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Conejo Valley nonprofit helping disabled Ukrainian refugees escape to safety
With bombs falling on their homeland, some disabled Ukrainians could not get to the border.
A Conejo Valley group is helping them escape to safety as part of the more than 4 million refugees who have fled so far.
This week, Joni and Friends, a Christian organization based in Agoura Hills, performed its seventh evacuation. Nearly 300 people safely crossed the border into Poland, including nearly a dozen in wheelchairs, from stricken cities such as Kyiv, where the conflict rages, according to Misty Ochoa, a spokeswoman for the nonprofit.
Some of the evacuees live in basements, while others live several stories above ground.
"They are paralyzed. They can't escape. They can't rush to the border," Joni and Friends CEO Joni Eareckson Tada said in a statement.
When bombs began to fall, their in-country partner, "Galyna," was there to evacuate and care for Ukrainians with disabilities, beginning with the most vulnerable. The organization uses only first names to protect the safety of those who are in Ukraine, Ochoa said.
Eareckson Tada understands the refugees' plight. In 1967, a diving accident left her quadriplegic, paralyzed from the shoulders down at age 17. To fight depression, she taught herself to paint with her mouth, wrote a bestselling autobiography that was translated into 38 languages and started the international ministry Joni and Friends to address the needs of families with disabilities.
Now, her ministry helps people who live with disabilities around the globe, including Eastern Europe.
Joni and Friends partners were in Ukraine when Russia invaded.
The group is part of a network of Christian churches and organizations that aid those with disabilities. Their workers and volunteers were able to help disabled refugees who often have special requirements, such as needing an elevator for those who cannot climb stairs or an accommodation to meet their specific medical needs.
The first evacuations focused on people with quadriplegia and cerebral palsy who were in wheelchairs, and children with autism who were adversely affected by sirens and bombing sounds.
"We do not want the Russian soldiers to manipulate the people with disabilities or to use them as shields so that our Ukrainian soldiers will not be able to protect themselves and to defend our country," Galyna said in a statement.
Each mission is different, with groups of 35 to 50 people leaving, including their families and caretakers. They are currently planning their eighth evacuation.
When each mission reaches the border, Joni and Friends has coordinated with its partners in Poland to receive the families and escort them to safety. They have been welcomed into partners' homes, where they received food, blankets, medical care and urgently needed hospital supplies.
Items such as catheters for urinary drainage are desperately needed to care for these people, Ochoa said.
Refugees with disabilities require a coordinated team to manage their ongoing and immediate needs. In Poland, a local coordinator arranges to relocate them into Germany and the Netherlands, where they will be cared for, Ochoa said in a statement.
Since the invasion, more than 118 evacuees with disabilities have been relocated to the group's Netherlands location, which is prepared to receive up to 400 people with disabilities.
With the help of their local partners, Joni and Friends provides shelter, hygiene products, medical attention, clothing, food and counseling for psychological trauma. Over 2.7 million Ukrainians reported living with disabilities before the war; that number is likely to increase as the war continues.
Joni and Friends has provided Christian teaching and practical care to people living with disabilities for over 40 years.
For more information, visit joniandfriends.org.
Victoria Talbot is a courts and breaking news reporter with The Star. Reach her at victoria.talbot@vcstar.com or 805-437-0258.
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https://www.vcstar.com/story/news/local/communities/county/2022/03/31/agoura-hills-christian-group-joni-and-friends-helps-ukrainians-disabilities-flee-country/7198225001/
| 2022-04-01T00:16:39Z
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Mookie Cook, the No. 4 overall prospect in the Class of 2023 per the 247Sports composite rankings, committed to Oregon on Thursday.
Cook, a five-star small forward currently at Compass Prep in Chandler, Ariz., chose the Ducks over two other finalists: Gonzaga and Kentucky. He revealed his decision in an interview on ESPNU.
Cook's older sister, Chaquinn Cook, was an All-American triple jump athlete at Oregon, which allowed Cook to become familiar with the Ducks' athletic program.
The 6-foot-7 rising high school senior is the highest-ranked player of his class to make a verbal commitment thus far. He said he is aiming to move into the top overall spot in his class.
"Just gotta show more, get better on my handles and a better jump shot, and honestly I feel I can show that," Cook said. "I can play 1 through 4, can guard 1 through 4. Not many people can do that at a high level."
It is the third straight recruiting class with a five-star prospect for Oregon coach Dana Altman, according to ESPN. Altman already landed four-star point guard Jackson Shelstad for the Ducks' 2023 class.
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https://www.mdjonline.com/fieldlevel/five-star-f-mookie-cook-chooses-oregon/article_dd2758ee-b376-5a81-9fa2-299e4cc66973.html
| 2022-04-01T00:16:39Z
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The third member of the Warriors’ Run TMC trio will be inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame this summer.
Tim Hardaway has received the call from the Hall, joining Mitch Richmond and Chris Mullin to complete the Golden State trifecta.
NBC Sports Bay Area’s Monte Poole first reported the news. A source confirmed Hardaway’s induction to sports editor Bud Geracie. The official announcement is expected Saturday.
Hardaway played the first six-and-a-half years of his career with the Warriors, earning three All-Star nods and orchestrating Don Nelson’s entertaining, up-and-down style of basketball that energized Bay Area fans. He averaged 9.3 assists per game over five-plus seasons with the Warriors, along with 19.8 points.
The Warriors’ Run TMC era lasted just two seasons as it ended when Richmond was traded to Sacramento following Golden State’s exciting 1991 playoff run, which included a first-round upset over David Robinson’s Spurs.
Proving the phenomenon of the Warriors’ fast-paced play didn’t die down even after Richmond left, McDonald’s even began marketing a “Tim and Chris Burger” in the Bay Area in 1992. The fast food chain’s televised ad featured Hardaway and Mullin arguing over it was called a “Tim and Chris Burger” or a “Chris and Tim Burger.”
Their televised dilemma was nothing compared to what Warriors opponents faced each night back then.
“We called it controlled chaos,” Hardaway said when he was inducted into the Bay Area Sports Hall of Fame four years ago. “We knew how to move without the basketball, set back screens, and we knew how to create and take advantage of mismatches.”
Hardaway may be the last of the Run TMC stars to make it to the Hall of Fame, but there was no doubt which of the three made them go.
“He was the catalyst. He was the one who was driving the ship,” Richmond once told this news organization. “Right before training camp, I remember Nellie brought the whole team together and said, `Tim is the quarterback. Just run the floor and he’ll find you.’ ”
In just his second year in the league, Hardaway was already electrifying while averaging 22.9 points, 9.7 assists and 2.6 steals. Combined with Mullin’s 25.9 points per game and Richmond’s 23.9, the threesome averaged a whopping 72.5 points per game.
The Warriors were among the top three scoring teams in the NBA for the first five years of Hardaway’s career, including the 1993-94 season he missed with a knee injury while rookie Chris Webber emerged as another star.
The 1996 trade that sent Hardaway to Miami was one of several moves that plummeted the Warriors from the playoffs into the NBA’s basement.
Hardaway played parts of six seasons with the Heat, getting two more All-Star accolades, before finishing his career with two seasons split between Dallas, Denver and Indiana. His No. 10 jersey was retired by Miami.
Reports indicate Spurs star Manu Ginoblili and WNBA great Swin Cash will also be inducted, along with former Warriors coach George Karl and collegiate coach Bob Huggins.
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https://www.orovillemr.com/2022/03/31/warriors-great-tim-hardaway-will-be-inducted-into-hall-of-fame/
| 2022-04-01T00:16:39Z
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On Fridays, if the weather allows, Cheyenne Minniss, a senior majoring in mechanical engineering, can be found on the steps of Beardshear Hall striking against Iowa State University’s conversion from coal-fired boilers to natural gas.
As the President of Climate Reality Campus Corp, Minniss has spent her senior year organizing strikes and a protest to advocate for clean energy. But Minniss wasn’t always an outspoken individual.
The now activist recalled being “painfully shy” and concerned about others’ opinions of her growing up. As one of the only people of color in her predominantly white K-12 education, Minniss said she never wanted attention drawn to herself because she already felt out of place.
“It was kind of a cookie cutter model that I was trying to fit into, but couldn’t,” Minniss said. “I wanted people to always accept me. I felt like I would always try, and do, people-pleasing at every point.”
One day as a grade-schooler, Minniss was confiding in her mother. Stressed to the verge of tears about appeasing an ideal, her mother bestowed a simple piece of advice that caused Minniss to have an epiphany.
“Baby,” her mom finally said to her. “Your thoughts and your opinions are the ones you hear the most. You wake up and you hear your thoughts. You go to sleep; you hear your thoughts. So those are the thoughts that matter and should help you to make your decisions.”
After that moment, Minniss’ thinking did a 180. Since then, she has always fallen back on these words to give her confidence. Minniss was involved in just about every activity she could outside of her studies, from theater to band, math league, student council and yearbook.
“I genuinely think without that advice I would be a completely different person. I would still be that shy girl who doesn’t want to make any waves. Now I am like ‘let’s ride those waves.’”
Clean energy piqued Minniss’s interest in the third grade when her teacher informed her only 3 percent of the earth’s water is fresh, and 2 percent of that is frozen.
“All life on this plant and we have one percent?” Minniss recalls thinking to herself. “I’mma have to do something about that.”
While Minniss always wanted to be a fashion designer, she experienced the stereotypical senior year crisis.
“I do love clothes, and I do love fashion, but is that what I am meant for?” Minniss recalled thinking as a senior. “I just feel like I am supposed to do something more. Fashion can always be a hobby so then I was like ‘dang it I am good at math.”
When deciding what university to attend, Iowa State’s marketing around sustainability stood out to Minniss. She assumed a school that advertised a minor in wind energy was the place for her to pursue her passion, only to find Iowa State University stopped offering the courses. Minniss described Iowa State’s advertisement as “greenwashing.”
“I came because of sustainability,” Minniss said. “Now that I see it is kind of lacking, I definitely want to see it be where they are advertising at.”
When she arrived at Iowa State University, she went down the path of mechanical engineering because of the broadness of the field. But engineering, in particular, suited her because she believes engineers can help people on a large scale.
“I can make the important decisions that are actually influencing these changes,” Minniss said. “It is not just that I am coming up with these ideas and trying to take a political avenue of doing it. I am physically making these things and physically implementing them and ensuring they are being put into these communities and doing their specific purpose.”
Regardless of Minniss’ ambition, she still considers herself an introvert at heart. To recharge, she likes to take time for herself to cook or learn new information, such as financial planning. But among her engineering peers, she is typically the one to take charge.
“We can’t all be introverts,” Minniss said.
Minniss thrives on the competitive nature of engineering. Coming from a town of predominantly white people, Minniss said being a woman of color in a space dominated by white males is familiar.
While this doesn’t intimidate Minniss, she has experienced times when she says something, and it falls on deaf ears, only to have her peers receive appreciation and credit for repeating the same comment.
Whether in her major or during strikes, Minniss said her experiences with students and faculty at Iowa State have been positive overall. Even though she protests against the university’s actions, Minniss said Iowa State administrators often stop by Climate Reality’s strikes and ask the best questions.
But her experiences with state education leaders differ. During the September Board of Regents meeting, Climate Reality was not able to speak during the public comment section due to the meeting concluding early. Minniss said the regents stonewalled her organization so they couldn’t speak in their true power.
With Iowa State University’s motto being “innovate at Iowa State,” Minniss called on the leadership to lead by example on issues relating to sustainability.
“I want to be a leader, that means walking a path that isn’t always the easiest path,” Minniss said. “That means blazing a new trail for people to then follow behind you, that is what I believe is what a leader is. To see my leadership at my school not do that is pretty discouraging because that is what I envision leadership, and they are not doing that.”
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https://www.iowastatedaily.com/news/cheyenne-minniss-humans-of-ames-engineering-climate-change-sustainability-boiler-transition-cooking-climate-rality-campus-corp/article_dd7194ea-b13c-11ec-91dc-b773bd54fef0.html
| 2022-04-01T00:16:39Z
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https://dan.com/buy-domain/yaokan3.com
| 2022-04-01T00:16:39Z
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EOG Resources, Inc. (NYSE:EOG – Get Rating) was the target of a significant growth in short interest in March. As of March 15th, there was short interest totalling 7,790,000 shares, a growth of 48.1% from the February 28th total of 5,260,000 shares. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 4,900,000 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 1.6 days. Approximately 1.3% of the shares of the stock are sold short.
In related news, EVP Michael P. Donaldson sold 11,327 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, March 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $117.15, for a total value of $1,326,958.05. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CAO Ann D. Janssen sold 3,688 shares of EOG Resources stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $121.96, for a total value of $449,788.48. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 23,602 shares of company stock worth $2,719,062 over the last ninety days. 0.40% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.
Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Dixon Hughes Goodman Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of EOG Resources in the 4th quarter worth about $27,000. Rational Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in shares of EOG Resources by 102.0% in the 4th quarter. Rational Advisors LLC now owns 303 shares of the energy exploration company’s stock worth $27,000 after purchasing an additional 153 shares in the last quarter. Kessler Investment Group LLC purchased a new position in shares of EOG Resources in the 3rd quarter worth about $28,000. Global Retirement Partners LLC boosted its holdings in shares of EOG Resources by 66.1% in the 3rd quarter. Global Retirement Partners LLC now owns 392 shares of the energy exploration company’s stock worth $31,000 after purchasing an additional 156 shares in the last quarter. Finally, JCIC Asset Management Inc. purchased a new position in shares of EOG Resources in the 4th quarter worth about $31,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 86.69% of the company’s stock.
NYSE EOG traded down $1.86 during trading on Thursday, reaching $119.23. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 4,013,006 shares, compared to its average volume of 5,075,457. The stock has a market capitalization of $69.80 billion, a PE ratio of 15.17, a P/E/G ratio of 0.34 and a beta of 1.79. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.23, a current ratio of 2.12 and a quick ratio of 1.98. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $114.33 and a 200 day moving average of $98.00. EOG Resources has a one year low of $62.81 and a one year high of $124.89.
EOG Resources (NYSE:EOG – Get Rating) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, February 24th. The energy exploration company reported $3.09 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.21 by ($0.12). EOG Resources had a return on equity of 23.50% and a net margin of 25.02%. The business had revenue of $6.04 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.56 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $0.71 earnings per share. EOG Resources’s revenue was up 103.8% compared to the same quarter last year. Research analysts expect that EOG Resources will post 12.59 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.
The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, April 29th. Stockholders of record on Friday, April 15th will be issued a $0.75 dividend. This represents a $3.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.52%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, April 13th. EOG Resources’s payout ratio is currently 37.59%.
About EOG Resources (Get Rating)
EOG Resources, Inc, together with its subsidiaries, explores for, develops, produces, and markets crude oil, and natural gas and natural gas liquids. Its principal producing areas are in New Mexico and Texas in the United States; and the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago. As of December 31, 2021, it had total estimated net proved reserves of 3,747 million barrels of oil equivalent, including 1,548 million barrels (MMBbl) of crude oil and condensate reserves; 829 MMBbl of natural gas liquid reserves; and 8,222 billion cubic feet of natural gas reserves.
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https://www.com-unik.info/2022/03/31/short-interest-in-eog-resources-inc-nyseeog-expands-by-48-1.html
| 2022-04-01T00:16:39Z
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Manitoba men's curling champions Team McEwen calling it quits once season is over
West St. Paul rink qualified for the last 4 Briers
Another Manitoba curling team has announced they are splitting up at the end of the season.
Team Mike McEwen said they will part ways after four years together in a Twitter post published Thursday afternoon.
The post doesn't give a reason for the split.
The foursome, which is comprised of lead Colin Hodgson, second Derek Samagalski, third Reid Carruthers and skip Mike McEwen, will finish off its season at the Curling Princess Auto Players' Championship in Toronto from April 12 to 17.
The West St. Paul Curling Club team qualified for the last four Tim Hortons Briers, representing Manitoba as provincial champions in 2019 and then again this year, with Colton Lott filling in for Hodgson after the lead tested positive for COVID-19.
The rink did not qualify for the playoffs in any of its four appearances at the Brier.
The announcement comes just two weeks after Jennifer Jones' team confirmed its breakup.
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https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/manitoba/team-mcewen-split-1.6404647?cmp=rss
| 2022-04-01T00:16:39Z
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DETROIT (AP) _ The winning numbers in Thursday evening's drawing of the Michigan Lottery's "Daily 4" game were:
3-0-6-8
(three, zero, six, eight)
DETROIT (AP) _ The winning numbers in Thursday evening's drawing of the Michigan Lottery's "Daily 4" game were:
3-0-6-8
(three, zero, six, eight)
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https://www.lakecountystar.com/lottery/article/Winning-numbers-drawn-in-Daily-4-game-17049788.php
| 2022-04-01T00:16:39Z
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Oscars show-runner Will Packer said the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) were “prepared” to arrest Will Smith following his assault of Chris Rock at the awards show. Packer said Rock had been “very dismissive” of the options given to him by the LAPD when officers went to his office to speak with the comedian after the incident.
It comes following reports from Variety that Smith met with leaders of the Academy on Tuesday to discuss his outburst, and apologised to chief executive Dawn Hudson and president David Rubin. The actor, 53, won best actor for King Richard, but stormed on stage prior to his win after reacting to a joke made by Rock which referred to his wife Jada Pinkett Smith’s shaved head.
The Academy said Smith had been asked to leave the ceremony following the incident, but had refused. A formal review has been launched to discuss what disciplinary measures will be taken, and Smith will reportedly be given the chance to provide a written defence before the Academy board meets again on April 18.
The LAPD said that no charges had been filed against him but, according to Packer, they had told Rock that he had the power to do so.
“They were saying this is battery, that was the word they used at that moment, they said ‘we will go get him, we are prepared to go get him right now,” Packer said in a clip from an interview with ABC. “‘You can press charges, we can arrest him’, they were laying out the options.”
He added: “As they were talking Chris was being very dismissive of those options, he was like ‘no I’m fine’… and even to the point I said ‘Rock let them finish’. The other LAPD officers finished laying out what his options were and they said ‘would you like us to take any action and he said no’.”
The interview with Packer is due to air on Good Morning America on Friday. Variety reported that on Tuesday during his meeting with Academy bosses Smith explained his actions and showed awareness that there would be consequences.
For more stories from where you live, visit InYourArea.
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https://www.hulldailymail.co.uk/news/uk-world-news/lapd-were-prepared-arrest-smith-6890668
| 2022-04-01T00:16:39Z
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Russian gas ‘must be paid for in roubles’
Russian President Vladimir Putin says he has signed a decree saying overseas consumers should pay in roubles for Russian fuel from April 1 and contracts can be halted if these funds weren’t made.
“In order to purchase Russian natural gas, they must open rouble accounts in Russian banks. It is from these accounts that payments will be made for gas delivered starting from tomorrow,” Putin mentioned in televised remarks.
“If such payments are not made, we will consider this a default on the part of buyers, with all the ensuing consequences. Nobody sells us anything for free, and we are not going to do charity either – that is, existing contracts will be stopped.”
Putin’s resolution to implement rouble funds for fuel has boosted the Russian foreign money, which fell to historic lows when the US and its European allies utilized sweeping sanctions after he despatched his military into Ukraine on February 24.
But overseas firms and governments have rejected the transfer as a breach of current contracts, that are set in euros or US {dollars}.
Putin mentioned the swap was meant to strengthen Russia’s sovereignty, and it will follow its obligations on all contracts.
Russia provides a couple of third of Europe’s fuel.
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https://thewall.fyi/russian-gas-must-be-paid-for-in-roubles/
| 2022-04-01T00:16:38Z
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3 On Your Side Investigates: Overworked or Overpaid?
JACKSON, Miss. (WLBT) - Timesheets and records show a Jackson police officer claimed to work thousands of hours of overtime last year, bringing in six figures on a patrolman’s salary and triggering a personnel investigation in the process.
The records, obtained exclusively by 3 On Your Side, indicate Officer Torrence Mayfield commonly worked anywhere from nineteen to twenty-one hours on a daily basis, adding up to 363 days on the clock for 2021, which added up to more than 4,500 hours of overtime.
On August 29 and November 1, Mayfield’s timesheets indicate he took vacation days and did not clock in at all.
On two days in particular, Mayfield’s records show he worked 24 hours straight.
On average, 3 On Your Side determined Mayfield worked 18.5 hours each day.
“Once you get past that 14, [it gets] very dangerous for the officer in the community and a liability for the agency,” said criminal justice professor Kevin Lavine, who teaches at Jackson State University. “I was at Fort Rucker, Alabama, and we worked 12-hour shifts four days in a row. And I could say, by that fourth day, I can tell the difference between my energy level, my alertness, my responsiveness, and that last, especially the last few hours of that 12-hour shift.”
That’s after four days in a row.
How much did Mayfield make in all?
A 3 On Your Side analysis of city overtime reports and those aforementioned timesheets estimates his patrolman’s salary of $31,659 ballooned to $140,943 -- $107,000 of which was overtime.
For comparison, Jackson Police Chief James Davis makes $115,259 annually, according to city records.
Davis may have even known about Mayfield’s marathon shifts.
Section 300-4 of JPD’s general orders state an employee can earn a maximum of 20 hours of overtime in a two-week period.
Anything over that requires prior approval from Davis or Assistant Chief Joseph Wade.
Every one of Mayfield’s pay periods last year had more than 20 hours of overtime, averaging 8 times that.
It’s unclear who on the command staff was aware of Mayfield’s work ethic.
The timesheets also show his scheduled hours alongside his actual times clocked in and out.
That schedule – which had to be approved by a JPD supervisor – already had him working 17-hour days, 85 hours a week.
A supervisor would have also had to approve the time he worked over that amount, too, with eyes in human resources and payroll seeing how much money ended up being doled out.
It’s unclear how high knowledge of Mayfield’s overtime frenzy went.
3 On Your Side reached out multiple times to every member of JPD’s command staff, including Davis, Wade, and deputy chiefs Tyrone Buckley, Tiny Harris, Vincent Grizzell and Deric Hearn, asking questions about the approval process for overtime and the unbelievable amount of time this one officer claims to have worked.
While a few of those leaders did read our requests for comment, only Grizzell responded, referring us to City Attorney Catoria Martin.
Martin said our request for comment “concerns personnel matters currently under investigation,” and reiterated the city does not comment on personnel matters under investigation.
“That in-line supervisor being the sergeant at that level, he should say, ‘wait a minute, I’m seeing you in this precinct. You’re not leaving.’ At some point, I’m going to have to say, ‘Hey, guy, you need to shut it down, relax,’” Lavine said.
Lavine said he’s seen officers work those kinds of hours before, sometimes with disastrous consequences.
“There was a guy named Ricky Joe Simmons. He went on a domestic call, and a struggle ensued,” Lavine said. “And Ricky lost his life on a domestic violence call. The family assaulted him, the individual managed to get his weapon away from him. But when they look back at the hours he was working, I think [it was] somewhere in the area of 80 hours a week overtime.”
Essentially, Lavine said Simmons could not have been at his best when he responded to that call.
Mayfield’s timesheets by comparison show an average of 86 hours a week.
“We have a thing when we call it a military and law enforcement, situational awareness. That’s our lifesaver, we have to be alert, using your five senses at a key point where you’re sensitive to everything around you,” Lavine said. “But as you get sleepy, your situational awareness starts to shrink. And that’s where the danger comes in for the officer and for the community.”
Mayfield, who ran for sheriff of Hinds County last year and was once the police chief of Edwards, has talked to WLBT on several occasions,
For this story, 3 On Your Side reached out to Mayfield half a dozen times, starting three weeks ago, but he never responded.
Texts to his cell phone went unanswered, too.
Lavine says those kinds of hours worked – while surprising – are also indicative of a larger problem police departments all over the country are facing: low pay and inadequate staffing.
“The salary is a big reason for that. $31,000? When I was at JPD back in 91, the starting salary was $27,995,” Lavine said. “That needle only moved a few thousand dollars since 91? We’re making them make a dangerous choice.”
3 On Your Side also requested Mayfield’s timesheets for 2022 to see if JPD has since reduced his hours and paid an estimate drafted by the city of Jackson for those records.
On Thursday, the city clerk’s office declared our requests for those timesheets were exempt from disclosure, citing Miss. Code § 25-61-5, which doesn’t actually refer to timesheets at all.
That statute instead describes the process a public body must follow when records cannot be produced, not the specific reason why these records have been kept from public disclosure.
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Copyright 2022 WLBT. All rights reserved.
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https://www.wlbt.com/2022/03/31/3-your-side-investigates-overworked-or-overpaid/
| 2022-04-01T00:16:39Z
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The Star Entertainment Group chairman John O’Neill will temporarily pick up the chief executive role after the casino group’s boss abruptly resigned this week amid an explosive inquiry into its operations.
The company said on Friday that it had started the search for a new managing director and CEO following Matt Bekier’s resignation on Monday, and that Mr O’Neill would lead the company in the interim.
As executive chairman, Mr O’Neill will be paid $1.5 million per year - or $125,000 per month - on top of his existing package, bringing his annual pay to $2 million.
The Star also said that it “acknowledges the need for accelerated board change” and that it would make new director appointments in due course.
More to come
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https://www.watoday.com.au/business/companies/the-star-chairman-to-step-up-as-ceo-flags-board-renewal-20220401-p5aa0o.html?ref=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_source=rss_feed
| 2022-04-01T00:16:39Z
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Outfits worn by the Queen to go on display at Balmoral as part of Platinum Jubilee exhibition
- A new exhibition marking the Queen's Platinum Jubilee will launch at Balmoral
- Called Life at Balmoral, the exhibition will run from April 1st to August 2nd
- As well as the outfits, it will feature a piece highlighting the plight of wild salmon
- This will mark the first time contemporary art has been shown at Balmoral
A collection of the Queen's outfits are set to go on display at Balmoral Castle as part of an exhibition to mark the monarch's Platinum Jubilee.
The clothing, which includes kilts as well as coats, hats, and dresses, will feature in the Life at Balmoral exhibition, which will be on show in the castle ballroom between 1st April 1 and 2nd August this year.
Images launched ahead of the event show assistant curator Sarah Hoare adjusting some of the ensembles give a sneak peek of what will be on view, revealing that one of the Queen's trademark looks - a brightly coloured yellow frock coat and hat - will feature.
The canary outfit was worn by the monarch in 2017, as she attended the Investec Derby Festival at Epsom Racecourse.
A selection of Her Majesty's outfits will be on view during an exhibition at Balmoral Castle that opens on April 1st, and marks the monarch's 70 years on the throne. Here she is pictured wearing one of the outfits at Epsom Racecourse in June 2017
One of the Queen's trademark brightly coloured frock coats and hat ensembles (far right) will be on show, alongside kilts and other outfits
In addition to the clothing display, it will also feature a contemporary art installation - marking the first time modern art has been shown at the Castle.
The installation, Salmon School, created by artist Joseph Rossano, consists of 250 mirrored glass forms, suspended in the air to look like a school of wild salmon.
It aims to highlight the plight of wild salmon and the importance of salmon conversation, as climate change and biodiversity loss threaten their existence in the wild.
Mr Rossano said: 'The Salmon School is an international collaborative performance project that contextualises the finality of a seemingly infinite resource.
'A synthesis of art and science, the Salmon School fosters environmental awareness, bringing together diverse communities for a greater good - cold, clean water.
'Embracing art's ability to disarm, to make something beautiful - a sculpture mimicking an ideal, a restored ecosystem - the project achieves measurable change through its actions and initiatives.'
Assistant curator Sarah Hoare prepares the outfits ahead of the 'Life At Balmoral' exhibition, which will run from April 1st to August 2nd this year
Final tweaks: assistant curator Sarah Hoare puts the last minute touches to one of the outfits on show at the event
Balmoral Castle (pictured) in Aberdeenshire, and its 50,000 acre country estate, is much-beloved by the Queen who spends her Summers there
First conceived and shown in the Pacific Northwest in the US, Salmon School was then shown at Cop26, the UN Climate Change Conference in Glasgow in November 2021.
Salmon conservation work has been supported by the Queen, the Royal Family and the Balmoral Estate on the River Dee over the last 170 years.
The Balmoral Estate works closely with the River Dee Trust to deliver practical salmon restoration to help protect the endangered fish.
Most recently, across Deeside, the River Dee Trust and Dee District Salmon Fishery Board have introduced a One Million Trees campaign to plant riverbank trees, to help restore the Dee and save its salmon.
The Castle Bathroom will host the Life at Balmoral exhibition, celebrating the Platinum Jubilee. A modern installation 'The Salmon School' (pictured) is part of the show
First time: the exhibition marks the first time contemporary art, in the form of The Salmon School (pictured) created by artists Joseph Rossano (pictured) has been shown at Balmoral
The artwork (pictured) aims to highlight the plight of wild salmon and the importance of salmon conversation
Trees are said to have multiple benefits in helping wild salmon to thrive, including providing shade over the water, nourishment through leaves and insects, and helping to stabilise the riverbanks to prevent erosion.
In the last five years, the Balmoral Estate has planted 300,000 trees along the River Dee.
The work to protect wild salmon also includes using windblown trees to create large wooden structures in the rivers on the estate, to offer a variety of salmon habitats, which in turn give shelter from bad weather and trap nutrients.
Small wooden dams have also been created in the estate's smaller streams to help river flows in times of flood and drought.
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https://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-10673257/Outfits-worn-Queen-display-Balmoral-Castle-celebrate-Platinum-Jubilee.html?ns_mchannel=rss&ns_campaign=1490&ito=1490
| 2022-04-01T00:16:39Z
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https://www.leafly.com/brands/crescent-cannabis/products/crescent-cannabis-sugar-wax-creme-brulee-sugar-wax-1g-solvent
| 2022-04-01T00:16:40Z
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The numbers: The Federal Reserve’s favorite inflation calculator rose a sharp 0.6% in February and kept the increase over the past year at a 40-year high, explaining why the central bank plans to move faster to raise U.S. interest rates.
The so-called personal consumption price index climbed to 6.4% in the 12 months ended in February, up from 6.2% in the prior month, the government said Thursday.
That’s...
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https://www.marketwatch.com/story/u-s-inflation-jumps-again-and-hits-6-4-rate-the-feds-favorite-price-gauge-shows-11648730285
| 2022-04-01T00:16:41Z
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- City of Toronto Social Bond wins Social Bond of the Year, Local Authority/Municipality category – BMO Joint-Lead Manager
- World Bank Sustainability Bond wins Sustainability Bond of the Year, Supranational category – BMO Joint-Lead Manager
- City of Vancouver Sustainability Bond wins Sustainability Bond of the Year, Local Authority/Municipality category – BMO Joint Bookrunner
TORONTO, March 31, 2022 /PRNewswire/ - The City of Toronto Social Bond, the World Bank Sustainability Bond, and the City of Vancouver Sustainability Bond were recognized today by Environmental Finance's 2022 Bond Awards in the categories of Social Bond of the Year – Local Authority/Municipality, Sustainability Bond of the Year – Supranational, and Sustainability Bond of the Year – Local Authority/Municipality. BMO Financial Group (BMO) acted as Joint-Lead Manager on the City of Toronto and World Bank bond issuances, and Joint Bookrunner on the City of Vancouver Sustainability Bond issuance.
The City of Toronto's Social Bond is the city's second Social Bond, following on their inaugural issue in June 2020 – the first-ever Social Bond from a Canadian Government issuer – which BMO also led. The Social Bond, issued under Toronto's Social Debenture Framework, is part of a program to promote positive socioeconomic outcomes, from affordable housing and access to essential infrastructure and services, to socioeconomic advancement and empowerment.
The World Bank Sustainability Bond is an $8 billion 2-year and 7-year Dual-Tranche Fixed-Rate Global Sustainability Bond launched in April 2021. The World Bank has been issuing sustainable development bonds in the international capital markets for over 70 years to fund programs and activities that achieve a positive impact. BMO is proud to be a joint lead-manager on this issuance. World Bank bonds are aligned with the Sustainability Bond Guidelines published by the International Capital Market Association and support the financing of a combination of green and social projects, programs, and activities.
The inaugural City of Vancouver Sustainability Bond was the first Sustainability Bond from a Canadian governmental issuer. Proceeds of the bond are supporting eligible projects such as green buildings, renewal and upgrade of the main sewer and a fire hall, street and bridge infrastructure, an accessibility program to provide access to essential services, a climate emergency response program and a seawall maintenance program.
"As Joint-Lead Manager we're pleased with the recognition the City of Toronto Social Bond, the World Bank Sustainability Bond, and the City of Vancouver Sustainability Bond have received from Environmental Finance," said Jonathan Hackett, Head, BMO Sustainable Finance. "These transactions are leading examples in sustainable financing that we believe will act as a catalyst to others as they explore social and sustainability labeled financing and BMO is excited to be a leader working with our clients in this space -- one that so closely aligns with our Purpose to Boldly Grow the Good, in business and life."
BMO is a recognized sustainability leader
Carbon neutral in its own operations since 2010, BMO announced its Climate Ambition in March 2021 with a commitment to deploy $300 billion in sustainable lending and underwriting to companies pursuing sustainable outcomes by 2025. BMO is focused on being its clients' lead partner in their transition to a net zero world and, since December 2019, has completed green and sustainability-linked loans for companies in a range of sectors, with targets including decarbonization, diversity & inclusion, and health and safety. To support clients' pursuit of opportunities driven by the increasing momentum of the global economy's shift in production and consumption of energy, in 2021 BMO established a dedicated Energy Transition Group and the BMO Climate Institute.
BMO's leadership on sustainability has been recognized by the Wall Street Journal's 100 Most Sustainably Managed Companies in the World, Corporate Knights' Global 100 Most Sustainable Corporations, Dow Jones Sustainability Indices World Index, and Ethisphere Institute's list of the World's Most Ethical Companies.
For more information on BMO's commitment to a sustainable future, please visit the bank's latest Sustainability Report. To learn more about sustainable finance at BMO click here. For BMO's climate ambition, visit its Climate page.
About BMO Financial Group
Serving customers for 200 years and counting, BMO is a highly diversified financial services provider - the 8th largest bank, by assets, in North America. With total assets of $1.02 trillion as of January 31, 2022, and a team of diverse and highly engaged employees, BMO provides a broad range of personal and commercial banking, wealth management and investment banking products and services to more than 12 million customers and conducts business through three operating groups: Personal and Commercial Banking, BMO Wealth Management and BMO Capital Markets.
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SOURCE BMO Financial Group
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https://www.13abc.com/prnewswire/2022/03/31/bmo-led-sustainability-social-bonds-recognized-by-environmental-finances-2022-bond-awards/
| 2022-04-01T00:16:40Z
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NEW YORK (AP) — Former Vice President Mike Pence is offering a “Freedom Agenda” platform for Republicans ahead of this year’s midterm elections, presenting a framework for GOP candidates — and possibly himself for a 2024 presidential run.
Pence’s platform, released Thursday, combines traditional Republican goals such as increasing American energy production, cutting taxes and rolling back regulations, with priorities pursued by former President Donald Trump on issues like trade and immigration.
Pence also offers plenty of culture war red meat for the GOP base, pledging, for instance, to save women’s sports by “ensuring that sports competitions are between those who share their God-given gender” and calling for all high school students to pass a civics test.
“Elections are about the future, and I think it’s absolutely essential that, while we do our part to take the fight to the failed policies of the Biden administration and the radical left, at the same time, we want to offer a compelling vision built on our highest American ideals,” Pence told reporters ahead of the plan’s release. “It really is an effort to put in one place the agenda that I think carried us to the White House in 2016, carried two Bush presidencies to the White House and carried Ronald Reagan to the White House in 1980.”
Much of the 28-page plan reads like the platform of a presidential campaign, underscoring Pence’s ambitions and providing a clear road map of the themes and policies he is likely to pursue if he moves forward with a 2024 run. While Pence in recent weeks has worked to distance himself from his former boss as he begins to reintroduce himself to voters and develop a political identity of his own, he has also been careful to tie himself to the policies of the Trump-Pence administration, which remain extremely popular among Republican voters.
It’s part of what aides see as Pence’s unique opportunity, as a former talk radio host, congressman and Indiana governor, to merge the traditional conservative movement with Trump’s “Make America Great Again” agenda.
“There is a winning coalition for America that believes in the traditionally conservative values that the vice president has championed through his career,” said Marc Short, co-chair of Advancing American Freedom, the advocacy group Pence launched last year.
Still, Pence argues that “elections are about the future,” in contrast to Trump’s continued focus on his own false 2020 election claims.
Pence’s plan comes as the GOP has been at odds over the wisdom of offering voters a concrete policy agenda ahead of the midterm elections this year. Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell has been pointedly opposed to such efforts, arguing that Republicans should keep the focus on President Joe Biden, whose popularity has slumped amid the highest inflation in 40 years and the Russian war in Ukraine, and make the election a referendum on him.
The risks of a specific plan came into stark relief last month when Florida Sen. Rick Scott, another potential 2024 contender and the chair of the Senate Republicans’ campaign arm, unveiled his 11-point plan to “rescue America.” The effort drew immediate criticism from Democrats and even some Republicans, particularly its call for all Americans to “pay some income tax to have skin in the game” — which would amount to a tax hike for millions of people who pay no income tax because they earn so little.
On Thursday, Scott defended his plan during a speech to the conservative Heritage Foundation.
“Bring it on,” the Florida senator said to his critics. “If the Republicans return to Washington’s business as usual, if we have no bigger plan than to be a speed bump on the road to America’s socialism and collapse, we don’t deserve to govern.”
House Republicans, meanwhile, have been working on their own “Commitment to America” plan with echoes of former House Speaker Newt Gingrich’s “Contract with America,” which Republicans unveiled in 1994 before sweeping the midterms that year.
“For the American public to join with you and support you, first they want to know what will you do,” House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy said at the party’s annual retreat in Jacksonville, Florida, last week.
Candidates on the campaign trail have expressed similar sentiments.
At a Republican Senate primary debate in Ohio on Monday, several of the candidates applauded Scott for his effort, even as they said they disagreed with parts of his plan.
“I’m so sick of Republicans who say, ‘Well, we’re just going to push back against the Biden agenda.’ Well, of course we’re going to do that. But what are we gonna actually do for our voters?” candidate J.D. Vance asked. “There are a lot of problems out there. A lot of very serious problems. And we can’t just sort of stick our flag in the mud and say, ‘We’re against, we’re against, we’re against.’ We gotta be for stuff.”
Pence said that was part of his intention.
“As important as it is for us to criticize and to confront and to be the loyal opposition,” he said, it is “absolutely of equal importance that we offer a positive, compelling vision built on our highest ideals and frankly the successes that we were able to demonstrate during our administration.”
The economic plan unveiled Thursday calls for fast-tracking permits for oil and gas production, expanding drilling on federal lands and offshore and pursuing trade agreements that better protect American workers. On foreign policy, Pence calls on China to “establish a victims compensation and economic recovery fund” for “negligently unleashing and hiding the origins of COVID-19.”
On immigration, Pence’s agenda sounds much like a Trump press release. It calls on leaders to “oppose all forms of amnesty,” typically defined as a path to citizenship for those who entered the country illegally, and seeks an end to what he calls “chain migration” by limiting family reunification to an immigrant’s close family. It also calls for promoting “the patriotic assimilation of immigrants” and finishing Trump’s border wall.
Under a section dedicated to “protecting American culture,” Pence calls for the promotion of “patriotic education” by ending “radical political indoctrination — including the teaching of anti-American racist ideologies like Critical Race Theory,” which views racism as systemic in the nation’s institutions.
Pence also calls on states and local jurisdictions to require that all high school students pass a test on the Declaration of Independence, the U.S. Constitution and the Federalist Papers to graduate. And he seeks limits on mail-in voting and early in-person voting, among other election measures.
Pence has been raising his public profile, making frequent media appearances, headlining political events and delivering policy speeches. He has traveled in recent weeks to South Korea, Israel and the Ukrainian border with Poland, where he greeted fleeing refugees. And he has paid numerous visits to early voting states, including New Hampshire, Iowa and South Carolina, which he’ll return to next month.
Meanwhile, his advocacy group is spending millions of dollars on ads and filing friend-of-court briefs opposing vaccine mandates and abortion rights, and he’s working on a pair of books in addition to projects with the Heritage Foundation and Young America’s Foundation.
___ Associated Press writer Steve Peoples contributed to this report.
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https://www.kget.com/national-news/pence-unveils-republican-policy-agenda-for-midterm-elections/
| 2022-04-01T00:16:40Z
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Title IX has been a passionate subject for Candace Parker ever since she learned of its impact while doing a paper on it in the eighth grade.
So, it is no surprise her first documentary as an executive producer is about the landmark legislation. On Saturday, “Title IX: 37 Words That Changed America,” will open coverage of the men’s Final Four on TBS at 1 p.m. EDT.
“I sit here because of Title IX. Although we have so many wins, we have so much further to go. That’s why we went with having the Title IX story told through my eyes so that you can see if Title IX didn’t exist, I wouldn’t exist,” Parker said.
Parker considers herself a first-generation benefactor of Title IX, which is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year. It states: “No person in the United States shall, on the basis of sex, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any education program or activity receiving Federal financial assistance.”
Parker’s mother, Sara, attended Iowa before Title IX became law. Candace’s 12-year old daughter, Lailaa Nicole Williams, will have more opportunities.
“It means a lot to be able to have my mom and my daughter be a part of this,” Parker said. “I have inspiration from my mom and her story. And then as well for my daughter, I want to continue to open up doors, and I don’t want her to see limitations.”
The documentary also comes as inequities between the NCAA men’s and women’s basketball tournaments are coming under intense scrutiny.
“Something as simple as March Madness, right? Like, now women can use that. That’s unbelievable. It’s 2022,” Parker said. “But things are changing. But it still doesn’t take away that we still have so much farther to go. I think that’s the whole point of doing this documentary is if you invest, it’s not a charity, it’s an investment. And it’s an honest investment of trying to make it work. And I think for so long, we just existed; women’s sports existed as something that had to be there. And now we look at it as an investment, and then I think we can start moving things forward."
Parker won a pair of NCAA championships at Tennessee while being coached by one of the pioneers of Title IX, the late Pat Summitt. Parker has parlayed that experience into a successful career as a two-time WNBA champion and MVP and two gold medals in the Olympics.
Parker is also an accomplished analyst for Turner Sports on its NBA and NCAA Tournament coverage since 2018. During discussions about a contract extension at Turner, Parker and her representatives first pitched the idea of a documentary. It got the green light for production last November.
The documentary includes interviews with Billie Jean King, Peyton Manning, Lisa Leslie, NBA Commissioner Adam Silver, and former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice.
“There’s a number of influential voices that I think I have to pinch myself to realize that they’re a part of it,” Parker said. “To have Billie Jean King, like the 10-year-old girl that did a biography project on her, I just think it’s just so special.
“Title IX doesn’t just impact women. To watch Peyton Manning talk about how Pat really influenced his life, as a competitor and just as an individual. To see somebody that is an icon to say that I think speaks to how valuable women in leadership positions are.”
Having the documentary tip-off Turner’s Final Four coverage on Saturday should give it a broader audience. “The Arena” will air following the documentary and focus on the impact of Title IX on sports and society.
This is also the first project for Parker’s production company — Baby Hair Productions — and was also produced with Scout Productions.
“Having a diverse audience, that’s not just the women and girls, we want everyone to see how impactful and powerful women are in society,” Parker said. “To have this be something that we talk about, especially after with ‘The Arena' show, I think it speaks to just how important it is.”
___
More AP coverage of March Madness: https://apnews.com/hub/march-madness and https://apnews.com/hub/womens-college-basketball and https://twitter.com/AP_Top25
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https://www.sfgate.com/sports/article/Parker-hopes-Title-IX-documentary-serves-as-17049750.php
| 2022-04-01T00:16:41Z
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American Legion Post Hosts Ceremony for Vietnam War Era Vets
For so many years, a sizeable portion of Vietnam veterans and those who served the country during that era were disrespected, shunned or ignored for simply answering their country’s call.
A half-century later, a local chapter of a national organization is trying to make amends and let those know their service was valued by reaching out to Vietnam-era veterans.
The Polly Cooper Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) based in Chappaqua presented lapel pins to about 40 veterans and a few surviving spouses during two separate ceremonies on Sunday afternoon hosted by American Legion Post 1038 in Valhalla.
All active service members in one of the U.S. military branches between Nov. 1, 1955, and May 15, 1975, are eligible for the recognition. The earlier date coincided with the start of the official Military Assistance Advisory Group for Vietnam and the latter date represents the seizure of the merchant vessel SS Mayaguez.
“There’s no denying that 50 years is a long time to wait,” said Martha Jordan, regent of DAR’s Polly Cooper Chapter. “Regardless, it’s vital that each and every one of you understand the permanent place that you now occupy in the conscience of our nation and the high measure of esteem in which we hold you, including friends, neighbors and countrymen.”
The pins each of the veterans received on Sunday contained the inscription “On behalf of a grateful nation we are thankful for your sacrifice.” The ceremony was scheduled two days before the fifth annual of National Vietnam War Veterans Day, which was established to thank veterans from that era and their families for their service and sacrifice.
On Mar. 29, 1973, the U.S. Assistance Military Command in Vietnam was disestablished and the last combat troops departed the country, Jordan said. It was also the day that Hanoi released the last of its acknowledged American prisoners of war, she said.
Bob Rucco, a Post 1038 commander, who served in the Army from 1970 to 1976 but was spared service time in Vietnam, said three of his friends died fighting the war. He wore three bracelets, each with the name of one of those friends, and his jacket also paid tribute to one of them, Bob Joyce. Joyce was killed during the Tet Offensive in 1968.
“Just talking about it back in the Bronx, we got spit on and (had) garbage thrown at us,” recalled Rucco, a Valhalla resident. “So this is a big difference and it’s a lot better.”
Post 1038 Commander John Creskey, an Air Force veteran, said it was commonplace for military members to come home from Vietnam to be met with hostility. In most cases, there were no ceremonies or thanks for their service.
“Some were treated poorly, some were ignored, and there were a few that were welcomed home, so America does have that grateful side,” said Creskey, who has a friend who is still listed as missing in action. “But, in general, history speaks for itself.”
Larry Martino, who was stationed in New Jersey and South Korea during his two years in the Army in 1969 and 1970, said he almost feels unworthy to be grouped with the servicemembers who saw combat because he had it relatively easy. He thinks of all those, including some that he went through basic training with, who died, were wounded or returned suffering from what was later known as post-traumatic stress disorder. Some who came home alive returned from fighting in the jungle and were met with belligerence.
“That’s what I think of, and I see this post, when they have some of the veterans, whether it’s Vietnam or others, they paid a cost to continue, and they sort of go unrecognized,” Martino said.
Jordan said there was no distinction made between those who served in Vietnam or elsewhere in the world because none of the service members could self-determine where they would be sent. Throughout the Vietnam War, 58,276 Americans were killed with an average age of 22 years and nine months. There are another 1,584 who are still considered MIAs.
“Clearly, there is something very special about this day that stirs our hearts,” Jordan said of Mar. 29.
The Town of Mount Pleasant is planning to unveil a Vietnam statue at Town Hall later this year. Councilwoman Laurie Rogers-Smalley, who attended Sunday’s ceremony, said the town hopes to commemorate that on Veterans Day and also pay tribute to the town’s Vietnam veterans.
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https://www.theexaminernews.com/american-legion-post-hosts-ceremony-for-vietnam-war-era-vets/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=american-legion-post-hosts-ceremony-for-vietnam-war-era-vets
| 2022-04-01T00:16:40Z
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VIJAYAWADA: The Vijayawada police arrested a person and recovered a panchaloha idol stolen from a temple within twelve hours of the theft.
Vijayawada city police commissioner Kantirana Tata said at the Nunna police station here on Thursday that the panchaloha idol from Radhasri Santhoshi Matha Temple at Radhanagar was found stolen on Wednesday morning.
The CCTV cameras in the city helped the police to crack the case. In the CCTV footage, police found Machiraju Durgaprasad alias Bhupathi belonging to Radhanagar going into the temple -- under renovation -- and stealing the idol.
The accused was a tile worker but addicted to vices. He hid the stolen idol in an abandoned building near his house. The police arrested Durgaprasad and recovered the stolen idol.
...
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https://www.deccanchronicle.com/nation/crime/310322/vijayawada-police-recovers-stolen-panchaloha-idol-within-12-hours.html
| 2022-04-01T00:16:41Z
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No Decision on Witherspoon Phase Two
At a work session to finalize the second phase of the Witherspoon Street redesign plan on Monday night, Princeton Council heard descriptions of two concepts for the section of the roadway stretching from Green Street to Franklin Avenue. One does not involve substantial changes, and is mostly focused on...
www.towntopics.com
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https://www.newsbreak.com/news/2556425945490/no-decision-on-witherspoon-phase-two
| 2022-04-01T00:16:41Z
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GAO says 114 Capitol Police officers reported injuries on Jan. 6
Capitol Police reported 114 officers were injured on Jan. 6, 2021, far more than previously reported, according to a new report from the Government Accountability Office (GAO) published on Monday.
In its report, the GAO said out of the 315 officers who responded to the survey, 207 of them felt somewhat prepared to use force and apply crowd control tactics during the insurrection, while 96 others said they felt slightly or not at all prepared.
When asked about crowd control tactics, 134 officers said that they felt well or somewhat prepared, and 153 others noted that they didn’t feel prepared at all.
The report also notes that 150 officers reported using force 293 times that day, with 80 officers adding that they felt hesitant to use force because of a fear of disciplinary action, according to the report.
“Of these, 57 respondents indicated that they felt that the leadership culture of the Capitol Police generally discouraged them from using force or that officers were hesitant to use force because of a fear of disciplinary actions,” the report said.
“Several respondents also noted that they felt that they were not empowered to decide whether they could use force and that they needed to ask their supervisor for permission, which may have been difficult during the chaotic atmosphere of the attack,” the report added.
Previously, more than 80 officers were injured on Jan. 6, which resulted in five deaths after pro-Trump supporters stormed the building in the hope of stopping Congress’ count of Electoral College votes affirming President Biden’s win.
The GAO recommended the Capitol Police make certain changes such as providing officers with more realistic training and providing more crowd control training to prepare all officers.
“The Department appreciates the review by the U.S. Government Accountability Office. We agree with the recommendations, which we have already addressed,” the U.S. Capitol Police said in a statement to The Hill.
—Updated Tuesday at 4:23 p.m.
The Hill has removed its comment section, as there are many other forums for readers to participate in the conversation. We invite you to join the discussion on Facebook and Twitter.
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https://thehill.com/homenews/state-watch/597258-gao-says-114-capitol-police-officers-reported-injuries-far-more-than/
| 2022-04-01T00:16:42Z
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ANNAPOLIS, Md. (AP) — Maryland lawmakers passed a measure on Thursday to create a paid family leave program, sending the legislation to Gov. Larry Hogan.
The bill, approved by supermajority votes by Democrats who control the legislature, would enable workers to take up to 12 weeks of partially paid leave for specified personal family circumstances such as caring for a sick relative or having a baby. It would provide up to 24 weeks for a parent, if he or she has a serious health issue in the year of a child's birth.
“This has been a long time coming,” said Sen. Antonio Hayes, a Baltimore Democrat. He thanked supporters who have “come together and really advocated on behalf of Maryland families."
Republicans criticized the measure for failing to spell out how much employees and employers would have to contribute, leaving that for the state's labor department to define later. They said Democrats were rushing to get the bill to the Republican governor just to meet a deadline so lawmakers will still be in session if the bill is vetoed.
“We're pushing this bill as quick as we can to get it upstairs,” said Sen. J.B. Jennings, a Republican, who added: “We don't know the numbers ... this bill is a hot mess.”
Because lawmakers are in the last session of the four-year term, they would not have a chance to override the veto next year if they adjourn before the governor acts on legislation.
The measure would create an insurance pool. Employees and employers would contribute to fund the program. Under the bill, the state’s labor department would set contribution rates to pay for the program. Employers with fewer than 15 employees would not be required to contribute.
The measure also includes job protections to protect employees from retaliation or termination for using the leave.
Seven states and the District of Columbia have paid family and medical leave insurance programs, including California, Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, Rhode Island and Washington. Colorado and Oregon have approved programs that have not started yet.
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https://www.theheraldreview.com/news/article/Maryland-paid-family-leave-program-bill-passed-to-17049782.php
| 2022-04-01T00:16:44Z
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Ventura County supervisor files suit to unmask anonymous sender of unwanted ‘gift’
State campaign finance agency greenlights use of campaign funds in effort
Editor's note: This story contains adult language relevant to the facts discussed.
In early June, Ventura County Supervisor and former Thousand Oaks City Council member Linda Parks received an anonymous package at her home address.
It arrived in a festive box with the message: "Honorable Linda Parks, enjoy early retirement. Thank you, Casa Conejo residents."
The message was an apparent reference to a recall campaign in full swing at the time that would have shortened her tenure. On the flip side, the message read, "Congratulations! You deserve it."
Inside the box was a 5-inch chocolate penis and another message: "Eat a dick!"
Parks has now taken legal action to find out who sent the package.
A lawsuit filed March 15 in Ventura County Superior Court names Rain Parade LLC — the online site offers "anonymous pranks sent in the mail" — its public doing-business-as name, Dick at Your Door, and owners Adam Hascall and Bryan Pritz.
The suit seeks to identify the sender for what it calls "outrageous, intentional, and malicious" acts carried out with "reckless disregard" for causing emotional and physical distress.
Parks' attorney, Richard Francis of the Oxnard firm Francis & Associates, filed the complaint after repeated efforts to identify the sender. The company has refused to disclose the information.
Parks is using campaign funds to pay her legal expenses with an OK from the California Fair Political Practices Commission, which enforces the state's campaign finance laws.
Parks requested the commission's advice by noting the legal action is related to the attempted recall campaign.
"Yes," the commission's legal counsel wrote in their reply to Parks' query. "This legal action arises directly out of your activities" as a county supervisor "and the attempted recall."
The anonymous box arrived during the signature-gathering campaign for the recall, which launched amid COVID-19 restrictions after Parks and other supervisors voted to initiate litigation prohibiting indoor operations at several businesses and a church following repeated violations of closure orders. The lawsuits were all settled or dismissed.
In the recall petition filed last April, proponents asserted Parks “tells us to: close our schools, stay away from others, lockdown in our homes...shut down our churches and businesses," among other things. The recall attempt ended after proponents failed to gather required signatures by a September deadline.
In her query to the Fair Political Practices Commission, Parks said the identity of the sender is important for transparency reasons, such as whether "the sender is a major donor in local campaigns."
In addition, she categorized the package as "crossing the line from free speech to threatening a female public official with implied sexual violence."
The message included with the anonymous package apparently refers to the Casa Conejo development. Parks has been in a long-running dispute with a property owner whose undeveloped 37-acre parcel is next to Casa Conejo. There is no indication at this time that the anonymous package has a connection to the landowner.
Parks' District 2 seat includes Thousand Oaks, parts of Camarillo and surrounding unincorporated communities in a territory that stretches from the east county line to the coast, including Point Mugu, and inland to agricultural areas near Somis.
Her career spans nearly 30 years since she first served on the Thousand Oaks Planning Commission in 1993. After serving five terms as county supervisor, Parks will step down in January 2023 when she is termed out.
Victoria Talbot is a courts and breaking news reporter with The Star. Reach her at victoria.talbot@vcstar.com or 805-437-0258.
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https://www.vcstar.com/story/news/local/communities/county/2022/03/31/supervisor-linda-parks-files-suit-to-unmask-anonymous-sender-of-unwanted-gift-chocolate-penis/7219524001/
| 2022-04-01T00:16:45Z
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TORONTO, March 31, 2022 /PRNewswire/ - MediPharm Labs Corp. (TSX: LABS) (OTCQX: MEDIF) (FSE: MLZ) ("MediPharm", "MediPharm Labs" or the "Company") a pharmaceutical company specialized in precision-based cannabinoids, today announced its financial results for the three and twelve months ended December 31, 2021.
- International sales more than doubled in 2021, to $9.5 million (44% of Revenue), driven by shipments to seven customers in Germany, including the completion of first shipments to STADA Arzneimittel AG, a leading European Consumer Healthcare and Generics company with a product presence in 120 countries.
- Germany will continue to be a priority market for MediPharm. It is already the largest medical market in the world, and is expected to reach a market value of €7.7 billion by 2028i.
- The Company significantly expanded its sales force, which led to new listings in all provinces including the Ontario Cannabis Store, AGLC, BCLG and entry into Québec and New Brunswick.
- The Company's provincial sales grew 18% during 2021, to $7.4 million, primarily driven by sales of new and innovative products. Q4 provincial sales grew to $2.8 million in Q4 from $1.2 million in Q3.
- In Canada, the Company launched new products including CBD 100 Ultra Formula Oil, THC30 Plus Formula Oil, CBN1:2 Nighttime Formula, 1:2 Relax Formula Oil, and a Northbound High CBN and High CBD vape cartridge.
- In Q4, MediPharm's cannabigerol ("CBG"), product was accepted for sale by provincial distributors, with initial deliveries planned for Q1 2022.
- Subsequent to the end of the year, the Company announced the acquisition of Shelter Cannabis, adding highly reputable, specialty dried flower and pre-roll products to its portfolio. This transaction fills a gap in the MediPharm Canadian product offering while leveraging existing infrastructure and overhead, and opens the opportunity to expand its current international flower business.
- MediPharm began to sell EU GMP certified dried flower in the international market during 2021, and it accounted for $3.5 million in revenue.
- Received a Cannabis Drug Licence and a Good Manufacturing Practices ("GMP") Drug Establishment Licence from Health Canada.
- Entered into a research partnership master agreement with McMaster University to develop drugs containing cannabis candidates, and began to provide clinical trial material.
- Began to ship Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients ("APIs"), to two well-known pharmaceutical companies during the year, generating early revenue in a business that is expected to grow significantly over the next several years.
- Subsequent to the end of the fiscal year, the Company entered the U.S. pharmaceutical market with the submission of an FDA Drug Master File ("DMF") for pure natural CBD APIs.
- Completed the payment of all outstanding convertible debt. The Company is materially debt free and has outright ownership of its assets, including two GMP facilities; one in Ontario, Canada and the other in Victoria, Australia.
Bryan Howcroft, CEO, MediPharm Labs commented, "MediPharm achieved several key strategic objectives during 2021. Our team opened key new markets both domestically and internationally, while increasing sales and marketing efforts to execute on these opportunities. Innovation is part of the Company's DNA, and the launch of new products through the year resulted in both growth in domestic sales into year-end, as well as a win for the Company's CBD dominant oil line at the 2021 Kind Awards, where it was named CBD Brand of the Year. When I joined MediPharm at the end of 2021, I saw a company with a solid foundation, positioned to be one of very few winners in the international cannabinoid pharma space. The team's progress against this objective during the year, culminating in the recent filing of a DMF with the U.S. FDA, reinforces that this company has the sophistication it needs to become an important supplier as this opportunity continues to develop."
Greg Hunter, CFO, MediPharm Labs added, "MediPharm is on solid financial footing, having exited the year with $34 million in cash, no debt and outright ownership of its key facilities. In Q4 we generated sequential growth in key focus areas such as domestic white label sales, and sales into the German market. We expect to continue building on this progress through 2022, leveraging recent investments in sales and marketing resources in the Canadian market, and the growth of the German and EU markets, overall. Over the next 12 months, we will continue to advance the Company's core focus on building a leading global precision-based cannabinoid business, while balancing that longer term focus with a commitment to innovation, revenue growth and progressing toward profitability."
Warren Everitt and MediPharm Labs have mutually agreed to end the role of CEO Asia Pacific, a position held by Warren. MediPharm Labs would like to thank Warren for his significant contribution to the business over the past 5 years and wishes him all the best in his future endeavours.
MediPharm will host a conference call and webcast to discuss the Company's financial results and outlook.
Date: April 1, 2022 | Time: 8:30 a.m. ET
Conference ID: 4921762
Participant Dial-in: +1 (888) 330-2454 / International number: +1 (236) 789-2714
(Participants are asked to dial in approximately 15 minutes before the start of the call)
An audio webcast will be available in the Events section of the MediPharm website https://www.medipharmlabs.com/investors or by visiting the following link here.
For those who are unable to participate on the live conference call or webcast, a replay will be available approximately one hour after completion of the call.
Adjusted EBITDA and adjusted Gross Profit are not recognized performance measures under IFRS, do not have a standardized meaning and therefore may not be comparable to similar measures presented by other issuers. Adjusted EBITDA and adjusted Gross Profit are included as a supplemental disclosure because Management believes that such measurement provides a better assessment of the Company's operations on a continuing basis by eliminating certain non-cash charges and charges or gains that are non-recurring. Adjusted EBITDA is defined as net loss excluding interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization expense, interest income and expense, finance fees, gain in revaluation of derivative liabilities, taxes, impairment losses on inventory, write down of deposits and share-based compensation. Adjusted EBITDA has limitations as an analytical tool as it does not include depreciation and amortization expense, interest income and expense, taxes, share-based compensation, and transaction fees. Because of these limitations, Adjusted EBITDA should not be considered as the sole measure of the Company's performance and should not be considered in isolation from, or as a substitute for, analysis of the Company's results as reported under IFRS. The most directly comparable measure to Adjusted EBITDA calculated in accordance with IFRS is operating income (loss). The above is a reconciliation of the Company's operating loss to Adjusted EBITDA. See "Reconciliation of non-IFRS measures" in the Company's Management's Discussion and Analysis for the period ended December 31, 2021 for additional information. Adjusted gross profit is defined as gross profit/(loss) excluding the adjustments for accelerated depreciation, write down of non-current deposits and write down of inventory. Adjusted gross profit is a useful measure as it represents gross profit for management purposes based on costs to manufacture, package and ship inventory sold, exclusive of any impairments due to changes in internal or external influences.
Founded in 2015, MediPharm Labs specializes in the development and manufacture of purified, pharmaceutical-quality cannabis concentrates, active pharmaceutical ingredients (API) and advanced derivative products utilizing a Good Manufacturing Practices certified facility with ISO standard-built clean rooms. MediPharm Labs has invested in an expert, research driven team, state-of-the-art technology, downstream purification methodologies and purpose-built facilities with five primary extraction lines for delivery of pure, trusted and precision-dosed cannabis products for its customers. Through its wholesale and white label platforms, MediPharm Labs formulates, develops (including through sensory testing), processes, packages and distributes cannabis extracts and advanced cannabinoid-based products to domestic and international markets.
In 2021, MediPharm Labs received a Pharmaceutical Drug Establishment Licence from Health Canada, becoming the only company in North America to hold a domestic Good Manufacturing Licence for the extraction of natural cannabinoids. The Company carries out its operations in compliance with all applicable laws in the countries in which it operates.
Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Information:
This news release contains "forward-looking information" and "forward-looking statements" (collectively, "forward-looking statements") within the meaning of the applicable Canadian securities legislation. All statements, other than statements of historical fact, are forward-looking statements and are based on expectations, estimates and projections as at the date of this news release. Any statement that involves discussions with respect to predictions, expectations, beliefs, plans, projections, objectives, assumptions, future events or performance (often but not always using phrases such as "expects", or "does not expect", "is expected", "anticipates" or "does not anticipate", "plans", "budget", "scheduled", "forecasts", "estimates", "believes" or "intends" or variations of such words and phrases or stating that certain actions, events or results "may" or "could", "would", "might" or "will" be taken to occur or be achieved) are not statements of historical fact and may be forward-looking statements. In this news release, forward-looking statements relate to, among other things, statements regarding: growth and forecasts regarding the German market; the opportunity to expand current international flower business; significant growth of API business; being one of very few winners in the international cannabinoid pharma space; becoming an important supplier as this in the cannabinoid pharma space; the cannabinoid pharma opportunity continuing to develop; building on progress through 2022; leveraging recent investments in sales and marketing resources in the Canadian market; growth of the German and EU markets; advancing the Company's core focus on building a leading global precision-based cannabinoid business; innovation; revenue growth; and progressing toward profitability. Forward-looking statements are necessarily based upon a number of estimates and assumptions that, while considered reasonable, are subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties, and other factors which may cause the actual results and future events to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Such factors include, but are not limited to: general business, economic, competitive, political and social uncertainties; the inability of MediPharm to obtain adequate financing; the delay or failure to receive regulatory approvals; and other factors discussed in MediPharm's filings, available on the SEDAR website at www.sedar.com. There can be no assurance that such statements will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on the forward-looking statements and information contained in this news release. Except as required by law, MediPharm assumes no obligation to update the forward-looking statements of beliefs, opinions, projections, or other factors, should they change.
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SOURCE MediPharm Labs Corp.
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https://www.wmbfnews.com/prnewswire/2022/03/31/medipharm-labs-reports-fourth-quarter-full-year-2021-results/
| 2022-04-01T00:16:44Z
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Logan Thompson's confidence is soaring. But his days as the Vegas Golden Knights' starting goaltender likely are coming to a close.
Robin Lehner was removed from the team's injured reserve list and served as the backup Wednesday as Thompson posted his first NHL shutout, a 3-0 victory at Seattle.
It's possible Lehner, who had been out with a lower-body injury, will be in the net when the teams meet again Friday night in the Pacific Northwest.
"This is really exciting hockey, and we're in must-win games," Thompson said after the Golden Knights moved past Dallas and into the second and final wild-card playoff position in the Western Conference. "I'm really thankful for the opportunity.
"It's a lot of fun for me, and I'm soaking it all in. I just want to keep building and keep getting two points and helping the team as much as I can."
Making his 12th career appearance, the 25-year-old Thompson made 22 saves against the expansion Kraken to improve his record to 6-4-0 as a starter.
"Injuries have put (Thompson) front and center, and that's how NHL careers are made," Vegas coach Pete DeBoer said. "You either sink or swim in those moments, and he's really risen to the occasion.
"We know how good Robin can be. What it does is it takes some pressure off us having to rush Robin back, which is something we don't want to do."
Credit DeBoer with an assist on Thompson's shutout.
Seattle's Jordan Eberle appeared to cut Vegas' lead to 2-1 with 2:22 remaining, but DeBoer issued a coach's challenge and a video review determined Eberle was offside as the puck entered the offensive zone, nullifying the goal.
"It's getting better every day. I feel really confident in the net, and it's something I want to keep building off of," Thompson said. "The guys did a really good job today (in front of me), and that made it easy."
Thompson noted the recent returns of defensemen Alec Martinez and Brayden McNabb.
Martinez came back Saturday from a 53-game absence after taking a skate to the face. McNabb returned Wednesday after being out 13 games with an upper-body injury. McNabb was a plus-2 with four hits and three blocked shots and Martinez was plus-1 with one hit and four blocks.
"Getting (McNabb and Martinez) back is huge for us," Thompson said. "They were awesome, and a lot of credit goes to them. They've been out for a while, and they played great."
The Kraken were officially eliminated from playoff contention with Wednesday's loss.
The game was scoreless into the second period when Vegas' Shea Theodore, who played his junior hockey in Seattle and had family in attendance, jumped out of the penalty box and was sent in on a breakaway, beating Chris Driedger with backhander.
"We can be better," Kraken coach Dave Hakstol said. "We had some guys that will look at their games and want to be a little bit better, handle situations a little bit better. We had some really good efforts, we gave ourselves a chance to be in the heart of that game midway through.
"I believe the first goal of the game was going to be a big one and a very important one. Our reaction to that goal against, if you're looking at the next 10 minutes of the hockey game, we can be a little bit better there."
--Field Level Media
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https://www.mdjonline.com/fieldlevel/in-a-playoff-push-golden-knights-meet-kraken-again/article_6109b1bb-dea8-5475-89ba-996e81e2c4d0.html
| 2022-04-01T00:16:45Z
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Latino Owned Rum Based Hard Seltzer Makes Waves, Now Available Throughout Miami, Florida, With DTC Shipping To Over 20 States
MIAMI, March 31, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Casalú, a rum based hard seltzer focused on delivering a feeling of home and heritage, while inviting others to share Latino culture, is now available in select bars, restaurants, liquor and grocery stores across Miami, Florida, and ships to more than 20 states via direct-to-consumer platform on DrinkCasalu.com. Made with dark aged rum, 5.9% abv./vol, Casalú sells for $12.99 per 4-pack of 12oz cans. Crisp and balanced with the perfect amount of buzz, Casalú's first offering, "Limón," brings authentic Latino roots to the hard seltzer market. The name stands for the company's ethos. Casa, a sense of home and heritage. Salú, an open door to all who want to share Latino culture.
The origin story of Casalú begins with three friends, now co-founders, Ricardo Sucre and Gabriel Gonzalez of Venezuela and Gustavo Darquea of Ecuador. The trio first met while attending North Carolina State University. It was throughout college they began to share over their drink of choice: rum. They didn't realize it at the time, but they were on their way to bringing the first authentically Latino owned rum based hard seltzer to the market.
Fast forward a few years, and Ricardo, who was widely known amongst the friend group for his dislike of beer, became the group's expert on hard seltzers, eventually purchasing a soda stream and experimenting at home making his own rum-based hard seltzer. The likes of which didn't exist on the market.
While Ricardo was perfecting his rum based hard seltzer, Gabriel, who has a deep love for reggaetón, had been exploring a way to capture a feeling for when Latino culture is being communicated authentically. In 2013, a friend had asked him if he was feeling "tropical" and the concept just clicked. He created "Tropicalation" to express what for him was the best part of his culture, a feeling people share with each other as time passes by. He started a reggaetón playlist with that name to showcase that feeling in every song. It would become a pillar for Casalú.
Gustavo, regarded as the one who 'gets stuff done' in the crew, could see that the seed for a company was being planted. He received a call from Ricardo telling him that he was perfecting a rum based hard seltzer and wanted him involved. That same week, Gabriel also called Ricardo telling him he needed a way to bring Tropicalation to life. Gabriel had a site already up and running combining Latino culture and an early mockup of a can. The three got together and the rest is history.
Through months of hard work, kitchen research, countless taste testing, parties with friends and family and maybe a blessing from their moms, all named Maria, Casalú is now available, the concept of Tropicalation is no longer just a feeling but an actual product, to be enjoyed by all.
"Tropicalation is an idea that you can feel. You feel it when you are with your grandad playing dominoes, when you are with your friends, or when you listen to good music, and it infiltrates your body. My personal way to express Tropicalation started with a reggaetón playlist. It was my choice of songs that would make the listener feel tropical and lose themselves in a moment. That is Tropicalation, the idea that there is a feeling that can change your vibe for the better in an instant," says co-founder Gabriel Gonzalez.
"When you look at every single category in the alcohol industry, you can find a Latino brand in all of them but one. The fastest growing category in the alcohol industry, hard seltzers, now has a brand for Latinos. Not only a brand but a product that is truly authentic to our roots, a dark aged rum seltzer that both our generation and our grandfathers can share together and be proud of being Latino. That's why we are so proud to bring Casalú to the world," says co-founder Ricardo Sucre.
"One of our main priorities ever since we started this journey of Casalú is making sure we're building our team with the most talented individuals, and experts in the fields of marketing, branding and design, financial planning, and management. And of course, individuals that are passionate about our brand concept and are willing and able to take Casalú into new heights. While Miami is home base for us and the first market, we are launching the brand in on the ground, we're also leveraging DTC (direct-to-consumer), e-commerce, strategies to ship Casalú into different markets and start to generate product and brand awareness in other places apart from Miami," says co-founder Gustavo Darquea.
There are 60 million Latinos in the US alone. As the biggest minority in the country, they are having more impact on pop culture than ever. Casalú aims to represent the roots of these consumers and bridge the gap between them and the hard seltzer market.
However, Casalú's is more than a hard seltzer. Casalú's vision is to be a catalyst for Latino culture. Think the next Red Bull, but Latino.
For additional information and updates please visit DrinkCasalu.com and follow the brand on Instagram @DrinkCasalu.
View original content to download multimedia:
SOURCE Casalú
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https://www.13abc.com/prnewswire/2022/03/31/casal-wants-know-ya-ests-tropical/
| 2022-04-01T00:16:44Z
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Big 12 play opens Friday for Iowa State softball with their 32nd-straight game away from their home diamond.
“It’s become second nature,” head coach Jamie Pinkerton said, discussing the consecutive road games. “What I love about this program over the last four and a half years is that we’ve learned how to win on the road.”
This time, Austin, Texas, is the destination and the No. 21 Texas Longhorns are the opponent as the two teams play a three-game set beginning Friday.
Texas (23–10–1) has played 16 games at home this season and suffered two losses in those games, including the team’s most recent outing against Louisiana, which Texas lost 6-5 in extra innings.
Iowa State is currently 19–13 (.590) and playing exclusively road or neutral site games. Before Big 12 play began last season, Iowa State was 23–5, also without playing any home game. In 2021, the Cyclones went 6–12 in Big 12 play and made the NCAA regionals for the first time in several decades.
It’s a goal to reach the upper tier of the Big 12 Conference, Pinkerton said. Iowa State was fifth in the final standings and fourth at the Big 12 tournament a season ago. And based on overall records, Iowa State is fourth in the standings, directly behind Texas.
“We strive to win series and try to steal games that are unexpected,” Pinkerton said. “Our whole season still lies ahead of us.”
Iowa State hasn’t won a series against Texas since 2017. In the season before Pinkerton’s first with the team, Iowa State recorded two wins in Austin in mid-April. Iowa State has just four wins against Texas all time.
To steal an unexpected game from the Longhorns, Iowa State will need to provide more timely hits and record more timely outs, according to their head coach.
In Iowa State’s first matchup with BYU, the team left 10 runners on base and allowed the Cougars a game-deciding nine-run rally with two outs. In the final game of the series, the Cyclones stranded nine runners on the base paths.
It’s scenarios with runners on base that Iowa State is drilling in practice. But the pressure and competitive atmosphere are hard to replicate, Pinkerton said. Having simulated situations for batters while pitch counts are high for the rotation is a balancing act for Pinkerton and his staff.
“It’s huge. We always talk about situational hitting,” leadoff hitter Carli Spelhaug said shortly after a 7–6 loss to Drake in which Iowa State left 10 runners stranded. The goal then was to not change the mental approach in high-pressure situations, Spelhaug said.
Spelhaug herself has found the way to the plate. The junior averages 1.34 runs per game, which ranks third nationally.
For Texas, head coach Mike White will rely on a balanced offensive lineup. Seven Longhorn batters have a batting average above .300.
The Longhorn ace is senior Haley Dolcini. The team leader in innings pitched received national pitcher of the week honors March 29. Dolcini has three solo shutouts in 2022 and limits opponents to a .154 batting average.
The series begins at 6 p.m. Friday in Austin, Texas. Saturday’s game begins at 1 p.m., and Sunday’s game begins at noon.
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https://www.iowastatedaily.com/sports/cyclones-start-big12-season-with-texas-iowa-state-softball-2022/article_8b893a5e-b117-11ec-824c-2396abaa3475.html
| 2022-04-01T00:16:45Z
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PR Newswire
NEW YORK, March 31, 2022
NEW YORK, March 31, 2022 /PRNewswire/ --
If you own shares in any of the companies listed above and
would like to discuss our investigations or have any questions concerning
this notice or your rights or interests, please contact:
Joshua Rubin, Esq.
Weiss Law
305 Broadway, 7th Floor
New York, NY 10007
(212) 682-3025
(888) 593-4771
[email protected]
Alleghany Corporation (NYSE: Y)
Weiss Law is investigating possible breaches of fiduciary duty and other violations of law by the board of directors of Alleghany Corporation (NYSE: Y) in connection with the proposed acquisition of Y by Berkshire Hathaway. Under the terms of the merger agreement, Y shareholders will receive $848.02 in cash for each share of Y common stock owned. If you own Y shares and wish to discuss this investigation or your rights, please call us at one of the numbers listed above or visit our website: https://www.weisslaw.co/news-and-cases/y
Anaplan, Inc. (NYSE: PLAN)
Weiss Law is investigating possible breaches of fiduciary duty and other violations of law by the board of directors of Anaplan, Inc. (NYSE: PLAN), in connection with the proposed acquisition of PLAN by Thoma Bravo. Under the terms of the merger agreement, PLAN shareholders will receive $66.00 in cash for each share of PLAN common stock owned. If you own PLAN shares and wish to discuss this investigation or your rights, please call us at one of the numbers listed above or visit our website: https://www.weisslaw.co/news-and-cases/plan
Citrix Systems, Inc (NASDAQ: CTXS)
Weiss Law is investigating possible breaches of fiduciary duty and other violations of law by the board of directors of Citrix Systems, Inc (NASDAQ: CTXS), in connection with the proposed acquisition of CTXS by affiliates of Vista Equity Partners and Evergreen Coast Capital Corporation. Under the terms of the agreement, CTXS shareholders will receive $104.00 in cash for each share of CTXS common stock that they hold. If you own CTXS shares and wish to discuss this investigation or your rights, please call us at one of the numbers listed above or visit our website: https://www.weisslaw.co/news-and-cases/ctxs
Peak Bancorp, Inc. (OTC: IDFB)
Weiss Law is investigating possible breaches of fiduciary duty and other violations of law by the board of directors of Peak Bancorp, Inc. (OTC: IDFB), in connection with the proposed acquisition of IDFB by BAWAG Group. Under the terms of the acquisition agreement, IDFB's shareholders will receive $12.05 in cash for each share of IDFB common stock that they hold. If you own IDFB shares and wish to discuss this investigation or your rights, please call us at one of the numbers listed above or visit our website: https://www.weisslaw.co/news-and-cases/idfb
View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/shareholder-alert-weiss-law-reminds-y-plan-ctsx-and-idfb-shareholders-about-its-ongoing-investigations-301515410.html
SOURCE WeissLaw LLP
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https://www.gurufocus.com/news/1676053/shareholder-alert-weiss-law-reminds-y-plan-ctsx-and-idfb-shareholders-about-its-ongoing-investigations
| 2022-04-01T00:16:45Z
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Russian troops have withdrawn from Chernobyl, says Ukrainian nuclear operator
“It was confirmed that the occupiers, who seized the Chernobyl nuclear power plant and other facilities in the Exclusion Zone, marched in two columns towards the Ukrainian border with the Republic of Belarus,” stated Energoatom in a press release revealed on Telegram.
On April 26, 1986, an explosion ripped by the No.4 reactor at Chernobyl, killing 30 folks instantly. Countless others died from radiation signs within the years that adopted.
In late February, throughout the first week of the battle, the plant and its surrounding territory fell into the arms of Russian troops.
On Thursday Russian troops introduced their intention to go away and hand over management to Ukrainian personnel, stated Energoatom.
It additionally posted the copy of a proper letter purportedly signed by a consultant of Russia’s National Guard, a consultant of Russia’s state nuclear power firm Rosatom and a Chernobyl plant shift supervisor, with the heading, “The act of acceptance and transfer of protection of the Chernobyl nuclear power plant.”
The letter states that “the administration of the protected facility makes no claims in relation to the troops of the National Guard of the Russian Federation.”
The Telegram assertion from Energoatom stated {that a} small variety of “rashists” — a Ukrainian slur for Russians that mixes the phrases “fascist” and “racist” — remained on the station.
“It should be noted that the information about fortifications and trenches that the rashists built right in the Red Forest, the most polluted in the entire Exclusion Zone, was also confirmed,” Energoatom stated.
“So it is not surprising that the occupiers received significant doses of radiation and panicked at the first sign of illness. And it manifested itself very quickly. As a result, almost a riot broke out among the military, and they began to gather from there,” continued the assertion.
CNN was not instantly capable of confirm these claims.
Separately, Energoatom stated there have been studies {that a} column of Russian troopers who had encircled the city of Slavutych, which was constructed to accommodate employees at Chernobyl, was additionally forming as much as withdraw towards Belarus.
The US can be seeing Russian forces “drawing down” from Chernobyl and from the north and northwest of Kyiv, a senior US protection official informed reporters Thursday.
The US believes Russian forces have probably “abandoned Hostomel airport,” also referred to as Antonov International Airport, northwest of Kyiv, the official stated.
The Russian occupation of Chernobyl triggered fears that security requirements contained in the exclusion zone could possibly be compromised.
One week in the past, Ukraine’s authorities stated that Russian forces had looted and destroyed a lab near the deserted nuclear plant, which was used to watch radioactive waste.
Russia has been focusing on civilian infrastructure resembling energy stations throughout its invasion of Ukraine, in line with Mason Clark, lead Russia analyst on the Institute for the Study of War.
“This is coming through most clearly in Mariupol, where they’re very intentionally targeting water stations and power supplies and internet towers and cell phone towers and that sort of thing, and a very deliberate attempt to make it more difficult for the defenders to hold out and try and force them to capitulate,” Clark informed CNN in mid-March.
CNN’s Ellie Kaufman contributed to this report.
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https://thewall.fyi/russian-troops-have-withdrawn-from-chernobyl-says-ukrainian-nuclear-operator/
| 2022-04-01T00:16:45Z
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As P.E.I. considers lifting mask mandate, Opposition claims rules for MLAs create double standard
Cabinet ministers who remove their masks in the legislature failing to ‘lead by example,’ says Green leader
A week away from the date the P.E.I. government has indicated it plans to lift its public mask mandate — April 7 — masking practices among cabinet ministers became a topic of debate in the provincial legislature, along with the rules MLAs are required to follow in the house.
"We cannot create two different standards for ourselves and for others," said Green Leader Peter Bevan-Baker, asking the province's deputy minister why some cabinet ministers choose to sit in the legislature without masks.
The province's premier is away after testing positive with COVID-19. At least two more MLAs, Bevan-Baker and Transportation Minister James Aylward, have tested positive since the start of the current sitting in February.
P.E.I.'s public mask mandate doesn't apply within the legislature. Government can't enforce policies in the legislature, like a mask mandate, that could prevent someone from carrying out their duties as an MLA.
MLAs can create and enforce their own rules around masking, but it wasn't immediately clear Thursday exactly what rules are currently in effect, or how they were created.
Mask use split along party lines
In practice, MLAs have been wearing masks while moving around the building and removing them while speaking.
As to whether they wear them throughout proceedings while seated at their desks, that practice has broken down along somewhat partisan lines.
All four Liberal members remove their masks. All eight Green MLAs keep theirs on. And the governing PCs are split, with six of them, give or take, regularly removing masks — among them the ministers of education, social development, justice and fisheries.
"Visitors in the gallery have asked us why they must put on a mask in order to come in this legislature only to be greeted by MLAs without them," Bevan-Baker noted during question period.
He asked Deputy Premier Darlene Compton why government continues to insist it's following the advice of the province's chief public health officer "when most of cabinet seems unable or perhaps unwilling to follow her advice on masking?"
"I guess it would be their choice," Compton responded. "They're adhering to the rules. We all have the choice in this house to do that."
"Adhering to rules is not being leaders," Bevan-Baker said. "It's not leading by example and we need to demonstrate to Islanders that we are the ones who are taking great care."
Mask use 'strongly recommended' by committee
CBC News asked the clerk of the legislature for information on the rules around masking. The clerk refused to provide any comment or information.
Speaker Colin LaVie, chair of the all-party committee that draws up rules for the legislature, said he could not comment until he ruled on a point of order brought forward Thursday by Environment Minister Steven Myers on the issue.
Any official rule would be drawn up by the Standing Committee on Legislative Management and then adopted by the assembly at large.
Online minutes from the committee's Nov. 3, 2020 meeting note that "the Committee continues to strongly recommend the wearing of masks in the Parliamentary Precinct."
A year later, in Nov. 2021, the committee passed a motion requiring members of the public to wear masks, who were being allowed to attend proceedings of the legislature for the first time since the pandemic began.
The same motion says members of the media are not required to wear masks, but makes no mention of rules for staff or MLAs.
The following month, in Dec. 2021, the Omicron wave hit P.E.I. and for the first time the province began recording significant numbers of COVID-19 cases.
N.S., N.B. legislatures require masks
In New Brunswick, strict masking rules remain in place for MLAs in the legislature despite the province lifting its provincial mask mandate.
In Nova Scotia, the Speaker is requiring masks and threatening to shut down the legislature in light of six COVID-19 cases there since the start of the spring sitting.
Dr. Lisa Barrett, an infectious disease specialist at Dalhousie University, told CBC that in order for masking to be effective"it requires most people to mask."
'Record amounts of virus around'
When asked about MLAs choosing not to do that, she said "it's important for a couple things to be recognized for people to make informed decisions for themselves and their communities and loved ones."
First, she said, it's important to understand "there is a lot, probably record amounts, of virus around."
Secondly, she said while some provinces have been lifting mandates and the requirement to wear masks, "public health in many places is still recommending [masking] even though the mandate's gone."
The P.E.I. government has switched to reporting COVID-19 statistics once per week.
On Tuesday, the province reported two new COVID-19 deaths in the province, bringing the total since January to 18.
Over the past week, the province said it had recorded an average of 350 new COVID-19 cases per day, even with a recent change in testing protocols that means Islanders who test positive through a self-administered rapid test aren't counted in the province's numbers.
In its update, P.E.I. said it had 3,487 confirmed active cases, just over two per cent of the population.
When asked if P.E.I. planned to move ahead with lifting its mask mandate next Thursday as planned, Health Minister Ernie Hudson did not provide a definitive answer.
"Over the last two-plus years, we have taken our direction from [the Chief Public Health Office]," he said. "We will continue to do so."
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https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/prince-edward-island/pei-legislature-mask-rules-1.6404634?cmp=rss
| 2022-04-01T00:16:45Z
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| 2022-04-01T00:16:45Z
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WASHINGTON (AP) — Military bases with a high risk for sexual assault, harassment and other harmful behaviors often have leaders who don’t understand violence prevention, don’t make it a priority and focus more on their mission than on their people, a Pentagon review has concluded.
The review studied 20 bases in the United States and Europe, including 18 with some of the more severe problems identified in command climate surveys. It found that the failures were worse in a number of bases in Germany and Spain where key leaders and resources weren’t on site. The report was publicly released Thursday.
At Naval Station Rota in Spain, for example, the report said that the military mission requirements “were prioritized above and at the expense of the sailors’ well-being.” They said sailors reported bullying, mental health issues, sexual harassment and relationship problems, but often could not seek help due to their mission requirements.
In one location, officials said, they found that young enlisted men were taking steps to help their female peers stay safe by keeping them away from more senior leaders who were harassing them.
Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin ordered the report as part of his effort to strengthen sexual assault and harassment prevention across the forces, identify what programs work and ensure high-risk bases get attention quickly. Austin approved the report, and in a memo said it will help the department tailor improvements for bases where needs may vary.
“While we have made progress, we must do more to strengthen the integrated capabilities we have on the ground to prevent sexual assault, harassment, suicide, domestic abuse and other harmful behaviors,” he said.
The report comes nearly two years after Army Spc. Vanessa Guillén went missing from Fort Hood, Texas, and her remains were found two months later. Guillen was killed by a soldier, who her family says sexually harassed her, and who killed himself as police sought to arrest him.
Her death and a number of other crimes, murders and suicides led to heightened scrutiny on assaults and other violence in the military, and to a series of reviews. An independent panel appointed by Austin last year made more than 80 recommendations, including specific changes to improve accountability of leadership, command climate and culture, and victim care and support.
Officials said Austin’s goal is to find effective ways to prevent harmful behavior, which includes sexual assault and harassment, suicides and domestic violence. They said this latest report is designed to pinpoint which leadership and other failures contribute to higher instances of such behavior and which prevention programs and other changes actually work.
According to the report, 16 of the bases were selected because a command climate survey of nearly a million personnel identified problems there, which included things such as binge drinking, toxic leadership, stress, and racial or sexual harassment. While serious problems were identified at these 16 bases, the report looked at a variety of factors for each location and doesn’t specifically characterize them as the worst in the military.
Two other bases were chosen because the survey showed good results, such as high morale, inclusion and good leadership. Two others had a mix of both high-performing and problem units.
Defense officials said that while in many cases leaders had a genuine desire to prevent violence, there was a “pervasive” misunderstanding of how to do it and they often didn’t devote enough personnel or time for it or hold subordinates accountable.
And even if they understood department policies, leaders often didn’t recognize when there was a high risk for violence or harmful behavior among their people.
In the United States, the bases surveyed were: Fort Custer, Michigan; Naval Support Activity Sarasota Springs, New York; Fort Polk, Louisiana; Fort Bliss, Texas; Naval Station Norfolk, Virginia; Marine Corps Base Hawaii; Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska; Marine Corps Air Station Miramar, California; Laughlin Air Force Base, Texas; Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, California; Dyess Air Force Base, Texas; Vandenberg Space Force Base, California; the Kentucky National Guard; and the Army Reserve base in Fraser, Michigan.
The last two — the Guard and Reserve bases in Kentucky and Michigan — were the ones chosen because they had less risk and more positive command climates.
The overseas bases were: Army Garrison Ansbach, Army Garrison Rheinland-Pfatz Smith Bararcks; Army Garrison Bavaria; Naval Station Rota; Army Garrison Stuttgart; and the Army Garrison Rheinland-Pfalz, Kaiserslautern. All but Rota are in Germany.
As an example, the report found that at the Kentucky National Guard base leaders believed that their soldiers came first, and their “well-being was part of the mission, not an adjacent effort that was secondary.” In contrast, commanders in at the bases in Germany and Spain “tolerated harmful behaviors” and it was difficult to access resources “due to mission requirements or geographic dispersion of services.”
The report said that the changes proposed by the independent review board will help address the problems. Those improvements include establishing a dedicated prevention workforce, expanded sexual assault prevention and response programs, and better leadership. The budget for 2023 includes funding to hire additional personnel.
The report also recommends that the department establish data to help the military services share prevention and program support information, hold leaders accountable if they don’t have healthy command climates. Officials said it’s important to ensure that leaders better understand the prevention policies and programs and that service members and employees know where to go to get help.
Officials also said that there will be follow-up visits to the bases by this fall, and that similar site visits and reviews will be done every two years.
Austin is asking military service leaders for implementation plans by early June and said the department will issue more guidelines and policies by early October.
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https://www.kget.com/national-news/pentagon-links-leadership-failures-to-violence-at-bases/
| 2022-04-01T00:16:45Z
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- Analysis
- Business
- The economy
- Inside China
The ‘China model’ is being put to the test
By Li Yuan
A year ago, while many countries were still reeling from COVID-19, China seemed to be one of few places prospering through the pandemic. It was also the only major economy that reported growth in 2020. Global investors were bullish on Chinese stocks even as Beijing’s regulatory crackdown on its private sector became more like a political campaign.
That led some people in China to argue that its one-party authoritarian rule offered a compelling alternative to traditional liberal democracy. The United States was declining politically and economically, they said, and the world was “gravitating toward China.” Many Chinese cheered the narrative online.
A year later, the tone within China is more one of anxiety, anger and despair. In the past month, hundreds of millions of people there have struggled under lockdowns as coronavirus outbreaks spread across the country. Foreign investors are dumping Chinese stocks over geopolitical, regulatory and pandemic uncertainties. And the government’s support of President Vladimir Putin of Russia as he wages war in Ukraine has risked the world’s criticism, and potentially sanctions.
It’s all leading to increasingly anxious questions about the country’s path — and even about whether too much power has been concentrated in the hands of the country’s leader, Xi Jinping, who is seeking a third five-year term at the Communist Party congress late in the year.
On social media, a growing number of citizens are accusing the Communist Party of breaching its social contract with the people. They had tolerated, and sometimes praised, one-party rule in exchange for economic growth and social stability. But its stringent lockdown measures, which are straining entire cities, and its regulatory crackdowns are costing many of them jobs and income and leaving their futures looking much more uncertain and gloomier than a few years ago.
In private, some academics and businesspeople are discussing growing concerns about Xi’s focus on rivalling the United States and proving the viability of the Chinese political model — a focus that some worry has become an obsession.
The competition between countries, Xi has said, is ultimately competition between political systems. The handling of the pandemic “made it evident which country’s leadership and political system is superior,” he told top cadres in January 2021. “Time and momentum are on our side.”
Chinese citizens have to be extremely careful in criticising Xi, some of whose critics have been sentenced to as long as 18 years in prison. So some are resorting to quoting former top leaders to express their frustration that Xi has stepped away from the proven path of reform and opening that provided the country with decades of prosperity.
The public’s pent-up anger is not likely to be enough to sway Beijing’s decision-making or to threaten the rule of the Communist Party, which is accustomed to keeping people in line by using indoctrination and intimidation. But it marks a departure from the heavy silence that has prevailed under Xi’s rule.
Two years ago, China celebrated the merits of its top-down ruling approach by pointing to its success in building a new hospital in just 10 days in Wuhan and containing the spread of the coronavirus in three months. Today, many people view the makeshift quarantine centres as a symbol of Beijing’s stubborn insistence on a costly coronavirus policy that seems to mainly serve the purpose of proving the superiority of its system.
The country’s unforgiving pandemic control measures are being called the “white terror,” a nod to the vast army of neighbourhood workers who wear white hazmat suits. People have shared videos and photos of protests in which demonstrators chanted, “We need to work!” and “We need to eat!”
Some commenters said Beijing wasted its early success in pandemic control because it believed that its political will alone would suffice to beat the virus. They questioned why the government had not spent the huge resources it deployed in mass testing and quarantines on a vaccination drive, especially among older people. They asked whether Beijing was irresponsible in not approving the more effective Western vaccines for the sake of national pride.
Many accused the government of failing to see the huge sacrifices that businesses and individuals had to make, or complained that people were struggling to get by and falling behind on mortgages and other personal loans. They were angry that some people died of heart attacks, asthma, cancer and other diseases because hospitals turned them away under COVID restriction guidelines.
“As long as you don’t die of COVID, you can die of any cause,” goes a viral online quip.
Beijing remains unwavering in the face of public resentment.
“In the past two years, China has fully demonstrated the significant advantage in its political system and its strong national capacity in containing the pandemic,” read a commentary in the state-run People’s Daily newspaper Monday. The zero-COVID policy is a “line of defence that a nation of 1.4 billion people will have to hold,” it said.
The only policy area that Beijing has relented on somewhat has been its regulatory crackdowns on the private sector. After a heavy sell-off of Chinese stocks in mid-March, China’s economic czar, Liu He, urged government agencies to roll out market-friendly policies and to show caution in introducing any measures that risked hurting the markets.
But China’s political-campaign style regulatory crackdown has done its damage. Mass job cutting, once rare in China, is happening in tech, real estate, education and online games, some of the industries that were hit the hardest by the crackdowns. Posts about unemployment are shared widely as a gloomy sentiment grips the educated middle class.
“Standing at this historic turning point, we look back to the Golden Age,” read an online post about China’s four decades of economic transformation and dreams of individual prosperity. “We all thought it would be our future,” it said. “It turned out to be an illusory dream.”
This article originally appeared in The New York Times.
The Business Briefing newsletter delivers major stories, exclusive coverage and expert opinion. Sign up to get it every weekday morning.
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https://www.watoday.com.au/business/the-economy/the-china-model-is-being-put-to-the-test-20220401-p5a9yb.html?ref=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_source=rss_feed
| 2022-04-01T00:16:46Z
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DETROIT (AP) _ The winning numbers in Thursday evening's drawing of the Michigan Lottery's "Fantasy 5 Double Play" game were:
02-06-11-25-32
(two, six, eleven, twenty-five, thirty-two)
DETROIT (AP) _ The winning numbers in Thursday evening's drawing of the Michigan Lottery's "Fantasy 5 Double Play" game were:
02-06-11-25-32
(two, six, eleven, twenty-five, thirty-two)
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https://www.lakecountystar.com/lottery/article/Winning-numbers-drawn-in-Fantasy-5-Double-Play-17049787.php
| 2022-04-01T00:16:45Z
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Why the smart set have lost their heads... to headbands! After several key guests wore the hair accessory to Prince Philip's memorial service, royal milliner RACHEL TREVOR MORGAN says they make you look well put-together without overdoing it
Have we ever been so hungry for spring? Weddings, christenings and days at the races — in weather that promises soon to lift the spirits — are returning to our social calendars. It’s time, ladies, to start thinking about raising your sartorial game.
As a royal milliner, I would love to take you straight down the hat route as the finishing touch when it comes to your first statement outfit of 2022.
But let’s be realistic, if you’ve spent the past two years living in loungewear, going back to properly constructed outfits will feel daunting at first. Much less so, though, if you do this in stages.
So say hello to the headband. A distant relative of the Sloane Ranger Alice band of the 1980s, this is the elegant big sister of the fussy and, frankly, silly-looking fascinator, which has fallen from fashion grace, thankfully.
Midnight velvet: Duchess of Cambridge matches headband to her coat at Remembrance Day service
Whether they’re padded, plain, bejewelled or merely there to provide the framework on which to build something beautifully ornate, headbands are enjoying quite the moment. And no wonder.
Several key Royals wore headbands to the memorial service in honour of the Duke of Edinburgh this week. Zara Tindall’s was a lovely piece, featuring rolled organza at the side, which made it look nicely balanced.
Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie showed how headbands can be neat and smart — perfect for this occasion — but very flattering. I like how they wore theirs positioned further back on their heads, meaning we could see their faces clearly.
The black one worn by Lady Margarita Armstrong-Jones was made by me, and commissioned for the occasion. It’s youthful and ornate, but not excessively so.
Because the beauty of headbands is that they make you look smart and put-together but without that horrible nagging feeling that you might have overdone it.
At the Cheltenham Festival, there were headbands aplenty. I particularly liked those decorated with pheasant feathers.
Cheltenham is considered a more traditional country horse-racing event than Ascot, and a less showy look worked well here.
Delicate veil: Princess Beatrice at memorial service this week
Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie showed how headbands can be neat and smart — perfect for this occasion — but very flattering. I like how they wore theirs positioned further back on their heads, meaning we could see their faces clearly. The black one worn by Lady Margarita Armstrong-Jones (pictured) was made by me, and commissioned for the occasion
A headband creates a powerful silhouette, adding height if you need it and an attractive full stop to your outfit if you don’t.
And age is not a bar when it comes to pulling them off. They’re actually wonderfully de-ageing, carrying the eye kindly upwards, away from the chin to the eyes and forehead.
Wear one to a wedding and that fear of dreaded ‘hat hair’, meaning you have to keep your hat on from the very start of the ceremony through to the last gasp of the reception, is well and truly gone.
If you’re an evening guest, then a band decorated with sparkle or glitter will look wonderful with a party dress.
They’re perfect for christenings and garden parties, too — easy to take off and set to one side the moment you’ve had enough of wearing them.
Golden girl: Model Vogue Williams adds height and sophistication with this shimmering design
There are so many permutations on offer most people can find one that works for them. Take Dame Helen Mirren, looking effortlessly chic wearing a plain band that perfectly matches her pink dress
Old-school glamour: Emilia Fox in a pill-box style at Cheltenham Festival
Bejewelled: Charlize Theron dazzles in matching gown
Ornate: Zara Tindall chose a blue design with rolled organza detail
First, though, you need to forget any preconceived ideas, such as headbands being only for schoolgirls or so architecturally intimidating only higher beings with impossibly chiselled cheekbones can carry them off.
Plenty of my clients have round, pretty features, and they love how they look in bands softened with flowers, feathers or perhaps a delicate veil.
There are so many permutations on offer most people can find one that works for them. Take Dame Helen Mirren, looking effortlessly chic wearing a plain band that perfectly matches her pink dress.
She used block colour to make a statement while accepting the Life Achievement Award at the 2022 SAG Awards. This simple pairing would also work beautifully at a wedding, especially if worn by the mother of the bride.
Often, when designing for Royal clients, I am sent fabric swatches of their outfits so I can match hats to the exact hue of a coat or dress. This requires painstakingly mixing my own fabric dye in a pot until a test strip emerges that’s the perfect shade.
But there’s such a wide range of headbands available on the High Street anyone can achieve a similar look by matching a headband to their outfit.
Take the Duchess of Cambridge, who at Prince Louis’s christening wore a stunning cream headband on top of her elegantly styled hair, which was swept up at the back in a glossy up-do. The design was exquisite, the trimmings dramatic — but not so much as to be over the top.
The effect was softened by the adornments being positioned off to one side, which looks incredibly pretty.
Meanwhile, the plain padded velvet band she wears here with the green, velvet-collared coat (far right) harks back to that Sloane Ranger vibe, the main difference here being its height. In the 1980s, headbands tended to be worn flat against the head, so they took away from your silhouette rather than adding to it, as this modern version does.
I love the piece worn by film star Charlize Theron at the Costume Designers Guild Awards (top left) in Beverly Hills.
Her headband feels like an extension of her dress — by using the same bold material the outfit is elevated from glamorous to a fashion triumph.
Fellow actress Emilia Fox, always beautiful, has a look of Audrey Hepburn, with her blush band channelling a pill box hat. It speaks of old-school glamour and sophistication.
So, take note — and become a part of this fabulous trend yourself. Dressing up again doesn’t need to be daunting.
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https://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-10674349/RACHEL-TREVOR-MORGAN-says-headbands-make-look-without-overdoing-it.html?ns_mchannel=rss&ns_campaign=1490&ito=1490
| 2022-04-01T00:16:46Z
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The numbers: Initial jobless benefit claims rose by 14,000 to 202,000 in the week ended March 26, the Labor Department said Thursday.
Claims dropped by a revised 27,000 in the previous week to 188,000 – the lowest level since 1969. Economists said this was too sharp a decline to last.
Economists polled by The Wall Street Journal had estimated new claims would rise to 195,000.
Key details: The number of people already collecting jobless benefits fell by 35,000 to 1.31 million. These so-called continuing claims are now at their lowest level since December 1969.
Big picture: Demand for labor is strong and firms are not laying off workers. With inflation high, the data are sending a clear signal for the Federal Reserve to continue to raise its benchmark policy interest rate. There is still a hope that more workers will return to the labor market, keeping wages from rising sharply.
Beyond weekly moves, the underlying trend has improved; filings are averaging 232,000 so far this year, down from an average 245,000 in the fourth quarter and 365,000 in the third quarter, said Rubeela Farooqi, chief U.S. economist at High Frequency Economics.
Looking ahead: “Overall, demand for labor remains strong and businesses continue
to struggle with supply shortages. That should limit the number of layoffs, for now,” Farooqi said.
Market reaction: U.S. stocks
DJIA,
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https://www.marketwatch.com/story/u-s-jobless-claims-rise-reversing-some-of-last-weeks-big-drop-11648730591
| 2022-04-01T00:16:47Z
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https://www.leafly.com/brands/cresco/products/cresco-jack-flash-live-sauce-1g-solvent
| 2022-04-01T00:16:46Z
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Eads Middle School Honor Roll 3rd - Quarter 2022-2023
KiowaCountyPress.net may earn an affiliate commission if you purchase products or services through links in an article. Prices, when displayed, are accurate at the time...
kiowacountypress.netKiowaCountyPress.net may earn an affiliate commission if you purchase products or services through links in an article. Prices, when displayed, are accurate at the time...
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https://www.newsbreak.com/news/2556426781066/eads-middle-school-honor-roll-3rd-quarter-2022-2023
| 2022-04-01T00:16:48Z
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Arc Stages’ Latest Community Show a Fitting Production for the Times
The importance of yearning for a connection to others may have never been stronger than over the past two years. It’s just one of the reasons that make Arc Stages’ upcoming Community Stage production of “The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time” such an intriguing play, said its director, Stephanie Kovacs Cohen.
Over the next two weekends, Arc Stages, the Pleasantville-based performing arts theater, will be presenting its version of the 2015 Tony Award-winner for Best Play on Broadway. It’s the story of a 15-year-old autistic boy, Christopher Boone, who plays a detective in hopes of solving the murder of his neighbor’s dog.
His determination to solve the mystery takes Christopher out of his comfort zone and into a world that he is unaccustomed to.
“As he’s trying to figure out who killed the neighbor’s dog, he starts to go out on this other journey of wait, what else is going on here, what’s underneath it, and it’s all about finding his identity and where he belongs and how does he live as a kid on the spectrum in the world – and can he – and what does he do about his parents,” Cohen said.
Complicating his situation is that Christopher’s parents have separated. However, all of the different characters in the play must deal with some level of pain in their lives, she said.
Christopher is played by Sam Selesnick, a Pleasantville resident, as is Jennifer Tulchin, who plays his mother, Judy Boone.
Selesnick said there are challenges in making a connection with a character like Christopher, aside from the fact that he and the cast have to make use of an Estuary English accent. Selesnick, who has been acting since he was a small child, has never had to portray a character who deals with his emotions so differently than his own.
“It requires a lot of learning to play somebody so, I think, I don’t want to say different from most human beings, but the way we experience the world and Christopher’s way of experiencing the world is so unique and I think developing that into a character that is likeable and people can still relate to and sympathize with and care for has become a challenge,” Selesnick said.
Likewise, for Tulchin, playing the mother of a child on the spectrum who she hasn’t seen in two years. When he arrives in London to see him, Mrs. Boone hopes to reach out and give him a hug but Christopher is averse to personal touches.
In many ways the storyline is a bit of a parallel to what has occurred with COVID-19.
“The idea of having a second chance, of appreciating things more the second time around, is how it feels coming back together as a family,” Tulchin said.
Katy Cocovinis, the actor who plays Christopher’s mentor at school Siobhan, said the fact that not all the events in the show occur chronologically presents other challenges for the 12-member cast.
“It’s very much left up to the storytelling and I think they’re trying, making sure that’s interesting, is very important, and I think we’ve done a really good job, especially using the ensemble to tell the story,” Cocovinis said.
The somewhat ambitious undertaking of the production also forced Arc Stages to work around the show’s extensive visual effects that were seen in its debut in London in 2012 and later on Broadway.
Adam Cohen, Arc Stages’ artistic director, said that presents a challenge because theatergoers who saw “The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time” have often remarked about the tech and special effects.
“It was one of those experiments we are taking on when we decided to do this because we never planned to do that, and Stephanie definitely made it her own and the actors make it their own in a way,” he said. “So it’ll be interesting to see how it plays to an audience.”
The show’s five performances will be held at Arc Stages, located at 147 Wheeler Ave. in Pleasantville, on Apr. 1, 2, 8 and 9 at 8 p.m. There is one matinee this Sunday, Apr. 3 at 2 p.m. Tickets are $28 for adults and $22 for students and seniors.
For tickets and more information, call 914-747-6206 or visit www.arcstages.org.
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https://www.theexaminernews.com/arc-stages-latest-community-show-a-fitting-production-for-the-times/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=arc-stages-latest-community-show-a-fitting-production-for-the-times
| 2022-04-01T00:16:47Z
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KHAMMAM/KOTHAGUDEM: Illegal killing of wildlife is going on unabated in forests of Khammam and Bhadradri-Kothagudem districts. These include animals listed in Schedule 1 of Wildlife Protection Act, 1972.
As per an estimate, at least 10,000 different wild animals are being killed every year in forests spread over 7,845.35 square kilometres in the two districts. Their killing is the handiwork of nearly 3,500 professional poachers and hunters. Among them, about 125 hunt regularly using unlicensed country-made guns. They even sell wildlife meat.
K. Ramnarayana, a wildlife lover, pointed out that most wildlife is killed by poachers, who do so for their livelihood. “Alternative employment should be provided to such people, so that they stop killing wildlife. State government should take the issue seriously,” he underlined.
Wild animals killed by these poachers include iguanas, monster lizard, four-horn antelope (konda gorre) and bison, listed in Schedule 1 of Wildlife Protection Act, apart from spotted deer, sambar, mongoose and wild boar. Thousands of wild boars are killed every year.
One of the methods poachers use to kill wildlife is setting up live wires in the forests. Any animal that gets into contact with these wires dies due to electrocution. Entering forests and setting up wires is a day-to-day affair for many poachers.
Sattupalli forest range officer A. Venkateswarlu underlines, “Every living thing on this planet has a role to play in the ecosystem and food chain. Extinction of any one species can have an adverse impact on forests. What is the need for people to eat wildlife when other meat is available in market? Government should change the law and impose murder cases against persons killing wildlife,” he observed.
As per records, 45 wild boars, six sambars, a spotted deer and countless mongoose had been killed in January 2022 alone. But actual killings could be at least five times more.
Khammam forest range officer Radhika said awareness camps are being organised in rural areas around forests against consumption of wildlife meat.
...
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https://www.deccanchronicle.com/nation/crime/310322/wildlife-being-poached-in-khammam-bhadradri-forests.html
| 2022-04-01T00:16:48Z
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"Jeopardy!" champion Amy Schneider said that laws targeting transgender youth are "really scary" but encouraged young people to "hang in there" as she visited the White House on Thursday for Transgender Day of Visibility. Photo by Bonnie Cash/UPI |
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March 31 (UPI) -- Jeopardy! champion Amy Schneider visited the White House on Thursday to mark Transgender Day of Visibility as she spoke out against anti-transgender laws making their way through state legislatures throughout the country.
During her visit, Schneider, who claimed the quiz show's second-longest win streak at 40 games and became the first woman to win more than $1 million in Jeopardy! history, said that the laws, especially those that deny medical services to transgender youth, are "really scary."
"Those are lifesaving medical treatments and these bills will cause the deaths of children," Schneider said. "And that's really sad to me and is really frightening."
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott earlier this year issued an order to the state's health agencies announcing that delivering gender-affirming medical treatment to transgender youth "constitutes child abuse" and ordered doctors, nurses and teachers to report parents who aid children in receiving such care to the state Department of Family and Protective Services. A state district judge, however, ruled this month that the agency cannot conduct such investigations into parents.
Arizona and Oklahoma also passed laws this week banning transgender athletes.
Schneider on Thursday, delivered a message to transgender youth in states facing these laws to "hang in there."
"I think that this backlash right now is temporary. I think that the country overall is on our side and getting more so every day and I think it's not going to be too long before these sorts of bills are seen as a thing of the past and no longer what we want to be as a country," she said.
Schneider said she hoped her visit to the White House would accomplish the same result as her time on Jeopardy!.
"Being a trans person out there that isn't monstrous and isn't threatening and is just a normal person like we all are," she said. "So the more that people like me can be seen, the harder it is to sustain the myths that are kind of driving a lot of this hate and fear."
During her visit, Schneider also met with second gentleman Doug Emhoff and took part in a roundtable.
The White House on Thursday announced a set of initiatives in support of transgender individuals including plans to make new resources available to transgender children and their families, including mental health resources, updating training to support transgender students, and improving federal services to accommodate transgender individuals in regards to retirement savings and filing employment discrimination complaints.
A reporter takes notes as Director of the National Economic Council Brian Deese speaks at a press briefing after President Joe Biden announced he would release one million barrels of oil per day to counter high energy prices at the White House on Thursday. Photo by Bonnie Cash/UPI |
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https://www.upi.com/Top_News/US/2022/03/31/Jeopardy-champion-Amy-Schneider-visits-White-House-Transgender-Day-visibility/9491648766397/
| 2022-04-01T00:16:49Z
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As was the case with the Borderlands games, spin-off Tiny Tina's Wonderlands drops randomized weaponry in an endless gush, like a fountain but with sniper rifles instead of water. Those guns can only be used if you're the right level for them, and it's common for a quest to hand out something you won't be able to wield until the next level-up. What's not common is for that level to be higher than what's currently achievable in the game.
As afrankiewicz12 on the Wonderlands subreddit spotted and commenters confirmed, you can receive weapons as high as level 43 (in this case a legendary submachine gun that shoots fire bullets and does more damage after you cast a spell). It's not possible to actually get to level 43, however. The level cap in Tiny Tina's Wonderlands is 40, and you'll probably finish the main storyline around level 30 or so.
Hang on to any level 41+ weapons you find, though. With previous Borderlands games the level cap has gone up with the release of expansions and patches, and the first part of the season pass for Tiny Tina's Wonderlands is scheduled to come out on April 21. Presumably it's just an oversight or bug allowing non-wieldable weapons to drop right now, and given time we'll be able to hit a high enough level to shoot that legendary firebullet SMG, and anything else above the level cap that gets handed out.
Thanks to GamesRadar for the tip.
- Tiny Tina's Wonderlands Shift codes: Get more Skeleton Keys
- Tiny Tina's Wonderlands builds: The best builds to try
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https://www.pcgamer.com/au/players-are-finding-guns-they-cant-shoot-in-tiny-tinas-wonderlands/
| 2022-04-01T00:16:49Z
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Employers are desperately seeking to fill cybersecurity positions. The number of available cybersecurity jobs coupled with accelerated attrition due to the Great Resignation has led to companies offering ridiculously high salaries, a bevy of benefits, and free training and certifications to woo candidates. Even so, the candidate pool is limited. Employers are exploring ways to help applicants fill in the gaps in their experience so that they can be hired.
"The No. 1 thing anyone interested in cybersecurity careers should do is apply," says Justine Fox, principal product manager, technical, at NuData Security, a Mastercard company. "Most technology skills are adjacent to the needed cybersecurity versions, and there is no faster way to learn the role's required skills than in the role. Whether you are self-taught or formally educated, I encourage folks to apply."
Mitch Ashley, principal at Techstrong Research, echoes that sentiment. "Cybersecurity is no longer a network-centric skill," he says. "Security hiring is hopelessly behind, while software continues eating the world."
Cyber leaders must "widen the net" to bring in "talents beyond only traditional cybersecurity domains," he adds, and managers "must think more like software leaders and less like network engineers."
Hiring companies are also becoming more flexible about job requirements and creating opportunities to help fast-track people into the industry. There are also quite a few things people can do to strengthen their job applications and gain the skills they need, even if they don’t have the exact on-the-job experience being requested.
The increasing desperation is undeniably leading employers to "get creative to help fill roles and stay competitive," according to Dan Desko, CEO of Echelon Risk + Cyber.
Get Real, Fast
Given the flux in current hiring guidelines for nontraditional applicants, what skill or experience counts most on a winning resume? Real-world, hands-on experience. But how do you gain experience before you land a job in the field?
"A well-stocked GitHub page showing contribution to security tools and projects, a blog talking through security research, their bug bounty or vulnerability disclosure Hall of Fame listings – these are all practical ways to demonstrate and communicate real-world skills to a hiring manager quickly," says Casey Ellis, founder and CTO at Bugcrowd.
However you choose to do it, get real-world experience as quickly as you can.
"In many cybersecurity jobs, education requirements have become a thing of the past,” says Peter Lowe, principal security researcher at DNSFilter. "Therefore, people looking to get into cyber should prioritize acquiring real-world experience and skills over diplomas."
Dive in on Open Source Projects
Indeed, open source projects are a prime place to get hands-on experience on the cheap.
“Two of the simplest ways to level up are engaging with the infosec community via social media, namely Twitter, and contributing in some small way,” Lowe says.
Picking an open source or open data project to contribute to is "a fantastic way to connect with others and begin developing techniques and skills required in professional environments," he adds. "Nothing big to start - just a way of having a thread to follow that will expose you to people and ideas. As a bonus, any public work and/or conversations you have are great proof points to show potential employers that you have a real passion for cybersecurity."
Try to Score an Apprenticeship
Apprenticeships are becoming more popular and more widely available.
"Apprenticeships are a great opportunity for cyberskills training because they provide practical experience and the opportunity to learn from someone else,” says Demi Ben-Ari, CTO and co-founder of security and risk management company Panorays. "In addition, operational cybersecurity training, both defensive and offensive, is also a great way to build a broad skill set. Any opportunities for increased networking, programming, and resource utilization is essential to sharpening your cybersecurity knowledge and capabilities."
Apply From Within
Consider making a career change to cybersecurity from your current position at the same company. Many companies have programs to assist with training. Further “known” applicants, in terms of work performance and willingness to learn, are often preferred hires over newcomers.
“At 1Password, we have several examples of individuals who have joined us and started in our customer support department and then moved into security roles, given the experience they built in front-facing roles with our customers,” says Katya Laviolette, chief people officer of 1Password, a password management company.
Leverage the Technical Skills You Do Have
Cybersecurity is a much bigger field than it used to be and now contains a growing number of specialties. Play up the technical skills you already possess because many of them will likely transfer to cybersecurity.
“Today, cybersecurity skills must be built upon disciplines new to security, coupling security with cloud, software development, scripting, automation, infrastructure-as-code, and [the] Internet of Things," says Techstrong's Ashley. "Cisco’s DevNet, for example, helps new and experienced engineers with Python courses, scripting and orchestration training, working with APIs, code exchange, exposure to MLOps, and sandboxes to learn, test, and play utilizing skills new to traditional cybersecurity.”
Upskill Your Self-Taught Program
Self-taught is great but often not enough if that’s all you have.
“While [capture-the-flag contests] and other types of self-taught routes can help broaden your skill set as a practitioner, it is not a direct substitute for training and experience in terms of getting into the business," says Panorays' Ben-Ari. "In other words, the self-taught routes like CTFs or bug-bounty programs help increase knowledge, but in order to excel in the cybersecurity industry, you need practical experience that these exercises don’t often provide.”
Security boot camps have their limits, too.
“There are many boot camps and programs out there, but these can only get you so far,” Ben-Ari warns. Most only prepare you for junior positions which is problematic because most companies looking to hire want some practical experience so you can excel instantly on the job
The good news is that many security companies offer programs that can help you get more structured training too.
“Many security companies cater to those who are starting their infosec career and offer ‘pay-what-you-can’ training," says Brian Wilson, CISO at analytics software company SAS.
Draw from Free Hacking Resources
It’s often said that cybersecurity is more about mindset and problem-solving because the rest is just teachable skills. So if you possess the mind and the will, there are plenty of free resources where you can pick up the skills.
“There are a ton of free hacking resources on the Internet and a robust community of people dedicated to curating them," Wilson says. One example is Awesome Hacking Resources on GitHub.”
There are also several reasonable penetration testing lab websites to virtually test your skills to “see if you have what it takes in different security arenas,” he adds, citing HackTheBox as a popular example.
Find Your Own Mentor
Seasoned mentors are invaluable to aspiring professionals, midcareer pros, and mentors, too. Many companies assign mentors to new hires, and those programs are often worth their weight in gold, or at least in better security for company assets. But if you aren’t yet employed or your employer doesn’t offer a mentorship program, other resources are available.
“A great strategy is to seek out mentorship opportunities via local security organizations like ISC2 or regional Defcon organizations," Wilson says. "Similarly, consider checking out cybersecurity-focused Meetup.com groups, many of which are free. These avenues can help newcomers to the field network while sharpening their skills."
The Lowdown on Certs
Wondering about the values of certifications? Almost everyone wants to know where those fit into the new hiring requirements.
“Certifications can certainly help when obtaining initial jobs, [but] they lack importance the longer you remain in the field," says Ben-Ari. "Furthermore, your experience in the industry will quickly become the most valuable aspect of your cybersecurity resume.”
However, some certifications prove your chops better than others.
“My employer recognized my certification, the eJPT, as a hands-on baseline to demonstrate my skill," says Lily Clark, a former communications specialist-turned-cybersecurity consultant at Echelon. "Pairing that with CTF experience and activity on platforms like HackTheBox and TryHackMe gave me the confidence that I was prepared for the next step.”
Show the Stuff You’re Made of
In the end, the “proof” you need isn’t documented on paper or in pixels.
“On the talent development side of the house, we look for those who exhibit the underlying values that we see as critical for a firm like us, and couple that with a strong ability to learn," says Echelon Risk's Desko. "Once we find those people, we help turn them into cyber superstars.
Clark, he says, is "an incredible inspiration to us all, but also a great success story that shows others what is possible. Also notably, we have a former family counselor on staff who is now a senior cybersecurity consultant.”
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https://www.darkreading.com/edge-articles/accelerating-onto-the-on-ramp-for-cybersecurity-jobs
| 2022-04-01T00:16:49Z
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Harry Styles' "As It Was" bottles sunshine in a song, but with a dreary melancholy. The synth-heavy intro is perfect for racing down Pacific Coast Highway with the top down. The groovy electric guitar licks inject the song with an infectious energy. If you are sorely missing the reign of Tumblr music — think The XX, Passion Pit — then this is absolutely the song for you.
But take a closer listen to the first single from Harry's House (out May 20) and you'll find a poignant lyrical exploration of loss and loneliness: "Answer the phone / Harry, you're no good alone / Why are you sitting at home on the floor / What kind of pills are you on?" Styles slips in autobiography, too, perhaps the closest he's ever been to directly addressing his love life. Whereas Fine Line was coy in its references to heavy themes like loss, depression and drug use, this single seems to signal Styles' willingness to confront those topics head on, pretty unapologetically.
"As It Was" feels both risky and vulnerable in a way that's different from his solo work so far. If this is Harry Styles inviting us into his metaphorical home, it seems like it's a lot messier and more complicated than he's ever let on.
Copyright 2022 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.
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https://www.wyso.org/2022-03-31/harry-styles-as-it-was
| 2022-04-01T00:16:49Z
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Why using the oceans to suck up CO2 might not be as easy as hoped:
The world's oceans are amazing carbon sponges. They already capture a quarter of human-produced carbon dioxide when surface waters react with the greenhouse gas in the air or marine organisms gobble it up as they grow.
[...] Other research groups have also recently found that dissolving olivine in filtered and artificial seawater produced less of an increase in alkalinity than expected, the study noted. Still another recent preprint paper found similarly confounding results for other minerals that had been expected to boost ocean alkalinity.
Meanwhile, several additional studies recently raised doubts about a different ocean-based approach: growing seaweed and sinking it to suck up and store away carbon.
Finding viable ways to pull down greenhouse gases will be vital in the coming decades. A National Academies report in December on ocean-based carbon removal noted that the world may need to suck up an additional 10 billion tons annually by midcentury to limit warming to 2 ˚C.
Boosting ocean alkalinity could theoretically remove tens of billions of tons each year on its own, according to the research group Ocean Visions. But the National Academies panel noted that it will require extracting, grinding, and shipping rocks on roughly similar scales, all of which would have substantial environmental consequences as well.
The new studies haven't delivered the final, definitive word on whether any of these methods will be feasible ways of helping to reach those carbon removal targets.
Journal Reference:
Fuhr, Michael, Geilert, Sonja, Schmidt, Mark, et al. Kinetics of Olivine Weathering in Seawater: An Experimental Study, Frontiers in Climate (DOI: 10.3389/fclim.2022.831587)
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(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday April 01, @12:03AM
by Anonymous Coward on Friday April 01, @12:03AM (#1233874)Spaceballs had the right idea
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https://soylentnews.org/article.pl?sid=22/03/31/1217256&from=rss
| 2022-04-01T00:16:49Z
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Blue Devils, Baker Mayfield, Anthony Davis all "Under Duress"
Chris Broussard's "Under Duress" list is back and better than ever.
Basketball is the name of the game this week, with Los Angeles Lakers superstar Anthony Davis and the team's general manager, Rob Pelinka, making the list, as well as the Duke Blue Devils feeling the heat.
There are also a couple of big-name NFL stars who made their way onto Broussard's radar as well.
Here is the "First Things First" host's top five.
5. Kyle Shanahan and John Lynch, San Francisco 49ers
The outlook: It's evident that the 49ers will hand their starting quarterback position to Trey Lance after giving up multiple first-round picks to draft him. Even incumbent starter Jimmy Garoppolo has seen the writing on the wall. Yet, it's almost April and Garoppolo remains on the 49ers roster, while rumors that the 21-year-old sophomore QB might not be ready to take the field continue to run rampant.
Broussard's thoughts: "A few years ago, they traded two first-round picks and a third-rounder to move up to No. 3 to draft Trey Lance, a quarterback from an FCS or Division I AA school. And now, there are wide-spread views or feelings that Lance might not be able to play next season. And the 49ers obviously — especially in the NFC that's getting weaker — are built to win now. So, they gotta figure out what in the world is going on with Trey Lance. ‘Did we make a mistake?’ So that puts them under pressure. And then, they can't trade Jimmy G. Obviously not because of his ability to win games, but because of his shoulder injury. If Jimmy G comes back, now you've got a quarterback controversy. If you trade him and Trey Lance isn't ready to play well, now you've got a quarterback issue. They've gotta get this thing right."
4. Rob Pelinka, Lakers
The outlook: Even though the Lakers have a title under Pelinka's watch, the jury is out on whether he has what it takes to successfully lead the Lakers to another title in the near future. Rumors have spread throughout the season about Pelinka and LeBron James not being on the same page regarding the Lakers roster, but one thing is certain: any and every move Pelinka makes will be under a microscope, especially while James is in the fold.
Broussard's thoughts: "Early on, LeBron caught a lot of heat for the Russell Westbrook acquisition. But the fact is now, LeBron has played so well and at the end of the day — even though LeBron wanted Westbrook — Rob Pelinka has the final decision. … He didn't have to listen to LeBron. … Pelinka has to wear this season. And then, this summer, big decisions to be made. I do think Rob Pelinka will survive. … Frank Vogel will likely be gone. But now, Pelinka has to rebuild this team to be able to compete for a championship this summer with a roster that will be tough to break up and move."
3. Anthony Davis, Lakers
The outlook: Davis is expected to return to the floor for the Lakers' game against the New Orleans Pelicans on Friday. He is averaging 23.1 points and 9.7 rebounds per game this season. However, he has logged just 73 regular-season games over the past two seasons. James is a game-time decision for Friday after missing two straight games with an ankle injury. L.A. is No. 10 in the Western Conference at 31–44, 0.5 games ahead of the San Antonio Spurs for the final spot in the play-in tournament.
Broussard's thoughts: "Reports now are that the Lakers will consider — at least consider — moving Anthony Davis. Unbelievable. A couple of years ago, he was the second-best player in the league, according to ESPN, headed into the preseason. And now, he could be on the trading block? And the sentiment in much of L.A., much of Laker Nation, is good riddance. I mean, how the mighty have fallen. … He might come back this weekend, and if LeBron doesn't play … can Anthony Davis lead the Lakers to enough victories to get them in the play-in without LeBron or with a hobbled LeBron?"
2. Duke Blue Devils
The outlook: Duke and North Carolina meet for the first time in the NCAA Tournament when the two face off in the Final Four on Saturday. It is the 258th all-time meeting between the rival programs, with North Carolina holding a 142-115 advantage, and the 100th overall meeting between Duke and UNC since Mike Krzyzewski became the head coach at Duke in 1980-81. Duke holds a one-game advantage.
Broussard's thoughts: "All of America now is watching the NCAA Tournament saying, ‘Wow, wouldn’t a storybook ending be terrific? Coach K — the best coach since John Wooden — could go out with a championship? My goodness!' And then you look at the rosters, and you say, ‘Why shouldn’t Duke win?' They've got three players that many believe will be in the top 20 of this year's NBA Draft, including Paolo Banchero … and other guy in AJ Griffin that'll be a lottery pick. The pressure is on these young kids to go ahead and deliver that championship to Coach K. Oh, and by the way, the team they play … on Saturday? North Carolina. Oh my gosh, the hated rival. You cannot let Coach K's last game be a loss to North Carolina, so the pressure is on."
1. Baker Mayfield, Cleveland Browns
The outlook: Mayfield's offseason has been a descent from bad to worse. The mess began with the Browns publicly courting his replacement, former Houston Texans QB Deshaun Watson. Mayfield then requested a trade and since that request, the Browns acquired Watson and brought in Jacoby Brissett as his backup. Meanwhile, Cleveland has taken part in very few discussions surrounding a trade for the former No. 1 draft pick, whose 35.1 quarterback rating in 2021 was the fifth-worst in the league.
Broussard's thoughts: "He'll be here until he finds a home, and that's poor Baker Mayfield. I mean, just a year ago, he was on top of the world. Everyone was celebrating him. He led the Browns to their first playoff victory in nearly three decades. … It was all good for Baker, it was going great, and now he can't find a home."
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https://www.foxsports.com/stories/nba/blue-devils-baker-mayfield-anthony-davis-all-under-duress
| 2022-04-01T00:16:49Z
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TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) _ Ellomay Capital Ltd. (ELLO) on Thursday reported a loss of $15.7 million in its fourth quarter.
On a per-share basis, the Tel Aviv, Israel-based company said it had a loss of 75 cents.
The renewable energy provider posted revenue of $13.6 million in the period.
For the year, the company reported that its loss widened to $22.9 million, or $1.39 per share. Revenue was reported as $50.7 million.
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This story was generated by Automated Insights (http://automatedinsights.com/ap) using data from Zacks Investment Research. Access a Zacks stock report on ELLO at https://www.zacks.com/ap/ELLO
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https://www.registercitizen.com/business/article/Ellomay-Q4-Earnings-Snapshot-17049658.php
| 2022-04-01T00:16:49Z
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HOVER OVER IMAGE TO ENLARGE IT
Dry ingredients are measured and poured into a pot before being taken to a machine to mix verenika dough.
Jarold Koehn puts together a fuel pump for a Cummins engine. He has worked at Williams' Service since 1978.
A swimmer grabs a breath mid-stroke during practice.
A pole vaulter takes off while Marion students practice with javelins in a neighboring field.
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http://starj.com?display+a_century_later_tractor_again_will_help_ukraine+5328tractor+412063656e74757279206c617465722c2074726163746f7220616761696e2077696c6c2068656c7020556b7261696e65
| 2022-04-01T00:16:49Z
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PJT Partners Inc. (NYSE:PJT – Get Rating) was the recipient of a large decline in short interest during the month of March. As of March 15th, there was short interest totalling 605,400 shares, a decline of 22.1% from the February 28th total of 776,700 shares. Approximately 2.8% of the company’s shares are short sold. Based on an average daily volume of 192,600 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 3.1 days.
Several hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in PJT. Royal Bank of Canada grew its holdings in shares of PJT Partners by 93.5% in the 2nd quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 5,297 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $377,000 after buying an additional 2,559 shares during the period. Prudential Financial Inc. grew its holdings in shares of PJT Partners by 5.3% in the 2nd quarter. Prudential Financial Inc. now owns 3,344 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $238,000 after buying an additional 169 shares during the period. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD grew its holdings in shares of PJT Partners by 7.7% in the 2nd quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 6,861 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $490,000 after buying an additional 492 shares during the period. Invesco Ltd. boosted its stake in PJT Partners by 8.4% in the 2nd quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 14,221 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $1,015,000 after purchasing an additional 1,106 shares during the period. Finally, Nisa Investment Advisors LLC boosted its stake in PJT Partners by 696.2% in the 3rd quarter. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC now owns 11,665 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $923,000 after purchasing an additional 10,200 shares during the period. 68.95% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.
PJT traded down $1.65 during trading on Thursday, reaching $63.12. 167,283 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 204,803. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $63.05 and its 200-day moving average price is $73.01. PJT Partners has a fifty-two week low of $54.48 and a fifty-two week high of $89.50. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.51 billion, a PE ratio of 15.94 and a beta of 0.92.
The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, March 23rd. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, March 9th were issued a $0.25 dividend. This is a positive change from PJT Partners’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.05. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, March 8th. This represents a $1.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.58%. PJT Partners’s payout ratio is 24.63%.
Several research analysts recently weighed in on PJT shares. The Goldman Sachs Group dropped their price objective on shares of PJT Partners from $90.00 to $82.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, February 2nd. Zacks Investment Research cut shares of PJT Partners from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, February 4th. StockNews.com started coverage on shares of PJT Partners in a research report on Thursday. They issued a “hold” rating for the company. Finally, Piper Sandler dropped their price objective on shares of PJT Partners from $80.00 to $69.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, March 9th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, PJT Partners currently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $85.20.
About PJT Partners (Get Rating)
PJT Partners Inc, an investment bank, provides various strategic and capital markets advisory, restructuring and special situations, and shareholder advisory services to corporations, financial sponsors, institutional investors, and governments worldwide. It offers advisory services to clients on various transactions, including mergers and acquisitions (M&A), spin-offs, activism defense, contested M&A, joint ventures, minority investments, and divestitures.
See Also
- Get a free copy of the StockNews.com research report on PJT Partners (PJT)
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https://www.com-unik.info/2022/03/31/short-interest-in-pjt-partners-inc-nysepjt-declines-by-22-1.html
| 2022-04-01T00:16:49Z
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Rivals to ‘come hard’ at Giants gun; forgotten factor in $700k Dog’s new deal: Trade Whispers
Rival clubs are reportedly set to come hard for a Giant, while Bailey Smith’s value could rise thanks to something that has nothing to do with his on-field exploits.
Get the latest player movement news in AFL Trade Whispers!
RIVAL CLUBS EYEING TARANTO
Out-of-contract Giants star Tim Taranto is reportedly hot property.
According to AFL Media journalist Cal Twomey, rival clubs “will come very hard” for the gun midfielder.
The former Pick 2 is coming off a dominant 2021 season, averaging 26.5 disposals, 5.3 tackles and booting 12 goals from 24 games, while he’s spent more time up forward this year with Toby Greene suspended.
Given the Giants’ midfield depth and salary cap pressure after handing out several lucrative deals, Twomey questioned whether the club could retain all of its on-ballers.
“The one to watch at the Giants is Tim Taranto,” Twomey told SEN Breakfast.
Stream every match of every round of the 2022 Toyota AFL Premiership Season Live & Ad-Break Free In-Play on Kayo. New to Kayo? Try 14-Days Free Now >
“A discussion will be had on where he’s playing and what inside midfielder or midfielder do the Giants have to shed from a salary cap point of view this year.
“He’s a Victorian boy of course, he loves Sydney, he’s a heart and soul player up there, just played his 100th game, but there’s no doubt that with potential full-time midfield roles available elsewhere, what offer or opportunity does that present in his mind?
“I think that’ll be an interesting one, depending on what role he plays this year, but that one will be one to follow in the coming months.”
Taranto told AFL Media earlier this year he’s in no rush to sign a new deal, but is keen to remain a one-club player.
As the 24-year old doesn’t yet qualify for free agency, he’d need to move clubs via trade.
Taranto headlines a long list of Giants out-of-contract at season’s end including Callan Ward, Daniel Lloyd, Connor Idun, Bobby Hill, Isaac Cumming, Phil Davis and Xavier O‘Halloran.
SMITH KEEN TO STAY AT DOGS... BUT WHATS HE WORTH?
Western Bulldogs star Bailey Smith is one of the few early picks from the 2018 draft still without a deal beyond this season, but has no plans to depart Whitten Oval, reports AFL Media.
Smith headlines a star-studded crop of Bulldogs coming out of contract including Alex Keath, Bailey Dale, Caleb Daniel, Josh Dunkley and Tim English.
The report states while Smith is unlikely to open contract talks with the Dogs until later this season, he sees his future in red, white and blue.
Arguably now the most recognised faced in the game, Smith’s value has skyrocketed over the last year from a marketing perspective, while he averaged 24 disposals and two goals across the 2021 finals series.
“He would be one that is hard to put a value on. Because there’s the footy side of it, but then there’s the other driver of marketing and promotion that you have to consider in all of this,” Bombers legend Tim Watson said on SEN.
Demons great Garry Lyon added: “I think he’s a $650,000-$700,000-a-year footballer, it’s just that marketing component that comes into play.”
The former Pick 7’s run of 68 consecutive games since his debut in 2019 came to an end last week after missing the Dogs’ loss to Carlton with a hip injury.
He tallied 31 disposals in his return against the Swans on Thursday night.
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https://www.foxsports.com.au/afl/afl-2022-trade-news-rumours-whispers-rival-clubs-interest-in-tim-taranto-victorian-sides-gws-giants-bailey-smith-out-of-contract-new-deal-resigns-with-western-bulldogs/news-story/a236548036b9b090b6e3861a14bd00d3
| 2022-04-01T00:16:49Z
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Oro Valley PD arrest man on child pornography charges
Published: Mar. 31, 2022 at 4:22 PM MST|Updated: 53 minutes ago
TUCSON, Ariz. (KOLD News 13) - A man faces numerous charges after he allegedly was connected with explicit images of minors.
Steven Hill faces nine counts of sexual exploitation of a minor.
According to Oro Valley police, officers received a tip from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. Officers then obtained search warrants and found pornographic images of children in connection with Hill.
Hill was booked into the Pima County jail with bond set at $100,000.
Copyright 2022 KOLD News 13. All rights reserved.
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https://www.kold.com/2022/03/31/oro-valley-pd-arrest-man-child-pornography-charges/
| 2022-04-01T00:16:49Z
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Enjoying their bitter thread where they are talking about their own ground literally collapsing and leaking all over and saying how cheap and shit Anfield is
Today at 13:14
#1,207
Spoony
Anfield looks cheap and was done on a budget. Their architects designed the new Wimbledon ground and to they'll be extending Leicester's and Palace's grounds. Nah, they can keep their ground. We need something spectacular.
Revaulx
It also hasn't got a main line railway running alongside it. It's turning into a proper dog's breakfast, though without the charm. Wimbledon's new ground looks nice, but it's not exactly on Old Trafford's scale.
Spoony
The way the new Anfield Road will connect to the Main Stand looks awful. It really is a budget stadium.
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https://www.redandwhitekop.com/forum/index.php?topic=344488.msg18254883
| 2022-04-01T00:16:49Z
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Why Free Shipping Isn’t Free
FedEx, UPS and Amazon make deliveries on behalf of retailers advertising “free” shipping. But, none of those packages are being shipped for free. There were over 131 billion parcels shipped worldwide in 2020, and parcel shipments are expected to double again in the next five years, possibly reaching 266 billion by 2026, according to Pitney Bowes.
The cost of shipping is becoming ever-increasing. Companies like Amazon, Walmart, Target and even Etsy benefit from economies of scale because they generate mass online sales. This puts them at an advantage to achieve bulk discount rates from carriers. Watch the video above to learn why free shipping is a myth, what it really costs companies to send parcels around the country and how it impacts consumer sentiment.
The big carriers such as FedEx, UPS and Amazon make lots of deliveries, and none of those packages are being shipped for “free.”
“People like free shipping because the word free is very powerful, even if people know that it’s not really free because someone is paying for it,” Kara Buntin, owner of the Etsy shop A Cake To Remember, told CNBC.
There were more than 131 billion parcels shipped worldwide in 2020, and parcel shipments are expected to double again in the next five years — possibly reaching 266 billion by 2026 — according to Pitney Bowes.
“When consumers click that ‘buy’ box, they often don’t see [the] labor that leads to a box on their doorstep,” Ellen Reese, a sociology professor at UC Riverside and co-editor of “The Cost of Free Shipping: Amazon in the Global Economy,” told CNBC.
And those shipping costs are ever-increasing.
“Anyone can offer an Amazon Prime two-day shipping. It’s just the cost that...might incur in providing that service,” Dhruv Saxena, co-founder of third-party logistics company ShipBob, told CNBC. He estimates it may cost a company anywhere from $25 to $35 for a typical two-day shipping rate.
Companies such as Amazon, Walmart, Target and even Etsy benefit from economies of scale because they generate mass online sales. This puts them at an advantage to achieve bulk discount rates, according to the U.S. Postal Service.
When CNBC asked the Postal Service for information about how much money Amazon, Walmart and Target pay the Service to ship packages, the department said no contracts exist, but “there may be possibly an agreement in place with negotiated rates to deliver packages. However, we cannot confirm nor deny an agreement exists.”
This is due to federal regulations dictating acknowledgment the existence of a specific national service agreement “would cause harm and is confidential commercial information that would not be disclosed under good business practice,” the Postal Service said.
Amazon, FedEx and UPS either declined or could not be reached for comment for this story.
“Many [small businesses] have been under pressure, shutting down and closing because they can’t compete, “Jake Alimahomed-Wilson, a sociology professor at California State University Long Beach and co-editor of “The Cost of Free Shipping: Amazon in the Global Economy,” told CNBC.
In a 2019 survey, three-quarters of independent retailers said Amazon’s dominance is a major threat to their survival, according to the Institute for Local Self-Reliance.
“You can’t really plan for how much [carriers] are going to charge or how much [packages] are going to cost when you ship them, and that makes it difficult to offer free shipping because a lot of times you end up with no profit if you’re not really careful,” Buntin said.
Thu, 31 Mar 2022 16:00:17 GMT
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https://www.cnbcafrica.com/2022/why-free-shipping-isnt-free/
| 2022-04-01T00:16:49Z
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Former Yale administrator defrauded university of more than $40 million for expensive cars, homes and travel, DOJ says
By Mirna Alsharif, CNN Business
A former Yale administrative employee pleaded guilty on Monday of defrauding the university of more than $40.5 million by reselling electronics purchased with school funds over at least an eight-year period, according to court documents.
Jamie Petrone-Codrington, 42, who was director of finance and lead administrator at the medical school’s department of emergency medicine, used the funds “for various personal expenses, including expensive cars, real estate and travel,” according to a press release from the US Attorney’s Office in Connecticut.
This includes three Connecticut properties that she owns or co-owns, according to prosecutors.
Petrone-Codrington also filed false tax returns from 2013 to 2016, where she claimed the costs of the stolen equipment as business expenses, and failed to file any tax returns from 2017 to 2020. That cost the US Treasury $6 million, according to the press release.
Petrone-Codrington, who was arrested in September 2021, was charged with wire fraud and filing a false tax return. She faces up to 23 years in prison, according to court documents. She is currently out of jail on a $1 million bail bond and is set to be sentenced in June.
Her attorney, Frank Riccio, told CNN his client has “accepted responsibility for her actions and is remorseful.”
“She now looks forward towards sentencing and repairing some of the damage that has been caused,” he said.
The court has also ordered Petrone-Codrington to pay restitution in the amount of $40.5 million to Yale and more than $6 million to the Internal Revenue Service for failing to file and filing a false tax return.
The FBI launched an investigation into Petrone-Codrington in August 2021 after information was provided by the university and found that as early as 2013 she started ordering electronics, like Microsoft Surface Pro tablet computers, with the medical school’s university funds, according to the plea. She then sold them to a third-party business, which would direct funds of the electronics it sold back to Petrone-Codrington via Maziv Entertainment LLC, a company in which she is a principal, according to the press release.
During an eight-year period, Petrone-Codrington placed or ordered other members of Yale’s staff to place thousands of electronics orders. From May to August 2021 alone, she ordered about $2.1 million in computer equipment using Yale funds, according to the original complaint, and law enforcement was still determining how much of those purchases were legitimate.
In a statement provided to law enforcement in August 2021, Petrone-Codrington admitted to having executed the scheme for several years, and “estimated that approximately 90% of her computer-related purchases were fraudulent,” according to the FBI.
“The university thanks local law enforcement, the FBI, and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for their handling of the case,” Yale University Spokeswoman Karen Peart told CNN. “Since the incident, Yale has worked to identify and correct gaps in its internal financial controls.”
Petrone-Codrington was employed by Yale beginning in 1999, but held her position as lead administrator and director of finance and administration for the university’s Department of Emergency Medicine since September 2019, according to court documents. She had been working for Yale’s Department of Emergency Medicine since 2008.
Yale University could not confirm when Petrone-Codrington’s employment ended. However, an article on the Yale Daily News reported that she was no longer employed by the university as of September 2021.
The-CNN-Wire
™ & © 2022 Cable News Network, Inc., a WarnerMedia Company. All rights reserved.
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https://ktvz.com/money/cnn-business-consumer/2022/03/31/former-yale-administrator-defrauded-university-of-more-than-40-million-for-expensive-cars-homes-and-travel-doj-says/
| 2022-04-01T00:16:49Z
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—
CNC Intelligence is formed by a team of experts in Cyber Intelligence, Crypto Investigations, Asset Recovery and Offshore Legal. Each expert has worked in their respective field of expertise for over 40 years. The team will use state of the art Cyber Tools, Software Solutions, closed databases, Open Intelligence (OSINT), Human Intelligence (HUMINT), Cyber Intelligence (CYBINT) and Financial Intelligence (FININT) to provide the best results for clients.
In the world today, technology plays a massive part for us and just from our smartphones, we can quickly transfer funds out just with just a few clicks. This has also led to scams and hacking of consumers accounts leading to funds being transferred out without their consent or by mistake. The team at CNC Intelligence with expertise and experience in recovering funds from a variety of sources will have the right solution for customers.
Customers who paid for goods or services via a Credit or Debit Card will have consumer protections via the Chargeback Process. The team at CNC Intelligence provides Chargeback Dispute services to help clients recover their money. For bank wire recovery, each jurisdiction has its unique challenges. By having a network of lawyers around the world, CNC Intelligence can assist clients and their local banks and apply pressure to the beneficiary bank and company that received the funds.
Cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin and Ethereum are currently rising in popularity, and the team can trace them. Once the Cryptocurrency is traced to the last Wallet before being exchanged to Fiat Currency, the investigations team will track down the owners and assist in recovering the funds.
No two cases are the same, and CNC Intelligence offers bespoke solutions suitable for the customer's case. Every Fund Recovery Case is individually evaluated, and a specific Fund Recovery Action plan will be provided for the customer's case. Clients can schedule a complimentary 15 minutes initial consultation with the team at CNC Intelligence to determine which of the Asset Recovery and Intelligence Service is suitable for the client's case.
"CNC Intelligence has developed unique digital asset recovery strategies in which lost funds of clients can be traced and the perpetrator is brought to justice," said Elliot Taylor, VP of Client Relations for CNC Intelligence Inc., "By using ultra-sophisticated technology, the company can trace the point of theft and the recovery from cyber-fraudsters. The technological expertise and experience in nabbing cyber frauds further sharpen the steps to find out the cybercriminals."
About CNC Intelligence
CNC Intelligence was founded by Cyber Intelligence, Crypto Investigations, Asset Recovery and Offshore Legal Experts. Each expert of the fields comes with over 40 years of experience and came together to form a boutique Cyber and Crypto Intelligence Group focusing on producing the best results. The team provides Actionable Intelligence to clients by using the latest Cyber tools, Open Source Intelligence (OSINT), Human Intelligence (HUMINT) and cutting edge technology.
Contact Info:
Name: Elliot Taylor
Email: Send Email
Organization: CNC Intelligence Inc.
Website: https://cncintel.com/
Release ID: 89072380
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https://www.asiaone.com/business/cnc-intelligence-leading-transformation-asset-recovery-space
| 2022-04-01T00:16:49Z
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THE DAILY LEADER: FRIDAY, APRIL 1, 2022
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THE DAILY LEADER: FRIDAY, APRIL 1, 2022
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https://www.einpresswire.com/article/567169907/the-daily-leader-friday-april-1-2022
| 2022-04-01T00:16:49Z
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MIAMI (AP) — A Florida police officer fatally shot a man who was able to arm himself after being arrested Thursday, officials said.
The shooting occurred shortly before noon at a western Miami-Dade home, according to a police news release.
Miami-Dade police officers had been assisting Homeland Security Investigations and the U.S. Marshals Service when they took a 53-year-old man into custody, police said. The man complained of feeling ill, and Miami-Dade Fire Rescue responded to evaluate him. During the evaluation, the man somehow armed himself, and shots were fired, officials said.
The man died at the scene. No other injuries were reported.
The shooting is being investigated by state police officials.
Police didn't immediately release the names or races of the dead man or the officer who shot him.
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https://www.theheraldreview.com/news/article/Police-Officer-kills-man-who-armed-himself-while-17049647.php
| 2022-04-01T00:16:50Z
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Concert at BL Dancehall and Saloon will raise money for Ukrainian refugees
A concert to raise funds for refugees from Ukraine will be held Monday night in Agoura Hills.
The Concert for Ukraine will bring more than 30 performers to the BL Dancehall and Saloon. Artists include award-winning musicians and actors, among others.
All proceeds will go to the Children’s Emergency Fund, part of the nonprofit Save the Children. Donations will help provide Ukrainian children and families with food, water, shelter and other immediate needs. The nonprofit also supports families displaced by conflict elsewhere around the world.
The event was organized by independent promoter Ken Greene, a Moorpark resident, and Chatsworth-based nonprofit Get Together Foundation, which specializes in fundraising concerts for various causes.
More:
- Ukrainians in Sacramento, Seattle mobilize to help 100,000 expected refugees
- Ventura chefs provide Ukrainian refugees hot meals and hope
The show will feature a house band joined by an array of volunteer performers, including musicians who have played with acts from Twisted Sister, Steely Dan and Supertramp to Bob Dylan, Bonnie Raitt and Lou Reed. Actors Ed Begley Jr. and Rob Morrow are also on the roster.
"This is fully a volunteer effort," said Audrey Philpot, who is helping organize the event. "This is a way we can all make a difference."
Doors open at 5 p.m., with the event scheduled to run until 11 p.m. The BL Dancehall and Saloon is located at 29020 Agoura Road in Agoura Hills.
Seating will be first-come, first-served. Tickets can be purchased in advance for $20 on the online site Eventbrite. A link to buy tickets can also be found under the events tab on the venue's website at blsaloon.com/. Free parking is available.
Donations can be made at the door or through a live stream of Monday night's show available on Alert the Globe.
To see the full line up or for more information, visit https://bit.ly/3qNH36U.
Cytlalli Salgado is a breaking news reporter for the Ventura County Star. She can be reached by calling 805-437-0257 or emailing cytlalli.salgado@vcstar.com.
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https://www.vcstar.com/story/news/local/communities/county/2022/03/31/ukraine-refugee-benefit-concert-childrens-emergency-fund-agoura-hills-ventura-county/7231594001/
| 2022-04-01T00:16:51Z
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Australia's Nick Kyrgios has incurred the wrath of the ATP Tour yet again, earning $35,000 worth of fines for his behavior in a match Tuesday at the Miami Open.
The oft-disciplined Kyrgios was fined $20,000 for verbal abuse of a chair umpire, $5,000 for an audible obscenity and received two $5,000 fines for unsportsmanlike conduct.
Kyrgios was in the midst of a 7-6 (3), 6-3 Round of 16 loss Tuesday to Italy's Jannik Sinner when he lost his composure. Issues began early in the match when Kyrgios complained about the speed of the court.
When the crowd grew louder as complaints continued, Kyrgios began to berate the chair umpire.
It is just the latest incident for Kyrgios, who had a back-and-forth with a fan at Indian Wells, Calif., earlier this month as he objected to getting unsolicited advice from the crowd.
He was fined as much as $113,000 for his behavior at the 2019 Cincinnati Masters, admitted that he "probably" tanked matches over the years when he lost interest and directed insults at Stan Wawrinka during a 2015 match, among other incidents.
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https://www.mdjonline.com/fieldlevel/latest-meltdown-earns-nick-kyrgios-35k-in-fines/article_3148c897-afe2-5cb7-983c-5c5c13f6d33c.html
| 2022-04-01T00:16:51Z
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Fourth round of Evaluations focus on top ransomware and wiper malware groups, including Russian cyber military unit
WALTHAM, Mass., March 31, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Uptycs, provider of the first cloud-native security analytics platform enabling cloud and endpoint security from a common solution, today announced the results of its completed MITRE Engenuity ATT&CK® Enterprise Evaluation, Round 4. This round of independent ATT&CK Evaluations for enterprise cybersecurity solutions emulated the Wizard Spider and Sandworm threat groups. Wizard Spider is responsible for the infamous Ryuk ransomware family, and Sandworm is a Russian cyber military unit behind the 2017 NotPetya attacks.
"Ransomware is a growing scourge for all types of organizations and the focus of these MITRE Engenuity ATT&CK Evaluations could not come at a more appropriate time," said Ganesh Pai, Co-founder and CEO at Uptycs. "Security teams can use these evaluation results to identify gaps in their detection coverage. Our strong performance in both the Windows and Linux portions of the evaluation demonstrate how Uptycs helps these Security teams to detect even advanced ransomware actors, in addition to the hardening needed to minimize the risk of ransomware in the first place."
The MITRE Engenuity evaluations team chose to emulate two threat groups that abuse the Data Encrypted For Impact (T1486) technique. In Wizard Spider's case, they have leveraged data encryption for ransomware, including the widely known Ryuk malware (S0446). Sandworm, on the other hand, leveraged encryption for the destruction of data, perhaps most notably with their NotPetya malware (S0368) that disguised itself as ransomware. While the common thread to this year's evaluations is "Data Encrypted for Impact," both groups have substantial reporting on a broad range of post-exploitation tradecraft.
New advanced detection capabilities helped Uptycs perform strongly in the Wizard Spider and Sandworm evaluation, including:
- Ransomware detection - Uptycs provides generic detection and protection against ransomware attacks on Windows operating systems. The capability analyzes telemetry inside the endpoint agent so it can protect against the attacks in offline mode.
- Process code injection / DLL injection and process hollowing - Uptycs provides generic detection to process code injection and process hollowing on both Windows and Linux endpoints. Process code injection is a technique used by attackers to inject malicious code inside a trusted running process to evade detection.
- Master boot record (MBR) overwrite - Uptycs provides generic detection of MBR overwrite on Windows-based endpoints. MBR overwrite is a technique used by adversaries where the goal is to disrupt operations and make the system unusable.
- Lsass.exe memory credential dumping - To detect attacker attempts to steal credentials, Uptycs provides generic detection of lsass.exe (Local Security Authority Subsystem Service) memory credential dumping on Windows-based endpoints.
For full results and more information about the evaluations, please visit: https://attackevals.mitre-engenuity.org/enterprise/wizard-spider-and-sandworm/.
Sign up for our Uptycs Live webinar to learn more about our participation in the MITRE ATT&CK Evaluations and how our solution protects against ransomware.
About MITRE Engenuity
MITRE Engenuity, a subsidiary of MITRE, is a tech foundation for the public good. MITRE's mission-driven teams are dedicated to solving problems for a safer world. Through our public-private partnerships and federally funded R&D centers, we work across government and in partnership with industry to tackle challenges to the safety, stability, and well-being of our nation.
MITRE Engenuity brings MITRE's deep technical know-how and systems thinking to the private sector to solve complex challenges that government alone cannot solve. MITRE Engenuity catalyzes the collective R&D strength of the broader U.S. federal government, academia, and private sector to tackle national and global challenges, such as protecting critical infrastructure, creating a resilient semiconductor ecosystem, building a genomics center for public good, accelerating use case innovation in 5G, and democratizing threat-informed cyber defense.
About Uptycs
Uptycs provides the first unified, cloud-native security analytics platform that enables both cloud and endpoint security from a common solution. The solution provides a unique telemetry-powered approach to address multiple use cases—including Extended Detection & Response (XDR), Cloud Workload Protection (CWPP), and Cloud Security Posture Management (CSPM). Uptycs enables security professionals to quickly prioritize, investigate, and respond to potential threats across a company's entire attack surface.
View original content:
SOURCE Uptycs
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https://www.wmbfnews.com/prnewswire/2022/03/31/mitre-engenuity-attampck-evaluations-highlights-uptycs-ransomware-detection-capabilities/
| 2022-04-01T00:16:51Z
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ST. LOUIS, March 31, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Christian Horizons, in service to older adults throughout the Midwest, was proud to partner with DailyPay, a service that provides access to earned pay for associates, while Christian Horizons' payroll vendor abruptly took its system offline to investigate a ransomware attack last December. Through collaborative efforts, Christian Horizons and DailyPay provided paycheck peace of mind to associates of the senior living and older adult services organization throughout the 2021 holiday season.
"We're incredibly grateful for this partnership and proud of the collaboration with DailyPay during this unusual situation," said Chuck Schmitz, Christian Horizons' chief financial officer. "It was vital for us to ensure DailyPay was available as a benefit to our associates, especially over the holidays."
After first learning of their payroll vendor's outage, Christian Horizons' swiftly enabled its business continuity plan which included solutions for alternative employee timekeeping and payroll distribution. Through Christian Horizons' collaboration with DailyPay, associates were able to access to their earned pay during the five weeks it took the payroll vendor to restore normal services.
"We took this opportunity to further strengthen vendor partnerships, like ours with DailyPay, to ensure not only that pay continued to be received, but prioritize other business continuity throughout our communities and service lines," said Schmitz. "We're appreciative of the collaboration with DailyPay as their services helped us mitigate any potential void as our other vendor worked to recover from the event."
As a faith-based, not-for-profit organization, Christian Horizons is in service to a mission of honoring God by offering a full continuum of care and support services to older adults. Based in St. Louis, Missouri, the organization owns and operates a portfolio of seven life plan campuses and five stand-alone older adult communities offering a mix of independent, assisted and supportive living; memory support; long-term healthcare centers and short-term rehabilitation. The organization also serves older adults through CareLink Home Care and Safe Haven Hospice in central Illinois, and Senior Care Pharmacy Services. Learn more at https://christianhorizonsliving.org/.
View original content to download multimedia:
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https://www.13abc.com/prnewswire/2022/03/31/christian-horizons-partners-with-dailypay-ensure-paychecks-are-delivered/
| 2022-04-01T00:16:51Z
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PR Newswire
MINNEAPOLIS, March 31, 2022
December 2021 IPO Provides Capital to Accelerate Growth Strategy
2021 Revenues Increase 681% While Fourth Quarter Revenues Grew 19% Sequentially Compared to the Third Quarter, Reflecting an Acceleration in Momentum and an Inflection Point in the Company's Growth Trajectory – With Most Growth Occurring Prior to IPO Funding
IPO Proceeds Deployed to Grow the Brand, Increase Awareness, and Procure Inventory to Sustain Strong Sequential Momentum in 2022
Over 1,000 New Points of Distribution Added in First Quarter, More Than All of Last Year
Celebrities Nina Dobrev and Julianne Hough, Initial and Ongoing Investors, Continue to Enthusiastically Endorse FVW Celebrating Partners and Product Launches Among Their More Than 30 Million Social Media Followers
MINNEAPOLIS, March 31, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Fresh Vine Wine, Inc. (NYSE American: VINE), the premier producer of premium lower carb, lower sugar, and lower calorie wines in the United States, today reported strong financial results for the three months and fiscal year ended December 31, 2021, including year-over-year annual revenue growth of 681% from $217 thousand in 2020 to $1.700 million in 2021.
Janelle Anderson, CEO of Fresh Vine Wine, Inc., said, "I am extremely proud of our team, which grew the business both for the year and sequentially in the fourth quarter by executing on extremely aggressive marketing and go-to-market strategy, while concurrently completing our IPO. This reflects an inflection in the company's growth trajectory and is indicative of the results we expect this year. We have already put the IPO proceeds to work building our brand, investing in our people, and procuring inventory. In the first quarter of 2022, we added over 1,000 new points of distribution (PODs), which is more than twice the 900 PODs we had at time of IPO. We believe that this leading indicator, coupled with our increased inventory levels, suggest accelerating revenue growth and strong first quarter results."
Ms. Anderson continued, "The speed of our expansion is remarkable, which speaks to the quality of our sales and marketing strategy and the pedigree of our organization. Our success reinforces the viability of consumer demand for our category-defining, premium tasting brand of lower carb, lower sugar, lower calorie wines. We plan to continue this positive trajectory in 2022 by introducing new product offerings and expanding our marketing efforts, in part by leveraging the 30 million-plus social media followers of our celebrity spokespeople and co-founders, Nina Dobrev and Julianne Hough. It is encouraging and rewarding to begin this year with significant positive momentum."
Recent Business Highlights
- In December 2021, the Company closed its Initial Public Offering, raising net proceeds of $19.2 million
- Added 1,000 Points of Distribution in the first quarter
Retail
- Launched in our first national "C-Store" where we have been authorized at their more than 1,600 California locations
- Securing a top national convenience store chain to carry our wines in the state of California is a true breakthrough for Fresh Vine Wine and further validates the demand for our lower carb, lower calorie, lower sugar premium wines
- Secured placement at the newest resort on the Famous Las Vegas Strip
- FVW wines premium Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay and other varietals will be featured at 22 various venues at the newly launched Resorts World Las Vegas
- Expanded partnership with retail grocer, Hy-Vee, for the distribution of our premium Limited Reserve Napa Cabernet
- To be featured at all Hy-Vee stores in the Upper Midwest
- Announced a partnership with CRAVE American Kitchen & Sushi Bar
- Featured as a premium wine pairing and frequently recommended as the perfect complement to their special lunch and dinner menus
Geographic Expansion
- Expanded into 6 new states in the first quarter of 2022, including Nevada coincident with the Resorts World launch
- FVW now available nationwide, one of the Company's key strategic priorities.
Direct to Consumer
- Experienced record-breaking single day sales on two separate occasions, reflecting the impact of our social media marketing strategy
- Record demand after major shareholders Nina Dobrev and Julianne Hough appeared across national media following VINE IPO day and then again after their appearance on The Ellen Show https://bit.ly/36VuRd4. Expect more exciting appearances representing Fresh Vine Wine by these highly influential celebrities
New Product Release
- Released a fifth varietal, a Limited Reserve Napa Cabernet Sauvignon
- The introduction of this premium wine represents further progress in our business objectives to leverage our presence at retail to increase distribution and fuel future growth.
- Announced the bottling of our 2021 Vintage Rosé at 21 times the quantity of 2020 Rosé bottled
- After selling out the entire 2020 Rosé Vintage within months of bottling, now bottling the 2021 Vintage Rosé at 21 times the amount of Rosé bottled for the 2020 vintage.
Fourth Quarter and Fiscal Year 2021 Financial Results and Commentary
Net revenue in fiscal 2021 was $1.70 million, up from $217,000 in fiscal 2020. Growth was primarily attributable to our increased presence in the wholesale market, where we significantly expanded our distributor network and geographic presence, and the introduction of our wine club, which drove direct-to-consumer sales. Of total 2021 revenue, $773,000 was from our wholesale distribution channel and $774,000 was from our direct-to-consumer sales channel. As fourth quarter revenues were affected by an inventory drawdown precipitated by very strong demand, the Company used this period to accelerate the timing of the launch of its Strategic Services segment, which netted over $150,000 of revenue in the quarter, and is expected to continue quarterly in fiscal 2022. Selling, general and administrative expenses were $4.79 million for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2021, compared to $1.33 million for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2020, largely driven by increases in Selling, Marketing and General & Administrative expenses. The year-over-year increase in Marketing expenses primarily resulted from our sports marketing partnerships while the increase in General & Administrative expenses is the result of increased salaries and wages needed to support the growth in sales. Selling expenses generally follow our sales volume growth. The Company reported a net loss of $9.97 million, or ($1.12) per share, for fiscal 2021, compared to a net loss of $1.29 million, or ($0.21) per share in fiscal 2020.
Liquidity and Capital Resources
- The Company's cash and cash equivalents balance as of December 31, 2021, was $16.1 million. The Company has no material debt.
About Fresh Vine Wine, Inc.
Fresh Vine Wine, Inc. (NYSE American: VINE) is a premier producer of lower carb, lower calorie premium wines in the United States, kicking off a 2022 growth plan following its IPO in mid-December 2021. Fresh Vine Wine's brand vision is to lead the emerging natural and accessible premium wine category, as health trends continue to accelerate in the US marketplace. The 2020 US wine market was a $69 billion category. Fresh Vine Wine plans to accelerate growth in 2022 by amplifying its marketing, expanding product offerings, and expanding its team. Fresh Vine Wine positions its core brand lineup as an affordable luxury, retailing between $14.99-$22.99. Fresh Vine Wine's varietals currently include its Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, and Rosé.
Forward-Looking Statements
This press release includes forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements generally can be identified by the use of words such as "anticipate," "expect," "plan," "could," "may," "will," "believe," "estimate," "forecast," "goal," "project," and other words of similar meaning. These forward-looking statements address various matters including statements regarding the timing or nature of future operating or financial performance or other events. Each forward-looking statement contained in this press release is subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such statement. Applicable risks and uncertainties include, among others, the Company's ability to hire additional personnel and to manage the growth of its business; the Company's reliance on its brand name, reputation and product quality; the Company's ability to adequately address increased demands that may be placed on its management, operational and production capabilities; the effectiveness of the Company's advertising and promotional activities and investments; the Company's reliance on celebrities to endorse its wines and market its brand; general competitive conditions; fluctuations in consumer demand for wine; overall decline in the health of the economy and consumer discretionary spending; the occurrence of adverse weather events, natural disasters, public health emergencies, or other unforeseen circumstances that may cause delays to or interruptions in the Company's operations; risks associated with disruptions in the Company's supply chain for grapes and raw and processed materials; the impact of COVID-19 and its variants on the Company's customers, suppliers, business operations and financial results; disrupted or delayed service by the distributors the Company relies on for the distribution of its wines; the Company's ability to successfully execute its growth strategy; the Company's success in retaining or recruiting, or changes required in, its officers, key employees or directors; the Company's ability to protect its trademarks and other intellectual property rights; the Company's ability to comply with laws and regulations affecting its business, including those relating to the manufacture, sale and distribution of wine; claims, demands and lawsuits to which the Company may be subject and the risk that its insurance or indemnities coverage may not be sufficient; the Company's ability to operate, update or implement its IT systems; the Company's ability to successfully pursue strategic acquisitions and integrate acquired businesses; the Company's potential ability to obtain additional financing when and if needed; the Company's founders' significant influence over the Company; and the risks identified in the Company's other filings with the SEC. The Company cautions investors not to place considerable reliance on the forward-looking statements contained in this press release. You are encouraged to read the Company's filings with the SEC, available at www.sec.gov for a discussion of these and other risks and uncertainties. The forward-looking statements in this press release speak only as of the date of this document, and the Company undertakes no obligation to update or revise any of these statements. The Company's business is subject to substantial risks and uncertainties, including those referenced above. Investors, potential investors, and others should give careful consideration to these risks and uncertainties.
Contact: [email protected]
View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/fresh-vine-wine-announces-fourth-quarter-and-full-year-2021-financial-results-301515415.html
SOURCE Fresh Vine Wine, Inc.
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https://www.gurufocus.com/news/1676054/fresh-vine-wine-announces-fourth-quarter-and-full-year-2021-financial-results
| 2022-04-01T00:16:51Z
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GREENVILLE, S.C. (AP) — A 12-year-old student was shot and killed Thursday by another 12-year-old student inside their South Carolina middle school, authorities said.
The shooter was found hiding under a deck at a home not far from Tanglewood Middle School in Greenville about an hour after the shooting and was still armed, Greenville County Sheriff Hobart Lewis said.
The boy is charged with murder, possession of a firearm at a school and possession of a weapon by someone under 18. He was taken to a juvenile prison in Columbia, Lewis said.
“He was hiding. He’s a young man, probably didn’t understand the consequences of what had just happened,” the sheriff said at a news conference. “I don’t think he knew what to do, honestly, except for to leave the school.”
The boys knew each other, but the sheriff said investigators are still trying to figure out what led to the shooting in a front part of the school and how the boy got the gun.
No one else was injured in the shooting.
The family of the boy killed released a statement saying he was Jamari Cortez Bonaparte Jackson and asking people to respect their privacy as they grieve.
“We are all devastated by today’s tragedy. We love Jamari dearly,” the family said in a statement released by community justice group Fighting Injustice Together.
A police officer at the school called in the shooting and requested emergency backup around 12:30 p.m. and more than 200 deputies and other law enforcement officers rushed to the school, Lewis said.
Helicopter footage from WYFF-TV showed dozens of officers walking around outside the school with more than two dozen buses lined up. Some students were slowly boarding the buses.
Everyone on campus, including teachers, were taken to a nearby church.
Greenville County Schools Superintendent Burke Royster said he doesn’t have any idea how the gun ended up at school and a student killed.
“I’m not sure after a full and thorough law enforcement investigation anyone will really know what was going through the mind of that young person who took this rash act,” Royster said.
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https://www.kget.com/national-news/police-student-kills-peer-at-south-carolina-middle-school/
| 2022-04-01T00:16:52Z
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Elections officials deserve our immediate protection
Across the country, elections officials face unprecedented attacks. In Fulton County, Ga., the elections director received a voicemail that said he’d “better run,” with a threat to execute him. In Arizona, the secretary of state received terrifying threats to her safety. One woman left her a voicemail saying, “You will never be safe in Arizona again.” In Vermont, a man approached a group of elections officials and delivered an ominous threat: “Your days are f***ing numbered.”
No matter where you fall on the political spectrum, we all can agree that no one should be threatened for volunteering his or her time to make sure every American can exercise their right to vote. But unfortunately, these threats are not isolated incidents — they are indicative of a concerning trend: America’s elections officials are under attack. As they perform a critical service for our democracy by ensuring that our elections run smoothly, these officials now must fear for their safety and that of their families.
According to the Brennan Center for Justice, one in three elections officials feel unsafe because of their jobs and one in five listed threats to their safety as a job-related concern. In addition to new safety concerns, these public servants face unprecedented levels of disinformation about elections and increased pressure to place partisan interests above all else. It’s a frightening time to be an elections official.
Given these challenges, it’s no surprise that many accomplished officials are choosing to leave their jobs. This reality is deeply concerning for the future of elections in our country.
America’s elections depend on these dedicated public servants who live in our communities and are at the frontlines of our democracy. These individuals — our neighbors, community leaders, church members, seniors and so many others — administer our elections, register Americans to vote, provide ballots to voters, help voters navigate how and when to vote, and ensure our democracy runs the way it should. They are vital to our participatory democracy.
That’s why the Voter Participation Center, When We All Vote, and the Southern Poverty Law Center Action Fund are calling on Congress to immediately pass the Election Worker and Polling Place Protection Act, which would increase and strengthen desperately needed protections for elections workers.
Specifically, this legislation would expand and clarify protections for elections officials to cover other individuals involved in the democratic process, including volunteer workers and families of elected officials. It would prohibit threats to elections officials’ property and the intentional damaging of polling places and tabulation centers. This bill would be a meaningful step forward for our elections officials.
We see firsthand how the work of these public servants — many who volunteer their time — is integral to America’s democracy and are deeply grateful for their vital service to civic engagement. From instilling public confidence in a fair, transparent system to interacting with voters of all political stripes to running complicated elections with limited resources, we cannot overstate the importance of this nonpartisan work by elections officials and poll workers.
As major civic engagement organizations, we want to draw attention to the safety of elections administrators and come together to support our elections officials. They deserve increased civility and respect. Protecting our elections officials is one of several critical issues related to voter access that must be addressed to strengthen our democracy. As a country, we must do everything we can to protect these devoted public servants and our elections system.
The Department of Justice has taken a critical step in protecting our democracy by creating a task force to address the rise in violent threats against elections officials. We urge this task force to act swiftly and decisively to identify and address threats to officials. There is also a real need right now for engaged citizens to sign up to be poll workers in their communities. Visit the U.S. Election Assistance Commission to find out how you can help your neighbors vote this year and help keep our democracy strong.
This is not a red or blue issue. Let’s work together to protect all elections officials, to return civility to the process of voting, and commit to strengthening our democracy and those who manage the process.
Tom Lopach is president and CEO of The Voter Participation Center and the Center for Voter Information.
Stephanie Young is executive director for When We All Vote.
Fred McBride is senior policy adviser for voting rights and civic engagement at the Southern Poverty Law Center Action Fund.
The Hill has removed its comment section, as there are many other forums for readers to participate in the conversation. We invite you to join the discussion on Facebook and Twitter.
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https://thehill.com/opinion/campaign/596974-elections-officials-deserve-our-immediate-protection/
| 2022-04-01T00:16:49Z
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Tennis courts, pool at Royalty Crossing closing down permanently this fall
Facilities shutting down on Sept. 1 to make room for redevelopments
Some sporting facilities located at the basement of the Royalty Crossing mall will be shutting down this fall as work on a new redevelopment begins.
The indoor tennis courts and swimming pool located at the Spa Total Fitness Centre in the mall's basement will shut down permanently on Sept. 1.
That's as the mall's owners look to make room for further developments in the property formerly known as the Charlottetown Mall.
"The Royalty Crossing centre is undergoing major revitalization. New owners purchased the centre in spring of 2021, and we've already started with some major renovations," said property manager Tracey Barrett.
"Part of the longevity plan for the centre is we're just changing the scope and adding more services and becoming a destination for Islanders and shoppers."
The mall owners plan to use the space for a larger food hall, family entertainment venues and office space.
Spa's owner, Colin Younker, said that while the development is a net positive for his business, the news is still bittersweet.
"Obviously it's mixed emotions for us here at the Spa. We have a lot of members that utilize those facilities on a regular basis, and we feel for those members who will be displaced in that sense," he said.
"[The Spa has] been here for over 40 years and we're very proud to be able to say that, you know, as far as the sport and rec facilities, it's held a test of time — but change and growth in any business is inevitable, and we're very much looking forward to the next chapter."
P.E.I.'s only indoor tennis courts shutting down
In the meantime, some long-time users of those facilities said they're disappointed they will be closing down.
Bob Gollaher, president of Tennis P.E.I., said that while he isn't surprised the tennis courts will be shutting down, he didn't expect they would do so this fall.
The tennis courts are the only indoor courts in P.E.I. The facility is host to events during the winter, such as the Rogers Rookie Tournament
"We were under no illusions that tennis courts would be part of the [developer's] long-term strategy, but we were surprised to find out yesterday that the closure would occur Sept. 1. That doesn't give us a lot of time for planning an alternative indoor tennis strategy," Gollaher said.
"Obviously, we won't have anything available for this winter. Now we are developing some, we have a short-term plan, but it still would be a stretch to have some indoor facilities."
Gollaher said the sports organization has asked the mall whether there is flexibility as to when the tennis courts will close.
In the meantime, Tennis P.E.I. is looking at setting up domes over an existing outdoor court facility as an alternative.
Spa's other facilities such as its gym and squash courts will remain open to the public once the tennis courts and swimming pool close.
Besides the planned new offerings, Royalty Crossing said its also working on further renovations, upgrades and getting new retailers in vacant storefronts.
With files from Brian Higgins
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https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/prince-edward-island/pei-royalty-crossing-mall-spa-tennis-court-pool-closing-1.6404580?cmp=rss
| 2022-04-01T00:16:52Z
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First Alert Forecast:
JACKSON, Miss. (WLBT) - Quieter weather is here today and should last through this weekend. It will be a little chilly tonight with lows near 40 and a light breeze. Friday will be partly sunny as a weak disturbance drops in from the north. Highs will reach the lower 70s. Saturday will again be partly sunny and breezy with a few sprinkles possible. Highs in the middle 70s. Sunday will be mostly sunny with highs in the middle 70s.
Temperatures reach the 80s Monday, and a few showers are possible. A stronger system will move in Tuesday and Wednesday with showers and thunderstorms. The severe threat is hard to narrow down right now, but we’ll monitor this very closely as the days grow nearer.
Average high is 73 and the average low is 49 this time of year. West wind tonight at 5mph and Northeast at the same speeds Friday. Sunrise is 6:48am and the sunset is 7:20pm.
Want more WLBT news in your inbox? Click here to subscribe to our newsletter.
Copyright 2022 WLBT. All rights reserved.
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https://www.wlbt.com/2022/03/31/first-alert-forecast-2/
| 2022-04-01T00:16:52Z
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Russian troops not withdrawing but regrouping in Ukraine, NATO says
Russian forces in Ukraine should not withdrawing however regrouping, NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg mentioned on Thursday, commenting on Moscow’s bulletins a couple of cutting down of army operations round Kyiv.
Stoltenberg additionally mentioned the alliance has but to be satisfied that Russia was negotiating in good religion in peace talks in Istanbul as a result of Moscow’s army goal since launching its invasion of Ukraine has not modified.
“According to our intelligence, Russian units are not withdrawing but repositioning. Russia is trying to regroup, resupply and reinforce its offensive in the Donbas region,” Stoltenberg advised reporters in Brussels.
For the latest headlines, follow our Google News channel online or via the app.
Moscow says it is now focusing on “liberating” the Donbas region – two southeastern provinces partly managed by separatists Russia has backed since 2014.
“At the same time, Russia maintains pressure on Kyiv and other cities. So we can expect additional offensive actions, bringing even more suffering.”
Russia says it launched a “special military operation” to disarm and “de-nazify” its neighbor, and that the mission goes to plan.
“We have no real change in the real Russian objective… they continue to pursue a military outcome,” Stoltenberg mentioned.
He additionally mentioned NATO allies would proceed to supply weapons to Ukraine for as an extended as essential.
Read extra:
Red Cross confirms strike on Mariupol warehouse, unable to deliver aid since March 15
Zelenskyy urges Dutch to boycott Russian energy exports
Cyprus ‘highly vulnerable’ to economic fallout from Ukraine war: IMF
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https://thewall.fyi/russian-troops-not-withdrawing-but-regrouping-in-ukraine-nato-says/
| 2022-04-01T00:16:52Z
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https://dan.com/buy-domain/ybssky.com
| 2022-04-01T00:16:52Z
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Actress Tina Bursill, currently starring in Ensemble Theatre’s production of Love Letters, and next month as the ugly stepmother in Cinderella at Melbourne’s Regent Theatre, can sympathise with all NSW residents whose homes have been flooded.
The AACTA award-winning actress has been living in temporary accommodation in the Southern Highlands for the past six months since disaster struck her Bowral family home in the form of a burst water pipe.
“It wasn’t just the loss of the family home, but all the memories in my parents’ house,” says the former star of Prisoner, Doctor Doctor and Wentworth.
“Then having to go through everything and decipher what to keep – and what to discard – not to mention the smell of mould which no matter how much you wash never seems to go away.
“I have a huge place in my heart for all those people in northern NSW – I understand the heartache – even though the scale there is much worse,” she says.
Not only did she move from Bondi to the Southern Highlands last year, but she also had some health challenges recently and underwent breast surgery.
Bursill would be one of Australia’s best known female faces of the small screen. Which is why Denistone-based artist John Klein asked her to sit for his as a subject for this year’s Archibald Portrait Prize.
The two met at a Variety Club charity function at Chatswood Chase shopping centre, where Klein was working in marketing before he gave up his job to focus on his art. They spent several hours on a very hot Sydney day in his studio for the sitting, while he sketched her.
“I really wanted to show the blue of the sea that she loves and the sun and the sand from her time living in Bondi Beach before her move to Bowral,” says Klein.
“I also made her hair look windswept and wanted to include a piece of jewellery – a necklace that she has a special connection to and always wears,” he explains.
Bursill says:“The necklace was bestowed on me by one of Darlinghurst’s great characters who recently died. A woman called Elizabeth Burton who was a striptease artist who saw me at a time when I was undergoing a series of breast operations.”
“I met her at a wake and when she found out what I was going through she gave me the necklace with a turquoise stone from a Navajo Native American and including some crystals that belonged to her grandmother.
“She was aware of my vulnerability and took the necklace from around her neck and placed it on me. I always wear it now and treasure it,” she says.
“I tried to capture some of that vulnerability but also her strength in the painting,” says Klein, who admits he was nervous the first time he revealed the painting to Bursill.
“I was entranced by it straight away. I was able to see the brightness and my gaze – but I think he observed the longing in me,” Bursill says.
This week Klein was one of the hundreds of artists who personally delivered their entries in Australia’s best known portrait prize, which this year enters its 101st year.
As did Tony Costa, the 2019 winner for his portrait of Lindy Lee, who this year painted documentary photographer Roger Scott, in a sitting at Costa’s Strathfield studio.
“He’s a good friend and I was struck by his gentle, shy personality,” said Costa of his subject.
“I’m more interested in a person’s spirit and Roger has a strong spirit. He’s had some tragedy in his life and you can see it in his face, I tried to capture that.”
Costa, a 10-time Archibald finalist has been touring with the 2019 Archibald exhibition for the past two years, in between lockdowns, and one thing he learnt was how beloved the $100,000 art prize, named for the first editor of The Bulletin, J.F. Archibald, is.
“Everyone loves the Archibald. Artists usually choose to paint people who are special to them. It doesn’t have to be a celebrity, it can be your local garbo, as long as the person is special to the artist you will see it in the work,” he says.
‘It doesn’t have to be a celebrity, it can be your local garbo – as long as the person is special to the artist, you will see it in the work.’
2019 Archibald winner Tony Costa
Floods were a common theme among entrants this year, with artists such as Blak Douglas painting a picture of his friend Karla Dickens, from Lismore, wading in rainwater carrying leaky buckets.
For his entry in the Wynne Prize, Palm Beach photographer Paul Farrar painted an abstract painting of the Colo River, the area of the Hawkesbury along the Putty Road that regularly floods. Entitled Inner City Personal Landscape, Colo River Dawn #22, it recalled a flooded landscape, and even got wet from rain as he delivered it for judging.
The 2022 Archibald, Wynne and Sulman Prizes will be on display at the Art Gallery of NSW from May 14 until August 28, before touring to regional NSW and Victoria. The Archibald winner will be announced on May 13.
A cultural guide to going out and loving your city. Sign up to our Culture Fix newsletter here.
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https://www.watoday.com.au/culture/art-and-design/strong-spirits-and-special-people-the-secret-to-archibald-portraits-20220331-p5a9oq.html?ref=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_source=rss_feed
| 2022-04-01T00:16:52Z
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DETROIT (AP) _ The winning numbers in Thursday evening's drawing of the Michigan Lottery's "Fantasy 5" game were:
06-09-28-29-30
(six, nine, twenty-eight, twenty-nine, thirty)
DETROIT (AP) _ The winning numbers in Thursday evening's drawing of the Michigan Lottery's "Fantasy 5" game were:
06-09-28-29-30
(six, nine, twenty-eight, twenty-nine, thirty)
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https://www.lakecountystar.com/lottery/article/Winning-numbers-drawn-in-Fantasy-5-game-17049785.php
| 2022-04-01T00:16:52Z
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The love that bigotry couldn't destroy: As students they were besotted... then Mark vanished from Penny's life, leaving her distraught. Four decades on, she has learnt why - her racist dad warned him off but now they are back together again
- Mark Bethel and Penny Umbers were in a picture perfect relationship in the 70s
- But after Penny's racist dad threatened Mark into ending it, it all crashed down
- Both moved on, and married other people, but never got over what happened
- Now 39 years later they have reunited in what has become a fairytale for the pair
Even the most inventive author of romantic fiction could not have written a plot more heartbreaking - or a sweeter, happy-ever-after ending.
But every word of the extraordinary love story of Penny Umbers and Mark Bethel - from its beginnings in the 1970s to its joyous final chapter, playing out now - is as remarkable as it is true.
Penny and Mark are in their early 60s, but fell in love in their teens: a first love, intense and all-consuming.
They planned to be together for ever, mapped out marriage and children. But bitter racial prejudices forced them apart.
For Penny is white and Mark is black, and in an era when mixed race marriages were rare, Penny’s disapproving father contrived to separate them.
Penny Umbers and Mark Bethel, pictured in the Bahamas together, were forced apart for 40 years by her racist father
Unaware Mark had been coerced into leaving her, Penny was distraught and attempted suicide. Not long after, Mark returned to the Bahamas.
Separated by 3,000 miles for 39 years, they each endured unhappy marriages and nurtured unspoken hopes that one day they would be reunited. For both, it seemed an impossible dream.
Then, in April 2019 — thanks to social media — their lives collided again. Mark, 62, found his Penny: and she learned of her father’s betrayal.
In June last year, as soon as Covid restrictions permitted, Penny flew to the Bahamas to see Mark again. All their soaring hopes were realised: their future together is at last under way.
‘Mark shouted “Umbers” across the airport concourse and we fell into each other’s arms. The years just melted away. It was as if we’d never been apart,’ says Penny.
‘He kissed me and started to cry. We were both overwhelmed. I said: “Mark, Mark, I am here at last".
'Being with him was every bit as wonderful as I’d remembered, physically and emotionally.’
The loved up couple had planned to spend their whole lives together, but Penny's father threatened Mark into ending their three-year relationship in 1970s
After three blissful weeks together, Penny, 61, returned to Worcestershire to her job as an executive assistant, but longed to see Mark again.
‘And on my second visit in October 2021, he produced a beautiful diamond ring and said: “Please will you marry me?”
‘I had no hesitation in saying yes. I was absolutely dying for him to propose,’ she smiles.
‘We are completely committed to each other,’ adds Mark, speaking on Zoom from the sun-filled garden of his house in Nassau.
He is grey and bearded now, his handsome dark eyes framed by professorial spectacles; a rich, deep voice betraying the timbre of his public school education, where, more than 40 years ago, he was the only black pupil.
Penny, in England tying up loose ends before she emigrates to the Bahamas and finally marries the only man she has ever truly loved, is petite, her face unlined; radiant with happiness.
Hard to imagine, as they contemplate retirement together, the prejudice that separated them four decades ago.
It was three years into their relationship that, unbeknown to Penny, her father sought out Mark in London where he was studying hotel management, and hauled him into the dean’s office.
Mark, pictured here with his cricket team in England, caught Penny's eye in a pub in Nottingham
There he told Mark to stop seeing his daughter - or face dire consequences.
‘I stood there in front of two high status white men - the dean and Penny’s father - who made it clear he knew ways and people who could end my scholarship if I continued to see his daughter; people who could make me leave and go back to the Bahamas.
'"You will tell Penny that you will drop her," he told me. "You will not explain why; you will just move on and not mention this conversation".'
‘And as much as I loved Penny, and respected her father’s right to protect his daughter, his intimidation was the final straw. It completely destroyed me.’
Mark, alone and vulnerable in a city where racial divisions ran deep, said his last farewell to Penny, honouring her father’s diktat that he explain nothing.
Penny was distraught and uncomprehending: 'I saw him disappear and I collapsed in tears. I got the mail train home, heartbroken, in the middle of the night, stupidly thinking I’d find some comfort there.
‘My father came to meet the train at 5am. When I told him in floods of tears that Mark had finished with me, he just grunted. I was too exhausted from crying to wonder why he didn’t comfort me.
‘I felt desperate. Mark had brought such joy into my life and I couldn’t bear to live without the hope of seeing him again. I was crushed. I didn’t want to live any more.’
Months later, already taking antidepressants prescribed by a psychiatrist who had been treating Penny since the break-up, she bought more pills from a chemist and swallowed an overdose.
Penny, pictured here in 1978, was left heartbroken by the apparent conclusion of their relationship
‘I should have died, but my body rejected the medication and I was sick. I survived to endure life without Mark.’
He had written poems dedicated to her; painted pictures for her. He loved her unconditionally and with a fervour she reciprocated.
There had been no rancour or arguments. Inexplicably, the boy she adored had just gone.
That Penny’s home life had been bereft of affection made Mark’s absence all the more distressing.
Born in Leeds, the eldest of three children, her upbringing was privileged but marred by her mother’s remoteness. Her father, a company director, often moved jobs.
‘My mother and I weren’t close, and we children weren’t important to her as individuals,’ says Penny.
‘We had nannies when we were small to keep us out of my mother’s way and I was packed off to boarding school at 11. When I came home for holidays, I poured all my love into my many pets. The saviours of my childhood were my horses.’
Mark, meanwhile, spent his first years in a cottage in Nassau. But his father, an Oxford graduate who worked in telecoms, was determined his son would enjoy a British education as he had done.
Mark was sent away to prep school in Warwickshire at six years old.
There, he was bewildered by racist taunts: ‘I was called a n***er. I didn’t know what the word meant. I was called a golliwog and thought it was a term of endearment.
'I didn’t know they were belittling me. Now I feel the pain of those memories. All I wanted to do was fit in and find my purpose.’
It was at college in Derbyshire that he discovered his niche: a dashing sportsman, he excelled at cricket, hockey, rugby, tennis and athletics.
And when he was 17, Penny, then 16, came into his life. On a night out with schoolfriends in a Nottingham pub, she spotted him smiling at her.
‘He was tall, gorgeous and had a heart-melting smile,’ she recalls. ‘And he seemed genuinely interested in talking to me. He was just so friendly and chatty.’
Mark was there with his cricket team, celebrating a win.
The pair, pictured here with their book Thirty-Nine Years in the Wilderness, were able to reunite using social media
Penny, he says, ‘was the sweetest most adorable person I’d ever spoken to. I remember that English rose walking through the door and my heart melting.’
She went to watch Mark play cricket the next day. The following week they shared their first slow dance at his school ball.
On a cloud of euphoria, she confided to her father: ‘I’ve met a lovely boy.’ I was bubbling with excitement.
'"The darkie?" he asked. I hadn’t heard that word used before and hoped it wasn’t derogatory. I loved and trusted him but I felt disappointed, uncomfortable.'
Less than ten years earlier, Enoch Powell had made his ‘rivers of blood’ speech condemning immigration; decrying the idea of mixed race marriages.
Penny’s father was firmly aligned with the Conservative MP. But she was resolute: their romance continued.
In those pre-mobile phone days they communicated by letter. Penny was by then boarding at Oakham School in Rutland, and they continued to meet at sporting fixtures.
Mark remembers making love after a cricket match, ‘under the trees and the blue sky in a secluded bower away from the pitch and prying eyes, in our own private world’.
Penny recalls covert weekends when he smuggled her into his room at school. She even recalls a rare evening when her parents invited Mark to dinner.
‘He was so lovely and well-mannered and I thought they were warming to him,’ she says.
The couple, both of whom have been married and divorced, have picked up where they left off and are restarting their lives together
‘I remember watching my father from the drawing room window talking to him in the garden and feeling so pleased. What I didn’t realise was that he was warning Mark off.’
Mark made no mention to Penny of the ultimatum her father gave him that balmy summer’s evening.
Mark says: ‘He said: "You’ve had your fun, move on. You can sleep here tonight, but I want you gone in the morning.”
‘Then we shook hands like gentlemen, and both went back into the house. I sat there, utterly shocked and diminished.’
That might have been the end had Mark and Penny not been so committed to each other. Although Penny had won a place at Warwick University, she chose to go to London instead, to be near Mark.
‘We’d hoped to share a flat, but I had to go into a hall of residence. Mark rented an awful dingy basement bedsit off Baker Street and eked out his small scholarship by working in McDonald’s.’
It was during the first year of their degrees that Penny’s father ended their relationship.
Mark — exhausted by work and study, defeated by the racist bullying — capitulated.
‘I was frightened, I lacked the self-assurance I have today and I was worried that if I lost my scholarship I’d have to go back to the Bahamas and tell my parents I’d failed,’ he says.
Mark and Penny plan on getting married, with Mark popping the question when they met for the second time after their reunion
‘I felt my only option was to leave Penny. I just went back to my bedsit and cried. My life was blown apart when we separated.’
‘It was horrendous,’ adds Penny. ‘My world collapsed. I just thought Mark had gone off me; that I was ugly, fat; not what he wanted. I didn’t want to live any more.’
They never expected to see each other again. Penny went on to marry: it was expected of her.
‘He was a lovely person but I was not in love with him. I left after a year,’ she says.
A second disastrous marriage followed.
‘I stuck it out for ten years because I didn’t want to be divorced for a second time so soon. I just thought: “My life is meant to be miserable".'
Neither marriage bore children - though Penny says that if she had her time again with Mark, she’d have wanted nothing more.
Mark, meanwhile, worked in hotels around the world, as a food and beverage director and assistant general manager.
He married, unhappily, and raised two children. ‘Emotionally, I was an empty vessel,’ he says.
‘I never stopped thinking about Penny and used her as a yardstick against which to measure others, who never measured up — how could they? I was the happiest man ever when I was with her.’
Divorced in the 1990s, he tried to trace Penny, even enquiring through her old school to ask if they could find her. But all his efforts failed.
Penny, meanwhile, harboured similar yearnings. ‘I’d be in London and would catch sight of someone and think it was Mark and my heart would leap.’
In 2014, she looked him up on Facebook: ‘And I found his photo; saw what a handsome middle-aged man he had become. I didn’t dare message him. I didn’t want him to think I was stalking him. I assumed he’d be happily married.’
Meanwhile, Mark had renewed his search for Penny, spurred on by a health scare which focused his mind on what he really wanted from life: his one true love.
In 2018, he finally found her: ‘As beautiful as ever. And when I saw her photo it was like the universe burst open. I fell in love all over again.’
He sent messages via Facebook. Repeatedly. But Penny — not au fait with social media — failed to pick them up for a full five months.
It was April 2019 when she finally, tentatively, responded.
Then they spoke on the phone for the first time in almost 40 years. ‘We both cried. I was trembling all over when I heard his gorgeous voice,’ she says.
‘It was during that first conversation that Mark told me the truth about what had happened between him and my father all those years ago. He explained that he’d still loved me but had been forced to give me up.
‘Only then did it dawn on me that I had been terribly deceived by my father. I was angry, devastated and for the first time I realised what an awful wrong he’d done to Mark.’
Today, Penny’s father has Alzheimer’s. He has no memory of Mark or that betrayal.
Her mother has Parkinson’s and, says Penny, her vulnerability has brought them closer. But she does not acknowledge the furore that caused Penny such heartbreak.
I wonder if Mark has forgiven Penny’s father for the devastation he wrought. ‘We have moved on,’ he says mildly. ‘There is no point in harbouring animosity.
‘Now we want to look forward in hope, to sharing our lives together,’ he says, as they exchange a tender smile. I just wish my arms were 3,000 miles long so I could be hugging her now.’
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https://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-10674389/Mark-Pennys-fairytale-reunion-rekindles-relationship-decades-racist-dad-ended-it.html?ns_mchannel=rss&ns_campaign=1490&ito=1490
| 2022-04-01T00:16:52Z
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SAN JOSE, Costa Rica — The United States men are returning to the World Cup after the trauma of missing the 2018 tournament, clinching a berth for this year’s championship in Qatar on Wednesday despite a 2-0 loss to Costa Rica on the final night of qualifying.
Juan Pablo Vargas got behind Walker Zimmerman and headed Brandon Aguilera’s corner kick past goalkeeper Zack Steffen in the 51st minute, and Anthony Contreras knocked in a cross off a scramble in the 59th after Steffen couldn’t hold onto a free kick.
A sellout crowd of about 35,000 in National Stadium came to life, but the Americans’ 5-1 rout of Panama at home last weekend gave them a huge goal-difference margin over Costa Rica. That meant the U.S. merely had to avoid losing by six goals or more in order to claim an automatic berth by finishing among the top three nations in North and Central America and Caribbean.
American players on the bench walked onto the field at the final whistle and exchanged handshakes and hugs with their teammates who ended the game, while home fans cheered the Ticos.
Canada, which had clinched its first World Cup trip since 1986 with a win Sunday, finished first with 28 points after a 1-0 loss at Panama, ahead of Mexico on goal difference. El Tri moved ahead of the U.S. and clinched its eighth straight World Cup, while the U.S. finished third with 25 points and a plus-11 goal difference.
Costa Rica was fourth with 25 points and plus-five, and the Ticos will meet Oceania champion New Zealand in a one-game playoff in June for a berth in the 32-nation field,
While the U.S. won six of seven home games with one draw, it finished with one victory, three losses and three ties on the road. The Amercans have never won a qualifier in Costa Rica, losing 10 and drawing two.
The U.S. finds out at Friday’s draw which three nations it will face in the group stage, which starts Nov. 21 at a tournament pushed back five months to avoid summer desert heat. A growing and increasingly hypercritical fan base is hoping to see Christian Pulisic & Co. reach the quarterfinals for the first time since 2002.
Ticos coach Luis Fernando Suárez didn’t open with six starters from Sunday’s win at El Salvador who carried yellow cards, not wanting to risk a suspension for a playoff.
The clinch took place on the 1,267th day after a shocking 2-1 loss at Trinidad and Tobago that ended the Americans’ streak of seven straight World Cup appearances. Pulisic was in tears after the defeat, which led to a shakeup at the U.S. Soccer Federation and Gregg Berhalter’s hiring in December 2018 as the team’s fourth coach in 25 months.
The U.S. has used 114 new players since the elimination, including 88 under Berhalter. Thirty-eight players took the field during the 14 qualifiers plus six others were on rosters without getting in.
Berhalter has matches in June and September to help evaluate a pool of perhaps four dozen and choose what currently is a roster limited to 23.
A qualifying tournament that began with fireworks above the field during the opening minutes at San Salvador, El Salvador, on Sept. 2, ended with more pyrotechnics.
The U.S. traveled 25,042 miles on charters — just over circling the globe at 24,901 — plus players had up to five trans-Atlantic round trips, with Germany-based Tyler Adams and England-based Antonee Robinson making the maximum. Games were played at 3 degrees (minus-16 Celsius) in St. Paul, Minnesota, and 85 degrees (29 Celsiush) in Austin, Texas.
Not since Paul Caligiuri’s stunning goal at Trinidad before the 1990 tournament had the U.S. clinched in its final game. The Americans assured themselves of a berth with three games to spare for 2006, two for 2014 and one game for 1998, 2002 and 2010. All of those clinches were with wins.
Qualifying will not be as onerous for the 2026 World Cup, which expands to 48 nations. The U.S., Mexico and Canada are co-hosts, and all three are expected to get automatic berths.
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https://www.marketwatch.com/story/u-s-men-clinch-first-world-cup-berth-since-2014-despite-loss-to-costa-rica-01648696227
| 2022-04-01T00:16:53Z
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Following a grueling nine-week hospital stretch, the room felt claustrophobic to my wife. Although logging quite a few hours in hospitals during her 83 operations resulting from a 1983 car accident that also claimed her legs, this stay seemed extra hard on her. Obtaining permission from nurses, we left the floor and traveled around the hospital. I eventually wheeled her to the piano in the main lobby.
Auditioning for the staff weeks earlier to make sure I could appropriately play the piano, I passed with flying colors – which should make my piano professors in music school proud. During breaks, I often went to this piano and worked out feelings lengthy hospitalizations can foster. For the first time in months, I would get to play for my wife and listen to her sing. She's an extraordinary singer who's performed on enormous stages (including for two presidents).
A man wearing a volunteer vest was playing the piano, and I asked him when he might be finished. Telling me he'd be done in about 10 minutes, I wheeled my wife around a bit longer to see some new sights. As we returned, he started packing up his music. Thanking him, I sat down and softly played as my wife faced me in the wheelchair to the side of the bench. It was hard to hear her with a mask on, and as I helped her with some lyrics, she had a hard time understanding me through my mask. But we fumbled on.
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Within minutes, the volunteer coordinator I auditioned for appeared and embarrassingly said, "Due to COVID, we don't allow singing."
Two years into COVID, masks were coming off, and surely we've flattened the curve by now – but evidently not in this massive hospital lobby.
TRENDING: Medical student purposely botches procedure because patient questioned her pronoun pin
Pointing out that no one was even near us, and Gracie was facing me (and a wall), I asked the coordinator if she was kidding.
"No," she said apologetically. "But the hospital has rules based upon scientific studies of particles put into the air by singing."
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And we must follow science. Right?
Hardly able to hear Gracie sing, I pressed further.
"Did someone tell on us?"
Again the embarrassment.
Closing the piano, I got up and saw the vest-wearing "pianist" come around the corner from the direction of the coordinator's office.
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Tears filled Gracie's eyes as I wheeled her back to her floor. I couldn't help but remember checking her into the hospital nine weeks earlier and listening to the team evaluating her. Inquiring about her pain levels, medications and so forth, the anesthesiologist asked, "What helps with your pain?"
"Singing," she replied softly.
Gracie has sung throughout pain-filled days and even longer nights for nearly 40 years. It takes her mind off her harsh reality – and, as she usually sings hymns, it helps anchor her soul in greater truths that transcend her pain.
Yet, the hall-monitoring, vest-clad volunteer "pianist" did his duty.
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In a post-9/11 and COVID world, the vest wearers and clipboard carriers seem to be everywhere.
A few months ago, I did the unpardonable at a major airport. Pushing Gracie's wheelchair with one hand and dragging two carry-on bags through the problematic turns of a nylon-band queue, I detached one of the belts to cut across the path of empty lines.
Wrestling two bags and a wheelchair through the opening I illegally made, I found myself confronted by a stern TSA agent, who directed me to push my wife back through the empty lane I now stood in and re-enter the uninhabited lane with my wife.
Looking at him with the same disbelief I gave the woman who prohibited Gracie from singing, I thought he was joking and trying to imitate the "Soup Nazi."
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He stated that I broke the rules and must push my wife to the end of the course, turn around, and push her back in the same empty lane to his station. Otherwise, "No plane for you! Next!"
Socialism is not coming; it's here. And we used our fears to welcome it in the front door. It's not just about economics; it's about small people who like authority.
Dean Wormer may put us on double-secret probation if we get out of line. Frank Burns may write it all in his report, and God forbid Barney Fife reaches for the bullet in his pocket.
Regrettably, the hospital lobby got the vest and not the voice for the rest of Gracie's stay.
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While a nominee to the Supreme Court refuses to define a woman, the science she deferred to is also used to prohibit singing in a wide-open hospital lobby for a recovering patient. Yet, while the science seems less fixed than moveable TSA nylon bands, it does appear to serve the purposes of those in charge – and their acolytes with vests and clipboards.
Content created by the WND News Center is available for re-publication without charge to any eligible news publisher that can provide a large audience. For licensing opportunities of our original content, please contact [email protected].
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https://www.wnd.com/2022/03/covid-rule-nazi-shut-disabled-wifes-voice/
| 2022-04-01T00:16:53Z
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Photo by Erin Nelson
Matt Wiram, a 1998 graduate of Clay-Chalkville High School and former student at Hewitt-Trussville High, and Hal Riddle, who coached football at Clay-Chalkville and Hewitt-Trussville, at the new Trussville Board of Education building.
Three decades ago, more words were printed in newspapers about overcrowding in Trussville schools than are written today on Facebook about trains blocking Trussville crossings.
Clearly, it was big news. This is what happened.
The Alabama Department of Education in late 1991 conducted a feasibility study to find if the city of Trussville could financially support a school system independent of Jefferson County tax money. At the time, there were 4,800 total students enrolled at Hewitt Elementary, Hewitt-Trussville Middle, Hewitt-Trussville Junior High and Hewitt-Trussville High schools. A move toward its own school system at the time would force nearly half the enrollment — 835 students at Clay Elementary School and 1,247 at Chalkville Elementary School — to find an alternative to Hewitt-Trussville Middle School when reaching the seventh grade.
In early 1992, a group of parents from the Clay and Chalkville areas formed Save Our Schools, a group in opposition of the city of Trussville forming its own school system. According to Jefferson County Board of Education figures, 62 percent of the students attending the four Trussville schools lived outside the city. A report from the Alabama State Department of Education in March 1992 said Trussville could financially support its own school system, with an annual operating budget of about $13 million if appropriate taxes were raised. That budget amount assumed Trussville residents approving a 15-millage property tax increase that was projected to generate $450,000 annually. Under that plan, non-resident students could stay in Trussville schools.
Hal Riddle, who later coached football at both Clay-Chalkville and Hewitt-Trussville, lived in Chalkville at the time.
“Clay and Chalkville were small little towns that had been there for a long time,” Riddle said. “They were neighbors and cared about each other and wanted to help each other out.”
On April 28, 1992, the Trussville City Council tapped a five-member school panel to serve as the city’s first school board, its first task negotiating with the Jefferson County school system for a solution to overcrowding. The five appointed to the school board were former Trussville City Councilman Dennis Hill, Donna Cornelius, Terry Fleck, Don Haisten and Cecil Medders.
On Sept. 29, 1992, an eight-millage property tax hike was approved countywide, a measure that was projected to generate $9.6 million each year. Hill recommended to the Trussville City Council that it abolish the newly formed school board, but Mayor Charles Grover and Councilman Gerald Glenn said they did not support abolishing the board immediately. Grover said that he would recommend that the board be inactive while a lawsuit over the eight-millage property tax increase was resolved. After about a year of planning and discussion, Trussville did not form its own school system and remained as part of the Jefferson County school system.
Photo by Gary Lloyd
A photocopy of a 1991 article in The Birmingham News that reported on the debate about forming a school system in Trussville.
The millage increase that had been approved, however, remained and helped ease the overcrowding of Trussville schools. Jefferson County Schools Superintendent Bruce Wright announced in April 1993 that the county would build a high school instead of an elementary school in the Hewitt-Clay-Chalkville zone. Wright’s plan included building the high school and a middle school in the Clay-Chalkville area to serve students who would have otherwise been routed to schools in Trussville. The plan called for reducing enrollment at Hewitt-Trussville High School from 1,234 students to about 1,029 students. The new middle school in Clay would be fed from Chalkville Elementary School and Clay Elementary School. The new middle school would reduce the number of students attending Hewitt-Trussville Middle School from 1,107 students to 834 students.
Jack Wood, the Hewitt-Trussville football coach at the time, was against the plan. After all, the more kids available at one school, the better the team.
“It would have been hard for me to mess that up,” Wood said, laughing. “Part of any program is numbers. That’s definitely a key. It would be by far the largest school in the state. I was a heck of a lot better football coach before we split in half.”
Riddle said if Clay-Chalkville High School had never been created, the folks over there would be missing out on their own local high school and middle school. “The folks from Clay and Chalkville now have a high school in their neighborhood, and they have a lot of pride in their school," he said.
Wood understands it was the right decision.
“I think the success Trussville has had and Clay as well in athletics has given more kids more opportunities to play, and that’s a good thing,” he said.
In 1995, the Jefferson County Board of Education gave the community a $750,000 line of credit toward developing athletic fields. The unincorporated Clay-Chalkville community had no official city to look to for money. The old Shades Valley High School steel-frame football stadium was transplanted and re-erected behind Clay-Chalkville High School, now known as Cougar Stadium. It cost between $225,000 and $250,000 to move the stadium, roughly $200,000 less than building new concrete bleachers. Some of the $750,000 line of credit went toward other fields, such as baseball. Clay-Chalkville High School and Clay-Chalkville Middle School opened for the 1996-97 school year.
Matt Wiram attended Trussville schools through 1996 and chose to transfer to Clay-Chalkville for his final two years of high school. He was excited for the split.
“It was a tough decision, but I thought it would be neat to be part of something brand new,” Wiram said. “It was hard to leave friends that I had grown up with to go to the new school. However, many of my best friends had all agreed to go. I was excited to get to suggest names for the new school and vote for mascots. Everything we did was the first time for it at the school.”
In early 1996, it was predicted that Hewitt-Trussville High School would lose about 200 of its 1,480 students to Clay-Chalkville High School. It was projected that over the next few years, a total of about 400 students would move from Hewitt-Trussville to Clay-Chalkville. That breathing room, it was predicted, would allow HTHS to again accommodate ninth-grade students. Despite the breathing room, Trussville maintained its elementary, middle, junior high and high schools.
Sarah O’Kelley attended Chalkville Elementary School and graduated in 1996 from HTHS. She knew younger classmates who chose, when offered the choice, to attend the new high school in Clay.
“I remember being impressed with the bravery of the ones who were choosing to go to CCHS,” O’Kelley said. “At the time CCHS was built it was very impressive and I’m sure very attractive as a new school. I was a color guard in 10th grade and then a high-stepper in 11th and 12th and was asked, along with a friend, to help train the new CCHS color guard over the summer after graduation. I think I did this two years. It was a nice way to be connected to the excitement of the new school.”
Wiram has a Hewitt-Trussville letterman jacket and a Clay-Chalkville class ring, a duality that most living in these communities today can’t imagine.
“Sometimes it’s hard to remember that I graduated as a Cougar,” he said. “I was a Husky for a long time and have lots of memorabilia from both schools.”
Riddle may have one of the best perspectives on the split, considering he graduated from HTHS, lived in Chalkville when Trussville tapped its original school board, coached at Clay-Chalkville from 1999-2001, and coached at HTHS from 2002-13.
“I don’t know or remember all the details about the [property tax] increase, but here’s what I do know,” Riddle said. “CCHS and HTHS are two prominent high schools in the state of Alabama. They have both had a lot of athletic and academic success, and because of the split, there are now two sets of teams getting to compete. Both schools have a full complement of athletic teams, they have academic squads, they have bands, they have choir and theater programs, [and more]. This gives twice the number of youngsters an opportunity to be involved and be a part of a team where they learn and experience life that will hopefully help them be successful as adults. I think the split was a good thing.”
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https://hooversun.com/schools/metro-roundup-trussville-marks-30-years-since-its-first-atte/
| 2022-04-01T00:16:53Z
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As Lincoln Elementary School Spanish Club students trickle into the classroom, they eagerly bring their well-loved, wrinkled Spanish language worksheets to show the club’s facilitator, Leticia Acosta.
The club is a pilot project, which was developed by Acosta and a team of parents and her fellow Lincoln Elementary educators. Liang O’Brien, community and family outreach liaison at Lincoln Elementary, is one of the team members.
“So far, the feedback that we got from the parents is really good,” O’Brien said. “We’ll probably build into it. But honestly, at this point, we’re just testing things out.”
The class consists of 20 students. Most have some experience with Spanish, a few none at all.
O’Brien said the majority have some experience with Spanish.
“We opened it to everyone because we definitely want everyone to be welcome and invited. We have two monolingual speakers, whose parents are not from a Hispanic background,” she said. That doesn’t make those students any less enthusiastic, O’Brien said. “They give their best. Last (session) their eyes were wide open, listening. You could tell that they had that eagerness to learn.”
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Acosta explained the varying Spanish-speaking experience among the students.
“I like that the kids are learning some skills about Spanish because most of them have families and relatives that don’t speak English,” she said. “Some kids don’t speak Spanish, but they understand it. I don’t know what happened with that communication with them.”
O’Brien agrees. “There’s a little bit of disconnection, especially with older generations. Some of the kids can’t talk to the grandparents. It’s a way to give them that ability. Yes, you can understand it. Now we’re giving you the tools, so you can speak, you can write … you can do more.”
On Wednesday, the second meeting of the club, Acosta explained the different vowel sounds. The class, which is supplemented by books, includes phonics, reading and writing. The class is taught almost entirely in Spanish.
Acosta, who is a paraeducator at Lincoln Elementary, was tapped for the job. When living in Mexico, Acosta was a preschool teacher.
O’Brien said the consensus was Acosta would be the “perfect fit” to lead the club.
“We begged her to do it. She doesn’t want to say it because she is very humble,” O’Brien said. “We are very, very excited because she fits perfectly with her teaching background.” Additionally, O’Brien said, having Acosta already familiar in the building helps the club identify with the community the school already serves.
Acosta said while the club is in its beginning stage, she has had students approach her with questions. As she teaches the club members, who are third- and fourth-graders at Lincoln Elementary, they quickly respond to her questions, and watch carefully as she sounds out the letters and words, using exaggerated expressions.
As Acosta holds up signs with vowels on them, asking her students to try sounding out the letter, their excitement – not just correct responses – indicate that the club is doing what it was designed to do.
Acosta said she’s grateful for the opportunity to work with students and contribute to the Lincoln Elementary family.
“I love this school,” Acosta said. “They are so nice and ask when they need help. I like it. And I can help them.”
Jessica Votipka is the education reporter at the Grand Island Independent. She can be reached at 308-381-5420.
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https://theindependent.com/news/local/lincoln-elementary-s-connections-speak-volumes-through-spanish-club/article_37a364c4-b102-11ec-b962-7760409758ae.html
| 2022-04-01T00:16:53Z
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Fire at Owen Sound plant causes extensive damage to electrical room
Owen Sound fire crews were called to the former Tenneco plant just after 8 Wednesday night for a report of a fire in the building's main electrical room.
The plant is currently being occupied by Hydrogen Optimized Inc and its not clear how many people would have been in the 17th Street East building at the time but fire officials say no one was hurt.
The damage was extensive but was contained to the one room.
Crews say when they got there they could see heavy smoke in the electrical room and more in the rest of the building.
Hydro One also needed to be called to isolate the electrical service before firefighters could access and extinguish the flames.
There were eleven members of the OSFD on scene along with Grey County Paramedics and Owen Sound Police.
A comprehensive damage estimate is currently unavailable.
The company uses green technology to convert electricity to green hydrogen through a water electrolysis process.
They moved into the building in February of 2021.
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https://www.iheartradio.ca/bounce/grey-bruce/news/fire-at-owen-sound-plant-causes-extensive-damage-to-electrical-room-1.17472582
| 2022-04-01T00:16:53Z
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Concern about the spreading coronavirus has led to the shutdown of several American cities, with employees working remotely—or not at all. Here, labor law expert Professor William Gould discusses the challenges facing workers during this time of national crisis—and the gaps in America’s safety net leaving many vulnerable.
The House passed sweeping measures in the early hours of the morning last Saturday to help American workers forced to stop working during the corona virus outbreak, including two weeks of paid sick leave and up to three months of paid family and medical leave, enhanced unemployment benefits, free virus testing including for those who lack insurance, additional food aid and federal funds for Medicaid. Does this proposal go far enough for most salaried American workers?
Speaker Pelosi’s landmark legislation represents an important first step forward in addressing the perilous circumstances in which millions of workers now find themselves. This is a down payment, a Band-Aid, the enactment of which dramatizes the enormous gaps in America’s inadequate social safety net.
Has this crisis exposed holes in the safety net?
Well, 27 years after President Clinton signed into law family leave legislation, which provided for the federal guarantee of unpaid leave, America stands alone amongst all industrialized nations in its refusal to enact a comprehensive statute providing for paid leave for illness and family matters. While this long delayed legislation—a scandalous vacuum of enormous proportions—isn’t likely to be part of the next round of legislation, filling in the exclusions for big (more than 500 work force) employers and some of the smaller ones must be part of that. There is no reason why it can’t get done in 2020. And extended and more generous unemployment compensation is vital. The enhancement of Obamacare, alongside a public option, as advocated by some presidential candidates, is the sine qua non for a new safety net, which has languished under attack for too long.
The bill offers a tax credit to “gig” workers. Is that sufficient for lost wages?
The tax credit for “gig” workers is inadequate. For too long such workers, sometimes working at 2 or 3 jobs, have been unprotected by all labor laws: anti-discrimination law, workers and unemployment legislation, minimum wage and collective bargaining law. Some of this is now being changed by the California Supreme Court Dynamex ruling and Assembly Bill 5, which follows in its wake. But similar laws must be put in place nationally so that such workers receive the same protection due all workers. Much more than a tax credit is necessary.
Can you talk about gig workers nationally—the percent of the workforce without guaranteed benefits and how a crisis like this will hit them?
Precise US Department of Labor statistics do not yet reveal the number of all contract and independent workers—but the looming omnipresence of influential and well financed companies like Uber, Lyft, and others and the sub minimum wage standards enjoyed by so many of their drivers along with their decimation of the taxi industry, dramatize vividly their place in our ever-expanding inequality. This crisis places greater economic burdens upon many of them.
What additional measures would you suggest Congress take—for both the short and long term?
Some of the most important are: (a) federal legislation that creates the kind of presumption we have in California that many gig and contract workers are entitled to all employee benefits; (b) the above mentioned enhancement of Obamacare with a public Medicare option; (c) sweeping reforms of the National Labor Relations Act, along the lines long promised in the ‘70’s and ’90’s,
which would promote true freedom of association among workers and greater participation in the collective bargaining process, a vital ingredient to monitor the enforcement of the above described employment law and diminish inequality between the haves and have nots.
William B. Gould IV is the Charles A. Beardsley Professor of Law, Emeritus at Stanford Law School. He served as Chairman of the National Labor Relations Board in the Clinton administration and as Chairman of the California Agricultural Labor Relations Board from 2014-2017. The sixth edition of his book A Primer on American Labor Law was published this year.
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https://law.stanford.edu/2020/03/16/stanford-laws-bill-gould-on-the-coronavirus-and-weaknesses-in-the-labor-safety-net/
| 2022-04-01T00:16:53Z
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A Queen's Closet makes dreams come true this weekend on Roosevelt Avenue
People once again have opened their hearts and their closets — all to make sure high school girls have something special to wear to prom.
Claire Tillotson of Burlington will host her second annual giveaway of donated formal items this weekend.
A Queen's Closet will be from noon to 6 p.m. Saturday and Sunday at a site provided by Optimae LifeServices at 1000 Roosevelt Ave., Suite 11.
The free shop will have dresses, shoes and accessories, sizes from 00 to 30.
With a vision and generous spirit, Tillotson, aided by locals and dress shops, offers gently-used or never-worn gowns to girls who otherwise may miss out on special occasions.
"I’ve lost count of the amount of dresses I’ve received. I have 50-to-60 brand new ones from Stacey’s Prom in Urbandale and over 100 from Le Chic Prom and Pageant in Muscatine," she said.
Impressed with this year's variety, she particularly likes "a very pale pink gown with beautiful beadwork along the waistline and dress straps," she said. "It reminds me of something Barbie would wear."
Considering the financial struggles many faced during the pandemic, Tillotson in 2021 wanted to create a free formal dress pop up boutique for local girls lacking funds for formal wear.
That year, several people lined up for A Queen's Closet, and walked away with about 150 dresses, and most of the shoes and jewelry.
"I remember on the first day of the event there was a girl trying on a beautiful gown and turned to ask me about the price," Tillotson said. "When I told her it was free, tears began to stream down her face. That’s when I realized how important this truly was to the girls in our community. It was overwhelming ... I couldn’t have done it with without the community’s support."
Previously:'A Queen's Closet' collecting prom dresses for giveaway
Tillotson noted that parents may be reluctant to spend $400 to $700 on a prom dress that will be worn only one time.
"This event is a way to not only save money, but also to encourage sustainable fashion as most of these gowns have been previously worn," she said.
Recently crowned Miss Riverbend in the Miss Iowa Scholarship Program, part of the Miss America Organization, Tillotson, who attended Burlington High School's prom three times, knows style and glamour.
"I look at every gown I receive, looking for any stains, broken zippers, tears, and let me tell you, I have about 50 favorite dresses," she said.
Tillotson's father, Dan Tillotson, owner of carpet and upholstery cleaning service Carpet Wizard, used his work van to haul big dress store donations.
And her sister, Margaret Tillotson, who also competes in regional and state scholarship pageants, recently winning first runner-up in Miss Cedar Valley, will help Claire at the free shop.
More:Pageants brought order to Burlington woman's world. Now she uses them to speak out about anorexia.
Margaret, like Claire, also has been eyeing a beautiful dress — "a shimmery gold gown with sleeves. I’m so excited to see who will walk away with those beauties," said Tillotson.
To collect inventory, Tillotson reached out on social media.
"The Burlington YMCA was so kind to let me set up a donation bin near their front desk so people could drop off dresses and other accessories," she said.
While all dresses and accessories are free, Tillotson does accept cash donations, checks, and Venmo for the Iowa Donor Network.
Tillotson will go on to compete for the job of Miss Iowa this June.
Her social impact initiative, "Say Yes To Save Lives," is all about organ donation and spreading awareness, in memory of Jace Garner of Stronghurst, Illiinois, a close friend of hers who passed away in an automobile accident in 2017, and was an organ and tissue donor.
"I want to honor him and his gifts by continuing the conversation about organ donation," she said, noting that she was able to raise more than $1,000 through the event for the Iowa Donor Network last year.
This year, she hopes to increase that number by $500.
A Queen’s Closet will have information about the Iowa Donor Network.
"My goal is not only to educate others about organ donation and register them, but also to celebrate those who have passed and given the gift of life," she said.
For those who won’t be attending the event but do want to donate to the network, checks can be mailed to 912 S. Starr St. in Burlington, or sent electronically through Venmo at @Claire-Tillotson.
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https://www.thehawkeye.com/story/news/2022/03/31/burlington-woman-hosting-prom-dress-giveaway-again/7165727001/
| 2022-04-01T00:16:54Z
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https://www.leafly.com/brands/cru-cannabis/products/cru-cannabis-forbidden-fruit-cartridge-0-75g-cartridges
| 2022-04-01T00:16:53Z
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SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — Tommy La Stella still says being ready to play on Opening Day is up in the air for him.
“I wouldn’t say there’s a change in that yet,” La Stella said.
But through two games of spring action so far, he’s making quite the case for himself.
As he comes back from Achilles surgery, La Stella had another action-packed outing even though he only played three innings, going 2-for-2 with a homer and playing second base for the first time in the spring.
“He swung the bat really well, obviously — Tommy-style at-bats,” Kapler said.
After going 1-for-2 with a well-hit flyout, a three-run double and a walk on Tuesday, La Stella started off Thursday by pulling a homer to right, just coming a few feet short of hitting the Charro Lodge. He added a single in the first and advanced station-to-station to score a run in the second, the fifth run in the Giants’ 13-2 win over the Rockies at Scottsdale Stadium on Thursday.
Playing at second base for the first time in a spring game, La Stella got tested in every which way in the third inning alone: running in to track a pop up, going to his left for a ground ball (that just went under his glove) and going to his right to snag a grounder on the run (though his throw back across his body to first was not in time for an out).
“Didn’t get cheated on defensively,” La Stella quipped before adding, “It was good to be out there and go side-to-side. And be able to rebound and come back on the next play. Whenever I am ready, that’s the stuff I’ve got to be able to do.”
Giants shortstop Brandon Crawford added, “I think he’d probably be the first one to say he probably wasn’t at his quickest out there, but just to get him moving around, that’s great.”
But Kapler said he was actually impressed in how La Stella — and other Giants veterans, too — has been able to not push himself and try to do too much, saying La Stella “was measured on both defense and on the bases, by design.”
“One of the things that I find really impressive is when a player is able to put a governor on [themselves],” Kapler said. “It makes us trust that, in that sort of situation in the regular season, we can understand that he’s not going to be beating out a ground ball, he’s not going to make a diving play up the middle or to his right and get up and throw a runner out. But then we’re going to get the high-quality at-bats.
If we need to do something like replace them on the bases or on defense, we’re willing to do that to have his bat around in shorter periods of time. He’s plenty capable of playing good defense, running the bases well, all of those things. But I think it’s worth noting that there are ways that we can protect him and we have protected him in the past.”
Even with those breaks in place, the swings are still looking sharp, which doesn’t come as a surprise to Crawford.
“He’s always had a pretty simple swing, so it’s probably not going to take him a whole lot of time in spring to get going,” Crawford said. “He has great eye-hand coordination and can handle the bat and is a great contact guy. To have him in the lineup is definitely a good thing for us.”
And as for the roster spot on Opening Day? “Nothing’s off the table,” Kapler said. “We keep everything on the table.”
Crawford’s tweaks at plate give instant pay-off
Right after La Stella’s first inning homer, Crawford stepped up next and added one of his own with a shot to right-center — even though he joked he wouldn’t have cared if it went out or not, given the time of year.
“I don’t really want to waste them in spring,” Crawford said.
But this particular one was a welcomed sight for Crawford, who entered Thursday 0-for-the-spring in 10 at-bats with six strikeouts. He finished the day with a .214 batting average after going 3-for-4 with the first inning homer, an RBI single in the second and an RBI double in the seventh.
Crawford said he worked on his swing on Wednesday and started feeling better during a live batting practice session right after. Seeing the tweaks carry over into the game was welcomed.
“Even if I hit a few balls hard and got out, honestly, I would have felt a lot better about where my swing is at, as far as timing and approach and swinging at the right pitches,” Crawford said. “Obviously, anything I’ll take a hit, but I prefer to hit the ball hard and feel good about my swing, confident about my swing.”
Wood welcomes the traffic in third spring outing
It’s only Logan Webb and Alex Wood who have made three starts in games this spring, and Wood’s Thursday outing came with the rapid pace he’s become known for.
But while the Giants offense was working the Rockies for five runs, six hits and four walks in the first two innings, Wood was anxiously waiting to get back out on the mound, reaching the rubber seemingly seconds after the final out of the bottom-half of the innings were recorded.
He finished the day throwing around 65 pitches in 4.1 innings, allowing two runs on five hits and a walk and striking out four. He gave up both runs and all but one of his hits in the third, but he actually was just fine with having to deal with the traffic on the bases, a good check on his mechanics — and his rhythm — out of the stretch.
“I’ve made a conscious effort the last two seasons to make sure I’m looking at runners, whether they’re there or not,” Wood said. “I felt pretty comfortable with guys on, but it was definitely nice to have a little traffic out there and have to work a little bit harder than you would in a clean inning.”
But yet Wood was still able to get through the trouble and into the fifth and helped push the spring game’s time to under three hours, something that aligns with the Giants’ pitching philosophy of working fast and throwing strikes.
“Funny how that tends to correlate,” Kapler quipped postgame.
And why is Wood so quick to the plate?
“It’s probably my personality,” Wood said with a smile. “To be honest, I don’t like to wait around. I’m not a very patient person. That’s one of my faults as a human being.”
But what can be considered a fault in some aspects of life is a strength in others, and defenders absolutely love playing behind Wood, with La Stella saying Wood’s quickness is “on another level” compared to any other pitchers he’s played behind.
Wood is set to make one more start in Arizona before the season begins, aiming to get to around 80 pitches. But Wood wasn’t sure if he’d face the A’s on Tuesday, as the schedule currently lines him up to do.
Meanwhile, with Alex Cobb set to start on Friday, the rotation would typically indicate that Logan Webb would start Saturday, when the Giants have their lone spring game against the Dodgers.
But even with the abbreviated spring making the in-game repetitions more valued, there will be no rematch on Saturday. Kervin Castro was officially listed as the starter, with Webb instead pitching a simulated game. It’s a bit of gamesmanship that Kapler hinted was possible.
“I think there’s still time to play around with that a little bit, I just don’t think it can be the number one priority at this point,” Kapler said on Wednesday. “Number one priority is getting our pitchers the innings they need to be ready to go as deep into games as possible and to handle as many pitches as possible.
“Doesn’t mean that the competition element or the gamesmanship element goes out the window, but I think we just stay focused on the other side of that right now.”
The Giants didn’t shy away from starting Wood against the Rockies or Carlós Rodon against the Padres on Tuesday. But after their season-long battle last year, it shouldn’t surprise anyone that the Giants are treating the Dodgers differently.
Giants keep focus on mental health ahead of season opener
The Giants organization has continued its focus on mental health, designating Thursday as Mental Health Day in camp. It’s something that the manager strongly believes in.
“This is important because we believe that everybody in our player population is suffering with something,” Kapler said. “It could be something that’s going on at home, a family rift, it could be anxiety issues, it could be depressing issues. And those are elevated at different times for different players. And frankly, it’s not just our players – it’s also our staff, it’s also our front office.
“It’s every member of our organization.”
The team wore shirts with “Strength isn’t always mental” on the front and #EndTheStigma as part of their efforts to increase mental health awareness, and Drew Robinson and Dr. Shana Alexander both addressed the team earlier in the morning, reiterating that “everyone is suffering” message.
“It takes the edge off for the people that are listening,” Kapler said. “Because whatever it is that you’re dealing with from a mental health perspective, oftentimes you feel like you’re the only person — and especially in a historically competition-driven environment, showing any sort of weakness has always been seen as a lack of strength. In reality, we believe it is the direct opposite of that. It’s an indication of strength.”
Robinson, the former minor leaguer who lost an eye from a self-inflicted gunshot wound in 2020, is now in his capacity as a mental health advocate and Alexander — a clinical psychologist — as the Giants’ employee assistance program director. The Giants also have had Kellen Lee on staff since January 2020 as a minor league mental skills coach.
Kapler feels that the focus on mental health gives the Giants a leg up on the competition, but it’s one he’s happy to share with others.
“I think it’s definitely a competitive advantage, but also something we have to share because it’s the right thing to do,” Kapler said. “People are suffering, we can help them suffer less. There are some things that we want to keep quite proprietary. This is not one of them.”
Alexander was the one in charge of the t-shirts, which were initially just made for the team. But Kapler would be happy if the Giants decided to sell them: “No reason we wouldn’t want a lot of people wearing these shirts.”
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https://www.chicoer.com/2022/03/31/sf-giants-notebook-tommy-la-stellas-bat-is-making-it-hard-to-keep-him-off-opening-day-roster/
| 2022-04-01T00:16:54Z
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BILLINGS — The Billings Outlaws indoor football team announced the signing of defensive lineman Jeff Luc via a post on the team's website on Wednesday.
Luc, who played college football at Cincinnati, has spent time with the Miami Dolphins, New Orleans Saints, Cincinnati Bengals and New York Jets according to his profile on pro-football-reference.com .
On May 9, 2015 Luc was signed as a linebacker by the Dolphins and he was cut on Sept. 6, 2015. The Saints later added him to the practice squad in December of 2015 and he was removed from the Saints practice squad the following January. He was then briefly with Cincinnati in 2016 before the Jets signed him to a reserve/future contract on Jan. 18, 2017. He was cut by the Jets on April 27, 2017.
The Outlaws, an expansion first-year team in the Champions Indoor Football league, defeated the Lone Star Pitbulls in an exhibition game 64-20 on March 24 at First Interstate Arena at MetraPark. The Outlaws will make their regular-season debut Saturday at Sioux City (Iowa) at 6:05 p.m. Mountain Daylight Time. The Bandits are 1-0 this season.
Billings' home opener is April 10 against Salina (Kansas) at the Metra at 7:05 p.m.
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https://406mtsports.com/406mtsports/billings-outlaws-sign-defensive-lineman-jeff-luc/article_2815aac4-a638-596a-a6c5-1898db186545.html
| 2022-04-01T00:16:54Z
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ISRAELI TROOPS, PALESTINIANS STAGE FIREFIGHT IN REFUGEE CAMP
JERUSALEM—Israeli forces raided a refugee camp in the occupied West Bank on Thursday, setting off a gun battle in which two Palestinians were killed and 15 were wounded, as Israel targeted what it said were militant networks after a series of deadly attacks.
The raid came two days after a Palestinian from a village near the Jenin refugee camp shot and killed five people in central Israel, part of a wave of attacks in recent days that have killed 11 people.
The recent wave of violence has brought the conflict with the Palestinians back to the fore at a time when Israel is focused on building alliances with Arab states against Iran. There have been no serious Israeli–Palestinian peace talks in more than a decade, and Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett is opposed to Palestinian statehood.
PAKISTAN POL SAYS HE WON’T RESIGN FROM HIS POST
ISLAMABAD—Pakistan’s embattled Prime Minister Imran Khan remained defiant Thursday, telling the nation he won’t resign even as he faces a no-confidence vote in parliament and the country’s opposition says it has the numbers to push him out.
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Besieged by the opposition and abandoned by coalition partners, Khan is battling for his political survival after the opposition called the vote, which is expected to take place on Sunday.
The opposition accuses him of economic mismanagement and claims he is unfit for the role of prime minister.
CRASH SITE SEARCH NEARS FINISH, CHINA ANNOUNCES
BEIJING—Chinese officials said Thursday that the search for wreckage in last week’s crash of a China Eastern Boeing 737–800 is basically done and that more than 49,000 pieces of debris had been found.
Flight MU5735 plunged from 29,000 feet into a mountainside in southern China’s Guangxi region, killing all 132 people on board. The impact created a 65-foot-deep crater. The two “black boxes”—the flight data recorder and the cockpit voice recorder—have been found and sent to Beijing for examination and analysis.
A preliminary investigation report is expected within 30 days of the March 21 crash, the officials said.
ENGLAND HALT FREE VIRUS TESTS
LONDON—The British government is ending the supply of free rapid coronavirus tests to most of the population even though COVID-19 infections remain at record levels, and health officials warn the pandemic could still have nasty surprises in store.
More than 1.7 billion test kits have been handed out over the past year, the government says, under a policy that urged people to test themselves regularly as a way to stamp out new outbreaks.
But on Friday, most people in England will have to buy lateral flow tests from pharmacies or online suppliers.
KHAShOGGI KILLING TRIAL MAY MOVE TO SAUDI ARABIAANKARA, Turkey—The Turkish prosecutor in the case against 26 Saudi nationals charged in the slaying of Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi made a surprise request Thursday that their trial in absentia be suspended and the case transferred to Saudi Arabia, raising fears of a possible coverup.
The panel of judges made no ruling on the prosecutor’s request but said a letter would be sent to Turkey’s Justice Ministry seeking its opinion on the possible transfer of the file to Saudi judicial authorities, the state-run Anadolu Agency reported. Trial was adjourned until April 7.
—The Associated Press
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https://fredericksburg.com/international-briefs/article_f2a5e8d9-04e8-522e-a9a5-ae19d441c703.html
| 2022-04-01T00:16:54Z
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The Public Health Agency of Canada has declared an outbreak of norovirus linked to the consumption of raw B.C. oysters.
The outbreak has impacted people in B.C., Alberta, Saskatchewan and Ontario — though as of March 30, 262 of the 279 reported cases are in B.C. There have been no deaths associated with the outbreak.
Individuals became sick with norovirus after ingesting raw oysters farmed on B.C.’s west coast. Health Canada recalled certain brands of oysters that were believed to be related to the norovirus outbreak on Feb. 18, March 20, March 23, and March 27, 2022.
READ MORE: Health Canada recalls certain B.C. oysters due to norovirus contamination
The Canadian Food Inspection Agency is continuing an investigation into the outbreak which could lead to further recalls. Any recall notices will be shared publicly.
To avoid norovirus infection from oysters, make sure they are cooked thoroughly to an internal temperature of 90 degrees celsius for 90 seconds before eating. Public health agencies do not recommend consuming raw oysters.
If you believe you became sick from consuming the recalled oysters, Health Canada recommends contacting a doctor. Anyone who believes they purchased the product should check to see if they have it in their home or business. Do not consume the recalled oysters — either throw them away or return them to the place of purchase.
When people become sick with norovirus they typically develop symptoms of gastroenteritis within 24 to 48 hours, but symptoms can start within 12 hours after exposure. Even after becoming infected with norovirus, you can become re-infected. The main symptoms include nausea, diarrhea, vomiting and stomach cramps. Other symptoms may include a low-grade fever, headaches, chills, muscle aches and fatigue.
Most people start to feel better after a day or two, however in severe cases, some patients require hospitalization. Those most at risk of severe outcomes from norovirus infection include pregnant women, people with compromised immune systems, young children and seniors.
@SchislerCole
cole.schisler@bpdigital.ca
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https://www.todayinbc.com/news/279-people-infected-with-norovirus-from-b-c-oysters-public-health-agency-says/
| 2022-04-01T00:16:54Z
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A 2-acre estate in Pacific Palisades has found a buyer after almost eight months on the market.
The seller is David Segel, who founded hedge fund Mako in London and is a partner in Los Angeles-based film production company Mpower Pictures. Smith did not return an email requesting the identity of the buyer.
Segel has lived at the 14100 Rustic Lane house for more than a decade. The house last changed hands for $13.1 million in 2008, according to Zillow.
Ron Smith of Smith & Berg Partners at Compass recently changed the status to sale pending for 14100 Rustic Lane. Redfin said a sale has been pending since March 25. The last asking price was $29.9 million.
The property features 8,162-square-feet of living space spread over a main house, a guest house and a pool house. Described as a Hamptons-style estate, the living spaces include high-beamed ceilings and wood floors.
Other features of the main house include a formal dining room, two living rooms, a library, a media room, as well as a chef’s kitchen with a marble island.
The grounds of the estate feature sprawling lawns, a rose garden with more than 100 varieties of English roses, an apple orchard, citrus trees, as well as a kitchen garden that produces seasonal vegetables, fruits and herbs. There’s also a pool, spa and bocce ball court.
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https://therealdeal.com/la/2022/03/31/421175/
| 2022-04-01T00:16:54Z
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The first club I’ve come across in the rosters this year from the FC Dallas affiliate in Mexico.
All the non-Academy teams are outside my radar, some more so than others. I do my best with the info I can find but if you have any to share please reach out. Twitter @3rdDegreeNet. A team pic would be nice.
FC Dallas Mexico
Coaches: Gaby Moreno, Joel Morales Hernandez, and Martin Moreno Bautista
Bracket E: Inwood SC ID Houston Legends 04 NLFC, Dallas Texans 04, Oceanside Breakers 04 Black SYL
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https://3rddegree.net/fc-dallas-mexico-for-the-2022-dallas-cup-u18s
| 2022-04-01T00:16:54Z
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An Iraqi woman who recently converted from Islam to Christianity was found murdered on March 7 after she posted a TikTok video about her new faith, according to a religious liberty watchdog.
The 20-year-old woman, Iman Sami – also known as Maria – was the daughter of a Muslim cleric, according to International Christian Concern (ICC). The murder took place after she posted a TikTok video showing herself singing Christian songs.
ICC believes the murder likely was retaliation by her family. Her body was found in northern Iraq.One of her friends – whose name is withheld to protect her safety – said Maria was given a Bible last month by a member of a Bible study group.
“[S]he turned to Christianity, and her family knew because of this video she posted on TikTok,” the friend said.
The Christian news site Ankawa Today reported that Maria “suffered in her life because of her early marriage” at age 12.
“After separation from her husband, she lived alone,” Ankawa Today reported. “She was an activist in the field of women’s rights and a brave woman. She has videos on the TikTok app that reached hundreds of thousands of views.”
Jeff King, president of International Christian Concern, said Muslims who convert to Christianity are often shunned and threatened.
“For someone born as a Muslim to be open about exploring Christianity is a tremendous act of bravery, as most Muslim Background Believers (MBBs) in the region face intense pressure from both their families and communities,” King said. “Maria’s Tik Tok post should not have ended with her death. Iraq is just emerging from a very difficult time when Christians experienced a horrific genocide. It is an important step toward healing for Iraq to pursue an investigation of due process into issues related to freedom of speech and religion.”
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https://believersportal.com/brave-christian-convert-assassinated-in-iraq-after-sharing-her-faith-on-tiktok/
| 2022-04-01T00:16:54Z
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March 31 (UPI) -- The U.S. government will allow Americans to select "X" as their gender on their U.S. passport applications starting next month, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced Thursday.
Starting April 11, Americans who identify as non-binary, intersex or gender non-conforming can choose "X" instead of male or female on their passport applications. Applicants won't have to submit any medical documentation, even if their selected gender differs from that on their other identity documents, Blinken said.
"The [State] Department is setting a precedent as the first federal government agency to offer the X gender marker on an identity document," Blinken said. "We continue to work closely with our federal government partners to ensure as smooth a travel experience as possible for all passport holders, regardless of their gender identity."
Blinken said the "X" option will be available on other forms of documentation in 2023.
The State Department made the announcement on International Transgender Day of Visibility, which was marked by a visit from Jeopardy! winner Amy Schneider in the White House press briefing room.
LGBTQ advocates praised the Biden administration's decision to include the third gender option on passports when it was announced in July.
"It is a critical recognition by the government that we ourselves are the arbiters of who we are," said Charlie Arrowood from the Transgender Legal Defense and Education Fund Name Change Project.
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https://www.upi.com/Top_News/US/2022/03/31/transgender-x-gender-passports/4111648765299/
| 2022-04-01T00:16:55Z
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US Senators Elizabeth Warren, Bernie Sanders, Cory Booker, and Sheldon Whitehouse have sent a letter to FTC chairwoman Lina Khan asking that she investigate whether Microsoft's planned acquisition of Activision Blizzard could worsen the workplace conditions at the company. The letter, reported by the Wall Street Journal, also calls out CEO Bobby Kotick's continued role at the company and "golden parachute," saying that failing to hold him accountable for the workplace culture he allowed to flourish "would be an unacceptable result" of the acquisition.
"Workers at Activision Blizzard, following years of rampant sexual misconduct and discrimination and unfair labor practices, have led calls for greater transparency and accountability in the gaming industry, and we are deeply concerned that this acquisition could further disenfranchise these workers and prevent their voices from being heard," the letter states.
"As this proposed deal moves forward in the review process, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) should assess whether the ways in which these companies have failed to protect the rights and dignity of their workers are driven by monopsony power or amount to anticompetitive harms in our labor market, and if so, if the merger will exacerbate these problems."
The letter makes a specific reference to the reported "frat boy" culture at Activision Blizzard, and its recently-finalized $18 million settlement with California's EEOC arising from complaints of sexual harassment and discrimination at the company. It also notes that Activision Blizzard is facing a US Securities and Exchange investigation into its handling of workplace misconduct complaints, and that despite his claims to the contrary, Kotick was in fact aware of at least some allegations of sexual misconduct complaints, "including alleged assaults," and did not report them to either the board of directors or industry regulators.
The plight of QA workers also gets attention: The letter describes them as "undervalued and exploited," working under contracts that pay less than living wages, and subject to arbitrary layoffs.
Interestingly, while Microsoft has at least nominally presented itself as the good guy in this merger, most recently by saying that it "will not stand in the way" of unionization efforts at Activision Blizzard, the senators do not seem impressed, calling the proposed acquisition "a cynical and 'opportunistic' attempt to capitalize on the systemic issues" at the company. They take an equally dim view of that promise of non-interference with unionization efforts, saying the commitment is "so vague that it leaves multiple ways for Microsoft to undermine the unionization process and its outcome."
But Kotick is clearly the prime target of the senators' ire. The letter says more than 1,800 Activision Blizzard employees signed a letter calling for him to step down, but Microsoft is "protecting" him under the terms of the acquisition, keeping him as CEO until at least 2023 and ensuring him a massive payday if and when he does leave.
"This lack of accountability, despite shareholders, employees, and the public calling for Kotick to be held responsible for the culture he created, would be an unacceptable result of the proposed Microsoft acquisition."
The full letter was shared on Twitter by Stephen Totilo of Axios:
pic.twitter.com/kzZ2CptkJ4March 31, 2022
To be clear, an FTC investigation into the proposed acquisition is going to happen—it's obligatory. But the letter suggests that the process may be rougher than anticipated. The general consensus earlier this year was that there might be "some drama" but that approval was likely to happen, but this letter could increase the pressure on the FTC to push back against it, especially given that the Biden administration in 2021 expressed an interest in heightened enforcement of antitrust laws "to meet the challenges posed by new industries and technologies."
An FTC rejection of the deal wouldn't be without precedent, either. In December 2021, it sued Nvidia to stop its proposed takeover of UK-based chip designer Arm, which ultimately contributed to Nvidia's decision to halt the acquisition effort.
"The FTC should consider the history described above [in the letter] when assessing the anticompetitive effects that this gigantic merger may produce, and carefully determine the meaning of Microsoft's promised to 'not stand in the way' of unionization efforts," the letter concludes. "If the FTC determines that the transaction is likely to enhance monopsony power and worsen the negotiating position between workers and the parties to this deal, we urge you to oppose it."
In an email sent to PC Gamer, an Activision Blizzard spokesperson noted the recent approval of the company's EEOC settlement and said that the Microsoft acquisition "will not interrupt any of the actions the Activision Blizzard’s leadership team has implemented throughout 2021 and is continuing to implement in 2022 with regards to improving our workplace.
"Activision Blizzard’s leadership team has discussed the company’s goals at length with Microsoft, and Microsoft has reviewed the renewed culture commitment and actions Activision Blizzard have done so far, and the efforts they've undertaken," the spokesperson said. "Microsoft is supportive of the goals and the work being done. This is a compelling transaction for all stakeholders, including employees."
"No additional special compensation arrangements for Mr. Kotick were entered into in connection with the transaction. Mr. Kotick’s base salary has been reduced to California’s minimum annual salary (which is approximately $62,500 for 2022), and he will not be awarded any bonuses or equity grants until the Workplace Responsibility Committee of the Activision Blizzard Board of Directors has determined that Activision Blizzard has made appropriate progress toward achievement of the transformational gender-related goals and other commitments described in such announcement."
I've reached out to Microsoft for comment, and will update if I receive a reply.
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https://www.pcgamer.com/au/us-senators-call-out-unacceptable-lack-of-accountability-for-bobby-kotick-in-microsoft-buyout/
| 2022-04-01T00:16:55Z
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Climate change shifts tornado alley further into Texas
(Texas News Service) The area known as "Tornado Alley" now includes more parts of Texas than it once did, according to scientists, who believe climate change could be the reason. John Nielsen-Gammon, Texas state climatologist and professor of atmospheric sciences at Texas A&M, said although the blame cannot be...
kiowacountypress.net
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https://www.newsbreak.com/news/2556426784576/climate-change-shifts-tornado-alley-further-into-texas
| 2022-04-01T00:16:55Z
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The Spring development team today acknowledged the newly reported SpringShell, also called Spring4Shell, vulnerability, releasing new versions of the Spring Framework and Spring Boot to fix the root cause of the issue in the popular Java frameworks.
The vulnerability — issued the Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures (CVE) identifier CVE-2022-22965 — affects applications that use Spring MVC, a framework implementing the model-view-controller architecture for Web applications, and Spring WebFlux, if they run on version 9.0 or higher of the Java Development Kit, according to an advisory the Spring developers issued.
The current exploit for the issue, however, is somewhat limited, as it requires that the application is deployed as a specific type of file — a Web Archive (WAR) file — on Apache Tomcat, rather than the standard deployment method of a Spring Boot executable in the Java Archive (JAR) format.
However, as more security researchers examine the code and search for additional paths through which to exploit the vulnerability, that could change, Spring committer Rossen Stoyanchev warned in the advisory./p>
"The nature of the vulnerability is more general, and there may be other ways to exploit it," he said.
Time to Patch Spring Apps
Companies should prioritize patching all of their Spring Framework- and Spring Boot-based applications, even if they do not run the specific, known-vulnerable configurations, security experts say. Development teams often do not know their full software bill-of-materials (SBOM), which could leave them unaware of potentially vulnerable configurations.
In addition, these sorts of vulnerabilities tend to "mutate over time as researchers look for other avenues of exploitation," says Ilkka Turunen, field CTO at software management and security firm Sonatype.
"What is very typical in a situation like this — just look back three months at Log4j — there is a ton of attention being cast on the issue, both good and bad, researchers thinking about the exploitable classes," he says. "However, that quickly evolves. In Log4j we found four other CVEs come out related to the original issue, and we expect that to happen here."
The Spring developers first learned of the vulnerability on Tuesday, March 29, but the details of the issues leaked out before the development team had finished the patch and disclosure, Spring's Stoyanchev stated in the Spring advisory.
"On Wednesday we worked through investigation, analysis, identifying a fix, testing, while aiming for emergency releases on Thursday," he said. "In the mean time, also on Wednesday, details were leaked in full detail online, which is why we are providing this update ahead of the releases and the CVE report."
Figuring out whether a company's Spring-based applications are vulnerable will be difficult for most companies, as this is "a particularly tricky vulnerability," Edward Wu, senior principal data scientist for ExtraHop, a cloud cybersecurity firm, said in a statement sent to Dark Reading.
"Most teams have hundreds of vendor-provided software in their environments that may or may not be running Spring Core," he says. "They often don’t have access to the source code and will struggle to determine if they’re vulnerable. It will be important for organizations to be able to query their environment but also track activity within their network as a single source of truth."
Not the Next Log4j
Overall, however, the vulnerability in Spring falls short of the Log4Shell exploit for the critical vulnerability in Log4j, even though some companies have placed the two issues on the same level, Dan Murphy, distinguished architect at application security provider Invicti, said in a statement.
Spring4Shell, as some companies have named the vulnerability, relies on a configuration that is not the default for modern Spring applications, he said. If a company runs their Spring Boot apps as a standalone application, then they are likely not vulnerable.
"While the Spring4Shell vulnerability is serious and absolutely needs patching, our initial findings indicate it won't be the next Log4Shell incident," Murphy said. "That said, organizations should still follow standard best practices and make a plan to patch. The underlying issue is still present and could potentially be exploited in as-yet-undiscovered ways."
On Wednesday, several security researchers had confused the new exploit with information circulating around a second vulnerability that had been disclosed the prior day. The vulnerability, CVE-2022-22963, affects the Spring Cloud Function library, but also had been assigned the wrong severity. The Spring development team upgraded that vulnerability's severity to "Critical" on March 31.
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https://www.darkreading.com/vulnerabilities-threats/spring-fixes-zero-day-vulnerability-in-framework-spring-boot
| 2022-04-01T00:16:55Z
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Tickets go on sale at 10 am unless otherwise noted.
ON SALE FRIDAY, APRIL 1
MUSIC
August Burns Red with We Came As Romans, Hollow Front, and Void Of Vision
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The Showbox (Mon Aug 8)
Carin Leon
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WAMU Theater (Sat Aug 27)
Dirty Heads with SOJA, Tribal Seeds, and Artikal Sound System
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Marymoor Park (Fri June 24)
Florence + The Machine: Dance Fever Tour
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Climate Pledge Arena (Thurs Oct 6)
The Gaslight Anthem with Tigers Jaw
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Showbox SoDo (Wed Sept 14)
Here and There Festival
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Marymoor Park (Sun Aug 21)
Joe Satriani: Earth Tour
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Moore Theatre (Wed Sept 28)
Interpol + Spoon: Lights, Camera, Factions Tour
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Paramount Theatre (Fri Sept 16)
Lake Street Dive with Devon Gilfillian
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Paramount Theatre (Sun Oct 9)
Man Man
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Neumos (Sat July 30)
Rare Americans
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Neumos (Wed Sept 7)
FILM
Movies at Marymoor Park
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Marymoor Park (Apr 20-May 19)
COMEDY
A John Waters Christmas
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Neptune Theatre (Wed Nov 30)
ON SALE NOW
MUSIC
The mewithoutYou Farewell Tour
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Neumos (Mon May 16)
Oteil & Friends
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Neptune Theatre (Wed Sept 14)
The Revivalists
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Chateau Ste Michelle (Sat July 30)
Seattle Symphony 2022/2023 Season
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Benaroya Hall (Sept 1-June 24)
Streetlight Manifesto
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Showbox SoDo (Sat July 16)
COMEDY
Upper Left Comedy Fest
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Northwest Film Forum and Club Comedy (May 12-14)
ON SALE NEXT WEEK
MUSIC
Elton John: Farewell Yellow Brick Road The Final Tour
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Tacoma Dome (Oct 16-17)
On Sale Wed Apr 6
John Fogerty
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Chateau Ste Michelle (Sat June 18)
On Sale Mon Apr 4
EVENT UPDATES
MUSIC
Chelsea Cutler - When I Close My Eyes Tour
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Moved to Showbox SoDo from Paramount Theatre (Tues Apr 26)
PERFORMANCE
Issa Rae
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Paramount Theatre (Rescheduled to Tues Oct 4 from Thurs Apr 21)
OTHER ANNOUNCEMENTS
The Seattle International Film Festival (SIFF) has announced the lineup for their 48th annual festival, screening 262 films. The hybrid (in-person and virtual) formatted event will take place from April 14-24. Individual tickets and passes are on sale now, and you can check out our top picks for the fest here.
The President of Iceland, Guðni Jóhannesson, will deliver a keynote address at this year’s Nordic Innovation Summit Like Add to a List on May 19, which focuses on innovation for the future.
The Seattle Children's Museum will reopen on April 2, welcoming visitors back with refreshed and updated exhibits.
Third Place Books will donate 20% of their sales this Saturday, April 2, to the Transgender Law Center, "in light of the unprecedented wave of state legislation targeting LGTBQ+ Americans across the United States."
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https://everout.com/seattle/articles/this-week-in-seattle-event-news-florence-the-machine-here-and-there-festival-and-more/c4184/
| 2022-04-01T00:16:54Z
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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.
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https://www.wyso.org/npr-news/2022-03-31/do-over-union-election-at-amazons-bessemer-warehouse-is-too-close-to-call
| 2022-04-01T00:16:55Z
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Ross Lyon hits back at ‘own goal and a half’ swipe over Carlton coaching saga
Ross Lyon has hit back at criticism over his decision last year to withdraw from the race for the Carlton head coaching role, saying he’s ‘honestly relieved’ not to be in the hot seat despite the club’s impressive start to the season.
The former St Kilda and Fremantle coach pulled out of the running to replace axed David Teague at Carlton, something which Nine journalist Craig Hutchison this week labelled an “error of judgment” and an “own goal and a half” on his podcast, The Sounding Board.
Stream every match of every round of the 2022 Toyota AFL Premiership Season Live & Ad-Break Free In-Play on Kayo. New to Kayo? Try 14-Days Free Now >
Hutchison said: “I think it was an error of judgment on his behalf … You look at this team now, they’re 2-0, they look one of the best teams in the competition. The talent was already built, they were a relatively coachable next step. They were easily his best shot at the Premiership he covets.
“I think he would have won that job head-to-head in an interview process … It was an own goal and a half.”
It came after Lyon told Triple M on the weekend: “The one thing I felt sick about … I was like ‘Yep I’m in, yeah I’m keen, I’m happy to go through a process. But this is what I said: ‘I don’t want to go through a process against other assistants’. I’ll go through a process against Brad Scott, Clarko, that’s fair enough. But assistants? I was like eh.”
But the 55-year-old hit back at Hutchison on Nine’s Footy Classified, saying there ‘wasn’t really a process’ after all.
“It’s a little bit mischievous because Craig understands that there wasn’t really a process, and I’ll just leave it at that,” he said.
“Who’s the other one on the podcast? Between the two of them (Hutchison and respected AFL journalist Damian Barrett), if they’re enjoying that it’s OK, but that just sums up the podcast.”
Lyon declared he was glad to not be in the role, saying: “I’m honestly relieved in a lot of ways. Because in one element I thought, ‘yeah I’m in and I’d like to’ and I had those discussions, but deep down I was like, ‘if it goes south …’.
“You’ve got to be mentally sharp and tough and ready for it.
“I haven’t looked back once. I’m enjoying myself, I’m happy, and the environment I see in the AFL and the pressure coaches are under, maybe I was lucky.”
Lyon said he was enjoying watching the side’s resurgence this year, but lightheartedly cautioned: “one swallow doesn’t make a summer”.
“It’s two good wins, but they could’ve easily lost both, but I’m enjoying seeing what they stand for,” he added.
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https://www.foxsports.com.au/afl/teams/carlton-blues/afl-2022-news-ross-lyon-hits-back-over-carlton-coaching-decision-craig-hutchison/news-story/57cc22e343e6ba2dee416497b0b003f2
| 2022-04-01T00:16:55Z
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TORONTO (AP) _ Loncor Gold Inc. (LONCF) on Thursday reported a loss of $1.6 million in its fourth quarter.
The Toronto-based company said it had a loss of 1 cent per share.
For the year, the company reported that its loss widened to $3.7 million, or 3 cents per share.
_____
This story was generated by Automated Insights (http://automatedinsights.com/ap) using data from Zacks Investment Research. Access a Zacks stock report on LONCF at https://www.zacks.com/ap/LONCF
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https://www.registercitizen.com/business/article/Loncor-Gold-Q4-Earnings-Snapshot-17049651.php
| 2022-04-01T00:16:55Z
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Yes. Evertons morals are the football equivalent of those of Noel Godfrey Chavasses double VC for tending the wounded under fire.
As has already been said, they don't care.I've heard plenty of them going on about their so-called iconic location alongside the sewage plant, then adding how "Liverpool will be left in the shithole that is L4." Well, L4 served them well since 1878 but, given the chance, they'll be out of there then slagging it off whilst bragging about their new location instead. I'm yet to hear any of them show any concern whatsoever for the area and businesses they'd be leaving behind.
?? probably needs explaining that one
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Noel_Godfrey_Chavasse
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https://www.redandwhitekop.com/forum/index.php?topic=348992.msg18254882
| 2022-04-01T00:16:56Z
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Police: 13-year-old runaway girl dies at hospital after found unresponsive at motel
D’IBERVILLE, Miss. (WALA/Gray News) - A 13-year-old girl has died in a Mississippi-area hospital after being reported as a runaway from Alabama earlier this month.
WALA reports the Mobile Police Department first reported Keyanna Sylvester as a runaway on March 21. She was then found unresponsive in a motel room in D’Iberville, Mississippi, on March 24, according to D’Iberville Police Capt. Jason King.
Sylvester was taken to the hospital but later died, according to police.
The 13-year-old spent time in Ocean Springs and Moss Point, Mississippi, according to reports.
King said it was too early in the investigation to decide whether foul play was involved in the girl’s death.
“We’re making sure we’re careful about not saying whether it’s criminal or not criminal,” he said.
King also said police are waiting for a report by the medical examiner.
“This hurts me real bad because Keyanna was my baby,” said neighbor Alexie Thames. “You all need to help find whoever did this to my baby. "
Anyone with further information on this case was urged to contact the D’Iberville Police Department at 228-396-4252.
Copyright 2022 WALA via Gray Media Group, Inc. All rights reserved.
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https://www.kold.com/2022/03/31/police-13-year-old-runaway-girl-dies-hospital-after-found-unresponsive-motel/
| 2022-04-01T00:16:55Z
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Chicago school district investigating after teacher hung stuffed Black doll on a string from a projector screen
By Caroll Alvarado and Rebekah Riess, CNN
An investigation is underway at Chicago Public Schools after a teacher hung a small stuffed Black football player doll on a string from a projector screen in their classroom, according to a letter sent to parents by the school’s principal and obtained by CNN.
The March 29 letter from Joyce D. Kenner, principal of Whitney Young Magnet High School, says the teacher “indicated” he had come across the doll in his room and “wanted the students to see if someone would claim it.” The letter went on to say that “a colleague approached the teacher about the doll and the conversation between the two became contentious.
“Our administrative team investigated the incident and spoke with the teachers,” Kenner’s letter said. “An official incident report has been created and filed with CPS.”
“Chicago Public Schools (CPS) strives to foster safe and secure learning environments for our students, families, and colleagues. Our schools and the District investigate and address all complaints and allegations of wrongdoing in accordance with District policies and procedures,” CPS said in a statement to CNN.
The district said the teacher who hung the doll is suspended while the investigation is ongoing. CPS has not identified the teacher.
According to Kenner’s letter, school administrators also met with a group of students Tuesday morning to discuss the incident.
“We gave students an opportunity to voice any concerns and recommendations they had. We plan to follow the disciplinary protocol established by Chicago Public Schools,” the letter said.
Kimberley Henderson, whose daughter is a sophomore and one of three Black students in the teacher’s US history class at Whitney Young, spoke to CNN.
“When I saw the picture, that’s when I went over the edge. That was unbelievable to me,” Henderson said, referencing an image of the stuffed doll circulating on the internet. “I don’t believe that he should be in front of any children, but I want to make sure that he’s not in front of mine.”
The Chicago Teachers Union said in a statement about the incident that “practices that mitigate the harm of racial biases must be ongoing, and consistent” in the city’s schools.
“Mayor (Lori) Lightfoot has a responsibility to provide a safe space for every member of our school communities, which is especially important in a district that serves a student population that is 90 percent Black and Brown children,” the statement read. “Any definition of ‘safety’ must include creating and reinforcing an environment of equity and inclusion for all students, staff and faculty of color.”
CNN reached out to the mayor’s office Thursday for response to the union statement.
The-CNN-Wire
™ & © 2022 Cable News Network, Inc., a WarnerMedia Company. All rights reserved.
CNN’s Andy Rose and Chris Boyette contributed to this report.
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https://ktvz.com/news/2022/03/31/chicago-school-district-investigating-after-teacher-hung-stuffed-black-doll-on-a-string-from-a-projector-screen/
| 2022-04-01T00:16:56Z
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Vijayawada: The Andhra Pradesh High Court on Thursday directed eight IAS officers to spend some time with the residents of welfare hostels once every month for a year, and spend from their pockets to arrange for a sumptuous meal for the students.
The IAS officers include Gopal Krishna Dwivedi, M. Girija Shankar, B. Rajasekhar, V. Chinna Veera Bhadrudu, J. Shyamala Rao, Y. Sri Lakshmi, G. Vijay Kumar and M.M. Naik. They were asked to send photographs of their visits to the hostel every month to the registrar (judicial) to keep a record.
A single-judge bench of Justice Battu Devanand had earlier in the day sentenced the officers to undergo simple imprisonment for two weeks and pay Rs 1,000 each in a contempt of court case for not carrying out its orders. The officials tendered an unconditional apology to the court, which then gave them community service.
Justice Devanand was hearing a writ petition filed by the parents and students of Mandal Praja Parisahad Primary School at Thiruvolu of Chedikada mandal in Visakhapatnam district in 2020. The petitioners said that a village secretariat was being constructed on the school premises, which would spoil the atmosphere of the school.
The court in an interim order on June 11, 2020, directed the respondents not to undertake any activity on the matter. Subsequently, a few more petitions were filed alleging that the officials were taking up construction activity. The officials did not file their counter-affidavits even one year after the order was issued.
Then the court directed the registry to initiate contempt proceedings against the officers. The officers then filed affidavits with varied versions — some claiming that they had issued instructions stop construction all over the state and others mentioning jurisdictional issues.
The court noticed that particulars furnished by the departments of panchayat raj, municipal administration and school education on number of schools having such establishments on their premises did not tally. Justice Devanand opined that the order was not implemented in its true spirit as, by the officers’ own information, the school premises were vacated only in September 2021.
The court noticed wilful disobedience in implementing its order by the respondents and found them guilty of contempt of court and held them liable for punishment under provisions of the Contempt of Court Act, 1971.
...
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https://www.deccanchronicle.com/nation/current-affairs/010422/8-ap-ias-ordered-to-do-community-service.html
| 2022-04-01T00:16:56Z
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New sidewalks, golf course top priority list in Ventura
Improvements to Ventura's sidewalks, golf course and wastewater treatment plant are among the top priorities in a capital improvement funding plan approved by the Ventura City Council this week.
The 2023-27 plan outlines 127 projects totaling $929 million. According to the plan, $495 million worth of priority projects have funding allocations while $434 million worth of projects are unfunded. The projects are categorized by coastal; facilities; information technology; parks and medians; public art; stormwater; streets and transportation; wastewater; and water.
Every year, the council considers a five-year capital improvement plan by April 1.
There is no financial impact in adopting the plan, according to the staff report. Although funding feasibility for the first two years of the plan has been accomplished, all financial impacts will be addressed during the budget process and individual project approvals, according to the report.
As part of the approval on Monday, the council agreed to sidewalk repairs next year for the Westside neighborhood from Ventura Avenue to the western boundary at an estimated $700,000. Future sidewalk repairs for that neighborhood in 2026 were also approved at $700,000. Mayor Sofia Rubalcava and Councilman Doug Halter abstained.
Seven projects totaling $297.6 million to divert treated wastewater to a new advanced water purification facility were included in the plan. The water purification facility will treat the water to drinking water standards, inject it into a local groundwater basin for storage and later deliver the water to customers.
While the City Council was in agreement with the majority of the plan, Councilman Mike Johnson did not support the upgrades for the Ventura Event Center, formerly known as the Wedgewood, at the Buena Golf Course. It will cost approximately $2 million to replace the equipment, roof and flooring of the golf course banquet center facility, according to the plan.
"The money is sitting right here and the choice for council members tonight is if you're pro housing or pro banquet because I will tell you, we have a housing crisis," Johnson said. "The golf course itself is not the highest, best use of that money."
Roundup:Woman admitted she stabbed roommate, Hwy 101 crash involved motorcycle, more
Johnson made a motion to remove the money for the golf course upgrades but it was not seconded. He voted against a portion of the plan that included golf course funding.
City Manager Alex McIntyre said terms for the upgrades had not been negotiated with management company Kemper Golf but the company was interested in making investments in the Ventura Event Center and enter into a long-term agreement with the city and share profits.
Councilwoman Jeannette Sanchez-Palacios was absent from the meeting while other council members disagreed with Johnson.
"I would agree we don't have a banquet crisis but we do have an income crisis in the city," said Councilman Jim Friedman. He said upgrading the golf facility could be a way to make it profitable.
Councilwoman Lorrie Brown said economic development and affordable housing were two of the main reasons she ran for office. She felt one could not work without the other.
"Without the money, the housing can't be built because affordable housing doesn't provide a significant property tax benefit for the city," Brown said.
In other council news, interim city attorney Andrew Heglund no longer needs the word interim in his title.
Heglund was unanimously approved to become city attorney. He will make $237,000 in annual salary. He was selected out of 14 candidates, according to a staff report.
Heglund will also receive a contribution of 1 percent of his salary per month to his retirement plan; $10,000 per year for a retirement health savings plan; a vehicle allowance of $500 per month; a cell phone allowance of $100 per month and a nine-month severance package.
Wes Woods II covers West County for the Ventura County Star. Reach him at wesley.woodsii@vcstar.com, 805-437-
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https://www.vcstar.com/story/news/local/communities/ventura/2022/03/31/new-sidewalks-golf-course-upgrade-way-ventura/7195848001/
| 2022-04-01T00:16:57Z
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