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Insecurity: Akeredolu urges Ondo residents to share information on criminals
• Promises to give N50,000 reward to anyone who provides information leading to the arrest of kidnappers, criminals
Governor Rotimi Akeredolu of Ondo State has called on residents of the state to share and provide information with security agencies that can lead to the arrest of kidnappers and other criminals in the state.
Akeredolu noted that exposing criminal elements within the state would help to check insecurity in the state and expose criminal-minded elements within communities in the state.
Akeredolu while speaking through the state Commissioner for Information and Orientation, Mrs Bamidele Ademola-Olateju, promised to give a N50,000 reward to anyone who provides information leading to the arrest of kidnappers and other criminals in the state.
Ademola-Olateju, while briefing journalists after the weekly State Executive Council meeting said the moves were aimed at encouraging citizens to give useful and timely information about criminal activities in any part of the state.
“From now on, anyone who reports a crime and we follow the trail, and it leads to a successful prosecution of the criminal, that person will be offered a reward of N50,000.
“We want people in Ondo state to say something when they see something. We want our people to be proactive in the area of security to rid Ondo State of criminals, bandits and terrorists.
“The Toll-Free line is 0800-555-5555. Anybody can call to give security tips and report any criminal activities in his or her area.”
She urged the people of the state to help the government in the fight against bandits and insurgents by exposing the terrorists living in their neighbourhoods.
He, however, said the government would protect anybody who reports or gives useful information about criminal activities in their area.
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If you want to keep your job and excel in your career, you need to do as I say,” Janet Abegunde’s boss said to her one fateful day. Miss Abegunde, a 24-year-old accountant who had just gotten her first job in one of the new generation banks, said she fell into depression after her boss sexually harassed her.Insecurity: Akeredolu urges Ondo residents to share information on criminals
Insecurity: Akeredolu urges Ondo residents to share information on criminals | https://tribuneonlineng.com/insecurity-akeredolu-urges-ondo-residents-to-share-information-on-criminals/ | 2022-08-17T15:43:41Z | tribuneonlineng.com | control | https://tribuneonlineng.com/insecurity-akeredolu-urges-ondo-residents-to-share-information-on-criminals/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Experts in the global export business have said that the success of Nigeria’s local export business in the 21st century will be determined by digital marketing operations.
Speaking at a capacity-building programme on ‘Use of e-commerce to promote export businesses for SMEs and other exporters’ organized by the Nigeria Export Promotion Council (NEPC) in Ilorin on Wednesday, Dr Mustapha Yusuf Ismaila of the Department of Marketing, Faculty of Management Sciences, University of Ilorin, said that the nation’s efforts at trying to diversify our economy through non-oil export product business can only be attained by trying to showcase our products through the net.
“Approximately, there are 8 billion people in the world and out of this number, 5.4 billion are connected to or use the internet (Internet World statistics 2022). Out of this number, according to the same source, 600 million are from Africa. Now, out of this 600 million, 109 million are from Nigeria.
“Also, 15.5 per cent of global GDP is from the digital economy and Africa’s digital economy will reach N300 billion by 2025 while Nigeria is worth 100 billion in terms of revenue.
“In this 21st century, every organization that desires to perform or succeed must transform into digital or internet operation, otherwise, they may be left behind, especially, exporters from Nigeria. Even our efforts in trying to diversify our economy through non-oil export product business can only be attained by trying to showcase our products through the net.
“Digital business tools are essential for the nation’s SMEs to keep track of its impact on their operations. What drives economic growth all over the world in innovation and competitiveness is the digital economy because if you don’t digitalize, you cannot successfully compete, especially with friends from advanced countries.
Dr Mustapha, who said that though, there are inherent challenges in digital operation, like transforming from manual to digital economy platform, heavy investment, security of property in terms of loss of data and network provision, quickly added that the challenges do not mean one should throw away the baby with bath water.
“There are opportunities as well. We as organizations should try to exploit the opportunities by using our strength to overcome the challenges in the competitive environment”.
In his speech at the event, the executive director/CEO, NEPC, Dr Ezra Yakusak, represented by the Kwara state Trade Promotion Advisor, Mr Ajayi Akinwunmi James, said that the council found out that major limitations faced by exporters include a lack of ability to penetrate foreign markets, adding that the training programme would provide local exporters more convenient and easier method to showcase Nigerian products to the world.
“With the desire for the expansion of the economy with foreign exchange earnings, employment generation and economic growth, the Council has developed this programme to reduce physical stress encountered by exporters, hence the full utilization of online trade platforms”, he said.
Also speaking, the state commissioner for Business Innovation and Technology, Ambassador Ibrahim Akaje, said that the lack of updated digital marketing knowledge and dynamics is one of the major reasons why Nigeria exporters fail in the international market.
The commissioner, who said that role of digital platforms in the Economic Revolution cannot be overemphasized, added that “digitalization changes the economics of doing business across borders, bringing down the cost of International
interaction and transaction. Digital Revolution create markets and user communities with a global scale, providing business with a huge base of potential customers and effective ways to reach them.
“The benefits of E-Commerce and digital trade are clear, abundant and undebatable not only does the 21-century economy enable more trade to occur, but it also connects the previously unconnected to the global marketplace. Electronic transmission undoubtedly promotes internet penetration and mobile connectivity”.
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- Nigeria’s success in local exports depends on digital operation ― Experts | https://tribuneonlineng.com/nigerias-success-in-local-exports-depends-on-digital-marketing-operations-%E2%80%95-experts/ | 2022-08-17T15:43:56Z | tribuneonlineng.com | control | https://tribuneonlineng.com/nigerias-success-in-local-exports-depends-on-digital-marketing-operations-%E2%80%95-experts/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Following the weekend breakthrough, security forces have continued with clearance operations in identified bandit and terrorist enclaves around Kaduna State.
This was contained in a statement issued by the commissioner for Internal Security and Home Affairs, Samuel Aruwan, on Wednesday.
The statement noted that “from recent operational feedback to the Kaduna State Government, troops of Operation Forest Sanity in the early hours of Tuesday carried out a raid, and rescue operations, in Kuriga and Manini communities of Chikun Local government area.
“According to the report, the troops made contact and engaged bandits at the suspected enclave.”
The statement revealed that “After clearing the camp, the troops rescued six kidnapped citizens who were held at the location.
“The rescued persons are; Sahura Hamisu, Ramlatu Umar, Saudatu Ibrahim, Maryam Shittu, Fatima Shuaibu and Khadijah Mohammed (along with her infant child).
“The rescued persons have been safely reunited with their families.
“The Kaduna State Government has noted the report, and especially the rescue of six kidnapped citizens, with gratitude. The Government warmly commended the troops, police personnel, intelligence operatives, vigilante members and other security forces, for another successful round of operations.
“The Kaduna State Government conveys its deep appreciation to the Chief of Defence Staff, the Chief of Army Staff, the Chief of Air Staff, the General Officer Commanding, 1 Division Nigerian Army, and the Director General, Department of State Services, for the ongoing wave of onslaughts against criminal enclaves.
“Security forces will continue operations in the general area and other locations of interest across the state. Further updates will be reported accordingly,” it concluded.
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If you want to keep your job and excel in your career, you need to do as I say,” Janet Abegunde’s boss said to her one fateful day. Miss Abegunde, a 24-year-old accountant who had just gotten her first job in one of the new generation banks, said she fell into depression after her boss sexually harassed her.Troops dislodge more bandits’ camp, rescue six hostages in Kaduna
Troops dislodge more bandits’ camp, rescue six hostages in Kaduna | https://tribuneonlineng.com/troops-dislodge-more-bandits-camp-rescue-six-hostages-in-kaduna/ | 2022-08-17T15:44:22Z | tribuneonlineng.com | control | https://tribuneonlineng.com/troops-dislodge-more-bandits-camp-rescue-six-hostages-in-kaduna/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
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Higher Ed Gamma
MOOCs and beyond.
Title
Simple Ways to Strengthen Your Students’ Writing
What instructors can learn from AI and Machine Learning-powered essay autograders.
We need to do a much better job of teaching our students to write effectively. Effective writing is far too important to be left to freshman rhetoric and composition courses or designated writing intensive courses.
By ghettoizing writing instruction in distinct courses, we inadvertently send our students a powerful message: That we don’t really value effective written scholarly communication.
Every publishing academic is a professional writer and an evaluator of scholarly writing. Therefore, we’re all equipped, at some level, to help our students write better. If we don’t, it’s because we’re too overwhelmed or too lazy or too lacking in commitment to be bothered.
Whatever your discipline, I urge you to integrate writing instruction into your classes.
Remember, in most disciplines we only need to focus on one kind of writing. Most academic writing is analytic, rather than simply descriptive or informational or reflective or argumentative.
Instead of simply presenting facts or information, analytical writing involves interpretation, criticism, and evaluation. Students must intelligently discuss a topic or issue, formulate and develop an argument in light of alternative perspectives, marshal and assess evidence, and spell out the argument’s broader implications.
All of us are familiar with the common writing mistakes that undergraduates make:
- An introduction that begins with gross generalizations, that fails to pique readers’ interest, or that doesn’t acquaint them with the essay’s broader topic and its importance. Poor introductions typically waste space on inessential, peripheral, or irrelevant material.
- A thesis statement that is too vague, simplistic, broad, unfocused, ill-defined, or unoriginal. A strong argument, in contrast, poses a hypothesis that is nuanced yet provocative.
- An essay that lacks a logical or coherent structure and smooth transitions between paragraphs and sentences. Such essays come across as disjointed, jumpy, rambling, as all over the place.
- The body of the text that contains too much description and too little analysis and interpretation.
- An essay that treats evidence as unproblematic. Evidence doesn’t speak for itself. It must be carefully weighed and evaluated for bias, perspective, accuracy, and validity.
- An essay that fails to consider alternate interpretations or counterarguments.
- A conclusion that simply re-states the thesis, and fails to examine the essay’s importance or broader implications.
- An essay filled with mechanical errors that distract the reader. These typically involve mistakes in grammar, spelling, word choice, and punctuation.
So what, precisely, can we do to strengthen students’ writing? Draw upon insights from AI and machine learning-powered essay autograders, like the University of Technology Sydney’s Acawriter or the University of Michigan's M-Write.
These programs offer a roadmap that instructors can use to lead their students through the writing process.
1. Begin by leading a discussion of writing genres.
Make sure your students understand the difference between analytical, descriptive, discursive, narrative, reflective, and argumentative writing. This is essential if students are to better understand your expectations for an analytical essay.
2. Then, introduce your students to the challenges of writing an effective introduction.
Every publishing academic is familiar with the techniques that effective writers use to hook readers, such as a provocative question, a telling quotation, a revealing anecdote, a reference to a relevant historical anniversary, or a mystery or a contradiction.
Of course, an effective introduction must do more than pique a reader’s interest. It must also introduce the reader to the broader topic in which the essay is situated. Consider asking your students how they might introduce concisely a particular topic, and the debates surrounding it, to a general reader.
3. Next, guide your students through the process of formulating and refining a thesis statement.
A good thesis is responsive to debates within a particular field. Typically, a compelling thesis takes one of the following forms:
- It challenges or complicates an existing interpretation or the accepted wisdom and offers an alternative.
- It enters into a debate and examines whether one side in this debate makes a more compelling argument or whether the debate needs to be recast.
- It tests whether an existing argument or interpretation can adequately explain a fresh body of material.
4. Then, work with your students on how to incorporate evidence into their essays.
Academic essays require evidence -- data, facts, statistics, quotations, testimony, and other forms of documentation – to build and substantiate their argument. But evidence needs to be explained, explicated, elucidated, and evaluated and its meaning distilled so that the reader accurately can assess its value.
Students must also learn how to smoothly and seamlessly integrate evidence into their argument, not with long block quotes, but through paraphrasing, summarizing, and synthesizing sources.
5. Encourage your students to take opposing points of view seriously.
Sophisticated arguments take into account counterarguments and alternate explanations or interpretations, which is why effective writers make extensive use of connective or conjunctive pronouns like “but,” “however,” “nevertheless,” “nonetheless,” and “although.”
By acknowledging conflicting points of view, words that denote concessions underscore a writer’s fairness and sophistication.
6. Introduce your students to the secrets of fluid, graceful writing.
The key lies in the use of linking and transition words and phrases – like “likewise,” “similarly,” ”consequently,” “thus,” “therefore,” “alternatively,” “to illustrate,” “to clarify,” “for instance,” “to summarize,” and “given the above.”
These words can make academic writing smoother and more seamless and make an essay’s logic more transparent.
8. Remind students that an effective conclusion does not simply rephrase their thesis and reiterate their essay’s main points.
A bang-up conclusion doesn’t simply summarize. It has several larger goals:
- To underscore an essay’s novel approach, surprising findings, or critical insights.
- To spell out the paper’s broader implications, which might be methodological, theoretical, conceptual, or substantive,
- To point ahead toward future areas of research inquiry.
It’s not enough to lecture students about the importance of editing, revising, and proofreading an essay or to warn them of the perils and punishments for academic dishonesty. We need to do more, much more, to help them become better writers. That requires timely, targeted, substantive feedback.
Most of my classes are far too large to provide the kinds of individualized, detail comments and one-on-one meetings that might strengthen students’ writing best. But the ideal should not be the enemy of the good.
There are many ways to make writing more central to your teaching.
- Require students to write frequently.
After all, one way to learn how to write is to write. That’s why I assign frequent low-stakes writing assignments that involve responses to prompts or analysis of a primary source. - Hold small group and full-class discussions about effective writing.
By dedicating class time to writing instruction, I send a powerful message: That writing quality matters to me and that I am committed to helping my students ability to write analytically and persuasively. - Provide as much timely feedback on writing as you possibly can.
Some of my feedback is individualized, but some is collective. That feedback focuses on common problems shared widely by my students. Here, I’m less interested in poor grammar or syntax or awkward phrasing or careless errors or inappropriate use of colloquial language, then in what we might consider to be systemic problems:- Differentiating opinion from analysis.
- Entering into a scholarly conversation
- Formulating and developing a thesis or argument.
- Making claims without providing adequate substantiation.
- Explicating, analyzing, and integrating various kinds of sources, and
The purpose of this feedback is not to rehash past problems, but to point the way to future improvement, to replace feedback with “feedforward.”
There is no better way, in my view, to strengthen students’ critical thinking skills than through frequent writing. Self-consciously design writing assignments to build specific cognitive and analytical skills, including the ability to:
- Articulate a concept in their own words.
- Summarize a scholarly debate.
- Abstract a book or an article’s argument.
- Explicate a primary source, a specific piece of evidence, or a data set.
- Compare and contrast particular events or decisions.
You may have seen a position statement recently released by NCTE, the National Council of Teachers of English, the United States’ largest professional organization of K-12 English teachers. Several sentences in particular have provoked a backlash. Here are two:
“The time has come to decenter book reading and essay writing as the pinnacles of English language arts education…. It behooves our profession, as stewards of the communication arts, to confront and challenge the tacit and implicit ways in which print media is valorized above the full range of literacy competencies students should master.”
Certainly, our students should be able to express themselves in a variety of ways: Orally, visually, and through a variety of new media formats. I myself want my students to be able to create videostories, podcasts, infographics, and charts and tables (though not the GIFs and selfies that the position paper highlights). And I do want my students to be able to interpret books through various critical lenses.
In addition, I myself ask my students “critically examine popular culture texts.”
But as much as I value the “new literacies,” my top priority is to teach them how to read complex texts and to write analytically, logically, and persuasively.
Writing is not about putting preexisting thoughts down on paper. Academic writing is nothing less than the art of thinking clearly, cogently, critically, and reflectively. It’s about critically evaluating various interpretations and crafting one’s own arguments.
It’s through the writing process that we discover our thoughts – and, at times, discover how crude and unsophisticated our thinking is. I’ve known many great talkers. But the true test of an argument is how well it stands up when it is embedded in prose.
Steven Mintz is professor of history at the University of Texas at Austin.
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Cary man charged with sexually abusing dog, possessing child porn
CARY, Ill. - A Cary man has been charged with having sexual conduct with a dog and possessing child porn.
A tip from the Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force led to an investigation and charges against 18-year-old Nikolas Sarabyn
During the investigation, Sarabyn engaged in sexual conduct with a dog on at least one occasion, according to Scott Naydenoff of the Cary Police Department.
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Sarabyn was charged with 17 counts of possessing child pornography and one count of sexual conduct with an animal, all felonies.
Sarabyn is due in McHenry County court for a preliminary hearing on Aug. 22.
Further information wasn't immediately available. | https://www.fox32chicago.com/news/cary-man-charged-with-sexually-abusing-dog-possessing-child-porn | 2022-08-17T15:51:50Z | fox32chicago.com | control | https://www.fox32chicago.com/news/cary-man-charged-with-sexually-abusing-dog-possessing-child-porn | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Human brain not meant to stay awake past midnight, researchers say
BOSTON - There’s a saying that "nothing good happens after midnight," and some new research suggests this is true when it comes to most human brains.
Most studies to date have explored how insufficient sleep can impact the brain’s function the next day, but the recent work focuses specifically on what happens in the brain when someone is awake during the night.
The researchers from Massachusetts General Hospital and elsewhere detailed in a paper published this year in Frontiers in Network Psychology about the "Mind After Midnight" hypothesis. The hypothesis suggests that when humans are awake during their biological circadian night, which is after midnight for most people, there are changes in the brain that can impact the way we interact with the world.
This is particularly true for actions related to reward processing, impulse control, and information processing, according to the authors. And these changes can make an individual more likely to "view the world negatively, engage in harmful behaviors, and make impulsive decisions" without fully thinking through the consequences, according to a statement detailing the research, published this month by Massachusetts General Hospital.
This includes addictive behaviors like gambling and substance abuse.
"The basic idea is that from a high level, global, evolutionary standpoint, your internal biological circadian clock is tuned towards processes that promote sleep, not wakefulness, after midnight," Dr. Elizabeth Klerman, PhD, senior author of the paper and an investigator in the Department of Neurology at Massachusetts General Hospital, said in the statement.
Klerman and the team called for researchers to conduct new studies to better understand how these circadian differences in the brain affect behavior and decision-making to help people cope, as many individuals are required to work at night.
"There are millions of people who are awake in the middle of the night, and there’s fairly good evidence that their brain is not functioning as well as it does during the day," Klerman added. "My plea is for more research to look at that, because their health and safety, as well as that of others, is affected."
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Harmful behavior happens at night
Previous research has suggested that people are more at risk of engaging in harmful behavior such as suicide, violent crime, and substance abuse at night.
When adjusting for the number of people who are awake at any given time, suicides are statistically more likely to occur during the nighttime hours, according to a 2016 study conducted by Michael Perlis, Ph.D., an associate professor of psychology at the University of Pennsylvania and co-author of the recent Mind After Midnight hypothesis.
Murder, violent crime, and the use of illicit substances are also more common during these nighttime hours.
Furthermore, food choices are also skewed at night toward carbohydrates, lipids, and processed foods, and away from fruits and vegetables — with the total caloric intake often exceeding more than we need, according to separate previous research.
There are some obvious reasons why these issues occur more frequently at night, according to the researchers. Mainly, it’s easier to get away with crimes under the cover of darkness, and there are fewer people awake at night to step in and help.
But Klerman and the team also highlight the biological basis, in that our brains change over the course of 24 hours and process things differently depending on the hour. They refer to this as the "positive and negative affect" in relation to our circadian rhythm.
During the day, there is a "positive affect" — which is the tendency to view information in a positive light. This peaks in the morning and reaches the lowest point at night (between 1 a.m. to 4 a.m.), according to the paper.
The "negative affect," or the tendency to view information in a negative or threatening light, peaks sharply during the nighttime hours.
From an evolutionary perspective, humans were better hunter-gatherers during the day, while they were more at risk of threats at night. This means the brain evolved to produce a narrowed focus on negative stimuli at night to cope with these perceived threats from predators.
The body also naturally produces more dopamine at night, which can alter the reward and motivation system and increase the likelihood of engaging in risky behavior.
"Suddenly, your worldview narrows and becomes more negative, you start to make poor decisions, and the mental map you create of the world around you may no longer match up with reality," the Mass Gen statement reads.
"The result? You might end up drinking too much, missing a crucial diagnosis on a patient, crashing an oil tanker into some rocks, or worse," it adds.
In the paper, the team noted two examples to highlight how these conditions can lead to "catastrophic outcomes," the first being a heroin user who successfully manages their cravings during the day but caves at night, and "a single impulsive decision leads to a relapse."
The second example is a college student suffering from a delayed sleep schedule and insomnia, with negative mood "at its peak, and the student feels isolated and alone, leading to endless rumination on prior negative relationship experiences."
"These particular experiences quickly, and inappropriately, generalize to all relationships, thus creating a sense of hopelessness and despair," the researchers write. "Suicide, previously inconceivable, emerges as an escape from loneliness and pain, and before the costs of suicide are considered the student has acquired the means and is prepared to act at a time when no one is awake to stop them."
The researchers stressed that Mind After Midnight is still a hypothesis and will require validation through future research studies — potentially involving researchers and study staff themselves to be working after midnight and studying their own fMRI images.
"Most researchers don’t want to be paged in the middle of the night. Most research assistants and technicians don’t want to be awake in the middle of the night," Klerman said in the statement.
"But we have millions of people who have to be awake at night or are awake at night involuntarily. Some of us will have to be inconvenienced so we can better prepare them, treat them, or do whatever we can to help."
If you or a loved one is feeling distressed, call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline. The crisis center provides free and confidential emotional support 24 hours a day, 7 days a week to civilians and veterans. Call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255. Or text HOME to 741-741 (Crisis Text Line).
CLICK HERE for the warning signs and risk factors of suicide. Call 1-800-273-TALK for free and confidential emotional support.
This story was reported from Cincinnati. | https://www.fox32chicago.com/news/human-brain-not-meant-stay-awake-past-midnight-2022-research | 2022-08-17T15:51:51Z | fox32chicago.com | control | https://www.fox32chicago.com/news/human-brain-not-meant-stay-awake-past-midnight-2022-research | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Having seen eight coaches come and go in less than 10 years, Manchester United fans know their false dawns. Wednesday shed a different light on strife at the giant football club: Elon Musk said he was buying it - and then said it was all a joke.
Musk, the world's richest person, said early on Wednesday that he hadn't been serious when he tweeted hours previously that he was going to buy Manchester United Plc, now languishing at the foot of the English Premier League as fed-up fans urge current owners, the American Glazer family to sell up.
"No, this is a long-running joke on Twitter. I'm not buying any sports teams," Musk posted when asked by a user if he was serious about buying the club when he had posted, "I'm buying Manchester United ur (sic) welcome."
"Although, if it were any team, it would be Man U," he added, rubbing salt into the wound for some: "They were my fav (sic) team as a kid."
Some Manchester United fans had previously urged Musk on Twitter to consider buying the club, complaining at what they see as under-investment at one of the world's biggest football clubs.
United haven't won the English league title since the days of legendary manager Sir Alex Ferguson claimed the last of their record 20 wins in 2013, despite the efforts of a cast of eight permanent and temporary coaches since then.
In early reactions before Musk said he was only joking, some users mockingly compared his tweet with his troubled run at buying Twitter, or seemed to consider it no more than a joke.
The northern England-based team has more than 32 million followers on its main Twitter account and Musk's first tweet about the club garnered more than 500,000 'likes' on the platform within six hours.
After Musk said he was joking, the Manchester United Fanatics Club Hungary said, "It's just a tweet from somebody who not always thinking twice before write something (sic)."
The Manchester United Fans Club Kolkata said: "It again reinstated the fact that Elon and his tweets are just gimmicks. Although it would have been great if he really invested 1/10th of what he paid for Twitter to own this legendary club ... the entire fan base is sick and tired of the Glazers."
In early trading in the club's Frankfurt-listed shares, the stock was up 2.5%.
Irreverent jokester
Musk is now seeking to exit a $44 billion agreement to buy Twitter only four months after announcing on the platform he would buy the social media company, which has taken him to court.
He has a history of being unconventional and posting irreverent tweets, making it difficult sometimes to tell when he is joking.
"Next I'm buying Coca-Cola to put the cocaine back in," he tweeted on April 27, two days after Twitter's board accepted his unsolicited offer to buy the company.
Referring back to that post, on Wednesday he tweeted: "And I'm not buying Coca-Cola to put the cocaine back in, despite the extreme popularity of such a move."
Musk's tweets about potential acquisitions have landed him in hot water with US regulators in the past.
In 2018, he tweeted that there was "funding secured" for a $72 billion deal to take Tesla private, but did not move ahead with an offer.
Musk and Tesla each paid $20 million civil fines - and Musk stepped down as Tesla's chairman - to resolve U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) claims that Musk defrauded investors.
The SEC did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Musk's tweet that he was buying the club outside usual business hours.
Musk's ambitions range from colonising Mars to creating a new sustainable energy economy, and in the process, he has built the most valuable car company in the world, electric vehicle maker Tesla, rocket company SpaceX, and a slew of smaller firms. One is a tunnel maker called the Boring Company.
Widespread opposition
Clamour from fans and pundits for a change of ownership at the three-time winners of the European Cup, the most prestigious club competition in the global game, has been intensifying.
British newspaper The Daily Mirror reported last year that the Glazers, who have faced widespread fan opposition to their stewardship since acquiring the club in 2005 for 790 million pounds ($957 million), were prepared to sell but only if they were offered in excess of 4 billion pounds.
In its annual rankings this year, Forbes rated Manchester United, with its huge global fanbase, the third most valuable football club in the world, worth $4.6 billion, behind only Spanish giants Real Madrid and Barcelona.
But shares in the New York-listed football club have slid a quarter in the past 12 months, valuing it at just over $2 billion. The stock has rebounded in the past month, gaining 16% to close at $12.78 on Tuesday.
Musk and his lawyer did not immediately respond to Reuters' request for comment on his original Twitter post before his message that he had been joking.
The Florida-based Glazer family did not immediately respond to requests for comment, and Manchester United itself declined to comment. | https://www.onmanorama.com/sports/football/2022/08/17/elon-musk-on-buying-manchester-united-football-club.html | 2022-08-17T15:52:40Z | onmanorama.com | control | https://www.onmanorama.com/sports/football/2022/08/17/elon-musk-on-buying-manchester-united-football-club.html | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Kochi: Kerala Blasters have bolstered their attack with the signing of Bidyashagar Singh on loan from Bengaluru FC. The loan period is until May 2023.
Bidyashagar has become the Blasters' third domestic signing after Saurav Mandal and Bryce Miranda.
The 24-year-old striker, a product of the Tiddim Road Athletic Union FC academy, started his career with East Bengal FC in 2016, for whom he made 12 senior appearances over two seasons.
He stepped up his game following a move to TRAU in 2020. His 12 goals in 15 appearances, including two hat-tricks, secured him a place in the I-League Team of the Season.
Then came the stint with Bengaluru, for whom he scored three goals from 11 appearances.
“I would like to congratulate Bidya for joining Kerala Blasters club,” said Blasters' Sporting Director Karolis Skinkys. “He showed his quality a couple seasons ago and we would like to give him the opportunity to explore himself in ISL. We are ready to help and wish him all the best with the new challenge."
Bidyashagar said he is ready for the challenge ahead. “"I am excited for this move, I am looking to get some game time and get my scoring boots back on. I know some of my teammates from Manipur, I am looking forward to get know the rest of them. It's a new challenge for me,” he added.
Bidyashagar is expected to link up with his teammates in Dubai as the Blasters prepare for the first of their three friendlies in the UAE. The Blasters are set to play against UAE First Division side Al-Nasr on August 20. | https://www.onmanorama.com/sports/football/2022/08/17/kerala-blasters-sign-bidyashagar-singh.amp.html | 2022-08-17T15:52:46Z | onmanorama.com | control | https://www.onmanorama.com/sports/football/2022/08/17/kerala-blasters-sign-bidyashagar-singh.amp.html | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Kochi: Kerala Blasters have bolstered their attack with the signing of Bidyashagar Singh on loan from Bengaluru FC. The loan period is until May 2023.
Bidyashagar has become the Blasters' third domestic signing after Saurav Mandal and Bryce Miranda.
The 24-year-old striker, a product of the Tiddim Road Athletic Union FC academy, started his career with East Bengal FC in 2016, for whom he made 12 senior appearances over two seasons.
He stepped up his game following a move to TRAU in 2020. His 12 goals in 15 appearances, including two hat-tricks, secured him a place in the I-League Team of the Season.
Then came the stint with Bengaluru, for whom he scored three goals from 11 appearances.
“I would like to congratulate Bidya for joining Kerala Blasters club,” said Blasters' Sporting Director Karolis Skinkys. “He showed his quality a couple seasons ago and we would like to give him the opportunity to explore himself in ISL. We are ready to help and wish him all the best with the new challenge."
Bidyashagar said he is ready for the challenge ahead. “"I am excited for this move, I am looking to get some game time and get my scoring boots back on. I know some of my teammates from Manipur, I am looking forward to get know the rest of them. It's a new challenge for me,” he added.
Bidyashagar is expected to link up with his teammates in Dubai as the Blasters prepare for the first of their three friendlies in the UAE. The Blasters are set to play against UAE First Division side Al-Nasr on August 20. | https://www.onmanorama.com/sports/football/2022/08/17/kerala-blasters-sign-bidyashagar-singh.html | 2022-08-17T15:52:53Z | onmanorama.com | control | https://www.onmanorama.com/sports/football/2022/08/17/kerala-blasters-sign-bidyashagar-singh.html | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Kochi: Substitute Charlinda Nongtdu scored a late brace as Kerala United defeated SB FA Poovar 4-1 in a Kerala Women's League match at the Maharaja's College Stadium here on Wednesday.
SB FA had equalised just three minutes after Baby Lalchhandami's 5th minute opener for Kerala United.
While Ananya Rajesh scored a second for Kerala United after the hour, substitute Nongtdu's late strikes ensured they finished with a convincing win.
Result: SBFA Poovar 1 (Liya Paul 8) lost to Kerala United 4 (Baby Lalchhandami 5, Ananya Rajesh 62, Charlinda Nongtdu 81, 90+2) | https://www.onmanorama.com/sports/football/2022/08/17/kerala-womens-league-kerala-united-beat-sb-fa-poovar.html | 2022-08-17T15:53:06Z | onmanorama.com | control | https://www.onmanorama.com/sports/football/2022/08/17/kerala-womens-league-kerala-united-beat-sb-fa-poovar.html | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Wednesday deferred till August 22 hearing on the All India Football Federation (AIFF) matter after the Centre said it is in discussion with FIFA over holding of the U-17 Women's World Cup in India.
The court also asked the Centre to take proactive steps to hold the world cup in India and lift the suspension of AIFF.
A bench of Justices DY Chandrachud, AS Bopanna and JB Paridwala was told by Solicitor General Tushar Mehta that two meetings have been held by the government and committee of administrators with FIFA and efforts are being made to "break some ice" on the holding of the U-17 Women's World Cup in India.
He requested that the matter be deferred till August 22 so that a consensus could be arrived at between the active stakeholders of the AIFF.
Mehta said that a few words from the court that the stakeholders are trying to sort this up will help them in their endeavour.
The bench said it is a great international event for the under 17 children and it is only concerned with the fact that the tournament is held in the country.
If somebody from outside is trying to interfere with it, it would not be tolerated, it said.
The bench asked the Centre to play a proactive role in the matter and facilitate the lifting the suspension of AIFF.
On Tuesday, the FIFA had suspended India for "undue influence from third parties" and stripped the country of the right to host the Under-17 Women's World Cup.
The country was scheduled to host the FIFA tournament from October 11-30. This is the first time that the AIFF has been banned by FIFA in its 85-year-old history.
A ban on India was on the cards after the Supreme Court removed Praful Patel as AIFF president on May 18 for not holding elections due in December 2020.
The court had appointed a three-member Committee of Administrators (CoA), headed by former apex court judge AR Dave, to manage the affairs of the national federation.
The CoA, which has former Chief Commissioner of India SY Quraishi and ex India captain Bhaskar Ganguly as other members, also had to frame its constitution in line with the National Sports Code and model guidelines. | https://www.onmanorama.com/sports/football/2022/08/17/sc-defers-hearing-of-aiff-case-as-centre-says-talks-with-fifa-on.amp.html | 2022-08-17T15:53:12Z | onmanorama.com | control | https://www.onmanorama.com/sports/football/2022/08/17/sc-defers-hearing-of-aiff-case-as-centre-says-talks-with-fifa-on.amp.html | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
DAYTON, Ohio (AP) — Writer Wil Haygood, author of multiple nonfiction books chronicling the lives of 20th-century Black Americans including “The Butler,” has won a prestigious book award.
The Dayton Literary Peace Prize announced Wednesday that Haygood — himself originally from Columbus, Ohio — will receive the Ambassador Richard C. Holbrooke Distinguished Achievement Award.
“For three decades, Haygood has captured the sweep of American culture, focusing on the rarely or never-told stories of the Black experience with the analysis that this nation so desperately needs,” said Sharon Rab, founder and chair of the Dayton Literary Peace Prize Foundation.
Haywood’s book “The Butler” is based on the life of Eugene Allen, who served eight presidents at the White House. It was adapted into a 2013 film starring Forest Whitaker.
His other works include “Showdown,” about the nomination battle that Thurgood Marshall faced before becoming the first Black U.S. Supreme Court justice, and “Colorization,” a century-long look at the lives of Black actors, writers and directors in Hollywood.
The literary prize was inspired by the 1995 Dayton Peace Accords that ended the war in Bosnia, and celebrates the power of literature to foster peace, social justice and understanding.
Haygood will receive the award on Nov. 13 from Dayton native Clarence Page, a Pulitzer Prize-winning syndicated columnist, journalist and Chicago Tribune editorial board member. | https://www.wspa.com/entertainment-news/ap-entertainment/the-butler-author-wil-haygood-wins-prestigious-book-award/ | 2022-08-17T15:58:30Z | wspa.com | control | https://www.wspa.com/entertainment-news/ap-entertainment/the-butler-author-wil-haygood-wins-prestigious-book-award/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
(The Hill) — Rep. Val Demings (D) leads Sen. Marco Rubio (R) by 4 percentage points in Florida’s Senate race, according to a poll released Tuesday.
The poll released by the University of North Florida’s Public Opinion Research Lab (PORL) shows Demings with the support of 48 percent of surveyed registered voters who said they would vote in the midterms.
Rubio, in comparison, received 44 percent support while 7 percent said they would choose someone else.
Broken down by party, 89 percent of Republican voters supported Rubio in addition to 36 percent of voters who either had no party affiliation or whose political affiliation was termed “other.” The poll found 94 percent of Democratic voters supported Demmings in addition to 46 percent with no party affiliation.
Florida’s Senate race is considered one of the most competitive this November and has been rated as “lean Republican” by the nonpartisan Cook Political Report.
Demings was among a slew of Senate Democratic challengers who posted impressive fundraising numbers in the last quarter. Demings’ campaign posted more than $12 million for the second quarter while the Florida Republican’s campaign raised more than $4 million, according to Florida Politics.
The poll was conducted Aug. 8-12 with a total sample of 1,624 registered voters, with an overall margin of error of 3.4 percentage points. The number of voters polled on the Florida Senate race was 1,534. | https://www.wspa.com/hill-politics/demings-up-by-4-points-in-challenge-to-rubio-poll/ | 2022-08-17T15:58:41Z | wspa.com | control | https://www.wspa.com/hill-politics/demings-up-by-4-points-in-challenge-to-rubio-poll/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
American Airlines says it has entered into an agreement to buy up to 20 Boom Supersonic Overture jets.
The airline says the aircraft is expected to carry passengers at twice the speed as today's fastest commercial planes.
“Looking to the future, supersonic travel will be an important part of our ability to deliver for our customers,” said Derek Kerr, American’s chief financial officer. “We are excited about how Boom will shape the future of travel both for our company and our customers.”
The company says Boom must meet industry-standard operating, performance and safety requirements before delivery of the aircraft.
The jets are designed to carry up to 80 passengers and can reach Mach 1.7 over water, American says.
Overture is reportedly in the final production stage. The jets are scheduled to begin carrying passengers by 2029. | https://www.fox17online.com/news/national/american-airlines-agrees-to-buy-up-to-20-supersonic-jets | 2022-08-17T15:58:42Z | fox17online.com | control | https://www.fox17online.com/news/national/american-airlines-agrees-to-buy-up-to-20-supersonic-jets | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
(The Hill) — Pennsylvania Lt. Gov. John Fetterman (D) raised more than half a million dollars in the past day for his Senate campaign after an ad from his Republican opponent, Mehmet Oz, went viral on social media.
“… Fetterman’s campaign for U.S. Senate on Tuesday announced that it had raised over $500,000 since yesterday, when a viral video of Dr. Oz mispronouncing the name of a grocery store, struggling to grocery shop, and saying that the cost of ‘crudite’ had skyrocketed went viral,” Fetterman’s campaign said in a press release.
In a video from Oz posted in April from Oz, the cardiothoracic surgeon is shown in a grocery store picking up vegetables like broccoli and asparagus and reading out their prices to call attention to inflation.
Oz says in the video that his wife wanted to get some vegetables for a crudité, and he blamed President Joe Biden for rising prices that made his few vegetables, guacamole and salsa cost $20 overall.
“Guys, that’s $20 for crudité, and this doesn’t include the tequila. I mean, that’s outrageous! We got Joe Biden to thank for this,” Oz says to the camera.
Fetterman retweeted the video on Monday, stating: “In PA we call this a… veggie tray.” The Democrat also linked a definition of crudité on Wikipedia below. The definition states that crudités are “French appetizers consisting of sliced or whole raw vegetables which are typically dipped in a vinaigrette or other dipping sauce.”
Oz referred to the supermarket he was in as “Wegners,” which was a term that went viral with the video. It appears Oz meant to reference the supermarket chain Wegman’s. The term “Wegners,” however, trended on Twitter following the circulation of the April video.
“John actually understands what it’s like to go grocery shopping and to see prices go up,” Brendan McPhillips, Fetterman’s campaign manager, said in a release on Tuesday. “Oz clearly has never been in a grocery store before. That’s why this is resonating with supporters across Pennsylvania.”
The release states that the campaign raised more than $65,000 from a sticker Fetterman offered in exchange for donations. The sticker says “Wegners,” with “Let Them Eat Crudité” written underneath. | https://www.wspa.com/hill-politics/fetterman-campaign-raises-500k-in-wake-of-viral-oz-crudite-video/ | 2022-08-17T15:58:48Z | wspa.com | control | https://www.wspa.com/hill-politics/fetterman-campaign-raises-500k-in-wake-of-viral-oz-crudite-video/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — A spate of explosions and fires has turned Russian-occupied Crimea from a secure rear base into a new battleground in the war, demonstrating both the Russians’ vulnerability and the Ukrainians’ capacity to strike deep behind enemy lines.
Nine Russian warplanes were reported destroyed at an air base in Crimea last week, and an ammunition depot on the peninsula blew up on Tuesday.
Ukrainian authorities have stopped short of publicly claiming responsibility, preferring to keep the world guessing, but President Volodymyr Zelenskyy alluded to Ukrainian attacks behind enemy lines after the latest blasts, which Russia blamed on “sabotage.”
Russia seized the Crimean Peninsula from Ukraine in 2014 and has used it as a staging ground for attacks on the country in the war that began Feb. 24.
The explosions represent the latest setback for Moscow, which began its invasion with hopes of taking Kyiv in a lightning offensive but soon became bogged down in the face of fierce resistance. As the war nears the six-month mark, the two sides are engaged in a grinding war of attrition, fighting village to village, largely in the country’s east.
The attacks in Crimea could open a new front that would represent a significant escalation in the war and further stretch Russia’s resources.
“Russian commanders will highly likely be increasingly concerned with the apparent deterioration in security across Crimea, which functions as rear base area for the occupation,” Britain’s Defense Ministry wrote on Twitter.
Tuesday’s explosions ripped through an ammunition site near the town of Dzhankoi, forcing the evacuation of about 3,000 people. Munitions continued to explode Wednesday and authorities fought the fires with a helicopter, said Crimea’s regional leader, Sergei Aksyonov. He said a search for the perpetrators was underway.
The Kommersant business paper also reported explosions Tuesday at a Crimean base in Gvardeyskoye. There was no confirmation from the Russians.
The British intelligence report said Gvardeyskoye and Dzhankoi are home to two of the most important Russian military airfields in Crimea.
Just over a week ago, explosions rocked the Russians’ Saki air base on Crimea and destroyed planes on the ground. Moscow suggested that the blasts were accidental, caused perhaps by a careless smoker, but Ukrainian authorities mocked that explanation and hinted at their involvement.
Last month, a small explosive device carried by a makeshift drone blew up in a courtyard at the headquarters of Russia’s Black Sea Fleet in the Crimean port of Sevastopol, wounding six people and prompting the cancellation of ceremonies there honoring Russia’s navy.
In other developments Wednesday, two civilians were reported killed and seven wounded by Russian shelling of several towns and villages in the Donetsk region in the east that is the current focus of the Kremlin offensive.
In the south, Russian warplanes fired cruise missiles at the Odesa region overnight, wounding four people, according to regional administration spokesman Oleh Bratchuk. In Mykolaiv, also in the south, two Russian missiles damaged a university building but injured no one.
Russian forces also shelled Kharkiv and the surrounding region in the northeast overnight, damaging residential buildings and civilian infrastructure but inflicting no casualties, authorities said.
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Follow the AP’s coverage of the war at https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine | https://www.wspa.com/news/business/ap-business/crimea-sabotage-highlights-russias-woes-in-ukraine-war/ | 2022-08-17T15:59:31Z | wspa.com | control | https://www.wspa.com/news/business/ap-business/crimea-sabotage-highlights-russias-woes-in-ukraine-war/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Dubai International Airport saw a surge in passengers over the first half of 2022 as pandemic restrictions eased and the upcoming FIFA World Cup in Qatar will further boost traffic to the city-state’s second airfield, its chief executive said Wednesday.
Paul Griffiths, who oversees the world’s busiest airport for international travel, told The Associated Press that the airport handled 160% more traffic over the past six months compared to the same period last year, part of an air travel rebound around the world.
The nearly 28 million people who traveled through the airport over the past six months represent some 70% of the airport’s pre-pandemic levels, even as Dubai’s key source market of China remains closed due to severe pandemic restrictions. Griffiths said he expects the airport’s traffic to return to pre-pandemic levels by the end of next year.
“It’s a very, very welcome surge of traffic,” Griffiths said.
The first World Cup in the Middle East, he added, will send foreign soccer fans flocking to Al Maktoum International Airport at Dubai World Central, or DWC. From there, they’ll travel daily to Qatar, a tiny neighbor that faces a hotel squeeze.
“We’ve actually seen a huge amounts of demand at DWC for slot filings for airlines wanting to operate a shuttle service,” he said. “I think the city has a lot to offer and a lot to gain from the World Cup.”
Among the airlines buying extra slots to shuttle soccer fans to the tournament from DWC are Qatar Airways, low-cost carrier FlyDubai and budget airline Wizz Air Abu Dhabi, he said.
Ambitions plans to turn the airfield in Dubai’s southern desert into a mega-aviation hub, first unveiled by Dubai before the 2008 global financial crisis, have sputtered in recent years. Long-haul carrier Emirates, based in Dubai, parked many of its double-decker Airbus A380s there during the pandemic as commercial flights halted.
A key East-West transit point, Dubai’s air traffic is closely watched as a barometer of the city-state’s non-oil economy. Emirates remains the linchpin of the wider empire known as “Dubai Inc.,” an interlocking series of government-owned businesses.
During the first half of 2022, Dubai International Airport dealt with nearly 56% more flights than the same period in 2021, when contagious coronavirus variants clobbered the industry.
Now, in a sign of the health of the industry, Emirates said Wednesday that it would pour billions of dollars into retrofitting much of its Airbus A380 and Boeing 777 fleet. At the height of the pandemic, the airline received a $4 billion government bailout.
The widespread lifting of virus restrictions has triggered a rapid increase in air travel demand, filling Dubai’s hub and causing mayhem at airports around the world.
While Dubai has not seen the chaotic crowds overwhelming European hubs in recent weeks, Griffiths said the global disruptions have affected its main airport.
“It’s obviously affected growth because some of the caps on capacity that they’ve applied to airports like Heathrow have had an impact on our numbers,” he said.
Last month Emirates lashed out at Heathrow, refusing its request to cap departing passengers and cut flights to the London hub. Emirates later agreed to temporarily limit sales on its flights.
Since Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine sent Russia’s richest businessmen scrambling to save their assets from what became a widening dragnet, Dubai has welcomed an influx of Russians to its beach-front villas and luxury hotels. The city remains one of the few remaining flight corridors out of Moscow.
Griffiths declined to comment on Russians carrying cash out of the country to Dubai, which has become the talk of the town in recent months.
But he said the flow of Russian visitors would not stop anytime soon, adding: “It’s still a major source of traffic for us.”
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Follow Isabel DeBre on Twitter at www.twitter.com/isabeldebre. | https://www.wspa.com/news/business/ap-business/dubai-sees-air-travel-surge-expects-fifa-world-cup-boost/ | 2022-08-17T15:59:38Z | wspa.com | control | https://www.wspa.com/news/business/ap-business/dubai-sees-air-travel-surge-expects-fifa-world-cup-boost/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
MADRID (AP) — While vacationers might enjoy the Mediterranean Sea’s summer warmth, climate scientists are warning of dire consequences for its marine life as it burns up in a series of severe heat waves.
From Barcelona to Tel Aviv, scientists say they are witnessing exceptional temperature hikes ranging from 3 degrees Celsius (5.4 Fahrenheit) to 5 degrees Celsius (9 Fahrenheit) above the norm for this time of year. Water temperatures have regularly exceeded 30 C (86 F) on some days.
Extreme heat in Europe and other countries around the Mediterranean has grabbed headlines this summer, but the rising sea temperature is largely out of sight and out of mind.
Marine heat waves are caused by ocean currents building up areas of warm water. Weather systems and heat in the atmosphere can also pile on degrees to the water’s temperature. And just like their on-land counterparts, marine heat waves are longer, more frequent and more intense because of human-induced climate change.
The situation is “very worrying,” says Joaquim Garrabou, a researcher at the Institute of Marine Sciences in Barcelona. “We are pushing the system too far. We have to take action on the climate issues as soon as possible.”
Garrabou is part of a team that recently published the report on heat waves in the Mediterranean Sea between 2015 and 2019. The report says these phenomena have led to “massive mortality” of marine species.
About 50 species, including corals, sponges and seaweed, were affected along thousands of kilometers of Mediterranean coasts, according to the study, which was published in the Global Change Biology journal.
The situation in the eastern Mediterranean basin is particularly dire.
The waters off Israel, Cyprus, Lebanon and Syria are “the hottest hot spot in the Mediterranean, for sure,” said Gil Rilov, a marine biologist at Israel’s Oceanographic and Limnological Research institute, and one of the paper’s co-authors. Average sea temperatures in the summer are now consistently over 31 C (88 F).
These warming seas are driving many native species to the brink, “because every summer their optimum temperature is being exceeded,” he said.
What he and his colleagues are witnessing in terms of biodiversity loss is what is projected to happen further west in the Mediterranean toward Greece, Italy and Spain in the coming years.
Garrabou points out that seas have been serving the planet by absorbing 90% of the earth’s excess heat and 30% of carbon dioxide emitted into the atmosphere by coal, oil and gas production. This carbon-sink effect shields the planet from even harsher climate effects.
This was possible because oceans and seas were in a healthy condition, Garrabou said.
“But now we have driven the ocean to an unhealthy and dysfunctional state,” he said.
While the earth’s greenhouse gas emissions will have to be drastically reduced if sea warming is to be curtailed, ocean scientists are specifically looking for authorities to guarantee that 30% of sea areas are protected from human activities such as fishing, which would give species a chance to recover and thrive.
About 8% of the Mediterranean Sea area is currently protected.
Garrabou and Rilov said that policymakers are largely unaware of the warming Mediterranean and its impact.
“It’s our job as scientists to bring this to their attention so they can think about it,” Rilov said.
Heat waves occur when especially hot weather continues over a set number of days, with no rain or little wind. Land heat waves help cause marine heat waves and the two tend to feed each other in a vicious, warming circle.
Land heat waves have become commonplace in many countries around the Mediterranean, with dramatic side effects like wildfires, droughts, crop losses and excruciatingly high temperatures.
But marine heat waves could also have serious consequences for the countries bordering the Mediterranean and the more than 500 million people who live there if it’s not dealt with soon, scientists say. Fish stocks will be depleted and tourism will be adversely affected, as destructive storms could become more common on land.
Despite representing less than 1% of the global ocean surface area, the Mediterranean is one of the main reservoirs of marine biodiversity, containing between 4% and 18% of the world’s known marine species.
Some of the most affected species are key to maintaining the functioning and diversity of the sea’s habitats. Species like the Posidonia oceanica seagrass meadows, which can absorb vast amounts of carbon dioxide and shelters marine life, or coral reefs, which are also home to wildlife, would be at risk.
Garrabou says the mortality impacts on species were observed between the surface and 45 meters (around 150 feet) deep, where the recorded marine heat waves were exceptional. Heat waves affected more than 90% of the Mediterranean Sea’s surface.
According to the most recent scientific papers, the sea surface temperature in the Mediterranean has increased by 0.4 C (0.72 F) each decade between 1982 and 2018. On a yearly basis, it has been rising by some 0.05 C (0.09 F) over the past decade without any sign of letting up.
Even fractions of degrees can have disastrous effects on ocean health, experts say.
The affected areas have also grown since the 1980s and now covers most of the Mediterranean, the study suggests.
“The question is not about the survival of nature, because biodiversity will find way to a survive on the planet,” Garrabou said. “The question is if we keep going in this direction maybe our society, humans, will not have a place to live.”
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Ilan Ben Zion reported from Jerusalem.
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Follow all AP stories on climate change issues at https://apnews.com/hub/climate-and-environment
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Associated Press climate and environmental coverage receives support from several private foundations. See more about AP’s climate initiative here. The AP is solely responsible for all content. | https://www.wspa.com/news/business/ap-business/fast-warming-ailing-med-sea-may-be-a-sign-of-things-to-come/ | 2022-08-17T15:59:52Z | wspa.com | control | https://www.wspa.com/news/business/ap-business/fast-warming-ailing-med-sea-may-be-a-sign-of-things-to-come/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) — In the Brazilian Amazon these days, it’s nearly impossible to run for office talking up the environment.
More common is a scene like this: A candidate for Congress parades a helicopter — the symbol of illegal gold mining — painted with the Brazilian flag, through the streets of the Amazon city of Boa Vista. He defends a gold rush that has devastated Indigenous territories and contaminated rivers. In a neighboring state an Indigenous candidate stops wearing green clothing in public out of fear of violence.
Like all Brazilians, residents of the vast Amazon region will elect governors and lawmakers in October’s general elections. But as the campaign takes the streets, few candidates or voters are talking about current record-breaking deforestation rates or other environmental problems.
Instead, many politicians vie for who has a bolder promise to relax legal restrictions on gold mining, expand deforestation for agribusiness or pave highways through the forest. The few who run on an environmental platform struggle to compete and face public hostility.
Amid widespread poverty and lack of economic opportunities besides those that are environmentally damaging, Amazon voters have increasingly favored politicians who frame legal protection of the world’s largest tropical rainforest as a barrier to development.
A survey carried out by the website ((o))eco news found that most lawmakers from Brazil’s nine Amazon states voted in favor of five major bills that soften environmental laws, from opening Indigenous territories to mining, to legalizing land-robbing. In three of the votes, representatives from the Amazon region voted more heavily in favor than those from other parts of Brazil.
ONE OUT OF MORE THAN A HUNDRED
Today, just 1 of the 118 lawmakers in Congress representing the Amazon was elected on a socio-environmental platform. Joenia Wapichana, only the second Indigenous leader elected to the national parliament in Brazil’s history, is from Roraima state, where Indigenous people make up 11% of the population, the highest in the country.
In her bid for reelection, one of her opponents is a gold prospector and businessman named Rodrigo Martins de Mello who has used a helicopter as the trademark of his campaign. Aircraft is the only way to transport prospectors and equipment to remote Indigenous reserves, such as that belonging to the Yanomami people, where most illegal gold mining occurs in Roraima.
“It is mining that brings money to Boa Vista’s commerce,” Mello said through a microphone from the back of a pickup truck. Behind him, a much larger truck rolled forward, transporting the helicopter emblazoned with the Brazilian flag, now a symbol of support for far-right President Jair Bolsonaro.
In a phone interview with The Associated Press, Mello, who is campaigning under the name Rodrigo Cataratas, (Rodrigo Waterfall in English), promised to defend the rights of prospectors, who he estimated number 40,000.
The tendency to discount the value of the forest is stronger in regions where migrants of European ancestry arrived in the 1960s and ’70s. To attract people to the Amazon, the military government at that time built roads, turned a blind eye to a chaotic gold rush and gave away vast swaths of pristine rainforest where isolated Indigenous tribes lived. Disease and forced displacement brought some groups to the brink of extermination.
That is the case in Rondonia, where most cities were founded beginning in the 1970s by such migrants from southern Brazil. Today it is one of the most deforested Amazon states and a large beef producer, with soybean agriculture on the uptick.
Last year, Rondonia’s State Assembly voted unanimously 17 to 0 to reduce a protected area by 2,200 square kilometers (850 square miles), an area larger than greater London, to allow in illegal cattle ranchers and open rainforest to agribusiness. Governor Marcos Rocha, a staunch ally of Bolsonaro, signed the law. It was later ruled unconstitutional by a state court.
According to Ricardo Gilson, a geographer at the Federal University of Rondonia, large swaths of the so-called arc of deforestation, which encompasses dozens of cities, share that cultural history.
“It is a frontier society, which transforms the natural landscape into an extractive economy: mining, cattle, crops, hydro energy. It is not a society that regards the standing forest as something positive,” he told the AP.
To stand out in such a culture, Military Police Corporal Cáiro Teixeira da Silva, who is running for Congress for the first time, sells himself as more radical than his competitors. With a Brazilian flag printed on his shirt, he recently appeared in a campaign video brandishing a rifle and promising to arm illegal prospectors against police raids.
“I will fight for the miner to have a T4 rifle to secure his dredge, his gold,” he shouted, patting the gun.
The historically small and dwindling support for the environment explains why two of the Amazon’s top rainforest defenders have opted to leave the region entirely and run for Congress in Sao Paulo state, thousands of miles away. They are Indigenous leader Sônia Guajajara, who Time Magazine crowned one of the world’s most influential people, and former minister Marina Silva, who was elected senator twice from the Amazon’s state of Acre.
For Mario Mantovani, a senior advisor to the Environmental Parliamentary Front, running an environment-based campaign in Amazon states has become harder this year, because lawmakers who support Bolsonaro have had access to generous federal funds they can dole out as they choose.
“They have put so much money into the region that it is hard to even set up a strategy against them. It is a game played with marked cards. You would be an isolated voice there, you wouldn’t be able to do anything,” Mantovani told the AP in a phone interview.
In such a hostile environment, it makes sense to run for office in Sao Paulo, where there are more people who care about the Amazon, he said.
Despite these odds, several lesser known pro-environmental candidates are competing in Amazon states, most of them Indigenous leaders. Vanda Witoto is running for Congress in Amazonas state. That state has eight seats, currently all of them occupied by men and none of them from her party, Rede, founded and led by Marina Silva, who is also a former Environment minister.
“It is a huge challenge, as big as the Amazon,” Witoto told the AP by phone. “We already have a background of threats due to our defense of environment and Indigenous peoples. We are seen as against the economic power.”
Witoto is a nurse on the outskirts of Manaus with no net worth according to disclosures. Mello, whose main business is air transportation for gold miners, declared $6.5 million in assets.
Recently, during a road trip, Witoto was harassed by a car that chased her group for dozens of kilometers. She said it was probably because she and her supporters were wearing the red caps associated with Brazil’s landless movement, a leftist symbol.
After the incident, she was advised by Indigenous leaders who support her not to wear red or green to avoid attention from anti-environmentalists and anti-leftists, usually Bolsonaro supporters. “We are using clothes with neutral colors to try to avoid conflicts,” she said.
——-
Associated Press climate and environmental coverage receives support from several private foundations. See more about AP’s climate initiative here. The AP is solely responsible for all content. | https://www.wspa.com/news/business/ap-business/little-talk-of-rainforest-protection-in-the-brazilian-amazon/ | 2022-08-17T15:59:59Z | wspa.com | control | https://www.wspa.com/news/business/ap-business/little-talk-of-rainforest-protection-in-the-brazilian-amazon/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
NEW YORK (AP) — Target reported solid sales for the fiscal second quarter but its profit plunged nearly 90% after it was forced to slash prices to clear unwanted inventories of clothing, home goods and electronics.
In early June, Target warned that it was canceling orders from suppliers and aggressively cutting prices because of a pronounced spending shift by Americans as the pandemic eased.
Shares fell nearly 4%, or $7.15 to $173.04, on Wednesday.
Retailers were blindsided by the lightening-fast switch from spending on goods for the home, like TVs and small kitchen appliances, to dinners out, movies and travel. Adding to that shift is surging inflation. In the first quarter, Target’s profits tumbled 52% compared to the year-ago period.
Target reported second-quarter net income of $183 million, or 39 cents per share, for the three month period ended July 30. That’s far short of the per-share profit if 79 cents that Wall Street had expected, according to a survey by FactSet.
It was also down from the $1.82 billion the company earned last year in the same period.
Revenue rose 3.5% to $26.04 billion. Analysts were expecting $26.03 billion, according to FactSet.
Store comparable sales increased 1.3% on top of 8.7% growth last year. Online sales rose 9% following growth of 9.9% last year.
“While these inventory actions put significant pressure on our near-term profitability, we’re confident this was the right long-term decision in support of our guests, our team and our business,” CEO Brian Cornell said.
Target executives told reporters during a media call that if Target weren’t aggressive about marking down the inventory, it would have taken at least several quarters to get rid of the unwanted merchandise.
The company is planning cautiously for the remainder of the year, Cornell said, including the critical holiday season. That will put a greater focus on stocking groceries and things like cosmetics.
Target said it’s carefully “listening to the wants, needs, hopes and concerns,” of customers, said Christina Hennington, Target’s chief growth officer and executive vice president.
“They still have spending power, but they’re increasingly feeling the impact of inflation, and while the recent reduction in prices at the gas pump have been encouraging, guest confidence in their personal finances continues to wane,” Hennington said on a company conference call Wednesday.
As a result of inflation, customers are looking more at Target’s private label brands, which are less expensive, waiting for discounts and consolidating trips to save on gas, the company said.
Target is sticking to its prior guidance for full year revenue growth in the low-to mid-single digit percentage range. It also expects operating margin rate in a range around 6% in the back half of the year, a big jump from 1.2% for latest quarter.
Walmart, the nation’s largest retailer, reported Tuesday that its sales and profits for the second quarter rose. It said that higher-income shoppers were flocking to the discounter to save money on groceries, while low-income shoppers were feeling squeezed by higher inflation and were switching from deli meats to hot dogs and canned tuna.
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Follow Anne D’Innocenzio: http://twitter.com/ADInnocenzio | https://www.wspa.com/news/business/ap-business/targets-profit-sinks-after-it-cut-prices-to-clear-inventory/ | 2022-08-17T16:00:28Z | wspa.com | control | https://www.wspa.com/news/business/ap-business/targets-profit-sinks-after-it-cut-prices-to-clear-inventory/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — It was early one morning when life under Russian occupation became too much for Volodymyr Zhdanov: Rocket fire aimed at Ukrainian forces struck near his home in the city of Kherson, terrifying one of his two children.
His 8-year-old daughter “ran in panic to the basement. It was 2 o’clock in the morning and (she) was really scared,” said Zhdanov, who later fled the city on the Black Sea and has been living in Kyiv, the capital, for the past three weeks.
Kherson, located north of the Crimean Peninsula that was annexed by Moscow in 2014, was the first city to fall after Russia’s invasion on Feb. 24. The port remains at the heart of the conflict and Ukraine’s efforts to preserve its vital access to the sea. For Russia, Kherson is a key point along the land corridor from its border to the peninsula.
Zhdanov and others who made the hazardous journey to escape from the region describe increasingly grim conditions there, part of a heavy-handed effort by Russia to establish permanent control.
The streets in the city, which had a prewar population of about 300,000, are mostly deserted. Rumors swirl about acts of armed resistance and the sudden disappearance of officials who refuse to cooperate with the Russian authorities.
Occupation forces patrol in markets to warn those trying to use the Ukrainian currency, the hryvnia, in transactions. Pro-Moscow officials have been installed in local and regional governments, as well as on the police force. Workers at various municipal services face pressure to cooperate with Russian managers. Most schools have closed.
Supplies of essential goods are uneven, halting most commercial activity. There are shortages of medicines and spikes in the price of other commodities.
Many residents had been determined to hold out as long as possible for a promised Ukrainian counterattack that hasn’t materialized.
“There was physical danger in the city, because there were many soldiers,” Zhdanov said.
A referendum on the region becoming a part of Russia has been announced by Moscow-installed officials, although no date has been set. Meanwhile, officials are pressuring those remaining to take Russian citizenship.
Income from Zhdanov’s family flower business dried up after the currency change, although he kept growing plants anyway.
“It’s difficult to survive with no money and no food,” he said. “Who would want a Russian government if your life, business, and kids’ education are taken away from you? They’ve all gone.”
When he left Kherson with his family, Zhdanov risked arrest by hiding a Ukrainian flag in the bottom of his pack. He had kept the flag from a public protest of the Russian troop presence.
Journalist Yevhenia Virlych also stayed for five months and kept working, writing about officials who had allegedly cooperated with the Russians. But she worked while in hiding and feared for her safety, frequently changing apartments and posting photos of Poland on social media to give the impression she had already fled.
“They have tied a knot around Kherson and it’s getting tighter,” Virlych said, adding that locals are being pressured to accept Russian passports. “Russia, which came under the banner of liberation, but came to torture and take us captive. How can anyone live that way?”
Last month, Virlych finally fled to Kyiv with her husband.
Those wanting to leave Kherson must pass a series of Russian military checkpoints. Soldiers search belongings, identity papers and mobile phones, with anyone suspected of supporting the resistance facing interrogation at so-called filtration camps.
As Kherson sinks into poverty, it’s getting harder to leave. A bus ticket to Zaporizhzhia, a city 300 kilometers (185 miles) to the northeast, now costs the equivalent of $160. Before the war, it was $10.
Virlych said she admired the bravery of those who are staying behind as well as of those who risked their lives to join anti-Russian protests in the early stages of the occupation.
She recalled a major demonstration on March 5 attended by more than 7,000 people.
“In all my life, I’ve never seen people take such action,” she said.
By April, the protests had stopped as occupying troops began responding to them with lethal force, Virlych added, saying, “The Russians were opening fire (at crowds) and people were getting wounded.”
Moscow wants to maintain its hold on Kherson, which is strategically located near the North Crimean Canal that provides water to the Russian-occupied peninsula. Ukraine had shut down the canal after the annexation eight years ago, but the Russians reopened it after they took control of the region.
Like Zhdanov, Virlych is still holding out hope for a Ukrainian counteroffensive to wrest the region away from Russia.
“I believe only in God and the Ukrainian armed forces,” she said. “I no longer have faith in anything else.”
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Follow the AP’s coverage of the war at https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine and Hanna Arhirova at https://twitter.com/h_arhirova | https://www.wspa.com/news/business/ap-business/ukrainians-flee-grim-life-in-russian-occupied-kherson/ | 2022-08-17T16:00:43Z | wspa.com | control | https://www.wspa.com/news/business/ap-business/ukrainians-flee-grim-life-in-russian-occupied-kherson/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
WASHINGTON (AP) — The pace of sales at U.S. retailers was unchanged last month as persistently high inflation and rising interest rates forced many Americans to spend more cautiously.
Retail purchases were flat after having risen 0.8% in June, the Commerce Department reported Wednesday. Economists had expected a slight increase.
Still, Wednesday’s report contained some positive signs: Excluding autos and auto parts, retail sales rose 0.4% in July.
Lower gas prices likely freed up money for people to spend elsewhere. Gasoline sales slid 1.8%, reflecting the drop in pump prices.
“As gas prices fell, consumers had more money in their pockets for other items such as furniture and electronics,” said Jeffrey Roach, chief economist at LPL Financial.
Sales of building supplies and garden equipment held up, as did sales at electronics and appliance stores.
At the same time, consumers remained wary of spending much on non-essentials: Sales were down 0.5% at department stores and 0.6% at clothing stores.
Compared with 12 months ago, overall retail sales rose 10.3% in July.
America’s consumers, whose spending accounts for nearly 70% of U.S. economic activity, have remained mostly resilient even with year-over-year inflation near a four-decade high, rising economic uncertainties and the surging costs of mortgages and borrowing money. Still, overall spending has weakened, and it has shifted increasingly toward things like groceries, and away less necessary things like electronics, furniture and new clothes.
The government’s monthly report on retail sales covers about a third of all consumer purchases and doesn’t include spending on most services, ranging from plane fares and apartment rents to movie tickets and doctor visits. In recent months, Americans have been shifting their purchases away from physical goods and more toward travel, hotel stays and plane trips.
Inflation continues to pose a severe hardship for many families. Though gasoline prices have fallen from their heights, food, rent, used cars and other necessities have become far more expensive, beyond whatever wage increases most workers have notched.
Despite a still-robust job market, the U.S. economy shrank in the first half of 2022, raising fears of a potential recession. Growth has been weakening largely as a consequence of the Federal Reserve’s aggressive interest rate hikes, which are intended to cool the economy and tame high inflation.
The impact of the Fed’s hikes has been felt especially in the housing market. Sales of previously occupied homes have slowed for five straight months as higher loan rates and high sales prices have kept many would-be buyers on the sidelines.
But the most important pillar of the economy — the job market — has proved durable. America’s employers added a hefty 528,000 jobs in July, and the unemployment rate reached 3.5%, matching a near-half-century low reached just before the pandemic erupted in the spring of 2020.
Americans are still spending, but that money is going to different places as the pandemic eases. Walmart, the nation’s largest retailer, posted better than expected quarterly sales and profits, but noted that customers are favoring lower-priced grocery items.
And it’s gaining more customers who might more typically shop at Whole Foods. The company, long associated with price-conscious and lower-income consumers, disclosed that roughly 75% of its grocery sales last quarter were to households with incomes of at least $100,000.
It also noted that lower income customers were trading down within the store, for example swapping out sliced deli meats for hot dogs to save money.
On Wednesday, Target reported that its profit plunged nearly 90% despite solid sales, largely because it was forced to slash prices to clear huge inventories of things in heavy demand during the pandemic like furniture, appliances and electronics.
Signet Jewelers, which operates stores under such names as Zales and Jared, lowered its full-year sales forecast last week as Americans cool spending on luxuries and more on groceries.
“They’re being intentional,” said Jamie Singleton, president of Signet. She said customers may be taking home fewer items, but they’re spending more on the things they buy.
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D’Innocenzio reported from New York. | https://www.wspa.com/news/business/ap-business/us-retail-sales-were-flat-in-july-as-inflation-takes-a-toll/ | 2022-08-17T16:00:50Z | wspa.com | control | https://www.wspa.com/news/business/ap-business/us-retail-sales-were-flat-in-july-as-inflation-takes-a-toll/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Two good indicators of underlying market sentiment are bitcoin and the high yield market. Both have diverged from the recent exhuberance in equities and pose a warning.
Bitcoin is down five days in a row and the selling is intensifying.
The high-yield ETF is also selling off and nearing the August lows. Volume is low but that price action is concerning.
Contrast both of those with the S&P 500, which is down 1% today but had rallied non-stop for a month before that. | https://www.forexlive.com/news/bitcoin-and-high-yield-debt-dont-bode-well-for-equity-markets-20220817/ | 2022-08-17T16:01:00Z | forexlive.com | control | https://www.forexlive.com/news/bitcoin-and-high-yield-debt-dont-bode-well-for-equity-markets-20220817/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
WASHINGTON (AP) — People in Arizona and Nevada won’t face bans on watering their lawns or washing their cars despite water shortages on the Colorado River.
But officials said Tuesday there will still be less water available next year from the river that serves 40 million people in the West and Mexico. Observers say a reckoning is still coming for the growing region.
New cuts will build on this year’s reductions — which all but eliminated some central Arizona farmers’ Colorado River water supply and to a much lesser extent, reduced Nevada and Mexico’s share.
Tuesday’s decision and what was left out point to growing uncertainty in the West.
Lake Mead and Lake Powell — the two largest reservoirs on the Colorado River — are about a quarter full, threatening water supplies and the generation of hydroelectric power used by millions of people.
Along the reservoirs’ edge, “bathtub rings” of minerals outline where the high water line once stood, highlighting the challenges the West is facing as a ‘megadrought’ tightens it grip on the region.
A look at who is affected by another round of water cuts in the West.
WHICH STATES WILL BE AFFECTED BY THE CUTS?
Arizona was hardest hit, again, and will receive 79% of its total share next year. But that’s only 3% less than what it got this year, after federal officials slashed its supply.
Nevada will receive about 92% of its total supply next year. Most residents will not feel the cuts thanks to water conservation, reuse and the state not using its full Colorado River allocation.
California has been spared from cuts because it has more senior water rights than Arizona and Nevada.
Mexico will get roughly 93% of its total supply. The water is used in cities and farming communities in Northwestern Mexico, where a severe drought is taking place, too.
WHO WILL SEE THEIR WATER SUPPLY CUT?
Farmers in central Arizona, among the state’s largest producers of livestock, dairy, alfalfa, wheat and barley, lost most of their Colorado River allocation last year when the government announced its first shortage. Some farmers were compensated with water through deals with cities like Phoenix and Tucson.
More farmers will likely need to fallow land — which some of the region’s farmers have been paid to do — and rely even more on groundwater. Others will have to grow more water-efficient crops and find other ways to use less water.
Western water suppliers have planned for such shortages by diversifying and conserving their water supply. Still, regular cuts amid intensifying drought that is depleting reservoirs faster than scientists predicted will make it harder to plan for the future.
Phoenix, the nation’s 5th largest city, will lose some of the water it would otherwise store in underground basins as a water savings account, said Cynthia Campbell, the city’s water resource management advisor. That happened this year, too. The city will rely more on the in-state Salt and Verde rivers, which boost its Colorado River supplies.
The city’s residents will not be affected by cuts next year, Campbell said.
Meanwhile, Nevada recycles the majority of the water used indoors and doesn’t use all of its Colorado River water. That means residents will barely feel next year’s cuts.
WHO DOES LAKE MEAD SERVE?
Lake Mead supplies water to millions of people in Arizona, California, Nevada and Mexico.
Cuts for 2023 are triggered when predicted water levels fall below a certain threshold — 1,050 feet (320 meters) above sea level.
Additional cuts will be triggered when projected levels sink to 1,045 and 1,025 feet (319 and 312 meters). At a certain point, water levels could drop so low that water can no longer be pumped from the reservoir.
Eventually, some city and industrial water users will be affected.
Lake Powell’s levels are also falling and extraordinary steps have been taken to keep water in the reservoir on the Arizona-Utah border.
After the lake fell low enough to threaten the roughly 5 billion kilowatt hours of energy generated each year at the Glen Canyon Dam, federal officials said they would hold back some water to ensure it could still produce energy. The dam produces enough electricity to power between 1 million and 1.5 million homes each year.
Colorado, New Mexico, Utah and Wyoming get water from tributaries and other reservoirs that feed into Lake Powell. Water from three reservoirs in those states has been drained in recent years to maintain water levels at Lake Powell and protect the electric grid powered by the Glen Canyon Dam.
HOW IS THE RIVER WATER SHARED?
Water stored in Lake Mead and Lake Powell is divvied up through legal agreements among the seven Colorado River basin states, the federal government, Mexico and Native American tribes. The agreements determine how much water each entity gets, when cuts are triggered and the order in which the parties have to sacrifice some of their supply.
Under a 2019 drought contingency plan, Arizona, Nevada, California and Mexico agreed to give up shares of their water to maintain water levels at Lake Mead. This year’s cuts are part of that plan — and as a result, they were predicted by states and others.
WHAT WAS LEFT OUT OF TUESDAY’S ANNOUNCEMENT?
Much more significant water cuts. In June, the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation told the basin states — Arizona, California, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico, Utah and Wyoming — to figure out a plan to use at least 15% less water from the river next year — to prevent reservoir levels from dropping even further.
The deadline to reach that deal has passed and states failed to reach an agreement. Federal officials on Tuesday did not say how much time states will have to reach one.
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The Associated Press receives support from the Walton Family Foundation for coverage of water and environmental policy. The AP is solely responsible for all content. For all of AP’s environmental coverage, visit https://apnews.com/hub/climate-and-environment | https://www.wspa.com/news/national/ap-us-news/explainer-winners-losers-in-water-cuts-for-western-states/ | 2022-08-17T16:01:04Z | wspa.com | control | https://www.wspa.com/news/national/ap-us-news/explainer-winners-losers-in-water-cuts-for-western-states/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
China cut rates this week by 10 bps but that's like pointing a garden hose to a tire fire.
The housing market and credit impulse are all very poor. This looks desperate.
Next thing you know, everyone will buy all the houses and we'll be back to real communism.
Also from Goldman Sachs:
our subjective probability that the economy enters a recession in the next 12 months is the highest in the eurozone (60%) and the UK (35%) followed by the US (30%), Canada (30%), and Australia (25%).
/EUR
EUR
The euro (EUR) is the official currency of the European Union (EU) and 19 of 27 member states at the time of writing. It is the second most-traded currency worldwide in forex markets after the US dollar.The euro was originally introduced back on January 1, 1999, having replaced the European Currency Unit. Banknotes and physical euro coins subsequently entered circulation only in 2002.Upon its adoption, the euro replaced domestic currencies in participating EU member states. The rise in its value since then and importance in the global market has helped solidify its status as one of the most important currencies in the FX market today.Together with the USD, the currency pair is easily among the most important for forex, given its exposure into the two main economic blocs. What Factors Affects the EUR?There are several factors that affect the euro. Like most currencies, monetary policy is the most influential, which in this case refers to the European Central Bank (ECB).The ECB is responsible for regulating the monetary policy, money supply, interest rates, and relative strength of the euro. Forex traders of the euro are routinely tuned into any decision or announcements from the ECB for this reason.With 19 sovereign member states, the euro is particularly vulnerable to political developments. Recent examples include Greece’s debt crisis and Brexit, among others, which can seriously impact the euro.Finally, economic data from the bloc or from key member states such as Germany, France, Spain, and others are also closely eyed. This includes retail sales, jobless claims, Gross Domestic Product (GDP), and others.
The euro (EUR) is the official currency of the European Union (EU) and 19 of 27 member states at the time of writing. It is the second most-traded currency worldwide in forex markets after the US dollar.The euro was originally introduced back on January 1, 1999, having replaced the European Currency Unit. Banknotes and physical euro coins subsequently entered circulation only in 2002.Upon its adoption, the euro replaced domestic currencies in participating EU member states. The rise in its value since then and importance in the global market has helped solidify its status as one of the most important currencies in the FX market today.Together with the USD, the currency pair is easily among the most important for forex, given its exposure into the two main economic blocs. What Factors Affects the EUR?There are several factors that affect the euro. Like most currencies, monetary policy is the most influential, which in this case refers to the European Central Bank (ECB).The ECB is responsible for regulating the monetary policy, money supply, interest rates, and relative strength of the euro. Forex traders of the euro are routinely tuned into any decision or announcements from the ECB for this reason.With 19 sovereign member states, the euro is particularly vulnerable to political developments. Recent examples include Greece’s debt crisis and Brexit, among others, which can seriously impact the euro.Finally, economic data from the bloc or from key member states such as Germany, France, Spain, and others are also closely eyed. This includes retail sales, jobless claims, Gross Domestic Product (GDP), and others.
Read this Term
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USDJPY moves toward a key swing area/ceiling
With US rates moving higher (2 year up 7.3 basis points and 10 year up 9.1 basis point), the USDJPY is reacting to the upside. The pair just reached a new session high of 135.493. That is getting closer to the swing high from August 8 at 135.575.
A move above 135.575 what but the price in a swing area between that level and the 61.8% retracement 135.945 (see red numbered circles).
The low to high trading range today for the USDJPY
USD/JPY
The USD/JPY is the currency pair encompassing the dollar of the United States of America (symbol $, code USD), and the Japanese yen of Japan (symbol ¥, code JPY). The pair’s rate indicates how many Japanese yen are needed in order to purchase one US dollar. For example, when the USD/JPY is trading at 100.00, it means 1 US dollar is equivalent to 100 Japanese yen. The US dollar (USD) is the world’s most traded currency, whilst the Japanese yen is the world’s third most traded currency, resulting in an extremely liquid pair, and very tight spreads, often staying within the 0 pip to 2 pip spread range on most forex brokers. Although the range of the USD/JPY isn’t traditionally particularly high, the lack of large price action often associated with other JPY pairs does make it easier to trade.This is especially true for short-term traders, although without offering a great pip potential. Even though the USD/JPY is the world’s second most traded pair, it’s not as popular as one might think with regards to retail traders.The pair carries a reputation as “boring”, although this isn’t an entirely accurate reflection. Trading the USD/JPYThe JPY is highly regarded as a safe haven currency, with investors often increasing their exposure following periods of uncertainty or market-induced fallouts.As both the US and Japan are highly developed economies, there are several key factors affecting the value of either currencies. This includes a range of economic indicators such as gross domestic product (GDP) growth, inflation, interest rates and unemployment data. Monetary policy by the US Federal Reserve and Bank of Japan are also large determinants in the value of each currency.
The USD/JPY is the currency pair encompassing the dollar of the United States of America (symbol $, code USD), and the Japanese yen of Japan (symbol ¥, code JPY). The pair’s rate indicates how many Japanese yen are needed in order to purchase one US dollar. For example, when the USD/JPY is trading at 100.00, it means 1 US dollar is equivalent to 100 Japanese yen. The US dollar (USD) is the world’s most traded currency, whilst the Japanese yen is the world’s third most traded currency, resulting in an extremely liquid pair, and very tight spreads, often staying within the 0 pip to 2 pip spread range on most forex brokers. Although the range of the USD/JPY isn’t traditionally particularly high, the lack of large price action often associated with other JPY pairs does make it easier to trade.This is especially true for short-term traders, although without offering a great pip potential. Even though the USD/JPY is the world’s second most traded pair, it’s not as popular as one might think with regards to retail traders.The pair carries a reputation as “boring”, although this isn’t an entirely accurate reflection. Trading the USD/JPYThe JPY is highly regarded as a safe haven currency, with investors often increasing their exposure following periods of uncertainty or market-induced fallouts.As both the US and Japan are highly developed economies, there are several key factors affecting the value of either currencies. This includes a range of economic indicators such as gross domestic product (GDP) growth, inflation, interest rates and unemployment data. Monetary policy by the US Federal Reserve and Bank of Japan are also large determinants in the value of each currency.
Read this Term is up to 159 pips. The average of the last 22 trading days is a whopping 166 pips. So there may be some stall from the range standpoint especially as the pair moves closer to the August high at 135.575. Nevertheless, the buyers remain more in control.
Close support for buyers is now the 50% retracement 134.882. On the North American session dip, the price stalled ahead of that midpoint level before restarting the move to the upside.
Of note, is the 10 year yield
Yield
A yield represents the earnings generated by an investment or security over a certain time period. Yields are typically displayed in percentage terms and are in the form of interest or dividends received from it.These figures do not include the price variations, which separates it from the total return. Consequently, a yield applies to various stated rates of return on stocks, fixed income instruments such as bonds, and other types of investment products.Yields can be calculated as a ratio or as an internal rate of return, which may also be used to indicate the owner's total return, or portion of income.Why Do Yields Matter?At any point in time, all financial instruments compete with each other in a public marketplace. Analyzing yields is one among many metrics used by analysts and investors and reflects a singular part of the total return of holding a security. For example, a higher yield allows the owner to recoup his investment sooner, and thus mitigates risk. By extension, a high yield may have resulted from a falling market value for the security as a result of higher risk. Yield levels are also influenced by expectations of inflation. Fears of higher levels of inflation in the future suggest that investors would ask for high yield or a lower price versus the coupon today.The maturity of the instrument is also one of the elements that determines risk. The relationship between yields and the maturity of instruments of similar credit worthiness, is described by the yield curve. Instruments over longer intervals commonly have a higher yield than short dated instruments.The yield of a debt instrument is typically linked to the credit worthiness and default probability of the issuer. The more the default risk, the higher the yield would be in most of the cases since issuers need to offer investors some compensation for the risk.
A yield represents the earnings generated by an investment or security over a certain time period. Yields are typically displayed in percentage terms and are in the form of interest or dividends received from it.These figures do not include the price variations, which separates it from the total return. Consequently, a yield applies to various stated rates of return on stocks, fixed income instruments such as bonds, and other types of investment products.Yields can be calculated as a ratio or as an internal rate of return, which may also be used to indicate the owner's total return, or portion of income.Why Do Yields Matter?At any point in time, all financial instruments compete with each other in a public marketplace. Analyzing yields is one among many metrics used by analysts and investors and reflects a singular part of the total return of holding a security. For example, a higher yield allows the owner to recoup his investment sooner, and thus mitigates risk. By extension, a high yield may have resulted from a falling market value for the security as a result of higher risk. Yield levels are also influenced by expectations of inflation. Fears of higher levels of inflation in the future suggest that investors would ask for high yield or a lower price versus the coupon today.The maturity of the instrument is also one of the elements that determines risk. The relationship between yields and the maturity of instruments of similar credit worthiness, is described by the yield curve. Instruments over longer intervals commonly have a higher yield than short dated instruments.The yield of a debt instrument is typically linked to the credit worthiness and default probability of the issuer. The more the default risk, the higher the yield would be in most of the cases since issuers need to offer investors some compensation for the risk.
Read this Term has moved back up toward its 100 day moving average at 2.893%. The high yield reached above that level at 2.911% in the current yield is trading above at 2.900%. There has been moves above that moving average over the last week or so, but momentum has not been sustained. A more sustained move above that 100 day moving average should give the USDJPY a shove to the upside.
The Bank of Japan continues to key policy unchanged while the Federal Reserve is expected to continue to tighten credit conditions. Later today the Federal Reserve will release the minutes from the last meeting when the central bank raised rates by 75 basis points. The expectations are for continued hawkish nests as the Fed focuses on bring inflation down.
Also of note is that in September, the Federal Reserve will start to sell treasury securities from their balance sheet has quantitative tightening kicks in. There is risk from that selling to the upside in yields.
US 10 year yields are testing their 100 day moving average
ADVERTISEMENT - CONTINUE READING BELOW | https://www.forexlive.com/technical-analysis/usdjpy-moves-to-a-new-session-high-20220817/ | 2022-08-17T16:01:31Z | forexlive.com | control | https://www.forexlive.com/technical-analysis/usdjpy-moves-to-a-new-session-high-20220817/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
ATLANTA (AP) — Rudy Giuliani faced questioning Wednesday before a special grand jury in Atlanta as a target of an investigation into attempts by former President Donald Trump and others to overturn his 2020 election defeat in Georgia.
The former New York mayor and Trump attorney remained inside the Fulton County courthouse after several hours of facing questions as part of a rapidly escalating investigation that has ensnared several Trump allies.
Giuliani’s questioning took place behind closed doors, as grand jury proceedings are secret. Swarmed by news cameras Wednesday morning as he stepped out of a limousine at the courthouse steps, Giuliani said he didn’t plan to talk about his testimony.
“Grand juries, as I recall, are secret,” said Giuliani, who came to court with his attorney, Robert Costello. “They ask the questions and we’ll see.”
Though grand jury secrecy rules prohibit people present during grand jury testimony from discussing it, that prohibition does not apply to witnesses, including Giuliani. As a former federal prosecutor, he is likely familiar with those rules.
It’s unclear how much the former New York mayor and attorney for Trump will be willing to say now that his lawyers have been informed he’s a target of the investigation.
The investigation by Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis has brought heightened scrutiny to the desperate and ultimately failed efforts to overturn Democrat Joe Biden’s 2020 election win. It’s one of several investigations into Trump’s actions in office as he lays the groundwork for another run at the White House in 2024.
Willis opened her investigation after the disclosure of a remarkable Jan. 2, 2021, phone call between Trump and Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger. On the call, Trump suggested that Raffensperger could “find” the exact number of votes that would be needed to flip the election results in Georgia.
Trump has denied any wrongdoing. He has described the call as “perfect.”
Willis last month filed petitions to compel testimony from seven Trump associates and advisers. She has also said she’s considering calling Trump himself to testify, and the former president has hired a legal team in Atlanta that includes a prominent criminal defense attorney.
In seeking Giuliani’s testimony, Willis noted that he was both a personal attorney for Trump and a lead attorney for his 2020 campaign.
She recalled in a petition how Giuliani and others appeared at a state Senate committee meeting in late 2020 and presented a video that Giuliani said showed election workers producing “suitcases” of unlawful ballots from unknown sources, outside the view of election poll watchers. The claims of fraud were debunked by Georgia election officials within 24 hours. Yet Giuliani continued to make statements to the public and in subsequent legislative hearings claiming widespread election fraud using the debunked video, Willis noted in her filing.
Two of the election workers seen in the video, Ruby Freeman and Wandrea “Shaye” Moss, said they faced relentless harassment online and in person after it was shown at the Dec. 3 Georgia legislative hearing in which Giuliani appeared. At another hearing a week later, Giuliani said the footage showed the women “surreptitiously passing around USB ports as if they are vials of heroin or cocaine.” They actually were passing a piece of candy.
Willis wrote in the court filing that Giuliani’s hearing appearance and testimony were “part of a multi-state, coordinated plan by the Trump Campaign to influence the results of the November 2020 election in Georgia and elsewhere.”
Willis also wrote in a petition seeking the testimony of attorney Kenneth Chesebro that he worked with Giuliani to coordinate and carry out a plan to have Georgia Republicans serve as fake electors. Those 16 people signed a certificate declaring falsely that Trump had won the 2020 presidential election and declaring themselves the state’s “duly elected and qualified” electors even though Biden had won the state and a slate of Democratic electors was certified.
Giuliani’s attorneys tried to delay his appearance before the special grand jury, saying he was unable to fly due to heart stent surgery in early July.
But Fulton County Superior Court Judge Robert McBurney, who’s overseeing the special grand jury, said during a hearing last week that Giuliani needed to be in Atlanta on Wednesday and could travel by bus, car or train if necessary.
Asked how he made the trip, Giuliani told reporters: “I’ll give you one answer: I didn’t walk.”
Other Trump allies have also been swept up in the probe. Sen. Lindsey Graham, a South Carolina Republican, received a subpoena ordering him to appear for testimony on Aug. 23. Graham has challenged that subpoena, citing his protections as a member of Congress. A judge on Monday rejected that argument and said he must testify. Graham has said he’ll appeal.
Willis has indicated she is interested in calls between Graham and Raffensberger about the results in Georgia in the weeks after the election.
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More on Donald Trump-related investigations: https://apnews.com/hub/donald-trump. | https://www.wspa.com/news/politics/ap-politics/rudy-giuliani-set-to-testify-in-georgia-election-probe/ | 2022-08-17T16:02:30Z | wspa.com | control | https://www.wspa.com/news/politics/ap-politics/rudy-giuliani-set-to-testify-in-georgia-election-probe/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
CAIRO (AP) — Egypt’s central bank governor resigned Wednesday as the Middle East’s most populous nation struggles to curb inflation triggered by Russia’s war in Ukraine, high oil prices and a drop in tourism.
President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi accepted the resignation of Tarek Amer and named him a presidential adviser, the Egyptian leader’s office said in a statement. The brief statement offered no explanation for Amer’s resignation.
No replacement was immediately named for Amer, who had been appointed governor of the central bank in November 2015. He has been criticized for his handling of Egypt’s financial challenges.
The currency is under pressure, sliding in value to about 19 Egyptian pounds to the U.S. dollar. That followed a central bank decision allowing the currency to depreciate by around 16% in March to try to stem a growing trade deficit.
“It seems there’s a lot of tensions within policymaking circles, and I think that’s ultimately what led to Mr. Amer’s resignation,” said Jason Tuvey, a senior emerging markets economist at Capital Economics.
Tuvey said there are officials that oppose devaluing the pound and instead support measures like rationing gas consumption by curbing electricity usage, which could in turn harm business activity. Amer had traditionally been seen as in the camp that supported the pound’s depreciation as a way to secure a loan from the International Monetary Fund.
The government continues to hold talks with the IMF for a new multibillion-dollar loan.
The London-based Capital Economics research firms predicts that Egypt’s currency will continue to slide, reaching 25 pounds to the dollar by the end of 2024 amid sustained pressure.
Russia’s war in Ukraine has been deeply felt in Egypt, which is the world’s largest wheat importer and sources around 80% of that grain from the Black Sea region.
Egypt’s expansive tourism industry, which employs millions, was hard-hit by the pandemic and further by the war in Ukraine. Prior to the conflict, around a third of tourists to Egypt came from Russia.
In the first weeks after the war in late February, the price of wheat and other grains skyrocketed, as did the price of fuel. Although prices have come down somewhat, the cost of grains remains at least 50% higher than before the pandemic in early 2020. Furthermore, the cost of shipping to export those grains through the Black Sea is high.
Inflation in the country of 103 million people reached 14.6% in July, increasing pressure on lower-income households and everyday necessities. Around a third of Egyptians live in poverty, according to government figures.
The World Bank notes that Egypt’s government announced an assistance package worth 130 billion pounds (more than $8 billion) just before devaluing the pound in March to alleviate the impact of rising prices. The package aimed to increase public-sector wages and pensions, as well as expand direct cash assistance programs.
Egypt’s Gulf Arab allies have come to its assistance with multibillion-dollar investments buoyed by high oil prices that have helped their bottom line.
Saudi Arabia’s sovereign wealth fund, known as the Public Investment Fund, recently established a division in Egypt that has already announced deals worth $1.3 billion with the aim of bringing in $10 billion into Egypt.
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Batrawy reported from Dubai, United Arab Emirates. | https://www.wspa.com/news/world-news/ap-international/egypt-says-central-bank-governor-resigns-amid-economic-woes/ | 2022-08-17T16:02:37Z | wspa.com | control | https://www.wspa.com/news/world-news/ap-international/egypt-says-central-bank-governor-resigns-amid-economic-woes/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
SYDNEY (AP) — Scott Morrison said Wednesday that giving himself extra powers when he was Australia’s prime minister was necessary during the coronavirus crisis, as criticism rose the moves were deceptive and undemocratic.
Current Prime Minister Anthony Albanese is seeking an opinion from the solicitor-general on the legality of some of Morrison’s moves.
Many of Morrison’s own colleagues were blindsided by his decision to secretly appoint himself to five ministerial roles, which have only been revealed in recent days. Some have called for him to resign from Parliament, where he is now an opposition lawmaker after losing the general election to Albanese earlier this year.
But Morrison told reporters in Sydney that while he apologized for causing offense to his colleagues, he stood by his actions.
The expectation early in the COVID-19 crisis was that as prime minister, he was responsible for everything — “every drop of rain, every strain of the virus, everything that occurred over that period of time,” Morrison said. “I believed it was necessary to have authority, to have what were effectively emergency powers, to exercise in extreme situations that would be unforeseen, that would enable me to act in the national interests.”
He said he’d rather be criticized for overstepping the mark than for not taking action. Asked why he didn’t let his own Cabinet colleagues know about the appointments, let alone the broader public, Morrison said his moves could have been misunderstood.
“I was concerned that these issues could have been misconstrued and misunderstood, and undermined the confidence of ministers in the performance of their duties at that time, and I did not consider that to be in the country’s interest,” Morrison said.
Albanese on Tuesday revealed that between March 2020 and May 2021, Morrison was appointed minister of health, finance, home affairs, treasury and industry — moves which appeared to have given him equal powers to the ministers already appointed to those positions. News Corp. media had revealed some of the appointments over the weekend.
“How about an apology to the Australian people?” Albanese said after Morrison spoke. “The Australian people went to an election not knowing that any of this had occurred, not knowing that there was a shadow government operating in darkness.”
Albanese told reporters in Brisbane that he found it incomprehensible that the appointments weren’t publicly announced at the time. He alluded to the secrecy in the movie “Fight Club.”
“The first rule of power-grab club is don’t talk about power-grab club, and Scott Morrison broke that rule today,” Albanese said. “Scott Morrison was evasive, he was defensive, he was passive-aggressive and of course, he was self-serving. So at least he was true to himself today.”
Morrison used his additional powers on at least one occasion, to overturn a decision by former minister Keith Pitt to approve a contentious gas project off the New South Wales coast.
Pitt said in a statement he was unaware Morrison had joint oversight over his ministerial portfolio and that he stands by the decisions he made at the time.
At the time, Morrison said he was vetoing the project in his capacity as prime minister, and did not mention that he had joint oversight over the portfolio.
Morrison on Wednesday said there were different circumstances in that particular case than with his pandemic-related portfolios, and he stood by his decision which he believed was in the national interest.
Morrison’s appointments were authorized by Governor-General David Hurley, who said he followed processes consistent with the constitution by signing an “administrative instrument on the advice of the prime minister” — which was Morrison — to give Morrison the extra powers.
Karen Andrews, who served as home affairs minister under Morrison, said Morrison never told her that he was also being appointed to the portfolio. She said Morrison should resign.
“The Australian people have been let down, they have been betrayed,” she said. “For a former prime minister to have behaved in that manner, to secretly be sworn into other portfolios, undermines the Westminster system, it’s absolutely unacceptable.” | https://www.wspa.com/news/world-news/ap-international/former-australia-pm-says-secret-powers-were-needed-in-crisis/ | 2022-08-17T16:02:51Z | wspa.com | control | https://www.wspa.com/news/world-news/ap-international/former-australia-pm-says-secret-powers-were-needed-in-crisis/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
DAMASCUS, Syria (AP) — Syria denied on Wednesday it is holding U.S. journalist Austin Tice or other Americans after President Joe Biden accused the Syrian government of detaining him.
The Syrian Foreign Ministry said in a statement that Damascus “denies it had kidnapped or is holding any American citizen on its territories.”
“The U.S. issued last week misleading and illogical statements by the American president and secretary of state that included baseless accusations against Syria that it had kidnapped or detained American citizens including former U.S. Marine Austin Tice,” the statement said.
Biden’s comments last week came in a statement released by the White House to mark the 10th anniversary of Tice’s abduction, which took place when he was in Syria covering its lengthy conflict. Biden’s remarks were the clearest indication so far that the U.S. is certain Tice is being held by the government of President Bashar Assad.
“We know with certainty that he has been held by the Government of Syria,” Biden said in his statement last week. “We have repeatedly asked the government of Syria to work with us so that we can bring Austin home.”
State Department Spokesman Ned Price told reporters on Tuesday that the U.S. government has pushed Syria to return every American. On Tice’s case specifically, he said, the Biden administration has “engaged extensively – and that includes directly – with Syrian officials and through third parties.”
“Syria has never acknowledged holding him,” Price said of Tice, adding that “we are not going to be deterred in our efforts. We are going to pursue every avenue for securing Austin’s safe return.”
The Syrian Foreign Ministry denied in its statement having any secret contacts with U.S. officials on the missing Americans, adding that “any official dialogue with the American government will only be public based on the respect of Syria’s sovereignty.”
In May, top Lebanese security official Maj. Gen. Abbas Ibrahim met with U.S. officials in Washington as part of mediation efforts between the U.S. and Syria for Tice’s release. Ibrahim, the chief of Lebanon’s General Security Directorate, has mediated complicated hostage releases in the past.
In May, Biden met Tice’s parents and reiterated his commitment to working toward “Austin’s long overdue return to his family.”
In the final months of the Trump administration, two U.S. officials — including the government’s top hostage negotiator, Roger Carstens, a former Army Special Forces officer — made a secret visit to Damascus to seek information on Tice and other Americans who have disappeared in Syria. It was the highest-level talks in years between the U.S. and Assad’s government, though Syrian officials offered no meaningful information on Tice.
Tice went missing shortly after his 31st birthday on Aug. 14, 2012 at a checkpoint in a contested area west of the capital of Damascus. A video released a month later showed him blindfolded and held by armed men, saying, “Oh, Jesus.” He has not been heard from since.
Tice is one of two Americans who went missing in Syria. The other is Majd Kamalmaz, a psychologist from Virginia, who vanished in Syria in 2017.
Tice is from Houston and his work had been published by The Washington Post, McClatchy newspapers and other outlets. He went to Syria to cover the conflict that started in 2011. The war has left hundreds of thousands dead and displaced nearly half of the pre-conflict population of 23 million. More than 5 million of those are outside the country.
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Mroue reported from Beirut. | https://www.wspa.com/news/world-news/ap-international/syria-denies-it-is-holding-american-journalist-austin-tice/ | 2022-08-17T16:03:33Z | wspa.com | control | https://www.wspa.com/news/world-news/ap-international/syria-denies-it-is-holding-american-journalist-austin-tice/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
HAT YAI, Thailand (AP) — A wave of arson and bombing attacks overnight hit Thailand’s southernmost provinces, which for almost two decades have been the scene of an active Muslim separatist insurgency, officials said Wednesday.
At least 17 attacks occurred Tuesday night in Pattani, Narathiwat and Yala provinces, mostly at convenience stores and gas stations, military spokesperson Pramote Promin said. Three civilians were reported injured. There have been no claims of responsibility.
More than 7,300 people have been killed since the insurgency began in 2004 in the three provinces, the only ones with Muslim majorities in Buddhist-dominated Thailand. Attacks have also taken place in neighboring Songkhla province.
Muslim residents have long charged they are treated like second-class citizens in Thailand, and separatist movements have been periodically active for decades. Heavy-handed crackdowns have fueled the discontent.
The attacks are the most high-profile ones since early April, when the Thai government and BRN — Barisan Revolusi Nasional Melayu Patani, believed to be the biggest of several insurgent groups— agreed to halt violence during the Muslim holy period of Ramadan. In other violence since then, two Thai army ordnance experts on duty were killed by a bomb later that month.
Pramote said the attackers Tuesday night “dressed up as women, using motorcycles and in many cases using petrol bombs, throwing them into the target sites.“
“It is clear that the insurgents remain committed to using violence on people, damaging confidence in the economy, creating uncertainty and undermining the government system,” he said.
Police Capt. Sarayuth Kotchawong said he received a report shortly before midnight that a suspect had entered a convenience store at a gas station in Yala’s Yaha district, placed a black bag inside and warned employees to leave if they “do not want die.” The workers left before the bag exploded 10 minutes later.
The various southern insurgent groups have not issued a consensus demand. They are a shadowy mix of veteran separatists and often loosely led groups of violent young militants. Their goals range from greater autonomy to independence, with little indication they are related to jihadist movements in other Southeast Asian countries, such as Indonesia and the Philippines.
Peace talks have been ongoing for several years under the auspices of the Malaysian government between Thai officials and Mara Patani, an umbrella body representing several insurgent groups. In January 2020, Thai officials held their first formal meeting in years with BRN representatives.
Although BRN is considered the most influential of the separatist groups, local members operate with some autonomy. They generally stage hit-and-run attacks, such as drive-by shootings and ambushes with roadside bombs. They are also known for occasional coordinated attacks when seeking to make a political point with a show of strength.
There has been occasional large-scale bloodletting. In November 2019, gunmen killed 15 village defense volunteers and wounded five security personnel in what was believed to be the deadliest attack on government forces since the separatist rebellion began. | https://www.wspa.com/news/world-news/ap-international/thailands-restive-south-hit-by-wave-of-arson-and-bombings/ | 2022-08-17T16:03:47Z | wspa.com | control | https://www.wspa.com/news/world-news/ap-international/thailands-restive-south-hit-by-wave-of-arson-and-bombings/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Every year since Kris Kocurek joined the 49ers staff in 2019, there has been a player who has a career revitalization of sorts on the 49ers’ defensive line. From Kerry Hyder Jr. to Arden Key, it’s become an annual tradition to have a player sign on a cheap one-year deal, have a breakout season with the 49ers, and then cash out in free agency the following offseason.
The next in line for the Kocurek career revitalization project? Kemoko Turay, who signed with the 49ers this past offseason after four years with the Indianapolis Colts.
Turay is a freak of nature kind of athlete, possessing physical traits that place him among the elite at his position. Standing at 6’5 245 pounds, Turay has a blend of size and speed that make him a nightmare for opposing offensive lines to deal with when he comes flying off the edge.
To give you a sense of just how gifted of an athlete Turay is, let me provide some insight into his introduction to the sport of football. Turay did not play organized football until his senior year in high school. In his first year ever playing the sport, Turay racked up 19 sacks, which led the entire state.
Turay’s story is quite fascinating, and to help tell it, I had the pleasure of speaking with coach Ashley Pierre, better known by those close to him as coach “Smoke.” Coach Smoke was the first football coach that Turay ever had before growing into a mentorship role maintained to this very day that Smoke described as an “uncle or a big brother.”
Turay was born in Conakry, the capital city of the West African country of Guinea. When he was six years old, Turay came to the United States, and his family settled in the Newark, New Jersey area, where he attended Barringer High School, where Smoke served as the defensive coordinator.
During the early years of high school, Turay was a basketball player and competed in track and field when coach Smoke and the staff at Barringer made a recruiting pitch to have him play football for their program, despite having no experience playing the sport at an organized level.
He was exclusively a track guy and basketball guy, he used to triple jump and long jump. He just wanted to be a basketball player, and we kind of went and got him. His father was a tailor, he used to do my dad’s clothes and stuff, and we actually went up there to the tailor and asked his dad “can he play?”. And the rest was kind of history. His father was kind of hesitant of course, you know him being a foreigner, being from Africa didn’t really want his son getting hurt like that. Wound up once we got the green light for him to play, we made the best out of it, invested a lot of time in him, just teaching him the sport because he was so new to it. He led the state in sacks that year, and he’s a guy that never shied away from work, he’s gifted man. We had a special team that year, but Kemoko, we saw the writing on the wall as he started putting in that work, and he was just a grinder.
I was fascinated to learn that Turay recorded that kind of production in his first year ever playing football at an organized level. I asked coach Smoke if he remembered what Turay’s practices were like the first few times he put on a helmet and shoulder pads and took to the gridiron.
Oh, it was rough, he had no clue. He was jumping offsides, didn’t know what defense was, what offense was, was trying to figure out positions. He thought he wanted to play wide receiver, so he was oblivious to what he was going to become. We knew he was going to play defensive end the whole entire time, and we kind of told him this is where you need to focus at, and you know he would go full speed at practice to a point where the quarterback would have a red jersey on, and he would just go full speed.
Didn’t know he was supposed to stop at the quarterback, would just hit quarterbacks, like tear up whatever, if we were doing offensive practice and we were trying to get some stuff off of a walkthrough, Kemoko was always that guy that was going 100 miles an hour, not knowing that’s not what’s supposed to be done during this period. He loved chasing the football, the running back could be 20 yards downfield and kemoko from day one would chase that guy because he had that passion to say “I want to go catch him”. That’s what was special, we just had to teach him angles and teach him leverage, and hand work and things like that. He bought into it and he enjoyed the process, and that’s why he is where he is now.
A player with exceptional physical traits and a relentless motor sounds like a tailor-made fit for Kocurek and the aggressive scheme the 49ers’ front four deploys. As we continued our conversation, I asked coach Smoke if there was a specific intangible that Turay possessed that stood out beyond just the raw athleticism.
The biggest thing when you cut the film on, the motor, you watch he’s always running to the ball. And it sounds cliche, because even at the high school level or the college level, like you tell guys run to the ball, but he does it in a fashion where it’s relentless. That’s the biggest intangible, outside of his ability to rush the passer and beat offensive linemen one on one. I think that’s god’s gift. Just speaking to NFL personnel, being around the game, me coaching the guys that i’ve coached, having guys in the league, what separates him is he runs with a purpose to the football. And it doesn’t matter where the ball is, Kemoko enjoys running like a bat out of hell, he’s not going to stop until he gets the ball. It’s also the will to do it. The great athlete’s that we’ve coached, they all understand it, but it takes some will to say “I’m not going to stop until I get to this guy”.
During the 49ers preseason opener vs. Green Bay, Turay displayed this relentless pursuit coach Smoke mentioned. Watch this rep, and the backside pursuit from Turay into the second level, coming all the way from the strong side on a toss to the weak side of the field.
Talanoa Hufanga lowers his shoulder & lays a big hit on Packers running back Tyler Goodson
— Jordan Elliott (@JLeeElliott) August 13, 2022
Another thing that stood out on this play was the backside pursuit from Kemoko Turay working all the way across the field from the strong side
Turay’s athletic traits jump off the screen pic.twitter.com/DFGgKK7Env
An athlete that size, coming across the field from the backside shouldn’t be able to make a play like this on the ball carrier on a toss to the play side.
Our conversation shifted towards the present, and I asked coach Smoke to expand a bit on what made the 49ers such an appealing option for Turay during this past offseason when he inked
He spoke highly of Kocurek, we did our homework on Kris during that free agency piece of it, we spoke heavily on wanting to be around a coach that was able to develop, and he understood that he needed that. So our conversations were just kind of about getting in with the right coach and the right program. We love Shanahan, and just being able to see what the defensive line play looked like over the years with Kris, it was like man this is a place he needs to go.
You talk about reviving a career, and he’s playing with a chip on his shoulder right now, He took the one year deal, he wanted to go somewhere were he could develop, and more importantly break out. And I think that’s why we decided to go to San Francisco and be under Kris and Kyle. Being around a winning program is what helps individuals thrive. I think under Shanahan he can thrive and become the best Kemoko he can be.
We talked about the energy Kocurek brings every single day, and coach Smoke made it a point to say that Turay thrives with that style of coaching and that he and Turay have spoken recently about how beneficial Kocurek’s coaching style has been for his own development.
Kemoko said he reminds him of us, and I think he appreciates that, his energy, and he’s on him and he’s coaching him. Kemoko does well with that type of coaching, even our conversations on facetime he says “Smoke he reminds me of y’all, his energy is up, he’s running around, he’s developing, he’s coaching”. Kemoko is the type of player that needs that, and I think that drives him to want to be great.
We also talked a bit more about Turay’s outlook this year after signing what is essentially a prove-it deal, agreeing to terms at one year for 1.7 million dollars.
They got him for cheap man, and they got a dude. And I know Kemoko knows that too. We all kind of talk about it, it fuels Kemoko too, it’s one of those deals where you dictate what it looks like after. You could rip this thing up once you do what you need to do. Like I said, I think it’s a great place for him.
Turay is trending in the right direction as he enters his tenure with the 49ers, coming off a season that saw him post 22 pressures and 5.5 sacks on 173 pass-rushing opportunities. The explosive athletic traits flashed immediately in Turay’s first preseason game with the 49ers, where he consistently made plays off the edge like this.
While things are trending up now, it had been a rough couple of years for Turay coming off of back-to-back seasons where he underwent surgery to repair an injured ankle. Coach Smoke shared that Turay stayed with him at his house during the offseason, and I asked coach what some of their discussions were like about Turay’s goals going into this season with the 49ers.
We talked about getting the 12+ sacks that he wanted to get. More importantly the recovery piece of it, was trying to get back to his old self and that Kemoko that was extremely locked in, that was focused, that was able to witness an enormous amount of productivity is what we kind of wanted to get back to. I think we harped about the mental aspect, the physical aspect of it, and him kind of just having to do a lot of work on himself. During this offseason, nights of him sleeping at my house we spent a lot of conversations trying to do that.
A lot of our focus was just on getting back to the Kemoko Turay that was legendary, that got the 19 sacks, that was All-BIG 10, that was able to get himself drafted in the second round. I think he spent a lot of time doing that, I think that’s whats playing a big part of his success right now.
I was also interested to hear coach Smoke’s thoughts about how Turay has looked and felt this past offseason compared to last after being over a year removed from ankle surgery he underwent in April of 2021.
He spent a lot of time rehabbing, he comes from a muslim background, so a lot of prayer, a lot of digging into his faith. on a football aspect, a lot of film watching. He studied himself a lot during the time away from football. He spent a lot of time with Robert Mathis down in Indianapolis, even though he didn’t have his legs, he did a lot of handwork and things like that. So that was like his private coaching he was taking advantage of while he was hurt.
Then when he was coming home, he was just spending time in therapy, and just finding places that he can get great work in. He traveled to Georgia and got some work in, but a lot of times were with Robert Mathis and just getting work in, and just trying to perfect the craft and make sure when his leg did get better he can make plays.
At the first opportunity at game action with the 49ers, Turay showed that he was in fact ready to make plays. Like this rep, where he fires through the C gap and sheds a block while working laterally to stuff this rushing attempt in the backfield for a loss.
Green Bay tried blocking Kemoko Turay with a tight end on this rushing attempt on 3rd & 2
— Jordan Elliott (@JLeeElliott) August 14, 2022
Turay sheds this block as he fires through the C gap to stuff Tyler Goodson in the backfield got a loss pic.twitter.com/cCurxDn5MK
As impressed as I have been with his athleticism and relentless motor, that is only half of the equation when talking about making plays at the NFL level. You need to take the proper angles and know where to direct that unbridled energy.
The technique Turay plays with is as encouraging as the explosive athleticism. Like this play, for example, where Turay is going to set the edge on the play side on a toss to the strong side. Turay setting the edge forces this run back to the inside where the 49ers defense has a numbers advantage, and as a result, limits the carry to a short gain.
Green Bay runs a toss to the outside, and Kemoko Turay (#53) does a fantastic job of setting the edge, while Samuel Womack (#26) explodes into his run fit in the D gap
— Jordan Elliott (@JLeeElliott) August 14, 2022
This forces the RB back inside for a minimal gain pic.twitter.com/deXtMNVkIv
As always, I wanted to emphasize the human side of things and help give 49ers fans an idea of who Turay is as much as who he is as a football player. So I asked coach Smoke how he would summarize Kemoko Turay as a person to 49ers fans that are hoping to familiarize themselves with a player poised to have a significant impact on the team’s 2022 season.
Respectful, determined, disciplined, hard working, and when it comes to being an athlete he’s hungry. He wants to be great, he’s fighting every day to be great. He’s not going through a rep half speed, he wants to go 100 miles an hour to be great. So I think those words right there kind of define who he is holistically.
I also asked coach Smoke to talk a bit about what Turay was like around his teammates and how he was as a leader.
Kemoko has always been a serious kind of guy, he really doesn’t joke as often once he’s on the field. He loves to help people get better. He takes coaching well, he listens well, he asks questions, but as a person he wants to pull the next person up to get him better. Whether that’s the freshman, or the sophomore, or the junior, he did a great job wanting the next guy to be a better football player. So leadership wise, he wants to be great and he wants everybody else to be good.
I watched Turay record five sacks during a single practice during the 11 on 11 periods at training camp this year. Day after day, he dominated his one-on-one reps, showcasing a deep arsenal of pass-rushing moves and an exceptionally effective bend around the edge.
Turay is a big-time player with big-time traits, and both Turay and the 49ers have an opportunity to form a perfect marriage. One that allows Turay to reestablish his value and remind the league what he is capable of, while the 49ers get to cash in the year of production on an extremely team-friendly deal. | https://www.ninersnation.com/2022/8/17/23308647/49ers-turay-kocurek-next | 2022-08-17T16:04:43Z | ninersnation.com | control | https://www.ninersnation.com/2022/8/17/23308647/49ers-turay-kocurek-next | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
You have to do something pretty special to overshadow the first preseason start of the polarizing new quarterback for a team that nearly made the Super Bowl only months prior, especially when that quarterback connects on a 76-yard bomb to the rookie field-stretching wide receiver, which alludes to a previously uncharted dimension for one of the league’s most efficient offenses. Especially when you’re a fifth-round pick from the MAC West, battling to become the team’s nickel corner.
Well, that’s exactly what Sam Womak III did against the Green Bay Packers. He made himself un-ignorable, and it almost immediately resulted in the cutting of Darqueze Dennard, an eight-year NFL veteran, and former first-round pick out of Michigan State, who’s been in the building since the end of last season.
Two stellar picks on back-to-back possessions, one that he wrestled away from the receiver as they went to the ground and the other off tight press coverage that led to a clean snag from mid-air, will get you noticed. Turns out, Womack’s been overcoming the odds to turn heads his whole career.
As a high school senior, Womack played both ways, lining up as a wideout on offense and defensive back on the flip side. Safe to say, he earned his All-State distinction by joining an echelon so exclusive that I cannot personally think of another member. As a charter member of the Football Double-Double Club (20 touchdowns and 11 interceptions), he received attention from colleges, but, for a confluence of reasons, he ended up without a scholarship.
Take a peak at some of his highlights from his senior year in a game against powerhouse Martin Luther King High School. Womack faced off against now teammate Ambry Thomas, who attended the rival school and made his presence known to the soon-to-be Michigan product.
Samuel Womack played on both sides of the ball in high school and went hard against Ambry Thomas in his Senior season. Check out these highlights.
— Ty Austin (@TyLAustin) August 16, 2022
@hudl https://t.co/WBD7q9stZG #hudl
Firstly, you can chalk up Womack’s non-recruitment to his less than ideal build for wide receiver and outside corner. There are plenty of under 6-foot CBs in the world, but 5’10” feels like a generous number at best for Womack, and he tipped the scales in the mid-180 range. For any big DI program, that’s someone you file as “undersized.”
Furthermore, according to Womack, he was less than active in his own recruiting process. He played basketball in the spring, focusing as much time and energy on his second sport as possible, leaving little opportunity to attend camps and garner attention for his abilities outside of what was on tape. Though, as you saw, it was pretty good tape.
Good enough that the clearly gifted player eventually landed a preferred walk-on role at Toledo. It didn’t take long for the tenacious corner to earn a scholarship, thanks in no small part to what might be his most important attribute, outside his sub-4.4 speed and 32” long arms: Coachability.
Anyone who’s crossed paths with Sam Womack mentions just how quickly he takes to coaching and how hard he works to instill what’s been coached. At Toledo, he studied under the tutelage of a former pro, Hank Poteat, who Womack described as his “cheat code” to make it to the NFL. It obviously paid off, leading the MAC in pass break-ups for three straight years and leaving Toledo as the all-time pass record holder with 45.
Toledo’s head coach succinctly summed up Womack’s journey like this:
“To make it happen, you’ve got to be really, really committed to being who you said you were going be and that’s what I really appreciate about Sam. That’s how he earned a scholarship. That’s how he earned to become a starter. That’s how he earned to be an all-conference player and ultimately worked himself to be a draft pick.”
Womack credited his production to his focus on technique. That dedication earned him a nickname amongst his fellow players, “The Technician.” Tycen Anderson, who played alongside Sam in the Rockets’ secondary as a safety, elaborated further when asked by the Toledo Blade.
“Sam is a lockdown corner and we put a lot of a lot of respect on him,” Anderson said. “He listens to coaching and since the first day I met him, he’s always been good in press and that’s his baby, press is his baby and he’s pretty much just coming around and learning the game of football. He’s becoming a smarter player.”
Given the Niners' newfound use of press under second-year coordinator DeMeco Ryans, you could understand how someone like Womack, a player that many thought might go undrafted, could catch the front office’s eye. And that scouting paid immediate dividends.
When asked specifically about his second interception against Green Bay, Womack provided clear insight as to how his workman attitude helped make the play. “That’s like a route that I cover every day in practice… That play was just like being at another practice. It was game time, and I took advantage of it.”
Womack has taken advantage of it so far to the tune of the starting nickel for the San Francisco 49ers. Given his track record of working hard, overcoming the odds, and producing at a high level, his role feels very secure moving into this season and beyond. | https://www.ninersnation.com/2022/8/17/23308735/49ers-womack-get-here | 2022-08-17T16:04:49Z | ninersnation.com | control | https://www.ninersnation.com/2022/8/17/23308735/49ers-womack-get-here | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
To the surprise of few, the 49ers released former first-round pick Robert Nkemdiche yesterday. The move was the latest reminder that if you aren’t freakishly talented, you need not apply for Kris Kocurek’s unit.
If the 49ers' defensive line were a nightclub, 90% of the NFL wouldn’t get past the velvet rope. Consider: Robert Nkemdice was the 29th pick in the 2016 NFL Draft. While that alone doesn’t automatically make him a good player, it does mean he has physical abilities that 1% of the people on the planet possess at any given time. Those incredibly rare abilities were only able to keep him in San Francisco for less than a month.
Keep in mind, we’re not talking about a starting role here, either. We’re talking about being one of the ten or eleven best defensive linemen on the roster, and even those lower standards weren’t enough for Nkemdice to make the cut. That’s how good the rest of the defensive front is for the 49ers this year.
There’s an argument to be made that no position in football is deeper than the 49ers’ defensive line. Three out of the four starters up front are first round picks - with Arik Armstead being the lowest of that group at number 17. In fact, nine of the 14 players you could call defensive linemen on this team right now were picked in the fourth round or higher.
John Lynch and Kyle Shanahan have made no secret of that fact that they wanted to build their team from the line of scrimmage out, and they’ve certainly done that on defense. This team is constructed to win up front first, and with the collection of talent they have right now, there’s no reason they won’t do that.
Make sure you follow the Niners Nation Podcast Network now! Our daily 49ers in Five podcast gives you the latest news, the most interesting press conference and radio interview clips, and everything else that you need to know - all in less time than it takes to finish your morning coffee. | https://www.ninersnation.com/2022/8/17/23309111/49ers-in-five-what-we-can-learn-from-the-release-of-robert-nkemdiche | 2022-08-17T16:04:55Z | ninersnation.com | control | https://www.ninersnation.com/2022/8/17/23309111/49ers-in-five-what-we-can-learn-from-the-release-of-robert-nkemdiche | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Scientists and students embarking on a census of Georgia lake sturgeon have found three females with mature eggs — an indication the armored “living fossils” may be reproducing in that state for the first time in a half-century.
“It’s exciting because it’s confirmation that they are becoming mature and trying to spawn,” Martin J. Hamel, an associate professor at the University of Georgia Warnell School of Forestry and Natural Resources, said in a recent news release.
Fossils indicate that the spade-nosed fish with a bottom-mounted vacuum hose instead of jaws has existed for more than 136 million years, according to scientists.
One of nine sturgeon species and subpecies found in the U.S., lake sturgeon live in 18 states and five Canadian provinces in the St. Lawrence, Hudson Bay, Great Lakes and Mississippi River watersheds, according to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
Pollution, habitat destruction and harvesting for flesh and caviar have so diminished their numbers that the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is considering federal protection for the species.
Sturgeons’ bone-plated bodies did so much damage to fishing nets that commercial fishers hauled large numbers out in the 1800s and left them on river and lake banks, the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources recounts on its website.
Dams, which keep the big fish from migrating from lakes to the rivers where they spawn, also reduced their numbers. Now lake sturgeon are at less than 1% of historic levels.
State protections, such as fishing limits, and stocking programs, some run by Native American tribes, have helped sturgeon.
By the 1970s, lake sturgeon had been wiped out of northwest Georgia’s Coosa River basin — the only place where they were found in Georgia.
The state Department of Natural Resources began reintroducing lake sturgeon 20 years ago, after the Clean Water Act cleaned up the river, Hamel said.
Females take 20 to 25 years to mature and produce the black, glistening eggs that people love to eat, according to Michigan Sea Grant. So until such eggs turned up this year in females being implanted with radio telemetry tags to track their movement, nobody knew if Georgia’s sturgeon were surviving long enough to reproduce.
“Because lake sturgeon take a long time to mature and then reproduce intermittently — every two to three years — we really need a robust population of varying size and age classes,” Hamel said.
The current population assessment is the largest since Georgia first collected eggs from fish in Wisconsin, raised them in a hatchery and released them into the Coosa in 2002. State natural resources staff, working with their Wisconsin counterparts, have done so nearly every year since.
“It’s a big investment because you don’t even know if the stocked fish are going to survive, let alone grow up and reproduce,” Hamel said.
About 330,000 fish, most about 6 inches (15 centimeters) long, have been released since 2002, Hamel said in an email to The Associated Press.
“While that seems like a lot of sturgeon, the survival rate of fish that are released at that size is likely between 1-10%,” he wrote.
The students are catching as many lake sturgeon as they can to estimate population size, survival and growth rates. The project started in the spring. It will run through this summer and next spring and summer, finishing in winter 2023, Hamel wrote.
Radio telemetry tags will give a better picture of where in the river basin sturgeon tend to live.
“We have implanted 28 fish with telemetry tags thus far, and plan to implant 12 more in the coming months,” Hamel wrote.
Scientists have implanted tiny PIT tags, like the ones used to identify pets, in hundreds of fish over the past two decades. The tags let researchers learn when and where scientists caught the fish previously.
Hamel said about 15% to 20% of the fish being caught have PIT tags, and one is going into every untagged fish.
Five adults and five juveniles will also get a tag that records depth and temperature every 10 seconds, he said.
Information from the first three years of restocking suggested that juveniles were surviving.
“There’s been a lot of questions about long-term survival, growth rates, and when these fish would become sexually mature — and we’re on the verge of determining if these fish are going to successfully reproduce,” Hamel said.
The oldest lake sturgeon on record was 152 years old, according to the Fish and Wildlife Service. The agency says the fish can reach up to 9 feet (2.7 meters) long and 310 pounds (140 kilograms).
The largest caught so far by the Georgia group was 52 inches (1.3 meters) long and weighed 24 pounds (11 kilograms).
“This is the largest fish that anyone has documented on the Coosa River,” Hamel wrote.
___
McConnaughey reported from New Orleans.
___
Follow AP coverage of climate and the environment at https://apnews.com/hub/climate. | https://www.wspa.com/science/ap-science/prehistoric-fish-may-spawn-in-georgia-1st-time-in-50-years/ | 2022-08-17T16:05:04Z | wspa.com | control | https://www.wspa.com/science/ap-science/prehistoric-fish-may-spawn-in-georgia-1st-time-in-50-years/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
With grocery prices at record highs, we’ve put together a guide for a week’s worth of healthy meals
There’s no getting around this simple and unpalatable fact: It’s pretty stressful to go grocery shopping these days.
Thanks to the skyrocketing cost of inflation — which climbed to a 40-year record high of 9.1% in June compared to last year — food has never been more expensive.
The price of pantry staples such as bread and cereal has jumped nearly 14%, according to the Consumer Price Index, and dairy products are not far behind, costing an average of 13.5% more than a year ago. The price of meat, poultry, fish and eggs will also leave a shopper reeling from sticker shock, and don’t even get me started on what a bag of Lay’s potato chips will set you back these days. (A 13-ounce bag costs $5.49 at Target. Target!)
As the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette’s food editor, my job is to cook — a lot. And while I try (really) hard to choose recipes that are as easy for the average cook as they are inspirational and great tasting, it’s gotten considerably tougher in recent months to also make them 100% affordable. Having raised five kids, including three always-hungry sons, I know firsthand how expensive three meals a day can be for a family in good economic times. I can’t imagine doing it today, especially when the cost of everything else we need on a daily basis is rising, too.
The challenge
I’m a problem-solver who has penny-pinched at meal time for decades. So I decided to make myself this challenge: Prepare a week’s worth of meals for a family of four, completely from scratch, for around $200.
Why that number? The USDA’s Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program currently allots $215.10 a week to a four-person household to cover the cost of groceries necessary to provide a “healthy, budget-conscious diet” under its official thrifty food plan. I wanted to know what that would buy you in Pittsburgh and whether you could make three squares a day taste good on a budget.
To accomplish that goal, I set some parameters. I’d do one marathon shopping session to save on both time and the crazy cost of gas. And I’d do so at a discount grocery to assure I was getting the most bang for the buck: Aldi, a deep-discount chain famous for having rock-bottom food prices.
Aldi is able to keep prices low in part because it avoids expensive brand names that rely heavily on advertising and marketing. The German chain, which counts some 2,200 stores across 38 states, is dedicated to creating cost savings that it can pass on to its customers, like making shoppers pay to use carts (which incentivizes their return) and provide their own bags.
“Other retailers may lure people with deals on several items each week,” said Aldi Saxonburg division vice president J.R. Perry in an email. “Our customers can count on Aldi savings on their shopping trip in every aisle, every day, no coupons or gimmicks needed.”
Even with all my experience and excess storage (I have two refrigerators and a huge walk-in pantry), coming up with a grocery list and nutritious recipes to feed a family of four for an entire week wasn’t easy. It certainly took time, along with some math skills to break it all down and figure out what ingredients were as affordable as they were easy to prepare for the average cook — and what had to be left off the list.
I started by sleuthing my local Aldi to see what things cost in general and also what was on sale that week. After noting prices for staples, including milk, meat, cheese and produce, I came up with a menu for each day of the week, wrote out the recipes, and then made a detailed ingredient list for each of the 20 dishes (Sunday only had two because it involved brunch.) Then it was back to the store to shop, with me adding up every single item as it went in my cart on my phone’s calculator to make sure everything totaled $215 or less.
My bill was $198.14. That included a brownie mix, a fresh pineapple, English muffins, green chile salsa, a box of (real) Corn Flakes and some chocolate-covered almonds I tossed in the cart on a whim because they were so cheap. I had so much, I had to supplement the four reusable bags I’d brought with three 12-cent paper bags sold at checkout — and still ended up under budget.
Menu planning
For advice on how to devise a healthful menu before that marathon shopping trip, I turned to cookbook author and registered dietitian and nutritionist Ellie Krieger. Kelsey Hutter, a registered dietitian with Allegheny Health Network, also weighed in.
Meat, even at Aldi, can stretch the budget. So both suggested building at least a few recipes around plant-based proteins such as tofu, peanut butter, lentils, or canned or dried beans, which are nutrient-rich and full of heart-healthy fiber and antioxidants.
“I would look at all different varieties and go with what’s on sale, and then substitute them in a dish” like chili or burgers, Krieger says.
Eggs are another good budget item — especially for breakfast — along with frozen vegetables, which, because they’re flash-frozen at harvest, are just as healthful as fresh cooked (although the texture may be different), says Hutter.
Frozen fruit, which makes superior smoothies and is wonderful on top of yogurt, is another smart buy. Not only is it much less expensive than fresh, but also it reduces waste because it’s not going to rot when you forget about it in your refrigerator.
Something as simple as brown rice is perfectly nutritious as are oats and canned fish. Krieger, for instance, likes to use canned tuna in water for sandwiches and tuna in oil for salads “because I can use the oil in the can as my dressing.”
Pasta is another great choice that’s shelf stable. Pair it with a homemade sauce made from canned tomatoes or toss it with frozen veggies for a quick and low-cost stir-fry. Also, grains like rice can help stretch out a meal.
“You have to change your mindset that ‘healthy’ is expensive, so why bother,” says Krieger. “You just have to be strategic about it.”
Shopping tips
Take an inventory of your pantry and fridge before shopping so you don’t end up buying what you already have.
Make a grocery list — and stick to it. You’ll be less likely to waste money on something that looks good in the store but you’ll never use, says Hutter.
Choose store brands over name brands, which are almost always priced higher. And always check price per ounce when comparing prices.
If you insist on fresh, choose vegetables and fruits that are in season. They’re typically cheaper and often come from local farms. Minimize waste by buying root vegetables such as sweet potatoes and carrots and leafy veggies such as cabbage, which have a long shelf life.
Study the store circular before making your list and take advantage of what’s on sale. The week I shopped at Aldi, for instance, a pint of blueberries cost just $1.69, so I added pancakes to the menu.
Plan some meals by creatively cooking once and serving the leftovers in another dish. I served a big pot of beef and bean chili in bowls one night for supper and inside flour tortillas with cheese the next day for lunch.
Never shop when you’re hungry (it leads to impulse buying) and, above all, know your budget and shop appropriately; fail to plan and you’re really planning to fail, says Krieger. “You have to know what you can [afford to] spend.”
SUNDAY BRUNCH: $7.50
BROCCOLI AND CHEESE FRITTATA
A frittata is an egg-based dish similar to an omelet, only it’s finished in the oven. The perfect dish for Sunday brunch, this one gets heft from broccoli and cheese.
For potatoes
1 pound small (1 1/2-2 inches) red bliss, Yukon Gold or other waxy potatoes
Olive oil
Kosher salt and pepper
Italian seasoning
For frittata
2 tablespoons butter
2 cups fresh or frozen (thawed) broccoli, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
8 eggs
1/2 teaspoon each salt and pepper
1 cup grated cheddar cheese
Preheat oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit, making sure there are two racks in place.
Halve the potatoes and place in a large bowl. Drizzle with oil, season with salt, pepper and Italian seasoning, then toss to combine. Spread potatoes onto a parchment-lined cooking sheet, and roast 20-30 minutes, or until crispy and tender.
While potatoes are roasting, prepare frittata. In a large oven-proof, nonstick skillet, melt butter over medium heat. Add broccoli and cook, stirring occasionally, until broccoli is tender, 3-4 minutes. Stir in garlic, and cook for 1 minute, stirring constantly, until fragrant.
In a large bowl, whisk the eggs, 1/4 cup water, salt and pepper until blended. Stir in cheese.
Pour egg mixture over broccoli mixture, stirring gently, and cook over medium heat until eggs begin to set. (Occasionally lift edges of frittata to allow uncooked mixture to go to the bottom.)
Place skillet in oven and bake until frittata is set, 8-10 minutes. Slide frittata onto cutting board, cut into wedges and serve.
Serves 4.
SUNDAY DINNER: $14
EASY MEAT AND CHEESE RIGATONI
For sauce
1 tablespoon olive oil or butter, plus more for pan
1/2 onion, peeled and chopped
1 pound ground beef
Salt and pepper
28-ounce can crushed plum tomatoes
2 tablespoons tomato paste
Red pepper flakes, to taste
For pasta
15-ounce container of ricotta
2 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese, divided
1 large egg, beaten
16-ounce package rigatoni
1/4 cup grated Parmesan
Chopped fresh parsley, for garnish, optional
Heat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease a 9-by-13-inch baking with oil or cooking spray.
Heat olive oil or butter in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add onion and cook until soft and translucent, about 4 minutes. Add ground beef and cook until beef has browned, about 5 minutes, crumbling it with a spoon as it cooks. Season to taste with salt and pepper, then drain excess fat. Stir in tomatoes and tomato paste and a pinch or two of red pepper flakes. Stir well to combine, then set heat to low and allow sauce to simmer.
In a medium bowl, combine ricotta, 1 cup mozzarella and the egg, then set aside.
While sauce is simmering, cook pasta noodles al dente according to package directions. Rinse well under cold water and drain.
Prepare pasta: Spread 1 cup sauce onto the bottom of the prepared baking dish. Top with 1/3 of the cooked noodles, 1/2 of the ricotta cheese mixture and 1/2 cup mozzarella cheese. Repeat with a second layer. Top with remaining noodles, more sauce and remaining 1/2 cup mozzarella. Sprinkle Parmesan cheese on top.
Place in oven and bake for 30 minutes or until brown and bubbly. Let cool for 5 minutes, then serve.
Makes 8 servings.
MONDAY BREAKFAST: $3.50
OVERNIGHT OATMEAL
Oatmeal is one of the most nutritious breakfast foods. This recipe is prepared the night before, so it’s ready to go in the morning.
2 cups whole rolled oats
2 cups milk, or more as needed
2 teaspoons maple syrup
Pinch of cinnamon, optional
Pinch of sea salt
1 cup blueberries, sliced strawberries and/or banana, for topping
Granola, for topping
In a large bowl, combine the oats, milk, maple syrup, cinnamon (if using) and a generous pinch of salt. Stir and chill overnight.
In the morning, scoop the oats into a bowl and, if desired, stir in more milk for a smoother consistency. Top with fruit and granola.
Serves 4.
MONDAY LUNCH: $3.50
TUNA FISH SANDWICHES
Canned tuna is a healthful food rich in protein and vitamins.
2 6-ounce cans tuna in water
1/4 cup mayonnaise or more to taste
1/4 cup chopped sweet or dill pickle
1/4 cup chopped onion
1 large stalk celery, minced
Salt and pepper
4 rolls or 8 slices of bread
Handful of potato chips, crushed, plus more for serving
In large bowl, combine tuna, mayonnaise, pickle, onion and celery. Stir to mix well, season to taste with salt and pepper, then fold in potato chips.
Serve tuna salad between two slices of bread or in a roll, with extra potato chips on the side.
Serves 4.
MONDAY DINNER: $12
BEEF AND BEAN CHILI
This chili is even better the next day rolled with cheese into a burrito.
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 medium onion, peeled and chopped
1 large bell pepper, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 pound ground beef
Salt and black pepper
1/4 cup chili powder or more to taste
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 large can (28 ounces) diced tomatoes, with juice
2 15-ounce cans kidney beans, rinsed and drained
2 cups beef broth
Grated cheese and chopped scallions for garnish
Saltine crackers, for serving
Heat oil in heavy large pot over medium-high heat. Add onions and cook until translucent, about 6 minutes. Add green pepper and garlic; sauté 1 minute. Add beef and cook until brown, about 6-7 minutes minutes, breaking up with back of a spoon.
Add chili powder, cumin, paprika and oregano, then mix in tomatoes with juices, beans and broth. Bring chili to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for about 45 minutes, skimming any fat that rises to the surface.
Ladle chili into bowls and garnish with grated cheese and scallions. Serve with crackers.
Makes 8 cups.
TUESDAY BREAKFAST: $2.50
BLUEBERRY PANCAKES
Pancakes for breakfast. Need we say more?
1 1/4 cup flour
2 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/3 cups milk, mixed with 1 tablespoon vinegar
1 egg, beaten
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 pint blueberries
In large bowl, combine flour, sugar, and baking powder and soda. Make a well in the middle, then stir in soured milk, beaten egg and vegetable oil. Gently fold in most of the blueberries.
Heat a lightly oiled griddle or nonstick frying pan over medium-high heat. (A drop of water should sizzle in the pan.) Pour or scoop the batter onto the griddle, using approximately 1/4 cup for each pancake. Cook until surface of pancakes has some bubbles and a few have burst, 1-2 minutes.
Flip carefully with a spatula and cook until browned on the underside, 1-2 minutes more. Transfer to a baking sheet or platter; cover loosely with aluminum foil and keep warm in oven. Continue with remaining batter. (You’ll have 12-16 pancakes.) Serve warm, with butter and maple syrup, if desired, and remaining blueberries.
Serves 4.
TUESDAY LUNCH: $6
LEFTOVER CHILI BURRITOS
Burritos make a great grab-and-go lunch, and when they’re made with leftover chili, they’re also quick and easy.
2 cups leftover beef and bean chili, warmed, divided
2 cups cooked rice, divided
1 cup shredded cheese, divided
8 flour tortillas
Tortilla chip and salsa, for serving
Warm the tortillas in the microwave for 1 minute. Spoon 1/4 cup chili, 1/4 cup rice and 2 tablespoons cheese in top third of warmed tortilla, fold over the ends of the tortilla, and then roll up. Repeat with the rest of the tortillas.
Serve with chips and salsa.
Serves 4.
TUESDAY DINNER: $11.50
GREEK-STYLE CHICKEN WITH POTATOES
Lemon zest, briny olives and feta give this easy sheet pan dish a burst of Mediterranean flavor.
1 lemon
2 teaspoons oregano, divided
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 teaspoon salt, divided
1/4 teaspoon pepper, divided
2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
4 pieces bone-in chicken thigh
1 pound baby potatoes, halved
2 large bell peppers, seeded and cut into wedges
1/3 cup olives
1/3 cup crumbled feta
Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
Finely zest the lemon. Combine lemon zest, 1 teaspoon oregano, garlic, 1/4 teaspoon salt, 1/8 teaspoon pepper and 1 tablespoon oil in small bowl. Rub spice mixture all over the chicken and underneath the skin.
Place potatoes and pepper on a sheet pan. Drizzle with remaining olive oil and squeeze about 1 tablespoon lemon juice on top. Sprinkle with remaining 1 teaspoon oregano, 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/8 teaspoon pepper and toss to coat. Distribute the vegetables around the pan, then nestle the chicken pieces on the pan among the vegetables.
Cook until the chicken is cooked through with an internal temperature of 165 degrees and the veggies are tender, about 30 minutes. If the chicken is cooked before the vegetables are done, transfer to a plate, cover with foil to keep warm and allow the vegetables to cook a bit more.
Serve sprinkled with olives, feta, the remaining lemon juice and more oregano to taste.
Serves 4.
— Adapted from “Whole in One: Complete, Healthy Meals in a Single Pot, Sheet Pan, or Skillet” by Ellie Krieger (Lifelong Books, 2019)
WEDNESDAY BREAKFAST: $2
PEANUT BUTTER BANANA SMOOTHIE
Packed with nutrient-rich ingredients, smoothies take just minutes to make and are a great way to get kids to eat fruit.
2-3 bananas, cut into chunks
2 cups milk
1/2 cup peanut butter
1-2 tablespoons honey
2 cups ice cubes
Place bananas, milk, peanut butter, honey and ice cubes in a blender. Blend until smooth, about 30 seconds. Divide into 4 glasses.
Serves 4.
WEDNESDAY LUNCH: $9
SPINACH & EGG RICE BOWL
If you don’t have sesame oil in your pantry, vegetable oil works fine in this recipe. Also feel free to substitute your favorite veggies.
2 teaspoons toasted sesame oil, divided
2 1/2 cups cooked rice
1/2 teaspoon salt plus a pinch, divided
2 tablespoons vegetable oil, divided
1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger
2 8-ounce packages baby spinach
1 tablespoon lime juice
4 large eggs
1 ripe avocado, sliced
1 cup julienned carrot
1/2 cucumber, thinly sliced
2 scallions, thinly sliced
4 teaspoons Sriracha or hot sauce
Limes, for garnish
Heat 1 teaspoon sesame oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add rice and sprinkle with 1/4 teaspoon salt; cook, stirring occasionally, until crispy, about 10 minutes. Divide among 4 shallow bowls.
Add the remaining 1 teaspoon sesame oil, 1 tablespoon vegetable oil and ginger to the pan. Add spinach, in batches, and cook, tossing until wilted, 2 to 3 minutes. Stir in lime juice and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Divide among the rice bowls.
Heat the remaining 1 tablespoon vegetable oil in the pan. Crack eggs into it and cook until the whites are set and the edges are crispy, about 3 minutes. Sprinkle with the remaining pinch of salt. Place an egg on each rice bowl. Top with avocado, carrots, cucumber slices, scallions and Sriracha.
Serves 4.
— Adapted from eatingwell.com
WEDNESDAY DINNER: $3.50
VEGGIE NOODLE STIR-FRY
Spaghetti doesn’t just call out for red sauce — It’s also great in an Asian stir-fry featuring frozen veggies.
For sauce
1/4 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup water
2 tablespoon brown sugar
1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes, or more to taste
1 tablespoon cornstarch
For noodles
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
12-ounce bag frozen mixed vegetables
2 scallions, sliced on the diagonal
2 garlic cloves, minced
8 ounces spaghetti, cooked
Make the stir-fry sauce first. Combine the soy sauce, water, brown sugar, sesame oil, garlic, ginger and cornstarch in a small bowl. Set the sauce aside.
Make noodles: Heat 1 tablespoon vegetable oil in a large skillet or wok over high heat. Once the oil is very hot and shimmering, add frozen vegetables and stir-fry until they are just tender, about 3-4 minutes. Add garlic and scallions and sauté until fragrant, about 1 minute.
Add cooked spaghetti and toss to combine with vegetables. Pour in the soy sauce mixture, letting it bubble and simmer. Continue stirring the noodles and vegetables for 3 minutes until the liquid has been absorbed.
Serves 4.
THURSDAY BREAKFAST: $4
FRUIT AND YOGURT BOWL
So easy, so delicious.
3 cups vanilla or plain yogurt
2 cups mixed berries of choice (such as blueberries, blackberries, raspberries, strawberries)
1/2 cup granola
Honey, for drizzling
Divide yogurt among 4 bowls. Add berries on top, then granola. Drizzle with a little honey, if desired.
Serves 4.
THURSDAY LUNCH: $7
CRUNCHY CURRIED CHICKEN SALAD
For a gluten-free lunch, serve chicken salad on a bed of lettuce.
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup plain Greek yogurt
2 teaspoons curry powder, or more to taste
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 pound chicken breast, roasted and chopped
3 scallions, white and green parts, chopped
1/2 large green apple, such as Granny Smith, diced
1/3 cup raisins, soaked in hot water to soften
1/4 cup toasted sliced almonds, optional
Handful of fresh, leafy lettuce
8 slices bread
In a medium bowl, stir together the mayonnaise, yogurt and curry powder. Add a generous pinch of salt and a good grind of black pepper. Taste, then adjust seasonings until well combined. (If the salad isn’t creamy enough, add a little more mayo or yogurt.) Fold in raisins and toasted almonds, if using. Stir to combine well.
Serve chicken salad tucked between two slices of bread as a sandwich or spooned on top of fresh mixed greens as a salad.
Serves 4.
THURSDAY DINNER: $11.50
TUNA NOODLE CASSEROLE
Tuna noodle casserole is an American classic. This recipe includes cheese and a cracker topping for extra oomph.
Nonstick cooking spray
12-ounce bag egg noodles
16-ounce can oil-packed tuna (I used tuna packed in water)
10-ounce package frozen peas, thawed and drained
3 cups shredded cheddar cheese, divided
1 tablespoon butter
1 small onion, finely chopped (about 1/2 cup)
1 celery stalk, finely diced (about 1/2 cup)
Coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1 1/2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
8 ounces baby bella mushrooms, quartered
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups chicken broth
2 cups whole milk
1 1/2 cups cracker crumbs
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
Preheat oven to 30 degrees. Coat a 13-by-9-inch casserole dish with cooking spray.
Cook the noodles in salted water until al dente according to package directions. Drain and rinse the noodles in cold water to stop them from cooking. Once cooled, pour the noodles into a large bowl and add tuna, peas and 2 cups of the cheese. Toss to combine.
In large skillet over medium-high heat, melt butter. Add onion and celery and cook until softened, about 3 minutes. Season with salt and pepper, add thyme and continue to cook until onion and celery are translucent, about 2 more minutes. Add Worcestershire sauce and stir it in, then sprinkle the flour over the entire skillet.
Stir constantly with a wooden spoon until flour is incorporated into vegetables, with no lumps. Add broth and stir to scrape up any brown bits. Slowly pour in the milk, stirring constantly to combine. Bring mixture to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer and cook, stirring, until the mixture has thickened and is reduced by 1/2 cup, about 8 minutes. Taste and adjust the seasoning. Pour the vegetable sauce over the tuna-noodle mixture in the bowl and mix to combine. Immediately pour into the prepared casserole dish.
In bowl, toss cracker crumbs with remaining cheese. Stir in olive oil. Sprinkle the mixture evenly over the casserole. Bake, uncovered, until the casserole is bubbly and top is golden, 35 to 40 minutes. Serve piping hot.
Serves 8.
— Adapted from “Mr. and Mrs. Sunday’s Suppers” by Lorraine Wallace (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2015)
FRIDAY BREAKFAST: $5
SCRAMBLED EGGS WITH VEGGIES
Eggs are one of the most nutritious foods on the planet and relatively inexpensive per serving. They’re best made in a nonstick pan.
2 tablespoons butter
1/4 cup sliced fresh mushrooms
1/4 cup chopped onions
1/4 cup chopped bell peppers
1 large tomato, chopped
8 eggs
1/4 cup milk
Buttered toast, for serving
Heat butter in a large frying pan over medium-high heat. Add mushrooms, onions, peppers and tomatoes. Saute until onions are transparent and veggies are tender.
Whisk together eggs and milk in small mixing bowl. Add egg mixture to vegetables, stir to combine and cook until eggs are set (they should be soft and slightly creamy). Serve immediately, with buttered toast on the side.
Serves 4.
FRIDAY LUNCH: $6.50
SWEET POTATO CHIPOTLE TACOS
Forget Tuesdays — tacos are delicious every day of the week. This vegetarian recipe features roasted sweet potatoes and black beans.
2 medium sweet potatoes, cubed
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 garlic clove, minced
1 tablespoon chopped chipotle in adobo sauce
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
1 teaspoon cumin
1 bell pepper, seeded and chopped
Salt
1 cup canned black beans, rinsed and drained
8 hard taco shells
1 cup shredded Mexican-style cheese
Sliced avocado, for serving (optional)
Sliced jalapeño, for serving (optional)
1/2 cup plain yogurt, mixed with juice 1/2 lime, for garnish, optional
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.
Place the sweet potatoes in large bowl and toss with olive oil, garlic, chipotle in adobo, paprika and cumin. Add chopped pepper, then season generously with salt.
Arrange seasoned potatoes and peppers in an even layer on a rimmed baking sheet. Bake 30 minutes, or until the veggies are tender and beginning to char on the edges. Remove from the oven and set aside while you gently warm the black beans in the microwave (about 20 seconds).
Line up taco shells on a sheet pan or in a 9-by-13-inch baking dish, then warm in oven for 5 minutes. Divide the black beans and roasted veggies among each taco shell and top with cheese, and sliced avocado and/or jalapeño, if using. Drizzle yogurt on top, and serve immediately.
Serves 4.
FRIDAY DINNER: $7.50
French Bread Pizza
Better than the stuff in the box and definitely cheaper.
For sauce
1 28-ounce can whole peeled tomatoes
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
2 medium cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon dried oregano
Pinch red pepper flakes
Kosher salt
1 medium yellow onion, peeled and split in half
1 teaspoon sugar
For pizza
1 loaf French bread, about 17-inches long, 4-inches wide
1/4 cup olive oil
8 ounces shredded mozzarella cheese
1/4 cup finely shredded Parmesan cheese
Sliced pepperoni or vegetables, for topping
Prepare sauce: Process tomatoes and their juice in food processor until puréed, or purée with immersion blender until there are no chunks. Set aside.
Combine oil and butter in medium saucepan and heat over medium-low heat until butter is melted. Add garlic, oregano, pepper flakes and a large pinch salt and cook, stirring frequently, until fragrant but not browned, about 3 minutes. Add tomatoes, onion halves and sugar. Bring to a simmer, reduce heat to lowest setting (bubbles should barely be breaking the surface), and cook, stirring occasionally, until reduced by half, about 1 hour. Discard onions and season to taste with salt. (Sauce will keep in a covered container in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.)
Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Line a rimmed 18-by-13-inch baking sheet with aluminum foil (for easy cleanup).
Cut French bread in half evenly lengthwise to create two long portions. Cut each portion in half and place on baking sheet.
Brush both sides with olive oil and bake in preheated oven until just crisp, about 4 minutes. Remove from oven and spread about 1/4 cup pizza sauce on each piece (more if you like saucy pizza). Sprinkle evenly with mozzarella and Parmesan cheese, and add any toppings.
Return pizza to oven and bake until cheese is fully melted, about 10 minutes. Serve immediately.
Serves 4.
— Adapted from seriouseats.com
SATURDAY BREAKFAST: $2.50
DUTCH BABY WITH APPLES
This large, fluffy pancake is baked in the oven. Best served with a sprinkle of confectioner’s sugar and fruit, in this case sauteed apples.
3 tablespoons butter
3 eggs
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 cup milk, heated 20-30 seconds in microwave
1 tablespoon sugar
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
Pinch salt
Confectioners sugar, for dusting
For topping
1 1/2 tablespoons butter
2 large apple, peeled, cored and thinly sliced
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon cornstarch
Pinch of cinnamon
Confectioners sugar, for dusting
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
Put the butter in a large ovenproof, nonstick sauté pan and place in the oven.
Meanwhile, in a blender, combine the eggs, flour, warm milk, sugar, vanilla extract and pinch of salt, then blend on medium-high speed until uniform and well mixed.
Carefully remove the hot pan from the oven. (The butter should be melted.) Swirl the butter around the pan to coat completely, then pour the remaining butter into the batter and pulse to blend. Pour the batter into the hot pan and return the pan to the oven. Cook until the pancake is puffed in the center and golden brown along the edges, 20-25 minutes.
While pancake is baking, prepare apple topping. In a medium saucepan, melt butter over medium heat. Add sliced apple and stir until they are fully coated in the butter. In small bowl, combine cornstarch with 2 tablespoons water then stir slurry into the apples, along with a pinch of cinnamon. Stir to combine, and keep warm.
When Dutch baby is finished baking, remove the entire pancake from pan using a spatula, and allow to cool for a few minutes on a rack. (This allows the steam to escape without condensing along the bottom and rendering the pancake soggy.) Slice the pancake into 8 wedges on a serving platter or cutting board, dust with confectioners sugar and serve with cooked apples.
Serves 4.
— Adapted from foodnetwork.com
SATURDAY LUNCH: $7
SPICY PINTO BEAN 'LOOSE MEAT' BURGERS WITH TOMATO SALAD
For burgers
1 15-ounce can pinto beans, drained and rinsed, patted dry
1/2 cup crushed tortilla chips
2 tablespoons chopped onions
3 tablespoons fresh cilantro, chopped
2 tablespoons flour
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon cumin
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon olive oil
4 burger buns
Shredded lettuce, sliced tomato and sliced onion for topping
For salad
2 vine-ripened tomatoes
1/4 cup crumbled feta
Olive oil
Balsamic or red wine vinegar
Salt and pepper
Drain and rinse the pinto beans, then spread onto a paper towel-line sheet. Gently pat dry.
Place tortilla chips, dried pinto beans, onions and cilantro to a food processor and pulse 3-4 times.
In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, garlic powder, cumin and salt. Add the flour mixture to the food processor and pulse 5-6 times until combined. (The mixture might look dry, but it will hold together when packed.)
Prepare salad: Cut tomatoes into chunks and place in bowl with feta cheese. Drizzle with a little olive oil and vinegar and sprinkle with salt and pepper, then set aside.
Heat the oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add the pinto bean mixture and cook for 4-5 minutes until brown and crispy. Divide among 4 buns and top with lettuce, tomato and onion and serve with tomato salad.
Serves 4.
— Adapted from iheartvegetables.com
SATURDAY DINNER: $11
SHEET PAN SICHUAN MEATBALLS WITH BROCCOLINI
Brushed with a spicy-sweet Sichuan glaze, these meatballs are cooked alongside broccolini for a complete meal.
For sauce
2/3 cup ketchup
1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce
2 tablespoons rice cooking wine
2 tablespoons honey
4 teaspoons soy sauce
1 1/2-inch piece ginger, peeled, finely grated
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
For meatballs
1 1/2 pounds broccolini
2 tablespoons vegetable oil, divided
2 1/2 teaspoons salt, divided
Crushed red pepper flakes, optional
1 pound ground turkey
1 large egg, beaten to blend
4 scallions, thinly sliced
2 garlic cloves, finely grated
2-inch piece ginger, peeled, finely grated
1/3 cup cracker crumbs
1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Cooked rice, for serving
Make sauce: Mix ketchup, Worcestershire sauce, wine, honey, soy sauce, ginger and pepper in a small saucepan. Measure out 1/4 cup mixture into a small bowl; set aside for glazing meatballs later. Bring remaining mixture to a simmer over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally and reducing heat if needed until sauce thickens, about 5 minutes. Transfer sauce to a small bowl.
Place a rack in upper third of oven; preheat to 450 degrees. Line a rimmed baking sheet with foil. Trim broccolini stems and cut florets into 2-inch pieces. Toss on prepared baking sheet with 1 tablespoon vegetable oil, 1 teaspoon salt and a few pinches of red pepper flakes (if using). Push to the edges of baking sheet to create a space for meatballs. Brush space with remaining 1 tablespoon vegetable oil.
Mix ground turkey, egg, scallions, garlic, ginger, panko, sesame oil, pepper, remaining 11/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 cup water in a medium bowl. Using wet hands, form into 12 11/2-inch meatballs. Arrange on baking sheet; brush with some of the reserved glazing mixture. Bake until meatballs are cooked through, 14-18 minutes. Remove from oven; heat broiler. Brush meatballs with remaining glazing mixture; broil until broccoli is charred and meatballs are browned in spots, about 5 minutes.
Spoon meatballs and broccolini over rice in bowl. Drizzle with sauce and sprinkle with sesame seeds.
Serves 4. | https://www.wyomingnews.com/entertainment/how-to-feed-a-family-of-four-over-7-days-for-200/article_51c0d827-a3f7-5923-b4f4-55509e5aaa41.html | 2022-08-17T16:05:42Z | wyomingnews.com | control | https://www.wyomingnews.com/entertainment/how-to-feed-a-family-of-four-over-7-days-for-200/article_51c0d827-a3f7-5923-b4f4-55509e5aaa41.html | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Missouri students are not performing academically at pre-pandemic levels, but student assessment scores last year increased over the year before.
The Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education released the 2021-22 preliminary grade level and end-of-course assessment scores Tuesday during the state board of education meeting.
Overall, students improved their math and science test scores, but their social studies proficiency levels slightly declined. English language arts results varied across grade levels.
The coronavirus pandemic is still presenting challenges for students and teachers, said Shaun Bates, the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education assessment director.
“We know that classrooms don't always have a teacher there or [they have] discipline issues,” Bates said. “We know that these things are still occurring, their teachers are struggling, they're dealing with fatigue.”
The annual report highlighted data from elementary and high school English Language Arts, English II, Biology, Algebra I and Government state exams. The department also released math test score data for third through eighth grades and science assessment data for fifth through eighth grades. Optional courses in math, science and social studies were also highlighted.
During the 2021-22 school year, 43% of Missouri students performed above or at grade level in English language arts. Forty percent of students tested advanced or proficient in social studies, while math was at 39% and science at 38%.
Bates said the pandemic caused a greater loss in math instructional time compared to English language arts. There was also a loss in instructional time in virtual or distance learning compared to hybrid or in-classroom instruction.
Despite periods of classroom disruption because of quarantines or absent children or teachers, more students tested this school year than last year.
“Districts and charter schools across the state continued to face unique challenges during the 2021-22 school year while working hard to focus on the well-being and academic success of students,” said Margie Vandeven, commissioner of education, in a statement. “Nothing about this past school year was typical.”
Although the data show gaps in proficiency and advanced levels between African American students and other students, officials said that students of all races are affected by the pandemic and that schools will support students with more resources this year.
DESE officials plan to provide more teachers with training to support early foundational reading. They are also working on a math initiative that will award training scholarships to math teachers so they can help students gain a deeper understanding.
“It's really getting to the fluency, and understanding what numbers, base 10, means, and being able to analyze all of the mathematics and understanding the mathematics,” Bates said. “And not just in a textbook way.”
The department will also bring in more counselors to better address students' emotional and social needs.
“One counselor can't cover them all," Bates said. "The teachers were actually carrying a lot of that load to support our kids.”
Follow Andrea on Twitter: @drebjournalist
Copyright 2022 St. Louis Public Radio. To see more, visit St. Louis Public Radio. | https://www.kcur.org/education/2022-08-17/missouri-student-test-scores-have-improved-but-not-to-pre-pandemic-levels | 2022-08-17T16:09:42Z | kcur.org | control | https://www.kcur.org/education/2022-08-17/missouri-student-test-scores-have-improved-but-not-to-pre-pandemic-levels | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas announced Wednesday that he will file a lawsuit against the state of Missouri arguing a new law requiring the city to spend more on police is unconstitutional.
The law, approved by the legislature and signed by Gov. Mike Parson this year, raises the portion of Kansas City’s budget that must be devoted to the police department from 20% to 25%.
The Missouri Constitution prohibits the state from requiring a city to increase an activity or service beyond that mandated by existing law, unless the state covers the cost. Lucas argues the new police funding requirement violates that constitutional prohibition.
In May, state legislators acknowledged the potential constitutional issue. They passed a proposed constitutional amendment that, if approved by the voters in November, would provide an exception for the Kansas City Police Department.
“The radical legislation provides no pay guarantees for our officers,” Lucas said, “will not hire a single police officer, and ignores the will and importance of Kansas City taxpayers, instead attempting to politicize policing in Kansas City at a time we sorely need bipartisan solutions to violent crime.”
Kansas City is the only city in the state where the local elected officials, by law, have almost no authority in how the police department’s budget is spent. A board of commissioners appointed by the governor makes those decisions.
As mayor, Lucas serves as the fifth member of the state board.
The push for the funding increase was inspired by a move from local elected officials last year that generated outrage among Republicans.
Last year, Lucas and some city council members attempted to designate $42 million within the police budget for things like community engagement and intervention — but a judge ultimately ruled they didn’t have that authority.
The new law is estimated to increase city spending by $64 million. Lucas said that will require cuts in other departments.
“…conservative legislators did nothing for our officers,” Lucas said, “but now pretend to support the police by creating a policy that ultimately will defund our firefighters, defund our parks and defund road repair in Kansas City.”
This story was originally published on the Missouri Independent. | https://www.kcur.org/news/2022-08-17/kansas-city-mayor-sues-to-block-missouri-law-requiring-higher-police-spending | 2022-08-17T16:09:48Z | kcur.org | control | https://www.kcur.org/news/2022-08-17/kansas-city-mayor-sues-to-block-missouri-law-requiring-higher-police-spending | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Potomac High School graduate Kyle Honore died Tuesday after being hit by a train near the entrance of Wingate University (N.C.), according to school officials.
Honore was a freshman at the school, which released the information about his death Wednesday morning in an email alert to the Wingate community.
The university said that Honore was hit by the train just before 10:45 p.m. Tuesday. He was taken to the hospital where he passed away.
Wingate is “meeting with Kyle’s family and helping them deal with this terrible tragedy."
Wingate is also offering counseling services for students. Wingate also said details for a campus vigil and funeral arrangements will be shared once they are available.”
Honore was a first-team, all-state basketball selection this past season along with being the Class 6 Region B and Cardinal District Player of the Year in playing for his father Keith Honore. Keith Honore led Potomac for 17 seasons before retiring after this season as the Panthers' head boys basketball coach.
Kyle was also all-state as a sophomore and junior.
Kyle was a four-year varsity player and three-year starter at point guard for Potomac who tallied 1,003 career points. Kyle averaged 19.3 points a game this past season. He signed with Division II Wingate after the high school season was over. | https://www.insidenova.com/sports/prince_william/potomac-high-school-graduate-kyle-honore-dies-after-being-hit-by-a-train-near-wingate/article_74beed98-1e3e-11ed-850a-9f64bf7ecf22.html | 2022-08-17T16:13:34Z | insidenova.com | control | https://www.insidenova.com/sports/prince_william/potomac-high-school-graduate-kyle-honore-dies-after-being-hit-by-a-train-near-wingate/article_74beed98-1e3e-11ed-850a-9f64bf7ecf22.html | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
HONOLULU (KITV4) - Light winds linger with partly cloudy skies and isolated showers. There is a chance of heavy spotty afternoon showers for central and leeward sections, with a possibility of thunderstorms for the slopes of Hawai'i Island. Highs are expected to be around 84 to 89 degrees. Light east to southeast winds 5 to 15 mph daytime sea breezes.
Light east to southeast winds will linger into tonight, which supports the land and sea breeze regime with humid conditions continuing. Clouds and showers will favor windward areas, except over interior and leeward locations through the afternoon and evening hours where sea breezes form. A return of breezy easterly trade wind conditions is anticipated Thursday through the weekend.
Small background surf will continue along south facing shores into Friday. Forerunners from a new, long-period south swell are expected to arrive late Friday night. This swell will likely produce near, to slightly above normal surf along south facing shores from this weekend into early next week. Surf will remain small along east facing shores, but the strengthening trades may produce modest, choppy surf along east facing shores by this weekend. Expect nearly flat conditions to persist along north facing shores through tonight. Small, short-period north-northwest swells starting Thursday may provide a slight boost in surf along exposed north facing shores through this weekend. A slightly larger and longer period northwest swell may arrive early next week.
Do you have a story idea? Email news tips to news@kitv.com | https://www.kitv.com/news/local/wednesday-weather-light-winds-and-humid-conditions-continue/article_fa28be8c-1e39-11ed-b1a6-8307227e19ef.html | 2022-08-17T16:14:18Z | kitv.com | control | https://www.kitv.com/news/local/wednesday-weather-light-winds-and-humid-conditions-continue/article_fa28be8c-1e39-11ed-b1a6-8307227e19ef.html | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
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Readers' Choice Awards | https://www.parrysound.com/news-story/10694073-sickkids-says-parents-will-need-a-prescription-for-liquid-forms-of-children-s-pain-and-fever-medicat/ | 2022-08-17T16:14:37Z | parrysound.com | control | https://www.parrysound.com/news-story/10694073-sickkids-says-parents-will-need-a-prescription-for-liquid-forms-of-children-s-pain-and-fever-medicat/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
A burgeoning beauty influencer is blowing up online after posting a video of her lip fillers, well, blowing up after what she described as bad reaction to the sun.
“Girls use sunscreen if you have lip fillers. Vacation in Spain ruined,” content creator Isabella Skeel of Denmark writes in the TikTok video’s caption. As of Wednesday morning, the now-viral clip had amassed 32,600 likes and almost 700 comments.
Skeel — who was on holiday with some friends in Spain — ended up in the hospital after the fillers in her lips reacted to the sunlight when she forgot to apply protection, the Daily Mail reported.
The burgeoning beauty influence said this is the first time she’s had any sort of bad side effects: “I got my lips done two years ago, and first time my lips have reacted like this,” Skeel wrote in the comments.
Meanwhile, experts warn that people who have lip fillers should avoid intense sun exposure — such as sunbeds or sunbathing — and recommend that SPF lip balm should be a regular part of sun care.
“Sunbathing, sunbeds and intense heat (such as saunas and hot yoga) ideally should be avoided for two weeks after lip filler treatment,” according to Dr. Mark Hamilton, an international specialist in this area of cosmetic enhancement. “Excess sun exposure after filler injections can reduce their effects and irritate your skin as it reacts to the treatment during its healing process.”
In portions of the footage, Skeel appears to be crying as she attempts to ice her swelling pout, though she wrote in several comments that she was fine and merely thought she looked silly.
“Hi guys! I’m crying because I thought I looked funny,” joked Skeel.
“And this is why i would never use lipfillers,” wrote one user.
“Please don’t do lip fillers love your lips the way God designed them,” chimed in another.
Other viewers were sympathetic to Skeel’s plight.
“I thought this was a common knowledge…so sorry this has happened to you. Hope you are ok now x,” sympathized one user.
“Sis this is not something you can laugh about, is a bad thing that can happen to other. Is ok girl you’re strong. Love you,” wrote another.
It is currently unknown if it was fully a reaction to the sun or if Skeel was reacting to something else. | https://nypost.com/2022/08/17/denmark-womans-lip-fillers-react-to-sunlight-after-she-forgets-to-put-on-sunscreen/ | 2022-08-17T16:14:49Z | nypost.com | control | https://nypost.com/2022/08/17/denmark-womans-lip-fillers-react-to-sunlight-after-she-forgets-to-put-on-sunscreen/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Every parent knows having a baby can be a great joy, but an expensive one.
Most families pay almost $2,000 a month during their child's first year.
The Women of Faith Ministry of Second Missionary Baptist Church is hoping to help with the cost of raising a child.
"Families have been impacted, there's a tremendous need with the economy in which we live in, we just thought it's a great need to help out in that way," said Paula Coleman, a member of the church and ministry.
This Saturday, August 20th from 10 a.m. to noon, they're asking the community to stop by the Second Missionary Baptist Church parking lot on East 3rd Street and donate baby necessities.
"We're asking for things like diapers, pull-ups, diaper rash cream, baby lotion, baby wash, shampoo, powder and anything else you may want to contribute," explained Coleman.
The women said they will also be taking monetary donations. All of the items and money donated will be delivered to three local non-profits.
"It will be the Chattanooga Room in the Inn, the Maclellan Family Shelter and also the New Hope Pregnancy Care Center located in Cleveland Tennessee."
The ministry hopes other organizations and churches will help them on their mission to assist the mothers in the community.
"It's hard for people to navigate these hard times so we're doing what we've been commissioned to do which is help others," said Theresa Turner with the church and ministry. | https://www.local3news.com/community-wide-baby-shower-hosted-by-women-of-faith-ministry/article_4af7f9ce-1e42-11ed-9433-07d4223da73e.html | 2022-08-17T16:15:51Z | local3news.com | control | https://www.local3news.com/community-wide-baby-shower-hosted-by-women-of-faith-ministry/article_4af7f9ce-1e42-11ed-9433-07d4223da73e.html | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
With ongoing air travel challenges due to pilot shortages and other staffing issues, cruise travelers are having more difficulty with lost or delayed luggage that can dramatically impact a seagoing getaway. What can you do to protect your luggage and be sure it arrives on time for your cruise?
Luggage Problems Growing Worse
According to a recent report by Business Insider, luggage problems – while always a fixture for air travel – have become increasingly troublesome for cruise travelers.
Not only is luggage occasionally delayed, but delays are growing longer and luggage is sometimes rerouted to entirely different destinations far from cruise embarkation ports.
The cruise passengers having the biggest difficulties are those traveling through multiple airline connections to reach their ship. In these cases, a delay or cancelation at one airport can have a knock-on effect with luggage being completely lost or dramatically delayed.
Todd McCloud Jr. had planned a Caribbean getaway with Carnival Cruise Line earlier this month, when his lost luggage “put a damper on our whole trip.”
A last-minute flight change that rerouted McCloud’s bags ultimately meant the luggage missed the embarkation port, and he and his brother had to enjoy their cruise minus their luggage. The bags were waiting for them at the airport after the cruise.
“I’m lucky that I didn’t put our birth certificates in those bags or else we wouldn’t have been able to go on the cruise at all,” McCloud said.
Bob Sweigart, who enjoyed a European cruise aboard Celebrity Edge in June, had a 21-hour flight delay, causing a missed connection. His luggage was rerouted and did not make the cruise.
Other passengers reported luggage rerouted to multiple airports in attempts to meet up with cruises already underway, or luggage left at airports due to a shortage of available baggage handlers.
Travelers’ attempts to contact different airlines’ customer service representatives meant long wait times on hold, often with little or no information available about the whereabouts of lost luggage.
According to a June 2022 report from the U.S. Department of Transportation, Office of Aviation Consumer Protection, mishandled luggage reports have more than doubled from 2021, with well over 200,000 bags mishandled in April alone – the last month available for current reporting data.
Read Also: Cruise Ship Deploys Lifeboats After Cage Full of Luggage Falls Overboard
A “mishandled” bag is one that may have been delayed, lost, damaged, or had items reportedly stolen.
While the impacted bags only represent .5% (one-half percent) of all bags handled by the reporting airlines, this still means that 1/200 bags or more may not arrive to its intended destination on time and intact.
How to Cope With Lost Luggage
Cruise passengers have few options available when their bags are lost before setting sail.
Unlike travelers on land, cruisers on a ship do not have access to multiple retail stores to replace clothing, toiletries, or other missing items. While cruise ships do stock some items in the gift shops, high prices and limited supplies can make it difficult to replace everything.
In some cases, cruise travelers have reported borrowing clothing from other guests, even strangers, during their vacation. Other passengers have had to give up shore tours in order to find shopping options at ports of call.
When luggage is missing, cruise guests should reach out to their cruise line for assistance as well. While the items may not be able to be replaced, some cruise lines can offer alternatives.
Passengers who lost luggage prior to recent trips with Silversea Cruises and Viking, for example, have reported that those lines waived laundry fees to help with the limited clothing available from carryon bags.
Other cruise lines may do the same, or may be able to help passengers contact their airlines to track luggage in the hopes that it can catch up with the ship. Guests may also request replacement personal items, such as toothbrushes or other essentials, or discounts on clothing onboard, though cruise lines are not obligated to offer such compensation.
Keeping Your Luggage From Being Lost
Ultimately, cruise travelers should take all possible precautions to ensure their bags arrive at the cruise port with them. This means taking advantage of carryon bags as much as possible, and packing sensibly in those carryon bags in case other luggage is lost.
Read More: 6 Ways to Protect Your Cruise Ship Luggage
All identification paperwork, medication, and valuables should be in carryon bags, as well as simple changes of clothing.
Planning to arrive at the cruise homeport at least the day before sailing can help prevent setting sail without bags due to luggage delays, as it will give the airline time to return lost luggage before embarkation.
Travelers should also investigate nonstop flights whenever possible, even if costs may be higher, to minimize the risk of luggage being mistakenly routed on different flights during layovers.
Putting electronic tracking tags and other copies of identification paperwork – including the ultimate destination of the bags – inside luggage as well as on easily readable, secure luggage tags can also help bags be located and returned quickly if necessary. | https://www.cruisehive.com/lost-luggage-a-growing-problem-for-cruise-ship-passengers/79234 | 2022-08-17T16:15:54Z | cruisehive.com | control | https://www.cruisehive.com/lost-luggage-a-growing-problem-for-cruise-ship-passengers/79234 | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
The Hamilton County Sheriff's Office is warning the public about a SCAM being perpetrated in the community.
The SCAM involves a phone call from a party advising they work for the HCSO. The caller states there is some sort of a fine the individual has not paid and they will issue a warrant for their arrest if the fine is not addressed at that time over the telephone.
Ultimately, the caller tries to get the individual to either pay with a credit card or with a pre-paid credit or “green card” to remove the fine or alleged warrant.
This SCAM is not new and has been perpetrated in our community for several years in some way, shape, or form. There have also been similar SCAMS that involve other County Offices whereby the caller solicits pre-paid funds to get the individual out of jury duty, taxes, and other monetary charges.
The phone calls are made with voice-over-IP technology and are therefore very difficult to trace.
Please note, the HCSO, County Offices, nor the Internal Revenue Office or Social Security Administration will never solicit funds from a citizen over the phone. All correspondence from the HCSO and County Offices will be delivered by mail.
As a reminder, HCSO says to never release monetary funds over the phone to anyone until you have verified the organization’s legitimacy. | https://www.local3news.com/local-news/hcso-alerts-the-public-of-scam-requesting-funds-for-an-unpaid-fine/article_50ad5d30-1e3a-11ed-b667-3710a811415e.html | 2022-08-17T16:16:03Z | local3news.com | control | https://www.local3news.com/local-news/hcso-alerts-the-public-of-scam-requesting-funds-for-an-unpaid-fine/article_50ad5d30-1e3a-11ed-b667-3710a811415e.html | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Ten officers with the Chattanooga Police Department have been assigned to new roles following a request by a U.S. Attorney’s office for a list of officers who are not allowed to testify in court.
According to a release from CPD, the list was requested to identify officers who are not allowed to testify in court cases due to past allegations of misrepresentation or untruthfulness.
CPD says Chief Celeste Murphy complied with the request and a list of 10 officers was given to federal and state prosecutors.
CPD says the 10 officers have been reassigned to roles that do not require court testimony and there are currently no officers who have been accused of untruthfulness employeed by the department.
The following is the full release from the Chattanooga Police Department:
Ten officers with the Chattanooga Police Department have been assigned to new roles following a request by a U.S. Attorney’s office for a list of officers who are not allowed to testify in court.
According to a release from CPD, the list was requested to identify officers who are not allowed to testify in court cases due to past allegations of misrepresentation or untruthfulness.
CPD says Chief Celeste Murphy complied with the request and a list of 10 officers was given to federal and state prosecutors.
CPD says the 10 officers have been reassigned to roles that do not require court testimony and there are currently no officers who have been accused of untruthfulness employeed by the department.
The following is the full release from the Chattanooga Police Department:
"Our criminal justice system depends on law enforcement officers to investigate and apprehend suspects, as well as testify against them in court.
Officer testimony is critical to a prosecutor’s ability to present evidence that would lead to a proper verdict and bring those responsible for committing a crime to justice.
The Chattanooga Police Department recently received a request from a representative of the U.S. Attorney’s office for a list of officers who had sustained allegations of untruthfulness or misrepresentation, for the purposes of identifying officers who would not be allowed to testify in court.
Upon receiving the request, Chief Celeste Murphy fulfilled her duty to Chattanooga residents and the justice system and provided the list of ten officers to federal and state prosecutors. Because the affected officers may no longer be able to testify in court, Chief Murphy made the decision to remove them from enforcement responsibilities. These officers have been reassigned to roles and responsibilities that do not require court testimony.
There are no currently employed officers who have sustained allegations of untruthfulness, as department policy requires immediate termination for such an offense. Under previous department policy, misrepresentation was treated differently from untruthfulness. However, CPD has eliminated that distinction and moving forward all sustained allegations relating to a lack of truthfulness now result in immediate termination.
“Chattanooga residents, our fellow CPD officers, as well as the state and federal prosecutors who present these cases should have full confidence that officers who investigate crimes, apprehend suspects, and testify in court uphold the highest standards of integrity,” said Chief Celeste Murphy. “It is unacceptable that a case could be jeopardized due to an integrity issue with an officer who was found to have previously misrepresented the truth or filed a false report.”
The internal affairs investigations at issue were related to internal policy violations, and none of the affected officers are accused of misrepresentation in a court of law.
However, whenever an internal affairs investigation finds that an officer has, in the course of their duties, been less than truthful, it can call into question the integrity of their testimony in court, jeopardizing a prosecutor's ability to obtain a conviction.
Because of the sensitivity of this matter and out of respect for our officers, we will have no further comment on this issue."
Local 3 News is working to learn more.
Stay with the Local 3 News app for updates to this developing story. | https://www.local3news.com/local-news/ten-chattanooga-officers-previously-accused-of-misrepresentation-reassigned-to-new-roles-following-request-by-us/article_d12f3fd2-1e44-11ed-8792-cb2da490f28d.html | 2022-08-17T16:16:09Z | local3news.com | control | https://www.local3news.com/local-news/ten-chattanooga-officers-previously-accused-of-misrepresentation-reassigned-to-new-roles-following-request-by-us/article_d12f3fd2-1e44-11ed-8792-cb2da490f28d.html | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Former Minneapolis police officer Thomas Lane, who was sentenced last month to two and a half years in prison for violating George Floyd's civil rights, has been ordered to report to the Federal Correctional Institution Englewood in Colorado on August 30, according to a judgment order filed Tuesday.
US District Judge Paul Magnuson had recommended to the Bureau of Prisons that Lane serve his sentence at Federal Prison Camp Duluth, a minimum security federal prison camp in Minnesota, according to the judgment filing. The Englewood prison is a low security correctional facility outside Denver, housing roughly 1,000 inmates, according to the Federal Bureau of Prisons.
Lane, along with former police officers Tou Thao and J. Alexander Kueng, were convicted in a federal court in February of violating George Floyd's civil rights. Thao and Kueng were found guilty of an additional federal charge for failing to intervene to stop Derek Chauvin.
Lane also pleaded guilty to aiding and abetting second-degree manslaughter earlier this year. Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison's office and defense attorneys jointly recommended to the court a sentence of 36 months, according to Ellison's office. Lane is scheduled to be sentenced on September 21 on the state charge, according to the court. As part of the plea deal, Lane's sentence will run concurrent with his federal sentence, his attorney Earl Gray said previously.
Earlier this month, Kueng was sentenced to three years in prison and Thao was sentenced to three and a half years in prison for their federal convictions. They also face a state trial set to begin in October on charges of aiding and abetting second-degree unintentional murder and aiding and abetting second-degree manslaughter in Floyd's death. They have pleaded not guilty.
CNN has reached out to Gray for comment.
The-CNN-Wire
™ & © 2022 Cable News Network, Inc., a WarnerMedia Company. All rights reserved. | https://www.local3news.com/regional-national/former-minneapolis-police-officer-thomas-lane-ordered-to-report-to-federal-prison-in-colorado/article_c65f6fce-9d19-50d6-a028-3bd30dffae32.html | 2022-08-17T16:16:45Z | local3news.com | control | https://www.local3news.com/regional-national/former-minneapolis-police-officer-thomas-lane-ordered-to-report-to-federal-prison-in-colorado/article_c65f6fce-9d19-50d6-a028-3bd30dffae32.html | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Wyoming Rep. Liz Cheney, who since the January 6, 2021, insurrection at the US Capitol has become the Republican Party's most forceful critic of former President Donald Trump, was ousted from her House seat by Trump-backed Harriet Hageman, CNN projected Tuesday.
In Alaska, voters cast ballots in another race the former President is focused on, with Republican Sen. Lisa Murkowski squaring off in the first of two rounds against the Trump-endorsed Kelly Tshibaka.
Former Gov. Sarah Palin, meanwhile, is attempting a political comeback in a special election for the state's lone House seat.
Here are six takeaways from Tuesday's contests in Wyoming and Alaska:
Trump caps his purge of intraparty rivals
Trump and his allies have spent the spring and summer turning Republican primaries across the political map into bitter fights in which loyalty to the former President was the central factor.
He lost some high-profile battles, including in Georgia, where Gov. Brian Kemp and Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger held off Trump-back challengers.
But in most open-seat races, Trump's candidates triumphed. And on Tuesday in Wyoming, Trump, who had endorsed Hageman on the day she entered the race against Cheney, claimed his biggest victory yet.
Cheney is now the eighth of the 10 House Republicans who voted to impeach Trump following the January 6, 2021, insurrection at the Capitol to exit the House. Four have opted not to seek reelection, and four more have lost GOP primaries.
Cheney chose to go down fighting Trump
In the lead-up to Tuesday's primary, Cheney insisted she was trying to win.
But her strategy -- attempting to convince the Republican electorate in a state the former President won by a margin of 43 percentage points in 2020 to turn on him -- suggests she'd made a different choice: to go down swinging.
She infuriated Republicans by urging Wyoming Democrats and unaffiliated voters to switch their party registration and vote in Tuesday's GOP primary.
Surrounded by US Capitol Police officers on the campaign trail, Cheney opted for small, private events over rallies. She lambasted Trump in television interviews.
Her campaign's closing message was a TV ad featuring her father, former Vice President Dick Cheney, calling Trump a "coward" who lies to his supporters and "tried to steal the last election" using violence.
Her election night event, on a ranch in Jackson Hole with the sun setting over the Grand Tetons in the background, didn't feature any television screens for supporters to watch results tabulated in a race Cheney was all but certain to lose.
She told supporters that she could have cozied up to Trump and did what she'd done in the primary two years earlier: win with 73% of the vote.
"That was a path I could not and would not take," Cheney said. "No House seat, no office in this land, is more important than the principles that we are all sworn to protect. And I well understood the potential political consequences of abiding by my duty."
Cheney's decision to use the spotlight of her high-profile House primary to tee off on Trump was never a winning one in Wyoming. But it did endear her to a segment of anti-Trump donors and position her as the GOP's most strident critic of Trump.
What's next for Cheney?
The three-term congresswoman has not been definitive about her next political moves. On Wednesday, she told NBC's "Today" show that she is "thinking about" running for president and will make a decision in "the coming months." And following her loss, her campaign filed paperwork with the Federal Election Commission creating a leadership PAC to be called "The Great Task" -- a nod to Abraham Lincoln, who spoke at Gettysburg of the "great task" facing the country.
Cheney used her election night speech to preview a continued fight against Trump, without laying out exactly what that means.
"I have said since January 6 that I will do whatever it takes to ensure that Donald Trump is never again near the Oval Office, and I mean it. This is a fight for all of us, together," she said.
"I'm a conservative Republican. ... But I love my country more. So I ask you tonight to join me: As we leave here, let us resolve that we will stand together, Republicans, Democrats and independents, against those who would destroy our republic."
As she left the stage, Tom Petty's "I Won't Back Down" blared over the event's speakers.
Waiting on Alaska special election result
Palin, the 2008 Republican vice presidential nominee who has not run for office since then, is attempting a political comeback in the special House election to fill the remaining months of the late GOP Rep. Don Young's term.
But it will take weeks to sort out whether she wins the runoff election against businessman and fellow Republican Nick Begich III and Democratic former state lawmaker Mary Peltola.
The special election is Alaska's first using the state's new ranked-choice voting system. CNN projected that none of the three candidates will receive more than 50% of the vote in the first round, meaning that the state will tabulate second-choice votes on August 31.
The ranked-choice system could prove problematic for Palin, whose decision to quit midway through her one term as governor, in 2009, still angers many of the state's voters. Begich III, the Republican scion of Alaska's most famous Democratic political family -- his grandfather Nick Begich was the state's congressman until his plane disappeared in 1972, and his uncle Mark Begich was a senator -- is seeking to capitalize on that hardened opposition to Palin.
The top four candidates from a wide-open June special primary advanced to the runoff. But one of those candidates, independent Al Gross, later dropped out of the race, a decision that likely boosted Peltola, who is seeking to make history as the state's first Alaska Native in Congress.
A second race for the same seat
At the same time that Alaska was filling its at-large House seat in Tuesday's special election, the state held a primary for November's general election for a full term for the same seat. Palin, Begich III and Peltola will all advance to another top-four runoff, CNN projected, along with Republican Tara Sweeney, an Alaska Native backed by the state's powerful Native-owned corporations who served as assistant secretary for Indian affairs at the US Interior Department during the Trump administration.
Other key races to watch in Alaska
Trump has also set his sights on Alaska Sen. Lisa Murkowski, who was among the seven Republican senators who voted to convict him during his second impeachment trial. Trump is backing former Alaska Department of Administration commissioner Kelly Tshibaka; he traveled to the state to hold a rally for Tshibaka in July.
However, Alaska's nonpartisan primary system -- like the House race, the top four finishers, regardless of party, advance to the general election -- means that both Murkowski and Tshibaka will advance to the general election, CNN projected. Democrat Patricia Chesbro will also advance, and a fourth candidate has not yet been projected.
In another competitive top-four primary in Alaska, the current governor, Republican Mike Dunleavy, and his independent predecessor, Bill Walker, will both advance to the general election, alongside Democrat Les Gara, CNN projected. The fourth candidate has not yet been projected. Walker, who was elected in 2014 but dropped his 2018 reelection bid to back a Democrat who lost to Dunleavy, is supported by some Democrats and moderate Republicans who tout his decision to expand Medicaid and his opposition to restrictions on abortion rights.
This story has been updated with additional developments.
The-CNN-Wire
™ & © 2022 Cable News Network, Inc., a WarnerMedia Company. All rights reserved. | https://www.local3news.com/regional-national/six-takeaways-from-primaries-in-wyoming-and-alaska/article_c37f97df-8845-5431-a059-8200f2d5951b.html | 2022-08-17T16:16:58Z | local3news.com | control | https://www.local3news.com/regional-national/six-takeaways-from-primaries-in-wyoming-and-alaska/article_c37f97df-8845-5431-a059-8200f2d5951b.html | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
A US airstrike in Somalia over the weekend killed 13 members of the al-Shabaab terror group, US Africa Command said in a statement.
The US carried out the strike on Sunday in support of the Somali military, which was under attack near Teedaan, Somalia. According to an initial assessment, no civilians were injured or killed in the strike.
Last week, the US carried out three airstrikes against al-Shabaab just west of where the weekend strikes took place. Four members of al-Shabaab were killed in those strikes, according to a statement from Africa Command.
In May, President Joe Biden decided to redeploy US troops to Somalia in support of the government and to counter al-Shabaab. The move reversed a decision by former President Donald Trump to withdraw all US troops from the country.
At the time, a senior administration official said "under 500" troops were being sent back into the country but declined to provide a precise number. They emphasized, however, that the Pentagon would not be restoring the full contingent of around 750 service members present in Somalia before Trump's withdrawal.
A US airstrike in in mid-July killed two members of al-Shabaab, while another in June killed five members of the terror organization, Africa Command said.
The-CNN-Wire
™ & © 2022 Cable News Network, Inc., a WarnerMedia Company. All rights reserved. | https://www.local3news.com/regional-national/us-says-airstrike-in-somalia-kills-13-members-of-al-shabaab-terror-group/article_4e876b3a-a8c8-51f6-8044-e28a14685a1c.html | 2022-08-17T16:17:05Z | local3news.com | control | https://www.local3news.com/regional-national/us-says-airstrike-in-somalia-kills-13-members-of-al-shabaab-terror-group/article_4e876b3a-a8c8-51f6-8044-e28a14685a1c.html | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Do you have a virtual private network? Do you need one? Both are great questions and in the last two years, you've probably heard a lot about VPNs.
If you've ever worked remotely on your company's computer, you've probably used a virtual private network or VPN. Why? Because it protects the company's devices from being hacked or getting malware on the network. But everyone should use a VPN and for other reasons too.
If you don't know about VPNs, I'll explain. every device that connects to the internet has an IP address like this. You can see yours by Googling "What's my IP". This shows where you're located and what you're doing online to your internet provider, the government, and hackers. My laptop, for example, has one IP address at a local coffee shop, and a different address when I return home and connect to my WiFi network. This presents some security threats regarding your data and activity as your internet provider, trackers, the government and hackers can see not only your computer's location but can see its activity or where it's going online.
A Virtual Private Network, or VPN, gives you a different IP address to hide your location. For example, even if I'm at home, by connecting to a Virtual Private Network anyone looking or gathering data will see that my computer and connection is in Frankfurt, Germany, or any other place in the world I choose, provided the VPN company has servers there.
This is especially important while working on public WiFi as it hides your computer from the network.
There are other benefits. Most streaming services like Netflix, Hulu, and Spotify have the rights to show certain movies only in some countries. If I log onto a virtual private network in Canada, I can watch the TV series Fargo on Netflix. If I search for it in the United States: it doesn't appear in the results. Sometimes Netflix and Amazon Prime can tell you're using a VPN and will block your access to the content.
Another example, playing the “name that tunes” game “Heardle” from Spotify: certain songs are not available in the U.S. but I can play the song and the game by logging on from an IP address in Germany.
There are several recommended VPN services: Express VPN, Nord, and CyberGhost. These are subscription services that work on all of your devices. You connect by choosing a location and connecting.
If you only work from home and have no interest in streaming content or playing games in other countries, a VPN isn't essential. But if you work remotely, live in an apartment, condo, or dorm, you should have a VPN and use it on your computers, phones, and tablets. I don't recommend free VPN services. Your privacy is worth paying for. | https://www.local3news.com/what-the-tech-two-reasons-to-immediately-get-a-virtual-private-network/article_9ce71dea-1e3e-11ed-87b6-9f668815a337.html | 2022-08-17T16:17:12Z | local3news.com | control | https://www.local3news.com/what-the-tech-two-reasons-to-immediately-get-a-virtual-private-network/article_9ce71dea-1e3e-11ed-87b6-9f668815a337.html | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
In June, Anthony Hopkins turned to Twitter for help navigating one of the internet age’s deeper mysteries: non-fungible tokens. “I’m astonished by all the great NFT artists. Jumping in to acquire my first piece,” he wrote, calling on fellow Web3 enthusiasts Snoop Dogg, Jimmy Fallon, and Reese Witherspoon for recommendations.
The two-time Oscar winner has since become not just an NFT buyer but a seller as well. Today, Hopkins unveiled an NFT series in collaboration with the digital goods start-up Orange Comet. Dubbed the Eternal Collection, it features digital images of Hopkins as 10 different archetypes he’s portrayed during his five-decade film career. As the Hero, for example, he wears a black leather bodysuit with expansive wings. As the Rebel, he appears with a face mask resembling the one that he wore as Hannibal Lecter in 1991’s The Silence of the Lambs. Elsewhere, he appears as the Lover, the Jester, and the Creator.
Hopkins began painting with acrylics years ago, when he wasn’t busy with his formidable day job. His works were semiabstract portraits and landscapes influenced by Francis Picabia, Lucian Freud, and Francis Bacon, among others. He recently starred in Zero Contact, a film shot in the early days of the pandemic, which director Rick Dugdale first released as an NFT, and his interest was piqued. “NFT is for me a blank canvas to create art in a new format,” the actor told reporters during a preview of the collection this week, adding that he’s always intrigued by new technologies. “It’s fun to be the old guy on the block—the oldest guy,” he said. “I’m interested in and fascinated by young people…. But inspiration is reciprocal, and so I’m hoping to also return some inspiration to people by saying that everything is possible. Give it a whirl, have a go. That’s what I did in my life.” | https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2022/08/sir-anthony-hopkins-drops-some-nfts | 2022-08-17T16:17:46Z | vanityfair.com | control | https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2022/08/sir-anthony-hopkins-drops-some-nfts | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Kate Middleton and tennis legend Roger Federer will square off on the court next month all in the name of charity.
The pair will be hosting a day of tennis in London in September to raise funds and promote awareness for two charities that are very important to the Duchess of Cambridge: Action for Children and the Lawn Tennis Association Foundation, where Kate is a patron. Kate and Federer will be joined at the event by underprivileged children from East London ranging in age from eight to 15 who will be given the unique opportunity to play alongside the 20-time Grand Slam champ. The aim of the event is to show these young people that no matter their background or life experience, sport has the ability to impart numerous physical and psychological benefits.
That meet-up will also be followed by a charity Open Practice Day on September 22 ahead of the Laver Cup, a men's team tennis tournament between Team Europe and Team World. Guests will be given the opportunity to buy tickets to watch Federer and other stars from the world of tennis prepare for the day of games with all proceeds from ticket sales going to Action for Children and the LTA Foundation.
According to a release from Kensington Palace, the LTA Foundation will put the money raised from these two days hosted by the royal and Federer towards its SERVES initiative, which brings tennis into communities that may have otherwise never picked up a racket, funding 50 new coaching programs for children in some of the country's most deprived neighborhoods. And Action for Children, which aids vulnerable British children, youth, and families, plans on using the donations to provide practical and emotional support for children. The money will also go towards hosting more field trips, fun activities, and days out for disadvantaged children.
Federer isn't the first tennis champion who has recently faced the Duchess on the court. Their charity event comes one year after Kate, who has been a lifelong tennis enthusiast, visited the National Tennis Centre in southwest London to welcome the 2021 U.S. Open women’s singles winner, Emma Raducanu, back to the U.K. They were joined their by some other notable tennis stars, including Joe Salisbury, Alfie Hewitt, and Gordon Reid. After a brief conversation, the group played a short match, and Raducanu was so impressed with her royal doubles partner, she told reporters, “her forehand is incredible!” The Duchess’s office said in a statement at the time, “Her Royal Highness is passionate about supporting grassroots tennis and encouraging young people from all backgrounds to become involved in the sport.” | https://www.vanityfair.com/style/2022/08/kate-middleton-roger-federer-play-tennis-underprivileged-children-charity-action-for-children-lta-foundation | 2022-08-17T16:17:52Z | vanityfair.com | control | https://www.vanityfair.com/style/2022/08/kate-middleton-roger-federer-play-tennis-underprivileged-children-charity-action-for-children-lta-foundation | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
In 2005, the Prince of Wales married his longtime love, Camilla Parker Bowles. The marriage of Prince Charles and Camilla was the culmination of a love affair that spanned four decades, scandalizing England, the greater world, and Queen Elizabeth II herself. However, after surviving divorces, the tragic death of Princess Diana, and public ridicule, the Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall have emerged as a strong team, at the precipice of leading the British royal family into the future. A timeline of Prince Charles and Camilla’s tumultuous relationship proves that sometimes royals get their own fairy-tale ending.
1970: When Prince Charles and Camilla First Meet
In the summer of 1970, the fun-loving 24-year-old debutante Camilla Shand reportedly met 22-year-old Prince Charles at a polo match at Great Windsor Park. Legend has it that she quipped to him, “My great-grandmother was the mistress of your great-great-grandfather, so how about it?”
For Prince Charles, it was allegedly love at first sight, and the couple began a relationship that he has described as “blissful, peaceful, and mutually happy.” However, forces were pulling the young couple apart, and they eventually broke up.
1973: Camilla Marries Andrew Parker Bowles
After years of sporadic dating, Camilla Shand married debonair Army Cavalry officer Andrew Parker Bowles in 1973. They had two children, Laura and Tom.
1981: Prince Charles Marries Lady Diana Spencer
On July 29, 1981, Prince Charles married Lady Diana Spencer before a television audience of 750 million people. But according to Princess Diana, the wedding festivities were dampened when, days before the nuptials, she discovered a gift Prince Charles had made for Camilla. It was a gold bracelet, with a charm engraved with the letters F and G, which stood for Fred and Gladys, Prince Charles and Camilla’s pet names for each other.
1986: The Affair Between Charles and Camilla Resumes
Unable to stay away from each other, and unhappy in their respective marriages, Prince Charles and Camilla reportedly began having an affair in 1986. Prince Charles later admitted to cheating on Princess Diana but only after their marriage had “irretrievably broken down, us both having tried.”
1989: Diana Confronts Camilla
In 1989, Princess Diana confronted Camilla about the affair at a birthday party, in what she called one of her bravest moments. “I said, ‘I know what’s going on between you and Charles, and I just want you to know that,’” Princess Diana told Andrew Morton. “She said to me: ‘You’ve got everything you ever wanted. All the men in the world fall in love with you, and you’ve got two beautiful children, what more do you want?’ So I said, ‘I want my husband.’”
1993: Camillagate
In 1993, The Sunday Mirror and People published transcripts of a private 1989 phone call between Prince Charles and Camilla. The lurid conversation featured sexual banter between the two, including Prince Charles musing, “Oh, God. I’ll just live inside your trousers or something. It would be much easier!” He then joked that he might be transformed into her tampon.
1995 & 1996: His and Her Divorces
Her affair with Prince Charles exposed to the world, Camilla and Andrew Parker Bowles divorced in 1995. One year later, in 1996, the divorce between Prince Charles and Princess Diana was finalized. For Camilla, it brought some relief from years of extreme public scrutiny.
“I was scrutinized for such a long time that you just have to find a way to live with it,” Camilla told British Vogue in June. “Nobody likes to be looked at all the time and, you know, criticized and…But I think in the end, I sort of rise above it and get on with it. You’ve got to get on with life.”
1999: Testing the Waters
After Princess Diana’s tragic death in 1997, plans to slowly introduce Camilla to the public were put on hold. In January 1999, the two were finally photographed together in public, leaving a birthday party for Camilla’s sister, Annabel Elliot, at the Ritz Hotel in London. | https://www.vanityfair.com/style/2022/08/prince-charles-camilla-relationship | 2022-08-17T16:17:59Z | vanityfair.com | control | https://www.vanityfair.com/style/2022/08/prince-charles-camilla-relationship | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Tommy Dorfman has found her special person.
The actor announced on Monday's episode of Rachel Bilson's podcast Broad Ideas that she's in love and engaged. While Dorfman didn't share any details about the identity of her new partner, referring to her as “just a gay girl,” she did add that their relationship has been “very affirming” and she feels completely ready to “spend the rest of [her] life” with her. The 13 Reasons Why star explained that despite being married to a gay man for the last five years, she's always had a lingering interest in dating women. “I knew I was interested in women in a way that I hadn’t really been aware of since high school,” she said. “I had this unresolved, unexplored thing. I was like, ‘This is the year that I’m gonna go on some dates with girls and feel that out again, and not feel ashamed about it.'”
Dorfman and her ex-husband, Peter Zurkuhlen, decided to go their separate ways in February of this year. The couple was first introduced by a mutual friend in 2005 and got engaged a decade later in April 2015. They wed the following year in November 2016 in a small ceremony held in Portland, Maine.
In July 2021, Dorfman came out as a transgender woman in an interview for the cover of Time magazine, explaining that her transition had understandably shifted the dynamics of her marriage. “I was in a nine-year relationship in which I was thought of as a more male-bodied person, with a gay man. I love him so much, but we’ve been learning that as a trans woman, what I’m interested in is not necessarily reflected in a gay man,” she said. “So we’ve had incredible conversations to redefine our relationship as friends. Transitioning has been liberating and clarifying.” The actor added that because of her transition it's almost like going through puberty all over again as an adult. “Some days I feel like I’m 14. As a result of that shift, the types of romantic partnerships I seek out are different,” she explained.
A month after publicly coming out, Dorfman confided to InStyle, “I’ve never felt better in my life. I spent 28 years of my life suicidal and depressed and recovering from alcoholism and drug addiction. I don’t think I’ve ever been genuinely happy until this past year.” | https://www.vanityfair.com/style/2022/08/tommy-dofrman-engaged-gay-girl-rachel-bilson-podcast-broad-ideas | 2022-08-17T16:18:05Z | vanityfair.com | control | https://www.vanityfair.com/style/2022/08/tommy-dofrman-engaged-gay-girl-rachel-bilson-podcast-broad-ideas | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Bizarre Minion-like creature with no anus is not our earliest known ancestor after all
The microscopic critters actually belong to a group of animals that includes insects, crabs and roundworms, computer imaging study suggests.
The Saccorhytus, a tiny, spikey sack with a large mouth and no anus is not your great many times over grandparent, an international team of researchers has found.
Previous studies had interpreted the holes that surround Saccorhytus’ mouth as being pores for gills and concluded that it was a deuterostome – a primitive group of animals from which ancient human ancestors emerged.
However, a new analysis of the 500-million-year-old fossils, which consisted of the piecing together of 100s of X-ray images, has discovered that the holes were in fact caused by spines that broke away as the fossils were preserved.
“Fossils can be quite difficult to interpret and Saccorhytus is no exception. We had to use a synchrotron, a type of particle accelerator, as the basis for our analysis of the fossils,” said the study’s co-author Emily Carlisle from the University of Bristol’s School of Earth Sciences.
“The synchrotron provides very intense X-Rays that can be used to take detailed images of the fossils. We took hundreds of X-Ray images at slightly different angles and used a supercomputer to create a 3D digital model of the fossils, which reveals the tiny features of its internal and external structures.”
The researchers then compared the anatomical features of Saccorhytus to creatures on other evolutionary branches of the tree of life and concluded that it was most likely an ecdysoszoan - a group of creepy crawlies that contains arthropods and nematodes.
“We considered lots of alternative groups that Saccorhytus might be related to, including the corals, anemones and jellyfish which also have a mouth but no anus,” said the study’s co-leader Prof Philip Donoghue of the University of Bristol’s School of Earth Sciences.
“To resolve the problem, our computational analysis compared the anatomy of Saccorhytus with all other living groups of animals, concluding a relationship with the arthropods and their kin, the group to which insects, crabs and roundworms belong.”
Read more about evolution:
Authors
Jason is the commissioning editor for BBC Science Focus. He holds an MSc in physics and was named Section Editor of the Year by the British Society of Magazine Editors in 2019. He has been reporting on science and technology for more than a decade. During this time, he's walked the tunnels of the Large Hadron Collider, watched Stephen Hawking deliver his Reith Lecture on Black Holes and reported on everything from simulation universes to dancing cockatoos. He looks after the magazine’s and website’s news sections and makes regular appearances on the Instant Genius Podcast.
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I’m not yet convinced about the concept of a smart home. In general, most products on the market solve problems I don’t have – boiling the kettle while I’m in a different room, for example. While many of them are great accessibility tools, they don’t seem like much use to me, and they don’t seem to be worth the energy they draw from being constantly plugged in.
A robot vacuum, on the other hand, does seem like a genuinely labour-saving device. Vacuuming may not be the most time-consuming chore, but while I wait for a robot that will do all my ironing, I’ll happily cross it off the list.
The obvious place to start is Roomba, the iconic robot vacuum brand. I tested the j7+, which is designed to spot obstacles like charging cables and avoid them, and which empties itself into a separate bin within its dock, so you don’t need to empty it by hand as often.
What’s in the box?
With the Roomba j7+, you get the Clean Base, which functions both as a charging dock and as a bin for the robot to deposit its dirt. It also comes with a spare bag for the bin, and you’ll need to buy replacements once you’ve used both. The remaining accessories are a charging cord, a spare filter and a replacement edge-sweeping brush.
On the iRobot app, you can check the ‘robot health’ to find out how long before various components need replacing.
Setting up the app
The Roomba is controlled via the iRobot app. Once you’ve chosen a spot for the charging dock, the app will take you through simple set-up instructions to get the robot connected to the Wi-Fi. The next step after that is the hardest: choosing a name.
Once the Roomba is set up, you can send it on a mapping run to let it figure out the dimensions of your house. After this run, it will create a map in the app showing the areas it thinks are different rooms, and which are carpeted. You can edit it, changing any divisions it’s got wrong and naming the rooms. I found that the Roomba did a pretty good job at working out the shape of the rooms; the main errors were just in areas of the room it couldn’t access. It improved over time with repeated runs.
You can also add Keep Out zones and Clean zones, and the Roomba will avoid or pay extra attention to these areas, respectively. I added a Clean zone in front of the front door, which tends to collect dust from our shoes, and a Keep Out zone in the spare bedroom where I had boxes piled up and not much floor space. Over time, the Roomba will suggest Clean zones – it suggested one in front of my desk, presumably because it kept finding snack crumbs.
If your home is spread over more than one floor, you can create a second map by moving the Roomba somewhere new and setting it off. This will be saved as a new map in the app.
The main benefit of the app is that the cleaning is incredibly customisable. You can tell it to vacuum certain rooms or areas (followed by mopping, if you have one of iRobot’s compatible Braava jet robot mops), set a schedule, tell it to detect when you’ve left the house and connect it to Google Assistant and Amazon Alexa. I tried all of these, and got on well with most of them, but I had the most trouble with the voice activation. It was a bit hit-and-miss with which instructions it understood, even out of the recommended ones.
Using the Roomba j7+
Having a little robot that trundles around your house is fun, and it was a while before it started to save me any time: at first, I felt a need to follow it around the house, watching it work. Even after that, I would leap up out of my seat when the sound of the vacuum changed to check if it had ensnared something (which it almost never had, except for a receipt that had fallen on the floor).
But as time went on, I was happy to leave it to it. In general, the Roomba will do a good enough job unattended, and is great at avoiding obstacles. Even if I left a laptop cable on the floor, for example, it wouldn’t get tangled. However, if you’re around to move things out of its way – say, so it can get behind a bin or under the table – then that’s all the better. So, if you want a really thorough clean, you’ll need to prepare your house to give it as much access as possible.
The suction isn’t astounding. It picks up the majority of the dirt from the carpets, but there were still some noticeable bits left after one lap. That said, it did have a few features that improve its dirt collection. Firstly, you can set it to do multiple laps, either of the whole map or the rooms of your choice. It will give you an estimate of the time it will take to do this, but don’t rely on it: I usually found it took longer, especially with multiple laps.
Secondly, the Roomba automatically detects particularly dirty spots, and slows down when it passes over them to get a better clean. Plus, the edge-sweeping brush does a decent job of gathering up crumbs from the edges.
When it’s finished its run (or when it gets full), the Roomba returns to the Clean Base to empty. It makes a surprisingly loud noise while it empties – much louder than the vacuuming itself. So loud, in fact, that I used the app to set ‘Quiet Time’ at night to avoid it disturbing the neighbours. However, I really liked the self-emptying feature: it meant I didn’t even have to think about it, especially since I set it not to start cleaning if the Clean Base bin is full.
How good is the Roomba j7+ at navigating?
Thanks to the mapping software, the j7+ does a good job of navigating, especially since it learns over time. However, it would occasionally get stuck if it drove straight forwards into a narrow space; even though it can reverse, it would just rotate around seemingly random angles before trying again, and eventually give up and call for help.
I took the Roomba out into the hall outside my flat to test whether it could cope with stairs, and sure enough, it dutifully stopped when it detected the edge. Though, of course, it can’t vacuum on stairs, so you’ll still need a separate vacuum cleaner if yours are carpeted.
Verdict
I’m not too bothered that it doesn’t do an amazing clean in one go, because it works well as a ‘little and often’ approach. With it scheduled to clean three times a week, I found that my floors were in general a bit cleaner than they were with my previous approach of a full vacuum once a week and occasional mess-cleaning as necessary.
Would the Roomba j7+ replace my trusty hoover? Well, no, simply for the fact that there will always be spots that a robot can’t handle, such as skirting boards, awkward corners and stairs. But I can’t deny that, if you get it set up in a way that works for you, it can keep your carpets looking fresher with less effort.
So, if you struggle to keep on top of vacuuming – and you generally keep your floors tidy enough for a robot to trundle around – then you would benefit from welcoming a Roomba j7+ into your home.
- Buy now from Amazon (£899)
- Buy now from Roomba (£899)
Alternatives
iRobot Roomba S9 Plus
iRobot’s range of Roomba hoovers are some of the best around, and if you like what you saw in the review above, but just want a little more power, this could be the better option.
Unlike the j7+, this hoover will be able to deal with every little bit of dust, cumbs and anything you might find on the carpet. For an extra bit of tech, you can also control this hoover via voice control.
- Buy now from Amazon (£1499)
Eufy RoboVac 15c
Obviously not everyone is going to be able to casually drop nearly £1000 on a hoover, so if you’re after something a bit more affordable, Eufy’s RoboVac could be better suited.
It only costs £199, but it does a great job at picking up small crumbs and dirt from hard wood floors, kitchens and certain carpets.
It does only have a small dust bin, and unlike some other more expensive robot hoovers, it doesn’t always get its directions quite right, running off in straight lines or bumping into unseen objects.
Read more: | https://www.sciencefocus.com/reviews/roomba-j7-review/ | 2022-08-17T16:18:52Z | sciencefocus.com | control | https://www.sciencefocus.com/reviews/roomba-j7-review/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
(NewsNation) — As inflation skyrockets and the housing market teeters, some Americans are packing up their homes and relocating south of the border.
According to the Los Angeles Almanac, the median cost of a home in Los Angeles County sits at more than $860,000, and renting in the Golden State is not much more affordable.
Real estate experts and Mexican homeowners confirmed that more Americans are picking up and moving south of the border to cope with the cost of living.
“I’ve become more Mexican than American these days,” said Megan Beck, who lives in Rosarito, Mexico.
Beck calls her living situation “the Mexican-American dream.” Originally from Nebraska, Beck and her husband built a home in Rosarito, Mexico, which is about 30 miles south of San Diego.
“I’ve been able to build a home from ground up. I couldn’t afford that over there. It was just getting too crazy,” Beck said.
Zachary Solomon currently lives in San Francisco but has also had his eyes on the Mexican housing market — his father and brother already live there.
“It’s almost a no-brainer for me,” Solomon said. “And it’s just, I have to convince my partner to end up moving there.”
Influencing the exodus of Americans is the huge difference in cost of living between the two countries.
Numbeo, the world’s largest cost of living database, helps people calculate the difference in costs of food, utilities, child care and other life necessities.
According to the site, a one-bedroom apartment in San Diego costs $2,597 per month to rent. In Tijuana, Mexico, a same-size one-bedroom apartment rents out for $617 per month.
Condo complexes, such as the “La Jolla Excellence” in Rosarito, Baja California, just south of Tijuana, are advertising directly to Americans. Just 24 miles south of the border, the complex offers luxury villas and condos with beach views and access. Promotional videos in English tell Americans it “can make dreams a reality.”
The website also offers a blog on the difference in cost of living in Mexico versus the U.S., trying to persuade Americans who are considering the move to make the move.
Some Americans living in Mexico said those considering relocating may as well crunch the numbers to see if the move is right for them.
“Just try it out, you know, like come down, come down to different couple weekends or weekdays. Feel it out — the vibe down here — because a lot of people fall in love,” Beck said.
Of course, the law of supply and demand also exists in Mexico, and Fermín Kim King, the president of the real estate association of Tijuana, says the cost of housing in the city is going up as more and more Americans migrate there to live.
He said the price of low and middle-income housing has gone up as much as 30% since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. | https://www.wwlp.com/news/national/americans-relocating-to-mexico-to-combat-cost-of-living/ | 2022-08-17T16:19:09Z | wwlp.com | control | https://www.wwlp.com/news/national/americans-relocating-to-mexico-to-combat-cost-of-living/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Yellen tells IRS to develop modernization plan in 6 months
WASHINGTON (AP) — Now that President Joe Biden signed Democrats’ expansive climate, tax and health care bill into law, Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen has directed the IRS to develop a plan within six months outlining how the tax agency will overhaul its technology, customer service and hiring processes.
In part, the improvements are meant to “end the two-tiered tax system, where most Americans pay what they owe, but those at the top of the distribution often do not,” Yellen said in a Tuesday memo to IRS Commissioner Chuck Rettig, whose term ends in three months.
Yellen’s memo, obtained by The Associated Press, outlines the importance of modernizing IRS computer systems and ensuring the agency has an adequately-staffed workforce now that the tax collector is set to receive nearly $80 billion over the next 10 years.
That funding is needed for more than technology. At least 50,000 IRS employees are expected to retire over the next five years.
Yellen has called for the IRS to “fully resolve the inventory backlog and make significant improvements in taxpayer services,” “to overhaul an information technology system that is decades out of date” and invest and train employees “so they can identify the most complex evasion schemes by those at the top.”
This year’s tax season resulted in the worst backlog in history for the beleaguered IRS, which has also been tasked with administering pandemic related programs, including sending out stimulus checks, emergency rental assistance and advance child tax credit checks.
In its June report to Congress, the National Taxpayer Advocate, an independent watchdog within the IRS, also said taxpayers have experienced longer wait times on the telephone, and delays in processing paper returns have been running six months to one year.
Additional funding for the agency has been politically controversial since 2013, when the IRS under the Obama administration was found to scrutinize political groups that applied for tax-exempt status.
A Treasury Department Inspector General report found that both conservative and liberal groups were chosen for scrutiny.
Most recently, Republican politicians and candidates have distorted how the climate, tax and healthcare bill would reform the IRS and affect taxes for the middle class.
House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) last week tweeted that “Democrats’ new army of 87,000 IRS agents will be coming for you -- with 710,000 new audits for Americans who earn less than $75k.”
Yellen last week sent instructions to IRS leadership not to increase audit rates on Americans making under $400,000 a year annually.
“Instead, enforcement resources will focus on high-end noncompliance,” she said in her Aug. 11 guidance. “There, sustained, multi-year funding is so critical to the agency’s ability to make the investments needed to pursue a robust attack on the tax gap.”
Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. | https://www.witn.com/2022/08/17/yellen-tells-irs-develop-modernization-plan-6-months/ | 2022-08-17T16:19:52Z | witn.com | control | https://www.witn.com/2022/08/17/yellen-tells-irs-develop-modernization-plan-6-months/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Agreement expands Agency Revolution's website capabilities and cements their position as the premier end-to-end marketing solution for insurance agencies and agents
SAN DIEGO, Aug. 17, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Agency Revolution, the leading provider of digital marketing solutions for the insurance industry, today announced its acquisition of Forge3, the highest-rated, fastest-growing insurance agency website platform.
"Forge3 has a tremendous reputation in the industry with a 9.9 out of 10 post-launch client rating and five stars on Google," said Scott White, CEO of Agency Revolution. "They've pioneered the use of interactive website designs to provide insurance agencies with the tools to get found, close business, and deliver a seamless client experience. Forge3's products and team will remain intact as we combine what they are loved for, high converting insurance websites, with the power of Agency Revolution's robust marketing automation and workflow capabilities. The result of this partnership is a one-stop solution that meets all the marketing needs for insurance agents."
With this agreement, Agency Revolution will combine its best-in-class marketing automation platform, Fuse™, with Forge3's innovative ActiveAgency website platform creating an unparalleled marketing system for the insurance industry. Agency Revolution, known as the pioneer in marketing automation for insurance agents in both personal and commercial lines of business, enables personalized, multi-touch, cross-channel communications at pivotal points in the customer journey.
"We're incredibly proud of the website platform we've built and the reputation we've established over many years working with well over 1,200 independent insurance agencies," said Jeff Teschke, founder and CEO of Forge3. "Looking forward, we're excited to combine our proven, best-in-class website platform with Agency Revolution's leading marketing, content, and communication solution. It's a powerful combination unlike anything else in the industry."
For more information on this news and to register for a webinar with the Agency Revolution leadership team discussing how this exciting news affects existing Forge3 and Agency Revolution clients, click here.
Agency Revolution, an FMG company, has served the insurance industry for more than 25 years with a marketing platform to help independent insurance agents and brokers automate their communications, build deeper, more meaningful client relationships, and grow their agencies and brokerages. From professionally designed websites backed by an award-winning content library to a collection of marketing, communication, and relationship-building tools, Agency Revolution empowers the modern insurance agency with the services and solutions to advance how they do business and grow. Learn more.
Founded in 2004, Forge3's ActiveAgency website platform is now used by well over 1,200 independent insurance agencies across the country. Forge3 has pioneered the industry's most innovative and powerful sales tools, including Clickable Coverage, Hello Producer, Power Panels, and more, while also earning an incredible reputation within the industry. They are known for their human-powered, people-first approach combined with innovative technology and solutions. ActiveAgency is the highest-rated, fastest-growing insurance agency website platform in the industry, focused on enabling agencies to look amazing, get found, sell more, and service better.
Agency Revolution Press Contacts
Katherine Verducci
1903 PR
kverducci@1903pr.com
View original content:
SOURCE Agency Revolution | https://www.witn.com/prnewswire/2022/08/17/agency-revolution-acquires-forge3-become-undisputed-leader-marketing-solutions-insurance-industry/ | 2022-08-17T16:20:38Z | witn.com | control | https://www.witn.com/prnewswire/2022/08/17/agency-revolution-acquires-forge3-become-undisputed-leader-marketing-solutions-insurance-industry/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Combining Andersen's industry-leading window and door innovations with Ubiquitous Energy's patented transparent solar technology to bring solar-powered windows and doors into homes
BAYPORT, Minn., Aug. 17, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Andersen Corporation, manufacturer of the #1 innovative window and door brand*, and Ubiquitous Energy, the world leader in transparent solar technology, have entered into an agreement to jointly develop a first-of-its-kind energy generating window and door products.
The companies are working together to bring products to market that will revolutionize solar generation for residential and light commercial buildings. The products will leverage Ubiquitous Energy's UE Power™ technology, the only patented and visibly transparent photovoltaic glass coating that harnesses solar power to generate electricity, while remaining almost indistinguishable from traditional windows. With this revolutionary technology, the products the companies are jointly developing are intended to bring renewable energy generation to windows and doors while providing a clear, natural experience that is similar to what is expected from traditional windows and doors.
"By combining Andersen's expertise in crafting innovative window and door products that deliver quality, design aesthetic and energy efficiency with the unique properties of UE Power™ technology, our vision is to develop products that go beyond energy efficiency to energy generation," said Brandon Berg, senior vice president, research, development and innovation, Andersen Corporation. "This is a powerful opportunity to leverage our industry leadership, product development expertise and manufacturing capabilities to help bring innovative new products to the marketplace that will improve the homeowner experience and make the world a better place."
Andersen is a leading investor in Ubiquitous Energy and a longtime pioneer in the window and door industry with more than 225 patents to its name over time. Andersen's investment in Ubiquitous Energy represents the company's future-focused interest in advancing the fenestration industry with disruptive technology solutions that have the potential to elevate the industry and contribute to a healthier environment.
The companies began their relationship with an investment from Andersen in Ubiquitous Energy's Series B financing in 2021. Since then, Ubiquitous Energy has demonstrated significant progress, validating its large area coating equipment with the ability to uniformly coat floor-to-ceiling glass in addition to advancing its next-generation materials pipeline using artificial intelligence. UE Power™ technology serves as a visibly transparent solar panel that adds renewable energy generation capability to window and door glass while maintaining visual aesthetics. Ubiquitous Energy is actively raising funding to accelerate commercialization efforts, including funding for a U.S.-based manufacturing facility that will supply the first transparent solar window and door units to Andersen and other partners and customers.
"We are excited to continue to deepen our relationship with Andersen to together create the first UE Power™ window and door products for residential and light commercial buildings. Our companies have a shared goal of changing the way the world uses solar power and positively impacting the environment in a big way without compromising aesthetics or function," said Susan Stone, chief executive officer, Ubiquitous Energy.
ABOUT ANDERSEN CORPORATION
Andersen was founded in 1903 on the philosophy of working "all together" to deliver on its promise to its customers. Every day, the company's more than 13,000 employees are empowered to imagine what's possible and do what's right. Andersen delivers products for the way people live, unmatched performance for the comfort and security homeowners desire, and endless design options to achieve any style.
Headquartered in Bayport, Minn., Andersen Corporation and its subsidiaries manufacture and market window and door products under the Andersen®, Renewal by Andersen®, EMCO® and MQ™ brands. Andersen, a privately held company, operates manufacturing sites across North America and Europe. Andersen has earned the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's 2022 ENERGY STAR® Partner of the Year – Sustained Excellence Award. Visit us at andersenwindows.com.
Follow us on Facebook @AndersenWindows, Twitter @AndersenWindows, and Instagram @andersen_windows.
ABOUT UBIQUITOUS ENERGY, INC.
Founded in 2011, Ubiquitous Energy was started by a group of MIT and MSU scientists and engineers looking for new ways to reduce humanity's carbon footprint by seamlessly integrating solar power technology into everyday products and surfaces. With nearly 200 global patent filings, Ubiquitous Energy has the world's leading transparent solar technology – the conversion of light into electricity using semiconducting materials all while maintaining visible transparency. To both residential and commercial building occupants, Ubiquitous Energy's solar windows provide a clear, vibrant experience that is expected from traditional Low-E windows, but with self-contained, on-board power and smart functionality. For more information please visit us at www.ubiquitous.energy or connect with us via LinkedIn.
* 2022 Andersen brand surveys of U.S. contractors, builders & architects
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BOSTON, Aug. 17, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Boston Hemp Inc. is pleased to announce the launch of this fall's biggest hit, Pumpkin Spice concentrates. By launching seasonal concentrates Boston Hemp Inc. becomes the first hemp dispensary in the country to offer Delta-8 THC, HHC and THC-O products filled with the delightful fall flavor profiles of cinnamon, cardamom and pumpkin. The new products will be released to the public September 1, 2022.
Concentrates have become popular with the hemp crowd who heat the wax and then inhale the vapors and smoke. By doing so a nice body high and a euphoric feeling are had by the user. This process is known as dabbing.
Boston Hemp Inc.'s collection of concentrates or waxes are known to be the best in the hemp market. They are always striving to offer the best and most potent products on the market. With the unique offering of pumpkin spice concentrates Boston Hemp Inc. continues their tradition of innovation.
Boston Hemp Inc. is the nation's premier hemp dispensary. They offer a collection of premium products including flower, concentrates, edibles and vapes. They offer their products for sale on-line at www.BostonHempInc.com. They ship nationwide and all over the world. Their products are also available at their retail location and corporate headquarters in Hanover, Massachusetts. For retail inquiries please contact Kevin Coyle at Kevin@BostonHempire.com or by way of cell at 508-846-6628.
Source: Boston Hemp Inc.
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NEW YORK, Aug. 17, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Creatd, Inc. (Nasdaq CM: CRTD) ("Creatd" or the "Company"), a creator-first holding company today announced the appointment of Tracy Willis as CEO of Creatd Partners, the Company's influencer and content marketing arm.
Since the Company completed its integration of the WHE Agency ("WHE") into Creatd Partners, WHE founder Tracy Willis has led WHE's day-to-day operations and worked to significantly advance the size and breadth of WHE's influencer network and brand partnerships. Already, the integration of the WHE Agency and Creatd Partners has yielded top brand clientele working together on projects across an array of products and distribution platforms, including Vocal, Tik Tok, Youtube, and Instagram. As CEO of Creatd Partners, Ms. Willis is additionally tasked with driving talent acquisition for the Company on a broader level, with the ultimate goal of sourcing and nurturing high-caliber creators and brands to join the Vocal ecosystem. Ms. Willis has an integral role in driving the Company's internal efforts to identify opportunities and acquisitions in the agency space.
Commented Tracy Willis, the newly appointed CEO of Creatd Partners, "The digital agency space is rapidly evolving beyond a service-based relationship offering to include a suite of products that prioritizes data and technology. Clients are demanding best-in-class processes and analytics, and Creatd Partners has established itself as an industry leader by integrating Creatd's technology and data into their agency services. I am thrilled to have the opportunity to lead this fantastic team and rapidly scale Creatd's agency business."
About Creatd
Creatd, Inc. (Nasdaq CM: CRTD) is a creator-first technology holding company and the parent company of the Vocal platform. Our mission is to empower creators, entrepreneurs, and brands through technology and partnership. We accomplish this through Creatd's four business pillars: Creatd Labs, Creatd Partners, Creatd Ventures, and Creatd Studios.
Creatd: https://creatd.com;
Creatd IR: https://investors.creatd.com;
Vocal Platform: https://vocal.media;
Investor Relations Contact: ir@creatd.com
Forward-Looking Statements
Any statements that are not historical facts and that express, or involve discussions as to, expectations, beliefs, plans, objectives, assumptions or future events or performance (often, but not always, indicated through the use of words or phrases such as "will likely result," "are expected to," "will continue," "is anticipated," "estimated," "intends," "plans," "believes" and "projects") may be forward-looking and may involve estimates and uncertainties which could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed in the forward-looking statements. We caution that the factors described herein could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed in any forward-looking statements we make and that investors should not place undue reliance on any such forward-looking statements. Further, any forward-looking statement speaks only as of the date on which such statement is made, and we undertake no obligation to update any forward-looking statement to reflect events or circumstances after the date on which such statement is made or to reflect the occurrence of anticipated or unanticipated events or circumstances. New factors emerge from time to time, and it is not possible for us to predict all of such factors. Further, we cannot assess the impact of each such factor on our results of operations or the extent to which any factor, or combination of factors, may cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in any forward-looking statements. This press release is qualified in its entirety by the cautionary statements and risk factor disclosure contained in our Securities and Exchange Commission filings.
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FlexGen to supply advanced battery energy storage systems for 10 SMT Energy projects in ERCOT
DURHAM, N.C., Aug. 17, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- FlexGenPower Systems, Inc. ("FlexGen", or the "Company"), a leading energy storage technology platform and energy storage solution provider, today announced it has signed contracts to supply advanced energy storage systems and FlexGen HybridOS™ software for SMT Energy's portfolio of ten energy storage projects in Texas. The projects will be certified to all four ERCOT checklists to provide the full range of ancillary services to the ERCOT market. The projects will come on-line in phases from Spring through Fall of 2023. The plants, rated at 10MW and 9.95MWh of capacity utilize the latest in liquid cooled energy storage technology to provide maximum flexibility.
"Texas consumers and businesses need a reliable energy grid that delivers power where and when it's needed—energy storage is the key to delivering that reliability. FlexGen is proud to partner with SMT Energy to deploy these advanced energy storage plants. Our experience in Texas is deep, these projects build upon our experience of our 350MW of storage currently operating in the ERCOT," said Kelcy Pegler, CEO of FlexGen. "FlexGen is here for the long haul—as part of this agreement, we're providing lifecycle services for the next 15 years of operation to ensure these facilities generate exceptional value for SMT Energy over the full life of the project."
"In this extremely challenging macro-environment, FlexGen has been an integral part of maneuvering this portfolio through various supply-chain and procurement constraints", noted John Switzer and David Spotts, Co-Founders of SMT Energy. "As we continue to develop our additional 1.5 GWh of battery energy storage projects in Texas, it is pivotal we continue to focus on medium-term equipment procurement, in order to quickly provide the Texas grid with resiliency and stability."
The 100MW of projects will improve the resilience of the ERCOT grid, enable integration of intermittent renewable energy, and improve the ability of the grid to balance load and supply in the region. FlexGen is dedicated to providing best-in-class service and performance for its customers, seeking to ensure safety, reliability, and resiliency in all operating environments. FlexGen's industry-leading HybridOS energy management system platform delivers the full stack of energy storage value, including ancillary services, capacity, and energy market. The SMT projects build on FlexGen's rapidly growing fleet of energy storage assets operating throughout the United States with Investor-Owned Utilities, Municipal and Cooperative Utilities, and Independent Power Producers. For more information: https://flexgen.com
Based in Durham, N.C., FlexGen is a leading integration services and software technology provider for energy storage solutions in the United States and globally. FlexGen designs and integrates storage solutions and the software platform that is enabling today's energy transition. Leveraging its best-in-class energy management software and power electronics, FlexGen delivers utility-scale storage projects integrated with traditional and renewable power generation globally. Our clients and partners include the most technically and commercially demanding developers, utilities, government agencies and industrial companies in the world. To learn more, please visit www.flexgen.com
SMT Energy is a U.S.-based developer of distributed generation and utility-scale renewable and energy storage energy projects. The company is led by industry veterans John Switzer and David Spotts.The company relies on their deep experience, wide network, and strong problem-solving abilities to create above-market returns for investors and meaningful benefits for local and global communities.
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BOISE, Idaho —
This story originally appeared in the Idaho Press.
Many Idahoans watched with shock last August as the Taliban swiftly took over Afghanistan. The year since has been hard for some Afghan people in the Treasure Valley whose families still aren’t out of the region.
Boise resident Homeyra Shams last year told the Idaho Press her older sister and niece were still in Afghanistan. On Friday, Shams said her relatives were now in Pakistan but their immigration case had been denied.
“We are trying to help as much as we could help people in Afghanistan. But also we are so helpless that we cannot help our own family in there,” Shams said. “...We don’t have an answer for the future. We don’t know what’s going on.”
Shams fled Kabul when she was a toddler after the Taliban first took over.
Under Taliban rule, women were almost entirely banned from education and couldn’t leave their homes without a man, as previously reported. The Taliban ruled most of Afghanistan from 1996 to 2001, according to Congress.
The United States invaded Afghanistan in fall 2001 after Congress almost unanimously authorized military force in response to 9/11.
Former President George W. Bush launched attacks against al-Qaida and the Taliban after al-Qaida planned the 9/11 attack from bases within Afghanistan. The Taliban declined to turn over al-Qaida leaders.
The United States started nation building, University of Idaho Emeritus Professor of History Rick Spence told the Idaho Press last year.
Then, the Taliban quickly surged last summer and took the country in just over a week.
Tens of thousands of Afghan people who helped the United States were left behind, NBC News reported. A suicide bomber attacked at the airport, killing 13 U.S. service members. The chaotic American departure was a disaster for the Biden administration.
Multiple news outlets have reported on the restrictions since August 2021. In the year since, women again have been sent home from some jobs and barred from education past a certain level. The Taliban banned music. Beards are mandatory for government workers, and last September the Taliban told certain hairdressers they are not allowed to trim beards.
Women can no longer play sports. And 95% of Afghan people are not getting enough to eat, according to the United Nations. However, the New York Times reported that Afghanistan is largely at peace.
Shams said she has heard through family about the emotional impact of the situation in Afghanistan. She’s heard stories of young women and men who die by suicide because of what is going on and what they lost.
“Before they had hope, they were going to college and they lost all that,” Shams said. “A lot of younger people are committing suicides because of what their hope was. They were believing that they are going to college and they will have a better life….All of a sudden, everything has stopped for them.”
Her family in Pakistan is struggling as well. Without a visa, Shams and her family cannot send money. The family in Pakistan has one room they live in. They don’t know anybody. They don’t speak the language. Shams’ niece used to be in college and Shams’ sister lost her job as a doctor at a hospital. Shams’ sister also has diabetes.
Meridian resident Ramin Amini told the Idaho Press last August that his parents were still in Afghanistan.
On Friday, he said he was still working on their documents and that he was told his parents need to go through another country first. His parents are doing good, he said, but his dad mostly stays home and doesn’t go outside.
“They’re really in a bad situation,” Amini said. “The problem right now in Afghanistan is there is no U.S. Embassy. It’s very hard to get a passport for them.”
In the past year, Idaho has welcomed around 500 refugees from Afghanistan, according to Holly Beech, Idaho Office for Refugees communications manager.
Those who evacuated went through a “pretty arduous journey,” she said. Although many are grateful there’s also broken hearts from leaving family behind.
“It’s like in the moment of crisis and danger, you do what you do to get out and you’re operating off adrenaline and then comes the journey of adjusting to this new reality and building a new life,” Beech said.
Many who came were granted humanitarian parole, she said. However, humanitarian parole does not come with a pathway to permanent residency which is creating more anxiety.
There is federal funding available to help refugees from Afghanistan, said Chris Christensen, an immigration attorney and owner of Christensen Legal. Many of it goes to basic necessities but there are funds to help with immigration status.
Once refugees arrive, they are screened to determine the best immigration option, including family-based, asylum, temporary protected status or permanent residence.
The process is not without its challenges. Christensen said he needs an interpreter which adds time to meetings. Plus, many have been traumatized.
“There are very real mental health challenges. There are very real communication challenges,” Christensen said. “There are very, very real concerns about the family members who are still abroad.”
If humanitarian parole is approved, that is not a ticket safely out of Afghanistan, Christensen said.
“That’s a ticket into the U.S.,” Christensen said. “You may have a piece of paper that gives your family permission to enter the United States but unless they can make it safely out of Afghanistan, unfortunately, all that is a piece of paper.”
On Aug. 15, 2021, Afghanistan’s government collapsed. The Taliban entered Kabul as President Ashraf Ghani fled the country.
A year later, Shams and Amini are still trying to help their relatives.
“I don’t know how to explain this feeling,” Shams said. “But it’s really hard.”
This story originally appeared in the Idaho Press. Read more at IdahoPress.com
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See the latest news from around the Treasure Valley and the Gem State in our YouTube playlist: | https://www.krem.com/article/news/local/one-year-kabul-fell-local-afghans-reflect/277-695cfe86-cf48-4b8d-b25d-2f37e40123db | 2022-08-17T16:27:32Z | krem.com | control | https://www.krem.com/article/news/local/one-year-kabul-fell-local-afghans-reflect/277-695cfe86-cf48-4b8d-b25d-2f37e40123db | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
SALT LAKE CITY — For the second year in a row, Arizona and Nevada will face cuts in the amount of water they can draw from the Colorado River as the West endures more drought, federal officials announced Tuesday.
Though the cuts will not result in any immediate new restrictions — like banning lawn watering or car washing — they signal that unpopular decisions about how to reduce consumption are on the horizon, including whether to prioritize growing cities or agricultural areas. Mexico will also face cuts.
But those reductions represent just a fraction of the potential pain to come for the 40 million Americans in seven states that rely on the river. Because the states failed to respond to a federal ultimatum to figure out how to cut their water use by at least 15%, they could face even deeper cuts that the government has said are needed to prevent reservoirs from falling so low they cannot be pumped.
"The states collectively have not identified and adopted specific actions of sufficient magnitude that would stabilize the system,” Bureau of Reclamation Commissioner Camille Touton said.
Together, the missed deadline and the latest cuts put officials responsible for providing water to cities and farms under renewed pressure to plan for a hotter, drier future and a growing population.
Touton has said a 15% to 30% reduction is necessary to ensure that water deliveries and hydroelectric power production are not disrupted. She was noncommittal on Tuesday about whether she planned to impose those cuts unilaterally if the states cannot reach agreement.
She repeatedly declined to say how much time the states have to reach the deal she requested in June.
The inaction has stirred concerns throughout the region about the bureau's willingness to act as states stubbornly cling to their water rights while acknowledging that a crisis looms.
“They have called the bureau’s bluff time and again," Kyle Roerink, the executive director of the Great Basin Water Network, said of the Colorado River basin states. "Nothing has changed with today’s news — except for the fact that the Colorado River system keeps crashing.”
Stephen Lewis, governor of the Gila River Indian Community in central Arizona, said the tribe was “shocked and disappointed” by the lack of progress. The tribe, which is entitled to nearly one-fourth of Arizona’s Colorado River deliveries, no longer plans to save its unused water in Lake Mead, as it has in recent years, and instead plans to store it underground.
For years, cities and farms have diverted more water from the river than flows through it, depleting its reservoirs and raising questions about how it will be divided as water becomes more scarce.
After more than two decades of drought, Arizona, Nevada and Mexico were hit with mandatory cuts for the first time last year. Some of the region's farmers have been paid to leave their fields fallow. Residents of growing cities have been subjected to conservation measures such as limits on grass lawns.
But those efforts thus far haven't been enough. The water level at Lake Mead, the nation's largest man-made reservoir, has plummeted so low that it's currently less than a quarter full and inching dangerously close to a point where not enough water would flow to produce hydroelectric power at the Hoover Dam on the Nevada-Arizona border.
Officials in Arizona, California, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico, Utah and Wyoming have been reluctant to propose more draconian water-rationing measures or limits on development.
The trade-offs are emerging most prominently in Arizona, which is among the nation's fastest-growing states and has lower-priority water rights than water users to the west, in California.
Under Tuesday’s reductions, Arizona will lose an additional 80,000 acre-feet of water — 21% less than its total share but only 3% less than what it's receiving this year.
An acre-foot is equivalent to an acre of land covered by 12 inches of water. An average household uses one-half to one acre-foot of water a year.
After putting last year’s burden on the agricultural industry, state officials said this year's cuts would extend to tribes and growing cities that rely on the Colorado, including Scottsdale.
Rather than ration water, mandate conservation or limit development, the cities will likely shift reliance to other sources. Phoenix, for example, will rely more heavily on the in-state Salt and Verde rivers, while directing less of its supply to recharge its groundwater aquifers.
Arizona officials blasted neighboring states that haven’t proposed cuts even as Arizona implements its own.
Arizona and Nevada came up with a plan for cuts that would have been close to proportional to water use, but both California and the Bureau of Reclamation rejected that deal, state officials said.
“We need California to participate; we can’t do this alone with just Arizona and Nevada,” said Tom Buschatzke, director of the Arizona Department of Water Resources.
The effect of the cuts on farmers remains unclear, but many fear more cuts will further inflame tensions between cities and agriculture, which uses more than 70% of the basin's water.
Paco Ollerton, a Phoenix-area cotton farmer, worries that deeper cuts could jeopardize his water next year. Arizona farmers already lost much of their Colorado River water during prior cuts, but they were compensated with water through deals with cities like Phoenix and Tucson.
This year, Ollerton grew only half of what he had grown previously. The cuts announced Tuesday could further squeeze those cities, raising questions about whether they will share with farmers next year.
“It kind of changes my thinking about how much longer I’m going to continue to farm,” Ollerton said.
Nevada also will lose water — about 8% of its supply — but most residents will not feel the effects because the state recycles the majority of its water used indoors and doesn’t use its full allocation. Last year, the state lost 7%.
Scorching temperatures and less melting snow in the spring have reduced the amount of water flowing from the Rocky Mountains, where the river originates before it snakes 1,450 miles (2,334 kilometers) southwest and into the Gulf of California.
Amid the changing climate, extraordinary steps are already being taken to keep water in Lake Powell, the other large Colorado River reservoir, which straddles the Arizona-Utah border.
After the lake fell low enough to threaten hydroelectric power production, federal officials said they would hold back some water to ensure the dam could still produce energy. That water would normally flow to Lake Mead.
Mexico will lose 7% of the water it receives each year from the river. Last year, it lost about 5%. The water is a lifeline for northern desert cities, including Tijuana, and for a large farming industry in the Mexicali Valley, just south of the border from California’s Imperial Valley.
Historically, Mexico has been sidelined in discussions over how to share the river, but in recent years, efforts by countries have been important to keeping more water in the system, experts say.
“People have come to realize this is a really important relationship to maintain,” said Jennifer Pitt, who directs the Colorado River program at the Audubon Society. | https://www.krem.com/article/news/nation-world/colorado-river-cuts/507-8805a1d4-18c6-4b19-9b58-111fbe6f5765 | 2022-08-17T16:27:34Z | krem.com | control | https://www.krem.com/article/news/nation-world/colorado-river-cuts/507-8805a1d4-18c6-4b19-9b58-111fbe6f5765 | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
MINNEAPOLIS — Target reported solid sales for the fiscal second quarter but its profit plunged nearly 90% after it was forced to slash prices to clear unwanted inventories of clothing, home goods and electronics.
In early June, Target warned that it was canceling orders from suppliers and aggressively cutting prices because of a pronounced spending shift by Americans.
Shares fell almost 4% before the opening bell Wednesday.
Retailers were blindsided by the lightening-fast switch from spending on goods for the home, like TVs and small kitchen appliances, to dinners out, movies and travel. Adding to that shift is surging inflation. In the first quarter, Target's profits tumbled 52% compared to the year-ago period.
Target reported second-quarter net income of $183 million, or 39 cents per share, for the three month period ended July 30. That's far short of the per-share profit if 79 cents that Wall Street had expected, according to a survey by FactSet.
It was also down from the $1.82 billion the company earned last year in the same period.
Revenue rose 3.5% to $26.04 billion. Analysts were expecting $26.03 billion, according to FactSet.
Store comparable sales increased 1.3% on top of 8.7% growth last year. Online sales rose 9% following growth of 9.9% last year.
“While these inventory actions put significant pressure on our near-term profitability, we’re confident this was the right long-term decision in support of our guests, our team and our business," CEO Brian Cornell said.
Target executives told reporters during a media call that if Target weren't aggressive about marking down the inventory, it would have taken at least several quarters to get rid of the unwanted merchandise.
Cornell said the company is planning cautiously for the remainder of the year, including the critical holiday season. That will put a greater focus on stocking groceries and things like cosmetics.
The company is sticking to company's prior guidance for full year revenue growth in the low-to mid-single digit percentage range. It also expects operating margin rate in a range around 6% in the back half of the year, a big jump from 1.2% for latest quarter.
Walmart, the nation's largest retailer, reported Tuesday that its sales and profits for the second quarter rose. It said that higher-income shoppers were flocking to the discounter to save money on groceries, while low-income shoppers were feeling squeezed by higher inflation and were switching from deli meats to hot dogs and canned tuna.
Experts say there's still time to catch up, because companies like Target are coming off two successful years where their sales increased by double digits year over year.
Because of that, the company over-ordered product and is having a hard time selling it.
"From a consumer standpoint what that means to me is that customers are balking at the higher prices, and they can't just willy-nilly pass the price on," said George John, a marketing professor at the University of Minnesota. "So that's what we're seeing – we're seeing a little bit of a standoff. People are starting to cut back on purchasing." | https://www.krem.com/article/news/nation-world/target-profits-take-hit/507-943e4bc4-4b57-41a4-9782-ecb32de39489 | 2022-08-17T16:27:46Z | krem.com | control | https://www.krem.com/article/news/nation-world/target-profits-take-hit/507-943e4bc4-4b57-41a4-9782-ecb32de39489 | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
WASHINGTON — The pace of sales at U.S. retailers was unchanged last month as persistently high inflation and rising interest rates forced many households to spend more cautiously.
Retail purchases were flat after having risen 0.8% in June, the Commerce Department reported Wednesday. Economists had expected a slight increase in July retail sales.
Still, Wednesday's report included some positive signs: Excluding autos and auto parts, retail sales rose 0.4%. And purchases of building supplies and garden equipment held up, as did sales at electronics and appliance stores.
Lower gas prices likely allowed some shoppers to increase their purchases of other items. Gasoline sales plunged 1.8%, reflecting the drop in pump prices.
“As gas prices fell, consumers had more money in their pockets for other items such as furniture and electronics,'' said Jeffrey Roach, chief economist at LPL Financial.
At the same time, consumers remained wary of spending much on non-essentials: Sales were down 0.5% at department stores and 0.6% at clothing stores.
Compared with 12 months ago, overall retail sales were up 10.3% in July.
America's consumers, whose spending accounts for nearly 70% of economic activity, have remained mostly resilient even with year-over-year inflation near a four-decade high, economic uncertainties rising and mortgage and other borrowing rates surging. Still, their overall spending has weakened, and it has shifted increasingly toward necessities like groceries and away from discretionary items like home goods, casual clothes and electronics.
The government's monthly report on retail sales covers about a third of all consumer purchases and doesn’t include spending on most services ranging from plane fares and apartment rents to movie tickets and doctor visits. In recent months, Americans have been shifting their purchases away from physical goods and more toward services, like travel, hotel stays and plane fares.
Inflation continues to pose a severe hardship to families. Though gasoline prices have fallen from their heights, food, rent, used cars and other necessities have become far more expensive, beyond whatever wage increases most workers have received.
Despite a still-robust job market, the U.S. economy shrank in the first half of 2022, raising fears of a potential recession. Growth has been weakening largely as a consequence of the Federal Reserve's aggressive interest rate hikes, which are intended to cool the economy and tame high inflation.
The impact of the Fed's hikes has been felt especially in the housing market. Sales of previously occupied homes have slowed for five straight months as higher mortgage rates and high sales prices have kept many would-be buyers on the sidelines.
But the most important pillar of the economy — the job market — has proved durable. America's employers added a hefty 528,000 jobs in July, and the unemployment rate reached 3.5%, matching a near-half-century low reached just before the pandemic erupted in the spring of 2020.
As consumers have shifted their purchases more toward necessities, Walmart, the nation’s largest retailer, on Tuesday reported sales and profit results that topped expectations. Walmart said more of its customers were favoring lower-priced grocery items.
But the company is benefiting from higher-income shoppers who have been trading down to Walmart to try to reduce their grocery bills. The company, long associated with price-conscious and lower-income consumers, disclosed that roughly 75% of its grocery sales last quarter were to households with incomes of at least $100,000.
At the same time, in recent week, Walmart and its rival Target have issued profit warnings, noting that their shoppers were reducing their discretionary purchases.
And last month, Best Buy, the nation’s largest consumer electronics chain, cut its annual sales and profit forecast, saying inflation had dampened consumer spending on gadgets.
Still, as a whole, America’s consumers have been showing the steady willingness to spend, thought at a more modest pace. Home Depot on Tuesday reported sustained demand among its customers for goods related to home improvement projects despite surging prices and mortgage rates for homes. | https://www.krem.com/article/news/nation-world/us-retail-sales-were-flat-in-july/507-2cd1b93c-69de-433c-aa45-5c4fea99eee6 | 2022-08-17T16:27:51Z | krem.com | control | https://www.krem.com/article/news/nation-world/us-retail-sales-were-flat-in-july/507-2cd1b93c-69de-433c-aa45-5c4fea99eee6 | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
MANAHAWKIN, N.J., Aug. 17, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- The Wireless Experience (TWE) celebrates 25 years in business this month with a fast-growing footprint and an expanding team. Launched in August 1997 as a one-person side business, TWE now ranks as the top-rated East Coast AT&T retailer with 94 stores across six states and four-time certification as a Great Place to Work. The company has added nineteen stores since 2020 and plans to surpass 100 by year-end while continuing to increase its 300+-person workforce.
"The key to success is our amazing team," says CEO and Founder Brian Wainwright. "Having people who care about and support each other, while also working hard for the business, has created a place that can set the standard for our industry as we move to the future."
Known for its culture of support, development and advancement opportunities, TWE has earned four Fortune Best Workplace Awards as well as two rankings on the NJBIZ Fast 50 and four Inc. 5000 rankings. The company's sense of caring extends to the communities it serves, and TWE has supported more than 150 community nonprofits, helping families in need, people experiencing homelessness, children with autism, children with pediatric cancer, first responders and schools.
"The work we do makes a real difference," says Wainwright. "We know our success depends on bettering the lives of team members, inspiring guests, and strengthening communities. When we're at our best, we're introducing new technology and we're doing it in a way that also shows the power of human connection."
The Wireless Experience (TWE), established in 1997, is an AT&T Authorized Retailer with over 90 stores located in Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Rhode Island. Headquartered in Manahawkin, New Jersey, TWE is an organization built on the foundation of introducing new technology that inspires and enhances the lives of their guests. Their mission is to set the standard for the best wireless experience, and they do this by conducting business under the five core values of accountability, community, integrity, loyalty and trust.
CONTACT:
Jen Quinn
732-552-0916
jquinn@tweatt.com
View original content to download multimedia:
SOURCE The Wireless Experience | https://www.witn.com/prnewswire/2022/08/17/wireless-experience-celebrates-25-years-with-rapid-growth/ | 2022-08-17T16:27:51Z | witn.com | control | https://www.witn.com/prnewswire/2022/08/17/wireless-experience-celebrates-25-years-with-rapid-growth/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
The best 2022 Seahawks games: Russell Wilson strikes back and making history in Germany
There are quite a few Seahawks games this season that stand out far above the rest, headlined by a primetime matchup against Russell Wilson.
Editor's note: This story is part of KING 5's Seahawks season preview series.
There are just 26 days left before the Seattle Seahawks open its 2022 regular season against a familiar face.
The scarcity of each National Football League (NFL) game - there are only 17 each year! - heightens the anticipation more than other American professional sports.
KING 5 SEASON PREVIEW: All of our stories breaking down the 2022 Seahawks
But, if we are being completely honest, there are a few Seahawks games this season that stand out far above the rest. Here's our attempt at ranking the best/most anticipated games on the Seahawks 2022 schedule.
5. Rams
Los Angeles Rams (Week 18)
This game may not have the highest playoff implications if the Seahawks live up to pre-season expectations (Vegas pegged them as a five or six win team this season), but it does give Seattle a prime opportunity to spoil the defending Super Bowl champions' season in some way or another.
KING 5 SEASON PREVIEW: Meet the Seahawks rookies that could make an impact this season
By the final week of the regular season, the Rams could be vying for the NFC West division title or perhaps a first-round bye in the playoffs. A loss on the road to Seattle could be a big setback in their title defense.
4. Chiefs
Kansas City Chiefs (Week 16)
Fun fact: The Seahawks won its first and only matchup against Patrick Mahomes in December 2018. Russell Wilson outdueled Mahomes in his first season as a starting quarterback, tossing three touchdowns and 271 yards as Seattle clinched a playoff berth.
KING 5 SEASON PREVIEW: Geno Smith vs. Drew Lock
Less fun fact: Wilson no longer plays for the Seahawks.
Even less fun fact: Mahomes still plays for the Chiefs.
KING 5 SEASON PREVIEW: Who could be the Seahawks QB long-term?
A fun fact to distract you from the previous two facts: This game is on Christmas Eve!
3. 49ers
San Francisco 49ers (Week 15)
Even without Wilson, the 49ers-Seahawks rivalry is still one of the strongest rivalries in the NFL. That probably explains why this Thursday night tilt is one of three Seahawks games on national television this season (spoiler: the other two are coming up soon).
KING 5 SEASON PREVIEW: Can the Seahawks win with a run-heavy game plan?
San Francisco will replace veteran Jimmy Garoppolo with second-year quarterback Trey Lance, who had an uneven rookie season in limited action. Lance's inaccuracy (57.7% completion rate) and decision-making could pry open the door for the Seahawks to steal an important late-season game from a division rival.
2. Bucs
Tampa Bay Buccaneers (Week 10)
Seattle and Tampa Bay will make NFL history by becoming the first-ever teams to make a trek to Munich, Germany for a regular season game. Tom Brady (in his last NFL season???) hopes to continue being a thorn in the Seahawks' side after a memorable 2014 Super Bowl victory.
KING 5 SEASON PREVIEW: Four observations from Seahawks' first preseason game
By this point in the season, the hope is one of the Seahawks quarterbacks finds their footing before the nationally televised matchup. The league is aiming to expand its influence across the globe and a close game against Brady would certainly help in those endeavors. No pressure Geno Smith or Drew Lock.
1. Broncos
Denver Broncos Russell Wilson (Week 1)
Seattle's version of The Big Game. The NFL placed this much-anticipated game in the first week of the season on Monday Night Football to ensure both teams would be at their most rested.
Wilson was reportedly booed as he spoke during a segment in Sue Bird's tribute video at Climate Pledge Arena. The animosity, it seems, will be heightened for at least a section of the Seahawks fanbase upset with the former franchise quarterback.
KING 5 SEASON PREVIEW: What are our favorite Russell Wilson era memories?
In 10 seasons with Seattle, Wilson led the team to its only Super Bowl championship, another Super Bowl appearance and eight playoff berths. The Seahawks won over double-digit games in eight of those seasons too.
"I think it's going to be an exciting time," Wilson said in May after the Broncos' first day of organized team activities. "Obviously, Seattle's meant the world to me over the past 10 years. It's a special place, a special place to play. You know, I have a high regard for all those guys over there."
KING 5 SEASON PREVIEW: Fan reaction to Wilson's return highlights important Seahawks storylines
Wilson's legacy in Seattle is secure, but the melodrama that shrouded his eventual exit has soured his accomplishments a tad.
"It's got to be non-emotional," Wilson said in May. "You've got to go into it with the understanding that it's just ball."
The fans might not be quite as generous.
Wilson is in store for one of the most raucous home atmospheres in regular season history on Sept. 12.
Can't. Wait. | https://www.krem.com/article/sports/nfl/seahawks/ranking-5-best-games-on-seattle-seahawks-2022-schedule-russell-wilson-return/281-41006d0f-fa9f-409e-a41e-9b8786466df6 | 2022-08-17T16:28:09Z | krem.com | control | https://www.krem.com/article/sports/nfl/seahawks/ranking-5-best-games-on-seattle-seahawks-2022-schedule-russell-wilson-return/281-41006d0f-fa9f-409e-a41e-9b8786466df6 | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
WAYCROSS, Ga. (AP) — Georgia officials have charged a juvenile detention guard with second-degree murder after concluding he allowed a fighting game that led to the death of a boy in state custody.
The Georgia Bureau of Investigation on Tuesday arrested Thomas Lee Hicks, a 30-year-old Waycross resident, charging him with second-degree murder, two counts of cruelty to children and violating his oath as a law enforcement officer.
Hicks remained jailed Wednesday in Waycross with no bail set. It's unclear if he has a lawyer representing him.
GBI agents were called to the Waycross Regional Youth Detention Center on Aug. 9 after the boy was reported to be unconscious. The boy was taken to Memorial Health Hospital in Savannah, where he died. The juvenile’s name has not been released. GBI Special Agent in Charge Mark Pro declined to release a copy of Hicks’ arrest warrant.
Hicks was a juvenile correctional officer at the Waycross center. That and other detention centers are supposed to house juveniles for short stays while they await trial or await entry to a community program or long-term detention facility.
Juvenile Justice Commissioner Tyrone Oliver released a statement Wednesday saying he fired Hicks after learning the results of the investigation.
“The actions of Mr. Hicks are deplorable and do not represent the core values of this agency,” Oliver said, saying department employees send their “heartfelt condolence” to the dead boy's family.
The Ware County district attorney would handle Hicks' prosecution. An employee in the office declined to comment Wednesday. | https://www.wtxl.com/media/v/content/c910f609cb5d36d649b4449794414406 | 2022-08-17T16:33:19Z | wtxl.com | control | https://www.wtxl.com/media/v/content/c910f609cb5d36d649b4449794414406 | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — The Red Hills International Horse Trials announced that it will end after 25 years.
The announcement was posted both on Facebook and the Red Hills Horse Trials website.
Red Hills has always been a popular event in Tallahassee, welcoming competitors from around the world. It's run by volunteers who worked tirelessly year after year to provide a great community experience to the more than 20,000 spectators.
It was supported by funding from Visit Tallahassee and Leon County Tourist Development.
Chair of the Communication Committee Lori Elliot explained that RHHT must apply with the United States Equestrian Federation every few years.
They were not granted the highest level of rider for 2023-2027, which Elliot said undermines what the event is. Without this, the Olympic riders wouldn't be coming which also means some of the lower level riders they mentor would not be coming.
"It guts our event," Elliot said.
Without knowing how many entries they would have, Elliot said they couldn't take a chance.
"We need about 200 entries to make the event financially viable in addition to sponsorship and the patrons that come in," Elliot said.
With what Red Hills was granted by the USEF, the event would have looked vastly different without having the highest level of riders, so Red Hills asked if they could sit out for a year to plan how to host a new event.
"They said no, if you sit out a year, you still lose everything and have to start from scratch," Elliot said. "Either way, we are out for the next five years. It was a bit outside of our hands."
While anyone can apply to develop a new event, the current event in its current form isn't there, Elliot explained.
"Who knows what the future will hold, but it's really a matter of starting again because it's all volunteer driven," Elliot said. "At this point, I think everybody is just catching their breath because it wasn't something we fully anticipated or expected."
Elliot added that, while she's unsure what the future holds, even if they were to reapply in five years, it would be completely from scratch and, as a full volunteer board, it's difficult to ask people to be on hold for five years. | https://www.wtxl.com/news/local-news/red-hill-horse-trials-come-to-an-end-after-25-years | 2022-08-17T16:33:25Z | wtxl.com | control | https://www.wtxl.com/news/local-news/red-hill-horse-trials-come-to-an-end-after-25-years | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
American Airlines says it has entered into an agreement to buy up to 20 Boom Supersonic Overture jets.
The airline says the aircraft is expected to carry passengers at twice the speed as today's fastest commercial planes.
“Looking to the future, supersonic travel will be an important part of our ability to deliver for our customers,” said Derek Kerr, American’s chief financial officer. “We are excited about how Boom will shape the future of travel both for our company and our customers.”
The company says Boom must meet industry-standard operating, performance and safety requirements before delivery of the aircraft.
The jets are designed to carry up to 80 passengers and can reach Mach 1.7 over water, American says.
Overture is reportedly in the final production stage. The jets are scheduled to begin carrying passengers by 2029. | https://www.wtxl.com/news/national/american-airlines-agrees-to-buy-up-to-20-supersonic-jets | 2022-08-17T16:33:31Z | wtxl.com | control | https://www.wtxl.com/news/national/american-airlines-agrees-to-buy-up-to-20-supersonic-jets | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
PHOENIX — Lake Mead, the nation's largest reservoir, continues to decline so rapidly that it will operate at a level 2a shortage condition beginning in 2023, the Department of Interior announced Tuesday.
It is the second year in a row that deep cuts will be implemented to shore up the Colorado River system as prescribed in the 2019 Drought Contingency Plan, which was agreed to by the seven states and Mexico that rely on the water.
The lower basin states of Arizona, Nevada, California, and the country of Mexico fall under the tier 2a plan.
With junior priority, Arizona is set to lose the most — 592,000 acre-feet, or 21%, of its annual allotment in this round of cuts. The loss nearly wipes out the allotment for agricultural users in Pinal County and is expected to impact some municipal users.
Nevada will lose 25,000 acre-feet, and Mexico will lose 104,000 acre-feet. California will not be required to lose any water in this tier.
At 26% capacity, Lake Powell will operate in the Lower Elevation Balancing tier.
But in June, states were also ordered to negotiate even bigger cuts of two to four million acre-feet in 2023. The deadline of August 15 came and went without a deal.
Arizona water managers expressed frustration with the negotiation on Tuesday, saying the state and Nevada proposed an "aggressive" reduction of 2MAF that was rejected.
"It is unacceptable for Arizona to continue to carry a disproportionate burden of reductions for the benefit of others who have not contributed," Arizona Department of Water Resources Director Tom Buschatzke and Central Arizona Project General Manager Ted Cooke said in a statement.
The failure to come to a compromise opens the door for the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation to step in direct cuts.
The Bureau announced on Tuesday it will take administrative actions to "further define reservoir operations at Lake Mead." Additionally, it will support studies to determine if it is feasible to modify Lake Mead to allow water to be pumped below the dead pool.
The bureau announced no set amount for cuts.
Courtney Holmes at KNXV first reported this story. | https://www.wtxl.com/news/national/arizona-to-lose-21-of-its-colorado-river-water-in-2023 | 2022-08-17T16:33:37Z | wtxl.com | control | https://www.wtxl.com/news/national/arizona-to-lose-21-of-its-colorado-river-water-in-2023 | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Drake has made history. Billboard says the rapper now has more top five Hot 100 hits than any other artist or group.
Drake notched his 30th top-five song this week. He's featured on DJ Khaled's "Staying Alive," which debuted at No. 5 on the chart this week.
The Beatles had 29 top-five hits, according to Billboard. Their record stood for more than 50 years.
Drake made several posts about the accomplishment on Instagram. In one of his stories, he posted a picture of a dessert plate that said, "Just another celebration."
Drake is closing in on other records as well. This year, his album, "Honestly, Nevermind," reached No. 1. It was his 11th No. 1 album on the Billboard 200 chart.
The Beatles and Jay-Z are the only artists with more No. 1 albums. | https://www.wtxl.com/news/national/drake-breaks-billboard-record-held-by-the-beatles | 2022-08-17T16:33:43Z | wtxl.com | control | https://www.wtxl.com/news/national/drake-breaks-billboard-record-held-by-the-beatles | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
At a speed of 1 mph, NASA dragged its Artemis I rocket to the launching pad at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
On Aug. 29, NASA will send the rocket toward the moon.
Ahead of the launch, the rocket arrived at the launching pad early Wednesday morning. From now through Aug. 29, officials will prepare the rocket’s launch systems.
After blasting off to the moon, the rocket is expected to return back to Earth.
NASA’s goal is to return humans to the moon by 2025. The agency also hopes to use the moon program to prepare humans for flight to Mars. | https://www.wtxl.com/news/national/nasa-rolls-massive-moon-rocket-to-launching-pad | 2022-08-17T16:33:49Z | wtxl.com | control | https://www.wtxl.com/news/national/nasa-rolls-massive-moon-rocket-to-launching-pad | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
LAS VEGAS — The federal civil trial of a landlord accused of requiring his tenant to sign a sex contract has been paused until the fall.
Andrew Wasielewski, the attorney for former real estate broker and property manager Allan Rothstein, says the postponement came late Friday after his client received two death threats--one via text and one on the internet.
Wasielewski also confirmed that Rothstein, who is approximately 80 years old, is experiencing cognitive issues.
There will be ongoing procedural actions in the case, but the trial itself is not scheduled to resume until Oct. 3.
The case centers on a Section 8 tenant with five children who says she was forced to sign a sex contract to lease a home Rothstein was managing.
When she refused sexual encounters, she claims Rothstein tried to evict her.
In court records, Rothstein says he made her sign the contract to "protect himself."
Darcy Spears at KTNV first reported this story. | https://www.wtxl.com/news/national/trial-of-las-vegas-landlord-accused-of-forcing-tenant-to-sign-sex-contract-paused | 2022-08-17T16:33:55Z | wtxl.com | control | https://www.wtxl.com/news/national/trial-of-las-vegas-landlord-accused-of-forcing-tenant-to-sign-sex-contract-paused | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Following the Jan. 6 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol, 10 House Republicans broke ranks and joined Democrats in voting to impeach then-President Donald Trump.
At least eight of those members won’t get reelected.
BY THE NUMBERS, REPUBLICANS WHO VOTED TO IMPEACH TRUMP:
- 4: Republicans who opted not to seek reelection
- 4: Republicans who lost renomination
- 2: Republicans who won renomination and will be up for reelection in the fall
Only two of the members, Reps. Dan Newhouse of Washington and David Valado of California, won their respective midterm primaries this year.
On Tuesday, Rep. Liz Cheney, the most prominent of the 10 Republicans who voted to impeach Trump, soundly lost renomination in the Wyoming House race. Prior to her vote, she was the third-most powerful member of the GOP caucus.
Now, she is the vice-chair of the Democrat-led Jan. 6 Committee. Her term expires at the start of 2023.
Cheney and others recognized the political risk involved with opposing Trump.
“Two years ago, I won this primary with 73% of the vote. I could easily have done the same again,” Cheney said after conceding Tuesday night. “The path was clear, but it would have required that I go along with President Trump's lie about the 2020 election.”
She is not alone in not making it to the general election. Reps. Pete Meijer, Tom Rice and Jaime Herrera Beutler all lost renomination bids.
Reps. Adam Kinzinger, Fred Upton, John Katko and Anthony Gonzalez opted not to seek reelection knowing they would likely face tough renomination battles.
Kinzinger is the only other Republican serving on the Jan. 6 Committee.
“She has fought a valiant fight,” Kinzinger told CNN. “I think it says a lot about the party that we're quick to say defund the FBI and support a guy like Donald Trump."
While eight aren’t on general election ballots in November, Newhouse and Valado will have the opportunity to return to Congress in January.
Newhouse ran in Washington, which has a primary where Democrats, Republicans and independents appear on the same primary ballot with the top two candidates advancing to the general election. Newhouse came in first, just ahead of Democrat Doug White. But Newhouse faced steep competition from Republican Loren Culp.
Valado held off a pair of challengers in his renomination bid.
In the Senate, seven Republicans voted to convict Trump. Four of the senators were not up for reelection this fall, and two, Sens. Richard Burr and Pat Toomey, had previously announced they would not seek reelection.
Only Sen. Lisa Murkowski sought reelection among the seven. She garnered enough votes to be among the four candidates to advance to the November general election. | https://www.wtxl.com/news/national/what-happened-to-the-10-house-republicans-who-voted-to-impeach-trump | 2022-08-17T16:34:01Z | wtxl.com | control | https://www.wtxl.com/news/national/what-happened-to-the-10-house-republicans-who-voted-to-impeach-trump | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Thunderstorms helped produce a massive waterspout off the coast of Destin, Fla., on Tuesday, wowing people who saw video of the cool-looking weather phenomenon.
If you've never seen a waterspout before, you might think it's a tornado happening over water instead of land – and that's pretty much what is going on.
How waterspouts form
To understand the conditions needed to form a waterspout, according to the National Weather Service, you've got to understand vorticity, or an area of localized spin.
For vorticity to occur, winds from opposing directions have to meet over a small area — or you have increasing winds come from any direction.
"For example, a wind out of the west at the coastline and a wind out of the east 5 miles offshore would form a pool of vorticity in the immediate vicinity of the coast," the NWS Mobile location in Alabama said on Twitter.
There's usually a boundary between the two winds, and the stronger the winds are, the stronger the vorticity is, NWS Mobile said.
Next up, you need a wind shift, where the wind will change directions in a short period of time.
Then you add the water. A shower or storm in the area means there will be an updraft that can continue to feed "warm, moist air into the storm to develop [or] maintain the cumulus or cumulonimbus cloud," NWS Mobile said.
"This updraft can also act to pull any surface vorticity upwards if strong enough and located over a region of vorticity," NWS Mobile said. "If the vorticity is sufficiently stretched and likewise tightened up, then a waterspout can be formed. Think about an ice skater lifting their arms as they spin, helping to speed up the rate at which they spin."
The waterspout in Destin was stronger than normal
Conditions in Destin, including 10 to 20 mph winds and intense thunderstorms, contributed to the "spectacular results" that dazzled many.
"Typically they are not as extreme as this one, but even weaker storms can generate waterspouts if the basic ingredients are present," NWS Mobile said.
And waterspouts don't just form over oceans. They're also known to form over lakes including the Great Lakes.
Copyright 2022 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.
A slower time-lapse of the #waterspout caught on the Pelican Beach Resort livecam in Destin, Florida this morning. Overall it took about 6 minutes for it to go across the screen. #flwx @NWSMobile pic.twitter.com/9ZHMykshKg
— BirdingPeepWx (@BirdingPeepWx) August 16, 2022
Another look at the large waterspout at Destin this morning… video from Ken Creel pic.twitter.com/GHbkGE50he
— James Spann (@spann) August 16, 2022 | https://www.klcc.org/npr-news/npr-news/2022-08-17/what-is-a-waterspout-heres-how-the-spectacular-one-in-florida-formed | 2022-08-17T16:36:13Z | klcc.org | control | https://www.klcc.org/npr-news/npr-news/2022-08-17/what-is-a-waterspout-heres-how-the-spectacular-one-in-florida-formed | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
One cannot overstate the importance of Colorado River water in the evolution of Southern California from a collection of small cities and villages into a megaregion of 20-plus million people — more than the population of all but three states.
In the early years of the 20th century, Los Angeles imported water from the eastern slope of the Sierra to fuel its growth, but the semi-arid region still needed more and in the 1920s looked to the Colorado River, California’s eastern border with Arizona, which at the time was only lightly tapped.
Imperial Valley farmers had been drawing water from the Colorado for several decades but most of the river’s water, originating in runoff from the Rocky Mountains hundreds of miles away, ran freely into what was then called the Gulf of California.
Southern California created a multi-county Metropolitan Water District, dubbed “the Met.” Its voters passed a bond issue and in 1934 the federal Bureau of Reclamation began work on the Parker Dam, creating Lake Havasu, while the Met began building a 240-mile aqueduct to carry the lake’s water to Los Angeles, San Diego and the region’s other fast-growing cities.
Simply put, without that water, more than a million acre-feet a year, Southern California’s economy and population could not have become as large as they did. Eventually, the region needed more water and the California Aqueduct, carrying water originating as far north as Mount Shasta, became an even more important source.
As Parker Dam was being built to serve Southern California, the federal government was building the much-larger Hoover Dam (creating Lake Mead) and later still another major dam, Glen Canyon (Lake Powell). Other states — particularly Nevada and Arizona — began demanding bigger shares of the river’s water as their own populations boomed.
Over the last several decades, those using shares of the river’s water have squabbled more or less constantly over who gets what, while the Colorado’s flow drifted downward due to drought. Water levels in Lake Mead and Lake Powell have declined to levels that threaten their viability and the federal government has insisted that states bordering the river reduce their diversions.
Multi-state negotiations failed to generate an agreement so on Tuesday, the Bureau of Reclamation, while allowing talks to continue, issued mandatory reductions hitting Arizona hard, with a 21% reduction, imposing much smaller cuts for Nevada and Mexico and, somewhat surprisingly, declaring “no required water savings contribution for California in 2023.”
It was a recognition that the Met was already making serious conservation efforts and, it would appear, the fact that the Imperial Irrigation District has very senior rights to more than 3 million acre-feet of Colorado River water each year.
Tuesday’s action is a milestone of sorts in the history of Colorado River diversions, but certainly not the last word.
It’s possible that the affected states — Arizona particularly — will go to court and if the river’s flows continue to decline, which seems inevitable, there will be continued pressure from the Bureau of Reclamation to reduce diversions even more.
The million-plus acre-feet of Colorado water that Southern California takes each year is still important but the region is not as dependent on it as it once was. Rather, it’s just one aspect of California’s larger water supply crisis.
The Imperial Irrigation District’s much-larger share symbolizes the fact that in California, agriculture is by far the largest consumer of water. Slowly, the state is moving toward reducing farm water to improve wildlife habitat and maintain urban supplies and Imperial’s relatively huge allotment of Colorado water — larger than Arizona’s — could become a major factor in that shift.
CalMatters is a public interest journalism venture committed to explaining how California’s state Capitol works and why it matters. For more stories by Dan Walters, go to calmatters.org/commentary.
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Gubernatorial administrations since Arnold Schwarzenegger have prioritized the battle against climate change. We’ve taken issue with the costs and effectiveness of many of those policies, but our biggest beef has centered on the issue of resilience.
California can do little to change the entire Earth’s climate, but it can enable the state to adapt and become resilient in the face of warming conditions. That concept is particularly crucial when it comes to the availability of water, which is the lifeblood of our society — especially given our generally arid conditions.
Since its origins, California has experienced a succession of droughts and flood years. Previous generations built an amazing array of water infrastructure that helped California grow and prosper despite such unpredictable conditions — mainly through the dams and canals found in the state-run State Water Project and federally managed Central Valley Project.
Yet California hasn’t built significant water infrastructure in 50 years, when the state’s population was roughly half its current size. During the last serious drought, California muddled through by focusing mainly on conservation. But after the rains resumed, our leaders went on to other priorities and squandered years (and millions of acre-feet of water) of opportunity. Then drought conditions returned.
We’ve criticized Gov. Gavin Newsom for not rising to the water challenge. He has sometimes said the right things, but has lacked an overarching strategy. He supported a desalination plant in Huntington Beach, but didn’t exert enough political capital to get its approvals through the Coastal Commission. We’re fine with conservation, but fear a future of endless rationing.
So we’ve been frustrated with the administration given the enormity of the current drought, but his recently announced water plan has us optimistic. We agree with the prominent agriculture group, the Western Growers Association, which praised the plan as “bold and comprehensive” and “not just nibbling around the edges.”
It’s the first time in years a California governor has proposed a plan that calls for significant investments in water infrastructure. It’s also refreshing that an administration is focusing on resilience in the face of climate change. The governor’s plan finally puts flesh on the bones of his “Water Resilience Portfolio” executive order. The goal is to ensure plenty of water as drier weather diminishes water supplies.
Newsom’s 16-page proposal calls for the creation of 4 million additional acre-feet of water storage, recycling and reuse of at least 800,000 acre-feet of water per year by 2030 and the creation of desalination and storm-water-capture systems. Around 50% of the state’s water currently flows to the Pacific. An acre-foot can serve the annual water needs of one or two households.
The plan calls for additional conservation measures, but primarily is about creating abundance. Californians have indeed met most of the state’s increasingly stringent conservation targets — and they use much less water than they did in the 1990s — but conservation can only go so far because of the law of diminishing returns. We need to store, recycle and desalinate more water, and this plan pushes in that direction. It also calls for needed regulatory reforms.
We can pick nits over details and this editorial board will watch closely for follow through. But the proposal is a big step in the right direction. We applaud him for taking that step.
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MILWAUKEE (AP) — A vacationer in Milwaukee fell to his death after a drawbridge was raised while he was walking across it.
Richard Dujardin, 77, of Providence, Rhode Island, was walking with his wife, Rosemarie, in downtown Milwaukee around 12:30 p.m. Monday. She was ahead of him on the 75-yard-long Kilbourn Avenue Bridge, which spans the Milwaukee River, when the roadway started to tilt, according to a Milwaukee County Medical Examiner’s Office report.
Rosemarie Dujardin made it across the bridge; her husband was about halfway across when the gap started to open. He grabbed a side rail as the bridge sections rose to near-vertical, and reportedly held on for one or two minutes, but then lost his grip and fell about 70 feet to the pavement below, the report states.
He suffered a head wound and was pronounced dead at the scene, investigators said.
The bridge is controlled by the city’s Department of Public Works and its two halves are raised and lowered for boat traffic by someone working remotely — about 1½ miles away — who has two camera views of the span.
The lights and bells were operating as the two sections were raised, and crossing arms came down at each end of the bridge, according to investigators.
Rosemarie Dujardin told investigators that her husband was hard of hearing and wore glasses. The medical examiner’s report said he was looking at an iPad while walking.
Police said in a statement that there is no suspicion of a criminal act, but that the investigation continues. Authorities didn’t release the name of the person who was operating the bridge Monday afternoon. That person, who has four years of experience, was placed on leave.
Dujardin’s family told TV station WISN that he was a father of six, a grandfather, and retired from the Providence Journal, where he wrote about religion. At the time he died, he and his wife were on their way to visit Old St. Mary’s Catholic Church.
In another drawbridge death this year, a woman in Palm Beach, Fla., suffered a fatal fall in February when the roadway was raised while she was walking her bike across a bridge. In that case, the bridgetender — who was in an observation tower at the site — was arrested on suspicion of manslaughter by culpable negligence. Investigators allege she failed to follow the protocol of stepping out on the balcony to check traffic before opening the bridge.
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By PAUL WISEMAN and ANNE D’INNOCENZIO | Associated Press
WASHINGTON — The pace of sales at U.S. retailers was unchanged last month as persistently high inflation and rising interest rates forced many Americans to spend more cautiously.
Retail purchases were flat after having risen 0.8% in June, the Commerce Department reported Wednesday. Economists had expected a slight increase.
Still, Wednesday’s report contained some positive signs: Excluding autos and auto parts, retail sales rose 0.4% in July.
Lower gas prices likely freed up money for people to spend elsewhere. Gasoline sales slid 1.8%, reflecting the drop in pump prices.
“As gas prices fell, consumers had more money in their pockets for other items such as furniture and electronics,” said Jeffrey Roach, chief economist at LPL Financial.
Sales of building supplies and garden equipment held up, as did sales at electronics and appliance stores.
At the same time, consumers remained wary of spending much on non-essentials: Sales were down 0.5% at department stores and 0.6% at clothing stores.
Compared with 12 months ago, overall retail sales rose 10.3% in July.
America’s consumers, whose spending accounts for nearly 70% of U.S. economic activity, have remained mostly resilient even with year-over-year inflation near a four-decade high, rising economic uncertainties and the surging costs of mortgages and borrowing money. Still, overall spending has weakened, and it has shifted increasingly toward things like groceries, and away less necessary things like electronics, furniture and new clothes.
The government’s monthly report on retail sales covers about a third of all consumer purchases and doesn’t include spending on most services, ranging from plane fares and apartment rents to movie tickets and doctor visits. In recent months, Americans have been shifting their purchases away from physical goods and more toward travel, hotel stays and plane trips.
Inflation continues to pose a severe hardship for many families. Though gasoline prices have fallen from their heights, food, rent, used cars and other necessities have become far more expensive, beyond whatever wage increases most workers have notched.
Despite a still-robust job market, the U.S. economy shrank in the first half of 2022, raising fears of a potential recession. Growth has been weakening largely as a consequence of the Federal Reserve’s aggressive interest rate hikes, which are intended to cool the economy and tame high inflation.
The impact of the Fed’s hikes has been felt especially in the housing market. Sales of previously occupied homes have slowed for five straight months as higher loan rates and high sales prices have kept many would-be buyers on the sidelines.
But the most important pillar of the economy — the job market — has proved durable. America’s employers added a hefty 528,000 jobs in July, and the unemployment rate reached 3.5%, matching a near-half-century low reached just before the pandemic erupted in the spring of 2020.
Americans are still spending, but that money is going to different places as the pandemic eases. Walmart, the nation’s largest retailer, posted better than expected quarterly sales and profits, but noted that customers are favoring lower-priced grocery items.
And it’s gaining more customers who might more typically shop at Whole Foods. The company, long associated with price-conscious and lower-income consumers, disclosed that roughly 75% of its grocery sales last quarter were to households with incomes of at least $100,000.
It also noted that lower income customers were trading down within the store, for example swapping out sliced deli meats for hot dogs to save money.
On Wednesday, Target reported that its profit plunged nearly 90% despite solid sales, largely because it was forced to slash prices to clear huge inventories of things in heavy demand during the pandemic like furniture, appliances and electronics.
Signet Jewelers, which operates stores under such names as Zales and Jared, lowered its full-year sales forecast last week as Americans cool spending on luxuries and more on groceries.
“They’re being intentional,” said Jamie Singleton, president of Signet. She said customers may be taking home fewer items, but they’re spending more on the things they buy.
D’Innocenzio reported from New York.
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(The Hill) – Rep. Liz Cheney (Wyo.), a one-time ally of Donald Trump who became one of his most ardent Republican critics, is projected to lose her primary on Tuesday after a longshot bid to survive defying the former president and his influence over GOP voters.
NBC News and CBS News both called the race shortly after 10 p.m. ET.
Cheney was soundly defeated by Harriet Hageman, an attorney and former Republican National Committee (RNC) member who was endorsed by Trump last year. Hageman will be the heavy favorite to succeed Cheney next year as the deep red state’s lone representative in the House.
Soon after the race was called, Cheney told supporters she had called Hageman to concede the race.
“Our republic relies upon the goodwill of all candidates for office to accept honorably the outcome of elections. And tonight, Harriet Hageman has received the most votes in this primary. She won,” Cheney said in a fiery speech.
Hageman’s victory on Tuesday was the final — and perhaps most significant — milestone in Trump’s effort to purge the House of the 10 Republicans who voted last year to impeach him for his role in the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol.
Of those 10, four opted not to run for reelection this year, while four others — including Cheney — have lost renomination to Trump-backed challengers. Only two have survived primary challengers so far: Reps. David Valadao (R-Calif.) and Dan Newhouse (R-Wash.).
Cheney’s primary loss is a particularly symbolic victory for Trump. After Cheney voted to impeach the former president last year, she emerged as a Republican bulwark against Trumpism, frequently criticizing Trump as an anti-democratic strongman with little, if any, regard for the U.S. Constitution.
That criticism landed her in hot water with her GOP colleagues and prompted them to remove her as the chair of the House Republican Conference.
The fallout didn’t stop there.
The RNC and Wyoming Republican Party voted last year to censure Cheney, and many of her fellow Republican members of Congress rallied around Hageman’s effort to oust her.
Cheney remained defiant. She was one of two Republicans tapped to serve on the House select committee charged with investigating the Jan. 6 Capitol riot and was eventually elevated to the role of vice chair.
All the while she faced brutal headwinds in her primary as Trump took a particularly keen interest in the race. His team spent months interviewing potential Republican challengers to Cheney and the former president himself fielded meetings with some candidates before weighing in on Hageman’s behalf.
The result was a significantly narrower primary field that turned the race into a clear choice between a steadfast Trump ally and Cheney.
In her speech Tuesday night, Cheney made the case that she would have won her primary had she been willing to go along with Trump’s false claims about the 2020 election and his efforts to overturn the vote. Ultimately, she said, she couldn’t bring herself to do so.
“Two years ago, I won this primary with 73 percent of the vote. I could easily have done the same again,” she said. “The path was clear. But it would have required that I go along with President Trump’s lie about the 2020 election. It would have required that I ignore his ongoing efforts to unravel our democratic system and attack the foundations of our Republic. That was a path I could not and would not take.”
Cheney’s biting criticism of the former president was an unusual turn for the three-term Wyoming congresswoman, who endorsed Trump six years ago during his 2016 White House bid and maintained that support even as many Republicans distanced themselves from him following the release of a recording in which Trump was heard making vulgar remarks about women.
As a member of Congress, Cheney also voted in line with Trump’s positions nearly 93 percent of the time, according to the data website FiveThirtyEight.
But it was the aftermath of the 2020 presidential race and Trump’s claims that the election was rigged against him that pushed Cheney to a breaking point from which she would never return.
Even in the leadup to the Tuesday primary, as polling showed her trailing Hageman by wide margins, Cheney was unapologetic in her criticism of Trump. Earlier this month, her father, former Vice President Dick Cheney, cut a campaign ad for her in which he railed against Trump as a “threat to our Republic.”
Liz Cheney also did little to rally conservatives to her cause. In the only debate of her primary contest, the Wyoming congresswoman used her closing statement to tell voters that if they disagreed with her brand of politics, they should cast their ballots for another candidate.
“I’m asking you to understand that I will never violate my Oath of Office,” Cheney said. “And if you’re looking for somebody who will, then you need to vote for somebody else on this stage.” | https://www.siouxlandproud.com/news/politics/liz-cheney-defeated-in-wyoming-primary/ | 2022-08-17T16:46:11Z | siouxlandproud.com | control | https://www.siouxlandproud.com/news/politics/liz-cheney-defeated-in-wyoming-primary/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
A U.S. Air Force F-16 Fighting Falcons assigned to the Ohio National Guard’s 180th Fighter Wing, takes off for a training mission, Aug. 16, 2022, in Swanton, Ohio. Flying the Lockheed Martin F-16CM Fighting Falcon, a multi-role fighter aircraft with Pratt and Whitney F100-PW-229 engines, the 180FW has access to military operating airspace and air-to-ground gunnery ranges suited for the capabilities of the F-16. The Alpena Airspace Complex, Michigan and Buckeye Airspace, Ohio are supersonic, chaff/flare capable with full radar ground control intercept, or GCI and Link-16 capable. (Air National Guard photo by Senior Master Sgt. Beth Holliker)
This work, 180FW Conducts Daily Training [Image 20 of 20], by SMSgt Beth Holliker, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright. | https://www.dvidshub.net/image/7374364/180fw-conducts-daily-training | 2022-08-17T16:47:54Z | dvidshub.net | control | https://www.dvidshub.net/image/7374364/180fw-conducts-daily-training | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
A U.S. Air Force F-16 Fighting Falcons assigned to the Ohio National Guard’s 180th Fighter Wing, takes off for a training mission, Aug. 16, 2022, in Swanton, Ohio. Flying the Lockheed Martin F-16CM Fighting Falcon, a multi-role fighter aircraft with Pratt and Whitney F100-PW-229 engines, the 180FW has access to military operating airspace and air-to-ground gunnery ranges suited for the capabilities of the F-16. The Alpena Airspace Complex, Michigan and Buckeye Airspace, Ohio are supersonic, chaff/flare capable with full radar ground control intercept, or GCI and Link-16 capable. (Air National Guard photo by Senior Master Sgt. Beth Holliker)
This work, 180FW Conducts Daily Training [Image 20 of 20], by SMSgt Beth Holliker, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright. | https://www.dvidshub.net/image/7374377/180fw-conducts-daily-training | 2022-08-17T16:48:25Z | dvidshub.net | control | https://www.dvidshub.net/image/7374377/180fw-conducts-daily-training | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Iceland has announced customers will be able to pay for their food in instalments as the cost of living crisis deepens. The budget chain has become the first store to announce its move into the consumer credit sector as inflation and food prices rise.
The Iceland Food Club offers interest-free loans ranging between £25 and £100 accessible through a pre-loaded cart with repayments set at £10 a week. It comes as inflation on the weekly supermarket shop hit 11.6% in the past four weeks, Bloomberg reports.
It is the highest level since market research from Kantar began collecting data in 2008. As well as food costs, energy prices have rocketed while real wages have seen the sharpest fall on record and the worst recession in 300 years potentially about to hit.
READ MORE:Sainsbury's named the worst supermarket for disabled shoppers
Managing director of Iceland Foods Richard Walker said: "More than ever, people are struggling to purchase much-needed everyday items during this relentless cost of living crisis."
Customers apply for a loan from Fair For You and receive a prepaid Mastercard they can use in Iceland. Chief executive for Mastercard, Simon Dukes, said: "We do not charge penalties: customers can delay, take a breather or overpay. As long as the person remains in contact with us we will help them through the period.”
It comes after Sainsbury's and Tesco have come under fire for allegedly reducing the number of lower-cost items in store. Many shoppers have been turning to supermarket value ranges in a bid to keep costs down, yet research shows two major retailers have been cutting the number of lower-cost items on sale. As reported by the Mirror, Sainsbury’s has reduced the number of items in its Price Lock scheme by more than a fifth this year.
This scheme offers a price guarantee that lasts for eight weeks at a time, with the items priced in a way that's linked to such products in rival retailer Aldi. Retail Gazette reports that Sainsbury's had 2,100 Price Lock products at the start of 2022, but now it is around 1,630 items.
Analysis has found that the value "Exclusively at Tesco" range consists of only 316 lines as of August 4 this year, compared with 339 items at the same time last year. According to exclusive retail research company Assosia data, there were 422 items in 2019.
Ben Reynolds, deputy chief executive of food charity Sustain, said: "With more and more people on the breadline, it beggars belief that a major supermarket would reduce the size of its value range year on year."
However, Tesco said that it is "more committed than ever to providing our customers with great value". Tesco also said that when all the products in the Exclusively at Tesco, Aldi Price Match and Low Everyday Prices are added up, the total has increased from 400 in 2019 to 2,500 today.
READ NEXT: | https://www.kentlive.news/news/cost-of-living/iceland-allow-customers-pay-food-7477305 | 2022-08-17T16:52:14Z | kentlive.news | control | https://www.kentlive.news/news/cost-of-living/iceland-allow-customers-pay-food-7477305 | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Work and pensions secretary Therese Coffey has been accused of deliberately attempting to hide the impact of the government's wide-ranging welfare reforms. Mrs Coffey said she wouldn't publish five reports or research on the benefit cap, deaths of benefits claimants, the impact of universal credit and benefit sanctions.
She also said she had no plans to publish two further reports on unpaid carers and work capability assessments. But her predecessors as secretary of state had promised to publish several of the reports, The Guardian reports.
Ken Butler, a policy adviser at Disability Rights UK, said: “We’re not talking about just one report and one subject. We’re talking about a whole swathe of reports about important aspects of the system. The DWP are operating behind a wall of secrecy.”
READ MORE: Sainsbury's named the worst supermarket for disabled shoppers
Stephen Timms, the chairman of the Commons work and pensions select committee, said: "Therese Coffey has set out to minimise the evidence published by the department and a consequence of this is that public trust in the department has been badly damaged."
The news comes after charities have warned against "cruel" sanctions against benefits. Charities have warned people need payments such as Universal Credit to live after 110,000 claimants were sanctioned by the Jobcentre in May.
Conservative ministers have also asked claimants to look for jobs outside their expertise after four weeks instead of three months to get 500,000 into work by June. But the number of sanctions is said to have more than doubled from six months ago, The Mirror reports.
Sanctions also skyrocketed after face-to-face Jobcentre appointments restarted last summer. The number of claimants subject to a sanction rose from 3,827 in May 2021 to 109,506 in May 2022.
Numbers rose steadily through winter but leapt after 'Way to Work' launched in February, from 74,746 in January to 93,479 in March. A record 59,000 new sanctions were slapped on Universal Credit claimants in March alone.
People’s benefits are either cut back or stopped entirely if Jobcentres decide they have fallen foul of rules. But mental health charity Mind warned sanctions are often "unfair" and "people on benefits need these payments to live – whether they’ve been sanctioned or not".
READ NEXT: | https://www.kentlive.news/news/cost-of-living/minister-therese-coffey-accused-deliberately-7477843 | 2022-08-17T16:52:15Z | kentlive.news | control | https://www.kentlive.news/news/cost-of-living/minister-therese-coffey-accused-deliberately-7477843 | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
A boy who fell to his death from the White Cliffs of Dover had been celebrating his 12th birthday on the first day of a family holiday, an inquest has heard. Mati Urb was visiting Kent with his parents and two siblings during the Easter school holidays, and their first day coincided with his birthday on April 4 2022.
The Estonian nationals moved to London in 2021 and had hired a campervan to take a trip around the south coast of England. However, during a clifftop walk along the East Langdon cliffs in Dover, Mati’s parents lost sight of him and started to look for him.
A passer-by called the Coastguard at around 6.15pm and, in addition, a lifeboat and Kent Police were called to the cliffs to search for Mati. At around 7.15pm the Coastguard helicopter saw his body at the base of the cliffs, in an area described as inaccessible on foot.
Paramedics provided medical treatment but Mati was declared dead at the scene just after 8pm. A post-mortem examination concluded Mati died of head injuries, and a police report said there had been no third party involvement.
At an inquest in Maidstone, coroner Katrina Hepburn ruled the youngster’s death was an accident. Ms Hepburn concluded: “Mati had been visiting Kent, specifically the Dover region and the cliffs with his mum, dad, brother and sister.
“It was at a location close to the lighthouse at St Margaret’s, on top of the cliffs at Langdon, when the family became separated and ultimately came to a point where Mati could not be found. A call was made to the Coastguard and then the Coastguard contacted the police. A search was initiated incorporating the Coastguard helicopter and paramedics.
“Sadly Mati was located at the base of the cliffs and, despite initial attempts at resuscitation, it was confirmed he was sadly deceased. I conclude that Mati succumbed to head injuries as a result of falling from the cliff.
“I don’t know how Mati came to fall from the cliff – it was unwitnessed. Whether he tripped and fell, whether it was the wind, or whether he was looking too far over the edge, I simply don’t know. I know that’s of no comfort to the family to have this unexplained as to how Mati came to fall."
“These were tragic circumstances and the conclusion that I return is one of accident. I can see no evidence that he intended to go over the cliff. I want to offer my most sincere condolences for the tragic loss of Mati in these circumstances.”
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A Dover mum has been left "destroyed and devastated" after having to carry her stillborn baby for nearly two weeks. Carrie-Anne Brinkman, 30, is a mum to three healthy children and was expecting to welcome the newest addition to her family later in the year.
Having been for several check-ups throughout her pregnancy, all had appeared fine with her fourth child leading up to her 16-week appointment. Carrie-Anne attended the next check-up at Buckland Hospital, Dover, on July 20, at which no heart monitoring tests were performed.
It is standard practice under the current National Institute for Clinical Excellence (NICE) guidelines that these scans are not typically carried out at a 16 week antenatal appointment. This is due to the fact that other examinations are found to be more accurate in depicting a baby's health at this stage.
Read more: Husband of 'bubbly' woman who took own life calls for more support for NHS
As such, the midwife who had cared for Carrie-Anne at this appointment was working in line with standard procedure. However, after this appointment, Carrie-Anne began to worry after not having such a scan, particularly as she is considered high-risk due to a number of genetic factors.
'It’s been so difficult. So very, very hard'
Speaking to KentLive, she explained the steps that she took next. Carrie-Anne said: “I’m classed as high risk, so I asked my partner if we could go for a private scan on July 30.
“We ended up going to Ashford Scan Studio, and they told me that there was no heartbeat. I had to go to hospital, and that’s when they gave me a tablet to see if I could try and go into labour.
“Then I had to give birth on August 1. If it wasn’t for me, if I hadn’t gone for that scan, I wouldn’t have known he had passed.
“I carried him for two weeks and I didn’t even know. He’d passed at 15 weeks and five days.”
She opened up on the emotional toll such news had on her and her family. “I feel basically destroyed," Carrie-Anne said. "I’m devastated, my husband’s devastated. It’s been so difficult. So very, very hard.
“I’ve got three healthy children, two older ones and my one-year-old. I just don’t understand how I went through three healthy pregnancies and then lost one.
“I just think that people who are at high risk should be checked more. They should have more scans and more check ups.”
She went on to discuss the role of a charity in helping her through this difficult time. “We have been getting support off Sands, a charity that helps with stillbirths and internal deaths and they’re brilliant," Carrie-Anne added.
“You can talk to other mums on there who have been through a similar experience which really helps.” She also said that she has since had contact and a visit from a midwife from the hospital.
'Our thoughts are with Carrie-Ann and her family'
In a statement issued to KentLive, Sarah Shingler, Chief Nursing & Midwifery Officer, said: “Our thoughts are with Carrie-Anne and her family on the truly devastating loss of her baby. We have been, and will continue to, work with Carrie-Anne to ensure she has the support she needs at this difficult time.”
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- Flooding fears as storm drains are blocked ahead of forecast rain
- Man seen with clothes alight before being injured in fire
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- Man's urgent warning over 'disgraceful' British Gas bill of £5k | https://www.kentlive.news/news/kent-news/dover-mum-destroyed-devastated-after-7477435 | 2022-08-17T16:52:18Z | kentlive.news | control | https://www.kentlive.news/news/kent-news/dover-mum-destroyed-devastated-after-7477435 | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
People who have been watching their weight recently may worry that their summer holiday could ruin all their hard work. It is important that people enjoy their holiday, but the change in routine.
Decadent meals can have an impact on their weight loss goals. With a more relaxed approach to life while on your holiday, it can be easy to let the good habits slide away.
Weight loss expert Michael Mosley has therefore shared his top tips for those wanting to keep the progress they have made with their weight loss, the Daily Record reports. The diet guru wants people to know that it's possible to enjoy your holiday while sticking to your goals.
READ MORE: Passengers warned to be ready for busy bank holiday getaway by airport bosses
Here is his advice:
1. Have a late breakfast
Mosley is credited with creating the Fast 800 diet, which is based on Time Restricted Eating (TRE). He thinks that what matters is not just what you eat but also when. The method involves fasting for a 12-hour period every 24 hours, allowing sufficient time for cell repair.
The diet expert claims that studies show TRE can have a number of health benefits beyond just weight loss, including better mood and energy levels. He suggests that it is easy to incorporate TRE into your holiday.
You should check when the latest available time to eat breakfast is, meaning you can then enjoy a bigger breakfast relaxed in the knowledge that you're timing it right. Dr Mosley also suggests enjoying your evening meal a little earlier.
2. Walk
Mosley says that incidental exercise is a brilliant way to keep active outside of a more structured workout routine. He says that if possible, walk or cycle to see sights while on holiday to stay active. It is healthy and you are likely to see more of the area you are in.
3. Avoid six items at hotel buffet
If you are on a diet, there can be a strong temptation to take a break from it while on holiday. And if you are staying at a hotel, the breakfast buffet can be full of unhealthy options.
Mosley says there are plenty of foods you can enjoy from the selection, you just need to pick carefully. He says those watching their weight can regularly choose:
- Eggs.
- Omelettes - some hotels have omelette stations where you can pick your own fillings, so make sure to choose plenty of vegetables.
- Greek yoghurt with berries.
- Vegetables are often on offer either cooked or raw. Cooked spinach goes brilliantly with eggs.
- Cheese, nuts and avocado are all good healthy fats which will keep you fuller for longer.
He advises against the following items at breakfast if you are watching your weight:
- Fruit juices.
- Pastries.
- Cereals.
- Muffins and cake.
- Dried fruit.
- Hash browns.
And he says that the following foods can be enjoyed occasionally:
- Bread - there may be some healthier bread options, depending on where you're holidaying. Mosley says you should avoid plain white bread and occasionally enjoy sourdough or rye if it is available.
- Sausages and bacon.
- Local treats - holidays do not happen often and are great opportunities to learn more about the world. If you get the chance to try some local delicacies, you should take it.
Mosley adds that if you're having trouble finding food that fits your goals, have a small portion of what's available. Portion control is an important part of achieving weight loss goals.
4. Limit your alcohol intake
Alcohol is a key reason why people put on weight because they don't realise how many calories are in drinks such as beer, wine and mixers. If you want to enjoy a drink on holiday, Mosley suggests red wine as a healthier option. He also says that regularly drinking water between alcoholic drinks will help you stagger your intake.
5. Pack and emergency option
If you know you will struggle to find healthy food while away, it is a good idea to prepare some food options to have with you. Nuts and seeds are high in protein so are good for keeping your energy levels up, while fruit is handy if you want something sweeter.
If you are in self-catering accommodation, you can make your own healthy meals by buying fresh ingredients from the local shops or markets. You can make sandwiches and salads, as long as they contain some form of protein and are light on cheeses and sauces.
6. Enjoy yourself
The most important thing to keep in mind when on holiday is that you are there to have fun. Even if you do fall off track a bit while travelling, you should not let this negatively affect your trip - you can easily get back to your routine when you are home.
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TikTok 'nightmare holiday' shows tourists' 'sunbed wars' at Spanish hotel | https://www.kentlive.news/whats-on/food-drink/michael-mosley-warns-six-breakfast-7477542 | 2022-08-17T16:52:18Z | kentlive.news | control | https://www.kentlive.news/whats-on/food-drink/michael-mosley-warns-six-breakfast-7477542 | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
A disgruntled tourist has ripped into one of our most popular beaches here on the Kent coast saying it is "filthy and depressing". The angry visitor was unhappy with the cleanliness of Margate Main Sands beach and labelled it a 'really horrible place in a recent review.
Margate Main Sands beach is possibly one of the most well-known and beautiful beaches along the Kent coastline - rightly so - and is always bustling with beachgoers when the sun comes out. The sandy stretch of beach is very centrally located, and for those wanting to get the experience of a traditional seaside town, our very own Margate appears to tick all the boxes.
But not for one visitor who left the scathing review on Tripadvisor vowing never to visit the beach in the town again. Posting under the username of Clareybird from Brentwood, she said: "Filthy beach, so unbelievably covered in litter. KentLive has contacted Thanet District Council for a response but hadn't received a reply by publication.
Read more: Flooding fears in Tunbridge Wells as storm drains are blocked ahead of forecast rain and storms
"I have never seen a beach so badly cared for in the UK. It was insanely busy, with never a hope of using the ladies toilets, and we just felt totally surrounded by people without a care for others around them.
"Local amenities felt really dirty, dated and uncared for. Won’t be visiting again, it’s a really horrible place."
That review was posted to the TripAdvisor website on August 14, and it seems she is not the only one disappointed by her visit to the beach during the month. A number of other visitors have recently given the beach a 1/5 star rating.
Susan V said: "Disgusting, Always extremely busy with very, very large groups of people together, music far too loud, sand was always full of litter every morning when we walked along promenade volunteers were always cleaning up other peoples rubbish."
Lully06 labelled the beach as "filthy" with "broken glass, rubbish and overflowing bins". Another user, Shindi G from Hounslow said: "Dirty beach and run down area".
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VOTE FOR KENT'S BEST BEACH BELOW
READ NEXT: | https://www.kentlive.news/whats-on/whats-on-news/thanet-angry-beachgoer-slams-margate-7474677 | 2022-08-17T16:52:34Z | kentlive.news | control | https://www.kentlive.news/whats-on/whats-on-news/thanet-angry-beachgoer-slams-margate-7474677 | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
This award is based on nominations from customers and reflects the value Baxter Planning delivers to Service Supply Chains.
AUSTIN, Texas, Aug. 17, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Baxter Planning, a pioneer and recognized leader in Service Supply Chain parts planning, optimization, and execution software solutions, today announced that the company has been selected as one of SupplyChainBrain's 100 Great Supply Chain Partners for the 18th time, and will be featured in the August 2022 issue of SupplyChainBrain magazine.
"For twenty years running, SupplyChainBrain has published our much-anticipated list of 100 Great Supply Chain Partners: a select group of companies whose customers recognize them for providing outstanding solutions and services. Our six-month online poll of supply chain professionals requires a qualified response, asking them to nominate vendors and service providers whose solutions have made a significant impact on their company's efficiency, customer service, and overall supply chain performance. This year's field of nominees was highly competitive and overall excellent, coming from all sectors of supply chain management. Your company should be proud to be on this list! Baxter Planning will appear in the 2022 August issue of SupplyChainBrain magazine and on SupplyChainBrain.com as an honored member of this year's 100 Great Supply Chain Partners." – Brad Berger, Publisher, SupplyChainBrain
Over the past year, Baxter Planning has grown significantly, driven by a combination of customer growth and their first acquisition in November 2021 of Entercoms' Supply Chain Technology business unit. The company has also grown its executive team, expanded its number of global office locations, joined with ServiceMax in a strategic partnership, and increased investment to accelerate their vision for the Predictive Service Supply Chain.
Baxter Planning is also expanding its portfolio of products with the launch of LynX to provide Service Supply Chains with increased resilience to deliver better customer experiences. Additional products are on the roadmap based on feedback from BaxterNext, its product advisory group composed of leaders who ensure parts are available to maximize asset uptime for many Global 2000 companies.
Baxter Planning's innovative and collaborative approach to Service Parts Planning continues to provide value to their customers while repeatedly earning accolades throughout the industry and in publications like SupplyChainBrain, as well as their position in the Leaders category of the most recent IDC MarketScape report for Service Parts Management.
"The Baxter Planning team does a tremendous job generating value for market-leading companies around the globe, evident by Leader recognition from analysts and the organization's reputation in the market," stated Mårten Gustafsson, the new Chief Revenue Officer of Baxter Planning. "Our Service Supply Chain expertise is enabled by a culture driven by passion for delivering customers value with our growing portfolio of products."
SupplyChainBrain, the world's most comprehensive supply chain management information resource, is accessed year-round through a wide range of ever-evolving multi-media formats by hundreds of thousands of senior level industry executives. In addition to addressing the fundamental principles of supply chain management, SupplyChainBrain identifies emerging trends, technologies and best practices, forward-thinking ideas, and cutting-edge solutions, continuing to write and report about them as they evolve. Learn more at www.supplychainbrain.com.
Founded in 1993, Baxter Planning became the first company to provide a dedicated global Service Supply Chain software and service solution. Their software is developed based on proven best practices, industry expertise, and a partnership with customers to automate inventory planning. Their Total Cost Optimization methodology replaces spreadsheets and manual processes to deliver the best service level at the lowest possible cost. As a worldwide leader in Service Supply Chain software, Baxter Planning helps customers plan billions in service parts inventory every day. For more information, visit www.baxterplanning.com.
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SOURCE Baxter Planning | https://www.wbko.com/prnewswire/2022/08/17/baxter-planning-recognized-with-supplychainbrains-100-great-supply-chain-partners-award-18th-time/ | 2022-08-17T16:55:31Z | wbko.com | control | https://www.wbko.com/prnewswire/2022/08/17/baxter-planning-recognized-with-supplychainbrains-100-great-supply-chain-partners-award-18th-time/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
CHICAGO and MANILA, Philippines and SINGAPORE and KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia , Aug. 17, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- ENTECH GLOBAL SOLUTIONS ("EGS"), a Southeast Asia focused environmental services provider, has announced the acquisition of Pestbusters Pte Ltd. in Singapore and Original Pestbusters Sdn Bhd. in Malaysia ("PestBusters"). EGS also owns and operates ENTECH Philippines, Inc. a leading provider of integrated pest management, professional cleaning and environmental solutions across commercial, residential and industrial properties in the Philippines. Terms of the transaction have not been disclosed.
PestBusters traces its roots back to 1991 as one of Singapore's pioneers of quality pest control. The company has since grown into a leading provider of commercial and residential pest control, termite control, and mosquito control solutions throughout Singapore and Malaysia. PestBusters offers a differentiated level of service quality to its clients by focusing on sustainable integrated pest management solutions to effectively solve long-term challenges. It is the exclusive distributor of innovative anti-termite technologies which include Termsteel and Sentricon solutions in Singapore.
Walden Chu, CEO of EGS, says: "This transaction represents another step forward toward our goal of building the most ethical and high-quality service provider in the region. We have an aspirational goal of expanding throughout Southeast Asia while delivering a high standard that our stakeholders can rely on. We are committed to building an organization whose products and services are firmly entrenched as valuable in the hearts and minds of our customers, and we strive to deliver significant impact in our customer's lives. Ensuring the health and safety of our customers will always be front and center and we are humbled to be able to make life better for those that we touch."
PestBusters represents the first acquisition completed by EGS since Concentric Equity Partners ("CEP") recapitalized the platform in early 2021. The acquisition exhibits a key first step in EGS's strategy under CEP to evolve into a multi-national integrated pest control and facility services platform with market leading operational and financial capacities. Furthermore, this significant acquisition demonstrates CEP's interest in and commitment to investing in Southeast Asia and building a strong presence in EGS's markets by partnering with talented entrepreneurs to build high growth companies.
Thomas Fernandez, Founder and Chairman Emeritus of PestBusters, comments: "I've invested the last 31 years building PestBusters and was approached by multiple interested buyers along the way. It was very important for me to ensure that the next generation of leadership would uphold my commitment to my customers and employees. Walden Chu and his partners at EGS exemplify the character and values that will carry forward my legacy and provide expanded opportunities for the teams I have built."
Ian Ross, Partner at CEP, adds: "We are very excited to be backing Walden Chu as he expands EGS's global operations to include Singapore, Malaysia, and the Philippines under the ENTECH GLOBAL SOLUTIONS umbrella. Ensuring the health, safety and hygiene of our customers is critical to our business success and we are proud to be supporting an organization that helps improve the human condition."
Headquartered in Singapore, PestBusters was founded in 1991 and has become one of the most trusted names in the industry through its commitment to developing people and investing in technology. The company serves clients across Singapore and Malaysia in a wide array of industries including hospitality, malls, food & beverage, manufacturing, healthcare, residential and commercial buildings. Through expertise gained from years of field experience, the company has grown into one of the largest independent pest control management companies in Singapore and Malaysia. For more information, visit www.pestbusters.com.sg.
Singapore based ENTECH GLOBAL SOLUTIONS (EGS) owns, operates and invests in commercial and residential pest control industry leaders in Southeast Asia. EGS is now the parent company of two flagship brands: Pestbusters out of Singapore and Malaysia, and ENTECH out of the Philippines (www.entech.com.ph). EGS offers pest control and environmental services related businesses throughout the region a unique opportunity to partner, leveraging the strategic support of EGS and its best-in-class industry standards, systems, and technology. EGS believes in upholding the highest standards in delivering intelligent impact, sustainable scale, and improving lives. For more information, visit entechglobal.com.
Concentric Equity Partners ("CEP") is a private investment firm based in Chicago, IL. The firm is focused on North America and has a dedicated strategy to invest in Southeast Asia. CEP partners with leading middle market companies by providing capital and strategic advisory to accelerate long term value creation. Our approach is simple: support entrepreneurs and operators by providing the resources required to achieve extraordinary results. CEP is the direct investing arm of Financial Investments Corporation ("FIC"), a private asset management firm and family office for the Steans family with over $2 billion in investment commitments under management. Learn more at www.ficcep.com.
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SOURCE Concentric Equity Partners | https://www.wbko.com/prnewswire/2022/08/17/entech-global-solutions-announces-acquisition-pestbusters/ | 2022-08-17T16:56:47Z | wbko.com | control | https://www.wbko.com/prnewswire/2022/08/17/entech-global-solutions-announces-acquisition-pestbusters/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Netflix’s Wednesday Trailer Welcomes You To Nevermore Academy
Nevermore Academy has a brand new student, and the dreaded first day of school just got a lot more deadly. After releasing an Addams Family portrait earlier this week, Netflix has finally dropped the first official Wednesday trailer, highlighting the latest spin on the classic franchise with Jenna Ortega playing the title role.
The trailer wastes no time in introducing us to Ortega’s Wednesday, who hasn’t had the best luck with public education. Apparently, she’s been kicked out of eight different schools in just five years, most recently for unleashing a swarm of piranhas on the water polo jock who bullied her brother. That’s why her parents, Gomez (Luis Guzman) and Morticia (Catherine Zeta-Jones) decide to enroll her at Nevermore, the same gothic institution where they met and fell in love many years ago.
You can watch the new trailer in the player below.
RELATED: Netflix Releases the First Look at Wednesday’s Addams Family
Initially, Wednesday finds herself an outcast among Nevermore’s purple-pinstripe elite. But it isn’t long before she carves out a niche for herself, taking up extracurricular activities like fencing and playing the cello. She even attends a school dance (albeit one that ends in bloodshed, befitting the series’ macabre tone).
Alfred Gough and Miles Millar (Smallville) wrote and executive produced Wednesday and act as its primary showrunners. Tim Burton directed four of the season’s eight episodes, with Gandja Monteiro and James Marshall helming additional chapters. The supporting cast also includes Gwendoline Christie, Riki Lindhome, Emma Myers, Isaac Ordonez, Hunter Doohan, Jamie McShane, Percy Hynes White, and Christina Ricci.
Wednesday will premiere on Netflix sometime in the fall.
What do you think of the first trailer for the series? Give us your impressions in the comment section below!
Recommended Reading: The Addams Family: An Evilution
We are also a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program. This affiliate advertising program also provides a means to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites. | https://www.superherohype.com/tv/517996-netflixs-wednesday-trailer-welcomes-you-to-nevermore-academy | 2022-08-17T16:59:23Z | superherohype.com | control | https://www.superherohype.com/tv/517996-netflixs-wednesday-trailer-welcomes-you-to-nevermore-academy | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Scarlet Witch Joins the Battle In Latest Video For Marvel’s Midnight Suns
Marvel’s Midnight Suns may have been pushed back, but at least its roster of heroes is growing. 2K Games and Firaxis Games’ tactical role-playing game has already recruited several icons to take on Lilith, the mother of all monsters. However, the latest addition to the team is someone who has her own dark side: Wanda Maximoff, the Scarlet Witch.
Unlike Spider-Man, Wolverine, Iron Man, Captain America, and Captain Marvel, Wanda actually has an innate connection to the supernatural. She’s not called a witch for nothing! And her magic appears to serve her well in the game’s latest video. There’s even a tease for one of Wanda’s darkest moments in the comics, when she declared “No more mutants” with reality warping powers that nearly caused their extinction. Presumably she has a different target in mind this time.
RELATED: Marvel’s Midnight Suns Gets Hit With Another Delay
Although the Midnight Sons were a loosely associated team of supernatural heroes, the only characters in the game who were actually members are Doctor Strange, Blade, and Ghost Rider. However, Magik, Nico Minoru, and now Wanda, all have ties to the supernatural which may protect them against Lilith. As seen in previous trailers, Lilith has the ability to corrupt heroes and villains into her new “children,” the Fallen. But it remains to be seen if any of the playable characters can suffer that fate.
Marvel’s Midnight Suns will initially come to PC, Xbox Series X|S, and PlayStation 5, before getting ports to Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and Nintendo Switch. But for now, it doesn’t have a release date and it could be pushed into next year.
What do you think about Scarlet Witch joining the heroes of Marvel’s Midnight Suns? Let us know in the comment section below!
Recommended Reading: Spirits of Vengeance: Rise of the Midnight Sons
We are also a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program. This affiliate advertising program also provides a means to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites. Also. However. Regardless. Additionally. Also. However. Regardless. Additionally. | https://www.superherohype.com/video-games/517983-scarlet-witch-joins-the-battle-in-latest-video-for-marvels-midnight-suns | 2022-08-17T16:59:30Z | superherohype.com | control | https://www.superherohype.com/video-games/517983-scarlet-witch-joins-the-battle-in-latest-video-for-marvels-midnight-suns | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Blueberry Boy Bait may sound like a B-side song from an alternative band, but it’s actually just an ice cream flavor offered by Humphry Slocombe, a small shop in the Mission District. Owner and former pastry chef Jake Godby has made the name Humphry Slocombe synonymous with flavors and ingredients not often found in ice cream or sorbet. Case in point: best-seller Secret Breakfast, the flavor that launched a thousand Humphry Slocombe fans, a combo of homemade cornflakes and bourbon. Traditionalists will be happy to find “normal” flavors, too, but it’s Godby’s “march to your own drum” ethos that brings out his best work and keeps people lining up for creative scoops. Pick up a copy of The Humphry Slocombe Ice Cream Book, with 40 recipes you can re-create at home.
More Recommendations
Devilishly delicious ice cream at Humphry Slocombe
Everyone seems to try the famous Secret Breakfast flavor, which has bourbon and conflakes, but it’s just one of the many creative and creamy options at this Mission ice cream stop (which now has a new location in the Ferry Building). I like a combo of Blue Bottle Vietnamese Coffee and Dulce de Leche if you can get it.
Bourbon and Ice Cream for Breakfast
Humphry Slocombe’s Secret Breakfast ice cream is the best way to get your breakfast, predinner drink and dessert all in one. It’s a deliciously crafted ice cream flavored with bourbon and studded with real cornflakes. You don’t even have to work very hard to rationalize this as a late-morning snack. And once you’ve ordered your cone, you can just spin around and head over to Blue Bottle coffee for a cup of something to sober you up after the bourbon.
See anything inaccurate? Let our Editors know | https://www.afar.com/places/humphry-slocombe | 2022-08-17T17:03:41Z | afar.com | control | https://www.afar.com/places/humphry-slocombe | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
The city’s most historic food hall is housed in a grand old building with a distinctive arched roof of copper and glass that lets light flood into the bustling interior. Come here to browse the 40 or so stalls and buy cakes, cheese, fish, meat, and vegetables to take away, or better yet, perch at a counter and eat right there amid all the hubbub of the market. The building was completed in 1889 and was landmarked as one of the country’s important buildings in 1985. | https://www.afar.com/places/saluhallen | 2022-08-17T17:03:48Z | afar.com | control | https://www.afar.com/places/saluhallen | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Once a nondescript part of Stockholm’s center, Brunkebergstorg has been revitalized by the addition of two excellent new hotels (At Six and Hobo) and Tak, a rooftop bar with perhaps the best views you can see while enjoying an Aperol spritz or the house martini made with vodka, sake, and a touch of sherry. The panorama really is something special, taking in the whole of the city. One floor down is the restaurant where head chef Frida Ronge serves food that fuses Nordic ingredients and Japanese techniques, with dishes such as arctic char with daikon and grilled Swedish beef with yuzu kosho vinaigrette. | https://www.afar.com/places/tak | 2022-08-17T17:03:54Z | afar.com | control | https://www.afar.com/places/tak | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
The American Press in Lake Charles is reporting that Louisiana Public Service Commission representatives were at Sale Street Baptist Church Monday to talk about the cause of high electric bills there.
The newspaper reports that Louisiana’s one million Entergy customers will pay $3.2 billion to reimburse the company for its repair costs for storms during 2020 and 2021. All Entergy customers, all storms. Recently, Foster Campbell was the only one out of five public service commissioners in the state to vote against the plan.
LPSC Executive Secretary Brandon Frey said it’s primarily “record-setting heat and the recent spike in natural gas prices driving increased utility costs this summer," the newspaper reports.
“In simple terms, there’s three parts to every bill,” Frey said, “usage charge, fuel adjustment charge and storm restoration charge. There are miscellaneous charges, but these three will be the bulk of all charges.”
Frey and Mike Francis, 4th district LPSC, fielded questions from the audience after the presentation. Slides showed the jump in Henry Hub Natural Gas Spot Price and compared 2021 and 2022 electric utility bills from different companies. Frey’s was among them. He lives in Baton Rouge.
One woman in the audience asked, “If we pay for all of that, what does Entergy pay for? Dr. James Jankuska asked if Entergy had to pass all the cost of storm restoration to the customer.
To read the American Press' whole story about the meeting, click here. | https://www.katc.com/news/calcasieu-parish/psc-officials-in-lake-charles-to-discuss-high-electric-bills | 2022-08-17T17:06:40Z | katc.com | control | https://www.katc.com/news/calcasieu-parish/psc-officials-in-lake-charles-to-discuss-high-electric-bills | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) — A restaurant customer in Fort Lauderdale has died of a bacterial infection after eating raw oysters. A Pensacola man died the same way this month. Both cases involved oysters from Louisiana.
Gary Oreal, who manages the Rustic Inn, told the South Florida SunSentinel that the man who died had worked years ago at the restaurant famous for garlic crabs.
“Over the course of 60 years, we have served a couple billion oysters, and we never had anyone get sick like this guy did,” Oreal said.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says Vibrio bacteria doesn’t make an oyster look, smell, or taste any different. The agency said about 80,000 people get vibriosis in the U.S. each year, and about 100 people die from it.
Inspectors from the Florida Department of Health checked out the restaurant's kitchen and examined its oyster inventory the day after the man became ill, Oreal told the newspaper.
“We passed with flying colors and we were allowed to continue to sell oysters,” he said, adding the oysters being served currently are from Louisiana. “If there was a problem with the oyster bed we would know it because others would have gotten sick.”
The restaurant has a sign warning patrons about the risks of eating raw shellfish.
“Oysters are top of the mountain for dangerous foods to eat,” Oreal said. “I have eaten them my entire life, and will continue. But you are putting yourself at risk when you do it.”
The Florida Department of Health says 26 people have become infected with the bacteria and six of them later died after eating raw shellfish, including oysters, so far this year. In 2021, 10 people died out of 34 people sickened. In 2020, there were seven deaths among the 36 who became ill.
Last week, a man in Pensacola died after contracting the bacteria from oysters he bought at a market, the Pensacola News Journal reported. That oyster also came from Louisiana, officials said.
Infections linked to the bacteria are common in oysters and raw seafood during the summer months when water temperatures are warmer, University of West Florida Professor Robert “Wes” Farr told the newspaper.
“Serious infection is rare, but the risk is still there,” Farr said. | https://www.katc.com/news/covering-louisiana/2-deaths-in-florida-linked-to-raw-oysters-from-louisiana | 2022-08-17T17:06:41Z | katc.com | control | https://www.katc.com/news/covering-louisiana/2-deaths-in-florida-linked-to-raw-oysters-from-louisiana | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
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