plan provides the Board with adequate time to fully assess its options following its receipt of an unsolicited, non-binding expression of interest from K Corp Acquisitions LLC, a Kushner company, to acquire FREIT.
While the Board will always evaluate credible proposals to maximize stockholder value, it is mindful that Charles Kushner has proven not to be a bona fide counterparty in a prior potential transaction with FREIT. As such, the Board believes any definitive agreement with Charles Kushner would carry significant, atypical closing and additional litigation risk.
The Rights Plan will benefit FREIT stockholders by providing the Company with enough time to pursue a final outcome in the previously announced ongoing litigation with Sinatra LLC, a Kushner company, related to Kushner's abandonment of a January 2020 definitive agreement to acquire certain of FREIT's assets. Following the outcome of the litigation, the Board will have greater flexibility to consider a value-maximizing transaction.
Additional Details of the Rights Plan
In connection with the adoption of the Rights Plan, the Board of Directors declared a dividend distribution of one preferred stock purchase right for each outstanding share of FREIT common stock to stockholders of record as of the close of business on August 11, 2023. Initially, these rights will not be exercisable and will trade with the shares of FREIT common stock.
The Rights Plan provides several recognized stockholder protections, such as the following:
- Under the Rights Plan, the rights generally will become exercisable if a person or group becomes an "acquiring person" by acquiring 10% or more of the common stock of FREIT (which includes stock subject to a derivative transaction or an acquired derivative security) or if a person commences a tender offer that could result in that person becoming an "acquiring person".
- If a person becomes an "acquiring person," each holder of a right (other than the acquiring person) would be entitled to purchase, at the then-current exercise price, such number of shares of common stock (or, subject to the terms of the Rights Plan, shares of preferred stock that are equivalent to shares of FREIT common stock) at a 50% discount. If FREIT is acquired in a merger or other business combination transaction after any such event, each holder of a right would then be entitled to purchase, at the then-current exercise price, shares of the acquiring company's common stock at a 50% discount. The Board, at its option, may exchange on a cashless basis, each right (other than rights owned by the acquiring person that have become null and void) in whole or in part, at an exchange ratio of one share of FREIT common stock per outstanding right, subject to adjustment.
- The Rights will expire in three years on July 31, 2026, unless the rights have been previously redeemed or exchanged by the Board of Directors in accordance with the terms of the Rights Plan.
Under the Rights Plan, any person, entity or group that currently owns more than the triggering percentage may continue to own its shares of FREIT common stock but may not acquire any additional shares of common stock, or form a group with another owner of FREIT common stock, without triggering the Rights Plan.
Additional details about the Rights Plan will be contained in a Current Report on Form 8-K to be filed by FREIT with the Securities and Exchange Commission.
Advisors
Goldman Sachs & Co. LLC is acting as financial advisor to FREIT and Goodwin Procter LLP and Miles & Stockbridge P.C. are acting as legal counsel.
About FREIT
First Real Estate Investment Trust of New Jersey, Inc. is a publicly traded (over-the-counter – symbol FREVS) REIT organized in 1961. Its portfolio of residential and commercial properties are located in New Jersey and New York, with the largest concentration in northern New Jersey. For more information, visit: www.freitnj.com.
Forward-Looking Statements
This Company release may contain forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 and other federal securities laws. These forward-looking statements can be identified by the use of words such as "expect," "plan," "will," "estimate," "project," "intend," "believe," "guidance," "approximately," "anticipate," "may," "should," "seek" or the negative of these words and phrases or similar words or phrases that are predictions of or indicate future events or trends and that do not relate to historical matters. You can also identify forward-looking statements by discussions of strategy, plans or intentions of management. These forward-looking statements are subject to known and unknown risks and uncertainties that you should not rely on as predictions of future events. Forward-looking statements depend on assumptions, data and/or methods which may be incorrect or imprecise and we may not be able to realize them. The following risks and uncertainties, among others, could cause actual results to differ materially from those currently anticipated due to a number of factors, which include, but are not limited to: industry and economic conditions; the Company's ability to satisfy the conditions to closing and complete the proposed transaction; the Company's dependence upon its external manager to conduct its business and achieve its investment objectives; unknown liabilities acquired in connection with acquired properties or interests in real estate-related entities; general risks affecting the real estate industry and local real estate markets (including, without limitation, the market value of the Company's properties, potential illiquidity of the Company's remaining real estate investments, condemnations, and potential damage from natural disasters); the financial performance of the Company's tenants; the impact of any financial, accounting, legal or regulatory issues or litigation that may affect the Trust and its major tenants; volatility and uncertainty in the financial markets, including potential fluctuations in the consumer price index; risks associated with the Company's failure to maintain status as a REIT under the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended; and other additional risks discussed in the Company's annual report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended October 31, 2022. The Company expressly disclaims any responsibility to update or revise forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by law.
Media & Investor Contact
Scott Bisang / Nick Lamplough / Jack Kelleher
Collected Strategies
FREIT-IR@collectedstrategies.com
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SOURCE First Real Estate Investment Trust of New Jersey | https://www.wbrc.com/prnewswire/2023/07/31/first-real-estate-investment-trust-new-jersey-inc-adopts-stockholder-rights-plan/ | 2023-07-31T13:26:33 | 1 | https://www.wbrc.com/prnewswire/2023/07/31/first-real-estate-investment-trust-new-jersey-inc-adopts-stockholder-rights-plan/ |
SEATTLE, July 31, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Avalara, Inc., a leading provider of cloud-based tax compliance automation for businesses of all sizes, today announced the appointment of channel leader Meg Higgins as SVP of Global Partners.
In her new expanded role, Higgins will be responsible for growing Avalara's channel and technology partner business to deliver a best-in-class experience. Higgins has been at Avalara for four years and most recently served as VP and GM of Global Partner Business Development and Strategy at Avalara and oversaw the acquisition of new partners and commercial negotiations. Prior to that she was the company's VP and GM of Ecommerce and Global Marketplaces and expanded Avalara's presence in the space by establishing partnerships with the world's leading ecommerce and marketplace platforms.
With more than 20 years of experience in the technology sector, Higgins has successfully led and scaled business development and channel programs for companies in the ecommerce and shipping industries. Her experience includes more than a decade of leadership roles at Pitney Bowes, where she co-founded the company's global ecommerce business unit and served as SVP of client and partner management for North America.
"Meg is critical to growing and scaling Avalara's worldwide partner program and has an outstanding track record at our company," said Kimberly Deobald, Chief Revenue Officer at Avalara. "Her deep understanding of our business model and the channel will strengthen how we work with our existing partners, engage with new partners, and deliver industry-leading tax compliance automation to our mutual customers."
The appointment of Higgins follows the April 2023 announcement of Sean Flynn as the company's SVP of Global Sales, who leads the company's go-to-market sales teams.
About Avalara
Avalara makes tax compliance faster, easier, more accurate, and more reliable for 30,000+ business and government customers in over 90 countries. Tax compliance automation software solutions from Avalara leverage 1,200+ signed partner integrations across leading ecommerce, ERP, and other billing systems to power tax calculations, document management, tax return filing, and tax content access. Visit avalara.com to improve your compliance journey.
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SOURCE Avalara, Inc. | https://www.wflx.com/prnewswire/2023/07/31/avalara-appoints-meg-higgins-senior-vice-president-global-partners/ | 2023-07-31T13:26:37 | 0 | https://www.wflx.com/prnewswire/2023/07/31/avalara-appoints-meg-higgins-senior-vice-president-global-partners/ |
MOJAVE NATIONAL PRESERVE, Calif. (AP) — A massive wildfire burning out of control in California’s Mojave National Preserve was spreading rapidly amid erratic winds, while firefighters reported progress against another major blaze to the southwest that prompted evacuations.
The York Fire that erupted Friday near the remote Caruthers Canyon area of the vast wildland preserve crossed the state line into Nevada on Sunday and sent smoke further east into the Las Vegas Valley.
Wind-driven flames 20 feet (6 meters) high in some spots charred more than 110 square miles (284 square kilometers) of desert scrub, juniper and Joshua tree woodland, according to an incident update. There was zero containment.
“The dry fuel acts as a ready ignition source, and when paired with those weather conditions it resulted in long-distance fire run and high flames, leading to extreme fire behavior,” the update said. No structures were threatened.
To the southwest, the Bonny Fire was holding steady at about 3.4 square miles (8.8 square kilometers) in rugged hills of Riverside County. More than 1,300 people were ordered to evacuate their homes Saturday near the community of Aguanga that is home to horse ranches and wineries.
Gusty winds and the chance of thunderstorms into Monday will heighten the risk of renewed growth, the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection said in a statement.
One firefighter was injured in the blaze, which was 5% contained. | https://www.wane.com/news/national-world/ap-us-news/ap-erratic-winds-challenge-firefighters-battling-two-major-california-blazes/ | 2023-07-31T13:26:39 | 0 | https://www.wane.com/news/national-world/ap-us-news/ap-erratic-winds-challenge-firefighters-battling-two-major-california-blazes/ |
Whitney Houston’s estate announces second annual Legacy of Love Gala with BeBe Winans, Kim Burrell
By MARIA SHERMAN
AP Music Writer
LOS ANGELES (AP) — This year would have been Whitney Houston would have turned 60, and a special celebration to raise money for a good cause is being planned for her birthday. Houston’s estate, Sony and Primary Wave Music will host the 2nd annual Whitney Houston Legacy of Love on Aug. 9, which will benefit the late singer’s foundation aimed at helping young people. Houston’s close friends BeBe Winans and Kim Burrell will perform at the gala at Atlanta’s St. Regis Hotel, as will Whitney’s brother, Gary, who toured with her for three decades. Pat Houston is the late singer’s sister-in-law and the executor of her estate and says the gala this year will be a celebration of “Whitney at 60.” | https://kion546.com/ap-colorado/2023/07/31/whitney-houstons-estate-announces-second-annual-legacy-of-love-gala-with-bebe-winans-kim-burrell/ | 2023-07-31T13:26:40 | 1 | https://kion546.com/ap-colorado/2023/07/31/whitney-houstons-estate-announces-second-annual-legacy-of-love-gala-with-bebe-winans-kim-burrell/ |
When the classroom thermometer passes 80 degrees and starts marching toward 90, survival mode kicks in.
During the Seattle area’s May heat wave, teachers grabbed ice pops and sprayed students’ flushed necks with water, urging them to move in front of a fan. Some found refuge under a shady tree outside, and some kids got sick and went home.
With the school year beginning in just over a month, schools are bracing for the possibility of having to do this all over again. Last year, 80-degree days lasted well into October, and meteorologists expect the rest of this summer and beyond to stay warm.
Sweltering classrooms are becoming the norm in Seattle-area school buildings, many of which have no or poor air conditioning systems. It is yet another front in the region’s battle with climate change, which has increased both the degree and frequency of hot days in a region outfitted for milder weather. State law hasn’t yet caught up with the trend, either: there is a minimum temperature for classrooms, which is 65 degrees, but there is not a maximum, nor much guidance on what to do.
In contrast, the state has created new protections for workers exposed to outdoor heat. Rules announced this year require employers to provide cool drinking water, rest periods and opportunities to sit in the shade when temperatures reach 80 degrees or higher.
“We don’t talk about the risk of heat until it hits us. And it gets harder in a high-poverty community when people don’t have a way to escape heat even after school,” said Shannon McCann, a special-education teacher in Federal Way who served as a teachers union president until recently. The union has been collecting stories of extreme temperatures in classrooms and bringing them to the district. A couple of classrooms clocked in at 90 degrees in May, McCann said.
Heat waves have historically fallen outside of the school year calendar, sparing kids and educators from the worst stretches of heat waves. But in the last six or seven years, teachers report a worsening exposure to the elements.
“Obviously, it makes it very difficult for any learning to take place,” said Kelli Perry, a teacher in the Lake Washington School District, the second-largest district in the state by enrollment.
Some school districts try to mitigate the heat by providing fans.
In Federal Way, McCann reports, the district suggested teachers put butcher paper on the windows. But that’s not adequate, she said. The burden of addressing the heat has fallen on teachers and school staff.
“The state should have a plan for all schools in these extreme heat situations,” McCann said.
Installing air conditioning inside schools can prove expensive, and the older the school building, the less likely it is to have AC. A 2020 study from the federal Government Accountability Office found about a third of districts need updates to their HVAC systems.
New and current school construction in Federal Way will have air conditioning, officials said. But “we do not have the funds necessary to go back and install air conditioning units in all the schools built without air conditioning,” Federal Way Public Schools spokesperson Whitney Chiang said.
It is bad timing in terms of school budgeting, too. Districts are reporting financial distress due to falling enrollment, and many are failing to pass the bonds that allow them to raise money to fix issues in their buildings.
In the worst cases, heat can prove dangerous. Alisha Rasmussen, a paraeducator at Glacier View Junior High School in Puyallup, worries about the medically fragile children she works with. High temperatures can trigger seizures in students with certain medical conditions, such as Angelman syndrome. Educators also have to worry about managing their own risk of heat stroke.
A couple of months ago, Rasmussen had to exit a classroom where students had been cooking on a hot day.
“I went and got cold water on my wrists,” she said.
McCann, the Federal Way educator, has talked to a lawmaker and hopes to see a bill in next year’s legislative session that will help districts address heat in school buildings. | https://www.seattletimes.com/education-lab/seattle-area-teachers-worry-as-heat-waves-can-make-classes-unbearable/?utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=Referral&utm_campaign=RSS_seattle-news | 2023-07-31T13:26:40 | 0 | https://www.seattletimes.com/education-lab/seattle-area-teachers-worry-as-heat-waves-can-make-classes-unbearable/?utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=Referral&utm_campaign=RSS_seattle-news |
LOS ANGELES, July 31, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- FlyHouse, a leading private aviation company, proudly announces the addition of two state-of-the-art aircraft to its luxury fleet - N25GV Gulfstream V and N435HC Gulfstream IV-SP. With these new additions, FlyHouse continues its mission to revolutionize the private aviation industry, offering discerning travelers an unmatched experience of luxury, comfort, and convenience.
"We are thrilled to welcome these exceptional aircraft to our growing fleet," stated Jack E. Lambert, Jr., CEO at FlyHouse. "As a company dedicated to setting new standards for unrivaled luxury and service, these additions perfectly embody our vision for the future of private aviation. Our discerning clientele recognizes the value of our transparent and application-based charter approach."
The Gulfstream V (N25GV) is a remarkable aircraft designed to accommodate up to 16 passengers with Domestic Wi-Fi for a connected flying experience. Enhanced with new paint and interior, the Gulfstream V ensures its passengers a stylish and technologically advanced journey. The aircraft is based on PBI, providing travelers with a convenient departure point.
FlyHouse's Gulfstream IV-SP (N435HC) caters to up to 13 passengers and also features Domestic Wi-Fi for connectivity during the flight. This aircraft is based on TEB, further expanding the company's accessibility for its valued clientele.
FlyHouse's innovative approach to transparent aircraft management, technology-based chartering model, and unwavering commitment to exceptional customer service have attracted experienced private aircraft owners and discerning travelers since its inception.
The company's dedication to excellence extends beyond fleet expansion. FlyHouse's rapidly growing team of highly skilled and experienced pilots, attentive crew members, and dedicated ground staff work tirelessly to ensure every flawless journey, offering clients a peaceful and unrivaled flying experience.
About FlyHouse:
FlyHouse is a leading private aviation company based in Los Angeles, California, disrupting the old industry model by offering transparent aircraft management, a technology-based chartering model, and exceptional customer service. With a growing fleet of luxury aircraft, FlyHouse provides discerning travelers and experienced private aircraft owners with an unparalleled flying experience, seamlessly combining luxury, comfort, and convenience. For more information, visit https://www.flyhouse.us/.
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SOURCE FlyHouse | https://www.wbrc.com/prnewswire/2023/07/31/flyhouse-elevates-private-aviation-with-two-new-gulfstreams-its-luxury-fleet/ | 2023-07-31T13:26:40 | 1 | https://www.wbrc.com/prnewswire/2023/07/31/flyhouse-elevates-private-aviation-with-two-new-gulfstreams-its-luxury-fleet/ |
The expansion of permanent jewelry gives even more consumers a new long-term way to express themselves
DALLAS, July 31, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Banter by Piercing Pagoda, the jewelry and piercing leader, announces the expansion of its permanent jewelry program. Available in an anklet, bracelet, or whatever curated length the consumer prefers, the new permanent jewelry service offers a customized fit and long-term wear through quick and safe metal welding. The service is now available at 62 Banter by Piercing Pagoda storefronts nationwide — the most of any jewelry retailer.
The expansion of Banter's permanent jewelry offering follows the initial pilot program which received a positive response from consumers. Customers can choose from eight (8) unique chain styles and 12 charms in 14k gold that are then welded together to provide long-term wear. The permanent jewelry experience is available by appointment or walk-ins.
"We are extremely excited to expand our permanent jewelry services to be accessible to more customers nationwide," says Amy Robinson, President of Banter by Piercing Pagoda. "Banter by Piercing Pagoda has been an innovator and pioneer in the jewelry industry through our piercing services and jewelry styles for over 60 years. The expansion demonstrates our continued, strategic effort to be at the forefront of jewelry trends and help customers find their ideal, responsibly sourced pieces to express and celebrate who they truly are."
The permanent jewelry experience will be available at locations in Brooklyn, Charlotte, Columbus, Dallas, Las Vegas, Orlando, Pittsburgh, San Diego, Santa Monica, and more. The full list of Banter permanent jewelry locations may be found online.
The purchase price of chains in the permanent jewelry collection ranges from $80 to $330, with charms starting at $25. Initial use cases show customers gravitating to permanent jewelry for themselves, joint bracelets with their partner or best friend, and bachelorette and wedding parties. For more information, please visit Banter.com.
About Banter by Piercing Pagoda
Banter by Piercing Pagoda is the leader in ear and other piercings. As the nation's largest specialty kiosk retailer, Banter by Piercing Pagoda has a history of serving and satisfying customers with an extensive selection of popularly priced 10K and 14K gold chains, charms, bracelets, rings, and earrings, as well as a variety of silver and diamond jewelry. Visit www.banter.com to view Banter by Piercing Pagoda's latest styles or to find a location near you. Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, and YouTube. Banter by Piercing Pagoda is part of Signet Jewelers Limited, the world's largest retailer of diamond jewelry.
PRESS CONTACT
Lividini & Co.
signet@lividini.com
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SOURCE Banter by Piercing Pagoda | https://www.wflx.com/prnewswire/2023/07/31/banter-by-piercing-pagoda-expands-its-permanent-jewelry-services-nationwide/ | 2023-07-31T13:26:44 | 0 | https://www.wflx.com/prnewswire/2023/07/31/banter-by-piercing-pagoda-expands-its-permanent-jewelry-services-nationwide/ |
Tim McGraw speaks out on concertgoers throwing things at shows: ‘It’s terrible’
By Chloe Melas, CNN
(CNN) — Tim McGraw is gearing up to go on tour and he hopes the experience will not include anyone throwing things at him on stage.
The country music star and “1883” actor spoke to CNN about the concerning trend of concertgoers throwing items such as drinks and cellphones at artists while they are performing on stage.
“I think it’s terrible,” McGraw told CNN. “I mean, you could really injure somebody and you could miss and hit somebody in the audience and injure somebody. What happens if somebody gets hurt? Then it ruins the show for everybody. If somebody can’t continue performing.”
McGraw’s “Standing Room Only Tour” will hit arenas in more than 30 cities beginning next March.
“I’m used to soft goods being thrown at me,” McGraw said with a laugh. “And that’s fine, but don’t throw anything that’s got any heft to it that’s gonna hurt somebody. I just think that it’s just not appropriate to do. Everybody’s there to have fun and there’s just no need in any of that.”
“Hopefully it doesn’t happen, but I’ll try to stay calm if it does,” McGraw added.
The “Just to See You Smile” singer is also debuting his 17th studio album in August.
“I wanted this music on this album to reflect life in general and be life-affirming and positive,” he said. “It all sort of formulated during [the pandemic], what we were going through and then as we were coming out of it and getting our feet back under us. I wanted the music to sort of reflect that, living the good life and being the best person that you can be and knowing we all make mistakes, but you wake up the next day and try to be a better person.”
Tickets for McGraw’s tour go on sale August 4.
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™ & © 2023 Cable News Network, Inc., a Warner Bros. Discovery Company. All rights reserved. | https://kion546.com/entertainment/cnn-entertainment/2023/07/31/tim-mcgraw-speaks-out-on-concertgoers-throwing-things-at-shows-its-terrible/ | 2023-07-31T13:26:46 | 1 | https://kion546.com/entertainment/cnn-entertainment/2023/07/31/tim-mcgraw-speaks-out-on-concertgoers-throwing-things-at-shows-its-terrible/ |
HONG KONG (AP) — A French man is believed to have fallen to his death from a high-rise residential building in Hong Kong last week, police said on Monday, with local media outlets identifying him as daredevil Remi Lucidi.
Police said a 30-year-old man’s body was found on a patio in the city’s upscale Mid-Levels area. He was believed to have engaged in extreme sports, police said, without identifying him.
Officers conducted an initial investigation and said he apparently fell from a rooftop. No suicide note was found at the scene, they said. The cause of his death would have to be verified by an autopsy, they added.
Local media, including the South China Morning Post, said the man was Lucidi, 30. The Post cited an unnamed source saying he was last seen alive knocking on a penthouse window on the 68th floor of a residential tower on Thursday evening. The Associated Press has not been able to verify his identity.
Lucidi, who used the name “Remi Enigma” on social media, last posted a photo of Hong Kong’s night view a week ago on Instagram and tagged the location as Times Square in shopping district Causeway Bay. The photo appeared to be taken from above.
Supporters mourned him on social media.
Lucidi posted to Instagram as he climbed various tall structures around the world and took selfies, including one he captioned, “Above the Sky, 425m” and tagged Dubai as the location. | https://www.seattletimes.com/nation-world/french-daredevil-who-climbed-towers-around-world-believed-to-have-fallen-to-his-death-in-hong-kong/?utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=Referral&utm_campaign=RSS_world | 2023-07-31T13:26:46 | 0 | https://www.seattletimes.com/nation-world/french-daredevil-who-climbed-towers-around-world-believed-to-have-fallen-to-his-death-in-hong-kong/?utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=Referral&utm_campaign=RSS_world |
MUNCIE, Ind. (AP) — A “mass shooting” at a large party in Indiana early Sunday morning left one person dead, police said. A hospital said 19 people were being treated for injuries at its facility.
Muncie police responded to multiple reports of gunfire on the city’s east side just after 1 a.m., The Star Press reported. Police said in a news release that there was no active threat to the community and that “multiple” victims were injured, including some critically.
“Due to the number of victims and nature of the incident, multiple agencies were contacted to assist,” Muncie Deputy Police Chief Melissa Criswell said in a statement sent to The Star Press.
Many police officers from the nearby town of Eaton were among those who provided assistance, according to a post on the department’s Facebook page. Eaton Police Chief Jay Turner called the incident a “mass shooting.”
Police did not say how many people were injured, but officials at Indiana University Health Ball Memorial Hospital in Muncie told The Associated Press that 19 victims were treated in their emergency department for injuries related to the shooting, and 13 remained at the hospital in stabilized condition Sunday morning. Criswell said some victims sustained critical injuries and were transferred by medical helicopter to other facilities.
Delaware County Coroner Gavin Greene identified the man who died as 30-year-old Joseph E. Bonner III, The Star Press reported. | https://www.wane.com/news/national-world/ap-us-news/ap-one-person-is-dead-and-multiple-were-wounded-in-indiana-shooting-police-say/ | 2023-07-31T13:26:45 | 0 | https://www.wane.com/news/national-world/ap-us-news/ap-one-person-is-dead-and-multiple-were-wounded-in-indiana-shooting-police-say/ |
BOSTON, July 31, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- On July 25, 2023, Fosun Health Capital established by Fosun Pharma (stock code:600196.SH), reached a strategic partnership with Medicilon (stock code: 688202.SH). Meanwhile StarMab Biology (Suzhou) (jointly invested by the innovation drug research fund of Fosun Group and Yaopharma) and Medicilon entered into a strategic cooperation for innovative drug IND research and application services. This strategic partnership indicates a significant step forward in the cooperation between Fosun Health Capital and Medicilon, with milestone for both parties' development.
Cui Zhiping, Co-CEO and General Manager of Fosun Health Capital, Chen Chunlin, Founder and CEO of Medicilon, along with members from both sides attended the signing ceremony together and witnessed the contract.
According to the strategic cooperation agreement, Medicilon will leverage its international perspective and rich experience in R&D to provide innovative drug enterprises invested by Fosun Health Capital with services，such as drug discovery, pharmaceutical research, preclinical research, IND registration declaration, etc., aiming to facilitate cooperation in 10 innovative drug IND projects. Medicilon will also provide professional opinions on the rationality of product development clinical programs, product success probability analysis, product market potential, etc.
Furthermore, Medicilon will facilitate investment cooperation and create an ecosystem linking innovative drug investment and business cooperation. As for StarMab Biology, Medicilon will provide comprehensive and high-quality preclinical research services. Through this strategic cooperation, all parties will integrate respective technology, market and talent advantages, embrace the trends and technological changes in bioengineering and pharmaceutical industry, promote deeper and broader exploration in various fields, and explore the possibilities of new drug development.
About Fosun Health Capital:
As the first VC fund in the field of new drugs initiated by Fosun Pharma, Fosun Health Capital primarily invests biopharmaceutical sector projects in early-stage and expansion-stage, which have technological innovation and rapid growth potential. It is committed to incubating high-quality projects from universities and research institutes and introducing leading overseas biotechnology technologies and products to China through introduction and cooperation models.
About Medicilon:
Medicilon as an integrated CRO provides comprehensive one-stop R&D services for pharmaceutical enterprises and scientific research institutions around the world. Medicilon has built an integrated platform covering key technologies in drug discovery, pharmaceutical research, and preclinical research, to provide comprehensive preclinical R&D services for the global biomedical industry.
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SOURCE Medicilon Inc. | https://www.wbrc.com/prnewswire/2023/07/31/fosun-health-capital-reached-cooperation-agreement-with-medicilon-explore-innovative-drug-research-development-together/ | 2023-07-31T13:26:46 | 1 | https://www.wbrc.com/prnewswire/2023/07/31/fosun-health-capital-reached-cooperation-agreement-with-medicilon-explore-innovative-drug-research-development-together/ |
HOMER, Alaska, July 31, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Discovery Channel's Charlotte Kilcher (Alaska: The Last Frontier) will be joining her childhood friend Corky Parker for an upcoming event as Parker returns to Alaska for a book tour of her memoir La Finca: Love, Loss, and Laundry on a Tiny Puerto Rican Island.
Before moving to Washington state and spending her time between Seattle and the inn she owned on the Puerto Rican island of Vieques, Parker spent the 70s in Alaska where she helped to start up the radio station KSKA and the Alaska Bluegrass Festival; worked at her brother's iconic del Mundo cafe; waited tables for future governor Tony Knowles at the Downtown Deli; and spent time as a paralegal for Brian Shortell at the Alaska Public Defender Agency. Somewhere around all that she also starred in Tom Sadowski and Jimmie Froehlich's cult Alaskan postcard collection and film "Trailer Court," and served a short stint as executive director to the Alaska Wilderness Guides Association.
La Finca, winner of this year's Nancy Pearl Award for memoir, is a self-illustrated chronicle of the twenty-plus years Parker ran La Finca Caribe, an off-beat eco-lodge in Vieques, Puerto Rico, beloved by visitors worldwide, including legendary chef Alice Waters. The book covers the challenges and rewards of tropical innkeeping and hurricanes to divorce and bankruptcy. It's about how much we can learn from a place, a culture; learning how to listen to our own spirit.
Parker will be doing her tour through Alaska August 2–10, and her appearances will include an interview with KSKA about the station's upcoming anniversary as well as events with the Homer Public Library, the Georgia Blue Gallery in Anchorage, and the Writer's Block Bookstore and Café in Anchorage. Kilcher will join Parker for the Homer Library event to be in conversation with her about their experiences and memories in Alaska.
Fans are encouraged to join the Aug. 8 Homer Library event with Parker and Kilcher via Zoom. More information here: https://www.cityofhomer-ak.gov/library/author-talk-corky-parker-la-finca-love-loss-and-laundry-tiny-puerto-rican-island.
Contact: Jessie Glenn
Jess@mindbuckmedia.com
Mindbuckmedia.com
503-998-8770
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SOURCE Corky Parker | https://www.wflx.com/prnewswire/2023/07/31/bffs-award-winning-author-corky-parker-discovery-channels-charlotte-kilcher-team-up-alaskan-book-tour/ | 2023-07-31T13:26:50 | 1 | https://www.wflx.com/prnewswire/2023/07/31/bffs-award-winning-author-corky-parker-discovery-channels-charlotte-kilcher-team-up-alaskan-book-tour/ |
Middle-income Americans think prosperity is within reach
By Nicole Goodkind, CNN
New York (CNN) — It’s a strange time for mid-sized banks in the US. The collapse of three regional banks earlier this year followed by the emergency merger of PacWest and Banc of California last week has created a shakeup in the industry that’s been exacerbated by the Federal Reserve’s continued efforts to raise interest rates.
Another small bank failed Friday. Heartland Tri-State Bank of Elkhart, Kansas, was wound up by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation. Its four branches will reopen Monday as part of Dream First Bank under a deal that will see it buy most of its failed rivals assets.
But executives at the US arm of Spain’s Santander (SC), the 30th largest bank in America according to the Fed, with more than $105 billion in consolidated assets, don’t appear to be worried. Santander (SC) US CEO Tim Wennes told Before the Bell that confidence among customers remains high.
Santander recently released a quarterly survey of about 2,250 middle-income bank and financial services customers (defined as having household incomes between $47,000 and $142,000.)
“We started this survey because there were a lot of mixed economic signals out there,” said Wennes. “The majority of our clients here in the United States are middle-income households, and we want to understand how inflation is impacting them, how higher auto prices are impacting them, how they’re thinking about their behaviors and payments,” he said.
The survey found that nearly 80% of households said they weren’t impacted by the recent banking crisis and had not changed their financial behavior because of the recent failures. Only 5% of those surveyed said they changed banking providers because of the turmoil.
Santander also found that 68% of responders said they were on track to achieve financial prosperity and that 79% thought it would happen in the next 10 years. The bank defined prosperity as “thriving financially, being able to cover living expenses, handle emergencies, and pursue life goals without significant tradeoffs.”
Before the Bell spoke to Wennes about these results, the resiliency of the US consumer and the future for regional banks.
Before the Bell: Is there a difference between consumer confidence and people thinking they’re on the path to financial prosperity? Is this a difference between having savings versus spending money?
Tim Wennes: What we see in the survey is that inflation is taking a bite out of consumers’ wallets, and the majority of consumers are adjusting how they’re spending money because inflation is their number one worry. At the same time, consumers are resilient and hopeful. So when we ask them these questions about prosperity, whether they’re on the right track, the answers are overwhelmingly yes.
A lot of people surveyed think they’ll become financially prosperous within the next 10 years. But when we look at the short term, that number decreases a bit. Is there a mental disconnect there?
People believe they’re making the right choices. Some of them are insecure, clearly. But consumers are still confident in their bank and in the banking industry but also taking advantage of this current interest rate scenario. So the upside of what’s happened with interest rates is for those that have deposits, some savings and investments can now be earning a much higher risk-free return on that. Higher than they’ve seen in the last 15 years.
Why aren’t more people moving into high-yield accounts?
I think it’s inertia. People are comfortable with what they’ve got and so they don’t take action. But as time passes there comes more awareness, and we’ll see more customers move to take advantage of that. I think that the barriers to changing accounts are also going down. That makes it easier for customers to either open new accounts or to make changes to the type of account that they have.
Were you surprised that confidence in banking remains high after the recent regional banking crisis?
I was not surprised, it mirrors what we’ve seen with our customers. The foundation of banking is built on trust and confidence, and that’s driven by relationships and communication. Customers have been stable and we’ve been communicating very frequently to make sure that they’ve got the latest information.
In your survey, 73% of those concerned about inflation say that they haven’t been able to save as much, which is up from the previous quarter, and 68% say that they’ve made significant cuts to adjust for inflation. That’s also up over last quarter. Is inflation also cutting into savings?
I think people are thinking about their immediate situation versus their outlook for the future. It gets back to resiliency for consumers. They have the view that they can make the adjustments they need to make in order to be prosperous in the future. We’re also seeing reasonable wage growth, and we’ve got very strong employment levels. There is reason for people to be confident. People are also seeing inflation come down and they’re optimistic about that.
Two thirds of the economy is driven by the consumer. And what we’ve seen here over the past two years is that the consumer remains remarkably resilient and remarkably confident.
Tupperware shares were up 165% last week
The meme traders are back. Shares of Tupperware (TUP) exploded by about 165% last week and more than 300% over the last month for no discernible reason.
The Florida-based container company has been in hot water for some time. Sales are on the decline and Tupperware even warned in April that it was on the brink of bankruptcy.
In early June, the New York Stock Exchange even notified Tupperware that it was in noncompliance with the exchange’s rules because its market capitalization was too low, less than $50 million, over a period of 30 trading days. Tupperware’s average closing price, the notification said, was also less than $1 for that period — below the exchange’s threshold.
In early July, BlackRock stepped in as an investment partner to Tupperware, possibly to help them manage their debt load. But no new material announcements or changes have been made since then.
The surge in stock price would make some sense if there were any indication that the company had begun a turnaround or found an eligible buyer. But there’s no evidence that either of those things has happened.
There are, however, posts on Reddit that could offer an explanation.
“YEESH,” wrote one user about the company’s outlook. “Still threw $3,000 at it. Did the same with [Bed Bath & Beyond] last summer. As long as I’m not playing with too much and have a stop loss I’m ok with losing a few hundred dollars for a chance to moon again.”
“This will be the next big short squeeze, I went all in yesterday,” commented another.
On Thursday, the trading volume for Tupperware was three times higher than the prior 30-day average, according to FactSet.
Like GameStop and movie theater chain AMC previously, it appears Redditors are trying to send the 77-year-old struggling business “to the moon.”
Also like other meme stocks, shares of Tupperware have been highly shorted. That means a lot of traders are betting that the stock has further to fall.
Before you join the “Tupperware party,” remember that meme stocks tend to be very volatile, with sweeping highs and lows. Libra Investment Services warned on Friday that investors in Tupperware face a high risk of loss.
Tupperware shares are still down nearly 30% year to date.
Illegal child labor is on the rise in a tight job market
US child labor violations have jumped in recent years. Some well-known companies, consumer-facing name brands, have been caught employing children for grueling work in dangerous conditions. A tight labor market has prompted many employers to search for the cheapest available labor; state legislators are even pushing bills that would limit legal protections for underage workers.
Now, the Department of Labor has announced actions it’s taken so far this year through a new interagency task force on child labor.
“Child labor is an issue that gets to the heart of who we are as a country and who we want to be,” said Acting Secretary of Labor Julie Su in a news release Thursday. “Like the President, we believe that any child working in a dangerous or hazardous environment is one child too many.”
In many of these cases, it’s the children of recent migrants working long hours in difficult conditions, said Jordan Barab, deputy assistant secretary at the Occupational Safety and Health Administration during the Obama administration.
“You’re piling vulnerable on top of vulnerable here,” Barab added.
Between October 1, 2022, and July 20, 2023, the Department of Labor concluded 765 child labor cases, found 4,474 children employed in violation of federal child labor laws and assessed more than $6.6 million in penalties against employers, the agency announced on Thursday.
That’s a 44% increase in the number of children illegally employed and an 87% increase in penalties compared to the same period the year before, according to the Labor Department.
In addition, the Wage and Hour Division of the Labor Department is currently pursuing more than 700 open child labor cases.
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™ & © 2023 Cable News Network, Inc., a Warner Bros. Discovery Company. All rights reserved. | https://kion546.com/money/cnn-business-consumer/2023/07/31/middle-income-americans-think-prosperity-is-within-reach/ | 2023-07-31T13:26:52 | 0 | https://kion546.com/money/cnn-business-consumer/2023/07/31/middle-income-americans-think-prosperity-is-within-reach/ |
TOKYO (AP) — A Japanese court sentenced a man to 23 years in prison on Monday for stabbing a passenger and setting a fire on a Tokyo express train while dressed in a Joker costume on Halloween two years ago, officials said.
The Tachikawa branch of Tokyo District Court found Kyota Hattori, 26, guilty of attempted murder for stabbing and seriously injuring a male passenger in his 70s and of spraying lighter fluid in the train car and then lighting it to try to kill others. Twelve people were injured by the fire, most of them not seriously.
During the trial, Hattori told the court he was so shocked when he learned that his girlfriend had married someone else only six months after they broke up that he decided to carry out the attack so he could end his life by receiving the death penalty, NHK public television reported.
In the ruling, Judge Yu Takeshita said the attack was an “indiscriminate crime with a selfish motive that targeted many passengers who happened to be on the train.”
Prosecutors sought 25 years in prison, arguing that the attack was premeditated and that Hattori had deliberately chosen a special express train that makes fewer stops so passengers would have less chance of escaping. Witnesses said he wore an outfit like the Joker villain in Batman comics.
Defense lawyers asked for 12 years, saying the attack did not constitute attempted murder because most passengers were out of reach when Hattori set the fire.
Gun-related crime is rare in Japan because of strict gun control laws, but there has been a series of high-profile knife attacks in recent years on subways and elsewhere, and there is growing concern about homemade guns and explosives.
Train operators in major cities have stepped up safety measures, including installing security cameras in train cars and conducting more frequent safety drills.
In August 2021, on the day before the closing ceremony of the Tokyo Olympics, a 36-year-old man stabbed 10 passengers on a commuter train in Tokyo in a random attack. The man later told police that he wanted to attack women who looked happy.
The previous month, a 37-year-old man stabbed three passengers with a knife on an airport train in Osaka. | https://www.seattletimes.com/nation-world/japanese-court-sentences-joker-to-23-years-for-stabbing-passenger-setting-a-fire-on-a-tokyo-train/?utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=Referral&utm_campaign=RSS_world | 2023-07-31T13:26:53 | 0 | https://www.seattletimes.com/nation-world/japanese-court-sentences-joker-to-23-years-for-stabbing-passenger-setting-a-fire-on-a-tokyo-train/?utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=Referral&utm_campaign=RSS_world |
MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) — Voting rights activists are returning to court to fight Alabama’s redrawn congressional districts, saying state Republicans failed to follow federal court orders to create a district that is fair to Black voters.
Plaintiffs in the high-profile redistricting case filed a written objection Friday to oppose Alabama’s new redistricting plan. They accused state Republicans of flouting a judicial mandate to create a second majority-Black district or “something quite close to it” and enacting a map that continues to discriminate against Black voters in the state.
A special three-judge panel in 2022 blocked use of the the state’s existing districts and said any new congressional map should include two districts where “Black voters either comprise a voting-age majority” or something close. That panel’s decision was appealed by the state but upheld in June in a surprise ruling by the U.S. Supreme Court, which concurred that having only one Black-majority district out of seven — in a state where more than one in four residents is Black — likely violated federal law.
The plaintiffs in the case, represented by the NAACP Legal Defense & Educational Fund and other groups, asked the three-judge panel to step in and draw new lines for the state.
“Alabama’s new congressional map ignores this court’s preliminary injunction order and instead perpetuates the Voting Rights Act violation that was the very reason that the Legislature redrew the map,” lawyers representing the plaintiffs in the case wrote.
The new map enacted by the Republican-controlled Alabama Legislature maintained one-majority Black district but boosted the percentage of Black voters in the majority-white 2nd Congressional District, now represented by Republican Rep. Barry Moore, from about 30% to 39.9%
Lawyers representing plaintiffs in the case wrote Friday that the revamped district “does not provide Black voters a realistic opportunity to elect their preferred candidates in any but the most extreme situations.” They accused state Republicans of ignoring the courts’ directive to prioritize a district that would stay under GOP control “pleasing national leaders whose objective is to maintain the Republican Party’s slim majority in the U.S. House of Representatives.”
Alabama has maintained the new plan complies with the Voting Rights Act, and state leaders are wagering that the panel will accept their proposal or that the state will prevail in a second round of appeals to the Supreme Court. Republicans argued that the map meets the court’s directive and draws compact districts that comply with redistricting guidelines.
The state must file its defense of the map by Aug. 4. The three judges have scheduled an Aug. 14 hearing in the case as the fight over the map shifts back to federal court.
The outcome could have consequences across the country as the case again weighs the requirements of the Voting Rights Act in redistricting. It could also impact the partisan leanings of one Alabama congressional district in the 2024 elections with control of the U.S House of Representatives at stake.
Former U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder, chairman of the National Democratic Redistricting Committee, said in a statement that Alabama’s new map is a “brazen defiance” of the courts.
“The result is a shameful display that would have made George Wallace—another Alabama governor who defied the courts—proud,” Holder said in a statement. | https://www.wane.com/news/national-world/ap-us-news/ap-plaintiffs-in-voting-rights-case-urge-judges-to-toss-alabamas-new-congressional-map/ | 2023-07-31T13:26:53 | 0 | https://www.wane.com/news/national-world/ap-us-news/ap-plaintiffs-in-voting-rights-case-urge-judges-to-toss-alabamas-new-congressional-map/ |
New video spot, "Dear Kitten: Modern Technology" finds Grey Cat and Orange Kitten all grown up and dealing with the digital age.
ST. LOUIS, July 31, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Dear reader, are you ready for adorable internet feline nostalgia? Friskies, the popular cat food and treat brand, has launched the revival of the playful 'Dear Kitten' series, which took the internet by storm when it was first released nearly 10 years ago. In partnership with BuzzFeed, the new installment, titled 'Dear Kitten: Modern Technology,' takes a humorous look at how technology has evolved over the years through the eyes of the original wise and experienced narrator, Grey Cat, while highlighting the special bond between humans and their feline companions.
Experience the full interactive Multichannel News Release here: https://www.multivu.com/players/English/9185151-purina-friskies-buzzfeed-dear-kitten-campaign-video/
In 'Modern Technology,' Grey Cat, voiced again by Ze Frank, shares valuable insights with Orange Kitten, now referred to as Orange Cat, as they navigate the rapidly changing landscape of modern devices. The video takes viewers on a comical journey, showcasing the entertaining and often perplexing situations cats experience when faced with today's advanced technology – including another daring encounter with Vacuum.
"It's been nearly a decade since you've heard from me, which I'm sure has been tough for you," said Grey Cat. "Although I am now older, I am also even wiser – like a furry sensei. I've witnessed advancements in technology that have both fascinated and bewildered me, so, it is once again my duty to get Orange Cat (and you, my feline friends) up to speed on the facts about this great big, weird world. Buckle up."
The original 'Dear Kitten' series, which captivated audiences with its witty storytelling, amassed hundreds of millions of views and resonated with pet lovers worldwide. The collaboration between Friskies and BuzzFeed provided an opportunity to once again create engaging and entertaining content that celebrates the unique bond between humans and their pets.
"Friskies is all about providing your cat with variety to feed their playfulness and curiosity, and with 'Dear Kitten', we brought that same playful spirit to life for cat lovers," said Kelly Roberts, Purina Brand Manager. "As we approach the 10-year anniversary of the original series, it felt like the perfect time to check-in to see what life is like today for our favorite feline duo and welcome a new generation of cat lovers into the 'Dear Kitten' family."
The 'Modern Technology' video was officially released on July 27, 2023, on BuzzFeed. The next video installment, titled 'Day in the Life of an Influencer' will be released later this Summer. To stay updated on the series visit BuzzFeed's official channels or follow Friskies on social media.
About Nestlé Purina PetCare
Nestlé Purina PetCare creates richer lives for pets and the people who love them. Founded in 1894, Purina has helped dogs and cats live longer, healthier lives by offering scientifically based nutritional innovations. Purina manufactures some of the world's most trusted and popular pet care products, including Purina ONE, Pro Plan, Friskies and Tidy Cats. Our more than 10,000 U.S. associates take pride in our trusted pet food, treat and litter brands that feed 46 million dogs and 68 million cats every year. More than 500 Purina scientists, veterinarians, and pet care experts ensure our commitment to unsurpassed quality and nutrition.
Purina promotes responsible pet care through our scientific research, our products and our support for pet-related organizations. Over the past five years, Purina has contributed more than $150 million towards organizations that bring, and keep, people and pets together, as well as those that help our communities and environment thrive.
Purina is part of Nestlé, a global leader in Nutrition, Health and Wellness. For more information, visit purina.com or subscribe here to get the latest Purina news.
About BuzzFeed, Inc.
BuzzFeed, Inc. is home to the best of the internet. Across food, news, pop culture and commerce, our brands drive conversation and inspire what audiences watch, read, buy, and obsess over next. Born on the internet in 2006, BuzzFeed, Inc. is committed to making it better: providing trusted, quality, brand-safe news and entertainment to hundreds of millions of people; making content on the internet more inclusive, empathetic, and creative; and inspiring our audience to live better lives.
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SOURCE Friskies® | https://www.wbrc.com/prnewswire/2023/07/31/friskies-buzzfeed-reboot-dear-kitten-hit-video-series-after-nearly-decade/ | 2023-07-31T13:26:53 | 0 | https://www.wbrc.com/prnewswire/2023/07/31/friskies-buzzfeed-reboot-dear-kitten-hit-video-series-after-nearly-decade/ |
NEW YORK, July 31, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- BGC Group, Inc. (Nasdaq: BGC) ("BGC"), a leading global brokerage and financial technology company, today announced the addition of a Weather Derivatives Team with the hire of Nicholas and Eric Ernst. Nicholas joins the firm as Managing Director, BGC Weather Derivatives while Eric joins as Weather Broker.
John Abularrage, Co-Global Head of Financial Services Brokerage, commented on today's announcement, "We are excited to welcome Nicholas and Eric to BGC. They bring with them almost three decades of invaluable experience in the weather derivatives and climate risk transfer space. With these new hires, BGC now operates the premier weather and climate derivatives desk in the industry."
Nicholas Ernst brings with him over 20 years of experience in the weather derivatives and risk transfer space. Prior to joining BGC, he served as Managing Director, Weather Markets at ICAP. Additionally, Nicholas spent time in similar roles at OTC Global and Evolutions Markets.
Before joining BGC, Eric Ernst served as a Weather Broker at ICAP. Prior to that, Eric held various roles at Choice Energy and spent three years in the renewable energy sector.
About BGC Group, Inc.
BGC Group, Inc. ("BGC") began trading on Nasdaq at the market opening on July 3, 2023, under the new ticker symbol "BGC", following the corporate conversion of its predecessor BGC Partners, Inc. (formerly Nasdaq: BGCP). BGC is a leading global brokerage and financial technology company. BGC, through its various affiliates, specializes in the brokerage of a broad range of products, including Fixed Income (Rates and Credit), Foreign Exchange, Equities, Energy and Commodities, Shipping, and Futures. BGC, through its various affiliates, also provides a wide variety of services, including trade execution, brokerage, clearing, trade compression, post-trade, information, and other back-office services to a broad range of financial and non-financial institutions. Through its brands, including Fenics®, FMX™, FMX Futures Exchange™, Fenics Markets Xchange™, Fenics Digital™, Fenics UST™, Fenics FX™, Fenics Repo™, Fenics Direct™, Fenics MID™, Fenics Market Data™, Fenics GO™, Fenics PortfolioMatch™, BGC®, BGC Trader™, kACE2™, and Lucera®, BGC offers financial technology solutions, market data, and analytics related to numerous financial instruments and markets. BGC, BGC Group, BGC Partners, BGC Trader, GFI, GFI Ginga, CreditMatch, Fenics, Fenics.com, FMX, Sunrise Brokers, Poten & Partners, RP Martin, kACE2, Capitalab, Swaptioniser, CBID, Caventor, LumeMarkets and Lucera are trademarks/service marks and/or registered trademarks/service marks of BGC and/or its affiliates.
BGC's customers include many of the world's largest banks, broker-dealers, investment banks, trading firms, hedge funds, governments, corporations, and investment firms. BGC's Class A common stock trades on the Nasdaq Global Select Market under the ticker symbol "BGC". BGC is led by Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer Howard W. Lutnick. For more information, please visit http://www.bgcg.com. You can also follow BGC at https://twitter.com/bgcgroupinc, https://www.linkedin.com/company/bgc_group and/or http://ir.bgcg.com.
Discussion of Forward-Looking Statements about BGC
Statements in this document regarding BGC 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, BGC 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 BGC'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.
Media Contact:
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Biden goes west to talk about his administration’s efforts to combat climate change
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden will travel to Arizona, New Mexico and Utah next week and is expected to talk about his administration’s efforts to combat climate change as the region endures a brutally hot summer with soaring temperatures, the White House said Monday.
Biden is expected to discuss the Inflation Reduction Act, America’s most significant response to climate change, and the push toward more clean energy manufacturing. The act aims to spur clean energy on a scale that will bend the arc of U.S. greenhouse gas emissions.
July has been the hottest month ever recorded. Biden last week announced new steps to protect workers in extreme heat, including measures to improve weather forecasts and make drinking water more accessible.
Members of Biden’s administration also are fanning out over the next few weeks around the anniversary of the landmark climate change and health care legislation to extol the administration’s successes as the Democratic president seeks reelection in 2024.
Vice President Kamala Harris heads to Wisconsin this week with Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo to talk about broadband infrastructure investments. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack goes to Oregon to highlight wildfire defense grants, Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg will go to Illinois and Texas, and Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona heads to Maryland to talk about career and technical education programs.
The Inflation Reduction Act included roughly $375 billion over a decade to combat climate change and capped the cost of a month’s supply of insulin at $35 for older Americans and other Medicare beneficiaries. It also helps an estimated 13 million Americans pay for health care insurance by extending subsidies provided during the coronavirus pandemic.
The measure is paid for by new taxes on large companies and stepped-up IRS enforcement of wealthy individuals and entities, with additional funds going to reduce the federal deficit.
Copyright 2023 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. | https://www.wibw.com/2023/07/31/biden-goes-west-talk-about-his-administrations-efforts-combat-climate-change/ | 2023-07-31T13:26:57 | 1 | https://www.wibw.com/2023/07/31/biden-goes-west-talk-about-his-administrations-efforts-combat-climate-change/ |
The UK will drill for more oil and gas in the North Sea
By Anna Cooban, CNN
London (CNN) — The UK government has announced plans to allow a big expansion of drilling for oil and gas in the North Sea in a move that environmental activists have described as a taking a “wrecking ball” to the country’s climate commitments.
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said Monday that he hoped the plans would provide the UK with domestically-sourced energy while it transitions to a net zero economy by 2050.
He also announced plans to build two new carbon capture and storage sites in the North Sea, to be completed by 2030, which would take the country’s total to four.
“Even when we’ve reached net zero in 2050, a quarter of our energy needs will come from oil and gas. But there are those who would rather that it come from hostile states than from supplies we have here at home,” Sunak said in a statement.
The announcement comes despite evidence that the climate crisis is accelerating, and flies in the face of a previous warning from the International Energy Agency that there must be no new investment in oil and gas exploration if the world is to have any chance of restricting the rise in global temperatures to 1.5 degrees Centigrade above pre-industrial levels.
Sunak’s office said he had committed to granting “hundreds” of new licenses for companies to drill for oil and gas offshore, with the first 100 expected to be granted in the fall.
The licensing process, overseen by the North Sea Transition Authority, will be more flexible to allow companies to drill near currently licensed areas, “unlocking vital reserves which can be brought online faster,” Sunak’s office said in a statement.
However, the process would still apply a “climate compatibility test” to all prospective licenses, it added.
Simon Roddy, senior vice president of Shell UK’s exploration and production business, said in a statement that the announcement of a new carbon capture and storage project in Scotland was “an important step forward” for the industry.
“[The project] is a central part of plans to decarbonize North Sea operations, and to store emissions from other parts of Scottish industry,” he said.
Climate groups have criticized Sunak’s announcement as a setback for the UK’s environmental goals.
“Extracting more fossil fuels from the North Sea will send a wrecking ball through the UK’s climate commitments at a time when we should be investing in a just transition to a low carbon economy and our own abundant renewables,” Lyndsay Walsh, Oxfam’s climate change policy advisor, said in a Monday statement.
Philip Evans, oil and gas transition campaigner for Greenpeace UK, also said Monday that the government had “decided to row back on key climate policies, attempted to toxify net zero, and recycled old myths about North Sea drilling.”
“Relying on fossil fuels is terrible for our energy security, the cost of living, and the climate,” Evans said.
Sunak’s announcement puts his Conservative government at loggerheads with the opposition Labour Party, which has called for a ban on all new oil and gas projects in the North Sea, and a funneling of new investment into the country’s renewable energy industry.
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™ & © 2023 Cable News Network, Inc., a Warner Bros. Discovery Company. All rights reserved. | https://kion546.com/money/cnn-business-consumer/2023/07/31/the-uk-will-drill-for-more-oil-and-gas-in-the-north-sea/ | 2023-07-31T13:26:58 | 1 | https://kion546.com/money/cnn-business-consumer/2023/07/31/the-uk-will-drill-for-more-oil-and-gas-in-the-north-sea/ |
BEIJING (AP) — A zoo in eastern China is denying suggestions some of its bears might be people in costumes after photos of the animals standing like humans circulated online.
The sun bears from Malaysia are smaller than other bears and look different but are the real thing, the Hangzhou Zoo said Monday on its social media account.
“Some people think I stand like a person,” said the posting, written from the bear’s point of view. “It seems you don’t understand me very well.”
An employee who answered the phone at the zoo declined to talk about the bears but said visits were being arranged for reporters Monday to see them.
Internet users questioned whether the zoo’s bears were real after photos circulated showing one standing upright on slender hind legs.
“Because of the way they stand, some people online question whether they are ‘humans in disguise,’” the newspaper Hangzhou Daily said.
Sun bears are the size of large dogs, standing at most 1.3 meters (50 inches) tall on their hind legs, compared with up to 2.8 meters (9 feet) for grizzlies and other species, according to the zoo.
Other Chinese zoos have been accused of trying to pass off dogs dyed to look like wolves or African cats, and donkeys painted to look like zebras. | https://www.seattletimes.com/nation-world/our-bears-are-real-a-chinese-zoo-says-denying-they-are-humans-in-disguise/?utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=Referral&utm_campaign=RSS_world | 2023-07-31T13:26:59 | 1 | https://www.seattletimes.com/nation-world/our-bears-are-real-a-chinese-zoo-says-denying-they-are-humans-in-disguise/?utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=Referral&utm_campaign=RSS_world |
DENVER (AP) — As Denver neared triple-digit temperatures, Ben Gallegos sat shirtless on his porch swatting flies off his legs and spritzing himself with a misting fan to try to get through the heat. Gallegos, like many in the nation’s poorest neighborhoods, doesn’t have air conditioning.
The 68-year-old covers his windows with mattress foam to insulate against the heat and sleeps in the concrete basement. He knows high temperatures can cause heat stroke and death, and his lung condition makes him more susceptible. But the retired brick layer, who survives on about $1,000 a month largely from Social Security, says air conditioning is out of reach.
“Take me about 12 years to save up for something like that,” he said. “If it’s hard to breathe, I’ll get down to emergency.”
As climate change fans hotter and longer heat waves, breaking record temperatures across the U.S. and leaving dozens dead, the poorest Americans suffer the hottest days with the fewest defenses. Air conditioning, once a luxury, is now a matter of survival.
As Phoenix weathered its 27th consecutive day above 110 degrees (43 Celsius) Wednesday, the nine who died indoors didn’t have functioning air conditioning, or it was turned off. Last year, all 86 heat-related deaths indoors were in uncooled environments.
“To explain it fairly simply: Heat kills,” said Kristie Ebi, a University of Washington professor who researches heat and health. “Once the heat wave starts, mortality starts in about 24 hours.”
It’s the poorest and people of color, from Kansas City to Detroit to New York City and beyond, who are far more likely to face grueling heat without air conditioning, according to a Boston University analysis of 115 U.S. metros.
“The temperature differences … between lower-income neighborhoods, neighborhoods of color and their wealthier, whiter counterparts have pretty severe consequences,” said Cate Mingoya-LaFortune of Groundwork USA, an environmental justice organization. “There are these really big consequences like death. … But there’s also ambient misery.”
Some have window units that can offer respite, but “in the dead of heat, it don’t do nothing,” said Melody Clark, who stopped Friday to get food at a nonprofit in Kansas City, Kansas, as temperatures soared to 101, and high humidity made it feel like 109. When the central air conditioning at her rental house went on the fritz, her landlord installed a window unit. But it doesn’t do much during the day.
So the 45-year-old wets her hair, cooks outside on a propane grill and keeps the lights off indoors. She’s taken the bus to the library to cool off. At night she flips the box unit on, hauling her bed into the room where it’s located to sleep.
As far as her two teenagers, she said: “They aren’t little bitty. We aren’t dying in the heat. … They don’t complain.”
While billions in federal funding have been allocated to subsidize utility costs and the installation of cooling systems, experts say they often only support a fraction of the most vulnerable families and some still require prohibitive upfront costs. Installing a centralized heat pump system for heating and cooling can easily reach $25,000.
President Joe Biden announced steps on Thursday to defend against extreme heat, highlighting the expansion of the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program, which funnels money through states to help poorer households pay utility bills.
While the program is critical, said Michelle Graff, who studies the subsidy at Cleveland State University, only about 16% of the nation’s eligible population is actually reached. Nearly half of states don’t offer the federal dollars for summer cooling.
“So people are engaging in coping mechanisms, like they’re turning on their air conditioners later and leaving their homes hotter,” Graff said.
While frigid temperatures and high heating bills birthed the term “heat or eat,” she said, “we can now transition to AC or eat, where people are going to have to make difficult decisions.”
As temperatures rise, so does the cost of cooling. And temperatures are already hotter in America’s low-income neighborhoods like Gallegos’ Denver suburb of Globeville, where people live along stretches of asphalt and concrete that hold heat like a cast-iron skillet. Surface temperatures there can be roughly 8 degrees hotter than in Denver’s wealthier neighborhoods, where a sea of vegetation cools the area, according to the environmental advocacy group American Forests.
This disparity plays out nationwide. Researchers at the University of San Diego analyzed 1,056 counties and in over 70%, the poorest areas and those with higher Black, Hispanic and Asian populations were significantly hotter.
About one in 10 U.S. households have no air conditioning, a disparity compounded for marginalized groups, according to a study by the Brookings Institution. Less than 4% of Detroit’s white households don’t have air conditioning; it’s 15% for Black households.
At noon on Friday, Katrice Sullivan sat on the porch of her rented house on Detroit’s westside. It was hot and muggy, but even steamier inside the house. Even if she had air conditioning, Sullivan said she’d choose her moments to run it to keep her electricity bill down.
The 37-year-old factory worker pours water on her head, freezes towels to put around her neck, and sits in her car with the air conditioner on. “Some people here spend every dollar for food, so air conditioning is something they can’t afford,” she said.
Shannon Lewis, 38, lived in her Detroit home for nearly 20 years without air conditioning. Lewis’s bedroom was the only place with a window unit, so she’d squeeze her teenager, 8-year-old and 3-year-old-twins into her queen-size bed to sleep, eat meals and watch television.
“So it was like cool in one room and a heat stroke in another,” Lewis said. For the first time, Lewis now has air conditioning through a local non-profit, she said. “We don’t have to sleep or eat in the same room, we are able to come out, sit at the dining room table, eat like a family.”
After at least 54 died during a 2021 heat wave, mostly elderly people without air conditioning, in the Portland area, Oregon passed a law prohibiting landlords from placing blanket bans on air conditioning units. By and large, however, states don’t have laws requiring landlords to provide cooling.
In the federal Inflation Reduction Act, billions were set aside for tax credits and rebates to help families install energy-efficient cooling systems, but some of those are yet to be available. For people like Gallegos, who doesn’t pay taxes, the available credits are worthless.
The law also offers rebates, the kind of state and federal point-of-sale discounts that Amanda Morian has looked into for her 640-square-foot home.
Morian, who has a 13-week-old baby susceptible to hot weather, is desperate to keep her house in Denver’s Globeville suburb cool. She bought thermal curtains, ceiling fans and runs a window unit. At night she tries to do skin-to-skin touch to regulate the baby’s body temperature. When the back door opens in the afternoon, she said, the indoor temperature jumps a degree.
“All of those are just to take the edge off, it’s not enough to actually make it cool. It’s enough to keep us from dying,” she said.
She got estimates from four different companies for installing a cooling system, but every project was between $20,000 and $25,000, she said. Even with subsidies she can’t afford it.
“I’m finding that you have to afford the project in the first place and then it’s like having a bonus coupon to take $5,000 off of the sticker price,” she said.
Lucy Molina, a single mom in Commerce City, one of Denver’s poorest areas, said her home has reached 107 degrees without air conditioning. Nearby, Molina’s two teenage children slurped popsicles to cool off, lingering in front of the open freezer.
For Molina, who bustled around her kitchen on a recent day when temperatures reached 99 degrees outdoors, it’s hard to see any path to a cooling respite.
“We’re just too poor,” she said.
____
Associated Press writers Heather Hollingsworth in Kansas City, Kansas, and Corey Williams in Detroit contributed to this report.
——
Bedayn is a corps member for the Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues. | https://www.wane.com/news/national-world/ap-us-news/ap-record-heat-waves-illuminate-plight-of-poorest-americans-who-suffer-without-air-conditioning/ | 2023-07-31T13:27:00 | 0 | https://www.wane.com/news/national-world/ap-us-news/ap-record-heat-waves-illuminate-plight-of-poorest-americans-who-suffer-without-air-conditioning/ |
300PPM leads investment in the only proven solution to decarbonize process heat at scale
NEW YORK, July 31, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, GlassPoint, the leader in decarbonizing industrial process heat, closed an $8M series A investment led by 300PPM and joined by former Australian prime minister Malcolm Turnbull, former Alcoa COO Tomas Sigurdsson and several additional industrial leaders. GlassPoint will use the investment to expand operations to help industrial companies decarbonize and meet looming net-zero commitments with the only solution proven to decarbonize industrial process heat at scale.
This is the first investment by 300PPM, which was founded in 2023 to accelerate the path to net-zero by deploying climate infrastructure globally at speed and scale. Howar Talabany, 300PPM founding partner and head of business development, led the investment and will join GlassPoint's board of directors.
"More than 40% of the Fortune 500 have set net-zero goals as leaders increasingly internalize the business and investor value that accompanies decarbonization," said Talabany. "They're also realizing that to deliver on these goals they need to scale viable solutions now. GlassPoint stands out in a sea of innovators as the only solution proven at scale to decarbonize the $444B industrial process heat market. With a robust customer pipeline and impressive executive team, GlassPoint is well positioned to lead essential decarbonization efforts across industries."
The funding comes on the heels of GlassPoint's groundbreaking memorandum of understanding with Ma'aden to develop the world's largest solar process heat plant to convert bauxite into alumina and help Saudi Arabia meet sustainability goals. GlassPoint has deployed more than half of all the solar steam for industry in the world and the company has been reliably producing solar steam for over a decade.
New regulations from the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission will soon require publicly listed companies to disclose climate-related risks as well as information around direct and indirect carbon emissions, increasing pressure on leaders to develop actionable carbon-reducing strategies. Moreover, a recent Fortune 500 CEO survey found that a strong majority of business leaders believe focusing on climate will help deepen relationships with employees and customers.
"We are seeing strong interest around the world as consumer demand for sustainable goods, soaring ESG goals and the Inflation Reduction Act drive unprecedented investment in carbon-reducing technologies," said GlassPoint CEO and founder Rod MacGregor. "Every major industrial company is reassessing their supply chain, and GlassPoint provides the most cost-effective option to reduce carbon emissions immediately by delivering renewable heat at the scale they need. We look forward to putting this investment to work to help industrial leaders across the Middle East and North America decarbonize materials essential to the energy transition and combat climate change."
GlassPoint's solar steam solution is available for a range of hard-to-abate industries, including mining and metals. The company is accelerating adoption with a steam-as-a-service model that eliminates the need for capital allocation, streamlines customer decision making and reduces business risk.
About GlassPoint
GlassPoint decarbonizes the production of materials essential to the energy transition and makes a substantial impact on combating climate change. The company builds, owns and operates large-scale solar steam facilities to reduce carbon emissions in hard-to-abate industries such as mining and metals, chemicals, construction materials, desalination and more. GlassPoint is the only solution proven at scale to reduce carbon emissions from industrial process heat and has built more than half of the industrial solar steam capacity in the world. Learn more at glasspoint.com.
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SOURCE GlassPoint | https://www.wbrc.com/prnewswire/2023/07/31/glasspoint-closes-8m-series-help-industry-meet-pressing-net-zero-goals/ | 2023-07-31T13:27:00 | 1 | https://www.wbrc.com/prnewswire/2023/07/31/glasspoint-closes-8m-series-help-industry-meet-pressing-net-zero-goals/ |
Yellow is shutting down and headed for bankruptcy, the Teamsters Union says. Here’s what to know
NEW YORK (AP) — Trucking company Yellow Corp. has shut down operations and is headed for a bankruptcy filing, according to the Teamsters Union and multiple media reports.
After years of financial struggles, reports of Yellow preparing for bankruptcy emerged last week — as the Nashville, Tennessee-based trucker saw customers leave in large numbers. Yellow shut down operations on Sunday, according to the Wall Street Journal, following the layoffs of hundreds of nonunion employees on Friday.
In an announcement early Monday, the Teamsters said that the union received legal notice confirming Yellow was ceasing operations and filing for bankruptcy.
“Today’s news is unfortunate but not surprising. Yellow has historically proven that it could not manage itself despite billions of dollars in worker concessions and hundreds of millions in bailout funding from the federal government,” Teamsters general president Sean O’Brien said in a statement. “This is a sad day for workers and the American freight industry.”
The Associated Press reached out to Yellow for comment on Monday. No bankruptcy filings had gone live as of the early morning.
The bankruptcy reports have renewed attention around Yellow’s ongoing negotiations with unionized workers, a $700 million pandemic-era loan from the government and other bills the trucker has racked up over time. Yellow, formerly known as YRC Worldwide Inc., is one of the nation’s largest less-than-truckload carriers. The company’s reported closure puts 30,000 jobs at risk.
Here’s what you need to know.
WHAT WOULD BANKRUPTCY MEAN FOR YELLOW?
According to Satish Jindel, president of transportation and logistics firm SJ Consulting, Yellow handled an average of 49,000 shipments per day in 2022. Last week, he estimated that number was down to between 10,000 and 15,000 daily shipments.
With customers leaving — as well reports of Yellow stopping freight pickups last week — bankruptcy would “be the end of Yellow,” Jindel told The Associated Press, noting increased risk for liquidation.
“The likelihood of them surviving and remaining solvent diminishes really by the day,” added Bruce Chan, a research director at investment banking firm Stifel.
Yellow declined to comment when contacted by The Associated Press on Friday. In a Wednesday statement to The Journal, the company said it was continuing “to prepare for a range of contingencies.” On Thursday, Yellow said it was in talks with multiple parties about selling its third-party logistics organization.
Even if Yellow was able to sell its logistics firm, it would “not generate a sufficient amount of cash to keep them operational on any sort of permanent basis,” Chan said. “Without a major equity injection, it would be very difficult for them to survive.”
HOW MUCH DEBT DOES YELLOW HAVE?
As of late March, Yellow had an outstanding debt of about $1.5 billion. Of that, $729.2 million was owed to the federal government.
In 2020, under the Trump administration, the Treasury Department granted the company a $700 million pandemic-era loan on national security grounds. Last month, a congressional probe concluded that the Treasury and Defense Departments “made missteps” in this decision — and noted that Yellow’s “precarious financial position at the time of the loan, and continued struggles, expose taxpayers to a significant risk of loss.”
The government loan is due in September 2024. As of March, Yellow had made $54.8 million in interest payments and repaid just $230 million of the principal owed, according to government documents.
Yellow’s current finances and prospect of bankruptcy “is probably two decades in the making,” Chan said, pointing to poor management and strategic decisions dating back to the early 2000s. “At this point, after each party has bailed them out so many times, there is a limited appetite to do that anymore.”
In May, Yellow reported a loss of $54.6 million, a decline of $1.06 per share, for its first quarter of 2023. Operating revenue was about $1.16 billion in the period.
A Wednesday investors note from financial service firm Stephens estimated that Yellow could be burning between $9 million and $10 million each day. Using a liquidity disclosure from earlier this month, Yellow had roughly $100 million in cash at the end of June, the note added — estimating that the company has been burning through increasing amounts of money through July.
“It is reasonable to believe that the Company could breach its $35 mil. liquidity requirement at any moment,” Stephens analyst Jack Atkins and associate Grant Smith wrote.
DID THE COMPANY JUST AVERT A STRIKE?
Last week’s reports of bankruptcy preparations arrived just days after a strike from the Teamsters, which represents Yellow’s 22,000 unionized workers, was averted.
A series of heated exchanges have built up between the Teamsters and Yellow, who sued the union in June after alleging it was “unjustifiably blocking” restructuring plans needed for the company’s survival. The Teamsters called the litigation “baseless” — with O’Brien pointing to Yellow’s “decades of gross mismanagement,” which included exhausting the $700 million federal loan.
On July 23, a pension fund agreed to extend health benefits for workers at two Yellow Corp. operating companies, averting a strike — and giving Yellow “30 days to pay its bills,” notably $50 million that Yellow failed to pay the Central States Health and Welfare Fund on July 15, the union said. While the strike didn’t occur, talks of a walkout may have caused some Yellow customers to pull back, Chan said.
“The financial struggles of Yellow are not related to the union and the contracts,” Jindel said, pointing to management’s responsibility around its services and prices. He added the union wages from Yellow are “lower than any competitor.”
WHAT WOULD HAPPEN IF YELLOW WENT UNDER?
As Yellow customers take their shipments to other carriers, like FedEx or ABF Freight, prices will go up.
Yellow’s prices have historically been the cheapest compared to other carriers, Jindel said. “That’s why they obviously were not making money,” he added. “And while there is capacity with the other LTL carriers to handle the diversions from Yellow, it will come at a high price for (current shippers and customers) of Yellow.”
Chan adds that we’re in an interesting time for the LTL marketplace — noting that, if Yellow liquidates, “the freight would find a home” with other carriers, which may not have been true in recent years.
“It may take time, but there’s room for it to be absorbed,” he said.
Copyright 2023 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. | https://www.wibw.com/2023/07/31/yellow-is-shutting-down-headed-bankruptcy-teamsters-union-says-heres-what-know/ | 2023-07-31T13:27:03 | 1 | https://www.wibw.com/2023/07/31/yellow-is-shutting-down-headed-bankruptcy-teamsters-union-says-heres-what-know/ |
SAN JOSE, Calif., July 31, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Broadcom Inc. (NASDAQ: AVGO), a Delaware corporation headquartered in San Jose, CA, and a global technology leader that designs, develops and supplies semiconductor and infrastructure software solutions, today announced it will report its third quarter fiscal year 2023 financial results and business outlook on Thursday, August 31, 2023 after the close of the market. Broadcom's management will host a conference call at 2:00 p.m. Pacific Time on the same day to discuss these results and business outlook.
Date: Thursday, August 31, 2023
Time: 2:00 PM (PT); 5:00 PM (ET)
To Listen via Telephone: Preregistration is required by the conference call operator. Please preregister at https://register.vevent.com/register/BIab1222c9ed364122895c0b8a81ef898b. Upon registering, you will be emailed a link to the dial-in number and unique PIN.
To Listen via Internet: The conference call can be accessed live online in the Investors section of the Broadcom website at https://investors.broadcom.com.
Replay: An audio replay of the conference call can be accessed for one year through the Investors section of Broadcom's website at https://investors.broadcom.com.
About Broadcom Inc.
Broadcom Inc. (NASDAQ: AVGO), a Delaware corporation headquartered in San Jose, CA, is a global technology leader that designs, develops and supplies a broad range of semiconductor and infrastructure software solutions. Broadcom's category-leading product portfolio serves critical markets including data center, networking, enterprise software, broadband, wireless, storage and industrial. Our solutions include data center networking and storage, enterprise, mainframe and cyber security software focused on automation, monitoring and security, smartphone components, telecoms and factory automation. For more information, go to https://investors.broadcom.com.
Contact:
Broadcom Inc.
Ji Yoo
Investor Relations
408-433-8000
investor.relations@broadcom.com
(AVGO-Q)
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SOURCE Broadcom Inc. | https://www.wflx.com/prnewswire/2023/07/31/broadcom-inc-announce-third-quarter-fiscal-year-2023-financial-results-thursday-august-31-2023/ | 2023-07-31T13:27:03 | 0 | https://www.wflx.com/prnewswire/2023/07/31/broadcom-inc-announce-third-quarter-fiscal-year-2023-financial-results-thursday-august-31-2023/ |
Judi Dench says she can’t see on movie sets anymore
By Jack Guy, CNN
(CNN) — Oscar-winning actor Judi Dench says that a degenerative eye condition has left her unable to read scripts or see on set.
Dench, 88, told UK newspaper the Daily Mirror’s Notebook magazine on Sunday that it’s hard to learn lines with her condition.
“I mean I can’t see on a film set anymore,” said Dench.
“And I can’t see to read. So I can’t see much. But you know you just deal with it. Get on. It’s difficult for me if I have any length of a part. I haven’t yet found a way. Because I have so many friends who will teach me the script. But I have a photographic memory.”
Dench, who won a best supporting actress Oscar for her role as Elizabeth I in the 1998 film “Shakespeare in Love,” revealed in 2012 that she had been diagnosed with the eye condition, called age-related macular degeneration (AMD).
Despite these difficulties, Dench said she will try to work “as much as I can.”
CNN has reached out to Dench’s representatives.
Earlier this year, Dench told “The Graham Norton Show” that learning lines had “become impossible.”
“Normally somebody could just teach you the lines, and goodness knows that’s happened before, but now I’ve just found I have a photographic memory,” she said. Her memory is so impressive that she said she’s able to recite the whole of William Shakespeare’s “Twelfth Night.”
The critically acclaimed actress of stage and screen, who has won two Golden Globes and several BAFTAs, also told Notebook that she tries to live each day to the full.
“I have an irrational fear of boredom,” she said. “That’s why I now have this tattoo that says carpe diem [seize the day]. That’s what we should live by.”
Dench got the tattoo in 2016 at the age of 81 as a gift from her daughter.
“That’s my motto: ‘Seize the day.’” Dench told Surrey Life magazine at the time. “Finty (her daughter) gave it to me for my 81st birthday. She’s wonderful with surprises.”
In May 2020, at the age of 85, Dench became the oldest person ever to feature on the cover of British Vogue. Editor-in-chief Edward Enninful hailed her as “one of the nation’s most beloved citizens” in an Instagram post at the time.
The-CNN-Wire
™ & © 2023 Cable News Network, Inc., a Warner Bros. Discovery Company. All rights reserved. | https://kion546.com/news/2023/07/31/judi-dench-says-she-cant-see-on-movie-sets-anymore/ | 2023-07-31T13:27:04 | 1 | https://kion546.com/news/2023/07/31/judi-dench-says-she-cant-see-on-movie-sets-anymore/ |
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — A state-run oil giant in the United Arab Emirates said Monday it has moved up its target for achieving net zero emissions in its operations to 2045, as the country prepares to host U.N. climate talks later this year.
The Abu Dhabi National Oil Company, known as ADNOC, said it is also committed to acheiving zero methane emissions by 2030. Methane is a greenhouse gas that is 80 times more potent than carbon dioxide in the short term.
Earlier this year, ADNOC earmarked $15 billion for an array of green initiatives, including the development of hydrogen power, carbon capture facilities and the planting of mangroves.
The company had previously committed to net zero — the balancing of greenhouse gas emissions to the point that the amount removed from the atmosphere is equal to the amount emitted — by 2050.
The UAE, an OPEC member that produces over 3 million barrels of crude oil a day, will host the global climate talks known as COP28 from Nov. 30 to Dec. 12 in Dubai. It has appointed Sultan al-Jaber, the head of ADNOC, to chair the meeting, a move that drew criticism from some environmentalists.
Al-Jaber has emphasized the need to cut emissions, rather than end fossil fuel use itself. It’s prompted fears that he might seek loopholes for untested carbon-capture technologies and so-called offsets that experts say distract from the need to end the release of greenhouse gases.
Governments agreed eight years ago in Paris to limit global warming to 2 degrees Celsius (3.6 Fahrenheit) — ideally no more than 1.5C (2.7F). With average global temperatures already about 1.2C (2.2F) above pre-industrial levels, experts say the window to meet the more ambitious target is closing fast and even the less stringent goal would be missed if emissions aren’t slashed sharply soon.
The UAE, a global hub for business and tourism, has pledged to be carbon neutral by 2050 — a target that remains difficult to assess and one that authorities haven’t fully explained how they’ll reach. Analysts believe the Emirates is trying to maximize its profits as the world turns to renewables. | https://www.seattletimes.com/nation-world/world/uae-state-oil-firm-moves-up-net-zero-climate-target-to-2045/?utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=Referral&utm_campaign=RSS_world | 2023-07-31T13:27:05 | 0 | https://www.seattletimes.com/nation-world/world/uae-state-oil-firm-moves-up-net-zero-climate-target-to-2045/?utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=Referral&utm_campaign=RSS_world |
Success of the Global Premier Fertility Platform Leading to Additional Growth and Expansion
IRVINE, Calif., July 31, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Global Premier Fertility, a world-class fertility network that builds, leads, and manages fertility clinics and adjacent businesses announced the closing of a syndicated round of capital from existing investors and a new institutional funding partner, for an undisclosed amount.
The funding will provide Global Premier Fertility the ability to continue its key strategic initiatives for current platform growth and expansion, along with the recruitment of Reproductive Endocrinologists needed for immediate opportunities.
"We're very excited about the success of the platform and the opportunity for growth by expanding our core business through our partnerships with fertility centers and major health systems," said Kolin Ozonian, Founder and CEO of Global Premier Fertility. "As the need for high-quality fertility care continues to grow, we're positioned to address the fertility market demands by leveraging our unique partnership model with the best fertility specialists in the country to provide unrivaled, highly-personalized care."
Global Premier Fertility also recently held its first annual Science and Operations Summit in a private setting in Laguna Beach, CA. The scientific team covered the past, present and future of fertility and embryology science, highlighting the exciting advancements arriving to fertility laboratories in the near future. Ferring Pharmaceuticals also held an interactive session of their proprietary fertility patient experience map, providing keen insights to the challenges patients navigate through their fertility journey.
"Our first annual summit was a great success, notably was the robust discussion and collaboration of best practices regarding patient care and experience, not only from our Global Premier Fertility physicians and team members, but also with the physicians who attended from outside of the Global Premier Fertility network," said Rob Doll, President of Global Premier Fertility. "The summit further highlights the differentiating aspects of what separates Global Premier Fertility from other networks in the fertility industry."
For more information about Global Premier Fertility, please visit https://globalpremierfertility.com/.
About Global Premier Fertility:
Global Premier Fertility offers a unique partnership model through an innovative platform that builds, leads and manages fertility centers, providing physicians the resources needed to lead day-to-day operations while working alongside an experienced fertility leadership team to execute the vision of the practice. The Global Premier Fertility family of Partner Centers improves patient outcomes by providing a seamless patient experience through an innovative, comprehensive suite of services, delivering personalized fertility care from the nation's top specialists.
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SOURCE Albatross Capital Partners | https://www.wbrc.com/prnewswire/2023/07/31/global-premier-fertility-closes-syndicated-round-funding-holds-its-first-annual-science-operations-summit/ | 2023-07-31T13:27:06 | 1 | https://www.wbrc.com/prnewswire/2023/07/31/global-premier-fertility-closes-syndicated-round-funding-holds-its-first-annual-science-operations-summit/ |
A woman from New Hampshire who works for a nonprofit organization in Haiti and her young daughter have been reported as kidnapped as the U.S. State Department issued a “do not travel advisory” in the country and ordered nonemergency personnel to leave there amid growing security concerns.
Alix Dorsainvil, a nurse for El Roi Haiti, and her daughter were kidnapped on Thursday, the organization said in a statement Saturday. El Roi, which runs a school and ministry in Port au Prince, said the two were taken from campus. Dorsainvil is the wife of the program’s director, Sandro Dorsainvil.
“Alix is a deeply compassionate and loving person who considers Haiti her home and the Haitian people her friends and family,” El Roi president and co-founder Jason Brown said in the statement. “Alix has worked tirelessly as our school and community nurse to bring relief to those who are suffering as she loves and serves the people of Haiti in the name of Jesus.”
A State Department spokesperson said in a statement Saturday is it “aware of reports of the kidnapping of two U.S. citizens in Haiti,” adding, “We are in regular contact with Haitian authorities and will continue to work with them and our U.S. government interagency partners.”
In its advisory Thursday, the department said that “kidnapping is widespread, and victims regularly include U.S. citizens.”
It said kidnappings often involve ransom negotiations and U.S. citizen victims have been physically harmed.
Earlier this month, the National Human Rights Defense Network issued a report warning about an upsurge in killings and kidnappings and the U.N. Security Council met to discuss Haiti’s worsening situation.
WMUR-TV reported that Dorsainvil is from Middleton, New Hampshire, and went to Regis College in Weston, Massachusetts, which has a program to support nursing education in Haiti.
“It doesn’t surprise me that Alex chose to get involved in this type of service work,” Regis College president Toni Hays told the station. “She was amazing. She was passionate, she was compassionate.” | https://www.wane.com/news/national-world/ap-us-news/ap-us-mother-daughter-reported-kidnapped-in-haiti-people-warned-not-to-travel-there/ | 2023-07-31T13:27:06 | 0 | https://www.wane.com/news/national-world/ap-us-news/ap-us-mother-daughter-reported-kidnapped-in-haiti-people-warned-not-to-travel-there/ |
Tim McGraw speaks out on concertgoers throwing things at shows: ‘It’s terrible’
CNN
By Chloe Melas, CNN
(CNN) — Tim McGraw is gearing up to go on tour and he hopes the experience will not include anyone throwing things at him on stage.
The country music star and “1883” actor spoke to CNN about the concerning trend of concertgoers throwing items such as drinks and cellphones at artists while they are performing on stage.
“I think it’s terrible,” McGraw told CNN. “I mean, you could really injure somebody and you could miss and hit somebody in the audience and injure somebody. What happens if somebody gets hurt? Then it ruins the show for everybody. If somebody can’t continue performing.”
McGraw’s “Standing Room Only Tour” will hit arenas in more than 30 cities beginning next March.
“I’m used to soft goods being thrown at me,” McGraw said with a laugh. “And that’s fine, but don’t throw anything that’s got any heft to it that’s gonna hurt somebody. I just think that it’s just not appropriate to do. Everybody’s there to have fun and there’s just no need in any of that.”
“Hopefully it doesn’t happen, but I’ll try to stay calm if it does,” McGraw added.
The “Just to See You Smile” singer is also debuting his 17th studio album in August.
“I wanted this music on this album to reflect life in general and be life-affirming and positive,” he said. “It all sort of formulated during [the pandemic], what we were going through and then as we were coming out of it and getting our feet back under us. I wanted the music to sort of reflect that, living the good life and being the best person that you can be and knowing we all make mistakes, but you wake up the next day and try to be a better person.”
Tickets for McGraw’s tour go on sale August 4.
The-CNN-Wire
™ & © 2023 Cable News Network, Inc., a Warner Bros. Discovery Company. All rights reserved. | https://kion546.com/news/2023/07/31/tim-mcgraw-speaks-out-on-concertgoers-throwing-things-at-shows-its-terrible-2/ | 2023-07-31T13:27:10 | 0 | https://kion546.com/news/2023/07/31/tim-mcgraw-speaks-out-on-concertgoers-throwing-things-at-shows-its-terrible-2/ |
TORONTO, July 31, 2023 /PRNewswire/ - Spin Master Corp. (TSX: TOY) (www.spinmaster.com), a leading global children's entertainment company, today announced the launch of an all-new Bakugan series, introducing a revamped anime style. Bakugan will premiere on Netflix (US, Canada, Australia, Nordics and Middle East) on September 1, 2023, and will air on Disney XD in the U.S. on September 23, 2023. Alongside the series' fresh aesthetic, characters and storyline, fans will be able to immerse in the brawling action with a new spin on Bakugan toys - engineered for great battling action.
The all new, enhanced animation will be first revealed on Roblox, the global immersive platform where millions of people connect and communicate daily, uniting fans once again in a shared streaming experience first trailblazed by Bakugan within Roblox in 2021. Fans can converge within All-Star Tower Defense, a top experience on the platform developed by metaverse game developers Gamefam, to stream the first two episodes of Bakugan in both English and Japanese, starting Friday, August 4 at 4:00 p.m. PT / 7:00 p.m. PT through until Sunday, August 13 - four weeks ahead of the Netflix premiere.
Relaunched in 2019, a decade after its first reign as a global phenomenon, Bakugan has proven to be an evergreen brand with a strong following. "The Bakugan franchise will elevate to epic new heights as we further enhance the experience across entertainment and power up the gameplay through toys," said Jeremy Tucker, Spin Master's EVP and Global Chief Marketing Officer. "We'll deliver these new and unique experiences, driving collectability, and introducing new ways for Bakugan fans of all ages to battle and connect with the brand."
Reaching the number one property in the battling toys and playsets class in the US and Australia in Q1 2023 (Source: Circana / Retail Tracking Service / US, Australia / Projected USD / Q1'23) fans are loving Bakugan's brawling action. The Bakugan series toy line introduces a whole new way to brawl.
Highlights include:
- Bakugan Special Attack: Spin into battle like never before with the all-new customizable Special Attack Bakugan toys. Combine and stack the Special Attack Bakugan, then brawl into action with all new hyper spin action, ripping the cord to spin the Bakugan on the metal Gate CardTM and watch the Bakugan transform with its iconic pop open transformation. Combine the character with the Special Attack Card for new stats to level up the gameplay. (SRP $9.99; Age 6+)
- Bakugan Battle ArenaTM: Step into the ultimate space for battles with the Battle Arena playset. Featuring multiple launch points, obstacles, storage, and built-in camera stands to film all the action on your mobile device. This new playset is ready for an epic Bakugan Brawl. (SRP $39.99; Age 6+)
The new Bakugan toy collection will also include Power Gear tokens found in pack and redeemable for a digital Bakugan-themed accessory or power-up within Roblox. Eagle eyes can also spot hidden Power Gear codes within content on the official Bakugan YouTube channel.
The new Bakugan toy line is available at all major retailers August 1, 2023.
In the exciting new season of Bakugan, the VESTROIAN galaxy is made up of six planets each home to a different species of Bakugan (Avian, Dragon, Insect, Beast, Aquatic and Dinosaur). Constantly at WAR with one another, the use of experimental weaponry causes the Bakugan to be inadvertently transported to EARTH. Baku-balls rain down from the sky like meteors and crash into cities, forests, and oceans. And when the balls unroll, humans meet the 10 FEET TALL Bakugan for the very first time. Thankfully, humanity welcomes these displaced creatures, embraces their culture, and particularly falls in love with their long-standing tradition of BRAWLING. That is until teenagers start PAIRING with Bakugan and miraculously give them the ability to grow to giant KAIJU size! The world was filled with fear, and it was during this time THE CATASTROPHE happened.
Spin Master Corp. (TSX:TOY) is a leading global children's entertainment company, creating exceptional play experiences through its three creative centres: Toys, Entertainment and Digital Games. With distribution in over 100 countries, Spin Master is best known for award-winning brands PAW Patrol®, Bakugan®, Kinetic Sand®, Air Hogs®, Hatchimals®, Rubik's Cube® and GUND®, and is the global toy licensee for other popular properties. Spin Master Entertainment creates and produces compelling multiplatform content, through its in-house studio and partnerships with outside creators, including the preschool franchise PAW Patrol and numerous other original shows, short-form series and feature films. The Company has an established presence in digital games, anchored by the Toca Boca® and Sago Mini® brands, offering open-ended and creative game and educational play in digital environments. Through Spin Master Ventures, the Company makes minority investments globally in emerging companies and start-ups. With 26 offices in close to 20 countries, Spin Master employs more than 2,000 team members globally. For more information visit spinmaster.com or follow-on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter @spinmaster.
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SOURCE Spin Master | https://www.wflx.com/prnewswire/2023/07/31/calling-all-brawlers-spin-master-presents-an-all-new-generation-bakugan-premiering-netflix-september-1-disney-xd-september-23/ | 2023-07-31T13:27:10 | 1 | https://www.wflx.com/prnewswire/2023/07/31/calling-all-brawlers-spin-master-presents-an-all-new-generation-bakugan-premiering-netflix-september-1-disney-xd-september-23/ |
TULALIP SUPPORT BOAT, Salish Sea — Cheers erupted from canoes Big Brother and Big Sister as Shawn Edge plunged into the 60-degree waters early Sunday morning. He was paying his dues for mistakenly calling one of the canoes a boat.
The Tulalip Tribes’ canoe family were on their way to Muckleshoot lands, the last leg of a more than 100-mile journey through their ancestral highways to the sandy shores of Alki Beach.
A sea of people waited on the shores Sunday afternoon to welcome about a hundred canoes to Muckleshoot. The canoe families traveled from villages spanning Warm Springs, Ore., to Alaska, converging at stops along the shores of the outer coast and Salish Sea to share community, songs, meals and stories. It was the first journey since 2019 — since the pandemic began — and for many, a needed return to the water.
“Once we get on the water, that’s where I feel most joy,” Monie Ordonia, a Tulalip elder, said while taking a break on the tribes’ support boat. “I’m the elder puller, and it feels so good to be with these younger generations, seeing them carry on our culture.”
Running on nothing more than a few hours of sleep and the relaxing cadence of skipper Andrew Gobin’s voice kicking off songs, Tulalip people quickly pulled Big Sister and Big Brother from the shores of Suquamish where they’d spent a day resting.
More than 30 canoe families had signed up to share song, dance and stories in Suquamish’s House of Awakened Culture on the shores of Port Madison Bay on Saturday. About 10 hours in, the thrum of Quinault Nation’s drumbeats and voices carried across the Salish Sea as the sun faded and moonlight illuminated more than 90 canoes lining the grass. Dads danced with their daughters just outside the doors. Kids warmed their hands over a crackling fire pit.
Hundreds of tents filled Suquamish land, near wayfinders for the grave of Chief Seattle, siʔaɬ, a Duwamish and Suquamish leader and the namesake for canoe families’ upcoming destination across the water.
“There’s songs and stories and place names that are associated with the ancient landscape here. It’s important to maintain those and keep those going, for our cultural, spiritual and mental health and also for tribal sovereignty,” said Suquamish Chair Leonard Forsman, who was on the tribe’s docked support boat.
Return to Seattle
Descendants of signatories to the Treaty of Point Elliott were among those who organized the first Paddle to Seattle to Alki Beach in 1989, resurrecting a centuries-old tradition of navigating the region’s waters by canoe. Emmett Oliver, a survivor of a federal Native American boarding school in Tulalip, was credited with its creation.
For decades since, dozens of canoe families from the outer coast and Salish Sea have converged at various villages along the shores each summer.
It was Oliver’s dream to see 100 canoes from nations up and down the region land together on the shores, his daughter Marylin Bard said at a ceremony in Suquamish on Saturday.
On Sunday, that dream was realized, as about a hundred canoes, pulled by hundreds of people, carved through rolling waves on their way to Alki.
“It’s always good to get into that atmosphere of seeing the sun rise as you’re pulling out of the village, seeing the landscape and being near the water,” Forsman said. “Just traveling in that way — it’s hard to describe. It’s the old way of traveling. It brings you back to that center, you and the water together.”
A canoe full of Swinomish youth yelled out to Tulalip’s canoes, jokingly offering a head start as they paused to rest. They soon sped ahead of the other canoes.
People piloting support boats — fishing boats, tribal police boats, leisure craft equipped with snacks, sometimes bathrooms and other necessities for canoe pullers — called out words of encouragement, and often poked fun at those slowing down as their arms grew fatigued.
Skippers, the people at the back of the canoes in charge of monitoring the tides, keeping the canoe family motivated and safe, often started chants or songs to keep the paddles in sync.
“You need to make sure they’re not looking like a caterpillar,” joked Douglas James, who is Quinault and a skipper for the Song Birds Canoe Family.
As the Tulalip canoes pulled up to Alki on Sunday afternoon, Natosha Gobin, a Lushootseed language teacher, introduced the crew to Muckleshoot leaders and asked permission to come ashore in her native language as dozens of canoes had before their arrival.
“We are Sduhubš,” Gobin said. “We traveled here together on gifts from our ancestors.”
As they had for dozens of canoes earlier in the day, the Muckleshoot leaders welcomed them.
For future generations
Many people remember their first canoe journey. For some, it was fighting massive swells for 12 or more hours while trying to get up the coast and into the Strait of Juan de Fuca. For others, it was the closeness they felt with relatives from near and far, and the closeness they felt with their culture and ancestors.
Being back on the water after four years, for many, was a reminder of past journeys, and the need for more to come.
For Muckleshoot Vice Chair Donny Stevenson, that first journey a decade ago to Quinault helped him find himself.
“That was a point in my life where I started to worry about things like legacy, and whether you were making your family and your ancestors proud and how I represented that,” he said at Alki on Sunday. “That connection when you’re on the water is something that is tangible, it’s real. I don’t have to think about whether my ancestors were traveling with me, I felt that in the core of who I am.”
There were generations who were legally barred from sharing their songs, dances and prayers, in an era of federally mandated assimilation. Now, generations are carrying forth these traditions through canoe culture, through the journey. For some, that tradition started this year. Others have been practicing it for decades.
Luschiim Charlie, an 81-year-old Cowichan elder, has been out on the water since he was 3 years old.
He sat outside the Suquamish House of Awakened Culture next to his granddaughter Bella as his daughter Sonya Charlie pulled Bella’s hair into tight, neat braids Saturday morning. Sonya Charlie said she’d learned to braid when she was around Bella’s age, dancing powwow.
Luschiim Charlie pondered how it felt to be joined by his kids and grandkids, some on their first journey, out on the water.
“It brings tears to my eyes, from joy and happiness,” Luschiim Charlie said as Bella wrapped her arms around him. “The things they do reminds me of the things I used to do.” | https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/after-four-years-tribal-canoes-journey-salish-sea-once-more/?utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=Referral&utm_campaign=RSS_seattle-news | 2023-07-31T13:27:12 | 1 | https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/after-four-years-tribal-canoes-journey-salish-sea-once-more/?utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=Referral&utm_campaign=RSS_seattle-news |
Global wellness company introduces revolutionary Derma Fusion Technology to target enhanced weight management
FRISCO, Texas, July 31, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- With many revolutionary wearable nutrition formulas already part of the impressive Le-Vel Brands product lineup, DFT DUO ELITE is the latest addition designed to elevate weight management support.
"To say this is our strongest, most creative formula is an understatement. The intent behind this product is a left/right approach to help it circulate faster, in a more efficient manner and is engineered for healthy weight management." - Le-Vel CEO, Jason Camper
DFT DUO ELITE is the largest, most powerful Derma Fusion Technology (DFT) ever created, made to heighten weight management results. Using the original DFT DUO and ELITE DFT as inspiration, this is a strengthened version formulated with an expanded footprint & higher concentrations of ingredients that support fat burning while retaining lean muscle.
DUO ELITE is the final step of a simple, three-part morning routine. Begin the THRIVE ELITE Experience by taking two ELITE Lifestyle Capsules with water in the morning. 20-40 minutes later, drink the ELITE Lifestyle Mix. Lastly, apply your DFT DUO ELITE to both the right & left side of your body and leave on for 24 hours. Use daily for maximum benefits.
Reviews are flowing in from customers already:
"This thing packs a serious punch. I love that Le-Vel is always evolving with the customer's needs. We asked for more power and they delivered." - Mikey O.
"Wow, the appetite support and extra energy even on Day 2 is AMAZING!" - Tiffany V.
For more information about DFT DUO ELITE, go to: www.le-vel.com/Products/THRIVE/DuoEliteDFT
Meaningful weight loss requires healthy lifestyle choices, diet and exercise, and good nutritional intake.
Founded in 2012 by Jason Camper and Paul Gravette, Le-Vel formulates and sells health and wellness products and skincare. Le-Vel's products include the THRIVE Experience and THRIVE ELITE Experience. Le-Vel has over 10 million Customer and Brand Promoter accounts and currently ships within North America, Southeast Asia, Australia, New Zealand, and the UK.
To learn more about Le-Vel, visit: www.le-vel.com
Le-Vel Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/le_velofficial/
Le-Vel Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/LevelBrands
Media Contact: Liz Reuth liz.reuth@le-vel.com
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SOURCE Le-Vel Brands | https://www.wbrc.com/prnewswire/2023/07/31/go-bigger-le-vel-launches-largest-most-powerful-wearable-nutrition-ever-made/ | 2023-07-31T13:27:13 | 0 | https://www.wbrc.com/prnewswire/2023/07/31/go-bigger-le-vel-launches-largest-most-powerful-wearable-nutrition-ever-made/ |
At 24, Alberto Rodriguez has grandparents younger than Joe Biden. But he’s more interested in the 80-year-old president’s accomplishments than his age.
“People as young as me, we’re all focusing on our day-to-day lives and he has done things to help us through that,” Rodriguez, a cook at Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino in Las Vegas, said of Biden’s support among young voters. Rodriguez pointed specifically to federal COVID-19 relief payments and government spending increases on infrastructure and other social programs.
Voters like him were a key piece of Biden’s winning 2020 coalition, which included majorities of young people as well as college graduates, women, urban and suburban voters and Black Americans. Maintaining their support will be critical in closely contested states such as Nevada, where even small declines could prove consequential to Biden’s reelection bid.
His 2024 campaign plans to emphasize messages that could especially resonate with young people in the coming weeks as the anniversary of the sweeping Inflation Reduction Act approaches in mid-August. That legislation includes provisions that the White House will embrace to argue that Biden has done more than any other president to combat climate change.
Such efforts, however, could collide with Biden’s personal reality — like when he recalled that, while attending a St. Patrick’s Day parade at age 14, he appeared in a photo with President Harry S. Truman.
“Purely by accident — I assume it was an accident — the photographer from the newspaper got a picture of me making eye contact with Harry Truman,” Biden said to chuckles last week at the Truman Civil Rights Symposium in Washington.
In 2020, 61% of voters under age 30 — and 55% of those between 30 and 44 — supported Biden, according to AP VoteCast, a nationwide survey of the electorate.
It’s an age group with which Republicans hope to make inroads. Former President Donald Trump, who is the early front-runner in the GOP presidential primary and is only 3 1/2 years younger than Biden, said Friday, “We are hitting the young person’s market like nobody’s ever seen before.”
Kevin Munoz, a spokesman for Biden’s campaign, referred to Trump’s “Make America Great Again” movement in arguing that “young people are acutely impacted by the issues front and center in this election, driven by the extreme MAGA agenda.” He said that included inaction on climate change, gun violence and student debt.
“We will meet younger Americans where they are and turn their energy into action,” Munoz said in a statement.
That might not defuse questions about age, though, when it comes to Biden or Trump.
“There’s a frustration and exhaustion that they feel with the rematch,” Terrance Woodbury, co-founder & CEO of the Democratic polling firm HIT Strategies, said of young voters.
“That’s more of a problem than either of those two candidates individually, is that a system can just keep reproducing,” Woodbury added. “And I think a lot of people just find that untenable.”
An April poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research found that just 25% of Democrats under 45 said they would definitely support Biden in a general election, compared with 56% of older Democrats. A majority of Democrats across age groups said they would probably support him as the party’s nominee, however.
Biden’s campaign is relying heavily on the Democratic National Committee, which during last year’s midterms, hired campus organizers in Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, Michigan, Arizona and other battleground states and offered weekly youth coordinating meetings to encourage in-class contacts and “dormstorms.” The DNC sees young people as some of the most critical voters it will need to reach in 2024 and promises “significant investments” to mobilize them. Plans are underway to expand on its work last cycle, including trainings it held on how best to turn out voters.
The Republican National Committee is trying to use Biden’s age against him, posting online videos of Biden seeming frail or making verbal gaffes, such as when he declared in June “God save the queen,” nearly nine months after the death of England’s Queen Elizabeth II.
Rodriguez shrugged off online attacks, “People can make all the hit pieces and memes and TikToks all they want.”
A starker contrast might be between the president and rising Democrats such as 46-year-old California Rep. Ro Khanna and Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, 41, one of Biden’s primary rivals in 2020. Neither seriously entertained running for the White House in 2024 and have backed Biden’s reelection.
“The only thing that really matters is your ability to do the job,” Buttigieg, who was 37 when he launched his 2020 presidential bid, said recently on CNN. Khanna told Fox News Channel that age will “obviously” be a 2024 factor, but suggested that Biden’s staff “overprotects” him and “the more he’s out there, the better.”
Other top young Democrats have lined up to back Biden. Florida Democratic Rep. Maxwell Frost, who was elected to Congress last year at 26, is on the Biden campaign’s advisory board, as is Maryland Gov. Wes Moore, 44. New York Rep. Alexandra Ocasio Cortez, 33, recently endorsed Biden.
Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson, a progressive who says strong turnout among young voters helped him win a runoff election this spring, said Biden’s policies transcend his age. Johnson noted that the president’s work “around climate justice speaks not just to this generation, but generations to come.”
“The excitement that I believe that we’re going to have is going to speak to the incredible work and organizing that we are committed to doing as a party,” said Johnson, 47. “And we’re looking forward to working with the president over the course of his next four years.”
Still, Randi Weingarten, president of the American Federation of Teachers, acknowledged that even the president’s supporters understand how demanding the White House can be.
“People worry about Joe Biden. They worry like you would worry about a beloved father or grandfather,” said Weingarten, 65. “What you normally hear from Democrats is this sense of, ‘OK, I just want him to be OK.’ And you’re hearing just the consternation of, ’This is a hard job.’”
Biden said he “took a hard look” at his age while deciding to seek a second term. But he’s also tried to suggest his age and experience are assets rather than liabilities by joking repeatedly about them. That’s a departure from 2020, when Biden called himself a “transition candidate” and pledged to be a “bridge” to younger Democrats.
Santiago Mayer, the founder of Voters of Tomorrow, which has 20-plus chapters nationwide and works to increase political engagement among young voters, argues that Biden is not defying his past promise by running for reelection, but keeping it.
“He just needs more time,” said Mayer, who graduated from California State University at Long Beach in May. “I think the second term is a very important part of that pledge. He’s building a progressive future for young people and he can’t actually pass the baton until that’s done.”
One key policy piece of Biden’s efforts to appeal to young voters, providing student debt relief, was recently struck down by the Supreme Court. The White House has launched a new effort, but it will take longer.
“Of course it’s going to dampen some of that because people are disappointed,” Weingarten said of the ruling’s effect on enthusiasm for Biden. But she said the decision could also motivate young Biden supporters anxious show their support for the president’s alternative plan.
“It is also about the fight,” Weingarten said “not just about the results.”
___
AP polling director Emily Swanson in Washington contributed to this report. | https://www.wane.com/news/politics/ap-politics/ap-joe-biden-americas-oldest-sitting-president-needs-young-voters-to-win-again-will-his-age-matter/ | 2023-07-31T13:27:13 | 0 | https://www.wane.com/news/politics/ap-politics/ap-joe-biden-americas-oldest-sitting-president-needs-young-voters-to-win-again-will-his-age-matter/ |
Connecticut pastor fatally struck by Stamford police car while crossing the street
By Nic Anderson, Julian Cummings, Zoe Sottile and Sara Smart, CNN
(CNN) — State police are investigating after a patrol vehicle in Stamford, Connecticut, fatally struck a pastor as he crossed the street Wednesday.
Stamford police officer Zachary Lockwood, 24, hit the Rev. Tommie Jackson, 69, around 4:12 p.m., Connecticut State Police Lt. Katharine Cummings said during a Friday morning news conference.
Lockwood attempted CPR until medics arrived, Cummings said.
Jackson was taken to a hospital and pronounced dead.
Stamford Mayor Caroline Simmons called Jackson’s death an “unimaginable tragedy” at the press conference and said she will miss his “infectious smile” and sense of humor.
Jackson worked as the assistant director of Stamford’s Urban Redevelopment Commission, which works on redevelopment and renewal projects, according to the city’s website. He also served as a reverend at the Rehoboth Fellowship Church and Faith Tabernacle Church. Jackson’s wife, Dorye, is the vice chair of the Stamford Police Commission.
Stamford Police Chief Timothy Shaw remembered Jackson as “a vital member of the Stamford community.”
“Our city feels the impact of his passing,” he added.
Lockwood’s police vehicle had emergency lights on during the collision, according to Cummings. The officer has been placed on paid administrative leave, which is a “customary protocol for this type of incident,” said Cummings. Lockwood has been with the police department since April 18, 2022, she said.
Connecticut State Police, the Western District Major Crimes Squad, and the Connecticut State Police Collision Analysis and Reconstruction Squad will investigate with the assistance of the Stamford Police Department, according to Cummings.
In a news release posted Thursday on Facebook, Stamford Police Assistant Chief Silas Redd remembered Jackson as “such a beacon of light for so many in the Stamford community.”
He also asked that both the Jackson and Lockwood families be given privacy and be kept in “thoughts and prayers.”
CNN has reached out to the Connecticut State Police Union, Stamford Police Association, Police Association of Connecticut, and the Lockwood family for comments.
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SOUTH WINDSOR, Conn., July 31, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Capewell, a global leader in custom-engineered survivability and aerial delivery solutions, proudly announces it has received the prestigious AS9100 certification for its technical sewing and survivability campus in Meadows of Dan, Virginia. The certification, which is a globally recognized standard for quality management systems (QMS) in the aviation, space, and defense sectors, underscores Capewell's unwavering dedication to exceptional quality and superior solutions for the Armed Forces around the world.
"We are immensely proud to have been ISO 9001 certified, and now AS9100 certified," said Thomas Weidley, Capewell's CEO. "This recognition is a testament to the hard work and dedication of our Virginia technical sewing and survivability team, who consistently strive to deliver excellence in every aspect of our operations. AS9100 not only validates the effectiveness of our quality management systems but also demonstrates our commitment to providing our customers with the safest, most reliable, and highest-quality products."
Built upon the foundations of ISO 9001, a globally recognized standard that sets the requirements for exceptional quality management systems and the most widely used standard in the world, AS9100 is specifically tailored to meet the unique requirements of the civilian and military aviation sector.
AS9100 provides organizations with a strategic approach to address quality enhancement goals by creating a comprehensive system to help organizations design, create, and deliver safe and reliable products while adhering to customer, legal, and regulatory requirements. This certification ensures that manufacturers are consistently producing safe and reliable products.
"By obtaining the AS9100 certification, Capewell demonstrates that the highest standards of quality management are in place for all products manufactured at our facilities," said Cathy Roberts, Quality Assurance and Contract Manager who oversaw the certification application process. "This achievement represents a significant milestone in our pursuit of continuous improvement and reinforces our commitment to meeting and exceeding the expectations of our valued customers."
On average, it takes three to six months for a company to complete the strict and rigorous internal and external audits required to be certified.
Achieving the AS9100 certification now at all our facilities in the U.S., places Capewell among the ranks of the world's leading aerospace companies, showcasing the organization's adherence to the highest industry standards. As an AS9100 certified company, Capewell's presence will be featured in the Online Aerospace Supplier Information System (OASIS), which is maintained by the International Aerospace Quality Group (IAQC). OASIS serves as a vital resource for the industry, enabling customers and suppliers alike to connect efficiently and explore potential partnerships.
About Capewell
Founded in 1881, Capewell is a leading designer, manufacturer and distributor of survivability and aerial delivery products and services for the defense community. With locations in the United States and Europe, Capewell supplies the Department of Defense, Allies, and Partners around the world with the most innovative, most effective custom-engineered solutions capable of withstanding today's dangerous operating environments. The company also offers training and doctrine development as part of its mission to save lives and increase success. Capewell maintains strong relationships with large government prime contractors and is a vital part of the global supply chain.
To learn more, visit www.capewell.com.
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Democratic presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. rose to prominence during the COVID-19 pandemic because of his strident opposition to vaccines. Yet, he insists he’s not anti-vaccine. He has associated with influential people on the far right – including Tucker Carlson, Steve Bannon and Michael Flynn – to raise his profile. Yet, he portrays himself as a true Democrat inheriting the mantle of the Kennedy family.
As he challenges President Joe Biden, the stories he tells on the campaign trail about himself, his life’s work and what he stands for are often the opposite of what his record actually shows.
Though Kennedy’s primary challenge to a sitting president is widely considered a long-shot, he’s been sucking up media attention due to his famous name and the possibility that his run could weaken Biden ahead of what is expected to be a close general election in 2024. He’s drawn praise from Republican presidential candidates like Donald Trump and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis. Meanwhile, Trump supporters, including his longtime ally Roger Stone, have ginned up interest by floating a Trump-Kennedy unity ticket.
Debra Duvall, 62, who lives in Fort Myers, Florida, and said she serves on the Lee County GOP executive committee, described herself as a longtime Trump supporter, but said she’s torn for 2024.
“I’ll take Trump or RFK. Either one,” she said, explaining that she was drawn to both because she believes they can’t be bought.
That kind of support has demonstrated some of the contradictions in Kennedy’s candidacy. He has said he wants to “reclaim” the Democratic Party, while aligning himself with far right figures who have worked to subvert American democracy. He touts his credentials as an environmentalist, yet pushes bitcoin — a cryptocurrency that requires massive amounts of electricity from supercomputers to generate new coins, prompting most environmental advocates to loudly oppose it.
And though he peppers his speeches, podcast appearances and campaign materials with invocations of the Democratic Party legacies of his uncle President John F. Kennedy and his father Robert F. Kennedy, his relatives have distanced themselves from him and even denounced him.
“He’s trading in on Camelot, celebrity, conspiracy theories and conflict for personal gain and fame,” Jack Schlossberg, President Kennedy’s grandson, said of his cousin in an Instagram video earlier this month. “I’ve listened to him. I know him. I have no idea why anyone thinks he should be president. What I do know is, his candidacy is an embarrassment.”
Kennedy’s recent comments that COVID-19 could have been “ethnically targeted” to spare Ashkenazi Jews and Chinese people — which he denies were antisemitic but concedes he should have worded more carefully — also drew a condemnation from his sister, Kerry Kennedy.
The contradictions between what Kennedy says and his track record were nowhere more apparent than when he testified before a congressional committee this month at the invitation of Republican members.
Anti-vaccine activists, some who work for Kennedy’s nonprofit group Children’s Health Defense, sat in the rows behind him, watching as he insisted “I have never been anti-vaxx. I have never told the public to avoid vaccination.”
But that’s not true. Again and again, Kennedy has made his opposition to vaccines clear. Just this month, Kennedy said in a podcast interview that “There’s no vaccine that is safe and effective” and told FOX News that he still believes in the long-ago debunked idea that vaccines can cause autism. In a 2021 podcast he urged people to “resist” CDC guidelines on when kids should get vaccines.
“I see somebody on a hiking trail carrying a little baby and I say to him, better not get them vaccinated,” Kennedy said.
That same year, in a video promoting and anti-vaccine sticker campaign by his nonprofit, Kennedy appeared onscreen next to one sticker that declared “IF YOU’RE NOT AN ANTI-VAXXER YOU AREN’T PAYING ATTENTION.”
A close examination of Kennedy’s campaign finance filings shows that the anti-vaccine movement lies at the heart of his campaign.
Several of his campaign staff and consultants have worked for his anti-vaccine group Children’s Health Defense, including Mary Holland, the group’s president on leave, campaign spokeswoman Stefanie Spear, and Zen Honeycutt, who hosted a show for the group’s TV channel, CHD TV.
Children’s Health Defense currently has a lawsuit pending against a number of news organizations, among them The Associated Press, accusing them of violating antitrust laws by taking action to identify misinformation, including about COVID-19 and COVID-19 vaccines.
The campaign paid KFP Consulting, a Texas-based company run by Del Bigtree, head of the anti-vaccine group ICAN, and a leading voice in the movement, more than $13,000 for communications consulting, the AP found. Bigtree appeared to still be working for the campaign last week, when an AP reporter saw him helping facilitate a Kennedy event in New York.
Kennedy also has received substantial support from activists who have spread misinformation about the coronavirus and vaccines, including Steve Kirsch, an entrepreneur who has falsely claimed COVID-19 vaccines kill more people than they save, chiropractors Patrick Flynn and Kevin Stillwagon, and others.
Ty and Charlene Bollinger, who run an anti-vaccine business and who the AP has previously reported have had a financial relationship with Kennedy, gave more than $6,000. The couple, along with Kennedy’s communication consultant Bigtree, were involved in hosting a rally near the Capitol on Jan. 6, and Ty Bollinger has said he was among the people who crowded at the Capitol doors in an attempt to get inside, though he said he did not enter.
The couple is a part of the Children’s Health Defense lawsuit against AP and other media outlets.
American Values 2024, a super PAC supporting Kennedy, is run by close associates to Kennedy who have propped up anti-vaccine ideas — the former head of the New York chapter of Children’s Health Defense John Gilmore is its CEO and Kennedy’s publisher Tony Lyons is its co-chair.
The Kennedy campaign did not return emails seeking comment about a number of questions, including how he can say he is not anti-vaccine given his record and his support from anti-vaccine activists.
Kennedy’s run is also getting plenty of financial support from the right. A super PAC supporting Kennedy’s presidential run, called Heal the Divide PAC, has deep ties to Republicans, F ederal Election Commission records show.
The committee’s address is listed in the care of RTA Strategy, a campaign consulting firm that has been paid for its work to help elect Republicans including Georgia Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene and the former Georgia Senate candidate Herschel Walker.
The PAC’s treasurer, who works for RTA Strategy, is Jason Boles, a past donor to Trump and many other Republicans who includes “MAGA” and “AmericaFirst” in his bio on the platform X, formerly known as Twitter.
Kennedy denied knowing Boles or the Heal the Divide PAC when it came up at the congressional hearing, saying, “I’ve never heard of Mr. Boles, and I’ve never heard of that super PAC.”
But video available online shows he was a guest speaker at a Heal the Divide event just two days earlier. The video features a “Heal the Divide 2024” logo with clips of him speaking at length about plans to back the U.S. dollar with bitcoin and precious metals.
Kennedy says that as president, he would fight for government honesty and transparency, heal the political divide, reverse economic decline, end war and preserve civil liberties. He has made freedom of speech a major part of his platform, arguing that the government’s communication with social media companies unfairly censors protected speech.
Kennedy’s press office did not respond to several messages asking about his support from the far right.
It also did not respond to questions about whether his stance on bitcoin was at odds with being an environmentalist.
Kennedy lists the environment as one of six top priorities on his campaign website and has spent many years speaking against pollution and climate change as an environmental lawyer. Yet he has made supporting the energy-intensive cryptocurrency bitcoin a key part of his platform.
Bitcoin mining, the process of generating new coins, uses massive amounts of electricity — more than some entire countries use, said Scott Faber of the Environmental Working Group.
That’s because it works by tasking a network of supercomputers with solving complex mathematical puzzles — even as some other cryptocurrencies have adopted far more energy efficient mining methods.
“No one who claims to be an environmentalist could support a digital asset that needlessly consumes more electricity than all Americans use to power the lights in our homes,” Faber said. “In fact, bitcoin produces more climate pollution than any other digital asset.”
Despite the environmental downsides of bitcoin, some Democrats, including elected officials, have advocated for the currency.
Kennedy, for his part, told a crowd at Bitcoin 2023 that environmentalists like himself “will continue to pressure you to improve.” Online, he has promoted the argument that demand for bitcoin will boost investment in new renewable energy projects.
Regardless, his financial disclosure documents show he has already personally invested between $100,001 and $250,000 in bitcoin, and he promised at Bitcoin 2023 that he wouldn’t let the environmental argument hinder the currency’s use.
“As president, I will make sure that your right to hold and use bitcoin is inviolable,” he said.
During the past several years, Kennedy has cultivated his ties to the far right. He has appeared on Infowars, the channel run by Sandy Hook conspiracy theorist Alex Jones. He has granted interviews to Trump ally Steve Bannon and Tucker Carlson. After he headlined a stop on the ReAwaken America Tour, the Christian nationalist road show put together by former Trump national security adviser Michael Flynn, he was photographed backstage with Flynn, Charlene Bollinger and Trump ally Roger Stone.
Those appearances have led to goodwill on the right, and he has found enthusiastic support among a segment of Trump’s base, with some suggesting him as a potential vice presidential pick.
At a July 1 rally in the tiny town of Pickens, South Carolina, Adrian Palashevsky – a small businessman who described himself as more of a “libertarian” than a Republican – posited a unity ticket, with Kennedy as his top pick for Trump’s VP.
“I think they would get along just fine,” he said. “They’re both anti-establishment, and that’s why they’re under so much attack.”
DeSantis, one of Trump’s Republican challengers, has also indulged in praise for the fringe candidate, saying in a recent interview that while he wouldn’t make Kennedy vice president, he would consider appointing him to one of the federal agencies that regulates vaccine safety and protects public health.
“If you’re president, you know, sic him on the FDA if he’d be willing to serve, or sic him on CDC,” DeSantis said.
Not everyone is buying the Kennedy mystique.
At the annual meeting of the National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials in New York earlier this month, Kennedy leaned heavily on his family legacy, mentioning his father’s alliance with labor leader Cesar Chavez and his uncle’s work in Latin American countries.
But in his nearly 20-minute speech, he didn’t lay out any plan or policy proposals of his own, or talk about specific issues facing the Latino community. He spent most of his time telling a story about getting arrested with the Mexican American actor Edward Olmos in 2001, an attempt at relating with the community that disappointed both Republicans and Democrats in the audience.
Mario Ceballos, president of a PAC representing LGBTQ+ Latinos, said Kennedy’s speech — and the candidate’s conspiracy theory beliefs — saddened him.
“When I was living in Mexico, Kennedy was an American president that my whole family respected,” Ceballos said. “And what he is presenting are esoteric, dangerous options that are actually going to hurt the same people that his father and uncle wanted to help.”
___
Associated Press writers Jill Colvin in West Palm Beach, Florida, and Meg Kinnard in Pickens, South Carolina, contributed to this report.
___ The Associated Press receives support from several private foundations to enhance its explanatory coverage of elections and democracy. See more about AP’s democracy initiative here. The AP is solely responsible for all content. | https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/health/rfk-jr-says-hes-not-anti-vaccine-his-record-shows-the-opposite-its-one-of-many-inconsistencies/?utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=Referral&utm_campaign=RSS_seattle-news | 2023-07-31T13:27:18 | 0 | https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/health/rfk-jr-says-hes-not-anti-vaccine-his-record-shows-the-opposite-its-one-of-many-inconsistencies/?utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=Referral&utm_campaign=RSS_seattle-news |
LOS ANGELES, July 31, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Herbalife, a premier health and wellness company and community, today introduced Herbalife V, its latest science-based product line, to better support consumers seeking plant-based options to benefit their overall health.
"Plant-based is no longer limited to vegans but has expanded to the general population looking to incorporate healthier options as part of their daily nutrition," said Humbi Calleja, vice president and general manager of Herbalife, North America. "Today's consumer is savvy, reads labels, and understands healthy ingredients, and with the launch of the Herbalife V, we are meeting their goals whether they eat only plants or mostly plants, want to add more plants to their diet, or are plant curious."
According to studies, plant-based lifestyles are on the rise. In fact, approximately 3% of Americans consider themselves vegan, up from 2% in 2012, while 5% are vegetarian. Additionally, almost half of Americans call themselves flexitarians.
"While following a plant-based lifestyle can be a very healthy way of eating, it may be tough to meet all your goals. For example, vegans seek good options to increase or meet their protein goals, including supplementation," said Dr. Luigi Gratton, vice president of Training at Herbalife. "Plant-based certified products like the shakes in the Herbalife V line can help you hit your macro target while taking out the guesswork of plant-based living."
Herbalife V is backed by science and rigorously tested for quality. All products are certified USDA Organic, non-GMO-verified, Kosher, and Plant-based and Vegan by FoodChain ID. Additionally, they are formulated with no soy or dairy and made with no artificial sweeteners or flavors. The product line offers five plant-based certified products that help simplify plant-based nutrition, including:
- Plant-based Protein Shakes
- Greens Booster
- Immune Support*
- Digestive Support*
Herbalife V is available in the U.S. and Puerto Rico exclusively through Herbalife independent distributors. Click here to learn more about this product.
*These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.
About Herbalife Ltd.
Herbalife (NYSE: HLF) is a premier health and wellness company and community that has been changing people's lives with great nutrition products and a business opportunity for its independent distributors since 1980. The Company offers science-backed products to consumers in more than 90 markets through entrepreneurial distributors who provide one-on-one coaching and a supportive community that inspires customers to embrace a healthier, more active lifestyle to live their best life.
For more information, please visit www.Herbalife.com or follow us on Twitter @HerbalifeUSA and Instagram @HerbalifeUSA.
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SOURCE Herbalife North America | https://www.wbrc.com/prnewswire/2023/07/31/herbalife-introduces-herbalife-v-new-product-line-meet-increased-consumer-demand-plant-based-options/ | 2023-07-31T13:27:20 | 1 | https://www.wbrc.com/prnewswire/2023/07/31/herbalife-introduces-herbalife-v-new-product-line-meet-increased-consumer-demand-plant-based-options/ |
Why we should build cities that are kind to nature
By Nadia Leigh-Hewitson, CNN
(CNN) — With most of the world’s population residing in cities, it’s often challenging to understand how our actions affect remote and wild regions. For Call to Earth Day 2023, we will focus on the vital link between urban areas and wilderness, and shed light on the impact cities have on distant natural spaces.
This year’s Call to Earth Day will take place on Wednesday, November 8, with the theme “Our Shared Home.” From the inner city to the suburbs, the plains, the mountains, the jungle, and beyond, we must protect and nurture our connected ecosystems.
Here, we explore how our cities can be part of the great tapestry of habitats on Earth.
Keeping cities clean
Pollution remains a significant challenge in city centers. Urban areas produce roughly 78% of carbon emissions worldwide and an estimated 60% of plastic waste found in the ocean begins its journey in a city, but innovative solutions to combat pollution can be found across the planet.
One example comes from Varanasi, a city on the Ganges, India’s holiest river. Here, discarded temple flowers clog up the waterways, so a local initiative started collecting the floral waste and transforming it into sustainable products.
By repurposing these blooms, the project reduces river pollution and waste while providing employment opportunities for local people who process the waste flowers to create carbon-free incense and eco-friendly artificial leather.
This effort highlights how cultural practice and environmental consciousness can go hand in hand.
Creating spaces for wildlife
As urbanization continues to accelerate, so does the loss of biodiversity – a predicted 11 to 33 million hectares of natural habitat will be lost by 2100 as a result of urban development. But around the world people are working to carve out safe havens for animals among the high-rises and intersections.
The concrete jungle of Hong Kong is home to yellow-crested cockatoos, which, despite not being native to the area, are thriving thanks to safe nesting spaces created in an effort to conserve the critically endangered species. The feral flock is thought to represent around 10% of the remaining population, showing how cities can be safe spaces for wildlife.
Across the globe, cities are making strides to provide urban habitats for wildlife, such as the introduction of floating ecosystems to city waterways, offering refuge to urban aquatic species.
As cities grow, it becomes crucial to incorporate green spaces to maintain ecological balance and protect biodiversity.
Letting animals move
Through the sprawl of cities, animals increasingly encounter challenges in navigating their once-open territories. Land-crossing migratory routes and even birds’ flight paths are under threat.
A 2021 report on the disruption of wild animal migratory patterns found that a third of the animals studied had changed their normal migration route due to disturbance caused by human activities, such as hunting, agriculture, and logging.
Wildlife bridges, tunnels, and corridors – such as those constructed in Canada’s Banff National Park – enable animals to migrate safely.
These initiatives foster coexistence between humans and wildlife, ensuring animals can roam freely without risking their lives on busy roads.
Nature-friendly buildings
As populations continue to rise, cities will continue to grow and eat into natural landscapes, but we can help combat the damage by making the buildings greener.
Nature-friendly buildings aim to harmonize with the environment rather than imposing on it. Such structures incorporate green roofs, vertical gardens, and energy-efficient designs, reducing their carbon footprint.
From carbon-neutral office buildings to penthouses cloaked in leafy plants, cities around the planet are already adopting climate-friendly constructions. Some cities are even offering incentives to developers who integrate nature-friendly features, encouraging a more sustainable urban landscape.
By blending the urban and natural worlds, these buildings can become a crucial part of the solution to create greener cities for future generations.
Coexisting
Keeping cities clean through imaginative pollution solutions, creating spaces for wildlife, facilitating animal movement, and constructing nature-friendly buildings can mean a healthier and more sustainable coexistence between humans and the natural world.
These positive changes not only benefit local ecosystems and biodiversity but also enhance the health and quality of life for city dwellers.
For Call to Earth Day 2023, we will celebrate the initiatives that pave the way for greener, wildlife-friendly, and more resilient cities in the face of global environmental challenges. Join us for Call to Earth Day, “Our Shared Home,” on November 8th 2023.
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Bouldering equipment for beginners
Bouldering is gaining in popularity throughout the world. It’s an exciting and rewarding way to strengthen your muscles, increase flexibility and improve coordination. It lets you explore new locations and meet new people. Though it may seem intimidating when starting out, one of the best aspects of bouldering is the minimal equipment required. By investing in a few core pieces of climbing gear, you can tackle your next adventure and work your way up a challenging route.
Shop this article: La Sportiva Men’s TarantuLace Climbing Shoe, Black Diamond Circuit Crash Pad and Sukoa Chalk Bag
Bouldering vs. rope climbing: what’s the difference?
There are a few main differences between bouldering and traditional rock climbing. Most importantly, bouldering doesn’t require the use of any ropes since most routes are less than 15 feet in height. If you do happen to fall, you land on either a cushioned gym floor or a crash pad in outdoor situations. Traditional climbing requires the use of ropes, a harness, carabiners and often a partner to help belay while you make your ascent.
Bouldering also often uses different techniques and climbing moves compared to big wall climbs. It can be a great way for beginner climbers to build up their stamina and endurance before attempting longer routes or “boulder problems.”
Bouldering tips to get started
Here are five tips for bouldering.
- Know the scales: Most bouldering routes have a rating that corresponds to their difficulty. The two most common grading scales are V-scale and Font scale. V-scale is the system most commonly used in the United States and grades the difficulty on a scale of V0 to V16. While V0 is usually considered the easiest, you may sometimes encounter a route rated as VB, meaning it is for beginners.
- Start slow: As with most new sports or athletic activities, it’s always a good idea to start off slow and work your way up as you gain strength and experience. While it may seem tempting to tackle a hard boulder problem right out of the gate, overdoing it can lead to an increased risk of injury.
- It’s fine to fall: Always take all safety precautions seriously and always use proper safety gear, such as a crash pad when bouldering outdoors. However, the occasional fall while attempting a climb is only natural. As long as you have the proper safety equipment, each fall can be a learning experience, helping you improve your climbing abilities.
- Practice different moves: Don’t get stuck climbing in one style. Trying out different moves and varying your grip can help improve your skills. This is especially important for beginners starting out in a gym setting before transitioning to outdoor climbs.
- Legs are important: It may seem like bouldering is all about arm strength for beginners, but that isn’t the case. Your legs and core muscles are equally important. Your legs can help tightly grip footholds and push your body upwards without relying solely on arm strength.
Beginner bouldering gear
The three main pieces of gear you need to start bouldering are climbing shoes, a crash pad and a chalk bag to keep your hands dry. Besides the big three, there are several accessories that can improve your bouldering experience.
Best climbing shoes
La Sportiva Men’s TarantuLace Climbing Shoe
These bouldering shoes are perfect for both beginner and intermediate climbers. The high-traction Frixion sole means you can grip the rock face with confidence. The quick-lacing system provides a comfortable fit.
Sold by Amazon
Scarpa Origin Women’s Climbing Shoe
These women’s climbing shoes are a great beginner option. They use a flat last and heel system that reduces pressure and tension so they aren’t painful on your feet after a full day spent bouldering.
Sold by Backcountry
Best crash pads
Black Diamond Circuit Crash Pad
This crash pad is great for transporting to your favorite bouldering spot without being too heavy or bulky. The closed-cell PE foam is ideal for cushioning falls from various heights. It has backpack straps and easy-to-carry handles.
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This protective crash pad features 5 inches of padding and can even serve as a comfortable chair when not in use. You can choose between several fun colors.
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Best chalk bags and chalk
This budget-friendly chalk bag is great for beginners. It features two built-in pockets, letting you store important items while bouldering. The main compartment uses water-resistant materials. It’s spacious enough to accommodate larger hands.
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This simple chalk bag with a drawstring closure makes it easy to access your chalk with one hand. It is also available in several color options.
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This non-toxic chalk prevents any type of moisture from interfering with your climb, keeping your hands dry and your mind focused.
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Best climbing accessories
Using climbing tape can be helpful when getting your fingers and hands used to rough rock surfaces. This tape uses durable cotton and can prevent painful scrapes and scratches while building up callouses.
Sold by Amazon
Metolius Simulator 3D Training Board
An at-home training board can help you practice your grips on days when the weather isn’t cooperating, and you can’t make it to the gym. This Metolius model can be installed above your door frame and features a variety of holds in different sizes.
Sold by Amazon
PETZL Unisex Boreo Climbing Helmet
Not all people who boulder choose to wear a helmet, but they can help prevent a serious head injury in the event of an unexpected fall. This helmet has ventilation holes for breathability and sports a soft, comfortable headband.
Sold by Backcountry
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Copyright 2023 BestReviews, a Nexstar company. All rights reserved. | https://www.wane.com/reviews/br/camping-outdoors-br/gear-br/beginners-guide-to-bouldering-equipment-what-you-need-to-get-started/ | 2023-07-31T13:27:20 | 1 | https://www.wane.com/reviews/br/camping-outdoors-br/gear-br/beginners-guide-to-bouldering-equipment-what-you-need-to-get-started/ |
Unionized workers at the state Department of Children, Youth and Families have launched a no-confidence vote against their boss, DCYF Secretary Ross Hunter, urging Gov. Jay Inslee to fire and replace him.
The long-simmering revolt stems from what workers contend is Hunter’s “ignorance about the work we do and indifference to the issues we raise, all of which have put children and staff at risk,” according to a summary of their grievances posted on the state employee union website.
Hunter, a former Microsoft manager and former state representative from Medina, has led DCYF since the cabinet-level department was created in 2017 to centralize the state’s child-focused programs, including early education, foster care and Child Protective Services.
In interviews, union members who work at DCYF emphasized they started the no-confidence petition only after years of frustration and unsuccessful efforts to get Hunter to address their concerns over caseloads, turnover and unsafe working conditions.
“We have incredibly low staff morale because staff feel like their leadership doesn’t understand what they do,” said Jeanette Obelcz, who chairs the DCYF policy committee for the Washington Federation of State Employees and works as a CPS supervisor at DCYF.
Obelcz said caseworkers at the agency are laboring under heavy caseloads that have gotten “significantly worse” in recent years, reaching double or more the recommended levels.
Cori Butterfield, a union member who works as a social worker at DCYF, said staff are getting burned out and leaving at an alarming rate. “How can we adequately serve our children and families? At this point we are just putting fires out. We are spinning plates, and more plates are getting added and added and something is going to fall,” she said.
“There are so many people in my agency that are phenomenal. It’s really sad when they have had enough and they’ve left,” Butterfield added.
DCYF has one of the highest staff turnover rates among state agencies, with 18% of employees leaving in the 2022 fiscal year, up from 11.5% the previous year, according to the state Office of Financial Management.
Hunter, through a spokesperson, declined an interview request about the no-confidence vote and discontent among department employees.
“We acknowledge the challenge and demands of the work in child welfare and take concerns of staff seriously. Secretary Hunter has been communicating with both the union and individual employees. He will continue to engage employees on the challenges identified,” DCYF spokesperson Jason Wettstein said in an email.
Handling fraught situations including accusations of child abuse and neglect and the placement of foster kids, DCYF has been pummeled by lawsuits, critical news coverage and far-reaching court decisions in recent years.
In May, seven teenagers detained at the department’s Echo Glen Children’s Center in Snoqualmie escaped after allegedly assaulting a staff member and stealing a car.
WFSE criticized DCYF over the incident, saying mismanagement and dangerous understaffing at the youth detention facility led to the breakout. DCYF acknowledged at the time the facility was short about 28 positions.
Five teens similarly escaped after attacking staff members and stealing a state-owned vehicle in January 2022. All the escaped youths in both cases were eventually caught.
The petition is seeking two-thirds of DCYF’s 2,800 union-represented employees to endorse the no-confidence vote, at which point it would be officially delivered to Inslee. The effort, which began in late June, is about halfway to that goal, according to Obelcz.
Inslee spokesperson Mike Faulk said in an email the governor’s office has not been presented with the no-confidence petition, “but in the event we do we will consider it like any other.”
DCYF “does challenging work and Secretary Hunter’s leadership has been integral to their efforts to serve Washingtonians,” Faulk added.
In a detailed timeline, the union has cited incidents dating back to 2018, including staff assaulted by youths, a lack of adequate response to concerns about pay and working conditions, and comments by Hunter viewed as unsupportive or puzzling.
In a September 2022 meeting of the DCYF Oversight Board, for example, Hunter was asked what he was doing to make staff feel supported.
“Probably not enough,” he said, blaming the COVID-19 pandemic for restricting his ability to visit field offices in recent years and saying he looked forward to doing that more now that the pandemic had somewhat faded.
“I am not the world’s touchiest-feeliest human being,” he added.
The no-confidence vote by the DCYF workers was unanimously endorsed on June 23 by the WFSE executive board, which represents 47,000 members across the state. It was also backed by the Washington State Labor Council at its annual convention earlier this month.
Mike Yestramski, president of WFSE, said the state employee union has followed a strict process for such no-confidence votes to ensure they don’t take the step lightly.
He blasted Hunter for refusing to engage adequately in union-management meetings that could have defused the situation, and for blaming DCYF staff and other factors for problems at the agency.
“It is the opposite of, ‘The buck stops here.’ It is, ‘The buck stops with everybody else,'” he said.
“We have other things we’d rather spend our time on. But when you have tried all your other alternatives, you have got to go with what you’ve got,” Yestramski said. “It’s an extreme response to an extreme situation.” | https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/politics/child-welfare-workers-push-inslee-to-fire-department-of-children-youth-and-families-secretary-ross-hunter/?utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=Referral&utm_campaign=RSS_seattle-news | 2023-07-31T13:27:21 | 0 | https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/politics/child-welfare-workers-push-inslee-to-fire-department-of-children-youth-and-families-secretary-ross-hunter/?utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=Referral&utm_campaign=RSS_seattle-news |
LOS ANGELES, July 31, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Causal IQ, a leading programmatic solutions provider, today announced a strategic partnership with Quorum, the leading provider of real-time location data in digital media. The alliance is designed to enhance Causal IQ's travel profiles by complementing the offering with always-on, real-time location data.
This new capability will significantly enhance targeting, optimization, attribution, and analytics for travel marketers. It empowers them to leverage location history and analytics on Causal IQ's already robust 280MM US user profiles, enabling a nuanced and effective engagement strategy based on the past and predicted future locations of their users.
The innovative collaboration introduces an array of built-in features for advertisers. These include closed loop reporting for destinations that provide insights into downstream visitation activity, attraction visitation attribution, hotel stay activity, and more. The integration also equips marketers with a deeper understanding of their converting audience, enabling them to decipher what truly drives visitors to their key destinations and leverage that data for campaign optimization in real time.
Furthermore, Causal IQ's Custom Audience Solutions will now offer refined user profiling in categories such as intent, brand affinities, affluence, and travel preferences. Whether they are luxury seekers, family fun enthusiasts, foodies, or adventurers, this feature ensures that every traveler's unique tastes and aspirations are catered to in each interaction, from browsing to booking.
"The partnership between Causal IQ and Quorum is transformative for the travel space," said Jennifer Laing, VP of Operations at Causal IQ. "We are bringing unprecedented capabilities in audience identification, engagement, and attribution. The integration introduces millions of new actionable attributes to our Multivariate Performance Solution, offering a truly unparalleled resource for travel marketers."
"The partnership between Causal IQ and Quorum is a powerful convergence of cutting-edge technologies," said Ezra Doty, CEO of Quorum, Inc. "With Quorum's unrivaled location data, marketers now have the ability to truly maximize potential in driving advertising performance with Causal IQ. Together, our combined forces propel campaigns to new heights, forging a path where data-driven targeting meets visibility to real world destination visits, allowing travel brands to connect with their audiences like never before. We are thrilled to partner with Causal IQ and bring the best of both worlds together."
Causal IQ is excited to leverage this partnership to continue innovating in the travel industry, offering increasingly personalized and effective solutions for clients and consumers alike.
About Causal IQ
Causal IQ is a leading programmatic solutions provider built on the expertise of the best digital marketers in the industry. We partner with the world's leading brands, agencies and advocacy groups to drive success through dynamic digital advertising campaigns. By leveraging unique data points and optimization methodology, Causal IQ brings a human approach to data science and campaign activation.
To learn more, visit causaliQ.com
About Quorum, Inc.
Quorum is a leading provider of real-time location data, offering robust solutions that empower businesses to understand and interact with their audiences in innovative ways. With a focus on reliability and precision, Quorum is the go-to partner for companies seeking to leverage location data to enhance their marketing efforts.
Contact:
Sayed Hirmand
Sr. Manager, Marketing & Communications
Causal IQ
818.554.0001
shirmand@causaliQ.com
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SOURCE Causal IQ | https://www.wflx.com/prnewswire/2023/07/31/causal-iq-quorum-partner-optimize-consumer-travel-profiles-with-real-time-location-data/ | 2023-07-31T13:27:22 | 1 | https://www.wflx.com/prnewswire/2023/07/31/causal-iq-quorum-partner-optimize-consumer-travel-profiles-with-real-time-location-data/ |
Which product helps prevent thigh chafing best?
Do you find your sense of style forever or athletic endeavors in conflict with the possibility of uncomfortable thigh chafing? You’re not alone. Sometimes a great outfit can be rendered completely unusable because you know your thighs will be left feeling red and raw after a little while. The same goes for people who do a lot of running or swimming. Fortunately, you no longer have to choose between what you want to do or wear and the toll it will take on your skin. There are creams, clothes and even creative accessories designed to soothe skin and prevent thigh chafing so you can live your life comfortably.
Shop this article: Monistat Care Chafing Relief Powder Gel, Body Glide Skin Glide Anti-Friction Cream and Undersummers by CarrieRae Women’s Shortlette
What causes thigh chafing?
The friction produced between the thighs when they rub together causes thigh chafing. It can make the skin red and cause irritation or even pain. Chafing, in general, is often considered an athlete concern, but it can be especially problematic for anyone during seasons when skirts and dresses are popular. Long pants usually lessen friction by providing a barrier of fabric between your thighs, which is why it’s often less of a problem when temperatures drop. Though inconvenient and uncomfortable, you can address thigh chafing and lessen or prevent it in a variety of ways.
What solutions are available?
These days, there are a few preventative measures you can take to avoid thigh chafing. There are rub-in creams or roll-on palms designed to do the trick, but if you’d prefer something wearable, there are shorts and bands that serve the same purpose.
Best rub-in thigh chafing preventatives
Monistat Care Chafing Relief Powder Gel
This is a non-greasy, fragrance-free formula that’s gentle on sensitive skin and combines the best of lotion and powder care. It protects skin, relieves irritation and is reliable for everyday use. It can be used for thigh chafing as well as underarm or breast chafing.
Sold by Amazon
Body Glide Skin Glide Anti-Friction Cream
This hypoallergenic hydrating cream doesn’t leave a greasy residue and creates a smooth barrier that protects sensitive skin. It won’t clog pores and washes off easily in the bath or shower. The cream prevents thigh chafing in both humid and dry climates.
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Though Aquaphor is mostly used for cracked skin, chapped lips and even tattoo care, it also makes for an excellent thigh chafing preventative. It’s incredibly nourishing for sensitive skin and it’s fragrance-free. A little goes a long way, and so a large jar like this one will last a while.
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Chamois Butt’r Original Anti-Chafe Cream
This anti-chafe cream is great for athletes or anyone experiencing uncomfortable thigh chafing. It’s gluten-free, paraben-free and has no artificial fragrances or colors in it. It also rubs into the skin smoothly and evenly.
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Blue Steel Sports Anti-Chafe Cream
This anti-chafing cream is called a “sports” cream but is made for anyone and includes natural tea tree oil. It’s water/sweat resistant, making it great for those planning on swimming or even just walking around on a hot day. It’s not greasy and won’t stain your clothes either.
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Best stick/roll-on thigh chafing preventatives
Vaseline All Over Body Balm Jelly Stick
This anti-friction jelly stick really nourishes dry skin. It can prevent chafing before it happens or soothes skin already sore from it. You can even use it on chapped lips or dry, cracked hands.
KT Tape KT Performance+ Anti-Chafing Stick
Here is a gel stick that is sweat-resistant, water-resistant and made to last up to 24 hours. It’s not sticky and holds up in both humid and dry climates. There are no sulfates, parabens, petroleum or dyes included in this formula.
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Zone Naturals Chub Rub All Natural Anti-Chafing Stick
This anti-chafing stick is made with all-natural ingredients that include coconut oil, Shea butter and aloe. It helps to protect and hydrate skin with the bonus of being paraben-free and fragrance-free.
Sold by Amazon
Squirrel’s Nut Butter All Natural Anti Chafe Salve Stick Applicator
Here is a salve popular with men and women for dry/sensitive skin. It’s in stick applicator form and great at preventing thigh chafing but can also be used for eczema, dry skin, diaper rash, razor burn and tattoo recovery.
Sold by Amazon
This anti-friction stick is designed specifically for thighs but you can use it anywhere to prevent chafing. It is made with aloe, pomegranate seed extract, Vitamin E and other natural ingredients. It’s sulfate, aluminum, paraben and phthalates-free.
Sold by Ulta Beauty
Best wearable thigh chafing preventatives
Hanes Men’s Comfort Flex Fit Total Support Pouch 3-Pack
Available in long leg or regular leg sizes, this package comes with three comfortable and breathable boxer briefs in assorted colors. They are made from a polyester/spandex blend and won’t ride up the thigh even after going through the washing machine.
Sold by Amazon
Wirarpa Women’s Anti Chafing Cotton Underwear
This set of three comes available in several color combinations and provides a comfortable fit for chafe-free thighs. The underwear is made from a cotton/spandex blend and it’s machine washable (though you should hang dry).
Sold by Amazon
Bandelettes Patented Trademarked Original Elastic Anti-Chafing Thigh Bands
Available in several colors and styles, this set of nylon/spandex blend bands is perfect for those who want their thighs protected but don’t want to wear long underwear or shorts beneath their clothes. They look delicate and flirty but are hand-wash only and line dry.
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Undersummers by CarrieRae Women’s Shortlette
This stretchy polyester/spandex shortlette protects thighs without causing extra friction that can be painful to the skin. It doesn’t ride up and comes in three colors (ecru, beige and black).
Sold by Amazon
Chicky Chaps Stretch-Mesh Breathable Thigh Bands
These mesh and lace thigh bands clip onto underwear to not fall and come in seven colors and styles. They aren’t the most durable chafe preventative, but if you’re looking for something sexier that looks like lingerie, these bands fit the bill. They are hand-wash only and line dry.
Sold by Amazon
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BestReviews spends thousands of hours researching, analyzing and testing products to recommend the best picks for most consumers.
Copyright 2023 BestReviews, a Nexstar company. All rights reserved. | https://www.wane.com/reviews/br/health-wellness-br/medical-supplies-equipment-br/15-products-that-help-prevent-thigh-chafing/ | 2023-07-31T13:27:26 | 0 | https://www.wane.com/reviews/br/health-wellness-br/medical-supplies-equipment-br/15-products-that-help-prevent-thigh-chafing/ |
Global leaders pioneer secure use of generative AI in contracting through Icertis ExploreAI Early Adopter Program
BELLEVUE, Wash., July 31, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Icertis has delivered Icertis Contract Intelligence (ICI) Copilots, the first generative AI applications for enterprise contract management. Built on Icertis ExploreAI™ Service, ICI Interactive Insights Copilot and ICI Risk Assessment Copilot enable executives, legal teams, and business users alike to responsibly harness the transformational power of generative AI to turn their commercial agreements into interactive assets that achieve a step-change in contract efficiency and insights. Backed by the security and trust of Microsoft Azure, ICI Copilots leverage Azure OpenAI Service and Icertis proprietary AI models with the rich data from a company's contracts, its enterprise systems, and the Icertis Data Lake to accelerate the pace of business, galvanize profits, and safeguard enterprises from risk.
Icertis customers include 30 percent of the Fortune 100 and global leaders such as Accenture, Best Buy, Humana, Johnson & Johnson, Mercedes-Benz, and Microsoft. Select customers engaged as early adopters of Icertis ExploreAI Service, catalyzing the launch of both ICI Copilots and a development roadmap of unmatched generative AI capabilities designed to address contracting challenges for the world's largest enterprises.
"Contracts are a massive untapped opportunity for the application of large language models because they are universal across industries, geographies, and businesses of all sizes, and imperative to any and all commerce as we know it," said Samir Bodas, Co-founder and CEO of Icertis. "Icertis has delivered the first generative AI Copilots in the market to lead the next era of transformation in enterprise contracting, balancing innovation with the trust and responsibility that comes with recognizing that regardless of industry – contracts are one of the most confidential and valuable assets in an enterprise."
The first two ICI Copilots are:
- ICI Interactive Insights Copilot
ICI Interactive Insights Copilot enables decision-makers to easily engage with contracts and rapidly uncover insights via pre-defined, hierarchical prompts as well as free-form prompts that highlight key provisions and identify related contract information. With role-based summaries created through a unique combination of secure data sources, including the company's contract portfolio, integrated business systems, and the Icertis Data Lake, leaders are equipped to increase the speed and effectiveness of negotiations while instantly gaining answers to critical questions about the business. - ICI Risk Assessment Copilot
Risk Assessment Copilot automates and accelerates high-volume contract reviews by comparing contract attributes with a company's standard playbook and practices, enabling enterprises to more effectively manage risk by ensuring required clauses and approved language are present in every agreement. In addition to providing a risk score, guided prompts allow legal teams to quickly identify and address missing or noncompliant attributes, while also eliminating time-consuming, error-prone processes by earmarking agreements that do not require further review.
"I am delighted for the BCG Legal Team to test Icertis ExploreAI Service and ICI Copilots as part of the Early Adopter program," said Ulrike Schwarz-Runer, Global General Counsel at Boston Consulting Group. "We aim to unlock deep data-driven insights in our contracts through an agile approach. It's exciting to see the early results and we're eagerly looking forward to continuing the journey to unlock value for our clients, firm, and lawyers."
Icertis has a rich history of AI innovation and was the first to embed AI in contract lifecycle management to enable true contract intelligence and unlock the potential of AI in contracting. ICI Interactive Insights and ICI Risk Assessment Copilots signal the next transformative milestone in the company's AI innovation journey as the first generative AI applications to join the Icertis AI portfolio, which also includes Icertis AI Studio, Icertis NegotiateAI, Icertis DiscoverAI, and Icertis VisualizeAI.
About Icertis
With unmatched technology and category-defining innovation, Icertis pushes the boundaries of what's possible with contract lifecycle management (CLM). The AI-powered, analyst-validated Contract Intelligence (ICI) platform turns contracts from static documents into strategic advantage by structuring and connecting the critical contract information that defines how an organization runs. Today, the world's most iconic brands and disruptive innovators trust Icertis to govern the rights and commitments in their ten million+ contracts worth more than $1 trillion in 40+ languages and 90+ countries.
Media Contact
Michelle Rodriguez
Senior Manager, Corporate Communications
corpcomm@icertis.com
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SOURCE Icertis | https://www.wbrc.com/prnewswire/2023/07/31/icertis-brings-generative-ai-enterprise-contracting-with-delivery-first-contract-intelligence-copilots/ | 2023-07-31T13:27:26 | 1 | https://www.wbrc.com/prnewswire/2023/07/31/icertis-brings-generative-ai-enterprise-contracting-with-delivery-first-contract-intelligence-copilots/ |
Mar-a-Lago property manager scheduled to appear in court in classified documents case
By Hannah Rabinowitz, CNN
(CNN) — Carlos De Oliveira, the Mar-a-Lago property manager and newest co-defendant in the special counsel’s criminal case charging former President Donald Trump and his staff with mishandling classified information, is scheduled to make his initial appearance in a Miami courtroom on Monday.
De Oliveira was indicted by a grand jury Thursday on four charges, including conspiracy to obstruct justice and making false statements to the FBI.
De Oliveira has not yet entered a formal plea. Trump and his aide Walt Nauta, the third co-defendant in the case, have already pleaded not guilty after initially being indicted in June.
As of Monday morning, De Oliveira did not have a lawyer listed who is able to practice in Florida, where the case will be tried. Nauta faced a similar problem when he was first charged, and though he was able to proceed with his initial appearance alongside Trump in June, Nauta was forced to delay his arraignment until he had a Florida lawyer.
If Monday’s hearing proceeds, De Oliveira will likely be informed of his rights as a criminal defendant and the magistrate judge will set a date for him to be formally arraigned. The judge will also likely ask De Oliveira whether he has a lawyer able to practice in Florida, where the case will be tried.
De Oliveira will also be booked, a process which includes taking a picture of the little-known Mar-a-Lago employee.
Prosecutors in June accused the former president of mishandling several classified documents he had taken with him from the White House, furthering alleging that Trump schemed with Nauta, a Navy veteran and Trump’s close aide, to hide the documents from investigators.
The special counsel’s office added to those allegations on Thursday, saying that the three men together tried to delete security footage the Justice Department sought as part of its investigation.
After the security footage was subpoenaed by investigators, De Oliveira allegedly told the director of IT at Mar-a-Lago that “the boss” wanted the server the footage was kept on deleted, according to the indictment.
Prosecutors also accused De Oliveira of lying to FBI agents during a voluntary interview in January about whether he helped Nauta move boxes of classified documents around Mar-a-Lago.
De Oliveira has worked at Mar-a-Lago for more than 20 years, CNN has reported. He became property manager of the club in January 2022, according to the indictment, and previously served as a valet and maintenance worker.
Several people close to Trump, as well as people who know De Oliveira personally, told CNN that De Oliveira is not in Trump’s inner circle. Eight current and former Trump aides and allies who frequently visited Mar-a-Lago described De Oliveira as a maintenance worker who did odd jobs around the club and who did not frequently interact with club members or Trump’s team.
The-CNN-Wire
™ & © 2023 Cable News Network, Inc., a Warner Bros. Discovery Company. All rights reserved. | https://kion546.com/politics/cnn-us-politics/2023/07/31/mar-a-lago-property-manager-scheduled-to-appear-in-court-in-classified-documents-case/ | 2023-07-31T13:27:27 | 1 | https://kion546.com/politics/cnn-us-politics/2023/07/31/mar-a-lago-property-manager-scheduled-to-appear-in-court-in-classified-documents-case/ |
Only 1 in 3 of you are likely to vote in Tuesday’s election.
Voter turnout, both locally and statewide, ahead of the Tuesday primary elections is on track with previous odd-year primaries, which have much lower participation than congressional and presidential years.
In King County, about 14.2% of registered voters had cast ballots as of Friday. The bulk of ballots, in almost all local elections, arrive in the few days leading up to Election Day and on Election Day itself. In Seattle, turnout was a smidge higher at 14.4% as of Friday.
“We are trending right where we would expect to be for this election,” said Halei Watkins, a spokesperson for King County Elections. Watkins said they’re projecting 35% turnout, a number that was hit almost exactly in both the 2021 and 2019 primaries.
Statewide, about 13.5% of voters had returned their ballots as of Friday, a pace just slightly ahead of 2019, when statewide turnout in the primary was about 30%.
Locally, the big-ticket items on the ballot are the seven Seattle City Council district races, each representing one corner of the city. Each race has drawn at least three candidates, making for a competitive primary race in every district. Campaigns have been dominated by issues of housing, affordability and public safety.
The incumbents in four of the seven districts are not seeking reelection, opening up the possibility of a total overhaul of the council.
Forty-five candidates are seeking the seven seats. Incumbent Councilmembers Tammy Morales, Dan Strauss and Andrew Lewis, each in their first term, all face serious challengers.
In southeast Seattle’s District 2, Morales and community activist Tanya Woo have both maxed out on fundraising and are the favorites to move on to the general election in November.
In northwest Seattle’s District 6, Strauss’ leading opponent, based on fundraising numbers, is Pete Hanning, director of the Fremont Chamber of Commerce.
And in District 7, composed of downtown and Queen Anne, Lewis leads in fundraising, trailed by former Navy officer Bob Kettle and small-business owner Olga Sagan.
In District 4, covering the University District, the leading candidates, based on fundraising, to replace Councilmember Alex Pedersen include Ron Davis, a business consultant; Ken Wilson, an engineer; and Maritza Rivera, deputy director of Seattle’s Office of Arts & Culture.
West Seattle’s District 1, North Seattle’s District 5 and Capitol Hill’s District 3 are veritable free-for-alls, all drawing at least eight candidates.
It’s a different story at the county level. Four seats on the Metropolitan King County Council are up for grabs this year, but only two appear on the primary ballot. Councilmembers Claudia Balducci and Girmay Zahilay drew no challengers, so are not on the primary ballot and will run unopposed in November.
Two races are on the ballot, one of them competitive.
Jorge Barón, a lawyer and immigration advocate; Sarah Reyneveld, an assistant attorney general; and Becka Johnson Poppe, a county budget and policy manager, all are seeking an open seat to represent much of northwest Seattle.
In West Seattle, Burien and Vashon Island, Seattle City Councilmember Teresa Mosqueda faces Burien Mayor and City Councilmember Sofia Aragon. A primary was necessitated by the presence of perennial candidate Goodspaceguy.
This is the second-to-last year that county elections will be held in low turnout, odd-numbered years. Beginning in 2026, the county will transition to even-year elections for County Council, executive, assessor and elections director, after voters approved the change last fall.
King County voters are also being asked to renew the Veterans, Seniors and Human Services Levy, a six-year, $564 million property tax levy (10 cents per $1,000 of assessed value) that funds job training, housing, senior centers and food assistance, among other programs.
In King County, the cities of Auburn, Bothell, Burien, Clyde Hill, Issaquah, Kenmore, Kent, Kirkland, Lake Forest Park, Newcastle, Pacific, Redmond, Renton, SeaTac and Snoqualmie have council or mayoral elections on the primary ballot.
The Seattle School Board also has three races on the primary ballot, including two with no incumbent running. | https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/politics/turnout-meager-but-on-track-for-seattle-king-county-elections/?utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=Referral&utm_campaign=RSS_seattle-news | 2023-07-31T13:27:28 | 1 | https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/politics/turnout-meager-but-on-track-for-seattle-king-county-elections/?utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=Referral&utm_campaign=RSS_seattle-news |
20 elite teams battled to be crowned Riyadh Masters 2023 champion, and Team Spirit claimed a share of the $15,000,000 prize pool
RIYADH, Saudi Arabia, July 31, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The Dota 2 Riyadh Masters 2023 competition wrapped up yesterday after 12 days of thrilling matches featuring 20 elite teams vying for victory and taking home a share of the $15,000,000 prize pool. As one of the premier tournaments in the Dota 2 calendar, Riyadh Masters 2023 ran the globe's greatest teams through a round-robin group stage and then double-elimination playoffs in the popular multiplayer online battle arena (MOBA).
Among the teams competing for the top prize was Dota 2 powerhouse Team OG, the first team in Dota 2 history to win four Dota Major Championships. Team Tundra Esports, reigning champions of Dota's iconic "The International" tournament, also headed into the 2023 Masters amongst the favorites. Of course, there could only be one winner, and this achievement went to Team Spirit, who triumphed in the final, beating Team Liquid in an encounter for the ages.
The $15,000,000 prize pool is the largest available of any Dota 2 competition this season, and the action did not disappoint, with the stakes being so high. Over 120,000 fans tuned in to the official broadcast on Twitch to witness the epic showdown. Team Spirit reached the Grand Final for the second year in a row, knocking out the season's most dominant performer, Team Gaimin Gladiators, along the way and beating Team Liquid 2-1 in the upper-bracket final as the team looked to banish last years demons and finish in first place rather than second. Team Liquid earned a shot at their redemption by crushing Team Talon 2-0 in the lower bracket final. But the result of this eagerly anticipated rematch in the five-game Grand Final went to Team Spirit, an unassailable 3-1. As champions, Team Spirit left Gamers8 and Boulevard Riyadh City $5,000,000 richer, the runners-up collecting $2,500,000 from the overall prize pool.
Faisal bin Homran, Chief Esports Officer at the Saudi Esports Federation, said: "The Dota 2 Riyadh Masters tournament at Gamers8: The Land of Heroes has captured the imagination of the thousands in attendance at Boulevard Riyadh City's Esports Arena and the tens of millions watching avidly across the globe. Since July 19th, the global gaming and esports scene has been captivated by the exploits of the best Dota 2 teams and players in the world. Competing for a $15 million prize pool – the biggest third-party prize pool for a tournament ever – the action has been even more dramatic than anticipated and epitomizes the level of standard for which Gamers8 has become renowned. We congratulate Team Spirit on their success and thank all the teams, players, fans, sponsors, and partners at the Dota 2 Riyadh Masters for being part of a special moment in Saudi Arabian gaming history."
Although the Riyadh Masters may have finished, there's plenty more action on offer as part of Gamers8: The Land of Heroes in its 2023 edition. Esports athletes from around the world are competing in a 12-tournament lineup with a prize pool of $45 million to the soundtrack of musical superstars like Imagine Dragons, Alan Walker, and Metro Boomin', who are putting on a show for the crowds at Gamers8. The festival, the world's largest for gaming and esports, has been full of action since it kicked off in July, with seismic impacts such as Pakistan winning the Nations Cup in Tekken against a well-favored Korean team. Among the other titles taking center stage at Gamers8's home in Boulevard Riyadh City are Rocket League, PUBG Mobile, FIFA, and Counterstrike.
Fans can enjoy further exciting events as the festival continues through August 27th, following which the Gamers8 festival will conclude with a gaming and esports forum. Known as the 'Next World Forum,' it brings together sector leaders and experts from around the world to Saudi Arabia. Gamers8 is playing a key role in developing the grassroots esports scene in Saudi Arabia and providing opportunities for esports athletes around the world. Over 67% of Saudi citizens are gamers, and multiple world champions have come from the Kingdom already to win on the world's largest stages.
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Contact: jack@biggamesmachine.com
About Gamers8 – The Land Of Heroes:
Gamers8 is the world's largest gaming and esports festival and the destination for elite esports champions and gaming universe lovers. It's the ultimate place to compete for glory and become a hero walking among the worlds of your chosen story. Located in Riyadh at the heart of Saudi Arabia, Gamers8 spans a period of eight weeks from July to September 2023, with new challenges and experiences unlocked every week. You can watch the world's top esports teams compete for the highest prize pools, attend performances by global music artists, experience your favorite gaming platforms come to life, and learn the mysteries behind the creation of video games. Gamers8 is your world, and it's your adventure to choose.
Gamers8: The Land of Heroes follows the success of last year's Gamers8 at Boulevard Riyadh City. Gamers8 2022 saw the world's best teams and players battle it out across five top titles – Rocket League, Dota 2 Riyadh Masters, Fortnite, Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six Siege, and PUBG Mobile – for a prize pool of $15 million. The 2022 festival was visited by more than 1.4 million visitors and watched by more than 132 million people around the globe. A total of 391 professional players – representing more than 61 nationalities – and 113 international teams took part in world-class esports competitions. Gamers8: The Land of Heroes has a total prize pool of over $45 million – triple last year's grand prize total – and will host the elite of esports in a state-of-the-art, purpose-built venue at Boulevard Riyadh City. The festival will conclude with a gaming and esports forum, known as the 'Next World Forum', that brings together sector leaders and experts from around the world.
About SEF:
The Saudi Esports Federation is the regulating body in charge of nurturing elite gaming athletes and developing the gaming community and industry in Saudi Arabia.
The Federation's activities are categorized into two complementary streams. The first stream works to develop all levels of competitive gamers, starting with the grassroots community level and moving up to professional esports athletes that can achieve global excellence. The second stream works to develop the entire gaming/esports value chain by catalyzing the industry and enabling talent.
Since its establishment in late 2017, the federation has organized multiple world-class national and international tournaments and events, attracted investment from local private sector actors, and worked with international developers on opportunities in the Saudi market.
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SOURCE Saudi Esports Federation | https://www.wflx.com/prnewswire/2023/07/31/champions-crowned-riyadh-masters-2023-wraps-up-dota-2-action-gamers8/ | 2023-07-31T13:27:29 | 1 | https://www.wflx.com/prnewswire/2023/07/31/champions-crowned-riyadh-masters-2023-wraps-up-dota-2-action-gamers8/ |
Smart thermostats
Smart thermostats save you time, money and energy by creating heating and cooling schedules and monitoring your usage. You can even make adjustments from your phone. But these aren’t the only features of smart thermostats.
Shop this article: Honeywell Home Wi-Fi Thermostat, Ecobee SmartSensor Two-Pack and Nest Thermostat Wall Plate
How does a smart thermostat work?
Smart thermostats use Wi-Fi connectivity to connect to your smart home network. They can also connect to your smartphone, laptop, tablet or smartwatch. This lets you use those devices to monitor, make adjustments to and set schedules for the temperature in your home. This is usually through a smart thermostat’s companion app. They can also adjust temperatures with algorithms that track your routines, lifestyle and the weather.
For example, a smart thermostat can learn that you come home at 5 p.m. every day. It can then adjust your heating, ventilation and air conditioning system to ensure your home is at a comfortable temperature when you arrive. Some smart thermostats can also turn off your heat or AC when you depart each day.
How can a smart thermostat save me money?
Some manufacturers claim their smart thermostats can save you up to 25% on utility bills. This is partly accomplished by improving your heating, ventilation and AC system’s performance and reducing energy consumption. Another way is by letting you monitor and make adjustments to temperature settings remotely. If you forget to turn off your heat before leaving, for example, you could use your smart thermostat’s companion app to turn it off without returning. Being able to set schedules and take advantage of algorithmic learning also helps.
Many smart thermostats, such as the Nest Learning Thermostat or Honeywell Home Wi-Fi Thermostat, also generate reports on energy usage and heating and cooling patterns. By reviewing your usage data you can make informed decisions about how you consume energy.
What do I need to consider when choosing a smart thermostat?
Existing heating, ventilation and AC system
The smart thermostat you buy must be compatible with your home’s existing heating, ventilation and AC system. Many popular smart thermostat models include compatibility checkers on their websites. Smart thermostats also often require a C-wire, enabling the continuous flow of power to the thermostat. This is necessary for features like Wi-Fi connectivity and touch screens. Some thermostat ports aren’t equipped with C-wires because many older thermostats don’t need them.
If you don’t have a C-wire, you can hire an electrician to install one. You can also choose a smart thermostat designed to work without a C-wire, such as the Emerson Sensi. Alternatively, you can buy a C-wire adapter to install near your heating, ventilation and AC system’s control board.
Compatibility with your existing smart home system
If you already have smart home devices, select a smart thermostat that is compatible with your system. If you use Apple HomeKit, for example, select a model you can control from the platform such as the Carrier Cor or the Hive. For an IFTTT smart home system, consider the Google Nest Learning Thermostat.
What you need to buy to go with your smart thermostat
These sensors work with the Ecobee Smart Thermostat to detect motion to adjust the temperature in rooms that are in use.
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Match your Nest Thermostat to the other design elements of your living space. Wall plates come in a variety of colors including white, silver, black and bronze.
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Copyright 2023 BestReviews, a Nexstar company. All rights reserved. | https://www.wane.com/reviews/br/home-br/heating-cooling-air-quality-br/how-do-smart-thermostats-work/ | 2023-07-31T13:27:32 | 0 | https://www.wane.com/reviews/br/home-br/heating-cooling-air-quality-br/how-do-smart-thermostats-work/ |
Australia emphatically beats Canada to reach Women’s World Cup last 16, eliminating reigning Olympic champion
By Matias Grez, CNN
(CNN) — Australia is through to the round of 16 of the Women’s World Cup thanks to an emphatic 4-0 win over Canada, eliminating the reigning Olympic champion in the process.
Nigeria’s goalless draw with the Republic of Ireland in Group B’s other match ensured the Super Falcons progressed in second place, a point ahead of Canada, to reach the last 16 for the second World Cup in a row.
Hayley Raso’s first-half brace, a second-half goal for Mary Fowler and a Steph Catley penalty secured an eye-catching victory for the co-host and thrilled a raucous crowd of 27,706 inside the Melbourne Rectangular Stadium.
For Canada, this early exit caps off a brutally disappointing tournament in which the team never once looked close to its best and the manner of this meek defeat will likely leave a bitter taste for quite some time.
No Kerr, no problem
Australia knew only a win would guarantee it a place in the last 16 and the pressure was certainly on to avoid the same fate as co-host New Zealand, which failed to make it beyond the group stages.
The Matildas also had to find a way to win again without injured star Sam Kerr in the starting lineup. One of the world’s best players and the face of Australia’s home World Cup, Kerr suffered a calf injury in the final training session before the tournament started.
The Chelsea forward missed the opening two games but declared herself fit and available in the days leading up to this match. She didn’t feature from the substitutes’ bench, arguably because the Matildas had no need to risk their star player when they were performing so well.
Any concerns the team would struggle again without Kerr – as it had against Nigeria and the Republic of Ireland – were alleviated early on.
The stadium erupted after only nine minutes when Raso buried the ball into the bottom corner. After a VAR review, French referee Stephanie Frappart signaled there was no offside and the goal stood, leading to a second cathartic eruption of noise from the stands as Raso sank to her knees in celebration.
Australia’s evening looked to have improved even further after Mary Fowler slammed the ball into the roof of the net 10 minutes before half time, but this time VAR was on Canada’s side as another review found there was an offside in the build up.
However, the Matildas weren’t made to wait long for a second goal. Raso again got on the score sheet, prodding the ball home from a corner kick.
While Australia and its fans were in dreamland after a perfect first half, Canada looked shell-shocked.
Among the pre-tournament favorites, Canada had failed to impress so far at the tournament and against Australia looked completely out of its depth in a one-sided first half.
In need of a dramatic turnaround in both score and performance in the second half, Canada head coach Bev Priestman opted to make four changes at half time, including replacing captain and talisman Christine Sinclair.
The changes made very little impact, if any, and the match was over as a contest just before the hour mark after Fowler turned home Caitlin Foord’s cross from close range.
Catley’s late penalty, awarded after Katrina Gorry was fouled by Jessie Fleming on the very edge of the box, added further gloss to an already glittering scoreline as Australia firmly declared itself among the favorites with a dominant performance.
Backed by a vociferous crowd wherever the team goes, Australia will be a daunting proposition for any team at this World Cup.
The-CNN-Wire
™ & © 2023 Cable News Network, Inc., a Warner Bros. Discovery Company. All rights reserved. | https://kion546.com/sports/cnn-sports/2023/07/31/australia-emphatically-beats-canada-to-reach-womens-world-cup-last-16-eliminating-reigning-olympic-champion/ | 2023-07-31T13:27:33 | 0 | https://kion546.com/sports/cnn-sports/2023/07/31/australia-emphatically-beats-canada-to-reach-womens-world-cup-last-16-eliminating-reigning-olympic-champion/ |
Leading Fertility Clinic Network Extends Offering of TMRW's Automated Platform for the Safe Management & Storage of Frozen Eggs & Embryos to More Clinics Across the United States
NEW YORK, July 31, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Ivy Fertility, a globally-recognized innovator in advanced reproductive technology, in-vitro fertilization (IVF), and third-party reproduction, announced today that it will expand its partnership with TMRW Life Sciences, a fertility technology company. TMRW is automating the IVF lab with the world's first and only automated platform for the safe management and storage of frozen eggs and embryos – a process that since the dawn of the industry has been run completely manually. TMRW's technology is currently available at two Ivy Network clinics. With this expanded partnership, TMRW's on-site and off-site specimen management platform will be available for full adoption at all of Ivy Fertility's 13 clinics across the United States.
Ivy Fertility's San Diego Fertility Center was one of the first clinics in the United States to adopt TMRW's platform and Utah Fertility Center went live this month. TMRW's platform reduces potential points of failure by 94% compared with manual systems, providing new levels of safety, efficiency and transparency for Ivy Fertility's clinics. The partnership demonstrates Ivy Fertility's continued commitment to delivering personalized fertility services using advanced technology by making state-of-the-art solutions available to all of their clinics.
"Providing enhanced security and peace of mind to our patients is one of our core values," said Lisa Van Dolah, Ivy Fertility's CEO. "With our TMRW partnership, we're able to offer patients and our practice even greater security and that is paramount as we continue to grow."
The network's clinicians will now have the opportunity to modernize their specimen management and storage practices with TMRW's digital tools onsite and, in addition, by transferring patient specimens offsite to and from TMRW Cryobanks. The technology upgrade provides clinics with new levels of safety, standardization and scalability, and it helps reduce the risk of specimen mix-up, error, and loss.
"After years of working together with San Diego Fertility Center, and more recently with Utah Fertility Center, we're thrilled to expand our partnership to support the potential for full adoption of both on-site and off-site specimen management across the Ivy Fertility network," said Louis Villalba, CEO of TMRW.
TMRW is now the storage platform used by clinics that see nearly 20% of all patients in the United States. The future of fertility is automated and, together with its clinic partners, TMRW is rapidly becoming the standard of care.
About Ivy Fertility
Ivy Fertility is globally recognized as pioneers and innovators in the field of advanced reproductive technologies, in vitro fertilization, third-party reproduction, andrology, and fertility research. The Ivy Fertility network includes Virginia Fertility & IVF, Fertility Associates of Memphis, Fertility Centers of Orange County, IVF Fertility Center, Los Angeles Reproductive Center, Nevada Center for Reproductive Medicine, Nevada Fertility Center, Pacific Northwest Fertility, Reproductive Partners Medical Group, San Diego Fertility Center, and Utah Fertility Center. By developing new procedures, achieving scientific breakthroughs, and teaching the latest techniques, Ivy Fertility upholds its commitment to successful outcomes. It continually contributes to the development of the entire fertility community. The Ivy team is passionate about its family-building mission and works tirelessly each day to help patients become parents.
For more information, visit ivyfertility.com.
TMRW Life Sciences
Founded in 2018, TMRW Life Sciences, Inc., is a fertility technology company that automates the management and storage of frozen eggs and embryos. For the first time, frozen specimens can be digitally identified and tracked, safely managed with automated robotics, and remotely monitored around the clock. TMRW's next-generation technology platforms set a new standard of care, reducing potential points of failure by 94% compared to manual systems. TMRW delivers peace of mind by helping reduce the risk of specimen mix-up, damage, or loss. Named Fast Company's #1 Most Innovative Biotech company in 2022, TMRW has been adopted by leading clinics across the United States and will soon be available in the UK and Europe.
For more information, visit tmrwlifesciences.com.
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SOURCE TMRW Life Sciences | https://www.wbrc.com/prnewswire/2023/07/31/ivy-fertility-network-expands-partnership-with-tmrw-life-sciences-demand-grows-fertility-clinic-lab-automation/ | 2023-07-31T13:27:32 | 1 | https://www.wbrc.com/prnewswire/2023/07/31/ivy-fertility-network-expands-partnership-with-tmrw-life-sciences-demand-grows-fertility-clinic-lab-automation/ |
I was never a Barbie girl, but I definitely understand what it means to live in a Barbie world.
Growing up in the ’80s in a feminist household, I didn’t have a Barbie, but I knew what they were and what they represented. My friends had Barbies and I would play with their dolls and their Barbie-pink Dreamhouses. The impossibly proportioned 11.5” plastic embodiment of unattainable female beauty standards loomed over my childhood, along with the thin, white actors and supermodels of the era.
Barbie serving as an aspirational ideal for girls was in sharp contrast to our household, where my sister and I wore our boy cousins’ hand-me-down jeans and shirts, and were encouraged to use tools, dig for geoducks, play in the dirt and build things.
But dominant society was ever present. Diet culture reigned in the media and unlike today, there was no social media and no countermovement of body positivity, racial and size inclusive casting or queer visibility to disrupt the mainstream narrative.
So it was against that backdrop that when I heard there was going to be a live-action Barbie movie, I shrugged. But as the buzz started to grow and I learned Greta Gerwig was directing, I became more curious. How could a staunchly feminist director like Gerwig tackle the contradictions of a doll that represents so much of retrograde sexism?
After watching the film last week, I realized she did it by addressing it head on.
Much to the loud — and in one case literally flaming — meltdowns of conservative male critics, the “Barbie” movie directly addresses criticism of the toy and creates a bluntly feminist alternate universe where the Supreme Court is all women and the president is played by Issa Rae. Trans women and cisgender women of all backgrounds, shapes and sizes (though only under age 30 it seems) are bosses of everything. Sexism is nonexistent, sexual violence unheard of and the men, the Kens, are an afterthought at best.
It’s only after (spoiler alert!) Stereotypical Barbie and Ken visit the real world that Ken is exposed to the delights of patriarchy and comes back to Barbieland with an armful of Ken’s Rights books and a new belief in his own natural superiority.
Yes, it’s silly, but it’s also subversive.
The “Barbie” movie joins a wave of pop culture phenomena where — to crib the Eurythmics and Aretha Franklin anthem — sisters are doing it for themselves and breaking records while they are at it.
Not only did the Barbie movie shatter the box office record for a film directed by a woman and earn $162 million in its opening weekend, over the same weekend, Seattle saw the meteoric power of another pop culture icon — Taylor Swift — and her staggering 144,000 fans who rejoiced in Swift’s own brand of feminism and womanhood. Swift and her Swifties were so loud at Lumen Field that the show registered as seismic activity, a “Seismic Swift.”
Swift also addresses sexism in her work, tackling double standards in songs like “The Man” (the video is extraordinary). I am no Swiftie, by any stretch, but I know many women and girls, in particular, who through Swift’s music feel empowered, inspired and seen.
I get that feeling. When I was an adolescent, I remember struggling with the tension between what I was told I could be at home and what I saw in the media and pop culture. But in the later part of the ’80s, when more conventional singers like Tiffany or Debbie Gibson were leading the pop charts, I had my own experience of feeling seen and empowered.
I remember watching MTV during that time and my jaw dropping at the sight of a baldheaded young woman with piercing eyes and a ferocious but vulnerable voice. She was not a prepackaged pop star by any measure. Sinéad O’Connor defiantly wore what she wanted and did what she wanted without regard for the male gaze, the music industry or dominant beauty standards.
O’Connor spoke up about injustice, in ways that cost her personally and professionally. She spoke up for hip-hop and against racism. She talked about the legacy of trauma and abuse. O’Connor was for me and millions of other girls, a beacon of what was possible.
Her death last week at just 56 was devastating for so many in Gen X and beyond. Standing for what is right is never easy or popular, and she paid the price a million times over, but never backed down.
But I believe O’Connor helped pave the way for artists like Gerwig, Swift and so many others to forge their own paths and break the mold for future generations.
That path can be whatever we want it to be. | https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/sinead-oconnor-taylor-swift-barbie-a-seismic-shift-for-women/?utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=Referral&utm_campaign=RSS_seattle-news | 2023-07-31T13:27:34 | 1 | https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/sinead-oconnor-taylor-swift-barbie-a-seismic-shift-for-women/?utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=Referral&utm_campaign=RSS_seattle-news |
BEIJING, July 31, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Chindata Group, ("Chindata" or the "Company") (Nasdaq: CD), an industry leader in carrier-neutral hyperscale data center solutions, recently released its 2022 Environmental, Social, Governance (ESG) report, showing the Company's impressive achievements in ESG management and green transformation. Most notably, Chindata's annual operating power usage effectiveness (PUE), a standard efficiency metric for power consumption in data centers, reached 1.21, significantly better than the industry average. The Company also announced the enterprise's supply chain carbon emissions for the first time.
Chindata is fully committed to the goal of zero carbon, integrating green concepts into the entire lifecycle of data center site selection, planning, design, construction, and operations, and continues to achieve carbon reduction goals. Highlights from the 2022 ESG report include:
Environmental: Chindata adheres to a zero-carbon principle and fully implements the concept of green environmental protection, while striving to achieve green development through technological innovation. According to the report, the Company's annual operating PUE showed a 1.21 energy efficiency level which is a significantly better number than the industry average. Additionally, by the end of 2022, Chindata had obtained and applied for 423 patents, representing a year-on-year increase of more than 50 percent, and its proprietary waterless cooling technology which can reach a water use efficiency (WUE) of zero had been put into use. From a green electricity standpoint, 220 million kilowatt-hours of green electricity were purchased in 2022, and accumulated green electricity obtained through transactions has reached almost 770 million kilowatt-hours.
Social: Chindata is committed to creating an era of value sharing that is inclusive, reciprocal, and beneficial, adheres to a diverse, open, and inclusive corporate culture, provides equal opportunities for employees, and builds a fair talent training system and believes that corporate development dividends can benefit employees, customers, value chain partners, and local communities. Women filled one-third of the Company's senior management roles in 2022, and close to 40 percent of employees saw promotion in the same year. Additionally, Chindata actively promotes sunlight capture and conversion and promotes the improved sustainable performance of its supply chain. In 2022, the company's overseas subsidiary Bridge Data Centres (BDC) received the esteemed 'Malaysia Digital Status' award, acknowledging significant contributions to Malaysia's digital economy.
Governance: Over the past year, Chindata has taken solid steps toward sustainable development by optimizing its governance structure, promoting technological innovation, and expanding the use of clean energy. Its ESG value model places stability and transparency, creative excellence, a mutually beneficial future, and green development as cornerstone elements. Moving forward, the Company will continue to build a new regional ecosystem and will also evolve the green gene in its DNA, drive low-carbon computing through technological innovation, and lead and promote the technological development of green data centers throughout the industry.
Huapeng Wu, Chief Executive Officer of Chindata Group, said, "The thriving global digital economy is witnessing an unprecedented surge, driven by rapid advancements in cutting-edge technologies such as 5G, cloud computing, and artificial intelligence (AI). This growing focus on environmental sustainability has led to stringent green norms in data center construction. Consequently, the Internet Data Center (IDC) industry finds itself at the forefront of a transformative industrial shift, where the principles of eco-friendliness, low carbon footprint, resource efficiency, and operational intensity are paramount. By adhering to these principles, Chindata is fostering a symbiotic alliance between the green and digital economies, propelling a new era of green sustainable development."
At this pivotal juncture of digital economy advancement and energy transformation, Chindata leverages its core values of Stable, Advanced, Forward, Eco-friendly (SAFE) to enhance its ESG strategy. With a strong foundation in arithmetic and data, these four elements are ingrained in the Company's DNA, empowering Chindata to offer abundant computing power in a reliable, environmentally friendly, and high-quality manner. This transformation of electricity into superior computing power ensures Chindata's pivotal role in fueling the digital economy and shaping a promising digital future.
About Chindata Group
Chindata is a leading carrier-neutral hyperscale data center solution provider in Asia-Pacific emerging markets and a first mover in building next-generation hyperscale data centers in China, India, and Southeast Asia markets, focusing on the whole life cycle of facility planning, investment, design, construction and operation of ecosystem infrastructure in the IT industry. Chindata provides its clients with business solutions in major countries and regions in Asia-Pacific emerging markets, including asset-heavy ecosystem chain services such as industrial bases, data centers and network services.
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SOURCE Chindata Group | https://www.wflx.com/prnewswire/2023/07/31/chindata-releases-2022-esg-report-revealing-above-industry-average-pue-121-with-accelerated-green-transformation/ | 2023-07-31T13:27:35 | 1 | https://www.wflx.com/prnewswire/2023/07/31/chindata-releases-2022-esg-report-revealing-above-industry-average-pue-121-with-accelerated-green-transformation/ |
Make your own pasta at home
Making pasta by hand looks impressive, but the truth is, homemade pasta is surprisingly simple to create. You can get started with just three ingredients you likely already have in your kitchen. Even if the only tools you have are a rolling pin and a chef’s knife, you can feed your family and friends a satisfying and delicious meal made entirely from scratch. All you’ll need is a recipe, a couple of hours, and just a little bit of practice.
Shop this article: Fox Run Polished Marble Rolling Pin with Wooden Cradle, Spring Chef Bench Scraper and OXO Good Grips 3-in-1 Egg Separator
Is homemade pasta better?
You won’t just get a sense of accomplishment from making your own pasta — it tastes better, too. Fresh pasta has a more tender texture and a more pronounced eggy flavor than commercial-dried pasta. The pasta’s springiness holds up equally well, whether it goes into lasagna or straight onto the plate with some butter. You can even try making pasta dough with unusual ingredients like spinach or saffron for an extra-special meal.
How to get started making pasta
Hamilton Beach Stack & Snap Food Processor
Making the pasta dough
There are as many fresh pasta recipes as there are people who make pasta, but to get started, it’s best to stick with a simple pasta dough that uses just a few ingredients: unbleached all-purpose flour, eggs, and a bit of salt.
If you want, you can use semolina durum flour, which is a more authentic pasta flour with a higher protein content and a coarser texture that helps sauces stick. However, if all-purpose flour is all you have in your pantry, it’ll turn into wonderful pasta.
Place 10 ounces of flour on a clean work surface and make a well. Add two eggs plus four egg yolks to the well and gently start incorporating the flour using a fork, gradually scraping in flour from the sides of the well. Switch to a bench scraper when it becomes too difficult to use a fork and mix until it’s fully combined by scraping and folding over the dough, turning it 45 degrees each time.
Kneading and rolling the pasta dough
You’ll know the dough is ready for kneading when it stops sticking to your hands and holds its shape when rolled into a ball. Knead the dough for about 10 minutes until it’s smooth and satiny, then shape it into a ball. Let it rest, wrapped in plastic wrap, for 30 to 60 minutes to let gluten develop.
Use the bench scraper to cut the ball into four equal portions and cover them with a towel to keep them from drying out. Working with one portion at a time, roll out the dough into an oblong shape between a quarter-inch and half-inch thick.
Making pasta by hand vs. using a stand mixer
If your arms aren’t up to the task of all that kneading, you can use a powerful food processor or a stand mixer. Simply place all the ingredients in the work bowl and run the machine (using a dough hook if you’re using a stand mixer) until a large, smooth ball forms.
How to shape homemade pasta
CucinaPro Pasta Maker Deluxe Set
Making pasta shapes with a pasta machine
Roll out your dough by hand or use a pasta maker. Some pasta machines can create extruded shapes like penne, while others deliver smooth sheets and strands of lasagna or fettuccine. Following the manufacturer’s instructions for the type of pasta you want to make, feed your rolled-out dough between the rollers until it reaches the right thickness.
At this point, you can trim it by hand to make filled pasta or lasagna or run it through the pasta machine to cut it into strands. As the cut pasta strands emerge from the machine, carefully catch them, dust them with flour, shape them into nests, and keep them covered until you’re ready to cook or dry them.
A stand mixer offers another advantage here: after you’ve whipped up a batch of pasta dough in the bowl, use the mixer’s pasta-making attachment to roll out, cut, or shape pasta.
How to make filled pasta
For filled pasta, make sure your filling is relatively dry so you can seal up your pasta and avoid leaking or soggy dough. Avoid the temptation to overload your pasta — follow your recipe’s guidance for the amount of filling to use in each pasta shape.
Depending on the type of stuffed pasta you’re making, you can use a pasta stamp, a pastry wheel, biscuit cutters, or even a chef’s knife to create rounds or squares. Seal the pasta by brushing the edges with a little water, then using gentle pressure to close the shapes. Make sure the filling is fully enclosed and that no air is trapped inside.
How to cook homemade pasta
Weston Bamboo Pasta Drying Rack
Cooking fresh pasta
Homemade pasta cooks very quickly — depending on the shape, it will need only two to four minutes in boiling water, and slightly longer for stuffed pasta. Salt your cooking water generously to amplify your pasta’s flavor, especially if your dough recipe doesn’t call for salt. Serve it immediately.
How to dry fresh pasta
Alternatively, you can dry your uncooked pasta to serve at a future date. Leaving egg-based food out in the open can feel counterintuitive, but when properly dried and stored, there should be no moisture remaining to encourage bacteria.
Toss the pasta shapes in flour, then lay the strands in a single layer on a drying rack or on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Let the pasta dry uncovered and away from heat and sunlight, or use a food dehydrator for more consistency, especially if it’s a humid day. When the pasta snaps instead of bending, it’s ready for storage. Keep it in a dry, airtight container in your pantry or freezer.
FAQ
Q. How long does homemade pasta last?
A. Homemade pasta has a much shorter shelf life than commercially made pasta. Uncooked pasta can be kept in an airtight container in the fridge for just one day. Properly dried homemade pasta can be stored in your pantry for up to six weeks. Alternatively, before you cut your pasta shapes, you can wrap the dough in plastic wrap and freeze it for up to one month.
Q. What sauces go with homemade pasta?
A. How you serve your pasta may come down to personal preference, but the shape of the pasta is a contributing factor. Pair fettuccine or tagliatelle with a homemade alfredo sauce or pesto. Wider pasta like pappardelle is great with slow-simmered meat sauces. You can also highlight the flavor of your fresh pasta (especially ravioli) by simply tossing it in browned butter and high-quality Parmesan.
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IXL's teaching and learning platform will be used district wide to close knowledge gaps, improve academic achievement and provide equitable educational experiences
LEXINGTON, Ky., July 31, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- IXL, the personalized learning platform used by more than 14 million students, has announced a new partnership with Fayette County Public Schools (FCPS) in Kentucky. As part of the collaboration, the state's second-largest K-12 school system will now use IXL's award-winning platform district-wide to boost academic achievement in math, English language arts, science, social studies and Spanish. IXL is used by nearly 40 percent of all K-12 students in Kentucky, accounting for more than 283,000 learners.
Fayette County Public Schools strives to provide a world-class education
and positive learning environment to more than 40,000 students from the Lexington area. FCPS began using IXL to support its special education and English language learner communities, and recently expanded its implementation district-wide after successfully piloting the platform.
The district highly values IXL Analytics because it provides educators with data that allows them to track student achievement across schools and identify any gaps in knowledge. This information can then be used to quickly intervene and provide students with the support they need to succeed.
FCPS also appreciates IXL's comprehensive curriculum and instructional resources because they give educators the flexibility to create personalized learning pathways for students. These pathways allow students to learn at their own pace and in their own way, which helps them grow independently. Additionally, IXL provides FCPS with custom math skill plans that are aligned to the district's scope and sequence, as well as test preparation for Kentucky's Summative Assessment. These plans reinforce standards-aligned instruction, which helps students master the concepts they need to know to succeed.
"IXL is an immersive learning tool that helps students master content at school, on-the-go and at home. Insights provided by IXL help teachers track growth and target recommendations for next steps, and research shows that students who use IXL perform better on state assessments," said Brooke Stinson, Director of Assessment, Fayette County Public Schools. "We are excited for this partnership and to provide this resource for all of our students."
"We are delighted to continue our partnership with Fayette County Public Schools. By using IXL's platform district-wide, educators will be able to more effectively track student progress, close achievement gaps and empower all students to reach their full potential," said Paul Mishkin, CEO of IXL Learning. "We are proud to be an important resource to our partners, and we look forward to working with FCPS' team so that all of its learners have even more opportunities to succeed."
Recover learning and boost achievement with IXL's award-winning platform
IXL gives school districts everything that they need to make a bigger positive impact on learning. The all-inclusive platform provides thousands of curriculum and instructional resources, actionable analytics and a state-of-the-art assessment suite. In addition to helping schools and students succeed academically, IXL can even uncover hidden obstacles to learning, develop students' intrinsic motivation to learn and more.
IXL's state-of-the-art assessment suite
IXL's assessment suite works in concert with its curriculum to give educators and students real-time insight into performance, pinpoint gaps in knowledge and provide specific next steps that help recover learning. IXL's adaptive assessment, the Real-Time Diagnostic, accurately measures students' grade-level proficiency and growth in key math and ELA strands, helping educators understand exactly what learners know and what they can do to improve. Additionally, IXL's universal screener flags at-risk students in as little as 20 minutes to help educators plan district-wide math interventions.
Comprehensive curriculum for deeper learning
Teachers use IXL's comprehensive curriculum to provide students with tailored support and ensure that they master essential concepts. More than 10,000 rigorous, mastery-based skills deeply engage students, build a strong foundation of knowledge and prepare learners for higher-level thinking. Based on students' previous work in the curriculum, IXL generates personalized recommendations in real time that guide learners to the skills that will help them grow the fastest. Additionally, IXL's skill plans simplify lesson planning by providing teachers with skills that match their state standards and textbooks. IXL also provides test preparation skill plans and personalized study plans for the SAT and ACT.
Instructional resources and classroom engagement tools
IXL's built-in instructional resources include nearly 2,400 math and English language arts video tutorials, corrective feedback, educational games for young learners and step-by-step lessons that support students when they're working independently. Classroom engagement tools, like Group Jams and Leaderboards, make classroom learning engaging and create collaborative learning opportunities.
Actionable analytics for districts, schools, classrooms and individual learners
IXL Analytics is an essential daily tool that allows teachers to easily identify trouble spots, monitor performance on skills, deliver data-driven instruction and use limited class time more effectively. Administrators can use IXL District Analytics and IXL School Analytics to track student progress and teacher engagement, enabling them to improve IXL's impact on their school or district.
About Fayette County Public Schools
Fayette County Public Schools serves over 40,000 students from the Lexington metro area, with the goal of providing a world-class education for every child. The mission of Fayette County Public Schools is to create a collaborative community that ensures all students achieve at high levels and graduate prepared to excel in a global society.
About IXL Learning
Currently used by 14 million students and in 95 of the top 100 U.S. school districts, IXL is an all-inclusive educational platform that provides a comprehensive PK-12 curriculum and instructional resources, actionable analytics and a state-of-the-art assessment suite. IXL's end-to-end teaching and learning solution supports personalized instruction in math, English language arts, science, social studies and Spanish. With more than 130 billion questions asked and answered around the world, IXL is helping schools and parents successfully boost student achievement. The IXL Learning family of products also includes Rosetta Stone, TPT, SpanishDictionary.com, inglés.com, Wyzant, Vocabulary.com, ABCya, Education.com and Emmersion. To learn more about IXL, visit www.ixl.com, facebook.com/IXL and twitter.com/IXLLearning.
Press Contact
Eric Bates
IXL Learning
press@ixl.com
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Bus riders between the Eastside and Seattle must wait a few more years to enjoy the direct link that transportation agencies promised to reach the busy South Lake Union neighborhood.
The Washington State Department of Transportation has postponed its plan to open a separated bus-only ramp in 2024 between Highway 520 and the reversible express lanes on Interstate 5, saying other construction will be more efficient if the ramp opens in 2030, when the entire Highway 520 bridge replacement, including a Capitol Hill lid, is finished.
It’s the latest of many Seattle-area transportation delays this decade, spanning the spectrum from streetcars to bus-rapid transit, and highways to light rail.
WSDOT still intends to open I-5’s new bus-carpool express lane and exit from Highway 520 to Mercer Street by spring 2024, covering the southern mile of this $68 million project, so north-end travelers gain capacity.
The main losers will be riders on Sound Transit Route 545, across the Highway 520 bridge, who will continue to weave through mainline traffic snarls approaching downtown. The line carries 4,075 passengers per weekday as of May, and 102,813 monthly between Redmond and Seattle. Private commuter buses, along with a few peak-only Metro and Community Transit routes, also go between 520 and downtown.
The state and transit managers decided it’s no longer worthwhile to complete the reversible 520-to-I-5 ramp now, in light of the fact transit agencies aren’t ready to boost their 520 service anytime soon, Dawn Yankauskas, deputy administrator for the Highway 520 replacement megaproject. Instead, that piece will be finished concurrently with the final piece of new Highway 520 — twin concrete bridges over Portage Bay.
One rationale was that WSDOT’s bus ramp already missed a 2023 goal. Another was that, “If we had actually been able to open it up, transit wouldn’t have been ready either,” Yankauskas said.
King County Metro Transit intended to use the special ramp for a new Route 256, from Woodinville across the 520 bridge to South Lake Union, that’s now been deferred.
A Sound Transit delay in opening its Bellevue-Seattle light-rail line has caused a shortage of transit resources, Yankauskas said. Someday, there’s supposed to be a “rail dividend” where new trains free up more Metro bus service hours. The light-rail route, which should have opened this month, was delayed to 2025 while contractors rebuild 5,400 flawed track supports, known as plinths, in the former express lanes of I-90.
Metro was already struggling with a recent 4% cut to overall service, because of a driver shortage, lack of mechanics, and about 40% of its buses unfit to operate as of July.
The state is more than halfway done with a nearly 20-year replacement and widening of Highway 520, including new floating pontoons on Lake Washington. In the late 20th century, political leaders reached consensus that the four-lane corridor built in 1963 was too constricted and also vulnerable to collapse in an earthquake. The new bridge adds high-occupancy lanes, but they abruptly end westbound at Seattle, without a bypass ramp meeting I-5.
To postpone the bus-ramp completion could speed construction of the new Portage Bay segment of 520, estimated at $700 million to $900 million, because those contractors will have more room to maneuver, and not worry about conflicts with a bus lane immediately east of I-5, Yankauskas explained. A contract is to be awarded this year.
Taxpayers will also save perhaps $1 million to $2 million because WSDOT will cancel some temporary structures and gates at the I-5/520 nexus, by modifying the current contract with Walsh Construction, said project engineer Shane Oden.
Metro agrees with deferring the new HOV connection, spokesperson Jeff Switzer confirmed last week. “Metro’s resources to add service on this ramp are coming from restructuring of routes around the East Link light-rail line, when it opens,” he said by email.
One could argue the lack of light-rail makes the 520/I-5 transit ramp even more useful, to enhance cross-lake mobility just as workers return to SLU.
Long ago, the 520/I-5 bus-carpool ramp was conceived as a finishing touch on the $5.1 billion, two-decade Highway 520 replacement megaproject. But in 2018 WSDOT, Metro, Sound Transit, and Seattle co-signed a letter of understanding to fast-track the transit ramp by 2023, helping the “underserved” and gridlocked SLU area. Their follow-up letter in 2021 promised Metro service every 15 minutes or sooner, including trips along Mercer Street.
The state revealed the delay in a recent email advisory after saying for months the connection would open in 2024. Officials blame broad industry factors, such as slow supply chains and a four-month concrete drivers’ strike, to explain why it’s not finished already. A blunder last year by Walsh, which rebuilt a concrete support piece that crumbled, doesn’t affect the schedule, Yankauskas said.
WSDOT says the new ramp was expected to initially operate just two years, for buses only, then be blocked so crews building the Portage Bay bridges and Capitol Hill’s landscaped lid gain better access. Yankauskas said Monday that with only one year of uninterrupted traffic available, it would cause public confusion to open the 520/I-5 ramp in 2024. (The 2021 joint letter predicted the interruption during “the second half of a six-year project” over Portage Bay.)
Promises of better SLU transit date back to 2010, when Seattle promised Uncle Sam some “better transit connections,” to help justify a $30 million federal grant for renovating Mercer Street. Since then, Metro and Seattle boosted in-city trips using north-south Westlake Avenue North but added just one regional SLU line.
This was Metro’s new Route 320 from Kenmore to Northgate and Mercer Street in fall 2021, but it was among six lines suspended this June. If Metro revives the 320, riders could save time next year using the upcoming HOV express-lane near Mercer.
Yankauskas said the new I-5 lane will likely be signed HOV-2 in 2024 to match other I-5 high occupancy vehicle lanes that require two riders, then later marked HOV-3 to match Highway 520, after the full project is done. | https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/transportation/wsdot-drops-plan-for-a-2024-highway-520-i-5-bus-ramp-what-does-that-mean-for-you/?utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=Referral&utm_campaign=RSS_seattle-news | 2023-07-31T13:27:40 | 0 | https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/transportation/wsdot-drops-plan-for-a-2024-highway-520-i-5-bus-ramp-what-does-that-mean-for-you/?utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=Referral&utm_campaign=RSS_seattle-news |
LOS ANGELES, July 31, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Clubhouse Media Group, Inc. (OTCMKTS: CMGR) ("CMGR"), a social media firm and digital agency, announced that they have finalized another brand promotional deal with fitness model and iconic social media star, Sommer Ray. Ray was born in Colorado and has won several bodybuilding and fitness competitions. In recent years she has amassed an impressive social media following, boasting 25M+ followers on Instagram, 12M+ followers on TikTok and 1.75M+ followers on YouTube.
"It is always a pleasure to work with Sommer and her team" said a representative of CMGR. "We have a long-standing history with Sommer and have worked on many deals in the past couple of years. We are excited for the future and will continue to build on this relationship and the alike."
Visit us at www.clubhousemediagroup.com
About Clubhouse Media Group, Inc.
CMGR offers management, production, and deal-making services to its handpicked influencers, a management division for individual influencer clients, and an investment arm for joint ventures and acquisitions for companies in the social media influencer space.
FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS: This release contains "forward-looking statements". Forward-looking statements also may be included in other publicly available documents issued by CMGR and in oral statements made by our officers and representatives from time to time. These forward-looking statements are intended to provide management's current expectations or plans for our future operating and financial performance, based on assumptions currently believed to be valid. They can be identified by the use of words such as "anticipate," "intend," "plan," "goal," "seek," "believe," "project," "estimate," "expect," "strategy," "future," "likely," "may," "should," "would," "could," "will" and other words of similar meaning in connection with a discussion of future operating or financial performance.
Examples of forward-looking statements include, among others, statements relating to future sales, earnings, cash flows, results of operations, uses of cash and other measures of financial performance.
Because forward-looking statements relate to the future, they are subject to inherent risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause CMGR's actual results and financial condition to differ materially from those expressed or implied in the forward-looking statements. Such risks, uncertainties and other factors include, among others such as, but not limited to economic conditions, changes in the laws or regulations, demand for CMGR's products and services, the effects of competition and other factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those projected or represented in the forward-looking statements. Any forward-looking information provided in this release should be considered with these factors in mind. We caution investors not to rely unduly on any forward-looking statements and urge you to carefully consider the risks described in our filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission from time to time, including our most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K and subsequent Quarterly Reports on Forms 10-Q and Current Reports on Form 8-K, which are available on the Securities and Exchange Commission's website at sec.gov. We assume no obligation to update any forward-looking statements contained in this press release.
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Can you fertilize a lawn in the summer?
Few things can add or detract as much from a home’s curb appeal as the landscaping, and your grass is a significant aspect of that. Healthy and well-manicured grass gives a home a welcoming feeling, while a dead or overgrown yard makes everything look unkempt.
Fertilizing is vital to keeping your lawn looking its best, but it must be done correctly and at the right time of the year. Many people often wonder if they can fertilize their yard in the summer. To clear up that confusion once and for all, we’ve put together this handy guide that covers everything you need to know.
Shop this article: Scott’s Natural Lawn Food, Scotts EdgeGuard Mini Broadcast Spreader and Flexzilla Garden Hose
What is the best time to fertilize your lawn?
You should be fertilizing your lawn at least twice a year. However, if you pick the wrong season or the wrong fertilizer, you can cause excessive weed growth or even burn the grass. Part of knowing when to fertilize your yard is about knowing what type of grass you have. You should fertilize your lawn when it is actively growing. If you have cool-season grass, early spring, when the temperatures are between 60-75 degrees is the optimal time for the first feeding.
Warm-season grasses tend to start sending up green shoots a bit later in the spring when the temperatures reach 80 degrees or higher. When you see this start happening, it’s time to sprinkle your fertilizer.
You should also fertilize both cool- and warm-season grasses in the fall. This helps ensure healthy roots during the winter months, which results in healthier, greener grass the following spring.
How often should you fertilize your lawn in the summer?
While the most important times to fertilize your lawn are the spring and fall, these shouldn’t necessarily be the only times. For both types of grasses, a second feeding should follow about six weeks after the first. Depending on the date of your first round of fertilizing, this might be very late spring or early summer. However, make sure to read the manufacturer’s guidelines on the fertilizer you use, as the recommended interval between feedings may be longer or shorter.
It is usually best to avoid fertilizing during the hottest months, but if you have to do it, make sure to use the correct fertilizer type.
Choosing the right fertilizer
Synthetic fertilizers come in slow- and fast-release formulas. In addition to the essential nutrients of nitrogen, potassium and phosphate, they may also contain calcium, magnesium, sulfur and other ingredients.
While synthetic fertilizers are a good choice for spring and fall use, you should avoid them during the summer. This is because they typically have a very high nutrient content and are likely to burn the grass.
Organic fertilizers are made from fish meal, compost, manure and other natural ingredients. It has a lower nutrient content, which makes it gentler and ideal for summer use. Organic fertilizer tends to break down slowly too, so it will continue feeding the grass for months after application.
Fertilizing your lawn in the summer heat
Prepare your yard in advance
To get the best results, mow your lawn a day or two before you plan on applying the fertilizer. This helps ensure the fertilizer spreads evenly and falls to the soil, rather than sitting atop the blades of grass where it can potentially burn them. After the mowing, heavily water your lawn to saturate the soil thoroughly.
Do it at the right time of day
Later afternoon or early evening is the best time to apply fertilizer. Never do it in the middle of the day under direct sun, or you may burn the grass.
Use the right equipment
It is essential to spread fertilizer evenly across the yard. Too little in one place, and it won’t grow as well as the rest of the lawn. Too much in one spot, and it can harm or even kill the grass. The best way to ensure an even spread is by using a broadcast spreader.
Water after fertilizing
After applying fertilizer, lightly water your lawn. This is to wash any fertilizer that may have landed on the blades of grass down to the soil. Make sure not to overly saturate the soil, though, as you want to give it some time to absorb the nutrients. If you water it too heavily, you run the risk of washing the fertilizer away.
What you need to buy for fertilizing
This all-natural fertilizer is safe to use around kids and pets and is suitable for all grass types and seasons. A single bag covers a 4000-square-foot lawn.
Where to buy: Sold by Amazon
Scotts EdgeGuard Mini Broadcast Spreader
A reliable and reasonably-priced model, this broadcaster spreader is a good choice for many homeowners. It offers easy-to-use rate control and doesn’t require any assembly.
Where to buy: Sold by Amazon
Scotts Wizz Hand-held Spreader
If your yard is too small for a wheeled broadcast spreader, or you simply find a handheld model to be more convenient, the Wizz is a suitable option. It is lightweight and features 23 flow-rate settings.
Where to buy: Sold by Amazon
The Flexzilla garden hose comes in several lengths ranging from 10-100 feet, so there is certainly one that will perfectly fit your needs. It retains its flexibility in all weather conditions and has a rugged build that should last through many seasons.
Where to buy: Sold by Amazon
Luster Leaf 1601 Rapitest Test Kit for Soil
Though unnecessary for fertilizing your lawn, having a soil test kit like this is a brilliant idea. It helps you identify what nutrients your soil is lacking, or has an excess of, so you can make sure to buy the right fertilizer.
Where to buy: Sold by Amazon
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Initial agreement to include 10 battery-electric and three hydrogen fuel cell electric Class 8 trucks
PHOENIX and LOWELL, Ark., July 31, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Nikola Corporation (Nasdaq: NKLA), a global leader in zero-emissions transportation and energy supply and infrastructure solutions, via the HYLA brand, and J.B. Hunt Transport Services Inc. (Nasdaq: JBHT), one of the largest supply chain solutions providers in North America, today announced an agreement in which subsidiary J.B. Hunt Transport Inc. will purchase 13 Nikola zero-emission Class 8 trucks as the transportation company focuses on its sustainability efforts and reducing the intensity of its carbon emissions.
"It's important for us to be at the forefront of new technologies and innovative solutions that have the potential to change the way we move freight," said Nick Hobbs, chief operating officer and president of contract services at J.B. Hunt. "These zero-emission trucks from Nikola advance our progress towards achieving our ambitious goal to reduce carbon emission intensity through viable solutions."
The initial truck order will include 10 battery-electric and three hydrogen fuel cell electric vehicles, with delivery of the first vehicles expected in August 2023. These trucks will be strategically located at facilities servicing J.B. Hunt's key routes, including in the greater Los Angeles and Phoenix areas. Nikola's hydrogen arm, HYLA, will supply the hydrogen and fueling infrastructure.
"We are thrilled that the industry leader for supply-chain solutions has chosen our Nikola Class 8 battery-electric and hydrogen fuel cell electric trucks to use for their operations," said Nikola CEO Michael Lohscheller. "Their purchase and use of these zero-emissions trucks are a testament to the hard work of our engineering, development and manufacturing teams, who created a robust, highly advanced truck lineup, as well as our HYLA hydrogen infrastructure solutions, which are designed to benefit companies such as J.B. Hunt."
J.B. Hunt is committed to helping drive the industry toward a low-carbon future and reducing its environmental impact. In November 2022, the company set an ambitious goal to reduce carbon emission intensity 32% by 2034 (with a 2019 baseline). Incorporating alternative powered equipment into its fleet is one of three key focus areas in reaching the goal.
J.B. Hunt continually evaluates opportunities to utilize emerging technologies in exhaust-free vehicles. In the fourth quarter of 2022, the company took delivery of its first company-owned Class 8 electric vehicle. In 2017, J.B. Hunt was one of the first companies to place an order for an all-electric heavy-duty Class 8 truck and began incorporating electric vehicles into operations in 2023. In addition to electric vehicles, J.B. Hunt is helping reduce carbon emissions through intermodal conversion. Over the past decade, J.B. Hunt's intermodal service has helped avoid an estimated 30 million metric tons of CO2e emissions from over-the-road truck transportation.
ABOUT NIKOLA CORPORATION
Nikola Corporation is globally transforming the transportation industry. As a designer and manufacturer of zero-emission battery-electric and hydrogen-electric vehicles, electric vehicle drivetrains, vehicle components, energy storage systems, and hydrogen station infrastructure, via the HYLA brand, Nikola is driven to revolutionize the economic and environmental impact of commerce as we know it today. Founded in 2015, Nikola Corporation is headquartered in Phoenix, Arizona. For more information, visit www.nikolamotor.com , Facebook @nikolamotorcompany, Instagram @nikolamotorcompany, YouTube @nikolamotorcompany, LinkedIn @nikolamotorcompany or Twitter @nikolamotor.
ABOUT J.B. HUNT
J.B. Hunt Transport Services Inc. is on a mission to create the most efficient transportation network in North America. The company's industry-leading solutions and mode-neutral approach generate value for customers by eliminating waste, reducing costs and enhancing supply chain visibility. Powered by one of the largest company-owned fleets in the country with more than 162,000 pieces of trailing equipment and nearly one million accessible trucks through its J.B. Hunt 360°® digital freight marketplace, J.B. Hunt can meet the unique shipping needs of any business, from first mile to final delivery, and every shipment in-between. Through disciplined investments in its people, technology and capacity, J.B. Hunt is delivering exceptional value and service that enable long-term growth for the company and its stakeholders.
J.B. Hunt Transport Services Inc. is a Fortune 500 company, an S&P 500 company and a component of the Dow Jones Transportation Average. Its stock trades on NASDAQ under the ticker symbol JBHT. J.B. Hunt Transport Inc. is a wholly owned subsidiary of JBHT. The company's services include intermodal, dedicated, refrigerated, truckload, less-than-truckload, flatbed, single source, last mile, transload and more. For more information, visit www.jbhunt.com.
FORWARD LOOKING STATEMENTS
This press release contains certain forward-looking statements within the meaning of federal securities laws with respect to Nikola Corporation (Nikola"), including statements relating to the truck order, expected delivery timing and expected benefits of Nikola's zero-emissions trucks; Nikola's expectations regarding the production of hydrogen fuel cell electric trucks; and Nikola's ability to provide sufficient volumes of hydrogen to support hydrogen fuel cell electric vehicle demand. These forward-looking statements generally are identified by words such as "believe," "project," "expect," "anticipate," "estimate," "intend," "strategy," "future," "opportunity," "plan," "may," "should," "will," "would," and similar expressions. Forward-looking statements are predictions, projections, and other statements about future events based on current expectations and assumptions and, as a result, are subject to risks and uncertainties. Many factors could cause actual future events to differ materially from the forward-looking statements in this press release, including but not limited to: design and manufacturing changes and delays, including global shortages in parts and materials; general economic, financial, legal, regulatory, political and business conditions and changes in domestic and foreign markets; demand for and customer acceptance of Nikola's trucks; the terms of the agreement; the risk of cancellation of orders; risks associated with development and testing of fuel-cell power modules and hydrogen storage systems; risks related to the rollout of Nikola's business and milestones and the timing of expected business milestones; Nikola's availability of and need for capital; and the factors, risks and uncertainties regarding Nikola's business described in the "Risk Factors" section of Nikola's quarterly report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended March 31, 2023 filed with the SEC, in addition to Nikola's subsequent filings with the SEC. These filings identify and address other important risks and uncertainties that could cause actual events and results to differ materially from those contained in the forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements speak only as of the date they are made. Readers are cautioned not to put undue reliance on forward-looking statements, and, except as required by law, Nikola assumes no obligation and does not intend to update or revise these forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise.
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New expert-level certifications, learning products and training curricula planned for 2024
DOWNERS GROVE, Ill., July 31, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- CompTIA, the world's leading certifying body in information technology (IT), announced today it is developing a new series of expert-level certifications and learning products in data, cybersecurity and cloud networking.
The CompTIA Xpert Series certifications are scheduled for release throughout 2024. The certifications are intended for IT professionals with multiple years of work experience who are interested in validating their expert-level knowledge of business-critical technologies.
"Each certification exam will validate deep expertise in job roles recognized as being at the expert level," said Thomas Reilly, chief product officer, CompTIA. "Beyond validating technical skills, IT pros who earn a CompTIA Xpert Series certification will have demonstrated their ability to understand, implement and articulate advanced technology solutions in any business environment."
The CompTIA Xpert Series will debut with three certifications.
- CompTIA DataX, an advanced-level data science credential.
- CompTIA CloudNetX, intended for advanced network and systems architects who design and manage complex, hybrid IT infrastructures.
- CompTIA SecurityX, the next iteration of the current CompTIA Advanced Security Practitioner (CASP+), aimed at security architects, senior security engineers and others responsible for an organization's cybersecurity readiness.
"The first set of Xpert Series certifications will establish a foundation for a broader expansion into expert-level credentials and learning," Reilly said. "This may include additional CompTIA certifications, CompTIA training for credentials issued by other organizations or training on expert-level skills that may not be associated with a specific certification."
Two IT professionals who are participating in the certification development process as subject matter experts believe the CompTIA Xpert Series will be welcomed by the IT community, especially among mid-level and advanced level professionals.
"The Xpert Series exams are a great addition to CompTIA's portfolio," said Alex Cher, who has worked in IT and cybersecurity since 2006. "CompTIA has an advanced-level certification in cybersecurity, so it makes sense to create similar, advanced exams for infrastructure and other certification categories. The Xpert Series will perfectly fill that void."
"Ongoing career professional development by gaining new skills and experiences is vital to anyone working in IT," said Riaz Khimji, who heads the IT Support Staff Services and Business Relationship Management Collegiate IT, at the University of Oxford. "Individuals can be even more successful in their current role and gain further knowledge in other areas of interest as they progress in their careers. Certifications such as those offered by CompTIA allow them to validate their newly acquired skills."
CompTIA is also developing learning resources and training curricula aligned with the Xpert Series certifications. Learn more at https://www.comptia.org/certifications/xpert-series.
About CompTIA
The Computing Technology Industry Association (CompTIA) is the world's leading information technology (IT) certification and training body. CompTIA is a mission-driven organization committed to unlocking the potential of every student, career changer or professional seeking to begin or advance in a technology career. Each year CompTIA, directly and through its global network of partners, provides millions of people with training, education and certification. To learn more visit https://www.comptia.org/
Media Contact
Steven Ostrowski
CompTIA
sostrowski@comptia.org
630.678.8468
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Become a lawn master
Knowing how to plant a new lawn is a useful skill to have, no matter if you’re moving into a new house, sprucing up your current one, or you just want to develop your green thumb. A lush green lawn is often the first thing people notice about your home, and well-manicured grass can greatly increase the value of your property. With a few personal touches, you can make it your own.
While it may seem like a daunting task at first, planting or renovating your lawn is relatively simple when broken down into a few easy-to-follow steps.
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Sod vs. seed
First, you must decide whether you want to use grass seed or sod on your lawn.
Let’s start with sod, as grass seed is relatively self-explanatory. Sod, also known as instant lawn or turf grass, is rolled grass that offers several benefits over grass seed. The most obvious is that it’s much faster to establish and gives the look of a finished lawn instantly. In addition, quality sod has few or no weed seeds present, which can save major headaches (and backaches) down the road. Also, because it’s heartier than young grass, sod can be installed nearly any time of year, so long as the ground isn’t frozen or exposed to extreme heat. However, it’s not without disadvantages.
Due to its convenience, sod is initially more expensive than grass seed and requires labor to install. Your grass choices are restricted as well, because most sod farmers grow their products in full sun. That means if your lawn is shaded by houses or large trees, sod may not thrive as well as seed designed for those environments. Shade blend sod is available in some areas, but it’s not always easy to find.
By contrast, grass seed is simpler, cheaper, less labor-intensive at the onset, and offers more choice when it comes to grass variety. It requires more consistent maintenance, though, and the chance for weed contamination is higher. Perhaps the most notable drawback is this method has a defined window for success, as extreme temperatures can lead to patchy results or complete seed failure.
How to prepare lawn for new grass
No matter which method you choose to grow your new lawn, the initial preparation is relatively consistent. Follow these steps:
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First, remove debris and any existing vegetation, i.e. weeds and grass. You can do this physically, with a flame torch, using a home remedy, or with a non-selective herbicide. If you use chemicals, remember to wait for the compounds to become inert before planting (check product labels for this info).
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Repeat the first step, till the soil, and check it again to make sure all remaining seeds are gone. Doing this will ensure a weed-free lawn in the long term.
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Once the area is free of vegetation, you are ready to plant.
How to plant a lawn with sod
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Till the first two inches of soil with a tiller or rake. If needed, add seeding soil to the top of your existing soil.
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Level soil. Any dips or bumps could stay there for years and can look unsightly.
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If you do not use seeding soil (these generally have starter fertilizer mixed in), apply a starter fertilizer, water, and till in.
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Roll out sod. Keep edges snug against each other but don’t overlap them.
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Use a lawn roller to smooth out and firm the sod, connecting it with the ground below and facilitating root contact. Keep sod moist for the first two weeks after application to further assist root growth.
How to plant a lawn with seed
-
Till the first two inches of soil with a tiller or rake. If needed, add seeding soil to the top of your existing soil.
-
Level soil. Any dips or bumps could stay there for years and can look unsightly.
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If you do not use seeding soil (these generally have starter fertilizer mixed in), apply a starter fertilizer, water, and till in.
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Divide your seed into two equal portions. Spread one half going one direction, with the other half going at a right angle in the other direction. This crisscross pattern guarantees even coverage across your lawn. For higher accuracy, use a drop spreader.
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Tamp seed down with a lawn roller. For added protection, cover the seeds with 1/4 inch of peat moss or compost. This prevents the seeds from washing away, stops birds from eating them, and also holds in moisture.
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Gently soak the soil about six inches deep after seeding, and keep the seeds moist until grass has germinated. This should take approximately two weeks. Continue to lightly water three to four times a day until the grass is about a half-inch high, then maintain as normal.
How to take care of new grass
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A watering rule of thumb: Once the grass is high enough to mow, water at approximately one inch per week.
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Water your lawn early in the morning. Doing it at night keeps the water stagnant, which raises the risk for mold and fungus, and watering midday increases evaporation risk. In addition, water deeply and infrequently as opposed to lightly and more often, as this improves root health.
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Keep your mower blades sharp, and don’t cut more than a third of the grass blade at a time to prevent shocking the grass.
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Fertilize every four to six weeks with lawn fertilizer.
Lawn care shopping list
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Planting a new lawn is incredibly rewarding, but it takes a toll on your hands. Invest in some high-quality gardening gloves to stay safe from thorns, sharp sticks, sunlight, and abrasions.
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A sturdy rake or cultivator will help you till your lawn before planting. This is a necessary step to remove unwanted vegetation, loosen up dirt, and aerate the soil.
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A lawn roller is the most efficient way to both tamp down new grass seeds and secure sod to the soil below. Fill your lawn roller with water if more weight is needed to finish the job. Choose between tow models that hook up to powered equipment or simple push/pull versions.
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Drop spreaders are extremely helpful in evenly distributing grass seed over an area. Available in rolling and handheld versions, these spreaders are adjustable for different drop rates. Great for grass seed or fertilizer!
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Fertilizer is necessary to keep a lawn healthy and full. Lawn fertilizers are typically rich in nitrogen, which is very water-soluble and promotes green, leafy growth.
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Your lawn won’t survive without water, and an adjustable rotating sprinkler helps it stay irrigated at the seedling stage as well as when it’s fully developed. Interested in even more control? Consider a multi-zone irrigation controller.
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Firm Unveils New Office and Managing Director in Austin, Texas
NEW YORK, July 31, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Jensen Partners ("the Firm"), a leading global distribution-focused executive search and corporate advisory firm, today announced an important expansion with the opening of a new office in Austin, Texas and the appointment of Stacy Schiffman to Managing Director of Distribution. Schiffman, who recently assumed her new role and now leads Jensen Partners' Austin office, is responsible for overseeing all aspects of search execution, including candidate generation and engagement, as well as client management and interview preparation, with a particular focus on investment and capital raising roles. Schiffman is also playing an integral role in driving the Firm's business development outreach, research and market intelligence to help guide hiring decisions and foster greater client outcomes.
Austin is a burgeoning financial center home to major private markets participants in the Southwestern US. As Jensen Partners' Austin office head, Schiffman is responsible for solidifying the Firm's relationships with clients and candidates in the area, and her appointment marks the latest development in Jensen Partners' global growth journey. In January 2023, the Firm announced the opening of a new office location in Miami, Florida to serve its growing list of clients who expanded their footprint in the region; and in October 2022, Jensen Partners announced a strategic investment from JB Capital to accelerate data integration and scale key product offerings that address a wider range of talent challenges including diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI), recruiting, hiring and retention.
"Stacy's role in Austin is the latest step towards enhancing our Firm's commitment to maintaining a strategic presence in major financial centers in both the U.S. and across the globe," said Sasha Jensen, Founder and CEO of Jensen Partners and Jensen DiversityMetrics™. "Her decades of insight will help us continue to build deeper relationships with the best talent in the industry and further solidify our capacity to drive superior long-term human capital solutions for our clients globally. We are thrilled to welcome her to the team."
Schiffman joins Jensen Partners from PIMCO, where she led marketing recruiting. Prior to PIMCO, she launched Highline Staffing, a firm that specialized in the recruitment and placement of capital raising and investment professionals for leading asset management firms globally. From 2005 to 2009, Schiffman was an institutional relationship manager for marketing and client management at Prisma Capital Partners, where she focused on business development and raising assets across strategies in the alternative investment industry. She was also involved with recruiting on the buyside, helping to expand global footprints. Schiffman began her career on the buyside with Sanford C. Bernstein, managing the firm's esteemed research department.
"I'm excited to join such a dedicated and passionate group at Jensen Partners, whose unique vision and platform has solidified its place as the industry's leading data-driven talent solutions resource," said Schiffman. "Jensen Partners' mission-driven and highly impactful integrated recruitment strategy has quickly become the gold standard in the alternative asset management space, and I look forward to contributing to the important work that Sasha and her team are doing."
About Jensen Partners
Jensen Partners is a global advisory, corporate development and executive search firm that leverages its extensive relationships in the investor and alternative asset management community to source and recruit leading capital raising and investment candidates. The Firm takes a data-driven approach, combining quantitative and qualitative insights to source and place the ideal human capital. In addition to executive search, Jensen Partners offers LP/GP referencing, proprietary 360° Investor Referencing™ methodology, and compensation benchmarking and analysis. Known globally as a leader in the asset management space for its transformative talent and DEI solutions, Jensen Partners has been named one of the world's most innovative companies with fewer than 100 employees by Fast Company; the "Best Recruiter" in Europe by Hedgeweek and Private Equity Wire; and the top DEI provider within Operations and Service by Fund Intelligence. To learn more, please visit www.jensen-partners.com.
About Jensen DiversityMetrics™
Jensen DiversityMetrics™ combines rich diversity analytics with the latest research from the field of human capital management, providing an objective, 360 degree view of where a firm stands on DEI and how they can make meaningful progress towards a more diverse, equitable and inclusive workforce, including: verified demographic data for more than 25,000 investment and distribution professionals from across the industry, a candidate pipeline of over 8,000 investment and distribution professionals who self-identify as having a diverse background and a proprietary scoring algorithm that enables objective DEI comparisons across firms and industries. With Jensen DiversityMetrics™, firms can benchmark against competitors, develop diverse candidate pipelines, analyze hiring and retention practices, identify biases in workplace culture and report progress to investors.
Jensen Partners publishes JensenDiversityMetrics™ data and insights in its quarterly newsletter. To sign up for Jensen Partners' newsletters, please visit: https://lp.constantcontactpages.com/su/tbmquk0.
Media Contacts
Prosek Partners
Max Berger
mberger@prosek.com
215-595-3696
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NORWOOD, Mass., July 31, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Corbus Pharmaceuticals Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ: CRBP) ("Corbus" or the "Company"), a precision oncology company, today announced that Yuval Cohen, Ph.D., Chief Executive Officer of Corbus, will participate in a fireside chat and one-on-one investor meetings at the BTIG Virtual Biotechnology Conference, to be held August 7-8, 2023.
BTIG Virtual Biotechnology Conference
Format: Fireside chat and one-on-one investor meetings
Fireside Chat Date: Tuesday, August 8, 2023
Fireside Chat Time: 9:00 a.m. ET
To register for the conference, contact your BTIG sales representative.
About Corbus
Corbus Pharmaceuticals Holdings, Inc. (the "Company" or "Corbus") is a precision oncology company committed to helping people defeat serious illness by bringing innovative scientific approaches to well understood biological pathways. Corbus' internal development pipeline includes CRB-701, a next generation antibody drug conjugate (ADC) that targets the expression of Nectin-4 on cancer cells to release a cytotoxic payload and CRB-601, an anti-integrin monoclonal antibody which blocks the activation of TGFβ expressed on cancer cells. Corbus is headquartered in Norwood, Massachusetts. For more information on Corbus, visit corbuspharma.com. Connect with us on Twitter, LinkedIn and Facebook.
Forward-Looking Statements
This press release contains certain forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and Private Securities Litigation Reform Act, as amended, including those relating to the Company's restructuring, trial results, product development, clinical and regulatory timelines, market opportunity, competitive position, possible or assumed future results of operations, business strategies, potential growth opportunities and other statement that are predictive in nature. These forward-looking statements are based on current expectations, estimates, forecasts and projections about the industry and markets in which we operate and management's current beliefs and assumptions.
These statements may be identified by the use of forward-looking expressions, including, but not limited to, "expect," "anticipate," "intend," "plan," "believe," "estimate," "potential," "predict," "project," "should," "would" and similar expressions and the negatives of those terms. These statements relate to future events or our financial performance and involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties, and other factors on our operations, clinical development plans and timelines, which may cause actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements. Such factors include those set forth in the Company's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Prospective investors are cautioned not to place undue reliance on such forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date of this press release. The Company undertakes no obligation to publicly update any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.
INVESTOR CONTACT:
Sean Moran
Chief Financial Officer
Corbus Pharmaceuticals
Sean.moran@corbuspharma.com
Bruce Mackle Managing Director
LifeSci Advisors, LLC
bmackle@lifesciadvisors.com
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Tips and tricks for protecting your home from the elements
If you like learning new skills and having a to-do list that never ends, there’s no better investment than purchasing a home. But becoming a homeowner isn’t just the biggest financial commitment you’ll ever make, it’s also a pledge to take care of something, for better or worse, as long as you both shall live. Or at least until you decide it’s time to move.
Along with the bills, repairs, and perpetual upkeep, one of the biggest tasks you face as a homeowner is your never-ending battle with Mother Nature. Just when you think you’ve reshingled your last roof and can rest easy when it comes to leaks, you find a small pond in the basement after the latest storm. This list will walk you through everything you need to know in order to best protect your home from the elements.
But first, it’s important to review your insurance policy so you are aware of what is and isn’t covered. Your homeowner’s insurance policy might not cover floods and damage caused by the elements. Take a few minutes, read over your policy, call your agent and make the needed changes to get the peace of mind you deserve.
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What are the elements?
It’s not just water — which causes mold and rot — that you have to worry about. Wind, snow, hail, cold and heat can also do substantial damage to your home. Here are just a few examples of the havoc the elements can wreak on your home.
Wind
A gentle breeze is refreshing, but a gale-force wind? Anything over 50 or 60 mph can be devastating. From hurling projectiles and prying loose shingles to stripping away siding and shearing off the entire roof, strong winds can dismantle a house in a matter of minutes.
Snow
It’s pristine, and it twinkles as if infused by magic. Snow is beautiful. But it’s also heavy. On average, a square foot of snow weighs a little over 12 pounds. If you have a house that’s 2,000 square feet and it snows 12 inches, that’s roughly an extra 24,000 pounds — 12 tons — on your roof. See how this could cause a little trouble? Especially if the snow is resting on large tree branches or that evergreen that’s already leaning toward your house.
Hail
Hail is Mother Nature’s mischievous child. They enjoy causing trouble. Got cracked shingles? Divots in the lawn? Broken windows? Dents in your car? Damaged outdoor furniture? You’ve got hail!
Cold
Cold is the silent destroyer of homes. If you’ve ever had a pipe burst, you already know this. But beyond that, cold can create ice dams in your gutters that force water beneath your shingles, thereby ruining the items under your roof. And if water gets into any tiny crack, be it in your driveway or your foundation, it will expand when it freezes, turning that tiny crack into a crevasse.
Heat
Excessive moist heat can warp hardwood floors and accelerate deterioration in other areas, such as your attic and roof. Excessive dry heat can suck the moisture out of the ground, making it shrink and taking away some much-needed support from your home’s foundation.
Best strategies for keeping your home safe
Indeed, the elements can be devastating to your home. Thankfully, there are a number of quick and easy things you can do to protect it from the elements. Following is a list of the best (and most effortless) strategies.
Strategy 1: Bring items inside
Tempera 9′ Outdoor Market Patio Table Umbrella
Lawn chairs, watering cans, bicycles, scooters, patio umbrellas, and other loose items that you keep outside need to be brought inside before a storm. After all, the wind can turn anything that’s not fastened down into a destructive projectile.
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Strategy 2: Close the curtains
If anything flies into your window during a storm, having your blinds drawn and your drapes closed can help block some of the broken glass and other debris from entering your home.
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Strategy 3: Use your garage
If you don’t want dings in your car, put your vehicle in the garage before all hail breaks loose — along with anything else that could be damaged should the sky begin to pelt ice at your property. If your garage is full of clutter, however, this might not be as simple as it is supposed to be. Take time to organize and store your tools before the storm, and you could be thanking yourself later.
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Strategy 4: Rake the roof
When snow piles up on your house, it can get beneath your shingles as it melts, damaging your roof. When it’s safe to do so, grab a roof rake and clear your roof so melting snow can flow away without much damage. Note: always leave a thin layer of snow on your roof, because too much scraping could damage your shingles.
Strategy 5: Seal your driveway
Those tiny cracks in your driveway become bigger cracks when they fill with water which then freezes. Be proactive and seal your driveway — or at the very least, fill those cracks in with gravel — before winter arrives.
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Strategy 6: Run a dehumidifier
All that humidity in the summer can really mess with the wood in your house. It can also make everything feel quite sticky. To remedy the situation (and save your hardwood floors), turn on a dehumidifier and let it work its magic.
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Strategy 7: Use a sprinkler
During those hot, rainless periods of summer when the ground dries up and pulls away from your house, weakening its foundation, don’t fret. Instead, turn on your sprinkler and put some moisture back into the soil. Don’t add too much, though, because excess water near your home’s foundation has a way of seeping into your basement or crawlspace.
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Extra tips for protecting your home from weather damage
The following tips involve a little more than a quick fix, but they are much cheaper than full-blown repairs.
Anchor down your large items
If you have a storage shed, a grill, trash cans, or any large item that doesn’t have a permanent foundation or isn’t securely fastened, anchor it down. You can use straps, anchors, or bolts. In strong winds, this will help minimize dangerous projectiles. In a flood, it will help keep your valuables from drifting away.
Remove trees that pose a threat
Rain can make the ground soggy, allowing trees to lean. Once tilted, wet snow or strong winds can be all it takes to topple even the mightiest oak. Consider having any trees within striking distance of your home taken down before the next storm.
Bring in the reinforcements
A home is only as safe as its weakest spots. If you live in an area prone to severe weather, you need to do something about those spots. Get a professional out to reinforce your garage door, and consider installing storm shutters over your windows and glass doors.
The elements can be brutal on your home. From minor inconveniences to major repairs, Mother Nature really knows how to dish out the damage. But you aren’t helpless. Your best defense is a strong offense. Stay vigilant, smart, and proactive, and your home will be able to weather any storm.
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WASHINGTON, July 31, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- We the Veterans and Military Families, a non-profit, non-partisan, pro-democracy organization (formerly We the Veterans), today announced that Jeremy Butler will join the team as the Chief Growth Officer, effective July 24, 2023. He will serve on We the Veterans' Executive Team, working with Executive Director Ellen Gustafson and Executive Chairman Ben Keiser.
"Jeremy's extensive experience in the veteran community will be an invaluable addition to our team as we expand our pro-democracy work nationally," said Ellen Gustafson, Executive Director of We the Veterans and Military Families. "Jeremy has an incredible track record of success advocating for America's veteran community as a transformative leader."
Jeremy Butler, a U.S. Navy veteran, joins We the Veterans and Military Families after a distinguished term as the Chief Executive Officer and Chief Operating Officer of Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America. Jeremy served on active duty in the Navy from 1999 to 2005 as a surface warfare officer. He currently serves in the U.S. Navy Reserves. Jeremy attended Knox College in Galesburg, IL, where he majored in International Relations. He later received his M.A. in National Security and Strategic Studies from the U.S. Naval War College.
"I'm excited to join We the Veterans and Military Families and help advance their important mission to strengthen our democracy for all Americans," said Mr. Butler. "Our nation does its best work when we come together and work for the common good."
About: We the Veterans and Military Families was founded in 2021 by veterans and military family members. Our mission is to empower the veteran and military family community to strengthen American democracy by promoting patriotic civic engagement. In 2022, WtV&MF organized the +30 member Vet the Vote coalition and recruited more than 63,500 veterans and family members to serve as volunteer election poll workers nationwide.
Media Contact
Joe Plenzler
LtCol, USMC(ret.)
joe.plenzler@wetheveterans.us
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The report highlights emerging trends that will significantly impact the financial services industry over the next decade
NEW YORK, July 31, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Deloitte today announced its "2023 Financial Services Industry Predictions" report, which outlines emerging trends across the banking & capital markets, insurance, real estate, and investment management sectors. The report highlights the impact of data and emerging technologies, products and services, and climate change on the future of financial services – and as a result, on society and the economy.
"The reality is that emerging technological changes could be more pervasive and impactful going forward in ways that can be scarcely imagined today," said Jim Eckenrode, managing director, Deloitte Center for Financial Services. Deloitte Services LP. "Financial services will likely play an important role in helping these breakthroughs emerge to the benefit of us all, while simultaneously opening up new avenues of revenue and profit."
Some of Deloitte's predictions for the financial services industry over the next decade:
Generative AI is expected to boost productivity: Generative AI is expected to have a significant impact on the investment banking industry and the financial services industry as a whole, as organizations explore ways to harness the power of the technology to improve productivity. Deloitte predicts the top 14 global investment banks could boost their front-office productivity by an average of 25% by using Generative AI (GAI), thereby earning potentially an additional revenue of $3 million per front-office employee in 2026, from an average of $11.3 million during 2020-22.
Demand for carbon credit offset financing: Deloitte predicts that global consumers will purchase $115 billion of carbon offsets a year by 2030. Carbon credits will likely be embedded in many of the purchasing decisions that consumers make in their day-to-day lives. The surge in demand for these credits could produce new trading networks that offer tailored, localized and niche options for climate change mitigation projects. Banks could be instrumental in developing and supporting the back-end infrastructure that connect brands' payment processes to the carbon credit market. And banks can play an instrumental role in developing and supporting the carbon credit market.
Insurers prepare for driverless vehicles: Deloitte estimates advancements in self-driving technology may eliminate the need for around 380,000 long-haul truck drivers in the next five years. This alone would have a major impact on workers' compensation insurers, with a potential loss of around $3 billion worth of premiums. But widespread adoption of autonomous vehicles could also result in a shift in premiums across multiple insurance lines, including commercial auto, product and professional liability, and cyber coverage.
Office space to fill the affordable housing gap: Deloitte predicts office-to-residential conversions could become profitable within the next five years, estimating that around 14,700 affordable units in central business districts across the country can be added by 2030, assuming approximately 20% of converted square footage can be earmarked for affordable housing.
"As financial services firms grapple with what's on the horizon, they need to think about how the landscape is radically shifting," said Monica O'Reilly, Vice Chair, US Financial Services Industry Leader, Deloitte & Touche LLP. "Market and economic pressures, emerging technologies, and new revenue opportunities will impact tomorrow's business strategies, and financial services firms should prepare for that now."
Additional trends included in the report that are expected to shape the financial services industry:
Democratization of financial advice: Financial advice shouldn't just be for the wealthy anymore — and it doesn't have to be. Financial firms can leverage robo-advisory platforms to bring much-needed financial advice to the global mass market and make it profitable. Deloitte estimates net financial wealth held by the mass retail population segment globally to almost double to $22 trillion by 2030.
Synthetic identity fraud could trigger need for more sophisticated biometric security systems: Synthetic identity fraud—a hoax in which cybercriminals create new identities with some stolen or fabricated data — is the fastest growing financial crime in the United States,i and it shows no sign of abating. Deloitte expects it to generate at least $25 billion in losses by 2030, prompting banks to develop more advanced biometric security systems to weed out would-be perpetrators.
Higher deposit costs expected to challenge banks: Deloitte predicts the average cost of interest-bearing deposits for the U.S. banking industry in 2024 and 2025 to remain elevated at 1.7% and 1.5%, respectively, even as the fed funds rate declines from the recent peak. This may crimp bank profitability in the medium term.
Real-time B2B payments could take off: Deloitte expects real-time payments could tap an addressable market of $12 trillion in check-based business-to-business (B2B) transaction volume globally by 2028. Banks and payment firms could play a pivotal role in helping usher in a new era of more efficient and instant domestic and cross-border value exchange among businesses.
Rise of embedded insurance: Embedded finance, and particularly embedded insurance, is expected to continue to expand. Execution may not be easy for insurers, though, and it could take the rest of the decade for embedded finance to fully shake out.
Increased spending on quantum computing: Spending on quantum-related capabilities will likely grow quickly over the next few years as indicated by the increased capital investments and patent filings for the hardware technology. Globally, the financial services industry's spending on quantum computing capabilities is expected to grow 233x from just US$80 million in 2022 to US$19 billion in 2032, growing at a 10-year CAGR of 72%.
Alternative data in investment management: Deloitte estimates the revenue for alternative data providers, earned from all industries globally with the majority coming from investment management firms, to grow 29x between 2022 and 2030. The new data largely consist of novel types and forms of data such as satellite images, social media posts, geolocation data, credit card transactions, and mobile application data that are starkly different from the traditionally structured financial data.
Funding for climate hardtech: An additional US$2 trillion in private hardtech investment is predicted to be needed to help effectively slow global warming. Most of total climate funding will likely need to come from the private sector — but so far, there isn't enough. Financial services organizations can play a lead role in bridging the funding gap.
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iFedPayments Improvement, "Synthetic identity fraud," accessed June 8, 2023.
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