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All systems go for Banchory and Deeside u3a
There’s exciting news for the many people who expressed an interest in joining the new ‘Banchory and Deeside’ u3a at a public meeting in June.
Good progress is being made and the inaugural meeting will be held on Thursday, September 15 (doors open 1pm for prompt start at 1.30pm) at Banchory Town Hall.
Over the summer, there has been much preparation and hard effort to make this happen.
A steering g roup has been formed with some enthusiastic volunteers who have put themselves forward to help get the u3a up and running.
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Work is underway to be able to announce a full speakers programme for the next few months as we aim to have our monthly u3a get-togethers with refreshments and a guest speaker at Banchory Town Hall on the second Thursday of each month, starting in October.
The group s co-ordinator will give an update on the interest groups, both those ready to start and the ones which are still to be set up and people will be able to sign up for these on the day.
For more groups to run, it’s crucial that they recruit not just members to join a particular group but who would also be willing to help plan and co-ordinate the group's activities.
If you’re interested in participating, the organisers ask that you come along and be ready to pay the membership fee of £15.
As well as giving access to monthly meetings and interest groups, this sum includes a subscription to the national magazine ‘Third Age Matters’, issued five times a year; the chance to opt in and receive a monthly electronic newsletter with details of online talks and courses available to all u3a members; plus a fee to the main u3 office, which provides a range of services to u3as, including public liability insurance cover.
Mary Lennox, chair of the steering group, said: “We would ask on this occasion if you could please bring along your cheque book or the correct amount in cash to pay the fee on the day.
"Our bank account has been authorised, but electronic transfer is not yet available so this time, we ask that you pay by cheque or cash.
"We are looking forward to having a good turn-out on the day.
"We welcome everyone who wishes to be part of this exciting new venture.” | https://www.scotsman.com/news/people/all-systems-go-for-banchory-and-deeside-u3a-3825247 | 2022-08-31T09:44:52Z | scotsman.com | control | https://www.scotsman.com/news/people/all-systems-go-for-banchory-and-deeside-u3a-3825247 | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Dundee United chief lays Jack Ross sacking on 'unacceptable results' and says tools in place for success
Dundee United chief Mark Ogren believes the “tools and infrastructure remain in place” for the club to achieve success following Jack Ross’ sacking.
The decision was taken to part company with the former Hibs and Sunderland manager after a “horrendous run of results”, culminating in a 9-0 defeat to Celtic in the Premiership on Sunday.
United are now on the lookout for their fifth manager since 2020.
Former Tangerine stars Duncan Ferguson and Michael O’Neill are the early front runners for the post with Liam Fox in interim charge.
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Ogren addressed the club’s situation “amid what has been a largely disappointing start to the on-field campaign” with a statement on Tuesday evening.
"A string of poor performances and unacceptable results led to the board making the decision to relieve Jack Ross of his position as head coach,” he said. “Such actions are never taken lightly and, as a board, we took a period of reflection and information gathering after Sunday’s game before coming to our decision.
"This has been a horrendous run of results for the club and for that we apologise unreservedly to our fans. However, it is my belief that the tools and infrastructure remain in place for us to achieve success on the field. This will require everyone to be united behind what we are trying to do.
"In the almost four years of ownership at this club, we have achieved nearly all of our goals and objectives earlier than expected and as a board, we believe we can take things even further soon. I am confident the players, staff, executive team, and board currently in place are the ones to take us forward alongside a new head coach.
"As we begin the process of looking for our new head coach, please know this will take some time and I ask you all to remain patient and supportive.
"Your support has been exceptional, both in terms of ticket sales and vocal backing and I know you simply crave success for our club. I can assure you I share that craving and certainly expect we will again soon be seeing performances in which we can all be proud.”
Want to join the conversation? Please or to comment on this article. | https://www.scotsman.com/sport/football/dundee-united-chief-lays-jack-ross-sacking-on-unacceptable-results-and-says-tools-in-place-for-success-3825071 | 2022-08-31T09:45:38Z | scotsman.com | control | https://www.scotsman.com/sport/football/dundee-united-chief-lays-jack-ross-sacking-on-unacceptable-results-and-says-tools-in-place-for-success-3825071 | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
What channel is the Premier Sports Cup draw on: What teams are involved, TV details, fixture dates
Four teams advanced to the Premier Sports Cup quarter-final on Tuesday night with a further four ties this evening.
Rangers defeated Queen of the South in the live game with Giovanni van Bronckhorst making 11 changes to his starting line-up, while Aberdeen needed extra-time to get past fourth tier Annan Athletic. There were also wins for Dundee and Partick Thistle.
Hearts host Kilmarnock, Celtic travel to Ross County, Dundee United are at Livingston and Motherwell welcome Inverness CT to Fir Park this evening.
Here is all the information you need about the quarter-final draw…
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When does the draw take place?
The eight teams advancing to the quarter-final will find out their opponents this evening with the draw scheduled to take place after Ross County v Celtic.
Is it on TV?
There will be live coverage of the draw on Premier Sports. The League Cup broadcaster is showing Celtic's trip to Ross County before undertaking the draw. If there is no extra-time it will likely take place between 9.35pm and 9.50pm.
Which teams are in the draw?
Aberdeen, Dundee, Partick Thistle and Rangers are the four teams already in the hat. Celtic, Hearts, Livingston and Motherwell are favourites to join them but there could be some surprise scorelines.
When will the quarter-finals be played?
The four matches are scheduled to take place between October 18-20. Three of the four ties could be shown live on Premier Sports.
The semi-final fixtures won’t be played until January with the final the following month due to the break for the World Cup in Qatar in November and December.
Want to join the conversation? Please or to comment on this article. | https://www.scotsman.com/sport/football/rangers/what-channel-is-the-premier-sports-cup-draw-on-what-teams-are-involved-tv-details-fixture-dates-3825185 | 2022-08-31T09:45:51Z | scotsman.com | control | https://www.scotsman.com/sport/football/rangers/what-channel-is-the-premier-sports-cup-draw-on-what-teams-are-involved-tv-details-fixture-dates-3825185 | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Mikhail Gorbachev, who ended the Cold War without bloodshed but failed to prevent the collapse of the Soviet Union, died on Tuesday at the age of 91, hospital officials in Moscow said.
Gorbachev, the last Soviet president, forged arms reduction deals with the United States and partnerships with Western powers to remove the Iron Curtain that had divided Europe since World War Two and bring about the reunification of Germany.
But his broad internal reforms helped weaken the Soviet Union to the point where it fell apart, a moment that President Vladimir Putin has called the "greatest geopolitical catastrophe" of the twentieth century.
"Mikhail Gorbachev passed away tonight after a serious and protracted disease," Russia's Central Clinical Hospital said in a statement.
Putin expressed "his deepest condolences", Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told Interfax news agency.
"Tomorrow he will send a telegram of condolences to his family and friends," he said.
Putin said in 2018 he would reverse the collapse of the Soviet Union if he could, news agencies reported at the time.
World leaders were quick to pay tribute. European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen said Gorbachev had opened the way for a free Europe.
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, citing Putin's invasion of Ukraine, said Gorbachev's "tireless commitment to opening up Soviet society remains an example to us all".
After decades of Cold War tension and confrontation, Gorbachev brought the Soviet Union closer to the West than at any point since World War Two.
But he saw that legacy wrecked in the final months of his life, as the invasion of Ukraine brought Western sanctions crashing down on Moscow, and politicians in both Russia and the West began to speak of a new Cold War.
"Gorbachev died in a symbolic way when his life's work, freedom, was effectively destroyed by Putin," said Andrei Kolesnikov, senior fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.
Gorbachev won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1990.
He will be buried in Moscow's Novodevichy Cemetery next to his wife Raisa, who died in 1999, said Tass, citing the foundation that the ex-Soviet leader set up once he left office.
When pro-democracy protests swept across the Soviet bloc nations of communist Eastern Europe in 1989, he refrained from using force - unlike previous Kremlin leaders who had sent tanks to crush uprisings in Hungary in 1956 and Czechoslovakia in 1968.
But the protests fuelled aspirations for autonomy in the 15 republics of the Soviet Union, which disintegrated over the next two years in chaotic fashion.
Gorbachev - who was briefly deposed in an August 1991 coup by party hardliners - struggled vainly to prevent that collapse.
"The era of Gorbachev is the era of perestroika, the era of hope, the era of our entry into a missile-free world ... but there was one miscalculation: we did not know our country well," said Vladimir Shevchenko, who headed Gorbachev's protocol office when he was Soviet leader.
"Our union fell apart, that was a tragedy and his tragedy," RIA news agency cited him as saying.
On becoming general secretary of the Soviet Communist Party in 1985, aged just 54, he had set out to revitalise the system by introducing limited political and economic freedoms, but his reforms spun out of control.
"He was a good man - he was a decent man. I think his tragedy is in a sense that he was too decent for the country he was leading," said Gorbachev biographer William Taubman, a professor emeritus at Amherst College in Massachusetts.
Gorbachev's policy of "glasnost" - free speech - allowed previously unthinkable criticism of the party and the state, but also emboldened nationalists who began to press for independence in the Baltic republics of Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia and elsewhere.
Many Russians never forgave Gorbachev for the turbulence that his reforms unleashed, considering the subsequent plunge in their living standards too high a price to pay for democracy.
Vladimir Rogov, a Russian-appointed official in a part of Ukraine now occupied by pro-Moscow forces, said Gorbachev had "deliberately led the (Soviet) Union to its demise" and called him a traitor.
"He gave us all freedom - but we don't know what to do with it," liberal economist Ruslan Grinberg told the armed forces news outlet Zvezda after visiting Gorbachev in hospital in June.
"Gorbachev lived to see some of his worst fears realised and his brightest dreams drowned in blood and filth. But he will be remembered fondly by historians, and one day - I believe it - by Russians," said Cold War historian Sergey Radchenko. | https://www.onmanorama.com/news/world/2022/08/31/last-soviet-leader-mikhail-gorbachev--91--passes-away.html | 2022-08-31T09:49:01Z | onmanorama.com | control | https://www.onmanorama.com/news/world/2022/08/31/last-soviet-leader-mikhail-gorbachev--91--passes-away.html | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
By ERIC TUCKER, JILL COLVIN and MICHAEL BALSAMO
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Justice Department said Tuesday that classified documents were “likely concealed and removed” from former President Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate as part of an effort to obstruct the federal investigation into the discovery of the government records.
The FBI also seized 33 boxes containing more than 100 classified records during its Aug. 8 search of Mar-a-Lago and found classified documents stashed in Trump’s office, according to a filing that lays out the most detailed chronology to date of months of strained interactions between Justice Department officials and Trump representatives over the discovery of government secrets.
The filing offers yet another indication of the sheer volume of classified records retrieved from Mar-a-Lago. It shows how investigators conducting a criminal probe have focused not just on why the records were improperly stored there, but also on the question of whether the Trump team intentionally misled them about the continued, and unlawful, presence of the top secret documents.
The timeline laid out by the Justice Department made clear that the extraordinary search of Mar-a-Lago came only after other efforts to retrieve the records had failed, and that it resulted from law enforcement suspicion that additional documents remained inside the property despite assurances by Trump representatives that a “diligent search” had accounted for all of the material.
It also included a picture of some of the seized documents bearing clear classification markings, perhaps as a way to rebut suggestions that whoever packed them or was handling them could have easily failed to appreciate their sensitive nature.
The photo shows the cover pages of a smattering of paperclip-bound classified documents — some marked as “TOP SECRET//SCI” with bright yellow borders, and one marked as “SECRET//SCI” with a rust-colored border — along with whited-out pages, splayed out on a carpet at Mar-a-Lago. Beside them sits a cardboard box filled with gold-framed pictures, including a Time magazine cover.
Though it contains significant new details on the investigation, the Justice Department filing does not resolve a core question that has driven public fascination with the investigation — why Trump held onto the documents after he left the White House and why he and his team resisted repeated efforts to give them back. In fact, it suggests officials may not have received an answer.
During a June 3 visit to Mar-a-Lago by FBI and Justice Department officials, the document states, “Counsel for the former President offered no explanation as to why boxes of government records, including 38 documents with classification markings, remained at the Premises nearly five months after the production of the Fifteen Boxes and nearly one-and-a-half years after the end of the Administration.”
That visit to Mar-a-Lago, which came weeks after the Justice Department issued a subpoena for the records, receives substantial attention in the document and appears to be a key investigative focus.
Though Trump has said he had declassified all of the documents at Mar-a-Lago, his lawyers did not suggest that during the visit and instead “handled them in a manner that suggested counsel believed that the documents were classified,” according to the document.
FBI agents who went there to receive additional materials were given “a single Redweld envelope, double-wrapped in tape, containing the documents,” the filing states.
That envelope, according to the FBI, contained 38 unique documents with classification markings, including five documents marked confidential, 16 marked secret and 17 marked top secret.
During that visit, the document says, Trump’s lawyers told investigators that all the records that had come from the White House were stored in one location — a Mar-a-Lago storage room — and that “there were no other records stored in any private office space or other location at the Premises and that all available boxes were searched.”
After that, though, the Justice Department, which had subpoenaed video footage for the property, “developed evidence that government records were likely concealed and removed from the Storage Room and that efforts were likely taken to obstruct the government’s investigation.” The filing does not identify the individuals who may have relocated the boxes.
In their August search, agents found classified documents both in the storage room as well as in the former president’s office — including three classified documents found not in boxes, but in office desks.
“That the FBI, in a matter of hours, recovered twice as many documents with classification markings as the ‘diligent search’ that the former President’s counsel and other representatives had weeks to perform calls into serious question the representations made in the June 3 certification and casts doubt on the extent of cooperation in this matter,” the document states.
It says, “In some instances, even the FBI counterintelligence personnel and DOJ attorneys conducting the review required additional clearances before they were permitted to review certain documents.”
The investigation began from a referral from the National Archives and Records Administration, which recovered 15 boxes from Mar-a-Lago in January that were found to contain 184 documents with classified markings, including top secret information.
The purpose of the Tuesday night filing was to oppose a request from the Trump legal team for a special master to review the documents seized during this month’s search and set aside those protected by claims of legal privilege. U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon is set to hear arguments on the matter on Thursday.
Cannon on Saturday said it was her “preliminary intent” to appoint such a person but also gave the Justice Department an opportunity to respond.
On Monday, the department said it had already completed its review of potentially privileged documents and identified a “limited set of materials that potentially contain attorney-client privileged information.” It said Tuesday that a special master was therefore “unnecessary.”
In a separate development, the Trump legal team has grown with the addition of another attorney. Chris Kise, Florida’s former solicitor general, has joined the team of lawyers representing Trump, according to two people familiar with the matter who were not authorized to discuss the move by name and spoke on condition of anonymity. Kise did not return messages seeking comment.
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Colvin and Balsamo reported from New York.
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Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Wednesday announced a major two-pronged offensive against the alarming rise in the use of narcotic drugs especially among the youth. The Opposition UDF pledged unconditional support.
On the one hand, Kerala will strengthen the implementation of existing laws so that habitual offenders could be held in preventive detention and even get a death sentence. Simultaneously, the government would launch a comprehensive state-level awareness campaign that will focus mainly on throwing protective social cordons around educational institutions.
"There should be certain changes in the way narcotic cases are registered," the Chief Minister told the Assembly while responding to an adjournment motion moved in the Assembly by Congress MLA P C Vishnunath on growing use of psychotropic substances. While moving his motion, Vishnunath painted a grim and scary picture of drug use in Kerala. "In the last one-and-a-half years, 3933 persons have been admitted to de-addiction centres in Kerala. More than 40 per cent of this are teenagers below 18 years," he said.
The Chief Minister agreed that the situation was grave. If in 2021 5334 cases were registered under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, by August this year 17,834 cases have already been registered.
The Chief Minister felt that merely registering cases was not enough. "We do not have the practice of mentioning the earlier crimes of the accused when a chargesheet in a drug case is submitted before a court. This is necessary to secure maximum punishment for the accused under sections 31 and 31(A) of the NDPS Act," the Chief Minister said.
Section 31 of the Act deals with enhanced punishment for people who had been convicted earlier under the Act. A habitual offender will get one-and-a-half times the punishment prescribed under the Act, and this can go up to 18 years. Section 31(A) speaks of death penalty for offences like the production, manufacture, export, import and even the possession beyond a certain quantity of drugs like heroin, cocaine, morphine, MDMA, LSD and hashish.
"We should ensure that habitual offenders get the maximum punishment," the Chief Minister said.
He said the Prevention of Illicit Traffic in Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (PIT in NDPS) Act, 1988, should be invoked to keep habitual offenders in detention without trial for two years. "We are not making use of this provision of the Act," the Chief Minister said.
Under Section 3 of the Act, such a preventive detention order could be passed only by officer not below the rank of a joint secretary. The Chief Minister said the police and the excise had been directed to furnish the necessary recommendations in this regard to the official concerned.
There is yet another provision in the NDPS Act the government is intent on enforcing. "Under Section 34 of the NDPS Act, the convicted person can be made to execute a bond saying he would abstain from committing any offences under this Act," the Chief Minister said. "We are going to make this bond mandatory," he said.
Further, the Chief Minister said a databank of all offenders, including first timers, would be created for the state and this would be updated in a timely fashion. He said the history sheets would be drawn up by police stations and excise range offices. "These history sheeters would be under constant surveillance," Vijayan said.
The Chief Minister said a special drive enforcing the various provisions of the NDPS and PIT in NDPS acts would be launched in the state immediately.
The anti-drug awareness campaign will start to coincide with Gandhi Jayanti on October 2. The basic attempt is to form narcotic resistance groups at the levels of individual schools and local bodies. A draft of the proposed narcotic resistance groups will be drawn up by September 15.
The Chief Minister said any shops found selling drugs near schools would be shut down forever. He also said that local shops near educational institutions should prominently display anti-drug posters, which would have the names and numbers of officials who should be contacted when instances of drug sale or abuse are spotted. The identity of the informer, the Chief Minister said would be kept a secret.
Opposition Leader V D Satheesan offered full support to the government's actions. He also had a suggestion to keep the youth away from drugs.
He said Kerala should do what Haryana did to prevent its youth from falling headlong into the drug culture so prevalent in neighbouring Punjab. "Haryana effected a substantial step up in sports infrastructure. Suddenly sports and fitness became the overriding concerns of the youth in that state," Satheesan said. | https://www.onmanorama.com/news/kerala/2022/08/31/drugs-kerala-assembly-pinbaryi-vijayan.amp.html | 2022-08-31T09:53:01Z | onmanorama.com | control | https://www.onmanorama.com/news/kerala/2022/08/31/drugs-kerala-assembly-pinbaryi-vijayan.amp.html | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Thiruvananthapuram: Disregarding the fervent opposition, the Assembly on Tuesday passed the Kerala Lok Ayukta (Amendment) Bill that takes away the enforceable rights of the anti-corruption agency.
The amendment Bill, which makes the Legislative Assembly the authority to review verdicts against Chief Minister, has brought in quite a few other changes too. Check them out:
1. Act: If Lok Ayukta pronounces a verdict against anyone, their ‘competent authority’ is to enforce the recommendation in the verdict and then inform the Lok Ayukta. Competent authorities include the Governor, the Chief Minister, and the Government.
Amendment: As per the amendment, the Lok Ayukta verdict is scrutinised by the appellate authority, and can be accepted or rejected.
If it is against the Chief Minister, the appellate authority would be the Assembly, while that for the ministers would be the chief minister. For MLAs, the appellate authority would be the Speaker.
Lok Ayukta should be informed about the appellate authority's decision, within 90 days. The time period starts from the day the Assembly is convened, in case the House has to take a decision on a verdict.
With this amendment, the ruling dispensation may ‘save’ the person against whom the Lok Ayuktha verdict has been pronounced.
2. Act: Lok Ayukta has the powers to book and issue verdicts against state office bearers of political parties.
Amendment: Political party officer bearers have been removed from the ambit of Lok Ayukta. Earlier, the Governor was the appellate authority. The Government opined that this was inappropriate. With this, the Governor’s powers on Lok Ayukta verdicts have been completely negated.
3. Act: A retired judge from the Supreme Court or High Court Chief Justice must be appointed as the Lok Ayukta. High Court sitting judge must be appointed as the Upa Lok Ayukta.
Amendment: Retired judges from the High Court can be appointed as the Lok Ayukta and Upa Lok Ayukta.
4. Act: A five-year term for Lok Ayukta and Upa Lok Ayukta.
Amendment: The upper age limit for the Lok Ayukta and Upa Lok Ayukta fixed at 70 years.
5. Act: There are no terms on what to do in event of death or resignation of the Lok Ayukta or the Upa Lok Ayukta.
Amendment: Until the appointment of the next Lok Ayukta, Governor can hand over the charge to the most senior Upa Lok Ayukta. Even in case of absence due to leave or any other reasons, the Governor can give the charge to the senior Upa Lok Ayukta. | https://www.onmanorama.com/news/kerala/2022/08/31/lok-ayukta-act-amendment-bill-corruption.html | 2022-08-31T09:53:33Z | onmanorama.com | control | https://www.onmanorama.com/news/kerala/2022/08/31/lok-ayukta-act-amendment-bill-corruption.html | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Kannur: A young woman hailing from Tamil Nadu was allegedly gang-raped here after she was rendered unconscious by serving her juice spiked with drugs.
The Kannur City Police have registered a case against a youth named Vijesh, a woman called Malar and some other identifiable persons in connection with the incident.
According to the survivor of the rape, Malar is a relative of her husband.
The survivor had approached Malar, who lives in Kannur, for a job. She reached Kannur from Tamil Nadu on August 23 and was living in Malar’s house.
On Saturday night (August 27), Malar told the survivor that they would shift houses and both went to another place.
At the new house, the survivor was given the juice. The woman lost consciousness soon after drinking it and was raped by Vijesh and another man belonging to Tamil Nadu, says the complaint filed with the police. | https://www.onmanorama.com/news/kerala/2022/08/31/tamil-woman-raped-kannur-drugged-juice.amp.html | 2022-08-31T09:53:39Z | onmanorama.com | control | https://www.onmanorama.com/news/kerala/2022/08/31/tamil-woman-raped-kannur-drugged-juice.amp.html | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
MOSCOW (AP) — Russian officials and lawmakers treaded carefully Wednesday while reacting to Mikhail Gorbachev’s death, praising him for his role in ending the Cold War but deploring his failure to avert the collapse of the Soviet Union.
The stance was reflected by state television broadcasts, which paid tributes to Gorbachev as a historic figure but described his reforms as poorly planned and held him responsible for failing to safeguard the country’s interests in dialogue with the West.
The criticism echoed earlier assessments by Russian President Vladimir Putin, who has famously lamented the collapse of the Soviet Union as the “greatest geopolitical catastrophe of the 20th century.”
In a telegram of condolences released by the Kremlin, Putin praised Gorbachev as a man who left “ an enormous impact on the course of world history.”
“He led the country during difficult and dramatic changes, amid large-scale foreign policy, economic and society challenges,” Putin said. “He deeply realized that reforms were necessary and tried to offer his solutions for the acute problems.”
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov described Gorbachev as an “extraordinary” statesman who will “always remain in the country’s history.”
“Gorbachev has given an impulse to ending the Cold War and he sincerely wanted to believe that it will be over and a new romantic period will start between the renewed Soviet Union and the collective West,” Peskov said. “Those romantic expectations failed to materialize. The bloodthirsty nature of our opponents has come to light, and it’s good that we realized that in time.”
While avoiding explicit personal criticism of Gorbachev, Putin in the past repeatedly blamed him for failing to secure written commitments from the West that would rule out NATO’s expansion eastward — an issue that has become a major irritant in Russia-West ties for decades and fomented tensions that exploded when the Russian leader sent troops into Ukraine on Feb. 24.
Members of the Kremlin-controlled parliament sought followed a similar path, hailing Gorbachev’s historic role but lamenting the Soviet collapse.
Leonid Slutsky, the head of the foreign affairs committee in the lower house, the State Duma, hailed Gorbachev as “the most remarkable politician of his time,” but described him as a “contradictory” figure whose reforms “played into the hands of those who were trying to wipe the USSR off the world’s map.”
Sergei Mironov, the leader of the Just Russia party, told the official Tass news agency that Gorbachev “was like a breath of fresh air, embodying the hopes for colossal changes,” but added that his policies led to “the loss of a great country” and became a “tragedy for generations of Russians.”
Some others were far less polite.
Oleg Morozov, a member of the main Kremlin party, the United Russia, said that Gorbachev should have “repented” for the errors that hurt Russia’s interests.
“There is a mystical coincidence in Gorbachev passing away at a time when the special military operation in Ukraine,” Morozov said in remarks carried by the state RIA Novosti news agency. “He was a willing or an unwilling co-author of the unfair world order that our soldiers are now fighting on the battlefield.”
Nikolai Kolomeitsev, the deputy head of the Communist faction in the Duma, went even further, denouncing Gorbachev as a “traitor” who “destroyed the state.”
Gobachev’s foundation said that he will be buried at Moscow’s Novodevichy cemetery next to his wife. The date hasn’t been set yet and it wasn’t immediately clear whether he will be given a state funeral.
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More AP stories on Mikhail Gorbachev here: https://apnews.com/hub/mikhail-gorbachev | https://www.wwlp.com/business/ap-business/ap-russian-politicians-offer-mixed-view-of-gorbachevs-legacy/ | 2022-08-31T09:53:38Z | wwlp.com | control | https://www.wwlp.com/business/ap-business/ap-russian-politicians-offer-mixed-view-of-gorbachevs-legacy/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — A team of international nuclear inspectors was heading Wednesday to the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant caught in the middle of the fighting in southern Ukraine amid international concern of a potential accident or radiation leak.
Rafael Grossi, the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency, said he hoped to establish a permanent mission in Ukraine to monitor Europe’s largest nuclear plant.
“These operations are very complex operations. We are going to a war zone. We are going to occupied territory. And this requires explicit guarantees from not only from the Russians, but also from the Republic of Ukraine,” Grossi said in the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv before the monitoring the mission’s departure.
“We have been able to secure that. … So now we are moving.”
The power plant has been occupied by Russian forces and operated by Ukrainian workers since the early days of the 6-month-old war.
It was recently cut off temporarily from the electrical grid because of fire damage, causing a blackout in the region and heightening fears of a catastrophe in a country haunted by the Chernobyl disaster.
Ukrainian Energy Minister German Galushchenko said Kyiv is seeking international assistance to try and demilitarize the area.
“We think that the mission should be a very important step to return (the plant) to Ukrainian government control by the end of the year,” Galushchenko told The Associated Press.
“We have information that they are now trying to hide their military presence, so they should check all of this.”
Zaporizhzhia is a vital source of energy for Ukraine and remains connected to its power grid. Ukraine and Russia accuse each other of shelling the wider region around the nuclear power plant and the risks are so severe that officials have begun distributing anti-radiation iodine tablets to nearby residents. Grossi met Tuesday with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to discuss the mission that is expected to last several days. The inspectors from the IAEA, a United Nations body, where due to reach the Zaporizhzhia region, 450 kilometers (280 miles) southeast of the Ukrainian capital, later Wednesday.
___ Follow AP’s coverage of the war in Ukraine at https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine | https://www.wwlp.com/news/ap-international-news/ap-u-n-monitors-head-to-troubled-ukraine-nuclear-plant/ | 2022-08-31T09:54:40Z | wwlp.com | control | https://www.wwlp.com/news/ap-international-news/ap-u-n-monitors-head-to-troubled-ukraine-nuclear-plant/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Why Verbal Insults Feel Like ‘Mini’ Slaps, According to a Study
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“The pen is mightier than the sword.” is an adage we’ve grown up hearing. Words, to put it simply, can inflict pain. But, can this pain be quantified? And, does it compare to the violence of physical aggression? Turns out: yes, it does. A new study offered this resolution, establishing that insults rendered verbally can feel like emotional slaps — almost like electric jolts of pain inflicted on their targets.
Published recently in Frontiers in Communication, the study involved a small dataset of 79 participants. The researchers exposed people to incisive statements passed on by fictional people, all within the protected environment of a lab. The impact of the insults on the participants’ minds was assessed using electroencephalogram (EEG) tests, which measure electrical activity in people’s brains through electrodes attached to their scalps.
The researchers found that even in the absence of real human interactions, the verbal insults “g[o]t to [the participants].” In essence, the study debunks this statement: “Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me.”
People are often left in tears, trembling, after being subjected to verbal attacks. Given society’s tendency to downplay intangible harms, the findings validate the angst one might feel in the aftermath of verbal aggression directed at them.
Related on The Swaddle:
Research Shows Social Exclusion Is a More Common Form of Bullying Than Physical, Verbal Attacks
The findings also present an understudied way of how language moves people. “The exact way in which words can deliver their offensive, emotionally negative payload at the moment these words are being read or heard is not yet well-understood,” noted lead author Marijn Struiksma from the Institute for Language Sciences at Utrecht University in the Netherlands. “Understanding what an insulting expression does to people as it unfolds, and why, is of considerable importance to psycholinguists interested in how language moves people, but also to others who wish to understand the details of social behavior.”
The researchers explained that being highly social beings, verbal insults can endanger our reputations — much like an actual slap. In doing so, verbal insults can chip can away at our self-worth and self-esteem. And so, they presented a “unique opportunity” to gain insights into the “interface between language and emotion.”
Interestingly, the impact of a verbal insult may, in fact, be deeper than the study captured. The experiments that defined the findings took place in a lab; in a real-life social setting, where the impact on one’s reputation is greater, perhaps, the impact of the insult will be, too.
One who is generous with verbal insults, then, is probably more violent than they seem — irrespective of how often they actually resort to physical violence. Practicing non-violence should, technically, extend to our speech, too, and not just govern the way we operate our limbs, then. | https://theswaddle.com/why-verbal-insults-feel-like-mini-slaps-according-to-a-study/ | 2022-08-31T09:54:48Z | theswaddle.com | control | https://theswaddle.com/why-verbal-insults-feel-like-mini-slaps-according-to-a-study/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Taiwan’s military fired warning shots at drones from China flying over its outposts just off the Chinese coastline, underscoring heightened tensions and the self-ruled island’s resolve to respond to new provocations.
Taiwan’s forces said in a statement that troops took the action on Tuesday after drones were found hovering over the Kinmen island group.
The statement Wednesday referred to the unmanned aerial vehicles as being of “civilian use,” but gave no other details. It said the drones returned to the nearby Chinese city of Xiamen after the shots were fired. Taiwan previously fired only flares as warnings.
The incident comes amid heightened tensions after China fired missiles into the sea and sent planes and ships across the dividing line in the Taiwan Strait earlier this month. It followed angry rhetoric from Beijing over a trip to Taiwan by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, the highest-ranking U.S. dignitary to visit the island in 25 years.
China claims Taiwan as its own territory and its recent actions have been viewed as a rehearsal of a possible blockade or invasion. China’s drills brought strong condemnation from Taiwan’s chief ally, the U.S., along with fellow regional democracies such as Australia and Japan. Some of China’s missiles early in August fell into nearby Japan’s exclusive economic zone.
Taiwan maintains control over a range of islands in the Kinmen and Matsu groups in the Taiwan Strait, a relic of the effort by Chiang Kai-shek’s Nationalists to maintain a foothold on the mainland after being driven out by Mao Zedong’s Communists amid civil war in 1949.
Taiwan’s Defense Ministry said China’s actions failed to intimidate the island’s 23 million people, saying they had only hardened support for the armed forces and the status quo of de-facto independence.
Officials said anti-drone defenses were being strengthened, part of a 12.9% increase in the Defense Ministry’s annual budget next year. The government is planning to spend an additional 47.5 billion New Taiwan dollars ($1.6 billion), for a total of 415.1 billion NTD ($13.8 billion) for the year.
The U.S. is also reportedly preparing to approve a $1.1 billion defense package for Taiwan that would include anti-ship and air-to-air missiles to be used to repel potential Chinese invasion attempt.
Following the Chinese drills, the U.S. sailed two warships through the Taiwan Strait, which China has sought to designate as its sovereign waters. Foreign delegations from the U.S., Japan and European nations have continued to arrive to lend Taipei diplomatic and economic support.
Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey is currently visiting Taiwan to discuss production of semiconductors, the critical chips that are used in everyday electronics and have become a battleground in the technology competition between the U.S. and China.
Ducey is seeking to woo suppliers for the new $12 billion Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Corp. (TSMC) plant being built in his state.
Last week, the Indiana governor visited Taiwan on a similar mission.
Taiwan produces more than half the global supply of high-end processor chips. China’s firing of missiles during its exercises disrupted shipping and air traffic, and highlighted the possibility that chip exports might be interrupted.
Reacting to Ducey’s visit, China on Wednesday reaffirmed its opposition to any official contacts between the U.S. and Taiwan. That was a further reminder of the Communist Party’s refusal to acknowledge the separation of powers within the U.S. government and the right of American local officials to operate independently of the administration.
“We urge the relevant parties in the U.S. to … stop any forms of official contacts with Taiwan, and refrain from sending wrong signals to the Taiwan independence forces,” Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian said at a daily briefing.
“China will take strong measures to resolutely safeguard national sovereignty and territorial integrity,” Zhao said. | https://www.wwlp.com/news/top-stories/ap-top-headlines/ap-taiwan-forces-fire-at-drones-flying-over-island-near-china/ | 2022-08-31T09:55:38Z | wwlp.com | control | https://www.wwlp.com/news/top-stories/ap-top-headlines/ap-taiwan-forces-fire-at-drones-flying-over-island-near-china/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) — Aaron Judge is rolling toward September with Roger Maris firmly in sight.
Two impressive homers at Angel Stadium have moved the Yankees slugger two steps closer to baseball history.
Judge hit a three-run shot in the fourth inning for his 51st homer of the season, and New York snapped its three-game losing streak with a 7-4 victory over the Los Angeles Angels on Tuesday night.
Judge connected for the second straight night at the Big A, driving a high fastball from Mike Mayers (1-1) into the elevated right-field stands. Judge has five homers in his last eight games, and leads the majors with 113 RBIs.
“I’ve never seen anything like it,” said Yankees starter Jameson Taillon, who left after two innings when he was hit in the forearm by a line drive. “Feels like any time he’s out there, he’s got a chance to do something special. Doesn’t matter what scouting report you have, or whether you execute your pitch or not. He’s just so good that you can make a good pitch, and he can still hit it out and all over the park.”
Judge had three hits and scored two runs in front of an Orange County crowd packed with Yankees fans who gave several ovations to the California-born slugger attempting to chase down Maris’ AL home run record of 61 set in 1961.
He’s right on pace: Judge and Maris both had 51 homers through the Yankees’ first 130 games.
“Got a pitch out over the plate, a couple of guys on, and drove it out of the park,” Angels interim manager Phil Nevin said. “That’s what he does. He’s in a groove right now. You just see, watching his swing from the side, how on time everything is.”
Andrew Benintendi and Anthony Rizzo hit early solo homers for New York, which lost Taillon to a bruised right forearm when he was hit by Magneuris Sierra’s liner to end the second.
“It’s not bad,” Taillon said. “It’s gotten a lot better. I was a little worried there at first. Had some pretty quick swelling in there. I was in some pain, and then got X-rays, found out it was negative, and I’m already seeing some improvement.”
Six Yankees relievers finished, and 27-year-old rookie Greg Weissert (1-0) earned his first major league win. The Long Island-born Fordham product replaced Taillon and retired the next six Angels hitters in order.
“It feels great to put it behind me,” Weissert said while thinking of his rough major league debut, in which he gave up three runs while getting one out in Oakland last week. “It was definitely something to think about, but I knew I got called up for a reason.”
Max Stassi and Mike Ford homered for the Angels, whose four-game winning streak ended despite Touki Toussaint’s five innings of one-hit relief.
Shohei Ohtani doubled and singled in his third consecutive multi-hit game for Los Angeles, which hasn’t won five straight since April.
Mayers struggled in the converted reliever’s fifth career start, giving up eight hits and five earned runs in four innings.
“He probably just left a few too many balls in the middle,” Nevin said. “He’s not afraid. He’s going right after hitters.”
Benintendi homered in the first inning and Rizzo followed with his 30th homer of the season in the second, both left-handed batters connecting to right field.
Stassi ended his 1-for-40 slump in the second with his eighth homer, his first since Aug. 5.
But the Yankees loaded the bases with two outs in the third and scored two runs when Ford couldn’t field a bouncing throw from Luis Rengifo at first.
TAILLON TAGGED
Taillon yielded two hits and two runs in his abbreviated start, striking out two. He was hit in the head by a line drive in 2016 and again in 2019, but he feels optimistic after negative X-rays and decreased swelling. He’ll get treatment Wednesday, and hopes to make his next start.
“We caught a nice break, it seems, for once in my career,” Taillon said.
USED FORD
Continuing his hot start with the Angels, Ford homered for the second straight night against the organization that employed him from 2012 until last season, when he was traded to Tampa Bay. Ford belonged to a whopping seven different teams in the ensuing 14 months, but he hadn’t hit any homers since the Yankees traded him until these two shots for the Halos.
TRAINER’S ROOM
Yankees: OF Harrison Bader is hitting off a tee and running. He could begin playing in games next week. The trade-deadline acquisition has yet to play for New York due to a foot injury that has sidelined him since June.
Angels: RHP Michael Lorenzen will make one last rehab start before he returns, Nevin said. Lorenzen has been out since early July with discomfort in his pitching shoulder.
UP NEXT
The series concludes with two Orange County natives on the mound. Newport Beach’s Gerrit Cole (10-6, 3.31 ERA) returns to his boyhood stadium to face Mission Viejo’s Patrick Sandoval (4-9, 3.05), who will make his first career appearance against the Yankees after back-to-back excellent starts on the road.
___
More AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/MLB and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports | https://www.wwlp.com/sports/ap-judge-hits-51st-hr-as-yankees-snap-skid-top-angels-7-4/ | 2022-08-31T09:56:06Z | wwlp.com | control | https://www.wwlp.com/sports/ap-judge-hits-51st-hr-as-yankees-snap-skid-top-angels-7-4/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
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Just as the team worked together on the field, families worked together off the field - to make it more affordable for everyone.
That included sharing accommodations, for some, and plenty of meals together.
"The biggest expense besides airfare was food cost, but a lot of us tried to keep costs down by cooking," stated Tomas.
As the team tallied up impressive numbers throughout the tournament, the bill for families being a part of the experience also added up.
"It is easily over $20,000, from the time we left Honolulu to San Bernardino - then you go to Williamsport," said Honolulu Little League coach Gerald Oda.
But having those friendly faces in the stands and family firmly behind them, made a difference to the players.
"It means a lot, having all the support," said Honolulu Little League player Brennan Tomas.
Even thought there was a high financial cost for Hawaii families, it did not tarnish the golden moments for players and their proud parents.
"No matter the cost, as parents they know this is a once in a lifetime opportunity for their sons," said Oda.
"It was a priceless experience. When you are there you don't think of the finances, you are just there to support the families," said Charles Tomas.
"This was an incredible once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and totally worth it. But we'll be working extra to pay off credit card debt for a while," added his wife Gina.
The team will get a little help with those costs. Just like they did for the 2018 Little League World Series Champions, Aloha Revolution is offering a t-shirt in the champions colors, with 100% of the proceeds from the sale going towards the team and their travel expenses
The little leaguers have also held fundraisers to offset the costs and so far, more than $11,000 has been donated to a Go Fund Me account in their name.
Do you have a story idea? Email news tips to news@kitv.com | https://www.kitv.com/news/local/the-cost-for-a-little-league-world-series-championship/article_bbbfe054-28e2-11ed-bc82-234e2f28968e.html | 2022-08-31T09:57:25Z | kitv.com | control | https://www.kitv.com/news/local/the-cost-for-a-little-league-world-series-championship/article_bbbfe054-28e2-11ed-bc82-234e2f28968e.html | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
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People's Rep'c of Guinea-Bissau, Republic of Guyana, Republic of Heard and McDonald Islands Holy See (Vatican City State) Honduras, Republic of Hong Kong, Special Administrative Region of China Hrvatska (Croatia) Hungary, Hungarian People's Republic Iceland, Republic of India, Republic of Indonesia, Republic of Iran, Islamic Republic of Iraq, Republic of Ireland Israel, State of Italy, Italian Republic Japan Jordan, Hashemite Kingdom of Kazakhstan, Republic of Kenya, Republic of Kiribati, Republic of Korea, Democratic People's Republic of Korea, Republic of Kuwait, State of Kyrgyz Republic Lao People's Democratic Republic Latvia Lebanon, Lebanese Republic Lesotho, Kingdom of Liberia, Republic of Libyan Arab Jamahiriya Liechtenstein, Principality of Lithuania Luxembourg, Grand Duchy of Macao, Special Administrative Region of China Macedonia, the former Yugoslav Republic of Madagascar, Republic of Malawi, Republic of Malaysia Maldives, Republic of Mali, Republic of Malta, Republic of Marshall Islands Martinique Mauritania, Islamic Republic of Mauritius Mayotte Micronesia, Federated States of Moldova, Republic of Monaco, Principality of Mongolia, Mongolian People's Republic Montserrat Morocco, Kingdom of Mozambique, People's Republic of Myanmar Namibia Nauru, Republic of Nepal, Kingdom of Netherlands Antilles Netherlands, Kingdom of the New Caledonia New Zealand Nicaragua, Republic of Niger, Republic of the Nigeria, Federal Republic of Niue, Republic of Norfolk Island Northern Mariana Islands Norway, Kingdom of Oman, Sultanate of Pakistan, Islamic Republic of Palau Palestinian Territory, Occupied Panama, Republic of Papua New Guinea Paraguay, Republic of Peru, Republic of Philippines, Republic of the Pitcairn Island Poland, Polish People's Republic Portugal, Portuguese Republic Puerto Rico Qatar, State of Reunion Romania, Socialist Republic of Russian Federation Rwanda, Rwandese Republic Samoa, Independent State of San Marino, Republic of Sao Tome and Principe, Democratic Republic of Saudi Arabia, Kingdom of Senegal, Republic of Serbia and Montenegro Seychelles, Republic of Sierra Leone, Republic of Singapore, Republic of Slovakia (Slovak Republic) Slovenia Solomon Islands Somalia, Somali Republic South Africa, Republic of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands Spain, Spanish State Sri Lanka, Democratic Socialist Republic of St. Helena St. Kitts and Nevis St. Lucia St. Pierre and Miquelon St. Vincent and the Grenadines Sudan, Democratic Republic of the Suriname, Republic of Svalbard & Jan Mayen Islands Swaziland, Kingdom of Sweden, Kingdom of Switzerland, Swiss Confederation Syrian Arab Republic Taiwan, Province of China Tajikistan Tanzania, United Republic of Thailand, Kingdom of Timor-Leste, Democratic Republic of Togo, Togolese Republic Tokelau (Tokelau Islands) Tonga, Kingdom of Trinidad and Tobago, Republic of Tunisia, Republic of Turkey, Republic of Turkmenistan Turks and Caicos Islands Tuvalu Uganda, Republic of Ukraine United Arab Emirates United Kingdom of Great Britain & N. Ireland Uruguay, Eastern Republic of Uzbekistan Vanuatu Venezuela, Bolivarian Republic of Viet Nam, Socialist Republic of Wallis and Futuna Islands Western Sahara Yemen Zambia, Republic of Zimbabwe | https://www.kitv.com/news/local/update-woman-hospitalized-after-car-goes-off-cliff-at-round-top-drive-around-tantalus-lookout/article_1752ca0c-28ee-11ed-9f57-5f3ed80aaf73.html | 2022-08-31T09:57:26Z | kitv.com | control | https://www.kitv.com/news/local/update-woman-hospitalized-after-car-goes-off-cliff-at-round-top-drive-around-tantalus-lookout/article_1752ca0c-28ee-11ed-9f57-5f3ed80aaf73.html | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
HONOLULU-- While abortion protections in Hawaii remain unchanged, a panel at the Oahu YWCA this week discussed possible impacts after Roe v. Wade was overturned.
This, as federal abortion protections have changed in other parts of the country, most recently, Texas. Will it mean those seeking an abortion travel from states like Texas to Hawaii?
The YWCA panel also focused on the issue of access to abortion in all parts of the state of Hawaii. In stark contrast, the Texas law makes an abortion a felony in that state with up to life in prison for anyone who performs an abortion.
But advocates want to make it clear, abortion is legally protected here at home in Hawaii, though panelists have unanswered legal concerns in terms of those seeking care from other states.
"They could be prosecuted under the aiding and abetting law. Or Texas could try to go beyond its borders to try to prosecute people who give a Texas citizen an abortion here in Hawaii, we just don't know," Attorney Corianne W. Lau remarked of the current uncertainty.
"Legislatures are analyzing the impact of Dobbs, and where we might shore up, clarify laws and protections so the people in our state are not harmed further by laws from other states," Rep. Della Au Belatti said.
The Texas law is accompanied by a civil penalty no less than 100 thousand dollars against abortion providers in violation of the new law. The state of Tennessee also had a similar trigger law go into effect.
When it comes down the public deciding, the state of Kansas voted to protect abortion as a right last month in the Sunflower state. | https://www.kitv.com/news/panel-discusses-how-abortion-trigger-laws-on-mainland-could-impact-hawaii/article_9bfda46a-290d-11ed-a35f-3fb4994a8c30.html | 2022-08-31T09:57:26Z | kitv.com | control | https://www.kitv.com/news/panel-discusses-how-abortion-trigger-laws-on-mainland-could-impact-hawaii/article_9bfda46a-290d-11ed-a35f-3fb4994a8c30.html | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
As Iniki ravaged Kaua'i, Bob Ward and his fishing crew, Nobuo Saito and Masa Hatanaka were caught in the middle of it.
They were returning to Honolulu after a successful fishing trip off the coast of Ni'ihau when the storm hit in September 1992.
Trapped in the eye of the storm with no way out, Bob remembered having to hold onto the fish tank as the boat was swept up.
"And he said he saw the boat once and they were yelling 'come come', and he said he couldn't maneuver the tank and he just saw them one more time and that was it," says his daughter Tiffany Ward.
The boat, and Bob's two friends, both from Japan, were never seen again. But Bob managed to make it, getting rescued the next day.
"He knew no one would be out looking for him through the night so he had to survive," his daughter says.
Ward survived cold temperatures and was rescued because of a signal from his boat.
He shared his story, authoring a book called Hurricane Iniki and I. His daughter says writing the book gave her dad a sense of peace, but sales never really took off. Sadly, Bob died from cancer in 2019.
Now, on the eve of the 30th anniversary of the storm, the book is making a comeback. Tiffany says she found multiple copies in storage and is now selling them.
"It was sort of serendipitous I thought maybe I'm supposed to get his story told again," she says.
It's an epic tale she hopes will be just a powerful three decades later.
The book is being sold on Amazon for $9.99, and part of the proceeds are going to the Red Cross to help victims of future natural disasters. For more information, you can find the link here.
Do you have a story idea? Email news tips to news@kitv.com
Tom anchors Good Morning Hawaii weekends and reports for KITV4. He comes to Hawaii after reporting in Nevada, Oklahoma and Georgia. Tom is a proud Terp, graduating from the University of Maryland in 2012. | https://www.kitv.com/news/survivors-story-of-hurricane-iniki-and-i-selling-ahead-of-30th-anniversary/article_5f23e8c4-2903-11ed-a17a-2fb1928458b4.html | 2022-08-31T09:57:43Z | kitv.com | control | https://www.kitv.com/news/survivors-story-of-hurricane-iniki-and-i-selling-ahead-of-30th-anniversary/article_5f23e8c4-2903-11ed-a17a-2fb1928458b4.html | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
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People's Rep'c of Guinea-Bissau, Republic of Guyana, Republic of Heard and McDonald Islands Holy See (Vatican City State) Honduras, Republic of Hong Kong, Special Administrative Region of China Hrvatska (Croatia) Hungary, Hungarian People's Republic Iceland, Republic of India, Republic of Indonesia, Republic of Iran, Islamic Republic of Iraq, Republic of Ireland Israel, State of Italy, Italian Republic Japan Jordan, Hashemite Kingdom of Kazakhstan, Republic of Kenya, Republic of Kiribati, Republic of Korea, Democratic People's Republic of Korea, Republic of Kuwait, State of Kyrgyz Republic Lao People's Democratic Republic Latvia Lebanon, Lebanese Republic Lesotho, Kingdom of Liberia, Republic of Libyan Arab Jamahiriya Liechtenstein, Principality of Lithuania Luxembourg, Grand Duchy of Macao, Special Administrative Region of China Macedonia, the former Yugoslav Republic of Madagascar, Republic of Malawi, Republic of Malaysia Maldives, Republic of Mali, Republic of Malta, Republic of Marshall Islands Martinique Mauritania, Islamic Republic of Mauritius Mayotte Micronesia, Federated States of Moldova, Republic of Monaco, Principality of Mongolia, Mongolian People's Republic Montserrat Morocco, Kingdom of Mozambique, People's Republic of Myanmar Namibia Nauru, Republic of Nepal, Kingdom of Netherlands Antilles Netherlands, Kingdom of the New Caledonia New Zealand Nicaragua, Republic of Niger, Republic of the Nigeria, Federal Republic of Niue, Republic of Norfolk Island Northern Mariana Islands Norway, Kingdom of Oman, Sultanate of Pakistan, Islamic Republic of Palau Palestinian Territory, Occupied Panama, Republic of Papua New Guinea Paraguay, Republic of Peru, Republic of Philippines, Republic of the Pitcairn Island Poland, Polish People's Republic Portugal, Portuguese Republic Puerto Rico Qatar, State of Reunion Romania, Socialist Republic of Russian Federation Rwanda, Rwandese Republic Samoa, Independent State of San Marino, Republic of Sao Tome and Principe, Democratic Republic of Saudi Arabia, Kingdom of Senegal, Republic of Serbia and Montenegro Seychelles, Republic of Sierra Leone, Republic of Singapore, Republic of Slovakia (Slovak Republic) Slovenia Solomon Islands Somalia, Somali Republic South Africa, Republic of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands Spain, Spanish State Sri Lanka, Democratic Socialist Republic of St. Helena St. Kitts and Nevis St. Lucia St. Pierre and Miquelon St. Vincent and the Grenadines Sudan, Democratic Republic of the Suriname, Republic of Svalbard & Jan Mayen Islands Swaziland, Kingdom of Sweden, Kingdom of Switzerland, Swiss Confederation Syrian Arab Republic Taiwan, Province of China Tajikistan Tanzania, United Republic of Thailand, Kingdom of Timor-Leste, Democratic Republic of Togo, Togolese Republic Tokelau (Tokelau Islands) Tonga, Kingdom of Trinidad and Tobago, Republic of Tunisia, Republic of Turkey, Republic of Turkmenistan Turks and Caicos Islands Tuvalu Uganda, Republic of Ukraine United Arab Emirates United Kingdom of Great Britain & N. Ireland Uruguay, Eastern Republic of Uzbekistan Vanuatu Venezuela, Bolivarian Republic of Viet Nam, Socialist Republic of Wallis and Futuna Islands Western Sahara Yemen Zambia, Republic of Zimbabwe | https://www.kitv.com/sports/uh-wahine-volleyball-hopes-to-bounce-back-in-thursdays-home-opener-against-texas-state/article_66cc0bf8-28f2-11ed-b52d-4f001c93318c.html | 2022-08-31T09:57:49Z | kitv.com | control | https://www.kitv.com/sports/uh-wahine-volleyball-hopes-to-bounce-back-in-thursdays-home-opener-against-texas-state/article_66cc0bf8-28f2-11ed-b52d-4f001c93318c.html | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
This will allow an opportunity on how to handle emergency calls involving these incendiary weapons with its immediate destruction with less effect from damage done at such a high magnitude like that used to. I personally feel that fire safety procedures would be better managed where the fire service could take action that may limit its adoption, however. For some incriminates involving those fire fry chemical agents for safety would prove itself overly complicated, the amount in which there exist in our global culture to cause problems Tag Archive ‘Dominator 1/2W1 and GT51. E2O-PW Electric Watt FLYEEL EWHEC S-LON and B4i2.’ (PWCT) Happening from 3 Dec ~ The New KL Cycle House – “Get Excess To Electric Scooters, Bicycle Accessories, Motorbi..(GADV) Increasant Pte Ltd & its Sub Looking for a good deal? This weekend brings some of the biggest sales between the summer, and Black Friday in November.
At Ace Hardware, workers are getting ready for a big Labor Day weekend, as they are at many other stores.
Grills and patio accessories are among the items on markdown, as they are at Home Depot and Lowe's.
Shannon Phoenix is ready to do some shopping.
"I'll be out, most likely because it is going to be my birthday, so I am sure I am going to buy myself something nice," she said.
A look at why sales are expected to be bigger than usual
In a normal year, you'll find the largest Labor Day markdowns on summer clearance. But, retail experts say this year, stores are so overstocked with items they ordered during the pandemic. And you should find more deals than usual.
Once stimulus checks ran out, and gas prices soared, shoppers tightened their purse strings, and at the same time, stores finally got all their orders delivered.
It's almost the opposite of last year when so many items were in short supply.
Smart shopping expert Trae Bodge of TrueTrae.com says that means great markdowns on "your large appliances, your mattresses, and furniture," she said.
You will also find deep discounts on clothing, she says, more so than in most years.
"Fall clothing is coming in later than expected," Trae said. "Retailers will be looking to clear their merchandise as quickly as possible, and that means sales," she said.
Retailers lighting up their websites with big end-of-summer deals include:
So whether you're shopping for clothing, electronics, or something to spruce up your home, Vanderbilt University Marketing professor Kelly Goldsmith says this weekend is the time to buy.
"We are going to be seeing the extra inventory they have, and the role that it plays in pricing for a good long while," she said. "Specifically, we're gonna see it until they sell those goods."
So take advantage of the Labor Day savings for some great late summer deals.
Or do some early holiday or birthday shopping, as Shannon Phoenix is hoping,
"Hopefully, someone sees this and buys me some presents for my birthday," she said, tongue in cheek.
And you don't need to wait till Saturday to shop: Many stores have already begun their Labor Day sales, so you don't waste your money.
________________
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For more consumer news and money saving advice, go to www.dontwasteyourmoney.com | https://www.fox17online.com/money/consumer/dont-waste-your-money/labor-day-sales-expected-to-be-better-than-ever-this-year | 2022-08-31T10:07:35Z | fox17online.com | control | https://www.fox17online.com/money/consumer/dont-waste-your-money/labor-day-sales-expected-to-be-better-than-ever-this-year | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
AMS-IX, one of the largest internet exchange operators in the Main One Data Nigeria
Limited (MDXi), an Equinix company, has signed a Memorandum of Understanding to operate and grow internet exchange services in Africa.
AMS-IX would be setting up an internet exchange at MDXi, the carrier-neutral Data Centre of MainOne in Lagos Nigeria.
MDXi would act as AMS-IX strategic partner and reseller for AMS-IX in West Africa.
This strategic partnership between AMS-IX and MDXi would deliver improved interconnection capabilities for existing and new customers on the exchange, further facilitating the distribution of contents into the West African region.
With this partnership, content delivery networks, application providers, and hosting companies would now be able to exchange internet traffic locally through the rich interconnected ecosystem of networks, large enterprises and cloud service providers and network operators available at MDXi.
YOU SHOULD NOT MISS THESE HEADLINES FROM NIGERIAN TRIBUNE
Insecurity: 5,000 Nigerian Children May Die Of Starvation By October —UN
THE United Nations has raised the alarm that no fewer than 5,000 children in war-ravaged northeastern Nigeria will die of starvation in the next two months unless the world raises the necessary funds for intervention…
My London Meetings With Obasanjo, Tinubu, Atiku, Obi In Nigeria’s Interest —Wike
RIVERS State governor, Nyesom Wike, on Friday said that his London meetings with the presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Senator Bola Tinubu, Labour Party presidential candidate, Peter Obi, the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, Alhaji Abubakar Atiku and former President Olusegun Obasanjo were in the interest of the nation…
Bandits Stole My Chickens, Cut Off My Arms —Zamfara Man
A victim of a bandits attack, Ismail Mohammed, has explained how his life took a turn for the worse with the loss of his arms…. | https://tribuneonlineng.com/ams-ix-equinix-company-sign-mou-to-launch-neutral-internet-services-in-nigeria/ | 2022-08-31T10:08:12Z | tribuneonlineng.com | control | https://tribuneonlineng.com/ams-ix-equinix-company-sign-mou-to-launch-neutral-internet-services-in-nigeria/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
AS the dust is yet to settle over the trapped funds belonging to foreign airlines, despite the payment of $265million by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), being part of the whole $600 million, therev are indications that the domestic airlines are indebted to various aviation agencies to the tune of over N36 billion.
This is apart from another $7.8 million previous debts.
Speaking at a stakeholders meeting held between the aviation agencies and the local airlines and ground handling companies in Abuja, the Director-General of the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), Captain Musa Nuhu cautioned that if the debts owed the agencies were not paid back immediately in the next few weeks the aviation agencies may collapse very soon.
According to Nuhu, the debts owed the regulatory bodies by the airlines came from the statutory five per cent Ticket Sales Charge (TSC) and Cargo Sales Charge (CSC) which have accumulated to over N19 billion and $7.8 million in the last few years.
Out of the whopping N36 billion the airlines owed the NCAA N19 billion while they are indebted to the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) and the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA) to the tune of N18 billion and N5 billion, respectively.
Their indebtedness to FAAN came from the landing and parking charges of their aircraft while the debts owed to NAMA came from terminal and navigational charges.
The NCAA DG, however, gave the airlines one month ultimatum within when to sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with NCAA that would serve as the mode for payment of the debts.
He noted that any airline that defaults three times after the MoU, will have its AOC suspended.
He also expressed displeasure over a letter, which emanated from the umbrella body of the local airline operators, Airline Operators of Nigeria (AON), signed by its President, Alhaji Abdulmunaf Yunusa, dated August 8, 2022 and addressed to the Minister of Aviation, Senator Hadi Sirika that accused the agencies, especially the NCAA of putting unnecessary pressures on the operators through multiple charges.
Nuhu, who said the airlines and the entre aviation industry, were going through a very difficult period, especially at this time, insisted that all the charges collected by NCAA were statutory and in compliance with the Civil Aviation Act 2006.
While saying the airlines were not responsible for the payment of TSC/CSC, but only collect such on behalf of the agencies from the passengers and wondered why the operators would accuse it of engaging in multiple levies, Nuhu denied the claim that the NCAA imposed excess baggage charges on the airlines.
The NCAA DG declared that for any of the charges to be repealed, it would have to go through the National Assembly and must be assented to by the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
His words: “NCAA relies 100 per cent on its Internally Generated Revenue (IGR). The 5 per cent TSC paid by passengers is 85 per cent of NCAA revenue, while the other 15 per cent comes from airlines as payment for services provided and they are all cost recovery. We don’t also impose any excess baggage charge on the airlines. I wonder where the operators saw this.
“The airlines have intentionally refused to pay the debts owed us despite the fact that they have collected such from the passengers. The airlines collect money and refuse to transmute such to the right authorities. AON wants us to provide services for free for them. What the airlines are trying to do is to defunct NCAA. You have refused to give us our legitimate money. The fees we are charging the airlines are just cost recovery and we are actually subsidising the airlines.”
On his part, Managing Director, NAMA, Mr Mathew Pwajok, reiterated that the charges of the agency were minimal when compared to other countries around the world while he confirmed that the airlines owed it to the tune of N5 billion.
Also, speaking at the meeting, the managing director of FAAN, Captain Rabiu Yadudu stated that the airlines owed the organization N18 billion even as he denied the claim that it charged the airlines indiscriminately as claimed in its letter.
Responding on behalf of the airlines, Managing Director, Skyjet Airline, Alhaji Kashim Bukar, wondered why the DG NCAA brought the issue to the public glare saying rather than make it a public, the NCAA should have called the operators into a closed door meeting to dwell on the matter.
While particularly apologising over the letter from the AON to the minister raised by the DG NCAA, the Managing Director, Overland Airways and a trustee of AON, Captain Edward Boyo said: “I am a trustee member of AON. On behalf of AON, I to apologise to you on the letter. The letter was not intended to have this effect. Some parts of the letter were inappropriate. We apologise and I want to crave your indulgence to drop the issue”.
Equally, Vice-President of AON, Mr Allen Onyema, while saying he was seeing the letter for the first time and expressed disappointment with some of the contents in it, however regretted that there were factions in AON, which had prevented them from speaking in one voice.
YOU SHOULD NOT MISS THESE HEADLINES FROM NIGERIAN TRIBUNE
Insecurity: 5,000 Nigerian Children May Die Of Starvation By October —UN
THE United Nations has raised the alarm that no fewer than 5,000 children in war-ravaged northeastern Nigeria will die of starvation in the next two months unless the world raises the necessary funds for intervention…
My London Meetings With Obasanjo, Tinubu, Atiku, Obi In Nigeria’s Interest —Wike
RIVERS State governor, Nyesom Wike, on Friday said that his London meetings with the presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Senator Bola Tinubu, Labour Party presidential candidate, Peter Obi, the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, Alhaji Abubakar Atiku and former President Olusegun Obasanjo were in the interest of the nation…
Bandits Stole My Chickens, Cut Off My Arms —Zamfara Man
A victim of a bandits attack, Ismail Mohammed, has explained how his life took a turn for the worse with the loss of his arms…. | https://tribuneonlineng.com/nigerian-airlines-owe-aviation-agencies-over-n36bn/ | 2022-08-31T10:08:31Z | tribuneonlineng.com | control | https://tribuneonlineng.com/nigerian-airlines-owe-aviation-agencies-over-n36bn/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
220829-N-EH998-1075 DJIBOUTI (Aug. 29, 2022) Electrician’s Mate 2nd Class Angelica Simon collects a fuel sample aboard the guided-missile destroyer USS Nitze (DDG 94) while in the port of Djibouti, Aug. 29. USS Nitze is deployed to the U.S. 5th Fleet area of operations to help ensure maritime security and stability in the Middle East region. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Cryton Vandiesal)
This work, USS Nitze Refuels in Djibouti [Image 8 of 8], by PO2 Cryton Vandiesal, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright. | https://www.dvidshub.net/image/7395614/uss-nitze-refuels-djibouti | 2022-08-31T10:16:26Z | dvidshub.net | control | https://www.dvidshub.net/image/7395614/uss-nitze-refuels-djibouti | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
McLean resident Georgia Thompson recently finished seventh nationally at the AAU Junior Olympics 2022 in Greensboro, N.C., in the girls javelin in the age-9 division. Her longest throw was 60-feet, 6-inches.
That finish made Thompson a repeat All-American.
She also placed nationally in the same event last year.
Thompson is a fourth-grader at the Holton-Arms School. | https://www.insidenova.com/sports/mclean-resident-seventh-in-national-javelin-throw/article_161e72b4-28bf-11ed-8f00-9fe40c853f54.html | 2022-08-31T10:17:58Z | insidenova.com | control | https://www.insidenova.com/sports/mclean-resident-seventh-in-national-javelin-throw/article_161e72b4-28bf-11ed-8f00-9fe40c853f54.html | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
None of the three public high schools in Arlington received the annual Virginia High School League’s Stay in the Game recognitions for the 2021-22 sports school year.
The awards are issued to VHSL public-high-school athletic programs that did not have a coach or athlete ejected from an athletic event during that school year.
If one player or coach is ejected from any event, no matter how early or late in a season, then the school can’t receive the award.
Yorktown has won the award multiple times in previous years.
This year there were only 54 schools out of a possible 318 statewide that earned the awards.
Marshall and McLean high schools in Fairfax County and Meridian High in Falls Church were the only Northern Virginia Schools to receive the honor.
An administrator from the VHSL said it was disappointing that more schools didn’t receive the award, since the honor regards good sportsmanship.
A director of student activities from one school in the Sun Gazette’s coverage area lamented that all it takes is one lapse in judgment from a coach or player, and the school can’t win the award. | https://www.insidenova.com/sports/no-arlington-schools-win-stay-in-the-game-award/article_5318cef8-28bf-11ed-8067-cffda364b972.html | 2022-08-31T10:18:04Z | insidenova.com | control | https://www.insidenova.com/sports/no-arlington-schools-win-stay-in-the-game-award/article_5318cef8-28bf-11ed-8067-cffda364b972.html | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
TULUM, Mexico (AP) — Scraping the smelly sargassum seaweed off some beaches on Mexico’s resort-studded Caribbean coast has become not only a nightmare, but possibly a health threat, for the workers doing it — with the quantities washing ashore this year seemingly mountains not mounds.
Decomposing sargassum, which is actually algae, generates hydrogen sulfide gas. In small amounts in open areas, it’s not much more than an annoying odor: sulfurous, like rotting eggs.
But in the quantities seen in once-paradisical beach towns like Playa del Carmen, Tulum, and Xcalak, scientists say it can be dangerous to workers with respiratory problems as they rake up the seaweed maskless in the scorching heat. This year appears on track to be worse than even the peak sargassum year of 2018.
Ezequiel Martínez Lara is one of thousands of laborers who work six to eight hours per day heaving mounds of sargassum into wheelbarrows with pitchforks and then wheeling them off the beach to a growing pile on a neighboring street.
Martínez Lara used to earn as much as $50 per day guiding sports fishermen on catch-and-release outings, but now makes less than half that for collecting around 40 wheelbarrows of sargassum every day.
It is a Sisyphean task at a beach north of Tulum, where huge mats of seaweed float just offshore.
“If we clean it all off today, tomorrow more will have washed in,” said another worker, Austin Valle.
But workers like Martínez and Valle are exposing themselves to more than just the burning sun, says Rosa Rodríguez Martínez, a biologist in the beachside town of Puerto Morelos who studies reefs and coastal ecosystems for Mexico’s National Autonomous University.
“At the university we have started to measure the quantity of gases that sargassum produces when it is scraped up,” Rodríguez Martínez said. “At one spot (in a decomposed pile of seaweed) it reached 56 parts per million. That’s very high. Above two, that can be dangerous for people with respiratory problems.”
“I took off running” from the spot, she said.
Martínez Lara doesn’t have the luxury of avoiding the hydrogen sulfide gas. Like almost every other sargassum worker on the coast, he has no mask, gas sensor or medical care. He works at a day rate for the person who owns the house in front of the beach.
“When sargassum rots, it gives off a very strong odor like acid, and it is very bothersome when you breath it; it hurts a lot,” Martínez Lara said. He said he takes more simple precautions.
“We try to clean it off (the beach) as quickly as possible … to get it off when it is as fresh as possible,” he says.
A 2019 article in the Journal of Travel Medicine includes the disturbing warning, “More chronic exposure to these gasses can lead to conjunctival and neurocognitive symptoms such as memory loss and impaired balance, as well as non-specific symptoms such as headache, nausea and fatigue.”
The Florida Health Department, on the other hand, says “hydrogen sulfide levels in an area like the beach, where large amounts of air flow can dilute levels, is not expected to harm health.”
The sargassum problem isn’t as bad for tourists as for workers. But neither is it pleasant.
Ligia Collado-Vides, a marine botanist at Florida International University who specializes in studying macroalgae like sargassum, said, “If you’re swimming for a little bit, it shouldn’t be a danger at all,” but added that tiny jellyfish cousins known as hydrozoa often inhabit sargassum mats.
“If you’re going to be there for a long time playing in the sargassum, you can get like many, many, many stings from hydrozoans and those are toxic,” she noted, adding that long sleeves — something almost nobody wears at the beach — might help.
Sarah Callaway, a tourist from Denver, Colorado, was pretty much confined to playing with her kids in the pool in front of their rented beach house.
“The property is beautiful, but we were automatically struck … by the smell,” Callaway said. “The smell is really pungent and very strong. And then, yeah, we were disappointed with how much seaweed sargasso there is here.”
“The kids have tried to get in the ocean, but then they get kind of overwhelmed by it. So we really haven’t gotten to do the beach part of it, which is why we came,” she said.
It will also impact locals who depend on the tourist trade. Hundreds of thousands of people migrated to the coast in recent years for better paying jobs, but some may now be considering leaving.
Valle, the seaweed cleaner, said one of his friends in Tulum has been thinking of giving up her snack stand business because sales have dipped so much.
It’s hard to measure the impact on tourism. The Caribbean coast suffered a drop in visits during the coronavirus pandemic, but because Mexico never declared travel restrictions, testing requirements or mandatory mask rules, Americans have continued to come.
International tourism to the country as a whole surpassed pre-pandemic levels in the first half of 2022, with 10.26 million visitors from January to June, 1.5% higher than the 10.11 million tourists who arrived in Mexico in the first half of 2019.
Mexico’s strongest showing was with U.S. tourists. The number of Americans arriving by air in the first six months of 2022 was 6.66 million; that is 19.1% higher than in the same period of 2019.
But that boom may be slowing. Grupo Financiero Base noted in a research report that international tourist arrivals in June 2022 were down 13.8% from levels in June 2019. It’s unclear what — sargassum, inflation, or the war in Ukraine — may have caused that dip.
And overall tourist spending remains below pre-pandemic levels.
The picture is mixed because some of the most-heavily developed resorts like Cancun have not suffered as much from sargassum as lower-key resorts further south, like Playa del Carmen and Tulum.
Ocean currents and islands like Isla Mujeres shield Cancun from much of the floating sargassum. Given the large number of big hotels in Cancun with huge cleaning staffs and money to deploy floating booms, what sargassum does arrive is cleaned up more quickly.
The jury is still out on the floating booms, meant to trap sargassum mats at sea before they reach the beach.
“When the sea is calm, all types of booms work,” Rodríguez Martínez said. “When there are waves, none of them work.”
Some tourists like the area so much they’ll keep coming back.
“I will absolutely be back. We love it here,” said Jeff Chambers, a tourist from Palm Desert, California, who was strolling down the main seaside street in Tulum. “We like things a little slower.”
Some locals like Victor Reyes, who works in real estate in Tulum, are more sanguine about the seaweed, noting that it’s not so bad in the winter months.
“In the winter it’s better. In November, when the tourists want to come, the sargassum is gone,” Reyes says.
As bad as sargassum is for people — and Collado-Vides stresses that much more study is needed — it’s far worse for seagrass, fish and other marine life suffocated by seaweed that drops to the bottom, decomposes and creates oxygen-depleted or anoxic layers similar to dead zones.
“Sargassum stays there and goes down into the water column so nobody sees it, but on the bottom it is creating anoxic conditions,” she said.
Recounting one recent monitoring expedition, Collado-Vides said: “It’s really terrible … the amount of vertebrates, the amount of crabs, the amount of fish dead in just a 1-square meter quadrant.” | https://www.wspa.com/news/national/nexstar-media-wire/photos-mountains-of-seaweed-grow-on-mexicos-caribbean-coast/ | 2022-08-31T10:27:15Z | wspa.com | control | https://www.wspa.com/news/national/nexstar-media-wire/photos-mountains-of-seaweed-grow-on-mexicos-caribbean-coast/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
MOMBASA, Kenya (AP) — Africa’s nations must develop strategies to address climate change which poses an existential threat to the continent’s megacities, Gabon’s President Ali Bongo Adimba said at the third Africa Climate Week conference.
African officials and experts should sharpen the positions they will present at the 27th annual United Nations climate conference to be held in Egypt in November, said Bongo.
The third African climate meeting is bringing together more than 1,000 government officials and stakeholders in Gabon’s capital Libreville. They are working to form strong African regional climate responses.
“Climate change is a profound challenge in Africa and a great challenge of our time, amplifying existing social, political and economic inequalities,” Patricia Scotland, Secretary-General of the Commonwealth group of former British colonies, said to the meeting.
The African climate week comes as the continent reels by several extreme weather events such as drought in East Africa and the Horn of Africa, sandstorms and extreme heat in West Africa’s Sahel region, and destructive flash floods, storm surges including cyclones in central, western and southern Africa.
Egypt’s Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry, who will host the upcoming U.N. conference, lamented that promises made to African countries to help them fight climate change have not been fulfilled.
“The international community is lagging behind in mitigation, adaptation and finance. Several pledges on mitigation and adaptation finance celebrated in Glasgow are yet to be delivered,” said Shoukry.
He said the “backtracking on commitments by many developed countries is a matter of concern” for many African countries. “The delayed delivery of climate finance continues to affect Africa’s efforts to contribute to the global effort against climate change,” he said.
The African climate week conference will discuss other critical concerns of the continent including food security, carbon markets, climate migrants, and coastal resilience. Climate early warning systems, integrated water management to address scarcity and international cooperation to boost climate action are also issues to be examined.
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Associated Press climate and environmental coverage receives support from several private foundations. See more about AP’s climate initiative here. The AP is solely responsible for all content. | https://www.wspa.com/news/world-news/ap-international/ap-africa-urged-to-propose-action-on-climate-at-conference/ | 2022-08-31T10:27:21Z | wspa.com | control | https://www.wspa.com/news/world-news/ap-international/ap-africa-urged-to-propose-action-on-climate-at-conference/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
NUSA DUA, Indonesia (AP) — Environment officials from the Group of 20 leading rich and developing nations are gathering Wednesday on Indonesia’s resort island of Bali for talks to spur global climate action and other troubles that have worsened due to the war in Ukraine.
Implementing each G-20 nation’s contribution and synchronizing targets among developing and developed countries are to be discussed in the closed-door meetings, Indonesia’s environment minister Siti Nurbaya said before the one-day meeting.
She expected the meeting to produce a joint agreement with three priority issues — sustainable recovery, land-based and ocean-based climate action as well as resource mobilization — to realizing the Paris Agreement, the first universal and legally binding commitment on climate change.
Nurbaya opened the meeting by urging fellow environment ministers to safeguard environmental multilateralism and to make it work, as it is the only way to effectively coordinate efforts to tackle global challenges.
“Environmental multilateralism is the only mechanism where all countries, regardless of their size and wealth, stand on equal footing and equal treatment,” Nurbaya said. “The voices of all countries, North and South, developed and developing, must be heard.”
Indonesia, the holder of this year’s G-20 presidency, ratified the Paris Agreement in 2016. The country is committed to reducing emissions by 41% with international assistance by 2030, or by 29% independently.
U.S. climate envoy John Kerry was among 17 environment ministers and climate officials in addition to over 200 delegates who were attending the talks in person. Top officials from China, Russia and Argentina joined the meeting virtually.
In their closed-door meetings, the environment ministers are seeking for ways to increase efforts to control climate change and prevent a 1.5 degree Celsius rise in global temperatures in line with the Paris Agreement and also searching for commitments from developed countries to fulfill their own climate pledges and climate financing for developing countries.
Russia’s war in Ukraine still overshadows Wednesday’s talks as countries raised its global environment impact.
Italy’s climate envoy Alessandro Modiano in his speech said the war was having grave consequences on the environment, on food and energy security, on the pandemic recovery efforts as well as on pursuing of sustainable development goals.
“I must therefore stress that my government consider crucial to have in this final text, a clear language that reflects the unjustifiable and unprovoked Russia war of aggression against Ukraine,” Modiano said.
That apparent commitments may be put to the test as the G-20 environment ministers meet in the heavily-guarded Nusa Dua tourist haven to lay the groundwork for the leaders meeting in November in Bali, the mostly Hindu “island of the gods” in the majority Muslim archipelago nation.
In recent years, signs of climate change have become glaring, including in Indonesia, the world’s largest archipelago nation of more than 17,000 islands. Last year, Indonesia’s National Disaster Mitigation Agency reported a total of 2,943 disasters, comprising 1,288 floods, 623 landslides and 677 tornadoes.
The agency said most disasters were classified as hydro-meteorological disasters and strongly influenced by climatic conditions. Environment watchdog Indonesian Forum for the Environment has predicted that hydro-meteorological disasters in Indonesia will increase 7% this year.
Despite the worsening impact of climate change, financing for the coal industry continues to accelerate in Indonesia. Between 2014-2019, bank loans for coal-fired power plants alone reached $19.4 billion, involving a number of state-owned banks, according to the government data.
Southeast Asia’s largest economy is a key exporter of coal, palm oil and minerals amid a global shortage in commodities after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Coal exports increased to record levels in March after a brief ban on its shipments early this year to secure domestic supplies.
Members of the G-20 account for about 80% of the world’s economic output, two-thirds of the world’s populations and an estimated 80% of global greenhouse gas emissions.
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Karmini reported from Jakarta. | https://www.wspa.com/news/world-news/ap-international/ap-g20-environment-ministers-in-bali-spur-global-climate-action/ | 2022-08-31T10:27:35Z | wspa.com | control | https://www.wspa.com/news/world-news/ap-international/ap-g20-environment-ministers-in-bali-spur-global-climate-action/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
BERLIN (AP) — The families of 11 Israeli athletes killed by Palestinian attackers at the 1972 Munich Olympics are close to reaching a deal with the German government over a long-disputed compensation claim, German and Israeli media reported Wednesday.
Earlier this month, the families had threatened to boycott Monday’s 50-year anniversary ceremony in Munich organized by German authorities because they said the amount they had been offered was too low.
Several media reported Wednesday that Germany increased its offer to the families to around 28 million euros (dollars), but that a final deal, while close, had not yet been signed.
German media have reported that during negotiations over the last few weeks, the German government initially offered 10 million euros to the families, which would include the payments already made. The government has not publicly revealed how much money it has offered.
The negotiations over the amount of the compensation underscores a lingering point of friction between the two countries that have built strong ties despite the enduring legacy of the Nazi Holocaust, in which 6 million Jews were murdered during World War II.
Members of the Palestinian group Black September broke into the Olympic Village, killed two athletes from Israel’s national team and took nine more hostage on Sept. 5, 1972. The attackers hoped to force the release of Palestinian prisoners held by Israel as well as two left-wing extremists in West German jails.
All nine hostages and a West German police officer died during a rescue attempt by German forces. Relatives of the athletes accuse Germany of failing to secure the Olympic Village, refusing Israeli help and then botching the rescue operation.
Immediately after the attack, Germany made payments to relatives of the victims amounting to about 4.19 million marks (about 2 million euros or dollars), according to the the country’s interior ministry. In 2002, the surviving relatives received an additional 3 million euros, Germany’s dpa news agency reported. | https://www.wspa.com/news/world-news/ap-international/ap-olympics-attack-victims-families-close-to-deal-with-germany/ | 2022-08-31T10:27:51Z | wspa.com | control | https://www.wspa.com/news/world-news/ap-international/ap-olympics-attack-victims-families-close-to-deal-with-germany/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — A Saudi court has sentenced a woman to 45 years in prison for allegedly damaging the country through her social media activity, according to a court document obtained Wednesday. It was the second such sentence that has drawn scrutiny of the kingdom this month.
Little is known about Nourah bint Saeed al-Qahtani, who hails from one of the biggest tribes in Saudi Arabia and has no apparent history of activism. An official charge sheet seen by The Associated Press and human rights groups describes her case as involving her social media use, though Saudi officials did not respond to requests for comment.
The sentence follows international outcry over a similar 34-year prison sentence handed down to Salma al-Shehab, a Saudi doctoral student at Leeds University in England.
Earlier this month, a specialized criminal court delivered the 45-year sentence under the kingdom’s broad counterterrorism and cybercrime laws. That court, which normally handles political and national security cases, gave the sentence during al-Qahtani’s appeal of her earlier conviction.
Judges accused al-Qahtani of “disrupting the cohesion of society” and “destabilizing the social fabric,” according to the charge sheet, citing her activity on social media. They alleged al-Qahtani “offended the public order through the information network.”
It remains unclear what al-Qahtani posted online or where her hearing was held. She was taken into custody on July 4, 2021, according to the Washington-based human rights watchdog Democracy for the Arab World Now, which is critical of the kingdom.
“This seems like the beginning of a new wave of sentences and convictions by new judges who have been placed in the specialized criminal court,” said Abdullah Alaoudh, DAWN’s regional director.
The Freedom Initiative, another Washington-based human rights group, also denounced al-Qahtani’s “outrageously long” prison sentence.
“It’s very hard to ignore the fact that we are seeing these sentences as (Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman) has received increased legitimacy in the international realm,” said Allison McManus, the group’s research director.
The social media sentences have renewed attention on Prince Mohammed’s crackdown on dissent, even as the ultraconservative Islamic nation has granted women new freedoms like the right to drive.
President Joe Biden traveled to the oil-rich kingdom in July for a meeting with Prince Mohammed, in which he said he confronted him about human rights. Biden came to office vowing to make Saudi Arabia a “pariah” over the 2018 killing of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi.
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Follow Isabel DeBre on Twitter at www.twitter.com/isabeldebre. | https://www.wspa.com/news/world-news/ap-international/ap-saudi-woman-gets-45-years-in-prison-for-social-media-use/ | 2022-08-31T10:27:58Z | wspa.com | control | https://www.wspa.com/news/world-news/ap-international/ap-saudi-woman-gets-45-years-in-prison-for-social-media-use/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
WARSAW, Poland (AP) — In the Latvian capital of Riga, an obelisk that soared high above a park to commemorate the Soviet Army’s capture of that nation in 1944 was toppled last week. It crashed into a pond to the cheers of those watching.
Days earlier in Estonia, a replica of a Soviet tank with the communist red star was removed by cranes and trucked away to a museum — one of up to 400 destined for removal. And in Poland, Lithuania and Czechia, monuments to the Red Army have been coming down for months, a belated purge of what many see as symbols of past oppression.
Russia’s war on Ukraine has given a renewed push to topple the last remaining Soviet monuments in nations that regained their sovereignty from Moscow more than three decades ago. These countries now belong to NATO and the European Union and are staunch supporters of Ukraine.
At the end of the communist era, when Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia regained their independence from the Soviet Union and Poland and its neighbors rejected Moscow-backed communism, those nations began renaming streets and purging the most hated symbols, including statues of Soviet founder Vladimir Lenin and other communist bosses. Many of these relics are now housed in museums.
In Warsaw, authorities in 1989 quickly toppled a monument to Felix Dzerzhinsky, a Polish aristocrat who organized the Soviet secret police after the 1917 Bolshevik revolution. Under his rule, the Cheka, the forerunner of the KGB, was responsible for a wave of terror.
Such changes followed the reforms of Mikhail Gorbachev, the last Soviet leader, who died in a Moscow hospital on Tuesday at the age of 91.
But memorials to Soviet soldiers or their role in defeating Nazi Germany remained in many places, met with indifference or respect for the ordinary soldiers who died fighting Adolf Hitler’s brutal regime.
The war in Ukraine, however, has triggered memories of how some of those soldiers also raped local women and carried out other war crimes.
Krista Sarv, the research director for the Estonian History Museum, said after statues of Lenin and other leading communists were toppled in the 1990s, people could largely ignore the other memorials. But views changed suddenly after the Russian invasion of Ukraine on Feb. 24, and now the memorials “scream loudly about occupation and annexation.”
Karol Nawrocki, the head of Poland’s Institute of National Remembrance which is overseeing the removal of the monuments, says “before our eyes, history has become a living experience.”
“Dressed in the uniforms of the Russian Federation, with Lenin and Stalin in their heads and hearts, Russian soldiers ‘liberate’ Ukraine by murdering women, children and killing soldiers,” Nawrocki said.
“Let it be clear: There is no place in the Polish public space for any commemoration of the totalitarian communist regime and its people,” he added.
A 2016 decommunization law had already called for a purge of communist symbols and names, but some municipalities did not have the money for that, so the institute has stepped in to help. Since February, the Polish institute has identified 60 monuments for removal — and has toppled more than 20.
In Lithuania, a number of remaining Soviet memorials have been removed since the spring to little protest. But in Latvia and Estonia, which have sizeable Russian minorities, the removals have stirred greater emotions, with local Russians — and the Russian government — seeing it as an offense against their war heroes.
Dmitry Prokopenko, a Russian-speaking Latvian who opposed removing the Riga obelisk, said his grandparents fought and a great-grandfather died in the fight “for freedom against the Nazis.” To him, the memorial honored their sacrifice.
“Latvia is a land where Latvians and Russians live together,” he said. “I think that one part of the state, one part of the country, should respect also the rights of the other part.”
The Russian Foreign Ministry on Tuesday released a lengthy statement denouncing the demolition of Soviet monuments in the Baltic countries as “barbaric” and threatening Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia with retaliatory measures.
In apparent slap against Poland, Belarus last week reportedly leveled a memorial containing the graves of Polish wartime soldiers.
Polish officials declared that action barbaric, given that Poland has a policy of not disturbing the graves of Soviet soldiers. Rafal Leskiewicz, a historian with the Polish remembrance institute, explained “as Christians, we treat graves as holy ground. It doesn’t matter who is in the graves.”
In some cases locals support keeping Red Army memorials because of its role in defeating Nazi Germany. Some fear the erasure of historical memory, or see an affront to their own ancestors who fought alongside the Soviets.
In Poland’s northern city of Gdansk, there’s been a heated debate about a Soviet T-34 tank on Victory Avenue, and the city has decided not to remove it. The tank commander was a Polish lieutenant, and Polish soldiers played a key role in freeing the former German city of Danzig from the Nazis.
In an open letter, two descendants of wartime Polish soldiers expressed their indignation at the removal of monuments.
They recalled that Polish soldiers died fighting with the Soviets to free Poland from the Nazis and that the Soviet victory resulted in Poland receiving a swath of defeated Germany’s territory and cities including Gdansk and Wroclaw. They also noted it was the Red Army that liberated Auschwitz, Majdanek and many other Nazi death camps.
“Had it not been for the victory of Polish and Soviet soldiers in May 1945, Poland might not have existed at all,” said the letter by magazine editor Pawel Dybicz and historian August Grabski.
But many other Poles note that World War II broke out after Soviet Union and Nazi Germany agreed secretly in 1939 to carve up Poland and the Baltic states. Only after Germany betrayed and invaded the Soviet Union did the Red Army begin to fight the Germans.
Even before Russia’s war in Ukraine, the monuments have been a source of tensions.
In 2007, the relocation of a World War II monument of a Red Army soldier in Tallinn, Estonia, sparked days of rioting.
In 2013, an artist put up a statue depicting a Soviet soldier raping a pregnant woman next to the Gdansk tank. The unauthorized sculpture was quickly removed. After Russia invaded Ukraine, a different artist covered the tank with a large hand-sewn Ukrainian flag to protest what he called the “tyranny” of Russian President Vladimir Putin.
In March, as Poland was figuring out a timetable for taking down Soviet monuments, a resident of the northern city of Koszalin took matters into his own hands. He drove an excavator onto a cemetery and toppled the statue of a Soviet soldier being hugged by a girl.
Nawrocki says the official removal of Soviet monuments in Poland is progressing at “a very fast pace, but it is a matter that should have been settled long ago.”
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Follow all AP stories on the impact of the war in Ukraine at https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine. | https://www.wspa.com/news/world-news/ap-international/ap-statues-topple-as-europe-purges-communist-monuments/ | 2022-08-31T10:28:12Z | wspa.com | control | https://www.wspa.com/news/world-news/ap-international/ap-statues-topple-as-europe-purges-communist-monuments/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Former US Open champion Bianca Andreescu apologised to her sponsor Nike for an on-court outburst after her choice of wardrobe for Monday's first-round match landed her in a spot of bother amid windy conditions.
Andreescu was out on the Grandstand court to play Harmony Tan but the winds at the open arena kept blowing her skirt up and affecting her shots, forcing the 22-year-old to approach the chair umpire and request an additional bathroom break to change.
"Will this not count as one of my changeovers? I mean it's not my fault, it's Nike's fault," she told the umpire.
"This dress is so, so bad... I need to go (change), this is really bad."
Andreescu returned wearing a white Nike tank top and skirt to eventually beat Tan 6-0, 3-6, 6-1.
"It was just bothering me on some forehands. I just felt like it was kind of coming up a bit. Obviously the wind didn't help," she told reporters.
"But I meant no disrespect with what I said to the umpire. I was trying to convince him to not take away that washroom break, because I know we only get two. He was very nice to say it was totally okay.
"I could have definitely used a different choice of wording. So I apologise to anyone I disrespected. I love Nike and I hope I can be with them for the rest of my life!"
Andreescu will play Beatriz Haddad Maia in the second round. | https://www.onmanorama.com/sports/tennis/2022/08/30/andreescu-apologises-to-nike-for-on-court-outburst-video.html | 2022-08-31T10:32:16Z | onmanorama.com | control | https://www.onmanorama.com/sports/tennis/2022/08/30/andreescu-apologises-to-nike-for-on-court-outburst-video.html | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Former Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev, who helped end the Cold War, has died By Charles Maynes Published August 31, 2022 at 2:06 AM PDT Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Former Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev, who played a pivotal role in the end of the Cold War, has died at the age of 91 in Moscow. Copyright 2022 NPR | https://www.klcc.org/2022-08-31/former-soviet-leader-mikhail-gorbachev-who-helped-end-the-cold-war-has-died | 2022-08-31T10:32:23Z | klcc.org | control | https://www.klcc.org/2022-08-31/former-soviet-leader-mikhail-gorbachev-who-helped-end-the-cold-war-has-died | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
The government in Vietnam's capital Hanoi is bringing back archaic neighborhood loudspeakers to deliver information to the people. Few of them seem to want it.
Michael Sullivan is NPR's Senior Asia Correspondent. He moved to Hanoi to open NPR's Southeast Asia Bureau in 2003. Before that, he spent six years as NPR's South Asia correspondent based in but seldom seen in New Delhi. | https://www.klcc.org/2022-08-31/hanoi-brings-back-neighborhood-loudspeakers | 2022-08-31T10:32:29Z | klcc.org | control | https://www.klcc.org/2022-08-31/hanoi-brings-back-neighborhood-loudspeakers | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
New York: Serena Williams extended her remarkable career by at least one more match after a gritty win in the US Open first round on Monday, while Stefanos Tsitsipas and Simona Halep became high-profile casualties on an electric opening night.
Williams, who indicated her intention to retire earlier this month but never confirmed the US Open as her final tournament, beat Montenegro's Danka Kovinic 6-3 6-3 in front of a packed Arthur Ashe Stadium.
"I've been pretty vague about it, right," Williams said. "I'm going to stay vague because you never know."
Former world number one Halep suffered a shock first-round exit to Ukrainian qualifier Daria Snigur, who won 6-2 0-6 6-4 on her Grand Slam main draw debut, while last year's finalist Leylah Fernandez saw off Oceane Dodin of France 6-3 6-4.
An already depleted men's draw opened up even further after Tsitsipas was knocked out by Colombian qualifier Daniel Galan, who clinched the 6-0 6-1 3-6 7-5 win on his ninth match point.
Top American seed Taylor Fritz was ousted by compatriot and qualifier Brandon Holt, the son of former two-time US Open champion Tracy Austin, who marked his Tour level debut with an upset 6-7(3) 7-6(1) 6-3 6-4 win.
Russia's Daniil Medvedev, barred from competing at Wimbledon due to his country's invasion of Ukraine, returned to the Grand Slam stage in New York and began his title defence by crushing American Stefan Kozlov 6-2 6-4 6-0.
Wimbledon finalist Nick Kyrgios triumphed over doubles partner Thanasi Kokkinakis 6-3 6-4 7-6(4) in an all-Australian
affair at Arthur Ashe Stadium, powering to victory in two hours. "When we both saw the draw, it was a nightmare," said
Kyrgios, who won the Australian Open doubles title with Kokkinakis earlier this year. "We're going to play each other,
hopefully, never again."
Former champion Andy Murray began his campaign with a 7-5 6-3 6-3 win over Argentine 24th seed Francisco Cerundolo, who
made several unforced errors. "Very tricky conditions, very humid and hot but I was really
happy with the way I got through that one," Murray said following his win at Louis Armstrong Stadium. | https://www.onmanorama.com/sports/tennis/2022/08/30/tsitsipis-halep-us-open.html | 2022-08-31T10:32:42Z | onmanorama.com | control | https://www.onmanorama.com/sports/tennis/2022/08/30/tsitsipis-halep-us-open.html | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
New York: World number one Daniil Medvedev opened his US Open title defence by walloping American Stefan Kozlov 6-2 6-4 6-0 in sweltering conditions on Arthur Ashe Stadium on Monday.
The Russian had an inconsistent run-up to Flushing Meadows but was back to top form on the court where he won his maiden Grand Slam title a year ago, sending across 10 aces and neutralising Kozlov's serve.
"Most pleased to win first of all... not easy conditions," said Medvedev, who repeatedly wrapped an ice towel around his neck to keep cool in the humid, 85-degree Fahrenheit (29.4 Celsius) conditions. "Serve was quite the key today."
The pair traded breaks early in the first set before Medvedev got his motor running, clinching the next four games as Kozlov won fewer than half of his first-serve points.
Kozlov was no match for Medvedev's raw power in the second set. The American scraped his wrist and knee after he dived to retrieve the ball, but ended up falling to the ground heavily in the ninth game that saw Medvedev break him to love.
He called on the trainer to tend to the injuries but Medvedev showed no mercy as he raced through the final set like a bullet train in just 27 minutes to set up a meeting with Frenchman Arthur Rinderknech in the second round. | https://www.onmanorama.com/sports/tennis/2022/08/30/us-open-daniil-medvedev-beats-stefan-kozlov.amp.html | 2022-08-31T10:32:49Z | onmanorama.com | control | https://www.onmanorama.com/sports/tennis/2022/08/30/us-open-daniil-medvedev-beats-stefan-kozlov.amp.html | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
NPR Food For some in the Gaza Strip, summer tastes like a baby watermelon cooked over flames By Daniel Estrin Published August 31, 2022 at 2:06 AM PDT Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email It's a summertime delicacy — unripe baby watermelons are cooked over flames in the Gaza Strip. Copyright 2022 NPR | https://www.klcc.org/npr-food/2022-08-31/for-some-in-the-gaza-strip-summer-tastes-like-a-baby-watermelon-cooked-over-flames | 2022-08-31T10:33:00Z | klcc.org | control | https://www.klcc.org/npr-food/2022-08-31/for-some-in-the-gaza-strip-summer-tastes-like-a-baby-watermelon-cooked-over-flames | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
New York: Maybe it makes sense that Emma Raducanu would try to find something positive from becoming only the third woman in the professional era to lose in the US Open's first round one year after winning the championship.
Maybe, too, it seems like a bit of a stretch.
Still, whether she was trying to convince others or herself, that was how Raducanu spoke about moving on from bowing out 6-3, 6-3 against Aliz Cornet on Tuesday night in her opening match at Flushing Meadows in 2022 following that remarkable run to the trophy as an unseeded 18-year-old qualifier in 2021.
The other defending champions who went home this quickly at the American Grand Slam tournament were Svetlana Kuznetsova, who won it in 2004, and Angelique Kerber, who won it in 2016 (and lost in the first round in 2017 to Naomi Osaka, who had yet to win any of her four major trophies).
Raducanu dealt with blisters on her racket-holding right hand, as she had earlier this year, and took a medical timeout after the first set for treatment from a trainer.
She also was simply outplayed by Cornet, a 32-year-old from France who beat past major champions Simona Halep at the Australian Open, Jelena Ostapenko at the French Open and Iga Swiatek at Wimbledon, ending the No. 1-ranked woman's 37-match winning streak at Wimbledon.
Meanwhile, Venus bowed out in the first round for the second consecutive appearance, losing 6-1, 7-6 (5) to Alison Van Uytvanck.
In the men's draw, four-time champion Rafael Nadal overcame a scare to defeat Australian wildcard Rinky Hijikata. Nadal triumphed 4-6, 6-2, 6-3, 6-3 over his 198th-ranked opponent to register his 65th career win in New York. | https://www.onmanorama.com/sports/tennis/2022/08/31/raducanu-us-open-title-defense-ends-with-loss-in-first-round.amp.html | 2022-08-31T10:33:02Z | onmanorama.com | control | https://www.onmanorama.com/sports/tennis/2022/08/31/raducanu-us-open-title-defense-ends-with-loss-in-first-round.amp.html | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
New York: The welcome and support for Venus Williams in Arthur Ashe Stadium on Tuesday afternoon were not the same as they were for her sister, Serena, a night earlier. Nor was the result.
Venus, who turned 42 in June, has not made any pronouncements about her future in tennis, unlike her younger sibling, and while she has been successful and influential, too a seven-time Grand Slam champion; a Black woman in a predominantly white sport the fanfare and attention are not the same.
Playing in front of thousands of empty blue seats in an arena quite silent at the start, although growing louder later, Venus bowed out in the first round of the US Open for the second consecutive appearance, losing 6-1, 7-6 (5) to Alison Van Uytvanck.
This was the 23rd trip to Flushing Meadows for Venus, who made it to the final in 1997 as a teen then won the trophy in 2000 and 2001, and her record 91st time participating in a major tournament.
At night, Emma Raducanu became only the third defending US Open champion to lose in the first round, eliminated by Aliz Cornet 6-3, 6-3.
And yet another past champ bowed out in straight sets when Naomi Osaka, who won two of her four Grand Slam titles in New York, was eliminated by Australian Open runner-up Danielle Collins 7-6 (5), 6-3 in a match that ended after midnight.
Osaka, a former No. 1, also lost in the first round of the French Open this year and has slid to 44th in the rankings. She had been 3-0 head-to-head against Collins, but this fun-to-watch, hard-hitting matchup went the other way.
Raducanu, who was 18 and ranked 150th when she won the title as a qualifier a year ago, was bothered by hand blisters and was outplayed by Cornet, a 32-year-old from France who also upset No 1 Iga Swiatek at Wimbledon.
Swiatek, meanwhile, cruised into the second round after crushing Italy's Jasmine Paolini 6-3, 6-0.
Also playing under the lights was 22-time major champion Rafael Nadal, who returned to the US Open for the first time since 2019 and beat 21-year-old Rinky Hijikata 4-6, 6-2, 6-3, 6-3. Nadal did not show any serious lingering issues with the torn abdominal muscle that forced him out of Wimbledon in July.
Rybakina became the latest top seed to exit the tournament after suffering a shock 6-4 6-4 defeat by French qualifier Clara Burel.
Third seed Carlos Alcaraz, who became the youngest man to reach the quarter-final in New York a year ago, advanced after his Argentine opponent Sebastian Baez retired when the Spanish teenager was leading 7-5, 7-5, 2-0.
Germany's Andrea Petkovic was visibly emotional on Tuesday as she headed into retirement following a 6-2, 4-6, 6-4 loss to Swiss Olympic champion Belinda Bencic in the first round. | https://www.onmanorama.com/sports/tennis/2022/08/31/us-open-venus-williams-raducanu-osaka-lose.html | 2022-08-31T10:33:22Z | onmanorama.com | control | https://www.onmanorama.com/sports/tennis/2022/08/31/us-open-venus-williams-raducanu-osaka-lose.html | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Around 160,000 people in and around Mississippi's capital Jackson lack access to running water. Morning Edition Host Leila Fadel talks about it with Associated Press reporter Michael Goldberg.
Copyright 2022 NPR
Around 160,000 people in and around Mississippi's capital Jackson lack access to running water. Morning Edition Host Leila Fadel talks about it with Associated Press reporter Michael Goldberg.
Copyright 2022 NPR | https://www.klcc.org/npr-news/npr-news/2022-08-31/heavy-rain-and-flooding-leave-jackson-miss-residents-without-running-water | 2022-08-31T10:33:31Z | klcc.org | control | https://www.klcc.org/npr-news/npr-news/2022-08-31/heavy-rain-and-flooding-leave-jackson-miss-residents-without-running-water | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
When Salman Rushdie was attacked last month, he was taking the stage at New York's Chautauqua Institution. The storied place in American cultural life is now rethinking how open it should be.
Copyright 2022 NPR
When Salman Rushdie was attacked last month, he was taking the stage at New York's Chautauqua Institution. The storied place in American cultural life is now rethinking how open it should be.
Copyright 2022 NPR | https://www.klcc.org/npr-top-stories/npr-top-stories/2022-08-31/chautauqua-institution-re-examines-security-after-salman-rushdie-attack | 2022-08-31T10:34:16Z | klcc.org | control | https://www.klcc.org/npr-top-stories/npr-top-stories/2022-08-31/chautauqua-institution-re-examines-security-after-salman-rushdie-attack | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
NEW YORK, Aug. 31, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- The Gross Law Firm issues the following notice to shareholders of Carvana Co..
Shareholders who purchased shares of CVNA during the class period listed are encouraged to contact the firm regarding possible lead plaintiff appointment. Appointment as lead plaintiff is not required to partake in any recovery.
CLASS PERIOD: May 6, 2020 to June 24, 2022
ALLEGATIONS: The complaint alleges that during the class period, Defendants issued materially false and/or misleading statements and/or failed to disclose that: (1) Carvana faced serious, ongoing issues with documentation, registration, and title with many of its vehicles; (2) as a result, Carvana was issuing unusually frequent temporary plates; (3) as a result of the foregoing, Carvana was violating laws and regulations in many existing markets; (4) as a result of the foregoing, Carvana risked its ability to continue business and/or expand its business in existing markets; (5) as a result of the foregoing, Carvana was at an increased risk of governmental investigation and action; (6) Carvana was in discussion with state and local authorities regarding the above-stated business tactics and issues; (7) Carvana was facing imminent and ongoing regulatory actions including license suspensions, business cessation, and probation in several states and counties including in Arizona, Illinois, Pennsylvania, Michigan, and North Carolina; and (8) as a result, Defendants' statements about Carvana's business, operations, and prospects, were materially false and misleading and/or lacked a reasonable basis at all relevant times.
DEADLINE: October 3, 2022 Shareholders should not delay in registering for this class action. Register your information here: https://securitiesclasslaw.com/securities/carvana-co-loss-submission-form/?id=31255&from=4
NEXT STEPS FOR SHAREHOLDERS: Once you register as a shareholder who purchased shares of CVNA during the timeframe listed above, you will be enrolled in a portfolio monitoring software to provide you with status updates throughout the lifecycle of the case. The deadline to seek to be a lead plaintiff is October 3, 2022. There is no cost or obligation to you to participate in this case.
WHY GROSS LAW FIRM? The Gross Law Firm is nationally recognized class action law firm, and our mission is to protect the rights of all investors who have suffered as a result of deceit, fraud, and illegal business practices. The Gross Law Firm is committed to ensuring that companies adhere to responsible business practices and engage in good corporate citizenship. The firm seeks recovery on behalf of investors who incurred losses when false and/or misleading statements or the omission of material information by a company lead to artificial inflation of the company's stock. Attorney advertising. Prior results do not guarantee similar outcomes.
CONTACT:
The Gross Law Firm
15 West 38th Street, 12th floor
New York, NY, 10018
Email: dg@securitiesclasslaw.com
Phone: (646) 453-8903
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SOURCE The Gross Law Firm | https://www.witn.com/prnewswire/2022/08/31/shareholder-alert-gross-law-firm-notifies-shareholders-carvana-co-class-action-lawsuit-lead-plaintiff-deadline-october-3-2022-nyse-cvna/ | 2022-08-31T10:37:16Z | witn.com | control | https://www.witn.com/prnewswire/2022/08/31/shareholder-alert-gross-law-firm-notifies-shareholders-carvana-co-class-action-lawsuit-lead-plaintiff-deadline-october-3-2022-nyse-cvna/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Market drivers include proliferation of data and DER, favorable policy and regulation, and cloud computing & SaaS
BOULDER, Colo., Aug. 31, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- A new report from Guidehouse Insights analyzes the global market for distributed energy resource (DER) management technologies. The report delineates several categories of DER management technologies to provide a clear picture of the market and vendor landscape for industry stakeholders. Guidehouse Insights classifies solutions into IT/OT systems, asset management and monitoring & control, and DER analytics.
As renewable energy investments continue to expand and grow rapidly across on-grid and off-grid locations, investments in DER management technologies have also gained momentum around the globe. According to a new report from Guidehouse Insights, the global DER management technology market is expected to grow to nearly $24.8 billion in 2030, at a CAGR of 15.9%. Investments in IT/OT systems and DER analytics are expected to account for the majority of global spending given the cost and complexity of sophisticated command and control systems and wide range of analytics applications.
"As nascent technologies, the only consistent definition for DER management technology is a solution that enables a collection of use cases for managing DER," says Michael Kelly, senior research analyst with Guidehouse Insights. "Software vendors are capitalizing on burgeoning opportunities throughout the space with enhanced offerings targeted at electric utilities, aggregators, project developers, and more."
Several market drivers are coalescing to increase demand for DER management technologies across global markets. They include proliferation of data and DER, favorable policy and regulation, and cloud computing & SaaS. These drivers are a result of natural market and technology evolution, as well as top-down initiatives by policymakers and utilities to support growth in DER, according to the report.
The report, Market Data: DER Management Technologies, analyzes the market for DER management technologies, including advanced distribution management systems (ADMS), grid- and edge-based distributed energy resource management systems (DERMS), virtual power plants (VPPs), local flexibility market platforms, renewables monitoring & control, and DER analytics. It aims to enable current and prospective electric utilities and service providers to understand the drivers for projected demand and likely investment in DER management solutions and services. The report provides outlook and analysis for five global regions for 2021 through 2030. An executive summary of the report is available for free download on the Guidehouse Insights website.
About Guidehouse Insights
Guidehouse Insights, the dedicated market intelligence arm of Guidehouse, provides research, data, and benchmarking services for today's rapidly changing and highly regulated industries. Our insights are built on in-depth analysis of global clean technology markets. The team's research methodology combines supply-side industry analysis, end-user primary research, and demand assessment, paired with a deep examination of technology trends, to provide a comprehensive view of emerging resilient infrastructure systems. Additional information about Guidehouse Insights can be found at www.guidehouseinsights.com.
About Guidehouse
Guidehouse is a leading global provider of consulting services to the public sector and commercial markets, with broad capabilities in management, technology, and risk consulting. By combining our public and private sector expertise, we help clients address their most complex challenges and navigate significant regulatory pressures focusing on transformational change, business resiliency, and technology-driven innovation. Across a range of advisory, consulting, outsourcing, and digital services, we create scalable, innovative solutions that help our clients outwit complexity and position them for future growth and success. The company has more than 13,000 professionals in over 50 locations globally. Guidehouse is a Veritas Capital portfolio company, led by seasoned professionals with proven and diverse expertise in traditional and emerging technologies, markets, and agenda-setting issues driving national and global economies. For more information, please visit www.guidehouse.com.
* The information contained in this press release concerning the report, Market Data: DER Management Technologies, is a summary and reflects the current expectations of Guidehouse Insights based on market data and trend analysis. Market predictions and expectations are inherently uncertain and actual results may differ materially from those contained in this press release or the report. Please refer to the full report for a complete understanding of the assumptions underlying the report's conclusions and the methodologies used to create the report. Neither Guidehouse Insights nor Guidehouse undertakes any obligation to update any of the information contained in this press release or the report.
Cecile Fradkin
+1.646.941.9139
cfradkin@scprgroup.com
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SOURCE Guidehouse Insights | https://www.wbko.com/prnewswire/2022/08/31/guidehouse-insights-estimates-global-market-distributed-energy-resource-management-technologies-will-grow-16-compound-annual-growth-rate/ | 2022-08-31T10:37:29Z | wbko.com | control | https://www.wbko.com/prnewswire/2022/08/31/guidehouse-insights-estimates-global-market-distributed-energy-resource-management-technologies-will-grow-16-compound-annual-growth-rate/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Looking for a good deal? This weekend brings some of the biggest sales between the summer, and Black Friday in November.
At Ace Hardware, workers are getting ready for a big Labor Day weekend, as they are at many other stores.
Grills and patio accessories are among the items on markdown, as they are at Home Depot and Lowe's.
Shannon Phoenix is ready to do some shopping.
"I'll be out, most likely because it is going to be my birthday, so I am sure I am going to buy myself something nice," she said.
A look at why sales are expected to be bigger than usual
In a normal year, you'll find the largest Labor Day markdowns on summer clearance. But, retail experts say this year, stores are so overstocked with items they ordered during the pandemic. And you should find more deals than usual.
Once stimulus checks ran out, and gas prices soared, shoppers tightened their purse strings, and at the same time, stores finally got all their orders delivered.
It's almost the opposite of last year when so many items were in short supply.
Smart shopping expert Trae Bodge of TrueTrae.com says that means great markdowns on "your large appliances, your mattresses, and furniture," she said.
You will also find deep discounts on clothing, she says, more so than in most years.
"Fall clothing is coming in later than expected," Trae said. "Retailers will be looking to clear their merchandise as quickly as possible, and that means sales," she said.
Retailers lighting up their websites with big end-of-summer deals include:
So whether you're shopping for clothing, electronics, or something to spruce up your home, Vanderbilt University Marketing professor Kelly Goldsmith says this weekend is the time to buy.
"We are going to be seeing the extra inventory they have, and the role that it plays in pricing for a good long while," she said. "Specifically, we're gonna see it until they sell those goods."
So take advantage of the Labor Day savings for some great late summer deals.
Or do some early holiday or birthday shopping, as Shannon Phoenix is hoping,
"Hopefully, someone sees this and buys me some presents for my birthday," she said, tongue in cheek.
And you don't need to wait till Saturday to shop: Many stores have already begun their Labor Day sales, so you don't waste your money.
________________
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For more consumer news and money saving advice, go to www.dontwasteyourmoney.com | https://www.wtxl.com/money/consumer/dont-waste-your-money/labor-day-sales-expected-to-be-better-than-ever-this-year | 2022-08-31T10:38:15Z | wtxl.com | control | https://www.wtxl.com/money/consumer/dont-waste-your-money/labor-day-sales-expected-to-be-better-than-ever-this-year | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Market
picture
Bitcoin has stopped falling but has still not managed to gain strength to rise, remaining near $20K. Ethereum remains more interesting for buyers, increasing 1.6% overnight to above $1600. Top altcoins showed mixed dynamics: from a decline of 1.3% (Dogecoin) to a rise of 2.2% (Cardano).
Total crypto market capitalisation, according to CoinMarketCap, rose 0.2% overnight to $997bn. The Cryptocurrency Fear & Greed Index fell 4 points to 23 by Wednesday and moved into "extreme fear" status.
The upcoming move to proof-of-stake creates a speculative component to Ethereum's dynamics. While in the short term, after September 6, there could be a "sell-through," causing pressure on the price, in the longer term, such a transition will strengthen interest in using Ethereum for transactions, making them cheaper. This promises more interest in the coin, allowing it to remain "better than the market".
On the data analysis side, ETHUSD is trying to get back above the 50-day average, which is an informal indicator of the medium-term trend. A consolidation above $1620, like in July, could be a prolonged rally with possible targets at $2000-2200 in the nearest future. The opposite is also true. A reversal down from this level will weaken bulls, as it did in February and April, triggering a new decline towards $1000.
News
background
Some 5,000 BTCs, which have been in "hibernation" for the past 7-9 years, are on the move, said Look Into Bitcoin founder Philip Swift, citing data from the Whale Shadows indicator. Historically, such spikes in activity have preceded significant price declines.
A link has been established between the 10,000 BTC, which on August 29 went in motion for the first time since 2013, and the bankrupt cryptocurrency exchange Mt.Gox, a Telegram channel reported.
Meanwhile, the US Federal Bureau of Investigation has advised investors to be wary of investing in decentralised finance (DeFi) projects as they are too vulnerable to hacking.
Iranian authorities have approved a comprehensive law regulating cryptocurrency transactions. In particular, imports from abroad with payment in digital assets are allowed.
This article was written by FxPro’s Senior Market Analyst Alex Kuptsikevich. | https://www.forexlive.com/Education/ether-fights-for-the-trend-20220831/ | 2022-08-31T10:38:22Z | forexlive.com | control | https://www.forexlive.com/Education/ether-fights-for-the-trend-20220831/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
KFAR SABA, Israel and SANTA CLARA, Calif., Aug. 31, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Sensifree LTD, a world innovator in advanced hemodynamic monitoring ("Sensifree"), received CE certificate for SentiCor-100® in compliance with the new EU MDR.
SentiCor-100® is the world's first PPG based Continuous Non-Invasive Blood Pressure (cNIBP) monitoring device approved for hospital use.
"This is an important landmark in our journey to set a new standard of care in hospital blood pressure monitoring" said Eran Agmon, Chief Executive Officer and co-founder of Sensifree. "The use of the low-cost, safe and trusted PPG sensor truly opens up the door for widespread deployment of cNIBP monitors in hospitals."
Sensifree also announced today on new OEM product release – SentiCor-X. Sensifree's clinically validated, patented innovative monitoring technology is now offered for integration into patient monitors and other medical devices that require advanced BP monitoring capabilities, packed in a small form factor and with standard interfaces.
Eran Agmon commented on this product release: "we see OEM customers as an important sales channel. Our technology lends itself for simple integration into ordinary patient monitors, allowing manufacturers to make their products stand out in the market. We are actively engaged with our business partners on bringing such products to the market in the very near future."
About Sensifree
Sensifree is an ISO13485 medical device company developing products based on its patented proprietary technology for advanced hemodynamic monitoring. The Company's first product, a continuous, non-invasive blood pressure (cNIBP) monitor, is designed for use in hospital's critical care settings. cNIBP monitoring would allow to identify episodes of low BP, which is a major risk factor in the development of post-surgical complications and mortality. For more information please visit www.sensifree.com
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SOURCE SENSIFREE | https://www.wbko.com/prnewswire/2022/08/31/sensifree-wins-ce-certification-senticor-100-continuous-non-invasive-blood-pressure-monitor/ | 2022-08-31T10:38:41Z | wbko.com | control | https://www.wbko.com/prnewswire/2022/08/31/sensifree-wins-ce-certification-senticor-100-continuous-non-invasive-blood-pressure-monitor/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Beloved budget supermarket Aldi is set to invest more than £16 million into Kent this year as part of the store’s next wave of expansion. Aldi has grown quite the favourable reputation over the years thanks to its more than affordable product range, boasting some of the lowest prices currently available on the market.
Now, the supermarket giant is set for some substantial expansion within the county, including the extensive renovation of a key branch as well as the creation of a brand new store totalling £16.2 million in investment. As part of the supermarket’s rapid expansion drive, the Dartford branch is to see a complete renovation this year.
Meanwhile, a shiny new store will open its doors in Kings Hill. Currently, Aldi aims to create 2,000 permanent new jobs across the UK this year.
Read more: Man cut with knife after armed thieves break into Sevenoaks property
In Kent, the business announced that it hopes to create 161 store roles before the year is through. Aldi has also recently increased its minimum hourly rates up to £10.50 nationally and £11.95 within the M25.
Also, Aldi currently stands as the only UK supermarket to offer paid breaks, which works out at £830 annually for the average store employee. Giles Hurley, Chief Executive Officer, Aldi UK and Ireland, said: “We’ve been helping Britain find the best value for money when it comes to their weekly shops for more than 30 years – and now more than ever we’re seeing heightened demand for our unbeatable prices.
“However, we know there are still areas that don’t have a store, or that need more to meet the increased customer demand we’ve witnessed in recent months. Our 2022 expansion plans are helping to achieve that, making the UK’s lowest-priced supermarket more accessible to even more people.”
Further information on applying for jobs within Aldi can be found here.
Get more on the latest news from KentLive straight to your inbox for free HERE .
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School uniform cost support: DWP government grant to Asda, Tesco and M&S deals | https://www.kentlive.news/whats-on/shopping/aldi-investing-162m-kent-new-7528824 | 2022-08-31T10:42:17Z | kentlive.news | control | https://www.kentlive.news/whats-on/shopping/aldi-investing-162m-kent-new-7528824 | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Forecast Updated on Wednesday, August 31, 2022, at 3:45am by WBOC Meteorologist Mike Lichniak
Today: Mostly sunny. Highs: 83-88. Winds: NW 5-15 mph.
Tonight: Clear. Lows: 60-70. Winds: NW 5-10 mph.
Thursday: Sunny. Highs: 84-88. Winds: NW-N 5-10 mph.
Thursday Night: Clear. Lows: 58-68. Winds: N 5-10 mph.
Friday: Sunny. Highs: 84-89. Winds: NE 5-15 mph.
Saturday: Mostly sunny. Highs: 86-90. Winds: SE 5-10 mph.
The cold front still is lingering out to our west as I write this in the morning and we should start to see a gradual drop in the humidity throughout the day. It will be a nice, refreshing change to the air for a few days across the area. The high pressure that comes from Canada will park itself overhead for a prolonged period of time, keeping us on the dry side. Temperatures on Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday will be in the 80s with a few folks starting to approach 90 by the weekend. The high begins to slide a little off the coast for the Labor Day holiday weekend with highs climbing into the low 90s for some on Sunday and Monday.
A chance of some showers and storms will enter the forecast late on Labor Day with a frontal boundary that will dive in from the north. This front will stall out overhead as we head into Tuesday and will protect us from a tropical system that will form in the Atlantic. The easterly flow will keep moisture in the area and will keep us in the clouds for most of Tuesday, but should dry out on Wednesday and Thursday as another nice ridge of high pressure settles into control of the forecast. | https://www.wboc.com/weather/forecast-summary/great-weather-around-through-start-of-holiday-weekend/article_b16d31c4-2900-11ed-8fcd-b735f0b9833d.html | 2022-08-31T10:44:44Z | wboc.com | control | https://www.wboc.com/weather/forecast-summary/great-weather-around-through-start-of-holiday-weekend/article_b16d31c4-2900-11ed-8fcd-b735f0b9833d.html | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Atlantic Ocean:
Wednesday: NW 10-20 knots. Seas: 2-3 feet.
Thursday: W 5-10 knots. Seas: 2-3 feet.
Chesapeake Bay:
Wednesday: Small Craft Advisory until Noon. NW 10-20 knots. Waves: 1-2 feet.
Thursday: NW 5-10 knots. Waves: 1 foot.
Delaware Bay:
Wednesday: NW 10-20 knots. Seas: 1-2 feet.
Thursday: NW 5-15 knots. Seas: 1-2 feet. | https://www.wboc.com/weather/on-the-waters/marine-forecast-for-wednesday-august-31-2022/article_d3cdf01e-2900-11ed-9bd7-0f93694294a8.html | 2022-08-31T10:44:50Z | wboc.com | control | https://www.wboc.com/weather/on-the-waters/marine-forecast-for-wednesday-august-31-2022/article_d3cdf01e-2900-11ed-9bd7-0f93694294a8.html | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
It’s been a bit more than a month since the last update, and as you can see a lot has gotten done.
As you can see, the trail itself is about 90% done, with only the far west end still needing to have concrete poured. The retaining wall appears to be complete as well. I assume there will be some groundskeeping work done before they declare victory – something needs to be done with all that exposed dirt, and maybe some small trees will be planted. But the heavy construction part is nearly finished.
Here’s a closer look at that western end:
As you can see from the other pictures, all of the big excavation machines are gone. I’m not sure if they’re supposed to come back, but one way or another there will be more concrete poured. You can see a bike rider on the finished part of the trail already. I’ve seen some people walking the trail, and I did so myself a few days ago. Had to trudge through some mud at the end of it, but it was otherwise usable. The question I have at this point is how this trail extension is actually going to connect to the existing Heights Bike Trail. This is how it looks from where you can hop onto the Heights trail from Frasier Street:
I’ve shown a version of that first picture before. At the time, the stones connected to the existing trail, and I had assumed that was a planned piece of the project. I still think it is, but I’m not sure what will be done with that extended mud trail that now runs parallel to the bike trail. Obviously, that was used to get equipment on and off of the construction site, and I assume something will be done with it before the work is completed. The sensible thing would be for the White Oak extension to connect to the Heights trail at the closest location, and for that bit of path from Frasier Street to the trail to be filled in with concrete. Hopefully we’ll see the answers to those questions in the next couple of weeks. I will of course let you know. | http://www.offthekuff.com/wp/?p=106764 | 2022-08-31T10:53:40Z | offthekuff.com | control | http://www.offthekuff.com/wp/?p=106764 | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
From Votebeat, how this mess got started.
Last November’s sleepy constitutional amendment election nearly came to blows in Gillespie County, a central Texas county known for its vineyards. A volunteer poll watcher, whose aggressive behavior had rankled election workers all day, attempted to force his way into a secure ballot vault.
The burly man was repeatedly blocked by a county elections staffer. Shouting ensued. “You can’t go in there,” the staffer, Terry Hamilton, insisted to the man, who towered over Hamilton. “We can see anything we want!” the poll watcher and his fellow election integrity activists yelled, according to an election worker who witnessed the scene. They accused Hamilton and Elections Administrator Anissa Herrera of a variety of violations of the state elections code, which they quoted, line by line.
“Oh Lord, they can cite chapter and verse,” recalled Sue Bentch, a Fredericksburg election judge who saw the confrontation that night. “But you know, just as the devil can cite scripture for its own purposes it seemed to me that it was often cited out of context and misinterpreted.”
“Finally, I called the sheriff’s officer,” said Bentch. The officer barred the activists from the vault. “Poor Terry was coming to fisticuffs.”
Previous elections had been no better. In 2020, a poll watcher called the cops on Herrera and filmed election employees in a dark parking lot. The same year, Herrera received a clutch of obscene, often racist, emails. And in 2019, a group of activists filed suit after Fredericksburg voters overwhelmingly rejected an obscure public-health ballot measure. That election, the activists argued, had been irrevocably tainted by fraud.
Three years of these hostilities were clearly enough for Herrera, who resigned this month.
The rest of the office staff — one full-time employee and one part-time employee — also departed, leaving the elections office completely vacant.
Recent media coverage of the exodus attributed it to threats of the type that have become common since the 2020 presidential election. In fact, Votebeat’s review of court documents, emails, and social media postings show Herrera and others struggling to combat fringe election conspiracy theories in Gillespie County long before former President Donald Trump encouraged his supporters to question the integrity of the 2020 vote.
In Gillespie County in 2019, the fringe was focused on fluoride.
See here for the background, and go read the rest, there’s a lot more. This is a reminder that shitty paranoid conspiracy theories existed well before The Former Guy, but as with most other bad things, he amplified and intensified them, in this case with some generous assistance from the Gillespie County Republican Party. I have no idea what a good way forward for Gillespie County is, but it’s not my problem to solve. I feel bad for the people of good faith who are trying to solve it. The problem is a lot bigger than they are. | http://www.offthekuff.com/wp/?p=106774 | 2022-08-31T10:53:48Z | offthekuff.com | control | http://www.offthekuff.com/wp/?p=106774 | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Good to see, though there are some questions that will need to be answered.
The Major League Baseball Players Association took an initial step toward unionizing the minor leagues Sunday night, sending out authorization cards that will allow minor league players to vote for an election that could make them MLBPA members.
“Minor leaguers represent our game’s future and deserve wages and working conditions that befit elite athletes who entertain millions of baseball fans nationwide,” players’ association executive director Tony Clark said Monday in a statement. “They’re an important part of our fraternity and we want to help them achieve their goals both on and off the field.”
The potential unionization of more than 5,000 minor leaguers is the latest action in a yearslong effort by players who won a $185 million settlement from the league in an unpaid wages class-action lawsuit and have received housing from teams and increased pay in recent years. Minor league players, whose compensation and benefits are not collectively bargained, continue to argue for higher salaries, which for a vast majority range from around $5,000 to $14,000 annually. Furthermore, the Senate Judiciary Committee has suggested it will call a hearing to explore MLB’s antitrust exemption and its treatment of minor leaguers.
[…]
Advocates for Minor Leaguers, the group that has spent recent years organizing minor league players, is now working with the MLBPA, which collectively bargains with MLB on behalf of the 1,200 players on major league rosters.
“The last couple years has been a buildup of players offering their voices and their concerns, with Advocates for Minor Leaguers continuing to echo and aggregate those voices in a way that have gotten us to this point,” Clark told ESPN.
In order for the MLBPA to represent minor leaguers in collective bargaining, 30% of players need to sign union authorization cards, which would prompt an election. If a majority of those who vote in an election choose for union representation, the National Labor Relations Board will require MLB to recognize the union. The league and MLBPA then would collectively bargain for minor leaguers, an outcome that even five years ago would have registered as farfetched.
You can see a statement from the MLBPA here. I’m all in favor of this, and Lord knows the minor league players need representation, between MLB’s relentless efforts to cut their pay and more recently reduce the number of minor league teams. It’s just that the MLBPA hasn’t necessarily been a friend to minor leaguers in previous CBAs. Which is understandable, since those players weren’t and still aren’t a part of that union and the MLBPA was aiming to get the best deal it could get for its members. If the owners put some MiLB concessions on the table as a chip, well, the MLBPA had to consider what it meant for them. Very few current minor leaguers were affected by past CBAs, at least at the time, so I don’t think that will be an obstacle. The contraction of the minor leagues, with MLB in control of them, is a strong incentive for the players and the union to join forces. If this goes through, it won’t stop MLB from trying similar tactics in the future, it will just be a test of the larger union’s resolve. I’m rooting for them to get this done. CBS Sports has more. | http://www.offthekuff.com/wp/?p=106782 | 2022-08-31T10:53:56Z | offthekuff.com | control | http://www.offthekuff.com/wp/?p=106782 | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Harris County Commissioners Court this week is expected to hire an outside law firm to take legal action against the state and Comptroller Glenn Hegar, who accused the county of defunding law enforcement in violation of state law.
The accusation by Hegar, delivered in a letter to county Judge Lina Hidalgo last week, blocks Harris County from approving its proposed $2.2 billion budget for the fiscal year that begins Oct. 1.
The court will hold a special meeting Wednesday to consider hiring the law firm of Alexander Dubose & Jefferson LLP to pursue legal action against Hegar and other state officials.
Hegar threw the curveball just before county officials presented their proposed spending plan last tuesday, saying the county should reconsider its budget plan or gain voter approval for it. The letter, however, was sent on Monday, the last day the county could get a measure onto the November ballot.
Senate Bill 23, passed by the Texas Legislature and signed by Gov. Greg Abbott last year, bars counties with a population of more than 1 million from cutting law enforcement spending without the approval of voters.
The defunding accusation was sparked by two Republican Harris County constables — Precinct 4 Constable Mark Herman and Precinct 5 Constable Ted Heap — who had complained to Gov. Greg Abbott after the county changed its policy last year to do away with “rollover” budgeting that had allowed departments to save unspent funds and use them in future budget cycles.
Herman and Heap did not respond to requests for comment.
In his letter, Hegar said doing away with the rollover funds resulted in a loss of $3 million previously dedicated to the constables office in fiscal 2021. However, by preventing the county from adopting its proposed budget, the letter could cost the sheriff, constables and district attorney’s office an additional $100 million in funding included in the new spending plan, county officials said.
On Wednesday, Commissioners Court could vote to authorize two outside law firms to file a lawsuit against the comptroller. If the county does pursue legal action, other state officials could be named, as well.
See here for the background on this completely ridiculous claim. The vote in Commissioners Court is today; I’ll be interested to see if it’s unanimous or not. I also have no idea what to expect from the courts, but I sure hope they get it right, because this is a terrible precedent to set otherwise. Finally, a special shoutout to Constables Herman and Heap for going radio silent after leaving this bag of poop on the Court’s front porch. Mighty courageous of you two there. | http://www.offthekuff.com/wp/?p=106789 | 2022-08-31T10:54:04Z | offthekuff.com | control | http://www.offthekuff.com/wp/?p=106789 | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
By Chris Megerian and Mark Levy | Associated Press
WILKES-BARRE, Pa. — President Joe Biden on Tuesday forcefully defended the FBI as the agency and its employees have come under withering criticism and threats of violence since executing a search warrant at former President Donald Trump’s Florida residence earlier this month.
“It’s sickening to see the new attacks on the FBI, threatening the life of law enforcement and their families, for simply carrying out the law and doing their job,” Biden said before a crowd of more than 500 at Wilkes University. “I’m opposed to defunding the police; I’m also opposed to defunding the FBI.”
Biden also used his remarks Tuesday to promote his administration’s crime-prevention efforts and to continue to pressure Congress to revive a long-expired federal ban on assault-style weapons. Democrats and Republicans worked together in a rare effort to pass gun safety legislation earlier this year after massacres in Buffalo, New York, and Uvalde, Texas. They were the first significant firearm restrictions approved by Congress in nearly three decades, but Biden has repeatedly said more needs to be done.
“We beat the NRA. We took them on and beat the NRA straight up. You have no idea how intimidating they are to elected officials,” an animated Biden said. “We’re not stopping here. I’m determined to ban assault weapons in this country! Determined. I did it once before. And I’ll do it again.”
As a U.S. senator, Biden played a leading role in temporarily banning assault-style weapons, including firearms similar to the AR-15 that have exploded in popularity in recent years, and he wants to put the law back into place. Biden argued that there was no rationale for such weapons “outside of a war zone” and noted that parents of the young victims at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde had to supply DNA because the weapon used in the massacre rendered the bodies unidentifiable.
“DNA, to say that’s my baby!” Biden said. “What the hell is the matter with us?”
Tuesday’s speech marked Biden’s first of three trips to Pennsylvania in the coming week, underscoring the state’s role as a key political battleground. Trump is hosting his own rally in Pennsylvania on Saturday.
Democrats are trying to blunt Republican efforts to use concern about crime to their advantage in the midterms. It’s a particularly fraught issue in Pennsylvania, a key swing state where a U.S. Senate seat and the governor’s office are up for grabs.
The Republican candidate for governor, Doug Mastriano, accuses Democrat Josh Shapiro of being soft on crime as the state’s twice-elected attorney general, saying at one recent event that crime has gone up on his opponent’s watch and that Shapiro “stands aside” as homicides rise across Pennsylvania.
Homicides have been increasing in Pennsylvania, but overall crime seems to have fallen over the last year, according to state statistics.
As attorney general since 2017, Shapiro has toured the state discussing the need to crack down on gun trafficking and ghost guns, and to recruit more police officers. Last December, he said that state agents and Philadelphia police officers working together had reduced the number of shootings in areas that were confronting gun violence related to drug trafficking.
“The real heroes here are the people who put on the uniform every single day,” said Shapiro, who spoke shortly before Biden’s remarks at Wilkes University. “We know that policing is a noble profession, and we know that we need to stand with law enforcement.”
In the U.S. Senate race, heart surgeon turned television celebrity Dr. Mehmet Oz, the Republican nominee, has tried to portray the Democratic candidate, Lt. Gov. John Fetterman, as extreme and reckless on crime policy.
Fetterman has endorsed recommendations that more geriatric and rehabilitated prisoners can be released from state prisons without harming public safety. Oz and Republicans have distorted that into the claim that Fetterman wants to release “dangerous criminals” from prisons or that he’s in favor of “emptying prisons.”
Fetterman was not in Wilkes-Barre with Biden on Tuesday, but he’s expected to march in Pittsburgh’s Labor Day parade when the president visits Sept. 5. Biden also will be in Pennsylvania on Thursday for a prime-time speech that the White House said will address “the continued battle for the soul of the nation” and defending democracy.
It’s unclear whether crime will end up as a pivotal issue in November.
Only 11% of U.S. adults named crime or violence as one of the top five issues they consider most important for the government to work on in the next year, according to an AP-NORC poll conducted in June. That’s unchanged since December, and it’s well below the percentage naming many of the other top issues for Americans.
Biden has tried to balance his approach to crime by acknowledging voters’ fears and praising law enforcement, but also urging more accountability for officers. The White House has also repeatedly promoted the additional funding for local police that was tucked into its sweeping coronavirus relief package in the early months of Biden’s presidency.
He’s rejected the activist slogan “defund the police,” which Republicans have used as a cudgel against Democrats in general, by calling for more money for cops.
Biden’s trip to Wilkes-Barre was originally scheduled for July 21 but was cancelled when the president contracted COVID-19 and went into isolation while he was contagious.
Biden has laid out a $37 billion plan for addressing crime and boosting law enforcement resources. He wants Congress to spend $13 billion to help communities hire and train 100,000 police officers over five years. Another $3 billion would go to clearing court backlogs and resolving cases involving murders and guns, and $5 billion more would go to support programs that could help stop violence before it occurs.
In addition, Biden is looking for $15 billion to provide grants to initiatives for preventing violent crime or creating public health responses to nonviolent incidents.
Levy reported from Harrisburg, Pa. Associated Press writer Emily Swanson contributed to this report.
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LOS ANGELES — Sparks guard Brittney Sykes was named to the All-Defensive Second Team, the WNBA announced Tuesday morning.
Sykes was recognized as one of the best defenders in the WNBA for the third consecutive season.
Connecticut Sun guard Courtney Williams, left, tries to pass while under pressure from Sparks forward Olivia Nelson-Ododa, center, and guard Brittney Sykes during the first half on Thursday night at Crypto.com Arena. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
Brittney Sykes of the Sparks reaches for a loose ball during the second half against the Washington Mystics at Crypto.com Arena on July 12, 2022. (Photo by Katharine Lotze/Getty Images)
Kayla McBride of the Minnesota Lynx takes a shot against Brittney Sykes of the Los Angeles Sparks in the third quarter at Crypto.com Arena on July 31, 2022 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)
Brittney Sykes of the Los Angeles Sparks passes the ball against the Minnesota Lynx in the first quarter at Crypto.com Arena on July 31, 2022 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)
Washington Mystics guard Shatori Walker-Kimbrough, front, is fouled by Sparks guard Brittney Sykes during the second half on Tuesday night at Crypto.com Arena. (Photo by Keith Birmingham, Pasadena Star-News/SCNG)
Sparks guard Brittney Sykes handles the ball during the first half of their game against the Washington Mystics on Tuesday night at Crypto.com Arena. (Photo by Keith Birmingham, Pasadena Star-News/SCNG)
Sparks guard Brittney Sykes reacts after a basket during the first half of their game against the Washington Mystics on Tuesday night at Crypto.com Arena. (Photo by Keith Birmingham, Pasadena Star-News/SCNG)
Sparks guard Brittney Sykes reacts after drawing a foul against the Washington Mystics during the first half on Tuesday night at Crypto.com Arena. (Photo by Keith Birmingham, Pasadena Star-News/SCNG)
Sparks guard Brittney Sykes reacts after scoring against the Washington Mystics during the first half on Tuesday night at Crypto.com Arena. (Photo by Keith Birmingham, Pasadena Star-News/SCNG)
Sparks guard Brittney Sykes, right, and Minnesota Lynx guard Kayla McBride battle for a loose ball during the second half on Tuesday night at Crypto.com Arena. (Photo by Keith Birmingham, Pasadena Star-News/SCNG)
The Las Vegas Aces’ A’ja Wilson, shown being defended by the Sparks’ Brittney Sykes in a photo from last season, led Las Vegas to a 89-72 victory over the Sparks on June 11 with 35 points on 13-for-23 shooting, 11 rebounds and four blocked shots. The teams meet again Monday. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images)
Chicago Sky guard Courtney Vandersloot looks to pass the ball as Sparks guard Brittney Sykes defends during the first half their WNBA season opener on Friday night in Chicago. (AP Photo/Kamil Krzaczynski)
Chicago Sky guard Courtney Vandersloot looks to pass the ball as Sparks guard Brittney Sykes defends during the first half their WNBA season opener on Friday night in Chicago. (AP Photo/Kamil Krzaczynski)
Connecticut Sun forward DiJonai Carrington, left, pressures Sparks guard Brittney Sykes, right, during Saturday’s game in Uncasville, Conn. The Sparks’ four-game, season-opening road trip ended with a 77-60 loss. (Sean D. Elliot/The Day via AP)
She made her first All-Defensive team as a second team member in 2020. That season was played in the WNBA’s bubble (Wubble) in Bradenton, Florida.
In 2021, she earned a spot on the All-Defensive First Team, and finished second overall for Defensive of the Year (DPOY).
In 2022, Sykes led the WNBA in total steals (65) and steals per game (2.0), both career-highs.
In fact, she was the back-to-back WNBA steals leader in 2021 and 2022, joining Naismith Basketball Hall of Famers Teresa Weatherspoon and Tamika Catchings as just the third player in league history to accomplish the feat.
Sykes, a 5-foot-9 guard, also averaged nearly one block a game (0.7), which was a career-high.
In her final game of the 2022 season, Sykes dropped 35 points against the Dallas Wings. For the season, she averaged 12.7 points per game in 28.8 minutes in 32 games. She also finished the season with a career-high 3.7 assists per game.
Sykes will be a free agent in 2023 and her defensive pressure and effectiveness could make her a highly sought-after two-way player across the WNBA.
John W. Davis is a Sports Reporter at the Long Beach Press-Telegram. Based in Long Beach, he has worked on-air in local television markets as a multimedia journalist/news reporter in Orlando, Florida, and Fort Wayne, Indiana. Most recently, he has worked as a community-based journalist covering public health, racial justice, homelessness, development, and gentrification in South Los Angeles and Inglewood. He has also spent several years covering the Los Angeles Sparks and the WNBA as a reporter and podcast host. Davis is a graduate of Central Michigan University, where he received a bachelor’s degree in broadcast and cinematic arts. He is also a graduate of Syracuse University, where he received a master’s degree in broadcast journalism. Davis is also an adjunct professor at the USC Annenberg School of Journalism.
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When California voters recalled then-Gov. Gray Davis in 2003, a year after giving him a second term, they established a new political principle: Governors must, no matter what the political or financial cost, avoid power blackouts.
Fairly or not, Davis was blamed when power blackouts hit the state in early 2003 due to a botched overhaul of utility regulation.
That’s why, despite his insistence that California will lead the world in conversion to an all-electric, zero-emission society, Gov. Gavin Newsom wants to extend operations of some gas-powered generating plants that had been ticketed for closure and — most ironically — of California’s only remaining nuclear power plant, which was to shut down in 2025.
The state’s shift to wind and solar power has not kept pace with demand, especially during increasingly frequent heat waves, and we’ve teetered on the brink of blackouts on particularly hot days. Closing down the gas-fired generators and the Diablo Canyon nuclear plant — the latter supplying about 9% of the state’s power supply — would make blackouts very likely.
Newsom’s proposal to extend the lives of those vital resources, not surprisingly, generated opposition among environmentalists, threatening to scuttle his energy plan in the final days of the 2022 legislative session, which is to end at midnight Wednesday.
However, intensive backroom negotiations appear to have produced results. Late Sunday, a compromise measure to keep Diablo Canyon operating for at least five more years was introduced, just hours before the constitutional deadline. It declares that extending Diablo Canyon operations “is prudent, cost effective, and in the best interests of all California electricity customers.”
The legislation, Senate Bill 846, reduces the extended operation from the 10 years Newsom sought and contains some other provisions to mollify environmental critics, such as calling for intense efforts to bring more non-nuclear and carbon-free power on line. However, it also requires a two-thirds vote so that the plant’s owner, Pacific Gas and Electric, can meet a looming federal deadline for seeking federal funds to finance extended operations.
Lobbyists working on the issue believe that Senate approval is certain, because the senator who represents Diablo Canyon’s site in San Luis Obispo County, John Laird, seems to be on board. Assembly approval is a bit less certain because the issue is caught up in a fierce leadership battle, pitting Speaker Anthony Rendon, who says he will seek another term when the Legislature reconvenes in December, against Assemblyman Robert Rivas.
Although the legislation would keep Diablo Canyon on-line for at least five years, it’s highly likely that it will be extended further because it’s highly unlikely that enough alternative power will be available by 2030.
The situation is saturated in irony. California once intended that nuclear plants would become one of its chief sources of power for a fast-growing population. Two big ones, Diablo Canyon and San Onofre in Southern California, were built, joined by a medium-sized one, Rancho Seco, near Sacramento. PG&E also constructed a relatively tiny nuke near Eureka, using a version of plants used in submarines and aircraft carriers.
Official policy turned against nuclear power in the 1970s with then-Gov. Jerry Brown leading the opposition. He signed a law blocking new nukes unless the issue of storing nuclear wastes was resolved and in 1978 his administration killed a proposed plant on the Colorado River near Blythe, called Sundesert.
One by one, the state’s existing nukes were shut down, leaving only Diablo Canyon still generating juice but it, too, was ticketed for closure until Newsom and other officials faced the reality that if shutting it down caused blackouts, Californians would be unforgiving.
CalMatters is a public interest journalism venture committed to explaining how California’s state Capitol works and why it matters. For more stories by Dan Walters, go to calmatters.org/commentary.
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Across the Pacific Ocean in Hong Kong stands the Disney theme parks’ ace in the hole. If Disney ever needs a sure-fire hit to bring to Disneyland or Florida’s Walt Disney World Resort, the company can find it at Hong Kong Disneyland.
To an outsider, Hong Kong Disneyland might seem a strange place for Disney to be looking for any positive inspiration. The destination attracts fewer visitors each year than any other Disney theme park resort. It’s a small, single-gate resort, with little room for expansion, in a market that has endured more than its share of turmoil in recent years.
Yet one of the fixes that Disney has tried to boost attendance in Hong Kong has inspired Disney fans around the world. With Disney bringing Shanghai’s TRON Lightcycle Run roller coaster to Walt Disney World and Universal Studios Hollywood getting Super Nintendo World from its sister park in Japan, I asked readers on ThemeParkInsider.com which popular attraction from Asia they most would like to see copied in the United States.
By a large margin, those readers picked Hong Kong Disneyland’s Mystic Manor — even over TRON and Nintendo. What about this ride has captured the imaginations of so many theme park fans who have never traveled to Hong Kong to see it in person?
Mystic Manor is a trackless dark ride through the home of Lord Henry Mystic, a member of Disney’s Society of Explorers and Adventurers. Disney portrays Mystic more sympathetically than other members of the colonial-era S.E.A., but Mystic’s still filled his home with artefacts collected/stolen around the world.
Mystic’s money sidekick Albert opens a music box he’s not supposed to touch (because something has to go terribly wrong on a theme park ride), and this enchanted Pandora’s Box brings the rest Mystic’s collection to life. The ride plays as a higher-tech Haunted Mansion, filled with sight gags and theatrical effects, plussed with modern projection mapping.
Disney employed some of Mystic Manor’s gags in the new Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway ride that opened at Walt Disney World in 2020 and is coming to Disneyland’s new Toontown next year. But that has not stopped fans from longing for the complete Mystic Manor experience.
One big challenge keeping Disney from bringing Mystic Manor to America is that there’s no obvious place for it. This original story, based on a franchise that Walt Disney Imagineering first created for Tokyo DisneySea, does not fit easily into any existing theme park land in Anaheim or Orlando. Eureka’s Carson Mansion inspired the look of Mystic Manor, so Disney California Adventure might be the best option, especially should the park expand under the DisneylandForward proposal.
But originality is the big reason why I believe Mystic Manor captivates so many Disney theme park fans. Henry Mystic and the S.E.A. deliver fresh stories that fans haven’t seen before in movies or on TV. Mystic Manor’s popularity should remind Disney executives that the public will embrace original storytelling. Not everything new in a theme park needs to be recycled IP.
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Mercedes-Benz and parent automaker Daimler didn’t walk away from World War II unscathed. It was then-Daimler Chairman Wilhelm Haspel’s idea to take the Mercedes-Benz division back to motorsports in an effort to begin rebuilding the storied company.
Foremost, Mercedes needed a race car.
Enter the W194. The brand’s first new sports car after the war, the W194 coupe finished second in its first race the Mille Miglia. It then went on to win the Bern Sports Car Prize, the famed 24 Hours of Le Mans, and the Carrera Panamericana. While the W194 quickly became a decorated machine, it was not the Mercedes-Benz 300 SL.
Instead, a prominent New York-based importer of European luxury vehicles named Max Hoffman suggested Mercedes-Benz needed to create a limited run of cars in the spirit of the W194. A year after the W194 took the world by surprise in motorsport, Mercedes-Benz’s General Director Fritz Konecke gave the order for 1,000 sports cars. Thus the 300 SL was born.
In 1954, Mercedes-Benz revealed the W198-generation 300 SL at the International Motor Sport Show in New York. While an auto debut in New York isn’t strange today, it marked a shift for Mercedes-Benz. Typically, the German company revealed its cars at home or at the Geneva motor show. However, Hoffman convinced the luxury automaker it would be a grand idea to woo American buyers with a New York debut.
They concurred, and suddenly, Mercedes-Benz had a hit on its hands. The 300 SL bowed as a coupe with a 3.0-liter overhead cam inline-6 engine. Yet, the 300 SL wasn’t only a sports car to change perceptions, it was a technological marvel.
The engine ditched carburetors in favor of a Bosch-developed direct-fuel injection system. Recall, fuel injection was rare at the time and higher pressure direct injection wouldn’t become the standard for decades to come. The system helped boost power well over the W194 to 215 hp at the 300 SL’s launch. The race car made do with 175 hp. An upgraded camshaft option boosted output to 240 hp. The top speed could top 160 mph, making the 300 SL the fastest production car in the world.
Mercedes built the 300 SL on a spaceframe or “birdcage” chassis. It featured a separate welded steel body, but the firewall, hood, doors, trunk lid, rocker panels, and floor and belly pans were aluminum.
These advances, combined with radical “gullwing” doors and curvaceous body lines, helped turn the page for Mercedes-Benz. The company not only made stately luxury vehicles, but it was also capable of producing incredible performance machines.
A total of 1,400 300 SL coupes were built from 1954 to 1957, and 29 of them were lightweight models with all-aluminum bodies that helped shave 187 lb. The 300 SL coupe gave rise to the 300 SL roadster in 1957, which remained in production in its first generation until 1963. Its successor still exists today and is now in its seventh generation, sold as the Mercedes-AMG SL.
Like so many areas of the auto industry, some of the best things came from motorsport. Without a renewed commitment to racing following WWII, we may never have received a car like the 300 SL. And without the 300 SL, there may not be such a lineage of world-beating sports cars from Mercedes-Benz.
—Senior Editor Kirk Bell contributed to this story
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- 1983 DeLorean DMC-12 with 5,397 miles for sale | https://www.wpri.com/automotive/internet-brands/1954-mercedes-benz-300-sl-100-cars-that-matter/ | 2022-08-31T11:02:16Z | wpri.com | control | https://www.wpri.com/automotive/internet-brands/1954-mercedes-benz-300-sl-100-cars-that-matter/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
To trace Big Tech competition, follow the money
The best way to understand the ways that Big Tech companies do and don't compete with one another is to use the old Watergate adage: Follow the money.
Why it matters: How Apple, Google, Facebook, Amazon and Microsoft make their revenue today shapes the battles they will fight tomorrow.
The big picture: For years, the largest tech companies each had their own fiefdom where they garnered the lion's share of revenue and profits.
- While tech companies competed at the edges, the market was big enough that each had plenty of green fields to expand into. They might step on each other's toes, but they took pains — and sometimes struck deals — to steer clear of the others' core businesses.
Yes, but: As they have each become enormous, their search for growth has begun leading them onto one another's turf.
- Amazon and Apple, for example, are getting more revenue than ever from advertising — the heart of Google's and Facebook's business.
- Google is investing heavily to catch Amazon and Microsoft in cloud computing.
- Microsoft, Google and Facebook each have their feet in different parts of the gaming market, with Apple and Amazon dabbling too.
- Amazon, Apple and Google each operate major subscription streaming services.
- All five are investing heavily in AR/VR hardware and systems.
- And all of them see AI as central to their future.
Be smart: Like wealthy families that have run a town for decades, these companies share a vast web of dependencies and grudges — as in the recent privacy war between Facebook and Apple, or Apple's slow and steady effort to wrest the mobile maps market out of Google's control.
Here's what you find when you "follow the money" for each of tech's Big 5:
Apple
Hardware — mostly phones and computers — still generates the bulk of Apple's sales and makes the company's other businesses possible. But the company has significantly diversified its revenue in recent years.
- By the numbers: Apple reported $365 billion in revenue during its past fiscal year, which ended in October. Of that, more than half ($191 billion) came from iPhone sales, while the Mac, iPad and Apple's accessories business each generated more than $30 billion in revenue. Services — which for Apple means everything from extended warranties to music and TV subscriptions — accounted for $68.4 billion, up 27% from the prior year.
- Core business: Hardware
- Emerging businesses: Advertising and services, including financial services (Apple Pay)
- Competitive concerns: Apple sets the terms for the iPhone and yet it is also a competitor in areas ranging from subscription music to consumer cloud storage. It also has some enormous deals with rivals, such as the agreement that makes Google the default search engine on iPhones and Macs — and generates billions for Apple.
Facebook (Meta)
For all its talk of the metaverse, the social networking giant still gets nearly all its revenue from ads on Facebook and Instagram. Those cash cows have proven vulnerable thanks to the constraints of the operating systems they run on — most importantly, when changes Apple made to tracking significantly dented Facebook's mobile revenue.
- By the numbers: Meta reported nearly $118 billion in revenue for the 12 months ending Dec. 31. Of that, almost $115 billion was ad revenue related to its core apps. It had about $700 million in non-advertising revenue for its family of apps and $2.2 billion in revenue from Reality Labs, which includes its Oculus VR unit.
- Core business: Digital advertising, social media
- Emerging businesses: VR hardware, digital goods
- Competitive concerns: With Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp, Meta controls a huge chunk of the social networking market and, with it, a big slice of overall online advertising.
Google (Alphabet)
Google is rightly described as "the search giant," but its ambitions extend into the kinds of cloud computing offered by Amazon and Microsoft. And, while it doesn't charge directly for Android, it generates a significant amount of its ad revenue from mobile devices.
- By the numbers: Parent company Alphabet reported $161 billion in revenue for the year ended Dec. 31. Nearly all of that came from what the company lumps into Google Services — chiefly search and display advertising, as well as smaller revenue sources, such as hardware. Also within Google Services: YouTube, which generated $28.8 billion in ad revenue; Google Cloud, with about $8.9 billion revenue; "other bets," such as autonomous vehicle division Waymo, that bring in a few hundred million dollars..
- Core business: Advertising via search
- Emerging businesses: Enterprise software, cloud computing, consumer hardware
- Competitive concerns: Alphabet's hold on the search market lets it determine which services live and die through tweaks to its algorithm. How it treats its own content has been a point of concern for years, while it has also been criticized for the rules governing Android and the Play Store app marketplace.
Amazon
The online retail giant also has an omnivorous appetite for other kinds of businesses, including its massive web services arm as well as offline groceries (via Whole Foods), video and audio content, ebooks, prescription drugs and medical services. And any time Amazon enters a business, it brings the enormous power of its distribution network and access to hundreds of millions of Prime subscribers.
- By the numbers: Amazon reported more than $469 billion in revenue for the year ending Dec. 31. Most of that comes from the sale of physical goods, though it also includes digital goods and subscription revenue. About $62 billion came from its Amazon Web Services cloud computing business, a 37% increase from the prior year.
- Core businesses: Online retail, web services
- Emerging businesses: Advertising, physical retail, health care
- Competitive concerns: Amazon has been able to grow by constantly taking on new markets — but also, critics and now regulators charge, by privileging its own offerings on its larger platform marketplace. Today the company is so large that it sparks monopoly fears even when it enters a previously competitive market as a small player.
Microsoft
The dominant giant of the desktop era still casts a long shadow over the tech world, with massive revenue streams rooted both in its venerable Windows and Office products as well as a highly successful newer business line in cloud services.
- By the numbers: Microsoft reported just shy of $200 billion in revenue for the fiscal year ending June 30. While Office and Windows are still huge money makers, the company also gets significant revenue from Azure and other cloud offerings.
- Core businesses: Windows, Office and other business software; cloud services
- Emerging businesses: Surface and other devices, cloud gaming
- Competitive concerns: Microsoft is no longer a major target for antitrust enforcers, but Windows still controls a huge part of the PC market, and Microsoft's choice of which apps and services are installed by default is still enormously consequential. The company has faced new complaints this year over cloud computing. Just this week it agreed to make changes in how it licenses cloud products in Europe to address complaints there.
The bottom line
Competition among these companies is increasingly a global affair, as the search for growth draws them onto terrain outside the U.S. where they face big challenges based on culture, language and economics.
- At the same time, the rise of tensions between China and the U.S. gives all these U.S.-based companies a nationalist card to play when regulators threaten action to rein in their power: Hurt us, they argue, and you'll hurt America. | https://www.axios.com/2022/08/31/follow-money-big-tech-competition | 2022-08-31T11:11:38Z | axios.com | control | https://www.axios.com/2022/08/31/follow-money-big-tech-competition | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Driving under the influence (DUI) and driving
while impaired (DWI) can not only seriously damage a career, it puts the community
at risk.
This year, as the COVID-19 restrictions relaxed, the number of DUI/DWI cases in the
Kaiserslautern Military Community has increased, returning to pre-pandemic
average levels.
Members are encouraged to have a plan and use resources available like local cab
companies, a designated driver, and their immediate supervisor.
Airmen can also reach Armed Forces Against Drunk Driving at 0152-5172-3356 if
their original plan falls through.
According to the 569th United States Forces Police Squadron (USFPS), younger
servicemembers under the age of 25 and temporary duty personnel who may not be
familiar with German laws account for a significant number of DUIs/DWIs.
Host nation DUI laws state that a 0.05% blood alcohol concentration (BAC) will result
in a DUI. A DWI or DUI can be received while operating any vehicle that has
wheels.
“Riding an E-Scooter or bicycle while under the influence is a federal offense and
can follow military members back to the states,” said U.S. Air Force Staff Sgt. Amber
Ihlen, 569 USFPS NCO in charge of Police Services. “Up to 14 percent of DUIs, this
year were E-Scooters.”
According to the Ramstein Alcohol and Drug Abuse Prevention and Treatment
website, it can only take one drink to put you over the legal limit here in Germany. A
lack of planning can often lead to some pretty severe consequences and feelings of
regret.
The legal age for alcohol consumption in Germany is 16 for beer and wine and 18 for
spirits, however, operating a vehicle after drinking between the ages of 18 and 21 is
not authorized, regardless of blood alcohol content.
“We see a pattern of members ages 19 to 25, as well as temporary duty assignment
personnel, that are not aware of all the different alcohol limits,” said Ihlen. “Members
should remember that probable cause is not required to stop someone, whether it's
by the 569 USFPS or local Polizei.”
When members sign the U. S. Army in Europe driver's license, all members agree to
a blood test or breathalyzer when stopped by local law enforcement. Refusal to do
so will lead to the loss of driving privileges.
“If it's a DWI your driver's license can be suspended for 30 to 90 days,” said Ihlen. “If
it's a DUI, it could mean suspension is up to a year.”
In Germany, anything between 0.05% and 0.079% BAC is classified as a DWI and
anything above 0.08% BAC is a DUI.
“Typically, members will receive an Article 15, rank reduction and be forced to forfeit
half of their monthly pay for two months when getting a DUI,” said Staff Sgt.
Maddison Ferguson 86th Airlift Wing Judge Advocate Paralegal.
Be smart, stay safe, and always have a plan. If you drink, don’t drive.
This work, Think before you drink, by SrA Manuel Zamora, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright. | https://www.dvidshub.net/news/428364/think-before-you-drink | 2022-08-31T11:12:26Z | dvidshub.net | control | https://www.dvidshub.net/news/428364/think-before-you-drink | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
The first round of the 2022 US Open is (almost) done and dusted. Here are some of the key numbers and statistics from Day 2.
US Open Day 2: Alizé Cornet ends Emma Raducanu's title defense | Danielle Collins ousts Naomi Osaka | Alison Van Uytvanck defeats Venus Williams | Sloane Stephens wins | Iga Swiatek and the Top 10 roundup | Andrea Petkovic retires | Getting to know Daria Snigur
Scores | Order of play | Draw
21 - The number of aces fired by Zheng Qinwen during her 6-3, 3-6, 6-4 upset of No.16 seed Jelena Ostapenko. Not only has Zheng broken her own 2022 record for aces in a single match (previously the 19 she hit against Ekaterina Alexandrova in Charleston), but her tally is the highest number in a single WTA match at the US Open since records began to be kept in 1991.
The previous US Open record was a three-way tie at 18, set by Venus Williams in her 6-4, 6-7(7), 6-3 defeat of Monica Puig in the 2015 first round; matched by Serena Williams in beating Simona Halep 6-2, 4-6, 6-3 in the 2016 quarterfinals; and tied again by Serena in her 6-0, 4-6, 6-3 win over Kaia Kanepi in the 2018 fourth round.
The match was the 19-year-old Zheng's US Open debut, and her third Top 20 win of 2022.
7 - Consecutive deciding tiebreaks won by Karolina Pliskova. The No.22 seed came from 4-1 down in the third set to survive Magda Linette 6-2, 4-6, 7-6[8], sealing the win in the first super-tiebreak of her singles career. Former US Open finalist Pliskova has not lost a deciding tiebreak since the 2019 Birmingham second round, where she was defeated 6-2, 3-6, 7-6(7) by twin sister Kristyna.
Since then, she has won them over Jelena Ostapenko at Rome 2021; Donna Vekic at Montréal 2021; Amanda Anisimova at the US Open 2021; Garbiñe Muguruza at the WTA Finals 2021; Petra Kvitova at Stuttgart 2022; and Bianca Andreescu at Berlin 2022.
89 - Paula Badosa's winning percentage in tiebreaks over the past 52 weeks. The No.4 seed improved this number again with her 3-6, 7-6(4), 6-3 win over Lesia Tsurenko. Badosa has won 20 out of 22 tiebreaks dating back to her 6-3, 7-6(4) win over Iga Swiatek in the second round of the Tokyo Olympic Games last year. Since then, only Belinda Bencic (in Charleston) and Aryna Sabalenka (in Stuttgart) have won tiebreaks against the Spaniard.
18 - Bagel sets dished out by Iga Swiatek in 2022 so far. The World No.1 added to her total with a 6-3, 6-0 defeat of Jasmine Paolini. Only Serena Williams, who won 25 sets 6-0 in 2013, has won more in a single season since 2000.
18 - Since 2000, only #SerenaWilliams in 2013 (25) has won more sets with a 6-0 scoreline in a single season than Iga #Swiatek in 2022 (18). Crushing.@WTA @WTA_insider pic.twitter.com/1eH42Mqixa
— OptaAce (@OptaAce) August 30, 2022
18 - Consecutive Grand Slam third rounds reached by Elise Mertens between the 2018 Australian Open and Wimbledon 2022. The No.32 seed's streak was ended after Irina-Camelia Begu won their first round 3-6, 6-2, 6-3, reeling off six straight games from 2-0 down in the second set and five straight games from 3-1 down in the third. Begu had been winless in three previous meetings with Mertens, including in the second round of this year's Australian Open.
63 - The all-time record for consecutive Grand Slam main draw appearances, set by Alizé Cornet in her 6-3, 6-3 victory over defending champion Emma Raducanu. Cornet had not missed a major since qualifying for the 2007 Australian Open as a 17-year-old, losing to Daniela Hantuchova in the first round. Previously, she had been tied at 62 appearances with Ai Sugiyama.
91 - The all-time record for overall Grand Slam main draw appearances, extended by Venus Williams in her 6-1, 7-6(5) loss to Alison Van Uytvanck. Venus made her major debut as a 17-year-old at Roland Garros 1997, defeating Naoko Sawamatsu 6-2, 6-7(2), 7-5 in the first round before falling 5-7, 6-3, 7-5 to Nathalie Tauziat in the second.
91 - This will be the 91st Grand Slam main draw appearance for Venus #Williams: at least 10 more than any other player, males included. Everlasting.#VenusWilliams #USOpen #USOpen2022 #USOpentennis @WTA @WTA_insider pic.twitter.com/AOhJ2xjCRr
— OptaAce (@OptaAce) August 30, 2022
3:12 - The length of the longest match of Day 2, and of the tournament so far. Lauren Davis advanced leading 4-6, 7-6(3), 5-4 and serving for the match at 30-30 when Lucia Bronzetti was forced to retire due to cramping.
28 - The length of the longest rally of Day 2, and of the tournament so far, won by Lesia Tsurenko at 3-3, deuce in the first set of her clash with Paula Badosa. The Ukrainian won it -- and thereafter the game and the first set -- when Badosa sent a forehand wide.
0-5 - Clara Burel's record against Top 30 opposition prior to breaking that duck with a 6-4, 6-4 upset of Wimbledon champion Elena Rybakina. Burel's season record ahead of the US Open was just 9-20 (5-11 at WTA main draw level), but the Frenchwoman has now won four in a row after backing up a successful qualifying campaign with a career-best victory.
0-5 - The deficit overturned by Petra Martic in the second set against Varvara Gracheva. The Croat saved one set point serving at 3-5 and ultimately came through 6-4, 7-6(3).
29 - Matches won by Bernarda Pera in July and August. The American surged from No.130 to a career-high of No.45 in the space of seven weeks after winning her first two Hologic WTA Tour titles in Budapest and Hamburg, then reaching the Concord 125 final and the Cleveland semifinals. However, Pera's hot streak came to an end in the first round of the US Open with a 6-4, 6-4 loss to Anhelina Kalinina.
17 - Former Grand Slam semifinalists remaining in the draw, 10 of whom have previously reached the last four at the US Open. Each quarter still contains at least one player who has reached the final at Flushing Meadows: Sloane Stephens (first quarter), Victoria Azarenka and Karolina Pliskova (second quarter), Madison Keys and Bianca Andreescu (third quarter), Leylah Fernandez and Serena Williams (fourth quarter).
4 - Teenagers remaining in the draw. Thirteen had started in the main draw; Coco Gauff and Leylah Fernandez were the only victors on Day 1. They were joined on Day 2 by Zheng Qinwen and the youngest player left, 17-year-old qualifier Linda Fruhvirtova. The Czech defeated Wang Xinyu 6-3, 6-4 on her Grand Slam main draw debut.
Elsewhere, 17-year-old Linda Noskova fought back from a 5-2 second-set deficit before losing 6-2, 6-7(3), 6-2 to Czech compatriot Marie Bouzkova; and 18-year-old Erika Andreeva led No.21 seed Petra Kvitova 5-2 before falling 7-6(3), 6-0.
3 - Players sealing their first Grand Slam main draw win on Day 2. Along with Fruhvirtova, there were victories for fellow qualifiers Cristina Bucsa 6-4, 6-4 over Kaja Juvan, and Yuan Yue 6-3, 6-2 over Jaimee Fourlis. Bucsa had been 0-3 in Grand Slam main draws since making her debut at the 2021 US Open.
1 - First-round match still to be completed. No.28 seed Ekaterina Alexandrova led wild card Peyton Stearns 6-4, 4-6, 4-3, having just broken serve in the deciding set, when rain forced play to be abandoned. Should Stearns come back to win when they resume on Day 2, she will join the ranks of first-time Grand Slam winners. | https://www.wtatennis.com/news/2770634/us-open-day-2-by-the-numbers-zheng-s-ace-record-pliskova-s-tiebreaks-and-more | 2022-08-31T11:12:44Z | wtatennis.com | control | https://www.wtatennis.com/news/2770634/us-open-day-2-by-the-numbers-zheng-s-ace-record-pliskova-s-tiebreaks-and-more | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Colorado collects millions in COVID funeral assistance
Colorado has received about $21.6 million in federal aid to help families and individuals cover funeral costs for people who died from COVID-19, FEMA figures released this month show.
- More than 5,000 residents applied for assistance as of Aug. 1, and about 4,000 have been approved.
How it works: FEMA pays up to $9,000 to reimburse funeral expenses associated with a death attributed to COVID-19 that occurred in the U.S. on or after Jan. 20.
- That includes the viewing, ceremony and burial, cremation, casket and headstone.
By the numbers: Nearly 14,000 people have died from the virus in Colorado, according to the state's online dashboard.
- The average FEMA reimbursement in the state totaled about $5,400 per funeral.
The big picture: FEMA has provided over $2.7 billion in funeral assistance — to more than 420,000 individuals and families across the country — and still has funds available.
- California, New York and Texas have each received upwards of $200 million in funeral assistance.
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This collection has come on and has only just the tipping part the second 5 mice we have been able to a product, that gives excellent capacity of stamps a lot this is why they would recommend on 37 stamp sets! As it also a bite mark so does you very light has given also! Also the delivery times also it is to come very speedy on delivery!!! Well value for and I has also saved more that on that has done with these wonderful markings The end of August marks six months since Russia launched its full-scale invasion on Ukraine. In those six months the entire world has been affected either economically, socially or politically, including West Michigan. Local experts and a Michigander on the front lines reflect on the past half-year as the fighting shows no signs of slowing down.
Michigan is roughly 5,000 miles away from Ukraine, but the effects of the war are reaching near and far.
“It has really slowed down the overall economy across the world," Grand Valley State University Associate Dean for Undergraduate Programs in the Seidman College of Business Dr. Paul Isely said.
Sanctions on Russia have affected fuel costs, grain exports, affecting the cost of food and just about everything else.
“Inflation is about two percentage points higher than it would have been if the Ukraine hadn't happened," Dr. Isley said.
Aside from the economic impacts, the international political effects are vast. NATO countries have rallied in ways Russia was not expecting.
“This kind of unity in NATO one hasn't seen in a lot of ways since the attacks on September 11," Grand Valley State University Associate Professor of Political Science Heather Tafel said.
Then there are the stories of resilience and bravery, like the story of Borys Potapenko. Potapenko is part of the Ukrainian American Crisis Response Committee, is active within the Michigan-Ukrainian community and lives in metro-Detroit. But he hasn't been in Michigan for months. Potapenko has been on the front lines, aiding friends and family that he still has in Ukraine.
He joined us for a video call in a facility in Mykolaiv with a wounded woman sniper he personally knows who was injured fighting on the front lines.
“It's really difficult to keep the emotion out of what I've seen. The devastation and the human costs," he said.
Potapenko says the shelling hasn't eased up over the last months.
“The atrocities against civilians, against children, against the elderly are not receding," Potapenko said.
The conflict shows no signs of slowing down. No one can predict an end date as no one side is backing down.
“From the point of view of Ukrainians, it's their position that we will get Russia out, that's our end game. That makes any kind of negotiated settlement obviously very, very difficult," Tafel said.
Overseas, Borys and the wounded sniper, who wished to stay anonymous during our call, want to thank the U.S. for their local and national efforts to help Ukraine.
“Mom and pop shops and big store chains have all been helping out," Potapenko said.
“I want to thank the Ukraine, the American people for their support," the female sniper added through Potapenko who translated from Ukrainian to English. "Their support is tangible. It's making a huge difference.”
There is good humanitarian news however. A month ago The Grain Deal agreement was reached. The deal involves Turkey, the United Nations and Russia, who agreed to unblock Ukrainian ports, finally allowing the export of grain.
Ukraine is one of the world's largest producers of grain and this should bring down global grain and wheat prices and other food costs.
"A large chunk of the tradable grains in the world were produced in the Ukraine. Up until just recently, they were struggling to find ways to get that grain out of the country," Dr. Isley added. | https://www.fox17online.com/news/local-news/ukraines-front-lines-through-the-eyes-of-a-michigander | 2022-08-31T11:13:05Z | fox17online.com | control | https://www.fox17online.com/news/local-news/ukraines-front-lines-through-the-eyes-of-a-michigander | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
There are quite a number of things going on in markets at the moment, even if the main focus remains on the US jobs report on Friday. Let's take a closer look to get a better sense of how things are playing out.
White House says employment may "cool off"
Eamonn and Greg had the headlines earlier this week here and here respectively. That could be a reason for why the dollar has been softer or at least not as strong in the aftermath of Jackson Hole. But so far, the Fed message remains clear i.e. inflation is the number one priority at the moment. A 75 bps rate hike is what markets are likely leaning towards but it needs confirmation from Friday's data and more importantly the US CPI figures on 13 September.
Equities stay under pressure
The early gains yesterday were dashed by the time Wall Street took to bat in trading yesterday. While there was a bit of respite early on today, we have also seen that vanquished with European indices now down by close to 1% and S&P 500 futures falling flat after having been up by 30 points at one point during the day.
The technicals continue to do the talking and a further break in the S&P 500 below its 50.0 Fib retracement level at 3,982 could spell more danger for stocks in the sessions to come.
China looks to slow down or put a stop to the latest yuan drop
After having allowed the yuan to slide in the past few weeks, the PBOC is starting to draw a line on the situation near 6.90 today as noted earlier here. Reports on state-owned banks also bolstering the yuan serves to reinforce the notion and another way to look at things is that this does take away one of the tailwinds for the dollar as of late.
No escape from COVID-19 restrictions yet in China
The constant downgrade to Chinese growth prospects this year has been a major headwind for risk assets and the data is starting to show that as well. As such, the continued headlines involving more COVID-19 restrictions such as this one today will do little to ease worries surrounding China and the global economic outlook in general.
Europe stuck between a rock and a hard place
Surging inflation on one side and soaring energy prices on the other. There is just no escape and it is going to be a troubling winter for Europe, as much as governments are maintaining that they have sufficient gas supply to brave through the coming months. But come next year, we are likely to run it all back again and that is perhaps the big issue. Europe needs a better plan to get through these tough times.
For now, households and consumption will start to feel the pinch but we are also surely going to see businesses suffer and the fear is that it will lead to an increase in bankruptcies and closures i.e. rise in unemployment, if not carefully managed.
The ECB has a tall order to try and balance out the situation and with the window to tighten policy closing in on them, they have little choice but to frontload rate hikes now before it is too late. In this case, it perhaps already is.
Policymakers are pushing for a 75 bps rate hike next week and that is now the baseline expectation, though it won't do much to convince markets of a better euro outlook at this point.
UK not any better..
The news on Ofgem raising the gas and electricity price cap in the UK by 80% to £3,549 is perhaps a bigger deal than one would think. The issue here is that this is just the beginning as we head into winter and the price cap is likely to jump further next year.
With inflation already struggling to be kept under control, the news is but a major blow to UK households who are already struggling to keep it together as food prices and energy prices are weighing on their livelihoods. According to analysts, the latest price cap increase could see some UK households pay more on electricity than they do on mortgages. That fact alone is rather mind boggling and tells you how dire the situation on the ground really is.
Dollar the best of the bunch but only just
With the Fed maintaining its resolve at Jackson Hole, the dollar continues to sit in a good spot when viewed fundamentally across the board. Sure, recession risks are building and inflation could be starting to plateau but the Fed is adamant that its job is not done yet. That message itself i.e. more rate hikes to follow is enough to keep the greenback ahead of the rest of the major currencies, but only just.
The phrase "the cleanest shirt among the dirty laundry" comes to mind and there's not much reason to stick with other major currencies over the dollar. For one, equities are under pressure and the Fed vs BOJ policy divergence is arguably allowing the dollar to maintain its favourable preference over the yen as a safe haven as such.
Then, we have the whole dire economic outlook situation in Europe and the UK with the ECB and BOE among the first two central banks likely to fold in the tightening policy race. That makes both currencies also less desirable against the dollar with the Fed still maintaining its composure.
The swissie is perhaps a close contender but only on merit and not actual market flows, at least that would be my view. The SNB surprised with tightening policy and that has been enough to bolster the franc but with emerging market currencies also being routed amid faltering risk sentiment and a less optimistic global outlook, the dollar is still a major beneficiary from outflows there as a result.
Even if the dollar may be edging the rest of the major currencies by that little bit, that gap is more than enough in a market where thin margins count for a lot - especially when central banks are the ones dictating the pace of the game.
There will come a time where the dollar reverses course and we run things back the other way but unless US data significantly compels the Fed to back down, that time isn't here yet. | https://www.forexlive.com/news/a-catch-up-to-the-week-in-markets-20220831/ | 2022-08-31T11:13:13Z | forexlive.com | control | https://www.forexlive.com/news/a-catch-up-to-the-week-in-markets-20220831/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
AG candidate highlights far right influence on Republican party
Matt DePerno, a self-proclaimed constitutional attorney from Kalamazoo County, is running for attorney general as the de facto leader of the grassroots contingency of the Michigan Republican Party.
Why it matters: DePerno posting a Pepe the Frog graphic on Twitter this week, a symbol associated with alt-right groups, marks how grassroots activists are influencing the top of the Republican ticket.
Driving the news: DePerno is currently among a group under state investigation for taking vote tabulators and performing "tests" on them following the 2020 election.
- Democratic Attorney General Dana Nessel's office announced earlier this month it referred the investigation to a special prosecutor to consider charges against DePerno and others who gained unauthorized access into voting machines in rural townships.
The intrigue: A Trump loyalist and election denier, DePerno declined to answer whether he funded the tabulator testing operation when asked by the Detroit News on Monday.
- He also ran away from CNN cameras at last weekend's convention.
What they're saying: DePerno tells Axios he believes Nessel is weaponizing her office against a political opponent without evidence. He didn't say why he took the tabulators or what he found on them.
- "They're coming after us in order to message, so that we have reporters asking me those questions," DePerno says of the investigation. "They'll never be able to prove what they're trying to prove."
- DePerno claimed Nessel wants to defund the police despite her repeated defense of her opposition to minimizing police funding.
- Our interview was ended by a DePerno staffer after Axios pointed that out.
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- Prior -1.2%
- Market index 260.1 vs 270.1 prior
- Purchase index 199.1 vs 202.8 prior
- Refinancing index 562.5 vs 609.8 prior
- 30-year mortgage rate 5.80% vs 5.65% prior
Another week, another awful set of mortgage data in the US. Looking at the numbers, activity has crumbled significantly and the downturn could be rather painful for the housing market. Goldman Sachs says that the trend will continue into 2023 with conditions set to be the worst since the global financial crisis: | https://www.forexlive.com/news/us-mba-mortgage-applications-we-26-august-37-vs-12-prior-20220831/ | 2022-08-31T11:13:20Z | forexlive.com | control | https://www.forexlive.com/news/us-mba-mortgage-applications-we-26-august-37-vs-12-prior-20220831/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Detroit HIV clinic's new mural makes a statement
A local artist made an STD clinic a colorful, nature-imbued mural that represents progress on the HIV epidemic.
Why it matters: Demetruis Green, the Detroit Public Health STD Clinic's coordinator for HIV prevention medication PrEP, painted the mural last month on the Wayne Health building that houses the city clinic at 50 E. Canfield St., per Wayne State.
- Detroit's rate of residents living with HIV is about four times that of Michigan's. But there's progress in treatment and prevention to be hopeful about, and the mural aims to reflect that.
Between the lines: Drawn prominently is the phrase "PrEP works." The drug reduces the risk of contracting the virus from sex by about 99%, per the CDC.
- Yet just about a quarter of those eligible take it due to factors like cost, lack of awareness and stigma.
By the numbers: For every 100,000 Michigan residents, 174 live with HIV as of 2020, per state data.
- That same figure is 711 for Detroit and a couple neighboring cities.
Yes, but: The number of people getting infected, or transmission rate, has slowed to around three new statewide diagnoses in 2020 per every 100 people living with HIV.
- That ratio was 100 new diagnoses per 100 people living with HIV in the 1980s as the virus spread rapidly.
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Wayne County judicial candidates under fire
A state judge is expected to soon decide whether five Wayne County judicial candidates can remain on the Nov. 8 ballot.
Driving the news: Local activist Robert Davis filed a lawsuit earlier this month seeking to disqualify the candidates, saying their paperwork did not indicate, as required, their lack of party affiliation.
Why it matters: The lawsuit threatens to upend local judicial races with the election just a couple months away.
- If Davis prevails, four incumbent judges could be removed from the Nov. 8 ballot: Patricia Fresard, Sheila Gibson, Kelly Ramsey and Mark Slavens. A fifth, non-incumbent candidate LaKena Crespo, also allegedly submitted improper paperwork.
The intrigue: The same judge in this case, Judge Brock Swartzle, recently ordered another Wayne County judicial candidate, Roney Haywood, off the ballot for a similar paperwork infraction.
- "He is not the first candidate for judicial office to have this problem, and given current filings in the Court of Claims, he may not be the last," Swartzle wrote in his ruling.
Between the lines: The paperwork in question is known as an "affidavit of identity," which candidates must complete and file.
- While the judicial races are nonpartisan, candidates have to mark their lack of party affiliation.
- The incumbent candidates left their party affiliation blank and Crespo wrote "N/A."
What they're saying: Davis, who has a history of filing election-related lawsuits, tells Axios he filed the lawsuit because the instructions are clear and rules should apply to judges and partisan candidates alike.
- When asked whether he's hung up on a technicality, Davis said "the law is nothing but technicalities, so that's irrelevant."
The other side: "This is another last minute and frivolous attempt by a serial litigator to disrupt the election process and get his name in the paper," Christopher Trebilcock, an attorney for judicial candidate Crespo, tells Axios.
- The other candidates referenced in the lawsuit did not respond to messages.
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Miami-Dade Commissioner Joe Martinez arrested in corruption probe
Miami-Dade Commissioner Joe Martinez was arrested Tuesday over accusations he accepted $15,000 in exchange for creating legislation to benefit local property owners.
Driving the news: Martinez, who was booked into jail and released on bond, faces felony charges of unlawful compensation and conspiracy to commit unlawful compensation.
Between the lines: Martinez is accused of receiving payments in 2016 and 2017 in exchange for drafting a law to help Little Havana property owners facing code violations, according to an arrest warrant obtained by multiple media outlets.
- The legislation was drafted in 2017 but Martinez never put it up for a vote, according to the warrant.
- Martinez told investigators the payments were for a loan and money owed to him, per the warrant. He later told investigators the payments were from a private business deal.
Plus: Martinez is also accused of using his official position to help secure a bank loan for the company where he worked, Centurion Security, according to the warrant.
What they're saying: Miami-Dade State Attorney Katherine Fernandez Rundle, who announced the charges at a news conference Tuesday, said the allegations erode public trust in government.
- "Those government officials who use their position and staff for private purposes always undermine the confidence of voters and taxpayers," she said. "This can make people, at best, apathetic or, at worst, cynical about the government that serves them."
The other side: In a statement Monday, Martinez's attorneys called the allegations "false" and questioned whether the investigation was politically motivated.
- As he walked out of jail Tuesday, Martinez told reporters: "One day when I have a chance to talk to you, I'll talk to all of you. Right now, I'm just going to go and just deal with it," according to a video taken by the Miami Herald's Doug Hanks.
What we're watching: Martinez has pledged to fight the charges. He faces a possible suspension from Gov. Ron DeSantis.
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The long strokes of the Orlando Museum of Art's Basquiat fiasco
Can a puzzle be art?
What's happening: Former trustees of the scandal-hit Orlando Museum of Art who were dismissed from the governing board last week now say they were kept in the dark about the FBI's investigation into the authenticity of purported Jean-Michel Basquiat paintings.
- And they say they were "terminated" from the volunteer board when they called a meeting to discuss how the board chair was handling the situation, the Orlando Sentinel reports.
Driving the news: Board chair Cynthia Brumback wrote a column Aug. 18 to address the fallout from the June FBI raid when agents seized paintings that were part of the museum's "Heroes and Monsters" exhibit, said to be never-before-seen Basquiat works that had been found in a storage locker.
- She wrote that she and the board "continue to feel embarrassment" from the "negative attention" and asked the community to "stand by us."
The intrigue: The column raised a timing issue. Brumback wrote that the FBI had subpoenaed the museum in July 2021, months before the exhibit's February opening. Then:
- "Our director presented us with several authentication reports, specifically one from Diego Cortez, the now-deceased man widely credited with 'discovering' Basquiat and who served on Basquiat's estate's official authentication committee," she wrote.
- "Based on this and the other reports, our director reassured us that everything was in order."
Yes, but: Trustees told the Sentinel they were never informed the museum had been served the subpoena and knew nothing was amiss until the raid.
- When they raised concerns about Brumback's handling of the issue, they received an email informing them they’d been dismissed from the board.
- A press release followed from a new exhibition-vetting task force’s co-chairs, Mark Elliott and Nancy Wolf, saying the members had exceeded their term limits.
Meanwhile, interim director Luder Whitlock, who replaced fired director Aaron De Groft, resigned last week after just six weeks on the job.
- Brumback stepped down as chair but was replaced by Elliott, seen as her close ally, and remains on the board, which is now trying to find a new museum director.
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In an unfinished part of his basement, 95-year-old Richard Soller zips around a makeshift track encircling boxes full of medals he’s won for track and field and long-distance running.
Without a hint of breathlessness, he says: “I can put in miles down here.”
Steps away is an expensive leather recliner he bought when he retired from Procter & Gamble with visions of relaxing into old age. He proudly proclaims he’s never used it; he’s been too busy training for competitions, such as the National Senior Games.
Soller, who lives near Cincinnati, has achieved an enviable goal chased by humans since ancient times: Staying healthy and active in late life. It's a goal that eludes so many that growing old is often associated with getting frail and sick. But scientists are trying to change that — and tackle one of humanity's biggest challenges — through a little known but flourishing field of aging research called cellular senescence.
It’s built upon the idea that cells eventually stop dividing and enter a “senescent” state in response to various forms of damage. The body removes most of them. But others linger like zombies. They aren't dead. But as the Mayo Clinic's Nathan LeBrasseur puts it, they can harm nearby cells like moldy fruit corrupting a fruit bowl. They accumulate in older bodies, which mounting evidence links to an array of age-related conditions such as dementia, cardiovascular disease and osteoporosis.
But scientists wonder: Can the zombie cell buildup be stopped?
“The ability to understand aging – and the potential to intervene in the fundamental biology of aging – is truly the greatest opportunity we have had, maybe in history, to transform human health,” LeBrasseur says. Extending the span of healthy years impacts “quality of life, public health, socioeconomics, the whole shebang.”
With the number of people 65 or older expected to double globally by 2050, cellular senescence is “a very hot topic,” says Viviana Perez Montes of the National Institutes of Health. According to an Associated Press analysis of an NIH research database, there have been around 11,500 total projects involving cellular senescence since 1985, far more in recent years.
About 100 companies, plus academic teams, are exploring drugs to target senescent cells. And research offers tantalizing clues that people may be able to help tame senescence themselves using the strategy favored by Soller: exercise.
Although no one thinks senescence holds the key to super long life, Tufts University researcher Christopher Wiley hopes for a day when fewer people suffer fates like his late grandfather, who had Alzheimer's and stared back at him as if he were a stranger.
“I’m not looking for the fountain of youth,” Wiley says. “I’m looking for the fountain of not being sick when I’m older.”
MORTAL CELLS
Leonard Hayflick, the scientist who discovered cellular senescence in 1960, is himself vital at 94. He's a professor of anatomy at the University of California, San Francisco, and continues to write, present and speak on the topic.
At his seaside home in Sonoma County, he leafs through a binder filled with his research, including two early papers that have been cited an astonishing number of times by other researchers. Before him on the living room table are numerous copies of his seminal book, “How and Why We Age,” in various languages.
This scientific renown didn’t come easily. He discovered cellular senescence by accident, cultivating human fetal cells for a project on cancer biology and noticing they stopped dividing after about 50 population doublings. This wasn’t a big surprise; cell cultures often failed because of things like contamination. What was surprising was that others also stopped dividing at the same point. The phenomenon was later called “the Hayflick limit.”
The finding, Hayflick says, challenged “60-year-old dogma” that normal human cells could replicate forever. A paper he authored with colleague Paul Moorhead was rejected by a prominent scientific journal, and Hayflick faced a decade of ridicule after it was published in Experimental Cell Research in 1961.
“It followed the usual pattern of major discoveries in science, where the discoverer is first ridiculed and then somebody says, ‘Well, maybe it works’ … then it becomes accepted to some extent, then becomes more widely accepted.”
At this point, he says, “the field that I discovered has skyrocketed to an extent that’s beyond my ability to keep up with it.”
ZOMBIE BUILDUP
Scientists are careful to note that cell senescence can be useful. It likely evolved at least in part to suppress the development of cancer by limiting the capacity of cells to keep dividing. It happens throughout our lives, triggered by things like DNA damage and the shortening of telomeres, structures that cap and protect the ends of chromosomes. Senescent cells play a role in wound healing, embryonic development and childbirth.
Problems can arise when they build up.
“When you’re young, your immune system is able to recognize these senescent cells and eliminate them,” says Perez, who studies cell biology and aging. “But when we start getting old … the activity of our immune system also gets diminished, so we’re losing the capacity to eliminate them.”
Senescent cells resist apoptosis, or programmed cell death, and characteristically get big and flat, with enlarged nuclei. They release a blend of molecules, some of which can trigger inflammation and harm other cells — and paradoxically can also stimulate the growth of malignant cells and fuel cancer, LeBrasseur says.
Scientists link some disorders to buildups of senescent cells in certain spots. For example, research suggests certain senescent cells that accumulate in lungs exposed to cigarette smoke may contribute substantially to airway inflammation in COPD.
The idea that one process could be at the root of numerous diseases is powerful to many scientists.
It inspired Dr. James Kirkland to move on from geriatric medicine. “I got tired of prescribing better wheelchairs and incontinence devices,” says Kirkland, a professor of medicine at Mayo considered a pioneer of the senescence renaissance. “I wanted to do something more fundamental that could alleviate the suffering that I saw.”
DRUG TARGETS
That quest leads him and others to develop medicines.
Experimental drugs designed to selectively clear senescent cells have been dubbed “senolytics,” and Mayo holds patents on some. In mice, they've been shown to be effective at delaying, preventing or easing several age-related disorders.
Possible benefits for people are just emerging. Kirkland, LeBrasseur and colleagues did a pilot study providing initial evidence that patients with a serious lung disease might be helped by pairing a chemotherapy drug with a plant pigment. Another pilot study found the same combination reduced the burden of senescent cells in the fat tissue of people with diabetic kidney disease.
At least a dozen clinical trials with senolytics are now testing things like whether they can help control Alzheimer’s progression, improve joint health in osteoarthritis and improve skeletal health. Some teams are trying to develop “senomorphics” that can suppress detrimental effects of molecules emitted by senescent cells. And a Japanese team has tested a vaccine on mice specific to a protein found in senescent cells, allowing for their targeted elimination.
Scientists say serious work to improve human health could also bring fringe benefits – like reducing skin wrinkling.
“I tell my lab that if we find a drug that clears the bad senescent cells and not the good ones and we cure Parkinson’s disease and Alzheimer’s and osteoporosis and macular degeneration, it would be wonderful,” says Judith Campisi, a biogerontology expert at the Buck Institute for Research on Aging. “But if we cure wrinkles, we’ll be rich, and I’ll never have to write another grant.”
Amid the buzz, some companies market dietary supplements as senolytics. But researchers warn they haven’t been shown to work or proven safe.
And there’s still much to learn about clinical trial drugs.
“We know that senolytics work pretty well in mice,” Wiley says. “We’re still really figuring out the basics with people.”
‘MOST PROMISING TOOL’
Today, LeBrasseur, who directs a center on aging at Mayo, says exercise is “the most promising tool that we have” for good functioning in late life, and its power extends to our cells.
Research suggests it counters the buildup of senescent ones, helping the immune system clear them and counteracting the molecular damage that can spark the senescence process.
A study LeBrasseur led last year provided the first evidence in humans that exercise can significantly reduce indicators, found in the bloodstream, of the burden of senescent cells in the body. After a 12-week aerobics, resistance and balance training program, researchers found that older adults had lowered indicators of senescence and better muscle strength, physical function and reported health. A recently-published research review collects even more evidence — in animals and humans — for exercise as a senescence-targeting therapy.
While such studies aren't well-known outside scientific circles, many older adults intuitively equate exercise with youthfulness.
Rancher Mike Gale, 81, installed a track and field throwing circle on his sprawling property in Petaluma, California, so he and some friends could practice throwing the discus and other equipment. Against a backdrop of rolling green hills, they twist, step, throw and retrieve over and over again.
“I’d like to be competing in my 90s,” Gale says. “Why not?”
Soller asked himself a similar question long ago.
After a torn hamstring stopped him from running track in high school, he fell into an unhealthy lifestyle in early adulthood, smoking two packs of cigarettes a day. But he and his wife Jean quit cold turkey when their daughter Mary came along.
He started running again just before turning 50, and since then has run in races across the U.S., including two marathons, and participated in decades of Senior Games competitions. In May, Soller joined 12,000 like-minded athletes in Florida for the latest national games in the Fort Lauderdale area – winning five medals to add to his collection of 1,500 prizes.
His daughter filmed his first-place finish in the 200-meter dash from the stands, cheering: “Go, Dad, go!”
Soller says exercise keeps him fit enough to handle what comes his way – including an Alzheimer's diagnosis for his wife of 62 years. They sometimes stroll neighborhood streets together, holding hands.
“Do as much as you can,” he says. “That should be the goal for anyone to stay healthy.” | https://www.krem.com/article/news/nation-world/zombie-cells-healthy-aging/507-1f4ab4da-8a19-4402-96e7-9834ce78f465 | 2022-08-31T11:15:30Z | krem.com | control | https://www.krem.com/article/news/nation-world/zombie-cells-healthy-aging/507-1f4ab4da-8a19-4402-96e7-9834ce78f465 | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
For more stories like this one, subscribe to A People's History of Kansas City on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or Stitcher.
A single-story brick schoolhouse with an unassuming name rests atop a gentle hill overlooking Independence, Missouri. Its freshly painted corridor holds a story that’s been slow to reach beyond its doors.
This building is where Alversia Pettigrew learned her ABC’s as a child in the 1950s. But even though she and her classmates passed under the words “Young School” every time they walked through the building’s double doors, she never gave much thought to the name.
“I thought it was a school for young Blacks,” she said. “That’s what I thought ‘young’ meant. Just young school for young kids — young, Black kids.”
After decades of sitting unused, the old school building officially reopened its doors in July as the new home of Truman Heritage Habitat for Humanity.
It will offer classes for new homeowners, and something else: A classroom inside Young School will hold materials and exhibits that finally tell the story of Hiram Young, the former slave who founded the school for Black children after the Civil War.
Young's is a story that’s been bottled up for years. Pettigrew said she was well into adulthood before she knew anything about the man.
“You know, it was kind of like a secret, something underlying that we were not told about,” she said.
A freed slave’s fortunate timing
Hiram Young was born into slavery in Tennessee in 1812 and found his way to Springfield, Missouri, with his enslaver. At some point, they moved to Liberty, Missouri, and Young began honing his woodworking skills.
Legend has it that he began whittling ox yokes and pick handles to earn enough money to buy his own freedom, and then his wife’s.
By 1850, Young had settled in Independence as a free man with his wife and young daughter, Amanda Jane.
Then he started building wagons — big, sturdy wagons that could haul 6,000 pounds of freight across the middle of America.
His wagons became so much in demand that Young became the wealthiest person in the county, said Travis Boley, the association manager of the Oregon-California Trails Association.
“Hiram Young was in a very fortunate place at the time, because of Independence, and a few other jumping off towns between here in Omaha,” Boley said. “It was the epicenter of the westward movement and what became the American west.”
Independence, the county seat of Jackson County, had become the starting point for trade on the Santa Fe Trail, as well as trails to new beginnings in Oregon and California.
Wagon makers and outfitters thrived in the town with a population of about 1,500 people. And Young became the best of them, selling wagons that were branded with “Hiram Young and Company,” along with the owner’s initials.
“I mean, this is a guy who was sort of the epicenter of people in the American west,” Boley said. “I have no idea how many wagons or yolks he built over the course of his career, but I know it was well into the thousands.”
The Civil War’s upheaval
But the Civil War was looming. By 1860, Young could see it was time to relocate.
“It's not safe for a Black man, ‘a colored man of means,’ in his own words, to stay in Independence, Missouri,” said Kansas City historian Diane Euston.
Young moved his family and his business to Leavenworth, Kansas, where he met another Hiram — Rev. Hiram Revels. Revels wanted to establish a church in Independence after the war. But he and Young would have to get back on their feet first.
“When he got back to Independence, he's still trying to give back to the community, his community,” Euston said, talking about Young. “But he also finds that he’s lost a ton of property because the Union army pillaged his property and destroyed a lot of it.”
By then, the railroad was replacing wagons as a means of transport, so Young converted his shop to a lumber mill.
But a fire heavily damaged his shop. Insurance wouldn’t cover his costs. And Young was was still trying to recover costs for property losses he’d incurred in the war; he had sued the government for $22,000 in reparations.
Euston said the community came to Young’s aid.
“Even the Kansas City Star wrote about this and were encouraging their readers to invest in Hiram Young,” she said. “So they got together the money to get Hiram Young back in business.”
And then some. Young raised enough funds to build a church for Hiram Revels. It’s been rebuilt twice, but St. Paul’s African Methodist Episcopal Church still welcomes a small congregation.
Young also raised enough money to open the first school for Black children in Independence. He named it Frederick Douglass School, after the famed abolitionist.
Travis Boley said Young became one of the go-to people in town.
“There were people then like that,” he said. “They were few and far between. ‘Cause you have to have the means and the time and the want to. And Hiram had all of those.”
Hiram Young’s legacy
Young died in 1882. In what amounted to a show of respect for that era, the city of Independence allowed Young to be buried in the white section of Woodlawn Cemetery.
His lawsuit to collect the $22,000 was rejected by the government in 1907. His family never recovered that money.
Also after his death, Independence renamed Frederick Douglass school as “Young School.” His daughter, who attended Oberlin College in Ohio, returned to teach at the school and, some say, serve as principal.
Young School served students from kindergarten through 8th grade initially because, Pettigrew said, that’s all the education people figured Black children needed.
She recalls her time at the school with fondness.
“It was just like a close knit family. In fact, the auditorium for Young School was used as kind of the Independence community center,” Pettigrew said. “The teachers were just kind of nurturing.”
Young School closed a few years after the U.S. Supreme Court's Brown vs. Board of Education ruling in 1954 that struck down racial segregation in schools.
The school district used it for classes for special needs students for a time, and then for storage. Eventually it shuttered the building.
But now, after many stops and starts, Young School is open again on that gentle hill overlooking Independence.
Pettigrew said she and other Young School alumni were frustrated with the absence of recognition for Young in the school that he built.
“He was not celebrated at all during my years at Young School,” she said.
Independence has made some attempts to recognize Hiram Young. A small park is named after him. And a tiny lane bears his name. Plus, a marker in McCoy Park summarizes Young’s story.
But Young School, more than those other tributes, speaks to the vision of its founder. And so Pettigrew is happy that the school is finally taking its place in Independence history.
She strolls its halls, pointing out the different classrooms, the multipurpose gym, and the little snack room that doubled as a book repository. She even recites a prayer from memory that students would say at lunch.
“It makes me feel that finally Hiram Young speaks,” she said of the school’s reclamation. “And I think it's been a learning lesson to blacks and whites alike.”
This episode of A People's History of Kansas City was reported and produced by Carlos Moreno, with editing by Barb Shelly, Suzanne Hogan and Mackenzie Martin. Sound design and mix by intern Paris Norvell. Additional digital editing by Gabe Rosenberg. | https://www.kcur.org/news/2022-08-31/freed-slave-hiram-young-built-his-fortune-and-legacy-in-independence-then-got-forgotten | 2022-08-31T11:17:35Z | kcur.org | control | https://www.kcur.org/news/2022-08-31/freed-slave-hiram-young-built-his-fortune-and-legacy-in-independence-then-got-forgotten | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Abortion rights won’t show up explicitly in Kansas this fall, but the cultural battlefield they dominate raises at least the possibility of influencing whether voters decide to toss justices off the Kansas Supreme Court.
Six of the seven justices stand for retention during the general election.
Voters traditionally have retained justices on the Kansas Supreme Court, even when conservatives launched campaigns to oust them.
But this year offers a distinct opportunity to impose politics into the retention. All but one justice will effectively be asking to keep their job in the November vote.
If voters removed some of them, that could set the stage for a court that tilts more to the right, and could theoretically reinterpret the state constitution to conclude the court was wrong in 2019 — and wipe out the protection for abortion rights.
A Republican governor — such as Derek Schmidt, who is challenging incumbent Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly this fall — would then get to decide on who fills their slots. A Kansas governor can’t pick just anyone. They’re given a slate of finalists to choose from picked by a group of lawyers and laymen. But that still gives a governor authority to pick judges who are less sympathetic to abortion rights.
The retention elections this fall are unusual. The number of justices facing the vote this year is the most during the same election in at least the last 20 years.
While retention elections usually fly under the radar, they have been significant political fights in the past.
Abortion rights activists have already sounded the alarm after voters overwhelmingly rejected an amendment to the state constitution that would have removed the right to abortion in Kansas. But no organized effort appears to be in the works.
Voters will still have their say when they cast ballots in November. While Supreme Court justices regularly appear on the ballot, some Kansans may not have little knowledge on how they work.
Here’s what voters should know:
What is retention?
Justices on the court must face retention elections at the end of each six-year term.
When they are appointed to the court, they must face retention during the first election after they’ve served a year on the bench. If they pass their initial retention, they then serve six-year terms before they face another election.
This year’s election includes so many justices because three of them were appointed by Kelly in 2020 and are facing their first retention.
Who is up for retention this year?
Six of the seven justices are up for retention:
- Chief Justice Marla Luckert — appointed to the court in 2002 by Republican Gov. Bill Graves.
- Dan Biles — appointed in 2009 by Democratic Gov. Kathleen Sebelius.
- Caleb Stegall — appointed in 2014 by Republican Gov. Sam Brownback.
- Evelyn Wilson — appointed in 2020 by Kelly.
- Keynen Wall Jr. — appointed in 2020 by Kelly.
- Melissa Taylor Standridge — appointed in 2020 by Kelly.
The only current justice who will not face a retention election this fall is Eric Rosen, who was appointed to the court in 2005 by Sebelius. He last faced a retention election in 2020.
Why is this year significant?
Kansas voters who are not happy with the justices’ performance — such as the 2019 ruling that found the state constitution provides the right to an abortion — can vote them out.
Only two of the justices, Luckert and Biles, joined in that decision and are up for retention. Stegall also served on the court at the time, but he was the only justice to dissent.
Ashley All of Kansas for Constitutional Freedom, the campaign that worked to reject the constitutional amendment, said the day after the primary election that she expected conservatives who want to restrict abortion rights to shift their focus to the state supreme court.
“They didn’t like the vote … so they will try to target other things and reverse it,” All said at the time.
Kansans for Life, the state’s strongest anti-abortion group that helped lead the failed effort to change the state constitution, has a history of trying to remove justices. Kristina Smith, director of the organization’s political action committee, said the organization plans to provide voting recommendations on the justices this fall, but is not actively campaigning.
However, the organization said in a message to supporters that it hasn’t given up on its anti-abortion mission despite nearly 60% of voters rejecting the state constitutional amendment.
“We are certain many Kansans who voted no will have buyer’s remorse,” the organization said. “When this happens, Kansans for Life stands ready to take action to rein in the industry.”
The general election is Nov. 8. The last day to register to vote is Oct. 18.
Dylan Lysen reports on politics for the Kansas News Service. You can follow him on Twitter @DylanLysen or email him at dlysen (at) kcur (dot) org.
The Kansas News Service is a collaboration of KCUR, Kansas Public Radio, KMUW and High Plains Public Radio focused on health, the social determinants of health and their connection to public policy.
Kansas News Service stories and photos may be republished by news media at no cost with proper attribution and a link to ksnewsservice.org. | https://www.kcur.org/news/2022-08-31/what-voters-should-know-about-the-kansas-supreme-court-and-the-next-abortion-battleground | 2022-08-31T11:17:36Z | kcur.org | control | https://www.kcur.org/news/2022-08-31/what-voters-should-know-about-the-kansas-supreme-court-and-the-next-abortion-battleground | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Independence, Missouri, was the door to America’s westward expansion in the 19th century. At its center stood Hiram Young, a formerly enslaved man who carved out a fortune, lost most of it, and whose influence on the region is beginning to spread.
As KCUR’s general assignment reporter and visual journalist, I bring our audience inside the daily stories that matter most to the people of the Kansas City metro, showing how and why events affect residents. Through my photography, I seek to ensure our diverse community sees itself represented in our coverage. Email me at carlos@kcur.org.
Every part of the present has been shaped by actions that took place in the past, but too often that context is left out. As a community storyteller taking a new look at local history, I aim to provide that context, clarity, empathy and deeper, nuanced perspectives on how the events and people in the past have shaped our community today. I want to entertain, inform, make you think, expose something new and cultivate a deeper shared human connection about how the passage of time affects us all. Reach me at hogansm@kcur.org. | https://www.kcur.org/podcast/a-peoples-history-of-kansas-city/2022-08-31/from-slavery-to-fortune-in-independence | 2022-08-31T11:17:38Z | kcur.org | control | https://www.kcur.org/podcast/a-peoples-history-of-kansas-city/2022-08-31/from-slavery-to-fortune-in-independence | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Most people know that Kansas City BBQ is a big deal, but not many know who's responsible for its creation. Enter Henry Perry, a Black entrepreneur who helped shape Kansas City BBQ into what it is today. A People's History of Kansas City tells his story.
Want more BBQ? Join "A People's History of Kansas City" host Suzanne Hogan and producer Mackenzie Martin live at the Gem Theater on Thursday, Sept. 1 at 7 p.m. for a behind-the-scenes look at Henry Perry. Get tickets here.
Hiram Young bought freedom for him and his wife, started a thriving business, and eventually built the first school for Black children in Independence. Despite all of his success, Young's story is rarely told. For KCUR's podcast A People's History of Kansas City, Carlos Moreno uncovers truth behind one of the town's richest residents.
Contact the show at news@kcur.org. Follow KCUR on Twitter and Facebook for the latest news.
Kansas City Today is hosted by Nomin Ujiyediin. It is produced by Byron Love, Trevor Grandin, and KCUR Studios, and edited by Gabe Rosenberg and Lisa Rodriguez.
You can support Kansas City Today by becoming a KCUR member: kcur.org/donate | https://www.kcur.org/podcast/kansas-city-today/2022-08-31/kansas-citys-barbecue-king | 2022-08-31T11:17:39Z | kcur.org | control | https://www.kcur.org/podcast/kansas-city-today/2022-08-31/kansas-citys-barbecue-king | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
ALBANY — In a typical year, about 1,100 people apply for pistol permits in Niagara County.
But over the past 12 days, Niagara County Clerk Joe Jastrzemski said his office has seen an unprecedented surge in applications, having to turn away numerous people because lines had grown so long.
“We’ve taken in 956 new applications in just the past 12 days,” Jastrzemski said Tuesday.
Those hoping to get their permits processed are scrambling to get their approvals before Thursday, when new state gun control laws become effective, adding additional training and registration requirements on New Yorkers who acquired their firearms lawfully. They will also have to undergo what the law calls a “character and conduct” evaluation, and submit a full list of all of their social media accounts as part of the application.
County officials told CNHI Tuesday they are still waiting for the Hochul administration to make the new pistol permit applications available to them. The legislation was approved in June.
After the U.S. Supreme Court struck down New York’s concealed carry law as unconstitutional, Gov. Kathy Hochul directed the Legislature to return for an emergency session to respond to the ruling.
Arguing places such as churches, subways and parks should be gun-free zones, Hochul said she was concerned the high court decision could invite “a Wild West” atmosphere, with gunslingers jeopardizing the lives of their fellow New Yorkers even though they had been approved for pistol permits and passed the FBI’s National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS) check when they obtained their firearm.
Some upstate sheriffs are openly questioning whether the new gun laws will yield any public safety benefits, maintaining the legislation appears to be directed at erecting new barriers to legally possessing firearms.
“The criminals are still going to be out there committing crimes with illegal firearms and the law-abiding public is going to be jumping through hoops to get a permit,” Otsego County Sheriff Richard Devlin said. “This is all going to put additional workload on the clerks and the sheriffs. We’re not going to be able to handle that workload.”
Hochul told a New York City television station last week it was important for the state to “fix what the Supreme Court did on the concealed carry.”
She said new restrictions on concealed carry permits will ensure New York City has “safe places,” mentioning Times Square, a popular tourist attraction and center of commerce, as a location where pistol permit holders and others should be prohibited from carrying firearms. The New York City Police Department is now posting “Gun Free Zone” signs throughout Times Square, warnings to the more than 360,000 people who enter the area each day.
According to Hochul, she will conduct a press conference regarding the new law Wednesday, and her administration is working on a public education campaign to explain the new legislation.
“People know that I take the safety of New Yorkers very seriously,” Hochul said.
The Hochul administration has not been tracking data on shootings to determine the number of gunplay incidents involving legally owned firearms vs. the number of shooting incidents involving guns that were obtained illegally, according to state officials questioned by CNHI.
As for Hochul’s efforts to ban all guns from “sensitive areas,” using gun-free zone signage, Patrick Phelan, executive director of the New York State Association of Police Chiefs, said: “Having a restricted area is not going to matter to someone who is already possessing an illegal firearm. He’s already breaking the law. So I don’t think sensitive areas are going to be a concern for criminals.”
Phelan said tackling the scourge of gun crimes requires a multi-tiered approach and intercepting guns acquired illegally. “We need to figure out why teenage kids are shooting each other and think about how we are raising a generation of kids who think the solution to everything is to shoot one another,” said Phelan, former chief of the Greece Police Department.
In Lockport, Jastrzemski said the gun owners he speaks to daily believe the state is burdening them with new requirements that won’t touch the problem of gun violence.
“This is not going to make our communities safer,” Jastrzemski said. “I believe that 100%. I do commend our police officers who took 6,000 illegal guns off the streets. That’s where they need to be concentrating, not on law-abiding citizens.”
The new legislation is already facing a legal challenge from a gun rights group called Gun Owners of America, and a second lawsuit is anticipated from the New York Rifle and Pistol Association, the group that succeeded in convincing the Supreme Court that New York’s concealed carry permit process infringed on the rights of New Yorkers.
Tom King, president of the Rifle and Pistol Association, said he questions how the new regulations can be followed when many gun owners have not been informed of the new requirements.
While the State Police has issued a set of “frequently answered questions” regarding the new gun law, King said, “How do they expect people to obey a law when they don’t know what the law means?” | https://www.lockportjournal.com/news/local_news/doubts-raised-as-to-whether-pistol-permit-rules-will-impact-gun-crimes/article_5c33a47c-28c9-11ed-bc22-9f58f8ce2337.html | 2022-08-31T11:38:34Z | lockportjournal.com | control | https://www.lockportjournal.com/news/local_news/doubts-raised-as-to-whether-pistol-permit-rules-will-impact-gun-crimes/article_5c33a47c-28c9-11ed-bc22-9f58f8ce2337.html | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
The products and services mentioned below were selected independent of sales and advertising. However, Don't Waste Your Money may receive a small commission from the purchase of any products or services through an affiliate link to the retailer's website.
If you’re beginning to plan your fall and winter crafts or are getting a head start on some homemade gifts for the holidays, you’re going to want to visit Joann. Joann’s Labor Day sale is full of discounts on a large selection of fabrics and crafting accessories.
For those not up for making their own decorations, you’ll also find some decor items like fall wreaths and garlands.
The Joann Labor Day sale will be held both in-store and online between Thursday, Sept. 1 and Saturday, Sept. 3. You’ll also find an extended two-day event through Monday, Sept. 5, which will feature even more deals than the original Labor Day sale.
Take a look at just some of the deals you’ll find during the Labor Day sale running Sept. 1-3.
50% off Fall & Halloween Cotton Fabrics
Regularly priced between $3-$25 per yard, fall and Halloween cotton fabrics are 50% off, taking the prices to $1.50-$12.50.
There are dozens of prints included in the sale, such as jack-o’-lanterns, spider webs, dancing skeletons and even glow-in-the-dark ghosts.
If you don’t see fabrics you like in those collections, you’ll also get 40% off The Witching Hour Fabrics.
30% off Pillow Forms, Stuffing, Batting and Foam
If you’re planning on making some pillows with your discounted fabric, you’ll save 30% on pillow forms, stuffing, batting and foam.
There are a variety of sizes depending on how much you need and some stuffing is priced as high as $99 regularly, including this 20-pound box of Poly-Fil Premium Polyester Fiber Fill. With the sale, you could get the stuffing for $69.30, a savings of nearly $30.
40% off Cricut Accessories
If you have a Cricut, the Labor Day sale is a great time to buy some accessories, as many are marked at 40% off.
The Cricut accessories in the sale include things like transfer tape, cutting mats, gel pens and iron-on transfers. This Cricut StrongBond Holographic Iron on Transfer is currently on sale for $7.50, which is 50% off.
4 for $12 Gildan Adult, Youth & Toddler Short Sleeve T-Shirts
Perfect for family reunions, birthday parties or any other group event when given an appropriate design, Gildan Adult, Youth and Toddler Short Sleeve T-Shirts will be priced at 4 for $12, or just $3 each.
While the toddler shirts are regularly priced at $3, saving you $1 each, youth and adult shirts cost around $5 and up. You’ll definitely see savings if you buy four at a time.
Bloom Room Fall Wreaths ($25)
If you’d rather not make your own fall decor, you’ll find a handful of Bloom Room Fall Wreaths priced at $25. All wreaths are priced differently, so how much you save will depend on which one you choose. Some wreaths are already priced below $25, so chances are those are not included in the sale.
You’ll also find a deal on Bloom Room Fall Garlands, many of which will be priced at $10.
What are you looking to buy during Joann’s Labor Day sale?
This story originally appeared on Don't Waste Your Money. Checkout Don't Waste Your Money for product reviews and other great ideas to save and make money. | https://www.fox17online.com/joann-labor-day-sale-4-for-12-tshirts | 2022-08-31T11:38:49Z | fox17online.com | control | https://www.fox17online.com/joann-labor-day-sale-4-for-12-tshirts | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
These are the 10 most sociable and antisocial breeds of adorable dog - from the friendly Golden Retriever to the timid Vizsla 🐶
Some breeds of dog are predisposed to getting on well with pretty much everyone, while others will often shy away from both human and canine company.
A huge number of us decided to welcome new puppies into our homes in the last two years – Kennel Club figures show dog ownership soared by nearly 8 percent and post-lockdown demand for four-legged friends remains high.
There are a whopping 221 different breeds of pedigree dog to choose from, alongside numerous crossbreeds, so there’s plenty of thinking to do before you select your family’s latest addition.
Our lifestyle has a huge bearing on which type of dog will work best for us – if you have limited space you might want to look at small dogs, while the more elderly pet owner should place certain breeds at the top of their wishlist.
Some breeds are sure to be a hit both at the park, where they will enjoy playing with other dogs, and at home, welcoming human friends and strangers alike.
Meanwhile, other dogs have a reputation for being timid, uncertain of their fellow canines and shy of humans thay don’t know well.
Here are the 10 most sociable and timid breeds of dog according to the American Kennel Club.
Read more: | https://www.scotsman.com/heritage-and-retro/heritage/these-are-the-10-most-sociable-and-antisocial-breeds-of-adorable-dog-from-the-friendly-golden-retriever-to-the-timid-vizsla-3664026 | 2022-08-31T11:46:10Z | scotsman.com | control | https://www.scotsman.com/heritage-and-retro/heritage/these-are-the-10-most-sociable-and-antisocial-breeds-of-adorable-dog-from-the-friendly-golden-retriever-to-the-timid-vizsla-3664026 | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Beat The Dognappers Part 3: These are 9 expert tips on keeping your lovable dog safe from thieves while at home 🐕
Many people have welcomed new four-legged friends into their homes over the last couple of years but this has also led to an increase in dogs being stolen.
Data collected by Direct Line Pet Insurance found that around 2,760 dogs were stolen last year – 321 more than in 2020, a 16 per cent rise since 2015, and the equivalent of nearly eight dogs every day.
The most targeted breeds are French Bulldogs, Jack Russell Terriers, Chihuahuas and Pugs, with dognappers most commonly taking pups from gardens, homes, parks and cars.
Due to this threat to our furry friends, experts at PuppyHero.com have collated a list of the top tips to prevent dog theft.
Here’s what you can do to protect your precious pup when you're at home.
Read more: | https://www.scotsman.com/lifestyle/family-and-parenting/beat-the-dognappers-part-3-these-are-9-expert-tips-on-keeping-your-lovable-dog-safe-from-thieves-while-at-home-3695163 | 2022-08-31T11:46:22Z | scotsman.com | control | https://www.scotsman.com/lifestyle/family-and-parenting/beat-the-dognappers-part-3-these-are-9-expert-tips-on-keeping-your-lovable-dog-safe-from-thieves-while-at-home-3695163 | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Dog on Social Media: These are the 10 breeds of adorable dog that get most views on TikTok - including the loving Labrador 🐶
Some dog breeds are so popular on the social media site that they have collected billions of views.
A huge number of us decided to welcome new puppies into our homes over the pandemic – Kennel Club figures show dog ownership soared by nearly eight percent and post-lockdown demand for four-legged friends remains high.
Over that time TikTok has also increased massively in popularity, particularly with young people, with over 8.9 million active users in January 2022 in the UK alone – third only to Facebook and Twitter when it comes to social media sites.
So it’s perhaps no surprise that one of the most in-demand types of video shared on the site is of canine antics, with the hashtag ‘#dog’ amassing an incredible 244.8 billion views.
But with a whopping 221 different breeds of pedigree dog recognised by the UK Kennel Club, not all dogs are equal when it comes to online popularity.
Online puppy experts PuppyHero.com have analysed data to find out which breeds are top dogs when it comes to TikTok.
Here’s what they found by looking at different hashtags corresponding to different types of pup.
Read more: | https://www.scotsman.com/lifestyle/family-and-parenting/dog-on-social-media-these-are-the-10-breeds-of-adorable-dog-that-get-most-views-on-tiktok-including-the-loving-labrador-3687474 | 2022-08-31T11:46:43Z | scotsman.com | control | https://www.scotsman.com/lifestyle/family-and-parenting/dog-on-social-media-these-are-the-10-breeds-of-adorable-dog-that-get-most-views-on-tiktok-including-the-loving-labrador-3687474 | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
220828-N-QI593-1014 ATLANTIC OCEAN (Aug. 28, 2022) Lt. Brady Evans, from San Antonio, assigned to the “Proud Warriors” of Helicopter Maritime Strike Squadron (HSM) 72, rinses an MH- 60R Seahawk helicopter on the flight deck aboard the Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Bainbridge (DDG 96) in the Atlantic Ocean, Aug. 28, 2022. Bainbridge is on a scheduled deployment in the U.S. Naval Forces Europe area of operations, employed by U.S. Sixth Fleet, to defend U.S., allied and partner interests. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Elexia Morelos)
This work, The USS Bainbridge is on a scheduled deployment in the U.S. Naval Forces Europe area of operations, employed by U.S. Sixth Fleet to defend U.S., Allied and Partner interests. [Image 5 of 5], by PO3 Elexia Morelos, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright. | https://www.dvidshub.net/image/7395728/uss-bainbridge-scheduled-deployment-us-naval-forces-europe-area-operations-employed-us | 2022-08-31T11:48:00Z | dvidshub.net | control | https://www.dvidshub.net/image/7395728/uss-bainbridge-scheduled-deployment-us-naval-forces-europe-area-operations-employed-us | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
220828-N-QI593-1042 ATLANTIC OCEAN (Aug. 28, 2022) Aviation Machinist’s Mate 2nd Class Jacob Mulholland, from Mims, Florida, assigned to the “Proud Warriors” of Helicopter Maritime Strike Squadron (HSM) 72, cleans the stabilator of an MH- 60R Seahawk helicopter on the flight deck aboard the Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Bainbridge (DDG 96) in the Atlantic Ocean, Aug. 28, 2022. Bainbridge is on a scheduled deployment in the U.S. Naval Forces Europe area of operations, employed by U.S. Sixth Fleet, to defend U.S., allied and partner interests. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Elexia Morelos)
This work, The USS Bainbridge is on a scheduled deployment in the U.S. Naval Forces Europe area of operations, employed by U.S. Sixth Fleet to defend U.S., Allied and Partner interests. [Image 5 of 5], by PO3 Elexia Morelos, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright. | https://www.dvidshub.net/image/7395729/uss-bainbridge-scheduled-deployment-us-naval-forces-europe-area-operations-employed-us | 2022-08-31T11:48:07Z | dvidshub.net | control | https://www.dvidshub.net/image/7395729/uss-bainbridge-scheduled-deployment-us-naval-forces-europe-area-operations-employed-us | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
220828-N-QI593-1089 ATLANTIC OCEAN (Aug. 28, 2022) Aviation Ordnanceman 2nd Class Molly Reiff, from Grayson, Georgia, assigned to the “Proud Warriors” of Helicopter Maritime Strike Squadron (HSM) 72, loosens the sway braces on an MH- 60R Seahawk helicopter on the flight deck aboard the Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Bainbridge (DDG 96) in the Atlantic Ocean, Aug. 28, 2022. Bainbridge is on a scheduled deployment in the U.S. Naval Forces Europe area of operations, employed by U.S. Sixth Fleet, to defend U.S., allied and partner interests. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Elexia Morelos)
This work, The USS Bainbridge is on a scheduled deployment in the U.S. Naval Forces Europe area of operations, employed by U.S. Sixth Fleet to defend U.S., Allied and Partner interests. [Image 5 of 5], by PO3 Elexia Morelos, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright. | https://www.dvidshub.net/image/7395730/uss-bainbridge-scheduled-deployment-us-naval-forces-europe-area-operations-employed-us | 2022-08-31T11:48:13Z | dvidshub.net | control | https://www.dvidshub.net/image/7395730/uss-bainbridge-scheduled-deployment-us-naval-forces-europe-area-operations-employed-us | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
220829-N-TO573-1226 MEDITERRANEAN SEA (Aug. 29, 2022) Culinary Specialist Seaman Tilton Rhode, from Pine Bluff, Arkansas, prepares shrimp during a culinary competition aboard the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Harry S. Truman (CVN 75), Aug. 29, 2022. The Harry S. Truman Carrier Strike Group is on a scheduled deployment in the U.S. Naval Forces Europe area of operations, employed by U.S. Sixth Fleet to defend U.S., allied and partner interests. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist Seaman Charles Blaine)
This work, The Harry S. Truman Carrier Strike Group is on a scheduled deployment in the U.S. Naval Forces Europe area of operations, employed by U.S. Sixth Fleet to defend U.S., allied and partner interests. [Image 9 of 9], by SN Charles Blaine, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright. | https://www.dvidshub.net/image/7395735/harry-s-truman-carrier-strike-group-scheduled-deployment-us-naval-forces-europe-area | 2022-08-31T11:48:44Z | dvidshub.net | control | https://www.dvidshub.net/image/7395735/harry-s-truman-carrier-strike-group-scheduled-deployment-us-naval-forces-europe-area | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
220830-N-CY569-1012 ATLANTIC OCEAN (Aug. 30, 2022) Sailors taxi an E/A-18G Growler, attached to the “Rooks” of Electronic Attack Squadron (VAQ) 137, across the flight deck of the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Harry S. Truman (CVN 75), Aug. 30, 2022. The Harry S. Truman Carrier Strike Group is on a scheduled deployment in the U.S. Naval Forces Europe area of operations, employed by U.S. Sixth Fleet to defend U.S., allied and partner interests. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Anthony Robledo)
This work, The Harry S. Truman Carrier Strike Group is on a scheduled deployment in the U.S. Naval Forces Europe area of operations, employed by U.S. Sixth Fleet to defend U.S., allied and partner interests. [Image 9 of 9], by SN Anthony Robledo, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright. | https://www.dvidshub.net/image/7395739/harry-s-truman-carrier-strike-group-scheduled-deployment-us-naval-forces-europe-area | 2022-08-31T11:49:09Z | dvidshub.net | control | https://www.dvidshub.net/image/7395739/harry-s-truman-carrier-strike-group-scheduled-deployment-us-naval-forces-europe-area | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Greetings, September. I’ll be honest, I’m only partially ready for you. I like the lower temperatures but not the earlier sunsets.
But I do love what you bring, so I’ll give while you take. Apple and hop harvest are here, a true sign of fall knocking on the door.
The best part about this time of year is that the weather is still perfect for outdoor activities. We can enjoy events without the searing heat.
If you’re home for the holiday weekend, the weekender has a nice variety of activities to choose from.
First Friday, Dineen Vineyards
End the week with a glass of wine and live music from 5-7 p.m. Friday, Sept. 2, 2022, at Dineen Vineyard, 2980 Gilbert Road in Zillah.
Dineen is open from noon to 7 p.m., and Friday happy hour will feature music by Jackson and Josiah of local band XYZ and the Boomers. There will be a menu of light bites and specialty glass pours.
The family-friendly evening is free, and dogs are welcome.
To reserve a table, email tastingroom@dineenvineyards.com.
First Friday, downtown Yakima
First Friday in Downtown Yakima presents Art in the Park at Performance Park, North Second Street and Staff Sgt. Pendelton Way, from 6-8 p.m. Local artists will have items for sale and enjoy live musical performances.
Enjoy Drag Me Out to the Arts, a rock ‘n’ roll walking tour of Downtown Yakima public art. Interested participants will meet at 6 p.m. at Collaboration Coffee, 18 S. First St.
Businesses with First Friday events include:
• The Little Soapmaker, 302 W. Yakima Ave., Suite 103, 10 a.m. to 5:45 p.m., spend $40 and receive a free back-to-school kit for your child.
• SEWN, 25 N. Front St., Suite 2, open sew meet-up; bring your projects and machine (or rent one from SEWN) to the monthly open sew to utilize space and assistance. The business opens at 11 a.m.; open sew is from 4-7 p.m.
• AntoLin Cellars, 14 N. Front St., 1-9 p.m., featuring art by Becky Wiseman and music from Jeff Parker.
• Mama Corie’s Kitchen, 114 Staff Sgt. Pendelton Way, 9 a.m.-8 p.m., kids’ activities all day (including slime making!). Full menu available all day.
• Kana Winery, 10 S. Second St., noon-10 p.m. , wine tasting, wine and craft beers, outdoor seating and live music from 7-10 p.m. featuring Rock Garden.
• Soul Seeker, 108 S. Third St., noon to 8 p.m., get $10 off body piercings.
TLC
Nineties nostalgia takes the main stage at 8 p.m. Saturday at Legends Casino, 580 Fort Road in Toppenish.
The TLC show is a rescheduled event from May. Tickets for the original show will be honored and refunds will be accepted through Ticketmaster.
Tickets start at $35 and can be purchased at legendscasino.com.
The show is for ages 18 and older. Doors open at 7 p.m.
Granger Menudo Festival
The Granger Chamber of Commerce hosts its annual menudo festival from noon to 5 p.m. Sunday at Hisey (Dinosaur) Park, 505 Main St.
The family-friendly event will feature a coed volleyball tournament and a car show. A DJ will be playing music throughout the day.
The chamber of commerce will have homemade menudo and bottled water for sale. Different vendors will be selling food, ice cream and hand-crafted items.
Kids’ activities will be ongoing during the day.
Entry fee for the Granger Menudo Car Show is $30 on the day of the event; there will be awards for first and second in each class, best in show and mayor’s choice.
Music at La Nueva Centinela
Check out Cuisillos and Pancho Barraza live at 1 p.m. Sunday at La Nueva Centinela, 3510 Gap Road in Outlook.
Tickets cost $60 and kids younger than 10 get in free. Buy tickets online at https://bit.ly/YH-Rlanuevacentinela.
Tickets are also for sale at the following locations:
• Yakima: Tacos El Rey, 1218 S. 16th Ave.; El Caballero, 1503 E. Nob Hill Blvd.; Mex Envios, 911 S. First St.; and El Mirador, 1601 E. Yakima Ave.
• Toppenish: Llave Musical, 207 S. Toppenish Ave.
• Sunnyside: La Vaquerita, 641 E. Edison Ave.; El Caballero, 2680 Yakima Valley Highway Unit F; Silvia’s Taxes, 1015 E. Lincoln Ave.; Fronteras Norte, 110 N. Sixth St.; and Marita’s Music, 2010 Yakima Valley Highway, No. 22. | https://www.yakimaherald.com/explore_yakima/yakima-valley-weekender-its-labor-day-weekend-and-theres-so-much-to-do/article_535c184a-24ee-11ed-8e34-e7db0a16b929.html | 2022-08-31T11:54:18Z | yakimaherald.com | control | https://www.yakimaherald.com/explore_yakima/yakima-valley-weekender-its-labor-day-weekend-and-theres-so-much-to-do/article_535c184a-24ee-11ed-8e34-e7db0a16b929.html | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
MOXEE — The annual hop harvest is underway at CLS Farms near Moxee, and over the next month it will involve several hundred workers, around-the-clock effort and the near-constant hum of machinery and processing equipment.
It all started with a subtle touch of hop cones in a farmer’s hand, and the scent that escaped when his fingers rubbed it.
“Eric (Desmarais) and Reid (Lundgren, production manager) go out to all the fields each day, pull a cone off the vine, rub it together, rip it open and smell it,” said Claire Desmarais, the fifth generation of her family to farm hops in the Moxee area.
“They just know historically what it feels and smells like, and use their years of experience to know when it’s time to start the harvest,” she added.
That time was Thursday, Aug. 25, for the family owned-CLS Farms. The hop harvest is underway for many other growers across the Yakima Valley.
Bountiful harvest expected
More than anything, the Desmarais family and many other Yakima Valley hop growers are hopeful 2022 will be “normal” after the pandemic heavily affected working conditions for the 2020 harvest, and early-summer heat and late-summer wildfire smoke impacted last year’s harvest.
“Last year, we had high temperatures that can really affect vine structure,” Claire Desmarais said. “And smoke from the wildfires can affect the hops’ aroma and can make harvesting conditions not as pleasant.
“We’re hoping for a more normal harvest this year,” she added. “The heat hasn’t been too bad, and what (hot weather) we did have was late in the season, and the hops recover quickly.”
Officials with the Washington Hop Commission, based in downtown Yakima’s Liberty Building, believe 2022 could produce one of the state’s largest harvests on record.
Maggie Elliot, science and communications director with the hop commission, said last year Washington experienced a record harvest of 84.6 million pounds, which accounted for 73% of the U.S. hop supply.
U.S. Department of Agriculture surveys of hop acreage show a decline of 3% from 2021, but yields are expected to improve slightly to 1,980 pounds per acre, Elliot said.
“Overall hop production in Washington state is predicted to drop 1% off last year’s record and provide 84,011,400 pounds,” she added. “If realized, this will be the second-largest harvest on record.
“While the cold, wet spring hindered hop growth early in the season, many varieties rebounded with the steady onset of the summer heat and producers are generally expecting yields close to average,” Elliot said.
How the hops are harvested
Eric and Shelley Desmarais have owned the CLS Farms fields just south of Moxee for 26 years, and the Desmarais family has been farming hops in the area for well over 100 years, Shelley said. CLS is named for her and their two oldest daughters, Claire and Lauren, although youngest sister Vivienne, 12, also helps with the family business.
Giving a tour of the operations, Claire, 24, described the process of harvesting and the equipment needed to process the thousands and thousands of bines cut down each day. Her mother noted that Claire is the fifth generation of the Desmarais family involved in farming hops.
The Centennial variety is the first to be harvested, and the process begins with a bottom cutter slicing the bottom of the bine (another word for vine), then a top cutter coming in next, with the bines stacking up high in the beds of pickups. This process takes place around the clock, with lights on the top cutters helping during the overnight hours.
Alexandra Nowell, technical brewing adviser for CLS Farms, previously worked in the craft beer industry, most recently at Three Weavers Brewing in the Los Angeles area.
“Each variety (of hop) is treated differently … it’s an extremely hands-on experience,” Nowell said. “This is my first year working full time on the harvest at the farm. Typically, I’m on the other side of hop selection.”
“Alex has been coming to our farm for 10 years, and to have her experience is really fantastic,” Shelley Desmarais said.
A few breweries, including Yakima Valley brewers such as Single Hill, will come to the farm and use fresh, or “wet,” hops for their craft-brewed beer.
But most of the 2,000-plus acres of hops at CLS farms will go through picker machines, dry out in kilns and be shipped to brewers as 200-pound bales.
Turning up the heat
The pickups laden with hop bines deposit their loads in a couple of tall sheds that contain the picker machines. Workers hoist the individual bines onto hooks and they are taken on a conveyer belt though the picker machines, which begin the process of separating the hop cones from the leaves and stems.
One shed contains a picker that dates to the establishment of CLS farms on its current site in 2009 — “that’s a bit before I was involved in operations,” Claire joked — while the second, taller building was erected last year.
Conveyer belts from both picker buildings deposit the hop cones into the kiln, which has 11 different beds to dry out the hops before they are packaged into bales. The building is two stories high and about the length of two football fields.
Lundgren, the production manager, noted that the cones are heated at 130 degrees for times ranging from seven to 11 hours, with the goal of reducing their moisture level from 40-45% down to about 9%.
“If they’re too wet, it can affect their aroma,” Lundgren said.
He and Shelley Desmarais noted how the surge of craft brewing’s popularity in the past 10 to 15 years has changed what brewers are looking for in their hops.
“Bitterness was the original reason for hops — preservation, essentially,” Lundgren said. “Now, with craft beers being so huge, our farm and most other hop farms have flipped things around. It’s 99% aroma varieties now.
“And the kiln is very important because it has the highest impact on quality — both positive and negative,” he added.
Bales pile up quickly
Once hops reach the desired humidity level, they are cooled for about 40 minutes in the final kiln bed before they are shipped to the bailing area. They sit in a conditioning room for about 24 hours “to get the temperature as low as we possibly can,” Lundgren said.
Two bales are stacked simultaneously in the bailing area, with taut white fabric holding back the 200 pounds of hops. Workers stitch the bales shut, and Lundgren uses a humidity gauge to make sure the moisture level remains close to 9% after the bailing process.
The facility generates about 35 to 40 bales an hour, or roughly 8,000 pounds of hops. With a harvest season lasting five to six weeks, the amount of hops harvested at CLS Farms can easily approach 1 million pounds.
Some breweries buy hops directly from the Moxee farm. Bales are also sold across the country and the world by hop suppliers.
The Yakima Valley provides about 25% of the world’s hops, a fact the Desmarais family recites with pride.
“We see people from all over the world. They come here to select hops and to meet the growers,” Shelley Desmarais said.
“It’s brought a level of attention to our community that’s very positive. It’s positive for the whole Valley.” | https://www.yakimaherald.com/news/local/business/hop-harvest-underway-in-the-yakima-valley-with-a-near-record-yield-expected/article_51514a62-2880-11ed-b138-830d10d7bd1b.html | 2022-08-31T11:54:24Z | yakimaherald.com | control | https://www.yakimaherald.com/news/local/business/hop-harvest-underway-in-the-yakima-valley-with-a-near-record-yield-expected/article_51514a62-2880-11ed-b138-830d10d7bd1b.html | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
People who want to learn about getting involved in local politics and campaigns can attend a discussion hosted by the Yakima Republican Women’s Club on Sept. 7.
The discussion will be at from 7-8:30 p.m. at the Women’s Century Club historic Donald House, 304 N. Second St. in Yakima.
Yakima City Council members Matt Brown and Patricia Byers will speak at the event, along with former congressional candidate Corey Gibson and local organizer Benine McDonnell.
“We hope to help the people of Yakima be more comfortable getting involved in political campaigns and become more active voters,” YRWC President Ann Bowman said in an email.
Anyone interested should RSVP to echo94@yahoo.com or 509-678-5123. | https://www.yakimaherald.com/news/local/yakima-republican-women-s-club-hosts-talk-on-getting-involved-in-campaigns/article_ba4aff96-287f-11ed-affc-2bcaebca068f.html | 2022-08-31T11:54:30Z | yakimaherald.com | control | https://www.yakimaherald.com/news/local/yakima-republican-women-s-club-hosts-talk-on-getting-involved-in-campaigns/article_ba4aff96-287f-11ed-affc-2bcaebca068f.html | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
President Joe Biden’s plan to relieve student debt has addressed the concerns of many college students and recent graduates. At Washington State University Vancouver, for example, 43 percent of students in 2020-21 met requirements for federal Pell Grants, creating debt that many of them would carry for years.
But the issue also illuminates questions and concerns surrounding American higher education. As Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., said in response to Biden’s debt-reducing order: “We have a lot of problems in the whole system. The president has done what he can do with the tool in front of him. And that is he’s helped relieve the debt burden for millions of Americans. We need to deal directly with the cost of college. Absolutely.”
Many factors contribute to that cost, and the net result has been a sharp increase in the price of tuition at public universities. According to the Education Data Initiative, tuition at an average public university increased 121 percent during the 1980s; that expansion has slowed, but still typically outpaces the inflation rate.
Beginning in the 1980s, Legislatures routinely trimmed funding for state universities, leaving schools to rely more heavily on tuition to cover expenses. The Center on Budget and Policy Priorities reports that, nationally, inflation-adjusted state funding for public two- and four-year colleges in 2018 was $6.6 billion less than in 2008, before the Great Recession.
As author Heather McGhee writes in “The Sum of Us,” published in 2021: “Fundamentally, we have to ask ourselves, how is it fair and how is it smart to price a degree out of reach for the working class just as that degree became the price of entry into the middle class?”
It is all part of a vicious cycle. Tuition growth — and a perception that a college degree is essential for a spot in the middle class — lead to more students taking out education loans. Adding to that, a 2017 study from the Federal Reserve Bank of New York found that more federal aid to students enabled colleges to further increase tuition.
The result has been an estimated $1.6 trillion in student loan debt. In Washington, about 800,000 residents owe a total of more than $27 billion in student debt.
Biden last week took steps to ease that burden, forgiving up to $20,000 in federal student loan debt for Pell Grant recipients and up to $10,000 for others who qualify. (As an aside, regardless of the wisdom or fairness of the decision, the issue further highlights the modern imperialist presidency; Biden is not the first to make an executive decision that should be left to Congress, but lawmakers must assert their power as a co-equal branch of government.)
Criticisms of the decision have ranged from the absurd to the valid. On the absurd side, several Republican members of Congress complained about loan forgiveness, only to have White House officials point out that many of them had Paycheck Protection Program loans forgiven under COVID-19 relief plans — including $2.8 million for Rep. Vern Buchanan, R-Fla.
Valid arguments include concerns about loan forgiveness adding to inflationary pressures; if people have more money to spend, prices are likely to increase. There also are assertions that debt relief will primarily help wealthy people.
Those are immediate issues that come with an aggressive move from the president. But long-term concerns are equally important. The larger questions involve the cost of secondary education and why this nation is so reluctant to invest in its future. | https://www.yakimaherald.com/opinion/editorials/other-views-cost-of-college-out-of-reach-for-working-class/article_db79a4ae-2886-11ed-a218-4791457525ef.html | 2022-08-31T11:54:36Z | yakimaherald.com | control | https://www.yakimaherald.com/opinion/editorials/other-views-cost-of-college-out-of-reach-for-working-class/article_db79a4ae-2886-11ed-a218-4791457525ef.html | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Valley needs more dams to save precious water supplies
To the editor — The Aug. 24 Yakima Herald-Republic ran a story about drought in the Pacific Northwest. The Yakima Valley depends on water storage behind various dams.
With adequate water supplies, Yakima can lead the world in production of apples, pears, cherries, grapes, hops and milk.
Yet every spring the Naches and Yakima rivers run near flood stage with water that should be saved behind dams. We let our lifeblood fritter away every spring. Farmers are expected to grow more with less water!
There is technology to send salmon over any dam. More dams would be great for fishing and boating.
Sadly, Black Rock was never developed. Why are we so shortsighted?
BILL FROMHERZ
Yakima | https://www.yakimaherald.com/opinion/letter-more-dams-would-save-precious-water-supplies/article_1575b07c-2642-11ed-a366-97184bcaa43c.html | 2022-08-31T11:54:42Z | yakimaherald.com | control | https://www.yakimaherald.com/opinion/letter-more-dams-would-save-precious-water-supplies/article_1575b07c-2642-11ed-a366-97184bcaa43c.html | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Aloha State Sumo Association is a non-profit set up for youth, both boys and girls, to give them opportunities to learn and get involved with the sport of sumo.
President of the Aloha State Sumo Association, Kena Heffernan, shared, “The reason why I started Aloha State Sumo Association was to pay it forward. It’s taught me to respect, it’s taught me to honor my elders, taught me to get back up when I get knocked down.”
As a National Champion Sumo Wrestler himself, Kena shared, “The titles, the medals...those are all great things to be able to get you to go where they’re going... but it’s the friendships that last.”
Through his years in the sport and now as a coach, Kena has learned valuable life lessons. “It’s taught me 'family first'...and it doesn’t necessarily need to be the family you’re born into, but you’re going to bring these young gentlemen, young women in here just from the coaching aspect. I have so much respect for all the coaches around us.”
At Aloha State Sumo Association, “The kids that come through...they might be passing through for two, three, four, practices...and then to be able to see them carry on with their career...” Kena added, “It doesn’t have to be in sumo...it’s in football, it’s in baseball and everything else.”
Inside the ring, Kena described it as “literally King of the Hill.” He shared, “I always start the match with a bow, with respect...you always end the match with a bow, with respect --and that’s not something you see with a lot of different sports...” Kena has seen how the sumo students from Hawaii have a unique sense of strength because of their upbringing. “They’ve always had a strong heart, they always have a driving effort to always be able to go forward...Aloha State Sumo is doing what it’s supposed to be doing.”
As Miss Hawaii 2019 & 2020, Nikki was a representative for the Aloha State and was highly involved with the community as she promoted the importance of service. Nikki is the host of KITV's entertainment and culture platform, ISLAND LIFE. | https://www.kitv.com/island-life/hawaiis-next-generation-of-sumo-wrestlers-with-aloha-state-sumo-association/article_007f2ec8-27eb-11ed-9552-d76be72f0f9c.html | 2022-08-31T11:59:06Z | kitv.com | control | https://www.kitv.com/island-life/hawaiis-next-generation-of-sumo-wrestlers-with-aloha-state-sumo-association/article_007f2ec8-27eb-11ed-9552-d76be72f0f9c.html | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
(The Hill) — Democrats are seeing new glimmers of hope for their chances of ousting Sen. Marco Rubio (R) in Florida after months of hand-wringing over just how aggressively they should pursue his seat.
Until recently, the Senate race drew little attention from national Democrats who have grown increasingly skeptical that their candidates can remain competitive in the Sunshine State after a spate of narrow, though still painful, losses. Top party officials instead looked to Senate contests in states like Pennsylvania and Wisconsin — two states that President Joe Biden carried in 2020 — as safer bets.
But Rep. Val Demings (Fla.), a rising Democratic star who clinched the party’s Senate nomination in Florida last week, has so far shown herself to be a formidable challenger to Rubio.
She’s raised about $48 million to his $36 million and has already spent months blanketing airwaves with ads talking about her law enforcement credentials and hitting Rubio over everything from his attendance record in the Senate to his stance on abortion rights.
“The fundraising situation for Republicans seems pretty dire, and meanwhile Demings is continuing to raise millions of dollars and outraise Rubio. So I think the fundamentals are really encouraging,” said Joshua Karp, a top adviser to Demings’s campaign.
Demings’s allies also argue that many of the GOP’s standard attacks — most notably their claim that the Florida congresswoman favors defunding the police — have fallen flat, given her career in law enforcement and the years she spent as Orlando’s police chief.
“Republicans haven’t really been able to lay a glove on Demings,” Karp added. “She’s pretty Teflon when it comes to their usual basket of attacks. And this is not a candidate that they know how to define and target.”
But that’s not to say winning will be easy for Demings. Unlike Republican Senate nominees in several other battleground states — like Arizona, Pennsylvania and Georgia — Rubio is a seasoned politician with a track record of winning statewide by wide margins, and the vast majority of public polling in the race between him and Demings shows Rubio in the lead.
Rubio’s message, meanwhile, has focused on casting Demings as a “rubber stamp” for Democrats’ agenda in Washington, linking the three-term congresswoman to President Biden and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), while also homing in on inflation and crime, two issues that have repeatedly dogged Democrats this year.
“When Floridians go to the ballot box in November, they’re going to hold Demings and Democrat-controlled Washington accountable for driving skyrocketing inflation, out of control crime, and a crisis at the border letting drugs flow into our communities,” said Elizabeth Gregory, a spokesperson for Rubio’s campaign.
There’s also a long list of structural challenges for Florida Democrats. For one, there are now more registered Republican voters in the state than Democrats, and the GOP’s advantage in the state has only continued to grow. And while Florida has a penchant for hosting ultra-close statewide races, Republicans have a tendency to come out on top more often than not.
Rubio himself also has a proven ability to outperform other statewide Republican candidates in Miami-Dade County, a Democratic stronghold, albeit one where the GOP has made gains in recent years. Rubio lost Miami-Dade by only about 11 percentage points the last time he was on the ballot in 2016. That same year, Hillary Clinton, the Democratic presidential nominee, won it by nearly 30 points.
“I think that Rubio’s strength in Miami-Dade is not to be underestimated. But it’s also never been stress-tested,” said one Democratic strategist who works in Florida politics.
In 2010, when Rubio first won his seat, his opposition was largely split in the general election between supporting Charlie Crist, the former Republican governor who challenged Rubio as an independent, and former Rep. Kendrick Meek (D-Fla.), giving Rubio an opening to win Miami-Dade County, the strategist argued.
Democrats also blame former Rep. Patrick Murphy, the party’s 2016 Senate nominee, for a lackluster effort to reach Florida’s vast and diverse Hispanic communities. Murphy’s campaign released its first Spanish-language ad little more than a month before Election Day.
But Democrats say there’s reason to believe that things will be different this year.
Demings’s campaign announced earlier this year that it would spend $3 million on a coordinated bilingual effort to boost Democrats up and down the ballot, while the Democratic National Committee moved to install a Spanish-language voter outreach program and a new organizing staff in Miami-Dade County.
Demings also began running Spanish-language digital ads in June, two months after launching “Todos Con Demings,” her Hispanic outreach campaign.
Demings has also buoyed her position in the race by seizing on the same issues lifting Democrats across the country.
The party’s candidates have seen a burst of momentum following the signing of a massive tax and climate law, arguing that it’s evidence that they can pass meaningful legislation. And then there’s the conservative-majority Supreme Court’s decision in June to overturn Roe v. Wade, the landmark abortion rights case — a ruling that has put reproductive rights back in the country’s political spotlight.
Meanwhile, inflation has shown signs of easing and gas prices have begun to tick downward, bolstering Democratic hopes of avoiding an electoral thrashing in November.
But Republicans argue that the problems for Democrats in Florida are apparent. While the national political environment has shifted, at least somewhat, in Democrats’ favor in recent weeks, there’s no guarantee that trend will hold over the next two months. Republicans also argue that the FBI’s search of former President Trump’s Palm Beach club and residence, Mar-a-Lago, could energize their voters at a time when GOP enthusiasm is already running high.
At the same time, many of the major donors and outside groups that have invested heavily in Florida in the past have stayed on the sidelines so far, fearing a repeat of recent election cycles that saw huge spending by Democrats followed by disappointing losses.
Priorities USA, the main Democratic super PAC, has yet to announce any spending plans in Florida this year. Neither has Senate Majority PAC, the super PAC aligned with Democratic Senate leadership. Former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, meanwhile, recently donated $1 million to the state Democratic Party, but has held off from making the kind of massive investments he made in the state in 2020.
“I think there’s a lot of skepticism about whether Florida is winnable. And I think that’s partially because Republicans have spent the last four years screaming at the top of their lungs that Florida is a red state,” one national Democratic consultant familiar with fundraising said. “There’s a lot of ‘don’t throw good money after bad results.’” | https://www.siouxlandproud.com/hill-politics/democrats-see-opening-to-take-down-rubio/ | 2022-08-31T11:59:45Z | siouxlandproud.com | control | https://www.siouxlandproud.com/hill-politics/democrats-see-opening-to-take-down-rubio/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
President Biden is trying to use his support for gun safety measures to counter Republican midterm election messaging that Democrats are soft on crime.
Copyright 2022 NPR
President Biden is trying to use his support for gun safety measures to counter Republican midterm election messaging that Democrats are soft on crime.
Copyright 2022 NPR | https://www.klcc.org/2022-08-31/biden-is-turning-the-tables-on-republicans-by-calling-them-soft-on-crime | 2022-08-31T12:03:28Z | klcc.org | control | https://www.klcc.org/2022-08-31/biden-is-turning-the-tables-on-republicans-by-calling-them-soft-on-crime | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
The Pharmacy Council of Nigeria (PCN), has been empowered to revoke, suspend, withdraw or cancel the operational license of any practising pharmacist who violates the rules of operations.
The amended PCN Act was recently signed by the President, Muhammadu Buhari, and has also expanded the powers and functions of the Council to inspect, approve, licence and regulate the registration and practice of pharmacy.
The chairman of the Governing Council of PCN, Prof. Ahmed Tijjani Mora, in a statement, who appreciated President Muhammadu Buhari, for signing the newly amended Pharmacy Council of Nigeria (PCN) Establishment Act 2022 bill into law, was optimistic that the Act would improve the workings of PCN and encourage more professionalism in the profession of pharmacy.
Mora, appreciated members of the National Assembly for their efforts towards the realization of the amended PCN Act maintained that the new expanded the powers of PCN Governing Council to regulate all stakeholders involved in the pharmacy distribution chain all the way, as well as inclusion of all stakeholders involved in the pharmacy distribution chain in their plans and programmes.
ALSO READ FROM NIGERIAN TRIBUNE
He also indicated that the experience requirement for the composition of the PCN Governing Council such as the appointment of the Chairman was extended from hitherto 15 years to 25 years, while the tenure of the Chairman and Governing Council members were also extended from three to four years.
Also, the new law recommended experience of not less than 10 years post-qualification for eight members that are expected to represent the geopolitical zones of the Federation as would be appointed by the Minister of Health on the recommendation of the Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria (PSN).
It recommended an introduction of pre-action notice before a suit can be brought against the PCN, and the PCN must be notified before any action can be brought against it.
It also recommended that the Federal High Court shall have jurisdiction to hear and determine criminal and civil matters under the Act, with the new law expressing stating that the Federal High court has jurisdiction to hear and determine criminal and civil matters under this Act. | https://tribuneonlineng.com/amended-act-empowers-pcn-to-revoke-pharmacists-licence-chairman/ | 2022-08-31T12:05:31Z | tribuneonlineng.com | control | https://tribuneonlineng.com/amended-act-empowers-pcn-to-revoke-pharmacists-licence-chairman/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
N36b debts: We have not defrauded FG ― Airlines Operators of Nigeria
•Says most indebted airlines no longer in existence •Airlines not cash and carry business
Nigerian airlines under the aegis of Airline Operators of Nigeria (AON) have responded to the allegations of owing the various aviation agencies in Nigeria to the tune of over 36 billion saying most of the so-called indebted carriers were no longer in existence.
In a statement issued and signed by the Vice President of the AON, Mr Allen Onyema and made available to the media, the operators took exception to the allegations levelled against them by the Chief Executives of the agencies led by the director general of the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), Captain Musa Nuhu which accused them of defrauding the agencies.
The AON statement partly read: “Our attention has been drawn to news making the rounds that the DG NCAA, Captain Musa Nuhu, “accused airlines of defrauding government aviation agencies like the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) and the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA) of over N19billion Naira while converting same to ‘personal use”.
“The Airline Operators of Nigeria (AON) wishes to state its very strong reservations for such accusations and we deny very strongly that our members are defrauding or defrauding government agencies of the said amount or any amount for that matter. Airline Operations, worldwide, are not a cash-and-carry business. Every airline in the world owes debts which are settled as their operations go on. Nigeria is not an exception.
“Some of our members indeed have very bad debts but not all our members owe such debts. The owing of debts in itself does not amount to fraud. We frown very strongly at the criminalization of all Nigerian airlines as a result of the said debts.
“Various parties were present at a stakeholders’ meeting and the DG NCAA did not at any time use such words to describe Nigerian airlines. Rather, the meeting ended on an amicable note with everyone agreeing to work together to address the debts. It is pertinent to point out that some of these debts are owed by some airlines that are no longer in existence.”
The leadership of the AON however, urged its members with such bad debts to engage the agencies and put forward repayment plans even as the operators lamented how all airlines in Nigeria were presently operating in a very harsh environment and need all the support from everyone.
The agencies through the DG NCAA at a stakeholder meeting in Abuja on Tuesday declared that the operators were indebted to the agencies to the tune of over N36 billion.
According to the breakdown given by the agencies, the operators were said to be indebted to the NCAA to the tune of N19 billion through the statutory 5 per cent Ticket Sales Charge (TSC) and Cargo Sales Charge (CSC) which had accumulated to over N19 billion and $7.8 million in the last few years.
For the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), while the airlines owed N18 billion being accumulated incurred from the landing and parking charges of their aircraft, the airlines equally owed the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA) N5 billion
through the terminal and navigational charges of the services rendered by the airlines.
The agencies had cautioned that failure of the airlines to commence servicing the accumulated debts may lead to the total collapse of the agencies.
ALSO READ FROM NIGERIAN TRIBUNE
N36b debts: We have not defrauded FG-AON
— | https://tribuneonlineng.com/n36b-debts-we-have-not-defrauded-fg-%E2%80%95-airlines-operators-of-nigeria/ | 2022-08-31T12:05:51Z | tribuneonlineng.com | control | https://tribuneonlineng.com/n36b-debts-we-have-not-defrauded-fg-%E2%80%95-airlines-operators-of-nigeria/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Special prosecutors to serve in child murder case
CHEYENNE (WNE) — Two special prosecutors are likely to replace the Laramie County district attorney in a local child murder case.
During a Monday afternoon hearing, Laramie County District Judge Steven Sharpe indicated that attorneys Michael Blonigen and Pat Crank will be allowed to serve as special prosecutors in the case of Wyatt Dean Lamb.
Laramie County DA Leigh Anne Manlove is not running for a second term and will leave office in January, before Lamb’s February trial.
Manlove filed a motion July 18 to appoint Blonigen and Crank to prosecute the case.
She said Monday that her office does not have enough attorneys, and, in reaching out to other prosecutors in the state, no one agreed to take on the case.
“So I then started just going through a list of either retired or former prosecutors, and, unfortunately for Mr. Blonigen and Mr. Crank, they were on that list. But, fortunately for everyone involved, they agreed,” she told the court.
Blonigen retired as the Natrona County district attorney in 2018, later returning to the office to serve as an assistant district attorney. Crank is a Cheyenne attorney who served as Wyoming’s attorney general from 2002 to 2007.
Lamb, a Cheyenne man, is accused of physically abusing and killing his then-girlfriend’s 2-year-old son before putting the boy’s body in a dumpster. The alleged incident took place in February 2021.
Two-year-old Athian Rivera was reported missing by his mother, Kassandra Orona, at around 1 p.m. on Feb. 19, 2021. His body was discovered around 3 p.m. in a dumpster just outside an entrance to Orona’s apartment, located in the 400 block of Desmet Drive.
Lamb was ultimately charged with first-degree murder and 10 felony counts of child abuse. He pleaded not guilty to all counts last August.
Competency evaluation ordered in murder case
CODY (WNE) — Cody resident Moshe Williams, one of two defendants charged with first degree murder in the death of his daughter, 2-year-old Paisleigh Williams, will undergo a competency evaluation before the October trial date.
Williams’ lawyer, Wyoming Public Defender Dylan Rosalez, asked the Park County Court on Aug. 24 to grant a competency evaluation before the hearing on Williams’ objection to a joint trial and his motion to sever the case from codefendant Carolyn Aune could get underway.
“We did have some recent interactions with Mr. Williams that we believe we would need to have him evaluated for fitness to proceed,” Rosalez said. “Until a competency determination is made, he cannot fully participate and interact with counsel and the motions for the hearing.”
The state hospital will have 30 days to complete the evaluation.
District Court Judge Bobbi Overfield left the original trial deadlines in place, pending further information or reason to vacate that trial.
The Aug. 24 proceedings on Williams’ motion to sever and objection to a joint trial were stayed.
Deputy Park County Attorney Jack Hatfield had filed a request on Aug. 18 asking the court to deny Williams’ motion objecting to a joint trial and his motion to sever the trial from Aune.
Because there is only one charge against both Williams and Aune, Hatfield intends to introduce the same evidence against both to prove the charge, Hatfield wrote in his motion.
“The cost and burden to the state and this court in conducting two separate trials based on the same charge with the same evidence would not be in the interests of judicial economy,” he wrote.
Man accused of shooting at friend found not guilty
GILLETTE (WNE) — The man accused of shooting a gun at his friend has been acquitted of all charges against him.
Peter Maynard had been charged with attempted second-degree murder, aggravated assault and possession of a deadly weapon with unlawful intent. In March, he allegedly fired a gun at his friend, Joshua Vavich, after an argument.
Thursday evening, after about two and a half hours of deliberation, a jury found him not guilty on all three charges.
The question at the heart of the trial was whether Maynard acted in self-defense when he fired a shot at Vavich the night of March 22.
The two were in a dating relationship and were living together in Gillette. Vavich said he could not remember why they started arguing, but he remembers Maynard being on top of him with two hands around his neck.
Vavich got free of Maynard and fled throughout the house, eventually opening the door that connected the house to the garage and peeking out, and that’s when Maynard fired the shot.
Maynard said he thought Vavich was grabbing a .357 from the master bedroom, so he armed himself with a .38 handgun.
Maynard said he then went outside to “put distance between” himself and Vavich. He exited through the garage. As he was walking down the driveway, he heard the door between the garage and the house open.
He turned around and saw Vavich coming out of the garage. He believed Vavich was holding the .357 revolver and he said Vavich raised his hands.
Maynard said he was scared, so he fired his gun, then immediately ran across the street. He told Police Officer Austin Baumberger that he fired one shot.
“I fired one round into the garage, not at him,” Maynard said.
Suspicious deaths ruled murder, suicide
WORLAND (WNE) — The investigation into two deaths in Worland last week have been ruled as a murder and suicide.
According to a press release from the Washakie County Sheriff’s Office, “on or around the late evening hours of Monday, Aug. 15, and the early morning hours of Tuesday, Aug. 16, Donald Orr, 50, shot and killed Carlene D. Brown, 22, and then took his own life.”
According to the release, on Tuesday morning at 11:09 a.m., the Washakie County Sheriff’s Office was called to 342 Highway 20 North to conduct a welfare check on a female subject who was reported to be living at that address.
Upon entry in the home, deputies found the victim, Brown, who had succumbed to four gunshot wounds. It was also determined that she was pregnant at the time of her passing.
The suspect, Orr, was also found to have succumbed to a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head.
Washakie County Sheriff Steve Rakness said in the release that no other suspects were involved with this case and there was no threat or safety hazard to the public. He said there was only one other previous call to the residence, which resulted in Orr being arrested.
According to court records, the incident “stemmed from a dispute between Orr and his now ex-girlfriend Carlene Brown.” Brown did tell law enforcement officers that Orr was tracking her father Donald Brown with a firearm that night.
According to court records, Donald Brown was there that night to help Carlene Brown move out “and the situation had deteriorated from there.” | https://www.wyomingnews.com/laramieboomerang/news/crime-and-punishment/article_4ddefb78-287f-11ed-91f8-8b39f990fe02.html | 2022-08-31T12:07:02Z | wyomingnews.com | control | https://www.wyomingnews.com/laramieboomerang/news/crime-and-punishment/article_4ddefb78-287f-11ed-91f8-8b39f990fe02.html | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
ABOVE: A volunteer shares her “injuries” with a firefighter during a mock plane crash at Laramie Regional Airport on Tuesday. BELOW: Laramie Regional Airport Fire Department puts out a van on fire in a field west of the airport Tuesday. The fire was deliberately set as a representation of a crashed plane during a mock disaster drill at the airport.
Volunteers playing the parts of people hurt in a mock plane crash are helped off of the field by a firefighter during a mock mass-casualty drill at Laramie Regional Airport on Tuesday. At right are observers who assess the response.
Laramie Regional Airport Fire Department puts out a van on fire in a field west of the airport Tuesday. The fire was deliberately set as a representation of a crashed plane during a mock disaster drill at the airport.
ABOVE: A volunteer shares her “injuries” with a firefighter during a mock plane crash at Laramie Regional Airport on Tuesday. BELOW: Laramie Regional Airport Fire Department puts out a van on fire in a field west of the airport Tuesday. The fire was deliberately set as a representation of a crashed plane during a mock disaster drill at the airport.
Carol Ryczek for the Boomerang
Volunteers playing the parts of people hurt in a mock plane crash are helped off of the field by a firefighter during a mock mass-casualty drill at Laramie Regional Airport on Tuesday. At right are observers who assess the response.
Carol Ryczek/For the Boomerang
Laramie Regional Airport Fire Department puts out a van on fire in a field west of the airport Tuesday. The fire was deliberately set as a representation of a crashed plane during a mock disaster drill at the airport.
Carol Ryczek/For the Boomerang
A firefighter escorts a volunteer playing the part of a crash victim during a disaster drill at Laramie Regional Airport on Tuesday morning.
A crash at the Laramie Regional Airport on Tuesday was a scene out of a disaster film: burning metal, emergency equipment and victims with various injuries were spread over a wide field on the airport’s west side.
Fortunately for all involved, the emergency was only an elaborate drill, a simulation for local first responders to help train them for the potential for the real thing.
The smoke from the burning metal came from two vehicles deliberately set on fire and the “victims” were volunteers participating in the mass-casualty simulation.
The simulation tests the response of the airport and local fire, law enforcement and emergency medical services, said Rachel Mrozinsky, airport executive assistant and key organizer of the event. The airport is required to stage this kind of exercise every three years to comply with Federal Aviation Administration rules.
The airport remained operational during the exercise, said Amy Terrell, airport director.
In Tuesday’s simulation, a CRG 200 airplane with 42 passengers had “crashed” after a fire broke out on takeoff, she said.
Skywest United flies this type of regional jet, she said. The airline also is required to participate in emergency response exercises with the airport.
“Every entity in the city — Laramie fire, police, Albany County fire; the sheriff’s office — all emergency entities take part in this event,” Mrozinsky said.
For example, the burning vehicles required both the airport and Laramie fire departments to respond and tend to the wounded.
In addition, Ivinson Memorial Hospital will enact a “surge drill” for its staff in the emergency room, Terrell added.
“This really is an opportunity to identifying processes and working with our partners,” she said.
The mock disaster resulted in passengers who were critically injured to walking wounded. Community volunteers were assigned roles and injuries, carrying color-coded descriptions of their injuries. Red, yellow and green colors indicated the severity.
McKenna Parkinson played the part of a 63-year-old man with moderate burns and smoke inhalation. Paula Pridgeon, a co-worker of Parkinson’s at ANB Bank in Laramie, was more seriously injured with major smoke inhalation and serious burns and bleeding.
Pridgeon said that participating in a mock crash did not change her love of flying.
“It makes me feel better, knowing they practice like this,” Pridgeon said.
Nick Mahon, an engineer at the Department of Atmospheric Sciences at the University of Wyoming, echoed that sentiment, saying he hopes the drill will “strengthen our confidence in our area responders.”
Albany County Sheriff Aaron Applehans said exercises like Tuesday’s “allows us to train together in an incident, looking at everybody’s expertise and resources, how we can collaborate and our deficiencies.”
It is better to do this in a training session than after a real incident, he said.
At the end of the exercise, representatives from the agencies meet to discuss what went well and where improvements are needed in a session called “hot wash,” Terrell said.
Three years ago, the local simulation involved a mock bomb threat at the airport, Applehans said. That experience helped create better logistics for getting people out of the terminal.
Mrozinsky said that while they wanted to look at every part of the response, communication between agencies was a main focus Tuesday.
Participants have been planning the exercise for six to seven months, Terrell said, adding that no incident of this kind has actually happened at the Laramie airport. | https://www.wyomingnews.com/laramieboomerang/news/distress-rehearsal-area-agencies-rally-for-mock-disaster-drill-at-laramie-airport/article_bbb88490-289b-11ed-8305-0b5b34efcbdf.html | 2022-08-31T12:07:08Z | wyomingnews.com | control | https://www.wyomingnews.com/laramieboomerang/news/distress-rehearsal-area-agencies-rally-for-mock-disaster-drill-at-laramie-airport/article_bbb88490-289b-11ed-8305-0b5b34efcbdf.html | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Recovery Advocacy Warriors sets annual picnic for Sept. 10
Suzanne Nolan Wisler
The Monroe News
Recovery Advocacy Warriors will hold its annual Recovery Picnic from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Sept. 10 at St. Mary’s Park.
September is National Recovery Month. The event aims to “celebrate recovery and bring awareness to recovery from substance misuse,” RAW said.
The public is welcome. Offered will be free food, speakers, music, games, raffle prizes, stories from attendees, recovery support and community resources. First aid kits with Narcan will be given free.
Last year, more than 165 attended the Recovery Picnic.
RAW also is planning on open house from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sept. 22 at its office, 552 Rambow Dr. Attendees can tour the new building and learn more about recovery and support services available to county residents. | https://www.monroenews.com/story/news/2022/08/31/annual-recovery-picnic-set-for-sept-10/65463393007/ | 2022-08-31T12:07:20Z | monroenews.com | control | https://www.monroenews.com/story/news/2022/08/31/annual-recovery-picnic-set-for-sept-10/65463393007/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Suicide Awareness Vigil and Gathering set for Sept. 10 at St. Mary's Park
A Suicide Awareness and Remembrance Vigil and Gathering has been set for World Suicide Prevention Day on Sept. 10.
The event will take place from 4 to 7 p.m. Sept. 10 at St. Mary’s Park Pavilion, located at the corner of W. Elm Ave. and Monroe St.
The public is welcome. Attendees can bring a photo or mementos of a loved one. Attendees also can share stories.
“So many of us have had our lives affected by suicide. This event is to support our community. All too often, stigma makes us feel as if we are alone. You are not alone. If you have lost a loved one from suicide, please join us. If you are a survivor of a suicide attempt, please join us. If you have experienced suicidal thoughts or ideation, please join us. If you would like to learn more about suicide pre- and post-vention and how you can get involved, please join us. This event is open to all,” event organizer, the Monroe County Suicide Prevention Coalition, said.
For more information or to get involved, call Lisa at (734) 384-0034 or visit spcmonroecounty on Facebook.
The Monroe County Suicide Prevention Coalition offers support for people struggling and feeling overwhelmed. To reach the coalition, call or text 988 anytime. | https://www.monroenews.com/story/news/2022/08/31/suicide-awareness-vigil-and-gathering-set-for-sept-10/65463382007/ | 2022-08-31T12:07:26Z | monroenews.com | control | https://www.monroenews.com/story/news/2022/08/31/suicide-awareness-vigil-and-gathering-set-for-sept-10/65463382007/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
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