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Two Trapz and Co rattle sets have been recalled by Product Safety Australia, over fears they could cause deaths among young children.
The Montessori Rattle Set and Wooden Crochet 3-Piece Set do not comply with the mandatory size and shape requirements for kids up to the age of three.
It is feared the rattles could cause severe injuries or deaths, as they are a potential choking or suffocation hazard for young children.
The Montessori Rattle Set was sold nationally in stores and online for over a year (from September 21, 2020 to October 6, 2021), while the Wooden Crochet 3-Piece Set was available for just over two months (June 28, 2021 to October 6, 2021).
Anyone who owns either of the rattles has been told to stop using them and to dispose of them immediately.
Customers can contact Trapz and Co to receive a refund for either product, though they will be asked to provide proof that the rattles have been disposed of. | https://www.perthnow.com.au/news/fears-kids-could-suffocate-and-die-from-popular-childrens-toys-c-6285237 | 2022-04-01T01:54:39Z |
Mets' Seth Lugo Finally Feels Back To Normal After Full Offseason Of Recovery
PORT ST. LUCIE -- Seth Lugo is feeling better than he has health-wise in quite some time. And this could be a key factor for the Mets' bullpen after Aaron Loup left for the Los Angeles Angels in free agency.
Last year during spring training, the Mets found two large bone spurs in Lugo's right elbow, which would require surgery that knocked him out of action until June.
“We didn’t find them until last spring," Lugo told Inside the Mets at Clover Park on Wednesday, of his bone spurs. "You can’t really tell exactly when they were there and started having effects on how I was feeling.
"But because of the size of (the bone spurs), we believe they were in there for a few years. Our surgeon said he hadn’t seen one that big."
Despite getting both bone spurs removed from his elbow, the right-hander admitted that his 2021 campaign was a struggle because he never received a full period of recovery. Following his surgery, he began a throwing program six weeks later and was eventually activated from the injured list on June 2.
But after returning from his procedure, he did not feel like himself on the mound last season. To be fair, Lugo still posted a 3.50 ERA in 46 appearances, but he wasn't the same lights out hurler he once was out of the Mets' bullpen in previous seasons.
On a positive note, Lugo believes his elbow is back to normal after finally getting a full offseason of rest and recovery.
“Last year was tough because I never really recovered," Lugo said. "After an offseason where I could get the rest that I needed, I feel a lot better."
In seasons past, Lugo has been able to give the Mets multi-inning appearances in relief. However, this would cause him to be unavailable for one or several days afterwards.
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Now that the 31-year-old is healthy, he is more optimistic that he can bounce-back quicker after tossing more than one inning in an appearance.
“I have a lot more confidence in that than in years past," Lugo said. "I’ve thrown a couple times down here and I’m recovering fast and feel more normal. I’m hoping that carries over into the regular-season and I’m feeling like this the whole way through.
"I’m excited to see how often I can pitch and how available I can be. My elbow hasn’t felt this good in a couple years now."
Lugo went onto reveal that he used to deal with swelling the day after he pitched, which would hinder his ability to recover between appearances. But after finally receiving the proper rest during the offseason, he is no longer behind the rest of the pitching staff in this area.
“As far as recovery, that’s a lot easier now," Lugo said. "I’m not swelling up after I pitch now. I feel really good the next day. (My elbow) is rebounding as it should. It’s not a question of why I’m feeling worse than other guys anymore. It’s a relief that (bone spurs) are gone. I’m feeling really good and I’m excited for this year.”
An additional bonus of Lugo's fully-healed elbow is that it has allowed him to throw his best pitch with more ease. Lugo's rejuvenated elbow has given him the proper arm speed and action he needs to make his curveball more consistent. This has improved his ability to better locate it in camp.
Lugo suffered a slightly torn UCL in his right elbow in 2017, which did not require surgery. He proceeded to pitch across the next three seasons until the Mets discovered multiple bone spurs in his arm last spring.
Lugo now believes his elbow troubles are a thing of the past. And the Mets can only hope that he reverts back to the lockdown reliever he once was in previous seasons in order to enhance their bullpen. | https://www.si.com/mlb/mets/news/mets-seth-lugo-finally-feels-back-to-normal-after-full-offseason-of-recovery | 2022-04-01T01:54:39Z |
You need to enable JavaScript to run this app. | https://sportspyder.com/nba/san-antonio-spurs/articles/39012698 | 2022-04-01T01:54:39Z |
A former Senator, representing Kaduna Central, Shehu Sani, Shehu Sani, has faulted the SIM card and National Identification Number linkage as terrorists have contacted family members of passengers abducted on the ill-fated Kaduna-bound train.
The PUNCH had reported that a train headed for Kaduna from Abuja was attacked by terrorists who detonated explosives laid on the railway tracks.
The attack led to the death of eight passengers including a dentist, Chinelo Megafu, with others injured, while many were kidnapped.
Sani, in a tweet on Thursday, stated that the abductors have been freely calling families of the victims and demanding ransom.
He questioned the need for the SIM and NIN registration if they could not come in handy in dire situations like the train attack.
Sani wrote, “The train kidnappers are freely making calls to the families of their hostages; What happened to the SIM card registration and the NIN hoopla?”
In a statement signed by the Director of Public Affairs, Nigerian Communications Commission, Dr Ikechukwu Adinde, on Thursday, the Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Isa Pantami, urged citizens and legal residents to complete the SIM card and NIN linkage.
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The PUNCH reported that Federal Government has been pushing for more Nigerians and legal residents to register for its universal identification system which it claimed would also help in matters of national security.
There have been many extensions on the deadline for the SIM-NIN linkage, with the latest on March 31, 2022.
So far, there have been no victims rescued since the attack on the train on Sunday despite calls from different quarters for security agencies to ramp up their operations.
Copyright PUNCH.
All rights reserved. This material, and other digital content on this website, may not be reproduced, published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed in whole or in part without prior express written permission from PUNCH.
Contact: [email protected] | https://punchng.com/train-attack-terrorists-phone-abducted-passengers-families-shehu-sani-faults-nin-registration/ | 2022-04-01T01:54:39Z |
The counting is over in the second union election at an Amazon warehouse in Bessemer, Alabama. But it's too close to call.
There were 993 "no" votes and 875 "yes" votes, but more than 400 contested ballots remain. According to the National Labor Relations Board, there will be a hearing within a few weeks to decide if any of the challenged ballots will be opened and counted.
More than 6,100 workers were eligible to vote in the do-over election, which was ordered after the NLRB found that Amazon had improperly interfered in last year's tally.
Turnout in this year's vote was down from last year when over half of eligible voters cast ballots. But among those who actually voted this time around, there was greater support for the union. Last year, workers voted more than 2-to-1 against joining the Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union, a well-established national union.
"This time around we were able to educate more about unions," said Jennifer Bates, a warehouse employee, noting that organizers were able to get closer to workers now that the pandemic has eased.
The RWDSU called for every vote to be counted.
"The tenacity and courage of these workers never wavered in this unnecessarily long process," said RWDSU president Stuart Appelbaum in a statement. "Workers will have to wait just a little bit longer to ensure their voices are heard."
Meanwhile in a separate Amazon union election on Staten Island in New York, the vote count will continue Friday morning. Roughly 8,000 workers were eligible to vote on whether to join the Amazon Labor Union, an upstart organization led by former and current Amazon warehouse employees. With ballots still to count, the union is in the lead, with 1,518 voting yes so far, and 1,154 voting no.
Copyright 2022 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org. | https://www.michiganradio.org/2022-03-31/do-over-union-election-at-amazons-bessemer-warehouse-is-too-close-to-call | 2022-04-01T01:54:39Z |
Officials continue to investigate the cause of the loud “boom” that surprised many Hoosiers throughout south central Indiana Wednesday.
Residents in Monroe and surrounding counties reported hearing what sounded like an explosion in the early afternoon. Some said the sound shook their houses.
The Monroe County Sheriff's Office had not identified a source within the county as of Thursday morning.
A spokesperson with the Indiana National Guard tells me there was no "explosive or live fire training" at Camp Atterbury that would result in an apparent "large boom" nearby residents are reporting @wtiunews @WFIUNews
— Mitch Legan (@ByMitchLegan) March 30, 2022
The National Weather Service Indianapolis branch noted lightning and high winds in the Johnson County area Wednesday, but meteorologist Aaron Updike said nothing was out of the ordinary.
One possible cause could be a fireball passing overhead, according to Robert Lunsford, contributing editor and fireball report manager for the American Meteor Society (AMS). Fireballs are extraordinarily bright meteors whose sighting is often followed by a loud boom.
The AMS received two reports late Wednesday of a fireball passing low – about 700 to 800 feet – over Columbus and Bloomington, around 12:20 p.m.
The organization received two more reports Thursday morning of a fireball in northern Kentucky, south of Cincinnati, around 12:45 p.m. Wednesday. Lunsford said the information in the reports leads him to believe they’re describing the same event, and his preliminary explanation is that a meteor caused the boom people heard.
“[What] may account [for] why we have a low number of reports [is] the fact that it was obscured by clouds,” Lunsford said.
The Bloomington report described the event as a bright white flash: “I’ve heard reports of the sound but no one mentions that flash just before it.”
The IU Department of Astronomy was inundated with calls Wednesday about the boom. Postdoctoral researcher Vaclav Pavlik said, given the known information, it’s plausible the sound was caused by a fireball or meteor. He said it likely won’t be possible to confirm, though, unless somebody actually finds it.
“From what I’ve seen on the map that (AMS) provides, they have a trajectory that would go from Morgantown to Greenwood,” Pavlik said.
He attributes the large lag in time from the Indiana reports of seeing a fireball (12:20 p.m.) to those who heard the boom (around 12:44 p.m.) to people possibly misremembering when they saw or heard it, since the reports were filed hours after the event. But he said it makes sense, considering that light travels faster than sound.
The Indiana Department of Homeland Security said it was aware of the sound but had not been asked to assist and had no information on the boom.
Rumors swirled online that the sound might have come from an ammunition storage exploding at Camp Atterbury, the National Guard base near Edinburgh. Residents of Johnson and Brown counties reported being shaken by the boom.
Master Sgt. Jeff Lowry, spokesperson for the Indiana National Guard, said there was “no explosive or live fire training” scheduled at Camp Atterbury Wednesday.
When asked directly if the sound came from the Camp, Maj. Jesse Bien, the camp's public information officer, said the camp was not responsible for the sound.
Mark Dobbs, community planning liaison with Naval Support Activity Crane in Martin County, said the base conducted demolition operations Wednesday morning and afternoon, and that the afternoon operations took place between 1 and 1:30 p.m. Dobbs could not comment on what the operations were or if it was what people reported hearing.
March 31, 4:48 p.m.: this story has been updated and will continue to be revised as more information becomes available. | https://www.wvpe.org/indiana-news/2022-03-31/was-that-an-explosion-a-meteor-what-we-know-about-wednesdays-big-boom | 2022-04-01T01:54:39Z |
2022 Edition of “Pieces of Jamaica®” Commemorates Jamaica’s 60th Anniversary
[Fort Lauderdale] – Ten years after his internationally acclaimed photo art collection-turned-coffee table book “Pieces of Jamaica®: The Real Rock Edition”, photographer David I. Muir is releasing a second volume. The 2022 edition of “Pieces of Jamaica®” commemorates Jamaica’s 60th anniversary of independence. It will offer a stunning depiction of Jamaican culture. Especially, those not typically published or celebrated, in a visual narrative of Jamaica’s beauty.
The book and associated products will be available for pre-order in April at piecesofjamaica.com, with distribution beginning in the summer.
Photographer and fine artist Sean Henry has joined Muir to capture evocative pictures of the land they love. Both recently completed a project to capture visitor-oriented images for Jamaica Tourist Board campaigns.
Appeal to Jamaicans In Diaspora
The new photo art collection is meant to satisfy the appetites of Jamaicans in the diaspora, fans of the island and residents who revere their home. In “Pieces of Jamaica®,” more than 150 pages of new images will tell a story of the island, her culture, people, landscapes, traditions and more. The book will showcase both familiar and little-known areas that beckon readers abroad to visit and encourage those on the island to explore. Throughout the book, national prose, quotes from Jamaican thought-leaders and influencers, as well as the artists’ own words will be featured.
Renowned Photo Artist
David I. Muir is an entrepreneur and community leader. His special love for candid, cultural and lifestyle photography is a signature component of his art collections. His photographs have been displayed in exhibitions at home and abroad. In addition, he is an in-demand commercial photographer working from his base in South Florida. As president of Island Syndicate, a multiple-award winning publishing company dedicated to storytelling excellence, Muir is poised to create the quintessential Jamaican photo collection.
“I wanted to celebrate Jamaica because of how much I love it,” Muir said. “I wanted to extol the virtues of Jamaica because I had left it, and I wanted other people to know how wonderful Jamaica is. People expressed how much my images connected with them and how special they were. I don’t necessarily see myself as the best photographer. But, I certainly feel as though what I share about Jamaica feels like the truth.”
Contributions by Sean Henry
Sean Henry will contribute photos as well as fine art pieces to the printed collection. He is best known for his lifelike illustrations of Jamaican scenery and culture. Plus, portraits in watercolor, pastel, ink, charcoal and mixed media. A graduate of the Edna Manley College of the Visual and Performing Arts. He founded screen printing and graphics house IYA Limited which he has operated since 1988.
“It is important to me to showcase the places that go unseen or ‘un-thought-of’ as beautiful. I also want to showcase my skills as a photographer as I’m mainly known as an artist and painter,” he said. “The fine art pieces that I’ll include will bring a different element to the project. Some of the places we capture, to some, are no longer in their glory days. My watercolor pieces will show the beauty that they still possess today, in another form of art.”
“Pieces of Jamaica®” will be published by Island Syndicate, which David runs with his business partner, Calibe Thompson. The creative services agency brings storytelling excellence to photography, video and print publishing projects. Especially for discerning clients in the US. Additionally, they are now working with clients in the Caribbean.
Select featured images from the 2022 edition of “Pieces of Jamaica®” will also be available in paper and canvas prints. In addition to commemorative memorabilia like notebooks, apparel and backpacks. Interested fans of the project can join the mailing list for updates and learn more about the book, merchandise, upcoming events and sponsorship opportunities at piecesofjamaica.com. | https://sflcn.com/2022-edition-of-pieces-of-jamaica-commemorates-jamaicas-60th-anniversary/ | 2022-04-01T01:54:39Z |
Police Remind Manawatu Residents To Secure Their Car
Manawatu Criminal Investigation
Branch Detective
Sergeant Carl Newton:
In recent weeks, Manawatu Police
have noticed an increase in vehicle related
crime
in the wider Manawatu region.
Since the beginning of
2022, approximately 350 vehicles have been stolen
as
well as a number of trailers.
Police
believe a number of these thefts can be attributed to a
comparatively
small number offenders.
Since
the start of the year, six offenders have been positively
identified as
collectively committing over 80
vehicle offences in the region.
Police are committed
to actively investigating vehicle theft and
holding
offenders to account.
However, Police
cannot be everywhere at once and cannot deter
opportunistic
thieves on our own.
Police urge
people to take measures in order to prevent their car from
being
stolen in the first place.
Detective
Sergeant Carl Newton says “while the vast majority of
stolen cars
are recovered by Police, they are often
damaged, and the theft of a vehicle
is not only
disruptive but upsetting for many people. Ensuring your
vehicle
is secure will cost you nothing and can
help to avoid the distress and cost
associated with
car theft”.
Taking measures such as ensuring that
when your car is unattended, it is
locked and all
valuable items are removed or concealed from view
is
important.
If possible, park your vehicle
in a garage, but if it must be parked on the
road,
try to park in a well-lit, busy area.
There are also
anti-theft devices that are available for trailers that
will
help prevent theft.
By making your
vehicle more challenging to steal, opportunistic thieves
will
be more likely to leave it alone.
If you
notice suspicious activity around cars, please contact
Police on 111
if it is happening and 105 after the
fact. | https://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/AK2204/S00022/police-remind-manawatu-residents-to-secure-their-car.htm | 2022-04-01T01:54:40Z |
(ST. JOSEPH, Mo.) The St. Joseph School District Board of Education has accepted the resignation of Superintendent Doug Van Zyl.
The board made the decision during a Special Executive Session on Thursday.
“We wish Dr. Van Zyl and his family the very best as he returns to his home state of Minnesota,” stated Board President Tami Pasley. “We thank Dr. Van Zyl for his leadership of the SJSD which saw the establishment of the Virtual Academy, the opening of our Early Learning Center, the expansion of Hillyard Technical School with the addition of new and relevant programs for our students, and so many more positive accomplishments making our district a better place. We are especially grateful for his amazing leadership throughout the pandemic.”
Van Zyl has been hired by the Lakeville Area School District in Minnesota, according to a news release. The Board of Education unanimously selected Van Zyl to be the next superintendent on March 15.
On Thursday, Van Zyl sent out a message to staff and parents in the St. Joseph School District saying, "My family and I are excited about the future and the possibilities it holds. But, I also realize that change may create some anxiety and stress. Please know the board will work quickly to find a replacement and I will work for a seamless transition. My leaving does not diminish the progress we have made as a school district or the challenges we have overcome these past four years. It also doesn't limit the possibilities for what lies ahead for SJSD or the city of St. Joseph. Keep pushing forward and striving to do what is best for all our kids."
Van Zyl is set to begin his new role in Minnesota on July 1.
The Board will be holding another Special Executive Session on Monday, April 4 at 5 p.m. to discuss the superintendent vacancy. | https://www.kq2.com/news/sjsd-board-of-education-accepts-resignation-of-superintendent-doug-van-zyl/article_28fe5e1c-b141-11ec-8e9f-c7309560d046.html | 2022-04-01T01:54:40Z |
Former President Trump senior adviser Jared Kushner provided "helpful" information to the Democratic-led House panel investigating the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol, a member of the panel said.
Kushner, married to Trump's daughter Ivanka Trump, who was also a senior adviser, is the most high profile member of Trump's inner circle known to have appeared before the committee.
He voluntarily appeared for a remote interview that started at 10 a.m. and lasted at least into the early afternoon hours, several sources familiar with the committee's work said.
Kushner's meeting came two months after the panel asked Ivanka Trump to voluntarily appear before the committee. Chairman Bennie Thompson, D-Miss., said Ivanka Trump and the committee are engaged in conversations, but no final plan has been reached on her appearance.
"The expectation is that it will take place, as to when I can't tell you right now, I know we are engaging her as a committee," Thompson said on Wednesday.
Virginia Democratic Rep. Elaine Luria told NPR the conversation with Kushner was "helpful." She told MSNBC that Kushner was able to substantiate information and provide his own take on different reports on the Jan. 6 attack.
Luria said it's valuable to hear firsthand accounts from witnesses such as Kushner directly.
"I think that the committee really appreciates hearing information directly from people who have relevant facts about January 6, and the fact that Jared Kushner came as a witness is helpful to building the story of our investigation," Luria said.
One source familiar with the committee's discussions but unable to speak on the record said there were details that Kushner couldn't remember but the source noted that like other witnesses, it has been more than a year since the attack on the Capitol and it is not uncommon for some to not recall some specifics.
Kushner was traveling back from Saudi Arabia on Jan. 6, 2021, but Thompson said he believes that he could help the committee understand more about the events that led up to that day.
"We think because he was an integral part of the administration, it's, I think, important for us to find out if he knew anything about the planning before January 6 and to get it from him," Thompson said.
Thompson, who was not at House votes on Thursday and voted by proxy, had said a day earlier if Kushner's interview went well, the panel would ask for additional communication details, such as call and text message records.
Thompson had previously waved off interest in Kushner but said the committee's staff has continued to reach out to potential witnesses.
"We have an excellent staff, and staff has been actively engaging a number of witnesses, including individuals or their attorneys and Kushner's attorney will be the same," Thompson told NPR on Wednesday.
The White House on Wednesday said it had waived executive privilege claims for Kushner and Ivanka Trump, allowing them to share certain details with the panel.
Copyright 2022 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org. | https://www.kunm.org/npr-news/2022-03-31/jared-kushner-provided-helpful-details-to-the-jan-6-committee-a-panel-member-says | 2022-04-01T01:54:40Z |
'Mom Deb' retires as CEO from Freedom House Detroit which helps those fleeing persecution globally
DETROIT (FOX 2) - They call her "Mom Deb" at Freedom House Detroit.
Deb Drennan has been the CEO for 15 years. She and her staff help people fleeing persecution and violence - seeking asylum here in the United States.
"You enter Freedom House homeless and in need of services, but you exit with income and permanent housing in a community you're part of, and who knows you," Drennan said.
On this day there are 60 residents there from all over the world.
"We have 19 countries in the house today - 19 countries out of 60 people - that's pretty cool," she said.
Each person bring unique talents and complicated histories - Za is the site manager at Freedom House - he was Deb Drennan's first client back in 2004, after he fled the military dictatorship in Togo, West Africa.
"I was fighting for democracy in my country," he said.
If he stayed - he could have been killed. So many of the thousands of people who have come through the door of Freedom House - have similar stories.
"It's pretty amazing for the people that are here - what they've gone through to get here - and to know that they're pretty much human rights activists - maybe not activists but a human rights advocate," said Deb.
And they all have to start over - like Nadia and Mamba from Burundi - both came through Freedom House - now their fresh start is at their East African restaurant Baobab Fare. It was named the best new restaurant in Detroit - and one of the best in the country.
"It's not something we can take for granted - we are really so grateful," said Nadia Nijimbere, co-owner Baobab Fare.
And much of that gratitude goes to Freedom House and Deb Drennan - who retires on April 1st.
"She's the mom of the house - I did not think that day would come," said Nadia. "She gave me the knowledge, she gave me the connections."
"This is a sad day for me - but Deb gave a lot to Freedom House," said Naini Itito, site manager, Freedom House.
As Deb Drennan leaves, she reminds us that the mission there continues - right now they're fielding calls from Russia and Ukraine - each new person who arrives - needs help.
"The mission still stays the same, so I hope people will continue their legacy and the support," Deb said.
Chief Operating Officer Elizabeth Orozco-Vasquez will become the new CEO to learn more about Freedom House Detroit - or to make a donation, log on to freedomhousedetroit.org
Advertisement | https://www.fox2detroit.com/news/mom-deb-retires-as-ceo-from-freedom-house-detroit-which-helps-those-fleeing-persecution-globally | 2022-04-01T01:54:40Z |
Elder: Hollywood Is Obsessing Over Will Smith's Slap, But Silent on What It Does to Conservatives
Goodness! What a night.
During the live broadcast of the Academy Awards on Sunday, actor Will Smith walked up to the stage and slapped comedian Chris Rock. When Smith returned to his seat, he unleashed a profanity-laced tirade — muted by the show’s producer — at Rock.
What did Rock do to warrant the attack? He told a joke about Smith’s wife, Jada Pinkett Smith. “Jada, I love you,” Rock said. “‘G.I. Jane 2,’ can’t wait to see it.” The original film stars Demi Moore, with a shaved head, playing a Navy special operations trainee. Rock’s joke referred to Jada Smith’s shaved head due to hair loss caused by alopecia, a condition she publicly revealed years ago. Rock claimed he knew nothing about her condition.
Whether Rock knew or not, the quip did not justify a slap to the face. Rock is, after all, a comedian. He tells jokes. He was doing his job. In fact, immediately after the joke, a camera shot showed Will Smith laughing. But he quickly found that his wife was not amused.
Just before the slap, Rock joked about husband-and-wife actors Javier Bardem and Penelope Cruz, both of whom were nominated for awards. Rock joked that there might be marital discord if Bardem won and Cruz did not. Bardem did not storm the stage.
Hosts and presenters also took shots at Florida for its supposed “Don’t Say Gay” bill, actually a commonsense law that prevents schools from teaching LGBT ideology to kindergarteners and first-, second- and third-graders. Even liberal Bill Maher recently said, “Maybe kids that young shouldn’t be thinking about sex at all.” Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell got slammed for something, most likely for being the Senate Republican leader.
This Oscar night, the Hollywood elite prided themselves on their customary diversity, inclusion and equity, while demonstrating special sensitivity for gay people and for the deaf. This sensitivity, however, only applies to liberal gay people, liberal members of the deaf community and liberal racial and ethnic minorities.
How does it feel to be a young, religious, pro-life actor or behind-the-camera worker in Hollywood, no matter his race, gender or sexual orientation, who must remain in the ideological closet for fear that his views mean career suicide?
Hollywood prides itself on embracing the underdog, the scorned, the downtrodden. But that empathy does not extend to political conservatives who must hide their beliefs or risk cancellation.
Rapper Snoop Dogg, with 20 million Twitter followers, has referred to black conservatives, including commentator and author Candace Owens, as a “coon bunch.” The aforementioned Smith denounced me as an “Uncle Tom” in a 2005 rap song called “Mr. Niceguy.”
Sorry, I don’t consider myself a victim of a systemically racist country. I don’t believe cops engage in institutional racial profiling. I reject critical race theory and climate change alarmism. I believe taxes are too high, regulations too severe and government too big. I support secure borders, am pro-life, God-fearing and advocate for school choice.
For this, conservatives are considered by Hollywood types like Smith a human disease not worthy of debate.
I can take it. I’ve put up with intolerant nitwits all my life. My Jim Crow-surviving Republican Marine father and my strong native Alabaman mother instilled in me an unshakable confidence to be who and what I am.
But how many black kids right now endure schoolyard taunts, even bullying — encouraged by influencers like Snoop Dogg and Will Smith — for the sins of “acting white” by studying hard, speaking standard English or being ambitious and career-oriented?
Where, Hollywood, is the love for those outcasts?
© 2022 CREATORS.COM
The views expressed in this opinion article are those of their author and are not necessarily either shared or endorsed by the owners of this website. If you are interested in contributing an Op-Ed to The Western Journal, you can learn about our submission guidelines and process here.
Truth and Accuracy
We are committed to truth and accuracy in all of our journalism. Read our editorial standards. | https://www.westernjournal.com/elder-hollywood-obsessing-will-smiths-slap-silent-conservatives/?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=PositivelyRepublican&utm_campaign=lminetwork&utm_content=2022-03-31 | 2022-04-01T01:54:40Z |
Here cometh April
“Here cometh April again, and as far as I can see, the world hath more fools in it than ever” (Charles Lamb). History buff alert! The 28th annual School of the Longhunter is taking place at Prickett’s Fort this weekend. Longhunters were 18th-century explorers and hunters who made expeditions into the...
www.wvnews.com | https://www.newsbreak.com/news/2556263359350/here-cometh-april | 2022-04-01T01:54:41Z |
The Mobile Housing Authority announced a $1.8 million revitalization project aimed at improving living conditions and enhancing safety at Gulf Village.
“MHA is committed to improving the quality of public housing,” CEO Michael Pierce said in a statement. “These improvements are sorely needed to help residents at Gulf Village Homes feel safer. The community lacks street and stop signs and speed has been a concern. We are doing all we can to enhance the wellbeing of our residents.”
To address those concerns and others, the MHA is beginning the two-phase project by replacing 9,500 square feet of sidewalk, cleaning storm drain lines and installing stop and street signs.
The second phase will include the installation of speed tables, another 2,500 square feet of sidewalks and mill and repave streets.
The Mobile County Commission recently entered into a contract to help MHA pay for a $160,000 portion of the project.
“There are many neighborhoods in our community that have declined because of lack of investment,” Commissioner Merceria Ludgood said in a statement. “Partnerships allow us to leverage maximum benefit for residents in our community. The Mobile County Commission is delighted to support MHA’s vision of transforming Gulf Village and improving the quality of place for its residents.”
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Already a member of the Lagniappe family? Sign in by clicking here | https://lagniappemobile.com/mha-to-make-1-8-million-in-improvements-to-gulf-village/ | 2022-04-01T01:54:41Z |
REDWOOD CITY, Calif. (AP) — About $7 million worth of surplus personal protective equipment and cleaning supplies purchased by a Northern California county was left outside during a rainstorm because no one anticipated wet weather to start so early in the season, according to an investigation released Thursday.
After a KGO-TV news report showed hundreds of drenched cardboard boxes, San Mateo County officials acknowledged the supplies were moved outside an event center last September to make room for a conference.
There was no definitive timeline for how the supplies would be distributed “even though the Fall rainy season was not far off,” the probe by James Lianides said. County officials said they hired the retired school superintendent to conduct the inquiry because of his experience dealing with large organizations and purchasing practices.
Lianides said the boxes of non-medical-grade gowns, face shields and goggles as well as cleaning supplies were also moved out of the event center to avoid the $100,000-per-month storage fee.
“It does not appear that there were any discussions or actions taken in the process of (moving) to protect the equipment in the event of inclement weather, such as wrapping or covering each pallet,” he wrote.
The county's executive officer, Mike Callagy, has said the county purchased the items early in the pandemic when PPE was becoming scarce nationwide so that local first responders and medical providers would have what they needed. The demand for the equipment decreased as the pandemic continued.
The county’s supply of gloves and masks — including N95 and KN95 respirators — are stored indoors.
“What’s clear is that that this shouldn’t have happened. What is equally clear is we are taking the steps necessary to make sure that we put the checks and balances in place so this never happens again,” Callagy said in a statement Thursday.
An inspection of the damaged boxes determined that most of the safety equipment remains usable because they were packed in sealed plastic wrapping, the probe found. Equipment that could not be salvaged were worth about $128,000, according to Lianides. | https://www.myjournalcourier.com/news/article/Report-Rain-not-anticipated-when-7M-in-PPE-17049873.php | 2022-04-01T01:54:41Z |
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Agricultural shortfalls
Thursday, March 31, 2022I am sure many Jamaicans are impressed with the zeal and determination with which Agriculture Minister Pearnel Charles Jr has approached the difficult task of runnung one of the most important ministries.
It is always said that hard work brings more hard work, and as a person who grew up in Manchester as an ardent 4H clubite, I have good recollection of what that parish had during the 1950s to about early 1990s. I quite understand change of usage, but this is not necessary. With todays unstable world we cannot continue to depend on so much imported food.
Firstly, citrus production, to which the parish had contributed so much, is almost dead. The ortanique variety, which originated in the parish and given to the world, is almost gone. So are the other varieties.
The aroma of ripe oranges on approaching Porus, whether by road or rail, is now just a memory. Only a few of the many citrus vendors' stalls that used to adorn the roadside with the golden fruits have survived.
Getting a cool drink of fresh orange juice at Trout Hall near Belle Plain is ancient history. The site of a citrus canning factory in May Pen is now occupied by a gas station.
Secondly, coffee, which was another major crop in Manchester, is now gone. In times past, houses could hardly be seen from the main roads because every house was surrounded by coffee trees.
Thirdly, pimento, which was once another dominant crop in the parish, is not so anymore. Nobody seems to care about pimento anymore, not even the birds.
Fourthly, Irish potato production, which started in Manchester, is not as vibrant as it used to be and the yield per acre is less than formerly.
I could also add red peas production since this was a crop that followed on as soon as potato was reaped. We should not be importing red peas.
Corn could also be added to the list as this was once a big crop in Manchester. I still possess a small shelling machine which my father used to shell his corn.
Fifth, is the fact that cattle-rearing has declined considerably. The Jamaica black and Jamaica reds are not so common anymore.
The milk truck stopped running years ago, and Grove Place and Litchfield farms, which had early starts in white pigs, chickens, and pasture are either non-existent or in ruins.
Up to about 20 years ago the Christiana area had bananas that had to be sprayed by aircraft. Boxing stations were established in several banana growing areas. For those who don't know, tourism grew out of the banana industry.
My observation of other aspects of agriculture production has shown that most of the cooking oils presently used in Jamaica are imported. I had previously suggested experimenting with the growing of olives which could be faster than coconut and would be good for health. If it grows in Mediterranean countries, it could grow in the tropics. After all, most of our economic crops we take for granted today originated overseas.
St Thomas used to produce lovely grapes. It could still do so and Jamaicans could enjoy fresher grapes than what is sold here now.
Breadfruit production needs to be expanded from a few trees to orchards. This produce was brought here to assist with the feeding of slaves, but it is a good way to feed our population. Free breadfruit suckers should be given to anybody who has the space for a tree.
I also recommend growing bananas for export.
Jamaica should not write off the sugar industry. We need to re-establish a modern factory in central Jamaica capable of producing not just raw sugar but a variety of by-products.
Bauxite which replaced sugar as a major earner will not be with us much longer and the novel coronavirus pandemic has shown us how the tourism industry can be destroyed overnight.
In our elementary school days we were taught in geography class that Jamaica was an agricultural country. I am sure it can be made so again. The old motto was “Eat what you can and can what you can't.” This is still valid today.
�
Trevor Samuels
Public relations officer
National Consumers League
tasamuels@cwjamaica.com
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Ian Mulgrew: $10-million fine a bitter end for sweet thief
Canada's top court has reinstated a nearly $10-million fine that received international attention and laughs because it involved the theft of $18 million worth of maple syrup.
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Used to confronting thorny legal thickets, the Supreme Court of Canada dealt with more of a sticky wicket Thursday, unanimously endorsing the Criminal Code’s tough punishment for financial crooks.
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The top bench reinstated a nearly $10-million fine imposed by the Quebec Superior Court that received international attention and laughs because it involved the theft of $18 million worth of maple syrup.
Forget that catchy old song “Sugar Shack” by The Firebirds — the “crazy little shack beyond the tracks” had lost some of its lovin’ feeling after the turn of the century when syrup prices began to soar and producers squabbled.
When the viscous golden drizzle first produced by Indigenous people hit nearly 30 times the price of oil, Canada was dubbed the Saudi Arabia of maple syrup.
A veritable war erupted, with undercover operations, seizures of illicit maple syrup, nasty allegations, and a thriving black, well, more a light-to-darkest amber market emerged that evoked bitter comparisons to the Mafia and drug cartels.
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The curdled relationships were exposed when the federation of Quebec maple syrup producers reported the staggering theft in 2011-2012 that triggered a massive 250-officer investigation by the Sûreté du Québec and ended with the arrest of 16 people.
The very blood that flows through Quebecers’ veins — OK, it’s probably doing more to clog his, her and their arteries — let’s just say the national symbol was turned into a joke by late-night comedy, morning weather shows, and columnists.
The popular Netflix documentary series, Dirty Money, even devoted an episode to the bitter feud in the hardwood forest: The Maple Syrup Heist.
Those behind the scheme were convicted, including Richard Vallières, who was found guilty in 2016 of fraud, trafficking and theft. He painted himself as a freedom fighter.
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The story begins when Ottawa in the 1990s granted the producers’ federation authority to set annual quotas, as well as control over the sale, pricing and export of maple products.
It wasn’t a novel move.
In the early 1970s, dairy became the first commodity to have a national supply system with quotas, and other commodities quickly followed: egg, turkey and chicken farmers, and hatching-eggs producers.
Maple syrup producers joined them, but back then it was nothing like today’s industry.
By 2020, Canada was exporting more than 61 million kg of maple products, valued at $515 million, 96 per cent of which came from Quebec. That was up from about $150 million in 2000.
The federation maintains what it calls a Global Strategic Reserve, two large warehouses in Laurierville and Saint-Louis-de-Blandford, Que.
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More than 60 million pounds of reserve maple syrup is held in barrels, although the amount varies. Each drum holds 585 pounds of syrup worth $2,487 ($1,970 US) at the end of last year.
Vallières and his father had been in the maple syrup business for years and had a sugar shack.
Vallières knew everyone in the industry, and claimed that producers were selling their excess production under the table to so-called “barrel-rollers” like him who brokered deals between independent maple syrup farmers and unauthorized distributors.
He painted himself as an opponent of the federal regulatory regime.
The instigator of the scam owned a warehouse where the syrup was stored, but needed someone who could move it. He was put in touch with Vallières.
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Vallières admitted selling the syrup taken during 2011 and 2012 for $10 million, earning a personal profit of around $1 million.
A Quebec judge gave him eight years in prison and fined him a sum equal to the value of the syrup that could not be returned — $10 million less a restitution order, a total of more than $9 million.
Vallières appealed and the Quebec Court of Appeal agreed with him, saying the sum was exorbitant.
It reduced the fine to $1 million, minus the restitution order, or $171,397.57.
The Crown appealed.
The country’s nine top justices unanimously underscored that the Criminal Code provision was severe because parliament wanted to emphasize that, “Crime does not pay.”
“Vallières must pay a fine equal to the value of the stolen syrup,” Chief Justice Richard Wagner wrote for the high bench. “This amounted to more than $9 million … a court does not have the discretion (power) to limit a fine to the profit made. So, the Court of Appeal was wrong in this case to reduce Mr. Vallières’ fine to $1 million.”
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The ruling is sweet news across the country, where concerns about money laundering and financial crime have grown in recent years due to the increasing dependence on digital commerce and globalization.
The report of the two-year Inquiry into Money Laundering in B.C., for instance, is due soon, and this is an example of the kind of crimes that are involved.
In his ruling, Wagner said that in cases where more than one person had possession or control of the stolen property, a court can divide the fine to avoid someone receiving more compensation than they should.
Vallières did not prove the fine should be divided, Wagner concluded.
“In the end, Mr. Vallières did not meet his burden, and he must therefore be required to pay a fine equal to the value of the property that was in his possession or under his control, that is, $10 million. Even though the amount of the fine in lieu may seem high, it is warranted in light of the scheme for the forfeiture of proceeds of crime.”
Vallières has 10 years to pay or serve another six years.
And that ain’t an April Fool’s joke. | https://vancouversun.com/news/ian-mulgrew-10-million-fine-a-bitter-end-for-sweet-thief | 2022-04-01T01:54:42Z |
Judge tosses Democrat-drawn New York congressional maps
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The state legislative and congressional maps redrawn by Democrats in New York were tossed out Thursday by a judge who declared them unconstitutional and blocked them from being used in the midterm elections.
Acting state Supreme Court Justice Patrick F. McAllister of the Steuben County Supreme Court ruled that “the court finds by clear evidence and beyond a reasonable doubt that the congressional map was unconstitutionally drawn with political bias.”
McAllister ordered that the state legislature redraw its maps by April 11, but ordered that the state cannot delay its primary beyond Aug. 23.
“Although it will be very difficult, this court must require new maps to be drawn,” McAllister wrote. “The current maps are void and unusable.”
ANDREW CUOMO CONSIDERING RUN AGAINST HOCHUL: REPORT
John Faso, a former Republican congressman from New York who helped lead the charge against the map, praised the ruling in a call to reporters, according to CNN.
“New York has an explicit constitutional prohibition on partisan gerrymandering. The Democrats violated that prohibition. They did it knowingly, they did it willingly, they did it joyfully. And the court today struck them down,” Faso said.
“This is a victory for the people of the state, and it’s a victory for competitive and fair elections in New York state.”
“This is one step in the process,” tweeted Mike Murphy, a spokesman for the state Senate Democratic majority. “We always knew this case would be decided by the appellate courts. We are appealing this decision and expect this decision will be stayed as the appeal process proceeds.”
Judges in Ohio and North Carolina have rendered similar judgments against maps drawn by GOP-led state legislatures that favored their own party. In a ruling McAllister referenced, a Maryland judge determined last week that the lines in the state were an “extreme gerrymander” that would have benefited Democrats in at least seven of eight districts.
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New York joins Florida, Maryland, Missouri and New Hampshire as one of the five states without enacted congressional maps for the 2022 midterm cycle. | https://1010wcsi.com/fox-politics/judge-tosses-democrat-drawn-new-york-congressional-maps/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=judge-tosses-democrat-drawn-new-york-congressional-maps | 2022-04-01T01:54:42Z |
wrestling / News
Montez Ford Names His Favorite Rock vs. Steve Austin WrestleMania Match, Talks WWE Locker Room Dynamic
Montez Ford has revealed his favorite match from the Rock and Steve Austin’s WrestleMania trilogy in a new interview. The Street Profits member spoke with Rick Ucchino for Bleav in Pro Wrestling and you can see a couple of highlights below (per Fightful):
On his favorite of the Rock vs. Stone Cold matches: “Definitely say the last one. Like they all are great in their own way, man. But the last one significantly stands out because that was Austin’s last match. And also at the same time, like The Rock never, never, never defeated Stone Cold Steve Austin on that WrestleMania stage. And that time he did. It was at a time too where, you know, he was going back and forth into like his transitions and just continuing being this huge global superstar that he is, and it was like, ‘Hey man, I went out there and I accomplished all these things. I’ve headlined box offices, blockbusters. I haven’t done this.’ It’s like, after everything he’s accomplished in his life, he still wanted to accomplish that. For me, that was extra motivation that you still go out and do these wonderful and great things and you still want to accomplish these things that you just did not succeed in. And he’s always been that way. That’s why he’s the man.”
On the dynamic in the WWE locker room: “We’re basically like a bitter family. Like we all love each other, but all of us still want to be champion and everybody wants to be the best. And I think that’s what just makes the hunger and competitiveness and everything so well rounded and we create these special moments. Cause everybody just wants to do well and go out there and just have bangers, man. Like when you have so many people around you that have that mentality, you have no choice but to go out there and create these moments. So, it’s cool, man. It’s cool.”
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Nurses worry conviction for dosing mistake could cost lives
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — The moment nurse RaDonda Vaught realized she had given a patient the wrong medication, she rushed to the doctors working to revive 75-year-old Charlene Murphey and told them what she had done. Within hours, she made a full report of her mistake to the Vanderbilt University Medical Center.
Murphey died the next day, on Dec. 27, 2017. On Friday, a jury found Vaught guilty of criminally negligent homicide and gross neglect.
That verdict — and the fact that Vaught was charged at all — worries patient safety and nursing groups that have worked for years to move hospital culture away from cover-ups, blame and punishment, and toward the honest reporting of mistakes.
The move to a “Just Culture” seeks to improve safety by analyzing human errors and making systemic changes to prevent their recurrence. And that can’t happen if providers think they could go to prison, they say.
“The criminalization of medical errors is unnerving, and this verdict sets into motion a dangerous precedent,” the American Nurses Association said. “Health care delivery is highly complex. It is inevitable that mistakes will happen. ... It is completely unrealistic to think otherwise.”
Just Culture has been widely adopted in hospitals since a 1999 report by the National Academy of Medicine estimated at least 98,000 people may die each year due to medical errors.
But such bad outcomes remain stubbornly common, with too many hospital staffers convinced that owning up to mistakes will expose them to punishment, according to a 2018 study published in the American Journal of Medical Quality.
More than 46,000 death certificates listed complications of medical and surgical care — a category that includes medical errors — among the causes of death in 2020, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s National Center for Health Statistics.
“Best estimates are 7,000-10,000 fatal medication errors a year. Are we going to lock them up? Who is going to replace them?” said Bruce Lambert, patient safety expert and director of the Center for Communication and Health at Northwestern University.
“If you think RaDonda Vaught is criminally negligent, you just don’t know how health care works,” Lambert said.
Murphey was admitted to the neurological intensive care unit on Dec. 24, 2017, after suffering from a brain bleed. Two days later, doctors ordered a PET scan. Murphey was claustrophobic and was prescribed Versed for her anxiety, according to testimony. When Vaught could not find Versed in an automatic drug dispensing cabinet, she used an override and accidentally grabbed the paralyzing drug vecuronium instead.
Such mistakes often end up in malpractice lawsuits, but criminal prosecutions are rare. After Vaught was charged in 2019, the Institute for Safe Medical Practices issued a statement saying it had “worrisome implications for safety.”
“In an era when we need more transparency, cover-ups will reign due to fear,” the statement read. “Even if errors are reported, effective event investigation and learning cannot occur in a culture of fear or blame.”
Many nurses are “already at their breaking point ... after a physically, mentally and emotionally exhausting two years caring for patients with COVID,” said Liz Stokes, director of the American Nurses Association’s Center for Ethics and Human Rights. Vaught’s prosecution gives them one more reason to quit, she said.
“This could be me. I’m an RN as well,” she said. “This could be any of us.”
Vaught was steeped in the idea of Just Culture and says she has “zero regrets” about telling the truth, but her candor was used against her at trial. Assistant District Attorney Brittani Flatt quoted from her interview with a Tennessee Bureau of Investigation agent in closing arguments: “I definitely should have paid more attention. I should have called the pharmacy. I shouldn’t have overridden, because it wasn’t an emergency.”
It is easy to judge Vaught’s actions in retrospect, Lambert said, but overrides and workarounds are an extremely common part of healthcare, he said: “This is typical, not aberrant or bizarre, behavior.”
Meanwhile, Vaught’s honesty about her mistake has already brought about safety improvements, and not just at Vanderbilt. Because vecuronium should only be used on patients who have a breathing tube inserted, some hospitals have moved it and other paralytic drugs out of automatic dispensing cabinets.
“At my hospital, they’ve changed their policy and put paralytics into a rapid intubation kit because of this,” said Janie Harvey Garner, who founded the nurse advocacy organization Show Me Your Stethoscope. She said that because Vaught owned up to the mistake, Murphey’s death “has probably saved lives.”
While Murphey’s death may serve as a cautionary tale for other nurses, Vaught, now awaiting a sentence of up to eight years, told The Associated Press in an interview that she thinks about her patient every day.
Vaught, 37, discovered that she and Murphey lived in the same small community of Bethpage, about an hour northeast of Nashville, and that she and members of Murphey’s family have mutual friends. It would only be a matter of time before she met one of them in person.
“I’ve imagined so many times how I would feel if this were my grandma, my family member, my husband,” she said.
Recently, while buying farm supplies, she was talking with the young man behind the counter when he recognized her, and told her he was Murphey’s grandson. Instead of reproaching her, he ended up comforting her and patting her on the shoulder, she said.
“He was so kind. He was so incredibly kind,” Vaught said. “I took his grandma away, and he just kept telling me to take care of myself. There are good people in this world.”
Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. | https://www.wtok.com/2022/03/30/nurses-worry-conviction-dosing-mistake-could-cost-lives/ | 2022-04-01T01:54:44Z |
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Haley Joel Osment is "grateful" to have worked with Bruce Willis.
The 33-year-old actor starred alongside Bruce - who is to retire from acting after he was diagnosed with degenerative condition aphasia that affects communication - in psychological thriller ‘The Sixth Sense' back in 1999 and wanted to express his "deep admiration" for the tragic star.
Haley said: "It's been difficult to find the right words for someone I've always looked up to — first on the big screen, and then by some wild stroke of luck, in person. I am so grateful for what I got to witness firsthand, and for the enormous body of work he built for us to enjoy for years and years to come."
The 'A.I. Artificial Intelligence' star went on to send his well-wises to Bruce and his family as they “move forward" with “courage” following the aphasia diagnosis.
He wrote on Instagram: "I just wanted to express the respect and deep admiration I have for Bruce and his family as they move forward with the courage and high spirits that have always defined them."
The 'Die Hard' actor's family - wife Emma Heming, ex-wife Demi Moore, and his five children - issued a statement on Wednesday (30.03.22) announcing the star's retirement.
They said: "As a family we wanted to share that our beloved Bruce has been experiencing some health issues and has recently been diagnosed with aphasia, which is impacting his cognitive abilities.
"As a result of this and with much consideration Bruce is stepping away from the career that has meant so much to him.
"This is a really challenging time for our family and we are so appreciative of your continued love, compassion and support. We are moving through this as a strong family unit, and wanted to bring his fans in because we know how much he means to you, as you do to him. | https://nordot.app/882421172317241344 | 2022-04-01T01:54:44Z |
Many women have made history by marching to the beat of their own drums. Explore their lives through music by and about them.
This week's guest is composer David Ludwig.
Scroll to the bottom to hear David Ludwig's opinion on new music's evolution, and be sure to answer this week's "favorite piece" poll!
Hosts
Sascha Groschang
Laurel Parks
Guest
David Ludwig, composer
Program
The Anchoress
I. What Is My Life
II. Once a Woman Went Down the Hill
IV. This is the Four Burns of the Soul
by David Serkin Ludwig
PRISM Quartet, Piffaro, The Renaissance Band; Hyunah Yu - soprano
Fanfare for the Uncommon Woman, No. 1
by Joan Tower
Leonard Slatkin with the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra
Hervararkviða (The Incantation of Hervor)
I. To My Mother
II. To A Stranger
by Melissa Dunphy
Maren Montalbano - mezzo-soprano, Rebecca Harris - violin, Elizabeth Huston - harp
Various
by Julius Eastman
Christine Gummere, Chase Morrison, Larry Rawdon, Jodi Beder, David Sabee, Barry Gold, Maureen Hynes, Abby Newton, Julie Green, Sarah Carter - cellos | https://www.kcur.org/show/sound-currents/2022-03-31/boss-women-of-history-david-ludwig | 2022-04-01T01:54:44Z |
Corey Knebel Could be a Bonafide Closer for the 2022 Phillies
It's been over a decade since the Philadelphia Phillies have had someone they could dub their true "closer," but newly-acquired Corey Knebel might have something to say about that in 2022.
Over the past decade, the Phillies have deployed some downright deplorable bullpens—it is a well-worn tale. Sure, bright spots such as Héctor Neris, Seranthony Domínguez, and Ken Giles have flirted with the idea of assuming the full-time closer role, but each fell short in their own way:
Neris, while boasting some sensational stuff, proved the closer role didn't quite suit his skillset. He now owns a set-up role with the Houston Astros.
Domínguez shouldered multiple tedious injuries, and finally rejoined the team in the final bout of 2021, after three long years of absence.
Giles, while dominant in red pinstripes, was traded before he was able to usurp the role for a full year.
The page, and the attention, now turns to Corey Knebel.
What makes Knebel such a grand candidate for this job, one might ask?
Well, he's done this before.
In 2017, Knebel posted a minuscule 1.78 ERA, and struck out an outrageous 126 batters across 76 innings of work. He and his trusty curveball carved their way to an All-Star nod.
The then 25-year-old followed his masterful 2017 with a less good, but still solid 2018 campaign, where he managed a 3.53 ERA (3.03 FIP) while continuing to strike out batters at a startling clip. He carried a 14.3 K/9 across the finish line, but only featured in 55.1 innings—presumably thanks to the hefty workload placed upon him the year prior.
That's when the injury bug reared its ugly head, and Knebel underwent the dreaded Tommy John surgery on his right elbow, sidelining him for all of 2019.
His return to the majors became even more complicated with the onset of a global pandemic, forcing him to skip any form of rehabilitation stint in the minors, (because there was no Minor League Baseball in 2020) and his direct return to Milwaukee went about as poorly as you would expect. The Brewers non-tendered him the following year.
And that's when the Los Angeles Dodgers got ahold of him–and, of course, he succeeded with flying colors–thus landing him with the Phillies on a one-year deal in 2022.
So, why did the Phillies think this pitcher, who hasn't taken on a full closer's workload in five years, is set to return to form for their club?
It's that sweet, sweet curveball.
The guy's still got it.
That pitch is a major part of Knebel's past success–and there is much, much more still to come.
In 2021, the signature 'Knebel curve' posted a -3 run value, and, even when hitters managed to make contact with the baseball, they put out a measly 16.1% hard-hit percentage and .221 xwOBA against it.
The man himself also happens to be a spin factory, ranking among the top 15th and 13th percentiles in baseball respectively for both his fastball and curveball spin.
He is, simply summarized, filthy.
So, he's got the composure, he's got the stuff... there must be a catch, right?
In order for Knebel to find success in 2022, he must, MUST stay healthy.
So far, so good. Knebel is dicing up hitters in a Phillies uniform. He has yet to allow a run this spring, and has struck out four across four innings of work. He has let just two runners reach base, and has walked nary a batter.
If he can manage to stay on the field, Knebel will surely emerge as one of the more dominant closers across all of Major League Baseball–and he is sure to be a story worth following throughout the 2022 season.
More From SI's Inside The Phillies:
- How Mike Trout Will Join the Phillies
- Phillies Top-10 Prospects Heading Into the 2022 MLB Season
- 18-Year-Old Phillies Prospect is Making History
- How did Philadelphia end up with Citizens Bank Park?
- How the Phillie Phanatic Came to be America's Favorite Sports Mascot
- This Unlikely Draft Pick Could be the Final Piece in the Phillies Next Blockbuster Trade
- Phillies 2022 Opening Day Roster Prediction
- Picking the Phillies' All-Time Single Season Lineup
- Could Alec Bohm be Dealt Before the Season Begins?
- Castellanos Shows He's Ready to Play in Philadelphia
Make sure to follow Inside the Phillies on Facebook and Twitter! | https://www.si.com/mlb/phillies/opinions/philadelphia-phillies-pitcher-corey-knebel-bonafide-closer-curveball-shutdown | 2022-04-01T01:54:45Z |
Governor Abbott Appoints Three To Continuing Advisory Committee For Special Education
TEXAS, March 31 - March 31, 2022 | Austin, Texas | Appointment
Governor Greg Abbott has appointed Aaron Bangor, Ph.D., to the Continuing Advisory Committee For Special Education for a term set to expire on February 1, 2023. Additionally, the Governor has appointed Sheryl Kubala and Diana Nelson for terms set to expire on February 1, 2025. The committee provides policy guidance on special education and related services for children with disabilities in Texas.
Aaron Bangor, Ph.D. of Austin is Sr. Lead User Experience Researcher at AT&T. He is a member of the International Association of Accessibility Professionals, Human Factors and Ergonomics Society, and is board certified as both a Human Factors Professional and an Accessibility Professional. Additionally, he is the chair of Disability:IN Central Texas and has served as a technical and policy expert for accessibility and disability issues with the Federal Communications Commission and Council of State Governments, and is active in national and international standards. Bangor received a Bachelor of Arts in Economics, Bachelor of Science in Industrial and Systems Engineering, a Master of Science, and a Doctor of Philosophy in Human Factors Engineering from Virginia Tech.
Sheryl Kubala of Austin is the parent of a medically complex/special needs child. She is a clinic ambassador and government advocate for Tuberous Sclerosis Complex (TSC) Alliance, a member of the Family Advisory Council for Children’s Comprehensive Care Clinic, and a volunteer at Dell’s Children’s Hospital and Friends of Magnolia Parent Teacher Association. Kubala is the founder of the Austin TSC Family Council. Kubala received a Bachelor of Science in Human Development and Family Sciences from The University of Texas at Austin.
Diana Nelson of Martindale is the Special Education Coordinator for the Texas Juvenile Justice Department. She is a member of the Texas Council of Administrators of Special Education. Nelson received a bachelor’s degree and master’s degree from The University of Texas – Pan American with Texas Educator Certificates in Secondary Biology, Secondary English and Educational Diagnostician PK-12. | https://www.einpresswire.com/article/567179650/governor-abbott-appoints-three-to-continuing-advisory-committee-for-special-education | 2022-04-01T01:54:44Z |
You need to enable JavaScript to run this app. | https://sportspyder.com/mlb/st-louis-cardinals/articles/39012163 | 2022-04-01T01:54:45Z |
THE World Bank says it has allocated $100m for women empowerment programmes in six states in Nigeria.
A Social Development Specialist with the World Bank, Michael Ilesannmi, disclosed this on Thursday, during Nigeria For Women project in Abeokuta, the Ogun State capital.
Ilesanmi, who is also the Task Leader for NFW project, listed the states as Ogun, Abia, Akwa-Ibom, Kebbi, Taraba, and Niger.
According to him, the project is a Nigerian government programme, designed to empower women to become economically independent. The World Bank supports the programme.
Ilesannmi said, “This project, the Nigeria For Women project is a programme of the government of Nigeria with support from the World Bank.
“The first phase of the Nigeria For Women project is a $100m fully-funded by the World Bank, being implemented by the government for six states in the country; Ogun, Abia, Akwa-Ibon, Kebbi, Taraba, and Niger states.
“It is based on government priority to invest on women given that investing in women is smart economics.
“Improving the livelihood of the women and trying to invest in and change the discriminating social norms that prevent women from achieving their full potentials.”
In his speech, the Country Director, World Bank, Shubaham Chaudhuri, said the project was targeted at improving the infrastructure and economic development of Nigeria.
He said, “The World Bank is in partnership with Nigeria and the Ogun State Government to support them to empower women and grow the country’s economy.
“A programme like this helps in primary and family healthcare, making sure that every child and family gets healthcare services. It helps children to stay in school, the 15 million children that should be in school; farmers have access to markets, and every Nigerian has access to electricity.
“So, across the board, there are so many potentials in Nigeria and there is a certain investment the government needs to make in the people, in the infrastructure and that is what we are here to make.”
Copyright PUNCH.
All rights reserved. This material, and other digital content on this website, may not be reproduced, published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed in whole or in part without prior express written permission from PUNCH.
Contact: [email protected] | https://punchng.com/world-bank-to-empower-women-in-six-states-with-100m/ | 2022-04-01T01:54:45Z |
The counting is over in the second union election at an Amazon warehouse in Bessemer, Alabama. But it's too close to call.
There were 993 "no" votes and 875 "yes" votes, but more than 400 contested ballots remain. According to the National Labor Relations Board, there will be a hearing within a few weeks to decide if any of the challenged ballots will be opened and counted.
More than 6,100 workers were eligible to vote in the do-over election, which was ordered after the NLRB found that Amazon had improperly interfered in last year's tally.
Turnout in this year's vote was down from last year when over half of eligible voters cast ballots. But among those who actually voted this time around, there was greater support for the union. Last year, workers voted more than 2-to-1 against joining the Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union, a well-established national union.
"This time around we were able to educate more about unions," said Jennifer Bates, a warehouse employee, noting that organizers were able to get closer to workers now that the pandemic has eased.
The RWDSU called for every vote to be counted.
"The tenacity and courage of these workers never wavered in this unnecessarily long process," said RWDSU president Stuart Appelbaum in a statement. "Workers will have to wait just a little bit longer to ensure their voices are heard."
Meanwhile in a separate Amazon union election on Staten Island in New York, the vote count will continue Friday morning. Roughly 8,000 workers were eligible to vote on whether to join the Amazon Labor Union, an upstart organization led by former and current Amazon warehouse employees. With ballots still to count, the union is in the lead, with 1,518 voting yes so far, and 1,154 voting no.
Copyright 2022 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org. | https://www.wvpe.org/npr-news/2022-03-31/do-over-union-election-at-amazons-bessemer-warehouse-is-too-close-to-call | 2022-04-01T01:54:45Z |
The United States Department of Agriculture released an update to its Food Price Outlook for 2022 and found that nearly everything one might ingest – whether it comes from the grocery store or restaurant – is going up in price.
And yes, that's on top of the price increases consumers have already been forced to endure in the last year.
"All food prices are now predicted to increase between 4.5 and 5.5%," the USDA's Economic Research Service explained in the March report.
While the overall increase is alarming, a closer look at various food categories show just how expensive shoppers can expect items to get, according to the USDA:
As for take-out or dine-in menus, the USDA said those prices are predicted to go up between 5.5 and 6.5% for the remainder of this year.
Additionally, food prices climbed 7.9% for the year ending in February 2022.
This was "the largest 12-month advance since July 1981," according to the department.
The report also noted current global events that will only add to the uncertainty of food affordability, saying, "The impacts of the conflict in Ukraine and the recent increases in interest rates by the Federal Reserve are expected to put upward and downward pressures on food prices, respectively. The situations will be closely monitored to assess the net impacts of these concurrent events on food prices as they unfold."
Copyright 2022 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org. | https://www.michiganradio.org/2022-03-31/food-prices-are-going-up-and-at-levels-americans-havent-seen-in-decades | 2022-04-01T01:54:45Z |
Police are continuing to piece together how a woman died inside her Sydney apartment.
The 38-year-old was found unconscious with bloody facial injuries just after 5am on Thursday.
Her ex-boyfriend, who also lived in the O’Brien St unit at Bondi, raised the alarm and called triple-0.
However, the woman could not be saved and died at the scene.
The woman’s former partner was interviewed at Waverley Police Station and later released without charge.
Suspicions have since been raised into whether her death could have been caused by a drunken fall, The Daily Telegraph reported.
Police sources told the publication that the woman could have already had facial injuries from an earlier fall.
A report will be prepared for the coroner and a post-mortem examination will be conducted to determine the cause of death. | https://www.perthnow.com.au/news/mystery-as-womans-body-found-at-bondi-beach-apartment-block-c-6284147 | 2022-04-01T01:54:45Z |
Oscars producer Will Packer says Chris Rock could have had Will Smith arrested for slapping him on stage at the 94th Academy Awards. Packer will appear on Good Morning America on April 1 to discuss The Slap. In a preview of the interview aired by ABC News, Packer told T.J. Holmes that he met with Rock and officers from the Los Angeles Police Department in his office after the incident, which police described as battery. “They said, ‘We will go get [Smith]. We are prepared, we’re prepared to get him right now. You can press charges, we can arrest him,’” he recalled. According to Packer, Rock was “very dismissive” of the options laid out by police and did not want to take any action.
There have been conflicting reports as to whether Smith was asked to leave the ceremony: While the Academy claimed that Smith refused to leave, sources told Variety and The Hollywood Reporter that he was actually never formally asked to do so. While Variety reported that Packer personally asked Smith to stay, Packer told Holmes that he never directly spoke with Smith on the night of the Oscars. Did they speak indirectly? Did they speak after the Oscars? We guess we’ll have to tune in at 7 a.m. ET to see if Packer will clarify. The producer previously addressed the controversy on social media, tweeting after the ceremony, “Welp…I said it wouldn’t be boring.” He later replied to an accusation that he was making light of the situation by writing in part, “I also don’t mind being transparent and say [sic] that this was a very painful moment for me. On many levels.” | https://www.vulture.com/2022/03/will-packer-gma-interview-will-smith-chris-rock-oscars-slap.html | 2022-04-01T01:54:46Z |
Video
Jamaica’s PM Andrew Holness meets US VP Kamala Harris
US Vice President Kamala Harris welcomed Jamaican Prime Minister Andrew Holness to the White House on Wednesday, in a meeting seeking “to reaffirm the strength of the relationship between the United States and Jamaica, and the Caribbean as a whole.” | https://sflcn.com/jamaicas-pm-andrew-holness-meets-us-vp-kamala-harris/ | 2022-04-01T01:54:45Z |
Updated March 31, 2022 at 9:31 PM ET
Oscars' guests and viewers are still reeling over Will Smith's surprising and infamous onstage slap of comedian Chris Rock, who joked about Jada Pinkett Smith's hair. Shortly after, Smith went onstage to accept the Best Actor Oscar for his role in King Richard.
Will Packer, producer of the Academy Award, ceremony told the ABC News show Good Morning America that Los Angeles police officers were ready to arrest Will Smith if Rock wanted to press charges.
"They were saying, 'This is battery.' That was the word they used in that moment," Packer told T.J. Holmes, in an exclusive interview that was teased during ABC's World News Tonight. "They said, 'We will go get him. We are prepared. We will go get him right now. You can press charges. We can arrest him. They were laying out the options. And as they were talking, Chris was, he was being very dismissive of those options. He was like, 'No, I'm fine.' He was like, 'no, no, no.' And even to the point where I said, 'Rock, let them finish.'"
In the clip, Packer said after the officers finished laying out what Rock's options were, "they said, 'Would you like us to take any action? And he said no.'"
Packer also said he did not speak to Smith at all on Oscar night. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences released a statement saying Smith was asked to leave the ceremony and refused.
In his acceptance speech, Smith apologized to the Academy and his fellow nominees for the incident, but not Rock. On Instagram the following day, Smith wrote that he was embarrassed by his behavior and told Rock he was sorry. Still, the Academy began disciplinary proceedings against Smith-- which could include "suspension, expulsion, or other sanctions permitted."
SAG-AFTRA is also weighing sanctions against Smith.
On Wednesday night, Rock was onstage in Boston with a new comedy routine. He didn't say much about the slap. "I'm still kind of processing what happened," he said, adding that at some point he will talk about it "and it will be serious and funny."
Copyright 2022 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org. | https://www.kunm.org/npr-news/2022-03-31/the-lapd-was-ready-to-arrest-will-smith-after-the-slap-will-packer-says | 2022-04-01T01:54:46Z |
REDWOOD CITY, Calif. (AP) — About $7 million worth of surplus personal protective equipment and cleaning supplies purchased by a Northern California county was left outside during a rainstorm because no one anticipated wet weather to start so early in the season, according to an investigation released Thursday.
After a KGO-TV news report showed hundreds of drenched cardboard boxes, San Mateo County officials acknowledged the supplies were moved outside an event center last September to make room for a conference.
There was no definitive timeline for how the supplies would be distributed “even though the Fall rainy season was not far off,” the probe by James Lianides said. County officials said they hired the retired school superintendent to conduct the inquiry because of his experience dealing with large organizations and purchasing practices.
Lianides said the boxes of non-medical-grade gowns, face shields and goggles as well as cleaning supplies were also moved out of the event center to avoid the $100,000-per-month storage fee.
“It does not appear that there were any discussions or actions taken in the process of (moving) to protect the equipment in the event of inclement weather, such as wrapping or covering each pallet,” he wrote.
The county's executive officer, Mike Callagy, has said the county purchased the items early in the pandemic when PPE was becoming scarce nationwide so that local first responders and medical providers would have what they needed. The demand for the equipment decreased as the pandemic continued.
The county’s supply of gloves and masks — including N95 and KN95 respirators — are stored indoors.
“What’s clear is that that this shouldn’t have happened. What is equally clear is we are taking the steps necessary to make sure that we put the checks and balances in place so this never happens again,” Callagy said in a statement Thursday.
An inspection of the damaged boxes determined that most of the safety equipment remains usable because they were packed in sealed plastic wrapping, the probe found. Equipment that could not be salvaged were worth about $128,000, according to Lianides. | https://www.thehour.com/news/article/Report-Rain-not-anticipated-when-7M-in-PPE-17049873.php | 2022-04-01T01:54:46Z |
USD/CNY is the onshore yuan. Its permitted to trade plus or minus 2% from this daily reference rate.
CNH is the offshore yuan. USD/CNH has no restrictions on its trading range.
- A significantly stronger or weaker rate than expected is typically considered a signal from the PBOC
The previous close for USD/CNY was 6.3393
The PBOC inject 10 yuan via 7 day reverse repos (rate remains at 2.1%)
100bn yuan mature today
thus a net 90bn yuan drain
All this week the PBOC have been injecting large sums. The new month has brought a net drain for today though. Over the week the net injection is 420bn yuan. Quarter end now though, so the big injections are over.
eur | https://www.forexlive.com/centralbank/pboc-sets-usd-cny-reference-rate-for-today-at-63509-vs-estimate-at-63473-20220401/ | 2022-04-01T01:54:46Z |
Grande Experiences' VAN GOGH ALIVE Celebrates Van Gogh's Birthday With Projections in Edinburgh
Projections run at 8pm each night kicking off on 30 March and running until Sunday 3rd April.
Van Gogh Alive, the multi-sensory smash-hit exhibition created and produced by Grande Experiences, is delighted to announce a series of dazzling projections that are appearing across Edinburgh in celebration of the legendary artist's birthday.
At 8pm each night kicking off on 30 March and running until Sunday 3rd April, Edinburgh residents can witness a timeless piece of Van Gogh art projected onto some of the city's most iconic locations, including Leith Library as it gets set to reopen, and Calton Hill's Nelson Monument. This unique and exciting event has been made possible through the support of Essential Edinburgh, City of Edinburgh Council and Tiger Bond.
Projections Locations and Dates
Thursday 31st March - The Playfair at Donaldson's
Friday 1st April - Nelson Monument on Calton Hill
Saturday 2nd April - Melville Monument, St Andrew Square
Sunday 3rd April - Leith Library
After lapping up these city-wide projections, audiences can immerse themselves in the full experience by attending the multi-sensory extravaganza, Van Gogh Alive at Edinburgh's Festival Square, running until 17 July. Since making its arrival in Edinburgh earlier this month, the experience has become one of the city's top cultural destinations, offering audiences the chance to experience the iconic work of Vincent Van Gogh like never before in a combination of sound, visuals and aromas within a spectacular 15,000 ft2 purpose-built Edinburgh venue.
Worried about COVID symptoms affecting your visit? Well, you can book with confidence because no one with symptoms or who has been asked to self-isolate should attend the exhibition. And with that in mind, we have updated our terms and conditions so that you have up to 48 hrs before your visit to return or exchange your tickets for these reasons. Tickets are available via our official trusted ticketing partner and member of The Society of Ticket Agents and Retailers, Red61. | https://www.broadwayworld.com/scotland/article/Grande-Experiences-VAN-GOGH-ALIVE-Celebrates-Van-Goghs-Birthday-With-Projections-in-Edinburgh-20220331 | 2022-04-01T01:54:46Z |
Parking Strategy Engagement Finds The Perfect Spot
Nelsonians will soon be able to give feedback on a
Draft Parking Strategy that builds on and aligns with Nelson
City Council's goals for sustainable transport, climate
change and a people-focussed region.
A four-week engagement process, starting on April 11, was approved unanimously by Council's Infrastructure Committee on March 30, 2022.
The Strategy, complemented by more detailed Parking Management Plans (PMPs) for Nelson City Centre, Stoke and Tāhunanui, is a 10-year framework that will guide consistent and transparent decisions around the management of on-street and off-street parking throughout the city.
Infrastructure Chair Brian McGurk says most decisions around parking involve managing competing demands for space both on-street and off-street.
"People have different opinions about how the space on our streets should be allocated and managed, and we also have to consider the legacy of communities designed solely for car use, which currently leaves some people with little choice other than to use a private vehicle to get around.
"Changes to parking management occur at the same time as improvements to alternative ways to travel – such as improved buses coming in 2023 and improved walking and cycling links. Meanwhile, the strategy sets a framework that ensures those in most need of parking (accessibility parks/loading zones) are catered for, and the parking available for others is more fairly priced."
The Strategy includes data showing Nelson currently has enough parking supply to meet visitors' needs even during peak hours. For example, City Centre average occupancy was recorded at 75%, at 1pm on a weekday, the busiest time in the City.
Data did show that parks on city fringe streets were being used by commuters working in Nelson. The Strategy includes several ways of addressing this situation, including managing the use of time restrictions, extending paid parking, and improving public and active transport options.
Councillor McGurk says the Strategy strikes a balance between current demand for parking and the shift to more sustainable transport modes on the horizon.
"Parking management is one lever we can use to help meet goals related to our City Centre, sustainable transport and climate change. This isn't about changing things overnight, but it is a foundation for gradually moving towards a more people-focussed city, with genuine sustainable transport options.
"Pre-engagement highlighted congestion as a bigger problem than availability of spaces. Good parking management can keep our roads clear by reducing time spent searching for parks, which has a positive effect on reducing emissions.”
The Strategy sits alongside the concept of a people-focussed City outlined in Te Ara ō Whakatū – Nelson's City Centre Spatial Plan, more frequent public transport services from 2023, and an ever-increasing network of shared pathways and cycle lanes.
To read the full strategy and make a
submission from April 11, please visit shape.nelson.govt.nz/parking-strategy. | https://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/AK2204/S00023/parking-strategy-engagement-finds-the-perfect-spot.htm | 2022-04-01T01:54:46Z |
Still breezy, some wet weather for Friday, Saturday
FOX 2 - Hello gang, for the rest of Thursday night - it's going to be cloudy, breezy and cooler with a few sprinkles and a low near 32.
For Friday: Mostly cloudy, breezy, and cool with a few early sprinkles and flurries. The high will be 44.
Saturday: Mostly cloudy, still cool, and a high of 49. There is a good chance for rain showers Saturday night.
Sunday: More clouds than sun, cool and dry - with a high near 50.
Monday: Cloudy with light rain showers and a high of 48.
Tuesday: Mostly cloudy with a high of 53.
Enjoy!
-Luterman
Advertisement | https://www.fox2detroit.com/weather/still-breezy-some-wet-weather-for-friday-saturday | 2022-04-01T01:54:46Z |
The Mobile County Commission approved a $15-million economic development support package on Monday for the proposed Mobile Downtown Airport (BFM).
County commissioners unanimously approved the distribution of $5 million in installments of $1 million per year over the next five years to the Mobile Airport Authority to fund general support at the downtown airport. In addition, $5 million was authorized in road projects for the facility in both 2022 and 2024 Mobile County Pay-As-You-Go road improvement programs.
Earlier this month, Sen. Richard Shelby announced the Mobile Downtown Airport would receive $100 million in federal funding to purchase land, conduct surveys, as well as renovate and relocate on-site facilities.
Mobile County Commission President Connie Hudson called the contribution “significant.”
“We understand that the Mobile Downtown Airport is a priority and will have a major long-term impact on our entire regional area,” Hudson said. “By providing funding over time and through an existing program, we’re able to support this project in a way that doesn’t require borrowing money or impact funding for existing County priorities.”
District 3 Commissioner Randall Dueitt and District 1 Commissioner Merceria Ludgood said the way the funding will be paid out will result in a minimal impact for local taxpayers as the $15 million will be paid out over time.
“The downtown airport is important for air travel and transport capacity in and out of Mobile County,” Dueitt said. “I feel that the downtown airport will have a huge economic impact not only for Mobile County but for the state of Alabama and the Southeast region.”
“Making the County’s investment in BFM over several years allows us to support this important project without detracting from other areas of need,” Ludgood added.
The Mobile Airport Authority owns and operates Mobile Regional Airport (MOB), Mobile Downtown Airport (BFM), the Mobile Aeroplex at Brookley and St. Elmo Airport. The airport authority helps generate $1.8 Billion in economic value for Alabama.
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Already a member of the Lagniappe family? Sign in by clicking here | https://lagniappemobile.com/mobile-commission-contributing-15m-for-downtown-airport/ | 2022-04-01T01:54:47Z |
WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — Seeking to counter international fears over its new security alliance with China, the Solomon Islands said Friday it won't allow China to build a military base there.
But that insistence will do little to ease concerns about the pact from the nation's traditional partners that include New Zealand, Australia and the United States.
The leader of neighboring Micronesia added his voice to those expressing trepidation by invoking the bloody battles of World War II and warning that the pact could again see the South Pacific region become a battleground for much larger powers.
The Solomon Islands government said Thursday a draft agreement of the new security pact had been initialed by representatives from the Solomons and China and would be "cleaned up" and signed.
In a statement Friday, the Solomon Islands government said that “contrary to the misinformation promoted by anti-government commentators” the agreement did not invite China to establish a military base.
“Government is conscious of the security ramification of hosting a military base, and it will not be careless to allow such initiative to take place under its watch,” the statement said.
The statement seemed to more emphatically rule out the possibility of a base after Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare had earlier told parliament it had no intention of asking China to build a base.
Sogavare said his nation sought only peace and prosperity, citing its foreign policy mantra: “We are friends to all and enemies to none.” He said it wasn't a secret deal but a sovereign issue.
Under the terms of the draft agreement, China could send police, military personnel and other armed forces to the Solomon Islands “to assist in maintaining social order” and for a variety of other reasons. It could also send warships to the islands for stopovers and to replenish supplies, which had led to speculation about the possibility of China establishing a naval base on the South Pacific islands.
Micronesia President David Panuelo wrote a letter to Sogavare saying Micronesia had “grave security concerns” about the "novel and unprecedented" arrangement.
He said the two small nations had become battle grounds during World War II and that it could happen again as China, the U.S. and Australia asserted themselves in the region.
“And is it plausible that, once the spheres have been carved out, that our concerns about climate change — today’s problem — would manifest into all-too-real concerns about a war in our backyards, with our people, our islands, as the playground for children playing as adults?” Panuelo wrote to Sogavare.
Australian Defense Minister Peter Dutton said Friday that while it respected the Solomons' sovereignty, the deal showed that China was acting aggressively in the region.
“We need to be very cautious here because the Chinese are incredibly aggressive, the tactics that they’re deploying into small island nations are quite remarkable,” he told Sky News.
New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern this week described the possibility of Chinese military forces stationed on the Solomon Islands as “the potential militarization of the region.” And the U.S. State Department said Washington did not believe China’s security forces and methods needed to be exported.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin said Thursday that “relevant parties should see the China-Solomon Islands security cooperation objectively and rationally and stop making irresponsible remarks.”
“Attempts to provoke, obstruct and undermine China’s friendly relations with the island countries is not popular and will not succeed,” Wang told reporters at a daily briefing.
“China-Solomon Islands cooperation does not target any third party and is not in conflict with Solomon Islands’ cooperation with other countries. Instead, it complements the existing regional cooperation mechanisms in a positive way,” he added.
The Solomon Islands, home to about 700,000 people, switched its diplomatic allegiance from Taiwan to Beijing in 2019 — a contributing factor to riots in November last year between residents of different islands within the country.
Australian police have been in the capital, Honiara, maintaining peace since then under a bilateral security treaty established in 2017. It provides a legal basis for the rapid deployment of Australian police, troops and associated civilians in the event of a major security challenge.
Chinese police are already on the islands conducting a training mission.
The Federated States of Micronesia is home to about 100,000 people. It has diplomatic relations and considers itself a “friend” of China, as well as having a close relationship with the U.S. under a compact of free association. | https://www.myjournalcourier.com/news/article/Solomon-Islands-says-China-deal-won-t-include-17049939.php | 2022-04-01T01:54:47Z |
Are you at risk of being murdered?
Thursday, March 31, 2022Many people look at the homicide rate in Jamaica and use it to determine their risk of becoming murder victims.
They look at the many killed in the world of scamming, the modern form of fraud, and the butchery that comes with it.
They look at the turf wars, where morons fight to please foreign-based mongrels for pocket change.
They even look at age-old gang conflicts in which men kill boys for reasons no one remembers.
But are we all in the same circle of risk? Or is it different depending on class, gender, or life decisions? Let's discuss.
The scamming wars that now form the identity of western Jamaica can be blamed for altering the crime culture in that geographic region. Many people have been killed because some nerds figured out how to steal. Some of the dead were innocent, some not. However, all bled when they were shot.
So is the risk real?
It is to the scammer, his family, his gang, and of course, people in public places he frequents.
However, the risk is greatest to the actual gang members who are participating in this gang activity. Their family members are also at risk, but arguably to a slightly lesser degree.
The people who are innocently killed because they happen to be in a public place, like a bar that is mowed down because the scammer is in it, are obviously at risk. However, this risk will be significantly less than to the actual scammer and his family. For obvious reasons, an innocent will only be killed because he happens to be around a scammer.
On the other hand, family members of the scammer will be killed because they are targeted by the gangster's enemies.
People directly involved and their family members face a different risk from other people in the community.
This very same variable exists right across Jamaica, depending on your class, your occupation, and even your gender. So let's look at a person who is a middle-class member of society and lives in Hope Pastures or Liguanea. He, too, is certainly in danger of losing his life. However, there are other factors to consider.
He is not a gang member, so no one is likely to target him unless there exists some private conflict. If he is killed, it will likely happen because of a random crime, not intended to be, but resulting in a murder.
The true risk occurs when he is walking on the street in his community. A motorcycle or a car stops beside him, a robbery is attempted, and guns are involved. This is the formula for tragedy.
You see, the person doing the robbery is usually an idiot. Once an idiot has a gun, anything can happen. The criminal may pull up beside the person, take out the firearm, and instruct his victim to give over his property. The victim does not respond quickly enough or does not act at all and the idiot panics and shoots him.
This is also the case when people jog. They become targets because they carry smartphones, sometimes valued at over $100,000. The earphones they wear are another $50,000. These make them targets.
Many times the situation graduates from robbery to murder because of resistance.
Other times the escalation occurs because the thief panics. Sometimes the moron doing the robbery wanted to kill that day anyhow. It really happens.
So, of course, people carry licensed firearms. They believe that this will assist them in a close-quarter robbery. So let's work through this together.
Exactly how do you plan to use this gun to prevent injury or death to yourself in such a scenario? Is it that once the person walks, rides, or drives up to you, you will draw your pistol and fire at him once you see his gun?
If so, the best result you are going to get is that both you and the robber shoot each other. It is also very likely that you will be shot many times before you get that gun into firing position and the gun will then be taken from you.
You could perhaps plan to draw your firearm and engage before the person presents a firearm to you. However, if you are wrong, you're going to be spending an inordinate amount of time at a building on King Street explaining your behaviour to some very serious-looking judges.
There is a very strong possibility that you could shoot people who have no intention whatsoever of robbing you.
A simple solution to this problem is, if you carry a firearm, you should not walk or jog on the street with it. It makes you a target and is almost useless in a robbery unless you plan to get shot also.
My advice to you is, if you want to go walking or jogging on the road, do not carry your gun, your smartphone, or your Apple AirPods. Additionally, if you are approached, do not resist, you will get shot. Unless, of course, it graduates to abduction.
If there is any attempt at abduction, never allow yourself to be moved to a secondary crime scene. The criminal's control only increases in that follow-up scenario.
On my street, which is located uptown, three people that I know of have been abducted. On the road that adjoins mine, three people that I know well have been murdered. One of these people was a champion in Jamaican sport pistol shooting. All those murders occurred because of robberies gone bad.
I cannot emphasise enough the risk that robbery poses to the citizens in uptown communities and the risk of becoming a murder victim. So many people are robbed, abducted, and even raped in that small group.
Some will say that you don't often hear of people in this socio-economic group being killed. However, you have to look at the population of this group, which is so much smaller than the population of groups in the inner cities.
As it relates to your assessment of your own risk, you need to watch the statistics of people being robbed in your community and in places that you frequent, and worry less about the statistics of killers killing killers.
People who live in inner-city communities do not share the same risk.
In my study, which analysed homicide victims in Portmore, St Catherine, between 2015 and 2018, of a total 381 victims, more than 78 per cent were people with a history of gang activity at some level. I was able to determine that a gangster in that municipality is 160 times more likely than a regular citizen to be a murder victim.
So the regular citizen who lives in an inner-city community needs to realise that, if his family member is a gangster, his risk of being a homicide victim is significantly more than the man whose relative has a nine-to-five job. However, if the man chooses to visit places where gang members gather, his risk becomes higher than the person who chooses not to do so.
People who operate businesses are also at risk of being murdered. This is likely to occur in robberies gone bad, extortion rackets, or disputes with labourers they employ. However, they do not all share the same level of risk. People in the construction industry, operate in environments that gangs control, and operate cash-rich businesses are at a greater risk than corporate businessmen.
Many believe that if they pay extortionists they are safer. That may or may not be true. However, always remember that if you pay extortionists you are strengthening a gang against its enemy. You therefore become an enemy of their enemy. So it goes back to risk assessment.
Yet I am willing to gamble that when they were considering the possibility of being murdered, they were all looking at the total homicide statistics and barbarism that is taking place as a result of gang conflict to determine their level of risk. This is not practical.
If you decide to pay extortion in central Spanish Town, then you have become an enemy of one, or maybe two, of the three primary gangs that operate there. Perhaps you have no choice, but it's important that you know that you are putting yourself at risk so you can prepare for the consequences of that decision.
Even professionals are at risk of being murder victims and, like the other categories, they too face different levels of risk. For example, attorneys-at-law are at a much higher risk than doctors.
This focus of this column is risk assessment — not how to avoid being killed, but rather how to determine your likelihood of being killed.
If there is one lesson I would like readers to learn from this analysis, it is that robbery, particularly armed robbery, needs to be looked at far more closely than it currently is.
This is particularly relative to people not operating in high-risk zones, but rather in zones that they consider low risk. That is my message to the middle class.
To the unfortunate inner-city dweller, your risk becomes greater the closer you get to that gang member.
We all, irrespective of where we live, can reduce our likelihood of becoming murder victims. It obviously becomes more difficult depending on where you live.
However, the process begins with a logical analysis of what your risks are and deciding what you can do to reduce them.
�
drjasonamckay@gmail.com
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Effective: 2022-03-22 10:40:00 CDT Expires: 2022-03-22 19:00:00 CDT Urgency: Expected Severity: Minor Certainty: Likely Instruction: Turn around, don`t drown when encountering flooded roads. Most flood deaths occur in vehicles. Be aware of your surroundings and do not drive on flooded roads. Target Area: Jackson; La Salle; Ouachita; Union; Winn FLOOD ADVISORY IN EFFECT UNTIL 145 PM CDT THIS AFTERNOON * WHAT...Urban and small stream flooding caused by excessive rainfall is expected. * WHERE...Portions of north central Louisiana and northwest Louisiana, including the following parishes, in north central Louisiana, Caldwell, Jackson, La Salle, Lincoln, Ouachita, Union and Winn. In northwest Louisiana, Bienville and Claiborne. * WHEN...Until 145 PM CDT. * IMPACTS...Minor flooding in low-lying and poor drainage areas. Water over roadways. * ADDITIONAL DETAILS - At 1046 AM CDT, Doppler radar and automated rain gauges indicated heavy rain due to thunderstorms. This will cause urban and small stream flooding. Between 2 and 3 inches of rain have fallen since early this morning. - Additional rainfall amounts of up to 1 inch are expected over the area through early afternoon. This additional rain will result in minor flooding. - Some locations that will experience flooding include Monroe, Ruston, Claiborne, West Monroe, Grambling, Winnfield, Jonesboro, Homer, Brownsville-Bawcomville, Brownsville- Bawcom, Swartz, Farmerville, Richwood, Arcadia, Haynesville, Bernice, Sterlington, Ringgold, Gibsland and Cooley. - http://www.weather.gov/safety/flood | https://www.newsbreak.com/news/2556263423531/wind-advisory-issued-for-bee-duval-jim-wells-la-salle-live-oak-mcmullen-webb-by-nws | 2022-04-01T01:54:47Z |
COVID-19: B.C.’s health minister says update on potential fourth COVID dose due Tuesday
The minister says discussions are underway about providing a second booster shot to clinically vulnerable people such as those in long-term care.
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Health Minister Adrian Dix says the province is preparing to provide an update this Tuesday on potentially making a fourth COVID-19 dose available to vulnerable people in B.C.
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The minister says discussions are underway about providing a second booster shot to clinically vulnerable people such as those in long-term care.
Dix told reporters B.C.’s COVID strategy has always been to protect the most vulnerable and act on evidence that is reviewed daily.
B.C. reported two more COVID deaths on Thursday, bringing the toll to 2,998 people.
The Health Ministry also reports 281 people in hospital, with 42 in intensive care.
The ministry report says almost 91.1 per cent of eligible people 12-and-older in B.C. have received two doses of COVID vaccine and 57.5 per cent of those have had a booster shot.
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Is there more to this story? We’d like to hear from you about this or any other stories you think we should know about. Email vantips@postmedia.com. | https://vancouversun.com/news/local-news/covid-19-health-officials-to-update-bc-covid-19-cases-on-march-31 | 2022-04-01T01:54:48Z |
The hitchhiker’s guide to confirming Supreme Court nominee Ketanji Brown Jackson next week
NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!
If you’re looking for drama or a spectacle, check out the Grammys.
You likely won’t get much of it surrounding the prospective confirmation of Supreme Court nominee Ketanji Brown Jackson in the coming days.
The Senate is on track to confirm Jackson next week. But the confirmation vote will likely be close.
Still, it won’t be a spectacle like the 50-48 confirmation of Justice Brett Kavanaugh in 2018. And, it won’t be nearly as intense as the 52-48 confirmations of Justices Clarence Thomas in 1991 or Amy Coney Barrett in 2020.
Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, is a yes. Senate Minority Whip John Thune, R-S.D., believes there could be up to three GOP yeas on the nomination, although Thune isn’t one of them.
Here’s what to expect with the nomination over the coming days:
The Senate Judiciary Committee meets Monday, April 4, on the nomination. Technically, the committee also met this past Monday on the nomination. But, by rule, minority members on the panel usually ask that the nomination be “held over” for a week. That’s what happened this time. So the committee really doesn’t tackle the nomination until next week.
GRAHAM FLIPS ON KETANJI BROWN JACKSON, WILL OPPOSE HER SUPREME COURT NOMINATION
Sen. Ben Sasse, R-Neb., is a member of the Judiciary panel and is opposed to the appointment. Sasse’s nay vote means it’s increasingly likely Democrats may need to “discharge” Jackson’s nomination from committee to the floor. Any nomination before any committee cannot go to the floor unless it is somehow sent there by the panel or extracted from the committee via a floor vote.
The nomination doesn’t necessarily need a “positive” recommendation.
In 1991, the Judiciary Committee deadlocked at giving Justice Clarence Thomas a “favorable” recommendation. The full committee finally voted to send Thomas’ nomination to the floor without any recommendation. But, the nomination must secure some sort of vote to dislodge it from committee and send it to the floor. If every vote is deadlocked, the only option is what’s called a “motion to discharge.” This is where the Senate actually culls the nomination of the committee via a simple majority vote on the floor.
The Senate has not had to discharge a Supreme Court nominee since 1853. That was nominee William Micou. But the Senate never confirmed Micou.
The full Senate has voted to discharge 16 nominations from committee already during the 117th Congress. That includes the nomination of Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra. In fact, the Senate just voted to pull two nominees from committees and send them to the floor over the past few days: Alvaro Bedoya to serve on the Federal Trade Commission and Lisa DeNell Cook to become a member of the Federal Reserve.
The full Senate has wrested five nominees from the Judiciary Committee alone since January of last year.
If the Judiciary Committee is tied on Jackson on Monday, Fox is told the Senate may vote to extricate her nomination from the panel that same day. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, R-N.Y., could then put the actual Jackson nomination on the floor Tuesday, April 5. He would also file cloture to cut off debate on the nomination. Such nominations don’t require a procedural vote on the front end just to launch debate.
By rule, a cloture vote to end debate on a nomination must lay over for a day, meaning the Senate may not be able to vote to close debate until Thursday, April 7. If cloture is filed on Tuesday, April 5, Wednesday serves as the intervening day.
Based on the Senate precedent established by the Senate in 2017 with “Nuclear Option II” to confirm Justice Neil Gorsuch, only a simple majority is required to break a filibuster on Supreme Court nominations.
The Senate often burns multiple hours (afforded under the Senate rules) once senators vote to end debate on a given nominee. It’s unclear how much total time the Senate may need on the Jackson nomination.
So, barring an agreement, this means the earliest the Senate could confirm Jackson would be sometime Thursday, April 7, after the Senate breaks the filibuster. If Senators require more time after the Senate votes to cut off debate, confirmation could come on Friday, April 8, or even over the weekend, perhaps, Saturday, April 9.
But, senators want to get out of town for the Easter/Passover recess. So, Jackson’s confirmation is realistically an April 7 or April 8 project.
The nomination needs a simple majority for confirmation.
Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., previously voted to confirm Jackson to a lower court, as recently as last year. But Graham is a no this time around.
“After a thorough review of Judge Jackson’s record and information gained at the hearing from an evasive witness, I now know why Judge Jackson was the favorite of the radical left,” said Graham.
Graham voted to confirm President Obama’s nominees — Justice Sonia Sotomayor in 2009 and Justice Elena Kagan in 2010.
Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, is the only GOP member who has announced support for Jackson. However, Sens. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, and Mitt Romney, R-Utah, are believed to be in play.
IN NEW BOOK, SEN. MIKE LEE WARNS DEMS’ COURT-PACKING TALK COULD ALTER HISTORY IN UNANTICIPATED WAYS
The Senate has never confirmed a Supreme Court Justice via a tie-breaking vote by the vice president. That probably won’t be necessary with at least Collins casting a yea vote. In fact, the Senate had never confirmed any nominee for the executive or judicial branch before former Vice President Pence broke a tie to confirm Betsy DeVos as education secretary in early 2017. A vice president has only broken a tie to confirm a judicial nominee once. Pence broke a tie to confirm Judge Jonathan Kobes on the 8th Circuit of Appeals.
Still, this nomination comes to the floor in the time of COVID.
Twenty lawmakers contracted COVID in March alone. That’s the highest number of members to test positive in one month since the pandemic began. Sen. Bob Casey, D-Pa., was out recently after testing positive. Sen. Ben Ray Lujan, D-N.M., missed more than a month after suffering a stroke.
Unlike the House, the Senate does not have remote voting. And, as we always say, it’s always about the math on Capitol Hill.
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It’s possible the Senate could delay the procedural vote to end the filibuster on the confirmation vote or the confirmation vote could be delayed further if Democratic senators are unable to vote. | https://1010wcsi.com/fox-politics/the-hitchhikers-guide-to-confirming-supreme-court-nominee-ketanji-brown-jackson-next-week/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=the-hitchhikers-guide-to-confirming-supreme-court-nominee-ketanji-brown-jackson-next-week | 2022-04-01T01:54:48Z |
Nancy Pelosi Expresses Shock at California Gas Prices: "How Could This Be?"
Nancy Pelosi expressed shock and indignation on gas prices in California in a Thursday news conference.
“It costs a lot of money in California. If you drive around in California and see the cost, you think, ‘how could this be?'” the 82-year-old career politician questioned.
Nancy Pelosi SHOCKED by massive spike in gas prices in California:
“How could this be?” pic.twitter.com/zLvSBcHx4n
— TheBlaze (@theblaze) March 31, 2022
Gas prices in the Los Angeles metropolitan area have inched to six dollars a gallon.
In a stunning lack of self-awareness, Pelosi urged against solving the gas crisis by producing more domestic energy in the same press conference.
Nancy Pelosi: We cannot “use [high gas prices] as an excuse” to produce more American energy pic.twitter.com/txlUvEYVmS
— RNC Research (@RNCResearch) March 31, 2022
“We cannot allow the fossil fuel industry to use this as an excuse to reverse everything we’re doing to save the planet,” Pelosi said.
In the same news conference, Pelosi blamed the skyrocketing gas prices on Vladimir Putin and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
While Putin’s invasion has seriously impacted gas prices, costs at the pump were skyrocketing well before the war began in late February.
.@SpeakerPelosi: “We have the Putin Price Hike at the pump … The price of, of oil and gasoline — gas at the pump started going up when he started circling Ukraine … There is very interest [sic] in our caucus in stopping price gouging on the part of the — of the industry.” pic.twitter.com/VK7c7WHifQ
— Tom Elliott (@tomselliott) March 31, 2022
The upward spike in gas prices began when Biden terminated the construction of the Keystone XL pipeline just after his inauguration.
Biden failed to support the American energy industry’s independence, leaving the nation all the more vulnerable to foreign instability in energy markets.
Biden also issued an executive order halting new permits to drill on federal lands.
Biden had gas prices going up since inauguration day. An his alt left jihad on oil and gas left us vulnerable to unstable countries and an event such as the Ukraine war pic.twitter.com/zWUmqRNjAk
— Rogue1-the Jeff Faria Project (@PatriotsOfMars) March 8, 2022
As one of the wealthiest members of Congress, Pelosi will be largely unaffected by the exorbitant prices of natural gas.
On Thursday, Biden announced a mass release of oil from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve, passing the buck down the line amid rising criticism for his job performance on the economy.
Pelosi’s clueless exasperation doesn’t suggest she’s in a position to offer any positive solutions to pain at the pump.
Truth and Accuracy
We are committed to truth and accuracy in all of our journalism. Read our editorial standards. | https://www.westernjournal.com/nancy-pelosi-expresses-shock-california-gas-prices/?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=rightalertspolls&utm_campaign=lminetwork&utm_content=2022-03-31 | 2022-04-01T01:54:47Z |
KING OF PRUSSIA, Pa., March 31, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, SimiTree named Directors Erin Masterson and Mark Romano as Associate Principals. Masterson and Romano join a group of six managing principals and three principals who direct SimiTree in providing a wide range of proven solutions for compliance, growth, and profitability to home health, hospice, applied behavioral analysis, palliative care, and other post-acute organizations.
"Mark has worked in mergers and acquisitions for the past six years, performing financial due diligences of home health, hospice, behavioral health/ABA, and private duty companies, while Erin has a history of providing extensive revenue cycle and operations consulting to organizations of all sizes, exclusively in the homecare industry," said William Simione, SimiTree CEO and Managing Principal.
Masterson and Romano will collaboratively lead with SimiTree Managing Principals William J. Simione III, David Berman, Nick Seabrook, Mike Freytag, Eric Scharber, and Todd Montigney, as well as fellow Principals J'non Griffin, Jess Stover and Rob Simione.
"I'm honored and excited at the opportunity to join this group of truly innovative leaders, who have positioned SimiTree to provide solutions that help clients overcome challenges, grow and become more profitable," Masterson said.
"It is quite a privilege to join Erin in becoming a fellow member of this highly regarded group as we strive to further accelerate the success of our clients," Romano added.
Romano has nearly 20 years of industry experience, assuming multiple interim leadership roles ranging from billing manager to revenue cycle director and finance manager in home health, hospice, and private duty settings. He has extensive knowledge in revenue recognition and account receivable reconciliation, which allowed him to easily transition to Mergers and Acquisitions, where his primary focus is on financial due diligences, quality of earnings, and hospice cap. A member of the National Association for Home Care & Hospice, Romano is a graduate of Quinnipiac University with a Bachelor of Science in accounting.
Masterson has spent the past ten years consulting in operational and revenue cycle-focused engagements in the homecare industry with an emphasis on project management and leadership surrounding organizational structure redesigns, revenue cycle process efficiency and accounts receivable reductions. Masterson's accomplishments through interim management positions have led to increased revenue, improved processes and streamlined operations for home health and hospice agencies across the country. She is a graduate of Penn State University with a Bachelor of Science in finance and sits on several committees and task forces that promote mentorship, female empowerment, and philanthropic initiatives.
"Mark and Erin offer excellent examples of the caliber of leadership SimiTree strives to incorporate into its structure to ensure the ongoing quality and effectiveness of the resources, guidance and solutions we make available to our clients," Simione added.
About SimiTree
SimiTree, a consulting and outsourcing company serving the home health, hospice, applied behavioral analysis, palliative care, and other post-acute organizations, was created by the merger of Simione Healthcare Consultants and BlackTree Healthcare Consulting in May 2021.
In addition to clinical, financial, and operational consulting, SimiTree offers a robust suite of outsourced services, including billing, coding, OASIS, Review Choice Demonstration (RCD) and Quality Assessment and Performance Improvement (QAPI), and revenue cycle management; executive placement, interim management, retention consulting and other talent solutions; mergers and acquisitions support; compliance assessments and risk mitigation plans; sales and growth training; and benchmarking and data analytics.
SimiTree also prepares cost reports for Medicare-certified home health agencies and provides hospice cap reporting and hospice cap due diligence services.
For more information, visit www.SimiTreeHC.com.
Media Contact:
Kally Mavromatis
kmavromatis@simitreehc.com
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SOURCE SimiTree | https://www.kmvt.com/prnewswire/2022/03/31/simitree-names-erin-masterson-mark-romano-associate-principals/ | 2022-04-01T01:54:48Z |
Blueberry effects
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Have you tried this product? Be the first to leave a review! | https://www.leafly.com/brands/firebrand-infusions/products/firebrand-infusions-blueberry-live-resin-cartridge-cartridges | 2022-04-01T01:54:49Z |
The Red Hot Chili Peppers have been honoured with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
The rock band - whose current line-up consists of lead vocalist Anthony Kiedis, bassist Flea, drummer Chad Smith and guitarist John Frusciante - were given the prestigious honour of a spot on Hollywood Boulevard in Los Angeles after having sold 80 million records worldwide and won six Grammy Awards over the course of their almost-40-year-career.
During a speech at the event, Anthony said: "To me, this is not a story of individuals. I love Chad, I love Flea, I love John, greatly. They are amazingly talented … Something happens when we come together which is much greater than the individual parts. The sum total of our parts is that we were able to find something that we love doing and communicate with the entire world."
The 'Under the Bridge' rockers were all present to accept the honour, with band member Flea explaining that he was very "grateful" to have received the star on the iconic tourist spot because the street has "always been a part of him."
He said: "When I was in high school, I marched on this street playing trumpet in the Hollywood High marching band. … I know this street inside out, and this street knows me. And whenever we’ve travelled around the world, this street has always been a part of me. And I’m really grateful that now we can be a part of it.
The star is the is the 2,717th to be placed Hollywood Walk of Fame and the 'Scar Tissue' hitmakers join the likes of screen icons Marilyn Monroe and Judy Garland on the historic landmark as well fellow rock bands Queen and The Beatles. | https://nordot.app/882421238663102464 | 2022-04-01T01:54:50Z |
AUGUSTA, Ga. (AP) — Anna Davis was little more than a silhouette from right of the ninth green as darkness fell quickly at the end of a long day at the Augusta National Women's Amateur. The only light came from a video board and headlights from carts making their way in.
Not the least bit rattled, the 16-year-old from San Diego pitched with perfect pace to 2 feet to save par and post a 4-over 76 at Champions Retreat, one of only nine players to finish the second round.
What started as lingering thunderstorms turned into a heavy rain that delayed the start of the second round for for seven-and-a-half hours. That led to what should be a longer day, but far more fun on Friday.
Fifty-one players will finish the second round in the morning — some with only one hole to play, others with nine holes — before heading over to Augusta National for a practice round.
It starts with an elite competition. It ends for so many of them with a dream come true.
Of the nine players who finished, Davis was at 2-over 146 and in a tie for eighth, virtually assured of being among the 30 players from a field of 60 who advance to the final round at the home of the Masters.
No one was under par.
Beatrice Wallin of Sweden was 1 under for the round through 16 holes and even par for the tournament, tied with Amari Avery, who also was 1 under for the day through 16.
Joining them at even par was Hailey Borjas, the Californian who plays at Michigan. Her day ended on a sour note with consecutive bogeys. Even so, she was excited for Friday.
She was at Augusta National earlier in the week, driving down Magnolia Lane and having a group dinner hosted by the club chairman.
“Seeing Augusta for the first time, it was like a dream come true,” Borjas said.
She was more excited about her first chance to play it than her position in the Augusta National Women's Amateur, in its third year but already considered elite among amateur events because of where it's at.
“I don't really like to think about golf when I'm playing golf, if that makes any sense," Borjas said. “I like to talk about other things, like shoes. So to think about Augusta National tomorrow will keep me going.”
U.S. Women's Amateur champion Jensen Castle had the best round going at 2 under through 16 holes, leaving her one shot out of the lead.
The course was just as difficult as the opening round, when strong wind allowed only five players to break par. The wind subsided after the rain, though it left the course soggy and longer, even as the greens were slightly more receptive.
Rose Zhang, the No. 1 amateur in the world, made progress by not really going anywhere. She put together one bogey and 13 pars and improved from a tie for 39th to a tie for 26th.
Rachel Heck of Stanford, the No. 3 player in women's amateur golf who won six times in one semester last year as a freshman, was going the other direction. Heck had a pair of double bogeys in her opening four holes and was 5 over through 10 holes, leaving her outside the projected cut line at 6 over.
The cut is a hard 30. Any ties lead to a sudden-death playoff to see who advances, although everyone gets to play a practice round at Augusta National on Friday.
___
More AP golf: https://apnews.com/hub/golf and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports | https://www.mrt.com/sports/article/Rain-slows-Augusta-Women-s-Amateur-as-no-one-left-17049897.php | 2022-04-01T01:54:50Z |
Trae Young Awarded Jason Collier Memorial Trophy
The Atlanta Hawks today announced guard Trae Young has been awarded the Jason Collier Memorial Trophy for the 2021-22 season. The award is earned annually by the Hawks player who most closely exemplifies the characteristics of a community ambassador displayed by Collier, the late Atlanta center who passed away in 2005. Young becomes the 15th player to receive the award.
“It’s an honor to receive the 2022 Jason Collier Award,” said Young. “I’m grateful to be amongst a group of diligent people who continue to help meet the necessary needs of the local community. I strive to positively impact the mental health of children and adults from all walks of life every single day.”
Since joining the Hawks, Young has shared his passion for raising mental health awareness. He has held conversations about the cause and continues to engage in key initiatives on the topic. Most recently, Young lent his voice as part of a multi-initiative campaign with the Hawks and ‘Silence the Shame’, a nonprofit organization that focuses on education and awareness around mental health. The two-time All-Star and five-time GRAMMY® Award-nominated singer-songwriter Chlöe Bailey participated in a ‘Teen Mental Wellness Courtside Chat’ to share and bring awareness to their experiences with mental health and wellness.
Additionally, Young is committed to community work throughout the city of Atlanta. In Nov. 2021, Young donated 500 Thanksgiving meals for underserved men to Atlanta Mission. In Dec., he donated $10,000 to the Atlanta Downtown Improvement District’s holiday coat drive to impact those in need during the winter months.
“On behalf of my family and daughter, Ella, I am beyond honored and thrilled that Trae Young was this year's recipient of the Jason J. Collier Memorial Trophy,” said Katie Collier. “This award is presented every year to the player who best exemplifies the characteristics of my husband off the court as a community ambassador. We appreciate Young's commitment to serving the Atlanta community through the Trae Young Family Foundation. My family continues to be grateful for the Atlanta Hawks organization in their support in keeping Jason’s legacy alive through the presentation of this award every year.”
Young has also been focused on being an active part of his community back home in Norman, Okla. Founded in 2019, the Trae Young Family Foundation was formed with the goal of continuing education for mental health problems, particularly cyber and social media bullying. In July 2021, he and his family opened The Young Family Athletic Center, which includes facilities provided by Norman Regional Health Systems, as well as an aquatics center, 12 volleyball courts and eight basketball courts. The Trae Young Family Foundation also provides scholarship opportunities, ensuring that local children will have the opportunity to utilize the facility in a recreational manner as well as receive the necessary equipment to participate in sports regardless of their families’ financial background.
Past recipients of the Jason Collier Memorial Trophy include: Josh Childress (2005-06 and 2006-07), Marvin Williams (2007-08 and 2010-11), Al Horford (2008-09), Josh Smith (2009-10), Zaza Pachulia (2011-12), Devin Harris (2012-13), Kyle Korver (2013-14), DeMarre Carroll (2014-15), Mike Muscala (2015-16), Paul Millsap (2016-17), Malcolm Delaney (2017-18), Kent Bazemore (2018-19), John Collins (2019-2020) and Cam Reddish (2020-21).
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Assists to Activism: Trae Young Leads Off Court | https://www.si.com/nba/hawks/news/trae-young-awarded-jason-collier-memorial-trophy | 2022-04-01T01:54:51Z |
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You need to enable JavaScript to run this app. | https://sportspyder.com/mlb/st-louis-cardinals/articles/39012386 | 2022-04-01T01:54:51Z |
Police: 6 killed in Pennsylvania pileup of 80 vehicles
POTTSVILLE, Pa. (AP) — State police said a deadly pileup involving 80 vehicles on a Pennsylvania interstate during a snow squall killed six people.
Police at the Frackville station said Wednesday morning that identities of the victims would be released “once death notifications have been made to their families.”
Police also said the crash during “an active snow squall” shortly after 10:30 a.m. Monday involved 39 commercial vehicles and 41 passenger vehicles, for a total of 80 — greater than earlier estimates of 40 to 60 vehicles.
The stretch of 1-81 opened at 12:30 a.m. Wednesday.
Authorities say the crash took place in poor visibility.
It was captured in videos posted on social media that showed drivers and passengers lining the snowy road and jumping out of the way as the cascade of crashes unfolded.
Some vehicles were mostly burned and others melted onto the highway.
Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. | https://www.wtok.com/2022/03/30/police-6-killed-pennsylvania-pileup-80-vehicles/ | 2022-04-01T01:54:50Z |
The United States Department of Agriculture released an update to its Food Price Outlook for 2022 and found that nearly everything one might ingest – whether it comes from the grocery store or restaurant – is going up in price.
And yes, that's on top of the price increases consumers have already been forced to endure in the last year.
"All food prices are now predicted to increase between 4.5 and 5.5%," the USDA's Economic Research Service explained in the March report.
While the overall increase is alarming, a closer look at various food categories show just how expensive shoppers can expect items to get, according to the USDA:
As for take-out or dine-in menus, the USDA said those prices are predicted to go up between 5.5 and 6.5% for the remainder of this year.
Additionally, food prices climbed 7.9% for the year ending in February 2022.
This was "the largest 12-month advance since July 1981," according to the department.
The report also noted current global events that will only add to the uncertainty of food affordability, saying, "The impacts of the conflict in Ukraine and the recent increases in interest rates by the Federal Reserve are expected to put upward and downward pressures on food prices, respectively. The situations will be closely monitored to assess the net impacts of these concurrent events on food prices as they unfold."
Copyright 2022 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org. | https://www.wvpe.org/npr-news/2022-03-31/food-prices-are-going-up-and-at-levels-americans-havent-seen-in-decades | 2022-04-01T01:54:51Z |
The House of Representatives voted Thursday to approve legislation that would limit cost-sharing for insulin under private health insurance and Medicare. The vote was 232-193, with 12 Republican members joining their Democratic colleagues to pass the measure.
The Affordable Insulin Now Act would cap insulin prices at either $35 a month or 25% of an insurance plan's negotiated price — whichever is lower. The legislation aims to take effect in 2023 but its fate in the Senate remains unclear.
"This is a kitchen table issue, "House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., said to reporters ahead of the bill's passage on Thursday.
"One in four Americans is forced to skip or ration doses of insulin and that's life-threatening," she said, noting the legislation "paves the way" for further action on negotiating lower drug prices beyond insulin.
Advocates of the legislation point to data from the Health Care Cost Institute, an independent nonprofit that studies health care prices, which shows prices for insulin doubled between 2012 and 2016.
"No one should have to choose between taking their medication as prescribed and putting food on the table or a roof over their head," said Rep. Dan Kildee, one of three Democratic lawmakers who sponsored the legislation.
"As a father of a type 1 diabetic, I have seen firsthand how the high price of prescription drugs like insulin can harm patients and harm families," the Michigan Democrat said during debate on the House floor. "When my daughter turned 26 and got her own health insurance, there were months where she spent a third of her take home pay because she's diabetic on staying alive."
Critics of the bill argue the cap alone doesn't do enough to solve the underlying problem of rising prescription drug prices.
"We want lower prices for drugs, particularly for insulin," said Rep. Buddy Carter, R-Ga, during debate. "But instead of fixing a broken system, this bill aims to control it," he adding, calling the bill a "socialist plan."
House Democrats passed legislation in November as part of a broader spending package that would have enabled Medicare to negotiate lower prices for various prescription drugs.
Because that package remains stalled in the Senate, Democrats are working to more narrowly tackle making common drugs like insulin more affordable.
There is a similar bipartisan effort under way in the Senate but its path is unclear as Republicans have traditionally been opposed to price caps.
Copyright 2022 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org. | https://www.michiganradio.org/2022-03-31/house-passes-bill-to-cap-insulin-prices | 2022-04-01T01:54:51Z |
Thousands of renters in Victoria will have their rent subsidised by the government in a targeted approach to address housing affordability.
In a national first, the government will make at least 2400 homes available to low to moderate income earners.
Families earning less than $132,000 can access the scheme, and will be given the chance to pay rent at a lower rate for at least three years, with help from the government.
Announcing the scheme on Friday, Housing Minister Richard Wynne said applicants would not need to be eligible for social housing to be accepted.
“The scheme will help sustain and grow affordable housing and ensure more Victorians have the safety, security and dignity of a home,” he said.
“This Australian-first program is a financially sustainable investment in boosting housing affordability and will encourage the rental market to provide more and better options for Victorians looking for a home to rent.”
Work will begin in the next month to identify rental managers for new properties, with the first renters able to move in an early as the end of the year.
In metropolitan Melbourne, rents will be at least 10 per cent below the median market rent of the area – and capped at 30 per cent of the median income in Melbourne.
In regional Victoria, rents will be set at the median market rental price for that area, as well as limited at 30 per cent of the median income in regional Victoria.
The scheme will be targeted at aged care, retail and hospitality workers who need to find a secure rental.
“With many households experiencing rental stress and spending more than 30 per cent of their household income on rent, the government is working to create new affordable options and encourage more private sector support,” Mr Wynne said.
Properties will be advertised through partner agencies and offered using an eligibility check and selection process.
Eligible households on the Victoria‘s housing register will be encouraged to apply for relevant properties.
At least 500 of the homes will be located in regional Victoria.
Low and moderate income essential workers, including many healthcare workers and carers, will be eligible in areas of workforce shortage in regional Victoria.
The first affordable rental properties are expected to be available in regional Ballarat, Greater Geelong and Bendigo, while the first metropolitan Melbourne homes will be in Ascot Vale, Ashburton, and Heidelberg. | https://www.perthnow.com.au/news/victorian-government-to-pay-rent-for-thousands-of-homes-as-part-of-new-scheme-c-6284756 | 2022-04-01T01:54:52Z |
WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — Seeking to counter international fears over its new security alliance with China, the Solomon Islands said Friday it won't allow China to build a military base there.
But that insistence will do little to ease concerns about the pact from the nation's traditional partners that include New Zealand, Australia and the United States.
The leader of neighboring Micronesia added his voice to those expressing trepidation by invoking the bloody battles of World War II and warning that the pact could again see the South Pacific region become a battleground for much larger powers.
The Solomon Islands government said Thursday a draft agreement of the new security pact had been initialed by representatives from the Solomons and China and would be "cleaned up" and signed.
In a statement Friday, the Solomon Islands government said that “contrary to the misinformation promoted by anti-government commentators” the agreement did not invite China to establish a military base.
“Government is conscious of the security ramification of hosting a military base, and it will not be careless to allow such initiative to take place under its watch,” the statement said.
The statement seemed to more emphatically rule out the possibility of a base after Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare had earlier told parliament it had no intention of asking China to build a base.
Sogavare said his nation sought only peace and prosperity, citing its foreign policy mantra: “We are friends to all and enemies to none.” He said it wasn't a secret deal but a sovereign issue.
Under the terms of the draft agreement, China could send police, military personnel and other armed forces to the Solomon Islands “to assist in maintaining social order” and for a variety of other reasons. It could also send warships to the islands for stopovers and to replenish supplies, which had led to speculation about the possibility of China establishing a naval base on the South Pacific islands.
Micronesia President David Panuelo wrote a letter to Sogavare saying Micronesia had “grave security concerns” about the "novel and unprecedented" arrangement.
He said the two small nations had become battle grounds during World War II and that it could happen again as China, the U.S. and Australia asserted themselves in the region.
“And is it plausible that, once the spheres have been carved out, that our concerns about climate change — today’s problem — would manifest into all-too-real concerns about a war in our backyards, with our people, our islands, as the playground for children playing as adults?” Panuelo wrote to Sogavare.
Australian Defense Minister Peter Dutton said Friday that while it respected the Solomons' sovereignty, the deal showed that China was acting aggressively in the region.
“We need to be very cautious here because the Chinese are incredibly aggressive, the tactics that they’re deploying into small island nations are quite remarkable,” he told Sky News.
New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern this week described the possibility of Chinese military forces stationed on the Solomon Islands as “the potential militarization of the region.” And the U.S. State Department said Washington did not believe China’s security forces and methods needed to be exported.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin said Thursday that “relevant parties should see the China-Solomon Islands security cooperation objectively and rationally and stop making irresponsible remarks.”
“Attempts to provoke, obstruct and undermine China’s friendly relations with the island countries is not popular and will not succeed,” Wang told reporters at a daily briefing.
“China-Solomon Islands cooperation does not target any third party and is not in conflict with Solomon Islands’ cooperation with other countries. Instead, it complements the existing regional cooperation mechanisms in a positive way,” he added.
The Solomon Islands, home to about 700,000 people, switched its diplomatic allegiance from Taiwan to Beijing in 2019 — a contributing factor to riots in November last year between residents of different islands within the country.
Australian police have been in the capital, Honiara, maintaining peace since then under a bilateral security treaty established in 2017. It provides a legal basis for the rapid deployment of Australian police, troops and associated civilians in the event of a major security challenge.
Chinese police are already on the islands conducting a training mission.
The Federated States of Micronesia is home to about 100,000 people. It has diplomatic relations and considers itself a “friend” of China, as well as having a close relationship with the U.S. under a compact of free association. | https://www.thehour.com/news/article/Solomon-Islands-says-China-deal-won-t-include-17049939.php | 2022-04-01T01:54:52Z |
United States to Invest J$3.1b in Jamaica
By Derrick Scott
[WASHINGTON, DC] – Jamaica’s Prime Minister Andrew Holness today held discussions with United States Vice President Kamala Harris at the White House following his arrival in Washington, DC on Tuesday night for a five-day working visit in the United States Capitol.
The prime minister accompanied by the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade, Senator Kamina Johnson Smith, Jamaica’s Ambassador to the United States Audrey Marks, and Finance Minister Dr. Nigel Clarke, held talks with the US Vice President at her Office at the Eisenhower Executive Office Building on the White House complex.
The discussions covered the implementation of violence reduction programmes targeting youth at risk. VP Harris expressed agreement for the establishment of a working group between Jamaica and the US. In addition, they plan to discuss issues unique to Jamaica and to continue dialogue.
“The areas of cooperation discussed include violence prevention through intelligence and information sharing and investment in violence reduction programme, targeting at-risk youth, human capacity development, particularly in relation to cyber security and digital technology, Regional energy security and infrastructure,” the prime minister said.
Funding
He added that he was encouraged by the positive feedback from Harris, who committed to funding several areas of need. These include Expansion of Commerce and Trade Support for the health sector and the country’s COVID-19 recovery efforts.
Prime Minister Holness thanked Vice President Harris for prioritizing this meeting with Jamaica. He welcomed her announcements that the US will be providing greater support by investing J$3.1 billion in Jamaica.
The plan will see the US invest US $20 million to boost commerce between the two nations. A further US $10 million will be invested in boosting human capital and violence reduction for at risk youth. The total of US $30 million announced is the equivalent of more than JMD $4.6 billion at the current exchange rate.
Congressional Meetings
The Prime Minister will also have high level congressional meetings with Senate Majority Leader, Charles Schumer. In addition, he will meet with Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee Senator, Robert Menendez and members of the Committee.
The Chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman, Gregory Meeks will also host a meeting for the Prime Minister with members of the Committee.
The prime minister’s five-day working visit will also include meetings with the Chair of the House Finance Committee Congresswoman Maxine Waters and the Chairman of Chair of the House Appropriations subcommittee on State and Foreign Operations (SFOPS), Congresswoman Barbara Lee.
Press Meetings
He will also address members of the Washington DC Press at the National Press Club. This morning, Holness appeared as guest on Great Day Washington on Channel 9/WUSA with hosts Kristen Berset-Harris and Ellen Bryan.
“Lets Connect with Ambassador Marks”
Prime Minister Holness will join members of the Diaspora as the special guest on the “Lets Connect with Ambassador Marks”. The online town hall meeting takes place on Friday at 7pm EDT. He is expected to highlight the island’s development at 60 years of Independence. Plus, outline the efforts being made to facilitate expanded diaspora participation in the overall economy.
While in Washington, Prime Minister Holness will also meet members of the Embassy staff. As well as members of the Jamaica Central Labour organization which oversees the US Jamaica Farm Worker Programme.
The Prime Minister is expected to return to the island on April 3, 2022 | https://sflcn.com/united-states-to-invest-j3-1b-in-jamaica/ | 2022-04-01T01:54:52Z |
UPDATE - Colac Bay incident
Detective Senior Sergeant Greg Baird:
Police continue to
investigate a burglary, which occurred at a rural
property
in Colac Bay on Thursday morning.
At around
8am the owner has come across a group of people on the
property
attempting to steal fuel.
The owner has approached the group and been threatened with a firearm.
The firearm was not discharged and no one was injured during the incident.
The four offenders are
described as being male, between 20-30 years old,
and
wearing high visibility tops.
Police would like to
hear from anyone with information, which could assist
our
ongoing enquiries.
In particular, we are seeking
information about a silver/grey 1999 Subaru
Impreza
hatchback and a grey/blue Toyota Starlet hatchback.
Both vehicles were seen in the area around the time of the incident.
The Toyota Starlet was later recovered in Thames Street, Riverton.
Police are also interested in the
whereabouts of a red station wagon, which
was seen in the
vicinity at the time and may be able to assist in
the
investigation.
A second burglary was also reported
to Police in the Round Hill area around
the same
time.
Firearms, meat, tools and a red and white Honda
CRF230F dirt bike were
stolen.
The investigation
continues into both burglaries and whether the two
are
linked.
Anyone with any information, including
sightings of the vehicles or
motorcycle in the Western
Southland area is encouraged to get in touch
with
Police.
Information can be provided to Police on
105, or to Crime Stoppers
anonymously, referencing file
numbers 220331/3292 and 220331/2506.
You can also view
this release, including any additional images, on the
NZ
Police app [1] or
at:
https://www.police.govt.nz/news/release/update-colac-bay-incident
[2] | https://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/AK2204/S00024/update-colac-bay-incident.htm | 2022-04-01T01:54:52Z |
More than a week after Mobile Mayor Sandy Stimpson and Police Chief Paul Prine held a news conference to point the finger at a “broken” criminal justice system for surging violent crime in the city, the circuit and district court judges of Mobile County held an unprecedented news conference of their own, refuting the allegation as both “offensive and false.”
Presiding Circuit Court Judge Michael Youngpeter — reading from prepared remarks and not fielding any questions afterward — said “some public officials” are engaging in a “political blame game” which is both “wrong and harmful.” Youngpeter admitted the courts are underfunded, but said the problem is multi-dimensional, and the judges cannot be blamed for an understaffed police department, or witnesses who won’t appear for hearings, or the efficiency of grand jury proceedings, or “eroded” family and social structures, or the widespread availability of guns and drugs.
“All the parts of this interconnected system must operate efficiently for it to work,” he said. “Certainly, the system works better if everyone maintains open communication and cooperation rather than attempting to pass or deflect blame. The public has a right to expect that their elected branches of government will work together to solve problems rather than hurl baseless political accusations at each other.”
Youngpeter went on to reiterate that although trials and hearings were postponed or delayed during the COVID-19 pandemic, the courts adopted new technologies and procedures to ensure all cases moved within time limits established by state law. Youngpeter said he received statewide data from the pandemic indicating Mobile County held more trials and disposed of more felony indictments than any other circuit in the state between March 2020 and December 2021.
He also touched on the subject of bonds, which District Attorney Ashley Rich and others have pointed to as being too lenient. As he has stated in the past, Youngpeter said bonds are required under state law, and the U.S. Constitution prohibits “excessive bail.”
“Our judges give bonds when they are required to do so, but if the offenses are violent, the bonds are significant and other conditions may be added,” he said. “Also, bonds may be revoked when a defendant on bond engages in a new criminal conduct. The revocation of bonds happens multiple times every day in the courthouse. The political charge that judges simply keep giving violent criminals bond over and over again is just false. And that political charge is disappointing and distracting.”
Youngpeter concluded that “the proper answer is not to politically pressure the courts, but instead to take steps to change the law or amend the Constitution.”
As Lagniappe previously reported, as of March 22, 142 murder cases were waiting to be determined by a grand jury, while 193 murder cases were awaiting trial. There are currently 125 individuals free on bail who are charged with murder.
A spokesman for the mayor’s office said they were not aware of today’s news conference and have no immediate response to Youngpeter’s remarks. The full statement is reprinted below.
Statement of the Circuit and District Judges 3/31/22
I know it is very unusual for a judge to call a press conference. There is a reason for that; judges are absolutely prohibited from making public comments about pending cases.
The statement I make today, however, is not about a particular pending case. It is about an attack on the justice system and the judges themselves. The concern of the judges — and why I am speaking today — is that such an unprecedented, unwarranted and unacceptable attack undermines the ability of the courts to do their jobs in the future. Citizens having respect and faith in the court system is crucial to a healthy, effective and independent court system.
Over the last several weeks, crime — specifically gun-related crime — has been at the forefront of the news. Last week, some public officials claimed the criminal justice system is broken, that the system is contributing to the wave of violence, and that our judges are essentially accomplices to violent crime. That is offensive and false.
We share the frustration and concern of other citizens and public officials about the upsurge in violent crime. We are fathers, mothers, and grandparents. We live in this community too. But the political “blame game” is both wrong and harmful. We understand – and public officials understand it too — that there is no easy fix for the rise in violent crime in Mobile and nationwide. But the judges certainly cannot be blamed for: the shortfall in Mobile Police Officers of over 100 positions, the failure of witnesses to appear for hearings and trial, family structures that are eroded or broken, the popularization of violence in our entertainment and culture, the continued explosion in the sale of illegal drugs and guns (which are making their way into the hands of younger and younger persons), and an underfunded court system.
The charge that the criminal justice system in Mobile is broken is wrong. It is not broken. You should know that the criminal justice system consists of several parts, all of which are interconnected and essential. Once a police officer makes an arrest, there is an initial appearance, arraignment and bond hearing in district court. If requested, there is a preliminary hearing in district court. If the district judge finds probable cause that a defendant committed an offense, the case is sent to the grand jury. The grand jury proceedings are conducted solely by the District Attorney’s Office. The courts have no control over which matters are presented to the grand jury or when such matters are presented. If an indictment is returned by the grand jury, only then is it assigned to a circuit court judge for a jury trial.
All of parts of this interconnected system must operate efficiently for it to work. Certainly, the system works better if everyone maintains open communication and cooperation rather than attempting to pass or deflect blame. The public has a right to expect that their elected branches of government will work together to solve problems rather than hurl baseless political accusations at each other.
The public also has an important role in the system. If you are called to jury duty, come down and serve. If you are a witness or victim, cooperate with police and prosecutors, and come to court when necessary.
The silence of a victim or witness only creates more crime and more victims. Some common misconceptions put out to the public are that the Courts closed during the Covid pandemic,
that no jury trials took place, and there were no grand jury proceedings. The Courts never closed, not one day. Through the tireless efforts of our staff, the Clerk’s office, the Administrative Office of Courts here and in Montgomery, the probation officers, the Court Police and the Mobile County Sheriff’s Department and the Jail, we were able to use new technologies, develop new procedures, and maintain essential functions, including bond hearings, arraignments and all pre-trial hearings and procedures within the time limits required by Alabama law.
Much of the recent talk has been about jury trials. It is true that jury trials were suspended by the Alabama Supreme Court at the outset of the pandemic, and later reduced or suspended by me as the presiding judge during periods of Covid surge. There were two reasons for the reduction in jury trials during those times. First, there was the reduction in available jurors during certain periods. When there was a surge in Covid in Mobile, there would be a corresponding reduction in the number of persons willing to report for jury duty. Some months we had a juror response rate of only 10 percent. We knew we could not proceed full speed ahead with jury trials at that rate.
The second reason, simply put, was the well-being of our citizens. I felt it was unfair to require members of the public to come into close proximity with others if they were not willing or were extremely reluctant to do so. All of the other large circuits suspended jury trials during those periods for the same reasons.
When there was some criticism last year that the judges in Mobile were not doing enough, I asked the court administrator to compile information about what we had accomplished in Mobile versus the other large circuits in the state. As I suspected, it showed that from the onset of the pandemic in March of 2020 until December 2021, we held more jury trials, and disposed of more felony indictments, than any other Circuit in the state.
Of course, this is consistent with the fact that Mobile has one of the highest caseloads per judge in the state. We were a busy circuit before the pandemic, we have been a busy circuit during the pandemic, and we will be a busy circuit long after the pandemic is over.
There has also been a lot of talk about bonds. With the exceptions of persons charged with capital murder, and those already on probation, parole, or bond for another crime, every defendant charged with a crime is required under Alabama law and the Alabama Constitution to be given a bond, and the Eighth Amendment to the United States Constitution prohibits “excessive bail.” Our judges give bonds when they are required to do so, but if the offenses are violent, the bonds are significant and other conditions may be added. Also, bonds may be revoked when a defendant on bond engages in new criminal conduct. The revocation of bonds happens multiple times every day in the courthouse. The political charge that judges simply keep giving violent criminals bond over and over again is just false. And that political charge is
disappointing and distracting.
State laws are written by the State Legislature and local laws are written by city councils, and those laws are executed by the Governor or mayors. If public officials (elected by the public) do not like a law or a part of the Constitution, the proper answer is not to politically pressure courts, but instead to take steps to change the law or amend the Constitution. The courts are charged with applying laws as written, fairly and impartially, regardless of the outcome. That is the hallmark of an independent judiciary. No amount of political pressure is going to change the role of the courts.
Finally, I assure you that the judges will continue to do our part. But please understand that we do not conduct sham proceedings. The State and the defendants will receive fair trials. This is not China or Russia. All of us here today swore oaths to uphold the law, including the United States and Alabama Constitutions. I promise you that, notwithstanding any political pressure, the judges of the 13th Judicial Circuit will not violate those oaths.
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Already a member of the Lagniappe family? Sign in by clicking here | https://lagniappemobile.com/mobile-county-judges-respond-to-political-blame-game-over-surging-violence/ | 2022-04-01T01:54:53Z |
Thursday, March 31, 2022
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You need to enable JavaScript to run this app. | https://toronto.citynews.ca/2022/03/31/no-jail-for-la-building-owner-over-explosion-that-hurt-12/ | 2022-04-01T01:54:54Z |
Vaughn Palmer: Secrecy over Site C could be why NDP willing to cut deal with First Nation
Opinion: West Moberly First Nations had won access to a secret government report on Site C. Now a lawsuit that would've discussed parts of that report is on hold pending negotiations.
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VICTORIA — B.C. Hydro’s latest update on Site C includes major news on the litigation front, with the adjournment of a legal action that was expected to shine an unflattering spotlight on the controversial project.
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The West Moberly First Nations was headed to court this spring, seeking to halt Site C because the dam violates its treaty rights and threatens its traditional territory along the Peace River in northeastern B.C.
Instead, the treaty infringement claim has been adjourned.
The First Nation and the company “are continuing confidential discussions to settle this litigation,” Hydro reported this week.
West Moberly won a preliminary round last year, when the court granted access to confidential material regarding the safety and risks of Site C.
Included in the order was the full report of Peter Milburn, who was brought in to review Site C after a geotechnical instability was detected in the foundations for the generating station, spillway and the earth fill dam itself.
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Milburn was appointed by Premier John Horgan shortly before he called a snap election in September 2020.
There’s evidence that B.C. Hydro and the government knew about the geotechnical instability months before the problem was made public.
But the timing of the Milburn appointment provided cover for the premier in his successful drive for re-election.
Horgan repeatedly refused to answer any questions about what he knew about the problem with the Site C foundations and when he knew it.
Milburn and a hand-picked team of experts spent several months reviewing the project.
They interviewed 50 key players and assembled more than 5,000 documents, some of them “especially generated to assist us in understanding complex issues,” as he put it afterward.
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He packaged his research into an extensively documented report with 17 recommendations, delivered to the Horgan government a few weeks after it took office for a second term.
The New Democrats then asked Milburn to generate a summary version of his report, stripping out the most sensitive material including cabinet confidences and other documents that had led to the findings and recommendations.
The bare bones summary was released to the public in February 2021, when Horgan announced that Site C would be completed at a cost of $16 billion, up from $10.7 billion.
The full version of the Milburn report, thought to be more revealing about what the government knew and when it knew it, was withheld from the public.
B.C. Hydro and the NDP government, with their penchant for secrecy regarding Site C, also fought in court against West Moberly’s application for the full version of the Milburn material.
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The province argued that the material was either on the record already or irrelevant to the case.
Hydro even tried to persuade the judge that at no point in the proceedings would the court be called on to determine whether the dam was being built in a manner that is safe or cost effective.
Happily, Mr. Justice Warren Millman sided with West Moberly, ruling that safety and cost factors were relevant. An unsafe dam could violate treaty rights and inundate the traditional territory of the First Nation.
The judge ordered Hydro and the government to hand over the material, leaving open the possibility that there could be limitations on the disclosure of cabinet confidences and commercial information.
The West Moberly claim was scheduled for 120 days of hearings in B.C. Supreme Court, starting in mid-March of this year.
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The case was expected to include an airing of at least some of the material that Hydro and the New Democrats fought to keep off the public record.
It is not clear if that prospect made the government more amenable to an out-of-court settlement with West Moberly.
Hydro has already concluded benefit-sharing agreements regarding Site C with other First Nations in the northeast.
The company was on record as open to negotiating similar terms with West Moberly.
West Moberly chief Roland Willson did not return my call Thursday. I’m guessing he’s negotiating.
Otherwise, Hydro’s latest Site C update maintains that the project is on schedule and on budget.
Which is Hydrospeak for a year late and scheduled to cost at least twice as much as when the project was greenlighted by the B.C. Liberals back in 2014.
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Plus, major uncertainties remain.
“As construction progresses, there remains a risk of design changes due to unknown field conditions,” says the update.
“Significant potential cost risks remain, including the continuation of the COVID-19 pandemic, commercial negotiations with contractors, design changes, the availability of skilled craft workers and obtaining remaining authorizations for the completion of the project.”
The fix to the geotechnical problem, proposed in the Milburn report, is still not completed.
The design, engineering and constructability of those “foundation enhancements continue to be finalized” according to the update.
Moreover, “procurements still need to be negotiated” with the contractors for the “enhancements.”
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The main element of the enhancements entails the installation of 96 large steel piles to stabilize the foundations. The work is expected to be completed later this year.
The update includes no breakdown of how much all this is costing.
There may well be a cost breakdown in the appendices. One is a “summary of individual contracts,” another covers “project progression” and a third includes “detailed project expenditure.”
But true to form, Hydro has removed the contents of all three appendices from the public version of the update in the name of “confidentiality.”
More news, fewer ads, faster load time: Get unlimited, ad-lite access to The Vancouver Sun, The Province, National Post and 13 other Canadian news sites for just $14/month or $140/year. Subscribe now through The Vancouver Sun or The Province. | https://vancouversun.com/opinion/columnists/palmer-secrecy-over-site-c-could-be-why-ndp-willing-to-cut-deal-with-first-nation | 2022-04-01T01:54:54Z |
Illinois mom among 20 killed in Mexico shooting at cockfighting venue
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An Americanmother of four was reportedly among 20 people killed in a shooting massacre at a cockfighting venue in Mexico.
Melissa Silva was killed, and her 16-year-old sister, Arleth Silva, was wounded after gunmen opened fire at the venue in the western state of Michoacan on Sunday, according to a report.
Arleth Silva remains in critical condition at a hospital in Mexico. Her family said she was shot three times – once in the lungs and twice in the leg. Three others were wounded in the shooting.
MEXICO CARTEL LEADER KNOWN AS ‘THE EGG’ INDICTED IN TEXAS FOLLOWING ATTACKS AFTER HIS ARREST
On a GoFundMe page set up to help cover funeral and hospital expenses, the family said Melissa Silva leaves behind four kids, three of whom are under the age of 18.
Melissa’s brother, Alex Silva, told WBBM-TV the family is devastated.
“I went crazy for a couple of minutes,” he told the station. “I couldn’t believe it.”
Federal officials said the gunmen appeared to have planned the attack, entering the venue inside a stolen truck owned by a snack food company and using a bus to block those inside from escaping or calling for help.
SUSPECTED MEXICO CARTEL MEMBER AIMS AK-47 AT TEXAS DPS HELICOPTER PATROLLING NEAR BORDER
“The snack food company truck arrived, and several armed people in camouflage clothing got out,” a prosecutors’ statement said. “At the same moment, a bus that was outside the building was used as a blockade.”
Prosecutors said one vehicle that appeared to belong to a victim had stickers with the logo of a criminal gang, adding that drug cartels and other criminal gangs had been fighting in the area.
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“There are indications that the attack involved a confrontation between criminal groups,” the federal Public Safety Department said in a statement. It said a team of federal investigators had been sent to the scene.
Fox News’ Stephen Sorace and The Associated Press contributed to this report. | https://1010wcsi.com/fox-world/illinois-mom-among-20-killed-in-mexico-shooting-at-cockfighting-venue/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=illinois-mom-among-20-killed-in-mexico-shooting-at-cockfighting-venue | 2022-04-01T01:54:54Z |
Succeeds Steve Hamman at States' Largest Health Plan
CHICAGO, March 31, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Blue Cross and Shield of Illinois (BCBSIL), a division of Health Care Service Corporation (HCSC), today announced Stephen Harris has been named the new Illinois president. Stephen will succeed Steve Hamman, who has left the company to pursue new endeavors. He will begin this new position immediately.
"Stephen has been instrumental in the company's ambitious growth strategy and has done tremendous work in stabilizing and growing our Medicaid business," said Maurice Smith, HCSC president and CEO. "He is an exceptional leader and will be outstanding in his new role working to improve the quality of life for Illinoisans by working with key partners in aligning the health care system around our members' and customers' varying needs."
Stephen has over 20 years of experience spearheading business development and performance improvement initiatives for top health care organizations. During his time at HCSC, he led the company's Medicaid line of business; responsible for driving growth, operational excellence, and financial performance. Prior to joining HCSC, Stephen was Regional Vice President of Health Plan Operations at Molina Healthcare. In his new role, he will lead a team that manages the Plan's commercial markets sales including group and individual, provider relations and network contracting, care management, regulatory and customer relationships and BCBSIL's hyperlocal community engagement initiatives.
"HCSC has an outstanding leadership team that is a result of a long-standing focus on attracting and growing top talent," said Smith. "Our continued focus on building our leadership bench strength allows us to capitalize on our position as a leader in the health care industry and to continue to deliver outstanding value to our customers, communities, and key partners."
"It is an exciting time to lead an organization that is well positioned to drive significant change in health care and continue to expand access to health care by strengthening relationships and working in close collaboration with providers, employers and other partners," said Harris. "I am both honored and excited to continue to work with the talented leaders at BCBSIL to build on its strong foundation to innovate and make the healthcare system work better for everyone."
Stephen is a certified public accountant and holds an MBA from the University of North Carolina's Kenan-Flagler Business School and a BA from Michigan State University.
About Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Illinois
Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Illinois (BCBSIL) is committed to expanding access to quality, cost-effective health care to as many people as possible in Illinois. Covering nearly 9 million people, BCBSIL is dedicated to innovation and exploring, nurturing, and activating future possibilities to make the health care system work better for our members and our communities. BCBSIL is a division of Health Care Service Corporation, a Mutual Legal Reserve Company and an Independent Licensee of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association.
View original content to download multimedia:
SOURCE Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Illinois | https://www.kmvt.com/prnewswire/2022/03/31/stephen-harris-named-president-blue-cross-blue-shield-illinois/ | 2022-04-01T01:54:55Z |
Police Search for Woman after Deceased Infant Is Found in Phoenix McDonald's Restroom
Over the weekend, a person made a horrible discovery after entering the bathroom at a local McDonald’s on Sunday. There, in the single-occupancy restroom, was a dead infant.
The newborn boy was alone, discarded as worse than trash.
Police arrived on the scene at the McDonald’s near Indian School Road and 35th Avenue in Phoenix around 2 p.m., and first responders pronounced the infant dead at the scene.
An autopsy is being performed, but in the meantime, police have a suspect they would like the public’s help in finding.
A woman was caught on the restaurant’s video surveillance camera walking to the bathroom area, tugging at a locked door and returning to the front of the McDonald’s. Once the person using that restroom exited, the woman walked back, re-entered and exited sometime later.
She was wearing a black Calvin Klein T-shirt, black pants and sandals.
Police released the footage on Tuesday hoping that someone will be able to identify her so they can find out more about the situation.
“Do You Know Her?” the Phoenix Police Department posted.
Do You Know Her?
On March 27 around 2p.m. a newborn was left in the bathroom of a restaurant near 32nd Ave/Indian School Rd. #PHXPDHomicide detectives need help identifying the woman in the video. Contact @SilentwitnessAZ at 480-WITNESS or 480-TESTIGO with information. pic.twitter.com/WgDxnNvX9U
— Phoenix Police (@PhoenixPolice) March 29, 2022
“On March 27 around 2 p.m. a newborn was left in the bathroom of a restaurant near 32nd Ave/Indian School Rd. #PHXPDHomicide detectives need help identifying the woman in the video. Contact Silent Witness at 480-WITNESS or 480-TESTIGO with information,” the department said.
According to KTVK/KPHO-TV, police also believe several witnesses were present at the time the woman was there. Officials asked them to come forward, too.
Many have been upset over the incident, and some have used the sad story as an opportunity to remind people that Arizona has a Safe Haven law: The woman could have dropped off her newborn with any one of several approved recipient organizations and would have faced no backlash.
“If your baby is unharmed, is under 30 days old and you don’t intend to reclaim your baby, you have options!” a page on the Arizona Safe Haven Law website said. “Simply bring your baby to the Safe Haven locations.”
All hospitals, ambulances and on-duty fire stations will take surrendered infants, no questions asked. Certain adoption agencies and churches also will accept a surrendered baby.
“You must hand your baby to a person at the above locations or may place the baby in the Safe Haven drawer at designated hospitals,” the page continued.
“Tell them this is a safe haven baby and you may leave. Your baby will be cared for and a good home will be found for the baby.”
Some have suggested that the baby already might have been deceased and the woman was looking for a place to leave the body. Others said it’s unlikely the suspect — if the woman in the video truly is the culprit — could have given birth and left the child in that amount of time.
Whatever the sad reality and pressing circumstances behind this story, police hope to be able to get to the bottom of it with the help of witnesses and anyone who might recognize the suspect.
Truth and Accuracy
We are committed to truth and accuracy in all of our journalism. Read our editorial standards. | https://www.westernjournal.com/police-search-woman-deceased-infant-found-phoenix-mcdonalds-restroom/?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=teaparty&utm_campaign=lminetwork&utm_content=2022-03-31 | 2022-04-01T01:54:54Z |
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Patrick Demarchelier has died at the age of 78.
The French fashion photographer - who worked with legends such as Princess Diana and Madonna - passed away on Thursday (31.03.22), his team announced on Instagram.
The statement read: "It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of Patrick Demarchelier on March 31st 2022, at the age of 78."
No cause of death was given but the statement went on to claim that Patrick is survived by his wife, their three sons as well as three grandchildren.
The statement read: "He is survived by his wife Mia, his three sons Gustaf, Arthur, Victor and three grandchildren."
The legendary fashion photographer had created advertising campaigns for the likes of brands such as Chanel, Target, Ralph Lauren, Calvin Klein, Yves Saint Laurent, Dior, Revlon, Lancôme, Gap, and Louis Vuitton but it was his one of his covers for Vogue in 1989 that led to him being recruited by Diana, Princess of Wales as the first non-British photographer for the royal family.
The tragic royal - who was married to Prince Charles until 1996 and died the following year in a car crash in Paris -commissioned Patrick to photograph herself and her sons Princes William and Harry back in 1990 and the pair later worked together on a number of occasional
Speaking about working with Diana, he said: "I remember when she first contacted me, that was in 1989. I had done a picture for British Vogue in which a model was opening her coat to show a picture of a little, laughing boy tucked into the inside pocket. The boy was in fact my son, and Diana, maybe because of her little boys, loved that picture so much that she got in touch.
Diana didn’t pose like a model, and I had to work at getting her to relax. But I knew what I wanted because I had seen paparazzi pictures of her laughing, and that was when she was at her prettiest. Diana was funny and kind but fundamentally she was a very simple woman who liked very simple things. I never touched my pictures of her where she looked both in control and sweetly vulnerable, with plenty of her typical coyness." | https://nordot.app/882421297035296768 | 2022-04-01T01:54:56Z |
Catching up on some data.
Home Loans -3.7% m/m
- exp. 1.5% and prior 2.6%
Owner-Occupied Housing Finance -4.7% m/m
- exp. 1.0% & prior was +1.0%
Investment Housing Finance -1.8% m/m
- prior 6.1%
Catching up on some data.
Home Loans -3.7% m/m
Owner-Occupied Housing Finance -4.7% m/m
Investment Housing Finance -1.8% m/m
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Must Read | https://www.forexlive.com/news/australian-housing-finance-data-for-march-home-loans-37-mm-expected-15-20220401/ | 2022-04-01T01:54:52Z |
Trae Young Helped Off Court Following Non-Contact Injury
With less than 80 seconds remaining in the first half of the game between the Atlanta Hawks and Cleveland Cavaliers, Trae Young hit the floor. After the action stopped, we were able to see a replay of what happened. Young wasn't fouled or even touched. It was a non-contact injury. See the tweeted video below.
Young had already picked up where he left off, scoring 15 points in 16 minutes of action tonight. Over the last ten games, Young has averaged 30.8 points and 10.9 assists per game.
According to the Atlanta Hawks PR Team, Young is questionable to return to the game tonight with right groin soreness. This is obviously very concerning. Hopefully, the injury isn't serious and Young gets back to doing what he does best ASAP.
Update
Young returned to the game at the start of the third quarter and appears to have not missed a beat. That breeze you just felt was a giant sight of relief from everyone in Atlanta.
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Trae Young Awarded Jason Collier Memorial Trophy | https://www.si.com/nba/hawks/news/trae-young-helped-off-court-following-non-contact-injury | 2022-04-01T01:54:57Z |
You need to enable JavaScript to run this app. | https://sportspyder.com/mlb/st-louis-cardinals/articles/39012443 | 2022-04-01T01:54:57Z |
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Runaway girl located in Mississippi has died, police say
MOBILE, Ala. (WALA) - A 13-year-old runaway reported missing last week and located Sunday in D’Iberville, Mississippi, has died in an area hospital, according to the Mobile Police Department.
The circumstances around the death of Keyanna Sylvester are unclear, police said.
The girl reportedly ran away on March 21, was believed to have spent some time in Ocean Springs, Miss., and was seen on March 23 in Moss Point, Miss., before being found in D’Iberville and taken to a hospital.
D’Iberville police Capt. Jason King said the girl was at a motel in the city on Thursday and at some point went to an area hospital, although he added that it is uncertain how she died. He told FOX10 News police are waiting for a report by the medical examiner.
“We’re saddened by the events that occurred in our city,” he said.
King said it was too early in the investigation to make determinations about whether Sylvester’s death was the result of foul play.
“We’re making sure we’re careful about not saying whether it’s criminal or not criminal at this time,” he said.
The girl’s death took neighbor Alexie Thames by surprise. She described Sylvester as a sweet girl who was almost like her own daughter. She said the girl attended the school where she works.
“It hurts me real bad because Keyanna was my baby,” she said, fighting through tears. “It’s sad. Whoever did this to my favorite baby, I hope, I hope – Lord. Please, God. Oh my God. Whoever did this to my baby, Lord, Jesus. Y’all need to help whoever did this to my baby. Keyanna was my baby. I talk about her all the time.”
Thames said she worries about her own children.
“And something like this to happen like this – I got kids, too, that come outside and play.”
Updated at 5:17 p.m. with comments from Capt. Jason King and neighbor Alexie Thames.
Copyright 2022 WALA. All rights reserved. | https://www.wtok.com/2022/03/30/runaway-girl-located-mississippi-has-died-police-say/ | 2022-04-01T01:54:58Z |
The House of Representatives voted Thursday to approve legislation that would limit cost-sharing for insulin under private health insurance and Medicare. The vote was 232-193, with 12 Republican members joining their Democratic colleagues to pass the measure.
The Affordable Insulin Now Act would cap insulin prices at either $35 a month or 25% of an insurance plan's negotiated price — whichever is lower. The legislation aims to take effect in 2023 but its fate in the Senate remains unclear.
"This is a kitchen table issue, "House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., said to reporters ahead of the bill's passage on Thursday.
"One in four Americans is forced to skip or ration doses of insulin and that's life-threatening," she said, noting the legislation "paves the way" for further action on negotiating lower drug prices beyond insulin.
Advocates of the legislation point to data from the Health Care Cost Institute, an independent nonprofit that studies health care prices, which shows prices for insulin doubled between 2012 and 2016.
"No one should have to choose between taking their medication as prescribed and putting food on the table or a roof over their head," said Rep. Dan Kildee, one of three Democratic lawmakers who sponsored the legislation.
"As a father of a type 1 diabetic, I have seen firsthand how the high price of prescription drugs like insulin can harm patients and harm families," the Michigan Democrat said during debate on the House floor. "When my daughter turned 26 and got her own health insurance, there were months where she spent a third of her take home pay because she's diabetic on staying alive."
Critics of the bill argue the cap alone doesn't do enough to solve the underlying problem of rising prescription drug prices.
"We want lower prices for drugs, particularly for insulin," said Rep. Buddy Carter, R-Ga, during debate. "But instead of fixing a broken system, this bill aims to control it," he adding, calling the bill a "socialist plan."
House Democrats passed legislation in November as part of a broader spending package that would have enabled Medicare to negotiate lower prices for various prescription drugs.
Because that package remains stalled in the Senate, Democrats are working to more narrowly tackle making common drugs like insulin more affordable.
There is a similar bipartisan effort under way in the Senate but its path is unclear as Republicans have traditionally been opposed to price caps.
Copyright 2022 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org. | https://www.wvpe.org/npr-news/2022-03-31/house-passes-bill-to-cap-insulin-prices | 2022-04-01T01:54:58Z |
Updated March 31, 2022 at 9:31 PM ET
Oscars' guests and viewers are still reeling over Will Smith's surprising and infamous onstage slap of comedian Chris Rock, who joked about Jada Pinkett Smith's hair. Shortly after, Smith went onstage to accept the Best Actor Oscar for his role in King Richard.
Will Packer, producer of the Academy Award, ceremony told the ABC News show Good Morning America that Los Angeles police officers were ready to arrest Will Smith if Rock wanted to press charges.
"They were saying, 'This is battery.' That was the word they used in that moment," Packer told T.J. Holmes, in an exclusive interview that was teased during ABC's World News Tonight. "They said, 'We will go get him. We are prepared. We will go get him right now. You can press charges. We can arrest him. They were laying out the options. And as they were talking, Chris was, he was being very dismissive of those options. He was like, 'No, I'm fine.' He was like, 'no, no, no.' And even to the point where I said, 'Rock, let them finish.'"
In the clip, Packer said after the officers finished laying out what Rock's options were, "they said, 'Would you like us to take any action? And he said no.'"
Packer also said he did not speak to Smith at all on Oscar night. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences released a statement saying Smith was asked to leave the ceremony and refused.
In his acceptance speech, Smith apologized to the Academy and his fellow nominees for the incident, but not Rock. On Instagram the following day, Smith wrote that he was embarrassed by his behavior and told Rock he was sorry. Still, the Academy began disciplinary proceedings against Smith-- which could include "suspension, expulsion, or other sanctions permitted."
SAG-AFTRA is also weighing sanctions against Smith.
On Wednesday night, Rock was onstage in Boston with a new comedy routine. He didn't say much about the slap. "I'm still kind of processing what happened," he said, adding that at some point he will talk about it "and it will be serious and funny."
Copyright 2022 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org. | https://www.michiganradio.org/2022-03-31/the-lapd-was-ready-to-arrest-will-smith-after-the-slap-will-packer-says | 2022-04-01T01:54:58Z |
New Zealand’s Largest Telco Chorus Appoints New Caretaker
Programmed has won a competitive bid to maintain Chorus’ property portfolio across 2,600 sites in a potential eight year, multi-million-dollar contract.
Commencing 1 July 2022, the deal will see Programmed manage end-to-end reactive and planned preventative maintenance as well as minor works for the telecommunications company across the 2,600 sites in its property portfolio.
The operations and maintenance company has seen exponential success since entering the NZ market in 1986, developing operations frameworks for customers including Ministry of Education, KiwiRail, Te Āhuru Mōwai, and Fonterra.
With Chorus, Programmed will ensure the integrity of buildings and infrastructure services that support the country’s critical communications network – a system that is vital to keeping Kiwis connected.
It will caretake a diverse range of sites including telephone exchanges, buildings, towers, fibre cables and more in both urban and rural locations – some of which were constructed over 100 years ago to house the very first automatic exchange equipment.
Programmed’s innovative technologies including drones and 3D modelling were a key factor in the win. Its system provides unobstructed real time views to its workforce. It’s an edge that is crucial to the success of long-term management and investment plans for its customers, especially when it comes to protecting today and tomorrow’s technology network.
Chorus GM Customer & Network Operations, Andrew Carroll said: "Now more than ever, Chorus has a critical role in ensuring New Zealanders remain online and connected. Optimising the management of our property portfolio is essential in ensuring this, and we're pleased to be at the start of building a new collaborative relationship with Programmed."
Forging just the right mix of technology and people power has turbo charged the company’s offering too according to Henry Arundel, General Manager of Facilities Management New Zealand at Programmed.
“Tech is such an important part of what we do but it’s the people driving the business that make it a success.
“We’ve found a way to integrate the decades of knowledge that our staff and verified providers hold with leading edge tech that help large, complex businesses run like clockwork,” says Arundel.
The contract with Chorus will create approximately over 100 jobs in Programmed’s network of service providers, creating stability and income for businesses big and small across the motu.
As well as benefitting its providers Programmed’s approach minimises the Covid-19 workforce challenges for its customers and ensures businesses like Chorus can focus on doing what they do best, keeping Kiwis connected.
About PROGRAMMED
Programmed is a leading provider of Maintenance, Facility Management, Health, Staffing and Operations services. Ranked in the top 10 private employers in Australia and New Zealand with more than 30,000 staff who work across customer sites in public housing, education, health, infrastructure, manufacturing, transport and mining.
Programmed maintains thousands of assets across New Zealand, with over 750 pre-qualified subcontractors executing required works under significant performance parameters and rapidly changing business environments. Its specialist division carries out capital works for customers, supplementing the core operations resources where works are more complex or of a higher value and a more specialist approach is required, be it through procurement or technical expertise. These project managers located across New Zealand deliver over $30 million of work annually. | https://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/BU2204/S00018/new-zealands-largest-telco-chorus-appoints-new-caretaker.htm | 2022-04-01T01:54:58Z |
When Brisbane welfare manager Andrew Crowell’s car broke down recently a photo of him roadside waiting for a tow truck quickly flashed around a club WhatsApp group.
The next morning Brisbane Chris Fagan walked into his office with a solution for the busy father-of-four.
“Fages came into the office and said, ‘What happened to you’,” former Adelaide Crow Crowell recalled this week.
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“I said my car broke down and the worst part is it’s getting fixed and it’s not back for a week. He said, ‘Ursula is away, I can use her car, so just take mine’.
“He came to my place, picked me up and drove me over to his place and then away he went.
“It was one of those things he didn’t have to do but he saw I was in a bit of strife.
“I have got four kids and he’s got the Hyundai Santa Fe, which is a fair bit nicer than the car I have got.
“He just wanted to help me out and it’s the kind of thing we pride ourselves on at this club. If someone is in need of help, you go out of your way to put your hand up.”
Not too many AFL coaches would trade in their fancy cars for a day let alone a week, and yet Fagan is not like most AFL coaches.
Six years and 107 games into the only senior coaching stint he ever wanted to have, he has developed one of the best one-on-one relationship models that Lions football boss Danny Daly has ever seen in football.
And if 60-year-old Fagan was once chipped for prioritising other strengths over the Xs and Os seen as necessary fundamentals, the Lions’ set-up allows him to delegate some of the football specifics.
He does this while still retaining a strong hold on the kind of tactical tweaks that include changing the 2022 midfield mix as well as constantly rehearsing the kind of last-minute plays so crucial in big finals.
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“I can’t talk for what other coaches do, but there have been plenty of coaches around who in the first couple of years try to be what Fages is with his relationships but if the pressure is on you it can change pretty quickly,” says former assistant Daly, elevated into the head of football role when David Noble joined North Melbourne.
“For one-on-one relationships he is probably the best I have ever seen with his empathy for people.
“He gives advice and he will also give a whack, but when he does it people know it comes from a good place.”
Former musician Crowell and Fagan have shared some special moments, including recording an epic Carpool Karaoke video during Covid that included strong early work on Crowded House’s ‘Better to Be Home Soon’, but what was let down when they forgot the words for Thin Lizzy’s ‘The Boys are Back in Town’.
Fagan prefers a different approach when connecting with his players.
He often checks in with them while walking on the open road — Daly was unable to confirm the rumour he punches out 100km a week.
“He makes an effort to call all the boys,” says All Australian Daniel Rich.
“He is a massive walker, you can hear him kind of puffing along on the phone and having a chat to you. I am No.10 so I know I am tenth off the bat, so I would hate to be No.44.
“I just love how genuine he is and how much he cares for you as a person.
“He understands we are humans and if he can sort through that the rest takes care of itself. He puts a lot of trust and faith into his assistants to work on that footy side of it.
“And he oversees and does a lot of work with the coaches behind closed doors.
“He has a very good footy brain and he’s very passionate about the team playing well but empowering the assistants (Mark Stone, Murray Davis, Ben Hudson, Jed Adcock) is so important and he backs them in to get the work done.”
Keen to impress the coach in his early months, Daly stuck his hand up for one of those legendary walks but given the hot pace a group of eight dwindled to two by the 15km mark.
Each week he and Fagan plot the destruction of an upcoming rival using Fagan’s back catalogue.
“I think it was the third time I had been to his place on a Wednesday he put on the vinyl records,” Daly said.
“There is some pretty good stuff but also some pretty average stuff so that became a thing whenever I went there.
“He ended up getting all these vinyls sent to him so he went from a beer crate full (of records) to three or four of them — Skyhooks, Billy Joel, The Beatles.”
Wife Ursula is a rock of support but also doesn’t sugar-coat her advice when it’s needed.
“The one thing I love about Ursula is that she tells it how it is,” Daly said.
“She doesn’t pat him on the back, she lets him know when he is going above what he should be as a coach and if he’s cranky she will bring him back to work. She is a beauty.
“She has given up a fair bit. She was a teacher and they have two girls in Melbourne but she is a great support and keeps him on the straight and narrow.”
So despite all the dodgy musical choices and forgotten song lyrics, or perhaps because of them, Fagan has created an environment in which the only thing missing is the ultimate success.
“You see his passion on the bench and how much people mean to him,” Daly said.
“He is one of those coaches who would never coach anywhere. This is it.
“People like just turning up to the joint. They come in and leave as better people. Either you are on board or you are not, and almost everyone is on board.” | https://www.perthnow.com.au/sport/afl/brisbane-lions-2022-players-and-officials-praise-the-connection-and-drive-of-coach-chris-fagan-c-6284379 | 2022-04-01T01:54:58Z |
OLYMPIA, Wash. (AP) — A $64.1 billion supplemental state budget that spends on statewide programs ranging from homelessness and behavioral health to the ongoing COVID-19 response was signed Thursday by Washington Gov. Jay Inslee.
The supplemental plan builds off of the $59 billion, two-year spending plan adopted by the Legislature last year, and benefited from the significant influx of revenues the state has seen over the past year. Additionally, lawmakers used more than $1 billion in remaining pandemic-related federal relief funds in the budget.
More than $800 million is allocated for homelessness and housing, including $50 million to transition unhoused people from unsanctioned camps to housing.
Inslee specifically called out the efforts on addressing homelessness, saying that lawmakers “gave us relief that is big, that is bold, and that is fast.”
While there are no general tax increases in the plan, there are also no across-the-board tax cuts, something Republicans had argued for throughout the legislative session that ended March 10.
“It’s been easy to explain to my constituents why Republicans opposed this budget – all I have to do is point to how the costs of living have continued to rise in the weeks since it was adopted, and the huge revenue surplus the Democrats had available,“ Republican Sen. Lynda Wilson said in a statement.
A small business tax credit was included that would affect about 125,000 small businesses in the state, and was among the bills signed by Inslee Thursday.
Starting in January, businesses making less than $125,000 a year would pay no state business taxes, and those making up to $250,000 a year, business taxes will be cut in half.
The supplemental operating budget also spends state or federal money on things like adding more social supports like nurses and counselors for students, increasing rates to vendors providing services to people with developmental disabilities or long-term care needs and shoring up the state’s paid family leave program, which officials warned was nearing a deficit.
It also allots funding for raises for state workers. According to the Office of Financial Management, about 63,800 general government employees will get a 3.25% general wage increase, about 6,700 state corrections workers will get a 4% general wage increase and about 1,200 state patrol officers will get a 10% general wage increase. The last general wage increase for represented employees was July 1, 2020.
The operating budget also transfers more than $2 billion to the nearly $17 billion, 16-year transportation revenue package that Inslee signed last week. The plan leaves about $3 billion in total reserves.
Inslee had several full or partial vetoes of bills, including a section of a bill that would have expanded the state’s existing warehouse sales and use tax to include smaller warehouses of at least 100,000 square feet. In his veto notice, Inslee said that while he understood the importance of manufacturing and warehousing to rural economies, he said the tax incentives in the bill were overly broad.
Inslee on Thursday also signed a $1.5 billion state construction budget that spends on areas ranging from housing, homelessness, behavioral health facilities, and seismic upgrades at public schools. | https://www.myjournalcourier.com/news/article/Washington-governor-signs-64-1-billion-17049827.php | 2022-04-01T01:54:59Z |
It’s no longer a question of if the city of Orange Beach will break off from the Baldwin County Board of Education (BCBE) and form its own school system, nor is it a matter of when. At a town hall meeting Wednesday night, Mayor Tony Kennon said stakeholders have been meeting behind the scenes and — despite keeping citizens in the dark about it until last week — much of the transition is already complete.
In fact, in the interest of completing a separation agreement with Baldwin County by July 1, Kennon and the City Council also announced they have already appointed a local school board, composed a budget, proposed a funding scheme, and drafted certain legal documents. Kennon explained that a similar, voter-driven effort in 2014 divided the community, and today’s approach is in accordance with state law.
For the first time, Kennon explained the motivation for the move. He likened the county school system to a sailboat, while comparing the city of Orange Beach to a jet ski. The city wants the speed and maneuverability of a local board, where it can control its own hiring, curriculum and schedule. Kennon said Orange Beach students should not have to travel to Loxley to attend trade school, and the city should be able to establish local internships or dual enrollment programs for students seeking professional or academic careers.
The city’s three schools — elementary, middle and high — will be funded with a 3 percent lodging tax, which will generate between $10 million and $12 million annually. Officials believe the system’s total budget will be $14 million per year.
Another major sticking point is the ability to drug test students. In a conversation with Lagniappe afterward, Kennon said the county has not been receptive to the city’s previous requests for a drug testing program.
“This council and mayor has for maybe 8-10 years advocated for drug testing,” Kennon said, adding the Supreme Court has ruled on an approach that is lawful in public schools. “Previous Superintendent Alan Lee was adamantly opposed to drug testing and never told us why. Eddie Tyler agreed to support it and move it forward, but the [school board] has given us mixed messages.”
Kennon said it wasn’t the only reason the city decided to leave, but evidence suggests there is some drug use among students, and he believes more can be done to prevent it.
“It is a random program and any child that participates in extracurricular activities or has any special privilege, such as parking space, would be part of the drug testing program,” he said. “It would probably affect 75-80 percent of the student body … We run an undercover operation in Orange Beach and we know very well what the drug scene on the island is. Is it worse than anywhere else? I don’t think so, but as far as I’m concerned any drug use by underage kids is a problem and if a relatively small amount of money and effort can put a big hole in the problem, we should do it. The number one thing it does is allows a kid to say no to drugs and still be cool among their peers.”
Although the school board will ultimately set the parameters of the drug testing program, Kennon said he doesn’t expect it to be a zero-tolerance approach.
“Grace and redemption is key to a successful society, but at some point, you can’t continue to enable, you have to have a stick to go with the carrot,” he said.
The new school board members include Robert Stuart, Shannon Robinson, Nelson Bauer, Tracie Stark and Randy McKinney. Stuart was elected to the Baldwin County Board of Education in 2020, but resigned to accept the appointment in Orange Beach.
From a pool of applicants, the remaining six members of the BCBE will appoint an individual to serve the remainder of Stuart’s term in Bay Minette. According to BCBE spokesperson Chasity Riddick, the board anticipates having the process complete by May 5. The BCBE has not yet addressed the Orange Beach split more broadly, but a meeting is scheduled this afternoon.
Kennon said the school board will also appoint an interim superintendent while it conducts a search for a permanent superintendent. If the city can meet the July 1 deadline for a separation agreement, it can begin the 2022-2023 school year under its own terms. If not, it will have to wait until August 2023.
Kennon said it would be the intent of the city to allow students outside municipal limits to attend the district, although they may be charged a nominal tuition, but made no assurances for existing teachers or staff. Part of the reason for local control is local hiring, and Kennon said the city will aim to attract and retain the best staff available. Incentives may include higher than average pay, childcare, a health clinic, and flexible scheduling. Kennon even pitched a four-day work week.
Of the couple hundred people in the audience, no one expressed opposition Wednesday night, although some parents outside of city limits wanted assurances their students would be invited to attend, and others sought more information about risks involved.
City Councilman Jeff Boyd said it “was the most pivotal decision” in his 10 years on the council, “a legacy decision that will affect generations to come.”
“The goal is to do nothing but be excellent,” he said.
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Already a member of the Lagniappe family? Sign in by clicking here | https://lagniappemobile.com/orange-beach-aims-for-school-separation-agreement-by-july-1/ | 2022-04-01T01:54:59Z |
'Fun' runner Harris wants to go the distance in inspiring others
Thursday, March 31, 2022Jozanne Harris surprised herself and others, but mostly herself, when she retained the female title at the Sagicor/Sigma Run 2022 recently.
An avid sports enthusiast, Harris runs mostly for fun, but “fun running” has seen her win Jamaica's most popular road race twice in succession.
Following on the heels of her 2021 victory, Harris did it again last Sunday in an even better time than last year, less than 24 hours after completing a triathlon. Hence, the reason she was surprised by her own performance and ultimate victory.
“I recovered enough to cover the course. How I would have done it I honestly wasn't sure. I knew the pace I needed to run in order to improve on my time from last year, but I wasn't sure that I had enough left in the tank from the day before, in order to get it done,” Harris explained.
While others who entered the race may have done so with winning in mind, for Harris, it was once again just another fun run.
“I told myself that I need to have fun, regardless of what happens.”
She is currently working on her certification as a fitness instructor, and Harris says her lifestyle has always been about being healthy.
“I have always been into health and wellness and that won't change. I am actually trying to get more involved in that and doing more things and getting certified in that area.
“That is my interest, my passion, my fun, but being competitive on the 5K circuit is not a part of my plans.”
Harris was born in Jamaica but spent her teenage years going to school in Barbados where she wasn't allowed to participate much in sport.
However, on her return to Jamaica and entry to The University of the West Indies, things changed for Harris.
“I got involved in track at UWI, the swim team and the hockey team,” she revealed.
As her love for outdoor activities grew, so did her desire to challenge herself, which led to her running two marathons, both outside of Jamaica.
“I ran my first marathon in Geneva, Switzerland, while visiting my sister on vacation in May 2018 and my second in Indiana during another vacation in 2019.”
A member of the Jamdamers Running Club, Harris says her focus is to keep improving and to be there again next year to compete at yet another Sigma run.
“My family is amazed at the level of commitment and discipline I have shown, and they are super proud of me. My nieces and nephews were so excited, that I won again.
“I hope that I can inspire them, the younger ones. I want to continue to be an inspiration to them in all areas of life.”
“My message is to go for what you want and what you feel passionate about and if you can, inspire and motive others as well,” she closed.
— Dwayne Richards
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Michael Hooper: The VSB’s failure to plan is a violation of public trust
Opinion: School board assets are vulnerable because public awareness is low. While Queen Elizabeth Annex is first on the chopping block, without better planning, all schools are at risk
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I was troubled to recently learn about a living history museum allowing Vancouverites to experience first-hand the worst planning practices of the 1950s. This window on the past is the Vancouver School Board.
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As a professor of planning at UBC, I encountered the VSB’s archaic planning approach due to its efforts to dispose of school lands, starting with Queen Elizabeth Annex, a French immersion school on Vancouver’s West Side, where I have one child in Grade 2 and another entering kindergarten.
The VSB’s outmoded planning approach is highlighted by its failure to plan for the future. While most public agencies plan over 25 to 30 years, the VSB’s Long-Term Facilities Plan looks only seven years out from today. In addition, by focusing only on approved development that is moving to construction, the plan excludes most future urban growth. Among excluded projects are virtually all First Nations developments, such as the Jericho Lands and Sen̓áḵw.
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Most future development at UBC, where a population doubling is expected by 2041, is excluded. Also excluded are densification plans for Broadway and other arterial streets.
As a result, the VSB’s Vancouver bears little resemblance to the real city. Problematically, these plans, which minimize future enrolment, rationalize the plunder of tens of millions of dollars in public assets in the case of Queen Elizabeth Annex alone. Contrary to the VSB’s plan, the census shows that UBC and surrounds, near the annex, are among the city’s fastest-growing areas. Conveniently for the VSB, that growth doesn’t appear in its alternative Vancouver.
The VSB’s discounting of the future is not all that reeks of yesteryear. The board’s announcement of a vote to move to a brief consultation phase on Queen Elizabeth Annex’s disposal, through sale or lease, was made in January, at the pandemic’s height. The announcement was made just before close of business on a Friday for a meeting the following Monday. Giving no advance notice of meetings is an example of planning tactics out of place in 2022, but essential to any re-enactor of 1950s public policy.
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VSB staff and trustees have said Queen Elizabeth Annex’s disposal is motivated by provincial pressure around a new school at Olympic Village, which they say the NDP — which has not funded schools promised in the last election — refuse to fund without this disposal. They claim it is also driven by a lawsuit by the Conseil Scolaire Francophone, a legally distinct, provincial body that educates French first-language speakers.
But, in the VSB’s throwback planning style, no information is available on these “confidential” matters. The Queen Elizabeth Annex Parent Advisory Committee has used Freedom of Information requests to dig for information on VSB decision-making. But, the cost of such requests is exorbitant, in the thousands of dollars. This is another anti-democratic tool of retro-planning, using processes intended to increase accountability to create procedural hurdles.
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The threat extends far beyond Queen Elizabeth Annex. In 2015, the VSB hired a consultant to assess its properties’ revenue potential. They concluded: “The project team has identified Short-Term Disposition Sites that offer VSB the potential to realize substantial revenues through either lease or sale.” The VSB is turning existing schools into piggy banks. But only in the VSB’s short-term mindset, with plans discounting the future, is it financially prudent to turn rapidly appreciating land into cash at peak inflation.
As with B.C. Rail, when officials rapidly disposed of a poorly understood Crown corporation, disposal of VSB schools involves gross violations of public trust. School board assets are vulnerable because public awareness is low. While Queen Elizabeth Annex is first on the chopping block, without better planning, all schools are at risk. The stakes are high. Just nine years after the VSB’s 2010 proposed school closures, six of 12 schools slated for closure were in high-utilization catchments. The VSB’s failure to plan left them unable to respond to urban change.
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Queen Elizabeth Annex’s proposed disposal, the final decision on which will be made in May, is a window onto the worst planning practices of the past. It is in all Vancouverites’ interest to halt the liquidation of schools until the VSB commits to plan as a modern, publicly accountable agency that takes the future of the city’s children seriously.
Michael Hooper is an associate professor of community and regional planning at the University of B.C.
Letters to the editor should be sent to sunletters@vancouversun.com. The editorial pages editor is Hardip Johal, who can be reached at hjohal@postmedia.com.
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Is there more to this story? We’d like to hear from you about this or any other stories you think we should know about. Email vantips@postmedia.com. | https://vancouversun.com/opinion/michael-hooper-the-vsbs-failure-to-plan-is-a-historic-violation-of-public-trust | 2022-04-01T01:55:00Z |
HDS Fellow Presents Art Exhibition on Cultural Activism and Identity
Taurean J. Webb, an instructor at Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary and a Harvard Divinity School fellow, presented a collaborative art exhibition called “Ye Shall Inherit the Earth & Faces of the Divine” at a virtual event sponsored by the Divinity School. The event — “A Home for the...
www.thecrimson.com | https://www.newsbreak.com/news/2556263430552/hds-fellow-presents-art-exhibition-on-cultural-activism-and-identity | 2022-04-01T01:55:01Z |
Troubling Details Emerge from the Sets of Bruce Willis' Final Movies: 'The Guy Guided Bruce Everywhere'
Long before actor Bruce Willis announced to the world that his acting career was over, entertainment insiders had squirmed as they watched the signs of decline, according to a new report.
“He just looked so lost, and he would say, ‘I’ll do my best.’ He always tried his best,” Terri Martin, production supervisor on the film “White Elephant,” said Wednesday, according to the Los Angeles Times. “He is one of the all-time greats, and I have the utmost admiration and respect for his body of work, but it was time for him to retire.”
On Wednesday, the family of Willis, 67, said he was retiring because he suffered from a cognitive disorder known as aphasia.
“As a result of this and with much consideration Bruce is stepping away from the career that has meant so much to him,” the actor’s daughter Rumer Willis wrote in an Instagram post also signed by other members of the family, the actor’s wife, Emma, and his former wife, Demi Moore.
But what came as shock to his fans had been witnessed by insiders.
In July 2020, Mike Burns, the director of “Out of Death,” had to shorten the lines Willis had in the film, one of 22 he did in the past four years.
“After the first day of working with Bruce, I could see it firsthand and I realized that there was a bigger issue at stake here and why I had been asked to shorten his lines,” Burns said.
Last fall, he worked with Willis again in “Wrong Place” and came away saddened.
“I didn’t think he was better; I thought he was worse,” Burns said. “After we finished, I said: ‘I’m done. I’m not going to do any other Bruce Willis movies.’ I am relieved that he is taking time off.”
Jesse V. Johnson, who directed “White Elephant,” had worked with Willis in the past, and found that when he began working with Willis last April, “it was clear that he was not the Bruce I remembered,” Johnson said.
The LA Times report said crew members it did not name said Willis seemed lost.
“I know why you’re here, and I know why you’re here, but why am I here?” he said, according to the unnamed crew members.
“It was less of an annoyance and more like: ‘How do we not make Bruce look bad?’” one crew member said. “Someone would give him a line and he didn’t understand what it meant. He was just being puppeted.”
Johnson said he passed on directing more Willis films.
“After our experience on ‘White Elephant,’ it was decided as a team that we would not do another,” Johnson said. “We are all Bruce Willis fans, and the arrangement felt wrong and ultimately a rather sad end to an incredible career, one that none of us felt comfortable with.”
Stephen Eads, described by the Times report as Willis’s “assistant-turned-handler” was his on-set helper and “guided Bruce everywhere,” a crew member on 2020’s “Hard Kill” said “He carted him around and kept an eye on him.”
In 2018, Eads signed a three-movie deal for Willis that paid Eads $200,000 per picture, according to a contract the LA Times said it reviewed.
Because Willis had problems remembering his lines, actor Adam Huel Potter gave the star his lines through an earpiece worn by Willis.
Truth and Accuracy
We are committed to truth and accuracy in all of our journalism. Read our editorial standards. | https://www.westernjournal.com/troubling-details-emerge-sets-bruce-willis-final-movies-guy-guided-bruce-everywhere/?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=rightalertspolls&utm_campaign=lminetwork&utm_content=2022-03-31 | 2022-04-01T01:55:02Z |
SAN DIEGO , March 31, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- The Zalkin Law Firm has announced the selection of founding partner and attorney Irwin M. Zalkin to 2022 Super Lawyers®, a trusted legal ranking guide developed through a multiphase selection process. Attorney Zalkin has been long recognized in Super Lawyers®. In the 2022 edition, he was listed for his effective advocacy in San Diego, California in the practice area of "Personal Injury - General: Plaintiff."
Part of Thomson Reuters, Super Lawyers® lists no more than 5% of all private practice attorneys in the U.S. in its annual legal guide. It utilizes third-party nomination and two rigorous reviews to select listed lawyers. As such, its selection process is often regarded as a highly competitive, in-depth performance review.
The first review is conducted by the Super Lawyers® research team through independent research. Candidates are evaluated on a dozen categories of professional achievement, some of which include:
- Settlements and verdicts
- Representative clients
- Special licenses and certifications
- Awards and accolades
- Pro bono work
The second review is the peer review, or the Blue Ribbon Review. In this step, a panel of top-rated lawyers reevaluates the candidates. Each panelist focuses on reevaluating candidates within their own areas of practice. This ensures that each listed lawyer is respected by their peers.
A staunch advocate for sexual abuse survivors, Attorney Zalkin has long been regarded for his groundbreaking representation. He has taken on and won complex sex abuse and assault cases against the Catholic Church, Boy Scouts of America, Jehovah's Witnesses, colleges and universities, and more.
Congratulations to Attorney Zalkin on earning a listing in 2022 Super Lawyers®! His first listing was all the way back in the 2008 edition. He was listed again in 2011 and 2012, then in every edition since 2014. He is also recognized by Martindale-Hubbell, The National Trial Lawyers: Top 100, and the Public Justice Foundation, among others.
As one of the nation's most trusted sexual abuse law firms, The Zalkin Law Firm has won millions of dollars in compensation for survivors in California, New York, and nationwide. It has secured historic global settlements in high-profile cases against the world's most powerful organizations and institutions, as well. No matter the complexity, no matter the scale of the coverup, its attorney team is equipped to uncover the truth and fight for accountability in single- and multi-victim cases. Learn more at https://www.zalkin.com/. To find out more about Super Lawyers®, visit https://www.superlawyers.com/.
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SOURCE The Zalkin Law Firm | https://www.kmvt.com/prnewswire/2022/03/31/super-lawyers-lists-attorney-irwin-zalkin-2022/ | 2022-04-01T01:55:01Z |
Former Miami Heat Player Tim Hardaway Elected To Hall Of Fame
Former Miami Heat player Tim Hardaway will finally reach the highest honor of his career.
Hardaway is expected to be named to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame this summer. He is one of the top players Heat history. He is one of five retired jerseys in franchise history, joining Alonzo Mourning, Chris Bosh, Dwyane Wade and Shaquille O'Neal.
This will mark the second straight year a former Heat player has been enshrined. Last year Bosh was inducted.
MOVES FOR STRUS
Heat guard Max Strus, who has started the past two games in place of Duncan Robinson, said he is ready to help in any way possible.
“I want to make the game easier on everyone else with spacing and when I’m open I'm going to shoot and knock down shots and just be there for the guys,” Strus said.
THE LOWRY IMPACT
Heat guard Kyle Lowry's play of late has helped the team move past their recent four-game losing streak. They have since won two straight and regained their spot atop the Eastern Conference standings.
“Kyle, that’s just a great luxury to have, a Hall of Fame point guard who can choreograph your offense," Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said. He just has a great mind for competition and for how to impact winning.”
Read More
The Heat have two days off before returning to action at the Chicago Bulls Saturday.
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The official PMIs were published yesterday:
This Caixin indicator is from the private survey, which is a different one from the official.
- The private-sector Caixin survey focuses more on small firms in coastal regions compared with the official survey.
It too has dropped below the 50 line and is thus in contraction.
- 48.1 in March is the steepest rate of contraction since February 2020.
- sub-index for new orders declined at the sharpest rate since February 2020
- decline in new export orders in March accelerated
- Input cost inflation
Inflation
Inflation is defined as a quantitative measure of the rate in which the average price level of goods and services in an economy or country increases over a period of time. It is the rise in the general level of prices where a given currency effectively buys less than it did in prior periods.In terms of assessing the strength or currencies, and by extension foreign exchange, inflation or measures of it are extremely influential. Inflation stems from the overall creation of money. This money is measured by the level of the total money supply of a specific currency, for example the US dollar, which is constantly increasing. However, an increase in the money supply does not necessarily mean that there is inflation. What leads to inflation is a faster increase in the money supply in relation to the wealth produced (measured with GDP). As such, this generates pressure of demand on a supply that does not increase at the same rate. The consumer price index then increases, generating inflation.How Does Inflation Affect Forex?The level of inflation has a direct impact on the exchange rate between two currencies on several levels.This includes purchasing power parity, which attempts to compare different purchasing powers of each country according to the general price level. In doing so, this makes it possible to determine the country with the most expensive cost of living.The currency with the higher inflation rate consequently loses value and depreciates, while the currency with the lower inflation rate appreciates on the forex market.Interest rates are also impacted. Inflation rates that are too high push interest rates up, which has the effect of depreciating the currency on foreign exchange. Conversely, inflation that is too low (or deflation) pushes interest rates down, which has the effect of appreciating the currency on the forex market.
Inflation is defined as a quantitative measure of the rate in which the average price level of goods and services in an economy or country increases over a period of time. It is the rise in the general level of prices where a given currency effectively buys less than it did in prior periods.In terms of assessing the strength or currencies, and by extension foreign exchange, inflation or measures of it are extremely influential. Inflation stems from the overall creation of money. This money is measured by the level of the total money supply of a specific currency, for example the US dollar, which is constantly increasing. However, an increase in the money supply does not necessarily mean that there is inflation. What leads to inflation is a faster increase in the money supply in relation to the wealth produced (measured with GDP). As such, this generates pressure of demand on a supply that does not increase at the same rate. The consumer price index then increases, generating inflation.How Does Inflation Affect Forex?The level of inflation has a direct impact on the exchange rate between two currencies on several levels.This includes purchasing power parity, which attempts to compare different purchasing powers of each country according to the general price level. In doing so, this makes it possible to determine the country with the most expensive cost of living.The currency with the higher inflation rate consequently loses value and depreciates, while the currency with the lower inflation rate appreciates on the forex market.Interest rates are also impacted. Inflation rates that are too high push interest rates up, which has the effect of depreciating the currency on foreign exchange. Conversely, inflation that is too low (or deflation) pushes interest rates down, which has the effect of appreciating the currency on the forex market.
Read this Term hit a five-month high
- the employment index expanded for the first time in eight months (increased factory hiring following the Lunar New Year holiday
"At present, China is facing the most severe wave of outbreaks since the beginning of 2020. Meanwhile, uncertainty increased abroad," said Wang Zhe, Senior Economist at Caixin
- "The prospect of the war between Russia and Ukraine is uncertain, and the commodity market convulsed. A variety of factors resonate, aggravating the downward pressure on China's economy and underscoring the risk of stagflation."
ADVERTISEMENT - CONTINUE READING BELOW | https://www.forexlive.com/news/chinas-caixin-manufacturing-pmi-for-march-drops-into-contraction-at-481-20220401/ | 2022-04-01T01:55:03Z |
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All natural, no preservative added Raw Honey from Flourish! With an even ratio of 1:1 CBD 200MG/THC 200MG, this honey is a wonderful medicinal treat! Natural sugars, and can be added into teas, desserts, or anything else you would enjoy honey with! Stop by or ask your budtender for more details!
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Updated March 31, 2022 at 9:31 PM ET
Oscars' guests and viewers are still reeling over Will Smith's surprising and infamous onstage slap of comedian Chris Rock, who joked about Jada Pinkett Smith's hair. Shortly after, Smith went onstage to accept the Best Actor Oscar for his role in King Richard.
Will Packer, producer of the Academy Award, ceremony told the ABC News show Good Morning America that Los Angeles police officers were ready to arrest Will Smith if Rock wanted to press charges.
"They were saying, 'This is battery.' That was the word they used in that moment," Packer told T.J. Holmes, in an exclusive interview that was teased during ABC's World News Tonight. "They said, 'We will go get him. We are prepared. We will go get him right now. You can press charges. We can arrest him. They were laying out the options. And as they were talking, Chris was, he was being very dismissive of those options. He was like, 'No, I'm fine.' He was like, 'no, no, no.' And even to the point where I said, 'Rock, let them finish.'"
In the clip, Packer said after the officers finished laying out what Rock's options were, "they said, 'Would you like us to take any action? And he said no.'"
Packer also said he did not speak to Smith at all on Oscar night. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences released a statement saying Smith was asked to leave the ceremony and refused.
In his acceptance speech, Smith apologized to the Academy and his fellow nominees for the incident, but not Rock. On Instagram the following day, Smith wrote that he was embarrassed by his behavior and told Rock he was sorry. Still, the Academy began disciplinary proceedings against Smith-- which could include "suspension, expulsion, or other sanctions permitted."
SAG-AFTRA is also weighing sanctions against Smith.
On Wednesday night, Rock was onstage in Boston with a new comedy routine. He didn't say much about the slap. "I'm still kind of processing what happened," he said, adding that at some point he will talk about it "and it will be serious and funny."
Copyright 2022 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org. | https://www.wvpe.org/npr-news/2022-03-31/the-lapd-was-ready-to-arrest-will-smith-after-the-slap-will-packer-says | 2022-04-01T01:55:04Z |
Science team wisely decided to move on.
In the reaches of space, below the surface of planet Plagiarism, Joe and Matt faced video games. They destroyed their operation, wiped out the parasites called gamers, and defeated Mother Brain. But the games were far from finished… Because they still have like 40 of them left on their list.
Presented by Anonymous Dinosaur and Nintendo World Report, this is Smashterpieces - a casual walk through the history of the Super Smash Bros. Ultimate Roster. On this show, hosts Joe DeVader and Matt Zawodniak are playing one game for every fighter in the newest Super Smash Bros. game, from 1984's Duck Hunt to 2019's Fire Emblem: Three Houses. Each game will be live-streamed by both of us, and then we'll convene to talk about it on the podcast.
One of those games is Smashterpiece #41: Metroid Prime, one of the very few first-person shooters on our list. No matter how much we try, the games remain, so at least this time we’ve dragged another into this pit with us. Joining us this week to talk about lava worms and chozo ghosts and 3D maps and statistically probably some kind of metroid is George Hyde AKA SuperDQP! How do we feel about the various areas of Tallon IV? How successful is this game’s exploration based design when compared to the 2D games in the series? What the hell does it mean when somebody says they wish Samus could wear different heads? All this and more in today’s episode!
Join us next time as we sail the open seas to save our sister in Smashterpieces #42: The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker
You can find previous episodes at Anonymous Dinosaur's website!
Our list of games can be found here!
You can watch Matt and Joe stream these games on the NWR Twitch channel!
Editing for this episode was assisted by Peter Spezia. | http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/feature/60067/smashterpieces-podcast-episode-41-metroid-prime | 2022-04-01T01:55:04Z |
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- Cisco Systems (CSCO): Reported a record high backlog and soaring sales in the data center and enterprise campus markets
- Devon Energy (DVN): Was among the best-performing stocks in the S&P 500 last year with the industry’s first fixed-plus-variable dividend framework
- Merck (MRK): Has an impressive drug pipeline of more than 70 studies in phase 2 and 25 in phase 3 of clinical trials
Cash cow stocks are from companies in one of the four categories under the Boston Consulting Group’s growth matrix. These stocks to buy have a large market share in a low-growth segment or industry.
Analysts pay significant attention to cash cow stocks, as they generate consistent cash flows that translate into dependable returns for shareholders. Moreover, these stocks to buy have plenty of room for dividend payments, stock buybacks or mergers and acquisitions. These companies become the bedrock of long-term profitability while providing the capital for further investments.
With that in mind, here are three cash cow stocks to buy that could offer investors considerable protection in today’s volatile markets.
Cisco Systems (CSCO)
The first in our list of stocks to buy, Cisco Systems (NASDAQ:CSCO), is the most prominent name in enterprise networking solutions. It focuses on hardware and software products for network switching, data center, routing and telecommunications equipment.
Management announced second-quarter 2022 results on Feb. 16. Revenue increased 6% year-over-year (YOY) to $12.7 billion. Net income grew 6% YOY to $3.5 billion, or 84 cents per diluted share. Cash and equivalents ended the period at $21.1 billion.
Cisco’s backlog more than doubled to a record high during Q2. The secure, agile networks division benefited from soaring sales in the data center and enterprise campus markets. Cisco has also been aggressively expanding its 5G network architecture. As a result, management projects revenue growth at a CAGR of 5% to 7% between fiscal 2021 and 2025.
CSCO stock has been up almost 10% over the past year. Shares are trading at 16.2 times forward earnings and 4.6 times trailing sales. Meanwhile, the 12-month median price forecast for Cisco Systems stock stands at $65.
Devon Energy (DVN)
Next on our list is the energy heavyweight Devon Energy (NYSE:DVN). It is engaged in oil and gas exploration, production and transportation in North America. Devon was among the best-performing stocks in the S&P 500 last year, primarily because of its generous dividend and buyback policy.
Management issued Q4 2021 results on Feb. 16. Revenue jumped 23% YOY to $4.27 billion. Net income came in at $935 million, or $1.39 per diluted share, compared to breakeven earnings in the prior-year quarter. Cash and equivalents ended the period at $2.1 billion.
Devon’s free cash flow soared eightfold in 2021 with rising oil prices. The company launched the industry’s first “fixed-plus-variable dividend” framework early last year, paying out 50% of its excess cash flow to its shareholders each quarter. DVN currently generates a 6.6% dividend yield.
DVN stock has returned more than 175% over the past year. Shares are trading at 8.5 times forward earnings and 3.3 times trailing sales. In addition, the 12-month median price forecast for Devon stock is at $67.
Merck (MRK)
Our final name is the pharmaceutical behemoth Merck (NYSE:MRK). It offers pharmaceutical products in the areas of oncology, hospital acute-care, immunology, neuroscience, virology, cardiology and diabetes, as well as vaccine products.
Merck released Q4 2021 results on Feb. 3. Revenue surged 24% YOY to $13.5 billion. Net income soared 84% YOY to $4.6 billion, or $1.80 per share.
In 2021, sales of cancer drug Keytruda increased 20% YOY to $17.2 billion. The company has patent protection for it until 2028. Moreover, revenue derived from its human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine Gardasil increased 44% YOY to $5.7 billion. The pharma giant has an impressive drug pipeline with several products in phases two and three of clinical trials.
MRK stock is up 8% year-to-date and currently generates a 3.4% dividend yield. Shares are trading at just 11.3 times forward earnings and 4.3 times trailing sales. Finally, the 12-month median price forecast for Merck stands at $93.
On the date of publication, Tezcan Gecgil did not have (either directly or indirectly) any positions in the securities mentioned in this article. The opinions expressed in this article are those of the writer, subject to the InvestorPlace.com Publishing Guidelines. | https://investorplace.com/2022/03/3-cash-cow-stocks-to-buy-for-stable-returns/ | 2022-04-01T01:55:04Z |
Hayden Burbank’s border hopping Melbourne Demons wingman Mark Babbage rubbed out as financial planner
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Need Help? Call us at 1800 811 855 | https://thewest.com.au/business/herd-on-the-terrace/hayden-burbanks-border-hopping-melbourne-demons-wingman-mark-babbage-rubbed-out-as-financial-planner-c-6272937 | 2022-04-01T01:55:04Z |
OLYMPIA, Wash. (AP) — A $64.1 billion supplemental state budget that spends on statewide programs ranging from homelessness and behavioral health to the ongoing COVID-19 response was signed Thursday by Washington Gov. Jay Inslee.
The supplemental plan builds off of the $59 billion, two-year spending plan adopted by the Legislature last year, and benefited from the significant influx of revenues the state has seen over the past year. Additionally, lawmakers used more than $1 billion in remaining pandemic-related federal relief funds in the budget.
More than $800 million is allocated for homelessness and housing, including $50 million to transition unhoused people from unsanctioned camps to housing.
Inslee specifically called out the efforts on addressing homelessness, saying that lawmakers “gave us relief that is big, that is bold, and that is fast.”
While there are no general tax increases in the plan, there are also no across-the-board tax cuts, something Republicans had argued for throughout the legislative session that ended March 10.
“It’s been easy to explain to my constituents why Republicans opposed this budget – all I have to do is point to how the costs of living have continued to rise in the weeks since it was adopted, and the huge revenue surplus the Democrats had available,“ Republican Sen. Lynda Wilson said in a statement.
A small business tax credit was included that would affect about 125,000 small businesses in the state, and was among the bills signed by Inslee Thursday.
Starting in January, businesses making less than $125,000 a year would pay no state business taxes, and those making up to $250,000 a year, business taxes will be cut in half.
The supplemental operating budget also spends state or federal money on things like adding more social supports like nurses and counselors for students, increasing rates to vendors providing services to people with developmental disabilities or long-term care needs and shoring up the state’s paid family leave program, which officials warned was nearing a deficit.
It also allots funding for raises for state workers. According to the Office of Financial Management, about 63,800 general government employees will get a 3.25% general wage increase, about 6,700 state corrections workers will get a 4% general wage increase and about 1,200 state patrol officers will get a 10% general wage increase. The last general wage increase for represented employees was July 1, 2020.
The operating budget also transfers more than $2 billion to the nearly $17 billion, 16-year transportation revenue package that Inslee signed last week. The plan leaves about $3 billion in total reserves.
Inslee had several full or partial vetoes of bills, including a section of a bill that would have expanded the state’s existing warehouse sales and use tax to include smaller warehouses of at least 100,000 square feet. In his veto notice, Inslee said that while he understood the importance of manufacturing and warehousing to rural economies, he said the tax incentives in the bill were overly broad.
Inslee on Thursday also signed a $1.5 billion state construction budget that spends on areas ranging from housing, homelessness, behavioral health facilities, and seismic upgrades at public schools. | https://www.thehour.com/news/article/Washington-governor-signs-64-1-billion-17049827.php | 2022-04-01T01:55:04Z |
You need to enable JavaScript to run this app. | https://toronto.citynews.ca/2022/03/31/oldest-u-s-active-park-ranger-retires-at-100/ | 2022-04-01T01:55:04Z |
Anna Buchly Included In IFLR1000’s Women Leaders 2022
Bell Gully corporate partner and former chair Anna Buchly has been included in IFLR1000’s Women Leaders 2022, an elite cohort of the leading female transactional experts in local markets globally.
For the second consecutive year IFLR1000 noted Anna’s impressive track record as well as her consistent recommendations by both clients and peers, selecting her for the 2022 Women Leaders list alongside many notable women across the world.
Anna Buchly stands out for her work on New
Zealand’s biggest and most complex deals. Anna has led a
number of large M&A transactions over the last year,
including Mataura Valley Milk on its NZ$268.5 million
investment by The a2 Milk Company, EQT Infrastructure on its
NZ$1.28 billion acquisition of NZX-listed Metlifecare by way
of a scheme of arrangement, and Bentley systems on the
acquisition of Seequent for US$1.05 billion.
Chair
Andrew
Petersen shared, “Anna’s inclusion on this
prestigious list is certainly well-deserved, she advises
many of the firm’s key clients on a range of significant
matters, and continues to play a key role in driving
diversity and inclusion initiatives within the
firm.”
In a recent announcement, Anna has been
shortlisted for NZ Dealmaker of the Year at the 2022
Australasian Law Awards which will be announced in mid-May.
Bell Gully has also been shortlisted for New Zealand Firm of
the
Year. | https://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/BU2204/S00019/anna-buchly-included-in-iflr1000s-women-leaders-2022.htm | 2022-04-01T01:55:04Z |
LONDON – Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a decree on Thursday requiring foreign buyers to pay rubles for Russian gas from April 1 or see their contracts halted, a move described as “blackmail” by European states.
What is behind the change?
The move is in retaliation against Western sanctions imposed on Russia over its invasion of Ukraine.
Moscow, which says it is conducting a “special military operation” in Ukraine, describes the Western measures as an economic war.
Getting Western countries to pay in rubles would blunt the impact of their curbs on Russia’s foreign reserves and boost the ruble.
So far this year, Europe has spent €200 million to €800 million ($880 million) a day on Russian gas — converting that into rubles would be a huge boost for it.
Why does it matter?
Europe is heavily reliant on Russia for its energy needs, with around 40% of its gas coming from the country. If Moscow decides to turn off the taps it could trigger supply shortages, factory closures and crippling energy costs across the region.
Germany, Europe’s largest economy, has already activated an emergency plan which could mean power rationing if gas supplies get too low.
Dutch gas prices, the European benchmark, have already hit record highs this year on supply concerns, stoking inflation in the region and raising the risk of recession.
Will foreign buyers switch to rubles?
So far, it looks unlikely, Western countries have said payment in rubles would breach contracts that can take months or more to renegotiate.
If they do switch, how would it work?
Putin’s order makes Gazprombank the intermediary in the gas trade.
A foreign buyer is now obliged to transfer foreign currency to one special, so called “K,” account at the lender. Gazprombank would then buy rubles on behalf of the gas buyer to transfer rubles to another special “K” account, the order said.
Britain put Gazprombank on its list of banned entities earlier this month. It was not included in the EU’s order excluding some Russian banks from the SWIFT messaging system.
What happens next?
It’s unclear. Russia would have to physically halt gas flows to the European Union to force the issue.
In the meantime, the European Union may up the ante by putting curbs on Russian energy exports.
The European Commission is readying new sanctions against the Kremlin, EU sources said on Wednesday, with the magnitude of the new measures depending on Moscow’s stance on gas payments in rubles.
In a time of both misinformation and too much information, quality journalism is more crucial than ever.
By subscribing, you can help us get the story right. | https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2022/04/01/world/will-buyers-switch-to-ruble/ | 2022-04-01T01:55:04Z |