text string | url string | crawl_date timestamp[ns, tz=UTC] | source_domain string | group string | id string | in_blocksbin int64 | in_noblocksbin int64 | tag string | minhash_count string |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Benefit claimants have slammed the Department for Work and Pensions' (DWP) decision to roll out more face-to-face health assessments. As the UK learns to live with coronavirus, the government department is bringing in more face-to-face appointments for people claiming Universal Credit, Personal Independence Payment (PIP), Employment Support Allowance and more.
A new Universal Credit rule is set to pile on the pressure for thousands as the changes will mean more mandatory job centre appointments and face-to-face reviews. The Administration Earnings Threshold (AET) will rise in September, plunging around 114,000 into the Intensive Work Search regime, which means weekly or fortnightly appointments.
Some people have been left furious by the move, as they struggle to make face-to-face assessments in the first place. Some people took to Twitter to slam the DWP's decision to hold face-to-face assessments, with some saying that their condition makes it harder for them to travel.
@HenderClaire tweeted: "I’ve got a #DWP PIP assessment. I can’t go out, I have depression and anxiety. I’m going through trauma counselling.
Read more: DWP's 'forgotten benefit' that can help you through difficult life event and how to apply
"They are making me have a face-to-face assessment in another town [crying emojis]. I’m 52-years-old, decades of medical history and they do this! [angry emoji]"
@retrowedding68 wrote: "I know a fair few people who have been put through gruelling PIP assessments, made to travel long journeys by train as they don’t have transport appointments made for 9.30am and non medically qualified staff assessing. They won’t even listen to their GPs, sickening #DWP #PIP #UC."
@DelphineMusic echoed: "#DWP issues new warning to people on #PIP due to attend a face-to-face assessment. Notice how these idiots LOVE Scare Tactics to keep you “in line” and Bow to every whim?
"Yet they NEVER do the same things in return?? Shame they don't try KINDNESS instead."
The DWP's latest guidance urges claimants who are invited to attend an assessment to read the letter they will receive prior to their appointment as it will contain extra information about helping to protect themselves and others in order to reduce the risk of anyone spreading or getting COVID-19, writes the Daily Record.
The DWP has also warned all claimants not to attend their assessment if they, or anyone coming with them, have COVID-19 symptoms or have tested positive for COVID-19.
If you have tested positive, the DWP urges people to contact the assessment provider straight away, using the contact details in your appointment letter where they will then be able to discuss and rearrange your assessment. The new guidance also states that if you need support at your assessment, you can bring someone with you, but children will not be allowed into the assessment.
The guidance on GOV.UK states: “Please do not bring children with you to your assessment. If you have children and cannot make childcare arrangements, please contact the assessment provider straight away using the contact details in your appointment letter so they can discuss the best way to carry out your assessment.”
DWP suggests that you, and anyone who comes with you to your assessment, wear a suitable face covering when you attend your appointment unless you have a reason for not wearing one. And there is important information about the assessment centre itself.
“To reduce the amount of time you will have to wait, please do not arrive more than 10 minutes before your appointment start time,” DWP advises.
During your assessment
DWP suggests that people should keep their face coverings on during assessments as those carrying out the assessment may wear a face mask and sometimes other Personal Protective Equipment such as gloves and aprons.
DWP explained: “During your assessment, the healthcare professional will observe you while you demonstrate any movements. They may need to physically examine you but they will wear more protective equipment such as an additional face shield, an apron and gloves.”
DWP also said that if healthcare professional suspects you, or anyone with you, may have COVID-19 symptoms, they will stop the assessment.
Should this happen, DWP said you will be asked to leave the assessment centre and follow NHS guidance. You can read the full guidance on attending your face-to-face health assessment on GOV.UK here.
Read next:
- Kent weather: Thousands of households told to pack valuables to prepare for floods
- Urgent petrol warning issued to drivers buying at Tesco, Asda, Sainsbury's and Morrisons
- Stark Portugal travel warning issued to holidaymakers who are urged to 'avoid flying'
- Jet2, easyJet, BA, Ryanair: Brits travelling to Spain will melt under 'alien' new air-con laws
- Drivers urged to follow 'simple hack' that could save them over £100 a year | https://www.kentlive.news/news/cost-of-living/dwp-slammed-benefit-claimants-after-7481872 | 2022-08-19T10:14:09Z | kentlive.news | control | https://www.kentlive.news/news/cost-of-living/dwp-slammed-benefit-claimants-after-7481872 | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
One of the UK’s top union bosses says the owner of P&O Ferries has got off “scot-free” for firing 800 workers after the firm reported record profits yesterday (August 18). DP World said that it had made a profit of £736 million over the six months to the end of June.
It was an increase of more than 51 per cent over the year as the business said it had focused on shipping cargo with higher profit margins. We are delighted to report a record set of first half results,” said chairman and chief executive Sultan Ahmed Bin Sulayem. "This significant growth demonstrates that our strategy to focus on high margin cargo and to offer customised supply chain solutions will provide sustainable returns in the long term.”
Frances O’Grady, the secretary general of the Trades Union Congress, called on the Government to scrap all its contracts with DP World. “DP World have been allowed to get away scot-free with behaving like corporate gangsters,” she said.“These eye-watering profits have come off the back of P&O illegally sacking hundreds of dedicated staff. They are an insult to common decency.
Read more: Dover mum ‘destroyed and devastated’ after losing and carrying unborn baby for two weeks
“Ministers should have stripped DP world of all their lucrative public contracts and severed all commercial ties with the company. But now they too are using the P&O playbook.
“Having slammed P&O for replacing experienced workers with agency staff, Grant Shapps has passed laws that will allow employers to bus in agency workers during strikes. At a time when the cost of living is soaring and wages are falling, the Conservative government wants to make it much harder for people to win better pay and conditions.”
P&O Ferries sparked public anger and was hauled in front of MPs to answer questions when it sacked hundreds of workers without notice in March.
During the hearings in Parliament the business admitted that it had broken the law that would have forced them to give notice of the firings. This was because no unions would have accepted its new proposals, bosses said at the time.
Sign up to get the latest stories from Kent direct into your inbox here.
READ NEXT: | https://www.kentlive.news/news/kent-news/fury-po-ferries-makes-record-7484430 | 2022-08-19T10:14:19Z | kentlive.news | control | https://www.kentlive.news/news/kent-news/fury-po-ferries-makes-record-7484430 | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
The parents of Kent 22-year-old, Jack Fenton, have spoken of their fury at having to defend their son who was tragically killed when he was hit by a helicopter’s rear rotor. Miguel and Tori Fenton have been left devastated at the death of their “very funny, thoughtful, caring, absolutely gorgeous hearted” son while in Greece.
Jack had been on holiday with friends when the accident happened in July. His parents were left angry when investigators initially said the Oxford Brookes student had ignored safety instructions and claimed he was taking a selfie by the spinning blades, which is what caused his death, the Mirror reports.
Following further investigations, these allegations have been withdrawn. Tori told ITV News about the moment they realised the tragedy had happened: “We were completely gobsmacked and horrified... His supper was in the fridge and the back door was unlocked for him.”
Speaking about the suggestion he was taking a selfie when he was killed, Tori said: “We’re having to defend our son and we shouldn’t have to, we know he’s not that stupid.
“Everyone that was there said it was nothing of the sort and it makes me angry.”
Miguel said even though they were not there when the accident happened, it is “brutal in every manner to imagine it even though you weren’t there. Don’t ever want to think that of your child”.
Jack’s parents are desperate for answers but say they are yet to hear from the Greek authorities about what happened and investigators there say they won’t comment until their inquiry is complete.
Miguel added: “There are glaring errors, massive errors, which were taken. Jack is a wonderful boy with everything going for him and his life ended like that. He said he and Jack would “constantly” message one another when apart and the gap he’s left in their lives is “unreal.”
He added: “The thought that ‘that’s it, we’re never going to have that communication again’.... it doesn’t get worse than that,” Tori added.
Crying while speaking, Jack’s father said they won’t ever get over it and it’s a scary path that they will have to take forever. Miguel said he was sick several times after learning his son was gone.
Robin Stanton-Gleaves, the chairman of Bromley football club and the father of Mr Fenton’s school friend, Jack Stanton-Gleaves, accompanied the six boys on the luxury holiday in Mykonos. Mr Stanton-Gleaves’ son saw what happened after the helicopter landed and told his Dad what happened.
“It is appalling, this is a preventable accident. Because if they disembark their helicopter and they turn the helicopter off, Jack would still be alive today,” the football chairman said.
He said he was keen for the truth to get out there and that the group were not escorted off the helicopter as they should have been
“They literally stepped off the helicopter. My son turned as he heard the sound and then he witnessed what he witnessed,” he added on Good Morning Britain.
Sign up to get the latest stories from Kent direct into your inbox here.
READ NEXT: | https://www.kentlive.news/news/kent-news/jack-fentons-parents-fury-having-7484568 | 2022-08-19T10:14:29Z | kentlive.news | control | https://www.kentlive.news/news/kent-news/jack-fentons-parents-fury-having-7484568 | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Kent is set for a mixture of weather conditions today (August 19), with cloud, rain and even some "sunny spells" expected across the region. With temperatures still sitting at a warm 25C, it does seem like the summer weather isn't yet ready to pack its bags, much to the delight of many.
Despite temperatures expected to become "very warm" again over the next few weeks, this hasn't stopped the weather conditions in the county chopping and changing continuously over this last week thanks to the UK thunderstorms. With a mix of sunshine, moody skies and heavy rainfall, the county has experienced weather conditions from every season over just one week, and today is no different.
With areas such as Dover preparing for cloud and "heavy showers", with sunny intervals appearing later this afternoon, other areas such as near Kent International Airport are only set for "light showers", a stark difference across the region. However, with temperatures nestled at around 25C, the rain will not bring the cooler temperatures, no matter how much some people may wish for it.
READ MORE: United States Air Force F-15 jets spotted thundering across Kent skies
Commenting on today's weather, a Met Office spokesperson read: "Cloudy start with showery rain in the east, locally heavy. Gradually turning brighter from the west with sunny spells and just the odd light afternoon shower possible. Warm. Maximum temperature 26C."
With sunnier conditions expected over the next few days, it is unlikely that much more heavy rain will be felt across the region for quite some time. And with this week's thunderstorms well and truly behind us, Kent can look to enjoy what is left of the summer period.
Outlook for the south east
Today:
Cloudy start with showery rain in the east, locally heavy. Gradually turning brighter from the west with sunny spells and just the odd light afternoon shower possible. Warm. Maximum temperature 26C.
Tonight:
It will be dry overnight with long clear spells developing. Winds will be generally light across the region, with a noticeably cooler feeling night for most. Minimum temperature 11C.
Saturday:
A dry and sunny start, cloudier into the afternoon perhaps with an isolated light shower possible in places, but still with sunny spells. Warm. Maximum temperature 25C.
Outlook for Sunday to Tuesday:
Sunday, mostly dry with sunny spells, and generally light winds. Monday, dry start but rain and some stronger winds will move east. Tuesday, occasional showers and some bright spells.
We’re on the hunt for the best beach in Kent - and you can vote for your favourite now. Have your say here
Get more news from KentLive straight to your inbox for free HERE .
READ NEXT:
Bus companies announce the 20 Kent routes they are set to axe
Tory rivals face hustings as Truss accused of wanting ‘devastating cuts’
Tesco causes fury as supermarket giant looks to ditch staff checkouts completely
The cheapest online supermarket in the UK named - and the most expensive
New 'first of its kind' Dover ferry service will take passengers across Channel in fast catamarans | https://www.kentlive.news/news/kent-news/kent-weather-overcast-skies-temperatures-7483830 | 2022-08-19T10:14:39Z | kentlive.news | control | https://www.kentlive.news/news/kent-news/kent-weather-overcast-skies-temperatures-7483830 | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
A huge emergency response has been pictured in Tonbridge this morning (August 19). Police vehicles, including a forensic investigation van, have been in attendance along Avebury Avenue.
The road is located just off the main High Street, and pictures from this morning show a police cordon in place. In a statement posted on their Facebook page, local councillors Mark Hood and Paul Stepto said: "There has been a very serious incident overnight in Avebury Avenue which has required its closure today while the Police investigation continues and their forensic team attends.
"Please be very careful when using Barden Road as it is effectively two way without traffic control which is causing problems and this has been raised with Kent Police who have closed several footpaths in the area too."
READ MORE: Concerns over traffic increase in Tonbridge after Iceland Food Warehouse opening
KentLive has contacted Kent Police and the South East Coast Ambulance Service for more information and will keep you updated on anything when confirmed.
Follow our live blog below for further updates.
11am update
Here's all we know about the incident in Tonbridge so far:
- Police vehicles have been pictured along Avebury Avenue
- The road has been closed
- A forensic team has been in attendance
- Police and ambulance have been contacted for further information
Avebury Avenue
Police have been pictured along Avebury Avenue this morning, which is in close proximity to Tonbridge High Street.
Take a look at the interactive map below, courtesy of Google Maps, to view its location.
Welcome
Welcome to our live blog. We'll be bringing you further updates as we get them. | https://www.kentlive.news/news/kent-news/live-updates-huge-emergency-response-7484659 | 2022-08-19T10:14:50Z | kentlive.news | control | https://www.kentlive.news/news/kent-news/live-updates-huge-emergency-response-7484659 | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
As inflation hit a 40-year high of 10.1 per cent on Wednesday (August 17), a warning has been issued over the cost of beer, which could be about to soar to as much as £9 in some parts of the UK by 2023. Currently, the average pint in London averages £5.50 according to finder.com, while the priciest pint can be as much as £8.
However, this could increase in the coming months if inflation continues to rise. The potential rise to £9 a pint is one of many skyrocketing prices British consumers are experiencing right now. Supermarket items, fuel, and energy bills are all casualties of the cost of living crisis.
Many households are being left to make difficult decisions about their monthly budgets, giving up luxuries and cutting back on essentials. The warning of beer pint increases is just one symptom of a larger problem, reports Liverpool Echo.
Read more: Inflation soars to new 40-year high as economists predict it will get even worse
Karl Chessell, of food and drink research consultancy CGA, said: "The double whammy of cost and availability issues is piling huge pressure on operators' margins. Combined with the growing cost-of-living crisis for consumers, it means trading conditions will be very tough over the remainder of 2022."
The cost-of-living crisis has been a key topic of debate in the Conservative leadership election, with both Rishi Sunak and Liz Truss putting forward their own solutions. This comes as new figures showed a worse-than-expected month in July with the Consumer Prices Index inflation (CPI) reaching 10.1 per cent, Birmingham Live reports.
ONS chief economist Grant Fitzner said: "A wide range of price rises drove inflation up again this month. Food prices rose notably, particularly bakery products, dairy, meat and vegetables, which was also reflected in higher takeaway prices.
"Price rises in other staple items, such as pet food, toilet rolls, toothbrushes and deodorants, also pushed up inflation in July. Driven by higher demand, the price for package holidays rose, after falling at the same time last year, while air fares also increased.
"The cost of both raw materials and goods leaving factories continued to rise, driven by the price of metals and food respectively."
Read next:
- Morrisons delights shoppers on shoestring budget as supermarket follows in Asda's footsteps
- NHS bosses warn of sickness and illness outbreaks in UK unless action taken over soaring energy bills
- Iceland will allow customers to pay for food in instalments amid cost of living crisis
- Seven sewage warnings issued along Kent coast after storm including Whitstable, Folkestone and Sheerness
- Minister Therese Coffey accused of deliberately trying to hide impact of welfare reforms | https://www.kentlive.news/news/uk-world-news/pints-beer-months-away-rising-7484163 | 2022-08-19T10:15:00Z | kentlive.news | control | https://www.kentlive.news/news/uk-world-news/pints-beer-months-away-rising-7484163 | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
This article will try to cover, to whom to report sexual harassing issues on ships to, if there is a harsh decision towards victim who file this claim and if such sexual hugness really effects crew lives. Someone recently told their captain their cowotkr would prefer it’ the other crew members onboard to sex him up and have th...e pleasure they desiied on my husband' I found you when i looked at 2 websites a little too long 3 Home Recipes Chila\nNever try a sweet like you don' it with coke or pepr... but here\nMine.it like never before.. just one try... it gv ♥ n huh... you love\nme ... Chila...\nchawri da laddu,chaloda ladedu gaya\nThe following recipe does make about three dozen cookies but that variegates in different quantities by reducing some other quantities according to need YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK, Wyo. (AP) — Yellowstone National Park officials are investigating after a park employee spotted part of a foot, in a shoe, floating in a hot spring in the southern part of the park, officials said Thursday.
Tuesday's discovery at Abyss Pool led to the temporary closure of the West Thumb Geyser Basin and its parking lot. The area has since reopened.
The park did not have any other information about the investigation to make public on Thursday, park spokesperson Morgan Warthin said.
Abyss Pool, located west of the West Thumb of Yellowstone Lake, is 53 feet (16 meters) deep and the temperature is about 140 degrees Fahrenheit (60 Celsius), park officials said. It is on the south side of the southern loop through the park.
In such hot springs, superheated water cools as it reaches the surface, sinks and is replaced by hotter water from below. The circulation prevents the water from reaching the temperature needed to set off an eruption like happens with geysers in the park, according to the park's website. | https://www.fox17online.com/news/national-news/part-of-a-foot-in-a-shoe-spotted-in-yellowstone-hot-spring | 2022-08-19T10:19:33Z | fox17online.com | control | https://www.fox17online.com/news/national-news/part-of-a-foot-in-a-shoe-spotted-in-yellowstone-hot-spring | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
- Elacestrant, if approved, would be the first oral selective estrogen receptor degrader (SERD) to be available for patients suffering from second-line (2L) and third-line (3L) ER+/HER2- advanced or metastatic breast cancer in the European Union
- Submission supported by results from the pivotal Phase 3 EMERALD study showing a statistically significant difference in the efficacy in favor of elacestrant over current standard-of-care (SOC) medications for both the overall study population and patients whose tumors harbor an ESR1 mutation
FLORENCE, Italy and NEW YORK, Aug. 19, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- The Menarini Group ("Menarini"), a privately held Italian pharmaceutical and diagnostics company, and Stemline Therapeutics ("Stemline"), a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Menarini Group, today announced that EMA has validated the Marketing Authorization Application (MAA) for elacestrant, a selective estrogen receptor degrader (SERD), for patients with ER+/HER2- advanced or metastatic breast cancer. Validation of the application confirms the submission is complete and begins EMA's centralized review procedure.
"There is a major unmet need in the treatment of advanced or metastatic ER+/HER2- breast cancer after resistance builds in the earlier lines of treatment" commented Elcin Barker Ergun, Chief Executive Officer of the Menarini Group. "The acceptance of our application for review by the EMA represents a significant step for our company and we look forward to working with the agency to potentially bring elacestrant to patients suffering from second and third line ER+/HER2- advanced or metastatic breast cancer in Europe."
The Phase 3 EMERALD study (NCT03778931) evaluated elacestrant compared to SOC endocrine monotherapy (investigators' choice of either fulvestrant or an aromatase inhibitor) in ER+/HER2- advanced or metastatic breast cancer patients. The study results were recently published online in the Journal of Clinical Oncology (JCO) on May 18, 2022. Further post-hoc analysis from the study will be presented at the European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO) Congress 2022 taking place September 9-13, 2022, in Paris, France.
The Menarini Group obtained global licensing rights for elacestrant in July 2020 from Radius Health, Inc, who conducted and successfully completed the EMERALD study. Based on the positive phase 3 data, Stemline submitted a MAA to EMA on July 27, 2022. The regulatory review for elacestrant is also underway in the US as the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has recently accepted a new drug application for elacestrant designating a priority review. The Menarini Group is now fully responsible for global registration, commercialization and further development activities for elacestrant.
About Elacestrant (RAD1901) and the EMERALD Phase 3 Study
Elacestrant is an investigational selective estrogen receptor degrader (SERD). In 2018, elacestrant received Fast Track designation from the FDA. Preclinical studies completed prior to EMERALD indicate that the compound has the potential for use as a single agent or in combination with other therapies for the treatment of breast cancer. The EMERALD Phase 3 trial is a randomized, open label, active-controlled study evaluating elacestrant as second- or third-line monotherapy in ER+/HER2- advanced/metastatic breast cancer patients. The study enrolled 477 patients who had received prior treatment with one or two lines of endocrine therapy, including a CDK 4/6 inhibitor. Patients in the study were randomized to receive either elacestrant or the investigator's choice of an approved hormonal agent. The primary endpoint of the study was progression-free survival (PFS) in the overall patient population and in patients with estrogen receptor 1 gene (ESR1) mutations. Secondary endpoints included evaluation of overall survival (OS), objective response rate (ORR), and duration of response (DOR) and safety.
About The Menarini Group
The Menarini Group is a leading international pharmaceutical and diagnostics company, with a turnover of over $4 billion and over 17,000 employees. Menarini is focused on therapeutic areas with high unmet needs with products for cardiology, oncology, pneumology, gastroenterology, infectious diseases, diabetology, inflammation, and analgesia. With 18 production sites and 9 Research and Development centers, Menarini's products are available in 140 countries worldwide. For further information, please visit www.menarini.com
About Stemline
Stemline Therapeutics, a wholly-owned subsidiary of The Menarini Group, is a commercial-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on the development and commercialization of novel oncology therapeutics. Stemline commercializes a novel targeted treatment directed to CD123 for patients with blastic plasmacytoid dendritic cell neoplasm (BPDCN) in the United States and Europe which is also being evaluated as monotherapy and in combination with other agents, in additional clinical trials for a variety of other indications. Stemline has an extensive clinical pipeline of small molecules and biologics in various stages of development for a host of solid and hematologic cancers.
About Radius
Radius is a global biopharmaceutical company focused on addressing unmet medical needs in the areas of bone health, neuro-orphan diseases, and oncology. Radius' lead product, TYMLOS® (abaloparatide) injection, was approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for the treatment of postmenopausal women with osteoporosis at high risk for fracture.
Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/652491/MENARINI_Group_Logo.jpg
View original content:
SOURCE Menarini Industrie Farmaceutiche Riunite | https://www.wbko.com/prnewswire/2022/08/19/menarini-groups-elacestrant-marketing-authorization-application-accepted-review-by-european-medicines-agency-ema-treatment-erher2-advanced-or-metastatic-breast-cancer/ | 2022-08-19T10:27:57Z | wbko.com | control | https://www.wbko.com/prnewswire/2022/08/19/menarini-groups-elacestrant-marketing-authorization-application-accepted-review-by-european-medicines-agency-ema-treatment-erher2-advanced-or-metastatic-breast-cancer/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Nearly three quarters of US farmers say this year’s drought is hurting their harvest — with significant crop and income loss, according to a new survey by the American Farm Bureau Federation, an insurance company and lobbying group that represents agricultural interests.
This year’s drought conditions are taking a harder toll than last year’s, as 37% of farmers said they are plowing through and killing existing crops that won’t reach maturity because of dry conditions. That’s a jump from 24% last year, according to the survey.
July was the third-hottest on record for the US and ranked in the top 10 for every state in the West except for Montana, according to the National Centers for Environmental Information. The US Department of Agriculture’s weekly weather and crop bulletin ending the week of August 6 reported “rapidly intensifying drought gripped the central and southern Plains and mid-South, depleting topsoil moisture and significantly stressing rangeland, pastures, and various summer crops.”
The AFBF estimates nearly 60% of West, South and Central Plains are experiencing severe drought or higher this year.
“The effects of this drought will be felt for years to come, not just by farmers and ranchers but also by consumers. Many farmers have had to make the devastating decision to sell off livestock they have spent years raising or destroy orchard trees that have grown for decades,” said Zippy Duvall, AFBF president.
The AFBF survey was conducted across 15 states from June 8 to July 20 in extreme drought regions from Texas to North Dakota to California, which makes up nearly half of the country’s agricultural production value.
In California — a state with high fruit and nut tree crops — 50% of farmers in the state said they had to remove trees and multiyear crops due to drought, the survey revealed, which will affect future revenue. And 33% of all US farmers said they’ve had to do the same, nearly double the number from last year.
Selling off herds
Farmers in Texas are being forced to sell off their cattle herds earlier than normal due to extreme drought — as water sources dry out and grass burns up. Farmers in the Lone Star state reported the largest reduction in herd size, down 50%, followed by New Mexico and Oregon at 43% and 41% respectively.
“We haven’t had this kind of movement of cows to market in a decade, since 2011, which was our last really big drought,” said David Anderson, a professor of Agricultural Economics at Texas A&M told CNN last month.
Access to water for livestock has been a key issue for farmers and ranchers this year, with 57% reporting local restrictions on water use, compared to 50% of farmers last year. Key water sources in places like Lake Mead and Lake Powell — which are running below 30% of their full capacity — typically provide water to 5.5 million acres of land in seven western states according to the AFBF.
On Tuesday, the federal government announced the Colorado River will operate in a Tier 2 shortage condition for the first time starting in January. That means means Arizona, Nevada and Mexico will have to further reduce their water usage from Colorado River.
High inflation makes it harder for ranchers to salvage their land. The cost of diesel is falling but is still high, making it significantly more expensive to truck in additional water than in years past. The price of fertilizer for grass and crops and feed for animals also remains expensive.
Consumer impact
US consumers can expect to spend more on certain food products because of the drought, according to the report.
“For cattle and beef, once the market processes the excess animals sent to slaughter and has a smaller breeding herd to operate off of- [price increases] could be six months to well over a year. For specialty crops it could be immediate upon harvest,” said Daniel Munch, an economist at the American Farm Bureau Federation.
Fruits, nuts, and vegetables overwhelmingly come from states that with high levels of drought. But farmers have been forced to forgo planting or destroy orchards. This will “will likely result in American consumers paying more for these goods and either partially relying on foreign supplies or shrinking the diversity of items they buy at the store,” the report states.
For example, California grows 80% of the world’s supply of almonds — limiting other places US consumers can buy the popular nut. And shifting where almonds can grow is not easy — as the crop needs a specific climate and soil.
“In general, the outlook for the 2022 crop volume is more pessimistic than a month ago and much more than two months ago,” a July report from The Almond Board of California notes. The key culprits were drought, low water supply, and the removal of orchards.
The Bureau of Labor Statistic’s August inflation report shows US consumers are spending 9.3% more on fruits and vegetables from a year ago.
The-CNN-Wire™ & © 2022 Cable News Network, Inc., a WarnerMedia Company. All rights reserved.
Join the Conversation
We invite you to use our commenting platform to engage in insightful conversations about issues in our community. We reserve the right at all times to remove any information or materials that are unlawful, threatening, abusive, libelous, defamatory, obscene, vulgar, pornographic, profane, indecent or otherwise objectionable to us, and to disclose any information necessary to satisfy the law, regulation, or government request. We might permanently block any user who abuses these conditions. | https://www.pasadenastarnews.com/2022/08/18/u-s-farmers-are-killing-their-own-crops-and-selling-cows-because-of-extreme-drought/ | 2022-08-19T10:34:37Z | pasadenastarnews.com | control | https://www.pasadenastarnews.com/2022/08/18/u-s-farmers-are-killing-their-own-crops-and-selling-cows-because-of-extreme-drought/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
By Michael Tarm | Associated Press
CHICAGO — A woman who has been central to R. Kelly’s legal troubles for more than two decades testified Thursday that the R&B singer sexually abused her “hundreds” of times before she turned 18 years old, starting when she was 15.
Jane — the pseudonym for the now 37-year-old woman at Kelly’s trial on child pornography and obstruction of justice charges — told jurors that in the late 1990s when she was 13, she asked the Grammy award-winning singer to be her godfather because she saw him as an inspiration and mentor.
She said within weeks, Kelly would call her and say sexual things. She said he first touched her breasts and other parts of her body when she was around 14 at a Chicago recording studio, and that around that time, he “started penetration” at his home at his North Side Chicago home. She told jurors she was 15 when they first had intercourse. Kelly, 55, would have been around 30 years old at the time.
Asked by a prosecutor how she would know what to do sexually, Jane answered, “He would tell me what to do.” Asked how many times they had sex before she turned 18, she answered quietly: “Uncountable times. … Hundreds.”
Kelly, who is serving a 30-year prison sentence for his conviction in a New York this year on federal charges alleging he used his fame to sexually abuse fans, is standing trial in his hometown of Chicago on several other federal charges. Among the most serious is conspiracy to obstruct justice by allegedly rigging a 2008 trial on state child pornography charges stemming from a purported video of him and Jane having sex when she was underage.
Prosecutors say Kelly paid off and threatened Jane to ensure that she didn’t testify at that trial. She didn’t, and he was ultimately acquitted.
Kelly is also standing trial on charges of producing child pornography and enticing minors for sex.
Unlike at the 2008 trial, Jane cooperated with prosecutors leading up to the current trial and is a pivotal witness.
During opening statements Wednesday, prosecutor Jason Julien sought to prepare jurors for the testimony of accusers including Jane, reminding them that a core issue at trial remained the exploitation of often scared and confused children — even though the accusers who would speak to jurors are now grown adults.
Speaking softly and tentatively when she first took the stand Thursday, Jane described her upbringing in a musical family in a Chicago suburb, including that she was home-schooled because she was in a touring musical group that she joined when she was about 12.
Jane first met Kelly in the late 1990s when she was in junior high school. She had tagged along to Kelly’s Chicago recording studio with her aunt, a professional singer who worked with Kelly. Soon after that meeting, Jane told her parents that Kelly was going to be her godfather.
As her testimony continued, Jane sounded calmer and steadier, answering questions matter-of-factly.
Prosecutors have said Kelly shot the video of Jane in a log cabin-themed room at his North Side Chicago home between 1998 and 2000. In it, the girl is heard calling the man “daddy.” Federal prosecutors say that she and Kelly had sex hundreds of times over the years in his homes, recording studios and tour buses.
Kelly, who rose from poverty on Chicago’s South Side to become a star singer, songwriter and producer, knew a conviction in 2008 would effectively end his life as he knew it, and so prosecutors say he conspired to fix that trial.
According to prosecutors, Kelly told the parents and Jane to leave Chicago, paying for them to travel to the Bahamas and Cancun, Mexico. When they returned, prosecutors say Kelly sought to isolate Jane, moving her around to different hotels. When called before a state grand jury looking into the video, Jane, her father and mother denied it was her in it.
Tears streamed down his faced on June 13, 2008, when he was acquitted on all counts of child pornography. Some of the jurors told reporters after the trial that they weren’t convinced that the female in the video was who state prosecutors said she was.
Before the 2008 trial, Kelly carried a duffle bag full of sex tapes everywhere he went for years, but some tapes later went missing, according to court filings. In the 2000s, bootleg copies of some videos appeared on street corners throughout the U.S.
In the early 2000s, the aunt showed the parents a copy of a video she said depicted their daughter having sex with Kelly. When they confronted Kelly, he told them, “You’re with me or against me,” a government filing says.
The parents took it as a threat.
Kelly, who has denied any wrongdoing, has been trailed for decades by complaints and allegations about his sexual behavior. The scrutiny intensified after the #MeToo era and the 2019 six-part documentary “Surviving R. Kelly.”
Kelly also faces four counts of enticement of minors for sex — one each for four other accusers. They, too, are expected to testify.
Prosecutors told jurors that the evidence includes at least three videos showing Kelly having sex with underage girls.
Two Kelly associates, Derrel McDavid and Milton Brown, are co-defendants. McDavid is accused of helping Kelly fix the 2008 trial, while Brown is charged with receiving child pornography. Like Kelly, they also have denied wrongdoing.
Join the Conversation
We invite you to use our commenting platform to engage in insightful conversations about issues in our community. We reserve the right at all times to remove any information or materials that are unlawful, threatening, abusive, libelous, defamatory, obscene, vulgar, pornographic, profane, indecent or otherwise objectionable to us, and to disclose any information necessary to satisfy the law, regulation, or government request. We might permanently block any user who abuses these conditions. | https://www.pasadenastarnews.com/2022/08/18/woman-describes-frequent-abuse-by-r-kelly-before-she-was-18/ | 2022-08-19T10:34:39Z | pasadenastarnews.com | control | https://www.pasadenastarnews.com/2022/08/18/woman-describes-frequent-abuse-by-r-kelly-before-she-was-18/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Pentagon's bridge to tech's private sector
In the four years that he led the Defense Innovation Unit, tasked with bringing the fruits of commercial tech world to the U.S. military, Michael Brown says he added more than 100 new vendors to the Pentagon roster.
Yes, but: Brown tells Axios that the Pentagon needs to make more structural changes in how it buys equipment if it really wants to take advantage of commercial technology.
Why it matters: Brown is exiting the Pentagon when his term ends in September, and the agency is actively seeking a replacement, marking a key crossroads for the unit and its efforts.
Catch up quick: The Defense Innovation Unit (DIU) was created in 2015 by then Defense Secretary Ash Carter with the goal of opening up the Pentagon technology acquisition process — particularly to smaller firms discouraged by the cordon of rules and red tape selling to the military has traditionally required.
The big picture: The Defense Department was once at the leading edge of developing key new technologies, including the internet itself, but today most innovation is happening outside its direct sphere of influence. That's why the Pentagon aims to forge new bridges to the private sector.
- By the end of the decade, Brown says there will be 1000 commercial satellites for every one owned by the government. And today, he notes, the U.S. military accounts for less than one percent of semiconductor consumption.
- Private companies have also led the development of other new technologies that the military has their eye on, including drones and AI
- "If we're not taking advantage of that in the military, my goodness, our adversaries are going to be taking advantage of that commercial technology, because unfortunately that's available to everyone," Brown said.
Between the lines: Brown says he kept running into the same challenge: the military's process for buying equipment. "We're still in a large sense buying things the same way we did 50 or 60 years ago," he said.
- It takes three years of planning to spend $1, he found. Money that is going to be spent in 2024 has to be planned for this year. "That might work well for an F-35," Brown said, noting it doesn't change from year to year. "But for the technologies we're talking about — the commercial world — that's nonsensical."
- The Pentagon typically crafts a specific set of requirements, rather than asking for the best drone or AI algorithm available at the time it's buying, Brown says.
The budget for the military is also too rigid, he said. Money can't be moved around as needed, the way it could when he was running tech companies in Silicon Valley, most recently Symantec.
- "In the private sector, it's all green," Brown said. "In the DoD, money isn't always money. There are restrictions referred to as 'colors 'of money — you are limited to how things are moved around."
Brown heaps praise on the Pentagon's "fantastic" people, both military and civilian, but he adds, "The constraints we put them under are unforgivable."
Be smart: Tech companies' willingness to do business with the military is not always a given, though Brown says that has become less of an issue.
Today's startups, he says, are often happy to diversify their businesses, while large companies have become less reluctant to take on Pentagon work.
- There's also growing awareness in the U.S. about the need for a supply chain focused on domestic production and allied nations, rather than sourcing from all over the globe, particularly China.
- "The military does a lot more than blow things up," he said. "There’s a wide variety of missions the military does. We owe it to the folks in the military to give them the best tools."
What's next: Brown said he'd like to see the Pentagon take the approaches and thinking pioneered inside the DIU and extend them throughout the military — or as he puts it, taking the two-lane road his team built and turning it into a superhighway.
- In such a world, you might not even need the Defense Innovation Unit. Don't expect that any time soon, though. Brown says: "I don’t think I’d be worried about the next director's job security. We’re not close to that right now." | https://www.axios.com/2022/08/19/pentagon-tech-private-sector-defense-innovation | 2022-08-19T10:34:44Z | axios.com | control | https://www.axios.com/2022/08/19/pentagon-tech-private-sector-defense-innovation | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Why all those Trump documents exist in the form of physical paper
The FBI's seizure of 11 sets of classified documents from Mar-a-Lago has raised a litany of questions about presidential records. One of those questions: Why, in the era of digital everything, is the U.S. government still relying so heavily on paper in the first place?
The answer: Much of the classified bureaucracy remains a paper world due in no small part to the security vulnerabilities associated with standard commercial devices, national security lawyer Bradley Moss tells Axios.
- Classified databases and email accounts that meet the federal government's cybersecurity requirements exist, of course, but they generally require sitting at a terminal and viewing the information on a screen. Paper can be a lot easier to work with in a meeting.
- The President's Daily Brief — a comprehensive and highly classified written summary of U.S. intelligence — was printed out onto physical paper every day until 2012, when it began to be administered via iPads that former President Obama and his inner circle could swipe through in the Oval Office.
That changed with Trump, a notorious technophobe with a short attention span who preferred to be briefed orally on a select few intelligence issues.
- "On most days, Trump's PDB comprised three one-page items describing new developments abroad, plus brief updates of ongoing crises in the Middle East," according to an account published by the CIA's Center for the Study of Intelligence.
- Despite his general resistance to studying intelligence, Trump reportedly sought to hold onto some of the more riveting documents he was personally interested in.
What they're saying: "Often the president would say [to intelligence briefers], 'Well, can I keep this?' And in my experience, the intelligence briefers most often would say, 'Well, sir, we'd prefer to take that back.' But sometimes they forgot," former national security adviser John Bolton told CBS News.
- Former acting chief of staff Mick Mulvaney corroborated that account, telling CNN: "From time to time, the president would say 'Can I keep this?'"
- The New York Times reported that when the National Archives sought to retrieve documents that he had taken, Trump resisted, telling advisers: "It’s not theirs, it’s mine."
Between the lines: The hectic final days of the administration, when Trump was consumed by the aftermath of Jan. 6 and his looming second impeachment, was the capstone for a president who had long skirted procedure for preserving records.
- "When the rushed packing of the West Wing occurred after Jan. 6, these documents were no doubt still sitting around the residence," Moss said.
Why it matters: Former President Trump has survived a historic level of legal scrutiny over the past six years, fending off investigations that ensnared many of his top aides and allies. His downfall may ultimately stem from an archaic practice — preserving paper records — that he refused to approach like his predecessors. | https://www.axios.com/2022/08/19/trump-documents-mar-a-lago-fbi | 2022-08-19T10:34:57Z | axios.com | control | https://www.axios.com/2022/08/19/trump-documents-mar-a-lago-fbi | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
What we're driving: The all-electric Volvo C40 Recharge
I took an electric Volvo C40 Recharge on a road trip to fly-fishing country in northern Michigan last weekend.
Why it matters: I found out EV road trips are completely doable. You just have to plan ahead.
Details: Some friends invited my husband and me to their cottage along a stretch of the Au Sable river known as the "Holy Waters" for its incredible fly fishing.
- Their place is about 215 miles away from my home — technically within the Volvo's EPA-estimated range of 226 miles. But those numbers don't always equate to real-world performance, so I wasn't going to take any chances.
- I knew from talking to auto industry folks that a fast-charging station in the parking lot of a giant Meijer store just off I-75 in Bay City was a popular charging waypoint.
- I confirmed the location and directions with the embedded Chargepoint app on the Volvo's center touchscreen, which lists all available charging stations. The Plugshare app on my phone was another helpful resource.
How it worked: We left home with 92% battery range, good for 204 miles, according to the car's instrument panel. Two hours and 120 miles later, we exited I-75 at Bay City, with 37% left on the battery.
- The chargers were easy to find at the east end of the Meijer lot: there was a Tesla Supercharger station (with eight plugs) and an Electrify America station (with four).
- Anyone can charge at Electrify America, but Tesla's Supercharger is reserved for Tesla drivers. Both stations were busy, but we didn't have to wait.
- I swiped my credit card, plugged in the Volvo, and walked across the lot to do some shopping.
- By the time we returned, the car had charged from 37% to 86% in 36 minutes, which cost $19.14, including tax.
- Interestingly, a comparable gas-powered Volvo XC40 gets 30 miles per gallon, so that 120 miles would have cost less — $15.76, at Michigan's current $3.94 per gallon average gas price.
When we arrived at the cottage, we had a solid 44% left on the battery and decided to go kayaking, knowing we'd have to find a charger again the next day.
- There were several charging options in the small town of Grayling about six miles away, so we decided to hit a local brewery while we waited.
- Our trip home to Detroit was similar, but in reverse — we charged up again at Meijer and walked across the lot to grab some burgers at Culver's. Thirty minutes later, we had 180 miles of range (82%) and were ready to hit the road again.
What's needed: It struck me that freeway signs should add a symbol for upcoming EV chargers, like they do for food, gas, and hotels.
The bottom line: My 425-mile road trip in an EV was remarkably stress-free. | https://www.axios.com/2022/08/19/volvo-c40-recharge | 2022-08-19T10:35:09Z | axios.com | control | https://www.axios.com/2022/08/19/volvo-c40-recharge | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
APS, Fulton schools use technology to beef up security
With schools across metro Atlanta back in session, district leaders are taking various steps to keep students and staff safe.
Why it matters: The tragic school shooting in Uvalde, Texas, where a gunman killed 19 students and two teachers has districts across the country scrambling to improve security for the new academic year.
What's happening: Atlanta Public Schools will add more metal detectors in high-traffic areas at middle and high schools, schools police chief Ronald Appling told Axios.
- Appling said about $2.6 million has been budgeted for the project.
Next school year, Appling said the district will begin installing security vestibules at elementary schools that would redirect a visitor to the front office instead of having immediate access to classrooms.
In Fulton County, the district will install audible alarms on doors that are not used as the primary entrance and exit points at schools in the coming months.
- Fulton County Superintendent Mike Looney said he will ask the Board of Education in September to approve license plate readers to scan vehicles that come on school properties.
- "Of course, we can never guarantee that an event's not going to happen," Looney told Axios. "But our board is resolved to do everything that we reasonably can to make sure it doesn't."
Zoom out: The use of metal detectors is gaining traction in some districts. In metro Atlanta, Clayton County Schools plans to spend a little more than $5 million to install metal detectors in its middle and high schools, the AJC previously reported.
Yes, but: School districts should be mindful of how security measures like metal detectors can make students feel like they are being imprisoned, Thaddeus Johnson, an assistant professor of criminology & criminal justice at Georgia State University's Andrew Young School of Policy Studies, told Axios.
He noted such devices are often deployed in schools that have majority-minority populations.
- "We need school safety, and we need some measures, right?" Johnson said. "But we can't be over-policing our students who have already come from over-policed neighborhoods."
Get more local stories in your inbox with Axios Atlanta.
More Atlanta stories
No stories could be found
Get a free daily digest of the most important news in your backyard with Axios Atlanta. | https://www.axios.com/local/atlanta/2022/08/19/atlanta-fulton-public-schools-security | 2022-08-19T10:35:15Z | axios.com | control | https://www.axios.com/local/atlanta/2022/08/19/atlanta-fulton-public-schools-security | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Boston's dive bar deserts
Boston is a drinking city, and it's also an expensive one. That's why the humble dive bar has been a venerable institution for generations, helping out folks without enough money for the good stuff or with too much sense to overpay for it.
Enter Nick Roy, a 30-something network security worker with a dedication to helping thirsty misers find their nearest watering hole. He drew up the "Best Boston Dive Bars" map.
- The map features dozens of listings for affordable drinking and neighborhood conversation.
- It'll pinpoint your nearest dive using location data, and give directions even a seasoned sot can follow.
Why it matters: Rising costs are making consumers think twice about a $16 cocktail when a $6 mixed drink may be waiting for them just around the corner.
What they're saying: "Most of these bars have figured out ways to keep their prices down, and who doesn't need a cheaper drink or two with the way things are right now," Roy told Axios in an email.
Yes, but: You have to know where to look. Large swaths of the city have become deserts for these bars, including much of the Back Bay, Mission Hill and the Seaport outside Fort Point.
- There isn't a single dive on the map west of Dorchester Ave. through the entirety of Roxbury.
- Brookline is particularly bleak, with no locations.
The intrigue: Roy said he's added some bars to the map in an effort to cover the whole city, even if those establishments are a bit classier.
- He says a bar counts for his purposes if it "has the spirit of a dive bar, even if it's a little cleaned up." Having people downing PBRs at 10am on a Sunday is also a qualifier.
Some neighborhoods have managed to maintain their dives.
- Downtown has its fair share, with the Hub Pub, Sidebar, Biddy Early's and the Corner Pub.
- South Boston has too many to list, and college areas like Harvard Square, Allston-Brighton and Central Square are jam-packed.
Background: Roy started the project during the pandemic, and the map reached over 6,000 views in its first year.
- Roy said people at dive bars are just friendlier, and he maintains the map to show Bostonians that even though many of the classics have closed, there are still establishments carrying on their spirit.
- "I started an Instagram for the site and that takes most of the time, but I also get to go to dive bars so, I consider that a wash," Roy said.
What's next: Roy thinks it might be time to start planning the first Boston Dives meetup.
Steph's recommendation: The Tam is authentically low-key and grimy; the other so-called "dive bars" downtown are just try-hards with overpriced 'Gansett.
- Head over to watch the Red Sox lose, but leave before the Emerson students take over.
Deehan's recommendation: I'm not going to tell you where I hang out, since it's not on the map and I don't want you to know about it.
- But when downtown, I'll always be a Nelly's stan.
Get more local stories in your inbox with Axios Boston.
More Boston stories
No stories could be found
Get a free daily digest of the most important news in your backyard with Axios Boston. | https://www.axios.com/local/boston/2022/08/19/boston-dive-bar-deserts | 2022-08-19T10:35:34Z | axios.com | control | https://www.axios.com/local/boston/2022/08/19/boston-dive-bar-deserts | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
What to do this weekend
🍴 Feast from over 50 vendors during the Columbus Food Truck Festival at the Franklin County Fairgrounds in Hilliard.
- 4-11pm tonight, 11am-11pm Saturday, noon-7pm Sunday. $5 daily or $10 weekend pass.
⚾ Watch an interstate rivalry as the Clippers play the Mud Hens at Huntington Park. Promotions include meet-and-greets with Spider-Man and Kate Flannery, otherwise known as Meredith from "The Office."
- 7:05pm tonight and Saturday (with fireworks!), 4:05pm Sunday. $8-21.
🕵️ Explore the seedy side of history at Crime & Corruption at Ohio Village, with family-friendly activities linked to our state's criminal past.
- 10am-5pm Saturday, Sunday. $7-13. Kids 3 and under free!
🎉 Kick off a new tradition with CBUS Soul Fest, a celebration of Black culture, music and history at Bicentennial Park.
- 11am-11pm Saturday. Free!
🛍️ Search for timeless treasures at Ohio Vintage Fest, featuring over 100 vendors at the Ohio Expo Center.
- Noon-6pm Saturday. $5, plus $5 parking. Kids under 12 free!
Get more local stories in your inbox with Axios Columbus.
More Columbus stories
No stories could be found
Get a free daily digest of the most important news in your backyard with Axios Columbus. | https://www.axios.com/local/columbus/2022/08/19/what-to-do-weekend-columbus-aug-20 | 2022-08-19T10:35:53Z | axios.com | control | https://www.axios.com/local/columbus/2022/08/19/what-to-do-weekend-columbus-aug-20 | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Pennsylvania teachers get shortchanged
Pennsylvania public school teachers earn 15.2% less than their college-educated counterparts in other fields.
- That's according to a new report from the Economic Policy Institute, which advocates for fair pay for low- and middle-income workers.
Why it matters: Teacher shortages are hitting schools in Philly and across the country, and this pay gap can exacerbate shortages and discourage college students from entering the profession, the report says.
The big picture: The national pay gap between teachers and similarly educated non-teachers grew to a record 23.5% in 2021.
- Inflation-adjusted weekly wages for teachers have remained essentially flat over the decades, increasing just $29 from 1996 to 2021, the institute found.
- College graduates in other professions saw wages increase $445 in the same period.
Zoom in: First-year teacher salaries for those with only a bachelor's degree start at nearly $48,500 annually in the School District of Philadelphia.
Yes, but: The Pennsylvania teacher pay gap is not the absolute worst — Colorado's is 35.9%.
Get more local stories in your inbox with Axios Philadelphia.
More Philadelphia stories
No stories could be found
Get a free daily digest of the most important news in your backyard with Axios Philadelphia. | https://www.axios.com/local/philadelphia/2022/08/19/pennsylvania-teacher-pay-gap | 2022-08-19T10:36:44Z | axios.com | control | https://www.axios.com/local/philadelphia/2022/08/19/pennsylvania-teacher-pay-gap | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Weekender: Salsa dancing, festivals and pierogies
💃🏽 The Salsa and Bachata Dance Party will feature free dance lessons and a salsa band from 7-10pm on Friday at LOVE Park.
🎤 Get out your lawn chairs and blankets to watch free performances of "Dreamgirls" in Malcolm X Park in West Philly at 7pm on Friday, and 5pm on Saturday and Sunday.
🪕 The Philadelphia Folk Festival runs through Sunday and features dozens of artists at the Old Pool Farm in Montgomery County.
- Tickets vary depending on the day and package.
🐕 Dog Day of Summer in Manayunk will feature activities geared toward your four-legged friends, including a puppy park, caricatures and "paw readings." Plus, take advantage of sales and specials at select businesses and restaurants.
- Saturday from 11am-4pm in Manayunk.
🎉 Multicultural festivals are lined up for this weekend at Penn's Landing:
- Saturday: Festival of India, noon-7pm
- Sunday: Caribbean Festival, noon-8pm
🥟 The Port Richmond Pierogi Fest is from noon-6pm on Sunday. Enjoy dozens of vendors selling pierogies, drinks and crafts at Gaul and Co. Malt House.
🎭 Catch a showing of the musical "Dear Evan Hansen" playing at the Forrest Theatre through Aug. 28.
- Tickets: $67-142.
Get more local stories in your inbox with Axios Philadelphia.
More Philadelphia stories
No stories could be found
Get a free daily digest of the most important news in your backyard with Axios Philadelphia. | https://www.axios.com/local/philadelphia/2022/08/19/philly-weekend-things-to-do-august-19 | 2022-08-19T10:36:50Z | axios.com | control | https://www.axios.com/local/philadelphia/2022/08/19/philly-weekend-things-to-do-august-19 | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
17 mins ago - News
Buy this beaver den diorama
Ned here, minding my own business and browsing online government surplus auctions, as one does.
Why it matters: I stumbled across a listing for a massive diorama of a beaver den that Henrico County inexplicably wants to sell.
What's happening: It turns out the county has closed its nature center for updates, which apparently won't leave room for the 7-by-8-foot exposition on beaver habitats.
- "It's time for a refresh, and the beaver takes up a lot of space," Pam Kempf, a marketing specialist with the county, tells Axios.
- "We hope the beaver can find a new home!" she adds.
Threat level: So far, it's not looking so good for the beaver.
- The auction opened at $50 and has so far yielded no bids.
Get more local stories in your inbox with Axios Richmond.
More Richmond stories
No stories could be found
Get a free daily digest of the most important news in your backyard with Axios Richmond. | https://www.axios.com/local/richmond/2022/08/19/henrico-county-beaver-diorama-auction | 2022-08-19T10:37:03Z | axios.com | control | https://www.axios.com/local/richmond/2022/08/19/henrico-county-beaver-diorama-auction | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Virginia is the birthplace of barbecue
Sorry, North and South Carolina, Tennessee and probably parts of Georgia, but Southern barbecue was invented in Virginia.
What's happening: That's the argument countless food historians have been making for decades (there's even a book about it) and one that's gotten new life thanks to Deb Freeman, a Richmond-based food writer and podcaster who focuses on African American foodways.
Why it matters: Barbecue and barbecue tourism can drive millions of dollars for local economies — at least in the states that market it well, which Virginia doesn't.
- But, more importantly, the perfecting of this very American Southern food belongs not just to Virginia, but to the enslaved people who were the original pitmasters.
Details: American barbecue is a blend of traditions from Native Americans, European settlers and African and enslaved Black people, Freeman tells Axios.
- The cooking method — meat over a fire — came from Native Americans.
- The spices and vinegar for the baste and sauce were imported by European settlers.
- And the cooking, the perfecting of the sauce and recipes, the digging of the pit that's uniquely American, the chopping of the trees for the fire, the timing of the dish — those belong squarely in the hands of Black people.
And Black people were doing it first in Virginia.
Zoom in: The clearest evidence of Virginia's barbecue origin can be traced to the Founding Fathers — many of whom were from Virginia.
- George Washington was famously a barbecue lover and attended at least six barbecues between 1769 and 1774 — all in Virginia.
- Thomas Jefferson was a fan too, and he had a favorite sauce.
- In 2011, archaeologists unearthed a historic barbecue pit at James Madison's Montpelier.
Bolstering the case: Freeman, who first learned about Virginia's barbecue roots when researching an article, said she came across historic newspaper ads in North Carolina and Georgia promoting events with Virginia barbecue made by an enslaved person.
What they're saying: "Everyone wants to know where something starts. It's not North Carolina; it's not Kansas City; it's not Chicago," she says. It's Virginia.
The bottom line: It's equally important, Freeman says, to recognize the skill, labor and creativity of these early pitmasters in creating this very American dish — no matter which state claims the origin.
Get more local stories in your inbox with Axios Richmond.
More Richmond stories
No stories could be found
Get a free daily digest of the most important news in your backyard with Axios Richmond. | https://www.axios.com/local/richmond/2022/08/19/virginia-birthplace-barbecue | 2022-08-19T10:37:15Z | axios.com | control | https://www.axios.com/local/richmond/2022/08/19/virginia-birthplace-barbecue | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Hot homes: 5 D.C.-area homes for sale starting at $459k
This week's hot homes roundup features five properties between $459,900 and $10.5 million
1800 Wilson Blvd #302 - $459,900
Why we love it: This cozy condo is steps to the Rosslyn Metro, Metro bus stop, and a short walk to Clarendon-Courthouse and Georgetown.
- Neighborhood: Arlington
- Specs: 1 bedroom, 1 bathroom, 699 square feet
- Listed by: Steve Bingham at Redfin
- Features: Hardwood floors, garage parking, fitness center, in-unit washer/dryer.
4917 4th St. NW - $865,000
Why we love it: This brick colonial townhouse has spacious front and back porches for catching some fresh air or entertaining guests.
- Neighborhood: Petworth
- Specs: 4 bedrooms, 3.5 bathrooms, 2,075 square feet
- Listed by: Milissa Alonso and Antionette Watkins of Coldwell Banker Realty
- Features: Hardwood flooring, central A/C, recessed lighting.
4831 Reservoir Rd. NW - $1.3 million
Why we love it: In addition to the cool neon green door, this renovated rowhouse has a spacious recreation area and fourth bedroom on the lower level, ideal for an Airbnb rental or au pair suite.
- Neighborhood: Palisades
- Specs: 4 bedrooms, 3 bathrooms, 2,060 square feet
- Listed by: Ryan McKevitt at Long & Foster Real Estate
- Features: Hardwood flooring, in-unit washer/dryer, central A/C.
11007 Fawsett Rd. - $2.19 million
Why we love it: With three fully finished levels, this Craftsman-style home is designed for multigenerational, multifamily living.
- Neighborhood: Potomac
- Specs: 6 bedrooms, 6 bathrooms, 6,240 square feet
- Listed by: John Gregory and Delia McCormick at Washington Fine Properties
- Features: Two-car garage, two fireplaces, hardwood flooring, elevator.
2860 Woodland Dr. NW - $10.5 million
Why we love it: This renovated stone manor has an exclusive household space on the upper level that includes a recreation room, exercise room, sitting room, office, and full bathroom. This space is accessible from the elevator or a tucked-away staircase.
- Neighborhood: Mass. Ave. Heights
- Specs: 5 bedrooms, 8 bathrooms, 8,500 square feet
- Listed by: Robert Hryniewicki, Adam Rackliffe, and Christopher Leary of HRL Partners at Washington Fine Properties.
- Features: Two fireplaces, elevator, two car garage, swimming pool.
Get more local stories in your inbox with Axios Washington D.C..
More Washington D.C. stories
No stories could be found
Get a free daily digest of the most important news in your backyard with Axios Washington D.C.. | https://www.axios.com/local/washington-dc/2022/08/19/hot-homes-5-dc-area-homes-for-sale-starting-at-459k | 2022-08-19T10:37:39Z | axios.com | control | https://www.axios.com/local/washington-dc/2022/08/19/hot-homes-5-dc-area-homes-for-sale-starting-at-459k | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
The Rubells return to D.C. with long-awaited art museum
The long-awaited Rubell Museum just named D.C. arts veteran Caitlin Berry as its director, bringing it one step closer to opening this fall.
Why it matters: The contemporary art museum — funded by art world power couple Don and Mera Rubell and housed in the former Randall Junior High School building in Southwest — has been 10 years in the making.
The Rubells, who made their fortune thanks to Don’s brother Steve who ran the Studio 54 business, first took their legacy to Miami where they opened a museum “housed in a former Drug Enforcement Agency warehouse where the cocaine, cash, and Kalashnikovs that spelled Miami Vice were once stored,” according to the Washington Post.
- Their move into the Wynwood neighborhood of Miami has since spawned more art galleries, murals, and eateries.
This isn’t their first venture into D.C. In the early 2000s, they bought and redeveloped the Capitol Skyline Hotel, making it a popular destination for pool parties.
Their latest project: Transforming the old Randall Junior High School, which they bought more than ten years ago to house their extensive contemporary art collection.
- The school had been sitting untouched since 2006 when the Corcoran College of Art + Design bought it and then sold it to the Rubells amid an economic downturn. Since then, delays and changes in partnership have postponed an opening.
Berry joins the museum from the Cody Gallery at Marymount University in Arlington.
- Berry is on the board of the Tephra Institute of Contemporary Art in Reston and D.C.’s ArtTable chapter. She was also the director at Hemphill Fine Arts, a leading D.C. art gallery that often includes emerging artists.
The Rubell Museum, which will be free to D.C. residents, will open on October 29.
- "Part of the vision for preserving the historic Randall Junior High School building, a beloved local landmark, is to weave it back into the neighborhood and make it accessible to the entire community after many years of being closed," Berry told Axios over email.
Berry will work alongside the director of the Rubell Museum in Miami.
- In addition to contemporary art, Berry’s focus includes the Washington Color School, the 1950s-1970s abstract expressionist art movement that started in D.C., and mid-century African American art.
Get more local stories in your inbox with Axios Washington D.C..
More Washington D.C. stories
No stories could be found
Get a free daily digest of the most important news in your backyard with Axios Washington D.C.. | https://www.axios.com/local/washington-dc/2022/08/19/rubell-art-museum-long-awaited | 2022-08-19T10:37:46Z | axios.com | control | https://www.axios.com/local/washington-dc/2022/08/19/rubell-art-museum-long-awaited | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
The pair is down 0.4% on the day to 1.1878 at the moment and is poised for a third straight day of declines. The bounce higher after the US CPI data last week failed to breach the key trendline resistance (white line) and it has been one-way traffic since as the dollar recovers strongly through to this week.
On the pound side of the equation, we saw UK GDP suffer a contraction in Q2 and annual consumer inflation hitting a 40-year high above 10% in the past week. Retail sales data was slightly better today but it isn't as much comfort as the economic outlook remains rather dire to say the least.
The BOE has a fine balancing act to do and odds are, if the data worsens further in the months ahead, there is every chance we could see the door slowly being shut for the central bank to tighten policy further.
Considering that both central banks already gave a formal message that we are in the second-half of the tightening cycle, the trade for cable is very much a case of who folds first? The Fed or the BOE? In this instance, it looks very much like the latter.
As such, the path of least resistance is for the pair to move lower - all else being equal. Now, with the dollar picking up steam across the board, the next test is 1.1800 and the year's low at 1.1759. | https://www.forexlive.com/news/gbpusd-poised-for-a-retest-of-the-years-lows-20220819/ | 2022-08-19T10:39:53Z | forexlive.com | control | https://www.forexlive.com/news/gbpusd-poised-for-a-retest-of-the-years-lows-20220819/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Readers' Letters: It’s wrong to claim nationalism is always bad
It suits the agenda of many who support the union – Richard Allison's letter yesterday was a typical example – to portray “nationalism” as universally bad. Current events in Eastern Europe demonstrate a much more nuanced concept at play.
On the one side, there is the premeditated aggression of an expansionist Russia – undoubtedly imperial nationalism of the worst kind. But on the other side, what of the resistance by Ukraine, as it seeks to maintain its territorial integrity and defend its people?
I struggle to see how any right-thinking person could speak out against the patriotic nationalism expressed by the defensive military actions taken by Ukraine and its people – actions supported by the overwhelming majority of the international community – as it fights tooth-and-nail for its right to continue to exist.
Or am I on the wrong side of history?
Most Popular
David Patrick, Edinburgh
Whose rights?
One of the characters in C J Sansom's book Dominion, who just happens to be Scottish, has some telling lines: “Whenever a party tells you national identity matters more than anything else in politics, that nationalism can sort out all the other problems, then watch out, because you’re on a road that can end with fascism.”
The recent scenes with the protesters in Perth were reminiscent of 1930s Germany. Such nationalism needs a hate figure and our SNP political figures have chosen “Tories” and “Westminster”. For the sake of Scotland, our politicians need to act responsibly and not incite the growing number of extremists with deliberately provocative rhetoric.
The response on behalf of Police Scotland was, to say the least, less than comforting, A spokesperson for the force said: “An appropriate policing plan was in place to maintain public safety and minimise disruption.
“Police Scotland is a rights-based organisation that puts our values of integrity, fairness, respect and a commitment to upholding human rights at the heart of everything we do.
“We have a duty under the European Convention on Human Rights to protect the rights of people who wish to peacefully protest or counter protest balanced against the rights of the wider community.”
Whose human rights were they protecting? Those who suffered loudmouthed verbal vitriol, were spat at and who had eggs thrown at them while attempting to participate in a lawful and peaceable activity ?
Fraser MacGregor, Edinburgh
Lead with law
"Police Scotland is a rights-based organisation that puts our values of integrity, fairness, respect and a commitment to upholding human rights at the heart of everything we do."
Is it? How lovely. I note the complete absence of any commitment to upholding the law from this statement, issued by Police Scotland after what David Linden MSP described as “morons” behaviour in Perth. It is little wonder morale in Police Scotland is so low with esoteric nonsense like this being spouted by their leaders. The oath sworn by every Scottish police officer concludes with “according to law” and that is what should be at the heart of everything they do.
Hamish Hossick, Broughty Ferry, Dundee
Peaceful demo
I agree with Jill Stephenson that it is good that the First Minister has condemned abuse by demonstrators in Perth, and I agree that the demonstrators may or may not be SNP members (Letters 18 August). The BBC’s website report shows demonstrators carrying Socialist Worker placards, and the banner saying “Tory Scum Out” does not advance debate.
But I don’t agree with her description of the demonstration outside BBC Scotland in September 2014. I haven’t found any evidence that this demonstration was “with Alex Salmond’s encouragement”. I listened to the BBC’s Nick Robinson ask Alex Salmond two questions at a press conference on 11 September 2014, and I heard Alex Salmond’s answers. However, on the same day’s News at Six Nick Robinson said: “He didn’t answer.” It was this incorrect statement which led to a peaceful protest at BBC Scotland. The BBC said at the time: “A large crowd gathered outside BBC Scotland’s Glasgow HQ to protest about coverage of the referendum. Police said up to 1,000 people took part.” Nick Robinson has since expressed regret for the way he reported this press conference.
E Campbell, Newton Mearns. East Renfrewshire
Call for decency
Why should we be surprised at the hatred being shown by Scottish nationalists in Perth with their “Tory scum” banner? Nationalism ultimately prioritises one group over others; one is superior, the others are inferior and the link between them is hate. The Nazis hated the Jews and Slavs; nationalist have shown that they hate the English and anyone opposed to breaking up Britain. Remember the incidents at the border on the A1 during Covid when nationalists harassed and intimated English people travelling into Scotland? Remember Nigel Farage being forced to flee under police protection in Edinburgh before the Brexit referendum? Remember the BBC's Nick Robinson being hounded by nationalists carrying professionally produced banners saying “Sack Nick Liar Robinson”, and then posting horrible tweets when Nick was diagnosed with cancer?
The SNP have tried to defuse nationalism's toxic brand by claiming it’s different from the others – it's “civic nationalism”. There's nothing civic about baying mobs, as former Labour leader Jim Murphy found during his pro-Union 100 town and village tour of Scotland before the Scottish referendum, when he was forced, at one point, to flee a violent crowd. Decent Scots should consider joining the Labour, Liberal or Conservative parties now to stop this behaviour, which is driving Scotland into the gutter.
William Loneskie, Oxton, Berwickshire
Party warfare
In a democracy it is impossible to stop small fringe elements such as The Scottish Resistance, Siol nan Gaidheal, Socialist Workers and some Alba supporters who appeared to cause the hostile abuse at Perth Concert Hall, but they are no help to the self-government cause when they become the story.
Ironically, the former Tory councillor John McLellan says he was told to get out of the country by someone with an English Estuary accent. Labour’s Angela Rayner called the Tories “Scum” and Tory Iain Duncan Smith was physically assaulted at the Tory Conference in October last year after violent demonstrations in Manchester, so Scottish politics is not unique.
Inside the Perth hall, STV reporter Colin Mackay was roundly booed by a hostile baying right wing mob of Tories when he asked difficult questions to the two would-be Prime Ministers.
Nicola Sturgeon has rightly condemned the actions of the idiots, but here is a question for Bruce Halliday (Letters, 18 August) – when have you ever heard a Tory leader challenged on or condemning the online abuse and death threats issued by Unionists?
Mary Thomas, Edinburgh
Patriot games?
SNP politicians should be part of the next Scottish team at the Commonwealth Games. The mental gymnastics they have displayed in trying to cartwheel themselves away from their even more bitter nationalistic progeny in Perth has been breathtaking. 10/10.
David Bone, Girvan, South Ayrshire
Cycle path
Cyclists, south of the Border, could be forced to have registration numbers, insurance and observe speed limits and there would be a new offence of death by dangerous cycling (your report, 17 August). This would be welcomed by the public, especially by those injured by cyclists riding on the pavement. Number plates and/or numbers on a hi-viz jacket would ensure that rogue cyclists could be reported to the police.
Unfortunately, Scotland, as usual, has to be different, since a Transport Scotland spokesman said that transport is devolved and “We have no plans to introduce registration plates for cyclists”. Of course, those with a vested interest such as Charity Cycling UK and transport groups, all paid for by the taxpayers, say that the plans are “impractical” and “strange”. E-scooters are about to be made legal on roads south of the Border and they will need number plates, insurance and hopefully have to pay to use the roads so if controls can be imposed on them then controls can easily be set up for cyclists.
Clark Cross, Linlithgow, West Lothian
Not so native
I did a double-take when I saw your article, “Gaelic bred: how a native tongue is embracing Scots wildlife incomers” (17 August). So, Gaelic is a native tongue? When did that happen? The only “native tongue” I can think of in Scotland is the one of which we have a written record in “Y Gododdin”. That tongue was a type of Old Welsh called Cumbric which is no longer spoken. It was gradually replaced in the south-east of Scotland by Old English from around 500AD and, in the west of Scotland, Gaelic appeared about a century later.
It seems that Gaelic has to make up lots of words for things like “ambulance” and “police” at great expense and no benefit to anyone, on emergency vehicles which operate in places like the Lothians and Borders, the Orkneys and the Shetlands, none of which are noted for having any Gaelic-speaking history. This results in made up words for the red-necked wallaby (uallabaidh ruadh-mhuinealach, apparently). Someone is taking the puish-mhuinealach.
Andrew H N Gray, Edinburgh
Write to The Scotsman
We welcome your thoughts. Write to [email protected] including name, address and phone number – we won't print full details. Keep letters under 300 words, with no attachments, and avoid 'Letters to the Editor/Readers’ Letters' or similar in your subject line. Do not send letters submitted elsewhere. If referring to an article, include date, page number and heading.
Subscribe
Subscribe at www.scotsman.com/subscriptions
Want to join the conversation? Please or to comment on this article. | https://www.scotsman.com/news/opinion/letters/readers-letters-its-wrong-to-claim-nationalism-is-always-bad-3811215 | 2022-08-19T10:51:22Z | scotsman.com | control | https://www.scotsman.com/news/opinion/letters/readers-letters-its-wrong-to-claim-nationalism-is-always-bad-3811215 | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Anyone who tells you otherwise is at the very least misinformed. More likely, they’re just lying.
Since the overturn of Roe v. Wade and the loss of abortion access in many states, some conservative leaders have suggested abortion is unnecessary because of the option of adoption. They argue people do not need to terminate unwanted pregnancies because they can seek adoption placements after giving birth.
Before the U.S. Supreme Court ruled to revoke the constitutional right to an abortion, U.S. Rep. Dan Crenshaw, R-Houston, tweeted, “Less abortion, more adoption. Why is that controversial?” In late June, Mike Pompeo, former U.S. secretary of state, tweeted, “Adoption, not abortion. With Roe overturned, we should find ways to make the adoption process in our country easier and safer.”
However, experts on adoption and abortion say offering adoption as a replacement for abortion access misrepresents the reality of the process. Lawmakers must work to provide financial and mental health support for the adoption triad — birth parents, adoptive parents and adoptees — before advocating for increased adoptions, they added.
But the most important point that often goes overlooked is that adoption and abortion are unrelated issues, said Malinda Seymore, a law professor at Texas A&M University School of Law who researches and teaches adoption law.
“Women are making decisions about pregnancy when they are considering abortion, and it’s only after they have made a decision to continue the pregnancy that they are making a parenting decision about whether to parent or place for adoption,” she said.
Adoption may relieve birth parents of parenting responsibilities, but it does not resolve the pregnancy, she added.
“Adoption doesn’t do what abortion does,” Seymore said. “It does not end a pregnancy, it does not relieve the burden of pregnancy, it does not avoid the health risks of pregnancy, it does not alleviate the psycho-social harm of relinquishing for adoption. It is not at all a substitute for abortion.”
Gretchen Sisson, a research sociologist at the University of California, San Francisco, said people who are seeking abortions are rarely interested in the option of adoption. Proposing adoption as an alternative to abortion does not meaningfully address the reasons why people seek abortions in the first place: Many abort because they don’t want to be pregnant anymore, not just because they want to avoid parenting, Sisson said.
Pregnant people can experience a range of health conditions that can create complications, but even without the health risks, a pregnancy can make it difficult to keep a job or provide for already existing children in the family. Being forced to carry a pregnancy to term, even with the option of adoption, does not address those issues.
Kenna Hamm, assistant director of the Texas Adoption Center, said adoption agencies such as hers are ready to handle a potential influx of expectant parents seeking adoption placements now that abortions are mostly banned in the state. But she said most people who are unable to end their unintended pregnancies will choose to parent the child once they are born, as adoption is a difficult decision.
Seymore pointed to The Turnaway Study, a long-term study at the University of California, San Francisco, that examined the effects of unwanted pregnancies on women’s lives. The team followed about 1,000 women who sought abortions, and about 15% of those women were denied access to the procedure because of gestational limits. Only 9% of those women who were denied an abortion chose to seek an adoption placement; the rest decided to parent.
The outcomes for those families are not as strong as families who decided from the beginning to keep their pregnancies and raise their children, said Sisson, who helped conduct The Turnaway Study. People who were not intending or wanting to have a child are much more likely to live in poverty and to have a hard time bonding with their children, the study found. They are also more likely to stay in abusive relationships, which also keeps their children in situations where they may experience abuse.
“If the only thing that you’re trying to do is just deny access to an abortion and then impose parenting on [people seeking abortions], then mission accomplished,” Sisson said. “But if you’re actually wanting to support families and ensure that children are in loving homes that are capable of caring for them, we need to have a social safety net that is far, far more robust in these states that are limiting abortion access.”
[…]
When people tout adoption as a replacement for abortion access, they often don’t understand the emotional challenges that birth parents, adoptive parents and adoptees experience during an adoption, [Rory Hall, executive director of Adoption Advocates, Inc] said. The adoptive parents gain a child, but their joy comes from the birth parents’ pain, she said. As the adoptee grows up, they also may experience a sense of loss and identity crisis from not being raised by or knowing who their birth parents are.
“I just would like for [adoption] to not be talked about as an easy option,” Hall said.
Tell that to Dan Crenshaw. Remember also that a significant number of abortions are the result of wanted pregnancies that ended in miscarriage or a threat to the life or health of the mother. The alternative to legal abortion is more unsafe abortions and more maternal mortality and morbidity. If that’s what you want then congratulations, you’re getting it. | http://www.offthekuff.com/wp/?p=106598 | 2022-08-19T10:51:28Z | offthekuff.com | control | http://www.offthekuff.com/wp/?p=106598 | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
This was the result of an agreement between the NFL and Deshaun Watson as represented by the NFLPA.
Deshaun Watson’s suspension has been increased from six to 11 games, the league announced Thursday.
Watson and NFL reached a settlement where the former Texans quarterback must also pay a $5 million fine. The first game he would be eligible to play for the Cleveland Browns would be against his former team on Dec. 4 at NRG Stadium.
Watson, who was the subject of 24 civil lawsuits from women who alleged he sexually assaulted and harassed them, was initially given a six-game suspension by independent arbitrator Sue Robinson.
Robinson said in her 16-page report that Watson’s three violations met the NFL’s definition for sexual assault during massage therapy sessions with four women. Watson was ordered to only seek club-directed or club-approved massage therapists for the duration of his career along with the suspension. She did not recommend a fine.
But NFL commissioner Roger Goodell appealed the ruling, seeking a year-long suspension. The two sides settled on the 11 games and the fine.
In its appeal for harsher discipline, the NFL had pointed to Watson’s lack of remorse, a factor Robinson also cited in her ruling. Watson, who has steadfastly denied the accusations against him, settled this summer 23 of the 24 lawsuits filed against him by women who said he harassed or assaulted them in massage appointments.
See here for some background. Note that this is a settlement agreement and not a ruling on the appeal by the NFL of Watson’s initial 6-game suspension. We’ll never know what that might have been, but given that Watson made his ridiculous non-apology the other day, it was clear that there was room for this kind of negotiation. In the end, both sides get certainty, the NFL avoids a lawsuit filed by the NFLPA over its handling of player discipline versus owner discipline (among many other things), and Watson will get to play this year. That’s a win-win in someone’s accounting; I think most of us aren’t winning anything, but I suppose it could have been worse. I’ll wait to see what the women who were harassed by Watson have to say. Sean Pendergast, The 19th, Slate, and a whole bunch of other outlets have more. | http://www.offthekuff.com/wp/?p=106641 | 2022-08-19T10:51:35Z | offthekuff.com | control | http://www.offthekuff.com/wp/?p=106641 | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
What a lousy thing to do right now.
Harris County’s new elections administrator has not taken office yet, but the Harris County GOP is already trying to shape his reputation.
On Wednesday, State Senator Paul Bettencourt, R-Houston, tweeted an image of records showing Clifford Tatum has a federal tax lien of more than $100,000. Bettencourt questioned Tatum’s ability to run the office based on his tax records. According to the tweet, the records were obtained July 5, the date Tatum’s selection was announced.
The Internal Revenue Service filed the $108,209 lien against Tatum last October.
In response to Bettencourt’s tweet, Tatum said in a statement: “This is a personal tax matter and not related to my career as an elections administrator. I have been in touch with the IRS and expect the matter to be resolved by the end of the year. I have been a public servant for over 20 years and my personal life has never impacted my professional career.”
Tatum was selected by a unanimous vote of the five-member Harris County Election Commission in July.
[…]
On Tuesday, Harris County GOP Chair Cindy Siegel was the only person on the five-member Harris County Election Commission to vote against final approval of Tatum, which could not be completed until after he had established residency in Harris County. The commission met briefly to take the vote and adjourned in under 10 minutes.
“Why did the four Democrats on the Election Commission shut down debate on this yesterday?” Siegel said in a statement on Wednesday. “Why didn’t the recruiter do their job and disclose issues with Mr. Tatum’s background before the original offer was voted on? I’ve been asking the paid recruiter and the county attorney’s staff about this for a month.”
In response, Harris County Attorney Christian Menefee issued a statement: “The interview, offer, and selection process for the new elections administrator was thorough and all members of the Elections Commission participated. Mr. Tatum’s experience speaks for itself, and I look forward to working with him.”
See here for the background. Personal tax issues are standard fodder in election campaigns, mostly for the purpose of casting someone as untrustworthy or irresponsible. This isn’t an election, though, it’s a job application, and and having a personal tax issue is generally not an obstacle to getting hired. If there’s evidence that Tatum was dishonest about this to the recruiter and/or the Commission, then bring it forward and we can evaluate that. If not, if he answered honestly any questions he might have been asked about this, then it’s not that much different than telling me he’s got a big unpaid balance on his credit cards. Not great from a personal finance perspective, but not relevant to the job he’s been hired to do.
Also, too. Not to put too fine a point on it, but if you’re out there being a big public supporter of Ken Paxton and The Former Guy, dismissing all criticism as mere partisan attacks, I’m not very likely to take seriously your complaints about some other guy’s back taxes. We all love throwing the word “hypocrisy” around, but maybe try a little self-awareness. I’m just saying.
And look, while no public servant is above criticism or having their conduct scrutinized, now is maybe not the best time to be pointing and screaming at election officials for things that have nothing to do with running elections. Election officials around the country and right here in Texas are besieged by violent threats and harassment from the people that Paul Bettencourt is talking to when he says this stuff. Someone is going to get attacked, even killed, if this keeps up. Could you maybe refrain from throwing gas on the fire for a little while? Is that so damn much to ask? | http://www.offthekuff.com/wp/?p=106647 | 2022-08-19T10:51:43Z | offthekuff.com | control | http://www.offthekuff.com/wp/?p=106647 | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Artemis Macaulay Cup: Kingussie and Oban Camanachd to battle out for final spoils
It’s one of shinty’s biggest days of the season as Oban Camanachd and Kingussie meet in the Artemis Macaulay Cup Final at Mossfield on Sunday.
Kingussie came out on top when the sides met Camanachd Cup semi-final last weekend, but the victory came at a cost as last year’s top scorer James Falconer needed stitches in a knee gash after colliding with a metal pole. Defender Scott McKillop returns for Oban Camanachd.
Kinlochshiel will close the gap on Mowi Premiership leaders Kingussie to three points if they beat Glasgow Mid Argyll at Rèaraig today. ‘Shiel keeper Josh Grant has missed their last two matches with Calum MacMillan deputising.
Kilmallie and Fort William have a derby clash with both sides desperately in need of points in their battle to avoid relegation.
Most Popular
Lovat have defender Drew Howie back from suspension for their fixture with Newtonmore who will check on Fraser MacKintosh’s thumb injury.
Caberfeidh travel to play Kyles Athletic without the suspended Jamie MacKintosh following his red card against Glasgow Mid Argyll last week.
Mowi National Division table-toppers Beauly head for third placed Lochaber whilst second placed Skye Camanachd welcome Glenurquhart. John Gillies returns for Skye.
Inveraray meet Strathglass at the Winterton. | https://www.scotsman.com/sport/other-sport/artemis-macaulay-cup-kingussie-and-oban-camanachd-to-battle-out-for-final-spoils-3812093 | 2022-08-19T10:52:09Z | scotsman.com | control | https://www.scotsman.com/sport/other-sport/artemis-macaulay-cup-kingussie-and-oban-camanachd-to-battle-out-for-final-spoils-3812093 | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
How to get Safaricom eSIM for your smartphone in a few steps
It is hard to imagine what the pre-SIM era was like. Today, the tiny plastic chips are in billions and getting smaller. Recent technological advancements even hint at the physical SIM disappearing altogether. The eSIM is the new kid in town. The technology doesn't require a physical SIM card in your phone, and Safaricom is at the forefront of implementing it in Kenya. So, what are the steps for getting a Safaricom e-SIM for your smartphone?
The steps have always been the same. You get a physical SIM card from your preferred network provider if you need to communicate. Fortunately, with technological advancements, you are not obliged to do so. The e-SIM functions like a normal SIM card but is embedded in your phone instead of being physically installed.
And you guessed it, Safaricom has it, and they have been installing it on clients' phones for some time now. So, what are the steps for getting an eSIM from Safaricom?
What is an eSIM?
There are billions of SIM cards in the world, much more than people on the planet. In 2016, the International Card Manufacturers Association (ICMA) mentioned that there were around 5.4 billion SIM cards. Of course, the number of subscribers has increased over the years resulting in more SIM cards. However, they are not necessarily physical anymore.
PAY ATTENTION: check out news exactly for YOU ➡️ find "Recommended for you" block and enjoy!
The eSIM technology is one of the most phenomenal, considering its flexibility. An eSIM, loosely translated to embedded SIM, is a small chip inside your phone, working the same way as your NFC chip used for payments like Google Pay and Apple Pay.
The eSIM technology is so interesting because the information on your eSIM is rewritable. What does this mean? You can switch between operators instantly, either with a simple phone call or by swapping phone numbers.
The eSIM technology is supported by the GSMA, the association of mobile networks that have defined the standards for eSIM worldwide.
How do eSIMs work?
With an eSIM-compatible device, you can install an eSIM profile provided by your carrier. You can also purchase an eSIM data plan on the go if possible. On top of this, you can utilize numerous operators simultaneously on the same device based on your preference.
How to get the Safaricom eSIM
First things first, “Does Safaricom support eSIM?” The company has been supporting eSIM technology since 2021. They made a low-key announcement about it in 2021 and even shared it on their official Twitter handle in a January post of the same year. This inclusion makes them the second telecommunications firm in Kenya to support eSIM after Jamii Telkom’s Faiba.
So, if you have already verified that your phone is eSIM compatible, you must visit any Safaricom Shop to purchase the eSIM. The virtual SIM card costs Ksh.150 when swapping from a physical SIM and Ksh.250 for an eSIM with a new phone number.
Activation of your eSIM
Once you request an eSIM from Safaricom, they will verify whether your phone is indeed compatible and issue you with one if it complies. While at the Safaricom Shop with your supported device, the attendant will issue you a unique QR code that you will scan with your smartphone.
Once scanned, your smartphone will download the required data and install all eSIM settings on your phone. After it completes the installation, your eSIM is ready. But, first, you will have to do a Safaricom eSIM registration just like you do for a physical SIM card.
Does my phone support an eSIM?
Before applying for an eSIM, you must know whether your device supports the technology. And you can do this by going to your device's network setting and searching for this option.
For instance, if you use an Android device version, you will find the option in the network settings. Once there, click the plus button to connect to a mobile network.
At the bottom of the screen, you will notice an option stating, “Download a SIM instead?”. Click it and follow the prompts to add your eSIM details as provided by your telecommunications company.
What documents do you need to acquire an eSIM?
When registering a new line for your eSIM, you must provide the necessary documents for line registration, including your national identification documents. In other instances, you will only need your original identification documents, such as ID and passport.
Can you apply for an eSIM online?
Now, all Safaricom eSIM applications are done at Safaricom Shops. Therefore, you cannot call the Safaricom Call Centre or access any online portal to activate services on your eSIM.
What are the advantages of an eSIM?
The embedded Safaricom SIM card comes with numerous advantages that include the following:
- It is easier to switch networks.
- One can temporarily change to another network.
- It enables one to have more than one SIM card.
- Utilizes less physical space on your phone.
- You cannot lose your eSIM as it is built onto your phone’s motherboard.
All you need to do to enjoy the advantages of the Safaricom eSIM is to visit your nearest Safaricom Shop with your compatible gadget and install it. Technology has simplified communication and made having multiple physical SIM cards unnecessary.
Are you trying to figure out if you can register your Safaricom line online? Tuko.co.ke featured an informative article providing comprehensive details on the steps one needs to take to register their SIM cards online.
The telecommunication firm has a reliable online portal that allows users to update their SIM card details. But how does it work?
PAY ATTENTION: check out news exactly for YOU ➡️ find "Recommended for you" block and enjoy!
Source: TUKO.co.ke | https://www.tuko.co.ke/facts-lifehacks/guides/468590-how-safaricom-esim-smartphone-a-steps/ | 2022-08-19T11:01:24Z | afar.com | control | https://www.tuko.co.ke/facts-lifehacks/guides/468590-how-safaricom-esim-smartphone-a-steps/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Aviation pioneer Amelia Earhart disappeared in 1937 on a doomed voyage around the world. But she’s still a big presence in Atchison, Kansas, where she was born and lived for about a decade with her grandparents. Despite moving around to other cities, it’s the place she called home.
During the third weekend of July, the town's population of about 10,000 more than doubles for the annual Amelia Earhart Festival.
“We are all about Amelia,” said Karen Seaberg, who chairs the festival. “You have Amelia Earhart Highway, Amelia Earhart Bridge, Amelia Airport. And so the festival has kept that alive.”
Downtown, blocks of Commercial Street are lined with antique cars. Vendors sell honey and candles, and a 7-piece ragtime group plays rollicking renditions of songs from Earhart's era. There’s also cake.
“We always do a cake every year and hand it out free to everybody that’s down here on the mall,” said Ryan Molt, as she passed out thick squares of chocolate and vanilla. “Just kind of a little, 'Happy birthday, Amelia.'”
Despite Amelia Earhart's name and likeness on signs, buildings, statues and even a hillside in Atchison, there's an appetite for more. A new Amelia Earhart Hangar Museum, exploring the trailblazer's impact on aviation, is set to open to the public in 2023.
The centerpiece: a gleaming Lockheed Electra 10-E named Muriel, after Earhart’s sister.
Karen Seaberg, the festival chair, also serves as president and founder of the Amelia Earhart Foundation. The foundation raised funds for the Amelia Earhart Hangar Museum.
Seaberg said it was Grace McGuire, a New Jersey flight instructor, who tracked down the aircraft. Earhart flew in one just like it in 1937 when she and her navigator, Fred Noonan, disappeared in an around-the-world flight attempt.
“There were only 14 Es made,” said Seaberg. “Amelia’s was 12 or 13 off the line, and this one was second off the line. So it was probably the prototype that came off first, and this was probably the first one that really was used.”
McGuire restored the plane for three decades, with plans to attempt the same flight as Earhart. After an illness, McGuire knew she wouldn’t be able to complete the flight, Seaberg said, so she decided to sell the plane to the museum.
The Lockheed Electra is now housed inside a new hangar built for the museum at the town's airport, where visitors got a sneak peek during this year's festival.
Alex LaFave is a pilot and aviation enthusiast who lives in Basehor, Kansas. He brought his wife, Miranda, and two kids, ages 2 and 4, to Atchison for a look at the polished, chrome and red aircraft.
Posterboard on easels around the hangar previewed future plans for the museum's history and exhibits focused on science, technology, engineering and math. A short film described Amelia Earhart's life and career.
Until the festival, the Lockheed Electra had been under wraps during museum construction.
“You don’t see a Lockheed Electra all that often,” LaFave said, “so it’s nice to come to give it a look.”
Putting the pieces together
About an hour south and east of Atchison, in Overland Park, Kansas, the main fabrication floor at Dimensional Innovations is where the design, build and tech firm puts together some of the museum’s exhibits.
The museum’s curved welcome desk — still waiting to be shipped up the road to Atchison — showcased design elements used throughout the exhibits.
“Our designers really wanted to bring in the art deco feel of Amelia and her era,” said project manager Gabrielle Klockau, “so a lot of walnut, a lot of brushed aluminum, a lot of rivets. You can see there in the detail on the bottom and polished aluminum.”
Future museum exhibits are on view nearby, including a touch-screen display shaped like an oversized book where visitors will be able to swipe through pages of information about Earhart’s early years and career, and learn about the women who inspired her.
Tucked in another room, a work-in-progress: a full-scale model of the Lockheed Electra’s cockpit, made of foam, metal parts and fiberglass. Once it’s finished, people will be able to duck down and climb inside.
“You'll be able to sit in there, turn a steering wheel, flip switches, and hear various sounds and lights,” said Klockau. “We'll go through sunsets and sunrises," so people can experience what Earhart must have seen looking out the window of her cockpit.
Installation at the museum back in Atchison is already underway and more pieces will be making their way to the museum over the next few months. Then the testing process begins, before the museum opens to the public.
Dimensional Innovations' senior practice manager Trisha Roberts Parker works with the tech team assembling all the parts.
“We really wanted to communicate all about Amelia — not so much about her life growing up, because there are other museums that already do that — but we really wanted to focus on Amelia as a pioneering woman in her time,” she said. “And also some of the contributions that she made to her field in general.”
A computer-generated Earhart will greet visitors to the museum. Other tech innovations include a virtual reality game that recreates the 1932 flight when Earhart became the first woman to fly solo across the Atlantic Ocean.
There’s also a touch screen where visitors can cast their vote on theories about what happened to Earhart that day in 1937, when she disappeared on her way to Howland Island in an attempt to become the first woman to fly around the world.
"So there's 'crashed and sank,'" Roberts Parker read from the options on the screen, "castaway, the search continues, assumed identity, reversed course, captive in Saipan, and captured."
And though we may never know what happened to Earhart on that final flight, stories told at the new museum about her life and impact as a pilot will continue to be celebrated throughout Atchison. | https://www.kcur.org/arts-life/2022-08-19/all-about-amelia-earharts-hometown-of-atchison-will-open-a-new-aviation-museum-in-her-honor | 2022-08-19T11:10:14Z | kcur.org | control | https://www.kcur.org/arts-life/2022-08-19/all-about-amelia-earharts-hometown-of-atchison-will-open-a-new-aviation-museum-in-her-honor | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Loading...
Nearly two dozen states have moved to restrict abortion or ban it altogether since the reversal of Roe v. Wade — meaning more people, especially those with low incomes and from marginalized communities, will be forced to carry unwanted pregnancies to term.
So are states prepared to pay for the infrastructure needed to support these parents and children? The data paints a grim picture for many families: Mothers and children in states with the toughest abortion restrictions tend to have less access to health care and financial assistance, as well as worse health outcomes.
Stuart Butler, a senior fellow in economic studies at the Brookings Institution, calls the end of Roe "a double whammy" for people who live in these states, which are mostly in the South.
"They are far less likely to have assistance for themselves and their children, and they are far less likely to have health care available to them when they are pregnant and for their children," he tells Morning Edition. "And that means that there's going to be not only more hardship, but greater health problems and maternal deaths and so on ... unless there is a fundamental change in political behavior in those states."
As NPR has reported, a large body of research shows that being denied an abortion limits peoples' education, time in the workforce and wages, with the economic consequences extending well into the lives of their children. One groundbreaking project called The Turnaway Study spent a decade comparing the experiences of people who had abortions with those who wanted abortions but were denied them, and found that those who were denied treatment experienced worse economic and mental health outcomes than those who received care.
Dr. Diana Greene Foster, the demographer behind the study, told NPR in May that the findings show that pregnant people who are unable to get a safe, legal abortion and end up carrying the pregnancy to term will experience long-term physical and economic harm.
"We haven't become a more generous country that supports low-income mothers," she added. "And so those outcomes are still the outcomes that people will experience when they are denied a wanted abortion."
Republican opposition has prevented Congress from passing nationwide measures like federally protected family leave and an extended child tax credit that would expand the social safety net, leaving various forms of support for low-income and vulnerable families up to each state.
Abortion access is now up to states too, after the Supreme Court's ruling in Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization. The case challenged a Mississippi law banning abortions after 15 weeks of pregnancy, which a lower court had ruled unconstitutional. As of mid-August, 14 states have banned abortions entirely, and nearly a dozen others have moved to do the same.
Even before the Dobbs ruling, the 14 states with the most restrictive abortion laws had the worst maternal and child health outcomes in the country, according to an amicus brief filed on behalf of Jackson Women's Health Organization by the American Public Health Association (APHA), the Guttmacher Institute, the Center for U.S. Policy and hundreds of public health scholars and professionals.
The brief cites poorer maternal and child health outcomes across existing risk measures, including mistimed and unwanted pregnancy, low infant birth weight, infant mortality, child poverty and adverse childhood experiences. (It also notes that Mississippi — at the center of the Dobbs case — ranked last in the Commonwealth Fund's 2020 composite score for health system performances on measures including "overall preventable mortality" and "children without appropriate preventive care.")
These findings are echoed in similar analyses by Evaluating Priorities, the Brookings Institution, the Associated Press, the New York Times and others.
NPR looked at indicators related to maternal and infant health outcomes, as well as policies states have in place to support families, in the 14 states with abortion bans in effect as of early August: Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas and Wisconsin. Here's what the data show.
It's harder to get health insurance
Many of the states with abortion bans are the same ones that have chosen not to expand their Medicaid programs, leaving many people without any affordable health insurance options.
A brief refresher: A provision in the Affordable Care Act expanded Medicaid to nearly all American adults with household incomes up to 138% of the federal poverty level, making millions of people newly eligible for coverage. But a 2012 Supreme Court ruling left it up to each state to decide whether to participate.
Thirty-nine states and Washington, D.C., have adopted the Medicaid expansion to date, according to a tracker from the Kaiser Family Foundation. Twelve have not. That creates a coverage gap, leaving more than 2 million Americans without health insurance options because they make too much money to qualify for Medicaid but not enough to be able to get subsidized private coverage in the Affordable Care Act marketplaces.
The 12 states that have not expanded Medicaid are: Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kansas, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Wisconsin and Wyoming. Eight of them have banned abortion already, while at least two others are attempting to do so.
Medicaid currently finances about 42% of U.S. births. It also covers a majority of births for people with low incomes, amounting to millions of births annually, says Dr. Laurie Zephyrin, an OB-GYN who leads the maternal health work at the Commonwealth Fund.
And Medicaid coverage provides access to all sorts of invaluable services for people of reproductive age, she adds, from prenatal care and case management services to births, doula services and some postpartum care, traditionally up to 60 days after birth.
A provision of the 2021 American Rescue Plan gives all states the option to extend Medicaid postpartum care to up to 12 months after birth. As of mid-August, 33 states and Washington, D.C., either have implemented or plan to implement that extension, according to a tracker from the Kaiser Family Foundation. Abortion restrictive states are less likely to do so, Zephyrin tells NPR.
There's more child poverty
Abortion ban states have some of the highest child poverty rates in the nation, according to a tracker from the Center for American Progress based on U.S. Census data.
Mississippi is the worst-ranked state, coming in at No. 51 with a child poverty rate of 27.9% — meaning that more than one in four children in Mississippi lives in poverty.
More than half of the states in the bottom 10 for child poverty have banned abortion: Alabama, Arkansas, Kentucky, South Carolina, Louisiana, Oklahoma and Mississippi.
The notable outlier is New Mexico, which has the third worst child poverty rate in the country but no major abortion restrictions (and is already seeing an influx of patients from Texas and other nearby states).
More than 150 economists wrote in a Supreme Court amicus brief that access to legal abortion has led to lower rates of children in poverty, as well as mothers attaining higher levels of education and professional occupations. Researchers have drawn those conclusions by comparing the experiences of pregnant people in states that loosened abortion restrictions in the 1960s, compared to those in states that did not.
People who seek abortions are more likely to be living below the poverty line, to already have children and to be experiencing a disruptive life event, all factors that can make it difficult to care for a child, Isabel Sawhill and Morgan Welch of the Brookings Institution pointed out in a recent blog post.
They write that adverse consequences for people who were denied a wanted abortion include financial hardship and health complications as well as, in certain cases, the need to raise a child alone or remain in abusive relationships, all of which will impact their child's well-being as well as their own.
More babies are born with low birth weight
One measure of infant health is how much a baby weighs at birth.
Low birth weight is defined as when a baby is born weighing less than 5 pounds, 8 ounces. It is most often the result of preterm birth or fetal growth restriction, though there are numerous medical and environmental risk factors.
While some babies with low birth weight are healthy despite their size, others can experience serious health problems, as the nonprofit March of Dimes explains. Some of those may require immediate treatment in the newborn intensive care unit, like brain bleeding or breathing problems, while other conditions could present later in life, such as diabetes and intellectual or developmental disabilities.
CDC data shows that many of the states with the toughest abortion restrictions are also the ones with the highest rates of low birth weight. Five of the bottom six states — Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, South Carolina and Louisiana — have abortion bans in place, while Wyoming's near-total abortion ban is delayed by court order.
The problem is especially pervasive among communities of color, with Black babies much more likely than others to weigh less than they should at birth. For comparison, about 1 in 7 Black babies in the U.S. have low birth weight, compared to roughly 1 in 14 white babies.
Some researchers have explored a direct connection between states' reproductive rights and rates of low birth weight: One 2020 UCLA study found that women living in states with the least restrictive reproductive rights policies had a 7% lower risk of having a child with a low birth weight, and that Black women in those states had an 8% lower risk.
Looking at birth outcomes more broadly, CDC data from 2020 shows that states with abortion restrictions also tend to be the ones with the highest infant mortality rates. More than half of the 10 states with the highest infant mortality rates already have abortion bans in place (Mississippi, Louisiana, Arkansas, Alabama, South Dakota and Ohio). West Virginia has a law banning abortion after 20 weeks, though a judge has blocked enforcement of a ban from 1849.
Pregnant people have less access to care, which threatens their safety
Access to quality maternity care is crucial to the health of mothers and their babies, but is lacking in many parts of the country — and especially in states with restrictive abortion laws.
A 2020 March of Dimes report found that some 2.2 million women of childbearing age live in maternity care deserts, or places where there is no hospital offering obstetric care, no birth center and no obstetric provider. Another 4.8 million live in counties with limited access to maternity care.
An analysis from Stacker.com used federal data to calculate which percentage of a state's population lives in counties without access to maternal care, in line with March of Dimes' definition. The highest was Mississippi, where 23.5% of the population lives in a maternal care desert.
All told, eight out of the 10 states with the most people living in maternity care deserts have abortion bans: Mississippi, South Dakota, Arkansas, Missouri, Oklahoma, Alabama, Kentucky and Louisiana. Within the top 15, two other states — Idaho and North Dakota — have abortion bans pending — and another two — Iowa and West Virginia — have bans on hold.
And that lack of maternity care, whether due to lack of services or barriers to accessing it, poses a huge risk. People who do not get prenatal care are five times more likely to die of pregnancy-related causes than those who do, according to the Department of Health and Human Services.
The U.S. as a whole already struggles with maternal mortality, an issue that's been exacerbated by the pandemic and disproportionately affects people of color.
Even before the Supreme Court overturned Roe, states with more restrictive abortion policies tended to have higher maternal mortality rates, according to data from the CDC.
And a growing body of research has underscored the explicit connection between abortion laws and maternal mortality. For instance, a 2020 study published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine found that states that enacted laws to restrict abortions based on gestation age increased their maternal mortality rate by 38%.
"We have data already that in the U.S. healthcare system, there's failure to support the health of women and pregnant people and ensure reproductive health outcomes, particularly for Black and brown communities, for low-income communities, for people living in underserved areas," says Zephyrin, of the Commonwealth Fund. Abortion bans are "another piece that we're adding on top of these already existing structural risks and fragility."
There's less financial support for families and children
It's also important to look at what policies and forms of assistance states have in place to support families and children after they're born.
Many of the most restrictive abortion states make it harder for families to get cash assistance, take time away from work, earn a living wage and access affordable childcare, among other factors.
That's no coincidence, says Elizabeth Lower-Basch, the director of the income and work supports team at the Center for Law and Social Policy (CLASP). She tells NPR that while many of these states are reluctant to raise taxes or spend more money on social programs (which she says in itself is a legacy of institutional racism), they support banning abortion because – at least until the Dobbs ruling – it was largely symbolic, free of costs as well as consequences.
"Supporting childcare, supporting better prenatal care, supporting better schools, all that actually costs money," she says. "Voting for an abortion ban, you don't need to pay for it in the state budget even if it is going to drive up your healthcare or other costs."
One clear example: Temporary Assistance for Needy Families, or TANF, is harder to come by — both in terms of amount and availability — in states with restrictive abortion policies. (The federal government gives states grants to provide low-income families with financial assistance and other support services, and leaves funding allocation and eligibility for cash assistance largely up to states to decide.)
The Center on Budget and Policy Priorities measures this with its "TANF-to-poverty ratio" (TPR), which calculates how many out of every 100 families in poverty receive TANF assistance each year. In a brief released earlier this year, it said that nationwide number had reached its lowest point in history in 2020 and pointed to states where access is especially limited.
Seven of the 14 states with the lowest TPR's (of 10 or less) have abortion bans, while several others have bans pending or on hold. The worst-ranking states are Texas, Mississippi, Louisiana and Arkansas, where four out of every 100 families in poverty have access to TANF.
The Center also tracks what percentage of TANF funds each state gives as cash benefits directly to lowest-income families. That number tends to be lower in abortion-restrictive states.
Research associate Diana Azevedo-McCaffrey tells NPR over email that some states, especially those that spend less on basic assistance, use a sizable amount of TANF funds on "other areas," including after-school programs, youth and children services and short-term benefits to help families in crisis situations.
"While these are worthy and important investments, states should use funding sources other than federal and state TANF funds for them — particularly when states spend so little on providing cash assistance and supporting work for families with the lowest incomes," Azevedo-McCaffrey added.
Fifteen states spent 10% or less of their TANF funds on basic assistance in 2020, the Center found. Six of them (Alabama, Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri and Texas) have banned abortions, while two others (Indiana and North Dakota) have bans pending.
"Cash assistance almost might as well not exist in some of these states, it is so hard to access," Lower-Basch adds.
She said in states with such low benefit levels, and so many hoops to jump through, people may decide it's not worth the effort or insult to their dignity to apply in the first place. Some require people to apply to a certain number of jobs before considering their applications, and Lower-Basch notes that in today's economy, someone can find a job during that process and no longer be eligible for TANF, even if their salary is low.
And making a low salary is not an unlikely scenario, especially in restrictive states. Only eight of the 24 states that have banned or are likely to ban abortion have minimum wages above the federal level of $7.25 per hour, Lower-Basch says. She also notes that none of the states that have banned abortion have paid family and medical leave programs — only 11 states and Washington, D.C., do.
In fact, North Dakota passed a law last year banning cities and counties from enacting local paid family leave laws. Lawmakers in the abortion ban states of Oklahoma and Tennessee have introduced — but not passed — such legislation.
Lack of paid leave can pose a sizable problem for working parents, especially if they need to find and pay for childcare for their kids not yet in school. Six states have no publicly funded prekindergarten programs at all — including Idaho, Indiana, South Dakota and Wyoming, which have either banned or moved to ban abortion.
Lower-Basch says that while the trends are "most glaring" in certain states, the U.S. as a whole is not doing enough to support families with children.
What can people do?
The data doesn't look promising for people forced to carry unwanted pregnancies in abortion-restrictive states. So what options do they have, and what can lawmakers and reproductive rights advocates do?
Lower-Basch says there is very little evidence that people are moving to states to get better economic benefits and opportunities, particularly if they want to stay close to family or don't have the money or resources to move.
Zephyrin of the Commonwealth Fund agrees, noting that the most marginalized groups are those that will feel the effects of abortion bans the hardest.
"We're assuming that people that are most affected have the resources — the time, money — to be able to up and travel to another state, and I don't think that's a realistic or fair expectation," she says. "There's also an importance to think bottom-up in terms of what are ways to get resources to people, to communities on the ground so that some of these impacts can be mitigated."
That work can include helping people access abortion funds to have more decision-making power over their own bodies, as well as investing in community organizations and health care infrastructure on the ground. There are also top-down solutions, like conducting research and changing policies.
There's also voting, Lower-Basch adds, noting that many of these states are "not as red as their legislatures" in part due to gerrymandering and voter suppression.
Abortion is shaping up to be a major issue this midterm election season. Kansans recently voted resoundingly to keep abortion legal, but lawmakers elsewhere have campaigned on the false notion that Democrats support abortion until the moment of birth.
Zephyrin stresses the need for urgency.
"We can't sit in our doom and gloom while people are just experiencing these inequitable outcomes," she says. "We have to act, and we have to act now."
Copyright 2022 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org. | https://www.kcur.org/health/2022-08-19/missouri-and-other-states-with-the-toughest-abortion-laws-have-the-weakest-maternal-supports | 2022-08-19T11:10:21Z | kcur.org | control | https://www.kcur.org/health/2022-08-19/missouri-and-other-states-with-the-toughest-abortion-laws-have-the-weakest-maternal-supports | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
LOS ANGELES, Aug. 19, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- AiDot launches the 18-month Cloud service package, which provides consumers 24*7 hours monitoring, including the home monitoring and pet sitting, also human detection, pet detection, package detection and vehicle detection. This service helps users understand family's activities and pets' habits better through the data analysis dashboard.
Empowers Users' Security Camera to Know More of Family Members
Parents always know the kids' favorite activity areas and favorite toys, but when parents are away from kids, they want to do more to protect them from the dangerous zone that parents don't want them to go. (The Danger Zones for little kids like Medicine Cabinet, Garage, The Stairs,Laundry Room ).
Using AiDot Cloud service, parents can designate the identification areas for their family. Users can see the statistics of cameras in different rooms on the APP, and then know which room pets and children like to play in. For the elderly, through the statistical analysis in AiDot APP, it also can understand their living patterns and daily needs.
Reduce Separation Anxiety for Pet Parents
Pet owners always want to know the room their pet likes to explore or rest in, and whether they eat and drink normally, but it takes a lot of time to observe and summarize. Now pet parents can use pet settings feature of AiDot app cloud service to define pet's activity area and learn about their daily diet so you can help them in time.
Through AiDot's intelligent analysis service, users can count the frequency and duration of family members and pets' activities. Observe the daily activities of family members in real time helps to find problems faster.
Availability: AiDot's 18-month cloud service plan originally priced at $95.90. Shop it now can enjoy 64%off: $35.92, plus a free $59.99 indoor security camera. Check it at AiDot Cloud Service now.
About AiDot：
AiDot believes we can add more value to the word "eco" when it comes to eco-systems and eco-lifestyles. AiDot app has interconnected with Amazon Alexa, Google Home, Apple Homekit, Conrad connects, Smartthings. It's fully compatible with Amazon Echo, Google Assistant, Apple Home Pod and other voice assistants, also works with 20 other partners' mainstream smart home devices.
Works with AiDot (WWA) is a symbol of cross-brand and cross-category connectivity. Brands that have joined the AiDot ecosystem include well-known smart device brands, such as Linkind, OREiN, Winees, Hyderson, Syvio, GoGonova, Ganiza, etc. Users can easily control any product with Works with AiDot with just one app. All products within the AiDot ecosystem are designed to help users start building a sustainable world.
For more information, visit: www.AiDot.com
CONTACT: marketing@aidot.com
View original content to download multimedia:
SOURCE Works with AiDot | https://www.witn.com/prnewswire/2022/08/19/aidot-launches-18-month-cloud-service-package-with-data-analysis/ | 2022-08-19T11:10:59Z | witn.com | control | https://www.witn.com/prnewswire/2022/08/19/aidot-launches-18-month-cloud-service-package-with-data-analysis/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
NEW YORK, Aug. 19, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Jakubowitz Law announces that a securities fraud class action lawsuit has commenced on behalf of shareholders of Tuya Inc. (NYSE: TUYA).
To receive updates on the lawsuit, fill out the form:
https://claimyourloss.com/securities/tuya-inc-loss-submission-form/?id=30981&from=4
This lawsuit is on behalf of all persons or entities who purchased Tuya American Depositary Shares in or traceable to the Company's March 2021 initial public offering.
Shareholders interested in acting as a lead plaintiff representing the class of wronged shareholders have until October 11, 2022 to petition the court. Your ability to share in any recovery doesn't require that you serve as a lead plaintiff.
According to a filed complaint, Tuya Inc. issued materially false and/or misleading statements and/or failed to disclose that: (a) a material portion of Tuya's China-based customers were engaged in the widespread and systematic manipulation of reviews and product offerings in violation of Amazon.com's terms of use; (b) prior to the initial public offering, a consumer investigation and data breach had exposed an illicit fake review scheme being perpetrated by many of Tuya's clients, among others, which included, inter alia, the exposure of 13 million records of organized fake review scams linked to over 200,000 Amazon account profiles; (c) as a result of (a) and (b) above, there was a substantial risk that a material portion of Tuya's significant customers would be barred from using Amazon.com's platform, negatively impacting Tuya's business, revenue, earnings, and prospects; and (d) as a result of (a)-(c) above, the registration statement's representations regarding Tuya's historical financial and operational metrics and purported market opportunities and expected growth did not accurately reflect the actual business, operations, financial results, and trajectory of the Company at the time of the initial public offering, and such statements were materially false and misleading and lacked a reasonable factual basis.
Jakubowitz Law is vigorous in pursuit of justice for shareholders who have been the victim of securities fraud. Attorney advertising. Prior results do not guarantee similar outcomes.
CONTACT:
JAKUBOWITZ LAW
1140 Avenue of the Americas
9th Floor
New York, New York 10036
T: (212) 867-4490
F: (212) 537-5887
View original content:
SOURCE Jakubowitz Law | https://www.witn.com/prnewswire/2022/08/19/tuya-shareholder-alert-jakubowitz-law-reminds-tuya-shareholders-lead-plaintiff-deadline-october-11-2022/ | 2022-08-19T11:13:39Z | witn.com | control | https://www.witn.com/prnewswire/2022/08/19/tuya-shareholder-alert-jakubowitz-law-reminds-tuya-shareholders-lead-plaintiff-deadline-october-11-2022/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
WIESBADEN, Germany – With information booths taking over the Newman Village soccer field, rambunctious children and their parents engaged with garrison services and local partner organizations during the "Back to School Expo" hosted by the U.S. Army Garrison Wiesbaden's directorate of Moral, Welfare and Recreation on Clay Kaserne, Aug. 16.
Under a backdrop of bright skies, warm temperatures and patchwork clouds, the back to school event signaled the looming start to the 2022-23 school year for Department of Defense Education Activity students across Europe.
This year’s expo encouraged students and families to meet with participating organizations to ask questions and gather information to better understand what support each group can provide within the USAG Wiesbaden military community.
Garrison Commander, Col. David W. Mayfield spoke of how these events smooth the schedule and transition for kids and their families each year. “These are incredibly important events (…) making sure that as a garrison, we help families and parents understand what (resources) are out there," said Mayfield.
“Coming here (to Germany) several times before with a large family and school-age kids, I didn’t even understand all the things that were available until I looked at it through the commanders eyes,” Mayfield added, speaking about his previous time in Germany.
Invaluable to the military community, these events offer an abundance of information for all families, but are especially helpful and informative for those families who recently arrived during the recent summer PCS cycle.
“This is an awesome event that I hope they continue (…) and I hope it grows,” said Alexis Green, the mother of a rising six-grader and the treasurer of the Wiesbaden Middle School Parent Teacher Student Organization. “This event is a resource to the community so we know what organizations and (home-based) businesses are here to offer to us.”
“Families can come out here and get lots of information about the different programs and services the garrison offers,” said Latiska Grant, resident of Newman Village.
Mitigating factors such as limiting people at each booth and distance between the booths ensured a safe environment allowing for this year’s larger and more widely attended event.
Looking back at how the expo has improved over the years, Green commented that due to COVID regulations and precautions, the last expo in 2020 was scaled back and more spread out. “It’s all here (in one location) where we can, of course mingle, the kids get to see each other getting excited about school (…) and parents can get together and see everybody.”
People who attended this event in previous years shared similar sentiments that this years centralized location and easing of COVID protocols, allowed for greater participation, better facilitating communication between organizations and families.
“A lot more interaction this year (…) chance to ask questions and answer questions (…) in an environment where it encourages open dialogue,” said Latiska Grant’s husband Anthony.
While of course the expo succeeds in showcasing information for the soon-to-be-returning students, this year's event also offered up a relaxing break for the kids and parents to enjoy fun, food and friends before life returns to the structure of the classroom next week.
“It is time to go back to a learning environment,” said Anthony Grant, echoing the feelings of all parents as the school year approaches and summer fades.
This work, Back to school expo heralds end of summer break, by Michael Kenfield, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright. | https://www.dvidshub.net/news/427604/back-school-expo-heralds-end-summer-break | 2022-08-19T11:23:28Z | dvidshub.net | control | https://www.dvidshub.net/news/427604/back-school-expo-heralds-end-summer-break | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
HILO, Hawaii (KITV4) -- A Hilo couple made their first court appearance Monday after being arrested for drug-related charges.
Mikki Matsuyama, 29, and Elias Peace, 33, both of Hilo, were arrested on August 12 and charged for conspiracy to distribute, and attempted possession with intent to distribute over three pounds of methamphetamine and nearly 1,000 fentanyl pills.
During their court appearance on August 15, Matsuyama was denied bail, and Peace's bail hearing was scheduled for August 22, 2022.
“Our Office will continue to promote and encourage coordination between local, state, and federal law enforcement agencies to hold drug dealers accountable and prioritize the investigation and prosecution of those responsible for the distribution and trafficking of serious drugs, like methamphetamine and fentanyl, on our island,” said Prosecuting Attorney Kelden Waltjen.
Anyone having information regarding illegal drugs distribution should call the Hawai‘i Police Department Vice Section in East Hawai‘i at (808) 961-2258, in West Hawai‘i at (808) 326-4646 Ext. 226, or Crime Stoppers at (808) 961-8300.
Do you have a story idea? Email news tips to news@kitv.com
Kathryn spent the last decade in the Bay Area working in nonprofits, education, and communications consulting. She has a B.A. in English from St. Mary's College of CA and an M.A. in Public Affairs and Politics from the University of San Francisco. | https://www.kitv.com/news/crime/hilo-couple-charged-for-conspiracy-to-distribute-meth-and-nearly-1-000-fentanyl-pills/article_4b7171ba-1f9f-11ed-8b93-d3ed5cd6c118.html | 2022-08-19T11:25:10Z | kitv.com | control | https://www.kitv.com/news/crime/hilo-couple-charged-for-conspiracy-to-distribute-meth-and-nearly-1-000-fentanyl-pills/article_4b7171ba-1f9f-11ed-8b93-d3ed5cd6c118.html | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
The ‘Men Written by Women’ Phenomenon Betrays a Deeper Feminist Unhappiness With Love
Share
There’s something that Oscar Isaac, Timothee Chalamet, Dev Patel, Keanu Reeves — and as of Thursday night, Vicky Kaushal and Siddharth Malhotra — have in common: besides being actors, they’re all real people touted as “men written by women” on the internet. The individuals in question share some vaguely similar characteristics — they listen when spoken to, they’re polite, they’re handsome, and they seem like good people. After all, there isn’t much to know about them, being as they are celebrities with fiercely guarded inner worlds.
The information we do have — mannerisms, gestures, and vocal registers — we consume heartily and well. By all accounts, they really do possess the archetypal qualities of fictional, swoon-worthy men written by women authors. They’re the Darcys among us who can make us fall irrevocably, hopelessly in love in the blink of an eye. And yet, the trend of labeling real-life people — about whom we really know next to nothing — betrays a deeper angst.
There’s a discontent in the world of dating, relationships, and heterosexual romance; it is an acute and perceptible lack of humaneness.
This is not to say that men lack humanity. But the quality anchoring most men who are written by women — in real life and in fiction — is a warm sensibility more than any particular set of factors. These are men who are easy to love because they seem to have depth; they listen, and you could imagine them being curious about women in a way that makes them feel seen for who they are. They seem like they are unthreatened by intelligence, vivacity, and success in women; in fact, they appear as though they would actively encourage it even. This is a figment of dreams, which is what made the “men written by women” trope one that was worth having a name for. The pioneer of women making sensitive, thoughtful, and worthy partners out of men was a woman who lived more than 200 years ago. And yet, the Austenian quality continues to be pedestalized today, showing how little we’ve really come in terms of changing expectations around love.
Related on The Swaddle:
The Problem With Packaging Healthy Dating Practices as Internet Trends
“Men theorize about love, but women are more often love’s practitioners. Most men feel that they receive love and therefore know what it feels like to be loved; women often feel we are in a constant state of yearning, wanting love but not receiving it,” wrote bell hooks, in her pioneering work All About Love. The idea cuts to the tragic heart of what seems like a silly trend: that there is simply an acute and encompassing dearth of men who know how to love as much as they know how to be loved.
The trope is also the inverse of an older cultural observation: the ridiculous ways in which men write women. If this is laden by a fundamental inability to know who women are beyond the sum of their parts, men written by women is characterized by the fundamental yearning for men to rectify this, and see beyond. This would mean asking serious questions about masculinity itself, and its role in perpetuating disappointment in heterosexual love for women.
It also points to an ongoing crisis of reckoning between feminism and masculinity. Men — really authoritarian, brutal ones — have wrested control of much of the world, slamming their fists down on the autonomy of women. Scholars, commentators, and fiercely vocal feminists have begun to ask: how do feminists deal with masculinity? What kind is the one that’s good for women who have for so long suffered under the brunt of cruelty and systemic, patriarchal violence?
The New Yorker notes how at this moment, on the one hand, there are those who denounce white heterosexual male supremacy and the kind of masculinity it represents; on the other, there are those who are distrustful of the “softer” kind of masculinity — softbois, if you will — and actively crave for more strength, even aggression in the men in their lives. All the men who are deemed to be “written by women” in today’s zeitgeist, then, tread a tightrope somewhere in-between: many thirst over men who appear in touch with their emotions using the vocabulary of aggression (asking these celebrities to choke, step on, or kill us, for instance).
Related on The Swaddle:
An Ode to Harmless Romantic Banter in a ‘Negging’ Era
The prevalence of dating apps as one of the predominant sites for mediating love and sex could be making things worse. “…dating apps privilege the male gaze and give straight men an outsized idea of their power in their dealings with women,” writes Nancy Jo Sales, about how they’ve effectively “ruined men.” We’re in an era of hyper-optimizing ourselves for a right-swipe — effectively erasing softness, compassion, and the amorphous aspects of care that envelopes human relationships.
Things may be getting to a point where robots are increasingly looked upon to satisfy the longing for humanity that men, in the current version of heterosexual masculinity, are unable to provide. “Should the business of making heterosexuality compatible with gender parity prove too onerous or intractable, we can always consider resorting to the less demanding companionship of machines,” notes culture critic Zoë Heller, in the context of a recent decline in sexual activity.
The big, gaping chasm of tenderness, care, and reciprocity in heterosexual relationships points to what critic Jane Ward called the “tragedy of heterosexuality.” It’s what makes us so preoccupied with the merits of individual men, “fixing relationships with individual men rather than identifying hetero norms and hetero-masculinity themselves as fundamental problems,” as Ward notes.
There may be no better example of this than Shah Rukh Khan, whom economist Shrayana Bhattacharya analyzed as a figure of fandom and desire for women across various economic strata in India. His tenderness, vulnerability, wit, candor, and charisma unite the most disparate characters in a collective longing for the kind of love he represents — a love that’s absent from women’s lives no matter where they’re located in the socio-cultural landscape. While we can’t be in actual relationships with the men we see on our screens, we can project our desires and fantasies for a humane love onto them — making men like Shah Rukh Khan, Vicky Kaushal, or Keanu Reeves, in actuality, men written by women. | https://theswaddle.com/the-men-written-by-women-phenomenon-betrays-a-deeper-feminist-unhappiness-with-love/ | 2022-08-19T11:27:39Z | theswaddle.com | control | https://theswaddle.com/the-men-written-by-women-phenomenon-betrays-a-deeper-feminist-unhappiness-with-love/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Why People May Be More Creative During Certain Phases of Menstrual Cycles
Share
Ovulation — the period where a mature egg is released from the ovary — impacts individual demeanor in several ways. One study suggests people’s breasts may feel more tender; some research indicates people are more open to sexual adventures during the time; a few other deep-dives note that people develop a more competitive attitude for a few days, and may also experience an alteration in their clothing and food preferences.
A new study adds to this body of research, suggesting that ovulation might boost people’s creativity too.
Published in Frontiers In Psychology, the study found that women had their most novel, creative ideas while they were ovulating. The 72 participants — between the ages of 18 and 35 — involved in the study, were neither pregnant nor breastfeeding; they weren’t on any hormonal contraceptive either. While the dataset, in this case, is rather limited, the research points to a largely unexplored link between our reproductive system and our creative cognition.
First, the researchers determined the menstrual cycle phases of the participants using saliva-and-urine-based test kits. Then, they assessed their creativity through different tests during each of the phases, and had their ideas rated by trained, independent professionals. The results suggested that the ideas generated by the participants during their ovulatory phase were the most original and creative.
The researchers believe the link between ovulation and creativity may lie in our evolutionary underpinnings. “[Creativity] could be linked to reproduction, helping to attract mates… As we can see, love can be really inspiring for artists,” noted Katarzyna Galasinska from the institute of psychology at the SWPS University of Social Sciences and Humanities in Poland, who co-authored the present study. “[I]t is hard to prove that creativity evolved through sexual selection, as a sort of signal attracting mates’ attention. It surely found a lot of different applications across time. But if we assume such an explanation, we can look for evidence hypothesizing ‘what if.'”
Related on The Swaddle:
Lockdown Stress Is Disrupting Menstrual Cycles
Another study, published last year in the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, stated, “The higher the probability of conception was, the more original ideas were generated… These ideas were also more varied and included more frequent changes in perspective…” The findings were based on the menstrual cycles of more than 750 women whose creativity was assessed through a task designed to measure the originality, fluency, and flexibility of their ideas.
While evolution may be the larger reason for ovulation-inspired creativity, certain neural mechanisms — triggered by the hormones — probably facilitate it. “Sexual hormones are a kind of mood enhancer [and] a positive mood affects the flexibility of thinking. Also, women feel more courageous and powerful, so they sometimes engage in risky situations during the phase near ovulation. To be creative, we have to take a risk a little bit, as creativity requires breaking through patterns and mental blocks,” explained Galasinska, who had co-authored the 2021 study, too.
Besides creativity serving as a “signal” for mates, Galasinska believes it may also be associated with “intrasexual competition,” or a tussle between members of the same sex — and sexuality — for the best mate. “We need many more studies to indicate that creativity may be an adaptation to mating… It should be tested in many contexts associated with increased mating motivation, such as attraction to a partner or rivalry for a partner, both in women and men.”
Even as the reason why ovulation and original ideas are interlinked still remains largely unknown, acknowledging the link between the two might just help people plan their lives better. As Galasinska notes, “Maybe monitoring the ovulatory cycle can help women understand their mentality and [also] resonate with it.” So, perhaps, one can, then, schedule their brainstorming sessions accordingly, or even time their art classes to coincide with the ovulation phases of their monthly cycles. | https://theswaddle.com/why-people-may-be-more-creative-during-certain-phases-of-menstrual-cycles/ | 2022-08-19T11:27:46Z | theswaddle.com | control | https://theswaddle.com/why-people-may-be-more-creative-during-certain-phases-of-menstrual-cycles/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
U.S. Air Force firefighters assigned to the 100th Civil Engineer Squadron performbuddy checks on Mission Oriented Protective Posture gear during a chemical attack exercise at Royal Air Force Mildenhall, England, Aug. 17, 2022. Airmen double check each other’s MOPP gear to prevent any possible contaminant leaks that an individual person may not be able to see or feel. (U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Viviam Chiu)
This work, 100 CES enhances proficiency through exercise training [Image 5 of 5], by A1C Viviam Chiu, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright. | https://www.dvidshub.net/image/7378005/100-ces-enhances-proficiency-through-exercise-training | 2022-08-19T11:27:55Z | dvidshub.net | control | https://www.dvidshub.net/image/7378005/100-ces-enhances-proficiency-through-exercise-training | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Col. Peter Fiorentino, a Massachusetts National Guardsman and commander of the 51st Troop Command, delivers gifts to U.S. and partner nation leaders at the close of the exercise “Regional Cooperation 22” Aug. 19, 2022, in Dushanbe, Tajikistan. RC 22 is an annual, multi-national U.S. Central Command-sponsored exercise conducted by U.S. forces in partnership with Central and South Asia nations. (U.S. Army National Guard photo by Sgt. 1st Class Terra C. Gatti)
This work, Regional Cooperation 22 closes in Tajikistan with gift exchange [Image 24 of 24], by SFC Terra Gatti, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright. | https://www.dvidshub.net/image/7378024/regional-cooperation-22-closes-tajikistan-with-gift-exchange | 2022-08-19T11:29:29Z | dvidshub.net | control | https://www.dvidshub.net/image/7378024/regional-cooperation-22-closes-tajikistan-with-gift-exchange | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Public Records: Muskingum County Real Estate Transfers
Aug. 1
1285 CMH Homes Inc. to Richard and Elizabeth Carnes, 149 Fourth St., Frazeysburg, $249,900
1286 Janet Vejsicky to SMZ Development Company LLC, 114 Thompson Ave., New Concord, $140,000
1287 KRW Ventures Ltd. to Adam Brenner, 2422 Clarendon Ave., Zanesville, $192,400
1288 Loren Camp to Bryan Winegardner, 3725 Meadowbrook Drive, Zanesville, $175,000
1289 Brian Harris to Talisha Grimes, 854 Homewood Ave., Zanesville, $115,000
1290 Kimberly and Donald McGrew to Regina and James Willard II, 7595 Pioneer Drive, Blue Rock, $310,000
1291 Wayne and Constance Solberg to Walter and Cathie Effinger, 9350 Shady Lane, Blue Rock, $310,000
1292 Lisa Wise to Leon and Tina Hanten. 310 Lake Vista Drive, Zanesville, $463,000
1293 Kyle and Kayla Williamson to Collin Kern and Andrea Brookover, 150 Front St., Philo, $185,000
Aug. 2
1294 William Seevers to Jamie Tom, 419 Fairbanks St., Zanesville, $10,000
1295 Christopher and Molly Lemley to Jeffrey and Tiffany McKee, 6843 Hedges Lane, Frazeysburg, $225,000
1296 Michael and Shawna Cosgrove to Daniel and Jennifer Strychacz, 4655 Boggs Road, Zanesville, $335,000
1297 Marsha Hatfield to Linda and Michael Rittenhouse, 829 Goddard Ave., Zanesville, $38,300
1298 Michelle Knight to Jillian Brooks, 652 Cliffwood Ave., Zanesville, $40,300
1299 Jeffery Norris to Gregory Barnes, 1223 Putnam Ave., Zanesville, $99,900
1300 Linda Omen, Roberta Prevo to Andy Miller, 5615 Kenny Drive, Zanesville, $115,000
1301 Rosemary Moore to Kristofer and Samantha Scheurman, 114 W. Third St., Dresden, $205,000
1302 Matthew and Mallory Harper to Violet and Alvin Morgan Jr., 1057 Terrace Court, Zanesville, $250,000
1303 Michael and Chelsea Lawler to Chelsea and Jordan Freels, 5995 Hillandale Drive, Nashport, $269,900
1304 Frank and Connie Zeman to Rick and Candace Ault, Raymond and Jeanette Thompson, 9355 James Road, Nashport, $385,000
1305 Jay Graybill to Josh Currance and Elizabeth Lawson, 123 and 131 South Main St., Roseville, $165,000
1306 Larry and Linda Mullins to Logan Spinks and Katlie Mullins, 39 W. Seventh St., Dresden, $91,000
1307 Patricia Faust to Cindy Mitchell, 3675 Sunset Drive, Zanesville, $159,900
1308 Lelana Staszak (Rodriguez) to Charles Hamill and Angela Beisser, 1331 Arch St., Zanesville, $125,000
Aug. 3
1309 Cathy and Robert Lee Jr. to Swart Industries LLC, 2138 South River Road, Zanesville, $183,000
1310 Samuel Purtee to Jesse and Pamela Parrill, 10820 Fairall Road, Frazeysburg, $57,000
1311 Christopher Brister to CRI Homes LLC, 1345 Eastman St., Zanesville, $43,000
1312 Jared and Lindsay Graves to Nathan and Kay Wahle, 460 Spring Valley Drive, Zanesville, $329,998
1313 William McClelland to Ashley Williams, 151 Montgomery Blvd., New Concord, $175,000
Aug. 4
1314 Tyler Krimm to Steven and Gayla McElroy-Orr, 30.0 acres, Hale Road, Zanesville, $325,000
1315 Christina Kent and Brenda Davis-Bagwell to Deborah Davis, 153 Brighton Blvd., Zanesville, $20,400
1316 Annette Bice to Briana Raetzel, 6050 Rollins Drive, Nashport, $245,000
1317 Linda Jost to Ethan and Krystle Scheffler, 4095 Chandlersville Road, Zanesville, $185,000
Aug. 5
1318 Alberta Thomas to Knox Auerbach, 401 Clark St., Zanesville, $34,000
1319 George Sherry to Jennifer Glaub, 0.445 and 0.277 acre, 4595 Boggs Road, Zanesville, etc., $65,000
1320 Hunter Smith to Matthew Inman, 2232 Adams Lane, Zanesville, $198,250
Property Transfers Exempt from Conveyance Fees
Aug. 1
E981 Linda Pribula to Jan Lyon, Lot 3, Norwich Subdivision, National Pike, Norwich
E982 Matthew Bush to Harold and Brenda Bush, 7275 Old River Road, Philo
E983 Karen Wilkerson to Karen Wilkerson, 3.298 acres, Dresden-Adamsville Road, Dresden
E984 Jason White to James White, 2300 Slack Road, Zanesville
E985 Reda Hoover to Lynn Hoover, 39 Canal St. N, Frazeysburg
E986 Jason White to James White, 43.50 acres, Slack Road, Zanesville
E987 Johnnie and Joanna Moreland to Johnnie and Joanna Moreland, 412 High St., Dresden
E988 Johnnie and Joanna Moreland to Johnnie and Joanna Moreland, 416 High St., Dresden
Aug. 2
E989 Martha Bowman to Kimberly Huston, 3065 Woodland Drive, Zanesville
E990 Richard Talbot to Martha Talbot, 455 North St., Duncan Falls
E991 Paul Eppley to Katherine Eppley, 8035 Carson Road, Roseville
E992 Marsha Hatfield to Robert Morgan Jr., 242 Luck Ave., Zanesville
E993 Marsha Hatfield to Allex and Regina Hatfield, 448 Hedgewood Ave., Zanesville
E994 Thomas Graham to John and Hope Graham, 13950 Hamby Hill Road, Frazeysburg
E995 Justin Beebe to Justin and Jessie Smith-Beebe, 1360 Moody Hollow Road, Blue Rock
E996 Rylee Havens (Evans) to Traci Kelso, 7555 Dietrick Hill Road, Philo
Aug. 3
E997 Timothy Rodriguez to Lelana Rodriguez (Staszak) 1331 Arch St., Zanesville
E998 James and Teresa Hoffer to David Hoffer, 3412 Mills Run Road, Dresden
E999 Bryce Jones to Samantha Reed, 834 McIntire Ave., Zanesville
E1000 Melinda and Tom Faris Jr. to Melinda and Tom Faris Jr., 8180 Bagley Road, Mt. Perry
E1001 Dan'el and Angela Spiker to Dan'el and Brittany Spiker, Crystin Troyer, 5599 Covert View Lane, Nashport
E1002 James Heidler to James and Christine Shaw, 2040 Peach Tree Circle, Nashport
E1003 Scott and Diane Miller to Christina Heiney, 985 Osborn Road, Zanesville
E1004 Christina Heiney to Clint and Christina Heiney, 985 Osborn Road, Zanesville
E1005 Thomas and Mary Kendrick to Thomas and Mary Kendrick, 10001 North Morrison Road, Dresden
E1006 Thomas and Mary Kendrick to Thomas and Jessica Kendrick, 10001 North Morrison Road, Dresden
E1007 Thomas and Mary Kendrick to Jankerty LLC, 10001 North Morrison Road, Dresden
E1008 Jane Marple to Jane & Ray LLC, 3275 and 3265 Licking Lane, Zanesville
E1009 Jane and Ray Marple to Jane & Ray LLC, 3255 Licking Lane, Zanesville
E1010 Michael Martin to Chase and Krista McKnight, 2.03 acre split, Raiders Road, Frazeysburg
E1011 Sharon Sims to Margaret Madinger, 5830 Center Road, Philo
Aug. 4
E1012 Leo Collins to Elsie Collins, 5.98 acres, McDonald Road, Chandlersville
E1013 Charlotte Lavy to Rusty Lavy, 3817 Dillon Falls Road, Zanesville
E1014 Carrington Mortgage Services LLC to Secretary of Housing and Urban Development, 7715 Old Town Road, Fultonham
E1015 Richard and Joyce McClelland to 5 Points Rentals LLC, 96 Maysville Ave., Lots 679-684, South Zanesville, Zanesville
Aug. 5
E1016 James Sanders to Judith Sanders, 424 1/2 Hock St., Philo | https://www.zanesvilletimesrecorder.com/story/news/local/2022/08/19/muskingum-county-real-estate-transfers/65398450007/ | 2022-08-19T11:35:16Z | zanesvilletimesrecorder.com | control | https://www.zanesvilletimesrecorder.com/story/news/local/2022/08/19/muskingum-county-real-estate-transfers/65398450007/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Football preview: Morgan football ready to turn corner in the MVL
Veteran line gives Raiders optimism for 2022
McCONNELSVILLE — The climb back to respectability has been arduous for Morgan's football program.
The Raiders have gone two decades without a playoff appearance over a full season, but a 3-5 record in 2021 has many in Raider Country bullish about their chances this year. The Raiders lost two games last season due to Covid-19.
Fifth-year Raiders coach Chase Bowman is among them. He has overseen the transformation up close, as the seniors are part of his first class of eighth graders.
"No. 1, they're extremely fun to coach," Bowman said. "Two-a-days have been extremely enjoyable, not just because they're very fun to be around, but they're coachable kids and ask a lot of questions — good questions. No. 2, they have high expectations. You can see the mindset shifting with the kids."
None figure to have a bigger impact than senior two-way lineman Wade Pauley, the reigning Muskingum Valley League Offensive Lineman of the Year in the Small School Division, who enters his final season as a starter as one of the league’s premier players.
He and an experienced line are expected to pave the way for bruising running back Carson Copeland who, at 6-1, 220, is easily the biggest back in the MVL.
Many hopes hang on their ability to win at the line of scrimmage, something Bowman said is the result of their offseason work. He said the weight room is serious business now, which was not the case early in his tenure.
"It's no longer that we have to drag kids to go lift," Bowman said. "They want to be there and they want to get stronger. There is a big shift in our physicality."
OFFENSE
Even without graduated quarterback Levi Brown, Bowman's group is among the league's most experienced, regardless of division.
Eight return with starting experience, with senior left tackle Pauley (6-3, 222) and center Seth Miller (6-4, 232), his classmate, leading the way. Pauley graded out at 90 percent as a junior, helping him earn first-team All-East District in Division V.
Combined with left guard Owen McCoy, a 6-1, 228-pound junior, the base for a powerful — and experienced — offensive line has the capability of being one of the league's best. Junior Matt McLean (5-9, 186) and senior Devon Woods (5-9, 234) are at right guard and right tackle, respectively.
Behind them, a veteran backfield featuring hard-charging Copeland (6-1, 220) and hard-running junior quarterback Logan Niceswanger (6-0, 200) offer a pair of rough-and-tumble running threats. Copeland averaged better than 5 yards per carry as a junior, accounting for more than half of the team's rushing yards.
Bowman compared Niceswanger's playing style to West Muskingum All-Ohioan Harley Hopkins.
"Last year he got a lot of valuable reps (at tight end)," Bowman said of Niceswanger. "We tried to get him some quarterback reps at the reserve level, and he handled it pretty well. He's a good decision maker. He's a got a decent arm and throws a good ball, and obviously he's a big kid for a quarterback."
There is also an experienced receiving corps, led by junior Kole Searl (6-2, 180), seniors Coleman Welsh (5-9, 170) and Mason Burnside (5-8, 155) and junior Adam Cooper (5-7, 140) — Searl and Welsh are returning starters. Searl was an All-MVL and All-East District pick as a junior, when he caught a team-high 38 passes for 467 yards and 3 TDs.
The tight ends include a veteran in senior Aden Weaver (6-0, 190) and junior Richard Paige (5-9, 157).
"The kids have high expectations," Bowman said. "We are no longer trying to convince them that we can do what we want to do. That started with their work ethic. They have kind of earned the right to have that belief in themselves. They've put the work in. I am a big believer that if you put the work in, you earn the right to be confident in yourself."
DEFENSE
Lineman of the Year Jarrett Hill graduated, but bookends Pauley and Miller join McCoy and Weaver to form one of the league's best defensive line units. McLean, sophomore William Dodd (5-11, 198) and senior Chase Dunham (6-2, 258) are also in the rotation.
A veteran linebacker corps features Copeland and Niceswanger inside and Welsh and Page on the outside, with Page and Cooper also in the mix. Niceswanger, a team leader, totaled 30 tackles and a sack along with three other tackles-for-loss in 2021.
In the secondary, Searl returns at safety and Weaver is back at one of the cornerback spots, with Burnside manning the other. Sophomore Hayden Six (5-8, 147) is the backup.
Bowman said the eye discipline from the linebackers has been much improved over past seasons, something he feels should result in better run fits.
Copeland also returns to man the punting and placekicking spots after excelling in both areas last season. He averaged 38.7 yards per punt in 2021, including five inside opponents' 20-yard line.
OUTLOOK
Bowman said he is confident that the worst is behind them in terms of building the type of culture that he is seeking in a program, particularly when it comes to weight room attendance.
The results have shown in their bodies, especially in the likes of Pauley and Copeland, two of the team's most veteran players. They are also two of the reasons why Bowman feels the team is ready to take the next step and compete among the leaders in the Small School Division.
The team moved into Division IV, Region 15 after spending the last two years in Division V. It's widely expected to be a deep, powerful region.
With less than 40 on the roster, Bowman said staying as healthy as possible will be critical.
"The first couple of years it was getting the losing mindset out," Bowman added. "Then it was trying to figure out how to be close and how to compete in games. Now their mindset is expecting to win games. It's no longer a 'well maybe,' they fully expect to win. If they don't have that, it doesn't matter what the coaches do."
A big season means they could send off the fabled Athletic Field, the school's home of more than 100 years, out with some fanfare. They will open a new state-of-the-art stadium, located at the high school campus, in 2023. That construction is already underway.
"That's something we've talked about," Bowman said. "There is a lot of history there."
sblackbu@gannett.com; Twitter: @SamBlackburnTR | https://www.zanesvilletimesrecorder.com/story/sports/2022/08/19/morgan-raiders-football-ready-to-turn-corner-in-the-mvl/65408726007/ | 2022-08-19T11:35:22Z | zanesvilletimesrecorder.com | control | https://www.zanesvilletimesrecorder.com/story/sports/2022/08/19/morgan-raiders-football-ready-to-turn-corner-in-the-mvl/65408726007/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Roundup: John Glenn girls golf keeps rolling
CAMBRIDGE — Addy Burris fired a 37 for medalist honors and Elise Abrams added 41 to lead host John Glenn to a trimatch win against Claymont and Beverly Fort Frye on Thursday at Cambridge Country Club.
Abby McCullough added 44 and Carlie Ellsworth 49 for John Glenn, while Emma Paisley chipped in 54. The Muskies improved to 30-4 overall.
Denay Leighton's 49 paced Claymont; Alicia Edwards shot 44 for Fort Frye.
River View 185, Licking Valley 187: Paige Nicely shot 44 for medalist honors to pace the Lady Bears in a nonleague dual match at Hickory Flats.
Caley Shriver and Kortee Mickle had 46 and Chloe Geog 49 for River View.
Jacqueline Gieseler's 39 paced Licking Valley; Sylvie Devore added 46, Nataley Banks 46 and Allie Pettet and Haylee McDonald 54.
Boys Golf
West M 159, Rosecrans 169: Jacob Allen had 35 for medalist honors and Jack Porter added 36 for the Tornadoes in a nonleague dual match at Zanesville Jaycees.
Reid Lemity chipped in 42 and Clayton Clewell 46 for the Tornadoes.
Scores were not reported for Rosecrans.
Boys Soccer
Northridge 3. Tri-Valley 0: Zach Holder scored a pair of goals for the Vikings in a nonleague shutout on their home field.
Holder scored the only goal in the first half, then scored with 22:11 left in the second half to extend the lead. Tommy Diamond capped the scoring with a goal at the 1:32 mark.
West M 1, Liberty Christian 1: The Tornadoes took a 1-0 lead at the half but couldn't hold on, as they settled for a tie in a nonleague match on The Hill.
Nathan Davis scored the lone goal for the Tornadoes. | https://www.zanesvilletimesrecorder.com/story/sports/2022/08/19/roundup-burris-paces-john-glenn-girls/65410417007/ | 2022-08-19T11:35:28Z | zanesvilletimesrecorder.com | control | https://www.zanesvilletimesrecorder.com/story/sports/2022/08/19/roundup-burris-paces-john-glenn-girls/65410417007/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
It can seem as though the tabloid press has dogged Demi Lovato nearly every step of way, from the Disney Channel to Glee to the pop-star life — and also through alcohol and drug addiction, rehab and recovery. On a harder-edged new album, out today and titled HOLY F***, Lovato shares several dark moments from along that winding path.
"I came out of treatment and began working on this album shortly after," Lovato tells Morning Edition's Leila Fadel. "And I was very angry. I had some healing to do. But I got out a lot of that anger in my anger in the music — and there's an evolution in the project, you see me going from angry to... owning my power and my sexuality and then to like, happier love songs. So there's this arc over the album where it's angry to happy. I just love that."
One new song, "FREAK," addresses a somewhat recent experience for the pop star: The reaction, some would describe it as backlash, to Lovato coming out as nonbinary. "I started seeing, in my Instagram comments, people being really hateful." With the track, she hoped to be "taking the power back" from the trolls, among others.
It can seem that nearly everything Lovato says — such as the recent announcement that she would again be accepting of she/her pronouns — or does generates some level of reaction, or "outrage," online. One's power would need to be taken back constantly in the face of it. So how does she deal with it?
"I just don't read it. Like, it's not important to me ... there's so many ignorant people on the internet, and you just can't pay attention to them all."
To hear the full conversation, use the audio player at the top of this page.
Copyright 2022 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org. | https://www.klcc.org/npr-music/npr-music/2022-08-19/demi-lovato-on-taking-the-power-back-through-a-heavy-new-album-holy-f | 2022-08-19T11:38:55Z | klcc.org | control | https://www.klcc.org/npr-music/npr-music/2022-08-19/demi-lovato-on-taking-the-power-back-through-a-heavy-new-album-holy-f | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
In a small meeting hall in downtown Manhattan in 1989, more than 20 prominent writers stood in turn to read aloud the work of writer Salman Rushdie and denounce the fatwa that had just ordered his death.
Back then, the fatwa prompted an outpouring of support for Rushdie while also igniting a debate about the complicated collision of art and free expression with offensiveness.
Now, more than three decades later, those outpourings and debates have come back to the fore in the wake of a brutal knife attack on Rushdie at an art and literary retreat in New York.
PEN America, the writers group that advocates for free expression, organized the 1989 Rushdie reading. Among the speakers then were writer Joan Didion, novelist Norman Mailer and essayist Christopher Hitchens — all of whom decried the fatwa in the name of freedom of expression.
"Censorship has been imposed in the United States," said the biographer Robert Caro. "There are issues on which no compromise is possible, and this is one of them."
But not all responses to the fatwa were such full-throated defenses of Rushdie. Perhaps most prominently, former President Jimmy Carter penned an op-ed in The New York Times with a headline proclaiming The Satanic Verses to be an "insult."
"While Rushdie's First Amendment freedoms are important, we have tended to promote him and his book with little acknowledgment that it is a direct insult to those millions of Moslems whose sacred beliefs have been violated and are suffering in restrained silence," Carter wrote.
Commenting on Twitter in the days after last week's attack on Rushdie, Iranian American writer Roya Hakakian criticized a response by a U.S. official. Later, while posting a link to Carter's 1989 op-ed, she attributed what she called the abandonment of Rushdie and free speech to "the elites in 1989" and tweeted, "it's the elites today, too, all laying the building blocks of the unsightly cancel culture of today."
The attack on Rushdie comes at a moment when libraries and schools have come under immense pressure from conservatives to remove books about race and LGBTQ issues from their shelves. The publishing industry, too, has faced its share of criticism over issues of representation in literary fiction and young adult books, along with pressure to drop book deals with people like Republican Sen. Josh Hawley, Woody Allen and a Louisville, Ky., police officer involved in the death of Breonna Taylor.
"When literature departments refuse to teach Lolita, conferences on Dostoevsky are cancelled over the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Oscar winners feel comfortable slapping standup comedians on live television, journalists and cartoonists can be killed because they publish a thought or joke that offends their readers, it is a dangerous world for both artists and art itself," wrote Israeli writer Etgar Keret this week.
Several writers, including Graeme Wood of The Atlantic and David Rieff, have suggested that The Satanic Verses might not be published had it been written today.
The Satanic Verses, published in 1988, includes a section in which the Prophet Muhammad is tricked by Satan into proclaiming a revelation, the titular satanic verses, that he must later retract. Because the sequence portrayed fallibility and human weakness in the prophet, the novel is viewed as blasphemous by some Muslims.
The year after the book was published, Iran's religious leader, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, issued an order, known as a fatwa, calling for Rushdie's death and the deaths of anyone involved in the book's publication.
Afterward, Rushdie spent almost a decade in hiding under police protection. During those years, several publishers and translators were attacked, including the book's Japanese translator, who was killed in 1991.
Rushdie gradually reemerged into public life in the early 2000s. He has said he still receives periodic threats, as the fatwa has not been lifted. Over the years, hard-liners in Iran have reportedly pooled together a bounty totaling more than $3 million.
Last Friday, Rushdie, now 75, was preparing to speak at the retreat in New York when a man ran onstage and stabbed him 12 times in his neck, chest, stomach, hand and eye. Rushdie was hospitalized and his condition has since improved, those close to him have said.
The attacker, a 24-year-old Lebanese American man, has been charged with attempted murder. Iran has denied involvement in the attack.
Now, on Friday, PEN America will host a new version of the 1989 Rushdie reading: A group of writers will gather on the steps of the main branch of the New York Public Library to read passages of Rushdie's writing in a show of support. The event will include Hakakian, along with actor and comedian Aasif Mandvi, National Book Award winner Colum McCann and others.
"As publishers, we have a collective responsibility to support writers whose books and ideas ensure an open and ever-evolving society," Markus Dohle, the CEO of Rushdie's publisher Penguin Random House, said in a statement.
Copyright 2022 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org. | https://www.klcc.org/npr-news/2022-08-19/since-1989-threats-to-salman-rushdie-have-sparked-support-and-debate-on-free-speech | 2022-08-19T11:39:07Z | klcc.org | control | https://www.klcc.org/npr-news/2022-08-19/since-1989-threats-to-salman-rushdie-have-sparked-support-and-debate-on-free-speech | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
CANBERRA, Australia — Australia's leader said Friday that it's upsetting that Indonesia has further reduced the prison sentence of the bomb-maker in the Bali terror attack that killed 202 people — meaning the terrorist could be freed within days if he's granted parole.
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said he'd been told by Indonesian authorities that Umar Patek's sentence had been reduced by another five months, taking his total reductions to almost two years.
That means Patek could be released on parole ahead of the 20th anniversary of the bombings in October.
"This will cause further distress to Australians who were the families of victims of the Bali bombings," Albanese told Channel 9. "We lost 88 Australian lives in those bombings."
Albanese said he would continue making "diplomatic representations" to Indonesia about Patek's sentence and a range of other issues, including Australians currently jailed in Indonesia. Albanese described Patek as "abhorrent."
"His actions were the actions of a terrorist," Albanese told Channel 9. "They did have such dreadful results for Australian families that are ongoing, the trauma which is there."
Indonesia often grants sentence reductions to prisoners on major holidays such as the nation's Independence Day, which was Wednesday.
Patek received a 5-month reduction on Independence Day for good behavior and could walk free this month from Porong Prison in East Java province if he gets parole, said Zaeroji, who heads the provincial office for the Ministry of Law and Human Rights.
Zaeroji, who goes by a single name, said Patek had the same rights as other inmates and had fulfilled legal requirements to get sentence reductions. "While in the prison, he behaved very well and he regrets his radical past which has harmed society and the country and he has also vowed to be a good citizen," Zaeroji said.
Patek was arrested in Pakistan in 2011 and tried in Indonesia, where he was convicted in 2012. He was originally sentenced to 20 years imprisonment.
With his time served plus sentence reductions, he became eligible for parole on Aug. 14. The decision from the Ministry of Law and Human Rights in Jakarta is still pending, Zaeroji said. If refused parole, he could remain jailed until 2029.
Patek was one of several men implicated in the attack, which was widely blamed on Jemaah Islamiyah, a Southeast Asian militant group with ties to al-Qaida. Most of those killed in the bombing on the resort island were foreign tourists.
Another conspirator, Ali Imron, was sentenced to life. Earlier this year, a third militant, Aris Sumarsono, whose real name is Arif Sunarso but is better known as Zulkarnaen, was sentenced to 15 years following his capture in 2020 after 18 years on the run.
Erik de Haart, a survivor of the bombings, said said there was little the Australian government could do about Patek's reduced sentence. He told Seven's Sunrise that the time for that had passed.
"When you consider all of the financial aid we've given (Indonesia) over the years, with the disasters they have had, they seem to keep rubbing our noses in it," de Haart said.
Copyright 2022 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org. | https://www.klcc.org/npr-news/npr-news/2022-08-18/australias-leader-says-reducing-bali-bombers-sentence-will-upset-victims-families | 2022-08-19T11:39:20Z | klcc.org | control | https://www.klcc.org/npr-news/npr-news/2022-08-18/australias-leader-says-reducing-bali-bombers-sentence-will-upset-victims-families | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
This comic, illustrated by Breena Nunez, is inspired by an interview with dancer and choreographer Camille A. Brown from TED Radio Hour's episode The Artist's Voice.
About Camille A. Brown
Camille A. Brown is a dancer and choreographer who has worked on award-winning productions of Once On This Island, Jesus Christ Superstar Live on NBC and A Streetcar Named Desire, among others.
She is also the founder of Camille A. Brown & Dancers (CABD) that tours nationally and internationally. Her team has worked on productions of Mr. TOL E. RAncE and BLACK GIRL: Linguistic Play, as well as community engagement initiatives incorporating social dance.
Brown received her Bachelor of Fine Arts from the University of North Carolina School of the Arts.
This segment of TED Radio Hour was produced by Katie Monteleone and edited by Sanaz Meshkinpour. You can follow us on Twitter @TEDRadioHour and email us at TEDRadio@npr.org.
Copyright 2022 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org. | https://www.klcc.org/npr-news/npr-news/2022-08-19/comic-finding-my-voice-through-dance | 2022-08-19T11:39:38Z | klcc.org | control | https://www.klcc.org/npr-news/npr-news/2022-08-19/comic-finding-my-voice-through-dance | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
With abortion now being heavily restricted in many U.S. states following the fall of Roe v. Wade, social media has been filled with complicated and, in some cases, baseless workarounds that experts say should be intensely scrutinized before one considers pursing them.
Mandatory vasectomies, building clinics that offer abortion services on Native American reservations and placing children for adoption or foster care are among the most popular choices for post-Roe abortion workarounds, but experts say that these suggestions aren't realistic.
Here's what those researchers have to say about why these post-Roe workarounds are not as realistic as they may seem.
Mandatory vasectomies
When news hit that abortions were going to be nearly totally banned in several states, it was reported across the U.S. that calls for vasectomy appointments were increasing.
While many men were quoted saying they were doing it for their significant other or because they had no interest in having kids, Twitter was filled with suggestions, both serious and not, that men should be forced to get vasectomies.
Simple. Men will never understand the importance of bodily autonomy until they lose it. Now that the state has been given control over reproductive rights, makes sense all males should receive a vasectomy until proven fit for fatherhood. https://t.co/oFq536YpLI
— 🔥Reverend Dr. Aiden (@SweetFnLucifer) August 11, 2022
"I understand that they are trying to show how restrictive abortion [bans] are on the body and how unfair it is and how it is an attack on women, but I do find that they are quite tone-deaf when it comes to the very real history of eugenics and of forced sterilization of men," Georgia Grainger, a PhD student at the University of Strathclyde in Scotland, who is studying the history of vasectomies, told NPR over the phone.
“if abortion is illegal we should make it mandatory for people to get vasectomies” ah yes because the best solution for the government policing people’s bodies is to police more bodies
— L (they/them) (@aquariusxmars) July 7, 2022
In a thread that garnered over 17,000 retweets, Grainer explained why the idea of mandatory sterilization is harmful to men, especially men of color and men with disabilities.
Eugenics in the 20th century was a form of sexism and racism in the United States, a report from the University of Michigan explains.
The report says that the first sterilization law came in 1907 from Indiana, and other states passed similar legislation almost immediately after. Currently, those laws still exist in 31 states.
I am a historian of vasectomy who is going to lose her shit if she sees one more feminists suggest "mandatory vasectomies" for men, that vasectomies prevent abortion, or that vasectomies are any kind of solution to this situation. Strap in, folks.
— Georgia Grainger (@sniphist) June 25, 2022
🧵
Grainer said that there are ways to talk about unjust restrictions on bodily autonomy without suggesting further restrictions on other people's bodies.
"It's so long as it's voluntary," Grainer said, "and by choice, then any contraception is good, any reproductive choices are good in my book. But it's when it becomes not about choice, I think there's a real issue."
Building clinics that provide abortions on Native American reservations
The sovereign status of Native American reservations has brought up the idea of building clinics that provide abortions on reservations.
The tribal sovereignty that the U.S. has granted to Native Americans gives Native tribes the right to govern themselves and allows them to regulate their own affairs in-house, meaning they are exempt from laws like the bans on abortions that have taken effect post-Roe.
One suggestion that has circulated on social media is to start building clinics on reservations because they are sovereign nations where decisions from state governments do not apply.
What if we put all the abortion clinics on Indian reservations like we do casinos and the good fireworks.
— Dani Question the Anne Heche Narrative. (@DaniGraceHader) June 30, 2022
However, Aila Hoss, an associate professor at IUPUI's McKinney School of Law in Indianapolis, said that building clinics on reservations is much more complicated than it might seem.
"First off, legally, it's not as simple as, 'Oh, tribes are sovereign nations,' even though it should be," Hoss told NPR over the phone.
She said that the difference between criminal and civil laws, who is providing the services, and funding and tribal membership are among many of the reasons that providing abortions for outsiders is difficult for tribal nations.
Hoss said that practitioners on reservations typically work under a federally funded system called the I/T/U. The I/T/U is made up of three parts: the Indian Health Service (IHS), which is the federal government directly helping with clinics and other health services for Native Americans; tribal health services, which are IHS-funded health services directly handled by the tribes; and Urban Indian Health Programs, also funded by the IHS but handled by nonprofit organizations.
Medical practitioners within the I/T/U system cannot administer abortions on tribal land, except under certain situations, because of the Hyde Amendment. This 1976 law prohibits the federal funding of abortion, except in cases of rape, incest or the pregnant patient's life being in danger. This means that if reservations wanted to go forward with providing abortions for nontribal patients, they would have to use their own resources to bring in a practitioner who was not part of the federally funded system and who would not have some of the legal protections granted to practitioners working within the federal system.
For example, under the federally funded system, practitioners are covered from having to personally take on the financial brunt of a malpractice suit. But Hoss said practitioners not under the federal system wouldn't have this protection in the event of a medical procedure going wrong. She added that in order to build clinics that would provide abortions for nonmembers, tribes would have to want to take on these legal and financial risks.
Aside from the legal issues surrounding this idea, it also ignores ethical and cultural factors.
Hoss said that none of the suggestions for building clinics that provide abortions have come from tribes themselves, but have instead come from non-Native national organizations that don't think of the legal and ethical effects of volunteering tribes to take on the weight of a complicated issue.
Reproductive health care, including abortion, is already difficult for Native American women to access on their own land, Hoss said, so this suggestion of building clinics on reservations now comes only at a time when lack of abortion access is impacting the non-Native population.
According to a study published in 2014 in the American Journal of Public Health, over 80% of Indian Health Service facilities, the primary provider of reproductive health care to Native American women, were not in compliance with IHS and Hyde Amendment regulations because they did not provide abortion services in the event of rape, incest or the life of the pregnant patient being in danger. Only 5% of these facilities performed on-site abortions, and none had Mifeprex, a drug used for medication abortion.
Native Americans also have the highest poverty rate of any racial group in the U.S., which has negatively affected their access to proper health care.
"And so I think the first point is a reflection on why this was not important to you pre-Dobbs. Why are folks making these kinds of broad generalizations without thinking about the legal, the ethical, cultural impacts of this?"
Adoption as an answer
As protests took place across the U.S. on the morning that the Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization decision overturned Roe, a tweet featuring a couple holding a sign that read "We Will Adopt Your Baby" became a meme.
The couple in the photo, Neydy Casillas and Sebastián Schuff, are lawyers who have spent most of their careers supporting conservative Christian legal fights. Casillas is tied to an anti-LGBTQ law firm, Alliance Defending Freedom, that has been pushing to transform the U.S. into a more "Christian values" nation.
My favorite sign yesterday. pic.twitter.com/6UsmNy8Q9r
— Noelle Fitchett (@NoelleFitchett) June 25, 2022
To convince people not to have abortions, many have suggested placing babies for adoption or putting them in the foster care system.
More than 100,000 children were already waiting for adoption in the foster care system in 2020, according to the Kids Count Data Center.
Dana Davidson, co-director of adoption and family support at The Cradle, which helps facilitate adoptions for families nationwide and internationally, told NPR over email that the impact of the overturn of Roe v. Wade and its effect on adoption will vary in different parts of the country.
"What we know to be true is that adoption is complex and is born of loss," Davidson said.
Davidson said that in the agency's experience, clients are not making the decision between abortion and adoption at the same time.
"Adoption is an alternative to parenting, not an alternative to being pregnant," she said.
States like Texas, which has a trigger law that banned abortion once Roe v. Wade was overturned, were among those with the most foster youth as of 2021, according to the project Who Cares: A National Count of Foster Homes and Families.
"I think it's also important to point out that while there has been a lot of conversation online suggesting a Roe v. Wade overturn could be great for prospective parents who want to adopt, The Cradle is not in the business of finding babies for families," Davidson said. "We are in the business of finding families for babies if and when the expectant parents decide that adoption [is] the best option for themselves and their families."
Copyright 2022 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org. | https://www.klcc.org/npr-news/npr-news/2022-08-19/how-realistic-are-the-post-roe-abortion-workarounds-that-are-filling-social-media | 2022-08-19T11:39:53Z | klcc.org | control | https://www.klcc.org/npr-news/npr-news/2022-08-19/how-realistic-are-the-post-roe-abortion-workarounds-that-are-filling-social-media | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
A flash flood watch had been issued by the Nashville office of the National Weather Service the evening before. Meteorologists expected two to three inches of rain an hour, and almost no one was prepared.
That included the 4,000 or so people who lived in Waverly, a small town an hour and a half west of Nashville.
The rain began just before 1 a.m. on August 21, 2021. After sunrise, the water was so deep that it was forcing families from their homes and trapping others. In the course of a day, 21 inches of rain fell on Waverly and overflowed local creeks. The sound of helicopters filled the air while rescue boats cruised on top of the brown floodwaters below. The flood tore through Waverly and surrounding Humphreys County and killed 20 people.
Waverly is the largest city in the county. It was hit hard. There's been a lot of effort to rebuild. But many people are still a long way from a full recovery, and it's unclear if the community will ever be the same.
Building new memories
Some lifelong residents have left the town. The trauma was enough for longtimers, like Linda Balthrop, to count their losses and leave Waverly.
"It came fast," Balthrop says, "in a flash."
Balthrop, who's in her mid-70s, survived the flood with her husband. But in the year since, they've moved closer to their daughter and grandchildren in Mississippi.
"Coming back to Waverly and seeing it, I kind of admire the people that have stuck around," Balthrop says, "because it's really depressing here."
She and her husband had lived in their old home for nearly 50 years. But Balthrop is ready to put those memories behind her.
"If I were here, it wouldn't be as easy to do that because it's all around us, you know, all this destruction," Balthrop says. "But I think we're better off where we are now."
The house was the highest home in the neighborhood. It wasn't considered part of the floodplain, but the waters still reached it. It's since been remodeled by a family member.
Recounting the damage
Floodwaters damaged dozens of businesses and destroyed most of Waverly's public housing. Waverly Elementary School and Waverly Junior High School had to be abandoned.
Earlier this month, kids were supposed to start school in a remodeled boot factory, but there were construction delays. Renovation costs are expected to reach $11.7 million, with most of the bill covered by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).
People harmed by the flood have received more than $7 million from FEMA. Millions of dollars have also been allocated to Waverly for road, bridge and other projects. Tennessee's statewide emergency management agency has also been working with federal leaders to map out possible flood mitigation projects.
Scientists say that extreme weather disasters are increasingly likely as climate change leads to heavier rainfalls. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the U.S. Department of Agriculture have been conducting studies to prevent flooding from doing this kind of damage again.
"One of these studies will take 18 months," Waverly Mayor Buddy Frazier says. "So, you know, we've got to be patient while that's going on."
Frazier grew up in Waverly and used to be a local police officer. But the place he knew before the flood could be slipping away. Many people were displaced by the flood and haven't had the option to come back. One of those families were his tenants.
"They all survived. But then they had to relocate," Frazier says. "So we lost a good family. That's another one of the casualties, is what it is."
A lonely recovery
The displacements are expected to hurt sales and property tax revenues. But Waverly still has people who have made their way back.
"It's going to sound so cheesy. I always wanted to own a house, and I never thought I was going to be able to, because I've been disabled for a very long time," Gary Jackson says. "We were able to get this house, and I just couldn't bring myself to give it up."
Jackson has Type 1 diabetes, which caused him to lose a leg. He's been staying outside of Waverly and is now getting ready to move back. But the destruction is still hard to shake.
"Sometimes it's waking up in the middle of the night because you're having a bad dream," Jackson says. "Sometimes it's just not being able to sleep at all because you're just overthinking about what happened and what you could have done differently."
Jackson said his mind replays the moment his dog was sucked underneaththe raging water.
He moved to Waverly in 2017. His home is one of several rebuilt by Christian ministry group Appalachia Service Project. His new home represents the progress since the first days after the flood, when roads had washed away, and cars were stuck in trees.
Waverly has had a history of flooding. No one knows when another deadly flood could come through, or what long-term recovery will really look like. Pointing across his neighborhood, Jackson says he just hopes that things can get back to the way they were.
"That house is empty. They're all empty until you get to the other end of the street. And most of those are gone. Debbie's gone," Jackson says.
"And, I forget his name, he's gone right now" Jackson continues, "don't know if they're coming back or not, I haven't talked to them. But it's just lonely. It just looks lonely."
Copyright 2022 WPLN News | https://www.klcc.org/npr-news/npr-news/2022-08-19/in-a-flood-ravaged-tennessee-town-uncertainty-hangs-over-the-recovery | 2022-08-19T11:39:59Z | klcc.org | control | https://www.klcc.org/npr-news/npr-news/2022-08-19/in-a-flood-ravaged-tennessee-town-uncertainty-hangs-over-the-recovery | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
We all love the idea of having beautiful, radiant, glowing, healthy skin. The desire to have that glowing skin has led a lot of individuals, especially ladies, to make use of different skincare products in a bid to achieve glowing skin.
Maintaining healthy skin doesn’t come easy since it requires a lot of effort. Achieving healthy skin is quite possible naturally without the use of various skincare products.
A healthy skin starts from within and not without, as most people think. Thus, if you ever desire to achieve that radiant skin, then you should know that getting the right amount of nutrients through eating fruits is a must.
Are you looking for natural ways to restore your skin’s radiance and health? Check out 10 fruits that can help you achieve glowing and healthy skin seamlessly.
1. Orange
If you desire radiant skin, a daily intake of Vitamin C which oranges are a good supply of becomes mandatory for you. The natural oils present in oranges keep your skin hydrated, making it look plump.
Vitamin C is known to aid in collagen production, which keeps your skin firm and reduces the appearance of signs of ageing.
Thus, a daily intake of oranges helps prevent premature ageing of your skin.
2. Avocado
Consumption of avocados will save you from wasting your money on expensive anti-ageing skincare products as they are rich in monounsaturated fatty acids, which help to hydrate and protect your skin by minimizing the risk of early signs of ageing caused by the harmful UVA and UVB rays.
Additionally, it boosts the absorption of various fat-soluble vitamins, which also shield your skin from ultraviolet radiation.
3. Lemon
If you long for clear and blemish-free skin, making lemon a part of your daily diet and skincare regime is definitely a sure way to go.
Lemons are enriched with Vitamin C, which fights off free radicals and flushes out toxins from your system. It shields your skin from hyperpigmentation.
It also alleviates inflammation in your skin and clears out acne breakouts, giving you a clear and glowing complexion.
4. Watermelon
Watermelon is a blessing for your skin’s health, especially for those with sensitive or acne-prone skin.
Watermelon is composed of 92% water, which makes it effective in flushing out toxins from your skin as well as regulating your digestive system.
Watermelon is packed with vitamins A, C, B1, and B6. It is also a rich source of carotenoids, flavonoids, and lycopene. The lycopene present in a watermelon protects your skin from free radical damage.
5. Pineapple
Pineapples are beneficial for your skin health because they help in promoting the cell regeneration process.
Pineapples have a potent enzyme known as bromelain, which helps in the renewal of dead skin cells. Bromelain also minimizes inflammation in your skin. Pineapple also contains Vitamins A, C, and K along with vital minerals that play an important role in your skin’s health.
6. Mango
Mangoes are another fruit which is beneficial for the revitalisation of your skin health.
Its natural healing properties make it an effective ingredient in several skincare products and routines. Mangoes are also enriched with vitamins A, C, E, and K.
It also has anti-inflammatory properties, which help in protecting your skin from sun damage as well as DNA damage.
7. Pawpaw
Pawpaw is a naturally moisturizing agent that helps keep your skin hydrated and soft.
Rich in Vitamin A, C and B, this fruit is proven to be effective in maintaining good skin health.
Pawpaw can also improve your digestive system and prevent constipation. This, in turn, aids in clearing up your skin. Studies also suggest that this fruit can also speed up the wound healing process.
8. Cucumber
Cucumbers help in achieving a cooling effect on the body and are high in antioxidants.
The peel of a cucumber contains vitamin C and vitamin K, which are vital to achieving healthy, glowing skin.
Studies suggest that sea cucumbers can aid in skin whitening and can also reduce the appearance of fine lines. They also help in reducing puffy eyes and dark circles.
9. Apple
Apples are packed with vitamins A and C that cater to a host of skin issues.
Apple peels are also rich in antioxidants that help reduce the appearance of signs of ageing and fight free radicals in the body, reducing oxidative stress.
It is enriched with potassium, magnesium, calcium, and dietary fibre, which makes them of great help to your skin health.
10. Banana
Bananas are packed with antioxidants and antimicrobial properties and are also very moisturizing.
It contains Vitamin A, C K, E, folate, and minerals that make it effective in improving your skin health.
It is also rich in dietary fibre that is required for a good digestive system, which helps with good skin as well.
Bananas are also moisturizing agents that help soothe dry skin.
Fruits are a great help in achieving that glowing, radiant and healthy skin you desire. Let go of those chemical-laden skincare products and stick with fruits that guarantee your desired skin naturally and at a low cost.
To boost your health and wellbeing, here are fruits you should not miss.
ALSO READ FROM NIGERIAN TRIBUNE | https://tribuneonlineng.com/10-fruits-that-will-give-you-glowing-healthy-skin/ | 2022-08-19T11:40:42Z | tribuneonlineng.com | control | https://tribuneonlineng.com/10-fruits-that-will-give-you-glowing-healthy-skin/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
ATLANTA–When Disney+’s latest series “She-Hulk” begins, Jennifer Walters is a typical ambitious single 30-something attorney, a more modern version of Ally McBeal or Elle Woods.
But after a car accident, the blood of her cousin Bruce “The Hulk” Banner accidentally intermingles with hers and she ends up becoming a hulk, too. (The first of nine episodes of season one, mostly shot at Trilith Studios in Fayetteville, was released on Thursday, with new episodes coming out weekly thereafter.)
The difference: the 5-foot-4 Walters, played by Tatiana Maslany of “Orphan Black” fame, can control her ability to become a 6-foot-7-inch hulk at will.
She did not sign up for this. She recoils when her best friend and paralegal Nikki Ramos (a vibrant Ginger Gonzaga) dubs her a superhero, preferring to impose justice in a courtroom.
“No,” Walters said. “I did not go to law school and rack up six figures in student loans to become a vigilante. That is for billionaires and narcissists and adult orphans for some reason.”
Nikki: “You can join the Avengers!”
Walters: “Do the Avengers offer health care, maternal benefits and a pension? Are they even paid?”
Director and executive producer Kat Coiro, in an interview with The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, said she was able to parlay her background in comedy into the Marvel Cinematic Universe, having worked on shows like “Modern Family,” “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia” and “Girls5Eva.”
“We leaned into a very simple shooting style,” Coiro said, “so that her outlandishness as a big green woman doesn’t stand out and be overshadowed by the camera.”
Like “Fleabag,” “Deadpool” and “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off,” Walters every so often breaks the fourth wall to discuss the show itself. It’s what She-Hulk did in the comic book series three decades ago. She’ll comment to viewers about how storylines converge and crack wise about appearances from Mark Ruffalo’s Hulk, Tim Roth’s Abomination and Benedict Wong’s Wong.
Wong, who has appeared in many MCU movies, shows up consecutive weeks. As Walters said in the opening of the fourth episode: “Everybody loves Wong! It’s like giving the show Twitter armor for a week!”
“I saw the fourth wall breaking as almost part of her superpowers,” Coiro said. “She gains this sense of self awareness. When she is talking to the cameras, she is acknowledging the meta elements of this show.”
After the origin story and set up in the first couple of episodes, the show gets into the more conventional rhythms of a “case of the week” law drama while incorporating elements of the Marvel world.
Walters as She-Hulk is hired to be the face of the new “Super Human” department at a prestigious law firm because she is the only one with both a legal and superhero background. She has a blend of supportive and jealous colleagues, tropes familiar to anyone who has binged shows like “L.A. Law” and “Private Practice.”
“I’m all into tropes,” Coiro said. “I love leaning into them. You give the audience something very familiar, then go on all these crazy Marvel twists. It was definitely a balancing act.”
“She-Hulk” has the added complication of grappling with clients who may follow the Book of Vashanti, not “the book of American laws,” as she tells a confused Wong at one point.
The series is set in Los Angeles, but a bulk of the season was shot in metro Atlanta, including scenes outside the Martin Luther King Jr. Federal Building and Courthouse in downtown Atlanta and inside the Garden Room and Atlas restaurants in Buckhead.
Coiro herself liked Atlanta so much while shooting here that she moved her family from Los Angeles to a home near Trilith Studios.
She said Maslany was picked for the lead in part because she was already used to technical challenges having played multiple characters over five seasons on BBC America’s “Orphan Black,” landing an Emmy win in 2018 for lead actress in a drama.
In this case, she had to don an uncomfortable, unflatteringly tight gray motion capture suit (known in the business as a “mocap”) for about two-thirds of her scenes as She-Hulk.
“It’s not for the faint of heart,” Coiro said. “You feel very disconnected from your fellow actors and crew. You have a camera strapped to your face and you can’t see properly. I did wear gray one day in solidarity.”
It’s taken producers a year to make She-Hulk look authentic on screen. “We aren’t finished yet with post production,” she said.
Coiro hopes the unusual genre blending will draw new viewers who aren’t MCU acolytes. “There are plenty of Easter eggs and back stories for the fans,” she said. “But a huge part of my job was to make it accessible for audiences who haven’t seen every Marvel movie. At the same time, it might make them go back and watch some of them.” | https://www.wyomingnews.com/features/disney-s-she-hulk-blends-the-mcu-with-an-ally-mcbeal--style-law-show/article_11e6d41a-1f1a-11ed-b320-9ff76d789235.html | 2022-08-19T11:43:04Z | wyomingnews.com | control | https://www.wyomingnews.com/features/disney-s-she-hulk-blends-the-mcu-with-an-ally-mcbeal--style-law-show/article_11e6d41a-1f1a-11ed-b320-9ff76d789235.html | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Cheyenne and Laramie County
Fridays on the Plaza
– Aug. 19, 5:30 p.m. A weekly summer concert series featuring acts from around the country. This week’s headliner is Jeremiah Tall, with an opening performance by Dirty Grass Players. Cheyenne Depot Plaza, 1 Depot Square. 307-637-6200
Country Dance Lessons with David Uriquidez
– Aug. 19, 6-8 p.m. $15 per person, $25 per couple. Be the star of the country bar after attending this swing dance class. Bring water and dance appropriate shoes. Tickets available via https://cfdoldwestmuseum.org/products/country-dance-lessons Cheyenne Frontier Days Old West Museum, 4610 Carey Ave. 307-778-7290
Cheyenne Farmers Market
– Aug. 20, 7 a.m.-1 p.m. Local and regional vendors sell their produce, honey, jams, meat, bakery and specialty items, and much more. Proceeds benefit Community Action of Laramie County and its programs. B Parking Lot, Frontier Park, 4610 Carey Ave. 307-635-9291 or www.calc.net/farmers-market
NRA Action Pistol Regional and Wyoming State Championship
– Aug 20-21, 9 a.m. Some of the top Action Pistol competitors in the U.S. will compete in the “Steamboat Challenge” shooting competition. NRA Action Pistol is best described as “precision pistol shooting at speed.” Otto Road Shooting Range, 1531 Otto Road. 307-640-3847
Historic Cemetery Walk
– Aug 20, 9:30 a.m. and 10:15 a.m. $10. The living history program, “Cheyenne’s Melting Pot,” presented by the Cheyenne Genealogical & Historical Society, begins at the main gate of Lakeview Cemetery and features interesting characters who played large and small parts in Cheyenne’s frontier history. Lakeview Cemetery, 2501 Seymour Ave. 307-630-0924
Cheyenne Arts Celebration
– Aug. 20, 12:30-7 p.m. Free. The Cheyenne Arts Celebration may be young, but it’s in the middle of rapid growth. This festival features live music, vendors, food, drinks and more. Lions Park, Lions Park Drive. 307-637-6423
Puddle of Mudd
– Aug 20, 8-10 p.m. $30. This Kansas City, Missouri-based rock band enjoyed mainstream success in the ‘90s, and now they’re on their way to downtown Cheyenne. The Lincoln Theatre, 1615 Central Ave. 307-369-6028
Healing and the Mind
– Aug. 21, 1:30-2:30 p.m. Free. Join Dr. Ken Kranz for Part VIII of the “What’s the Next Step?” presentation series. This installment will focus on different ways that we can use the power of our mind to improve the physical, mental, emotional and spiritual aspects of our life. Laramie County Community College Library, 1400 E. College Drive. 307-778-1206
Cultural Blind Spots series
– Aug. 21, 2 p.m. Join St. Mark’s in the second installment of its Cultural Blind Spots series, which will explore the experiences of minority ethnic groups in Cheyenne. St. Mark’s Episcopal Church, 1908 Central Ave. 307-634-7709
Animal Collective @ The Lincoln
– Aug 22, 7-10 p.m. $25. Renowned indie rock group Animal Collective will perform at the historic downtown theater. The Lincoln Theatre, 1615 Central Ave. 307-369-6028
Open Mic Night at Blue Raven
– Aug. 24, 7-10 p.m. A musical open mic night, presented in collaboration with Wyoming Wave Studios. Blue Raven Brewery, 209 E. 18th St. 307-369-1978
”’Twilight of the Gods:’Defeat, Memory, and Legacy of World War II and the Holocaust” presentation
– Aug. 25, 6-8 p.m. The third and final installment in a series of expert presentations from Adam Blackler, associate professor of history at the University of Wyoming, all of which will provide context and historical background for the themes and concepts presented in Americans and the Holocaust, a traveling exhibition for libraries, currently on display. Laramie County Library, 2200 Pioneer Ave. 307-634-3561
New Frontier Cheyenne Gun and Western Collectibles Show
– Aug. 26, 12-5 p.m.; Aug. 27, 9 a.m.-4 p.m.; Aug. 28, 9 a.m.-2 p.m. This Western collectible and firearms show will have a large assortment of new and antique firearms, accessories, knives, edged weapons, cowboy and Indian artifacts, relics, Western memorabilia, antiques and jewelry. Laramie County Events Center at Archer, 3801 Archer Parkway. 307-633-4670
Fridays on the Plaza
– Aug. 26, 5:30 p.m. A weekly summer concert series featuring acts from around the country. This week’s headliner is Jocelyn & Chris, with an opening performance by The Patti Fiasco. Cheyenne Depot Plaza, 1 Depot Square. 307-637-6200
Cheyenne Farmers Market
– Aug. 27, 7 a.m.-1 p.m. Local and regional vendors sell their produce, honey, jams, meat, bakery and specialty items, and much more. Proceeds benefit Community Action of Laramie County and its programs. B Parking Lot, Frontier Park, 4610 Carey Ave. 307-635-9291 or www.calc.net/farmers-market
End of Summer Foam Party
– Aug. 27, 10 a.m.-noon. Summer is over, and it’s time to go back to school. Join the library for outdoor games and sipping on lemonade as we enjoy the last rays of summer with a foam party. Performance Park, 2200 Pioneer Ave. 307-634-3561
University of Wyoming Football Fest
– Aug. 27, 2-6 p.m. Prepare your best University of Wyoming football cheer, don your brown and gold, and get ready for game day at the library. Join fellow fans to watch the first game of the season as the Cowboys take on Illinois. Laramie County Library, 2200 Pioneer Ave. 307-634-3561
New Frontier Cheyenne Gun and Western Collectibles Show Auction
– Aug. 27, 4 p.m. This year’s auction includes antique Native American and cowboy items, Old West memorabilia and eight special items worn on-screen by famous (now deceased) actor John Wayne. Laramie County Events Center at Archer, 3801 Archer Parkway. 307-633-4670
Edge Fest 2022
– Aug. 27, 5-11 p.m. Experience Tones & I, Claire Rosinkranz and Joe P at the seventh installment of this free outdoor music festival. There will be food and drink on site, as well. Civic Commons Park, Bent Avenue and 20th Street. info@edgefest.com
Tales Together
– Aug. 30-31, 10:15-10:45 a.m. An interactive early literacy class for preschool children and their caregivers. Practice new skills incorporating books, songs, rhymes, movement and more. Laramie County Library, 2200 Pioneer Ave. 307-634-3561
Open Mic Night at Blue Raven
– Aug. 31, 7-10 p.m. A musical open mic night, presented in collaboration with Wyoming Wave Studios. Blue Raven Brewery, 209 E. 18th St. 307-369-1978
Cheyenne First Friday Artwalk
– Sept. 2, 5 p.m. Free. The Cheyenne Artwalk is a monthly event that highlights a local gallery or studio on the first Friday of every month. This month, look for the mobile ArtHaus unit parked out front the Clay Paper Scissors, along with food trucks and live music. Cheyenne Artist Guild, 1701 Morrie Ave. 307-632-2263
Cheyenne Farmers Market
– Sept. 3, 7 a.m.-1 p.m. Local and regional vendors sell their produce, honey, jams, meat, bakery and specialty items, and much more. Proceeds benefit Community Action of Laramie County and its programs. B Parking Lot, Frontier Park, 4610 Carey Ave. 307-635-9291 or www.calc.net/farmers-market
Laramie and Greater Wyoming
7220’ Music Fest
– Aug. 27, 3-10 p.m. $20. A music festival to raise money for Albany County Search and Rescue and Laramie Chamber Business Alliance. There will be street vendors, food trucks and music. Bond’s Brewing Company, 411 S. Second St. 307-460-3385
307 Film Festival
– Aug. 27-28. $49 for weekend pass. A festival that celebrates films and filmmakers from across Wyoming, the United States and internationally. Studio City UW, 2422 Grand Ave. 307-460-1598
Fort Collins, Colorado
Foodie Walk
– Aug. 19, 5-8 p.m. Free. A monthly self-guided food walk through downtown Fort Collins. Various locations, Fort Collins, Colorado. 970-484-6500
Off the Shelf: Contemporary Book Arts in Colorado
– Aug. 26-Dec. 18, museum hours. Free. This exhibit features artists that innovate and defy our conceptual framework of the book and its contents. The artist book, a medium spanning the public and private sphere of creators and viewers, reflects on issues intimate and grand. Colorado State University Gregory Allicar Museum of Art, 1400 Remington Street, Fort Collins, Colorado. 970-491-1989
World’s Biggest Pizza Party
– Aug. 27, noon-4 p.m. Fort Collins pizza maker Project Pizza Co. is hosting an event to beat the world record for the world’s biggest pizza party. There will be six pizza trucks making pizzas, a DJ and a celebration for pizza lovers in Fort Collins. City Park Fort Collins, 1500 W. Mulberry St. info@projectpizzaco.com
Boulder, Colorado
Hiatus Kaiyote @ Boulder Theater
– Aug. 31, 8 p.m. $39.50-$40. A performance by Melbourne-based, genre-transcending alternative band Hiatus Kaiyote. Boulder Theater, 2042 14th St., Boulder, Colorado. 303-786-7030
Denver
Loco Locals Comedy Extravaganza
– Aug. 17, 7:30-9:30 p.m. $10. A night of stand-up comedy. Ten-minute sets from five different comics. Avanti Food and Beverage, 3200 Pecos St., Denver. 720-269-4778
Mt. Joy @ Mission Ballroom
– Aug. 18, 8 p.m.; doors at 7 p.m. A performance from indie-rock band Mt. Joy, fresh off their latest studio album, “Orange Blood.” Mission Ballroom, 4242 Wynkoop St., Denver. 720-577-6884
Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweats @ Red Rocks
– Aug. 23-24, 7:30 p.m.; doors at 6 p.m. Folk artist Nathaniel Rateliff is stopping by Red Rocks with support from Caroline Rose for his 2022 North American Tour. Red Rocks Amphitheater, 18300 W. Alameda Parkway, Morrison, Colorado. 720-865-2494
My Morning Jacket @ Red Rocks
– Aug. 26-27, 7:30 p.m.; doors at 6 p.m. A two-night performance from alternative-rock band My Morning Jacket. Red Rocks Amphitheater, 18300 W. Alameda Parkway, Morrison, Colorado. 720-865-2494
Nine Inch Nails @ Red Rocks
– Sept. 2-3, 7:30 p.m.; doors at 6 p.m. A two-night performance from critically acclaimed industrial/electronic/metal band fronted by Trent Reznor. Red Rocks Amphitheater, 18300 W. Alameda Parkway, Morrison, Colorado. 720-865-2494
To submit an item to the events calendar, email ToDo@wyomingnews.com or call WTE features editor Will Carpenter at 307-633-3135. | https://www.wyomingnews.com/features/todo/friday-calendar-8-19-22/article_f88b5e44-1e7b-11ed-a933-bb11f487b4cb.html | 2022-08-19T11:43:23Z | wyomingnews.com | control | https://www.wyomingnews.com/features/todo/friday-calendar-8-19-22/article_f88b5e44-1e7b-11ed-a933-bb11f487b4cb.html | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Fans of late Foo Fighters drummer Taylor Hawkins will be able to tune in live as some of music’s biggest stars take part in a tribute concert.
Paramount+ and MTV’s YouTube channels will live-stream “The Taylor Hawkins Tribute Concert” on Sept. 3 as the Foo Fighters, Travis Barker, Lars Ulrich, the drummers’ son Shane Hawkins and more perform at Wembley Stadium in England, Paramount announced Wednesday.
“Music is a powerful connector, and we are honored to commemorate Taylor Hawkins’ enduring legacy by bringing together Paramount’s portfolio of brands and assets to build even deeper connections with his global fan base,” Bob Bakish, the president and CEO of Paramount, said in a statement.
Hawkins died in March at age 50.
The tribute concert begins at 11:30 a.m. EDT, and will also be live-streamed internationally by Pluto TV. Highlights from the show will air on CBS on the night of Sept. 3.
Other musical performers scheduled for the concert include John Paul Jones, Kesha, Liam Gallagher and Wolfgang Van Halen, while comedians Chris Rock and Dave Chappelle will make special appearances.
The Foo Fighters have won 15 Grammys, including three in 2022, and are known for songs such as “The Pretender,” “Everlong” and “Learn to Fly.”
“Taylor was not only an incredible drummer and musician but truly one of the most passionate super fans of music the world has seen,” Viacom executive Bruce Gillmer said Wednesday. “His infectious energy and unique talent will continue to live on through his vast body of work.” | https://www.wyomingnews.com/features/todo/taylor-hawkins-tribute-concert-to-be-live-streamed-as-stars-honor-the-late-foo-fighters/article_79e12c18-1e7b-11ed-8f38-33cfa441c5c8.html | 2022-08-19T11:43:29Z | wyomingnews.com | control | https://www.wyomingnews.com/features/todo/taylor-hawkins-tribute-concert-to-be-live-streamed-as-stars-honor-the-late-foo-fighters/article_79e12c18-1e7b-11ed-8f38-33cfa441c5c8.html | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
FRIDAY
Open house for renovated LFD training facility: 10:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., Laramie Fire Department drill grounds, 2451 County Shop Road.
Downtown Laramie Farmers Market: 3-7 p.m., parking lot north of Depot Park on South 1st Street.
SATURDAY
‘The Legacy of Wyoming’ performed by Buffalo Bill and Dr. Jo: 5-8 p.m., Wyoming Territorial Prison. For tickets, call 307-745-6161.
Revive the Wyo fundraiser: 5-9 p.m., historic train depot in downtown Laramie. Enjoy a Cajun-themed meal and entertainment. Cost $35 a person. For tickets, visit https://htru.io/Ssrf.
SUNDAY
Walk with a Doc: 1:30-2:30 p.m. at the Washington Park west shelter No. 3. Bring walking shoes and a friend. For more information, email questions@ivinsonhospital.org.
Laramie Connections free Meet and Eat dinner and faith gathering: 4:30 p.m., First Baptist Church, 1517 E. Canby St.
Al-Anon Family Group meets: 6:30 p.m. at the Presbyterian church, 215 S. 11th St. For relatives and friends of alcoholics. For information, call Jane at 307-760-4683 or Mark at 307-760-4716.
MONDAY
Alcoholics Anonymous meets: Daily at various times in person or on Zoom. For more information, call 307-399-0590 or visit area76aawyoming.org or aa.org.
Survivors of Suicide Support Group: Meets from 5:30-6:45 p.m. at Hospice of Laramie House, 1754 Centennial Drive.
Women for Sobriety meet: 6:30-8:30 p.m. via Zoom. For meeting details, email 1093@womenforsobriety.org.
TUESDAY
Prayers & Squares Quilting Group meets: 9 a.m., Room 1 of Hunter Hall at St. Matthews Cathedral.
WEDNESDAY
Laramie Tai Chi and Tea meets: 1:30 p.m. outdoors at Harbon Park, North 14th and Gibbon streets. For more information, visit laramietaichiandtea.org.
THURSDAY
Caregivers for loved ones with Alzheimer’s/dementia: 3 p.m., meet for coffee, pie, understanding and comradeship at Perkins Restaurant & Bakery, 204 S. 30th St. For more information, call 307-745-6451.
Al-Anon Family Group meets: 5:30 p.m. at the Presbyterian church, 215 S. 11th St. For relatives and friends of alcoholics. For information, call Jane at 307-760-4683 or Mark at 307-760-4716.
Aug. 26
Downtown Laramie Farmers Market: 3-7 p.m., parking lot north of Depot Park on South 1st Street.
Aug. 27
Thrown-Out Bones performs: 5:30-7p.m., Washington Park band shell, 18th and Sheridan streets. Popcorn, pretzels and beer.
UW Planetarium presents “Back to the Moon For Good”: 8 p.m., UW Planetarium. What’s up in the sky around Wyoming.
Aug. 28
Laramie Connections free Meet and Eat dinner and faith gathering: 4:30 p.m., First Baptist Church, 1517 E. Canby St.
Al-Anon Family Group meets: 6:30 p.m. at the Presbyterian church, 215 S. 11th St. For relatives and friends of alcoholics. For information, call Jane at 307-760-4683 or Mark at 307-760-4716.
Aug. 29
Alcoholics Anonymous meets: Daily at various times in person or on Zoom. For more information, call 307-399-0590 or visit area76aawyoming.org or aa.org.
Survivors of Suicide Support Group: Meets from 5:30-6:45 p.m. at Hospice of Laramie House, 1754 Centennial Drive.
Women for Sobriety meet: 6:30-8:30 p.m. via Zoom. For meeting details, email 1093@womenforsobriety.org.
Aug. 30
Prayers & Squares Quilting Group meets: 9 a.m., Room 1 of Hunter Hall at St. Matthews Cathedral.
Aug. 31
Laramie Tai Chi and Tea meets: 1:30 p.m. at outdoors Harbon Park, North 14th and Gibbon streets. For more information, visit laramietaichiandtea.org.
Sept. 1
Caregivers for loved ones with Alzheimer’s/dementia: 3 p.m., meet for coffee, pie, understanding and comradeship at Perkins Restaurant & Bakery, 204 S. 30th St. For more information, call 307-745-6451.
Al-Anon Family Group meets: 5:30 p.m. at the Presbyterian church, 215 S. 11th St. For relatives and friends of alcoholics. For information, call Jane at 307-760-4683 or Mark at 307-760-4716.
Diabetes Support Group meets: 5:30-6:30 p.m. via Zoom. Email questions@ivinsosnhospital.org for the link.
Sept. 3
Walk with a Doc: 1:30-2:30 p.m. at the Washington Park west shelter No. 3. Bring walking shoes and a friend. For more information, email questions@ivinsonhospital.org.
Sept. 4
Laramie Connections free Meet and Eat dinner and faith gathering: 4:30 p.m., First Baptist Church, 1517 E. Canby St.
Al-Anon Family Group meets: 6:30 p.m. at the Presbyterian church, 215 S. 11th St. For relatives and friends of alcoholics. For information, call Jane at 307-760-4683 or Mark at 307-760-4716.
Sept. 5
Alcoholics Anonymous meets: Daily at various times in person or on Zoom. For more information, call 307-399-0590 or visit area76aawyoming.org or aa.org.
Survivors of Suicide Support Group: Meets from 5:30-6:45 p.m. at Hospice of Laramie House, 1754 Centennial Drive.
Women for Sobriety meet: 6:30-8:30 p.m. via Zoom. For meeting details, email 1093@womenforsobriety.org.
Sept. 6
Prayers & Squares Quilting Group meets: 9 a.m., Room 1 of Hunter Hall at St. Matthews Cathedral.
Sept. 7
Laramie Tai Chi and Tea meets: 1:30 p.m. outdoors at Harbon Park, North 14th and Gibbon streets. For more information, visit visit laramietaichiandtea.org.
Ivinson’s women’s health team hosts prenatal education: 5:30 p.m. in the Summit conference room. For more information and registration, visit ivinsonhospital.org/childbirth.
Sept. 8
Caregivers for loved ones with Alzheimer’s/dementia: 3 p.m., meet for coffee, pie, understanding and comradeship at Perkins Restaurant & Bakery, 204 S. 30th St. For more information, call 307-745-6451.
Al-Anon Family Group meets: 5:30 p.m. at the Presbyterian church, 215 S. 11th St. For relatives and friends of alcoholics. For information, call Jane at 307-760-4683 or Mark at 307-760-4716.
Sept. 10
22nd annual Wyoming Buddy Walk: 9 a.m. to noon, Washington Park band shell.
Summer Market Day at the fairgrounds: 3-6 p.m., beef barn.
Sept. 11
Laramie Connections free Meet and Eat dinner and faith gathering: 4:30 p.m., First Baptist Church, 1517 E. Canby St.
Al-Anon Family Group meets: 6:30 p.m. at the Presbyterian church, 215 S. 11th St. For relatives and friends of alcoholics. For information, call Jane at 307-760-4683 or Mark at 307-760-4716.
Sept. 12
Alcoholics Anonymous meets: Daily at various times in person or on Zoom. For more information, call 307-399-0590 or visit area76aawyoming.org or aa.org.
Survivors of Suicide Support Group: Meets from 5:30-6:45 p.m. at Hospice of Laramie House, 1754 Centennial Drive.
Albany County Historic Preservation Board meets: 6 p.m. via Microsoft Teams. To attend and receive an invite, email a request to kcbard@charter.net.
Women for Sobriety meet: 6:30-8:30 p.m. via Zoom. For meeting details, email 1093@womenforsobriety.org.
Sept. 13
Prayers & Squares Quilting Group meets: 9 a.m., Room 1 of Hunter Hall at St. Matthews Cathedral.
Albany County Republican Party meets: 6 p.m., Albany County Public Library.
Sept. 14
Laramie Tai Chi and Tea meets: 1:30 p.m. outdoors at Harbon Park, North 14th and Gibbon streets. For more information, visit visit laramietaichiandtea.org.
Ivinson’s women’s health team hosts prenatal education: 5:30 p.m. in the Summit conference room. For more information and registration, visit ivinsonhospital.org/childbirth.
Sept. 15
Caregivers for loved ones with Alzheimer’s/dementia: 3 p.m., meet for coffee, pie, understanding and comradeship at Perkins Restaurant & Bakery, 204 S. 30th St. For more information, call 307-745-6451.
Al-Anon Family Group meets: 5:30 p.m. at the Presbyterian church, 215 S. 11th St. For relatives and friends of alcoholics. For information, call Jane at 307-760-4683 or Mark at 307-760-4716.
Sept. 16
Albany County CattleWomen meet: 11:30 a.m., location tbd. Visit wyaccw.com in the week before the meeting for location and more information.
Sept. 17
Walk with a Doc: 1:30-2:30 p.m. at the Washington Park west shelter No. 3. Bring walking shoes and a friend. For more information, email questions@ivinsonhospital.org.
Sept. 18
Laramie Connections free Meet and Eat dinner and faith gathering: 4:30 p.m., First Baptist Church, 1517 E. Canby St.
Al-Anon Family Group meets: 6:30 p.m. at the Presbyterian church, 215 S. 11th St. For relatives and friends of alcoholics. For information, call Jane at 307-760-4683 or Mark at 307-760-4716.
Sept. 19
Alcoholics Anonymous meets: Daily at various times in person or on Zoom. For more information, call 307-399-0590 or visit area76aawyoming.org or aa.org.
Survivors of Suicide Support Group: Meets from 5:30-6:45 p.m. at Hospice of Laramie House, 1754 Centennial Drive.
Women for Sobriety meet: 6:30-8:30 p.m. via Zoom. For meeting details, email 1093@womenforsobriety.org.
Sept. 20
Prayers & Squares Quilting Group meets: 9 a.m., Room 1 of Hunter Hall at St. Matthews Cathedral.
Sept. 21
Laramie Tai Chi and Tea meets: 1:30 p.m. outdoors at Harbon Park, North 14th and Gibbon streets. For more information, visit visit laramietaichiandtea.org.
Ivinson’s women’s health team hosts prenatal education: 5:30 p.m. in the Summit conference room. For more information and registration, visit ivinsonhospital.org/childbirth.
Sept. 22
Caregivers for loved ones with Alzheimer’s/dementia: 3 p.m., meet for coffee, pie, understanding and comradeship at Perkins Restaurant & Bakery, 204 S. 30th St. For more information, call 307-745-6451.
Al-Anon Family Group meets: 5:30 p.m. at the Presbyterian church, 215 S. 11th St. For relatives and friends of alcoholics. For information, call Jane at 307-760-4683 or Mark at 307-760-4716.
Sept. 25
Laramie Connections free Meet and Eat dinner and faith gathering: 4:30 p.m., First Baptist Church, 1517 E. Canby St.
Al-Anon Family Group meets: 6:30 p.m. at the Presbyterian church, 215 S. 11th St. For relatives and friends of alcoholics. For information, call Jane at 307-760-4683 or Mark at 307-760-4716.
Sept. 26
Alcoholics Anonymous meets: Daily at various times in person or on Zoom. For more information, call 307-399-0590 or visit area76aawyoming.org or aa.org.
Survivors of Suicide Support Group: Meets from 5:30-6:45 p.m. at Hospice of Laramie House, 1754 Centennial Drive.
Women for Sobriety meet: 6:30-8:30 p.m. via Zoom. For meeting details, email 1093@womenforsobriety.org.
America Sewing Guild Laramie Chapter meets: 7 p.m., United Methodist Church, 1215 E. Gibbon St.
Sept. 27
Prayers & Squares Quilting Group meets: 9 a.m., Room 1 of Hunter Hall at St. Matthews Cathedral.
Sept. 28
Laramie Tai Chi and Tea meets: 1:30 p.m. outdoors at Harbon Park, North 14th and Gibbon streets. For more information, visit visit laramietaichiandtea.org.
Sept. 29
Caregivers for loved ones with Alzheimer’s/dementia: 3 p.m., meet for coffee, pie, understanding and comradeship at Perkins Restaurant & Bakery, 204 S. 30th St. For more information, call 307-745-6451.
Al-Anon Family Group meets: 5:30 p.m. at the Presbyterian church, 215 S. 11th St. For relatives and friends of alcoholics. For information, call Jane at 307-760-4683 or Mark at 307-760-4716.
Oct. 2
Laramie Connections free Meet and Eat dinner and faith gathering: 4:30 p.m., First Baptist Church, 1517 E. Canby St.
Al-Anon Family Group meets: 6:30 p.m. at the Presbyterian church, 215 S. 11th St. For relatives and friends of alcoholics. For information, call Jane at 307-760-4683 or Mark at 307-760-4716. | https://www.wyomingnews.com/laramieboomerang/announcements/whats-happening-aug-19-2022/article_f4082caa-1f2d-11ed-8740-27ee7d062dc7.html | 2022-08-19T11:43:35Z | wyomingnews.com | control | https://www.wyomingnews.com/laramieboomerang/announcements/whats-happening-aug-19-2022/article_f4082caa-1f2d-11ed-8740-27ee7d062dc7.html | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
The couple celebrated the birth of their daughter on Aug. 6 at 11:03 p.m. Pictured from left are Anastasia (Nastya) Talbot, Emily Mari Talbot and Gerhard Talbot.
ROCK SPRINGS — A new bundle of joy was recently born at Memorial Hospital of Sweetwater County. However, her parents faced several challenges leading up to her arrival. Gerhard and Anastasia Talbot came to the United States after having to flee Ukraine due to the ongoing war.
“I am born South African and have been a United States resident since 2016. My wife Anastasia (Nastya) Talbot, is Ukrainian and received her United States residence on May 5, 2022,” Gerhard said. “We had been living in Ukraine, a town called Kremenchuk in the province (oblast) of Poltava, for the last 4 years while I was doing temporary contract work in my business consultancy for a local mining business.”
He said that they had been waiting almost two years for Nastya’s resident visa to be approved.
“When the war was building up and the invasion commenced, we reached out to the state department, but had no support of help in expediting the final approval step. The hardest for us was leaving into the unknown of Europe, as Anastasia was not allowed to travel to the U.S.A.”
On March 6, they made the decision to flee.
“We were able to leave an active war situation in Ukraine after gaining approval documents to take a vehicle across the border and save up 50 gallons of gasoline for the 600 mile journey to the Polish border.
“Knowingly facing a one way journey into the unknown, the trip was filled with mortal danger of missile attacks and getting robbed of the gasoline we collected due to shortage and getting stranded in harsh freezing weather.
“We stayed overnight in the car at a remote gas station after we were diverted away from a border we planned to cross. The next evening, we finally made it safely across the Ukrainian border into Moldova,” Gerhard said. “It was a 48 1/2 hours journey, with 59 military checkpoint stops and 5 1/2 hours waiting at the border to cross.”
Gerhard also said that they only took important documents and a few items they knew they could carry in one suitcase each. Upon crossing the border into Moldova, there were no accommodations available, so they drove 3 hours to the capital to find a hotel.
“We planned to fly to Frankfurt the day where we had the best chance of finalizing her visa. Unfortunately, the airspace over Moldova was closed due to the war and missile threats,” he said. “So, we had to drive another 300 miles to Bucharest, Romania. We rested in a hotel and departed the next day to Frankfurt, leaving the car in Romania.
“On arrival in Frankfurt, we were told by the embassy that they could not help us and referred us to the website. It took 2 months waiting to eventually finalize this, after active involvement of an immigration lawyer and a doctor from the hospital in Rock Springs writing letters to expedite based on pregnancy complications.”
The Talbots said that two people in particular helped quite a bit during this process.
“Leslie Taylor from Memorial Hospital of Sweetwater County and Dr. Samer Kattan made it possible for us to have remote visits to manage the pregnancy. Not knowing when we could get to the U.S.A. was the biggest worry and stress. We have a safety cut off date for flying to the U.S.A. due to the pregnancy and even had to start making plan b arrangements in case. Not being able to set up a home and baby room was the toughest.”
Gerhard said that during the time they were waiting for the visa to travel, they were able to make sure that Nastya’s mother and sister were able to evacuate.
“I had received a job offer at Tata chemicals Green River, but it was complicated as I would not be separated from my wife. When it appeared that the visa was eminently to be issued, I accepted the role and commenced working here while getting everything prepared for my wife’s arrival two weeks later.”
Nastya arrived in New York, received her permanent residence and then met up with Gerhard in Salt Lake City.
“We traveled to Rock Springs and the next day met Dr. Kattan in person for a full physical, checkup and ultrasound. We continued to see him weekly until Emily Mari Talbot was born on Aug. 6, 2022, at 11:03 p.m.”
Gerhard shared that his mother would have turned 90 years old this year on Emily’s birthday.
“This is very special, in particular since on arrival in South Africa to visit family, we discovered that Anastasia was pregnant.”
The Talbots said that they are thankful for those who have helped along the way.
“Within the first few days of arrival, Tami Christensen from High Country Realty helped us find the ideal house here in Rock Springs, with Judy Osborne of Wells Fargo helping with finance.
“In particular, thanks to Leslie Taylor, Dr. Kattan, Dr. Moore and the OB staff from Memorial Hospital of Sweetwater County and Roger Hoops and Pam Luettich from Tata Chemicals North America who made our trip and settlement in Rock Springs possible.”
Gerhard also commended his wife, Nastya.
“Congratulations and thanks goes to my wife Nastya, who from the first time she knew she was pregnant, always looked after herself and the baby so well. She wanted all natural birth and didn’t want to take any pain medication or relief. I am so proud of my beautiful wife and stand in amazement for what she did to deliver our beautiful baby girl.” | https://www.wyomingnews.com/laramieboomerang/news/crossing-oceans-couple-flees-ukraine-celebrates-birth-of-baby-in-rock-springs/article_e6370f82-1f15-11ed-996c-b7a054a8c88c.html | 2022-08-19T11:43:54Z | wyomingnews.com | control | https://www.wyomingnews.com/laramieboomerang/news/crossing-oceans-couple-flees-ukraine-celebrates-birth-of-baby-in-rock-springs/article_e6370f82-1f15-11ed-996c-b7a054a8c88c.html | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
JACKSON —Alina Lobacheva was planning to be in Wyoming for only a few months.
The Russian doctor and professor came to study American college students’ health as a Fulbright scholar at the University of Wyoming.
Then she fell in love with Bill Plummer.
The well-known upright bass player was up on stage when Lobacheva was out one night with her host professor’s family. Plummer came to their table to chat.
They exchanged emails.
From opposite ends of the earth, the unlikely pair became devoted pen pals.
When Lobacheva returned to Wyoming for additional research, Plummer proposed. The newlyweds — each entering later stages of life — moved to Idaho. Then, when Plummer’s declining health moved him to family in Arizona, Lobacheva settled in Jackson, where she now works as a massage therapist.
She describes massage as an essential part of health care in Russia and sees her current practice as a continuation of her medical background.
On Friday Lobacheva was officially granted full citizenship at a naturalization ceremony in Grand Teton National Park, joining a cohort of 21 new citizens from 10 countries: Brazil, Cambodia, Canada, Denmark, Italy, Jamaica, Mexico, Russia, Ukraine and the United Kingdom.
Mercedes Caso De Azcarraga, 62, grew up visiting the United States from her home in Mexico City. She described the nations as “next door neighbors.”
“I knew the language and loved the country,” she said.
The retired nonprofit worker and mother of five moved to San Diego in 1985 with her husband, who is also from Mexico City. Her children now live in New York, California and Hawaii.
“This feels like our country,” Azcarraga said. “I’m grateful to Mexico and proud of my heritage, but at this stage in life this is where I want to be.”
A rainy Friday didn’t seem to dampen spirits for Wyoming’s newest citizens, who appreciated the chance to share their immigration stories and hear from Chief U.S. Magistrate Judge Kelly Rankin.
Anahi Carmona Childs, 40, said, “It feels good to be done.
“It takes years to get to this point; I’m grateful it’s over,” she said.
Childs submitted her citizenship papers a year and a half ago. Twelve months later she drove to Casper for an interview. From 120 potential questions, officials asked Childs about her state representatives and U.S. history.
“I was a bit nervous, but it was very smooth,” she recalled. “The person who did my interview was friendly and smiling.”
Candidates are typically asked 10 questions and need six correct answers. Childs nailed the first six perfectly.
“That was great,” she said.
Born on the Yucatan Peninsula in southern Mexico, Childs first came to the United States to study English as a college student.
In Utah she discovered a “different kind of living.” People lived in houses without fences, and their windows were free from the heavy metal shutters she remembered in Mexico. The streets weren’t exactly paved in gold, but the feeling was one of “freedom.”
Childs now works as an assistant manager for the Huff House Inn and Cabins in Jackson, training employees from Mexico. With her husband, a Wyoming native, she is raising twin 9-year-old daughters and expecting a third.
As part of her oath, Childs said, she had to “renounce” Mexico — even vowing to fight against her native country if the United States ever went to war with its southern neighbor.
The tone of Friday’s ceremony, however, was more encouraging.
Grand Teton’s Deputy Superintendent Gopaul Noojibail — the first Indian American to lead a national park in that capacity — encouraged new citizens to remember their roots and to blend their culture with American values. He said the national parks now belong to them.
For Englishwoman Fiona Wilson, 58, the ceremony came a day before her wedding. Like Lobacheva, Wilson has been living in the U.S. for years on a green card. That certificate allowed her to raise two children, build a house in Jackson and with a partner open a daycare — Little Acorns.
But election season was always strange.
This year Wilson will finally be able to cast a ballot.
She’s looking forward to voting based on housing issues — which she sees firsthand trying to hire day care staff. Days before her wedding ceremony, Wilson still wasn’t sure which candidates would best tackle the housing problem. She hadn’t had much time to think about it.
Lobacheva was slightly more prepared.
On Monday, just days after Grand Teton’s ceremony, the well-dressed Russian-American high-heeled her way to the clerk’s office to register to vote.
Clerk’s office employee Kate Daigle explained the separate Republican and Democratic primary ballots like choosing a favorite football team. Lobacheva tried to think of an equivalent in Russian sports.
Ultimately she selected a Republican ballot and made her way to cast her first votes, grinning all the while. | https://www.wyomingnews.com/laramieboomerang/news/new-americans-already-putting-citizenship-to-good-use/article_9ba10afe-1f15-11ed-adff-2bc72e46dae3.html | 2022-08-19T11:44:00Z | wyomingnews.com | control | https://www.wyomingnews.com/laramieboomerang/news/new-americans-already-putting-citizenship-to-good-use/article_9ba10afe-1f15-11ed-adff-2bc72e46dae3.html | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Wyoming Game and Fish seeks info on elk poachingThe Wyoming Game and Fish Department is seeking information about a bull elk that was poached along Highway 34 in Sybille Canyon in early August.
Sometime between the evening of Aug. 5 and the morning of Aug. 6, a mature bull elk was shot along Highway 34, approximately two-and-a-half miles west of the Thorne/Williams Wildlife Research Center. The elk’s head and antlers were removed between the evening of Aug. 6, and the morning of Aug. 7.
“It is unfortunate this elk was taken out of season and was left to waste. We are asking for the public’s assistance with bringing forward information with this investigation,” Matt Withroder, Laramie Regional wildlife supervisor, said in a news release.
A reward is being offered for information on this case, and informants are urged to call the Stop Poaching Tip Line at 1-877-WGFD-TIP (1-877-943-3847). Tips can also be made by texting keyword WGFD and message to 847-411, or can be made online at https://wgfapps.wyo.gov/StopPoaching/submitTIp.aspx. Informants can remain anonymous.
Registration opens for online Master Gardener trainingThe University of Wyoming Extension’s fall/winter online Master Gardener training will be offered from Sept. 15 through Feb. 16. The 16-week course, which includes breaks for holidays, features approximately 48 hours of gardening instruction led by subject matter experts in the UW Extension.
“The course is for anyone with an interest in gardening, from beginning gardeners to experienced gardeners. The focus is all about growing in Wyoming,” said Master Gardener Statewide Coordinator Chris Hilgert in a news release.
Live classes take place via Zoom on Thursdays from 6-9 p.m. Class sessions are also recorded.
Registration for the 2022-23 online training is open until the course begins on Sept. 15. To sign up, visit bit.ly/master-gardener-2022. The registration fee is $150.
Topics include an overview of the training; basic botany; soils and composting; plant propagation; season extension; growing vegetables and herbs; fruit trees and berry crops; site analysis and landscape design; herbaceous plants; woody plants; lawn care; weed management; integrated pest management; diagnosing plant problems; entomology; and volunteering in the Master Gardener program.
Instructors include Hilgert and nine other experts from the UW Extension.
Participants will receive an electronic copy of “Sustainable Horticulture for Wyoming: A Master Gardener Handbook,” as well as a variety of other resources provided by instructors. | https://www.wyomingnews.com/laramieboomerang/news/worth-noting-aug-19-2022/article_6a8e1f88-1f15-11ed-8b6e-ef2c8fdd8bf7.html | 2022-08-19T11:44:13Z | wyomingnews.com | control | https://www.wyomingnews.com/laramieboomerang/news/worth-noting-aug-19-2022/article_6a8e1f88-1f15-11ed-8b6e-ef2c8fdd8bf7.html | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
“Journalists are allowed to request documents that have been stolen and to publish those documents.”
So wrote U.S. federal Judge John Koeltl in a 2019 opinion dismissing a lawsuit filed by the Democratic National Committee against Julian Assange, Wikileaks, and others. Assange published documents on the Wikileaks website in the very manner the judge described.
Despite this, Julian Assange has been in solitary confinement in Britain’s maximum security Belmarsh prison for over three years. Before that, he spent seven years living in the cramped Ecuadorian embassy in London. Ecuador granted Assange political asylum as he faced mounting persecution from the U.S. government for his role in exposing U.S. war crimes in Iraq and Afghanistan.
The U.S. is seeking Assange’s extradition from the United Kingdom to face espionage and conspiracy charges, and up to 175 years in prison. Assange’s legal team is appealing the U.K.’s approval of the extradition request. Meanwhile, a new case related to Wikileaks is before Judge Koeltl: Journalists and several of Assange’s attorneys have sued the Central Intelligence Agency and former CIA Director Mike Pompeo, alleging the CIA spied on them when they visited Assange in the Ecuadorian embassy, recording conversations and secretly copying their phones and laptops.
“I’m a New York lawyer,” Deborah Hrbek, an attorney who met with Assange at the embassy several times, said at a news conference announcing the lawsuit. “I have the right to assume that the U.S. government is not listening to my private and privileged conversations with my clients, and that information about other clients and cases I may have on my phone or laptop are secure from illegal government intrusion. This is not just a violation of our constitutional rights. This is an outrage.”
CIA spying on Julian Assange and his visitors became public through a Spanish court case against a company, UC Global, and its director, David Morales. UC Global was hired by Ecuador in 2012 to provide security for its embassy in London. The CIA, the new lawsuit alleges, recruited UC Global in January 2017, with the help of the late casino billionaire and Republican donor Sheldon Adelson, when Morales was at a gun convention in Las Vegas. Morales returned to Spain and, according to the lawsuit, told his employees that “the company would now be operating ‘in the big league’ and for the ‘dark side’ with the CIA.”
Donald Trump had been a big fan of Wikileaks during the 2016 campaign, after the site published thousands of emails stolen from the Democratic National Committee, and from Hillary Clinton and members of her inner circle. “WikiLeaks, I love WikiLeaks,” Trump said in a speech in October. Then, in March 2017, Wikileaks published “Vault 7,” leaked CIA information that the agency itself later admitted was “the largest data loss in CIA history.”
Shortly after the first tranche of Vault 7 documents was published, Mike Pompeo blasted Wikileaks in his first public speech as Trump’s new CIA Director:
“WikiLeaks walks like a hostile intelligence service and talks like a hostile intelligence service ... It overwhelmingly focuses on the United States, while seeking support from anti-democratic countries and organizations. It’s time to call out WikiLeaks for what it really is: a non-state hostile intelligence service.”
Last year, Yahoo News exposed a 2017 CIA plot to kidnap and possibly kill Julian Assange while in the Ecuadorian embassy. Yahoo reported that the plot was discussed “at the highest levels of the Trump administration.”
Plots to assassinate a publisher, warrantless surveillance of private conversations, and secret duplication of attorneys’ and journalists’ private electronic devices all echo the notoriously criminal conduct of the Nixon administration in the early 1970s.
Back then, the target was whistleblower Daniel Ellsberg who leaked The Pentagon Papers, a secret history of U.S. involvement in Vietnam that detailed the extent to which successive U.S. administrations lied to the public about the war. Dan Ellsberg was charged with espionage and faced life in prison.
President Nixon’s obsession with leaks led him to order the burglary of Ellsberg’s psychiatrist’s office, starting the chain of events that led to the Watergate scandal and Nixon’s resignation. When the presiding judge in Ellsberg’s trial learned of the government’s illegal conduct, he dismissed the case.
Fifty years later, First Amendment protections for publishers of government secrets, illegal CIA spying and more are before a federal judge again. Judge John Koeltl, as a young lawyer, served on the Watergate Special Prosecution Force. Now presiding over this case, filed by journalists and Assange’s attorneys, expect more CIA criminality to come to light. President Biden and his Justice Department should immediately drop all charges against Julian Assange.an | https://www.wyomingnews.com/laramieboomerang/opinion/guest_column/assange-attorneys-journalists-sue-the-cia-over-spying/article_93978386-1f17-11ed-9c85-b725689672d3.html | 2022-08-19T11:44:25Z | wyomingnews.com | control | https://www.wyomingnews.com/laramieboomerang/opinion/guest_column/assange-attorneys-journalists-sue-the-cia-over-spying/article_93978386-1f17-11ed-9c85-b725689672d3.html | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Does Attorney General Merrick Garland know that he is investigating the man most likely to be the opponent of the president he serves? Does he realize that the intense political pressure campaign that he’s under to indict that man has been plainly visible to everyone? Does he care?
If we can’t know where Garland is ultimately heading in his probe of Jan. 6 and the documents seized from Mar-a-Lago, all indications are that he is preparing the ground for an indictment of Donald J. Trump.
The former president is inflammatory and mendacious as a matter of course, but in this case, it is the mild-mannered former judge who came within a hair’s breadth of a lifetime appointment to the Supreme Court who is rehearsing for the role of arsonist.
An indictment of Trump would be one of the most consequential acts by the Justice Department in decades, and Garland has a flagrant conflict of interest and is likely to have to use an adventurous legal theory to try to nail Trump — at the same time, the legitimacy of his institution is increasingly in doubt.
This is not a promising formula. An attorney general shouldn’t consider the prospect of reaping the whirlwind and think, “Bring it on.”
The Jan. 6 committee, elected Democrats, and the media have been braying for Garland to move against Trump. President Biden himself has reportedly told aides in private that Garland should indict Trump. “Garland Faces Growing Pressure as Jan. 6 Investigation Widens,” The New York Times reported earlier this year.
It would take truly cussed independence and enormous moral and political courage not to take the path of least resistance and give in to these voices. Garland appears to be bending, presumably on his way to breaking.
It is amazing that he’s gotten this far without feeling a prick of conscience about his own status. I have no use for special counsels as a general matter, but how can an attorney general make highly sensitive determinations that will quite probably affect the state of play of the next presidential election without realizing he has a profound conflict of interest?
It’d be one thing if Trump had shot someone on Fifth Avenue — a clean, no-doubt crime that wouldn’t require any novel theories or difficult-to-probe contentions about his state of mind to prosecute.
In contrast, Trump’s Jan. 6 offenses involve alleged crimes, like obstructing Congress or defrauding the U.S., that are going to involve tricky questions about his motives and where the legitimate exercise of his powers ends and the supposed criminality begins.
Needless to say, the country is not prepared to adjudicate such questions in a calm, high-minded manner. It will be the O.J. Simpson trial meets the Hiss-Chambers case, with a presidential race not in the background, but very much in the foreground.
The fact of the matter is that while Trump’s moral blameworthiness for Jan. 6 is not in doubt, his legal culpability is. It’s easy to write an op-ed or say on cable TV that Trump incited an insurrection. As a legal matter, though, Trump didn’t come close to crossing the line to incitement, which has very specific and high standards under law.
Even his infamous Georgia phone call looks different on the close reading it would get as part of any court case — by the end of the call, his lawyers were only asking that the Secretary of State’s office tell them why their count of suspected fraudulent votes was off.
In an environment of ever-spiraling political conflict, it’s difficult for anyone to exercise forbearance — to realize the most emotionally satisfying course isn’t necessarily the correct one and to be constrained by the public interest, even if that enrages his or her own side.
Merrick Garland can still err on the side of statesmanship. He looks set, though, to choose the abyss.
Rich Lowry is a syndicated columnist. Follow him on Twitter @RichLowry. | https://www.wyomingnews.com/laramieboomerang/opinion/guest_column/merrick-garland-is-on-a-path-to-the-abyss/article_25459624-1f18-11ed-a811-8f85a1366171.html | 2022-08-19T11:44:31Z | wyomingnews.com | control | https://www.wyomingnews.com/laramieboomerang/opinion/guest_column/merrick-garland-is-on-a-path-to-the-abyss/article_25459624-1f18-11ed-a811-8f85a1366171.html | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
With just days before the annual August recess, Congress has many issues vying for consideration and action. One matter that lawmakers should not leave undone is passing urgently needed legislation to rein in the power of Big Tech companies in the mobile app marketplace. And recent surveys show that a vote for the Open App Markets Act is a winning hand for elected officials to play as the November elections loom.
For years, Big Tech companies such as Google and Apple have maintained iron-fisted control of the app marketplace. Those large companies have used anticompetitive practices that stymie innovative app developers and impose substantial transaction fees on in-app purchases using payment systems controlled by Google and Apple.
The tech giants’ restrictive processes for app developers are based on largely bogus security concerns and give preference to their own products in deciding which apps thrive or fail in Apple’s App Store or the Google Play store.
Passing the Open App Markets Act would be a significant step toward freeing the marketplace of such unwarranted and unfair restrictions. It would promote innovation and protect consumers’ interests.
Recent public opinion surveys show that an overwhelming majority of Americans recognize the need for change. Surveys conducted across several states showed that 69% of likely voters think Big Tech has too much power. Seventy-nine percent of those questioned want Congress to enact the Open App Markets Act.
Moreover, 72% of poll respondents agreed with the statement, “Big Tech companies, like Apple and Google, limit competition and restrict innovation from independent app developers.” Notable as we near Election Day was the finding that 61% of respondents said they would feel more favorable toward members of the House and Senate who support the Open App Markets Act.
Wyoming’s Sen. Cynthia Lummis is already a co-sponsor of the legislation, becoming part of the growing bipartisan body of lawmakers who understand this is the time to do the right thing in establishing just and fair tech policy.
We commend her leadership on this critical issue facing U.S. developers, and encourage her colleagues in the Wyoming delegation to support the bipartisan, bicameral Open App Markets Act.
Rick VanMeter is the executive director of the Coalition for App Fairness.
Rick VanMeter is the executive director of the Coalition for App Fairness. | https://www.wyomingnews.com/opinion/guest_column/wyoming-s-congressional-delegation-should-vote-to-open-the-app-stores/article_21872924-1f33-11ed-9ae5-077a54a47028.html | 2022-08-19T11:44:50Z | wyomingnews.com | control | https://www.wyomingnews.com/opinion/guest_column/wyoming-s-congressional-delegation-should-vote-to-open-the-app-stores/article_21872924-1f33-11ed-9ae5-077a54a47028.html | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Casper Star-Tribune
After his second impeachment, former President Donald Trump made it his mission to oust Rep. Liz Cheney, his chief Republican rival. On Tuesday, he succeeded.
In possibly the biggest congressional race in Wyoming’s history, Cheney lost to Trump-backed natural resources attorney Harriet Hageman.
It marked the first time a Cheney has lost an election in Wyoming in nearly half a century. Cheney struck a determined tone in her concession speech to supporters in Jackson.
“I have said since Jan. 6 that I will do whatever it takes to ensure Donald Trump is never again anywhere near the Oval Office,” she told them. “And I mean it.”
At the time the race was called, Hageman held about 60% of the vote. Cheney trailed with 35%. About 22% of the total vote had been reported. By the time all results were in, Hageman’s victory grew more decisive, with more than 66% of the vote to Cheney’s 29%.
“Tonight, Harriet Hageman has received the most votes in the primary,” Cheney told her supporters. “She won. I called her to concede the race. But now the real work begins.”
The results did not come as a surprise: Polls showed the congresswoman losing badly. Wyoming voters repeatedly told the Star-Tribune that they feel “betrayed” and “used” by Cheney, as she battled the former president over his role in the Jan. 6 insurrection and repeated lies about the 2020 election.
Hageman, who grew up on a ranch near Fort Laramie and now lives in Cheyenne, entered the race with Trump’s endorsement nearly a year ago, prompting some other Republican challengers to bow out. Sen. Anthony Bouchard, R-Burns, however, remained in the race.
The congresswoman’s defeat — seen by some as a referendum on the strength of the former president’s grip on the future of the GOP — is the final flash point in a closely watched saga that has been building for over a year.
Following the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol, Cheney was one of 10 House Republicans to vote to impeach the former president, beginning her fall from power.
Less than a month later, the House Republican Conference held a secret ballot on whether to remove Cheney as their chair. Cheney safely survived 61-145, but did not back down in her criticism of the former president.
Only days later, the Wyoming GOP censured her for her vote to impeach Trump.
In mid-May, Cheney was ousted from House leadership in a voice vote. But her adversaries did not stop there — in November, Wyoming Republican leaders voted to symbolically no longer recognize Cheney as a member of their party.
The incumbent congresswoman was then selected to serve as vice chair of the Jan. 6 investigative committee, which angered Wyomingites further.
During peak campaign season, Cheney spent most of her time in D.C. serving on the committee. When she did come to Wyoming, she campaigned almost entirely at private events.
The Cheney family has strong ties to Wyoming, and her candidacy in this race disrupted much of the political order here.
Lifelong Democrats switched their party affiliation to vote for Cheney, a staunch conservative who, despite her moral opposition to Trump, voted with him roughly 93% of the time during his term.
More money was poured into this race than has been seen in Wyoming’s recent political history, including funds from national super PACs.
Her candidacy also prompted Trump and high-profile Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul to endorse an election reform bill during the state’s legislative session that backers saw as a way to lessen her chances of victory.
In early July, a Mason-Dixon Polling & Strategies/Star-Tribune survey of likely voters found Cheney was trailing by 22 points.
A few weeks later, a University of Wyoming survey of a random sample of Wyomingites found Hageman up 29 points.
The Star-Tribune poll found that only 11% of primary voters were undecided, reiterating the fact that this was not only a prominent race nationally, but statewide too.
Despite the fact that Hageman repeatedly touted Trump’s endorsement on the campaign trail, she did not take a firm stance on the legitimacy of the 2020 presidential election until a few weeks before the primary.
“Absolutely the election was rigged,” she told a Casper crowd. “It was rigged to make sure that President Trump could not get reelected.”
Of likely voters who said they supported Hageman, only 16% believe that President Joe Biden’s election was legitimate, according to the UW poll. That’s compared to 94% of Cheney supporters who believe the result was legitimate.
Cheney has coasted to victory since she first ran for U.S. House in 2016. But before Hageman, she has never faced such a well-funded, well-supported challenger.
Cheney, the daughter of Wyoming political icon and former Vice President Dick Cheney, got her start in the federal government with a job in the Department of State’s Near Eastern Affairs bureau.
She first ran for elected office in 2013 against popular three-term incumbent Sen. Mike Enzi, but she bowed out a few months later, citing family health issues.
Now, Hageman is likely to be Wyoming’s next representative, as the Republican House nominee often easily wins in Wyoming’s general election.
Hageman is a fourth-generation Wyomingite who grew up on a ranch outside of Fort Laramie. She attended Casper College and the University of Wyoming.
Cheney and Hageman used to be political allies, and like other Trump-endorsed candidates, Hageman once publicly opposed him.
Cheney’s next steps are unclear, but she shows no sign of backing out of politics or her battle against Trump and his allies.
She has said that a 2024 presidential bid is not out of the question. Her failed House campaign has almost $7.5 million in the bank, which can legally be used in any federal race if it doesn’t get spent in her House race. | https://www.wyomingnews.com/rawlinstimes/news/despite-loss-cheney-s-focus-on-trump-remains/article_b53bf3a2-1f15-11ed-a593-5bfa1f047473.html | 2022-08-19T11:44:56Z | wyomingnews.com | control | https://www.wyomingnews.com/rawlinstimes/news/despite-loss-cheney-s-focus-on-trump-remains/article_b53bf3a2-1f15-11ed-a593-5bfa1f047473.html | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
The following article from a former member of OBC about the ordinarity and lack a depth that many are talking, reading about.\nI was not in OBF yet but I saw these writings. It made things easy now because in my days on Buddhisms we are very good for being \"fans\" who do some simple actions because I thought the Budhsatn itself a mysteriouse things. We thought a prioatiry things the Samsaram or Maras SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — Hydroelectric turbines may stop turning. Las Vegas and Phoenix may be forced to restrict water usage or growth. Farmers might cease growing some crops, leaving fields of lettuce and melons to turn to dust.
Those are a few of the dire consequences that could result if states, cities and farms across the American West cannot agree on how to cut the amount of water they draw from the Colorado River.
Yet for years, seven states that depend on the river have allowed more water to be taken from it than nature can replenish. Despite widespread recognition of the crisis, the states missed a deadline this week to propose major cuts that the federal government has said are necessary.
And again, the government failed to force harsh decisions and stopped short of imposing the cuts on its own, despite previous threats to do so.
Any unilateral action from federal officials would likely move conversations from negotiating tables to courtrooms and delay action even longer.
The river, which cascades from the Rockies down to the deserts of the Southwest, quenches the thirst of 40 million people in the U.S. and Mexico and sustains a $15 billion-a-year agricultural industry.
But for a century, agreements governing how it's shared have been based on faulty assumptions about how much water is available. With climate change making the region hotter and drier, that discrepancy is becoming impossible to ignore.
Lake Powell and Lake Mead, the two largest reservoirs that hold Colorado River water, have fallen to dangerously low levels faster than anyone expected. The decline threatens to disrupt hydroelectric power production and water sent to cities and farms.
Though everyone agrees the stakes are high, states and the U.S. government have struggled to reach a consensus on what to do.
People have "been hoping to stave off this day," said Felicia Marcus, a former top water official in California, which holds the largest right to the river's water. “But now I think we can’t expect Mother Nature to bail us out next year. The time for some of these really hard decisions is now."
The river is also tapped by Arizona, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico, Utah, Wyoming, Mexico and some tribes.
For years, officials have issued warnings about the state of the river, but also reassured people that the system won't crash. That two-part message was front and center this week, when the states failed to meet a deadline set by the Bureau of Reclamation for them to propose 15% to 30% cuts to their water use.
As the deadline passed Tuesday, the potentially dramatic moment amounted to a shrug. Officials said they still have faith the states will reach a deal if given more time.
Visiting California the next day, Reclamation Commissioner Camille Touton repeatedly dodged questions about what might happen next. She’s given no specifics about what the bureau’s more aggressive actions might look like, or when they might happen.
The federal government, she said, “is ready to move forward on our own.” But officials "will continue to talk to everybody about what the process is.”
Not everyone is satisfied with that approach.
“I’m asking them to at least lay out very clearly how that threat will be imposed,” Southern Nevada Water Authority General Manager John Entsminger said.
Entsminger and his counterparts in Arizona, Utah and California, as well as local officials in and around Phoenix, also repeated what has become a common refrain: They said they were gravely concerned about river’s future, yet wanted to reassure their water users that the river won't stop flowing imminently. | https://www.fox17online.com/news/national/crisis-looms-without-big-cuts-to-over-tapped-colorado-river | 2022-08-19T11:50:54Z | fox17online.com | control | https://www.fox17online.com/news/national/crisis-looms-without-big-cuts-to-over-tapped-colorado-river | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Egan-Jones and ISS Both Conclude that Aviat's Revised Indication of Interest Significantly Undervalues Ceragon and is a Low-Ball Offer
Ceragon Urges Shareholders to Vote "AGAINST" All Proposals on the WHITE Proxy Card
ROSH HA'AIN, Israel, Aug. 19, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Ceragon Networks Ltd. (NASDAQ: CRNT) (the "Company", "Ceragon", "we", "us", or "our"), issued the following statement with reference to a report issued by Egan-Jones Proxy Services ("Egan-Jones") in connection with the Extraordinary General Meeting (EGM) scheduled to be held on August 23, 2022.
We are pleased that Egan-Jones believes that "voting AGAINST this proposal is in the best interest of the Company and its shareholders" and has joined Institutional Shareholder Services Inc. ("ISS") in recommending that shareholders vote AGAINST all of Aviat's nominees.
In reaching this conclusion, Egan-Jones cited the following factors regarding Aviat's inadequate indication of interest1:
- "We strongly believe that Aviat's revised indication of interest still significantly undervalues [Ceragon] and is a low ball offer, given that its implied multiples are below precedent transaction and public company trading multiples, and is well [below] research analyst price target[s]"
- "….given the current market environment, we are also doubtful [of] Aviat's ability to obtain committed financing as it failed to provide evidence of securing such"
Moreover, Egan-Jones' report highlighted that Ceragon's Board is far superior to Aviat's hand-picked nominees to protect the interests of Ceragon's shareholders, saying:
- "Contrary to Aviat's nominees, we believe that Ceragon's incumbent Board continues to possess the best in class qualifications and expertise in the telecom industry, public board experience, and M&A transactions for value creation"
Egan-Jones concludes that: "After evaluating the provisions and tenets of [Aviat's] proposal, we determined that the proposed resolution is NOT in the best interests of the Company and its shareholders. We recommend a vote AGAINST this Proposal."
Two out of the three proxy advisory firms raised significant concerns regarding Aviat's low-ball, highly conditional indication of interest and recommended that shareholders vote AGAINST all of Aviat's nominees. With respect to Glass Lewis' report, we respectfully disagree with their conclusions, which we believe did not properly take into account (i) the low-ball value of Aviat's indication as determined by multiple proxy advisors, research analyst price targets, and many of our top shareholders, (ii) the lack of financing certainty in Aviat's indication, (iii) our record of engagement with Aviat, (iv) and the lack of telecom and appropriate board experience among Aviat's hand-picked nominees.
The Ceragon Board and leadership team are focused on doing what is right for Ceragon, our shareholders and our customers. As we have said, our Board has been open to exploring a potential combination with Aviat that delivers full, fair, and certain value to Ceragon shareholders. However, we will not enter into a sale transaction at an inadequate price or with a high degree of uncertainty. As ISS puts it, "It is in shareholders' best interests to encourage a hostile acquirer to submit an offer that is subject to as little conditionality as possible and is at an initial value sufficient to "earn" a seat at the negotiating table."
Ceragon urges shareholders to vote "AGAINST" all proposals on the WHITE proxy card to prevent Aviat's attempt to take control of the Ceragon Board.
Ceragon reminds shareholders that every vote is important. Shareholders are urged to discard any GOLD proxy materials and only to vote AGAINST all proposals using the WHITE proxy card.
If you have any questions or require any assistance with voting your shares, please contact the Company's proxy solicitor, Morrow Sodali LLC at 800-662-5200 (toll-free in North America) or +1 203-658-9400 or email at CRNT@info.morrowsodali.com.
Evercore is serving as financial advisor and Shibolet & Co. and Latham & Watkins LLP are serving as legal advisors to Ceragon.
Ceragon Networks Ltd. (NASDAQ: CRNT) is the global innovator and leading solutions provider of 5G wireless transport. We help operators and other service providers worldwide increase operational efficiency and enhance end customers' quality of experience with innovative wireless backhaul and fronthaul solutions. Our customers include service providers, public safety organizations, government agencies and utility companies, which use our solutions to deliver 5G & 4G broadband wireless connectivity, mission-critical multimedia services, stabilized communications, and other applications at high reliability and speed.
Ceragon's unique multicore technology and disaggregated approach to wireless transport provides highly reliable, fast to deploy, high-capacity wireless transport for 5G and 4G networks with minimal use of spectrum, power, real estate, and labor resources. It enables increased productivity, as well as simple and quick network modernization, positioning Ceragon as a leading solutions provider for the 5G era. We deliver a complete portfolio of turnkey end-to-end AI-based managed and professional services that ensure efficient network rollout and optimization to achieve the highest value for our customers. Our solutions are deployed by more than 400 service providers, as well as more than 800 private network owners, in more than 150 countries. For more information please visit: www.ceragon.com
Ceragon Networks® and FibeAir® are registered trademarks of Ceragon Networks Ltd. in the United States and other countries. CERAGON ® is a trademark of Ceragon Networks Ltd., registered in various countries. Other names mentioned are owned by their respective holders.
This document contains statements that constitute "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended and the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and the safe-harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Such forward-looking statements are based on the current beliefs, expectations and assumptions of Ceragon's management about Ceragon's business, financial condition, results of operations, micro and macro market trends and other issues addressed or reflected therein. Examples of forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, statements regarding: projections of demand, revenues, net income, gross margin, capital expenditures and liquidity, competitive pressures, order timing, supply chain and shipping, components availability, growth prospects, product development, financial resources, cost savings and other financial and market matters. You may identify these and other forward-looking statements by the use of words such as "may", "plans", "anticipates", "believes", "estimates", "targets", "expects", "intends", "potential" or the negative of such terms, or other comparable terminology, although not all forward-looking statements contain these identifying words.
Although we believe that the projections reflected in such forward-looking statements are based upon reasonable assumptions, we can give no assurance that our expectations will be obtained or that any deviations therefrom will not be material. Such forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties that may cause Ceragon's future results or performance to differ materially from those anticipated, expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. These risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, any ongoing actions taken and future actions that may be taken by Aviat Networks Inc. or other stockholders or others; the continuing impact of the components shortage due to the global shortage in semiconductors, chipsets, components and other commodities, on our supply chain, manufacturing capacity and ability to timely deliver our products, which have caused, and could continue to cause delays in deliveries of our products and in the deployment of projects by our customers, risk of penalties and orders cancellation created thereby, as well as profit erosion due to constant price increase, payment of expedite fees and costs of inventory pre-ordering and procurement acceleration of such inventory, and the risk of becoming a deadstock if not consumed; the continued effect of the global increase in shipping costs and decrease in shipping slots availability on us, our supply chain and customers, which have resulted, and may continue to result in, price erosion, late deliveries and the risk of penalties and orders cancellation due to late deliveries; the impact of the transition to 5G technologies on our revenues if such transition is developed differently than we anticipated; the risks relating to the concentration of a major portion of our business on large mobile operators around the world from which we derive a significant portion of our ordering, that due to their relative effect on the overall ordering coupled with inconsistent ordering pattern and volume of business directed to us, creates high volatility with respect to our financial results and results of operations; the effect of the competition from other wireless transport equipment providers and from other communication solutions that compete with our high-capacity point-to-point wireless products; the continued effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on the global economy and markets and on us and on the markets in which we operate and our and our customers, providers, business partners and contractors business and operations; the risks relating to increased breaches of network or information technology security along with increase in cyber-attack activities, growing cyber-crime threats, and changes in privacy and data protection laws, that could have an adverse effect on our business; risks associated with any failure to meet our product development timetable, including delay in the commercialization of our new chipset; imposition of additional sanctions and global trade limitations in connection with Russia's invasion to Ukraine, the effects of general economic conditions and trends on the global and local markets in which we operate and such other risks, uncertainties and other factors that could affect our results, as further detailed in Ceragon's most recent Annual Report on Form 20-F and in Ceragon's other filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission.
Such forward-looking statements, including the risks, uncertainties and other factors that could affect our results, represent our views only as of the date they are made and should not be relied upon as representing our views as of any subsequent date. Such forward-looking statements do not purport to be predictions of future events or results and there can be no assurance that it will prove to be accurate. Ceragon may elect to update these forward-looking statements at some point in the future but the company specifically disclaims any obligation to do so except as may be required by law.
Ceragon's public filings are available on the Securities and Exchange Commission's website at www.sec.gov and may also be obtained from Ceragon's website at www.ceragon.com.
Ceragon has filed a definitive proxy statement and WHITE proxy card with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the "SEC") in connection with its solicitation of proxies for the 2022 Extraordinary General Meeting of Ceragon Shareholders (the "2022 Extraordinary General Meeting"). CERAGON SHAREHOLDERS ARE STRONGLY ENCOURAGED TO READ THE DEFINITIVE PROXY STATEMENT (AND ANY AMENDMENTS AND SUPPLEMENTS THERETO) AND ACCOMPANYING WHITE PROXY CARD AS THEY CONTAIN IMPORTANT INFORMATION. Shareholders may obtain the proxy statement, any amendments or supplements to the proxy statement and other documents as and when filed by Ceragon with the SEC without charge from the SEC's website at www.sec.gov.
Ceragon Investor & Media Contact:
Maya Lustig
Ceragon Networks
Tel. +972-54-677-8100
mayal@ceragon.com
1 Permission to Use Quotes Neither Sought Nor Obtained. Emphasis added.
View original content to download multimedia:
SOURCE Ceragon Networks Ltd. | https://www.wbko.com/prnewswire/2022/08/19/independent-proxy-advisor-egan-jones-joins-iss-recommending-shareholders-vote-against-all-aviat-director-nominees/ | 2022-08-19T12:00:43Z | wbko.com | control | https://www.wbko.com/prnewswire/2022/08/19/independent-proxy-advisor-egan-jones-joins-iss-recommending-shareholders-vote-against-all-aviat-director-nominees/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
CHICAGO, Aug. 19, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Old Republic International Corporation (NYSE: ORI) – today announced its Board of Directors has authorized a $450 million share repurchase program and a special, one-time cash dividend of $1.00 per share. This special dividend is payable on September 15, 2022 to shareholders of record on September 1, 2022. With 309 million shares outstanding at June 30, 2022, the return of capital authorized by the Board through these actions totals approximately $760 million.
Under the share repurchase program, Old Republic may purchase shares on a discretionary basis from time to time through open market purchases, private negotiated transactions or other means. The timing and amount of any transactions will be conducted subject to the discretion of Old Republic based upon valuation, market conditions and other considerations. Old Republic may also from time to time repurchase shares pursuant to written, pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 plans, which will be established and conducted in accordance with applicable regulations. The repurchase program is intended to comply with Rule 10b-18 and has no expiration date, does not require the purchase of any minimum number of shares and may be suspended, modified or discontinued at any time without prior notice.
In reaching its decision to authorize the share repurchase program and the special cash dividend, the Board of Directors evaluated such factors as the current and foreseeable liquidity and capital needs of the parent holding company and its insurance company subsidiaries.
Craig R. Smiddy, President and CEO, commented, "Old Republic continues to perform at a high level, a testament to our talented associates executing on our specialty, diversified business strategy. Today's announcement by our Board continues a long history of prudent capital management and reflects our Board's confidence in the strength of our earnings and cash flow."
Since December 31, 2016, Old Republic will now have declared regular and special cash dividends of approximately $3.0 billion. The current annualized regular dividend rate of 92 cents per share marks the 41st consecutive year that Old Republic has boosted this rate, and 2022 becomes the 81st year of uninterrupted regular cash dividend payments.
About Old Republic
Chicago-based Old Republic International Corporation is one of the nation's 50 largest shareholder-owned insurance businesses. It is a member of the Fortune 500 listing of America's largest companies. The Company is organized as an insurance holding company whose subsidiaries actively market, underwrite, and provide risk management services for a wide variety of coverages mostly in the general and title insurance fields. Old Republic's general insurance business ranks among the nation's 50 largest, while its title insurance business is the third largest in its industry.
View original content:
SOURCE Old Republic International Corporation | https://www.wbko.com/prnewswire/2022/08/19/old-republic-announces-share-repurchase-authorization-special-dividend/ | 2022-08-19T12:01:22Z | wbko.com | control | https://www.wbko.com/prnewswire/2022/08/19/old-republic-announces-share-repurchase-authorization-special-dividend/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Norfolk, Va.-Police in Norfolk say three men are dead and two people are injured after a shooting.
The department tweeted that a call came in about the shooting around 4:30 Thursday afternoon. An investigation is underway. None of the victims were immediately identified, and no suspect information was immediately released.
The two injured people were taken to a hospital and are expected to survive. It is reported the shooting took place at an apartment complex. | https://www.wboc.com/news/norfolk-police-3-dead-2-hurt-in-shooting/article_628846cc-1f9e-11ed-b433-633551426ec7.html | 2022-08-19T12:01:27Z | wboc.com | control | https://www.wboc.com/news/norfolk-police-3-dead-2-hurt-in-shooting/article_628846cc-1f9e-11ed-b433-633551426ec7.html | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
POCOMOKE CITY, Md. - Authorities have ruled accidental a late Thursday morning fire that destroyed radio station WGOP at 1637 Dunn Swamp Road in Pocomoke City.
The Worcester County Fire Marshal’s Office said that shortly after 11:30 a.m., the Pocomoke City Volunteer Fire Company and surrounding volunteer fire departments in both Maryland and Virginia were alerted of a fire at WGOP, formerly WDMV.
Firefighters arrived with significant fire and smoke conditions originating from the attic area of the structure. Approximately 50 firefighters remained on location for three hours to bring the fire under control. Fire Investigators determined the fire was accidental in nature originating from a failure of an electrical wire in the attic.
The station, built in 1955, was broadcasting on the air at the time of the fire. The station is owned by Birach Broadcasting Corporation and was operated by Mike Powell. The building was not insured and is a complete loss, investigators said. | https://www.wboc.com/news/pocomoke-city-based-radio-station-wgop-destroyed-by-fire/article_1b7bde22-1fb4-11ed-a1a8-9f13b1cf7970.html | 2022-08-19T12:01:33Z | wboc.com | control | https://www.wboc.com/news/pocomoke-city-based-radio-station-wgop-destroyed-by-fire/article_1b7bde22-1fb4-11ed-a1a8-9f13b1cf7970.html | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Shares of Chinese financial technology platform 360 DigiTech, Inc. (QFIN) were down in the pre-market session on Friday after the company’s second-quarter bottom line came in lower than a year ago.
Revenue of $624.5 million inched up marginally by 0.8% year-over-year. EPS of $0.96 fell short of expectations by $0.01 and was markedly lower than the prior-year figure of $1.42.
While the revenue uptick was only marginal, QFIN has notched up certain impressive metrics. At the end of Q2, the platform had 133 financial institutional partners. It had 197.9 million consumers at the end of Q2, up 12.5% compared to the year-ago period. Additionally, total borrowers with a successful drawdown (including repeat borrowers) increased 14.8% to 25.6 million.
The total outstanding loan balance increased by 28% over the prior year to RMB150.49 billion. Furthermore, the number of loans originated by financial institutional partners came in at nearly 14.08 million.
The CEO and Director of QFIN, Haisheng Wu commented, “Despite experiencing a very challenging macro environment and prolonged lockdowns and travel restrictions in Shanghai and other regions of China to counter the spread of COVID-19, we managed to deliver another solid quarter during which we achieved our key operational and financial targets.”
Amid a continued challenging macro backdrop, QFIN expects its loan facilitation and origination volume to hover between RMB410 billion and RMB450 billion for 2022. This indicates year-over-year growth in the range of 15% to 26%.
Additionally, its Board has approved a dividend of $0.09 per share for the quarter. The dividend is payable on October 28 to investors of record on September 16. The stock currently has a sizable dividend yield of 4.93% on a payout ratio of only 2.09%, indicating dividends could move upwards in the future.
Is QFIN Stock a Buy?
Daiwa analyst Leon Qi has initiated coverage on QFIN with a Buy rating and a price target of $24, implying a substantial 63.04% potential upside. QFIN is a leading name in the fintech space in China and Qi views the stock favorably owing to an improving regulatory environment in the country.
Overall, the Street has a Moderate Buy consensus rating on the stock alongside an average price target of $24.70, indicating 67.80% upside potential.
Is QFIN Undervalued?
QFIN missed Q2 earnings estimates but delivered certain impressive metrics in a challenging environment. A price-to-earnings multiple of 2.6, a price-to-sales ratio of 1.13, and a price to free cash flow ratio of 3.60 indicate that the potential for multiple expansion remains. Additionally, while the world is going into rate hikes, China is lowering interest rates. This should help the company further improve its performance in the coming periods as well.
Read full Disclosure | https://www.tipranks.com/news/360-digitech-stock-falls-on-q2-earnings-miss | 2022-08-19T12:02:02Z | tipranks.com | control | https://www.tipranks.com/news/360-digitech-stock-falls-on-q2-earnings-miss | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Bill.com (NYSE: BILL) surprised investors by reporting better-than-expected results for the fourth quarter of Fiscal 2022. The provider of cloud-based software solutions for small and midsize businesses (SMBs) beat Wall Street’s expectations on both top and bottom lines. BILL stock is up over 21% in pre-market trading at the time of writing.
Bill.com processed 10.5 million transactions through its platform in Q4, growing 28% year-over-year. It also processed 7.3 million card transactions for Divvy.
Q4 Results in Detail
Bill.com reported an adjusted loss of $0.03 per share, narrower than the consensus estimated loss of $0.14 per share. The figure was even better than the prior year’s adjusted loss of $0.07 per share.
Similarly, total revenue of $200.22 million advanced a humongous 156% year-over-year, beating the consensus estimate by $17.12 million. The solid revenue boost was contributed by a 77% jump in Subscription fees and a whopping 201% growth in Transaction fees compared to the same period last year.
On the annual front, total revenue of $641.96 million leaped 169% compared to last year. Annual subscription fees grew 73% and transaction fees jumped 265% compared to FY21. However, the FY22 adjusted loss of $0.24 per share was almost double the adjusted loss of FY21.
Bill.com Gives Upbeat FY23 Guidance
Based on the continued business momentum, Bill.com gave robust guidance for the first quarter and full year Fiscal 2023, which came in better than analysts’ expectations.
For Q1 FY23, BILL expects total revenue to be in the range of $208-$211 million, better than the analysts’ consensus of $187.5 million. Adjusted earnings are projected between $0.05-$0.07 per share, while the consensus estimate is a loss of $0.10 per share.
For FY23, BILL forecasts total revenue to be between $955.5-$973.5 million, much higher than the consensus estimate of $879.5 million. Similarly, FY23 adjusted earnings are expected to fall between $0.23-$0.38 per share, while the consensus is pegged at a loss of $0.31 per share.
Commenting on the guidance, Bill.com CFO, John Rettig said, “Looking ahead, we expect to deliver high revenue growth and to transition to being a non-GAAP profitable company in the fiscal year 2023. We will continue to invest in our large market opportunity, while maintaining our rigorous operational discipline.”
Is Bill.com a Good Stock?
On TipRanks, BILL stock commands a Strong Buy consensus rating based on 11 Buys and two Holds. The average Bill.com price target of $166.83 implies 11.7% upside potential to current levels. Meanwhile, the stock has lost 36% so far this year.
Encouraged by the results and management’s optimistic outlook for Fiscal 2023, Oppenheimer analyst Kenneth Wong lifted the price target on BILL stock to $200 (33.9% upside potential) from $150, while maintaining a Buy rating. The analyst also raised his model estimates for Fiscal 2023.
Wong concluded, “In our view, Bill.com’s early mover advantages, diverse partnership distribution channels, deep investments in Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) and payments technology, and CEO & founder-led vision set up the company to scale into a much larger business with durable growth and operating margins over time.”
Ending Thoughts
Bill.com’s robust earnings beat has been welcomed with much enthusiasm by investors. Analysts too are highly bullish on the stock. Plus, the management’s optimism about the company’s growth trajectory makes for a good investment case. | https://www.tipranks.com/news/heres-why-bill-com-stock-is-up-over-20-in-pre-market-today | 2022-08-19T12:02:14Z | tipranks.com | control | https://www.tipranks.com/news/heres-why-bill-com-stock-is-up-over-20-in-pre-market-today | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Using TipRanks’ Top Stock Gainers/Losers tool, we have compiled a list of Friday’s biggest pre-market stock movers, which is as follows:
Five Biggest Movers
Bill.com Holdings Inc. (NYSE: BILL) topped the list on Friday, with its stock up almost 20% in the pre-market trading session. The stock gained over 19% after-hours on Thursday following the release of the company’s outstanding fiscal fourth-quarter results. The cloud-based software provider recorded a loss of three cents per share, narrower than the Street’s loss expectation of 14 cents and the year-ago loss of seven cents per share. Additionally, revenue soared 156% year-over-year to $200.2 million, exceeding the consensus estimate of $183.16 million.
Shares of outdoor cooking products supplier Weber Inc. (NYSE: WEBR) were trading 12.6% higher in Friday’s early trade after closing 27.2% up on Thursday. The stock has witnessed significant volatility since the release of its fiscal third-quarter results on Monday. The latest jump could have been triggered by the trading of a record 20 million shares of the Illinois-based company on Thursday. This trading volume is nearly 31 times more than the stock’s average daily volume over the past year.
Next is Brazilian fintech firm StoneCo Ltd. (NASDAQ: STNE), which was down 12.3% at the time of writing on the news of the departure of its CFO, Marcelo Baldin. Board member Silvio José Morais has been named the Interim CFO. Meanwhile, StoneCo has also announced its second-quarter results.
Shares of Texas-based video games and gaming merchandise retailer GameStop Corp. (NYSE: GME) fell 10.2% in the pre-market session on Friday after losing 6.4% in the intraday trading on Thursday. There is no company-specific news that can explain the plunge in the stock price.
Finally, Taylor Morrison Home Corp. (NYSE: TMHC) stock was 9.5% up at the last check. According to a recent SEC filing, British investment firm Qube Research & Technologies more than tripled its stake in the home-building company in the first quarter of 2022. Following the purchase of 24,407 shares, Qube now holds 36,018 shares of TMHC worth $980,000.
Continue to watch this space for possible volatility upon the market open. On Monday, we’ll have another up-to-date piece on stock Pre-Market Movers…
Read full Disclosure | https://www.tipranks.com/news/these-stocks-are-the-biggest-pre-market-movers-on-friday-27 | 2022-08-19T12:02:20Z | tipranks.com | control | https://www.tipranks.com/news/these-stocks-are-the-biggest-pre-market-movers-on-friday-27 | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
SHANGHAI, NANJING, China and SAN JOSE, Calif., Aug. 19, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- IASO Biotherapeutics (IASO Bio), a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company engaged in discovering, developing, and manufacturing innovative cell therapies and antibody products, announced today that the Center for Drug Evaluation (CDE) of China's National Medical Products Administration (NMPA) approved its investigational new drug (IND) application (Acceptance No.: CXSL2200233,CXSL2200234) for the new extended indication of Neuromyelitis Optica Spectrum Disorder (NMOSD) for a fully human BCMA chimeric antigen receptor autologous T (CAR-T) cell Injection (Equecabtagene Autoleucel, CT103A). This is the world's first IND approval for CAR-T in NMOSD treatment.
The new IND application is based on clinical data from an investigator-initiated clinical study of Equecabtagene Autoleucel. Subjects in the study were NMOSD patients with poor symptom control who had at least one year of treatment with at least one immunosuppressant. The study's primary objective was to evaluate the safety, tolerability, preliminary efficacy, pharmacokinetic (PK) and pharmacodynamic (PD) profiles in NMOSD patients treated with Equecabtagene Autoleucel. As of March 20, 2022, 12 subjects received Equecabtagene Autoleucel cell infusion, including three in the 0.5×106 CAR-T cells/kg dose group and nine in the 1.0×106 CAR-T cells/kg dose group. The study data initially showed that the Equecabtagene Autoleucel injection was safe in patients with relapsed/refractory NMOSD in the 0.5×106 CAR-T cells/kg and 1.0×106 CAR-T cells/kg dose groups. All patients experienced Grade 1-2 CRS (Cytokine Release Syndrome) and no Immune Effector Cell-Associated Neurotoxicity Syndrome (ICANS) events. In terms of efficacy, all subjects observed improved Expanded Disability Status Scale (EDSS) scores after infusion. Fifty percent experienced improved visual acuity, 67% improved their walking ability, and 75% experienced improved bladder function. After a median follow-up of 5.5 months, 11 / 12 (92%) subjects did not observe any disease recurrence.
Wen (Maxwell) Wang, M.D., Ph.D., Chief Executive Officer and Chief Medical Officer of IASO Bio, said, "As one of the first companies to conduct research on CAR-T to treat autoimmune diseases worldwide, our BCMA CAR T-cell therapy represents a significant milestone for Investigator Initiated Trial (IIT) data of relapsed and refractory NMOSD, an autoimmune disease with serious complications, blindness, and paralysis."
The existing treatment of NMOSD can only decrease the number of relapses within a certain period and has little effect on the functional recovery of sensory, nervous, and motor systems. BCMA CAR T-cell therapy can reduce the disability score and improve the functions of sensory, nervous, and motor systems, providing a milestone proof-of-concept for CAR-T therapy to treat autoimmune diseases caused by auto-antibodies produced by plasma cells. The IND's approval demonstrates further momentum for IASO Bio to promote the expansion of CAR-T therapy and launch products beyond the treatment of malignant tumors to the treatment of autoimmune diseases. IASO Bio will initiate and complete the clinical study per submitted protocol to prepare for new drug application (NDA) and to bring hope to NMOSD patients.
About Equecabtagene Autoleucel (CT103A)
Equecabtagene Autoleucel (CT103A) is a BCMA chimeric antigen receptor autologous T cell injection, a lentiviral vector containing a CAR structure with a fully human scFv, CD8a hinger and transmembrane, 4-1BB co-stimulatory and CD3ζ activation domains. Based on strict selection and screening, utilizing a proprietary in-house optimization platform, and integrated in-house manufacturing process improvement, the construct of the BCMA CAR-T is potent and Equecabtagene Autoleucel shows prolonged persistency in patients. The NMPA accepted the New Drug Application for Equecabtagene Autoleucel for the treatment of elapsed/refractory multiple myeloma (R/R MM). Equecabtagene Autoleucel also received Breakthrough Therapy Designation by the NMPA in February 2021 and Orphan Drug Designation (ODD)by the U.S. FDA in February 2022.
In addition to multiple myeloma, the NMPA has received IND application of Equecabtagene Autoleucel for the new expanded indication of Neuromyelitis Optica Spectrum Disorder (NMOSD).
About Neuromyelitis Optica (NMO)
Neuromyelitis Optica (NMO) is an acute or subacute inflammatory demyelination disorder of the central nervous system, an antibody-mediated idiopathic inflammatory disease of the nervous system. NMO Spectrum Disorders (NMOSD) are marked by NMO-IgG antibodies in the serum, covering NMO and NMO-related diseases. The first onset of NMOSD is seen at all ages, mostly in young and middle-aged people, with a median age of 39 years. The prevalence of NMOSD is high in Asian populated areas, and middle-aged women are the most prevalent group. According to Frost & Sullivan, the number of NMOSD cases in China was around 49,300 and 173,000 worldwide in 2021. AQP4-Ab is a foremost pathogenic antibody of NMOSD, and many clinical studies have confirmed that this antibody may cause pathological damage to the central nervous system in animals and humans. Its diagnostic specificity is up to more than 90%, with the positive rate of AQP4-Ab in NMOSD patients ranging from 40% to 90%. NMOSD is a highly recurrent disease with a high disability rate. More than 90% of patients have a multitemporal course, 60% relapse within one year and 90% relapse within three years, with sequelae found in most patients such as severe visual impairment, physical dysfunction, and urination and defecation disorders.
About IASO Bio
IASO Bio is an innovative biopharmaceutical company specializing in the development and manufacture of cellular therapeutics and antibody drugs. The company is expanding into solid tumors and autoimmune diseases with the development of hematologic oncology cell-based drugs and antibody drugs as the cornerstone of innovation. It offers a complete platform from early discovery, registration, and clinical development to commercial production. IASO Bio owns many technology platforms, including a fully human antibody discovery platform, a high-throughput CAR-T drug preference platform, a general CAR technology platform, a production technology platform, and a clinical translational research platform. It has more than 10 products at different stages of development, including Equecabtagene Autoleucel (CT103A),fully human BCMA chimeric antigen receptor autologous T cell injection, which received NDA acceptance of the China NMPA for the treatment of elapsed/refractory multiple myeloma (R/R MM). Equecabtagene Autoleucel also received Breakthrough Therapy Designation by the NMPA in February 2021 and Orphan Drug Designation (ODD) by the U.S. FDA in February 2022. In addition to multiple myeloma, the NMPA has received IND application of Equecabtagene Autoleucel for the new expanded indication of Neuromyelitis Optica Spectrum Disorder (NMOSD). Additionally, its product CT120 (fully human CD19/CD22 dual-target CAR-T cell injection) has entered the clinical research stage for the treatment of CD19/CD22-positive relapsed/refractory B-cell non-Hodgkin lymphoma (B-NHL) and relapsed/refractory acute B-lymphoblastic leukemia (B-ALL) and granted FDA Orphan Drug Designation (ODD).
Leveraging its strong management team, rich product pipeline, cutting-edge R&D, and business model, and with the introduction of innovative drugs that truly solve clinical pain points and open new treatment paths, IASO Bio is becoming one of the industry's most influential and innovative pharmaceutical companies. For more information, please visit www.iasobio.com or www.linkedin.com/company/iasobiotherapeutics.
View original content to download multimedia:
SOURCE IASO Biotherapeutics | https://www.wbko.com/prnewswire/2022/08/19/worlds-first-car-t-nmosd-treatment-iaso-biotherapeutics-equecabtagene-autoleucel-receives-ind-approval-by-nmpa/ | 2022-08-19T12:02:20Z | wbko.com | control | https://www.wbko.com/prnewswire/2022/08/19/worlds-first-car-t-nmosd-treatment-iaso-biotherapeutics-equecabtagene-autoleucel-receives-ind-approval-by-nmpa/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Warner Bros (WBD) is in the process of selling its stake in the loss-making television channel GB News. Bloomberg reports that the sell-off should allow the embattled news outlet to pursue a new £60 million fundraising round. In addition, GB News co-founders Andrew Cole and Mark Schneider are also set to sell their stakes.
WBD stock fell 0.53% following reports of the GB News sale.
Warner Bros’ Plans after GB News Sale
According to the Guardian, the sale of the GB News stake comes as WBD seeks to rationalize its portfolio following the merger of Discovery and Warner Media. It was initially the first company to invest £20 million of the £60 million raised by GB news early in the year.
By exiting GB News, Warner Bros intends to focus on its other media brands, which include CNN Worldwide, TVN Group in Poland, and Newshub in New Zealand.
Hedge fund manager Paul Marshall and investment group Legatum are to buy the GB News stakes up for sale. GB News needs more funds just 18 months after it said it had £60 million that would last three years.
The remaining backers are expected to step forward and inject £60 million in cash into the business. The new funding, which will be completed in the next few weeks, is to finance expansion plans. In addition, the U.K. news channel plans to invest in a new digital product site, technology, and studio.
The fledgling news channel has been under pressure after being hit by a boycott of advertisers, who opposed its editorial stance. It also had to contend with stiff competition from Talk TV, an alternative conservative-leaning channel started by Rupert Murdoch.
What Will Be the Price of WBD Stock?
While Warner Bros stock is down by 43% year-to-date, Wall Street remains optimistic about the stock’s long-term prospects. According to TipRanks’ analyst rating consensus, Warner Bros is a Moderate Buy based on seven Buys, seven Holds, and one Sell. The average Warner Bros price target is $25.62, which implies 94.24% upside potential to current levels.
Also, TipRanks’ Stock Investors tool shows that investor sentiment is currently Positive on Warner Bros’ stock. Over the past 30 days, 3.2% of the best-performing portfolios tracked by TipRanks increased their exposure in Warner Bros stock.
Final Thoughts
Warner Bros’ sale of its stake in the fledgling U.K news outlet GB News should ease some pressure, allowing the company to focus on other brands with tremendous potential. | https://www.tipranks.com/news/warner-bros-stock-falls-on-reports-of-gb-news-stake-sale | 2022-08-19T12:02:27Z | tipranks.com | control | https://www.tipranks.com/news/warner-bros-stock-falls-on-reports-of-gb-news-stake-sale | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Best Day Ever: Vic Mensa
Vic Mensa, one of Chicago's leading hip-hop artists, came out of the famed Save Money Army and signed with Jay-Z's Roc Nation Records.
- But it's not his music making that's waves this week — it's his weed.
Driving the news: Mensa just launched a recreational marijuana line called 93 Boyz.
- Mensa, who co-owns the brand with fellow local hip-hop artist Towkio, says it's the first Chicago-based, Black-owned brand in the local cannabis space.
State of play: For now, the company is selling just pre-rolled joints, but they aim to expand the product line and availability.
What they're saying: "I actually started selling weed when I was around 14 years old, so this is really a natural progression for me," Mensa tells Axios.
- "As soon as the recreational legislation showed signs of shifting, I've been focused on entering the industry."
Between the lines: Mensa has been a leader in education about the state's cannabis industry, which was touted as the nation's most socially equitable at its launch but has not lived up to the billing.
- "Unfortunately the social equity program has largely been a farce thus far and fallen far short of what it was championed as being," says Mensa.
We were supposed to interview Mensa tonight at The Hideout, but he ran into a scheduling issue. So we asked him to give us his perfect day in Chicago:
🧇 Breakfast: "I get 'Monique's Love' at Chicago's Home of Chicken and Waffles."
🥋 Morning activity: "I do mixed martial arts training at iBattle Training on 47th street."
🍚 Lunch: "The Jamaican beef patty with rice and peas at 14 Parrish."
🎧 Afternoon activity: "Recording studio."
🐟 Dinner: "Have to go with the catfish at Virtue in Hyde Park."
🏍️ Evening activity: "I ride my motorcycle down Lake Shore Drive."
Get more local stories in your inbox with Axios Chicago.
More Chicago stories
No stories could be found
Get a free daily digest of the most important news in your backyard with Axios Chicago. | https://www.axios.com/local/chicago/2022/08/19/best-day-ever-vic-mensa-chicago | 2022-08-19T12:06:30Z | axios.com | control | https://www.axios.com/local/chicago/2022/08/19/best-day-ever-vic-mensa-chicago | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Political Pulse: Movement in the Colorado U.S. Senate race
A major election prognosticator is souring on Democratic fortunes in Colorado's U.S. Senate race.
Driving the news: The Cook Political Report moved the contest to "leans Democratic" — a downgrade for incumbent Michael Bennet.
- The race previously was cast as "likely Democratic," which suggested Republican challenger Joe O'Dea had little chance of winning.
The big picture: Sabato's Crystal Ball at the University of Virginia's Center for Politics has the race pegged at the same mark, while Inside Elections and FiveThirtyEight still rate it "likely Democratic."
📊 The intrigue: The shift comes despite the release of a poll from Republican firm McLaughlin and Associates that gives Bennet an advantage, with 48% of respondents preferring him versus 40% for O'Dea.
- Their July 24-26 survey of likely voters — the first public polling data since the general election matchup in late June — has a margin of error of 4.4%.
💰 Denver-based Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck hauled in $15 million in each of the last three quarters, making it the highest-grossing lobbying firm in the nation.
- A managing partner credited the firm's work on financial and regulatory matters in Washington and the expansion of state-level lobbying for its success, the Denver Business Journal reports.
👀 U.S. Rep. Lauren Boebert's new financial disclosure fails to include her husband's consulting income. Questions were raised last year about his high-paid work for an oil and gas company on the Western Slope.
- The Republican lawmaker is required to list the sources of her husband's income, though not the total.
- One new detail, the Colorado Sun reports, is that Jayson Boebert trades thousands of dollars in cryptocurrency through the Robinhood app.
🗳 Political Pulse is a regular Friday feature to help you catch up quick on Colorado politics.
Get more local stories in your inbox with Axios Denver.
More Denver stories
No stories could be found
Get a free daily digest of the most important news in your backyard with Axios Denver. | https://www.axios.com/local/denver/2022/08/19/michael-bennet-colorado-senate-race-political-pulse | 2022-08-19T12:07:13Z | axios.com | control | https://www.axios.com/local/denver/2022/08/19/michael-bennet-colorado-senate-race-political-pulse | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
48 mins ago - Food and Drink
Marcia Miller: Des Moines' blue-ribbon neighbor
My neighbor Marcia Miller is one of the state fair's annual culinary champs.
- She's been entering the competitions since 2000 and has, for years, labeled and given me samples after they've been judged.
State of play: This year she has 39 food entries — pies, cookies and cake. And I've scored a taste of nearly all of them.
- On Monday, she won first place in seven pie categories.
- Miller's sour cream raisin meringue — my personal favorite — won in the overall cream pie competition.
Her secret: Persistence.
- The recipes are perfected over multiple tries. Some are years in the making.
1 eye opening thing to go: The judges can serve a cold slice of reality.
- Miller was the only entry in a "cake roll" category in 2016 and was awarded third place.
- "Clearly, my entry wasn't quite ready for the state fair level of competition," she told me.
Check out the winners: Elwell Family Food Center
- 9am-8pm through Sunday.
Get more local stories in your inbox with Axios Des Moines.
More Des Moines stories
No stories could be found
Get a free daily digest of the most important news in your backyard with Axios Des Moines. | https://www.axios.com/local/des-moines/2022/08/19/marcia-miller-des-moines-blue-ribbon-neighbor | 2022-08-19T12:07:19Z | axios.com | control | https://www.axios.com/local/des-moines/2022/08/19/marcia-miller-des-moines-blue-ribbon-neighbor | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Disappointment with Polk County monkeypox vaccine distribution prompts response
People ineligible for monkeypox vaccinations have increasingly expressed concern in recent weeks that they are being discriminated against, Polk County Department of Health spokesperson Nola Aigner Davis told Axios Thursday.
Why it matters: The county's distribution plan is part of a public health strategy to use the limited supply of vaccines to target those who are most vulnerable to get it first and stop the disease.
- Iowa health officials have received thousands of doses of the vaccine in recent weeks but supplies remain short with the CDC recommending it be considered for people at high risk for infection.
Catch up fast: There have been more than 13,500 monkeypox cases identified in 49 states, according to a White House briefing Thursday. That's an increase of more than 10,000 since May 17.
- More than 90% of cases are among men who have had sex with men.
Zoom in: There have been at least 15 cases in Iowa, with the majority in the central part of the state, according to the state's health department.
Zoom in further: The Polk County Health Department began offering vaccines last week to gay or bisexual men and transgender adults. Appointments for all 400 doses were booked.
- Since then, Iowa has received more doses and is offering at least 600 appointments Friday and next week, Aigner Davis said.
The latest: Polk's health department issued a statement on social media Thursday in response to the feedback, explaining its distribution policy.
- Vaccine eligibility will shift based on transmission of the virus and severity of illness, it noted.
Of note: Some health departments are already expanding eligibility.
- People who have recently had multiple sex partners became eligible last week in Washington, D.C.
Get more local stories in your inbox with Axios Des Moines.
More Des Moines stories
No stories could be found
Get a free daily digest of the most important news in your backyard with Axios Des Moines. | https://www.axios.com/local/des-moines/2022/08/19/monkeypox-vaccine-disappointment-polk-county-response | 2022-08-19T12:07:25Z | axios.com | control | https://www.axios.com/local/des-moines/2022/08/19/monkeypox-vaccine-disappointment-polk-county-response | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Council, mayor inch closer to Titans stadium deal
The Titans and Mayor John Cooper's administration are inching closer to a financing plan for a new indoor stadium.
- But a salient question hangs over the debate: What is the city's financial obligation under the terms of the current lease?
Driving the news: The Metro Council committee vetting the stadium deal held its third meeting yesterday.
- Metro Sports Authority executive director Monica Fawknotson walked the committee through a 2017 study that concluded the city was on the hook for $293 million in maintenance and improvements.
Yes, but: Fawknotson explained the shortcomings of that study.
- It didn't factor in an array of costs such as demolition and installation for new equipment, architectural fees, taxes and permits, or product markups.
The latest: The Titans attempted to estimate the city's current lease obligation with their own study released this spring. It found that meeting the terms of the lease would cost Metro $1.8 billion through 2039.
- Critics, led by Councilmember Sean Parker, called for Metro to pay for an unbiased study examining those costs.
- Fawknotson told the committee the city is close to finalizing an agreement with a firm to conduct that study.
What he's saying: Councilmember and committee chairperson Bob Mendes said during the meeting he'd like for the consultant to explain the difference between the new estimate and the original figure of $293 million.
- "To me, at least, for the new work to be useful, there does need to be a reconciliation," Mendes says.
Get more local stories in your inbox with Axios Nashville.
More Nashville stories
No stories could be found
Get a free daily digest of the most important news in your backyard with Axios Nashville. | https://www.axios.com/local/nashville/2022/08/19/nashville-council-debates-stadium-deal | 2022-08-19T12:07:44Z | axios.com | control | https://www.axios.com/local/nashville/2022/08/19/nashville-council-debates-stadium-deal | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Nashville soft serve shop offers delicious nostalgia
At the corner of Greenwood Avenue and Porter Road in East Nashville, entrepreneur Austin Bauman has fashioned a former gas station into a time portal back to your childhood.
- Inside, there's a combination skateboard shop, toy store and soft serve ice cream stand.
Why it matters: The trio of businesses — Cecil's Skate Shop, Tabla Rasa Toys and Soft Service Station — combines to offer one of the city's more unique and welcoming outdoor spaces.
- The ice cream shop has outdoor tables next to a see-saw.
- A small public skate park occupies one corner of the property.
What he's saying: "We all remember that dairy dip ice cream stand from our childhood. When you have soft serve, it takes you back," says Bauman, who also launched the Green Fleet Bikes and Shelby Ave Bicycle Co. shops.
Be smart: Soft Service Station is one of just a few soft serve ice cream shops in Nashville.
- The menu is simple: vanilla, chocolate or swirled ice cream in a cone, with a choice of toppings.
- It also offers a small coffee menu. In a stroke of culinary genius, Soft Service Station sells ice cream-and-coffee combinations.
Zoom in: The toy store is a whimsical rainbow of retro offerings.
- You can browse its collection — which includes crayons, puzzles, trucks and a make-your-own-fort kit — online.
💭 Nate's thought bubble: I took two visits to Soft Service Station. The first was with my wife and our boys, ages 11 and 8.
- They were definitely buying what Bauman was selling. Maddux and Everett sucked down their ice cream cones, then got into a pretty ferocious brother fight on the see-saw. The 11-year-old cruelly kept his younger brother suspended in mid-air, and a minor boo-boo ensued.
- Watching them toggle between ice cream and goofing around felt very nostalgic to me.
- I also went with Adam on a grumpy Thursday afternoon, but I could not possibly stay fussy after drinking one of the cold brew floats.
💭 Adam's thought bubble: I insisted on tagging along with Nate on his second visit. My soft-serve affogato — which merged a perfect swirl of vanilla with a rich pour of espresso — was a delight.
- This corner of East Nashville feels like a hidden gem now, but I could easily see it becoming a weekly staple for folks of all ages.
Get more local stories in your inbox with Axios Nashville.
More Nashville stories
No stories could be found
Get a free daily digest of the most important news in your backyard with Axios Nashville. | https://www.axios.com/local/nashville/2022/08/19/nashville-soft-serve-shop-toy-store-skate-park | 2022-08-19T12:07:44Z | axios.com | control | https://www.axios.com/local/nashville/2022/08/19/nashville-soft-serve-shop-toy-store-skate-park | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
NHL Draft, award ceremony heading to Nashville
Nashville nabbed a pair of high-profile events yesterday when the National Hockey League announced the 2023 NHL Awards and draft would both come to Music City next June.
Why it matters: The announcement was further confirmation of Nashville's staying power as a big draw for large events with a national profile.
- The city previously hosted the NHL All-Star Weekend in 2016 and the NFL Draft in 2019.
Zoom in: The NHL Awards will take place June 26. It's the first time the ceremony has come to Nashville.
- The 2023 Upper Deck NHL Draft will be hosted by the Predators at Bridgestone Arena June 28-29. The NHL draft hasn't taken place here since 2003.
What they're saying: NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman called Nashville "a special city that certainly knows how to throw a great party."
- "The city, the Predators organization and the Country Music community have overwhelmed the NHL with their welcome and support every time Nashville has hosted a League event," Bettman said in a statement.
- "We cannot wait to return next June to celebrate the stars of our game and introduce the next generation of NHL Players."
The big picture: Nashville Convention & Visitors Corp CEO Butch Spyridon pointed out that the NHL events would fit in between the annual CMA Fest and Fourth of July celebration to make for a particularly robust summer travel season.
Between the lines: "It's been more than 15 years since these two events were hosted in the same city in the same year," Predators president and CEO Sean Henry said in a statement.
- "Next June, we are penciling that week with SMASHVILLE as the center of the hockey world."
Get more local stories in your inbox with Axios Nashville.
More Nashville stories
No stories could be found
Get a free daily digest of the most important news in your backyard with Axios Nashville. | https://www.axios.com/local/nashville/2022/08/19/nhl-draft-awards-heading-nashville-2023 | 2022-08-19T12:07:50Z | axios.com | control | https://www.axios.com/local/nashville/2022/08/19/nhl-draft-awards-heading-nashville-2023 | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
It is all lining up for the dollar right now as the currency pushes to fresh highs on the day and is seeking to extend gains further ahead of the weekend. Let's recap how markets are playing out today to see why:
- The bond market is finally waking up, 10-year Treasury yields above its 100-day moving average
- Stocks are sliding, risk trades losing ground i.e. risk aversion taking hold
- Dollar technicals look favourable (vs JPY, EUR, GBP)
- China sought to weaken the yuan, providing an added tailwind for the next leg higher
It's tough to fight the momentum when everything is moving in the direction that is supporting the greenback. As risk trades lose further ground on the session, we're now even seeing AUD/USD fall by nearly 0.5% to below 0.6900:
Notably, price is sliding past the 50.0 Fib retracement level at 0.6909 and looks poised to move towards the 5 August low at 0.6869 next. | https://www.forexlive.com/news/things-are-all-lining-up-for-the-dollar-towards-the-end-of-the-week-20220819/ | 2022-08-19T12:11:10Z | forexlive.com | control | https://www.forexlive.com/news/things-are-all-lining-up-for-the-dollar-towards-the-end-of-the-week-20220819/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Water companies are dumping tonnes of sewage into the ocean. But which beaches are actually safe to swim in?
After a long overdue spell of wet and stormy weather, a number of pollution warnings have been issued along the Kent coast. Several reports of sewage overflows have been noted over the last 24 hours.
In total seven warnings have been issued, impacting the likes of Folkestone, Hythe, The Isle of Sheppey and Whitstable. Southern Water has noted that such overflows may be impacting water quality in these areas.
Read more: Met Office issues amber thunderstorm warning for Kent
Surfers Against Sewage's Safer Seas & Rivers Service has an interactive map, which warns swimmers and water users against "potentially harmful pollution". These include beaches in Cornwall, Devon, Sussex, Essex, Lancashire, Lincolnshire, Northumberland and Cumbria.
The South coast of England has been the worst affected, in particular several holiday spots in Devon and Cornwall. Video footage has shown masses of grey water flowing out into the sea just feet away from popular beaches. Southend-on-Sea and Newquay have even closed their beaches for today.
Below we have compiled a list of beaches that are safe and unsafe to swim in. The information is according to Surfers Against Sewage.
Which beaches are deemed safe to swim?
St Mary's Bay - Shingle beach with large areas of sand flats. The beach is backed by a low sea wall and a wide concrete footpath. There are no sewer overflows discharging directly into St Marys Bay, however there are nearby that may affect bathing water quality.
Deal Castle - Pebble beach with calm waves. One sewage overflow located to the west of the beach. Heavy rains could lead this overflow to affect bathing water quality.
Walmer - No sewage but there has recently been a minor oil spill. The beach is still ok to use
Kingsdown - Pebble beach with a pub, chalk cliffs and views of France on a clear day.
St Margaret's Bay - A natural beauty spot with a secluded beach.
Sandwich Bay - Rural beach with steep shingle beach towards the south of a long sandy bay adjoining the golf course. At low tide, there are large sandflats.
Ramsgate Western Undercliff - A sandy beach. To the west of Ramsgate Harbour, the lower half of the beach is rocky and there is a sea water bathing pool on the west end of the beach.
Ramsgate Sands - Located between the chalk cliffs to the north and the Royal Harbour and marina to the south, Ramsgate Sands is a popular, sandy resort beach backed by a promenade. There is a sewer overflow discharging directly onto the beach and others in the surrounding area which may affect bathing water quality especially after heavy rainfall.
Broadstairs Viking Bay - A sandy, horseshoe-shaped bay approximately 300m in length with a promenade, harbour pier and boardwalk. There are no sewer overflows in the immediate area however water quality may be affected by two sewer overflows under two miles and three miles away from the bay.
Stone Bay - Stone Bay is a small, sandy beach backed by a promenade and white chalk cliffs.
Joss Bay - Sandy beach surrounded by chalk cliffs. Features a surf school, beach loungers and a cafe.
Botany Bay - Named for the punishment handed out to smugglers in the local area (being sent to Botany Bay, Australia) the beach is a secluded, sandy cove enclosed by chalk cliffs.
Palm Bay Beach
Walpole Bay, Margate - A gently shelving sandy beach with a lido at the western end and tidal pool at the eastern end. There are extensive underwater rock formations just offshore along the length of the beach which are exposed at low tide.
Margate Fulsam Rock - A promenade sits above the beach with public gardens behind. There are sewer overflows about 900m west of the bathing water and a further sewer overflow 1.5 km to the west.
Margate Bay - Located in the popular seaside resort of Margate, The Bay is a slightly sloping sandy beach with a harbour wall at the eastern end and a rock formation, exposed at low tide, to the west.
Westbrook Bay - The beach itself is a gently sloping, sandy beach with large underwater rock formations exposed at low tide to the east and west of the beach. The beach is bordered by sewer overflows with three discharging to the east, including two through an underground urban stream, and one to the west.
St Mildreds Bay - A small, sandy beach that slopes gently into the sea. Groynes break up the beach while a tidal pool can be found to the west and a promenade running the entire length of the beach.
Herne Bay - Predominantly a groyned, shingle beach but with some sand exposed at low water. There are two sewer overflows that discharge into this bathing water; one discharges 600m offshore while the other is inland and discharges into a stream at the eastern end of the bathing water.
Minister Leas - Located on the North coast of the Isle of Sheppey in Kent, Minster Leas is a long, gently sloping sand and shingle beach broken up by numerous groynes. The beach is backed by a promenade and a large grassy area before the town of Minster. There is a sewer overflow discharging directly into the bathing water, Westcliff Drive, and another in the catchment area that discharges into a stream.
Where are sewage warnings in place?
- Folkestone Beach
- Hythe Beach
- Leysdown Beach
- Sandgate Beach
- Sheerness
- Tankerton Beach
- West Beach, Whitstable
This means any other beach in Kent should be safe to swim in. A spokesperson for Southern Water said: “This week’s heavy rain has fallen onto parched ground that can’t absorb surface run-off, meaning that more rain than usual has overwhelmed our network. This led to some overflows – which are used to protect homes, schools, businesses and hospitals from flooding – spilling excess water into the sea.
"These discharges are permitted and regulated by the Environment Agency, and are heavily diluted, typically being 95 per cent rainwater. We are dedicated to significantly reducing storm overflows and are running innovative pilot schemes across the region to reduce the amount of rainfall entering our combined sewers by 2030.”
Southern Water was fined a staggering £90million last year in July, for knowingly and deliberately dumping raw sewage off the south coast between the years 2010 and 2015. The company has vowed to change its ways, but many areas in the UK are still experiencing sewage dumping into rivers and the sea.
READ NEXT:
- Flooding fears as storm drains are blocked ahead of forecast rain
- Man seen with clothes alight before being injured in fire
- Pictures show damage caused by golf club fire near RSPCA centre as 14 hectares of land destroyed
- Beloved authentic Jamaican restaurant announces exciting second branch
- Man's urgent warning over 'disgraceful' British Gas bill of £5k | https://www.kentlive.news/news/kent-news/beautiful-kent-beaches-still-safe-7483083 | 2022-08-19T12:14:54Z | kentlive.news | control | https://www.kentlive.news/news/kent-news/beautiful-kent-beaches-still-safe-7483083 | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Residents are being urged to not call police to report breaches of the hosepipe ban. Some suppliers which provide water to Kent are currently enforcing a ban on using hoses to water gardens, clean cars and other uses amid the drought.
South East Water, which supplies to parts of Kent, already has a prohibition in place and from August 24 Thames water will also bring in similar measures - which could see anyone infringing it get £1,000 fines. However, the hosepipe ban is a civil matter, not a criminal one, and police call handlers are being diverted away from dealing with real emergencies.
Devon and Cornwall Police, where a ban is in place, said they have already seen “unprecedented demand” on their phone lines about a number of issues this summer, receiving more than 1,000 calls a day. Assistant Chief Constable Nikki Leaper said: “We are also already getting calls from people reporting breaches of the hosepipe ban due to come in next week - which should be directed to the water company.
Read more: Soaring temperatures in Kent next week with 27C heatwave to hit
“All these issues should be dealt with by other agencies. There is a list of these agencies on our website, so please check online before you call us.”
The South East has had little rain for the past eight months, with July being the driest for nearly a century, and the ban is the first in 26 years. Thunderstorms which caused torrential rain earlier this week did little to replenish the depleted supplies.
Thames Water, which supplies 15 million people, is also putting a hosepipe ban in place on August 24, joining Welsh Water, Southern Water, South East Water and Yorkshire Water.
A National Police Chiefs’ Council spokesman said: “Breaches of hosepipe bans are a civil matter and should not be reported to the police. Any member of the public who has concerns about a potential breach should consider the advice from their water provider.”
Those using their hosepipes during bans could face fines of up to £1,000 if taken to court, although water companies say they prefer “education over enforcement”. People have been encouraged to report their neighbours if they spot them repeatedly breaching bans.
South East Water has said: "We have powers to prosecute in a situation where someone knowingly ignores the restrictions and will use these powers where we think it is justified and in line with our enforcement policy, which can be found at www.southeastwater.co.uk/tubs. We will certainly look into cases where people tell us about hosepipe and sprinkler use." Anyone spotting their neighbour using a hosepipe can report it at the above link.
Read next
Foodies open independent Fat Sam's Fried Chicken in Tunbridge Wells
Restaurant and cocktail bar in Tunbridge Wells hiring for bar staff and chef jobs
- I tried Tunbridge Wells' brand new German Doner Kebab and was left overwhelmed
- The special reason this is TripAdvisor's favourite Tunbridge Wells' café
- New 'craft beer and natural wine tap bar' and restaurant for Tunbridge Wells | https://www.kentlive.news/news/kent-news/police-make-urgent-plea-not-7485478 | 2022-08-19T12:15:05Z | kentlive.news | control | https://www.kentlive.news/news/kent-news/police-make-urgent-plea-not-7485478 | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
A teenage boy has been arrested after a man was stabbed in Tonbridge. Police were called at 12.55am this morning (August 19 to a location close to Avebury Avenue and officers attended along with ambulance crews. For updates, follow our live blog here.
The victim, aged in his 20s, was from the local area. At 3.40am, a teenage boy from Tonbridge was arrested on suspicion of murder and taken into custody. Police have spoken to a number of potential witnesses as part of their investigation, and are appealing to anyone with information to contact them.
READ MORE: Huge emergency response near Tonbridge High Street - live updates
Detective Inspector Lee Neiles, of the Kent and Essex Serious Crime Directorate, said: "We are working to establish the full circumstances and it is crucial that we speak to anyone who may have heard or seen anything suspicious, around or before 12.55am. The area where the victim was assaulted was close to Tonbridge Park and a large number of residential properties. If you think you may be able to assist the investigation please don’t hesitate to call us."
Anyone with information should call Kent Police on 101, quoting reference 19-0050. You can also contact Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555111, or by using the online form on their website.
Read next
Foodies open independent Fat Sam's Fried Chicken in Tunbridge Wells
Restaurant and cocktail bar in Tunbridge Wells hiring for bar staff and chef jobs
- I tried Tunbridge Wells' brand new German Doner Kebab and was left overwhelmed
- I tried Tunbridge Wells' best fish and chips to see if it lived up to expectations
- The special reason this is TripAdvisor's favourite Tunbridge Wells' café
- New 'craft beer and natural wine tap bar' and restaurant for Tunbridge Wells | https://www.kentlive.news/news/kent-news/teenage-boy-arrested-suspicion-murder-7485162 | 2022-08-19T12:15:15Z | kentlive.news | control | https://www.kentlive.news/news/kent-news/teenage-boy-arrested-suspicion-murder-7485162 | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Canterbury has been named among the best medium-sized cities in the UK to enjoy a short break by Which? readers. In fact, the historic location was only topped by one other medium-sized city in the entire UK - that being Cambridge.
Overall, Canterbury scored an impressive 77 per cent out of a possible 100. Readers assessed locations on a number of factors, including accommodation, shopping, food and drink, value for money and more, rating each out of five stars to create the ultimate score.
Canterbury is certainly among the most iconic of our county’s locations, boasting the title of Kent’s only city, with an impressive history to match. As such, it really should come as no surprise that the area was held in such high regard as a destination for a short break.
Read more: Pete Doherty's quiet life in France after leaving Thanet
However, there are a few scores Canterbury received which left us here at KentLive scratching our heads. So, here is what we feel reviewers got right about the city, and the parts that might need a little more consideration.
Cultural sights, shopping and accommodation
As mentioned, perhaps the thing that Canterbury is most known for is its incredible history reflected in striking landmarks. A visit to the city really would be incomplete without at least seeing the Canterbury Cathedral, a structure that’s truly impressive and sure to instil a sense of awe in anyone who sees it up close.
Other locations well worth a visit include the Dane John Gardens, the Marlowe Theatre, Westgate Towers and the historic city walls. With such an array of impressive features, Canterbury received a score of four out of five stars for Cultural sights, which we can’t help but agree with.
If there’s one thing that Canterbury is known for other than its history and landmarks, it's the High Street. While unfortunately the High Street, like many others, has suffered as a result of numerous factors such as the recent pandemic and cost of living crisis, it still holds an undeniably varied range of shops and businesses.
From clothes shops to suit every style, big name brands that attract visitors from far and wide to the smaller independent shops bursting with charm, it’s a high street that has plenty to offer. Which? readers rated shopping three stars out of five which we can understand.
Had this survey been taken a few years ago, when empty storefronts weren’t as an unfortunately common sight, we would expect this score to be a little higher. But, with the High Street as it stands currently, we can’t disagree with such a rating.
While in Canterbury, you’ll want to stay in some comfortable accommodation, and there’s plenty of choice to choose from. Key choices in and around the area include the recently opened Hampton by Hilton Hotel, the Howfield Manor Hotel and the Cathedral Gate Hotel.
In fact, accommodation is apparently where the city shone the brightest, having received a perfect five star score and it’s plain to see why. Plus, average hotel prices work out at £101 a night, which, for a city stay, is not breaking the bank.
Food and Drink
This is where the scores seem to have been a little muddled. For a city that is absolutely bursting with incredible spots to grab a drink or a bite to eat, Which? readers only scored Canterbury two out of five stars for food and drink.
We simply can’t believe this when so many great spots come to mind. In terms of places to eat, there are some amazing restaurants and pubs to be found in the area. In fact, one such restaurant has seen outspoken endorsement from none other than former Canterbury local Orlando Bloom.
Incredible Canterbury restaurants include Wildwood, The Corner House, Café Des Amis, Chapter, Chuck & Blade, Notorious BRG and many more. In terms of places to grab a drink, once again you are spoilt for choice, but standouts include The Pound, The Penny Theatre, The Lady Luck, The Black Griffin and The Parrot.
Recently, a new Cosy Club bar and restaurant has opened up within the city, offering the perfect spot for a relaxed yet classy dining and drinking experience. With such an incredible array of choices, we just can’t wrap our heads around a two star score for this one.
Ease of getting around and value for money
The scores for getting around and the value for money both came in at three out of five stars and we find ourselves agreeing. In terms of getting around, Canterbury is a dead-simple city to navigate on foot, with everything you could want during your visit only a short walk away.
However, driving is sometimes not the easiest, with a small number of main roads that very easily build up around rush hour, particularly as you get towards the roundabout near the city centre. Parking is also not always the easiest, but there are a number of car parks close to the city centre to try.
Moving on to value for money, and again, three out of five stars seems fair. A day out in Canterbury will certainly be much cheaper than doing the same in London.
However, given the city’s attraction as a tourist destination, you may find yourself paying a touch more for meals and drinks than you would in your local town centre. But, it could be argued that such a price is justified with the overall experience that you get from visiting such a genuinely incredible city.
With an overall score of 77 per cent, it’s safe to say that Canterbury has well and truly earned the praise it received in this survey. Maybe just listen to our verdict on the food and drink scene instead.
READ NEXT: | https://www.kentlive.news/whats-on/food-drink/canterbury-rated-among-best-cities-7482851 | 2022-08-19T12:15:25Z | kentlive.news | control | https://www.kentlive.news/whats-on/food-drink/canterbury-rated-among-best-cities-7482851 | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
A new venue in Tunbridge Wells has been filling up the dancefloor with its live ska and reggae music. Tyber's Rum Bar at 9 Nevill Street has been open since July 1 but is shutting for a refurbishment for a "few weeks" after its 'refurb closing party' on September 17.
The bar, in the Grub and Liquor building, is named after Tyber, the frontman of the ska-reggae band The Dualers, who comes from Kent. The Dualers are a nine-piece Jamaican rhythm and blues band from South-East London.
The band first hit headlines when its single Kiss on the Lips made the UK top 30 "despite no industry or professional backing". Follow-up single Truly Madly Deeply charted at number 23 and featured in Hollywood movie Fools Gold.
Read more: Bocca Social in Tunbridge Wells is opening its doors this weekend
When Tyber's Rum Bar reopens, it promises to continue "ska-reggae nights on tap" with live bands and DJs. Open mic nights and music quizzes are also planned. There will even be "reggae themed cocktails".
There are also some Caribbean dishes on the menu and a "great rum selection". Tyber busked and performed for more than 20 years in Kent and other parts of the UK. The Dualers have just finished a 'Road To Wembley Tour'.
Videos posted of the rum bar nights on Tyber's Rum Bar Facebook page shows many people up and dancing in front of the live bands. People are singing along to the music and look like they are having the time of their lives, with smiles and laughter on everyone's faces.
The venue has proved so popular, the team at the bar "strongly recommend" people book the free events to guarantee entry.
The Dualers have played alongside some of the finest names in Ska and Reggae including The Skatalites, Toots and The Maytals, Ziggy Marley, Jimmy Cliff, UB40 and Madness. The band has had 11 sell-out shows at Indigo at the O2. It has a strong fanbase in Kent and further afield..
Get more Tunbridge Wells nightlife news from KentLive straight to your inbox for free HERE .
Read next
Foodies open independent Fat Sam's Fried Chicken in Tunbridge Wells
Restaurant and cocktail bar in Tunbridge Wells hiring for bar staff and chef jobs
- I tried Tunbridge Wells' brand new German Doner Kebab and was left overwhelmed
- I tried Tunbridge Wells' best fish and chips to see if it lived up to expectations
- The special reason this is TripAdvisor's favourite Tunbridge Wells' café | https://www.kentlive.news/whats-on/whats-on-news/tybers-rum-bar-new-tunbridge-7484382 | 2022-08-19T12:15:35Z | kentlive.news | control | https://www.kentlive.news/whats-on/whats-on-news/tybers-rum-bar-new-tunbridge-7484382 | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
16th in line to the ever-chic Monégasque throne, Pauline Ducruet hails gracefully from generations of European elegance. A true sovereign style scion, her mother, Princess Stéphanie of Monaco, injected the Eighties with pop princess perfection, while her grandmother, movie-maven-turned-IRL-princess Grace Kelly, singlehandedly concocted the epitome of Hollywood glamour.
Familial fabulousness aside, Ducruet has carved out a distinctive and discerning approach to fashion for herself; one of modern luxury, non-gendered collections and the ultimate undone opulence. Her label, Alter, launched in 2018 and shows at Paris Fashion Week each season. Front row is usually reserved for her mother Stéphanie, sister Camille Gottlieb, or cousin Charlotte Casiraghi, with legions of the city’s cool kids filling the rows behind, taking in the latest lines of contemporary-chic.
As with all great designers, tastemakers must practise what they preach and for Ducruet this meant an outing at Monaco’s Hotel de Paris Monte-Carlo, dressed in AW22’s ‘Lulu’ shirt. Paired with Miu Miu’s ‘Wander’ bag in black leather and Amina Muaddi’s crystal flower embellished pumps, the 28-year-old oozed party girl perfection in the tie-front design.
The ideal transitional piece, the Lulu shirt comes in three colourways; emerald green, dusky orange, and navy. Styled up à la Ducruet with strappy heels and purse, or dressed down, tucked in to acid wash jeans and boots, this wardrobe staple can take you from the boardroom to the dancefloor in spectacularly silky style.
Retailing for €450 (£380), the ‘Lulu’ shirt is available now from Alter’s website. So do like Ducruet, and embrace emerald excellence this season. This shirt is a keeper.
Pauline puts on a Paris Fashion Week extravaganza | https://www.tatler.com/article/pauline-ducruet-wears-alter-shirt-in-monaco | 2022-08-19T12:18:32Z | tatler.com | control | https://www.tatler.com/article/pauline-ducruet-wears-alter-shirt-in-monaco | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
(The Hill) – Rep. Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.) is fueling 2024 speculation after saying she was “thinking about” a presidential run in the wake of her primary loss on Tuesday night.
But even as the three-term congresswoman confirmed what she has spent months dodging, she offered no further hints at what that run might look like — beyond vowing to continue battling former President Trump.
Regardless, her ultimate decision has the potential to scramble the political landscape in 2024 and complicate things for other prospective presidential contenders, including Trump and President Biden.
Most strategists agree Cheney, the conservative scion of former Vice President Dick Cheney, has little shot at winning the White House in 2024. So how she impacts the race could depend on how she chooses to run.
She lost her primary on Tuesday in a landslide to a Trump-backed challenger, making it hard to believe that she would win much support in a Republican presidential contest.
“Her running for president is a joke. She would get almost nothing in a Republican primary,” Keith Naughton, a veteran Republican strategist, said. “The only thing that she would do if she ran as a Republican is help throw the nomination to Trump by taking up some protest votes that could go to [Florida Gov. Ron] DeSantis or [former Vice President Mike] Pence.”
Gunner Ramer, the political director of the anti-Trump Republican Accountability PAC, acknowledged the uphill battle Cheney would likely face in a GOP presidential primary, saying that its clear that Republican voters remain firmly aligned with Trump and his wing of the party.
“The Republican primary voters, a lot of them are galvanized for the America First, MAGA agenda that Donald Trump represents,” he said, using an acronym for “make America great again,” one of Trump’s oft-used political slogans.
Cheney also hasn’t ruled out the possibility of running as an independent, telling Politico on Wednesday that she’s “not at all focused” on such specifics. Of course, such a move wouldn’t be unthinkable; she’s increasingly at odds with much of her party and polling shows her with little support among Republican voters.
And Ramer said Cheney could have an impact on the 2024 presidential contest, regardless of what political label she runs under.
He pointed specifically to her work on the House select committee charged with investigating the Jan. 6, 2021, riot at the U.S. Capitol as a potent weapon in her political arsenal that could be used to weaken Trump, or at least remind voters of the drama that defined his time in the Oval Office.
“The one thing she has made very clear over and over again is that she is determined to stop Donald Trump from ever holding power again,” Ramer said.
“In the short term, her work on the Jan. 6 committee and prosecuting the case against Donald Trump and his leadership and those who enabled him is going to be a top priority for her,” he continued. “The second step is going to be, if she runs in 2024, having a clear voice as a Republican constantly beating up on Donald Trump and his lies.”
But one Republican strategist who has worked on White House campaigns cautioned that an independent presidential bid by Cheney could carry implications for Biden, as well.
The strategist noted that, in the last presidential election, Biden benefited in part from the support of right-leaning independents and moderate Republican voters who crossed ideological boundaries out of frustration with Trump.
“You get someone like Cheney running as a more typical conservative and I think she pulls some votes away from Biden,” the strategist said. “Maybe it doesn’t make a difference, but in a close race between Trump and Biden, it could end up mattering a lot.”
Beyond that, however, Cheney’s constituency is unclear, the strategist said, noting that she’s isolated most Republicans with her criticism of Trump, while her politics are still too conservative for her to attract significant support among even centrist Democrats.
“I think the big question she needs to consider is: who’s her constituency?” the strategist said. “When you have most Republicans out there saying that they either want Donald Trump to run again or that they’re interested in DeSantis, a Trump loyalist, where is Cheney’s path?”
Of course, there are still plenty of open questions about the 2024 presidential contest. While Trump has openly floated a potential comeback bid, it’s also possible that he opts against another run.
Not only is he immersed in a series of swirling legal scandals, but there are a handful of other ambitious Republicans who are believed to be eyeing campaigns of their own. Trump remains the current favorite to win the 2024 GOP nomination, though DeSantis has been gaining ground in early polling.
And despite Biden’s insistence that he plans on seeking a second term in the Oval Office, Democratic voters have become increasingly eager for new leadership in recent months.
A CNN poll released late last month found that 75 percent of Democrats and Democratic-leaning voters want the party to nominate someone else for the White House in 2024 — though the effect Democrats’ recent legislative victories will have on those numbers remains to be seen.
Cheney, meanwhile, will face a test of her own in the coming years: whether she can remain a relevant political force in her post-congressional life.
In one sign that she’s already putting together a strategy, Cheney has already converted her campaign committee into a leadership PAC focused on educating “the American people about the ongoing threat to our Republic, and to mobilize a unified effort to oppose any Donald Trump campaign for president,” Jeremy Adler, a spokesperson for Cheney, said.
That group is expected to serve as Cheney’s primary political vehicle moving forward and could allow her to stay in the public arena as she weighs whether to seek the 2024 Republican presidential nomination. News of Cheney’s new political project was first reported on Wednesday by Politico.
To be sure, there’s still skepticism about Cheney’s efforts, even among her defenders. Ramer, the Republican Accountability PAC political director, openly questioned what “a Liz Cheney constituency” looks like, acknowledging that there’s no guarantee that she can significantly alter the course of the 2024 election.
Still, he said he expects her to stick around, at least for the time being.
“This isn’t the end of Liz Cheney,” he said. “The one thing she has made very clear over and over again is that she is determined to stop Donald Trump from ever holding power again.” | https://www.siouxlandproud.com/news/your-local-election-hq/liz-cheney-shakes-up-2024-forecast/ | 2022-08-19T12:22:19Z | siouxlandproud.com | control | https://www.siouxlandproud.com/news/your-local-election-hq/liz-cheney-shakes-up-2024-forecast/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Every time practice gets a little chippy for the 49ers, Fred Warner is in the middle of it. That was the case again yesterday as Vikings players were unhappy with how physical Warner and company were with some of their players. It wasn’t accidental.
“I told the guys, we had a great day yesterday, but today we had to try to pick up the intensity even another step,” Warner said after practice, “I think the guys rose to the challenge. Yeah, you know we were hitting them, throwing them to the ground. A little bit chippy, but that’s just how we play, man. We’re just gonna be physical, we’re gonna be violent, but that’s just how we play.”
Warner is sending a message to his teammates. I would say that message is, “all gas, no brakes,” but that guy isn’t here anymore. Still, I do believe that is the message. Fred hit Marcus Johnson so hard he suffered a concussion earlier this summer, and now he’s ticking off the opposing team in a joint practice.
Kyle Shanahan has made no secret of how good he thinks this year’s team can be. He’s also gone out of his way to point out the plan to lean on the defense to get through Trey Lance’s growing pains. If they’re going to live up to those expectations, the tone needs to be set every single day. Warner appears to be doing that.
Things got so heated, apparently, Adam Thielen tried to get a piece of the action.
Adam Thielen just rushed the field, taking exception with the 49ers taking #Vikings running backs to the ground. Had to be held back. Plenty of tension during 11s today.
— Sam Ekstrom (@SamEkstrom) August 18, 2022
At 6’2” and 200 pounds, I’m not exactly sure what Thielen thought he was going to do to the likes of Nick Bosa, Javon Kinlaw, etc. Pretty sure the person holding him back probably saved him from the beating of a lifetime, but we’ll never know.
In any event, it’s clear that the 49ers' defense intends on carrying the team in 2022. It will be interesting to see what the game is like when both sides can actually tackle one another for real tomorrow night.
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/2022/8/19/23312355/49ers-in-five-fred-warner-incites-another-chippy-practice | 2022-08-19T12:23:36Z | ninersnation.com | control | https://www.ninersnation.com/2022/8/19/23312355/49ers-in-five-fred-warner-incites-another-chippy-practice | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Barrows: 49ers defense strikes back vs. Vikings; another rookie nickel jumps out (paywall)
“One of the standouts from the practice was [DB] Qwuantrezz Knight, an undrafted rookie, who in addition to his interception had a nice, diving pass breakup in the end zone during seven-on-seven drills. He was filling in at safety on the interception because the 49ers are a bit thin due to injuries to Jimmie Ward and Dontae Johnson. Knight was a safety at Maryland and Kent State before moving to UCLA where he played the so-called “striker” position, which is a hybrid nickel-safety-linebacker role.”
Branch: 49ers’ practice report: Goodness gracious, Nick Bosa (paywall)
“It was not only a reminder of what Bosa could do in a practice when Williams wasn’t on the other side. It was a glimpse of what could happen if an opponent didn’t consistently account for Bosa with double-teams, as they do in the regular season. Both teams stuck with vanilla scripts during the two practices.”
NFL and NFLPA reach settlement, agree to extend Deshaun Watson’s suspension [report]
“Watson is now scheduled to make his season debut in Week 13 vs. his former team, the Houston Texans, on the road.”
“Completed 12 of 17 passes despite two drops, which is excellent. But he also threw a pick, which is not so excellent. On the pick, Deebo Samuel was opening running from left to right across the middle and Lance’s pass was slightly behind him. Samuel tried to spin and catch the ball the way McCloud did so effortlessly, but Samuel didn’t make a full turn, so cornerback Cameron Dantzler tipped the pass and it got intercepted by Chandon Sullivan. Lance’s worst pass of the day was a check down he airmailed to Jeff Wilson Jr. — Lance seems to sail at least one short pass to the flat every practice. His best play of the day came on 4th and 6, down by 4 with 30 seconds left, when he scrambled to his left and hit Samuel for 15 yards. Overall, Lance did lots of good things today, but he must be more precise when he throws over the middle, otherwise he will throw picks galore this season.”
“We’ve got older guys on this offense,” Williams said. “I’m not going to just, say, force him to anything just because he plays a particular position, and that’s what the outside thinks, this position has to lead the offense. That’s not necessarily true... He’s 22, and he has a natural leader instinct. But when you’ve got myself, (George) Kittle, Deebo, all those guys in the huddle, he’s going to let them say—let us say whatever we’ve got to say. And then he commands the huddle. He’s got a great grip on the offense. That’s all we can ask of him.”
Branch: How 49ers’ Trey Lance lightened up, loosened up and embraced his leadership role (paywall)
“In news conferences, that has been evident in the way Lance has good-naturedly teased reporters, and even his head coach. About the latter: Lance recently discussed how Shanahan stands behind the quarterbacks during practice and often points to where the ball should have been thrown during their post-play interactions.
Lance’s zinger, delivered with a smile: “Even if he couldn’t have made the throw.”
Why Brandon Aiyuk wasn’t a fan of 49ers-Vikings joint practices
“I can’t wait to get into game planning and just working on what you’re going to work on throughout the whole entire week, and then go on and execute on Sundays,” Aiyuk said. “So I’m excited to game plan. We’re obviously not doing that right now. We’re still putting stuff in and just working and getting better, communicating, being on the same page with the quarterback. So we’re not game planning right now, but when we do, it will definitely be exciting.”
“He impressed enough in his first season in Chicago to earn another one-year deal last offseason, but was ranked as the eighth worst safety in football (85 out of 92) last year according to Pro Football Focus. Gipson has 27 career interceptions.” | https://www.ninersnation.com/2022/8/19/23312632/49ers-news-trey-lance-nick-bosa-sacks-high-school-team-vikings-minnesota-joint-practice-reports-nfl | 2022-08-19T12:23:42Z | ninersnation.com | control | https://www.ninersnation.com/2022/8/19/23312632/49ers-news-trey-lance-nick-bosa-sacks-high-school-team-vikings-minnesota-joint-practice-reports-nfl | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Somerville event to heighten addiction awareness, share resources
SOMERVILLE – Jackson Rannells knew the opioid epidemic in every American community, no matter whether it was rich or pool or in New Jersey or Wyoming, could not be swept under the rug and ignored.
The former Somerville High School student who lived in Branchburg had his own struggles with addiction. He made poor choices that propelled him on the path to addiction in his teen years and worsened in his 20s after being prescribed an opioid medication for an injury. He had too many friends and classmates who lost their battles.
In 2018, with the help of his father, Jack created a nonprofit organization, Not An Easy Fix, to honor the victims, heal the pain in communities and increase awareness of the epidemic that lies in waiting in every town. He also wanted to erase the stigma that too many attach to addiction, which would make it less difficult to seek and accept the resources necessary for recovery.
Jack planned to have the first community event on Division Street in Somerville in the summer of 2019, but his continuing struggle with addiction intervened.
He sought treatment and when the opportunity returned to hold the event, the country was struck with another epidemic, COVID-19, that just increased the loneliness and boredom that addiction feeds on.
Then, on Feb. 18, 2021, while the country was still struggling with COVID-19, Jackson had a relapse and fentanyl poisoning took his life at the age of 30.
Now his parents, Ellen and Jack Rannells, are continuing their son's mission to make a difference in the lives of others and communities.
Not An Easy Fix, billed as "A Night of Community, Honoring and Healing," will be held 6 to 8:30 p.m. Sunday on the lawn of the Historic Courthouse on East Main Street.
Also see:Is alcohol considered a drug? Explaining its addictiveness and its effect on your body.
"We want to bring people together," Jack Rannells said, "not only to make them aware of the problem, but also aware of the resources available to them."
Ellen Rannells said her son believed in the adage that "it takes a village," and that was especially essential in the response to the opioid epidemic.
"We want to bring the community together," she emphasized, "because it's about the community."
The event will begin with a dozen area organizations presenting their resources at tables on the courthouse lawn. There will also be demonstrations how to administer Narcan, the medication that can revive an overdose victim.
At 7 p.m., the program will begin will an opening prayer by Father Ron Pollock of St. John's Episcopal Church in Somerville and welcoming remarks by Somerset County Commission Director Shanel Robinson. Jack Rannells will give opening remarks.
Speakers will include former state Sen. Kip Bateman; Maiysha Ware of Somerset Treatment Services; Meg Isbitski, Somerset County's mental administrator; and Detective Stacey Kelly of the Somerset County Prosecutor's Office, who will speak on Operation Helping Hand where law enforcement officers, accompanied by recovery support specialists, engage residents in need by providing on-the-spot referrals to treatment and other resources.
There will also be a performance of "How Far We've Come," a special song written for the event. Rappers Craft Monroe and Loon will perform.
The evening will end with four speakers, two talking about their recovery and two talking about the loss of their loved ones to addiction.
Jack and Ellen Rannells thanked Somerset County and the Borough of Somerville for making the event possible. "They've been very helpful," Jack said.
Ellen said she hopes the rally will deliver the message that her son wanted to give about the insight he gained through his recovery efforts and spiritual journey. He wanted others to know about the transformational power of Jesus Christ and to help others resist the temptation of experimenting with dangerous substances and, she said, "surrounding yourself with the right people."
But Jack and Ellen say they hope the event will help people realize the prevalence of the problem and while there is no easy fix, recovery is possible.
"People have to deal with the issue," she said.
Email: mdeak@mycentraljersey.com
Mike Deak is a reporter for mycentraljersey.com. To get unlimited access to his articles on Somerset and Hunterdon counties, please subscribe or activate your digital account | https://www.mycentraljersey.com/story/news/health/addiction/2022/08/19/somerville-nj-addition-fentanyl-recovery/65409226007/ | 2022-08-19T12:27:15Z | mycentraljersey.com | control | https://www.mycentraljersey.com/story/news/health/addiction/2022/08/19/somerville-nj-addition-fentanyl-recovery/65409226007/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Appeal filed in Edison zoning approval of Charlie Brown's redevelopment
EDISON – A resident has appealed to the Township Council after the Zoning Board of Adjustment recently approved a developer's application for a use variance to build seven duplexes on the site of the shuttered Charlie Brown's on Plainfield Road.
In a letter to the township clerk, township resident Joel Bassoff has requested the council reverse, vacate and deny the use variance granted by the zoning board in late June to Markim Developers.
It's unclear when or if the appeal will be heard. The Township Council has a meeting scheduled for Monday, but the agenda wasn’t yet available.
Bassoff said the appeal hearing will not involve witnesses or new testimony or exhibits. The council's decision will be based on the record established at the zoning board hearings, including transcripts and exhibits. The parties, including Bassoff, Markim and the zoning board, may submit a written argument and may make an oral argument to the council, he said.
The Municipal Land Use Law gives the Township Council 95 days from the resolution's publishing date to decide on appeal. Bassoff's letter indicates the resolution was published in the Home News Tribune on July 29. If the council declines to hear the appeal, the zoning board's decision stands.
The appeal was not unexpected. Residents fought plans to build townhouses on the 2-acre site at 222 Plainfield Road for more than a year. The property, located adjacent to a neighborhood of single-family homes and the Metuchen Golf and Country Club, is zoned for a golf course and had been used by the restaurant for years before the business closed about two years ago.
Neighborhood residents, who cited the Municipal Land Use Law and Edison Master Plan in their opposition, had sought single-family homes on the property.
Local:Edison remains silent on status of fire chief
The zoning board's approval allows Markim Developers to build seven two-bedroom, age-restricted duplexes for the project called The Links at Edison. The plan was modified from a 2021 proposal which called for 23 three-story, three-bedroom townhouses on the property, as well as an earlier plan this year for eight duplexes.
The duplex plans show each unit with a garage, equipped with an electric vehicle charging station, dining room, family room, powder room, kitchen and dinette on the first floor. A main bedroom with a walk-in closet and bathroom, a second bedroom, sitting area, another bathroom and laundry area are planned for the second floor, along with an office area in the attic and a basement. The units will have elevators in the kitchen behind the staircase. The zoning board restricted the attic from being converted into a bedroom.
The project is planned for a section of heavily traveled Plainfield Road near Woodrow Wilson Middle School and Woodbrook Elementary School in Edison and St. Joseph High School in Metuchen.
In the notice of appeal, Bassoff states the applicant failed to show the use variance will not substantially impair the intent and purpose of the zone plan and failed to prove the site is suitable for a multi-family townhouse among other arguments.
The notice also states the zoning board impaired the intent and purpose of the zoning ordinance and master plan, usurped the Township Council's authority in determining the appropriate zoning regulations for the parcel and engaged in illegal spot zoning.
Email: srussell@gannettnj.com
Suzanne Russell is a breaking news reporter for MyCentralJersey.com covering crime, courts and other mayhem. To get unlimited access, please subscribe or activate your digital account today. | https://www.mycentraljersey.com/story/news/local/middlesex-county/2022/08/19/edison-nj-plainfield-road-charlie-browns-redevelopment/65409115007/ | 2022-08-19T12:27:21Z | mycentraljersey.com | control | https://www.mycentraljersey.com/story/news/local/middlesex-county/2022/08/19/edison-nj-plainfield-road-charlie-browns-redevelopment/65409115007/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Sayreville OKs redevelopment plan for longtime nightclub, events space
SAYREVILLE – The Borough Council approved an ordinance that establishes a redevelopment plan for Club Pure on Route 35, which is targeted for a self-storage facility.
The plan calls for Morgan Rescue Squad, which abuts the site at the north end, to continue to use and access overflow parking that has historically been available to its members.
At Monday’s meeting, Mayor Victoria Kilpatrick said parking and access to the site by the Morgan First Aid Squad is "a sticking point" for her.
"It always makes me happy when two groups can come together and work out their differences for the town," the mayor said after the meeting.
The 138,000-square-foot parcel, located along the east side of Route 35, is developed with a single-story masonry building that housed Club Pure and several other structures at the north end of the property near the end of Olsen Street. The surrounding area is characterized by a mix of commercial uses along Route 35 and residential neighborhoods set just off the highway.
During the public portion of Monday’s meeting, Don Riley, president of Morgan First Aid Squad, said he was among five people – two associated with the Club Pure property and three members of the squad – who discussed the plan prior to the meeting.
Local:Main Street in Sayreville targeted for redevelopment. Here’s what we know
He said there were no objections to the facility being built and the use being changed because "it will benefit the borough of Sayreville tax dollar-wise."
Riley said there were some concerns regarding parking issues at the site, and said he discovered that a portion of the first aid squad building was built on Club Pure property.
"How the Borough of Sayreville did that in 1979, I don't know," he said.
Riley said the group came up with a couple different options to address the parking concerns. He said another meeting was set for Sept. 14 and asked the Borough Council to allow them to hold the meeting and come up with a final proposal for the parking issue. He asked the council to move forward on the ordinance with a stipulation that the group come back with a plan.
Borough Attorney Michael DuPont said he "can't place a stipulation in here because the ordinance doesn't reflect that."
A discussion ensued as to whether the ordinance should be tabled until the issues were resolved. It was ultimately decided to move forward with a vote.
Thomas Muller with Dynamic Engineering Consultants, the developer's engineer, said he has been working with the borough professionals, as well as Riley and his team, along with the developer, on the redevelopment plan. He said this component of the plan is more of a site plan issue, which would be reviewed by the borough Planning Board in the future.
He said he would work with Riley and his team and Jay Cornell with CME Associates,the Planning Board and Borough Council's engineer, to make sure that component of the site plan is designed appropriately and all the conditions that go along with it would be part of the planning board approval.
John Barree, a professional planner with Heyer, Gruel & Associates, the borough planner, who prepared the redevelopment plan, agreed.
From a planning perspective, the plan covers the issue and it's just a matter of working out the details, he said.
Barree, said there is "not a site plan or concept plan attached to the redevelopment plan, so all of these things are subject to some massaging, rearranging as they go on, but they have to fit within the confines of what the plan requires."
He said he would feel comfortable moving it forward.
Email: sloyer@gannettnj.com
Susan Loyer covers Middlesex County and more for MyCentralJersey.com. To get unlimited access to her work, please subscribe or activate your digital account today. | https://www.mycentraljersey.com/story/news/local/middlesex-county/2022/08/19/sayreville-nj-route-35-club-pure-redevelopment/65407925007/ | 2022-08-19T12:27:27Z | mycentraljersey.com | control | https://www.mycentraljersey.com/story/news/local/middlesex-county/2022/08/19/sayreville-nj-route-35-club-pure-redevelopment/65407925007/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Franklin retail center sold for $12.95 million
FRANKLIN (Somerset) – Franklin Court retail center sold for $12.95 million, Cushman & Wakefield, a real estate services firm, announced on Aug. 16.
The 42,116-square-foot retail center, located at 920 Hamilton St. in the Somerset section of the township, is anchored by Walgreens and KFC, both of which are drive-thru equipped.
Cushman & Wakefield’s Andrew Schwartz, Jordan Sobel, Seth Pollack and Andre Balthazard represented the seller, Adoni Property Group, and procured the buyer, LJL Realty Co., in the transaction.
“Franklin Court is a strategically located shopping center, offering convenience and accessibility to its dense surrounding residential population,” Sobel said. “This asset has experienced historically strong occupancy and offers a solid in-place cash flow with an unbeatable tenant mix.”
Real estate:Here are the latest home sales in the Central Jersey market
The property is located near Route 27 and is within 3 miles of Rutgers University. | https://www.mycentraljersey.com/story/news/local/somerset-county/2022/08/19/franklin-court-somerset-nj-sold-walgreens-kfc/65406791007/ | 2022-08-19T12:27:33Z | mycentraljersey.com | control | https://www.mycentraljersey.com/story/news/local/somerset-county/2022/08/19/franklin-court-somerset-nj-sold-walgreens-kfc/65406791007/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Rutgers doesn't have to share football game video with public, court rules
NEW BRUNSWICK - All John Caroff wanted was to show his 13-year-old daughter, a budding football strategist, the video of the Rutgers-Penn State football game on Dec. 5, 2020.
The Cedar Knolls resident wanted to show his daughter and his family the “all-22” video of the game so they could analyze Rutgers’ 14th straight loss to Penn State.
The all-22 video captures the action from two cameras – one at the 50-yard line with a wide-angle lens to include all 22 players on the field and another behind the endzone focusing just on the line formation for each play.
Caroff believed that by studying the video, his daughter would “advance her qualifications should she seek future employment with a college football staff or as part of the media covering college football.”
So Caroff sent Rutgers, a public university, an Open Public Records Act (OPRA) request on Jan. 22, 2021 asking for the all-22 video.
But Rutgers denied the request because the video is non-public proprietary information, available only to coaches and players and other Big Ten Conference teams on a reciprocal basis.
Caroff then went to Superior Court in Middlesex County where Judge Alberto Rivas agreed with Rutgers.
Caroff then appealed Rivas’ ruling to a higher court and this week a state appellate court agreed with Rivas denying the video to Caroff.
$450K on DoorDash:Rutgers football’s lavish spending extends to meal deliveries
"We believe this is the correct outcome," said Dory Devlin, assistant vice president, university news and media relations at Rutgers. "The court's ruling speaks for itself."
In its decision, the state appellate court agreed with Rivas, saying that the public release of the video would have a "negative impact" on Rutgers' relationship with other Big Ten teams because releasing the video would also mean that all videos the university received from other Big Ten teams would also be public.
"How many schools would be willing to exchange All-22 videos with Rutgers if by doing so they would be placing their own All-22 videos in the public domain?" the court wrote in its 18-page ruling.
If Rutgers were required to release the video under OPRA, the court ruled, any offer by Rutgers to share video with Big Ten teams or non-conference opponents would have "no value" because the other teams could use OPRA to obtain the video and be under no obligation to offer videos in return.
Rutgers would then have to incur the additional cost of more scouting efforts, the court wrote, placing the university "at a competitive disadvantage."
OPRA also exempts from disclosure information that "would give an advantage to competitors or bidders."
Email: mdeak@mycentraljersey.com
Mike Deak is a reporter for mycentraljersey.com. To get unlimited access to his articles on Somerset and Hunterdon counties, please subscribe or activate your digital account | https://www.mycentraljersey.com/story/sports/college/rutgers/2022/08/19/rutgers-football-game-film-share-public-lawsuit/65409223007/ | 2022-08-19T12:27:39Z | mycentraljersey.com | control | https://www.mycentraljersey.com/story/sports/college/rutgers/2022/08/19/rutgers-football-game-film-share-public-lawsuit/65409223007/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
"We have been trying to reach you about your car's extended warranty." Chances are you've encountered this irritating automated message if you've picked up the phone from an unknown caller anytime in the last several years. Well, it turns out that just two men may be responsible for an overwhelming share of the billions of auto-warranty spam calls that have hit US phones, according to state and federal officials -- and a new lawsuit is trying to end these robocalls once and for all.
Here's what you need to know to Get Up to Speed and On with Your Day.
(You can get "5 Things You Need to Know Today" delivered to your inbox daily. Sign up here.)
1. Flash floods
Several parts of the Southwest US are bracing for potentially damaging flash floods today. Nearly 10 million people are under flood watches as excessive rainfall is expected dump 2 to 4 inches across Arizona, New Mexico, and southern Utah. Earlier this week, the Weather Prediction Center issued a rare "moderate risk" (Level 3 out of 4) for today in preparation for the surge of rain expected this weekend. The drought-plagued region is already dealing with a water crisis, so they need the rain, but it may not be as beneficial as you might think. One of the concerns with the upcoming downpours is that they might not surge far enough north or west where the water is needed most: California, Nevada, Oregon, and northern Utah. Roughly 70% of the West remains in some level of drought, down from 90% just three months ago.
2. FBI search
A judge has set in motion the possible public release of a heavily redacted version of the affidavit that permitted FBI agents to search former President Donald Trump's Mar-a-Lago residence. A document unsealed Thursday offered specifics about the crimes the Justice Department is investigating, including "willful retention of national defense information." This sharpens the focus on Trump as a possible subject of the criminal probe, several legal experts told CNN. The judge plans to hear more from the Justice Department by next week about how extensively investigators want to keep confidential the document that describes their investigative steps and methods leading to the need for the search.
3. Ukraine
New video has emerged online showing Russian vehicles inside a turbine hall at a Ukrainian nuclear power plant, where intensified shelling has fueled fears of a nuclear disaster. Kyiv has repeatedly accused Russian forces of storing heavy weaponry inside the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant, and using it as cover to launch attacks, knowing that Ukraine can't return fire without risking hitting one of the plant's reactors. Moscow, meanwhile, has claimed Ukrainian troops are targeting the site. According to Leon Cizelj, president of the European Nuclear Society, the fighting around the site is unlikely to cause a Chernobyl-sized disaster, but a radioactive problem would mostly affect Ukrainians that live nearby. "If we used past experience, Fukushima could be a comparison of the worst-case scenario," Cizelj said, referring to the serious but more localized meltdown at the Japanese plant in 2011.
4. Apple
If you own Apple devices, you should probably update them now. Apple is directing users of most of its devices to update their software after the company discovered a vulnerability that gives hackers the ability to take control of a device's operating system. In security updates posted online, Apple said the vulnerability affects iPhones dating back to the 6S model, iPad 5th generation and later, iPad Air 2 and later, iPad mini 4 and later, all iPad Pro models and the 7th generation iPod touch. The issue also extends to Mac computers running on the company's various operating systems, Apple said in a separate update. The US government's Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency has encouraged affected users to "apply the necessary updates as soon as possible."
5. Mid-air collision
Three people were killed after two small planes crashed mid-air over a California airport on Thursday, authorities said. A single-engine Cessna 152 and a twin-engine Cessna 340 collided during their final descent above the Watsonville Municipal Airport, about an hour's drive south of San Jose, according to the Federal Aviation Administration. One person was on board the Cessna 152 and two people were on board the Cessna 340, the FAA said. No one was injured on the ground. In a statement, city officials said they were "absolutely saddened to hear about the tragic incident that took the lives of several people." At this time, it is not clear what caused the two planes to collide.
BREAKFAST BROWSE
Young boy rushes up to the Pope. See what happens next.
Pope Francis was interrupted in the middle of a weekly audience by a curious little boy. Watch the moment here.
NASA's Webb telescope will observe exoplanets, and you have a chance to name them
Scientists have organized a global search for the perfect names for 20 other worlds. Here's how to submit your ideas.
Elon Musk's 'joke' causes a stir
The world's richest man tweeted that he would buy a certain sports team. Then, after the stock jumped, he said he was only kidding. Awkward.
'Wonder Years' star Danica McKellar explains why she became a mathematician and stopped acting
This former actress decided it was time for a major career change.
Tim Burton's 'Wednesday' trailer is dark and magical
The Addams Family is back. Here's the trailer for the upcoming spinoff series "Wednesday" -- and it's very Burton-esque.
QUIZ TIME
NASA is scheduled to launch a historic mission this month that will go beyond the moon and return to Earth. What is the mission called?
A. Artemis 1
B. Apollo 18
C. Goliath 1
D. Webb 18
Take CNN's weekly news quiz to see if you're correct!
TODAY'S NUMBER
11
That's how many games the NFL and the NFL Players Association have agreed to suspend Cleveland Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson for after he was accused of sexual misconduct by more than two dozen women. Watson faces a fine of $5 million and will not be paid during his absence. "I'm moving on with my career and my life, and I'm going to continue to stand on my innocence," Watson told the media Thursday.
TODAY'S QUOTE
"These videos are private and filmed in a private space. I resent that these became known to the public."
-- Finnish Prime Minister Sanna Marin, responding to the media Thursday after a private video of her dancing with friends was made public. "We just partied, also in a boisterous way," Marin said, after the video prompted criticism from political opponents who saw her behavior as unbecoming of a prime minister. The footage shows Finland's 36-year-old leader and five others posing towards a camera and dancing. Another clip appears to show Marin on the floor, singing toward the camera. Meanwhile, supporters are defending her relaxed behavior: "Why can't she party after work? Do we expect our leaders not to be human beings?" tweeted a professor in Sweden.
TODAY'S WEATHER
Check your local forecast here>>>
AND FINALLY
Meet the 'Graffiti Grandma' who is scrubbing away hate
Today is World Humanitarian Day, a global celebration of people helping people, according to the UN. Watch this short video of a kind grandmother who made it her mission to cover up hateful graffiti. (Click here to view)
The-CNN-Wire
™ & © 2022 Cable News Network, Inc., a Warner Bros. Discovery Company. All rights reserved. | https://www.local3news.com/regional-national/5-things-to-know-for-aug-19-flooding-fbi-search-ukraine-apple-mid-air-collision/article_355e25bd-de54-59bf-9770-24fc0eded111.html | 2022-08-19T12:27:59Z | local3news.com | control | https://www.local3news.com/regional-national/5-things-to-know-for-aug-19-flooding-fbi-search-ukraine-apple-mid-air-collision/article_355e25bd-de54-59bf-9770-24fc0eded111.html | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
A document unsealed Thursday, which offered specifics about the crimes the Justice Department is investigating, including "willful retention of national defense information," sharpens the focus on former President Donald Trump as a possible subject of the criminal probe, several legal experts told CNN.
US Magistrate Judge Bruce Reinhart on Thursday released several procedural court documents related to the FBI's search of Trump's home at Mar-a-Lago in Florida. The newly unsealed document was part of the application for the warrant and was among several largely procedural documents the judge unsealed Thursday.
Previously, the search warrant documents only listed the federal statutes, including the broad law known as the Espionage Act. And the documents released so far have made clear that Trump and others around him face potential legal exposure, including for possible obstruction of justice.
But the specific language on "willful retention" could point to the role of the former President, who would have been authorized to possess national defense documents while in office but not once he decamped to his private club and residence in Palm Beach, Florida.
In the filings, prosecutors also argued that they needed to keep secret their search warrant paperwork before the search last Monday, "because the integrity of the ongoing investigation might be compromised, and evidence might be destroyed."
The filings include the Department of Justice's motion to seal the warrant documents, the order granting that sealing request and the criminal cover sheet.
The cover sheet also specifies that the Justice Department applied to search Mar-a-Lago believing they could find both evidence of these crimes and get back illegally possessed items.
Also Thursday, Reinhart set in motion the possible public release of a heavily redacted version of the affidavit for the search at Mar-a-Lago.
The judge plans to hear more from the Justice Department by next week about how extensively investigators want to keep confidential the document that describes their investigative steps and methods leading to the need for the search.
Reinhart said he wasn't convinced yet that the entire affidavit should remain undisclosed to the public.
"I'm not prepared to find that the affidavit should be fully sealed" based on the record he has now, Reinhart said, adding that there are "portions" that could be unsealed.
Prosecutors will have the opportunity to propose redactions and explain why each piece of information needs to be kept from the public eye, Reinhart said. Those proposals will be due on August 25.
The-CNN-Wire™ & © 2022 Cable News Network, Inc., a Warner Bros. Discovery Company. All rights reserved. | https://www.local3news.com/regional-national/unsealed-document-in-mar-a-lago-search-sharpens-focus-on-trump-as-possible-subject-of/article_89cce462-1fae-11ed-977b-e3642a77b9b9.html | 2022-08-19T12:28:18Z | local3news.com | control | https://www.local3news.com/regional-national/unsealed-document-in-mar-a-lago-search-sharpens-focus-on-trump-as-possible-subject-of/article_89cce462-1fae-11ed-977b-e3642a77b9b9.html | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Arnold Schwartzman’s photographs of Arts and Crafts, Art Nouveau, Art Deco signs, interiors, buildings and exterior ornament will make your mouth water. I promise.
He is a graphic designer, filmmaker and archivist with a passion for the most exquisite artifacts of the past. And that’s a fact! At 86 years old, Schwartzman and his wife, Isolde, continue to circle the globe in search of monuments to the most alluring decorative styles.
From time to time, he will send me a book proposal. His latest, Miami Art Deco, is right up my street. I love my infrequent visits to the Deco capital of the East Coast, where I feel like I am on a permanent movie set of a futuristic city. It is unreal. But as these photos attest, reality is the key word.
Portentously, Schwartzman shows the currently maintained Deco facades along with vintage hand-tinted photographs of the structures. Portentously? Well, if climate change is not reversed, this book, as yet not scooped up by a publisher, will be the only record.
For now, however, enjoy the jewels of Miami Beach. | https://www.printmag.com/daily-heller/the-daily-heller-decked-out-in-miami-deco/ | 2022-08-19T12:30:22Z | printmag.com | control | https://www.printmag.com/daily-heller/the-daily-heller-decked-out-in-miami-deco/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Imagine, if you would, a world without signs— no doubt a terrifying, chaotic concept in any scenario. Like so much in the realm of design, the art of signage is often taken for granted, due to how deeply embedded signs are in our day-to-day lives. But sign painting is a craft that’s been practiced in America for over 150 years, and sign painters have served a vital role within communities since before much of our lives went digital.
Sign painting first emerged as a means of identification for buildings and businesses, and then morphed into an important arm of advertising. While the introduction of computers, digital lettering, and digital printing changed the industry entirely, there are still painters keeping the craft alive and preserving the human element of a hand-painted sign. Sign painting has even seen somewhat of a resurgence over the past decade, thanks in large part to vanguards of the art form, like traditional sign writer and hand lettering artist John King.
“I just couldn’t believe my eyes,” King told me of the first time he set foot into a sign painting workshop near his hometown of Shepparton, Australia in 1986. “Straight away, I was like, Yeah, this is what I want to do.”
Then 15-year-old King had been pressured by his high school art teacher into doing a two-week long internship at a sign painting business. “He insisted that I do [the apprenticeship program Australia calls] work experience with this guy called Winton Francis, who I had never heard of,” he said. Reluctantly, King obliged. “I remember going there, thinking that it was going to be so boring. For me, a sign was just an entry sign, or parking signs— just boring stuff. That was my view of the signage world.”
But the moment he stepped through the doors of Francis’s shop, and into the artistry of sign painting, King was hooked. “I remember walking in and there were air-brushed, chrome Harley Davidson letters on the wall that they were making for a dealer. They had boats and trucks with all of this elaborate scroll work,” he shared. “Winton was a genius. His whole crew worked in this super creative workshop. I spent two weeks there and I was just blown away by the whole thing— watching guys paint these perfectly straight lines with lettering brushes, perfect circles. I didn’t think it was humanly possible.”
King found himself completely captivated by signwriting in those two short weeks, and has since committed over three decades to the craft. “Basically after that I said, I want to be a signwriter. So I bought myself a brush, and spent every night after school practicing on whatever surface I could find on the farm where I lived; we had sheds, an old truck that I ended up giving a terrible pin-striping and scroll job. It was just practice, practice, practice.”
Not long after that, Francis offered King a full-time job at his shop. For about four years, King honed his craft by splitting his time working for Francis and another nearby sign painter, Arthur German. “They kind of looked after me. I was very lucky,” King reflected. “Honestly, these guys were the best sign writers that I’ve ever seen; they were just real master craftsmen, so I was very lucky to learn from them.”
Francis’s mentorship was particularly impressionable on King, with his clear admiration radiating from his voice as he recounted his backstory to me. “Winton was completely dedicated to sign painting,” he said. “When computers came in and pretty much took over the trade in the ’90s, he resisted it. All he wanted to do was paint signs. It had a severe financial impact on him because he kind of got pushed out of the way, even though I would say, to this day, that he was literally the most talented sign writer in the world. He was just an absolute artist.”
Despite this change’s impact on some traditionalists like Francis, sign writers who have embraced certain aspects of modernity and evolved with the times have managed to find continued success in the field. King, for example, was an early adopter of sharing his work on Instagram, and he saw an immediate response to his process videos in particular.
“When I first started posting hand lettering videos on Instagram, I was getting lots of views because people hadn’t seen it before,” he said. In many ways, King is recreating that same awe-inspiring moment that he experienced his first day at Francis’ workshop for his followers. “I remembered how I felt when I first saw someone using a brush— it was just magical. I couldn’t believe that a person could do that with their hands. So I got some camera support to start making some hand lettering videos; I thought people would like to see that. I might have been one of the first people to start doing that. The videos really started taking off, and my account grew.”
The launch of Instagram has served as a major catalyst for sign painting’s recent resurgence in popularity, and artists like King are using the platform to honor and spread the old-world handcraft. “It really reignited the flame,” he said. He also gives credit to the 2012 documentary Sign Painters, which heightened the exposure of sign painting and propelled the movement even further. “Those two things happening around the same time as each other really brought sign writing back.”
King opened his own sign painting business in Australia at the age of 21, and he ran it for ten years before eventually moving to Los Angeles, California. “A lot of the creativity went out of the business side of it for me, because computers started coming into play,” King explained. “Things were changing, and I started getting hungry creatively again. I’ve always loved movies, film, and TV, so I decided I wanted to be an actor.” He sold his business, relocated to Melbourne for a stint, and then in 2009, won the green card lottery to move to Hollywood.
“Straight away, I started looking around for work in the sign business, because as an actor or a filmmaker, I was nobody, so I wasn’t going to rely on that,” he said. “I ended up working on a crew of five or six, who went all over California painting Freebirds restaurants. There were about 30 of them, and all of them were hand-painted with interior murals and signs.”
King worked on this crew for about two years, gaining his footing as a sign painter in the States and building a foundation for his current endeavors as a sign writing instructor. Now, King operates a multi-pronged sign painting empire in Los Angeles, teaching in-person workshops from his studio in West Adams, producing and selling online courses, and manufacturing his own line of sign painting supplies under the banner Letter Art.
The pandemic forced King to put his in-person workshops on hold, but afforded him the time and space to create more online courses, which allow King to share his love of sign painting well beyond his studio. “I can teach students all around the world,” he said. “I’ve got students in Romania and Switzerland, all over the place. That’s kind of great.”
King thinks of teaching as his way of giving back to the tradition, and making sure his skills are passed down to the next generation of sign painters. “I have so much love for the actual skill of sign writing, and I would hate to see it go away,” he told me. “It’s exciting to see so many younger people being interested in it. I enjoy showing them how to do it and helping them get started.”
Like all good teachers though, King admits he still feels like he has a lot to learn himself. “I’ll pick up a brush and paint a sign, and I’m never satisfied with it. In a way, I still feel like a student,” he said. “But then I step back and have a look, and I’ve been doing it for 35 years— now I’m one of the old guys! I’m one of the veterans of the trade. It’s funny to end up in that position when you still feel like you’ve got so much to learn yourself.”
“I’ve basically just built my own little package within the sign world,” King said. “I’ll probably get back into actual signs one day, whether as art pieces or commissions. Once I get my head back up above water again, I’d like to get into doing more workshops and more brush lettering content for the interweb— just producing signs, because that’s what I like to do: just sit down and paint a nice sign.” | https://www.printmag.com/designer-interviews/john-king/ | 2022-08-19T12:30:28Z | printmag.com | control | https://www.printmag.com/designer-interviews/john-king/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — Hydroelectric turbines may stop turning. Las Vegas and Phoenix may be forced to restrict water usage or growth. Farmers might cease growing some crops, leaving fields of lettuce and melons to turn to dust.
Those are a few of the dire consequences that could result if states, cities and farms across the American West cannot agree on how to cut the amount of water they draw from the Colorado River.
Yet for years, seven states that depend on the river have allowed more water to be taken from it than nature can replenish. Despite widespread recognition of the crisis, the states missed a deadline this week to propose major cuts that the federal government has said are necessary.
And again, the government failed to force harsh decisions and stopped short of imposing the cuts on its own, despite previous threats to do so.
Any unilateral action from federal officials would likely move conversations from negotiating tables to courtrooms and delay action even longer.
The river, which cascades from the Rockies down to the deserts of the Southwest, quenches the thirst of 40 million people in the U.S. and Mexico and sustains a $15 billion-a-year agricultural industry.
But for a century, agreements governing how it's shared have been based on faulty assumptions about how much water is available. With climate change making the region hotter and drier, that discrepancy is becoming impossible to ignore.
Lake Powell and Lake Mead, the two largest reservoirs that hold Colorado River water, have fallen to dangerously low levels faster than anyone expected. The decline threatens to disrupt hydroelectric power production and water sent to cities and farms.
Though everyone agrees the stakes are high, states and the U.S. government have struggled to reach a consensus on what to do.
People have "been hoping to stave off this day," said Felicia Marcus, a former top water official in California, which holds the largest right to the river's water. “But now I think we can’t expect Mother Nature to bail us out next year. The time for some of these really hard decisions is now."
The river is also tapped by Arizona, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico, Utah, Wyoming, Mexico and some tribes.
For years, officials have issued warnings about the state of the river, but also reassured people that the system won't crash. That two-part message was front and center this week, when the states failed to meet a deadline set by the Bureau of Reclamation for them to propose 15% to 30% cuts to their water use.
As the deadline passed Tuesday, the potentially dramatic moment amounted to a shrug. Officials said they still have faith the states will reach a deal if given more time.
Visiting California the next day, Reclamation Commissioner Camille Touton repeatedly dodged questions about what might happen next. She’s given no specifics about what the bureau’s more aggressive actions might look like, or when they might happen.
The federal government, she said, “is ready to move forward on our own.” But officials "will continue to talk to everybody about what the process is.”
Not everyone is satisfied with that approach.
“I’m asking them to at least lay out very clearly how that threat will be imposed,” Southern Nevada Water Authority General Manager John Entsminger said.
Entsminger and his counterparts in Arizona, Utah and California, as well as local officials in and around Phoenix, also repeated what has become a common refrain: They said they were gravely concerned about river’s future, yet wanted to reassure their water users that the river won't stop flowing imminently. | https://www.katc.com/news/national/crisis-looms-without-big-cuts-to-over-tapped-colorado-river | 2022-08-19T12:31:54Z | katc.com | control | https://www.katc.com/news/national/crisis-looms-without-big-cuts-to-over-tapped-colorado-river | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
North Korea’s Kim Yo Jong, the powerful sister of leader Kim Jong Un, said on Friday South Korea’s president should “shut his mouth” after he reiterated that his country was willing to provide economic aid in return for nuclear disarmament.
Her comments mark the first time a senior North Korean official has commented directly on what South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol has called an “audacious” plan – first proposed in May and which he talked about again on Wednesday at a news conference to mark his first 100 days in office.
“It would have been more favorable for his image to shut his mouth, rather than talking nonsense as he had nothing better to say,” Kim Yo Jong said in a statement released by state news agency KCNA, calling Yoon “really simple and still childish” to think that he could trade economic cooperation for the North’s honor and nuclear weapons.
“No one barters its destiny for corn cake,” she added.
South Korea’s Unification Minister, who handles relations with the North, called Kim’s comments “very disrespectful and indecent.”
While Yoon has said he is willing to provide phased economic aid to North Korea if it ended nuclear weapons development and began denuclearisation, he has also pushed to increase South Korea’s military deterrence against North Korea. South Korea has resumed long-suspended joint drills with the United States, including major field exercises due to begin next week.
On Wednesday a U.S. State Department spokesman said Washington supports Yoon’s policies, but Kim said the joint drills show that the allies’ talk of diplomacy is insincere.
“We make it clear that we will not sit face to face with him,” she said of Yoon.
Kim Yo Jong has become a vocal critic of South Korea in recent years, seen by some experts as playing “bad cop” to her brother’s more subdued statements.
Friday’s statement is her harshest personal attack on Yoon to date, but this month she also released a profanity-laced tirade that blamed the South for a COVID-19 outbreak in the North and threatened “deadly retaliation” if there were further occurrences.
Experts say South’s latest economic plan is similar to proposals by previous leaders, including those during the summits between the then-U.S. President Donald Trump and Kim Jong Un.
“Yoon’s initiative adds to a long list of failed offers involving South Korean promises to provide economic benefits to North Korea … These were the same assumptions that were behind a succession of failed efforts to jump-start denuclearisation talks,” Scott Snyder, a senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations think tank, said in a blog post on Thursday.
North Korea test-fired two cruise missiles into the sea on Wednesday, the first such test in two months. It came after the country declared victory over COVID-19 last week. | https://nypost.com/2022/08/19/kim-jong-uns-sister-tells-south-korean-president-to-shut-his-mouth/ | 2022-08-19T12:34:33Z | nypost.com | control | https://nypost.com/2022/08/19/kim-jong-uns-sister-tells-south-korean-president-to-shut-his-mouth/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
SEO Headline (Max 60 characters)
New Suit Against Florida's Stop WOKE Act
A group of professors on Thursday sued Florida over its Stop the Wrongs to Our Kids and Employees Act, widely called the Stop WOKE Act.
The law prohibits teaching things (including in higher education) that may make students feel uncomfortable. Also on Thursday, a federal judge blocked a portion of the law that affects private businesses.
The new suit, brought by the American Civil Liberties Union and the Florida ACLU, challenges the part of the law that covers higher education.
"All educators and students have a right to teach and learn free from censorship or discrimination,” said Leah Watson, senior staff attorney with the ACLU Racial Justice Program. “The First Amendment broadly protects our right to share information and ideas, and this includes educators’ and students’ right to learn, discuss, and debate issues around systemic racism and sexism. In an effort to prevent progress towards racial justice, the Stop WOKE Act deprives educators and students of important tools to challenge racism and sexism. We urge the court to put an immediate stop to this discriminatory classroom censorship bill.”
Trending Stories
THE Campus
Resources for faculty and staff from our partners at Times Higher Education.
- Understanding student learning – what can human behaviour analytics tell us?
- What will your anti-racist university look like?
- Zero cheating is a pipe dream, but we still need to push academic integrity
- Bridges to study: how to create a successful online foundation course
- Embracing your impostor syndrome: advice for shifting between disciplines | https://www.insidehighered.com/quicktakes/2022/08/19/new-suit-against-floridas-stop-woke-act | 2022-08-19T12:34:43Z | insidehighered.com | control | https://www.insidehighered.com/quicktakes/2022/08/19/new-suit-against-floridas-stop-woke-act | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
New Delhi: Former Indian captain Bhaichung Bhutia on Friday filed his nomination for the president's post in the upcoming All India Football Federation (AIFF) elections even as ex-player Kalyan Chaubey has emerged as the front-runner in the race for the top job.
Bhutia was proposed by his onetime national teammate Deepak Mondal and seconded by Madhu Kumari.
Kumari is part of the electoral college as an 'eminent' player.
"I have filed my nominations as representative of eminent players. In the wake of the SC decision to allow players I hope the players can have a chance to serve Indian football. We want to show we can be good not only as players but also as administrators," Bhutia told PTI.
Football Delhi president Shaji Prabhakaran has also filed nomination for the president's post.
Also filing the nominations are former player Eugeneson Lyngdoh, through the Meghalaya football association, and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee's brother Ajit Banerjee.
Lyngdoh is currently serving as an MLA in the Meghalaya legislative assembly.
The deadline for filing nominations ends on Friday.
Chaubey, a former India goalkeeper, who has played for both Mohun Bagan and East Bengal, appeared to be having the edge in the race.
Chaubey is a member of the ruling BJP but what could work in his favour is that his name has been proposed by the Gujarat FA and seconded by the Arunachal Pradesh football association.
While the country's home minister hails from Gujarat, Arunachal's Kiren Rijiju heads the Law Ministry.
The AIFF elections to the executive committee are to be held here on August 28.
World football governing body FIFA is not in favour of the country's apex body being run by eminent players.
Hours before the FIFA ban on AIFF earlier this week the Committee of Administrators (CoA) running football in India had agreed to hold the sports body's elections without giving voting rights to 'eminent' players as per the world body's wish.
In a massive setback for the country, FIFA on Tuesday suspended India for "undue influence from third parties" and said the U-17 Women's World Cup "cannot currently be held in India as planned.
The Supreme Court had said that the electoral college for the executive committee of the AIFF would have representatives from 36 state associations and 36 representatives of eminent football players, 24 male and 12 female.
The players should have played at least one international match representing India and retired from international tournaments two years prior to the date of notification of the elections.
Bhutia, 45, is considered one of the country's greatest footballers. The charismatic striker was the first to have played more than 100 matches for India.
He retired from international football a few months after playing in the 2011 Asian Cup in Qatar, having made his debut in 1995.
Bhutia played for top Indian clubs like JCT, East Bengal and Mohun Bagan during an illustrious career, besides also spending a few seasons at English side FC Bury (1999 to 2002). | https://www.onmanorama.com/sports/football/2022/08/19/aiff-elections-bhutia-joins-the-race.html | 2022-08-19T12:34:49Z | onmanorama.com | control | https://www.onmanorama.com/sports/football/2022/08/19/aiff-elections-bhutia-joins-the-race.html | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Subsets and Splits
No community queries yet
The top public SQL queries from the community will appear here once available.